South Africa: Manufacturing, industrialisation key to unlocking economic growth

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says manufacturing and industrialisation remain key to stimulating South Africas economy.

He was speaking during the launch of a book on the transformation of the economys structure and industrial development.

Industrialisation is identified as a key pillar in President Cyril Ramaphosas Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan unveiled last year.

Through this pillar we are intervening decisively to drive strategic localisation, repurpose South Africas manufacturing as well as strengthen regional and global trade. Ultimately our goal is to significantly increase South Africas manufacturing output, reduce the proportion of imported intermediary and finished goods and expand the capacity of local suppliers, Minister Godongwana said.

Godongwana highlighted that the manufacturing industry has shrunk from at least 22% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to about 12%.

This meant that the country is now importing more manufactured goods to the decimation of the countrys own manufacturing industry.

The manufacturing sectors capital base has shrunk  from R677.7 billion in 2008 to the current R545.9 billion in real terms. These numbers speak of the decimation of our industrial base. They also speak to significant job losses, widening income inequality and poverty.

Our economy continues to suck-in imports. This is in part because of a weak industrial base. This is also a reflection of an imbalanced growth model, which is unsustainable and keeps our economy vulnerable, the Minister said.

The Minister said to mitigate this, government has embarked on the restructuring of the economy back to industrial development with emphasise placed back on the high growth, high productivity and greater labour absorbing manufacturing industry.

Manufacturing has strong backward and forward linkages to the rest of the economy which make it a significant driver of demand across the economy. Equally, the sectors ability to interface between agrarian and resource extracting economies and introduce new products and technologies allows it to move the economy forward  from low to high productivity activities, he said.

Godongwana added that this would auger well for job creation for the country which currently has an official unemployment rate of at least 34%.

Further, in an environment, such as ours, where structural unemployment remains stubbornly high, manufacturing has a critical role to play in expanding our skills base and helping us deal with unemployment. Ultimatelyindustrial development is critical for our aspirations, as a nation, for higher levels of economic growth, job creation, transformation, and development, Godongwana said.

Impact of economic policy

The Minister highlighted the fact that policy plays a role in the growth and structural change of the economy.

[Economic] policy is a powerful instrument, capable of influencing and shaping the orientation and structure of the economy. For instance, the pace and scale of infrastructure roll out  which is an outcome of the effectiveness of the use of fiscal resources  has a significant impact on the competitiveness of local firms and the ability of their products to access global value and supply chains.

Equally, [government] investments in new technologies, innovation, health, education, training and up-skilling of the workforce  all of which are linked to the outcomes of fiscal policy  also have a direct bearing on competitiveness and inclusion.

Another example is that the pace of the vaccine rollout programme has profound implications on the ability of our economy and industries to operate at full capacity, he said.

Policy implementation

Godongwana said government is striving for economic policy consistency and certainty in the economy and making sure that policy results in real action.

In this regard, significant progress is being made to towards ensuring greater policy and regulatory certainty in important economic sectors such as water and sanitation, energy and telecommunications.

Linked to this is the work we are doing to strengthen the capacity of the state not only to implement policy, but also to intervene in the economy in a manner that does not hinder but enhances industrial growth and development, Minister Godongwana said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: President Ramaphosa to address Global COVID-19 Summit

President Cyril Ramaphosa will address a virtual Global COVID-19 Summit on Wednesday, at the invitation of United States President Joe Biden.

The theme of the summit is Ending the Pandemic and Building Better Health Security to Prepare for the Next.

The summit, according to the Presidency, envisages agreement by leaders on four targets that will be announced by President Biden, which aim to create lasting solutions to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics.

President Ramaphosa has been central in the global leadership response to the pandemic over and above being the COVID-19 Champion for the African Union and the continent, the Presidency said.

The Presidents Office said the recording of the address, which is due to start at 17:00, will be shared with all media after the summit, as the event is closed to media.

According to the White House, "this meeting is about expanding and enhancing our shared efforts to defeat COVID-19, building out from previous gatherings of world leaders and Ministers in fora like the G7, G20, and Act Accelerator".

According to reports, America will be asking participants "to commit to a higher level of ambition by expanding reach in four broad avenues".

These include enhancing equitable access to vaccines and getting shots in arms; solving the oxygen crisis; making tests, personal protective equipment, therapeutics more easily available; and establishing sustainable health security financing by tracking progress, and countries supporting each other to fulfil commitments.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Prof Mkhize's memorial service to be held on Thursday

The memorial service for the late Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize, will be held on Thursday.

Mkhize passed away on Thursday, 16 September 2021, after she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017. She was 69 years old.

She died at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre.

According to the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the memorial service will take place on 23 September 2021 at the Walter Sisulu Hall in Randburg at 10am.

All COVID-19 health protocols will be observed, including level 2 lockdown regulations, the statement read.

Meanwhile, the late Deputy Minister will be laid to rest on Saturday at the Fourways Memorial Park Chapel.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has accorded Mkhize an Official Funeral Category 2, with police honours.

In line with the provisions of the Official Funeral Category 2, President Ramaphosa has directed that the national flag be flown at half-mast at every flag station in South Africa between 21 and 25 September 2021, the evening of the day of the burial.

In addition, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and other major television broadcast channels will broadcast the funeral live.

The GCIS will also stream the funeral service live on digital and social media platforms of government.

Mourners who are unable to attend the funeral service are encouraged to follow the proceedings on television channels and the following platforms.

Government is also encouraging anyone, who wishes to send messages of condolence to the family and friends of Mkhize, to do so through via condolences@gcis.gov.za.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Motshekga condemns violence against teachers

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has expressed shock and sadness at the gruesome murder of a teacher at Heinz Park primary school in Philippi, Western Cape.

The teacher was gunned down on the school premises on Tuesday.

Motshekga has condemned the number of violent crimes taking place against teachers in schools and else in the communities.

We condemn any form of violence in our schools. We are working with the police to ensure the safety of our teachers, learners and the entire school community against criminals who continue to terrorise them in a safe environment that school premises are supposed to be, Motshekga said.

The Minister said the departments programme of safety in schools continues to advocate for no violence of any form in schools.

Government, led by the Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Dr Reginah Mhaule, and other Deputy Ministers from the South African Police Service, Justice and Constitutional Development, Social Development and many other partners will intensify the campaign against violence in schools, including gender-based violence, in Limpopo on 15 October 2021, the Minister said.

She said the safety of teachers, learners and staff is a collective responsibility of the entire society and everyone must play their part to end the violence and criminal activities that occur, especially on school premises.

The Minister conveyed her condolences to both the family of the deceased teacher and the school.

Motshekga has called upon the police to ensure that those who carried out this brutal murder are arrested, charged and jailed as soon as possible.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Call for responsible water use as Vaal Dam levels decline

The Department of Water and Sanitation has appealed to water consumers to continue using water responsibly after Gautengs main source of water supply, the Vaal Dam, continued to decline this week.

Vaal Dam stood at 34.6% last year during the same week. This week, the dam stands at a stable level of 84.6%. This indicates a minor drop from last weeks 85.8%, the department said on Wednesday.

Other dams that have seen a decline this week include the Grootdraai and the Bloemhof.

The Grootdraai Dam fell from 78.1% last week to 76.8% this week. Despite this weeks decline, the present levels of the dam are in a heathier state compared to the 77.3% the dam recorded at the same time last year.

The Bloemhof Dam is currently slightly lower at 103.3%, as compared to the 104.3%, last week but up from last years 93.6% at the same period, the department said.

The department said on the downward trend this week is the Sterkfontein Dam, which is a reserve dam for the Integrated Vaal River System. The dam decreased from 104.3% last week to 103.3% this week. During the preceding year at the same week, the dam was equally stronger when it stood at 93.6%.

Meanwhile, both the Katse and Mohale dams in the neighbouring Kingdom of Lesotho, continue to decline week-on-week.

The Mohale Dam continued to be a cause for concern as it floundered to lower levels. The dam fell from a poor 30.6% to 30.3 %. In the comparative period last year, the dam was at 4.6%, the department said.

The level of the Katse Dam is continuing to slightly drop, as it went from a comfortable 64.6% last week to 64.1% this week. However, this is a huge improvement from last years level of 24.8%.

The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) which consists of 14 dams, continues to be in a stable position and to withstand the pressure put on it as a result of some critical dams in the system recording a decline in levels.

Despite its fall this week, the IVRS is still resilient at 82.6 % following a drop from last weeks 83.2%. The system was poorer in the preceding year in the same week when it recorded at 58.3%, the department said. SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: KZN man arrested for using his daughter as 'sex slave'

KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza, has commended the arrest of a 52-year-old man for allegedly having sexual relations with his daughter for nine years.

On Tuesday, Bulwer police traced the man to his workplace after his daughter had opened a case.

Khoza had dispatched a team of social workers to KwaMakhongwane in Bulwer to meet with the victim and her family.

According to the provincial department, the team of social workers spent hours speaking with the 21-year-old victim, where she revealed details of how her father had groomed her to be his "sex slave".

After interacting with the social workers, the provincial department said the victim resolved to go to the police station to open a rape case against her father.

The victim has since been moved to a safe shelter.

Khoza has commended the team of social workers and police for their efforts to help the victim.

We are very pleased by the dedication shown by the social workers and police who attended this matter. Equally, we want to applaud members of the community, who finally spoke out about this inhumane act of this heartless man.

The MEC has since called on the police to ensure that they collect all evidence to ensure that the perpetrator is successfully prosecuted.

She has described the culprit as "heartless" and "dangerous" to society, and fears there might be other children who suffered such abuse.

"No child is safe if a person is able to sleep with his daughter and act as if it is normal. The call to fight social ills, sexual abuse, rape and gender-based violence requires us to be dedicated to exposing those involved in such crimes," said Khoza.

She said South Africa is faced with a prevalence of cases of children being raped by their fathers, stepfathers and uncles.

Every member of society has to play their role in exposing such cruelty, she stressed.

The MEC said government will not stand idle while children suffer abuse daily at the hands of people who are supposed to protect them.

We will follow this case to the end, as we want the court to set an example with this man. No bail should be given to such people, as they don't deserve to stay in our communities. How does a person rape a child for nine years and pretends as if all it's normal?"

The department said it will continue to provide psychosocial support to the victim and her siblings.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: SAAs return expected to bring relief for consumers

The return of South African Airlines (SAA) to the skies will benefit consumers as it will bring more competitive pricing to the sector.

This is according to SAA board chairperson John Lamola who was speaking ahead of the airline's first flight since it was grounded at least 16 months ago.

Since SAA went into and then out of business rescue, there has been less local capacity and that means tickets have become more expensive. Our return to the skies will mean more competitive pricing and will enable more South Africans to fly.

Economics aside, there is also the pride factor. Seeing SAAs tail colours on international tarmacs is not only positive for South Africa but the rest of the continent, Lamola said.

The airlines local flights will take off on Thursday with at least three trips per day between Johannesburg to Cape Town each way.

African countries earmarked for flights include Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo with these starting on Monday, September 27th.

Bookings are the obvious measure of success and Im thrilled so far that there is high interest both in South Africa and on the rest of the continent.

SAA is receiving inquiries from many missions on the continent asking when their cities will be added to our route network. All of this positive affirmation is indicative how people feel about SAA and our return to service, Lamola said.

The board chairperson vowed that the airline had now turned a corner from its previous struggles and would better serve its consumers.

We have reduced our staff complement considerably and now have a lean efficient fleet of aircraft numbering eight, from a previous thirty-two. Many parts of SAAs repurposing have been difficult and painful at times, but our overriding dictum has been a sense of responsibility to the taxpayer and a promise that we will not go back to where we once were.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Deputy President to ramp up vaccination drive in Mpumalanga

Deputy President David Mabuza, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on COVID-19 Vaccines, will tomorrow undertake an oversight visit to Mpumalanga.

This is to engage on strategic interventions aimed at increasing the number of COVID-19 vaccination uptake.

The vaccination rollout oversight visit, led by Mabuza, follows engagements with the Gauteng and North West provincial government structures, which were aimed at ramping up the vaccination rollout programme.

The visit by Mabuza to Mpumalanga will include members of the IMC on COVID-19 Vaccines, who will visit members of the surrounding communities within the Ehlanzeni District with the aim of encouraging them to get vaccinated.

For the past few days, South Africa has seen a 37% overall decrease in new COVID-19 cases.

Furthermore, about eight million citizens have been fully vaccinated and the country has seen the decrease of about 15% in hospitalisation.

Mpumalanga, in particular, is amongst the provinces with the lowest proportion of the adult population who are fully vaccinated.

As of 21 September 2021, the province, in particular Ehlanzeni District, has achieved just under 25% of vaccination coverage of the target population eligible for vaccination.

In this regard, Mabuza will receive updates on the status of the vaccination rollout programme in the province and also interact with various community leaders.

The Deputy President will be accompanied by the Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele; Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla; Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu, Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Mostoaledi; Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo and Deputy Minister of State Security, Zizi Kodwa.  SAnews.gov.za

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RTHK: Biden and Macron speak after Aussie sub row

US President Joe Biden and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron spoke for the first time on Wednesday since a fierce row erupted over the sale of submarines to Australia, with both leaders agreeing to ease tensions.

Macron was left furious by Australia's decision last week to ditch a 2016 deal to buy diesel submarines from France in favour of nuclear-powered ones from the United States and Britain, which had been secretly negotiated.

In a joint statement issued after the call, the leaders vowed to launch a process of "in-depth consultations" to restore confidence and to meet in Europe at the end of October at an unspecified location.

In what amounted to an acknowledgement of French anger, the statement from the White House said that "the situation would have benefited from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners".

The statement also said the US recognised the need for stronger European defence to complement the NATO military alliance, a key idea repeatedly floated by the French leader.

In a first concrete sign of a slackening of tensions, Macron agreed to send back France's ambassador to Washington who was recalled to Paris last week in a diplomatic protest.

The October meeting between Macron and Biden would meanwhile seek "to reach shared understandings and maintain momentum in this process" to restore confidence, the statement said.

France was particularly outraged that Australia negotiated with Washington and London in secret, which French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced as "treachery" and a "stab in the back".

As well as a huge commercial setback, the loss of the deal was also a major blow to France's security strategy in the Pacific region.

The submarine row plunged Franco-US ties into what some analysts view as the most acute crisis since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which Paris opposed.

After four years of tumultuous relations with ex-president Donald Trump, the spat also dashed hopes of a complete reset under Biden, who took office in January aiming to rebuild frazzled ties with Europe.

Observers and some of France's European partners had begun wondering how and when the French leader would call an end to the face-off, which is playing out just seven months ahead of presidential elections.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was "time for some of our dearest friends around the world to 'prenez un grip' (get a grip)" in comments in Washington on Wednesday that mixed French and English.

"'Donnez-moi un break' because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security," he told Sky News.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, whose country is staunchly pro-American, defended Biden as "very loyal" and warned against turning "challenges which will always exist between allies into something they should not be."

The issue of EU defence is a sensitive issue between Biden and Macron, who has pushed hard during his four-and-a-half years in office for Europeans to invest more in defence and pool resources in order to increase their joint military capabilities.

The US, and some EU members including Denmark and Baltic countries, see this as a potential challenge to NATO, the US-led transatlantic military alliance that has been the cornerstone of European defence since World War II.

French Defence Minister Florence Parly argued against the idea of France withdrawing from NATO command structures, which some politicians in France have suggested in the wake of the submarines snub.

"Is it worth slamming the door on NATO? I don't think so," she said on Wednesday, while adding that "political dialogue is non-existent in NATO."

Australia's decision to order nuclear-powered submarines was driven by concern about China's commercial and military assertiveness in the Pacific region, where Biden is seeking to build an alliance of democratic states to help contain Beijing. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-09-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Boris uses 'franglais' to admonish France over Aukus

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told France on Wednesday to get a grip and give allies in the United States and Australia a break over a row about a trilateral nuclear submarine deal that tore up a separate French contract.

The new defence partnership between Britain, the United States and Australia was announced last week and will give Canberra access to nuclear powered submarine technology.

France accused US President Joe Biden of stabbing it in the back and acting like his predecessor Donald Trump after Australia ditched a defence contract with Paris for the purchase of conventional submarines.

Paris recalled its ambassadors from the United States and Australia, but it has snubbed Britain. It has not mentioned London in any public communication and officials have privately said London's role was "smoke and mirrors".

Speaking a day after he met Biden in Washington, Johnson told reporters: "I just think it's time for some of our dearest friends around the world to 'prenez un grip' about all this, 'donnez-moi un break', because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security."

He was translating the English phrases 'get a grip' and 'give me a break' literally into French.

"It is not trying to shoulder anybody out, it is not adversarial towards China, for instance, it is there to intensify links and friendship between three countries," he said.

The comments are likely to further fuel Paris' anger. Two diplomatic sources said there had been instructions to limit contacts with Britain in the immediate term.

"'Global Britain', it seems, is aimed at projecting Britain around the world, while marginalising Europe. We cant accept that," said one French diplomatic source, referring to a slogan used by Johnson to describe the UK's ambitions following Brexit.

Britain's role in pushing the new partnership appears to have been bigger than initially thought, officials have said, with the deal taking shape during a summit of G7 leaders in Cornwall in June that President Emmanuel Macron also attended.

"Its true that going back on a commitment made and the word he gave is something that Boris Johnson finds hard to see why that would be a problem," Nathalie Loiseau, former French Europe minister and European lawmaker, said on Twitter.

"This is the whole problem, however, when one claims to want an international order based on rules and relationships based on trust."

Highlighting the sense of anger felt in Paris - and in a rare reaction of its kind - Macron's office flatly denied a report published on Wednesday in Britain's Daily Telegraph saying the president was willing to give up France's permanent seat on the UN Security Council in exchange for the formation of a European Union army.

Neither France's foreign ministry nor the French presidency was available for comment. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-09-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
by Emanuele Scimia

The Xiaomi cell phones focus of concerns: they censor expressions like "free Tibet" and "democratic movement". Lithuanian cyber analysts: at the moment there are 449 expressions censored. High tension between the Baltic Republic and Beijing. Lithuanian diplomacy seeks to downplay situation.

Rome (AsiaNews) - The Lithuanian Ministry of Defence has advised consumers inside and outside the country not to buy Chinese cell phones or to dispose of them if in possession.

A report issued yesterday by Vilnius' National Cyber Security Centre states that cell phones made in China and sold in Europe have an in-built system that identifies and censors terms sensitive for the regime of Xi Jinping, such as "Free Tibet," "democratic movement" and "Long live Taiwan independence." There are currently 449 censored expressions, but the software continues to update them.

The Lithuanian authorities' suspicions focus on the Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G model. The manufacturing company is the world's second largest exporter. It says it has "shut down" its data collection capabilities in Europe, but according to cyber analysts in Vilnius they can be reactivated remotely at any time.

The Lithuanian researchers also point out that the Xiaomi phone sends encrypted phone data to a server in Singapore: the same happens with Huawei's P40 5G, but not with models from OnePlus, another Chinese manufacturer.

According to several media outlets, Huawei has denied the accusations made by Lithuanian authorities - Xiaomi has done the same with an official note. Accused of spying for the Chinese state first by Donald Trump, and now by Joe Biden, Huawei has been hit hard by the US boycott of its products.

As previously pointed out to AsiaNews by the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, a NATO-accredited cyber defence hub based in Estonia, countries buying 5G networks from Huawei cannot completely eliminate the risk of coming under the scrutiny of Chinese intelligence agencies. The only solution is to avoid acquiring Chinese-made technology equipment altogether.

In recent months, relations between Lithuania and China have become very tense. On August 10, Beijing has recalled its ambassador in Vilnius: a protest against the decision of the Lithuanian government to allow the Taiwanese to open a representative office under the name "Taiwan". The Chinese Communist Party maintains the island is a "rebel" province to be reunified by force if necessary.

The Lithuanian ambassador in Beijing has also returned to his country. Contacted by AsiaNews on the state of relations with China, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry was cautious. "In line with the One-China policy Lithuania is determined to pursue mutually beneficial economic and cultural ties with Taiwan, like many other countries in the European Union and the rest of the world do. We hope that the recent issues in Lithuanian and Chinese relations will be resolved by diplomatic means based on mutual respect and international law,'" explained a Vilnius spokesman.

However, Lithuanian diplomatic officials would neither confirm or deny press reports that the Chinese have also imposed trade sanctions, such as suspending freight train service to Lithuania and stopping new export licenses for Lithuanian producers. "At this stage," says the Lithuanians, "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not in a position to provide any further comments on this issue."
UNGA 76: President meets foreign leaders, WB President in New York

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc had meetings with many foreign leaders and World Bank Group (WB) President David Malpass shortly after he arrived in New York on September 21 (local time) for the General Debate of the UN General Assemblys 76th session (UNGA 76).









President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) meets with President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in in New York. (Photo: VNA)

The President met with President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in, who said that the RoK wants to further beef up the strategic partnership with Vietnam, so as to lift two-way trade to 100 billion USD by 2023 and deepen cooperation in digital economy, bio-products and finance. Moon announced that the RoK will donate more than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine which will be delivered in mid-October to Vietnam



Thanking the RoK for its much-needed assistance, President Phuc said the two countries need to soon keep the virus at bay to promote their strategic partnership more widely and comprehensively in the coming time, particularly when they are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year.



Phuc asked the RoK side to continue expanding FDI projects, both in size and number, in Vietnam and ramping up technology transfer to domestic firms while pledging to provide further support for Korean companies to do business in the Southeast Asian country.



He also had a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin, during which both leaders expressed their delight at the strong growth of the bilateral trade, which reached 4.2 billion USD last year despite the impacts of COVID-19.



The Vietnamese president suggested the two sides resume delegation exchanges and meetings at levels and foster cooperation in multiple areas to mark the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year as soon as the pandemic is brought under control.



He asked PM Martin to push for the early ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) at the Irish national parliament and maintain the provision of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Vietnam in the coming time.



He wished Ireland to help Vietnam gain broader access to COVID-19 vaccine supply and provide it with medical supplies, such as ventilators and test kits.



Phuc also thanked Ireland for its support at the UN Security Council.



During his meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Demark, President Phuc proposed assisting Vietnam in accessing vaccine supplies, including via the vaccine-sharing COVAX Facility.



The two leaders said they are pleased to see to the development of the two-way trade and the fulfillment of goals set in the Vietnam-Denmark Action Plan for the 2019  2020. The two sides are actively formulating an action plan for 2021  2022.



Frederiksen agreed with Phucs proposal, saying she will encourage more Danish enterprises to invest in Vietnam in the fields of maritime transport, seaport construction, shipbuilding, manufacturing of energy equipment, renewable energy, green technologies, sustainable husbandry and fisheries, green transformation, and climate change.



Meeting with the Vietnamese President, President of Slovenia Borut Pahour hailed the positive developments of the Slovenia-Vietnam ties, and voiced his hope to elevate Vietnams position in the countrys foreign policy.



For his part, President Phuc suggested the two countries early hold the third session of the Intergovernmental SlovenianVietnamese Commission for cooperation in economic-trade and science-technology, possibly in virtual form if necessary, to discuss cooperation orientations in potential fields such as machinery mechanics, automatism, logistics, food processing and sea port.



The two leaders also exchanged views on the transfer of production technology for COVID-19 treatment medicine for Vietnam and negotiations on the recognition of each others COVID-19 vaccination certificate and passport, paving the way for the travel of their citizens when international air routes resume.



The Vietnamese President said that Vietnam pays special attention to close collaboration with the EU in fisheries development and sustainable seafood exploitation. He urged Slovenia, as rotating President of the Council of the EU, to support and promote the removal of the yellow card imposed on Vietnam's aquatic products.



Vietnam holds a consistent viewpoint of promoting responsible and sustainable seafood exploitation in line with regulations of international law, he affirmed.



During his meeting with President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader, the Vietnamese State leader showed support for the Dominican Republics intention to open an embassy in Vietnam.



He assigned the Foreign Ministry to work with its Dominican Republic counterpart to carry out the plan so as to foster the bilateral ties in a practical manner.



On the same day, President Phuc also met with heads of states and high-ranking officials of Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Latvia, Sweden, Guyana, Lesotho, Costa Rica, Colombia and Uruguay, during which they discussed practical measure to strengthen and develop relations.



Leaders of the countries highly valued Vietnams performance as a non-member of the UNSC and the countrys effective and pragmatic engagement and contributions to global tasks, which they said demonstrates Vietnams high sense of responsibility and increasing role and position in the international arena.



President Phuc and the countries leaders reiterated that peace, stability, maritime security and freedom of navigation in the East Sea are of mutual concern, and underlined that disputes should be resolved by peaceful measures in tandem with international law.



Also in New York, President Phuc met with the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry.



Appreciating Kerrys contributions to the Vietnam - US relations over the past decades, President Phuc spoke highly of the initiatives by President Joe Bidens administration to promote global efforts in climate change response.



The Vietnamese leader said both countries should enhance cooperation in developing renewable energy, improving climate change adaptation, and managing trans-boundary water resources via bilateral and multilateral mechanisms.



Vietnam is strongly committed to responding to climate change, he stressed.



Kerry affirmed that the US continues to attach importance to the comprehensive partnership with Vietnam.



He emphasised the US determination and efforts to continue strengthening cooperation with and assisting developing countries, including Vietnam, to cope with this global issue.



Talking to WB President David Malpass, President Phuc said WB-funded projects and its policy advice have substantially contributed to Vietnams economic development and social security and helped the Vietnamese Government make effective macro-economic policies, surmount impacts of the global economic crisis, and maintain positive growth.



He thanked the WB for providing 6.2 million USD in non-refundable aid for Vietnam last year, and supporting allowing the country to delay the payment of certain loans given by the WBs International Development Association (IDA) in order to reserve resources for purchasing vaccines, biological products, and medical equipment in the face of the pandemic.



The Vietnamese State leader asked the WB to continue giving policy advice on economic recovery and helping Vietnam access and buy COVID-19 vaccines, receive vaccine production technology, and manufacture vaccines in the country.



The WB Group President said he is impressed by the Vietnamese Governments efforts in COVID-19 prevention and control, as well as economic recovery.



He also thanked the Government for closely coordinating with the WB, stating that the WB will keep accompanying Vietnam in the fight against COVID-19 and increase policy advice to help the country realise the goal of becoming a developed and high-income nation by 2045.
South Korea to donate one million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Vietnam

South Korean President Moon Jae In has announced that they would send over one million Covid-19 vaccine doses to assist Vietnam in its Covid-19 fight.





South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) meets with Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in New York on September 21 on the sidelines of the 76th UN General Assembly.



President Moon announced the vaccine donation plan during his meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assemblys 76th session on September 21 (New York time).



According to President Moon, the vaccine donation to Vietnam will be South Koreas first direct provision of the vaccine to a foreign nation, except for its financial support through the COVAX Facility. The vaccine is expected to be sent to Vietnam in October.



Thanking the South Korean Government for timely vaccine support, President Phuc emphasized that Vietnam would continue to create favourable conditions for South Korean firms to do business in the country.



Vietnam will ensure human resources and protect the health of Korean individuals and businesses in their host country, Phuc assured Moon.



The Vietnamese President also hoped that relevant agencies of the two Governments would work closely to support their citizens to have a safe and stable life in their respective countries during the current pandemic time.



The two leaders shared the view that the two countries are each others best partners that have deepened their cooperation in various fields, including politics, economy and people-to-people diplomacy.



They agreed to promote the Vietnam South Korea partnership to new heights in 2022 to commemorate 30 years of diplomacy.



The two countries upgraded their relationship to a level of the strategic cooperative partnership in 2009.


Full text of Xi's statement at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Xinhua) 08:09, September 22, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday made a statement at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video.

Please see the attachment for the full text of the statement.

Full text of Xi's statement at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Xi calls for bolstering confidence, jointly addressing global challenges at UNGA

Xinhua) 08:11, September 22, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday proposed a Global Development Initiative, calling for bolstering confidence and jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all.

Xi made the remarks at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) via video, as the world faces the combined impacts of changes unseen in a century and the COVID-19 pandemic.

BEATING COVID-19

Right now, COVID-19 is still raging in the world, with the number of new cases rising every day globally. "We must beat COVID-19 and win this decisive fight crucial to the future of humanity," Xi said, voicing confidence that "we humanity will surely overcome it and prevail" despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic may appear overwhelming.

He called for putting people and their lives first, taking a science-based approach in origins tracing, enhancing coordinated global COVID-19 response and minimizing the risk of cross-border virus transmission.

Noting that vaccination is a powerful weapon against COVID-19, Xi said the pressing priority is to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally.

He reiterated the pledge that China will strive to provide a total of two billion doses of vaccines to the world by the end of this year. "In addition to donating 100 million US dollars to COVAX, China will donate 100 million doses of vaccines to other developing countries in the course of this year."

The role of China is even more critical at a time when some countries have adopted a selfish strategy of vaccine nationalism and even put restrictions on export of COVID-19 vaccines and other medical supplies, said Nadeem Irfan Bukhari, a professor from University of the Punjab, Pakistan.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

"Development holds the key to people's well-being," Xi said, adding that countries need to work together to steer global development toward a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive growth.

He made a six-pronged Global Development Initiative, including staying committed to development as a priority, staying committed to a people-centered approach, staying committed to benefits for all, staying committed to innovation-driven development, staying committed to harmony between man and nature and staying committed to results-oriented actions.

"We need to increase input in development, advance on a priority basis cooperation on poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity, among other areas, and accelerate implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, so as to build a global community of development with a shared future," he said.

To support developing countries in responding to COVID-19 and promoting economic and social recovery, China has pledged an additional three billion US dollars of international assistance in the next three years.

China will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad, he said, pledging that the country will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy.

"This is another remarkable step taken by China on its own initiative to cope with the global climate change, as Xi earlier announced China's pledge to strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060," said Ruan Zongze, executive vice president of the China Institute of International Studies.

REJECTING FORMING SMALL CIRCLES

"We need to advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, and reject the practice of forming small circles or zero-sum games," Xi said.

Democracy is not a special right reserved to an individual country, but a right for the people of all countries to enjoy, the Chinese president stressed.

Ruan said that some countries are keen to gang up in the name of democracy, wantonly interfering in other countries' internal affairs and even arbitrarily suppressing normal development of other countries and people's legitimate right to live better lives.

"Recent developments in the global situation show once again that military intervention from the outside and so-called democratic transformation entail nothing but harm," Xi said.

He called for building a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation, and doing the best to "expand the convergence of interests" and "achieve the biggest synergy possible."

"One country's success does not have to mean another country's failure, and the world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries, he said, adding that differences and problems among countries need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

PRACTICING TRUE MULTILATERALISM

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations. Xi said China will solemnly commemorate this historic event and advance cooperation with the UN to a new level and make new and greater contributions to promoting the noble cause of the UN.

"The UN should hold high the banner of true multilateralism and serve as the central platform for countries to jointly safeguard universal security, share development achievements and chart the course for the future of the world," Xi stressed.

Ruan said that some countries claimed to safeguard "the rules-based international order" under the banner of multilateralism, yet what they actually did was framing their own rules as international rules and imposing them on other countries.

The Chinese president called on the UN to increase the representation and say of developing countries in international affairs, and take the lead in advancing democracy and rule of law in international relations.

"It should set common agenda (in the areas of security, development and human rights), highlight pressing issues and focus on real actions, and see to it that commitments made by all parties to multilateralism are truly delivered," he added.

Full text of Xi's statement at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese people enjoy safe holiday travel

Xinhua) 08:15, September 22, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese public security authorities have ensured safe and smooth trips for travelers during the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday that ended Tuesday.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, fell on Tuesday this year. It is usually marked by family reunions, enjoying sights of the full moon, and eating mooncakes.

A sound traffic environment was created for people to go home for family reunions or visit tourist attractions, with no large congestion or major road accidents taking place, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

An average of 155,000 officers were dispatched every day and 54,000 police vehicles mobilized to patrol, maintain traffic order and crack down on serious violations such as overloading and drunk driving, the MPS said.

The holiday saw about 88.16 million domestic trips, which generated a revenue of more than 37 billion yuan (5.7 billion U.S. dollars), according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Social order remained stable during the holiday, said the MPS, adding that more than 3,800 scenic spots rated 4A-level and above across the country received 24.6 million tourists in order.

Confronted with the double pressure from epidemic prevention and ensuring social security during the holiday, Chinese public security authorities ramped up security precautions in key areas and public venues.

A total of 175 large-scale events were held safely, and the reported number of criminal and public security cases declined by nearly 30 percent and 23 percent year on year, respectively, said the MPS.

Immigration watchdogs also tightened epidemic prevention and control efforts at ports and border areas to effectively guard against possible imported COVID-19 cases during the holiday.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is generally regarded as one of the most important traditional festivals in China and falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
New trends tell where China-U.S. cooperation is heading

Xinhua) 08:16, September 22, 2021

-- Despite trade frictions over the past few years and constant calls for "decoupling with China" from some U.S. officials, new trends emerging in Sino-U.S. economic and trade development show where momentum really lies for the world's two biggest economies.

-- In the first eight months of this year, Chinese exports to the United States, rather than falling, expanded 22.7 percent year on year, according to official data.

-- Failing to cripple the economic and trade ties between the two economies that are so deeply interwoven, U.S. restrictions weighed heavily on American enterprises and people and the global industrial and supply chains and served to prove that cooperation is the only right choice.

-- Inevitably, the U.S. tariff increase took some toll on China, especially on products such as farm produce, light industrial goods and electrical appliances, but it has not dampened the U.S. market's "rigid demand" for Chinese goods, which comes from the competitive prices and quality of made-in-China products as well as the economic complementarity between the two countries.

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Despite trade frictions over the past few years and constant calls for "decoupling with China" from some U.S. officials, new trends emerging in Sino-U.S. economic and trade development show where momentum really lies for the world's two biggest economies.

In the first eight months of this year, Chinese exports to the United States, rather than falling, expanded 22.7 percent year on year, according to official data.

Likewise, a report by the American Chamber of Commerce in China earlier this year shows that two-thirds of the enterprises surveyed said they would increase investment in China.

Failing to cripple the economic and trade ties between the two economies that are so deeply interwoven, U.S. restrictions weighed heavily on American enterprises and people and the global industrial and supply chains and served to prove that cooperation is the only right choice.

Like Chinese President Xi Jinping has said, when China and the United States cooperate, the two countries and the world will benefit; when China and the United States are in confrontation, the two countries and the world will suffer.

Getting the relationship right is not optional, but something the two countries must do and must do well, according to Xi.

China's manned submersible Jiaolong prepares to dive in the Yap Trench in the west Pacific, June 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Shiping)

COMPLEMENTARY STRENGTH

Yang Nan, president of a supplier in east China for major retailers of pet products and loungewear in the United States, said his firm has maintained growth in exports despite the trade frictions.

"Each day, we send more than 30 containers to the United States. That's more than 10,000 containers a year," he told Xinhua. His company's exports to the U.S. market have maintained double-digit growth since June last year.

Customs data presented a similar trend in the larger picture. Since the United States imposed additional tariffs on Chinese products in July 2018, Sino-U.S. trade dropped in 2019 but was soon back to growth from 2020.

Inevitably, the U.S. tariff increase took some toll on China, especially on products such as farm produce, light industrial goods and electrical appliances, but it has not dampened the U.S. market's "rigid demand" for Chinese goods, which comes from the competitive prices and quality of made-in-China products as well as the economic complementarity between the two countries.

Imports from China accounted for 19 percent of all U.S. goods imports in 2020, the highest among all trading partners of the United States, while four of 10 of the fastest-growing imports in the U.S. came from China, according to Forbes.

Fu Xiaolan, founding director of the Technology and Management Center for Development at Oxford University, said based on the comparative advantages and market choices, the two economies have established a mutually beneficial relationship that is highly complementary in structure and has a convergence of interests.

Such economic and trade complementarity has been enhanced in times of the pandemic. In 2020, China's exports of mechanical and electrical products to the United States increased 9 percent, and those of laptops and mobile phones expanded 23.4 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively.

Workers pack face masks at a workshop in Majiazhuang Village of Nanlong Township in Linxia City, northwest China's Gansu Province, March 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Ma Sha)

China's exports of medical materials and medicines jumped by 30.7 percent during the period, customs data showed. To meet surging global demand, the daily output of masks in China once exceeded 100 million.

Seeing the order increase, Yang switched the company's domestic production line of shirts into masks, and its mask production and exports during the pandemic peaked at seven million units in a week.

"Masks can be produced in any country, but only China reshuffles its production lines into other products and raises production capacity so efficiently," Yang said.

More robust trade is in the interests of China, the United States and their peoples, said a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce, and "the U.S. tariff increase is not conducive to China, the United States, and the world economic recovery."

U.S. importers absorbed more than 90 percent of the additional costs caused by the increased U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, according to a report from Moody's Investors Service in May.

Calculation by Americans for Free Trade, a coalition of more than 150 industry associations that are united in the fight against tariffs, also showed that Americans have paid over 90 billion U.S. dollars in tariffs since the trade war began.

In August, more than 30 of the most influential business groups from the United States called on the U.S. government to restart trade negotiations with China and cut tariffs on imports, saying they are a drag on the U.S. economy.

In the eyes of Yang, who has been doing textile business with the United States for more than 20 years, the Sino-U.S. trade will not be easily "decoupled."

"Even if the United States imports products from other countries, the raw materials of those products are highly likely to be imported from China," Yang said, "In the end, the United States is, in essence, doing business with China."

"If we compare China-U.S. relations to a giant ship, then economic and trade cooperation has been its ballast and propeller. When the ship sails against heavy winds and huge waves, we need to add more strength to the ballast and propeller," said Qin Gang, Chinese Ambassador to the United States.

A man works at Tiexi Plant of BMW Brilliance Automotive in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

MAGNET FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT

With a large market, complete industrial chain and favorable business environment, China has become a "strong magnetic field" for foreign investment.

Rising above the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic recession, China recorded a four-percent growth in inflows, overtaking the United States as the largest foreign direct investment recipient last year, a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development shows.

Some U.S. politicians, in the meantime, attempted to "decouple" from China by trying to bring manufacturing back to the United States, calling on U.S. enterprises to withdraw from China, increasing restrictions on technology investment in China, and isolating China with its allies.

Such moves resulted in a decline in the U.S. investment in China last year, especially in the fields of information technology and electronic equipment.

On the contrary, the European Union saw its actual investment in China rose 10.3 percent year on year in the first half of the year, while countries along the Belt and Road and the Association of Southeast Asian countries reported an investment increase of 37.6 percent and 36.8 percent in China in the first eight months, respectively.

U.S. companies are fully aware of the cost of missing the China market.

"If American companies are prevented from operating in China, our competitors will be able to take advantage of China's economies of scale and rapid adoption of technology to outcompete U.S. companies everywhere else, including in our home market," said Craig Allen, president of the U.S.-China Business Council.

China and the United States not only have direct links but have indirect links through other countries as well. The "decoupling" of the world's first and second largest economies will have a far-reaching effect, said Yu Miaojie, a professor with the National School of Development at Peking University.

Bullish on the China market, multinational companies have increased their presence in China.

"For us, China is one of our biggest and most important markets," said Frank Van Meel, senior vice president of Product Line Luxury Class BMW.

Van Meel said China copes very well with COVID-19 and was the first market that came up again out of the COVID-19. The country is now one of its fastest-growing markets.

Figures previously released by the BMW Group show that in the first half of this year the Munich-based company achieved bright results in China, delivering more than 467,000 BMW and MINI brand vehicles to Chinese customers, up about 42 percent year on year.

Huge market demand can bring more revenue to enterprises and dilute production costs, which is a major reason for increasing foreign investment in China, said Yu.

A complete industrial system and a strong supply chain is another reason why China is so attractive to multinational companies.

The U.S.-China Business Council said in its 2021 member survey that a majority of companies remain profitable, and more than 40 percent have plans to increase resource commitments in China over the next year.

The vast majority of respondents invest in China to serve the Chinese market, where they see strong growth prospects, the survey shows.

Photo taken on April 9, 2020 shows the Lujiazui area in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Chen Fei)

In recent years, China has introduced a raft of measures to accelerate opening-up and foster a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment, in a bid to better accommodate overseas investors.

The country has shortened the negative list for foreign investment for four consecutive years and released a negative list for cross-border trade in services at the Hainan free trade port, among others.

Famous U.S. coffee brand Starbucks' coffee innovation park project in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, broke ground only eight months after the signing of the investment contract.

Leading global asset management giant BlackRock established a subsidiary in Shanghai in June this year, which became the first wholly foreign-owned public fund management company in China.

Further opening of China's financial sector has provided the company with greater opportunities and space for development, the company has said.

COOPERATION PREVAILS

The "decoupling" mindset has led to a host of calculated shots at Chinese hi-tech companies in an attempt to suppress China's scientific and technological innovations.

These heavy-handed measures, such as restricting investment from Chinese tech firms, blocking export to Chinese entities, or bluntly torpedoing investment deals with executive orders, strapped some Chinese companies in temporary supply crunch and revenue slump. But they cannot derail China's scientific and technological pursuits.

China's expenditures in research and development (R&D) are growing steadily. R&D spending in 2020 topped 2.44 trillion yuan (about 378 billion U.S. dollars), after hiking 12.5 percent year on year to reach 2.21 trillion yuan in 2019.

Spending on basic research stood at 150.4 billion yuan last year, nearly doubling that of 2015.

An August ranking from Harvard University's Growth Lab showed rising technological level of China's exports since the start of the trade war in 2018. China ranked 16th globally on the Economic Complexity Index in 2019, climbing one slot from the previous year despite trade restrictions.

"The fact that no blockade or suppression can thwart China's advances is ample evidence of the country's growing strength in science and technology," said Ye Peijian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

To China, innovation has always been about opening arms rather than closing doors, with cooperation as the overriding theme of scientific and technological undertakings, according to Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang.

Aerial photo taken on March 28, 2021 shows China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) under maintenance in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Dubbed as "China Sky Eye," the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) has been open to scientists around the globe since March this year, a signal that the country is open to cooperation with other countries. More and more researchers, especially foreign researchers, have applied to use FAST for observation and study.

So far, China has established innovation dialogue mechanisms with multiple countries, conducted joint research with over 50 countries and regions, and participated in major international science projects such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.

Under the support of the Belt and Road science, technology and innovation cooperation plan, over 8,300 foreign young scientists have come to work in China, and 33 joint laboratories have been established.

Attempts to cut off the exchanges of ideas, people and technology and disrupt the supply chains will, in turn, undermine U.S. innovations, American industry insiders said, cautioning that continued "de-sinicization" acts would ultimately lead to "de-Americanization."

Export restrictions are a "double-edged sword": they will hurt not only Chinese high-tech enterprises but also firms in the United States and other countries that have business relations with their Chinese partners.

"In today's increasingly interconnected world, suppressing China is tantamount to self-isolation, which will end up shooting oneself in the foot," said Cui Fan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
PLA holds Y-20 aircraft transport mission, landing drills in South China Sea

Global Times) 08:18, September 22, 2021

A Y-20 large transport aircraft attached to an aviation division under the PLA Western Theater Command flies at a predetermined altitude during a flight training mission on January 4, 2021. (eng.chianmil.com.cn/Photo by Liu Shu)

In two recent, separate moves in the South China Sea, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) dispatched Y-20 large transport aircraft to reefs for troop transport missions, and conducted amphibious landing drills under complex conditions, showing the PLA's capabilities in safeguarding peace and stability in the region, analysts said on Tuesday.

Carrying veterans who were garrisoned at islands and reefs in the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, several new-type transport aircraft of the PLA Air Force took off from airfields on Yongshu Reef, Zhubi Reef and Meiji Reef on Thursday and returned to the Chinese mainland, the PLA South Sea Fleet revealed in a story published in its social media account on Saturday.

Previously, the Nansha garrison used ships to transport veterans back to the mainland, because aircraft were only in limited use, for purposes like the transport of vital supplies or emergencies, the South Sea Fleet said, noting that this began to change last year.

A photo released with the story showed that at least oneY-20 large transport aircraft was used.

While overseas media reported earlier this year that a Y-20 cargo plane was spotted landing on Yongshu Reef in December last year, this was the first time the PLA confirmed that this type of aircraft had been operating on islands and reefs in the South China Sea.

This means that the PLA airfields in the South China Sea can host large transport aircraft, which can transport a relatively large number of troops and numerous pieces of equipment between the islands and reefs and the mainland very fast, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Tuesday.

It showed that the PLA can reinforce South China Sea islands and reefs in rapid response missions, the expert said, noting that it also indicates that the PLA Air Force has more Y-20s in active service that are being used in more types of missions.

In early June, Malaysia's air force said it detected 16 Chinese Air Force planes comprising Il-76 and Y-20 transport aircraft flying in the South China Sea. Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, soon confirmed that the Chinese Air Force had held a routine training operation in southern Nansha in the South China Sea.

In another activity, the PLA Southern Theater Command Navy organized amphibious landing drills in the South China Sea in early hours, as three landing ships practiced penetrating hostile coastal defenses and landing on beaches, while facing simulated submarine attacks and air strikes, the PLA Southern Theater Command said on Sunday in a public release.

On September 8, a US guided missile destroyer trespassed into areas adjacent to the Meiji Reef in the South China Sea without China's permission, and the naval and aerial forces of the PLA Southern Theater Command conducted whole-process tracking and monitoring of the US ship and warned it off, said a PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson in a written statement at the time.

The latest activities have displayed the PLA's increasing combat readiness and capabilities in the South China Sea, and showed that the PLA is fully capable of and determined to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability in the region, analysts said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
EU leaders express dismay at AUKUS deal, demand clarifications

Xinhua) 08:27, September 22, 2021

Flags of the EU fly in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, June 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

European Council President Charles Michel also expressed concerns about the AUKUS agreement, demanding an explanation from Biden on why he misled France and other European partners in forging the new strategic agreement in the Indo-Pacific.

BRUSSELS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described as "unacceptable" the way France was treated by Australia, Britain and the United States in their newly established security partnership AUKUS.

The European Commission chief expressed her dismay during an interview with CNN, in which she demanded explanations from U.S. President Joe Biden.

"There are a lot of open questions that have to be answered," von der Leyen said. "One of our member states has been treated in a way that is not acceptable, so we want to know what happened and why. And therefore you first clarify that before you keep going with business as usual."

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) welcomes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Elysee Palace in Paris June 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

The deal was signed recently by the United States and Britain which will share nuclear submarine technology with Australia.

European Council President Charles Michel also expressed concerns about the AUKUS agreement, demanding an explanation from Biden on why he misled France and other European partners in forging the new strategic agreement in the Indo-Pacific.

He took to social media to say: "The AUKUS security partnership further demonstrates the need for a common EU approach in a region of strategic interest. A strong EU Indo-Pacific strategy is needed more than ever."

He then told reporters at the UN General Assembly: "With the new Joe Biden administration, America is back." This was interpreted as questioning whether the U.S. had returned to the international table.

European Council President Charles Michel (R) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) welcome U.S. President Joe Biden (C) at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 15, 2021. (European Union/Handout via Xinhua)

"What does it mean America is back? Is America back in America or elsewhere? We do not know," he added.

Michel told journalists at the UN on Monday that the U.S. had demonstrated "lack of loyalty" after Australia cancelled the multi-billion-dollar deal with France on nuclear-powered submarines which it will now obtain from the U.S. and Britain.

"The elementary principles for allies are transparency and trust, and it goes together. And what do we observe? We are observing a clear lack of transparency and loyalty," Michel told reporters.

He added that the Europeans need clarifications on this deal and would step up efforts to build their own defensive capabilities.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) talks with U.S. President Joe Biden after their meeting in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, on June 10, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in New York on Monday that all EU countries should be worried about the contempt the United States has shown to its allies.

"Europeans must not be the rejections of the strategy chosen by the United States," said Le Drian. "We are in this new state of mind, which means that the Europeans must identify their own strategic issues and discuss with the United States on this subject."

Even EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell weighed in on the alliance during a press conference in New York following an informal EU Foreign Ministers' meeting when they considered it "very disappointing." He said the ministers expressed clear solidarity with France.

Borrell said he also met with his Australian counterpart Marise Payne in a planned meeting during which he inquired about the reasons behind the lack of prior consultation on AUKUS.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Foreign observers hail China's role in promoting world peaceful development

Xinhua) 08:30, September 22, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- China plays a major and constructive role in promoting peaceful development of the world as well as in addressing regional and global problems, experts and politicians have said on the occasion of the International Day of Peace.

Peace is a fundamental determinant of China's domestic and diplomatic policy, said Mahmoud Raya, editor-in-chief of the news website China in Arab Eyes.

Stressing that China has not invaded any other country or region in the world, Raya noted that the Chinese policy is widely accepted by countries around the world.

In terms of the Arab region, China plays a major role in presenting initiatives to solve crises that the region suffered from, Raya added.

Adnan Bourji, director of the Lebanese National Center for Studies, noted that it is necessary to determine the type of peace that the world desires on such an occasion.

It is a peace based on social justice within every society and among human societies, and not a peace imposed by the forces of monopoly and brutal capitalism, where we can see extreme poverty and extreme wealth within one society, he said.

China has worked in development for all mankind with the spirit that the fate of the mankind is common, said Bourji. "So we see them working with countries, whether small or large, from the point of view of the common interest."

Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan international relations researcher, said that China is upholding the idea of peaceful development to promote world peace, common development and shared prosperity.

He took the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as an example, noting that China, via the BRI, has shared the proceeds of its own development with about 140 countries through provision of wide-ranging public goods.

Cavince also spoke highly of China for using diplomacy to solve global problems as well as championing multilateralism, especially in the fields of climate change, terrorism and combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China has played an active role in enhancing world order, promoting multilateralism, and tackling key global challenges," Khuon Sodary, second vice-president of the Cambodian National Assembly and a member of the standing committee of the Cambodian People's Party, told Xinhua.

Sodary noted that China has actively participated in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations and sent its peacekeepers to join operations in war-torn countries, which clearly "underline the nobel and historic role of China and its people in assisting countries around the world to achieve a long-term peace, stability and development."

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the UN General Assembly. It was later declared as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. The 2021 theme for the International Day of Peace is "Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
People with disabilities make traditional moon-shaped fans symbolizing reunion in Qinghai

Ecns.cn) 08:39, September 22, 2021

A resident decorates the moon-shaped fan with dried flowers at a local community in Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province, September 18, 2021. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Tianfu)

As the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, people with disabilities in the local community and their families, as well as staff at a social service center made traditional moon-shaped fans, or round fans, on Saturday to pray for good fortune and reunion.

Moon-shaped fan is a traditional handicraft of The Han nationality in China, symbolizing reunion and happiness.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
UN refugee chief voices shock at images of deplorable conditions at U.S. border

Xinhua) 08:54, September 22, 2021

GENEVA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Tuesday issued a statement on conditions and expulsions at U.S. border in Del Rio of Texas, saying that he was shocked by images of the deplorable conditions there.

He mentioned that more than 14,000 Haitians had gathered there after arduous journeys from a number of countries in the Americas.

"The summary, mass expulsions of individuals currently under way under the Title 42 authority, without screening for protection needs, is inconsistent with international norms and may constitute refoulement," the UN official said.

He reiterated the call for the U.S. government immediately and fully to lift its Title 42 restrictions in effect since March of 2020 which continue to deny most people arriving at the southwest U.S. land border any opportunity to request asylum.

The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday traveled to Del Rio, a city in the U.S. state of Texas that borders Mexico, warning migrants who have amassed there against illegal border crossing.

Meanwhile, a video showing U.S. border patrol agents chasing Haitian migrants on horseback triggered outrage, forcing White House press secretary Jen Psaki to acknowledge Monday that what was shown in the "horrific" footage was neither acceptable nor appropriate.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China to provide more vaccines, international assistance

Xinhua) 09:05, September 22, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China will provide more vaccines against COVID-19 to the world, as well as international assistance.

The country will strive to provide a total of 2 billion doses of vaccines to the world by the end of this year, Xi said in his statement delivered via video at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

In addition to donating 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, China will donate 100 million additional doses of vaccines to other developing countries this year, he said.

Xi has stressed on many occasions the need to make vaccines a global public good and ensure vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries.

He said that the pressing priority is to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally.

Xi also stressed caring about the special needs of developing countries.

"We may employ such means as debt suspension and development aid to help developing countries, particularly vulnerable ones facing exceptional difficulties, with emphasis on addressing unbalanced and inadequate development among and within countries," he said.

China has pledged an additional 3 billion U.S. dollars of international assistance in the next three years to support developing countries in responding to COVID-19 and promoting economic and social recovery, he added.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Ethiopia's Chinese-built industrial park generates 114 mln USD revenue from export of face-masks

Xinhua) 09:37, September 22, 2021

ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's flagship Chinese-built Hawassa Industrial Park on Tuesday announced 114 million U.S. dollars revenue from the export of face masks to the international market.

The reported revenue was generated from the export of face masks mainly to the U.S. and European markets during the recently concluded Ethiopian fiscal year, state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) quoted Fitsum Ketema, General Manager of Hawassa Industrial Park, as saying.

Despite the hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic, companies operating inside the premises of the industrial park were able to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic through the production and export of high-quality face-masks and related products, according to the general manager.

Hawassa Industrial Park, which the Ethiopian government considers as a model for the construction of other industrial zones across the country, has proved successful immediately after its inauguration in July 2016 by attracting various world-class textile and apparel companies to the East African country.

The industrial park was built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

The Ethiopian government has previously disclosed its plan to generate close to 1 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenue from the park once it starts operations at its full potential.

As part of its efforts to make the country a light manufacturing hub and lower-middle income economy by 2025, the East African country hopes its plan to build and commission a total of 30 industrial parks within the same period.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Tanzania's Zanzibar decorates Chinese medical team with special medals for outstanding work

Xinhua) 09:53, September 22, 2021

DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi on Tuesday decorated 21 doctors of the Chinese medical team with medals in recognition of their outstanding work in delivering medical services on the Islands.

President Mwinyi decorated the Chinese medical doctors with the medals at the end of their 12-month medical services in the Zanzibar archipelago at a colorful ceremony held at Zanzibar's State House.

The president thanked the People's Republic of China for dispatching medical teams to Zanzibar since 1964, saying the Chinese medical teams have helped in strengthening the health system in Zanzibar, saving the lives of hundreds of people.

He said the team also helped in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that China also donated vaccines for frontline workers, including health workers and those working in the tourism industry.

Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, Zanzibar's Minister for Health, Social Welfare, Elderly, Gender, and Children, said the 21 Chinese specialist doctors worked at the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Unguja and Abdulla Mzee Hospital in Pemba.

"The Chinese doctors worked shoulder to shoulder with local doctors sharing their knowledge and skills," said Mazrui.

He said during the past 12 months, the Chinese doctors saved quite a number of emergencies and critically ill patients, conducted dozens of complicated surgeries successfully and practiced more than 100 new medical techniques in Zanzibar.

"They also carried out outreach clinic by providing free medical consultation and medicines to the elderly homes and remote villages," said the minister.

He said the 31st batch of the Chinese medical team is expected to arrive in Zanzibar on Wednesday to replace the 30th batch that has completed its work.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Greece's Hellenic Post employs Chinese-made mail sorting robots

Xinhua) 09:57, September 22, 2021

An employee of Greece's national postal services provider Hellenic Post (ELTA in Greek) works with a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items at the facilities of ELTA at Kryoneri, a northern suburb of Athens, Greece, Sept. 14, 2021. The ELTA in Greek has started using a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items, aiming to accelerate the process and improve service for customers. The fully digitalized automated system is developed by China's Zhejiang LiBiao Robot Co., Ltd. Since mid-August, a fleet of 55 tiny yellow robots has joined employees at the Group's facilities in Kryoneri (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Greece's national postal services provider Hellenic Post (ELTA in Greek) has started using a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items, aiming to accelerate the process and improve service for customers.

The fully digitalized automated system is developed by China's Zhejiang LiBiao Robot Co., Ltd.

Errikos Tzavaras, Chief Executive Officer at ELTA Courier SA, a member company of ELTA Group, told Xinhua in a recent interview here that the installation is "the first in Europe."

"It is in operation in China, at China Post, in Japan in various companies and also Walmart in the U.S.," Tzavaras added.

Since mid-August, a fleet of 55 tiny yellow robots has joined employees at the Group's facilities in Kryoneri, a northern suburb of Athens. They are starring in a process which until a few weeks ago was mainly manual and semi-mechanized, helping dramatically increase efficiency and speed in sorting and consequently in deliveries.

The robots receive parcels at eight infeed stations, identify their destination through a code-scan, and distribute them at 144 sorting destinations, handling currently nearly 76 percent of total deliveries at the sorting center.

By adding the robots to the sorting process, Tzavaras explained: "We are better utilizing our human resources. We avoid human errors and we are making the work easier for employees. Moreover, we have increased the speed of the sorting process by 250 percent."

The deployment of the robots has also helped create a COVID-free environment at the center, he added, noting that the new system is a significant step in ELTA's strategy for the future.

"This investment was part of our digital transformation and the pandemic showed the need to accelerate the process," Tzavaras told Xinhua.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
U.S. COVID-19 deaths top 1918 flu estimates as vaccine, mask battles continue

Xinhua) 10:02, September 22, 2021

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. COVID-19-related deaths on Monday surpassed 675,000, the estimated U.S. fatalities from the 1918 influenza pandemic, while battles over vaccines and masks continue as the country staggers into the 19th month of the pandemic.

As of 4:21 p.m. ET (2021 GMT) on Monday, 675,446 Americans were killed due to COVID-19, with the total caseload exceeding 42 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The fatalities are expected to continue to rise as the country is currently experiencing another wave of new infections, fueled by the fast-spreading Delta variant.

"We cannot become hardened to the continuing, and largely preventable, tragedy," Tom Frieden, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tweeted earlier this month, noting deaths from COVID-19 in the United States would surpass the toll of the 1918 flu pandemic.

The dismal milestone of surpassing the 1918 death toll came as Americans are still divided over mask and vaccine mandates.

Early this month, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a six-pronged national strategy as a path to ending the pandemic.

As of Monday, over 181.7 million Americans, or 54.7 percent of the U.S. population, have been fully inoculated, according to the CDC.

Expressing his frustration with the roughly 80 million Americans who are eligible for shots but have not gotten them, Biden is requiring all businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure their workers are either vaccinated or tested weekly.

Biden's new vaccine mandates, which could apply to as many as 100 million Americans, or almost two-thirds of the American workforce, have spawned a strong pushback from quite a few Republican states and unions.

Also, many Americans believe whether to get vaccinated should be a personal decision, instead of a government mandate.

Polls show that those who reject vaccines are more worried about possible side effects of the vaccines than they are about COVID-19. Social media are also rife with conspiracy theories about vaccines.

Nationwide, American parents are torn apart by the conflicts among school boards, Republican states and the Biden administration over how to make schools open and safe.

As of Sept. 16, over 5.5 million children and adolescents had tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to the latest report by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The U.S. Education Department has recently announced it is investigating the state of Florida over its ban on mask mandates in the state's public schools, after an appeals court in the state reversed a lower court's ruling and allowed the ban to stay.

Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on July 30, banning mask mandates at public schools to ensure parents' freedom to choose. The order includes a policy of withholding funds from school districts that defy the governor's order.

However, 13 of Florida's 67 school districts have strict mask requirements, in defiance of the state, local newspaper Miami Herald reported. Biden's administration has offered financial aid for schools in Florida affected by DeSantis' policy.

In addition to Florida, Texas, Nebraska and quite a few other Republican states have issued a mask mandates ban, contradicting the CDC guidance of universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools.

Emma Cheng, a mother of two young boys at Marengo Elementary School in east Los Angeles, California, gave her full and unwavering support to the school's mask mandate. "We must follow the science, and it is that simple," Cheng told Xinhua.

"We support the school mask mandate especially since our little ones cannot be vaccinated yet," said Hector Lopez, who has a seven-year-old boy at the school.

Cheng joined over 150 others to sign a petition called "Vaccinate SPUSD (South Pasadena Unified School District)" to demand that their school district vaccinate teachers of children under 12 years old.

Many private schools have implemented a mask policy long before the states' order was announced. With mask requirements in place, Notre Dame Academy, a private Catholic school for girls in New York, has managed to stay open throughout the entire pandemic.

"Masking is not a thing that bothers parents or a challenge to their parenting rights," said Y.C. Hoerle, who has a high school freshman at the school.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
We Are China

1,000 drones assemble in Greater Bay Area to help celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival

(People's Daily App) 10:14, September 22, 2021

1,000 drones assembled in the sky of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on Tuesday evening.

The drones draw festive elements in the air including moon cakes and the fairy Chang'e, creating a modern traditonal show for residents.

(Compiled by Zhu Yingqi)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China, Nigeria launch cultural week on 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

Xinhua) 10:32, September 22, 2021

ABUJA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- China and Nigeria launched a cultural week here on Tuesday to strengthen the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

The "China-Nigeria Cultural Week" was declared open during an event held to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of China's traditional festivals.

Speaking at the event, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Cui Jianchun said the celebration was a special and worthy one as this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"Both China and Nigeria are great countries with a long history and rich culture. The bilateral relationship will be further improved and the traditional friendship will be further strengthened through co-hosting the China-Nigeria Cultural Week," Cui said at the event well attended by Nigerian officials, media and local staff of Chinese firms, among others.

The cultural week features exhibitions of Chinese and Nigerian cultures, photography and short video contests, a Chinese calligraphy competition, and films showcasing the fruitful results of cooperation between the two countries.

Also speaking at the event, Nigerian Permanent Secretary of Information and Culture Adaora Anyanwutaku said the cultural week bears testimony to not only the close relations between the two countries and their people but also their successful cultural cooperation.

Guests at the event shared mooncakes, the most representative food of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which brings families together to celebrate harvest under a full moon.

The opening event was also spiced up with various Nigerian local acrobatic displays, songs, dances, and a photo exhibition. Awards were presented to 50 local staffers of Chinese companies who have done an outstanding job in promoting cooperation between the two countries.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese mainland reports 16 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

Xinhua) 10:38, September 22, 2021

A medical worker collects a swab sample from a student for nucleic acid testing at No. 9 middle school in Longyan, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhou Yangdong)

BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 16 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Wednesday.

Thirteen of the new local cases were reported in Fujian and the other three were reported in Heilongjiang.

Also reported were 25 new imported cases, including 14 in Yunnan, six in Shanghai, two each in Fujian and Guangdong, and one in Sichuan, the commission said.

Two new suspected cases arriving from outside the mainland were reported in Shanghai on Tuesday, it said, adding that no new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported.

A total of 8,868 imported cases had been reported on the mainland by the end of Tuesday. Among them, 8,336 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 532 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 95,851 by Tuesday, including 984 patients still receiving treatment, 14 of whom were in severe conditions.

A total of 90,231 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,636 had died as a result of the virus.

A total of nine asymptomatic cases were newly reported, all arriving from outside the mainland. There were a total of 342 asymptomatic cases, of whom 333 were imported, under medical observation as of Tuesday.

By the end of Tuesday, 12,166 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 213 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), while 63 cases had been reported in the Macao SAR, and 16,152 cases, including 840 deaths, had been reported in Taiwan.

A total of 11,878 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, while 63 had been discharged in the Macao SAR, and 13,742 had been discharged in Taiwan.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
University students celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in ten different languages

(People's Daily App) 10:51, September 22, 2021

China's university students are celebrating the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival in a creative way.

In this video released by Beijing International Studies University on Tuesday, students sing about a full moon, which usually represents a family reunion in Chinese traditional culture, to express their feeling in ten different languages. Check it out.

(Video source: Beijing International Studies University)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Encounters with Xi Jinping: Proud to have been a farmer

(People's Daily App) 16:46, September 22, 2021

During a 2013 visit to Costa Rica, Xi Jinping visited the home of a coffee grower named Marco Zamora. The family were naturally honoured to be playing host to the Chinese president. But the strongest impression they took away from that meeting was the affinity they felt for a man who spoke proudly of his own time working in the countryside.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Xi urges world to practice true multilateralism

Xinhua) 16:49, September 22, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for improving global governance and practicing true multilateralism.

Xi made the appeal in his statement delivered via video at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

On various occasions, the Chinese leader has emphasized the need to practice true multilateralism. The following are some highlights of his recent remarks in this regard.

Sept. 21, 2021

"In the world, there is only one international system, i.e. the international system with the United Nations at its core. There is only one international order, i.e. the international order underpinned by international law. There is only one set of rules, i.e. the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," Xi stressed in his statement delivered via video at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The UN should hold high the banner of true multilateralism, Xi said.

Sept. 17, 2021

Xi addressed the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization via video link.

Xi emphasized the need to practice true multilateralism and oppose actions that undermine the international order and cause confrontation and division by claiming to use so-called rules.

"We need to boost mutually beneficial cooperation, remove trade, investment and technology barriers, and promote inclusive development that delivers benefits to all," Xi said.

Sept. 9, 2021

Xi addressed the 13th BRICS summit via video link in Beijing.

"We need to promote the practice of true multilateralism, adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and safeguard the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law," Xi said.

He called on BRICS countries to make good use of BRICS mechanisms such as the meeting of foreign ministers and the meeting of high representatives for security, better coordinate their positions on major international and regional issues, and send out an even bigger, collective voice of BRICS countries.

Sept. 3, 2021

Xi addressed the opening ceremony of the plenary session of the sixth Eastern Economic Forum via video link.

"We need to offer each other help to overcome the pandemic challenge," Xi said, calling for intensifying cooperation in vaccine research, development and production, providing more public goods to the international community, firmly rejecting any politicization of COVID vaccines and origins-tracing, and striving to build a global community of health for all.

Noting that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and that China has started a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country, Xi said China is ready to work with all parties to uphold true multilateralism, advocate trust and harmony, promote win-win cooperation, and march with firm steps toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

June 5, 2021

Xi sent a congratulatory letter to the World Environment Day events held in Islamabad, Pakistan.

As a participant, contributor and trailblazer in global ecological conservation, China is firmly committed to putting multilateralism into action and defending the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law so as to enhance global governance on the environment, Xi said.

Nov. 12, 2020

Xi delivered a speech via video at the third Paris Peace Forum.

"We need to uphold multilateralism, oppose unilateralism, hegemony and power politics, and reject all forms of terrorism and acts of extreme violence," Xi said, calling for joint efforts to safeguard equity, justice, peace and security in the world.

Xi urged all countries to uphold international law and the basic norms governing international relations, determine their position on the merits of each matter, and rise above ideological bias and confrontation.

Nov. 5, 2019

"We need to promote development through opening-up and deepen exchanges and cooperation among us. We need to 'join hands' with each other instead of 'letting go' of each other's hands. We need to 'tear down walls,' not to 'erect walls.' We need to stand firm against protectionism and unilateralism. We need to continually bring down trade barriers, optimize global value and supply chains, and jointly foster market demand," Xi said at the opening ceremony of the Second China International Import Expo.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese-Brazilian home appliance firm sets up paradigm for bilateral business cooperation

Xinhua) 16:53, September 22, 2021

SAO PAULO, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Making a profit in the first year of its establishment and retaining a top three market share in five years, Chinese-Brazilian home appliance joint venture SEMP TCL is setting a paradigm for business cooperation between China and Brazil.

Jointly established by Chinese electronics giant TCL Technology and time-honored Brazilian home appliance manufacturer SEMP in 2016, SEMP TCL had a win-win pattern embedded in its gene from day one.

"At that time, it was very clear to us that TCL was going to position itself in the short term as a leader in this industry, and this has happened," Felipe Hennel Fay, vice president of SEMP TCL and also grandson of the founder of SEMP, told Xinhua in a recent interview while recalling the early days of the partnership. "We were very pleased with this joint venture."

Founded in 1942, SEMP rolled out Brazil's first television in 1951 and has laid a solid foundation in understanding the Brazilian market and building a local distribution network, which were exactly what TCL needed in exploring the local market.

Yue Haiping, vice president of SEMP TCL, said that TCL's advantages in technologies, supply chain and vertical integration capacity, as well as SEMP's knowledge and expertise about the local market contributed to the success of the joint venture over the past five years.

Fay agreed with Yue. "The beauty of our joint venture is to combine local tradition, knowledge, expertise, and deep understanding of the Brazilian market with a worldwide expert, which is TCL, in terms of providing the right products with high-end technology at affordable costs," he said.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain has suffered significant impacts. A short supply and price hike of key materials crucial to electronic appliances lasted over a year, while shortages of containers and cargos, as well as skyrocketing shipping fees threatened the operation of the SEMP TCL's manufacturing base in Manaus, Amazon state.

Nevertheless, the company managed to overcome all the difficulties and outperformed other players in the flagging industry.

In 2020, SEMP TCL obtained a 11.2-percent share in Brazil's TV market, up 47 percent year on year. In the first seven months of 2021, its market share rose further to 15 percent, and it even acquired over a 20-percent market share in a single month. Today, the company ranks the third in Brazilian TV market and its growing momentum is still robust.

"We are all leaving this pandemic stronger than we entered it," said Fay, who believed "the combination of forces" was key for the joint venture to gain market share during the pandemic.

"I think the example of the cooperation between SEMP and TCL could be easily replicable for several other industries in Brazil," he added.

The success of the joint venture increased TCL's commitment to the Brazilian market. The Chinese multinational purchased a 40-percent stake of SEMP TCL in 2020, becoming the controlling shareholder of the joint venture with a total stake of 80 percent, while SEMP held the remaining 20-percent stake.

Besides its core products, televisions and professional air conditioners, SEMP TCL plans to bring more electronic appliances to Brazil, and to create a smart ecosystem connecting TV with air conditioners, HiFi devices, refrigerators, washing machines, and other smart appliances of TCL to Brazilian consumers, said Chen Lei, marketing director of SEMP TCL.

Echoing Chen, Yue said it was "natural" to extend the smart family from TCL's flagship product TV to other appliances in Brazil where the concept of smart family is still new.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Research shows significant racial bias against Asians in U.S. economic espionage prosecutions

Xinhua) 16:55, September 22, 2021

NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Individuals with Asian or Chinese names are punished twice as severely as those with Western names in economic espionage charges in the United States, showed a U.S. study released on Tuesday.

The study, titled "Racial Disparities in Economic Espionage Act Prosecutions (EEA): A Window into the New Red Scare," also said that one in three Asian Americans accused of espionage may have been falsely accused.

The study found that jail time for Chinese and Asian defendants doubles those of Western defendants. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is much more likely to publicize alleged "spying" by people with Asian names than people with Western names.

The study analyzed 276 individual defendants and 190 cases charged under the EEA from 1996 to 2020 as coded in the Federal Public Access to Court Electronic Records system.

The research made America "a less attractive place for immigrants of all backgrounds," said Zhengyu Huang, president of Committee of 100, a non-profit organization of prominent Chinese Americans that co-led the research.

Prior to 2009, only 16 percent of defendants charged under EEA were people with Chinese names. However, the majority of people charged with EEA offenses have been people of Chinese descent since 2009, according to the study.

"We spent thousands of hours analyzing federal court filings and Department of Justice press releases. Unfortunately, the data reveals that Asian Americans and others of Asian descent are treated differently by our justice system," said Andrew Chongseh Kim, an attorney with Greenberg Traurig, LLP and visiting scholar at South Texas College of Law.

"People of Asian descent are more likely to be accused of spying even though they are less likely to actually be convicted of those charges. Perhaps more troubling, the DOJ is much more likely to publicize allegations of spying when they involve people with Asian names," said Kim, who co-led the research.

The study found that 27 percent of presumed Asian American citizens charged under the EEA were not convicted of any crimes while an additional 6 percent of Asian Americans were convicted only of process offenses like false statements.

"In total, 1 in 3 Asian Americans accused of espionage may have been falsely accused," the study concluded.

Only 38 percent of EEA defendants with Western names were actually arrested and handcuffed. In contrast, the first time 69 percent of defendants of Asian descent and 78 percent of EEA defendants of Chinese descent learned they had been charged was when they were arrested, generally with handcuffs, says the study.

The Committee of 100 said for over three decades it has been committed to the dual missions of promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life and constructive relations between the United States and China.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Pragmatic China-Germany cooperation makes greater contribution to global economic recovery

Xinhua) 16:57, September 22, 2021

BERLIN, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Pragmatic China-Germany cooperation is essential and will make greater contribution to global economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said Chinese and German politicians and businessmen ahead of the German federal election, which is scheduled for Sept. 26.

PRAGMATIC COOPERATION

Both the Chinese and German economic communities want to maintain pragmatic cooperation, said Wang Weidong, chief of the economic and commercial department at the Chinese Embassy in Germany.

"The world is facing huge challenges nowadays, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, digital transformation and geopolitical changes," he said.

Wang told Xinhua that only through pragmatic cooperation and overcoming ideological differences and political manipulation can companies gain more opportunities for cooperation.

He said that China's development has in fact brought far more opportunities than risks to German companies, and they have already reaped huge benefits from China's development, which has boosted their own development.

"German companies are in fact looking for pragmatic cooperation," Wang added.

Zheng Donglin, president of the Chinese chamber of commerce in Germany, said that the continued economic upturn in China will continue to make an important contribution to the recovery of the world economy.

"While the economies of China and Germany are gradually recovering, we should also recognize that the overall world economic recovery is still difficult and slow, which requires China and Germany to continue to strengthen their cooperation and continue to make a greater contribution to the recovery of the world economy," Zheng said.

MUTUAL BENEFIT

Pragmatic cooperation between Germany and China is not only necessary, but also good for their business development.

In a statement to Xinhua, the BMW Group said that for many years, Germany and China have been important trade partners, which greatly benefits German and Chinese international companies including the BMW Group.

"We would welcome a stable and open business environment that will provide companies from both sides with more beneficial and reciprocal trade opportunities," it read.

German automotive supplies manufacturer Webasto, which has been active in the Chinese market for 20 years, has developed a battery system especially for the Chinese market in collaboration with Chinese automakers.

And the collaboration pays off as Webasto has already received an initial order from Great Wall Motors, China's leading sport utility vehicle (SUV) manufacturer.

Andreas Nicolin, an official with the German federal ministry of economic affairs and energy, said that China has been Germany's largest trading partner since 2016, with two-way trade amounting to around 212 billion euros (248.44 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The analysis of the current situation shows that Germany and China remain politically and economically important partners and their economic relations will continue to be strong, he said.

In the opinion of Volker Treier, member of the executive board of German chamber of industry and commerce, if China did not recover in time, the German economy would have a much more difficult time in 2021.

China is an important market and remains very important from the point of view of the German economy, he said.

About 90 percent of German companies in China are doing production business for the Chinese market and it is economically undesirable for them to leave China, because they cannot serve the Chinese market if they are not there, Treier said.

More and more German companies have the will to do R&D services in China and diversify their supply chains, he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Universities for senior citizens enrich lives of Chinas graying population

People's Daily Online) 16:59, September 22, 2021

A 60-year old woman surnamed Dai in Beijing retired this year and became a student at a university for senior citizens, where she takes two classes for yoga and one for oil painting each week.

Senior citizens practice a realistic form of traditional Chinese painting at a university for seniors in Xihu district, Nanchang of east Chinas Jiangxi province. The university offers senior citizens courses such as vocal music, calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, and dance. (Photo/Ma Yue)

Noting that the courses cost 570 yuan (about $88) every week, Dai said its definitely money well spent. She added that seniors are willing to pay for high-quality courses, which enable them to explore their interests and hobbies.

Heading back to universities for further study and cultural enrichment is a popular choice among senior citizens like Dai in China.

As the aging population continues to expand and senior citizens consumption increases, apart from government departments and social organizations, more and more social forces have set up universities for senior citizens in recent years, offering the elderly customized courses covering sports, recreational activities, health, science and technology, among other areas, said Wu Yushao, deputy director of the China National Committee on Ageing.

The total population of Chinese people on the mainland aged 60 or above has reached 264.02 million, accounting for 18.7 percent of the total population, said Wu, citing data from the seventh national census conducted last year.

Wu added that the market potential for elderly education is huge in China, as senior citizens are willing to spend money to cultivate their hobbies and enrich their lives.

Statistics from the committee show that China so far has established 70,951 universities and schools for the elderly, with more than 10.88 million students attending classes. The country has also set up 6,215 universities and schools that offer distance-learning courses for senior citizens, with over 3.4 million students participating in distance learning.

To meet the high demand for universities among senior citizens, community-based teaching centers for the elderly have also been established. For example, Shanxi University for the Aged in north Chinas Shanxi province set up its first community-based teaching venue in a community in Taiyuan, capital of the province, in 2019, enabling elderly individuals to attend the university for seniors near their own homes.

Its a good attempt, as it meets seniors education demands and psychological and social needs, said Lu Shiyu, a senior researcher at the Tencent Research Institute.

So far, the university has set up five branches and one teaching avenue by working with government departments, communities and other higher educational institutions. It will enhance cooperation with social forces to establish more teaching centers, attract more teachers and improve its curriculum system, in this way enabling more seniors to enrich their lives.

The university has also moved its courses for the elderly online, a move that has also been widely seen across China, thanks to the wide application of Internet and digital technologies. This year, we are providing two more online courses: traditional Chinese bird-and-flower painting and seal cutting, said Shi Huiling, an official at the university.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Chinese public security authorities have ensured safe and smooth trips for travelers during the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday that ended Tuesday.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, fell on Tuesday this year. It is usually marked by family reunions, enjoying sights of the full moon, and eating mooncakes.

A sound traffic environment was created for people to go home for family reunions or visit tourist attractions, with no large congestion or major road accidents taking place, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

An average of 155,000 officers were dispatched every day and 54,000 police vehicles mobilized to patrol, maintain traffic order and crack down on serious violations such as overloading and drunk driving, the MPS said.

The holiday saw about 88.16 million domestic trips, which generated a revenue of more than 37 billion yuan (5.7 billion U.S. dollars), according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Social order remained stable during the holiday, said the MPS, adding that more than 3,800 scenic spots rated 4A-level and above across the country received 24.6 million tourists in order.

Confronted with the double pressure from epidemic prevention and ensuring social security during the holiday, Chinese public security authorities ramped up security precautions in key areas and public venues.

A total of 175 large-scale events were held safely, and the reported number of criminal and public security cases declined by nearly 30 percent and 23 percent year on year, respectively, said the MPS.

Immigration watchdogs also tightened epidemic prevention and control efforts at ports and border areas to effectively guard against possible imported COVID-19 cases during the holiday.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is generally regarded as one of the most important traditional festivals in China and falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. Enditem




Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China will provide more vaccines against COVID-19 to the world, as well as international assistance.

The country will strive to provide a total of 2 billion doses of vaccines to the world by the end of this year, Xi said in his statement delivered via video at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

In addition to donating 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, China will donate 100 million additional doses of vaccines to other developing countries this year, he said.

Xi has stressed on many occasions the need to make vaccines a global public good and ensure vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries.

He said that the pressing priority is to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally.

Xi also stressed caring about the special needs of developing countries.

"We may employ such means as debt suspension and development aid to help developing countries, particularly vulnerable ones facing exceptional difficulties, with emphasis on addressing unbalanced and inadequate development among and within countries," he said.

China has pledged an additional 3 billion U.S. dollars of international assistance in the next three years to support developing countries in responding to COVID-19 and promoting economic and social recovery, he added.




BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- China plays a major and constructive role in promoting peaceful development of the world as well as in addressing regional and global problems, experts and politicians have said on the occasion of the International Day of Peace.

Peace is a fundamental determinant of China's domestic and diplomatic policy, said Mahmoud Raya, editor-in-chief of the news website China in Arab Eyes.

Stressing that China has not invaded any other country or region in the world, Raya noted that the Chinese policy is widely accepted by countries around the world.

In terms of the Arab region, China plays a major role in presenting initiatives to solve crises that the region suffered from, Raya added.

Adnan Bourji, director of the Lebanese National Center for Studies, noted that it is necessary to determine the type of peace that the world desires on such an occasion.

It is a peace based on social justice within every society and among human societies, and not a peace imposed by the forces of monopoly and brutal capitalism, where we can see extreme poverty and extreme wealth within one society, he said.

China has worked in development for all mankind with the spirit that the fate of the mankind is common, said Bourji. "So we see them working with countries, whether small or large, from the point of view of the common interest."

Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan international relations researcher, said that China is upholding the idea of peaceful development to promote world peace, common development and shared prosperity.

He took the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as an example, noting that China, via the BRI, has shared the proceeds of its own development with about 140 countries through provision of wide-ranging public goods.

Cavince also spoke highly of China for using diplomacy to solve global problems as well as championing multilateralism, especially in the fields of climate change, terrorism and combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China has played an active role in enhancing world order, promoting multilateralism, and tackling key global challenges," Khuon Sodary, second vice-president of the Cambodian National Assembly and a member of the standing committee of the Cambodian People's Party, told Xinhua.

Sodary noted that China has actively participated in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations and sent its peacekeepers to join operations in war-torn countries, which clearly "underline the nobel and historic role of China and its people in assisting countries around the world to achieve a long-term peace, stability and development."

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the UN General Assembly. It was later declared as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. The 2021 theme for the International Day of Peace is "Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world."
BEIRUT, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The head of mission and force commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vowed on Tuesday to continue working with Lebanese authorities by supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and people in southern Lebanon.

"In doing so, we pave the way for all political and diplomatic efforts to take root towards a lasting solution and a permanent ceasefire," Stefano Del Col said in a statement released by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon on the International Day of Peace.

Del Col addressed at a ceremony held at the UNIFIL's headquarters in Naqoura, southern Lebanon that UNIFIL and its troop-contributing countries are doing their best to support and protect the people of southern Lebanon amid the current deteriorating situation in Lebanon.

"We are helping local communities build capacity to halt the spread of COVID-19 pandemic through donating medical equipment, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), PCR tests in addition to providing training to hospitals, schools and communities," the UNIFIL chief said.

Del Col also paid tribute to civilian and military peacekeepers for their sustained efforts to maintain security and stability in southern Lebanon and along the Blue Line.

On the occasion, members of the UNIFIL leadership team and LAF representative Brigadier General Maroun Kobayati awarded 28 military staff officers with the UN Medal for their contribution to fulfilling the Mission's mandate.
The "Peace Mission 2021," a counter-terrorism military exercise for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, officially started on Monday in Orenburg, Russia.

The participants are from eight SCO member states, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. The participating troops consist of around 4,000 military personnel, among which 558 are from China.

The routine exercise within the framework of the SCO is aimed at deepening defense and security cooperation among member states, improving their ability to cope with new challenges and threats, and jointly safeguarding regional peace and security.
By Xu Liping

US President Joe Biden participates in a virtual press conference on national security in the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday US time, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in attendance via video link. Biden announced that the US is forming a new Indo-Pacific security alliance with the UK and Australia. Photo: AFP

The newly formed security partnership between the US, UK, and Australia have left many countries with deep concerns, including those in Southeast Asia. For instance, both Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur have voiced their strong opposition to Australia's plans to acquire nuclear submarines under the trilateral pact known as "AUKUS."

As a dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia has not signed the Treaty of Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. But its intention to build nuclear-powered submarines and even to use them in the South China Sea threatens the formation of the regional nuclear-weapon-free zone. Australia's decision goes against one of the major agreements in the Southeast Asia region. This is conflicting with the interests and objectives of ASEAN.

According to the South China Morning Post, some ASEAN members are worried that AUKUS symbolizes the West will deal with China more aggressively by admitting Australia into the nuclear club.

If Australia were to build a nuclear-powered submarine, it would undoubtedly upset the regional balance of power and be a threat to many other regional countries. As a result, the latter might also consider acquiring nuclear submarines to hedge against potential dangers and regain the regional balance. This could lead Southeast Asia to the edge of a regional nuclear arms race.

The establishment of AUKUS is directed at the Taiwan Straits and in particular the South China Sea. By developing nuclear submarines, Canberra will harm the peace and stability in the region. Canberra will also coerce ASEAN to stand with the US and Australia against China. ASEAN members are some of the direct stakeholders in the South China Sea issue. Many Southeast Asian countries are dissatisfied and deeply concerned about Australia undermining the situation of the South China Sea. This explained why Malaysia responded so strongly. Malaysia has been opposed to the display and flaunts of military strength in the South China Sea by major powers. It also objects to turning the region into a venue for a game between great powers.

China today has the absolute military power to control the islands and reefs in the South China Sea region. Yet Beijing has not gone down that path. Instead, it has maintained great patience and restraint in negotiating the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea with ASEAN members. This shows China's responsibility as the largest country in the region. As long as China does not exploit its military strength to seize islands and reefs in the region, AUKUS has barely any reason to exist. In this context, it will be sheer nonsense for AUKUS to regard China as an imaginary enemy and attempt to cooperate with ASEAN to counter China's "aggression" in the South China Sea.

In response to the concerns of ASEAN members, Australian Ambassador to ASEAN, Will Nankervis, is trying to reassure regional partners by stressing that AUKUS "is not a defense alliance or pact." Australia hopes to alleviate ASEAN's concerns about the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal. However, it is difficult for ASEAN to believe Canberra's verbal statement because Canberra's purchase of nuclear submarines has gone too far and runs counter to ASEAN's foreign policy and strategic goals.

ASEAN is at a central position in both the regional security architecture and the economic cooperation architecture in the region. Yet what Australia and the US have been doing undoubtedly weakens the role of ASEAN. Washington and Canberra have always claimed to support ASEAN centrality. But their behavior is actually a slap in the face of ASEAN. Facts have proved that the US and Australia's wordings are very hypocritical. To some extent, the political and strategic trust between ASEAN and Australia and the US has been further jeopardized.

Reports show that Australia's new nuclear submarines would not be in the water until 2040. Yet Canberra will likely use nuclear-powered submarines to coerce ASEAN countries as a bargaining chip. As ASEAN is projected to become the world's fourth-largest economy by 2030, Australia's growing strength in the security field must be a threatening response to ASEAN's growing economic power. This is what countries in Southeast Asia should be highly vigilant about.

The author is director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.
Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan visits the peacekeeping infantry battalion. Photo by Jiang Huixin

JUBA, South Sudan, Sept. 22 -- Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Hua Ning and Military Attache Fei Bo visited the peacekeeping infantry battalion to South Sudan (Juba) and gave the best wishes to the peacekeepers on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese festival on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month each year.

Accompanied by Battalion Commander Yang Zhongju, Ambassador Hua Ning reviewed the guard of honor and listened to the peacekeeping report on the authorized tasks since the battalions deployment to the mission area. He also presented some books to the peacekeepers on the spot.

During this visit, Ambassador Hua Ning specially visited the guards on duty at the sentry posts No.2 and No.9 in the camp. Hua also had a cordial talk with them and extended greetings to their families on behalf of China's embassy to South Sudan. He appreciated the practical actions the peacekeepers have done to safeguard the peace in South Sudan, as well as the good images of the Chinese military they have shown in the international community.

Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan visits the peacekeeping infantry battalion. Photo by Jiang Huixin
By Shao Yongling and Song Pengchao

File photo: JGSDF troops during exercise (huanqiu.com)

Japanese media reported that the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) launched a massive military exercise on September 15 involving about 100,000 personnel, 20,000 vehicles and 120 aircraft, and it will last till late November. It is reported that it is the largest military exercise conducted by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) since 1993.

According to Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, the exercise would simulate the response to possible island attacks and hone JSDF's fast and large-scale delivery capability, but thats just an excuse to gloss over an exercise of such a large scale, and the true purpose is to get ready for possible massive military operations and cooperate with the US military in demonstrating deterrence in the Asia Pacific.

Islands in the southwest of Japan, including the disputed islands between China and Japan, are all very small. If war broke out, it would be impossible to project so many troops there. Japan having such a large-scale exercise involving so many troops has nothing to do with island battles.

The JGSDFs motive and purpose of this exercise are worth close attention. For one thing, Tokyo is having a drill for military operations on an even larger scale. In other words, should a more massive military operation take place in Asia Pacific and ground forces were required, JGDSF would be well-positioned to play a bigger part. For another, Japan is cooperating with the US military in posing deterrence to other countries in the Asian-Pacific region.

File photo: 135 JGSDF members stationed in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture of Japan, have been confirmed with COVID-19 infection.

The recent exercise, with a large scale and obvious real-combat intentions, is worth attention in the following aspects.

Whats most noteworthy about the exercise is its scale, which is said to involve about 100,000 troops, accounting for two-thirds of the total JGSDF.

The second aspect is why the exercise is launched. Japan claimed that it is aimed at preparedness for any change in the Diaoyu Island situation.

The third aspect is the current pandemic situation in Japan, which remains critical. News from JGSDF showed that 135 of its troops stationed in Otsu of Shiga Prefecture were confirmed with COVID-19 infection between August 23 and September 1. So its hard to tell whether the exercise will cause a widespread transmission of the virus among the JGSDF.

Japanese Defense Ministry previously announced that it will seek a defense budget of 5.4 trillion Japanese Yen (about RMB 319.7 billion) in the fiscal year of 2022 to cope with the mounting challenge posed by China's military expansion. Japan's continuous efforts to intensify its defense forces on the excuse of the so-called China threat exposes its ambition to become a political and military power in the region.

The US is advancing its so-called Indo-Pacific strategy in the region, and it is rallying with its allies to contain and restrict its rivals, including conducting joint military exercises on various levels. Japan, as Americas most reliable partner in the region, closely follows its lead on many issues. Therefore, when Japan is taking a series of moves in the defense sector, especially when it is consistently increasing its military expenditure, we need to pay close attention to their near-term impacts as well as the countrys long-term political and military ambition. At the end of the day, Tokyo wants to overthrow the Yalta system established after WWII and completely shed its position as a defeated nation.

Editor's note: This article is originally published on military.cnr.cn as an interview between Song Pengchao, a military reporter, and military expert Shao Yongling. It is edited and translated from Chinese into English by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
By Li Chun

ORENBURG, Russia, Sept. 22 -- When talking about the Peace Mission-2021 joint anti-terrorism military exercise for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, Lieutenant Colonel Kan Jinzhu, battalion commander of a combined-arms brigade under the PLA Northern Theater Command and also the commanding officer of the ground assault group of the Chinese participating troops, said that one of their goals to participate in the exercise is to explore the ability of a combined-arms battalion to execute missions under cross-border, unsupported conditions.

On September 21 local time, the last live-fire joint training for the Peace Mission-2021 was conducted at the Donguz training range in Orenburg Oblast, Russia. The ground assault group composed of infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) driven by the Chinese participators, took the lead to lure the terrorists into a trap and then launched an attack on the terrorist organization with the firepower support of fighter jets and long-range cannons.

A squad leader usually acts as the commander of each ICV and is responsible for handling the on-site situation and information communication on the spot, and can even make skip-level report if necessary. According to Kan Jinzhu, this puts forward higher requirements on the commanding capability of the squad leaders.

In fact, in the process of deepening reform of the Chinese armed forces in all respects in recent years, the training of ICV commanders has focused on the cultivation of the inter-disciplinary talents.

Wei Guangheng, a squad leader under the 1st Battalion of the combined-arms brigade, told reporters that, apart from grasping the skills of the ICV gunner and driver, the ICV commanders are also required to have a good command of platoon-level tactical commanding and handling of special situations, which requires better capacity to play to the score. When encountering a problem, the ICV commanders should make quick judgments and give suggestions while reporting, instead of instantly reporting to the superior.

Actually, in the Chinese participating troops, the exercise serves as a test not only for commanders of the armored combat vehicles, but also for squad leaders in the key positions such as logistical support, equipment maintenance, and medical services.

Major Lin Chengwei, chief of the brigades firepower section, said that undoubtedly, to reach the goal of exploring the combined-arms battalions capacity to execute missions independently in a foreign land should be guaranteed by comprehensive support of different professions. He expected that the troops of various professions would take the opportunity of the exercise to get improvement, thereby enhancing the overall combat effectiveness of the battalion.

The combat capability of the Chinese military is tested in every overseas joint military exercise it participates in, said Senior Colonel Li Shuyin, a researcher with the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese PLA.

Li said that the joint exercise also aims to test the cooperative ability of the armed forces of the SCO member states. In recent years, the Chinese military has sent troops to go abroad to hold joint exercises with the militaries of Russia and other countries for many times, aiming to improve its combat capability by learning from foreign counterparts, have better coordinate with foreign troops in future joint operations and enhance capabilities of jointly responding to threats and countering international terrorist organizations.
"We're not seeking -- I'll say it again -- we are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs," Biden said. "The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up to pursue a peaceful resolution to shared challenges, even if we have intense disagreements in other areas, because we'll all suffer the consequences of our failure if we do not come together to address the urgent threats like COVID-19, climate change or enduring threats like nuclear proliferation."

Without mentioning his nation's greatest adversary -- China -- by name, Biden also vowed that he would not seek to escalate conflict. In an earlier speech before the General Assembly, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said it would be "impossible to address dramatic economic and development challenges while the world's two largest economies are at odds with each other."

"This is a clear and urgent choice that we face here at the dawning of what must be a decisive decade for our world, a decade that will quite literally determine our futures," he said. "As a global community, we're challenged by urgent and looming crises wherein lie enormous opportunities if -- if -- we can summon the will and resolve to seize these opportunities."

Biden, taking his place for the first time as head of state before the UN's distinctive green marble rostrum, also used his half-hour speech to push for aggressive actions against COVID-19 and climate change.

With promises of "aggressive diplomacy," and a vow to not seek "a new Cold War," U.S. President Joe Biden used his first address before the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to push a globalist agenda, with the leader of the world's top military force saying that "U.S. military power must be our tool of last resort, not our first."

 'We've Turned the Page'

Biden also defended his controversial decision to withdraw forces from Afghanistan after 20 years of American involvement there. Those comments were noted by Afghanistan's ambassador to the UN, Ghulam Isaczai, who was appointed by the previous government, before the Taliban seized power last month. The White House has said that they are in "no rush" to recognize the Taliban as the official government. "I stand here today, for the first time in 20 years, with the United States not at war," Biden said. "We've turned the page."

The leader of the Gulf state of Qatar, which has hosted diplomatic talks between the U.S. and the Taliban, urged the international community to continue discussions on Afghanistan.

"We emphasize here the importance of the international community's continued support to Afghanistan at this critical stage and to separate humanitarian aid from political differences," said Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. "We also stress the necessity of continuing dialogue with the Taliban because a boycott only leads to polarization and reactions, whereas dialogue could bring in positive results."

 'Bumper Sticker Garbage'

Biden's appearance on Tuesday was a direct rebuke to the aggressive "America first" doctrine of his predecessor, Donald Trump. "As we look ahead, we will lead," he said. "We will lead on all the greatest challenges of our time from COVID to climate, peace and security, human dignity and human rights. But we will not go it alone. We will lead together with our allies and partners in cooperation with all those who believe as we do, that this is within our power to meet these challenges, to build a future, to miss all of our people and preserve this planet."

But those words did not sit well with Biden's Republican detractors, such as House Foreign Affairs Committee lead Republican Michael McCaul. "President Biden's speech today does not match his actions," he said.

"President Biden's foreign policy is bumper sticker garbage," U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement. "His platitudes about women's rights don't protect the Taliban's rape victims. His throwaway lines about 'relentless diplomacy' don't comfort the hundreds of American citizens and thousands of American green card holders he left behind. His empty promise to 'stand up for our allies' doesn't stop a single beheading. The President's happy talk remains disconnected from reality."

Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, said that Biden needs to use global platforms like the UN to reassure U.S. allies after two recent White House decisions ruffled feathers -- the rushed, messy withdrawal from Afghanistan and the controversial pact the U.S. announced with Australia and Britain.

"It's ironic in the sense that when President Biden first took office, he indicated that restoring U.S. leadership and U.S. alliances was a key goal for him," he said. "And yet, that goal has become even more acute, for reasons of his own doing."

The annual assembly at UN headquarters in New York is arguably the biggest global stage for world leaders, with participants using their time to expound on topics of global and regional interest before the 193-member assembly. This year, only about 100 heads of state announced they would attend in person -- the leaders of China, Iran, Egypt and Somalia are among a handful of those delivering pre-recorded comments.

 Ideals vs. Reality

Biden's globalist, cooperative, optimistic vision clashes with some awkward realities. On Friday, America's oldest ally, France, recalled its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia, expressing anger over the "stab in the back" delivered by those two nations when their nuclear submarine deal nullified a nearly US$70 billion French-Australian deal for conventional submarines. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden will soon hold a phone call with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, who did not travel to New York.

Biden also met Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN event with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. In that meeting, the White House said in a statement, the two leaders "affirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, based on shared values and mutual interests, and agreed on the importance of working with allies and partners around the world, including through historic partnerships and organizations and new configurations, to defend against threats to the international rules-based order."

Later Tuesday, he will meet in Washington with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Later in the week, separate from the UN meeting, Biden will host a summit on COVID-19 and will also meet with both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Those two are members of the so-called "Quad," a strategic dialogue that also includes Australia, which is seen as a bulwark against growing Chinese influence.
Borrell chided Washington and London saying, "More cooperation, more coordination, less fragmentation" was needed among Western powers in the Indo-Pacific region where China is the major rising power and is promoting alarm among its neighbors. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told CNN, "One of our member states has been treated in a way that is not acceptable. We want to know what happened and why."

Speaking after a meeting Monday among EU foreign ministers held in New York on the sidelines of this week's annual gathering for the United Nations General Assembly, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the foreign ministers "expressed clear solidarity with France."

European Union leaders are rallying behind France in the dispute over the shelving of the multi-billion-dollar French deal and Canberra's decision to sign up to a trilateral Asia Pacific security pact, known as AUKUS, with the United States and Britain, an alliance notably excluding Paris.

The Australian decision to cancel a US$66 billion deal to buy 12 French diesel-electric submarines and to purchase instead at least eight more sophisticated nuclear-powered attack boats from Britain and America continues to reverberate with French officials smarting at what they see as a betrayal by London and Washington.

 French Anger

Last week France recalled its ambassadors from Canberra and Washington -- a dramatic demonstration of French anger. And France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who has accused U.S. President Joe Biden of continuing the "unilateralism, unpredictability, brutality" of his predecessor Donald Trump, says he does not intend to meet his U.S. counterpart, Antony Blinken, while in New York. "I myself do not intend to meet the Secretary of State Blinken," Le Drian told reporters Monday. The French have also been avoiding timetabling a phone conversation between Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.

France claims not to have been consulted by Australia about the plan to scupper what the French once branded the "deal of the century" Australia says it did raise concerns with Paris for months over the contract, which was struck in 2016. Australian politicians have been emphasizing that the French contractors had fallen well behind schedule. "This has been a farce from day one," Stephen Conroy, a former Australian senator, told Australian broadcaster Sky News. "This was a deal that was destined to fail," he says.

French officials say they were only informed last week in writing just hours before the announcement by Britain, the U.S. and Australia of an agreement that will see Australia become only the seventh state in the world with a nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

 France's Reliability in Question

While the core Australian decision rested on Canberra's military assessment of its needs in the Indo-Pacific region, prompting an equipment upgrade, the move to exclude France from the trilateral defense pact, reveals much about Anglo-American suspicions of France's reliability as a partner, say some former Western foreign and defense ministers and diplomats.

In defense circles in Washington and London, France is often seen as a frenemy, all too ready to grab commercial and diplomatic advantage over the United States and Britain and to exercise an independent mindedness that can make it an unpredictable military ally going back to General Charles De Gaulle's 1966 decision to withdraw France abruptly from NATO.

Former British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt accused France Tuesday of wanting to have its cake and eat it, having one foot in the U.S.-led alliance while on the other pushing for an alternative French-led European defense alliance and backing an EU investment deal with China which granted better access to Europe's single market than given to post-Brexit Britain. "France has long believed Europe should build an independent defence capability," he wrote Tuesday for Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper. An alternative defense arrangement that loosens transatlantic ties with Washington is not conceivable without British backing, he says. The French are "bitterly aware that our central involvement in a new Asian military alliance led by the U.S. makes it much less likely that any European alliance, with or without Britain, would ever be a credible alternative to American leadership," he says.

Another former British foreign minister, Willam Hague, agrees "the petulant French reaction to the consequent loss of a huge defence contract does little to elicit sympathy." And he notes in a commentary, "Paris would not have hesitated to do the same the other way round." But he says that as the AUKUS initiative develops beyond submarines into areas such as artificial intelligence, it should be open for others to join, including Canada and European allies such as France.

But analyst Olivier Guitta, managing director of GlobalStrat, an international security and risk consultancy firm in London, believes Washington and London should have been much more diplomatic, and instead of blindsiding Paris should have consulted and offered the French a slice of the new deal. "There was surely a way to find a consensus between the four allies, even when bringing the U.S. and the U.K. to the table, like splitting the contract in three," he told VOA. "It is quite ironic that Biden has pushed away France since in the past few months France has been one of the most sanguine to oppose China's influence in the region," he says. "Indeed, back in March China complained about French military activities in the disputed South China Sea, after it sent two warships there," Guitta said.


Biden embraced the WHO's goal of vaccinating at least 70 percent of the world's population within the next year and leveraged the announcement to encourage other wealthier countries to escalate efforts to contain the infection. Tedros, the WHO's director-general, said in June that reaching the goal would require 11 billion doses.

Also Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a U.S. commitment of $250 million to a new global financing mechanism at the World Bank to prevent future pandemics, with $10 billion as the collective goal. "This pandemic caught us off guard, and it should not have," she said. "We have learned the cost of failing to prepare. With every death, we have learned all too much the seriousness of that cost. And it is time, then, to act."

Biden also announced Wednesday an additional $370 million to get those shots in arms around the world, and $380 million to the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), to further facilitate global vaccine distribution. The U.S. also is providing $1.4 billion to reduce COVID-19 deaths and mitigate transmission.

In a speech Tuesday at the United Nations, Biden touted the more than 160 million doses the U.S. had already distributed to more than 100 countries -- more doses than all other nations combined. Wednesday's announcement increases to 1.1 billion the number of doses the U.S. has committed to purchase for other countries. The latest tranche of donations are of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine.

"I'm keeping the promise that America will become the arsenal of vaccines, as we were the arsenal for democracy during World War II," Biden said Tuesday, as he met virtually in the White House with the leaders of South Africa, Indonesia, Canada, Britain and the European Union and World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Half a billion more doses of vaccine are headed from the U.S. to the rest of the world -- or, as President Joe Biden put it Wednesday as he convened a summit to tackle the global pandemic: For every shot given to an American, Americans are giving three shots to the world.

 'Welcome and Needed'

But global organizations and some world leaders have been increasingly critical of the distribution disparities and the slow pace of vaccinations, especially in the developing world. They have complained that the U.S. response has been inadequate, particularly as the nation pushes for booster shots for Americans before vulnerable people in poorer countries get their first dose.

"Any pledge of additional doses for the numerous countries that have been left devastatingly behind in terms of vaccine access during this pandemic is welcome and is needed," said Kate Elder, senior vaccines policy adviser for Doctors Without Borders' Access Campaign. "But we are not going to be able to donate our way out of this pandemic."

But, she added, "donations are done at the discretion of the donor. There's very little accountability for delivery. We've already seen hundreds of millions of doses pledged by wealthy governments similar to the United States, other countries in Europe with a pretty, pretty poor delivery rate so far. So, we need doses in arms right now. It's welcome. They're needed in these countries, but it's not going to solve the pandemic."

 Booster Shot Debate

Dr. Anand Parekh, chief medical adviser for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank that seeks to bridge American political divisions, also said it's about how the vaccines are distributed, not just how many are sent out.

"How quickly does the world want to end this pandemic?" Parekh asked. "And if it truly is within the next year, then the president and others need to galvanize the entire world to ensure that we have the capacity and the equitable distribution plans to vaccinate the world."

Parekh defended the Biden administration's push for some vaccinated Americans to receive booster shots, a view that the WHO does not share. When speaking to reporters last month, Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's emergencies program, likened the booster shot idea to "hand(ing) out extra life jackets to people who already have life jackets while we're leaving other people to drown without a single life jacket."

"Both of these objectives are critical," Parekh said. "They can't be pitted against one another. But of course that is predicated on having a robust manufacturing capacity of vaccines."

One way to quickly boost capacity is to force vaccine producers to waive intellectual property rights on vaccine technology through the so-called TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver at the World Trade Organization. The Biden administration said in May that it supported the waiver, and 100 other countries had also voiced their support. But without the backing of all members, the proposal is languishing at the WTO.

"We always knew that it would be a lengthy process," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in response to a question from VOA. "But that's never been the only basket that we're focused on. We've also been focused on increasing supply -- or vaccine supply -- to the world. We provide more vaccines to the world than any other country in the world combined. We've also been working with countries on manufacturing capacity and making sure they have the materials they need."

On Thursday, Biden will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leader of the world's largest vaccine manufacturing nation. Biden also will host Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the first in-person meeting of the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue," a strategic interchange that includes Australia and is seen as a bulwark against growing Chinese influence. That group, Biden said Wednesday, is on its way to meeting its goal of producing at least 1 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2022.


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New Braunfels Fire Chief Patrick OConnell speaks at the Main Plaza during the Remembering 9/11 20th Anniversary Ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021 in New Braunfels.
A Curative van is set up in the parking lot of New Braunfels City Hall for free COVID-19 testing. To use the walk-up service book an appointment online at curative.com.
Press Release

September 22, 2021 Minority Senators pay tribute to Soliman, honor her for contributions to public service Minority Senators honored former Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dinky Soliman for her invaluable contributions to the field of social work as a distinguished public servant exemplified by her lifelong crusade to uplift the quality of life of the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society. In filing Proposed Senate Resolution (PSR) No. 913, Minority Senators Leila M. de Lima, Franklin M. Drilon, Risa Hontiveros and Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said it is only proper to recognize Soliman's contributions to public service and honor her exemplary work, dedication, and commitment towards combatting poverty and inequality in society. "Sec. Dinky left nothing materially but so much in the respectful affection of all who worked, dreamed and fought with her causes and advocacies. Her passing ends a chapter in the country's civil society sector," they said. "Her untimely death as an exemplary public servant and social worker, the first responder on the ground and the last person to leave the disaster-stricken area, is a great loss to the Filipino people and the nation as well, particularly in this time of crisis and upheaval," they added. Last Sept. 19, Soliman, who is known for her signature single-streaked hair color which she attributed to the causes she fights for and a symbol of "good vibes", passed away at the age of 68 due to complications from renal and heart failure. Soliman first headed the DSWD during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but later resigned, along with other Cabinet officials, when Arroyo was accused of fraud in the 2004 Presidential elections. In her four years at the DSWD during President Arroyo's term, Soliman launched the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDDS), a poverty alleviation program which empowered barangays and communities. In 2010, Soliman was appointed again as the DSWD Secretary of then-President Benigno S. Aquino III and headed the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cabinet Cluster. "As DSWD Secretary, Sec. Dinky steered the government's flagship poverty alleviation program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), which was initiated by the Arroyo administration but was massively expanded and further developed under the Aquino administration," the Senators said. "Likewise, Sec. Dinky accelerated other social welfare programs such as the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services - National Community- Driven Development Program (KC-NCDDP)," they added. The Minority Senators pointed out that Soliman's legacy will go down in Filipino history as that of a champion of social justice and democracy. "She made a name for herself as a civil society leader, a reformist in the field of social welfare where its programs are anchored on evidence-based policy making, planning, and evaluation and a crusader against corruption in government," they noted. "Her passionate love and steadfast commitment to serve the poorest and most marginalized of Filipinos and improve their quality of life through meaningful social reforms should serve as a benchmark for any aspiring public servant," they added. In 2015, Soliman was recognized for her leadership by the Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA) and was awarded by the World Bank for "promoting social accountability as a means to eradicate poverty and promote inclusive growth".
Press Release

September 22, 2021 Despite confessing to selling kilos of shabu, Bilibid inmate Capones exonerated by Muntinlupa Prosecutor; De Lima appeals Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima filed a motion asking the Office of the City Prosecutor (OCP) of Muntinlupa City to reconsider its decision dismissing criminal complaints she and her lawyers filed against prosecution witness and convicted murderer Joel Capones and his gangmates. In a nine-page Motion for Reconsideration filed on Sept. 21, De Lima said that Capones's judicial confession about his participation in the Bilibid drug trade together with his 13 mayores in the Sigue Sigue Sputnik gang is enough for the filing in court of criminal raps against them. Last July 9, De Lima and her lawyers filed separate criminal complaints against Capones and his 13 mayores for trading and selling illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP). As a witness for the DOJ Panel of Prosecutors in one of De Lima's drug cases, Capones confessed to packing and selling shabu with his mayores. Capones waived his right against self-incrimination before making the confession in open court. In her motion, De Lima accused the City Prosecutor of violating the Rules of Evidence in ruling that a confession is insufficient evidence against the confessor. De Lima cited Rule 130, Section 33 of the Rules of Evidence that says "the declaration of an accused acknowledging his guilt of the offense charged, or of any offense necessarily included therein, may be given in evidence against him." "This means that the confession could have been made in court before a judge, or anywhere else in the world in any other place outside the court room or in the hearing of his own trial," she said. The lady Senator from Bicol stressed that anyone who has personal knowledge that a party or accused made an admission against interest or a confession to a crime can testify in court that the accused made such confession at a previous point in time. "In this case, all the Complainants were present when Respondent Capones testified in Criminal Case No. 17-167 that he conspired and engaged in illegal drug trading," she said. De Lima likewise questioned the Resolution in agreeing with what she called as the "warped reasoning of Capones" that his confession is only good against her in Criminal Case No. 17-167 before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 256, but not against him in any proceeding filed against him. "It is tantamount to grotesquely twisting the criminal justice system to favor one in order to persecute another," she stressed. De Lima further said that "the ruling of the [City Prosecutor] dismissing a confession as evidence unless supported by other evidence is not supported by any [jurisprudence]. It is an opinion pulled out of thin air and therefore unfounded in the annals of Supreme Court decisions." "Try hard as she may, the City Prosecutor of Muntinlupa will NEVER find any law or jurisprudence in support of this invented, contrived, and very unlawyerly conclusion on the value of a confession as evidence," she added. De Lima likened the decision of the Muntinlupa City Prosecutor to what she calls "Makapili" justice, "where hooded informants are pampered and rewarded by the Japanese occupiers, while the innocent townspeople are publicly executed via firing squads on the mere say-so of a paid snitch."
Press Release

September 22, 2021 Senate adopts resolution honoring the late Social Welfare Secretary Soliman The Senate today adopted a resolution honoring the late former Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman for her invaluable contributions to the field of social work and the country. Senate Resolution No. 913 was introduced by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senators Leila de Lima, Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros. Drilon, who sponsored the resolution, said Soliman was a champion of social justice and democracy who dedicated all her life to social work and activism. He said Soliman was defined by the work she did for the poor, the vulnerable, women, children and the communities she visited as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and as a community organizer. "Dinky, as we called her, will always be remembered in the far-flung barangays and communities. She was the one who launched the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDDS), a poverty alleviation program which empowered barangays and communities," Drilon said. He said Soliman's most notable work would probably be what we now know as 4Ps ( Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), another poverty alleviation program which was initiated by the Arroyo administration but was massively expanded and further developed under President Benigno Aquino III. Under the 4Ps program, conditional cash grants are given to the poorest of the poor to improve the health, nutrition and the education of children aged 0-18. "I recall fondly Mr. President that I was our chairman of the Committee on Finance that defended the initial increase in the budget of DSWD for the 4Ps program. I must admit I was not too familiar with the 4Ps but the late Dinky Soliman helped me explain the merits of the 4Ps program," Drilon said. "Her name will always be remembered whenever a 4Ps family member graduates from elementary, high school and college. Let it be known that it was Dinky, and no one else, who gave them a fighting chance in life through the expansion and institutionalization of the 4Ps," he added. Drilon also extolled Soliman's strength and principles. He said that unlike many officials of today who cling to their positions, Soliman chose integrity over power and influence. Soliman was one of the cabinet officials known as the "Hyatt 10" who resigned when then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was accused of fraud in the 2004 presidential elections or the Hello Garci scandal. "Dinky's passionate and steadfast love to serve the poorest and most marginalized of Filipinos and improve their quality of life should serve as a benchmark for aspiring public servants," Drilon said. Drilon moved to make all senators co-authors and co-sponsors of the resolution.
Kuwait-based investor International Financial Advisors Holding (IFA) will invest AED 37.69 million ($10.26 million) in a branch of smart hotel brand Yotel in Dubais Palm Jumeirah, Zawya reports.

The investment will provide IFA, 10.5 per cent of the hotel brand. Yotel is a UK-based smart hotel brand, which currently has 20 listed properties in the UK, Europe, Singapore and the USA.

Palm Jumeriah property, a four-star hotel, is under construction. The Kuwait-based firm has also invested AED 20.58 million in Palm Jumeriah-based Strive Services Group, a facilities management and security services firm, Zawya notes.
Emory Arts and Atlanta artist-activist Charmaine Minniefield have partnered on the Praise House Project to place three site-specific public art installations in metro Atlanta. Image: Projection collage in the interior of the Praise House at Oakland Cemetery presented by Flux Projects, featuring images from the Langmuir Collection at Emory's Stuart A. Rose Library and more. Photograph by Julie Yarbrough.

The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded a 2021-23 Our Town Grant to Emory for the Praise House Project, which will place site-specific public art installations in three separate locations throughout metro Atlanta, uplifting the African American history of each community.

The Praise House Project emerges out of a partnership between Emory Arts and Atlanta artist-activist Charmaine Minniefield, who will introduce the project at Emorys upcoming symposium In the Wake of Slavery and Dispossession: Emory, Racism and the Journey Towards Restorative Justice, Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

Three praise houses will be installed as part of the project: at Emory, the Decatur Square and the historic South View Cemetery.

We are thrilled and humbled by this opportunity to bring Charmaine Minniefields Praise House project to the Emory campus, and  in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts  to enable it to move throughout our region, says Kevin Karnes, vice provost for the arts. Bringing our campus community together with residents of DeKalb County and the city of Atlanta for crucial conversations about slavery, racial injustice and buried histories is at the core of the work of Emory Arts. I know of no artist whose work inspires those discussions more powerfully than Minniefields.

Praise houses were small, usually wooden, structures used by enslaved peoples for worship and gathering throughout the American Southeast. As an act of resistance, worshipers would gather in a circle performing full-body rhythmic movement in what was known as the Ring Shout. Their shuffling and stomping of feet and clapping their hands created a type of communal drum  secretly preserving their cultural identity and traditions.

The Ring Shout was reborn during enslavement in the American South in radical resistance against efforts and systems that dismantled cultural identity and community. These often-secret spaces were places for a communitys collective prayer to imagine freedom, says Minniefield.

On Decatur Square, a praise house will permanently replace the Confederate monument at the DeKalb History Center as part of the countys 2022 centennial celebration. Another praise house will be installed at South View Cemetery, the final resting place for many prominent Atlantans that was established in South Atlanta by the citys African American community in 1886.

The third praise house, at Emory, will honor enslaved peoples and dispossessed native and Indigenous communities, acknowledging Emorys connection with slavery and the displacement of the Muscogee (Creek) people who once called the lands home where the universitys campuses now reside.

Although the Decatur praise house will be a permanent structure, the houses at South View Cemetery and Emory will be temporary. The South View praise house will be on display through Juneteenth 2022; the Emory structure will be in place through the fall 2022 academic semester.

By reflecting on the Ring Shout, each installation demonstrates the importance and persistence of these seminal traditions, spaces and worship practices as cultural evidence of the endurance of a people and resistance against erasure still today, says Minniefield.

The Emory installation will also commemorate the legacy of the late Pellom McDaniels III, activist, historian and curator of African American collections at the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. McDaniels, who passed away in April 2020, worked throughout his career to build bridges between scholars and the communities they study, allowing people to rediscover their collective history. He was instrumental in appointing Minniefield to a yearlong residency with the Rose Library in 2019-20, an engagement that planted the seeds that grew into the Praise House project.

The Praise House project partners hope to inspire scholarly research by Emory students and faculty while inviting the broader community to engage with the colleges resources on African American history, including the Rose Librarys African American collections and Slave Voyages archives.

The Praise House Project represents more than a singular achievement for an artist of great talent but also the coming together of a community of artists, scholars, activists, students and other professionals from all over the city to bring it to life, says Clint Fluker, curator of African American Collections with the Rose Library. Charmaines brilliance is marked by her vision of whats possible. Her unique gift to us all is her ability to bring diverse people together in an effort to make the history and legacies of African American culture sing through her art.

While on campus, the public art installation will be accompanied by complementary programming, including an exhibition of two-dimensional work by Minniefield at the Michael C. Carlos Museum titled Indigo Prayers. The Praise House Project is presented by Emory Arts in collaboration with the Carlos Museum and the Rose Library. For more information on the Praise House Project, visit arts.emory.edu/praisehouse.

About the artist

The work of artist-activist Charmaine Minniefield preserves Black narratives as a radical act of social justice. Firmly rooted in womanist social theory and ancestral veneration, her work draws from Indigenous traditions, as seen throughout Africa and the Diaspora, to explore African and African American history, memory and ritual as an intentional pushback against erasure. Her creative practice is community-based, as her research and resulting bodies of work often draw from the physical archives as she excavates the stories of African American women-led resistance, spirituality and power.

Minniefields recent public works, which include projection mapping and site-specific installation, incite dialogue around race, class and power. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, she incorporates other art forms to virtually bridge the past to the present. Recent projects include the mounting of Remembrance as Resistance: Preserving Black Narratives in Atlantas historic Oakland Cemetery which honored the more than 800 unmarked graves recently discovered within the African American Burial Grounds through the multimedia installation of a praise house. Her Praise House project went on to receive a prestigious Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Minniefields work is featured in a number of public and private collections, and as a muralist, her walls can be seen throughout the city of Atlanta and beyond. She was honored by Mercedes Benz as a part of their Greatness Lives Here campaign. She is featured in the 2020 U.S. census commercial with her recent mural in Brooklyn depicting women who shaped the future. Minniefield recently served as the Rose Library artist-in-residence at Emory through a collaboration with Flux Projects and as the curator of Elevate for the city of Atlanta Mayors Office of Cultural Affairs. She currently splits her time in residence between Atlanta and The Gambia, where she continues to study the origins of her cultural identity and Indigenous traditions by tracing ancestral memories of the Ring Shout.
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Ex-Mayor of town in Russian Republic Adygea gets 2.5-year suspended term for fraud attempt

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

10:54 22/09/2021

MOSCOW, September 22 (RAPSI)  Ex-Mayor of the town of Maikop in Russias Republic of Adygea Andrey Getmanov has received a 2.5-year suspended sentence for deal compulsion, large-scale fraud attempt and illicit ammunition storage, RAPSI has learnt in the Investigative Committees press service.

The court found that In May 2018 the defendant called a businessman engaged in the agricultural produce into his office room and demanded exchange of lands located in the Maikop district. The entrepreneur refused to conclude an unfavorable deal because of the plots inadequate square and cost. Then the accused began threatening him with the use of violence including murder, the statement reads.

Thus, the businessman accepted the former officials conditions and met his requirements.

Moreover, Getmanov frauded his acquaintance and received 3 land plots in the Maikop district, according to the Investigative Committee.




Dalondo Moultrie is the assistant managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can e-mail him at dalondo.moultrie@seguingazette.com .
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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on September 22, 2021

2021/09/22

CCTV: On September 21, President Xi Jinping attended the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and made an important statement, during which he proposed a Global Development Initiative. This is the first time that China put forward the Global Development Initiative. Can you share more information?

Zhao Lijian: Yesterday, President Xi Jinping attended the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and made an important statement via video link. He put forward the Global Development Initiative and called on the international community to speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for global development that is strong, green and sound. This major initiative raised by President Xi draws a blueprint for rising up to the changing international landscape, and charts the course for global common development.

Peace and development is the trend of the times. At present, the North-South gap and development gap keep enlarging. Developing countries have long been lagging in development. Particularly, COVID-19 has removed the outcomes of global poverty alleviation over the past decade. Developing countries are hard hit, and face political, economic, social and livelihood crises, including declined economic growth, prominent food security problems, mounting challenges of climate change and difficulties in the access to vaccines. There are serious challenges to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the realization of sustainable development. At the same time, the burgeoning industrial revolution and the new forms of businesses and models brought by digital and green development as well as COVID-19 have created opportunities for leapfrog development for developing countries.

It is in this context that President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative. He called for commitment to such philosophy as advancing development as a priority and a people-centered approach, and put forward the vision and proposal for cooperation in eight key areas: poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity. Focusing on addressing unbalanced development among and within countries, this initiative sets out the goals, principles and key areas of global development and international development cooperation. It will further pool the consensus of all parties, push for the international community to meet the challenges and jointly seize opportunities. By aiming at speeding up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Global Development Initiative is not only an important public good and cooperation platform provided by China, but also a vivid demonstration of the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind in the development field. The initiative is open to all. We welcome the participation of all countries.

Xinhua News Agency: Italy, the current G20 president, announced that the group's foreign ministers will hold a virtual meeting on Afghanistan on September 22. Will China attend the meeting and what role does it intend to play?

Zhao Lijian: At the invitation of Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio of Italy, the country holding the G20 presidency, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the virtual G20 foreign ministers' meeting on Afghanistan to elaborate on China's position and proposition on issues such as humanitarian assistance for and peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan. China holds that the UN is the main channel when it comes to safeguarding peace and stability in and providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. We hope that the G20, a forum for international economic cooperation, will play a constructive role.

MASTV: France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia after the two countries together with the UK announced their cooperation on nuclear-powered submarine technology. Some commentators are saying that the trilateral AUKUS mechanism shows that the US only works with Europe when it's convenient. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: Cooperation on nuclear-powered submarine technology between the US, the UK and Australia will gravely undermine regional peace and stability, aggravate arms race and impair international nuclear non-proliferation efforts. It runs counter to regional countries' wishes. The three countries should discard the Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical perspective, follow the trend of the times for peace and development, and stop forming exclusive blocs or cliques.

People's Daily: Some US officials lately anonymously let out information to the media, saying that dialogue and communication between the US and China has not been effective for some time. They accuse China of being "tough" without the intention to have serious or substantive meetings. What is China's comment?

Zhao Lijian: Since the beginning of 2021, the presidents of China and the US had two phone calls, and the two sides had a dialogue in Anchorage and a meeting in Tianjin. Director Yang Jiechi and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had multiple phone calls with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Vice Premier Liu He spoke with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Trade Representative Katherine Tai. The US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry visited China twice. In addition, people responsible for various departments and sectors also maintain communication and contact. Both publicly and privately, the US side said such dialogue and communication is candid, beneficial and constructive.

In the talks, China has elaborated on its position. The "two lists" and "three bottom lines", among others, are about the fundamental and substantive issues in China-US relations, which we expect serious treatment and earnest response from the US. However, we have not seen substantive response so far.

China is serious, consistent and clear about dialogue and communication between China and the US. We welcome dialogue and communication, but only with mutual respect. We support coordination and cooperation, but only for mutual benefits.

Let me be clear about what we oppose: First, plotting gimmickry before and after the talks to provoke and smear China, and using megaphone diplomacy and even threat of sanctions in attempt to gain the so-called "position of strength" through extreme pressure. The Chinese people don't buy such condescending and bossy moves. Second, interfering in China's internal affairs and undermining China's interests while expecting China to render help on issues of US' concern. This approach won't work. Instead of reflecting on its own bullying rhetoric and actions, the US turned to accuse China and falsely criticize China's legitimate and justifiable moves to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests as being "tough" and without the intention to have serious or substantive meetings. The US is trying to blame the innocent party for what itself is guilty of. How unreasonable it is when one asks others to swallow all the beat and scold!

The two heads of state reached important and positive consensus on bringing China-US relations back onto the right track of sound and steady development in their two phone calls on the Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve and September 10 respectively. President Biden also reiterated the US side's commitment to the one-China policy. Guided by the spirit of the phone calls, the Chinese side will continue advancing dialogue and communication with the US and strive for the development of bilateral ties. We hope that the US will also match its words with actions, work in the same direction with China, and earnestly implement the spirit of the phone calls and President Biden's commitment to the letter.

China News Service: It is reported that the delivery ceremony for China's donation of 300,000 doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines to UN peacekeepers was held online on September 17. What is China's comment?

Zhao Lijian: China is among the leading countries in the area of safety and security of the "Action for Peacekeeping (A4P)" initiative put forward by UN Secretary-General and attaches great importance to peacekeepers' security. We support vaccination of peacekeepers as soon as possible to guarantee their health. China donated 300,000 inactivated COVID-19 vaccines to UN peacekeepers, with the African mission areas being given priority in vaccination. The vaccines provided by China will help peacekeepers better perform duties by minimizing the impact of COVID-19. As the second largest funding contributor to UN peacekeeping operations and the largest troop contributor among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, China has been actively fulfilling its mission and responsibility as a responsible major country and honoring its commitment to upholding world peace with real actions.

At the First Meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation last month, President Xi Jinping announced in his written remarks that China strive to provide two billion doses to the world in the course of this year and donate US$100 million to COVAX for vaccine distribution to developing countries. At the recent 13th BRICS Summit, President Xi said that China will donate an additional 100 million doses of vaccines to fellow developing countries within this year. This is a major measure taken by China to keep its promise of making vaccines a global public good, and China's contribution to global anti-pandemic cooperation. China is ready to work with the international community to step up cooperation against COVID-19, promote equitable vaccine distribution and jointly contribute to an early victory over the pandemic in the world.

Shenzhen TV: US President Biden signed an Executive Order a few days ago authorizing a new sanctions regime regarding the conflict in Ethiopia. I wonder if China has any comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: China opposes the new US sanctions regime on Ethiopia. China always holds that international law and basic norms governing international relations must be adhered to in state-to-state relations. We oppose the wanton exertion of pressure through sanctions or the threat of imposing sanctions to interfere in other countries' internal affairs. The US should prudently handle relevant issues and play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the country.

Ethiopia is China's important cooperation partner in Africa. We believe that the parties concerned in Ethiopia have the wisdom and capability to properly resolve internal differences. It is our sincere hope that Ethiopia could realize national reconciliation and restore peace and stability at an early date.

AFP: First, US President Biden said at the UN General Assembly that "we're not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs" in what many have interpreted as a reference to China. What's China's response? Second, the debt crisis surrounding Evergrande has greatly affected world market. Will the Chinese government take measures to intervene?

Zhao Lijian: To answer your first question, I have three points to make.

First, peace and development and win-win cooperation is the trend of the times and a common aspiration of all countries. Every member of the international community should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, defend the UN-centered international system and the international order based on international law, and advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are common values of humanity. We should put true multilateralism into practice, uphold the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and reject small cliques and zero-sum games.

Second, to resolve international issues, one should not start from "a position of strength", push for hegemony or bullying, still less undermine international order and create confrontation and division in the name of so-called "rules". Instead, countries should follow the vision of mutually beneficial cooperation, remove barriers that split trade, investment and technology, and foster an inclusive development growth prospect that benefits all.

Third, China is a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order and a provider of public good. As China achieves new development, we will continue to share new opportunities with the world. We hope relevant countries can keep up with the trend of the times, and see China and China's development in an objective and rational manner.

On your second question, I would like to refer you to competent authorities.

China Review News: JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. said some of its solar panels have been stopped at the border by US Customs and Border Protection (CPB) citing concerns that the products may contain material produced by forced labor in China's Xinjiang region. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: The allegation of "forced labor" in Xinjiang is an outright lie. The Chinese side has repeatedly clarified the matter with facts and truth on various occasions. More and more people in the international community have also spoken up for justice on this. Now the US is using this outrageous lie as a pretext to wantonly detain solar products by a Chinese company and the word "may" they used indicates that nothing is beneath them. This once again exposed the sinister intention of the US to undermine Xinjiang's development. It will also disrupt international industrial and supply chains and undercut global efforts to deal with climate change. The Chinese side will take all necessary measures to safeguard its businesses' legitimate rights and interests. The US should immediately correct its mistake and stop the wanton suppression targeting Chinese companies.

Yonhap News Agency: South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday addressed the UN General Assembly and repeated a call for a declaration to formally end the Korean War. What's the foreign ministry's comment?

Zhao Lijian: Ending the war state on the Korean Peninsula and replacing the armistice with a peace regime are an important part of the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and the shared aspiration of the international community. China supports all parties' efforts to this end. As an important party to the Korean Peninsula issue and a signatory to the Korean War Armistice Agreement, China will continue to play its role in this regard.

The Paper: It is reported that the special envoys of China, Russia and Pakistan on the Afghan issue jointly visited Kabul and had engagement with senior officials of the Afghan interim government. Can you confirm and give us more details?

Zhao Lijian: At the invitation of the Afghan Taliban, Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yue Xiaoyong, Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, Pakistani Prime Minister's Special Representative on Afghan Affairs Mohammad Sadiq visited Kabul on September 21 and 22. They met with the acting Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund, acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting Finance Minister Hidayatullah Badri and other senior officials.

They held in-depth and constructive discussions on the recent developments in Afghanistan, especially on inclusiveness, human rights, economic and humanitarian issues, friendly relations between Afghanistan and other countries, especially neighboring countries, and the unity and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. They expressed support for the fight against terrorism and drug-related crimes. The Taliban side stressed that it attaches great importance to Afghanistan's relations with China, Russia and Pakistan, and the three countries are playing a constructive and responsible role in consolidating peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The three countries called on the international community to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stressing that the US and its allies bear the primary responsibility for Afghanistan's economic and social reconstruction and should provide much-needed economic, livelihood and humanitarian assistance. The three countries and the Taliban authorities agreed to maintain constructive engagements to promote peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and regional stability and development. During the visit, the special envoys also met with former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and former Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah to discuss peace and stability in Afghanistan.

During the visit, China said that it follows a policy of non-interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs and has always played a constructive role in the political settlement of the Afghan issue. Afghanistan should reach open and inclusive political arrangements, implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, make a clean break with all kinds of terrorist organizations and live on friendly terms with neighboring countries.

Macau Monthly: It is reported that as the US and the UK offer support for the Royal Australian Navy to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, regional countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand have all expressed their objection. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: As a non-nuclear weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and a party to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone (SPNFZ) Treaty, known as the Treaty of Rarotonga, Australia is now introducing nuclear submarine technology of strategic and military value. The international community, including Australia's neighboring countries, has reason to question Australia's sincerity in honoring its nuclear non-proliferation commitments. Faced with the dual challenge of combating COVID-19 and revitalizing the economy, people in the Asia-Pacific need growth and employment, not submarines and ammunition. Relevant countries should do more to promote regional peace and development.

SCMP: US President Biden is expected to convene a virtual COVID-19 summit on September 22 with world leaders. Will China participate in the event?

Zhao Lijian: I don't have any information to offer at the moment.

Reuters: Reuters spoke to the overseas family members of six people detained in Xinjiang who said they have been unable to learn basic information on their relatives' cases for years. The people say their efforts include requests to Chinese embassies abroad which they say go unanswered. Is there any reason that China would decline to give this information? What does the foreign ministry recommend these people to do?

Zhao Lijian: With regard to the cases you mentioned, I'm not sure who the six people Reuters reported on are. I suggest you send your question to the spokesperson of the government of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where you can get more detailed information.

China's position on issues relating to Xinjiang is consistent and clear. I won't repeat it here. We do hope that news agencies will be objective and impartial in their reporting on Xinjiang-related issues, especially individual cases.

China Daily: On September 15, the US, the UK and Australia announced the establishment of a trilateral security partnership, under which the UK and the US will support Australia to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Many countries in the region have expressed grave concern over this, stressing the importance of Australia honoring its nuclear non-proliferation commitments. They are concerned that this move by Australia will intensify the nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region. What is China's comment on that?

Zhao Lijian: China expresses grave concern over the nuclear submarine cooperation between the US, the UK and Australia, which deliberately escalates regional tension, provokes an arms race, threatens regional peace and stability, and undermines international nuclear non-proliferation efforts. Recently, many countries in the region have expressed concern over the possible negative consequences of the cooperation of the US, the UK and Australia.

It is widely believed by the international community that their cooperation poses a serious risk of nuclear proliferation and violates the spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The US and the UK are likely to export to Australia highly enriched uranium with purity of 90% or more, which is weapon-grade nuclear material. As a non-nuclear-weapon state, Australia's acquisition of highly enriched uranium itself poses severe nuclear proliferation and nuclear security risks. However, the current safeguards mechanism of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cannot verify whether Australia will use the highly enriched uranium in the power reactors of nuclear submarines for nuclear weapons. China believes that these concerns of the international community are completely justified and reasonable.

The nuclear submarine cooperation between the US, the UK and Australia, which poses a serious risk of nuclear proliferation, proves once again that the US and the UK pursue double standards and use nuclear cooperation as a tool of geopolitical game. It also gives the international community every reason to question Australia's sincerity in complying with its nuclear non-proliferation obligations as a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the NPT. China urges the three countries to heed the call of the international community, discard the outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical perspective, revoke the wrong decision, faithfully fulfill international nuclear non-proliferation obligations and do more to contribute to regional peace and stability.

Bloomberg: Could we just go back to what President Xi said at the UN General Assembly. We'd like to ask about what Xi pledged exactly regarding new coal-powered plants. Can you clarify whether China will stop financing new coal-powered plants abroad in addition to stopping building them?

Zhao Lijian: President Xi Jinping announced that "China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad". I would like to refer you to competent authorities for the specific question you asked.
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign watched fragments of two meteors as they ramped up the heat from room temperature to the temperature it reaches as it enters Earth's atmosphere and made a significant discovery.

The vaporized iron sulfide leaves behind voids, making the material more porous. This information will help when predicting the weight of a meteor, its likelihood to break apart, and the subsequent damage assessment if it should land.

"We extracted samples from the interiors that had not already been exposed to the high heat of the entry environment," said Francesco Panerai, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at UIUC. "We wanted to understand how the microstructure of a meteorite changes as it travels through the atmosphere."

Panerai and collaborators at NASA Ames Research Center used an X-ray microtomography technique that allowed them to observe the samples in place as they were heated up to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit and create images in three dimensions. The experiments were performed using the synchrotron Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

"The iron sulfide inside the meteorite vaporized as it heated. Some of the grains actually disappeared leaving large voids in the material," Panerai said. "We were surprised by this observation. The ability to look at the interior of the meteorite in 3D, while being heated, led us to discover a progressive increase of material porosity with heating. After that, we took cross sections of the material and looked at the chemical composition to understand the phase that had been modified by the heating, changing its porosity.

"This discovery provides evidence that meteorite materials become porous and permeable, which we speculate will have an effect on its strength and propensity for fragmentation."

NASA selected Tamdakht as case study, a meteorite that landed in a Moroccan desert a few years ago. But the team of researchers wanted to corroborate what they'd seen so they repeated experiments on Tenham to see if a meteorite with different composition would behave in the same way. Both specimens were from a similar class of meteorite called chondrites, the most common among the meteorite finds that are made up of iron and nickel, which are high-density elements.

"Both became porous, but the porosity that develops depends upon the content of the sulfides," Panerai said. "One of the two had higher iron sulfides, which is what evaporates. We found that the vaporizing of iron sulfides happens at mild entry temperatures. This is something that would happen, not at the external fusion crust of the meteorite where the temperature is a lot higher, but just underneath the surface."

The study was motivated by the potential threat meteorites pose humans--the clearest example being the Chelyabinsk meteor that blasted the Earth's atmosphere over Russia in 2013 and resulted in about 1,500 people being injured from indirect effects such as broken glass from the shock wave. After that incident, NASA created the Asteroid Threat Assessment Program to provide scientific tools that can help decision makers understand potential meteorite threats to the population.

"Most of the cosmic material burns away as it enters. The atmosphere protects us," Panerai said. "But there are significant sized meteorites that can be harmful. For these larger objects that have a non-zero probability of hitting us, we need to have tools to predict what damage they would do if they would hit Earth. Based on these tools, we can predict how it enters the atmosphere, its size, how it behaves as it goes through the atmosphere, etc. so decision makers can take counter measures."

Panerai said the Asteroid Threat Assessment Program is currently developing models to show how meteorites behave and models require a lot of data. "We used machine learning for the data analysis because the amount of data to analyze is huge and we need efficient techniques.

"We are also using tools refined over the years for the design of hypersonic entry vehicle and transferring this knowledge to the study of meteoroids, the only hypersonic systems in nature, which is very exciting. This provides NASA with critical data on the microstructure and morphology of how a common meteorite behaves during heating, so that those features can be integrated in those models."

This work was funded by NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination O?ce.

The study, "Morphological Evolution of Ordinary Chondrite Microstructure During Heating: Implications for Atmospheric Entry," is written by Francesco Panerai and Collin Foster from UIUC; Brody Bessire, Justin Haskins, Eric Stern, and Jay Feldman from the NASA Ames Research Center; and Harold Barnard from Advanced Light Source at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It appears in the Planetary Science Journal. DOI: 10.3847/PSJ/ac1749



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Team CoSTAR, led by NASAs JPL, will use autonomous robots with diverse methods of movement to compete in the complex underground environments of the SubT Challenge Final. One of the robots, NeBula-Spot, walks on four legs to explore hard-to-access locations. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Led by NASA JPL, Team CoSTAR will participate in the SubT final this week to demonstrate multi-robot autonomy in a series of tests in extreme environments.

Eight teams featuring dozens of robots from more than 30 institutions, including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, will converge in a former Kentucky limestone mine from Sept. 21 to 24 to participate in a series of complex underground scenarios. The goal: to demonstrate cutting-edge robotic autonomy capabilities and compete for the chance to win $2 million.

Sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the event marks the final contest in the Subterranean, or SubT, Challenge, which began three years ago, attracting engineers from around the world. The challenge is aimed at developing autonomous robotic solutions for first responders in underground environments where GPS and direct communications are unavailable.

But the technologies developed for the SubT Challenge and extreme-environment exploration on Earth also have direct applications for space exploration. The JPL-led Team CoSTAR (Collaborative SubTerranean Autonomous Robots) will demonstrate their collection of driving, walking, and flying robots that could one day be used to explore extreme terrains on the surface as well as inside the caves and lava tubes on other worlds without human assistance.

The 60-member team includes engineers from Caltech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Sweden's Lulea University of Technology, and several industry partners.

"Our focus in SubT is not the competition. Rather, this is an incredible opportunity to expedite the technology development and develop new autonomy and AI [artificial intelligence] capabilities for NASA and for the good of humanity," said Ali Agha, a JPL roboticist and the principal investigator for Team CoSTAR. "In particular, when it comes to NASA's quest in searching for life beyond Earth, the NeBula autonomy and AI technologies we develop by participating in this competition can be used in the future by robots that may explore extreme and challenging locations on other worlds where signs of extinct and extant life may be found."

Team CoSTAR's Rollocopter uses a quadrotor system to fly or roll along on two passive wheels. When it meets an obstacle while rolling, it can simply fly over it. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Underground Unassisted

The SubT Challenge began in 2018 and consists of two tracks: the Systems track and the Virtual track, both of which are split into three subdomains, or events - the Tunnel, Urban, and Cave Circuits. Whereas the Virtual competition focuses on developing software that can participate in simulation-based events, the Systems competition centers on physical robots that operate in real field environments. That's what Team CoSTAR signed on for: developing AI and autonomy software solutions for physical robots that can navigate challenging and previously unseen environments.

The Tunnel Circuit took place in August 2019 in mining tunnels under Pittsburgh, with Team CoSTAR placing second; they took first in the Urban Circuit, held in February 2020 at an unfinished power plant in Elma, Washington. The Systems Competition Cave Circuit was canceled in the fall of 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions.

This week's final event, held in the 4-million-square-foot (370,000-square-meter) Louisville Mega Cavern, features a combination of all three subdomains that DARPA has designed - from cave systems with irregular passages and large caverns to subsurface structures with complex layouts that reach several stories high.

Team CoSTAR relies on a diverse array of robots to fulfill the mission goals. They first send in robot scouts to explore the environment, then select a subset of robots best able to collectively satisfy the overall mission goals depending on their mode of locomotion.

The SubT Challenge's range of environments require different modes of locomotion and a diverse array of robots to complete complex tasks. Team CoSTAR may use wheeled and tracked robots to cover ground faster when obstacles are few obstacles or terrain is rugged. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

"The final contest will be particularly challenging, since we must use wheeled, legged, and flying robots to access all of the complex spaces that DARPA will build into the competition. I am excited to see how our very diverse robot team will perform," said Joel Burdick, a Caltech professor and JPL research scientist who leads the Caltech campus section of Team CoSTAR.

The robots will also produce a live 3D map as they locate objects that represent a disaster-response and search-and-rescue scenario, such as manikins (to simulate human survivors), cellphones, and backpacks distributed throughout a large environment.

"Our participation in this exciting effort helps further one of the main goals of Caltech's Center for Autonomous Systems & Technologies (CAST): developing robots that can help find and rescue humans in future disasters," said Burdick.

Watch Team CoSTAR and their squad of robots prepare for the February 2020 DARPA Subterranean Challenge Urban Circuit during a practice run at Elma High School in Elma, Washington. The team ultimately placed first. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Also present will be environment-specific artifacts, such as a carbon-dioxide-emitting source that mimics a gas leak in an urban setting, or a helmet in a cave setting that would indicate a nearby human presence. The team of robots must operate autonomously, for the most part, with no or limited radio contact with a single human supervisor, and the mission must be completed in one hour. The more objects they can traverse to, reach, identify, and precisely locate, the more points earned.

"It is a complex challenge for hardware and software design, but also for the diverse team that has persevered through the challenges facing us in the competition and the real world these last three years," said Benjamin Morrell, robotics technologist at JPL and perception lead on Team CoSTAR. "It's amazing to see what the team has produced, and I'm thrilled to see our system be put to the test against some of the best roboticists in the world. I'm also excited to see how SubT will springboard further advances in enhanced autonomous robots."

To watch highlights of both the Systems and Virtual Competition from Sept. 21 to 24, visit: https://www.subtchallenge.com/SubTv.html

For more information about Team CoSTAR, visit: https://costar.jpl.nasa.gov/



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Oman Cement Company (OCC) plans to add a new production line with a capacity of 10,000 tonnes per day (tpd) at a cost of $300 million as part of a brownfield expansion of its complex at Misfah in Muscat Governorate, a report said.



Additionally, OCC will raise the capacity of its third production line from 4,000 tonnes to 5,000 tpd, increasing its total daily capacity to 15,000 tpd, reported Oman Observer.



The new 10,000 tpd production line will be the largest in Oman and will have better cost-effective production for the company to sustain its success and competitiveness in the local and international cement markets in a long run, OCC was quoted as saying in a filing to the Capital Market Authority (CMA).



The company will focus on utilising state-of-the-art production technology resulting in low power consumption, potential for waste heat recovery, higher fuel efficiency, realisable use of alternative fuels, improved productivity and with best environmental standards, it added.



Salem bin Abdullah al Hajri, CEO, said that the new line will help Oman achieve cement self-sufficiency by 2024.



The new line will also enhance local demand for raw materials such as gypsum, iron ore and commodities, thus opening up new opportunities for SMEs.



The high-tech plant will create employment opportunities for well-qualified and trained Omanis, explained Al Hajri, noting that Omanisation currently stands at 75 per cent, which is well above the Labour Ministrys minimum of 40 per cent.



OCC has engaged PEG Resources, Switzerland, to carry out the technical study, tendering and contracting as well as supervision of the project execution, the report said.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has approved the allocation of AED65 billion ($17.7 billion) in funding for an Emirati housing programme in Dubai.

This comes as part of his Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan for sustainable urban development. The budget will be spent over the next two decades to provide quality housing for Emiratis.

He also issued directives to quadruple the number of citizens benefiting from the housing programme effective from next year, and increase the land plots allocated to Emirati housing projects in Dubai to 1.7 billion sq ft, which will meet the demand from citizens over the next 20 years.

Sheikh Mohammed said quality housing is everyones basic right and a top priority for the government.

"We have adopted an integrated housing policy, which I will supervise myself. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, will follow up on its plans."

He pointed out that Dubais vision was to be the worlds best city to live in. Developing housing for citizens is a top priority that forms part of this objective, he added.

Sheikh Hamdan highlighted the importance of streamlining efforts to implement the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan which maps out a comprehensive plan for sustainable urban development in Dubai.

"We are proud of the spirit of teamwork and collaboration with which we serve our citizens. We are committed to provide the highest quality of services to them through public-private partnerships. Working as one team, we continue to work to build a brighter future for our citizens," he remarked.

"The governments strategic plans for the future revolve around enhancing the quality of life our people enjoy.Their security, wellbeing and prosperity remains our highest priority," Sheikh Hamdan said.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, said the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan sets out a comprehensive future map for sustainable urban development in the city.

Aligned with the UAEs vision for the next 50 years, the plan is focused on enhancing peoples happiness and quality of life.

The people-centric plan focuses on reinforcing Dubais competitiveness as a global destination by providing a wide diversity of lifestyle and investment opportunities for citizens, residents and visitors over the next 20 years, he added.
The oil and gas (O&G) industry needs to take ownership of one of its greatest challenges, that is, the transition to net zero emissions, said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman, Dragon Oil.

An active participation and support by all is called for, considering that 80% of worlds energy mix is currently from fossil fuels, said Al Tayer in his keynote speech at the 97th edition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE), which opened in Dubai and virtually, with oil and gas professionals from 80 countries participating in the event.

Another area of challenge is the quick application of new and disruptive technology, both for enhancing efficiency and productivity, and also to comply with stringent environmental regulations and standards. Further, many countries are emphasising the development of local competencies and local content and such public expectations are playing an important role in granting the Licence to Operate for energy companies, he said.

He highlighted the challenges faced by the oil and gas industry, saying: ATCE provides an excellent platform for discussions and exchange of ideas to overcome the several challenges, using the latest technologies and solutions. I encourage you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to network, to discuss and to share your experiences with your peers and colleagues.

Ali Al-Jarwan, CEO, Dragon Oil, said: The theme of this years conference is The New Oil and Gas Journey: Agility, Innovation, and Value Creation, and it will put a strong focus on the Journey of the Future Energy Trends. ATCE, being held in the UAE for the second time, is the upstream industrys premier gathering, bringing together leaders, visionaries and experts from around the world to share and discuss the advancement of technology, best practices, challenges and solutions.

Tom Blasingame, 2021 SPE President, said: Eighteen months of pandemic hasnt stopped the SPE delivering great technical content and networking opportunities in new and innovative ways. Weve done a great job of virtual collaborations and participation. Looking ahead, we must accept that we will continue to be challenged by our world and industry, but it is imperative that we continue to survive, revive, and thrive. And frankly, I believe weve reached the revive and I believe were well on our way to thrive.

CEOs from the worlds leading oil and gas companies came together for a Plenary Session to discuss the conference theme. The session featured Ahmad Al-Muhairbi, Secretary General, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Omar Obaid Al Nasri, CEO, Adnoc Onshore; Arnaud Breuillac, President E&P, TotalEnergies; Olivier Le Peuch, CEO, Schlumberger; and Vadim Yakovlev, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board and Deputy CEO for Upstream, Gazprom Neft PJSC.

The speakers shared their perspectives on the new ethos of agility and adaptability in the industry and the emphasis on HSE standards and practices, as well as production-critical activities.

The first panel session of ATCE 2021 focused on the theme, Transitioning to Net Zero: Governments and Corporations, with panellists Mohammed Al Nakhi, Joint Venture Director, BP; Kamel Ben-Naceur, CEO, Nomadia Energy Consulting; John MacArthur, Group Climate Change Officer, Adnoc; Vakulenko Sergey Vladimirovich, Head of Strategy and Innovations, Gazprom Neft PJSC; and Pascal Siegwart, VP Carbon Markets and Economy, TotalEnergies, discussing the importance of the industry working together to achieve a net zero future and the ways in which corporations could transform their net-zero-associated challenges into opportunities.

The session was moderated by Hisham Zubari, Senior Advisor, National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga), Bahrain.

Regional Special Sessions, Special Sessions, Technical Sessions, and ePoster Sessions gave attendees multiple opportunities to hear from experts on diverse topics like Project, Facility and Construction; Geoscience and Exploration Challenges; Hydraulic Fracturing Design; New Developments in Gas EOR; Diversity and Inclusion; Geothermal; and Production and Facilities, to name a few.

Taking place from September 21 to 23 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, ATCE is held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, with Dragon Oil serving as the Host Organisation.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

Some 70 exhibitors are showcasing a wide range of current and upcoming technologies with demos and interactive displays offering visitors an engaging experience of discovering technologies and networking.-- TradeArabia News Service
Aiming to play a role in Saudi Arabias efforts to prevent the spread of the pandemic, Al Salem Johnson Controls (York)s Research & Development, Product Management and Jeddah Factory, have worked together to develop a new air purifier.

The portable easy-to-use unit is helping various facilities, including schools, improve their IAQ (indoor air quality), thanks to its latest air purification technologies.

This unit comes in different capacities to suit various applications, such as small and large educational institutes, health, commercial and residential facilities, offices hotels, and others.

The York Air Purifier filters the air up to 99.97% though its multistage filtration system. Starting with a pre-filtration by an aluminum filter to remove large particles and moisture.

Secondly it traps gases, such as odours or smoke via filter loaded with activated carbon. In the third stage, a high-quality HEPA filter separates the finer particles that escape from the prefilter.

The air purifier includes an air quality sensor to measure the degree of air purity and then automatically adjust its settings in terms of speed and power to ensure consistent IAQ in a room.

Al Salem Johnson Controls (York) continues to conduct local research, transfer the latest international technologies to the kingdom, and harness its expertise in the field of HVAC, to develop more Saudi-made units in its factory located in King Abdullah Economic City.

The company also has extensive experience in services such as measuring IAQ, balancing air flows and raising the HVAC Systems efficiency. In addition it has the largest specialised maintenance team in the Middle East.-- TradeArabia News Service
A total of 16,000 new companies joined Dubai Chamber in the first eight months of 2021, bringing its total membership to over 275,000, a year-on-year growth of 68.5 percent, said a report.

The value of ATA Carnets, international customs documents that permit temporary import of duty-free and tax-free goods, issued by Dubai Chamber and received by the country, between January and August 2021, reached AED2.2 billion, a growth of 47 percent. This reflects an uptick in activity in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE) industry, said the Wam news agency report.

Meanwhile, the number of ATA Carnets issued by the Chamber and received by the country, increased 5.1 percent over the same period, reaching 2,188 in the first eight months of 2021. The ATA Carnet system is managed by Dubai Chamber in cooperation with Dubai Customs, facilitating the temporary entry of imports to Dubai.

Hamad Buamim, President & CEO of Dubai Chamber, said the latest figures reflect improving business confidence in Dubai, economic competitiveness and the emirates growing appeal among investors and companies from around the world. The membership growth is also a result of the various business-friendly measures and incentives introduced by the government in recent years.

Expo 2020 Dubai and the recently announced Projects of the 50, an initiative that aims to launch a new series of ambitious national strategic projects will further add to Dubais growth momentum. Such projects are expected to drive the next phase of the UAEs economic development.

In addition, Buamim highlighted Dubai Chambers ongoing efforts to attract promising and innovative companies from around the world, facilitate Dubais trade with other markets, meet the changing needs of the business community and implement the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance the competitiveness of the private sector.

The number of electronic transactions processed by the Chamber increased 7 percent to reach 450,000 in the January-August 2021 period, compared to about 419,000 transactions in the same period last year, the report said.
Al Seer Marine, a leading marine company and a subsidiary of International Holding Company (IHC), will be revealing new maritime security technologies at the Monaco Yacht Show 2021 this week.



Al Seer Marines new maritime security technology is expected to attract new global orders at the show, with the global maritime security market valued at $19.87 billion according to Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty.



Guy Neivens, Chief Executive Officer of Al Seer Marine, said: Al Seer Marine has emerged as one of the Middle Easts leading marine companies, and following our listing on the ADX we intend to accelerate regional and international growth even further. At the Monaco Yacht Show, we will have access to a highly relevant network of global industry players, and we look forward to building our book of business on the ground.



The show, held from September 22-25, is set in Monacos iconic Port Hercules and focuses on luxury yachts and marine industries. Al Seer is targeting international business growth through leveraging Monaco Yacht Shows network of industry experts and luxury manufacturers.



We are confident that this years show is going to be a great arena for sourcing future business opportunities and contributing to the conversation around future marine and yachting trends, Neivens added.  TradeArabia News Service
Natural gas is set to play a pivotal role in powering economic growth in the UAE over the next 50 years, according to Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of Adnoc.

Delivering the opening address of Gastech 2021, Dr Al Jaber highlighted the UAE's leadership in natural gas and said "natural gas will support the nations vision for economic growth as set out by the Leadership in the 'Principles of the Fifty'."

"The Principles of the Fifty is a mandate for progress driven by 10 guiding principles aimed at making the UAE the most dynamic economy in the world. Gas will play a pivotal role in this blueprint for growth, as the essential fuel stock for our downstream hub in Ruwais and our industrial joint venture, TAZIZ," Dr Al Jaber said, according to a WAM report.

Speaking virtually, he explained that the UAE is strengthening its position as a regional leader in natural gas and the emerging blue Hydrogen market. He attributed this leadership position to the foresight of the Founding Founder of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who recognised the enormous potential natural gas offered and the need to balance economic growth with environmental protection.

"Our Founding Father Sheikh Zayed's commitment to the environment and truly sustainable development was the key driver. In 1973, at his direction, Adnoc stopped burning the associated gas from all its operations, and instead captured it and shipped it.

"In short," Dr Al Jaber added, "we turned an environmental liability into a commercial opportunity. From that moment, when it came to gas, we never looked back. For almost fifty years the UAE has viewed gas in all its forms as one big opportunity, and we've built our gas business on a number of firsts."

He pointed out that the country was the first in the region to stop flaring and find economic uses for gas, the first to build a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant, the first to produce ultra-sour gas at an industrial scale, and the first to store carbon dioxide and use it in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) to liberate more gas.

The UAE is on track to achieve gas self-sufficiency as Adnoc leverages advanced technologies to expand into unconventional gas, tap into gas caps and unlock new reservoirs, as part of the companys integrated gas strategy launched in 2018.

"At the heart of this goal, is the expansion of our producing assets, like Shah and the development of new ones, like the unique Umm Shaif gas cap and the Hail, Ghasha and Dalma project," Dr Al Jaber stated, as he provided an update on Adnocs progress.

"Construction of artificial islands is underway and we are leveraging our experience in world-class developments to ensure costs are minimised and commercial benefits maximised for all our partners. Together, these projects will deliver over 3 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day, enough to power several million homes."

He went on to share his perspectives on natural gas markets and the role natural gas will play in the energy transition.

"As the world consolidates its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, LNG and broader gas markets globally are tightening, with demand outpacing supply. Longer-term, the outlook is also robust, driven particularly by markets in Asia. Today, gas provides almost one-quarter of the worlds energy supply and will continue to play a critical role in the global energy system. No other fuel source can reliably supply the baseload power to heat and cool homes, drive heavy industry and expand economies, all while keeping emissions at a minimum."

Dr Al Jaber added that as innovations are helping to make gas even cleaner and more sustainable, the UAE is applying technology to create zero-carbon fuels from gas such as Hydrogen. "Already at Adnoc, we produce about 300,000 tonnes of hydrogen a year. By leveraging our existing gas infrastructure and commercial-scale CCUS capabilities, the UAE can and will become a major player in the emerging blue hydrogen market."

Concluding his remarks, Dr Al Jaber extended an open invitation for partnership in the UAEs gas industry, noting that building strong partnerships across the world is one of the key principles for the UAEs economic vision. "This has always been at the center of our approach to growth and it will remain the key to the future."

Gastech is the worlds foremost gas, LNG, hydrogen, and energy event. The 2021 edition is taking place in Dubai from September 21 to 23 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.-- TradeArabia News Service
Dubai's DMCC, the worlds flagship free zone, has recently signed an agreement with the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC),strengthening their existing and long-standing partnership during DMCCs visit to Brazil.



Led by Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, the DMCC delegation engaged with local and central government bodies and the Brazilian business community to explore new bilateral trade opportunities.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) commits both parties to collaboratively support, connect and provide attractive business opportunities for companies looking to set up in Dubai and DMCC.



Ahmed Bin Sulayem signed the agreement on behalf of DMCC, while ABCC was represented by Osmar Chohfi, President, and Tamer Mansour, CEO and General Manager.



Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: Brazil has always been a strong trading partner and today remains the world's largest coffee exporter. Most crucially, DMCCs interest in Brazil is in part thanks to the countrys general direction in terms of quality, sustainability and innovation  great examples being the cultivation system of Cabruca where cacao trees grow in the shade of other trees native to the ecosystem, meaning no deforestation and the cacao innovation centres in Southern Bahia.



Osmar Chohfi added: It is a great satisfaction for the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce to strengthen its cooperation with the DMCC. Brazilian companies will be able to set up branches in the emirate of Dubai to explore existing business opportunities there, as well as the possibilities existing throughout the Arab world. Brazil and the United Arab Emirates have a productive and long-standing partnership in food security, which still has plenty of potential for further sustainable growth.



DMCC also met with several senior government officials across Brazil, including Joao Doria, governor of Sao Paulo province, and Romeu Zema, governor of Minas Gerais.



Underlining its position as a leading business hub and gateway for global trade, DMCC shed light on the ease of doing business in Dubai and within DMCC, and highlighted its commitment to supporting the presence of Brazilian businesses in the Emirate.



Particularly relevant to the Brazilian market, DMCC recently announced plans to launch a state-of-the-art DMCC Cacao Centre in Dubai as part of its long-term growth strategy and vision to continuously widen the range of commodities under its umbrella. In Brazil, DMCC took the opportunity to visit a number of cacao farms and meet with industry professionals and experts in order to better understand the needs of the market and explore how Dubai can play a central role in its sustainable growth.



Brazil is considered a major player in agriculture and many other key commodity markets, from coffee, meat and cacao to gold, metals and precious stones. The UAE serves as the main entry point for Brazil to the GCC and the rest of the region. Over 60 Brazilian companies are already based in the DMCC.  TradeArabia News Service
Schneider Electric, a global leader in digital transformation of energy management, will showcase the best of its innovation from France and around the world at the France Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai through on-site demonstrations.



As part of its partnership with France Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Schneider Electric will highlight building and energy management solutions as part of Frances focus on innovation in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs that relate to affordable and clean energy, industry, innovation, and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities and climate action.



Visitors to the France Pavilion will be able to see and experience how technology can play a vital role in furthering sustainability. Schneider Electrics EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert software and sensor hardware will monitor and analyse the buildings energy usage and carbon emissions, providing insights into the buildings energy and carbon efficiency and the equivalent of trees saved.



Using concepts such as Internet of Things and distributed intelligence, this solution will help the France Pavilion maximize uptime and energy efficiency.



Caspar Herzberg, MEA President, Schneider Electric, said: Expo 2020 Dubais theme is all about creating the future, and we want to show what is possible in the world of tomorrow by showcasing how our work around electricity is transforming lives for the better. Were committed to a world that is more equal, where everyone can benefit from cleaner, greener electricity.



And we believe that technologies such as digitization, artificial intelligence, and big data will help us to improve access to energy around the world. What better place to tell the story, of how a company that was founded in France almost 200 years ago is creating a greener, more prosperous future for everyone, than at the France Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai!



Erik Linquier, Commissioner General for France at Expo 2020 Dubai and Chairman of Cofrex, a publicly-funded SAS (simplified joint-stock) company, added:We are delighted to welcome Schneider Electric as an Excellence sponsor. Its presence as a sponsor fits perfectly with our commitment to raise public awareness on the major causes and challenges of tomorrow and to highlight French innovations and bold companies.  TradeArabia News Service
Fifty-four percent of businesses in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are looking to move to a data-as-a-service model and 55 percent are planning to look deeper into the performance stack to rearchitect how they process and use data, a report said.



Meanwhile, 67 percent intend to deploy machine learning to automate how they detect anomaly data, said Dell Technologies revealing the findings of a globally commissioned study, adding that for most businesses, data has become their most valuable business asset but are overwhelmed with the sheer volume, velocity and variety of data,



Dell Technologies has announced the findings of a globally commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting titled, Unveiling Data Challenges Afflicting Businesses Around The World, building upon the biennial Dell Technologies Digital Transformation Index study, which assesses the digital maturity of businesses around the globe.



The 2020 DT Index revealed that data overload/unable to extract insights from data was the prime barrier to transformation, up from 12th place in 2016.



These findings were revealed at the Dell Technologies Forum Middle East 2021, the companys flagship event that brings together senior decision-makers and industry think tanks to discuss emerging trends, challenges and new growth opportunities in the Middle Easts dynamic technology sector.



The study identifies several data paradoxes affecting businesses today, including:



1. The Perception Paradox



Three-fourth of respondents (75 percent) say their business is data-driven and state data is the lifeblood of their organization. But only 20percent testify to treating data as capital and prioritizing its use across the business.

To provide some clarity, Forrester Consulting created an objective measure of businesses data readiness.



The results show that 86 percent of businesses in UAE and Saudi Arabia are yet to progress either their data technology and processes and/or their data culture and skills. Only 14 percent of businesses are defined as Data Champions: companies that are actively engaged in both areas (technology/process and culture/skills).



2. The Want More Than They Can Handle Paradox



According to the research, 70 percent of the respondents in UAE and Saudi Arabia say they are gathering data faster than they can analyze and use, yet 71 percent say they constantly need more data than their current capabilities provide. This could be because:



 60 percent are guarding a significant amount of their data in data centers they own or manage, despite the known benefits of processing data at the edge  where the data is generated.

 An IT strategy that doesnt scale: 50 percent are bolting on more data silos, rather than consolidating what they have.



Consequentially, the explosion in data it challenging to meet business requirements with64 percent of respondents stating that their teams are already overwhelmed by the data they currently have.



In a digital economy, data is one of the most valuable business assets, yet today, it stands to be a significant barrier to growth. Navigating this modern-day paradox, and turning vast amounts of data into actionable outcomes can seem daunting especially when on a path to digital transformation, said Mohammed Amin, Sr. Vice President - MERAT, Dell Technologies.



At Dell Technologies, we empower regional organizations to tackle these concerns by offering tailored end-to-end infrastructure solutions that not only support a data-driven work culture that is capable of predicting the future but is also equipped to harness data to achieve better business results, faster.



3. The Seeing Without Doing Paradox

While economies have suffered during the pandemic, the on-demand sector has expanded, igniting a new wave of data-first, data-anywhere businesses. However, the number of businesses that have moved the majority of their applications and infrastructure to an as-a-service model is still small (17 percent).The report also cities that on-demand model would help 86 percent of organizations in UAE and KSA that are currently struggling with either or all of the following barriers to better capture, analyze and leverage data.



Hope on the Horizon



Although businesses are struggling to adopt robust data management strategies, many have plans to create a better tomorrow.



Three ways businesses can turn their data burden into a data advantage include:

1. Modernize their IT infrastructure, so it meets data where it lives, at the edge. This incorporates bringing businesses infrastructure and applications closer to where data needs to be captured, analyzed and acted onwhile avoiding data sprawl, by maintaining a consistent multi-cloud operating model

2. Optimize data pipelines, so data can flow freely and securely while being augmented by AI/ML

3. Develop software to deliver the personalized, integrated experiences customers crave.



Data management is central to an organisation and its growth. Therefore, a solution should provide the global scale that businesses need as their application workloads and data volumes exponentially increase in the coming years.  TradeArabia News Service
Bespin Global, a leading cloud consultancy and management company, said that it has been recognized as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Public Sector Authorized Solution Provider in the GCC countries.



This new partner status means that Bespin Global is officially authorized to both sell and manage AWS services to public sector customers as part of its differentiated solutions.



The unique authorization from AWS enables Bespin Global to manage, service, and support a range of growing public sector customers in the GCC from government, education, healthcare to non-profit with their cloud and digital transformation ambitions in line with UAE Vision 2021 and Saudi Vision 2030.



Bespin has reaffirmed its commitment to the Middle East with the establishment of its HQ in Abu Dhabi alongside the deployment of two innovation centres focused on supporting public and private sector enterprises across the GCC with optimal digital transformation solutions comprising of cloud security, big data, blockchain, backup, disaster recovery and machine learning.



Mouteih Chaghlil, CEO of Middle East & Africa - Bespin Global, said: We are pleased to join the AWS Public Sector Solution Provider Program, particularly in the lead up to the launch of the AWS Region in the UAE next year. Joining the program will further cement our capabilities and ensure more success for our customers as we remain committed to helping government entities attain their goals towards establishing a digital economy driven by innovation and technology.



In 2022, a new AWS Middle East region will launch in the UAE, which will consist of three Availability Zones and become AWSs second region in the Middle East. The AWS Middle East region in the UAE builds on cloud adoption in the Middle East by enabling customers to run applications and store data locally.



This will give the private sector in the Middle East access to advanced cloud services and technologies to drive innovation including computing, storage, networking, database, analytics, machine learning, Internet of Things, mobile services, and more all in compliance with local regulations.  TradeArabia News Service
Bently Nevada, a Baker Hughes business, and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), have announced a strategic framework alliance agreement for the supply of asset performance management services.

This five-year alliance includes the delivery of Bently Nevadas plant-wide condition monitoring and machine asset protection services across 1,200+ assets at 16+ Sabic sites in Saudi Arabia.

Bently Nevada provides critical plant-wide asset health monitoring, analytics and data protection for industrial customers worldwide. The alliance with Sabic will deliver localised maintenance, support, and more streamlined, assured access to Bently Nevadas full suite of hardware, software and services, including the System 1 platform. With more than 10,000 installations in over 90 countries, System 1 is a key enabler of digital transformation for industry and delivers operational efficiencies, extends asset lifecycles, and reduces non-productive downtime, said a statement.

This is a great example of the value this strategic collaboration brings for both parties, driving cost optimization and manufacturing excellence, said Abdullah Al Garni, Sabics Vice President, Global Procurement Services. Our affiliates can utilise Bently Nevadas strong track record in the domain of condition monitoring which will help boost Sabics asset management strategy while delivering local support, and knowledge transfer to our staff.

This alliance ensures Sabic will benefit from local in-country support and timely access to critical industrial asset performance management solutions to drive reliable, efficient operations, said Ed J Boufarah, Vice President of Bently Nevada. Baker Hughes continues to invest for growth and we are committed to developing the latest technologies and delivering deep domain expertise that will help SABIC strategically manage its assets.

Work under the alliance will begin in October 2021 and will be implemented by local talent to enrich knowledge and expertise locally, said the statement.  TradeArabia News Service
The Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius continues with its proactive and transparent response to the global Covid crisis, as it prepares to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated visitors, but in a safe and secure manner, on October 1.

The country has one of the highest fully vaccinated rates in Africa, currently standing at over 60 per cent of the overall population (82% of the local adult population), said a statement from Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority.

The vaccination campaign is ongoing, and the rollout will also include those below 18 years from the end of September 2021, it added.

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr K. Jagutpal said: We adopted a health-first approach with strict protocols to protect the population, from the beginning of the pandemic. Our public health services continue to operate to their normal capacity, with protocols being updated when relevant.

We instituted airport screening and the quarantining of travellers since 2020. Our vaccination rollout has been systematic, and we have already exceeded our target of fully vaccinated adults well ahead of the complete reopening of our borders to vaccinated travelers on October 1, he noted.

The nations health service has coped well throughout the pandemic, implementing strong protocols. The countrys vaccination programme and overall health management resulted in very low hospitalisation numbers  an average of just over 3% hospitalised patients over the last 28 days, most of them being in health facilities because of associated comorbidities rather than Covid-19 suggestive symptoms.

The local representative of the World Health Organisation Dr Laurent Musango said: We now have to learn to live with Covid-19. The vaccination rollout in Mauritius was good and the vaccination rate high enough to make it safe to now ask the population to resume their normal lives, while respecting barrier measures.

Of course, in the context of a pandemic, there are always more avenues to be considered to optimise safety, but Mauritius is doing well, he added.

Unvaccinated travellers can travel to Mauritius, subject to a 14 days in-room quarantine in a state designated hotel/facility, stated Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority.

This same protocol for unvaccinated travellers will remain when the country reopens for tourists on October 1, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
The special operations troops fast-rope from a helicopter to penetrate into the area behind the mock enemys lines during the third-time joint training of SCO Peace Mission-2021 anti-terrorism military exercise on September 17, 2021. (Photo by Mei Shixiong)

By Mei Shixiong and Liu Dan

ORENBURG, Russia, Sept. 18 -- Participating troops of the SCO Peace Mission-2021 anti-terrorism military exercise held their third-time joint field training at the Donguz training range in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, on September 17, which was also their live-fire joint training for the second time.

The Chinese ground combat group, consisting of a combined-arms battalion of the army under the PLA Northern Theater Command, coordinated with the multinational forces to launch attacks at the illegal armed forces with the support of aviation, special operation, electronic warfare forces, etc.

The combined-arms battalions strong advantages in lean strength, diversified capabilities, and precise and efficient organization were given full play in the joint training.

 It is the first time the Chinese military has sent a combined-arms battalion to go abroad for a multinational joint exercise. This experience functions as a whole-process and all-elements inspection and evaluation for a combined-arms battalion, on the subjects ranging from long-range force projection as a whole in the preparatory phase to tactical operations in the final joint exercise phase. It will help us identify the breakthrough points to enhance future combat capabilities, said Captain Shi Jingyuan, the commander of the ground assault group of the Chinese participating troops.

After the joint training, the joint campaign headquarters reviewed the problems exposed in the joint training and revised the actual-troop action plan.

According to Han Chengyu, deputy leader of the exercise directing staff of the Chinese side, the joint training held on Friday achieved the expected goals, with smoother cooperation among the participating troops and closer coordination between the land and air forces.
KUNMING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Law-enforcement authorities from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand joined forces Tuesday for the 109th Mekong River joint patrol.

Three Chinese vessels departed Tuesday morning from Guanlei Port in southwest China's Yunnan Province for the four-day patrol, the Yunnan provincial public security bureau said.

During the patrol, the joint law-enforcement team will crack down on cross-border crimes, including illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and criminal activity related to telecommunication and internet in the Mekong River basin, said the bureau.

The Mekong, known as the Lancang in China, is a vital waterway for cross-border shipping.

China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have been carrying out joint patrols in the river since December 2011.
Syriac Catholic Bishops Cite Challenges Christians Face in Middle East

Syriac Catholic bishops from around the world gathered for their synod Sept. 12-19, 2021, with Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan presiding at the patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Deliverance near Harissa, Our Lady of Lebanon near Beirut. It was the first synod since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic. ( Syriac Catholic Patriarchate) Syriac Catholic bishops, meeting in Lebanon for the first time since 2019 because of the pandemic, called on governments in the Middle East to work "to stop wars and renounce the logic of sectarianism and racism."

In a statement at the conclusion of their Sept. 12-19 gathering, with Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan presiding, the bishops reviewed the "serious challenges faced by Christians in the East, especially immigration due to the political, security and economic conditions."

The bishops said they studied dioceses spread in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, the Arabian Gulf, Jerusalem, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey, "and the calamities that befell them as a result of the various wars and conflicts."

They said their hearts "were so moved by the many pastoral, cultural, social and spiritual activities that push the children of the church to joy and hope for the future."

The bishops also thanked the Christian humanitarian charities "that contribute to the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the forces of darkness."

Regarding "the wounded country of Lebanon," the Syriac Catholic bishops said they prayed for the country "and its economic, social, health and educational crises."

Lebanon, which went 13 months without a government, is quickly backsliding into an economic and political crisis labeled by the World Bank as one of the world's worst since the 1850s.

The bishops called on the new Lebanese government, formed Sept. 10, "to work quickly to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people."

The United Nations has determined that 78% of Lebanese now live in poverty, up from less than 30% before 2019.

The bishops also called on Lebanon's government "to work seriously on criminal scrutiny to find out the fate of the Lebanese money and deposits in banks, which were looted."

For two years now, Lebanon's banks have imposed a de facto freeze on accounts, limiting withdrawals and forbidding depositors from transferring their own money abroad. The Lebanese currency has lost more than 90% of its value, causing salaries to dwindle to barely a tenth of their previous value.

Furthermore, the bishops called on the government to "reveal the truth" about the August 2020 Beirut port blast, which killed more than 200 people, injured more than 6,000, left 300,000 people homeless and shattered lives and livelihoods in Beirut and beyond. There has been no report on accountability for the catastrophe.

In their statement, the Syriac Catholic prelates stressed that Lebanon's parliamentary elections must occur as scheduled in May "to form a new political class that will rise in Lebanon from its repression."

The bishops expressed their disappointment that the Syriacs in general and the Syriac Catholic community in particular are not being represented in the newly formed government.

Lebanon's new cabinet consists of 11 Christian ministers, 9 Muslim ministers (five Shiites and four Sunnis) and two Druze ministers. Among the Christian ministers are five Maronite Catholics, two Melkite Catholics, two Greek Orthodox, a Latin-rite Catholic and an Armenian apostolic.

The Syriac Catholic bishops also addressed the situation of churches in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and Venezuela, especially following the rise in the number of forcibly displaced Syriacs from their homelands, particularly Syria and Iraq.

The bishops stressed the importance of accompanying the faithful "in their new countries, and taking care of them by providing priests to serve them and establishing churches and cultural, spiritual and social centers that bring them together."

They called on the faithful who have emigrated "to adhere to their religious, cultural and liturgical roots, and to face the challenge of their assimilation in Western countries."

Coinciding with the synod, which took place at the patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Deliverance near Harissa, Our Lady of Lebanon, north of Beirut, Patriarch Younan celebrated his 50th anniversary as a priest and the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination Sept. 12.
This morning, Francis met Pary Gul, her children, sons-in-law and grandchildren who were airlifted to Italy in August. She told the pontiff about her husband going missing during days of violence. Thanks to the Meet Human Foundation, they are starting a new life in Italy with the pope's ring.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  The Afghan Christian family who managed to escape from Kabul thanks to an appeal via AsiaNews by writer Ali Ehsani met Pope Francis this morning in the Vatican.

Before todays general audience, in a room adjacent to the Paul VI hall, the pontiff received in a moving meeting Pary Gul. Her husband has been missing since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital where he was probably "denounced" by someone as a Christian.

She came with her three daughters and their husbands, her youngest son and grandchildren who were part of a group of 14 people who arrived in Italy in August evacuated with the Italian airlift thanks to the Meet Human Foundation of Bergamo, which was moved to act after reading our article.

For Daniele Nembrini, president of Meet Human, It was a very intense meeting. He and others helping the family now in Italy were present at the event.

Pary Gul arrived at the Vatican with a gift for the pope: a ring she brought with her from Afghanistan. But Francis, who listened with great attention to their story, gave it back.

He told her that this is now 'the pope's ring' but instead of him keeping it, she should have it as a token of friendship and hope for the future, Nembrini said.

The picture of the meeting and the story are front page news in LOsservatore Romano, the newspaper of the Holy See.

The Pope asked about her husband, but unfortunately no news has come from Afghanistan about his fate, which is a source of great concern.

In Italy the group is facing other issues, starting with one-year-old Elivas, the youngest son, who is in poor health after contracting a bad infection. Fortunately, he is doing better.

Now the group is moving to Bergamo (northern Italy) where they will live in a house made available by Meet Human, allowing them to settle in their new country, through school and work.

The foundation has decided to be financially responsible for the family, refusing government support. Their focus will be instead on charity and donations because charity is charity," Nembrini said, building friendships one day at a time.
Scheduled for November, the visit includes stops in Baghdad, Mosul, Erbil and Najaf. A face to face with Ali al-Sistani is under consideration. Iraqs postal service has issued stamps commemorating the Popes visit and his meeting with Grand Ayatollah Sistani in Najaf. For Chaldean Patriarch Sako, the Pope opened Iraqs doors to the world and restored the countrys central role.

Baghdad (AsiaNews)  Like Pope Francis, al-Azhar's Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb plans to make an official visit to Iraq in November. Preparations are now underway and all that is needed is an official announcement.

During the visit, the Sunni leader should meet Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf, but that is not yet confirmed. If it happens, the face-to-face between the leaders of the two main branches of Islam, Sunni and Shia, would be historic.

Early reports suggest that the visit will include the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Mosul, once a stronghold of the Islamic State group, Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Najaf, home to the highest Shia religious leader, a point of reference for millions of Muslims.

Speaking about the visit, al-Tayeb himself defined Iraq "a country dear to my heart" that he wishes to "visit" to meet its honourable people.

Stressing the many points in common between Iraq and Egypt, where the university of al-Azhar is located, he described the two countries as the two most important poles in the Islamic world.

Iraqi ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Nayef al-Dulaimi said preparations for this important visit were underway, and would include an extended schedule with important events.

For the diplomat, leaders at al-Azhar and in Baghdad see the elimination of terrorism at the regional and global levels as an important goal.

For the Iraqi government, the visit would be another "successful" event following the visit by Pope Francis who "restored confidence" to the country, said a source close to the government.

Since the Popes trip, Iraq has hosted two other major events, namely a trilateral summit in the capital with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan and the recent Baghdad conference on cooperation and partnership.

Speaking to AsiaNews, the Chaldean Patriarch, Card Louis Raphael Sako, noted that the imam's trip "is the result of the visit by Pope Francis" who "opened Iraqs doors to the outside world and restored its central place in political and diplomatic circles.

The visit is not fully confirmed but it is now been outlined and only a few points are missing, explained the prelate. This too is an event that helps exchange and dialogue.

It is a path opened by the document on fraternity signed in Abu Dhabi and reiterated by the meeting between the Pope and al-Sistani in Najaf, with the important words spoken by the latter who said: 'You are part of us and we are part of you' .

Such symbolic moments spark changes in daily life, such as the banning of extremisms and ideologies that cancel each other out, Sako noted.

Al- Tayeb is willing to meet al-Sistani and together they will be able to contribute to the fight against extremisms.

These visits like that of the king of Jordan and the Egyptian president are of great support for Iraq and its institutions, helping build a stable state that is capable of playing a positive role in dialogue and in the path of peace, the cardinal said.

A sign of the relevance and importance of the Popes visit last March is the decision by Iraqs postal service to issue commemorative stamps (pictured) dedicated to the event, especially the meeting with al-Sistani and the stop in the historic city of Ur of the Chaldees.

These two events embody the concepts of "coexistence" and "love between religions", the post office explained in a statement.

The stamps will be available in different denominations of 500, 750 and 1,000 dinars for a limited run of 5,000.
Cambodian police and Chinese agents raided a building complex in the capital. The criminal activities involved were not directly linked to the China Project. Most of those arrested and their victims are from the Chinese province of Yunnan.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews)  Cambodian authorities continue to crack down on online criminal activities, which seem to be widespread across the country.

Last weekend, police raided a building complex in the capital and arrested nearly 200 people of different nationalities.

The raid was led by a joint task force of Cambodian police officers and Chinese officials from the Ministry of Public Security.

Law enforcement seized materials associated with Internet gambling and cryptocurrency mining, as well as substantial amounts of money.

According to the authorities, these activities are not linked directly to the China Project in Sihanoukville, where Chinese bosses held prisoner more than 8,000 people forced to commit online fraud.

That discovery last week is "rather a smaller version of what is happening in Phnom Penh, a Cambodian police officer said.

We have been observing the compound for sometimes, and decided to conduct the raid when we received information that there were victims of extortion  both sexual and financial illegally detained inside the compound, officer told the Khmer Times.

In total, more than 40 rooms in three different buildings were used for illegal activities.

The compound had a mini mart and a restaurant inside to cater to the occupants of the building. Another building appears to be under construction and the Cambodian police have done a great job of nabbing all those in the compound. The entire perimeter of the building had a two-metre-high wall and four layers of razor wire on top, said a Chinese officer.

Interrogations are continuing and once completed, we hope the results will be shared with us to enable us to establish several key facts such as are whether they wanted in China for criminal or organised crime activities and if they are members of triads, he added.

Most of those arrested are from China's Yunnan province, as are the victims, including many women, most likely lured through bogus dating sites.

Two days after the raid, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed gambling and online fraud with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong.

According to the Khmer Times, the police is planning further inspections, looking for passports and documents to trace the compounds owner.
China had also sent 13 million vaccines to the military junta. Given the inefficiency of the military, in order to prevent contagions from spreading to Chinese territory, Beijing is directly helping the ethnic armed formations that control the borders.

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) - China is trying to strengthen its influence in Myanmar by sending vaccines to the military junta and anti-coup rebel troops. So far, the military of the Tatmadaw, the Burmese army that in February with a coup d'etat put an end to the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, have received 13 million doses from Beijing.

Seeing that the army is not able to control the spread of infection, China has decided to intervene to prevent new cases from spreading to Chinese territory across the border between the two countries, which runs for about 2,000 km. Beijing has sent thousands of vaccines, healthcare personnel and material to build quarantine centers even for militias fighting the military government.

The Chinese Red Cross "occasionally comes to help us prevent the pandemic from Covid-19," said Colonel Naw Bu, spokesman for the Kachin Independence Army (Kia). "But they didn't stop there," added the colonel, whose group controls the jade-rich hills in the north of the country.

The Kia is one of more than 20 ethnic groups in Myanmar that oppose the junta. Most of them control remote border areas. Since the start of the third wave in July, the Kia have administered about 10,000 doses of Chinese vaccines, Naw Bu explained.

At the same time, in the town of Muse, on the China-Myanmar border, a 1,000-bed quarantine center is being built to house those from Myanmar who want to return to do business with China. The beneficiaries will all be Burmese citizens, but the materials for the construction of the center have been provided by the authorities of China's Yunnan province.

According to analysts, China wants to prevent the Burmese population from pouring into its territory due to the clashes as was the case in 2017. Beijing "needs to create a buffer zone," explained Enze Han, a professor at the University of Hong Kong.

Although China is the military junta's main ally (Beijing has never spoken of a coup referring to the Tatmadaw's action), the population's distrust of wanting to care for itself in the territories controlled by the soldiers has pushed the Dragon to insert itself in the spaces where the Burmese military is not in control. "The military government definitely doesn't like it," Han commented. "But they have no other choice."
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A construction and interior company, Stonecliff is working hard to cement its position in the industry and beyond the borders. Having recently opened a branch in South Africa, the sky seems to be the limit for the youth owned business. Below, Managing Director, MODIRI ZULU

THEBEETSILE talks to KOOBOONYE RAMOKOPELWA, about the early days of the company and what lies ahead.



Botswana Guardian: In a nutshell, how will you describe Stonecliff?



MODIRI ZULU THEBEETSILE: Stonecliff is a construction and interior design business which services both the private and public sector. The company was incorporated in 2017 here in Botswana. Originally, Stonecliff had two shareholders. However, my business partner has since sold his stake to me as he wanted to pursue other business interests. I will forever respect his efforts and bravery because building a construction and interior business is not a bed of roses.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: Who funded the business?

THEBEETSILE: The business was self-financed from our own savings. I must admit that, starting a business needs hard work, courage and determination. The early days of Stonecliff were tough, but through perseverance, we have managed to pull through. I remember vividly that we used my personal car to run around and get things done. We had a dream and there was no way we were going to let it die.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: As a citizen owned and youth run business, what kind of challenges do you encounter as you go about your daily operations?



THEBEETSILE: Like any other business, we experience challenges from time to time. However, it is worthwhile to note that, challenges for businesses will always be there no matter what. The best way is to adapt and continuously work hard to become better companies than we were yesterday. As a youth owned business, we believe values of discipline and hard work have helped us pull through, even during the most difficult of times. At a personal level, I have a strong opinion that as citizen-owned businesses, we need to up our game, especially when it comes to work ethics.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: What competitive edge does Stonecliff has over peers in the industry?

THEBEEITSILE: Our biggest advantage is a very solid group of talented individuals. At Stonecliff, we value our human capital much, and this explains why we put them ahead of profits.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: Tell us more about your recent expansion into South Africa.

THEBEETSILE: We have opened a Stonecliff branch in South Africa and the plan is to expand throughout Southern Africa. We do have clients in South Africa that we were servicing through our Botswana office but as the years went by the number increased and we saw this as an opportunity. The SA office will also allow the business to target new customers and use SA to expand to other countries. The ability to reach a new market can generate revenue and with that we can gain access to other markets in the region. Basically, we are using the country as a spring board into the rest of the region.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: How has Stonecliff been accepted in the country, which is the regions economic power house?

THEBEETSILE: We have been well received by the South African market. What has also helped us a lot is that, over the years, we built a strong SA customer and supplier base.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: How many people are employed by the company?

THEBEETSILE: Stonecliff employs 21 permanent and 5 temporary employees in Botswana. In our first month of operation in South Africa, we have 5 employees.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: What citizen economic empowerment initiatives do you have within the business?

THEBEETSILE: Stonecliff is a strong believer in citizen economic empowerment. Of the total workforce we currently have, I am proud to state that 96 percent are Batswana. In addition, we continue to engage many other citizen owned sub-contractors for all our projects.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: As a business, what kind of corporate social investment initiatives do you have in place for communities you operate in?

THEBEETSILE: We believe the success of our business depends entirely on our clients and the communities that the business operates on. We are working on a structural model which we can use to give back to our communities.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: How has COVID-19 impacted the business in general?

THEBEETSILE: Covid-19 has affected businesses a lot. That willingness to create, spend and travel has really diminished for many people because you need to connect physically with other human beings to get the best out of you - we are social creatures. What has kept us strong during Covid-19 has really been the culture here. Even when we were apart there was always that strong connection and willingness to create the same quality work and that automatically ignited hope for our clients so we never stopped working.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: As a youth business, what is your view on strong corporate governance for sustainability?

THEBEETSILE: I will be honest with you. For startups and family businesses, establishing a professional, independent board and other aspects of corporate governance tend to be far down the priority list. Corporate governance is very key to any businesss growth and sustainability. A lot of businesses have folded, not because of market forces, but lapse in corporate governance. However, there are important legal, ethical, and fiduciary considerations for companies of any size before corporate governance structures could be established. Companies need to first understand why corporate governance is important for business growth and sustainability.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: Where do you see the business in the medium to long term?

THEBEETSILE: We want innovation to be at the core of our service. The condition of production equipment and service quality are key to us, and they will continue to do well into the future. Finally, as alluded earlier, the plan is to build Stonecliff into a Southern African focused entity.
In Buffalo, immigrants and refugees drive population growth, improve quality of life, UB expert says

Social work professor Wooksoo Kim discusses the findings of the 2020 Census, including Buffalos first population gain in 70 years

Buffalo and Western New York will always be competitive in offering affordable housing and a lower cost of living compared to other cities in the U.S. We also have a growing, well-structured support network for immigrants and refugees. 

BUFFALO, N.Y.  The 2020 U.S. census revealed that the City of Buffalo gained population for the first time in 70 years, a trend fueled by an influx of immigrants and refugees.

The positive impact made by these groups, says Wooksoo Kim, PhD, associate professor of social work and director of the Immigrant and Refugee Research Institute at UB, goes against the misaligned and politicized views of the immigrant and refugee communities.

For the last 10 to 15 years, we have witnessed tremendous growth in immigrant and refugee populations in Buffalo, says Kim, whose research aims to improve the lives of immigrant and refugee populations by understanding their needs and designing culturally responsive intervention approaches to address those needs.

We have heard the stories of Bangladeshi immigrants moving into the East Side and refugees from Burma into the Lower West Side, Black Rock, and Waterfront neighborhoods, Kim says. When we walk down Grant Street or Broadway, we see more and more business signs in various languages popping up every year, which suggests a growing demand and interest in serving immigrants and refugees in the area.

Cost of living, support networks spur growth

Kim says she was initially worried that immigrants and refugees would not be accurately counted in the census.

Typically, immigrants and refugees are underrepresented in the census. Adding the pandemic to the mix, I was concerned that the 2020 census would further undercount their numbers. However, I am personally delighted to see the growth reflected in this years census. I believe this is the result of the hard work and dedication of various community organizations to make sure the population was accurately counted, she says.

Affordable cost of living and support networks are expected to fuel Buffalos immigrant and population growth for the next decade, she says.

Historically, affordability and strong support to welcome new Americans have been the major attraction for immigrant and refugee populations to settle in Buffalo, she says. Buffalo and Western New York will always be competitive in offering affordable housing and a lower cost of living compared to other cities in the U.S. We also have a growing, well-structured support network for immigrants and refugees. Thanks to local resettlement agencies and their newcomer support programs, ethnic community organizations and government agencies all work together to make Buffalo and Western New York an ideal place for successful integration.

Immigrants, refugees add cultural diversity

Buffalo immigrant and refugee populations are also making significant contributions to the citys life, culture and economy, Kim says.

Immigrants and refugees have always been main contributors to economic development  they accomplish this by opening up small businesses, buying houses and contributing to the wonderful diversity of the region, she says.

Without setting foot outside of Buffalo, there are so many opportunities to learn and experience the worlds cultures and languages located right here in our backyard. There are many cultural events held year-round. To name a few: The Burmese Water Festival, Karen Wrist-tying Ceremony, Puja for Hinduism, and Eid Mubarak for Muslims. These events and the people who attend them help to bring different cultural and international experiences to Buffalo without the need for travel. I believe they are the ones responsible for bringing in much of the character and livelihood of the region.

Buffalo should continue to invest in support systems

There are plenty of ways the Buffalo community can support immigrants and refugees Kim says.

We must continue to invest in fine-tuning a web of support systems for the newcomers to this region in order to better facilitate successful integration, she says. We also must move away from thinking that we are the givers/donors and they are the receivers/beneficiaries who are dependent upon our generosity. It is important to recognize that Buffalos long-time residents have benefited, and will continue to benefit, from immigrants and refugees. The more we help them, the more we help ourselves.

Unnecessarily politicizing of immigrant and refugee issues in the U.S., she says, would be a large factor in making life better for these populations. The country needs to remember how the nation was built, she says.

I encourage all of us to step back and remind ourselves that this country was built by immigrants and refugees, said Kim. Our ancestors were immigrants and refugees who needed help and support, and they are the ones  along with our indigenous populations  who built and defined this nation. To partially borrow the famous words of Emma Lazarus, by welcoming newcomers, we are honoring and continuing our countrys legacy to help all of the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday slammed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government saying that the ruling party has drowned the country's economy under debts.

He also lashed out at the Imran Khan government over the "unprecedented level" of inflation in the country and added that during its three-year tenure, it did not build a "single penny" project, Express Tribune reported.

"Five million people have been rendered unemployed by the incumbent government, it has become impossible for the poor to afford two square meals a day," Shehbaz Sharif said while addressing a National Assembly session in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Sharif's remarks come at a time when Pakistan's financial debt continues to mount. The country's total debt has gone up to Rs.149 trillion during three years under Imran Khan-led-Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, according to an annual report released by the State Bank of Pakistan, the country's vernacular media reported.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's public debt had increased by over eight per cent in 11 months of the fiscal year ended in June due to increased government borrowing to meet the spending requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, The News International reported citing government data in the month of July.

After three years of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) forming the government in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has failed to achieve what his party had promised to the people in its 2018 manifesto, local media reported.

(ANI)

Also Read: Pak PM Imran Khan says, Failure to form inclusive govt will lead to civil war in Afghanistan
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed that failure to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan may lead to civil war in the country.

He also reiterated the Taliban to form a government that respect human rights, and ensure Afghanistan's soil is not used to house terrorists that could be a threat to Pakistan's security, reported Geo News.

"If they do not include all the factions [in the government] sooner or later they will have a civil war. That would mean an unstable, chaotic, Afghanistan and an ideal place for terrorists. That is a worry," Khan said during an interview with UK media.

PM's remarks came at a time when Pakistan itself is being slammed by the international community for not safeguarding the interest of minorities in the country.

In a recent attack on minorities in Pakistan, a Hindu temple in Bhong town in Rahim Yar Khan was vandalised. The videos of attack and vandalism went viral and were picked up by both local and international media, reported The Nation.

Meanwhile, reports also suggest that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has failed miserably to uphold the security of women in the country.

As per the reporters, nearly 6,754 women were abducted in the country's Punjab province in the first half of 2021. Out of that, 1890 women were raped, 3721 were tortured whereas 752 children were raped.

The Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) has released an investigation report on incidents of violence against women and children in Punjab and Islamabad during the first half of 2021, Dunya News said.

In Islamabad, there were nearly 34 official incidents of rape while 27 incidents were reported in the media. The number of official incidents of violence recorded in Punjab was 3,721, but only 938 cases were reported in the media, Dunya News said.

(ANI)

Also Read: Russian envoy to UN: Lifting sanctions on Taliban not on UN Security Council agenda
Belmonte noted that childrens hospitals often fill up during severe flu seasons, and Advocate Childrens is often filling its inpatient beds now. That can stretch the ER even further, because patients who need hospitalization must sometimes wait in beds in the ER until beds elsewhere in the hospital open. Advocate now sometimes has as many as eight children waiting in the ER for beds elsewhere in the hospital, he said. Advocate has not had to cancel surgeries to deal with the influx.
FILE - In this July 2, 2021 file photo, a United Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International Airport in Denver. The vast majority of United Airlines employees are deciding to get vaccinated against COVID-19 rather than risk losing their job. United said Wednesday, Sept. 22, that more than 97% of its U.S.-based employees are fully vaccinated. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file) (David Zalubowski/AP)
The application period for Evanstons local housing reparations program opened to the public Sept. 21, marking the first expenditures under the citys local reparations fund.
Kurtis Lee

Kurtis Lee is a national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, who frequently reports on the nation's debate over guns, marijuana legalization and how Trump administration policies are affecting states. He's filed reports from the unrest in Ferguson, Mo., chronicled Donald Trump's rise to the presidency and explored issues surrounding voter ID laws. Prior to joining The Times in August 2014, Lee worked at the Denver Post where he covered state and national politics. Hes also reported from the scenes of destructive wildfires and mass shootings and was a member of the Post staff that won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of the Aurora theater shooting. Hes a graduate of Temple University.
Yet he considers the free-for-all nature of the industry just as much of a threat. It is open to pretty much anyone with the desire and access to an old school bus. (Craigslist in Nashville has some listed for as little as $5,800.) There are no safety requirements or insurance mandates specifically related to transportainment, and most of the vehicles are not regulated by the local government, people in the industry and city transportation officials said.
On Monday, former Chicago lawyer Felipe Gomez sued Dr. Alan Braid of Texas, who in a Washington Post column shared that he had violated the states abortion ban, known as S.B. 8. The Texas law that went into effect Sept. 1 states that abortions will be banned at six weeks gestation or when a fetal heartbeat is detected. Any person who suspects that a medical professional has defied this law can sue for up to $10,000.
The vaccine is now more widely available than during the last school year and is required for school personnel statewide. But whats different, Sharkey said, is, the virus is more contagious, weve got more people in the schools, so its worse in terms of exposure, but the testing program actually got scaled down, Sharkey said. Theyve kept the same number of contact tracers, despite the fact that the number of students went up by a factor of six.  Its been a disaster.
I think all of this, for me, makes it just even more unacceptable that the Chicago Police Department has reneged on their commitments that they made in the (intergovernmental agreement) that they signed last year. That the IGA itself that was passed by this board included in writing that allowed for a process to reduce the number of (school resource officers) from two to one to zero, however schools decided, Todd-Breland said at the August board meeting.
Dr. Dipul Patadia, the hospitals chief medical officer, said Pai endured a depressed heart rate again after another dose of the drug, prompting one more norepinephrine treatment. He wrote in his affidavit that there is distress with the treatment team regarding the use of ivermectin by Ms. Pai and the lasting physical consequences that it will have on her.
Campbell was charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a shooting that in July wounded a 43-year-old man in the 6600 block of South Marquette Road in West Woodlawn, according to police.
But thats not how this works, Lopez added. I had already told him that if he had a problem with the bump right outside his garage, we could look for menu money to see if we have the funds to remove it. Unfortunately, by the summer months that money is already spoken for.
Around 6:30 p.m., two boys, ages 14 and 15, were inside a vehicle in the 5200 block of South Lake Park when they were hit by gunfire, according to Chicago police.
In an interview with the Tribune in 2018, Sherwood said Elkins came out of the bar in an absolute rage, breaking past the bouncer trying to contain the crowd at the door. Within seconds, he said, he felt his leg snap and he crumpled to the sidewalk as blows continued to rain down on his head.
Frankowski told FBI agents she drove to the Washington, D.C., area with Wiersma and a third man, according to the complaint. The three of them went to the Save America Rally but when the crowd marched to the Capitol building, the third person in their group stayed behind, according to the complaint.
We take in as many as we can, and we have noticed that every shelter partner that we have is full now. So everyone is basically begging us to come in and take as many dogs and cats and rabbits as we can, said Heather Owen, founder of One Tail at a Time. But at the same time, our adoptions and offers for foster homes have slowed down.
The upcoming town hall meeting with Joliet residents is one of many opportunities for members of the community to ask questions and learn about this investigation and how they can provide input, Raoul said in a news release. He added that public participation will be critical to preserving the independence and integrity of the investigation.
Figgs and Jones are giving Calumet City plenty of negative attention with their feud. The two elected officials would be wise to settle their differences and get on with the business of serving residents and business owners in town.
Since it was a late-start day for the school, with students not scheduled to be in class until 9 a.m., most had not arrived when the first alert about classes being postponed went out about 8:30 a.m. When the decision to shut down the school came an hour and a half later, any student at the school was transported to Naperville Central High School so their parents could pick them up, officials said.
CCTV: On September 21, President Xi Jinping attended the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and made an important statement, during which he proposed a Global Development Initiative. This is the first time that China put forward the Global Development Initiative. Can you share more information?

Zhao Lijian: Yesterday, President Xi Jinping attended the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and made an important statement via video link. He put forward the Global Development Initiative and called on the international community to speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for global development that is strong, green and sound. This major initiative raised by President Xi draws a blueprint for rising up to the changing international landscape, and charts the course for global common development.

Peace and development is the trend of the times. At present, the North-South gap and development gap keep enlarging. Developing countries have long been lagging in development. Particularly, COVID-19 has removed the outcomes of global poverty alleviation over the past decade. Developing countries are hard hit, and face political, economic, social and livelihood crises, including declined economic growth, prominent food security problems, mounting challenges of climate change and difficulties in the access to vaccines. There are serious challenges to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the realization of sustainable development. At the same time, the burgeoning industrial revolution and the new forms of businesses and models brought by digital and green development as well as COVID-19 have created opportunities for leapfrog development for developing countries.

It is in this context that President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative. He called for commitment to such philosophy as advancing development as a priority and a people-centered approach, and put forward the vision and proposal for cooperation in eight key areas: poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity. Focusing on addressing unbalanced development among and within countries, this initiative sets out the goals, principles and key areas of global development and international development cooperation. It will further pool the consensus of all parties, push for the international community to meet the challenges and jointly seize opportunities. By aiming at speeding up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Global Development Initiative is not only an important public good and cooperation platform provided by China, but also a vivid demonstration of the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind in the development field. The initiative is open to all. We welcome the participation of all countries.

Xinhua News Agency: Italy, the current G20 president, announced that the group's foreign ministers will hold a virtual meeting on Afghanistan on September 22. Will China attend the meeting and what role does it intend to play?

Zhao Lijian: At the invitation of Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio of Italy, the country holding the G20 presidency, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the virtual G20 foreign ministers' meeting on Afghanistan to elaborate on China's position and proposition on issues such as humanitarian assistance for and peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan. China holds that the UN is the main channel when it comes to safeguarding peace and stability in and providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. We hope that the G20, a forum for international economic cooperation, will play a constructive role.

MASTV: France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia after the two countries together with the UK announced their cooperation on nuclear-powered submarine technology. Some commentators are saying that the trilateral AUKUS mechanism shows that the US only works with Europe when it's convenient. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: Cooperation on nuclear-powered submarine technology between the US, the UK and Australia will gravely undermine regional peace and stability, aggravate arms race and impair international nuclear non-proliferation efforts. It runs counter to regional countries' wishes. The three countries should discard the Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical perspective, follow the trend of the times for peace and development, and stop forming exclusive blocs or cliques.

People's Daily: Some US officials lately anonymously let out information to the media, saying that dialogue and communication between the US and China has not been effective for some time. They accuse China of being "tough" without the intention to have serious or substantive meetings. What is China's comment?

Zhao Lijian: Since the beginning of 2021, the presidents of China and the US had two phone calls, and the two sides had a dialogue in Anchorage and a meeting in Tianjin. Director Yang Jiechi and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had multiple phone calls with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Vice Premier Liu He spoke with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Trade Representative Katherine Tai. The US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry visited China twice. In addition, people responsible for various departments and sectors also maintain communication and contact. Both publicly and privately, the US side said such dialogue and communication is candid, beneficial and constructive.

In the talks, China has elaborated on its position. The "two lists" and "three bottom lines", among others, are about the fundamental and substantive issues in China-US relations, which we expect serious treatment and earnest response from the US. However, we have not seen substantive response so far.

China is serious, consistent and clear about dialogue and communication between China and the US. We welcome dialogue and communication, but only with mutual respect. We support coordination and cooperation, but only for mutual benefits.

Let me be clear about what we oppose: First, plotting gimmickry before and after the talks to provoke and smear China, and using megaphone diplomacy and even threat of sanctions in attempt to gain the so-called "position of strength" through extreme pressure. The Chinese people don't buy such condescending and bossy moves. Second, interfering in China's internal affairs and undermining China's interests while expecting China to render help on issues of US' concern. This approach won't work. Instead of reflecting on its own bullying rhetoric and actions, the US turned to accuse China and falsely criticize China's legitimate and justifiable moves to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests as being "tough" and without the intention to have serious or substantive meetings. The US is trying to blame the innocent party for what itself is guilty of. How unreasonable it is when one asks others to swallow all the beat and scold!

The two heads of state reached important and positive consensus on bringing China-US relations back onto the right track of sound and steady development in their two phone calls on the Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve and September 10 respectively. President Biden also reiterated the US side's commitment to the one-China policy. Guided by the spirit of the phone calls, the Chinese side will continue advancing dialogue and communication with the US and strive for the development of bilateral ties. We hope that the US will also match its words with actions, work in the same direction with China, and earnestly implement the spirit of the phone calls and President Biden's commitment to the letter.

China News Service: It is reported that the delivery ceremony for China's donation of 300,000 doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines to UN peacekeepers was held online on September 17. What is China's comment?

Zhao Lijian: China is among the leading countries in the area of safety and security of the "Action for Peacekeeping (A4P)" initiative put forward by UN Secretary-General and attaches great importance to peacekeepers' security. We support vaccination of peacekeepers as soon as possible to guarantee their health. China donated 300,000 inactivated COVID-19 vaccines to UN peacekeepers, with the African mission areas being given priority in vaccination. The vaccines provided by China will help peacekeepers better perform duties by minimizing the impact of COVID-19. As the second largest funding contributor to UN peacekeeping operations and the largest troop contributor among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, China has been actively fulfilling its mission and responsibility as a responsible major country and honoring its commitment to upholding world peace with real actions.

At the First Meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation last month, President Xi Jinping announced in his written remarks that China strive to provide two billion doses to the world in the course of this year and donate US$100 million to COVAX for vaccine distribution to developing countries. At the recent 13th BRICS Summit, President Xi said that China will donate an additional 100 million doses of vaccines to fellow developing countries within this year. This is a major measure taken by China to keep its promise of making vaccines a global public good, and China's contribution to global anti-pandemic cooperation. China is ready to work with the international community to step up cooperation against COVID-19, promote equitable vaccine distribution and jointly contribute to an early victory over the pandemic in the world.

Shenzhen TV: US President Biden signed an Executive Order a few days ago authorizing a new sanctions regime regarding the conflict in Ethiopia. I wonder if China has any comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: China opposes the new US sanctions regime on Ethiopia. China always holds that international law and basic norms governing international relations must be adhered to in state-to-state relations. We oppose the wanton exertion of pressure through sanctions or the threat of imposing sanctions to interfere in other countries' internal affairs. The US should prudently handle relevant issues and play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the country.

Ethiopia is China's important cooperation partner in Africa. We believe that the parties concerned in Ethiopia have the wisdom and capability to properly resolve internal differences. It is our sincere hope that Ethiopia could realize national reconciliation and restore peace and stability at an early date.

AFP: First, US President Biden said at the UN General Assembly that "we're not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs" in what many have interpreted as a reference to China. What's China's response? Second, the debt crisis surrounding Evergrande has greatly affected world market. Will the Chinese government take measures to intervene?

Zhao Lijian: To answer your first question, I have three points to make.

First, peace and development and win-win cooperation is the trend of the times and a common aspiration of all countries. Every member of the international community should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, defend the UN-centered international system and the international order based on international law, and advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are common values of humanity. We should put true multilateralism into practice, uphold the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and reject small cliques and zero-sum games.

Second, to resolve international issues, one should not start from "a position of strength", push for hegemony or bullying, still less undermine international order and create confrontation and division in the name of so-called "rules". Instead, countries should follow the vision of mutually beneficial cooperation, remove barriers that split trade, investment and technology, and foster an inclusive development growth prospect that benefits all.

Third, China is a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order and a provider of public good. As China achieves new development, we will continue to share new opportunities with the world. We hope relevant countries can keep up with the trend of the times, and see China and China's development in an objective and rational manner.

On your second question, I would like to refer you to competent authorities.

China Review News: JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. said some of its solar panels have been stopped at the border by US Customs and Border Protection (CPB) citing concerns that the products may contain material produced by forced labor in China's Xinjiang region. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: The allegation of "forced labor" in Xinjiang is an outright lie. The Chinese side has repeatedly clarified the matter with facts and truth on various occasions. More and more people in the international community have also spoken up for justice on this. Now the US is using this outrageous lie as a pretext to wantonly detain solar products by a Chinese company and the word "may" they used indicates that nothing is beneath them. This once again exposed the sinister intention of the US to undermine Xinjiang's development. It will also disrupt international industrial and supply chains and undercut global efforts to deal with climate change. The Chinese side will take all necessary measures to safeguard its businesses' legitimate rights and interests. The US should immediately correct its mistake and stop the wanton suppression targeting Chinese companies.

Yonhap News Agency: South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday addressed the UN General Assembly and repeated a call for a declaration to formally end the Korean War. What's the foreign ministry's comment?

Zhao Lijian: Ending the war state on the Korean Peninsula and replacing the armistice with a peace regime are an important part of the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and the shared aspiration of the international community. China supports all parties' efforts to this end. As an important party to the Korean Peninsula issue and a signatory to the Korean War Armistice Agreement, China will continue to play its role in this regard.

The Paper: It is reported that the special envoys of China, Russia and Pakistan on the Afghan issue jointly visited Kabul and had engagement with senior officials of the Afghan interim government. Can you confirm and give us more details?

Zhao Lijian: At the invitation of the Afghan Taliban, Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yue Xiaoyong, Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, Pakistani Prime Minister's Special Representative on Afghan Affairs Mohammad Sadiq visited Kabul on September 21 and 22. They met with the acting Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund, acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting Finance Minister Hidayatullah Badri and other senior officials.

They held in-depth and constructive discussions on the recent developments in Afghanistan, especially on inclusiveness, human rights, economic and humanitarian issues, friendly relations between Afghanistan and other countries, especially neighboring countries, and the unity and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. They expressed support for the fight against terrorism and drug-related crimes. The Taliban side stressed that it attaches great importance to Afghanistan's relations with China, Russia and Pakistan, and the three countries are playing a constructive and responsible role in consolidating peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The three countries called on the international community to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stressing that the US and its allies bear the primary responsibility for Afghanistan's economic and social reconstruction and should provide much-needed economic, livelihood and humanitarian assistance. The three countries and the Taliban authorities agreed to maintain constructive engagements to promote peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and regional stability and development. During the visit, the special envoys also met with former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and former Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah to discuss peace and stability in Afghanistan.

During the visit, China said that it follows a policy of non-interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs and has always played a constructive role in the political settlement of the Afghan issue. Afghanistan should reach open and inclusive political arrangements, implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, make a clean break with all kinds of terrorist organizations and live on friendly terms with neighboring countries.

Macau Monthly: It is reported that as the US and the UK offer support for the Royal Australian Navy to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, regional countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand have all expressed their objection. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: As a non-nuclear weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and a party to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone (SPNFZ) Treaty, known as the Treaty of Rarotonga, Australia is now introducing nuclear submarine technology of strategic and military value. The international community, including Australia's neighboring countries, has reason to question Australia's sincerity in honoring its nuclear non-proliferation commitments. Faced with the dual challenge of combating COVID-19 and revitalizing the economy, people in the Asia-Pacific need growth and employment, not submarines and ammunition. Relevant countries should do more to promote regional peace and development.

SCMP: US President Biden is expected to convene a virtual COVID-19 summit on September 22 with world leaders. Will China participate in the event?

Zhao Lijian: I don't have any information to offer at the moment.

Reuters: Reuters spoke to the overseas family members of six people detained in Xinjiang who said they have been unable to learn basic information on their relatives' cases for years. The people say their efforts include requests to Chinese embassies abroad which they say go unanswered. Is there any reason that China would decline to give this information? What does the foreign ministry recommend these people to do?

Zhao Lijian: With regard to the cases you mentioned, I'm not sure who the six people Reuters reported on are. I suggest you send your question to the spokesperson of the government of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where you can get more detailed information.

China's position on issues relating to Xinjiang is consistent and clear. I won't repeat it here. We do hope that news agencies will be objective and impartial in their reporting on Xinjiang-related issues, especially individual cases.

China Daily: On September 15, the US, the UK and Australia announced the establishment of a trilateral security partnership, under which the UK and the US will support Australia to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Many countries in the region have expressed grave concern over this, stressing the importance of Australia honoring its nuclear non-proliferation commitments. They are concerned that this move by Australia will intensify the nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region. What is China's comment on that?

Zhao Lijian: China expresses grave concern over the nuclear submarine cooperation between the US, the UK and Australia, which deliberately escalates regional tension, provokes an arms race, threatens regional peace and stability, and undermines international nuclear non-proliferation efforts. Recently, many countries in the region have expressed concern over the possible negative consequences of the cooperation of the US, the UK and Australia.

It is widely believed by the international community that their cooperation poses a serious risk of nuclear proliferation and violates the spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The US and the UK are likely to export to Australia highly enriched uranium with purity of 90% or more, which is weapon-grade nuclear material. As a non-nuclear-weapon state, Australia's acquisition of highly enriched uranium itself poses severe nuclear proliferation and nuclear security risks. However, the current safeguards mechanism of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cannot verify whether Australia will use the highly enriched uranium in the power reactors of nuclear submarines for nuclear weapons. China believes that these concerns of the international community are completely justified and reasonable.

The nuclear submarine cooperation between the US, the UK and Australia, which poses a serious risk of nuclear proliferation, proves once again that the US and the UK pursue double standards and use nuclear cooperation as a tool of geopolitical game. It also gives the international community every reason to question Australia's sincerity in complying with its nuclear non-proliferation obligations as a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the NPT. China urges the three countries to heed the call of the international community, discard the outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical perspective, revoke the wrong decision, faithfully fulfill international nuclear non-proliferation obligations and do more to contribute to regional peace and stability.

Bloomberg: Could we just go back to what President Xi said at the UN General Assembly. We'd like to ask about what Xi pledged exactly regarding new coal-powered plants. Can you clarify whether China will stop financing new coal-powered plants abroad in addition to stopping building them?

Zhao Lijian: President Xi Jinping announced that "China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad". I would like to refer you to competent authorities for the specific question you asked.
Chen Chaoyou, a handicraft artist, makes models in the square in front of Jing'an Park in Shanghai. He is one of the 300-strong licensed buskers in the city. [Photo by Xing Yi/China Daily]

There is no shortage of daily concerts and shows in Shanghai, where hundreds of theaters, music halls, live houses and cultural centers are scattered across, with performances for a wide audience.

Yet for people who don't have time or money for a night in a music hall, buskers provide them with shows-people encounter their favorite songs at street corners amid the hustle and bustle of city life.

Since 2014 Shanghai has embraced busking as part of its urban cultural scene and introduced rules that encouraged such shows while keeping the trade in order.

That year, the Shanghai Performance Trade Association issued the first eight licenses, and the number of licensed buskers has grown since then.

More than 300 people perform at more than a dozen designated places now.

When Fu Zhuo was studying in a high school in Shanghai five years ago, he bumped into a singing guitarist performing on a street, which impressed him and planted the "seed of street performance" in his heart.

"Earlier, I wished I could sing to people on the streets of Shanghai someday," says Fu, who learned to play classical guitar in his childhood.

The realization of his dream took a detour when Fu went to study in Leicester, the United Kingdom, in 2017.

"There is a culture of busking and street art in the UK, which encouraged me to start my journey," he says.

From 2018 to 2020, Fu performed at the city center of Leicester in his spare time every week, and sometimes he went to other cities to perform as well.

He also recorded and uploaded his songs to Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili, where his videos have received nearly 5 million views.

"You will never know what kind of audience you're going to encounter and what kind of chemistry it is going to sparkle. It is an exciting experience," says Fu.

On returning to Shanghai last year, Fu was told he needed to get a license to perform on the street.

Better guaranteed

Fu says he understands the arrangements, because through selecting and granting licenses, both buskers' personal safety and the stability and quality of the performance can be better guaranteed.

"In general, the principles for busking in the UK are not making much noise or blocking public roads or carrying out street trade, but in some places, such as the London metro, licenses are required," he says in one of his videos on Bilibili that explains "busking in Britain".

In May when Fu finally got a license from the Shanghai Performance Trade Association, he proudly put that on his Bilibili profile page.

"It's a big family, and I got to know a lot of new friends who are dedicated to music," Fu says about the association.

"I'm also happy to witness a change in people's mindset that they no longer treat buskers as vagabonds or homeless people."

Besides music performers, there are also street handicraft artists, balloon clowns and magicians who take daily shifts to entertain people with their talent across 16 spots in downtown Shanghai, the most notable one being the square in front of Jing'an Park.

Wei Zhi, chairman of the association, told Chinese news outlet ThePaper.cn that the street artists were the first to resume shows in the city when the COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control in China, and have given more than 10,000 performances since last year.

"They have also performed in the city's major festivals, such as the monthlong Double Five Shopping Festival starting May 5 and the Double Six Nightlife Festival that kicked off on June 6, and have performed outside the observation area of vaccination centers to entertain people waiting in lines and encouraged others to come and get vaccinated," Wei says.

"The street artists not only reflect the city's management level, but they also participate in it, too," she adds.
China's centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) will invest more than 260 billion yuan (about 40 billion U.S. dollars) in the southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region during the 2021-2025 period.

They also plan to provide a combined aid of 2.2 billion yuan to Tibet, according to a conference on central SOEs supporting Tibet's development on Friday, during which many companies unveiled their investment plans in the region.

The State Grid Corporation of China invested 52.6 billion yuan in Tibet between 2016 and 2020, and is planning to invest 46.6 billion yuan from this year to 2025 and introduce new ultra-high-voltage projects into the region, the company said.

From 2016 to 2020, central SOEs stepped up support for Tibet with a total investment of 134.2 billion yuan and 9,900 industrial projects, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.
Chinese public security authorities have ensured safe and smooth trips for travelers during the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday that ended Tuesday.



The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, fell on Tuesday this year. It is usually marked by family reunions, enjoying sights of the full moon, and eating mooncakes.

A sound traffic environment was created for people to go home for family reunions or visit tourist attractions, with no large congestion or major road accidents taking place, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

An average of 155,000 officers were dispatched every day and 54,000 police vehicles mobilized to patrol, maintain traffic order and crack down on serious violations such as overloading and drunk driving, the MPS said.

The holiday saw about 88.16 million domestic trips, which generated a revenue of more than 37 billion yuan (5.7 billion U.S. dollars), according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Social order remained stable during the holiday, said the MPS, adding that more than 3,800 scenic spots rated 4A-level and above across the country received 24.6 million tourists in order.

Confronted with the double pressure from epidemic prevention and ensuring social security during the holiday, Chinese public security authorities ramped up security precautions in key areas and public venues.

A total of 175 large-scale events were held safely, and the reported number of criminal and public security cases declined by nearly 30 percent and 23 percent year on year, respectively, said the MPS.

Immigration watchdogs also tightened epidemic prevention and control efforts at ports and border areas to effectively guard against possible imported COVID-19 cases during the holiday.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is generally regarded as one of the most important traditional festivals in China and falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.
You are here: China

Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, has suspended commercial operations in relatively confined spaces and private clinics after a new local COVID-19 infection was reported.

The new rule would cover cinemas, bars, theaters, indoor playgrounds, gyms, training agencies offering offline courses, and other commercial operations in relatively confined spaces.

Scenic spots in the city have been asked to limit the number of tourists to 50 percent of the capacity and stop performances.

According to local health authorities, a new COVID-19 infection was reported in Harbin on Tuesday.
You are here: China

Law-enforcement authorities from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand joined forces Tuesday for the 109th Mekong River joint patrol.

Three Chinese vessels departed Tuesday morning from Guanlei Port in southwest China's Yunnan Province for the four-day patrol, the Yunnan provincial public security bureau said.

During the patrol, the joint law-enforcement team will crack down on cross-border crimes, including illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and criminal activity related to telecommunication and internet in the Mekong River basin, said the bureau.

The Mekong, known as the Lancang in China, is a vital waterway for cross-border shipping.

China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have been carrying out joint patrols in the river since December 2011.
Planning to pursue a doctoral degree in China

Santan Sharma, a 24-year-old from India's eastern state of Bihar, majored in Chinese language and literature and obtained his master's degree from Central University of Gujarat, after graduating with a bachelor's degree from Sikkim University in India.

"It is quite evident that to master a language and the history of a place, the best choice is to get yourself into the local surroundings with native people," Santan said when talking about his decision to come to China for further study.

"I'm thinking about universities in Beijing and Sichuan province, and plan to major in either Chinese language and literature or Chinese history," Santan added. After studying Chinese history and civilization, he said he is increasingly warming to it too.

Santan had applied for China Scholarship Council (CSC) grants but was unsuccessful in receiving one since a recommendation letter from a Chinese university professor  a necessity for some applications  is hard to get. However, he didn't give up by mailing universities of other provinces to inquire about their admission policies.

Previous visit to China

Santan has been to China before. In July 2019, he came to the country as part of a youth exchange program supported by the Chinese and Indian governments. During the eight-day trip, Santan visited Beijing and the cities of Lanzhou and Dunhuang in northwest China's Gansu province, where he got firsthand experience of various cultural facets of the country. China's high technologies, green development, traditional culture, places of interest such as the Palace Museum and Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, and delectable food like Peking roast duck and Lanzhou beef noodles, all served great treats for Santan.

"The eight-day visit to China was one of the best moments of my life. I was able to appreciate the lovely scenery, explore small shops, taste yummy food, and improve my Chinese proficiency at that time," recalled Santan.

With that being said, what was most unforgettable for Santan were the friendly Chinese people he had met. It was nearly midnight in Beijing when he and his Indian friend, also a member of the program, couldn't find a taxi back to the hotel and the subway was closed after they had visited the Olympic Park. Then, there came a traffic policeman who booked a cab for them. "He also paid for us and said you are guests of China' in Chinese  what a beautiful line!"

In addition to his love for the Chinese language and literature, Santan is learning the language to hopefully aid his career too. "Chinese proficiency can give me an advantage in my future job hunting. Besides, I want to help my father with his business by means of my language skills."

Back at home, Santan's father runs a small firm producing looms, which Santan is considering expanding. "I plan to start in Zhejiang province, where I know some businessmen and have contacted them. I will first import products like furniture from China and sell them in India."
You are here: China

China released a 15-year plan (2021-2035) on the development of intellectual property rights (IPR) Wednesday.

The plan, which demands stricter IPR protection, a high level of public satisfaction, and greater market value of IPR by 2025, was released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council.

By 2035, China's IPR competitiveness will rank among the top in the world, says the guideline.

The guideline maps out a number of key tasks including building an IPR protection system that supports world-class business environment, establishing an IPR market operation mechanism that encourages innovation, building a public IPR service system that is convenient and beneficial to the public and stepping up participation in global IPR governance.
You are here: China

Procuratorates across China handled 506,634 public interest litigation cases from July 1, 2017 to August 2021, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Wednesday.

Statistics by the SPP showed that among these cases, 37,673 were civil lawsuits, and 468,961 administrative cases.

To maximize public interests, procuratorates made 408,997 suggestions to government departments to push them to fulfil duties before filing a public interest lawsuit against them, and 98.53 percent of these suggestions were responded to and followed, said the SPP.

China began to institute public interest litigation on July 1, 2017 after the country's top legislature incorporated the practice into the law by passing amendments to the civil and administrative procedure laws in June that year.
The decision of the United States, Britain and Australia to enhance defense cooperation by signing the AUKUS pact reflects current American thinking about China, and is another example of its attempts to further project power in the Indo-Pacific region.



Apart from equipping Australia with nuclear submarines, concrete details about AUKUS are not publicly known. It is therefore premature to predict future developments  especially with regard to the international order. A cautious, or step by step approach seems wiser.

To start, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that it would engage with the three countries on the matter. As its official announcement reads, the agency will do so in line with its statutory mandate and in accordance with the respective safeguard agreements of the U.S., Britain and Australia. China has already expressed concerns about nuclear proliferation, whereas Russia has demanded transparency.

However, the AUKUS pact not only received criticism from China or Russia, traditional U.S. allies also expressed frustration. France continues to seriously complain about the cancellation of a previous submarine deal with Australia that is to be replaced by the AUKUS procurement arrangements. While Washington aims to rally its partners against China, it risks disenchanting some of them. The French ire led President Emmanuel Macron to recall his countrys ambassador to the U.S. Although French-American relations will probably return to political normalcy soon, trust between the two countries has been seriously damaged.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell publicly confirmed that the European Union was not informed about the tripartite defense agreement. The announcement of AUKUS adds to the European frustration caused by the decision of the U.S. to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan under tight and risky timelines during the summer. President of the European Council Charles Michel has now called for a common EU approach in the Indo-Pacific. The concept of EU strategic autonomy will subsequently gain ground.

Another question is how other countries in the Indo-Pacific will react in the medium and long-term. Quad members, India and Japan, will have to clarify their stance, whereas some states already appear skeptical. New Zealand is not prepared to welcome Australian nuclear submarines in its waters. Indonesia and Malaysia, for their part, foresee a dangerous arms race.

Stability remains the desideratum in the Indo-Pacific region, but there are plenty of challenges. The fear of a military accident is increasing in spite of nuclear deterrence. The more tensions grow, the more likely it becomes for a hot war to erupt. The fear of such a dramatic scenario should unite world countries to act together and prevent it, rather than creating divisive policies and participating in lose-lose situations.

George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
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U.S. President Joe Biden said in a speech at the United Nations on Tuesday that the United States is opening a new chapter of diplomacy after ending the two-decade Afghan war.



"We've ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan, and as we close this era of relentless war, we're opening a new era of relentless diplomacy," Biden said in his first address to the UN General Assembly.

The U.S. military completed its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in late August under Biden's order, ending the longest war in American history.

The president pointed out the U.S. military power "must be our tool of last resort, not our first," and should not be used as an answer for every global problem.

"Many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed through the force of arms. Bombs and bullets cannot defend against COVID-19 or its future variants," he added. "To fight this pandemic, we need a collective act of science and political will."

Biden said the United States will "compete vigorously" with other major powers while emphasizing it is not "seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs."

"The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges, even if we have intense disagreements in other areas," he continued. "Because we'll all suffer the consequences of our failure if we do not come together to address the urgent threats like COVID-19 and climate change or enduring threats like nuclear proliferation."

Biden said that Washington will remain to engage with Tehran diplomatically and seek a mutual return to the Iran nuclear deal. The United States seeks "serious and sustained diplomacy" to pursue the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

He also reaffirmed both U.S. security commitment to Israel and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Biden's debut at the UN General Assembly came after controversial foreign policy decisions without sufficient consultations with allies, including the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and a diplomatic rift with France over a submarine deal with Australia.

Under a new security partnership unveiled last Wednesday between Australia, Britain and the United States, known as AUKUS, Australia will build nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. and British technology. Australia then announced it would scrap the deal with France signed in 2016 to purchase 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines.

Outraged by the abrupt move without notice, France recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultations on Friday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday in New York that the trilateral move between the United States, Britain and Australia represents a "crisis of trust" between allies that requires explanations.
 Flash

Greece's national postal services provider Hellenic Post (ELTA in Greek) has started using a Chinese-made robotic system for sorting mail items, aiming to accelerate the process and improve service for customers.

The fully digitalized automated system is developed by China's Zhejiang LiBiao Robot Co., Ltd.

Errikos Tzavaras, Chief Executive Officer at ELTA Courier SA, a member company of ELTA Group, told Xinhua in a recent interview here that the installation is "the first in Europe."

"It is in operation in China, at China Post, in Japan in various companies and also Walmart in the U.S.," Tzavaras added.

Since mid-August, a fleet of 55 tiny yellow robots has joined employees at the Group's facilities in Kryoneri, a northern suburb of Athens. They are starring in a process which until a few weeks ago was mainly manual and semi-mechanized, helping dramatically increase efficiency and speed in sorting and consequently in deliveries.

The robots receive parcels at eight infeed stations, identify their destination through a code-scan, and distribute them at 144 sorting destinations, handling currently nearly 76 percent of total deliveries at the sorting center.

By adding the robots to the sorting process, Tzavaras explained: "We are better utilizing our human resources. We avoid human errors and we are making the work easier for employees. Moreover, we have increased the speed of the sorting process by 250 percent."

The deployment of the robots has also helped create a COVID-free environment at the center, he added, noting that the new system is a significant step in ELTA's strategy for the future.

"This investment was part of our digital transformation and the pandemic showed the need to accelerate the process," Tzavaras said.
You are here: World

 Flash

Russia registered 19,179 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 7,313,851, the official monitoring and response center said Tuesday.

The nationwide death toll grew by 812 to 199,808 while the number of recoveries increased by 15,437 to 6,526,111.

Meanwhile, Moscow, Russia's worst-hit region, reported 1,926 new cases, taking its total caseload to 1,606,175.

More than 41 million Russians reportedly have been fully vaccinated so far.
 Flash

The Sudanese government has confirmed control over the security situation in the capital Khartoum after foiling a coup plot, according to an official statement on Tuesday.

"On Tuesday morning, a failed coup attempt, carried out by a group of armed forces' officers from the remnants of the former regime, was brought under control," Hamza Baloul Al-Amir, Sudan's information minister and government spokesman, said in the statement.

"We, in the transitional government and the regular bodies, reaffirm that we are working in complete coordination, and we reassure the Sudanese people that the situation is under complete control," he noted.

The Sudanese minister, meanwhile, announced the arrest of the leaders of the coup attempt, saying that they are currently being investigated after the last pocket of the coup was liquidated at the camp of the armored corps at Al-Shajara area.

He further said that the concerned authorities are now pursuing the remnants of the "defunct regime" involved in the coup attempt.

"The civilian government institutions reaffirm that they will not neglect the gains of the people and their revolution and they will be on the first line of defence to protect the transition from the dark forces lurking around the revolution," the minister said.

He urged all the forces, including the resistance committees, political and civil forces, peace parties, professional and unionist bodies and all sectors of the Sudanese people, to be vigilant and pay attention to the repeated attempts that seek to jeopardize the current situation.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Press Adviser to the General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces Al-Tahir Abu-Haga announced that the army has aborted a failed military coup attempt.

"The attempted coup has been aborted and the situations are under control," Abu-Haga was quoted by official Sudan TV as saying.

In the meantime, according to unofficial sources, around 40 officers, most of whom belong to the armored corps of the Sudanese army, were involved in the attempted coup.
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U.S. sanctions against Venezuela are hampering its technical cooperation program with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Venezuelan government said on Tuesday.

Tania Masea, deputy minister of New Sources and Rational Use of Electric Energy, voiced the complaint at the 65th IAEA General Conference via teleconference.

"Illegal" U.S. sanctions imposed on the South American country, she said, have placed "limitations on the acquisition, installation and maintenance of equipment or supplies within the technical cooperation program" with the international organization.

IAEA technical assistance "is essential to contributing to development and prosperity," she added, and should not be subject to "restrictions" of any kind.

"No country should interfere in the normal functioning of any other countries' technical cooperation program," Masea said.

Venezuela has registered complaints with different international bodies about "the imposition of the illegal, illegitimate and immoral unilateral coercive measures by a country that takes advantage of its economic power to impose measures on other countries that violate the United Nations Charter," said Masea.

In doing so, Venezuela is defending the "inalienable right of developing countries to strengthen their technological knowledge and platform to be able to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," she said.
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The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday traveled to Del Rio, a city in the U.S. state of Texas that borders Mexico, warning migrants that have amassed there against illegal border crossing.

"If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned. Your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's lives. This administration is committed to developing safe, orderly and humane pathways for migration. This is not the way to do it," Mayorkas said in remarks to thousands of migrants, most of them Haitians, who have camped for days underneath the Del Rio International Bridge in the border city, waiting to be allowed into the United States.

About 3,500 migrants from the camp have already been relocated, and 3,000 more were expected to be relocated to another processing facility on Monday, the secretary said, adding that an additional 600 Homeland Security personnel have been deployed to the city to cope with the situation.

More than 14,500 migrants are currently in the camp under the Del Rio International Bridge, facing high temperatures and harsh conditions, USA Today cited Del Rio officials as saying.

At least three deportation flights with 145 passengers each arrived Sunday in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, U.S. media reported, citing Haitian authorities as saying six flights were expected Tuesday.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who declared the existence of a disaster in the state in May and who last week closed six points of entry along the border with Mexico to stop the migrant influx, sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday, requesting a federal "Emergency Disaster Declaration" for the state "to lessen the threat of disaster, save lives, and protect property, public health and safety."

Meanwhile, a video showing U.S. border patrol agents chasing Haitian migrants on horseback triggered outrage, forcing White House press secretary Jen Psaki to acknowledge Monday that what was shown in the "horrific" footage was neither acceptable nor appropriate.

Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in a tweet called the border patrol agents' actions "human rights abuses, plain and simple."

"No matter how challenging the situation in Del Rio is right now, nothing justifies violence against migrants attempting to seek asylum in our country," Representative Veronica Escobar, Democrat of Texas, tweeted.

The DHS in a statement promised to investigate the matter.

The sudden increase of migrants from Haiti, considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and most recently ravaged by a devastating earthquake and the assassination of its president, prompted the Biden administration to initiate a mass deportation process.

The repatriation of Haitians trying to flee their home country has put the Haitian migration system on the edge, as The New York Times quoted Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, the head of Haiti's national migration office, as saying his country "is not really able to receive these deportees," whom he said " are very agitated" and "don't accept the forced return."

The amassing of illegal migrants along the U.S. southern border has been a constant headache for the Biden administration. DHS data showed there were 208,887 migrant encounters in August alone, slightly down from over 212,000 encounters in July, but up 317 percent from August 2020.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described as "unacceptable" the way France was treated by Australia, Britain and the United States in their newly established security partnership AUKUS.



The European Commission chief expressed her dismay during an interview with CNN, in which she demanded explanations from U.S. President Joe Biden.

"There are a lot of open questions that have to be answered," von der Leyen said. "One of our member states has been treated in a way that is not acceptable, so we want to know what happened and why. And therefore you first clarify that before you keep going with business as usual."

The deal was signed recently by the United States and Britain which will share nuclear submarine technology with Australia.

European Council President Charles Michel also expressed concerns about the AUKUS agreement, demanding an explanation from Biden on why he misled France and other European partners in forging the new strategic agreement in the Indo-Pacific.

He took to social media to say: "The AUKUS security partnership further demonstrates the need for a common EU approach in a region of strategic interest. A strong EU Indo-Pacific strategy is needed more than ever."

He then told reporters at the UN General Assembly: "With the new Joe Biden administration, America is back." This was interpreted as questioning whether the U.S. had returned to the international table.

"What does it mean America is back? Is America back in America or elsewhere? We do not know," he added.

Michel told journalists at the UN on Monday that the U.S. had demonstrated "lack of loyalty" after Australia cancelled the multi-billion-dollar deal with France on nuclear-powered submarines which it will now obtain from the U.S. and Britain.

"The elementary principles for allies are transparency and trust, and it goes together. And what do we observe? We are observing a clear lack of transparency and loyalty," Michel told reporters.

He added that the Europeans need clarifications on this deal and would step up efforts to build their own defensive capabilities.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in New York on Monday that all EU countries should be worried about the contempt the United States has shown to its allies.

"Europeans must not be the rejections of the strategy chosen by the United States," said Le Drian. "We are in this new state of mind, which means that the Europeans must identify their own strategic issues and discuss with the United States on this subject."

Even EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell weighed in on the alliance during a press conference in New York following an informal EU Foreign Ministers' meeting when they considered it "very disappointing." He said the ministers expressed clear solidarity with France.

Borrell said he also met with his Australian counterpart Marise Payne in a planned meeting during which he inquired about the reasons behind the lack of prior consultation on AUKUS.
Report Description

A recent market intelligence report that is published by Data Insights Partner on the global Electric Rice Cooker Market makes an offering of in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the regional and international Electric Rice Cooker Market. The research also emphasizes on the impact of restraints, drivers, and macro indicators on the regional and global Electric Rice Cooker Market over the short as well as long period of time. A detailed presentation of forecast, trends, and dollar values of global Electric Rice Cooker Market is offered. In accordance with the report, the global Electric Rice Cooker Market is projected to expand by healthy CAGR over the period of forecast.

Market Insight, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunity & Trends of the Market:

Definition

Electric rice cooker is an electronic kitchen appliance that is used for automating the process of cooking rice. Thermostats are used for controlling electric rice cookers that keeps track and controls the temperature and heat of the cooking vessels. Almost all sorts of grains, varieties of rice, polenta, oatmeal stews, soups and vegetables can be cooked with the help of advanced electric rice cookers. In the market, rice cookers are available in both automatic and non-automatic types.

Market Drivers

The primary factor fueling the rising demand for rice cookers are the hectic lifestyle of the todays population. The upsurge in the number of working professionals is lowering the time available to them to spend in household kitchens which is pushing them to avail devices that prepares food in minimum time. The spurring nucleated families and soaring female participation in the working force is driving the electric rice cooker market.

Request for Report Sample: https://datainsightspartner.com/request-for-sample?ref=952

Environmental concerns are bolstering the electric rice cooker market to some extent. With the depletion of non-renewable natural resources and the consequent rise in fuel prices, consumers are increasingly inclining towards the adoption of more energy-efficient solutions. Electric rice cookers are energy-efficient and helps to do away with the problem of skyrocketing gas prices.

The convenience associated with the use of rice cookers in cooking rice is propelling the growth of this market significantly. Electric rice cookers enable uniform cooking that does not led to overcooking or undercooking of the food. Moreover, these appliances work on itself. The user need not supervise from time to time as in the case of traditional cooking methods. Further, they are non-sticky which is empowering the growth of the electric rice cooker market.

The rising infrastructural development and technological advancement that has led to the development of smart city, smart home and smart systems project complementary to the development of interior decor are indirectly e=augmenting the growth of the electric rice cooker market.

Market Restraints

The maintenance of electric rice cookers is not an easy task. Cleaning the product involves cleaning the bowl, inner lid and steaming vent that is very problematic. This factor is swaying away consumers and disrupting the growth of this market.

The performance of rice cookers varies with the ingredient like the types of rice and pulses and even sometimes with the model. Not all models are capable of cooking brown rice. The lower layer of the ingredient, rice sometimes remains fluffy, sometimes sticky and sometimes form a crust. These factors are impeding the consumers attainment of satisfaction.

Further, electric rice cookers are off immoderate price thereby hindering the growth of the electric rice cooker market.

Opportunities

Rapid technological advancement and its implementation on the electronic industry has led to development of advanced products and diversified product portfolio. The incorporation of AI, sensors, and Internet of Things in electric rice cookers are expected to open up new avenues for this market.

Further, the increasingly tight schedule of the working population, dipping down of leisure time of the consumers, growth of middle-class population and environmental concerns are likely to help the electric rice cooker market to thrive.

Get Request for Table of Contents: https://datainsightspartner.com/report/electric-rice-cooker-market/952#tableOfContent

Trends

The Asia Pacific region dominates the market for electric rice cooker and is expected to continue its domination in the forecast period for a variety of reason. The nations like India, China, Japan and Indonesia consumes rice as a staple food which is basically driving the demand for rice cookers. Economic development of this regions and the increasing participation of the population in the working class of the region are some major factors determining the demand for electric rice cookers in this region. The Europe region is estimated to showcase significant growth in this market owing to the presence of some of the leading players of this market in the region and increasing knowledge among the consumers with regard to the benefits of utilizing such advanced cooking appliances. Globally, this market is projected to register a CAGR of 6.8% in the forecast period.

Segment Covered:

This market intelligence report on the global Electric Rice Cooker Market encompasses market segments based on product, application, distributional channel and country.

By Product the global Electric Rice Cooker Market has been divided into:

q Induction

q Multi-Functional

q Standard

q Others

By Application the global Electric Rice Cooker Market has been divided into:

q Commercial

q Households

By Distributional Channel the global Electric Rice Cooker Market has been divided into:

q Online

q Offline

By country/region, the global Electric Rice Cooker Market has been divided into:

q North America (the U.S., Canada),

q Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries),

q Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Russia, and other countries),

q Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand and other countries),

q Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, Israel and Other countries).

Profiling of Market Players:

This business intelligence report offers profiling of reputed companies that are operating in the market. Companies such as:

q AB Electrolux

q Panasonic Corporation

q Xiaomi

q Toshiba Corporation

q Conair Corporation

q TTK Prestige Ltd

q Sunbeam Products Inc

q Bajaj Electricals Ltd

q Ali Group Srl

q Newell Brands

others have been profiled into detail so as to offer a glimpse of the market leaders. Moreover, parameters such as Electric Rice Cooker Market related investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked in this global report.

Report Highlights:

In-depth analysis of the micro and macro indicators, market trends, and forecasts of demand is offered by this business intelligence report. Furthermore, the report offers a vivid picture of the factors that are steering and restraining the growth of this market across all geographical segments. In addition to that, IGR-Growth Matrix analysis is also provided in the report so as to share insight of the investment areas that new or existing market players can take into consideration. Various analytical tools such as DRO analysis, Porter's five forces analysis has been used in this report to present a clear picture of the market. The study focuses on the present market trends and provides market forecast from the year 2020-2028. Emerging trends that would shape the market demand in the years to come have been highlighted in this report. A competitive analysis in each of the geographical segments gives an insight into market share of the global players.

Few Recent Developments

AB Electrolux

In February 2017, an announcement was made by AB Electrolux with regard to the acquisition of Anova, the provider of Anova Precision Cooker.

Panasonic Corporation

In September 2018, Panasonic Corporation celebrated the 30th anniversary of rice cooker business in the Indian market.

Xiaomi

In April 2019, the launch of Mijia Smart Rice Cooker in India was announced by Xiaomi. Apart from regular rice, this rice cooker was capable of cooking biryani, pastas, burgers and pizzas.

Salient Features:

 This study offers comprehensive yet detailed analysis of the Electric Rice Cooker Market, size of the market (US$ Mn), and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR (%)) for the period of forecast: 2020-2028, taking into account 2019 as the base year

 It explains upcoming revenue opportunities across various market segments and attractive matrix of investment proposition for the said market

 This market intelligence report also offers pivotal insights about various market opportunities, restraints, drivers, competitive market strategies of leading market players, emerging market trends, and regional outlook

 Profiling of key market players in the world Electric Rice Cooker Market is done by taking into account various parameters such as company strategies, distribution strategies, product portfolio, financial performance, key developments, geographical presence, and company overview

 The data of this report would allow management authorities and marketers of companies alike to take informed decision when it comes to launch of Type of models, government initiatives, marketing tactics and expansion, and technical up gradation

 The world market for Electric Rice Cooker caters to the needs of various stakeholders pertaining to this industry, namely suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors for Electric Rice Cooker Market. The research also caters to the rising needs of consulting and research firms, financial analysts, and new market entrants

 Research methodologies that have been adopted for the purpose of this study have been clearly elaborated so as to facilitate better understanding of the reports

 Reports have been made based on the guidelines as mandated by General Data Protection Regulation

 Ample number of examples and case studies have been taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion

Reasons to buy:

v Identify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the Electric Rice Cooker Market

v Identification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the Electric Rice Cooker Market

v Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data

v Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential

v Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events

v Identify key partners and business development avenues

v Respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects

v Identify key strengths and weaknesses of important market participants

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Report Description

A recent market intelligence report that is published by Data Insights Partner on the global Tea Tree Oil Market makes an offering of in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the regional and international Tea Tree Oil Market. The research also emphasizes on the impact of restraints, drivers, and macro indicators on the regional and global Tea Tree Oil Market over the short as well as long period of time. A detailed presentation of forecast, trends, and dollar values of global Tea Tree Oil Market is offered. In accordance with the report, the global Tea Tree Oil Market is projected to expand by healthy CAGR over the period of forecast.

Market Insight, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunity & Trends of the Market:

Definition

Tea Tree Oil is derived from the leaves of the tea tree plant. The biological name of the tea tree plant is melaleuca alternifolia. The tea tree plant is basically found in South Wales and Queensland in Australia. This plant has a paper-like whitish bark and a bushy crown. The leaves of this plant are arranged alternatively and is scattered. During packaging especially for commercial purpose, tea tree oil is not diluted. However, according to the end users preference, these products are available in diluted form for the personal care and cosmetics industry, pharmaceutical industry and FMCG industries.

Market Drivers

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Tea tree oil is primarily demanded in the pharmaceutical industry owing to the composition of a variety of health medicating properties in these products. The deployment of these medicinal oil aids in the treatment of skin cancer, prevents the development of AIDs and cancerous tumors. This oil has the capability of killing certain strains of viruses, bacteria and fungi. The medical and healthcare industry is fueling the demand for tea tree oils owing to its antifungal, antibacterial and antiseptic properties.

The upsurge in personal care and cosmetics plays a pivotal role in bolstering the growth of the tea tree oil market. Tea tree oil is highly demanded in this personal care sector owing to its employment in hair care range, skin care range, soaps, perfumes and many more. Its antiseptic properties are primarily utilized in the personal care and cosmetics industry. Now-a-days consumers are increasingly preferring the use of organic and natural-based ingredients in their personal care regimen. This in turn is propelling the growth of the tea tree oil market.

Market Restraints

The use of tea tree oil can lead to several health concerns especially in case of pets (being fatal for them). This medicinal oil can be absorbed by the skin and transmitted to liver. Lack of coordination, tremors, weaknesses and vomiting are some of the potential symptoms of the adverse influence of tea tree oil. This is impeding the growth of the tea tree oil market.

The lack of obtainability of tea tree oil is another factor threatening the growth of this market. Its limited supply on account of its availability only in Australia surges its price. Other environmental challenges are cumbering the growth of this market.

The availability of substitutes of tea tree oil in the form of other natural oils which are of reasonable price and not adverse to health in case of consumption apart from external use is hindering the growth of the tea tree oil.

Opportunities

Rising health awareness of the people with regard to their outlook and the use of organic and natural based personal care products which is likely to provide untapped market opportunities for the tea tree oil market.

Further, the prosperous healthcare and medical sector is providing ample opportunities for the employment of tea tree oil because of its medicinal properties.

Trends

In terms of region, the tea tree oil is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The North America region and Europe region dominates the market for tea tree oil and is expected to continue its domination in the forecast period. The widespread consumers for personal care and cosmetics product of natural and organic origin are a major factor determining the growth of this market in this region. Asia Pacific is projected to emerge as the fastest growing region in this market. Such growth is attributable to the ever-widening demand for cosmetics products of green-label and the increasing employment of tea tree oil in the pharmaceutical industry. Globally, the tea tree oil is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.1% in the forecast period.

Segment Covered:

This market intelligence report on the global Tea Tree Oil Market encompasses market segments based on application, end user, grade and country.

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By Application the global Tea Tree Oil Market has been divided into:

q Industrial Application

q Therapeutic Application

q Cosmetics and Toiletries Application

By End User the global Tea Tree Oil Market has been divided into:

q Pharmaceutical Companies

q Cosmetic Companies

q FMCG Manufacturers

q Others

By Grade the global Tea Tree Oil Market has been divided into:

q Therapeutic Grade

q Pharma/Cosmetic Grade

By country/region, the global Tea Tree Oil Market has been divided into:

q North America (the U.S., Canada),

q Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries),

q Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Russia, and other countries),

q Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand and other countries),

q Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, Israel and Other countries).

Profiling of Market Players:

This business intelligence report offers profiling of reputed companies that are operating in the market. Companies such as:

q Young Living Essential Oils

q Oshea Organic

q Jenbrook Pty Ltd

q NOW Foods

q Oribi Oils Pty Ltd

q NATURES REMEDIES

q AOS PRODUCTS PVT. LTD.

q Naturally Australian Tea Tree Oil Pty Ltd

q Xian Natural Field Bio-Technique Co Ltd

q New Zealand Coromandel Mountains Tea Tree Oil Company Ltd

others have been profiled into detail so as to offer a glimpse of the market leaders. Moreover, parameters such as Tea Tree Oil Market related investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked in this global report.

Report Highlights:

In-depth analysis of the micro and macro indicators, market trends, and forecasts of demand is offered by this business intelligence report. Furthermore, the report offers a vivid picture of the factors that are steering and restraining the growth of this market across all geographical segments. In addition to that, IGR-Growth Matrix analysis is also provided in the report so as to share insight of the investment areas that new or existing market players can take into consideration. Various analytical tools such as DRO analysis, Porter's five forces analysis has been used in this report to present a clear picture of the market. The study focuses on the present market trends and provides market forecast from the year 2020-2028. Emerging trends that would shape the market demand in the years to come have been highlighted in this report. A competitive analysis in each of the geographical segments gives an insight into market share of the global players.

Few Recent Developments

Young Living Essential Oils

In July 2019, an announcement was made by Young Living Essential Oils with regard to its acquisition by Natures Ultra.

Oshea Organic

In July 2019, Tea Tree Pure Essential Oils was launched by Oshea Organic. This product found its application in hair and skin concerns.

Jenbrook Pty Ltd

In June 2018, an announcement was made by EVE Investments with regard to its acquisition of Jenbrook Pty Ltd for $2.9 million.

Salient Features:

 This study offers comprehensive yet detailed analysis of the Tea Tree Oil Market, size of the market (US$ Mn), and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR (%)) for the period of forecast: 2020-2028, taking into account 2019 as the base year

 It explains upcoming revenue opportunities across various market segments and attractive matrix of investment proposition for the said market

 This market intelligence report also offers pivotal insights about various market opportunities, restraints, drivers, competitive market strategies of leading market players, emerging market trends, and regional outlook

 Profiling of key market players in the world Tea Tree Oil Market is done by taking into account various parameters such as company strategies, distribution strategies, product portfolio, financial performance, key developments, geographical presence, and company overview

 The data of this report would allow management authorities and marketers of companies alike to take informed decision when it comes to launch of Type of models, government initiatives, marketing tactics and expansion, and technical up gradation

 The world market for Tea Tree Oil caters to the needs of various stakeholders pertaining to this industry, namely suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors for Tea Tree Oil Market. The research also caters to the rising needs of consulting and research firms, financial analysts, and new market entrants

 Research methodologies that have been adopted for the purpose of this study have been clearly elaborated so as to facilitate better understanding of the reports

 Reports have been made based on the guidelines as mandated by General Data Protection Regulation

 Ample number of examples and case studies have been taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion

Reasons to buy:

v Identify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the Tea Tree Oil Market

v Identification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the Tea Tree Oil Market

v Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data

v Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential

v Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events

v Identify key partners and business development avenues

v Respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects

v Identify key strengths and weaknesses of important market participants

Full View of Report Description: https://datainsightspartner.com/report/tea-tree-oil-market/955
Report Description

A recent market intelligence report that is published by Data Insights Partner on the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market makes an offering of in-depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in the regional and international Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market. The research also emphasizes on the impact of restraints, drivers, and macro indicators on the regional and global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market over the short as well as long period of time. A detailed presentation of forecast, trends, and dollar values of global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market is offered. In accordance with the report, the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market is projected to expand by healthy CAGR over the period of forecast.

Market Insight, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunity & Trends of the Market:

Definition

According to the Collins English Dictionary, bathroom cabinets are defined as a wall mounted cabinet in a bathroom, typically with a mirror front and used for the storage of medicines and toiletries. These products are usually located above the sink or toilets. Bathroom mirror cabinets plays the role of a bathroom vanity which is mixed and matched with variants of bathroom decor.

Market Drivers

An upsurge in construction activities that includes the construction of both residential buildings and commercial buildings are primarily driving the need for its subsidiary building products  bathroom mirror cabinets and fueling its market.

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Rising population throughout the globe is generating the demand for residential buildings. Further, rapid urbanization is leading to the transition to smaller living spaces that calls for efficient storage equipment. In fact, the combined effect of population growth and rapid urbanization is positive on the bathroom mirror cabinets market.

The favorable initiatives undertaken by the government indirectly is driving this market. Firstly, the governments of various nations are lending their hands in the development of residential buildings which is indirectly propelling the bathroom cabinets market. Secondly, the governments of many nations are joining hands with the engaged stakeholders to emit the risks undertaken in construction activities which is bolstering this market.

The growth and development of the real estate industry is augmenting the growth of this market.

Economic growth, soaring purchasing power and skyrocketing middle-class population especially in the developing and underdeveloped regions are augmenting the bathroom mirror cabinets market.

Now-a-days, the population is inclined towards the establishment of a house which is aesthetically pleasing and also a home to the residing family. The need for room decor and home decor is empowering the growth of the bathroom mirror cabinets market.

Market Restraints

The bathroom mirror cabinets are of premium price which is impeding the development of consumer base for this market.

Moreover, bathroom mirror cabinets are subject to durability issues. These products are often prone to rusting which is threatening the growth of this market.

Opportunities

The existence of a single mode of selling that only includes offline mode of selling is a very conservative way. With internet penetration and utilization of smartphones, the sellers are inclining in the direction of selling products online. The e-commerce techniques are gaining traction and is expected to unfold new market options.

Further, the development of customized, aesthetically pleasing products coupled with the incorporation of lights, sensors, AI and advanced technology is likely to open up new avenues for the bathroom mirror cabinets market.

Trends

Asia Pacific dominates the market for bathroom mirror cabinets and is estimated to continue its domination in the forecast period. The reason behind such dominance in the constantly growing population, the rising standards of living, an upsurge in the construction sector, and growing disposable income especially in the emerging economies like India and China. North America ranks second in the bathroom mirror cabinets market after Asia pacific and is expected to register significant growth in the forecast period. Such progress can be attributable to the rising population in this region that has attached much importance to renovations and remodeling of existing housing structures. Globally, the Bathroom mirror cabinets market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% in the forecast period.

Segment Covered:

This market intelligence report on the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market encompasses market segments based on material, type, sales channel and country.

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By Material the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market has been divided into:

q Polymer

q Steel

By Type the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market has been divided into:

q Multi-Door

q Single-Door

By Sales Channel the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market has been divided into:

q Online

q Offline

By country/region, the global Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market has been divided into:

q North America (the U.S., Canada),

q Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries),

q Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, Russia, and other countries),

q Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand and other countries),

q Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, Israel and Other countries).

Profiling of Market Players:

This business intelligence report offers profiling of reputed companies that are operating in the market. Companies such as:

q West Shore Home

q Roper Rhodes Ltd

q Laufen Bathrooms AG

q FAB Glass and Mirror

q HiB

q Bellaterra Home LLC

q Roca

q Duravit

q Emco Group

q Geberit AG

others have been profiled into detail so as to offer a glimpse of the market leaders. Moreover, parameters such as Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market related investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked in this global report.

Report Highlights:

In-depth analysis of the micro and macro indicators, market trends, and forecasts of demand is offered by this business intelligence report. Furthermore, the report offers a vivid picture of the factors that are steering and restraining the growth of this market across all geographical segments. In addition to that, IGR-Growth Matrix analysis is also provided in the report so as to share insight of the investment areas that new or existing market players can take into consideration. Various analytical tools such as DRO analysis, Porter's five forces analysis has been used in this report to present a clear picture of the market. The study focuses on the present market trends and provides market forecast from the year 2020-2028. Emerging trends that would shape the market demand in the years to come have been highlighted in this report. A competitive analysis in each of the geographical segments gives an insight into market share of the global players.

Few Recent Developments

West Shore Home

In July 2020, an announcement with regard to the completion of the acquisition of Quality Advantage Home Products was made by West Shore Home.

Roper Rhodes Ltd

In April 2019, Roper Rhodes Ltd released its biggest and newest brochure comprising the latest range of bathroom furniture and fixtures including mirror cabinets.

Laufen Bathrooms AG

In August 2019, Laufen celebrated a spectacular official premiering of the new collection named The New Classic. Patricia Urquiola and Konstantin Grcic added some notable designs to the series.

Salient Features:

 This study offers comprehensive yet detailed analysis of the Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market, size of the market (US$ Mn), and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR (%)) for the period of forecast: 2020-2028, taking into account 2019 as the base year

 It explains upcoming revenue opportunities across various market segments and attractive matrix of investment proposition for the said market

 This market intelligence report also offers pivotal insights about various market opportunities, restraints, drivers, competitive market strategies of leading market players, emerging market trends, and regional outlook

 Profiling of key market players in the world Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market is done by taking into account various parameters such as company strategies, distribution strategies, product portfolio, financial performance, key developments, geographical presence, and company overview

 The data of this report would allow management authorities and marketers of companies alike to take informed decision when it comes to launch of Type of models, government initiatives, marketing tactics and expansion, and technical up gradation

 The world market for Bathroom Mirror Cabinets caters to the needs of various stakeholders pertaining to this industry, namely suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and distributors for Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market. The research also caters to the rising needs of consulting and research firms, financial analysts, and new market entrants

 Research methodologies that have been adopted for the purpose of this study have been clearly elaborated so as to facilitate better understanding of the reports

 Reports have been made based on the guidelines as mandated by General Data Protection Regulation

 Ample number of examples and case studies have been taken into consideration before coming to a conclusion

Reasons to buy:

v Identify opportunities and plan strategies by having a strong understanding of the investment opportunities in the Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market

v Identification of key factors driving investment opportunities in the Bathroom Mirror Cabinets Market

v Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data

v Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential

v Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events

v Identify key partners and business development avenues

v Respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects

v Identify key strengths and weaknesses of important market participants

Full View of Report Description: https://datainsightspartner.com/report/bathroom-mirror-cabinets-market/953
The global dry shampoo market size is expected to reach USD 5.2 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., expanding at a CAGR of 6.9% over the forecast period. The market is driven by consumer awareness regarding changing beauty and personal lifetsyle, especially in the hair care applications. Moreover, drastic change in the purchasing power of consumers in developing countries such as China and India is anticipated to drive the demand over the forecast period.

Demand for premium products among the personal care category is leading to a rise in sales of natural and organic ingredients used in the industry. Growing middle class population and rising disposable income are driving the demand for shampoo products over the forecast period.

Number of product launches is increasing in the beauty and lifestyle segment due to demand for the anti-aging products in industry. Moreover, the impact of e-commerce channels, social media advertisements, and a number of beauty specialist retailers provide a lucrative opportunity for growth of shampoo products in the market.

Browse Details of Market Report @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dry-shampoo-market

Growing consumer awareness regarding personal care products in market, along with impact of leading players such as Procter and Gamble; LOreal SA; Avon Products Inc., will fuel its demand in the market. Companies are involved in product launches and expansion of their geographical reach so as to gain a major share in the market.

The dry shampoo market is recognized by a few initiatives such as mergers and acquisitions, online sales, limited extension, and developments, endeavored by the key players in the business such as Unilever; Procter & Gamble Company; Church & Dwight Co, Inc.; Shiseido Company Ltd.; New Avon LLC; LOreal SA; Henkel AG & Company; KGaA; The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.; Kao Corporation; and Coty Inc.

Further key findings from the study suggest:

 By form, powder is projected to ascend at a CAGR of 8.3% over the forecast period

 The women application segment dominated the market with an overall share of 58.5% in 2018

 North America dominated the global dry shampoo market in 2018, accounting for 38.6% share of the overall revenue. This trend is projected to continue over the next few years

 Growing personal care industry on account of changing lifestyle mainly in developed countries is further expected to propel the market growth in North America

 The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness growth due to increasing disposable income in India, South Korea, China, and Japan

 The industry is highly competitive in nature with the main players including Unilever, Procter & Gamble Company, Church & Dwight Co, Inc., Shiseido Company Ltd., New Avon LLC, LOreal SA, Henkel AG & Company, and KGaA

Grand View Research has segmented the global dry shampoo market on the basis of form, end user, distribution channel, and region:

Dry Shampoo Form Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

 Spray

 Powder

 Others

Dry Shampoo End User Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

 Men

 Women

 Children
Global Anti-counterfeit Pharmaceuticals Packaging Market is accounted for $726.19 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $2,385.47 million by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 14.1% during the forecast period. Some of the key factors influencing the market growth include Growing incidence of counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry and raising awareness among the manufacturers and consumers. However, high capital expenditure of anti-counterfeit technology systems may restrain the market growth.

Anti-counterfeit pharmaceutical packaging is primarily used to prevent brand imitation, by enabling brand protection and ease for customers to distinguish between original and counterfeit products. Counterfeit pharmaceutical products are so very well packed that normal identification techniques are unable to differentiate between legitimate or original packaging and counterfeit ones.

Based on the technology, RFID segment is constantly enhancing during the forecast period. The growth of the segment is attributed to the anti-counterfeit label data of pharmaceutical products, which can be achieved with the help of RFID technology. Also, with the help of RFID technology, the duplication of original materials can be prevented. By Geography, North America is likely to have a huge demand in anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market during the forecast period. The growth of North America is attributed to the strict rules and regulations formulated by the government for the pharmaceutical industry.

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Some of the key players in global anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals packaging market are Bosch Packaging Technology, CCL Industries Inc., DuPont, Zebra Technologies Corporation., SICPA HOLDING SA., Amcor Limited, 3M, Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. Inc., Avery Dennison Corporation, DS Smith Plc., Applied DNA Sciences Inc, Festo Corporation, AlpVision and ZIH Corp.

Usage Features Covered:

 Overt Features

 Track & Trace Technologies

 Covert Features

 Tamper Evidence

 Forensic Features

 Numbering

 Visible Printing

 Other Usage Features

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Technologies Covered:

 Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)

 Security Inks & Coatings

 Hologram

 Security Printing & Graphics

 Mass Encoding

 Authentication Packaging Technology

 Other Technologies

Regions Covered:

 North America

o US

o Canada

o Mexico

 Europe

o Germany

o UK

o Italy

o France

o Spain

o Rest of Europe

 Asia Pacific

o Japan

o China

o India

o Australia

o New Zealand

o South Korea

o Rest of Asia Pacific

 South America

o Argentina

o Brazil

o Chile

o Rest of South America

 Middle East & Africa

o Saudi Arabia

o UAE

o Qatar

o South Africa

o Rest of Middle East & Africa

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What our report offers:

 Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments

 Market share analysis of the top industry players

 Strategic recommendations for the new entrants

 Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets

 Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)

 Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations

 Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends

 Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments

 Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements

Free Customization Offerings:

All the customers of this report will be entitled to receive one of the following free customization options:

 Company Profiling

o Comprehensive profiling of additional market players (up to 3)

o SWOT Analysis of key players (up to 3)

 Regional Segmentation

o Market estimations, Forecasts and CAGR of any prominent country as per the clients interest (Note: Depends of feasibility check)

 Competitive Benchmarking

o Benchmarking of key players based on product portfolio, geographical presence, and strategic alliances
San Francisco, 22 Sep 2021: The Report U.S. And China Glucose Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Form (Syrup, Solid), By Application (Food & Beverages, Cosmetic & Personal Care, Pharmaceutical), And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2028

The U.S. and China glucose market size is expected to reach USD 9.44 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2020 to 2028. The demand for glucose (dextrose) in the U.S. and China market is estimated to be driven by the expanding and developing sugar products sector, the growing pharmaceutical sector, and shifting preference towards natural ingredients across cosmetics and personal care products.

In the food and beverages application segment, the bakery and confectionery segment dominated the U.S. and China market with a revenue share of 9.5% in 2020. The rapidly increasing demand for a variety of bakery products, such as biscuits, bread, cakes, pastries, cookies, frostings, crackers, rolls, and doughnuts, is driving the market value of the segment. Moreover, increasing innovations in bakery items, particularly to meet the changing eating habits of the consumers, are boosting the market growth. Corn syrup is not a direct substitute for sugar but it provides several benefits like it promotes browning and consistency in baking when combined with other sugars and it is not as sweet as sugar.

Confectionery products are gaining growth in the U.S. and China market owing to the increasing number of manufacturers in the local markets. Glucose (dextrose) is an essential ingredient in the development of a wide range of confectionery products, such as candy, sweets, gums, and jellies. The inclination towards organic chocolates and candies in the market is likely to create potential demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the rising awareness and demand for medicated gummies that provide health benefits are supporting the demand for glucose in the confectionery market. For instance, YUM-V'S Glucose Gummies with fruit flavor is a chewable nutritional supplement for men and women that can increase blood sugar levels and boost energy.

The glucose (dextrose) market in China captured the largest revenue share of 50.9% in 2020. There is a slight difference in the revenue share of the U.S. and China owing to the large customer base in the China market. The country has a large number of local players such as Guangzhou Shuangqiao Company LTD., Fengchen Group Co. Ltd., Sinofi Ingredients, Henan Fenghe Chemical Co., Ltd., Dancheng Caixin Sugar Industry Co. Ltd., and Xiwang Group, which is supporting its dominating share in terms of both revenue and volume. The rapidly growing population, coupled with the changing food habits of the consumers, is supporting the market growth.

Access Research Report of U.S. And China Glucose Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-china-glucose-market-report

U.S. And China Glucose Market Report Highlights

The syrup form segment accounted for the largest revenue share of 69.2% in 2020. This is because of its exceptional properties such as prevention of crystallization and enhancing taste and texture, which has increased its application in bakery, confectionery, and dairy products in the U.S. and China. On the back of this, the syrup segment is projected to maintain its lead from 2020 to 2028

The food and beverages application segment accounted for the largest revenue share of 54.9% in 2020 owing to the potential demand for glucose across confectionaries, soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, bakery products, and soups. Rising demand for on-the-go packaged products, along with a growing preference for functional food and beverages, is anticipated to support the glucose (dextrose) market growth from 2020 to 2028

The China glucose (dextrose) market is expected to register the fastest CAGR from 2020 to 2028. This is supported by the expansion plans of major manufacturers in order to take advantage of available opportunities. The market is gaining pace owing to the increasing investments in research and development (R&D) activities in the F&B sector and the strong presence of local players in the China market. For instance, Guangzhou Shuangqiao Company LTD. has the largest production base of starch sugar in South China and its sales volume has more than 90% share in the starch sugar market of South China. Additionally, the company is making its way for ingredients in the major global brands like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, China Resources Breweries, Robust, Uni-president, Wahaha, Yili, Want-Want, and Masterkong in Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou

Major manufacturers are investing in the Chinese glucose (dextrose) industry to increase their production capabilities in order to meet the evolving needs across the food and beverage sector. The country has the largest and most dynamic food market across the globe and serving around 1,445.3 million population. For instance, in 2018, Tate & Lyle PLC has doubled the size of its food application laboratory in Shanghai, particularly to meet growing consumer demand

List of Key Players of U.S. And China Glucose (Dextrose) Market

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM)

Ingredion Incorporated

AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG

Tate & Lyle PLC

Cargill, Incorporated

Roquette Freres

Grain Processing Corporation

Tereos S.A.

Fooding Group Limited

Global Sweeteners Holdings Limited

Guangzhou Shuangqiao Company LTD.

Fengchen Group Co., Ltd.

Sinofi Ingredients

Henan Fenghe Chemical Co., Ltd.

Dancheng Caixin Sugar Industry Co. Ltd.

XIWANG GROUP

Access Press Release of U.S. And China Glucose Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/us-china-glucose-market-analysis
Top officials of CPCL during their visit to Nagapattinam met Parliamentarian M Selvaraj and explained in detail about the project stipulations and assured him that the project would be completed in the projected 45 months. (Photo: File | PTI)

Chennai: Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, (CPCL), belonging to IndianOil Corporation Ltd, has begun work on a 9 MMTPA refinery and petrochemical complex being set up at an estimated investment of Rs 31,580 crore in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, the company said on Wednesday.

Chief Minister M K Stalin early this month handed over a government order for the acquisition of 606-acre land adjoining the existing refinery site in Nagapattinam to IOCL Chairman SM Vaidya and CPCL Managing Director Arvind Kumar. Following the order, CPCL awarded the contracts worth Rs 1,538 crore to the project management consultants -- Engineers India Ltd, McDermott and Tata Consulting Engineers, a company statement said here. Top officials of CPCL during their visit to Nagapattinam met Parliamentarian M Selvaraj and explained in detail about the project stipulations and assured him that the project would be completed in the projected 45 months. A detailed presentation was also made to the district administration and appraised it of the significance of this project and the associated economic development in and around the regions of Nagapattinam, the statement said.

During the meeting with the three consultants Engineers India Ltd, McDermott and Tata Consulting Engineers, it was said the goal was to complete the project ahead of the scheduled time with 100 per cent compliance to safety, the release said. "Procurement and engineering activities for the project have already commenced and site activities will now gain momentum," the company said. The project would act as a catalyst for development of downstream petrochemical and ancillary industries, it added. Last year, a committee under the Ministry of Environment accorded green signal for the project in Cauvery Basin Refinery which would provide direct employment to 600 people and 1,000 indirect jobs during the operational phase of the refinery.
The series will see the real-life uncle and nephew duo share the screen for the first time. (Photo: Twitter/@RanaDaggubati)

Mumbai: Streaming platform Netflix on Wednesday announced that south stars Venkatesh Daggubati and Rana Daggubati have signed on to feature in "Rana Naidu", the Indian adaptation of acclaimed American TV series "Ray Donovan".

The series will follow the life of Rana Naidu, the go-to guy for everyone in Bollywood when they have a problem.

Karan Anshuman of "Inside Edge" fame is the showrunner and the director for the show and Suparn Verma ("The Family Man" season two) will co-direct it.

The series, which will be in Hindi, will see the real-life uncle and nephew duo -- Venkatesh and Rana -- share the screen for the first time.

Rana, who has starred in Hindi films like "Dum Maaro Dum" and "Baby", said he is thrilled to share screen space with his uncle Venkatesh.

"It's lots of special firsts for me. Working with my uncle Venkatesh and the first with Netflix in long form storytelling that's completely different from what both of us have ever done in our careers. I'm extremely happy to be with a crew and a platform that knows this the best," the 36-year-old actor said in a statement.

It will be Venkatesh's first Hindi project since the 1995 film "Taqdeerwala". The Telugu star made his Bollywood debut in 1993's "Anari", opposite Karisma Kapoor.

Venkatesh said the series is the perfect project for him to collaborate with his nephew.

"I cannot wait to work with Rana, we are going to have a blast on-set and this show is the perfect project for us to work on. I am a huge fan of Ray Donovan myself and the entire team is pulling in all the stops to ensure we do justice to it," he said.

Monika Shergill, VP, Content, Netflix India said, they are excited to bring the powerhouse performers like Rana and Venkatesh for the first time.

"The series, 'Rana Naidu', will be a thrilling Indian adaptation of a record breaking international show and will take the audience on a breathless ride with the dynamic duo," Shergill said.

The format rights are licensed by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

"We are thrilled to partner with Sunder Aaron of Locomotive Global Inc. and NETFLIX on this new version of 'Rana Naidu' (Ray Donovan) for the Indian market," said Roxanne Pompa, Vice President, Formats at ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

Sunder Aaron, Locomotive Global Inc, said this is going to be an extraordinary and thrilling show for the viewers.

"We are just getting rolling and cannot wait for the world to meet a new kind of Indian hero in Rana Naidu!," Aaron said.

It was announced in 2019 that Locomotive Global Inc had acquired the first scripted remake rights of "Ray Donovan".

Featuring Liev Schrieber in the titular role, "Ray Donovan" debuted on Showtime in 2013 and ran for seven seasons. Schreiber is set to reprise his role of a professional fixer in the movie adaptation of the hit series.
VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government has come up with the State Export Action Plan-2021 laying path for export-led industrialisation. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy released the action plan for the state and individual districts during the Vanijya Utsav-2021 held at Vijayawada on Tuesday. The Chief Minister said the individual district plans should bring a sense of collaborative competition among the stakeholders and promote the district as an export hub and hoped the action plan served as a ready trade guide. He said the action plan gave the right direction to the trading and export community to help the state achieve the vision of doubling exports by 2030. Jagan said the Export Action Plan was a guiding compass for industry and government to bring coherence in the efforts made and showcase to the world the strengths and product availability from AP state.

According to the Export Action Plan, the Andhra Pradesh government is crafting a 10-year action plan with pit-stops every 2-3 years interval to monitor progress and re-align strategies adapting to the global scenario. The Export Action Plan draws separate plans to each district under which processed shrimp, aqua feed, coir products promotion aimed in West Godavari, bulk drugs, cashew, quartz/silica, silicon manganese and mangoes in Vizianagaram, granite and cashew in Srikakulam, limestone slabs, stone idols, cotton bales, hydrogenated castor oil and caustic soda flakes in Kurnool, and chili powder, turmeric, shrimp, cotton yarn and tobacco in Guntur.

In Visakhapatnam, products focussed are bulk drugs, Etikoppaka toys, Araku coffee, seafood and coir, in Kadapa barium compounds, barytes, Portland cement, banana and activated alumina, in Prakasam granite slabs, in East Godavari rice, sugar, shrimp, coir pith and fibre and in Anantapur readymade garments, silk sarees, auto components, mango, banana, mosambi and bulk drugs.

In Chittoor, they plan to promote mango pulp, milk products, tamarind, polished granite and household garments, in Nellore, processed shrimp, bulk drugs, auto components, feldspar quartz, silica, rice, lemon products and packing material. Bulk drugs, cotton yarn, processed shrimp, herbal products and auto batteries are aimed to be promoted in Krishna district under the AP State Export Plan.

Earlier, Jagan Mohan Reddy launched an e-portal specifically for exports. He visited the stalls set up at the event and sought various details regarding the products. Further, the Chief Minister presented awards in the name of Industry Champion and Export Champion to various businessmen who played a pivotal role in industrial development and growth of exports in the state.
Vijayawada: APs exports have grown by 19.43 per cent in two years. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy stated this on Tuesday while launching a two-day 'Vanijya Utsav-2021' organised under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The event laid special focus on boosting the trade and exports from Andhra Pradesh.

The Chief Minister said the government would provide full support to industrialists and use this event to bring the government closer to trade and exports. The YSRC government concentrated attention on trade development and infrastructure creation in spite of it facing overwhelming challenges in the past two years, the CM said.

The CM said the state had achieved a growth of 19.43 per cent in exports.

The state registered consistent improvement in export performance, rising from its position at the 9th place in 2018-19 to the 7th in 2019-20, and to the 4th position in 2020-21. The state increased its share in exports from $14.1 billion to $16.8 billion. The government is aiming to double the states contribution to exports from India by 2030. It was currently at 5.8 per cent, he said.

Recalling the decline in GSDP across the country from 6.3 per cent in 2018-19 to -7.3 per cent in 20-21, the CM said the state suffered a GSDP contraction of only 2.58 per cent in 20-21. In the last two years, 16,311 MSMEs have been established in the state by investing Rs 5204 crore and creating employment to over 1.37 lakh people, he said.

Also, 68 large mega industries were given the green signal to start operations at an investment of Rs 30,175 crore by employing around 46,119 persons. Similarly, 62 large and mega industries are also being set up at an investment of Rs 36,384 crore and creating employment to 76,916 people. In the last one year alone, 10 mega projects have been approved. This would mean an investment of Rs 26391 crore with an employment potential of 55,024 people.

The CM asserted that Andhra Pradesh is the only state to come up with three industrial corridors  the Visakhapatnam-Chennai, the Chennai-Bengaluru and the Hyderabad-Bengaluru  for accelerated industrial development across the state.

He said the government is also establishing the YSR Jagananna Mega Industrial Hub, Kopparthy, on 3,155 acres of land to attract investments of Rs 25,000 crore and create employment to one lakh youths. In the same Kopparthy, a YSR electronics manufacturing cluster (EMC) is being set up over 801 acres with an investment of Rs 730.50 crore to attract an investment of Rs 10,000 crore and generating 25,000 employment opportunities.

Also, to boost exports, the government is setting up 25 secondary food processing units, which provides direct employment to 30,000 people and indirect employment to 50,000 people.

The Chief Minister said the government is also bringing in a steel plant at an initiation cost of Rs 13,500 crore with an annual production of three million tonnes and establishing a gas distribution network by partnering with GAIL to make gas available at cheaper rates.

On betterment of skills, the CM said the government is trying to reduce the skill gap. It is establishing 25 world-class skill colleges, one in each parliamentary constituency and two skill universities in Tirupati and Visakhapatnam, to polish the skills of the students so that they would get good jobs.

AP having as high as 974km of coastline, he said the government is developing three ports -- at Bhavanapadu, Machilipatnam and Ramayapatnam -- and eight new fishing harbors at a cost of Rs 3,828 crore to benefit the fishermen families.

Ministers Mekapati Gautam, Peddireddy Ramachandra, Perni Venkatramaiah, Kurasala Kannababu, Dharmana Krishnadas, Vellampalli Srinivas, chief secretary Adityanath Das, industries director Subrahmanyam Jawwadi and other officials were present.
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here Tuesday that Union home minister Amit Shah had authorised him to hold talks directly with outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) chief Paresh Baruah.

Admitting that his government had some communication with elusive Ulfa-I chief Paresh Baruah through a third party since he took charge of the administration, Mr Sarma told reporters he had sought permission from the Union home minister to start a peace dialogue with the anti-talk faction of Ulfa-I too.

Pointing out that everything was now at the preliminary stages and it would take some time to take shape, Mr Sarma said Mr Shah had asked him to ensure that the dialogue was held in a structured manner. As of now, I only took permission to speak to Mr Baruah over the phone or through other media so that we can give a push to the peace process. But those are very preliminary things. No conclusion should be drawn, and it will be a long affair, he said.

He also clarified that if things moved in the right direction, the Central government may get involved in the peace parleys with the outfit at a later stage.

It is significant that Mr Sarma, who met the Union home minister in New Delhi, also met National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah at Dimapur in Nagaland on Monday. Mr Sarma met the top leadership of NSCN (I-M) with Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio. What transpired in the meeting is not yet known, but Mr Sarma reiterated that his visit to Nagaland was political.

The ongoing Naga peace talks, which have been on hold since October 31, 2019 due to differences between the NSCN (I-M) general secretary and former Nagaland governor and interlocutor R.N. Ravi over the demand for a separate flag and constitution by the NSCN (I-M), has resumed once again, this time with the former special director of the Intelligence Bureau, Mr A.K. Mishra.

Mr Sarma held a meeting with the Union home minister in New Delhi on Sunday, following which he said he was partly involved in the ongoing peace process with the NSCN-IM, but he was not officially holding any negotiations with the Naga rebel group.
Hyderabad: Malaysia's oil palm major FGV Holdings has offered to set up its processing unit in Siricilla. Company representatives met industries minister KT Rama Rao here on Wednesday and discussed their proposals.

The delegation led by N. Satyanarayana said there were ample opportunities for oil palm cultivation in Telangana. If farmers go for large-scale cultivation of oil palm, it will make agriculture more profitable besides providing employment to thousands of people in palm oil industry.

He invited Rama Rao to visit Malaysia, famous for its oil palm cultivation, to examine the companys fields and processing units. Rao promised to do so along with agriculture minister Niranjan Reddy as the state government, he said, is keen on encouraging farmers to take up oil palm cultivation across the state as an alternative to paddy.

He also thanked the delegation for its offer to set up operations in his constituency. He requested them to establish the oil palm factory along with an oil palm seed processing unit and a nursery.

Rao urged farmers to cultivate alternative and commercial crops in view of increased irrigation facilities in the state.
They pleaded for an immediate hike in the charges, a media release issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said . Representational Image. (ANI)

Hyderabad: Telangana is set for an increase in TSRTC ticket fares and powercharges. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday advised transport minister Puvvada Ajaykumar and energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy to submit hike proposals to the state cabinet.

The CM said these proposals will be discussed in the next cabinet meeting and a decision on the quantum of hike would be taken.

Rao held a meeting with the ministers and officials at Pragathi Bhavan, when they explained to him that TSRTC and TS discoms were reeling under serious financial crises due to non-revision of tariffs for long. They pleaded for an immediate hike in the charges, a media release issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said .

They told CM that power charges were last hiked in April 2015 while the RTC fares in December 2019.

TSRTC chairman Bajireddy Goverdhan and managing director V.C. Sajjanar informed CM that diesel prices went up by Rs 22 per litre during the last one-and-a-half years. This imposed an additional annual burden of Rs 550 crore on the RTC.

He said the prices of tyres, tubes and other spare parts also increased significantly, pushing RTC into further losses. This caused an additional burden of `600 crore per year.

The officials said RTC suffered losses of nearly Rs 3,000 crore due to Covid and subsequent lockdowns and restrictions, adding that the Hyderabad region alone was incurring a loss of Rs 90 crore per day. They said all the 97 bus depots were running in losses.

They reminded the CM of his statement in the legislative assembly in March 2020 of the government's plans to increase bus fares but this was not done due to the Covid-spread.

Unless the charges are hiked, it's difficult to sustain TSRTC due to increased operational costs and Covid losses, the government release quoted the officials as saying.

Energy minister Jagadish Reddy and Transco CMD Prabhakar Rao brought to the CM's notice the huge losses incurred by TS Discoms due to non-revision of tariffs for the last six years and due to the Covid situation. They urged the CM to hike power charges to help Discoms tide over the losses.
During the meeting, Donepudi Sankar, CPI State leader said, "Farmers have been agitating for nine months in Delhi, so this Bharat Bandh will be held to support them." (Representational Image: ANI)

Vijayawada: In a bid to make Bharat Bandh called by San successful, a meeting was held on Wednesday at Andhra Pradesh's Communist Party India (CPI) office by left parties, Congress, and Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

During the meeting, Donepudi Sankar, CPI State leader said, "Farmers have been agitating for nine months in Delhi, so this Bharat Bandh will be held to support them."

Criticising the Centre for its policies, he further said, "The three black laws of the central government have thrown farmers into crisis. The central government is selling off railway stations, railway lines, telecom, oil, gas, insurance, banks, airports and seaports in the name of the National Monetisation Pipeline."

The leader also said that the central government plans to privatize government organizations.

"The Centre is trying to sell off public assets worth Rs 75 lakh crores at throwaway prices. It is trying to privatize Visakhapatnam Steel Plant at a loss," he said.

"Prices of petrol, diesel, gas and other essential commodities have also increased," he added.

He also appealed to the general public, political parties, mass organizations, and trade unions to take part in the Bharat Bandh.
Hyderabad: The fight of 19 opposition parties to save the country has begun like a people's movement and it will continue till the Modi government is ousted from power, and many parties are also joining in, CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Wednesday.

Yechury, who participated in a protest held here by a number of non-BJP, non-TRS opposition parties, recalled the announcement (in August) of 19 parties to organise joint protests across the country from September 20 to 30.

Samajwadi Party has also joined the 19, he said.

"What is the main idea today?... not seeking certain demands from the Modi government. Today, we, people, are announcing. It is beginning today. We have to save India first. The significance of this dharna is that a people's movement is beginning to save the country," he said, addressing the gathering at 'Dharna Chowk' here.

The protests would continue beyond September 30, he said.

"Nineteen parties have come together at the national-level. But, many parties are joining with this in every State. This has begun like a massive people's movement. This fight will continue till we can save our India and dethrone Modi from power. We all are making this promise today," he said.

The Modi government is destroying the four pillars of the Constitution - secular democracy, social justice, federalism and economic sovereignty ('samprabhuta'), he said.

If the Constitution is not there, there would be no democratic rights and it would lead to authoritarianism in the country, he said.

CBI or ED raids are being conducted on Opposition parties' leaders and they are made to surrender, he alleged. Statements are made that BJP would form the government regardless of who won the elections, he said.

Yechury, who attacked the NDA government, demanded provision of COVID-19 vaccine to all, direct income transfer of Rs 7,500 per month to all those families who do not pay income tax and free distribution of food grains (languishing in central godowns).

The NDA government is not talking to the protesting farming community and the trade unions which are fighting against privatisation, he said.

Modi is talking to the heads of foreign nations during his US visit and the concern is what he will sell off there, the CPI (M) leader said.

The Opposition parties should be supported to safeguard the Constitution and the country, he said.

State Congress president and Parliamentarian A Revanth Reddy, leaders of Left parties, TDP, Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) and other parties spoke on the occasion.

The leaders of the 19 parties on August 20 said they would organise joint protests across the country from September 20 to 30 and urged the people to save the country for a better tomorrow.
Javadekar alleged that Covid-19 deaths were high in Telangana state as the government had failed to implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme of the centre.  DC Image

HYDERABAD: Former union minister Prakash Javadekar called upon the people to gear up for another fight like the separate state movement to dethrone the anti-people, corrupt and dictator rule of the TRS government. There is no government of the people here, only Kalvakuntla family is ruling the state, he said.

Javadekar was speaking at an event at Nizamsagar crossroads on the 25th day of the Praja Sangrama Yatra of TS BJP chief Bandi Sanjay. The yatra has covered 300 km, and reached Kamareddy town on Tuesday to a rousing welcome from BJP activists. Sanjays yatra will change the political scene of Telangana state, he said.

Javadekar said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had ignored all his poll promises. A large number of government employees had retired from service, but no recruitment was taken up, he said.

On other issues, Javadekar alleged that Covid-19 deaths were high in Telangana state as the government had failed to implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme of the centre. He said only Prime Minister Narendra modi could carry out surgical strikes on Pakistan and extend a helping hand to the common peopl and farmers, he said.

Sanjay demanded that the state government reveal why Nizam Sugar Factory had remained closed. The Chief Minister should give an assurance to farmers that paddy would be procured by the state government, he said. If the government failed to rescue paddy and maize farmers, the BJP will attack the farmhouse of KCR, he warned.

Sanjay recalled the murder of former BJP Nizamabad district president Revuri Surender by Naxalites and said the BJP would always respect and recall the sacrifices of party cadre. He praised the people of Kamareddy for playing a vital role in the Telangana movement and noted that police constable Kistaiah had sacrificed his life for the cause.

Sanjay said that Congress and TRS leaders were deliberately raking up the drugs issue to divert the attention of people away from the BJP padayatra. Drugs are being used by only rich people and it is no way connected with the common man, he opined.

He said Telangana state is the adda of Hindus and there is no place for parties other than the BJP.

BJP Kamareddy district president and former MLA T. Aruna Tara, former zilla parishad chairman K.P. Venkata Ramana Reddy, padayatra in-charge Manohar Reddy, Venugopal Goud and others were present.
He pointed out that Finance minister T. Harish Rao had boasted that he would develop Dubbak on par with Siddipet, but did not visit the place after losing the bypol. The same would repeat at Huzurabad, he claimed.  Facebook

Karimnagar: BJP leader A.P. Jithender Reddy on Tuesday alleged that even after 20 days into the month, the government was unable to sanction pension money under the Aasara scheme, he said. Several aged persons were facing a lot of hardships unable to purchase their medicines.

The government had once again postponed the waiving of farm loans. Besides, 74 engineering colleges had shut down as they were not given fee reimbursement money by the government, he said.

Jithender Reddy, a former minister and BJP election incharge of Huzurabad constituency, alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had taken a surplus state achieved with the sacrifices of thousands of youth, and turned it into a debt-ridden state.

Speaking to mediapersons in Huzurabad, Jitendar Reddy said that during the GHMC elections, the CM had promised Rs 10,000 to families affected by the floods but had betrayed them after the polls.

The CM had promised Huzurnagar Rs 150 crore for its development but did not keep his promise.

He pointed out that Finance minister T. Harish Rao had boasted that he would develop Dubbak on par with Siddipet, but did not visit the place after losing the bypol. The same would repeat at Huzurabad, he claimed.

With regard to the charge of minister K.T. Rama Rao that the Centre was not giving money to the state government, Jithender Reddy said the government had earned Rs 76,000 crore from states own revenue, and Rs 36,000 crore from excise.

He said the Centre funded the self employment guarantee scheme, villages, mandals and zilla parishads, sheep and buffaloes rearing scheme and Mission Bhagiratha. He said the state government was using Central funds under Surva Shiska Abhiyan and for health by renaming projects.

He warned police officials against lodging cases illegally against the BJP activists. He said that a review will be conducted on illegal arrests along with lodging complaints to the Election Commission and to the Human Right Commission.

He said the BJP wsa receiving huge response after the meeting at Nirmal of Union minister Amit Shah. Shah would participate in the election campaign in Huzurabad, Jithender Reddy said.
Only a group of five to six junior MLAs have been countering opposition criticism each day, while most ministers and senior leaders are shying away from the line of fire. (DC File Image)

Hyderabad: With the two-flanked onslaught of rival Opposition parties  the Congress and the BJP  increasingly finding greater resonance and public response, the TRS leadership has been forced to recalibrate its political strategy.

Party sources said that the TRS leadership never took political strategizing seriously after the party first came to power in 2014, as there was no strong opposition or an opposition leader in Telangana who could match the popularity and aggressiveness of TRS supremo K. Chandrashekar Rao. Except during elections, there was literally no serious opposition activity in the state, due to which, TRS has been enjoying a cakewalk from May 2014.

But the situation has metamorphosed with not one but two firebrand leaders  A. Revanth Reddy and Bandi Sanjay  taking over reins of the Congress and BJP respectively, rapidly capturing public imagination and rising in the acceptability ladder.

The TRS has been pushed to acknowledge that the time has come for its top brass to devise an effective political strategy to check the rise of the Congress and the BJP, at least until the next Assembly polls slated for December 2023, they concede.

Both leaders  Revanth Reddy and Bandi Sanjay  have started reaching out to people by holding programmes, protest rallies, demonstrations, public meetings, padayatras and regularly and consistently criticising the TRS government and more, using the same linguistic tactics of the TRS supremo, attacking and removing the halo around him and TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao.

The duo has stirred the pot of public discussion and is quickly steering the narrative away from the ruling party, and in the heated-up political atmosphere in Telangana, the pink party is finding its cadre morale sagging, even though Assembly polls are over 26 months away.

With no clear proper political strategy or communications matrix, utter confusion is prevailing amongst the TRS rank and file on even a primal question as who is their principal rival  the Congress or the BJP.

There is also confusion on who should respond to various issues raised by the opposition parties. Only a group of five to six junior MLAs have been countering opposition criticism each day, while most ministers and senior leaders are shying away from the line of fire.

The TRS leadership has recognised the urgent need for drafting an effective political strategy to counter the Congress and BJP, sources revealed. The sense of urgency got heightened into anxiety after the grand success of Revanth Reddys Dandora rallies, especially the last one, which was held in Chief Minister Chandrashekar Raos home turf, Gajwel, even as Sanjays padayatra is continuing to evoke an ever-increasing positive response from people.

Chief Minister KCR is very unhappy over the way the TRS has so far responded to Revanths Dandora rallies and the White Challenge narrative, a leader said.

TRS leaders confessed that instead of fixing Revanth on these issues, the TRS made him a hero unnecessarily at the Congress high-command level, with their hasty acts and lack of direction from party leadership.

A TRS MLA wrote to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, complaining against Revanth. KTR complained to Rahul Gandhi through Twitter about Revanth making unsavoury comments on Shashi Tharoor, when none of the state Congress leaders bothered to react, he said.

We were publicly acknowledging that Revanth was becoming a threat and worse, we are helpless and need Rahul Gandhis help in controlling Revanth. These moves by the TRS have made Revanth stronger with the Congress high command, sources opined. Are we school students that we go to complain to the principal?

Sources also said that it was on Chandrashekar Raos instructions that Rama Rao and other leaders took to strongly responding to all criticism but they did in a manner that benefitted Revanth Reddy more and did damage to TRS due to lack of strategy. There was also confusion on the tone and tenor to be deployed against the two leaders.

In Telanganas political history, it was Chandrashekar Rao who started using unparliamentary and vituperative language against Opposition leaders, albeit with rich Telangana dialect and culture folklore connect, and a subaltern touch  a template both Revanth Reddy and Sanjay copied  and the plot took a complete turn.

After TRS minister CH Malla Reddys outburst and backlash, Chandrashekar Rao mellowed down but after a few days Rama Rao changed his strategy and wanted party leaders to use the same language against the Opposition. However, his threat to invoke sedition charges, seeking legal umbrage and buckling away on a la Caesar's wife challenge , have all left an impression in the public of the TRS losing the plot.
HYDERABAD: Tension prevailed at the residence of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and MP A. Revanth Reddy at Jubilee Hills on Tuesday as a few Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) activists tried to attack the house and burn his effigy. The TRS activists gathered near the house of the TPCC chief to protest against the alleged remarks made by him against minister K.T. Rama Rao.

For the last few days, a war of words has been going on between Revanth Reddy and TRS working president Rama Rao on twitter. Revanth threw a white challenge to Rama Rao for a drug test and waited for him at Gun Park on Monday. Rama Rao did not accept the challenge but filed a defamation suit against the TPCC chief for drugs allegations against him.

Noticing the presence of TRS activists at Revanth Reddys residence, some Congress activists retaliated against TRS activists with sticks. The TRS activists pelted stones at the Congress workers. In the melee, a few activists sustained minor injuries. Some Congress activists chased the TRS activists with sticks. The police intervened and prevented violent attacks by both the groups.

Congress activists raised slogans in support of Revanth Reddy. They warned that they would give a fitting lesson, if any TRS activists tried to provoke them at Revanth Reddys residence.

Meanwhile, TPCC senior vice president Mallu Ravi and former MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy strongly condemned the TRS activists attack on Revanths residence.

The TPCC president called for white challenge only to make Telangana state drugs-free, and it would not defame any one, they said. Elected representatives should take drug tests to become role models for others, they added. A police picket was set up near Revanth Reddys residence as a precautionary measure.

However, the Congress called its cadre to burn the effigies of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao across the state for attack on TPCC chiefs residence. Congress leaders should burn effigies in all mandal headquarters condemning the attack, said TPCC working president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud, Bellaiah Naik and others.

TPCC termed the attack as a provocative act of the ruling party. A call centre would be set up in Gandhi Bhavan for the security of party cadre, they said. The Congress will extend legal aid, if party leaders faced any cases from the TRS, they assured.
In a surprise move, Von Der Leyen told Joe Biden that France needs an explanation over the AUKUS deal, entered with UK and Australia. The deal has ruffle so many feathers from China, and some members of the EU who felt slighted by the US presidents' ill-advised action.

The AUKUS deal has started lots of controversies, especially how France has voiced out condemnation for the submarine deal that was theirs before the entry of the US offering nuclear submarines.

Ursula Von Der Leyen, European Commission President, finally stepped in for the EU to sort everything stemming from the trilateral deal.

France to halt business with US

In the light of the problems caused by the ill-advised AUKUS deal, Von Der Leyen made it clear that no other business with the US is not advised. It comes after the US has allegedly slighted France in its desire to push its sub deal, reported the Express UK.

This is a stinging rebuke of Biden, who has been severely criticized for the failure in Afghanistan, that made the EU think twice about the standing of the US.

The US president is in the middle of trouble as the EU commission president voices her dissatisfaction representing the European Union. She spoke on CNN and asked how the US, UK, and Australia decided on the deal in the world.

She added the EU has a right to be advised on such actions, which might have serious consequences, to members of the Union. So, France gets an explanation over the AUKUS Deal, which is only a fair exchange.

Read also: Australia Expects Military Crisis if China Ever Invades Taiwan

The deal signed by Australia and France for nuclear submarines that Biden did not honor was at the heart of the dissent. France is now at odds with the US for staking out a deal from them.

Von der Leyen made it clear that the US administration has interfered in EU business, and only if the US justifies poaching the deal from France. The Union will snub the US.

She said that France, the first partner in the nuclear submarine deal with Australia, was not treated well, and it is a US ally at that. Washington's actions will not go ignored, but a smear on the US-EU partnership is there.

Bottom line, Joe Biden should have thought twice about how France and the EU would react. These actions are not how allied deal with each other.

Von der Leyen demands explanation from US

The CNN host Christine Amanpour asked about the EU Australia cancellation, why it happened, noted CNN.

Von der Leyen said there were too many questions to answer for everyone involved in the problem.

She added that one of the EU members was not treated well, and that will not be tolerated, pushing on why the United States acted in such a way that was not fair. So, until Joe Biden explains anything, the US will be on its own, citing the Girl Sun.

The host said will it cause a division between the US and EU. Adding does the EU feel slight by the US leader?

When the US ignored the allies and took them out of the loop, the EU condemned that action that jeopardized its citizens.

There is a disconnection between the EU and the White House, which needs to be resolved. But she stressed that France gets an explanation over the Aukus Deal, which started the row. That long talk with Biden might be long overdue.

Related article: Ex-Australian PM Blasts Trilateral Nuclear Submarine Deal With US, UK; Doubts Biden's Credibility To Stand Up to China

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As chairman of the Syrian American Alliance, Mahmoud Khattab worked diligently to help Syrian refugees who have fled the chaos-laden country.

The Syrian American Alliance is one of five organizations that comprise the Coalition for a Democratic Syria. Together, they have established a comprehensive agenda designed to force action to end the tragic plight that has affected the Syrian people, forced massive relocations and horrible conditions in refugee camps.

For Khattab, the move from medicine to politics comes from a deeply engrained passion for his home country. A graduate of the University of Damascus School of Medicine and the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Khattab is the CEO of Precision M.D. in Elk Grove, California.

His passion and commitment are focused deeply on righting the wrongs he perceives in his home country.

Civil War Comes to Syria

In March 2011, massive anti-government protests against the Ba'athist government began throughout Syria. The protests grew into a civil uprising that led to civil war.

Khattab began working with activists in Sacramento, California, days after the uprising began, meeting with officials about the brutality under the Syrian government's regime. The group expanded their outreach to San Francisco and the Bay area to raise awareness of the issues facing the Syrian people.

Khattab became involved with the Syrian American Council, serving as chairman of the national organization for nine months. He and other leaders began organizing various Syrian-American groups within the United States, focusing on four Washington, D.C.-based groups that had been doing lobbying work.

Those four groups, the Syrian American Council, the Syrian Expatriates Organization, United for a Free Syria, and the Syrian Emergency Taskforce, were organized under the umbrella organization, the Coalition for a Democratic Syria. Khattab was elected chair of the eight-person coalition board.

Months thereafter, Syrian-American activists sought to call attention to developmental and educational initiatives inside refugee camps. From there, the Syrian American Alliance was born. It became the fifth coalition member.

The coalition's main mission is to establish a free and democratic Syria by supporting the revolution on the ground. It also seeks to create a civilized, new system that provides equal rights for all Syrians. The coalition focuses its work in Washington, meeting regularly with senators and representatives, and with officials at the White House and State Department, presenting recommendations for possible solutions to the crisis.

The group also works on public awareness campaigns about the conditions within Syria.

Seventy-five percent of the Syrian American Alliance's work is developmental, according to Khattab, working in close coordination with the coalition. One project was a Walk for Syrian Chilen held in 25 cities in 25 countries in partnership with UNICEF.

The goal for much of the alliance's work is to increase public awareness about the suffering of the Syrian people and to secure financing for projects within the country. One such project, Electronic School, was designed to develop virtual schools to help the thousands of chilen left without educational access. Another was to provide psychiatric care for chilen living in refugee camps and suffering from PTSD.

The group also produces videos and news materials to keep people apprised as to what is happening in the country, raise awareness about positive aspects of the revolution, remind people that its intent is peace, and teach the Syrian people about human rights and developing a free and democratic country. The messaging is an important way to keep the Syrian-American community to activists on the ground.

Syrian Peace Provides Regional Stability

During the decade-long conflict, many U.S. adversaries, notably Russia and Iran, have sided with the Syrian government. One of the reasons the coalition's organizations spend so much time advocating with the U.S. government is to remind officials that it is in the United States' best interests to have stability in the Middle East. From a national security perspective, Khattab notes, peace will have a positive impact on Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey and the entire region.

A weakened Syrian government, given its ties to Iran and Hezbollah, could have an enduring impact.

Khattab expressed frustration with the past work of United Nations missions to have an impact. With Russian and Chinese vetoes in the U.N. Security Council, that organization is essentially powerless, he said.

Advocating for a No-Fly Zone

From its earliest days, the Syrian American Alliance has been a vocal advocate for the creation of a U.S. no-fly zone over Syrian airspace. Khattab said revolutions are imperfect and that there has been much criticism of the push for such a policy.

However, he noted, most of this opposition has occurred outside of Syria. Creating such zones, he noted, would allow for a protected area where soldiers could be organized within the country. He has long advocated for a range of support; in addition to the no-fly zone, he has believed that providing training and arms to well-trained soldiers in the Free Syrian Army would result in better action against the Syrian government.

Khattab noted that the coalition has been unwavering in its push for continued Western backing of the revolutionary movement, including the no-fly zone, training and equipping of the rebel factions.

Support for Minority Populations

Khattab and the coalition have also long expressed support for various religious and cultural minority populations within Syria. While President Bashar al-Assad identifies as an Alawite, Khattab noted that the Alawites are decent, honest and kind people. Many of them have been forced into military service and put on the front line, in addition to other abuses.

He noted that his organizations have spoken to many Alawites who are distinctly opposed to the situation within their country. The same goes for other ethnic and religious minority groups, Khattab said, including the Kurds, Christians and uze.

While there are major differences among many of these groups, Khattab believes that a unified opposition to the Assad regime could lead to a future where these many different Syrian people could live together peacefully. In addition, he believes that that unity could result in the establishment of a system that provides equal rights for each Syrian citizen.

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After the unfortunate teenager's family settled their civil court battle with the US spy wanted for killing him, President Joe Biden claims that a criminal case is "being worked on" in the matter of Harry Dunn's death. The US president informed reporters in the Oval Office while sitting next to Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the case against Anne Sacoolas was continuing.

It comes after Harry's parents achieved a resolution in their damages action against his suspected killer in the United States on Tuesday. Sacoolas and her husband Jonathan, both former CIA operatives, were scheduled to testify under oath as part of the lawsuit action.

The allegation, which was heard in Virginia, had revealed information about their top-secret State Department responsibilities, as per Daily Mail. However, yesterday's arrangement for an undisclosed price has precluded further disclosure, fueling speculation that the US government was involved.

Harry Dunn death criminal case

The Dunn family's spokesman, Radd Seiger, said the agreement meant the family's focus would shift to the criminal case in the United Kingdom. He termed the deal a "real milestone," but added that there was still more work to ensure Harry's justice.

Following the tragic collision outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August 2019, Sacoolas was charged with causing the 19-year-old's death through reckless driving.

Per The Strait Times, after Sacoolas departed the country shortly after, claiming diplomatic immunity from prosecution, and the US refused to extradite her, the matter has dogged US-British ties. Dunn's family has filed a lawsuit in the US state of Virginia, demanding damages from Sacoolas and her husband, who has admitted to driving on the wrong side of the road.

A deal had been "reached amicably between the parties," according to Radd Seiger, a representative for Dunn's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn. He told the UK's local Press Association news agency that the settlement was "some considerable relief," but he didn't go into detail.

Read Also: North Korea Threatens Nuclear Arms Race After US Announces New Alliance, Submarine Deal With The UK and Australia

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden bond at White House

In July, Britain announced that US President Joe Biden had agreed in principle to a remote trial for Sacoolas, whose first wife and daughter were killed in a vehicle accident in 1972. Despite allegations that Sacoolas and her husband, a technical assistant at the airbase, worked in intelligence, Washington said it would not consent to her extradition.

During a meeting with the US president in the White House, Boris Johnson claimed that Joe Biden is "personally trying to move things along" in the case of Harry Dunn's alleged killer. Biden and Johnson told reporters ahead of their meeting in the Oval Office that they will address Afghanistan and Pacific cooperation.

In November, the US president also stated that he will attend the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow "with bells on." The two also talked about the Amtrak train that Johnson took from New York to Washington, DC, a favored mode of transportation for Biden that has earned him the moniker "Amtrak Joe."

Johnson had met with US Vice President Kamala Harris earlier in the day on Tuesday, praising British and American cooperation on subjects like climate change and Afghanistan. Johnson described meeting Harris for the first time as a "great honor and privilege," adding, "I've heard a lot about you, but it's fantastic to be here," Sky News reported.

Related Article: Joe Biden Urges To Thoroughly Investigate Afghanistan Drone Strike; White House Dodges Question If Anyone Should Be Fired

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The death of Gabby Petito has been ruled a homicide after an autopsy firmly confirmed the body discovered in a Wyoming national park as that of the missing Long Island native, according to the FBI.

Petito's body was discovered in a remote area of a national forest in Wyoming. A homicide conviction implies someone was responsible for the death of another person, and charges can range from murder to manslaughter to negligent homicide.

Authorities continue Gabby Petito's case investigation

The FBI is seeking information from anybody who visited the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area between August 27 and 30 and may have encountered Petito or Laundrie, as well as anyone who may have spotted their white 2012 Ford Transit vehicle.

The 22-year-old from Blue Point disappeared abruptly late last month while on a cross-country journey with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, who is now in the wind.

Petito last talked to her family on August 25, and she was reported missing on September 11, 10 days after Laundrie returned to their North Port, Florida home without her.

Last week, Laundrie, who had been recognized as a person of interest in Petito's case but had not been charged criminally, went missing, prompting a massive manhunt over a huge Sarasota County nature preserve.

Per The NY Post, the young couple was recorded on police body camera after being pulled over in Utah on August 12 for potential domestic violence. Brian Laundrie has been classified as the sole person of interest, and his whereabouts are unknown. On Tuesday, authorities in Florida returned to the Carlton Reserve, a large nature preserve, wetlands, and leisure area in Sarasota County, to look for Laundrie and try to solve the mystery surrounding her death.

North Port police announced on Twitter that the search had turned up "nothing of note." Officials intended to conduct another search on Wednesday, USA Today reported.

On Monday, FBI investigators and police investigated the North Port, Florida, house the couple had been living with Laundrie's parents for evidence. The FBI declined to comment on the search, which involved at least a dozen officers, although investigators did take numerous boxes and hauled away from a car. The parents of Laundrie were spotted getting into a police car.

Read Also: Mississippi Man Fatally Shoots Roommates While Child Witnesses Parents' Death

Rumors of Brian Laundrie's whereabouts surge

Sam Bass told authorities that while setting up his deer camera in the forest in Baker, Florida's Okaloosa County, early on Monday morning, he observed a man who looked like Brian Laundrie. However, the local sheriff's office stated that it investigated the complaint and found "no one - and nothing - of significance," as per Daily Mail.

Bass gave authorities a photograph of a man strolling through the woods in the Florida Panhandle with a backpack. The man has Laundrie's physical characteristics, such as a thin frame and a bald head.

The backpack used by the man saw on Monday does not appear to be the same as the one worn by Laundrie when police stopped him and his girlfriend in Utah on August 12.

When Laundrie and Petito were stopped by authorities in Moab, Utah last month, the unidentified man was observed wearing a light-colored REI Co-op Stuff Travel Pack, while Laundrie was seen wearing a dark-colored REI Co-op Stuff Travel Pack.

A number of sightings of Laundrie have been claimed in recent days, but none have been confirmed. Several people in the Mobile, Alabama region have reported seeing a man who fits Laundrie's description, with several of them voicing their concerns online.

His house in North Port, Florida, is more than 600 miles northwest of the city. Captain Paul Burch of the Mobile County Sheriff's Office informed Fox 10 News that Laundrie has no ties to the area.

Rumors about Laundrie's location have subsequently spread on social media, with some believing that he was the body discovered in a dumpster outside a Walmart in Mobile over the weekend.

However, police stated on Monday that they were looking into the claims but that nothing has come up thus far. They said the remains in the dumpster belonged to an unnamed homeless man.

Related Article: FBI Searches Gabby Petito's Missing Boyfriend Brian Laundrie; Could His Parents Be Charged?

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After the AUKUS deal allegedly drove a wedge with European Union, they needed to develop their army to deal with its problems. EU should reconsider the days of relying on the US and NATO after the conduct of the US, which is dismissive of the international body.

The tripartite nation security pact with the US, UK, and Australia, done without the guidance of EU member countries, shows if the present combined force of all members is sufficient for protection or offensive purposes. Members must secure their mutual interests so the slighting of France never happens again.

No need for America and NATO

The European Union knows that the AUKUS deal is divisive and set a precedent that the US ignored. For France, it is stinging as its former deal with Australia was bypassed unfairly by the US, reported the Express UK.

In light of this development, the members think security should be more of a concern with their own army, which operates independently of NATO. The EU should consider whether a rival military bloc would be possible to build up.

For now, the defense and crisis team of the member nations say it is under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The composition of the CSDP is the armed forces of all member states, with navy, land, and air forces depending on what military support the state could muster. But the EU needs to develop its forces from that model.

Read Also: Ex-Australian PM Blasts Trilateral Nuclear Submarine Deal With US, UK; Doubts Biden's Credibility To Stand Up to China

Aside from military hardware and personnel, defense expenses were co-shared by everyone with 223.4 billion in 2018.

NATO is still the dominant military in Europe

Despite the declaration to be on its own, the members don't have the standing to be an independent military power. NATO can deploy faster when a crisis arises, which is a detriment to the EU countries.

In 2020, a review exposed that only 60% of the troops of members and arms are ready for deployment when NATO needs assistance. The governments don't want to commit 100% of national forces, noted the report, stated Euroactiv.

Most combined military missions have only seven percent of all members sent on international assignments. Also, getting enough troops is difficult as well. The report's bottom line about its military capability is that it lacks to become a full-fledged independent force from NATO. It is summed up by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, saying a total defense is fragmented, duplicated, and lacks operational engagement as a whole, cited Reuters.

Hearing the verdict of the military report, strong members like France and Germany will bolster critical change and not stay on the sidelines forever. The AUKUS clearly indicates that Joe Biden thinks the EU is not serious enough, moves into a major military mover, and not just for economic alliances should be pushed.

According to Iratxe Garcia, a Socialists and Democrats group president spoke to Politico that the nuclear sub deal is a hint to be independent militarily and be more strategic. This was echoed by Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, as the answer. She added European Union needs to develop its forces, no more CSDP. After Biden's Afghan debacle, there is no choice to make, but it.

Related Article: Taiwan Tells UK That Participation in AUKUS Deal Could Provoke Chinese Aggression

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken was pressured by several United States diplomats who are suffering from the mysterious "Havana Syndrome" during a meeting this month over their growing concerns over the effects of stigma and disbelief in relation to their conditions.

The officials expressed their dismay about how they are seen within the U.S. government regarding the legitimacy of their injuries. The unexplained incidents began four years prior quite suddenly and mysteriously.

Mysterious Havana Syndrome

Blinken used up more than one hour of his time during his first meeting with the cohort of State Department staffers affected in Cuba and China to offer assurances. He made sure to answer questions from the most affected staffers who were only joining the meeting remotely by phone. Blinken told them that those suffering from the condition must be believed and was working to investigate the incident and provide necessary care.

However, Blinken's promises show a stark contrast compared to the challenges and struggles that affected diplomats experience in trying to get proper medical care, evaluation, and benefits for their conditions. The skepticism surrounding their illness and injuries have been pervasive, even among high-level government officials, they said, NBC News reported.

One of the diplomats called the situation "incredibly sad" and noted that the worst part of it was the bureaucracy. He compared the call to so many other phone calls that have been made before. Previously, affected staffers were told that there were protocols implemented to ensure that they receive proper treatment. However, he noted that there were no protocols in place, more specifically, not in how they think they were.

Read Also: Joe Biden To Host the COVID-19 Summit; Vladimir Putin Does Not Have Any Plans To Attend

During the Sept. 10 call more than a dozen affected individuals described a difference between the government's public, official message, and the actual situation. They said that the federal government refused to describe the incidents as "attacks" that are fueling the flames of skepticism surrounding the conditions.

Latest Cases of the Unexplained Illness

It was also discovered that one of CIA Director Bill Burns' team members, who went to India earlier this month, reported symptoms consistent with Havana Syndrome. Authorities said the individual was given medical attention immediately, CNN reported.

The recent incident has sparked panic within the U.S. government and left Burns with anger, one source said. A few CIA officials believe that the recent observation of symptoms was a message to Burns that no one was safe from the condition.

The mysterious illness has symptoms such as vertigo, nausea, headaches, and piercing noises that were observed in 2017. However, the earliest cases date back to 2016 as many people reported symptoms similar to those of the Havana Syndrome.

Many experts have theorized the origin of the illness to be mass hallucination or microwave or sonic attacks. The majority of the affected individuals were United States government personnel who were in foreign countries. This has caused some to speculate that the condition was a result of a human-made weapon.

"We don't comment on specific incidents or officers. We have protocols in place for when individuals report possible anomalous health incidents that include receiving appropriate medical treatment. We will keep doing everything we can to protect our officers," a spokesperson for the CIA said, Yahoo News reported.

Related Article: Biden Hopes To Convince International Allies That US Has Changed Since Trump Presidency

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On Tuesday, Xi Jinping told the United Nations General Assembly that China will stop promoting the expansion of the world's dirtiest fossil fuel in other countries, a huge step toward addressing climate change: "China will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad," he stated.

Xi Jinping's statement, made in prepared remarks, was an unexpected step aimed at bolstering China's position in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. China now accounts for the majority of emissions.

With a massive 40 gigawatts of coal power planned, it is by far the largest producer of coal in the country and the largest funder of coal-fired power plants abroad. China's move was hinted at early this year.

China does not mention domestic coal plants

China did not fund new coal projects as part of its global development initiative, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, in the first six months of 2021 for the first time in several years.

Civil society groups in Bangladesh, Kenya, and Vietnam have been vocal in their opposition to Chinese coal projects, as per The NY Times. The US has often chastised China for assisting in the construction of coal-powered facilities in other countries. On Tuesday, there was no quick response from the White House.

The Chinese leader did not mention China's domestic coal plants during the UN General Assembly. It is developing the world's largest fleet of coal-fired power plants, and coal still provides the majority of its electricity.

Xi Jinping also made no new disclosures regarding the Chinese government's intentions to reduce emissions by 2030, other than reiterating his commitment to attain peak emissions by the end of the decade. That is well short of what is required to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, beyond which the world faces a far higher risk of catastrophic climate consequences.

Neither President Biden nor Chinese President Jinping mentioned specifically one another's country directly in high-profile comments at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, which some saw as a sign of both leaders' desire to identify areas of collaboration.

Read Also: North Korea Threatens Nuclear Arms Race After US Announces New Alliance, Submarine Deal With The UK and Australia

Xi Jinping reaffirms commitment to reach carbon emissions

"Foreign military intervention and so-called democratic transformation entail nothing but harm," Xi Jinping added, without addressing the United States specifically. China would also stop supporting coal projects in other countries, Big News Network reported.

China now accounts for the majority of emissions. With a massive 40 gigawatts of coal power planned, it is by far the largest producer of coal in the country and the largest funder of coal-fired power projects overseas.

Xi Jinping noted that China still had work to do on climate at home, reaffirming a previous commitment to "strive" to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.

Per Reuters, Xi did not offer any specifics; but depending on how the policy is executed, it may severely restrict coal plant funding in poor countries. China has been under a lot of diplomatic pressure to stop financing coal projects in other countries because it might make it simpler for the globe to stick to the Paris climate agreement's aim of reducing carbon emissions.

Xi's statement came after similar measures by South Korea and Japan earlier this year, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US climate envoy John Kerry have encouraged China to follow suit.

Some experts have criticized the objectives as not being ambitious enough, but they did allow Beijing to claim moral high ground on the subject when then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris climate accord after calling climate change a "hoax." China, the world's greatest producer of greenhouse gases, continues to rely heavily on coal for its domestic energy needs.

Related Article: Xi Jinping Reportedly Denies Joe Biden's Offer To Meet Face-To-Face; White House Claims Discussion Ongoing With China



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A viral post is being shared by many online users on social media platforms that shows part of an article that claims that cursing United States President Joe Biden is illegal under American law.

Despite the claims of the satirical article, there is no evidence to prove that it was against the law to curse the president of the country. One post's description criticized how it was now dangerous and illegal to curse Biden. The post also questioned why the same was not happening during former United States President Donald Trump's administration.

Illegal to Swear at President Biden?

The headline of the article in the screenshots read, "It's Not Just Dangerous; Screaming F*** Biden May Also Be Illegal." The subheading of the post claimed that experts warned residents that on top of the violent incitement that cursing Biden could cause, the "threats" may also be considered as criminal.

Despite being authored by Eugene Bischvetz Ph.D., the article was not located online but was found to be on meme pages. On Instagram, a user of the same name posted the screenshot of the article's claims, Reuters reported.

The claims are not supported by evidence as legal experts are not warning residents that cursing President Biden will result in criminal charges. The Instagram account that shared the article screenshot also posted other fake news headlines.

Read Also: Joe Biden Says British Teen Harry Dunn's Case Being Worked On as He Meets With Boris Johnson in White House

Five legal experts were later consulted regarding the legitimacy of the article's claims and they said that using swear words against the president of the United States was not subject to criminal charges. Any individual who uses profanities against the U.S. president is protected by the First Amendment. They said that while there were some instances where screaming expletives could result in an arrest, it would not be a result of the word itself.

Lack of Evidence to Support the Claims

A professor and constitutional law expert at Northwestern University, Andrew Koppelman, called the claims a "silly notion." He urged people not to start screaming in the public library or in a courtroom during a trial. But Koppelman said that if people wanted to go out in public and yell expletives, they were free to do so and protected under the First Amendment, the Associated Press reported.

A professor at Arizona State University's law school, James Weinstein, noted that in the United States, Americans can generally say anything about the president and not be prosecuted unless it was considered a true threat, which is well-defined.

The recent incident comes as Biden's approval ratings have fallen following the effects of his decision to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan. The removal of soldiers allowed the Taliban to take control of the war-torn country's government and persecute its people.

A new poll showed Biden's approval rating was currently at 44%, which is down eight points from what it was in May. His disapproval rate is now 51%, a nine-point increase from the same period. The poll also found that while 77% of Americans supported the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, 60% disapproved of the way that Biden conducted the process of taking the soldiers home, Newsweek reported.



Related Article: Joe Biden To Host the COVID-19 Summit; Vladimir Putin Does Not Have Any Plans To Attend

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Various forms of stimulus checks and benefits are being prepared by governments across the US to ease the economic burden brought on by COVID-19 and the subsequent government measures enforced on the back of it as states try to offer an extra economic boost to their residents in bad times.

The news of governmental financial assistance will come as a great relief to families across the country, especially with the employment market in such a bad position after 18 months of hardships.

As a result, families throughout the country are eager to learn if they will be eligible for such relief, which is why we've decided to look into what individual states are preparing in terms of stimulus checks and other types of economic assistance.

The fourth stimulus check is coming but not for everyone

A fourth stimulus check is on the way, but not everyone will benefit. These fourth coronavirus stimulus checks will focus on workers who were particularly badly impacted by the pandemic. As part of the US Department of Agriculture's Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant program, such workers might receive up to $600 in stimulus payments.

Per Value Walk, the $700 million FFWR grant program will help farm and food workers affected by the pandemic. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which promotes community development financial institutions that serve minority populations, would fund this initiative. The program allows state agencies, tribal entities, and nonprofits to apply for stimulus checks.

Such entities, on the other hand, will have to prove that they can reach out to hard-to-reach groups directly or through local organizations. The institutions that will receive funding under the scheme will be in charge of delivering those stimulus payments to qualified farmworkers and meatpacking workers.

Employees who spent costs in preparing for or avoiding exposure to the coronavirus pandemic may be eligible for a stimulus payment of up to $600. Those interested in applying for the funding can do so through the Department of Agriculture's website, www.grants.gov. In the fall, the application procedure is slated to begin.

A pilot program will be funded with $20 million of the $700 million set up for agricultural and food workers. This trial initiative would help front-line grocery employees with expenses connected to the coronavirus pandemic, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), COVID-19 testing or quarantine, and dependent care.

Farm and meatpacking workers might receive up to $600, but it's unclear how much front-line grocery workers would receive. Those who do not qualify for payment through the Farm and Food Workers Relief program may still be eligible for benefits from other government programs. The increased Child Tax Credit and the emergency rental assistance program are two such initiatives.

The increased Child Tax Credit pays up to $3,600 per child to qualified families in a combination of monthly payments and a lump sum payment when they file their taxes next year.

Read Also: Child Tax Credit: Still Haven't Got Your September Stimulus Check? Here's What To Do!

States' stimulus payments

Per MARCA, many states have either paid out or are about to send out stimulus checks, while others are still considering the matter. The Federal State Extended Benefit program may allow Alaska residents to receive a stimulus check in the mail for another 13 to 20 weeks. However, only some individuals qualify and checks will be sent as long as the money pot money remains.

Some Alaska residents may also be eligible for payments from the state's yearly oil wealth checks. California, on the other hand, has already begun distributing stimulus checks owing to a budget surplus. Those with an annual income of $30,000 to $75,000 will get $500 or $600, with an extra $500 for each dependent child.

The first of these direct payments was made on September 17, and checks will be mailed starting on October 5. Residents of Colorado are eligible for $375 if they received at least one unemployment check between March 15, 2020, and October 24, 2020. Those who get more than $500 per week in unemployment benefits are ineligible.

Families in Maryland will receive $500, while those who applied for the Earned Income Tax Credit will receive $300, according to legislation enacted in the state. New Mexico also intends to provide $5 million to people who were not eligible for federal stimulus payments.

Residents who could not qualify for federal assistance, such as undocumented workers, are also receiving compensation from New York. You must be a New York resident and have earned less than $26,208 in the previous year to be eligible for this payment.

Throughout October, the New York City Artist Corps will deliver payment to artists in the state. Teachers and school workers are receiving special stimulus payments in several states.

Teachers and school officials in Florida are anticipated to earn a $1,000 incentive. In Georgia and Tennessee, school employees will receive a $1,000 benefit, while part-time instructors will receive $500.

School staff in Irving, Texas, will get a $2,000 stimulus payment when they return to the classroom in September. Employees in Denton will get a $500 bonus.

Teachers in Michigan are also receiving $500 "hazard pay" incentives. Farmworkers and meatpackers in Maryland may expect to receive part of the $700 million set aside to help them.

Workers at grocery stores will also benefit from a $20 million fund established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Finally, if the state holds any of their unclaimed money from stimulus checks or the Child Tax Credit, West Virginia residents can receive extra payments, as per The Sun.

Related Article: Are You Eligible For Extra $1,000 Stimulus Check Next Week? Here's What To Know!



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In a new lawsuit filed on behalf of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie is accused of being "vindictive and guilty of systematic obstruction."

Jolie is accused of attempting to cut Pitt out of a deal to sell her shares in the divorced couple's French estate and vineyard, Chateau Miraval in Correns, France, according to court papers filed in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

Miraval is owned by Quimicum, according to the complaint acquired by DailyMail.com, a company in which Brad Pitt previously held a 60 percent stake through his company Mondo Bongo and Jolie maintained a 40 percent stake through her company Nouvel.

Brad Pitt Sues Angelina Jolie

Pitt transferred ten percent of Mondo Bongo's shares to her firm, Nouvel, three years before he and Jolie parted up, giving them a 50/50 interest in Quimicum.

The ten percent transfer, however, is void since the shares were sold for just 1 Euro and not a serious sum as required by Luxembourg law, according to the complaint. The Chateau and the 1,000-acre estate it resides on near Aix-en-Provence were formerly the couple's getaway.

It was there that the pair decided to marry in a private ceremony in 2008, after meeting on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2004 when Brad Pitt was still married to Jennifer Anniston.

Now it's just another asset to fight over in a divorce that's been raging in the courts for years. It is worth about $164 million according to the lawsuit.

The complaint claims, however, that the 10% transfer from Mondo Bongo to Nouvel is illegal since the shares were "sold" for one Euro rather than a "significant" amount as required by Luxembourg law.

Despite this, the filings claim that the actress is attempting to sell her 50 percent interest without first obtaining Pitt's permission. It also says she's trying to benefit from Pitt and his business partners' "great amount of labor, time, and money," Express.co reported.

Read Also: Britney Spears, Sam Asghari Announce Engagement on Instagram; Octavia Spencer Says He Should Sign a Prenup

Ex-couple's long-running feud, custody battle

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce is on pace to be the most tumultuous and expensive in history. The long-running feud, which began in 2016, has seen the ex-lovers hurl insults in divorce court, costing them millions of dollars in legal fees.

The ex-couple began dating in 2005, married in 2014, then divorced two years later in 2016. Their divorce was completed in 2019, but the custody battle and financial asset dispute are still ongoing.

Per The Sun, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt divorced in 2016 after more than a decade of being together and two years of being married, with the split apparently coming out of nowhere. On the divorce papers, the actress stated that they had "irreconcilable differences" and wanted exclusive physical custody of their six children.

Since then, their separation has been tumultuous, with the couple presently locked in a contentious custody battle over five of their six children: Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 13 years old. Maddox is now 20 years old.

Brad's request for an emergency hearing to seal all papers pertaining to his custody lawsuit was refused in December 2016. The Fight Club star filed the petition to seal the records "because he wants to keep this custody fight out of the public eye to protect his children," a source told ET at the time.

Angelina Jolie's source informed ET that the actress was not attempting to make Brad seem bad. The team isn't opposed to the records being sealed, a source stated.

Related Article: Angelina Jolie Scores Victory Over Brad Pitt Divorce After Court Disqualifies Judge for Committing "Ethical Breach"



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United States President Joe Biden is faced with a plethora of challenges during his first United Nations General Assembly as the American representative and comes into the event with several controversies behind his back.

Some of the issues that the Democratic leader is struggling with include his decision to withdraw all American soldiers from Afghanistan, which resulted in the Taliban taking over the region. His response to the coronavirus pandemic has also been scrutinized by many for the lack of effective implementation.

Biden's First UN General Assembly

On Tuesday, Biden said, "This is the clear and urgent choice that we face here, at the dawning of what must be a decisive decade for our world, a decade that will quite literally determine our futures. As a global community, we are challenged by urgent and looming crises, wherein lie enormous opportunities if - if - we can summon the will, and resolve to seize these opportunities."

The president's commitments echo his previous promises during his 2020 campaign where he said he would deploy American leadership to assist in tackling global issues. Biden's statements suggested he would work together with allies and partners to address the problems, VOX reported.

During his address, Biden called on allies who were skeptical of his presidency in tackling global issues plaguing nations worldwide. He decried claims of military conflict and reassured that the United States was not seeking to go into a "new Cold War" against China.

Read Also: Joe Biden Says British Teen Harry Dunn's Case Being Worked On as He Meets With Boris Johnson in White House

However, while the Democratic U.S. president discussed the urgency of cooperating to tackle global issues, he avoided questions regarding his decision to pull American troops from Afghanistan. Biden also avoided addressing the United States' role in the botched nuclear submarine deal between Australia and France.

Biden used his time at the UN General Assembly to reassure international leaders that the United States remained an international partner after four years of "America First" policies made under former President Donald Trump's administration, the Associated Press reported.

Tackling Global Issues

During his speech, the Democrat said the American federal government was committed to opening a new era of relentless diplomacy. He said his administration would use the power of their development aid to invest in new ways of supporting people worldwide.

Biden said that no matter the difficulties or challenges that the U.S. could face, the government will help its people by delivering needed support. He later defended his withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan that it was his government's "tool of last resort."

The UN General Assembly is the latest test of Biden's credibility on the world stage amid several controversies. During the event, Chinese President Xi Jinping showed a prerecorded video, where he also addressed global issues and committed China's support for tackling the problems. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he received commitments from China and the United States about their views on addressing climate change.

During his address, Biden said that the future belonged to the nations who would give their people the ability to be free and not be suffocated by iron-handed authoritarianism. He argued that democracy would end if authoritarians were given more power, the New York Times reported.



Related Article: Joe Biden To Host the COVID-19 Summit; Vladimir Putin Does Not Have Any Plans To Attend

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Former President Trump filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against his niece, Mary Trump, as well as The New York Times and three of its reporters, alleging that they engaged in an insidious plot to gain access to sensitive records and were "motivated by a personal vendetta" for a 2018 story on his tax records.

The case was filed in Dutchess County, New York, and identified Times writers Susanne Craig, David Barstow, and Russell Buettner, who collaborated on a series in 2018 based on Trump's private tax and financial documents, which the former president has fought making public for years.

Mary Trump and three New York Times reporters - Susanne Craig, David Barstow, and Russell Buettner - were involved in an "insidious scheme and an extended battle" to acquire Trump's taxes, according to the complaint.

Mary Trump faces lawsuit after revealing uncles' tax returns

Craig, Barstow, and Buettner won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting in 2019 for their series of pieces that gave the public unparalleled access to the former president's finances, as per NBC News.

According to the complaint, Mary Trump revealed Trump's tax returns to The New York Times in her best-selling 2020 book "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man" and in media appearances. The book presents an authoritative portrayal of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that produced him, according to the daughter of Trump's brother, Fred Jr.

The paper's spokesperson told the Daily Beast on Tuesday night that "The New York Times' coverage of Donald Trump's taxes aided citizens by providing rigorous reporting on a topic of utmost public interest. We intend to firmly defend ourselves against this lawsuit, which is an effort to suppress independent news organizations."

A request for comment from the former president's spokesperson was not immediately returned. Mary Trump sued then-President Donald Trump, his sister, retired federal appeals court Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, and the executor of his brother Robert Trump's estate, who had died months before, shortly after the publication of her book, accusing them of allegedly stealing millions of dollars from her following the death of her father, Frederick Trump Jr., in 1981.

Read Also: Jen Psaki Dodges on Questions About Joe Biden's Honesty in Afghan Pullout; Claims President Has No Medical Issue Over Persistent Cough

Trump argues NY Times is also responsible of maliciously plotting against him

Although The New York Times did not sign a confidentiality agreement, Trump argues that they are also responsible because of their combined efforts in tortiously breaking or interfering with his contractual rights and generally maliciously plotting against him.

In April, Mary Trump said on a podcast that she was proud of her husband's financial documents being handed over to the newspaper. In May 2019, an analysis of his tax records revealed $1 billion in losses, contradicting his repeated claims of being a brilliant businessman.

Per Daily Mail, the 10 years of tax returns, from 1985 to 1994, revealed a total loss of $1.17 billion for the decade. According to the paper, Trump looked to have lost more money than nearly every other American taxpayer.

He lost so much money that for eight of the ten years he was able to avoid paying income taxes. The release of the tax records infuriated the then-president. He had long refused, as had all prior presidential candidates, to reveal his tax returns, claiming that he was being audited and that it was impossible to do so.

A year after giving over the damaging records, Mary, a professional psychologist, released Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man, a tell-all book about her family.

The book sold over 1.35 million copies in its first week, and she followed up in August with The Reckoning, a post-Trump followup. She has also filed a lawsuit against her uncle and two of his siblings, accusing them of stealing her fortune. The case is pending.

Related Article: Donald Trump To Announce 2024 Run for President Any Day From Now, Says GOP Rep. Jim Jordan



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After his Liberal Party won a third straight term to form a government in Monday's national election, Justin Trudeau was re-elected as Prime Minister of Canada.

But, unlike when he became Canada's 23rd prime minister in 2015, Trudeau will lead a minority government, as he has done since the previous federal election in 2019. The Liberals won 158 of the 338 federal ridings on Monday night, falling short of the 170 seats required for a majority government.

When Trudeau called the national vote on August 15, he claimed he wanted a clear mandate to lead Canada through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Liberals will have to collaborate with other progressive parties in the House of Commons to pass legislation during the next two years, Big News Network reported.

Trudeau fails to get the majority

The New Democratic Party, which appears to have gained two seats in addition to the 24 it won in 2019, was a majority government with the Liberals in the previous parliament.

The Bloc Quebecois, a nationalist party that advocates sovereignty in Quebec's French-speaking province and which was on track to win 31 seats on Monday, would remain firm that any partnership with the ruling Liberals must take Quebecers' interests into account.

Per NDTV, four senior Liberals said there was no evidence of a planned effort to depose Trudeau, who has exerted tight control over a party that has been plagued by infighting in the past. However, falling short of his objective in his third election placed immediate doubt on his leadership's future and may prompt him to resign on his own.

For more than a century, no prime leader has won four elections in a row. In 1979, Trudeau's father attempted but failed. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, both heavyweight cabinet members, are potential successors.

Trudeau, a charismatic progressive and the son of previous Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was elected Prime Minister of Canada in 2015. However, after six years in government, people had become tired of the Liberal leader.

Three well-placed sources say Justin Trudeau called a quick vote after opposition MPs rejected his budget and other legislation during a tense June session. Others said Trudeau and his inner circle were unaware that the individuals they'd need to manage the campaign were weary from battling COVID-19 for 15 months.

A second Liberal stated halfway through that campaign workers were "just so tired, they don't care if they win or lose." Cameron Ahmad, a spokesperson for Trudeau, responded by saying that "campaign workers worked tremendously hard every step of the way, as they always do." He didn't respond to concerns regarding Trudeau's future or if calling an early election was a mistake.

Read Also: China's Xi Jinping Vows To Halt Building Coal-Burning Power Plants Abroad Ahead of Climate Talks

PM Modi congratulates Trudeau

Meanwhile, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his return to the office on Wednesday, September 22. In a nail-biting election on Tuesday, Canada's Liberal Party retained power, and Trudeau is ready to take the oath for the third time.

PM Modi congratulated his Canadian counterpart in a tweet and stated that he looks forward to continuing to work with his government to enhance bilateral ties, as per Republic World.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Party's victory has cleared the way for 17 Indian-origin Canadians to achieve success, including NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan. Jagmeet Singh was elected to the Burnaby South seat with over 40% of the vote.

With 49% of the vote, Harjit Sajjan won the Vancouver-South seat for the second time. He received even more votes than he did in his last convincing win. With approximately 46% of the vote, Anand, who is presently the Minister of Vaccines, won the Oakville seat.

Anita Anand was a rookie MP when she was appointed, according to City News Toronto, after winning in 2019. "I'm just ecstatic," she said, thanking the volunteers for their "extremely hard work as a team for five weeks straight."

Related Article: Canadians Mourn as 160 More Graves of Indigenous Residents Found in Unmarked Graves



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Prince Charles recounted one of his final conversations with his father on the day before Prince Philip's sad death in April.

Prince Charles said on the new BBC documentary Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, which will screen on Wednesday evening, that he and his father were discussing arrangements for Prince Philip's impending 100th birthday in June when the Duke of Edinburgh reacted with his trademark quick wit.

Prince Philip's last words to Prince Charles

The documentary was initially planned as part of the Duke's 100th birthday celebrations and was filmed in early 2021. It was changed following Philip's death on April 9, at the age of 99, and now includes interviews with his family, both before and after his death.

The Queen and Prince Philip's children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward, as well as the couple's adult grandchildren, all attended.

The Duke's family has shared several lovely and amusing tales about him, emphasizing Philip's sense of humor and his fondness for practical jokes, as per Hello Magazine.

Senior members of the Royal Family have come together in an unusual show of unity to share memories of the late Duke of Edinburgh's domestic side, and in a sneak peek clip shared by Clarence House today, Philip, a young Charles, and Princess Anne can be seen riding bicycles as their aunt, Princess Margaret, chases after them.

Per Daily Mail, Prince Charles comments about his late father in the BBC program that he was "amazing at arranging silly games."

Read Also: Prince Andrew Faces Mounting Pressure in Sexual Assault Lawsuit; Duke Remains Hiding, Misses Meeting New Granddaughter

Anti-monarchy organizations target Prince Charles

Prince Charles is facing a "new battle" as he becomes the latest target of anti-monarchy organizations, with billboards declaring that "Wales doesn't need a prince" appearing across South Wales.

Billboards have appeared in major cities like Cardiff, Swansea, and Aberdare. The anti-monarchist group "Republic" began the movement, which has gathered popularity in recent months.

The Welsh republican movement is deeply entrenched in Wales, and it has gained traction in recent years as a result of the family's turbulent scandals. For many republicans in Wales, the royal institution is a visible expression of English domination over Wales, not merely a source of money and rank, as per Express.co.

However, Wales' reputation in the United Kingdom has altered since Prince Charles' investiture at Caernarfon Castle. Wales received a devolved government in 1999, giving the country more control over its people, and the Queen called it a "moment of renewal for Wales."

The cash-for-honors controversy comes after 'The Crown' caused a rating drop in support for Prince Charles as a future monarch. Since December 2020, more people in the United Kingdom believe the Prince of Wales would make a poor monarch than a good one, according to YouGov.

It also comes after three employees at his charity, the Prince's Foundation, resigned after accusations that a Saudi billionaire was promised assistance in obtaining a knighthood and British citizenship in exchange for donations.

In June 2020, 38 percent of respondents thought the next-in-line to the throne would be a great leader, compared to 30% who did not, as per Newsweek via MSN. However, Princess Diana's bulimia was shown by Emma Corrin in Season Four of the Netflix series 'The Crown' in November, while Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor) had an affair behind her back.

Only a month later, UK pollster YouGov found that 32 percent of people believed he would make a suitable king, while 33 percent did not. The program swept the Emmys on Sunday, taking home 11 awards, including outstanding actor in a drama for O'Connor, who portrays Prince Charles in a rage at one point.

And there's more on the way for Prince Charles, as Netflix is set to broadcast two more seasons of 'The Crown,' including one next year that will depict some of the most tumultuous moments in their relationship's breakdown.

Related Article: Two More Staff of Prince Charles' Charity Resign Over Misconduct Activity Linked To Russian Tycoon's Donation



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FBI tipster Jessica Schultz just shared new details on how she managed to point the police into the direction of 22-year-old Gabby Petito's remains.

While speaking with San Francisco Chronicle, Schultz detailed how she saw a man that looked like Brian Laundrie driving around the campsite in Wyoming where Petito's body was found.

The tipster said that she first chanced upon what looked like Laundrie's van on August 26. According to Schultz, the man that looked like Laundrie was driving very slowly; that's why she was forced to overtake him.

And when she looked behind, she saw the man's white van pulling over in an area that's not known to be a designated pull-out. Schultz also said that the man didn't have any companion in his vehicle.

The tipster once again saw the exact same vehicle on August 27 and August 28, but the van is empty this time around. When she looked closely, she noticed a straw hat on the dashboard, and it looked like the same straw hat featured in the news.

Following the sighting, Schultz immediately urged the FBI to look at Spread Creek, and it was there that they found human remains that were consistent with Petito's description.

Read Also: Gabby Petito's Fiance Brian Laundrie Missing After Going On A Hike; Police Share Theory About What Could've Happened

FBI tipster thanked for leading the FBI to Gabby Petito's remains

Two days after the body was found, the FBI confirmed that the remains belonged to the missing woman. They also confirmed the cause of death to be a homicide.

After Petito's deceased body was found, Schultz said that an FBI agent thanked her for her help.

"[The agency] talked to hundreds of people, but you guys are the ones that really tipped us off to the right place. We're triumphant. We were right and we led them in the right direction," she told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Where is Brian Laundrie?

As of late, police officers are still looking for Laundrie, who was named a person of interest in Petito's death. His family previously told officers that he went on a hike last week but has not returned home.

While he was away, the FBI searched Laundrie's home for possible clues regarding his fiancee's disappearance. They were able to seize computers, hard drives, and other items from the property.

According to the BBC, authorities have been searching for Laundrie in the 24,000-acre nature reserve, where they believed him to have gone on a hike. However, they were not in luck in finding him.

The officers initially said they decided to conclude their search for Laundrie because they had already exhausted all avenues in searching the area.

On Tuesday, NBC New York confirmed that the search for Laundrie has once again commenced.

Gabby Petito's family in mourning following her untimely demise

Meanwhile, Petito's family is mourning the death of the travel vlogger who went on a cross-country trip with Laundrie in June.

Petito's mom confirmed that she last spoke with her daughter on August 25. That's why she was alarmed when Laundrie returned home on September 1 without the 22-year-old.

Related Article: Gabby Petito's Mom Details The 'Odd' Text Message She Received Days Before Brian Laundrie Returned Home Without Her Daughter

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Australian residents were sent into distress on Wednesday morning after a 5.9 earthquake rocked the region, which is the second-biggest quake in the nation's history, and caused the ground to shake in Melbourne.

Authorities did not receive any immediate reports of people getting injured from the incident that occurred shortly after 9:00 a.m. The earthquake had a depth of about 10 kilometers, the United States Geological Survey said in a statement. Officials reassured that there was no threat of a potential tsunami following the incident.

Powerful Earthquake in Australia

Officials recorded the epicenter of the earthquake to be south of Mount Buller, which is located roughly 90 miles northeast of Melbourne. Photographs showed the extent of the damage of the earthquake with one building in Melbourne having its bricks littered across a street.

One Melbourne woman who was a resident of Carrum Downs said that when felt the earthquake, she immediately ran out of her house in distress. During an interview, the woman said that she saw the walls of her home moving due to the strength of the quake, NBC News reported.

After the incident, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was in Washington, D.C. at the time of the quake, said that he was told there were no reports of serious injuries. "It can be a very disturbing event, an earthquake of this nature. They are very rare events in Australia, and as a result, I am sure people would have been quite distressed and disturbed," Morrison said.

Read Also: 'Havana Syndrome' Diplomats Pressure Blinken of Worsening Effects of Stigma and Disbelief as Symptoms Observed in CIA Official

The Victorian State Emergency Service's (VICSES News) Twitter account posted an update on Wednesday morning saying that the epicenter of the quake was near Mansfield in the state of Victoria. The Australian government initially recorded the incident with a magnitude of 6.0 but later downgraded it to a 5.9, which was in line with the report from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Videos captured footage of the aftermath of the earthquake and showed power lines disrupted in the central business district of Melbourne, which is the second-largest city in Australia. The footage showed residents on the streets after the earthquake sent them running into open areas, CNN reported.

Strength of the Shaking

Due to the strength of the earthquake, the shaking was felt all the way over at the city of Adelaide, located 800 kilometers west. Australia is not usually hit with earthquakes due to its position in the middle of the Indo-Australian Tectonic Plate.

The only quake stronger than the recent incident was the one in 1988 that shook Tennant Creek with a magnitude of 6.6. However, the Melbourne earthquake was stronger than the one in 1989, a magnitude of 5.6, which killed 13 people.

The incident occurred as anti-lockdown protesters were expected to rally in Melbourne on Wednesday, marking the third day of civil unrest that has resulted in rising levels of violence and police response against civilians.

The earthquake also occurred while Surgeon Sameer Thakur was performing a heart bypass operation in Geelong, which was near Melbourne. In an interview, he said that he and his team were in the crucial part of the surgery when they felt the operating table move, BBC reported.



Related Article: Autopsy Confirms Gabby Petito's Body Found in Wyoming, Death Ruled Homicide While Search for Brian Laundrie Intensifies

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Pope Francis recently made shocking claims while in a meeting with 53 Jesuits in Slovakia. The meeting reportedly took place last month, but the Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolica only published their transcription this week.

Pope Francis has fully recovered from his colon surgery

During the meeting, one of the Jesuits asked Pope Francis to give them an update about his health. On July 4, he underwent colon surgery and was hospitalized for 11 days, but he has since recovered fully.

"Still alive although some people wanted me dead. I know that there were even meetings between prelates who thought that the pope was in a more serious condition than was being said. They were preparing the conclave (to elect a new pope). So be it. Thank God, I am well," he said via La Civilta Cattolica.

Did Pope Francis slam EWTN?

The pope was also asked to share how he overcame the division within the Catholic church and the people who looked at him with suspicion.

Pope Francis revealed that there is a large Catholic television channel that continuously criticizes him on air. He did not namedrop the network, but the American Magazine is convinced that he's talking about EWTN.

After all, during last month's meeting, the pope said he had already spoken to the channel. And three Vatican officials confirmed that Pope Francis also said the same thing when he met with journalists on his flight from Rome to Baghdad.

At the time, a reporter and cameraman from EWTN told the pope that they prayed for him. Pope Francis replied by saying that EWTN's founder, Mother Angelica must have also been praying for him in heaven.

He then referenced the entire network and said they should stop talking about him negatively if this were the case.

Read Also: Pope Francis Undergoes Intestinal Surgery; Vatican Releases Written Statement

Pope Francis also receives criticisms from clerics because of his controversial stand on issues

EWTN and its associated publications have been critical of Pope Francis and his controversial stand on social issues like immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and more.

However, they are not the only network that has been attacking the pope.

"There are also clerics who make nasty comments about me. I sometimes lose patience, especially when they make judgments without entering into a real dialogue. I can't do anything there. However, I go on without entering their world of ideas and fantasies. I don't want to enter it and that's why I prefer to preach," he said.

Pope Francis admitted that the baseless criticisms sometimes leave him feeling annoyed.

"I sometimes lose patience, especially when they make judgments without entering into a real dialogue. I can't do anything there. However, I go on without entering their world of ideas and fantasies," he said while at the meeting.

He also stressed that the Catholic church teaches the homosexual tendencies are not sinful, but homosexual acts are. But unlike the other popes that came before him, he's the one who has been most conciliatory towards gay individuals.

Related Article: Pope Francis Supports Same-Sex Union, Says Civil Union Law Should Be Passed

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Lava continues to flow through the island of La Palma days following a volcanic eruption.

According to ABC News, more than 7,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. And about 400 tourists have also been sent to the island of Tenerife to evacuate.

As of late, 180 buildings have already been destroyed by the volcanic eruption that opened four new fissures along the mountainside that are moving in two different directions.

The fissures moving in the north are going towards the Todoque village, and there are predictions that the lava will destroy the entire village by Wednesday, Sept. 23.

The other fissures moving towards the direction of the ocean could cause an even bigger problem because once the molten hot lava hits the waters, a thermal shock may be released. And this will also release clouds of toxic gas and bring acid rain to the Canary Islands.

Acabo de hablar @avtorresp Presidente Canarias p/ expresar nuestra solidaridad total con region tras la erupcion del volcan



#Copernicus activado

Proteccion Civil preparada por si es necesario

Fondo de Solidaridad UE puede apoyar la reconstruccion#SolidariedadEuropea pic.twitter.com/Wk2c4vyDEj  Elisa Ferreira (@ElisaFerreiraEC) September 21, 2021

The regional leader of the Canaries, Angel Victor Torres Perez, posted on Twitter that emergency crews are working vigorously to evacuate those who need to seek shelter.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hopes they could recover from the volcanic eruption

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also released a statement while at a press conference this week saying that the management of the crisis does not end when the lava reaches the sea. Sanchez added that the management of the situation would end when La Palma recovers its normality and, with the involvement of the different administrations, everything that the volcano and lava, unfortunately, has destroyed or will destroy is rebuilt.

Read Also: La Palma Residents Urged To Evacuate Following Massive Volcano Eruption; No Injuries Recorded

Volcano eruption surprised residents because it didn't show any activity

Over the weekend, residents of La Palma were also urged to evacuate their homes due to the massive volcanic eruption.

Washington Post reported that 5,000 residents were already evacuated from their homes after the eruption sent red hot molten lava streams toward the neighborhood. Persons with disabilities were also removed from their homes even before the eruption took place.

According to reports, the volcano didn't show any signs of activity in the days leading up to the eruption. However, authorities confirmed that they detected over 22,000 tremors around the volcanic region in one week.

No fatalities expected amid ongoing volcanic eruption in La Palma

Earlier this week, volcanologist Nemesio Perez said that there would be no fatalities as long as all residents exercised extreme caution. And as of this writing, no fatalities have been recorded.

As of late, it is still unclear when the volcano would stop erupting, but it could most likely last for weeks or even months. Previous volcanic eruptions also lasted that long, so La Palma residents are still at risk of losing their homes if they still haven't.

Last Sunday's volcanic eruption in La Palma was also the first on the island for almost half a century.

James Longman, who is covering the volcanic eruption on location, called it extraordinary.

"We're just a few hundred feet from the actual volcano. It's just one of the fissures. I'm not sure if you can tell but we are being rained on with ash," he said in a report in ABC News via Youtube.

Related Article: Experts Say There's No Way To Predict Super Volcano Eruption

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Rumors are claiming that Zidovudine, more commonly known as AZT, was the leading cause of death among AIDS patients during the rampant spread of the disease and criticized the top infectious disease expert in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, for recommending the treatment.

AZT was the first HIV drug that the Food and Drug Administration approved in 1987, which caused controversies due to its fast-track approval and toxicity. The origin of the claims that the drug was the leading cause of deaths among AIDS patients was a speculative quote by an AIDS denialist written in an article in 1989 about the drug.

AIDS Controversy Regarding Fauci

Being the spokesperson on AIDS for the federal government at the time of the epidemic, Fauci promoted Zidovudine to patients. Patients received the drug from doctors during the early years of HIV treatment due to the scarce supply of the drug.

The rumors are fueled by an image of a younger Fauci speaking on C-SPAN and gives out unsupported claims about the early use of the drug. While it used the 1989 article as a source, it did not mention or use the document's content as evidence for the claims criticizing Fauci, Health Feedback reported.

On top of its fast-track approval and toxicity, Zidovudine was also criticized by many due to its cost, which would cost patients $8,000 per year, which, at the time, was a significant amount of money. The drug's side effects were also a cause for concern for many patients, which varied from person to person. Some may experience weight gain, nausea, vomiting, and anemia.

Read Also: 'Havana Syndrome' Diplomats Pressure Blinken of Worsening Effects of Stigma and Disbelief as Symptoms Observed in CIA Official

The first claim that the AZT drug could have caused the deaths of many AIDS patients came from Dr. Harvey Bialy, who was an AIDS denialist. The medical professional was interviewed and asked his stance about the possibility of the treatment killing people instead of the disease. After he was asked, Bialy answered by saying, "It's more than possible."

The attack on Fauci's credibility comes as another claim against the top infectious disease expert who says he was the infamous AIDS 'Patient Zero'. An image of a newspaper in a May 23 Instagram post wrote that the medical expert was the "man who gave us AIDS," USA Today reported.

Attacks on the Top Infectious Disease Expert

While the New York Post headline seen in the viral post was a real one published in 1987, the image of Fauci was digitally altered into the photo. It was later revealed that archived photos showed the same picture but no Fauci.

Despite the controversies and rumors surrounding Fauci's role in the AIDS epidemic, the top infectious disease expert recalled the tragic time of the health crisis. "I got chills up and down my spine. I said to myself, 'Oh, my God, this has to be a new disease,'" he said.

At the time, Fauci believed the disease to be the cause of a virus and not a bacteria because it was elusive and avoided experts. The medical professional and his colleagues initially assumed that the virus was zoonotic, which means it originated from animals because the majority of all human infections share that trait, National Geographic reported.

Related Article: Trump Alleges Coronavirus Leaked From China As Classified Intelligence Reports Numerous Body Bags Seen Outside Wuhan Lab

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Joe Biden recently met up with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for a 90-minuute discussion at the White House.

Prior to the meeting, there were expectations that the two leaders would discuss a post-Brexit free trade deal between the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, Biden said that he and Johnson need to talk about the matter a little bit more.

"We're going to have to work that through," he said (via the BBC).

United Kingdom believes a deal with the United States is necessary

Despite a lack of decision, Downing Street stressed that a direct deal with the United States is their top priority.

The United Kingdom is also determined to strike free trade deals with other countries after leaving the European Union's single market recent. Having a deal would encourage businesses in the U.K. and the U.S. to sell products at a much lower price and reduce or remove taxes.

Johnson acknowledged that Americans negotiate very hard that's why there's a need for further discussion between him and Biden.

While speaking with Sky News, environment secretary George Eustice that he's still hoping for an agreement between the two nations.

"We still very much hope to be able to put together an agreement with the United States. We are not putting timescales on it. It's just not a priority for the US administration," he told Sky News.

Other than the post-Brexit free trade, Biden and Johnson also discussed the climate change, the recent events in Afghanistan, and Northern Ireland.

Read Also: Joe Biden Discuss Military Withdrawal In Afghanistan With Boris Johnson; World Allies Express Concerns At US President's Poor Communication

Joe Biden slammed for refusing to answer reporters' questions

Meanwhile, Biden also made headlines following his meeting with Johnson amid reports that he ignored US reporters that wanted to ask him question.

While Johnson was responding to questions from two British reporters about the accords with Northern Ireland, US reporters were shepherded out of the room before they could even ask Biden questions.

Several reporters took their thoughts to Twitter to criticize Biden.

IN THE PRESIDENT'S OVAL OFFICE: Boris Johnson recognized two British reporters for questions. Joe Biden then signaled it was time for the press to leave, without taking any questions from his own press corps. - Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) September 21, 2021

Steven Portnoy said that Biden signaled that it was time for the press to leave that's why they were escorted out of the room.

Not good, folks https://t.co/9mN15mZL9y - Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) September 21, 2021

Washington Post reporter Seung-Min Kim also slammed Biden's bold move.

A chaotic scene in the Oval Office today as Boris Johnson unexpectedly took questions from British reporters, and White House aides shouted over American reporters as we tried to ask Biden questions https://t.co/2wus2ilX0F - Andrew Restuccia (@AndrewRestuccia) September 21, 2021

Andrew Restuccia also called the incident at the Oval Office chaotic.

As of late, it is unclear why Biden refused to take questions from US reporters, but this isn't the first time that this happened.

Last month, the POTUS addressed the response to Hurricane Ida while at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington D.C.

Following his speech, reporters tried asking Biden questions and he told them that he's not supposed to take any.

"I'm not supposed to take any questions, but go ahead," @POTUS told me at FEMA HQ. I asked if there's still an acute risk at the Kabul airport. "I'm not going to answer on Afghanistan," he said. pic.twitter.com/fZ8WL9gfWI - Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 29, 2021

But when Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Jacobs asked Biden about Afghanistan, he immediately said that he won't answer anything related to the matter.

According to Fox News, the POTUS has faced criticisms over his refusal to respond to important matters affecting the country.

Related Article: Joe Biden, Boris Johnson To Sign New Atlantic Charter; To Pledge Restart US-UK Air Travel 'As Soon As Possible'

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The conventional submarine deal that was ditched when the US offered nuclear weapons to Australia caused a fallout in France's relations over the broken agreement. When the European Union is backing Australian Prime Minister Macron, who deserved to let grievances be heard as a member.

Continual fallout from how the White House handled the Aukus deal added to the Afghan debacle is what has been happening with US Foreign policy.

France-Australia tension escalates over broken deal

For some, the European Union sticking up for a fellow member France should not have interfered with the two countries row over the Aukus, reported the Express UK.

Since 2018, there have been talks over trade with the EU and Australia. But, France feels Australia just broke the deal by choosing another offer from the US.

The lucrative deal said observers might be lost because the Union might have to pay the price, dropping the agreement altogether.

Neither French President Emmanuel Macron nor Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is backing down from their stands, which will heat tension between the two.

It seems that Paris won't let Canberra off the hook when signing the Aukus deal for new nuclear subs. The problem is that Australia had signed the agreement but pulled out fast without consultation at the last minute. The European Union backing Macron is not surprising, and it's looking out for your own.

Read Also: Ex-Australian PM Blasts Trilateral Nuclear Submarine Deal With US, UK; Doubts Biden's Credibility To Stand Up to China

France not happy with UK betrayal

France's Defence Minister, Florence Parly, has ditched talks with Ben Wallace, her counterpart in the UK. The reason is the security agreement with the US and UK that led to the previous agreement's abandonment.

But the UK PM Boris Johnson said that Paris need not worry over the Aukus deal in one interview.

His comment was enough to set off the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who took to remarking in barbed tones over the betrayal by an ally. PM Johnson was called an opportunist as a member of the deal, adding the UK is a permanent opportunist, noted the Financial Times.

FM Le Drian added more to his opinions about the AUKUS deal, saying it was a deception by Canberra with a major loss of trust and worse in the contempt exhibited against France goodwill. Nothing is okay, and they caused a crisis.

The Aussie PM Scott Morrison gave reasons for not continuing the deal or upholding the French submarine. He said that it was in the national interest to consider the national security of his country. He added that France's submarines, which are Attack-class subs that will not be sufficient for their initiatives, cited Defense Connect.

Australia's interests are tantamount, which is a crucial strategic decision. The dropped deal signed by the two nations is worth A$50bn (26.47bn) to build 12 non-nuke subs that were negotiated for five years.

AUKUS deal comes packaged with eight nuclear submarines for the US and UK that edged out the French offer. It would be worthy to note that the former deal was ten times costlier than the competing US offer, which would have increased the EU GDP very much. Morrison took the cheaper offer and broke a commitment to an ally nation.

The European Union backing Macron might lose the sub deal, but Australia loses a market for the meat and dairy products. Both lost something, but the loss of trust is the worst casualty.

Related Article: EU Needs to Develop Own Army After AUKUS Deal Casts Division With US Alliance

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.




The video featuring K-pop sensations BTS performing "Permission to Dance," one of their hit singles, at the United Nations headquarters has exceeded 12 million views on YouTube, becoming the most viewed clip on the UN channel.







The video that was uploaded at the UN's official YouTube channel Monday has racked up 12.7 million views as of 8:00 p.m. Wednesday.







South Korean superband BTS addressed the U.N. General Assembly Monday and praised the world's young people for welcoming the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.







To close, the group played a video of the septet performing "Permission to Dance," in and outside the U.N. headquarters. In the clip, the members appear one by one in the same hall where they gave the speech and together dance out into the open air.







With Manhattan's towering skyscrapers in the background, they then break into their perfectly synchronized dance moves before being joined by a throng of people from different nations to perform the sign language used in the song.







This is the third year the K-pop sensation has addressed the U.N. General Assembly. (Yonhap)


A man walks past the Evergrande Center in Shanghai, China, Tuesday. EPA-Yonhap



KOSPI apt to stumble after holiday amid bitcoin fall



By Lee Min-hyung



Korean stock markets  which were closed for the nationwide Chuseok holiday break  will experience corrections due to the rising default risk by China's Evergrande Group whose debt crisis has jolted global equity markets. However, the impact of the "Evegrande risk" should be short-lived, as key outstanding issues have already been factored in, analysts said Wednesday.



The benchmark KOSPI and secondary Kosdaq will resume trading Thursday after a three-day break. Wall Street and European investors were briefly weighed down by the risks from Evergrande's possible debt woes, dragging down major indices. Major European bourses, however, rebounded from losses Wednesday (KST), although the NYSE failed to do so.



Chinese shares decreased less than expected the same day as investors digested the news that Evegrande had discussed a coupon repayment with its bondholders. Despite these mixed global outcomes, persistent concerns about Evegrande issues could be a burden on the local equity market.



In addition, a sharp decline in the real value of major cryptocurrencies created downward pressure on the local stock markets. As of 2 p.m., Wednesday, bitcoin was traded at around 52 million won ($43,900) on the Bithumb exchange. Bitcoin has continued to drop since ending its upward momentum Saturday, as the Evergrande-sparked fear has weakened investor sentiment worldwide, resulting in a steep fall in the crypto market here.










Korea's top financial regulator on Wednesday called for strengthening the monitoring of financial markets on concerns about a potential default by debt-laden property developer China Evergrande Group.







Global financial markets were rattled this week over concerns that Evergrande may default on its debt. The debt-stricken developer said Wednesday it has agreed to a deal with local bondholders to settle interest payments, which helped ease fears about an imminent possible default by the group.







Koh Seung-beom, chief of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), instructed officials to beef up the monitoring of financial markets over the development of Evergrande's debt problems.







"Many experts viewed that there appears to be a limited possibility that Evergrande's debt issue could develop into systemic risks in global financial markets," Koh said at a meeting with senior government officials.







He also called for measures to minimize investors' damage as financial regulators are set to enforce tougher rules on cryptocurrency exchanges.







By Friday, both foreign and local cryptocurrency exchanges targeting Korean investors must register with the nation's anti-money laundering body and have real-name bank accounts.







If they have no real-name bank accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges will be banned from withdrawing money for cryptocurrency trading. (Yonhap)


President Moon Jae-in addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Tuesday (EST). Yonhap



Unresponsive Pyongyang, Washington-Beijing rivalry stymie talks



By Nam Hyun-woo



President Moon Jae-in once again renewed his call for a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War in an effort to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, but the feasibility of his proposal is questionable, given the state of relations between the two Koreas and the U.S.



During a speech at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Tuesday (EST), Moon proposed a trilateral or quadrilateral declaration to proclaim a formal end to the Korean War.



The war ended in an armistice signed in 1953 by the U.S.-led United Nations Command, China and North Korea, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war.



"Today, I once again urge the community of nations to mobilize its strengths for the end-of-war declaration on the Korean Peninsula, and propose that the three parties of the two Koreas and the U.S., or the four parties of the two Koreas, the U.S. and China, come together and declare that the war on the Korean Peninsula is over," Moon said.



"When the parties involved in the Korean War stand together and proclaim an end to the war, I believe we can make irreversible progress in denuclearization and usher in an era of complete peace," he added.



Unlike a peace treaty, which requires parliamentary level approval, an end-of-war declaration would be a non-binding political statement, thus an easier step for both Washington and Pyongyang.



Due to the relative ease of signing such a declaration, President Moon has been championing the idea since 2018, when inter-Korean relations were at their best in recent years, saying that it would serve as a gateway to peace on the peninsula. He officially proposed the declaration to the international community during last year's U.N. General Assembly. At the time, he did not clarify who should make the declaration, but this time, he specified that the two Koreas, the U.S. and even China could be involved.









As the President has now specified which countries could be involved in signing the declaration, this proposal is being interpreted as an attempt to find a breakthrough in the inter-Korean stalemate during his presidency, which will end in May next year.





A missile being launched from a train in an undisclosed location in North Korea is seen in this photo released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, Sept. 16. Yonhap



However, Moon's proposal seems unfeasible, considering that inter-Korean relations are deadlocked with the North seemingly continuing on with its nuclear program, while remaining silent toward repeated calls for talks from South Korea and the U.S.



Recent developments in the missile programs of both Koreas are also against the peace narrative that Moon is pitching. On Sept. 15, the South Korean Navy successfully test-fired a domestically developed, submarine-launched, ballistic missile, while on the same day, North Korea launched a ballistic missile from a train, signs that the two Koreas are trying to show each other their military strength.



The conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) criticized Moon's proposal, saying that peace cannot be achieved through a declaration, but must come through North Korea taking action to show its commitment to denuclearization.



"The North fired cruise and ballistic missiles from a train less than 10 days ago," PPP vice spokesperson Kim Yeon-joo said in a written commentary. "This act reveals that the Korean Peninsula's situation has not changed, despite the three inter-Korean summits and two Pyongyang-Washington summits under the Moon government," Kim said, adding that Moon did not mention anything about the North's missile launches during his U.N. speech.



Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the PPP, who is a former North Korean diplomat, also said that an end-of-war declaration should be considered only after North Korea makes a meaningful move towards denuclearization.



"So far this year, North Korea has begun carrying out its nuclear program as planned by restarting its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and by test-firing ballistic missiles. With North Korea escalating its nuclear threat, an end-of-war declaration will only cause North Korea to misbelieve that it may see the withdrawal of the U.S. Forces Korea from the Korean Peninsula," Tae said.





U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Tuesday. Reuters-Yonhap
People wait to take COVID-19 tests at a testing site set up at a public health center in Jeju, Wednesday. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



Concerns are growing over the possibility of the current fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic worsening, as the number of infections is feared to surge again following family gatherings during the Chuseok holidays.



While infections in Seoul and the surrounding area still account for 77 percent of the nation's total, a further spike in cases in areas outside of the capital area is expected, as many residents of the Seoul metropolitan area visited their hometowns during the holiday period.



According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Wednesday, the number of daily new infection cases during the holiday period, from Saturday to Tuesday, ranged between 1,604 and 1,909, which is much higher than the range of 1,375-1,485, which has been tallied on weekends for the past month before the holidays.






President Moon Jae-in bumps elbows with Cytiva CEO Emmanuel Ligner, left, who submitted a $52.5-million investment plan to Korea, during a signing ceremony for a South Korea-U.S. global vaccine partnership in New York, Tuesday. On the right is Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo. Yonhap



By Kwon Mee-yoo



President Moon Jae-in made progress in COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy during his visit to the U.S., taking one more step towards Korea becoming a vaccine production hub. Moon secured more vaccines for Korea's residents and in return, pledged to donate others to developing countries. Moon took part in a Korea-U.S. global vaccine partnership signing ceremony in New York, Tuesday, attracting a $52.5-million investment from U.S. vaccine material producer Cytiva.



This time is the first time that an overseas vaccine material producer has invested in Korea. Cytiva has the second-largest biopharmaceutical production capacity in the world.



Cytiva will make the investment from 2022 to 2024, with a plan to produce disposable cell culture fluid, an essential material for vaccine production, in short supply due to the pandemic, in Korea.



"Cytiva's investment is expected to establish a stable supply chain for vaccine materials and to contribute to Korea's plan to become a global vaccine hub," the Ministry of Health and Welfare said in a statement.



The vaccine partnership was first discussed during the summit between Moon and U.S. President Joe Biden in May, and the ceremony showed the fruits of the past four months of efforts towards scientific and technological cooperation. Korea and the U.S. also signed eight MOUs between vaccine-related companies and research institutes during the ceremony.











Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol speaks during a briefing on the South Korea-U.S. global vaccine partnership at a hotel in New York, Tuesday. Yonhap


Korea will receive 1 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines from Britain in their bilateral vaccine swap deal, health authorities said Wednesday.







The Korean government inked the agreement on vaccine swap cooperation with Britain earlier in the day and the two sides are in talks over supply details, according to the pan-government task force on COVID-19 vaccines.







The Pfizer vaccines are likely to gradually land here starting Saturday and Korea will return the same amount of borrowed vaccines to Britain in December.







The vaccine swap deal came as President Moon Jae-in and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the issue during their summit talks on Monday (local time) in New York on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session.







With the doses from Britain, South Korea plans to administer the second shots of vaccines to those aged between 18 and 49 and people in their 50s as the country has accelerated its vaccination drive.







A total of 36.5 million people, or 71.2 percent of the country's population, have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines, and 22.2 million people, or 43.2 percent, have been fully vaccinated, according to health authorities. (Yonhap)


President Moon Jae-in speaks during the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded message, Sept. 21, at U.N. headquarters in New York City. AP-Yonhap



South Korean President Moon Jae-in suggested once again in his United Nations speech Tuesday that the two Koreas and the United States, probably joined by China, declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.



"I propose that three parties of the two Koreas and the U.S., or four parties of the two Koreas, the U.S. and China come together and declare that the War on the Korean Peninsula is over," he said, addressing the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly here.



"When the parties involved in the Korean War stand together and proclaim an end to the War, I believe we can make irreversible progress in denuclearization and usher in an era of complete peace."



Declaring an end to the war will "mark a pivotal point of departure in creating a new order of 'reconciliation and cooperation' on the Korean Peninsula," he added.



It marked his last speech at the annual U.N. session, with his single five-year tenure slated to finish in early May 2022.



His proposal for such a declaration was not new. He made the offer during his U.N. General Assembly speech in 2018 and last year.



But this year's offer was delivered in a stronger tone and more specifically.



He asked the world to explore ways for cooperation.






President Moon Jae-in, right, speaks during his summit talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session. Yonhap



South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his government will provide Vietnam with at least 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines within next month, Cheong Wa Dae said.



He unveiled the plan during his summit talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee.



Moon said South Korea plans to give Vietnam 1 million vaccine doses, or more, in October while pointing out that the two countries have tried to overcome the coronavirus together from an initial phase, sharing relevant materials.



It would represent South Korea's first direct provision of vaccine to a foreign nation, except for financial support through the COVAX program.










Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), and his fellow lawmakers left for the United States on Wednesday, a visit that comes months ahead of South Korea's next presidential election.







Lee and six other PPP lawmakers are on a weeklong trip that will also take them to New York and Los Angeles, where they plan to meet various U.S. officials and representatives of the overseas Korean community in America.







Before departing for Washington, Lee said he plans to discuss a slew of key issues, including South Korea's diplomacy with the U.S., when he meets with senior U.S. officials.







"The Moon Jae-in government's North Korea policy pushed for during the Trump administration is on course to be scrapped substantially," Lee told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.







"Since the launch of the Moon government, our U.S. diplomacy has experienced confusion and gone back and forth between cold and hot water," Lee said. "We plan to talk with senior U.S. officials about a new orientation as a mandated political party."







While in America, Lee's delegation will meet Kurt Campbell, White House National Security Council policy coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks and other government and congressional figures and experts.







They also plan to meet with Korean residents to encourage their participation in the absentee vote for the presidential election, slated for March next year. (Yonhap)


By Sami M. Alsadhan





Sami M. Alsadhan, ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Korea

Sept. 23 of every year brings the memory of a glorious day in our national history when the founder His Majesty King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud unified the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With such a precious national occasion every year, National Day is an important landmark in the history of modern Saudi Arabia. We celebrate and remember with pride, deep appreciation and dignity, the efforts and sacrifices made by our ancestors in building, developing and serving the Kingdom.



This year we celebrate the 91st Anniversary of the National Day while the Kingdom continues the process of development and growth in all fields under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and the trustworthy Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. The Kingdom is experiencing a qualitative renaissance despite regional and international challenges.



In recognition of the leadership's willingness to invest all national resources to serve the country and its citizens, the Kingdom's "Vision 2030" was announced with its national contents, development and future plans in order to diversify sources of income, increase efficiency of government performance and to modernize regulations and administrative structure. Marking the beginning of a new phase of development and the hard work for a better future, Vision 2030 aims to keep cooperating with developed countries, to achieve a comprehensive development, to employ the Kingdom's potentials and its energy by utilizing the Kingdom's strategic location. As a result of this vision, economic and social reforms have been bearing fruit and the Kingdom has been emerging as one of the attractive economic destinations in the world. Our efforts to diversify the economy are also yielding results.



The Kingdom plays a major role in maintaining security and stability in the region, and it enjoys a regional, Arab, Islamic and international status, while playing an active and influential role in international decision-making, and its continuous pursuit of international peace and security.



Moreover, the Kingdom is one of the largest countries supporting humanitarian and relief work in the world, aware of the importance of alleviating human suffering and ensuring a decent life for those who are vulnerable and needy. The foreign aid provided by the Kingdom during this year amounted to more than $467 million.



This annual occasion coincided with the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI), and the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI), which were announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March of this year and were praised by governments and international green agencies.



Initially, the SGI aims to improve the quality of life and protect future generations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Since the launch of Vision 2030 in 2016, the Kingdom has taken significant steps to scale up its climate action and environmental protection. The SGI now takes efforts to the next level by unifying all efforts in the Kingdom to increase reliance on clean energy, offset the impact of fossil fuels and combat climate change. This initiative brings environmental protection, energy transformation and sustainability programs together to work towards four overarching targets to achieve a common goal of a green future.



In the whole-of-government approach, the SGI works with entities and organizations across the Kingdom to amplify their existing climate actions and create opportunities for new initiatives. SGI also bridges the gap between public and private efforts, identifying opportunities for collaboration and innovation.



As one of the major global oil producers, Saudi Arabia recognizes its share of responsibility in advancing the fight against climate change. Saudi Arabia is already engineering innovative solutions to help combat the climate crisis, and in the dawning era of renewables. SGI will support the Kingdom to become an international leader in sustainability.



Meanwhile, the MGI is a catalyst for action-driving climate efforts in the region and beyond. The importance of reversing the effects of climate change is tangible across the Middle East and North Africa, where the impact of rising temperatures is already affecting livelihoods and opportunities.



By working together, nations can scale up climate commitments and deliver clear targets designed to protect the planet and ensure a positive future for the coming generations.



Most notably, Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural SGI and the MGI events in Riyadh on Oct. 23-25, 2021.



Taking this opportunity, I would like to praise the strategic, friendly, and cooperative relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Korea, which dates back to 1962. Through a long history, two countries have witnessed a qualitative leap and great development in various fields including politics, military, economy, education, culture, intellectual property, information technology and health. In fact, the bilateral cooperation has been enhanced and extended vastly to improve the relationship between two countries.



The Saudi-Korean bilateral relations are a model of relations among nations that they have often shared the same values on different international events, bilateral coordination, mutual understanding and mutual support in international bodies and organizations.



On this auspicious occasion, I sincerely wish our two countries and the two friendly peoples continued further prosperity, security and stability.



Sami M. Alsadhan is ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of Korea.







Map of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia



Country Report



Official name of the country: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Capital city: Riyadh

Population: 35 million

Area: 2.25 million square kilometers

Major language: Arabic

Major religion: Islam

Currency: Riyal





Riyadh, the Capital City of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia



Tourist attractions in Saudi Arabia





Al'Ula Governorate



Al'Ula Governorate



Location: In the northwest of Saudi Arabia; covers an area of 23,301 square kilometers

Features: Historical, cultural and archaeological nature; among the oldest historical sites in the world

Famous of: Mada'in Saleh, the most visited heritage site; Mount Ikma has a large number of inscriptions and rock arts.





Farasan Islands




President Moon Jae-in flew to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday following a two-night stay in New York, during which he attended an annual session of the U.N. General Assembly.







Moon is scheduled to join an alliance ceremony here Wednesday to transfer the remains of Korean and American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. It would be the first time for a South Korean president to attend such a remains repatriation ceremony held abroad, according to Cheong Wa Dae.







Moon will also award posthumous medals to independence fighters who devoted themselves, while living in Hawaii, to efforts for Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule from 1910-45.







He plans to head to Seoul later in the day. (Yonhap)


By Burley Smith





I recently read an excellent story carried in the New York Times that compared the Afghanistan refugee evacuation to our part in saving almost 100,000 civilians from the North Korean port of Hungnam at Christmastime, 1950.



Merl Smith and I, the ship's officers mentioned in the article, were recent graduates of King's Point, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Our ship, the SS Meredith Victory ("The Ship of Miracles"), was one of the last to leave Hungnam, saving more than 14,000 refugees on that single voyage.



Recently, as I watched Afghans' desperate attempts to reach the safety of Kabul's Hamid Karzai Airport and to clamber aboard departing aircraft, I was struck how different it was over 70 years ago in North Korea. Chinese and North Korean forces encircled the port, only a mile or two from our ship. During the night, enemy camp fires glowed on the hills.



Huge shells from our naval ships offshore whooshed, low overhead, sounding more like speeding trains than the shriek I expected. Our aircraft strafed and napalmed enemy lines by day. For 17 hours we packed North Korean refugee families tightly into our five cargo holds, sealed off each deck, and moved on up to the one above. For the next three days they would be without light, water, food or toilets.



Through it all, a vast crowd of humanity waited silently on the freezing dock, not knowing if they would be left to the enemy. Ultimately, many thousands did remain behind when we sailed two days before Christmas; there was simply no more room. I marveled that there were no signs of panic. Throughout the night, and in the morning, as we battened down the hatches for the voyage south, the masses already on board and those waiting hopefully on the dock, rested quietly. Infants and youngsters, of whom there were hundreds, watched silently as parents waited, hopefully, to board.



Our admiration for the Korean character was cemented during those few harrowing hours in Hungnam. As enemy civilians they were unfamiliar with the West. Unlike the Afghans, North Koreans had not been exposed to foreigners through years of occupation and had no TV windows into our Western world.



We were complete strangers from an unknown planet. Yet they committed themselves quietly to our protection. None spoke English. We had no translators. Among our 14,000 there might have been enemy agents. We were unarmed. A handful could have taken over our ship and its 47 unarmed crew once we were underway. North Korean and Russian ports were only a day's run to the north.



It was truly a remarkable display of trust on both sides. For us, it was the hope that we could complete our escape from behind enemy lines to Pusan in the south, crammed with 14,000 North Koreans on board. For them, it was the leap of faith that putting themselves into the hands of their country's enemy was truly the road to freedom. The Korean people have proven, time and again, that our faith in them was warranted. They, in return, have shown us that our support was truly appreciated and still celebrated today in their remarkable country.





Burley Smith (hjbs1929@gmail.com) was a junior third mate of the SS Meredith Victory ("The Ship of Miracles") at Hungnam and am now one of three surviving crewmembers.


Moon again proposes end-of-war declaration



President Moon Jae-in once again proposed a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War in his speech to the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly, Tuesday. The proposal reflected his desperate bid to make a breakthrough in deadlocked denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea and promote his peace initiative on the Korean Peninsula.



Moon suggested that three parties  the two Koreas and the U.S.  or four parties  the two Koreas, the U.S. and China  come together and declare that the war on the peninsula was over. "When the parties involved in the Korean War stand together and proclaim an end to the war, I believe we can make irreversible progress in denuclearization and usher in an era of complete peace," he said in his last speech to the U.N. before his term ends next May.



He was confident that an end-of-war declaration will be a pivotal point of departure in creating a new order of "reconciliation and cooperation" on the peninsula. Such a proposal is nothing new. He made a similar offer in his U.N. General Assembly address in 2018 and 2020. Yet, this year's proposal was made in a stronger tone and a more specific way. This indicates Moon's determination and urgency in prodding the North to denuclearize and move toward peace and co-prosperity.



In previous speeches, Moon stressed the need for an end-of-war declaration which he said will open the way for a lasting peace regime on the peninsula. His proposal has now taken concrete shape with a call for three parties, or four parties, to formally declare an end to the Korean War. The two Koreas are still technically at war because the conflict ended not with a peace treaty but an armistice.



Seoul actively floated such a proposal in 2018 when the two Koreas entered into a detente mood following the Panmunjeom Declaration adopted by Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their first summit. The offer gained momentum after U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim held their historic summit in Singapore in June 2018 and agreed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But it lost steam after their February 2019 Hanoi summit collapsed with no deal.



Against this backdrop, Moon's proposal appears to be out of touch with reality. It is difficult for the President to elicit a positive response from North Korea or the U.S. The Kim regime has refused to return to dialogue while raising tension by test-firing ballistic and cruise missiles. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed to solve the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy. But it has yet to narrow its differences with the North over the matter.



Under these circumstances, Moon is seeking to use the 30th anniversary of the U.N. simultaneously approving the two Koreas as members to promote his peace initiative. However, his policy of active engagement with the North is likely to go nowhere. Thus it is imperative for Moon to work more closely with Biden to lure the North back to the negotiating table.


Victims of Mergepoint's Ponzi scheme wait in front of the pre-paid service's headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, western Seoul, on Aug. 13. Korea Time file



By Kim Jae-heun



Victims of the 'Mergepoint' incident have filed a lawsuit against e-commerce firms like TMON, WeMakePrice, eBay Korea and Lotte Shopping for neglecting to verify the credibility of its business partner and making profits while customers became victims of the Ponzi scheme.



Mergepoint is a firm that sold e-coupons giving a 20 percent discount on the price of particular items. People could use the coupons to shop online and buy coffee and food at some 60,000 stores across the country.



However, issues surfaced in early August when the Financial Supervisory Service said Mergepoint needs to register its electronic finance business under relevant financial laws.



Mergepoint had to halt its business temporarily and customers were restricted to using Mergepoint e-coupons at restaurants only. This led them to ask for refunds on e-coupons they had purchased, while Mergepoint failed to comply.



According to Kang & Partners, the victims' legal representative, platform operators did not fulfill their responsibility to check Merge Plus's credit rating or if it had a legitimate business structure capable of handling a certain scale of debt.



"E-commerce firms attracted customers by conducting aggressive marketing (with Mergepoint) that was attributed to expanding the damage of the Ponzi scheme," a Kang & Partner lawyer Kang Dong-won said.



Kang & Partners plans to launch class action lawsuits against e-commerce firms. Under the law, platform operators are held responsible even if there was no intention to cause damage or abet in alleged fraud by contracted companies like Mergepoint.



Taking legal action against e-commerce firms may increase the chance of victims to be compensated.



However, eBay Korea, Lotte Shopping and TMON said they are not responsible, because they only provided platforms and took commission fees. E-commerce firms argued that there is a limit to their responsibility to verify the credibility of other firms.



"We are also watching the case and discussing the situation with our legal representatives. If we find any practices related to the violation of contract with Mergepoint, we can also be classified as a victim and we will file a lawsuit against the pre-paid service," an e-commerce firm official said asking not to be identified.






By Kim Jae-heun







The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Kim Hyeon-soo, will participate in the United Nation's Food Systems Summit, scheduled to be held online Thursday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., via video conference.







United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement Sept. 13 saying the meeting aims to set the stage for transforming the global food system by 2023 in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs).







Guterres emphasized the importance of tangible, positive efforts by various constituencies to change the world's food systems into a more sustainable direction, saying, "In food, there is hope."







Representatives from U.N. member states and other international non-government organizations will make remarks on ways to improve the World Food Programme, the leading humanitarian organization for fighting hunger. Other participants will include young leaders, food producers, Indigenous people, civil society organizations, researchers and leaders from the private sector.







Minister Kim will express Korea's willingness to offer international aid and present the country's new food plan.







This year's United Nation's Food Systems Summit is the fifth such meeting held since 1974, established to integrate various food-related problems with the vision of achieving sustainable food production and consumption systems. It invites member countries of the U.N. to participate in international efforts to improve global food systems.





Anyone can pre-register and watch the "People's Summit" online via

.







One Sept. 16, the Korean government announced its food plan for the first time, which aims to increase the public reserves of major crops, such as rice, in order to solve food security issues both during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.







In addition, it plans to implement a "consumption deadline labeling system" starting in 2030, in order to reduce unnecessary food waste occurring in the food consumption stage, and to strengthen "the basic right to food" for the vulnerable.







Food security has grown more important than ever due to the recent rise in international grain prices and logistics disruptions during the pandemic.







From March to June 2020, some of the world's largest wheat producing countries, including Russia, imposed export restrictions that raised international concerns. Accordingly, the United Nations stressed the importance of the need to change the global food system in line with the SDGs, such as improving food security and responding to climate change, as well as urging member states to activelyparticipate.







The Korean government has decided to increase public stockpiles, focusing on major food crops such as rice, wheat and beans, so as to enable a stable food supply if the country faces an emergency situation such as another unexpected pandemic or other crises in global supply chains.


Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan / Courtesy of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering



By Kim Hyun-bin



State-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) are considering alternative steps to speed up HHI's acquisition of cash-strapped Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) amid the EU's concerns over a monopoly. HHI, which seeks to acquire KDB's stake in DSME, is considering selling off some of its own units to assuage the EU's worries.



HHI's suggested acquisition of cash-strapped DSME needs approvals from anti-trust agencies in different countries with the European Union (EU) holding the key. The EU has yet to approve the HHI-Daewoo deal in what analysts and officials say is due to the union's worries over the possible monopolization of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry if HHI ends up owning DSME.



Analysts said Wednesday that both KDB and HHI have no choice but to sell off the shipbuilder's LNG division as well as putting other affiliates up for sale, because the approval delays are mostly due to the EU's requirements for remedial plans.



From HHI's standpoint, selling off its LNG business division could be a tough decision and it is aiming to sell its stakes in affiliates including Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries as a remedy to ease the EU's worries of a potential monopoly.



KDB's decision-making executives are involved in discussions with the KFTC to persuade the country's top anti-trust regulator to aid the acquisition efforts.



"When EU competition authorities try to regulate Big Tech platforms such as Amazon, Google, Facebook, the U.S. competition authorities protect them. But our country just sits back and waits until other countries make their decision, which is unfortunate," KDB Chairman Lee Dong-gull recently said.



The continued delay in the decision by the EU has worsened the situation for KDB and HHI as DSME's profitability continues to slump. DSME's sales dropped 44.7 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year.



KDB is said to have halted the process of HHI's acquisition of DSME.



In February 2019, HHI agreed to buy KDB's stake in DSME. In the same year, KDB and HHI applied to have the deal approved by six countries, but has yet to receive the green light from the EU, Japan and Korea.



"With European shipping companies regularly purchasing vessels from DSME and HHI, two of the leading cargo shipbuilders in the world, we will carefully assess whether the proposed transaction would negatively affect competition in the construction of cargo ships, to the detriment of European consumers." EU Commission's Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said in June this year.




Zhou Xiaoxuan, center, also known under the nickname Xianzi, meets her supporters outside a court, after attending a hearing in her sexual harassment case against a television host for the national broadcaster CCTV Zhu Jun, in Beijing, Sept. 14. Beijing court threw out a high-profile Chinese #MeToo case where she was accusing the TV host of sexual harassment at the time she was an intern at the network. Two activists based in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou have lost contact with their friends, raising fears that the pair may have been detained by police. EPA-Yonhap




A makeshift memorial dedicated to missing woman Gabby Petito is located near the North Port City Hall, Sept. 20, in North Port, Fla. AFP-Yonhap



Gabby Petito was killed by another person, a coroner concluded while also confirming that the human remains found recently at a Wyoming national park were those of the 22-year-old woman who disappeared months after she set out on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, the FBI said Tuesday.



Teton County Coroner Brent Blue determined Petito was a homicide victim, but did not disclose a cause of death pending final autopsy results, officials said. Her body was found Sunday near an undeveloped camping area in remote northern Wyoming along the border of Grand Teton National Park.



Meanwhile, authorities continued to search a swampy Florida preserve area near the home of Petito's boyfriend. Police in North Port, Florida, said investigators returned Tuesday to the Carlton Reserve to look for Brian Laundrie, 23. Nothing of note was found, and the search was expected to continue Wednesday. Investigators began searching the 24,000-acre (9,700-hectare) Florida nature preserve over the weekend, focusing on the area after Laundrie's parents told police he may have gone there.



Authorities are using helicopters, drones, dogs and officers in all-terrain vehicles in their search for Laundrie. About 75 percent of the search area is underwater.



On Monday, the FBI went to Laundrie's parents' home in North Port and removed several boxes and towed away a car neighbors said Laundrie's mother typically used.



Laundrie and Petito had been living with his parents at the North Port home before the road trip on which she died.





North Port Police vehicles leave the Carlton Reserve during a search for Brian Laundrie, Sept. 21, in Venice, Fla. AP-Yonhap
Haitians deported from the United States recover their belongings on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sept. 21. AP-Yonhap



More than 6,000 Haitians and other migrants have been removed from an encampment at a Texas border town, U.S. officials said Monday as they defended a strong response that included immediately deporting migrants to their impoverished Caribbean country and using horse patrols to stop them from entering the town.



Calling it a ''challenging and heartbreaking situation,'' Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a stark warning: ''If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned. Your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's life.''



Mayorkas and Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said they would look into agents on horseback using what appeared to be whips and their horses to push back migrants at the river between Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, and Del Rio, Texas, where thousands of migrants remain camped around a bridge.



Both officials said they saw nothing apparently wrong based on the widely seen photos and video. Mayorkas said agents use long reins, not whips, to control their horses. Ortiz, the former chief of the Del Rio sector, said it can be confusing to distinguish between migrants and smugglers as people moved back and forth near the river. The chief said he would investigate to make sure there was no ''unacceptable'' actions by the agents.



Mayorkas said 600 Homeland Security employees, including from the Coast Guard, have been brought to Del Rio, a city of about 35,000 people roughly 145 miles (230 kilometers) west of San Antonio. He said he has asked the Defense Department for help in what may be one of the swiftest, large-scale expulsions of migrants and refugees from the United States in decades.



He also said the U.S. would increase the pace and capacity of flights to Haiti and other countries in the hemisphere. The number of migrants at the bridge peaked at 14,872 on Saturday, said Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a labor union that represents agents.



''We're achieving our goals; we're getting there and getting to a point where we can manage the population here,'' said Ortiz, who blamed the surge on smugglers who spread misinformation. ''We are already seeing a quickly diminished (population) and will continue to see that over the coming days.''





Migrants, many from Haiti, wade across the Rio Grande from Del Rio, Texas, to return to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, to avoid deportation from the U.S., Sept. 21. AP-Yonhap



Mexico also said it would deport Haitian migrants, and began busing them from Ciudad Acuna Sunday evening, according to Luis Angel Urraza, president of the local chamber of commerce. He said he saw the first two buses leave from in front of his restaurant with about 90 people aboard.



''There isn't room for them in the city anymore; we can't help them anymore,'' he said.



Mexico's immigration agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But a federal official told The Associated Press on Sunday that the plan was to take the migrants to Monterrey, in northern Mexico, and Tapachula, in the south, with flights to Haiti from those cities to begin in coming days.



The rapid expulsions were made possible by a pandemic-related authority adopted by former President Donald Trump in March 2020 that allows for migrants to be immediately removed from the country without an opportunity to seek asylum. President Joe Biden exempted unaccompanied children from the order but let the rest stand.



Any Haitians not expelled are subject to immigration laws, which include rights to seek asylum and other forms of humanitarian protection. Families are quickly released in the U.S. because the government cannot generally hold children.



More than 320 migrants arrived in Port-au-Prince on three flights Sunday, and Haiti said six flights were expected Tuesday. The U.S. plans to begin seven expulsion flights daily on Wednesday, four to Port-au-Prince and three to Cap-Haitien, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Flights will continue to depart from San Antonio but authorities may add El Paso, the official said.



The only obvious parallel for such an expulsion without an opportunity to seek asylum was in 1992 when the Coast Guard intercepted Haitian refugees at sea, said Yael Schacher, senior U.S. advocate at Refugees International whose doctoral studies focused on the history of U.S. asylum law.



Similarly large numbers of Mexicans have been sent home during peak years of immigration but over land and not so suddenly.



Central Americans have also crossed the border in comparable numbers without being subject to mass expulsion, although Mexico has agreed to accept them from the U.S. under pandemic-related authority in effect since March 2020. Mexico does not accept expelled Haitians or people of other nationalities outside of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.



In Mexico, local authorities of border municipalities have asked for help from state and federal authorities. Claudio Bres, the mayor in Piedras Negras, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of Ciudad Acuna, told local media that the official agreement is to turn back all the buses with migrants to prevent them from reaching the border. He said that last weekend around 70 buses passed through his town.



Haitians have been migrating to the U.S. in large numbers from South America for several years, many having left their Caribbean nation after a devastating 2010 earthquake. After jobs dried up from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, many made the dangerous trek by foot, bus and car to the U.S. border, including through the infamous Darien Gap, a Panamanian jungle.





A little girl holds her stuffed animal high above the water as migrants, many from Haiti, wade across the Rio Grande river from Del Rio, Texas, to return to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, to avoid deportation, Sept. 20. AP-Yonhap
Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen on a video screen as he addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly remotely, in New York City, on 21 September. EPA-Yonhap



Racism, the climate crisis and the world's worsening divisions will take center stage at the United Nations on Wednesday, a day after the U.N. chief issued a grim warning that "we are on the edge of an abyss."



For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than two dozen world leaders appeared in person at the U.N. General Assembly on the opening day of their annual high-level meeting. The atmosphere was somber, angry and dire.



China's President Xi Jinping warned that "the world has entered a period of new turbulence and transformation." Finland's President Sauli Niinisto said: "We are indeed at a critical juncture." And Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado Quesada declared: "The future is raising its voice at us: Less military weaponry, more investment in peace!"



Speaker after speaker at Tuesday's opening of the nearly week-long meeting decried the inequalities and deep divisions that have prevented united global action to end the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed nearly 4.6 million lives and is still raging, and the failure to sufficiently tackle the climate crisis threatening the planet.



COVID-19 and climate are certain to remain top issues for heads of state and government. But Wednesday's U.N. agenda will first turn the spotlight on the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the controversial U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery.



The U.S. and Israel walked out during the meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism to racism _ a provision that was eventually dropped. Twenty countries are boycotting Wednesday's commemoration, according to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which urged more countries to join them "in continuing to fight racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism."



Following the commemoration, heads of state will start delivering their annual addresses again in the vast General Assembly hall. Speakers include King Abdullah II of Jordan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.



Perhaps the harshest assessment of the current global crisis came from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who opened his state of the world address sounding an "alarm" that "the world must wake up."



"Our world has never been more threatened or more divided," he said. "We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes."



"We are on the edge of an abyss _ and moving in the wrong direction," the secretary-general warned.



Guterres pointed to "supersized glaring inequalities" in addressing COVID-19, "climate alarm bells ... ringing at fever pitch," upheavals from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Yemen and beyond thwarting peace, and "a surge of mistrust and misinformation (that) is polarizing people and paralyzing societies."



Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the pandemic was a reminder "that the entire world are part of a big family."



"But the solidarity test that we were put to failed us miserably," he said. "It is a disgrace for humanity that vaccine nationalism is still being carried on through different methods," and underdeveloped countries and poor segments of societies have been "literally left to their fate in the face of the pandemic."



As for the climate crisis, Erdogan said whoever did the most damage to nature, the atmosphere and water, "and whoever has wildly exploited natural resources" should make the greatest contribution to fighting global warming.



"Unlike the past, this time no one can afford the luxury to say, 'I'm powerful so I will not pay the bill' because climate change will treat mankind quite equally," the Turkish leader said. "The duty for all of us is to take measures against this enormous threat, with a fair burden-sharing."



Romania's President Klaus Iohannis did find something positive from the COVID-19 crisis.



"While the pandemic affected almost all aspects of our lives," he said, "it also provided us with opportunities to learn, adapt and do things better."



Two of the most closely watched speeches on Tuesday were delivered by U.S. President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping.



In an Associated Press interview on Saturday, Guterres warned that the world could plunge into a new and probably more dangerous Cold War if China and the United States don't repair their "completely dysfunctional" relationship. "Unfortunately, today we only have confrontation," he said.



The secretary-general kept that theme in his speech Tuesday saying: "I fear our world is creeping towards two different sets of economic, trade, financial and technology rules, two divergent approaches in the development of artificial intelligence _ and ultimately two different military and geopolitical strategies. This is a recipe for trouble."



Biden said in his U.N. address that the United States was not attempting to be divisive or confrontational.



"We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs," he said. "The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges even if we have intense disagreements in other areas."



Speaking later, Xi said disputes among countries "need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation."



"One country's success does not have to mean another country's failure," Xi said. "The world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries."



By tradition, the first country to speak was Brazil, whose president, Jair Bolsonaro rebuffed criticism of his handling of the pandemic and touted recent data indicating less Amazon deforestation. He said he was seeking to counter the image of Brazil portrayed in the media, touting it as a great place for investment and praising his pandemic welfare program, which helped avoid a worse recession last year.



Bolsonaro said that his government has successfully distributed first doses to the majority of adults, but doesn't support vaccine passports or forcing anyone to have a shot. He has said several times in the past week that he remains unvaccinated.



"By November, everyone who chooses to be vaccinated in Brazil will be attended to," Bolsonaro told the General Assembly.



Brazil's health minister, Marcelo Quiroga, who was with Bolsonaro, later tested positive for the coronavirus and will remain in isolation in the United States, the government said. Quiroga got his first shot of coronavirus vaccine in January.



Bolsonaro had COVID-19 last year and has said several times over the last week that he remains unvaccinated. He said getting a shot is a personal, medical decision. (AP)




On 21 September Bolivias human rights ombudsman called on the government to increase protections for journalists, in response to the arrest and beating of press workers in the last week.

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On 21 September Uruguays left-wing opposition coalition, Frente Amplio (FA), said it would be presenting a motion to summon the defence minister,, to the chamber of deputies to explain the purchase of two Hercules C130 H aircraft for the Uruguayan air force.

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On 21 September Mexicos Foreign Ministersaid he had had a phone call with US Secretary of Stateabout the crisis on the US southern border involving Haitian migrants.

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Canon , a global provider of imaging technologies and services, is partnering with the United Nations to take part in the Global Week to #Act4SDGs from the 17th  28th September.

Canon will showcase its commitments to the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as featuring in the UNs Turning Point Dialogue interview series to discuss the importance of storytelling to educate and inspire action.

The Global Week to #Act4SDGs, which launched in 2017, is designed to flip the script on prevailing global narratives of apathy and fatalism to instead focus on positive messages that can drive actionable change. The week aims to drive inspiration in others through a series of activities including workshops and panel discussions, raising awareness of the work being done to create sustainable change and encouraging others to take action.

Canon will be encouraging its community of partners and regional HQs around the world to get involved by sharing the activity on social media and encouraging partners in local regions to share any local initiatives that are driving forward positive change. #Act4SDGs ambition for 2021 is to inspire at least 100 million people to take individual and collective SDG action, up from 56 million in 2020, with its overall target being to mobilise 1 billion actions by 2030.

Global Good Awards shortlisters Mr & Mishal Faraz

Throughout the week, Canon will be sharing content on how young people are already working towards the SDGs through its Young People Programme (YPP). Canons YPP aims to educate young people across EMEA on the power of visual storytelling, in turn enabling them to create sustainable change by driving projects covering a range of topics including gender equality, wildlife conservation and climate change.

The Global Week will shine a light of hope across borders, to show that our actions as individuals matter. It is a global mobilization of collective action, bringing about transformative change and turn it around for people and the planet. The Young People Program from Canon not only trains youth to visually express themselves in a creative, it allows us to listen, see, and understand their point of view. With Canons support these voices can be heard far and wide, and I am proud of our ongoing partnership as it continues to grow each year. Marina Ponti, Director UN SDG Action Campaign.

The Global Week will also feature the UNs Turning Point Dialogue series, consisting of short interviews in which established and emerging changemakers will voice their thoughts on the important issues that affect our world. As part of this, the Canon Engagement Lead for Developing Nations, Jeanine El Moughrabi, and Lens on Live Project co-founder, Sam Powers will be taking part in a panel to discuss turning it around for youth empowerment through visual storytelling, and their work on a recent Canon YPP in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Congo Young People Programme, named Operation Goma, works with students aged 16-24 comprising of Internally Displaced Persons, orphans and those living in extreme poverty. Over six months, instructors from the local community will run six courses including photography, computer literacy and entrepreneurship. By empowering young people with these skills and the tools for communication, the programme aims to equip them to become agents of change and inspire movement within their communities.

Ahead of the talk, Jeanine El Moughrabi says, Its so important that we work to provide opportunities such as the YPP to developing regions and empower the participants to tell their stories in their own voice. By doing so, we can not only help young people from disadvantaged communities to develop their skills and create change for themselves and their communities, but we can also spread the message of the importance of education in inspiring long-term, sustainable action.

The UN and Canon collaborative dialogue Turning it around for youth empowerment through visual storytelling will be live at the following link https://act4sdgs.org from 16th September at 18:30 CET.

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When it comes to the types of businesses that women are starting, a large number have social and environmental impact woven into their core purpose. Women are both conducting business in new ways and ensuring that more and more businesses have a positive impact on people and the environment.

Keeping this in mind, to celebrate the achievements of women-founded businesses in Mauritius that are having a positive impact on the environment, the Australian High Commission in Mauritius, Future Females Invest (FFI) and Double Life hosted a Wear That Dress Cocktail Party on September 17, at Double Lifes boutique in Saint Pierre for women diplomats in Mauritius.

This event was organized to encourage and enable women who all share a common goal for the earth, help to motivate individuals, grow leaders and inspire women to use the power they must create change. The event was attended by women diplomats from the Japanese Embassy, US Embassy, British High Commission, and the EU Delegation, in addition to members of the FFI Angel Network and women in the private sector.

Aysha Tegally co-founder of FFI said,

FFI is holding this event with the Australian High Commission in Mauritius so that we can meaningfully impact female founders by enabling them to build their network and social capital. We are excited to be a part of this event to showcase the fantastic work of Double Life and Recyclean, two incredible female-led businesses that are having a positive environment impact on the environment.

Commenting on the success of the event and women in Mauritius, Dr Kate OShaughnessy, Australian High Commissioner said,

The Australian High Commission is delighted to support this event and the work of FFI to enable women in Mauritius to build successful and impactful businesses. This event is shining the spotlight on women who are building environmentally impactful businesses and helping reduce waste. Im excited to see what young Mauritian women are creating, its inspirational.

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The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 02:13:18|Editor: huaxia

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-- Despite trade frictions over the past few years and constant calls for "decoupling with China" from some U.S. officials, new trends emerging in Sino-U.S. economic and trade development show where momentum really lies for the world's two biggest economies.

-- In the first eight months of this year, Chinese exports to the United States, rather than falling, expanded 22.7 percent year on year, according to official data.

-- Failing to cripple the economic and trade ties between the two economies that are so deeply interwoven, U.S. restrictions weighed heavily on American enterprises and people and the global industrial and supply chains and served to prove that cooperation is the only right choice.

-- Inevitably, the U.S. tariff increase took some toll on China, especially on products such as farm produce, light industrial goods and electrical appliances, but it has not dampened the U.S. market's "rigid demand" for Chinese goods, which comes from the competitive prices and quality of made-in-China products as well as the economic complementarity between the two countries.

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Despite trade frictions over the past few years and constant calls for "decoupling with China" from some U.S. officials, new trends emerging in Sino-U.S. economic and trade development show where momentum really lies for the world's two biggest economies.

In the first eight months of this year, Chinese exports to the United States, rather than falling, expanded 22.7 percent year on year, according to official data.

Likewise, a report by the American Chamber of Commerce in China earlier this year shows that two-thirds of the enterprises surveyed said they would increase investment in China.

Failing to cripple the economic and trade ties between the two economies that are so deeply interwoven, U.S. restrictions weighed heavily on American enterprises and people and the global industrial and supply chains and served to prove that cooperation is the only right choice.

Like Chinese President Xi Jinping has said, when China and the United States cooperate, the two countries and the world will benefit; when China and the United States are in confrontation, the two countries and the world will suffer.

Getting the relationship right is not optional, but something the two countries must do and must do well, according to Xi.

China's manned submersible Jiaolong prepares to dive in the Yap Trench in the west Pacific, June 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Shiping)

COMPLEMENTARY STRENGTH

Yang Nan, president of a supplier in east China for major retailers of pet products and loungewear in the United States, said his firm has maintained growth in exports despite the trade frictions.

"Each day, we send more than 30 containers to the United States. That's more than 10,000 containers a year," he told Xinhua. His company's exports to the U.S. market have maintained double-digit growth since June last year.

Customs data presented a similar trend in the larger picture. Since the United States imposed additional tariffs on Chinese products in July 2018, Sino-U.S. trade dropped in 2019 but was soon back to growth from 2020.

Inevitably, the U.S. tariff increase took some toll on China, especially on products such as farm produce, light industrial goods and electrical appliances, but it has not dampened the U.S. market's "rigid demand" for Chinese goods, which comes from the competitive prices and quality of made-in-China products as well as the economic complementarity between the two countries.

Imports from China accounted for 19 percent of all U.S. goods imports in 2020, the highest among all trading partners of the United States, while four of 10 of the fastest-growing imports in the U.S. came from China, according to Forbes.

Fu Xiaolan, founding director of the Technology and Management Center for Development at Oxford University, said based on the comparative advantages and market choices, the two economies have established a mutually beneficial relationship that is highly complementary in structure and has a convergence of interests.

Such economic and trade complementarity has been enhanced in times of the pandemic. In 2020, China's exports of mechanical and electrical products to the United States increased 9 percent, and those of laptops and mobile phones expanded 23.4 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively.

Workers pack face masks at a workshop in Majiazhuang Village of Nanlong Township in Linxia City, northwest China's Gansu Province, March 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Ma Sha)

China's exports of medical materials and medicines jumped by 30.7 percent during the period, customs data showed. To meet surging global demand, the daily output of masks in China once exceeded 100 million.

Seeing the order increase, Yang switched the company's domestic production line of shirts into masks, and its mask production and exports during the pandemic peaked at seven million units in a week.

"Masks can be produced in any country, but only China reshuffles its production lines into other products and raises production capacity so efficiently," Yang said.

More robust trade is in the interests of China, the United States and their peoples, said a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce, and "the U.S. tariff increase is not conducive to China, the United States, and the world economic recovery."

U.S. importers absorbed more than 90 percent of the additional costs caused by the increased U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, according to a report from Moody's Investors Service in May.

Calculation by Americans for Free Trade, a coalition of more than 150 industry associations that are united in the fight against tariffs, also showed that Americans have paid over 90 billion U.S. dollars in tariffs since the trade war began.

In August, more than 30 of the most influential business groups from the United States called on the U.S. government to restart trade negotiations with China and cut tariffs on imports, saying they are a drag on the U.S. economy.

In the eyes of Yang, who has been doing textile business with the United States for more than 20 years, the Sino-U.S. trade will not be easily "decoupled."

"Even if the United States imports products from other countries, the raw materials of those products are highly likely to be imported from China," Yang said, "In the end, the United States is, in essence, doing business with China."

"If we compare China-U.S. relations to a giant ship, then economic and trade cooperation has been its ballast and propeller. When the ship sails against heavy winds and huge waves, we need to add more strength to the ballast and propeller," said Qin Gang, Chinese Ambassador to the United States.

A man works at Tiexi Plant of BMW Brilliance Automotive in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

MAGNET FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT

With a large market, complete industrial chain and favorable business environment, China has become a "strong magnetic field" for foreign investment.

Rising above the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic recession, China recorded a four-percent growth in inflows, overtaking the United States as the largest foreign direct investment recipient last year, a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development shows.

Some U.S. politicians, in the meantime, attempted to "decouple" from China by trying to bring manufacturing back to the United States, calling on U.S. enterprises to withdraw from China, increasing restrictions on technology investment in China, and isolating China with its allies.

Such moves resulted in a decline in the U.S. investment in China last year, especially in the fields of information technology and electronic equipment.

On the contrary, the European Union saw its actual investment in China rose 10.3 percent year on year in the first half of the year, while countries along the Belt and Road and the Association of Southeast Asian countries reported an investment increase of 37.6 percent and 36.8 percent in China in the first eight months, respectively.

U.S. companies are fully aware of the cost of missing the China market.

"If American companies are prevented from operating in China, our competitors will be able to take advantage of China's economies of scale and rapid adoption of technology to outcompete U.S. companies everywhere else, including in our home market," said Craig Allen, president of the U.S.-China Business Council.

China and the United States not only have direct links but have indirect links through other countries as well. The "decoupling" of the world's first and second largest economies will have a far-reaching effect, said Yu Miaojie, a professor with the National School of Development at Peking University.

Bullish on the China market, multinational companies have increased their presence in China.

"For us, China is one of our biggest and most important markets," said Frank Van Meel, senior vice president of Product Line Luxury Class BMW.

Van Meel said China copes very well with COVID-19 and was the first market that came up again out of the COVID-19. The country is now one of its fastest-growing markets.

Figures previously released by the BMW Group show that in the first half of this year the Munich-based company achieved bright results in China, delivering more than 467,000 BMW and MINI brand vehicles to Chinese customers, up about 42 percent year on year.

Huge market demand can bring more revenue to enterprises and dilute production costs, which is a major reason for increasing foreign investment in China, said Yu.

A complete industrial system and a strong supply chain is another reason why China is so attractive to multinational companies.

The U.S.-China Business Council said in its 2021 member survey that a majority of companies remain profitable, and more than 40 percent have plans to increase resource commitments in China over the next year.

The vast majority of respondents invest in China to serve the Chinese market, where they see strong growth prospects, the survey shows.

Photo taken on April 9, 2020 shows the Lujiazui area in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Chen Fei)

In recent years, China has introduced a raft of measures to accelerate opening-up and foster a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment, in a bid to better accommodate overseas investors.

The country has shortened the negative list for foreign investment for four consecutive years and released a negative list for cross-border trade in services at the Hainan free trade port, among others.

Famous U.S. coffee brand Starbucks' coffee innovation park project in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, broke ground only eight months after the signing of the investment contract.

Leading global asset management giant BlackRock established a subsidiary in Shanghai in June this year, which became the first wholly foreign-owned public fund management company in China.

Further opening of China's financial sector has provided the company with greater opportunities and space for development, the company has said.

COOPERATION PREVAILS

The "decoupling" mindset has led to a host of calculated shots at Chinese hi-tech companies in an attempt to suppress China's scientific and technological innovations.

These heavy-handed measures, such as restricting investment from Chinese tech firms, blocking export to Chinese entities, or bluntly torpedoing investment deals with executive orders, strapped some Chinese companies in temporary supply crunch and revenue slump. But they cannot derail China's scientific and technological pursuits.

China's expenditures in research and development (R&D) are growing steadily. R&D spending in 2020 topped 2.44 trillion yuan (about 378 billion U.S. dollars), after hiking 12.5 percent year on year to reach 2.21 trillion yuan in 2019.

Spending on basic research stood at 150.4 billion yuan last year, nearly doubling that of 2015.

An August ranking from Harvard University's Growth Lab showed rising technological level of China's exports since the start of the trade war in 2018. China ranked 16th globally on the Economic Complexity Index in 2019, climbing one slot from the previous year despite trade restrictions.

"The fact that no blockade or suppression can thwart China's advances is ample evidence of the country's growing strength in science and technology," said Ye Peijian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

To China, innovation has always been about opening arms rather than closing doors, with cooperation as the overriding theme of scientific and technological undertakings, according to Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang.

Aerial photo taken on March 28, 2021 shows China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) under maintenance in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Dubbed as "China Sky Eye," the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) has been open to scientists around the globe since March this year, a signal that the country is open to cooperation with other countries. More and more researchers, especially foreign researchers, have applied to use FAST for observation and study.

So far, China has established innovation dialogue mechanisms with multiple countries, conducted joint research with over 50 countries and regions, and participated in major international science projects such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.

Under the support of the Belt and Road science, technology and innovation cooperation plan, over 8,300 foreign young scientists have come to work in China, and 33 joint laboratories have been established.

Attempts to cut off the exchanges of ideas, people and technology and disrupt the supply chains will, in turn, undermine U.S. innovations, American industry insiders said, cautioning that continued "de-sinicization" acts would ultimately lead to "de-Americanization."

Export restrictions are a "double-edged sword": they will hurt not only Chinese high-tech enterprises but also firms in the United States and other countries that have business relations with their Chinese partners.

"In today's increasingly interconnected world, suppressing China is tantamount to self-isolation, which will end up shooting oneself in the foot," said Cui Fan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics.

(Video editor: Wang Houyuan) 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 03:54:12|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday proposed a Global Development Initiative, calling for bolstering confidence and jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all.

Xi made the remarks at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) via video, as the world faces the combined impacts of changes unseen in a century and the COVID-19 pandemic.

BEATING COVID-19

Right now, COVID-19 is still raging in the world, with the number of new cases rising every day globally. "We must beat COVID-19 and win this decisive fight crucial to the future of humanity," Xi said, voicing confidence that "we humanity will surely overcome it and prevail" despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic may appear overwhelming.

He called for putting people and their lives first, taking a science-based approach in origins tracing, enhancing coordinated global COVID-19 response and minimizing the risk of cross-border virus transmission.

Noting that vaccination is a powerful weapon against COVID-19, Xi said the pressing priority is to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally.

He reiterated the pledge that China will strive to provide a total of two billion doses of vaccines to the world by the end of this year. "In addition to donating 100 million US dollars to COVAX, China will donate 100 million doses of vaccines to other developing countries in the course of this year."

The role of China is even more critical at a time when some countries have adopted a selfish strategy of vaccine nationalism and even put restrictions on export of COVID-19 vaccines and other medical supplies, said Nadeem Irfan Bukhari, a professor from University of the Punjab, Pakistan.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

"Development holds the key to people's well-being," Xi said, adding that countries need to work together to steer global development toward a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive growth.

He made a six-pronged Global Development Initiative, including staying committed to development as a priority, staying committed to a people-centered approach, staying committed to benefits for all, staying committed to innovation-driven development, staying committed to harmony between man and nature and staying committed to results-oriented actions.

"We need to increase input in development, advance on a priority basis cooperation on poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity, among other areas, and accelerate implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, so as to build a global community of development with a shared future," he said.

To support developing countries in responding to COVID-19 and promoting economic and social recovery, China has pledged an additional three billion US dollars of international assistance in the next three years.

China will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad, he said, pledging that the country will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy.

"This is another remarkable step taken by China on its own initiative to cope with the global climate change, as Xi earlier announced China's pledge to strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060," said Ruan Zongze, executive vice president of the China Institute of International Studies.

REJECTING FORMING SMALL CIRCLES

"We need to advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, and reject the practice of forming small circles or zero-sum games," Xi said.

Democracy is not a special right reserved to an individual country, but a right for the people of all countries to enjoy, the Chinese president stressed.

Ruan said that some countries are keen to gang up in the name of democracy, wantonly interfering in other countries' internal affairs and even arbitrarily suppressing normal development of other countries and people's legitimate right to live better lives.

"Recent developments in the global situation show once again that military intervention from the outside and so-called democratic transformation entail nothing but harm," Xi said.

He called for building a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation, and doing the best to "expand the convergence of interests" and "achieve the biggest synergy possible."

"One country's success does not have to mean another country's failure, and the world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries, he said, adding that differences and problems among countries need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

PRACTICING TRUE MULTILATERALISM

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations. Xi said China will solemnly commemorate this historic event and advance cooperation with the UN to a new level and make new and greater contributions to promoting the noble cause of the UN.

"The UN should hold high the banner of true multilateralism and serve as the central platform for countries to jointly safeguard universal security, share development achievements and chart the course for the future of the world," Xi stressed.

Ruan said that some countries claimed to safeguard "the rules-based international order" under the banner of multilateralism, yet what they actually did was framing their own rules as international rules and imposing them on other countries.

The Chinese president called on the UN to increase the representation and say of developing countries in international affairs, and take the lead in advancing democracy and rule of law in international relations.

"It should set common agenda (in the areas of security, development and human rights), highlight pressing issues and focus on real actions, and see to it that commitments made by all parties to multilateralism are truly delivered," he added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 13:20:27|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for improving global governance and practicing true multilateralism.

Xi made the appeal in his statement delivered via video at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

On various occasions, the Chinese leader has emphasized the need to practice true multilateralism. The following are some highlights of his recent remarks in this regard.

Sept. 21, 2021

"In the world, there is only one international system, i.e. the international system with the United Nations at its core. There is only one international order, i.e. the international order underpinned by international law. There is only one set of rules, i.e. the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," Xi stressed in his statement delivered via video at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The UN should hold high the banner of true multilateralism, Xi said.

Sept. 17, 2021

Xi addressed the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization via video link.

Xi emphasized the need to practice true multilateralism and oppose actions that undermine the international order and cause confrontation and division by claiming to use so-called rules.

"We need to boost mutually beneficial cooperation, remove trade, investment and technology barriers, and promote inclusive development that delivers benefits to all," Xi said.

Sept. 9, 2021

Xi addressed the 13th BRICS summit via video link in Beijing.

"We need to promote the practice of true multilateralism, adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and safeguard the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law," Xi said.

He called on BRICS countries to make good use of BRICS mechanisms such as the meeting of foreign ministers and the meeting of high representatives for security, better coordinate their positions on major international and regional issues, and send out an even bigger, collective voice of BRICS countries.

Sept. 3, 2021

Xi addressed the opening ceremony of the plenary session of the sixth Eastern Economic Forum via video link.

"We need to offer each other help to overcome the pandemic challenge," Xi said, calling for intensifying cooperation in vaccine research, development and production, providing more public goods to the international community, firmly rejecting any politicization of COVID vaccines and origins-tracing, and striving to build a global community of health for all.

Noting that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and that China has started a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country, Xi said China is ready to work with all parties to uphold true multilateralism, advocate trust and harmony, promote win-win cooperation, and march with firm steps toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

June 5, 2021

Xi sent a congratulatory letter to the World Environment Day events held in Islamabad, Pakistan.

As a participant, contributor and trailblazer in global ecological conservation, China is firmly committed to putting multilateralism into action and defending the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law so as to enhance global governance on the environment, Xi said.

Nov. 12, 2020

Xi delivered a speech via video at the third Paris Peace Forum.

"We need to uphold multilateralism, oppose unilateralism, hegemony and power politics, and reject all forms of terrorism and acts of extreme violence," Xi said, calling for joint efforts to safeguard equity, justice, peace and security in the world.

Xi urged all countries to uphold international law and the basic norms governing international relations, determine their position on the merits of each matter, and rise above ideological bias and confrontation.

Nov. 5, 2019

"We need to promote development through opening-up and deepen exchanges and cooperation among us. We need to 'join hands' with each other instead of 'letting go' of each other's hands. We need to 'tear down walls,' not to 'erect walls.' We need to stand firm against protectionism and unilateralism. We need to continually bring down trade barriers, optimize global value and supply chains, and jointly foster market demand," Xi said at the opening ceremony of the Second China International Import Expo. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 17:09:41|Editor: huaxia

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Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 21, 2021. The General Debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly kicked off on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- World leaders on Tuesday pledged to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change on the first day of the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

In his statement delivered via video at the general debate, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the pressing priority in fighting COVID-19 is to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally. He said China will strive to provide a total of 2 billion doses of vaccines to the world by the end of this year.

In addition to donating 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, China will donate 100 million additional doses of vaccines to other developing countries this year, he said.

On climate change, he said China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad.

"China will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. This requires tremendous hard work, and we will make every effort to meet these goals," he said.

Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, president of the Maldives, said COVID-19 will persist as long as it is not defeated everywhere. Vaccinating the world as soon as possible is the way to overcome. Vaccine equity is of paramount importance in this regard.

The difference between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees of global warming is a "death sentence" for the Maldives, he said.

One overarching fact remains. The state of environmental ruin small-island states endure now will, without doubt, catch up with bigger nations sooner than later. There is no guarantee of survival for any one nation in a world where the Maldives cease to exist, he warned.

Addressing the climate emergency requires a break from the lackluster business-as-usual practices that currently dominate the global climate change regime. It requires countries to adopt more stringent measures to halt their emissions. It needs the world's wealthy nations to help smaller nations receive support in capacity building, technology transfers and financial resources to ramp up their defenses in the climate fight. It also requires countries to give up their addiction to fossil fuels and adopt cleaner, smarter technologies for energy use, he said.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, president of Uzbekistan, said his country pays special attention to combatting climate change, protecting the environment and biodiversity.

"This is our noble human duty not only for today, but also before the future generations," he said. "We are determined to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. We are taking concrete steps to move toward renewable energy sources. In particular, it is envisaged to double the energy efficiency of our economy by 2030, increase the share of renewable energy by 25 percent and develop environmentally clean transport."

Uzbekistan intends to put forward an initiative in the General Assembly to develop a Global Environment Charter aimed at laying the foundation of a new environmental policy of the United Nations, he said.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said that to end this pandemic, the solution has to be global. For a global response to succeed, there is a need to ensure equitable access to effective remedies.

Global action is also needed in order to be better prepared for future pandemics, he said. "It is high time to take concrete steps to improve our common health security beyond the current challenges."

He called on countries to use the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, to put themselves on a sustainable course.

"We need more ambitious emission reduction plans well ahead of the meeting in Glasgow. And we must speed up the ongoing transition away from fossil fuels. To succeed, we need adequate climate financing. As a global community, we have to increase the quality, quantity and accessibility of climate finance, in particular to the least developed countries and the small-island developing states."

Costa Rica President Carlos Alvarado Quesada said his country advocates for COVID-19 vaccines to be available to all the world's population as a global public good.

"Today it is necessary that, through effective multilateralism, we manage to make COVAX a concrete solution. In that sense, I request the G20's support to make this a reality," he said.

The shortage of vaccines and the passing of time are the breeding ground for more pain, deaths, and the surge of new variants, he warned.

On climate change, he said that ironically, the countries that have low carbon emissions, such as the island states, are most affected by climate emergencies.

"The reality of an interconnected planet must make us understand that today the interests of the most disadvantaged is in the interests of all; to realize that the best way to be selfish is to be supportive and generous; that accumulating money, knowledge, or health deprives the world of better conditions for all humankind," he said.

Countries must be ambitious in the objectives for the Glasgow conference, which is imperative for the survival of humankind, he added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 21:00:22|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with farmers while visiting Gaoxigou Village in Mizhi County, during his inspection tour of Yulin City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday extended greetings to farmers and people working in agriculture and rural areas on the eve of the fourth Chinese farmers' harvest festival.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed speeding up the modernization of agriculture and rural areas to enable constant improvements in farmers' lives.

Overcoming difficulties such as the COVID-19 epidemic and natural disasters this year, China had ensured bumper harvests in grain and agricultural production, which has played an important role in the country's efforts to make new advances amid changes and maintain overall stability, Xi noted.

He stressed the role of rural vitalization in realizing national rejuvenation.

As China embarks on a new journey toward the second centenary goal, the focus of work concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers has shifted to comprehensively promoting rural vitalization, said Xi.

He urged Party committees and governments at all levels to implement the major policies, decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and prioritize the development of agriculture and rural areas so as to improve the lives of the farmers. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 23:33:24|Editor: huaxia

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Chen Ning Yang, a Nobel prize-winning physicist and also an initiator of the Xplorer Prize, speaks during the 2019 Xplorer Prize award ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent best wishes to renowned physicist Chen Ning Yang on his birthday.

Entrusted by Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, senior officials of the Ministry of Education visited Yang at Tsinghua University on Wednesday, presented him with a flower basket on Xi's behalf and conveyed Xi's greetings.

Yang is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Yang was born in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, on Sept. 22, 1922. In 1957, Yang shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Tsung-Dao Lee for work on the so-called parity laws, which led to important discoveries regarding elementary particles. The Yang-Mills gauge theory introduced by him is one of the most important achievements of physics in the 20th century.

After returning to China, Yang started working at Tsinghua University in 2003 and has made important contributions to cultivating and recruiting talent and promoting international academic exchanges. 




Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 23:37:10|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday expressed grave concern over the cooperation between the United States, the UK and Australia on nuclear submarines, stating that it deliberately escalates regional tensions, provokes an arms race, threatens regional peace and stability, and undermines international nuclear non-proliferation efforts.

Answering a press question at a daily news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said it is widely believed by the international community that the cooperation between the three countries poses a serious risk of nuclear proliferation, in violation of the spirit of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

He said that the U.S. and the UK are likely to export to Australia highly enriched uranium with a purity of 90 percent or more, which is weapon-grade nuclear material.

"As a non-nuclear-weapon state, Australia's acquisition of highly enriched uranium itself poses severe nuclear proliferation and nuclear security risks. However, the current safeguards mechanism of the International Atomic Energy Agency cannot verify whether Australia will use the highly enriched uranium in the power reactors of nuclear submarines for nuclear weapons," said the spokesperson, adding that China believes that these concerns of the international community are completely justified and reasonable.

"As a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the NPT and a party to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, known as the Treaty of Rarotonga, Australia is now introducing nuclear submarine technology of strategic and military value. The international community, including Australia's neighboring countries, has reason to question Australia's sincerity in honoring its nuclear non-proliferation commitments," said Zhao.

He said that, faced with the dual challenge of combating COVID-19 and revitalizing the economy, people in the Asia-Pacific region need growth and employment, not submarines and ammunition.

Zhao stressed that the nuclear submarine cooperation between the U.S., the UK and Australia proves once again that the U.S. and the UK pursue double standards and use nuclear cooperation as a tool of geopolitical game.

China urges the three countries to heed the call of the international community, discard the outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and narrow geopolitical perspective, revoke the wrong decision, faithfully fulfill international nuclear non-proliferation obligations and do more to contribute to regional peace and stability, said the spokesperson. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-23 03:39:26|Editor: huaxia

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French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the press at the nine Mediterranean European Union member states (EUMED 9) Summit in Athens, Greece, on Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

Macron and Biden "have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence and proposing concrete measures toward common objectives," said a joint statement.

Since the AUKUS pact was unveiled, France, outraged by the abrupt move without notice, has accused Australia and the U.S. of "lying, duplicity, a major breach of trust and contempt" and recalled its ambassadors to the two countries.

PARIS, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden said they will meet in October in Europe following their phone call on Wednesday over the new trilateral Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) security partnership.

The AUKUS deal, which was described as a "stab in the back" by France and sparked outcry across Europe, has raised concerns over nuclear proliferation from the international community as under the deal Australia has scrapped a contract to buy submarines from France in favor of U.S.-made nuclear vessels.

The two presidents "agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners," according to their joint statement.

Since the AUKUS pact was unveiled last Wednesday, France, outraged by the abrupt move without notice, has accused Australia and the U.S. of "lying, duplicity, a major breach of trust and contempt" and recalled its ambassadors to the two countries on Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a ceremony celebrating the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on July 26, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Macron and Biden "have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence and proposing concrete measures toward common objectives." They will meet in Europe at the end of October "in order to reach shared understandings and maintain momentum in this process," the joint statement said.

Macron has decided that the French ambassador will return to Washington next week, it added.

Meanwhile, Biden reaffirmed "the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region" and said that the U.S. "recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)," according to the joint statement.

Dismayed by the "unacceptable" act by the U.S., European leaders in recent days have voiced concerns about the AUKUS agreement and demanded an explanation from Biden on why he misled France and other European partners in forging the new strategic agreement in the Indo-Pacific region. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 10:02:26|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- China and Nigeria launched a cultural week here on Tuesday to strengthen the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

The "China-Nigeria Cultural Week" was declared open during an event held to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of China's traditional festivals.

Speaking at the event, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Cui Jianchun said the celebration was a special and worthy one as this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"Both China and Nigeria are great countries with a long history and rich culture. The bilateral relationship will be further improved and the traditional friendship will be further strengthened through co-hosting the China-Nigeria Cultural Week," Cui said at the event well attended by Nigerian officials, media and local staff of Chinese firms, among others.

The cultural week features exhibitions of Chinese and Nigerian cultures, photography and short video contests, a Chinese calligraphy competition, and films showcasing the fruitful results of cooperation between the two countries.

Also speaking at the event, Nigerian Permanent Secretary of Information and Culture Adaora Anyanwutaku said the cultural week bears testimony to not only the close relations between the two countries and their people but also their successful cultural cooperation.

Guests at the event shared mooncakes, the most representative food of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which brings families together to celebrate harvest under a full moon.

The opening event was also spiced up with various Nigerian local acrobatic displays, songs, dances, and a photo exhibition. Awards were presented to 50 local staffers of Chinese companies who have done an outstanding job in promoting cooperation between the two countries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 20:22:11|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and seven others critically injured after a passenger bus lost control and plunged into a river in central Nigeria's Kogi state on late Tuesday, the country's road safety police said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said two persons are still missing, adding that the bus, carrying 15 passengers, suddenly lost control in the Koton Karfe axis of Kogi.

The bus fell into a river which is a tributary to the Niger River, the principal river of West Africa, said the FRSC statement.

It said eight local divers were engaged to rescue the victims and recover the dead bodies.

However, the FRSC said the search for two female passengers was still underway.

The 18-seater bus left Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, and was en route to Kano in the northwest region of the country before the incident, according to the official statement.

The critically injured victims have been taken to a nearby government hospital, the FRSC said, adding it is still investigating the cause of the crash. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 21:14:05|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Egypt will host the 8th International Energy Forum (IEF)-International Gas Union (IGU) Ministerial Gas Forum in 2022 on reviving the world economy in light of COVID-19 repercussions and the hiking prices in natural gas markets in 2021, the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The ministers will also evaluate the climate and the international energy issues that were discussed in the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference," the statement said.

Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek al-Molla said the IEF-IGU Ministerial Gas Forum is an important arena for promoting and strengthening a global dialogue between natural gas producing and consuming countries.

The IEF is the world's largest international organization of energy ministers from 71 countries that represent 90 percent of the world energy market and include both producing and consuming nations. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 21:55:00|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- A Ghanaian university whose infrastructure is aided by the Chinese government praised China for its support to the West African country's education and health sectors.

Speaking to Xinhua in an interview, John Owusu Gyapong, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), said that Chinese support for Ghana's health and education sectors has been transformative.

The Chinese government funded the construction on the first phase of UHAS's infrastructure project and handed it over to the Ghanaian government in 2015, while the second phase of the China-aided project began construction on September 10 this year.

"International partnerships are things that we will live with for a very long time. And it is good to have good partnerships around the world, and China has been one of the best partners of Ghana," he stated.

Gyapong described the second phase of the university infrastructure as a monumental leap for the school with high prospects for its development.

Gyapong said UHAS would consider partnerships between the school of nursing and midwifery with some institutions in China in the future.

Adu Osei, medical biochemistry and molecular biology student in UHAS, described the project under construction as mind-blowing.

"I say a big thanks to the Chinese government for showing such heartfelt support for my university," Osei added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 22:27:13|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on Wednesday expressed concern at the rate of intake of the COVID-19 vaccine by citizens in the country.

The Zambian president said that despite the country placing the vaccine program on the list of mitigation measures, the country has only managed to vaccinate about three percent of its eligible population since April 14, 2021 when the program started.

This, he said, was against the country's target of vaccinating 70 percent of the eligible population from 18 years and above by the third quarter of 2022.

"It is fair to state that recovery from the pandemic hinges upon mass vaccinations before considering other reforms or facilities that tend to fail when countries lock down their economies," he said in his address to the 76th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in the early hours of Wednesday.

He expressed gratitude that the UN General Assembly will consider building on vaccine initiatives such as the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX).

According to him, the two initiatives have made it possible for low-income countries like Zambia to access life-saving vaccines which will contribute to building resilience and recovery from the pandemic.

The Zambian leader however called for enhanced global efforts toward promoting investments in local manufacturing capacity and technology transfer on vaccines, related infrastructure as well as research and development.

The pandemic, he said, has had a far-reaching socio-economic impact globally including disturbing trade flows, supply chains and various economic activities.

Zambia, he said, has developed a national preparedness and response plan for the pandemic which has been used to guide the implementation of mitigation measures, with the vaccine program forming an integral part of the response plan.

The Ministry of Health will next week launch a heightened vaccination campaign aimed at encouraging more people to get vaccinated. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-23 00:12:31|Editor: huaxia

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JUBA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's transitional unity government on Wednesday condemned a failed coup attempt on Tuesday in its northern neighbor Sudan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said it considers the coup attempt to oust the transitional government in Sudan as a blatant attack on the process of consolidating peace in Sudan.

"The government and the people of the Republic of South Sudan strongly condemn this failed coup attempt and urge the Sudanese government to hold accountable all those involved. The government of South Sudan also condemns any external interference intended to derail the peaceful transition that is currently underway in Sudan," the ministry said in a statement issued in Juba.

It disclosed that it rejects the use of military means to undermine the power of the people and the leadership of the transitional government.

President Salva Kiir had phone conversations with the Chairman of the Sudan Transitional Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Tuesday morning after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) successfully thwarted the attempted coup allegedly by supporters of former President Omar Al-Bashir.

"Such unconstitutional shortcuts aimed at blocking the democratic political transition in Sudan should not be allowed to derail the efforts of the Sudanese people," the statement said.

It also called on all the parties and stakeholders in Sudan to embrace peaceful dialogue and protect the transitional government in order to safeguard the democratic gains made during this transitional period.

President Kiir in October last year mediated and oversaw the signing of the Juba Peace Agreement between the Sudan transitional government and various armed rebels from the regions of Darfur, Nuba Mountains and South Kordofan.

These former rebel fighters have been integrated into the Sudan transitional government, ending decades-long conflicts with the Sudanese government.

"We once again reaffirm our support to full implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement in Sudan, and urge the parties to recommit to it as the best path forward to achieve the legitimate goals of the Sudanese revolution," it added.

South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict between the then rebel army Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and successive regimes in Khartoum.

The two share a long common border that has not been demarcated, and they had recently agreed to open by Oct. 1 four border crossing points at Jebeleen area to encourage trade and movement of people across their common border that was shut in 2011. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-21 13:08:36|Editor: huaxia

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KIEV, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian government has decided to extend the COVID-19-related quarantine regime till Dec. 31 amid surging cases, the country's Health Ministry said on Monday.

According to a statement on the ministry's website, Ukrainian authorities will soon introduce the "yellow level" of quarantine restrictions nationwide, the third-highest risk level in its four-grade system.

The anti-epidemic measures during the "yellow level" include a 50-percent occupancy rule for cinemas and other cultural institutions, as well as limits on the number of people in restaurants, fitness centers and gyms, the ministry said.

Ukraine, which imposed the COVID-19 quarantine for the first time in March 2020, has eased the restrictions this summer due to the improvement of epidemic situation.

As of Monday, a total of 2,350,646 COVID-19 cases and 54,919 deaths have been registered in Ukraine, while 2,231,417 patients have recovered, said the ministry.

According to the official data, more than 5.12 million Ukrainians have been fully vaccinated so far. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-21 13:11:31|Editor: huaxia

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KIEV, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Multinational military exercise Rapid Trident 2021 kicked off in Lviv region in western Ukraine on Monday, the press service of the Ukrainian army's land forces reported.

More than 6,000 military personnel from 15 countries will take part in the exercise between Sept. 20 and Oct.1 at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center near Yavoriv in Lviv region.

The Rapid Trident exercise has been held in Ukraine since 2006 within the framework of NATO's Partnership for Peace program. Last year over 4,000 troops from nine participating countries took part in the drills. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-23 04:05:24|Editor: huaxia

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FRANKFURT, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- BMW and Daimler, two of Germany's auto giants, have been sued by activists on charges that they fall short on their commitments to a more ambitious goal of emission reduction.

The lawsuit was filed by German non-governmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe e. V. (DUH, Environmental Action Germany in English).

The DUH sent letters to the two companies on Sept. 2, asking them to strengthen their climate protection measures and phase out internal combustion engine cars by 2030. However, the demand was rejected and the DUH took the case to the courts in Munich and Stuttgart, where the two companies are respectively headquartered.

MOUNTING PRESSURE

The lawsuit is the latest of a slew of complaints lodged by activists against automakers in Germany, while the efforts made by corporations and the government to cut emissions are under more and more scrutiny.

The DUH's Federal Managing Director Juergen Resch explicitly lambasted the automakers for their reluctance to make a binding promise to slash emissions. "For more than ten years, they formed a criminal cartel together with Volkswagen," Resch said.

Resch accused the automakers of using poor exhaust gas cleaning technology that is harmful to the environment in order to enhance their profits.

German auto companies like Volkswagen were found to manipulate the software on their diesel vehicles to cheat and pass exhaust tests. The scandal, often referred to as "dieselgate," marred the image of Germany's auto industry as a whole.

The German federal government has endorsed initiatives aimed at reducing emissions to meet the goals set in the Paris Climate Agreement. However, critics demanded that more should be done, especially after the German Constitutional Court ruled in April that the Federal Climate Change Act was partly unconstitutional and insufficient.

Shortly after the ruling, the German federal Environment and Finance Ministries published plans to amend the Climate Change Act, lifting the target of emissions reduction to 65 percent compared to 1990 levels from 55 percent. According to the modified plans, Germany should become climate neutral by 2045, as opposed to 2050 in the old plan.

INEVITABLE TRANSITION

Germany's auto industry, one of the most crucial sectors of the country's manufacturing industry, has long enjoyed a comfortable dominance in international high-end markets. When it comes to conventional cars, the high quality of German vehicles is considered a source of national pride.

While there is still no consensus on whether electric vehicles are more efficient than internal combustion engine vehicles, the threats posed by climate change provide an impetus for decision makers across the world to adopt and promote electric vehicles.

One after another, a growing number of European countries have made clear commitments to phase out the sale of new combustion engine vehicles in the near future. Norway plans to stop the sale of new combustion engine vehicles as early as 2025, the Netherlands and Ireland in 2030, the United Kingdom in 2035, and France and Spain in 2040.

Germany has not joined its European counterparts, but the use of internal combustion engine vehicles has already been restricted in a growing list of cities.

Meanwhile, the rise of electric vehicle producers has already upended the auto market. Tesla, the U.S. electric vehicle producer founded in 2003, has witnessed precipitous growth for years.

With transportation veering towards electric mobility, the auto market's transition to electrification looks inevitable.

JOBS AT RISK

German automakers are lagging behind their foreign counterparts in pushing forward with their electrification strategies. Their reluctance to speed up appears justified by the high stakes involved.

Electric cars have been one of the biggest hypes in the media and a magnet for investment in recent years.

While startups can scale from scratch to make inroads into the electric vehicle business, Germany's established auto makers will probably have to spin off their conventional vehicle divisions if they choose to build new electric vehicle models.

According to the annual report of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), 833,000 people were employed in 2019 by the country's car and vehicle parts manufacturers.

The transition to electrification is expected to put a huge number of auto-related jobs at risk as most of the skills required are non-transferable.

In a worst-case scenario, the National Platform Future of Mobility (NPM) predicted last year that more than 400,000 jobs could be lost by 2030 in the country's auto industry.

Nonetheless, some German automakers have embarked on this transition. Volkswagen said it will stop selling new internal combustion engine vehicles in Europe by 2035. Audi also announced it plans to go all electric by 2026. Enditem
POLICE in Bulawayo have increased their visibility to curb crimes that are usually associated with the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair due to an influx of visitors.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube told Southern Eye yesterday that law enforcement agents were more than ready to deal with criminals that often cash in on the increase in the number of visitors in the countrys second largest city during the annual trade extravaganza.

We have realised that there is an influx of visitors in Bulawayo, we are glad to receive them, we want to tell them that they are safe, Ncube said.

We have deployed enough police officers to deal with those who will be engaged in criminal activities. Some criminals would have travelled from afar, we want to warn them that Bulawayo is not a hunting ground for criminals and does not tolerate lawlessness.

He added: We urge the public to co-operate with police and that they should not leave their luggage in their cars.

Of late, Bulawayo has been hit by a spate of armed robbery, resulting in exchange of gunfire between police officers and armed robbers.

Last month, armed robbers were cornered by police in Bulawayo. One was shot dead, while two were injured when the six armed robbers, who had come all the way from South Africa, pounced on a house along Franklin Drive in Fourwinds, Bulawayo.

Four firearms were recovered at the scene. Newsday
A mentally challenged man from Chiororo Village under Chief Neromwe in Triangle went on the rampage, striking several people with a log and killing one man after a woman he approached for sex rebuked him.

The number of people killed by mentally challenged people in Zimbabwe has reached alarming levels. The accused get into that state because Government is failing to provide drugs.

Masvingo acting Police spokesperson, Lloyd Masundire confirmed the death of Simon Chigoyi (53) who was allegedly killed by Clever Mhindu (43) on September, 18, 2021 and advised the public to send mentally unstable relatives for regular check-ups with psychiatrists.

Chigoyi had approached Mhindus daughter-in-law Miriam Hlongane (19) for sex and was denied.

A Police report says that people were gathered for traditional beer at Rebecca Madzamatiras house. Mhindu was holding a wooden stick when he approached Hlongane who was washing dishes and asked for sex.

When Hlongane turned down the proposal Mhindu hit her on the back with the stick and she ran away.

Mhindu pursued her and returned after failing to catch up with her. He came across Chigoyi who was lighting a cigarette. He hit him with the stick below the left ear and Chigoyi fell unconscious.

Elias Marumbani Chauke disarmed the accused but the latter attacked Chauke with stones and he ran away.

After failing to catch Chauke, Mhindu returned and finished off Chigoyi by striking him in the head with a hoe. He was disarmed by villagers. Masvingo Mirror


FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube yesterday said Zimbabweans should not criticise his budget surplus, and claimed that his austerity measures had saved the economy from an economic collapse induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ncube, who is in New York, the United States, where he is on a roadshow to charm investors to the southern African nation, told delegates attending a business conference yesterday at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) held under the theme Embracing the new normal for business and industry: Realities and Opportunities.

Ncube said COVID-19 vaccination had anchored the countrys economic recovery strategy and people should not criticise the budget surplus he often boasts about insisting that it had saved lives through the purchase of vaccines and other interventions.

But immediately, civil servants accused him of dishonesty, claiming the surplus was superficial when the majority of Zimbabweans are wallowing in poverty.

The other response is the vaccination programme. Colleagues, the surplus works. I repeat the surplus works. Dont criticise the surplus, Ncube said in a virtual address.

If we did not have the surplus in 2020 of US$100 million, we could have been in deep trouble as a country. We would not have managed to acquire the vaccines that have gone into your arms right now.

Ncubes speech was delivered under the topic: The Pandemic and the economy: Business Recovery Support initiatives  fiscal interventions and perspectives.

The business conference drew delegates from industry and commerce with Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, as the guest speaker, accompanied by several Cabinet ministers.

When you think of the surplus, think of that vaccine that is going into your arm; that is what it is all about. So far, we have spent US$127,3 million procuring additional vaccines, again focusing on Sinopham and Sinovac, Ncube said.

We have enough vaccines to go around so get vaccinated. This is an economic recovery strategy and not just a health strategy for saving lives.

Ncube has often attracted criticism over the countrys budget surplus with critics citing widespread poverty and hunger.

Civil servants have on several occasions pleaded with Ncube to use the surplus to fund their salaries to cushion them against the harsh economic climate where prices of basics keep going up.

Teacher unions yesterday accused Ncube of trying to justify the unjustifiable.

We cant have a surplus when the majority of Zimbabweans are living in poverty and receiving starvation wages. That shocking contrast between richness that is supported by the surplus and extreme levels of poverty and penury is unacceptable. A surplus that can only be seen by the rich people and not extended to the poor people is an unnecessary surplus, PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) president Obert Masaraure added: We have criticised the surplus because it has overally been fictitious. We are all aware that we have been receiving a lot of support from donor agencies to keep us going as a nation.

Zimbabwe should not be operating within the confines of just saving money; Zimbabwe must be operating through investing in our people, investing in social services . . . Newsday
PROMINENT Harare lawyer Jonathan Samkange of Venturas and Samkange was given a 24-hour ultimatum by Sabonabona residents to withdraw papers he filed at the Supreme Court on their behalf without their instruction.

On Monday, Sabonabona Progressive Residents Association acting chairperson Ezekiel Chinoingira wrote to Samkange, notifying him that if he failed to withdraw the papers, the residents would file a complaint against him with the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ).

In the letter, dated September 20, 2021 and copied to the Registrar of the Supreme Court and LSZ executive secretary Edward Mapara, Chinoingira, on behalf of the residents, said although Samkange was claiming that he was acting on behalf of them, they were denying that they had given him instructions.

The matter between Balwearie Holdings Private Limited and the Sabonabona residents is filed at the Supreme Court under SC 245/21.

This comes barely a month after another lawyer, James Magodora based in Kwekwe, was found guilty of professional misconduct by the LSZ after he acted on behalf of the Sabonabona residents without their consent.

We make reference to the above matter wherein you filed a notice of opposition on behalf of the eighth to 37th and 39th to 76th respondents, Chinoingira stated in the letter.

What has disturbed us is that while you indicated that you are acting on behalf of the eighth to 37th and 39th to 76th respondents, our members, who are included among the respondents whom you purport to be representing, have indicated that they did not give you instructions to represent them.

Some of them initially wanted to file separate complaints with the Law Society of Zimbabwe but we have decided to first alert you of this so that you can consider withdrawing the papers which you filed on behalf of all persons who did not give you direct instructions.

The residents said it was their own conclusion that Samkange was misled to file on behalf of the residents without their consent. Samkange is also the Zanu PF legislator for Mudzi South. Newsday
POLICE officer commanding Mashonaland West province, Commissioner Coneli Dube, who was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Unit (ZACC) on allegations of obstructing the course of justice, spent last night in custody and is expected in court today for bail ruling.

Dube appeared before Mashonaland West provincial magistrate, Ms Ruth Moyo for initial remand.

He is accused of trying to protect four Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers, Detective Assistant Inspector Moses Million, Detective Assistant Inspector Newton Musende, Detective Sergeant Never Muchekawaya and Detective Constable Justice Mapfanya who are facing charges of extorting money from one Washington Ongorani.

Dube allegedly withheld the criminal docket for the four ,thereby contravening Section 184 (1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act chapter 9:23.

Prosecuting, Ms Teveraishe Zinyemba told the court that Dube committed the offence on February 13 this year, when he allegedly withheld the docket under ZRP Chinhoyi Central CR 48/02/21.

The docket had been prepared by Chief Inspector Elymas Silivani who went with it to court under prosecutor reference number A225/21.

The court further heard that on March 12, 2021, a public prosecutor, Ms Gutu, returned the docket to the police station with instructions for the investigating officer to return the docket on March 19, 2021.

The accused, the court heard, instructed one Superintendent Ruwanda to bring the docket to his office before ordering him to ignore the instruction of the public prosecutor.

Dube is also said to have ordered Superintendent Ruwanda to lock away the docket in the district offices safe until further instructions.

The then Officer Commanding Makonde District, Chief Superintendent Elliot Magomo, the court further heard, approached the accused to inquire why dockets were being kept under lock and the accused is alleged to have claimed that it was a directive from a higher office.

On May 13, Chief Superintendent Magomo wrote to Dube advising him of a complaint from Ongorani who queried why his case was taking long but Dube took no action.

The State opposed the bail application on the basis that the accused was a flight risk who was also likely to abscond and interfere with witnesses.

ZACCs senior investigations officer, Mr Patrick Madiye said if granted bail, the accused could influence or intimidate some of the witnesses who were his subordinates.

Mr Madiye also told the court that the accused had influenced the transfer of two senior officers from the province.

In his bail application, Dube had averred that he was not a flight risk as he was willing to surrender his travel documents.

He said he was not familiar with the witnesses hence he would not interfere with them. Herald
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  The Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division of Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Abdulwahab Eyitayo, says more than 8,000 Boko Haram terrorists have so far surrendered
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyans from all walks of life have been condemning Tuesday's vote of no confidence by Parliament in the Government of National Unity (GNU), with some describing it as "a leap into the void" and "an attempt to obstruct the upcoming elections"
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - MPs opposed to the no-confidence vote against the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU) said on Tuesday that what happened during the session did not reflect the will of Parliament
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  Nigerias Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, says the Federal Government will leave no stone unturned in the prosecution of Boko Haram financiers as part of the fight against terrorism
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - The United Kingdom (UK) government will on Wednesday launch the Skills for Prosperity Nigeria (S4P-N) programme aimed at equipping youths and vulnerable groups with skills that offer them a more attractive pathway to employment, an official source said here Tuesday
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Extended detention of businessman involved in Penza Governors case upheld

 The Moscow City Court's press service, Moskva city news agency

18:42 22/09/2021

MOSCOW, September 22 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court on Wednesday upheld extension of detention of the head of BIOTEC Group of Companies Boris Spiegel involved in a bribery case against ex-Penza Region governor Ivan Belozertsev until November 20, the courts press service told RAPSI.

Earlier, the court took the same decision as to the former governor of the Penza Region.

After his arrest and detention the businessman voiced his readiness to cooperate with investigators.

According to the investigation, between January and September 2020, Belozertsev accepted through intermedia money and other values worth over 31 million rubles (over $400,000) in bribes from Spiegel, his spouse andDirector of Pharmacia Company Anton Koloskov. In turn, the official allegedly promised to give BIOTEC Group of Companies the competitive gain in execution of state contracts for acceptance, quality and validity period tracking, storing and supplies of medical drugs and goods for the needs of health care institutions of the Penza Region.




A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Before leaving for the United State of America on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the visit would be an occasion to strengthen the comprehensive global strategic partnership with the US.

The Prime minister further said that the visit would be an occasion to consolidate relations with our strategic partners - Japan and Australia - and to take forward our collaboration on important global issues.

In a departure statement, the Prime Minister said he will be visiting the US from September 22-25 at the invitation of President Joe Biden.

"During my visit, I will review the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with President Biden and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. I am also looking forward to meeting Vice President Kamala Harris to explore opportunities for cooperation between our two nations particularly in the area of science and technology," Modi said.

The Prime Minister mentioned that he will participate in the first in-person Quad Leaders' Summit along with President Biden, Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison and Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga.

"The Summit provides an opportunity to take stock of the outcomes of our Virtual Summit in March this year and identify priorities for future engagements based on our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

Prime Minister Modi said that he will meet Prime Minister Morrison and Prime Minister Suga to take stock of the strong bilateral relations with their respective countries and continue our useful exchanges on regional and global issues. "I will conclude my visit with an address at the United Nations General Assembly focusing on the pressing global challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, climate change and other important issues," he said.

"My visit to the US would be an occasion to strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the USA, consolidate relations with our strategic partners - Japan and Australia - and to take forward our collaboration on important global issues," he concluded.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Chhattisgarh government's appeal against stay on probe against former Chief Minister Raman Singh and BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra for their tweets in connection with alleged Congress Toolkit controversy.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana said: "We are not inclined to interfere. Let the high court decide the matter expeditiously".

The bench also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli observed added, "Appeal dismissed. Let not the observations come in the way of deciding the case on merits".

On June, the Chhattisgarh High Court had passed two separate orders granting interim relief to Singh and Patra. The high court had noted that averments in the FIR reflected that no public peace or tranquillity is being adversely affected and it is purely political rivalry.

The high court had said: "Considering the facts of the case and perusal of FIR, prima facie no case is made out against the petitioner and criminal proceedings is manifestly attended against the petitioner with malafides or political grudge".

The state government, in its appeal, contended that the high court erroneously granted interim relief sought by Singh by staying the investigation arising out of the FIR.

The state government sought setting aside of the high court orders on the ground that the apex court has held that the extraordinary powers of the high court under Article 226 of the Constitution ought to be used sparingly and in rarest of rare cases.
After a Dalit Chief Minister in Punjab, Congress General Secretary and Chairman of the campaign committee Harish Rawat said that he wants to see a Dalit as CM in Uttarakhand which goes to the polls early next year.

Addressing a parivartan yatra,the former Chief Minister said in Luxor, "history has not been created in Punjab but in whole of northern India, and when the Punjab chief minister was talking about his family background every one had tears in their eyes."

While the state has around 23 percent Dalit population the statement from Rawat could have an impact as the Congress is aiming to come back in Uttarakhand. The Congress, since the state was formed, has appointed three Chief Ministers. Two -- ND Tiwari and Vijay Bahuguna -- were Brahmins while Rawat is a Rajput.

The state goes to the polls next year but the Congress is divided into camps. Pritam Singh, the Leader of Opposition in the state, has his camp while Rawat is leading another camp. In the recent appointments Rawat was successful in getting his staunch loyalist Ganesh Gondiyal as President of the Congress.
The US Defence Department has revealed that India cooperated with the US in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the evacuation of its citizens and others after the Taliban took over the country on August 15, and has agreed to help those at risk there, according to a US spokesperson.

The disclosure came out in a readout on Tuesday by department spokesperson John Kirby of Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin's phone conversation with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Austin "thanked India for its cooperation throughout the evacuation process and retrograde mission in Afghanistan", the readout of the Monday phone conversation said.

"Both the leaders committed to continue to monitor the situation in Afghanistan," Kirby said.

Their conversation came ahead of the Quad summit convened by US President Joe Biden with Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India, Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Scott Morrison of Australia on Friday.

India has apparently had an understated role in the chaotic US departure from Afghanistan, unlike some other countries like Qatar which cooperated overtly.

Kirby did not expand in his readout on the precise role of India.

The US evacuated over 120,000 people from Afghanistan, including its citizens and permanent residents as well as those who had worked with US organisations in the war-torn nation and others facing danger from the Taliban.

None of the evacuation flights was known to have gone to India.

Rajnath Singh, who tweeted about the conversation, did not mention the cooperation in the evacuation or troop withdrawal (for which Kirby used the military euphemism, 'retrograde mission').

His tweet said that they discussed bilateral defence cooperation and regional matters, including Afghanistan.

Kirby said that Singh and Austin "reiterated their commitment to ensure the Indo-Pacific region remains free and open".

Austin told Singh that he looked forward to hosting him for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue of the heads of foreign affairs and defence of the two countries, expected to be held later this year, Kirby added.
It wasn't that Joe Biden vacated the time-tested plank of America First outright. No resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue can. But blame it on the pummelling he and Kamala Harris got on their messy exit from Kabul or the frontal challenge to their authority from Paris, US President Joe Biden wore multilateralism on his sleeve at his debut address to the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

He wasn't the global sheriff that Donald Trump, his predecessor, woke up believing every morning. Instead, Biden delivered on Tuesday as if he were an elder sibling. One who needed every other kid in the global family to chip in if the ship must not sink. Yes, sink irretrievably it could in 10 years, he feared.

If Trump despised Anthony Fauci and the science gang no matter how much sense they made on a spiraling pandemic and he kicked and screamed against a mask over his beautiful face (DT's formulation), Biden was, quite rightly, wide awake to how Covid-19 had changed "the world and America" forever.

If Trump finally took to venting frustration on the World Health Organization and even threatening to pull America out, Biden didn't see the UNGA as the time and place to weave in WHO or Xi's deadly lab in Wuhan. The bats and their handlers seemed consigned to "wars of the past".

Biden's 36-minutes were centered around wars of the future, Covid-19, and mutations still unknown, occupying centre stage.

Related, the commitment to mount more and more ferries stacked with US-made vaccines for those living in the impoverished parts of our planet. No strings attached.

Even as Trump disenfranchised from Twitter and Facebook, hence without a presidential megaphone to curse the UN, the EU, the WHO, et al, isn't half as much fun, this US President did a 180-degree change of line: "America is back on the table." Not just with NATO or even with the EU, the ASEAN or even the Quad, but most unequivocally, with those who differ with it.

At the centre of this were poverty, health and climate change. Here too, no broad brushing the American way or pontificating to the developing world, but promising to put real dollars on the table to fight these wars without borders. And most certainly to showing up at Glasgow for COP26 a few weeks from now.

The ageing lion sought to use wisdom. Brute force, even in rhetoric, went amiss as if mindful of the new lion waiting behind on a video link. Discretion, not valour, seemed Biden's underpinning on competition with Xi in theatres as diverse as cyber and South China Sea, biotech and 5G.

Let there be no Cold War, @POTUS46 offered, hopeful of healthy competition and global rules. Xi's words may be just as sagacious.

But even those applauding Beijing's niceties from a relic of the mid-1940s know that the Middle Kingdom knows exactly where it wants to be: epicentre of everything in the world.

As the camera panned to the delegation from Kabul, Biden sought to deflect attention from the ham-handed exit into presenting a nation not mired in a war for the first time in 20 years.

No melancholy over the trouncing. Just to assure himself, he ticked a dozen boxes on conflict zones across the planet, made the right noises on Tehran and Pyongyang, but it seemed clear that America is done with getting its boys killed.

Biden's chinooks won't airdrop the marines unilaterally, his armadas in the Indo-Pacific may snarl but they won't bite. Unless he has the company of allies and partners and the battle has a do-able goal.

Welcome to Biden's America. One with a deeper self-realisation of limitations. Muted swagger and in retreat from "ekla chalo re" (read: my-way-or-the-highway) to "Vasudaiva Kutumbakam" (read: God save us all from Xi).
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not the head of state like President Joe Biden, but the head of government, his equivalent in protocol is Vice President Kamala Harris, who is partly of Indian origin, and she will be the formal host.

He is scheduled to meet with her on Friday.

Harris has had a tense relationship with Modi's administration after criticising External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in 2019 for refusing to meet with the House Foreign Affairs Committee of Pramila Jayapal, an Indian-origin member of the House Representatives, who was not a member of the panel included in the meeting.

Jayapal had introduced a resolution criticising India over Kashmir.

"It's wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress what members are allowed in meetings on Capitol Hill," Harris said condescendingly at the time as if an Indian minister should not have the right to decide who he wants to meet.

She has desisted from criticism of India after becoming vice president, but her niece Meena Harris has supported the farmers' agitation and attacked the Indian government.

Although Harris had spoken to several world leaders soon after becoming vice president, she had a phone conversation with Modi only in June when she discussed Biden's offer to send vaccines to India from the US stockpile when it suffered a Covid surge.

Any misgivings may have healed and Modi tweeted, "I deeply appreciate the assurance of vaccine supplies to India as part of the US Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing. I also thanked her for all the support and solidarity from the US government, businesses and Indian diaspora."

Modi may invite Harris to visit the homeland of her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris.

When Modi visited Washington in 2016, Biden, who was then the vice president, was the formal host.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/22/2021 -- HTF MI Analyst have added a new research study on Title 2020-2025 Global Business Card Market Report - Production and Consumption Professional Analysis (Impact of COVID-19) with detailed information of Product Types [, Cloud-based & On-premises], Applications [Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) & Large Enterprises] & Key Players Such as BeLight Software, AMS Software, CAM Development, Mojosoft Software, Fuzzyatom Labs, DRPU Software, CR8 Software Solutions, EDrawSoft, SmartsysSoft, Logaster, Haystack, ABBYY Software House, PenPower Technology, NCH Software & Adobe etc. The Study provides in-depth comprehensive analysis for regional segments that covers North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa with global outlook and includes Clear Market definitions, classifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, development policies and plans. The facts and data are well presented in the Business Card report using diagrams, graphs, pie charts, and other pictorial representations with respect to its current trends, dynamics, and business scope & key statistics.



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Impact Analysis  Global Business Card Market Research

Analysts at HTF MI constantly monitor the Business Card industry factors with impacts of current events; with this study an update of how industry players have tackled latest scenario and what key strategies have made significant difference is showcased.



Key Highlights from Business Card Market Study.



Revenue and Sales Estimation  Historical Revenue and sales volume is presented and further data is triangulated with top-down and bottom-up approaches to forecast complete market size and to estimate forecast numbers for key regions covered in the report along with classified and well recognized Types and end-use industry. Additionally, macroeconomic factor and regulatory policies are ascertained in Business Card industry evolution and predictive analysis.



Manufacturing Analysis the report is currently analysed concerning various product type and application. The Business Card market provides a chapter highlighting manufacturing process analysis validated via primary information collected through Industry experts and Key officials of profiled companies.



FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS: In order to better understand Business Card market condition five forces analysis is conducted that includes Bargaining power of buyers, Bargaining power of suppliers, Threat of new entrants, Threat of substitutes, Threat of rivalry.



Competition  Leading players have been studied from Business Card Industry depending on their company profile, product portfolio, capacity, product/service price, sales, and cost/profit.



Demand & Supply and Effectiveness  Business Card report additionally provides distribution, Production, Consumption & EXIM** (Export & Import). ** If applicable



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Geographically, the following regions together with the listed national/local markets are fully investigated:

- APAC (Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, India, and Rest of APAC; Rest of APAC is further segmented into Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka)

- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Rest of Europe; Rest of Europe is further segmented into Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania)

- North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico)

- South America (Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Rest of South America)

- MEA (Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa)



The Latest Trends, Product Portfolio, Demographics, Geographical segmentation, and Regulatory Framework of the Business Card Market have also been included in the study.



Market Growth by Applications: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) & Large Enterprises



Heat map Analysis, 3-Year Financial and Detailed Company Profiles of Key & Emerging Players: BeLight Software, AMS Software, CAM Development, Mojosoft Software, Fuzzyatom Labs, DRPU Software, CR8 Software Solutions, EDrawSoft, SmartsysSoft, Logaster, Haystack, ABBYY Software House, PenPower Technology, NCH Software & Adobe



Market Growth by Types: , Cloud-based & On-premises



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Introduction about Global Business Card



Global Business Card Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) [, Cloud-based & On-premises] in 2018

Business Card Market by Application/End Users [Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) & Large Enterprises]

Global Business Card Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications

Global Global Business Card Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2025)

Business Card Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application

Business Card (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.

Global Business Card Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data

Key Raw Materials Analysis & Price Trends

Supply Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain Analysis

........and view more in complete table of Contents



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Thanks for reading this article; HTF also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research according to clientele objectives. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report like North America, Europe or Asia
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/22/2021 -- A new intelligence report released by HTF MI with title "Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market Survey & Outlook" is designed covering micro level of analysis by Insurers and key business segments, offerings and sales channels. The Worldwide Group Travel Insurance offers energetic visions to conclude market size, opportunities, growth pattern, and competitive surroundings. The research is derived through primary and secondary sourced data and includes both qualitative and quantitative detailing. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Allianz, AIG, Munich RE, Generali, Tokio Marine, Sompo Japan, CSA Travel Protection, AXA, Pingan Baoxian, Mapfre Asistencia, USI Affinity, Seven Corners, Hanse Merkur, MH Ross & STARR.



What's keeping Allianz, AIG, Munich RE, Generali, Tokio Marine, Sompo Japan, CSA Travel Protection, AXA, Pingan Baoxian, Mapfre Asistencia, USI Affinity, Seven Corners, Hanse Merkur, MH Ross & STARR Ahead in the Market? Benchmark yourself with the strategic moves and findings recently released by HTF MI



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Market Overview of Worldwide Group Travel Insurance

If you are involved in the Worldwide Group Travel Insurance industry or aim to be, then this study is vital to keep your market knowledge up-to-date. The Market is segmented by Applications [Insurance Intermediaries, Insurance Company, Bank, Insurance Broker & Others], Types / Coverage [Single Trip Coverage, Annual Multi Trip Coverage & Other] and major players. To get deep dive in market, geographically 22+ jurisdictions or countries were summarized in the study from Asia Pacific, MEA, South America, Europe and North America.



Geographically, the global version of report has following country inclusion:

- North America [United States, Canada and Mexico]

- Europe [Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, and Rest of Europe]

- Asia-Pacific [China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia and Others]

- South America [Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Rest of South America]

- Middle East and Africa (South Africa, Turkey, Israel, GCC Countries and Rest of Africa)



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This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Country; Insurance carriers, Aggregators should focus in years to come to channelize their efforts and investments in Worldwide Group Travel Insurance to maximize growth and profitability. The growth in 2020 is noticeably slower and mature markets in North America and Western Europe requires "heavy lifting" to address such trends due to the dynamic macroeconomic and regulatory environment.



The distribution channels in the insurance industry, is always of great importance, reflecting the "push" nature of Worldwide Group Travel Insurance offering in the industry. The distribution model has continued to evolve as insurers try to better connect with their customers. Over the years, the Worldwide Group Travel Insurance industry has seen a clear dominance of face-to face selling (agents and brokers). However, with the increasing penetration of the Internet and customers preferring convenience, the digital mode of sales is becoming increasingly popular in Worldwide Group Travel Insurance.



Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year  2016-2020

Base year  2020

Forecast period  2021 to 2026



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Major Highlights of TOC:



Chapter One: Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market Industry Overview

1.1 Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Industry

1.1.1 Overview

1.1.2 Products of Major Companies

1.2 Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market Segment

1.2.1 Industry Chain

1.2.2 Consumer Behaviour & Distribution Channels



Chapter Two: Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market Demand

2.1 Segment Overview

Insurance Intermediaries, Insurance Company, Bank, Insurance Broker & Others



2.2 Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market Size by Application/End USers (2016-2020)

2.3 Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market Forecast by Application/End USers (2021-2026)



Chapter Three: Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market by Type

3.1 By Type

Single Trip Coverage, Annual Multi Trip Coverage & Other

3.2 Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market Size by Type (2016-2020)

3.3 Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market Forecast by Type (2021-2026)



Chapter Four: Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market: by Region/Country

4.1 Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market by Regions

4.2 Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Market Revenue & share by Region

4.3 North America

4.4 Europe

4.5 Asia Pacific

4.6 South America

4.7 Middle East & Africa



Chapter Five: Player Analysis

5.1 Market Share Analysis by Players (2019-2021E)

5.2 Market Concentration Rate by Regions

5.3 Company Profiles



..........continued



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Thanks for reading Worldwide Group Travel Insurance Industry research publication; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like USA, China, Southeast Asia, LATAM, APAC etc.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/21/2021 -- The overall industrial services market is expected to be valued at USD 33.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 44.1 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.6% between 2020 and 2025. Key factors driving the demand for industrial services include the growing need for operational excellence, increasing demand for maintenance-as-a-service, and increasing equipment complexity.



COVID-19 impact on the industrial services market



Due to the impact of COVID-19, the industrial services market is expected to take a huge hit. In the current situation, manufacturers are gradually realizing the importance of industrial automation. However, due to lockdowns across countries, companies are facing severe cash flow issues and are deferring new projects related to the implementation of industrial automation services. However, a few technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing, are in high demand, as they are essential for the smooth running of digital manufacturing facilities amid the lockdown.



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The MES application is projected to to hold largest market share of industrial services market from 2020 to 2025.



MES helps to maintain the updated data pertaining to the product life cycle, product quality, order execution and dispatch, resource scheduling, downtime management for overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), and production analysis. Moreover, MES helps maintain all the data related to the manufacturing process, such as raw material converted into finished goods and related documentation, and data from robots and employees. These factors owing to the largest market share of MES in industrial services market during forecasted period.



The automotive industry is projected to to hold largest market share of industrial services market from 2020 to 2025.



The automotive industry deals with the design, development, and manufacturing of vehicles. In this industry, automation plays a vital role in inventory management, performance analysis, design process, and supply chain management. In an assembling process, automation helps companies to reduce production time and increase productivity. Major companies offering industrial services to the automotive industry are Rockwell Automation (US), Emerson Electric (US), General Electric (US), ABB (Switzerland), and Siemens AG (Germany).



The industrial services market in APAC is projected to hold the largest market share of industrial services during the forecast period.



Emerging economies, such as China and India, are supporting the growth of the industrial services market. The governments of these countries are encouraging investments from foreign players in the process and discrete industries. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the growing labor cost and high-volume demand in China are the critical factors. The demand for industrial automation in China is growing. This trend would boost the need for industrial services provider for automation products such as PLC, SCADA, HMI, and DCS.



Key Market Players

The industrial services players have implemented various types of organic as well as inorganic growth strategies, such as new product launches, contracts, partnerships and, business expansions, to strengthen their offerings in the market. The major players are ABB Ltd. (Switzerland), Emerson Electric Co. (US), Honeywell International Inc. (US), Schneider Electric SE (France), Rockwell Automation, Inc. (US), Siemens AG (Germany), General Electric Co. (US), Yokogawa Electric Corp. (Japan), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan), Metso Corporation (Finland), and Samson AG (Germany) were the major players in the industrial services market.
Page Content

The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley extends his condolences to the family and friends of Sint Maartens 60th COVID-19 victim, who has passed away. Minister Ottley wishes the family much strength during this time.





As of September 20th , there were twenty six (26) persons who tested positive for COVID-19; however forty eight (48) persons have recovered; bringing the total active cases to one hundred fifty two (152). The total number of confirmed cases is now four thousand one hundred seventeen (4117).





The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) are monitoring one hundred forty one (141) people in home isolation. Eleven (11) patients are hospitalized at the St. Maarten Medical Center. The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 has increased to sixty (60).





The number of people recovered since the first case surfaced on St. Maarten has increased to three thousand nine hundred five (3905). One hundred twenty three (123) people are in quarantine based on contact tracing investigations carried out by CPS.





The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA) Airport Health Team in collaboration with Health Care Laboratory Sint Maarten (HCLS) have tested 3, 700 travelers arriving at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), while CPS tested 41, 509 people throughout the community. As the numbers continue to fluctuate, CPS will continue to actively execute its contact tracing measures.





Minister Ottley urges everyone to continue and wear your mask, reduce social contacts, and sanitize or wash your hands frequently.
Page Content

Minister Richardson visits the Lelystad Youth Penitentiary and the Youth Protection Services in Amsterdam





On Saturday, September 17th 2021, the Minister of Justice Ms. Anna E. Richardson and support staff traveled to the Netherlands for a work visit. At Schiphol airport the Minister Richardson was welcomed by the Minister of Plenipotentiary, Mr. Violenus and his staff. The work visit kicked off on Monday September 20, 2021,with Minister Richardson visiting the Youth Protection Amsterdam (Jeugdbescherming Amsterdam) that works closely with Social Affairs and the Ministry of Justice to tackle domestic violence and child abuse matters. Youth Protection Amsterdam presented Minister Richardson with their improved holistic approach that focuses on simplifying the procedures and making them more effective. After the presentation the Minister had very fruitful dialogue with the management team. Also joining the presentation were social workers from Saba and Bonaire that work at Youth Protection services in the Dutch Caribbean (Jeugdbescherming Caribisch Nederland) who were visiting the Netherlands for a training. In the near future, Minister Richardson would like social workers in Sint Maarten working within our Youth Protection services to have the opportunity to participate in similar programs. Following the visit to Youth Protection Amsterdam, the Minister received a tour of the first small-scale male adolescent facility (Kleinschalige Jeugd Voorziening) in Amsterdam. This facility utilizes an open concept that can be rewarded to detainees and/or convicted persons based on their motivation, behavior, and personal circumstances. The facility houses a maximum of 8 residents aged 12-23 years and allows residents to remain in school, have family contact and work regular hours. Persons are mainly placed there when they are in pre-detention or after good behavior in a Youth Penitentiary. As part of the residents stay the social workers of the facility assess their personal circumstances and create a personal development plan which includes their direct surroundings such as parents and peers. According to the behavior of the resident and their commitment to their development plan, the judge decides whether the resident can remain at this facility or needs to be transferred to a Youth Penitentiary.





The Ministers last stop for the day was to a private juvenile detention center in Lelystad where she toured the facility and learned about the prison operations and rehabilitative and educational programs offered to the inmates. The facility works closely with the Ministry of Education to offer a variety of education programs for the residents. Minister Richardson stated: Visiting these well-established facilities brings a lot of realization of what our existing institutions are in need of but also highlights the types of additional facilities we lack and need to establish. More importantly however, these in person opportunities open the door for partnerships and support where needed. The organizations that we visited today were very welcoming. The communication has been quite positive thus far and there is much willingness and enthusiasm to have Sint Maarten be a part of programs that are underway. For example, meeting a social worker from





Saba and from Bonaire that are currently in the Netherlands training with the Youth Protection services is quite inspirational. Whilst I know the BES-islands form an integral part of the Netherlands, the fact remains that we share a Kingdom and Sint Maarten has some of the same challenges as the BES-islands. As such, we all need to be in discussions about trainings and programs that are geared to helping our communities with the challenges we have in common. That is the purpose of this work visit, to get connected with the wheels that are turning in an effort to improve the areas that are demanding our united attention.





During her work visit, Minister Richardson will visit various judicial and youth institutions to forge working relationships, get a better understanding of the judicial system and its stakeholders and explore ways in which Sint Maarten can be included in programs and receive assistance where necessary.
Dangerous Goods Regulations are implicitly accompanied by the requirement that anyone requesting samples should provide the necessary evidence that they are registered with their government for the receipt of such substances and that they have the appropriate facilities, staff, and security measures in place to carry out work on the samples received.

by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne in Montreal

One of the things that I always say about bioterrorism, whether it's ourselves at the federal level, folks at the state level, or folks in the private industry, we've done many great things, especially since 9/11.  Mike Johanns

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has designated 2021 as the Year of Security Culture (YOSC) and stated that 2021 will commemorate the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 the worst acts of unlawful interference in the history of aviation. The importance of understanding the threat to aviation and promoting best practices in security throughout all aviation operations is therefore imperative. The thrust of this statement lies in the ICAO qualification that  In order to ensure the success of the YOSC, ICAO will focus inter alia on executing a global security culture campaign, which will support the organization of national, regional and global events to raise security awareness in aviation, especially in the light of COVID-19.

One could interpret the mention of COVID-19 within different parameters, one being that terrorists will take undue advantage of wantonly spreading the virus through air transport, which may have been the point of reference envisioned by ICAO. Another interpretation could be that terrorists would, encouraged by the rapidity with which the virus spread through air transport in 2020, attempt the exposure of the travelling public to other dangerous pathogens.

On 8 to 10 September 2021 ICAO held its ICAO Global Aviation Security Symposium 2021 (AVSEC2021). The programme of the Symposium does not give a clear indication as to whether bio terrorism was considered and addressed as a security threat to aviation and only those who attended would know whether this ominous subject was an issue under discussion at the event. Be that as it may, an effective global and regional security culture ought to address this possible threat.

The subject of bio terrorism sits in ICAO under the umbrella of its Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA) mainly as a public health issue. The main objective of CAPSCA is public health protection - the general public, air travellers and aviation personnel through collaboration with States and the security aspects of pre-emption and pre-emption must lie somewhere else in the Organization.

A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Biological agents can be spread through the air, through water, or in food. Terrorists may use biological agents because they can be extremely difficult to detect and do not cause illness for several hours to several days. While some bioterrorism agents, such as the smallpox virus, can be spread from person to person some agents such as anthrax are incapable of doing so.

There are four diseases recognized as most likely to be associated with bioterrorism potential: anthrax; botulism; plague; and smallpox. Although these agents are considered to be the most likely to be used in bioterrorism they are not usually prioritized in any order of importance. There are other agents which offer potential to bioterrorism such as those causing tularemia, brucellosis, Q fever, viral hemorrhagic fevers, viral encephalitis, and a disease associated with staphylococcal enterotoxin B.

There are others which cause security experts concern as emergent threats to security through bio terrorism. These are Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), monkeypox and pandemic influenza. These are naturally occurring diseases, which are of concern because they are new and/or epidemic. Outbreaks of dangerous pathogens may occur naturally or as covert or overt events. An outbreak is suspected only upon recognition of unusual disease clusters or symptoms. For example, SARS was recognized as a naturally occurring event initially from Southeast Asia in February 2003.

The principles and practices of bio surveillance, a new interdisciplinary science, were defined and described in a handbook published in 2006. Data which potentially could assist in early detection of a bioterrorism event include many categories of information. Health-related data such as those collected from hospital computer systems, clinical laboratories, electronic health record systems, medical examiner record-keeping systems, 911 call center computers, and veterinary medical record systems could be of help in the fight against bioterrorism. Researchers are also considering the utility of data generated by ranching and feedlot operations, food processors, drinking water systems, school attendance recording, and physiologic monitors, among others. Intuitively, one would expect systems which collect more than one type of data to be more useful than systems which collect only one type of information (such as single-purpose laboratory or 911 call-center based systems), and be less prone to false alarms. This indeed appears to be the case.

The leakage of dangerous pathogens from laboratories presents an ominous analogy to the aviation sector in that the same could well occur in the carriage of such dangerous goods by air. Although past instances of escaping dangerous pathogens are small in number, nonetheless their occurrence and the threat posed to the wellbeing of humanity cannot be underestimated. In 2002 when Anthrax spores escaped from two military laboratories in the United States, the authorities agreed that the leakage was due to a security lapse. In 2003 a string of such leakages occurred in Asia, this time of the SARS virus.

It is now known that the laboratory is not the only place where security lapses could occur. Modern exigencies require samples of deadly pathogens to be transported regularly over vast distances to reach researchers across the world. This calls for a delicate balance between recognizing the compelling need for scientists to exchange and collectively use different strains in order to identify naturally occurring diseases and mutations on the one hand and ensuring that the transport of these infectious substances are carried out according to United Nations Model Regulations on the other. These model regulations are the base upon which specific provisions for the carriage by air are formulated in the packing of samples of infectious pathogens for transportation by air. The shipment of infectious agents or diagnostic specimens by air must comply with local, national, and international regulations. International air transport regulations are contained in various documentation of ICAO and Dangerous Goods Regulations  an annual publication of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) published in January, and usually revised on a yearly basis.

Dangerous Goods Regulations are implicitly accompanied by the requirement that anyone requesting samples should provide the necessary evidence that they are registered with their government for the receipt of such substances and that they have the appropriate facilities, staff, and security measures in place to carry out work on the samples received.

Rapid response to a dangerous pathogen event requires prompt identification of its onset. Because of the rapid progression to illness and potential for dissemination of some of these agents, it may not be practical to await diagnostic laboratory confirmation. Instead, it is necessary to initiate a response based on the recognition of high-risk syndromes, i.e., typical combination of clinical features of the illness at presentation that might alert healthcare practitioners to the possibility of an outbreak. Examples of syndromes potentially resulting from infections with dangerous pathogens include: encephalitis/meningitis, hemorrhagic mediastinitis, severe pneumonia, papulopustular rash, hemorrhagic fever, descending paralysis and nausea/vomiting/diarrhoea.

An outbreak is usually identified consequent to a rapidly increasing disease incidence (e.g., within hours or days) in a normally healthy population, such as unexplained death with fever in a non-trauma patient, or a botulism-like syndrome, meningitis, or encephalitis in more than one patient.

The inherently uncontrollable nature of a dangerous pathogen makes bioterrorism unattractive as a warfare strategy. However, the potential power of genetic engineering cannot be marginalized or underestimated and the compelling need for continuing vigilance cannot be ignored. ICAO must propagate this fact to States through its regional offices as well.

Dr. Abeyratne is former Senior Legal Officer at ICAO. He currently teaches air law and policy at McGill University and is a Senior Associate at Aviation Strategies International. Among his many publications is Aviation Security Law (Springer:2010).
Grave concerns surrounding the contaminated samples of imported organic fertilizer and a reality check on the government's decision to progress towards placing a commercial order of the same organic fertilizer.

Sri Lanka Agripreneurs Forum (SLAF) is the premier agribusiness association in Sri Lanka that brings together key stakeholders of the agriculture sector - from those engaged in primary production (such as growers of crops, livestock farmers and those engaged in aquaculture) to farmer organizations, agri value-addition enterprises, agri professionals & academics, agri scientists, local and global marketers of agri produce, providers of agri inputs, agri tech and consultancy services and local agri investors. In addition, the forum also supports other sectoral associations such as the Lanka Coffee Association and serves as an umbrella forum for all agri related associations.

Sri Lanka Agripreneurs Forum (SLAF) takes this opportunity to address a pertinent matter of grave national concern, regarding the importation of a batch of contaminated organic fertilizer. The Minister of Agriculture and National Plant Quarantine Services (NPQS) have officially responded to the matter at hand via official announcements.

Announcement from the NPQS officially confirms that the samples of imported organic fertilizer from China have been tested positive for gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, as well as specific harmful pathogens listed. Gram bacteria are known pathological causes of disease in humans as well as plants. Such pathogens increase the likelihood of hazards during handling and there is a risk of water sources being contaminated by such harmful bacteria.

According to the guidelines from the National Fertilizer Secretariat (NFS), the guidelines for importing any fertilizer including organic ones are clear  first samples of the fertilizer of choice needs to be tested in Sri Lanka by Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) or SLSI advised testing lab. If the samples are declared clear, then the importer can progress towards importing commercial quantities, which will then again be subjected to further random testing to further establish purity and quality.

With respect to the declared samples of organic fertilizer imported from China, SLAF representing the agricultural sector has identified a few anomalies. First, the prescribed process declared by the NFS to import organic fertilizer has not been followed. According to the Minister of Agriculture, even though the sample thats already here in Sri Lanka was tested positive for contaminants, the commercial shipment will be cleared into the country and then go through further testing. Sri Lanka Agripreneurs Forum is deeply concerned that such breach of protocol could lead to the foreign microorganisms being released unwittingly to the environment, which could cause irreversible damage to our natural ecosystems with far reaching implications for the agriculture sector. Secondly, the Forum is concerned about the lack of disclosure and lack of stakeholders engagement by the authorities in this regard, beyond an acknowledgement that the samples contained contaminants. As this decision to bypass safety protocols impacts the whole countrys health and environment and over 30% of the populations livelihoods in agriculture, SLAF would like to stress the importance of transparency to the relevant authorities, and note with concern the vagueness of the information shared. Thirdly, according to the official statements, this individual sample of organic fertilizers was supposedly tested by a Chinese testing laboratory according to the mandate of SLSI. However, in subverting the nationally accepted standards of due diligence in Sri Lanka, this decision sets a dangerous precedent, where greater reliance is placed on dubious reports forwarded by suppliers from tests conducted by non accredited labs, which may not be independent. SLAF questions the approach of relevant authorities on accepting such unreliable test reports submitted by the suppliers and then finding that the samples are contaminated once they arrive at the port, only to let additional consignments to be dispatched to the country, despite the issues being observed.

Considering the practicality of ensuring that a sample of a few kilograms to be representative of thousands of tons ( 96,000 Ton in this case) to be imported, the fact that even such a small sample has shown presence of harmful bacteria, should ring a loud alarm on the adequacy of even the declared procedure, which too has been flouted.

Therefore, unless and until this matter is resolved in a manner to ensure that there is no possibility at all of contamination with any biological matter considered harmful or not, as specified in the SLSI Standard 1704 that governs the quality of solid organic fertilizer, a decision to allow the shipment to arrive in Sri Lanka would be counterintuitive. Once such shipment arrives many other issues will come into play, such as the commercial interests and financial losses, as evidenced in similar instances in the past in Sri Lanka. There will be attempts to gloss over the danger and release the shipment with possible grave consequences for which neither the Minister or anyone else will take responsibility.

We therefore strictly recommend that the shipment should not be allowed at this point of time until due measures for national safety can be assured, not by mere statements by the Hon. Minister.

SLAF further would like to raise a concern that involves a potential hesitance from the scientific community to be involved in the process of explaining the precise issues and potential issues, if they had to test the commercial shipment of the organic fertilizer, whose samples are now declared to be contaminated. In a situation as such, we as the general population of Sri Lanka and as agribusinesses who face a direct potential threat of contaminated organic fertilizer, will not be able to learn the extent and likely certainty of the threats this situation would pose.

Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has announced that the Ministry of Agriculture has granted the approvals to two state-owned companies to import organic fertilizer from the 16th of September 2021, for tea, coconut, rubber & other crops. On the contrary, according to the Minister's statement in July, there is enough locally manufactured organic fertilizers for all crops. Many individuals and organizations have invested and engaged to locally manufacture such organic fertilizer but there has been no attempt to ascertain the success of such steps and the adequacy or otherwise of these endeavors to meet the national fertilizer requirements. Without that initial step, this hasty decision to import organic fertilizer already proven as potentially contaminated is a big deterrent to the local manufacturers. The incongruity of these statements implores the motives of the change in decisions within a span of two months. Given the issues raised above and the doubt on the adequacy of even the declared process of testing even followed diligently, this decision too needs close scrutiny.

As the current forex reserves of Sri Lanka is hemorrhaging, the agriculture industry questions the motives behind spending an amount as high as USD 400 million to import organic fertilizer. The view of SLAF and industry experts is that this value is costlier than what Sri Lanka previously spent for importing synthetic fertilizer.

While Sri Lanka Agripreneurs Forum is firmly committed to promoting sustainable agriculture in Sri Lanka with greater adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards such as Integrated Plant Nutrient Systems and Integrated Pest Management, we are concerned about the ad-hoc measures that the Government has adopted in the recent past with regards to agriculture, which has affected the resilience of our food systems. SLAF calls on the Government to engage with stakeholders towards a just transition to sustainable agriculture and ensure policy consistency through a broadly agreed, phased plan of implementation over the long-term. SLAF will constructively contribute to this transition in guiding policy through consultative processes involving all stakeholders and in supporting the agribusiness sector through access to knowledge and information, access to technology, access to finance and access to markets in leveraging the strengths of our network and membership.

SLAF invites agri-food sector stakeholders to partner with the Forum in advocating for sound policy and to ensure that policy action that transpires on the ground truly contributes to sustainable development.
India will do well to reposition itself geopolitically to ensure Afghanistan becomes a neutral State and buffer to Chinese penetration of South Asia

by Ashok K Mehta

India has always wavered on the recognition, reconciliation and reintegration of Taliban. This goes back to more than a decade ago when India categorised it into good Taliban and bad Taliban and reluctantly agreed to reconciliation and integration of good Taliban. At the London conference in January 2010, attended by 69 Foreign Ministers including Indias SM Krishna to find a political solution in Afghanistan, Indias good and bad Taliban were replaced by the innovative non-hardcore rebels. When the Americans signed the Doha peace accord, the deal was titled Agreement between USA and Taliban which calls itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The MEA has neither modified its position on Taliban nor its undisguised revulsion for it.

Engagement with the Taliban similarly has been a story of twists and turns. At the Raisina Dialogue in 2018, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat, when asked whether India should talk to the Taliban, without batting an eyelid replied in the affirmative: We have talked to rebel groups earlier. The very next day, GoI issued a clarification noting that Gen Rawat had spoken in his personal capacity and his views did not reflect those of the Government. It is not clear precisely when the back channel or direct talks started with the Taliban but earlier this year, Qatars Foreign Minister confirmed that engagement with Taliban had taken place in Doha. The first known public contact with the Taliban occurred in Moscow when two retired Indian officials attended as observers the Troika Plus engagement with Taliban of the US, Russia, China and Pakistan in 2020. Rumours of Indian contact with Taliban go back to 2017/18. Many columnists, including myself, have advocated for years that India should officially engage with the Taliban. But that did not happen.

India has rested on its laurels of being voted by multiple polls in Afghanistan as the most favoured nation. Nearly 70 per cent of Afghans polled for India, way ahead of other countries. Indias contribution to development and capacity building is simply outstanding. India has completed or was working on more than 500 projects in 34 provinces in Afghanistan, utilising upwards of $2bn of the $3bn allotted to the latter. Hundreds of students are studying in civilian and military institutes and will remain in India till the completion of their assignments. India is second home to many Afghan leaders, something Taliban has resented. The Taliban have asked India to return to complete its unfinished projects. KEC International and Kalpataru Power Transmission will complete their infrastructure projects when the green flag is shown. WAPCOS, which completed Salma Dam, is not sure about its return. Tata Motors and Hyderabad-based BSCPL Infrastructure exited in 2015.

Mixed messages from Taliban suggest that Indian business and the embassy should not be in any hurry to return to Kabul as some diplomats and political leaders have advocated. Evacuation of Indians and Afghan nationals of Indian origin has been the priority. In April 2020, India withdrew its consulates from Herat and Jalalabad, scaled down the Kabul Embassy the same year, closing the old Chancery and moving into the new embassy in the green zone. On July 11, India withdrew its Kandahar Consulate and, a month later, Mazar-e-Sharif. India has quit Kabul to Pakistans glee. This tragic predicament has been created by Indias persistence with wait and watch over the years even after signing the strategic protocol with Afghanistan in 2011. Little effort was made to convert goodwill into political and strategic influence despite military assets in Tajikistan. More lately, India put all its eggs in the US basket though a last-ditch effort was made to salvage relations with Iran and Russia. The Americans say: We do not look at Afghanistan through the Indian prism. Strategic patience has failed, leaving India out in the cold.

At the second SCO summit last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India was in no hurry to recognise Taliban. This was the first official statement by the Government. Modi called for the Taliban to eschew radicalisation and drug running to ensure Afghanistan did not become sanctuary for cross-border terrorism. He also observed that the Government was not inclusive and had come up without negotiations but India would be ready to provide humanitarian aid and join any regional/global initiative to help people of Afghanistan. Former NSA, MK Narayanan, has advised India to reposition itself geopolitically and even mediate a proposal to ensure Afghanistan becomes a neutral State and buffer to further Chinese penetration of South Asia. The neutrality project has been attempted by, among others, the UN and will not work due to Pakistans interference. China is likely to become the lead player in Afghanistan, securing its strategic corridor to the Indian Ocean via Pakistan. The China-Pakistan-Taliban nexus will constitute a new threat for India from Af-Pak.

India has lost its privileged intelligence cooperation with Afghanistans National Directorate of Security and leverage over Pakistan. At the UNSC, while presiding over it in August, India could have done a lot more on its three statements on Afghanistan, including Resolution 2593. New Delhi must find its feet and wings to claim its legitimate place in the Hindukush where the new Great Game is only just beginning.

(The writer, a retired Major General, was Commander, IPKF South, Sri Lanka, and founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the Integrated Defence Staff. The views expressed are personal.)
By calling Xi, Bidens goal had been to ratchet down the brinkmanship that has been accelerating tension in the region for years. His key offering to Xi was the reassurance that the U.S. would continue to respect the One China policythe red line that Beijing has insisted must remain uncrossed.

by Koohan Paik-Mander

As a longtime Hawaii resident, I have always wondered how the former President of the United States, Grover Cleveland, was so ineffective when it came to foreign policy matters. His efforts to right the wrong of the unauthorized armed invasion and imprisonment of the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Liliuokalani, in 1893 fell woefully short. Corporate and military forces influenced Congress to undermine Cleveland and, ultimately, successfully orchestrate the overthrow of the sovereign nation of Hawaii.

A similar betrayal took place recently when President Joe Biden called President Xi Jinping of China on September 9, 2021, to work toward rapprochement as tensions in the western Pacific had reached a fever pitch. The very next day, Bidens call was undermined by inflammatory information provided on September 10 to the Financial Times by anonymous officials from his own administration. It drew immediate ire from Beijing.

By calling Xi, Bidens goal had been to ratchet down the brinkmanship that has been accelerating tension in the region for years. His key offering to Xi was the reassurance that the U.S. would continue to respect the One China policythe red line that Beijing has insisted must remain uncrossed.

The One China policy has been honored by the U.S. since 1972. It asserts that the U.S. acknowledges the Chinese position that there is only one China, and that Taiwan is part of it and is not a separate nation-state. The policy calls for the U.S. to officially recognize the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as the sole government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China. But at the same time, the U.S. is free to continue a robust yet informal relationship with Taiwan, including the sales of limited non-sophisticated arms.

For all its ambiguity, the policy has helped maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait for half a century. However, that has changed in recent years as Chinas influence in the world has grown at a rate that threatens the U.S. hegemony. The U.S. does not wish to lose its influence in the waters around Taiwan, through which trillions of dollars in trade pass every year. But that is what would happen if Taiwan were to eventually unify with China. To prevent this from happening, the U.S. has responded by steadily and dangerously amping up military maneuvers in the South China Sea. China has followed suit, and both the nations find themselves squarely in the middle of a new Cold War.

Mock battles over control of Taiwan are a recurrent scenario staged in frequent U.S. military exercises, which decimate sea life in the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, defending Taiwan was one of the featured maneuvers during the Large Scale Exercise 2021, when the U.S. Marines and Navy set up shop in Hawaii for two weeks in August. Needless to say, China finds these and many other similar military exercises highly provocative.

Given the strained relationship between the two nations, the world shouldve been able to breathe a sigh of relief when Biden picked up the phone to find a way to avert global war.

Unfortunately, that wasnt in the cards. Appearing the very next dayon September 10the article in the Financial Times with the leaked information was timed perfectly to overshadow Bidens phone call with Xi. According to the article, The Biden administration is moving towards allowing Taipei to change the name of its representative office in Washington to include the word Taiwan, a move likely to trigger an angry response from Beijing. This would lead to changing the name of Taiwans mission in Washington, D.C., from Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office to Taiwan Representative Office. Needless to say, the Chinese government was outraged, as the new nomenclature bestows near-embassy status, a ranking reserved only for full-fledged nation-states.

The Financial Times article further stated that the name-change idea had been backed by White House Asia Advisor Kurt Campbell (colloquially known by the imperialist title of Asia Czar) and had the support inside the National Security Council and from state department Asia officials.

Whats in a Name? A Lot

Beijing expressed its opinion in the Global Times, an English newspaper published by the Chinese government. An editorial in the paper summed it up saying, if the U.S. and the island of Taiwan do make the name change, it will mean Washingtons basic abandonment of its one-China policy.

On September 13, another excoriating editorial in the Global Times implied that the duplicitousness of the U.S. is the reason that China must firmly seize the strategic initiative of the regional situation. The editorial continued, Sending PLA fighter jets over the island of Taiwan is a step we must take.

At the very least, the impact of fighter jets over Taiwan will send the commercial air industry reeling, as hundreds of routes would have to be adjusted to circumvent trouble. If Taiwan fires back, strategic escalation would be rapid and risky.

The language out of China is consistently measured. They dont tend to bluff. The U.S. should take this very seriously. The Global Times editorial on September 13 forewarns, Let us be fully prepared that there will be a showdown in the Taiwan Straits.

If the leak to the Financial Times was intended to undermine any headway Biden might have made during his call with Xi, it was a raving success. China is now infuriated, and Bidens credibility with China is dashed. Most tragically, this news has thwarted the American presidents desire to avert the perils of strategic war. Regional stability is spiraling downward once again.

Just as President Clevelands authority had been ignored in Washington to instead favor corporate and military interests, so it goes today. Theres big money in war with China. So much so that powerful people seem eager to risk the likelihood of mutually assured destruction.

This article was produced by Globetrotter.

Koohan Paik-Mander, who grew up in postwar Korea and on the U.S. colony of Guam, is a Hawaii-based journalist and media educator. She is a board member of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space and part of the CODEPINK working group China is Not Our Enemy. She formerly served as campaign director of the Asia-Pacific program at the International Forum on Globalization. She is the co-author of The Superferry Chronicles: Hawaiis Uprising Against Militarism, Commercialism and the Desecration of the Earth, and has written on militarism in the Asia-Pacific for the Nation, Progressive, Foreign Policy in Focus, and other publications.
Chinas growing influence in the Indo Pacific region is not new. We are told there is a trade war going on between Australia and China at present. The West is more concerned with Russia rather than China at present, but will this thinking change during Bidens Presidency

by Victor Cherubim

It is not often that a Brit, a prominent retired leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vince Cable, is able to open a strategic appraisal of the historical relations between Great Britain and China over centuries, in his forthcoming book, The Chinese Conundrum due for publication in UK on 25 September 2021.

He states by Britain signing a new security partnership deal, the alliance known as AUKUS with US and Australia, it has come in for ridicule, rage and incredulity. He goes on to further admit as follows:

It also revives memories of the British involvement in previous measures to contain or punish China by despatching gunboats, memories which may have faded here, but not in China. Palmerston (Lord and Prime Minister) sent the Navy to punish China for its behaviour in seizing consignments of opium from the East India Company, leading to the Opium Wars.

In 1949 the frigate, HMS Amethyst was sent up the Yangtze river to protect the British embassy in Nanjing. It ran aground and eventually escaped after suffering heavy casualties from shelling by the Communist Army.

My interest in British War Medals

Ihad come to UK to study for my Shipbroking exams and surprisingly years later was fascinated by my hobby of collecting British Naval General Service War Medals after I had settled down in the early 1960s. The medal that I wanted to add to my collection at any cost was the Yangtze Naval General Service Medal, which I bought and later sold at a Spinx Auction, perhaps to a coveted Chinese buyer. How I now wish I had kept it as a legacy.

But what intrigued me and touched a chord,in the statement by Vince Cable, is the strategic context today  the attempt by the US and Australian and UK Governments  to respond to Chinas growing military, rather it mainly naval capability, including a significant submarine fleet.

This move of the so called NATO allies is to be seen in conjunction with an embryonic military alliance, The Quad including Japan and India and US and Australia. But, what is important here is that Australia is not a nuclear power, and has signed the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. The submarines built under the new AUKUS alliance will replace the diesel electric submarine, the US$ 9 billion contract which was envisaged under the French agreement, which now has been abandoned in preference to the nuclear powered submarine under the AUKUS alliance.

In my laymans opinion, China is in a sense, laughing because one alliance AUKUS is in some way weakening another alliance of the West, NATO. By splitting the allied powers, including France and the European Union who are NATO members, China has gained a massive advantage.

At the same time, China naturally has slammed the new security alliance and is concerned about the transfer of sensitive nuclear information with AUKUS partners.

Chinas growing influence in the Indo Pacific region is not new. We are told there is a trade war going on between Australia and China at present. The West is more concerned with Russia rather than China at present, but will this thinking change during Bidens Presidency

Is anybodys guess?

War with China, are we closer than we think? This seems to be the imponderable question in many minds.
The Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday completed disbursement of the $200-million bailout fund to cash crisis-hit Sri Lanka amid a deepening foreign reserve crisis in the country.

The disbursement was fully executed to the island nation at a time when the country announced a state of emergency over food shortage, instigating Sri Lankan central bank governor Weligamage Don Lakshman to step down over his failure to resolve the forex reserve crisis.

The central bank on Monday released the last tranche of the $200-million loan and it was supposed to be released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York by Tuesday, a senior BB official told New Age on Tuesday.

The third tranche was worth $50 million.

On August 19 in 2021, the BB released $50 million as the first tranche under a currency swap deal to support the poorly-rated Sri Lanka and another $100 million as a second instalment on August 30 in 2021.

The initial tenure of the currency swap agreement was fixed at three months while the agreement contained a rollover condition, allowing Sri Lanka to extend the period of repayment of the financing facility.

Sri Lanka may utilise the fund for around one year and then return back the money along with interest, the BB official said.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka, in a statement, stated that there was a possibility of extending the facility twice.

The impact of the Covid outbreak has been devastating on the island nations economy which contracted by 3.4 per cent in 2020.

Tourism, a major source of Sri Lankas foreign currency, has been the worst affected sector as the Covid situation is yet to come under control.

Economic crisis coupled with a poor reserve amounting to less than two months import payments also prompted credit rating agencies to downgrade the countrys rating and to question whether Sri Lanka would be able to service the $1.5 billion line of debt that matures in 2022.

The currency swap initiative was taken after Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksas visit to Bangladesh to join the celebrations of the golden jubilee of Bangladeshs independence and received the BB approval in May.

Apart from receiving $200 million from Bangladesh, the island nation also received another $787 million from the International Monetary Funds special drawing rights (SDR) allocation.

Apart from the fresh phase of the crisis, Sri Lanka has had no default events (on bonds or loans) since 1983.

On the other hand, Bangladeshs reserve has been growing rapidly after the Covid outbreak whereas Sri Lankas reserve has come under increasing pressure.

Foreign tourists were staying away after deadly suicide bombings took place in Sri Lanka on Easter Day in 2019, killing more than 250 people. But efforts to revive the industry failed after the pandemic struck.

On Tuesday, Bangladeshs foreign exchange reserve stood at $46.3 billion after hitting a record high of $48 billion from around $33 billion one and a half year ago.

On the other hand, the reserve of Sri Lanka, which is facing a sharp trade deficit, declined to around $3 billion by the end of August 2021.

(Source: New age bd)
Ms. Nee Allison

Members of the National Maryland County Association of Liberia, USA (NAMCAL) are converging in Rhode Island from September 24 - 26, 2021, for a national convention. All relevant precautions for COVID-19 are being put in place. Activities at the convention include a Queen Contest, a Grand Ball, and elections for a core of officers to move the organization forward.

The elections are a crucial part of the convention. But as the elections draw closer, the organization is apparently in a precarious state. Its primal objective is to support and promote unity among all Marylanders, but unity in the organization hangs in the balance. In other words, NAMCAL has become its own enemy. These coming elections might even be worse than the elections that brought Dr. Mariah Seton, a NAMCAL nonmember, to power over Patrick Tuon who was a registered member of the organization. That gave rise to hatred, divisiveness, back-biting, thereby plunging the organization into disarray. To understand why these coming elections could be considered as a deja vu of the Mariah Seton episode, let us look at the timeline in terms of what is brewing.

In June 2021, there was some consultation amongst members who have ambitions to run. Nee Allison, who has the intention to run for NAMCAL President, is said to have called Steve Boley to solicit his support. But Mr. Boley informed her of his own intention to run. A few weeks later, Boley categorically flip-flopped, saying to Allison and Hiford Teah that he was no longer in the race and was pledging his support to Nee Allison. On June 18, 2021, Hiford Teah is said to have persuaded Nee Allison to include Mr. Boley on her campaign team. Ms. Allison agreed and based on that understanding, Mr. Boley was invited to Ms. Allisons first strategic meeting that was held on June 20, 2021. He further requested details of Ms. Allison Strategic Plan. Ms. Allison became apprehensive! She rightly declined the request. Mr. Boley once again flip-flopped by rejoining the race. Mr. Boley called Mr. Teah to say that he was going to rejoin the race because he heard something about Ms. Allison that was unsettling to him. He dishonestly adopted the tentative blueprint that came out of the strategic meeting of Ms. Allison. Mr. Boley can still claim that he was thinking in the same direction. If so, when did he conceive the plan?

His misdeeds from the University of Liberia followed him here when he wanted to become President of ULAA. There was a flyer outlining how he was a dangerous choice to head ULAA. Though he blamed one of his LPP colleagues for the flyer, he immediately dropped out of the ULAA race.

On July 21, 2021: Nee Allison sent a letter to her Chapter, Marylanders for Progress, soliciting their support. She wrote:

I want to take this opportunity to inform you and members of the Marylanders For Progress (MFP) of my intention to seek the office of President for the National Maryland County Association of Liberia USA (NAMCAL) in the upcoming elections to be held in Rhode Island. I am happy to be a part of Marylanders for Progress and have learned a lot throughout the years.

Besides, I am thankful to MFP for the support I received when I was running for Secretary of NAMCAL in Arizona in 2019 which led to my victory at the convention.

I hope that you and members of MFP will give me similar support during the forthcoming elections in my endeavor to become president of the umbrella organization for Marylanders in the United States.

August 5, 2021: MFP President Brown Cooper forwarded the letter sent her by Madam Allison to the members of MFP with a cover letter; the excerpts below are from the cover letter:



I cannot unilaterally respond/commit to Ms. Allison as this process will require the input of her fellow members after she presents her name to the Election Commission of NAMCAL, who will then request feedback from the leadership of MFP.

My hope is that members will give this request your undivided attention so we can all deliberate in good and honest faith keeping in mind she is representing MFP.

Then August 31, 2021: The President of MFP, Madam Roberta Brown Cooper, sent a letter purportedly written by one Welma Mashinini Redd to Nee Allison. As a cover note, Mrs. Brown Cooper wrote: Good evening Nee, hope all is well. I received an email with a letter attached from Welma Redd which I will forward to you. I will copy Dr. Elliott and Leo on the email. I would also like for the 4 of us to discuss the letters contents at your convenience

In the unsigned attachment named Roberta Brown Cooper Letter on Nee Alison (sic), Madam Welma Mashinini Redd wrote:

In response to your inquiry, this letter is to confirm that our records show that when Ms. Nee Alison, assumed the leadership of LCA-DC as president as a result of Florence Harris resignation to take up other engagements, she received over $15,000 in bank CDs of funds that had previously been raised in the community. When Ms. Alison was voted out of office after 6 years of overstaying her tenure, it was reported to me that she did not turn over any liquid nor tangible assets that belonged to the community. Several attempts were made by the LCA leadership and the clergy, but Ms. Alison did not turn over and funds, any CDs, any bank accounts, nor properties, such as the LCA-DC website.

The was brought up in the LCA-DC General Assembly of February 2021, a member brought this matter up and requested that action be taken. The LCA-DC Board of Directors subsequently appointed a Special Committee to investigate the matter and advise the Executive as to what action should be taken.

I hope this is helpful.

1. Here is where it gets tricky: in the first paragraph, Madam Mashinini Redd, who claims to be the President of LCA-DC, wrote: In response to your inquiry, this letter is to confirm



Is it the responsibility of the authorities at Marylanders for Progress to dig up dirt on a NAMCAL candidate? If it is, where can it be found in the NAMCALs Constitution or the NAMCALs Election Guidelines? Is LCA-DC a subcommittee of MFP or a NAMCAL Chapter? What was Mrs. Welma Mashinini Redd asked to conform?



2. Madam Mashinini Redd continued: she received over $15,000 in bank CDs of funds that had previously been raised in the community.



Organizations, especially nonprofit organizations, have a lot of safeguards in place in the United States of America. Therefore, organizations have presidents, treasurers, financial secretaries, board chairs, etc. Does it make any sense that a president will usurp the functions of the other officers and walk away with over $15,000? But it seems that it makes sense to most of the people at MFP.

3. Madam Mashinini Redd further wrote: When Ms. Alison [sic] was voted out of office after 6 years of overstaying her tenure, it was reported to me that she did not turn over any liquid nor tangible assets that belonged to the community.

Is it a crime to overstay ones tenure at MFP? And if so, when did it become a crim?



4. Madam Mashinini Redd concluded by saying I hope this is helpful.

So why will MFP need help from a Chapter of ULAA? Isnt this a conspiracy to smear the character of a NAMCAL member?

August 31, 2021: Ms. Nee Allison filed a complaint with NAMCAL President Agnes Bargblor: Attached and below is an email and text from Ms. Roberta Brown Cooper. I consider this a serious violation of my rights with intent to smear [my] character. Please consider this an official complaint against Ms. Roberta Brown Cooper.



Up to press time, the matter has not been addressed by the NAMCAL Administration and everything is getting worse by the minute. Besides, Madam Allison is hurt by the lack of response regarding her complaint addressed to the administration about her Chapter. She feels that her Chapter is choosing Mr. Boley over her and that MFP is digging up dirt on her to use the dirt to force her out of the race. She feels that the Boley camp has already started using the dirt, as was the case in Atlanta, Georgia, when Mr. Wrthers, the known rogue in NAMCAL whose hand was caught in the cookies jar stealing NAMCAL money, started spreading the dirt from MFP President Roberta Brown. Boley aligns himself with Writhers? We know that birds of the same feathers flock together. Besides, MFPs Board members knew that Writhers was a thief, but they voted for him as chairman of the board. Now the same MFP is using a different standard for Ms. Allison. Does that make any sense?



September 10, 2021: The judgment day for Ms. Allison came at the MFP meeting on the 10th of September. A member of the Board of MFP had earlier called Ms. Allison to invite her to a meeting with the Board members, but she deliberately refused to appear without the presence of her accuser. The Board insisted that her accuser, Welma Campbell Mashinini Redd who is a sister of Board member Richelieu Campbell, could not attend because she is not a member of MFP. At the general meeting, Mr. Gerald Cooper stated that the NAMCAL constitution he has revised is clear on mismanagement, and that all those running for office must be thoroughly investigated.

Is this statement coming from Gerald Cooper? What about these allegations that were published about him in 2002 (Liberian Ambassador in the US Recalled?) Did his wife and MFP Board investigate before making him a Board member? And does he know the process of amending a constitution? Is the revied constitution he is talking about approved by NAMCAL?



Then, came one Vito Weeks who insulted Ms. Allison. It was only Dr. James Elliott who told him not to administer insults to Ms. Allison. The MFP President (a female) did not say anything because Mr. Weeks was, perhaps, doing his assigned duty. With limited abstention, many of those present voted to bring the dirt obtained from Welma Campbell Mashinini Redd to the attention of the Election Commission to disqualify Ms. Allison. I believe that this has already taken place.



The MFP dirt collectors, except for the Speaker of the NRC, will not attend the Rhode Island Convention 2021. They are, instead, pressuring the administration to allow hybrid convention so that they will remotely control the convention. They will spread their obtained dirt from Welma Campbell Mashinini Redd to see to it that Steve Boley is elected at all costs. In short, they are making fools out of the people who will attend the convention in person.

The Liberia Peace Council of Dr. George Boley

During the throes of the senseless Liberian civil war, Dr. George S. Boley, a brother of Steve Boley, launched a brutal warring faction called the Liberian Peace Council (LPC). Though he named the faction a Peace Council, the predominantly ethnic Krahn thugs of the LPC looted our villages, towns, cities, and then burnt them. All the iconic structures in Harper: Harper City Hall, Harper Administration Building, Tubman Library, and Museum, etc. were all set ablaze by the LPC. It can be recalled that because of the beauty of these structures, no Liberian president, since the death of Tubman, has undertaken any meaningful development project because they myopically think that Tubman had already developed Maryland County. The house of Madam Irene Victoria Prowd, the Muhlenburgs and the houses of other Marylanders were also set ablaze by the forces of George Boley.



They did not stop there  they started killing Marylanders at will. Marylanders killed were Mr. Alfred Mensah of Pleebo, the head of his clinic, the Cooper family of Harper, Mr. Gardiner aka Soon Be Gone, Sammy Hodge who was the head of the Ministry of Agriculture in Maryland County, the mother, sister, and nephew of former Harper Mayor Regina Sampson, ten persons in Gbolobo, and thousands of other Marylanders.

My alma mater, Williams V. S. Tubman College of Technology, was not spared from the LPC ruthlessness. This college was the employer of Mr. Steve Boleys mother. They looted the European Union equipped laboratories, fieldwork instruments, and the entire college, after which they burned the college. Murel Johns, the cook of Dr. Sonpon who was then president of the college, was one of those brutally killed by George Boley and his thugs.



Although the first rebel group to reach Maryland County was the NPFL, the NPFL group left Maryland County intact because its commander, Moses Giah, had a Maryland connection. Giahs connection to Maryland County was that he was raised by J. Lamar Cox. So, Maryland County remained peaceful until the arrival of the brutes of the LPC. It was after the thugs started terrorizing the people of the county that Marylanders fled their beloved county. If you go to a Maryland village and tell the people that LPC is coming, all the villagers will abandon the village. This is how ruthless the LPC was. I am not saying that Charles Taylor forces did not commit atrocities in Maryland, I am just giving credit to this Commander of the NPFL.



Steve Boley  Is He The Preferred Candidate of the MFP at all costs?

We know that Steve Boley was not in Liberia during the war  he was here in the United States. Though it is an open secret that LPC was formed here in Philadelphia, just like the Charles Julues attempted coup, and the formation of the MODEL rebel group, I still give Steve the benefit of the doubts. My concern here is Steve Boleys acquiescence or complacency when George Boley and his dreaded hoodlums were slaughtering and maiming the people of Maryland. Where was his empathy? One would have thought that because his mother was a Marylander, and that Maryland County is his native land, he would have shown some moral outrage for the heinous crimes George Boley was committing against his (Steve Boleys) people. This could have been done through his pen or writing, radio interview, etc. But that did not happen, and it is very disheartening. And nobody must come to tell me about collective guilt because it is that type of mindset that has placed Liberia on a downward spiral. We have read about Bill Clinton and Roger Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Billy Carter, John Bidden and Hunter Biden, etc. As our people say: if you have a sore foot, do not walk among the grass.

Is Mr. Boley ethical and can he be trusted

Is Mr. Boley ethical and can he be trusted? Ask his former SUP comrades from the University of Liberia. While at the University of Liberia, Boley was one of the SUP firebrands, publishing underground articles during the Tolbert administration. But after the 1980 coup, Boley became a mole within the progressive movement at the University, leaking vital information on his SUP comrades to the PRC government, thereby endangering their lives. He was expelled from SUP and the expulsion plus the allegations of betraying the cause of SUP made Monrovia too small for Mr. Boley.

Naively Using Professor and Doctoral Titles to Fool NAMCAL Voters

This was why he ended up in Kakata, during the administration of T. Kulah Jerry at BWI, to teach English. Now you see why some people naively call him Professor. But do these people know what it takes to be a professor? Has Mr. Boley said anything about this title that he does not deserve? Though he adopted the Mwalimu (teacher in Swahili) a nickname for a Great Tanzanian Leader Julius Nyerere, the title does not mean professor. Besides, some people are calling him Dr. Boley. For about a decade, he has been called Dr. Boley in the Grand Gedeh community. So, when did he earn a doctoral degree, and from which university? Or did he borrow the Ph.D. from Dr. George S. Boley? Let Mr. Steve Boley explain because his supporters are using these titles to mislead the NAMCAL voters.



CONCLUSION

NAMCAL needs to do some serious soul-searching to find the root causes of the ever-widening perennial division within the organization. Why does MFP have to always be involved in these controversies? And why when such controversy occurs, the sitting Speaker of the Board at the time, must be from MFP? When this happened during the Mariah Seton fiasco, the Speaker of the NRC was matured and unbiased. But the current Speaker, Mr. Abrom Cooper, is conflicted and unhinged. And this means that NAMCAL is not heading in the right direction.

Ms. Allison must be thoroughly investigated, even if it means postponing the elections. If that is not done and Ms. Allison takes legal action because she feels that her character is being assassinated by MFP authorities and Madam Welma Mashinini Redd, a court could even issue an injunction that could affect the elections and/or NAMCAL activities. And if these maneuverings, scandalous or malicious attacks on the character of Ms. Allison have any connection to current politics or the 2023 elections in Liberia, which those with political eyes believe to be the case, those involved must desist because that will adversely affect the neutrality of NAMCAL.

The Isaac T. Cla Russell Rest Stop built by NAMCAL in Pleebo, Maryland County, is now considered Alexander Cummings ANC Center. This is because the construction of the center started on a political footing. If you think I am making this up, call Pleebo City Mayor Wellington Kyne, District Superintendent Aloysius Williams, and Speaker Bhofal Cambers. So, if the wishes of MFP are followed, NAMCAL will sooner than later be called the Alexander Cummings ANC US Chapter. I have nothing personal against Mr. Cummings and his ANC. All I want is for NAMCAL to do the right thing. Whatever it is, NAMCAL must act quickly before it is too late. This is more than a hint to the wise. Please dont allow yourselves to be fooled.


Nora Paul

paulnora@grinnell.edu

Socks that artist Jeremy Laing darned last winter during quarantine hang on a Calder-like mobile in the Grinnell College Museum of Art (GCMOA). Worn over the years, the vestiges of the wear are threaded throughout, retracing the path of the everyday.

The exhibit where Laings socks are featured is Queer/Dialogue, a show that opened Sep. 4 at the Grinnell College Museum of Art, where it will remain until Dec. 12. Seven of the featured artists have work exhibited in the gallery while an eighth artist is only featured on the exhibitions online viewing room. The online website also includes recorded conversations between the curators and five of the artists. Transcripts of the interviews are available.

The featured artists are Louis Fratino, Jordan King, Jeremy Laing, Doron Langberg, Catherine Opie, Christina Quarles, Paul Mpagi Sepuya and Devan Shimoyama. All of the featured pieces were created within the last 20 years.

On Sep. 7, the Museum hosted a conversation and reception with Daniel Strong, a curator for the show and Grinnell Colleges associate director of exhibitions, guest curator Greg Manuel, artist Jeremy Laing and Collections Manager Jocelyn Krueger.

The show features a significant quantity of artworks that range in scale and medium. This is the first time I have felt that this gallery is too small, Strong said. Most of the pieces came from private collections and were acquired recently from cities throughout North America.

The exhibition was originally supposed to open during the 2020-21 academic year. In 2019, Tucker Haddock `21 approached Strong in his office and suggested the Museum of Art stage a queer art exhibit. Strong immediately asked what Haddock meant by that. That question guided the curatorial process and is a focus of the exhibition itself. How can queerness be represented? What does it mean to be represented in art and why is that important?

Much of the featured art is not explicitly about queerness. Instead of coming up with a definition or a theme, What is queer art and what are queer artists?, we decided to identify artists who identify as queer and present them individually, but in concert, Strong said. Each artist would have a space in which to share their work, and then the space as a whole would bring them together.

Many of the works focus on aspects of everyday life, the mundane, the personal and the intimate, representing intersectional identities of race and gender. One piece by Doron Langberg, Lovers, depicts a bedroom scene in vivid, Fauvist-esque strokes of color, of two men: Langberg and an unidentified partner.

This is the first time I have felt that this gallery is too small.  Daniel Strong, Associate Director and Curator of Exhibitions

In a conversation with Strong and Toronto-based guest curator Greg Manuel, who has known Strong for around 10 years, Langberg described the idea of ephemerality behind this work. He explained how anything could disappear from our lives in a moment. This discussion took place in Langbergs studio in New York, which Strong and Manuel visited in March 2020 days before LaGuardia and JFK suspended outgoing flights in response to the COVID-19 pandemics emergence in the United States.

The art in the exhibition, through different methods and media, investigates and portrays the interaction of the body in space and the embodiment of projected identities at the intersection of social, political and economic issues. The corporeal focus invokes sensations in the viewer.

This attention to the physical arises in the work of Christina Quarles, who was trained in drawing but transitioned towards painting when she attended the Yale School of Art. Her work in the exhibition appears to navigate between the techniques of drawing and painting and references the human form.

Her pieces draw attention to the physical process of their creation. In an interview with the curators, a recording of which is available on the exhibitions website, she described how drawing happens with the wrist and painting is with the arm. She also talked about her relationship with the society in which she is situated as a queer, biracial person who reads white. Quarles work explores perception of identity from the surface-level impression that is apparent when we initially present ourselves. Strong explained, Her work, at least from my perspective, is about where the body meets the world.

Meanwhile, Catherine Opie was among the first artists whose work Strong added to GCMOAs official collection when he began his curatorship at Grinnell College in 1999. Opie contributed a short film to Queer/Dialogue titled The Modernist. More recent works of hers are on display, including photographs from 2016 that are related to the film.

Bringing the Jazz Ensemble into the gallery for the first time, visiting professor of music Daniel Oore asked the students: What does it feel like to put my body in some of the figures I see?

Oore believes that the jazz tradition and the concept of queerness are fluid in different ways, and theres a compatibility there. They mentioned Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellingtons variation of Tchaikovskys Nutcracker Suite, called Sugar Rum Cherry, recalling the relationship to existing music in Black music traditions that has explicit and implicit relationships to queerness.

Throughout the semester, Oore will regularly bring the Jazz Ensemble, which they direct, into the art gallery. During the first visit, the class had conversations about the works, and Oore led improvisation with a call-and-response structure.

Oore described jazz improvisation starting with the body and using that as a foundation. They think of music as an act of movement, which is related to the themes in the art and allows for personal connection to both. Most things in the world are created through movement. If you have a sound its created through movement, and color in a painting is an act of putting light onto a canvass.  When we listen, we hear the traces of movement, and when we look, we see the traces of movement on a fundamental perceptive level.

Devan Shimoyamas pieces in the exhibit are both personal and externally focused. In one piece titled Potted, he sits in the backyard of his new home in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Various fabrics and luminescent materials overlay the canvas in a collage-like appearance. Shimoyamas gaze focuses on the observer. This piece calls to the experience of a young Black man living in a predominantly white suburb, recalling histories of redlining and the continuing issue of housing inequality.

Another one of his pieces, Untitled (For Trayvon), pays tribute to Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012 at age 17. Large flowers appear to bloom from the wall in the shape of a hoodie, and rhinestones line the inside of the hood. Shimoyama did not want to portray Black pain. Rather, in honoring Trayvon Martin he intended to commemorate the life and vitality that the young man embodied.

Jeremy Laing is a Toronto-based artist featured in the exhibition. With a background in fashion design, his pieces are made of textiles and fabrics. The vivid seams and threads are tactile and raw, personal without giving too much away. The sock mobile, Ongoing Relation, Wear and Repair, confronts the convention of modernist art displays. The art is dignified in itself and as it is situated on display in the gallery. The folded blankets that sit in stacks on the floor were the ones used to transport the textile sculptures exhibited next to them.

Zoe Yunger `22, who attended the conversation and reception on Friday, shared her perspective on the Laing piece: I just really like that part of the exhibit is showing off the fact that the exhibit itself has many lives and can be used to ship safely the fragile pieces of itself.  It just takes on different roles, and thats just like people. In different settings, you just take on a different register, and its beautiful.

Strong hopes that the dialogues the exhibition engenders continue and extend past the Museums walls. He mentioned a class in the gender, womens and sexuality studies department that will be offering extra credit to students writing alternative plaque descriptions for the exhibitions pieces.

Several events will be held throughout the semester connected with the exhibition, including a Writers@Grinnell talk with the Grinnell College Mellon Fellow Santiago Jose Sanchez on Sep. 23 and a performance by the Jazz Ensemble directed by Oore in early December.

Editors note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of an artists name. The S&B regrets this error. Updated Sep. 26, 2021, 2:02 p.m.
by Ohana Sarvotham

sarvotha@grinnell.edu

Enrollment for the class of 2025 is up 27.5 percent compared to the class of 2024. This dramatic increase in class size has already had implications on various aspects of the Grinnell experience, including residence life , dining services and now class registration and class sizes. Its to the point where the College hired a new registrar staff member, Catherine Ashton, to combat the challenges of registering the Colleges largest first-year class after an online academic year.

I am learning a lot and meeting a lot of really great people, said Ashton, who took up her new position in August of 2021, right as the class of 2025 arrived. Her role is to oversee maintenance of student records, supporting academic policies, registration, accreditation and compliance and reporting for the federal government. As time moves on, she hopes to build systems and processes that support all of our community partners  so that we are effective in what we do to support students. Her first task, however, was to enroll the class of 2025.

When class schedules were released on Aug. 25, 2021, around 125 first years were enrolled in only three classes due specifically to being cut from first choice classes. Chloe Karasek `25 was one of these students who found themselves having to wait in line in the Harris Center add/drop session to find a class to get into.

Its stressful thinking about how missing a couple of classes in your first year could really put you off-course, said Karasek. While they eventually got into the classes they wanted, other students had to wait until they could be assigned their fourth class and missed out on course content as a result.

I think that a lot of offices anticipated that this years class would be big but maybe not as big as it is, said Ashton. The registrars office uses a formula to estimate the average number of class seats available to each first year student. While this number usually falls around 4.2, meaning that most students would get into the classes they wanted, this year that number fell to 3.2.

Mathematically, that means that we need to have every student take every seat thats available, Ashton said. Despite their projections meant to enroll students with four classes, a large number of students still ended up with only three classes. Ashton cites errors made by students  such as listing too few classes or repeating the same class multiple times  while filling out registration cards as the main reason why so many students did not receive a full class schedule.

Ashton reports that most of the registration issues have now been resolved, and most of the first years who experienced registration problems have at least been assigned a fourth class.

But whats to stop the problem from happening again?

Were starting to run projections for spring and looking at whats being offered, Ashton said. The registrars office, in coordination with several other departments, will be implementing actions to accommodate the class of 2025 throughout their four years of college. These include forecasting what class sizes will look like in the future, working with academic departments to offer additional and more varied classes, as well as offering more individualized advising to students regarding major progression and graduation requirements.

Ultimately, Ashton said, we will do what has to be done to ensure that all students can graduate in four years.

(Editors Note: This article has been updated to reflect Catherine Ashtons position as the Registrar of the College. A previous version of the article said she was a Registrar Assistant. The S&B regrets this error deeply. Updated on September 25, 2021, 4:40 pm.)
PIGGS PEAK  Unless he can live up to 300 years, a man who was convicted of raping his daughters will never leave prison alive.

*Jerry (45), who was found guilty of raping his two daughters, was sentenced to a total of 255 years for the rape cases he committed between 2007 and 2018. He had appeared before retired Principal Magistrate Joe Gumedze yesterday where he was informed of his sentence. Jerry, who opted to sit down as he did not agree with the conviction, listened attentively as the magistrate read out his sentence. He was arrested in 2018 while residing at Nkamanzi for the offences of raping his daughters he had from two women. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and despite being found guilty, he protested against this. Jerry was initially charged with 20 counts of raping his daughters in different occasions.

Ordeal

It was said he started committing the rape offences in 2007 when he raped his daughter who was eight years old at the time. This means that the rape offences took place over 11 years. The offences are said to have taken place mainly in Malkerns, Siphofaneni and Nkamanzi but this was said to have continued when Jerry moved to other areas. After a thorough investigation, Jerry was arrested by Constable Thando Dlamini, who was based at Buhleni Police Post at the time. Dlamini also testified against Jerry during the trial. When passing the sentences, the retired principal magistrate said it was shocking that Jerry had committed such offences to his children. He said his actions were shocking because Jerry did not seem to have any problem with getting women since he already had sired two children. The magistrate said Jerry could have even gone back to the childrens mothers to propose love again yet he opted to rape his children.

The magistrate noted that at some point, Jerry stayed with his two daughters while living with his wife at Malkerns. He said when his wife worked the night shift, Jerry would spend the night taking turns raping his daughters. You turned them into sex slaves, said the magistrate, who added that the trauma he had inflicted on his children was too huge to imagine. He said it was only because of God that the children had survived the trauma. The magistrate said Jerry made it difficult for the girls to live such that he would not provide for their school financial needs unless they agreed to his sex demands. Jerry is said to have adopted the no sex no school rule with his daughters. When they were not living with him, he would not send money directly to them for school but would demand that they visit him so that he could give it to them physically. However, when they arrived to collect school fees, he would rape them. The magistrate said Jerry had been found guilty in 17 of the 20 charges.

Sentence

He said he would sentence the accused to 15 years for each of the charges and ordered that the sentences should run consecutively. He said this meant that Jerry will serve 255 years. After the court had adjourned, Jerry could be heard protesting such that he refused to allow police officer Constable Khosi Mabilisa to take his fingerprints. A warder also asked Jerry to have his fingerprints taken but he continued to protest. He refused to do so until he was taken away to start serving his sentences. Mncedisi Dlamini was the prosecutor in the matter. Meanwhile, records show that Jerrys father and his brother are also serving sentences related to rape. His father was convicted of attempting to rape his granddaughter while his brother was convicted of rape.

They were tried separately by the same Principal Magistrate Joe Gumedze who is now retired.
MBABANE  The deployment of security forces in schools is a cause for concern to some parents and they are against it.

Their reasoning is that their children may be threatened and this may affect writing of exams. Following the Public Accounts Committees recommendation that there should be soldiers and police deployed in schools to maintain peace and order, some parents are against it, saying this would disturb the learning process of their children. PAC Chairperson, who is also Gege Member of Parliament, Musa Kunene, said there was a lot of unrest in schools around the country, adding that opportunists were taking every opportunity to use the pupils to spread the unrest. Worth noting is that the country has been marred by constant protests by pupils in schools. This has seen schools being burnt and ultimately being closed because of the protests.

The most recent schools to be affected were Hosea High and Ngozi Secondary, where the pupils protested for the release of incarcerated Members of Parliament Mduduzi Mabuza of Hosea and Mthandeni Dube of Ngwempisi. In light of all this, parents, teachers and administrators not for the idea of deploying security personnel in schools. In random interviews with some parents, they all mentioned their disapproval on the issue, stating that security personnel carried guns due to the nature of their job and this could be traumatic for the pupils. According to Eswatini Principals Association President Welcome Mhlanga, government had to identify and address the root cause of the violence in schools, which would provide a long-term solution.

Violence

We have presented our concerns about violence in schools to the minister. Our view is that any other measure, other than addressing the root cause, will only be short-term. As an association, we have and continue to condemn violence and wish for a speedy solution to this unfortunate matter. Schools should remain centres of care and support where staff and pupils feel safe, he said. Swaziland Association of Schools Administrators (SASA) Secretary General (SG) Siphasha Dlamini was also of the view that schools were centres of care and support. For teaching and learning to progress smoothly, the environment must be conducive for that. No moving up and down of any other persons except for the learners and their teachers, as well as the schools security officers who are confined at the main gate to make sure nothing enters the school that may pose danger to the learners, Siphasha said. She said deploying schools with uniformed forces in schools was against the whole concept of the learning institutions.

Dlamini further recalled that cops were not encouraged to get into schools with police vehicles, let alone in their uniforms. Whosoever is breeding this anarchic concept may have looked at one side of the serious issue that is a cause for concern for all of us, she said. Siphasha further said the coronavirus pandemic took away quality time for teaching and learning, and teachers were still struggling to redirect learners with little success. She mentioned that bringing in uniformed and armed security personnel would only add a negative to the efforts teachers were making to educate the future leaders of the country. There surely must be plan B and C to make sure learners in Eswatini focus on attaining their right to education. We can sincerely and humbly enlist all parties concerned to sit around the table, bring the sharpest minds together to come up with a win-win solution to all the problems of our beloved Eswatini, she said.

Meanwhile, Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini shared almost similar sentiments. He said the PAC was seriously misguided, and the chairperson who issued such remarks was proving to be totally out of touch with reality. He is exposing his limited understanding of what education is and he is proving not to be aware of the conditions that promote teaching and learning, said Sikelela. He said teaching and learning had to take place in a calm and conducive environment because it predominantly dealt with the mind, stating that it was impossible to learn in a war-like situation. The presence of security forces in a school environment depicts a war-like situation. Learners must be free and educators must be free to impart knowledge to learners without being afraid of any kind of censorship, he said.

Sikelela said education went smoothly if it was delivered in a safe and relaxed environment. He said the idea of having security forces in schools was not a good one as it would affect both learners and educators emotional stability. The presence of security personnel traumatises the learners. Having them in schools instils fear to the learners and the teachers, he said. He mentioned that as in the past, there were instances where some members of security forces had relationships with learners as their conduct in guarding schools was unregulated. On the other hand, Swaziland Network Campaign for Education for Alls (SWANCEFA) Thulani Lushaba said schools provided learners with not only education, but also physical and psychological protection.

Going to school to learn, see friends and trusted teachers can give children a sense of normality. The presence of the army and police in schools will impact on these benefits of schooling, he said. He elaborated that this would have consequences for learners access to quality education and good learning outcomes.

Soldiers

He also stated that the presence of soldiers in a school could cause fear and anxiety for learners and teachers. Teachers too can be nervous about attending school when there are armed men and women there. The quality of teaching and learning may diminish, he remarked. Lushaba mentioned that Eswatini needed to implement the Safe Schools Declaration and other concrete measures to ensure that learners were able to learn in greater safety. According to Psychologist Ndo Mdlalose, the deployment of security forces in schools would be bad for the mental health of the learners as it would traumatise them. She said it would also remind them of the recent trauma they had gone through with their relatives being allegedly shot by security forces during the unrest.
MBABANE - The trial of incarcerated Members of Parliament (MPs) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza of Hosea and Mthandeni Dube of Ngwempisi, will reportedly no longer take place as scheduled as it is likely to be delayed.

The trial had been scheduled for 11 to 15 October 2021. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Sandile Phila Dlamini, has written to the registrar of the High Court to inform her that the States representative, Advocate Gareth Leppan, will not be available on the set dates. In the memorandum dated September 20, 2021, the DPP said Advocate Lepppan would be available from November 30 to December 2, 2021. The DPP requested the registrar to bring the information to the attention of Judge Mumcy Dlamini so that she could give further direction. According to the DPP, Advocate Leppan has already communicated with the defences advocate, also from South Africa, that he would not be available on the set dates.

Available

May I bring to your offices attention that our senior counsel has indicated that the suggested dates are not suitable for him. He will be available from November 30, 2021 to December 2, 2021. He further communicated the above dates to the defence senior counsel, reads the memorandum addressed to the High Court registrar. The advocate will appear in the trial alongside Principal Crown Counsel Macebo Nxumalo and Absalom Makhanya. Last month, a confidential correspondence from Advocate Leppan went viral on social media. In the correspondence, the State advocate was giving the DPP his opinion on the matter.

The advocate raised concerns in the correspondence, which he advised the DPP to address for the case to succeed. Advocate Leppan raised 12 points for the DPP to look into regarding the matter. The advocate also pointed out that he was owed by the State for his services. In total, according to the correspondence, Advocate Leppan alleged that he was owed a sum of E138 320 and two of the three outstanding fee notes dated back to early May 2021. In the correspondence, he stated that Principal Crown Counsel Thabo Dlamini, who instructed him in previous matters, had suggested meeting with the accountant general in order to come to an arrangement where his fee notes would be dealt with timeously.

Instructed

In their initial bail application, the two MPs were represented by Advocate Mduduzi Tsotsi Mabila, who was instructed by Sifiso Charlie Jele. The application was before Judge Mumcy Dlamini who dismissed it on the basis that the accused persons made bare denials. On September 15, 2021, Judge Dlamini again dismissed their second bail application on the basic that the High Court was now precluded from entertaining same. The duo has now filed an urgent bail application at the Supreme Court

In motivating their bail application in the Supreme Court, their lawyer Thulani Maseko argued that it was imperative that the duo should be release on bail so that they could be able to continue to perform their representative and oversight role over the arms of government.

It seems the charges levelled against them are misguided, misinformed and misplaced. There is no offence of incitement under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, 2008 as amended, submitted Maseko. The human rights lawyer told the court that his view was informed by careful perusal and reading of all the statements of witnesses furnished to the defence by the prosecution. What is more is that it is not clear what acts of terrorism, if any, it is alleged that the applicants (Mabuza and Dube) committed or incited people to commit and how they did so , argued Maseko. The bail application, which is now the third one, is still pending at the Supreme Court.
MBABANE - According to Mangololo Eswatini Spokesperson Gcina Dlamini, what the September 6 Movement was advocating for would not yield positive results.

This, he said, was because the Tinkhundla System and the way the prime minister was currently being appointed was working perfectly for the country, such that other countries were now using an almost similar approach. He claimed in the local municipal elections in South Africa, individuals were elected based on their individuality and capabilities and not necessarily their political party affiliations. EmaSwati need to realise that other systems are not working as well, because it is evident that South Africans are tired of the multiparty system, alleged Dlamini. Furthermore, the spokesperson said the appropriate structures should be used to amend the Constitution and entities should stop taking their concerns to the streets but instead use the parliamentary route.

Comment

The Attorney General, Sifiso Khumalo, was reached for comment concerning the rise in entities which register as non-governmental organisations but then further objectives with underlying political agendas, and he said; Im assuming by NGOs you mean the associations that are registered in terms of the Companys Act, not for gain - those will be expected to operate within the framework of their memorandum of association in line with the Companys Act, which unfortunately does not provide for political parties, said Khumalo. He further referred this reporter to the Registrar of Companies, Msebe Malinga, to ascertain whether entities which had registered as non-governmental organisations were within their scope of objectives by then pursuing political issues and getting involved in politics.

Promote

When most of these organisations register, they register just to promote their objectives, which are aligned with education, sciences, arts and culture, flora and wildlife in Eswatini. However, it is evident that some organisations are now pursuing politically inclined objectives yet this was not the case when they initially registered, said Malinga. He mentioned that some registered organisations were now engaging in activities they were not registered for and those that were outside of their scope.
MBABANE  A new pro-monarchy movement advocating for political reforms has been formed.

This is according to local businessman Sabelo Nxumalo, who is currently at the forefront of the movement; which has been named September 6 Movement. Speaking on behalf of the movement, Nxumalo mentioned that they were a group of ordinary citizens who were not politically affiliated but subscribed to the notion that there needs to be political change through the rule of law. They aim to formulate ways to compel Parliament to revisit the Constitution and do amendments that would foster positive political change. Nxumalo said this would obviously not be an easy task but everything had to start somewhere. We believe that the push by pro-change movements is getting to a point where it is dangerous and if they are using violence to achieve their goals, it is not in the spirit of our independence attained on September 6, 1968 and that is where we are and we use Independence Day as our rallying call, said Nxumalo.

Pivotal

According to Nxumalo, the existence of the monarchy was pivotal and in their view, they did not believe that emaSwati should go in a direction that resulted in the mornachy being superseded. He said the monarchy played a huge role in society as custodians of Eswatini culture and customs and it was also a symbol of unity that needed to be preserved and protected. Nxumalo stated that as a movement, they had realised that some of the political formations pushing for change did not want the existence of the monarchy, however, they still believed in its existence. He further said all they wanted was political change through the appropriate channels which was aligned with the spirit of the Constitution in that they were simply exercising their right to freedom of expression by wanting amendments through parliamentary forums, such as the election of the prime minister by the people, instead of an official appointment by the Monarch.

He stated that they still needed to consolidate properly as members of the movement before they could launch and register it, which would possibly be done before October 4, 2021, which will be 16 years since the Constitution of the country was enacted. He also mentioned that this day could possibly be the day when they would mobilise in order to carry out the activities currently in the pipeline. Nxumalo was adamant that their movement was built on honesty hence, although they were pro-monarchy, they saw a need to bolster political change and not turn a blind eye on the prevailing situation in the country. The movement aims to use peaceful and lawful activities to compel Parliament to start the constitutional amendment process. According to Nxumalo, they subscribed to Christian values and would appreciate if the Christian fraternity would lead the way in the political reforms. The movement aims at approaching the political reforms in a peaceful and non-confrontational way.

Changes

He further highlighted that as citizens of the country, they had a duty to take necessary steps to ensure political changes were made through the rightful processes as at the end of the day, all citizens were responsible for what happened in the country they considered their own. At the moment, we have about 30 people who have joined the movement. However, I would like to request to withhold the names of the members for now until the formal launch after we register the movement, said Nxumalo, who is also a businessman. He stated that the reason he did not want to divulge much on who the members were for now was because they were about truth and transparency, therefore, they wanted to formally launch and release the names at the appropriate time rather than prematurely as they were still getting their house in order.

The members of the organisation are senior citizens, senior lawyers and professionals. Therefore, we want to do things orderly and timely hence the hesitancy to immediately reveal names until such a time when we have a formal meet up, mentioned the September 6 Movement member. Nxumalo confirmed that once they had formally consolidated they would then be in a position to openly state who the members were. According to Nxumalo, the movement was currently working on registration and was yet to launch, however, their establishment was due to the escalation of tensions within the political party formations but also not seeing movement towards dialogue from any of the State leadership structures.

Movement

He highlighted that the movement constituted ordinary citizens and professionals from all walks of life including great legal minds within the country which require seeing positive and peaceful change in the political sphere. Nxumalo said they were calling upon all responsible law abiding citizens, who were not affiliated to any political party or any political organisation, to break the silence and be part of the September 6 Movement as a way of expressing their views and feelings without fear. He further stated that the Constitution in Section 24 supported this. He further stated that the direction, principles and structure of their movement would be determined by the patriots who would take the challenge to become part of the history of constitutional change in Eswatini.

It has been 16 years with a formal Constitution and the time has come to amend it and put in democratic principles and having a government by the people. This will save the King from political pressure which is threatening the very existence of the monarchy, stated Nxumalo. Lastly, he mentioned that the September 6 Movement had created a Facebook page for those interested in knowing further details about them.

Objectives

Nxumalo was also adamant that as a movement, they did not subscribe to the objectives of Mangololo except for their stance on wanting the monarchy to remain in power. Government Spokesperson Sabelo Dlamini, when reached for comment on the newly-formed entity and claims from the movement that government was not pushing enough for dialogue, wondered why the movement was separating itself from other pro-change entities. He did not wish to comment further. EFF Swaziland President Nombulelo Motsa was also reached for comment on the claims that political parties or formations were now aggressive in their approach of calling for change, and she said as a party, they did not subscribe to violence and had never been involved in instances where there was violence, such as using ammunition to push their agenda, but instead the system was violent towards them yet all they wanted was justice for those affected during the political unrest.
Avana Companies, a leading ESG lending and investment platform, has announced its expansion into Saudi Arabia, providing financial services to businesses and individuals through its subsidiary Ezdaher.



Under the Ezdaher brand, Avana will provide its new small business lending platform, LendThrive, as well as an alternative investment marketplace for individual investors called EqualSeat. Avana Companies has had its GCC regional headquarters in Bahrain for the last 13 years with additional offices in India and the Philippines.



The company recently added five new staff members and has leased additional office space in Bahrain with plans to hire at least 12 new people between Bahrain and KSA in the next 6-12 months.



"Avana Companies is pleased to continue our global expansion with a mission to provide ESG lending and investment opportunities to those in the Middle East, as well as new market products and services," said Sundip Patel, CEO of Avana Companies.



Patel spends half of his time in Bahrain and will oversee the expansion in the area along with Chief Commercial Officer, Andris Rozenbahs. Rozenbahs is based in Bahrain and brings a wealth of knowledge and more than 10 years of experience in the FinTech start-up environment, having previously founded several companies in the space.



"I am very excited to be a leader in the growth of Avana Companies in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and look forward to helping launch Ezdaher's LendThrive and EqualSeat as a standout FinTech product with an underlying mission and commitment to build stronger communities in this region," said Rozenbahs.



Rozenbahs will oversee the two Ezdaher units, LendThrive and EqualSeat, to ensure they follow Avana's mission to be ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) focused FinTech platforms that make positive contributions towards social and environmental impact.



LendThrive, a new online lending platform designed to help small businesses, that meet ESG standards, supports business owners through its Rate Reduction Rewards Program and helps them thrive while stimulating local economies. LendThrive focuses on underserved companies in industries such as hospitality, construction, and renewable energy.



EqualSeat, which began beta testing in 2021, is an investment marketplace with ESG investing opportunities that provides individual investors fractional access to institutional-quality commercial debt investments.  TradeArabia News Service
Mall of Dilmunia, a unique family-centric mall concept in Bahrain, has signed a lease agreement with Prepline Holdings that will pave the way for the debut of its major food and beverages (F&B) brands - CHKN, Abby BRGR, Abby Shawaya and Robyan - in the retail and leisure destination.

Mall of Dilmunia is fast being recognised as the ideal destination that offers a variety of brands and services.

CHKN will offer a variety of crunchy fried chicken at the newly expanded mall, while Kuwait's iconic brand, Abby BRGR, will cater to all meat lovers, and its other brand Robyan will serve golden crispy shrimps.

A traditional blend with Abby Shawaya will tempt taste buds with a modern twist on rotisserie chicken, said the statement from Mall of Dilmunia.

Prepline Holdings, which owns these four concepts among the other excellent F&B brands, will be opening its doors to visitors as part of mall expansion efforts.

"We are all about matching our top performing brands with sound real estate opportunities and Mall of Dilmunia achieves that. We are looking forward to this fruitful partnership," stated Prepline Holdings Managing Partner Khalil Alameen. To create a place that brings flavoursome food, ambiance and people together, Prepline Holdings strategically selected a prime location on the lower ground floor with an outdoor terrace overlooking the Dilmunia canal and dancing fountains to build a dining destination that goes beyond just good food, he added. Deputy CEO and General Manager, Rebecca Charlotte Arnold said: "We are happy to welcome Prepline Holdings to the unique list of brands at Mall of Dilmunia. They have a deep understanding of F&B and as result have brought to life new successful concepts such as the ones opening here."

"Mall of Dilmunia makes every effort to deliver the best to its community, and the steps it takes to accomplish that goal is gradually completing the picture as a whole," she added.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabia is all set to invite bids for the construction of residential cities dedicated for a total of 100,000 project workers within its futuristic $500-billion new city Neom on the Red Sea coast.

The government plans to offer five to 10 bids over the coming six months, reported Saudi Gazette.

Each of these residential cities will have the capacity to accommodate around 10,000 workers.

Deloitte company is providing the consultancy service for the government with regard to implementing the city.

It has developed the Foreign Investment Advisory Center of Excellence with a view to assist prospective investors throughout their investment journey in the Kingdom.

The government has accelerated the pace of work in implementing projects at Neom. Early this month, bids were invited for the construction of 31km of tunnels as part of The Line - a 170-km belt of hyper-connected future communities, without cars and roads and built around nature - at its $500-billion city project, according to a report.

A revolution in urban living at the project, The Line was launched by HRH Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Neom Company Board of Directors, early this year.
Exports of members of Dubai Chamber to Eastern Africa grew by 2.4 percent in the first six months of the year, according to new trade figures released by the Chamber.



The latest statistics also revealed that there is an estimated untapped potential of over $2.9 billion, equivalent to 78 percent of the current export level, reported Emirates News Agency WAM.



The Chamber said it issued a total of 9,134 Certificates of Origin (COOs) for Eastern Africa-bound shipments from January to June 2021, with the certificates having a total declared value of $892 million (AED3.3 billion). The current level is more than double the value of exports to the sub-region from a decade ago.



Releasing the figures ahead of the Global Business Forum Africa, which takes place on October 13-14 on the sidelines of Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Chamber said they show the investment potential of the 20 countries that make up the Eastern Africa region.



According to Dubai Chambers figures, the top five best-performing markets in the sub-region, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi, added a cumulative $78.6 million to its members exports in the first half of this year compared to a year ago.



The statistics also show that in 2011, Ethiopia dominated the Eastern Africa region with a 48 percent share in the total declared value, followed by Kenya at 14 percent, Tanzania at 9 percent, Djibouti with a share of 7 percent, and then Uganda at 6 percent. A decade later the position of these five markets remained the same, but with the distribution of their shares more balanced. The total declared value of Ethiopia in 2021 is estimated at 36 percent, Kenya and Djibouti at 17 percent each, Uganda at 8 percent and Tanzania at 7 percent.



Kenya dominates the East African region both in size and untapped potential, with the latter estimated at $573 million. Ethiopia is in second place with an untapped potential of $450 million and Tanzania third with a gap of $366 million. Other markets with high untapped export potential include Djibouti ($345 million), Somalia ($279 million), Mozambique ($148 million), Uganda ($140 million) and Zambia ($125 million).



In terms of products that have been identified (as per ITC estimates) as having a high untapped export potential for UAE exporters and re-exporters in Eastern Africa, there are significant gaps for cane and beet sugar, motor vehicles, iron and steel structures, jewellery, copper wire and rice, among others.



The opportunities being availed by Eastern Africa Markets will be put under the spotlight at the Global Business Forum Africa (GBF Africa), to be held in Dubai next month under the theme Transformation Through Trade. Among the topics to be discussed are how African countries can work together to deliver on the promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area, models for innovative and sustainable trade, and the resilience of the continents emerging businesses.



As the Official Business Integration Partner for Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Chamber is running a series of commerce and trade initiatives throughout the six months of Expo 2020 Dubai, with GBF Africa the first of its flagship global business forums. GBF Latin America will follow, along with GBF ASEAN set to be held for the first time. The chamber is also hosting the 12th World Chambers Congress at the event, with the expected participation of 14,000 chambers of commerce from 100 countries.
Accor, a world-leading hospitality group with over 400 hotels across India, Middle East, Africa and Turkey is growing its portfolio in Saudi Arabia partnering with Taiba Investments and opening the first Novotel brand in the Holy city of Madinah.

The property, scheduled to open in 2025, will include 394 keys, three food & beverage outlets as well as meeting rooms and retail space, Accor said.

Since the launch of the Vision 2030 for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2016, Accor has continuously been involved in the development of the hospitality landscape including, but not limited to, the introduction of unique development projects across the Kingdom, now adding a greenfield project with the first Novotel in Madinah.

The group is partnering with Taiba Investments, considered to be one of the largest real estate companies in Saudi Arabia, which provides various services such as real estate property investment, development and management.

We are delighted to be partnering with Accor to develop our new hotel in the Holy City of Madinah, said Eng Saleh Habdan Al-Habdan, Chief Executive Officer of Taiba Investments Real Estate Company. We are confident that this new property will benefit greatly the hospitality landscape of the city and Kingdom overall, offering travelers a new and convenient accommodation option.

Novotel Madinah will be in close proximity to the Holy Mosque, and directly on King Faisal Road at its intersection with Amr Bin Al Aas Street, offering guests easy access to every main road of the city. Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport is only 23 minutes away from the hotel while Madinah train station is located 13 minutes from the property.

This is a great opportunity to introduce the first Novotel property to the Holy City and increase further Novotels footprint in the Kingdom, said Mark Willis, CEO of Accor India, Middle East, Africa & Turkey. As a key player in the Saudi 2030 vision, we are proud to contribute to the countrys development on the hospitality and tourism front while expanding Accors presence as leading hospitality group in the region.

Accor currently operate 34 properties (13,517 keys) in Saudi Arabia with another 25 properties (7,948 keys) in the pipeline.  TradeArabia News Service
Millennium Hotels & Resorts MEA has unveiled its hotel development pipeline at the Arabian & African Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC) with plans for 18 new hotels adding 5,000+ keys in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Turkey, and Iraq.

In 2021, the company will open four new hotels, including Millennium Place Mirdif and Studio M Al Barsha in the UAE, Grand Millennium Gizan in Saudi Arabia and Grand Millennium Al Seef Basra in Iraq adding 1,000+ keys.

Millennium's current portfolio includes various hotels in key gateway cities across the world tailored to meet the needs of the surrounding and source markets. The company operates 50 hotels in the Middle East under 12 brands catering for all segments and offering a unique guest experience in 17 cities across 9 countries with 17,000+ keys.

Hamid Sidine, COO of Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Middle East and Africa, has recently participated in the new normal for profitability session that was held as part of AHIC.

He highlighted the continuous efforts of Millennium Hotels & Resorts MEA adapted to meet the new hospitality normal and to continue staging the guest experience while maintaining a reasonable return to business partners.

AHIC, now in its 17th year, is the annual gathering for the Middle Easts hospitality investment community organised by global hotel investment event organiser Bench in partnership with the Middle East business intelligence brand, MEED. It creates a knowledge and networking platform for global and regional investors of all backgrounds, offering essential insights to investing in hotels, showcasing regional and international hospitality investment opportunities and facilitating direct connections with hospitality industry stakeholders. - TradeArabia News Service
Zeynep Oden Agagil has been appointed the director of sales and marketing at Al Areen Palace & Spa by Accor in Bahrain. She brings with her over 20 years of luxury hospitality experience and sales expertise to this position.

Her role at Al Areen Palace & Spa by Accor will be overseeing the sales and marketing department, whilst joining the transformation journey into Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain.

Agagil started her career with The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul as a part of the pre-opening team in 2001, where she held several positions in the sales field.

She had her first appointment with Raffles back in 2013, as pre-opening director of sales at Raffles Istanbul, being part of the executive committee and also established the Raffles Brand in the vigorous luxury hospitality scene of the Turkish capital.

Agagil has an extensively experienced role within luxury brands and Accor. She was director of sales and marketing in an Ottoman Imperial Palace on the Bosphorus, Ciragan Palace Kempinski.

She previously joined Raffles Dubai in October 2017 and later was promoted as cluster commercial director for Raffles Dubai & Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk where she completed another successful opening in the region. She now joins Al Areen Palace & Spa by Accor - soon to be Raffles Bahrain.

Agagil has a track record of welcoming high profile delegations in her past properties such as Bahrains King, His Majesty Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa.

"I always believe in the good in people and bringing forward their potential we all have inside ourselves. I am passionate about my mission to inspire young talents and encourage them to share their new ideas and creativity," she stated.

"I fell in love with Raffles when I visited Raffles Singapore back in 2012. It was almost magical for me to receive a call to join Raffles Istanbul pre-opening where I have had the chance to position this amazing brand in Istanbul," said Agagil.

"Years later I re-joined Raffles to work for its first property in the Middle East  an iconic hotel with timeless architecture - Raffles Dubai. I am honored to be a part of the re-branding team and so excited for the launch of Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain," she added.
An exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence started in Ashgabat.

The leading state-owned and private enterprises representing the entire spectrum of Turkmenistans economy participated in the exhibition, including the fuel and energy complex, transport and communications sector, construction and textile industries and agro-industrial complex. The exhibition focused on innovative technologies that help address the task on production of import-substituting and export-oriented products.

Visitors had the opportunity to view the stands of private enterprises of the country, producing various modern, industrial and electronic products, such as educational computers, cell phones, smartphones, monoblocks, smart TVs, air conditioners and other products that can compete with many foreign analogues.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov conveyed a welcoming message to the exhibitors. The Turkmen leader noted that Turkmenistan will continue large-scale work to ensure the countrys steady progress along the path of socio-economic transformations.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
New Delhi, Sep 22 (UNI) Former Nagaland Governor RN Ravi, who was recently shifted to Tamil Nadu, resigned as the interlocutor for the Naga peace process on Wednesday, and his resignation was accepted by the Government, the Home Ministry said.

Ravi, who has been the Centres interlocutor for the Naga peace talks since 2014, was appointed the Governor of Tamil Nadu earlier this month.

According to sources, former Intelligence Bureau special director Akshay Mishra, who is the in-charge of Northeast Affairs, and had been dealing with various Naga groups, is likely to replace Ravi. Mishra retired in July this year.

A 1976 batch officer from Kerala cadre, Ravi had retired as Special Director in Intelligence Bureau in 2012. He became the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee from 2014 for three years.

He was the Centres interlocutor in 2015, when the government signed a framework agreement for a settlement of the Naga question with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isaac-Muivah), the largest of the Naga armed groups.

He was appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor of India in 2018.

Nagaland Peace Accord between the Nagas and Indian government was achieved during his stint as the interlocutor in August 2015, a major breakthrough for achieving peace in the region since the 1997 ceasefire agreement.

After the accord was signed, Ravi also drew six other Naga armed groups, now called Naga National Political Groups, into the talks.

As an interlocutor, Ravi had a fallout with the Isak Muivah-led National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) in 2020 with whom he had manoeuvred the signing of the 2015 Framework Agreement. Subsequently, the NSCN (IM) sought him removed as interlocutor.

Despite a Framework Agreement for Naga Peace Accord having been signed in 2015, the government has not been able to finalise the Accord.

On Tuesday, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had met representatives of NSCN-(IM) along with Mishra, resuming the peace talks which were stalled in October 2019.

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Lucknow, Sep 22 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death of Akhara Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri who was found dead in Prayagraj on Monday.



In a tweet, the CM office said that the CBI probe has been recommended by the CM into to death of Mahant Narendra Giri.



Additional chief secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said here on Wednesday night that the CBI probe recommendation has been sent to the Union Home Ministry.





Earlier, several opposition political parties and saints have demanded a CBI probe into the death of the Mahant.



UP govt had set up a SIT to probe the matter. A purported suicide note was recovered from his room and two people-- The Mahant's disciple Acharya Anand Giri and one Adaya Mishra --have been arrested in connection with the case.

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Washington, Sep 22 (UNI/Sputnik) The US House voted 220-211 to pass a measure that would temporarily fund the government in order to avoid a shutdown on September 30 and suspend the country's debt limit.

"The House voted 220-211 to pass H.R. 5305," according to the US House of Representatives Daily Press Gallery official Twitter account.

The bill will now go to the Senate.

Earlier, the House voted 217-207 to clear a procedural hurdle and advance the legislation to a final debate and vote.

The Biden administration in a statement said it backed the funding bill as well as suspending the debt limit and looked forward to working with Congress on a full year appropriations bill.

However, the White House also expressed concerns of items missing from the legislation.

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UW Wellness Center Receives Grant to Promote Mental Health Awareness

The University of Wyomings Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center has received a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant to provide mental health awareness training on campus.

The five-year grant will provide the UW Wellness Center with $125,000 per year to support mental health first aid (MHFA) training at UW and in the Laramie community. The focus of the $625,000 grant is to provide mental health awareness and de-escalation training and establish connections with mental health organizations for referrals for appropriate services.

UW is among 145 recipients of the grant nationwide and is the only recipient in Wyoming.

Our campus and community have been through a lot of challenges that impact mental health, particularly over the past year and a half, says Lena Newlin, Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center assistant director. This funding will provide important training to support the mental health of students, professionals and caregivers who interact with UW students. We are grateful to receive this highly competitive grant, and we are confident that UW and the Laramie community will benefit greatly from these resources.

According to UWs 2019 National College Health Assessment, there is a critical need to better address UW student mental health.

The eight-hour training will be offered to UW campus emergency first responders; UW law enforcement; faculty; Student Affairs professionals; parents of UW students; student-athletes; student veterans; residence hall assistants; fraternity and sorority members; student government leaders; and peer educators. MHFA training also will be offered to some Laramie community members who interact with UW students off campus, such as emergency first responders, law enforcement and social service providers.

Specifically, we will train campus and community members in the evidence-based MHFA program, Newlin says. We expect to train 475 people in MHFA during the five-year grant period, and we plan to coordinate referrals to mental health services through the University Counseling Center.

The grant will support the hiring of a project coordinator/lead MHFA trainer and two part-time employees; MHFA instructor and participant training; educational supplies; a social marketing campaign; and program evaluation by UWs Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has awarded $17.8 million in grants nationwide to help communities increase mental health awareness and referrals for services. UWs proposal for the grant established goals of increasing awareness and skills to respond to those with a spectrum of mental disorders; establishing a network of providers for referrals; and decreasing the stigma of seeking mental health services.

More information about the project implementation will be released in the coming months, Newlin says.

For more information about the grant, call Newlin at (307) 766-3418 or email lnewlin@uwyo.edu.
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The 26th Meeting of the Revised Kyoto Convention Management Committee (RKC/MC) was held from 13 to 16 September 2021. Over 130 Participants joined the virtual Meeting via the KUDO platform.

This RKC/MC meeting mainly focused on progressing the review of the RKC with the goal of concluding Step 3 of the four-step framework. The four-step framework is an approach comprising the submission of proposals and development of recommendations as Step 1; assessment of developed recommendations against the RKC, its Guidelines and other existing WCO instruments and tools as Step 2; consideration of developed recommendations against agreed criteria for possible amendment to the RKC as Step 3, and development of potential amendment proposals in line with Article 6 and 15 of the RKC as Step 4.

At this Meeting, under Step 3 of the four-step framework, the RKC/MC discussed all 23 Concepts that progressed through under Step 2 and assigned various previously agreed criteria to each of the components of the proposals relating to Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), e-declarations, advance rulings, free zones, express/expedited shipments, Rules of origin, advance cargo information etc. As a result, the RKC/MC concluded Step 3 utilizing only one meeting.

Fruitful discussions took place regarding the way forward for Step 4 of the four-step framework, including the approval of the template to be used. With this, the Committee is set to commence Step 4 from the next Meeting where consultations on potential draft text would start. The RKC/MC aims to finalize the four-step framework by March 2023.

In his opening remarks, the Director of the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, Mr. Pranab Kumar Das, congratulated Pakistan who has recently accepted 5 more Chapters in the Specific Annexes of the Convention. He also encouraged those Contracting parties that have not accepted Specific Annexes to examine and work on such acceptance.

The next RKC/MC will be from 29 November to 3 December 2021.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 10:13:00|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 jolted Australia's state of Victoria at 9:15 a.m. local time Wednesday. Residents felt violent shaking but no serious injures were reported.

The epicenter, around Mansfield in Victoria's northeast, is about 130 km away from Australia's second largest city of Melbourne. Australia's Seismology Research Center reported that preliminary readings showed the quake lasted around 20 seconds.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison who is in New York for a UN meeting said that there had been no reports of serious injuries.

"They are very rare events in Australia, and as a result I'm sure people would have been quite distressed and disturbed by that, particularly in the most immediate area affected," Morrison said.

Residents across metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria reported violent shaking. Building damage has been reported across Melbourne, and apartment buildings are being evacuated in inner Melbourne.

"I felt the shaking start from upstairs. I thought someone was skipping upstairs, the shaking became stronger and stronger. The curtain pullcord started banging against the window, and gradually the whole building started shaking and making noises. At first, I thought it was the wind, but when I went out on to the balcony, I saw that there were already many people gathering in the street," Jen Qiu who lived in Metropolitan Melbourne told Xinhua.

Victoria State Emergency Service tweeted, "If you have building damage or require SES assistance, phone 132500 and please be patient as lines may be busy."

Victorian Emergency issued an earthquake warning, saying a number of aftershocks have occurred and can continue to occur for sometime after the main earthquake.

Seismology Research Center head Adam Pascale told national broadcaster ABC that "there is a small likelihood that there could be a larger event but we'll see as we go." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 11:38:22|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The positivity rate for new COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh reported by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) fell to 4.69 percent on Tuesday, the lowest level in more than six months, amid the country's vaccination drive bolstered by Chinese jab support and other sources.

The country reported 1,562 new COVID-19 cases and 26 new deaths on Tuesday, taking the total tally to 1,545,800 and the death toll to 27,277.

On March 8, the DGHS data showed the single-day infection rate was 4.98 percent.

Health officials said the gradual drop in the infection indicates that the country's COVID-19 situation is improving owing to the vaccination drive.

Bangladesh's vaccination drive is now running smoothly in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere largely thanks to China's continued vaccine support.

Bangladesh began the COVID-19 vaccination drive in January to contain the pandemic that has spread across the country.

The Bangladeshi government subsequently halted administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine after India banned vaccine exports.

In June, the vaccination drive resumed in parts of the country with the China-donated Sinopharm vaccine.

Bangladesh has so far received around 25 million Sinopharm vaccine doses from China. On Saturday alone, Bangladesh received 5 million doses of Sinopharm vaccines.

Earlier on Sept. 11, 5.4 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Dhaka from China.

To fight against the earlier alarming spike in COVID-19 cases, Bangladesh has also signed an agreement on the co-production of the Chinese vaccines locally.

According to the DGHS, the country so far administered over 35 million doses of vaccines out of around 50 million COVID-19 doses it received so far. Of the administered vaccine doses, some 21 million people received their first shot while more than 14 million got their second shot, helping the country to rein in fresh infections.

Official data showed that 33,327 samples were tested in the last 24 hours of Tuesday.

The total number of recovered patients in the country stood at 1,504,709, including 1,603 new recoveries, said the DGHS.

According to the official data, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh is 1.76 percent and the current recovery rate is 97.34 percent.

Bangladesh recorded the highest daily new cases of 16,230 on July 28 and the highest number of 264 deaths on Aug. 5 and Aug. 10, respectively. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 14:12:04|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Mongolia rose by 3,416 over the past 24 hours to 283,956, with the death toll added by 14 to 1,146, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

Two of the latest confirmed cases were imported from abroad, the ministry said in a statement.

Now, there are more than 84,000 active COVID-19 cases in the country, and most of them are being treated at home due to a shortage of hospital beds.

Mongolia launched a national vaccination campaign in late February, with the aim of vaccinating at least 60 percent of its population of around 3.4 million. So far, 65.3 percent of the population have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses, while 69.1 percent have taken their first doses.

In late August, the country began offering a booster or a third dose of vaccine to certain groups of people. Some 8.3 percent of its population have so far received the booster dose. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 14:14:58|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government has decided to reopen all the border crossings for the movement of Nepali and foreign nationals, as the South Asian country has been reporting fewer COVID-19 cases in recent days, a Nepali minister said Wednesday.

The move ended a months-long ban on foreigners visiting Nepal through land routes that was imposed after the second wave of the coronavirus hit the country in April.

Following the cabinet decision on Tuesday evening, "fully vaccinated foreigners can travel in Nepal after being tested negative for coronavirus either through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antigen tests," Nepal's State Minister for Health and Population Umesh Shrestha told Xinhua.

The decision came at a time when new COVID-19 cases in Nepal have come down to less than 2,000 per day in recent days from a record high of 9,317 on May 11.

On Tuesday, the country logged 1,036 new infections and five deaths, taking the total cases to 786,577 and the death toll to 11,053.

Nepal has a total of 35 border crossings with India and two border points with China.

On June 21, Nepal's Health Ministry imposed a blanket ban on foreign nationals visiting the country through land routes.

Shrestha said the decision to relax the cross-border movement of foreigners was taken to give a boost to the country's tourism which has been hit hard amid the pandemic. "We can attract vaccinated Indian tourists through the land routes," he said.

Indian nationals have been allowed into Nepal in the past days despite the blanket ban still in place.

"Due to cross-border family, social and cultural relations, we have been allowing Indian nationals to visit Nepal if they are fully vaccinated or they could produce PCR negative for coronavirus," said Phanindramani Pokharel, spokesperson for Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 17:03:22|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's merchandise exports increased by 14.4 percent year on year in August, reaching 1 billion U.S. dollars in revenue for the third consecutive month, the Export Development Board (EDB) said in a statement Wednesday.

Sri Lanka's merchandise export revenue in August stood at 1 billion U.S. dollars, compared to 947.2 million U.S. dollars in the same month in 2020.

Export revenue from apparel, which is Sri Lanka's largest source of export revenue, grew 12.3 percent year on year in August to 491.5 million U.S. dollars.

Export crop staples such as tea, rubber, and coconut grew 13.4 percent, 27.3 percent, and 13.2 percent respectively in August. Exports of diamonds, gems, and jewelry boasted the strongest growth of 65.3 percent.

Meanwhile, exports of seafood and ornamental fish grew 19.7 percent and 52.4 percent respectively.

Sri Lanka's top export markets in August were the United States, Britain, India and Germany. However, exports to the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands showed their strongest growth of 92.3 percent and 49.3 percent respectively.

EDB Chairman Suresh de Mel said that the Asian country's exporters have to add more value, explore niche markets, and diversify product baskets in the future. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 18:09:17|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Narayan Khadka, a member of Nepali Congress Central Working Committee, was appointed the minister for foreign affairs of Nepal on Wednesday.

Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari, on the recommendation of the five-party government headed by the Nepali Congress party's President Sher Bahadur Deuba, appointed and administered oath of office for Khadka, said Jaganath Panta, a spokesperson for the Office of the President.

Deuba took office on July 13 as the prime minister of Nepal, but his cabinet had only four ministers and a minister of state before Khadka was appointed, well short of the 25-member target as envisioned under Nepal's constitution.

A member of the House of Representatives, Khadka served as advisor to then Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in 1990, and was minister for urban development in the Sushil Koirala government in 2014. He holds a PhD in economics.

Deuba is sending Khadka to New York for the ongoing 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"I am leaving this evening to participate in the General Assembly," Khadka told the press after taking office. "My focus will be toward maintaining a balanced and cordial relationship with India and China." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-22 18:38:51|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has started distribution of non-food relief items to displaced families in Afghanistan's far-flung western Badghis province, the migration agency said on Wednesday.

The IOM Afghanistan started distribution of core relief non-food items and emergency shelter repair kits to assist over 1,700 conflict displaced families in Badghis province, the agency said in a post on twitter.

"We continue to assess the needs of families displaced by insecurity, natural disasters or less of income," it said.

Over 634,000 Afghans have been internally displaced by conflicts this year, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan said last week.

"Decades of instability and conflict have tested the resilience and strength of millions of Afghans. Recent security developments, persistent droughts and the pandemic have added to the untold suffering of a country where over 5 million people are already internally displaced," IOM said in a release on its website.

Almost half of Afghanistan's population is reliant on emergency relief assistance, with needs continuing to rise, the release noted.

"The IOM is committed to stay in the country, and deliver relief and assistance to mobile and displaced populations in Afghanistan."

The IOM supports vulnerable communities by providing emergency shelters, core relief items, emergency health services and protection assistance, the release said. Enditem
The Federal Government says in spite of the challenging times the country has gone through over the years, its resolve to remain as one indivisible entity has remained unshaken.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the [email protected] year long photo exhibition.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, with the theme "69 Years of our Togetherness", was attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan.

Mohammed said the theme of the photo exhibition was carefully couched to reflect on the unity of the country in the past 60 years, despite its diverse cultures, traditions, practices, languages and challenges.

"This Photo Exhibition is organised to serve as a poignant reminder of significant events in the annals of this great country and how they have shaped the country, ensured peaceful coexistence, patriotism and determination, culminating in our greatness and development.

"For those who did not witness Nigeria's Independence in 1960, particularly the students, they can at least look at the photos of pre-independent Nigeria; the independence proper; post-independence era.

"They will also look at leaders who fought for our independence and have an idea of the struggle for freedom from colonialism and a mental picture of how the situation was then.

"These have given hope that whatever challenges we may be facing even at this time, we will surmount them and have a strong, united, peaceful and prosperous country," he said.

The minister said the exhibition, which will be opened to the public till Sept. 23, captured six decades of Nigeria's independence; footprints of Nigeria's political leaders and 60 years of the labour of past heroes in ensuring the country's unity and peace.

He said the exhibition also presented Nigeria's 60-year story in pictorial form, delivering a photographic presentation of Nigeria's icons.

"In addition, you will view programmes for national integration, such as the National Youth Service Corps programme, photos of intertribal marriages and creation of the Federal Capital Territory.

"You will also view Abuja; popular artists, both old and new; that are well known across the nation and internationally; our collective achievements in the area of sport which, as you are all aware, has acted as a strong unifying force; ancient and modern fashion/attires/hairstyles;"Nigerian cuisine that we love to eat irrespective of what tribe you belong to; tourist attractions and festivals; as well as Nigerians in Diaspora and their achievements, just to mention a few," he said.

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Mohammed enjoined Nigerians, especially the youth, to spend time to view and savour the photo exhibition, to get acquainted with the nation's political, socio-cultural and historical legacies.

He said arrangement had been made for students within the FCT to view the exhibition within the period.Mustapha, who declared the event opened, said Nigeria had summounted its myriad of challenges through its rich and dynamic culture and resilient spirit.

He said the exhibition would help to correct the biasses and incorrect revelations about the past which many youths had been fed with.On her part, Yemi-Esan said the country had weathered the storm of adversity and many challenges to remain a united nation.

She said the exhibition presented the opportunity to reflect on the past and look forward to a greater future.

The event was attended by students, National Youths Service Corp members, Heads of parastatal agencies in the ministry of information and culture including NAN Managing Director, Mr Buki Ponle.

Vanguard News Nigeria
The Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) has started recruiting massively, according to the army.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyeama Nwachukwu, disclosed this at the Headquarters of the Theatre Command, Operation Hadin Kai Maimalari, during a tour in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Sunday.

He advised the members of the public to be on the lookout within their immediate environment, adding that it is very important to engage the media to block this recruitment.

"I will like to mention that the ISWAP, very recently, haven been depleted by the surrendering of their member, as well as and conflict between them. They have embarked on what I will call a massive recruitment drive and I consider it very important to engage the media to block this recruitment."

"The Boko Haram insurgents have been surrendering. People have questioned the authenticity of the surrendering of these insurgents and why they are surrendering at this time.

"There are also the questions on the reintegration of these insurgents. Another question is what the plight of the victims of the insurgency is.

"That is the essence of this tour. The military is not resting on its oars in the fight to end insurgency and insecurity in the country," Nwachukwu said.

Nwachukwu also said the fight against insurgency in the North-east had recorded success.

"At some point, the insurgents almost took over the three state capitals of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe in the North-East. Some three years back, Boko Haram was advancing towards the Federal Capital Territory. Today they have been boxed in to the Timbuks" he added.

The theatre Commander, Theater Command, Operations Hadin Kai, Maj. Gen. Christopher Musa, also said the military have been trying their best in handling the issue of Boko Haram within the international laws.
Nigeria records an average of 15,000 to 20,000 cases of snakebite every year, the federal government has said.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Adeleke Mamora, stated this on Monday during a press briefing organised by the ministry to mark this year's International Snakebite Awareness Day.

The theme of this year's commemoration is 'Snakebite Envenoming: Increase Partnerships, Coordination and Responses'.

Quoting a recent survey, he said snakebites in the country occur at 479 cases per 100,000 people.

He said, "Nigeria records an average of 15,000-20,000 cases of snakebite every year, with about 2,000 people killed and between 1,700 and 2,000 people whose leg or arm is amputated to save their lives after snakebite."

Mamora said states with the most cases of snakebite in the country are Gombe, Plateau, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Nasarawa, Enugu, Kogi, Kebbi, Oyo, Benue and Taraba.

He called for renewed vigour to ensure strong partnerships among member states, development partners, donors and other stakeholders for snakebite management.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Alhaji Mahmoud Mamman, said from 2018 to December 2020, over 45,834 cases of snakebite and 1,793 deaths were reported in Nigeria.

He added that some cases still remained unreported because they were not reported to any health facility.

"It is in view of this that we are collaborating with our stakeholders and partners in an integrated manner to control, prevent and treat snakebites so as to achieve the global target," Mamman said.

The Director of Public Health in the ministry, Dr Alex Okoh said, in Africa, an estimated 1 million snakebites occur annually with half needing treatment, adding that injuries from snakebites are found among women, children and farmers in poor rural communities.
A report by the Comercio Partners has advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to initiate a pilot stage of its e-Naira as a necessary first step before a full-scale launching of its digital currency it has planned for October 1, 2021.

The report considered the pilot stage as a critical element of the successful full launch of the digital currency.

The report said: "While implementing the e-Naira and a digital wallet (DW) has the potential to bring numerous benefits to the Nigerian economy and its major stakeholders, including citizens, businesses, and all levels of government, a test run would seem a more appropriate action to take."

It noted that 14 countries out of the 81 countries pursuing digitalization of their legal tender, including major economies like Sweden and South Korea, are now in their pilot stages and preparing a possible full launch.

The Comercio Partners noted that, "when the governor of the CBN announced plans to introduce a new digital currency to the Nigerian monetary system at the MPC meeting in July, we assumed it was one of those far-fetched ideas that would necessitate extensive planning and technological infrastructure.

"Well, we guess that we were wrong. In a recent press statement, the CBN stated its plans to launch its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot scheme called the eNaira on October 1, 2021, with Bitt Inc, a financial technology company that utilises blockchain and distributes ledger technology to facilitate secure peer-to-peer transactions, as a technical partner."

The report described the CBDC as the digital form of a country's fiat currency that is also a claim on the central bank issuing electronic coins or accounts backed by the full faith and credit of the government.

It also clarified that the CBDC in two major aspects are not the same as the cryptocurrency that most people are all familiar with.

"Firstly, the CBDC is a centralised type of currency, and it can erode the privacy of citizens, and secondly, it is fully backed by the government, which means Elon Musk's tweets can't influence the e-Naira, "it stated.

The report also observed that as at July 2021, only five out of 81 countries around the world were pursuing CBDC development, are currently still using them.

These countries are Bahamian Sand Dollar was the first CBDC to become widely available. The others are Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda.

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The report also said that Gambia's foray into the CBBC was short-lived.

It said: "In November 2016, Banque RegionaledeMarches (BRM), a regional Senegalese bank, announced the launch of the eCFA, a digital currency named after WAEMU's (West African Economic and Monetary Union) hard currency CFA. The BCEAO (Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest) did not declare the eCFA legal tender in Senegal; rather, it was an experiment that the central bank could observe and learn from. The BCEAO however, quickly rebuked the eCFA digital currency for failing to comply with e-money regulations. The initiative lost traction once the BCEAO began to distance itself from the project, and it was canceled. Furthermore, the central bank stated that it had no desire to establish a CBDC in the near future."
Agri  Insight

THE soon-to-be-rolled out Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme has success written all over it.

Essentially, there are more reasons for it to succeed than fail on the part of the 1,8 million households participating in the pilot programme given that it will just require them to tap into their traditional knowledge of rearing indigenous chickens -- the road runners.

Where they used to produce road runners for the table and the occasional sale to generate some cash and take care of some expenses, they now just need to add a business edge and do it commercially so the way they will perform will set a precedent that will influence how the programme will run elsewhere.

In its report on the state of preparedness for the 2021/22 agricultural season, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement indicated that the Presidential Rural Poultry Pass-on Scheme would be targeting to commercialise rural poultry production, increase rural incomes and provide cheap source of protein.

The scheme will see the distribution of free-range chicks to at least 1,8 million rural households in groups over a period of five years with the first group of beneficiaries expected to pass-on 10 by two-months old chicks to the second group of beneficiaries who will in turn pass-on to the third group of beneficiaries until all the 1,8 million households get their turns.

As part of the package, the scheme will also supply 10 unsexed chicks, 10kg free-range poultry starter mash and one sachet of vitamin stress mix pack to each household.

The breeds of the chickens will include boschveld, sasso and indigenous chickens among others.

The distributed chicks are expected to start production five months after distribution, with each hen expected to produce a minimum of four clutches (production cycles) per year under semi-intensive production system.

The average production for each clutch is 10 chicks with an annual chick production of 40 chicks per hen. The male chickens can be sold as breeding stock to other farmers, exchanged for females or be sold as meat.

Under intensive production, up to six clutches per hen can be achieved annually.

To give traction to the programme, agricultural extension officers will also undergo an in-service refresher training course on rural poultry production and proceed to capacitate all beneficiaries through regular training and advisory services in rural poultry production.

The training will cover aspects of housing, feeds, disease and breed management of rural poultry.

There will also be distribution of 10 rural chicks, 10kg rural chick mash and one sachet of vitamin stress pack per household in all the country's eight rural provinces from 2021 to 2025.

The programme will be rolled out at an estimated cost of US$13,05m with Phase 1 targeting 225 000 households in 2021 in Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South, Midlands and Masvingo and thereafter pass-on.

Phase 2 will also take on board another 225 000 households in 2022 from the rest of the four provinces and thereafter pass-on.

It is envisaged that the distributed chicks, if properly managed and taken care of would boost meat and egg production, which would help improve food security and nutrition for the households while increasing the rural per capita incomes as well.

In essence, the success of the programme will depend largely on the attitude of the beneficiaries, as it does not require them to do much in terms of investment save for their labour and the astute deployment of resources they receive when they start it.

The good thing is that no household may claim to be coming across rural poultry farming for the first time, as they should have at some point kept even as little as two chicks at the homesteads.

The only difference is that the programme is now expected to be run professionally and accountably.

For this one, there is no random slaughtering of the birds to quench an insatiable desire for meat. If a shop owner pays for goods she takes from the shelves, then the poultry farmer must also develop that habit of treating business seriously and account for every bird in her coop.

This should start with the nature of the housing structure, which the farmer will build for the chicks. It has to be built to standards that show the business intentions behind and show customers the seriousness of the people running the project.

The housing should be able to shelter the birds from whether elements and provide security from prowling predators and even thieves.

It is the duty of the benefiting household to ensure that the birds get that protection, as well as adequate food and water while there should also be proper and enough brooding structures to allow them to produce off-spring. Beneficiaries should also start looking around for markets bearing in mind that a lot of people now prefer indigenous chickens to exotic breeds, hence the high prices they fetch as well.

In fact, the project could not have come at a better time than now when there is a growing demand for indigenous chickens with some food outlets introducing them as part of traditional dishes in their menus.

It is refreshing to note that Government has also roped in extension officers and the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) to take care of farmers' technical requirements so that they make informed decisions that give more life to the project.

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Extension officers will, in fact, be there to give farmers guidance in the general running of the project, which in reality, should just be a top-up to the knowledge they already have.

It will be cruel for the project to fail given the fact that it is not a new thing but has just been modified to be more rewarding than before.

The other positive matter is that indigenous chickens are very susceptible to diseases and have more resilience to health problems than broilers, which makes them easier for farmers to manage.

Farmers can also use traditional medicines such as aloe, which do not come at a cost to treat some health complaints and also capitalise on road runners' ability to survive as free rangers scavenging to cut on feeding costs.

But before the chickens go out for the day, farmers must always make it a point that they give them feed and water officially so that whatever they pick out there will buttress what they would have taken in before leaving the coops.

It is also important to fence off the area inside which the birds will be foraging to make sure they do not stray for long distances, which increases chances of them facing dangers.
For Nigeria to progress as a country, the country must play down on ethnicity.

Leader of Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, stated this while speaking on ARISE Newsnight,, saying that he is detribalised and believes in one Nigeria.

Clark was reacting to the comments made by the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, who said the north would relinquish power in 2023 because it has the numbers to win any elections.

"We will lead Nigeria the way we have led Nigeria before, whether we are President or Vice President, we will lead Nigeria. We have the majority of the votes and democracy says vote whom you want. Why should we accept a second class position when we know we can buy a form and contest for first class and we will win? Baba-Ahmed said.

However, Clark condemned those comments. This is just as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Ralphs Nwosu, faulted Baba-Ahmed's comments. Nwosu, in a statement issued yesterday, said that holding onto leadership and creating the kind of poverty the country has now leverages none.

Clark, who expressed concern about the insecurity situation especially in the North-eastern part of the country.

He appealed to Ahmed to call his people to order so that we can have one Nigeria.

According to him, "look at what is happening in the northwest! People who feels that they have been oppressed are the ones fighting back. cThe state governors were the ones moving the Almajiris from place to place and they are the ones fighting back now. I believe in one Nigeria."

Clark who also opposed the creation of Kano Naval base, said though there is nothing wrong in building a naval base, but that the Niger Delta region seems to have been marginalised.

" In any country, they have armed forces; the army, navy and air force. You can have a naval base in places like Warri and Port Harcourt. The government should provide naval services in the country. When you talk about unwholesomeness, there is nothing wrong, but where are you going to train the boys? There is nothing wrong in building a naval base, but what have they done for the Niger Delta region?

On his part, Nwosu who said he was infuriated by the statement credited to Baba-Ahmed said respected intellectuals should not sound this way.

He stated: "I am infuriated when any of our respected public intellectuals sound this way. Reducing our rich knowledge to North and South thinking creates the kind of dichotomy that impedes development and the kind of national cohesion to leverage our various people.

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"Holding onto leadership and creating the kind of poverty we have now leverages none. Elites must become unifiers so that we can build a nation that is able to employ our rich diversity values for quality and endearing public policies. Public policies that are just and non discriminatory."

The ADC chairman stressed that in a multi ethnic country like Nigeria, it was important everyone is given a sense of belonging.

Nwosu said he felt seriously that aiming to use the gaps in the democratic process to dominate others or threaten them hurts everyone.

He added: "We need to develop an elite culture that is beyond myopic prism. Our elites should really begin to challenge the status quo so that we can inspire our youths towards a direction that creates prosperity, security, peace and opportunities for all. Hakeem and many of our elites in the public space should realize that they model the way for all others, especially the youths, each time they mount any podium."
The conceptual design for the W. E. B. Du Bois Museum Complex, to be built in Accra.

announcement

The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged the African Diaspora to follow in the footsteps of W. E Dubois by making Africa their home, and contributing to the development of the continent.

READ: Ghana President Heralds Historic Agreement to Build A World-Class W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Complex

The President made these remarks, on Monday, 20th September 2021, at the signing of a historic partnership arrangement between the Du Bois Museum Foundation Ghana, an affiliate of the W. E B Dubois Foundation New York, and the Government of Ghana, represented by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

The partnership, which was initiated by the President in 2019 as part of his trip to promote "The Year of Return", will see to the transformation of the current Du Bois Memorial Centre and burial site in Accra, into a state-of-the-art museum complex and world-class destination for scholars and heritage tourists.

Dr. Du Bois, a civil rights pioneer and one of the world's leading black intellectuals and thinkers, became a citizen of Ghana, and resided in the country until his death in 1963.

The Partnership will see the Du Bois Museum Foundation Ghana, leading the construction of a multi-million-dollar Museum Complex to preserve Dr. Du Bois' legacy, over a 50-year period.

The Du Bois Museum Complex aims to transform the Centre, and create a living museum that revives the transformative spirit and vision of Dr. Du Bois for a unified ancestral home for Africans in the diaspora around the world.

Upon completion, the complex will serve as a historic memorial site, where visitors can honor his life and legacy, connect to their cultural and ancestral roots, and serve as an impetus to inspire solidarity between people of African descent.

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At the signing ceremony in New York, President Akufo-Addo highlighted the significance of the agreement in strengthening historical, cultural, and economic ties between Ghana and the United States, and Africans in the Diaspora.

This Agreement will build on the Government's "Year of Return" and "Beyond the Return" campaigns that encourage the return of the African Diaspora from around the world.

"The Du Bois Museum Complex will usher in a renewed commitment to building an international treasure and historic memorial honouring the legacy of Dr. Du Bois, and fostering unity among the African Diaspora through a vibrant cultural and research centre," said Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director, W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation. Aryiku, a Ghanaian American with more than 40 years of experience in corporate America and the philanthropic community, was inspired at a young age by Du Bois' writings and ideals.

The Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, signed on behalf of Government, and paid tribute to the inspirational leadership of the President in positioning Ghana as the Mecca of the African diaspora.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Kwame Anthony Appiah, novelist and professor of philosophy and ethics, New York University and board member, W.E.B Du Bois Museum Foundation; and Daniel Rose, Chairman, W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, philanthropist, and leading real estate developer of several award-winning properties.

Guests included the Minister of Finance of Ghana, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta, Hon. Shirley Aryorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; H. E Hajia Alima Mahama, Ghana's Ambassador to the USA; Akwasi Agyeman, CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority; and Humphrey Ayim-Darke of the Dubios Museum Foundation, Ghana.
Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana at the historic signing of an agreement between the Government of Ghana and W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation to build Du Bois Museum Complex at The Pierre Hotel on September 20, 2021 in New York City.

press release

New York  The H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, heralded plans to construct a state-of-the-art museum complex honoring the legacy of world-renown black intellectual and civil rights pioneer Dr. W.E.B Du Bois as an important symbolic monument.

"The museum will provide in Ghana, yet another important monument to the collective struggle of the African peoples to get their rightful place in this world," said President Akufo-Addo in his remarks prior to the signing of a historic partnership arrangement between the Government of Ghana and the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation's affiliate in Ghana. The signing took place in New York City where the U.S. foundation is headquartered.

READ: Ghana Government Partners Du Bois Foundation to Transform Du Bois Centre Into a Museum Complex

The agreement was signed on behalf of the Government of Ghana by Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance of Ghana, and Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Signing for the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation were Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director of the foundation in the U.S., and Humphrey Ayim-Darke, Board Member of the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, Ghana.

"Mr. President, let me reassure you of our commitment to making your beloved Ghana a hub of Pan-African research and heritage tourism," said Daniel Rose, Chairman of the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, as he kicked off the ceremony. Rose is a philanthropist and leading real estate developer with deep ties to Ghana.

The Du Bois Memorial Centre in Accra where Dr. Du Bois and his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois, are buried, opened to the public in 1985, but in recent years had required additional upkeep and maintenance. Two years ago, Rose and two board members of the foundation, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a professor at Harvard University and foremost scholar on Dr. Du Bois, and Dr. Kwame Anthony Appiah, a professor at New York University whose father had worked with Dr. Du Bois, approached President Akufo-Addo about transforming the Du Bois Memorial Centre into a world-class living museum for scholars and heritage tourists.

Monica Schipper/Getty Images for W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, (C) shakes hands with Chairman of the Board Daniel Rose (L-R) Akwasi Agyeman, CEO, Ghana Tourism Authority, Board Members Kwame Anthony Appiah, and Deborah Rose, Daniel Rose, H.E. President Nana Akufo-Addo, Hon. Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director, W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, Humphrey Ayim Darke, Board Member, W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, Ghana attend the historic signing of an agreement between the Government of Ghana and W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation to build Du Bois Museum Complex at The Pierre Hotel on September 20, 2021 in New York City.

The partnership arrangement will grant authority for the W.E.B Du Bois Museum Foundation to construct a multi-million dollar museum complex to preserve Dr. Du Bois' legacy over a 50-year period. The complex will be designed by Sir David Adjaye, renowned Ghanaian architect and designer of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

The Foundation's goal is to realize the Du Bois Museum's full potential as an international treasure and historic memorial honoring one of the leading and most revered black voices in world history. The ambitious project features a museum, library and reading room, event hall, outdoor auditorium and amphitheater, lecture space, guest house for visiting scholars and the refurbished bungalow where Dr. Du Bois lived and worked until his death. The complex also includes a Memorial Pavilion, housing the remains of Dr. Du Bois and the cremated ashes of his wife.

Dr. Du Bois, who was a confidant of Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah, became a citizen of Ghana and resided in the country until his death in 1963. While living in Ghana, Du Bois envisioned building a unified ancestral home for Africans in the diaspora around the world.

President Akufo-Addo has invited the Africans Diaspora to follow the footsteps of Du Bois by making Africa their home and contributing to the continent's development through the government's "Year of Return" and "Beyond the Return" campaigns.

Monica Schipper/Getty Images for W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director, W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation at the historic signing of an agreement between the Government of Ghana and W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation to build Du Bois Museum Complex at The Pierre Hotel on September 20, 2021 in New York City.

"The 'Beyond the Year of Return' campaign promotes economic empowerment and encourages people in the Diaspora to come to Africa to invest, to live, and to do more to uplift the continent," said Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director, W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation. Aryiku, a Ghanaian American with more than 40 years of experience in corporate America and the philanthropic community, was inspired at a young age by Du Bois' writings and ideals.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Kwame Anthony Appiah, novelist and professor of philosophy and ethics, New York University and board member, W.E.B Du Bois Museum Foundation; and guests included Hon. Shirley Aryorkor Botchwey, Minister of Foreign Affairs, H. E Hajia Alima Mahama , Ghana's Ambassador to the USA, Akwasi Agyeman, CEO, Ghana Tourism Authority and Humphrey Ayim-Darke of the Du Bois Museum Foundation, Ghana.

ABOUT W.E.B DU BOIS MUSEUM FOUNDATION: The W.E.B Du Bois Museum Foundation is a leading New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the life, purpose, and legacy of Dr. W.E. B Du Bois. Daniel Rose, a philanthropist and leading real estate developer of major properties serves as the foundation's Chairman of the Board. Ambassador Harold Doley, Jr. is the foundation's President. Prominent board members include renowned scholars of the Du Bois legacy Professors Henry Louis Gates, Jr., of Harvard University; Kwame Anthony Appiah of New York University; Emmanuel K. Akyeampong of the Center for African Studies at Harvard University; and Deborah Rose, a Visiting Scholar at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
analysis

The government is performing a delicate balancing act in the interests of advancing justice during a complex political transition.

In August, Sudan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi announced that the country would hand over all suspects charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes committed in Darfur from 2003 to 2004.

Former president Omar al-Bashir is among the ICC accused and has a long list of domestic and international charges to account for. He is currently serving a two-year sentence for corruption and faces criminal indictments for the 1989 coup in which he took power. Given the plethora of justice demands the transitional government must deal with, surrendering al-Bashir to the ICC may be its best option.

Although the authorities didn't announce a timeline for the handover, this is the strongest commitment shown for the transfer of al-Bashir and other Darfur accused to the ICC's seat in The Hague. To be enforced, the cabinet decision now requires approval from the ruling sovereign council made up of military and civilian members.

Pivotal and high-ranking military officials seem to be on board, with General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Sudan's first vice-president, stating that Sudan is prepared to cooperate with the ICC.

Sudan has legislation on war crimes, but the relevant article has never been used in any prosecution

While al-Bashir was president, there was little to no chance of his surrender to the court. This was partly because some countries that had joined the ICC's Rome Statute refused to arrest him when he was in their territories. Another reason was that in Sudan, the president was immune from prosecution.

Now the tables have turned. Since al-Bashir's ousting in 2019 and with a new transitional constitution, there is cautious optimism that the interim government will make good on its promise to hand him over to the ICC. But the critical question is why Sudan has now decided to hand al-Bashir over rather than prosecuting him at home for his alleged crimes in Darfur?

The first likely reason is that although Sudan has legislation to try al-Bashir and others for war crimes, Article 18 of the country's penal code has never been used in any prosecution. A capacity gap in handling this offence and the political heft of the accused could lead to judicial missteps and compromise the prosecution's case.

The principle of complementarity in international criminal law requires that states first prosecute international crimes and that international courts are used as a 'last resort'. But there must be a genuine willingness on the part of states to try such cases. Are Sudanese judicial authorities willing and able to try al-Bashir for the crimes committed in Darfur?

Even if Sudan was willing to prosecute international crimes, it might not have the resources to do so

Second and closely linked to this is the issue of funding a trial in Sudan. Even if it was prepared to prosecute international crimes, the country might not have the resources to do so. These prosecutions are expensive. The ICC, for example, budgeted approximately 2 500 000 for the Darfur situation in 2021 alone. Hence it may be more pragmatic for the ICC to handle these cases.

A domestic trial in Khartoum or Darfur is likely to cost less than one in The Hague. However, a cash-strapped transitional government will need to mobilise substantial funds to try a case of this magnitude and scale. Besides al-Bashir, Sudan would have to consider prosecuting other suspects wanted by the ICC for Darfur crimes, such as Ahmed Haroun and Abdel Raheem Hussein, currently detained in Khartoum, as well as Abdallah Banda Abaker Nourain, who is missing.

Sudan's government would also have to negotiate a complex transfer of Ali Kushayb, currently detained by the ICC in The Hague, back to Sudan - an outcome that is highly unlikely.

The third possible reason for handing al-Bashir to the ICC is that there is no national consensus around the Sudanese people's justice and accountability needs. This is solely due to the sheer volume and scale of human rights abuses and violations committed by the former ruling government.

As it stands, different regions arguably have different justice needs. For example, the focus in Khartoum is on accountability for the 3 June 2019 massacre in which more than 128 people died during protests. In Darfur, the priorities are understandably different. The war in the country's western region from 2003 to 2004 resulted in approximately 500 000 deaths and the displacement of over two million people.

Balancing the various justice demands without causing further marginalisation is a Herculean task

Perceptions within Sudan are key, so balancing the various demands for justice without causing further marginalisation is a Herculean task for the transitional government. Already several states have called for secession. Dealing with this, along with the job of decentring politics and providing justice in Khartoum will have a major impact on the course of Sudan's political transition.

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The last reason is that the decision to surrender ICC suspects would improve Sudan's standing with the international community. The removal of the country from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list and Sudan's recent decision to join the Rome Statute show progress in this regard.

Khartoum's decision to surrender those wanted by the ICC is a smart move as the transitional government positions itself as a defender of human rights. It signals the Sudanese authorities' commitment to ensuring accountability for atrocity crimes and will have a deterrent effect on incumbent leaders.

The technicalities around when and where the Darfur crime suspects will stand trial are yet to be determined. There is still talk of a special court for Darfur. For now, Sudan's decision serves as a reminder to those in power that impunity is never lasting. A change in domestic politics is all it takes to tip the scales in favour of justice and accountability.

Maram Mahdi, Research Officer and Ottilia Anna Maunganidze, Head of Special Projects, ISS Pretoria
On September 21, 2021, protesters marched on Namibia's parliament, angry at the proposed agreement with Germany.

The opposition has accused the ruling SWAPO party of pushing through a joint agreement with Germany over an apology for colonial-era atrocities against the Nama and Herero people. They have called for reparations.

Namibia's parliament on Tuesday resumed debate around the signing of a joint declaration with Germany regarding the former colonial power's recognition that it perpetrated genocide in the early 1900s.

Parliamentary debates in June had been suspended as Namibia battled a devastating wave of COVID-19 infections, which delayed the National Assembly in agreeing to Berlin's offer in May of a formal apology for committing genocide in Namibia between 1904 and 1908 against the Nama and Herero people.

The apology is tied to an aid deal worth 1.1 billion ($1.34 billion), to be paid out over 30 years.

Disagreement over aid money

The Namibian government initially hailed the agreement with Germany, with President Hage Geingob saying the apology was "a step in the right direction."

Zedekia Ngavirue, who had led negotiations for the Namibian government since 2015, told DW before his death in June of COVID complications that the Namibian side had reached its key objectives of "acknowledgment of genocide, apology and payment of reparations."

However, Germany said explicitly that any payments to Namibia should not be understood as reparations in a legal sense.

This fact was interpreted by some Namibians as a sign Germany was not completely ready to be held fully accountable for the actions of German soldiers and military commanders during the colonial period. The final monetary sum also received fierce criticism, with the Council of Chiefs for Nama and Herero people branding the amount "an insult" and "unacceptable."

Claims of exclusion persist

Germany is set to make funds available for reconstruction, reconciliation and development projects. But some Herero and Nama leaders have from the outset rejected the Namibian government's negotiations with Germany, saying they have been excluded from decisions affecting them. Namibian Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, however, has pushed back on those claims.

On Tuesday, hundreds marched to the Namibian parliament to hand over a petition calling on the government not to push the joint agreement through parliament.

Demands for equal treatment

"We have the feeling our government is not supporting us. You hear government-to-government, but where are we?" asked Esther Muinjangue, leader of the National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO), who has also represented affected communities.

Sakeus Likela / Deutsche Welle McHenry Venaani, leader of the Popular Democratic Movement, spoke at the protest in Windhoek on Tuesday September 20, 2021.

"We want to be treated equally, like other victims of genocide that Germany has paid out and said sorry to," said Vipuakuje Muharukua, a lawmaker representing the Popular Democratic Movement, who is a descendant of genocide victims.

"A government should govern for all people. We do not need a government that will budge to the demands of Germany, regardless of the fiscal situation. We have history on our side. We Namibians will accept nothing less than just reparations."

Since negotiations started in 2015, Germany sought, and eventually received, a bilateral agreement with the Namibian government as opposed to negotiating with individual Herero and Nama groups.

Meanwhile, local media reported the opposition Landless People's Movement (LPM) expressing concern that the ruling SWAPO party would use its parliamentary majority to push the joint agreement through parliament.

"I am calling on the consciences of SWAPO that they do not use their two-thirds majority to push through a deal that all parties are not satisfied with. Politics is about consensus and compromise," said Henny Seibeb, deputy head of the LPM.

If the motion to sign the joint agreement with Germany gets through the National Assembly, analysts say the main challenge for the Namibian government will be to convince the Nama and Herero communities to accept the terms of the agreement.

Deaths of key figures

The delay in accepting Berlin's offer came as COVID-19 gripped Namibia and caused parliament to delay its decision. The pandemic also affected key politicians, including lead negotiator Ngavirue and President Geingob, who was forced to isolate after contracting the virus. The leader of the Herero community, Vekuii Rukoro, also succumbed to the virus.

What crimes did Germany commit in Namibia?

The German Empire was the colonial power in what was then called German South West Africa from 1884 to 1915.

During that time, its military forces brutally put down several rebellions, killing tens of thousands of people.

German General Lothar von Trotha, who was sent to quell a Herero uprising in 1904, was particularly known for his extreme ruthlessness.

Historians have generally accepted that up to 65,000 of roughly 80,000 Herero people living in the area at the time were killed, along with least 10,000 of the roughly 20,000 Nama people.
Here are the major announcements made in his presentations.

Mexico

After the summit, the Peruvian leader met with Bolivian counterpart Luis Arce, with whom he agreed to hold a Binational Cabinet this year

United States

The President of the Republic affirmed that he brought the voice and feeling of the most vulnerable peoples in Peru, in addition to reaffirming the democratic and cooperation spirit among countries in the region. Besides, he reiterated his call for the integration of Latin America.

Moreover, in his address to a group of entrepreneurs in the United States, Mr. Castillo stated that Peru has the doors open for them. Thus, he asked them to invest in the country confidently and without doubt , but with clear rules and respecting the rights of Peruvians.




The expert explained that, to date, Metropolitan Lima and Callao mainly the latter have more than a 70% prevalence of the Delta variant , which is characterized by its rapid transmission in people.





"It is also present in Junin and Ica. Unfortunately, in recent weeks, an important source of infection has been identified in the north: in Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, and La Libertad, with a proportion of the circulating Delta variant at over 55%. In total, it is present in 22 out of the 25 regions across the country," Solari stated.





According to the infectious disease specialist, at the epidemiological level, "this was a visible bad omen. Important third and fourth waves have been recorded in countries where Delta has been the predominant variant, depending on the country."





Based on the evidence, she added, the Delta variant has caused not only infections but also deaths among unvaccinated people.





Solari recalled that this is a much more contagious variant, that is to say, one person infected with the Delta variant can infect between 5 and 8 people, which is the highest number recorded so far.





COVID-19 vaccine, top priority









"We know that this variant can reduce effectiveness of most vaccines; therefore, we could get infected even if we were vaccinated. However, the good news is that the vaccines are highly effective in reducing severe disease and death," she explained.





"We need to continue with the face masks and the measures we have always commented on," the expert remarked.





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Delta has become the predominant variant in Peru, displacing Lambda and Gamma, whose cases have reduced in the past weeks, according to Lely Solari , infectious disease specialist at the National Health Institute (INS) Publicado: 22/9/2021




The IAU Working Group on Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN) Bulletin (Volume 1, #6 2021) announced that the asteroid 369134 (2008 RG79) was named Mariareiche, while the other minor planet, 369297 (2009 SW20), was named Nazca. The two rocky cores were discovered in 2008 and 2009, respectively.





The international organization highlights the work of Reiche, who arrived in Peru for a short period at the age of 29 but returned in late 1937, captivated by the country's landscapes.





In her research, the German mathematician introduced new theories about the meaning of these lines. Besides, she promoted the site's revelation to the world and its tourism promotion.





She passed away at the age of 95 and her wake was held at the premises of the National Institute of Culture (now Ministry of Culture).

Nazca Lines





The Nazca Lines are detailed designs and lines depicting geometric and zoomorphic figures covering an area 50 km long and 15 km wide.









This magnificent archaeological site can be found between km 419-465 on Panamericana Sur Highway.





First reports on these lines date back to 1927. However, it was not until 1946 that more thorough research works emerged, when German researcher Maria Reiche became interested in the geoglyphs. She would dedicate the rest of her life to their study.









In November this year, Peru will commemorate 27 years since the Lines and Geoglyphs of Nazca and Palpa were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994





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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named two asteroids in honor of the Nazca Lines and German researcher Maria Reiche, who dedicated her life to studying such geoglyphs , thus leaving a legacy in the preservation of these enigmatic figures located in Ica region.Publicado: 22/9/2021
?? En breve | El presidente de la Republica, @PedroCastilloTe, brindara su discurso en el Debate General de la 76. Asamblea General de la @ONU_es, en New York.

?? Transmision en vivo: @noticias_tvperu. #PeruEnLaONU#UNGA pic.twitter.com/xxuSgjKxRF
?? Las #InversionesAPP en los 18 aeropuertos han permitido modernizar la infraestructura, mejorando su calidad y capacidad de atencion, lo que ha impulsado el turismo y al dinamismo de la economia en nuestro pais.



Aqui la noticia completa ? https://t.co/VhihXhHXm1
In remarks to Andina news agency , the scientist highlighted the creation of the multisectoral working group in charge of crafting the bill that creates a ministry of this nature, noting that it responds to the fulfillment of a campaign commitment made by President Pedro Castillo.
??Ahora | El ministro de Economia y Finanzas, @pedrofrancke, participa junto a representantes de los paises de la Alianza del Pacifico, en evento organizado por @ASCOA para hablar sobre los avances y metas en el aspecto social, economico y comercial.

??https://t.co/3fLCNU2NqC pic.twitter.com/S3xIPT6OU0
El Canciller Oscar Maurtua participo en la 65 Conferencia General del Organismo Internacional de Energia Atomica (OIEA) que se lleva a cabo del 20 al 24 de setiembre, en Viena. pic.twitter.com/shzlna923Z
? Con la adquisicion de estos lotes de vacunas, el Gobierno ratifica su compromiso de asegurar la proteccion de la poblacion frente a la pandemia.

?? Octubre: 8 millones de dosis de vacunas Sinopharm.

?? 2022: 35 millones de dosis de vacunas @pfizer y 20 millones de Moderna. pic.twitter.com/BcaJu9xknw
Good meeting today with President @PedroCastilloTe of Peru.



We discussed the importance of supporting poor & vulnerable people, promoting growth & prosperity, safely reopening schools, sound macroeconomic management & a favorable business climate.



[1/2] pic.twitter.com/0YEH3ENWDj
" " Do lions and tigers and pumas and such go nuts for laser pointers like domesticated house cats do? Tim Flach/Getty Images

Cats leaping sky-high after spotting suspicious cucumbers? Yes, please. But cats going crazy chasing laser pointers? That's still prime online viewing that gets all the laughs. In fact, cats versus laser pointers is such hilarious stuff that there's an entire industry that revolves around the manufacture and sale of laser pointers for pets. There's even a laser pointer simulator app for smartphones.

So why are so many cats obsessed with quickly moving red dots? And do big cats act the same way?

Advertisement

Despite being domesticated, many house cats still have a natural hunting instinct lurking deep within their DNA. Before domestication, a cat's survival  and that of its offspring  hinged upon hunting ability. While most house cats don't have much opportunity to sharpen their hunting behaviors by chasing and pouncing, the erratic movement of a laser pointer offers a way to hone these skills. When a laser pointer dot zigzags across a floor, or stops and darts away, it resembles the movements of feline prey (look out, mice!) and provides an outlet for cooped-up cats.

Along with this hunting instinct, cats possess some visual attributes activated by their elevated interest in a laser pointer. Cats, like many animals whose meals involve catching prey, have a wider field of vision than people. That's because felines have more rod cells in their eyes and larger corneas, as well as a structure called the tapetum lucidum that reflects additional light to the retina. As a result, cat vision is more sensitive in the low-light conditions in which laser pointers are often used, and the movement of the brightly colored dot can trigger the feline instinct of hunting.

But, when the staff of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, decided to find out if their exotic big cats  cougars, lions, tigers and more  would enjoy laser pointers as much as house cats, the results were mixed, as documented in this video:

"Some of the smaller cats, like bobcats and African servals, did like chasing the laser dot," says Susan Bass, the rescue's director of public relations. "But most of our cats didn't have any interest in them. That's a cat for you."

Now That's Cool The first laser was built and operated in 1960 by engineer and physicist Theodore Maiman. Renowned physicist Albert Einstein first described the stimulated emission of light, which makes lasers possible, in 1917.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. President of France Emmanuel Macron congratulated in Armenian President Armen Sarkissian on the 30th anniversary of Armenias independence.

Mr. President, Dear Armen,

On the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia I address you and the Armenian people my wishes of happiness, prosperity and success.

I appreciate the significant path that the Armenian people have passed 30 years ago since gaining independence to create a modern and democratic state. Thus, overcoming a number of trials, your country managed to strengthen the activity of the institutions.

France and Armenia are connected with unique relations deeply rooted in history. These close and reliable friendly relations continue today as well in all areas. I hope that this connection, which is the wealth of our bilateral relations, will further deepen in different cooperation areas, such as culture, education, healthcare or economy.

France wants to play the role of peace in the region, and it is with this spirit that it stands by Armenia to help overcome the challenges it is facing a year after the bloody Nagorno Karabakh war. In this respect, France will in particular be committed in preserving the cultural and religious heritage of the region, which reflects the uniqueness and richness of the South Caucasus

And finally, we will spare no efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and leading to the stabilization of the situation in the South Caucasus for the benefit of the development and prosperity of the region. This also supposes resumption of dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. As a Co-Chair country, France is ready to provide its support on this matter.

On this symbolic occasion, reaffirming my wishes, please accept the assurances of my highest respect, the French President said on social media.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. During the September 8 Cabinet meeting the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that a decision has been made to duly mark the 30th anniversary of Independence, albeit the non-festive mood. This decision caused much controversy in the political and public arena, and some were demanding the authorities to cancel the event, particularly because the Prime Minister had said that the event would be colorful.

The event did take place in Yerevans Republic Square on September 21. The Prime Minister said that the event was dedicated first of all to the independence, security and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia and the memory of those who gave their lives for Artsakh.

ARMENPRESS talked with Vice Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan over the matter. The vision of opening an era of peace was also addressed.

ARMENPRESS - Mr. Rubinyan, the celebrating-not celebrating of Independence Day was being discussed a lot in the recent period. How would you assess yesterdays event?

Rubinyan  I believe it was the right decision to mark the 30th anniversary of Independence this way, because after all, all our sufferings of not only these 30 years but several centuries were for independence. I think such discussions shouldnt had taken place at all. We shouldnt allow for any suffering, any loss to weaken our resoluteness to build a free and independent homeland. For hundreds of years our ancestors struggled for us today to be able to have this day, and to celebrate it, and I think yesterdays event was humble, tasteful and appropriate.

ARMENPRESS  There is a lot of talk now about opening an era of peace, but we constantly see incidents which question as to what extent this is possible, for example the latest incident which took place with two residents of Kasakh near Vorotan.

Rubinyan - Indeed, unfortunately during this period weve witnessed numerous destructive statements and actions, which force us to think that opening an era of peaceful development is unrealistic. But I think we must have strong nerves and patiently advance our agenda based on our state interests. In this context perhaps we should try to give significance also to small positive steps. Lets take the incident you mentioned. It is a negative fact that the Azerbaijani military or law enforcement agencies detained our lost citizens. But it was positive that practically after one and a half day Azerbaijan repatriated them, moreover, they [repatriated citizens] themselves testified that they havent been ill-treated in any way during their time in Azerbaijan. We hope that with such continuous steps an opportunity will be created to move forward with the agenda of peace.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the situation in Nagorno Karabakh during their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, a senior official of the State Department told reporters.

The meeting lasted for about an hour.

They discussed Afghanistan at length. They also talked about Syria, and they had a relatively long conversation about the Caucasus  Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, the State Department official said.

The U.S. has tried to be helpful in supporting a peace and reconciliation conversation between the two of them. We participated in a swap of  we midwifed a swap of some demining maps that the Armenians turned over to the Azerbaijanis in the disputed territory for the release of some detainees.

So the question now becomes whether, with U.S. support, with other Minsk Group countries support, with Turkeys support, we can do more to facilitate a de-escalation of tensions between the two, both along the border, with regard to remaining detainees, with regard to remaining mines, and then take some  see them  help them take some small steps which might lay the path towards a larger peace and reconciliation process.

So the Secretary made clear to Turkey, which has been very much involved in this and is a neighbor, that we are prepared to be helpful if we can be. We are also at a level below the Secretary having bilateral meetings with the Armenians and the Azerbaijanis this week and making the same offer there, he said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Being on the job for just over a month, Armenias new ambassador to the US Lilit Makunts is eager to hit the ground running and boost ties between Yerevan and Washington, Al Arabiya reports.

Speaking to Al Arabiya English from the Armenian Embassy in Washington, Lilit Makunts, the first female envoy from Yerevan to the US, laid out her goals and ambitions as her countrys new ambassador.

We are still recovering, mentally and economically, from the war, Makunts said.

Talking about the 2020 war launched by Azerbaijan against Artskah and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border crisis, Lilit Makunts said the best way to resolve the issue is through the OSCE Minsk Group.

In 1994, when we won (the first Nagorno Karabakh War), we returned all POWs. It is ridiculous for them [Azerbaijan] to continue holding Armenian POWs, Makunts said.

She noted that many Armenians have been displaced or forced to flee because of the Azerbaijani actions. The Ambassador informed that currently the Armenian government is footing the bill and providing the internally displaced with much-needed aid.

Armenia is proud of its democracy, Makunts said. And after the war [last year], we decided that we needed to increase our diplomatic efforts in major capitals around the world.

Thats what we want: peace. Weve never initiated an attack on any country, and we dont plan to do so, she said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. US Senator Bob Menendez has addressed a video message congratulating Armenia on the Independence Day, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

The message says:

It is an honor to be asked to address the Embassy of Armenia on this 30th Anniversary of Armenia's Independence Day.

I understand that this message will be shared with the people of Armenia, so I'd like to speak to you directly.

I'd like to extend my best wishes as you observe this important milestone in your nation's history, one made even more meaningful by the generations of Armenians who longed to see their vision of an independent Armenia realized.

It has been a long and arduous path for the people of Armenia as you struggle for freedom. You first bravely asserted your right to self-determination when the Armenian National Council declared independence in 1918, not long after Armenians joined together to resist the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire.

During the years of Soviet rule, you remembered the ideals that you set forth in establishing the First Republic of Armenia, a source of hope and you could once again secure a free and democratic homeland for your people.

You then voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, establishing a sovereign state that I am proud to stand by today as a partner and a friend. Armenians understand the importance of this history in attaining the long-sought goal of a homeland of your own.

I too believe in the importance of understanding our past as a means to inform the future. That is why I fought for many years to recognize the truth of the Armenian genocide a part of the Armenian experience denied by the descendants of those who perpetrated it.

After numerous attempts to overcome obstruction by my colleagues seeking too obscure the truth, I finally overcame this obstacle in the Senate in 2019. We recognize and in doing so, honored the victims of this tragic chapter in Armenian history. We declared We remember I was gratified when President Biden joined me in acknowledging the past earlier this year on Armenian Remembrance Day.

Here in the United States, we value immensely the contributions made by Armenian- Americans, with who we join in celebrating Armenian Independence Day.

In my home state of New Jersey, we are privileged to have a strong Armenian American community whose contributions I am immensely grateful for. The United States honors the robust participation of Armenian-Americans in all facets of our society and benefits from the rich culture that they share.

The United States values its relationship with Armenia, one that is founded on mutual respect and shared ideals.

On this Independence Day I want to thank you, the Armenian people for your enduring friendship.

Thank you, God bless you and happy Independence Day.


YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom sent a congratulatory letter to Armenias President Armen Sarkissian on the 30th anniversary of Independence, the Presidents Office reports.

On the occasion of the Independence Day I want to convey, Your Excellency, my congratulations and best wishes to the Armenian people.

I am full of hope that after a difficult year we can expect to overcome the global healthcare challenges and have better times in the future, the letter reads.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan met with the representatives of the French organization Luvre dOrient, his Office said.

During the meeting the Ombudsman introduced the manifestations of vandalism against the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage during the Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020 and events recorded after the war. Detailed reference was made to the humanitarian issues in Artsakh, situation of protection of the rights of the displaced persons.

An agreement was reached to continue the joint work on raising international awareness on the protection of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage under the occupation of Azerbaijan.

Following this, accompanied by the Ombudsman and the Head of the Department of the Ombudsmans Staff Margarita Gasparyan, the representatives of the Luvre dOrient visited the Lotus Hotel in Stepanakert and met with the displaced families from the occupied communities of Artsakh.

The representatives of the organization listened to the stories of the displaced persons, got acquainted with their living conditions and problems and undertook to take actions to support the people of Artsakh within their competence.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. From 24 to 28 September, this year, in the Republic of Armenia, special training "Thunder-2021" of the special forces of anti-drug departments, internal affairs and special services within formations of the special forces of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces will be held. The training will take place in accordance with the Joint Training Plan for the command and control bodies and formations of the assets of the CSTO collective security system for 2021, the CSTO said in a press release.

In the course of the first phase, combined groups of Special Forces of the competent bodies of the CSTO member States and the Armenian Armed Forces will practice training and application tasks in the mountainous area with difficult terrain.

At the same time there will be a command and staff training with the operational personnel of the Operational Staff of the formations of special forces of the CSTO CRRF on the planning and conduct of the special operation.

In the process of solving training tasks special troops from CSTO member States together with units of the Armenian Armed Forces and Border Troops will practice interaction, gain experience and skills of participation in a special operation in conditions maximally close to real combat.

During the second phase of the training a competition in tactical shooting from combat weapons and the practical actions of combined operating and combat groups of special forces in solving problems within the mission will be held.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Co-chair of the bipartisan congressional Armenian Caucus, Congresswoman Jackie Speier has addressed a video message on the 30th anniversary of Armenias independence.

It's almost two years ago to the day when I last visited Armenia and I was deeply moved by the incredible warmth, resilience, and hospitality of the American people in our homeland. I was especially impressed by the bright young people that I met and who will no doubt to find Armenia's next chapter.

They are brilliant inspiring and capable, and I expect great things from them. One only needs to look to Armenia's parliament where over 1/3 of the 132 parliamentarians are first time public officeholders. To see the younger generation hard at work to change their country for the better is really terrific. Armenians also understand that woman's equality and contributions are key to a peaceful and prosperous democracy. Women make up approximately 25% of the Armenian parliament and the percentage of women political candidates has increased by 17% since 2012.

In fact enshrined in the constitution of Armenia is the guarantee of gender equality between men and women, something that the United States still does not have in its constitution some 233 years after its ratification.

We in the United States could certainly learn a thing or two about representative democracy from Armenia. Armenia's democratic progress is even more striking given the difficulty and painful history it arises from, as well as last year's tragic war in Artsakh. The violence last fall caused an appalling loss of life and displaced nearly 100,000 people from their homes.

I was proud to lead the effort in the House of Representatives this year to include $50 million in appropriations for humanitarian assistance to Armenia to help rebuild and $2 million to fund the lifesaving humanitarian demining program in Artsakh.

The people of that region deserve to live work and play without fear of aggression and the deadly aftereffects of war. Despite these grave threats and challenges the Armenian people continue to make great strides in bolstering democracy and strengthening the rule of law. Armenia's progress as a testament to its people and to its leaders who have guided it through this transformation with compassion and determination.

So Happy Independence Day Armenia! I will be celebrating with you and looking forward to a time when I can return once again to experience the wonderful hospitality in our beautiful country.

I know that the future of Armenia is bright and by working together we can ensure peace and prosperity for Armenia and the United States, as we further strengthen our unshakeable bond, the Congresswoman said in her message.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a congratulatory message to Armenias President Armen Sarkissian on the 30th anniversary of independence, wishing peace and prosperity to the Armenian people, the Armenian Presidents Office reports.

I hope the exercise of the potential of bilateral relations between our states, as well as the centuries-old relationship between the Armenian and Ukrainian nations will contribute to the strengthening of dialogue based on mutual understanding and respect.

I wish you, Your Excellency, good health and success in your responsible activity, and to the Armenian people  peace and prosperity, the Ukrainian President said in his letter.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Russia continues considering the OSCE Minsk Group an important tool for the peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, ARMENPRESS reports Russian Deputy FM Andrey Rudenko told TASS in Tashkent.

Answering the question if the Minsk Group still preserves relevance for the Russian side, Rudenko said that its not doomed to inactivity.

Contacts continue, maybe not so publicly, but they continue. Our Co-chair of the Minsk Group visited Baku and Yerevan, held a number of meetings there, including at the high level. At the moment the trio of the Co-chairs plan to meet in New York, in the sidelines of the General Assembly. Moreover, they plan to meet not only with each other, but the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. If it takes place, it will be a positive sign showing that the settlement process between the two countries has entered the practical stage, Rudenko said.
The representatives of the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) have asked to speak at the UN General Assembly and offered Muhammad Sohail Shahin's candidacy for approval as Afghanistan's permanent representative to the organization, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations Stephane Dujarric told TASS on Tuesday.

September 22, 2021, 10:35 Taliban asks to speak at General Assembly

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 22, ARTSAKHPRESS: "On September 20, the UN Secretary General received a letter from the 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan' signed by 'Amir Khan Muttaqi' as 'Foreign Minister' with a request for participation in the '76th session of the UN General Assembly September 21-27, 2021.' The letter also states that Afghani President Ashraf Ghani is no longer the country's president and has been dismissed as of August 15," Dujarric said.

"The letter also says that the current representative from Afghanistan no longer represents the country, and nominated Muhammad Sohail Shahin to take his place as the new permanents representative," Dujarric added.

However, on September 15 the UN Secretary General received a letter from the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan, signed by Ambassador Ghulam Ishaqzai with a list of the General Assembly delegation.

"The Permanent Representative has been designated as the head of the delegation," Dujarric said. He added that both letters were sent to the "secretariat, and after consultations with the President of the General Assembly's office, to the accreditation committee of the 76th session of the General Assembly."

The Taliban launched a large-scale operation to regain control over Afghanistan after the United States announced the withdrawal of its military personnel from the country. On August 15, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country, and the Taliban forces swept into Kabul, meeting no resistance. The forces opposing the Taliban rule offered resistance, which was headed by Ahmad Massoud, in the Panjshir Province. Saleh, who declared himself "caretaker president," urged the country to support it.
Delivering his first address at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), U.S. President Joe Biden said America was not seeking a new Cold War in a reference to the tensions between the U.S. and China. Biden said America was closing a chapter on relentless war, after its exit from Afghanistan and that it was opening a chapter on diplomacy, development and renewing democracy.

September 22, 2021, 10:46 U.S. does not seek 'new cold war', says Joe Biden

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 22, ARTSAKHPRESS: We are not seeking a new Cold War, or a world divided into rigid blocs, Mr. Biden said. The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges, even if we have intense disagreement in other areas... he said. The President did not name China.

He said America would compete vigorously and will stand up for its allies and oppose attempts by stronger countries to dominate weaker ones via changes to territory by force, economic coercion, technological exploitation or using information. Over the weekend, speaking to the Associated Press, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had asked the U.S. and China to mend their completely dysfunctional relationship.

We need to avoid at all cost a Cold War that would be different from the past one, and probably more dangerous and more difficult to manage, Mr. Guterres had said.
The Norshen community of Artsakhs Martuni region has 360 residents. After the end of the war, all the residents have returned to the village.

September 22, 2021, 11:51 Norshen ready to provide15 houses to displaced families

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 22, ARTSAKHPRESS: The head of the community, Gevorg Harutyunyan, told "Artsakhpress".

"Displaced families have not resettled in the village after the war, but we can provide 15 houses to our displaced compatriots after renovating them. 53 students attend the newly built school. We do not have a kindergarten. The pre-school children attend the kindergarten of the neighboring village of Ashan.

We have a community center, an aid station and a house of culture. Rural roads are in deplorable condition. The community is gasified; it is provided with electricity. We have a water problem. The water network built about 20 years ago needs to be changed.

"There is a transport to the capital," said G. Harutyunyan.

The head of the community noted with regret that during the recent battles for the defense of the homeland 1 of their fellow-villagers has fallen; 7 of them have been wounded.

Talking about the employment of the residents, our interlocutor said that after the war, 1.5 hectares of pomegranate orchards and 15 hectares of arable land came under the control of the enemy.
I came across a Turkish-American website, tenthousandturks.org, which is described as: Ten Thousand Turks Campaign.

September 22, 2021, 11:53 Harut Sassounian: Turkish-American groups contributed $2.2mMillion to politicians since 2007

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 22, ARTSAKHPRESS: The website includes the combined information of five separate Turkish-American political action committees (PACs): 1) Turkish Coalition USA Political Action Committee (TC-USA PAC); 2) Turkish Coalition California Political Action Committee (TC-CAL PAC); 3) National Coalition of Turkish American Lawyers Political Action Committee, (NC-TAL PAC); 4) National Coalition of Turkish American Women Political Action Committee (NC-TAW PAC); 5) Turkish American Political Action Committee (TURKISH PAC-TX).

The website states that the Ten Thousand Turks Campaign, was launched on April 29, 2010. It is dedicated to reaching out to over 10,000 Turkish-Americans and friends of Turkey willing to take a stand to support candidates that understand the value of positive U.S.-Turkish relations. This coalition of PACs has adopted the impossible task of fostering positive U.S.-Turkish relations. The leader of Turkey, Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has done a great job of undermining U.S.-Turkish relations as well as Turkeys relations with many other countries. I suggest that instead of wasting their hard earned money, Turkish-Americans get rid of Erdogan which will immediately improve U.S.-Turkish relations.

The groups website claims that the five Turkish PACs combined have raised a total of $2,152,849 from 2007 to 2020 for U.S. political candidates. Interestingly, the amount of contributions they have received has declined precipitously from a high of $510,765 in 2015-16 to a low of $202,640 in 2019-20. This may indicate that Turkish-Americans are not as hopeful about improving U.S.-Turkish relations by contributing to political campaigns. The website does not explain how the group was able to raise money in 2007 to 2009 before it was formed in 2010.

The Turkish website also provides the amount of money raised by each of the five PACs in the 2019-20 election cycle: TC-USA PAC ($57,500); TC-TAW PAC ($37,750); TC-CAL PAC ($44,490); TC-MIDWEST PAC ($35,800); and TURKISH PAC-TX ($27,000). Some of the groups have changed their names over the years.

Here is additional information regarding each of the five groups:

1) TC-USA PAC: This groups fundraising declined from $231,950 in 2009-10 to $57,500 in 2019-20. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. G. Lincoln McCurdy is the Treasurer and Louette Ragusa is the Custodian of Records.

2) TC-CAL PAC: This groups fundraising declined from t$64,400 in 2015-16 to $44,490 in 2019-20. It is headquartered in Long Beach, California. Maria Cakiraga is the Treasurer and Yelda Bartlett is the Northern California Representative.

3) NC-TAL PAC: No fundraising information is available on its own website. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The PACs Officers & Executive Committee Members are: Doreen Edelman, President; Robert Levent Herguner, Treasurer; Aylin Acikalin; Zeliha Arslan; Yelda Bartlett; and Lawrence Cenk Laws.

4) NC-TAW PAC: No fundraising information is available on its website. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Tuba Firincioglu is the Treasurer and Louette Ragusa is the Custodian of Records. Louette holds the same position with the TC-USA PAC. The website claims that there are nationwide 11 Turkish elected officials in city and local governments and none at state or federal levels.

5) Turkish PAC-TX: No fundraising information is available on its website and no executives are named. The group is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

The tenthousandturks.org website provides the following additional details: In the 2019-2020 election cycle, the PACs contributed to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Congressional Black Caucus PAC (CBC PAC), and Bold PAC (Congressional Hispanic PAC).

The PACs also contributed to three U.S. senators, 61 candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, and 10 candidates for state or local races. The percentage of wins was 100% for the Senate, 98% for the House, and 50% for state and local offices. Further, the PACs were instrumental in rallying support for the 11 Turkish Americans running for public office in 2020, the largest number ever, and the three spouses of Turkish Americans for a total of 14 candidates.

Notable successes by the PACs in the 2019-2020 election cycle were the following:

(1) The comeback of Cong. Pete Sessions, the former Turkey Caucus Co-Chair, in winning Texass 17th congressional district after his loss in 2018 when he represented the 32nd district;

(2) The election of Farrah Khan, a popular friend of Turkish Americans in southern California, as the Mayor of Irvine, California;

(3) The election of Turkish American Aycha Sawa as the City Comptroller for Milwaukee, Wisconsin;

(4) The reelection of Turkish American Tayfun Selen as a Freeholder (County Commissioner) of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders (County Commissioners) in New Jersey;

(5) The reelection of Ben Bartlett, spouse of Turkish American Yelda Bartlett, as a City Council Member in Berkeley, California; and

(6) The election of Leah Ersoylu, spouse of Turkish American Sarp Ersoylu, as a Trustee of the Newport Mesa United School District in Orange County, California.

Naturally, Turkish-Americans have the right to contribute to political campaigns in the United States like any other American. The only issue is that they are using their political outreach to spread lies about the Armenian Genocide. Their political fundraising website is full of disinformation about the Genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey against Armenians. This is something Armenian-Americans need to counter with their own One Million Armenians Campaign.

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

www.thecaliforniacourier.com
The Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh met with the representatives of the French organization Luvre dOrient. the Ombudsman's Office reported.

September 22, 2021, 16:48 Artsakh Ombudsman met with representatives of the organization Luvre dOrient

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 22, ARTSAKHPRESS: During the meeting the Ombudsman introduced the manifestations of vandalism against the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage during the Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020 and events recorded after the war. Detailed reference was made to the humanitarian issues in Artsakh, situation of protection of the rights of the displaced persons.

An agreement was reached to continue the joint work on raising international awareness on the protection of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage under the occupation of Azerbaijan.

Following this, accompanied by the Ombudsman and the Head of the Department of the Ombudsmans Staff Margarita Gasparyan, the representatives of the Luvre dOrient visited the Lotus Hotel in Stepanakert and met with the displaced families from the occupied communities of Artsakh.

The representatives of the organization listened to the stories of the displaced persons, got acquainted with their living conditions and problems and undertook to take actions to support the people of Artsakh within their competence.
Nearly three tonnes of heroin with a street value of $2.7bn (2bn) from Afghanistan have been seized from a western Indian port in a major bust, officials said, The Guardian reports.

September 22, 2021, 17:50 India seizes $2.7bn of heroin from Afghanistan at port

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 22, ARTSAKHPRESS: Two Indians were arrested after the heroin, which was kept in two containers marked as carrying talc, was found by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Mundra Port in the western state of Gujarat, the government agency said.

The consignment  with one container carrying nearly 2,000kg of heroin and another holding nearly 1,000kg  originated from Afghanistan and was shipped from a port in Iran to Gujarat, the DRI said.

Searches have been conducted in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Gandhidham and Mandvi in Gujarat, the agency said in a statement.

It added that the shipment was estimated to be worth 200bn rupees ($2.7bn).

The investigation also allegedly uncovered the involvement of Afghan nationals, the DRI said, although no one else has been arrested so far.

Afghanistan is the worlds biggest producer of heroin, supplying between 80-90% of global output.

Heroin production has boomed in Afghanistan in recent years, helping fund the Taliban which returned to power in August.

Efforts by the US and international community to control the countrys heroin trade over many years have been largely unsuccessful.

At the same time, the Talibans return to power has placed more strain on the countrys already dire economic situation.
The Global Network Expands its Footprint Further Through the Southern Region

LOUDON, Tenn., September 22, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, a global residential real estate brokerage franchise network, today announced its continued growth in Tennessee with the addition of Lakeside Real Estate Group. The brokerage will add 24 real estate professionals and 1 office and operate as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lakeside Realty.

"We are thrilled to officially welcome Lakeside Real Estate Group to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices," said Christy Budnick, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. "The market-leading agents joining our global network in Tennessee are known for their exceptional client service, and we cant wait to have them representing the brand."

Lakeside Real Estate Group joins the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network with more than 12 years of relevant industry experience. The brokerage has been introducing families to the leisure living of the Tellico Lake area since 1989. The company has exemplified quality and excellence in customer service in East Tennessee for more than 30 years.

"I have watched Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices growth and progression and continued to be impressed with the networks global reach," said Michael Ruppert, Owner, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lakeside Realty. "After seeing their continued success and stability, I knew this was the missing puzzle piece to help take our teams reach to the next level. I am honored to be aligning with a brand that is changing the real estate industry for both agents and clients alike."

By joining the network, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lakeside Realty agents gain access to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices active referral and relocation networks, and its "FOREVER Cloud" technology suite, a powerful source for lead generation, marketing support, social media, video production/distribution and more. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has aligned with best-in-class technology platforms to deliver world-class support to its network members far into the future.

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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lakeside Realty will also have full access to the recently unveiled, Real Estate I.Q. System. The system combines the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand, marketing resources and technology with continuing education, training, mentoring and consulting. The brand also provides global listing syndication, professional training and ongoing education and the exclusive Luxury Collection marketing program for premier listings. Its Prestige Magazine showcases network members premium listings with a strong lineup of feature stories covering topics that appeal to high-end real estate clients.

Gino Blefari, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, also welcomed the company to the network, "Michael Ruppert and his team are perfect examples of Forever Agents to represent our presence in Tennessee. The state has seen strong market growth and we are excited to welcome them into the network and support them as they take their company to new heights of success."

The company has long supported many of the local charities and service organizations active in our community including Tellico Village Kiwanis, Tellico Village Lions Club, Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots, Smoky Mountain Service Dogs, Good Samaritan Center, Tellico Village Volunteer Fire Dept and more! This is something that industry veteran Michael Ruppert plans to continue for the foreseeable future.

For more information visit: https://www.bhhslakesiderealty.com/

About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lakeside Realty

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lakeside Realty has been introducing families to the leisure living of the Tellico Lake area since 1989, offering unsurpassed real estate services to both buyers and sellers in East Tennessee. The company is dedicated to the growth and success of this community and provides its customers and clients the highest level of professionalism in the industry.

About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is a global residential real estate brokerage franchise network with more than 50,000 real estate professionals and nearly 1,500 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, India and the Bahamas. In 2020, the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices global network represented more than $138 billion in real estate sales volume. The network, among the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name, brings to the real estate market a definitive mark of trust, integrity, stability, and longevity.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005872/en/

Contacts

Chelsea Freeman

PR & Communications

+1 949 241 5239

chelseafreeman@hsfranchise.com
A volley of shots has been fired at a car carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's principal aide in what a senior official called an assassination attempt.

More than 10 bullets hit the car near the village of Lesnyky on Wednesday, around 5km outside the capital Kiev, wounding the driver, a police statement said.

It said a criminal case on suspicion of premeditated murder had been opened.

A local television station said at least 19 bullet holes could be seen on the driver's side of the car.

A senior lawmaker said the aide, Serhiy Shefir, was not hurt. Shefir is close to the president, leading a group of advisers.

The head of the president's political party, Oleksandr Korniienko, said Russia could be behind the attack.

"A Russian trace should not be absolutely ruled out. We know their ability to organise terrorist attacks in different countries," Korniienko told reporters.

The Kremlin said suggestions of Russian involvement "have nothing to do with reality".

Zelinskiy said he did not know who was behind the attack.

"If someone is sending me a message by opening fire on my friend, that is weakness," he said.

Zelenskiy, who came to power on a promise to take on the country's oligarchs and fight corruption, is currently in the United States at the UN General Assembly.

Zelenskiy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the assassination attempt could be a result of the president's fight against the oligarchs.

"This open, deliberate and extremely violent assault with automatic weapons cannot be qualified any differently than as an attempted killing of a key team member," Podolyak told Reuters.

"We, of course, associate this attack with an aggressive and even militant campaign against the active policy of the head of state," Interfax Ukraine quoted Podolyak as saying.

"The president's policy aimed at fundamental transformation of the state will remain unchanged," he told Reuters, promising tougher measures against oligarchs.

Parliament is this week due to debate a presidential law directed on reducing the influence of oligarchs.
India lost at least 1,600 doctors to Covid, according to some estimates

Shanti Devi, a government community health worker in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, died from Covid in May.

Her daughter Malti Gangwar said that in the days following her death, the family received several calls from the health department offering condolences. Her late mother's colleagues even urged her to apply for the same job.

"There was talk about insurance money and they all seemed very co-operative. They asked me to fill in a form to apply for the job, which I did. But I don't know what happened after that."

Four months on, the Gangwars are still waiting. Neither the compensation nor the job have materialised yet.

In March 2020, India's federal government promised 5m rupees ($68,000; 50,000) to the family of every health worker who died fighting Covid. But a BBC investigation, based in part on Right to Information requests, shows that a lack of data, bureaucratic hurdles and a discriminatory policy have left many of these families traumatised.

The BBC spoke to several families who said they felt let down by a government that had promised to stand by them. Only a handful of them agreed to be interviewed. Others feared that speaking out could hurt their chances of being compensated. The government did not respond to our questions.

'Gods in white uniform'

In July, when the government was asked in parliament how many healthcare workers had died from Covid, the junior health minister said they did not maintain occupation-wise data on cases and deaths.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) told the BBC that Covid-19 killed nearly 1,600 doctors, and the Trained Nurses' Association of India has reported 128 deaths so far. The government said more than 100 Ashas (female community health workers) died while performing Covid duties - and this was before the devastating second wave in April and May this year. That amounts to at least 1,800 deaths among health workers. There are no numbers available for how many ward boys - assistants - and other contract workers in hospitals have died.

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But the fact that the government had no centralised data was a stunning revelation, given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally cheered healthcare workers and their families at the start of the pandemic.

He encouraged ordinary citizens to light lamps, and the Indian air force showered flower petals from helicopters on hospitals in various cities. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had called doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers "Gods in white uniform" while announcing the compensation package.

Shanti Devi was a community health worker for 25 years

Shanti Devi's family said the delay in compensation was especially hurtful and demeaning because it was people like her that the policy sought to honour - a community health worker involved in the "direct care of Covid patients".

"The family's financial condition is not very good. Anything we receive will be helpful," her brother said.

The family said they had reached out to the administration but were yet to hear back.

Shanti Devi and hundreds of thousands of other Asha workers are at the bottom of India's public healthcare system - at the village or neighbourhood level - and essential for any public health programme, from creating awareness to monitoring impact.

Shanti Devi, who was in her early 50s, had done the job for nearly 25 years with little in terms of remuneration, her family said. And with Covid, the risk of going door-to-door was especially huge.

A 'humiliating' experience

The government said it received 1,342 compensation claims between 30 March 2020 and 16 July 2021 and they have settled 921 claims so far. The remaining 421 are still being processed or have been rejected.

One of the rejected claims belonged to 56-year-old Sujata Bhave, who lost her husband to Covid in June 2020.

Dr Chittaranjan Bhave was a private doctor - an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist - in Mumbai.

"Initially he was seeing patients online but he never felt satisfied because it was difficult to examine ear, nose and throat on video calls," Ms Bhave said.

Soon after he began examining patients in person, he caught the virus and was admitted to hospital. Ms Bhave never saw him again.

Dr Chittaranjan Bhave died from Covid in June last year

Her husband's speciality, she said, meant that many of his patients had symptoms similar to Covid-19 - throat infections or coughs.

But her claim for compensation was denied because "her husband had not been working in a government-designated Covid ward when he got infected".

It was "humiliating", she said. "It is definitely not the case that only public doctors faced the virus and private practitioners did not. This was unfair."

The government's policy, which insists on compensating only government doctors, has been criticised by the medical community, especially since government hospitals could not manage the burden alone.

In fact, the same policy explicitly says that "private hospital staff/ retired/ volunteer/ can also be drafted for Covid-19 related responsibilities" and that they will "be covered subject to numbers indicated by ministry of health and family welfare". In some instances, private practitioners were forced by the government to work.

Dr Nilima Vaidya Bhamare, who lives in Mumbai, said that last year the local municipality notified private doctors that they would lose their licence if their clinics did not remain open through the pandemic.

"This happened because the government realised it did not have the infrastructure," she said. "Despite all this [they] are not willing to honour claims or extend facilities to us. We will have to go to court because the government is unwilling to listen."

The Indian air force showered flower petals on doctors to show gratitude

K Sujatha Rao, India's former health secretary, said the policy was "very restrictive".

"It should be expanded. The people who ought to be given absolutely high priority are our health workers. The government ought to be much more large-hearted, and whether they are private sector or public sector, I really wouldn't make that distinction at this point."

In November 2020 a parliamentary report, which noted a large number of vacancies in public hospitals, recommended "adequate remuneration and financial incentives along with insurance coverage" for all healthcare workers.

"The doctors, who have laid down their lives in the fight against the pandemic must be acknowledged as martyrs and their families be adequately compensated," it said.

But several health workers and their families told the BBC this was not their experience.

"I'm feeling very sad," said Dr Jayesh Lele, IMA secretary general. "The PM gave doctors a lot of respect but what is the effect of it all?"
Victoria has been rocked by the largest earthquake in its recorded history, but authorities say the state was lucky to escape with no reported injuries and only minor damage.

The magnitude 5.9 quake hit about 9.15am on Wednesday and was centred between Mansfield and Rawson in the state's northeast, according to Geoscience Australia.

The 10km deep earthquake was felt across Melbourne and as far away as Canberra, Sydney and Adelaide.

Six aftershocks have since been registered between 2.4 and 4.1 on the Richter scale, and further tremors are expected in coming days and possibly months.

There have been more than 100 calls for assistance, with 55 of those in metropolitan Melbourne. Most were for minor structural damage to chimneys, facades and older buildings.

State Emergency Service chief officer Tim Wiebusch says it was "fortunate" the epicentre of the quake happened in a largely unpopulated part of regional Victoria.

"If that had occurred in one of our more urban and populated areas, we could be seeing quite a different result," he told reporters.

No major structural issues have been found after checks of rail lines, roads and dams.

Some building damage has emerged in metropolitan Melbourne and areas near Mansfield, with Beechworth hospital losing power and the cross at St Patrick's Church in Wangaratta falling down.

Among the buildings damaged is the facade of a Fitzroy building on Brunswick Road and the exterior of Betty's Burgers on Chapel Street in Windsor.

Mr Wiebusch said the time of day and lockdown restrictions may have prevented passers-by from being hit by the falling debris.

No one was inside the restaurant when the earthquake hit, managing director Troy McDonagh told AAP.

"We're out for months, it's structural, it looks like the top's come away, we need to get engineers in to assess it and then the works will need to be completed," he said.

Lynne Myers of High County Apparel in Mansfield, where the quake emanated, told AAP it was a frightening few minutes but there was no damage.

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"Everything shook, the roof shook, boots fell off the shelf and I just ran outside," she said.

Craig Luelf from the All Seasons Mansfield resort said he was outside the town hospital when he felt "waves of the ground moving".

"At first, I thought the car was having a few issues and then realised all of a sudden that everything was moving," he told AAP.

"My father's neighbour is at the top of a hill and he could see the waves of the ground moving up the hill."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is currently in Washington DC, said he had spoken by text with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews following the earthquake.

"It can be a very, very disturbing event for an earthquake of this nature," he told reporters.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has met with Mr Morrison in the US, spent time as a teaching assistant at Timbertop near Mansfield in 1983.

"I was very sorry to hear you had an earthquake, in Mansfield, which I know well. I remember I used to go to a pub at a place called Merrijig which is near Mansfield," Mr Johnson told Mr Morrison, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Any federal response to the emergency will be handled by acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.

The earthquake was originally recorded as a magnitude 6 but was later revised 5.8, then 5.9 on the Richter scale.
Conditions are deteriorating in migrant camps on both sides of the US-Mexico border where thousands of mostly Haitian migrants have gathered as pressure mounts on US President Joe Biden to curb expulsion flights.

Reuters images showed people with small babies and toddlers, one with an untreated hernia on his stomach, under makeshift shelters made out of reeds on the banks of the Rio Grande river in Del Rio, Texas.

Clothing was hung out to dry and rubbish was strewn on the ground while parents washed their children using jugs of river water and tried to find patches of shade in the punishing heat.

Migrants said food remained scarce and there were not enough portable toilets.

Mexico and the United States were on Wednesday preparing to fly more Haitian migrants away from the camps.

At its peak, there were as many as 14,000 people camped out under the international bridge in Del Rio but US authorities have moved thousands away for immigration processing and deported more than 500 Haitians since Sunday.

The deportation flights to Haiti would continue, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.

Some Haitians have been released into the United States and allowed to pursue their immigration cases, according to media reports.

The DHS and US Customs and Border Protection did not respond to request for comment on the releases and did not say how it was decided who would be expelled and who would be released.

On Wednesday morning, a trickle of people - mostly men - crossed back into Mexico across the Rio Grande in search of food while a line of US border patrol cars on the upper banks of the river stood by.

Some have decided to stay on the Mexico side in Ciudad Acuna, across from Del Rio, because of shortages of food and poor conditions on the US side.

By Wednesday, about 200 people had set up a handful of camping tents and tarps as shelter.

One family was constructing a hut out of cardboard boxes.

A line formed outside a Doctors Without Borders truck hoping to get medical consultations, with one woman worried about her seven-year-old son with a cough.

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US politicians from both parties have criticised Biden's handling of the situation.

Authorities have ordered an investigation into an incident over the weekend in which mounted US border agents appeared to use reins like whips to intimidate migrants trying to cross the river.

Photographs and video of the agents on horseback sparked widespread condemnation.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the agents involved had been pulled from front-line duties.

The expulsion flights to Haiti have also faced criticism.

There is profound instability in the Caribbean country, the poorest in the western hemisphere, where a presidential assassination, rising gang violence and a major earthquake have spread chaos in recent weeks.

Filippo Grandi, the head of the UN refugee agency, has warned that expulsions to such a volatile situation might violate international law.

Most of the Haitians have not arrived direct from Haiti.

Many had previously tried to settle in South America but recounted difficulties finding work amid pandemic-related restrictions and the economic downturn.
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The sheriff's office said an autopsy will be conducted Wednesday by the Onondaga County Medical Examiners Office to determine exact cause of death.

Schenck said investigators are still trying to determine why shots were being fired from the Wheeler Street residence, and additional information is not being released at this point because the investigation is continuing.

One of the neighbors who called 911 about hearing gunshots is Christopher Anthony, who lives next door to the 10-12 Wheeler St. duplex. In an interview Wednesday, he told The Citizen that he first heard shooting around 11 a.m., but at first didn't think it was gunfire because there are often loud banging noises coming from a nearby industrial site.

But about 15 minutes later, after he heard more of the same kind of noise and thought he heard glass breaking, he went outside to check out the situation. That's when he eventually saw a gun barrel sticking out from an upstairs front window. He placed his 911 call at 11:19 a.m., according to the APD calls for service log.
One person was found dead inside an Auburn home where police officers encountered gunshots and returned fire during an incident Tuesday morning.

The Auburn Police Department said officers responded to 12 Wheeler St. at 11:20 a.m. after neighbors called in a complaint about shots being fired.

"Upon arriving on Wheeler (Street), officers were met with gunfire that appeared to be coming from the residence," the APD said in a press release. "Officers were forced to return fire as they were establishing a perimeter around the location."

A massive law enforcement response then followed, with police attempting to establish contact with anyone inside the residence, which is part of a two-unit duplex. Several hours later, police entered the home.

"A single occupant was found in the residence and confirmed to be deceased," according to the press release.

Police said they would not be providing any additional information about the deceased person at this point, including their identity. APD Deputy Chief Roger Anthony told The Citizen that the deceased person did appear to have been wounded by gunfire.
Wells College has brought a new director of global education on board.

The Aurora-based private college recently welcomed Anthony Mandela to the director role, Wells said in a news release. Mandela will run the International Programs office and promote international educational opportunities as part of the institution's strategic plan.

Mandela received a bachelor's degree in business finance and management with a concentration in organizational leadership, plus minors in Spanish and religious studies, from Cedarville University. He also has a master of business administration degree with a concentration in economic development from Eastern University. He is also a wilderness emergency medical technician and is fluent in Spanish.

The college said Mandela came to Wells from Hobart and William Smith Colleges where he spearheaded initiatives to streamline and digitize study-abroad applications and to increase enrollment in faculty-led, short-term programs as program manager. Mandela has also had professional international education positions at the University of South Dakota and Anqing Foreign Language Institute in Anqing, China. He has traveled to Alaska, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala and Spain throughout his career, and he lived abroad in Nicaragua for two years.
The actor also talked about how the coronavirus pandemic has brought more people to watch movies on screens at homes rather than going to cinemas, which closed during lockdowns.

The majority of the world went, You know, this aint bad. We can sit and watch this thing at home. We can cook some popcorn, as opposed to the idea of a guy who makes $700 a week and wants to take his wife and kids out to dinner and a movie on the weekend, which is a $200 deal. I think the Hollywood movie machine has a few design flaws they are just realizing."

"Im glad I saw it coming, personally, he added.

Asked about his views of the industry's health, particularly in the U.S., Depp said that Hollywood is certainly not what it was.

The grudge matches, the pandemonium and chaos of cinematic release to streaming... It is a case of, No matter what, Im going to get mine." the actor said. "Thats where these people are coming from. They realize they are just as disposable as I am. Some even more.

The San Sebastian International Film Festival, held in northern Spain, takes place Sept. 17-25 this year. Depp was scheduled to receive the award late on Wednesday in what is the actors third appearance at the event.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Black Sesame Technologies has completed several hundred million dollars worth of strategic round and C-round of financing, the Shanghai headquartered AI company announced recently.

photo credit: Black Sesame Technologies



The strategic round investors include Xiaomis joint venture, Yangtze River Xiaomi Industry Fund, and FulScience Automotive Electronics, a FAW Group joint venture with FAWER Automotive Parts and Desay SV. The C-round was led by Yangtze River Xiaomi Industry Fund and participated by other major capital firms such as Lenovo Capital and Incubator.

The two rounds of financing provided substantial support to Black Sesame in developing high-performance, high computing power autonomous driving platform and expanding its business and team. After the investments, Black Sesame has a market value of nearly $2 billion, helping to accelerate the transformation of intelligent vehicles in China with chips from local companies.

Aside from the capital-level investments, the Yangtze River Xiaomi Industry Fund will also support Black Sesame via its reliable industry chain strategic resources. Notably, this marks the first investment in the automotive chip field made by Xiaomi after its automaking announcement.

FAW Group, parent company of FulScience, is also a long-term partner of Black Sesame Technologies.

In 2019, FAW Group and Black Sesame cooperated to develop autonomous vehicle chips, visual perception algorithms, and data, aiming to deploy autonomous driving technologies onto FAWs products.

Black Sesame has been commercializing its L2-L3 ADAS and autonomous driving perceptual system solutions through numerous partners, such as FAW Group, Bosch, SAIC Group, Dongfeng Sharing. The companys algorithm and image processing technologies have been implemented in consumer electronics sectors like smartphones, post-production vehicle use, and smart home systems.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- NIO plans to complete the deployment of its five vertical + seven horizontal expressways + four city clusters battery swapping network before the Chinese New Year Holiday in 2022, the Chinese EV startup announced on Sept. 21.

NIO EC6; photo credit: NIO



The yet-to-be-completed network encompasses five north-south expressways (G1 Jingha, G2 Jinghu, G4 Jinggang'ao, G5 Jingkun, and G15 Shenhai), three east-west expressways (G30 Lianhuo, G50 Huyu, and G60 Hukun), as well as four city clusters (the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Chengdu-Chongqing dual-city region, according to NIO.

NIO's battery swapping system along the G1 Jingha expressway, which is composed of 10 battery swapping stations, commenced operations on September 20. Three stations are located in rest stops, and the other seven are nearby expressways off-ramps.

Spanning 1,229 kilometers in total, the G1 Jingha expressway passes through such cities as Beijing (the capital of China), Langfang, Tianjin, Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, Shenyang (the capital of Liaoning province), Changchun (the capital of Jilin province), and Harbin (the capital of Heilongjiang province).

As of today, NIO has built 484 battery swapping stations across the country, 99 of which are launched for expressways. According to the NIO Power 2025 plan announced in July, by the end of 2025, NIO expects to have over 4,000 battery swapping stations worldwide with around 1,000 outside of China.

Moreover, NIO's current energy supply network also includes 341 supercharging stations and 515 destination charging stations.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On September 15th, Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued a notice regarding ICV data and internet security, enhancing regulations in the rising industry.

photo credit: SAIC Motor



As intelligent connected vehicles are becoming an unstoppable trend globally, concerns were raised regarding personal data security and general safety. The notice was designed to provide specific guidelines for companies in the industry.

According to the notice, automakers have to enhance the management of the access and permissions on all external ports such as USB ports and charging outlets to eliminate the risk of outside attack.

Automakers are ordered to provide strict internet safety monitoring and warning systems in all vehicles, with data logs stored no less than a six-month duration per user.

In addition to strict monitoring, companies in the industry should develop and utilize data resources within reason, prevent user privacy invasion, and always inform users when processing data via automated decision-making techniques. Businesses are required to evaluate the data protection ability of partners and monitor the data sharing situation.

Notably, the notice also set specific guidelines on data outsourcing. Intelligent vehicle makers and service platform operators are subjected to evaluate and report to local communication and information regulators before conducting any offshore transmission of data collected within China. Local authorities are also required to file and conduct safety evaluations regarding such situations.
LOS ANGELES  ImLive and their partners claimed victory across the board with a total of eight awards at the recent international industry shows.

The company itself took home the prestigious European Premium Camsite of the Year award and leading executive Shay Efron was awarded Businessman of the Year, with Best Industry representative going to Mereane Menezes, who oversees the companies Host and Studio operations.

ImLive host HottyTEEN69 took the crown for Best Romanian Model up against some tough competition.

Two ImLive-focused studios also won big on both sides of the ocean with Money Studio winning Best Worldwide Studio and Nachomix taking the win for Best Latin American Studio. Both studios have worked very closely with the ImLive team over the past year to increase revenue and quality.

As part of the AWSummit award show, which allows companies to show their appreciation and gratitude to outstanding partners, ImLive this year awarded upcoming host MaxineGreens for dedication and professionalism in her first year on the platform. Outstanding new studio partner was awarded to Money Studio, Bucharest for its performance and living up to their name and passing their first $1,000,000 in record breaking time, its close working relationship with ImLive and their desire to push the boundaries of possibilities.

VP Business and spokesperson for ImLive, Adrian Stoneman remarked, We are exceptionally proud and grateful for all those that voted and ever thankful to the award shows for the recognition. We look forward to surpassing the expectations and continued growth with our partners in the coming year.
Anti-vaxxers are those who have low-trust in vaccines in general but have become more prominently so with the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Wellness Global Monitor research of 2019 on public attitudes re science, medicine, and vaccines, Globally, around eight in 10 people agree vaccines are safe; this leaves 20 percent of the general public doubting immunization in general, and this is major.

Clusters of anti-vaxxers exist mainly in developed countries since many low income countries havent been lucky enough to access immunization and would most probably welcome the opportunity to be vaccinated. At one point, one in four Americans said they dont plan to take the Covid-19 vaccine. Western Europeans have the least trust in vaccines, according to an Al Jazeera report. And the IMF report, Who doesnt want to be vaccinated? cites 10 to 20 percent of Brits, 50 percent of the Japanese, and 60 percent of the French not wanting to be vaccinated.

In addition to opposing vaccination in general, anti-vaxxers have other rationales to resist Covid-19 vaccines. Some dont believe that Covid-19 poses much of a threat to them; others consider their strong immune system or their holistic way of life protective enough. This while some deem the have-yet-to-be-approved vaccine dangerous and may affect them in the long run. More importantly, there are those who consider vaccines a ban on their personal freedoms, that it is their right to do what they consider appropriate for their bodies and that governments should not dictate what goes into it; to them their freedom to take the vaccine or not is not a negotiable matter.

And anti-vaxxers continue to advocate their cause. Many have taken to streets to protest against the vaccines citing their pro-freedom rights. One disgruntled writer in Clown World Today, an online newsletter, said, People in supposedly Free, Western countries are being locked in their houses for months, have their fundamental human rights stripped from them, and treated like criminals with no trial, no due process, and no chargesYou are no longer free to act at your own will, because your will is now said to pose a risk to others. It is not enough anymore to respect others rights; you are now also obliged to subjugate yourself to their fears.

In Canada in particular, anti-vaxxers are voicing their anger in forceful disobedience acts. Anti-vaxxers pelted the Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau with gravel in Ontario last week as he was campaigning, and hundreds of anti-vaxxer protestors shut down traffic near hospitals in Vancouver protesting against what they called vaccine tyranny.

Then, with social media opening doors to every whim and impulse only to confirm personal biases, it continues to twist peoples perception further. According to a BBC report, Why some people dont want a Covid-19 vaccine, "If you already think the vaccination could be risky, then you type in 'is this vaccination dangerous?', then all you are going to find is information that confirms your prior view." This is extremely dangerous as it reiterates what the anti-vaxxer wants to hear.

So, how do authorities around the world go about making anti-vaxxers change their minds? Some countries have made vaccines mandatory for public servants such as government employees. Others have insisted on vaccination of those who intermingle with the public such as health care workers and teachers. But mandatory vaccination remains a dicey issue. Mind you, we follow rules for the safety of others: we dont smoke inside buildings, we wear seatbelts even if they are uncomfortable, and we drive within the speed limit. Why? For our and fellow human beings safety. Still, as far as our own bodies are concerned, its a different matter altogether for ant-vaxxers.

Nevertheless, some countries have applied certain restrictions that bar the unvaccinated from certain services or places such as travelling on planes, trains, or cruise ships, attending concerts, or entering a restaurant or a movie theatre. An article in the BBC in July says, Were going to get to a point where there will be things that people cant do if theyre not vaccinatedPeople may get so frustrated theyll just want to go around whatever is preventing them from getting vaccinatedwithout worrying about explanations.

And many authorities have included incentives: each month, a million-dollar cash prize is offered in an Alberta, Canada, vaccine lottery. Also Calgarys premier announced a one-time $100 incentive to individuals who receive their first or second dose of Covid-19 in the next six weeks.

But in reality anti-vaxxers are indeed affecting the outcome of the pandemic. The more hesitant folks are the higher the rate of transmissibility of news variants such as the Delta one are. Besides vaccines have indeed proven to be effective and reduce hospitalization rates sharply. According to the Atlantic, In the United States, this pandemic couldve been over by now, and certainly wouldve been by Labor Day. If the pace of vaccination through the summer had been anything like the pace in April and May, the country would be nearing herd immunity.

Let us be clear. We all have to make sacrifices for the good of the general public. Without sufficient numbers of people becoming vaccinated, we wont reach herd immunity. That means the pandemic could continue indefinitely, as hospital beds fill up with people who have not been immunized and those who fall victim along the way.
Speaking from the podium of the U.N. General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stressed 'the necessity of continuing dialogue with Taliban because boycott only leads to polarization and reactions, whereas dialogue could bring in positive results.''

His warning was directed at the many heads of state worried about engaging with the Taliban and recognizing their takeover of Afghanistan.

To date, no nation has yet formally recognized the Taliban's ascension by force to power or its all-male Cabinet, which is stacked with senior figures who were previously detained in the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba or are on a United Nations sanctions list. The group has said this exclusively Taliban-run Cabinet is only interim, offering hope that a future government could be more inclusive.

President Joe Biden, who also spoke earlier at the U.N. on Tuesday, said the end of American military operations in Afghanistan last month would be followed by 'a new era of relentless diplomacy' with the rest of the world.

In that same spirit of diplomacy, Sheikh Tamim said Qatar agreed years ago to host the Taliban's political leadership in exile because 'we were confident that war offers no solution and that there would be dialogue in the end.''

Qatar is a close U.S ally and hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, but the tiny Gulf Arab state also has some sway with the Taliban. Because of its unique role, Qatar hosted direct U.S.-Taliban talks around the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and helped facilitate evacuations from Kabul.

Now, countries like the U.S. and Japan have relocated their diplomatic staff in Afghanistan to Qatar to continue diplomacy from there. Qatar is also assisting with the facilitation of needed humanitarian aid and with operations at Kabul airport.

Sheikh Tamim on Tuesday urged against repeating past mistakes in Afghanistan 'to impose a political system from outside.''

'Regardless of intentions, efforts made and money invested, this experience in Afghanistan has collapsed after 20 years,'' Sheikh Tamim said.

The 41-year-old leader said the international community must continue to support Afghanistan at this critical stage and 'to separate humanitarian aid from political differences.'' Afghanistan is among the world's poorest countries and receives billions of dollars in foreign aid a year, though that could change with the U.S.-backed government out of power and the Taliban now in charge.

Uzbekistan, another neighboring country to Afghanistan, has resumed the supply of oil and electricity to the war-torn country, according to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

'It is impossible to isolate Afghanistan and leave it within the range of its problems,'' he said in remarks at the U.N. on Tuesday. He called for a permanent U.N. Committee on Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, Pakistan's foreign minister told reporters at U.N. headquarters that Taliban rulers should understand that if they want recognition and assistance in rebuilding the war-battered country 'they have to be more sensitive and more receptive to international opinion and norms.'' The top leadership of the Taliban for years has operated out of Pakistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan and is home to large numbers of Afghan refugees.

The Taliban say they want international recognition and have promised an open and inclusive system, one that would offer amnesty to all Afghans. They say it is the responsibility of the United Nations to recognize their government and for other countries to have diplomatic relations with them.

Despite their pledges of tolerance, there have been numerous troubling signs that the Taliban are restricting women's rights and targeting activists and those they battled against as they settle into government after taking control of the capital of Kabul last month. During their previous rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life.

Sheikh Tamim said it is up to the Afghan people to achieve a comprehensive political settlement and pave the way for stability. He touted Qatar's outsized role in assisting with the chaotic U.S.-led evacuation of more than 100,000 Afghans and others from Kabul in August.

'This was our humanitarian duty,'' he said.
The unveiling last week of new Australia-UK-U.S. (AUKUS) trilateral military alliance prompted intense criticism across the world, including from those countries' French ally which just lost out on a AU$90-billion submarine deal with Canberra to London and Washington.

Many observers rightly remarked that AUKUS is aggressively meant to provoke China in the Asia-Pacific. They also drew attention to it showing just how unreliable the U.S. is as an ally that it would backstab France by negotiating this alliance in secret without its knowledge and then stealing what that country's media previously referred to as the "Contract of the Century."

There's another analytical layer to all of this as well though and it's that AUKUS confirms that the U.S. is practicing an imperialist policy. This isn't just rhetoric either but an objective reflection of the facts based on Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne's surprisingly candid revelation. According to the U.S. State Department's transcript of the press conference that she participated in alongside her American counterpart and their defense ministers, she said that the contemporary state of their alliance "is well suited to cooperate on countering economic coercion."

This very strongly implies that AUKUS is a military response to economic competition from China. One of Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin's most famous works, "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism," theorizes that imperialist states employ military means in order to advance self-interested economic ends.

That's precisely what's happening with AUKUS, except their Chinese target isn't a fellow imperialist power like the other three countries, but is the world's leading anti-imperialist force. Nevertheless, the connection between imperialism, capitalism and militarism is still relevant.

To elaborate, China's peaceful rise over the past four decades challenges the West's monopolization of international relations and global economy. They fear that the Belt and Road Initiative's (BRI) no-strings-attached developmental model will become so attractive to other countries that the West will no longer be able to control them through financial means like they've hitherto done. Their zero-sum extractive models cannot realistically compete with China's mutually beneficial one on a fair playing field, which explains why they've resorted to waging an intense information and trade war against it over the second half of the last decade.

Those acts of unconventional aggression against China have failed to sway the world against China, which is why the West is now taking a page from Lenin's treatise on imperialism out of strategic desperation. Resorting to gunboat diplomacy through AUKUS' flagship project of outfitting Australia with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines is the physical embodiment of imperialist aggression, while its theoretical manifestation is evidenced by this being predicated on purely self-interested economic motives, exactly as Lenin wrote. This policy isn't just doomed to fail, but going by historical precedent, it even risks provoking doom.

Lenin's famous work was influenced by World War I, which was the most destructive imperialist conflict up until that point. It was preceded by a massive military buildup, including gunboat diplomacy, all of which was driven primarily by economic motives despite nationalism being the war's direct spark.

The comparisons between then and now are ominous, especially after the Malaysian prime minister warned that AUKUS risks provoking a nuclear arms race in the region. This nuclear factor means that the U.S.'s efforts to economically contain China through AUKUS on nationalist pretexts are much more dangerous than the run-up to World War I.

The Western imperialist powers are once again risking a global conflagration in pursuit of their zero-sum economic interests, one which might also end in their destruction in the worst-case scenario that the unthinkable transpires. All peace-loving people of the world must urgently become aware of what's at stake since the historical parallels between the run-up to World War I and now are unmistakable.

AUKUS is the latest form of U.S. imperialist aggression against China, which is being waged for self-interested economic reasons as revealed by the Australian foreign minister herself who had no shame in boasting about this last week.

(From CGTN)
Looked in need of sharper test in points

Listowel 13:40: Paladian Jewel 1pt win 9/1

With Favori de Champdou having come out of the opening race at Listowel, it's now a fairly weak maiden hurdle and I think a couple of ex-pointers have the potential to take advantage of this.

Paladian Jewel had an inconsistent profile in points but he showed some ability while looking in need of a sharper test. On debut at Ballycahane, he was held up towards the back of the field early on before making headway and he briefly went to the front leaving the back on the final circuit. He was a bit tight for room on the bend and going to 2 out but was still in a share of second turning into the home straight before being left behind by the leading trio going to the last. After an awkward jump at the last, he was eased and finished last.

The first four home that day have all won under rules since and ended up with ratings of 119+ in Britain or Ireland, while the sixth has won a maiden since and the seventh would have won a maiden hurdle at Limerick since but for falling at the last.

Paladian Jewel came up against Jonbon on his next start and while no match for that rival, ran well in third finishing not far behind Lavorante who has since shown ability under rules.

Paladian Jewel was pulled up next time at Ballindenisk but shaped better than that suggests as he was still travelling well on the long run to 2 out before fading rapidly in the home straight.

He looked an obvious non stayer two starts ago at Tipperary and it's likely as a result of those two performances that he was given a very patient ride at Tralee on his latest start. He gradually crept into contention and travelled well to make his challenge at 2 out but couldn't get Givega off the bridle while pulling clear of the rest.

He's clearly looked in need of a sharper test and gets that today so I expect there will be improvement to come from the level he's achieved in points. They can also ride him handier over this trip rather than needing to ride him very patiently and that could bring improvement too.

It might turn out that Paladian Jewel is just a weak finisher over any trip but I think he's shown enough ability to suggests he can be competitive in what is a weak race and any 7/1 or bigger appeals.

Jumping issues in points

Listowel 13:40: Ballyegan Park 1pt win 16/1

Ballyegan Park didn't show much on debut at Boulta before falling and his jumping soon put an end to his race at Dromahane when pulled up before the third but he showed a level of ability on his third and most recent start that suggests he could be competitive in a race of this quality.

He turned into the home straight in front travelling well that day with most of his rivals under pressure. When asked for his effort after jumping 2 out, he wandered left and right and was joined by Powerful Position. They were upsides at the last when Ballyegan Park dived at the fence and came down.

There are mixed signals from the form since but he ran to a similar level on the day to the winner of division one, Great Heart'jac. That horse has since shown some ability in bumpers while the runner up in division one and since finished second in three maiden hurdles.

It may be that Ballyegan Park needs the run after a long break or that he wants a bit further but in a weak race I think the market is underestimating his chance and any 12/1 or bigger appeals.

Promise on hurdling debut

Listowel 17:35: Fox Watch 1pt win 14/1

This is another race that has been made much weaker due to a Gordon Elliott trained non runner. The market hasn't missed the chance of Learning Every Day but I think it is underestimating a horse making his first start in a bumper having run twice over hurdles last season.

Fox Watch had shown some ability in a maiden point in March 2020 and he built on that in a maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse after 349 days off. Always handy on the inside, his jumping lacked fluency a little at times but he was still travelling quite well entering the home straight in a share of second. He couldn't go with Breakeven after jumping 2 out and was left in third place at the last after New Ross fell.

The winner of that race is now rated 120 over hurdles while the runner up won a maiden hurdle next time and New Ross has won a maiden hurdle since.

Fox Watch was much shorter in the market for his next start at Limerick but after travelling well he dropped away quickly once coming under pressure on the final bend.

The manner in which he faded that day suggested that he may have had a problem and he's been off the track for 118 days since.

Given that he didn't finish too strongly at Fairyhouse either, it may be that he is just a weak finisher but the way he travelled against fairly good company at Fairyhouse suggests he has enough ability to be competitive in a race of this quality and any 10/1 or bigger appeals.
Even though the MyPillow Guy, aka Mike Lindell, is being sued by Dominion Voting Systems for $1.3 billion for pushing Big Lie voter fraud conspiracies and blaming the fraud on voting machines, he's at it again.

In a video posted to his website, according to the Alabama Political Reporter, the pillow peddler bizarrely claimed, without any evidence, that Alabama  a state that went to Trump  "flipped" 100,000 votes during last November's presidential election.

From Raw Story:

The announcement, for which he did not provide any evidence, comes after Lindell announced a trip to Alabama to meet with state GOP officials like Gov. Kay Ivey (R) and Secretary of State John Merrill to investigate the count himself, despite the fact that Trump won the state by 25 points. "Lindell, in a video posted to his website on Sunday, said Alabama's election officials are doing 'everything right, but they still somehow got through, with computers or whatever,' referring to hackers, although he didn't identify who those alleged hackers might be," reported Eddie Burkhalter. "Lindell claimed, without offering any proof, that according to his 'packet capture' data, intercepted network traffic that he's claimed show evidence of election hacking, 100,000 Alabama votes were 'flipped' and that 'we do have the data. Dr. Frank's data, where every, every single county was affected.'" "Dr. Frank" refers to Douglas Frank, an Ohio mathematician and former teacher who has promulgated conspiracy theories about the election.

Image by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America  Mike Lindell, CC BY-SA 2.0
Last week, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the state's plan to "sue to block the implementation of Biden's vaccine mandates," according to the Alabama Political Reporter. Meanwhile, new data shows that Alabama had more deaths than births in 2020, thanks to Covid-19. In other words, the state's population just shrunk.

According to ABC:

The new surge [of Covid] comes as recent data revealed that for the first time in Alabama's history, there were more deaths than births in 2020.

"Here in Alabama, we continue to see deaths at a really high rate.  2020 is going to be the first year that we know of in the history of our state where we actually had more deaths than births  our state literally shrunk in 2020," Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris reported during a press conference on Friday.

In 2020, data showed that 64,714 Alabama residents died and only 57,641 were born. Even in World War II or the 1918 flu pandemic, there was never a time that deaths exceeded births, Harris added.
The Committee of 100 has just released a comprehensive new study on racial disparities in US prosecutions under the Espionage Act, based on data from court filings featuring 276 individual defendants across 190 cases. They concluded:

Individuals with Asian or Chinese names are punished twice as severely as defendants with more Western names in charges under the Economic Espionage Act (EEA), and 1 in 3 Asian Americans accused of espionage may have been falsely accused. Additionally, jail time for Chinese and Asian defendants is double compared to Western defendants and the Department of Justice (DOJ) is much more likely to publicize alleged "spying" by people with Asian names than alleged "spying" by people with Western names.

Numbers-wise, convictions were brought on 89% of the defendants with Western names, but only for 74% of the defendants with Asian names (demographic and citizenship data is not included in the court filings that the study was based on, so the researchers had to use names as a guide, Googling identities to clear up any questions on ethnicity or race).

These numbers show a larger number of false accusations against people of Asian heritage, suggesting some racist motivations. Worse, these charges have dramatically increased over the past decade:

Prior to 2009, two-thirds of the defendants charged under the EEA were people with Western names, while 16% were people with Chinese names. However, since 2009, the majority of people charged with EEA offenses have been people of Chinese descent.

Even more interesting (read: frustrating) is that nearly half of the people charged under the Economic Espionage Act since 1996 were accused of stealing for the benefit of the Chinese government. By contrast, about 42% were charged with stealing for the benefit of American businesses or persons, while the remaining 12% of alleged thefts benefitted other countries such as Australia and Russia.

Zheng Yu Huang, President of the Committee of 100, said in a press release:

We must recognize the racial stereotyping that the Chinese and Asian American communities have had to deal with for over two centuries, starting with the 'Yellow Peril' of the 19th century to the 'perpetual foreigner' stereotype that still exists today. This research is critical to understanding the racial discrimination and implicit bias that are the byproducts of a rush to ensure national security, which is making America a less attractive place for immigrants of all backgrounds. America is a place of law and justice, where our diversity is our strength.

Racial Disparities in Economic Espionage Act Prosecutions: A Window into the New Red Scare [Committee of 100]

The US is unfairly targeting Chinese scientists over industrial spying, says report [Eileen Guo / MIT Technology Review]

Image: Public Domain via Pixabay
Jonathan Lewis recently moved into a new home in Liverpool, England and became curious about a wire emerging from a boarded-up section of wall. He cut a hole in the wall and discovered a ragdoll holding a rather creepy note.

From Coast to Coast:

The spooky note began by thanking the reader for "freeing me" and went on to reveal that "my name is Emily. My original owners lived in this house in 1961." The weird missive then took a chilling turn as 'Emily' explained that "I didn't like them so they had to go. All they did was sing and be merry. It was sickening. Stabbing was my choice of death for them, so I hope you have knives." After that chilling 'confession,' the message concludes with a presumably sarcastic "hope you sleep well." As one might imagine, Lewis was initially put off by the ominous note, but he later determined that he was likely on the receiving end of an elaborate prank.

Upon checking with his realtor and some of his new neighbors, Lewis learned that the area of the house where the doll had been discovered was only renovated four or five years ago.
Mike Lindell talks and talks and talks. Mostly, he just says things, like the kid who falsely tells you his dad is an astronaut and feels he's already in too deep so he keeps trying to make it believable. "Yeah, I was born in Houston. Like, at NASA and stuff, in like an anti-gravityplace." Ok, keep trying.

Lindell's facts score almost as low as The Boasting Heffalump's. His latest load of crap, that Twitter has pounced on, is how some lawyers told him that they are taking his nonsense case of bologna about election irregularities in the 2020 election to the Supreme Court before this Thanksgiving. Yeah, and maybe I'll take a 12-pack of MTN DEW (formerly "Mountain Dew" but dumbed down for obvious reasons) Flamin' Hot flavored beverages to the Supreme Court, but I can't make Justice Sotomayor and company drink any of it. All but Mr. Kavanaugh are probably too sensible to even try it.

Breaking: Mike Lindell and fans still don't understand civil procedure, appellate courts, or  well, maybe it would be faster to list the things they do understand. https://t.co/CTEE8QDtpq  OwMyPopehat (@Popehat) September 22, 2021

I visited DC a couple times with my kids for field trips. I ABSOLUTELY could take my case to the Supreme Court. Right there on the steps. No one stopped me. Me, my case, right there at the Supreme Court.  Jeff Dobbs (@deff_jobbs) September 22, 2021

I mean, how is he even going to get on the docket by November? He hasn't even filed in a lower court yet.  Lee (@mangopjslorcsri) September 22, 2021
The Colombus Dispatch reports that the evangelical Christians loudly opposing COVID-19 vaccination on religious grounds are full of it. Apparently, only two sects of Christianity have an actual doctrinal objection to vaccines or vaccination.

The Colombus Dispatch:

The only Christian denominations who cite a theological reason for opposing vaccines are the Dutch Reformed Church and Church of Christ, Scientist, according to Vanderbilt.

Some members of the Dutch Reformed Church decline vaccines because it "interferes with divine providence," while others accept it as a gift from God, Vanderbilt research shows.

Other research points to illnesses from smallpox vaccines in the 19th century as a reason some in the religion do not want vaccines.

Denominations that believe in faith healing, or laying hands on people in order to heal their illnesses, also likely don't believe in vaccines.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano volcano erupted on the island of La Palma in Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday. The resulting massive wave of lava is creeping across the island, engulfing everything in its path.

So far, 7,000 residents have evacuated. The videos below show the unstoppable liquid juggernaut. In the first video, a waterfall of lava cascades into a backyard swimming pool, causing the water to instantly vaporize. In the second video, the lava takes on the form of a caustic gray goo, covering all the buildings it encounters.

The volcano is also belching tons of sulfur dioxide gas, which is dangerous for humans to inhale. It's not clear how the residents of La Palma will be able to safely return to their homes once the eruption is over.

The Canary Islands are part of Spain, located off the coast of North Africa, and are a popular tourist destination for Europeans. The archipelago consists of seven major islands and several minor ones. The volcanic islands are part of the North African tectonic plate, which is sliding under the Eurasian plate.

LOOK: Lava fell into a swimming pool and enveloped fields, roads and houses following a volcanic eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma.



Lava flows could last for months, experts said https://t.co/FnZDp08Ydy pic.twitter.com/qy8fcDPLGa  Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) September 22, 2021
Posted Tuesday, September 21, 2021 8:08 pm

A 77-year-old woman from Pleasant Hope died Monday, Sept. 20, after the tractor she was driving was struck by another vehicle on Mo. 215, 1 mile west of Pleasant Hope.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol Crash report, Patricia A. McCroskey was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash by Polk County coroner Jeff Witt at around 11:45 a.m. She was transported to Greenlawn North Funeral Home in Springfield.

The report stated McCroskey was westbound on a 1971 International 1466 farm tractor at around 11:18 a.m. when Rajinder Singh, 41, of Springfield, who was also heading west, began overtaking the tractor in a 2017 Mercedes Benz.

Singh struck McCroskey as she began turning left onto a private road, the report stated.

The report did not list injuries for Singh.

His blood alcohol content was tested in accordance with Missouri state law, the report stated.

The Mercedes was totaled and towed from the scene by Henrys Wrecker of Springfield. The tractor had moderate damage and was left at the scene, the report stated.

Trooper Sam Carpenter with the Missouri State Highway Patrol told the BH-FP its important for drivers to be patient when driving around farm implements.

Dont get in a hurry and give them plenty of room, he said. Most of the time, the operator will let you know when it is safe to pass, but always be safe and take it slow when passing.

Carpenter said people need to remember farmers are doing a very important job for us all.

We need to be as safe as we can around them, he said.

McCroskeys death was Troop Ds 97th traffic fatality of the year, per the report.
Increasing yield

Written by Jed Lloren at The Motley Fool Canada

Dividend stocks are an excellent tool that investors can use to help them supplement or even replace their primary source of income. By turning to high-dividend stocks, investors can receive larger payments with smaller amounts of capital. However, I tend not to be a big fan of high-yield dividends, because companies offering them tend to be more unstable. However, there are a handful of excellent dividend companies that yield higher distributions. In this article, Ill discuss three high-yield dividend stocks to buy today!

This industry is a Canadian favourite

The Canadian banking industry is heavily relied upon by Canadians for dividends. The reason Canadian banks are so popular among investors is because of its highly regulated nature. This makes it more difficult for new competitors to enter the space and disrupt the businesses of the industry leaders. Of the biggest companies in that industry, I believe Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX:BNS)(NYSE:BNS) offers the most intriguing opportunity.

Unlike its peers, Bank of Nova Scotia has allocated a notable amount of assets towards growth in the Pacific Alliance. This region includes the countries of Chile, Columbia, Mexico, and Peru. Economists are expecting that group of countries to grow faster than the G7 over the coming years, which could greatly benefit Bank of Nova Scotia. The company offers investors a forward yield of 4.6% with a payout ratio of 58%. With a solid and stable dividend company offering nearly a 5% distribution, this is one company you dont want to miss.

A blue-chip company worth holding for the long term

Today, the world is more connected than ever. Telus (TSX:T)(NYSE:TU) is helping ensure that stays a reality by offering telecommunication services across the country. In fact, the company claims the largest network coverage in Canada. Whats more impressive is the fact that Telus also has such a large presence in other industries. The company has devoted a lot of effort in providing Canadians with a best-in-class telehealth platform, which is only becoming more popular over the years.

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Telus is currently offering investors a forward dividend yield of 4.4%. Telus has a stellar dividend-growth streak of 17 years, making it a Canadian Dividend Aristocrat. The company aims to maintain a dividend-payout ratio between 65% and 75% of net earnings per share. Telus is an excellent dividend company to consider adding to your portfolio.

Renewable energy companies can be excellent sources of dividends

Those familiar with my writing will know that I am a big fan of the renewable utility industry. I believe those companies have an excellent future ahead, given the current climate regarding the dire need to lower our carbon emissions. This bodes well for companies like TransAlta Renewables (TSX:RNW).

TransAlta Renewables currently offers a forward dividend yield of 4.75%. An interesting note regarding this companys dividend is that its paid out monthly. So, investors will notice that each payment will be smaller, but cash will flow in much more often. Its also important to note that TransAlta Renewables dividend doesnt have a stellar history of growth. While the company has continued to pay its shareholders, it hasnt increased distributions since September 2017. If those two last points dont scare you away, this would be a great company to hold.

The post 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy Today appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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Fool contributor Jed Lloren has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA and TELUS CORPORATION.

2021
Global branded food company completes 2020 goal set and establishes new targets

AUSTIN, Minn. --News Direct-- Hormel Foods Corporation

AUSTIN, Minn., September 22, 2021 /3BL Media/ - Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) today announced the launch of its 15th annual corporate responsibility (CR) report. The report, available online at https://csr.hormelfoods.com/, contains in-depth information about the companys CR progress in fiscal 2020. In addition, the company has launched a new set of CR goals to guide its programs through 2030.

Our commitment to making the world in which we live a better place has never wavered. Were proud that we surpassed our 2020 nonrenewable energy use, water use, solid waste sent to landfills and product packaging reduction goals, and achieved our goal to deliver 15 percent of sales from innovative new items, said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods. Were also excited for the next chapter of our journey  our 20 By 30 Challenge. Our future corporate responsibility reports will provide updates on our progress in achieving these important commitments.

For the 12th year in a row, Hormel Foods was named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media in 2020. The company was also named one of Americas Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek, one of the 50 Best Companies to Sell For by Selling Power magazine and a Best for Vets Employer by Military Times, among numerous other accolades.

As part of Our Food Journey, Hormel Foods is committed to producing food responsibly for customers and consumers by investing in its people and partners; improving communities and the world; and creating products that improve the lives of others.

Additional highlights of the companys progress in 2020 include:

Implementing projects to reduce water use by 119 million gallons, energy use by more than 98,000 MMBtu and product packaging by over 533,000 pounds.

Conducting more than 1,900 audits to ensure the companys high standards for animal care are being met. In addition, in January 2021 the company launched its first Antibiotic Stewardship Report, which provides comprehensive, detailed and transparent information about the companys antibiotic stewardship program and metrics from some of the farms in its supply chain over the last several years.

Launching over 500 new retail and foodservice items. The company also continued its clean-label initiative to simplify the ingredient statements of many of its products and its sodium reduction efforts.

Continuing to place great emphasis on its inclusion and diversity efforts. In 2020, Hormel Foods partnered with a wide array of business associations to support inclusion and diversity both internally and externally. To support education and equity, the company assisted several nonprofit organizations and announced its Inspired Pathways program  a game-changing initiative that provides a free, two-year-college education to the dependent children of the companys team members. This monumental program will help many first-generation college students.

Keeping its promise to maintain a Safety First culture by launching a KEEP COVID OUT! campaign. The companys efforts included proactive and transparent educational materials; a paid leave and pay protection program; access to personal protective equipment; enhanced sanitation procedures, daily wellness screenings and several online town hall meetings with health care experts from the Mayo Clinic. In addition, the company paid more than $11 million in special cash bonuses to its essential production professionals. Hormel Foods also opened a state-of-the-art health center located in Austin, Minn., close to its global headquarters and flagship plant, which improves access to high-quality, affordable health care for Hormel Foods team members and their dependent family members.

Donating more than $8.2 million in cash and products to help lift up communities. This included $6.4 million in donations to fight hunger, a donation of 1.9 million cans of SPAMMY (a shelf-stable poultry product to help prevent childhood malnutrition in Guatemala) and more than $1 million in education donations.

Thanks to the incredible effort and dedication of our team members, partners and suppliers, we continue to achieve outstanding results, Snee said. We look forward to working together to advance our efforts even more through our 20 By 30 Challenge.

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The 2020 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report follows the Global Reporting Initiatives standards and is developed in accordance with the core option. The report is designed to allow stakeholders to easily view top-line highlights.

To view the entire report, please visit https://csr.hormelfoods.com/. A downloadable PDF will be available in the near future.

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justins, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the Global 2000 Worlds Best Employers list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazines most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazines The 100 Best Corporate Citizens list for 12 years, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the worlds most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

# # #

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Hormel Foods Corporation on 3blmedia.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/hormel-foods-shares-food-journey-progress-in-15th-annual-corporate-responsibility-report-599306540
Spanish housing stock drops after lockdown-driven buying spree FILE PHOTO: A woman cleans the windows of a house underneath Esteladas (Catalan separatist flags) hanging on balconies at Sant Jaume Square in Barcelona

By Clara-Laeila Laudette

MADRID (Reuters) - A rush to buy after the end of coronavirus lockdowns has reduced the stock of homes for sale in Spain's big cities by 4% over the past year, data from leading property advertising portal Idealista on Tuesday showed.

Madrid and the Mediterranean seaside town Valencia both saw their pool of homes for sale drop by 11%, while in the Andalusian tourism hubs of Seville and Malaga the available stock dropped by 6% and 5% respectively over the same period.

Pent-up demand during the first 9 months of 2020 meant that when the harshest coronavirus restrictions in Europe were lifted in September 2020, people rushed to buy homes.

Some Spaniards sought a change of scenery after being confined to their homes for extended periods, while a 6.6% rise in household saving during 2020, according to research by Spanish bank BBVA, meant they had more cash for deposits once restrictions eased.

Among the most striking drops in the availability of housing for sale was the northern city of Pamplona, famed for its San Fermin bull-running fiesta, which saw its stock plunge 28% from September 2020, the Idealista data shows.

Barcelona, where the local government established rent controls in September last year, was the only exception, with some 7% more homes for sale than 12 months ago.

"It could be related to the caps on rental prices - landlords might prefer not to rent out their properties and opt to sell them instead," a source with knowledge of Catalonia's real estate market told Reuters.

"There are 40% fewer properties available to rent in Barcelona now than a year ago," the source added.

Spanish property remains popular among foreign investors, with Britons making up around 12% of buyers, Moroccans nearly 9% and French and Germans 7%-8% in the first quarter of this year, data from the College of Registrars showed.

(Reporting by Clara-Laeila Laudette; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Photo credit: Focus Features

Twilight star Justin Chon's new movie Blue Bayou has been criticised for its "exploitative" depiction of adoptees facing deportation from the US.

The drama, which was written and directed by Chon, sees him play Antonio, a Korean-American adopted immigrant who's made a name for himself as a Louisiana-based tattoo artist and is trying to do right by his pregnant partner Kathy (Tomb Raider's Alicia Vikander) and her young daughter Jessie.

With a new baby on the way, he sets it upon himself to find more work. But his plans come to an abrupt halt when he agrees to help some local deadbeats steal a bunch of high-end motorbikes, and winds up getting nicked by Kathy's surly, police officer ex Ace (Ready or Not's Mark O'Brien).

Photo credit: Focus Features

Shortly after his arrest, Antonio is told that the government plans to deport him  a decision he and Kathy take it upon themselves to fight.

Since its nationwide release on Friday (September 17), members of the adoptee community took to social media to urge cinemagoers to boycott the film and slam it for not "[educating] the community about issues in transracial adoption, or [sharing] messages from actual adoptee activists."

Korean-American adoptee Stephanie Drenka, who acts as Communications Director for Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation, continued : "Chon could have de-centered himself and cast an adoptee in the leading role. The Blue Bayou marketing and public relations team should have used their resources and platform to amplify a call-to-action about supporting the Adoptee Citizenship Act."

Photo credit: Focus Features

Related: Twilight creator confirms two more books after Midnight Sun's success

Elsewhere, Korean-American adoptee and abuse survivor Adam Crapser has called out Chon for allegedly ignoring his wishes, after the filmmaker reached out to him and asked whether he'd be interested in adapting his story for the big screen  an idea Crapser wasn't keen on.



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"I'm a real person. I'm not a Hollywood character made for profit, award-seeking, or tear-jerking movies," Crapser  who was deported in 2016  wrote on Facebook.



"The film Blue Bayou is clearly based on the life of Korean-American adoptee Adam Crapser, who did not give the filmmakers his consent or the rights to his story," said Adoptees for Justice in a public statement.

Photo credit: Focus Features

"Adoptees for Justice cannot tolerate the appropriation of our community members' stories and lived experiences. Given all that we lose as intercountry adoptees, we should not also lose the right to and control of our own stories."

"Adoptee voices are often silenced in our own personal lives as well as at a systemic level," added Drenka. "Our stories are exploited by adoptive families, the adoption industry, people on both sides of the abortion debate, and others. Reclaiming our stories  and choosing when, how, and if to tell them  is one of the very few ways in which we have some agency as adoptees."

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man shivering inside with scarf on

A surge in gas prices has seen UK energy suppliers stop trading and rising household bills.

It's prompted headlines warning of shortages and a "winter of discontent".

Does the UK face a gas shortage this winter?

Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said it was alarmist and misguided to start talking about gas shortages.

"There is no question of the lights going out, of people being unable to heat their homes. There will be no three-day working week, or a throwback to the 1970s," he said.

The government said the UK has a "diverse and secure" range of suppliers.

However, demand for gas is rising across Europe, and some fear the UK could be physically - and perhaps politically - at the back of the queue.

What's more, the UK has scant storage facilities - it's been increasingly operating a "just-in-time model", which means it's more affected by short-term price fluctuations in the wholesale gas market.

Bar chart: The UK has much less gas storage than other nations in Europe

The government stresses it's "not complacent".

And, if needed, it does have the power to impose emergency measures, such as ordering big industrial customers to temporarily stop using gas.

But the biggest factor - the weather - is beyond its control. Our best hope for avoiding problems is a mild, if breezy - and wind power-friendly - winter.

Where does UK gas come from?

The UK has been a big producer of gas since the mid-1960s - but output has fallen since 2000 and usage continues to rise.

We now import more than half our gas - much of it from Norway, and a considerable amount from the Netherlands and Belgium.

Liquid natural gas (LNG) - transported by ship from countries like Qatar - has increasingly been in demand in the UK, but there's competition for supplies from the likes of China.

Russia supplies less than 5% of the UK's gas, but provides much of the gas used by the rest of Europe.

It has been accused of restricting its gas exports for political reasons - it wants to build a controversial pipeline across the Baltic sea. Any drop in Russian supply has a big effect on the overall wholesale price.

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Because of the UK's lack of gas storage facilities, it has to buy large quantities on the wholesale market. UK wholesale gas prices hit a record high this week before Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would boost supplies to Europe.

If Russia makes good on that promise, this should in theory reduce prices for everyone because there will be more of the stuff to go round.

Where does the UK get its gas imports?

Why is there a gas shortage?

A perfect energy storm has been brewing during 2021.

A cold winter around the world last year sent gas demand rising, depleting stores.

Those reserves would normally be replenished over the summer. But output dropped because many major producers were catching up with maintenance postponed during lockdowns.

Meanwhile, calm weather reduced the amount of electricity generated by wind power.

As a result, wholesale gas prices have more than quadrupled over the last year.

The UK has been badly hit because it's one of Europe's biggest users of natural gas - 85% of homes use gas central heating, and it also generates a third of our electricity.

Wholesale gas prices

What about my bills?

Even without a big freeze, bills are heading up. October's increase in the fuel cap - the maximum customers can be charged - means many annual household fuel bills will rise by 135 or more.

Most big domestic suppliers buy their gas months in advance - so they have yet to pass on the price rises of the past few months.

As they are scarcely making a profit on gas, it's likely the energy "cap" will rise again in April.

There could be relief if the the squeeze on gas supplies eases. But economists say wholesale prices are unlikely to drop before storage facilities fill up again - and that's not likely until spring.

Are gas prices rising in Europe?

The rise in global wholesale gas prices has been felt across Europe.

Some suggest Brexit has meant the UK is at a disadvantage when it comes to getting the best deal.

When it was in the EU, the UK was part of the Internal Energy Market which can enable countries to access electricity more smoothly and at lower cost.

However, the way gas is traded has been largely unaffected, which means leaving the EU has not had a significant impact.

Countries that rely heavily on imported gas, such as Italy and Spain, have been particularly hard hit. Their governments have directly cut prices and raised taxes on energy company profits respectively.

The price cap has meant the UK's gas bills have until now been typically lower than the EU average.

But the rise in prices comes on top of other economic problems such as labour shortages and increasing food prices, adding up to an unwelcome rise in the cost of living.

For this winter, stocking up on jumpers may be the cheapest option.
Several United Nations agencies on Tuesday expressed concern over the U.S. deportation of Haitian migrants and asylum seekers, Reuters reports.

What they're saying: "While some people arriving at the border may not be refugees, anyone who ... claims to have a well-founded fear of being persecuted in their country of origin  they should have access to asylum and to have their claim assessed before being subjected to expulsion or deportation," said UN Refugee Agency spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, per Reuters.

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"We are disturbed by the images that we have seen and by the fact that we have seen all these migrants and refugees and asylum-seekers in transport to Port-au-Prince," said UN human rights spokesperson Marta Hurtado.

"We are seriously concerned by the fact that it appears there have not been any individual assessments of the cases," she added.

The big picture: More than 10,000 migrants and asylum seekers have been temporarily staying in a crowded camp under the bridge that connects Texas and Mexico after crossing the Southern border.

Many are fleeing extreme poverty, disaster and political unrest.

In recent days, the U.S. has started deportation flights to Haiti under Title 42. The Trump-era policy allows the government to fast-track deportations during the pandemic. Immigrant rights groups have called the policy "racist" and "illegal."

Images of Border Patrol agents whipping migrants in Del Rio prompted outrage on Monday, with many pointing to the agency's history of violence against people of color.

A Department of Homeland Security told Axios that the agency "does not tolerate the abuse of migrants in our custody and we take these allegations very seriously."

Customs and Border Protections Office of Professional Responsibility is currently investigating the incident.

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The sidewalk along Route 28 in South Chatham switches from the north to the south side just past Short and Sweet, but there's no crosswalk or signs warning vehicles. It now looks as if the state will be installing a crosswalk here and at the intersection with Cockle Cove Road, both of which area residents have been requesting for years. TIM WOOD PHOTO

SOUTH CHATHAM  For years, residents of South Chatham have been advocating for a crosswalk on Route 28 where sidewalks switch from the north to the south side of the street. Now it looks as if state highway officials may be ready to follow through on the request.

According to Public Works Direct Tom Temple, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is putting together designs for pedestrian improvements at Route 28 and Route 137 and at Route 28 and Cockle Cove Road. The designs should be completed soon and then must be put out to bid. In an email, Temple said he anticipates the project would be ready for construction next spring or fall.

The South Chatham Village Association and Island View Land Association have been working with town officials to facilitate the improvements. Village Association board of directors member Frank Messina said the only crossing in the area is the bike path crossing on Route 137, just north of the Route 28 intersection. But the sidewalk along Route 28 moves from the north side to the south side just to the east of the intersection, without a crosswalk to help pedestrians safely cross the state highway.

It's just a dangerous intersection, he said, complicated by the location of the popular Short and Sweet ice cream shop just before the intersection.

Many bicyclists also cross at Cockle Cove Road to access the public beach at the end of the lane, Messina said.

The crosswalks would help slow traffic to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, he said.

In 2018, the South Chatham Village Association wrote of their concerns to the board of selectmen, noting that the town's comprehensive plan called for improvements to pedestrian safety along the Main Street corridor in South Chatham.

It has been 15 years without any action to address these issues, the association wrote, adding that the Route 28-137 intersection was a pedestrian nightmare. In a follow-up letter to the director of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation District 5, Temple noted the lack of a crosswalk, flashing lights or signs warning motorists that the sidewalk on Route 28 switches sides of the road. Traffic at the intersection is heavy, he wrote, and the reverse curve and widening of the street in this location makes it almost impossible to cross safely. He included a petition from residents of the area seeking safety improvements.

Temple said last week that initially the state said that the project would have to be placed on the regional Transportation Improvement Plan, or TIP, which delineates and ranks state and federal highway projects. But after additional correspondence and the matter going up the chain of command, the assistant district maintenance engineer for MassDOT indicated that designs for the changes were in the works.

Messina said the associations appreciate Temple's efforts.

It looks like we're going to get something in the near future, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 21)  The country would finally hold a pilot run of limited in-person classes in some areas after a year of distance learning, but a health reform advocate said the delayed implementation was "self-inflicted" with the quality of the government's pandemic response.

"In the first place, self-inflicted ang ating problema kaya tayo nahuhuli sa mga maraming bagay," Dr. Tony Leachon, former special adviser to the National Task Force against COVID-19, told CNN Philippines' The Source on Monday.

[Translation: In the first place, our problem is self-inflicted that's why we're lagging behind in many aspects.]

"And alam naman natin pag hindi natin na-control ang viral transmission, domino principle yan," he added.

[Translation: And we know that if we fail to control the viral transmission, the domino principle will happen.]

He cited the delayed vaccination and the government's failure to conduct more testing and contact tracing efforts. He also noted that the country would also lag behind in terms of economic recovery if it fails to achieve herd immunity.

Earlier this month, the government raised its herd immunity target to up to 90%, higher than the initial target of 70%, or 77 million Filipinos eligible for vaccination.

READ: Govt experts increase herd immunity estimate to 90%

The government has also assured that children will be included in the COVID-19 vaccination program in the fourth quarter of 2021, as more doses would be shipped to the country.

The United Nations Childrens Fund Philippines said that as of Sept. 14, the Philippines and Venezuela were the only remaining countries that have not reopened schools. The Philippines had one of the longest school breaks in the world, from March 2020 to Oct. 2020, it added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  A week after the International Criminal Court (ICC) launched probe into the Duterte administrations drug war, President Rodrigo Duterte has asserted his mandate to protect Filipinos from crimes before the United Nations.

The Philippines seeks stronger partnerships to protect the rights of Filipinos and realize the full potential of our nation. But let me be clear  what we mean is partnership that respects our peoples agency, Duterte said in his pre-recorded speech for the 76th UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

"Let me say this again: My government has a mandate and obligation to my people. We will deal with all criminals  including terrorists  with the full force of our laws," he added.

He also called out the UN Security Council  one of its main bodies in charge of international peace and security  for supposedly violating the tenets of democracy and transparency in the international system.

"Democracy and transparency are concepts that reverberate in the halls of the UN. But ironically, the Security Council  the pinnacle of the UN structure  violates every tenet of these values," Duterte said. "It is neither democratic nor transparent in its representation and processes."

He also mentioned that the Philippine government has finalized with the UN a joint program on human rights which will serve as a "model for constructive engagement between a sovereign member state and the UN.

"Meaningful change, to be enduring, must come from within. The imposition of one's will over another  no matter how noble the intent  has never worked in the past. And it never will in the future," he added.

A 2004 document about the relationship between the UN and the ICC says that both parties can "cooperate closely, whenever appropriate, with each other and consult each other on matters of mutual interest.

The UN may also assist the ICC prosecutor during investigations on the territory of a member state.

Duterte also told world leaders that he ordered the Justice department and the Philippine National Police to review the anti-drug campaign. He said those found to have acted beyond bounds during operations shall be made accountable."

The ICC recently gave a go signal to investigate the killings committed during the drug war from July 1, 2016 to March 16, 2019, as well as in Davao City between Nov. 1, 2011 to June 30, 2016.

"When it comes to the International Criminal Court, I think the statement of the President was also very clear: that he has a mandate and responsibility to the Filipino people," Undersecretary Robert Borje, presidential adviser on foreign affairs, told CNN Philippines' New Day on Wednesday.

"He said that there are issues and challenges as a country that we want to build but he said the law applies to all, and this applies to those he said who will be found to have acted in excess or in abuse of power," he added.

The Duterte administration has repeatedly stressed that it will not cooperate with the ICC, but the tribunal said it has jurisdiction on crimes committed in the Philippines despite the country's withdrawal from the Rome Statute, which took effect in 2019.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and the Department of Education should ensure that teachers and other school personnel returning to in-person classes can easily access their health insurance, Senator Win Gatchalian said on Wednesday.

Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said teachers, principals, superintendents, and other education personnel are entitled to PhilHealth coverage that could protect them in case they catch the coronavirus.

"Make sure that the teachers have the health coverage, so they can tap this health coverage in case of infection," Gatchalian told CNN Philippines' The Source. "So meaning, PhilHealth and DepEd will play a very big role in protecting our teachers from COVID-19."

He also said DepEd should properly coordinate with PhilHealth to easily tap the state health insurer for hospital coverage, immediate testing, and reimbursement of other related medical charges.

"What we want is to arm our teachers with confidence. Its important that our teachers are confident that they can go to school, they can teach physically and once something happens to them, the government is there to protect them," Gatchalian said.

"This is already built in, but what we are telling DepEd is to make sure that it is accessible and easily tapped into because PhilHealth can be very bureaucratic as you know and we want our teachers to be prioritized because they are frontliners in the education system," he added.

Gatchalian also recommended to put up handwashing facilities and maintain small class size to protect students from infection.

Advocates of health and education reform urged the government to ramp up testing, contact tracing, and vaccination among teachers and students ahead of the school reopening.

Limited face-to-face classes will resume in 100 public schools and 20 private schools in low-risk areas after a year of distance learning in the country. The government has yet to announce the date of the pilot run, but a selection process is underway to assess the readiness of the participating schools.

READ: Duterte OKs pilot testing of face-to-face classes in low-risk areas for COVID-19
(CNN)  Autopsy results have confirmed that the remains found Sunday in the Bridger-Teton National Forest are those of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman who disappeared while on a trip exploring national parks with her fiance, Brian Laundrie, according to the FBI in Denver.

The FBI tweeted that Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue ruled the manner of death a homicide in his preliminary findings.

"The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results," the FBI said.

"Anyone with information concerning Mr. Laundrie's role in this matter or his current whereabouts should contact the FBI," Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said.

The FBI in Denver said the agency would like information from anyone who may have had contact with Petito or Laundrie or who visited the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area between August 27-30 or may have seen their vehicle.

Petito's remains were found Sunday in an undeveloped camping area in Bridger-Teton National Forest on the eastern edge of Grand Teton National Park, officials have said.

Authorities in Florida are searching for Laundrie, who has not been seen in a week.

Peitito's family said through an attorney earlier Tuesday that they need time to grieve.

"We will be making a statement when Gabby is home," attorney Richard Benson Stafford said in a statement obtained by CNN affiliate KSL.

The police search for Laundrie resumed Tuesday at a Florida nature reserve where his parents reportedly said he indicated he was going last week. Laundrie's parents told investigators he left their home in North Port with a backpack September 14 to go to the T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve near Venice.

Authorities have searched the family home, including on Monday.

"A weekend ground search and aerial search Monday of the 25-thousand-acre preserve has yet to yield any answers, but we must press on," North Port Police said on Facebook. Police indicated the search picked up Tuesday in a different part of the reserve.

Petito, 22, and Laundrie, 23, had been road-tripping in a white van from New York through the US West over the summer, regularly posting photos and stories to their social media pages with the hashtag #vanlife.

Those posts abruptly stopped in late August, and Laundrie returned to his North Port, Florida, home on September 1 in their van without Petito, whose family reported her missing September 11.

The case has become an obsession for many, spurring digital detectives to comb through the couple's online trail. The story has also further highlighted the tens of thousands of unsolved missing persons stories.

Before Petito disappeared, her conversations with her mother appeared to reveal she had "more and more tension" with Laundrie, a police affidavit for a search warrant indicates.

Before she vanished, Petito sent multiple text messages and had many talks with her mother via cell phone during her trip, Florida police wrote in an application filed last week for a search warrant for an external hard drive found in the couple's van.

In those conversations, there "appeared to be more and more tension between her and Laundrie," the affidavit reads. On August 27, Petito's mother received one last communication from her daughter, which she called an "odd text," the affidavit says.

The message read: "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls." Because the text message referred to Petito's grandfather as Stan, her mother was concerned that something was wrong, the warrant states.

Following that text message, Petito's phone was no longer operational and she stopped posting anything on social media about their trip, the warrant says.

One more text came on August 30 that read, "No service in Yosemite," but her family doubts she wrote it, Richard Stafford, an attorney representing Joseph Petito and her mother, Nichole Schmidt, said.

Other evidence of tension between Petito and Laundrie also has emerged. A 911 audio recording in Utah sheds new light on a now-well-publicized incident in which police confronted the pair on August 12.

In the 911 recording from the Grand County Sheriff's Office in Moab, Utah, a caller reports what he called a "domestic dispute" between a couple.

"We drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl," the caller says. "Then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off."

Police later stopped the couple, and previously released police documents and body-camera video reveal what followed that day.

Although the Petito and Laundrie are described in a police report as getting into a physical fight following an argument, "both the male and female reported they are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn't wish to see anyone charged with a crime," Officer Eric Pratt wrote in the report.

At the suggestion by police, the couple separated for the night, the report said, which described Petito as "confused and emotional."

A National Park Service ranger who also responded to the call interacted with Petito for about 90 minutes, and warned her that her relationship with Laundrie had markings of a "toxic" one, the ranger told the Deseret News of Utah.

"I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship, asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life," ranger Melissa Hulls told the Deseret News.

CNN has sought comment from Hulls.

Woman says she picked up Laundrie hitchhiking last month in Wyoming

A woman has said she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride on August 29 in Wyoming -- and that Laundrie claimed he'd been camping by himself for multiple days while Petitio was back at their van working on social media posts.

In a series of videos posted on TikTok, Miranda Baker said she and her boyfriend picked up Laundrie that evening while he was hitchhiking in Colter Bay, Wyoming. That's not far from where human remains consistent with Petito's description were found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on Sunday.

Laundrie offered to pay $200 for the ride before he even got into the vehicle, Baker said.

Laundrie, who was wearing a backpack, pants and hiking boots, "looked clean and didn't smell bad," and was very polite, Baker said. Laundrie told them he had been camping "basically in the middle of nowhere" at a site outside the Grand Teton National Park, near the Snake River, she said.

Laundrie claimed to have hiked for days along that river, and that all he had was a tarp to sleep on, she said.

Once Laundrie found out Baker and her boyfriend were going to Jackson Hole instead of Jackson, he got agitated, asked that the vehicle stop, and got out near the Jackson Dam, according to Baker. She said they dropped him off less than 30 minutes after picking him up.

Baker said she has spoken to law enforcement about their reported interaction with Laundrie.

North Port police confirmed to CNN that Baker spoke with the department before posting the videos on TikTok.

"Her account is plausible, it appears," North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor said.

CNN has not been able to independently verify Baker's claims. The FBI has not returned CNN requests for comment.

FBI searches Laundrie's home

The FBI on Monday searched the North Port home of Laundrie and his parents, removing many items over several hours.

Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta, were escorted from their home Monday morning so agents could execute a search warrant, North Port police spokesman Joshua Taylor told CNN. They were later taken back inside for questioning.

His parents had previously told police that they had not seen Laundrie since September 14, when he told them he was going to the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000-acre nature reserve near Venice, Florida, according to authorities.

Investigators resumed their search there at 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

North Port police on Tuesday announced they were resuming their search on the Venice side of the reserve after saying Monday they'd shifted their search away from the reserve, having "exhausted all avenues" there. Agents from the fish and wildlife commission were requested Monday afternoon, commission spokesperson Adam Brown said.

An attorney for Laundrie's family, Steven P. Bertolino, said he would hold a news conference Tuesday, but later canceled the event. He said the FBI requested he not hold the conference.

Agents removed a number of items from the home Monday, and a Ford Mustang convertible was also towed away.

Before his parents told police Laundrie left the home September 14, he had refused to talk to investigators, and the family had directed them to their attorney, police said. Laundrie has not been charged in the case.

'She touched the world,' father says

Pathologists will conduct a full forensic examination of the remains found Sunday to confirm the identity, said Charles Jones, FBI Denver's supervisory senior resident agent in Wyoming. Authorities also must identify the cause of death, he said.

Petito's family has been notified of the discovery.

Her father, Joseph Petito, tweeted a picture of his daughter Sunday evening, saying, "She touched the world." Richard Stafford, an attorney representing Joseph Petito and her mother, Schmidt, asked that the family be given space, per a statement obtained by CNN affiliate WABC.

Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino called the news "heartbreaking," adding, "The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family."

Laundrie's sister praised Petito for her relationship with Laundrie's nephews, according to a statement to ABC News.

"Gabby was a fun and loving influence to 'the boys' as she always referred to them. We will cherish the time we spent with her," Cassie Laundrie said.
(CNN)  As a child growing up in Sweden, Karolina Jurzyk didn't pay much attention to her grandfather's tales of wartime Poland.

Now, however, thanks to a long-forgotten letter, Jurzyk, 35, has uncovered the truth about how her family rescued and hid two Jewish sisters from the Nazis.

Having moved to Stockholm as a baby, Jurzyk grew up hearing from her grandparents about her great-grandfather's bravery -- though details were scant.

"I was very close to my grandparents," she told CNN. "I spent every school holiday with them in Poland and World War II was very present because they both survived it."

Her grandfather, Stanislaw Jurzyk, told her that in 1942, aged 12, while playing on the family farm in Gostchorz -- a village about 68 miles east of Warsaw -- he stumbled across two women, both in their 20s.

Shocked, he told his parents, who revealed that they had been hiding the sisters since finding them in their fields.

"They were badly beaten and very weak," Karolina Jurzyk, who works as a pattern maker for H&M in Stockholm, told CNN. According to her grandfather, the sisters were orphaned -- but they spoke little of their past.

Stanislaw was sworn to secrecy by his father -- also called Stanislaw. That same year, his mother, Helena, died in childbirth -- leaving Stanislaw Senior to raise the children alone, while still protecting the women.

Under the Nazi regime, anyone found to be hiding Jews risked severe punishment -- including the death penalty -- if captured.

Jurzyk didn't know her great-grandfather, who died in 1989, and her surviving relatives knew nothing about the sisters' fate after they left the farm two years later.

But when her father, Wojciech, 60, recently discovered a letter, her interest was sparked. Tattered and scrawled in old Polish, it was almost impossible to decipher the correspondence that her grandfather had sometimes talked about.

One thing was clear, however: The correspondents' names -- Fela and Jadzia Kejzman. Jurzyk, who until then had only known the women's first names, ventured online for clues.

A simple online search returned both sisters' names

Both names appeared on genealogy site MyHeritage. Excited and nervous, Jurzyk messaged the family tree's host.

Karen Norman, 42, a New York-based real estate agent, replied. She is the granddaughter of Jadzia, whose full given name was Jadwiga.

Norman knew of the rescue but in even less detail than Jurzyk, as, like many Holocaust survivors, her grandmother and great-aunt rarely spoke of their experiences or their early lives growing up in Poland. What she could share, however, was that both sisters raised families in North America; her grandmother in Toronto, while Fela -- short for Felicia -- settled in Chicago.

"I had tears in my eyes, I was so glad to hear they survived," said Jurzyk.

The families and MyHeritage now hope to apply to Yad Vashem -- the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem -- to have Stanislaw Jurzyk Sr. recognized as Righteous Among the Nations.

The process is complex but if successful, the official honor would see him rank among other gentiles who risked much to save Jews during the war -- among them Oskar Schindler, Raoul Wallenberg and Miep Gies, who helped hide Anne Frank.

Poignant timing

The timing of the discovery is all the more poignant as both families were bereaved over the past year.

While Norman's grandmother died several years ago,her great-aunt, Fela, only passed away in December, aged 103.

And Jurzyk's grandfather, Stanislaw, died in March after suffering from dementia. He lived long enough to hear the news, however.

"My grandfather apparently became very emotional," Jurzyk told CNN, as he learned from his son, Jurzyk's father, that the connection with the sisters' family had been made. "Somewhere deep inside he knew they were safe."

Although she regrets not acting sooner, Jurzyk says connecting with Norman has eased the loss of her grandfather's death.

"I feel our ancestors had such a huge connection and it's almost as if I have been a part of it as well.

"I'm not a very spiritual person but somehow I feel their energy with me and it's comforting -- it's like he's saying ... 'you're doing a good job.'"

When MyHeritage heard the story they had the letter professionally translated.

Addressed to Stanislaw Senior, it was dated February 10, 1948 and sent from a displaced persons camp in Bamberg, within the US-controlled part of Germany.

They wrote: "A lot of time has passed since the day we said goodbye to you. However, we did not express our cordial thanks to you for all the good that you did for us. We will never forget this noble act of saving our life."

The women described Jurzyk's great-grandfather as "a person who has done the best and grandest act of saving human life" and expressed their "most profound gratitude."

They talked of "a new stage in life" on "blood-soaked German soil," but outlined plans to emigrate "beyond Europe's borders."

Fela appears to have physically written the letter, saying her sister married and had a baby, while she has "a much-loved husband."

She adds: "My husband already knows you from my accounts and he has asked me to send you his regards and a handshake."

Signing off, she expresses her intention to stay in touch, saying "the bond of our friendship should be unbreakable."

Second letter emerges

More recently, Jurzyk's father uncovered another letter in his own father's belongings. In this one, dated November 22, 1949, Fela says she and her husband arrived in the United States after a treacherous sea crossing. She explains that her sister and family remain in Germany but hope to leave soon.

An emotional Norman told CNN that hearing from Jurzyk "felt like a sign."

"When I got the message it was the most incredible thing and the saddest at the same time. I really believe it was my great-aunt sending us a sign."

Norman said she first joined MyHeritage to try to find answers about the sisters' past.

"Everything was a mystery. We don't know how they ended up being there or where they were going to. There were bits and pieces we knew but they told us very little."

Norman has not come across any letters in reply, but she hasn't yet gone through all of her great-aunt's belongings.

"Even though there isn't a lot of information in the letters, it still makes me cry reading them. Just knowing how much Mr. Jurzyk meant to her," Norman said.

'They lived because of him'

So far, the two women have only communicated through online messages, but they hope to speak on the phone soon.

"I would not be here if it wasn't for her great-grandfather," said Norman.

"They lived because of him. Someone who just saw them as people and worthy of saving. How do you thank someone's family for something like that generations later?"

Many people researching their family history see the Holocaust as a "black hole," but evolving technology provides "the opportunity to overcome what was once a critical lack of information", according to MyHeritage researcher Nitay Elboym.

"We believe stories of rescue are particularly important, because they inspire us to do what's right on a human level, even when it means taking extraordinary risks," he said.

This story was first published on CNN.com Long-lost letter reunites families of two Jewish sisters and the Polish farmer who saved them from the Nazis
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  A senator has recommended putting up an alert level system for schools that can return to in-person classes while controlling the spread of COVID-19 infection in the country.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source on Wednesday, Senator Win Gatchalian urged the government to assess the COVID-19 situation in different localities as part of a "science and risk-based approach" for reopening schools.

"Thats why I have been advocating that the alert levels here in NCR (National Capital Region), at least, we are following the new granular alert levels," Gatchalian said. "That should be practiced also in reopening of schools."

"Because that approach is based on science and risk and that can be applied in school openings," he said, referring to the pilot run of Metro Manila's alert level system.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said the lowest Alert Level 1 may be placed in minimal risk areas for COVID-19 where face-to-face classes can be held, while schools located in areas with more COVID-19 infections must remain under Alert Level 5.

"Start with those areas because they are zero risk, and then evaluate the low risk or those LGUs with one or two cases," the senator said. "But if its Alert Level 5 which is the highest, then you close schools."

Metro Manila has been under general community quarantine with Alert Level 4 since Sept. 16. Under this scheme, restrictions are set for establishments that require closed and crowded spaces, as well as close contacts.

Granular lockdowns are also placed in smaller critical zones where residents have tested positive for COVID-19.

READ: EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the COVID-19 alert level system in NCR

Limited in-person classes will resume in 100 public schools and 20 private schools in low-risk areas after over a year of a large-scale distance learning in the country. The government has yet to announce the date of the pilot run, but a selection process is underway to assess the readiness of the participating schools.

Advocates of health and education reform urged the government to ramp up testing, contact tracing, and vaccination among teachers and students ahead of the school reopening. Mass transportation, as well as the status of ventilation and other facilities in schools must also be addressed to reduce the risk of infection among schoolchildren.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  A bill was filed at the House of Representatives seeking to abolish the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) amid procurement issues hounding the agency.

Under House Bill No. 10221 filed by Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez, the Department of Trade and Industry shall take over PITCs functions in relation to facilitative trade-related services, responsive business solutions, and trade-related government-to-government transaction.

Among the issues noted by Rodriguez in pushing for PITCs abolition is the 11.02 billion worth of funds transferred from 2014 to 2020 by various agencies which remain unutilized as of December 2020.

There are also reports of source agencies using the interests from money transferred to the PITC to generate savings, which are used by the source agency to fund bonuses, among others, he said.

PITC, an attached agency under DTI, was established to formalize trade with planned economies through government-to-government procurement. However, Rodriguez noted that there are currently only two centrally planned economies: Cuba and North Korea.

The trade liberalization thrust of the global economy has made the mandate of the PITC redundant and irrelevant in the current times, said Rodriguez, adding that the Government Procurement Reform Act has also weakened PITCs mandate.

The PITC is currently under fire after state auditors reported that billions of pesos in public funds transferred by government agencies remain parked in the office.

Senator Imee Marcos earlier filed a similar bill in the upper chamber seeking to abolish the agency.

Speaking to CNN Philippines The Source on Wednesday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian described the PITC as a parking organization of many government offices.

Both Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Commission on Audit chairperson Michael Aguinaldo backed proposals to abolish the beleaguered agency.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22) A lawmaker at the House of Representatives has filed a bill seeking to require COVID-19 vaccination for eligible Filipinos.

House Bill No. 10249 filed by San Jose Del Monte City Rep. Rida Robes also proposed penalties for those who refuse to get inoculated  imprisonment of up to 30 days and/or a fine of 10,000.

Exempted from its provisions are those with conflicting religious belief or with medical condition that would make vaccination detrimental to his/her health as certified by a duly licensed physician, according to the bill, a copy of which was released to the media on Wednesday.

In the face of the worldwide pandemic that is ravaging our country, it is crucial to implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination program for people who are eligible to get the vaccines in order to protect ourselves and our families, it further read.

The bill added that all vaccination expenses shall be fully subsidized by the government.

Last week, the Davao City government also issued an executive order requiring all its personnel to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

But Dr. Rontgene Solante, a member of the Vaccine Expert Panel, raised concerns over the legality of mandatory vaccination. He added the national government should ensure a stable vaccine supply in the country first before implementing such rule.

RELATED: Vaccine expert: Mandatory vaccination can help in rollout but legal issues must be addressed
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has already received the Department of Justice memorandum ordering the inclusion of Julian Ongpin, a person of interest in the death of painter Bree Jonson, in the immigration lookout bulletin order database.

His name has been included in our derogatory database, and we are monitoring his border movement, said BI Commissioner Jaime Morente in a statement Wednesday.

All immigration officers nationwide in both airports and seaports have been instructed to closely monitor his travel and to prudently verify if he has an existing warrant of arrest, if encountered.

Ongpin, the son of former Trade Secretary and businessman Roberto Ongpin, was reportedly the last companion of Jonson, who was found dead in a La Union hotel on Sept. 18. Police have retrieved cocaine in the room shared by Ongpin and Jonson.

The Philippine National Police said Ongpin was charged by the local police in connection with the confiscated drugs. The La Union Provincial Prosecutors Office, however, ordered his release from detention.

Citing Police Regional Office 1 chief PBGen. Emmanuel Peralta, PNP chief PGen. Guillermo Eleazar said Wednesday that Ongpin has been cooperating with police in the investigation.

Kahapon din ay muling humarap si Ginoong Julian Ongpin sa ating mga imbestigador upang sagutin ang mga karagdagang tanong tungkol sa pangyayaring ito, said Eleazar in a statement.

[Translation: Mr. Julian Ongpin faced our investigators yesterday to answer further questions regarding the incident.]

Jonsons mother earlier denied that her daughter was using illegal drugs or had committed suicide.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  A group of researchers monitoring the country's pandemic trends has observed a continued downward trend in new COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, but noted there are still reported backlogs.

The region's reproduction number (R0) went down to 1.03 on Tuesday, from 1.33 recorded a week ago, OCTA Research fellow Guido David's estimates showed on Wednesday.

The R0 is the average number of people a single COVID-19 case will likely infect.

Medical experts earlier said the ideal R0 should be one or less, as anything higher means there is still significant community transmission.

Meanwhile, the weekly growth rate of new infections dipped to -18% from 11% logged a week ago, according to David.

"The decrease in new cases in the NCR (National Capital Region) continues," David noted, adding the drop "started during MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine)."

NCR was placed under MECQ from Aug. 21 to Sept. 15. It is currently under a new version of general community quarantine.

On the other hand, new infections in some provinces have increased, David warned.

OCTA tagged Isabela, Cagayan, Benguet, Laguna, and Bataan as "provinces of concern."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  The Office of the President is asking for more time to scrutinize around 100 billion in for later release funds, as lawmakers fear pending projects may end up unimplemented with three months left in the fiscal year.

We just want to look at it para ma-vet lang nang mabuti [so it can be vetted properly] Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Wednesday at the Senate finance committees hearing on the proposed 8.18 billion budget of the OP for 2022.

Just give us time, and heto ipa-prioritize namin ito agad-agad [we will prioritize it immediately], Medialdea added.

During the hour-long hearing, Senator Nancy Binay recalled an earlier briefing where the Budget department said 30% of the 140-billion FLR funds have not been released pending approval from the OP. The money will be reverted to the Treasury if not obligated by year end.

Binigyan natin ng allocation ito last year as part of the Build, Build, Build program ng pamahalaan pero nakakagulat kasi nga mag-o-October na in a few days then may maririnig tayo na 100 billion worth of projects na alam natin can generate a lot of jobs na kailangan na kailangan natin ngayon pero hanggang ngayon hindi nga nai-implement itong mga programang ito, Binay said.

[Translation: We gave it an allocation last year under the Build, Build, Build program of the government but to our surprise, it will be October in a few days, yet we hear about 100 billion worth of projects that can generate badly needed jobs but these programs have not been implemented.]

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Michael Ong explained that a vetting process was necessary because these are new budgetary items not included in the 2021 National Expenditure Plan. Still, Binay could not hide her dismay.

Its been nine months and hindi pa rin tapos yung vetting process niyo. Nakakabahala lang [and you havent completed your vetting process. Its just disturbing], Binay said.

The lawmaker said aside from the Department of Public Works and Highways, there are also unreleased funds for medical scholarships.

Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the committee on finance, appealed for the prioritization of these scholarships, as well as other education, health, and infrastructure programs.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Miguel Migz Zubiri warned that the OPs budget may face an uphill battle in the plenary if these issues are not resolved.

Its going to be very difficult for me to shepherd the budget with the chairman when there are questions like these that hound us all the time. As a matter of fact, its becoming very difficult for us to push things forward because of these questions, Zubiri said.

Medialdea did not give a timeline on when the funds can be disbursed but assured lawmakers it will be done at the soonest possible time.

The Senate panel approved the OPs budget within an hour, with a few questions raised. It also agreed to recommend to the plenary the 751.17 million budget of the Presidential Management Staff, which provides technical assistance to the President.
(CNN) -- Shots were fired at the car of a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outside Kiev on Wednesday morning, in what police are calling an assassination attempt.

Ukrainian police said in a statement that a car that Serhiy Shefir was traveling in came under fire in the village of Lisnyky at about 10 a.m., with more than 10 bullets hitting the vehicle. The driver of the car was injured.

A special police operation is underway to search for the perpetrators and police are appealing for information about the circumstances of the "assassination attempt on the lives of two Ukrainian citizens."

Zelensky, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly, said he did not know for now who was responsible for the attack, which has shocked the country's political elite.

"I don't know yet who stood behind this," said Zelensky, Reuters reported. "Sending me a message by shooting my friend is weakness."

A politician from Zelensky's ruling party, David Arahamiya, told Ukrinform state news agency that Shefir was in a "state of shock" but not injured.

"I had a short conversation with him ... He says that he was shot at, but the driver was hit ... The car was shot with an automatic weapon, as far as I know. The driver received three gunshot wounds, he was hospitalized, " Arahamiya said.

Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, told Ukrinform that the incident could not be seen as anything other than a "deliberate" attempt to "kill a key member of the team."

"It is obvious that this open, deliberate and extremely brutal attack with the use of automatic weapons cannot be qualified other than an attempt to demonstratively kill a key member of the team," Podoliak said.

While authorities have not determined who is responsible or a motive yet, Podoliak said it could be connected to policies aimed at reducing the "traditional influence" of oligarchs.

"I will say at once that we certainly associate this attack with an aggressive and even militant campaign against the active policy of the head of state," Podoliak added.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Aide to Ukraine's president survives apparent assassination attempt"
(CNN)  Brazilian Minister of Health Marcelo Queiroga has tested positive for Covid-19 while in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Brazilian president's office announced Tuesday evening.

Queiroga was part of Jair Bolsonaro's Presidential Committee, according to the statement, which added he was "doing well." So far, other members of the Brazilian delegation have tested negative for the virus.

Queiroga told CNN affiliate CNN Brasil on Tuesday that he would quarantine in New York for 14 days, and wouldn't leave the United States with other members of his delegation. Some delegation members have canceled their participation due to the risk of infecting members from other countries, Queiroga said.

Queiroga, a cardiologist, is Brazil's fourth health minister since the coronavirus pandemic began. He was appointed earlier this year.

CNN Brasil was first to report on the minister's condition ahead of the release of the presidential statement.

A spokesman for the UN secretary-general declined to comment, saying they had "a contact tracing protocol in place in case of cases arising" at the UN headquarters.

Earlier this week, Queiroga came under fire for responding to protesters in New York with an obscene gesture, according to CNN Brasil. Videos went viral on social media, showing the moment he appeared in the window of a minibus and gestured to protesters in front of the residence of the Brazilian Mission at the UN, CNN Brasil reported.

Even before UNGA began on Tuesday, there were concerns the international gathering might pose a health risk -- especially with much of the US still battling severe Covid-19 outbreaks. The US government issued a letter in August encouraging world leaders to consider joining virtually, and not in person, to help avoid "a super spreader event."

Still, more than 100 heads of state and government arrived in person for the event -- with some of them unvaccinated.

Most vocal among them has been President Bolsonaro, who has long downplayed the severity of the pandemic and advocated for the use of unproven drugs. Last week, he declared point-blank on social media that he would not get vaccinated because he had once contracted the virus.

On Tuesday, Bolsonaro fulfilled the tradition of delivering the first speech at the meeting, with the rest of the Brazilian delegation in attendance. The President has so far had meetings with several leaders, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Photos posted by Gilson Neto, Brazil's tourism minister, show members of the Brazilian delegation eating pizza outdoors in New York on Sunday. Nearly all were unmasked.

Shortly after the announcement that Queiroga had tested positive, Bolsonaro released a video on Twitter showing himself greeting and shaking hands with supporters in front of the hotel where he is staying, without wearing a mask.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Brazilian health minister tests positive for Covid-19 while in New York for UN meeting"
Editor's note: Science has transformed our understanding of dinosaurs in the past two decades. Get caught up with what's new in this five-part CNN series.

(CNN)  Defined by their disappearance dinosaurs might appear to be evolutionary failures. Not so.

Dinosaurs survived and thrived for 165 million years  far longer than the roughly 300,000 years modern humans have so far roamed the planet.

They lived on every continent, munched on plants, snapped their jaws at insects, itched from fleas, suffered from disease, got into fights, snoozed, performed elaborate courtship rituals and looked after their young. The creatures were much more diverse  and downright bizarre  than what we might recall from childhood books.

Were it not for an asteroid strike 66 million years ago, the ancient creatures still might have dominated our world. And they still are here, in the form of birds we see around us today.

Scientists have discovered more in the past two decades than they had in the prior 200 years about how dinosaurs behaved and evolved. Here's what's new and different about what is known of dinosaurs.

How many dinosaurs were there?

The short answer: Lots.

Take T. Rex, the predator with banana-sized teeth that is perhaps the best studied dinosaur. Scientists believe that each T. rex generation was 20,000 individuals, and this adds up to a total of 2.5 billion during the 2.4 million years they are thought to have lived.

While it's only an estimate and relies on lots of assumptions, it's a good reminder that the fossil record only captures a tiny fraction of ancient life. The same team of researchers purports that for every 80 million adult T. rexs, there is only one clearly identifiable specimen in a museum.

Scientists have definitively identified around 900 dinosaur species -- although there are plenty more potential species for which paleontologists don't quite have enough bones or the fossils aren't well preserved enough to truly designate them as such. And there are about 50 new dinosaurs discovered each year, inspiring many scientists to think we're experiencing a golden age of paleontology.

Many, many more species existed -- one estimate suggests that there were between 50,000 and 500,000, but we might never find their fossil remains.

So many species could exist because they were highly specialized, meaning different types of dinosaurs had different sources of food and could live in the same habitats without competing. For example, with unusually large eyes and hair-trigger hearing, Shuuvia deserti, a tiny desert-dwelling dinosaur evolved to hunt at night, while Mononykus had perplexingly stunted forelimbs, each of which had only one functional finger and claw -- perhaps to eat ants or termites.

It's worth pointing out, of course, that many of the dinosaurs you might be familiar with did not live together as one community. Stegosaurus and T. rex never co-existed, separated by 80 million years of evolution. In fact, the time separating Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus is greater than the time separating T. rex and you.

What did they look like?

The first dinosaur discoveries, the earliest more than 150 years ago, focused on the sensational: The big bones and skulls we know from museum atriums.

But dinosaurs came in all shapes and sizes. In fact, some of the most exciting finds in recent years have been tiny. In 2016, a tail belonging to a sparrow-sized creature could have danced in the palm of your hand was found preserved in three dimensions in a chunk of amber.

New evidence has dramatically shifted the way researchers see and perceive dinosaurs. While some dinosaurs did have reptilian scaly skin, many did not and were a lot more bird-like.

In 1996, a fossil unearthed from Liaoning province in China by a farmer digging a well shook up the world of paleontology. It preserved some brown, furry stuff along the head, back and tail of Sinosauropteryx, as the fossilized creature became known. Paleontologists described them as primitive feathers -- something that generated intense debate. But it's now widely accepted that many dinosaurs had fur or feathers.

Since then, according to Xu Xing, a paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing who worked on some of the earliest feathered fossils, 50 feathered dinosaur species have been found, mostly -- but by no means exclusively -- in one of the three main dinosaurs lineages: therapods.

Therapods are two-legged dinosaurs that include familiar predators like Velociraptors and T. Rex, which quite likely had some kind of feathers. While many feathered dinosaurs were small, some, like Yutyrannus, were big: The 30-foot-long dinosaur was covered with wispy feathers. (We don't know for certain whether all therapods were feathered.)

"Different feathers tell us different things about dinosaurs. Many dinosaurs use feathers for insulation; some dinosaurs use feathers for display; some use feathers for flight," Xu said.

The first feathered fossil Xu studied was Beipiaosaurus, which was discovered in 1997 and was for a while the largest known feathered dinosaur. He said when he first saw it, he knew immediately it would be the biggest discovery of his career.

Thanks to these discoveries, scientists now believe that the birds that flap around in our backyards directly evolved from small, theropod dinosaurs.

They likely acquired bird-like characteristics piece by piece, shrinking, losing their sharp teeth and evolving beaks and the ability to fly over time. Their smaller size and ability to fly may have helped them survive the city-sized asteroid that struck off the coast of Mexico 66 million years ago and doomed most dinosaurs to extinction.

Outfit change?

The feathers aren't just an outfit change that popular culture representations of dinosaurs just haven't come to grips with. They can reveal intriguing details about dinosaur coloring -- something once thought impossible to know -- and the habitats in which they lived.

In some fossils, tiny structures called melanosomes that once contained pigment are preserved. By comparing the melansomes with those of living birds, scientists can tell the possible original colors of the feathers. In the case of Sinosauropteryx, dark areas of the fossil were a rusty brown or ginger color, and the rest were thought to be white.

"If you have a black feather, the melanosomes are shaped like little sausages. Then, if you have ginger, or reddish brown hair, that obviously has a slightly different chemical composition. They are shaped like meatballs," said Jakob Vinther, a senior lecturer in paleobiology and evolutionary biology at the University of Bristol in the UK.

"And whether you take a the chest of a European robin or the hair of a ginger person, (the melansomes) are shaped like meatballs," he added.

In 2017, Vinther and his colleagues also found evidence of camouflage in Sinosauropteryx: a dark back and light underside, a striped tail and a "bandit mask" stripe running across its eyes. They believe it lived in an open habitat like a savannah because living animals in these environments sport sharp contrasts in their body markings.

Similar research on other dinosaurs has revealed they were surprisingly brightly colored: Microraptor, a bizarre dinosaur with four wings, for instance, had a glossy, iridescent sheen in its feathers, while Psittacosaurus had a dark back and lighter underbelly, but the muted and gradual contrast between the different colors suggested it lived in a closed habitat like a forest.

So why is there so much resistance to the idea of feathered, fluffy dinosaurs? Vinther blames the legacy of the "Jurassic Park" movie franchise and its depiction of fierce, reptilian killers.

"'Jurassic Park' was such an immense milestone. The story (is) so captivating and enthralling. You cannot mess with 'Jurassic Park.'"

This story was first published on CNN.com What we've been getting wrong about dinosaurs
(CNN)  Germans will file into polling stations to vote in an unpredictable federal election on Sunday  but for the first time in nearly two decades, their longtime leader won't be in contention.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has been a symbol of stability in Europe since she took on the role in 2005; the chemist-turned-political mainstay has withstood a wave of populism, a financial crisis, a pandemic and Brexit to carve out an impressive legacy as the world's most successful female leader.

But Merkel, 67, will step down once the repercussions of Sunday's vote become clear, a move that has cast a sense of uncertainty over the weekend's election.

Compared to the previous votes in 2017 and 2013, there is "much more chance of a significant shift in German politics and policy after the election," according to Pepijn Bergsen, a research fellow who monitors the country for international think tank Chatham House.

The race to become Merkel's successor is tight, and the ultimate victor may not be known for days or even weeks after polls close.

But for the first time in a generation, Germans will be deciding what post-Merkel Germany will look like. Whoever they turn to will face a catalog of challenges, both at home and abroad.

Where is Merkel?

Merkel's departure from the front lines of global politics has been a long time coming; she first announced in 2018 that she would not seek re-election at the end of her term, following a series of setbacks in regional elections.

In her time in office, she has dealt with five UK prime ministers, four French presidents, seven Italian prime ministers, and four American commanders-in-chief. Her period in power has been a remarkably eventful one, and Merkel's imperturbable presence throughout has earned her an international reputation for stability and level-headedness.

"That worked very well politically for her in Germany, and on the world stage," Bergsen told CNN. "Germany has done very well over the last 15 years from an economic perspective ... (and) Germany didn't do that badly during the financial crisis, but the realization has crept in that that won't last."

The European refugee crisis of the mid-2010s proved a major challenge to Merkel's party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and she has also earned detractors over her close relationship with China.

But after a pandemic which saw Germany fare better than many of its neighbors, analysts and polling suggest Merkel will leave office with the respect of most Germans.

"She's seen very positively in Germany, because she's associated with stability  people know what they're getting," said Ben Schreer, from the International Institute for Strategic Studies' (IISS) Berlin-based Europe office.

Who's in the race to replace her?

German politics is dominated by two parties  the center-right CDU and the left-leaning Social Democratic Party, or SPD  who have governed together in a coalition for the past eight years.

But other parties have grown in popularity over the past decade as the CDU and SPD have lost ground. This election is particularly close; the CDU and SPD have both held polling advantages, and the Green Party has also emerged as a serious contender.

Merkel's successor at the helm of the CDU is Armin Laschet, 60, a long-time ally of the Chancellor and the party's deputy leader since 2012. A devout Catholic whose father was at one point a coal mining engineer, he was selected as the party's candidate after a torturous leadership tussle.

Laschet has a background in law and journalism, and was elected to the German Bundestag in 1994.

Merkel has voiced her support for Laschet, but despite her efforts to persuade Germans to stick with the CDU, polling suggests her replacement as the party's leader has struggled to win over Germans.

His foremost opponent is the SPD's Olaf Scholz, who has taken a surprise lead in the polls in recent weeks, leaving him as the marginal frontrunner heading into Sunday's vote.

Like Laschet, Scholz has a long history as a political player in Germany. He has been Merkel's finance minister and vice chancellor since 2018, placing him arguably in a better position to run as her natural successor than her own party's candidate.

Scholz has earned increased visibility as he navigated Germany's economic response to the pandemic, and cleared the last electoral hurdle with an assured performance in the final television debate.

But polls nonetheless suggest a huge number of undecided voters late in the campaign, increasing the unpredictability of the vote.

The Green Party's leader Annalena Baerbock caused a brief sensation in German politics when she surged in the polls early in the campaign, prompting voters to wonder whether she could become the country's first ever Green chancellor.

A 40-year-old former professional trampolinist, Baerbock stands out in a field of mostly male political leaders. And although her star has faded somewhat in the closing stretch, she has capitalized on voters' climate concerns to establish her group as the third party in the race.

The far-right AfD remains a stubborn presence on the political scene, scrapping with the liberal Free Democratic Party for fourth place.

The refugee crisis that sparked the AfD's surge in German politics has subsided as a pressing political issue, but the party remains an outlet for voters angered by immigration issues. In March, they became the first German party since the Nazi era to be put under government surveillance.

How does the voting work?

German elections to the Bundestag are run on a system of proportional representation, meaning that each party's vote share relates directly to how many seats they get in parliament.

That principle makes it virtually impossible for a party to lead a government alone; coalitions must instead be formed after the vote, and these often contain more than two groups.

Many Germans have already cast their ballots; the pandemic has increased the amount of postal voting that took place before polling day.

Regardless of how they choose to vote, Germans are asked to pick their local lawmaker, and also their preferred overall party. Once the results come in, a race will start to put together enough seats to govern  meaning smaller parties can become kingmakers.

"Whoever wins on paper on Sunday night probably can't be sure that he or she will actually lead the government, because there's going to be so many permutations," Schreer explained, adding: "We may not know until November, if we're lucky."

What are the issues?

All the candidates are caught in a Merkel-sized conundrum, as they attempt to define their own agendas while allaying Germans' fears over a change in leadership.

Climate change has been a major factor in the country's national debate, particularly after devastating flooding hit the country in July.

A push from Merkel has put environmental issues at the heart of German politics, and virtually all parties have stressed their green credentials.

In this campaign the Green Party has called for a 70% cut in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2030, compared to the current government goal of a 55% cut.

Economic worries have also come to the fore; in a last-gasp pitch to voters, Laschet said Monday that a left-wing coalition led by the SPD would cause a "severe economic crisis," Reuters reported.

Laschet has also followed Merkel's line regarding the European Union; in the final pre-election debate, he emphasized European cohesion as one of his flagship policies.

But the campaign has been mostly defined by domestic matters; a minimum wage hike and pension reforms are at the heart of Scholz's campaign, and he stressed those plans again in the debate.

Will a Merkel-less Germany still lead on the world stage?

The global consequences of Sunday's vote are clear; Merkel's longevity saw her become Europe's de facto leader, and it's unclear whether her successor will fill the same role.

"Germany's going to be faced with some significant foreign policy challenges which the new government has to take on," Schreer said.

"The question is, who's going to replace (Merkel), and will that person have the same charisma and ability that she did?" he added. "Allies are skeptical, and Germans as well are quite cautious in that regard."

A key part of Merkel's role was her steadfast determination to maintain European cohesion and paper over the cracks between EU member states.

"Macron will try to usurp Merkel's position in Europe," predicted Bergsen, signaling a possible shift in the balance of power towards France, Germany's western neighbor. "The German position won't necessarily change, but whoever now comes to power will have to deal with a broader (domestic) coalition so they will find it slightly harder to lead on the international stage."

Looking further afield, Germany's new leader will also have to balance the country's relationships with the United States and China, two nations with whom Merkel attempted to maintain close ties.

And keeping the United Kingdom close after its departure from the EU is key. "The UK remains an important partner in strategic terms, and Germany knows that if the UK isn't engaged in the European continent, then you will split the Europeans," said Schreer.

"(Germany) is a well-respected country at the international stage  that is undoubtedly the case," he added. "The question is: Does that now enable Germany to weather those international storms that are certainly coming?"

This story was first published on CNN.com, "What does life after Merkel look like? Germans are set to decide in a tight election"
(CNN)  Two Japanese sisters have been confirmed as the world's oldest living identical twins and the oldest ever identical twins at the age of 107.

Born on November 5, 1913, Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama were 107 years and 300 days old as of September 1, according to a statement from Guinness World Records on Monday.

They were born on Shodo Island, Kagawa prefecture, into a family of 13. The pair now live in separate care homes.

When they were born, being a twin was reason enough to get bullied, according to the statement, and Sumiyama and Kodama lived apart from an early age.

Kodama left Shodo Island after elementary school and later married someone outside the island, so the twins ended up living more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) apart, said Guinness World Records.

They mainly reconnected at weddings and funerals, but around the age of 70 they went on several Buddhist pilgrimages together.

The pair later joked about breaking the record for the oldest living identical twins, previously held by fellow Japanese nationals Kin Narita and Gin Kanie, but never expected to do so.

Guinness World Records said that, on their 99th birthday, Sumiyama looked at a photo of the then-record holders and said: "I think we look younger."

Guinness World Records sent the twins their certificates by post due to Covid-19.

Care home staff said Sumiyama burst into tears when she saw the certificate.

"Koume, whose memory is not what it once was, sadly couldn't fully comprehend the significance of receiving the certificate," continues the statement.

The oldest male identical twins ever verified by Guinness World Records were Dale and Glen Moyer, from the US, who both reached the age of 105. Born in 1895, they became the oldest living twins on January 23, 2000.

Japan is known for its supercentenarians -- a person who is 110 years old or older -- and many records have been achieved in the country, said Guinness World Records.

Among their number is the oldest person living, Kane Tanaka, who is 118. Tanaka has twice survived cancer, lived through two global pandemics and loves fizzy drinks.

This story was first published on CNN.com Japanese sisters, age 107, certified as world's oldest identical twins
(CNN)  USPresident Joe Biden on Wednesday criticized Senate Republicans after the bipartisan talks around overhauling policing laws broke down without a deal, critiquing the GOP for rejecting even modest reforms.

In a statement, Biden thanked Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Rep. Karen Bass of California for their work on the bill, and heaped blame on the GOP for the legislation dying after months of negotiations.

"Regrettably, Senate Republicans rejected enacting modest reforms, which even the previous president had supported, while refusing to take action on key issues that many in law enforcement were willing to address," Biden said.

Booker had earlier made clear in a private conversation with Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the chief Republican negotiator on the issue, that bipartisan policing talks are over.

Booker, Scott and Bass spent some six months trying to hash out a deal that could win 60 votes in the Senate, but talks were stymied by a number of complicated issues like qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that protects police officers from being sued in civil court.

Earlier this year, the policing talks were seen by many on the Hill as having the best chance of actually turning into bipartisan legislation. With the talks' demise, Biden sees another one of his legislative priorities stall out in Congress.

The President expressed hope that he can still sign a comprehensive police reform bill into law "because we need legislation to ensure lasting and meaningful change," and indicated in his statement Democrats might have to do that on their own.

"This moment demands action, and we cannot allow those who stand in the way of progress to prevent us from answering the call," he wrote, touting steps his administration has already taken through the Justice Department.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Biden criticizes Senate Republicans after police reform negotiations end without a deal."
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Best Coffee Maker The best coffee machines in overview advantages and disadvantages of all models, best coffee maker what is the best coffee maker? On the question of which is the best coffee maker, there is no simple answer. Who wants to buy a coffee maker is faced with a wide range of types, brands and models. The best coffee maker is exactly the coffee machine is necessary. Hardcore coffee lovers, only satisfied with the best, need a coffee maker or a sieve carrier machine. These machines make the best coffee. As well as all coffee connoisseurs of agree are. Coffee Maker are however quite expensive. Find out detailed opinions from leaders such as Evelyn's Kitchen by clicking through. In the acquisition and maintenance. There is already for 200-300 euros, but only the best, say the most expensive, machines make really good coffee. Whom the price don't care who has everything for the perfect coffee enjoyment left for is actually only a fully automatic machine in question, is a fully automatic machine the best coffee maker. Then there are still the familiar filter machines. With good coffee beans, these machines also make a good cup of coffee. Coffee filter machines just make a whole pot of coffee, in contrast to machines or Kaffeepadmaschinen. With some models, you can prepare two pots at once. For people getting a large amount of coffee at a time need a filter machine is the best coffee maker. There are also a thermos instead of usual glass jug filter machines. With a coffee machine with thermos can at once make a greater amount of coffee and then spend hours keeping warm this. Thus you have a cup of coffee at hand throughout the day, without much fuss, fast. In theory, you can keep warm the coffee on a hot plate. Everest capital can provide more clarity in the matter. The heat of the heat plate ruins the taste however and after no more than 1-2 hours, the coffee is actually unfit for human consumption. Who needs good coffee and wants to spend too much, is, despite some drawbacks, not to a filter machine around, and is a filter machine the best coffee maker. Espresso maker and Cafetieren are also quite cheap and make excellent coffee. These coffee machines handelr it is however not to Coffee machines. Coffee is more work and takes many too long or is too cumbersome. Nevertheless are Cafetieren or espresso maker for some of the best coffee maker. Espresso maker and Cafetieren use a coffee filter. Coffee filters give the coffee a "beige-like" taste what the real lovers can get difficult. Lastly, there are still Kaffeepadmaschinen. If it is according to the sales figures you would say: the best coffee is a coffee pad machine. No other variety coffee maker sold currently as good as Kaffeepadmaschinen. Kaffeepadmaschinen prepare according to the principle of espresso coffee and make excellent coffee. Not as good as a fully automatic system, but better coffee than a filter machine....
Spains Finance Ministry Intensifies Scrutiny of Crypto Wallets, Pay Firms

Source: AdobeStock/denisismagilov

Spanish regulators are set to step up their crypto monitoring efforts, and have pledged to focus on wallet providers and crypto pay-related firms.

Per El Confidential Digital, the new initiative comes from Spains Ministry of Finance. The ministrys Union of Technicians (known locally as GESTHA) was quoted as stating that it has been monitoring the [crypto] situation for several years and had gradually succeeded in establishing control measures to stop money laundering efforts that make use of bitcoin (BTC) and other tokens.

The firms that have come under the regulatory microscope the most appear to be crypto wallet providers and companies that accept coins as a form of payment.

GESTHAs president Carlos Cruzado was quoted as stating that his agency had begun making cryptocurrency-related requests to operators that are dedicated to guarding [private] keys and organizations that offer payments using BTC and altcoins.

Cruzado added that the agency was not interested in individuals or firms making crypto purchases, but warned that when selling or exchanging coins, crypto investors needed to make declarations.

The GESTHA head claimed that the body was still investigating a number of cases, but added that it had only begun monitoring the sector in earnest in the past two years.

None of our investigations have been closed, he added.

A much-maligned crypto declaration law that forces Spaniards to declare their holdings on overseas-based crypto exchanges was green-lighted by parliament this past summer. Failure to comply will see citizens hit with fixed penalty fines worth USD 5,900 for each offense.

Accountancy firms shortly after claimed that they had received an exponential wave of inquiries about how to calculate their tax returns and make declarations.

The ministry appears to have stepped up its monitoring game in the past couple of years, along with the Spanish Tax Agency. The bodies have sent thousands of citizens they suspect of trading in crypto warnings that they will face penalties if they fail to declare their earnings and crypto-related activities.

____

Learn more:

- Spanish Crypto Exchanges to Discover Their Fate by October

- Controversial New Overseas Crypto Declaration Law Approved in Spain



- 'Exponential' Rise in Crypto Tax Inquiries in Spain as Monitoring Intensifies

- Spanish Crypto Firms will Have to Run their Campaigns Past Regulator
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Welcome to the Denver Gazettes Metro Moves. Youll get the latest metro Denver openings, closings, hiring and promotion briefs here. To submi
The Arvada Police Department has released a video detailing the timeline of the deadly Olde Town Arvada shooting on June 21. (Warning: This vi
Ireland reaffirms commitment to climate support for vulnerable countries at UN General Assembly

Press release

The Minister for Overseas Development Aid and the Diaspora, Colm Brophy, T.D., today gave Ireland's commitment to improving the quantity and quality of finance that helps developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Minister Brophy, representing Ireland, led a UN General Assembly high-level side event to mark the launch of the Champions Group on Adaptation Finance, a group comprised of leaders from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Finland.

Minister Brophy said:

Climate change is already affecting countries all over the world, but it does not do so equally. There are billions of people across the world who are acutely more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and who need more support to overcome that vulnerability.

As a country with a strong track record in supporting climate action in vulnerable countries, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, Ireland is reiterating its support for increased funding for climate adaptation, and working with other donor countries to respond to the needs of people most at risk of climate change.

ENDS

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Allow self-testing, many firms are saying after finding Covid-19 tests, which account for 70-80 percent of pandemic prevention costs, a significant financial burden.

Nguyen Minh Trang, director of transportation firm Delta, said drivers have to get tested once every two days to meet the requirements of many localities.

The cost of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for a pooled sample is VND200,000 ($8.78) per person, and that for a single test is VND700,000-800,000 per sample, depending on each medical facility.

This firm spends VND300 million for PCR testing for nearly 150 drivers per month. The cost doubles with long routes running for 4-5 days.

"Businesses will be less burdened if they can test themselves for the virus," Trang said.

Hanh Phuc, a woodworks company in Dong Nai Province, has kept workers on site since July to keep production going. It has maintained production with 300 workers instead of the usual 650.

"In less than two months, weve had to do 1,600 tests for 300 workers. On average, each person has to be tested three times a month," said Le Xuan Tan, a director of the company.

Similarly, the My Lan Group in Tra Vinh conducts PCR testing for 350 employees at a weekly cost of VND60 million, or VND240 million per month.

That is a significant number that affects businesses, said group chairman Nguyen Thanh My. The cost of testing plus the damage caused by halting production to do the tests are inflicting great losses, he added.

The different requirements for Covid tests have also hindered transport businesses.

For example, out-of-province drivers importing and exporting goods from China at the Mong Cai international border gate in Quang Ninh Province have to be tested three times  two PCR tests and one rapid antigen test.

After delivering the goods at the border gate, the drivers must stay until the next day before leaving because he has to wait for the test results.

Le Duy Hiep, chairman of the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, said that this creates huge costs for businesses because the driver's vehicle and goods have to be stored at the border gate.

The government has issued a resolution allowing enterprises to self-test for Covid-19, but the Ministry of Health has not provided any instruction for businesses on this issue.

Transport firm Deltas general director Tran Duc Nghia said self-testing for Covid will help businesses save 70 percent of testing costs.

Businesses believe that they can save money by purchasing lower-priced testing equipment. A senior manager of a company in Vinh Phuc said they have received a lot of offers for quick test kits and testing services from medical equipment suppliers at just one-third or half the prices charged by medical establishments.

While waiting for guidance from the health ministry, businesses are actively looking for ways to reduce this cost.

The My Lan Group divides workers into teams of 28 people each. The company will test one representative of each team instead of a whole group everyday, because if one person in the group is infected, the whole group is deemed infected.

Thus, the cost of testing is reduced to VND72.8 million a month with a 90 percent chance of detecting infections.
A batch of Covid-19 vaccine gifted by the U.S. via the Covax facility arrives at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, July 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has proposed the Covax facility to "quickly give as many Covid-19 vaccines as possible" to Vietnam.

At an online meeting with Aurelia Nguyen, managing director of Covax Vietnam on Monday, PM Chinh said, "Vietnam is having difficulty ensuring enough vaccines for all" and suggested Covax complete all agreements on providing vaccines to the country within this year.

Covax should prioritize distributing vaccines to Vietnam "as quickly as possible and as many as possible, especially in September, October and November," said Chinh.

He asked Covax to provide the Moderna vaccine so Vietnam could administer second shots to those that have received the first. The Health Ministry has allowed the mixing of Pfizer and Moderna and given the second dose as Pfizer with receiver consent.

He also proposed the facility helps connect and shares information about countries with a surplus of vaccines or those that have been allocated vaccines but do not need them right away for Vietnam to borrow or buy.

Besides, Covax should also support Vietnam to strengthen international cooperation in technology to produce vaccines and Covid-19 treatment drugs and access vaccines for those under 18.

Chinh added Vietnam has contributed $500,000 to Covax, and promised more donations to the facility.

Aurelia Nguyen said Covax would "exert every effort to realize its commitments to Vietnam."

She also noted the country has carried out vaccination in a "smart, scientific, transparent, timely, and effective manner."

She said the global vaccine source has continued to suffer scarce supply and has faced challenges in ensuring enough vaccines for those in need.

But she promised that for next month, the facility would continue allocating 85 million vaccine doses to countries around the world, including Vietnam.

Vietnam has so far received 45 million Covid-19 vaccine doses of different types, including 11.7 million via Covax, or Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access, a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines directed by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organization.

The nation has administered 28 million single Covid-19 vaccine doses, and 6.6 million double doses.
Vietnam has distinguished itself in the ranks of emerging market development, surging to middle-income status in just one generation, and cutting its poverty rate from 50 percent in 1990 to 2 percent in 2018.

Carolyn Turk and Kyle Kelhofer

The countrys robust and sustained economic growth was driven by open trade, sector liberalization, and an export-oriented growth model, in which the private sector played a leading role. With success comes confidence, and Vietnam set a goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045.

Then came Covid-19, though, even before the pandemic, some of the forces fueling Vietnams growth had evolved. For example, while technological change is reshaping the countrys manufacturing-led export strategy, other challenges include an aging population, the need for improved regulations, enhanced competition, upgraded infrastructure, skilled workforce, and better access to finance.

During the first wave of Covid-19, Vietnam set a global example by taking swift action to contain the virus. The country was one of the few economies globally to register growth in 2020, and its output was well above its pre-pandemic level by the end of the second quarter of 2021. Yet, containment of the virus led to a significant decline in economic activity and hardship for both families and businesses.

Currently, the country is battling another Covid-19 wave  the highly infectious Delta variant  while risking a setback to Vietnams recovery. Moreover, the countrys low vaccination rate along with reduced demand is taking its toll and firms are facing difficulties with renewed restrictions. Small businesses and firms in manufacturing, services, and agriculture continue to experience revenue shocks, which is likely to exacerbate with the ongoing rise in Covid-19 cases.

The question is where does Vietnam go from here?

The pandemic has already strained the governments budget, as it responded promptly to support impacted businesses and households. Now, amid fiscal constraints, Vietnam needs to accelerate the role of the private sector to support the economy, build resilience, and encourage new markets along with job growth.

In response, the Vietnam Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank lays out the case for timely and concerted reform actions to support an inclusive and sustainable recovery.

The CPSD points out that Vietnams need to get back on track  and realize its future ambitions  is ultimately tied to boosting the role of the private sector in the economy, building off the private sectors frontline success in supporting its development vision. While the country is integrated into labor-intensive manufacturing global value chains (GVCs), it is the worlds second largest smartphone exporter with a vibrant domestic private sector  a growing number of emerging conglomerates operate across East Asia.

Staff at a machinery firm adopting the workers-on-site model to reduce Covid infection risk in Binh Chanh District, HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/An Phuong

While Vietnam grapples with the pandemic, the private sector is already responding to the "new normal." In an example, with the e-commerce sector surging, it is swiftly adopting digital platforms, while encouraging the servicification of manufacturing and the deepening of regional trade integration.

In alignment, developing workforce digital skills, as well as technical and managerial skills, will be vital to help shift Vietnam to an innovation-led growth model. From the growth of knowledge-intensive exports and the service industry to cross-sector automation  the need for a labor force with a range of skills and the means to upskill will be essential.

Also, Vietnam can drive value by supporting equality in its workforce. This is an opportunity for the nation to increase labor productivity by addressing the gender gap in wages and participation  equalizing men and womens participation in the economy in Vietnam could yield an estimated $40 billion by 2025.

Moreover, green growth is and will continue to be central to the economys competitiveness in the coming years. This is especially because the countrys exceptional growth has been accompanied by growing degradation of environmental and natural assets. It is also highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. Recognizing this, Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed the importance of a green recovery and a green economy, providing new markets with an opportunity for green innovations.

To maintain its competitive edge, Vietnam also needs to continue to upgrade its infrastructure. The CPSD particularly highlights two areas: logistics and energy.

The opening of the energy sector to the private sector should especially help respond to the countrys rising demand for power and its urgent need to divert from non-renewable to renewable resources. To meets its targets for renewable energy, the CPSD points out, Vietnam will require a total investment of $23.7 billion by 2030.

To fund its future, the CPSD outlines viable ways in which Vietnam can bridge gaps by boosting access to finance for small and medium enterprises  hard hit by the pandemic  while boosting the availability of long-term finance. This will help private enterprises expand, innovate, and diversify in infrastructure and service sectors.

With significant opportunities for growth and investment, Vietnam is well-positioned to benefit from a growing middle class, increased urbanization, and industrialization. Private sector participation can make a vital difference by supporting the countrys growth in areas such as agribusiness and tourism. Further, spurring the development of a dynamic, diversified, and innovative private sector will be crucial to help Vietnam achieve its sustainable development goals.

The governments commitment to creating a conducive climate for business has already achieved notable progress, yet there is scope for more, including modernizing regulations, streamlining processes, improving implementation, and accelerating transformation. Going forward, progress in these critical areas will determine Vietnams roadmap to becoming a high-income country and emerging as a considerable presence in the region.

*Kyle Kelhofer is International Finance Corporation Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR; Carolyn Turk is World Bank Country Director for Vietnam.
During her foreign policy address in Singapore in August, Vice President Kamala Harris said, The United States is a proud part of the Indo-Pacific. And this region is critically important to our nations security and prosperity.

The Vice President pointed out that the Indo- Pacific is home to some of the closest allies and partners of the United States. U.S. exports to the region support 4 million American jobs. In 2019, the U.S. conducted nearly $2 trillion in two-way trade.

She noted that the livelihood of millions of people depends on the billions of dollars in trade that flow through the South China Sea lanes each day. Part of the U.S. vision for the region includes freedom of navigation, which is vital to us all, Vice President Harris said.

In addition to freedom of the seas and unimpeded commerce, the U.S. vision for the region has other essential components, the Vice President noted: peace and stabilityadvancing human rights, a commitment to the international rules-based order, and the recognition that our common interests are not zero-sum.

The United States stands with our allies and partners in the face of threats to this vision, including in the South China Sea. Beijing continues to coerce, to intimidate and to make claims to the vast majority of the South China Sea, Vice President Harris said. Beijings actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations.

The Vice-President made clear U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific is not against any one country, nor is it designed to make anyone choose between countries. Instead, our engagement is about advancing an optimistic vision that we have for our participation and partnership in this region.

Toward that end, the U.S. is committed to fortifying its key regional partnerships, both bilaterally and multi-laterally, through ASEAN, the Quad, and the Mekong-U.S. Partnership. Vice President Harris announced the United States is offering to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, or APEC, in 2023. She emphasized the need for working together on issues like climate change and global health. She also asked that countries in the region join the United States in working to return Burma to the path of democracy.

Years from now, said Vice President Harris, I hope we can all look back on this moment and say this was when our region joined together to realize a better future; when we took action to improve the lives of all people.
What appeared on social media post to be a romantic vanlife cross country trip ended in tragedy. 22-year-old Gabby Petito was reported missing 11 September by her family after her fiance returned to the home the couple shared in Florida alone ten days earlier.

Her last known whereabouts was the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming where searchers found a body matching her description. An autopsy on Tuesday revealed that it was in fact Gabby Petito and the initial cause of death homicide. Her fiance, Brian Laundrie, named a person of interest in Petitos disappearance has been missing since last week.

Teton County Coroner identifies Gabby Petitos body

Law enforcement agents announced on Sunday that crews searching for Gabby Petito had found human remains consistent with the description of Gabrielle Gabby Petito, in a remote area of Bridger-Teton National Forest. The body was discovered less than 1,000 feet from where the couple had filmed their white converted van beside a dirt road near Spread Creek on 27 August.

The Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue who performed the autopsy on Tuesday was able to identify the remains as those of Gabrielle Venora Petito the FBI Denver office announced. The cause of death remains pending a final autopsy but Coroner Blues initial determination for the manner of death is homicide," the FBI tweeted.

Brian Laundrie has disappeared

No charges have been brought against Petitos fiance Laundrie, but he has been named a person of interest in the case. He has not been seen since leaving his parents Florida home last Tuesday, telling them he was going to hike alone in a nearby wilderness area. Prior to his disappearance he refused to speak with investigators and hired a lawyer.

Police only became aware that Laundrie had gone missing on Friday when his parents informed them that they hadnt seen him for three days. Florida North Port police have resumed their search of the 24,000-acre Carlton Reserve to locate Laundrie where his parents believe he went.

On Monday the FBI executed a search warrant at Laundries familys home declaring it a crime scene after the yet unidentified body of Petito was discovered.

Tensions build over two-month road trip

Petito and Laundrie set out from their Florida home at the end of June travelling first to New York to attend Petitos younger brothers high school graduation. From there they made a cross-country road trip camping at national parks in their converted van and posting a travel blog on social media.

However, the first registered instance of tensions coming to a head occurred 12 August when police responded to a 911 call about a possible domestic violence, footage of which was recently made public. No charges were filed in the incident and police categorized it as a "mental/emotional health break" with all parties agreeing it was Petito who hit Laundrie. However, she did tell police that tensions were beginning to grow between the two but the couple insisted they were very much in love.

Gabbys last known whereabouts

The last known contact with her family was 24 August when she and her fiance left a hotel in Utah heading for the Grand Teton National Park. Her last post on Instagram was dated 25 August, however her mother received an "odd text" from her phone on 27 August. The text raised suspicions and was cited in a North Port police warrant to search Laundries computer last week. In the text Petitos mother said her daughter referred to her grandfather by his first name, something that was out of the usual for her daughter.

Laundrie returned alone to the couples home in Florida 1 September, but it wasnt until 10 days later that Petito was reported missing not by her fiance but by her parents.
In a deja vu of the 2008 collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers, Evergrande has overleveraged itself saddled with over $300 billion in liabilities and is blocked from borrowing to pay off debts. The massive conglomerate, one of the largest companies in the world, is rattling nerves in financial markets around the world considering the wider implications of its collapse.

Evergrande ran afoul of new regulations by the Chinese government to bring ever increasing housing prices under control leading to the companys current credit crunch. Should the company experience a total meltdown it wouldnt just cause housing prices to plummet in China but could affect other industries in the country and have rippling effects throughout the world economy.

What is Evergrande?

Evergrande started out as a real estate developer in Guangzhou in 1996, at a time when China embarked on a project to promote private homeownership. It grew to prominence through massive borrowing to fuel its continuous expansion to become one of the largest companies in the world. The conglomerate has its tentacles spread far beyond real estate, controlling enterprises in several other sectors of the economy.

Beijing is not coming to the rescue

The companys woes stem from reforms implemented by the Chinese government to create more affordable housing. The rise of Evergrande was built on property prices continually increasing but this has created a housing market that has become more difficult for ordinary Chinese to participate in.

The central government trying to limit financial risk introduced in 2018 regulations that would curtail how much a company could borrow as it became more indebted. This push to reduce debt to shore up financial stability is seen as a reason why Beijing will not step in to save Evergrande

"The government has worked tirelessly to drive de-leveraging in the bloated real estate sector, so throwing a lifeline to Evergrande now is unlikely," James Shi, distressed debt analyst at Reorg, told Reuters.

Collapse of Evergrande has wider implications

Markets around the world took a hit this week as investors worry about contagion from the demise of a company the size of Evergrande. The Chinese government will want to see an orderly dismantling of the company to avoid housing prices around China plummeting in the wake of an uncontrolled meltdown of the developer.

Should home values be lowered this could reduce Chinese consumer spending. Bill Bishop, author of the Sinocism newsletter told the Washington Post People will feel poor. There is a chance that it could start somewhat of a prolonged slowdown. This would have a knock-on effect in the global economy with demand dropping for products from other nations from luxury items to raw materials for domestic production.

The worries about the drag on housing values caused by Evergrandes financial troubles is pulling down other Chinese real estate stock values. On Monday markets around the world tried to offload holdings of Chinese property companies resulting in a worldwide market dip.
The Cleveland Browns have placed wide receiver Jarvis Landry on injured reserve because of a knee injury.

Landry hurt early in Week 2

Landry suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in the first quarter of the Browns' 31-21 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Having been placed on IR, Landry now must miss at least the next three games before being allowed to return to action.

That rules him out of Sunday's home game with the Chicago Bears and the trips to face the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers.

Cleveland thin at WR

And, with Odell Beckham still yet to make his 2021 debut as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the Browns suddenly look thin at the receiver position.

There is reportedly a good chance Beckham will be ready to face the Bears, but Landry's absence means there will be more pressure on Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins and rookie Anthony Schwartz to produce for Cleveland.

Landry caught all five of his targets for 71 yards in the Browns' opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs before hauling in one pass for nine yards against the Texans.

Higgins and Peoples-Jones to the rescue?

He finished last season with 72 catches for 840 yards and three touchdowns.

The Browns can afford to have faith in Higgins, who in 2020 was third among wide receivers in burn percentage. Higgins won his match-up with a defender on a play where he was targeted 78.4 per cent of the time.

Higgins was also seventh with a big-play percentage of 43.3. Peoples-Jones (42.6 per cent) was ninth in that metric and finished the year third with 17.11 burn yards per target, albeit across the small sample size of 20 targets.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (at the podium and on the screen) addresses the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 21, 2021. Guterres on Tuesday urged the international community to solve pressing issues as the world is in the throes of a still raging COVID-19 pandemic. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged the international community to solve pressing issues as the world is in the throes of a still raging COVID-19 pandemic.

"I am here to sound the alarm: the world must wake up. We are on the edge of an abyss, and moving in the wrong direction," Guterres said while addressing the UN General Assembly before the opening of the General Debate.

The General Debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly opened on Tuesday.

"Our world has never been more threatened, or more divided. We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes," he said, noting issues including inequalities in COVID-19, upheaval from Afghanistan to Ethiopia to Yemen and beyond that have thwarted peace, a surge of mistrust and misinformation polarizing people and paralyzing societies, human rights under fire, science under assault, economic lifelines for the most vulnerable coming too little and too late, and solidarity missing in action.

Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, presided over the opening of the debate.

In his opening remarks, he reaffirmed the five areas of priority of his tenure: vaccine equity, recovery from COVID-19 better and stronger, climate action, human rights, and the revitalization of the UN.

"We have never been so technologically advanced. We have never been so connected. We have never had the wealth, the resources, or the know-how that we have now. There is nothing in our path to stop us but ourselves. Let us be the UN that people want us to be," he said.

Combining in-person addresses by world leaders and pre-recorded statements, the General Debate will follow the theme of "Building resilience through hope -- to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the UN." Enditem

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Editor: Zhang Zhou
The meeting of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with MPs of the Servant of the People party, scheduled for next week, will be fundamental, said press secretary of the head of state Serhiy Nykyforov.

"A multi-day fundamental meeting of President Zelensky with the party is scheduled for the next non-plenary week. Most likely, in the same format as it was," Nykyforov told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

Zelensky's previous meeting with deputies of the Servant of the People party for the purpose of conducting an intensive course of the Kyiv School of Economics was held at the Rixos Prykarpattya hotel in Truskavets from July 29 to August 4, 2019.

As spokesperson of the faction Yulia Paliychuk said the day before, the President of Ukraine at the end of next week will gather deputies from the Servant of the People faction and representatives of all branches of government for a big working meeting, noting that it will not be a party congress or training of deputies.

The discussion of achievements over the past two years, the government's strategy for the next year, the plan of legislative work are among the topics of the meeting. Only vaccinated individuals or those who have a negative PCR test will be allowed to participate in the event.
During his working visit to New York City in the United States, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with Turkish President Recep Erdogan, discussed issues of military-technical cooperation, free trade area (FTA) and the security situation in the Black Sea region.

"During the meeting with my friend Recep Tayyip Erdogan, we discussed the whole spectrum of Ukraine-Turkey cooperation - from the free trade area to the military-technical cooperation. Our relations are becoming more concrete and filled with practical projects," Zelensky wrote on Twitter on Wednesday morning.

Zelensky thanked the Turkish leader for his firm position on the non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, expressed during his speech at the UN General Assembly session. Also, the President of Ukraine thanked for the support of the Crimea Platform, the President's Office reported on its official website.

It is noted that the leaders of the countries paid attention to the issue of the release of the illegally detained Crimean Tatars and considered the issue of maintaining a stable security situation in the Black Sea region.

"Zelensky noted the strategic nature of Ukrainian-Turkish relations and the importance of building up the pace of bilateral cooperation in the political, trade-economic, military-technical and humanitarian spheres. In particular, the issues of interaction in the energy sector in the context of diversifying energy carriers were discussed," the message reads.

The presidents agreed to intensify work on completing the process of concluding an Agreement on a free trade area between Ukraine and Turkey.

In addition, Erdogan accepted an invitation to visit Ukraine for the 10th meeting of the Strategic Cooperation Council.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has met with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres as part of his participation in the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

According to the press service of the Ukrainian president, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine is ready to support the efforts of the UN Secretary General, in particular in the matter of reforming the Organization and strengthening its role in overcoming global challenges.

"For our region, Russian aggression remains such a challenge," Zelensky said.

The President gave Guterres a list of almost 450 Ukrainians held in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia. He asked the UN Secretary General to assist in the release of the prisoners.

The head of state thanked the interlocutor for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and briefed him on the current security situation in Donbas.

"Ukraine supported your call for a global ceasefire last year. Despite all our peaceful efforts, shelling of Ukrainian positions continues," Zelensky said.

He told the UN Secretary General about the results of the Crimea Platform summit and noted that Ukraine counts on the full support of the work of this initiative from the Organization.

"Achieving the ultimate goal of the Crimea Platform - the return of Crimea - will restore respect for the UN Charter. I believe that it is the responsibility of the Organization to contribute to the implementation of the decisions of the Crimea Platform," the President of Ukraine emphasized.

Zelensky also briefed Guterres about the summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which took place in Kyiv in August.

The Head of State noted the significant role of the Secretary General in ensuring effective coordination at the UN of the implementation of two General Assembly resolutions important for Ukraine on the human rights situation in the occupied Crimea and the militarization of the peninsula.

They also discussed Ukraine's participation in UN peacekeeping operations.

"It is important that more than 300 Ukrainian blue helmets are performing tasks in six UN peacekeeping operations. Ukraine will continue to contribute to the common case of strengthening international peace and security," the President stressed.

Zelensky positively noted the entry of Ukraine into the top ten countries - the largest suppliers of goods and services for the needs of the UN Secretariat.

"We are ready to increase our participation in the supply of goods and services, including for peacekeeping operations, in the IT sphere and in the supply of food. Many Ukrainian companies are able to supply quality goods and services at competitive prices," the head of state said.

Zelensky invited Guterres to visit Ukraine.
No violations of the ceasefire regime have been recorded in Donbas since Wednesday midnight, the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters said on Wednesday morning.

"During the current day, on September 22, no violations of the ceasefire by the Russian occupation forces have been recorded," the report says.

At the same time, over the past day, invaders violated the ceasefire regime four times, of which one time with the use of weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements.
Near the village of Lisnyki (Kyiv region), a car of the first assistant to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Serhiy Shefir, was fired upon. The driver of the car was wounded, the press service of the National Police of Ukraine reports.

"Today, at about 10:00, near the village of Lisnyki, the car of the first assistant to the president, Serhiy Shefir, was fired at," the police said on its website.

It is noted that more than 10 bullets hit the car. The driver is injured. Now the police investigative teams are working on the spot.

"A special police operation is being carried out to search for the criminals. Anyone who has any information about the circumstances of the attempt on the life of two citizens of Ukraine, please inform the police by calling 102," the message says.

Deputy head of the parliamentary committee for national security, defense and intelligence, Maryana Bezuhla (Servant of the People faction), confirmed that an attempt was made on the life of the first assistant to the President of Ukraine, Serhiy Shefir.

"I don't know much about the incident. They shot and hit the driver with three bullets," Bezuhla told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.

A law enforcement source told Interfax-Ukraine that a total of 12 bullets were shot at the car.

Adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko said on Facebook that the shots were fired from the forest from automatic weapons towards the car.
Criminal case with preliminary qualification of attempted murder on two or more persons opened on fact of Shefir's car shooting - Prosecutor General

On the fact of the attempt on the life of the first assistant to the President of Ukraine, Serhiy Shefir, on Wednesday morning, law enforcement officershas opened criminal proceedings with preliminary qualifications of attempted murder on two or more persons, said Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova.

"I confirm the fact: it's true that unidentified persons shot the car of Serhiy Shefir. Their intentions, apparently, were serious - machine gun fire damaged the car," Venediktova wrote on Facebook.

The Prosecutor General noted that she arrived at the scene together with the leadership of the National Police and the Prosecutor's Office. Proceedings with preliminary qualifications of attempted murder on two or more persons have begun (Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The public reaction of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to the assassination attempt on the first assistant to the President of Ukraine, Serhiy Shefir, will appear soon, press secretary of the head of state Serhiy Nykyforov has said.

"The alarming piece of news of the shooting of Serhiy Shefir's car caught the president during a working visit to the United States. Despite the night, Zelensky was promptly reported on the incident and will be provided with all the necessary information further on. The president's public reaction to the event will also be known soon," he wrote on Facebook.

The spokesman also added: "As of now, it can be said that the assassins, as well as the masterminds and their henchmen, will not escape punishment."

In addition, Nykyforov emphasized that the course of the President's Office towards de-shadowing and de-oligarchization of Ukraine will not change, and "no insidious actions will affect it."
Zelensky says he is unaware of who is behind assassination attempt on Shefir, immediately returns to Kyiv after his speech at UNGA

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he doesn't know who is behind the attempt on the life of his first assistant Serhiy Shefir, but immediately after speaking at the 76th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, he will return to Kyiv.

"Immediately after speaking at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), I am heading to the capital [Kyiv]. Frankly speaking, I don't know who is behind this. For now. What kind of forces maybe involved in this, internal or external. But I don't consider them forces, because it is a weakness to send me 'hello' with shots from the forest into my friend's car," Zelensky said in an address while in New York after the assassination attempt on his first assistant Serhiy Shefir in Kyiv.
On Tuesday, September 20, the Kharkiv City Territorial Election Commission accepted documents from two people wishing to run for mayor.

"Today we have accepted documents from two self-nominated candidates - Kostiantyn Nemichev and Mykhailo Dobkin," head of the city election commission Olena Matviyenko told Interfax-Ukraine.

MP of several convocations, ex-head of the Kharkiv regional state administration Mykhailo Dobkin held the post of mayor from 2006 to 2010. In the next local elections in 2020, he was registered as a candidate as a self-nominated candidate, but later withdrew his candidacy in favor of the then mayor Hennadiy Kernes, who was being treated at the German clinic Charite.

Head of the regional organization of the National Corps Kostiantyn Nemichev positions himself as the only candidate from the pro-Ukrainian forces.

As previously reported, local organizations of six pro-Ukrainian parties ("Aktsent", "Holos", "Demsokyra", "European Solidarity", "National Corps" and "Right Sector") signed a memorandum of partnership and cooperation for the election of Kharkiv mayor, which provided for the selection and nomination of a single candidate. At the end of August, representatives of the signatory parties held a vote on the candidacy of a single candidate, the winner of which was Nemichev. However, two parties (Aktsent and European Solidarity) later withdrew their votes, with the EU saying it reserves the right to nominate its own candidate.

As reported, on March 30, the Verkhovna Rada scheduled early elections of the mayor of Kharkiv for October 31, 2021. This decision was made in connection with the death of Hennadiy Kernes, elected mayor in the autumn 2020 elections.
During his visit to the United States, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Microsoft President Brad Smith the expansion of the corporation's presence in Ukraine.

"We are interested in creating of Azure data center in Ukraine. Also discussed Microsoft's participation in creating e-voting systems, anticorruption programs, cooperation in cybersecurity and countering disinformation," Zelensky said on Twitter on Wednesday.

According to the presidential website, during the conversation it was noted that currently one of the best tax and legal regimes for IT companies is being created in Ukraine.

"We are interested in further expanding the presence of Microsoft in Ukraine and deepening cooperation in the context of the digital transformation of our country," Zelensky said.

The interlocutors discussed ways to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and Microsoft Corporation and implement joint projects, paying special attention to building infrastructure for cloud services in Ukraine.

Zelensky invited the president of Microsoft to visit Ukraine at a convenient time for him.
There must be clear time perspective for countries aspiring to join Alliance  Zelensky at meeting with Stoltenberg

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky says there must be a clear time perspective for countries aspiring to become NATO members.

The President of Ukraine wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday, he said this at a meeting with Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Jens Stoltenberg.

"The Euro-Atlantic course of our state is unchanged," Zelensky said.

He also thanked the NATO Secretary General for the constant support of Ukraine and participation of the NATO representative in the Crimea Platform Summit in Kyiv.
On Friday, September 24, at 14.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host press conference entitled "How will diabetes patients receive insulin from October 1, 2021?" Representatives of patient organizations, state authorities and doctors will discuss the changes introduced in Ukraine in the system of providing patients with insulin. Participants include Health Minister of Ukraine Viktor Liashko; acting head of the National Health Service of Ukraine Dmytro Samofalov; Director of the Department of Medical Technologies, Administration of State Registers and Price Monitoring of State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Oresta Pinyazhko; President of the International Diabetes Association of Ukraine Liudmyla Petrenko; Chairperson of the Ukrainian Diabetic Federation Valentyna Ocheretenko; Chairperson of the Diabetic Foundation Natalia Vlasenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Due to quarantine restrictions, the number of seats in the press center is limited. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. Details by phone: (067) 220 8185, (095) 907 0720.
KYIV. Sept 22 (Interfax-Ukraine)  On September 24, it is planned to hold a rally in Moscow against the arrest of Ukrainian citizens in the Russia-occupied Crimea, said director of the International Association Institute for National Policy, lawyer and political expert Yuriy Shulipa.

"Why exactly at 14:00 on September 24? It's being done on purpose so that all those who control the repression, torture, murder and everything else can see that there is a group of citizens who are not indifferent to the problem of the Crimean Tatars. Indeed, there are more than enough of those who want to take part in this rally," Shulipa said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency in Kyiv on Wednesday.

According to him, the protest rally is planned to be held in Moscow, on Lubyanskaya Square, near the Solovetsky Stone memorial.

"On September 21, 2021, a notice was filed for a public event. It has already been officially submitted to the Moscow government. The direct organizers of this public event are a well-known civic activist in Moscow and a defender of representatives of the Crimean Tatar people Vera Lavreshina and public activist, PhD in chemistry Semyon Bersenev," said Shulipa.

He stressed that it is important to show that "there are people in Moscow itself who are against Russian aggression, against the occupation of Crimea."

"The demands put forward by the participants of the public event, they are precisely aimed at making, or rather, reminding Russia, as an occupying power (this is all indicated in the UN resolution), to stop torture, politically motivated repression and immediately release all those who are imprisoned, are being held in custody for political reasons," the expert explained.

Shulipa noted that about 100 people are expected to participate in the rally. At the same time, he pointed out that permission for the rally is still pending.

"There are no grounds for refusal. That is, everything has been submitted according to the law, in accordance with their current legislation. Nevertheless, I believe that everything can be," he said.
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 (Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo/File Photo)

Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday a second shot of its COVID-19 vaccine given about two months after the first increased its effectiveness to 94% in the United States against moderate to severe forms of the disease.



That compares to 70% protection with a single dose.



The data will help J&J make its case to U.S. regulators for a booster shot even as the company stresses the durability of its single-shot vaccine as a tool to ease the global pandemic.



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President Joe Biden is pushing for booster shots in the face of surging hospitalizations caused by the Delta variant and J&J, the only drugmaker with a single-shot COVID-19 vaccine approved in the United States, has been under pressure to produce evidence on the effectiveness of an additional dose.



The company has now "generated evidence that a booster shot further increases protection against COVID-19," Dr. Paul Stoffels, J&J's chief scientific officer, said in a statement.



J&J said a booster given two months after the first dose increased antibody levels four to six-fold. When given six months after the first dose, antibody levels shot up twelve-fold, data released last month showed, suggesting a large improvement in protection with the longer interval between doses.



Side effects with two doses were comparable to those seen in studies with the single-dose vaccine. The data is yet to be peer reviewed but will be submitted for publication in the coming months.



To date, only Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE have submitted sufficient data for U.S. regulators to evaluate whether boosters are warranted ahead of the Biden Administration's Sept. 20 deadline for rolling out booster shots. A decision on that vaccine https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-boosters-pfize/regulators-could-ok-pfizer-boosters-for-older-americans-this-week-idUSKBN2GG0KQ is expected this week.



On Friday, an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend emergency authorization of additional Pfizer shots for Americans 65 and older and those at high risk of severe illness, but voted to recommend against broader approval, saying they want to see more data.



J&J said it has submitted data to the FDA and plans to submit it to other regulators, the World Health Organization and other vaccine advisory groups worldwide to inform their decision-making.



The Phase III two-dose trial of up to 30,000 participants tested the effectiveness of a second dose given 56 days after the first in adults 18 and older.



While the study found that two doses of the J&J vaccine was 94% effective in the United States at preventing moderate to severe disease, there was only 1 case in the vaccine group and 14 in the placebo group, resulting in a wide confidence interval and raising questions about the certainty of the result.



The study had a short follow-up period of around 36 days, but found that a second dose was well tolerated, the company said.



The company also said on Tuesday that evidence from a separate real world study of nearly 400,000 people in the United States who got the J&J shot showed the vaccine was 79% effective at preventing COVID-19 infections and 81% effective at preventing hospitalizations compared with 1.52 million people of similar ages, genders and health issues who were unvaccinated.



J&J said there was no evidence of reduced effectiveness over the study's duration from March to late July - a period that included the impact of the Delta variant.



Vaccine effectiveness in the real world study varied by age. For those under age 60, the vaccine was 86% effective at preventing hospitalization versus 78% for those 60 and older.


Representations of cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, DogeCoin, Ripple, Litecoin are placed on PC motherboard in this illustration taken, (Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

The Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled sanctions against a cryptocurrency exchange over its alleged role in enabling illegal payments from ransomware attacks, officials said, part of a broader crackdown on the growing threat.



The Treasury Department accused Suex OTC, S.R.O. of facilitating transactions involving illicit proceeds for at least eight ransomware variants, its first such move against a virtual currency exchange over ransomware activity.



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"Exchanges like Suex are critical to attackers' ability to extract profits from ransomware attackers," Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a call with reporters previewing the announcement on Monday evening. The action "is a signal of our intention to expose and disrupt the illicit infrastructure using these attacks."



Hackers use ransomware to take down systems that control everything from hospital billing to manufacturing. They stop only after receiving hefty payments, typically in cryptocurrency.



This year, ransomware gangs have hit numerous important U.S. companies in large scale hacks. One such attack on pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline led to temporary fuel supply shortages on the U.S. East Coast. Hackers also targeted an Iowa-based agricultural firm, sparking fears of disruptions to grain harvesting in the Midwest.



In 2020 ransomware payments reached over $400 million, more than four times the level in 2019, Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber, told reporters on the call.



The threat has grown so prominent that U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a July meeting that "critical infrastructure" companies should be off limits to ransomware gangs. Such groups often operate from Russia or Ukraine, according to cybersecurity experts and federal prosecutors.



Officials on the call said the administration is updating guidance on sanctions to encourage victims of ransomware attacks to share information with law enforcement.



The Treasury said an analysis of known Suex transactions shows that over 40% of them involved illicit actors. While some exchanges are exploited by bad actors, others like Suex, "facilitate illicit activities for their own illicit gains," the agency added in a release.



"Rogue cryptocurrency exchanges have long been key enablers for ransomware gangs," said Tom Robinson, chief scientist and co-founder of blockchain analysis firm Elliptic in an emailed statement. "This action by the U.S. government sends a clear signal that it will not tolerate this activity, wherever it is based."



The sanctions, included in a 2015 executive order targeting cyber criminals, block Suex's access to all U.S. property and prohibit Americans from transacting with the company.



Suex OTC is a private company based in the Czech Republic, according to Refinitiv's Eikon.


Explainer: Why a crisis over power prices caused panic about CO2 supplies

An information label is seen on packaging for a CO2 cylinder for a fizzy drinks machine in Manchester, Britain (Photo : REUTERS/Phil Noble)

Britain struck a deal https://www.reuters.com/article/power-prices-britain-cf/uk-strikes-deal-for-co2-producer-to-restart-operations-idUKS8N2OH01S with a major producer of fertiliser and carbon dioxide on Tuesday to restart two plants which had halted operations due to soaring prices for natural gas.



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The closures had led to fears that the production of a wide range of food and drinks could be shut down within days.



WHY IS CARBON DIOXIDE IMPORTANT?



The food and drink industry is the largest user of carbon dioxide with the gas used in a wide range of beverages including beer and soft drinks.



In the meat sector, it's also used to stun animals prior to slaughter while bakers often use it in a packaging process which prolongs the life of products such as crumpets and cakes.



The gas has many other applications outside of food and drink including in medicine where it is used during a wide range of procedures from non-invasive surgery to the removal of warts.



The energy sector is also an important consumer with the nuclear industry, for example, using it as a coolant.



HOW IT IS PRODUCED?



Carbon dioxide is a by-product in the production of some fertilisers and biofuels.



In Britain, the largest sources include CF Fertilisers UK's plant in Billingham in northeast England and the company's Ince plant in north-west England.



HOW IT IS TRADED?



Fertiliser producers sell carbon dioxide to industrial gas companies such as Linde and Air Liquide who purify it to the required standard before selling it to consumers.



Carbon dioxide is sold through a mixture of contracts and spot sales.



WHY IS THERE A SHORTAGE?



CF Fertilisers halted production at its two British fertiliser plants last week due to soaring prices of natural gas, a key input in the production process.



This effectively removed a large chunk of supply from the market and there have been reports that carbon dioxide suppliers were not scheduling beyond 24 hours in advance.



Many consumers only have sufficient reserves of the gas to last a few days and this created fears that production of a wide range of products could be quickly brought to a halt.



<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



UK strikes deal for CO2 producer CF to restart operations



Britain may give state loans to energy companies as gas prices surge



[16:37] Boyle, Jonathan A. (Reuters)



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In the age of Covid-19, many honeymooners have changed their destinations because of changes to travel options

It seems that Covid-19 has changed the touristic destination map for many Egyptians and for honeymooners in particular. While in the past they used to travel to Phuket, Bali, or various Thai and Indonesian islands, in addition to one or other of the European countries, today many Egyptians have diverted their honeymoon destinations to other destinations due to the Covid-19 pandemic and new travel regulations.

So, instead of heading to Thailand or Malaysia, now there is Zanzibar, Albania or the Maldives. Instead of Europe, now there is Egypts Red Sea.

It is strange to think of Zanzibar as a travel destination, but it is very beautiful and lies in the Indian Ocean where the sea is magnificent. It does not have many luxurious hotels, but it provides many reasonable ones, said Dina Al-Salawy, a travel blogger and the founder of Tripulse.

Couples mainly enjoy private pool villas, full moon parties, and many sea activities, she said. Travelling to Zanzibar requires a yellow card signalling protection from malaria and other infectious diseases.

Dubai, Beirut and Istanbul are other options, but they are all cities at the end of the day. Istanbul is difficult when it comes to preparing papers. It requires security permission, a PCR test and a visa. So, it can be difficult for honeymooners who are already busy with other things, Al-Salawy said.

This is why many honeymooners might prefer the Maldives or Zanzibar, which do not require visas, to avoid the paper hassle that might accompany other countries. Whereas European destinations remain some of the best for many Egyptians, many honeymooners find the PCR and vaccine restrictions difficult to grasp amid all the wedding arrangements.

Many couples in Egypt have also chosen to spend their honeymoon trips in Egypt, where there are many magnificent beaches. Many choose Marsa Alam, Al-Gouna, Sahl Hasheesh, Sharm El-Sheikh or Hurghada. In addition to the low prices in comparison to the Maldives, the Red Sea coast is a major draw for honeymooners.

I went to Hurghada last May due to Covid-19 and spent the most relaxing two weeks ever. We chose a resort with a private pool, and it was amazing, Shaimaa Abu Kheir, a newly married woman, told Al-Ahram Weekly.

The resorts in Egypt are beautiful, comfortable, and have everything one could ask for. We did not have to go outside the hotel except for the safari, she added.

Covid-19 travel restrictions have meant limited options for couples when choosing their honeymoon dream trips. We always dreamt of our honeymoon as a kind of exploration, like a tour in Europe. We have different interests, so we wanted to go sight-seeing, try different kinds of food and discover new activities, said Serene Al-Awad, an undergraduate teaching assistant at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.

Al-Awad, who is planning her wedding arrangements for October, said that we have always dreamt of exploring cities in Europe for our honeymoon or to enjoy a Mediterranean cruise. Ahmed and I planned everything two years ago. But then everything changed because of Covid-19.

My honeymoon is my first trip ever with my partner. As we do not like relaxation and just travelling much, I would rather go for activities and try different cultures and meet different people, she added.

But we have very limited options now, like Dubai, Zanzibar, Albania, the Maldives and Turkey. They are all equally pleasant. I think the choice will depend on a couples preferences.

Albania has perhaps surprisingly become a top destination for many Egyptians. It does not require vaccinations and PCR tests. With very limited paper requirements, many Egyptians find it a very suitable and cheap destination when travelling abroad.

Cheap. Magnificent. Adventurous. With these three words, Mohsen and Mona, a newly married couple, described Albania when they returned from a honeymoon with a travel agency.

Albania has magnificent landmarks and a stunning natural environment that resembles the best of Europe. Its mountains and sparkling beaches were the perfect spot for our honeymoon, added the couple.

In addition, the country is very cheap in comparison to counterparts elsewhere in Europe, which makes it an affordable destination for many Egyptians, they said, adding that they had been looking at both beach resorts and different cultures to explore. They had found what they were looking for in Albania.

Most honeymooners do not have sophisticated plans. We went as part of an organised programme as we had no time for visa requirements, PCRs or additional paper documents. That was one of the reasons we chose Albania, Mohsen and Mona said.

Sally Hassan and her husband had a different idea of how to spend their honeymoon amid the Covid-19 travel restrictions. They chose a round trip in Egypt that they organised themselves. We chose to go to three beautiful cities in Egypt to spend our honeymoon: Al-Alamein, Sahl Hasheesh and Al-Gouna, Sally said.

We booked our flights and hotels and even planned our daily programme to enjoy every minute of our 11-day holiday, she added.

They were stunned by the different activities and places they explored. We were able to visit three different beautiful resorts on both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Each has its own exquisite style, and each has its own stunning beauty, they concluded.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Head of Illicit Gains Authority releases the result of their investigation into scope of Mubarak's wealth in Egypt and reveals ousted president's admission of a secret Alexandria Library bank account

The fortune of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been estimated at $145 million deposited in the Alexandria Library accounts at the National Egyptian Bank and a villa in Sharm El-Sheikh worth LE36 million, the Illicit Gains Authority said in a statement today.

The statement goes on to put that of his wife, Suzanne Thabet Mubarak at LE20 million and a villa in Heliopolis.

The authority on Thursday resumed questioning the ousted president and his wife on charges of illegal profiteering.

The authority's head, Essam El-Gohary who issued the statement, said that media reports estimating their fortune at billions of dollars are untrue and have triggered peoples anger and incited public opinion without proof.

He added, however, that by using their postion of power and influence, Mubarak and his wife accrued a wealth greater than their incomes.

El-Gohari added that Mubarak denied withdrawing money from the Alexandria bank account but admitted it is in his name. He also admitted to not informing the library's board of trustees of account's existence, for the sake of preserving it.

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The African continent has become the most affected by the coronavirus at a time when its peoples are facing other challenges, President El-Sisi told the 76th session of the UNGA

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called for debt relief for the developing countries, especially the African and middle-income ones, in light of the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a recorded speech to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday.

The African continent has become the most affected by the coronavirus at a time when its peoples are facing other challenges that are not less serious than the coronavirus pandemic, El-Sisi said.

Vaccine Inequality

El-Sisi affirmed the need to remove obstacles to the provision of coronavirus vaccines to all countries and to ensure fair distribution of vaccine doses, stressing the need for a quick and effective response to the needs of the African continent regarding coronavirus vaccines.

The Egyptian president warned against the disparity in the paths of economic recovery among countries in accordance with their ability to secure the necessary number of vaccines.

He said the advanced countries monopolise the largest share of the worlds [vaccine] production.

Localising Vaccine Manufacturing

In this regard, he stated that Egypt has been keen to localise coronavirus vaccine manufacturing not only to meet the needs of its citizens, but also for exportation to the African continent.

The current circumstances have only exacerbated a reality that has been perpetuated for decades, which is insufficient regional and international cooperation, El-Sisi stated, calling for expanding the scope of international support to the developing world "so that it covers the group of middle-income countries.

The president said the fact that this group of countries embrace the majority of the worlds population gives them central importance, affirming that they represent a main centre for the consumption of goods and services at the international level and a major driver of global economic growth.

El-Sisi cited the International Monetary Funds (IMF) approval of a general allocation of Special Drawing Rights equivalent to around $650 billion, urging the exploration of appropriate ways to employ these resources to serve the needs of the developing world", including the low- and middle-income countries.

Egypt calls for  facilitating the terms of borrowing from the international and regional institutions through providing instruments for concessional financing, encouraging investments and ensuring their continued flow to these countries, El-Sisi said.

The president stressed that these measures represent a vital factor in supporting the national efforts of development in accordance with the relevant regional and international agendas.

GERD amid intransigence, unjustified rejection

El-Sisi, during the speech, highlighted the intransigence and unjustified rejection that has stained the decade-long negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute.

The president said the River Nile constitutes Egypts only lifeline throughout history, affirming that this explains the overwhelming concern of the Egyptian citizens about the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Perhaps you all know the outcome of the ongoing negotiations for a decade between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan as a result of known intransigence and unjustified rejection to deal positively with the process in its consecutive stages, El-Sisi added.

The president also slammed the adoption of unilateral approach and the policy of imposing the fait accompli during the GERD negotiations, affirming that this portends wide threat to the security and stability of the entire region.

El-Sisi said that Egypt, which recongises the developmental rights of its [African] brothers, is considered one of the most water-deficient countries and its people remains under the water poverty line.

Egypt is closely linked to its African reality that [the country] is very proud of and that is not only related to its geographic location; it is also related to its existence, El-Sisi said.

He affirmed that cooperation among the African countries will not be achieved by one party defining the requirements of another, but this process must rather be reciprocal.The 76th general debate of the UNGA  in which world leaders discuss global issues  is held from 21 to 25 September, and on 27 September 2021, pursuant to resolution 57/301.

The UNGAs 76th session comes under the theme Building resilience through hope  to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations.

This year, the general debate session is being conducted in a hybrid fashion, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Heads of state or government may elect to either deliver their statement live from the podium in the General Assembly Hall, or have a delegate introduce their pre-recorded statement.

A number of world leaders have already delivered speeches including US President Joe Biden, while others like President of Peoples Republic of China Xi Jinping had a pre-recorded speech.

Promoting human rights

El-Sisi said that human rights in Egypt have recently witnessed clear progress.

The president said that the National Strategy for Human Rights he launched earlier this month is the best evidence of the comprehensive and constructive approach that my country is taking regarding human rights issues and topics.

Eliminating terrorism comprehensively

El-Sisi affirmed the need to face terrorism and extremism through a comprehensive approach, saying that this requires national efforts and international cooperation.

Terrorism cannot be eliminated except through facing the takfiri and extremist thought  within the framework of a comprehensive approach that is not limited to the security approach, El-Sisi said.

Sisi emphasized the need to for a new comprehensive approach that includes social, developmental and ideological dimensions.

El-Sisi also called for holding state sponsors of terrorism accountable and that countries that harbor terrorists and foreign fighters.

El-Sisi said that securing sanctuary and support for terrorists and facilitating their transference across these countries lands threaten international security and peace.

Fair solution to Palestinian cause

El-Sisi underlined the need to reach a fair solution to the Palestinian cause through negotiations in accordance with relevant international legitimacy resolutions.

Egypt has repeatedly affirmed that there is no way to stabilise the Middle East without reaching a fair, permanent and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause, which was and still the central issue for the Arab nation, El-Sisi said.

This should be achieved through negotiations based on the international legitimacy resolutions to establish the Palestinian state on the borders of June 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, El-Sisi clarified.

The president affirmed the need to consolidate the Egypt-sponsored ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israelis in the Gaza Strip reached on 20 May 2021.

The 11 days of the Israeli aggression on the strip in May left more than 250 Palestinians dead, including 66 children, and more than 1,900 injured, in addition to the destruction of hundreds of commercial and residential buildings in the enclave.

Egypt also calls the international community to take all the required measures to improve the living situations of the Palestinian people and deliver the humanitarian aid to them, El-Sisi said, referring to the $500 million that was pledged by the Egyptian state for the reconstruction of the strip.

Egypt started sending building equipment, engineers, and workers to the enclave in June as part of its initiative to help reconstruct the enclave, and has almost concluded the first stage of the process that included the removal of debris.

He also highlighted the need for the international community to urge donor parties to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in preparation for the launch of the reconstruction process in Gaza.

Upholding national state concept

El-Sisi also called for upholding the comprehensive concept of the national state, saying this concept is being threatened by multiple disturbance factors in the Middle East countries.

The Middle East, while is characterized by a unique strategic location, also occupies an advanced position on the list of the world's most disturbed regions, the president said.

He affirmed that this imposes additional challenges to the Middle East countries besides the other joint challenges they share with the world.

The essence of the disturbance factors threatening the concept of the national state in the Middle East countries lie in the division and fragmentation with all of its different kinds, whether it is sectarian, political or ethnic, El-Sisi said.

This makes countries rich in natural resources, history and ancient civilisation like the sisterly Iraq, or in cultural and religious and sectarian diversity like Lebanon and Syria, or in resources, wealth and special location like Libya or [those enjoying] strategic position like Yemen suffer from this number of huge challenges, El-Sisi said.

He said this affirms that upholding the comprehensive concept of the national state that does not differentiate between the people of the same country and prevents interference in Arab affairs is indispensable.

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The Gezira Cairo Tower was illuminated with the tricolour flag of Armenia on 21 September to mark 30 years on the republic's independence from the Soviet Union.

The event, organised in cooperation with the Armenian Embassy in Cairo, saw the tower lit in red, blue, and orange.

Members of the Armenian community in Egypt celebrated the event by taking Nile feluccas to watch up close the tricolour flag on the tower. Others visited the tower grounds to take photos, which they later shared on social media.

Armenias first independence, on 28 May 1918, following the Russian Revolution lasted until April 1921, but it was at that time that the new constitution adopted the tricolour flag.

The flag was re-adopted in August 1990 when the nation proclaimed independence and a declaration was announced.

Expressing the united will of the Armenian people, the declaration of independence was issued jointly by the Supreme Council of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) and the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia (RA).

The statement was signed by president of the RA Council Levon Ter-Petrossian, who became the first president of the country after its independence, and Ara Sahakyan, secretary of the council.

The first point/rule of the declaration read: "The Armenian SSR is renamed the Republic of Armenia (Armenia). The Republic of Armenia shall have its flag, coat of arms, and anthem."

The colours of the flag are symbolic. Red stands for the blood shed by Armenians throughout its dark history, blue for the unchanging will of the nation surviving under a peaceful sky, and orange for its peoples talent and hardwork.

Armenians have been residing in Egypt since the eighth century CE. Their numbers increased during the 12th to 16th centuries, and a community was formed in the 19th century after the genocide by the Ottoman Turks.

The first wave of Armenian refugees escaping the genocide arrived in Port Fouad on 15 September 1915, when four French warships, including the Guichen, and one British naval vessel transported 4,231 survivors to the port where they lived peacefully until some of them were able to return to their homes in 1919.

Today the community stands at 5000, mainly residing in Cairo and Alexandria. The contributions Armenians have made to Egypt are too numerous to mention.
The statement added that 703 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 251,395

Egypt reported 688 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday bringing the total infection tally officially to 298,296 since the outbreak began in February 2020, said the Health Ministry in its daily coronavirus update statement.

The ministry also reported 24 new deaths, the highest single-day toll of fatalities since 3 July (when 26 fatalities were reported), bringing the total number of deaths from the virus to 17,016.

The statement added that 703 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 251,395.

In parallel with the steady increase of infections and fatalities, Egypt has intensified its mass vaccination campaign and ordered more vaccine shipments.

On Tuesday, the UNCIEF Egypt announced that Cairo received a new shipment of 850,560 doses of AstraZeneca Oxford Covid-19 vaccine donated by Germany via COVAX initiative.

According to the latest official numbers, more than 13 million people in Egypt have been vaccinated against coronavirus so far.

The government set up a target of 40 million people to be vaccinated by the end of 2021.

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Sudanese authorities reported an attempt at a coup on Tuesday by a group of soldiers loyal to ousted President Omar Al-Bashir, but later said that the attempt failed and that the military remains under control

Egypt condemned on Tuesday the failed attempt at a coup detat Sudan witnessed earlier in the day in a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Egypt asserts its support for the rule of the transitional institutions in Sudan as well as their tireless efforts to achieve the aspirations of the Sudanese people at this important stage in the countrys history, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

Sudanese authorities reported an attempt at a coup on Tuesday by a group of soldiers loyal to ousted President Omar Al-Bashir, but later said that the attempt failed and that the military remains under control.

The foreign ministry also stated that the people and the government of Egypt affirm their keenness on the stability, security, and development of Sudan, rejecting any attempt that would hinder this stability or obstruct the countrys development efforts.

This comes, the ministry says, within the framework of the shared destiny and eternal bonds that unite the two peoples of the Nile Valley.

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Establishing diplomatic relations with Saint Kitts and Nevis comes in light of Egypt s efforts to develop further communications and relations with various countries worldwide, a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry said

Egypt and Saint Kitts and Nevis  officially known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis  have officially established diplomatic relations, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement on Wednesday.

Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Saint Kitts and Nevis counterpart Mark Brantley have signed a joint statement declaring the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the statement said.

Establishing diplomatic relations with Saint Kitts and Nevis comes in light of Egypts efforts to develop further communications and relations with various countries worldwide, the statement said.

The ministers met on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York early on Wednesday, according to Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez.

The meeting comes three days after the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis celebrated its 38th anniversary of its independence from Britain, which it gained on 19 September 1983.

During the meeting, both ministers discussed ways to initiate the bilateral relations between the two countries as well as to coordinate efforts and stances in the international forums.

Saint Kitts and Nevis is composed of two islands of the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Their combined area is 269 square km, and the capital, Basseterre, is located on the larger island of Saint Kitts.

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Mikati invited the Egyptian foreign minister to visit Beirut in the nearest possible time, a statement by the foreign ministry said

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry congratulated on Wednesday Lebanons Prime Minister Najib Mikati on his success in forming the new Lebanese government, a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

Over the phone, Shoukry, who is currently in New York to participate in the high-level meetings of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), wished Mikati success in dealing with the great challenges currently facing Lebanon amid the worsening economic situation.

Egypt spares no effort in coordinating with brotherly and friendly countries to achieve what is in the interest of the people of Lebanon with the aim of restoring the situation in this [brotherly] country to what it was before the situation worsened, Shoukry told Mikati in the phone call, by providing support in various fields that would push the Lebanese economy forward and finding solutions to the energy problem.

In early September, the energy ministers of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan agreed to revive the Arab Gas Pipeline to transport Egyptian gas to Lebanon to generate electricity amid the ongoing Lebanese energy crisis.

Egypt is working to speed up coordination for the delivery of Egyptian natural gas to Lebanon through Jordan and Syria, given Egypts keenness to ease the burdens of the Lebanese people and to contribute to Lebanon's support and stability, Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla said during a joint press conference in Jordan on 8 September.

As per the agreement, Egyptian gas will be transported via Jordan and Syria to northern Lebanon to activate gas-operated power plants that had been dysfunctional for 11 years.

Lebanons energy crisis significantly worsened when its two main power plants, which had been generating 40 percent of the countrys energy, were shut down in July due to fuel shortages.

From his side, Mikati invited the Egyptian foreign minister to visit Beirut in the nearest possible time, Wednesdays statement said.

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The meetings were held on the sidelines of the ongoing 76th session of the UN General Assembly

Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed on Wednesday the need to support efforts to achieve the stability of Libya and its national institutions.

The minister made the comments in a meeting on Libya within the framework of the Berlin Process with the participation of a number of neighbouring countries, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Shoukry affirmed the need to respond to the Libyan peoples legitimate aspirations for a prosperous and sovereign Libya, the statement added.

A number of top officials attended the meeting, including head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Menfi, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Italys Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

The meeting was held during the third day of Shoukrys visit to New York.

Durban Declaration

During the day, Shoukry gave a speech during the high-level meeting celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action adopted in 2001 to fight racism.

During his speech, Shoukry said the manifestations [of intolerance] are still showing their ugly face to us, taking many forms, despite the positive steps achieved to face racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance.

These manifestations are represented in discrimination and hatred on the basis of religion, race, colour and others, Shoukry said during his speech.

The observer of the escalating trend taken by the phenomenon of racism in recent years notes that [racism] targets people of African origin, Arabs, Muslims, immigrants and asylum seekers in the countries receiving them, Shoukry added.

Shoukry also warned of the continuation of some wrong policies and elements of political discourse to form stereotypes about people of certain ethnicities or followers of certain religions and link them with some criminal behaviour.

The Egyptian foreign minister said such discourse sometimes comes under the pretext of protecting freedom of opinion, thought and expression, in a way that contradicts the values of democracy, equality and respect for the other.

He warned that this discourse also violates the peremptory rules of the international law regarding the criminalisation of racism.

Shoukry highlighted the urgent need to take decisive steps to criminalise racism in all its forms as well as to enact effective measures to ensure accountability in this regard.

He also called for spreading societal awareness of the dangers of this phenomenon, and strengthening national institutions tasked with combating it.

Meeting top diplomats

During the day, Shoukry held separate meetings with each of his counterparts from France, Ireland and Vietnam, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

Meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Bui Thanh Son, Shoukry discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

They also coordinated efforts between the two countries in multilateral forums.

Shoukry started his third day in New York on the sidelines of the UNGA with a meeting with Simon Coveney, Irelands foreign and defence minister, an Egyptian foreign ministry statement read.

The top ministers discussed means to boost bilateral relations and coordinate on regional and international issues in light of Irelands current presidency of the UN Security Council.

Later in the day, in a meeting with Frances Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Shoukry discussed boosting the strategic relations between Egypt and France, a separate statement by the Egyptian ministry read.

The meeting aimed to foster coordination on regional and international issues of great importance for the two sides, the statement added.

Shoukry participated on Tuesday in the opening of the 76th session of the UNGA high-level segment.

The top diplomat held separate meetings with his counterparts from Estonia, Tunisia, Rwanda, India, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Ukraine, Pakistan, as well as Josep Borrell  the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy.

During his visit to the US, Shoukry is set to take part in several events to express Egypt's vision and stances towards the current issues in the region as well as means of supporting the pillars of peace and security at the international and regional levels.

The foreign minister will also discuss mechanisms of reinforcing multilateral action in regard to the issues on the agenda of the UNGAs high-level segment.

Shoukry is also expected to meet with senior UN officials and other leaderships of international and regional organisations.

The UNGAs 76th session aims to build resilience through hope  to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations.

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The terror operations during August in the African continent killed 460 people, injured 120 others and kidnapped 30 civilians and military personnel

Egypts Al-Azhar Observatory said on Wednesday that 50 terrorist attacks took place in Africa during August, making it the bloodiest month this year so far for the continent.

This is compared to 49 terror operations during July, the Observatory said in a statement.

The terror operations during August killed 460 people, injured 120 others and kidnapped 30 civilians and military personnel, the Observatory said.

Somalia's Al-Shabaab terrorist group has been the most active during August, the Observatory said, as it carried out 15 terrorist operations in Somalia and three in Kenya.

The operations carried out by the group killed 50 people and wounded more than 50 others, the Observatory added.

The movement continues to intensify its terrorist activity to make gains on the ground on a daily basis, the Observatory said.

It warned that the continuation of such operations may impose the groups agenda as well as its political, social and religious goals on the Somali people, especially as the group seeks power.

This is likened by some people to the Afghan scene, the Observatory added.

It also referred to unprecedented losses the group bore as a result of military operations by Somali forces, backed by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

These military operations have killed around 430 terrorists in Somalia and caused the areas under their control to shrink, a matter that led some of the groups members to turn themselves in to the Somali government, the Observatory added.

According to the eighth edition of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) published in 2020, Daeshs (ISIS) affiliate groups have become especially prominent in sub-Saharan Africa, increasing deaths affiliated to the terrorist group.

The report says sub-Saharan Africa includes seven of ten countries with the largest rise in terrorism, which are Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Mozambique, Niger Mali, Cameron and Ethiopia.

Late in July, UN experts said in a report to the Security Council that Africa became the region hardest hit by terrorism in the first half of this year due to the spread of the ISIS and Al-Qaida groups and their affiliates.

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Shoukry affirmed the importance of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia resuming the GERD negotiations in a framework that is strengthened by the participation of international observers

Egypt looks forward to an invitation by DR Congos President Felix Tshisekedi to resume the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD) sponsored by the African Union, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Wednesday.

In remarks to Sky News, Shoukry affirmed the importance of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia resuming the GERD negotiations in a framework that is strengthened by the participation of international observers.

Shoukry said Egypt has repeatedly proven its good faith and readiness for negotiation, though he stressed that the GERD talks should not be endless.

The [UNSCs] presidential statement affirms the need to reach a legally-binding agreement quickly and within a specific timeframe, Shoukry said.

Egypts top diplomat hailed the role of the international community in the GERD file as indispensable, especially that of influential countries.

Shoukry affirmed that Egypts bilateral meetings with other countries reflect understanding of the existential nature the Nile to the downstream countries and the need to reach an agreement.

We do not demand any deviation from the rules of international law and the practices followed by many countries managing transboundary rivers, Shoukry said.

These same rules should be applied to the Blue Nile and a binding legal agreement should be reached, Shoukry affirmed.

Rounds of AU-sponsored talks to resolve the decade-long dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia have collapsed, with Egypt and Sudan expressing grave concerns about the potential impact of the GERD.

Egypt and Sudans call for a legally-binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam have been resisted by Ethiopia, which implemented the second phase of filling the dams reservoir unilaterally in July without an agreement.

However, as the UN Security Council issued a presidential statement earlier in September encouraging the three parties to return to the AU-sponsored talks to reach a deal, the three countries have expressed readiness to resume the talks.

Implementing the Libya roadmap

When asked about the Libyan situation amid the recent developments, including Libya's eastern-based parliaments decision to withdraw confidence from the unity government on Tuesday, Shoukry affirmed the need to implement the Libyan agreements, as scheduled, by the end of the year.

Shoukry said the roadmap agreed upon by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum earlier and supported by the UN Security Council is still adopted by the international community.

The UN-sponsored forum selected the Government of National Unity headed by interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in February and mandated its roadmap to hold the Libyan parliamentary and presidential elections on 24 December.

Shoukry referred to a meeting on Thursday on Libya called by Germany, France, and Italy and attended by the United States and neighbouring countries on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

The FM said all speakers at the meeting affirmed the importance of implementing the outcome of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, at the top of which is holding the elections as scheduled on 24 December.

Prioritising Arab security

Shoukry affirmed that Egypt prioritises achieving Arab national security, ending all conflicts in the region and achieving stability in Libya, Syria, Iraq and all countries in the region.

Egypt is also keen to see a solution to the Yemeni crisis and for Gulf national security to be preserved.

These are the issues that always concern us and that we work on tackling, Shoukry said.

The Egyptian FM also affirmed prioritising achieving stability, peace and security and refraining from all practices that lead to foreign interference in the Arab region.

The Arab countries are able to face common challenges, and foreign powers that are trying to extend their influence and control over the region must stay away from these practices, Shoukry added.

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Guterres "deeply regrets" the executions, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding that one of the people was reportedly a minor at time of detention

The UN on Sunday condemned Yemeni rebels' execution of nine people for their alleged involvement in the killing of a top Houthi leader.

The Iran-backed Houthis are battling the Yemeni government -- which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition -- for control of the impoverished country.

The rebels said they executed the nine individuals on Saturday for their involvement in the killing of Saleh al-Sammad, who was head of the Houthis' supreme political council, in a 2018 air strike claimed by Saudi Arabia.

They were among 16 people convicted by a Huthi court.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "deeply regrets" the executions, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding that one of the people was reportedly a minor at time of detention.

Guterres "strongly condemns these actions which are a result of judicial proceedings that do not appear to have fulfilled the requirements of fair trial and due process under international law," the statement added.

Dujarric said Guterres was also concerned about a reported coalition air strike this week in the southern province of Shabwa "that allegedly killed at least six civilians from the same family".

A local pro-government official who spoke on condition of anonymity told AFP that at least five civilians, including three women, were "accidentally" killed in an air strike on Saturday while they were travelling in their car.

The Saudi-led military coalition could not be immediately reached for comment.

Yemen's conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year.

Since then, tens of thousands have been killed and millions pushed to the brink of famine in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

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Residents fought back and drove the TPLF out of the town, but the rebels began attacking civilians as they fled north, then returned the following day to carry out more attacks, the witnesses said

Rebels from Ethiopia's war-hit Tigray opened fire on civilians while looting and shelling villages and towns in the neighbouring Amhara region earlier this month, killing and wounding dozens of people and possibly many more, witnesses told AFP on Wednesday.

The Amhara regional government described the violence in and around the town of Kobo as a "massacre", although the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group has previously denied claims it has targeted civilians in northern Ethiopia's 10-month-old war.

Witnesses said the violence erupted on September 9 in the village of Gedemeyu, seven kilometres (four miles) south of Kobo, after TPLF fighters began searching homes for firearms and other weapons.

Residents fought back and drove the TPLF out of the town, but the rebels began attacking civilians as they fled north, then returned the following day to carry out more attacks, the witnesses said.

The area around Kobo is predominantly lowland sorghum and onion farms.

A communications blackout there made it difficult to verify accounts from the witnesses, who have fled more than 150 kilometres south to displacement camps in the town of Dessie.

"They massacred farmers... and seasonal agricultural workers who came to the area from neighbouring highlands," one witness from Kobo town told AFP.

"I have seen the dead bodies of seven people in one compound. Four of them were from the same family," he said, adding he had passed "many" other bodies while walking south to Dessie.

Another man in Dessie told AFP he had returned north to survey damage in Zobel, a village near Kobo, and had seen dead bodies and destroyed buildings.

"In a mass shooting spree the TPLF inflicted heavy damage on civilians... It fired heavy artillery on civilians and civilian property," he said, adding that a health facility was hit and other government buildings were looted and vandalised.

Amhara government spokesman Gizachew Muluneh tweeted on Tuesday that hundreds of people may have died, but he provided no evidence for this claim.

"We are informed that many hundred civilian Amharas have been massacred by the terrorist TPLF. We will make public the exact number of people massacred once we investigate the crime," he said.

The TPLF said such claims were "totally wrong" and called for an independent investigation.

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Iran's new ultraconservative president voiced support Tuesday in his international debut for reviving a nuclear accord even as he berated the United States, hailing what he described as its failures.

President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric who succeeded a government that sought better relations with the West, called on the United States to fulfill its promises to end sanctions under the 2015 nuclear accord.

"The Islamic Republic considers useful talks whose ultimate outcome is the lifting of all oppressive sanctions," Raisi said in a recorded speech to the UN General Assembly.

Indirect talks brokered by the European Union have been on hiatus since June after months of negotiations with the previous government failed to secure a path forward.

Raisi repeated the clerical state's stance that nuclear weapons are religiously prohibited, a position that has been met with skepticism notably by Israel, which has carried out a sabotage campaign to delay Iran's nuclear work.

Nuclear weapons "have no place in our defense doctrine and deterrence policy," Raisi said.

Raisi is notorious among human rights advocates for his role as a judge during mass executions in 1988 when the Islamic republic was solidifying control, with some activists encouraging the West to shun him.

But Western powers, as well as China and Russia, say they see the value in restricting Iran's nuclear program peacefully under the 2015 agreement, from which US President Joe Biden's predecessor Donald Trump withdrew the United States.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he will meet Tuesday at the United Nations with Iran's new foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and push him to restart the talks in Vienna "soon."

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas of Germany, which remains in the nuclear accord, said it was urgent to resume negotiations, amid Western concerns that Iran could advance nuclear work.

"We're not going to wait two or three months for the Iranian delegation to return to Vienna. It has to be quicker," Maas told reporters.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, traveling with Raisi, said he expected a resumption of the indirect talks "in the coming weeks," without giving an exact date.

President Biden, appearing in person in his own maiden UN speech, renewed his willingness to return the United States to the nuclear accord and lift sanctions.

"We're prepared to return to full compliance if Iran does the same," Biden said.

Iran has taken steps away from the accord to protest the sanctions and has insisted on a full lifting of economic pressure -- while the Biden administration says only measures imposed by Trump over the nuclear program are on the table.

Raisi devoted most of his speech to fiery denunciations of the United States, pointing to the collapse of the Western-backed government in Afghanistan, as well as the mob attack of the US Capitol on January 6 by Trump supporters seeking to overturn his defeat.

The two events show that "the US hegemonic system has no credibility, whether inside or outside the country."

"What is seen in our region today proves that not only the hegemonist and the idea of hegemony, but also the project of imposing Westernized identity, have failed miserably."

Aiming squarely at US domestic politics, Raisi cited the slogans of Trump and Biden: "Today, the world doesn't care about 'America First' or 'America is Back.'"

The language was a marked difference from his moderate predecessor Hassan Rouhani, a fellow cleric, who called for allowing greater freedoms and interaction with the outside world.

But Raisi stopped short of the inflammatory language of previous president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who isolated Iran on the international stage by calling for Israel's destruction and denying the Holocaust.

Raisi nonetheless denounced Israel in terms sure to anger the latter, calling it the largest sponsor of "state terrorism, whose agenda is to slaughter women and children in Gaza and the West Bank."

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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'We condemn any external interference that seeks to sow disinformation and undermine the will of Sudan's people,' he said in a statement, without elaborating

The United States on Tuesday condemned the coup attempt in Sudan and warned against "external interference," as the nation transitions to democracy.

"Anti-democratic actions such as those of September 21 in Khartoum undermine the call of the Sudanese people for freedom and justice and place international support for Sudan, including the bilateral relationship with the United States, at risk," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

"We condemn any external interference that seeks to sow disinformation and undermine the will of Sudan's people," he said in a statement, without elaborating.

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Raisi voiced support Tuesday in his international debut for reviving the nuclear accord, even as he berated the United States

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Wednesday Iran's top diplomat had assured him at their first meeting that Tehran was ready to restart talks on the nuclear deal soon.

EU-mediated negotiations began in Vienna in April aimed at reviving a 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers -- an accord left hanging by a thread after former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and ramped up sanctions.

The discussions, which involve the remaining parties seeking to persuade Washington to rejoin the deal and Iran to return to its nuclear commitments, have been stalled since June, when ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi was elected as Iran's president.

An EU statement said Borrell "underlined once again the great importance of a quick resumption of the Vienna talks" at a meeting Tuesday with Iran's new top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

"The Iranian Foreign Minister assured of the willingness to resume negotiations at an early date," the statement said.

Raisi voiced support Tuesday in his international debut for reviving the nuclear accord, even as he berated the United States.

"The Islamic Republic considers useful talks whose ultimate outcome is the lifting of all oppressive sanctions," Raisi said in a recorded speech to the UN.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said he expected a resumption of the talks "in the coming weeks", without giving an exact date.

The 2015 nuclear agreement offered Iran a reduction of UN sanctions in return for strict limits on its nuclear programme, but Tehran has progressively stepped away from its commitments in the wake of Trump's withdrawal and imposition of sanctions.

Trump's successor Joe Biden has signalled a willingness to return to the deal, which was negotiated when he was Barack Obama's vice-president and under Iran's moderate President Hassan Rouhani.

Hopes of a revitalised deal were kept alive earlier this month by Iran agreeing with the UN nuclear agency on a new compromise regarding surveillance of its nuclear sites.

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The Nautical Geo survey ship was confronted by the Orucreis frigate as it attempted to enter Turkey's continental shelf, the ministry said

A Turkish warship issued a warning to a Greek research vessel to prevent it entering what Turkey considers its territorial waters, Turkey's Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The showdown came a year after tensions in the eastern Mediterranean threatened to escalate into open conflict between the neighbors and NATO allies.

The Nautical Geo survey ship was confronted by the Orucreis frigate as it attempted to enter Turkey's continental shelf, the ministry said. ``The ship in question was radioed and warned not to enter the Turkish continental shelf. There was no physical intervention.''

It condemned Greece's ``unlawful, provocative and expansionist initiative'' under the guise of scientific research and said Turkey was ``determined to protect and defend its rights and interests.''

The ministry didn't say when the incident occurred, but maritime tracking services showed the Maltese-flagged Nautical Geo docked Wednesday at Heraklion port on the Greek island of Crete.

Greece and Turkey have been competing over the exploration of gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean amid a lengthy dispute over their respective territorial waters. Turkey also considers itself the guardian of breakaway northern Cyprus's energy rights in the region.

In the summer of 2020, Greek and Turkish warships shadowed each other across the eastern Mediterranean as Turkey sent research ships backed by its navy to search for hydrocarbon reserves.

Although there was no direct conflict, the danger was illustrated when a Greek frigate collided with a Turkish warship in August. The standoff also drew in France, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union in defending Greece's rights in the face of what they declared to be Turkish provocations.

The confrontation led Athens to bolster its naval and air forces with new defense equipment, including 24 French Rafale jets.

Last week, Athens issued a Navtex warning that the Nautical Geo would be operating off the eastern coast of Crete, which Turkey considers its waters and is covered by a 2019 maritime deal between Turkey and Libya. The Navtex expired on Wednesday.

Senior Greek and Turkish officials have met twice this year to discuss their maritime disputes, the first talks on the long-standing issue since 2016.

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Libyan media said the step opens the way for Haftar to run as a presidential candidate under a controversial new law.

Libyan National Army leader Khalifa Haftar said Wednesday he was suspending his military activities, a step which could lead to his candidacy in elections later this year.

In a statement, Haftar said he had named an interim replacement as head of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army until December 24, the date of the legislative and presidential vote.

Libyan media said the step opens the way for Haftar to run as a presidential candidate under a controversial new law.

On Tuesday Libya's parliament passed a no-confidence vote in the unity government, raising questions about plans for the December ballot.

A majority of lawmakers who attended the lower house session -- overseen by Parliamentary speaker Aguila Saleh-- in the eastern city of Tobruk voted to withdraw confidence from the Tripoli-based unity administration of interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, spokesman Abdallah Bliheq said.

An upper house based in the capital rejected the vote, saying it violated established procedures, and laying bare once more the extent of divisions between the country's east and west.

Germany, which has played a leading role in diplomacy to end Libya's civil war, called Wednesday for the elections to go ahead.

"The international community expects Libyan officials in Tripoli and the rest of the country to work for presidential and legislative elections to take place as scheduled on December 24," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said as he co-chaired a high-level meeting on Libya at the UN.

Maas also called for renewed efforts to remove foreign mercenaries from Libya.

The United Nations estimates there are more than 20,000 mercenaries, including Russians, Syrians, Chadians and Sudanese, as well as foreign troops, most of them Turkish, deployed in Libya.

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Hamas is a long-standing rival of the PA, based in the occupied West Bank, and had supported the decision to hold Palestinian legislative and presidential elections in May and July

Related Israeli warplanes shell Hamas sites in Gaza Strip Israeli army says it launched strikes on Hamas site in Gaza Hamas, the Islamist group that runs Gaza, said Wednesday it would not participate in municipal Palestinians elections set by the Palestinian Authority for December unless a general election is also called.

Hamas is a long-standing rival of the PA, based in the occupied West Bank, and had supported the decision to hold Palestinian legislative and presidential elections in May and July.

But president Mahmud Abbas in April indefinitely postponed those votes, which would have been the first Palestinian elections in 15 years.

Abbas cited Israel's refusal to guarantee voting in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as their future capital.

But Palestinian experts said Abbas balked out of fear that Hamas would sweep the polls, in a repeat of 2006 results that the president's Fatah movement did not accept.

Hamas, which was furious by Abbas's general election postponement, said Wednesday that it "would not be part of... fragmented municipal elections".

"The right solution is to hold comprehensive elections" for the Palestinian presidency, Palestinian legislative council, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), municipal bodies and trade and student unions, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told reporters.

Those votes could happen "simultaneously or according to a nationally agreed timetable," he said.

"If that is plan, we are ready to participate."

The municipal elections called by the PA would take place in 387 localities throughout the West Bank and Gaza on December 11, and then in 90 other places at a later date that has yet to be set.

Of the 477 voting sites, just 11 were in Gaza.

Hamas's rejection of the process would make voting impossible in Gaza, an Israeli-blockaded territory controlled by the Islamists since 2007.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States and European Union but is seeking to bolster its legitimacy through election wins and by joining the PLO, a group of Palestinians factions recognised by Israel and the international community.

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Under the current system, most of the executive power was in the hands of the government and the measures announced by Saied clearly tip the balance in favour of the presidency

The provisions, laid out in a series of decrees published in the official gazette, come almost two months after his initial power grab.

Under the current system, most of the executive power was in the hands of the government and the measures announced by Saied clearly tip the balance in favour of the presidency.

"Legislative texts will be promulgated in the form of decrees signed by the President of the Republic," one of the articles stipulates.

A second article says that "the President shall exercise executive power with the help of a Council of Ministers chaired by a Head of Government".

"The President of the Republic presides over the Council of Ministers and may mandate the Head of Government to replace him/her," says another.

Saied, a political outsider, came to power in 2019 on a wave of public outrage against political parties widely seen as corrupt and self-serving.

On July 25, Saied sacked the government, suspended parliament, removed lawmakers' immunity and put himself in charge of the prosecution.

He has since renewed the measures, and has not responded to calls for a roadmap for lifting them.

Saied has repeatedly insisted his actions are in line with the North African country's post-revolution constitution, under which the head of state can take "exceptional measures" in case of an "imminent danger" to national security.

Street protests in early 2011 toppled longtime Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, sparking a string of "Arab Spring" revolts across the region, and setting in motion a Tunisian transition to a parliamentary democracy solidified by a 2014 constitution.

Tunisia has won praise for that transition but, more recently, many citizens feel their quality of life has worsened in the face of grinding economic, social and political crises, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, before his latest move, Tunisia's Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party said that Saied's measures to extend his powers risked setting in motion the "dismantling" of the state.

Ennahdha formed the largest bloc in parliament before the president's shock actions.

Several hundred protesters, many of them Ennahdha supporters, marched through central Tunis on Saturday to demand a return to parliamentary democracy.

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"More than 10 bullets hit the car. The driver is seriously injured", the country's interior minister said

The chief aide to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Sergei Shefir, was targeted in an assassination attempt on Wednesday when his car came under fire, the country's interior minister said.

"More than 10 bullets hit the car. The driver is seriously injured," Anton Gerashchenko said on Facebook, adding that the shots were fired from automatic weapons.

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The continent faces soaring power prices as its economy recovers from the Covid pandemic and as winter approaches while natural gas reserves are at a worrying low level

A looming energy crisis facing Europe overshadowed a meeting of EU ministers on Wednesday, with participants describing the situation -- being felt globally -- as "critical".

The continent faces soaring power prices as its economy recovers from the Covid pandemic and as winter approaches while natural gas reserves are at a worrying low level.

A profound EU transformation towards a low-carbon future, phasing out fossil fuels, is adding to the pressure on the bloc's market and households.

"It's a crucial time about energy. And this is the first time that at the same place at the same time and the same table we see ministers of energy and transport together," said Slovenian Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec.

He hosted the regular meeting of the EU energy ministers, held just outside Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, which currently holds the rotating European Union presidency.

Vrtovec said they would debate the impact of climbing energy prices -- particularly benchmark gas prices that have tripled this year to a record level -- which he stressed are "not OK for our economy and our citizens".

The EU energy commissioner, Kadri Simson, said that Brussels was "monitoring the situation very clearly".

"It is clear that, in the current situation, Europe needs to invest in renewables, because they are really offering a alternative on our dependence on imports of fossil fuels," she said.

Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys called it "a critical time" and urged "important cooperation we need at the European level to protect ourselves at home".

Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler pointed to the "high dependency on Russian gas" as the underlying problem for supplies.

Gazprom supplies

A group of more than 40 members of the European Parliament has written a letter accusing Russia's Gazprom of manipulating gas prices for Europe.

They see a diminishing flow of Russian gas through Ukraine as an attempt by Moscow to force Germany to approve activation of a newly completed gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea, Nord Stream 2. Gazprom denies the accusation.

S&P Global, a US financial and business analysis firm, said in a note last week that Gazprom's storage tanks in Europe were "almost empty and it is thought to be waiting for Nord Stream 2 to start up in order to fill them over the winter".

"European storage levels as a whole will remain a major concern heading into the winter," it said.

While the EU is struggling, the situation is far worse in former EU member Britain, where wholesale energy prices are outstripping even those soaring in the rest of Europe.

At least four British consumer energy suppliers have gone bust and others are teetering, unable to raise bills to households because of a mandated price cap. Poor energy production from wind sources and a fire that has knocked out a UK converter station bringing energy from France have compounded the problem.

The United States is also seeing an increase in energy prices but is largely shielded because of gas production from its shale fields.

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Biden and Macron are to speak later on Wednesday by telephone for the first time since a row erupted over the sale of submarines to Australia

US President Joe Biden and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron are to speak later on Wednesday by telephone for the first time since a row erupted over the sale of submarines to Australia, the French government spokesman said.

The call would be an opportunity to "clarify both the way in which this announcement was made and the way for an American re-engagement in its relationship with an ally," spokesman Gabriel Attal said after a cabinet meeting.

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Thousands have fled a town in west Myanmar after days of fighting between anti-junta dissidents and the military, during which soldiers bombed civilian homes, residents and media said Wednesday.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since Aung San Suu Kyi's government was ousted by the military in February, sparking a nationwide uprising that the junta has tried to crush.

Attacks on junta troops have increased after lawmakers ousted by the generals called for a "people's defensive war" earlier this month.

Soldiers fought battle with around 100 members of a local defence group after being "ambushed" in Thantlang in remote Chin state near the India border on September 18, junta spokesman Zaw Min Thun said Tuesday.

He did not give casualty figures.

Residents began to flee on Monday after soldiers "began to randomly shoot out the windows" of houses in the town, according to one local who did not want to be named.

"Almost everyone has left," he said, adding he was sheltering in a nearby village with around 500 people, and that several hundred had already headed towards India.

Thantlang has a population of around 7,500, according to the most recent census.

Another resident said she travelled for three days with her elderly parents to reach India after soldiers bombed her house and fighting escalated around the town.

"I never thought of running from my own house even after the military bombed it... but as things got worse... I finally had to flee," she told AFP on condition of anonymity.

- 'Very scared' -

Residents across the border in India's Mizoram state said about 2,000 extra refugees have arrived from Chin state since September 10. Some said they had seen military planes dropping bombs on targets in Chin.

One inhabitant of Thingsai village told AFP through a translator that on September 10 villagers heard gunfire and bombings across the border. Another said villagers saw the military planes dropping bombs.

One refugee who had crossed over on September 15 said he rode a bike for three days to get to Mizoram. "We are very scared after the bombing. We had to flee. Two of my children stayed back to fight the military and protect our people," the man said, declining to be named.

Videos and pictures published by media showed buildings in Thantlang they said had been destroyed by the military, and domestic animals roaming deserted streets.

Military spokesman Zaw Min Thun said 20 homes and a government building had been destroyed in a fire after the September 18 clash, without specifying a cause.

In recent weeks anti-junta fighters have attacked communications towers belonging to the military-owned Mytel across the country, including in Chin state.

The UN warned renewed fighting in the region was sending more people fleeing into India, where they urgently required food and shelter.

In May, government forces used artillery to flush out rebels from the town of Mindat in southern Chin state, and later cut off its water supply, according to a spokesman for a local insurgent group.

More than 1,100 civilians have been killed and nearly 8,000 arrested since the coup, according to local observers.

The junta has defended its power grab by alleging massive fraud during elections in late 2020 which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won by a landslide.

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The AfDB s current portfolio in Egypt amounts to 1 billion, which are being utilised to finance 22 projects in both the private and public sectors

The African Development Banks (AfDB) Board of Governors agreed unanimously to Egypts request to host the annual meeting of the bank group that is scheduled to be held between 22 and 26 May 2023 in Sharm El-Sheikh City, Tarek Amer  the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and Governor of Egypt at the AfDB Group  announced on Tuesday 21 September.

The decision demonstrates the depth of relations between Egypt and the AfDB Group, and the international commendation for the unprecedented achievements accomplished by Egypt during the past few years in regard to political stability, economic growth, and infrastructure development, the CBE said.

On his part, Amer welcomed the decision, applauding the historical relations between Egypt and the AfDB  as Egypt is one of the banks founding states since the 1960s  and the robust strategic partnership with the bank group, which was built on the basis of joint cooperation to achieve Egypts sustainable development strategic goals.

Moreover, the two sides are working on enhancing and deepening internal mutual African cooperation while providing the necessary funds to finance the continents development agenda, backed by the strong Egyptian political leadership that supports this mandate and through the utilisation of stellar Egyptian expertise in all fields.

Ahmed Zayed, Egypt and Djiboutis representative in the AfDBs Board of Directors, pointed out that Egypt has unprecedently succeeded in meeting and complying with all of the banks required specifications and standards to host the annual meetings.

This is considered a testimony to Egypts fruitful efforts in developing its domestic infrastructure while achieving political and economic stability, which has always been recognised by the banks Board of Directors in its meetings.

On 18 September 2019, Egypt hosted the AfDBs Board of Governors Consultative Committee meetings in Sharm El-Sheikh under the auspices of Tarek Amer, who chaired the Egyptian delegation during the meeting.

In this meeting, the governors successfully concluded the negotiations to increase the banks capital base for the seventh time by 125 percent to reach $208 billion, up from $93 billion.

Egypt is Africas second biggest shareholder in the AfDBs capital.

Also, Egypt is one of the only three African countries that contributes to the African Development Fund, which aims to develop low-income African countries.

The aggregate size of the cooperation portfolio between Egypt and the AFDB since the beginning of their developmental cooperation in 1974 has reached circa $6.4 billion, which has supported financing a number of major developmental projects in Egypt in addition to continental connectivity projects.

Regarding the current portfolio, the bank's total contributions have averaged $1 billion, which are being utilised to finance 22 projects in both the private and public sectors, covering the fields of energy, transportation, agriculture, water and irrigation, sewage, and entrepreneurship.

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Al-Ahram Weekly reports on the mixed reactions which greeted news that Washington will block part of its annual military assistance to Egypt

Western media reported last week that the US administration has decided to withhold part of its military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns. Though no official announcement has been made, a US State Department spokesperson told Reuters on 14 September that the Biden administration will withhold $130 million of the $1.3 billion of military aid given to Cairo each year.

Reuters cited the US State Department as saying that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will move forward with the use of $130 million if the government of Egypt affirmatively addresses specific human rights-related conditions.

Other media reports said the conditions set by the Biden administration for the release of the blocked aid include Egypt dropping a case against NGOs and foreign civil society workers  including 16 Americans  who face charges, dating back 2011, of receiving unauthorised foreign funds.

Gamal Zahran, a political science professor and former MP, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the Biden administrations decision had less to do with human rights than dropping the case in which American citizens are defendants.

Two weeks ago, on 30 August, Ali Mokhtar, the investigating judge appointed by the Cairo Court of Appeals to look into the case, announced that the charges being pressed against four foreign NGOs had been been dropped for lack of evidence, bringing the number of NGOs now removed from the charge sheet to 67.

Charges filed against 63 NGOs and asset freezes and travel bans on their staff have been dropped in the wake of four judicial rulings issued in the last two years, said Mokhtar. With this latest decision, a total of 67 entities and 180 persons have been acquitted.

News that the US had opted to withhold part its military assistance to Egypt was welcomed by the Muslim Brotherhood. Brotherhood activist Mohamed Sultan praised the decision in an article in the Washington Post on 15 September, and demanded more action by Washington to pressurise Egypt on human rights.

On 17 September, a US court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Soltan against former Egyptian prime minister Hazem Al-Beblawi. Sultan had alleged that he was beaten and tortured after being detained following the dispersal of Brotherhood sit-ins in 2013. Al-Beblawi, who was the prime minister at the time, said in a TV interview with Sada Al-Balad channel on 19 September that the US court had dismissed Sultans case as groundless and that his torture allegations were no more than propaganda.

Muslim Brotherhood television channels broadcasting from Turkey hailed the US administrations decision, an unsurprising response, says political analyst Gamal Zahran, given the Muslim Brotherhood is in love with the Democratic Party and people like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.

What does the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood want from Joe Biden? is a study released last week under by the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies (ECSS), argues that the Brotherhood has been trying since Biden came to office to secure his administrations support for the release of Brotherhood members involved in terrorist activities. They exerted the same pressure when Barack Obama was in office, trying to introduce themselves as moderate and defenders of human rights, but at the end he failed, said the study.

Leftist human rights organisations like Human Rights Watch (HRW), which echoes the Muslim Brotherhoods rhetoric, told the US media that they were disappointed by the decision and would have liked to have seen $300 million cut from military assistance to Egypt. Some Democratic Party lawmakers also saw the decision as a compromise, acknowledging that it may disappoint some activists but was nonetheless more human-rights friendly than actions taken by the previous administration.

Bloomberg news agency published an article last week pointing out that the growth of the Egyptian economy has made American aid less critical for Cairo while an opinion article published in The Hill on 7 September accused Joe Bidens Democratic Party of harming Americas relations with key partners like Egypt.

The Hill article, written by former US deputy assistant secretary of defence for Middle East policy Simone noted that Egypt is facing massive security challenges  both internally and externally  and the United States needs Egypt to continue as a key regional leader in maintaining peace and stability, which are in Americas long-term interest.

Congressional Democrats must abandon their anti-Egypt rhetoric and acknowledge that Cairo has taken a leadership role in addressing a number of important regional security challenges, and so it should be encouraged and supported, not threatened with a cut in aid.

Zahran agrees with Bloomberg that the sum being withheld is insignificant to Egypt.

The Biden administration is being cautious. It wants to please the Democratic Party, media and human rights organisations, and at the same time it does not want to alienate Egypt, said Zahran. US assistance has played a substantial role since the early 1980s in modernising the Egyptian economy, infrastructure and army, but over the years Egypt has managed to diversify its sources of funding and is far less dependent on conditioned assistance.

Khaled Qandil, the deputy chairman of the Wafd Party, said Egypts economic progress in recent years means a cut by $130 million will have little impact. But is not good that the US uses the military or economic assistance for political reasons or uses the radical agenda of leftist human rights organisations to interfere in internal affairs, said Qandil in an article on 18 September.

Mahmoud Khalaf, a strategic expert with Nasser Military Academy, stresses that US military assistance is far from being a one way street. America gets a lot from Egypt in return, says Khalaf, in the form of military facilities, including priority for American warships crossing the Suez Canal.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Cairo issued a statement on 5 September saying the US, along with forces from partner nations, is taking part in Exercise Bright Star 2021 at Mohamed Naguib Military Base. Exercise Bright Star builds on the strategic security relationship between Egypt and the US, which plays a leading role in regional security and efforts to combat the spread of extremism, the embassy said.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Today, I lost a father, a teacher, a human being who was proud and protective of his country. I have learned much from the example of dedication to the nation he set. Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi rose to some of the most difficult challenges Egypt has faced in its contemporary history. He loved and faithfully served Egypt and its people. I offer my sincerest condolences to the great people of Egypt.

With these poignant words, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi mourned the loss of the military leader who passed away on Tuesday, 21 September 2021. The president led Tantawis funeral procession and announced a three-day state of official mourning.

Field Marshal Tantawis career is an exemplary record of service to his country. He took part in the War of Attrition and the October 1973 War, rising quickly through the ranks. He was appointed minister of defence in 1991, a post he held until 2011, making him the longest serving defence minister in Egypts history. Between 2011 and 2012 he was head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), occupying this pivotal leadership role during the most crucial juncture in Egypts recent political and military history.

President Al-Sisi has declared a state of national mourning and a large military funeral has been arranged in honour of one of Egypts foremost military leaders.

Born in 1935, Tantawi graduated from Military Academy in 1956, the year of the tripartite invasion of Egypt. During the October 1973 War he commanded the 16th infantry regiment which seized bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal and destroyed most Israeli targets in the area. In a rare recording, Tantawi said the 16th infantry regiment was one of the first to cross the canal, deploying anti-tank snipers and raising the Egyptian flag on the eastern bank before the main body of forces crossed. The same regiment went on to emerge victorious from the Chinese Farm battle, one of the most gruelling confrontations of the October War.

Tantawi was defence minister during the second Gulf war which ended with the liberation of Kuwait. The Egyptian army was a key participant in the coalition that fought the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

During his period as defence minister Tantawi opposed structural changes to the military and its functions based on Western theories. He was also opposed to many of the policies pursued by the Mubarak regime during its last decade in power, often making his criticisms known.

The most dramatic point in Tantawis career followed the 25 January Revolution and the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. It was Tantawi who rescued Egypt from the collapse that was the fate of other Arab Spring countries. Egypt will never fall, he famously declared upon shouldering the burdens as chair of SCAF. Countless military and political figures have testified to how competently Tantawi negotiated the precarious moment after Mubarak stepped down and Egypt was on the threshold of anarchy.

As chair of SCAF Tantawi deftly handled the Muslim Brotherhood, and had no illusions about what the organisation would do once in power. President Al-Sisi addressed this point in his tribute, saying it pained Field Marshal Tantawi deeply that he would have to hand over power to [a particular faction] and that his name would go down in history for that. While the interim arrangements left Tantawi no choice, his close associates say he had faith in the Egyptian peoples ability to understand the nature of Muslim Brotherhood rule and draw the appropriate conclusions. The 30 June 2013 Revolution proved him correct.

Once in power the Muslim Brotherhood dismissed Tantawi as defence minister as part of their bid to take over the military establishment and change its creed. Their plans, though, went askew: Al-Sisi, who assumed the post, continued the course Tantawi had begun in order to safeguard the state from collapse. This is among the reasons why the current generation of army officers feels not just admiration but deep gratitude to the man Al-Sisi described as a father and a teacher.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Following last weeks UN Security Council (UNSC) statement urging Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to resume negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) under the auspices of the African Union (AU), Christophe Lutundula, the foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the current chair of the AU, visited the three countries in an attempt to get the talks back on track.

The UNSC statement reflects the international consensus that negotiations must resume within a reasonable timeframe, says Mohamed Hegazi, a former deputy to Egypts foreign minister.

It is an expression of the view of all member states, and gives observers of the negotiations more room to intervene in order to reach a mutually acceptable and binding agreement.

The statement, sponsored by Tunisia, the only Arab state currently sitting as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, read: The UNSC encourages Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to resume negotiations at the invitation of the chairperson of the AU to finalise expeditiously the text of a mutually acceptable and binding agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD, within a reasonable timeframe.

William Davison, Ethiopia senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said that the statement was predictable because there has been growing international concern about the failure to reach an agreement on GERD, in addition to an appeal from Egypt for the council to intervene.

One positive thing is that the parties will be pressured more to reconvene under the AU, while the international concern may mean powerful nations will provide more diplomatic, technical, and possibly financial support to the process.

During a three-leg tour last week Lutundula attempted to bring the three countries views closer by tabulating a list of points of agreement and disagreement. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said Egypt was happy to study the DRCs points and provide feedback, and during a joint press conference Lutundula said Cairo looked forward to receiving an invitation to resume the AU-sponsored talks with Sudan and Ethiopia at the earliest opportunity.

Shoukri highlighted two issues: that talks should be supported by the active participation of the international community as well as the AU, and a timeframe for negotiations be set.

Khartoum and Cairo both welcomed the UNSC statement which, a diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said, urges Ethiopia to engage seriously in the talks to reach a binding agreement.

Ethiopia reacted angrily to the statement, describing it as a historic misstep that undermines Tunisias responsibility as the rotating UNSC member for Africa.

It is regrettable that the council [has chosen to impose] itself over an issue of water rights and development that is outside its mandate, said Addis Ababa.

It seems likely that Ethiopia's opposition to the UNSC statement is based on the inclusion of the phrase legally binding agreement, which is something that Egypt and Sudan have been pushing for while Ethiopia has resisted, Davison explained.

While there have certainly been technical arguments over the legal status of any agreement, the most immediate, tangible disagreement related to this aspect may be the dispute resolution mechanism and Ethiopias rejection of international arbitration as a last resort, says Davison.

The UNSC also underlined the need to return to the Declaration of Principles signed in Khartoum in 2015 which stipulates that downstream countries [Egypt and Sudan] should not be harmed by the construction of the dam.

The statement was issued two months after the UN held its second session on GERD during which Addis Ababa denounced the draft resolution as inappropriate. Two weeks later, and in the absence of an agreement, Ethiopia went ahead with the second filling of the GERD reservoir.

Ethiopia has repeatedly rejected proposals presented by Cairo and Khartoum to widen mediation over GERD and include parties other than the AU. Both Egypt and Sudan would like the European Union, the US, and the UN to be more closely involved.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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In a recorded statement to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said on Tuesday that Egypt is still committed to work to reach, in the nearest time possible a fair, balanced, and legally binding agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).



Al-Sisi told the UNGA that Egypt fully recognises the development ambitions of neighbouring African countries and that at the same time it calls on African countries to recognise its legitimate worry over water shortage, given the fact that Egypt is already suffering water poverty and that the River Nile is its main source for water.



Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri arrived in New York on Sunday to head the Egyptian delegation to the UNGA which opened on Tuesday evening, as Al-Ahram Weekly was going to press.



Maintaining Egypts quota of Nile water will be the subject of an intensive diplomatic campaign, with the Egyptian delegation hoping to win international support for Cairos position.



For three years Cairo and Khartoum have been pushing for a legally binding deal with Ethiopia covering the filling and operation of the GERD, so far to no avail.



Last week, the Foreign Ministry welcomed the presidential statement released by the UN Security Council on Wednesday calling for a mutually accepted and legally binding deal. The statement, which also referred to the need for the parties to reach this agreement within a reasonable time frame, came three months after Egypt and Sudan started a joint push to persuade the Security Council to intervene to encourage Ethiopia to commit to reaching an agreement. Rather than a legally binding deal though, Ethiopia continues to insist it will only commit to a set of guidelines.



Shoukri will meet his Sudanese counterpart Mariam Sadek Al-Mahdi in New York. In press statements over the weekend Al-Mahdi said that Sudan and Egypt are in close consultation over the crucial GERD file.



The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the current chair of the African Union which serves as the umbrella organisation for negotiations over GERD, last week presented Cairo, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa with a set of ideas that Kinshasa hopes will end the deadlock.



Two informed sources, one Egyptian, the other Sudanese, say the DRC paper falls short of specifying the legally binding nature of any agreement. What it does do, they agree, is offer alternative language on some details concerning mitigation and dispute settlement. The sources added that while both Cairo and Khartoum are willing to work on the paper in an attempt to agree a possible draft for a legally binding deal, neither capital is optimistic that Ethiopia will be forthcoming.



While the [UNSC] presidential statement does not directly pressure Ethiopia to work towards an agreement it does state that any agreement on the filling and operation of the dam should be legally binding which is a good start, said a concerned Egyptian official. He added that while in New York Shoukri will push for an understanding that negotiations towards an agreement cannot be open-ended, and that a deal should be concluded by spring 2022, before the third filling of the dams reservoir.



In 2011, Ethiopia started building GERD, with a planned capacity of over 74bcm on the Blue Nile, in 2011. The problem, in a nutshell, is that the Blue Nile provides Egypt with most of its water. In 2015, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia signed a Declaration of Principles that stipulated the three countries must come to an agreement on the filling and operation of the dam. Yet in July 2019, and again in July 2020, Ethiopia unilaterally executed two fillings of the reservoir in the absence of an agreement. The first filling reached close to 5bcm, as did the second which fell far short of the 13bcm Addis Ababa had planned.



Officials in Cairo insist Egypt cannot decide its water policy based on the situation in Ethiopia, especially given what they qualify as a total failure on the side of the Ethiopians to embrace transparency. Similar concerns were voiced in Khartoum. Last week Yasser Abbas, Sudans minister of water resources, sent a letter to his Ethiopian counterpart Selshi Bekele complaining of Addis Ababas failure to furnish Khartoum with accurate information about the second filling.



We have given Ethiopia the benefit of the doubt over and over again but unfortunately our accommodation has been misunderstood. Now we have to tell the world that it needs to get Ethiopia to act in good faith on this crucial file, said the Sudanese source. He added that the messages the Egyptian and Sudanese delegations to New York will be pushing are almost identical. They make two basic demands: that the agreement be legally binding, and a target date be set for any deal to be concluded.



Egyptian officials say Cairo wants a reasonable compromise to work towards. If that compromise is not forthcoming, Shoukri will end up warning his interlocutors in New York that Egypts patience is wearing thin.



Shoukri will also use his meetings around the General Assembly to lobby support for Egyptian plans to restart Palestinian-Israeli talks before the end of this year. While Egyptian officials concede there is little if any chance of securing a deal any time soon, they argue that there is an urgent need for peace talks to resume after a decade of being put on hold.



In his statement before the UNGA, Al-Sisi said there is no way for the Middle East to enjoy stability without a fair solution to the Palestinian question that remains the central cause for all Arabs. He added that the end objective is a negotiated peace deal that leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. For now, however, Al-Sisi said that Egypt is working to consolidate a ceasefire it helped broker in the spring of this year in Gaza and to improve the living conditions of Palestinians there, especially through a reconstruction scheme that it has committed to.



During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet in Sharm El-Sheikh last week, Al-Sisi pressed Bennet to commit to restarting peace talks. According to statements made by the Israeli minister of interior this week, however, Bennet has no plans to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.



Egypt has managed to secure Israeli agreement on the slow launch of a Gaza reconstruction plan. A delegation of Egyptian engineers and other experts arrived in the Gaza Strip this week to finalise details on rebuilding 1,500 houses that were damaged during the war on Gaza earlier this year, and Egypt continues to negotiate with Israel on the timeline for starting major infrastructure reconstruction work.



Officials in Cairo warn, however, that reconstruction is not enough to consolidate the frail situation in Gaza and on the borders between Gaza and Israel, or to keep the tense situation in the West Bank free from some unexpected explosion. They argue that a political process is needed to contain tension and give hope, and it is support for this process that Cairo is canvasing in New York.



Egypt is working on this in close cooperation with Jordan, France, and Germany.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The study surveyed over 1,200 business executives and managers from various parts of North America, Middle East, Europe, and Asia

Bupa, a world-renowned medical insurance organisation, released an in-depth global survey on 20 September that analyses the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on managers and executives physically and mentally.

The study surveyed over 1,200 business executives and managers from various parts of North America, Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

Despite worries over the recovery of the economy and a decline in mental health prevailing, the survey clearly shows that executives have tried to redefine existing working models and corporate values in order to improve the circumstances of their business modules.

Egypts stance

In the Executive Wellbeing Index issued by Bupa, a substantial section stressed on the situation in Egypt.

Egypt is the only developing country in our study that experienced positive economic growth during the pandemic, which brings so much promise and hope, Mohamad Bazzi, the managing director of Bupa Egypt, said in a press statement.

However, this years data has also unearthed that many of the people in our survey are surrounded by uncertainty, and as Egyptian businesses navigate through the COVID-19 crisis and into the new normal, there has been a renewed focus at an organisational level on employee wellbeing and mental health to help their businesses thrive.

Mental Health: Exceptional challenges call for exceptional solutions

Declining mental health has been one of the challenges that faced many heads of business in Egypt as well as all over the world due to the pandemic.

With global efforts focusing on mass COVID-19 vaccinations and re-openings, the study has shown that the pandemic is still very much at the front and centre of everyones attention.

Although the physical impact of the pandemic is slowing down, evidence of its effect on the mental health of mangers, executives, and high-earning employees and individuals is still alarming, with 82 percent reporting at least one symptom of mental stress.

The most commonly reported challenges are feeling down, sadness, or anxiety at 41 percent, feeling angry or impatient at 31 percent, and experiencing mood swings at 29 percent.

It has been noted that discussing issues of mental health is being normalised in Egypt ever since the pandemic, and thereby high-net-worth individuals have also been recognised for being proactive in dealing with their challenges, with 92 percent of subjects having made life changes to manage or prevent their mental health concerns, which is higher than the global average  84 percent  and second only to the UAEs 96 percent.

Wellbeing foremost: Flexibility is here to stay

The report shows that workplace wellbeing initiatives are a priority in Egypt to boost mental wellbeing, with 54 percent of organisations introducing initiatives and 32 percent planning to do so in the near future.

37 percent of participants believe that an increased focus on wellbeing and mental health is essential if organisations want to recruit the best talent.

Companies in Egypt have shown their ability to adapt with the challenges of the past year by re-evaluating existing working models; for example, by encouraging wellbeing among employees.

Last years research showed that over 70 percent of Egypts managers and executives believed the pandemic accelerated the countrys transition to digitisation.

Changing values: More humility and inclusion

This study also revealed a change in perspective on how high-net-worth individuals value corporate leadership qualities, where understanding (41 percent), humility (39 percent), and cultural intelligence (32 percent) were the main attributes for the ideal CEO.

The pandemic has shifted priorities and pushed decision makers to take into account individual needs in order to thrive as an organisation.

The most striking change when analysing the corporate structure in Egypt is a shift towards inclusion in the workplace, with 98 percent of leaders planning to increase the number of women and people from different socio-economic groups.

Leaders in Egypt are prioritising the individual wellbeing of their employees. With almost all decision-makers making this conscious effort to encourage more inclusive representations in company boards. It is clear that we are at the brink of a shift in the overall wellbeing of all sectors in the working society, Bazzi explained.

As we continue to try and find the right balance to navigate the pandemics effects on the work environment, we are seeing a lot of promising adjustments that will definitely stand the test of time.

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In her first novel 'The Bird Tatto,' Iraqi poet, Dunya Mikhail, narrates a fascinating and painful journey of a Yazidi woman who is held captive by IS, in the north of Iraq

In her first novel 'The Bird Tatto,' Iraqi poet, Dunya Mikhail, narrates a fascinating and painful journey of a Yazidi woman who is held captive by IS, in the north of Iraq. She escapes the clutches of the Organization and is reunited with some family members. But her life is forever changed.

the novel was published by Dar AlRafaidin, in 2020. It was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.

The following text is an excerpt from the novel.

Members of the Organization had taken all the captives possessions, including their gold wedding rings. But Helen's wedding ring was not a ring. It was a tattoo of a bird. She was staring down at her finger when someone started shouting 27! Number 27!

He sounded angry, and as Helen belatedly realized that she was number 27, she wondered if she was in trouble because she had just left the queue and run to Amina. She hadn't believed her eyes when shed spotted her dearest childhood friend on the other side of the hall. Amina, too, had opened her mouth in disbelief.

Their tearful hug didn't last more than few seconds when the irate voice announced, 27 is sold. The speaker was pointing at Helen. In his other hand, he carried a cardboard box filled with all the captives' cell phones.

Leave her alone!" Amina protested, but her voice was barely audible. All the phones in the box were ringing, their loud tones coming from anxious relatives who kept calling and calling the women captives gathered there, but getting no answers.

The man, who wore a long black shirt that reached his knees and trousers to just above his ankle, pushed Amina so hard she fell to the floor.

Helen bent down to help her up, but the man pulled Helen away and led her to another room. He threw her to the floor and left, closing the door behind him.

Other women sat there on the floor with their heads down. They too were labeled with numbers, like those distant planets that have no names.

The one woman who had no number sat at a desk. She handed Helen a paper and said: This is your marriage certificate. Your husband will come soon.

Helen returned the paper without looking at it and replied: Im already married.

Abu Tahseen purchased you online, and he's on his way here.

If she had not seen it with her own eyes, Helen would never have believed a market for selling women existed. What had surprised her even more was that this market was in a school building. Its name, Flowers of Mosul, was displayed on a banner at the front of the building, which looked just like the elementary school she had once attended with her twin brother Azad.

But even their principal, the strict Ms. Ilham, would be unable to comprehend the idea of a market for women. For Ms. Ilham, chewing gum had been immoral, even if it was done during breaks. Azad, who was fond of the Arrow brand of gum, had thought that it was no different from the candies that other students ate without any problem, until the day Ms. Ilham summoned him to her office.

Azad had been frightened that Ms. Ilham would hit him on the hand with the sharp side of her ruler, as he had seen her doing to students who were late to class. They were supposed to be in their seats before the bell rang so that when their teacher entered, they would all stand up in a show of respect. But to his astonishment, when, at the end of her questioning, she found out who had given Azad the gum, Ms. Ilham had smiled and said, Say hello to your uncle Mr. Murad and tell him that gum is prohibited. Now go to your classroom.

This room was similar to the principals office, with its neat table at which now sat the numberless woman busily managing the sale of captives.

"Put on these clothes. The photographer will come soon, she said, handing a plastic bag to another prisoner in the room. Helen had been surprised by the contrast in the style of clothes imposed by the Organization. In the beginning, they had been forced to wear the niqab, through which only the eyes are visible. Later, they were forced to change into promo clothes for pictures and sale exhibitions. The photographer had asked Helen to wipe away her tears in order for him to take the picture.

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Since its release at the end of last month, coinciding with the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of War has caused great controversy in political and popular circles in the United States and abroad, a controversy that propelled it to top-seller lists within a few weeks. Its author, Craig Whitlock, a veteran reporter, has made the rounds on talk shows and news channels in American media, sharing his opinion that the US so-called "War on Terror" in Afghanistan was a tragedy and a major crime.

Craig Whitlock is responsible for covering the Pentagon and national security for the Washington Post. He also headed the newspaper's Berlin office and covered terror networks in Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. He has reported in more than 60 countries and has been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism.

In an interview with Al-Ahram, Whitlock reveals how American leaders and officials lied simply with their refusal to admit failure, how the "War on Terror" turned into a war on the truth and the silencing of the media, and why it will be difficult to ensure accountability for the failures of the US in Afghanistan.

Al-Ahram: How does the book differ from the much-discussed series of articles published in The Post in late 2019?

Craig Whitlock:In addition to the documents that The Post published in 2019, the book is based on thousands of pages of additional documents about the war in Afghanistan, including the transcripts of several hundred oral-history interviews with US troops and senior officials who served under President George W. Bush. Also, the book is a chronological narrative of what went wrong in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021.

AA: What were the reactions of those interviewed for the book after it was published? You have mentioned they had spoken freely as they did not believe their words would be published.

CW: Since the books release, no one who was interviewed for the Afghanistan Papers has denied what they said in the original, documented interviews. Perhaps they were not eager to see their unvarnished commentary published, but no one has denied making their remarks.

AA: What, in your opinion, was the most shocking information in the Afghanistan papers?

CW: The most shocking information, to me, were the blunt admissions that US policy in Afghanistan was inept and dysfunctional. Douglas Lute, a US army general who oversaw war policy under both Bush and Obama, said: We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan  we didnt know what we were doing We didnt have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking. Ambassador Richard Boucher, a diplomat in charge of South Asia policy under Bush, said the same thing: We did not know what we were doing. In addition, two commanding generals admitted they had tried to fight the war without a functional strategy. There was no campaign plan. It just wasnt there, said US Army general Dan McNeill, who served under Bush. British general David Richards, who commanded US and NATO troops from 2006 to 2007, added: There was no coherent long-term strategy.

AA: You demonstrate in your book the contradiction between what leaders and decision-makers really believed and what they said in public. In your opinion, why did they continue to lie instead of finding an alternate strategy to withdraw with dignity?

CW: Senior US officials who were responsible for the war over the last 20 years are still very reluctant to admit that they did not tell the truth to the American people about how the conflict was going. No one wants to take responsibility and admit that they personally lied or deceived the public, even though my book contains documented example after example of this. At the same time, while individuals do not want to take responsibility, there is a growing acknowledgment that the US government and military overall were not forthright. Even President Biden has acknowledged that the US government lied to the public about how the war was going before he became president.

AA: Throughout the 20 years of the war, was there any official who told the truth in the media?

CW: The book does highlight the case of one US general who told the truth in public about how the war was going  and he was sacked for it. Army General David McKiernan commanded the war from 2008 to 2009 under President Bush and President Obama. In his public remarks, he was the rare general who admitted things were not going well. In large parts of Afghanistan, we dont see progress, he acknowledged in October 2008. We are in a tough fight. So, the idea that it might get worse before it gets better is certainly a possibility.

AA: Were there any indication of his words being taken seriously?

CW: In May 2009, the Pentagon announced that McKiernan had been fired. No clear reason was given, but whatever the purpose, the message sent to the rest of the generals was this: If you tell the public that the war is heading in the wrong direction, you could lose your job.

AA: You write that the Afghanistan war was grounded in near-unanimous public support when it began in 2003. There was no need, then, for the Pentagon brass to lie about the war. Why did they lie despite that fact that there was no clearly articulated mission?

CW: After the 11 September 2001 attacks, the US Congress authorized the use of military force against Al-Qaeda by a vote of 420-1, and public opinion surveys showed that more than 80 percent of Americans supported military action in Afghanistan. At first, there was no need for the Pentagon brass to deceive the public about the war. Within a few months, the Taliban had been forced from power and Al-Qaedas leaders had been captured, killed or had fled Afghanistan. At that point  by early 2002  Americans assumed they had won the war for good. Gradually, however, the Taliban regrouped and the insurgency intensified. Thats when the lies and deception started to become more pronounced, because no US president or general wanted to admit that they were suffering setbacks in a war that Americans thought they had already won.

AA: One interviewee notes that the war could have ended in weeks if direct negotiations with the Taliban had been undertaken, which the US did do in the end with the peace agreement in Doha. Why did the US fail to take this path from the start? How did the US misread the situation? Who is to blame, the White House, the Pentagon, diplomats?

CW: In the interviews and documents from the Afghanistan Papers, several former diplomats and analysts said the United States and its allies made a mistake in not allowing Taliban representatives to attend the conference in Bonn, Germany in late 2001, when all of Afghanistans other political factions gathered to agree on a new political system and a timetable for writing a new constitution. The Bush administration  especially George W. Bush and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld  categorized all Taliban leaders and fighters as terrorists and said the United States would not negotiate with them or allow them to join the new Afghan political system. In that regard, US officials put the Taliban in the same category as Al-Qaeda. Yet Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, while supportive of each other, were two very different groups with different agendas. Al-Qaeda was solely responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks and consisted mostly of foreign fighters with a global agenda. The Taliban, in contrast, was a broad-based Afghan movement that still retained considerable support among the population. It was unrealistic for the Bush administration, or its Afghan allies in the Northern Alliance, to think that they could completely eliminate the Taliban. By refusing to include the Taliban in the new Afghan political system at a point when the Taliban was weak and defeated, this sowed the seeds for the insurgency to take root.

AA: What did the US get out of all that effort in Afghanistan. Was the occupation of Afghanistan worth it?

CW: After 20 years, it is difficult to see any lasting achievements for the United States in Afghanistan. The war was initially successful in reducing the threat from Al-Qaeda and killing or capturing many of its leaders. Eventually, Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan, and the core Al-Qaeda network has not been able to conduct another terrorist attack in the United States on the scale of the September 11 hijackings. But now that the Taliban is back in power  and controls more of Afghanistan than ever before  there is a real concern that Al-Qaeda could find refuge again in Afghanistan. Separately, there is no question that all the money and time and sacrifices the United States made to create a democratic system of government in Afghanistan did not succeed.

AA: The US did not have any victories in Afghanistan. It allowed the Taliban to regain power, and rebuilding the country failed as well. The withdrawal and handing over power to the Taliban undermines the morality and feasibility of the "War on Terror"? What do you think?

CW: This is a difficult question and gets at a heart with one of the main failings of the war: The United States failed to articulate exactly what it was hoping to accomplish in Afghanistan. At first, the goal and objective seemed clear and focused: to destroy Al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of the 9/11 attacks. That part was successful for many years. But then the mission became blurry. The United States soon became embroiled in a civil war in Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban and other insurgents, instead of just Al-Qaeda. And the attempts to build a new Afghan government and to modernize Afghanistan were largely unsuccessful.

AA: Some analysts consider the "War on Terror" a golden goose for the military and defence industry, where military contractors thrived with US forever war in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places. This has also opened the doors for corruption. What do The Afghanistan Papers say about this?

CW: The Afghanistan Papers make clear that the United States helped open the doors for corruption in Afghanistan by flooding the country with more money than it could absorb. This money came in the form of humanitarian aid, reconstruction projects, and especially military spending. One State Department official, Barnett Rubin, said in an interview for the Afghanistan Papers: There is one indispensable ingredient for corruption  money  and we were the ones who had the money.

AA: The degree of misrepresentation about the war by military and civilian leaders should drive the creation of extensive oversight mechanisms. How can this be achieved to prevent the recurrence of such mistakes?

CW: Accountability for the US failures in Afghanistan will be hard to achieve because so many different people and institutions were responsible: Democrats and Republicans, the Congress and the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department. The only independent institution in the American political system that is likely to drive accountability is the news media. The news media, of course, can bring problems to light but has no direct power to pass laws or change official policies to prevent the recurrence of such mistakes.

AA: Secretary of State Antony Blinken blamed the Trump administration for its February 2020 peace deal with the Taliban, which he said tied Bidens hands and caused the quick and unexpected collapse of the Afghan government and security forces that led to the Taliban takeover. What do The Afghanistan Papers say were the indications of what we are witnessing today?

CW: There has been a lot of political finger-pointing in America about who is to blame for the chaotic withdrawal of the United States and for the Talibans return to power. Setting that aside, however, it is clear from The Afghanistan Papers that US officials have known for many years that the Afghan army and security forces were weak, corrupt and no match for the Taliban in the long term. Yet year after year, US officials kept saying in public that the Afghan security forces were getting stronger and would be able to defend their government.

AA: The US bitter experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has undercut faith in American foreign policy for the Middle East and fostered resentment over the US intervention in some countries in the name of American national security. How do your interviewees deal with this issue?

CW: Several current and former US officials interviewed for the Afghanistan Papers acknowledge that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have undercut public support for American foreign policy in the Middle East. However, they say the war in Iraq was much more damaging in this regard. Although the war in Afghanistan failed in the end, most countries around the world supported the United States in 2001 and understood why it took military action in Afghanistan. That was never the case in Iraq.

AA: It seems that the US did not learn from the lesson of Vietnam. What are the most important lessons for the future?

CW: This is one of the biggest puzzles about the war. In 2001 and 2002, soon after the war in Afghanistan began, President Bush and senior officials in his administration reassured the public that they had learned their lessons from the war in Vietnam and that they would not allow the United States to get bogged down in an endless war in Afghanistan. Yet they still allowed it to happen. This was perhaps the result of overconfidence and hubris.

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The new strategic partnership of the US, Australia, and Britain in the Indo-Pacific region will be seen as a consolidation of Anglo-Saxon cooperation rather than a multilateral effort by the Western alliance, writes Hussein Haridy

On 12 March, newly elected US President Joe Biden hosted his first international summit meeting, held virtually, that brought together the prime ministers of Japan, India and Australia in the so-called Quad grouping. Statements by the four leaders said the main objective was to keep the Indo-Pacific region open and free and to defend the rules-based international order.

The virtual Quad Summit was a diplomatic success for the Biden administration in its global strategy of competing with China. US officials have since often talked about Chinese coercion and threats in the South China Sea as well as against Taiwan.

The global strategy of the US administration is centred around the containment of a rising China. Of course, the White House speaks of a competition and the need to engage China, but there is no doubt that the ultimate objective of this strategy is to contain China and build a network of alliances that will turn the Indo-Pacific region into an anti-China space regardless of pronouncements otherwise.

That became clearer last Wednesday when Biden hosted, again in a virtual summit meeting from the White House, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The three leaders announced the creation of a new strategic partnership called AUKUS made up of Australia, the UK and the US.

According to a statement released on 15 September, the three countries are resolved to deepen diplomatic, security and defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, including by working with partners, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It went on to say that in order to achieve this goal, the three countries had agreed to establish AUKUS.

In his opening remarks at the summit meeting, Biden stressed that AUKUS aimed at deepening and formalising security and defence cooperation among the three countries that believe it is imperative to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long-term.

He added that there is a need to address the current strategic environment in the region and how it may evolve. In the meantime, he emphasised that Washington in launching AUKUS was linking its allies and partners around the world in new ways and amplifying their joint capabilities to collaborate, recognising that there is no regional divide separating the interests of the Atlantic and Pacific partners. This remains to be seen.

One of the concrete programmes announced by the three leaders was the construction of nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed submarines for Australia. This programme led to the cancellation by the Australian government of a lucrative deal with France to build 12 ultra-modern conventional submarines for the Australian Navy worth 30 billion Euros. The French had earlier called this the deal of the century as far as they were concerned.

Its cancellation caused anger and consternation in Paris. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian called the decision to cancel the deal a stab in the back. In order to show how deep this anger was in France, the French government recalled its ambassadors in Washington and Canberra for consultation.

The prevailing impression in Paris is that the US has preferred to work with its Anglo-Saxon allies rather than with Europeans. What is more serious from an American standpoint is the belief in France, reaffirmed by the creation of AUKUS, that joining the West and the US in efforts to secure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific should not be directed against China and that any US-Chinese confrontation should not become a Chinese-European one.

This position by France is shared by other members of the NATO alliance and to varying degrees by London. Europe has a strategic interest in not transforming the Indo-Pacific into a new strategic divide with military dimensions and into a possible future battlefield between the West and China. The US should take this into account, particularly after its recent debacle in withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan.

It is interesting to note that despite the growing doubts among NATO members about the credibility of the US when it comes to close coordination and consultations with its allies and partners, in announcing the formation of AUKUS Biden still reiterated that Washington will continue to work with ASEAN and the Quad, our five treaty allies and other close partners in the Indo-Pacific, as well as allies and partners in Europe and the world, to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Underestimating the depth of the disappointment in France, he spoke of the role of France by saying that France, in particular, already has a substantial Indo-Pacific presence and is a key partner and ally in strengthening the security and prosperity of the region.

Unlike the containment of the former Soviet Union, a successful US strategy in the Cold War in maintaining the cohesion and coherence of the Western alliance against it, the new US attempts at recreating a containment-inspired network of alliances to contain the emergence of China as a rival superpower needs further strengthening, taking into account the interests of all the US allies and partners and not only US interests.

AUKUS will be seen as a consolidation of Anglo-Saxon strategic cooperation rather than a multilateral effort by the Western alliance to meet the challenges to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. As a result, the French concept of the strategic autonomy of Europe will gain wider support and a certain credibility.

* The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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In its Human Development Report (HDR) for Egypt in 2021, issued last week, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reviews what can objectively be described as a success story of which the Egyptian people can reasonably be proud.

In barely seven years, the state has managed to tackle many extremely difficult challenges simultaneously, both domestic and regional, combined with keeping at bay the threat of extremism and terrorist groups, all the while focusing on improving living conditions for the majority of Egyptians.

While attending the launch of the report, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi reiterated his deep belief that any successes the government achieved would not have been possible without the understanding and endurance of the Egyptian people, who withstood the harsh effects of an ambitious economic reform plan, knowing that it would bear fruit in the near future, and provide a better life.

The UNDP report is the 12th to be issued on Egypt since 1994 and the first in 10 years. The UNDP introduced the report in 1990 to define and measure development and to rank countries based on their Human Development Index (HDI), which ranks education, health and income.

Issuing the report this year is another indication of the keenness of the Egyptian government to be transparent in listing both successes and challenges. This will certainly help to provide a clear picture for all outside investors whom Egypt is looking forward to attracting.

Egypts 2021 report highlights human development between 2011 and 2020, stressing the key philosophy behind the measures that President Al-Sisi took to achieve development in many sectors: Egyptians must be at the centre of the development process, providing them with a better life that respects their human dignity.

The report renews and confirms Egypts commitment to a development approach that puts people at the centre of the development processes as the principal driver of and the primary stakeholder in its outcomes, said Randa Abul-Hosn, UNDP resident representative in Egypt during the launch last week.

For her part, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala Al-Said, stressed that the national sustainable development strategy, Egypts Vision 2030, aims primarily at improving the quality of life for the Egyptian citizen, out of a steadfast belief that human beings are the main actors in achieving development, and ultimately the desired goal.

Accordingly, Egypt increased investments in its human capital, undertaking serious reforms, and implemented major development projects and initiatives in the sectors of education, health, housing and utilities to provide adequate housing and a decent life for all Egyptians, while paying the utmost attention to politically, economically and socially empowering women and the young, within a more general and comprehensive framework for guaranteeing human rights, foremost among which is the right to development.

Across the world, poverty has spiked, inequalities have widened due to Covid-19, and global human development is going backwards for the first time since 1990. Yet Egypt has managed to maintain positive economic growth, mostly due to the implementation of bold economic reforms, noted the UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, while congratulating Egypt on its achievements in key development areas.

Even though the government has taken social protection measures to ease the consequences of the economic reform programme, eventually the challenges the Egyptian state has been facing will continue to burden Egyptian society. President Al-Sisis motto for facing those challenges, especially while confronting terrorist groups active in Sinai as well as the Muslim Brotherhood, is to defeat terrorism with construction and development.

The state has worked on developing all key economic sectors in a comprehensive manner. The latest initiative on this front has involved developing the countryside with an estimated budget of LE 250 billion over three years. Through the Decent Life initiative, hayah karima in Arabic, infrastructure projects will be carried out in as many as 4,658 villages over three phases, improving the lives of at least 58 million Egyptians. Sisi launched the first phase of the initiative in mid-2021, and it is due to be completed by the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year.

Moreover, ambitious government projects have managed to raise the availability of sanitation services provided to the countryside from 12 to 38 per cent, affirming that during the next three years the country aims to provide sanitation services to the entire countryside.

In order to improve sanitation, and to save water, the government has also exerted tremendous efforts to line canals so that they can eliminate pollution and establish dual and triple sewage treatment plants. Between 2014 and 2024, the governments spending will exceed LE 600-700 billion to this end.

While praising the successes achieved on several fronts, highlighted by the UNDP report, President Al-Sisi asked those involved to include in their future reports challenges that Egypt and the region continue to face such as terrorism, illegal emigration and refugees in Egypt. Egypt hosts five-six million refugees who live among Egyptians as guests, mingling with the people and enjoying the same services the state provides to its citizens. Al-Sisi rightly noted that this number of refugees can be equal to the [population] of two or three countries, and therefore, the report should take this into consideration.

There are many challenges lying ahead, and the population growth rate at 2.6 per cent increases makes them more difficult. However, with the achievements of the past seven years, Egyptians can certainly be hopeful nonetheless.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Egypt, World Bank launch national consultations on climate action



Doaa A.Moneim, , Wednesday 22 Sep 2021



Marina Weiss, the regional director of the World Bank, thanked the Egyptian government for its collaboration in curbing the repercussions of climate change



Egypts ministries of international cooperation and environment announced on Wednesday the launch of national consultations with the World Bank Group (WBG) to discuss the general framework for climate action and preparations for the climate and development report on Egypt.



Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat stated at the meeting that the talks involve ministries and stakeholders to identify the government's priorities concerning the report.



The report is meant to set the national mechanisms for assessing the effects of climate change on Egypt's economy and monitoring the steps taken to adapt to it, said Al-Mashat.



The multi-stakeholder consultations are necessary to prepare the aforementioned report, especially since climate change has cast a shadow on various development sectors, agriculture in particular. A national committee will be convened, comprising ministries and stakeholders, to resume discussions on the priority sectors that the report will focus on, said the minister.



Al-Mashat highlighted the value of the development financing agreements signed with the WBG in 2020, which amount to $1.5 billion.



Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad, asserted Egypts keenness to take active steps to address climate change, including the reconfiguration of the National Council for Climate to be chaired by Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and to encompass other economic sectors to make climate action an integral part of development.



Fouad added that the Ministry of Environment will launch the National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction with the support of state ministries and the Green Climate Fund to attract investments and engage the private sector in climate action plans.



The environment minister added that members of the technical working group in the National Council for Climate are working on a study aimed at examining the effects of climate change on the economy to define the most affected sectors. This comes following rigorous scientific research to determine the needs of the World Bank and the actual cost of relevant projects. The agricultural sector has been identified as one of the priority sectors that was not given due attention as much as the energy sector.



Marina Weiss, the regional director of the World Bank in Egypt, Yemen, and Djibouti thanked the Egyptian government for its collaboration in curbing the repercussions of climate change, noting that the WBG seeks to support national efforts in terms of climate action, given the importance of these initiatives to enhance national and regional development efforts led by Egypt.



The ongoing development cooperation portfolio between the Ministry of International Cooperation and the WBG includes 17 projects to the tune of $5.8 billion to support various sectors, including education, health, transport, social solidarity, petroleum, housing, sanitation, local development, and the environment.



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The White House is facing sharp condemnation from Democrats for its handling of the influx of Haitian migrants at the U.S. southern border, after images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics went viral this week.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection mounted officers attempt to contain migrants as they cross the Rio Grande from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas, Sept. 19, 2021. [Photo: AP/Felix Marquez]

Striking video of agents maneuvering their horses to forcibly block and move migrants attempting to cross the border has sparked resounding criticism from Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are calling on the Biden administration to end its use of a pandemic-era authority to deport migrants without giving them an opportunity to seek asylum in the United States.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., an administration ally, said images of the treatment of the migrants turn your stomach and called on the administration to discontinue the hateful and xenophobic policies of Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump.

The policies that are being enacted now  and the horrible treatment of these innocent people who have come to the border  must stop immediately, Schumer told the Senate on Tuesday.

At the same time, the administration continues to face attacks from Republicans, who say Biden isn't doing enough to deal with what they call a crisis at the border.

Reflecting the urgency of the political problem for the administration, Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday the images horrified him, a seeming shift in tone from a day earlier, when he and others were more sanguine about the situation at the border.

Mayorkas announced later that the agents involved have been placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of an investigation. The actions were taking are swift and strong, and we will take further action as the facts adduced in the investigation compel, he said on Twitter.

It's a highly uncomfortable position for the administration, led by a president who has set himself up as a tonic for the harshness of his predecessor. But immigration is a complex issue, one no administration has been able to fix in decades. And Biden is trapped between conflicting interests of broadcasting compassion while dealing with throngs of migrants coming to the country  illegally  seeking a better life.

The provision in question, known as Title 42, was put in place by the Trump administration in March 2020 to justify restrictive immigration policies in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But the Biden administration has used Title 42 to justify the deportation of Haitian migrants who in recent days have set up an encampment in and around the small city of Del Rio, Texas. The provision gives federal health officials powers during a pandemic to take extraordinary measures to limit transmission of an infectious disease.

A federal judge late last week ruled the regulation was improper and gave the government two weeks before its use was to be halted, but the Biden administration on Monday appealed the decision.

The Biden administration pushing back on this stay of expulsions is another example of broken promises to treat migrants with respect and humanity when they reach our borders to exercise their fundamental right to asylum, said Karla Marisol Vargas, senior attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project and co-counsel on the litigation.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson demanded a meeting with Biden to discuss the situation and called the treatment of the Haitian migrants utterly sickening.

The humanitarian crisis happening under this administration on the southern border disgustingly mirrors some of the darkest moments in Americas history, he said in a statement.
The Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival falls on Sept. 23 this year, providing an opportunity for rural workers to celebrate the harvest season. Many have chosen to decorate their farmland in creative ways, highlighting their love of pastoral work. They will also get to participate in various activities to celebrate the festival. [Photo: VCG]

The Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival falls on Sept. 23 this year, providing an opportunity for rural workers to celebrate the harvest season. Many have chosen to decorate their farmland in creative ways, highlighting their love of pastoral work. They will also get to participate in various activities to celebrate the festival. [Photo: VCG]

The Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival falls on Sept. 23 this year, providing an opportunity for rural workers to celebrate the harvest season. Many have chosen to decorate their farmland in creative ways, highlighting their love of pastoral work. They will also get to participate in various activities to celebrate the festival. [Photo: VCG]

The Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival falls on Sept. 23 this year, providing an opportunity for rural workers to celebrate the harvest season. Many have chosen to decorate their farmland in creative ways, highlighting their love of pastoral work. They will also get to participate in various activities to celebrate the festival. [Photo: VCG]
Gabby Petito was killed by another person, a coroner concluded while also confirming that the human remains found recently at a Wyoming national park were those of the 22-year-old woman who disappeared months after she set out on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, the FBI said Tuesday.

This combo of photos provided by FBI Denver via @FBIDenver shows missing person Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito. Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country trip in a converted camper van with her boyfriend. Authorities say a body discovered Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Wyoming, is believed to be Petito. [Photo: Courtesy of FBI Denver via AP]

Teton County Coroner Brent Blue determined Petito was a homicide victim, but did not disclose a cause of death pending final autopsy results, officials said. Her body was found Sunday near an undeveloped camping area in remote northern Wyoming along the border of Grand Teton National Park.

Meanwhile, authorities continued to search a swampy Florida preserve area near the home of Petito's boyfriend. Police in North Port, Florida, said investigators returned Tuesday to the Carlton Reserve to look for Brian Laundrie, 23. Nothing of note was found, and the search was expected to continue Wednesday. Investigators began searching the 24,000-acre (9,700-hectare) Florida nature preserve over the weekend, focusing on the area after Laundries parents told police he may have gone there.

Authorities are using helicopters, drones, dogs and officers in all-terrain vehicles in their search for Laundrie. About 75% of the search area is underwater.

On Monday, the FBI went to Laundrie's parents' home in North Port and removed several boxes and towed away a car neighbors said Laundrie's mother typically used.

Laundrie and Petito had been living with his parents at the North Port home before the road trip on which she died.

The young couple had set out in July in a converted van to visit national parks in the West. They got into a fight along the way, and Laundrie was alone when he returned in the van to his parents home Sept. 1, police said.

Laundrie has been named a person of interest in the case, but his whereabouts in recent days were unknown.

Petitos father, Joseph, posted on social media an image of a broken heart above a picture of his daughter, with the message: She touched the world.

In an interview broadcast Monday on TVs Dr. Phil show, Joseph Petito said Laundrie and his daughter had dated for 2 1/2 years, and Laundrie was always respectful. During the interview, which was recorded before his daughters body was found, Petito said the couple had taken a previous road trip to California in her car and there were no problems.

Joseph Petito said the family began worrying after several days without hearing from their daughter.

We called Brian, we called the mom, we called the dad, we called the sister, we called every number that we could find, Joseph Petito said. No phone calls were picked up, no text messages were returned.

Joseph Petito said he wants Laundrie to be held accountable for whatever part he played in his daughter's disappearance, along with his family for protecting him.

I hope they get whats coming, and that includes his folks, Joseph Petito said. Because Ill tell you, right now, they are just as complicit, in my book.

The FBI said investigators are seeking information from anyone who may have seen the couple around Grand Teton.

Gabby Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on New Yorks Long Island. His parents later moved to North Port, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Sarasota.

A man who saw Petito and Laundrie fighting in Moab, Utah, on Aug. 12 called 911 to report a domestic violence incident, according to a recording of the call obtained from the Grand County Sheriffs Office. The man said he saw Laundrie slap Petito while walking through the town and proceeded to hit her before the two got in their van and drove off.

Video released by the Moab police showed that an officer pulled the couples van over on the same day after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near Arches National Park. The body-camera footage showed an upset Petito.

Laundrie said on the video that the couple had gotten into a scuffle after he climbed into the van with dirty feet. He said he did not want to pursue a domestic violence charge against Petito, who officers decided was the aggressor.

Moab police separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the van.

In the footage, Gabby Petito cried as she told the officer she and Laundrie had been arguing over her excessive cleaning of the van. She told the officer she has OCD  obsessive compulsive disorder.

On Dr. Phil, her father said that was not literally true. She just likes to keep her living area orderly and was using slang, he said.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 22, 2021 - 18:55 | World, All, Japan

Leaders of the United States, Japan, Australia and India are expected to signal their opposition to China's attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China seas when they meet in Washington later this week, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

According to the sources, a draft of a joint leaders' statement uses tougher language than before regarding the situation in the waters where China is stepping up its territorial claims, saying that the Quad members "oppose challenges to the maritime rules-based order," particularly in the East and South China seas.

The gathering on Friday will be the first-ever in-person Quad summit, which the U.S. administration of President Joe Biden has said will provide an opportunity to deepen ties, promote a "free and open" Indo-Pacific and partner on emerging technologies and cyberspace, among other issues.

At the previous Quad summit in March, held in a virtual format, the four leaders noted in their statement that they will "facilitate collaboration, including in maritime security, to meet challenges to the rules-based maritime order" in the East and South China seas.

Beijing in recent years has become more assertive regarding its claim to the Senkaku Islands, a group of Japan-administered islets in the East China Sea that are called Diaoyu by Beijing. It has also continued to militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea despite a 2016 international ruling against its claims in the waters.

On technological cooperation, the four countries said in the draft statement that they will advance secure and transparent 5G networks, an area in which competition has been intensifying between the United States and China, according to the sources.

The document also highlighted the Quad as a force for regional peace, stability and security, reflecting the Biden administration's emphasis on the group of major Indo-Pacific democracies amid its efforts to push back against Beijing.

The wording cited in the draft could change as there are still a few days left until the summit, which will bring together Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.

The Quad was originally formed in 2004 in response to the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. In recent years, the group has gained renewed attention as a counterweight to China's growing assertiveness in the region.

During the previous U.S. administration under Donald Trump, the Quad held meetings at the foreign ministerial level. But the engagement has moved to the leaders' level under the Biden administration, with their first summit meeting in March this year.

In addition to the Quad, the United States announced last week the creation of a new security partnership for the Indo-Pacific with Britain and Australia, which will help Canberra obtain nuclear-powered submarines.

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U.S. to host 1st in-person Quad summit on Sept. 24 amid China's rise

U.S., Japan, other Quad members discuss Taiwan's "peace and security"

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By Ami Takahashi, KYODO NEWS - Sep 22, 2021 - 16:45 | Feature, All, Japan

Two women have entered the race for the leadership of Japan's ruling party for the first time in its 66-year history, putting in the spotlight both the strides taken and the hurdles that still face female politicians in a country that lags far behind other nations on gender equality.

But despite the unprecedented female presence -- making up half the four-person field -- some experts say gender inequality will likely remain unaddressed as the Liberal Democratic Party is still heavily influenced by conservative male heavyweights.

The four candidates running in the presidential election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party pose after attending a debate sponsored by video-sharing service Niconico in Tokyo on Sept. 18, 2021. The four -- (from L) vaccination minister Taro Kono, former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, former communications minister Sanae Takaichi and Seiko Noda, executive acting secretary general of the LDP -- are vying for the post currently held by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Former internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi, 60, and Seiko Noda, 61, executive acting secretary general of the LDP, are vying to become Japan's first female prime minister.

The two other candidates running in the Sept. 29 election to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga are vaccination minister Taro Kono, 58, and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, 64. The winner of the race will become prime minister as the LDP-led coalition controls both chambers of parliament.

In the long history of the LDP, Yuriko Koike, now the governor of Tokyo, became the first female lawmaker to run for party leader in 2008 but she lost to Taro Aso, now deputy prime minister and finance minister, in a landslide.

This time, the party has multiple women candidates for the first time, but Koike struck a sarcastic note when commenting earlier this month on the first female entry into the LDP leadership race in 13 years.

"I wonder why Japan, without the presence of the Taliban, has been lagging far behind other countries on female empowerment," she said, referring to the Islamic group that has suppressed women's rights in Afghanistan.

Under the party rules, a lawmaker needs to gather at least 20 nominations from LDP members of parliament to stand in the presidential race, a rule seen as putting women at a disadvantage as it puts importance on winning support from the party's faction bosses and other heavyweights, who are all men. Neither Takaichi nor Noda belongs to a faction.

Takaichi, known to be a staunch conservative, successfully garnered backing this time from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who, although not a faction boss, has significant influence in the party.

"Even if she wins, it's almost like decorating the same old party with just the mask of a woman," said Mieko Nakabayashi, a political science professor at Waseda University in Tokyo.

"Some people may simply welcome the fact that women have finally made it into the LDP leadership race, but it does not mean the party will prioritize a policy agenda on gender equality," she added.

In a press conference on Sept. 8 to announce her bid in the race, Takaichi said she was asked when she began to pursue her political career around 30 years ago what "a young woman like you can do" in parliament.

Takaichi then stressed the party has since changed, with veteran male politicians seeking more female representation, and that she expects there will be even more women in positions of power in the future.

As of Sept. 1, women accounted for just 9.9 percent of lawmakers in Japan's House of Representatives, and 23.0 percent in the House of Councillors, according to the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The figures came as Japan was listed in the bottom 10 in terms of political empowerment in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index for 2021.

Part of the LDP's conservative wing, Takaichi has long argued in favor of keeping a legal requirement in Japan that married couples should share the same surname, even though she used her maiden rather than her legal name as a politician when she was married to a fellow lawmaker between 2004 and 2017.

The practice has been widely criticized by women's rights advocates as violating the constitutional right to gender equality, with 96 percent of Japanese couples who registered their marriage in the country in 2019 choosing the husband's surname.

Noda, on the other hand, has been vocal in promoting female empowerment and inclusion of people with disabilities. The former communications minister gave birth to a boy at the age of 50 in 2011 through in vitro fertilization using a donated egg in the United States and her son has disabilities.

Noda had repeatedly tried to run in the LDP leadership election in the past but failed to garner 20 nominations.

"I want to build a country based on conservative politics that would enable women, children, the elderly, and the disabled, who until now have not been able to play a leading role, to live well in society," Noda told reporters in launching her campaign.

Noda said she would pick women for half of her Cabinet posts if she is elected prime minister. She also stressed the importance of a more inclusive society for minorities.

Last year, former Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, another veteran female lawmaker who sought to run in the LDP presidential race following Abe's abrupt resignation due to health issues, said factional politics are "hurdles" for women that prevent them from even standing in the presidential election.

Mari Miura, a professor of political science at Sophia University, said, "It seems male lawmakers who have power over the party are using female lawmakers in their power game."

"The party gives a better impression by endorsing as a candidate Ms. Noda, who has been working toward closing the gender gap, but that does not guarantee the male-dominated party led by powerful conservative lawmakers will reflect such views into its policy," Miura said.

Some major opposition parties in Japan have had female leaders in the past. The late Takako Doi became head of the then Japan Socialist Party in 1986 and Renho was chosen leader of the then Democratic Party in 2016.

Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima is the only current female leader on the national level, although her party holds just two seats in parliament.

The LDP will likely face a general election in November under a new leader after the lower house members' terms expire on Oct. 21.

Waseda University's Nakabayashi said it is important to closely watch whether the LDP will end up using female lawmakers as "a tool" or actually work out a strategy to tackle gender inequality.

Related coverage:

PROFILE: LDP's acting Secretary General Noda aims to be 1st female PM

PROFILE: Veteran woman lawmaker Sanae Takaichi known as staunch conservative

Women hold only 5.9% of director-level jobs in Japan government
KYODO NEWS - Sep 22, 2021 - 22:53 | All, Japan

Kei Komuro, the 29-year-old boyfriend of Princess Mako, will likely return to Japan next Monday from the United States where he has been living, sources with knowledge of the matter said Wednesday, ahead of their planned marriage.

Komuro is expected to meet the 29-year-old princess, the elder daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito, and prepare for a press conference after roughly two weeks of coronavirus quarantine, the sources said.

The couple are planning to register their marriage as early as next month.

After the Imperial Household Agency officially announces the marriage, the couple are expected to hold a press conference, according to the sources.

Komuro and Princess Mako met in 2012 while studying at International Christian University in Tokyo and they were unofficially engaged in September 2017.

Their wedding has been postponed due to a money dispute between Komuro's mother and her former boyfriend.

Komuro has issued a statement detailing the dispute but has not held a press conference to explain.

Earlier this year, Komuro graduated from Fordham University's law school in New York. He is expected to work at a law firm in the United States where the couple will begin a new life.

Related coverage:

PROFILE: Princess Mako's boyfriend pursuing legal career

PROFILE: Princess Mako seen as independent, friendly

Japan's Princess Mako, boyfriend to marry by yr-end, with no ceremony
KYODO NEWS - Sep 22, 2021 - 21:45 | All, Japan

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of two Sri Lankans who had demanded 10 million yen ($91,000) in damages from Japanese immigration authorities for infringing on their right to undergo a trial for refugee status.

The court ordered the state to pay 300,000 yen each to the men, overturning a lower court ruling that rejected the plaintiffs' claim for the damages.

"The two men were effectively deprived of the opportunity to stand trial to see if they were qualified as refugees," Yutaka Hirata, presiding judge of the high court, said in handing down the ruling.

The court acknowledged the plaintiffs' claim that the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau violated their right to face trial ensured under the Constitution.

The Immigration Services Agency of Japan said in a comment that it will study the ruling and take appropriate action.

According to the ruling, the plaintiffs applied for asylum between 2011 and 2012 but were rejected. They appealed the decision.

But they were deported along with other Sri Lankans on a chartered plane on Dec. 18, 2014, a day after the immigration authorities told them their appeal was rejected.

The court ruled the immigration authorities deliberately did not tell the plaintiffs about the dismissal of their appeal until the last minute in order to ensure that the two would be deported in a group on the designated flight.

Speaking after the ruling, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said, "(The plaintiffs) wanted to bring their case to court, but they were forcibly deported."

"It is a very significant decision that deals a hard blow to the immigration authorities' approach" to the Sri Lankans, the lawyer told reporters.

In a similar lawsuit filed by a man from South Asia who was on the same flight, the Nagoya High Court in central Japan in January ordered the state to pay 440,000 yen to the man, while saying the treatment did not violate the Constitution, according to the team of lawyers for the plaintiffs.

Related coverage:

Japan immigration footage shows mistreatment of detained foreigner

Kin of dead Sri Lankan urge Japan immigration to fully disclose video

Detained Sri Lankan "treated like a dog," says kin after seeing video
KYODO NEWS - Sep 22, 2021 - 18:47 | All, Japan

Japan's financial watchdog said Wednesday it requested Mizuho Financial Group Inc. and its banking arm Mizuho Bank to submit a work plan for system maintenance after a series of system failures this year, in a rare move to effectively oversee the system of a major bank.

The Financial Services Agency made the request as part of its business improvement order issued amid lingering concerns over the security of the financial group's system after it experienced seven failures this year.

Mizuho, one of the three Japanese megabanks, is still working to identify the root causes of the series of failures including the latest system problem that disrupted about 100 automated teller machines on Sept. 8.

"We take a serious view of the order," Mizuho Financial Group and Mizuho Bank said in a joint release. "Giving top priority to stable system operations, we will continue to take all possible measures to secure safe and steady system upgrades."

The latest order comes after Mizuho reported details of the first five failures and measures to prevent recurrences to the FSA on two occasions earlier this year as requested.

Of the five cases, the first four occurred within two weeks from Feb. 28, when over 4,300, or about 80 percent of Mizuho's ATMs operating nationwide, were temporarily suspended and more than 5,000 bank cards and books were stuck inside them.

A panel of lawyers and computer system experts set up by the bank concluded in June that the four system problems were caused by poor operation and management, rather than system defects.

Mizuho Financial Group President and Group CEO Tatsufumi Sakai and 10 other executives took pay cuts of 10 to 50 percent for four months to take responsibility for the repeated failures.

Sakai has denied the possibility that the executives would resign, saying the group would focus on measures to prevent recurrences. The bank also recruited an executive from IBM Japan Ltd. to oversee systems management.

Related coverage:

Japan gov't to issue order to Mizuho over bank system failures

11 Mizuho executives take pay cuts over system failures

Mizuho FG says Hitachi hardware behind March system failure
New Delhi:

Rajya Sabha MP and Delhi University professor Manoj Jha has written to HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar urging him to bring an ordinance on reservation roster for teaching positions in higher education institutions (HEIs) during the upcoming Budget session. The UGC had announced in March that an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates following an order by the Allahabad High Court in April 2017.

The HRD Ministry had filed a special leave petition against the court order which was rejected by the Supreme Court. It is clear as daylight that this formula (the new formula) is intended to steal the reservation benefits from the SC/ST/OBC teachers, Jha said in the letter written on Saturday.

"If recruitments are held using this mischievous new formula it will force out SC/ST/OBC ad-hoc, temporary and contractual teachers currently teaching against these vacancies and replace them with general category teachers," the letter read.

This will not only impact the mentoring of the students from these communities but also turn universities and colleges into exclusionary spaces bereft of diversity and shall be tantamount to generational losses to the educational attainments of SC/ST/OBC communities and a great loss to the nation, he said.

"It is my fervent request that your government must take immediate and necessary action to bring a bill restoring the 200-point roster taking college or university as a unit for reservation in teaching post during the Budget session of the parliament," Jha said.

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New Delhi:

Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, the terrorist-turned-soldier from Kashmir, who was martyred while fighting off a terror attack in Shopian district last year, on Saturday was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, the country's highest peacetime gallantry honour. The award was received by Wani's wife and mother at the Republic Day celebrations at Rajpath, New Delhi. Early in the day, Wani's family also met President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Naredra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the "At Home" function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The 38-year-old soldier lost his life in a counter-terror operation against six terrorists in Hirapur village near Batgund of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on November 25. In a daring display of raw courage, Wani eliminated the 'district commander' of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and one foreign terrorist despite intense hail of bullets from the terrorists. The brave son of India succumed to his grievous wounds after being hit multiple times including on his head.

"In an unparalleled saga of sacrifice, Lance Naik Wani prevented escape of the terrorists from the target house and made a huge contribution in neutralisation of six hardcore terrorists, in the process laying down his life upholding the highest tradition of the Indian Army," according to a statement released by the Indian Army.

Praising the mrtyred soldier, Union Minister Smriti Irani said, "A man who raised arms against India, surrendered, for he believed in India, and then went on to fight for that very idea of India. It is very easy for people like us to talk about belief, it is absolutely different when you are laying your life for that belief".

Union min Smriti Irani: A man who raised arms against India, surrendered, for he believed in India, & then went on to fight for that very idea of India. It's very easy for people like us to talk about belief, it's absolutely different when you're laying your life for that belief https://t.co/bBHBTzcWaC a ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2019

As nation remembers the bravery, valour and patriotism of Nazir Ahmad Wani, let's have a quick look at some of the interesting facts about the valiant and committed soldier of India.

1. Prior to joining army, Wani was a part of Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen, a pro-government terrorist group.

2. In 2004, he was recruited into 162 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army), which is affiliated to the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment of Indian Army.

3. Apart from Ashok Chakra, Wani was conferred with the Sena Medal for gallantry twice in 2007 and 2018. He undertook as many as 17 crucial counter-insurgency operations during his tenure.

4. Nazir was married to one Mahajabeen and has two sons - Athar and Shaid.

5. Hailing from Cheki Ashmuji village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, Wani belonged to humble a background and was involved in working for the betterment of the underprivileged section in his village and surrounding areas.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to visit Tamil Nadus Madurai on Sunday, is likely to face massive protests by the Opposition parties. Accusing the prime minister of ignoring Tamil Nadus interests, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) would stage a black flag demonstration against the prime minister.

On Saturday, MDMK chief Vaiko had said that his party workers will wave black flags at Modi upon his arrival in the state. Vaiko also clarified that the protest was against Modi and his government at the Centre and not against the AIIMS hospital. The MDMK chief said that the Centre was functioning against the interests of the state.

The prime minister is visiting the South Indian state to lay the foundation-stone of AIIMS hospital in Madurai. Questioning the intent of the visit, DMK leader MK Stalin had also launched a scathing attack on Modi over the unfulfilled promises made by him.

Also Read | BJP open to alliances, cherishes old friends: PM Narendra Modi

"His government for four-and-a-half years had focused only on implementing a five-point agenda - Ram Temple, cow protection, Hindi Imposition, Sankritisation and hatred towards minorities" Stalin had said Friday during a rally in Chennai.

The DMK president said that the BJP government at the Centre had promised AIIMS hospitals across the country. In 2015, the government said that it will build AIIMS in five states, including Tamil Nadu.

If they were really keen on doing it, they would have done that. Even if someone had started walking, they would have reached here by now. Even now, Modi is coming only to lay foundation stone, not inauguration, Stalin said.

He said that the Modi government had even promised 100 smart cities across India and 11 of them were to be developed in Tamil Nadu. Show me one smart city that is there across India, he asked.

Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Narendra Modi-led NDA likely to lose 100 seats, predict opinion polls

With PM Modis visits ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is hoping to increase its footprints in Tamil Nadu. In 2014 general elections, the party could only manage to win only one of the total 39 seats. However, as per several pre-poll surveys, the BJP may not even open its account in the southern state and the UPA (Congress+DMK) was predicted to win all the 39 seats.

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New Delhi:

The Karnataka Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2019, which is scheduled to take place between February 2 and February 6, has been postponed for the Category III (Upper Primary level) candidates. Hence, the KTET 2019 for High School teachers will now be conducted on February 5, 2019, according to a notification, released by the Office of the Commissioner of examinations of Kerala government. Earlier, the exam was scheduled for February 4.

Taking to the official website of the KTET (ktet.kerala.gov.in), the Pareeksha Bhavan announced, "The K-TET January 2019 examination of category which is scheduled to be conducted on 04/02/2019 has been postponed to 05/02/2019". The revised date sheet for KTET 2019 has been also published keralapareekshabhavan.in.

Category Date of Examination Duration Time Category I 02/02/2019 - Saturday 10.00 am - 12.30 pm Two and half hours Category II 02/02/2019 - Saturday 2.00 pm - 4.30 pm Two and half hours Category III 05/02/2019 - Monday 2.30 pm - 5.00 pm Two and half hours Category IV 06/02/2019 - Wednesday 2.30 pm - 5.00 pm Two and half hours

The Kerala TET exams are held in four categories - Category I, Category II, Category III and Category IV. While Category I is for Lower Primary classes, Category II, Category III and Category IV are for Upper Primary, High School and Language teachers respectively. The examination 2019 will be conducted in two different shifts - morning and afternoon. While the morning shift will begin from 9:30 am, the afternoon shift will be kick-started at 2 pm.

Earlier on January 24, the Centralised Admission Cell (CAC) released the admit cards for the Karnataka Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2019. The KTET hall tickets 2019 are available at its official website that is schooleducation.kar.nic.in. Aspirants who have successfully completed their application process and paid the requisite fee on time will be allowed to download KARTET 2019 Admit Card online till February 3, 2019.

In case of any discrepancies in KTET admit card 2019, candidates are advised to approach the CAC for necessary correction immediately. The helpline numbers for Karnataka TET Admit Card correction are - 080-22483145/080-22228805/080-22483140.

KARTET 2019 Admit Card features all the important details such as candidate's name, date of birth, father's name, category (General/SC/ST/OBC), date, time and the examination centre.

In order to be allowed inside the examination centre, candidates must bring a valid photo identity proof along with their Karnataka TET admit card 2019. Valid photo identity proof includes a Voter ID card, Aadhaar card, PAN card, Passport, Driving license, Employee ID card and College/University ID proof.

About Teacher Eligibility Test (TET):

Teacher Eligibility Test known as TET is an Indian entrance examination for teachers. The test is mandatory for getting teaching jobs in government schools from Class 1 to Class 8. It is conducted by both Central government and state governments in India.

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Gwalior:

A Madhya Pradesh minister suffers an embarrassing moment on Saturday when she failed to read her speech during a Republic Day 2019 function organised at SAF ground in Gwalior. Women and Child Development Minister Imarti Devi, who couldnat read out Chief Minister Kamal Nath's message, asked Collector to then complete her speech and read it out aloud at the function. A video shot at the function is now going viral on social media platforms.

The video show 43-year-old Madhya Pradesh minister reading out the message in broken Hindi. A few seconds later, she was heard saying on the dais, "Collector sahab padhenge (Collector will read). Gwalior Collector Bharat Yadav then took over the dais and started reading the message and the minister stood behind him.

#WATCH Madhya Pradesh Minister Imarti Devi in Gwalior asks the Collector to read out her #RepublicDay speech pic.twitter.com/vEvy1YVjRM a ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2019

Later, when asked about her inability to read the Republic Day message, the minister said she was unwell for the past two days and this was causing her difficulty in reading. She said, aI was sick for the past two days, you can ask the doctor. But it is okay. The collector read it (the speech) properly.a

Madhya Pradesh Minister Imarti Devi: I was sick for the past two days, you can ask the doctor. But it is okay. the collector read it (the speech) properly. pic.twitter.com/JDQGI9WDuR a ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2019

Imarti Devi - who took oath as the minister in Kamal Nath-led Madhya Pradesh cabinet on December 25, 2018 - in her affidavit submitted for the 2018 state Assembly poll, had stated that she had cleared her Higher Secondary Examination in 2009 through open school. She is a Congress lawmaker from Dabra constituency in Gwalior district. Before being appointed as the minister, Devi served as the vice-president of district Youth Congress Committee, from 1997 to 2000. She was also the general secretary of the district Congress committee for a period of seven years between 2002 and 2005.

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New Delhi:

A day after former president Pranab Mukherjee, Bharatiya Jan Sangh founding member Nanaji Deshmukh and acclaimed artist Bhupen Hazarika were conferred with the Bharat Ratna, the Congress said that the Centre government ignored Shivakumara Swami, often referred to as awalking goda, even though the Lingayat seer worked for orphan children all his life. aIt is disappointing that the Central government did not announce to confer the Bharat Ratna award on Shivakumara Swami, iconic Lingayat seer who died recently,a said veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

Born on April 1, 1908, in Veerapura village of Ramanagara district in Karnataka, the Swami was also involved in several philanthropic activities and was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2015.

It is disappointing that the Central government did not announce to confer the Bharat Ratna award on Shivakumara Swami, iconic Lingayat seer who died recently, said Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge



Read @ANI story | https://t.co/Rb4tFcTuEz pic.twitter.com/tWcCAmcGJu a ANI Digital (@ani_digital) January 26, 2019

The seer, who was said to be one of the oldest persons living in India, had been suffering from a lung infection for the past few weeks. Popularly known as aNadedaaduva Devarua (Walking God), Shivakumara Swami was initiated into Viraktha Ashrama in 1930. Before becoming the seer, he went by his name Shivanna.

Talking about the ongoing political crisis in Karnataka, the Congress leaders said that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are trying their best to destabilise the state government before the upcoming General Elections.

aBJP, RSS and all the central forces are at work to destabilise Karnataka before the elections, and bring in Governor's rule but this won't happen. Aur kitna bhi giraneA ki koshish karne do, agar ek jaenge to 10 udhar se aenge (If one goes, ten will come back),a ANI tweeted.

Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress: Operation Kamala is underway due to the central govt. This was earlier being done by Yeddyurappa ji in 2008 & now this is being done again. This is a brainchild of BJP. Some are being lured with money, some with power, some are being threatened. pic.twitter.com/QQd10nyXVM a ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2019

aOperation Kamala is underway due to the central govt. This was earlier being done by Yeddyurappa ji in 2008 & now this is being done again. This is a brainchild of BJP. Some are being lured with money, some with power, some are being threatened,a he added.

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New Delhi:

A 32-year-old married man allegedly killed his 28-year-old live-in partner in Delhis Usmanpur on January 22 and burying her body in Uttar Pradeshs Bijnor, the police said. The police also said that the man, who is a carpenter by profession, also had a three-year-old child. His wife used to have regular fights with his wife over his partner living in the same house as them. On the other hand, his partner used to pressure him to marry her, which led to another round of arguments between them.

According to ToI, after a heated argument on January 22, the carpenter strangled her to death. He also added that after she passed away, the accused wrapped the dead body in a cloth and decided on dumping it in a drain. But the increased security deployment in and around the national capital on account of Republic Day was a major hindrance in the execution of his plan.

The accused then hired a car and went to his village, Khatriyan in Bijnor. The accused was eventually caught when locals saw him while burying the body of his partner. On being informed, the Uttar Pradesh Police took the body in police custody as they questioned the man. The car, however, has not been found yet.

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Aizawal:

Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan on Saturday addressed an almost-empty ground on the 70th Republic Day, due to a statewide boycott call given by an umbrella organisation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. No member from the general public attended the function, police said adding that only ministers, legislators and top officials were present.

The boycott call was given by the NGO Coordination Committee, an organisation of civil society groups and student bodies. Six armed contingents participated in the Republic Day parade, officials said. Up to 30 contingents traditionally take part in the annual event.

In other district headquarters, the deputy commissioners unfurled the tricolour in the absence of senior officials and public, as was the case in sub-divisional and block headquarters.

However, the Republic Day celebrations passed off peacefully without any untoward incident, despite the presence of placard-carrying protesters near the venues, police said.

In his address, Rajasekharan said stringent measures would be taken to protect state borders, and welfare schemes for the development of people residing in border areas would be given due importance.

He said measures would be taken for execution of Mizoram Village-Level Citizen Registration, and emphasised that the state government is committed to preserve and promote the Mizo identity, tradition and values.

"This government will endeavour to work for the unity and brotherhood of all Mizo people living within India and across the globe within our constitutional framework," he said.

The governor said Mizoram would introduce the Socio-Economic Development Policy (SEDP), a "holistic inclusive development programme aimed at bringing in socio- economic transformation". The SEDP would accelerate growth in all key sectors where the state has tremendous potential, he said.

Hinting that prohibition on liquor would be reimposed in the state, he said, "In keeping with our election manifesto, necessary measures will be taken to repeal the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition and Control) Act, 2014, implemented in the state since January 15, 2015."

Rajasekharan added that his government would continue to work towards making Mizoram the "cleanest state in India".

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New Delhi:

The candidates who are preparing for Tamil Nadu class 12 board examination 2019, we have some important news for you. The Tamil Nadu government has announced changes in the examination pattern for the upcoming class XII state board exam. According to the new question paper pattern, all the Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) this year in Part -A (one-mark questions) will be replaced by fill in the blanks, assertion-reason, match the following and similar questions.

Earlier this month, when the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) released the model question paper there was no mention of such changes.

Students are apprehensive that the new question pattern may have adverse effect on the results. Marks per subject from 200 to 100 and the exam duration by 30 minutes have already been reduced by the government.

This year, the Tamil Nadu class 12 board examination will be held from March 1, 2019, and the students will follow the new pattern.

About Board

The Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education was established in 1910, and later after Independence was carved out as and separate Directorate of Government Examinations under the Department of Education, Government of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu State Board of School Examination conducts Secondary School Examinations and evaluates students on their academic progress through Class 10th Board Examinations and Class 12th Board Examinations. The scores are considered as a valid merit for admissions in universities and schools across the state.
New Delhi:

Amid the row over alleged paoching of MLAs by the BJP, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is running the coalition government with the Congress, on Monday threatened to quit, saying that the lawmakers of the Grand Old Party were "crossing the line".

"...If they want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line," the Karnataka chief minsiter said when asked that the Congress MLAs in Karnataka are saying thatA Siddaramaiah and not Kumaraswamy is their chief minister.

#WATCH: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy says "...If they want to continue with the same thing, I am ready to step down. They are crossing the line", when asked 'Congress MLAs are saying that Siddaramaiah is their CM'.' pic.twitter.com/qwErh4aEq4 a ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019

The stern warning from the Karnataka chief minister came at a time when the Congress and the JDS are discussing alliance for the coming Lok Sabha elections. According to the sources, the Congress and the JDS has not yet reached the consensus on seat sharing. The JDS is reportedly demanding 12 of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats but the Congress is not to give it more than four seats. The four seats the Congress was willing to give to JDS falls in the old Mysore region, where Kumaraswamyas party has a strong base.

The development also came amid the ongoing political crisis in the state and both the ruling alliance and the Opposition BJP are trading accusations of poaching against each other.

On Saturday, Kumaraswamy had claimed that the aOperation Kamlaa was still on and one of their MLAs was offered 'huge amount of money' by the BJP to switch sides. "Operation Kamala (Lotus) is still on. Last night they (BJP) offered one of our MLAs huge amount of money. You'll be surprised to know the amount. Our MLA told them he doesn't need any gift and not to try these things with him. This is how they are still working on poaching," he had said.

The BJP, however, rejected the charges, saying that whatever was happening in his party was an internal matter. "We aren't indulging in any Operation Kamala. Their MLAs are trying to go away from them due to their internal fight. It's their duty to keep them intact. They should stop giving baseless statements against us. We're 104 and 2 independent MLAs are also in opposition," BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa said.

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New Delhi:

Smaller e-commerce players like Snapdeal and ShopClues have written to the government opposing any move to extend the February 1, deadline for online marketplaces to comply with FDI rules, and urged that pressure for such relaxations need to be "resisted strongly". The position taken by these players is in contrast to that of giants like Amazon and Walmart-backed Flipkart who have sought an extension, stating that they need more time to understand the details of the framework.

In December, the government had announced new regulations - under Press Note 2 - that would bar online marketplaces with foreign investments from selling products of the companies where they hold stakes, and ban exclusive marketing arrangements.

These changes are expected to hit Amazon and Flipkart, the hardest. Snapdeal co-founder and CEO Kunal Bahl, in his letter dated January 25 to Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, said the "prompt implementation of Press Note 2/2018, without delay or dilution, is the first and crucial step to curb the continuing violations of the FDI policy on e-commerce".

He argued that "the timelines allowed are adequate for compliance" and that Snapdeal has already updated its technical processes, engaged statutory auditors - EY as well as apprised its team and sellers about the upcoming changes in norms.

Describing the proposed measures as being crucial to prevent "further damage to India's retail sector", Snapdeal said the extreme narrative being projected is an "orchestrated move" meant to pressurise authorities and "needs to be resisted strongly".

ShopClues co-founder and CEO Sanjay Sethi echoed similar sentiments and urged for an "expeditious implementation of the policy clarifications, leaving no scope for extension to the given deadline".

He warned that "violators" may use their clout to seek extension or relaxations in the policy, "which if allowed, will perpetuate the damages already done to micro, small and medium enterprises".

ShopClues said any attempts being made to portray the clarifications (under Press Note 2) as a new policy, anti-FDI or anti-consumer is "dangerously misleading and wrong".

Traders' body CAIT, had also requested the government not to accede to any demand by large e-commerce players, the US or Indian associations for changes or extensions warning that any adverse move will be opposed by the trading community "tooth and nail".

RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch had also recently written to the government saying that buckling under pressure from the US will directly harm the interest of 13 crore people, who earn their livelihood as small entrepreneurs and their employees. There are reports that the US authorities have expressed concerns that the new rules could impact the investment plans of large foreign players in India.

Both Amazon and Flipkart have pumped in millions of dollars into the booming Indian e-commerce market. Amazon had committed an investment of USD 5 billion -- a large chunk of which has already been pumped in across various entities (like wholesale, marketplace and payments) that it operates in India.

Flipkart, which saw Walmart picking up 77 per cent stake for a whopping USD 16 billion earlier this year, has also invested in various areas over the years.

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New Delhi:

Days after his government honoured Nambi Narayanan, the celebrated ISRO scientist with Padma Bhushan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the scientist was falsely implicated by Kerala leaders to settle political score. More than two decades ago, a hardworking and patriotic ISRO scientist, Nambi Narayanan was implicated in a false case, just because a few UDF leaders were settling political scores. Imagine, for their own politics, they damaged national interest, troubled a scientist, the Prime Minister said while addressing a rally in Keralas Thrissur on Sunday. The UDF or United Democratic Front is a Congress-led alliance in Kerala.

It is an honour that our government had the opportunity of conferring a Padma Award on Nambi Narayanan. We value each and every person who is working to make India stronger. For them, science can be abused as spying; for us, science is a matter of national pride, Prime Minister added.

On Republic Day, the Narendra Modi government announced Padma Bhushan, they third highest civilian award for Narayanan. From being a celebrated ISRO scientist to being branded a 'spy' and finally awarded with the Padma Bhushan, Nambi Narayanan Saturday said he was glad that his work in the Indian space arena was finally recognised. "My name became famous because of 'spying' charges. Now I am glad that my contribution has been recognised by the government," he was quoted as saying by Pres Trust of India.

On the eve of the 70th Republic Day, his name featured on the list of 112 personalities selected for the Padma awards. The 77-year-old had played a critical role in the development of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and in the initial phase of making cryogenic engines.

In 1994, his career took a turn for worse, when he was embroiled in an espionage case. The case was connected to allegations of transfer of certain confidential documents on India's space programme to foreign countries by two scientists and four others, including two Maldivian women.

The case was first investigated by Kerala police and later handed over to the CBI, which found no espionage as was alleged to have taken place.

The lengthy legal battle ended last year with the Supreme Court cleared all charges against Narayanan and directing the Kerala government to give Rs 50 lakh compensation to the scientist.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi:

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was recently appointed AICC general secretary for Uttar Pradesh east, is likely to begin her political innings by taking a holy dip at Sangam in Prayagraj on February 4. According to a report in IANS, she will be accompanied to the Kumbh by Congress president and her brother Rahul Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi will hold a press conference along with Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow on the same day, the report said.

Priyanka is currently in the US and is likely to return on January 31. According to reports, if the Gandhis dont get a chance to take a holy dip on February 4 - the second Shahi Snan on Mauni Amavasya  then they will opt for February 10, the occasion of Basant Panchami or third Shahi Snan".

This is perhaps the first time the two Gandhis will take a dip at the Sangam, the confluence of three rivers  the Ganges, the Yamuna and a third mythical river the Saraswati. Sonia Gandhi too had attended the Kumbh Mela - a mega Hindu congregation - and taken a holy dip at Sangam in 2001.

The reports come amid recent accusation by the Bharatiya Janata Party that the Congress president has begun indulging in 'soft Hindutva'. Of late, the party chief embarked on several temple visits. It started during Gujarat Assembly elections 2017 and the trend continued during elections in Karnataka followed by recent elections in three Hindi heartlands - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Meanwhile, the Congress president said Priyanka's entry into politics was not sudden as she had decided to play a role in the party after her children grew up. The decision on the timing of Priyanka's political plunge was taken some years ago.

"Now her children are grown-ups. While one of them has entered university, another too has grown up. Therefore, she decided to join politics," he said.
New Delhi:

Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has put an end over the speculations on the probable seat-sharing deal between his party and the BJP. Talking to media in Mumbai on Monday, Raut clearly said that there was no confirmation about the deal between the two parties ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections. When asked about reports regarding BJP and Shiv Sena fighting on equal number of seats in the General Elections, Raut said that, we have no information about it, you (media) people know more. We don't have such proposal, and we're not sitting here to accept such a proposal. We reiterate Shiv Sena will play the role of a big brother.

Rauts comment comes amid reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray are set likely to meet soon. On Monday, the Shiv Sena chief had called an urgent meeting, in which he said to have discussed partys strategy for the Lok Sabha Elections. According to an India Today report, both parties have reached 23-25 seat sharing formula in Maharashtra. The state has a total of 48 Lok Sabha seats. Shiv Sena has been demanding equal 24-24 seat share agreement.

Earlier, Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Danve on Friday had said that his party will win more seats than the Shiv Sena in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections if the latter does not enter into a pre-poll alliance with it. Addressing a press conference in Jalna, he said absence of an alliance between the BJP and the Shiv Sena will benefit the Congress and the NCP.

"The BJP will win more seats than the Shiv Sena in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections if the Sena does not forge an alliance with the BJP," he said.

Danve had said the BJP has already made preparations to contest all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state in case there was no alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. Danve today inaugurated the day-long conclave, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis swill address the valedictory session later. Around 1,000 delegates from across the state are taking part in the meeting.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Bengaluru:

A woman died and nine others, including two children, were hospitalised after they allegedly consumed 'prasadam' (offering) served outside a temple in Chikkaballapura district, about 100 km from here, police said Saturday.

Three women have been detained in this connection, they said.

Kavita (22) died, while nine others, including four of her family, were admitted to a hospital after eating the offering.

Two unidentified women came to the Gangamma Devi temple in Chintamani Town where a grand celebration took place Friday night, and distributed Kesari Bhat (halwa) to the devotees.

After consuming it, people started complaining of stomach pain, police said, adding they were rushed to a private hospital in the town.

Karnataka: Police conducting an investigation into the incident where a woman died & 6 others fell ill after consuming 'prasad' at Gangamma Temple in Chintamani area of Chikkaballapura district last night. pic.twitter.com/UdlQNGlkKK a ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2019

"The temple management is not involved as nobody had prepared any 'prasad' there. Two women had brought some 'prasad' and were distributing it," police said.

Efforts are on to trace the women who distributed the offering outside the temple, they said.

Last month, 17 people lost their lives and more than 100 were hospitalised in Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka after they consumed 'prasad' laced with poison at a temple.

A seer of Salur Math Pattada Immadi Mahadevaswamy and three others were arrested on charges of murder and attempt to murder for reportedly poisoning the temple offering.A

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New Delhi:

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday visited Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in Panaji today. The surprise visit comes a day after Gandhi alleged that the "Goa audio tapes", cited by the Congress to attack the Centre on the Rafale issue, were authentic and Parrikar was in possession of "explosive secrets" that gave him power over Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, the Congress had cited an audio tape in which Goa minister Vishwajit Rane was purportedly heard telling an unidentified person that Parrikar has Rafale files, due to which, he has managed to continue in the chair.

After meeting Parrikar, Gandhi said that it was a private visit. This morning I visited Goa CM, Manohar Parrikar, to wish him a speedy recovery. It was a personal visit, Gandhi tweeted.

Reacting on the sudden development, Goa Congress Legislature Party Chief Chandrakant Kavlekar said that, Rahul ji is on a private trip to Goa. He visited the Chief Minister to check on his health. I also requested him to meet our Congress MLAs, he obliged and met all of them. On Monday, Gandhi took to Twitter and attacked the Modi government over the multi-billion deal. 30 days since the Goa Audio Tapes on RAFALE were released. No FIR or enquiry ordered. No action against the Minister either! It's obvious that the tapes are authentic & that Goa CM, Parrikar, is in possession of explosive RAFALE secrets, that give him power over the PM (sic), Gandhi had said on the micro-blogging site. Gandhi had also made an attempt in Lok Sabha's Winter Session to play an audio tape. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the tape was "false and fabricated", and asked the Congress president if he could authenticate it.

During the Winter Session of Parliament, Gandhi had said that if his party comes to power in 2019, a criminal investigation will be launched into the matter and those found guilty will be punished. Speaking to the media outside Parliament ahead of the government's reply in Lok Sabha over the issue, he had accused that Prime Minister Narendra Modi of running away from the debate and posed a series of questions to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

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Guwahati: An encounter broke out between BSF personnel and alleged cattle smugglers along the Indo-Bangladesh International Border, in which one smuggler was killed and a BSF jawan was seriously injured. BSF sources said that an encounter broke out between BSF personnel and cattle smugglers in South Salmara district of Assam, in which one smuggler was killed and a BSF jawan was seriously injured. The rest of the smugglers have fled from the spot.

The deceased smuggler has been identified as a 23-year-old resident of Mandal Para of Mo Mandal Mankachar police station area. Earlier, in a special operation, the Chhayagaon police team, under the leadership of officer-in-charge Kapil Pathak, on Wednesday nabbed three cattle smugglers who were illegally transporting 10 cattle. A Tata Xenon vehicle (AS-01-KC-1823) has also been seized, police sources said in Chhaygaon assembly constituency.

On the other hand, Chaigaon police arrested three cattle smugglers who were illegally transporting nine cattle on Tuesday morning. The three smugglers have been identified as Samad Ali (37) of Andhatari village of Boko assembly constituency, Saiful Islam (27) of Tukrapara village of Chhayagaon assembly constituency and Salimuddin (26) of Tukrapara village of Chhayagaon assembly constituency. They were traveling from Boko to Ukiam in a Tata Xenon vehicle (AS-25-CC-5929).

Hazaribagh: 16-year-old girl gang-raped, 3 arrested

Minor girl gang-raped in UPs Muzaffarnagar orchard

Delhi shaken after two deaths, Kyrgyzstan woman and her 13-month-old son stabbed to death
There seems to be tension between the Taliban and Pakistan over the formation of the government. After the Taliban's strong statement, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again warned the Taliban that if an inclusive government is not formed in the country, there will be a civil war in the near future. On Imran khan's similar statement, the Taliban had said that no country has any right to speak to establish an "inclusive" government in Afghanistan.

Not only that, Imran Khan has said in his terms to recognise the Taliban government that Afghanistan's land should not be used for terrorist targets that would endanger Pakistan's security. In an interview, Imran Khan said, "If they don't involve all the factions, there will be a civil war if not today or tomorrow.'' He also said that this would mean that Afghanistan would be unstable and chaotic and would also become a paradise for terror.

PM Imran Khan has outlined Pakistan's conditions for recognizing the Taliban government. Imran Khan calls for new leadership in the neighbouring country to be inclusive and respect human rights. He reminded the Taliban that Afghanistan should not be used to locate terrorists who could create a crisis for Pakistan's security.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal rides bicycle to observe World car-free day

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UK calls on Russia and China to agree on Afghanistan approach
Legendary Nepali Congress leader Narayan Khadka has been appointed Nepal's new foreign minister. The appointment was made by the President Bidya Devi Bhandari based on the recommendation of the government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. The post of the Foreign Minister had been vacant for more than two months after the formation of the new government led by Deuba.

Khadka, 72, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Bhandari amid an official ceremony at Sheetal Niwas on Wednesday, September 22. During a meeting of the top leaders of the ruling party alliances held at his residence in Baluwatar on Tuesday evening, Deuba had proposed the name of Khadka as the new foreign minister of Nepal.

Khadka has done his Doctorate in Philosophy in Economics from a University in Pune. Prime Minister Deuba has been holding the portfolio till now. With Khadka's appointment, there are now seven ministers in the government, including Deuba and one minister of state. He had served as advisor to then Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in the 1990s. He was also the minister of urban development in 2014.

Imran Khan's big statement on Taliban, said- If did not include all groups...

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal rides bicycle to observe World car-free day

UK calls on Russia and China to agree on Afghanistan approach
The illegal arrival of a large number of Sri Lankan nationals into Tamil Nadu has put a question mark on the country's porous coastal region, especially the work of the Tamil Nadu Coast Guard and other Indian agencies. Because after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the Coast Guard and other Indian agencies have increased vigil on the coast.

Tamil Nadu Q Branch police have found that over 100 Sri Lankan nationals have entered the state through the Thoothukudi coast, following the arrest and interrogation of a suspect in an illegal immigration racket. Suspect Starwin, who was questioned by the elite Q branch of Tamil Nadu police, said the people had arrived in Thoothukudi from Sri Lanka in five batches and the arrival was in country boats.

Starwin, who was arrested on Saturday, 18 September, is believed to have played a key role in facilitating the illegal migration of Tamil Sri Lankans into India through the Thoothukudi route. Coast Guard and Tamil Nadu Police have beefed up vigil in coastal towns and villages along the Tamil Nadu coastline to prevent further entry of Sri Lankan Tamils into the country. Sri Lankan nationals paid huge sums of money to two Tamil agents, Ashok Kumar and Kasivavanathan, on the promise that they would be provided with lucrative jobs in Canada. Coast Guard and Tamil Nadu Police have been tasked to increase vigil at night to prevent any untoward activity along the coast.

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Geneva: Qatar's Shah, who played a key role in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the US Army, has urged global leaders gathered at the United Nations (UN) not to turn away from Taliban rulers. Speaking from the UN General Assembly (UNGA) forum, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday stressed the need to "continue talks with the Taliban, as boycott will only polarise while conversation can yield positive results."

Qatar's warning was for heads of state from countries that are concerned about holding talks with the Taliban and recognizing their capture of government in Afghanistan. The Taliban say they want recognition from the global community. It has challenged the identity card of the former Afghan ambassador to the United Nations and is asking him to speak at a high-level meeting of world leaders of the UNGA. He says it is the responsibility of the United Nations to recognise his government.

Sheikh Tamim said Qatar had agreed to host the political leadership of the Taliban, who had been in exile for years ago, because "we were sure that war would not solve and finally there would be a discussion." Qatar is a close ally of the US and the US's largest military base in West Asia is in Qatar, but this small Gulf Arab country also has links with the Taliban. Pakistan has also openly supported the Taliban, a terrorist group, before.

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Narayan Khadka is appointed the new foreign minister of Nepal

Imran Khan's big statement on Taliban, said- If did not include all groups...
Despite being a band that only got together around a year ago, Tape is garnering a lot of noise. Despite doing less than 10 shows, the bands music has been lauded by musical peers for its tightness and chemistry. Their music is oddly pleasing to listen to. It is irregular, asymmetrical, and even offbeat but as you carry on listening to it, you will find layers in their complex rhythms.

The trios try

Niman Chitrakar on drums is flawless as he sets a tone for the band. Sagan Tamrakars taping and melodies give the band a voice while Swopnil Karanjits bass gives the band its soul. Having played together for a year, this trio are now gearing up to release their first EP called Stars Are My Friends on September 25 at Beers N Cheers, hoping they can continue to touch people with their instrumental pieces.

We are doing something we love. Its fun and pleasing and we hope to continue this for years to come, says Karanjit.

The band started in September 2020 when Karanjit and Tamrakar finally found the drummer they were looking for. The cousins were jamming together and were looking to form a band that leaned towards progressive rock and math rock when they met Chitrakar.

The way he played the drums made us insecure. At that time, we felt it was going to be hard convincing him to join us, says Tamrakar.

To convince him to join, Tamrakar and Karanjit sent him a track they were working on, called Motion. Chitrakar liked it and a few days later, they were jamming together. Since then, they have been meeting regularly playing together, providing feedback to each other and learning from each other while working on their EP.

Tamrakar and Karanjit say Chitrakars theoretical knowledge helped them a lot as it made the song-making process easy. They say he helped them structure the song in a better manner that they say was exactly what they needed.

We were making songs, but his drumming ability along with his know-how gave us added motivation to work hard. It was like we had to work hard to get to his level, says Karanjit.

Telling stories without words

And, work hard they did. In less than a year, they completed five songs for their EP, which they have recently recorded. They say that the process was smooth because they did not have vocals in any of the songs. But despite not having vocals, their songs tell a story.

Performing at Beers N Cheers. Photo: Sulav Singh Chhetri

The motion was created by Tamrakar, thinking about a man in a coma who lived in a phantom reality. The band, thinking how a rhino would move, crafted G-Slide and their title track Stars are my Friend was created by Tamrakar who wanted to pay tribute to everyone who helped him to pursue a career in music.

We try to tell a story through melody. I normally think about things, get into a zone and play. Sometimes, I create great things, other times not, says Tamrakar.

They started playing shows too. The first one was at Karanjits house, after which they played at other venues. But, their break came when they played at Beers N Cheers which has been a hub for original music in Kathmandu. There, they started getting feedback from musicians and opportunities to play. The hype started to build up around them.

Things were going great for us when suddenly Covid-19 hit Nepal again and we under lockdown. It was like we hit a speed breaker, says Karanjit.

But, that did not deter them. They worked on their album and started recording as soon as lockdown lifted. The recording was done at Alchemy Inc where Sujan Joshi aka Hoko helped them with sound. The trio say they were lucky to have stumbled across Joshi who treated their song like his own and gave them tips to make it better.

He went above and beyond our expectations and helped us out with sound samples and equipment. His inputs have been invaluable to us, says Tamrakar who hails Joshis dedication.

The band now are focusing on their album launch which is getting closer. They hope people will like their songs and want to put up a show for everyone who shows up on September 25.

People have supported us, watching us perform for a minute on social media. Were grateful for that and want to pay them back by giving them a show to remember, say the band.
Workforce

Workforce panel explains new COVID testing requirements

Safer Federal Workforce, the White House-led group charged with giving agencies ongoing guidance on government operations during the pandemic, released more details on Wednesday about testing requirements for unvaccinated federal employees and onsite contractors.

Under that policy, feds and onsite contractors will have to self-attest to their vaccination status, and agencies must establish a testing program for their unvaccinated employees, a category that includes anyone who doesn't provide their status.

Unvaccinated feds and onsite contractors coming into the office have to be tested at least once a week, but how often others are tested may differ for employees with different jobs or worksites.

Agencies should consider "workplace characteristics, availability of testing, cost, and level of community transmission, among other factors" as they determine how often testing needs to occur, the guidance says. Generally, though, it shouldn't have to happen more than twice a week.

Once employees are tested, they won't be limited in their ability to come into work unless they have COVID-19 symptoms or have encountered someone sick with the virus.

How agencies set up their testing programs can vary. They can contract with a third-party provider, do testing in-house or even use an interagency agreement with an agency that has testing capabilities or a multiagency contract.

Agencies can use any COVID-19 test authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. They can also use pooled testing, which combines samples from different people and tests them together. A positive result in a pooled test leads to a retest of each individual sample.

Who gets tested

Employees not coming into the office in any given week won't need to be tested. For employees only working onsite sometimes, they'll only need to be tested during the weeks that they are going into the office.

Agencies can't require unvaccinated feds to work remotely solely because of their vaccination status, and therefore avoid the testing requirements altogether, the guidance clarifies.

The guidance also affirms the policy that agencies must pay for the cost of testing.

If the government is requiring an employee to get tested, the time it takes to do so, including travel time, is duty time. Agencies should largely only authorize an hour or less for the entire undertaking, the guidance says.

This doesn't include anyone wanting to get tested during work hours, but not required to do so by the agency. Anyone in this category will have to use sick time or other paid time off.

Employees should be tested during their normal work hours, and if it happens outside of those for "unforeseen circumstances," that time will be subject to normal overtime rules, the guidance says.

Travel costs incurred getting the test will be handled the same as local travel or temporary duty cost reimbursements.

The new guidance also gives details on noncompliance, which can include adverse actions.

Agencies should have a way to handle anyone that doesn't get tested regularly, like restricting worksite access for an employee who missed a testing appointment and hasn't gotten tested within the agency's timeframe, the FAQ says.

Finally, although agencies have to pay for testing for anyone exposed to the virus at work or required to be tested for official travel, employees potentially exposed outside of work must pay for their own testing.

The new guidance also reaffirms previously released policies about bargaining obligations and offers details about what relevant laws and guidance cover privacy concerns for testing data. It also instructs agencies to follow the process of reviewing the reason as potentially meriting a reasonable accommodations for any feds who raise a disability or religious reason for not being tested.
Workforce

MSPB nominees hope to triage massive backlog of cases

The Biden administration hopes to get the Merit Systems Protection Board up and running after more than four years without a quorum to decide appeals. The three nominees for the board sketched out plans for catching up with a backlog of more about 3,400 cases at their confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

The agency faces what it characterizes as "most dire crisis since it was established" in a budget justification document for FY 2022. The quasi-judicial agency reviews appeals of adverse employment actions like demotions and firings.

Cathy Harris, the nominee to chair the MSPB, said the lack of any Senate-confirmed leadership has also other MSPB functions like research and regulations and its ability to issue whistleblower stays.

Harris told lawmakers she would meet with current MSPB staff and then establish a triage plan to manage the backing. She also discussed bringing back the practice of issuing "short form decisions" to speed up the process of managing the backlog. Raymond Limon and Tristan Leavitt, the two nominees for board members, said they backed this idea.

"There are many cases for which that would be perfectly appropriate," Harris said. "For example, if they're clearly untimely or there's a lack of jurisdiction, or the administrative judge's opinion is really well-reasoned and well-stated and there's nothing more to add."

She also said that if confirmed, she'd try to increase alternative dispute resolutions.

"These parties have been waiting around for four, sometimes five years, to get decisions and circumstances have changed. Maybe appellants have moved on to other jobs where they've left the agency, [or] the management has changed," she said. "We always think of that as a good opportunity to discuss settlement again."

Finally, Harris noted that the Office of Appeals Council has draft decisions and memos in place that can speed the board's review of cases.

MSPB is likely to have to weigh in on cases involving federal employees disciplined or discharged for declining COVID-19 vaccination without a valid health or religious excuse.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla) raised the issue of federal employees who have developed natural immunity or resistance to COVID-19 from having contracted the virus, and who don't want to get the vaccinated.

"What authority does the federal government have to be able to discipline those individuals and how will you handle a case like that," Lankford asked. He noted that "there are multiple individuals in my state that are saying 'I'm gone, I'm going to leave and I'm being pushed out on something that I didn't have an opportunity" to negotiate.

"There's some very difficult questions there. To be totally honest, I'm a little bit nervous on this one because it seems like there's a really good chance we may well have to adjudicate it," said Leavitt. "The consideration here is we want to make sure that anyone who does end up with a case in front of us feels like we haven't made up our mind in advance."

Harris also pointed to MSPB's ability to review OPM rules and regulations to look for prohibited personnel practices. The board would likely review any regulations crafted by OPM to support vaccine mandates, she said.
Defense

White House pushes back on efforts to restore program cuts in NDAA

The White House is hoping to press House lawmakers to eliminate certain tech and personnel provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act, which is being debated this week.

In a policy statement issued Tuesday, the administration declared its opposition to the legislative restoration of funding to systems, "that limit DOD's ability to divest or retire lower priority platforms not relevant to tomorrow's battlefield."

The administration also pushed back on a provision that establishes a minimum wage for Defense Department contractors because it is out of sync with an executive order that resets the minimum wage at $15. The administration noted that the legislative provision, "would lead to significant confusion by applying different requirements to many of the same contractors," who have contracts with DOD and civilian agencies.

A proposal to create a Space National Guard was rebuffed. "Establishing a Space National Guard would not deliver new capabilities -- it would instead create new government bureaucracy, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates could increase costs by up to $500 million annually." The administration feels the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units that are tasked with space missions can fulfill the roles envisioned for the Space National Guard.

The administration also balked at several measures designed to support service members who don't wish to comply with the COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
FCW Insider: September 21, 2021

Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, the commander of the 16th Air Force, said implementing zero trust principles was "foundational" to improve data use and mitigate vulnerabilities from the defense industry supply chain.

A federal employee union still has concerns about a permanent National Digital Reserve Corps at the General Services Administration.

Air Force Materiel Command is preparing to have half of its headquarters personnel working remotely at least some of the time, Commander Gen. Arnold Bunch said.

Quick Hits

*** The Bureau of Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce is seeking public comment for a report on the security and resilience of information and communications technology (ICT) supply chains. The report is required under the Biden administration's March executive order on supply chains. Officials are seeking insights on supply chain stressors, gaps in domestic manufacturing, cybersecurity best practices, standards for validating the integrity of manufactured ICT hardware and potential risks in software design.

*** The Biden administration nominated Douglas Bush to the post of assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology. Bush, a longtime senior legislative aide who served as deputy staff director on the House Armed Services Committee from 2019-2021, holds Army ATL post on an acting basis. Bush served as an officer in the U.S. Army in the 24th Infantry Division and 3rd Infantry Division.

*** The Office of Personnel Management published a rule on Tuesday allowing agencies to noncompetitively appoint military spouses to federal jobs. The rule change removes restrictions that OPM said had caused the flexibility to be underutilized up to this point. In a Medium post about the rule change, OPM's Associate Director for Employee Services, Rob Shriver, wrote that combined with the remote work abilities used by agencies during the pandemic, the flexibilities could be vital for military spouses who move often.

*** A group of Republican lawmakers on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform are seeking information from the head of the Federal Aviation Administration about an order blocking drone overflights of section of U.S.-Mexico border around Del Rio, Texas where thousands of migrants have been trying to make claims of asylum to enter the United States. The lawmakers claim the FAA airspace restriction was put in place, "to shield the Biden Administration from scrutiny over the consequences of its disastrous border policies and prevent the public from receiving more images of poor conditions on the border in Del Rio, Texas."
Aery to construct 60,000-square-foot new facility in Newport News

Featured Image for Aery Aviation, LLC

Featured Image for Aery Aviation, LLC

Featured Image for Aery Aviation, LLC

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aery Aviation, a full-service commercial and government services provider to the aerospace industry, is breaking ground on a new 60,000-square-foot hangar facility with Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport runway access to expand capabilities in maintenance and modification services for its clients, as well as an engineering technology center.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced Aery's expansion and investment during a groundbreaking ceremony, held at the site of the new hangar on September 14. Aery selected Virginia for the project after reviewing opportunities in Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Honored guests and speakers at the event included Peninsula Airport Commission Chair Jay Joseph, Congressman Bobby Scott, Senator Monty Mason, Delegate Michael P. Mullin, and Vice Chair of Newport News Economic/Industrial Development Authority Howard H. Hoege III.

"Hampton Roads' rich history in aerospace and aviation provides an ideal backdrop for Aery Aviation to grow and become more successful than ever before," said Governor Northam. "The region is home to world-class higher education and research institutions that have helped to advance the aerospace industry. We look forward to supporting Aery Aviation as it enters into its next phase of growth here in the Commonwealth."

"Virginia businesses like Aery Aviation are at the forefront of advances in aerospace, aviation, and unmanned systems," said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. "This expansion will position the company to further enhance its capabilities and technology. The aerospace industry has been a critical component of the Hampton Roads region's economy for more than a century, and we look forward to Aery's continued contributions to this thriving sector."

Story continues

"We congratulate Aery for committing to the largest private monetary investment in the history of Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport," said Peninsula Airport Commission Chairman Jay Joseph. "We are open for business and will continue to help the region grow and prosper."

"The Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is a critical piece of our economy in Newport News and Hampton Roads, and this is welcome news as we continue our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Congressman Bobby Scott. "This investment will bring hundreds of new jobs to the area."

"Aery Aviation is pleased to build its new state-of-the-art engineering, design, certification, modification, and manufacturing global headquarters at the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport," said Aery Aviation Vice President Scott Beale. "Aery has enjoyed the partnership with the Newport News community and airport staff over the last five years," continued Beale. "Their collective support and pro-business environment persuaded Aery to invest more than $15 million into the construction, expansion, and upfit of the buildings for this new state-of-the-art facility, which also includes an investment in machinery, tools, furniture, fixtures, and business personal property. Aery is happy to call Newport News its home for decades to come."

The new construction will increase Aery's overall capabilities and efficiency. The footprint and square footage of the new hangar tremendously increases the size of aircraft that can be worked on in the hangar. Aery's manufacturing plant will be adjacent to the new facility increasing overall efficiency. The company's expansion will also create 211 well-paid jobs with salaries averaging $85,000. "Aery is looking for engineers, pilots, mechanics," continued Beale. "We start a lot of our folks out in an internship program as well as bring in folks who have decades of experience.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Newport News, Aery Aviation provides aerospace design, engineering, systems integration, modifications, certification, maintenance, and flight operations solutions. These services support critical aviation mission requirements for domestic and foreign governments, and select corporations and individuals in the private sector. Aery Aviation's experienced team of professionals provides efficient, economical, and flexible services that respond to the demands in the aerospace industry. The company's commitment to safety, compliance, and security has earned Aery a reputation as a forward-thinking aviation company. Aery Aviation has developed more than 100 Supplemental Type Certificates and more than 500 airworthiness releases.

For additional information, please contact Heather McAfee at hmcafee@aeryaviation.com.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Aguila American Gold Limited (TSXV: AGL) (OTCQB: AGLAF) (WKN: A2DR6E) ("Aguila" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has secured through staking 100% ownership of the Lida copper project, located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The project was identified during an extensive and ongoing generative program targeting copper deposits within the most mining supportive jurisdictions of North America. Initial surface sampling and mapping has commenced to test this exciting new project.

Aguila is focused on copper and precious metal acquisition, exploration and development within the major mining belts of western North America. The Company continues to target under-explored areas, including the recently acquired Lida and Cora projects where post-mineralization cover masks areas of high geological prospectivity in the vicinity of major mines.

The Lida project lies in south-central Esmeralda County within the richly gold and copper endowed Walker Lane Mineral Belt. The project is secured by 33 granted BLM lode mining claims covering a total of 2.75 sq km, and is easily accessed by two wheel drive vehicles utilizing existing access.

The Walker Lane Mineral Belt is a broad northwest striking fault zone that trends for more than 500km through western Nevada and eastern California. It is famous as a host to numerous large copper, gold and silver deposits and mines including Round Mountain, Comstock Lode, Northumberland, Goldfield, Tonopah, Pumpkin Hollow, New York Canyon and Silicon. Almost all discoveries within the Walker Lane belt have been made in outcrop, providing an exceptional opportunity for new deposits to be discovered under shallow cover.

Key Points

The Lida copper project lies within the Walker Lane Mineral Belt of Nevada, one of the richest mining districts in North America for gold, copper and silver.

Nevada was ranked as the top mining jurisdiction globally for mining investment in the 2020 Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies.

Lida was prioritised as a target by Aguila due to the association of widespread surface copper mineralization with a discrete magnetic high. This signature is similar to most major mineralization systems within the Walker Lane belt.

Widespread copper oxide mineralization within shale and quartzite of the Campito Formation is reported in historical exploration records. The Campito Formation overlies the Deep Spring Formation and Reed Dolomite which are comprised of prospective limestone, dolomite and quartzite.

Recent site visits by Aguila have demonstrated that many of the 100's of prospecting pits across an area of 2km x 2km expose extensive oxide copper within fault structures and quartzite. The area of prospecting pits is constrained to the immediate north, south and east of Lida by shallow cover.

The most recent exploration documented at Lida was by Conoco Inc in the 1970s, who identified a large IP anomaly, covering 2km by 500m, underneath the copper mineralised area. Shallow drilling failed to test the target or penetrate the Campito Formation to more prospective carbonate host rocks.

The positive association between structurally controlled copper oxide mineralization, propylitic alteration, copper-mineralized breccia pipes, and the regional magnetic high with no modern exploration defines a high-priority copper target. The largely impermeable Campito Formation may overlie a pyrite rich (chargeable), shallow buried porphyry copper-molybdenum system.

Aguila will immediately commence field activities with mapping and sampling followed by a detailed magnetic survey.

Aguila continues to progress its project generation and acquisition strategy for copper and precious metals in highly prospective mineral belts. The rapidly growing demand for copper due to the accelerating uptake of electric vehicles and the supporting infrastructure, aligned with the growing uncertainty of sustainable ethical supply, makes North American targets a high priority.

"The newly staked Lida project represents another exciting step for Aguila into copper exploration in the Western US," said Mark Saxon, CEO of Aguila American Gold Limited. "Lida caught our eye immediately due to the abundance of surface copper oxide mineralization within a small area of outcrop surrounded by thin post-mineralization cover. The association with a magnetic high in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt is a consistent signature with major porphyry and epithermal systems. Major mining companies exploring north and south highlights the pedigree of the terrane.

Story continues

The timing could not be better, as secure global copper supplies are tightening and price is rising, coinciding with strong demand growth as a result of a global infrastructure, electrification and renewable energy boom. We look forward to applying modern exploration techniques to this under explored district."





Figure 1: Location map for the Lida copper project in central western Nevada, USA

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7326/97277_image1.jpg

The Lida copper project lies in Esmeralda County, Nevada, approximately 28km southwest of Goldfield within the highly productive Walker Lane Mineral Belt. Walker Lane is a 500km long continental scale structural zone which is host to numerous world class gold and copper deposits and mining districts including Goldfield1 (4.7 Mt @ 28 g/t Au), Yerrington2 (162 Mt @ 0.54% Cu), Pumpkin Hollow3 (553 Mt @ 0.45% Cu), Comstock (16.3 Moz Au eq.) and Rio Tinto's New York Canyon (142 Mt @ 0.35% Cu).

Aguila's claims cover an area of low to moderate relief and sparse vegetation. The prospect is accessible by two-wheel drive vehicles and can be reached by US Highway 95. Up to several hundred prospecting pits, known locally as "dog holes" have been mapped over an area of 2km by 2km, with many exposing fracture-controlled copper within the quartzite and shales of the Campito Formation or located on gossans associated with intrusive breccia.

Small scale, historical mining activity was undertaken in the 18th and early 19th century focused on the No 1 shaft, which targeted structurally controlled primary copper mineralization comprising chalcopyrite, bornite and chalcocite. A structural zone adjacent to the No 1 shaft was reported to contain copper mineralization across a width of up to 30m.





Figure 2: Prospect Map showing historical exploration activity (shafts, exploration pits, IP anomaly)

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7326/97277_image2.jpg

The bedrock geology at Lida comprises northeast striking, northwest dipping Lower Cambrian limestones of the Poleta Formation overlying the quartzites/shales of the Campito Formation. Iron rich breccia bodies with a pipe-like geometry have been mapped and appear associated with copper mineralization. Hydrothermal alteration includes widespread propylitic-style with local skarn-hornfels alteration associated with intrusive dikes.

Previous documented exploration was primarily conducted by Conoco during the 1970's, which comprised of sampling, geophysics (induced polarisation) and shallow drilling. Conoco identified a large and strong IP anomaly, approximately 2km in length and 500m wide, which trends north-easterly across the prospect coincident with the widespread structurally controlled copper mineralization, small intrusions and widespread propylitic alteration. Drilling did not penetrate the quartzite. Minor pyrite identified in drilling by Conoco within the quartzite is unlikely to account for the strong IP anomaly and may be associated with a pyrite rich "phyllic" porphyry shell.

Aguila believes the Campito Formation formed a relatively impermeable "cap" though which hydrothermal fluids only vented along structures to form the widespread fracture and vein-controlled mineralization found at surface.

The Lida project was staked to test beneath the widespread propylitic alteration and structurally controlled copper oxide mineralization with coincident IP anomaly for a preserved porphyry copper or copper skarn system. Porphyry copper systems in Nevada consistently exhibit a higher degree of preservation than in neighboring Arizona.

Initial exploration will consist of detailed mapping and sampling in addition to a high-resolution magnetic survey. Results will be shared as they become available.





Figure 3: Site photographs from Lida Project during reconnaissance visit. Area shows an extensive mining history and regular copper oxide mineralization as per photo "d".

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7326/97277_image3.jpg

The Company has obtained and is continuing to review the historic exploration data. Although the historic exploration data was generated by reputable companies, Aguila cannot verify the data or determine the quality assurance and quality control measures applied in generating the data. Accordingly, the Company cautions that the exploration data reported in this news release may not be reliable. Readers are cautioned that a "qualified person" (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) has not yet completed sufficient work to be able to verify the historical information, and therefore the information should not be relied upon.

Production to 1986, Ruetz J W, 1987 - The Geology of the Goldfield district: in Johnson J L (Ed.), 1987 Bulk Mineable Precious Metal Deposits of the Western United States - Guidebook for Field Trips Geol. Soc. Nevada pp 114-119. Production to 1982, Harris N B, Einaudi M T 1982 - Skarn deposits in the Yerington District, Nevada: metasomatic skarn evolution near Ludwig: in Econ. Geol. v77 pp 877-898. Nevada Copper, NI 43-101 Technical Report was filed on SEDAR in April 16, 2019.

Technical Background

The Company has obtained historic exploration data for this press release from the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and other public archives. Although historic exploration data was generated by reputable companies applying practice of the day, Aguila cannot verify the data or determine the quality assurance and quality control measures applied in generating the data. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the exploration history is fully captured. Additional drilling may have been undertaken, however the Company has not been made aware of or obtained additional data. Accordingly, the Company cautions that the exploration data reported in this news release may not be reliable. Readers are cautioned that a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 has not completed sufficient work to be able to verify the historical information, and therefore the information should not be relied upon.

The qualified person for the Company's projects, Mr. Mark Saxon, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, has reviewed and verified the contents of this release.

About Aguila American Gold Ltd (TSXV: AGL) (OTCQB: AGLAF) (WKN: A2DR6E)

Aguila American Gold is an emerging copper and precious metal company enhancing shareholder value through exploration and discovery.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

"Mark Saxon"

Mark Saxon

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

aguila.gold

1305 - 1090 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7

info@aguila.gold

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set out in this news release constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based upon the opinions and expectations of management of the Company as at the effective date of such statements and, in certain cases, information provided or disseminated by third parties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, and that information obtained from third party sources is reliable, they can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97277
New industry brand reveals national retail network plans and franchise model

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jima Cannabis (Jima), a BC-based, recreational cannabis retail brand with one store in Abbotsford, B.C., and four more opening soon in the province, has made a big splash by acquiring Ontario-based retailer, High Tea Cannabis Co. (High Tea). With AGCO approval of the deal through parent company T-CANN Retail Ltd., Jima is now a multi-location, national cannabis brand with a rapid expansion plan and a dynamic franchise and affiliate model.



As part of the agreement, Jima will welcome the Ontario High Tea stores located in Brampton, Scarborough, St. Thomas, York West and Windsor to the Jima family network. The stores will remain operational with no store level administration changes. As part of the growth strategy, additional High Tea stores are set to open in the fall of 2021 in York, North York, Hamilton, Beamsville and Petersburg.

High Tea was a strategic acquisition for Jima, as the company and brand values reflect one another, emphasizing a focus on the consumer journey and brand growth. Launched in 2020, High Tea's mission is to influence cannabis culture by being a reliable and trusted source of information on products through innovative social concepts, community connection, and world-class service. High Tea was also focused on entrepreneurship and aggressive expansion, which Jima emulates.

Jima was founded with a vision to combine technology, retail operational excellence and customer experience together to form the foundation of a modern cannabis business, says Jeff Prete, President & GM of Jima Cannabis. When we started this journey as a small BC business in October 2020, we quickly shifted to include rapid expansion to the rest of Canada. With the acquisition of High Tea, we now have an Ontario network of stores which acts as a strategic position for our expansion. This is just the beginning, Jima will partner with current and future store owners and operators who are navigating the licensed cannabis industry.

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RETAIL EXPANSION & FRANCHISE MODEL

Jima has a rapid expansion plan and franchise model, officially launching today. On the horizon for 2021 are new stores for BC in development and under construction including Douglas Street (Victoria), Yates Street (Victoria), West 4th Avenue (Vancouver), Cambie Street (Vancouver), with several more on the way. The network model for corporate stores and the acceleration plan for the company includes a core focus on real estate, operational and marketing expertise with technology as the leading accelerant to driving profitable growth for the stores and franchise owners.

Retailers currently operating or interested in opening stores in the Canadian cannabis retail market have an opportunity to own franchise locations in the Jima network. The benefits include leveraging Jimas operations and technology expertise, category management, HR, marketing, finance, and data insights.

There is also an opportunity for owners to participate in Jimas affiliate program which can help other retail banner brands grow their business effectively and profitably. The Jima Franchise & Affiliate Program details and offerings can be found at www.jimafranchise.com or reaching out to the team at JoinUs@JimaFranchise.com

"Our robust franchise and affiliate offerings bring best-in-class franchise programs into the cannabis industry, said Alex Read, VP, Brand Expansion, Jima Cannabis. We intend to remove pain points for cannabis business owners; we are looking forward to helping cannabis store owners unlock their entrepreneurial dreams."

Jima Cannabis is about a lot more than just cannabis. We are innovation, we are community, we are Jima. Relax, weve got you.

Jima Cannabis Website: www.jima.ca

Follow Jima Cannabis on social media:

Instagram @JimaCannabis

Twitter @JimaDotCa

Facebook @JimaDotCa

TikTok @JimaDotCa

For questions and interview requests please contact:

Parveen Singh

parveen@wearemaverick.com

M 437-247-5230

ABOUT JIMA CANNABIS

Jima is the recreational cannabis retail division in the TCap Private Equity portfolio, a private equity firm based in Vancouver BC. The retail network includes locations in British Columbia and Ontario, under their Jima Cannabis and High Tea Cannabis Co. banners, with plans for rapid expansion through corporate and franchise locations across the national Canadian market. The company and Jima brand are based out of BCs west coast with a west coast island attitude and mentality, putting community and people first and curating a selection of local and national cannabis products for sale in-store and online.




By David Randall

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fund giant BlackRock and investment banks HSBC and UBS were among the largest buyers of the debt of embattled Chinese real estate developer Evergrande Inc, Morningstar data shows.

BlackRock added 31.3 million notes of Evergrande's debt between January and August 2021, pushing its stake in the company to 1% of the assets in its $1.7 billion Asian High Yield Bond Fund, according to Morningstar.

HSBC increased its positions in the company by 40% through July, according to Morningstar. UBS increased its position by 25% through May, the latest date available in the fund tracker's database.

None of the companies responded to requests to comment for this story.

At the same time, other large fund firms such as Fidelity, Pimco, and Allianz cut their positions in the company by up to 47% between January and July, Morningstar said.

Growing fears that Evergrande will default on its $305 billion in liabilities has rattled global markets this week as investors worry that a downturn in the Chinese property market will spill over into the global economy.

(Reporting by David Randall; Editing by Mark Porter)
By Kevin Yao

TIANJIN, China (Reuters) - At a factory in China's north, workers are busy testing an automated vehicle designed to move bulky items around industrial spaces, one of a new generation of robots Beijing wants to shift the country's manufacturing up the value chain.

The robot's Tianjin-based maker has received tax breaks and government-guaranteed loans to build products that modernise China's vast factory sector and advance its technological expertise.

"The government is paying great attention to the manufacturing sector and the real economy - we can feel that," said Ren Zhiyong, general manager of Tianjin Langyu Robot Co, as he gave Reuters a guided tour of his plant.

China is backing R&D efforts by high-tech manufacturers like Langyu, driven by an urgent desire to reduce reliance on imported technology and reinforce its dominance as a global factory power, even as it cracks down on other parts of the economy.

Beijing's pivot puts the focus on advanced manufacturing, rather than the services sector, to steer the world's second-largest economy past the so-called "middle income trap", where countries lose productivity and stagnate in lower-value economic output.

"Pressure is the driving force, and without pressure, it is difficult for companies to develop," said Ren.

He expects revenues to more than double to 100 million yuan ($15.52 million) this year from 2020, on increased demand for high-tech products such as Langyu's automated guided vehicles.

More broadly, the city of Tianjin plans to invest 2 trillion yuan ($311 billion) between 2021 and 2025, with 60% earmarked for strategic emerging industries, Yin Jihui, head of the Tianjin Industry and Information Technology Bureau, told Reuters.

The investment, comprising corporate and government outlays, will help boost manufacturing to 25% of economy in 2025 from 21.8% in 2020, Yin said.

The share of strategic industries in Tianjin's factory output will also rise to 40%, Yin said, from 26.1% last year.

Story continues

"It will be very difficult and challenging to achieve these goals, (as) we need to ensure stable economic development while making a transition from old to new engines," Yin said.

ACHILLES' HEEL

China's five-year plan in March pledged to keep manufacturing's share of GDP "basically stable", in contrast to the 2016-2020 plan that focused on services to create jobs.

The coronavirus and the Sino-U.S. trade war have reframed the way policymakers see factories: no longer just grimy relics of an old economy but assets of strategic value.

During the pandemic, China's factories have churned out everything from masks and ventilators to work-from-home electronics, propelling the economic recovery from its record slump in early 2020.

Additionally, the trade war with the United States and Washington's tech curbs exposed China's lack of high-tech know-how, hardening Beijing's resolve to speed up innovation.

"Rising external pressure since the start of trade war has made policymakers more determined to develop China's middle- and high-end manufacturing," said Qu Hongbin, chief China economist at HSBC.

"The higher external pressure, the more emphasis they put on the manufacturing. That will be turned into actual policy support."

Tianjin-based Ringpu Biotech, which makes animal vaccines, has faced critical import delays on U.S. equipment and materials used for R&D and quality control.

"We have taken some measures, including increasing our own R&D capacity, and cooperating with other firms and universities," Ringpu Vice President Fu Xubin said.

"We will seek to boost our ability to find substitutes in areas where we face problems."

'SENSE OF CRISIS'

Manufacturing's share of China's GDP fell to 26.2% in 2020 from 32.5% in 2006, while the services sector has lifted its contribution to 54.5% from 41.8%, according to the World Bank.

Officials worry too rapid a shift towards services, which employs more people but is less productive than manufacturing, could undermine long-term growth, as it did in some Latin American economies.

Beijing does not want manufacturing to dip below 25% of GDP, roughly in line with South Korea's economic profile, government advisers said.

"Governments at the central and local levels are stepping up support for advanced manufacturers, but achieving industrial upgrading won't be a smooth ride," said a government adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity.

From 2021 to 2025, China aims to boost R&D spending by over 7% annually, focusing on "frontier" technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semi-conductors.

The plan, which broadly supersedes "Made In China 2025" initiative from 2015, targets nine emerging industries: new-generation information technology, biotech, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment, new-energy vehicles, environmental protection, aerospace and marine equipment.

The central bank has channelled more credit into manufacturing, especially high-tech firms, at the expense of the property sector, which faces fresh curbs against speculative investment.

(Graphics: China's resurgent manufacturing, https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-ECONOMY/MANUFACTURING/zjpqkjnjxpx/chart.png)

Langyu, the robotics company, plans to spend about 20 million yuan on R&D this year, or 20% of expected 2021 revenues, helped by greater tax breaks for R&D, Ren said.

Ringpu channels 8-12% of its revenues into R&D and will spend 1.3 billion yuan between 2020 and 2023 to upgrade automation and production.

"For China, to achieve tech self-reliance in some sectors is a matter of survival," said Tu Xinquan, head of China Institute for WTO Studies at University of International Business and Economics.

"The sense of crisis is a big driving force."

($1 = 6.4333 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by Sam Holmes)
MIDLAND, Pa., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ground has been broken and construction is underway on Western Pennsylvania's newest public high school, the Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School (MITCS). The facility will be housed in the Charles J. Betters Innovation Center; a newly constructed cutting- edge career technical education (CTE) high school on South 12th Street at Innovation Way in Midland, Beaver County. The land on which it is being built is a completely reclamated former brownfield site that has been brought up to residential standards and generously donated by prominent developer Charles J. Betters, the owner of C. J. Betters Enterprises.

Rendering of The Charles J. Betters Innovation Facility at Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School set to open in September 2022 in Midland, PA.

"I'm proud to be associated with this project, with this school, and with the people from Midland who are making it all happen," Betters told the crowd of approximately 100 gathered for the event.

Set to open in the fall of 2022, MITCS will provide students in grades 9 through 12 the chance to pursue areas of personal interest and tackle real-life projects to prepare them for a world of opportunity. MITCS will allow students to fulfill state requirements for a high school diploma while also earning certifications, licensing, apprenticeships, and even associates degrees in trades, technology, and other fields of endeavor. Students will graduate prepared to enter the workforce or continue on through post-secondary education or training. As a public charter school, MITCS will provide its services and programming tuition-free to Pennsylvania students.

"Reimagining how we provide current and future generations a transformational education that is every bit as innovative, inspiring, and impactful as the revitalization now reshaping our physical landscape is crucial to effectively addressing a range of public concerns," said Stephen Catanzarite, chairman of the school's founders group. "That's a role MITCS will seek to fulfill."

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Courses of study at MITCS will include: Petrochemical Studies, Gaming and Simulations, Safety Engineering, Transportation and Logistics, American Enterprise and Global Studies, Aviation Technology, Sustainable Water, and Healthcare Innovations. MITCS will be organized through four interconnected and collaborative academies which were introduced at the groundbreaking ceremony. Included are the PGT Trucking Transportation + Logistics Academy funded by a $500,000 gift from PGT Trucking CEO and Founder Pat Gallagher who, along with Mr. Betters, were leaders on the MITCS Organizing Committee.

"I believe in this school, and PGT is supporting it, because I believe in Chuck Betters and the folks here in Midland who are leading the effort," Gallagher said.



Another academy is the Dr. Cyril H. Wecht Forensic Science + Justice Academy, named for the fabled Pittsburgh-based forensic scientist who gifted his college-level curriculum to the new charter high school.



"I am deeply honored that this academy dedicated to the study of forensic science will bear my name, and I promise you all that I will be involved and work hard in the coming years to make sure its curriculum and instruction are of the highest quality," Wecht said.



"This is a great day for Midland, for Beaver County, and for the students of our region," said Beaver County Board Commissioners Chairman, Daniel Camp. "On behalf of my fellow commissioners, we are happy to be able to support it, and we know it will be a great success."



Two yet-to-be-named academies are the MITCS Community Development + Sustainability Academy and the Skilled Trades + Technical Careers Academy.



Research demonstrated a need for a modern full-day CTE high school for girls and boys in grades 9 through 12 especially with the region's first reindustrialization in more than a century. Over the next decade, there is a projected growth of over 4.5 million skilled manufacturing jobs. Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute estimate that over 2 million of these jobs may go unfilled due a shortage of skilled workers. MITCS is being developed as a response in our region.



For information, contact Chris Shovlin via e-mail a chris.shovlin@mitcharterschool.org or by phone at 412-952-1933.



Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School (MITCS) is a new public high school set to open in September of 2022. Located in Midland, PA (Beaver County) MITCS will provide students with the opportunity to earn their high school diploma while also pursuing certifications, licensing, and associate degrees in high-tech fields and the skilled trades. As a tuition- free public school, MITCS is open for enrollment to any student residing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information visit www.mitcharterschool.org.

Contact: Chris Shovlin

MITCS Organizing Committee Spokesperson Phone: (412) 952-1933

Email: chris.shovlin@mitcharterschool.org

Ground is broken for Western Pennsylvania's newest public high school, Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School on September 21, 2021. Left to right: Jerry Hodge (President MITCS Board of Trustees), David Vuckovich (President, Midland Borough School District Board of Directors), Pat Gallagher (CEO/Founder PGT Trucking), Sean Tanner (Superintendent, Midland Borough School District), Lenny McCallister (Executive Director, Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools), Charles J. Betters (President, C. J. Betters Enterprises), Angela "Poobie" Adkins (Mayor, Borough of Midland), Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Famed Pathologist and Forensic Scientist), Stephen Catanzarite (Founding CEO, MITCS) James Reeb (Principal, Social Impact Properties), Daniel Camp (Chairman, Beaver County Commissioners), Mark Elder (Operations Consultant/Member of the MITCS Organizing Committee).

Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School - official logo (PRNewsfoto/Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/construction-underway-for-western-pennsylvanias-newest-public-high-school-301383375.html

SOURCE Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School
Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets supporters at an election campaign stop on the last campaign day before the election, in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

Canadians are going to the polls today in an election that didnt have to happen.

The next federal vote was scheduled for 2023. Instead, prime minister and Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau is facing a serious challenge to his job this evening because of what may have been a huge miscalculation: He called a snap election six weeks ago, forcing voters to choose between giving him another four years or replacing him with Erin OToole, an attorney who leads the Conservative opposition.

Ostensibly, Trudeaus goal was to give Canadians a say in how to end the pandemic. Instead, he may have invited his own political demise.

Is it a power grab?

Trudeau won a minority government in Canadas multi-party parliament in 2019. Critics believe the current election is all about the desire for an upgrade. Trudeau wants to amass more power in Ottawa by forming a majority government. If his party wins enough parliamentary seats to do that, it could more easily move forward with plans to expand government spending in support of jobs, healthcare, and to battle climate change. (Its leader would also face less scrutiny from parliamentary committees.)

Trudeau saw an election victory in his future when he took this gamble, believing Canadians would reward him for his relatively deft handling of the pandemic, as the AP reports. Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates among wealthy countries and it has seen fewer deaths per capita than other nations. The Liberals have also spent billions to support businesses and workers to keep the economy from collapsing during the crisis.

Nevertheless, his election call was immediately panned as a self-serving, attention-seeking waste of time and money as the country headed into a fourth wave.

Since then, the polls have reflected a less optimistic picture of the Liberals chances. In August, OToole sat firmly in second place behind Trudeau in approval ratings. But the conservatives have caught up and are now tied with the Liberals in election forecasts, which showed both parties winning around 31% of the vote on election day.

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The left-leaning NDP party, led by lawyer and human rights activist Jagmeet Singh, has maintained a third-place spot and is estimated to attract 20% of the vote. The Bloc Quebecois and the populist, anti-immigration, anti-vaccine passport Peoples Party of Canada are polling at around 7% each, while the Green party is in last place with a support rate of 3.5%.

As recently as last week, it appeared that Trudeau was likely to go back to Ottawa as the head of yet another minority or coalition government. Astonishingly, its now possible that he wont even accomplish that.

Trudeau made an incredibly stupid error in judgment, calling this election, Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto, told the Associated Press.

The rise of disturbing anti-vaccine mandate protests

Trudeau may have been hoping to be rewarded for his leadership over the past six years, but he has since shifted the focus of his messages, calling the election a choice and not a referendum.

What happened? For one thing, the timing and assumed motivation for the election has irritated voters across the political spectrum. From the left, voters also say they have grown tired of watching Trudeau appeal to progressives rhetoricallyand with his sartorial statementswithout introducing meaningful economic, cultural, or environmental change. Meanwhile, OToole has moved the Conservative position toward the center in a bid to attract voters discouraged by Trudeaus leadership.

From the outset of the short campaign, Trudeau has used vaccine mandates as a wedge issue. He has promised to introduce mandatory vaccinations for anyone traveling on planes and trains domestically and made inoculation necessary for federal workers. Although OToole says that he encourages vaccination, he does not believe in mandates for travel or workplaces.

Hes more interested in standing up for the rights of anti-vaxxers within his own party than he is in standing up for people who have done the right things and want to get back to normal, Trudeau said in a recent campaign speech in Ontario.

Surveys show that a strong majority of Canadians (80%) are in favor of vaccine passports to use public transportation and enter businesses; the same majority agrees with mandates for federal workers, teachers, and healthcare workers. However, a fraction of those who disagree have in recent weeks gathered outside hospitals for rallies decrying pandemic measures, including vaccine passports, often near entrances used by vulnerable patients seeking cancer treatments and other forms of healthcare.

There is no place for intimidation or threats at our hospitals and clinics. Thats why well make it an offence to obstruct access to any building providing health services. We'll also make it an offence to intimidate/threaten any health care worker or anyone seeking treatment.  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 13, 2021

Hecklers who oppose lockdowns and vaccine passports have also littered Trudeaus campaign trail, in one case throwing stones at the prime minister.

Far -right protesters throw stones at Trudeau at protest#Elxn44 pic.twitter.com/wSC8VBBKK5  Toronto 99 News (@Toronto99News) September 6, 2021

Some of these people have called themselves patriots, leading to debates about whether US-style political extremism has infiltrated Canadian political culture, or at least unleashed a dark force that had been less vocal until now. Either way, the somewhat libertarian Peoples party, is suddenly looking a little less fringey. It has managed to build some momentum in the polls as some die-hard conservatives lost faith in OToole.

How rising inflation and the high cost of living may impact Canadas election results

Beyond vaccination rules, the hot-button topics that have driven election debates include the countrys history of abusing indigenous people; systemic racism that has held back indigenous and other people of color; fixing the countrys long-term care system by setting national standards and possibly banning private companies from running nursing homes; and gun control measures.

For voters, however, the high cost of living has emerged as the primary concern across a wide swath of demographic groups. Housing costs, in particular, have soared: the average price of a home ( $730,000 in Canadian dollars, or about US $575,000) is now 50% higher than it was five years ago, the Wall Street Journal reports, and prices have risen by 20% in the last year alone, placing ownership out of reach for middle-class Canadians. Meanwhile, lower-income Canadians are experiencing profound precarity.

Inflation rose to 4.1% last month, its highest rate in 18 years, driven by the costs of gasoline and housing, and other big-ticket items. Economists have called it a transitory inflation shock linked to reopenings and increased travel. But OToole and the Conservatives have leveraged the high number to claim the Liberals havent done enough to control prices and watch out for everyday Canadians.

Results for the election may be clear tonight or could arrive later this week since a number of Canadians chose to vote by mail as a Covid precaution. Soon it will be obvious whether Trudeaus decision to act on his ambitions was ingenious or fatally misplaced.

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Connected technology helps farmers care for the land and protect the environment.

Northampton, MA --News Direct-- Bayer

Farmers are in constant pursuit of data

From every planted seed, application of fertilizer, or change in weather, information is gathered. This includes satellites building forecasts, advanced sensors monitoring crops, and systems measuring water sprayed through a nozzle. Agricultural innovation is connected to the earth, building knowledge to support informed and thoughtful judgments.

Similar to many 21st-century industries, agriculture faces the challenge of compatibility. The advanced technology used on the farm works well but could benefit by working better together. Like a smart thermostat reading daily forecasts, ag technology needs to adapt to the changing circumstances in the environment. From seeds to fertilizer to crop protection to tractors, everything must work in concert.

When it comes to innovation, the next link is interconnection

Data scientists, software developers, and engineers are building more than one single piece of technology for agriculture. They are creating an entire suite of digital tools and integrated solutions. This array of interconnected technology is uncovering the nuances in each field by gathering data, helping reduce inputs, and supporting farmers as they seek to conserve natural resources.

Through a recent partnership with XAG  one of the largest agriculture drone service providers in the world  Bayer is working to advance digital farming and precision spraying in Japan. Using these drones, Japanese farmers are granted droplet-size control, increasing accuracy and reducing both water and pesticide use on the farm.

Other advancements  like satellites, sensors, and digital applications  are allowing farmers to make even more informed decisions. For example, FieldView is a digital platform enabling farmers to collect, store, and view field map data on their tablet or mobile device. By capturing key planting data in one location, farmers have access to insights that allow them to better understand their land.

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This wealth of information, digital tools, and data are working as one to safeguard the environment. Tractors are speaking to drip irrigation systems, which are taking cues from sensors placed in the soil, which are responding to satellites forecasting the weather. Through smart technology, every piece of information is available and accessible to farmers  at any time, from any place.

By mastering the technical, agriculture is protecting the natural

The insights made possible by agricultural innovation are empowering farmers around the world to make more informed and conservation-minded decisions. As interconnectivity continues to advance, so will the responsibility of farmers to adopt a technological ecosystem that supports our planets natural ecosystem.

Because for this industry, innovation is at the heart of conservation.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Bayer on 3blmedia.com

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By Cassandra Garrison

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican used-car platform Kavak said it has more than doubled its valuation to $8.7 billion based on its latest funding round, making it the second-most valuable startup in Latin America as it eyes further expansion beyond its home market.

Kavak's chief executive, Carlos Garcia, told Reuters the Mexico City-based firm netted $700 million in its Series E round, making the platform second only to Brazilian fintech Nubank among the highest-valued startups in the region. (https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/buffett-backed-nubank-seek-ipo-valuation-over-554-bln-sources-2021-08-25)

The injection of capital has delivered a boost to Kavak's plans to expand outside the region as a one-stop shop for browsing, purchasing and financing pre-owned cars via an app.

Kavak said funding was led by U.S. venture capital firm General Catalyst, while SoftBank Group Corp, billionaire Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, Singapore-based gaming and e-commerce company Sea Ltd, Tiger Global, Spruce House, hedge fund D1 and Ribbit Capital also participated.

The new funding round is the latest sign of an aggressive push into Latin America's startup scene by Japan's SoftBank, which last week launched https://www.reuters.com/business/softbank-renews-bet-latin-america-with-3-bln-fund-2021-09-14 a $3 billion fund to invest in the region's technology companies.

Founded nearly five years ago in Mexico, Kavak expanded to Argentina in 2020, before landing in Brazil this year, which it described as its largest market.

The company will most likely focus next on expanding to emerging markets beyond Latin America, CEO Garcia told Reuters, noting that announcements could come within six months.

"We're looking outside the region for our next step," he said in an interview. "We want to go into the biggest, most broken market where we can really make a dent, where we can really make users' lives better, so we're not agnostic to Latin America."

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Kavak previously said it had doubled its valuation to $4 billion (https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/mexican-used-car-startup-kavak-hits-4-billion-valuation-2021-04-07) just months ago after an earlier investment round.

Since then, Garcia said, the company has grown rapidly as more consumers became eager for an alternative to peer-to-peer car buying which can be unreliable or financially risky.

Demand only increased during the coronavirus pandemic as public transportation shuttered and more people turned to pre-owned cars. Kavak says it now has 5,000 employees across Latin America. Just over a year ago, the firm had only 300.

A severe semiconductor shortage that slammed the brakes on the global auto industry, first felt in the United States, was also starting to creep in to Mexico's car market, Garcia said.

"In the U.S., you're seeing a shortage of products in the new and used car industry. We're starting to see this early trend in Latin America, we think it's going to be a huge driver for Kavak in the next few months," Garcia said.

Kavak has drawn inspiration from Chinese companies like ride-hailing group Didi Global Inc as it looks to expand what Garcia called the "super app experience," offering multiple services through a single app.

Chinese consumer habits closely resemble those in Latin America, Garcia said.

"The composition of the people there, how they live, it's more similar to Latam than the composition of how people live in the U.S.," Garcia said. "It's easier for us to think about logistics, how to get to users."

(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison in Mexico City; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Exxon, Chevron conceal payments to some governments -watchdog FILE PHOTO: Chevron (CVX)'s logo is seen in Los Angeles

By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. oil majors Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp have failed to meet a core transparency standard set by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a global anti-corruption body on which the companies have board seats, EITI said on Wednesday.

Exxon and Chevron have declined to publicly disclose taxes and other payments they have made to governments in the countries where they operate that are not EITI members, the group said in a spreadsheet detailing member company adherence to its standards.

Norway-based EITI, founded two decades ago, has about 55 country members. It implements voluntary global standards to promote open and accountable management of oil, gas and mineral resources to prevent corruption in all resource-rich countries.

Countries that Exxon has operated in that are not EITI members include Qatar, Pakistan and India, according to its company website. Non-EITI countries that Chevron has operated in include China and Angola.

ConocoPhillips, which is not on the EITI board, is another member that does not disclose payments to countries not in EITI, the group said. It has had operations in countries including Libya, Malaysia and China.

Exxon spokesperson Casey Norton said Exxon complies with all laws that are in effect today.

Chevron "supports efforts to promote revenue transparency that do not competitively disadvantage impacted companies and their shareholders," spokesperson Sean Comey said.

Conoco spokesperson Dennis Nuss said the company had no comment.

EITI's release, based on publicly available information, could add pressure to the companies, already under fire from shareholders, activists and lawmakers for greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.

It also highlights a widening governance rift between U.S.-based oil majors and those in Europe, which are widely seen to be doing better on climate and transparency.

European-based companies BP, Shell and Total all publicly disclose their taxes and payments to non-EITI countries, the group said.

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EITI published the data for the first time since the standards were introduced in 2018, after pressure from civil society groups including Publish What You Pay-US (PWYP-US) and Oxfam America.

It is not mandatory that the companies, which as EITI members make annual payments to help fund the group's management, follow the group's standards.

But EITI Board Chair Helen Clark said in July, without elaborating, that the board's oversight committee would consider consequences for companies not meeting the group's expectations, possibly in October.

Clark said on Wednesday that publication of the companies not following expectations will help EITI members "engage in dialogue to improve corporate accountability and transparency." She said work remains to clarify the expectations, "but our hope is that it will encourage a 'race to the top' to meet or exceed them."

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is set to consider in April implementing a measure of the 2010 Wall Street reform law known as Dodd Frank that would require disclosures from energy and mining companies on payments to all foreign governments.

PWYP-US said the U.S. companies supporting EITI were getting the reputational benefit of EITI participation without meeting the basic expectations for membership.

EITI's company members and particularly those on its board must ensure that group's credibility is not weakened by companies that are not being transparent, said Carly Oboth, PWYP-US interim director.

"Otherwise, it will be clear that this global transparency initiative has become a victim of corporate capture," Oboth said.

(Reporting by Timothy GardnerEditing by Marguerita Choy, Steve Orlofsky, David Gregorio and Cynthia Osterman)
Watch: German auto giants bet on hydrogen cars

By Nick Carey

MUNICH (Reuters) - Battery power may be the frontrunner to become the car technology of the future, but don't rule out the underdog hydrogen.

That's the view of some major automakers, including BMW and Audi, which are developing hydrogen fuel-cell passenger vehicle prototypes alongside their fleets of battery cars as part of preparations to abandon fossil fuels.

They are hedging their bets, calculating that a change in political winds could shift the balance towards hydrogen in an industry shaped by early-mover Tesla's decision to take the battery-powered road to clean cars.

Global auto hub Germany is in sharp focus. It is already betting billions on hydrogen fuel in sectors like steel and chemicals to meet climate targets, and closely-fought elections this month could see the Greens enter the coalition government and further push the technology.

BMW is hydrogen's biggest proponent among Germany's carmakers, charting a path to a mass-market model around 2030. The company also has one eye on shifting hydrogen policies in Europe and in China, the world's largest car market.

The Munich-based premium player has developed a hydrogen prototype car based on its X5 SUV, in a project already partly funded by the German government.

Jurgen Guldner, the BMW vice president who heads up the hydrogen fuel-cell car programme, told Reuters the carmaker would build a test fleet of close to 100 cars in 2022.

"Whether this (technology) is driven by politics or demand, we will be ready with a product," he said, adding that his team is already working to develop the next generation vehicles.

"We're on the verge of getting there and we're really convinced we'll see a breakthrough in this decade," he said.

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VW's premium Audi brand told Reuters it had assembled a team of more than 100 mechanics and engineers who were researching hydrogen fuel cells on behalf of the whole Volkswagen group, and had built a few prototype cars.

Watch: Why hydrogen cars will be Tesla's biggest threat

HYDROGEN TOO COSTLY NOW

Hydrogen is viewed as a sure bet by the world's biggest truckmakers, such as Daimler AG unit Daimler Truck, Volvo Trucks and Hyundai, because batteries are too heavy for long-distance commercial vehicles.

Yet fuel cell technology - where hydrogen passes through a catalyst, producing electricity - is for now too costly for mass-market consumer cars. Cells are complex and contain expensive materials, and although refuelling is quicker than battery recharging, infrastructure is more scarce.

The fact that hydrogen is so far behind in the race to the affordable market also means even some champions of the technology, like Germany's Greens, favour prioritising battery-powered passenger cars because they see them as the fastest way to reach their main goal of decarbonising transport.

The Greens do, however, back the use of hydrogen fuel for ships and planes and want to invest heavily in "green" hydrogen produced solely from renewable sources.

"Hydrogen will play a highly important role in the transport industry," said Stefan Gelbhaar, the party's transport policy spokesperson in the Bundestag.

Politics can be unpredictable though - diesel went from saint to sinner following Volkswagen's Dieselgate emissions-cheating scandal, which came to light in 2015. Some carmakers view hydrogen technology as an insurance policy as the EU targets an effective ban on fossil-fuel cars from 2035.

Last year Daimler said it would wind down production of the Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL, a hydrogen fuel-cell SUV, but a source familiar with company plans said the project could easily be revived if the European Commission or a German government with Green participation decide to promote hydrogen cars.

"We're focusing on (battery) electric first, but we're in close cooperation with our truck guys," said Jorg Burzer, Daimler's head of production, when asked about that approach.

"The technology is always available."

180 KPH IN HYDROGEN X5

For years Japanese carmakers Toyota, Nissan and Honda, and South Korea's Hyundai, were alone in developing and pushing hydrogen fuel-cell cars, but now they have company.

China is expanding its hydrogen fuelling infrastructure, with several carmakers now working on fuel-cell cars, including Great Wall Motor, which plans to develop hydrogen-powered SUVs.

The EU wants to build more hydrogen fuelling stations for commercial vehicles. Fitch Solutions auto analyst Joshua Cobb said the bloc was only likely to start pushing hydrogen passengers cars in two to three years' time, given it was still figuring out how to pay for its battery-electric car push and how to obtain enough "green" hydrogen from renewable sources.

But he added: "It's not out of bounds to think if the (German) Greens come into power they could accelerate the push to adopt regulations favouring hydrogen fuel-cell cars."

BMW's Guldner acknowledged hydrogen technology was too expensive to be viable for the consumer market today, but said costs would come down as trucking companies invested in the technology to bring fuel-cell vehicles to market at scale.

To demonstrate BMW's hydrogen X5 prototype, Guldner took Reuters for a spin at 180 km (112 miles) per hour on the autobahn near the carmaker's Munich headquarters and in a few minutes gave it enough fuel to run 500 km using a hydrogen gas pump at a Total petrol station.

Guldner said BMW saw hydrogen fuel-cell cars as "complementary" to its future battery electric model range, providing an alternative for customers who cannot charge at home, want to travel far and refuel swiftly. The motor in the hydrogen X5 is the same as BMW's all-electric iX.

"When the future is zero emissions, we believe having two answers is better than one," he added.

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Yet Fitch Solutions' Cobb said that it would still take years before any European policy support for hydrogen-powered cars translated into significant sales.

Indeed, auto consultancy LMC forecasts that various uses of hydrogen - in commercial vehicles, aviation and energy storage - would spur its adoption in passenger cars, but over the longer term.

"We're just not going to get there any time soon," said LMC senior powertrain analyst Sam Adham. LMC estimates in 2030 hydrogen fuel-cell models will make up just 0.1% of sales in Europe, and sales will only take off after 2035.

There remain divisions about the technology's prospects in the global car industry, and even within auto groups.

VW's Audi unit might be researching fuel cells, for example, but Volkswagen group CEO Herbert Diess has been scathing about hydrogen-powered cars.

"The hydrogen car has proven NOT to be the solution to climate change," he said in a tweet this year. "Sham debates are a waste of time."

Stephan Herbst, general manager of Toyota in Europe, has a different view.

Speaking in his role as a member of the Hydrogen Council business group, which forecasts that hydrogen will power more than 400 million cars by 2050, Herbst said he was confident that now governments had set ambitious carbon-reduction targets, they would push hydrogen alongside battery electric cars.

"We strongly believe this is not a question of either or," he added. "We need both technologies."

(Reporting by Nick Carey; Additional reporting by Christina Amann in Berlin and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt; Editing by Joseph White and Pravin Char)
Legendary Irish brewer's new West Loop location to open early 2023, celebrate spirit of the city

CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Irish heritage, tradition, grit, and resilience all run deep in Chicago, and in the not-too-distant future, so will Guinness roots. This great American city will be the home to the new Guinness Chicago Taproom, slated to open to the public in 2023 in the city's lively West Loop neighborhood. Located at 375 N. Morgan Street, the 15,000-square-foot space where Guinness has signed a multi-year lease, will be situated within a revitalized historic railroad depot, and embrace the spirit of the Windy City. The taproom team will begin renovations this fall.

Guinness raises a toast to its planned Chicago taproom, which will open in 2023.

"As a native Chicagoan, I already know there are so many reasons to love Chicago - its people, culture, diverse and distinctive network of neighborhoods, and of course its food and beer scene. The city was a natural choice to bring our first neighborhood hub to life," said Jay Sethi, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo Beer Company, USA. "We are building this taproom for the people of Chicago and, as with everything that Guinness does, it's not just about the beer. We aim to celebrate Chicago and make a positive impact on the local community from the day our doors open."

"No one does St. Patrick's Day like Chicago, so naturally, Guinness already has a special place in our city's history," said Alderman Walter Burnett Jr., of Chicago's 27th Ward. "Now we get to make it a little more official with the Guinness Chicago Taproom, which will help further enliven our already vibrant West Loop neighborhood and bring new jobs to the area."

The taproom will feature work from local artists and offer rotating beers, cuisine, and events, all bringing to life the spirit of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods and unique cultural elements. The newest home away from home for Guinness will offer guests a chance to try out exciting new brews  some only available at the Chicago brewery, and some from our other Guinness locations  tour the brewery with our beer specialists, learn all about Guinness and its storied history, and even purchase some limited-edition merchandise. On site will be a 10 BBL brewing system for our small-batch and one-off brews for the taproom, in addition to an outdoor patio space and restaurant.

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"For years we've seen Guinness as an integral part of so many bar and restaurant experiences, around the world and especially right here in Chicago," said Sam Toia, President of the Illinois Restaurant Association. "We are thrilled there will now be a place Chicagoans can come to enjoy the full Guinness experience, while also continuing to strengthen the rich fabric of Chicago's thriving hospitality community."

More than 75 new jobs will be created to support taproom operations. While the new site will produce a variety of experimental brews, the iconic Guinness Draught Stout and other Guinness beers will continue to be imported from our legendary brewery at St James's Gate in Dublin, Ireland.

This is the second brewing facility and taproom on U.S. soil for Guinness, the first of which is the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore, Maryland. Since opening in 2018, the Baltimore taproom has welcomed more than 900,000 visitors and produced 250 experimental brews, including Baltimore Blonde, which is available nationwide.

While we all eagerly wait for the doors to open in Chicago in 2023, stay up to date any time on all things Guinness on social media (@GuinnessUS) and if you're up to it, consider paying a visit to the Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore.

About Guinness

The Guinness brand was established in 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin. Brewed using four main ingredients, water, barley (malted & roasted), hops and yeast, Guinness is the world's most popular stout. The iconic beer is brewed in 49 countries worldwide and sold in over 150 with almost 9 million glasses of Guinness enjoyed every day around the world. The most GUINNESS is sold in Great Britain, Ireland, USA, Nigeria and Cameroon. More information can be found at www.guinness.com .

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Dave Finn, TAYLOR

dfinn@taylorstrategy.com



Kelly Pepe, DIAGEO

kelly.pepe@diageo.com



Guinness will open a taproom in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood in 2023.

Diageo Beer Company President Nuno Teles (left) and Diageo Beer Company CMO Jay Sethi (right) announce Guinness' plans to open a Chicago taproom in 2023.

Diageo leaders gather to celebrate the announcement of Guinness' Chicago taproom, slated to open in 2023. From L to R: Hakan Kulturlu, Director, Transformation, Diageo Beer Company; Danielle Robinson, Director, Alcohol Policy and Reputation Management at Diageo; Nuno Teles, President, Diageo Beer Company USA; Allison Miller, Head of Facilities and Real Estate for Diageo; Jay Sethi, CMO, Diageo Beer Company USA; Michael Donilon, General Manager, Open Gate Brewery

Diageo leaders gather to celebrate the announcement of Guinness' Chicago taproom, slated to open in 2023. From L to R: Hakan Kulturlu, Director, Transformation, Diageo Beer Company; Danielle Robinson, Director, Alcohol Policy and Reputation Management at Diageo; Nuno Teles, President, Diageo Beer Company USA; Allison Miller, Head of Facilities and Real Estate for Diageo; Jay Sethi, CMO, Diageo Beer Company USA; Michael Donilon, General Manager, Open Gate Brewery

(PRNewsfoto/Diageo Beer Company USA)

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Evermos founding team (from left to right): Arip Tirta, Ghufron Mustaqim, Iqbal Muslimin and Ilham Taufiq

Evermos founding team (l to r): Arip Tirta, Ghufron Mustaqim, Iqbal Muslimin and Ilham Taufiq. Image Credits: Evermos

Evermos is an Indonesian social commerce startup with two goals: to let people earn extra income by opening online stores without spending capital and to help small brands grow into household names. The company, which focuses on halal products and other items for Muslim customers, announced today it has raised a $30 million Series B, led by UOB Venture Managements Asia Impact Investment Fund II. Other participants included IFC, MDI Ventures, Telkomsel Mitra Innovation (TMI) and Future Shape, along with returning investors Jungle Ventures and Shunwei Capital.

The funding will be used on hiring, enhancing Evermos' recommendation engine and other AI-based tech, and entering new regions in Indonesia. The company says it currently has 100,000 active resellers in more than 500 Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, mostly in Java. Its goal is to reach more than one million resellers throughout Indonesia over the next five years.

On the supply side, Evermos works with more than 500 brands, primarily small Indonesian businesses, and sells fashion, halal health and beauty products, and food and beverages. The company says its total transaction volume has increased by more than 60 times over the last two years.

Evermos was founded in November 2018 by Ghufron Mustaqim, Iqbal Muslimin, Ilham Taufiq and Arip Tirta. Mustaqim told TechCrunch that the team was motivated by its dissatisfaction with many retail practices in Indonesia. For example, this includes multiple layers of distribution that hike up prices and the proliferation of fake products online, which makes many people wary of buying from e-commerce marketplaces.

Were trying to solve these problems by innovating with the social commerce model, so resellers can help customers pick the right products in a more efficient way, Mustaqim said.

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Almost 90% of Indonesians are Muslim, so when you say we target the Muslim market, we are targeting almost all of Indonesia, he added. We carefully curate the products onboarded to our platform, and one of the most important aspects is whether its relevant to the Muslim market. For example, it has to be halal, if its fashion it has be modest fashion.

Evermos does not require resellers to buy inventory. Instead, resellers market items picked from Evermos catalog to their social circles, including family, friends and neighbors, through WhatsApp, Facebook and other apps. Resellers have an online landing page created on Evermos' app and can send links about products to customers, but Mustaqim says most sales happen through chat.

Evermos handles inventory, logistics and customer support. Like many other social commerce startups in Indonesia, including Super, KitaBeli and ChiliBeli, Evermos focuses on smaller cities, where e-commerce penetration is lower because of factors like higher shipping costs. To keep shipping costs down, Evermos resellers often group their customers orders into batches. Products are usually sent to them from the brands own warehouses via third-party logistics providers, but Evermos is currently building inventory analytics and a network of warehouses to stock products closer to resellers.

Mustaqim says brands usually pay 30% commission on products sold through Evermos, and the company shares most of that with resellers. Evermos top resellers earn about $200 USD a month, or about the monthly minimum wage in most Indonesian provinces.

Since most of Evermos resellers are selling online for the first time, it provides in-app training modules (and occasional offline training events, too). This includes advice on curating inventory, how to use Evermos platform to make orders and use its promotional programs and product copywriting.

So far, Evermos has focused primarily on Java, but plans to expand into other regions of Indonesia. Its strategies for reaching one million resellers in five years include running ads and a program where resellers get one-time commissions for referring new sellers to the platform. Mustaqim says over-penetration wont be a problem because resellers usually focus on a handful of product categories, so even people located in the same community wont necessarily be competing with one another.
After releasing an impressive forecast for the global aerospace market last week, Boeing BA, in a separate press release, revealed its outlook for the European aviation market. Per this report, 3.1% growth is forecast for annual air passenger traffic in Europe through 2040.

This new projection reflects an improvement when compared to the 1.8% annual growth projected for the European jet market through 2035 by Boeing in 2015.

Highlights of the Outlook

Per the recent report, European airlines are estimated to acquire more than 8,705 new jets valued at approximately $1.5 trillion over the next 20 years. This implies an improvement of 36.4% over $1.1 trillion worth 20-year market opportunities forecast earlier by Boeing. The new forecast also reflects an increase of 16.1% over the prior projection, in terms of new airplane count.

Boeing also expects the commercial aviation services market opportunities to reach approximately $1.9 trillion through 2040.

Rationale Behind the Improved Outlook

Following the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic that initially shook the commercial aerospace market, recent recoveries observed in air passenger traffic must have encouraged Boeing to estimate such improved projections. Solid demand for air travel within Europe has been leading the recovery in global and regional air travel markets.

This recovery can be attributed to a rapidly expanding leisure travel market as well as low-cost carriers available in Europe than elsewhere in the world. Also, rapid vaccination has reduced the health risk in flights, which might have played the role of another catalyst driving the improved forecast.

Moreover, as European airlines continue to invest in new, higher-capacity single-aisle models that reduce fuel use and emissions, by 2040, 90% of Europes current fleet is projected to get replaced with more fuel-efficient models, outpacing the global replacement share of 80%. This is likely to boost the demand for new airplanes in Europe over the long haul.

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Stocks to Gain

Considering the aforementioned discussion, it is prudent to conclude that the commercial jet stocks with a significant presence in the European aviation market will witness notable growth in the coming days. The following stocks should find a place on investors watchlist banking on their solid growth prospects.

Boeing has delivered 4,600 commercial aircraft to more than 130 European customers in the last 60 years, apart from providing unparalleled aerospace services to more than 350 European customers. European airlines are projected to leverage Boeings new-generation widebodies, such as the 787 and 777X, that significantly improve efficiency. This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 4%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Airbus EADSY is the largest commercial plane maker in Europe. Its versatile product line ranges in size from 100-seat jetliners to double-deck A380 that is capable of transporting more than 850 passengers. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stocks 2021 earnings estimate indicates a year-over-year improvement of 564%.

Embraer ERJ designs and manufactures commercial as well as executive jets along with providing support services for aircraft and has a strong presence in the European aviation market. In June 2021, the company announced that European carrier, Helvetic Airways, received the first of four new E195-E2 jets and another three such aircraft were in line by the end of July. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has a long-term earnings growth rate of 17%.

Textrons TXT segment, Textron Aviation, possesses a network of seven European Service Centers, with Dusseldorf housing Textron Aviations second-largest parts distribution center. It has more than 225,000 parts with 90% availability and customs clearance. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has a long-term earnings growth rate of 28.3%.



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Private Lender's Hard Money Loan Will Be Used to Fund Construction for Residential Project

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- There are roughly 5,771 commercial lenders in the US. If you ask one of them if they would  or could  close a land loan in the hills of Tarapoto, Peru, the answer would be a resounding "no."

A global direct, private lender with over $3 billion in closed loans.

That is why a Coral Springs, Florida, broker sought out Kennedy Funding, an Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based direct private lender.

Kennedy Funding has earned a worldwide reputation for closing loans when others cannot. Loans on land have become one of their successful in-demand loan products. They have successfully closed over $3 billion in loans, much of it on land, all over the world: Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St. Barts, and many countries and continents, including loans throughout the US and Canada.

"I met with Kennedy's management team a long time ago and knew that there were special circumstances that would require their services," said Alex Stiglich, South Pacific Funds and Commerce Limited, who represented the borrower.

"Commercial banks and other conventional lenders just ask for too many things, and particularly if time is of the essence, there's no chance to close," he said. "Kennedy is more flexible in so many ways. They focus exclusively on the collateral. That's how they get the deal done. I trust them 100% with their ability to close."

On September 10, Kennedy Funding closed on a $2.5 million land loan to Allan Construcciones S.A.C. to fund the construction of their residential project. The loan will be used initially for working capital.

The loan was secured by two pieces of land  26,326.89 square meters of land located at Jr. Jose Galvez C-08 Tarapoto, Peru, and 145,109 square meters of land located at Parcel 0639141 Oxapampa, Pasco, Peru. The site is currently raw land.

Kevin Wolfer, CEO of Kennedy Funding, said there are huge challenges in closing a loan outside the US.

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"It takes an experienced lender like Kennedy Funding to do business in Peru," Wolfer said. "You have to navigate through the maze of local laws and mounds of paperwork pertaining to real estate, land use, title and environmental. Securing an accurate property appraisal in an unknown country is vital, particularly when it's raw land  that is why Kennedy uses world-renowned firms like CBRE. We can count on them so we can offer the highest loan amount possible to our borrowers."

"Allan Construcciones was able to provide us with two prime parcels in different parts of the country," he said. "They are located in areas that were attractive to us as lenders, and each has a rich history."

Tarapoto is a commercial hub town located in the San Martin Province in northern Peru; although Moyobamba is the capital of the region, Tarapoto is the region's largest city. It is located approximately 356 meters above sea level on the high jungle plateau, also called the cloud forest. It was founded in 1782 by Baltazar Martinez Jimenez de Compagnon. According to the 2017 census, it has a total population of 310,073, including the Morales and Banda de Shilcayo districts. The region's main activities are tourism, commerce, and agriculture.

"We are proud to have been able to close this loan in Peru," adds Wolfer. "We have a large pipeline of loan requests from all over South America. Other lenders can't close these types of loans. We can. We look forward to filling that void in the marketplace."

About Kennedy Funding

Kennedy Funding is a global direct private lender specializing in bridge loans for commercial property and land acquisition, development, workouts, bankruptcies, and foreclosures. Kennedy Funding has closed more than $3 billion in loans to date. Their creative financing expertise provides funding up to 75% loan-to-value, from $1 million ($3 million international) to more than $50 million in as little as five days. The company has closed loans throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, and Central and South America.

www.kennedyfunding.com

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MarketFinance launches Flex Loans, an unsecured flexible facility to help SMEs solve their day to day cash flow problems

London, UK --News Direct-- Stockwood Strategy

Fintech business lender MarketFinance has today announced a 280m debt and equity fundraise and its accreditation under the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS). This comes after MarketFinance became one of the first fintechs to be accredited under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), having lent 250m to companies across the UK.

Launched by the British Business Bank in April 2021, the Recovery Loan Scheme supports access to finance for UK businesses as they recover and grow following the pandemic. Funding from the Scheme can be used for any legitimate business purpose including managing cashflow, investment in new equipment and preparing for future growth. It is designed to appeal to businesses that can afford to take out additional finance for these purposes.

All hands on deck to support UK businesses: MarketFinance team

MarketFinance is ready to lend immediately with its debt and equity funding. The debt financing has been provided from a large global investment firm alongside Italys largest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. The equity investment was led by Black River Ventures (previous investments include Marqeta, Upgrade, Coursera and Digital Ocean) with participation from existing investor, Barclays Bank PLC.

Alongside this, the launch of MarketFinance Flex Loans today will aim to help nearly one million SMEs in the UK solve their short-term funding gaps up to 100,000. Viola Credit has provided MarketFinance with 20m to launch the Flex Loans product. Similar to a credit card or overdraft, businesses will have a pre-agreed limit of up to 100,000 which they can withdraw at once or in smaller amounts. Flexible repayment options enable the businesses to spread their repayments over 3 - 12 months based on their working capital needs. It is a solution to support a variety of one-off and ongoing funding requirements such as purchasing inventory, clearing outstanding invoices, upfront supplier payments, investment into sales and marketing, or expanding the team.

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Anil Stocker, CEO at MarketFinance, commented: This funding and our accreditation as a Recovery Loan Scheme lender is testament to the brilliant work everyone at MarketFinance has done to serve UK businesses during a difficult period. Adapting to the increased demand from businesses looking for finance online instead of through traditional avenues also drove our profitability this year, which has continued into H2 2021.

Fintech force: Anil Stocker, CEO at MarketFinance

From today, businesses can immediately apply* for an RLS loan from MarketFinance between 50k and 250k repayable over 4, 5 or 6 years. Repayments in the first six months of the term will only consist of interest charges, an additional support measure as businesses gear themselves for a full reopening of the economy.

Anil Stocker aded: Businesses have been resilient and managed to hold their nerve during one of the most difficult periods in recent history. We were there to help with the CBILS and will do the same with the RLS by offering a simple application process, quick decisions and sending funds to businesses immediately. Our fundraise puts us in pole position to do this. We played a key role during CBILS, as one of the first fintech lenders, to help get funds to businesses quickly when they found their applications were delayed and or denied by others. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with businesses and help navigate them through to the full reopening of the economy and beyond.

As a native fintech, the MarketFinance platform is designed to receive, process and manage large volumes of businesses applying for finance using the platform. From simple online application forms, enhanced credit risk models to exceptional one-to-one customer support, MarketFinance will get RLS funds to businesses in need, quickly.

We aim to quickly lend to businesses around the UK. We anticipate demand for RLS to come from companies that will need capital to scale operations ahead of the full reopening of the economy. Manufacturers, wholesalers, public services businesses and a range of others will need the funds to ramp up supplies and build pipelines as business returns to normal added Anil Stocker.

Ends

*Minimum eligibility criteria for RLS business loans through MarketFinance:

Limited Company or Limited Liability Partnership

Trading for more than 3 years, has a turnover of more than 200,000

Company sells goods and/or services to consumers and/or other businesses

About MarketFinance

MarketFinance is a business finance company with offices in London and Manchester. The online platform enables businesses to access a range of flexible finance solutions - quickly and easily. This smart technology is backed by help from real people so business owners can save time and focus on growing their business.

Since 2011, MarketFinance has cumulatively advanced over 2.6 billion to companies across a range of sizes and sectors, providing working capital and finance for everything from paying staff and suppliers to launching new products or services and accelerating growth.

MarketFinance is backed by Barclays Bank PLC, Mouro Capital, European venture capital fund Northzone (invested in Klarna, iZettle and Trustpilot), and private equity group MCI Capital (also invested in iZettle, Azimo and Gett).

About the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS)

The Recovery Loan Scheme is managed by the British Business Bank on behalf of, and with the financial backing of, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. British Business Bank plc is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. It is not authorised or regulated by the PRA or the FCA.

Contact Details

MarketFinance

Bilal Mahmood

+44 7714 007257

b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com

Company Website

https://marketfinance.com/

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(Bloomberg) -- Meggitt Plcs owners voted in favor of a 6.3 billion-pound ($8.7 billion) buyout by U.S. aerospace firm Parker-Hannifin Corp., leaving the U.K. government to decide whether to intervene in the latest foreign takeover of a defense supplier.

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Almost all shareholders who cast a ballot backed the takeover at the general meeting, Meggitt said in a filing Tuesday. The company will now convene a court hearing to approve the 800-pence-a-share deal.

The investor support comes after a turbulent few weeks for Meggitt since the transaction with Cleveland-based Parker-Hannifin was announced in August. Rival U.S. defense supplier TransDigm Group Inc. initially topped the Parker bid with a tentative offer of 900 pence a share, before later dropping its pursuit.

We are confident the combination of Meggitt and Parker creates a world class provider of engineered aerospace solutions, Parker Chief Executive Officer Tom Williams said in a separate statement, adding that his company further engage with the U.K. government to finalize legally-binding commitments.

Parker has promised to continue supplying the U.K. government, and maintain technology and manufacturing in the country. A majority of Meggitts board will remain British.

Meggitt shares were little changed at 1:55 p.m. in London.

Meggitt is one of the last independent U.K.-based aerospace suppliers, with customers including Boeing Co., Airbus SE and BAE Systems Plc. Britain has said it will increase its scrutiny of defense takeovers after a flurry of M&A in the sector, ordering a probe into the proposed purchase of Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc by a private-equity firm.

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The acquisition would be Parkers biggest ever, beating the $4.3 billion purchase of filtration-products manufacturer Clarcor in 2017 and a $3.7 billion takeover of materials-science specialist Lord Corp. in 2019.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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Microsoft's first attempt at a dual-screen Android device wasn't exactly a success. Middling hardware and consistently buggy software held back what could have been a compelling experience. But with the Surface Duo 2, the company wants to change all that with a device that focuses on addressing the shortcomings of its predecessor.

Take one look at the Surface Duo 2, and youll notice it has a substantial camera bump. That might not seem like much of an upgrade, but it is because it means the Surface Duo 2 comes with a far more capable and versatile camera system than its predecessor. The original featured a single 11-megapixel above its right display. That meant you had to use that one camera for both selfies and regular shots. Add some imprecise software for switching between camera modes and the Surface Duo was never great at capturing snapshots.

Surface Duo 2

With the addition of three new cameras, the Surface Duo 2 should at the very least allow you to capture a greater variety of shots. The triple rear camera array consists of a 12-megapixel wide-angle, a 12-megapixel telephoto and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide. The primary and telephoto cameras feature f/1.7 and f/2.4 aperture lenses, phase detection autofocus and optical image stabilization.

Less noticeable, but welcome all the same, are the tweaks Microsoft has made to Duos signature dual PixelSense displays. The new model features slightly larger 5.8-inch AMOLED screens that combine into a single 8.3-inch display. Theyre also brighter and feature a variable refresh rate of up to 90Hz for smoother scrolling.

Other notable features include a new sound system Microsoft says delivers stereo sound no matter how you hold or position the Surface Duo 2. On the side of the device, youll find a nifty ambient display that shows things like how much battery life you have. Oh, theres also a new Obsidian black that is quite attractive, and you can attach a Surface Pen magnetically to the device.

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Surface Duo 2

Internally, the Surface Duo features a Snapdragon 888 processor supported by 8GB of RAM. Thats a significant upgrade from the Snapdragon 855 the Surface Duo featured, which was already showing its age when the device came out in 2020. Moreover, with the move to Qualcomms latest silicon, the Surface Duo 2 adds 5G connectivity. In the US, Microsoft will sell a mmWave variant that will work with Verizons Ultra Wideband network. Powering everything is a 4,449mAh cell Microsoft claims provides all-day battery life. One thing to note is the Surface Duo 2 wont come with a charger included in the box. Youll either need to supply your own or buy the recommended 23W USB-C power adapter separately.

Pre-orders for the Surface Duo 2 open today, with general availability to follow on October 21st. The device will start at $1,499.99 in the US for the 128GB model. Microsoft will also sell 256GB and 512GB variants, which will cost $1,599.99 and $1,799.99, respectively. The device will also make its way to Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Switzerland and the UK.

Follow all of the news from Microsoft's fall Surface event right here.
Middlefield Canadian Income PCC Net Asset Value

Middlefield Canadian Income PCC

Middlefield Canadian Income - GBP PC

(a protected cell company incorporated in Jersey with registration number 93546)

Legal Entity Identifier: 2138007ENW3JEJXC8658

Net Asset Value

As at the close of business on 21 September 2021 the estimated unaudited Net Asset Value per share was 126.41 pence (including accrued income).

Investments in the Companys portfolio have been valued on a closing price basis.

Enquiries:

JTC Fund Solutions (Jersey) Limited

01534 700 000








Model Medicines' CHEMprint AI/ML drug discovery platform discovered MDL-001 and identified that the drug was expected to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication via a broad spectrum antiviral target, indicating that MDL-001 may be effective against a broad array of RNA based viruses and SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Model Medicines' CHEMprint AI/ML drug discovery platform successfully identified multiple drug candidates that were found to be active against SARS-CoV-2 replication in a live virus study in a human cell line at a hit rate of over 14%.

In a live virus preclinical study, once daily oral dosing of MDL-001 protected mice against the primary endpoint of COVID-19 mediated weight loss in a statistically significant manner relative to vehicle (two-way ANOVA, P < 0.05).

Once daily, oral dosing of MDL-001 was non-inferior to twice daily, subcutaneous dosing of remdesivir relative to the primary endpoint. MDL-001 may represent a solution for mild to moderate COVID-19 patients who currently lack an FDA approved small molecule therapeutic option.

Model Medicines has developed a pipeline of broad spectrum antiviral drug candidates. MDL-001 is now undergoing IND enabling studies and additional pipeline candidates are being advanced from in vitro to preclinical testing.

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Model Medicines, an AI/ML pharmaceutical company, today announced preclinical data from a study of their orally available MDL-001 small molecule therapeutic against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. In a live virus preclinical mouse study, once daily oral dosing of MDL-001 protected mice against COVID-19 mediated weight loss, a primary endpoint for COVID-19 in mice, in a statistically significant manner relative to vehicle (two-way ANOVA, P < 0.05). Furthermore, once daily, oral dosing of MDL-001 was found to be non-inferior to twice daily, subcutaneous dosing of remdesivir relative to the primary endpoint. MDL-001 was evaluated at the human equivalent dose previously shown to be safe and well tolerated, with no grade three or grade four adverse events, in a Phase 1 clinical trial in human subjects.

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model medicines (PRNewsfoto/Model Medicines)

MDL-001 is an orally available compound with an extended half life. These features, along with its clinical safety profile, are prerequisites of any therapeutic which intends to treat mild/moderate COVID-19 disease patients, who currently have no FDA approved therapeutic options. The Model Medicines CHEMprint platform discovered that MDL-001 was expected to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication via a broad spectrum antiviral target, indicating that MDL-001 may be effective against a broad array of RNA based viruses beyond SARS-CoV-2 and including SARS-CoV-2 variants.

"A broad spectrum, orally available antiviral therapeutic with an extended half-life and a well documented safety and toxicity profile that can be administered on an outpatient basis is an extreme and urgent unmet medical need, which would be a game-changer in the global fight against COVID-19."  Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, PhD, Director of the Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Model Medicines leveraged its CHEMprint AI/ML drug discovery platform to discover MDL-001 and a number of additional small molecule compounds active against COVID-19. The company selected a small number of broad spectrum targets known to be conserved across SARS-CoV-2, corona viruses and RNA viruses, and developed target specific iterations of their cheminformatic AI/ML platform, CHEMprint, to discover small molecule inhibitors in silico. The platform screened over 16,000 compounds and identified priority ranked compounds for each target. Priority ranked compounds were evaluated in vitro, in a HeLa2-ACE2 live virus assay to identify compounds potent against SARS-CoV-2 replication in partnership with Scripps Research, ranked the most influential institution in the world for innovation by Nature Index, as part of a drug discovery partnership announced last year.

The Model Medicines-Scripps Research Partnership led by Dr. Arnab Chatterjee, PhD, VP of Medicinal Chemistry for Calibr at Scripps Research, demonstrated that the CHEMprint AI drug discovery platform had a 14.3% success rate for identifying active compounds and a 5.7% success rate for discovering compounds potent and selective against SARS-CoV-2, yielding multiple candidates for preclinical development. Recent publications by Dittmar et al, Yang et al and Chen et al using a traditional screening approach to discover small molecule therapeutics active against SARS-CoV-2 have recently reported hit rates ranging from 0.76% to 2.60% for active compounds. These results demonstrate that CHEMprint was approximately 6-19x more effective than traditional screening methods for discovering compounds active against SARS-CoV-2.

"The Model Medicines-Scripps partnership has demonstrated that integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning models into the traditional High Throughput Screening drug discovery process can significantly improve the efficacy of drug discovery and accelerate the process of identifying treatments for urgent medical needs, while also reducing risk, time and investment for future drug development."  Dr. Arnab Chatterjee, PhD, VP of Medicinal Chemistry for Calibr at Scripps Research

To confirm these in silico and in vitro findings, Model Medicines partnered with Kris White, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology, and Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, PhD, Director of the Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, a world leader in infectious disease research, whose laboratory has helped develop the global standard for COVID-19 mouse models for vaccine and therapeutic development. The Model Medicines funded study at Icahn Mount Sinai found that MDL-001 protected mice against the primary endpoint of COVID-19 relative to vehicle, and once daily, oral dosing of MDL-001 was non-inferior to twice daily, subcutaneous dosing of remdesivir.

Model Medicines has now developed a pipeline of broad spectrum antiviral drug candidates. MDL-001 is now completing IND enabling and dose optimization studies. Additional pipeline candidates are being advanced from in vitro to preclinical testing.

"I cannot say enough about the Model Medicines team and our partners at Scripps Research and Mount Sinai. Our antiviral program developed from hypothesis to animal model efficacy data in under 12 months, yielding multiple preclinical candidates including MDL-001, an orally available COVID-19 therapeutic that may finally bring a therapeutic option to mild/moderate COVID-19 disease patients who currently have none. This program demonstrates that the pharmaceutical industry is entering a new phase of AI/ML-drug discovery, enabled by fundamental, first-principles chemistry. "  Daniel Haders II, PhD, CEO Model Medicines

About Calibr and Scripps

Calibr is a first-of-its kind non-profit translational research Institute dedicated to creating the next generation of medicines. Part of Scripps Research and situated in the heart of San Diego's Torrey Pines Mesa biomedical research hub, Calibr is uniquely positioned to create and proliferate innovative partnerships. Calibr has created a broad therapeutic pipeline extending from early stage discovery through clinic-ready programs, including candidate medicines ranging from small molecules and peptides to biotherapeutics and cell-based therapies.

Scripps Research is ranked the most influential scientific institution in the world for its impact on innovation. A nonprofit research organization, Scripps expands basic knowledge in the biosciences and uses these fundamental advancements to develop profound innovations that improve well-being. Scripps researchers lead breakthrough studies that address the world's most pressing health concerns, accelerating the creation and delivery of medical breakthroughs to better human health across the globe. Our educational and training programs mold talented and committed students and postdocs into the next generation of leading scientists.

About The Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. We advance medicine and health through unrivaled education and translational research and discovery to deliver care that is the safest, highest-quality, most accessible and equitable, and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 free-standing joint-venture centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked in U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of the top 20 U.S. hospitals and among the top in the nation by specialty: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Urology, and Rehabilitation. Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital is ranked in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Children's Hospitals" among the country's best in four out of 10 pediatric specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked among the Top 20 nationally for ophthalmology. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools," aligned with a U.S. News & World Report "Honor Roll" Hospital, and No. 14 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding. Newsweek's "The World's Best Smart Hospitals" ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside as top 20 globally, and "The World's Best Specialized Hospitals" ranks Mount Sinai Heart as No. 1 in New York and No. 5 globally and the Division of Gastroenterology as No. 5 globally. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook , Twitter and YouTube .

About Model Medicines

Model Medicines is an AI/ML Drug Discovery company that reduces the time to bring a drug to market by 10+ years and the cost to bring a drug to market by $1B+. Model Medicines is transforming drug discovery by leveraging the historical compendium of drug development data, a drug and disease agnostic discovery platform, and unbiased AI to create Phase II/III ready drug candidates in months rather than years. The company has developed a robust pipeline of patent-pending therapeutics for infectious diseases, gastric disorders, neurological disorders, weight disorders and oncology. The company is based in San Diego, CA.

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SOURCE Model Medicines
MIAMI, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the recent acquisition of its first Boeing 737-800, leading carrier, Nolinor Aviation, conducted extensive research to find a training center that could deliver quality training services for their pilots. After their market analysis, the airline unhesitatingly selected Pan Am Flight Academy located in Miami, Florida.

"We chose Pan Am for it cares about carriers and with whom we can build a long-term relationship" Marco Prud'homme, President of Nolinor Aviation.

"It was important for Nolinor to choose a training organization that really cares about carriers and with whom we can build a long-term business relationship. We know, from having worked with them for years, that we can count on Pan Am," said Marco Prud'homme, President of Nolinor Aviation.

This relationship of trust between the established aviation training organization and the carrier began 15 years ago when Nolinor Aviation selected Pan Am Flight Academy for the training of their pilots for its Boeing 737-200 fleet.

"At Pan Am Flight Academy we are honored to deliver quality training to our clients. Nolinor Aviation is more than a customer, they are a valued partner with whom we share comparable values, and a passion for aviation, combined with the belief that impeccable pilot training is key to the success of any airline and we are committed to Nolinor's success," said Jeff Portanova, President of Pan Am Flight Academy.

In 2019 Nolinor Aviation executed the purchase of the only Boeing 737-200 simulator available on the market from Pan Am Flight Academy. Following the acquisition of the full flight simulator, Nolinor proceeded to hand over the management of the simulator to the experienced team at Pan Am Flight Academy.

Nolinor Aviation pilots will be able to carry on with their regularly scheduled training at the Pan Am Flight Academy facilities in Miami.

Pan Am Flight Academy (PRNewsfoto/Pan Am Flight Academy)

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SOURCE Pan Am Flight Academy
Signatories of the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization urge world leaders to align shipping with the Paris Agreement temperature goal. The private sector is already taking important steps to decarbonize global supply chains. Now governments must deliver the policies that will supercharge the transition and make zero emission shipping the default choice by 2030.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Full decarbonization of international shipping is urgent and achievable. This is the clear message from more than 150 industry leaders and organizations representing the entire maritime value chain, including shipping, cargo, energy, finance, ports, and infrastructure. In conjunction with the UN General Assembly and ahead of critical climate negotiations at COP26 in Glasgow this November, they call on governments to work together with industry to deliver the policies and investments needed to reach critical tipping points in decarbonizing global supply chains and the global economy.

Signatories to the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization include some of the world's largest actors in global trade: A.P. Moller - Maersk, BHP, BP, BW LPG, Cargill, Carnival Corporation, Citi, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Euronav, GasLog, Hapag-Lloyd, Lloyd's Register, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Olympic Shipping and Management, Panama Canal Authority, Port of Rotterdam, Rio Tinto, Shell, Trafigura, Ultranav, Volvo, and Yara.

Ships transport around 80% of global trade and account for about 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2018, the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted an initial GHG strategy. It aims to reduce international shipping's total annual GHG emissions by at least 50% of 2008 levels by 2050. The strategy is set to be revised in 2023.

"Now is the time to raise our ambitions and align shipping worldwidea significant carrier of global tradewith the goals of the Paris Agreement. We are working closely with our clients to advance the shipping industry's transition to net zero emissions and, with the support of strong public policy measures, we can accelerate our collective efforts to decarbonise the global economy," says Jane Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of Citi.

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The private sector is already taking concrete actions to decarbonize shipping. This includes investing in RD&D and pilot projects, ordering and building vessels operated carbon neutrally, buying zero emission shipping services, investing in the production of net-zero emission fuels, investing in port and bunkering infrastructure, and assessing and disclosing the climate alignment of shipping related activities.

"For the world to decarbonize, shipping must decarbonize. Our customers are looking to us to decarbonize their supply chain emissions. We are investing significantly in the carbon neutral emissions technologies that are readily available. To make such investments the default choice across our industry, we need a market-based measure to close the competitiveness gap between fossil and zero emission fuels of today and the carbon neutral fuels of tomorrow," says Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO, Fleet & Strategic Brands, A.P. Moller - Maersk.

"Decarbonising shipping is both critical to achieving net zero global emissions and increasingly urgent. Policymakers have a historic opportunity to accelerate this process by introducing a global carbon levy on marine fuels, to drive decarbonisation and incentivise investment in zero emissions fuels and vessels. The time for action is now," says Jeremy Weir, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Trafigura.

"Decarbonizing shipping should leave no country behind. To make the transition to zero emission shipping and fuels equitable and inclusive, policy measures must make sure that decarbonizing shipping also brings jobs and opportunities to people in developing countries and emerging economies," says Johannah Christensen, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Maritime Forum.

Signatories of the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization call on world leaders to:

Commit to decarbonizing international shipping by 2050 and deliver a clear and equitable implementation plan to achieve this when adopting the IMO GHG Strategy in 2023.

Support industrial scale zero emission shipping projects through national action, for instance by setting clear decarbonization targets for domestic shipping and by providing incentives and support to first movers and broader deployment of zero emissions fuels and vessels.

Deliver policy measures that will make zero emission shipping the default choice by 2030, including meaningful market-based measures, taking effect by 2025 that can support the commercial deployment of zero emission vessels and fuels in international shipping.

The Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization has been developed by a multi-stakeholder taskforce convened by the Getting to Zero Coalition  a partnership between the Global Maritime Forum, the World Economic Forum, and Friends of Ocean Action. Members of the taskforce include Cargill Ocean Transportation, Citi, the COP26 Climate Champions team, the Energy Transitions Commission, Lloyd's Register, Port of Antwerp, Torvald Klaveness, Trafigura, Yara, and UMAS.

Learn more about the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization and see the full list of Signatories here.

Learn more about what concrete actions Signatories of the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization are taking in support of shipping decarbonization here.

Further information:

Sofie Rud

Senior Communications Advisor

rud@globalmaritimeforum.org

+45 28102332

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SOURCE Global Maritime Forum
Dublin, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Saudi Arabia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Saudi Arabia data center market size will witness investments of USD 1180 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 7.85% during the period 2021-2026



The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the prominent locations across the Middle East for data center investment. Improvement in network connectivity, government support, and rapid growth in the adoption of cloud, big data, and IoT services have been strong enablers for the growth of the Saudi Arabian data center industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a strong market enabler for several digitization initiatives in Saudi Arabia.

The report considers the present scenario of the Saudi Arabia data center market and its market dynamics for the forecast period 2021-2026. It covers a detailed overview of several growth enablers, restraints, and trends in the market. The study includes the demand and supply aspects of the market.

Ashi & Bushnag, Al-Latifia Trading and Contracting Company, Atkins, Capitoline, DC PRO, Edarat Group, ICS Nett, Linesight, and RED are some of the major Construction Constructors & Sub-Contractors in Saudi Arabia's market. The colocation operator Gulf Data Hub plans to build two data centers in Jeddah and Al Khobar, adding around 32 MW of power. Saudi Telecom Company (STC) deployed two facilities across Jeddah and Al-Madina, adding over 5 MW of cumulative power.



SAUDI ARABIA DATA CENTER MARKET INSIGHTS

Saudi Arabia is one of the significant data center colocation markets in the Middle East region, with a revenue of USD 140 million generated in 2020.

Scope Technologies, DesertClouds, Waja Media Solutions, Alfuzail, and BrighteningTech, are some of the local cloud service providers in Saudi Arabia.

The growing adoption of smart devices and increasing demand for analytics, cloud adoption, and the growth of wireless networking technologies have led several organizations in Saudi Arabia to invest in Big data and IoT technology.

Riyadh is the primary data center in Saudi Arabia, housing around 50% of the region's total facilities.

Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming a hotspot for investment in renewable energy owing to the abundance of solar energy sources in the region.

Many telecommunication providers and hyperscale data center operators invest in cables to improve network connectivity within the country.

Saudi Arabia enjoys a strategic location between Africa and APAC that can easily connect both the regions, which will benefit the operators to invest in a submarine cable network passing through the country.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT:

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Vendors such as Vertiv Group, Schneider Electric, and Eaton witness high demand for lithium-ion UPS systems from Saudi Arabia's data center operators.

With the growth in data center investments, most facilities adopt a medium- to high-voltage switchgear in Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia, data center operators are likely to use air-based cooling techniques since most parts of the region are covered with deserts and there is water scarcity.

The Saudi Arabia data center market is dominated by greenfield construction. It will witness an increase in modular data center construction in the coming years.

SMEs' adoption of cloud-based services has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is likely to aid industry growth in Saudi Arabia.

Gulf Data Hub invested around USD 56 million to construct a colocation data facility in Jeddah in 2020.

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Atos

Broadcom

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Lenovo

NetApp

Construction Constructors & Sub-Contractors

Ashi & Bushnag

Al-Latifia Trading and Contracting Company

Atkins

Capitoline

DC PRO

Edarat Group

EGEC

HATCO

ICS Nett

INT'LTEC Group

Juffali Airconditioning, Mechanical, and Electrical Company (JAMED)

Linesight

RED

SANA Creative Systems

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Canovate

Caterpillar

Conteg

Cummins

Eaton

Grundfos

HITEC Power Protection

Legrand

Rittal

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Vertiv Group

Data Center Investors

Gulf Data Hub

Salam (Integrated Telecom Company)

Etihad Etisalat (Mobily)

NourNet

Saudi Telecom Company (stc)

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 : Existing & Upcoming Third-Party Data Centers In Saudi Arabia

15+ Unique Data Center Properties

Data Center IT Load Capacity

Data Center White Floor Area Space

Existing Vs Upcoming Data Center Capacity by Cities

Cities Covered

Riyadh

Jeddah

Other Cities

Chapter 2: Investment Opportunities In Saudi Arabia

Data Center Investments

Investment by Area

Investment by Power Capacity

Chapter 3: Data Center Colocation Market In Saudi Arabia

Colocation Services Market in the Saudi Arabia

Retail Colocation vs Wholesale Data Center Colocation

Colocation Pricing (Quarter Rack, Half Rack, Full Rack) & Add-ons

Chapter 4: Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Market Trends

Market Restraints

Chapter 5: Market Segmentation

IT Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Electrical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Mechanical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

General Construction Services: Market Size & Forecast

Chapter 6: Tier Standard Investment

Tier I & II

Tier III

Tier IV

Chapter 7: Geographic Segmentation

Riyadh

Other Cities

Chapter 8: Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Construction Contractors

Support Infrastructure Providers

Data Center Investors

Chapter 9: Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/nh71v7

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Siemens Energys well established STATCOM technology (SVC PLUS) has a proven track record in challenging environments like that posed by Californias climate with high seismicity and wind speed

Dynamic reactive power support for substations allows for fast responding voltage support in case of system events and transmission outages.

ORLANDO, Fla., September 22, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Siemens Energy announced today that it will provide four static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) installations for LS Power Grid California, LLC (LS Power) substation projects in California. A STATCOM is a quick-reacting system capable of providing or absorbing reactive power to regulate the voltage at the point of connection to a power grid. This voltage regulation will be key to ensuring the reliability of the power grid as renewable energy sources are brought online, enabling further decarbonization of Californias energy mix.

With the retirement of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.s (PG&E) Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in 2025, it is expected that there will be greater sensitivity to voltage instability, especially as PG&E integrates more renewable generation onto the grid. Two of the STATCOM systems are to be installed at LS Powers Orchard substation connecting to the existing PG&E Gates 500 kilovolt (kV) substation in Fresno County to provide 848 megavolt-ampere (MVAr) of dynamic reactive power support. Under the light-load conditions, this support is anticipated to mitigate high voltages during extreme contingencies on the Bulk Power System.

The other two STATCOMs will be installed at LS Powers new Fern Road substation connecting the Round Mountain to Table Mountain 500 kV transmission lines. The purpose of these systems will be for voltage control and voltage support in case of system events and transmission outages.

"We are proud to partner with LS Power on this project," said Matt Neal, vice president of Transmission Solutions for Siemens Energy. "LS Power has a forward-looking strategy to help ensure grid stability as more and more renewable power sources are part of the generation mix. When it comes to decarbonizing our energy systems, this will be one of the most important flexible AC transmission projects in the U.S., both in terms of the power and voltage rating, as well as the challenging location from a seismic perspective. Were proud to support Californias efforts to incorporate more renewable energy sources into the power generation mix in a way that is not only efficient, but reliable in all weather conditions."

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PG&E will replace the Diablo Canyon plant exclusively with energy sources that dont emit CO 2 . The company has also promised to source 55% of its total electricity from the sun, wind, and other renewable energy sources by 2031.

This press release is available at www.siemensenergy.com/press

Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/siemens_energy

Siemens Energy is one of the worlds leading energy technology companies. The company works with its customers and partners on energy systems for the future, thus supporting the transition to a more sustainable world. With its portfolio of products, solutions and services, Siemens Energy covers almost the entire energy value chain  from power generation and transmission to storage. The portfolio includes conventional and renewable energy technology, such as gas and steam turbines, hybrid power plants operated with hydrogen, and power generators and transformers. More than 50 percent of the portfolio has already been decarbonized. A majority stake in the listed company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) makes Siemens Energy a global market leader for renewable energies. An estimated one-sixth of the electricity generated worldwide is based on technologies from Siemens Energy. Siemens Energy employs more than 90,000 people worldwide in more than 90 countries and generated revenue of around 27.5 billion in fiscal year 2020. www.siemens-energy.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005152/en/

Contacts

Stacia Licona

Phone: +1 281-721-3402

E-mail: stacia.licona@siemens-energy.com
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - South Star Battery Metals Corp. ("South Star" or the "Company") (TSXV: STS) (OTCQB: STSBF), along with its technological partner in the United States ("US Lab"1), are pleased to announce the latest life cycle testing results for the first 75 cycles (charging & discharging) in CR2016 LiB coin cells constructed with anode material (coated spherical purified graphite) produced from the Santa Cruz Graphite Project. Several battery cells were constructed as part of the ongoing optimization and testing program, and all the cells continue to have an extremely flat discharge pattern without noticeable degradation over the current testing period.

One cycle consists of 10 hours of charge and 10 hours of discharge, therefore 75 cycles equals approximately 1,500 hours total. South Star's testing program continues and will include a minimum of 100 cycles for each of the LiB cells. Upcoming work also includes downstream processing flowsheet optimizations and validation. (Refer to August 30th, 2021 press release for results from initial 35 cycles.)

In addition, South Star has successfully completed 4-Point resistivity testing (4T) for use in Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD) for evaluating conductivity enhancement material used in cathodes of primary alkaline batteries. The Santa Cruz material tested was made of the purified graphite rejects from the spheronization process and confirmed that purified flake graphite from the Santa Cruz project is significantly more conductive than industry-leading material currently in use. With the alkaline battery market producing over 12 billion batteries annually and a global market value in excess of US$7.5B in 2020, this application could potentially develop into a key market for South Star.

"We continue to announce robust battery testing results while advancing towards production in 2022," commented Richard Pearce, President and CEO of South Star. "The cycle testing with anodes produced using Santa Cruz graphite in CR2016 LiB batteries continues to be very stable with little degradation throughout 75 cycles and maintaining reversible capacity on the order of 345  346 mAh/g through cycle 75. This equates to a degradation through 75 cycles of approximately 2 percent, which is an excellent outcome for our program.

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The high-quality conductivity enhancement material for alkaline batteries markets is also very exciting. In essence, our purified graphite is extremely conductive allowing alkaline battery manufacturers to potentially reduce the required amount of graphite used as conductivity enhancement material in the cathode and instead increase the energy density to make a longer-lasting alkaline cell. The market is large and growing, and our material has proven to be very high-quality. It also requires approximately 8 to 9 months to qualify this material, which is significantly faster than in the EV markets while offering robust margins similar to the EV space. We continue to evaluate several potential markets to sell 100% of our production and develop a diversified portfolio of high value-add materials with good margins."

Santa Cruz Product Information Bulletins (PIBs) with technical information for the portfolio of products, safety data sheets (SDSs) and marketing materials have been prepared and are being distributed to our existing partners and potential clients. Samples of value-add products including micronized & purified graphite, expanded & expandable graphite, as well are as coated and uncoated SPG will also be produced and available for testing.

Key Management and Board Changes

South Star is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Samantha Shorter to the role of CFO in place of Mr. Bennett Liu, who has resigned to pursue other opportunities. Ms. Shorter is a senior finance and accounting professional with 15 years of experience in the mineral exploration sector and has served as CFO of various junior mining companies. She has extensive international experience with development projects as well as operating assets. Ms. Shorter was also previously employed as an audit manager at a major Canadian accounting firm specializing in the mining industry and has extensive experience providing financial reporting and corporate services to companies in the mining and mineral exploration industries. Ms. Shorter is a CPA, CA and CIA and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honours from the University of British Columbia.

South Star is also pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Priscila Costa Lima to the Board of Directors in place of Mr. Felipe Alves, who has elected to step down to pursue other interests. Ms. Costa Lima is senior finance and accounting professional with 20 years of experience in corporate finance, reporting & audit, and equity & debt financing in the mining and entertainment sectors. Currently she serves as the CFO of BRON Media Corp., and prior to that, she was the Finance Director for Force Four Entertainment (an eOne Entertainment company). Before making the move to the entertainment industry, she worked in the mining / resource sector where she served as the CFO of Marlin Gold Mining Ltd. from 2010 to 2014. Ms. Costa Lima is a Brazilian citizen based in Vancouver, BC. She is a CPA, CMA and holds a BBA in Finance with a joint Major in Economics from Simon Fraser University.

Richard Pearce commented, "On behalf of the Board of Directors and Management, we are pleased to welcome Sam and Priscila to the team and look forward to working with them as we advance to construction, Phase 1 production and subsequent scaling of the operations to a world-class graphite asset. We are excited to add their experience and expertise to our growing team, and they will be key collaborators as we move forward with our plans. We would like to also to thank Felipe and Bennett for their contributions and tireless work ethics over the years. We wish them much success in their new endeavours."

Lithium-Ion Battery Life Cycle Test Results

Purified graphite was successfully micronized using advanced pilot scale mechanical milling system outfitted with two air classification circuits. Once the target sizing geometries were achieved, uncoated SPG was produced by rolling and rounding the micronized graphite into elliptical spheres in a specialized mill. The elliptical shapes are a preferred morphology for higher packing density active loadings in battery electrodes. They are also preferred due to better rate capacities, safer and generally longer-life LiBs. Uncoated SPG was coated with a nanolayer of soft carbon and heat treated under a blanket of inert gas. The hardened coating provides a layer of protection from exfoliation and general degradation during the normal expansion and contraction cycles associated with charging and discharging. The coating also reduces ongoing reactions of electrolytes with the graphitic carbon, which results in a reduced battery life (See June 29th, 2021 press release for more details).

Next, a copper foil was coated with the anode slurry using the drawdown technique, and the electrode was dried under vacuum and weighed. Finally, the anode was welded to the bottom can of a stainless-steel standard CR2016 coin cell. Three identical coin cells were produced, and testing includes the following: reversible capacity, irreversible capacity, irreversible capacity loss and long-term cycling stability as a function of the elapsed number of charge/discharge cycles.

Figure 1: Santa Cruz LiB Battery Results Through Approximately 75 Cycles (CNW Group/South Star Mining Corp.)

As shown in Figure 1, other notable positive properties of Santa Cruz anode material are that their reversible capacities are at approximately 345 mAh/g thru 75 cycles, which is a degradation of 2 percent. Assuming the current degradation rate continues, Santa Cruz graphite could potentially exceed 500 cycles prior to performance cut-off and potentially provide an interesting alternative to synthetic graphite, which has significantly higher costs, higher environmental footprint and is a product derived from petroleum.

Figure 2 presents the results for Cell 3 through cycles 25, 50 and 75 and confirm that the cells maintain excellent electrochemical performance throughout the current testing attesting to the robust nature of the Santa Cruz natural crystalline flake characteristics as anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Figure 2: Cell 3 Cycles 25, 50 & 75 Testing Results (CNW Group/South Star Mining Corp.)

Conductivity Enhancement Material for Alkaline Battery Cathodes Test Results

South Star successfully completed 4-Point resistivity testing for Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD) for evaluating conductivity enhancement material used in cathodes for primary alkaline batteries. The Santa Cruz material tested was made of the purified graphite rejects from the spheronization process with a D50 equal to 7 microns. Compression molded cathode rings made from EMD using Santa Cruz graphite were produced using varying loadings into the EMD. The resistivity was tested using an industry standard 4-point (4T) test where resistivity is determined by Kelvin Bridge and is measured in  inch or mcm. Various pressures were tested to determine the resulting resistivity. The results are presented in Figure 3 and confirm that conductivity enhancement material made from Santa Cruz purified graphite outperformed industry standard expanded graphite and synthetic graphite products. Potentially, purified rejects from the spheronization process could provide lower cost and higher quality alternatives to current industry standard products.

Figure 3: 4T Testing Result (CNW Group/South Star Mining Corp.)

About South Star Battery Metals Corp.

South Star Battery Metals Corp. is Canadian battery metals project developer focused on the selective acquisition and development of near-term production projects in the Americas. South Star's Santa Cruz Graphite Project, located in Southern Bahia, Brazil is the first of a series of industrial and battery metals projects that will be put into production. Brazil is the second-largest graphite-producing region in the world with more than 80 years of continuous mining. Santa Cruz has at-surface mineralization in friable materials, and successful large-scale pilot-plant testing (>30t) has been completed. The results of the testing show that approximately 65% of Cg concentrate is +80 mesh with good recoveries and 95-99% Cg. With excellent infrastructure and logistics, South Star is carrying its development plan towards Phase 1 production projected in Q4 2022, pending financing. South Star trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol STS, and on the OTCQB under the symbol STSBF.

South Star is committed to a corporate culture, project execution plan and safe operations that embrace the highest standards of ESG principles based on transparency, stakeholder engagement, ongoing education and stewardship. To learn more, please visit the Company website at http://www.southstarbatterymetals.com .

This news release has been reviewed and approved by Richard Pearce, P.E., a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 and President and CEO of South Star Battery Metals.

On behalf of the Board,

Mr. Richard Pearce

Chief Executive Officer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/southstarbm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southstarbatterymetals

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/southstarbatterymetals/

YouTube: South Star Battery Metals - YouTube

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

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 press release.

This news release and the Updated Technical Report contain references to inferred resources. The Report is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves.

Forward-Looking Information

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements".

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

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SOURCE South Star Mining Corp.

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A portion of proceeds from all menu items sold will support Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) and local children's charities

TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, Canadians from coast-to-coast can participate in McHappy Day, McDonald's Canada's annual community charitable initiative.

Today, McDonalds Canada celebrates its 27th McHappy Day. Through fundraisers like this, RMHC is able to provide a sense of home for families with sick children, giving them a place to sleep, eat, restore, and receive the support of community, like the Maquiling family, who spent 14 nights at two different Ronald McDonald Houses. (CNW Group/McDonald's Canada)

Throughout the entire day, a portion of the proceeds from every menu item sold at participating restaurants will support Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), and other local children's charities.

While it wasn't possible to host McHappy Day in 2020 due to the pandemic, this year guests will have more ways to make an impact:

For the first time, a portion of the proceeds from every food and beverage item sold all day long will support RMHC programs across Canada and local children's charities

For a $2 donation, guests can purchase a McHappy Day Digital Heart in-restaurant, while supplies last, and receive a "thank you" video from a Canadian athlete, celebrity, or RMHC family. Guests can also donate $5 to add a pair of exclusive McHappy Day x Peace Collective socks to any Extra Value Meal order, while supplies last

Guests can support by purchasing their favourite foods in-restaurant, through the McDonald's app, via the Drive-Thru and McDelivery through Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes and DoorDash with free delivery on orders $12 or more (before taxes and fees; see the applicable app for details)

Can't make it to McHappy Day? Guests can 'Round up for RMHC' on any order at participating restaurants to support RMHC all year long or visit rmhc.ca to make a donation

Quotes:

"We're excited to welcome McDonald's guests today to participate in McHappy Day in-person, at our Drive-Thru or via delivery, and help more families with sick children across our communities" said Jacques Mignault, President and CEO, McDonald's Canada. "McHappy Day wouldn't be a success without the work and passion that our crews and franchisees put in every day, for that, we cannot thank them enough."

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"Across our communities, it is humbling to know that RMHC has been there for so many Canadian families during a truly difficult time. Today, one in four Canadians have either stayed at RMHC or know someone who has", said Cathy Loblaw, CEO, RMHC Canada. "Supporting on McHappy Day provides a wonderful opportunity for Canadians to give back and help even more families in need. Thank you to everyone for your participation in McHappy Day today! Your support truly makes a difference for families with sick children and we couldn't be more grateful!"

Facts:

This year, McDonald's is working with celebrity captains and ambassadors across the country including Natalie Spooner, Bo Horvat, Cassie Campbell, Jill Saulnier, Mitsou Gelinas, Patrick Langlois and Isabelle Racicot with a common goal in mind: competing to raise the most money and of course - for bragging rights!

McHappy Day is McDonald's Canada's largest community charitable initiative of the year.

McHappy Day was established in 1977 by McDonald's Canada and RMHC Canada founder George Cohon

The 16 Ronald McDonald Houses and 17 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in Canada give families a place to stay together when they have to travel for their sick child's treatment

Annually, RMHC supports over 26,000 families from more than 3,400 communities

In 2019 McDonald's, together with its franchisees, restaurant teams and their guests, raised more than $6.6 million on McHappy Day alone. In 2021, McDonald's Canada hopes to beat that record and make this the most successful McHappy Day ever by donating a portion of the proceeds from all menu items sold for the first time in history

About Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada (RMHC CANADA)

In Canada, 65 per cent of families live outside a city with a children's hospital and must travel for treatment if their child is seriously ill. Annually, the RMHC network of programs in Canada helps to keep more than 26,000 families close to their sick child and the care they need. The 16 Ronald McDonald Houses provide out-of-town families with a home to stay at while their child is being treated at a nearby hospital, while the 17 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms provide a comfortable place for families to rest and recharge, right inside hospitals. For more information, please visit rmhccanada.ca.

About McDonald's Canada

In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald's restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day. In both franchised and corporate-owned restaurants, nearly 100,000 people are employed from coast-to-coast, and more than 90 per cent of McDonald's 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent franchisees. Of the almost $1 billion spent on food, more than 85 per cent is purchased from suppliers in Canada. For more information on McDonald's Canada, visit mcdonalds.ca.

McDonald's Canada Logo (CNW Group/McDonald's Canada)

SOURCE McDonald's Canada

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(Bloomberg) --

Most Read from Bloomberg

A raft of small U.K. gas and power suppliers stopped accepting new customers in a dramatic escalation of the countrys energy crisis.

The British government held an emergency meeting with small power suppliers on Tuesday, and by the late afternoon Igloo, Green, Ampower, Utilita and NEO Energy had posted notices on their websites saying they were closed to new business. Hours later, the regulator demanded five small companies pay overdue levies owed to the government.

And in another sign of tension, three companies -- Delta, Ampower and Avro -- were issued orders that they had failed to present enough collateral to trade power. Elexon, which settles trades and ensures electricity generators and suppliers pay and are paid the right amount, released the statements late on Tuesday.

Several of the companies rivals have already gone out of business this year as natural gas and power prices surged to records, leaving suppliers that sold energy at lower prices to entice new customers unable to meet their commitments. Theres a growing risk that more energy retailers will become insolvent in the coming months, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of U.K. households unsure of who will be providing their heating and light just as winter takes hold.

A lot of the smaller ones are probably going to go, said Niall Trimble, managing director of consultant Energy Contract Co. If you were planning to buy gas for 50 pence and its 150 pence, thats a hell of a blow to your finances.

A cascade of corporate failures would amplify the economic disruption of the energy crisis, with industries from fertilizer manufacturing to food processing and distribution already in turmoil, prompting state intervention.

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After days of talks, the U.K. government reached a deal on Tuesday to restart fertilizer factories that had shut down because their natural gas feedstock was too expensive. The move had created a shortage of carbon dioxide -- a byproduct of the manufacturing process thats crucial for the food industry.

Squeezed Suppliers

Like some of our competitors, we have decided to pause sales activity for now, Igloos Chief Executive Officer Matt Clemow said on the companys website. With unprecedented wholesale prices, we have taken this decision to allow our teams to focus on those customers we already supply.

With high gas and power prices squeezing all suppliers, the usual mechanism of handing a failed companys customers to another firm is being tested. A government-imposed cap on utility bills mean its not profitable for larger companies to come to the rescue.

U.K. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has warned the next few days will be challenging as the crisis deepens. The government is considering supporting the transfer of customers from failed retailers to other supplies by offering the companies loans, he said.

On Monday, British Gas -- the retail arm of Centrica Plc -- agreed to take on the customers of failed supplier Peoples Energy, which served around 350,000 domestic customers and 500 businesses.

Kwarteng and Jonathan Brearley, the CEO of gas and power markets regulator Ofgem, met with a group of small energy suppliers on Tuesday following several days of emergency talks with larger groups.

(adds new action in second paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
By David Lawder and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. labor complaint under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact over a General Motors plant union vote in Mexico has been successfully concluded, lifting the threat of U.S. tariffs on the factory's pickup trucks, the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) office said on Wednesday.

The United States opened the case in May after complaints that workers' rights at a GM pickup-truck plant in Silao in central Mexico were being violated in a vote on whether to keep or scrap their collective union contract.

The result was suspended after Mexico's labor ministry found irregularities in the process and workers voted in a repeat ballot in August to scrap the contract, opening the door for them to oust one of Mexico's largest labor groups as their union.

The vote, with safeguards agreed upon by Mexico and the United States to ensure a fair vote, was the first test of labor rules under the USMCA accord that replaced the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

"We will continue to collaborate closely with Mexico to strengthen the legitimization vote process and ensure workers in Mexico can access their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining," said U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai in a statement.

The vote in August marked a defeat for one of the most powerful unions in Mexico, while representing an opening for workers to freely choose independent groups they feel will best fight for their interests.

Labor remedies under USMCA include revoking tariff-free access for the violating factory's goods. In GM's case, that could have meant applying a 25% U.S. pickup truck import tariff on Silao-made trucks, likely adding thousands of dollars to each vehicle's cost.

Tai helped negotiate the labor enforcement mechanism on behalf of Democrats in the U.S. Congress.

GM won key changes to USMCA that allowed it to continue to build hundreds of thousands of high-profit pickups in Mexico for export to the United States annually.

GM did not immediately comment Wednesday.

(Reporting by David Lawder and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Richard Pullin)
Crew members stand near an Airbus A321 aircraft of Bamboo Airways before a flight at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's Bamboo Airways will sign a deal valued at nearly $2 billion with General Electric to purchase GEnx engines to power Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, the airline said on Tuesday.

The deal will be signed in the United States later on Tuesday in the presence of Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Bamboo said in a statement.

The GEnx engines, due to be delivered in 2022, will be used on the airline's wide-body Dreamliner fleet to operate planned non-stop routes between Vietnam and the United States, the company said.

"This new signing agreement will be an important milestone for the airline to expand its transcontinental flight network, connecting Vietnam with medium- and long-range markets," the statement said.

The airline said it will open a representative office in the United States and sign agreements with San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport this week, paving the way for its first test of a non-stop flight between the countries on Thursday.

Bamboo said it aims to finalise procedures for non-stop commercial flights to the United Sates early next year, pending government approvals.

Bamboo said it is also seeking to expand its international flight network and open more routes to Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany, using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

(Editing by Tom Hogue and Ed Davies)
Weekly tests for unvaccinated will require careful process & documentation to avoid potential fines to employers

- Employers with 100+ employees face the daunting challenge of implementing weekly diagnostic testing or proving vaccination status in response to updated COVID-19 Action Plan from the White House.

- Without a plan, large employers, schools and healthcare facilities face thousands of dollars in penalties and fines per violation.

- CastleBranch's Diagnostic Test Tracking, paired with RealVaccinationID.com, provides an essential tool kit to track diagnostic test results, prove vaccination status, and create a secure audit trail to help protect organizations from liability.

WILMINGTON, N.C., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The White House's six-pronged action plan calls for increased COVID-19 diagnostic testing in businesses, educational institutions and other organizations  a method that, while effective, leaves employers with 100+ employees scrambling to find ways to implement and track the new requirement, or face steep fines.

Essential Tool Kit by CastleBranch Provides Proof of Vaccination, Diagnostic Test Tracking and More to Help Employers With President Biden's Vaccine Mandate

The White House's plan outlines methods to increase access to COVID-19 diagnostic tests, but large employers  who are now mandated to track vaccination status or weekly test results across their entire employee base  may be left with more questions than answers. For employers with hundreds or thousands of staff members, the question of "how" to track so many results on a weekly basis is pressing, especially considering that violating the White House's plan could result in fines up to $14,000 per incident.

But even once the logistical headache of implementing such widespread testing is answered, another threat looms. Without a full audit trail of every employee's testing records, employers may still be at risk for fines if they can't defend themselves against alleged violations.

"These are waters most employers have never entered before, and it gets incredibly complex incredibly fast," said Brett Martin, CEO of infectious disease screening company CastleBranch. "Mandates mean continuously collecting sensitive medical documents from employees, tracking weekly diagnostic test results, and creating a documented audit trail while protecting the individual's private information from unlawful exposure. For the inexperienced, it's an unmitigated nightmare."

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To help large employers, colleges and universities, Martin's company created an essential tool kit: CB COVID-19 Compliance and RealVaccinationID.com. Included in CB COVID-19 Compliance is the company's Diagnostic Test Tracking solution, which helps organizations track the results of a diagnostic COVID-19 test via a secure, password-protected platform. The tool helps organizations protect the employee's private data and information, and also provides a detailed audit trail to help protect the employers from potential liability. The solution can be paired with RealVaccinationID.com, which provides digital and physical proof of COVID-19 vaccination status while helping companies create a secure audit trail.

"COVID-19 represents one of the greatest existential threats to our health, safety and wellbeing any of us have seen in our lifetime," said Martin. "CastleBranch has the tools and experience to safely navigate the government's directive, and to help organizations and individuals manage the regulatory risks that come with handling protected health records."

CastleBranch, an infectious disease screening company with more than 20 years of experience, built this Essential Tool Kit with inspiration and guidance from some of the world's leading epidemiologists and pandemic disease policy experts. It's also been endorsed by both the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the nation's two largest nursing healthcare associations, representing more than 80 percent of nursing education in the country.

For more information, visit discover.castlebranch.com/rvid-resources

About CastleBranch:

Located in Wilmington, N.C., CastleBranch is one of the leading providers of vaccination, immunization tracking and diagnostic test tracking in the United States. With 25 years' experience, the company has collected, reviewed, and/or stored over 35 million medical documents for a majority of healthcare education programs across the nation. Their applications are designed to maintain strict compliance with state and federal privacy regulations; create a detailed audit trail along every step of the process; and to help organization handle the logistics of implementing a complex vaccine mandate at scale.

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SOURCE CastleBranch
DUBLIN, September 22, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Solid-State Transformer Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The potential market size of the solid-state transformer was estimated to be USD 5.09 million in 2019, and is expected to reach USD 6.59 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 5.71% during 2019-2026.

In 2020 and Q1 of 2021, the solid-state transformer market in the countries such as United States and Canada, etc. has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Market Trends

Smart Grid Application to Dominate the Market

Smart grid is an electricity network/grid enabling a two-way flow of electricity and data. The concept of smart grid accelerated in last two decades and have now became an essential part in the digital transformation of electricity sector. Because of their flexibility to be of modular construction, enabling bi-directional power flow and their deployment in both AC and DC grids, the solid-state transformers are preferred more over conventional transformers in smart grids.

The three-stage solid-state transformers are typically designed for the purposes of smart grid applications in which it has bidirectional power flow to transfer power from Low Voltage to High Voltage.

In recent times, the modernization of the grid to accommodate power flows, serve reliability needs, and meet future projected usage is leading to the incorporation of electronic intelligence capabilities for power control purposes and operations monitoring, which is driving the smart grid technologies such as solid-state transformers.

For instance, in December 2020, GridWise Alliance in United States launched its comprehensive Policy Framework for Grid Investments in Economic Recovery, which specifically outlines the need for USD 50 billion in federal spending for grid modernization. Several such grid modernization plans are expected to increase the demands of the Solid-state transformers in smart grids during the forecast period.

Furthermore, the major companies and countries are becoming more involved in the technological advancement and development of new and more efficient Solid-state transformers to be used for grid applications. For instance, in March 2021, Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Nanyang Technological University, under Singapore Government's flagship Energy Grid 2.0 initiative aimed at shaping the next-generation grid system, collaborated to work together for the advance developments in Solid-state Transformer (SST) technology.

Asia-Pacific to Dominate the Market

Story continues

Asia-Pacific is expected to be the largest and fastest growing market, owing to the increasing investment in smart grid technology and the increasing demand for electricity leading to increasing investment in power infrastructure all over the region.

China is the world's largest market for power transmission and distribution (T&D) and is also poised to become a significant consumer of smart grid technology, supported by its policy to reduce carbon emission and commitment to green development. In 2020, the public utility State Grid of China invested around of USD 65 billion, with ultra-high voltage (UHV) projects accounting for 40% of the total investment. However, investment in China's transmission decreased by nearly USD 10 billion over the 2019 level, as there was a higher focus on the upgrading of rural power grids and the construction of distribution networks.

With the growing investment on distribution networks, the companies are now focusing on smart grids, which is likely to drive the demand for SST in the country during the forecast period.

As of February 2021, the total thermal installed capacity in India stood at 233.17 GW. Renewable, hydro, and nuclear energy installed capacity totaled 91.15 GW, 46.20 GW, and 6.78 GW, respectively. The Government plans to double the share of installed electricity generation capacity of renewable energy to 40% by 2030. India has also raised the solar power generation capacity addition target five times to 114 GW by 2022. The Government is preparing a 'rent a roof' policy for supporting its target of generating 40 GW of power through solar rooftop projects by 2022.

Key Topics Covered:

1 INTRODUCTION

2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4 MARKET OVERVIEW

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Potential Market Size and Demand Forecast for Solid-State Transformers, in USD million, till 2026

4.3 Recent Trends and Developments

4.4 Market Dynamics

4.4.1 Drivers

4.4.2 Restraints

4.5 Supply Chain Analysis

4.6 Industry Attractiveness - Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 Application - (Qualitative Analysis Only)

5.1.1 Smart Gird

5.1.2 Traction

5.1.3 Other Applications

5.2 Geography

5.2.1 North America

5.2.2 Europe

5.2.3 Asia-Pacific

5.2.4 Rest of the World

6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 List of Major Research Institutions and Companies Involved in the Solid-State Transformer (SST) Market

7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/acnbdm

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005788/en/

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Britains foreign secretary will call on China and Russia to agree on a coordinated international approach to prevent Afghanistan becoming a haven for militants during a meeting on September 22 of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"If we want to avoid Afghanistan becoming a haven for global terror then the international community -- including Russia and China -- needs to act as one in its engagement with the Taliban," Liz Truss said in a statement ahead of the meeting.

Britain, which is currently coordinating the so-called P5 group of permanent Security Council members, will use the meeting to call for greater cooperation to improve international security, with a particular focus on Afghanistan.

The meeting between Guterres, Truss, and her counterparts from China, Russia, the United States, and France is scheduled to take place during the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan last month as the United States and NATO troops withdrew from the country has raised fears that Afghanistan could again become a haven for Islamist militants planning to carry out strikes on the West.

The Taliban-led government has promised not to let that happen again. When it ruled the country from 1996 to 2001, Osama bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

Last week at a meeting of the Russia and China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a security bloc, Chinese President Xi Jinping said "relevant parties" in Afghanistan should eradicate terrorism and that China would provide more help to the country within its capacity.

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his speech at the meeting to say the security bloc should "use its potential" to "stimulate the new Afghan authorities" in fulfilling their promises on normalizing life and bringing security in Afghanistan.

He also said it "makes sense" to work with the United States and other Western powers to gradually unfreeze Afghanistan's assets and restore programs through the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

With reporting by Reuters
A judge in suburban Detroit threw out the murder conviction of a man who was blamed for a fire that killed five children in 2000
FILE - In this July 10, 2017, file photo, Cameron Maynard stands at attention by the monument to Confederate soldiers at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, S.C. The South Carolina Supreme Court has upheld a 2000 law protecting Confederate monuments from being moved without a vote from the General Assembly.
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Courtesy Denver Parks and Recreation More than a dozen American Bison from the Denver Mountain Park system were given to the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma and another to the Tall Bull Memorial Council in Sedalia.
Drivers should expect delays on Interstate 25 near Castle Rock on Friday and again early next month as construction crews implement extended single lane closures in the ongoing I-25 South gap project.

Crews will close one lane of northbound I-25 near Sky View Lane (Tomah Road) beginning 7 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Saturday as they complete paving and striping operations, the Colorado Department of Transportation officials announced.

Crews will also close one lane of southbound I-25 near Sky View Lane beginning 7 p.m. Oct. 8 through 8 a.m. Oct. 9 to complete paving work.

There are no alternate routes. Drivers along I-25 should plan for delays up to 30 minutes, officials said.

General lane closures along the 18-mile stretch of I-25 between Monument and Castle Rock will also start one hour earlier during the weekdays, officials said. This will allow crews to take advantage of warmer temperatures ahead of winter, necessary for paving and striping.

Beginning Wednesday, lane closures on north- and southbound I-25 will go into effect from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sundays through Fridays.
Wannabe social media stars inspired by a social media trend have vandalized schools across the Pikes Peak region.

Students at middle schools and high schools have defaced bathrooms, inspired by a trend on the social media app Tik Tok where users post videos of themselves stealing school property.

Local school districts said soap dispensers were a common target of the troublemakers.

District 49 has seen damage that is "typical of this particular trend," spokesman David Nancarrow said. At most of the district's middle and high schools, students have removed soap dispensers from the walls in recent weeks, Nancarrow said, though the trend appeared to be improving at at least one middle school.

District officials notified parents of the issue and asked them to "share with their students expectations of behavior," he said.

Though he said the trend has been widespread throughout the district, administrators haven't had to close any bathrooms. "Damages and repeat damages are expensive, but I'm unaware of needing to close facilities," he said.

District 11 officials sent a message to families last week addressing the trend and informing them that "vandalism and theft carry stiff consequences, up to and including, police charges. Additionally, our building maintenance teams are understaffed and under-resourced as it is, so you can imagine the negative impacts these trends have on our schools district-wide."

The district has struggled to replace missing soap dispensers because of an ongoing supply chain backlog, spokeswoman Devra Ashby said in an email. She said the vandalism issue "doesn't seem to be a problem any longer" after Tik Tok issued a policy limiting the circulation of the videos.

Vandals at the Monument-area District 38 appeared to be less brazen than some of their Colorado Springs counterparts. Students at the district's middle school and high schools are removing the soap cartridges instead of the entire dispenser, spokesman Mark Belcher said.

He said he knew of at least four instances of damage related to the trend at Lewis-Palmer Middle School.

School officials have been monitoring hallways, but have not had to close any bathrooms, he said. The district is planning on sending a statement about this issue to families this week, he said.

"Any time there is a destructive challenge on social media, it's definitely something that we should use as an educational opportunity to help students understand that they don't have to follow trends, and they can be good stewards for their school and their community," he said.
Angela Cobian represents District 2 on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education. She serves as board treasurer.
More COVID-19 patients have flowed into El Paso County's strained hospitals in recent days as the total number of patients with the virus needing hospital care held steady statewide.

State Epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said Tuesday the number of people in hospitals across Colorado is down slightly to 876 patients and overall hospital capacity is at a healthy 85%, but the cooler weather and more indoor gatherings could prompt a rise in patients.

"There is that possibility we could be looking at a potential increase in cases once again. ... Its tough to know exactly what our trends are going to do," she said at a Tuesday news conference.

Hospitals in El Paso County have been challenged by a rising number of mostly unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. The county has a lower vaccination rate, with only about 61% of eligible residents fully vaccinated.

Our counties that tend to have the highest hospitalization rates ... tend to be our counties where we see the lowest vaccination rates, she said while displaying a graphic highlighting Weld and El Paso counties. Conversely, if you look at Boulder or Denver counties, those are some of our counties where we really see our highest immunization rates, and those are the counties where we're seeing the lowest hospitalization rates right now.

The number of people with COVID-19 or suspected of having it in the county is up from 154 on Friday to 173 on Monday, El Paso County data showed.

El Paso County Public Health data show the percentage of people testing positive on average has also reached a record high for the year at 10%, which could signal that the number of people in need of care could continue to rise. The previous peak was 9.5% reached in early January. The state's goal for percent positivity is 5%.

Penrose-St. Francis Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bill Plauth said Tuesday the sustained rise in COVID-19 patients and other medical needs has challenged the system.

"We have needed to hold patients in our emergency departments until we can place them on the medical floors. We have also begun postponing those surgeries that can reasonably wait," he said.

The practice of treating people in the emergency department while waiting for a bed in another part of the hospital has been common across Colorado and in other states in recent weeks, he said.

UCHealth has also started postponing procedures to help protect hospital capacity. Last week, the chief medical officer for UCHealth called the high number of patients in Colorado Springs "extremely worrisome," in part because the community is about to enter flu season. The system was caring for 80 patients in the region Monday, spokeswoman Cary Vogrin said.

The county moved into the orange-red level on its hospital capacity ribbon last week, meaning facilities are strained. El Paso County Public Health spokeswoman Michelle Hewitt said the next level on ribbon would depend on input, data and feedback from our local hospitals.

"The regional hospital capacity ribbon is fluid," she said.

Colorado Hospital Association spokeswoman Cara Welch said across the state, emergency departments have been very busy with patients needing care for COVID-19, traumatic injuries, respiratory illness and other needs.

"When patients present at the emergency department, hospitals do their best to admit them, transfer them, or treat and discharge them as efficiently as possible. But when volumes are high, that process can slow, and that does mean that patients may have to wait longer than they may be used to," she said.

Hospital capacity includes space, supplies and staff. State data shows 28% of hospitals are expecting staffing shortages in the next week.

Northern Colorado counties are also seeing intensive care units "running very full," Welch said.

The demand for hospital care in Weld County has been driven by a low vaccination rate and patients coming from Wyoming to seek care, Herlihy said.

The northeast corner of the state, including Weld and Larimer counties, was reporting only 3% of the intensive care unit beds are available, state data shows. The region including El Paso County was reporting 12% of ICU beds available.

Colorados Combined Hospital Transfer Center was activated in recent weeks to help balance demand for hospital care so that patients can be moved to a hospital with space for them.

For older adults who may have waning immunity, the state has plenty of vaccine supply to provide booster shots, Gov. Jared Polis said. Nursing home residents across the state will receive their boosters in the coming weeks, he said.

Just over 2% of adults in Colorado have already received a booster, he said.

Colorado is also poised to re-launch an at-home COVID-19 testing program with 2 million BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests, Polis announced on Tuesday.

It's an extra security layer to identify any infection earlier and find out whether in fact it's COVID," he said, "to take that extra step to protect yourself and others."

The state will send eight free tests to anyone in the state who requests them within four to six days.

To request a test visit covid19.colorado.gov/covid-19-testing-at-home.
Colorado relies on private, third-party inspectors to make sure amusement parks are free of accidents like the one this month that claimed the life of a 6-year-old girl, who plunged to her death from a ride at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.

Just four years ago, state regulators suspended one of those inspectors for his work at the Washington County Fair. The regulators said Bill Hoggard of Joshua, Tex., did cursory checks on at least two rides before assembly at the fairgrounds while they were still on their transport truck.

One of the rides he certified as safe ended up malfunctioning and was in a condition that posed a serious safety threat to the public, state officials claimed in later court filings. The Tilt-a-Whirl ride at the Washington County Fair ran backwards once it was operational despite Hoggards assurances of safety, Colorado officials said in court documents. The ride's emergency stop button didn't work, according to that document, filed in a Denver District Court lawsuit.

Hoggard claimed in court documents that its not unusual for Colorado carnival rides to be inspected before they are set up despite state regulations barring that approach. He also contended in court that the state is lax in ensuring rides meet their annual inspection requirements.

State officials dispute Hoggards accusations, but after a protracted battle, he was allowed to resume inspecting rides in Colorado, even as state officials maintain he admitted he sometimes took a complacent approach to inspections. He inspects amusement park rides in other states despite losing membership in the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials due to findings of ethical lapses related to the dispute in Colorado.

The details of the investigation into Hoggards inspections are made clear in records provided to The Gazette by the state Division of Oil and Public Safety, which regulates amusement parks in Colorado, requested after Wongel Estifanos's fatal fall from a ride at at Glenwood Caverns.

Estifanos, a Colorado Springs elementary student, fell 110 feet from the Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. The death is being investigated by the Division of Oil and Public Safety, which is located in the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, along with the Garfield County Sheriffs Office and the city of Glenwood Springs.

We will look at the current condition of the ride, relying heavily on certified third-party inspectors observations, as well as observations and notes from prior safety inspections, Cher Haavind, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Labor, said in a statement. Also reviewed will be interviews with all parties involved to determine to the best of our knowledge what occurred.

Two deaths occurred on amusement park rides in Colorado from 1999 through 2017, according to RidesDatabase.org , which contains data collected by a now-defunct ride safety organization, SafeParks.

There have been other mishaps. A handful of patrons suffered broken bones and at least two people have been ejected from the Alpine Coaster at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, state injury reports show. Two potentially life-threatening injuries occurred in October 2014 on a Durango zipline, according to state data. In another incident, an inspection found frayed center lift cables in 2010 on bungee trampolines at a resort, state data shows.

To protect the public, the state largely relies on private inspectors like Hoggard, who performed about a fifth of the amusement ride permit inspections in Colorado from 2009 through 2016. Hoggard didn't inspect ride at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, state records show.

The state maintains a list of 47 people authorized to conduct annual inspections at the 171 facilities licensed for amusement rides in Colorado.

In 2016, D. Scott Narreau, then a program manager at Colorados Division of Oil and Public Safety, determined that Hoggard violated state regulations when he inspected rides for the Washington County Fair before they were operable. He fined Hoggard $2,000 and suspended him from the states inspection list for one year.

Hoggard filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court against Narreau, now a supervisor at the state agency, claiming that he was being singled out for something that regularly occurs. He said in court documents that its not unusual in Colorado for rides to be inspected before they are completely assembled to the point of running. He said an employee of the Division of Oil and Public Safety had allowed Hoggard to take that approach on as many as 10 other occasions.

Hoggard also claimed in court documents that the state doesnt always rigorously enforce the annual inspection requirement for amusement park rides.

In 2016, I had 35 clients for whom I did inspections, Hoggard claimed in his court filing. I am personally aware that several clients have been given inspection deferments and been allowed to operate for as long as six months without an inspection when an inspector was not available.

Greg Johnson, the public safety manager in the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety, denied the state let annual inspections slip and allowed disassembled rides to pass inspections. Although the state did not look retrospectively at Hoggards past inspection work, it moved to suspend him to protect the public, Johnson added.

Johnson said the agency has one employee who audits inspection work and operations at amusement parks.

There are a lot of different paths he takes to look at the industry in the state of Colorado, Johnson said.

Hoggard in court documents said that at Narreaus insistence he returned to the Washington County Fair to re-inspect the Tilt-a-Whirl ride after it was assembled. In an interview with The Gazette, he denied ever putting the public in potential peril.

I re-did all the paperwork and sent it in, and they issued the stickers, Hoggard said. Ive been doing this for over 35 years, and Im an excellent mechanic, and I know how this stuff works. Scott Narreau is a bureaucrat whos never gotten a ride up and running.

Mahesh Albuquerque, the director of the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety, upheld the suspension of Hoggard and fine after meeting Hoggard to go over issues.

Mr. Hoggard also made several statements about his lack of familiarity with the Colorado Amusement Regulations, and that he is sometimes complacent with regard to amusement inspections, Albuquerque wrote in his order upholding the suspension. Mr. Hoggard conveyed a general lack of commitment to following the Colorado Amusements Regulations.

After Hoggards Colorado suspension, the state notified the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials, which certifies amusement ride inspectors, of the issues it had found with Hoggards inspections.

That organization found that Hoggard violated multiple provisions of its code of ethics and engaged "in conduct which is detrimental to the interests and welfare of the association. The organizations board kicked Hoggard out and banned him from membership in the organization.

After he lost his membership, Hoggard sued Narreau, claiming his Colorado suspension was retaliatory. He also sought re-certification as a third-party inspector in Colorado. The state held his re-certification request in abeyance because he lacked accreditation from a national organization.

Hoggard eventually dropped his lawsuit and in July 2018, the state agreed it would conditionally re-certify him for amusement ride inspections. He had to notify the state at least 72 hours before conducting an inspection and was limited to certifying rides in Colorado, not traveling carnival rides located in other states that would eventually come to Colorado. The state also required Hoggard to obtain continuing education credits within six months of certification as an inspector in Colorado.

Hoggard agreed to those conditions.

State records show that Hoggard resumed his work in Colorado, inspecting a go-kart track in Colorado in 2018 and again in 2019. Hoggard said the states suspension cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, though he said he has continued to inspect amusement rides in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico and Kansas.
VMware, Slack announce secure cloud services

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has awarded VMware Cloud on Amazon Web Services GovCloud (US) an authority to operate at the high impact level.

Announced Sept. 21, the ATO was sponsored by the U.S. Marshals Service, which has included the VMware Cloud on AWS GovCloud service as a component of its multicloud strategy.

VMware Cloud on AWS offers U.S. public-sector agencies VMwares software-defined data center software in the AWS GovCloud, enabling them to securely run applications across VMware vSphere-based private, public and hybrid cloud environments. The VMware Cloud service operates in the AWS GovCloud (US-West) region.

VMware Cloud on AWS GovCloud integrates VMwares compute, storage and network virtualization products and optimizes them to run on dedicated, elastic, Amazon EC2 bare-metal infrastructure that is fully integrated as part of the AWS GovCloud.

The FedRAMP High authorization will make it easier for agencies to move their highly sensitive workloads and applications to cloud environments.

U.S. federal, state, and local government agencies from law enforcement and emergency services to financial and healthcare systems can now confidently leverage the best of VMware and AWS to more securely run their mission critical applications across private, public, and hybrid cloud environments to take full advantage of the clouds agility and cost savings, AWS Vice President of Partners and Programs Sandy Carter said.

Secure collaboration

Also on Sept. 21, Slack announced GovSlack, a version of its collaboration platform that will meet both FedRAMP high and Department of Defense impact level 4 certifications.

While Slack Enterprise Grid already meets federal security requirements, the company said in a blog post that it wants to extend our compliance commitment to meet an even broader section of the public-sector market.

More and more public sector agencies and partners are looking to modernize their day-to-day operations with tools that increase productivity and collaboration, but must also meet rigorous government security and compliance requirements that can often limit tech choices, Slacks VP of Product Ilan Frank said. By meeting government-grade compliance standards like FedRAMP High and DOD IL4 certifications, were bringing the power of Slacks best-in-class, secure, centralized digital HQ to federal government customers and their partners.

GovSlack, an instance of Slack hosted in a government-certified cloud environment, is expected to be available in 2022.
NASA wants app to monitor, analyze employee vaccinations

To comply with the executive order mandating federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19, NASA is looking for a smartphone app that would not only allow its 18,000 employees to display their vaccination status when entering a NASA facility, but also help the space agency efficiently survey, report and analyze data on the immunization status its workforce.

Under the executive order, agencies must require documentation from employees of their immunization record that includes the date of vaccine administration and the name of the health care organization providing the vaccine, according to an FAQ on SaferFederalWorkforce.gov. That documentation can be a paper or digital record that clearly and legibly displays the required information.

While agencies must collect information necessary to verify that an employee is fully vaccinated, they may develop their own processes, systems, tool or applications for data collection and maintenance -- provided they allow employees to update their vaccination status and related information, per the FAQ.

To meet those requirements, NASA issued a presolicitation on Sept. 21 for technologies and software that could be downloaded to a smartphone that will allow employees to display their vaccination status before entering a NASA facility. The solution must also give agency officials a way to quickly report analytics on the number of employees vaccinated, while simultaneously maintaining the privacy and security of employee data.

Users must be able to manually input data as well as upload a photo of a proof-of-vaccination document and any booster shots. The solution must also allow for results from rapid antigen tests, including the time/date of the test and result, and alert app users to a positive test result and when a completed test is more than seven days old.

To maintain the security and privacy to the data, the app should verify the employees identity either through biometrics or a scan of a drivers license or other government-issued ID. Uploaded data must be encrypted and converted into a QR code or a color-coded indicator so vaccine status can be easily checked upon entering a NASA facility.

The solution should include a reader or a downloadable smartphone application that can read the QR code in order to identify if an employee meets the criteria.

Aggregated data must be exportable to allow for reports analyzing overall employee vaccination rates, NASA said.

The request for information asks potential vendors if their solution can meet federal data requirements for storing COVID testing data, such as the Federal Information Security Modernization Act for overall cybersecurity and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program for cloud-service security controls.

Comments and questions are due Sept. 24. Read the full RFI here.
" " Louisville Metro EMS paramedics transport a woman suspected of having a severe COVID-19 emergency in Louisville, Kentucky. Kentucky is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, having recently recorded more than 4,400 cases a day. Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 670,000 lives in the United States to date. In terms of sheer numbers, it has become the deadliest event in U.S. history, surpassing the 1918 influenza epidemic and multiple wars.

As shocking as this number is, it doesn't capture the full scope of COVID-related casualties. Since the summer surge began in early August  due mostly to the delta variant  COVID-19 has overwhelmed hospitals and ICUs across the country.

The federal government's latest data shows Georgia and Alabama are still at nearly 100 percent of their intensive care unit capacity, while Texas hovers at more than 90 percent ICU capacity. Idaho is at 96 percent capacity. This type of surge has forced many facilities to go on diversion, leaving few resources for non-COVID emergencies. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) activated its crisis standards of care because of the massive increase of COVID-19 patients.

"You just get to the point where you can't physically take care of more people," says vice president of Northeast Georgia Health System Dr. John Delzell, who described the situation as "pretty dire."

So what happens when hospitals are so full?

" " Patients lie on stretchers in a hallway in an overloaded emergency room at Providence St. Mary Medical Center amid a surge in COVID-19 patients in Southern California. Scenes like this are common across the U.S. where ICU bed capacity is at a minimum. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

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What Does It Mean When Hospitals Are on Diversion?

Hospital diversion is rare, but not unprecedented. While it remains controversial in many states, it is never an option that medical facilities invoke lightly.

"Diversion" describes a situation when ambulance drivers are asked to avoid taking patients to a specific hospital. Under normal circumstances, paramedics are supposed to drive straight to the nearest hospital or emergency facility. But when a diversion notice is in place, they may have to break that rule.

Hospitals go on diversion when they have more patients than beds. Doctors operating under such circumstances will usually try to outsource their patients' care to another hospital, if possible, in hopes of getting them treated sooner.

"Diversion doesn't mean you can't come," Dr. Robert Jansen, chief medical officer for Grady Health System in Atlanta, said during an August news conference. "It's our way of communicating to the ambulances that we're full ... but we never turn anyone down."

Before COVID-19, diversions mainly occurred because of mechanical issues like power outages or flooding at hospitals. While overcrowding from a single disease has been historically very uncommon, it has happened. For example, hospitals in New York City diverted ambulances during the height of the AIDS epidemic. But diversions on the scale of the current COVID-19 wave are practically unheard of.

Overcrowded hospitals are forced to put patients wherever they can, often on hallway stretchers or in overflow tents. But in a packed ICU, patients may have to wait hours, "sometimes as long as a day" for a staffed bed to open up, says Dr. Blaine Enderson, vice president of the emergency trauma and critical care center at the University of Tennessee Hospital in Knoxville.

But in severe cases, a few hours could be the difference between life and death.

" " In some cases, hospitals administrators are forced to send patients to other cities to get care, oftentimes medevacking them out on flights, when they can find them an open bed. Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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Diversion and the Delta Wave

Since July 2021, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the U.S. have skyrocketed. The delta variant is partly to blame, along with waning vaccination rates and relaxed mask and indoor gathering policies.

More than 90 percent of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, and the small handful of fully vaccinated COVID-19 hospitalizations are nearly all folks with multiple comorbidities.

During the latest wave, hospitals in states with low vaccination rates have been pushed to the brink. "Right now, 70 percent of our ICU beds house patients who are on a ventilator or breathing machine," Dr. James Shamiyeh, chief operating officer at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, said in a press briefing. "When we didn't have this amount of COVID, it was 36 percent."

In Georgia, about 13 percent of ICU beds statewide remain unoccupied. Only about 130 individual ICU beds are available in Kentucky as of Sept. 22. In August, Alabama ran out of ICU beds entirely.

"We just don't really have the resources and the staff to be able to handle these unlimited numbers of patients," says Dr. Mark Marsden, the chief medical officer for Ascension St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. And it's not just St. Thomas. "Every hospital in the city, essentially, has been on almost continuous diversion for the last several weeks," he says. When every hospital is on diversion, it means that  effectively  none of them are.

Unfortunately, folks still need urgent care outside of COVID-19. On top of the virus, doctors must contend with the usual number of strokes, heart attacks, car accidents and other emergencies.

With too few beds to go around, these patients might not receive the care they need in time. In late July, a 12-year-old boy nearly died when his appendix burst while waiting for more than six hours in a Florida emergency room. And in August, U.S. Army veteran Daniel Wilkinson died of gallstone pancreatitis  a treatable issue  while his Texas doctors scrambled to find him a bed.

It's been 18 months since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. Doctors, nurses and hospital staff around the country have been working tirelessly, putting their own lives on the line in order to save others. Now, many are physically and emotionally exhausted.

"Everybody's tired. Everybody's sad because so many people are dying," Marsden says. "So much of this is preventable, which is frustrating to health care providers."

Now That's Scary Idaho activated its crisis standards of care on Sept. 16. These are official guidelines for health care providers to help them decide how to deliver the best care possible under the current circumstances. They guide decisions about how to allocate resources, including hospital beds, medications or breathing machines.
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.
After decades of U.S. trade policies geared toward expanding market access around the globe, 2020 saw a record 16% of total solids production shipped abroad. With more than 95% of the world living outside of the United States, the additional opportunities trade presents for American dairy exports are substantial  so long as the products actually get there.

Dairy exporters are facing unprecedented challenges in securing shipping container space on ocean vessels while contending with record high detention and demurrage fees . . . a problem thats been growing since late last year. Foreign ocean carriers are providing unpredictable and unreasonable timelines for exporters to load goods and putting extreme pressure on supply chains by opting to return empty containers instead of waiting for U.S. exports to be loaded. As a result, more than 70% of shipping containers are leaving West Coast ports empty, an all-time record. The flood of imports stands in stark contrast to the bottlenecked American exports that carriers have purposely limited.

Mounting delays and an intentional lack of transparency and flexibility from ocean carriers have cost American dairy exporters hundreds of millions of dollars  or over one eighth of total export value  through just the first half of the year all while international demand for dairy products has been rising. Continued delays risk critical trading relationships with Asian importers as the U.S. increasingly risks becoming viewed as an unreliable supplier. And it effects dairy farmers nationwide, as backlogged shipping means a greater domestic supply, which drives down prices.

Developing a solution

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) set up a joint strategy to address these rising costs and frustrations. The organizations have first joined forces with several like-minded coalitions of agricultural and industrial exporters to provide a bigger voice to ag exporters problems. USDEC and NMPF also have established a member working group on ports issues and reached out to a firm with transportation expertise for technical guidance. With support from these stakeholders, the organizations expanded their advocacy efforts with the administration, Congress, and the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).

In response to the growing chorus of concern from NMPF, USDEC and other agricultural exporters, in early August Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) introduced the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (HR 4996), which would prohibit the unreasonable refusals to carry exports, require carriers to certify that fees comply with FMC guidelines, and improve transparency into carrier practices. The White House has also taken steps to respond to exporters concerns, with President Biden issuing an executive order in July to direct the maritime commission to vigorously enforce guidelines for ocean carrier practices.

A long journey

Despite these steps in the right direction, much work remains. The crisis is worsening as shipping lines continue to flout U.S. guidelines for reasonable practices and too often refuse to load American agricultural exports. This troubling trend of foreign carriers dictating U.S. export flows threatens the ability of the United States to meet the growing international demand for dairy products.

Hard-fought market access and future opportunities are being put at risk as trade competitors look to seize upon any opportunity to increase their own market share. NMPF and USDEC continue to emphasize in Washington that American dairy farmers need assurances that their ability to supply global demand is not thwarted by foreign shipping interests. Until sales move smoothly again to foreign markets, both organizations will keep up the drumbeat on the need for reforms.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021

September 20, 2021
1. Yes. There should be absolute certainty that the election was free and fair.

2. Yes. The audit could and should lead to stronger laws governing elections in the state.

3. No. Former President Trump wants the audit to further cast doubt on the 2020 vote.

4. No. Its a waste of money, an attempt by Abbott to gain favor among Trump backers.

5. Unsure. It seems unnecessary but it may provide some worthwhile findings.

Vote

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Congressional Black Caucus Issues Statement on Treatment of Haitian Migrants

Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) issued the following statement on the treatment of Haitian migrants at the U.S. Border:

The images that weve seen over the last 24 hours are horrific and I share the outrage being expressed by Americans across the country. This sort of mistreatment is an affront to the very conscience of this nation, and it is absolutely unacceptable.

Beatty continued, The Congressional Black Caucus has a long history of supporting our brothers and sisters across the Diaspora and we have pledged our support for the people of Haiti. To that end, I have called for an investigation into the actions of CBP and call on DHS Secretary Mayorkas to ensure that mistreatment and violence like this never happen again. The Congressional Black Caucus is actively monitoring developments and we are prepared to travel to the border to observe this situation ourselves. Treatment like this cannot be tolerated. 

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Congressmember Karen Bass speaks on Haitian migrants & seeking asylum

Seeking asylum in this country is a legal process. Whats happening is unconscionable. Border patrol agents on horseback whipping Black immigrants is reminiscent of the 1800s. They must be held accountable. Its unacceptable and must stop immediately. We have to get to the root of this issue which starts with international engagement and addressing why people are leaving their homes, their families, and their communities to make this perilous journey.

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REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS IN PRESS GAGGLE AFTER MEETING ON THE BUILD BACK BETTER AGENDA

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. Well, thanks, guys, for being here. I mean, you know, the reason I wanted to meet with Jamie and her family is it really is an American story. There are so many  we calculate about 8 million that are documented, but so many more families  mostly women, but women and men  who are in this situation. And, you know, I cared for my mom when she was  when she had cancer, in addition to obviously caring for our kids over the years. And the skills and the  and the work that is required to care for kids and care for your aging parents, its very different. And for those who are in that sandwich generation, who are doing both at the same time, people like Jamie, its extraordinary. And it is the work of, for her, four children, and all that requires  school-aged children, from elementary school through middle school  and all that any parent who has children of that age know is a full-time job. And shes taking care of her parents who have health concerns and needs that need to be addressed. And shes doing it all. And she is a professional woman who wanted to continue with her profession and went to school to do her work and had to leave.

Related:Waters Condemns United States Border Patrol Treatment of Haitian Migrants So thats why I was here today, to just hopefully put a face and a story on these issues that were fighting for with the Build Back Better agenda. And it really is about understanding these parents exist throughout our country, everywhere. And they need the support that we, I think as a society, would want to give them if we met people like Jamie. ADVERTISEMENT So, thats it.
Waters Condemns United States Border Patrol Treatment of Haitian Migrants

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, issued the following statement condemning the United States Border Patrols treatment of Haitian migrants.

In every sense of the word  I am absolutely outraged by the United States Border Patrol agents incomprehensible treatment and abuse of Haitian migrants seeking refuge in the United States. Right now, Haitians are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after a devastating earthquake in August  the second catastrophic earthquake to hit the island nation in less than twelve years. Haitians are reeling from the aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister Jovenel Moise and the lack of a credible, functioning government that has followed. Haitians are facing widespread gang violence that has paralyzed entire communities. The situation in Haiti is devastating, and Haitians are attempting to seek refuge in the United States for the possibility of a better, safer life for themselves and their families.

Related: Haiti in upheaval: President Moise assassinated at home

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Fueled by the ongoing strife in Haiti, Haitians are making long and dangerous journeys to reach the United States  a country they believe is fueled by compassion and justice  only to be met by the brutality of cowboys on horseback with whips. The images of this unconscionable attack by United States border agents on helpless Haitian migrants have an uncanny resemblance to the photos in our history books that show the truth of how Black people were treated in this country in centuries past. I demand that this detestable treatment of Haitians be stopped immediately!

Not only am I outraged by the reprehensible behavior of these border agents who seem to lack humanity, I am extremely disappointed in the Biden Administration for its willingness to continue the racist application of immigration policies and tactics utilized by Donald Trump, the most xenophobic and dangerous president in our nations history.

Related: Congressional Black Caucus Issues Statement on Treatment of Haitian Migrants

I am calling on the United States to allow the Haitian migrants to file for the refugee or migration status they are seeking as allowed by the United States Constitution and urge the Department of Homeland Security to conduct its investigation into the matter in a comprehensive and credible manner.


American President Joe Biden used his first speech before the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday to call for international cooperation. He urged nations to work together on the issues of fighting COVID-19, climate change, and human rights abuses.

The president made note of his decision to end Americas longest war last month. Weve ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan, Biden said. As we close this period of relentless war, were opening a new era of relentless diplomacy of using the power of our development aid to invest in new ways of lifting people up around the world.

U.N. General Assembly opened

Biden and more than 100 world leaders returned to the U.N. for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Sixty more heads of state will speak to the assembly using pre-recorded statements.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the gathering with his yearly state-of-the-world speech. He told the General Assembly, We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetime.

Guterres said people may lose faith when they see their human rights restricted, corruption, and limited future for their children. He urged world leaders to pursue peace, deal with global warming and reduce the difference between rich and poor. He also called for supporting equality of the sexes, expanding the internet to at least half of the worlds population and giving young people a seat at the table.

The U.N. chief also expressed concern about tension between the U.S. and China. It will be impossible to address dramatic economic and development challenges while the worlds two largest economies are at odds with each other, he said.

Bidens speech

Without naming China directly, the U.S. president said, We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs.



Biden added, The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up to pursue a peaceful resolution to shared challenges, even if we have intense disagreements in other areas, because we'll all suffer the consequences of our failure if we do not come together to address the urgent threats. He listed the threat of COVID-19, climate change and nuclear weapons.

Biden also must defend his decision, along with Britain, to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. The move is expected to give Australia improved ability to deal with the growing Chinese presence in the Pacific Ocean. But the deal led to a diplomatic crisis with France which had an agreement to sell diesel-powered submarines to Australia that Australia canceled.

The American president told the assembly that he would seek $11.4 billion yearly to help developing nations deal with climate change. "The best part is, making these ambitious investments isn't just good climate policy, it's a chance for each of our countries to invest in ourselves and our own future," Biden told the gathering.

Bidens appearance on Tuesday supported his often-repeated idea that America is back.

As we look ahead, we will lead, he said. We will lead on all the greatest challenges of our time from COVID to climate, peace and security, human dignity and human rights. But we will not go it alone. We will lead together with our allies and partners in cooperation with all those who believe as we do.

Biden also planned to meet Tuesday with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the White House in Washington.

Later in the week, Biden will host a meeting on COVID-19. And he plans to meet with both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga next week. They are members of the Quad, a group of four countries including Australia and the U.S., that seeks to balance growing Chinese influence in East Asia.

Im Caty Weaver.

Hai Do wrote this report for VOA Learning English with additional reporting from VOA News and The Associated Press. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor.

___________________________________________________

Words in This Story

relentless n. continuing without becoming weaker or less severe

cascade v. to flow or hang down in large amounts

pursue v. to follow and try to catch or capture

address v. to give attention to; to deal with something

challenge n. something that is hard to do

rigid adj. not able to be changed easily

bloc n. a group of people or countries that are connected by a treaty or agreement or by common goals

consequences n. (pl.) things that happen as a result of actions

ambitious adj. having the desire to be successful, powerful or famous

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Activists are worried about a growing number of deaths and injuries among food delivery riders in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The activists say the coronavirus health crisis has pushed millions of people indoors. The restrictions have resulted in a sharp increase in online orders for delivery.

That increase has changed Dubais streets and stores. It has brought motorcycle riders, mostly from Pakistan, to the work of food delivery. The industry has few rules and can be dangerous.

Most riders are paid $2 to $3 for each delivery instead of hourly pay. This leads riders to race across the city to keep up with the orders. It also gives them a reason to try to deliver as many orders as possible. The conditions riders usually face have become even more dangerous because of restrictions put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Dubai is a rich city that runs on low-paid migrant labor from Africa and Asia. Workers in Dubai have few protections. They depend on sponsors who guarantee their work visas.

Karen Young is with the Middle East Institute, a research group in Washington, D.C. She said the visa sponsors are usually responsible for mistreatment. She said, Thats where people feel theyre unable to change jobs or even to complain about working conditions.

On Dubais streets, more than 12 delivery drivers who spoke to the Associated Press said they knew of two or three co-workers who were killed every month. Many said they have bad memories of seeing coworkers killed.

Dubai recorded 448 deaths from car accidents in 2019. There are not yet official numbers for 2020. But safety activists say at least 70 delivery riders were hospitalized last year in Dubai, including 24 who died.

The state-linked Emirati newspaper The National reported that 12 delivery riders were killed in April. A police official has said, When money comes into the equation, safety is put aside.

Companies like Deliveroo, based in Britain, and Talabat use other companies to provide them with drivers and vehicles. Industry experts say delivery drivers in Dubai often lack protective equipment and safety training. The companies provide $27 a month for vehicle services and repair.

Dubais Road and Transportation Authority told The Associated Press that safety remains most important as it supports the delivery markets growth. Officials said they have issued new rules like reducing how far drivers can ride.

Riders for Deliveroo and Talabat said they received limited insurance. It pays a few hundred dollars with no death or accident payments. Several riders who were in accidents said they returned to Pakistan to get healthcare after their insurance would not pay the costs in Dubai.

Mohammed Asin is a delivery rider in Dubai. He said he never would have left his family in Sialkot, Pakistan, if it were not for his childhood classmate, 22-year-old Hamed Shafiq who rode for Talabat.

He kept saying, Join me, this is the dream. We can make real money. Our families can have a better life, Asin said.

On February 16, Asin landed in Dubai and moved in with Shafiq. He signed up for Deliveroo ready to live out the dream.

The next day, his friend was dead. He was hit by a car that went into his path. Asin, however, keeps delivering.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Isabel Debre reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

______________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

delivery  n. the act of taking something to a person or place

visa  n. an official mark or stamp on a passport that allows someone to enter or leave a country usually for a particular reason

complain  v. to say or write that you are unhappy, sick, uncomfortable, etc., or that you do not like something

equation  n. a complicated situation or issue

insurance  n. an agreement in which a person makes regular payments to a company and the company promises to pay money if the person is injured or dies, or to pay money equal to the value of something (such as a house or car) if it is damaged, lost, or stolen


School districts around the United States were not ready for online learning when the coronavirus health crisis hit  and it affected students.

Research on test scores over the past year suggests that students learning slowed down. A study by the Center for Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) pointed to school closures and the switch to remote learning as likely reasons for the problem.

Lawmakers and parents have said the return to in-person classes is important for this school year. But education experts say online classes are here to stay and that students need to know how to learn online to be prepared for college and the workforce.

Christine Pitts is an education expert with CRPE. She said that it is hard to judge the effectiveness of last years remote learning. Many school districts had to make a quick change to remote classes during the health crisis and were not prepared.

We know that virtual learning is not going to go away in a post-COVID world, Pitts said. But we also know that it cannot be the same as emergency learning.

Pitts said there is little research on how to structure online classes. She said few education researchers have looked at online teaching methods at the kindergarten through 12th grade level.

Not having that evidence makes it really hard for systems leaders, for teachers, for superintendents to make those decisions about how to design remote learning moving forward, Pitts said.

Educators do have some research about how to structure online learning.

For example, research suggests that children learn better when they can physically move around. Online classes could support this kind of behavior by asking students to take walks or do activities away from the computer, argued Katie Taylor in the publication The Conversation. She is a professor of learning sciences and human development at the University of Washington.

Learning the best methods for online teaching has taken some time, said Judy Perez. She is an educator with 20 years of experience in online education at the kindergarten through 12th grade level. She is also the head of iLearn Collaborative in Colorado. It is a non-profit organization that trains teachers in online teaching methods.

Colorado passed a law in 2007 that expanded online and hybrid classes in the state. Hybrid classes mix online and in-person instruction.

Perez began teaching virtual instruction in 2001 when we didnt know what we were doing. We were just trying to figure out, how do we teach in this space?

But over time, she and other experts were able to develop training methods and measure student performance in online classrooms.

Last year, Perez said many teachers in the districts she worked with before the pandemic were surprised. They found they were able to make the change from in-person to virtual learning quickly when the pandemic started. She said, however, that student learning was affected by how well-trained a teacher was in online instruction.

I think you would see a difference in studentlearning depending on how well-trained the teachers were and those that just jumped into this environment, Perez said.

Taking a lesson meant for the classroom and simply moving it online does not work, she said. Teachers need to be able to use the online environment and computer technology to keep their students interested. They also need to build relationships with their students, said Jill Pelligrini. She also trains teachers for iLearn Collaborative.

What weve been doing with our training is really focusing on that student engagement, Pellegrini said. How do you build community? How do you build relationships?

Pitts said that kids learning at home have made parents more involved in their childs schooling. It has become easier for parents to see what their children are learning and how they are progressing. They can ask teachers questions about what is being learned.

It is something that we want to pull forward into whatever remote learning occurs in the future, Pitts said.

Perez said that all students should have some experience with online learning. Those that do not will have a harder time when they go to college or enter workforce-training programs that use online instruction, she said.

Perez added she does not recommend fully online schooling. But she said hybrid classes could be better for students needing special consideration like athletes and those with disabilities or health problems.

Pitts noted that there is little research about how to teach virtual classes, what classes are easier or harder to teach online, or what kinds of students are best for it.

Its such an understudied type of teaching, she said.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak wrote this for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

Quiz - In Teaching Online, Educators Learn as They Go Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz



_____________________________________________

Words in This Story

district n. an area established by a government for official government business

remote  adj. done from a distance; away from a place

superintendent n. a person who directs or manages a place, department, organization

figure out v.(phrasal) to understand or find something by thinking

optimal  adj. the best; the most effective way

focus v. to place attention on something

virtual  adj. existing or occurring on computers or on the Internet

engagement  n. the act or state of being involved with something

occur v. to take place; to happen

type n. a kind of something
The head of the World Health Organization says Lebanon is in urgent need of assistance to help it deal with several crises.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke to reporters Friday in Beirut following two days of meetings with Lebanese officials and medical workers. Ghebreyesus also visited a number of health care centers.

He said Lebanon needs emergency and development support to deal with severe economic and structural problems. One of the most immediate issues is a shortage of fuel and medicine.

Ghebreyesus expressed worry that conditions in Lebanon had led many health workers to leave the country. The loss has left the country short of much needed human resources, he said.

Lebanon is a country of 6 million people, including over 1 million Syrian refugees.

Earlier this month, Ghebreyesus spoke to reporters at a rebuilt WHO warehouse near the citys port. The building it replaces had been destroyed in a massive accidental explosion last year. The warehouse was used for storing drugs and other medical supplies.

Ghebreyesus noted that the Lebanese people were already struggling with financial and political problems. The COVID crisis and the deadly explosion brought additional disaster.

This is heavy. This is very heavy, the WHO chief said. I dont know if there is any country in such a situation, which is really dire.

For months pharmacies, stores that sell medicine, have been running low on supplies. Widespread panic buying had emptied many stores of drugs. Many medicine makers decided to hold on to their supplies, planning to sell the medicine later at higher prices.

Lebanese hospitals are urgently seeking fuel to keep power generators running and operate life-saving machinery. The economic crisis has left the government struggling to import basic materials.

Ghebreyesus said drug shortages threaten tens of thousands of people in Lebanon, including cancer patients. Medical workers are forced to use substitute medications for patients. Reports suggest that thousands of doctors and nurses have left the country in the past year to seek jobs elsewhere.

Nurses are leaving, doctors are leaving," Ghebreyesus said. This is very serious. Its impact will last for many years to come.

The WHOs director for Lebanon, Iman Shankiti, said the U.N. agency has been trying to help get medicine for cancer and critical patients. The WHO also has helped provide fuel for several hospitals for the next few months until a more lasting solution can be found.

It is only -- as we call it -- a band-aid, to ensure that the service continues running, Shankiti said. The U.N. again will not be able to replace the system itself.

Lebanon has been without a fully operating government for over a year. A new government was recently named. The leaders promised to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund in an effort to negotiate assistance from international donors.

Ghebreyesus said the WHO will be sending a team of technical experts to help the Lebanese government find solutions and develop plans for reforms.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver 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

dire  adj. very serious or bad

pharmacy  n. a shop that prepares and sells medicines

panic  n. a sudden, strong feeling or worry of fear that makes people unable to think or behave calmly

alternative  n. one or more things available as another possibility

impact  n. the effect a person, event or situation has on someone or something

band-aid  n. a name for a small piece of cloth or plastic that sticks to your skin to cover and protect a small wound


Guinness World Records has confirmed two Japanese sisters as the worlds oldest living identical twins at 107.

Identical twins are two people born at the same time who are produced from a single egg and look almost exactly the same.

The announcement came Monday. It took place on Respect for the Aged Day, a national holiday in Japan.

Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama were born on Shodoshima island in western Japan on November 5, 1913.

The twins were separated after elementary school. Kodama was sent to work as a maid in Oita on Japans southern island of Kyushu. She later married there. Sumiyama remained on Shodoshima island and had her own family.

The sisters said they experienced difficulties in their younger days. Growing up, they said they were bullied because of prejudice against children of multiple births in Japan.

The sisters lived their own lives for many years. They rarely got together until they were 70. They then started taking trips together to some of the 88 Shikoku temples. They enjoyed being reconnected.

Sumiyama and Kodama were 107 years and 300 days old as of Sept 1. They have broken the earlier record set by the famous Japanese sisters Kin Narita and Gin Kanie, who lived until they were 107 years and 175 days old.

Guinness World Records announced the new record in a statement.

Because of anti-coronavirus measures, the certificates for their record were mailed to the separate nursing homes where they now live. Guinness said Sumiyama accepted hers with tears of happiness.

Their families told Guinness that the sisters often joked about outliving the earlier record holders, known as Kin-san, Gin-san. Those twins became extremely popular in Japan in the late 1990s for both their age and humor.

Japan has the worlds fastest aging population. The health and welfare ministry says about 29 percent of Japans 125 million people are 65 years or older. About 86,510 of them are 100 years or older.

Im Mario Ritter Jr.

Mari Yamaguchi reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

__________________________________________________

Words in This Story

bullied adj. to have been frightened, hurt or threatened by someone stronger

prejudice n. an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion or some other reason

temple n. a building for worship or religious observance

certificate n. a document that is official proof that something happened or has been done

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Copyright 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 published in the International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, has looked at the non-pharmautical interventions that were used during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rohit Sindhwani, Venkataramanaiah Saddikuti, and Omkarprasad S. Vaidya of the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, explain that the exponential thread of a potentially lethal infectious disease requires a strong response from those in authority if the impact is to be limited in any way. The team has modeled the response and effects of the pandemic on ten of the worst affected states in India to see if there are any state-specific dynamics. The modeling gives them a dynamic reproductive number for the virus and its spread. Such dynamics might offer clues as to how best to deal with re-emerging waves of infection or the development of a future pandemic. Importantly, the team's study reveals the importance of understanding the heterogeneities that exist between different places, which can help to highlight what measures are useful and what measures fail.

At the time the work was undertaken, the strongest message that is offered is that in terms of non-pharmaceutical interventions, regular personal testing and self isolation, social distancing, and ongoing personal hygiene measures, such as wearing a face covering and hand-washing should be continued. Critically, it is important to identify super-spreaders and to counter the impact they might have on the development of new waves of infection.

Given that India is the second most populous country in the world, it is important for a huge number of people that science understands very clearly how pandemics unroll across the sub-continent. There are, of course, implications for its citizens, its near neighbors, and the whole world.

Explore further Which strategies are appropriate for the fight against the worldwide coronavirus crisis

More information: Rohit Sindhwani et al, Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Indian states during lockdown: incorporating heterogeneity and non-pharmaceutical interventions, International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management (2021). Rohit Sindhwani et al, Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Indian states during lockdown: incorporating heterogeneity and non-pharmaceutical interventions,(2021). DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2021.117477
Researchers said their findings show that viruses genetically close to the SAR-CoV-2 pandemic virus 'exist in nature' among bat species.

Scientists have discovered another clue to the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19, with bats living in caves in Laos found to be carrying a similar pathogen that experts suggest could potentially infect humans directly.

The virus has killed millions since it emerged in China in late 2019, and controversy continues to swirl around where it came from.

Some experts say it is animal-driven but others have pointed to the possibility the pathogen leaked from a lab.

Researchers from France's Pasteur Institute and the National University of Laos said their findings showed that viruses genetically close to the SARS-CoV-2 virus "exist in nature" among bat species in the limestone caves of northern Laos, which neighbours China.

Of the viruses they identified among the hundreds of bats tested in Vientiane Province, three were found to closely resemble the virus that causes COVID-19, particularly in the mechanism for latching on to human cells.

"The idea was to try to identify the origin of this pandemic," Marc Eloit, who leads the Pasteur Institute's pathogen discovery laboratory, told AFP.

Eloit, whose team analysed the samples collected, said there were still key differences between the viruses found and SARS-CoV-2.

But he said the work was "a major step forward" in identifying the pandemic's origin, confirming the theory that the coronavirus that has spread across the world could have started with living bats.

The authors of the study, which has been submitted to Nature for peer review, warned that their findings suggest the new viruses "seem to have the same potential for infecting humans as early strains of SARS-CoV-2".

"People working in caves, such as guano collectors, or certain ascetic religious communities who spend time in or very close to caves, as well as tourists who visit the caves, are particularly at risk of being exposed," the authors said.

'Natural spillover'

International experts sent to China by the World Health Organization (WHO) in January concluded that it was most likely that the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from bats to humans via an intermediate animal.

A competing hypothesis that the virus leaked from a lab like the specialised virology laboratory in Wuhan was deemed "extremely unlikely", although it has yet to be ruled out.

Martin Hibbert, Professor of Emerging Infectious Disease at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicinewho was not involved in the Laos researchsaid the most closely related virus was found to be able to infect human cells "as easily" as SARS-CoV-2 and therefore might be capable of infecting humans.

But he stressed that the virus is "not an ancestor of the pandemic strain".

"This work confirms the expected diverse nature of bat infecting coronaviruses and increases the evidence that natural spill-over events from bats to humans can occur," said Hibbert.

The authors of the Laos study, which has been posted on the site Research Square, said their results suggest the pandemic coronavirus potentially evolved through mixing between different viruses and species of bats.

James Wood, Head of Department of Veterinary Medicine at University of Cambridgewho was also not involved in the researchsaid it suggests "recombination between different viruses was likely involved, rather than there being a simple evolution of a single lineage over a long period".

In a comment to the Science Media Centre he said this not only underscores the likely role played by bats and perhaps other animals living closely together, but also shows the "risks inherent in living wildlife trade", where markets can help drive cross-species zoonotic transmission.

Explore further Bats in Switzerland harbor diverse viruses, some potentially zoonotic

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A large prospective study of COVID-19 outcomes in people with a history of cancer has found that hospital mortality rates do not appear to have reduced over time, unlike those for people with no history of cancer.

The findings from the Clinical Characterisation Protocol (CCP) CANCER-UK studywhich is led by Liverpool researchers in collaboration with colleagues in Edinburghare based on anonymised data from more than 195,000 people hospitalized in the UK, including more than 20,000 with a history of cancer, defined as either being on active treatment for cancer or having had a past diagnosis of cancer.

Data being presented at this year's European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference shows that, although there has been a steady decline in mortality rates for people with no history of cancer since January 2020, the same is not true for people with a history of cancer.

Furthermore, the gap in mortality between people with a history of cancer and those with no history of cancer widened between February 2021 and July 2021.

The reasons for these results are not yet clear. Further data collection and work is ongoing to understand why mortality for people with a history of cancer who are hospitalized with COVID-19 has not changed over the course of the pandemic, unlike those with no history of cancer.

Professor Carlo Palmieri, from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and University of Liverpool, who is co-leading the study, said: "These data show clear trends in mortality. In people with no history of cancer, mortality for hospitalized patients has decreased since January 2020. For people with a history of cancer, however, no reduction in mortality over time was observed, with actual peaks seen across the last year.

"Most noticeably, while COVID-19-related deaths in people with no history of cancer have fallen sharply since January 2021, those for people with a history of cancer have risen.

"We don't know as yet why we are not seeing an improvement in the mortality of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, and work is ongoing at speed to enable us to explain these results."

Dr. Lance Turtle, from the University of Liverpool and Liverpool University Hospitals, said: "Going forward, it's clear that people with compromised immune systems, such as people having treatment for cancer, are going to face particular challenges from COVID. It's really important that as many people as possible get vaccinated, and that we understand who is at greatest risk."

Explore further Hospitalized individuals with active cancer more likely to die from COVID-19

More information: T. Drake et al, Prospective data of >20,000 hospitalised patients with cancer and COVID-19 derived from the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infections Consortium WHO Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium: CCP-CANCER UK, Annals of Oncology (2021). Journal information: Annals of Oncology T. Drake et al, Prospective data of >20,000 hospitalised patients with cancer and COVID-19 derived from the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infections Consortium WHO Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium: CCP-CANCER UK,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/annonc/annonc741
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Following the recent announcement by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that people who are immunosuppressed will be offered a third COVID-19 jab, a new clinical trial will begin at St George's to determine whether a third dose of vaccine will improve the immune response for people in these groups.

The trial will be led by the University of Glasgow and co-ordinated by the University of Birmingham's Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, with St George's Hospital acting as a site for the trial, with support from the Vaccine Institute at St George's, University of London. The Principal Investigator for the study at St George's will be Dr. Mickey Koh, Lead for Haematology at the hospital and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the university.

The OCTAVE DUO study will offer people who are immunosuppressed or immunocompromised an additional vaccine to determine whether this will give a stronger immune response than two doses.

The study follows on from the OCTAVE trial, which was set up to assess the immune responses in immunosuppressed patients after receiving their first two COVID-19 vaccine doses. The preliminary results from OCTAVE, published in The Lancet, demonstrated that although some antibodies were detected in 89% of people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed following vaccination, as many as 40% of people in these groups mounted a low, or undetectable, immune response after two doses. It was also felt that this figure is likely to be significantly higher in certain groups of immune suppressed patients like those who have recently received a bone marrow transplant.

The level of antibodies required for protection from COVID-19 is still not known, and it is likely that other immune cells called T cells also play an important role in protecting people from the virus. Nonetheless, these findings suggest vaccine efficacy is likely to wane more quickly in these groups and that the current two vaccine doses may not be sufficient.

With this in mind, up to 1,200 patients who are already involved in the OCTAVE study or those with other at-risk conditions involved in parallel studies will be recruited to the OCTAVE DUO trial.

Co-funded by the government's Vaccines Taskforce and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the study will analyze in detail the immune response of this group to the vaccine and the durability of this protection. It will also use healthcare records to determine whether any participants are later diagnosed with COVID-19.

Initial results are expected later this year to further inform the UK's COVID-19 vaccine deployment in these specific at-risk groups. The trial will follow the patients to mid-2022 and offer more detailed information at that stage about the immune responses that develop in these groups.

Speaking on the trial, Dr. Koh said: "I think the promise of these two trials is that, together, the findings will allow us to have a deeper and clearer understanding of how vaccination impacts upon immune response, especially in immune suppressed patients with cancers, on dialysis or post-transplant. This will extend our knowledge beyond not just healthy individuals, but to those that are at greater risk of contracting very severe COVID-19 disease. We've seen from the initial wave of COVID-19 how severely impacted these patients are. It's very important that we continue to look after these groups as best we can and find the optimal timing and delivery of vaccines they should have."

Patients included in the OCTAVE DUO study are people with immune mediated inflammatory diseases (including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, vasculitis and inflammatory bowel disease), renal disease, certain cancers, stem-cell transplantation, and other immune deficiencies.

Professor Pam Kearns, Director of the University of Birmingham's Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, which is co-ordinating both OCTAVE and OCTAVE DUO, said: "The pandemic has been particularly concerning for millions of people in the UK who have conditions or long term illnesses which place them at greater risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19.

"Together with our preliminary findings from OCTAVE, this new study will be instrumental in helping inform how best to vaccinate patients with chronic conditions, and protect them from COVID-19 infection in the future."

Explore further OCTAVE study reveals vaccine responses in patients with impaired immune systems
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

With the COVID-19 pandemic stretching health systems worldwide, Pacific countries have capitalized on their relative isolation to avoid the worst. Border closures and other measures have slowed and stopped the spread of the virus to the point some nations have recorded no cases at all.

Even where the virus has not spread, however, establishing screening, quarantine and mass vaccination programs has stretched already limited health systems. Where community transmission has occurred, as in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, it has severely tested national health systems.

The good news is that these small nations have been more resilient than they might otherwise have been due to a dramatic increase in the number of doctors employed in the Pacific in the past decade.

In some countries this has seen a doubling or more of doctor numbers. For example, from 2012 to 2019, the number of doctors in Kiribati increased from 18 to 51. Remarkable increases have also been recorded in the Solomon Islands (79 to 170), Tonga (44 to 80), Vanuatu (27 to 67) and Tuvalu (7 to 27).

Where these doctors come from may surprise you. Most are new graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Cuba. Over the past decade, more than 250 Pacific students have traveled to Cuba, learned Spanish, and completed six years of medical training on full scholarships from the Cuban government.

Solidarity and compassion

Cuba has a long history of international medical cooperation and Cuban doctors have served in over 150 countries. In the Pacific, approximately 50 Cuban doctors have served in Nauru, Kiribati and Vanuatu since 2006.

But Cuba has also recognized that having foreign doctors staff health systems indefinitely is unsustainable, and that "the ideal provider is a well trained, homegrown health professional."

The purpose of ELAM is therefore to train students from lower income and medically under-resourced communities who will go on to serve their countries. Training doctors is an act of solidarity and compassion built on Cuba's commitment to health as a human right.

While the program began long before the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on health system resilience and crisis response has been crucial. Without skilled professionals as a first line of defense, there can be no effective health security or pandemic response.

Cuban medicine and medical training also emphasizes prevention, public health and community care. It's a model designed for low-resource environments, well matched to the needs of the Pacific. As one Cuban-trained graduate in Tuvalu said:

"Cuban-trained doctors have a sense for preventive medicine [] I think our best contribution in the health services would be to apply what we learned in Cuba and to adapt it to our health system in Tuvalu.

"As a result of this pandemic our resources have become even more limited than before. So, prevention and good health promotion would be the main goals to achieve to limit the use of already scarce resources."

Problems persist

At the same time, the return of these graduates and their integration into local practice hasn't always been smooth. Their initial integration has been threatened by a lack of places in medical internship programs in the region. These had to be rapidly created or upscaled in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Kiribati.

While they demonstrated good basic medical knowledge and strong foundations in preventative health, many Cuban graduates did poorly on their entry exams for internship training.

In particular, they struggled with basic procedures and also with medical English, having studied in Spanish.

Partly, though, problems have been the result of differences between Cuban and Pacific health systems and needs. Many diseases prevalent in the Pacific have been eradicated in Cuba, which also has a much higher doctor to population ratio and therefore more defined professional roles within the health sector. As a medical trainer noted: "The Cuban-trained interns said that in Cuba you would never take your own blood samples [] You wouldn't interpret the X-rays. You'd have lots of other people to do that for you. So they'd never learn any of those skills. But they were keen to. They were so keen to learn."

Sustaining front line workers

Bridging courses and successful intern training have addressed these differences. Concerns have eased as graduates have moved into jobs, with some also undertaking post-graduate training in Fiji, New Zealand and elsewhere.

Cuba's direct Pacific contribution has slowed due to the pandemic and changes in regional governments, with only one Cuban doctor still in the region (in Kiribati).

But a virtual meeting last year between Cuban experts and representatives from seven Pacific countries did address regional responses to the pandemic. Cuba has also offered post-pandemic support to Nauru and Palau, and remains open to cooperation with other Pacific countries.

It's safe to say, however, that many Pacific nations have been able to respond well to the challenges of COVID-19 because of Cuba's past assistance. In particular, the strong sense of service, community and solidarity built into Cuban medical training has sustained and motivated Pacific health workers on the front lines.

Explore further Cuba seeks WHO approval of its COVID-19 vaccines

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

While many people focus on the role of drugs in overdose deaths, a recent study shows that deaths where drugs were a contributing cause are also on the rise.

In fact, at the same time deaths from many causes are showing a decline in the United States, the proportion of them that involve drugs is often increasing dramatically.

The death rate from accidents and suicides in which drugs played a contributing role increased fivefold between 1999 and 2019, the study found. The death rate from diseases and medical conditions in which drugs played a role increased 2.5 times in that same period.

"That's an incredible and very concerning increase," said Mike Vuolo, co-author of the study and associate professor of sociology at The Ohio State University.

"There's an understandable focus on overdose deaths, but we shouldn't overlook the number of deaths in this country where drugs play a contributing role, even if they aren't listed as the main cause."

Vuolo, who is also a core faculty member of Ohio State's Translational Data Analytics Institute, conducted the study with Brian C. Kelly, professor of sociology at Purdue University, and Laura Frizzell, a graduate student in sociology at Ohio State. Their results appear in the September 2021 issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

The study is based on the fact that when medical examiners and coroners rule on the cause of death they list the "underlying cause"the main reason the person diedbut can also list up to 10 other factors that contributed.

The researchers used the CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death database for a 21-year period, 1999 to 2019, which contains every death in the United States.

They examined deaths where the underlying cause was not listed as a drug overdose, but which listed drugs as a contributing cause. That usually means drugs were present in the body at the time of death.

During the time period covered in the study, there were 649,697 deaths with drug overdose listed as the cause. But there were another 51,466 deaths where drugs were a contributing factor.

"Drugs as a contributing cause increases the death toll from drugs nearly 8% beyond overdose deaths alone," Vuolo said.

The most striking statistics were the changes in the proportion of deaths that were related to drugs in some categories, especially among accidents, Vuolo said.

For example, while the number of deaths per year from vehicle-related crashes declined between 1999 and 2019, the proportion that involved the use of drugs rose more than 11 timesfrom 1 in 901 crashes in 1999 to 1 in 78 crashes in 2019.

Accidental drownings were another example. In 1999, 1 in 104 drownings listed drug use as a contributing factor.

"But drugs contributed to a staggering 1 in 13 drownings in 2019," Vuolo said.

Similar findings were found in many medical conditions. In 1999, about 1 in 1,564 deaths involving diseases of the circulatory systemmostly heart diseasehad drugs as a contributing factor. That increased to 1 in 434 in 2019.

"We actually had a decline in the number of people who died of diseases of the circulatory systems in the U.S. between 1999 and 2019, even though our population increased," he said.

"Much of that has to do with advances in medicine and fewer people smoking. But those numbers might be even better if we didn't have an issue with drug use."

While many of the same drugs that are commonly linked to overdose deaths, such as heroin and fentanyl, are also listed as contributing factors, other drugs getting less attention in overdoses also play a role.

In recent years, psychostimulants such as methamphetamine and prescription stimulants have become the predominant drugs listed as contributors to non-overdose deaths in the United States, the findings showed.

Overdose deaths from psychostimulants are getting more attention now, Vuolo said, but these findings show that they are also important as contributing factors in many deaths.

"What our study does is give a broader picture of the drug mortality crisis that is not captured just by looking at overdoses," he said.

"And it means that we can't handle the crisis just by focusing on preventing overdoses. We need a broader policy."

Explore further Drug overdose deaths generally higher in urban counties

More information: Mike Vuolo et al, Trends in psychotropic-drug-implicated mortality: Psychotropic drugs as a contributing but non-underlying cause of death, Drug and Alcohol Dependence (2021). Journal information: Drug and Alcohol Dependence Mike Vuolo et al, Trends in psychotropic-drug-implicated mortality: Psychotropic drugs as a contributing but non-underlying cause of death,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108843
A new sensor can distinguish infectious viruses from noninfectious ones, thanks to selective DNA fragments and sensitive nanopore technology. Credit: Ana Peinetti

A new sensor can detect not only whether a virus is present, but whether it's infectiousan important distinction for containing viral spread.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators developed the sensor, which integrates specially designed DNA fragments and nanopore sensing, to target and detect infectious viruses in minutes without the need to pre-treat samples. They demonstrated the sensor's power with two key viruses that cause infections worldwide: The human adenovirus and the virus that causes COVID-19.

Yi Lu, a professor emeritus of chemistry, and Benito Marinas, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, co-led the work with University of Illinois Chicago professor Lijun Rong; professor Omar Azzaroni, of the National University of La Plata in Argentina; and Maria Eugenia Toimil-Molares, of the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Germany. They reported their findings in the journal Science Advances.

"The infectivity status is very important information that can tell us if patients are contagious or if an environmental disinfection method works," said Ana Peinetti, the first author of the study, who performed the work while a postdoctoral researcher at Illinois. She now leads a research group at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. "Our sensor combines two key components: Highly specific DNA molecules and highly sensitive nanopore technology. We developed these highly specific DNA molecules, named aptamers, that not only recognize viruses but also can differentiate the infectivity status of the virus."

The "gold standard" of viral detection, PCR tests detect viral genetic material but cannot distinguish whether a sample is infectious or determine whether a person is contagious. This can make it more difficult to track and contain viral outbreaks, the researchers said.

"With the virus that causes COVID-19, it has been shown that the level of viral RNA has minimal correlation with the virus's infectivity. In the early stage when a person is infected, the viral RNA is low and difficult to detect, but the person is highly contagious," Lu said. "When a person is recovered and not infectious, the viral RNA level can be very high. Antigen tests follow a similar pattern, though even later than viral RNA. Therefore, viral RNA and antigen tests are both poor in informing whether a virus is infectious or not. It may result in delayed treatment or quarantine, or premature release of those who may still be contagious."

Tests that detect infectious viruses, called plaque assays, exist but require special preparation and days of incubation to render results. The new sensing method can yield results in 30 minutes to two hours, the researchers report, and since it requires no pre-treatment of the sample, it can be used on viruses that will not grow in the lab.

Being able to distinguish infectious from noninfectious viruses and to detect small amounts from untreated samples that may contain other contaminants is important not only for rapid diagnosis of patients who are in the early stage of infection or who are still contagious after treatment, but for environmental monitoring as well, Marinas said.

"We chose human adenovirus to demonstrate our sensor because it is an emerging waterborne viral pathogen of concern in the United States and throughout the world," Marinas said. "The capability to detect infectious adenovirus in the presence of viruses rendered noninfectious by water disinfectants, and other potentially interfering background substances in wastewaters and contaminated natural waters, provides an unprecedented novel approach. We see potential for such technology to provide more robust protection of environmental and public health."

The sensing technique could be applied to other viruses, the researchers say, by tweaking the DNA to target different pathogens. The DNA aptamers used in the sensor can be readily produced with widely available DNA synthesizers, similarly to the RNA probes produced for PCR tests. Nanopore sensors are also commercially available, making the sensing technique readily scalable, said Lu, now a professor at the University of Texas, Austin.

The researchers are working to further improve the sensors' sensitivity and selectivity, and are integrating their DNA aptamers with other detection methods, such as color-changing dipsticks or sensors to work with smartphones, to eliminate the need for special equipment. With the ability to distinguish noninfectious from infectious viruses, the researchers said they hope their technology could also aid in understanding mechanisms of infection.

"In addition, the aptamer technology could be further developed into multichannel platforms for detecting other emerging waterborne viral pathogens of public and environmental health concern, such as norovirus and enteroviruses, or for variants of the virus that causes COVID-19," Marinas said.

More information: Ana S. Peinetti et al, Direct detection of human adenovirus or SARS-CoV-2 with ability to inform infectivity using DNA aptamer-nanopore sensors, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances Ana S. Peinetti et al, Direct detection of human adenovirus or SARS-CoV-2 with ability to inform infectivity using DNA aptamer-nanopore sensors,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abh2848
An infant is touching an object. Visually impaired babies rely more on touch than hearing to respond to the world around them, but both senses will be important in designing tools to help them develop. Credit: IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Visually impaired babies rely more on touch than hearing to respond to the world around them, but both senses will be important in designing tools to help them develop, according to new research.

Researchers at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology), in Italy, and the University of Birmingham, in the UK, collaborated on a study to compare how sighted and visually impaired babies reacted to different stimuli.

While sighted babies reacted more to auditory stimuli, the visually impaired babies reacted more to tactile stimuli. When both stimuli were presented together, the sighted babies were able to locate and respond much faster. The visually impaired babies were still able to produce a more rapid response than with just one stimulus, but the benefit which they gained from having auditory and tactile stimuli together was significantly less than that observed in the sighted babies.

The study, published in Current Biology, was carried out by a team from the Unit for Visually Impaired People (U-VIP) in the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova (Italy), working in collaboration with the University of Birmingham's BabyLab in the School of Psychology (UK), the Centre of Child Neurophthalmology, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia (Italy) and the Elfi del Boschetto Nursery (Italy).

The collaboration stems from a project supported by a European Research Council grant to Dr. Monica Gori, who is a Principal Investigator at IIT, leading the U-VIP lab and coordinator of the study. Her research aims to link child development, visual impairment, and rehabilitation, starting from understanding how spatial awareness develops in the brain in both sighted and visually-impaired children.

Dr. Gori's research aims to identify the specific developmental periods when visual experience is crucial in establishing multisensory links between vision and the other sensesand how this process is affected in blind infants, children and adolescents.

The collaboration between the research team of Dr. Gori in Italy and Prof. Bremner in the UK enabled these questions to be tackled through behavioral studies with infants aged between five and 35 months with severe visual impairments. The direct observation was possible thanks to Dr. Sabrina Signorini at IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, who managed the clinical aspects of the research, and thanks to the Elfi del Boschetto nursery of Genoa.

The visually impaired infants were able to respond to auditory and tactile stimuli. Researchers put buzzers that could either vibrate or make a sound in the babies' hands and recorded what happened when the babies experienced either sound or vibration in either hand or both hands at once.

The results indicate that visually impaired infants are less able to integrate touch and sounds. They also show that visually impaired infants have a greater tendency to respond to the tactile over the auditory environment compared to sighted infants. But because the results show that visually impaired infants do integrate touch and soundsalbeit to a lesser extentthere is the potential for future interventions to help visually impaired infants build a bridge between the personal world of touch and their understanding of the outside spatial world conveyed through sounds.

"This work tells us that infants with visual impairments already perceive a different world from ours" explains Dr. Gori. "This is the first study that investigates multisensory integration in blind infants using pure sensory stimulations. In recent years, we have developed technologies for older blind children. These new results will enable us to develop new rehabilitative technologies for early intervention that we can use in this highly sensitive period of early development."

Co-author Professor Andrew Bremner at the University of Birmingham, says that "we know a lot about how visually impaired adults and children perceive the world because we can ask them, and there are plenty of resources that can help them develop and improve that understanding."

"It's much harder to understand how visually impaired infants develop their awareness ofand response tothe world around them, but also really important to support them effectively during this early, crucial, developmental stage. These insights can be used to improve the tools and resources being designed for this purpose".

Researchers believe that these findings holds promise for early sensory interventions, or rehabilitation tools which might help visually impaired infants learn more about the world around them and themselves.

Explore further Clues for improving sleep in visually impaired athletes

More information: Monica Gori et al, Multisensory spatial perception in visually impaired infants, Current Biology (2021). Journal information: Current Biology Monica Gori et al, Multisensory spatial perception in visually impaired infants,(2021). doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.011

Provided by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Proportion of participants by MRD category, matched for risk factors. Data are for all participants with available data at the end of induction treatment (A) and the end of consolidation treatment (B), at the end of induction in the IKZF1 deleted and IKZF1 wild-type group (C), and at the end of consolidation in the IKZF1 deleted and IKZF1 wild-type group (D). Matched controls are non-Down syndrome patients with ALL. Numbers within plots show the number of patients in each MRD category (low MRD <00001; high MRD 00001). MRD=minimal residual disease. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/S2352-3026(21)00272-6

Children with Down syndrome have a lower chance of survival from a particular high-risk form of leukemia (ALL) than children without the disability, new research shows. Researcher Naomi Michels in the Den Boer group: "We need to continue the search for targeted therapies and immunotherapy for these children."

Children at higher risk of their cancer recurring usually receive more intensive treatment. But that's not possible for children with Down, as they tend to have more side effects from treatment. The syndrome is a genetic disorder, but the possible effect of DNA changes in leukemia cells in Down was still unknown.

In a new study, scientists from the Princess Maxima Center and the Erasmus Medical Center compared the effect of therapy in leukemia patients with and without Down syndrome. The international study, involving researchers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia and Australia, was published today (Tuesday) in Lancet Haematology. In the Netherlands, the study was funded by the Princess Maxima Center Foundation and the Children's Oncological Center Rotterdam Foundation.

Treatment equally effective

To account for differences in known risk factors, data from 136 leukemia patients with Down syndrome were matched with those from 407 children who did not have Down syndrome. The matched 'duos' had the same age, ALL subtype, and blood results at diagnosis. That's how the researchers knew that any differences that remained were linked to Down syndrome.

Their analysis showed that the levels of leukemia cells decreased equally well in both groups of children after the first month of treatment. But the scientists discovered an important difference in longer-term outcome between children with and without Down syndrome in the so-called Ikaros form of ALL.

Increased chance of cancer coming back

A DNA error in the Ikaros gene leads to a more aggressive form of the disease in all children with leukemia. But children who also had Down syndrome had an even worse outcome than children without the disability, the researchers found.

Naomi Michels, Ph.D. student in the Den Boer group, also part of the Oncode Institute, was involved in the study. "The Ikaros gene mainly increases the risk of cancer coming back," she says. "Children with Down syndrome and Ikaros ALL were more likely to see their leukemia return within five years of treatment." This was the case in 37 percent of these children, compared with 13 percent of Ikaros ALL patients who did not have Down syndrome. In other types of ALL, there was no notable difference between children with and without Down syndrome.

Fewer side effects

The researchers believe the difference has to do with an interaction between the genetic changes in Down syndrome and the Ikaros gene. Michels: "We need to continue the search for treatments with fewer side effectssuch as targeted therapies and forms of immunotherapyin order to be able to better treat children with Down syndrome who have this high-risk form of ALL."

Explore further Comparing DNA changes in blood stem cells and leukemia cells could help pick out children with high-risk AML

More information: Naomi Michels et al, Minimal residual disease, long-term outcome, and IKZF1 deletions in children and adolescents with Down syndrome and acute lymphocytic leukaemia: a matched cohort study, The Lancet Haematology (2021). Journal information: The Lancet Haematology Naomi Michels et al, Minimal residual disease, long-term outcome, and IKZF1 deletions in children and adolescents with Down syndrome and acute lymphocytic leukaemia: a matched cohort study,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/S2352-3026(21)00272-6

Provided by Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Most of us experience the world in two different states of mind. In one, we're attentive and focused on what we're doing, and in the other we wander through our mental landscape. These states of mind wandering occur 30 to 50 percent of our daily lives says Dr. Effie Pereira, the inaugural Lupina Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Faculty of Arts. While science has studied states of attention for over a century, mind wandering remains a lot less understood, she adds.

Pereira's previous research was one of the first to identify that the predictability of mind wandering is a core factor that determines how this state of mind can affect a person for better or worse. As a cognitive scientist and postdoctoral member of Professor Daniel Smilek's Vision and Attention Lab based in Psychology, Pereira is deepening her study on the link between mind wandering and affective dysfunctionor negative mental health outcomes.

Here, Pereira unpacks her research and the app she's developing to collect real-world mind wandering dataand why Waterloo and the Lupina fellowship are a good fit for this work.

Could you tell us a bit about mind wandering?

Mind wandering can be considered a state of internal attention. One way it can occur is intentionally, when we purposely or willingly choose to shift our attention away from our immediate situation to our internal thoughts. But another way it occurs is unintentionally, where this shift happens unexpectedly or involuntarily, similar to the surprising feeling we might have when we're talking to a friend and we realize we've just lost the last minute of our conversation.

And what is affective dysfunction?

Affective states are used to define a broad range of feelings, thoughts, moods, and emotions that characterize how we're subjectively experiencing things on a moment-to-moment basis. These can encompass positive affects like happiness and pleasure and excitement, but it can also mean negative affects, such as nervousness, frustration, and fear. So affective dysfunction is a state that occurs when an individual finds themselves temporally stuck in a negative state for either a short period of time or a very long period.

Okay, great. Now please tell us about your research project titled Unpredictable minds and dysfunctional emotions: The link between predictability of unintentional mind wandering and affective dysfunction in everyday life.

Past research supports the idea that people who tend to mind wander more tend to experience increased states of affective dysfunctionsuch as decreased happiness. And recent work from my advisor Dan Smilek's lab has also found that these negative affective states were specifically associated with unintentional states of mind wandering. So, there are these tight links between these two constructs. And that's where some of my work comes in.

In my Ph.D. work I found that each of us has a very specific style of mind wandering that is either very predictable or unpredictable. And it's this predictable nature of mind wanderingwhen you have a very cyclical or recurring pattern where you can't stop your mind from wanderingwhere we tend to find an association with negative outcomes. In my Lupina postdoc work, I'm exploring this link between the predictability of mind wandering and negative outcomes by focusing on the predictability of intentional versus unintentional mind wandering and how these relate to affective dysfunction.

How does the smartphone app figure into this research?

Within cognitive science, one of the things that we try to keep developing is new and novel ways to examine real world behaviorbecause there's really only so much that we can do to simulate this within the laboratory. But there are also ways to bring the laboratory into the real world. And that's what my work at the University of Waterloo is focusing on.

The smartphone app I'm currently developing and programming will be used by study participants who would keep it turned on during everyday activities. The app will message them at random intervals and ask them to document aspects of their mind wandering throughout the day. The notion that everyone carries their smartphone with them allows us to capture this wide and diverse range of behaviors and activities that we wouldn't really be able to test otherwise. And the app users can actually check out what their patterns of attention and mind wandering look like throughout the day. While it's not meant to be diagnostic, it is a way for individuals to feel more connected to the scientific process they're participating in.

With its emphasis on the social determinants of health, what attracted you to apply for the Lupina postdoc?

Larger demographic, societal or environmental factors, such as experiences of racism or historical trauma, are all negative determinants of health. So there's a lot more work that needs to be done to determine not just the effect, but also the intersectionality of these determinants and how they contribute to different outcomes. And while I'm a cognitive scientist who is very much focused on brain mechanisms and behavior, individuals are not independent from their environment, and I think it's vital to understand what these embedded spheres of influence mean, even within a cognitive science framework.

One of the big reasons for joining Waterloo as a postdoctoral researcher is my current advisor, Dan Smilek, who is widely regarded for his expertise in attention and mind wandering. I'm excited to be part of such a creative team within his lab and within the Psychology department as a whole, as part of the next generation of researchers that are unpacking the connection between cognitive states and health outcomes. Waterloo's research excellence and track record are just very clearand the perfect place for me to continue my postdoc.

Explore further Not all mind wandering is created equal
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Moscow is seeing a new increase in coronavirus cases, the mayor's office announced on Wednesday, as Russian authorities struggle to convince a vaccine-sceptic population to get innoculated.

According to the latest official figures, Russia has recorded more than seven million cases and 200,625 deaths, the highest death toll in Europe.

"Over the past few days, we've registered an increase in coronavirus cases in Moscow," deputy Moscow mayor Anastasia Rakova told reporters.

Compared to last week, the number of cases has grown 24 percent, while the number of hospitalisations has increased 15 percent, Rakova said.

She chalked up the growing number of coronavirus cases to a seasonal spike in respiratory infections and increased contacts between people following the end of the summer vacation season.

Rakova also said that the Delta variant now accounted for all coronavirus cases.

This past summer Russia had been hit by a new coronavirus wave driven by the highly contagious Delta variant exacerbated by a slow vaccination drive despite easy access to home-grown vaccines.

According to government figures, between September 16 and September 20, the number of daily coronavirus cases in Moscow hovered around 2,500.

On Wednesday, city officials reported 1,991 new coronavirus cases in the Russian capital.

Some independent experts say authorities have downplayed the number of fatalities across the country.

Under a broader definition for deaths linked to the coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat reported in late August that Russia had seen more than 350,000 fatalities.

According to the Gogov website, which tallies COVID data from the regions, only 28 percent of the Russian population has been fully vaccinated.

Last week President Vladimir Putin said he had to self-isolate after coronavirus cases were detected in his inner circle.

Explore further Russia reports record daily virus deaths

 2021 AFP
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Women who do not receive recommended cancer screenings are at a higher risk of morbidity and mortality. But why is it that some women are more likely to receive cancer screenings than others? A new study examined differences in receipt of cancer screenings by race. Study results will be presented during The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, September 22-25, 2021.

To evaluate the impact that race plays on a woman's likelihood to have a colonoscopy, mammogram, or pap smear within the recommended time intervals, researchers from at University of Pittsburgh studied nearly 900 women, of which 12% were White, 36% were Black, 49% were Hispanic, and 3% were other races/ethnicities. Going into the study, the researchers hypothesized that White women would be more likely to receive cancer screenings than women from other racial and ethnic groups. However, this was not always the case.

While White women were more likely than Black and Hispanic women to have up-to-date colon cancer screening in unadjusted analysis, they were less likely to have up-to-date mammograms than Black women. However, once researchers adjusted the analysis for such covariates as income, employment, education, disabilities, health insurance, age, BMI, comorbidities, smoking status, marital status, and trust in healthcare, racial differences in colon cancer screening became statistically insignificant. Of these factors, disability and health insurance coverage played the greatest role in helping to explain disparities.

After adjusting for such covariates, only mammogram frequency remained race-dependent. Roughly 80% of study participants reported receiving a mammogram within the past two years. In comparison, 83% reported having cervical cancer screening in the last five years with no difference by race. Of the women over 50, only 58% had up-to-date colon screening.

"Knowing which women are less likely to receive cancer screenings can help target quality improvement initiatives to patients most in need," says Dr. Holly Thomas from the University of Pittsburgh School and lead author of the study. "The aim of this analysis was to examine the differences in receipt of cancer screenings by race within a community sample from one geographic location while controlling for other key variables."

This cross-sectional survey was conducted in selected underserved areas of Chicago.

"It is important for healthcare professionals to understand the factors that may interfere with their patients' abilities and willingness to undergo recommended cancer screenings, so they need to have meaningful conversations that are tailored to specific patient situations," says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.

Explore further Women's cancer screenings plummeted during pandemic
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Rates of self-harm could be rising more quickly in children and adolescents from ethnic minority groups than in those from white groups, according to a study led by University of Manchester researchers.

The study, which used data on hospital emergency department presentations across three cities and five hospitals for 10-19 year-olds between 2000-2016, is published today in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.

Data which looked at increases in presentations over time found higher average annual increases among Black and South Asian young people and those from other non-white ethnic groups compared to white young people.

However, the researchers urge caution as the absolute increase in numbers, though statistically significant, was small. The findings might also have been accounted for by better recording or population changes.

And despite the increases, rates of self-harm remained highest in young people who were white.

The team analyzed the data from 10,211 white, 344 Black, 619 South Asian and 732 other non-white children and adolescents who presented for self-harm at emergency departments in Manchester, Oxford and Derby. The research was carried out as part of the Multicentre Study of Self-Harm in England.

Around half of Black, South Asian and other non-white young people received a specialist psychosocial assessment, compared to over 60% for white groups. Official guidance stipulates everyone who self-harms should be assessed.

Those from an ethnic minority background were more likely to live in economically deprived areas and less likely to be receiving mental health care than their white counterparts.

In terms of outcomes, risk of repetition was lower among ethnic minority groups when compared to white groups. There was little difference in suicide mortality but the overall number of suicide deaths was small.

Lead author Bushra Farooq, a researcher from the University's Centre for Mental health and Safety said that "self-harm in all children and adolescents has become a major public health concern in recent years."

"While the majority of presentations continue to be made by white children and adolescents, ethnic minority groups seem to account for an increasing proportion in recent years."

"It's difficult to know what has driven this among ethnic minority groups specifically. Possible reasons include factors related to psychological health."

"Some people have also speculated that educational pressures or social media use might be driving the increase in young people as a whole but the evidence is far from clear. We know social media can be helpful for some young people."

"Increases after 2011 may also be associated with deprivation, poverty, and or service related factors which might have particularly affected those living in poorer communities where a disproportionate number of ethnic minority groups live."

"Unfortunately our study could only look at very broad ethnic groups. Within these broad groups there are some important differences. Future studies must acknowledge and explore these differences."

Professor Nav Kapur, from The University of Manchester, senior author on the paper, added that "historically we haven't had very good information on self-harm and suicide in people from ethnic minorities. Data on young people from these communities has been even more sparse."

"Of course we must keep a close eye on the incidence of suicide and self-harmthe recent data published by the Office of National Statistics suggesting a high overall overate of suicide in people of mixed ethnicity emphasized just how important this is."

"But one of the big stories here is about inequity and access to servicesyoung people from ethnic minority groups lived in more deprived areas, were less likely to be properly assessed and less likely to be in receipt of mental health care."

"We need to understand the reasons for these findings and make sure we do better in the future-whether that is through provision of culturally adapted mental health services or better staff training. We also need to stop thinking about people from ethnic minorities as part of a single group with uniform needs."

Explore further New study reveals patients from minority ethnic groups are more likely to be admitted to hospital

More information: Bushra Farooq et al, Self-harm in children and adolescents by ethnic group: an observational cohort study from the Multicentre Study of Self-Harm in England, The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (2021). Bushra Farooq et al, Self-harm in children and adolescents by ethnic group: an observational cohort study from the Multicentre Study of Self-Harm in England,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/S2352-4642(21)00239-X
Rick van Loon. Credit: Eindhoven University of Technology

In some patients, inserting intravenous catheters is a painful and tricky affair. Nurse anesthetist Rick van Loon of Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven has developed a technique that dramatically improves the success rate. After specific training and with the aid of ultrasound technology, non-specialists can also master this technique. Van Loon will receive his Ph.D. on this subject from the department of Electrical Engineering on Eindhoven University of Technology on Friday, September 24. "It is my dream that in the future no patient will get a failed jab."

It is a common problem in the everyday practice of hospitals: the failure to insert intravenous catheters in patients. In 19 percent of cases, this processwhich is known as cannulationis unsuccessful on the first attempt, because patients have so-called 'difficult veins." In his research, Van Loon has shown that by using ultrasound technology that percentage can be brought down to just 7 percent.

"With an ultrasound machine, we can look under the skin of the arm, as it were, and detect veins that are invisible to the naked eye. Veins then become visible on the monitor of the ultrasound machine, which helps us to direct the catheter to the vein."

Anxiety and stress among patients

To determine whether a patient has difficult veins, Van Loon first developed a model to determine each patient's individual risk profile in advance; the Adult Difficult Intravenous Access (A-DIVA) scale.

With the A-DIVA scale, patients are classified according to their individual cannulation success rate. Van Loon: "We distinguish three categories: low-, moderate- and high-risk patients. In the latter group in particular, the success rate during the first attempt is low, only 6 percent."

Research also shows that those patients often experience additional anxiety and stress on top of the anxiety and stress they already have before surgery in the hospital. The researcher has good news for this patient group: "Through my approach, we were able to bring the success rate from 6 to 94 percent. A spectacular improvement!"

The A-DIVA scale is now being used in other hospitals in the Netherlands, and hospitals in Switzerland, the United States and Australia have also shown interest in the new model. It has already been used successfully in a Portuguese hospital.

Special training

"If it turns out that a patient has difficult veins, you can ask someone who is more experienced to perform the procedure. Often a patient will then be taken to the operating room to have an anesthesiologist insert the catheter," Van Loon explains. However, such a procedure is inefficient, logistically complicated and very costly.

That's why he successfully developed a specific course for nurses to train them to use ultrasound when performing cannulation. Studies show that after 34 supervised ultrasound-guided procedures, more than 90 percent of the trainees were able to perform the procedure successfully at their first attempt. "So it's a steep learning curve that can be gone through quickly," says Van Loon.

Van Loon hopes that his research will help make failed cannulations less and less common. "We will never achieve one hundred percent, but any improvement in this area is great news for our patients."

Explore further Ultrasound guidance improves first-attempt IV success in IV access in children

More information: Difficult peripheral intravenous cannulationdecision-based application of point-of-care ultrasound to increase cannulation success. Difficult peripheral intravenous cannulationdecision-based application of point-of-care ultrasound to increase cannulation success. pure.tue.nl/ws/portalfiles/por  41/20210924_Loon.pdf
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers from the University of Nottingham have been working to address uncertainty in questionnaires across a variety of problems with support from the UK EPSRC and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). They have developed an interval-valued response method as an alternative to the commonly used questionnaire approaches. Their research has been published in Behavior Research Methods.

Filling out surveys, questionnaires and reviews is a part of everyday life. These are used as a way of collecting feedback and data for a range of applications, but current models are inflexible in the responses they can collect, often using scales of 1-5, likely to unlikely, or agree to disagree, where the respondent can only choose one score.

Christian Wagner, Professor of Computer Science, has been leading the research. He explains that "current methods for collecting quantitative or qualitative data each have their own limitations and we are exploring the viability of alternatives designed to maximize data capture for effort invested. Specifically, we have focused on an issue we believe has received relatively little attention given its potential significancethe efficient capture of uncertainty as perceived by an individual respondent. We have all been faced with a conventional scale and been unsure which option to choose, whether the question is badly worded or ambiguous, or whether we don't know the exact answer or indeed feel that multiple options apply. Our research offers an alternative response system that takes this uncertainty into account, providing better quality data for little to no added effort. This has a lot of benefits, and it could even be used to improve data privacy in the future."

The new method uses ellipses to allow respondents to choose a range when answering a question, in an intuitive and accessible way. So instead of choosing one discrete point along the scale, the respondent can draw an interval around all options that apply. The team have tested these interval-valued questionnaires in a variety of areas; from vulnerability assessments in cyber security, to consumer perceptions of products, patient understanding in healthcare, and environmental management.

Zack Ellerby, lead author of the paper elaborates that "data is used to inform decision making across a wide range of areas, and our research shows that there is an efficient way to capture better quality data without requiring much more time or money  and that people can effectively use this approach to communicate their uncertainty."

The research is led by the Lab for Uncertainty in Data and Decision Making (LUCID), at the University of Nottingham's School of Computer Science, and is an inter-disciplinary collaboration with partners including Carnegie Mellon University's School of Social and Decision Sciences. Christian Wagner, who leads the lab, add that "this most recent output really highlights the potential of cross-disciplinary research, linking both Computer Science and Psychology in this case. In parallel to ongoing research focussing on the analysis of the resulting data, we are already working with stakeholders in other sectors, such as consumer goods manufacturers to apply this to their business and we are keen to expand into other areas to explore how beneficial this method can be."

More information: Ellerby, Z. et al, Capturing richer information: On establishing the validity of an interval-valued survey response mode, Behav Res (2021). Ellerby, Z. et al, Capturing richer information: On establishing the validity of an interval-valued survey response mode,(2021). doi.org/10.3758/s13428-021-01635-0
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While there has been much discussion about how effective various public health measures are against COVID-19, there has been less discussion about the moral and ethical issues raised by the pandemic. What are our moral obligations in the face of COVID-19?

To discuss these issues we reached out to Karey Harwood, a bioethicist and associate professor of religious studies at NC State. Harwood's work focuses on ethical issues related to biomedicine and biomedical technologies, as well as how religious beliefs inform our understanding of these issues.

The Abstract: Does anyone have a moral obligation to get vaccinated or wear a mask?

Karey Harwood: Yes, people who are healthy enough to be vaccinated have a moral obligation to get vaccinated.

Simply put, no person is an island. Our immunity to disease is a shared resource that we all have a responsibility to protect. It can be difficult in a highly individualistic society to find ways to think about collective responsibilities. But really, it's not at all strange or radical to think about responsibilities that we willingly share for the good of the human community. What's strange is how Americans have grown alienated from these ideas. For the same reason it would be wrong to poison drinking water (a shared resource), or to abandon all the rules of the road (also a shared resource) while driving, it is also wrong to knowingly endanger our collective immunity to disease.

A utilitarian argument for universal vaccination would say herd immunity is a worthwhile and defensible goal because it creates the "greatest good for the greatest number." Utilitarianism would even tolerate some risk of harm to a few individuals for the benefit of the many. However, we don't need absolutely everyone to get vaccinated to create and sustain herd immunity. People who cannot safely be vaccinated should receive a medical exemption, period. No one is asking for heroic sacrifice. We just need more people to step up. Unfortunately, the goal of herd immunity keeps slipping away because far too many people are refusing vaccination without a good reason. As we all know, this gives new variants of the virus a continual supply of hosts.

It is remarkable that people were so much more willing to take the risk of trying the experimental polio vaccine in the 1950sor I should say subjecting their children to trying the polio vaccinethan they are now to take the fully FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19. The science and safety of vaccines has improved significantly since the mid 20th century. Why hasn't public confidence kept pace? I think the answer to that is complicated. The fear, paranoia, and misinformation surrounding the COVID vaccines have clearly affected people's judgment, but the reasons for the alienationfrom a sense of community and shared humanityrun deep.

As for masks, wearing one has seemed from the beginning of this pandemic like such a small ask. We see old black and white photographs of people wearing cloth masks during the 1918 flu pandemic, going to ballgames, going about their business. We don't get the sense that these people were angrily protesting masks and shouting, "live free or die." Unless there is a medical reason why a person cannot safely wear a mask, yes, there is a moral obligation to wear one to reduce the transmission of disease. Notwithstanding the cases of violence that have erupted over the issue of masks, my sense is that most Americans, most of the time, have adapted quite readily to mask wearing. Because that is what humans dothey innovate, adapt, and work together for the good of the community.

TA: Does anyone have a moral obligation to get tested if they are experiencing symptoms?

Harwood: Getting a definitive test result is always a good idea if the illness being tested is transmissible and the test to identify the illness is accurate. A false positive or a false negative doesn't provide any useful knowledge. But knowing for sure that you have strep throat rather than allergies, for example, is crucial information for getting the right treatment and justifying isolation from others.

Individuals who are experiencing symptoms of COVIDwhich by now we know better how to recognizeshould get tested with the most reliable test (PCR test) because the results (whether positive or negative) provide crucially important information for the good of the local, state, national, and global community. Being sick with COVID is not a solitary event. It is contracted from others and can be passed on to othersfamily members, fellow students, co-workers, fellow shoppers at the grocery store. People who test positive should notify the people close to them, insofar as they are able to do that work, and notify their employers or schools. We could and should build better systems for contact tracing and notification that would share the responsibility and the labor of notification. I think that would be prudent and fair. But step one is getting tested so that steps can be taken to reduce further transmission of disease.

TA: Does anyone have a moral obligation to tell others if they have been diagnosed with COVID?

Harwood: With a positive COVID test, there is unquestionably an obligation to quarantine. It's almost unthinkable that someone who knows they are positive for COVID would step onto an airplane, or attend a social gathering, and yet we know there are instances of this happening. People have their reasons for thinking their personal priorities trump public health, but such thinking demonstrates an appalling disregard for others. Indeed, one can easily imagine criminal liability for such behavior. [Editor's note: here is an example under North Carolina law.]

As for an obligation to tell others of a positive COVID diagnosis, it depends on the nature of the contact and the nature of the relationship. Notifying people with whom you share living space, e.g., family members or roommates, would be obligatory, as would be notifying the guests at a party you threw while unknowingly coming down with COVID. But calling up everyone in the lecture hall where you attended class? Such an obligation would be burdensome, unrealistic, and arguably an erosion of your privacy. Better would be to notify the school and let a team of paid and capable contract tracers promptly identify and notify those individuals who need to know.

TA: What are the ethics of workplaces requiring vaccination?

Harwood: Now that the Pfizer vaccine has received full FDA approval, employers are justified in requiring vaccination of their employees. They are not asking their employees to do something dangerous or take an unnecessary risk. They are not being unduly paternalistic. Requiring vaccination protects everyone in the workplace and it reduces community spread overall, thereby protecting vulnerable people who cannot get vaccinated and all children younger than 12 who are not yet eligible.

TA: In places that are requiring vaccination, there are often religious exemptions. Given your expertise on the relationship between religious traditions and biomedical ethics, what are the theological justifications for these exemptions?

Harwood: It certainly seems that people are straining credulity in what they characterize as a "religious" reason for requesting an exemption from vaccination. Some are turning to religious exemptions as a last resort, when the "nonreligious personal belief" exemption is no longer available. So there is an expediency to this use of the religious exemption that undermines its authenticity in many cases.

One might expect a group like Christian Scientists to refuse vaccination across the board, but this is not the case. Although Christian Scientists normally rely on the power of prayer for healing, rather than modern medicine, they recognize their obligations to public health: "For more than a century, our denomination has counseled respect for public health authorities and conscientious obedience to the laws of the land, including those requiring vaccination. Christian Scientists report suspected communicable disease, obey quarantines, and strive to cooperate with measures considered necessary by public health officials. We see this as a matter of basic Golden Rule ethics and New Testament love."

By contrast, some white Evangelicals have adopted a problematic understanding of moral purity that compels them to avoid what they perceive to be polluting or contaminating medical procedures. It is not hard to see this fear of contamination among people seeking religious exemptions from vaccination. However, as philosopher Ruth Groenhout has observed, Evangelicals' obsession with purity puts them, ironically, "into precisely the position of the Pharisees, the only group of people consistently criticized by Jesus for privileging their own moral purity and observance of the finer points of the law over providing assistance to the needy or care for the ill (Matt. 23:1-39. Luke 11: 37-54). The New Testament provides little comfort for religious believers who focus so exclusively on their own moral purity that they are willing to see others suffer for it."

Groenhout goes on to say that in her reading of the New Testament, Jesus "advocated an ethics of service and assistance to all (Matt. 26:14-39, Luke 22: 24-27, John 13: 1-17), but especially to those seen as one's enemies (Matt. 5:43-48, Luke 6: 27-36) and to the sick and poor (Matt. 25:31-46)."

So, although people may cite verses from the Bible to explain their desire to refuse the vaccination, and they may claim that their beliefs are "sincerely held," these things by themselves do not constitute a plausible and coherent theological justification for a vaccine refusal.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus M.Barysevich visits Qatar

On September 21, 2021, the regular round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs was held in Doha. The event was co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Mikalai Barysevich and Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar Ahmad Hassan Al Hammadi.

During the consultations, a wide range of topics of Belarusian-Qatari relations were discussed, including cooperation in the political, humanitarian, sports, aviation spheres, as well as the legal framework improvement, interaction between parliaments and within international organizations.

A special attention was given to enhancement of investment and trade and economic relations as a priority area of cooperation between the two countries. The Sides also exchanged views on regional issues.

On September 20-21, 2021, Deputy Minister M.Barysevich and Chairman of the Board of the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Egorov met with the leadership of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Qatar, Qatar Investment Authority and Qatar Development Bank.

During the negotiations, promising areas of credit and investment cooperation of mutual interest were discussed. In the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Qatar the Sides agreed on terms of the next meeting of the intergovernmental Joint Committee, as well as the Belarusian-Qatar Business Council, in Minsk.

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PRESIDENT RODRIGO Duterte who accepted the endorsement of his own political party, the PDP-Laban, for him to run as Vice President in next y...
Police say an apparent suicide took the lives of two people in Yonkers, New York on Monday night. The Yonkers Police Department said a "distraught" 25-year-old man jumped off the roof of a building and fell 12 stories onto a concrete parking garage, hitting a 61-year-old man.

Both men died at the scene.

Police say an apparent suicide took the lives of two men in Yonkers, New York on Monday night. / Credit: CBS New York

Investigators are interviewing witnesses and family members and reviewing surveillance video to gather more information.

"The incident appears to be a tragic situation, and the investigation is ongoing," police said in a statement. "The City of Yonkers and Yonkers Police Department offers its sincere condolences to the families of both men."

In April, a 29-year-old woman was killed in San Diego when a man jumped from a parking structure and landed on her.

If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, there is help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text a crisis counselor at 741741 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Senate hearing focuses on how security threats have changed in the 20 years since 9/11

Helping Afghan evacuees adjust after resettling in the U.S.

U.S. ramps up mass deportation effort from Texas border encampment
(PA)

Irelands prime minister has rejected a suggestion that US president Joe Biden does not fully understand the issues around Northern Irelands post-Brexit trading arrangements after comments made by a UK government minister.

Environment secretary George Eustice suggested on Wednesday that Mr Bidens concerns were based on just reading the headlines and listening to accounts from the EU on the post-Brexit situation.

Anybody who suggests President Biden doesn't get Northern Ireland or understand it is wrong. He understands it very well, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin told reporters in New York.

Mr Martin, who will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday, added that Irish diplomats in Washington had taken every opportunity to brief the US administration on the situation in Northern Ireland.

He also suggested that he was confident a solution could be found to the ongoing row between London and Brussels over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has created a trade barrier for products crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain.

The focus has to switch now, for the UK government, the Irish government and the EU working in partnership to resolve these issues, Mr Martin said.

I believe the European Union is up for a solution. Where there's a will there's a way and these issues can be resolved.

On Wednesday, Mr Eustice claimed that the US president was wrong to have concerns about the Good Friday Agreement and did not fully appreciate the row over the Protocol.

[Mr Biden] is probably at the moment just reading the headlines, reading what the EU is saying, reading what Ireland might be saying, which is that they would like the Northern Ireland Protocol to work in the way the EU envisage, the Cabinet minister told Sky News.

We think he is wrong because the truth is that unless we have a sustainable solution that enables trade to continue between GB and Northern Ireland then we are going to have issues, and that itself would become a challenge to the Belfast Agreement.

Story continues

His comments followed a White House meeting between Mr Biden and Boris Johnson, in which the US leader said that he felt very strongly about issues surrounding the peace process in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

I would not at all like to see - nor, I might add, would many of my Republican colleagues like to see - a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland, Mr Biden said.

Mr Johnson also noted that he agreed with the president on this issue, adding: On that point, Joe, we're completely at one, nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Downing Street said this week that the prime minister updated Mr Biden on developments with the protocol since they last met in June.

Additional reporting by PA
Remgro released its financial results for the year ended 30 June 2021, which revealed that Seacom improved its headline earnings by 360% over the last year.

Seacom is best known for launching Africas first broadband submarine cable system along the continents Eastern and Southern coasts in 2009.

Since then, the company has significantly expanded its product offerings, which now include enterprise connectivity, cloud solutions, security products, and ISP services.

With operations in numerous African countries, in South Africa, Kanya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Mozambique, it has become a big telecoms player on the continent.

As a 30% shareholder in Seacom, Remgro provides insight into the companys financial performance through its results announcements.

Remgros results for the year ended 30 June 2021 shows that Seacom increased its earnings from a R33 million loss in 2020 to an R87 million profit in 2021.

This 360% improvement, Remgro said, came despite the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on sales in South Africa and Kenya.

While the financial performance of Seacom improved significantly over the last year, the companys valuation declined from R3.03 billion to R2.66 billion.

This decline is a result of the USD/ZAR exchange rate. The USD/ZAR exchange rate as of 30 June 2021 was R14.28, while it was R17.35 on 30 June 2020.

So, while Seacoms valuation decreased on a Rand-basis, it increased on a USD basis.

Now read: New top management at Seacom after executive departures
Soweto residents are calling for a flat rate of R200 per month for electricity, saying they cannot afford anything more.

Speaking to ENCA, community leader Michael Mosiuoa said many Soweto residents are pensioners who cannot afford high electricity prices.

We are proposing a flat rate of R200 per month. The people of Soweto are prepared to pay. They have never made the mistake of not paying, he said.

The call for a flat rate for electricity is not new. Last year, Soweto residents said they want to pay Eskom a flat rate of R150 per month for electricity and want their debt scrapped.

In February 2020, the late City of Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo led a march to Eskoms offices to hand over their memorandum of demands.

The march followed Eskoms decision to disconnect numerous areas in Soweto because of non-payment, including Mapetla, Rockville, White City, Central Western Jabavu, and Dlamini.

These disconnections formed part of an initiative by Eskom to cut power to households that fail to pay their electricity bills or that have illegal connections.

The latest call for a flat rate for electricity in Soweto comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa promised residents their electricity issues would soon be resolved.

Ramaphosa faced protests during a recent ANC campaign in Soweto, where people complained about regular electricity outages.

Nomzamo informal settlement residents told the president they had no electricity for over two years.

In response to these complaints, Ramaphosa promised that Eskom would soon start to resolve the electricity problems in Soweto.

He highlighted that some residents who pay for electricity are cut off along with non-paying households, which is an injustice.

Eskom should be able to control their own workings and establish who is paying and who is not paying, Ramaphosa said.

Now read: Soweto residents want to pay R150 per month for unlimited electricity
A court case filed by a losing bidder in South Africas emergency power programme threatens to delay the provision of the electricity by months as banks balk at providing funding because of the risk of an adverse judgment.

Officials at three of the seven preferred bidders selected to provide power by August 2022 said the lenders are refusing to sign off on the projects until the court case is complete. They asked not to be identified because the talks are confidential.

The case filed in South Africas High Court by DNG Energy Ltd., which alleges corruption by government officials, was earlier this month postponed until Nov. 30.

The deadline for financial close of the projects proposed by the seven preferred bidders has been set at Sept. 30 by the government, already a delay from an initial July 31 requirement.

The delays mean there will be little imminent relief from intermittent power cuts imposed by state utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. The outages have hindered the performance of the South African economy and damaged investor confidence since 2005.

In addition to Turkeys Karpowership, which secured about 60% of the contracts to provide 2,000 megawatts of electricity, the winning groups include some of the worlds leading energy companies. TotalEnergies SE, Electricite de France SA, Scatec ASA and ACWA Power are all involved.

DNG has, in its court documents, demanded that it replace Karpowership as a preferred bidder and had earlier attempted to have all the other bidders interdicted from reaching financial close. It later dropped the second demand.
A new planning document is forcing St. Helena to come to terms with the challenge of developing affordable housing.

The city on Thursday held the first of several community workshops on the new Housing Element. Considered part of St. Helenas General Plan, the Housing Element assesses housing needs, creates policies and programs to meet those needs, identifies opportunities and constraints, and provides an inventory of potential housing sites.

Simply demonstrating that St. Helena has enough vacant and underutilized lots to meet its housing needs isnt going to be enough. Brenna Weatherby, one of the citys consultants, said cities are under more pressure than ever to identify potential sites that can feasibly be developed, based on the property owners interest or market trends.

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The requirements are much more stringent now, she said, adding that the state officials who must approve the Housing Element want to see the development occur.

St. Helena is also feeling pressure from its new Regional Housing Needs Allocation, which calls on the city to plan for 254 units, split among various income levels: 103 very low, 59 low, 26 moderate, and 66 above moderate.

Meanwhile, members of the community are prodding the city to intensify its housing efforts.
Local foundation gives free books to kids

Napa Bookmine Literary Foundation has launched its first full program: Books4Kids. As part of its mission to promote literacy and provide educational and cultural programs to the Napa community, the goal for Books4Kids is to distribute 10 free books to every first-grade student in Napa County.

Books4Kids, an initiative supported by community donations, is designed to help those students who have entered elementary school at a time when many are facing educational challenges due to the pandemic.

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Its meant to give a boost to kids who need books and resources at home, because studies show that 61% of children growing up in socioeconomically disadvantaged households do not have access to any age-appropriate books at home, and 54% of the student population in Napa County comes from socioeconomically disadvantaged households.

Studies also indicate that children who are not reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times less likely to graduate high school in time, making access to books a critical issue for the well-being of young students.
Surveys conducted by Napa Valley College may help guide a potential decision next month on requiring vaccination against the coronavirus.

The board of trustees for the two-year community college  where much of the curriculum continues to be taught remotely 18 months into the pandemic  is expected to discuss an inoculation requirement for students and staff at its Oct. 14 meeting, NVC spokesperson Holly Dawson said. Informing that debate will be the results of online surveys issued this month to students and employees to gauge their comfort level with increased in-person teaching, counseling and services.

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The boards discussion about a vaccination requirement may include considering whether to apply it to all NVC students or only those taking in-person courses, according to Dawson.

NVCs student questionnaire asks whether they intend to take classes at NVC in the 2022 spring semester, and whether they have received a COVID-19 vaccine or plan to do so. The survey also allows students to rank their preferences for live instruction, remote learning, or a hybrid of the two.
Prosecutors argued Lloyd Barrus was driving and Marshall Barrus fired a shot that struck Moore, 42, in the face. His car stopped and his in-car camera captured sounds of him struggling to breathe when a vehicle drove up and the occupants fired more shots, prosecutors said.

As Mason is suffering, youll hear these 19 rounds, said Daniel Guzynski, lead prosecutor and assistant attorney general.

Butte-Silver Bow officers spotted the Barrus sport utility vehicle about an hour later and began a 90-mile (145-kilometer) pursuit that ended east of Missoula. Prosecutors said Marshall Barrus fired shots at pursuing officers from several agencies.

Lloyd Barrus attorneys argued he had no control of, and thus no responsibility for, his sons actions.

However, jurors heard a recording of a phone call Barrus made to his mother from jail two days after the shooting in which he said: This is what Marshall and I have lived for. I was born to do this, mother.
Dave Eggerton, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, said the numbers represent a promising start in reducing water use, saying water agencies are ramping up public information campaigns to build on that progress.

The numbers released Tuesday represent only about three weeks worth of data. And Californians are using about 15% less water per capita than they were in 2014.

But this drought has strained water resources like never before. Several of the state's largest reservoirs are already at record lows. The water level is so low in Lake Oroville that officials had to shutter a hydroelectric power plant for the first time ever.

Still, Newsom has declined to impose mandatory water restrictions. Newsom's predecessor, former Gov. Jerry Brown, imposed mandatory 25% water restrictions during the previous drought. The Newsom administration has signaled water restrictions could come if the drought persists.

Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth said officials are planning for a worst-case scenario in terms of water availability" for the state's three largest reservoirs.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  A California woman has been arrested on suspicion of masterminding a student loan debt relief scam that bilked thousands of borrowers out of more than $6 million, the state's top prosecutor announced Tuesday.

Angela Kathryn Mirabella, 47, ran a network of third-party call centers based in Orange County that employed sales agents who contacted individuals across the country promising to reduce or eliminate their student loan debt, said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

These promises, they were lies, Bonta said at a news conference.

A grand jury has indicted Mirabella on 87 counts including fraud and grand theft by false pretenses, as well as special allegations for money laundering in excess of $2.5 million and aggravated white-collar crime.

She was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, Bonta said. An email seeking comment from Mirabella was not immediately returned. It wasn't known if she has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

Also named in the indictment were four call center managers and two sales agents who worked for Mirabella. They are accused of stealing $6.13 million in less than three years from over 19,000 victims, including 3,000 in California, according to the court filing.
Candace Kim was in a different, but equally frustrating, position. Unlike Kunselman, Kim, who lives in Los Angeles, wasn't caught off guard. With a Tahoe trip planned for the week after Labor Day, she had been closely following the Caldor Fire. And, as her travel date got closer, and the news from the region grew more concerning, she contacted her Airbnb host.

She was less concerned about smoke, she said, than something else: Tahoe area tourism officials were asking visitors to stay away. She'd read the news stories and followed the situation in the Sierra and, while there was conflicting guidance, just didn't feel like she should go. "I saw the worsening condition and also the pleas from locals at Lake Tahoe," she wrote in an email to SFGATE, "and decided it made sense to pull out."

Gavin Newsom had declared a state of emergency in the region, and though Nevada's governor, Steve Sisolak, took a bit longer, he'd done the same days before. But when Kim contacted her Airbnb host, she was told that the rental's "strict" cancellation policy continued to apply. The host, Kim said, "insisted that her North Tahoe Airbnb is safe from the fires, and said she does not offer refunds or cancellations because of wildfire smoke." When Kim responded that her reason for canceling was "that travel to the area is heavily advised against," the host said they would refund half of the reservation cost.
THREE RIVERS, Calif. (AP)  The ancient massive trees of Sequoia National Parks famed Giant Forest were unscathed Tuesday even though a wildfire has been burning near them on the western side of Californias Sierra Nevada for nearly two weeks.

As of right now we dont have any damage to any of our trees, said fire information officer Mark Garrett.

The KNP Complex, two lightning-sparked fires that merged, has spread over more than 39 square miles (101 square kilometers), feeding on other types of trees that also live on the high-elevation slopes of the mountain range.

Giant Forest is home to about 2,000 sequoias, including the General Sherman Tree, which is considered the worlds largest by volume and is a must-see for visitors to the national park.

The fire recently entered the perimeter of Giant Forest near a cluster of huge trees called the Four Guardsmen but their bases had been wrapped in fire-resistant material and crews had raked and cleared vegetation that could help spread the fire, Garrett said.

Firefighting crews monitored as what was described as a low-intensity fire passed through and made sure it did not affect the sequoias, he said.
A governor could still be recalled theoretically, although only two in the nation's history have been, including California Democrat Gray Davis in 2003. But recallers would have to ask themselves whether the cost and effort were worth it if success meant merely turning the office over to the lieutenant governor. And the answer would surely be "no."

You might think that California's tarnished recall system would, in effect, reform itself after the shellacking suffered last week by its abusers.

After all, they spent tens of millions of dollars and 18 months trying to recall Newsom, then ended up awkwardly beneath a crushing landslide. How soon will any other political game players dare try that again?

And what foolish political donors would again throw money at such a losing venture?

It makes sense that the system for recalling governors would be abandoned and therefore not need outside reforming.

But unfortunately, we're very likely to be dragged into another costly, distracting recall brawl unless the 110-year-old system is significantly remodeled.

"I think the recall process has been weaponized," Newsom said the day after his lopsided victory.
Greece-France defense agreement will allow them to help each other in case of third country's attack

Turkish FM: Turkey's position on supporting Ukraine's "integrity and sovereignty" remains unchanged

Russian peacekeeping forces, charitable organizations provide assistance to boarding school in Karabakh

Zakharova: Moscow proceeds from priority to ensure geopolitical stability in South Caucasus

Armenia President pays tribute at Altar of the Homeland monument at Venice Square in Rome

Turkey, Iran to hold political consultations

Karabakh FM expresses condolences over death of Vigen Chitechyan

Armenia territorial administration and infrastructure minister has new deputy

Armenia Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan receives US Ambassador

Armenia Security Council Secretary, Netherlands Ambassador attach importance to fight against corruption

Digest: Armenian POW returned from Azerbaijan, PACE speaks on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination risks

Armenia and Italy are deepening cooperation in justice sector

Apprehended ARF-D members are released

Armenia high-tech industry minister receives Russia Ambassador

Armenia Embassy in Russia hosts delegation led by Armenian parliamentary speaker

Decisions to arrest Armenia ex-defense minister, arms supplier are appealed

Dollar continues going down in Armenia

Artsakh President to Putin: Your role in process of peaceful, final settlement of Karabakh conflict is invaluable

Amir-Abdollahian: We consider inadmissible Zionist regime provocative movement in our region from Azerbaijan territory

Iran FM announces readiness to visit Armenia, Azerbaijan

US ambassador to Armenia attends unveiling of new x-ray machine donated to Ashtarak city hospital (PHOTOS)

Putin: Russia attaches great importance to close cooperation with strategic ally Armenia

Police disrupt ARF youths protest outside Armenia government building

Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople meets with the Pope, in the Vatican

UK envoy to Armenia does not comment on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, Karabakh situation

Iran Supreme Leaders representative leaves Azerbaijan

Armenias Pashinyan to Russias Putin: We are grateful for your efforts to establish peace in South Caucasus

Putin, Aliyev confer on situation in South Caucasus

Putin, Erdogan discuss regional issues

4 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

PACE new resolution urges to ensure that COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory

Zelensky sacks Ukraine ambassador to Armenia

PM: Armenia, Armenian people are grateful to Japan

Armenia PM: We have made decision regarding local elections

Armenia, Italy presidents farewell ceremony held in Rome (PHOTOS)

Sarkissian to Putin: Armenia highly values your contribution to maintenance of peace, stability in region

Having legal system is important for business development in fair environment, says UK ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, Italy PM meeting in Rome (PHOTOS)

Baku not ruling out another meeting between Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs

Armenia President meets with Rome mayor

1,309 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Biden approval rating hits new low in latest poll

Armenia ombudsman in Italy parliament, presents evidence of Azerbaijan torture of Armenian captives

World oil prices dropping

Serial killer in US lured by social media is sentenced to 160 years in prison

Newspaper: Armenia authorities face new problems in setting up parliament committee of inquiry into 44-day war

Newspaper: Opposition Armenia bloc plans to hold forums, rally

Armenia PM admits that in 2018 he could have disclosed Karabakh negotiation process content

Armenia health minister: Out of 2,446 hospital beds for coronavirus patients, 2,300 are occupied

China-Taiwan military escalation reaches peak in past four decades

Armenia President: We welcome pro-Artsakh documents adopted by nearly 50 regional and city councils of Italy

Armen Sarkissian meets with President of Italian Senate

Nikol Pashinyan: Armenia to build new nuclear power plant, negotiations have been launched

Italy's Quirinal Palace hosts exhibition featuring works of Aivazovsky, Saryan and other Armenian painters

Armen Sarkissian meets with President of Italy's Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico

Catholicos of All Armenians meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican

Armenia ex-Ambassador to The Netherlands Vigen Chitechyan dies

Armenia PM again says he is guilty for all the failures of the Armenian side during last year's war

FM: Discussion on occupied territories of former NKAO will create new threats to Armenia

Karabakh emergency situations service: Rescue squad finds remains of another Armenian soldier in Jrakan

Mattarella: Armenia and Italy can boast about their friendly relations

Nikol Pashinyan: Armenia agreed to stop the hostilities on October 7, 2020

Iran, EEU begin talks to reach agreement over permanent treaty on free trade zone

An abundant TechnoFall with Inecobank - NFC payments and more

Armenia FM says his Indian counterpart will visit Yerevan in the next few days

Deputy PM: A comprehensive study of documents agreed by Armenian and Azerbaijani is necessary

Digest: Azerbaijan using Armenia's airspace, Baku says it's ready to mend relations with Yerevan

Health minister: All coronavirus vaccines in Armenia meet quality standards

Armenia health minister: Those who recovered from COVID-19 also need to get vaccinated

Armenia Deputy PM announces name of another POW returned from Azerbaijan

Armenia and Italy Presidents hold personal talks at Quirinal Palace

Armenian FM: MFA welcomes Iran's stance on inviolability of Armenia's borders

EU ready to share experience with Azerbaijan and Armenia in borders demarcation and delimitation

Dollar dropping in Armenia

Lavrov: Russia, Iran discussed 3 + 3 format concept with Turkey, Caucasus countries participation

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian: Iran won't accept geopolitical changes in the Caucasus

Armenia Ambassador meets with Iranian Deputy FM

Armenia Parliament Speaker visits Armenian church of Russia and New Nakhijevan Diocese

Armenia to host event with companies having made investments worth over $2,000,000,000

Aliyev announces start of process of opening communications with Armenia

Civil Aviation Committee confirms Baku-Nakhchivan flight through Armenia airspace Wednesday

Armenia government programs under EU assistance package are discussed

Azerbaijan lodges complaint with ECHR for review of case of assassination attempt against Lapshin

Armenian MP also on list of Erdogan's petition to strip several Turkey lawmakers of parliamentary immunity

Armenia Deputy PM Suren Papikyan has new advisor

Armenia State Revenue Committee chief has new deputy

Italy President to Armen Sarkissian: OSCE Minsk Group is the format for sustainable and peaceful solution

Armenia ombudsman emphasizes to Vatican Secretary of State urgency of returning Armenian captives in Azerbaijan

Aliyev: Azerbaijan is ready to launch negotiations with Armenia for normalization of relations

Armenia Parliament Speaker meets with Russian State Duma chairman

Ruling faction MP: Armenia airspace has never been closed to Azerbaijan civilian air transportation

New France ambassador visits Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

Opposition MP: Not only is there no security system in Armenia but there is no one who wants to maintain that system

Not first time that reports are made on opening of Armenia airspace to Azerbaijan

Armenia flag raised on Italy presidential palace

Armenia Competition Protection Commission chief heads for Greece, memorandum of cooperation to be signed

It is snowing with large flakes in Armenias Vanadzor

Civil Aviation Committee silent on issue of allowing Baku-Nakhchivan flights through Armenia airspace

Armenia State Revenue Committee hosting meeting of council of CIS tax authorities heads

Fall forward: Gurgen Khachatryan, Co-Founder of Galaxy Group of Companies, addresses message to Armenia youth
Armenian News-NEWS.am presents below the text of Armenpress' interview Wednesday with National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyanand on celebrating the 30th anniversary of Armenias independence, and the vision for opening an era of peace.

Armenpress: Mr. Rubinyan, the matter of celebrating-not celebrating of Independence Day [anniversary] after the [Artsakh] war [last fall] was being discussed a lot in the recent period. How would you assess event that was held yesterday?

Rubinyan: I believe it was the right decision to mark the 30th anniversary of Independence this way because, after all, all our sufferings of not only these 30 years, but also of several preceding centuries were for independence. I find that such discussions shouldnt had taken place at all. We shouldnt allow for any suffering, any loss to weaken our resoluteness to build a free and independent homeland. For hundreds of years, our ancestors struggled so that today we will be able to have and mark this day, and I believe yesterdays event was humble, tasteful, and appropriate.

Armenpress: There is a lot of talk now about opening an era of peace, but we constantly see incidents which question as to what extent this is possible; for example the latest incident which took place with two residents of Kasakh [village] near Vorotan [village].

Rubinyan: Indeed, sadly, during this period weve witnessed numerous destructive statements and actions which compel to think that opening an era of peaceful development is unrealistic. But I believe we need to have strong nerves and patiently advance our agenda based on our state interest. In this context, perhaps we should try to give significance also to small positive steps. The incident you mentioned, for example. It is a negative fact that the representatives of the Azerbaijani armed forces or law enforcement agencies detained our citizens who had gotten lost. But it was positive that Azerbaijan returned them practically after one and a half day. Moreover, they [i.e., the repatriated citizens] themselves testified that they werent ill-treated in any way while being in Azerbaijan. We hope that with such continued steps an opportunity will be created to move forward with the agenda of peace.
I am concerned about the present and future of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and Armenian science. This is what President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian said during todays session of the National Academy of Sciences dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Byurakan Observatory.

According to him, one of the issues in Armenia is the need to link Armenian science to real industry. Sarkissian also stated the need to bring modern technologies and scientific achievements to Armenia and maintain the contacts that have been established with the world throughout the years.

Byurakan Observatory is not just an observatory. It was one of the locomotives of Armenian science and the driving force. On the 100th anniversary of the Observatory, will we remember the first 50 years, or will we think about the next 100 years? The question is whether we have the will, power, resources and support to make sure the Observatory remains the way it was. Armenian science is in need of locomotives, the President added.
There are much more effective methods for solving the issues of cultural autonomy of national minorities than the automatic withdrawal of national minorities from the process of enlargement of communities. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Vache Terteryan during Wednesdays parliamentary hearingsand while debating on the package of bills on amendments and supplements to the Law on Administrative-Territorial Division and related laws of Armenia.

According to him, the solutions may vary, starting from the introduction of a differentiated system of local self-governance and ending with legal regulations that will ensure solutions to this or that national or cultural issue.

On September 24, at the initiative of the Government of Armenia, the parliament will convene a special session to consider the amendments and supplements to the Law on Administrative-Territorial Division which the deputies will immediately consider in the first and second readings. The bill envisages enlarging communities of Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Gegharkunik, Lori, Kotayk, Shirak, Vayots Dzor and Tavush Provinces. In addition, it is planned to include a village named Erkenants in the list of settlements that are part of Kapan city of Syunik Province of Armenia. Many analysts are calling attention to the fact that the authorities are rushing to change administrative-territorial division in order to achieve better results in the upcoming elections in enlarged communities through the support of the electorate in the villages.
The U.S. House Rules Committee cleared the path for full House consideration of an Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)-backed amendment led by Representatives Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Brad Sherman (D-CA) calling for Azerbaijans immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war and requiring an investigation into the use of U.S. technology in drones used by Turkey and Azerbaijan to target civilians during their 2020 attacks against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), ANCA reported.

The Rules Committee also voted to allow full House votes on pro-Artsakh/Armenia amendments led by Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ), David Valadao (R-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), and Jim McGovern (D-MA). The amendments will be voted on during House consideration of the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R.4350).

The Cardenas-Schiff-Sherman amendment states it is the sense of Congress that Azerbaijan must immediately and unconditionally return all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians. It goes on to demand a report from the Secretary of Defense on the use of U.S. technology in Turkish drones used by Azerbaijan to attack Armenia and Artsakh during the 2020 war. The bi-partisan amendment was also cosponsored by Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Judy Chu (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Andy Levin (D-MI), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Katie Porter (D-CA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), and David Valadao (R-CA). The full text of the amendment is available here It is critical that we get a full accounting of the facts as we look to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its actions in Nagorno Karabakh last year, said Rep. Cardenas. I am glad to have worked closely with Reps. Schiff and Sherman to produce an amendment that does exactly that. This report is critical to getting a clear picture of the extent of Azerbaijans actions and any potential violations of international law. Additionally, it will make clear that the United States Congress expects Azerbaijan to honor its obligation to carry out the unconditional return of any remaining Armenian prisoners of war safely to Armenia. I am thankful for the bipartisan group of cosponsors that has joined us in this effort, and will work hard to see that the report gets done.

Rep. Schiff concurred, adding, It is unconscionable that as we approach the one-year anniversary of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan continues to illegally detain Armenian service members and captured civilians  a reality made even more horrific by ongoing reports that these prisoners of war are subject to torture in violation of international human rights conventions. Rep. Schiff went on to note, With this amendment, we are making it absolutely clear to the Aliyev regime that they have the obligation to release these prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and that the Biden administration should take every possible diplomatic action, including through the OSCE Minsk Group, to hold them to account.
Representatives of the Assyrian community of Armenia today gathered near the National Assembly and held a protest against inclusion of the Assyrian Dmitrov village in the process of enlargement of communities.

The Assyrians call on the authorities to revisit the bill and not turn the 200-year-old village into a separate community. According to the residents of the village, this may put preservation of the language and culture of the villagers at risk.

It should be mentioned that Armenias laws stipulate that the villages with a compact population of representatives of national minorities must not be affected by the enlargement of communities. Nevertheless, the authorities want to merge the village with Artashat community.

Head of Dimitrov village Irina Sahradova-Gasparyan says she and the residents had been promised that the village wouldnt be enlarged, but in his recent speech in parliament, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan said the Assyrians make up only 14% in the village.

The village school has only one Assyrian teacher. If Dimitrov becomes one of the 40 villages of Artashat community, who will think about the Assyrians? Sahradova-Gasparyan said, adding that out of the 7 members of the villages council of elders, only one member is Assyrian.
The detention of two Iranian drivers by the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan on September 15 is accurate, and the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Baku is following the situation regarding the drivers. This is what the Embassy of Iran in Armenia said in response to an inquiry from Armenian News-NEWS.am.

As the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran announced, the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes that its citizens need to be released immediately. Due to the situation created on September 12, costs are imposed on Iranian drivers, and the movement of Iranian trucks has been decelerated.

The responsible bodies of the Islamic Republic of Iran have contacted all the sides in order to follow the situation.

The process continues in order to prevent disruption of trade between Iran and Armenia, ensure security of the citizens of Iran and minimize problems with transportation, as well as make alternative routes in the territory of Armenia available.

We hope these goals will be achieved as soon as possible through the efforts of the Iranian and Armenian sides and the costs imposed on economic operators and citizens will be prevented by ensuring continuity of the progress of trade relations between the two countries, the Embassy of Iran reported.
Today, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in New York to take part in the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, had a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Anze Logar, as reported the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

The sides discussed a wide range of issues on the agenda of Armenian-Slovenian relations, and in that respect, they emphasized the existence of large, but yet unrealized potential in the bilateral relations.

The interlocutors discussed the prospects for further development of Armenia-EU relations in the context of Slovenia's presidency in the EU Council and highlighted further strengthening of cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership based on inclusiveness and common values.

During the meeting, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Slovenia discussed pressing regional and international issues. Minister Mirzoyan expressed confidence that sustainable and lasting peace in the region can be achieved only through a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, based on the well-known principles and elements.
Armenias Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is currently in New York to participate in the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, had a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Alexander Schallenberg, as reported the press service of the Armenian MFA.

The parties exchanged views on a number of issues on the agenda of cooperation between the two countries on bilateral and multilateral platforms and particularly emphasized the use of the existing potential for economic cooperation. In this sense, they attached importance to the deepening of trade and economic relations, as well as the intensification of relations between the business communities of both countries.

Mirzoyan highly appreciated the Austrian sides position on a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the scope of the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group, adding that the guarantee for security and freedom of the people of Artsakh must lie at the core of a comprehensive and lasting resolution of the conflict.

The interlocutors also attached importance to the preservation of cultural heritage. Mirzoyan stated that the Armenian cultural and religious heritage of Artsakh in the territories that are under the control of Azerbaijan following the 44-day war, urgently needs to be in the focus of the international community in order to protect them from being at risk of complete destruction.
Story Highlights Biden's rating down six points since August, 13 points since June

Independents' approval of Biden is 37%, down from 55% in June

Kamala Harris' 49% job approval rating matches Biden's in 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Eight months after President Joe Biden's inauguration, his job approval rating has fallen six percentage points to 43%, the lowest of his presidency. For the first time, a majority, 53%, now disapproves of Biden's performance.

These findings are from a Sept. 1-17 Gallup poll that was conducted after the U.S. military evacuated more than 120,000 people from Afghanistan. The United States' exit from the nation's longest war was marred by the Taliban's quick takeover of most of the country and a suicide bombing at the airport in Kabul, which killed 13 U.S. service members. Over the same period, COVID-19 infection rates, nationally, were surging, leading to hospital overflows in some regions.

Line graph. Joe Biden's presidential job approval ratings since Biden took office. Forty-three percent of Americans approve of the job Biden is doing as president, down six percentage points since August and the lowest of his presidency.

The latest drop in Biden's job approval score is the second significant decline since June. Biden's honeymoon ratings near 55% first faltered in July, falling to 50% amid rising COVID-19 cases caused largely by the delta variant. In Gallup's Aug. 2-17 poll, Biden's rating was essentially unchanged, at 49%.

Midway through the most recent poll's field period, as U.S. COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continued to rise, Biden announced new directives to limit the spread of the disease, including vaccine requirements for private-sector businesses, healthcare workers and federal government contractors.

Except for Donald Trump, every U.S. president since Harry Truman has enjoyed a honeymoon period characterized by above-average approval ratings upon taking office. Biden's recent slides in approval put him in the company of Trump and Bill Clinton, whose ratings were at or below Biden's current 43% at some point in the first eight months of their presidencies. However, by September 1993, Clinton's approval ratings began to recover and averaged 50% that month. Thus, among elected presidents since World War II, only Trump has had a lower job approval rating than Biden does at a similar point in their presidencies.

Independents Show Greatest Decline in Approval of Biden

Democrats' approval of the job Biden is doing has remained high and not varied by more than eight points since he took office. Their highest rating of Biden was 98% in late January/early February, and their lowest is the current 90%. Republicans' ratings of Biden are similarly stable at the other extreme, ranging from 12% in February and July to 6% this month.

Independents have shown the greatest variation in their opinions of how Biden is doing. Biden's current 37% approval rating among independents is his lowest to date and 24 points below his personal high of 61%. Two-thirds of Biden's slide among independents since he took office has occurred in the past three months.

Line graph. President Joe Biden's job approval ratings by political party since Biden took office. Currently, 90% of Democrats, 37% of independents and 6% of Republicans approve of the job Biden is doing. His approval rating has not fallen below 90% among Democrats, nor exceeded 12% among Republicans. His approval ratings among independents have ranged from the current 37% to 61% shortly after his inauguration.

A look back at comparable September approval ratings of Biden's four predecessors shows that his 37% approval rating among independents today is greater than Trump's 31% but lower than Barack Obama's 46%, George W. Bush's 44% and Clinton's 43%.

Biden's 90% approval rating among Democrats is nearly the same as Obama's 86%, as well as Bush's 87% among Republicans. Trump's approval among Republicans was 80%, and Clinton's among Democrats was an even lower 75%.

Partisans' Job Approval Ratings of Presidents in September of First Terms % Approve U.S. adults Republican Independent Democrat % % % % Joe Biden (2021) 43 6 37 90 Donald Trump (2017) 37 80 31 9 Barack Obama (2009) 52 18 46 86 George W. Bush (2001) 51 87 44 27 Bill Clinton (1993) 47 16 43 75 Readings are from the first September poll conducted in each year. Gallup

Kamala Harris' Approval Rating Identical to Biden's in 2009

For the first time, Gallup asked Americans to evaluate how Vice President Kamala Harris is doing in her role. Her ratings are better than Biden's by six points, with 49% approving and 49% disapproving.

Because Gallup has not measured vice presidential job approval frequently across presidential administrations, it is not possible to compare Harris' ratings with those of most other vice presidents. However, Gallup did measure Biden's job approval rating as vice president in July 2009, about six months into his term in the Obama administration.

At that time, Biden had a 49% approval rating, identical to Harris' now, but fewer (39%) disapproved of Biden and more (10%) did not have an opinion. Yet, in contrast to today's pattern with Harris exceeding Biden in approval, in 2009, Biden's rating lagged behind Obama's 61% approval by 12 points.

Job Approval Ratings of U.S. Presidents and Vice Presidents, 2009 and 2021 Approve % Sep 2021 President Joe Biden 43 Vice President Kamala Harris ^ 49 Jul 2009 President Barack Obama 61 Vice President Joe Biden 49 ^ Asked of a half sample Gallup

Harris enjoys nearly unanimous approval from Democrats (92%) while receiving very low approval from Republicans (4%). Her overall approval rating is higher than Biden's primarily because independents rate her performance better than they rate Biden's, 46% versus 37%, respectively.

In addition to her high approval rating among Democrats, Harris receives majority-level approval from Democratic-leaning groups, including women, young adults, college graduates and those with annual household incomes under $100,000.

Approval Ratings of Vice President Kamala Harris Among Subgroups Approve % Party identification Republican 4 Independent 46 Democrat 92 Gender Male 39 Female 58 Age 18-34 58 35-54 48 55+ 44 Education Not college graduate 46 College graduate 54 Annual household income Less than $40,000 54 $40,000-<$100,000 53 $100,000+ 42 Gallup, Sept. 1-17, 2021

Congressional Approval, Satisfaction With Nation's Governance Remain Low

The poll also finds 27% of Americans approving and 69% disapproving of the job Congress is doing. These figures have been steady since June but are down from 36% approval in March.

More broadly, Gallup has tracked Americans' satisfaction with the way the U.S. is being governed annually since 2001. The latest reading finds that 30% of U.S. adults are satisfied with the nation's governance. Since 2010, satisfaction has consistently registered below 40%; it was last above 50% in 2003.

Bottom Line

Biden's latest approval rating further cements the fact that the honeymoon phase of his presidency is behind him. Political independents, who were part of the coalition that helped him defeat Trump in 2020, now largely disapprove of the job he is doing as president.

Though Americans were generally supportive of the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the chaotic and deadly way in which it was executed has played into the decrease in Biden's approval rating. So, too, has the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Although Vice President Harris' approval rating is slightly higher than the president's, she is also underwater with independents. Americans continue to rate Congress' job negatively and to express general dissatisfaction with the way the nation is being governed.

To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter.

Explore President Biden's approval ratings and compare them with those of past presidents in the Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).
Arriving in Miami as a first-year Ph.D. student, Maria Jose Baeza Robba felt somewhat lost.

I was coming from another country (Chile) in the middle of a pandemic, and I was a BSN-to-Ph.D. student, which is an overwhelming experience altogether, recalled Baeza. However, much of that trepidation changed for Baeza, who is now in her second year of the program, when she met her research mentor, Nicholas Metheny, an assistant professor who was also new to Miami and the School of Nursing and Health Studies.

Not only was there a research connection, because we both shared a passion for sexual and gender minority health, but we were speaking the same language and had a unique camaraderie because of our experiences, said Metheny. We have the same drive for this work, and we knew what it felt like to be new to a role and a place like Miami in the middle of a pandemic. We didnt have all of the answers to everything right away . . . but what was important was the grace that we gave each other as we figured things out together.

Like Baeza, Metheny had earned his Ph.D. through a BSN-Ph.D. track, another connection she credits with helping her successfully complete her first year of graduate school. When you start a Ph.D., you feel like you dont know very much. But Dr. Metheny found a way to relate to me, and he encouraged me to keep going, she explained.

That encouragement led to Baezas involvement with the Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19 (CEAL), a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded grant that seeks to conduct community outreach by raising awareness and addressing misinformation about COVID-19 in minority communities. The NIH awarded $12 million to a nonprofit organization, RTI International, for the creation of CEAL programs in 11 states. Floridas team, led by Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, a professor at the Miller School of Medicine, includes a powerhouse lineup of researchers from the University of Miami, University of Florida, Florida International University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Moffit Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, and Health Choice Network.

One of the Florida research teams is comprised of investigators from the Center for Latino Health Research Opportunities (CLaRO)Victoria Behar-Zusman from the University of Miami and Mario De La Rosa from Florida International Universitywho are studying vaccine hesitancy and prevention practices in different Latinx populations, including urban low-income and agricultural/farmworker communities through focus groups, cross-sectional, and longitudinal surveys. As part of the CLaRO CEAL team, Metheny and Baeza have led the charge for research priorities of sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities. During the Graduate Schools recent research symposium, Baeza was able to present an abstract on some of these findings.

Weve found that there is not much vaccine hesitancy in the SGM population when compared to the other Latinx groups being researched, said Baeza.

Another discovery is that the SGM population wants to be informed, and it is in search of good, reliable information sources. To meet this need, Baeza, Metheny, and student volunteer Caitlin Rempson have developed weekly, themed resource blasts informed by their focus group findings. The resource blasts go out to focus group participants as well as clients of Latinos Salud and Pridelines, two key SGM-serving organizations in South Florida. Past resource blasts have focused on how and where to get the vaccine; answered questions about HIV medications, Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, and the COVID-19 vaccine; and provided SGM-safe community resources, among other related topics. Their most recent information blast offers strategies on how to talk to friends who are more vaccine hesitant.

This is important because our SGM participants want to share their experiences and helping them start these conversations is invaluable to our efforts of getting more people vaccinated and achieving herd immunity, said Metheny.

Of particular relevance to this group was the comparison of HIV to COVID-19. During the focus group, several individuals brought up the resiliency experienced in the SGM community because of HIV and talked about how this experience could be applied to COVID-19, given the stigma of the disease, Baeza noted.

She and Metheny also learned that the SGM population stressed the importance of social responsibility and getting vaccinated.

Our participants wanted strategies on how to share their experiences because they feel getting the vaccine is a social responsibility that helps keep everyone safe, which they compared to using PrEP, explained Metheny. Our sample skews younger and more liberal, so other than the fact that hesitancy was less prevalent, we found that they value bidirectional communication and instant answers to questions, which inspired a new idea that is currently in the works. This new idea involves creating a COVID-19 text message line where people can submit questions and receive answers grounded in science. We also see it as a way to garner feedback from the community on how useful our resource blasts have been and how we can improve them, said Baeza.

Whats next for this dynamic duo?

There are two publications in the worksa paper that describes the qualitative findings of our focus group that will be written by the Florida CEAL team and a paper specifically on vaccine hesitancy among men who have sex with men, said Metheny, who added, CEAL is only the beginning for Maria Jose.

Thanks to her recent experiences at the School of Nursing and Health Studies, Baeza feels ready to tackle new and equally exciting research endeavors. Dr. Metheny has really helped set a lot of research challenges that have increased my skill set, and I am lucky to have him as a mentor, she declared.

For Metheny, the positive feelings are mutual. It has been rewarding to be able to co-mentor Maria Jose with Dr. Joseph DeSantis, a well-established researcher here at the SONHS, and see her growth in the short time weve been able to share together. I know Maria Jose will go on to accomplish great things, and I am thrilled I get to play a role in her academic journey.
Thailand plans stimulus, vaccination drive

Health workers in Bangkok operate a mobile vaccination station. Only 22 percent of people in the country are fully vaccinated. File photo: AFP

Thailand will speed up vaccinations and introduce urgent stimulus measures to mitigate the impact of its most severe coronavirus outbreak, its prime minister said on Wednesday.



Thailand has reported more than 1.5 million infections and 15,000 deaths, about 99 percent of those since April this year, after a year of successful containment during which its key tourism sector collapsed.



The government expects the situation to normalise quickly, Prayuth Chan-ocha told a news conference hosted by the state planning agency.



"The government will make full efforts to resolve the crisis so that people can return to normal life as soon as possible," he said.



So far, only 22 percent of the estimated 72 million people living in Thailand have been fully vaccinated. Authorities want a higher inoculation rate before reopening fully to tourists.



The government has introduced a series of measures to cope with the pandemic, with 1.5 trillion baht (US$45 billion) in borrowing, including 500 billion baht approved this year.



Earlier this week, it raised the public debt ceiling for more borrowing if needed.



Thailand needs a further 1 trillion baht to support the economy, the central bank's governor said last month.



The planning agency forecast the economy will grow 0.7 percent to 1.2 percent this year after a 6.1 percent contraction last year.



Recovery will be "K shaped" with some industries improving and some still not, particularly the service sector, said the agency's head, Danucha Pichayanan.



"The number of the poor tends to rise because of job losses and income declines caused by the crisis," he said. (Reuters)
Authorities in Taiwan apply to join CPTPP trade pact

The trade pact is currently has 11 members. Image: Shutterstock

Reports from Taiwan on Wednesday said authorities there had formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The move come less than a week after Beijing said it had submitted an application.



The trade pact groups together Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The UK applied to join early this year and has begun accession negotiations.



The US was a founding member of its predecessor, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but withdrew in 2017 under President Donald Trump.



New members must be admitted by unanimous approval.
The Daily Beast

Twitter/NBC DFWPolice have arrested an 18-year-old student after he allegedly got into a fight at a North Texas high school on Wednesday morning, then drew a gun and opened fire.The Arlington Police Department said that three students and one 25-year-old adult were injured in an incident that forced hundreds of students and staff at Mansfield Timberview High School into lockdown. A 15-year-old boy is in critical condition, while the other three are in good condition or have already been treated.
Elon Musk. Patrick Pleul - Pool/Getty Images

Elon Musk is the only person who can actually reveal why Elon Musk hasn't followed in the footsteps of his fellow billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos and taken a quick trip to space. But The Atlantic's Marina Koren posited one theory  and it's a pretty simple one.

Koren spoke with Garrett Reisman, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California and retired NASA astronaut who also serves as a senior adviser to Musk's SpaceX. At one point, while Reisman was working on the company's plan to transport NASA astronauts, he said met with Musk to discuss crewed space flights, and suggested that they should run a test flight with a NASA astronaut and an astronaut employed by SpaceX. Having a "company astronaut" could energize the workforce, Reisman thought, but Musk reportedly simply looked at him and said: "Why would anyone want to go to low-Earth orbit."

Reisman's takeaway is speculation, but he believes that Musk just isn't all that impressed by the trips taken by Bezos and Branson, which were short and only reached a point that has been visited relatively frequently throughout the history of human spaceflight. Perhaps that's not entirely surprising, given that Musk has always had his eye on Mars. Read more at The Atlantic.

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(Adds details on Ireland role and background on nuclear pact)

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister expressed a "very clear intent" to return to nuclear talks in Vienna, Ireland's foreign minister said on Wednesday after meeting with his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

"That may not happen for a number of weeks, as the new Iranian government finalizes their approach towards those negotiations. But certainly, he expressed a very clear intent to return to those negotiations," Simon Coveney, Ireland's foreign minister, told reporters.

Ireland is currently a member of the U.N. Security Council and coordinates the 15-member body's work on a 2015 Iran nuclear deal between Tehran, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

The world powers held six rounds of indirect talks between the United States and Iran in Vienna to try and work out how both can return to compliance with the nuclear pact, which was abandoned by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018.

Trump reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran, which then started breaching curbs on its nuclear program. Iran has said its nuclear program is for peaceful energy purposes only.

The Vienna talks were adjourned in June after hardliner Ebrahim Raisi was elected Iran's president. The Iranian foreign ministry said on Tuesday that those would resume in a few weeks, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

In a video statement, Raisi told the annual gathering https://www.reuters.com/world/no-iran-nuclear-deal-ministers-meeting-un-says-eus-borrell-2021-09-21 of world leaders at the United Nations on Tuesday that Tehran wants to resume nuclear talks with world powers that would lead to removal of U.S. sanctions.

(Additional reporting by by Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Leslie Adler and Will Dunham)
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Searchers at a landslide near Mexico City have found two more bodies, bringing the death toll to four.

Searchers announced Tuesday they had found the bodies of a woman, 22, and her 5-year-old son.

The landslide earlier this month brought tons of massive boulders down on a steep hillside in a low-income neighborhood just north of Mexico City.

The 11-day search operation was complicated by the sheer size of the rocks that cleaved from the peak known as Chiquihuite. The narrow paths of the neighborhood are largely inaccessible to heavy machinery and the exposed mountain face looming above is unstable.

The landslide in the suburb of Tlalnepantla followed days of heavy rain in central Mexico and a magnitude 7.0 earthquake centered in Acapulco that swayed buildings 200 miles away in the capital. Mexico State Gov. Alfredo del Mazo said both factors likely contributed to the slide.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland on Wednesday arrested two additional men in connection with the murder of investigative journalist Lyra McKee, who was killed covering a riot in Londonderry in 2019, AP reports.

Driving the news: The two men arrested Wednesday, ages 24 and 29, were detained under the Terrorism Act, per AP.

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Three men have been charged with McKee's murder, including two charged last Friday.

The big picture: The New IRA, a dissident republican group operating in Northern Ireland, has claimed responsibility for McKee's death, and said its members shot the journalist accidentally while targeting police, per AP.

The two men charged last week were granted bail and were ordered to return to court on Oct. 7.

Go deeper: Leaders call for calm after a week of unrest in Northern Ireland

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ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Six female lawmakers from Afghanistan have arrived in Greece as part of the wider evacuation effort and are expected to travel to the United States after a short stay, authorities said Wednesday.

Afghanistans twin-chamber parliament was effectively dissolved after the Taliban takeover of the country last month. The future of the national assembly and whether women will be allowed to hold any positions of authority remain uncertain.

The lawmakers and their family members will be hosted in Greece for a short time until procedures for their transfer and settlement in the U.S. are completed, the Greek Foreign Ministry said.

It said Greece was committed to hosting a symbolic number of Afghan citizens who advocate the values of freedom of expression and equality.

The ministry had initially announced that seven lawmakers were being hosted in Greece but later corrected the number to six.

The government has taken a tough line on immigration, saying that it is determined to prevent a large number of Afghans from reaching the European Union member despite the unfolding crisis.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said over the weekend that new extensions to a border wall on the frontier with Turkey would be built if needed.

The Afghan lawmakers traveled to Greece via Georgia and were assisted by a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, the foreign ministry said.
By Tim Hepher

TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) - Airbus is in talks with several potential customers for a new A350 freighter while seeing signs of demand for smaller A320 passenger jets in Europe, its sales chief said on Tuesday.

With e-commerce booming, Airbus formally began marketing a proposed freight variant of its A350 passenger jet in July, taking aim at Boeings tight grip on the global cargo market.

We are in a number of very encouraging discussions, Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer told reporters in Toulouse, where the European planemaker is based.

It is available for sale and is selling, he added.

Boeing has for years dominated the market for purpose-built freighters, even as its European rival grabbed the crown as the world's largest maker of passenger jets.

Boeing is preparing to launch its own new freighter, a cargo version of its upcoming 777X jetliner, industry sources say.

Freighters can sell for higher prices than passenger planes and help to prop up depressed production for wide-body models at a time when long-haul travel is weak, industry experts say.

While demand for wide-body passenger jets remains stagnant, demand for smaller planes used in regional and domestic markets is rising.

"Demand is coming back," Scherer said. "We need to be very careful - we are not out of the woods and we are still in a very fragile environment - but Europe is rallying quite nicely at this moment."

Airbus plans to increase production of the medium-haul A320neo family, which competes with Boeing's 737 MAX, to a record 63 a month from 40 now, surpassing pre-crisis levels.

It has said it is also looking at pushing output as high as 75 a month, but such levels have drawn concerns about supply chains from engine makers like France's Safran.

Scherer defended the existing production commitments, which he said were justified by contracts with airlines even after an industry shakeout brought about by the coronavirusus crisis.

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"If anything in my world I am challenging them to be steeper," he said.

Airbus is talking to Hungary's Wizz Air over a sale of at least 100 more narrowbody jets, Reuters reported earlier this month.

Among other European prospects, British Airways parent IAG has reopened a fresh competition between Airbus and Boeing for narrowbody jets, revisiting a large provisional order for 200 MAX jets that was never finalised, the sources said.

Finnair is looking at a narrowbody purchase but a formal tender has yet to be launched.

Air France-KLM in July said it had launched a tender to extend the medium-haul fleets of Dutch unit KLM and the French and Dutch arms of low-cost subsidiary Transavia.

(Reporting By Tim Hepher in Toulouse; Editing by David Gregorio)
A woman with no memory rescued from a remote Croatian beach 10 days ago has been identified as a former Los Angeles jeweler to the stars.

The story of an injured woman with no name spread around the world as tips poured in from people who believed they had seen or interacted with her. In the end, it was two Angelenos who identified the mystery woman as Daniela Adamcova, 57, someone they helped get off of Skid Row in 2015, according to the Daily Beast.

INJURED WOMAN WITH NO MEMORY IS A TRUE MYSTERY

Croatian police confirmed the identity Tuesday.

Adamcova was found by fishermen sitting on a jagged rock on the island of Krk. She had unexplained facial injuries and did not know her name or life history, but one vital clue was her ability to speak fluent English. Tourists who spoke to Adamcova said she mentioned being retired in Slovakia and traveling through Croatia.

This photo provided by the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, shows the rescue operation of an unidentified woman who was found on the Adriatic island of Krk on Sept. 12, 2021. Croatian police said Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 they are still working to establish the identity of a woman found over a week ago at a northern Adriatic Sea island with no recollection of who she is or where she came from. Police told the Associated Press they are searching the terrain and conducting numerous interviews with residents and tourists or anyone who has information about the woman discovered on the island of Krk on Sept. 12. (HGSS via AP) AP

But old news articles reveal a more glamorous past. Adamcova left her native Czechoslovakia in 1984 and moved to Los Angeles, where she learned how to design jewelry. She then dated a film producer, who got her foot in the door to lend jewelry to other film producers.

Adamcovas clientele grew to include Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Brigitte Bardot, and the cast of Melrose Place, the Daily Beast said.

Her jewelry was made from the best materials and earned spots in international exhibitions. At some point, she experienced hard times and ended up homeless on Skid Row. Thats where she encountered Nina Smidt, who gave her a job at a company she managed, and Tyler Madison, who allowed Adamcova to live rent-free in a warehouse he operated. The pair made the identification.

Story continues

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[She] had run into hard times and bad luck. But she was a really good worker, smart, and she has a wonderful heart, Smidt told the Daily Beast. Tyler and I are concerned about her well-being and are hopeful that now that her identity has been confirmed by the embassy, her family will be able to help find out what happened to her.

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Original Author: Tori Richards

Original Location: Amnesiac woman IDd as former Hollywood jeweler to stars
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Travelers and authorities from India and some African countries are furious  and confused  about Britain's new COVID-19 travel rules, calling them discriminatory.

The British government announced what it billed as a simplification of the rules last week, including allowing fully vaccinated travelers arriving in England from much of the world to skip quarantine and take fewer tests.

But the fine print on who was considered fully vaccinated is proving far more complicated. In order to skip self-isolation, travelers must have received a vaccine under the American, British or European programs or have received a U.K.-authorized shot from an approved health body. Bodies in more than a dozen countries in Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East made it to the list  but India's did not, nor did any in Africa.

Countries like Kenya, which has received hundreds of thousands of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the U.K. itself, were left wondering why their vaccination programs don't appear to be good enough in the eyes of the British government. Thats leading to concerns that the rules could exacerbate already worrying vaccine hesitancy in Africa as some people question whether the doses available there dont measure up.

Kenyas government noticed significant public concern" in the wake of the new rules. South African Medical Association chairwoman Dr. Angelique Coetzee said citizens were being discriminated against and its totally unacceptable. South African authorities objected not only to the new quarantine rules but also to the fact that the country remains on the U.K.'s so-called red list, from which all travel is severely restricted.

The Hindustan Times, one of Indias leading English-language dailies, called the decision illogical and harmful in an editorial.

Shashi Tharoor, a leader of Indias main opposition Congress party, said he had canceled his upcoming book tour of Britain in protest. Why should Indians be deemed to be lesser breeds than others? he wrote Tuesday on The Quint news website.

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The U.K. Department for Transport, which issued the rules, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. But since the initial furor, Britain has walked back one aspect that caused particular consternation: Doses of AstraZeneca made in India, known as Covishield, were initially not on the list of approved vaccines. The Indian-made product hasnt been formally authorized by U.K. regulators, although some doses have been used in Britain  and millions were shipped to low- and middle-income country.

Covishield was added to the U.K.s list of approved vaccines for travelers on Wednesday, but the group of approved public health bodies remained unchanged  meaning the practical effect of the move is limited. Outrage over Covishield was particularly pointed in India, where the vast majority of people have been vaccinated with the shot.

Before Covishield was added to Britains travel list, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told reporters this week: We understand that this has been used in (Britain's) National Health System and therefore non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminatory policy.

Shringla said the rules, which take effect next month, could force India to impose reciprocal measures if the issue isnt resolved.

The government has yet to officially comment on the change, but even after it, outrage continued to pour out from Indians on social media.

Indias digital certification is far more reliable than other countries manual system. Is UK trying to make money on PCR tests? tweeted Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder of Indian pharmaceutical company Biocon.

For African nations, the new U.K. rules are a setback after a glimmer of hope following Indias announcement this week that it will resume exports and donations of surplus coronavirus vaccines in October  after a monthslong freeze because of a surge in domestic infections.

Less than 4% of Africa's population of 1.3 billion is fully vaccinated, and many have looked on with dismay as richer countries stockpile doses and discuss giving third shots to their populations.

Beyond supply issues, many African countries are struggling with vaccine hesitancy as misinformation swirls about the shots.

Kenyas health minister and the British ambassador to Kenya issued a joint statement on Tuesday that appeared aimed at allaying the latest concerns.

We want to make it clear that both the U.K. and Kenya recognize vaccines administered in both countries, specifically AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, they said.

However, establishing a system to mutually recognize each others vaccine certificates for a vaccine passport program takes time, they said, adding that neither country had completed the process.

___

Kirka reported from London and Saaliq from New Delhi. Associated Press writers Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg and Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed.
West Hartford became the latest Connecticut community to have a public meeting disrupted by heated commentary from anti-mask and anti-vaccine demonstrators on Tuesday night as discord between public officials and opponents of public health mandates continues across the state.

A Hartford man was ejected from the West Hartford school board meeting after bickering with the board about wearing a mask during his remarks and making offensive comments about Superintendent Tom Moore.

Several other members of the public who attended the meeting in-person also were escorted from the building after refusing to wear face coverings, in violation of the towns indoor mask mandate, Moore said.

The outburst, first reported by We-Ha.com, came at the start of the meeting when the board traditionally opens the floor for brief comments from the members of the public. Hartford resident Rodney Bull approached the microphone to speak against the districts in-school mask mandate and although he was wearing a face mask, it was not covering both his mouth and nose, video of the meeting shows.

School board Chairperson Deb Polun repeatedly asked Bull to pull his mask up properly before continuing, prompting a testy back-and-forth in which an angry Bull accused a calm Polun of being controlling and abusive, the video shows.

Bull adjusted his mask and continued his remarks, but instead invoked critical race theory to argue the district is indoctrinating children into hating America and their own race, if theyre white, he said. Critical race theory, a framework developed by legal scholars in the 1970s, hinges on the notion that racism is systemic  not simply perpetuated by individuals  and is intertwined in institutions of law and governance.

Bull then accused Moore of being evil and racist and made derogatory comments about Moores body.

Polun and the board quickly recessed the meeting after the comments and Moore confronted Bull, who was escorted out of the meeting by another administrator. Several others also were escorted out later in the meeting after repeatedly ignoring Poluns admonitions that they must wear masks.

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Were all people, were all trying to do the right thing, were all trying to keep kids safe, Moore said Wednesday afternoon. Nothing like this is going to keep me from doing all I can to keep our kids safe. The truth is whether its anti-maskers or anti-vaxxers, were going to keep doing what we do to keep all of our children safe.

West Hartford schools also are subject to the statewide mask mandate set by Gov. Ned Lamont, not the local school board, under the governors continuing emergency powers during the pandemic.

It is the latest in a string of heated confrontations and protests that have occurred across the state at public meetings and public buildings over the past several months.

The most intense confrontation came when Lamont had to be rushed out of a meeting last month in Cheshire when angry, shouting parents harangued him and other local officials to the point they had to shut down the meeting

Protests also continue across the state, especially at the state Capitol in Hartford, where a small group of parents protesting the mask mandates gathered again Wednesday morning outside the Legislative Office Building to protest as the Conservative Caucus hosted a meeting to hear testimony against vaccine and mask mandates.

In West Hartford, Moore said the school board intends to have a police officer present at its next meeting for improved security. Outside of the in-person confrontation Tuesday, though, Moore and school board members inboxes are constantly filled with anti-mask and anti-vaccine rhetoric that can sometimes border on threatening and that he takes those messages seriously.

Disagreeing is one thing, but unfortunately with the poison thats been injected into Americas bloodstream by people that want divisiveness we see these attacks, Moore said. Theyre personal attacks and you have people that are worried when youre leaving a meeting, whos going to be outside waiting for them? People who are elected are wondering, Is it worth it? 

Zach Murdock can be reached at zmurdock@courant.com.
Tim Cook VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

Apple CEO Tim Cook blasted employees this week for leaking to the media in an internal memo that was, itself, also leaked to the media.

The Apple boss sent an email to employees on Tuesday expressing "frustration" with the fact that the details from a recent all-hands meeting, as well as information about the company's latest product launch, were leaked, The Verge reported Wednesday.

"I want to reassure you that we are doing everything in our power to identify those who leaked," Cook reportedly wrote. "As you know, we do not tolerate disclosures of confidential information, whether it's product IP or the details of a confidential meeting. We know that the leakers constitute a small number of people. We also know that people who leak confidential information do not belong here."

Last week, The Verge reported on an all-hands meeting in which it was announced that Apple would be frequently testing employees who are unvaccinated but not instituting a vaccine mandate. Apple has "gone to great lengths" in the past to crack down on leakers, The Verge notes.

Apple, though, wasn't the only company to have its communications about leaks ironically leaked to the media this week. A report about Facebook from The New York Times on Tuesday cited a leaked internal company announcement that said, "OUR ONE REQUEST: PLEASE DON'T LEAK."

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September marks the end of the summer sea ice melt season and the Arctic sea ice minimum, when sea ice over the Northern Hemisphere ocean reaches its lowest extent of the year.

For ship captains hoping to navigate across the Arctic, this is typically their best chance to do it, especially in more recent years. Sea ice cover there has dropped by roughly half since the 1980s as a direct result of increased carbon dioxide from human activities.

As NASA scientists, we analyze the causes and consequences of sea ice change. In 2021, the Arctics sea ice cover reached its minimum extent on Sept. 16. While it wasnt a record low, a look back through the melt season offers some insight into the relentless decline of Arctic sea ice in the face of climate change.

The Arctic is heating up

In recent years, Arctic sea ice levels have been at their lowest since at least 1850 for the annual mean and in at least 1,000 years for late summer, according to the latest climate assessment from the U.N.s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC concluded that the Arctic is likely to be practically sea ice free in September at least once before 2050.

As the Arctics bright ice is replaced by a darker open ocean surface, less of the suns radiation is reflected back to space, driving additional heating and ice loss. This albedo feedback loop is just one of several reasons why the Arctic is warming about three times faster than the planet as a whole.

What happened to the sea ice in 2021?

The stage for this years sea ice minimum was set last winter. The Arctic experienced an anomalous high pressure system and strong clockwise winds, driving the thickest, oldest sea ice of the Central Arctic into the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska. Sea ice scientists were taking note.

Summer melt began in earnest in May, a month that also featured multiple cyclones entering the Arctic. This increased sea ice drift but also kept temperatures relatively low, limiting the amount of melt.

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The extent and pace of melting increased significantly in June, which featured a predominant low-pressure system and temperatures that were a few degrees higher than average.

By the beginning of July, conditions were tracking very close to the record low set in 2012, but the rate of decline slowed considerably during the second half of the month. Cyclones entering the Arctic from Siberia generated counterclockwise winds and ice drifts. This counterclockwise ice circulation pattern generally reduces the amount of sea ice moving out of the Arctic through the Fram Strait, east of Greenland. This likely contributed to the record low summer sea ice conditions observed in the Greenland Sea.

This ice circulation pattern also increased ice export out of the Laptev Sea, off Siberia, helping create a new record low for early summer ice area in that region. The low pressure system also increased cloudiness over the Arctic. Clouds generally block incoming solar radiation, reducing sea ice melt, but they can also trap heat lost from the surface, so their impact on sea ice melt can be a mixed bag.

In August, sea ice decline slowed considerably, with warm conditions prevailing along the Siberian coast, but cooler temperatures north of Alaska. The Northern Sea Route  which Russia has been promoting as a global shipping route as the planet warms  was actually blocked with ice for the first time since 2008, although ice breaker-supported transits were still very much possible.

At this stage of the melt season, the sea ice pack is at its weakest and is highly responsive to the weather conditions of a given day or week. Subtle shifts can have big impacts. Freak end-of-summer weather events have been linked to the record low sea ice years of 2007 and 2012. The Great Arctic Cyclone of 2012 is an interesting example.

Theres ongoing debate over the effect they have. However, scientists are broadly in agreement that specific storms may not have actually played that big a role in driving the record lows in those years  things are never that straightforward when it comes to weather and sea ice.

The Arctic sea ice reached its 2021 minimum extent on Sept. 16, coming in at 4.72 million square kilometers (1.82 million square miles), the 12th lowest on record.

So, the 2021 melt season was, despite all the stops and starts, pretty typical for our new Arctic, with the September minimum ending up slightly higher than what we would have expected from the long-term downward trend. But various new record lows were set in other months and regions of the Arctic.

As the hours of sunlight dwindle over the coming weeks and temperatures drop, Arctic sea ice will start to refreeze. The ice pack will thicken and expand as the surrounding ocean surface temperatures drop toward the freezing point, releasing a lot of the heat that had been absorbed and stored through summer.

Map of the Arctic showing areas freezing later in the season, particularly north of Alaska and in the Kara Sea off Russia

This refreeze has started later in recent years, shifting into October and even November. The more heat the ocean gains during summer, the more heat needs to be lost before ice can begin to form again. Because of this, some of the biggest warming signals are actually observed in fall, despite all the attention given to summer ice losses.

Theres still a lot we dont know

For people living and working in the high Arctic, understanding local ice conditions on a given day or week is what really matters. And predicting Arctic sea ice at these more local scales is even more challenging.

As 2021 demonstrated, sea ice is highly dynamic  it moves and melts in response to the weather patterns of the day. Think how hard it is for forecasters to predict the weather where you live, with good understanding of weather systems and many observations available, compared to the Arctic, where few direct observations exist.

Weather events can also trigger local feedback loops. A freak heat wave, for example, can trigger ice melt and further warming. Winds and ocean currents also break up and spread ice out across the ocean, where it can be more prone to melt.

Sea ice scientists are hard at work trying to understand these various processes and improve our predictive models. A key missing part of the puzzle for understanding sea ice loss is ice thickness.

Thickness times area equals volume. Like area, sea ice thickness is thought to have halved since the 1980s, meaning todays Arctic ice pack is only about a quarter of the volume it was just a few decades ago. For those hoping to navigate the Arctic Ocean, knowing the thickness of any ice they may encounter is crucial. Sea ice thickness is much harder to measure consistently from space. However, new technologies, like ICESat-2, are providing key breakthroughs.

Despite all this uncertainty, its looking pretty likely that summer ice-free Arctic conditions are not too far away. The good news is that the path forward is still largely dependent on future emissions, and there is still no evidence the planet has passed a tipping point of sea ice loss, meaning humans are still very much in the drivers seat.

This article was updated to correct miles to kilometers transposed numbers.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Alek Petty, NASA and Linette Boisvert, NASA.

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Alek Petty receives funding from NASA.

Linette Boisvert receives funding from NASA.
Two Asian American lawmakers are asking the Justice Department for updates on the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act signed four months ago.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., sent a letter Monday to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the implementation of key provisions of the act that are "critical to its effectiveness." The letter  which highlights the increased violence toward older Asians and the Atlanta-area spa shootings that killed eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent  follows a recent FBI report that showed that the number of hate crimes last year was the highest in more than a decade.

"We request your attention to these matters and periodic updates on your progress as you continue to implement the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and work to reduce the violence from xenophobia and hate in our country," the letter stated.

A Justice Department spokeswoman confirmed receipt of the letter.

President Joe Biden signed the legislation, co-sponsored by Hirono and Meng, on May 20 after it win bipartisan support in Congress. It directed the Justice Department to expedite the review of Covid-19-related hate crimes that were reported to law enforcement agencies to help them create ways to report such incidents online and to conduct public outreach.

Although the lawmakers' letter commended Garland's efforts to combat hate crimes, it asked the Justice Department to look further into establishing online reporting for hate crimes and other hate incidents. The letter referred to a recent analysis from the reporting forum Stop AAPI Hate that revealed over 9,000 anti-Asian bias incidents over about 15 months during the coronavirus pandemic. Verbal harassment accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total reported incidents; shunning made up almost 17 percent.

The lawmakers explained that although not all acts of discrimination would equate to hate crimes, "the impetus for these actions are the samefear and xenophobia."

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"In order to meaningfully address the root causes of this bias and hostility, we need a clear and full picture of the scope of the problem," the letter stated. "Data on hate crimes alone is insufficient."

The letter also requested "the expansion of public education campaigns aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes" in different languages to encourage victims to come forward.

Hirono and Meng also called for the law to be applied to all hate crimes occurring during the pandemic, citing antisemitic attacks in May after "an outbreak in violence between Israel and Hamas" and the deaths of at least 44 transgender or gender-nonconforming people last year, "some as the result of anti-transgender bias."

The letter ended by sharing fears that as the pandemic continues, frustration over the virus "will undoubtedly resurface."

"We fear the impact this could have on perpetuating hate-based violence against people," the letter stated. "Full implementation of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act will help stem the tide against further violence."

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Several law enforcement agencies continue to search Florida's Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie. North Port Police Department

Florida police are continuing their search for Brian Laundrie, who was named a person of interest in his fiancee Gabby Petito's disappearance.

Laundrie's parents reported him missing 6 days after Petito was reported missing. On Tuesday, she was confirmed dead.

North Port Police are searching the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve by air and by foot with K-9 units.

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Florida police said on Wednesday that the "search continues" for missing Brian Laundrie, Gabby Petito's fiance, a person of interest in her disappearance and death. Authorities are scouring Florida's Carlton Reserve by air and by foot with K-9 units.

Laundrie's family reported him missing on Sept. 17, which was less than a week after Petito's family reported her missing.

North Port Police said Tuesday that their "search of the Carlton & nearby lands concluded for the evening" and yielded "nothing of note." They asked for the public's help in the search, encouraging people to send tips to the FBI.

-North Port Police (@NorthPortPolice) September 22, 2021

Petito was reported missing by her parents in New York on September 11, 10 days after her fiance returned home to Florida from a cross-country road trip out West in the van the couple had been driving in - but without Petito.

Petito's manner of death was ruled a homicide by the FBI on Tuesday after her remains were found in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest.

"The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms. Petito's death is held accountable for their actions. Mr. Brian Laundrie has been named a person of interest," FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Wednesday's Google Doodle celebrates the beginning of the fall season with a trotting porcupine-like creature, its quills stuck in colorful foliage.

If you click on the doodle, a smattering of digital leaves falls down your screen over the Google search results for "Autumn Season."

"We wanted to celebrate the first day of fall for the Northern Hemisphere with a cute prickly critter that would be recognized in different parts of the world," says Google spokesperson Colette Garcia in a statement emailed to USA TODAY.

While the start of autumn might be synonymous with falling leaves and the return of the pumpkin spice latte to coffee shop menus, the autumnal equinox officially starts in the Northern Hemisphere when the length of day is equal to the length of night. The word equinox comes from the Latin words "aequalis" and "nox," meaning equal night. It typically starts on Sept. 22 or 23.

The official end of autumn is called the winter solstice, and typically falls between Dec. 20-23 in the Northern Hemisphere.

Pumpkin spice flavors: Pumpkin spice seltzers, cereal and ramen: The fall flavor is back with more weird products

Starbucks first day of fall freebie: Here's how to earn a free drink Wednesday

For people in the Southern Hemisphere, autumn typically starts in March, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.

People around the world celebrate the autumnal equinox with food and cultural touchstones. China and Vietnam herald the arrival of the harvest moon prior to the autumnal equinox by eating mooncakes, a delicacy with an intricate outer design typically filled with red bean, lotus or dates.

Michelle Shen is a Money & Tech Digital Reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her @michelle_shen10 on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Autumnal equinox 2021: Google Doodle honors the start of fall
MarketWatch

Last week, my 55-year-old married daughter (her husband is 58) called to express her anger that I had failed to send her a $25 gift certificate. That you have set up a trust for your children and have done everything you can to ensure they have an inheritance, but that is a gift  not an entitlement  just like your inheritance was a gift from your parents.
President Joe Biden pitched the merits of democracy during his inaugural United Nations address, but hours later, White House aides' treatment of reporters raised questions about whether he is leading by example.

And Biden's two run-ins with the press this week reflect mounting frustrations with the administration's shielding of the president at pivotal moments during his term.

INDEPENDENTS WANT ACTION FROM BIDEN ON IMMIGRATION

The White House's news media dust-ups from Biden's meetings with Prime Ministers Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom and Scott Morrison of Australia are "much ado about nothing," according to Aggressive Progressive podcast host and former Democratic strategist Christopher Hahn.

"They have a bunch of small fires burning, and he was doing a few quick meetings with two of the nations involved with one of the fires," Hahn told the Washington Examiner. "His press secretary briefed the press on this, as did both prime ministers."

But that press secretary, Jen Psaki, did not douse tensions with reporters on Wednesday when she downplayed complaints about news media access to Biden and clamoring for the president to answer questions in a stand-alone, extended format rather than one or two at events or while traveling.

"As it relates to providing information to the public, elevating the importance of the freedom of press to our democracy, I don't know that the format, whether it is multiple shorter "Q" and "As" or a longer formal press conference, is at the top of the list of the American public's concerns," Psaki said.

Biden is not required to answer reporter questions, according to political analyst Dan Schnur, a Republican-turned-independent now at the University of California. But he urged the White House to remember the news media is a proxy for voters.

"Biden hasnt completely shut out the press, but he has been less available to them than any president in recent memory," Schnur added. "The White House has the prerogative of deciding on the format, but the president should be much more available to questions from journalists than has been the case until now."

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Biden has a complicated relationship with the press. Some critics contend the White House does not grant reporters enough access to the president and that aides are "handling" him. Others believe his tendency to make verbal mistakes is problematic.

John F. Kennedy revolutionized the presidential press relationship as a master of television, according to historian David Pietrusza. And Kennedy's predecessors have followed suit to different extents, he said.

"But whatever the format or frequency, it is unwise to invite guests to a banquet and not feed them  the current Biden policy  for, as we know  reporters are a ravenous lot," Pietrusza quipped.

Biden campaign and administration press aides have always been protective of their principal, helped in part by Biden's security detail. But reporters, seemingly inured to the tactics, were reminded of their heavy-handedness when foreign counterparts in the country for the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting and sideline discussions asked about them.

"I was asked by a very startled Australian reporter whether [White House] wranglers were always so strict about ushering the pool out without questions," France 24 Washington, D.C., correspondent Kethevane Gorjestani emailed her colleagues as a foreign press representative this week.

Reporters had been trying to ask Biden and Morrison for their response to the diplomatic repercussions of their new U.S.-U.K.-Australia national security alliance, which included a nuclear-powered submarine deal. The alliance resulted in France losing a billion-dollar contract with Australia for 12 diesel-electric submarines.

White House correspondents later lodged a complaint with Psaki after Johnson called on two British reporters in the Oval Office prior to his meeting with Biden. But Biden's response to a U.S. journalist's shouted question about a photo of a U.S. Border Patrol agent pursuing a Haitian migrant in Texas on horseback was drowned out by aides pushing the news media scrum out of the room and muffled by the president's mask.

Psaki told reporters she was "unaware" of the incident and could not "offer an immediate solution," according to CBS News Radio's Steven Portnoy late Tuesday. Portnoy, a White House Correspondents' Association representative who was covering the meeting for radio reporters, implored Psaki to organize a Biden press conference instead.

"Psaki suggested the president takes questions several times a week," he said.

Biden had emphasized hours earlier during his speech to the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly the role reporters play in "the democratic world" and to democracy being "the best tool we have to unleash our full human potential."

"As the United States seeks to rally the world to action, we will lead not just with the example of our power but, God willing, with the power of our example," he told delegates.

Grumblings about another press conference have been growing since Biden's first official question-and-answer session in March.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Before his Johnson meeting, Biden last answered reporter questions on Sept. 15 when he was asked about Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley's conversations with Chinese Gen. Li Zuocheng about former President Donald Trump.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Biden, Biden Administration, Joe Biden, White House, Jen Psaki, Media

Original Author: Naomi Lim

Original Location: Biden faces renewed press backlash over access
Bill Gates told "PBS NewsHour" that he regretted having dinners with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images/Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images/Insider

Bill Gates answered questions about Jeffrey Epstein in a "PBS NewsHour" interview.

Gates said that he regretted having dinners with Epstein and that their meetings were a mistake.

"Well, he's dead, so in general you always have to be careful," Gates said when asked about lessons learned.

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Bill Gates answered questions in a "PBS NewsHour" interview on Tuesday about his meetings with the financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"I had dinners with him. I regret doing that," the Microsoft cofounder told PBS's Judy Woodruff.

In response to Woodruff's question about whether there was a lesson to learn from the experience, Gates said, "Well, he's dead, so in general you always have to be careful."

A New York Times investigation in 2019 found that Gates and Epstein met several times between 2011 and 2013. Epstein pleaded guilty to sex crimes in Florida in 2008.

Gates first addressed his ties with Epstein in November 2019. In a panel discussion, Gates said he'd "made a mistake in judgment in thinking those discussions would go to global health."

He added, "That money never appeared."

Gates didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Gates told Woodruff that Epstein had relationships with people who would give money to global-health causes, adding that "not nearly enough philanthropy goes in that direction."

But Gates said he decided to end the meetings.

"Those meetings were a mistake," Gates told Woodruff. "They didn't result in what he purported, and I cut them off."

The meetings were a long time ago, Gates said. He told Woodruff that there was "nothing new" to say about them.

Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of child sex trafficking.

After Gates and Melinda French Gates announced their divorce in May, sources told The Daily Beast that French Gates had warned her husband about his relationship with Epstein and became upset after the couple met Epstein in New York in 2013.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Bipartisan talks on reforming police tactics and accountability, prompted by George Floyd's murder in May 2020, have ended without a compromise, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a key negotiator, said Wednesday.

Why it matters: Lawmakers, led by Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Booker, had been working toward a bipartisan deal for months but things fell apart due to disagreements on qualified immunity and other issues.

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Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that shields officers from lawsuits unless they violate a clearly established constitutional right. It generally means public officials are shielded from an overwhelming majority of civil rights lawsuits.

The House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in March but that version was opposed by Scott, the Senate's lone Black Republican, who in turn agreed to work with Bass and Booker on a compromise.

Scott specifically disagreed with a complete ban on chokeholds, no-knock warrants and an end to qualified immunity for individual officers accused of excessive force.

Booker told the Wall Street Journal that he called Scott on Wednesday to tell him Democrats were done negotiating after Scott didnt accept their final offer for a compromise.

What they're saying: "[T]here was still too wide a gulf with our negotiating partners and we faced significant obstacles to securing a bipartisan deal. The time has come to explore all other options to achieve meaningful and common-sense policing reform," Booker said in a statement on Wednesday.

Our sense of urgency remains, but this issue requires a re-engagement of the legislative process. With our counterparts unwilling to come to a compromise, we have no other option than to explore further avenues to stop police brutality in this country," Bass said in a statement.

"I am deeply disappointed that Democrats have once again squandered a crucial opportunity to implement meaningful reform to make our neighborhoods safer and mend the tenuous relationship between law enforcement and communities of color," Scott said in a statement.

The big picture: President Biden has for months urged Congress to pass a police reform bill.

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"Senate Republicans rejected enacting modest reforms...while refusing to take action on key issues that many in law enforcement were willing to address," Biden said in a statement on Wednesday.

"I still hope to sign into law a comprehensive and meaningful police reform bill that honors the name and memory of George Floyd, because we need legislation to ensure lasting and meaningful change."

"But this moment demands action, and we cannot allow those who stand in the way of progress to prevent us from answering the call."

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced this month that the department will implement new rules for federal monitors charged with overseeing mandated police reforms.

The DOJ is also pursuing "pattern or practice" investigations into police misconduct at the Phoenix, Louisville and Minneapolis police departments.

Go deeper: DOJ limits use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants

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EXCLUSIVE  Black Lives Matter activists have turned on New York City's leadership over what they claim are racist COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

Mayor Bill De Blasio has aggressively pushed a "vaccine passport" system that bars entry to restaurants, gyms, and other public places without proof of COVID-19 inoculation. But with black residents lagging the overall population in vaccinations, the rules are disproportionately affecting a minority group usually in step with Democratic policies. The schism came to a head on Monday, when Black Lives Matter of Greater New York launched a protest outside a restaurant where enforcement of the policy sparked a melee.

Hawk Newsome is a black activist and co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York  one of the many prominent Black Lives Matter organizations outside the hierarchy of the Black Lives Matter Global Network. He founded the group with his sister, Chivona Newsome. Both siblings spoke at the Monday protest, where Hawk accused the city of using vaccination requirements to run cover for its "racist ways" and "discrimination."

Newsome spoke with the Washington Examiner about the difficulties vaccine-hesitant blacks are facing in the era of medical passports.

"We are not anti-vaxxers. Some of us are vaccinated," Newsome said of his group. "It's an individual's choice. No one should be forced to put something in their body."

BLM ORGANIZER SAYS DE BLASIO VACCINE MANDATE WEAPONIZED AGAINST BLACK COMMUNITY

The number of black residents in New York City who have not been vaccinated is drastically disproportionate to other racial groups. More than 70% of black people in New York City aged 18 to 44 have not gotten the injection  a statistic touted by Chivona at the Monday protest. There is a variety of reasons for the lag in shots, including religious beliefs and distrust of the government.

"It's black people who have a natural distrust of the vaccine," Newsome said. He cited the Tuskeegee Syphilis Study as an example of historic exploitation of black people by the U.S. medical community, despite the fact that vaccines are accessible to people of all racial groups.

Story continues

BLMGNY is advocating for the complete abolition of vaccine requirements, not only in the city but also on a national level.

"I think, in a perfect world, [vaccine requirements] should be business by business. But it could be a slippery slope, so the mandate should be removed completely," Newsome said, adding, "It's not gonna be white men in suits on Wall Street who are gonna get stopped. There's such hypocrisy in this thing."

Newsome, a Baptist, said that what infuriates him the most is the lack of accommodations for an individual's spiritual objections to the vaccine.

"How dare they remove religious exemptions? It's the most disrespectful thing I've ever seen," Newsome said. "Now the government has decided your God doesn't matter? I love God."



On Thursday, three black women were taped attacking the waitress at Carmine's Italian Restaurant, after which they were arrested and charged with instigating a fight. The women allege that the waitress used racial slurs against them that provoked them, but no recording of such an altercation has been made public thus far. The owner of Carmine's, Jeffrey Bank, denied that his hostess used racist language while asking for proof of vaccination.

"Three women brutally attacked our hostess without provocation, got arrested and charged for their misconduct, and then, over the last several days, had their lawyer falsely and grossly misrepresent their acts of wanton violence in a cynical attempt to try to excuse the inexcusable," Bank said in a statement.

Regardless of Bank's explanation, protesters, including both Newsome and his sister, took to the streets against the restaurant and the city's vaccine mandates.

A Black Lives Matter protester was recorded shouting at a member of the community anti-crime group "Guardian Angels" during the protest. The unidentified man, who was wearing a black tank top and mask, repeatedly shouted "suck d***" in the face of Patrol Lead for the Guardian Angels Joshua Penner, 77WABC News reported.

BLMGNY is not new to controversial political demonstrations, and neither is Newsome.

Following the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, which sparked several nationwide demonstrations and led to former police officer Derek Chauvin being convicted on murder charges, Newsome said if the United States doesn't "give [black people] what they want," they would "burn this system down," while refusing to clarify whether his statement was literal or figurative. At one point in the Fox News interview, Newsome also referred to Jesus Christ as "the most famous black radical revolutionary in history."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Newsome insisted to the Washington Examiner that his group isn't "running to the Right" in critiquing the Democratic leadership in New York.

"I'm a follower of Malcolm X," Newsome said, calling the historic black activist the greatest civil rights leader in U.S. history. "Malcolm X didn't trust the Republicans, but he also didn't trust the Democrats."

"Do we agree with the Right? No," he continued, adding that he cannot align with the GOP because he believes their platform is built around the oppression of black people. However, Newsome believes that black communities are being intentionally left out of discussions about vaccine hesitancy by left-wing politicians.

"It fits a narrative to say crazy Trumpsters are the only ones who don't want to take the vaccine," Newsome said.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: Coronavirus, New York City, Eric Adams, Bill de Blasio, Black Lives Matter, Vaccination, Mandate

Original Author: Timothy Nerozzi

Original Location: Black Lives Matter of Greater New York leader blasts vaccine mandates as racist and disrespectful
Watch: PM urges French 'donnez-moi un break' over Aukus

Boris Johnson has told French president Emmanuel Macron to donnez-moi un break and get over his anger about the new military pact forged between the Australia, the UK and the US.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, the prime minister used Franglais as he said: I just think its time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break.

Because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security. Its three very like-minded allies standing shoulder to shoulder creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology.

Boris Johnson pictured during his visit to New York. (Getty Images)

French president Emmanuel Macron has expressed anger at the AUKUS pact. (Getty)

Its not exclusive. Its not trying to shoulder anybody out. Its not adversarial towards China, for instance.

The Australia-UK-US Aukus pact saw Sydney decide to pursue the development of nuclear-powered submarines at the expense of a deal with France to provide diesel-electric boats.

The diplomatic fallout has seen France recall its ambassadors from Australia and the US and postpone high-level meetings.

This week, British defence secretary Ben Wallace sought to play down suggestions of a rift between the UK and France, insisting there was no sneakiness behind the back over the lucrative submarines contract.

He was speaking after his French counterpart Florence Parly postponed a meeting with him amid the international fallout from the contract row.

A defence source told the PA news agency that the meeting is postponed, not cancelled and highlighted the strength of the UK military relationship with trusted allies France, including operations in Mali and complex weapons development.

Australian PM Scott Morrison, US president Joe Biden and UK PM Boris Johnson participate in a virtual press conference on the Aukus pact. (Getty Images)

However, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the deal as a stab in the back and constituted unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners.

In an interview with France 2 television, Le Drian accused Australia and the US of duplicity, disdain and lies and said the recalling of Frances ambassadors signifies the force of the crisis today.

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He said allies dont treat each other with such brutality, such unpredictability, a major partner like France  So there really is a crisis.

Johnson's tone on Wednesday was a marked shift from the more conciliatory one over the weekend, when he urged Macron not to worry about Aukus.

Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron are locked in a diplomatic row over the Aukus pact. (Getty)

The PM insisted Anglo-French relations were ineradicable on Sunday after France suggested the UK was a lapdog to Bidens White House during a verbal attack.

Johnson insisted Britain and France have a very friendly relationship, which he described as being of huge importance.

Our love of France is ineradicable, he told reporters travelling with him on the RAF Voyager to New York.

Aukus is not in any way meant to be zero-sum, its not meant to be exclusionary. Its not something that anybody needs to worry about and particularly not our French friends.

New submarines will replace the Royal Australian Navy's existing Collins submarine fleet as part of the Aukus pact. (Australian Defence Force/Getty)

New foreign secretary Liz Truss launched a defence of the agreement after arriving in Washington DC with the prime minister.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Truss said Britain would always be a fierce champion of freedom and free enterprise around the world.

It shows our readiness to be hard-headed in defending our interests and challenging unfair practices and malign acts, she added.

Watch: Recalled French ambassador call Aukus submarine deal a 'huge mistake'
(Bloomberg) -- The head of Quebecs largest fund manager is backing the board and management of Canadian National Railway Co. in their fight against an unhappy shareholder, saying they were right to attempt a takeover of Kansas City Southern even though the bid failed.

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Charles Emond, the chief executive officer of the Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, said Canadian Nationals top managers actually did their homework on the $30 billion offer and that criticism of the railroads strategy by Christopher Hohns TCI Fund Management Ltd. isnt justified.

We thought it was a good deal. These kind of opportunities happen very rarely, Emond said in an interview with Bloomberg News. The outcome was different than expected, but they were rigorous in the process.

The pact failed when the U.S. Surface Transportation Board blocked Canadian Nationals proposal to use a voting trust to ensure that Kansas City shareholders got paid before regulatory approvals were completed.

Emond questioned TCIs motivation in opposing the proposed merger, noting that the London-based investment firm is also a large shareholder in Canadian Nationals rival, Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., which agreed to buy Kansas City Southern for about $27 billion.

Its pretty rare you actually see an activist sitting on both sides of the trade with two potential buyers. So one has to understand or question what are the real motivations here, Emond said.

TCI owns a 8.3% stake in Canadian Pacific valued at $3.6 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It owns 5.2% of Canadian National, a stake valued around $4.2 billion.

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A representative for TCI wasnt immediately available to comment.

Caisse owns 1.7% of Canadian National and less than 0.1% of Canadian Pacific, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Canadian Rail Rivals Fought for Three-Nation Network: Timeline

Hohns firm argued that Canadian National was exposing itself to excessive financial and regulatory risk in pursuing Kansas City Southern. The fund manager has launched a proxy contest to put several new directors on the Canadian National board and oust CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest.

The railroad responded with a plan to slash costs, become more efficient and buy back shares to boost its stock price, which has lagged behind Canadian Pacifics by a wide margin over five- and 10-year periods.

From my perspective, the management team is actually quite on top of it and has a plan, Emond said. As to what TCI wants to do with that, well see.

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A substantial number of Central Florida health care workers remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, even as President Joe Biden calls on hospitals and other medical providers to mandate the shot.

Federal data provides an imperfect snapshot of the situation, but the numbers show that hospitals and nursing homes have a ways to go to fully vaccinate their workforce.

Orlando Health estimates nearly one-in-three of its employees are unvaccinated more than nine months after the shot first became available to health care workers. About half of staff members at Florida nursing homes havent gotten a shot.

That puts patients at risk because unvaccinated people are more likely to catch COVID-19 and spread it to others, said Dr. Bernard Ashby, a Miami cardiologist and Florida state lead for the Committee to Protect Health Care.

I strongly believe if you are working around vulnerable patients you should do whatever it takes to protect them, he said. If youre unwilling to do that, you shouldnt be a health care worker.

The Walt Disney Co. and Orange County government have mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for their employees, but Central Floridas largest hospital systems, including AdventHealth and Orlando Health, havent yet taken that step.

Health care leaders are worried that mandating the shot could worsen existing staff shortages and hurt their ability to recruit and retain badly needed employees.

Federal data gives a muddle glimpse

Patients have no easy way of accessing user-friendly data showing what percentage of hospital employees have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Federal data that does exist is muddled, and some hospitals are keeping their numbers secret. One hospital system serving Central Florida  UF Health  is tracking employee vaccinations but wont publicly report it.

AdventHealth is reporting to the federal government that about half of the personnel working at its hospitals in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties is unvaccinated.

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That data is misleading, and the true vaccination numbers are likely higher, said Jeff Grainger, a spokesperson for AdventHealth. Personnel who received the vaccine at an off-site pharmacy and didnt report it to hospital officials are missed. The numbers reported to the federal government include non-clinical employees, as well as contractors and others not employed directly by AdventHealth.

Orlando Health estimates nearly 70% of its employees have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. Thats only slightly better than the population at large. About 64% of eligible Floridians are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Orlando Health officials also said the federal data is misleading because it includes employees in private physician offices, EMTs and others not employed by the hospital system, making accurate tracking difficult.

While we highly encourage vaccination for our team members and physicians, Orlando Health does not mandate COVID-19 vaccination, said Dr. George Ralls, Orlando Healths chief medical officer. To ensure the rate of vaccination amongst our team is high, we have continued to offer vaccines at several Orlando Health locations, with no appointment needed.

Right now, the federal government is only requiring hospitals to report their vaccination status on a voluntary basis, but the reporting will become mandatory on Oct. 1 with a new federal rule.

Better data exists for nursing home staff, and Florida is performing poorly. About 48% of staff in Florida nursing homes is vaccinated. Only Louisiana has a lower percentage, according to an analysis by AARP. Florida, Louisiana and Missouri are the only states that have vaccination rates below 50%.

Mandates spur worker shortage concerns

Biden announced his administration will mandate COVID-19 shots for about 17 million health care workers, but Central Florida hospitals are waiting for a rule to be issued next month that will explain how the mandate will work.

The mandates will also include nursing home employees.

Vaccine requirements are not new for people working in the health care industry. Many hospital systems, including AdventHealth and Orlando Health, require employees get flu shots. Exemptions are in place for medical and religious objections.

About 43% of U.S. hospitals have mandated the COVID-19 shot for their employees, according to the American Hospital Association.

Hospital leaders are in a tough spot when it comes to mandating the vaccine because of fears that they could lose employees, said Justin Senior, CEO of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida.

Not every hospital has required COVID vaccination, so it can become a recruiting and retention issue, he said. When they say they are reviewing, they are trying to understand the impact it will have.

About 15% of health care workers indicated they wont get the COVID-19 vaccine in an August survey conducted by the COVID States Project, a research consortium of several universities.

As is the case with the population at large, health care workers with higher educational attainment are more likely to be vaccinated, the survey showed. The health care industry employs a wide spectrum of people from doctors to administrative assistants who handle office duties.

Just because you are working in a health care setting doesnt mean you have the background and knowledge of health care that separates you from the general population, said Ashby, the Miami doctor.

About 96% of physicians and 88% of nurses said they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in surveys conducted by the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association.

Orange Countys vaccine mandate for government employees prompted a backlash. About half the men and women who respond to 911 calls for Orange County Fire Rescue have not turned in vaccine proof, and some say they will defy Mayor Jerry Demings order giving them until Sept. 30 to get vaccinated.

Elsewhere in the country, a small hospital in upstate New York paused delivering babies because dozens of staff members quit rather than get vaccinated under a state mandate.

Opponents to vaccine mandates argue that its a personal decision and should not be forced as a condition of employment. Gov. Ron DeSantis objects to vaccine mandates, saying they will worsen staffing issues in the health care field.

In a health care setting, unvaccinated workers can cause outbreaks that put others in grave danger, and the highly transmissible delta variant is increasing the threat for everybody, said William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University.

People who are vaccinated can still get COVID-19 and potentially spread the disease, but scientists say they are eight times less likely to become infected. If they are infected, they likely spread the virus for less time than unvaccinated people.

We are in a war against the virus, Schaffner said. So far we have relied on a volunteer army, but the enemy has changed. We now have a volunteer army. It is no longer sufficient, so we are going to have to implement the draft.

sswisher@orlandosentinel.com
Last September, Mayor Lori Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor to launch a plan to remove Chicago's toxic lead service lines  pipes that connect most Chicago homes to the water main.

The plan aimed to remove 650 lead lines from low-income homes in the first year using $15 million in federal block grants.

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Yes, but: The Chicago Department of Water Management has removed just six. Water officials say the program's extensive paperwork requirements are slowing them down.

Why it matters: With 400,000 toxic lead service lines in the ground, Chicago has more than any other US city. The toxin  which has shown up in the water of two-thirds of tested homes  can cause brain damage and heart disease.

What they're saying: "I've not been shy about expressing my deep disappointment," in the slow pace of removal, Lightfoot told Axios in a wide-ranging interview yesterday. "Absolutely more has to be done."

Her focus: "Doing a lot better work reaching out to folks and letting them know, particularly low-income households," that they can apply for free line removals.

The responsibility: "I've been very clear with [Water] commissioner [Andrea Cheng] that this is too slow. And that this is on her and her team to get the job done."

Recent change: "I now have a regular readout on what the progress is ... and I expect to see a significant turnaround in the work that's being done for it."

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A teenage student was shot and killed Tuesday near a high school on Chicagos South Side, according to reports.

The Simeon Career Academy student was identified by the Cook County medical examiners office as Jamari Williams, 15. He was shot at a strip mall less than a half-mile from the high school at around 2:40 p.m.

A vehicle drove up and someone inside opened fire, striking him in the chest. He was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition and later pronounced dead.

No arrests have been made.

The sophomore football player was with a group of students from the school at the time of the shooting, FOX 32 Chicago reported.

CHICAGO MAYOR LIGHTFOOT'S $16 BILLION BUDGET PROPOSAL INCLUDES MORE SPENDING ON POLICE AMID GUN VIOLENCE SPIKE

"He was not the kid with the tattoos or a kid that was bad. He was a kid that hoped to move his mother out of the hood through football," said Pastor Donovan Price, who spoke with the boy's family, according to FOX 32.

At least a dozen shots were fired, witnesses said. A backpack and sandals were among the items that lay in the parking lot and sidewalk in front of a BMO Harris Bank branch after the shooting, photos showed. The items were surrounded by more than a dozen evidence markers.

"We heard the sound and saw people running," said an unidentified employee at a nearby GameStop, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "Kids were leaving school and then it happened."

Price added that Williams previously lost his father to gun violence.

CHICAGO WEEKEND VIOLENCE INCLUDES 56 SHOOTING VICTIMS, 9 MURDERS AND ALDERMAN ATTACK AT PROBLEM CORNER

"The family wants everyone to know: this was a good kid. A kid who wanted to play football. Who looked forward to playing football at Simeon, but unfortunately because of COVID that was delayed," he said.

Police said the shooting is under investigation.

Last weekend, Chicago saw nine murders and 56 shooting victims, including a 3-year-old boy.
Reuters

MANILA (Reuters) -Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo, a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs, joined the race for president on Thursday, promising to usher in a government that cares for the people, not personal interests. Robredo, 56, who was elected separately from Duterte and was not his running mate, said her decision was a difficult one but she wanted to be of greater service to a country facing unprecedented health and economic shocks. "If we truly want to liberate ourselves from this situation, we should change not just the surnames of those in power; the corruption, the incompetence, the lack of compassion must be replaced by competence and integrity in leadership," said Robredo, who is running as independent candidate.
Xi Jinping made his address in a video recording at the annual summit

China will not build new coal-fire projects abroad, a move that could be pivotal in tackling global emissions.

President Xi Jinping made the announcement in his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

China has been funding coal projects in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam under a massive infrastructure project known as the Belt and Road initiative.

But it has been under pressure to end the financing, as the world tries to meet Paris climate agreement targets.

"China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad," Mr Xi said in a video recording at the annual summit.

No further details were provided, but the move could limit the expansion of coal plants in many developing countries under China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The BRI has seen China fund trains, roads, ports and coal plants in numerous countries, many of them developing nations. For the first time in several years however, it did not fund any coal projects in the first half of 2021.

China is also the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter and is heavily reliant on coal for domestic energy needs.

Mr Xi mentioned promises made last year about China achieving peak emissions before 2030 and then transitioning to carbon neutrality by 2060.

The US Climate Envoy John Kerry welcomed the announcement, saying in a statement that he was "absolutely delighted to hear that President Xi has made this important decision".

The head of the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference due to be held in Scotland next month also applauded the news.

"It is clear the writing is on the wall for coal power. I welcome President Xi's commitment to stop building new coal projects abroad - a key topic of my discussions during my visit to China," Alok Sharma said on Twitter.

Analysis box by Robin Brant, Shanghai correspondent

This is the announcement that China has increasingly been expected to make.

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For nearly a decade now coal fired power stations have been a key feature of Xi Jinping's awkwardly named Belt and Road Initiative of foreign investment.

However, the reality is that the number of these projects has fallen significantly.

Crucial details will need to be cleared up; when will this take effect? Will it cover new power plants approved but not yet built? Will China also stop financing new coal fired power stations abroad?

This is progress, but it's the low hanging fruit in terms of China's addiction to coal.

Half the coal burned in the world is burned in China. It is still adding numerous new coal power plants at home, with a lifespan of 40 to 50 years.

The biggest question remains: When will this country start to cut the overall number within its borders and substantially reduce its dependency on the most polluting form of power generation?

Mr Xi's address came after US President Joe Biden gave his maiden speech at the United Nations during which he urged countries to work together as never before to tackle global problems such as climate change and the pandemic.

Mr Biden also said that democracy would not be defeated by authoritarianism, but refrained from mentioning China by name.

"The future will belong to those who give their people the ability to breathe free, not those who seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand," Mr Biden said.

"We all must call out and condemn the targeting and oppression of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, whether it occurs in Xinjiang or northern Ethiopia, or anywhere in the world," he added, referring to the western Chinese region where China is accused of using forced labour.

Relations between the US and China are at an all time low over issues including trade, human rights and the origins of Covid-19.

In his address, Mr Xi said that China had peaceful intentions in international relations.

But he also seemed to address the tensions and the formation of alliances in the region like the "Quad" grouping, made up of Australia, the US, India and Japan, saying there was a need to "reject the practice of forming small circles or zero-sum games".
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Lawyers for Colombia on Wednesday dismissed Nicaragua's claims before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), insisting that Bogota did respect a 2012 ruling on their maritime boundaries in the western Caribbean by the same court.

"All of Nicaragua's claims are unsubstantiated and artificial. They are founded on words," not actions, lawyer Manuel Jose Cepeda said.

On Monday, lawyers for Nicaragua said Colombia had violated a 2012 ruling by the ICJ, also known as the World Court, which drew a demarcation line in favour of Nicaragua in Caribbean waters, reducing the expanse of sea belonging to Colombia.

Nicaragua accused Colombia of cherry picking, saying it accepted the court's ruling that a cluster of small islands was Colombian, but not the demarcation of maritime boundaries in the same judgment.

The new sea borders increased Nicaraguas continental shelf and economic exclusion zone in the Caribbean, giving it access to underwater oil and gas deposits, as well as fishing rights.

Colombia said Wednesday its ships were occasionally present in the disputed area, in line with international law. It argued the vessels were needed for environmental preservation and for other international duties like cooperating in anti-drug trafficking actions, Cepeda said.

Nicaragua has asked the court to rule that Colombia has not respected its 2012 ruling and must give assurances it will not do the same again.

The two sides will be able to respond to each other's arguments in hearings planned to run until Oct. 1.

The ICJ is the United Nations' highest legal body, and deals with disputes between states. It usually takes years before a judgment is given in cases it handles, and even then, the court has no way to enforce its rulings.

(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
The Daily Beast

Dallas County Sheriff's OfficeA bizarre saga in Missouri involving a missing woman who was seen being held captive in a cage has taken a baffling turn as the house where she was apparently kept burned to the groundimmediately after authorities discovered it had been boobytrapped.The Dallas County Sheriffs Office said the fire at the home in Windyville, an unincorporated Ozarks community about 160 miles from Kansas City, occurred Monday night, according to the Springfield News-Leader. Thats mo
It sure looks like were heading for a full-blown crisis.

The House is set to vote this evening on a stopgap government funding bill that would also suspend the federal borrowing limit through December 16, 2022 and provide money for disaster relief and resettling Afghan evacuees  but the legislation is likely doomed in the Senate, where Republican votes would be needed for it to pass.

Republicans insist they wont help raise the debt ceiling because they oppose Democrats proposed $3.5 trillion package of social welfare spending and tax hikes on corporations and the wealthy. They have the capacity to raise the debt ceiling by themselves, just like the capacity they have to spend money by themselves. So we're not going to help them do either one," Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said Monday night.

That leaves it entirely unclear whether lawmakers will be able to prevent a government shutdown in 10 days or avoid a potentially calamitous debt default next month.

Democrats opted to link the suspension of the debt limit with an extension of funding for the federal government through December 3, essentially daring Republicans to oppose the whole package, including $28.6 billion in hurricane and wildfire relief, and bring federal operations to a halt.

We know the Republican justification for forcing a default is totally dishonest, plain and simple, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Tuesday on the Senate floor. Playing games with the debt ceiling is playing with fire and putting it on the back of the American people.

Republicans have given no indication that theyll back down, though  and Democrats have given little indication that theyve got a fallback plan ready to go. They can still unilaterally raise the debt limit by adding an increase to their budget reconciliation package, though the process would take time and Democratic leaders have steered away from this option so far.

In recent days, Democratic lawmakers have reassured they will not allow the country to default. Some have said they could ultimately take special legislative maneuvers to bypass the Republican blockade and adopt the debt ceiling increase on their own, The Washington Posts Tony Romm writes. But the process could take days that Democrats simply do not have, meaning at least a partial or short-term government shutdown is possible even if Congress staves off a more apocalyptic financial meltdown.

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Hoyer says bipartisan infrastructure bill will get a vote next week: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told reporters Tuesday that the Senates $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill will indeed be brought up for a vote next week, even though Democrats larger budget reconciliation bill wont be ready by then. This is a huge win for moderates in both chambers, Politicos Playbook PM notes. That effectively decouples the two bills, officially spiking the so-called two-track process that leadership hoped would enable passage of both while keeping the party united.

Dozens of progressives say they wont support the infrastructure bill without the reconciliation bill, as they try to maintain some leverage to force moderates to support the larger package. And House Republicans likely wont provide many votes for the infrastructure bill, either. It will not pass, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said of the infrastructure bill Monday, according to Punchbowl News. The two have to go together. That was the deal made in the Senate. That was why the progressive senators voted for the infrastructure bill.

Democrats cut Iron Dome funding from their bill: In another sign of the divisions between Democratic moderates and progressives, House Democrats on Tuesday pulled $1 billion in funding for Israels Iron Dome missile defense system from their bill after progressives objected to the provision. A spokesperson for House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said that the Iron Dome funding will be included in the final defense funding bill later this year, according to The Hill.

The bottom line: Tuesdays House vote wont do anything to prevent a government shutdown or debt default given Senate Republicans opposition to the legislation. And with Democratic differences far from resolved, the fate of President Bidens Build Back Better plan remains up in the air as well.

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In another blow to bipartisanship, Republicans and Democrats have ended weeks of negotiations after failing to reach a compromise on legislation to overhaul police practices.

Democrats on Wednesday announced that the talks had ended, citing a refusal by the GOP to accept changes to legal protections now afforded to police officers that protect them from lawsuits and prosecution for their actions while on duty.

Rep. Karen Bass, a California Democrat and top negotiator, called on President Joe Biden to instead use executive authority to bring about meaningful police reform now that lawmakers have reached an impasse after months of failed talks.

Biden signaled in a statement hes ready to act alone.

The White House will continue to consult with the civil rights and law enforcement and civil rights communities, as well as victims families to define a path forward, including through potential further executive actions I can take to advance our efforts to live up to the American ideal of equal justice under law, Biden said in a statement.

Biden has already acted to limit no-knock warrants and the use of chokeholds, among other changes made unilaterally, such as requiring federal officers to wear body cameras.

The failure to reach a deal follows weeks of intense negotiations to craft legislation that would respond to a string of police killings of black men and women that sparked nationwide social justice protests and demonstrations.

Democrats and Republicans each crafted their own legislation with some overlap, but key differences prevented the two sides from agreeing on a deal.

Republicans opposed eliminating qualified immunity for police officers, which would leave them legally liable for actions taken while on the job. Instead, the GOP proposed shifting liability over to police departments. They also opposed Democratic provisions they said could reduce federal resources for local police departments.

Democrats blamed Republicans Wednesday for refusing their compromise offers.

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Every time, more was demanded to the point that there would be no progress made in the bill that we were left discussing, Bass said.

Biden, in his statement, also blamed the GOP, who he said rejected enacting modest reforms, which even the previous president had supported, while refusing to take action on key issues that many in law enforcement were willing to address.

Republicans tell a different story, arguing it was Democrats who refused to compromise.

Lead Senate negotiator Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, said Democrats rejected his offer to introduce a bill that included provisions the two parties supported, such as banning chokeholds, limiting police acquisition of military equipment, and providing more mental health resources, adding that Democrats rejected the plan because they could not let go of their push to defund our law enforcement.

Scott said hell keep seeking a legislative compromise with anyone who is serious about finding bipartisan solutions that bring justice, fairness and safety for the most vulnerable among us.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Congress, Police, Tim Scott, Joe Biden

Original Author: Susan Ferrechio

Original Location: Congress gives up on bipartisan police reform after months of negotiations
A Cook County commissioner called on the county Wednesday to explore whether it can sever contracts with companies found to have donated to sponsors of Texas abortion ban, arguing that such businesses are funding a war against reproductive health.

Commissioner Kevin Morrison, a Democrat from Schaumburg, sent a letter to Cook County States attorney Kim Foxxs civil actions bureau chief requesting a legal opinion on whether the county can terminate those agreements.

He also plans to introduce a resolution at the Cook County Board meeting Thursday asking his fellow commissioners to commit to voting no on future contracts, renewals or extensions with such corporations  and to potentially stop visiting the Lone Star state for official, government-funded Cook County business.

A spokeswoman for Foxx said she could not comment, as any request for advice made by our client would be privileged, as would be any advice that we provide.

The text of Morrisons measure reads: The Cook County Board of Commissioners should support their constituents by responsibly using their taxpayer dollars to do business only with companies that are not funding a war on access to health care.

I view any company that supports taking away the reproductive freedoms that are constitutionally guaranteed to our residents as incredibly offensive, Morrison said in a phone interview. And I think we need to make a statement.

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The Texas law in question, Senate Bill 8, bans most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, when women usually cannot tell theyre pregnant, and with no exceptions for rape or incest. The law also allows private citizens to sue abortion providers or anyone who aids and abets a procedure. The law went into effect at the start September after the Supreme Court declined to block what then became the most restrictive abortion law in the country.

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In response, some have blasted major corporations for contributing to Republican politicians who backed SB8  including Dallas-based AT&T, which the womens rights group UltraViolet said had given nearly $300,000 to the laws sponsors in 2020 alone.

AT&T has mostly stayed mum on the controversy and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Tribune, though it released a statement to late-night talk show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver this month saying the company had also donated to opponents of SB8 and does not have a stance on abortion, according to The Wrap.

But Morrison said contributions to backers of the abortion ban should disqualify corporations from being in business with Cook County. Should Foxxs office issue an opinion in his favor, he said, one of the agreements the county should consider exiting is a $35 million contract with the telecommunications giant, approved for 2017 to 2022 with the option of two one-year renewals.

They have not stood up against this unconstitutional policy and I think thats reprehensible, Morrison said about AT&T.

If the county is unable to legally exit the contracts, Morrison said he will consider pushing for the agreements to be rebid at the end of their terms. He also would recommend requirements for future contracts to be with businesses aligned with the values of Cook Countys population, he said.

Under Cook Countys contract procurement policy, the lowest responsive and responsible bidder should be chosen to ensure the most competitive option wins.

Morrisons resolution heads to a committee on Thursday and will be addressed at Octobers board meeting.

It is really disappointing that we even have to be having this conversation in the first place, Morrison said. Its important that we show our residents that something they overwhelmingly support, which are reproductive freedoms, that as a county, we stand with them.

The request to Foxxs office comes as the progressive states attorney herself already moved to legally protect abortion rights. She joined nearly 100 current and ex-prosecutors in filing an amicus brief this week condemning any potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion.

Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has fought against Texas abortion ban through other means. A Chicago economic development arm she heads purchased an ad in the Dallas Morning News earlier this month inviting corporations there to relocate to Chicago, where there are liberal abortion and voting laws. The latter was a shot at another Texas law, also signed this month, adding voting restrictions that critics say could erode minority turnout.

ayin@chicagotribune.com
The Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio airports will both receive federal grants for improvements, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Tuesday.

The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport will receive more than $35 million to support several projects on its campus. The projects include constructing an air rescue and firefighting building and adding more zero-emissions vehicles and infrastructure upgrades.

In February, DFW received a $31 million grant to reconstruct several runways.

San Antonio International Airport will receive $4.57 million to construct a new runway and a new taxiway. The total allotted under the grant covers the costs of grading the land and adding new drainage to support the runway.

The grants are part of a $431.8 million funding spree by the FAA under its Airport Improvement Program (AIP). In all, 60 airports across 31 states will receive funds.

These grants support airport infrastructure across our National Airspace System, providing federal investment to communities of all sizes, from remote areas to major metropolitan cities, FAA Administrator Scott Dickson said in a statement.

Last year, 20 airports in Texas received AIP funding.

To get passengers where they need to be safely and sustainably, we must make ongoing investments in our aviation system, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. These grants will help fulfill our commitment to build a safer, more equitable and more sustainable future.

Typically local authorities are required to provide grant matching funds for AIP projects, but the federal American Rescue Plan removed this requirement, instead requiring the federal government to cover 100% of the project costs.

The FAA has awarded more than 1,700 AIP grants so far in 2021 totaling more than $3.2 billion in funding, according to agency data.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Texas, San Antonio, Dallas, State

Original Author: Robert Davis, The Center Square contributor

Original Location: Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio airports receiving millions in FAA grants
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Search teams found nothing of note Wednesday at a Florida wilderness park where they have spent days looking for the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, the young woman who authorities say was killed while on a cross-country trip with him.

The search resumed Wednesday morning at the 24,000-acre (9,700-hectare) Carlton Reserve park and ended just before dark, North Port police spokesperson Joshua Taylor said. Investigators say Brian Laundrie's parents told them he had gone there after returning home without Petito on Sept. 1.

It marked the fourth day of searching in the Carlton Reserve, with operations suspended Monday while the FBI searched the nearby Laundrie home for evidence.

The search of the reserve was set to resume Thursday morning, Taylor said in an email.

The outdoors search includes thousands of acres of forbidding, swampy subtropical terrain replete with alligators, snakes, bobcats, coyotes, turkey, deer and many other wild creatures. There are more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) of hiking and horseback riding trails, plus numerous camping areas and rivers.

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office brought in a diver unit called SURF, or Sheriffs Underwater Recovery Force, to perform a more specialized search for evidence.

These highly-trained deputies work in the most difficult and challenging environments imaginable. They are on call 24/7/365, the sheriff's office said in a tweet.

Petito, 22, was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents after she did not respond to calls and texts for several days while the couple visited parks in the West. Her body was discovered Sunday at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Teton County Coroner Brent Blue classified Petito's death as a homicide  meaning her death was caused by another person  but did not disclose how she was killed pending further autopsy results. Laundrie, 23, is not charged with any crime but is considered a person of interest in the case.

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With online sleuths and theories multiplying by the day, the FBI and police have been deluged with tips about possible Laundrie sightings. Taylor, the North Port spokesperson, said none have so far panned out. He also batted down rumors that Laundrie had been captured Tuesday.

These reports are unfortunately false. Please rest assured that when Brian is found, we will be more than happy to let everyone know, Taylor said in an email.

Petito and Laundrie grew up together in Long Island, New York, but moved in recent years to North Port, where his parents live. Their home, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Sarasota, was searched by investigators earlier this week and a Ford Mustang driven by Laundrie's mother was towed from the driveway. Authorities believe Laundrie drove that car to the Carlton Reserve before disappearing.

The couple documented online their trip in a white Ford Transit van converted into a camper, but got into a physical altercation Aug. 12 in Moab, Utah, that led to a police stop for a possible domestic violence case. Ultimately, police there decided to separate the quarreling couple for the night but no charges were filed and no serious injuries were reported.

The FBI is seeking information from anyone who may have seen them in the Grand Teton area as well as any other tips nationally.

We join the FBI in asking for continued public assistance by sharing any information through the tip lines 1-800-CALL FBI or tips.fbi.gov,
The tranquil landscape of flat farmland and small villages in the Essex countryside in southeast England seems a world away from Britain's escalating energy crisis.

But fertiliser and carbon dioxide shortages are beginning to bite at places like Wicks Manor Farm, which rears pigs for pork and grows crops.

"We've got some real concerns (and) quite frightening consequences to farming, as an industry throughout the UK, certainly to our farming business here," owner Fergus Howie told AFP, barely audible over his pigs' squeals.

"There's a lot of issues and they're all kind of coming together," he added, saying the situation had prompted "real concerns" about the "immediate food supply chain".

Howie's farm and butchery, in the idyllic Essex countryside some 50 miles (80 kilometres) northeast of London, sells pork to leading supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, and for export.

Wheat and barley grown over 4,400 acres (nearly 11,000 hectares) are used to feed the animals and sold wholesale.

Fertiliser is needed for the crops, and CO2 for the humane slaughter of livestock, as well as in the production and packaging of sausages, burgers, bacon and ham.

If the shortages continue, there are fears farms like Wicks Manor could be left unable to cull animals and low yield harvests will be economically unviable.

- 'Crazy' -

Britain is not alone in being hit by surging gas prices, caused by a global supply shortage, causing a spike in wholesale costs that threaten to hike bills for consumers.

But the sharp increase led two UK fertiliser production sites, which rely on natural gas to halt operations last week, with a knock-on effect on livestock farming and the supply chain.

Carbon dioxide is a by-product of fertiliser production and the two plants account for up to 60 percent of Britain's CO2 supply.

Farmers like Howie now worry there will not be enough to go round.

The UK government announced Tuesday a financial support deal with CF Fertilisers, the US firm that runs the biggest of the two facilities, to restart production at one site.

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But the agreement, which ministers concede could end up costing British taxpayers tens of millions of pounds, will only last for three weeks -- and produce a fraction of the CO2 needed.

"Three weeks isn't exactly going to cut the mustard," said Howie, whose grandfather began farming in Essex nearly a century ago.

"It's been a real surprise to the industry... how important these two plants in the UK are to the food chain that we all need to have food available in our shops.

"It's crazy that there are only two plants, it's crazy that they are both under foreign investment."

- 'Welfare issues' -

Wicks Manor Farm, which opened in its current form in 1967, typically has up to 3,000 pigs on-site, including some 250 sows giving birth year-round.

It sends around 110 animals to slaughter every Friday, freeing up space in its open strawed yards for new piglets.

On Wednesday, 20 pens housing newly-born suckling piglets were full. In five weeks, they will move out into the bigger yards -- if there is space.

"We need to have pigs go off so that we have got room for those new animals to come into the farm environment," said Howie.

"Welfare issues will become quite significant if abattoirs say they're stopping because these two plants have stopped production."

Before the CO2 crisis, Howie was already sending 25 percent fewer pigs to slaughter due to chronic staff shortages at abattoirs caused by a "double whammy" of Brexit and the pandemic.

He said Britain has long been too reliant on eastern European labour that is now disappearing and subject to tougher post-Brexit immigration requirements.

Short-term, he wants the government to secure "consistency of supply" for both fertiliser and CO2, before tackling the longer-term problems around resilience.

"We need to start looking at why we have such a fragile food supply chain in the UK," the 46-year-old said, urging "investment in more plants (and) different technologies so we don't rely on natural gas" and imports.

If the government fails to address the issues adequately, the father-of-three fears for the future of his family-run firm.

"When you're running a farming business for three generations, there's a lot of passion, a lot of involvement," he said.

"We've got to make sure that we have something that hopefully we can pass to the next generation -- we don't want to be the ones that trip over holding it."

jj/phz/har
A Los Angeles police officer drops off ballots for the gubernatorial recall election at the Boyle Heights Senior Center on Sept. 14. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Gov. Gavin Newsom has hundreds of bills to consider by Oct. 10 and choose to sign, veto or ignore (in which case they would automatically become law).

But heres one that he shouldnt hesitate to sign: Assembly Bill 37 would make permanent the pandemic-era practice of sending mail ballots to all registered voters in California. This has proved to be a boon for voter participation and popular, too.

After two successful all-mail ballot elections  last weeks recall election and the 2020 presidential election  theres no reason to let this commonsense voting practice lapse and return to the clunky old system that focused resources on thousands of sparsely used day-of polling centers.

For one thing, voters have made it clear they prefer casting their ballots this way  even before COVID-19 made in-person voting risky. In the four statewide elections before 2020, most voters used mail ballots  making up 65% of ballots cast in 2018. And in the 2020 presidential election, 87% of voters used a mail ballot.

More important, California has been moving steadily toward universal mail balloting for several years. In 2016, the Legislature passed the Voter's Choice Act that allowed counties to swap the 20th century voting model of many small precincts open on election day and available only to nearby voters in favor of centralized voting centers that were open for longer hours and for several days before the election, and where any voter in the county could cast a ballot in person or drop off a mail ballot. The key to making this new model work was sending all registered voters in those counties a ballot in the mail weeks before election day.

As of 2019, 15 counties, including Los Angeles County, had embraced this new voting system and universal mail balloting. But last year, lawmakers hastened the transition by requiring the other 43 counties to send all their voters a mail ballot too for the 2020 presidential election as a safety measure. Later, they extended this provision through 2021.

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It appears to have paid off in terms of higher turnout. A study of the 2020 election by the Public Policy Institute of California found a correlation between universal mail ballots and higher voter turnout. States such as California that mailed a ballot to every registered voter last year reported voter turnout increased by 4.6% on average over the 2016 election.

Sadly, some Republican-controlled state legislatures don't seem to care about the improvements in turnout and are moving to clamp down on access to mail ballots for future elections. Those states are capitalizing on the unfounded fear stirred up by conservatives and President Trump that mail ballots lead to widespread fraud. At least, thats the ostensible reason, since there's no evidence that is the case in California or other states. More likely, the GOP objections have to do with the fact that mail ballots encourage participation among those who are often disenfranchised by the traditional in-person voting system  and who tend to back Democratic candidates.

Voters like the flexibility provided by mail ballots and voting centers. And that should be reason enough to make universal mail ballots the rule in California, not the pandemic exception.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Education Department is investigating Texas' ban on mask mandates and its possible violation of disability rights.

Why it matters: Texas is one of several states under investigation for mask mandate bans that have impacted schools across the U.S.

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The Texas Education Agency quietly updated its public health guidance on Friday to note that school districts once again cannot require face coverings.

Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) ban was temporarily blocked last month amid a legal challenge. However, some lower courts have made their own rulings, the Texas Tribune reports, creating a patchwork of enforcement and multiplying the legal battles Abbott faces.

What they're saying: The governor's order may be "preventing school districts in the state from considering or meeting the needs of students with disabilities," Suzanne B. Goldberg, the acting assistant secretary for the department's Office for Civil Rights, wrote in a letter to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath.

The Office for Civil Rights is "concerned that Texass restriction ... may be preventing schools in Texas from meeting their legal obligations not to discriminate based on disability and from providing an equal educational opportunity to students with disabilities who are at heightened risk of severe illness from COVID-19," Goldberg said.

"In this investigation, particular attention will be given to whether TEA may be preventing schools from making individualized assessments about mask use so that students with disabilities can attend school and participate in school activities in person, consistent with their right to receive a free appropriate public education and to be free from discrimination based on their disability."

The big picture: Texas experienced a surge in COVID cases and deaths this summer.

In mid-August, the state requested five mortuary trailers from FEMA as a precaution.

Several school districts have defied Abbott's order, mirroring similar steps taken by some Florida districts.

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Over 4,500 teachers have been denied from a student-loan forgiveness program for public servants.

Reasons for rejection include minor paperwork errors or claims they are not public servants.

Teachers are supposed to qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, but it's flawed.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Teachers are meant to qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which forgives student debt for public servants such as government and nonprofit workers after 120 monthly qualifying payments. But new data revealed teachers who should have qualified never got relief.

The Student Borrower Protection Center obtained data from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), which manages PSLF, and found the Education Department has rejected over 4,500 teachers from all 50 states from the program since July of last year. The reasons for those rejections included minor paperwork errors made by applicants, like missing a date next to a signature, while others were denied because their school did not qualify as a public service employer.

Certifying an applicant's employer qualifies for PSLF is meant to be "just a formality," the advocacy group wrote on Twitter, but "the reality is far worse."

"This is happening in all 50 states, & at schools in major cities and small towns alike," the group wrote. "Worse, these rejections are frequently due to errors caused by unnecessary bureaucratic red tape. The result: dedicated public service workers are being denied relief."

And the National Education Association released a report last month that found 45% of all teachers have student debt, with 42% of them having over a decade of experience in teaching - the amount of time PSLF requires borrowers to make payments before qualifying for debt relief.

These findings further emphasize the flaws in PSLF, which currently rejects 98% of borrowers. Insider reported earlier this month that if the program continues on its current track, it may see minor improvements, but still only approve 20% of borrowers for forgiveness by 2026.

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President Joe Biden promised during his campaign to reform PSLF, given its high denial rate, and the Education Department has begun the process of implementing those reforms. But, as Insider reported, lack of communication from student-loan companies have made it very difficult for eligible borrowers to get relief.

And even for those who managed to get relief through PSLF, it wasn't easy. Insider spoke to David O'Keefe, a public servant who succeeded in getting his remaining $20,000 student debt balanced wiped out through the program, but he was mistakenly told he wasn't eligible and had to conduct follow-up after follow-up to ensure his paperwork was being processed accurately.

"It was the same thing again and again," O'Keefe said. "It was extremely frustrating."

The Education Department has opened a public inquiry for comments on how it should reform PSLF, and it has received over 33,000 responses to date.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Rebels from Ethiopia's war-hit Tigray opened fire on civilians while looting and shelling villages and towns in the neighbouring Amhara region earlier this month, killing and wounding dozens of people and possibly many more, witnesses told AFP on Wednesday.

The Amhara regional government described the violence in and around the town of Kobo as a "massacre", although the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group has previously denied claims it has targeted civilians in northern Ethiopia's 10-month-old war.

Witnesses said the violence erupted on September 9 in the village of Gedemeyu, seven kilometres (four miles) south of Kobo, after TPLF fighters began searching homes for firearms and other weapons.

Residents fought back and drove the TPLF out of the town, but the rebels began attacking civilians as they fled north, then returned the following day to carry out more attacks, the witnesses said.

The area around Kobo is predominantly lowland sorghum and onion farms.

A communications blackout there made it difficult to verify accounts from the witnesses, who have fled more than 150 kilometres south to displacement camps in the town of Dessie.

- 'Mass shooting spree' -

"They massacred farmers... and seasonal agricultural workers who came to the area from neighbouring highlands," one witness from Kobo town told AFP.

"I have seen the dead bodies of seven people in one compound. Four of them were from the same family," he said, adding he had passed "many" other bodies while walking south to Dessie.

The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to endanger relatives left behind in Kobo, accused federal authorities of neglecting the area after TPLF forces started pushing south into Amhara from Tigray in July.

Another man in Dessie told AFP he had returned north to survey damage in Zobel, a village near Kobo, and had seen dead bodies and destroyed buildings.

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"In a mass shooting spree the TPLF inflicted heavy damage on civilians... It fired heavy artillery on civilians and civilian property," he said, adding that a health facility was hit and other government buildings were looted and vandalised.

Amhara government spokesman Gizachew Muluneh tweeted that hundreds of people may have died, but he provided no evidence for this claim.

"We are informed that many hundred civilian Amharas have been massacred by the terrorist TPLF. We will make public the exact number of people massacred once we investigate the crime," he said.

The TPLF said such claims were "totally wrong" and called for an independent investigation.

- 'Disturbing reports' -

Northern Ethiopia erupted in conflict last November after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops to topple the TPLF, a move he said came in response to TPLF attacks on army camps.

He promised a swift victory, but fighting in Tigray dragged on until late June when the TPLF stunned the world by retaking most of region, including its capital Mekele.

The rebels then pushed east into Afar and south into Amhara.

The conflict has killed thousands of people and left hundreds of thousands of others living in conditions bordering on famine, the United Nations says.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), a government-affiliated body, said this week it had received "disturbing reports" of alleged TPLF abuses against civilians in Kobo "including shelling of civilian areas, house-to-house search and killings, looting and destruction of civilian infrastructure".

The TPLF says it is fighting in Amhara to break a humanitarian "siege" amid fears of widespread starvation deaths in Tigray.

The rebels have accused Abiy of sending "priests, women and children" into battle as cannon fodder.

Thousands of residents have enlisted to fight in recent recruitment drives called by Abiy and Amhara officials.

The fighting in northern Ethiopia has persisted despite international calls for a ceasefire, and last week US President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing for sanctions against the warring parties if they fail to commit to a negotiated settlement.

rcb/txw/pbr
By Sheila Dang

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it is underreporting the results of its advertising business on Apple Inc iOS devices, acknowledging that recent privacy changes from the iPhone maker have made it more expensive and difficult for brands to advertise on Facebook.

Shares of the social media giant were down 3.7% at $344.32 in morning trading.

Facebook said in a blog post it estimates it is underreporting "conversions," an industry term that includes buying of products or other actions a person takes after seeing an ad, by 15%, adding that the figure varied among individual advertisers.

Facebook said it believed actual conversions such as sales and app downloads are higher than reported.

The announcement comes as Facebook and the larger digital advertising industry continues to grapple with the privacy controls implemented by Apple in April https://www.reuters.com/technology/what-do-apples-new-iphone-privacy-changes-mean-consumers-businesses-2021-04-26, which are designed to limit digital advertisers from tracking iPhone users for advertising purposes without their consent.

Facebook fought back https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-bring-changes-advertising-privacy-following-apples-upcoming-ios-update-2021-04-21 against the changes, arguing it would hurt small businesses that rely on targeted advertising to find new customers.

The social media company previously warned investors that there would be "greater impact" of the Apple changes on Facebook's ad business during the third quarter compared with its second quarter.

In Wednesday's blog post, Facebook outlined steps advertisers should take to better measure the results of their ads. The company said it is investing in new tools and capabilities to help brands with their marketing amid the Apple changes.

(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
A camper who believes she saw Brian Laundrie around the time Gabby Petito went missing said she saw him "acting weird."

Jessica Schultz tipped the FBI on the location where a body was found, which authorities thought belonged to the travel vlogger.

The FBI and the Petito family's lawyer confirmed Tuesday that the remains belonged to 22-year-old Petito.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A tipster who said she pointed the FBI in the right direction to find the remains of Gabby Petito said she saw a man she believed to be Brian Laundrie "acting weird" near the campsite where her body was found.

Jessica Schultz, a camper who visited the Grand Teton National Park in late August, said she saw a young man who appeared to be Laundrie driving alone near the Spread Creek camping area two days after Petito's mother said she last spoke to her.

Schultz told the San Francisco Chronicle that on August 26 she was driving behind a slow-moving white van that she later said she believed to belong to Petito and Laundrie. When the van pulled over in an area that wasn't a designated pull-out, Schultz said she drove off the road to get around.

When looking into the car as she passed, she said she noticed the driver, whom she described as a "generic" young white man, was alone. She said she saw the van again on August 27 and 28 without the man or anyone else around it, adding that she and the group of other campers she was with sensed that the van didn't belong because it wasn't in a designated parking spot.

"He was just acting weird," Schultz told the Chronicle. "You know, when you're out in the middle of nowhere, your hackles go up when you see something that's out of the ordinary."

Schultz said she saw a straw hat on the dashboard of the van upon a closer look, and she was convinced that the man she saw was Laundrie after her friend sent her a photo with the distinctive hat.

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"My friend texted me a picture of the hat on the dashboard and I just lost my shit," Schultz said. "And that's when I called the FBI and said, 'Guys, look at Spread Creek.'"

Earlier this year, Petito and Laundrie set out on a cross-country road trip, which was expected to conclude in Oregon in October. Her mother reported her missing on September 11, after Laundrie returned to Florida alone.

On September 19, a body that authorities believed was "consistent with the description" of Petito was later found in the national park near the Spread Creek camping site. On Tuesday, the FBI and the Petito family's lawyer confirmed that the remains belonged to Petito.

Schultz told the Chronicle that the FBI agent she gave the tip to told her that the agency "talked to hundreds of people, but you guys are the ones that really tipped us off to the right place," and thanked her for the information.

"We're triumphant. We were right and we led them in the right direction," she said. "But then, of course, it's not something you like to be right about. It's been emotionally exhausting for sure."

Read the original article on Insider
Chicagoan Nicolas Benitez was fed up with the asphalt speed bump outside his garage in the alley behind his Brighton Park neighborhood home, which he said damaged his cars suspensions and trapped ice and snow in the winter.

So after complaining to his aldermans office, Benitez got a pickax and set about tearing out the speed bump.

I did one piece today, another piece tomorrow. Little by little I took it out, Benitez said.

While some Chicagoans might see his alley vigilantism as a heroic act in a city that often responds to residents complaints way slower than theyd like, Benitez is now looking at a $500 ticket for damaging city property, which he says hell fight in court.

Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez said he received a photo on Twitter this week showing the gaping hole with the speed bump partially removed. Recognizing Kelly High School in the background of the picture, he went to check it out.

We found the asphalt neatly piled up outside the garage, apparently waiting for the city to take it away, Lopez said.

I asked Mr. Benitez to meet me there, which he did. I know him from the ward, hes a nice guy. He was very nonchalant, told us Yeah, I took it out. I didnt want to wait, Lopez said.

But thats not how this works, Lopez added. I had already told him that if he had a problem with the bump right outside his garage, we could look for menu money to see if we have the funds to remove it. Unfortunately, by the summer months that money is already spoken for.

Menu money is an allotment of funds aldermen get for projects in their wards.

Speed bumps are typically voted on by neighbors who then petition the alderman to put them in. Benitez might also be on the hook for the cost of replacing the asphalt he ripped out, Lopez said.

_____
CIUDAD ACUNA, Mexico (AP)  After more than a week at this crossing on the U.S.-Mexico border, Haitian migrant Nelson Saintil felt like the walls were beginning to close in on him and his family.

Saintil was along the banks of the Rio Grande on Wednesday morning with his wife and four children, ages 5, 10, 13 and 16. They had returned to Ciudad Acuna the day before after eight days in the squalid camp in Del Rio, Texas, where as many as 14,000 migrants had gathered.

Reports of U.S. deportations to Haiti had pushed them back to Mexico, but the situation remained fluid. The family constantly reevaluated its situation based on imperfect information.

I dont want to be like the mice who dont know about the trap and get caught, because returning to Haiti is like being buried alive, Saintil said.

At the same time, he and others feared straying far from the growing river camp on the Mexican side, because Mexican immigration agents continued picking up migrants around town and conducting overnight raids at the small hotels where some stayed. The threat of possible deportation on both sides of the border created the sensation of an open-air jail, he said.

Without the sort of overwhelming show of force deployed by the United States and Texas on the north side of the border, Mexico has been ramping up efforts to relieve migrant numbers at this segment of the border.

In Ciudad Acuna, patrols of National Guard, immigration agents and in some cases local police intensified Wednesday, with more raids and migrant detentions in hotels and in the streets.

Empty buses waited for detained migrants outside the local immigration offices. Suddenly, some buses would disappear and be replaced by others. Mexicos National Immigration Institute has not provided numbers on how many migrants have been moved from Ciudad Acuna in recent days.

Well before dawn Wednesday, a couple of immigration vans pulled up outside a small hotel in Ciudad Acuna with National Guardsmen carrying rifles. Soon, shattered glass rained down from a second floor window and a woman screamed. Several migrants were led out with their hands secured behind their backs and loaded into a van.

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Inside, an AP journalist found blood spattered on the tiled floor of the room in which they had been staying.

Bodlet Manaasse, 27, was the only migrant not taken from the hotel in the raid.

I was sleeping, they knocked on the door and I didnt open, he said. The owner opened it, and they told me, you have to go with me."

They didnt ask to see any documents, but he told them he was sick and had to see a doctor, showing his swollen belly. He was the only one they left, he said.

The rest of the hotel exploded in shouts, scuffles and breaking glass. One family tried to hide in the bathroom, but authorities broke down the door. A couple families wielded shards of glass to ward off agents and managed to dash out of the hotel with their children and run into the night.

One migrant accidentally cut himself with the glass, explaining the blood on the floor, said Manaasse.

The hotel manager, shaken by the event, would only say that he witnessed part of the action and had never seen anything like it.

On Tuesday, Mexico flew the first planeload of migrants from the border city of Piedras Negras  just downstream from Ciudad Acuna  to the southern city of Villahermosa. More flights were expected, including to Tapachula, near the Guatemala border.

At the same time, Mexico was trying to keep more migrants from reaching the northern border. Bus lines were reminded not to sell tickets to migrants without proper documentation. On Monday, immigration agents in the northern city of Monterrey, a key transportation hub for travel to the border, detained about 100 migrants at the bus station who were then flown to Tapachula.

In Monterrey, the number of Haitian migrants arriving at a local shelter had grown exponentially since Sunday.

Some 1,500 Haitian migrants had arrived to the shelter since Sunday. The shelter, which has a capacity of 700, has expanded outside with tents for the overflow.

The wave started with the deportation from from the United States, which has been done inhumanely, said Jose Jaime Salinas, administrator of the Casa INDI shelter. It is the new United States presidents first error, because this is being seen around the world.

Selomourd Menrrivil, 43, left Tapachula to head to Monterrey with his family after seeing the situation developing in Ciudad Acuna and Del Rio. He and his wife arrived in Monterrey Sunday with their two teenage daughters.

Their plan is to regularize their status in Mexico and find work, even though he conceded that their ultimate destination remains the United States.

Without work we cant do anything, said the Cap-Haitien native who lived for five years in Santiago, Chile before heading north. We want documents here.

Mexicos immigration agency estimated Wednesday that 3,300 migrants were still on the Del Rio side and 500 to 600 were in Ciudad Acuna. That was down from the 8,600 that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reported Tuesday and from the more than 14,000 estimated five days earlier.

Mexico plans to begin direct flights to Haiti, which would initially target Haitian migrants already in Mexicos detention centers who have not applied for asylum. Those with open asylum cases would be flown or bused to Tapachula, according to a federal official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Andres Ramirez, coordinator of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance, told Milenio television Wednesday that we have had a quantity of people applying like never before in the history of Mexico.

From January to August, the agency received more than 77,000 applications for asylum, already 10% above the previous record in 2019, he said. About 19,000 of those came from Haitians.

Dozens of Haitians waited outside the offices of the agency in Mexico City with a seemingly new urgency to legalize their status in Mexico.

Leon Cardin, a 30-year-old plumber, waited with his wife and 1-year-old son. They arrived Wednesday morning from Tapachula. He said he paid about $750 for them to travel from Tapachula to the capital on a bus and in a private vehicle.

Cardin had been in Tapachula for more than a month, but the commission cancelled his appointment to apply for asylum, so they decided to come to Mexico City. He left Haiti in 2019, passing through Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and all of Central America before arriving in Mexico.

Cardin had seen what was happening at the border  his sons godfather was expelled by the U.S. to Haiti  and wants to make sure he cant be sent back to Haiti.

Like others, though, he said he would one day like to make it to the United States.

But were not lucky now. Were obliged to stay here and seek a visa and try to find work here, he said.

Back in Ciudad Acuna, little by little the migrant camp was growing beside the Rio Grande. Small tents and tarps were sprouting to provide shelter for several hundred migrants, mostly families, in a scene reminiscent of camps that have appeared in other border cities like Matamoros, Reynosa and Tijuana in recent years.

Antonio Pierre, 33, listened to the news on a friends cellphone.

They are releasing some, but they are very few, he said. His wife and daughter were across the river in Del Rio. He had waded back across the river through waist-deep water just to charge his cellphone, but said it was possible the whole family would join him in Mexico before the day was through.

___

Associated Press photojournalist Felix Marquez in Ciudad Acuna and AP writers Marcos Martinez Chacon in Monterrey and Fabiola Sanchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
A fire broke out Tuesday on the roof of the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, injuring one person.

Flames and black smoke were visible on top of the massive football stadium around 12:30 p.m. The source of the fire appeared to be inside the stadium, according to Fox 8.

Emergency services responded quickly. The New Orleans Fire Department described the blaze as a two-alarm fire, according to USA Todays Saints channel.

The fire was extinguished and the smoke turned a lighter color within an hour.

New Orleans Emergency Management Services said that they were transporting one person to the hospital for minor burns.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but workers with pressure washers were seen on the roof earlier. Cleaning and renovations of the roof (which rebranded this year from Mercedes Benz to the casino giant, Caesars) had only recently resumed following Hurricane Ida. The stadium had not been damaged in the storm.

An employee told WDSU that about 70 workers were evacuated from the roof and inside the stadium around 12:40 p.m. as a precaution but that no one smelled smoke prior.

The cause of the fire was later revealed to be a pressure washer that caught fire.

This afternoon a fire occurred on the exterior of the Caesars Superdome in the gutter tub of the roof, ASM Global, which manages the stadium, and the LSED said in a joint statement. NOFD and venue first responders were dispatched immediately and extinguished the fire. Upon further investigation it appears that a pressure washer being used to clean the roof caught fire. Damage is still being assessed.

The Saints have not played at the stadium yet this year, but are scheduled to host the New York Giants on Oct. 3.
Supporters of abortion protest outside Planned Parenthood (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A lawmaker in Florida has filed a proposed bill empowering private citizens to sue doctors who perform an abortion after a heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

Republican state representative Webster Barnaby filed House Bill 167 on Wednesday containing similar provisions to a recent bill passed in Texas, with both exposing anyone who performs or helps an abortion in violation of the law to legal damages of least $10,000.

A similar Heartbeat bill came into effect in Texas on 1 September after a failed bid to challenge its constitutionality in the Supreme Court. The legal challenge failed on procedural grounds.

Both the Florida and Texas laws are designed to remove state officials from the enforcement process, and instead leave it to private citizens to file lawsuits against anyone in violation of the statutes.

Under the proposed Florida law, citizens could sue anyone who knowingly performs or aids or abets an abortion for up to six years after the violation of the law occurred.

There is an exemption for medical emergencies that put the mothers life in danger.

The law would also change some of the legal definitions when discussing abortions, changing fetus to unborn child.

The Supreme Courts 5-4 decision not to block the Texas ban on abortion once a heartbeat is detected led to immediate indications of similar proposals in Republican-controlled state legislatures.

A day after the Texas law went into effect, Floridas pro-life governor Ron DeSantis said what they did in Texas was interesting.

I havent really been able to look enough into it, Mr DeSantis said when asked at a news conference. I am going to look more significantly at it.

A spokeswoman for the Florida governor has previously indicated that he was looking into the best legislative options to protect life in the State.

With that said, the governor has not indicated that the same legislation recently enacted in Texas will be on the table in Florida. At the same time, nothing is off the table, said Christina Pushaw in a statement given to The Hill before this latest bill was proposed.

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Floridas Senate president Wilton Simpson was more explicit, telling WLFA that they would likely pass similar anti-abortion laws during the next legislative session.

"When the Supreme Court goes out and makes a decision like this, it clearly is going to send a signal to all the states that are interested in banning abortions or making it more restrictive to have an abortion in their state, its certainly going to make us take a look at those issues," he said.

The legality of the Heartbeat laws are heading towards a challenge in the Supreme Court after a Texas doctor publicly admitted to violating the statute.

San Antonio physician Alan Braid was sued by an Arkansas man in a civil lawsuit filed on Monday following an opinion column in The Washington Post over the weekend.

I fully understood that there could be legal consequences  but I wanted to make sure that Texas didnt get away with its bid to prevent this blatantly unconstitutional law from being tested, Mr Braid wrote.
Associated Press

A man accused of fatally shooting his estranged ex-girlfriend, her husband and six children, including his own son, at a Houston home will not face the death penalty, authorities said. David Conley, 54, was charged with capital murder in the deadly rampage at his former girlfriend's home in northwest Harris County on Aug. 8, 2015, according to the Houston Chronicle. Nathaniel was Conleys son from his relationship with Valerie Jackson, while the Jacksons were the parents of the other five children, authorities said.
Lying on cardboard in a park, Haitian mother Marie Chickel spent a sleepless night fearful of being detained by Mexican authorities and separated from her children before reaching the United States.

"I heard that the immigration authorities were going to come -- that's why I couldn't sleep. If they find me here I don't know where I'll go," the 45-year-old said.

The rumor spread during the night inside the park in the Mexican city of Ciudad Acuna, which Haitian migrants have turned into a makeshift camp near the border with the United States.

Most of the refugees gave up on the idea of staying under the bridge linking Ciudad Acuna with Del Rio in Texas, fearful that US patrols would arrest them and deport them to Haiti.

But on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande river, police and immigration agents also patrol and sometimes arrest migrants in the street or in hotel raids.

So Chickel and hundreds of refugees like her avoid leaving the park as much as possible.

In one raid witnessed by AFP, members of what appeared to be a family, including two young children, were detained at a hotel in downtown Ciudad Acuna.

They were escorted by members of Mexico's National Guard and put into vans from the National Migration Institute.

- 'My heart aches' -

Chickel and her 10-year-old twins left Chile and crossed almost all of South and Central America before arriving in July in the Mexican city of Tapachula near the border with Guatemala.

"My heart aches," she said, adding that her children could not sleep or eat well or go to school.

"It's very difficult," Chickel said.

Her greatest fear is having her children taken from her and not being able to see her sister who lives in Boston, she said.

But Chickel, who has qualifications as a lab technician, an electrician and a nurse, is willing to take whatever opportunities she finds.

"If I can't cross and if I can find papers here to work, to send my children to school, I can say thank you to the Lord," she said, stifling a sob.

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Amid the despair and uncertainty, the Haitians have found some respite thanks to the generosity of Ciudad Acuna residents who have brought them something to eat, drink or wear.

"The Mexicans are giving us food, clothes and now we have a place to sleep," said Kabelo Joseph, who came from Chile with his two sons and pregnant wife.

But "we're afraid of the migration authorities because we're here without documentation," the 29-year-old said.

He said he planned to stay in Ciudad Acuna "for two or three months if migration doesn't bother us."

- 'Our Haitian brothers' -

Street vendor Haydee Briceno usually sells the used clothes she brings from the United States, but after seeing the migrants' plight she decided to give some of them away instead.

"We're going to give a little bit of what we have to our Haitian brothers," she said.

Members of a local church brought cold drinks and sandwiches to share with the migrants.

"I've been in places where I didn't know anyone and believe me it's something very, very difficult," said Pastor Roberto Montano, who lived as an undocumented migrant in the United States years ago.

"We've had the same feeling that they have now of being in need," he said.

The help is a lifeline for people like Chickel, who is exhausted.

"I feel very happy. I say thank you to the Lord because they have hearts. They don't let us die here without food," she said.

jla/dr/bfm
By Gabriel Crossley

BEIJING (Reuters) - More policy support for China's economy, including boosts to banks' lending power, is likely in coming months, some analysts say, to dispel gloom cast by property cooling measures, a burst of regulatory vigour, and China Evergrande Group's woes.

"China's property sector and overall economy will slow notably, credit risks will rise further and there is an increasing need for Beijing to step up its policy support," Nomura analysts wrote this week, as fears of a default by China's second-largest property developer rocked global markets.

Economists downplay the idea that the scale of Evergrande's problems represent a "Lehman moment" https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-evergrande-inches-close-default-deadline-investors-wait-2021-09-21in terms of global contagion risks, but it has certainly complicated matters for Beijing's policymakers.

They have been trying to curb rampant borrowing and prevent an asset bubble in property, which accounts for about a quarter of China's economy and is a key driver of demand for materials including concrete and steel.

Repeating that "housing is for living in, not for speculation," authorities have limited developers' debt ratios and access to loans and restricted house purchases.

At the same time, a regulatory squeeze across several industries in the name of President Xi Jinping's "common prosperity" push, including banning much private tutoring and limiting minors' online gaming, has ramped up uncertainty for companies and roiled share markets.

Many analysts expect another cut to the amount of cash banks must hold in reserve later this year, after a cut in July, although officials' comments earlier this month cooled expectations for imminent easing.

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"With the economy losing steam and concerns around the property sector growing, we think policy rate cuts by the PBOC could come as soon as next month," Capital Economics wrote on Wednesday, referring to the People's Bank of China.

Other analysts think a cut is possible but unlikely before the end of the year.

China stood pat on its benchmark lending rate for corporate and household loans for the 17th straight month at its September fixing.

China's economy roared back to life after a coronavirus-induced slump in 2020, but activity fell back recently amid regulatory measures, supply bottlenecks and restrictions from localised COVID-19 outbreaks.

Bank of America cut its China growth forecast for this year on Tuesday to 8.0% from 8.3%, and its 2022 forecast to 5.3% from 6.2%.

HOME PRICES SLOW, NEW BUILDS FALL, LOANS WEAKEN

More than 20 cities strengthened curbs on the property sector in August, when China's home prices showed the slowest monthly rise since December. New property starts over the first eight months fell 3.2% from the previous year.

"The property down-cycle could cause growth pressure to mount next year, when policy focus might shift from regulation to policy supports for defending the 5% growth bottom line," said Larry Hu of Macquarie, in a note.

Investors should look to the December meeting of China's Politburo for signals on next year's priorities, he added.

A wave of new regulations across tech and education has dampened business and wiped hundreds of billions of dollars from corporate valuations.

Weak loan growth in August was likely in part due to the regulatory clampdown, Iris Pang, chief economist for Greater China at ING, said in a note.

Some firms are not taking out loans as they reconsider investment, or find banks unwilling to take the risk amid uncertainties, she said.

The crackdown on the education and tech sectors also added to exceptionally bad services activity data for August, ING's Pang said.

Last month, Reuters reported that TikTok owner Bytedance had told employees it planned to lay off staff in its education business and close some tutoring operations. Juren Education Group, in the after-school tutoring sector, said earlier this month that it would shut down.

Services sector activity fell into sharp contraction in August for the first time since the depths of the pandemic in February last year, mainly due to COVID-19-related restrictions.

(Reporting by Gabriel Crossley; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  In a bizarre speech to the UN General Assembly, Honduras president defended his crimefighting chops and hinted that convicted drug traffickers testifying against him in the U.S. were doing so in exchange for favorable treatment.

President Juan Orlando Hernandez touted his nations falling homicides rates in recent years and crackdown on organized crime, as well his government's collaboration with the D.E.A., F.B.I., U.S. Justice department, and U.S. Southern Command. He also highlighted the surreptitious recording of drug traffickers following his 2013 election, that he said was worthy of the Netflix show Narcos and proved he was not in cahoots with them.

Speaking among themselves, they described their reality: the narcos complain in those recordings that despite their efforts they couldnt arrange anything with me; that Im not someone with whom they can work nor negotiate, he said. On the contrary, they know I would be implacable with organized crime. They even discuss how to try to kill me.

The nearly half-hour address in New York marked the first time since his brother's sentencing that Hernandez addressed allegations in a global forum that he took bribes from drug traffickers.

His brother, a former Honduran congressman, was sentenced to life in prison in a Manhattan federal court in March after prosecutors argued Juan Antonio Tony Hernandez was a central figure in one of the worlds largest and most violent drug conspiracies.

U.S. prosecutors in New York have signaled the president took bribes from drug traffickers to fund his political ascent, including as recently as 2019, but he has not been formally charged.

The president has denied any wrongdoing or having any ties to drug traffickers. And in July, when the U.S. State Department released a list of 50 current and former Central American officials suspected of corruption or undermining democracy, Hernandezs name was not among them.

Story continues

Hernandez told assembled diplomats at the U.N. that the drug traffickers, when first arrested by U.S. authorities, mentioned no connection with him, but later testified to the contrary. While he didn't say outright that prosecutors had offered them benefits in exchange for their testimony, Hernandez questioned whether they might receive favorable treatment for changing their stories.

If perjury is recompensed by the United States, if criminals have impunity to use false testimony in the federal court of the United States, that puts dangerous weapons in the hands of a mortal enemy  confessed assassins  weapons to be used against the people most effective in the alliance against transnational crime, he said.

Hernandez said he had worked with President Joe Biden when he was vice president, and expressed hope that U.S. authorities ultimately wouldnt reward perjury.
CIA Director William Burns Saul Loeb/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

Amid all the drama of the Democrats' high-stakes standoff over the infrastructure and reconciliation packages and Senate Republicans' threats to block raising the debt limit, the House on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to help Americans believed to be suffering from "Havana syndrome," a mysterious brain malady first identified among U.S. diplomats in Cuba in 2016. The Senate passed the legislation, called the HAVANA Act, in June, and it now heads to President Biden's desk for his signature.

U.S. officials believe these "anomalous health incidents" are likely from directed-energy attacks aimed at U.S. diplomats and spies, mostly abroad but also in the U.S.  including outside the White House, possibly. But the U.S. hasn't figured out what's going on or who's responsible, and the roughly 200 victims "have faced bureaucratic hurdles as they seek medical care for symptoms that can range from severe headaches to brain damage," Politico reports. The new legislation aims to address that, with new funding for treatment and flexible appropriations for the CIA director and secretary of state.

"President Biden supports the HAVANA Act and congressional efforts to provide additional support to individuals who have experienced anomalous health incidents," a senior administration official said. "It is a top priority to ensure they receive the medical care they need."

The Biden administration has ramped up efforts to get to the bottom of the Havana syndrome, and CIA Director William Burns gets near-daily briefings on the subject and has appointed a senior official, whose name is classified, to run point on the investigation, Politico says. "U.S. officials believe that Russia's military-intelligence unit, the GRU, is responsible for the suspected attacks, and one "working theory is that the Russian covert operatives used microwave radiation to collect data from their targets' devices."

Story continues

The suspected attacks are ongoing, and a member of Burns' team reported Havana syndromelike symptoms while accompanying the CIA director to India earlier this month, CNN reports. "The incident set off alarm bells within the US government and left Burns 'fuming' with anger," and "some officials at the CIA viewed the chilling episode as a direct message to Burns that no one is safe, including those working directly for the nation's top spy."

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The International Monetary Fund's board of directors met Tuesday over charges that its director, Kristalina Georgieva, pressured staff in 2017 when she was the World Bank CEO to change data in a key ranking report to paint China in a more positive light.

The board did not announce any immediate decision and said it would meet again "soon."

"The IMF's Executive Board met today for an initial briefing from the Ethics Committee on the matter related to Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva's alleged role in the World Bank's Doing Business 2018 as described in the Investigation's Report," the IMF said in a statement.

It added that the board "emphasized the importance it attached to conducting a thorough, objective, and timely review and agreed to meet again soon for a further discussion."

The board had already met with Georgieva, who denies the charges, last Thursday and Friday, immediately after the investigation was made public.

The independent investigation found that during her time as World Bank CEO, Georgieva and then World Bank President Jim Yong Kim pressured staff to change their methodology to allow China not to dip in the closely watched rankings.

The investigation, carried out at the request of the World Bank's ethics committee, had raised concerns about the loss of confidence in international institutions.

The US Treasury said it was analyzing the report, whose conclusions it considered "worrying."

US voices weigh heaviest in the IMF executive board, which chooses the organization's managing director, and the country also has a right of veto.

Georgieva was appointed IMF managing director in 2019, and the lender's member countries will "have to make a decision about whether they're comfortable with her continuing in that role," Nobel laureate Paul Romer said in an interview.

Romer, who was World Bank chief economist during Georgieva's time there, criticized her for engineering what he described as a "whitewash" of separate concerns he raised about the institution's flagship Doing Business report.

The World Bank immediately announced that it would stop publishing the report.

jul/jh/ch
Cobie Smulders as Ann Coulter in "Impeachment: American Crime Story." Tina Thorpe/FX

"Impeachment" showrunner explained that "flabby conmen" comment wasn't a dig at Donald Trump.

"I was mindful of the fact that it would land differently now," Sarah Burgess told Insider.

Burgess said she based the comment on things Ann Coulter really said during the Clinton impeachment.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

"Impeachment" head writer Sarah Burgess said the show does not take any obvious digs at former president Donald Trump.

The latest season of the Ryan Murphy-produced anthology is based on the circumstances surrounding the 1998 impeachment of former president Bill Clinton (Clive Owen) and the backlash Monica Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein) faced for her affair with him.

The show also features various conservative political figures like Ann Coulter (played by Cobie Smulders) and George Conway (George Salazar).

In a scene in the third episode, Coulter expresses annoyance at the possibility that Paula Jones' lawyers might settle in their sexual harassment suit against Clinton.

"So the law lets him slide, the press lets him slide - what a disgrace," Smulders' Coulter says about Clinton in the episode.

"But after this just think what kind of flabby conmen will see a path to the White House," she adds. "The corruption, the lies, the hundred million cocktail waitresses he's groped, or worse."

Political commentator and author Ann Coulter in 2016. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

While talking to Insider in August ahead of the "Impeachment" season premiere, Burgess said that these lines of dialogue weren't quite a dig at Trump, but admitted "it does feel a bit prescient."

"I was basing that on things that she's said and I do believe that they echoed into our current era," she said. "I was mindful of the fact that it would land differently now, given who the last president was."

Burgess added: "Conway and Coulter were friends and were having the time of their lives as a sort of Greek chorus, as all these people were being destroyed. They were loving it and I was excited to put that in."

"Impeachment: American Crime Story" airs Tuesdays on FX at 10 p.m. ET.

Read the original article on Insider
Starting in November, women in India will be allowed to take the entrance examination for the national defense academy for the first time, India's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, per AP.

Why it matters: The ruling marks a landmark achievement in the push to allow women into the premier academy that churns out the country's top army, navy and air force commanders and become full-time officers, according to the New York Times.

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The big picture: While women have served in India's armed forces since British colonial rule, how high they could rise in their ranks was limited because they were excluded from the top military academy, the Times notes.

Although the ruling will continue to allow women to be excluded from most combat roles, they will now be eligible for roles among the elite top brass, per the Times.

Entering the defense academy will also allow women to pursue longer careers in the armed forces, whereas previously female officers could only serve up to 10 to 14 years, AP reports.

The court also rejected a request from the government to be given until May 2022 to prepare infrastructure, accommodations, curricula and fitness training for women, per AP.

What's next: Women will be allowed to sit for the upcoming exam on Nov. 14, per the Hindustan Times.

What they're saying: The Supreme court said in its ruling that it "cannot belie the aspirations of young girls," in further delaying their chance to sit the exam, per the Hindustan Times.

The decision gives a sense of victory, Anju Bala, a former major in the Indian army, told the New York Times.

They have got one more window open to compete equally with men, she added.

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(Reuters) - Irans foreign minister has met officials from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf and Arab states in New York, and said strengthening ties with neighbours was the new governments top priority, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Wednesday.

Mehr said Tuesday's meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly https://www.reuters.com/world/un-biden-will-try-move-past-afghanistan-with-climate-china-focus-2021-09-21 was attended by Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and "foreign ministers and senior representatives" of countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and France, as well as the European Union, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Iran's foreign ministry said on Twitter that Amirabdollahian had on Tuesday had what it called a follow-up meeting to a meeting he held during a conference in Baghdad on Aug. 28.

It did not say who attended on Tuesday apart from Amirabdollahian, or what was said. But his visit to Baghdad in August included a meeting with Gulf Arab officials https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/mideast-leaders-plus-france-meet-baghdad-talk-security-diplomacy-2021-08-28.

Iraq, which has been trying to mediate between Tehran and its Gulf Arab foes, chaired the meeting at its ambassadors residence in New York, Mehr said.

"Our gathering underscores the fact that only diplomacy and dialogue can end crises, misunderstandings and differences," Mehr quoted Amirabdollahian as saying. "The priority of the new government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to strengthen and develop relations with its neighbours and the region."

Iran and Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties in 2016.

Baghdad hopes its mediation will stop neighbours settling scores on Iraqi territory.

Amirabdollahian met separately with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, whom he assured of Iran's "willingness to resume negotiations at an early date," the EU said on Wednesday.

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The meeting was scheduled on the sidelines of the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders in the absence of a ministerial meeting of the parties to the 2015 deal limiting Iran's nuclear programme.

The world powers have held six rounds of indirect talks between the United States and Iran in Vienna to try to work out how both can return to compliance with the nuclear pact. Talks were suspended two days after hard line cleric Ephraim Raisin was elected Iran's president in June.

(dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com, editing by Timothy Heritage)
Jake Arrieta's August release by a Chicago Cubs team he won a Cy Young Award and World Series with was described by team executive Jed Hoyer as "the right thing to do."

His release from the San Diego Padres roster on Tuesday can be aptly summed up as inevitable.

The Padres signed the 12-season MLB veteran on Aug. 16 with hopes he could bolster their pitching rotation for the stretch run. Four starts, 12.1 innings and 15 earned runs later, the Padres have designated Arrieta for assignment. In a corresponding move, they activated pitcher Javy Guerra from the 60-day injured list.

The reeling Padres designated a struggling Jake Arrieta for assignment on Tuesday. (Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)

Padres projected optimism in signing Arrieta

We need quality innings, we need pitches, we need an opportunity to win games, Padres manager Jayce Tingler said upon signing Arrieta to a pitching staff beset with injuries. With all of his experience, everything hes done, we need some quality innings these last seven weeks, and we think he can be part of that solution."

Tingler's optimism for Arrieta's arrival was countered with the reality of a 35-year-old pitcher who posted a 6.88 ERA in 20 starts for the Cubs prior to his Chicago release. Arrieta looked very much like the same player in San Diego with a 10.95 ERA, 1.865 WHIP and 0-3 record.

He certainly can't be blamed for San Diego's slide from NL West hopefuls to 20.5 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants. But he certainly didn't help the cause. For the Padres, Arrieta's release amounts to an acknowledgement of a mistake as they look to cling to their fading postseason hopes.

After a three-game sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend, the Padres entered Tuesday four games behind that same Cardinals team for the NL's second and final Wild Card slot. Arrieta allowed four earned runs in Sunday's 15-4 loss to St. Louis before leaving with a groin strain after recording just one out.

The Padres play their final 12 games in series against the Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and then again against the Giants, all of which project as playoff teams.
Johnny Depp ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images

Johnny Depp, who last year lost a libel case against a tabloid that dubbed him a wife beater, has some thoughts about cancel culture.

The actor spoke about "this cancel culture" and "this instant rush to judgement based on what essentially amounts to polluted air" on Wednesday at the San Sebastian Film Festival, where he received an honorary award, Deadline reports.

"It's so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe," Depp said. "Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe. It takes one sentence and there's no more ground, the carpet has been pulled. It's not just me that this has happened to, it's happened to a lot of people."

The Pirates of the Caribbean star last year lost a libel case against the British tabloid The Sun, which called him a "wife beater" in reference to allegations that he abused his ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp has denied the allegations and says that Heard was the one who abused him. He's currently suing her for defamation. After Depp lost his libel lawsuit, he was asked to step down from his role as Grindelwald in the Harry Potter prequel films Fantastic Beasts. That part will now be played by Mads Mikkelsen.

At the festival, Depp also urged his fans to "stand up" for "injustice, whether it's against you or someone you love, or someone you believe in," per Deadline. He also acknowledged he was worried that his presence there would be controversial, saying he "didn't want to offend anyone" but that "I haven't done anything" and dismissing "some notion of me that doesn't exist." His comments came on the same day that the Fantastic Beasts franchise announced the title and new release date for the sequel that Depp was removed from.

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DETROIT  A judge ruled a man who has spent 15 years in prison for a fire that killed five children was deprived a fair trial, overturning Juwan Deerings murder and arson convictions Tuesday.

Deering, 50, will remain behind bars, at least for now, while prosecutors decide whether to dismiss the charges or retry him.

Oakland County Circuit Judge Jeffery Matis denied a request from prosecutors and defense attorneys to release Deering on bond during Tuesdays hearing.

Matis explained that the charges against Deering have not been dropped and the serious charges he still faces could result in life in prison.

Deering appeared in Oakland County Circuit Court wearing a face mask, handcuffs and blue jail garb.

Todays ruling is that defendants constitutional rights were violated depriving him of a fair trial, Matis said. And he is entitled, under the U.S. Constitution and state and federal law, to receive a fair trial.

Juwan Deering is escorted into the courtroom of Judge Jeffery Matis at the Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac before his hearing on Tuesday, September 21, 2021.

In 2006, a jury convicted Deering of arson and five counts of felony murder for the fire in Royal Oak Township, Michigan and he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Deering maintains his innocence.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald appeared in court Tuesday and spoke to the judge. She said what happened in Deerings case undermines the communitys faith and trust in the criminal justice system.

In this case, evidence was withheld, McDonald said. There was prosecutorial misconduct.

Critical evidence was buried in prosecutor and investigator files, she said.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald talks about Juwan Deering in the courtroom of Judge Jeffery Matis at the Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac during Deering's hearing on Tuesday, September 21, 2021.

McDonald said she will decide whether Deering will face another trial by the time of the next hearing in the case. That is expected to happen next week.

The big hurdle is cleared, Imran Syed, co-director of the Michigan Innocence Clinic and Deerings attorney, said after the hearing. Were very pleased about that.

Syed spoke to his client after the hearing and said Deering was disappointed by the bond ruling. Syed added that Deering said he's staying strong.

Story continues

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that Deerings convictions should be overturned. The two sides also agreed Deering should be freed on bond and made arguments in court documents before the hearing.

There is no doubt that Juwan Deering was deprived of his constitutional right to a fair trial. That is an injustice that must be corrected, prosecutors said in a court document filed Monday. Given the current lack of evidence, every additional day Mr. Deering spends in prison furthers that injustice.

(L to R) Juwan Deering listens along with his attorney Imran Syed of the Michigan Innocence Clinic and Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in the courtroom of Judge Jeffery Matis at the Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac on Tuesday, September 21, 2021.

If Deering gets out of prison, he has several possible job prospects, including working at an auto parts plant, defense attorneys said.

The Michigan Innocence Clinic had fire investigators review the case, which raised questions about how the fire started. Deerings lawyers contend faulty science was used and it cant be deemed arson. Analysis indicates the fire most likely started inside the house, not on the porch as the government argued during the trial, defense attorneys said.

The initial fire investigator stands by his opinion it was arson.

A special prosecutor hired by McDonald reviewed the case this year and issued a report with her findings last month.

According to the report by special prosecutor Beth Morrow, there was newly discovered evidence in the case. That includes information about the credibility of three jailhouse informants who testified against Deering and an interview with one of the children who was in the house when the fire started. The interview, conducted during the investigation, was recorded on video shortly after the fire.

Only part of the recorded interview was found in the prosecutors file. The second half was missing, the special prosecutors report said.

The boy, who was 13 at the time, did not testify during the trial. He was shown a photo lineup in the portion of the interview not turned over to the defense, the report said. The boy said there were two people named Juwan. The person he recognized in the photo lived in his neighborhood and was not the person he heard outside before the fire.

Theres no evidence the prosecutors office or the trial prosecutor knew about the photo lineup or the second half of the interview, which was attended by a detective from the sheriff's office, the report said.

Testimony from the three jailhouse informants was instrumental during the trial. Jurors were told the informants didnt receive anything for their assistance and were motivated to testify because of the five innocent children who died.

The jury was materially misled about all three jailhouse informants' relationships with the (Oakland County Sheriffs Office) and (Oakland County Prosecutors Office), their motives and their credibility, the report said.

Follow Elisha Anderson on Twitter: @elishaanderson

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Convictions vacated for man sentenced to life for fire that killed 5
CIUDAD ACUNA, Mexico  Naty Zuniga, 60, choked up trying to explain what she witnessed on the streets of Acuna this week.

Many Haitian migrants ate at a restaurant downtown where her daughter works and where Zuniga often helps serving tables.

Mexican authorities, she said, are picking up Haitian migrants off the streets. It happens at any time of day. Many Acuna residents said Wednesday that migrants, once they're picked up, are mistreated and it's unclear where they're taken.

"I know (the authorities) are trying to do their jobs but there are so many of us who, just like them, are not from here," Zuniga, who left Durango, Mexico, and arrived in Acuna as a child with her family, said while she wiped away tears. "We arrived here, in the same way, we didn't have anything. So I know they're struggling."

Naty Zuniga laments what is occurring in her adoptive city of Acuna where dozens of Haitian Migrants have been detained by Mexican immigration officers. She believes the migrants should be allowed to stay in her city.

Haitian migrants walked the streets of Acuna on Wednesday looking for food, water and clothing to take back to an encampment on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande, in Del Rio, Texas. Many others have set up a camp in a park in Acuna.

Raids have been occurring this week on the streets of the Mexican border town and at many local hotels in the middle of the night, residents, hotel guests and hotel staff said Wednesday. The latest raid happened Tuesday night.

Earlier this week, Cuidad Acuna officials said in a statement that local police weren't engaging in immigration enforcement but were assisting federal immigration authorities under an agreement. It's unclear what the terms of the agreement are.

More: DHS vows to have findings within 'days' in investigation of Border Patrol's treatment of Haitian migrants

Haitian migrants said Wednesday they were scared and staying vigilant. But they have no other options, Frantz Sainlus, one of hundreds of Haitian migrants seeking asylum in the U.S., said.

He's crossing the river every morning to come to Mexico and gather water and food for his wife and 1-year-old daughter waiting in Del Rio.

Story continues

Haitian migrants speak to their loved ones after charging their phones at the Braulio Fernandez park in Ciudad Acuna on Tuesday Sept. 21, 2021.

Sainlus, 27, said he knows he's risking detention and deportation.

"There's not enough to eat. We have to do this," he said. "If we see police or immigration here we just run."

For Haitian migrants in Acuna, it isn't safe in the streets and it isn't safe inside hotel rooms where they have tried to spend the night this week.

Edwin Sorto, a migrant who is originally from El Salvador, stayed at one of the hotels in the town that was raided Tuesday night.

More: Photos: Huddled masses  Life inside Haitian migrants camp as they await uncertain future

He witnessed Mexican authorities taking families out of hotel rooms by force.

"I heard women and children crying," he said. "They said 'we're human, we have rights.' It was frightening."

Haitian migrants are given donations from Mexicans in Ciudad Acuna as they arrive at the border city with hopes of entering the U.S. through Del Rio, Texas.

Non-Haitian migrants who were detained by Mexican immigration officials Tuesday said they did not experience or witness mistreatment.

A Black woman from Honduras, who asked to not be named for safety concerns, said she was detained because Mexican authorities believed she was Haitian.

She and many Haitian migrants staying at a downtown hotel Tuesday night were asked by Mexican authorities to gather their belongings. Officials took them to an immigration office nearby.

"They were respectful, asked us if we were hungry, if we needed food or water," the woman said Wednesday. "I told them I was from Honduras and that I was authorized to live in Mexico. They let me go a few hours later."

Hotel managers said when authorities walk into hotel lobbies to search for migrants, they do not have warrants. At least two men managing local hotels in Acuna said Wednesday they don't feel comfortable standing up to Mexican authorities to stop the raids.

More: See drone footage, satellite images showing thousands of Haitian migrants gathered at Del Rio border

"I risk getting arrested by them or getting my establishment shut down," one man, who asked not to be named for safety concerns, said. "It's sad. We have migrants coming through here all the time, from Central America, Cuba, we really don't know why (Haitians) are getting treated this way."

Austin American-Statesman reporter Natalia Contreras can be reached at 512-626-4036 or ncontreras@statesman.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook, @NataliaECG.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Raids, arrests of Haitian migrants continue in Mexico near the border
The Justice Department filed suit against American Airlines and JetBlue on Tuesday, arguing that a series of "unprecedented" agreements between the two aiming to bolster operations in the Northeast would threaten competition.

The department, joined by attorneys general from six states and Washington, D.C., filed a civil antitrust complaint in a Massachusetts federal court alleging the companies' "Northeast Alliance" created a "de facto merger" that would leave airline customers with fewer ticket options and higher fares, according to court documents.

American and JetBlue entered into the alliance to help one another secure a larger share of the highly trafficked markets in New York and Boston by establishing codeshare agreements, which allow a respective airline's customers to purchase tickets on flights operated by the other. The agreement would also allow for reciprocal loyalty benefits.

US INVESTIGATING AIRLINES OVER DELAYS IN PANDEMIC REFUNDS

The agreements "create a viable third competitor" in the region, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said Tuesday, in competition with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

However, the complaint alleges that before entering the alliance, the two competitors "were poised to compete even more intensively" at the Northeastern airports, but American recognized "the significant and growing threat posed by JetBlue" and "now seeks to co-opt JetBlue through an unprecedented domestic alliance."

"In an industry where just four airlines control more than 80% of domestic air travel, American Airlines alliance with JetBlue is, in fact, an unprecedented maneuver to further consolidate the industry," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "It would result in higher fares, fewer choices, and lower quality service if allowed to continue."

Hayes defended the alliance, telling employees it was a way to introduce more competition into markets that Delta and United maintain a significant share of gate slots at area airports.

Story continues

"While we have built a successful business in both New York and Boston, our runway for growth in the Northeast to challenge global legacy carriers Delta and United is limited. And Im sad to say that our biggest obstacle to bringing more low fares and great service to the Northeast right now is the DOJ  the very government agency that should be making every effort to foster robust competition among airlines," Hayes said in a note to crewmembers.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker also challenged DOJ's suit Tuesday, saying the company looks forward "to vigorously rebutting the DOJs claims and proving the many benefits the Northeast Alliance brings to consumers."

"This is not a merger: American and JetBlue are  and will remain  independent airlines," Parker said in a statement.

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Tags: News, American Airlines, airlines, Transportation, Justice Department, lawsuit, Antitrust, Air Travel

Original Author: Jeremy Beaman

Original Location: Justice Department sues to stop 'de facto merger' of American Airlines and JetBlue
A former county official in northeastern Kentucky pleaded guilty Monday to stealing more than $100,000.

The maximum sentence for Robert Brian Allen would be 10 years in prison, according to a court document.

Allen was economic development director for Greenup County when the thefts occurred between late 2016 and early 2019, and was also head of the county tourism commission during part of the time, the court document said.

Allen took money in a variety of ways, including by having checks from the county fiscal court to the tourism commission diverted to his personal account, having checks written to him from the commission that he wasnt entitled to, and using a commission debit card for personal expenses and cash withdrawals, according to his plea agreement.

Allen also set up a line of credit for the commission and drew on it.

The document charging Allen said the thefts totaled more than than $100,000.

Allen is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 18 in federal court in Ashland.
Lashana Lynch in "No Time to Die." United Artists

Lynch said director Cary Joji Fukunaga made sure her character wasn't one-dimensional.

"I didn't feel like Nomi, as a young Black woman, was constantly standing behind the white guy," she said.

Lynch plays Nomi, the first-ever female Black 00 agent in the James Bond franchise.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

It's been a long time coming, but in the 25th James Bond movie, "No Time to Die," we get to see a Black female 00 agent.

Lashana Lynch ("Captain Marvel") locked down the role of Nomi, who gains her license to kill following the retirement of James Bond (Daniel Craig) after the events of 2015's "Spectre."

Looking back on the crafting of the character, Lynch praised the work of "No Time to Die" director Cary Joji Fukunaga, franchise producer Barbara Broccoli, and Craig for making sure all the female characters in the movie were not one dimensional. Along with Lynch the female cast in the movie also includes Lea Seydoux, Ana de Armas, and Naomie Harris.

"Cary had big discussions with Barbara and Daniel about how to give the female characters equity, how to keep them in charge of themselves, how to give them solo moments where the audience learns who they are," Lynch told The Hollywood Reporter.

And the British actress feels particularly proud in the attention Fukunaga put towards Nomi onscreen.

"I didn't feel like Nomi, as a young Black woman, was constantly standing behind the white guy, which, for me, is job done," she said. "And that was a very conscious decision for Cary."

Lashana Lynch and Daniel Craig in "No Time to Die." United Artists

To say the Nomi character is revolutionary in the white male-focused Bond franchise would be an understatement. And Lynch learned that quickly last year when the reveal of who she was playing in "No Time to Die" led to backlash on social media from people, who were not ready to see a Black female 00 agent.

According to a Harper's Bazaar profile that ran last November, once the backlash hit, Lynch deleted her social media accounts and found comfort by spending most of her time with her family.

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"I am one Black woman - if it were another Black woman cast in the role, it would have been the same conversation, she would have got the same attacks, the same abuse," Lynch said. "I just have to remind myself that the conversation is happening and that I'm a part of something that will be very, very revolutionary."

Back then, Lynch also shared why she was proud to step into the revolutionary role that proved authentic to her experience as a Black woman.

"I didn't want to waste an opportunity when it came to what Nomi might represent," she said. "I searched for at least one moment in the script where Black audience members would nod their heads, tutting at the reality but glad to see their real life represented. In every project I am part of, no matter the budget or genre, the Black experience that I'm presenting needs to be 100 percent authentic."

"No Time to Die" opens in theaters on October 8.

Read the original article on Insider
Libya's parliament on Tuesday passed a no-confidence vote in the war-scarred country's unity government, dealing a new blow to UN-backed peace efforts and plans for December elections.

Eighty-nine of the 113 lawmakers who attended the lower house session in the eastern city of Tobruk voted to withdraw confidence from the Tripoli-based administration of interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, spokesman Abdallah Bliheq said.

But an upper house based in the capital rejected the vote, saying it violated established procedures, laying bare once more the extent of divisions between the country's east and west.

The latest escalation came amid tensions between the House of Representatives and Dbeibah's government, which took office earlier this year with a mandate to guide the North African country to elections on December 24.

Those polls look increasingly unlikely to happen amid the escalating political wrangling, casting doubt on a United Nations-led process aimed at ending a decade of violence since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

But Dbeibah insisted Tuesday that elections must take place.

"I reaffirm our determination to continue what we have begun," he said in the western city of Zawiya.

"I say no to war, yes to elections for a united Libya."

A short time later, in central Tripoli, he paid tribute to those "honourable" lawmakers who rejected what he termed a "masquerade".

As dozens of supporters demanded the "fall of the parliament", Dbeibah responded, "with God's help, it will fall", calling for a large rally in the city on Friday.

- 'Remain focused' -

Tuesday's lower house vote, in a closed session overseen by speaker Aguila Saleh, came less than two weeks after he outraged opponents by ratifying an electoral law seen as bypassing due process and favouring eastern-based military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Haftar had waged a year-long assault on Tripoli, leaving thousands dead, before reaching a formal ceasefire with his western opponents in October last year.

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While the ensuing UN-led peace process has led to a period of calm, wrangling over electoral laws and the presence of foreign forces have complicated moves towards a more permanent peace.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed concern at Tuesday's developments and urged the parliament "and all relevant institutions and political actors to remain focused on completing the preparation of the constitutional and legislative framework" for the December 24 vote.

The transitional administration "remains the legitimate government up until it is replaced by another government through a regular process, following the elections", UNSMIL added.

Parliament spokesman Bliheq said the cabinet would become "a caretaker government", although it would not be replaced.

But the High Council of State, the parliament's upper house based in Tripoli, quickly rejected that.

"Our objective is to hold elections," upper house chief Khalid al-Mishri told journalists after meeting Morocco's chief diplomat Nasser Bourita during a visit to Rabat.

"We don't want to place so much importance on things that could get in the way of that goal. This government will keep working until December 24, and we must ensure conditions that allow for elections to be held."

- 'Confusion and uncertainty' -

An upper house spokesman also said Tuesday's lower house vote contravened an agreement signed in the Moroccan town of Skheirat in 2015.

A parliamentary source in the eastern city of Benghazi told AFP that the vote had passed despite parliamentary rules requiring a quorum of 120 members of the 200-seat house.

Mohamed Eljarh, a consultant at Libya Outlook, tweeted that Tuesday's vote was "a major escalation" by the lower house at a "critical juncture" that would "add to the confusion and uncertainty" in Libya.

The upper house had on Monday rejected the presidential election law announced earlier this month, saying it had been passed "without a legal vote or consensus".

Critics of that law have pointed to a clause stipulating that military officials may stand in presidential polls on condition they withdraw from their posts three months beforehand.

That would allow for a presidential run by Haftar, who is allied with the legislature's speaker Saleh and whose forces control eastern Libya as well as parts of the south.

Dbeibah's transitional administration, the product of UN-led talks in Tunis and Geneva, had won a lower house vote of confidence in March but has irked members of that chamber, which has so far not held a vote on his budget.

On Monday it set up a commission of enquiry to examine deals Dbeibah had signed, his expenses and nominations by his government.

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The pristine turquoise waters of Lake Geneva may appear serene, but lurking below are piles of bombs, cartridges and possibly even chemical weapons discarded decades ago.

Long believed to be safely slumbering beneath thick layers of protective sediment, the munitions at the bottom of the biggest lake in the Alps have raised fresh safety and environmental concerns.

"We believe there are bombs and shells, and probably rifle ammunition," Jacques Martelain, the Geneva canton's head geologist, told AFP.

Some also fear there might also be phosgene bombs -- deadly chemical weapons -- sitting on the bottom of the lake, he said.

For the first time ever, Swiss authorities will soon start mapping the piles of munitions in the lake to determine what kind of explosive debris is there, how much, and whether it should be removed.

Switzerland is a famously neutral country that did not fight in the two world wars, but its long-held position is one of well-armed neutrality.

Between World War I and the mid-1960s, thousands of tonnes of munitions, from artillery to grenades and detonators, were sunk in lakes across the nation.

Following two explosions in storage depots, one of them inside a mountain, the army started to get rid of surplus post-World War II stockpiles by using underwater dumps.

Over the decades, the Swiss army is estimated to have dumped more than 8,000 tonnes of munitions in the Thun, Lucerne and Brienz lakes.

Authorities studied those stockpiles carefully and decided around a decade ago that it was safer to leave them where they were, resting at significant depths and covered with thick layers of sediment.

They estimated that there was little danger in leaving them untouched, while removing them risked shifting the sediment, releasing pollutants and causing significant damage to the aquatic ecosystem.

- Sonar tracking -

However, experts have warned that the situation is different in Lake Geneva, where a private armaments company, Hispano-Suiza, dumped excess munitions right up until the 1960s.

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The company, which no longer exists, had a number of arms factories in Geneva, but cantonal authorities don't know why it used the lake as a dumping ground.

The Swiss defence ministry estimated in the early 2000s that between 150 and 1,000 tonnes of munitions had been sunk, but did not pinpoint their exact location or detail the specific weaponry.

In the coming weeks, authorities will begin testing out tracking techniques in the lake, which provides Geneva with around 80 percent of its drinking water.

"We will detect these metal masses from boats using immerged sonar equipment," Martelain said.

One of the main concerns is that the munition stocks are believed to be resting at far shallower depths than in other lakes.

The crescent-shaped freshwater lake -- 73 kilometres (45 miles) long and 14 kilometres across at its widest -- hits a maximum depth of 310 metres (1,017 feet) in the middle, making it the deepest lake in Switzerland.

But the munitions search will focus on the far shallower end near the city of Geneva itself, an area popular with swimmers where the lake only reaches depths of 50 to 100 metres.

- Souvenir hunters -

The Geneva authorities long thought the sediment that covered the weapons provided protection, as in other lakes.

They also thought they were deeper, but in 2019 the French environmental organisation Odysseus 3.1 discovered several disembowelled ammunition crates at a depth of just 50 metres -- uncovered by sediment.

Salima Moyard, a diver and former Geneva regional parliamentarian, has spent years fighting for the cantonal authorities to map the weaponry in the lake, insisting that a "complete clean-up" would be needed eventually.

She worries that amateur divers could go hunting for the weapons, a potentially risky endeavour.

"There could be individuals who go looking for the ammunition to display it on their mantlepiece," she told AFP.

"That would be really serious: serious for the people themselves, for their neighbours, for the environment."

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VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania will donate 235,900 additional doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan, the European Union nation said on Wednesday, after angering China by allowing Taiwan to open a representative office under its own name.

China considers Taiwan its own territory.

Lithuania, which also donated 20,000 vaccines to Taiwan in June, will give Taiwan jabs purchased under an EU contract signed on behalf of member states with the producer.

"AstraZeneca vaccines are not popular in our country, so we are able to donate them," Lithuanian Health Minister Arunas Dulkys said during a televised government meeting.

The vaccines will be donated by mid-October, following a Sept. 16 request made by Taiwan's mission in neighbouring Latvia, Lithuania's Health Ministry said.

"On behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, I sincerely thank Lithuania for the heartfelt friendship and good will during our times of difficulties and challenges," the head of the mission in Latvia, Eric Huang, said.

China demanded last month that Lithuania withdraw its ambassador in Beijing and said it would recall its envoy to Vilnius after Taiwan said its mission in Lithuania would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office.

Taiwanese missions in Europe and the United States usually use the name of the city of Taipei, avoiding reference to the island itself.

Lithuania's government said in June it would donate 100,000 vaccine doses to Ukraine, 15,000 to Georgia and 11,000 to Moldova.

Japan pledged last week to give 500,000 additional vaccines to Taiwan, bringing Japan's total donation to the island to 3.9 million.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Edmund Blair)
People ask past an ad for the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G smartphone in Hong Kong. Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Lithuania told people to trash their Chinese-made phones "as fast as reasonably possible."

It said some phones, like Xiaomi's Mi 10T 5G phone, can censor terms like "democracy movement."

The feature is turned off in the phones in the EU but can be turned back on remotely, it said.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The Lithuanian government has told people to throw away their Chinese phones and avoid new ones, claiming some of them had the ability to find and censor certain terms like "democracy movement" in people's texts.

"Our recommendation is to not buy new Chinese phones, and to get rid of those already purchased as fast as reasonably possible," Lithuania's deputy defense minister, Margiris Abukevicius, told reporters on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

In a Tuesday report, the Lithuanian defense ministry's National Cyber Security Centre said that Mi 10T 5G phones sold in Europe by China's Xiaomi Corp, for example, were able to detect and censor terms including "free Tibet, "long live Taiwan independence" or "democracy movement."

Discussions about the pro-independence movement in Tibet, sovereignty of Taiwan, and pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong are highly sensitive subjects in China. Those terms are heavily censored on Chinese social media, and people who discuss these topics are punished.

The Lithuanian report said that the censorship function was generally turned off in the phones in the European Union, but that the feature can be turned back on remotely, per Reuters. The report did not say where the feature could be turned on, or by whom.

A Xiaomi spokeswoman told Insider: "Xiaomi's devices do not censor communications to or from its users. Xiaomi has never and will never restrict or block any personal behaviors of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, web browsing or the use of third-party communication software."

She said the company "Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users" and that it fully complies with European Union data privacy laws.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Betty Soskin

This story was originally published on July 31, 2020, and has been updated to reflect Soskin's 100th birthday.

Betty Reid Soskin has lived an extraordinary life.

At 100 years old, she is the oldest Ranger with the National Park Service at the Rosie the Riveter National Park in Richmond, California.

Born in Detroit in 1921, she's made the most of her opportunities. She has written a memoir, spoken word albums and autobiographical songs which reflect her most painful and joyous moments. Soskin has worked with the Black Panthers in the suburbs around Diablo Valley and as a file clerk in a segregated union hall in Richmond during World War II. Soskin gives historical talks about her life at the Rosie the Riveter National Park's museum, telling stories of her experience as a Black woman in America.

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Soskin suffered a stroke in September 2019 and has since been reflecting on her life and the lives she has touched. A documentary on her life titled "No Time to Waste  The Urgent Message of Betty Reid Soskin" produced in association with the Rosie the Riveter Trust aired earlier this month, which focuses on Soskin's mission "to restore critical missing chapters of America's story," according to the Rosie the Riveter Trust website.

In a phone interview with USA TODAY in 2020, Soskin spoke about her life and what she is most proud of:

Question: Can you tell me about your early life and how it has influenced you over the years?

Betty Reid Soskin: I think that when you're 98 years old, the last thing you have knowledge about is your early life  I'm not sure how it figures in my current life  I am who I am as a result of my being "early Betty." My early life has pretty much spelled out who I am today. That pretty well describes all of us.

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Q: Can you tell me about your work with the National Park Service?

Soskin: That has been rather remarkable. I have worked for 16 or 17 years, I suppose. I went to work at 85, which was already kind of an odd thing. My work has consisted mostly of getting together with people who are of interest and doing shows that lasted for an hour.

Q: What has your role in the fight for racial justice been like?

Soskin: I suppose that's gone on for all of my life. I don't know when it started and I don't even know when or if it ended. It has been constant. I have worked with mostly myself. I was not connected to anyone except the Black Panthers and my church. I don't know if I thought I was working against injustice as much as it was simply something that took up most of my days. I was living in the suburbs with my family as the only Black person in the suburbs at the time. The fact that I was working against injustice is incidental to the fact that it was mostly a part of my life. I was doing it without knowing what I was doing. For the most part, it was pretty exciting, I think.

Betty Soskin

Q: What kinds of things have you lived through that could provide perspective on our country's moment relating to the Black Lives Matter movement?

Soskin: Oh, good heaven. I think that if I were to answer that, I'd have to go at it from as many angles because they're all asking the same question. I think that everything I've lived through connects to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Q: How do you remain hopeful in times that require a critical look at how the country has treated Black people over the course of history? What kinds of things are important in keeping up the momentum?

Soskin: I'm not sure that I'm always hopeful. There are times certainly when I fail that quest for hopefulness. For the most part, I remain hopeful because I'm sure there are others out there working on the same thing. And one of us will someday make it. The people in the streets are now multiracial and that's different, that means that the question is no longer there for me as a Black person, it now involves everyone.

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Q: In your recent documentary, what is it like to have your story told through that form and why do you think it's important for people to see it?

Soskin: I don't know because it took five or six years and because the filmmakers were good friends by the time it was over  I don't know that I ever saw it as being important. It was simply something that we were all doing. Occasionally, they would show up at the park or take a trip with me and I never really recognized it as being part of a film until it actually came out. Now, I see it and it looks like someone else.

Q: Why is that?

Soskin: I'm not sure why it is. I think it's the way it is with much of my life now. It doesn't seem to be really connected. I think that it's partly because of the stroke.

Q: Going forward, what is something that you're focused on right now?

Soskin: I don't expect there to be much more after the stroke. I'm sure that my time is pretty much up but I think I am satisfied that I have lived my life well. I'm sure that the kids will carry on. I'm not sure that I have any expectations beyond today.

Q: Can you talk to me a little bit about that feeling of satisfaction? What are some moments that you're proud of?

Soskin: I met with the Obamas in Washington, which was probably the high point of my life. It was absolutely unbelievable. I was invited to participate in the tree lighting ceremony and was brought back to Washington with my two granddaughters and participated in that. I look at it now and it seems almost unreal. I think that the first time I sang one of my songs at the Oakland Symphony was more than I would have ever dreamed possible.

Q: Can you tell me what that was like?

Soskin: It was rather amazing. It was something I never had dreamed and it turned out to be wonderful.

Q: What inspired your songwriting over the years?

Soskin: My life, I think. I think that I didn't ever publish anything. I was writing music as I was going along and I was doing something that I literally could not do. I could not read music but I was writing music and playing by ear. It was rather remarkable. Some of the songs, which are all autobiographical, just spilled out what I was doing at the time. Now, they are as if they were written yesterday. They are so in tune with what is going on.

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Q: Could you tell me about those times and what the songwriting process was like?

Soskin: I was going through a rough break. It was an attempt to keep my sanity  and I kept it through music. It was quite wonderful.

Q: How would you align the messages within your songs with the current state of the country as far as the fight for racial justice within the Black Lives Matter movement?

Soskin: I think that I could line up a song or three for each decade. I think that there were victorious songs and there were others that were not. They were painful and I lived them, too.

Q: So you really put yourself into your music. When you look back at your songwriting and your work, how does it make you feel?

Soskin: I feel like I have lived my life fully. I don't have any regrets. I don't have anything that I feel I left undone. I feel like I've had my life and I've lived every minute of it.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Q&A with activist, singer and park ranger Betty Reid Soskin at 100
(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A man allegedly sexually assaulted a woman he had just saved from a sexual assault attack in a popular Florida tourist town.

The woman was rescued by the man from the first attack on a street in Key West but then took her to a city landmark where he attacked her himself, police say.

Authorities say that Jorge Calderon Nunez, 30, of Key West, allegedly carried out the first attack on the woman in the early hours of 10 September.

Investigators allege that Mr Nunez was attacking the woman when an Uber driver interrupted and broke up the incident.

Kerry Calvin Gasag then drove her to the Southernmost Point marker buoy, where tourists pose for pictures, by the ocean.

Mr Gasag, 37, of Key West, then allegedly dragged her out of his SUV and assaulted her behind the large replica buoy, according to the arrest report.

Police say they have video footage from a tourist webcam that shows the victim clearly trying to pull away from Mr Gasag. He later told police that the woman had consented to having sex.

One of the people who called police over the incident was a dispatcher in Boston who was watching the Southernmost Point webcam.

He told officers he believed he was watching a rape in progress, according to the arrest report.

Mr Gasag was arrested on 11 September and faces felony charges of sexual assault, false imprisonment and destroying evidence.

He reportedly admitted to police that he had returned to the Southernmost Point to retrieve the womans jean shorts and disposed of them on the way back to his home.

He also told investigators that the woman did not scream for help or fight The alleged attack lasted several minutes.

Gasag repeatedly told them the woman did not scream for help or fight like someone who is being raped does, the police report states.

Mr Nunez was arrested on 17 September on a charge of sexual assault along with a burglary charge from a prior incident.

Both suspects remain in custody at the county jail on Stock Island.
During an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday evening, Department of Homeland Security secretary Mayorkas defended the Biden administrations use of the Title 42 expulsions protocol for the massive influx of Haitian migrants who have poured across the border into Del Rio, Texas, in the last week.

When challenged by host Joy Reid about the justification for the policy, Mayorkas affirmed that deportations will continue to avoid exacerbating the domestic COVID crisis. Reid cited the humanitarian issue and argued that the migrants would be more prone to contracting the virus if shipped back to their country of origin.

The secretary replied, It is currently our governments intention to continue to exercise our Title 42 authority in light of the public-health imperative as determined by the Centers for Disease Control.

He acknowledged that the provision is the subject of ongoing litigation in the courts. Last month, the Biden administration extended the Title 42 policy that allows border agents to expel migrants and asylum-seekers, exempting unaccompanied minors, without a court hearing over concerns of coronavirus spread. The American Civil Liberties Union subsequently renewed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the policy, which has been entangled in legal disputes since.

The CDC directive temporarily suspends the introduction of certain non-citizens based on the Directors determination that introduction of such non-citizens through the Mexico or Canada border creates a serious danger of the introduction of COVID-19 into the United States, the organization wrote in a press release.

Mayorkass comments come after nearly 10,000 migrants illegally crossed the Rio Grande river and camped under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, overwhelming border-security personnel with processing claims.

When Reid asked how the Biden administration planned to facilitate the passage of refugees from Central American countries and Haiti, Mayorkas reiterated the multi-part strategy it has deployed. That plan addresses the root causes of irregular migration, provide safe legal pathways for migration, and reform current asylum laws were so fundamentally dismantled under the prior administration, Mayorkas said.

More from National Review
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appealed to the United States on Wednesday to take urgent action to tackle the migrant crisis reverberating across the Americas.

Tens of thousands of migrants, many of them Haitians previously living in South America, have arrived in recent weeks in Mexico hoping to enter the United States.

Instead they have found themselves stranded in a crowded city in southern Mexico or at the border with the United States, their hopes of being given asylum quickly fading.

"Enough talking, it's time to act," Lopez Obrador told reporters.

Mexico and Central American countries were still waiting for several billion dollars pledged by Washington for economic development to reduce the need for migrants to flee poverty, he said.

"There was a commitment that they were going to invest four billion -- two billion for Central America and two billion for Mexico. Nothing has come -- nothing," Lopez Obrador said.

At the same time he added that US President Joe Biden "is interested" in solving the problem and said he was hopeful there would be a regional agreement on economic development.

"I think there will be results," he said.

The Mexican leader has repeatedly proposed expanding one of his domestic welfare programs into Central America with the aim of generating 1.2 million jobs in the region.

He has also proposed allowing participants to qualify for a US work visa after three years.

The US authorities have begun to repatriate Haitians by air from the Texas border city of Del Rio, prompting a warning from the United Nations that people with genuine asylum claims may be at risk.

- 'They're deporting everyone' -

Tens of thousands more migrants are stranded in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, waiting for documents that would allow them to continue north.

Many had been living in Chile and Brazil, which gave them refuge after the 2010 earthquake that left around 200,000 people dead in Haiti.

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They have crossed up to a dozen countries, including Panama and Colombia, where thousands are now stranded near the border.

Some say they left due to a lack of jobs or difficulties renewing their work permits during the Covid-19 pandemic, while others are driven by a desire to join relatives in the United States.

"We're desperate," said 28-year-old Maximil Marcadieu, who spent nearly two months traveling from Chile only to find himself stuck with thousands of others under a bridge at the Mexican-US border.

"Many people dream of going to the United States and now they're deporting everyone," he said in Ciudad Acuna on the Mexican side of the frontier where migrants buy food.

In the town of Necocli on the northern coast of Colombia, some 19,000 mainly Haitian migrants are waiting for seats on boats that cross the Gulf of Uraba to Acandi near the border with Panama.

Once across, the migrants start the dangerous trek on foot through the Darien jungle, where they battle snakes, steep ravines, swollen rivers, tropical downpours and criminals often linked to drug trafficking.

Under an agreement between the governments of Colombia and Panama, no more than 650 migrants are allowed to make the trip daily.

More than 50,000 people have crossed the border Colombia-Panama border so far this year.

Given the magnitude of the crisis, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week that a regional agreement was needed on migration.

Blinken, Ebrard and Central American foreign ministers are expected to discuss this issue on Thursday at the UN General Assembly in New York.

US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday he had ordered an investigation after images showed horse-mounted immigration officers chasing down Haitian migrants at the border.

The images "do not reflect who we are as a country, nor do they reflect who the United States Customs and Border Protection is," Mayorkas said.

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Kavak, a Mexico City-based startup that operates a pre-owned car marketplace in Latin America, announced today that it has raised a massive $700 million in a Series E round that more than doubles the companys valuation to $8.7 billion.

This news is notable for a few reasons. For one, its a staggering sum for any startup, much less one based in Latin America. Also, news of this raise comes just five months after Kavak raised $485 million in a Series D at a $4 billion valuation. The investment also marks the second time this year that Kavak has doubled its valuation. (The company only achieved unicorn status last October.) And lastly, the round makes Kavak the second most valuable startup in all of Latin America -- the first being Brazilian fintech Nubank, which earlier this year was valued at $30 billion.

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based General Catalyst led Kavaks Series E, which brings the companys total raised to over $1.5 billion since its 2016 inception. Tiger Global, Spruce House, D1, SEA, Founders Fund, Ribbit Capital, SoftBank and others also participated in the latest financing.

Put simply, Kavak is an online marketplace that aims to bring transparency, security and access to financing to the used car market. It promises to ensure reliable transactions that mitigate fraud and aims to raise used car standards from a mechanical and safety point of view by using artificial intelligence and data technology.

The company also offers its own financing through its fintech arm, Kavak Capital, which it launched about 18 months ago.

I like to describe it as if Spotify, Amazon, Toyota and Citibank had a kid, then something like Kavak would be born, said Kavak co-founder and CEO Carlos Garcia Ottati in an interview with TechCrunch.

Clearly, the company's business model seems to be working. Kavak has been doubling its revenue every three to five months, according to Garcia Ottati. And over the last 14 months, its no surprise -- considering the increase in its valuation and all the capital it has raised -- that Kavak has grown exponentially -- from 300 to more than 5,000 employees in Latin America, to meet what Garcia Ottati describes as strong demand. The startup currently has 40 logistic and reconditioning hubs in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. That compares to more than 2,500 employees and 20 logistics and reconditioning hubs in Mexico and Argentina at the time of its last raise in April. Over the years, it has served "hundreds of thousands" of customers.

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What excites me about this raise is a reflection of Kavaks ambition we have and what we want to build, and less so about need, he said. Most importantly, its going to allow us to think long term and build a true generational company.

Financial inclusion is a big part of Kavaks mission in addition to wanting to make it easier for people to own cars, and thus improve their professional and personal lives, added Garcia Ottati, who was inspired to start the company after his own challenges selling a car in Colombia and trying to buy one in Mexico.

If we do our job well, in the next 20 years, the middle class should grow up by 30% in emerging markets just by granting financing products to a huge amount of people that are excluded today, giving them a tool that can definitely enhance their lives, he said. "We want to be a super app, or an ecosystem of services, that empowers mobility and financial health and do more than just help people buy and sell cars."

Looking ahead, Kavak plans to use its new capital in part to expand across Latin America, with plans to begin operating in several other markets over the next 12 months. Longer term, it is eyeing an expansion into other emerging markets globally. It also plans to continue hiring -- particularly engineers and product folks -- as well double down on product development.

Garcia Ottati is also excited about the impact Kavak's raise has on the Latin American startup scene as a whole.

"It's wonderful bringing in new funds who had not previously invested in the region to see how LatAm looks and works," he said. "They can see that we are addressing deep and big issues."

General Catalyst Managing Director Adam Valkin believes the startup has established itself as the clear leader in Latin America's pre-owned car market.

The company has developed a playbook for providing a transformational customer experience with a compelling and efficient economic model, he said in a written statement. We are excited for Kavak to expand into other emerging markets where a similar opportunity exists to drive financial inclusion and empower the middle class through access to car ownership.
Rep. Mo Brooks tops Katie Britt in the race for the Republican Senate nomination in Alabama, according to a new poll, although the data suggest the congressmans lead is not impenetrable.

Brooks, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, led Britt 41% to 11% in the poll from Public Opinion Strategies, a GOP firm. But underneath the hood, the survey reveals room to grow for Britt, former chief of staff to Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican retiring in 2022. A whopping 39% of respondents were undecided. And, among those backing Brooks, 18% said they would probably vote for him, versus 23% whose vote was definite.

Britt, 37, announced for Senate in early June after Trump had endorsed Brooks and proceeded to raise an impressive $2.2 million for her campaign. Filling Britts coffers were small donors in Alabama but also Shelby, who gave through his political action committee, Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, who did the same, and a PAC based in Washington that calls itself Value in Electing Republican Women.

At issue is whether Britt can turn this early enthusiasm into enough support to overcome Brooks and his endorsement from Trump, who is incredibly popular in Alabama.

GOP GROUP LAUNCHES MULTIMILLION AD BUY AGAINST HOUSE DEMOCRATS

The poll, conducted mainly to research attitudes toward energy policy among the states voters, showed that of the 11% Britt garnered, just 4% was definite, while 7% was probable. Trailing Britt in the survey were businesswoman Jessica Taylor with 7% and former ambassador Lynda Blanchard with 3%. Blanchard, appointed United States ambassador to Slovenia by Trump, was not able to parlay her relationship with the former president into an endorsement.

The poll of 600 likely voters, conducted Aug. 24Sept. 2 and published on Wednesday, had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.56 percentage points. Alabamas primary is scheduled for May 24, with a runoff in June if necessary. Armed with Trumps endorsement, Brooks is considered the favorite to win the Senate nomination.

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Alabama is conservative territory.

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Yet, according to this poll, a plurality of voters in the state, 43%, said they strongly support the government taking steps to reduce emissions of gasses like carbon dioxide and methane emissions that cause global climate change.

Another 32% said they were somewhat supportive. Additionally, 33% said climate change is an extreme threat, while another 33% said it is a threat to be considered.

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Tags: News, Campaigns, 2022 Elections, Alabama Senate

Original Author: David M. Drucker

Original Location: Mo Brooks holds lead in Alabama GOP Senate primary, but Katie Britt in contention
Netflix is acquiring the Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC) and rights to the author's entire catalog, including classics like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Matilda and James and the Giant Peach, the company announced. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed (and are subject to regulatory approval), but three years ago Netflix paid "nine figures" for the rights to 16 of Dahl's works, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In any event, it likely represents one of Netflix's largest acquisitions to date.

News of the acquisition started bubbling up yesterday following a Bloomberg report. Netflix has big plans for Dahl's works, including "the creation of a unique universe across animated and live actions films and TV, publishing, games, immersive experiences, live theater, consumer products and more," wrote Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and RDSC managing director (and Dahl's grandson) Luke Kelly.

Excited to announce that the Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC) and Netflix are joining forces to bring some of the world's most loved stories to current and future fans in creative new ways.



We are now about to visit the most marvellous places and see the most wonderful things. pic.twitter.com/NIiBeStJm2  Netflix (@netflix) September 22, 2021

The companies revealed that director Taika Waititi and screenwriter Phil Johnston are working on a series based on the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory world. Netflix is also working with Sony and Working Title on an adaptation of Matilda The Musical.

The acquisition appears to go well beyond Netflix's past content deals, in which it simply licensed content from others. It famously did so with Marvel, then ended up canceling Daredevil and other Marvel shows when it couldn't come to terms with Disney, which was planning at the time to launch rival service Disney+.

With Roald Dahl's catalog, it promises to "bring these timeless tales to more audiences in new formats... [while] maintaining their unique spirit and their universal themes of surprise and kindness," Sarandos and Dahl wrote. "These stories and their messages of the power and possibility of young people have never felt more pertinent." Last year, the company issued an apology on its website for Dahl's history of antisemitic statements, as Bloomberg noted.
By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A North Carolina man facing criminal charges after claiming he had a bomb in his truck parked near the U.S. Capitol pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, after a federal judge declared he is mentally competent to stand trial.

Floyd Ray Roseberry, who has a history of mental illness, is facing charges of using a weapon of mass destruction and making threats to use explosive materials.

His threats, which he live-streamed from his Facebook account, led to a more than five-hour stand-off with police. In the video https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-washingtondc-security-idUKKBN2FK1T0, he said the "revolution's on."

"I'm ready to die for the cause," he said.

Roseberry was ordered to undergo a competency https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-charges-man-who-made-bomb-threat-near-us-capitol-2021-08-20 evaluation in August, after he told U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui he could not understand the legal proceedings against him because he had not been able to take medications for his blood pressure and his "mind."

On Wednesday, Faruqui said Dr. Teresa Grant, the forensic psychologist who has been evaluating Roseberry, recently concluded that his competency has been restored.

Previously, she had found that he was not competent because he had not been prescribed the proper medications.

"The new medication regime had stabilized his symptoms," Faruqui said, citing a Sept. 20 evaluation from Grant.

Roseberry's court-appointed lawyer David Bos said his client will plead not guilty to the criminal charges.

Bos also said he may petition the court to release Roseberry from pre-trial detention.

"We don't really have a release plan in place yet," Bos told the judge. "But with the help of Dr. Grant, we're hoping to come up with one."

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
BEIJING (Reuters) -China's northeastern city of Harbin, population 10 million, went into semi-shutdown after reporting new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases for the first time since early February.

Three of 16 new local cases reported in China for Sept. 21 were in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Wednesday. The last reported locally transmitted cases in the city were on Feb. 4.

Harbin, known for its minus 30 degree Celsius (minus 22 degree Fahrenheit) winters, on Wednesday vowed to complete an initial round of city-wide testing by Thursday, and told its residents to refrain from stepping outside their homes, unless necessary, before their test results are out.

The city has already told its residents to avoid leaving town unless for essential reasons, and those who do leave must produce proof of negative test results within 48 hours from departure.

Indoors venues such as cinemas, gyms and mah-jong parlours were also shut, and tourist sites were ordered to limit visitor traffic at half of their capacity, state television reported on Tuesday.

The city would also suspend offline classes at all kindergartens, primary schools and high schools for a week from Wednesday, state television said late on Tuesday.

It was unclear if the three new Harbin cases were linked to the current outbreak in the eastern province of Fujian.

According to state television, one of the cases was found when the person went to a local hospital for testing.

The other two, close contacts of the first case, returned to China from the Philippines in late August and were first quarantined in the southern city of Guangzhou before being quarantined again at home in Harbin.

Bayan county, where the three cases lived, suspended bus and taxi services and locked down some areas.

In Fujian, the cities of Xiamen and Putian reported a total of 13 new cases for Sept. 21, according to the NHC on Wednesday, down from the average daily count last week.

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Vice premier Sun Chunlan said on Monday that local officials should not be blindly optimistic about the progress made in Fujian, because uncertainties remains and the battle against the virus was still in a "deadlock", state media reported.

Sun demanded that efforts to seal up communities deemed of virus risk should be stricter, according to Fujian Daily.

The four Fujian cities of Putian, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou that have reported local cases have all told residents not to leave town unless for essential reasons.

They have also locked down areas of higher risk, closed various public venues, cut certain long-distance bus services, and halted offline lessons at kindergartens, primary schools and high schools.

Zhangzhou has told local authorities to tighten approval for foreigners seeking to enter the city.

(Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Michael Perry)
National Public Radio won a portion of its lawsuit Tuesday against two Maryland judges in which it challenged the states broadcast ban on court proceedings.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard D. Bennett ruled that in the case of NPRs podcast, Embedded, the broadcast ban is unconstitutional.

Defendants fail to show that broadcasting NPRs podcast would endanger witnesses or undermine the fairness of the criminal proceedings against Jarrod Ramos, Bennett wrote in the opinion.

The radio network filed the lawsuit at the beginning of September against Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Glenn Klavans and Administrative Circuit Judge Fred S. Hecker, focusing on the right to broadcast audio recordings of the trial of the Capital Gazette shooter. The suit also covered broader issues, claiming that the ban violates the First and 14th amendments of the Constitution.

The Maryland Code forbids anyone, including the media, from broadcasting official court recordings of state criminal court proceedings that were lawfully obtained from the court itself.

Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters were gunned down in the Capital Gazette newsroom in June 2018 by Ramos, who pleaded guilty but not criminally responsible last year. In July, after a two-week trial, he was found to have been responsible. He is set to be sentenced next Tuesday and is facing five life sentences without the possibility of parole.

NPR says it plans to air an episode of the Embedded podcast, focused on the trial, Sept. 30, and wants to air recordings that it obtained from the court. Late last month, it sought assurances from the Maryland Attorney Generals Office that contempt charges would not be brought if it aired the recordings, and was told no such assurances could be made.

While this ruling allows NPR to use audio from the Capital Gazette shooting trial, it does not yet open the door for other cases.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in June that the ban is constitutionally suspect, and sent the issue back to a lower court for more hearings. The appeals court challenge is speared by Baltimore-area journalists and organizations.

Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton contributed to this article.
Border Patrol agents, on horses, pass Haitian migrants at a makeshift camp, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas.

Happy hump day, OnPolitics readers!

It's official: Bipartisan police reform is dead.

After months of meetings, the bipartisan group of lawmakers who had been negotiating on police reform emerge with no deal, USA TODAY congressional reporter Savannah Behrmann reports.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill: The House voted Tuesday night to fund the government into early December, suspend the federal debt limit and provide disaster and refugee aid, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Republicans who oppose the package despite the prospects of a looming fiscal crisis.

It's Amy and Mabinty, with the day's top news.

A swift investigation on Haitian migrants

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas vowed a swift investigation into the treatment of Haitian migrants on the Texas border by agents on horseback, telling a House panel that the inquiry would be completed within days.

What has he done so far? Mayorkas told the House Homeland Security Committee that an undisclosed number of agents had been placed on administrative duty as investigators examine confrontations in which some mounted agents appeared to use their reins as whips against migrants who have been surging into Del Rio, Texas.

"I want to assure you that we are addressing this with tremendous speed and tremendous force," Mayorkas said. "The facts will drive the action we take."

Why does CBP use agents on horseback? "Mounted Guards," or inspectors who patrolled the southern border of the U.S. on horseback, were employed under the now-defunct U.S. Immigration Service as early as 1904. Read more from USA TODAY's Chelsey Cox.

Real quick: Stories you'll want to read

Liz Cheney v. Trump: Former President Donald Trump still casts a long shadow over the GOP  nowhere perhaps as long as in Wyoming, where Rep. Liz Cheney is fighting to keep her seat even as her anti-Trump message turns off some voters.

Democrats sour on the Supreme Court: Democratic support for the Supreme Court plummeted over the summer, according to a poll released Wednesday that was conducted in the wake of a controversial decision allowing Texas to ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

'Playing with fire': The Senate is on a collision course with the House over funding the federal government and increasing the country's ability to borrow, with the deadline for a funding decision a little over a week away.

The abortion fight continues: The landscape for ending pregnancy in Florida could change dramatically as the abortion battle intensifies.

Kiss and make up: President Joe Biden and Frances Emmanuel Macron took steps on Wednesday to repair their extraordinary diplomatic rift over a U.S. defense pact with Australia.

Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for OnPolitics newsletter here.

Story continues

Trump sues niece and The New York Times over tax records

Former President Donald Trump is suing his niece and The New York Times for $100 million over what he claims was an insidious plot to obtain his tax records.

The lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court in Dutchess County alleges that Times journalists relentlessly sought out his niece, Mary L. Trump to convince her to retrieve the former presidents tax records out of her attorneys office.

Why hasn't Trump released his tax returns? Trumps taxes have been a source of questions since the earliest days of his 2016 presidential campaign. He broke with tradition among major party candidates and did not disclose his tax returns, claiming he could not release them because of an audit.

Did you know? President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on this day in 1862. - Amy and Mabinty

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Haitian migrant crisis: DHS investigates border patrol agents
Sep. 22With Ottawa Hills leadership considering the redevelopment of a site on Richards Road into housing and retail space for residents, Ottawa Hills Local Schools officials are concerned that an increase in residents will mean an increase in students.

"We're close to running out of classroom space," said Superintendent Adam Fineske.

During a joint village council and school board meeting on Tuesday, officials discussed the effect that a possible new development area would have on the village and the school district. The proposal, which is focused on the 7.7-acre site that currently houses the village's municipal building, is in the very preliminary stages, said village Mayor Kevin Gilmore.

"We've made it clear that if it's going to happen, we need to make sure the school board is in this as well," Mr. Gilmore said at the meeting Tuesday. "It can't just be one side."

Concerns from school board members included the potential enrollment increase that new housing would bring in and the district's capacity for growth. Both the council and school district had a study done to assess the impact that the possible new development might have on the school district.

Tracy Healy, owner and president of FutureThink, an educational planning firm, presented her company's findings related to the potential project. According to her data, enrollment at Ottawa Hills schools is projected to grow over the next 10 years by 155 students without the proposed development and by 178 students with the proposed development.

"Both cases we're seeing increases of either 15 or 17 percent," she said.

Based on the size of the proposed development  84 units, including apartments, condos, and townhomes  Ms. Healy said the total number of students the development would yield is estimated to be 18.

She did, however, also point to housing complexes in Columbus that have yielded fewer students  a 790-unit complex in Dublin, Ohio, has 27 students.

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Board member Corey Hupp said the projected number of 18 students for the proposed development sounded low to him and pointed out that people move to Ottawa Hills specifically because of the school district's good reputation.

Mr. Gilmore said the housing the village is considering would be similar to luxury apartments and be targeted to older people whose children have moved out or young professionals.

School board President Rob Gnepper also pointed out that if the estimated projections are correct, the district would need to prepare for an influx of 155 students over the next decade anyway.

The proposal is based on a study of the buildings and land owned by the village on Richards Road as well as the 2016 Ottawa Hills Vision Plan.

Officials said previously that the municipal building is about 100 years old and is not conducive to village operations. The services it houses, including the police department, could be moved elsewhere on the site or to another location entirely, depending on how the project moves forward.

During the meeting, village and school district officials emphasized the importance of partnership and communication on the potential project.

"For the community, nothing's going to happen [unless] both the council and the school say yes," Mr. Gilmore said.
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama will offer a third COVID-19 vaccine dose to moderate and severely immunocompromised people starting this week, Health Minister Luis Sucre said on Tuesday.

The decision follows similar moves https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-booster-idUSKBN2GA190 by other Latin American countries such as Ecuador and Chile, which are already giving a booster vaccine dose to people at risk, for instance those with immunodeficiencies or the elderly.

Among those eligible to get an extra shot during the first phase of the Panamanian plan are people undergoing cancer treatment and transplants, as well as those who received stem cells in the last two years or suffer from an advanced or untreated HIV infection.

"The additional dose aims to improve the immune response" of immunosuppressed patients, Sucre said, explaining the campaign would be carried out in national and regional hospitals in the Central American nation of 4.2 million people.

Panama has administered 5.3 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine and authorities say it is close to herd immunity.

Sucre said the pandemic is under control after several weeks of sustained drops in daily infections.

The Ministry of Health reported 341 new infections on Tuesday, taking its total number of infections to 464,781.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno in Panama City; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Karishma Singh)
Sep. 21SALEM  The city has moved another step closer to having police officers wear body cameras, officials announced Tuesday afternoon.

The city, the police department and the Salem Police Patrolmen's Association have reached an agreement regarding the implementation of cameras.

With an agreement in place, officials now move ahead with the process of drafting a use policy, acquiring the cameras and storage hardware, and training the officers, with an eye toward implementing their use by early next year.

In a joint statement from the mayor, police chief, union and the city's Race Equity Task Force, the cameras were described as a means of improving transparency, promoting officer integrity, protecting officers against unfounded complaints and providing evidence for investigations.

That use policy is expected to be posted on the department's website for review prior to the cameras being put into use.

The city's budget called for $90,000 for initial costs and another $65,000 per year in each of the following four fiscal years, for a total of $350,000. The city is now in the process of obtaining the cameras and computer hardware and programs that will allow for images to be stored and accessed. The city is also seeking state grant funds to offset the cost of those future phases.

Dominic Pangallo, chief of staff to Mayor Kim Driscoll, said the patrolmen's union has agreed to six hours of training.

The cameras are among recommendations made by the Race Equity Task Force in a report issued earlier this year.

"We are committed to serving our public transparently and professionally," the mayor said in a press release. "Body-worn cameras are a key tool to meet these important goals consistently and equitably. They protect officers from inaccurate accusations of misconduct, and they protect the public by ensuring accountability for police actions."

"The implementation of body-worn cameras is very important to me as the chief of the Salem Police Department, as a career police officer, as an advocate for sensible, fair policing, and as a resident of Salem," said Salem police Chief Lucas Miller. in the same joint statement. Miller acknowledged the cost but also touted the benefits, including assisting in police investigations.

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The union issued a statement of support for the cameras, saying they will serve as "an added level of protection for all parties involved."

"As always, we will continue to support initiatives that uplift our beloved community and protect our neighbors, friends, and families, the union's statement said.

The Race Equity Task Force's public safety subcommittee chairman, Thomas Macdonald, also offered praise for the cameras, one of the key recommendations of the task force's report and something he said "are certain to be a useful tool in today's policing environment."

Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis

Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis
The journey from stage to screen, so often a perilous one, has been particularly bumpy for Dear Evan Hansen.

The Broadway show, starring Ben Platt as a lonely, anxiety-racked teenager who turns into a social media sensation after exaggerating his friendship with another, more hostile loner who kills himself, was an overwhelming hit. It won six Tony Awards in 2017, including best new musical and acting honors for Platt's star-making performance. Here, from book writer Steven Levenson and songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ("La La Land"), was a Broadway musical that didn't sugarcoat adolescent pain, grief or yearning for acceptance.

But when Stephen Chboskys film adaptation debuted earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival, much of the love for Dear Evan Hansen had seemingly evaporated. The film tweaks the musical in a handful of ways but it's largely quite faithful to the stage show. The script and songs again come from Levenson, Pasek and Paul. Platt reprises the role of Evan.

So what happened? Did two sets of critics see nearly the same thing and draw vastly different conclusions? Was Dear Evan Hansen, like its central character, a viral phenomenon under false premises, only to eventually have its flaws revealed?

The answer, I think, is a bit of both. Dear Evan Hansen, like a star-studded after-school special, is laudable for its good intentions  for the way it tries to bring empathy to all of the characters it touches in a high-school world only made more treacherous by social media. That, alone, ought to make Dear Evan Hansen recommendable to a wide spectrum of young people who will find uplift and support in its it gets better message. It is also, as you might expect in any story that uses a minor character's suicide as a springboard for the protagonist's redemption arc, a coming-of-age morality tale that doesn't always have a firm grasp of its own melodramatic manipulations.

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But what most troubles Dear Evan Hansen, I think, is what's bedeviled so many musical adaptions before it: the heavy lift from an isolated stage setting to a physical reality. The pressures of are only greater on Dear Evan Hansen because it's sincerely trying to capture an emotional realism. But in a more recognizably real world, the false notes of Dear Evan Hansen ring louder.

And nothing is more offkey than Platt's performance. The 27-year-old Platt, gifted as he is as an actor, is a decade too old for the character. While such discrepancies can sometimes be masked or overlooked, it's fatal in the case of Dear Evan Hansen. It's not hard to see why the filmmakers would be drawn to casting Platt in the role he defined; particularly in song, he soars. But the ways he's been aged down  the curly hair, the hunched shoulders, the striped polo shirt  only enhance the mismatch. For much of the film, it's difficult not to imagine the Saturday Night Live sketch that's probably already being written. More than the age difference, though, Platt's performance is a constant reminder of Broadway artificiality in a movie striving for something real.

Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower," Wonder) seems perfectly suited to the material as a filmmaker who specializes in both young life and multi-generational tales of empathy. And he has peopled the film with a number of terrific actors, including Kaitlyn Dever, Julianne Moore, Amandla Stenberg and Amy Adams.

The film begins with Evan writing a letter to himself at the direction of his therapist. Dear Evan Hansen, he writes. Today is going to be an amazing day and heres why. At school, Evan's only friend (Nik Dodani) insists he's only a family friend. Both his solitude and awkwardness are total. One day in the library, he has an exchange with schoolmate Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan) who steals Evan's letter from the printer and, with ironic menace, writes his name on Evan's cast. When Connor takes his life, his parents (Adams, Danny Pino) find Evan's letter in his pocket and assume it was written by Connor. The mother is desperate to latch on to something happy in her son's life, and Evan can't bring himself to tell her the truth.

A well-intentioned lie leads to many more, and Evan soon finds himself nearly part of Connor's family, which includes his sister (Dever, especially good). Evan becomes an increasingly celebrated spokesman for Connor in death. It's all a lie, one which will ultimately crumble, but there's truth in it for Evan. When he speaks of Connor's loneliness, he's talking about himself. Very much to the film's credit, it ultimately doesn't suggest social media fame brings any salvation, and instead draws out a third-act atonement for Evan. The film, which cuts four songs from the stage show, seems plainly alert to improving some of the musical's inherent issues.

Just as Broadway is opening up, scores of musicals have been landing on screens. Lately there's been In the Heights, a live taping of Come From Away and Everybody's Talking About Jamie. Soon there will be Tick, Tick ... Boom! Cyrano and West Side Story. In between, Dear Evan Hansen will probably go down as a cautionary tale. Not every stage hit looks quite so good in close-up.

"Dear Evan Hansen, a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for thematic material involving suicide, brief strong language and some suggestive references. Running time: 137 minutes. Two stars out of four.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
An emergency dispatch center doesnt exactly sound like the most visually exciting place to set an entire film. But the technical limitation of being imprisoned in a soulless office while high stakes action takes place off screen can be an inspired storytelling gimmick in the right hands, as it is in  The Guilty, directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by Nic Pizzolatto and starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

A remake of a 2018 Danish film by the same name, Fuquas The Guilty puts the audience in a Los Angeles 911 call center in the middle of the night as Gyllenhaals disgraced police officer Joe Baylor fields emergency calls from around the city. Joe probably isnt the calmest man in the world under normal circumstances but take into the fact that hes doing one of the most stressful jobs in the world while also awaiting a major trial the next day and you can start to appreciate why hes so extremely tense.

Hes a little distracted when we meet him as well. Hes a field guy relegated to office work, for one, and hes getting calls that likely arent emergencies: A guy robbed by the sex worker he hired; Another having a bad episode on drugs. Its worth hanging around for the credits to peek at all the famous names providing the voices on the other end of the line (Riley Keough, Paul Dano, Ethan Hawke, Bill Burr and DaVine Joy Randolph are just a few of the people he speaks to over the course of the night).

But he snaps into focus when he sniffs out a real crisis in the form of a womans crying voice. He pieces together that shes been abducted and shes feigning a call to her young daughter at home. The situation will become his obsession for the rest of the film as he tries to give the police enough information to track a vehicle that he doesnt know the make, model or license plate of, speeding down a Los Angeles freeway amid an emergency wildfire situation in the city.

Fuqua adds massive screens to the 911 control room showing Los Angeles burning in real time, which adds visual tension and reminds the audience why all the emergency services in the city are unable to help with this one abducted woman as much as Joe would want. It is an agonizing experience as a viewer to see close-up the ways in which our systems can fail those in a true emergency. The poor dispatchers have to play messenger, therapist and customer service representative through it all.

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One can hardly imagine a better modern trio of gritty Los Angeles chroniclers than Fuqua, Pizzolatto and Gyllenhaal all working together.

And Gyllenhaal is absolutely commanding throughout the lean 91-minute runtime, a compelling ball of stress, anxiety and frustration working only with computer screens, phones and disembodied voices. It is no understatement that the success of The Guilty rests entirely on his shoulders.

The plot has many twists and stomach-turning revelations that keeps the viewer in a similar state of stress. You have to remind yourself occasionally to not let your imagination go too far picturing the nightmare thats happening outside.

Underneath the tick tock of the present crisis is the gnawing suspicion that our protagonist may not be a good man himself. Yes, he probably doesnt have the disposition for a call center job and regularly snaps at his co-workers, but something has happened thats made him estranged from his wife and young daughter. His trial in the morning is about an incident out in the field that has a Los Angeles Times reporter pestering him for comment at all hours of the night. This perhaps doesnt provide the poetic climax that the film wants, but its still an interesting exercise to go through this ordeal with a man who may have done something unforgivable.

Best of all? Fuqua knows that he's up against the clock with this experiment and gets out just in time.

The Guilty, a Netflix release in theaters Sept. 24 and on Netflix Oct. 1, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for language throughout. Running time: 91 minutes. Three stars out of four.

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MPAA Definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
Watch: Mick Jagger pays tribute to late drummer Charlie Watts in first show before No Filter tour in US

The Rolling Stones have dedicated the first live show of their tour to late drummer Charlie Watts.

Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood performed at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts in the US, playing together for the first time since founder member Watts died aged 80.

Jagger, 78, told the audience at the intimate gig for billionaire businessman Robert Kraft: Its the first show of our 2021 tour, this is it, this is a try out.

Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones paid tribute to Charlie Watts on stage at their first live show since his death. (Getty Images)

I must say though at this point, its a bit of a poignant night for us and its our first tour weve done in 59 years that weve done without our lovely Charlie Watts, and we all miss Charlie so much.

Read more: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood pay tribute to Rolling Stone Charlie Watts

We miss him as a band, we miss him as friends on and off the stage and weve got so many memories of Charlie and Im sure some of you that have have seen us before have got memories of Charlie as well and I hope you will remember him as we do.

Wed like to dedicate this show to Charlie. Lets have a drink to Charlie."

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts performing together in 2017. (Getty Images)

As Jagger raised a bottle of beer guitarist Wood, 74, added: Charlie were praying for you man, and playing for you.

Jagger went on: What are we going to do now... Im all emotional, before kicking off the show.

Touring drummer Steve Jordan joined the band for their first ever performance without Watts, who was a founder member of the band in 1963.

Along with guitarist Richards, 77, they played a 14-song setlist at the warm-up show, featuring hits including Start Me Up, Sympathy for the Devil and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood missed their bandmate Charlie Watts. (Getty Images)

They also played new track Living In A Ghost Town, which was released during lockdown last year, live for the first time, as well as Chi-Lites song Troubles a-Comin', due to be released next month to mark the 40th anniversary of the Tattoo You sessions.

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Shortly before his death in August it was announced that Watts, who turned 80 in June, would not be joining the Rolling Stones on their forthcoming US tour due to an undisclosed illness.

Read more: Ronnie Wood reveals all-clear after second cancer diagnosis in lockdown

He is said to have "passed away peacefully in a London hospital surrounded by his family".

The other members of the band were unable to attend Watts' funeral due to COVID restrictions.

Watch: Charlie Watts was laid to rest in Devon
Russia has asked Israel to encourage the U.S. to agree to hold high-level trilateral talks on Syria, two senior Israeli officials tell me.

Why it matters: Israel's main focus in Syria is getting Iran out, and that would likely only be possible through U.S.-Russian cooperation.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

Flashback: The U.S., Russian and Israeli national security advisers last met to discuss Syria in Jerusalem in June 2019, with John Bolton representing the U.S.

Bolton was fired two months later, and there was no follow-up meeting.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raised the issue with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid when they met in Moscow two weeks ago, and the Russians have also raised it with Bennett's national security adviser, Hulata.

Last Thursday, White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk met in Geneva with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and with Vladimir Putins special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev.

The Russians requested the meeting and wanted to discuss steps toward a political solution in Syria and to see if the U.S. was willing to offer sanctions waivers to allow oil and gas to travel through Syria to Lebanon, which is facing dire shortages.

According to the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, McGurk raised the potential withdrawal of Iranian forces and pro-Iranian militias from the areas close to the border with Israel in the Golan Heights.

Whats next: Israeli officials tell me they support a trilateral meeting between the national security advisers. The White House says "there are no trilateral meetings to preview."

Bennett is also expected to visit Moscow in the coming weeks for his first meeting with Putin.

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Sep. 22PLATTSBURGH  Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that 120 new #VaxtoSchool pop-up COVID vaccination sites will take place over the next 12 weeks.

Hochul's office announced the #VaxtoSchool campaign, aimed at increasing vaccination rates among school-aged New Yorkers, earlier this month.

"Since becoming governor four weeks ago, I've made it clear that we need to bring children, teachers and staff back to school safely," Hochul said in a statement.

"With these pop-up vaccinations sites, we are ramping up our #VaxtoSchool campaign on the road and going into communities where vaccination rates are still lagging among young New Yorkers, so we can reach as many families as possible and make our schools safer for students and staff."

WEEKLY EVENTS

According to a press release, the state Department of Health will work with localities, community-based organizations and health care centers to establish the new sites in all regions of the state, which will host two new events per week.

Community-based medical professionals will be on-site to answer any questions. Additionally, #VaxtoSchool buses will be launched in convenient youth and school-centric areas, such as public recreational spaces, the release said.

A new website dedicated to the initiative, which will list information like pop-up site locations, has been launched at ny.gov/vaxtoschool. Additionally, the state has created a new Instagram channel, @VaccinateNY, aimed at educating school-aged children and their families about the COVID vaccine, the release said.

Currently, children ages 12 to 17 are eligible for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. It has been fully approved for those age 16 and older, and is available under emergency use authorization for 12- to 15-year-olds.

Information on where to get vaccinated is listed on page A8.

REDUCES RISK

Essex County Health Department Program Coordinator Andrea Whitmarsh said her agency was contacted Tuesday about the program and the plan to hold vaccination events in each region of the state.

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"ECHD continues to prioritize increased vaccination for all those requesting it. The department will work in collaboration with the program to deliver accurate and consistent messaging regarding vaccination of this age group and in support of the efforts to increase vaccination rates in eligible school-aged children.

"This program is still in the planning and implementation phases as we await updated guidance on vaccination authorizations for the 5 to 11 age group," she noted. Pfizer said this week that its vaccine works in that age group and that it plans to seek emergency authorization soon.

Clinton County Health Department Principal Public Health Educator Molly Flynn said CCHD hopes to have a site in the area, but that the list of locations had not yet been released.

She said eligible school-aged children are welcome to utilize CCHD's weekly Thursday morning clinics.

"Getting your school-aged children vaccinated helps protect them from developing the virus, reduces the risk of severe illness and death, and helps reduce the number of disruptions in learn due to school exposure," Flynn said.

"Students who are fully vaccinated and symptom-free are not required to quarantine when exposed to COVID-19."

Email Cara Chapman:

cchapman@pressrepublican.com

Twitter: @PPR_carachapman
The rugged Florida swamp where authorities are hunting Brian Laundrie might be the perfect place to hide  if it weren't for man-eating alligators, poisonous snakes, bloodthirsty mosquitoes, and unrelenting elements, locals said.

Authorities believe Laundrie, a person of interest in the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito is somewhere inside the 24,565-acre Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Florida, on the Gulf Coast near the couple's home in North Port.

"I can't imagine one night out there and I camp," Francine Smetts, who has lived in the area for 15 years and runs a farm near the reserve, told the New York Post.

The area boasts 80 miles of hiking and biking trails but is largely covered by thick foliage, mangroves, and marshy terrain that not only complicates the search for Laundrie but also could put his life in danger.

On Wednesday, a team of "highly trained underwater specialists" arrived at the reserve to "search for evidence of crimes and victims of drowning, water accidents, and foul play," the Sarasota Sheriff's Office wrote on its website.

FBI CONFIRMES MISSING REMAINS BELONG TO HIKER GABBY PETITO

Search teams fanout at Carlton Reserve park near North Port, Flaa Florida wilderness park to search for Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of Gabrielle Gabby Petito, on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. Petito, 22, was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents after they she did not respond to calls and texts for several days while the couple visited parks in the West. Her body was discovered Sunday at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. (North Port Police Department via AP) AP

Although Laundrie has been described as an experienced camper, Smetts noted the reserve is replete with alligators, poisonous snakes, and, perhaps worst of all, merciless mosquitoes.

"If you're in the sun, they won't bother you, but if you step into the shade, the mosquitoes will just start after you, and so I'm just surprised anybody would be out there hiding," she said, adding that she'd be "terrified" to traverse the terrain alone.

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Matthew Hall, a survivalist who works at Bill Jackson's Shop for Adventure, said depending on Laundrie's skill level, he might actually do OK.

"The Florida habitat makes it a little bit easier to hide depending on what kind of habitat you're hiding in," Hall told Fox13.

Most people are able to survive for several days out there if they have the bare essentials, such as food, water, and shelter, added Hall.

"Having a tarp or the ability to make a shelter with a rope, having a knife is really helpful. If they are in an area where there's adequate water sources and they can forage for food to supplement what they already have, someone can stay out there for a longer period of time," he said.

But Hall warned that the unforgiving sun, near-constant rain, and even the sharp vegetation can be dangerous.

"A lot of the wildlife and a lot of the plants ... kind of fight back," he said.

Hall estimated that a skilled hiker can travel 20-30 miles a day.

This police camera video provided by The Moab Police Department shows Brian Laundrie talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van he was traveling in with his girlfriend, Gabrielle Gabby Petito, near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12, 2021. The couple was pulled over while they were having an emotional fight. Petito was reported missing by her family a month later. (The Moab Police Department via AP) AP

Those estimates do not include having an army of authorities and volunteers on one's trail.

On Friday, Laundrie allegedly told his parents he was going for a hike and never returned.

Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing the Laundries, said the "family is definitely concerned, but we don't want to speculate as to anything more."

Those comments led to a rebuke from Petito's uncle Steve, who said, "We don't require nor want your empathy. ... By you trying to show compassion here at this moment is beyond disgusting."

AUTHORITIES SEARCH FOR BRIAN LAUNDRIE 500 MILES FROM HOME FOLLOWING FACEBOOK TIP

Police have been trying to piece together what happened with the young couple while on a cross-country road trip to national parks.

Laundrie returned from the trip to his family's home on Sept. 1 in Petito's white van, though she was not with him.

This combo of photos provided by FBI Denver via @FBIDenver shows missing person Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito. Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country trip in a converted camper van with her boyfriend. Authorities say a body discovered Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Wyoming, is believed to be Petito. (Courtesy of FBI Denver via AP) AP

Petito and Laundrie left for their monthslong trip on July 22 from New York and made stops in Colorado and Utah. Petito was last seen on Aug. 24, when she and Laundrie checked out of a hotel in Salt Lake City.

Her mother, Nicole Schmidt, said she last heard from her daughter on Aug. 25, when Petito told her they were headed to Wyoming.

Schmidt said her daughter seemed "excited" about their next adventure but that she began to worry when Petito stopped communicating.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Petito's parents, who live on Long Island, New York, reported her missing on Sept. 11 after not hearing from her for two weeks.

On Tuesday, the FBI confirmed that the remains of a person found in Wyoming over the weekend were Petito.

Teton County Coroner Brent Blues initial determination for the manner of death is homicide. The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results, the FBI added.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Crime, Missing Person, Florida, New York, Utah, Wyoming, National Parks, FBI

Original Author: Barnini Chakraborty

Original Location: Search for Brian Laundrie focuses on rugged Florida reserve locals call a death trap
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she would oppose an abortion rights bill. (Associated Press)

As Democrats consider legislation to respond to a new Texas state ban on abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, they have lost the support of one of the few remaining Republicans who support abortion rights.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Tuesday she opposes the Democrats bill, which would prohibit states from enacting restrictions on abortion through fetal viability.

The House is expected to approve the bill Friday. In the Senate, Democratic leaders are considering whether to bring it to a vote.

Democrats, led by bill author Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, say their legislation would codify the Supreme Courts Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

But in a brief interview, Collins said the bill goes further than that by interfering with existing law that ensures health professionals who object to abortion are not required to participate in it.

I support codifying Roe. Unfortunately the bill  goes way beyond that. It would severely weaken the conscious exceptions that are in the current law, Collins said, adding that she found parts of the bill's language "extreme."

Collins said the bill would weaken the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which protects a persons ability to exercise their religion. She cited the past support for the act by Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and President Biden when he was in the Senate.

This carve out would be unprecedented, and I do not believe it is necessary to codify Roe, she said in a follow-up statement.

Collins said she is talking with other senators on a potential bill that "truly would codify Roe."

The key provision of the Democrats' bill is a ban on states prohibiting or interfering with abortion through viability. It also attempts to respond to several state laws that abortion rights supporters say limit access to the procedure, such as prohibiting states from requiring physicians to conduct extraneous tests or hold credentials at a nearby hospital before providing an abortion.

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The Maine Republican's opposition to the Democrats bill is likely to further fuel liberals distrust of Collins, who is one of only two remaining Republicans in Congress who support abortion rights, along with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

There is lingering hostility from liberals over Collins' vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. He voted in favor of the Supreme Courts decision to allow the Texas law to take effect and is viewed as a likely vote to undermine Roe.

Collins defended her support for Kavanaugh. People ought to read what the decision actually said. It said theres serious constitutional and procedural issues which clearly the court is going to take up, Collins said. I think we need to wait and see what happens.

The Democrats' bill, if brought to the Senate floor, faces certain defeat. It would need 60 votes to overcome a GOP filibuster.

Democrats have 48 cosponsors in the Senate for the bill. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a member of the Democratic leadership, said she is counting every vote.

Though it remains unclear whether the legislation would even achieve a simple majority of 50, some abortion rights supporters, including Blumenthal, are pushing for a vote to force senators to go on the record on abortion rights.

Two Democrats  Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia  have not signed on. Casey called the Texas law obviously objectionable for a lot of reasons, but said he hasnt yet taken a position on the Blumenthal bill. Ive just begun to look at it, he said.

Manchin strongly opposes abortion, and abortion rights advocates do not consider him a likely supporter of the bill. His office did not reply to a request for comment on his position.

Democrats are also hoping to pick up support from Murkowski. She said shes looking at the bill and indicated she has yet to take a position.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Susan Collins. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of "the few remaining Republicans who support abortion rights," said Tuesday she opposes Democrats' Women's Health Protection Act, "which would prohibit states from enacting restrictions on abortion through fetal viability," the Los Angeles Times reports. Collins' opposition likely means the bill won't garner 50 Senate votes, reports Forbes.

The legislation is intended to codify Roe v. Wade in the wake of Texas' incredibly-restrictive abortion law, which criminalizes abortion after six weeks and financially incentivizes private citizens to sue anyone who aids and abets in the abortion-seeking process.

Collins said she supports codifying Roe, but opposes the bill because it would weaken the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, "which protects a person's ability to exercise their religion," writes the Times. She also said she found parts of the bill's language "extreme."

"This 'carve out' would be unprecedented, and I do not believe it is necessary to codify Roe," Collins said.

Meanwhile, women's health clinics in neighboring states are reporting an influx of out-of-state patients from Texas as a result of the law, writes The Wall Street Journal.

The House is expected to approve the bill Friday; Democratic leaders in the Senate "are considering whether to bring it to a vote." The Biden administration has also urged Congress to pass the legislation, per Forbes. Read more at the Los Angeles Times.

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On July 4, as most of America celebrated Independence Day, one Miami-Dade firefighter risked his life in a last-ditch, unit-by-unit search for pets through the explosive-laden, still-standing remnant of the Champlain South Towers complex in Surfside, Fla.

It had been 10 days since the condominium collapse that killed 98 people and sent others fleeing for their lives  some without their beloved pets.

In all, six cats, two dogs, two parakeets and two guinea pigs were reportedly left inside the building, the remainder of which would later be brought down. Officials for more than a week said it was not possible to look for pets because it was too dangerous for first responders to enter the unstable structure.

Then, just hours before the demolition, one firefighter volunteered to conduct a final search for pets, officials said, even signing a waiver acknowledging the life-threatening risks.

The following day, officials touted the mans heroic  but ultimately fruitless  efforts, saying he searched the entire building, checking every unit including under beds and in closets.

And then, almost immediately, those same officials tried to bury the story.

Reporters at the USA TODAY Network for weeks tried to arrange an interview with the firefighter and collect details of the attempted rescue, only to be turned away or told a series of conflicting anecdotes.

Some pet owners said officials refused to answer their questions about pet rescue efforts or correspond with them about their concern for their pets.

Pet advocates took to social media to demand answers and criticize Miami-Dade County Mayor Levine Cavas handling of the situation, even starting a Change.org petition for her recall.

Some have come to doubt there was any rescue attempt at all.

I do not believe a word that was said about the pets, said Susana Alvarez, who lived in Unit 1006 with her 4-year-old rescue cat, Mia. Not one.

Alvarez said she instinctively fled the crumbling building without Mia  something she says causes her immense grief and guilt to this day. She said officials told the public they were looking for pets but never once contacted her directly.

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If the drones went in there like they claim, let's see the video, she said. I want to see the video of the drone going into my apartment looking for my cat.

More: At least 9 victims of 98 dead may have initially survived Surfside condo collapse, but were not found by rescue teams, investigation shows

More: A tragedy that 'will live with us forever.' But Surfside will find a way to get there from here

More: Surfside condo collapse: Once together in mourning, Surfside now fuming; aims to sue county

There were no drone reports included in the pet search records provided by Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue to the USA TODAY Network. Records from an unrelated public records request showed a drone flight into the building on June 27, three days after the collapse, with the stated reason: reconnaissance of each accessible apartment.

Alvarez said she met two compassionate police officers who offered to go into the building in search of Mia, but officials would not allow it because the remaining structure, which was propped up by fallen debris, could fall at any moment, putting the officers lives at risk.

Alvarez gets that, she said. Human lives take priority in rescue efforts, and, while she is hurting, she is sensitive to the devastation suffered by those who lost family members and friends.

Still, she said, officials showed zero concern for the animals until she and others took their grievances to social media and the press.

They were saying so many different things, and they were contradicting each other, Alvarez said of what she perceived as officials attempts around the time of the demolition to placate pet families and the public by acting as if they had been searching for animals the entire time.

They did it all so quickly, Alvarez said of the demolition. They could have waited. They could have talked to us about it.

Mia, a 4-year-old rescue cat who lived with Susana Alvarez in Unit 1006 in Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla.

All we got was lip service

For more than two months, the USA TODAY Network asked Miami-Dade County officials for the identity of the firefighter who conducted the July 4 search or for any further details of that effort.

Officials first told a reporter the man was too shy to talk. Then, they said they didnt know his identity. Later, Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue spokesperson Erica Benitez suggested checking with other agencies from across the country that might have been onsite.

Reporters filed public records requests for the waiver the rescuer signed, any reports he filed, or any documents containing mention of the mission.

Officials on Sept. 9 said no such records existed and closed the request.

Despite official statements, an in-depth review of more than a thousand pages of documents, photographs and drone logs, obtained via public records requests, reflected no pet rescue efforts after the date of the initial collapse.

Unless the rescuer was injured, a report would not likely have been filed, Benitez said.

Its not that strange; its not abnormal, she said. Its difficult to understand it, but our department, every department, it's not necessarily something that would be extensively documented or documented past an operational briefing.

Days after that statement and more than a week after Miami-Dade Fire Rescue had closed the public records request, the USA TODAY Network received an email containing several documents the department said it inadvertently forgot to include.

More: 'Treat her gently': How an Israeli military search team helped recover Surfside victims

More: VIDEO: Remaining Surfside condo tower demolished

One document was an email dated on July 4 by the firefighter and sent to four fire-rescue personnel, including Benitez.

According to that email, the media-shy hero was Andy Alvarez, who, just days before the pet rescue mission, appeared numerous times live on national television  including on CNN, Good Morning America, and NBCs Today show  talking about rescue efforts in Surfside.

In the email, Alvarez referenced other pet rescue attempts as well. It said he had placed and retrieved empty pet traps the day of the demolition and had searched the entire structure for pets the day before that.

The owner of the demolition company hired to implode the building told the USA TODAY Network he remembered a firefighter going in to search for pets, but did not know the mans name.

Reached by phone on Friday, Alvarez, assistant fire chief of the Marine Services Bureau in Medley, Fla., agreed to talk to the USA TODAY Network about his part in the search for pets.

But before that could happen, the USA TODAY Network received a text from Benitez, saying Alvarez did not want to talk and that his request should be respected.

The USA TODAY Network called Alvarez back at the scheduled interview time, at which time Alvarez said he would talk about his experience provided Benitez approved.

Once she gives me the green thumb, I can talk, he said. Especially with Champlain and how sensitive everything is there, it's very tricky.

During that call, Alvarez confirmed that he had not signed any documents nor filed any official paperwork regarding the pet rescue effort. A short time later, the USA TODAY Network emailed him a copy of the email fire-rescue had provided the prior evening and asked him if he wrote it.

Without confirming or denying that emails authenticity, Alvarez about 45 minutes later replied to the USA TODAY Network in an email copied to Benitez, saying he would not talk unless forced by law and requesting not to be contacted again.

On a conference call later that day, which included Rachel Johnson, the communications director for Mayor Levine Cava, Benitez held that Alvarez did not want to speak and just did not want to say so.

Benitez said the department had wanted the mans name redacted from the email sent to the USA TODAY Network the prior night, but that request had been denied. She said officials have been transparent with information and public records requests.

Ana Campos, a private investigator who collaborated with three of the Champlain families to help rescue their pets, said officials have been anything but transparent.

We would watch the press conferences on TV that said there were no animals, then they hadnt checked, then they did check, then they couldn't access the building, then it was only the first floor, Campos said. All we got was lip service and the same old stale statement, which was contradictory every time.

Available to be rescued

Champlain Towers South was a no pets building, which meant any pets were supposed to have been registered as service animals to provide care or comfort to their human parents.

One fourth-floor resident, who asked not to be identified by name, escaped with her 89-year-old mother and her dog, Rigatoni, but was unable to grab her cat, Coco, who ran and hid from the noise and melee.

Rescuers on cherry pickers at the woman's balcony yelled at her to hurry up, she said, instructing her to leave her sliding door open. The woman said she put out extra food and water, believing rescuers would later return for Coco.

But Coco was never rescued, despite reports that the cat had been spotted on her balcony the day before the demolition.

She did not starve, and she did not get dehydrated, the resident said. That cat was available to be rescued. It wasnt done timely. To me, that cat could have possibly died when it was imploded. And that hurts.

Coco, who lived on the 4th floor of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla., was reportedly seen on her balcony the day before the remaining structure was demolished on July 4, 2021.

The woman, who said she remained quiet about her cat out of respect for her friends and neighbors who lost their lives in the collapse, said that as time passed, she began to ask officials what could be done to save Coco. But she was shut down, she said.

They should have called each one of us and asked if there was something they missed that they could viably do, she said. They had plenty of resources. Enough resources to go around.

Campos, the private investigator, agreed.

No one was asking for firefighters to risk their lives, she said of what she said was officials' refusal to consider safe, alternative rescue methods such as drones. They were irrelevant. The animals' lives did not matter.

By the time Levine Cava on July 3 announced plans to implode the structure the following day, public outcry over the pets had reached fever pitch. The situation had so escalated that some people on social media were calling out officials as parties to murder.

A Change.org petition to stop the demolition until the building could be searched for pets garnered more than 18,000 signatures in a mere 48 hours before the demolition. One of several Facebook groups dedicated to the cause grew to 3,200 followers in those same two days.

A legal effort was also underway to delay the implosion or allow citizen volunteers to conduct a final search for pets. Miami attorney Paula J. Phillips said she filed a Hail Mary motion hours before the scheduled demolition, but a judge dismissed the action.

They said the building was fully loaded with explosives, and they were ready to detonate, and delaying it would have put the demolition crew at risk, she said.

Alvarez, who owned Mia the cat, said officials would not speak up for the pets out of fear it would appear they cared more about animals than people. But some did express sympathy to her in private, she said.

I even had someone call me from Tallahassee, a government official who didnt want to get involved, but told me if I wanted to hold a press conference, she would help me, Alvarez said.

But there was no time, Alvarez said. The implosion, which officials initially said would take weeks to prepare for, ended up happening in days.

I broke down in tears, she said of the demolition. In the mountains of dust, there were people and my cat. It's just sad.

I do remember that guy

By 8 a.m. on July 4  the day of the demolition  experts were on site strategically placing explosives throughout the ground floor and basement of the building, said Mark Loizeaux, president of Controlled Demolition Inc., the company hired to handle the implosion. By 4:30 p.m., he said, the bombs were in place.

No one was allowed within about 100 yards  or 1.5 times the building height  from the structure, he said. Officials had already announced that, for the safety of first responders, search and rescue efforts for humans had been halted at 4 p.m. the prior day.

Once explosives arrive on site, all the rules change, and everything happening is in consideration of the presence of those explosives, said Loizeaux. There are different safety rules in place from OSHA.

Loizeaux said security was tight and there was no way anyone unauthorized could have entered the building.

Even when we went up it was an ordeal, he said. It was a proverbial gauntlet to get on site.

But at least one person did go up into the explosive-laden building, he recalled.

I do remember that guy, he said. There was a firefighter, nice guy, agonizing over this. He was under tremendous pressure.

The firefighter, whose name Loizeaux did not recall, had approached him asking if he could have permission to enter the building to search for pets.

He was directed to get permission from me to do one more sweep, Loizeaux said. He was directed, he said he was directed. I dont know by whom.

Loizeaux agreed to let the man up, provided he checked out with Loizeaux in person when he left, which Loizeaux said the man did.

But those rescue efforts were not formally documented. The Daily Incident Action Plans, filed by officials during the two days Alvarezs email said he searched the building for pets and set live animal traps, did not reference his or any other pet rescue efforts.

Each action plan detailed more than 30 pages of objectives and rules for first responders. But the only reference to pets was that dead animals were to be bagged, identified with the type of animal and recovery location and turned over to the Miami-Dade police homicide division. Then, according to the plans, police were to turn over the remains to animal control for processing.

Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department did not respond to a public records request for information on rescue efforts or any animals recovered dead or alive.

Public records did not show fire-rescue maintained a list of residents with pets or unit numbers where pets might have lived, what types of pets were missing or the location of those that were reportedly in cages.

Alvarezs July 4 email only referenced cats and said he found none dead or alive. Public records from fire-rescue included no reports of any animals recovered by first responders dead or alive at any time since the collapse.

On camera, trying to take credit

Taylor Scheinhaus, who lived in Unit 904, was out when her condo split in half, killing her father and sending her mother and sister plummeting onto the rubble pile where they sustained serious, but survivable, injuries.

Scheinhaus said officials told her that her bulldog, Daisy, had been found near her father. But the familys two cats, Binx and Hippo, were still missing, she said.

When we found out about my father, my mom said, Let's see what we can do about the animals, Scheinhaus said.

The USA TODAY Network previously reported that a rescuer from the Israel Defense Forces said he saw a first responder uncover a big grey dog and attempt to throw it away. That dog matched the description of Daisy.

Scheinhaus and her friends took to social media to seek help locating the cats, she said. Hippo, who was old, was never found.

Binx, however, was reunited with the family four days after the demolition. A volunteer from a local animal rescue group had discovered him  a detail obfuscated by officials, Campos said.

They chose to not look like they were investing resources and time on a cat, yet they were the first ones on camera trying to take credit when Binx was found, Campos said of officials. When you see the reunion video, the room was filled with firefighters and police officers taking credit.

Unlimited resources

No one who raised concerns about animals for this article said they wanted first responders to risk their lives to save pets. They wanted officials to utilize rescue efforts that did not require anyone to enter the unstable structure.

One way to accomplish that was with special drones capable of placing and retrieving live pet traps, said Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, who got involved with pet rescue efforts after being contacted by a constituent.

Russell said he attempted to share the drone idea on June 26 with Chief Joseph F. Zahralban of the City of Miami Department of Fire-Rescue, but was not able to reach not reach Zahralban until June 28.

I was told the FAA had basically declared a no fly zone for any aircraft, he said. That shut that down.

Zahralban, however, took the pet families concerns seriously, Russell said, and arranged for a firefighter later that day to go up to the fourth floor in a bucket on a crane to the balcony where Coco the cat lived.

Water and bags of cat food left by a City of Miami firefighter for Coco the cat, who lived on the 4th floor of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla.

In a compassionate act of bravery, the firefighter called for the cat by name and left a bowl of water and little bags of food on the balcony near the slightly opened sliding glass door, Russell said.

After we did this feeding, the building shifted, he said of the dangerous instability of the remaining structure. They werent sending any more people in; they werent sending bucket trucks to the windows any more. That ended the hope of further recovery.

Russell, an animal lover whose wife is a veterinarian, was devastated.

It was disheartening, because they kept saying the same line: They swept the building twice and there was no sign of animals, he said. But it's not just about those animals' lives; it's about what they could do to comfort their owners who did survive.

Phillips, the attorney who filed the last-minute motion to delay the demolition, said she hopes the countys utter lack of structure for how to treat families or deal with animal victims leads to future changes in policies and procedures.

There should be a hierarchy of officials who are designated to interface with the people who run these efforts for the command site, and that simply does not exist, she said. That is a solvable problem. Something needs to change, and I hope it will after this disaster.

For Susana Alvarez, the whole thing is maddening. While she lost her home and all of her possessions, including her mothers wedding ring, she said, there is nothing worth shedding a tear over except her beloved Mia.

And even if officials did attempt a rescue on July 4, which she said she does not believe happened, it might have been too late anyways.

Eleven days after the collapse, she said, animals with no food, no water and no air conditioning in the sweltering heat and smoke from continual fires, had probably already perished.

I remember that Saturday, I went by the building, and I just broke down in tears because the building was covered in smoke, she said of the second day after the collapse. I'm assuming that thats when she died, with the smoke.

@WendyRhodesFL

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Surfside collapse: Pet owners angry with officials over rescue efforts
The Taliban's Foreign Minster Amir Khan Muttaqi made the request in a letter to the UN on Monday

The Taliban have asked to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York City.

A UN committee will rule on the request but it is unlikely to happen during the current session of the body.

The Taliban also nominated their Doha-based spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, as Afghanistan's UN ambassador.

The group, which seized control of Afghanistan last month, said the envoy for the ousted government no longer represented the country.

The request to participate in the high-level debate is being considered by a credentials committee, whose nine members include the US, China and Russia, according to a UN spokesperson.

But they are unlikely to meet before the end of the General Assembly session next Monday. Until then, under UN rules, Ghulam Isaczai will remain Afghanistan's ambassador to the global body.

He is expected to make a speech on the final day. However the Taliban said his mission "no longer represents Afghanistan".

No government has formally recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan's new government and for the UN to agree to its nominee for ambassador would be an important step towards international acceptance.

The Taliban also said that several countries no longer recognised former President Ashraf Ghani as leader.

Mr Ghani abruptly left Afghanistan as Taliban militants advanced on the capital, Kabul, on 15 August. He has since taken refuge in the United Arab Emirates.

In Afghanistan itself, the last minister from the deposed government, Wahid Majrooh, has left office as public health minister after hearing that he had been replaced.

.@ashrafghani's last minister is replaced by the Taliban. @WahidMajrooh tells me "It's the last day of my work. I'm happy I was privileged with an opportunity to say goodbye to my staff & meet the moment of smooth transition which I was waiting for, for the last 30 days" pic.twitter.com/Ar18MfvW6C  Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) September 22, 2021

When the Taliban last controlled Afghanistan, between 1996 and 2001, the ambassador of the government they overthrew stayed on as a UN representative, after the credentials committee deferred its decision on competing claims for the position.

Story continues

At the UN meeting on Tuesday, Qatar urged world leaders to stay engaged with the Taliban.

"Boycotting them would only lead to polarisation and reactions, whereas dialogue could be fruitful," said Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar has become a key broker in Afghanistan. It hosted talks between the Taliban and US which culminated in a 2020 agreement to withdraw US-led Nato forces.

The country has helped Afghans and foreign nationals to evacuate the country since the Taliban takeover, and has facilitated recent intra-Afghan peace talks.
The landscape for ending pregnancy in Florida could change dramatically as the abortion battle intensifies.

Abortion rights advocates are mobilizing supporters to fight legislation anticipated from the Republican-controlled state Legislature to adopt an abortion ban similar to Texas's new law. The state Legislative session starts Jan. 11.

Right now in Florida, the access is reasonable, said Stephanie Fraim, chief executive officer and president of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Florida and Central Florida. But she said, There is no doubt the Florida Legislature and (Gov. Ron) DeSantis will make a hard run for a Texas-style law.

DeSantis has not indicated if legislation similar to Texas's will be on the table, spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said in an email.

"I'm pro life. I welcome pro-life legislation," DeSantis said at a news conference in West Palm Beach. "What they did in Texas was interesting, but I haven't really been able to look at enough about it."

Abortion and politics: Texas abortion law could hurt Republicans in 2022 midterm elections, experts say

Reaction: Democrats hit back after Florida GOP leaders promise Texas-style abortion restrictions

GOP legislative leaders 'already working' on Texas-style abortion restrictions in Florida

Fort Myers resident, Brian Walker protests abortion outside of Planned Parenthood in Fort Myers on Thursday, October 15, 2020. He condemned the incident involving the molotov cocktail being thrown at the building over last weekend. He said "That's not what we are all about, it's wrong, we are all about love."

Florida abortions declined steadily from 2010 to 2017, but have since been climbing. Medically induced abortions are also on the rise. Floridas abortion rate per population was second in the nation in 2018, the last year for which federal data were available.

The Texas law that took effect Sept. 1 prohibits abortions after a heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks, and does not make exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.

Florida Republicans could also pursue something akin to a Mississippi law that would outlaw most abortions after 15 weeks, Fraim said.

The U.S. Supreme Court in May agreed to hear the Mississippi case this term, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, where a conservative majority on the court could undermine or overrule the landmark Roe v. Wade that gave women the constitutional right to abortion in 1973.

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Florida's Legislature could copy the Texas law or wait until next June when the Supreme Court is likely to rule on the Mississippi case, said Laurie Sobel, associate director of women's health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

"I expect any state that has a Legislature and a governor that would like to restrict abortion as much as possible will look at Texas as a model or Mississippi," she said.

That is likely yet Florida lawmakers will have to contend with Republican voters in the state who tend to be more moderate and who support the right to abortion, said Mary Ziegler, a professor at Florida State University College of Law and the author of Abortion and the Law in America: A Legal History, Roe v. Wade to the Present.

She pointed to a Pew Research Center study showing 56% of Floridians in 2014 said abortion should be legal.

A second issue is that the state Constitution's right to privacy is broad and protects the right to abortion, she said.

"The question will be how much does that matter," Ziegler said. "I definitely think there will be a bill. I just don't know what it will look like."

Lys Valcin, right, and Jianna D'Addario, both with Planned Parenthood Generation Action, demonstrate with others against a possible ban on abortions in Florida, near the Planned Parenthood clinic off NW 13th Street in Gainesville, Fla. Sept. 9, 2021. The Florida legislation is considering creating a ban on abortions similar to the one that recently went in effect in Texas.

Protections for the unborn

A Texas-style law is certain to prove contentious in Florida.

Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, quickly voiced support for the Texas law and said he'd push for a similar Florida measure.

But the woman set to succeed Simpson next year as leader of the state Senate, Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said she opposes at least the citizen enforcement portion of the law, which allows people to sue anyone who performs an abortion or "aids and abets" a procedure.

Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said the state Legislature has worked every session to strengthen protections for unborn babies, including efforts this past year to protect unborn children with disabilities.

"In Florida, we agree that killing an innocent human being with a beating heart is wrong," Sprowls said in a statement, adding that he is confident those "who share this moral view" in the Florida House will continue the fight.

Florida Right to Life President Lynda Bell said her organization will support any state legislation that saves the lives of unborn children.

Im not 100% sure what they will do, she said. I am open to this new heartbeat bill. Civil remedies are a wonderful avenue to save lives.

The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas to block enforcement of the abortion ban earlier this month.

There's no doubt to John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, a leading pro-life organization, that the current leadership in both houses of the state Legislature would like to see robust protection of the unborn passed. But how that will unfold is uncertain.

"It is unclear at this point what type of bill Florida will pass," he said in an email.

What's next?: Biden administration is suing Texas over its abortion ban. Will the Supreme Court take it up?

People protesting abortion offer literature to an exiting vehicle at Planned Parenthood in Fort Myers on Thursday, October 15, 2020.

Abortion law now in Florida

Florida's abortion law bans the procedure after 24 weeks except in cases of life or health endangerment, and there are requirements for an ultrasound and counseling, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research organization on sexual and reproductive health.

Health plans offered in the state under the Affordable Care Act can only cover abortion in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest, unless individuals buy coverage at an additional cost, according to Guttmacher.

State law requires abortion providers to have a patient transfer agreement with hospitals, according to the state statute on abortion.

Republican lawmakers in Florida have been chipping away at access to abortion for years, state Sen. Lori Berman, D-Lantana, said during a Sept. 9 virtual press briefing with other Democratic lawmakers.

In 2015, state lawmakers established a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can have an abortion. The waiting period is not in effect due to an injunction and ongoing legal challenge; a non-jury trial is scheduled for April in Leon County Circuit Court.

DeSantis in 2020 signed into law a parental consent requirement before a minor can obtain an abortion.

Abortion rights advocates will galvanize a generation of women in the state who have grown up with the right to an abortion under Roe, Berman said.

This generation of women will rise up if you take away access to abortion, she said.

The Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates held rallies earlier this month in Gainesville, Spring Hill and Doral to oppose a Texas-style abortion ban in Florida and more are coming, Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Planned Parenthood affiliates, said.

Kai Christmas, center, the regional organizer for the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, holds up a sign during a demonstration with others against a possible ban on abortions in Florida, near the Planned Parenthood clinic off NW 13th Street in Gainesville, Fla. Sept. 9, 2021. The Florida legislation is considering creating a ban on abortions similar to the one that recently went in effect in Texas.

Abortion numbers in Florida

The number of abortions in Florida declined steadily from 2010's 79,908 abortions to 2017 when there were 69,102 procedures, a 13.5% decrease over seven years, state data show. The number rose in 2018 to 70,239 abortions, then to 71,914 procedures in 2019 and rose again to 74,868 in 2020.

So far this year, 49,358 abortions have been performed as of Sept. 2 in Florida with another 3,014 for non-Florida residents, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration. That's down slightly compared to the same period last year, when 51,304 abortions were performed in Florida counties and another 2,764 procedures were done for non-Florida residents.

The data show 12 rural counties where fewer than 20 abortions may have been performed and are not displayed for patient confidentiality, according to the state agency. In those counties, the abortion numbers were added to the statewide total.

The counties are Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Holmes, Lafayette, Liberty, Union and Washington.

Under Florida statute, abortion providers are required to report their data monthly to the Florida agency.

It's possible some abortion providers are not reporting all of their numbers to the state, said Bell or Florida Right to Life. Still, she said the numbers are probably fairly accurate.

"But numbers are only as good as the clinics that report them," Bell said.

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops estimated, based on state data, that 72,232 abortions were performed statewide in 2020.

Some private physicians may not always report their numbers because abortion is an office procedure, just like they may not report procedures to remove tissue after miscarriage, Planned Parenthood's Fraim said.

States are not required to submit their abortion data to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention although most states do including Florida, according to the CDC. Besides the 50 states, the CDC asks for data from the District of Columbia and New York City.

According to the CDC's annual report for 2018, its most recent available, there were 614,820 abortions in 47 states, the District of Columbia and New York City which have consistently submitted their abortion data annually since 2009.

California, Maryland and New Hampshire have not submitted their data, according to the federal agency.

The abortion rate nationally in 2018 was 11.3 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44.

In Florida in 2018 when 70,239 abortions were performed, the rate was 18.1 per 1,000 women in that age group, according to the CDC.

Florida was second behind New York, which led the nation in 2018 with the most abortions, at 77,447; Texas was third at 55,140, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

From a broader perspective, the number of abortions nationwide decreased 22% from 2009 to 2018, according to the CDC. In 2009, the abortion rate was 14.9 per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, the data show.

USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau reporter John Kennedy and Gainesville Sun reporter Danielle Ivanov contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Florida abortion law: Democrats vow to defend against Texas-style ban
By the end of the year Texas may have even more restrictions on the ability to get an abortion after its Republican governor, Greg Abbott, quietly signed into law new restrictions banning the mail-order provision of abortion medication seven weeks into pregnancy.

The law prevents providers from prescribing abortion-inducing drugs more than seven weeks into pregnancy, instead of 10 weeks, the current limit. It takes effect on 2 December.

Abbott signed the law with no meaningful fanfare on Friday and news about the event only broke later, triggering outrage from reproductive rights advocates who warned the move was another devastating blow to pregnant people in the state.

Related: Texas anti-abortion law shows terrifying fragility of womens rights, say activists

Anti-choice politicians in Texas are launching their attacks on abortion access from every angle imaginable, said Adrienne Kimmell, Naral Pro-Choice America acting president, in a statement.

Even before the legislation, known as Senate Bill 4 (SB4), was signed, Texas had some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country amid requirements for a 24-hour waiting period, ultrasound imaging, admitting privileges for doctors, parental consent for minors.

Another controversial bill, Senate Bill 8 (SB8), was passed by the Texas legislature in May that sought to stop abortions in the state beyond six weeks, often before many people know they are pregnant. That law effectively rendered abortion in the state almost impossible and triggered widespread condemnation when the supreme court refused an emergency request to block the law.

The most recent one, in terms of mail-order prescriptions, simply adds one more barrier, said Mark Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University.

The sweep of anti-abortion measures will probably prove popular among Abbotts Republican base, but may not gain wider approval within Texas. About a third of Texans want to see abortion ended entirely, except when pregnancy threatens the life of the pregnant person. But about half of Texans want abortion to remain legal, Jones said.

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Will Metcalf, a Texas state representative, tweeted last month that the bill sought a crackdown on unsafe mail order abortions and to increase reporting requirements for medical complications. The Texas legislature approved SB4 in a special session ending 2 September.

Those who intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly violate the law by providing medication through the mail will now face criminal penalties  as much as $10,000 in fines and two years in prison  including providers from out of state, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Although the law also applies to international organizations providing abortion medication through the mail, such a state-level law could prove difficult to enforce.

Soon after SB8 went into effect, there were indications that self-managed abortions were rising, with a sharp increase in traffic to sites providing abortion drugs in the mail.

The supreme court did not block SB8 from going into effect in Texas, but said in its decision the challengers raised serious questions about the constitutionality of the law. A physician who challenged the law, Alan Braid, is now being sued for providing an abortion after six weeks in Texas.

Now you actually do have somebody whose rights are being violated, who is being sued for doing something that the supreme court has said is constitutional and legal, Jones said. It may prove whether extreme laws such as SB8 and SB4 will stand in higher courts, he said.

In the meantime, womens rights and health organizations are working to provide better access to contraception in the wake of Texass severe restrictions.

People in Texas and other states deserve access to the full range of reproductive options, which includes abortion, Angela Maske, who works with the #FreeThePill Youth Council. As were seeing these increasing attacks on abortion access, its really more important than ever that we improve access to birth control.
How Black students helped integrate Rock Hill, South Carolina

USA TODAYs Seven Days of 1961 explores how sustained acts of resistance can bring about sweeping change. Throughout 1961, activists risked their lives to fight for voting rights and the integration of schools, businesses, public transit and libraries. Decades later, their work continues to shape debates over voting access, police brutality and equal rights for all.

ROCK HILL, S.C.  Mack Workmans hands went numb. He held his breath. Fear gripped his chest.

In front of him stood a dozen police officers.

Workman, then 18, hadnt told his parents what he was doing that day. That he and his friends had plans to break the law at one of the most popular restaurants in Rock Hill, South Carolina. That they would sit at the department store lunch counter reserved for white people and would not have their humanity refused.

I was afraid, Workman said. I had never done anything like this before.

The police chief approached the group of Black young men and women standing in the street.

Dont cause any trouble today, he told them.

Workman and the other young people kept walking, eyes fixed on their destination: McCrorys Five & Dime.

Mack C. Workman

More officers arrived outside the restaurant, along with a mob of white locals who threatened to beat the protesters. One activist was spat on, but the group comprised mostly of Friendship Junior College students made their way in. Each took a seat on a stool, placed their orders and waited to be served, all according to their plan.

We cant serve you here, the manager told them.

The police officers pounced, grabbing the students from the stools before putting them under arrest.

The next day, the group of 10 men stood in front of Judge Billy Hayes to enter their plea on trespassing charges. They all wanted to plead not guilty, but before they could finish, Hayes pronounced them guilty.

One student afraid of losing his scholarship paid the $100 bail, but the other nine refused. They would accept 30 days of hard labor on a chain gang at York County Prison Farm. Confusion spread through the courtroom.

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In the earliest days of the civil rights movement, anti-segregation activists worked diligently to raise enough cash to bail out their foot soldiers on the front lines. But the students, who came to be known as the Friendship Nine, set a precedent with their Jan. 31, 1961, protest at McCrory's Five & Dime and subsequent arrest.

Why should they owe bail for demanding their civil liberties? Why should the government profit from the bail money of the oppressed? If someone had to pay, it would be the government, forced to house and feed them.

The strategy fueled a new approach in the civil rights era: The jail-no-bail movement cost no money and helped create a narrative for the media to highlight how much Black people were willing to sacrifice for equal rights.

The Rock Hill tactic was copied by students across the South attending historically Black colleges and universities. It was used in May 1961, when roughly 300 Freedom Riders chose jail-no-bail in Jackson, Mississippi, for breaching the peace while demanding integration at bus stations. It was used again in December, when more than 500 protesters chose jail-no-bail in Albany, Georgia, for trespassing while using white only facilities at bus stations, joining mass demonstrations and staging sit-ins aimed to desegregate travel facilities.

The protesters in Rock Hill were students of history, and they were mindful that they played a critical role in a larger and deeper struggle that transformed the nation, said Bobby Donaldson, an associate professor of history at the University of South Carolina and the director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research. The activists knew and trusted one another, had confidence in their training  and their cause  and had the courage to try new tactics.

In 1961, downtown Rock Hill was a one-stop, all-you-need place filled with department stores, drugstores, restaurants and dry cleaners. Black customers were barely tolerated, and they certainly were not allowed to sit, order a sandwich and eat their lunch alongside the communitys white citizens.

Young Black people were angry that they could purchase goods from certain stores, even order food at the end of the counter, but they were not allowed to be served or eat at the counter.

If they could desegregate McCrorys, they reasoned, surely the other stores in Rock Hill would follow.

I am going to jail

The group of students met in secret every day after school to train.

They pretended they were picketing. They acted out a sit-in.

Thomas Gaither, a secretary with the Congress of Racial Equality, a civil rights organization that used nonviolent and direct-action tactics to push for equal rights for African Americans, had carefully selected each student to help desegregate downtown Rock Hill.

No matter what happens, we have to commit to being nonviolent, Gaither told them.

Rock Hill is the largest city in York County and roughly a 30-minute drive from Charlotte, North Carolina. For months, more than 100 students worked together to protest segregation at local eateries. The Woolworths lunch counter in Rock Hill shut down to avoid further clashes.

As the spring semester approached, the Rev. Dr. William Diggs and the Rev. Ivory Cecil, members of the NAACP, encouraged the students to wait to do another sit-in at McCrorys until after they registered for classes in case they were incarcerated.

About 40 volunteers agreed to the sit-in. The date marked one year after an impromptu demonstration at a Woolworths in Greensboro, North Carolina, inspired copycat student-led protests across the South.

But when the morning came, only a few students showed up.

There were nine men: Workman, Robert McCullough, John Gaines, Thomas Gaither, Clarence Graham, Willie McCleod, James Wells, David Williamson Jr., Charles Taylor.

A group of female students came along to show their support: Phyllis Tompson Hyatt, Peggy Archie Long, Olivette McClurkin, Essie Porter Ramseur, Lucille Wallace Reese, Patricia Hinton Sims and Elsie White Spring. The City Girls, as they were known, were a group of African American women at Friendship Junior College who worked to help desegregate the city.

As they were getting ready to leave, W.T. Dub Massey stumbled in. What are you doing here? the other students asked.

I am going to jail, he said.

Lunch counter closed

It was morning. They walked in silence toward downtown, only the light chirping of birds and the occasional thrum of a cars engine accompanying their march. The women waved signs: You want our money, but you wont let us sit at your lunch counter and We demand complete service or no service.

I dont think weve ever been that quiet in all the days weve been demonstrating, said McClurkin, who prayed to herself as they walked. I think we were all trying to figure out how this day was going to end.

The students established two picket lines and marched outside McCrorys. White people passed by, calling them derogatory names.

A piece of cardboard hit Williamson. When he turned and looked, he saw a white child. This was the first time he had ever experienced violence. He stared at the child until one of his classmates tapped his shoulder, snapping him out of his anger, and told him to keep moving.

After roughly 15 minutes of picketing, the 10 men entered the store. The City Girls waited outside, hugging one another and praying for their friends.

McCrorys Five & Dime had a long lunch counter with leather stools. Many signs hung on the walls: Coca-Cola advertisements and country steak and baked roast beef prices. The restaurant was filled with the sounds of conversations and crashing dishes, Workman said.

The protesters never got to eat alongside the white diners.

The police were so hyper and excited, Gaither said. We were dragged and taken to the back lot of the city jail.

The city jail was behind McCrory's Five & Dime. The men were taken inside, fingerprinted, searched and charged for trespassing.

Two days later, McCrorys Five & Dime posted a sign on their door: Lunch counter closed.

Hard beds, segregated cells

The York County Prison Farm consisted of three small holding cells with iron-barred doors. The prison was segregated, white prisoners on one side and Black prisoners on the other.

As the activists walked with the guards, other prisoners stared them down. The men were put into a cell, the door was closed and locked. For years, the men would hear the sound of the door banging closed.

The prison served them cold barbecue chicken and black coffee. The men talked through the bars and sang freedom and spiritual songs: We Shall Overcome, Freedom, and Chain Gang.

As darkness fell, the cold, hard bed with no mattress bruised their bodies. The yelling and banging on the walls made it hard for them to sleep.

We served jail time with hard criminals, prisoners who have committed murder and have done all kinds of things, Gaither said.

Days passed, and they had no idea what was happening outside their cell walls. Communication with the outside world was limited to visits from their lawyers and phone calls.

Gaither used one of his phone calls to contact the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The student-based organization known as SNCC aimed to organize nonviolent and direct-action attacks on segregation and other forms of injustice. It would become one of the top organization of organizers of the civil rights movements, but in 1961, Rock Hill was one of its first major battles, said Donaldson of the University of Southern Carolina.

The next day, SNCC sent a team of leaders to Rock Hill to stage a jail-no-bail sit-in. All four leaders were arrested for trespassing and refused to pay bail. Charles Sherrod and Charles Jones were sent to York County Prison Farm. Diane Nash and Ruby Doris Smith were sentenced to the county jail because the prison did not have a womens section.

In this March 5, 2009, file photo, the Rev. W. T. "Dub" Massey, right, and Willie McLeod, left, pose at the counter where they were among the "Friendship Nine" who were jailed during 1960s civil rights sit-ins.

More SNCC leaders were sent to Rock Hill to organize picket lines, rallies and mass meetings.

On visitation day, hundreds of people lined up that Sunday to support the students. Visits were limited to one minute per person, and there was no privacy. The guards took notes of the conversations.

Gainess great-grandmother brought $200 to persuade him to reconsider serving time. He would not.

Workman had not spoken to his parents since he was imprisoned. When he was able to talk to them, his fears had been realized. His father, a janitor, had been fired by his white boss after Workman joined the protest at McCrorys Five & Dime.

My mother didnt say much, but my father said, After all that Ive taught you  right from wrong  this is right, and Im with you 100%, Workman said.

When crowds continued to show up for the students, York County Prison Farm eliminated Sunday morning visiting hours.

Before Ill be a slave, Ill be buried in my grave'

Life in prison became a routine: wake up at 5 a.m. for breakfast, then a days worth of hard labor in a chain gang loading dirt into a truck, cleaning drains or digging a maintenance hole.

When they had time, they caught up on schoolwork. The prison allowed them to bring their textbooks, Williamson said.

They made friends with fellow inmates, many of whom looked up to them. The students mediated when arguments broke out. They taught freedom songs to the other Black prisoners.

Before Ill be a slave, Ill be buried in my grave, they sang.

Cut out that damned fuss, a guard warned.

The men kept singing, landing themselves in solitary confinement.

The hole, as it was known, was a small room with one toilet and a small sink. Steel bars boarded the lone window, allowing little sunlight. The lights would turn on to signal mealtime. The prison served cornbread and water for two days and prepared a more robust meal of meat, fruit, vegetables, milk or bread on the third day.

In their darkness, the men did not stop singing.

After a day in solitary confinement, they returned to the general population, where they were ordered to do nearly twice as much work with the chain gang. Instead of loading 21 trucks with dirt each day, they now had to load 38.

A group of prison supervisors came to inspect their work one day. As they were leaving, Gaines waved at them.

Gaines' motion was perceived as a threat. The supervisors turned, grabbed him and took him. After the other men inquired about him, they were put back in the hole, but the prison guards did not answer their questions.

The men went on a hunger strike.

The fast was easy at first because it was a break from the horrible food. But by the second day, the lack of food felt as if their backs had blended with their stomachs.

They kept themselves going by imagining their favorite foods. Baby Ruth candy bars. Fried chicken. Steak.

On the third day, they were told Gaines had been taken to the county jail. The hunger strike ended, and they were put back to work.

We can right history

On their 28th day in prison, all nine students, Sherrod and Jones worked half a day.

Then all 11 men were loaded onto the back of a dump truck and dropped off at the city limits of Rock Hill. They were free. Nash and Doris were released the next day.

Our release was very low-key because the local authorities did not want to give us an audience or for the press to write about it, Gaither said.

The city of Rock Hill was filled with talk of desegregation, inspiring Black and white people in nearby towns to join sit-ins and picket lines. The Congress of Racial Equality, which promoted nonviolent and direct-action tactics, invited the men to New York to talk about their experiences.

The students graduated, but not much changed in Rock Hill. One by one, they left for jobs or masters programs up North. McCrorys remained closed.

It was as if the city was waiting for us to leave to go back to how things were, Williamson said. Life continued as if the sit-in in McCrorys did not happen and we did not spend time in prison.

In 2015, judge John Hayes III, the nephew of the judge who sentenced the men to prison, overturned their convictions.

We cannot rewrite history, but we can right history, Hayes said during his ruling.

The city put a historical marker celebrating the Friendship Nine outside the old McCrorys Five & Dime building, now a trendy restaurant called Kounter. The original counter surface and barstools from McCrorys Five & Dime are engraved with the names of the men, the City Girls and Diggs and Cecil on the barstools and walls.

Only five members of the Friendship Nine are still alive: Massey, Workman, Gaines, Gaither and Williamson. They are now parents, grandparents, retirees.

Their pride in changing the course of U.S. history remains absolute.

After they were released from prison, the men walked a quarter of a mile to Friendship College. Once on campus, Williamson, overcome with relief, ran to a bell that sat in front of the school.

He rang it again and again.

To report these stories, USA TODAY interviewed veterans of the civil rights movement, historians and witnesses and reviewed public records.

Explore the series

Americans stood up to racism in 1961 and changed history. This is their fight, in their words.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The birth of jail-no-bail and how it altered civil rights movement
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 19, 2021.

A planned rally of right-wing extremists protesting the treatment of Jan. 6 insurrectionists fizzled this past weekend with little fanfare. Just a couple of hundred protesters showed up with the news media and law enforcement officers easily outnumbering them.

Coverage of the event labeled it a dud, while others criticized journalists for giving it extended airtime. And while the "Justice for J6" rally avoided the violence of its namesake and was organized by a man seemingly more suited for an episode of "Veep," we cannot let our guard down and assume that the worst of Trump-fueled violence is behind us.

In August, a man was arrested after making a bomb threat near the U.S. Capitol. Just over a week ago, another man was caught near Democratic National Committee headquarters with a bayonet, a machete and neo-Nazi paraphernalia. These incidents come as hate crimes, especially those targeting Black and Asian people, have hit a 12-year high in the United States.

Violence from the American right

Were at an inflection point in our society where, after four years of a president enabling white supremacy and the worst instincts of white America, perpetrators of right-wing violence feel more justified in their cause than ever before.

This is coupled with a Republican Party that is mostly unwilling to condemn violent insurrectionists or deescalate their dangerous rhetoric.

The same factors that led to the Jan. 6 riot  rampant disinformation on social media and Fox News, nationalist provocateurs and white victimhood  still exist and will only become more pronounced the closer we get to the 2022 and 2024 elections.

The Republican Party has exchanged policies and substance for conspiracy theories and lies. The result is even when Republicans fail or lose, they are able to produce a steady stream of excuses to explain why things turned out a certain way: When they lose elections, its because the election is rigged. When a rally has a paltry turnout, its because other forces are sabotaging them.

Story continues

Jill Lawrence: California recall lesson: Telling the truth about Republicans and COVID is a winner

Case in point, just two days before Saturday's planned event, Donald Trump labeled the rally a "setup," giving his supporters an out for lackluster participation and turnout.

In the run-up to last week's California recall election, Fox News host Tomi Lahren moronically declared that the only thing that would save Gov. Gavin Newsom is "voter fraud."

Rising violence threatens our future

Whatever the event or occasion, the playbook never changes. When the entire ideological core of a political party is rooted in a toxic combination of superiority and conspiracy theory, there is no such thing as rock bottom; it is an endless pit that goes deeper and deeper into the extreme with every passing day.

Just last week, three tourists from Texas attacked a hostess at a New York City restaurant for asking for proof of vaccination.

Parents are assaulting teachers over mask mandates. A Republican congressional candidate in Pennsylvania advocated for the forced removal of school board members who attempted to enact mask mandates.

Tom Nichols: Don't fear Republicans. Biden voters like me owe him truth on bungled Afghanistan exit.

Thats what makes the Republican Party so dangerous. You can reason with people who have core values. You can discuss and debate public policy with people who accept the world as it is. But todays GOP has patterned itself after extreme and radical factions. Despots who are intent on normalizing violence to achieve their political objectives.

This disease wont always manifest itself in large acts of terror the way it did on Jan. 6, but it is resulting in more and more violence.

Kurt Bardella is a member of USA TODAYs Board of Contributors and an adviser to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). He is a former spokesperson and senior adviser for Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Follow him on Twitter: @KurtBardella

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: Trump will continue to inspire violence and protests from Republicans
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Lily Batchelder to serve as assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury Department, where she will play a big role in implementing tax changes sought by President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.

Batchelder won confirmation in a 64-34 vote, with 15 Republicans voting in support of the New York University law professor.

The vote gives the Treasury Department its fourth confirmed political appointee, with at least nine others still awaiting confirmation. Many of Biden's nominees have been held up by Republican holds over unrelated policy issues.

It came after a vote on cloture, which essentially limits debate on any bill or motion before the Senate and sets a 30-hour window before a final vote must be held. The process eliminates the ability of senators to filibuster, or hold the floor indefinitely, and delay a vote.

Batchelder, who served as the Senate Finance Committees chief tax counsel from 2010 to 2014, has pledged to work with Congress on tax policy that fosters economic recovery, promotes equality and addresses climate change.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden said it was high time the Senate moved forward on Batchelder's nomination, which was announced in April.

"Secretary (Janet) Yellen needs her full team in place at the Treasury. The country is going to be dealing with the aftereffects of the pandemic economic crash for years to come. Theres a long way to go before full recovery," he said in a statement on the Senate floor.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Peter Cooney)
(Corrects spelling of UK foreign minister's name to Liz, not Lizz, in first paragraph)

(Reuters) - British foreign minister Liz Truss held her first meeting with Iran's foreign minister and urged Iran to return rapidly to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiations in Vienna with a view to all sides coming back into compliance and reducing tensions over Iran's nuclear programme, a UK government spokesman said on Wednesday.

UK's Truss and Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held their meeting to discuss bilateral, nuclear and regional issues, the spokesman added.

(Reporting by William James in London and Sabahatjahan Contractor in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese)
By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) - Two weeks after Richmond, Virginia, removed a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that had prompted protests over racial injustice, the city unveiled a new monument on Wednesday commemorating the end of slavery.

The Emancipation and Freedom Monument, designed by Oregon sculptor Thomas Jay Warren, comprises two 12-foot bronze statues depicting a man and a woman carrying an infant, newly freed from slavery.

"The enslaved built this city with their hands," Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said at a ceremony to mark the occasion. "We will rebuild this city with our hearts."

The new monument is located less than two miles from the site where the towering 61-foot Lee statue had stood for more than a century.

Statues honoring the leaders of the Confederacy, the pro-slavery group of Southern states that seceded from the United States and fought in the 1861-65 Civil War, have become targets of anti-racism protests. Richmond was the Confederate capital during the war.

Governor Ralph Northam announced the Lee statue's removal in June 2020, days after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, sparking nationwide demonstrations.

"Just a couple of weeks ago, one of my proudest days, we took down a statue of a man who led an army to stop the emancipation and freedom these figures symbolize," Northam said at Wednesday's ceremony.

The pedestal features the names and biographies of 10 Black Virginians who contributed to the fight for liberty before and after emancipation, including Nat Turner, who led a briefly successful slave revolt in 1831 in the state, and Dred Scott, a slave whose unsuccessful lawsuit seeking his freedom led to the infamous U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1857 that people of African descent were not entitled to citizenship.

The project began a decade ago as part of the state's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which abolished slavery in the United States.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
On September 29, Axios future correspondent Bryan Walsh discusses how companies and governments are integrating AI to modernize efficient systems in society, featuring Mayor William Peduto of Pittsburgh and Global GM (Smart Cities & Transportation) for IOT Solutions at Intel Sameer Sharma.

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(Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called the leaders of Wall Streets largest financial firms in recent days to enlist their help in her campaign to pressure Republicans to support raising or suspending the debt ceiling, according to people familiar with the matter.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Yellen reached out to chief executive officers including JPMorgan Chase & Co.s Jamie Dimon, Citigroup Inc.s Jane Fraser, Wells Fargo & Co.s Charlie Scharf, Bank of America Corp.s Brian Moynihan and a senior official at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the people said, asking not to be identified discussing non-public information.

The calls are the latest sign of mounting pressure on the U.S. government to avert a potential crisis if its no longer able to borrow money to pay its bills. The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that would suspend the debt ceiling for more than a year, but the measure is almost certain to fail in the Senate. Yellen has said the Treasury could exhaust its capacity to pay U.S. obligations sometime in October.

If the House bill fails, Democrats could opt to raise the debt ceiling through a fast-track procedure that doesnt need Republican support.

People familiar with the calls said Yellen asked the executives to speak out publicly on the issue.

A Treasury spokesperson declined to comment, as did JPMorgan, Citigroup and Bank of America. Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo had no immediate comment.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
A monkey has been caught on the premises of Haneda Airport in Tokyo. It is believed to be wild.

An airport worker saw the monkey in an aircraft hangar at around 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

The monkey then moved to a nearby building owned by Japan Airlines. It entered a room that is used to repair aircraft parts.

The animal was caught there by police officers about five hours later. No one was injured.

Aircraft components in the room were not damaged. But wires on equipment used for repairs were bitten.

The worker who notified authorities expressed shock that the monkey had found its way into an airport in Tokyo.

It is unclear whether the captured animal is the monkey that has been seen around Tokyo repeatedly since last month.

The monkey's fate will be determined by officials in Ota Ward. That is where the airport is located.
Chinas rapidly growing military influence and unilateral changing of the status quo could present a risk to Japan, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday ahead of the first Quad summit.

The changing power balance brought by the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific, along with the increasing inward focus spurred by the pandemic have increased uncertainty, Suga said before the first in-person leaders meeting of Quad nations US, Australia, India and Japan, which is to be held on Friday at the White House.

The group of democracies is seen as trying to balance Chinas increasing influence and military might in the region. Beijing has accused the US of trying to form a clique.

Chinas changing of the status quo with its military power in the background could present a risk to our countrys peace and prosperity, Suga added.

In response, Japan should strengthen its alliance with the US to bolster deterrence, and also work on increasing its own defensive capabilities, he said, adding it was still important for Japan and China to maintain dialogue.

Adding to the tensions have been comments from some senior lawmakers in Sugas ruling party about the importance of Taiwan to Japans security, sparking irritation from Beijing, which sees the island as part of its territory.

The Quad meeting comes as the groups prospects of cooperating with other nations on regional security were overshadowed by a dispute involving two of its members and France.
Kei Komuro, the 29-year-old boyfriend of Princess Mako, will likely return to Japan next Monday from the United States where he has been living, sources with knowledge of the matter said Wednesday, ahead of their planned marriage.

Komuro is expected to meet the 29-year-old princess, the elder daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito, and prepare for a press conference after roughly two weeks of coronavirus quarantine, the sources said.

The couple are planning to register their marriage as early as next month.
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a Muslim cleric from Meerut on Tuesday night for allegedly running a nationwide syndicate for massive religious conversion.

According to Uttar Pradesh Police, Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, a resident of Muzaffarnagar was involved in illegal conversions under the guise of various educational, social and religious institutions.

These conversions were happening at a countrywide level. For this purpose, funding has been done from foreign countries. It has also been proved that Siddiqui runs the biggest religious conversion syndicate in the country, the police said in a statement.

Police said Siddiqui misleads and intimidate non-Muslims for religious conversion.

He used to circulate printed material and upload videos on social media to influence people. The accused also runs a trust Jamia Imam Waliulla, it informed.

In the investigation so far, Police said it was found that Siddiquis trust received Rs 3 crore funding including Rs 1.5 crore from Bahrain.

Investigation shows Maulana Kaleem Siddiquis trust received Rs 3 crores in foreign funding including Rs 1.5 crores from Bahrain. Six teams of ATS have been formed to investigate this case: Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar pic.twitter.com/QQAKI63YMe  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 22, 2021

After the arrest, Siddiqui was taken to ATS headquarter for interrogation. He was then produced before the court. UP ATS has demanded police custody of Siddiqui for further interrogation.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh ATS has constituted a six-member team to investigate the matter.

Earlier, Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui conducted Bollywood actress and ex Bigg Boss Sana Khan and Maulana Anas Syed marriage ceremony on November 20.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modis non-stop flight to the US on Wednesday will fly over Pakistans airspace to avoid Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a three-day visit to the United States on Wednesday where he will address the UN General Assembly and attend the Quad Summit as well as hold a bilateral meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

A high-level delegation including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and top government officials are accompanying PM Modi to the US.

According to government sources, India had sought permission from Pakistan regarding the usage of Pakistans airspace for Prime Minister Modis flight to the US, for which a nod was given by Islamabad.

Pakistan has allowed India to use its airspace, a top government source told ANI.

Notably, Pakistan had previously denied the permission of President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Modi to use Pakistans airspace thrice to travel to foreign countries in 2019 after India abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

Islamabad had even denied permission when PM Modi was visiting the US and Germany and President Kovind was visiting Iceland.

In view of the situation in (Jammu and) Kashmir and Indias attitude, oppression and barbarityand the violation of rights in the region, we have decided not to give permission to the Indian prime minister and we have conveyed this decision to the Indian High Commission, Pakistan foreign ministry had said in a statement in 2019.

After that India had officially registered protest against Pakistan with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on the denial.

Meanwhile, India had permitted the usage of airspace for Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khans plane to visit Sri Lanka this year.

The aircraft carrying PM Modi and the Indian high-level delegation took off from the Indian Air Force (IAF) Technical Airbase in Delhi on Wednesday morning.

First time Air India One (AI1) the call sign of Indias VVIP Boeing aircraft has been deployed for US long haul direct flight. The new Boeing B-777 aircraft Extra Range (ER300) aircraft, which was recently modified for VVIP guests of India is also equipped with advanced defence systems.

The B-777 will take 15 hours of non-stop flight directly to the US. As it is avoiding Afghanistans airspace, the flight will fly extra hours for the US trip.

The VVIP plane will avoid Afghanistan airspace, the country had closed its airspace for any commercial use. The new regime in Afghanistan announced the closure of its airspace on August 16 just after the Taliban took full control of the nation.

Due to the precarious security situation in Afghanistan, the Indian government has advised its carriers to avoid airspace over the country.
Inspiration4 Crew returns to earth

Florida , Wed, 22 Sep 2021 Supratik Mitra

Inspiration4 Crew Completes First All-Civilian Space Mission. The four-member team successfully landed in the Atlantic Ocean.



The first civilian mission to space landed safely off the Florida coast Saturday evening after three days of orbiting the earth. The crew from the Inspiration4, the crew splashed down in the Atlantic ocean, where a recovery ship was waiting for them before they returned to the Kennedy Space Center.



The four astronauts were launched in SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on time at 8:02 PM ET, Wednesday from the companys 39A launchpad at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, over Floridas east coast.



The team had billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, a trained pilot and founder of payment-processing firm Shift4 Payments, and three others he picked and paid for to ride with him, Hayley Arceneaux, a 29-year-old physician assistant and cancer survivor, Christopher Sembroski, a data engineer at Lockheed Martin and Sian Proctor, a geoscientist and former NASA astronaut candidate.



The time flew further than any human since Hubble and the team orbited 57 miles above Earth's surface, circling the planet every 90 minutes.



The mission itself was groundbreaking, being a civilian space flight, while it was also the first time, first black female spacecraft pilot, Dr Sian Proctor, as well as the youngest American in space and first to fly with a prosthetic, 29-year-old Hayley Arceneaux.



Along with onboard experts like Jared Isaacman and Chris Sembroski, the crew performed scientific research studying the human body in space in hopes of advancing human health on Earth and during future long-duration space flights.



Commander Isaacman in a recent statement mentioned, "The crew of Inspiration4 is eager to use our mission to help make a better future for those who will launch in the years and decades to come."



Ahead of last week's trip, the civilian crew members were given commercial astronaut trainingorbital mechanics, operating in microgravity, zero gravity, and other forms of stress testingand participated in emergency preparedness training, spacesuit and spacecraft ingress and egress exercises, and partial- and full-mission simulations.



The mission is also a multimillion-dollar fundraiser for St. Jude Childrens Hospital, a non-profit research centre that also provides free care for kids with cancer. Isaacman gave $100 million to the hospital and hopes to raise another $100 million through the Inspiration4 initiative. So far, that portion of the campaign has raised $30.8 million.



The Crew Dragon capsule was a tailored more touristy experience than what NASA astronauts have on their trips to the ISS. The docking door of the capsule was replaced with a glass dome to give the crew a 360-degree view of space, while in space.

The mission marked the start of private space companies, like Elon Musks SpaceX to normalise paid space travels for normal citizens, as tourists and not only trained government astronauts.
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Luxembourg  21 September 2021 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced the award of a sizeable(1) contract by OneSubsea, the subsea technologies, production and processing systems division of Schlumberger, for a project at the Ormen Lange field operated by Shell in the Norwegian Sea.



Subsea 7s scope includes the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation of the subsea flowline system as well as the installation of OneSubseas multiphase compression system. The contract award follows completion of the front-end engineering design study(2) and will be executed as a Subsea Integration Alliance project(3).

Monica Th. Bjrkmann, Subsea 7s Vice President Norway, said, This award demonstrates the value Subsea Integration Alliance brings by combining the technologies and capabilities of OneSubsea and Subsea 7 into a seamless integrated offering, resulting in the delivery of optimised solutions with reduced execution and interface risk. Subsea 7 looks forward to progressing the execution phase of the project with a focus on safe, efficient and reliable operations.

(1) Subsea 7 defines a sizeable contract as being between USD 50 million and USD 150 million.

(2) Announced on 31 October 2019.

(3) Subsea Integration Alliance is a strategic global alliance between Subsea 7 and OneSubsea, the subsea technologies, production and processing systems division of Schlumberger, bringing together field development planning, project delivery and total lifecycle solutions under an extensive technology and services portfolio. As one team, Subsea Integration Alliance amplifies subsea performance by helping customers to define, select, install and operate the smartest subsea projects, that eliminate costly revisions, delays and reduces risk across the life of field.





*******************************************************************************

Subsea 7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industrys partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs.

Story continues

Subsea 7 is listed on the Oslo Brs (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62.

*******************************************************************************

Contact for investment community enquiries:

Katherine Tonks

Investor Relations Director

Tel +44 (0)20 8210 5568

katherine.tonks@subsea7.com

Contact for media enquiries:

Jan Roger Moksnes

Communications Manager, Norway

Tel +47 415 15 777

janroger.moksnes@subsea7.com

Forward-Looking Statements: This announcement may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, future, goal, intend, likely may, plan, project, seek, should, strategy will, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the Risk Management section of the Groups Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2020. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; and (xvii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting;. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise..

Attachment




Johnny Depp Addresses Cancel Culture: No One Is Safe. Not One of You. https://t.co/IxeG0kPZ9H  Variety (@Variety) September 22, 2021

Abuser Johnny Depp addressed cancel culture during a press conference preceding his Donostia Awards reception at the San Sebastian Film Festival. When asked how social media and cancel culture can affect public figures, Depp whined that it was a "complex situation [that] can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture or this instant rush to judgement based on essentially what amounts to polluted air that is exhaled."On whether or not he feels safe in such an interconnected world, Depp replied, "Yeah, I do," followed by several false starts before contradicting himself. "The various movements that came out with, Im sure the best of intentions...Its so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. Not one of you as long as someone is willing to say one sentence. It takes just one sentence and there is no more ground. The carpet has been pulled."Its not just me this has happened to. Its happened to a lot of people. This type of thing has happened to women, men and children who have suffered from various types of unpleasantries and they sadly, at a certain point, begin to think that its normal. I believe that if you are armed with the truth, then thats all you need. It doesnt matter if a judgement has taken some artistic license, he chuckled [Variety notes ''].Depp finished by pleading with the assembled press and those watching online, "When there is an injustice, whether its against you or someone you love, or someone you believe in, stand up, dont sit down. Dont sit down on em, they need you."One more question about Depps off-screen issues was immediately shut down. The question referenced an ongoing protest by a group of Spanish women filmmakers that was launched the day Depps festival honor was announced.OP wants Depp to shut the fuck up and reminds everyone that Depp lost a U.K. libel case against the publisher of The Sun, who alleged he was a wife beater in a 2018 article. The judge ruled that the words were substantially true.
Reports in the media that natural gas prices in the U.K. have more than quadrupled over the last year to highs of 180p per therm from around 40p per therm this time last year are making headlines. This is largely because of the impact on small, startup gas suppliers who have been forced out of business over recent weeks.

However, natural gas  and energy prices, broadly  have been rising strongly. This has been the case, not just in the U.K. but across Europe for much of this year.

Power prices on the rise

In part, this is weather-related. Exceptionally low winds are failing to generate sufficient renewable energy. However, the situation is also due to the rise of natural gas prices, globally and specifically in Europe.

Demand from China and severe weather in Texas have led to increasing demand and constrained supply. As such, those have created the perfect conditions for speculators to drive prices higher.

Another less talked about contributor is the failure of Russia to supply more than its minimum contractual requirements to the European market for some months. The move is widely seen as the Russian authorities trying to apply pressure on Europe for the approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

According to The Guardian newspaper, around half of the U.K.s electricity is generated by natural gas-fired power plants.

The situation is exacerbated by unplanned outages of nuclear power plants this year. Furthermore, fire shut down a main power cable importing electricity from France just this month.

Natural gas surge

The U.K. relies heavily on natural gas for both residential and industrial use. The resulting rise in prices has already led to the closure of two major U.K.s fertilizer plants.

This has had the knock-on effect of crimping CO2 production. Ir is made as a byproduct and is the source of some 80% of the UKs supply. CO2 is needed for a wide variety of industrial and agricultural applications.

Steel impact

The U.K.s second-biggest steel producer, British Steel, is quoted by the Financial Times as saying that the U.K.s power prices are spiraling out of control.

The company is on variable electricity prices. British Steel has warned it could have to close production in the face of unprecedented price increases.

Electricity costs can represent up to 20% of the cost of converting basic raw materials into steel. The company is quoted as saying it is facing a maximum price at peak times of up to 2,500 per MWh.

Meanwhile, it saw an average of 50 per MWh in April.

Spot prices in excess of 1,000 per month MWh are becoming increasingly common this month after wholesale prices in the U.K. rose dramatically.

Nor is the UK well served with reserves of natural gas. It has just 1% of Europes total storage after failing to invest in storage facilities over the last 10 years. So, if supplies from Russia do not increase as the winter season approaches, the U.K. is probably the worst-placed of all European markets in having no alternatives to limited supply and rising prices.

While European steel producers are more protected in terms of energy prices by state rules and long-term agreements, producers in Italy are voicing worries. Rising power costs are said to be behind the current price of steel products in southern Europe, which had expected to decrease on falling scrap input costs but were being hampered by record power costs.

With winter approaching, the situation is likely to get much worse before it gets better.

By Ag Metal Miner

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Iran is drafting plans to attract as much $145 billion domestic and foreign investments in its oil industry over the next eight years, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji said on Tuesday.

We plan to invest $145 billion in the development of the upstream and downstream oil industry over the next four to eight years, hence I welcome the presence of domestic and foreign investors in the industry, Owji, the new oil minister, said during a meeting with executives from Chinas oil giant Sinopec, as carried by the Iranian oil ministrys news service Shana.

Iran is also working to boost cooperation with Chinese companies, the minister added.

Earlier this month, Owji met with a top official from the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in Tehran to discuss cooperation and expansion of bilateral relations.

The new Iranian president and administration continue to work on close ties with China, which were forged during the previous administration.

China is Irans biggest trade partner and one of the very few countries still importing some crude oil from Iran despite the U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republics oil exports and oil industry.

China has always said it opposes the unilateral U.S. sanctions against oil producers and continues to buy crude, especially from Iran. Irans oil sales to China remain the key remaining revenue stream for the Islamic Republic. China is Irans top crude oil customer and actually the only customer that currently dares skirt existing American sanctions on Iranian oil exports.

Iran is now looking to increase oil production from all of the fields in its massive West Karoun cluster, potentially adding 1 million barrels per day (bpd) to its output.

In July, the Islamic Republic also officially opened its new oil export terminalthe Jask Oil Terminal on the Sea of Oman outside the Strait of Hormuzbuilt to allow Iran to ship crude oil without the need for tankers traveling through the worlds most strategic oil chokepoint.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Update: Green Energy, a small-sized, and Avro, a medium-sized energy retailer just declared bankruptcy, leaving 1.5 million households scrambling for a new provider.

More UK energy suppliers are set to go bust as soaring gas prices are putting an unprecedented cost burden on smaller electricity and gas providers, the head of the UK's energy regulator said on Wednesday.

"We do expect more (suppliers) not to be able to face the circumstances we're in, but it's genuinely hard to say more than that, partly because that means predicting what may happen to the gas price," Jonathan Brearley, chief executive officer of Ofgem, the independent energy regulator for Great Britain, said at a hearing of the business committee at Parliament, as carried by the BBC.

The UK has been bearing the brunt of the gas crisis in Europe, with wholesale gas prices surging to record highs in recent days.

Europe's tight gas market, low wind speeds, abnormally low gas inventories, and record carbon prices have combined in recent weeks to send benchmark gas prices and power prices in the largest economies to record highs. Almost daily, gas and power prices in Europe surge to fresh records, putting pressure on governments as consumers protest against soaring power bills.

The UK government is looking to ensure uninterrupted energy supply to customers as several energy providers have already gone out of business due to the high costs. Ofgem has been appointing other energy providers to take on customers of the failed energy businesses in recent days.

And according to Ofgem's CEO, more providers will go out of business.

"It's not unusual for suppliers to go out of the market," Ofgem's Brearley said.

"I think what is different this time is that dramatic change in the costs that those suppliers are facing," he added.

"In the event an energy supplier fails, we are committed that consumers face the least amount of disruption possible  and there are clear and well-established processes in place to ensuring this is the case," Brearley and the UK's Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said in a joint statement earlier this week.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Director of Vodafone Business, Tawa Bolarin, has disclosed that Vodafone is supporting over 50 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with free premium-grade websites in the month of September.



According to her, the move by Vodafone is to provide holistic support to SMEs nationwide and to empower businesses to leverage on technology to deliver modern and up-to-date offerings to boost their businesses during the SME month celebration.



"This month, fifty (50) indigenous businesses will receive free premium grade websites. This is expected to extend the reach of their businesses. In addition to this, enterprises will be provided with digital channels to make their services more accessible to a wider audience, ultimately accelerating customers and revenue, "she said.



"Every year, we dedicate a month to recognise, appreciate, reward and engage with our esteemed business customers who are uniquely positioned to be the backbone of the Ghanaian economy. In the spirit of partnering together, we have designed propositions, which will enable growth for the businesses of our customers through a series of initiatives. "



Tawa Bolarin further stressed that her outfit will assist some local companies with free registration to enable smaller businesses improve their professional image and qualify for even bigger opportunities. Furthermore, some businesses will enjoy 50% savings on their Vodafone bill, making them more profitable this month.



"Vodafone Business will offer sponsored training programmes for some selected business owners. Simply tell us the skills you want to develop, which will accelerate your growth and profitability, and we will arrange this for you. Also, we plan to embark on a paid advertising plan for selected businesses to promote their products and services, which will further expand their reach and customer base, " she said.



Throughout the month of September, Vodafone Business will reward customers who use any of its services, including mobile, voice, data, fixed and dedicated broadband, as well as Your Business on Line, a website solution; Red Trader, an inventory manager; and Red Cloud, Vodafone's cloud services.



Innovation remains the Telcos hallmark and its 2 Moorch Business is currently the number one mobile package for businesses in Ghana today. Businesses on this offer also enjoy the opportunity to build their own plan. Customers can simply text START to 0507779000 to sign up.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Mr Antonio Guterres, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, has called for bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, within and among countries.



This, he said, starts by ending the COVID-19 pandemic for everyone, everywhere.



We urgently need a global vaccination plan to at least double vaccine production and ensure that vaccines reach 70 per cent of the worlds population in the first half of 2022, Mr Guterres stated in his address on Tuesday to the UN General Assembly.



He said this plan could be implemented by an emergency Task Force made up of present and potential vaccine producers, the World Health Organization, Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) - Accelerator partners, and international financial institutions, working with pharmaceutical companies.



We have no time to lose. A lopsided recovery is deepening inequalities. Richer countries could reach pre-pandemic growth rates by the end of this year, while the impacts may last for years in low-income countries, he said.



Is it any wonder? Advanced economies are investing nearly 28 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) into economic recovery. For middle-income countries, that number falls to 6.5 per cent.



He noted that it plummets to 1.8 per cent for the least developed countries  a tiny percentage of a much smaller amount.



The Secretary-General said in Sub-Saharan Africa, the International Monetary Fund projects that cumulative economic growth per capita over the next five years would be 75 per cent less than the rest of the world; adding that many countries need an urgent injection of liquidity.



I welcome the issuance of $650 billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) by the International Monetary Fund. But these SDRs are largely going to the countries that need them least, he said.



Advanced economies should reallocate their surplus SDRs to countries in need. SDRs are not a silver bullet. But they provide space for sustainable recovery and growth.



Mr Guterres also renewed his call for a reformed and more equitable international debt architecture.



He said the Debt Service Suspension Initiative must be extended to 2022 and should be available to all highly indebted vulnerable and middle-income countries that request it; saying This would be solidarity in action.



The Secretary-General said countries shouldnt have to choose between servicing debt and serving people.



He said with effective international solidarity, it would be possible at the national level to forge a new social contract that includes universal health coverage and income protection, housing and decent work, quality education for all, and an end to discrimination and violence against women and girls.



I call on countries to reform their tax systems and finally end tax evasion, money laundering and illicit financial flows, he stated.



And as we look ahead, we need a better system of prevention and preparedness for all major global risks.



We must support the recommendations of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.



He reiterated that he had put forward a number of other proposals in their Common Agenda  including an emergency platform and a Futures Lab.



Mr Guterres, who also called for bridging the gender divide, said COVID-19 exposed and amplified the worlds most enduring injustice: the power imbalance between men and women.



When the pandemic hit, women were the majority of frontline workers, first to lose their jobs, and first to put their careers on hold to care for those close to them, he said.



Girls were disproportionately hit by school closures that limit their development and increase the risk of abuse, violence and child marriage.







Source: GNA









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Mrs Nana Frimpomaa Akosua Sarpong Kumankumah, Chairperson of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), has charged Ghanaian leaders to be committed to nation-building in every sphere they find themselves in.



She said every leadership position one occupied in the country had the potential in contributing to nation-building, adding that, each and every one of us should identify ourselves as a Nkrumah who is committed to nation-building in our dealings.



The CPP Chair made these remarks on the side-line of an event to commemorate the birthday of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanas first President.



The event organized by the CPP was on the theme Relevance of Nkrumahism in Addressing the Socio-Economic Challenges of Today.



Mrs Sarpong Kumankumah said leaders needed to reignite the spirit and zeal of selfless leadership towards the countrys socio-economic development.



She said the ideals of the former President dubbed Nkrumahism can only be materialized by the CPP, and not any other political party, not even those professing to be ideologically aligned to them.



She said they were committed to providing selfless leadership to meet the challenges of today, especially economic challenges and youth unemployment.



The CPP Chairperson reiterated that they were the only option to mitigate todays socio-economic and development challenges as they did in Ghanas first republic, from 1960 to 1966.



Professor Joshua Alabi, a leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said they would support the CPP in uplifting the ideals of Nkrumah.



He said the NDC acknowledged the invaluable role the former President played in Ghanas independence struggle.



Prof. Alabi said the CPP needed to reposition itself to remain relevant and be a force to reckon with in the countrys contemporary political space.



Mr Bernard Mornah, former Chairperson of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), said Nkrumahism was more relevant today than it was yesteryears.



He said the current economic challenges pointed to the need for the ideals of Nkrumahism in meeting todays national development needs.



The Nkrumahism ideals include leadership of selflessness, unity and togetherness, and patriotism.

Source: GNA









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President Nana Akufo-Addo has decried moves by some countries in Europe to not recognise Covishield, the Indian version of the AstraZeneca vaccine.



According to him, one unfortunate development appears to be the recent measures on entry into some countries in Europe, which suggest that Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in India, is not recognised by some countries in Europe.



The President said this on Wednesday when he took his turn to speak at the 76th United Nations General Assembly, currently ongoing in New York, in the United States of America.



His comments come on the heels of the simplified travel measures announced recently, by the UK Government, and indeed, by some countries in Europe, which comes into effect from 4th October, 2021.



The measures specify that persons who have received double-dose vaccines such as Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna or the single shot Janssen vaccine under an approved vaccination programme in the UK, Europe, US or UK vaccine programme overseas will be considered fully vaccinated.



The rules also consider persons who have received jabs under public health bodies in Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea or Taiwan as fully vaccinated.



What is intriguing is the fact that this vaccine was donated to African countries through the COVAX facility. The use of vaccines as a tool for immigration control will be a truly retrogressive step, the President noted.



Ghana, President Akufo-Addo said, has so far received five million doses, which have been administered to frontline health workers and those classified as being most at risk.



Five million is not a figure to be sneered at, particularly when we consider the situation in many other African countries. We are grateful that our efforts at the management of the pandemic and vaccine distribution have been recognised, and we have received these amounts so far. We are still hoping to vaccinate twenty million of our people by the end of the year, he said.



President Akufo-Addo continued, Ghana agrees with the call of the Rome Declaration of Global Health for voluntary licensing and technology transfers to boost vaccine production. The Africa Union is working with WHO, WTO and other global partners to expand its vaccine manufacturing and deployment.



He told the Assembly that Ghana recognised that vaccination is the way to protect populations and revitalise societies.



In the case of Africa, the President stated that vaccinating seventy per cent (70%) of the population in the shortest possible time, as is being done elsewhere in the world, means some nine hundred million Africans have to be vaccinated.



He stressed that the Afreximbanks structuring of the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Taskforces $2 billion acquisition of four hundred million Johnson & Johnson vaccines is part of the historic African Unions Covid-19 Vaccine Development and Access Strategy.



It is a critical milestone in our collective fight against the pandemic, in a continent suffering the worst brunt of vaccine nationalism. The Africa Vaccine Acquisition Taskforce vaccine programme, partly manufactured in South Africa, is the single largest and most far-reaching trade transaction since the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area in January this year, he added.



President Akufo-Addo described it as an eloquent testimony to the benefits of domestic production and pooled procurement in Africa, as envisioned by the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.



COVID-19 has been damaging



Recounting his statement at the 2017 UN General Assembly, where he indicated that he wanted to build an economy that is not dependent on charity and handouts, President indicated that the significant progress that had been made by Ghana between 2017 to 2020, where an average growth rate of 7% was recorded, had been eroded.



In 2020, when the global economy and sub-Saharan Africas contracted by 3.5% and 2.1%, respectively, Ghana was one of the few countries that produced a positive growth rate. This is a testament to our determination to build a Ghana Beyond Aid, he said.



However, he stated that many economies in Africa are in recession, as the viruss impact on economies and livelihoods has been devastating.



The latest numbers from the African Development Bank indicate that African economies, which contracted by 2.1% in 2020, are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. More than thirty million Africans fell into extreme poverty in 2020, and nearly forty million could do so in 2021, he said.



The social impact of the pandemic, President Akufo-Addo reiterated, has been devastating; over one hundred and three million African jobs have been lost. Women, who account for forty per cent (40%) of total employment, have been most hard hit.

Source: Jubilee House Communication









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The Ghana Police Service has interdicted four police officers for unprofessional conduct after they allegedly assaulted some persons in Tamale in the Northern Region on September 21, 2021.

The four officers working with the Northern Regional Police Command were assigned to assist NEDCO/VRA officials to arrest some persons allegedly involved in illegal power connections.



A press statement issued by the Police said the officers will face a Service Inquiry, subject to the regulations of the Ghana Police Service.



"Processes have commenced to identify the victims for the necessary medical assessments and assistance. We apologise unconditionally to the affected persons and the general public," the release said.



A viral video of the incident which preceded the Police statement showed a police officer whipping a man on his head and body during an interrogation.









The Police administration has interdict four police officers in this video for alleged assault on this man. The unfortunate assault happened in Tamale. #IGPmo pic.twitter.com/WCW1PrjOvU

 Isaac J.K Bediako (@ike_bediako) September 21, 2021

Source: graphiconline.com









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Former National Organizer of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yaw Boateng Gyan, has hit back at those who believe he has personal scores to settle with the twice-defeated Presidential Candidate of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama, asking his critics to first find out if the former president is pro-Yaw Gyan.



Mr Boateng Gyan, who confess his support for former Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor  should the latter declare his intention to contest  as the next flagbearer of the opposition party, said his action is premised on the fact that Mr Mahama once sponsored Kofi Adams to unseat him as the NDCs National Organizer.



Speaking on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, he asserted that former President Mahama went ahead to financially strengthen Kofi Adams, for reasons he cannot fathom, to not only contest against him, but ensured that he (Yaw Gyan) lost in that infamous internal elections.



This is in spite of the fact that he [Boateng Gyan] was among those who stood for former President Mahama to go unopposed after the death of President Mills, he revealed.



". . . when Prof Mills died, I was one of those who insisted that Mahama must go unopposed in Kumasi and after he became the President, he sponsored Kofi Adams to kick me out of my position when I was contesting for re-election. People said it at that time but I didnt believe it but now I believe it due to what is happening. There is this speculation that Mahama and I are not on good terms but I dont know what I have done to wrong him, he said.



He also accused the former President of driving away seasoned and accomplished executives from his inner circle and surrounding himself with new and youthful people, yet has not been successful in his two attempts to regain power.



Some people surrounding Mahama succeeded in driving all of us away except Asiedu Nketia, but still, Mahama has not been able to win the election again and I wonder why he wont change the people around him . . . it is the party that is the loser in the long term and we cannot say that we are solely going to rely on one person to lead in elections. Besides, the partys constitution does not prevent others from contesting the Flagbearership, he indicated.



To him, there is nothing wrong with supporting his friend Dr Kwabena Duffuor to contest the NDC Flagbearer race, as Kofi Adams - who is currently the Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency in the Oti Region - once supported former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings against the late President Atta Mills.



He, however, warned editors of some Pro-Mahama Newspapers to desist from writing nonsense about him, and vow to stand up to anyone who just joined the party seeking to intimidate him.



What kind of intimidation is this? Why do some people who joined the party along the way want to push us out? . . . we have suffered for the establishment of the party and nobody can drive me away. If I am anti-JM and so what? Have they investigated to find out if JM is pro-Yaw Gyan?



 . . we are losing quality leaders in the party and so if he [Duffuor] has decided to come to sacrifice himself for the party and save the party, what is wrong with it? We have reduced political activism to youthful exuberance. We are just toying with governance, he fumed.



Watch video below





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









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The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Dan Kweku Botwe, has condemned the pockets of violence and mayhem recorded in some parts of the country following the announcement of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) nominations.



In Chereponi, over 10 persons have been arrested for vandalizing some properties following the nomination of Zuwera Mada Nashiru as the areas District Chief Executive.



Speaking to sit-in host, Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Dan Botwe said it's uncharacteristic for NPP members to "think of self" and not the interest of the party or the nation.



"All of these things give a bad name to the party and so if we want the best interest of the party we should put aside our personal feelings and wishes and work in the interest of the party . . . If theyre truly NPP members they should believe in sacrifice and selflessness and put the party first. We need to condemn these actions," he stated.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com









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A professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has called for stiffer punishment for citizens who use their affiliations with political parties to commit crime.

That, he said, would serve as a deterrent to others.



He explained that allowing such persons to go scot-free was not good for the country.



Lawlessness



Prof. Gyampo, who shared his thoughts with the Daily Graphic, said excessive partisanship, particularly a display of party colours to shield offenders from punishment had been the major cause of lawlessness in the country.



In a situation where everybody knows a big man who can give an order from above to undermine an attempt to enforce laws, impunity becomes the order of the day.



In a regime of impunity supported by excessive partisanship, especially where political elites find it difficult to deal with their own, one can practically get away with murder, he stated.



He said not until political leaders became bold enough to deal with their own when they go contrary to the law, the nation would continue to witness indiscipline among the citizenry.



He was of the view that impunity among the citizens could be that either the one perpetuating a crime or the one expected to deal with the criminal were both ignorant of the laws that forbade a particular crime from being committed.



Weak institutions



Prof. Gyampo further explained that the high levels of impunity in the body politic of transitional democracies such as Ghana, was due to the fact that some of those institutions which had been tasked to make sure citizens obeyed rules and regulations were weak.



He said Ghana could only succeed if it built a critical mass of citizens who could reason beyond partisanship and attempt to strengthen institutions.



Rules must be predictable, that is one must be able to foretell what is likely to happen when he or she flouts the rules. It is when the rules are well known, enforced, and internalised that we can say there are strong institutions, he remarked.

Source: graphiconline.com









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Former Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan, has called on NPP supporters who are angry over the list of MMDCEs to be calm.



Some disgruntled NPP youth, prior to and after the announcement of nominated MMDCEs, went on the rampage when they realized that their preferred candidate's name was missing.



Some youth in the Odododiodio Constituency embarked on a protest on Saturday burning car tyres to register their displeasure over the MMDCEs.



Police have announced the arrest of four persons said to be ringleaders of the disorder.



Reacting to the issue on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Kwamena Duncan advised the irate supporters to put the party first over their individual interests.



To him, "the party indeed is supreme'', so it is the duty of the members and supporters to ''ensure that party remains intact. It is when the party is intact and solid on its feet, then these opportunities will come up again in future".



"I am asking that the party needs to be held together. The party requires your support today. Don't say the name of the person I supported wasn't mentioned and therefore, I will do all to tear this party apart, that opportunity will not be there tomorrow for you to continue to support for others who may want to put in the application to be able to do so," he further stated.



He charged the party's rank and file to "stay together. Let us hold together for this party".







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The 2024 Presidential race appears to have begun as members of the two main political parties - the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress - throw gibes at one another in hope of discrediting the other in the eyes of the Ghanaian electorates.



Former President John Mahama has been lambasting the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his administration of the State.



President John Mahama, embarking on a recent 'Thank You' tour, told Ghanaians about how bad the President is doing and called for a change of government, come 2024.



He stated emphatically that the 2024 elections will be a 'do or die' affair.



We learn from the past so we [NDC] have learned our lessons from the 2020 election. The next elections will be won or lost at the polling station . . . If otherwise, it will be a do or die affair at the polling station.



We wont wait for any Supreme Court, no!, he said on Akina Radio at Techiman.



As Ex-President Mahama gingers up for the 2024 race, Kwamena Duncan wants to know how Mr. Mahama intends to convince the people of Ashanti Region to vote for him.



He slammed him (Mahama) for making disparaging remarks about Asantes describing them as ingrates.



''You go for elections in 2012. You had massive support from Ashanti Region. As President, even sitting President, you described the people of Ashanti as ingrates - that they're ungrateful to the extent that even if you construct their roads with gold, they won't acknowledge it . . . Asantes kept quite. You go back again in 2020 . . . you go to these people and your description about them is that the NDC members in Ashanti Region are treated as lepers, that people look down on them."



He asked; " . . will former President Mahama go back to the Ashanti Region and ask them to support him in 2024?''





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Social Commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has lauded President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over the release of the MMDCE nominees list.



The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Dan Botwe, has released the list of nominees for Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).



Out of the 260 nominees, 38 are females, 222 are males.



These nominees if approved will assist in discharging the mandate of President Akufo-Addo at the local government.



Dan Botwe, speaking at a press conference on the MMDCEs list, said; The whole idea is service to the nation. So far, as I am concerned and all well-meaning Ghanaians know, you are aspiring to serve our motherland. If the opportunity has not been given to you to serve, there cannot be any reason for disturbances".



"If truly you wanted to serve, then there is absolutely no basis for you to involve in disorderly conduct," he added.



Making submissions during 'Kokrokoo' programme on Peace FM, Allotey Jacobs praised the President for not falling for the pressure to hurriedly release the list.



"The appointment of MMDCEs, it's more tougher than that of ministerial appointment because the DCE or Municipal Chief Executive or Metro Chief Executive, you're close to the people," he said.



He also commended the President for engaging all relevant stakeholders in the nomination process saying, "participatory democracy is what he (President Akufo-Addo) has done in the appointment of MMDCEs. Chiefs have been involved. Parliamentarians, those belonging to his party, have been involved. The party itself has been involved".







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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Social commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has called on the leadership of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to restore calm in the party following the disorder arising from the announcement of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive (MMDCEs').



Some irate NPP youth in the Odododiodio Constituency, Greater Accra Region, on Saturday, embarked on a protest at Jamestown burning car tyres to express the disappointment over the MMDCE nominees.



At Chereponi in the North East Region, another NPP youth vandalized some structures after the nomination of Zuwera Mada Nashiru as the District Chief Executive was announced.



The aggrieved youth wanted their favourite candidate, S. K. Orlando.



The Police have reportedly arrested the ringleaders of the protests.



Discussing the matter on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' programme, Allotey Jacobs advised the NPP to ''manage this thing as quickly as possible by going out there and counselling their supporters, their party members and those who even applied who are the reason why their supporters are doing all these things".



He called for effective communication between the party leadership and supporters stressing, "in politics, don't underrate the act of communication. I'm telling you; it is very, very important".





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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Big Events Ghana, organisers of the annual Radio and Television Personality (RTP) Awards, has announced that winners of this years edition of the awards will be rewarded with plots of land.



The RTP Awards scheme recognises outstanding media personalities and media houses whose works show exemplary leadership towards building a vision and a future for Ghanas media platform.



Chief Executive Officer of Big Events Ghana, Prince Mckay, in an interview with Cape Coast-based Kastle FM said, Over the years RTP Awards has given so many prizes to our cherished winners from brand new home theatres to television sets to all winners.



He said this is a shift from the usual plaques that were given to winners in previous years.



We have taken winners to Dubai before for a whole expense paid trip and it was a kind of learning experience with fun, he added.



The CEO, however, revealed that this years edition of the event will award 15 personality winners who will poll the most votes.



According to him, We have over the years given award winners so many things, so last year, we started giving out plots of land to the winners. Definitely, this year too, we will share plots of land to the winners but this time around, it is for only 15 of the personality winners with terms and conditions.



Last year, broadcaster Stacy Amoateng was named RTP Personality of the Year and also picked up RTP Television Development Show Host of the Year Award. Kwami Sefa Kayi and Nathan Kwabena Anokye Adisi (Bola Ray) took home the RTP Personality of the Decade 2010-2020 Award.



Last years event, which was graced by a large number of radio and television personalities as well as a section of creative industry stakeholders, was held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra.

Source: Daily Guide









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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Harlan and Chad Robins started Seattle-based Adaptive Biotechnologies 12 years ago to find a cure for cancer. Now, they have broadened their mission to take on COVID-19.

Adaptive sells an ultra-detailed blood test that analyzes immune responses to different diseases. It says the technology can advance research, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases.

"Your immune system knows about every disease you have," said Harlan Robins, chief scientific officer at Adaptive. "If we could just ask the immune system what it knows, we would be able to diagnose every disease."

The company now hopes its technology can help government agencies make more informed decisions related to COVID-19. Adaptive created a specialized test that provides new data about how immune cells respond to the coronavirus.

If successful, it would mark yet another major contribution by Seattle-area researchers with roots at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in combating COVID-19. Earlier in the pandemic, the Seattle Flu Studya partnership between University of Washington Medicine, Fred Hutch and Seattle Children's Hospitaladded to its work tracking the flu by also surveilling for COVID-19. The cancer center's own Dr. Larry Corey was tapped by Dr. Anthony Fauci to help oversee government-sponsored clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines. And Fred Hutch computational biologist Trevor Bedford has long been at the forefront of mapping mutations and variants for the disease.

Adaptive would also be another successful new startup born out of the cancer research center. The company was founded in 2009 by the two brothers after Harlan made a discovery with his team at the center.

With a market capitalization of approximately $5.5 billion and a head count of 800 employees, Adaptive is the largest active company to spin out of the cancer center. It is second only to Juno Therapeutics, which was acquired in 2018 for $9 billion. With 17 startups active, Fred Hutch's leaders are confident there's more where Adaptive and Juno came from.

'Worse than looking for a needle in a haystack'

Inside the human bloodstream, special cells called "T-cells" help the immune system detect diseases. But because the body has hundreds of millions of different types of T-cellsmany specific to each diseaseanalyzing those T-cells is challenging.

Some of the most advanced genetic sequencing tools on the market right now still "ignore" the genetic codes of T-cells because of how much variety there is, said Dr. David Koelle, a professor researching the immune system at UW Medicine.

Adaptive is going after that problem by using chemistry and software to analyze the unique genetic codes that identify each type of T-cell.

T-cells replicate when they encounter a specific threat, Koelle said. They serve as "memory" to help the body respond better if ever it faces the same threat again. Analyzing which T-cells someone has can help uncover the diseases they have faced throughout their lives.

Microsoft, which invested $45 million in Adaptive in 2017, helps the company compare genetic codes found in blood samples with the hundreds of millions of other genetic codes Adaptive has on file. The project requires computing power similar to that of an entire internet search engine, said Peter Lee, a vice president at Microsoft.

"It's worse than looking for a needle in a haystack," Lee said. "What you're looking for is a pattern of whether certain straws of hay ... are in the shape of a tree."

Less than a year after the company went public in 2019, the coronavirus pandemic made the human immune system the center of attention. Adaptive, too, began pointing its infrastructure at COVID-19 and started accepting thousands of blood samples from almost every continent to analyze the T-cell immune response to the virus.

In March, the company received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its advanced test called "T-Detect COVID" which it says can detect current and prior infections for the disease. Adaptive also recently licensed technology to Norway-based Vaccibody to design vaccines that specifically target COVID-19 variants.

Adaptive's broader vision with COVID-19 is making sure America is establishing pandemic guidelines based on domestic data that includes not only antibody responses to vaccines but also T-cell responses, giving a fuller picture of the immune system adapts to coronavirus. Adaptive CEO Chad Robins pointed out the government is heavily relying on studies from Israel to make decisions around booster shots.

"Where [the government] spent a lot of time and effort funding vaccine development, we haven't systematically funded what the immune response is," Chad Robins said.

From Lego blocks to booster shots

Just thirteen months apart, Harlan and Chad Robins were "like twins," said their mother, Karen Robins. The boys grew up in Chicago and were avid Lego fans. Chad would point to photos of which structure he wanted, and big brother Harlan would make it for him.

"Harlan will build it and Chad will sell it," Karen Robins recalled her late husband, Larry, often saying.

After college, Harlan pursued science and research at "The Hutch," while Chad went into finance and real estate. At a San Diego conference in 2009, Harlan presented a discovery he made on how to analyze the genetic content of the immune system. After dozens of professors flocked to ask him about the technology, Harlan called Chad from the hotel pool and pitched him on starting a business.

While the company is losing money on every COVID-19 test it does, it sees this work as an "obligation." The entire company is still "a few years" from profitability, Chad Robins said.

Adaptive primarily sells its technology to academics and drugmakers. Dr. Whitney Harrington, an infectious disease researcher at Seattle Children's Research Institute uses Adaptive to study the transfer of immune cells from mothers to babies through the placenta and breast milk. Other tools offer her details about immune cells that Adaptive can't. But Harrington said a key advantage to Adaptive's service is she can readily access results online and is less dependent on a computational biologist to generate initial insights.

Another category of customers includes physicians who help diagnose diseases. They are a "growing proportion" of the company's revenue, said Chad Robins. For example, Adaptive can help cancer patients detect lingering tumor cells well after they have undergone treatment.

One challenge with diagnostic testing is obtaining reimbursement from "an insurance system that is not designed to favor preventive care and screening," said Evan Lodes, a partner at New York-based Senator Investment Group, which invested in Adaptive in 2015.

"Ultimately, what we hope to do is get this blood test into primary care," said Chad Robins. Still, he noted that was likely still five years away.

Lodes isn't worried. He said therapeutics for immunology and infectious diseases today sell more than $100 billion annually. "The opportunity set is so large ... it would be a shame to prioritize near-term profitability" over growth, he said.

'Astonishing' entrepreneurship at Fred Hutch

Juno and Adaptive's tremendous growth has prompted Fred Hutchinson to find ways to replicate their success.

In recent years, the cancer center has added reinforcements to the team that builds new startups of this kind and brings new discoveries to market. It recruited Niki Robinson and Hilary Hehman, both of whom built the commercial patent pipeline at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and tasked them with marketing Fred Hutch's discoveries to outside investors.

Hehman said it was "astonishing" to her just how "entrepreneurially focused" the culture is at Fred Hutch. "I don't know what it is about The Hutch, but I feel like it attracts people that have that sensibility."

In the four years since 2017, the number of startups and licenses out of the center has nearly doubled compared to the four years prior.

Still, Seattle has a long history of building biotech companies that are eventually acquired by larger juggernauts. Years after Amgen acquired Seattle-built Immunex in 2002 for $16 billion, the California-based drugmaker decided to close its Puget Sound campus, leaving many of Seattle's biotech brains soul-searching.

"It's so much excitement around each company and then a little bit of heartbreak when they're acquired," said Leslie Alexandre, president and CEO of Life Science Washington. "The next thing you know, the company has been moved."

Adaptive's strategy to bring products to market in all three key life sciences segmentsresearch, diagnostics and drug discoveryis evidence of its commitment to building a "stand-alone" company, Chad Robins said.

The goal is to "be an anchor tenant in the Seattle area," he said. "We weren't building the company to be acquired."

To that end, Adaptive opened a new office Tuesday in Eastlake. One other marker of that commitment: Karen Robins, the brothers' mom, has moved into a houseboat on Lake Union within eyeshot of the office, and often visits her sons for lunch.

"If she had her way, she'd be here every day," Chad Robins said.

Explore further The number and clonality of TCRs are associated with the prognosis of colorectal cancer

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German scientists brought together and re-analyzed the data from 94 previous studies looking at damage to freshwater ecosystems from recreational activities around the world, and say boating had the most consistently negative effect on the environment, affecting individual plants and animals, whole populations, and even whole communities of organisms.

Human presence at water bodies can have a range of ecological impacts, creating trade-offs between recreation as an ecosystem service and conservation. Conservation policies could be improved by relying on robust knowledge about the relative ecological impacts of water-based recreation. The first global synthesis on recreation ecology in aquatic ecosystems differentiates the ecological impacts of shore use, (shoreline) angling, swimming, and boating. Impacts were assessed at three levels of biological organization (individuals, populations, and communities) for several taxa. Impacts of boating and shore use resulted in consistently negative, significant ecological impacts across all levels of biological organization. The results were less consistent for angling and swimming. Strongest negative effects were observed in invertebrates and plants.

Some water-based activities may have a negative effect on freshwater ecosystems. In the first global analysis of recreation and aquatic ecosystems, researchers found impacts of water-based activities on freshwater ecosystems are often negative, but vary by activity type, species affected and their ecological responses. The authors recommend that conservationists should avoid bluntly assuming all recreation activities impact freshwater ecosystems the same way.

More information: Malwina Schafft et al, Ecological impacts of water-based recreational activities on freshwater ecosystems: a global meta-analysis, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Malwina Schafft et al, Ecological impacts of water-based recreational activities on freshwater ecosystems: a global meta-analysis,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1623
Although there have been no casualties, the damage to land and property has been enormous.

A vast wall of molten lava creeping down the slopes of Spain's La Palma island has now destroyed 320 buildings, as distraught residents watched the flow inching towards the sea on Wednesday.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Sunday in the south of La Palma, one of seven islands that make up the Canary Islands archipelago off the coast of Morocco.

The EU's Copernicus observation programme said the lava now covered 154 hectares and had destroyed 320 buildings, double the figure it had given 24 hours earlier.

Experts are expecting the number to rise as the slow-moving mass slides towards the island's western coast, when its interaction with the sea is likely to cause explosions and trigger toxic gas emissions.

So far, 6,100 people have been evacuated, among them 400 tourists who were taken to the neighbouring island of Tenerife, the Canaries regional government said.

Although there have been no casualties, the damage to land and property has been enormous, with the Canaries regional head Angel Victor Torres estimating the figures to be well over 400 million euros ($470 million).

In a desperate attempt to divert the flow, firefighters could be seen using heavy machinery to dig a channel towards a nearby ravine as the advancing lava glowed in the background.

"It's not for a want of trying," they tweeted alongside a video of the digger hard at work.

Map of the island of La Palma showing the lava flow from the Cumbre Vieja volcano.

'Battle of titans'

Experts working on the Pevolca volcanic emergency plan say there are two lava flows: one to the north and one further south, which is barely moving.

David Calvo, an expert with the Involcan volcanology institute, said the lava had "slowed down a lot because it is reaching a very flat area but it is gaining height. There are areas where it is already 15 metres thick".

If the lavawhich has a temperature of 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit)continues to move at the same pace, it will reach the sea later on Wednesday or possibly Thursday.

And when it gets there, there will be "a huge battle of the titans between the water and the lava," he said.

"With those contrasting temperatures, it causes massive explosions and a fragmentation of the lava which shoots out like missiles."

Exploding fragments

Involcan experts witnessed the same phenomenon in 2018 at the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii where 16 people were hurt by the explosion of fragments and one person "almost lost a leg", he said.

When the lava reaches the shore, it will send clouds of acidic, toxic gas into the air.

When the lava reaches the shore, it will also send clouds of acidic, toxic gas into the air, generated by the interaction with the seawater, which can be dangerous to inhale, experts say.

The volcano was also putting out some 10,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions per day which showed "the pace, the intensity of the eruption is not going to decrease", Calvo said.

Involcan believes the eruption of La Cumbre Vieja could last "between 24 and 84 days".

The eruption on this island of some 85,000 people, the first in 50 years, may have caused huge damages over a vast area, but so far nobody has been hurt.

The local authorities also urged the population to avoid contact with volcanic ash, warning it could cause damage to the respiratory tract and eyes as well as skin irritation.

"Dealing with this crisis won't end when the lava reaches the sea," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.

"It will end when we've managed to rebuild everything the volcano has destroyed and will destroy."

Explore further Lava engulfs 100 homes as Canary Islands volcano erupts

 2021 AFP
At top: Changes over time in the average silica (SiO2) content of the continents. The orange star represents the current value for continental crust, namely 67% of its mass, while the green star indicates the current value for oceanic crust, 50% of its mass. Continental crust has always been rich in silica compared to the more silica-poor oceanic crust. At bottom: Periods of major crustal growth (grey vertical bars) as recorded in sedimentary rocks over the past 3.7 billion years. Credit:  Marion Garcon

The continents, a specific feature of our planet, still hold many secrets. Using chemical data on sedimentary rocks compiled from the scientific literature from the 1980s to the present day, CNRS researcher Marion Garcon has uncovered a new geological history of the continents. She shows that their growth was not a continuous process, and that they have always been rich in silica. This new study, published on September 22, 2021 in Science Advances, calls into question certain models of the onset of plate tectonics and provides us with a better understanding of continental growth through time.

The continents which, depending on the model used, number five, six, seven or even more, are still shrouded in mystery. They make up the emerged part of the Earth's continental crust. The continents have varied reliefs as well as rocks of different composition and ages, and this diversity makes them difficult to study.

Marion Garcon, a CNRS researcher at the Laboratoire magmas et volcans (CNRS / IRD / Clermont Auvergne University) studied a compilation of data bringing together information on sedimentary rocks with ages ranging from 3.7 billion years ago to the present day. Using chemical data acquired since the 1980s, the researcher took a fresh look at the sedimentary rock record. In this new study, she was able to draw two conclusions that call into question certain models and theories on continental growth.

Her first conclusion is that the continents have always been silica-rich. On average, silica makes up 67 percent of continental mass, and its content has never fallen below 60 percent throughout Earth's history. This first discovery is in contradiction with models that suggest that the continents were relatively depleted in silica but rich in iron and magnesium at the beginning of Earth's history.

Her second conclusion is that continental growth is not a continuous process. There have been six major periods of continental growth, occurring every 500700 million years over the past 3.7 billion years. These events enabled the continents to grow to the size they are today. They may be connected to cycles of assembly and breakup of supercontinents such as the most well-known of them, Pangaea.

Throughout our planet's history, supercontinents have experienced periods of breakup and assembly with a frequency close to that of the six episodes of continental growth discovered in this study. Although no correlation can currently be established between these events, this may help to guide future research. Garcon's work sheds new light on the composition and growth of continents over time, making it possible to refine geological models and thus pave the way for new studies.

Explore further New model suggests lost continents for early Earth

More information: Episodic growth of felsic continents in the past 3.7 Ga, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances Episodic growth of felsic continents in the past 3.7 Ga,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj1807
Current excavations at Bacho Kiro Cave of the 2021 season are unearthing new artifacts from the Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal occupations. The Initial Upper Palaeolithic Layer I can be seen as a dark band in the sediment profile. Excavators are wearing masks and gloves to minimize contamination of samples that are regularly taken for molecular analyses. Credit: MPI-EVA/ Tsenka Tsanova

Using oxygen stable isotope analysis of tooth enamel from animals butchered by humans at the site of Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria, Max Planck researchers show that human groups belonging to an early wave of dispersal of our species into Europe were faced with very cold climatic conditions while they occupied the cave between about 46,000 and 43,000 years ago. Archaeological remains at Bacho Kiro Cave currently represent the oldest known remnants of Upper Paleolithic Homo sapiens in Europe, and thus open a unique window into the time when our species started to move out of the Levant and establish itself across the mid latitudes of Eurasia as part of an archaeological phenomenon called the Initial Upper Paleolithic.

The process how our species dispersed into new environments at that time represents an important evolutionary turning point that ultimately led to Homo sapiens populating all continents and a large diversity of climate zones and environments. The mechanisms that facilitated initial waves of expansion remain debated, but a majority of models based on the correlation of archaeological sites with spatially distant climatic archives has so far indicated that human groups relied on warmer climatic conditions to spread into new, more northern, environments.

Using evidence directly from the archaeological layers of Bacho Kiro Cave the Max Planck team was now able to show that humans have been enduring very cold climatic conditions, similar to the ones typical for present-day northern Scandinavia, for several thousand years. "Our evidence shows that these human groups were more flexible with regard to the environments they used and more adaptable to different climatic conditions than previously thought," says lead author Sarah Pederzani, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the University of Aberdeen. Jean-Jacques Hublin, director of the Department of Human Evolution at the Max Planck Institute, adds: "Using these new insights, new models of the spread of our species across Eurasia will now need to be constructed, taking into account their higher degree of climatic flexibility."

High crowned horse teeth - such as the one shown here, recovered from the lower layers of the Bacho Kiro Cave sequence - were analysed for the oxygen isotopic composition of tooth enamel to reconstruct seasonal temperatures during the animal's life. Credit: MPI-EVA/ Sarah Pederzani

Archaeological materials from Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria

By directly using archaeological materials, such as the remains of herbivores butchered by humans, to generate climatic data the palaeoclimate research teamled by Pederzani and Kate Britton, also a researcher at Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the University of Aberdeenwas able to establish a very robust record of local climatic conditions that specifically relates to the times when humans were inhabiting Bacho Kiro Cave.

"This technique enables a more confident assignment of local climatic context compared to the more commonly used chronological correlation between archaeological data and climatic archives from different localities that formed the basis of much of the existing research on human climatic adaptabilityit really gives us insight into what life was like 'on the ground'", says Britton. "However, due to the time consuming nature of the analysis and the reliance on the availability of particular animal remains, oxygen isotope studies or other ways of generating climatic data directly from archaeological sites remain scarce for the time period when Homo sapiens first spread across Eurasia," adds Pederzani. Indeed, this Max Planck study is the first study conducted in the context of the Initial Upper Paleolithic and could therefore yield such surprising results.

Tooth enamel samples from animal teeth are processed in a wet chemistry lab to to isolate oxygen-bearing compounds for stable isotope analysis that yields climatic information. Here the lead author of this study can be seen adding acid to samples to bring them into solution. As this process involves the use of hazardous substances, lab scientists are wearing protective gear like gloves, aprons and face shields. Credit: MPI-EVA

Highly resolved record of past temperatures spanning more than 7,000 years

Pederzani spent one year conducting lab work from drilling series of small samples from the animal teeth through wet chemistry preparation and stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry to obtain all the necessary data. "Through this time intensive analysis that included a total of 179 samples, it was possible to obtain a very highly resolved record of past temperatures, including summer, winter and mean annual temperature estimates for human occupations spanning more than 7,000 years," says Pederzani.

Renewed excavations at Bacho Kiro Cave conducted by an international team led by Max Planck researchers Jean-Jacques Hublin, Tsenka Tsanova and Shannon McPherron, and Nikolay Sirakov of the National Institute of Archaeology with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia, Bulgaria, started in 2015 and have yielded a rich archaeological record of human activity at the cave including the remnants of occupations that represent the earliest known occurrence of Upper Paleolithic Homo sapiens in Europe. Deposits in the lower portion of the site contained a large number of animal bones, stone tools, pendants and even human fossils and formed the basis of the climatic study to investigate the environmental conditions that humans experienced when they first spread into Southeast Europe from the Levant.

The study is published in Science Advances.

Explore further New research determines our species created earliest modern artifacts in Europe

More information: Subarctic climate for the earliest Homo sapiens in Europe, Science Advances, www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abi4642 Journal information: Science Advances Subarctic climate for the earliest Homo sapiens in Europe,
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The necklace, nametag, earrings or uniform you chose to put on this morning might say more than you realize about your social status, job or some other aspect of your identity.

Anthropologists say humans have been doing thisfinding ways to communicate about themselves without the fuss of conversationfor millennia.

But shell beads recovered from a cave in western Morocco, determined to be between 142,000 and 150,000 years old, suggest that this behavior may go back much farther than previously thought. The finding, detailed Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, was made by a team of archaeologists that includes Steven L. Kuhn, a professor of anthropology in the University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

The beads, Kuhn and his colleagues say, are the earliest known evidence of a widespread form of nonverbal human communication, and they shed new light on how humans' cognitive abilities and social interactions evolved.

"They were probably part of the way people expressed their identity with their clothing," Kuhn said. "They're the tip of the iceberg for that kind of human trait. They show that it was present even hundreds of thousands of years ago, and that humans were interested in communicating to bigger groups of people than their immediate friends and family."

How does this ancient form of communication show up today? It happens often, Kuhn said.

"You think about how society workssomebody's tailgating you in traffic, honking their horn and flashing their lights, and you think, 'What's your problem?'" Kuhn said. "But if you see they're wearing a blue uniform and a peaked cap, you realize it's a police officer pulling you over."

Kuhn and an international team of archaeologists recovered the 33 beads between 2014 and 2018 near the mouth of Bizmoune Cave, about 10 miles inland from Essaouira, a city on Morocco's Atlantic coast.

Kuhn co-directs archaeological research at Bizmoune Cave with Abdeljalil Bouzouggar, a professor at the National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage in Rabat, Morocco, and Phillipe Fernandez, from the University Aix-Marseille in France, who are also authors on the study. El Mehdi Sehasseh, a graduate student at the National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage, who did the detailed study of the beads, is the study's lead author.

The beads uncovered by Kuhn and his collaborators were made from sea snail shells, and each measures roughly half an inch long. Holes in the center of the beads, as well as other markings from wear and tear, indicate that they were hung on strings or from clothing, Kuhn said.

The beads are like many others found at sites throughout northern and southern Africa, but previous examples date back to no older than 130,000 years. Ancient beads from North Africa are associated with the Aterian, a Middle Stone Age culture known for its distinctive stemmed spear points, whose people hunted gazelles, wildebeest, warthogs and rhinoceros, among other animals.

The beads serve as potential clues for anthropologists studying the evolution of human cognition and communication. Researchers have long been interested in when language appeared. But there was no material record of language until just a few thousand years ago, when humans began writing things down.

The beads, Kuhn said, are essentially a fossilized form of basic communication.

"We don't know what they meant, but they're clearly symbolic objects that were deployed in a way that other people could see them," he said.

The beads are also notable for their lasting form. Rather than painting their bodies or faces with ochre or charcoal, as many people did, the beads' makers made something more permanent, Kuhn said, suggesting the message they intended to convey was a lasting and important one.

In many ways, the beads raise more questions than they answer. Kuhn said he and his colleagues are now interested in learning why the Aterian people felt the need to make the beads when they did. They're exploring several possible explanations. One, Kuhn said, involves a growing population; as more people began occupying North Africa, they may have needed ways to identify themselves.

It is also possible that people in North Africa started using the method of communication at a time when the climate was cold and dry. They may have developed clans or other allegiances to protect limited resources, then perhaps used the beads to express their ethnicity or other identity to show they belonged in a certain area, Kuhn said.

"It's one thing to know that people were capable of making them," Kuhn said, "but then the question becomes, 'OK, what stimulated them to do it?'"

Other UArizona researchers involved with the study were Mary Stiner, a Regents Professor of Anthropology; Francois Lanoe, a research scientist in the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology; and anthropology doctoral candidates Kayla Worthey and Ismael Sanchez-Morales.

Explore further Naturally perforated shells one of the earliest adornments in the Middle Paleolithic

More information: Early Middle Stone Age personal ornaments from Bizmoune Cave, Essaouira, Morocco, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances Early Middle Stone Age personal ornaments from Bizmoune Cave, Essaouira, Morocco,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi8620
With worldwide temperatures expected to climb, electric grids may become overwhelmed due to inefficient cooling systems. PNNL researchers developed more efficient cooling technology that reduces energy consumption. Credit: Wang An Qi | Shutterstock.com

As temperatures soar, air conditioners switch on. Cooling takes lots of energywhich strains power grids and drives up emissions in countries still dependent on fossil fuels.

Nearly 20% of electricity used worldwide is used for cooling buildings. Left unchecked, this number could triple by 2035. One solution: develop technologies to make cooling more efficient.

Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are developing an alternative cooling technology that uses adsorption (with a 'd')the attachment and release of refrigerant compounds by an adsorbent material. In search of various nanoporous materials as adsorbents, researchers turned to covalent organic polymers (COPs). COPs can adsorb three times more refrigerant than the best available alternatives, resulting in more efficient cooling.

But the story about how this recent discovery came about is a bit unexpected. Small defects in the material increased the adsorption in a perfectly imperfect way.

"It was unusualyou know? We knew something unexplained was happening with our results, but weren't exactly sure why," said Radha Motkuri, a PNNL chemical engineer who led the study, which was selected as a HOT article and in the top 10% of publications in Angewandte Chemie.

More efficient cooling  by accident

Some of the world's big discoveries were made by accident, such as nylon, the invention of microwaves, or even shatterproof glass. In the case of cooling, some small glitches led to big insights.

For the past decade, Pete McGrail, a PNNL Laboratory Fellow, and Motkuri, along with their team, have been studying materials that are more efficient at adsorbing common refrigerants used in their adsorption cooling technology. They've made big strides in engineering different types of porous materials that host refrigerants. But they thought there might be unexplored potential in other nanoporous materials, including COPs.

"As climate issues continue to grow, finding ways to reduce energy consumption, such as through alternative and more efficient cooling, is an absolute must," said McGrail. "This research builds upon our 2017 R&D 100 Award winning cooling technology."

Future power demands are expected to climb, and air conditioning already takes a lot of energy. Credit: Demian Cher | Shutterstock.com

Polymers are used in all walks of life, from shampoos to space suits. They can be combined with other elements to serve different purposeswhen combined with carbon, for example, they can be turned into polyester and nylon.

The team tested 23 different COPs to see their potential for adsorption cooling or refrigeration. Most plateaued with low adsorption capacities, which means they couldn't adsorb anymore and were maxed out. But, two didn'tthe adsorption increased. And kept climbing.

"We thought something was wrong with the instrument when we tested adsorption capacities. The rates were way higher than we expected," said Motkuri.

So, they tried again. They got the same results. Two compounds, called COP-2 and COP-3, had sky-high adsorption capacities. They were so high that it was beyond what the researchers were expecting. So, Motkuri reached out to a collaborator in France, Guillaume Maurin at the University of Montpellier, with expertise in molecular simulations to predict the adsorption of these two polymers.

Like a slinky, COP-2 and COP-3 are chemical rings of carbon and nitrogen, all stacked together. They had to unpack each layer to see how it affected adsorption.

Weirdly, the simulated COP-2 and COP-3 structure models didn't lead to adsorption levels they saw at the lab bench. In the simulations, the adsorption plateaued. In the lab, however, it exponentially climbed.

"That's when we realized something else was going on," said Motkuri. "And, our team had an idea." Based on prior work, the researchers knew small defects play an interesting role in adsorption. "What if we added defects to these COP structure models in the simulation?"

Defects that are anything but defective

Maurin and his team used simulations to create small holes, or defects, in the material by removing some of the chemical features from the rings.

Radha Motkuri and his team tested 23 different COPs to see if adsorption increased or plateaued. Credit: Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

"That's when we saw something magical happen," said Motkuri. The adsorption increased, and the adsorption for the highly defective polymers lined up with the lab results.

They found that strategic defects enhance adsorption in COPs, which explained the increased rates they saw in the lab.

"Two of the COPs we were testing in the lab had defects to begin with," said Maurin. "Sometimes things work out, even when it's a bit unexpected."

Why is efficient cooling so important for the climate?

Cooling isn't just for comfort on a hot summer day. Extreme heat is a deadly health hazard. With rising global temperatures, some populated regions could become too hot to be habitable certain parts of the year.

Additionally, future power demands are expected to climb, and air conditioning already takes a lot of energy. In 2019, 8.5% of U.S. electricity consumption was from air conditioners, according to the International Energy Agency. Worldwide, electric grids may become overwhelmed as the number of cooling systems increases, populations grow, and incomes increase, enabling more people to afford air conditioners.

This becomes particularly important in areas where energy doesn't come from green sources. Air conditioning is expected to substantially increase in countries where it is currently less common, such as Indonesia or India.

High-performance air conditioners could cut the energy demand for cooling in half. Developing technologies in the drive toward more efficient cooling is a key goal, especially because energy required for cooling is expected to triple over the next three decades. Technology development for more efficient cooling can help mitigate challenges in a rapidly warming world.

Explore further Targeting the perfect metal-organic framework cooling combination
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Examining the practices landlords use to screen potential tenants can offer significant insights into how racism continues to shape life outcomes. While sociological research on racial discrimination in housing has increasingly highlighted the key role that landlords play as gatekeepers to rental housing markets, this research has largely been operating under the fundamental assumption that landlords are selecting tenants from an applicant pool of both White and non-White applicants.

But the reality of urban housing markets, shaped by historical patterns of racial segregation and other structural barriers, is that landlords are usually selecting from same-race applicant pools. So how does race influence the way these landlord-gatekeepers screen and differentiate among prospective tenants in racially homogeneous rental markets?

This is one of the questions that Eva Rosen, Assistant Professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy; Philip M. E. Garboden, HCRC Professor in Affordable Housing Economics, Policy, and Planning at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; and Jennifer E. Cossyleon, a Policy Advisor at Community Change, examine in their new study, "Racial Discrimination in Housing: How Landlords Use Algorithms and Home Visits to Screen Tenants," appearing in the October 2021 issue of American Sociological Review.

The authors drew their data from observations and interviews with 157 landlords who rent in lower-cost housing markets in Baltimore, MD; Cleveland, OH; Dallas, TX; and Washington, D.C. The authors found that in their aim to select "good" tenantsthose who will pay rent reliably and causes minimal property damage, for examplelandlords rely on two types of proxies.

More professionalized and resourced landlords tend to rely on superficially objective screening algorithms that calculate a prospective tenant's eligibility based on income, credit report, criminal history, and residential history. In contrast, mom-and-pop landlords make decisions based on informal and subjective mechanisms that are racialized and gendered, such as "gut feelings" that judge a prospective tenant's appearance, demeanor, and family status.

While evaluation through algorithm may seem fair and objective, especially when compared to the highly subjective "gut proxy," the authors argue that in both cases the burden is on the prospective tenant to defy stereotypes, ultimately limiting residential options for low-income, subsidized residents of color and compounding inequality through exclusion: "Both forms of discrimination ultimately perpetuate the sorting processes that created them in the first place." The authors see their findings as connecting to recent literatures on inequalities in other areas, such as employment and criminal justice, that highlight the perverse effect of policies and procedures that reproduce discriminatory outcomes rather than disrupt them.

How, then should landlords decide who to rent to? What systems might make this process more equitable and less discriminatory? Among their recommendations, the authors suggest eliminating the screening techniques that serve no function other than as stand-ins of race, gender, and class. Credit scores, for example, serve only as a crude proxy for poverty. "Computational screening process should focus almost entirely on a tenant's expected ability to pay, based either on wage income or housing voucher receipt, with no distinction made between the various sources of income."

"We must hold landlords using discriminatory practices to account," say the authors, "but our research also points to a larger problem: Rental assistance for low-income families in this country is not sufficient to meet demand. Private landlords are left holding the bag. And one way they attempt to mitigate risk is by using imperfectoften racist, sexist, and otherwise discriminatoryscreening tools to judge tenants' worth."

The authors look to the housing voucher program for key indicators of how to build toward a non-discriminatory housing market. Their research shows that when landlords profit from renting through the voucher program, they overcome their stereotypes of subsidized renters of color. Consequently, providing an economic safety net to low-income tenants that guarantees their ability to pay rent may reduce the intersectional discrimination they face from landlords.

Policymakers should consider programs to build and increase access to housing renters can afford, making the housing search process easier for burdened renters and reducing housing discrimination, the authors say. "We hope this work will help organizing and advocacy efforts led by renters across the country."

Explore further High water bills can unintentionally harm disadvantaged tenants
While New Orleans new $14.5 billion levee system protected the city from major flooding during Hurricane Ida, the team visited areas near Grand Isle, LA, where local levees failed. Credit: Adda Athanasopoulos-Zekkos

When Hurricane Ida barreled into Louisiana late last month, bringing 10- to 15-foot storm surges and record-breaking winds, many wondered whether the New Orleans' levee systemnewly rebuilt at a cost of approximately $14.5 billionwould be strong enough to prevent the catastrophic flooding that inundated the city following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The levees appear to have heldbut three weeks later, many Louisiana residents remain without power.

To learn more about the impact of Hurricane Idaand how it compares to the impact of Hurricane Katrina 16 years agoBerkeley News spoke with civil and environmental engineering professor Adda Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, who traveled to Louisiana last week as part of a team of engineers organized by the National Science Foundation's Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association.

The team spent three days crisscrossing the southeastern corner of Louisiana, collecting photographs, videos and other documentation of the hurricane's impact on the state's levee and power systems. They will return later in the month for a more thorough assessment.

Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, who also visited Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina as part of an earlier GEER team, shared her observations from the recent visit and what she thinks these disasters can teach us about climate resilience.

What are some of your initial impressions of the impacts of Hurricane Ida on Louisiana?

One of the most important observations is that the levee system that protects the city of New Orleansand that failed at several locations following Hurricane Katrinaperformed as expected in this event. This was a very strong hurricane that loaded the system with storm surge and winds, and it performed very, very well. We did see a lot of flooding and some partial levee failures in Grand Isle, which was where Ida made landfall. But these are not federally owned and operated levees and are not necessarily built to the same standards.

However, energy and the lack of electricity is probably going to be the main story of Hurricane Ida. This is something that we saw everywhere, just poles knocked over, cut wires lying on the ground. And there are so many people working to bring that system back up. Everywhere we drove, there were trucks with workers from Entergy, the local electric company, and others, as well, trying to get that infrastructure back up. We should also keep in mind that it is very hot and humid in Louisiana right now. Lack of electricity means lack of access to air conditioning, for example, and if you're trying to pump water, it means you need to have a backup generator to do so.

It does seem that much of news coverage of Hurricane Ida has focused on the impacts of the massive power outage, and people suffering without things like air conditioning. Did your team observe any other impacts that haven't received as much coverage, or that you think might surprise people?

Many people are still being asked to be very careful with clean water usage, for example, and to not overstress that system, so that everybody can have some access to clean water.

Another important issue is the question of what happens with all the hurricane debris. It's unbelievable to drive through neighborhoods and just see these pilesalmost mountainsof debris. And this consists of everything from cut-up tree branches and organic debris to household debris, because basically everything that was in a flooded house can no longer be used. We saw everything out on the street in piles, from refrigerators to furniture to clothes to kids' toys, and even electrical devices and appliances.

One of my colleagues, associate professor Navid Jafari from Louisiana State University, who is my co-lead on the project, told me that some of these events produce the same amount of waste that this area normally would have created in a year. In the past, if you had one of these events every 50 years, one can argue that a country like the U.S. would be able to accommodate that. But now, with everything that's happeningwith wildfires in the West, flooding in the East and hurricanes in the SouthI think we need to really start addressing the issue of where is all this debris going to end up.

I imagine that some of this waste could also be hazardous or toxic, as well.

Athanasopoulos-Zekkos joined CNNs John Vause on Sept 2 to discuss the need for continued investment in infrastructure as climate change brings major shifts to weather patterns.

Oh, absolutely. Many of these areas were under 10, 11, 12 feet of water. And they included gas stations, cemeteries and many other things that are now seeping into this groundwater table.

What do you think we have learned about managing these climate disasters in the 16 years between Hurricane Katrina and Ida? What other protections do we need to put in place?

With Hurricane Katrina, the main highlight was all the levee failures, and all of the things that the Army Corps of Engineers changed following that event. And that includes both physical infrastructure, but also organizational infrastructure within the agency itself. For example, making sure there are many layers of oversight for different tasks, and having a more clearly laid out organizational structure in terms of who is responsible for what. I think that also significantly improved and is working better right now.

However, we still need to look more closely at many of the effects. We're still trying to collect data, for example, on the three major pipelines that bring crude oil through Port Fourchon. We have some unconfirmed reports that parts of that pipeline system may have been affected. And when these pipelines get shut down, which was the case with one of the three, that can be felt as gas shortages or prices spiking in other areas. So, all of a sudden, you're paying more for gas in Michigan because of an event that happened in Louisiana.

And this just shows how connected all these systems are, and how we learn to depend on parts of the infrastructure that may not even be physically close to us. It's really important to understand these interdependencies and try to have backup plans and redundancies and various layers of protection. I think this is going to be what a lot of people are going to look into, especially with the failure of the delivery of electricity into the city.

It seems like we as a society have a pattern of waiting until infrastructure fails before addressing its vulnerabilities. As climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather events, what do you think it will take for us to start to really plan ahead for these risks?

I think you bring up an excellent point, and this is why it is so important to have diverse, multidisciplinary teams working together. For us to make progress on addressing these disasters in a good, smooth way, without aggravating communities and forcibly changing their way of life, we need to have everybody sitting around the table, including engineers, stakeholders, community representatives, scientists and policy people, so that we can finally say, "OK, this is what we've been dealing with over the last 10 or 20 years. How can we bring everything together and make sure that we are truly more resilient as a society and not have to wait every time for the next event to learn a new lesson?"

And that will continue to happen to a certain degree, but there is a lot of information now available that should allow us to hold ourselves to a very high standard and say, "Should we have known better?"

Do you have any examples of what more resilient systems would look like?

Well, for example, in the case of Hurricane Ida, it would have meant that there was some backup system to deliver electricity. When transmission towers or central points of delivery of electricity are taken down, it's not just an inconvenience for certain neighborhoods. It becomes dangerous, because it can affect many other components of the system, such as health care delivery or the ability to operate water pumps. The Army Corps of Engineers, for example, has backup generators for the water pumps that operate in the three main canals that go into the heart of New Orleans. And so, we need to think, "OK, we have that backup plan for the pumps, what's the second layer that we need to protect? How are we making sure that we can continue to bring electricity to our hospitals? How can we continue to bring electricity across the transportation network so that the traffic lights keep working, so people can still go where they need to go in a safe way?"

How can people start to think more critically about the risks we face from climate change, both individually and as a society?

I think this is going to be a very important conversation over the next several years. For me, I think it definitely needs to start from early childhood education. And by that I mean that we need to make sure that everybody who is a citizen of this country, and of the world, needs to really understand how infrastructure workswhere the resources are coming from, where the dangers are coming from, how the dangers are increasing in frequency, and what that means for certain areas.

The Dutch offer a great example of how to do this. In the Netherlands, people are living on land that is below sea level, and so canals, pumping and flood protection are all part of their way of life. Starting in kindergarten, kids are taught how the water system, drainage and sewers are built, and how the various parts of infrastructure contribute to their safety. So, as they're growing up, it's really ingrained into them that flooding is a major threat for their country.

Unfortunately, given climate change, it needs to be ingrained into all of us that there's going to be flooding, there are going to be wildfires, there's going to be a lot of these extreme events that are no longer rare. And so, we need to make it a bigger part of our education. And hopefully, by the time the next generation of engineers gets here, it will be much easier to convince people of why risk reduction is so important, and they can move faster toward real solutions.

Explore further Hurricane Ida could become costliest weather disaster: UN
Stacks of flour at a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is expected that more than 85 countries at the UN Food Systems Summit this week will pledge their commitment to transforming food systems. Credit: Kaukab Jhumra Smith/USAID, (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Leaders from more than 85 countries will pledge their commitment to transforming food systems at the UN Food Systems Summit this week, but scientists say close monitoring of their actions beyond the talks will be the true test of success.

The summit, being held virtually during the UN General Assembly high-level week in New York, is expected to include pledges on healthy meals for all schoolchildren, food waste reduction, and harness ingagricultural innovation to meet climate goals.

In the 18 months leading up to the event on Thursday, 148 countries have hosted national dialogs with key actors across food systems to develop national strategies for more resilient and sustainable food systems, the UN said, touting the summit as an "historic opportunity" to put global development goals back on track.

"After 18 long months, the world is on the brink of a summit that aims to change the trajectory of global progress, uniting everyone in a shared commitment to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals and the fundamental human rights at their core," said Agnes Kalibata, the UN secretary-general's special envoy for the summit, in a statement issued Monday.

But many scientists are concerned that national commitmentswhich will not be legally bindingwill be hollow unless accountability mechanisms are established.

Boyd Swinburn, professor of population nutrition and global health at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, said: "My fears are that the 'country commitments' will be so vague and unmeasurable that they provide no basis for holding governments and companies to account."

Swinburn, who leads the international INFORMAS network, which tracks food policy implementation, is one of a number of scientists behind a new accountability pact to monitor governments' actions beyond the summit. The pact has garnered the support of more than 250 scientists worldwide.

"The Accountability Pact is a call out to scientists around the world to join the existing networks of groups monitoring action to improve food systems and to boost our efforts so that we are getting relevant research onto the policy table," said Swinburn.

Experts in nutrition and agriculture writing in the journal Global Food Security this month, called for an "accountability mechanism tied to guaranteed investments" to ensure pledges made at the summit are followed through. They said it should be supported by a scientific body with a "robust monitoring system" that openly evaluates evidence, "with indicators and benchmarks that the world can feasibly track."

Namukolo Covic, senior research coordinator at the International Food Policy Research Institute and one of the authors of the article, said such a mechanism was important for holding not just governments, but commercial enterprises to account.

The summit has been boycotted by a large number of civil society groups and scientists who claim big agribusinesses have been integral to the summit process at the expense of small-scale producers and indigenous peopleclaims which the UN strongly denies.

"If this is supposed to be an inclusive process, it means [private companies] might find entry points to contribute to the process, but what might be those accountability mechanisms to ensure that they are contributing positively to the transformation process?" asked Namukolo.

The Ethiopian nutritionist, who was closely involved in the UN summit process, believes that the implementation of national roadmaps will be paramount if real change is to be seen beyond the talks.

"[The summit's] success will be determined by how successful the country roadmaps become," Namukolo said. "All the changes that we wish for  at the global level will only be realized based on what actions are taken by individual countries, by communities, by individuals like you and me."

Qu Dongyu, director-general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, said the FAO would be "taking the lead to implement follow-up actions after the summit," but added: "Transforming our global agri-food systems rests ultimately with actions at the country and local levels."

Outlining the issues underpinning the need for food systems change, he said: "After decades of decline, the number of hungry people has been growing for the past five years, now amounting to as many as 811 million people.

"At the same time, obesity and other non-communicable diseases are ever-growing global problems  Many of the current agri-food practices are also exacting a heavy toll on our planet."

To ensure that the summit focuses on solutions to these challenges, and is "more than a talking-shop," existing mechanisms such as the Committee on Global Food security must be utilized, says Nitya Rao, director of the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development, in the UK. "Solutions are known, what is needed is the buy-in from different stakeholders," she said.

Outlining what she hopes to see result from the summit, she said: "We need a people-centric approach to food systems that acknowledges diversity and inequality, and seeks to radically transform [food systems] in favor of the most marginal. It needs to recognize women's and indigenous people's knowledges and support multiple, context-specific pathways towards sustainability."

Explore further Do we need an IPCC for food?

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Credit: Shutterstock

Any democratic nation in the world holding a legislative or presidential election in the late 1960s could expect around 77% of its citizens to turn up to vote. These days, they can expect more like 67%  a decline that is both problematic and puzzling.

Research shows that low turnout is bad for democracy. It usually means that socioeconomically underprivileged citizens vote less and, as a result, public policies benefit the rich. Politicians feel less under public scrutiny and turn a deaf ear to the needs of the wider public. Instead of formulating general public policies serving society at large, governments can more easily target benefits to their core supporters.

And the decline has occurred against a backdrop that might be more likely to imply an increase in election participation. Educational attainment has increased since the 1960s, for example and election results have become closerwhich would be thought to mobilize electorates.

Evolution of voter turnout in national elections 19452017

Scholars and pundits have offered several hypotheses for the decline. Some think that political dissatisfaction has increased and keeps people away. Others cite economic globalization, suggesting that if national governments hold less power, the stakes of their national elections are lower and people won't see the point in taking part. We tested all of these hypotheses in the most extensive cross-national study of voter turnout to date, drawing on 1,421 national elections, and 314,071 individual observations from high-quality post-electoral surveys.

The figure draws on the first rounds of legislative (lower house) and presidential elections. Voter turnout is measured as a percentage of registered voters. Twenty continuous cases are countries that held democratic elections continuously from the 1940s through the 2010s. Author provided

Generational shift

Our statistical analysis did not find support for many of the popular explanations. Instead, we identified two main causes. The first is a generational change resulting from economic development. People born into more affluent societies develop values that are less conducive to participation. Once countries reach a certain level of economic wealth, new generations become less deferential to authorities and less likely to conceptualize voting as a civic duty. They go to the polls less often than their older counterparts, who were socialized in earlier stages of economic development. The mechanical process of generational replacement, whereby new generations' share in the electorate grows as older generations pass away, accounts for 56% of the voter decline.

The other main cause, responsible for 21% of the decline, is the rise in the number of elective institutions. When elections are more frequent, voter fatigue sets in and people's interest in taking part slides. In Europe, the number of elective institutions increased by 34% since the 1960s. This was driven by European integration, state decentralization, the frequent use of direct democracy, and institutional reforms such as the introduction of directly elected presidents. If voters are asked to vote nearly twice a year, like in France, some of them will get fed up and not bother.

Further to fall?

The generational nature of the problem suggests that turnout may continue to drop. But this isn't inevitable. While new generations vote on average less than older generations, they do mobilize in particularly polarized contexts where a lot seems at stake. For example, the most recent presidential election in the United States in November 2020, in which the controversial incumbent Donald Trump sought re-election, yielded the highest voter turnout in the US for 120 years.

The rising salience of cultural and environmental issues, which new generations care deeply about, could likewise offset some of the generational declines in turnout.

Public authorities can also help by reducing the number of times citizens are called to the voting booth. This can be achieved without reducing citizens' rights by reorganizing election calendars and combining different election types on the same day.

Explore further How to double voter turnout and increase representation during local elections

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A pied hoverfly. Credit: Will Hawkes

Hoverflies use a combination of the sun and their body clock to navigate when they fly south for the winter, new research shows.

The insects keep the sun on their left in the morning, then gradually adjust to maintain a southward route as the day goes on.

Pied and yellow-clubbed hoverflieswhich are important pollinatorsspend their summers in locations such as the UK and Scandinavia, then fly to the Mediterranean and North Africa in autumn.

These migrations are known to happen on sunny days, but the new studyled by the University of Exeteris the first proof of a "time-compensated sun compass" in hoverflies.

"Simply flying towards the sun would lead them south, but this would create a winding, inefficient route," said lead author Richard Massy, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

"Our study shows that hoverflies account for the sun's movement using their circadian rhythm.

"Other animals, including certain birds and butterflies, are known to have this ability. Our work suggests that it has independently evolved across multiple insects."

Researchers caught migrating hoverflies at a mountain pass in the Pyrenees.

Researchers Rich Massy and Karl Wotton in the field. Credit: Will Hawkes

The insects were placed in a "flight simulator", which held them in place but allowed them to swivel freely.

The hoverflies could see the sun but not the ground (meaning they could not navigate using landmarks) and the results showed they headed south by adjusting their course based on the sun's position and the time of day.

This was further tested by placing some hoverflies in an artificial lighting environment for several days to shift their body clocks, then testing their navigation.

With their circadian rhythm disrupted, their direction of flight shifted westwardsupporting the conclusion that they navigate using a time-compensated sun compass.

Dr. Karl Wotton, of the University of Exeter, said: "Understanding how these insects navigate can help us predict their movements.

"This could be useful for conservation measures, such as limiting the use of pesticides at key migration times.

"Hoverflies are also important predators of crop pests such as aphids, so understanding their migrations could help us use them as natural pest controllers."

The research team included the University of Bristol, and funding came from the Royal Society and the Natural Environment Research Council's GW4 Doctoral Training Programme.

The paper, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is entitled: "Hoverflies use a time-compensated sun compass to orientate during autumn migration."

Explore further Migratory hoverflies 'key' as many insects decline

More information: Hoverflies use a time-compensated sun compass to orientate during autumn migration, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, rspb.royalsocietypublishing.or  .1098/rspb.2021.1805 Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Hoverflies use a time-compensated sun compass to orientate during autumn migration,
People in the Marquesas islands are genetically close to the people of Easter Island nearly 4,000 kilometres away.

Easter Island's famous megaliths have relatives on islands thousands of miles to the north and westand so did the people who created them, a study said Wednesday.

Research showed that over a 250-year period separate groups of people set out from tiny islands east of Tahiti to settle Easter Island, the Marquesas and Raivavaearchipelagos that are thousands of miles apart but all home to similar ancient statues.

"These statues are only on those islands that are closely connected genetically," the study's lead author Alexander Ioannidis of Stanford University told AFP.

Using cutting-edge analysis of modern DNA, Ioannidis and his team were able to map and date the first Polynesians' path of settlement, which began in Samoa and fanned out across the Pacific between the years 830 and 1360.

"This had been an open problem since Captain Cook first noticed that the people on the Polynesian islands were all speaking the same language," Ioannidis said.

The expansion happened rapidlyover about 17 generationsoutpacing major changes in language or culture that could have served as markers, the findings show.

The researchers were able to piece together the puzzle of trans-Pacific migration by comparing the genetic material in 430 present-day inhabitants across 21 islands.

The outward expansion from Samoa unfolded westward to Fiji, Tonga in the south, and then to Raratonga in the east around the year 830.

Ancient Polynesians expanded to remote islands from the Tuamotu archipelago.

'Small, ring-like islands'

A few hundred years later, descendents on Raratonga travelled to settle present-day Tahiti and the Tuamotu archipelago just beyond.

It is from the small, long-overlooked sand-bar islands of Tuamotu that the most ambitious forays set out, Ioannidis said.

Now sparsely-populated thanks in part to their role as nuclear test grounds, the Tuamotus span an area equal to the distance between England and Greece.

The study notes that the low-lying islands likely emerged from below sea level only a few hundred years before Polynesians spread there.

"They needed to have a maritime culture to get in between these small, ring-like islands," Ioannidis said.

"I think that explains in some part why it's from there that we see the longest-distance voyages going out."

This became ground zero for the megalith-building peoples who came to inhabit the Marquesas, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Raivavae.

The timing of those expansions fits with earlier DNA-based findings by Ioannidis and his team showing that Native Americansprobably from the northwestern coast of South Americaand Polynesians mingled around the year 1200.

Map of Polynesia showing early eastward migration which began in the IX century.

Ancient clues in modern DNA

"The date we found for that contact is very close to the dates we find for these voyages out from the Tuamotus to settle these remote islands," Ioannidis said.

Today's Polynesian populations have mixed heritage, with traces of Europe, Africa and other places in their ancestry.

While genetic studies of ancient peoples have tended to focus on ancient DNA samples unearthed from archaeological sites, Ioannidis said his team had been able to home in on telltale sequences buried in modern DNA.

They used a software to analyse samples from 430 inhabitants across 21 different islands to identify recurring gene patterns specific to Polynesians, blocking out DNA sequences associated with European or other ancestry.

Otherwise, "you would just find that the islands with the 'most Polynesian' DNA were more related," Ioannidis explained.

"That's not interesting from a historical perspective."

His team used the genetic clues to draw a kind of family tree across the Pacific, east-to-west.

Since DNA strands shorten as they are re-combined over generations, the length of shared segments revealed how many generations passed between each settlement.

The study is published in Nature.

More information: Paths and timings of the peopling of Polynesia inferred from genomic networks, Nature, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03902-8 , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03902-8 Journal information: Nature Paths and timings of the peopling of Polynesia inferred from genomic networks,

 2021 AFP
This selfie of NASAs InSight lander is a mosaic made up of 14 images taken on March 15 and April 11  the 106th and 133rd Martian days, or sols, of the mission  by the spacecraft Instrument Deployment Camera located on its robotic arm. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

On Sept. 18, NASA's InSight lander celebrated its 1,000th Martian day, or sol, by measuring one of the biggest, longest-lasting marsquakes the mission has ever detected. The temblor is estimated to be about a magnitude 4.2 and shook for nearly an hour-and-a-half.

This is the third major quake InSight has detected in a month: On Aug. 25, the mission's seismometer detected two quakes of magnitudes 4.2 and 4.1. For comparison, a magnitude 4.2 quake has five times the energy of the mission's previous record holder, a magnitude 3.7 quake detected in 2019.

The mission studies seismic waves to learn more about Mars' interior. The waves change as they travel through a planet's crust, mantle, and core, providing scientists a way to peer deep below the surface. What they learn can shed light on how all rocky worlds form, including Earth and its Moon.

The quakes might not have been detected at all had the mission not taken action earlier in the year, as Mars' highly elliptical orbit took it farther from the Sun. Lower temperatures required the spacecraft to rely more on its heaters to keep warm; that, plus dust buildup on InSight's solar panels, has reduced the lander's power levels, requiring the mission to conserve energy by temporarily turning off certain instruments.

The team managed to keep the seismometer on by taking a counterintuitive approach: They used InSight's robotic arm to trickle sand near one solar panel in the hopes that, as wind gusts carried it across the panel, the granules would sweep off some of the dust. The plan worked, and over several dust-clearing activities, the team saw power levels remain fairly steady. Now that Mars is approaching the Sun once again, power is starting to inch back up.

InSights domed Wind and Thermal Shield covers the landers seismometer, called Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS. The image was taken on the 110th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

"If we hadn't acted quickly earlier this year, we might have missed out on some great science," said InSight's principal investigator, Bruce Banerdt of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which leads the mission. "Even after more than two years, Mars seems to have given us something new with these two quakes, which have unique characteristics."

Temblor Insights

While the Sept. 18 quake is still being studied, scientists already know more about the Aug. 25 quakes: The magnitude 4.2 event occurred about 5,280 miles (8,500 kilometers) from InSightthe most distant temblor the lander has detected so far.

Scientists are working to pinpoint the source and which direction the seismic waves traveled, but they know the shaking occurred too far to have originated where InSight has detected almost all of its previous large quakes: Cerberus Fossae, a region roughly 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) away where lava may have flowed within the last few million years. One especially intriguing possibility is Valles Marineris, the epically long canyon system that scars the Martian equator. The approximate center of that canyon system is 6,027 miles (9,700 kilometers) from InSight.

To the surprise of scientists, the Aug. 25 quakes were two different types, as well. The magnitude 4.2 quake was dominated by slow, low-frequency vibrations, while fast, high-frequency vibrations characterized the magnitude 4.1 quake. The magnitude 4.1 quake was also much closer to the landeronly about 575 miles (925 kilometers) away.

That's good news for seismologists: Recording different quakes from a range of distances and with different kinds of seismic waves provides more information about a planet's inner structure. This summer, the mission's scientists used previous marsquake data to detail the depth and thickness of the planet's crust and mantle, plus the size of its molten core.

Despite their differences, the two August quakes do have something in common other than being big: Both occurred during the day, the windiestand, to a seismometer, noisiesttime on Mars. InSight's seismometer usually finds marsquakes at night, when the planet cools off and winds are low. But the signals from these quakes were large enough to rise above any noise caused by wind.

Looking ahead, the mission's team is considering whether to perform more dust cleanings after Mars solar conjunction, when Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun. Because the Sun's radiation can affect radio signals, interfering with communications, the team will stop issuing commands to the lander on Sept. 29, though the seismometer will continue to listen for quakes throughout conjunction.

Explore further NASA's InSight detects two sizable quakes on Mars
Sophie Coulson and colleagues analyzed satellite data on melting glaciers and its impact on the Earths crust. Credit: Sophie Coulson

The melting of polar ice is not only shifting the levels of our oceans, it is changing the planet Earth itself. Newly minted Ph.D. Sophie Coulson and her colleagues explained in a recent paper in Geophysical Research Letters that, as glacial ice from Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic Islands melts, Earth's crust beneath these land masses warps, an impact that can be measured hundreds and perhaps thousands of miles away.

"Scientists have done a lot of work directly beneath ice sheets and glaciers," said Coulson, who did her work in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and received her doctorate in May from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. "So they knew that it would define the region where the glaciers are, but they hadn't realized that it was global in scale."

By analyzing satellite data on melt from 2003 to 2018 and studying changes in Earth's crust, Coulson and her colleagues were able to measure the shifting of the crust horizontally. Their research, which was highlighted in Nature, found that in some places the crust was moving more horizontally than it was lifting. In addition to the surprising extent of its reach, the Nature brief pointed out, this research provides a potentially new way to monitor modern ice mass changes.

To understand how the ice melt affects what is beneath it, Coulson suggested imagining the system on a small scale: "Think of a wooden board floating on top of a tub of water. When you push the board down, you would have the water beneath moving down. If you pick it up, you'll see the water moving vertically to fill that space."

These movements have an impact on the continued melting. "In some parts of Antarctica, for example, the rebounding of the crust is changing the slope of the bedrock under the ice sheet, and that can affect the ice dynamics," said Coulson, who worked in the lab of Jerry Mitrovica, the Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science.

The current melting is only the most recent movement researchers are observing. "The Arctic is an interesting region because, as well as the modern-day ice sheets, we also have a lasting signal from the last ice age," Coulson explained. An ice sheet once covered what is now Northern Europe and Scandinavia during the Pleistocene Epoch, the ice age that started about 2.6 million years ago and lasted until roughly 11,000 years ago. "The Earth is actually still rebounding from that ice melting."

"On recent timescales, we think of the Earth as an elastic structure, like a rubber band, whereas on timescales of thousands of years, the Earth acts more like a very slow-moving fluid." said Coulson, explaining how these newer repercussions come to be overlaid on the older reverberations. "Ice age processes take a really, really long time to play out, and therefore we can still see the results of them today."

The implications of this movement are far-reaching. "Understanding all of the factors that cause movement of the crust is really important for a wide range of Earth science problems. For example, to accurately observe tectonic motions and earthquake activity, we need to be able to separate out this motion generated by modern-day ice-mass loss," she said.

Coulson is continuing her research as a Director's Postdoctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico as part of a climate group that works on future projections of ice sheets and ocean dynamics.

Glenn Antony Milne, professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Ottawa, explained that understanding the extent of this movement clarifies all studies of the planet's crust. "Sophie's work is important because it is the first to show that recent mass loss of ice sheets and glaciers causes 3D motion of the Earth's [solid] surface that is greater in magnitude and spatial extent than previously identified," he said. "Also, one could look for this signal in regional and larger-scale global navigation satellite system datasets to, in principle, produce improved constraints on the distribution of ice mass fluctuations and/or solid Earth structure."

More information: Sophie Coulson et al, The Global Fingerprint of Modern IceMass Loss on 3D Crustal Motion, Geophysical Research Letters (2021). Sophie Coulson et al, The Global Fingerprint of Modern IceMass Loss on 3D Crustal Motion,(2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GL095477 So much ice is melting that Earth's crust is moving, Nature (2021). DOI: 10.1038/d41586-021-02285-0 Journal information: Nature , Geophysical Research Letters

This story is published courtesy of the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official newspaper. For additional university news, visit Harvard.edu.
The horns were placed in large furnaces before being set alight.

Nearly 2,500 rare rhino horns were destroyed Wednesday in the first ceremony of its kind in northeastern India as part of an anti-poaching drive to mark World Rhino Day.

The endangered one-horned rhinoceros used to be widespread in the region but hunting and habitat loss have slashed its numbers to just a few thousand, with most now found in India's Assam state.

Trade in rhino horn has been banned since 1977 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

But conservationists warn poaching attempts continue amid demand from China and Vietnam, rhino horn is promoted as a wonder ingredient in traditional medicine.

"A rhino horn has supreme value only when it is intact to the living rhino. These horns have no value," Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said during the ceremony in the town of Bokakhat.

"With today's action, Assam wants to send two messagesthat we don't believe that rhino horns have any medicinal value and that we only believe in preserving the living rhinos."

The town is near the UNESCO-listed heritage site Kaziranga National Park, home to more than 2,000 one-horned rhinosthe world's biggest population.

At the ceremony, horns were carefully placed in layers in several large furnaces before being set alight, sending plumes of smoke into the air above fierce orange flames.

Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was at the ceremony in the town of Bokakhat.

The animal parts had been kept in storage by the government since 1969.

The animal partswhich contain keratin, the same protein as comes in human hair and nailshad been kept in storage by the government since 1969.

Some of the horns had been seized from poachers. Others were removed from rhinos that had died of natural causes.

All rhino deaths in the state are recorded by local police.

Before the ceremony, officials extracted DNA from each horn and gave each animal part a unique ID number to create a gene database for scientific studies and conservation efforts.

Assam's Forest and Environment Minister Parimal Suklabaidya added that 94 horns were also set aside and would be kept for heritage purposes.

The International Rhino Foundation said on Monday in its annual report that two of the herbivores were killed by poachers in Assam in 2020.

But the global body added that rhino poaching deaths have been declining in recent years amid conservation efforts in India and neighbouring Nepal.

The population of the one-horned creatures had grown to more than 3,700 after plunging to just 100 in the early 1900s, it added.

Explore further Rhino killed as poaching attempts increase amid India virus lockdown

 2021 AFP
A dinoflagellate tetrad cell that will soon split into four separate cells, captured by Rice University scientists through a confocal microscope. The cells four nuclei are depicted in red. Researchers at Rice and in Spain determined from experiments that these symbionts, taken from a coral colony in Moorea, French Polynesia, are able to reproduce both through mitosis and via sex. Credit: Correa Lab/Rice University

A little more sexy time for symbionts could help coral reefs survive the trials of climate change. And that, in turn, could help us all.

Researchers at Rice University and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography already knew the importance of algae known as dinoflagellates to the health of coral as the oceans warm, and have now confirmed the tiny creatures not only multiply by splitting in half, but can also reproduce through sex.

That, according to Rice marine biologist Adrienne Correa and graduate student Lauren Howe-Kerr, opens a path toward breeding strains of dinoflagellate symbionts that better serve their coral partners.

Dinoflagellates not only contribute to the stunning color schemes of corals, but critically, they also help feed their hosts by converting sunlight into food.

"Most stony corals cannot survive without their symbionts," Howe-Kerr said, "and these symbionts have the potential to help corals respond to climate change. These dinoflagellates have generation times of a couple months, while corals might only reproduce once a year.

"So if we can get the symbionts to adapt to new environmental conditions more quickly, they might be able to help the corals survive high temperatures as well, while we all tackle climate change."

In an open-access study in Nature's Scientific Reports, they wrote the discovery "sets the stage for investigating environmental triggers" of symbiont sexuality "and can accelerate the assisted evolution of a key coral symbiont in order to combat reef degradation."

To better understand the algae, the Rice researchers reached out to Rosa Figueroa, a researcher at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography who studies the life cycles of dinoflagellates and is lead author on the study.

"We taught her about the coral-algae system and she taught us about sex in other dinoflagellates, and we formed a collaboration to see if we could detect symbiont sex on reefs," Howe-Kerr said.

"In genomic datasets of coral dinoflagellates, researchers would see all the genes coral symbionts should need to reproduce sexually, but no one had been able to see the actual cells in the process," said Correa, an assistant professor of biosciences. "That's what we got this time."

Rice Universitys Lauren Howe-Kerr, left, and Adrienne Correa discovered that symbiont algae found on corals in French Polynesia are able to reproduce via mitosis and sex. That could make it easier to develop algae that better protect coral reefs from the effects of climate change. Credit: Brandon Martin/Rice University

The discovery follows sampling at coral reefs in Mo'orea, French Polynesia, in July 2019 and then observation of the algae through advanced confocal microscopes that allow for better viewing of three-dimensional structures.

"This is the first proof that these symbionts, when they're sequestered in coral cells, reproduce sexually, and we're excited because this opens the door to finding out what conditions might promote sex and how we can induce it," Howe-Kerr said. "We want to know how we can leverage that knowledge to create more genetic variation."

"Because the offspring of dividing algae only inherit DNA from their one parent cell, they are, essentially, clones that don't generally add to the diversity of a colony. But offspring from sex get DNA from two parents, which allows for more rapid genetic adaptation," Correa said.

Symbiont populations that become more tolerant of environmental stress through evolution would be of direct benefit to coral, which protect coastlines from both storms and their associated runoff.

"These efforts are ongoing to try to breed corals, symbionts and any other partners to make the most stress-resistant colonies possible," Correa said. "For coral symbionts, that means growing them under stressful conditions like high temperatures and then propagating the ones that manage to survive.

A coral of the type studied by scientists at Rice University is protected by dinoflagellates (inset), algae that turn sunlight into food to feed and protect reefs. The study showed the algae are able to reproduce via sex, opening a path toward accelerated evolution of strains that can better protect coral from the effects of climate change. Credit: Inset by Carsten Grupstra/Rice University; coral image by Andrew Thurber/Oregon State University

"After successive generations we'll select out anything that can't tolerate these temperatures," she said. "And now that we can see there's sex, we can do lots of other experiments to learn what combination of conditions will make sex happen more often in cells. That will produce symbionts with new combinations of genes, and some of those combinations will hopefully correspond to thermotolerance or other traits we want. Then we can seed babies of the coral species that host that symbiont diversity and use those colonies to restore reefs."

Explore further Corals may need their predators' poop

More information: R. I. Figueroa et al, Direct evidence of sex and a hypothesis about meiosis in Symbiodiniaceae, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports R. I. Figueroa et al, Direct evidence of sex and a hypothesis about meiosis in Symbiodiniaceae,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98148-9
Princeton researchers have developed a framework to engineer the protein droplets that organize crucial functions inside a cell. Key to their findings was the theory of bubble formation, adapted from classical materials science. In the above, an engineered protein fragment (green) "seeds" the formation of a protein droplet (red), the basis for higher-order organelles such as the nucleolus. The new work marks a seismic shift in scientists' ability to manipulate cells. Image courtesy of the researchers. Credit: Princeton University

The heady math that describes how bubbles form in a glass of Champagne has inspired a framework for engineering living cells.

A study published Sep. 22 in Nature details how an established physics theory governing bubble and droplet formation led to a new understanding of the principles organizing the contents of living cells. The work marks a seismic shift in researchers' ability both to understand and control the complex soft materials within our cells.

"This approach is common in materials science, but we've adapted it to do something unprecedented in cells," said principal investigator Clifford Brangwynne, the June K. Wu '92 Professor in Engineering and director of the Princeton Bioengineering Initiative.

The current work follows Brangwynne's discovery more than a decade ago that cellular proteins organize into liquid structures inside the cell. That insight gave rise to a new field of study examining how parts of cells form much like oil drops coalescing in water. Scientists have puzzled ever since over the exact details of how those structures assemble. But it's a hard thing to measure the squishy dynamics of individual molecules inside a cell, where mysterious, overlapping processes roil chaotically as minute structures form and dissolve a thousand times per second.

Postdoctoral researcher Shunsuke Shimobayashi had studied soft matter physics at the Kyoto University and wondered whether his background working on organic compounds called lipids might illuminate anything interesting about the problem. If protein molecules condense out of their surroundings the way oil separates from water, maybe the math that described the first steps in that process, called nucleation, would prove useful in proteins as well.

Shimobayashi turned to classical nucleation theory, a pillar of materials science. Its equations had powered some of the most profound technological transformations of the 20th century, from the climate models that first revealed global warming to the fertilizers that helped lift billions of people out of starvation.

He was also keenly aware of a critical distinction: those equations describe simple, inanimate systems, but the inside of a cell is in turmoil. "It's a much more complex material environment for biomolecules," Shimobayashi said. But he pushed ahead, collaborating with theorists Pierre Ronceray and Mikko Haataja, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. The researchers stripped the theory down to its two most important parameters, adapting it to try to understand how the process might work in cells. Then to test the theory, Shimobayashi turned to an advanced protein tool developed in Brangwynne's lab in 2018 that provided an ideal, simplified system that mimics how the process occurs naturally in cells. Putting them together, the results came as something of a shock.

When Shimobayashi tried to induce the droplets to seed instantaneously, the system failed. But when he seeded the droplets more slowly, they nucleated at precisely defined locations, in a way that lined up perfectly with his adapted theory. He had predicted how, where and when the protein droplets formed with what Brangwynne called "remarkable accuracy."

The team next turned back to the messy complexity of native cell structures. When they accounted for all the processes that act on protein concentrations, they found that the theory worked just as well. They had quantified the molecule-by-molecule assembly of proteins into the complex liquid structures that regulate life's most basic routines. Not only do these structures look and act like oil in water, Shimobayashi said, they also form droplets in the same basic nucleation patterns, clustering around minute variations in their environment at rates that can be predicted with the same quantitative precision as other kinds of materials.

With that predictive power comes an accelerated engineering capacity, according to Brangwynne. He believes quantifying biomolecular processes and developing predictive models in the mold of physics will lead to a world in which we no longer watch passively as our loved ones succumb to diseases like Alzheimer's.

"We first have to understand how it works, with quantitative mathematical frameworks that are the bedrock of society's engineering marvels. And then we can take the next steps, to manipulate biological systems with greater control," Brangwynne said. "We need to be able to turn the knobs."

In addition to Brangwynne and Shimobayashi, the study's authors include Pierre Ronceray, formerly a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton; David W. Sanders, a postdoctoral researcher in Brangwynne's lab; and Mikko Haataja, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. The work was supported in part by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the National Institutes of Health and the Princeton Center for Complex Materials.

Explore further Droplets are key to cells' dynamic activities

More information: Nucleation landscape of biomolecular condensates, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03905-5 Journal information: Nature Nucleation landscape of biomolecular condensates,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03905-5
In this Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 file photo, lava from a volcano eruption flows destroying houses on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain. A long-dormant volcano on a small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean erupted on Sunday Sept. 19, 2021, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from a volcanic ridge where scientists had been monitoring the accumulation of molten lava below the surface. Credit: AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File

A small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean is struggling days after a volcano erupted, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, and authorities are warning that more dangers from the explosion lie ahead.

Here is a look at the volcanic eruption on La Palma and its consequences:

WHERE DID THE VOLCANO ERUPT?

The eruption occurred Sunday afternoon on La Palma, one of eight volcanic islands in Spain's Canary Islands archipelago, which is strung along Africa's northwestern coast. It was the second volcanic eruption in 50 years for the island, which has a population of 85,000.

A 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge after a week of thousands of small earthquakes. Unstoppable rivers of molten lava, some up to 6 meters (20 feet) high, are now flowing downhill toward the ocean, engulfing everything in their path.

The Canary Islands are a volcanic hot spot popular with European tourists due to their mild year-round climate. Mount Teide, on the nearby island of Tenerife, is one of the world's tallest volcanoes and Spain's highest mountain. On La Palma, people live mostly from farming.

WHAT CAUSED THE ERUPTION?

Scientists had been closely monitoring a build-up of underground magma in La Palma for a week before the eruption, detecting more than 20,000 earthquakesmost too small to be felt. That is known as an "earthquake swarm" and can indicate an approaching eruption.

In this Monday Sept. 20, 2021 file photo, hot lava reaches a balsa normally used for for irrigation after an eruption of a volcano on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain. A long-dormant volcano on a small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean erupted on Sunday Sept. 19, 2021, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from a volcanic ridge where scientists had been monitoring the accumulation of molten lava below the surface. Credit: Europa Press via AP, File

Three days before the eruption, the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported that 11 million cubic meters (388 million cubic feet) of molten rock had been pushed into Cumbre Vieja.

After the 4.2-magnitude earthquake, two fissures belched bright red magma into the air. The lava flowed in streams down the mountain slope.

HOW BAD HAS THE DAMAGE BEEN?

The close scientific monitoring meant that authorities were able to quickly evacuate people when the volcano erupted and no casualties have been reported.

But the damage to property, infrastructure and farmland has been considerable. So far, the eruption has destroyed around 190 houses and forced the evacuation of 6,000 people. The molten rock has also entombed banana groves, vineyards and crops of avocado and papaya. Some irrigation networks have been lost, groundwater contaminated and roads blocked.

In this Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 file photo, lava from a volcano eruption flows destroying houses on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain. A long-dormant volcano on a small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean erupted on Sunday Sept. 19, 2021, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from a volcanic ridge where scientists had been monitoring the accumulation of molten lava below the surface. Credit: AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File

The rivers of lava are now moving toward the island's more populated coast and the Atlantic Ocean, where they could cause new problems.

WHAT ARE THE DANGERS NOW?

Authorities say residents face a host of dangers in the coming days and weeks.

When the lava reaches the Atlantic Ocean, it could cause explosions and produce clouds of toxic gas. Scientists monitoring the lava measured it at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit). In the island's last eruption in 1971, one person died after inhaling the gas emitted as lava hit the water.

Earthquakes on the island have continued, rattling nervous residents. A new fissure opened late Monday after what the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said was a 3.8-magnitude quake, and began spewing more lava. Scientists say more new lava vents and cracks in the earth could emerge, endangering new areas.

In this Monday Sept. 20, 2021 file photo, lava from a volcano engulfs a building near El Paso on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain. A long-dormant volcano on a small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean erupted on Sunday Sept. 19, 2021, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from a volcanic ridge where scientists had been monitoring the accumulation of molten lava below the surface. Credit: Kike Rincon, Europa Press via AP, File

In this Monday Sept. 20, 2021 file photo, lava erupts from a volcano near El Paso on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain. A long-dormant volcano on a small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean erupted on Sunday Sept. 19, 2021, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from a volcanic ridge where scientists had been monitoring the accumulation of molten lava below the surface. Credit: Europa Press via AP, File

In this Monday Sept. 20, 2021 file photo, lava erupts from a volcano near El Paso on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain. A long-dormant volcano on a small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean erupted on Sunday Sept. 19, 2021, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from a volcanic ridge where scientists had been monitoring the accumulation of molten lava below the surface. Credit: Kike Rincon/Europa Press via AP, File

The volcano has been producing between 8,000 and 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide a day, the Volcanology Institute said. Sulfur dioxide is smelly and irritates the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause acid rain and air pollution.

The eruption has also produced volcanic ash, which can cause respiratory problems. Authorities on La Palma told people in the wide areas where the ash was falling to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed.

HOW LONG WILL THE ERUPTION GO ON?

Scientists say the lava flows on La Palma could last for weeks or even months. The last eruption on the island, in 1971, went on for just over three weeks.

The last eruption on all of the Canary Islands occurred underwater off the coast of El Hierro island in 2011. It lasted five months.

Explore further Toxic gas, new rivers of molten lava endanger Spanish island

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue Universitys Agricultural Safety and Health Program released the annual Indiana Farm Fatality Summary with Historical Overview, coinciding with National Farm Safety and Health Week.

The annual observance has been the third week of September since 1944. The program reported 25 work-related on-farm deaths in the state of Indiana in 2020, including one grain entrapment, nine involving tractors and four involving off-road or utility terrain vehicles.

Farm fatalities for the past 50 years continue to trend lower, likely reflecting safer machinery and work practices while also corresponding with a decline in the number of farmers. Despite this encouraging trend, report members urge agriculture workers to remain diligent and follow safety procedures. No Indiana agency documents farm-related nonfatal injuries, but prior research has indicated that approximately one in nine Indiana farms has a farm-work-related injury incident that requires medical attention each year.

Documented incidents involving those age 60 or older account for nearly half of all cases in the past five years, including over half of the victims in 2020.

Historically, farmers over the age of 60, including many who work only part time, have accounted for a disproportionate number of farm-related injuries. Recent spikes in frequencies of fatalities over the past 10 years makes this population of older farmers a special concern, the report states.

Bill Field, Purdue agriculture and biological engineering professor and Extension safety specialist, has summarized over 1,100 farm fatalities during his career.

This annual summary is a somber reminder that our food can come at a cost of lives, health and well-being for farm families, Field said.

As Hoosier farmers begin to harvest, program members remind farmers to keep safety a top priority. Agriculture safety guides, disaster preparedness resources and the Indiana Farm Fatality Summary can be found online.

Writer: Abby Leeds, 765-494-7817, mayer36@purdue.edu

Sources: Bill Field, 765-494-1191, field@purdue.edu

Edward Sheldon, ejsheldo@purdue.edu

ABSTRACT

2020 Indiana Farm Fatality Summary with Historical Overview

Compiled by the Purdue University Agricultural Safety and Health Program

Purdue Universitys Agricultural Safety and Health Program has been monitoring farm-related fatalities in Indiana for nearly 60 years. The earliest identified summary of cases, published in 1966, examined 76 fatalities reported during 1963. 2 Purdues fatality database, though acknowledged as not being comprehensive of all farm-related deaths, provides a unique historical perspective to explore trends that have occurred over several decades, during which time agricultural production experienced a considerable reduction in the number of farms and, a transformation in technology and practices. Analysis of only recent fatality data, for example, fails to recognize that during the 1940s and early 1950s the leading identifiable cause of death was livestock, primarily horses and bulls. These animal-related injuries and deaths have largely been replaced, at a much lower frequency, with tractors and machinery. The fatality data, as shown in this report, continues to show a general downward trend that parallels the decline in the number of farm operations, which has likely contributed more to the reduction in farm-related fatalities than any other single factor. 3 This is in light of the fact that Indiana farmers have become more productive than ever. The farm-related fatality rate, however, remains one of the highest of all Indiana occupations.

Agricultural Communications: 765-494-8415;

Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
Sukkot (plural of sukkah, meaning covered huts) is celebrated to commemorate our ancestors' living under the huts they had made of sticks and leaves they could find in the desert while traveling from Egypt to the promised land.

On Rosh Hashanah, we crowned God as our king. Keeping in mind that every creature created by God is important and that God always remembers us, we listened to the sounds of Shofar experiencing it excite, inspire our feelings deep down inside us.

Then came Yom Kippur, we dwelled on our lives, relationships, our mission in life, made teshuvah and we made a resolution to make teshuva in the new year.

Now it is time to celebrate the most joyful and enthusiastic holiday of the Jewish calendar, Sukkot. The Sukkot festival is described as 'the time of our Rejoicing' and is the third of the Shalosh Regalim (the three festivals; Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot. It is full of rich symbols, signifying our relationship with God, like Arba Minim (Four Kinds), four special species of plants, sitting in the special huts full of green and leaves made especially for the festival, rejoicing and being thankful for the things God gave us.

The Arba minim - four kinds of plants represent the universality of the Sukkot Festival. They symbolize nature, rain, the cycle of seasons; things common to all humanity. Sukkah/shelter represents the particular nature of Jewish history, the experience of exile and coming home, the long journey in the desert of time.

Sukkot, like no other Jewish festival, celebrates the dual nature of the Jewish faith; the universality of God and the particularity of Jewish existence. We all need rain, we all are a part of nature, we all depend on the complex ecology of the world God created. This feature is reflected with Arba minim-the four kinds of plants. However, every nation, every civilization, and every religion is different. As Jews, we are heirs of a history, unlike any other community; small, defenseless, carrying the pain of the successive exiles, yet surviving... And this we state with the sukkah.

The Sukkot Festival, which lasts seven days and seven nights, is starting at sundown on Monday (today), September 20th.
On this date in 1796, near the end of his second term as president, George Washington published The Address of Gen. Washington to the People of America on His Declining the Presidency of the United States. Better known subsequently as his farewell address, it is his announcement of retirement from the presidency and from public life. He says, moreover, that he had wanted to retire after his first term but that considerations of duty had dissuaded him: The strength of my inclination to do this previous to the last election had even led to the preparation of an address to declare it to you; but mature reflection on the then perplexed and critical posture of our affairs with foreign nations and the unanimous advice of persons entitled to my confidence impelled me to abandon the idea.

Washingtons address is cited less often than it used to be  though once revered as a civic Scripture, it is now almost forgotten, in the words of journalist John Avlon. One tradition that lives on is the annual reading of the address in the Senate on Washingtons birthday.

The addresss most frequently cited passage is perhaps a paragraph on the essential place of morality, and particularly of religion, in civic life. The address deals with many other topics, lesser known but still worth citing, and thus Im hesitant to cite this paragraph again, but it aligns so closely with Actons mission that I cant skip over it:

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness  these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

If the connection with Acton isnt clear enough already, we can look to the paragraph immediately following, in which Washington all but gives an endorsement of think tanks:

It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule indeed extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric? Promote, then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.

In other words, virtue is necessary for a free society to function. Such a society is dependent on knowledge of its foundations, and thus on institutions to spread that knowledge, since civil society is only as good as the individuals it comprises.

Washingtons address deals extensively with the Union, characterizing it as a preeminent good that ought to be closely guarded. He makes some allusion to regional tensions that would erupt into the Civil War seven decades later. Following that he examines even more extensively the spirit of party, which he saw as a great danger to the new nation. Many of his statements in this regard seem prophetic, even more so in the polarized atmosphere we have now.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism.In governments purely elective, [a spirit of party is] not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose; and there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

We could keep quoting the address all day, but I only wanted to give a few pertinent samples here. All Americans would benefit, though, from reading the entire text. Washington isnt called the Father of his Country for nothing, and 223 years later his words have lost none of their relevance. Idaho Senator Dirk Kempthorne, who was chosen to read the address in the Senate in 1993, wrote afterwards: The fact that his words were written as a guiding light for the future of this nation makes the actual moment of the delivery of the speech timelessas citizens we must never lose our exposure and connection to the principles and wisdom of our Founding Fathers.

(Homepage photo credit: public domain.)
The homeless represent the most vulnerable portion of Americans living in poverty. The latest U.S. government report on homelessness shows that a culture of secularism and statism is depriving Americans of church philanthropy, curbing the free markets ability to provide, and leaving the most vulnerable reliant on the government  or the mercy of the streets.

The Council of Economic Advisers detailed their conditions in its report on The State of Homelessness in America, released last week. It found that rent controls may have priced homeless Americans out of an affordable home, permissive policies may increase homelessness, and those with no connection to a church or faith community are 60 percent more likely to end up homeless.

Here are the facts you need to know:

1. Half a million Americans are homeless. Someone is counted homeless if he or she lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In January 2018, 552,830 people were counted as homeless in the United States. Of those, 194,467 (35 percent) were unsheltered  or living on the streets  and 358,363 (65 percent) were sheltered in temporary housing. The overall homeless population on a single night represents 0.2 percent of the U.S. population, or 17 people per 10,000 in the population, the report says.

2. Nearly half of all Americans sleeping on the streets live in California. Almost half (47 percent) of all unsheltered homeless people in the United States are found in California, about four times as high as their share of the overall United States population. Among the five cities with the highest rates of unsheltered homelessness, four are in California (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, and San Jose), and the other is Seattle.

3. But East Coast cities have the highest rate of homelessness  and Washington, D.C. ranks worst. Compared to a national rate of 17 homeless people per 10,000, the cities  with the highest rates of overall homelessness are Washington, DC (103 per 10,000), Boston, MA (102 per 10,000), and New York, NY (101 per 10,000). More than 20 percent of all homeless people live in New York City. These cities each have homelessness rates that are over 6 times as high as the overall U.S rate, and the level of sheltered homelessness is eight-times the national average (11 per 10,000).

4. The homeless have high rates of mental illness, substance abuse, and previous incarceration. According to HUDs 2018 annual homelessness count, 111,122 homeless people (20 percent) had a severe mental illness and 86,647 homeless people (16 percent) suffered from chronic substance abuse. Among all adults who used shelter at some point in 2017, 44 percent had a disability. The department also found that nine percent of U.S. homeless had spent time in a jail or correctional facility. However, HUD may have undercounted this population, as other surveys found up to four-in-10 homeless are alcoholics and an equal number have mental health issues.

5. Lack of connection to a church or religious communities increases homelessness. The report states that individuals with weak social ties are more likely to become homeless. It cites a study that found the lifetime incidence of homelessness is reduced by 60 percent for individuals with strong ties to family, religious communities, and friends.

6. Accounting tricks make it hard to know if U.S. homelessness has increased or decreased since 2007. The federal government has shifted from promoting transitional housing (offering homeless a room in a temporary housing facility) to rapid re-housing (offering assistance to defray the cost of moving into and renting a private home). The government does not count those in rapid re-housing as homeless. The approximately 110,000 bed reduction in transitional housing between 2007 and 2018 has been almost fully offset by an approximately 109,000 bed increase in rapid rehousing, the report states. [I]t is not clear that people living in one type of program are more homeless than people living in the other type.

7. Californias homeless crisis is due to more than the weather. While Californias mild temperatures may facilitate unsheltered homelessness, they cannot account for its disproportionate share of the homeless problem. Florida and Arizona have unsheltered homeless populations lower than what would be expected given the temperatures, home prices and poverty rates in their communities. Meanwhile, the unsheltered homeless population is over twice as large as expectedgiven the temperatures, home prices and poverty rates in their communitiesin [s]tates including Hawaii, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington [s]tate. The report said government policies, including the extent of policing of street activities may play a role in these differences.

8. Government policies to reduce homelessness may have made the situation worse.Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. are each subject to right-to-shelter laws that guarantee shelter availability of a given quality. These places each have rates of sheltered homelessness at least 2.7 times as high as the rate in every other city, and this difference cannot be explained by their weather, home prices, and poverty rates. Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. also have substantially higher rates of overall homelessness than almost every other city, suggesting that most people being sheltered would not otherwise sleep on the street.

9. Government housing regulations made the problem worse. The report states that the cost of median rent and homelessness rise in lockstep, finding a virtually one-to-one ratio. A central driver of higher home prices in some communities is the heavy regulation of housing markets by localities, the report says. This includes overly restrictive zoning and growth management controls; rent controls; cumbersome building and rehabilitation codes; excessive energy and water efficiency mandates; unreasonable maximum-density allowances; historic preservation requirements; overly burdensome wetland or environmental regulations; outdated manufactured-housing regulations and restrictions; undue parking requirements; cumbersome and time-consuming permitting and review procedures; tax policies that discourage investment or reinvestment; overly complex labor requirements; and inordinate impact or developer fees.

10. Housing deregulation could wipe out the majority of homelessness in San Francisco.We find that for the 11 metropolitan areas with housing regulations that drive home prices significantly above home production costs (which contain 42 percent of the United States homeless population), deregulation would reduce homelessness by an average of 31 percent. Homelessness would fall by 54 percent in San Francisco, 40 percent in Los Angeles, and 23 percent in New York City. Overall homelessness in the United States would fall by just under 72,000 people, or 13 percent.

The Acton Institute exists to connect good intentions with sound economics. Affordable housing policies like rent control may have decreased housing supply, pricing the poorest Americans out of the market  and leaving them on the streets. This, combined with a permissive policy of turning a blind eye to non-violent street crime, may have increased the number of homeless and/or prolonged their stay on the streets. Finally, this report shows another danger of Americas secularized, atomized culture: Church membership significantly decreases the likelihood of homelessness. Christians seeking to reduce homelessness should support a greater role for churches and private philanthropies, and less government interference in the housing market.

(Photo credit: Mike. This photo has been cropped. CC BY-SA 2.0.)
Thanks almost entirely to the killing of George Floyd, Black Lives Matters approval rating has more than doubled from where it stood four years ago, surging from 27% in 2016 to 57% today. While the slogan wins public support, the racially tinged socialism espoused by the organization Black Lives Matter should concern everyone who cherishes freedom.

BLM proudly proclaims its belief that all black Americans should receive a guaranteed minimum income and free healthcare, schooling, food, real estate, gender reassignment surgery, and abortion; bring an an end to all jails as we know them; disrupt the traditional family; demand reparations on behalf of foreign nations; and form a global liberation movement that will overturn US imperialism [and] capitalism.

Americans could be excused for not knowing that BLM is a political organization with an agenda no less comprehensive than reshaping the entire world. The media have not reported its aims  at least, not in context of the recent riots. In the public imagination, Black Lives Matter is nothing more than a ubiquitous black square on social media platforms. Americans rightly outraged by incidents like the indefensible killing of George Floyd by a police officer with a long history of complaints adopted the slogan to demand proper treatment under the law  one of cornerstones of Western civilization. They often protest to this end and, as long as those protests are peaceful, they are exercising the first freedom enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

However, they have no inkling that Black Lives Matter is not just a maxim or a graphic to be posted online. It is a radical pressure group that embraces a vista of controversial, extremist positions. Those who march under its banner are unwittingly putting themselves in a position to be identified by BLMs activists as endorsing these beliefs.

BLM activists have made no secret of their views. When we started Black Lives Matter, it wasnt solely about police brutality and extrajudicial killing, one of BLMs three co-founders, Opal Tometi, confessed to The New Yorker. The issue was just a spark point to begin calling for the defunding of police, a moratorium on rent, a moratorium on mortgages and utilities and issuing demands relating to housing and education and health-care systems.

To present their demands more completely, the Black Lives Matter Network joined dozens of like-minded groups to found the Movement for Black Lives, sit on its united front, and adopt its policy platform.

[T]he U.S. is a country that does not support, protect or preserve [b]lack life, the M4BL original statement says. And so we seek not reform but transformation. While the planks often amount to little more than platitudes, replete with grammatical errors, the platform offers a clear demand for socialism under the cover of racial reconciliation. The steps the organizations propose include:

Reparations through racial socialism: The M4BL platform, which BLM endorses, states, We demand reparations for past and continuing harms, including both corporate and government reparations for a litany of ills that include food apartheid and racialized capitalism. Government reparations will take the form of a guaranteed minimum livable income for all Black people. M4BL/BLMs universal health care policy mandates that wealthy residents pay for a portion of their services while low-income and working class folks receive free services. The new system will be modeled on France or Germany. Black Americans will also receive government-funded control of food sources, housing and land. Robust reparations programs will include full and free access for all Black people (including undocumented and currently and formerly incarcerated people) to lifetime education at any university, community college, or technical education facility, as well as retroactive forgiveness of student loans.

Replacing education with agitprop and welfare services: Under the M4BL/BLM manifesto, public schools would be transformed from centers of education to the delivery points of intersectional/multicultural studies and comprehensive welfare programs, including free abortion for minors (without specifying a minimum age):

A constitutional right at the state and federal level to a fully-funded education which includes a clear articulation of the right to: a free education for all, special protections for queer and trans students, wrap around services, social workers, free health services (including reproductive body autonomy), a curriculum that acknowledges and addresses students material and cultural needs, physical activity and recreation, high quality food, free daycare, and freedom from unwarranted search, seizure or arrest.

To ensure an intersectional approach, the group continues, the public school budgeting process must include representation from specific populations of people, including formerly and currently incarcerated people.

Defunding the police and ending prisons: BLMs best-known demand is to defund the police. M4BL also proposes an end to arrests of any black students, and an end to all jails, detention centers, youth facilities and prisons as we know them. House arrest would be promoted equally with imprisonment. The government would also expand Pell grant funding to educate inmates and [a]llow access to gender affirming surgeries in penitentiaries at taxpayers expense.

Dismantling the family: Black Lives Matter endorses two contradictory policies: We make our spaces family-friendly, it states. It then looks forward to the destruction of the traditional family:

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and villages that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

Children raised in fatherless homes are more likely to drop out of school, abuse drugs or alcohol, be victims or perpetrators of physical and sexual abuse, live in poverty, commit other crimes, and go to prison than those raised in intact, two-parent householdsthe nuclear family structure BLM is warring against. Two out of every three black children live in single-parent families, making them 271% more likely to do so than non-Hispanic white children. To leave this out of racial disparities calculations is reckless, as Thomas Sowell has noted. Without loving families, no society can long govern itself, says Jennifer Roback Morse, the founder of the Ruth Institute and a frequent collaborator with the Acton Institute. BLM agrees but chooses to outsource much of the parents responsibilities to the government.

Start a global liberation movement to overthrow capitalism: The interlinked systems of white supremacy, imperialism, capitalism and patriarchy shape the violence we face, the M4BL/BLM platform states. As oppressed people living in the US, the belly of global empire, we are in a critical position to build the necessary connections for a global liberation movement. Until we are able to overturn US imperialism, capitalism and white supremacy, our brothers and sisters around the world will continue to live in chains.

The BLM-endorsed document adds that its struggle is strengthened by our connections to the resistance of peoples around the world fighting for their liberation.  The movement for [b]lack lives must be tied to liberation movements around the world. It does not list the foreign liberation movements with which it wishes to align. However, they will hold the United States and Israel in contempt.

America is an empire, and American wars are unjust, the M4BL manifesto states baldly. And Israel is an apartheid state. Americas alliance with Israel makes the U.S. complicit in the genocide taking place against the Palestinian people.it makes US citizens complicit in the abuses committed by the Israeli government. BLM does not state what punishment it would mete out to civilians complicit in genocide. However, it demands lawmakers cut the US military budget by 50%, which will lead to the closure of the over 800 U.S. military bases the U.S. [operates] around the world and the return of troops deployed overseas  a move many Americans, especially libertarians, support.

Higher taxes, with a specifically racial focus: The group writes confusingly that governments have increasingly decreased the use of progressive taxation. As a result, the wealthiest Americans and powerful corporations continue to evade their fair share of taxes, it says. The top 1% of U.S. income earners pay 37% of federal income taxes, and the top 10% pay 47% of all taxes, while the bottom 44% pay nothing. Begin by raising the top marginal rate first to 50 percent and then gradually up to 80 percent, M4BL suggests.

The federal government should focus on taxing bads not goods. BLM would increase the death tax, the capital gains tax, impose new taxes on real estate transfers and financial speculation, and create a national wealth tax. Each state would follow suit by imposing a heavily progressive state income tax on individuals and corporations and 50 state wealth taxes. All tax reform legislation must be drawn up in accordance with racial equity goals to help build the wealth of households of color.

Reparations for drug dealers: M4BL/BLM would legalize prostitution and the possession and sale of all drugs, no matter the quantity. Prisoners convicted of these crimes would be released and their records retroactively expunged. But thats not far enough for Black Lives Matter: Any government savings must be invested into reparations to all people who have been adversely impacted by the drug war and enforcement of prostitution laws. The government must also ensure that people criminalized by the war on drugs are able to participate in legal drug markets where decriminalization has already taken place. Many libertarians support decriminalizing some or all drugs (and prostitution), but they typically envision government regulations on the manufacture and sale of narcotics. One of their most resonant selling points is that repeal of drug prohibition will take the drug business out of the cartels hands. BLM would guarantee the Medellin cartel a piece of the action.

Reparations for foreign nations and terrorist states: The M4BL/BLMs thirst for racialized wealth redistribution doesnt stop at the waters edge. Their manifesto demands reparations for foreign nations, as well. The group insists the U.S. make reparations to countries and communities devastated by American warmaking, such as Somalia, Iraq, Libya and Honduras.

Let incarcerated prisoners, illegal immigrants, and felons vote: The M4BLs voting reforms demand universal voter registration, as well as preregistration for 16-year-olds, enfranchisement of formerly and currently incarcerated people, local and state resident voting for undocumented people, and a ban on all disenfranchisement laws. Felon disenfranchisement laws date back to ancient Greece. M4BLs drive to expand the range of eligible voters sleights the rule of law while favoring core Democratic Party constituencies, which favor more expensive government welfare policies.

This list of policy proposals is far from comprehensive. If anything, BLMs demands are more expansive and government-expanding yet. However, this gives an accurate flavor of the platform Black Lives Matter would implement if given the opportunity. It is not one that should be shared by people of faith or supporters of limited government, unalienable rights, and equal justice under the law.

(Photo credit: Shutterstock)
Tomorrow is Constitution Day, a holiday celebrated in America every year on September 17, the anniversary of the day the framers signed the document. Here are five facts you should know about the U.S. Constitution:

1. The Constitution contains 4,543 words, including the signatures and has four sheets, 28-3/4 inches by 23-5/8 inches each. It contains 7,591 words including the 27 amendments. It is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world.

2. Thomas Jefferson did not sign the Constitution. He was in France during the Convention, where he served as the U.S. minister. John Adams, who at the time was serving as the U.S. minister to Great Britain during the Constitutional Convention, also did not attend the signing. The only men who both became presidents and signed the Constitution were George Washington and James Madison.

3. There was a proposal at the Constitutional Convention to limit the standing army for the country to 5,000 men. George Washington sarcastically agreed with this proposal as long as a stipulation was added that no invading army could number more than 3,000 troops.



4. The Constitutions iconic opening line was not included in early drafts of the document. The preamble originally started with individual states listed from north to south: We the people of the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts et al. The five-person Committee of Style is considered to have been responsible for composing much of the final text, including the revised preamble.

5. More than 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress. There were no amendments added to the Constitution from 1804 to 1865. This was the longest period in American history in which there were no changes to our Constitution. (The first to come after that period was at the end of the Civil War the Thirteenth amendment, which abolished slavery.) Overall, the Constitution has only been changed by amendment seventeen times since 1791.
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CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers.
 Rounding up some recent reform reads | Main | "In The Extreme: Women Serving Life Without Parole and Death Sentences in the United States" 

September 21, 2021

Sending a better clemency message while shooting the messenger

This new New Republic commentary, fully headlined " Bidens Conservative Vision on Clemency: Thousands of incarcerated people went home early thanks to a Covid relief program. Why would the Biden administration send them back to prison?," continues the annoying tendency of blaming the Biden folks for threatening to send the home confinement cohort back to prison when it is the law passed by Congress (as interpreted by two Justice Departments) that has created the problem. Here are excerpts (with links from the original):

The Cares Act ... gave the Bureau of Prisons discretion to send certain people home early. The process involved a rigorous vetting, to ensure that the people chosen were low risk and had served a substantial part of their sentence, and it was effective: Of roughly 4,400 people released under the program, only 190 were sent back for violations, a strikingly low number given how easy it is to break the terms of home confinement. No serious crimes have been reported. But before Donald Trump left office, administration lawyers determined that once pandemic emergency measures were lifted, Cares Act recipients would have to return to prison. And Bidens Office of Legal Counsel declined to reverse the memo. Still, advocates were hopeful that Joe Biden would issue mass clemency. So far, that hasnt happened, leaving Cares Act people anxious about their future and frustrating criminal justice advocates.... Last week, Politico reported that some case workers are being encouraged to have their Cares clients apply to the Justice Departments Office of the Pardon Attorney, which sounds promising. But it also suggests that Biden is wedded to an inefficient process thats created a backlog of close to 16,000 petitions.... Its not clear whether special considerations will be applied to Cares Act recipients, perhaps allowing them to avoid the long trek through the Justice Department. In fact, not much is clear at all. Kevin Ring, president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, said that outside of some leaks to the media, both Cares Act inmates and their advocates are in the dark. Its a crazy lack of transparency, Ring said. Friday afternoon, theres a phone call to BOP halfway houses saying, this person should fill out a clemency petition in the next couple of days. Who? Why? What [are] the criteria?... Amy Ralston Povah, who runs the CAN-DO Foundation, which helps nonviolent drug offenders, is hopeful but frustrated.... She added that Bidens vision for who deserves early freedom is exceedingly conservative. Nonviolent drug offenders are such a limited category, Povah said. Why are others left out?

I share Kevin Ring's concerns about a "crazy lack of transparency," though I want to be hopeful along with Amy Ralston Povah about where this is headed. But I am frustrated because so many seem content to assail the Biden Administration about a problem that is clearly of Congress's making. As I explained in this post some months ago, titled "Why aren't there much stronger calls for CONGRESS to fix post-pandemic home confinement problems?", though Prez Biden could (and I think should) use his clemency authority to extended home confinement for those at risk of being sent back to federal prison post-pandemic, Congress is the body that created the CARES Act home confinement authority, and Congress can and should amend the CARES Act to do extend that authority though a few words in an express statutory provision. Put simply, this matter is a statutory problem that calls for a statutory fix, and blaming Prez Biden for not fully fixing this problem strike me as shooting the messenger.

I get especially frustrated by this discourse when it is members of Congress who are the ones urging Prez Biden to fix the statutory problem created by Congress. As explained in this Hill piece, late last week a new letter from more than two dozen House Democrats called on "President Biden to commute the sentences of thousands who were placed on home confinement." Frustrations aside, I do like that this new letter has legislators asking Prez Biden to improve the existing and badly broken clemency infrastructure. Here is a key paragraph from the letter:

In addition to the 4,000 people who have been released to home confinement, there are another 15,752 people who, in the midst of this infectious and deadly pandemic, have pending clemency petitions with no real insight on the best way forward for their case. Thousands with pending clemency petitions have been waiting for a response for years as their cases have languished during previous administrations, including most recently the Trump administration. While the Trump administration made an effort through home confinement to reduce the number of people inside of BOP facilities, thousands more have been ignored. The dismissal of their petitions serves only to demonstrate just how ambiguous and broken our clemency system has become. We, therefore, implore you to establish an advisory board  independent of the Department of Justice  to streamline and modernize the decades-old clemency process, and provide expeditious review of the thousands of cases awaiting answers to their clemency petitions. This advisory board must address the racially disproportionate impacts of our criminal-legal system. There is no reason to wait.

Even though I am never keen to see folks shooting the messenger, I am always pleased to see a better clemency message being delivered in the process. If the push for clemency for the home confinement cohort ends up helping to get our clemency process improved, all the frustrations may almost be worthwhile.

Some of many prior related posts:

UPDATE : The PBS Newshour had this recent segment on these matters under the headline "Inmates released to home confinement during pandemic fear devastating reincarceration."

September 21, 2021 at 07:42 PM | Permalink

Comments

I have a clemency petition pending, I am non-violent drug offender, on Cares Act home confinement, with 20 months left. Will they ask me for a petition or use the one I have pending? No one has contacted me. I sent a letter and had letters of support sent to the Pardon attorney office. My halfway house said only one person was asked to file out a petition. Are they only picking certain drug offender

Posted by: Steve | Sep 21, 2021 9:26:48 PM

Sorry to hear about this, Steve. As quoted above, this is being done in a piss-poor way. I hope they communicate plans better soon.

Posted by: Douglas Berman | Sep 21, 2021 9:59:44 PM

Congress could fix the broken system but President Biden effectively grant clemency for immediate release for those who are clearly not a threat. They have also begun the re-entry process. We can hope that congress will act, but there is an element of disfunction in our legislative body.

President Biden's campaign promises about criminal justice do not seem to be part of his agenda. https://joebiden.com/Justice/

Posted by: beth curtis | Sep 22, 2021 1:02:23 PM

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FILE PHOTO: An exhaust pipe of a car is pictured on a street in a Berlin

By Victoria Waldersee

BERLIN (Reuters) - German activists have filed a lawsuit against automakers BMW and Daimler for refusing to tighten carbon emissions goals, the first time German citizens have sued private companies for exacerbating climate change.

The lawsuit from the heads of Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), is similar to one being lined up for Volkswagen by the heads of Greenpeace's Germany division in collaboration with Fridays for Future activist Clara Mayer and an unidentified landowner. However, this group has given Volkswagen until Oct. 29 to respond.

DUH also challenged energy firm Wintershall to restrict its emissions targets, but no suit has been filed against the company as of yet.

Here's what the cases mean, and why they matter.

WHERE HAS THIS COME FROM?

In May last year, Germany's top court ruled the country's climate law was not doing enough to protect future generations. It set carbon emissions budgets for major economic sectors, increased the percentage by which emissions must be reduced from 1990 levels by 2030 to 65% from 55%, and stated that Germany as a country must be carbon-neutral by 2045.

While meeting these demands implies some restrictions to current generations' lifestyles, not meeting them would force future generations to make significantly more drastic sacrifices in order to both survive in a warmer world, and prevent the problem from getting worse, the court argued at the time.

In the same month, environmental groups in the Netherlands won a case against oil company Shell for not doing enough to mitigate its impact on the climate  the first private firm to be ordered by a court to reduce its emissions.

On the back of those two rulings, the German activists are making their case.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

This case is important on two levels.

Firstly, because of the legal precedent it could set - namely, that companies are directly responsible for the effect on people's lives of the emissions their products create.

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If the defendants win, citizens could be emboldened to sue other companies  from airlines to retailers to energy firms  for not doing enough to mitigate their impact on the planet.

Secondly, because companies will be forced to prove in court that their emissions targets are as watertight as they say they are  stress-testing their claims that they are taking climate change seriously.

WHY THESE COMPANIES?

Daimler and BMW have set a number of climate-related targets.

Daimler aims to produce purely electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030, and provide an electric alternative for all models by 2025. BMW wants at least half of global sales to be EVs by 2030, and reduce CO2 emissions per vehicle by 40% in the same timeframe. Volkswagen has said it will stop producing fossil fuel-emitting cars by 2035.

All three firms have stated that their targets are in line with the international Paris Agreement on tackling global warming.

But the defendants argue that the companies' goals aren't enough to adhere to the German climate ruling and carbon emissions budgets set by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC).

By prolonging carbon-emitting activities, the companies are directly responsible for the constraints on individual rights that will have to endured in future if carbon budgets aren't stuck to, the case argues.

These are by no means the only firms to which such an argument could apply - and if DUH wins, more lawsuits could follow.

WHAT DO THEY WANT?

DUH wants both autos firms to legally commit to ending production of fossil fuel-emitting cars by 2030, and to ensure the CO2 emitted by their activities before those deadlines does not go beyond their fair share.

What do they mean by their fair share? It's a complex calculation  but put simply, the NGO has calculated a personal carbon budget for each company, based on a figure put together by the IPCC of how much carbon we can still emit globally without warming the Earth beyond 1.7 degrees Celsius, and how much carbon the companies emitted in 2019.

According to its calculations, the companies' current climate goals aren't enough to keep them within their allocated budget  meaning that even if everyone else sticks to their budgets, these companies' activities would push emissions over the limit.

WHAT HAVE THE COMPANIES SAID?

Daimler said on Monday it did not see any grounds for the case. "We have long provided a clear statement for the path to climate neutrality: it is our aim to be fully electric by the end of the decade - wherever market conditions allow," it said in a statement.

BMW said its climate targets were already at the forefront of the industry, and its goals were in line with the ambition of keeping global warming under 1.5 degrees.

Volkswagen said it would consider the case, but that it "does not view suing individual firms as a suitable method to tackle societal challenges."

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

It's now up to Germany's district court to decide whether the case should be taken forward. If it thinks so, the companies will be asked to present evidence to defend themselves against the charges, and a written debate between the two sides will ensue.

A ruling could be years away. But the longer it takes, the higher the risk to the companies if they lose - as they could be left with very little time left to meet any court demands by 2030.

($1 = 0.8540 euros)

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Mark Potter)
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday met with his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto.

New York [US], September 22 (ANI): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday met with his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto and discussed the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

"Discussed the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan with @Haavisto, Foreign Minister of Finland and co-chair of the Pledging Conference on Afghanistan. Appreciate his commitment and compassion," Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar is in New York for United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Jaishankar on Tuesday held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) including with the leadership from Iran, Australia, Egypt and Indonesia.

Jaishankar also met his counterpart from Belgium, Lithuania Hungry and Vietnam.

During his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, Jaishankar had exchanged views on Afghanistan. Both leaders agreed to take forward bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

"Good to meet FM Sameh Shoukry of Egypt. Agreed to take forward our bilateral cooperation. Exchanged views on the GERD issue and Afghanistan," Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar also discussed issues concerning Afghanistan with UK Foreign Minister Liz Truss.

Top leaders from across the world have already started converging in New York for UNGA high-level debate week. The UNGA meeting this year is in a hybrid format but a large number of leaders are expected to arrive in New York. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with his Lankan counterpart G L Peiris

New York [US], September 22 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met his Lankan counterpart G L Peiris in New York and held a comprehensive discussion on close partnership.

After meeting the Lankan leader, Jaishankar said that he looks forward to work with him to "advance our shared agenda".

"Pleased to meet Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris, this time in his new capacity. A comprehensive discussion on our close relationship. Look forward to working with him to advance our shared agenda," Jaishankar tweeted.

Earlier on Wednesday, he met with his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto and discussed the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

"Discussed the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan with @Haavisto, Foreign Minister of Finland and co-chair of the Pledging Conference on Afghanistan. Appreciate his commitment and compassion," Jaishankar tweeted.

External Affairs Minister is in New York for United Nations General Assembly meeting. He on Tuesday held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) including with the leadership from Iran, Australia, Egypt and Indonesia.

Top leaders from across the world have already started converging in New York for UNGA high-level debate week. The UNGA meeting this year is in a hybrid format but a large number of leaders are expected to arrive in New York.

The theme of this year's general debate is "Building resilience through hope to recover from COVID19, rebuild sustainably, respond to planet's needs, respect people's rights and revitalise UN". (ANI)
(AFP via Getty Images)

Lithuania has advised its citizens against buying Chinese mobile phones following a government report that the devices had built-in censorship capabilities.

The Defence Ministry also recommended people throw away any phones they already have made by the electronics company Xiaomi.

Lithuanias state-run cybersecurity company found flagships phones sold in Europe have the ability to detect and censor terms such as Free Tibet, Long Live Taiwan Independence or democracy movement.

Xiaomi insisted its devices neither censor nor restrict the behaviour of its users.

The capability in the Mi 10T 5G phone software has been disabled for devices in the European Union region though can be turned on remotely at any time, the report said.

There are some 449 terms that could be censored currently, with the list continuously updated.

Defence deputy minister, Margiris Abukevicius, said: Our recommendation is not to buy new Chinese phones, and to get rid of those already purchased as fast as possible.

The National Cyber Centre report said the phone sent encrypted phone usage data to a server in Singapore - something Xiaomi denies.

A Xiaomi spokesperson told The Independent: Xiaomis devices do not censor communications to or from its users. Xiaomi has never and will never restrict or block any personal behaviors of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, web browsing or the use of third-party communication software.

Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users. Xiaomi complies with the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

A security flaw was also found in Chinas Huawei P40 5Gphone, whilst none was found in the phone of another Chinese company OnePlus.

Huawei denied its phones sent users data externally.

Lithuanias relationship with China has become strained, with China last month demanding Lithuania withdraw its ambassador from Beijing, while saying it would withdraw its own envoy from Vilnius.

The row was sparked when Taiwan announced its missions in Lithuania would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office. Other European missions use the name of the capital Taipei, so as to avoid referring to the island, which China claims as its own territory.
Nepal Envoy to India Nilambar Acharya

New Delhi [India] September 22 (ANI): Nepal Envoy Nilambar Acharya on Wednesday thanked India for assistance in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic in the Himalayan country.

Acharya said Nepal, earlier this year, had asked for two million doses of Covishield vaccine from Pune-based Serum Institute of India and hopes to receive the remaining one million as New Delhi recently announced the resumption of its Vaccine Maitri program.

Earlier, India had halted in May as it faced severe shortage of vaccines amid a surging second wave.

"We expect the vaccine supply to resume, including the one million doses. We have also received assistance for Oxygen plant setup and medicine in the fight against COVID19," Acharya, in an exclusive interview, told ANI.

India has promised to supply one million Covid-19 doses as aid-for-help to Nepal, in addition to the two million commercial doses.

India-Nepal diplomatic ties date back to 1947 with age-old connection of history, culture, tradition and religion, as well as political, social, cultural, and economic engagements with each other.

The two countries share more than 1,700 km long border, which largely remains peaceful.

Acharya said the 14-day India-Nepal military exercise being held in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh is an example of "good defence cooperation."

The envoy also said that there could be some problems related to border areas but these would not affect the relationship between the two Asian neighbours.

On the issues of the energy ties between the two countries, Ambassador Acharya said despite some problems India and Nepal are forming strong ties in the energy sector.

"Positive talks are going on in the sector of energy. There some problems, some issues are there, they have been sorted out through talks." (ANI)
Representative image

Lahore [Pakistan], September 22 (ANI): Following the recent terror threats in Pakistan, the counter-terrorism authorities from the country's Punjab province arrested four persons from Lahore on September 20, the vernacular media said.

The four suspects were identified as Muhammad Mushtaq, Sami Ullah, Adil Jamal and Osama Khalid.

The four were residents of Karachi and were planning strikes against important persons. The CTD recovered explosives from them. Further investigation is underway.

According to media reports, the development may be viewed against the backdrop of recent terror threats, including cancellations of the New Zealand and British cricket matches in Pakistan.

Earlier this month, Sindh province had issued an alert about possible terror attacks, following intelligence reports amid the investigation of different groups conducted by counterterrorism wings in the country.

Sindh police chief Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar in a circular had warned that the possible sabotage acts could be carried out in September, The News International reported.

The provincial police chief had directed the relevant officials to ensure the provision of security at public places including railway stations, bus terminals, vegetable markets, and other places where people gather in large numbers.

This comes as pedestrian traffic through Pakistan's south-western Chaman border crossing has increased after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan over the last few weeks. Last month, the province's CTD had overhauled its structure to make it responsive against future threats due to the unstable situation in Afghanistan. (ANI)




Taliban requests to address UN; names Suhail Shaheen as envoy

22 Sep 2021: Taliban requests to address UN; names Suhail Shaheen as envoy

The Taliban has reportedly sent a request letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, asking to address world leaders at the ongoing UN General Assembly. According to Reuters, the group has also nominated its Doha-based spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, as Afghanistan's new UN ambassador. The move reflects the desperation of the Taliban for international recognition since it overthrew the Afghanistan government last month.

Details: Taliban's request sent to 9-member committee: Guterres

The letter was sent by the Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Monday. Confirming Muttaqi's letter, Guterres' spokesperson, Farhan Haq, told Reuters that the Taliban's request had been sent to a nine-member credentials committee. However, the committee is unlikely to meet before Monday, the last day of the General Assembly, making it doubtful that the Taliban's desire to address the UN would succeed.

Fact: Credentials committee traditionally meets in October or November

The members of the credentials committee include the US, China, Russia, Bahamas, Bhutan, Chile, Namibia, Sierra Leone, and Sweden. The committee usually meets in October-November to assess the credentials of UN members and submits a report for the General Assembly's approval before the year ends.

Implications: Move implies replacement of ousted government's Afghan envoy

The appointment of Suhail Shaheen as the new Afghan envoy to the UN would indicate the replacement of Ghulam Isaczai, the UN ambassador representing Ashraf Ghani's ousted Afghanistan government. The Taliban, in their letter, made it clear that Isaczai's mission is "over and he no longer represents Afghanistan." However, there is no threat to Isaczai's position until the credentials committee makes any decision.

Fact: Isaczai to address UN General Assembly on September 27

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Meanwhile, Isaczai will be addressing the UN General Assembly on the last day of the high-level meeting, September 27. It is still not clear if any countries would object to his address in the wake of the Taliban's letter.

Context: Taliban desperate for international recognition

The Taliban's request to address the UN reflects the desperation of the group for international recognition. International recognition of their new regime can only help the country get badly needed funds for the cash-strapped Afghan economy. Secretary-General Guterres maintained the Taliban's desire for international recognition is the only leverage other countries have to press for an inclusive government and respect for rights in Afghanistan.

Past: Taliban didn't get Afghanistan's UN seat during last regime

During the Taliban's previous rule from 1996-2001, the credentials committee didn't allow the group to take over Afghanistan's UN seat. The UN envoy of the Afghan government they had toppled remained in his position after the committee postponed the decision "on the understanding that the current representatives of Afghanistan accredited to the UN would continue to participate in the work of the General Assembly."

The news article, Taliban requests to address UN; names Suhail Shaheen as envoy appeared first on NewsBytes.

Also see: No women included in Taliban's new list of Cabinet members

Taliban infighting: Deputy PM, top minister involved in 'major row'

Classified documents from Afghanistan transferred to Pakistan in three aircraft

Read more on World by NewsBytes.


Before the pandemic, San Franciscos Far East Cafe was known for its lavish banquets, where parties of up to 700 people would dine on braised abalone and steamed fish while celebrating weddings or birthdays. These days, large gatherings are rarities, canceled reservations are frequent, and a once-prodigious customer base has shriveled. The restaurant, which has been located in the heart of Chinatown for more than 100 years, may soon close its doors. I keep losing money. For me, its really difficult to continue, owner Bill Lee told me recently. Well work until the end of October, and if we dont get any help, I think we will close down forever.

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Itll take a lot of help. Some days, only 20 to 25 customers show up at Far East Cafe, not nearly enough to sustain the two-story restaurant. Lee has slimmed operating hours, and his attempts to get a restaurant revitalization grant through the Small Business Administration have been unsuccessful so far. Day after day were open, but theres no business. Its not under my control, Lee said. I dont have any idea of what I should do. I feel really depressed.

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Hospitality businesses everywhere knuckled through a brutal year, but those that survived were able to return to near-full or normal operations as vaccines rolled out. Yet the delta variant has drawn out the grueling task of staying afloat during the pandemic, and businesses of all kinds are experiencing slowdowns again. Chinatowns across the country face this dilemma, but its worsened a host of additional issues, like technology and language barriers and pandemic-stoked xenophobia. Community organizations fear that the diminished patronage and insufficient government support will force many long-standing businesses to close, which could accelerate the gentrification that is displacing the people who have built and relied on their Chinatowns for decades.

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Chinatowns are a haven for immigrants and working-class Asians in America, so ensuring their survival is crucial for keeping many underprivileged communities intact. Due to model minority stereotypes about Asian success, the low-income residents of these districts tend to get overlooked when it comes to aid programs. They often depend on the local business ecosystem to eke out a living. So if these neighborhoods fade away, cities stand to lose a lot more than a critical mass of good food.

Far East Cafe is far from the only business in San Franciscos Chinatown thats in dire straits. Things seemed to be looking up for the 24-square-block district over the summer when the COVID vaccine was rolling out and tourist season helped to pad revenues, but the outlook is hazier going into the fall months. Malcolm Yeung, executive director of the Chinatown Community Development Center that runs a number of neighborhood economy and affordable housing initiatives, told me the summer travel rush subsided in August and there was a noticeable drop in street traffic. At around the same time, infections from the delta variant were rising in the U.S. and local health measures became stricter, which further put a damper on commerce. Restaurant operators in particular had been optimistic [in the summer] and began hiring and ramping up operations, but now are beginning to face that downturn again. Its raising questions about survival, said Yeung. Now that summer travel is subsiding, Chinatown businesses are depending on local patrons. (Seasonal commerce isnt likely to pick up in the same way again until late January for the Lunar New Year.) According to Yeung, people who live in Chinatown have been the main source of revenue for the area during the pandemic. Office workers from the nearby financial district venturing out to Chinatown for lunch breaks and dinner also used to be a significant driver of revenue, but many of those customers are still working from home.

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While dealing with the delta variant and lack of foot traffic is by no means unique to Chinatown businesses, these unwelcome developments are compounding other challenges particular to the district, such as the continuing wave of anti-Asian violence that appears to be afflicting women and the elderly in particular. Due to a number of high-profile attacks on Asians over the course of the pandemic, the number of pedestrians in San Franciscos Chinatown tends to decrease dramatically after sundown, and Asian seniors have been wary of visiting. Yeung notes that the hesitance is especially pronounced because 80 percent of the Chinatown population is dependent on public transit rather than cars, which potentially leaves those people more exposed to violence.

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Jackie Wang, communications head for the Welcome to Chinatown initiative supporting Manhattans Chinatown, has observed a similar phenomenon in New York. Its an overarching fear and concern within Chinatown. We still see stories and instances of violence happening, she said. Theres such a large elderly population in Chinatown, since its this ecosystem where you can speak no English but get everything you need to get and do everything you need to do. Its really hard to see it not be this safe haven for people.

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The xenophobia thats reared its head during the pandemic also has less obvious, but nevertheless devastating, impacts on Chinatowns. Such districts were among the first to feel the economic consequences of COVID-19 due to the racist association in American culture between Asian people and the pandemic. Businesses were sensing a huge shift in energy and foot traffic as early as February [2020], said Wang. That comes from some of the toxic rhetoric that was being used in media, and xenophobia and fearmongering around Asian people, and language like the China virus.  Many of these businesses now have a deeper hole of debt to climb out of in order to recover. Welcome to Chinatown conducted a survey earlier this year that found that 84 percent of Manhattan Chinatown storefronts saw business decline by more than half even before New York instituted lockdown orders in March. A similar story has been playing out in other Asian enclaves in America, such as Koreatowns and Little Saigons.

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Another major obstacle to survival for many establishments is the fact that applying for government assistance often requires searching for online forms that are written in English. If you look at businesses in Chinatown, some of which dont even have great access to technology and speak little to no English, the barriers to get to  government aid are so challenging, said Wang. Her organization saw it necessary to create its own grant program, which involved going door to door in Manhattans Chinatown with translators to hand out paper applications printed in both English and Chinese. Most of the applications thus far have been requesting assistance with back rent and overhead costs that have piled up over the past year. Welcome to Chinatowns surveyors further found that 33 percent of the applicants were not proficient in English, 57 percent did not have a social media presence, and 67 percent did not have a website. Indeed, marketing businesses online on Yelp and other sites, which has been crucial for storefronts that are seeing fewer passersby walk in, is particularly challenging without English proficiency. Establishing online store presence/business on predominantly English-language social media platforms creates disparities in ability to promote and continue business online, Devon Stahl, communications associate for the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, wrote in a statement. The corporation is trying to address the issue by compiling a digital business directory that is more accessible to smaller shops.

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Theres a fear that, if current trends persist and commerce doesnt pick back up again, many of the mom-and-pop shops that have defined Americas Chinatowns for decades may be replaced by luxury establishments, especially since the real estate is generally centrally located and could command high commercial rents. Everybody thinks about economic recovery from the standpoint of stimulating activity, said Yeung. In the context of Chinatown, there has to be a conversation about protecting particularly the community-serving retail and food assets that showed up and proved how theyre a key part of the safety net during a crisis. For instance, Far East Cafe and other restaurants in San Franciscos Chinatown helped provide takeout meals to the areas vulnerable families and senior citizens in public housing in March 2020, when lockdowns began choking off many peoples sources of income. New development and rising rental prices are not new issues in Chinatowns, but the pandemic is putting those foreboding trends into overdrive. We see this as something that could speed up the gentrification thats already happening in Chinatown, said Wang, adding that its a particular problem for Manhattans Chinatown, which occupies two different ZIP codes. Many of the Chinatown businesses actually reside in tony Tribeca, and thus dont get as much attention for aid while fending off higher-end shops that want to move in.

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Local Chinatown development organizations have been trying their best to counteract the pandemic-related forces that are weighing down on their districts. The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, as Stahl highlighted, has been hosting scavenger hunts and fundraisers in an attempt to provide small local businesses with extra funding. Yeung has an eye toward the tricky balance of attracting new consumers while also ensuring that the distinctive character of San Franciscos Chinatown doesnt fade. For him, this means building a brick-and-mortar cultural center where educators and artists can display programming to help visitors navigate the district and its history. That can be one of these key pieces that can be a lift for Chinatown and hopefully draw visitors and tourists here, he said. Give them a center of gravity in terms of where they begin their journey in Chinatown, how they can make sense of Chinatown, but also ultimately situating them in Chinatown well enough where they feel like they should be investing and spending money in the community. Visit the cultural center. Stop by a place like Far East Cafe. And maybe bring 699 friends with you.
Simone Biles, Ali Raisman and several other Olympic gymnasts tearfully explained how the FBI ignored their accounts of sexual abuse by Dr. Larry Nassar during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week. In addition to the pain of not being believed, the gymnasts made clear that the FBIs failure to act led to further abuse of young athletes.

During the hearing, several senators expressed their outrage, focusing their future actions on the FBIs failures. Senator Patrick Leahy even supported the gymnasts calls for prosecuting the FBI agents accused of mishandling the case. But the Senators are avoiding the fundamental legal problem at the heart of the investigation: federal law did not cover Nassars abuse.

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The Office of Inspector Generals report found that FBI agents did nothing when first confronted with Olympians accusations because the federal agents had a legal rationale for not pursuing their claims. Nassar could not be charged with a federal offense based on his assaults. Thats accurateeven if it sounds perverse. (His ultimate federal conviction was for possessing kiddie porn, not hundreds of assaults). And it is why the Indianapolis agents claimed that they did not have federal jurisdiction to take the case.

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To put it simply: The US Olympic Committee had knocked on the wrong prosecutorial door. The survivors should have gone to a different set of Michigan state prosecutors, according to the FBI agents.

Unfortunately, state criminal justice systems have routinely failed survivors of sexual assault. Roughly three decades before Biles, Raisman, Makayla Maroney, and Maggie Nichols testified in Congress, dozens of women appeared before Joe Bidens Senate Judiciary Committee to tell similar stories of supreme indifference to their abuse. From those hearings came the first Violence Against Women Act. For the first time in American history, in 1994, the federal government funded states to change their laws and practices that treated domestic violence and sexual assault as less serious than other offenses. The law included a provision to address state justice systems routine mishandling of sexual assault cases, putting accountability in the hands of survivors by enabling them to seek redress themselves. The law declared it a federal civil right to be free from gender-based violence.

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For six years, that law allowed individuals to sue their assailants, and provided attorneys with the incentive to take the cases by allowing them to collect fees if successful. The theory was like any other civil rights action: the plaintiff acts as a private attorney general suing to pursue values shared by all that are under-enforced by traditional law enforcement. College students sued professors who abused them, young men sued priests who harassed them, children sued fathers who had beaten and killed their mothers. Although the laws opponents claimed it would cover trivial matters and end up miring federal courts in divorce, the number of claims were modest in scope and the abuse serious. In a not insignificant number of cases, state officials were perpetrators of abuse.

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That law no longer exists. Blame the Supreme Court. In 2000, the Court declared the Violence Against Women Actss civil rights remedy unconstitutional precisely because it dealt with sexual abuse crimes. Despite the fact that the law allowed private survivors to seek damages, the court ignored the civil nature of the remedy and declared the underlying fact of sexual abuse had to be considered a crime. In United States v. Morrison, Chief Justice Rehnquist wrote that crime was something best left to the states to handle. The justices were almost hysterical about the danger: If the federal government could regulate sexual abuse, they said it would obliterate the distinction between the federal and state governments. (No state governments disappeared when VAWAs civil rights remedy was alive from 1994-2000).

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The Morrison decision has worn poorly over the years. Chief Justice Rehnquist, who wrote the opinion, had lobbied openly and publicly against the law, something that today would be considered with more ethical skepticism than at the time. The decision was supposed to be about federalism, but it led to no legal revolution. In fact, five years later, the Court decided another case, Gonzales v. Raich, allowing the federal government to regulate an individuals marjuana possession, even though that too involved crime, on the theory that there was a commercial market for marijuana. Many law professors think Gonzales silently overruled Morrison, giving the federal government the power to regulate all sorts of crime, just not sexual assault.

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The Olympians case shows just how the courts message could be read, by American women, that their claims are not important enough for federal law. In 1994, when the law was enacted, opponents said that the law would do nothing because sexual assault was just a fad that would go away. But high profile cases involving Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein and many other celebrities have shown the difficulties women face in suing and the need for accountability. The #MeToo movement revealed that the problem of harassment and abuse was widespread, and state legal reform has not stemmed the tide.

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The Morrison panel hinted at how to restore federal protections for sexual assault survivors. The civil rights remedy might be redrafted to pass constitutional muster: require a connection to interstate commerce. The truth is that the federal government regulates a lot of regular crime involving more than one state or goods in transit, like guns or marijuana. The constitution provides significant authority for Congress to regulate commerce. Surely, as the dissent in Morrison said, sexual assault and harassment impairs womens ability to participate in the economy, whether that economy is about movies or sports.

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Today, if the law was still in effect, it would have allowed the Olympic survivors to sue anyone responsible for their abuse, without prosecutors permission. It would have allowed Harvey Weinsteins victims or Jeffrey Epsteins victims to sue them for the costs of therapy, lost jobs and other damages. More importantly, it would have given survivors some measure of accountability when state criminal justice systems fail.

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It is long past time for Congress to pass a redrafted civil remedy in the Violence Against Women Act. Disbelief of survivors accounts of violence is widespread. Deborah Tuerkheimer calls this phenomenon the credibility discount, in her new book, entitled, Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers. If #MeToos enormous numbers (19 million tweets from women who had not believed when they claimed harassment or assault) tell us anything, disbelief, which encompasses utter disregard for the suffering of victims, exists on a massive scale.

The Congress needs to do more than just prosecute an FBI agent for what happened in the Olympians case. They need to move beyond giving money to states and NGOs to stop sexual violence, which is essentially what happens under current law. They need to stand up to the Supreme Court and say that women deserve better than law enforcement officials who continue to ignore and disbelieve them.

At the very least, give the power back to survivors and private lawyers to seek their own vindication when law enforcement fails them. And give them the power to find accountability, the sheer power of belief, that the Olympians so desperately want.
Over the past decade, our ability to alter the human genome has rapidly improved, largely due to advancements in genome editing technologies like CRISPR. Scientists are vigorously pursuing the ultimate goal of making any change to any DNA sequence in any cell of the body. The versatility of these tools has opened the door to treating a range of debilitating diseases, from prevalent neurological conditions to rare forms of cancer. Yet, alongside promising therapeutic applications, we should be worried about the potential unethical and inequitable uses of these technologies.

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Universal concern over the potential use and misuse of genome editing reached a peak in 2018 following the surprise announcement of the first edited babies. He Jiankui, a professor overseeing a university lab in China, publicly disclosed his efforts to engineer HIV immunity into human embryos. The international scientific community decried Hes experiment, and the Chinese government eventually filed criminal charges against this rising young scientist. He Jiankui is currently serving a three-year prison term after a Chinese court found him guilty of illegal medical practice.

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Criticized as unsafe and unnecessary, altering human embryos for reproductive purposes arguably crossed a line and added urgency to the question: How should human genome editing be regulated? A national approach is clearly flawed. A menagerie of different country-level regulations would likely lead to medical tourismtraveling outside of ones home country for access to a restricted medical procedure. But what would governance on a global scale look like?

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In 2020, the United States National Academies and United Kingdoms Royal Society released a report describing what boxes should be checked before attempting to initiate a pregnancy with an edited human embryo. For instance, doctors should sequence the embryos DNA to look for any unintended changes.

Despite providing a list of experimental dos and donts, this report did not settle how toand who shouldoversee the ethical use of this technology on a global level. To answer this question, an advisory committee to the World Health Organization began a two-year inquiry looking specifically at this issue.

In July, the committee, composed of leading scientific experts from around the world, released two reports: a framework for governance and recommendations on human genome editing. These documents provided several case studies, covering the many different ways genome editing can be used to alter human cells, ranging from curing diseases through to enhancing physical ability.

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The report addressed the clear harms of altering embryos and suggested ways to monitor unethical research on a global scale. For instance, the committee recommended creating a whistleblowing mechanism for scientists to report illegal activity.

The committee also confronted an equally, if not more, concerning consequence of human genome editing that has received much less attention than embryo editing: Following in the footsteps of other therapeutics such as cancer drugs and vaccines, genome editing therapies appear to be on course to further amplify existing global health inequities.

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The committee stressed a need for global health justice, recognizing that as genome editing technology progresses, many countries are poised to be left behind. If not addressed, patients with rare genetic diseases may be left finding their cures siloed in high-income countries where hospitals have the sophisticated equipment, trained staff, and payment structures necessary to offer these therapies.

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To date, gene therapies for diseases like Leber congenital amaurosis (a hereditary eye disease) and spinal muscular atrophy (a degenerative nerve disease) are approved in several countries. Gene therapies, which randomly insert a healthy version of DNA into the genome, work differently than genome editing, which makes precise genetic alterations. Approved gene therapies currently on the market are priced anywhere from $300,000 to $2.1 million, staggering numbers for individuals even in high-income countries. Pharmaceutical company Bluebird Bio recently pulled its gene therapy for beta-thalassaemia, a rare blood disease, from European countries over disagreements about price setting, signaling the difficulty of bringing these expensive, lifesaving therapies to patients.

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So, what does global health justice look like for a seven-figure drug? More importantly, whos role is it to ensure that patients around the world benefit from future genome editing therapies? To begin answering these questions, we must start with understanding where the technology is now, where its headed, and who will most benefit.

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In the U.S. alone, billions of dollars are going toward developing genome editing technology to treat a long list of debilitating diseases. This approach is called somatic cell editing, a less controversial counterpart to germ cell editing, which involves altering egg, sperm, and embryos. Changes to somatic cells will not be passed down to future generations but can still be used to cure a disease for the lifetime of a patient.

The landscape of diseases that could potentially be cured using genome editing is vast. Scientists are developing new ways to target cells throughout the body, from neurons in the brain to retinal cells in the eye. Early research and clinical testing, conducted in China, the U.S., and elsewhere, have shown the potential of this technology for correcting muscular dystrophy, Huntingtons disease, and even certain forms of blindness. Despite promising early results, genome editing therapies are still in clinical trials and no treatments are approved by regulators to enter any countrys health care markets. While still hypothetical, these clinical efforts are clear indications of what the future therapeutic landscape may look like.

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Experts point to efforts to cure sickle cell disease as foreshadowing how genome editing will affect patients and health care systems. Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that results in distorted red blood cells, resulting in a reduced life expectancy of 4247 years in the U.S. Multiple clinical trials to cure sickle cell using genome editing, led by industry and academic groups, are underway, but the final cost of any approved treatments will inevitably be enormous. These procedures involve removing the cells from the bone marrow of a patient, altering the DNA within those cells, and reinserting the edited cells back into the body. This process requires sophisticated equipment, highly trained personnel, and long stays in a hospital. Projections estimate that this therapy will be priced well over $1 million per patient, in line with the most expensive approved gene therapies, but this time for a much larger patient populationapproximately 100,000 people in the U.S. live with sickle cell disease.

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Large insurance companies and state Medicaid programs are scrambling to find ways to cover a future influx of genome editing treatments, challenging traditional ways of paying for drugs. In the U.S., individuals who are on small-employer insurance plans or dont have insurance will find accessing these procedures extremely difficult, if not impossible. What, then, for people in low-income countries who could benefit from such treatments?

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Assuming that a cure for sickle cell disease may be one of the first approved genome editing therapies, with the potential to benefit millions of people globally, how will a multimillion-dollar treatment help shift the needle toward global health equity?

The short answer is that it wont. Indeed, if left to the market, global health inequities are likely to only be exacerbated. A different approach must be embraced to create effective treatments that are not only safe, but broadly accessible and also affordable. This was the mindset behind a collaboration between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, pharmaceutical company Novartis, and the U.S.s National Institutes of Health.

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This collective effort aims to create a genome editing cure for sickle cell disease and HIV that will work for patients in low-resource settings like Africa or rural America. In short, they want to introduce genome editing molecules directly into the body without removing any cells, cutting down on cost and time. Technologically, this is a herculean goal. But if successful, it would offer an accessible cure for the 1215 million people in Africa living with sickle cell disease, 90 percent of whom will not reach 18 years of age without interventions.

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If the Gates project succeeds, will it be a one-off experiment or a model for future therapies? Translating this cross-sector collaboration into a standard approach for developing accessible cures would benefit from international oversight, a role that some say the WHO could fillbut many also wonder if it is up to the challenge.

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The world is currently experiencing a disastrous example of global health injustice. While only 1 percent of people in low-income countries are vaccinated against COVID-19, U.S. citizens will likely begin lining up to receive booster shots in the coming months. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the WHO has worked to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines through initiatives like COVAX, aiming to deliver doses for at least 20 percent of countries populations.

Yet their effort has been met with little success. Vaccine hoarding by high-income countries has presented itself as a significant obstacle to COVAX. Global vaccines access has also been stalled by an unwillingness of countries to agree to a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights associated with COVID-19 vaccines and related technologies.

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The global pandemic has clearly illustrated a need for an organization that can show moral leadership, safeguarding the health and well-being of all citizens. The WHO has sought to do this over the past 18 months. Now the WHOs advisory committee is calling on the organization to play a similar moral leadership role for genome editing, but vaccines, which have been around for more than a century, are a stark difference from genome editing, a technology with numerous unknowns.

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Oversight of emerging technologies is outside of WHOs original mission, but that function is beginning to change. WHO is currently assisting countries with evaluating how emerging technologies will affect the well-being of their citizens, and gene editing technologies are, arguably, one of the most significant new technologies for addressing health-related challenges. Even though WHO is still securing its footing on the rocky terrain of emerging technologies, it may be the best organization to help society direct its moral compass toward global health equity.

Part of this process will involve convening governments and policymakers, anticipating and articulating potential consequences of genome editing on health equity, and fostering innovative collaborations to ensure that genome editing therapies benefit all. Low-resourced countries were left on the periphery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lets make sure that geography doesnt impede access to the benefits of future genome editing therapies.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
ARCHIVED - Spain sells surplus Pfizer vaccines to New Zealand and Fiji



The Minister of Health has indicated that Spain will donate coronavirus vaccines to African countries with low vaccination rates

The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, reported on Wednesday September 22 that Spain has sold thousands of Pfizer coronavirus vaccines to New Zealand and Fiji at cost price from this countrys surplus supply. There are currently about seven million refrigerated doses throughout the autonomous communities, so the Ministry has paused weekly shipments in order to utilise what it is storage.

Ms Darias confirmed that 250,000 doses of the Pfizer jab were sold to New Zealand at the same price that Spain acquired them, while some seven million vaccines have already been donated to countries whose vaccination rates are slower, particularly Latin America.

While the vaccination campaign in Spain has slowed down during August and September, 75.9% of people have now had both jabs

Image: Archive
Remaining parts of Bratislava ring road to open by the week's end

The construction of the D4 and R7 roads is nearing its end, though the D1 connection is still years away.

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The D4R7 Construction company will open almost all the remaining sections of the D4 highway and the R7 express dual-carriageway in Bratislava and its surroundings on Sunday, September 26.

The handover of the segments in regards to large infrastructure projects, such as the Bratislava ring road, is a standard process, the company said earlier this week, as quoted by the SITA newswire. We expect everything to be finished by September 26, 2021, and we can assure everyone that we will be ready to open the roads.

Awaiting permits

The missing segments of the D4 and R7 roads, measuring a total of 13 km in length, will open by the end of this week if the developer holds to its word. The stretches of the D4 under construction include the segments between intersections Bratislava, Jarovce - Petrzalka (2.2 km) - Bratislava, South (originally known as Ketelec; 4.3 km), including a three-kilometre segment with Luzny Bridge crossing the Danube.

22. Sep 2021 at 11:09 (modified at 22. Sep 2021 at 16:41) | Compiled by Spectator staff
President to the UN Assembly: Where scientists succeeded, politics is still failing

Zuzana Caputova recalled the words Pope Francis addressed to Slovak youth during his recent visit to Slovakia.

In this photo taken from video, Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova remotely addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded message, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 at U.N. headquarters. (Source: AP/TASR)

We are in a much better place than a year ago, said President Zuzana Caputova during her video appearance at the 76th UN General Assembly.

Vaccines offer a clear path out of the pandemic, she noted. But where scientists have succeeded  in sequencing the virus or producing safe vaccines  politics is still failing.

The president also criticised the uneven distribution of vaccines and inclusiveness, but the main focus of her speech was on how to save the planet.

Future generations will suffer if we do not stop global warming

Previously, the Earth was whispering but now it is screaming that it cannot hold us any longer, that humankind is a burden too heavy to carry, Caputova noted. Saving the planet is not a promise we make today for our successors to implement it later. We have hesitated for so long that we have run out of generations of political leaders who can talk but do nothing. This task is upon us today.

Slovakia will reduce its emissions by 55 percent before 2030 and become climate neutral by 2050, along with the rest of the European Union, she continued. By 2023, coal will no longer be used to produce electricity and heat. In the coming years, Slovakia will spend almost 6 percent of its GDP on economic recovery: one-third will go to our green transition, the president added.

She noted that Slovakia is the biggest car producer per capita in the world. Clean mobility, greener locally developed and produced batteries will decarbonise transport in Slovakia and elsewhere.

Unless we stop global warming, future generations will suffer, she added. Our failure will damage multilateralism and spur violence. Therefore, saving our planet also means upholding a rules-based international order and the rule of law, at home and abroad.

Recalling the words of Pope Francis

The President made her final point about inclusiveness. She said that we cannot save our planet if we leave out the vulnerable ones  i.e. women, girls and minorities. The silent pandemic of gender-based violence can prove lethal to the health of our societies.

Our long-term strategies, however brilliant, will become short-lived history if we do not involve young people, she said.

From our archive

From our archive Caputova addressed the UN General Assembly, called for responsible leadership Read more

Caputova concluded her speech with the words of Pope Francis, who addressed young people during his recent visit to Slovakia: Do not be dismayed or yield to those who tell you that nothing will ever change.

22. Sep 2021 at 11:12 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Pharmacists ready for vaccination but there is no legislation

The health minister said chemists could soon help with vaccination against Covid-19.

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Pharmacists are ready to help with vaccination against Covid.

Our paywall policy: The Slovak Spectator has decided to make all the articles on the special measures, statistics and basic information about the coronavirus available to everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope.

An option to receive a jab at the pharmacy has already been mentioned by Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky (OLaNO nominee) as well, but there is no legislation enabling such an option.

[In Slovakia], pharmacies are still considered part of a logistic segment supposed to ensure the accessibility of medicines for patients, said Ondrej Sukel, chair of the Slovak Pharmaceutical Chamber, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

The situation in other EU countries is different, he continued, explaining that chemists are part of various educational programmes, long-term care for old people, and programmes to educate diabetics and asthmatics, as well as explaining the correct use of health aids. They also carry out several procedures, including vaccination, Sukel said.

Discussion about flu vaccination

While Lengvarsky said the pharmacists could soon help with vaccination against Covid, Sukel added that they mostly talk about vaccination against the flu.

Currently, it is possible to get vaccinated in pharmacies in 17 European countries, including Austria. Though Slovak pharmacies are ready to start vaccination, there is no legislation, according to Sukel.

Consumption of medicine decreased in Slovakia during the pandemic Read more

First of all, it is about setting up competencies, he said, as quoted by SITA. We have already addressed the ministry proposing legislative changes that should make this possible.

Taking into consideration the legislative process, vaccination in pharmacies could start the next flu season, i.e. next year. The problem is that vaccination against Covid is important now.

More about the coronavirus developments in Slovakia:

22. Sep 2021 at 11:16 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Parking in Bratislava changes. Required registration opens soon

Three boroughs will join the new city-wide system, inhabitants will be required to register.

In the Tehelne Pole zone, the pilot parking policy will be replaced by the city-wide parking policy. (Source: Jana Liptakova)

Parking in the capital will soon follow different rules. The Bratislava authorities are wrapping up preparations for the city-wide parking policy.

This autumn the city council plans to launch the Bratislava Parking Assistant (PAAS), which is the official name of the city-wide parking policy in the capital. The aim is to set clear rules for parking and improve the parking possibilities for residents.

We are working intensively on launching registrations in October as well as payment and inspections in November in the first two zones, Krasnany in Raca and Tehelne Pole in Nove Mesto, said Peter Herceg, who is responsible for the parking policy at the city council. The third zone, Dvory 4 in Petrzalka, will follow within a month.

After registration is launched, the inhabitants of Krasnany and Tehelne Pole zones will have until the end of October to register. The parking regulation, complete with inspections and issuing of fines, will start from November 1. Registration for the residents of the Dvory 4 zone will then be launched on November 1, while the parking regulation will be enforced as of December 1.

The residence card for one car will cost 39 per year. Households with more cars will pay 150 for the second car and 500 for the third car.

After the parking policy begins, parking will be possible in the affected zones only at indicated parking lots. Parking your car outside marked places will be prohibited.

Different in Nove Mesto and Petrzalka

In the Tehelne Pole zone, the pilot parking policy the Nove Mesto borough authorities launched in December 2020 will switch to the city-wide parking policy run by the city council.

22. Sep 2021 at 17:46 | Jana Liptakova
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/2500-rhino-horns-torched-in-indian-state-of-assam-to-convey-anti-poaching-message-1089293041.html

2,500 Rhino Horns Torched in Indian State of Assam to Convey Anti-Poaching Message

2,500 Rhino Horns Torched in Indian State of Assam to Convey Anti-Poaching Message

The rhinoceros is among the most critically-endangered animals; five species of the large mammals are found throughout the world, including two in Africa and... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

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A haul of nearly 2,500 rhinoceros horns was set on fire on Wednesday in India's northeastern state of Assam to mark World Rhino Day. It aimed to convey an anti-poaching message and spread public awareness that these horns don't have any medicinal properties. The public event was attended by Assam State Chief Himanta Biswa Sarma and other state ministers.The one-horn rhino, also known as the Indian rhinoceros, is a rare species that was once endemic in the region. They've almost been wiped out by poachers, who harvest their horns.Many people over the centuries have believed that rhino horns have medicinal properties.Ahead of the event, the state forest department had announced that of the 2,623 rhino horns recovered or collected between 1979 and 2021, 2,479 will be destroyed, while 94 will be preserved for academic purposes at Kaziranga National Park; 29 are associated with court cases. The remaining 21 are said to be fake horns.

WhatTheFishIsThis The felons are the poachers and buyers, not the rhino horns or the animals involved. Burning a few poachers will be dramatic and conveys a stronger message.

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state of assam

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Deexa Khanduri https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0c/1e/1081607388_0:0:961:960_100x100_80_0_0_e9e931b8c1e18fb41f3074e2145d7a3a.jpg

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rhinoceros, state of assam, rhino, india
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/axis-of-resistance-killed-us-israeli-commanders-in-revenge-for-soleimanis-assassination---report-1089285587.html

Axis of Resistance Killed US, Israeli Commanders in Revenge for Soleimani's Assassination - Report

Axis of Resistance Killed US, Israeli Commanders in Revenge for Soleimani's Assassination - Report

General Soleimani, the former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, along with al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraq's Hashd... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T03:07+0000

2021-09-22T03:07+0000

2021-09-22T03:07+0000

iran

general soleimani

islamic revolutionary guard corps (irgc)

irans revolutionary guards (irgc)

qasem soleimani

us-iran crisis after soleimani assassination, missile attack

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The Axis of Resistance carried out attacks against two American and Israeli officers in reprisal for the assassination of prominent commanders Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, The Cradle news outlet reported on Monday. Two high-ranking American and Israeli officers were killed in summer in a military operation in Erbil, northern Iraq, according to a senior security source within the Middle Eastern alliance, cited in the report.Willis died in a non-combat event at Qatar's Al-Udeid base, according to the Pentagon's statement in late June, which did not provide any further information on the cause of death. He was the commander of the 210th Red Horse Squadron, a 130-member unit that "provides civil engineering with rapid response capabilities to conduct operations in remote, high threat environments," according to the Stars and Stripes, an official military newspaper.Asman, in his turn, died on July 1 after collapsing during fitness training at a military base in central Israel, according to Israeli media reports. During his 25-year career, he saw active military service in Lebanon and Gaza, among other places.According to The Cradle's report, in 2021, at least two separate attacks in Iraq targeted the Israeli espionage service Mossad, and it is unknown who performed the attacks. After Israel's alleged sabotage attempt on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility earlier this year, strikes on both sides' vessels in area waters, and the killing of Iran's senior nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last November, the first such retaliatory incident occurred in mid-April. The timing of the attacks that purportedly murdered Willis and Asman was not revealed by The Cradle's source.Iran has condemned the assassinations of Soleimani and al-Muhandis as "state terrorism" and promised to eliminate the American presence in the region as the final act of vengeance, while pressing Iraq to force US forces off its soil.In April, the former Iranian Defense Minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, claimed that the resistance forces had become a significant power in the region, with the aim of confronting the United States and Israel in the first place.Iran, Syria, Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces militias, and the Lebanese political and militant organization Hezbollah comprise the "Axis of Resistance," also known as the "Resistance Front." These forces have also been operating jointly to counter terrorists in the region, including Daesh*.* A terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other states

https://sputniknews.com/20210829/irans-new-fm-warns-soleimanis-assassins-must-pay-after-trump-brags-about-taking-out-irgc-leader-1083746871.html

Hampar Tokatlian God Bless Iran and her principled stance against the rogue regimes. 21

Question All Even more proof that the Al Qaeda, ISIS mercenaries are handled by Israel. What a terrible indictment that the so-called "victims" of genocide will carry out savage killings of innocent people in countries that wan to live in peace. Killing Mulsims (whe follow the same Jewish law) Christians, children, sponsor suicide bombings, beheadings and all the so-called "terror" that reaches Europe and Asia. The fingerprints of the US and ISrael are on all the carnage of the last century. God is not mocked, He sees everything. those little ones whose blood is shed in false flag chemical attacks, drone strikes and such cries out to the Lord of Hosts. Honestly I'm sick to my gut from US and allies lies and pretenses. 20

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iran

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Kirill Kurevlev

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Kirill Kurevlev

iran, general soleimani, islamic revolutionary guard corps (irgc), irans revolutionary guards (irgc), qasem soleimani, us-iran crisis after soleimani assassination, missile attack
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/canada-unlikely-to-see-another-snap-vote-after-trudeaus-failed-bid-to-win-majority-1089300815.html

Canada Unlikely to See Another Snap Vote After Trudeau's Failed Bid to Win Majority

Canada Unlikely to See Another Snap Vote After Trudeau's Failed Bid to Win Majority

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won his third straight election this week but failed to secure a majority in parliament that he hoped... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T11:44+0000

2021-09-22T11:44+0000

2021-09-23T15:59+0000

world

canada

justin trudeau

opinion

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The election was called two years early and became a referendum on the government of Trudeau, whose Liberal Party has advocated mandatory vaccinations and strict coronavirus rules.The Liberals led in 158 seats, 12 short of the 170 needed for a majority. Their main Conservative rivals won 119 seats, two less than in the 2019 election, after the new right-wing People's Party of former Conservative Maxime Bernier won over Conservative voters unhappy with pandemic curbs.Erika Simpson, an associate professor of international politics at Western University in London, Ontario, told Sputnik that Trudeau had a clear mandate to govern and would not risk a fourth election. His father, too, won three consecutive terms as prime minister but failed to secure a fourth one in 1979.Simpson credited Maxime Bernier with the unexpected rise of his People's Party, who bled support from the Conservatives and cemented their losses. She predicted that opposition parties would probably see post-vote changes in leadership. The Conservatives top job may be at stake.Allan Tupper, from the University of British Columbia's Department of Political Science, told Sputnik that Trudeau will approach the governing with a clear agenda that works with opposition parties, but the Conservatives will not be part of that.Trudeau is now safe to implement his $10-a-day daycare plan, accept tens of thousands of Afghan refugees and move ahead with the reforms that opposition parties did not cooperate on after he won his first minority in parliament in 2019.Tupper predicted that Trudeau's government would be ready for more openness on economic issues and act more assertively on Canada's pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. He said the green agenda contributed to the Liberals' success and they will be heavily committed to it.

See you in the ice Migrants are the problem. Millions of low skill right wing workers have migrated (like Africans and South Americans do) West to beg for resource, nature plundering, jobs. Left wing industrial or skilled workers don't migrate. Result the right wing vote declines in the East and piles up in the West. Right-wing by migrating gave away many seats in the East. democracy...60-65% of Canadian votes are for a Center-left party. 35-40% for a Center-right party. 13

Mike Literous No way Trudeau won.... Total fraud. 9

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world, canada, justin trudeau, opinion
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/chinese-covid-vaccines-reach-100-nations-but-who-warns-africa-still-short-470-million-shots-in-2021-1089285704.html

Chinese Covid Vaccines Reach 100 Nations, But WHO Warns Africa Still Short 470 Million Shots in 2021

Chinese Covid Vaccines Reach 100 Nations, But WHO Warns Africa Still Short 470 Million Shots in 2021

Unique among industrial nations, China has vaccinated more than 1 billion of its citizens against COVID-19 while exporting even more shots. While its vaccines... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T01:18+0000

2021-09-22T01:18+0000

2021-09-22T01:18+0000

world health organization (who)

china

vaccines

covid-19

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Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines have been exported to more than 100 countries, President Xi Jinping recently announced, helping to fill much of the worlds need for protective shots. While Chinese vaccines are not the worlds most effective, their ease of manufacture and storage have made them valuable health resources as much of the world struggles to meet vaccination goals.Speaking on Friday, Xi told leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that China had provided nearly 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organizations, making the socialist country the worlds largest vaccine provider.The COVAX program, which is jointly administered by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), provides vaccines to the worlds poorest nations at little-to-no cost.However, the WHO said on Thursday it was short by 470 million doses in Africa due to unplanned supply shortages, threatening the continents end-year goal of vaccinating 40% of its population. At present, COVAX will deliver just 470 million doses, enough to vaccinate 17% of Africa.Structural Barriers to Vaccine EquityDr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, blasted decisions by vaccine suppliers, which include India, China, and several Western nations, to keep export bans in place and to hoard vaccines.The UN-connected global health group has repeatedly condemned Western policies that block poorer nations access to their high-powered mRNA vaccines, which are more expensive but more effective than the more traditional whole inactivated virus (WIV) vaccines. Those policies include administering third booster shots to their own citizens instead of exporting the extra doses to the Third World and intellectual property laws codified in the World Trade Organizations Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which prevent generic versions of drugs from being manufactured abroad for cheap.According to the WHO on Thursday, although one-third of humanity has been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 infection, just 2% of those shots have been administered in Africa. By comparison, half have been given in the worlds richer nations, including the US, UK, and European Union.On Monday, Indian Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said exports and donations to COVAX would resume next month, having been paused in the spring due to a colossal COVID-19 outbreak in the country which might have killed 4 million people. The country had previously been a major provider of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, by far the worlds cheapest, but which carries a troublesome expiration date that has seen some nations shipments expire before being administered.Enduring Popularity of Chinese ShotsAccording to a Tuesday report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Chinese vaccines have enjoyed such popularity due to a combination of factors including cost, availability, and ease of use.The two primary vaccines China has exported, by SinoVac and Sinopharm, are both WIV vaccines, a proven technology that did not require the creation of new methods of manufacture or delivery, greatly reducing their cost. In addition, the shots can be stored at between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, or normal refrigerator temperature, according to the BBC. Russias Sputnik V vaccine is also stored at refrigerator temperature.However, the western messenger RNA vaccines, which are a new type of vaccination, must be stored at much colder temperatures: -20 Celsius for Modernas shot and -70 Celsius for the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. Those require specialized cold storage chambers, which are unlikely to be available in many poorer or more rural parts of the world, and frustrate even the transport process.Western nations have not promised even the number of vaccines China has already delivered, much less what Beijing has committed to. The Biden administration said it would buy 500 million Pfizer shots to donate to poorer nations, with the majority not arriving until next year.Over the midterm, the next six to nine critical months, where we have 11 billion doses to go, can we do it without inactivated vaccines? Now we need to vaccinate 8 billion  we may very well need every vaccine we can get that is WHO emergency use licensing [approved], particularly ones that can be kept stable at achievable temperatures for extended periods, he added.Kim said the WIV vaccines will continue to be important because it was unknown how quickly, cheaply, and in what volume the protein vaccines will be available and whether additional changes in the storage parameters of RNA vaccines will occur.The downside to the Sinopharm and SinoVac vaccines is their lower effectiveness compared to mRNA vaccines. The WHO has found two Sinopharm shots to be 79% effective against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and two SinoVac shots to be just 51% effective. While studies of a third dose have shown a promising boost for SinoVac, some nations - including China - are testing mixing SinoVac with other vaccines.China is set to begin testing the effects of giving the unpopular but novel DNA vaccine developed by the US company Inovio as the second vaccination dose after SinoVac, or vice-versa, later this year. Meanwhile, Thailand is mixing SinoVac and AstraZeneca doses; South Korea has also tested mixing the AstraZeneca shot, but with Pfizers mRNA shot, with strong results.Meanwhile, other Chinese vaccines are also in development. Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products has developed a vaccine that is also stored at room temperature, but requires three shots to reach an efficacy of 81%; and Sinopharm is also developing its own mRNA vaccine.

Preterist-ADSeventy It should read Chinese Covid Vaccines Reach 100 Nations, But Bill Gates WHO Warns Africa Still Short 470 Million Shots in 2021 New documentary film TrustWHO exposes Bill Gates for bankrolling global genocide programs. The WHO is run by Gates because of his majority of contributions to it. It appears Bill Gates wants a piece of the action. He wants his 470 million shots to reach Africa, not Chinas. 1

astrodetective False flag concern on the part of WHO. They want to depopulate Europeans with their poisonous frankenshots to enable African third world to spread and replace European peoples 0

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world health organization (who), china, vaccines, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/croatian-police-partially-solve-mystery-of-lone-woman-found-on-island-with-no-memory--1089317775.html

Croatian Police Partially Solve Mystery of Lone Woman Found on Island With No Memory

Croatian Police Partially Solve Mystery of Lone Woman Found on Island With No Memory

Croatian police have solved the first half of the mystery surrounding a woman who was found with no memory along ragged rocks on the island of Krk. 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T22:30+0000

2021-09-22T22:30+0000

2021-09-22T22:29+0000

croatia

police

mystery

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A woman was found over the weekend in a remote area on the Croatian island of Krk with no memory of who she was and how she had gotten there. Local police on Wednesday solved the first half of the mystery once they successfully managed to identify her moments after posting a picture of her.Officials subsequently learned that the woman is a Slovakian named Daniela Adamcova, The Guardian reported.In 1984, Adamcova left Slovakia, her friends, and her family to come to the United States. She had wanted to go to Australia or New Zealand, but ended up settling in Los Angeles, California. Through the help of an emigrant agency, she settled and began on her own American dream.Adamcova would eventually enroll in design school and become a jewelry designer. Some of her jewelry would be worn by stars such as Diana Ross, Brigitte Bardot, Barbara Streisand, and cast members from the shows Friends and Melrose Place.Following a divorce, Adamcova came back to Slovakia in 2000; however, she returned to the states before later opting to live in Ireland from 2015 to 2018. Although the mystery of who the woman on the rocks of Krk has been solved, it only leads to another mystery: how did she get there?Adamcova was discovered when a fisherman saw her laying on a jagged outcrop of rock near Krk. The fisherman alerted the police who had to take 4x4s and walk nearly two miles to reach her. The locals say the area she was found in only has bears and wild boars.When the police finally got to her, she was dehydrated and confused. The authorities believe Adamcova had spent more than a night on the rocks, and was so weak she couldnt drink water without assistance. She had no phone or ID on her, which, coupled with her amnesia, made it impossible for the police to identify her.Had Adamcova experienced a horrible accident or had a crime been committed? Details, and perhaps even memories, could surface in the days to follow. The mystery of the woman on the rocks of Krk is only halfway solved.

vot tak An elderly woman with dementia. Or something similar. An ex's old man did similar things. Not really headline news, millions suffer this as they age and don't get special treatment by the zio-media. ... "The Guardian reported." This means israel has a special fondness for the woman. 0

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croatia

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Nevin Brown

Nevin Brown

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Nevin Brown

croatia, police, mystery
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/czech-hungarian-prime-ministers-slam-eu-for-poor-border-protection-from-illegal-migrants-1089317036.html

Czech, Hungarian Prime Ministers Slam EU for Poor Border Protection From Illegal Migrants

Czech, Hungarian Prime Ministers Slam EU for Poor Border Protection From Illegal Migrants

PRAGUE (Sputnik) - Prime ministers of the Czech Republic and Hungary noted on Wednesday that European Union's border protection policy was improper and... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T21:41+0000

2021-09-22T21:41+0000

2021-09-22T21:40+0000

czech republic

illegal immigration

hungary

migrants

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On Wednesday, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis arrived in Hungary for an official two-day visit. Babis and his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban, visited an area near the Hungarian-Serbian border.The Hungarian prime minister noted that the bloc had dragged for too long the process of admission of Serbia and other Balkan countries."The border protection should begin not here [in Hungary], but at the borders of those European countries that are located further south," Orban said.Babis agreed with his Hungarian counterpart and reiterated that his country was not ready to receive illegal migrants.Orban also addressed Babis with a request to send 50 Czech policemen to Hungary to strengthen the border protection."Mr Prime Minister [Orban] asked me to allocate 50 policemen for aid to Hungarian border guards to protect the southern border from illegal migrants. The same happened in 2015, during the migration crisis in Europe. I will propose it to our government for approval," Babis told reporters.In late August, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto described the developments in Afghanistan as a threat to his country, as Afghan refugees might get in Hungary through Turkey or Western Balkans. Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek also said that Prague was not happy about Afghan migrants coming to Europe and expressed readiness to resolve the issues related to refugees to curb migration flows.

Norman Camilleri What border protection? All they did was encouraged them to come, especially with the Mediterranean ferry service and all the freebies EU was giving out to them. 0

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czech republic

hungary

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czech republic, illegal immigration, hungary, migrants
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/donald-trump-sues-nyt-niece-mary-over-insidious-plot-behind-2018-dubious-tax-schemes-story-1089296986.html

Donald Trump Sues NYT, Niece Mary Over Insidious Plot Behind 2018 Dubious Tax Schemes Story

Donald Trump Sues NYT, Niece Mary Over Insidious Plot Behind 2018 Dubious Tax Schemes Story

The New York Times 2018 article alleged that Donald Trump participated in dubious tax schemes  including instances of outright fraud enabling him to rake in... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T10:51+0000

2021-09-22T10:51+0000

2021-09-22T10:51+0000

donald trump

news

us

new york times

taxes

mary trump

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Former president Donald Trump has sued his niece, Mary L. Trump, the New York Times and three of the outlets reporters in connection with a 2018 story on his tax records. The ex-POTUS wrote in the complaint, filed in New Yorks Dutchess County, that he is seeking damages from the defendants for a total of no less than One Hundred Million Dollars for engaging in an insidious plot to obtain confidential documents. The Times story alleged that Donald Trump and his father had concocted a scheme whereby they dodged gift and inheritance taxes by a plethora of methods, such as setting up a sham corporation and undervaluing assets to tax authorities. The manipulations, the reporters claimed, allowed Trump, who had touted himself as a self-made billionaire, to receive at least $413 million from his father over the decades. Times reporters David Barstow, Susanne Craig, and Russ Buettner, singled out in Trumps lawsuit, won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2019 for their story. Breach of Confidentiality Donald Trumps lawsuit emphasises that his brother Fred Trump, Jr.s daughter had signed a confidentiality agreement in 2001, yet she was convinced by the outlets journalists to smuggle the records out of her attorneys office and turn them over to The Times. The publication, according the ex-president, subsequently attempted to capitalise on their receipt of the confidential record through their publication of various news articles. Mary Trump, who has been an avid critic of her Uncle and penned a book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man in 2020, is also accused in the suit of engaging in an ill-conceived effort to profit from these same events by publishing her memoir. Trump argued in his suit that his niece committed a material breach of the Settlement Agreement by disclosing, assisting and/or providing confidential information to The Times. In 2001, Mary Trump had signed a confidentiality agreement as part of the settlement of the estate of her grandfather, Fred Trump Sr. When it was revealed she was about to publish her memoir, Robert Trump, the presidents brother, went to court to stop it. An effort was made to prohibit publisher Simon & Schuster from releasing the tell-all book that portrayed the then-POTUS as a liar and a bully. However, an appellate judge in 2020 overturned a lower court ruling that had temporarily halted publication, ruling that the 2001 confidentiality agreement Mary Trump signed along with other family members had been too vaguely defined. While leaving in place a restraining order against Mary Trump, the judge said the books publisher was not a signatory to the agreement and could not be forced to comply. Donald Trump argued that the Times was aware of the confidentiality agreement but still relentlessly sought out Mary Trump and intentionally procured her breach of the Settlement Agreement. The daughter of the president's older brother, who died in 1981 at the age of 42, commented on the lawsuit in a statement to NBC News, saying: "The Times's coverage of Donald Trump's taxes helped inform citizens through meticulous reporting on a subject of overriding public interest. This lawsuit is an attempt to silence independent news organisations and we plan to vigorously defend against it," a Times spokesperson said in a statement for US media.

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Svetlana Ekimenko

Svetlana Ekimenko

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Svetlana Ekimenko

donald trump, news, us, new york times, taxes, mary trump
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/egypt-condemns-failed-coup-attempt-in-sudan-backs-transitional-government-1089291401.html

Egypt Condemns Failed Coup Attempt in Sudan, Backs Transitional Government

Egypt Condemns Failed Coup Attempt in Sudan, Backs Transitional Government

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Egypt has denounced the failed coup attempt in Sudan and expressed its support for the transitional government, the Egyptian Ministry of... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T06:27+0000

2021-09-22T06:27+0000

2021-09-22T06:27+0000

egypt

sudan

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"Egypt condemns the failed coup attempt in Sudan and reiterates its support for the institutions of the transitional authorities in Sudan and their tireless efforts to achieve the aspirations of the Sudanese people at this important stage in the country's history," the ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday.The Sudanese authorities announced on Tuesday that they had thwarted a military coup attempt in the country. Most of those behind the coup  21 officers and a number of soldiers  were arrested, according to the armed forces. The authorities believe that the mutiny was organized by supporters of former Sudanese President Omar Bashir.In April 2019, the government of then-president Bashir, who had been at the country's helm for 30 years, was overthrown as a result of a military coup in light of mass protests over the deteriorating economic situation and declining living standards. Bashir was later jailed.

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https://sputniknews.com/20210922/er-doc-accuses-govt-of-shoving-vax-side-effects-under-the-matt-in-vid-leaked-to-project-veritas-1089314877.html

ER Doc Accuses Govt of Shoving Vax Side Effects Under the Mat in Vid Leaked to Project Veritas

ER Doc Accuses Govt of Shoving Vax Side Effects Under the Mat in Vid Leaked to Project Veritas

Earlier this month, the White House announced that the government would seek to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations at the federal level, walking back a pledge Joe... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T19:05+0000

2021-09-22T19:05+0000

2021-09-22T20:52+0000

whistleblower

video

leak

vaccine

project veritas

coronavirus

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A Department of Health and Human Services ER doctor from the Phoenix Indian Medical Center has been caught on hidden cam footage calling the vaccines being administered in the US bullsh*t and accusing the federal government of willfully ignoring serious and potentially fatal side effects.The video, published by investigative journalism collective Project Veritas, shows a discussion between DHHS physician Dr. Maria Gonzales and her colleague, Dr. Dale McGee, as well as Jodi OMalley, a registered nurse, regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness.So how come after 18 months, we havent had any research? Isnt that fishy to you? OMalley, who filmed and leaked the footage to Project Veritas, asks Gonzales. It does  it is fishy, the doctor replies.Its not that it hasnt been done. It hasnt been published, thats why, Dr. McGee interjects.In separate conversation with Gonzales, OMalley complains to the ER doctor that a 30-something-year-old patient began suffering from congestive heart failure after receiving a second dose of the jab.They are not reporting. Because they want to shove it under the mat, Gonzales says, referring to federal guidelines put out by the Centers for Disease Control requiring hospitals to report severe adverse side effects, including congestive heart failure a side effect occasionally reported in mRNA-based vaccines, including the Pfizer and Moderna jabs being deployed in the US.The problem in here is that they are not doing the studies. People that had it and the people that have been vaccinated, theyre not doing any antibody testing, Gonzales tells OMalley.OMalley also secretly filmed a conversation with Deanna Paris, another DHHS registered nurse at the hospital, discussing the situation of people falling ill after being vaccinated.Its a shame they are not treating people like theyre supposed to, like they should. And, I think they want people to die, Paris bluntly tells her colleague.OMalley told Project Veritas that she decided to come forward after an unnamed colleague of hers who had expressed vaccine hesitancy died from complications after getting the jab. She didnt want to take it. She didnt want to take it because of her religious beliefs and she was coerced into taking it. Nobody should have to decide between their livelihood, being a part of the team in the hospital, or take the vaccine, the nurse said, tearing up.Now were just making people take it and then theres reactions to it, and then you have a medication that has been shown effective and surely has no adverse reactions for trying it, the nurse added, referring to Ivermectin, a medication often derided in mainstream media reporting as horse paste.The nurse admitted that she was afraid that the government might retaliate against her, but said her faith lies in God and not man, and that her career was to help people, not harm them.VAERS: The FiguresAccording to the latest CDC data, about 6,000 people across the United States have died from various complications after taking at least one dose of the available Covid vaccines, with death appearing 6,055 times under 2021VAERSSYMPTOMS. To date, about 182 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.OpenVAERS, an independent non-profit VAERS reporting service which bases its figures largely on US data, but also information coming from other countries, has reported nearly 15,000 fatalities to date, plus over 1.5 million reports of other adverse effects, ranging from hospitalizations and urgent care to doctor office visits, anaphylaxis, Bells Palsy, heart attacks, miscarriages, Shingles and severe allergic reactions.In addition to the mRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the US Food and Drug Administration has also approved Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine, a viral vector-based single jab preparation. Like the AstraZeneca preparation, which has not been approved in the US, the Janssen vaccine has been associated with rare blood clots, with CDC guidelines advising women younger than 50 years of age to be aware of the risks of this particular vaccine.Earlier this month, the Biden administration began pushing a federal vaccine mandate, requiring all businesses with more than 100 employees to either get staff vaccinated or provide weekly testing for infection. The directive has run into resistance from some governors, lawmakers, mayors, and industry leaders, as well as ordinary Americans expressing hesitation amid concerns of the potential side effects.

Tom One Its a tough call. In the U.K. and other countries you could say the vaccines work, based on the death rates. On the other hand I certainly know folk, double jabbed and have caught covid..but the vaccine was never 100%. Were getting regular 35,000 positive cases per day even with 80% or so double jabbed. The big question as pointed at in the article is the longer, hidden health issues, especially to 15year old. 2

Terranian The 1st Q: EVERYTHING YOUR GOVERNMENT TOLD YOU ABOUT COVID VIRUS IS A LIE [Dr. Michael Yeadon, former Vice President and Chief Scientist of PFIZER] 1

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https://sputniknews.com/20210922/european-commission-yet-undecided-on-aukus-deal-response--1089314179.html

European Commission Yet Undecided on AUKUS Deal Response

European Commission Yet Undecided on AUKUS Deal Response

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Commission (EC) has been discussing the implications of the defence partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T18:46+0000

2021-09-22T18:46+0000

2021-09-22T18:46+0000

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"No operational decisions were taken at the College meeting concerning this topic [AUKUS]," Dombrovskis said at a briefing following the EC College meeting.He noted that the European Union stands in solidarity with France and believes that allies should discuss important topics with each other before making decisions."It is important that allies and friends are talking to each other and openly discuss problematic issues," he added.Australia unilaterally terminated a $66 billion submarine contract with France last week in favour of another deal under the AUKUS strategic partnership with the US and the UK. The decision sparked tensions between France and the AUKUS member states, with Paris recalling its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra for consultations.Paris additionally attempted to convince Brussels to delay the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, scheduled to be held in Pittsburgh this month to discuss trade and investment opportunities, cooperation in technology, digital issues and supply chains.The EU has so far responded by announcing its support for France and expressing regret that AUKUS excluded EU countries. The bloc also said it may review its partnership with the US in light of recent events.At the initiative of France and Germany, NATO partners also agreed to revise the strategic concept of the alliance.

babai The European Commission won't do anything to upset their Master 4

anne00marie None of their business. UK is not part of the EU and neither are the |US or Australia. 0

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https://sputniknews.com/20210922/florida-gov-orders-all-state-agencies-to-search-for-laundrie-after-petitos-remains-confirmed-1089287923.html

Florida Gov. Orders All State Agencies to Search for Laundrie After Petito's Remains Confirmed

Florida Gov. Orders All State Agencies to Search for Laundrie After Petito's Remains Confirmed

Earlier in the day, North Port Police stated that the agency had returned to the spacious Carlton Reserve in the "vast and unforgiving" waist-deep water and... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T04:11+0000

2021-09-22T04:11+0000

2021-09-22T04:11+0000

us

florida

search operation

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As the search for Gabby Petito's missing boyfriend Brian Laundrie enters its fifth day, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday evening has ordered all state agencies to aid in the search. The FBI and local police have dispatched ATVs and drones to a snake and alligator-infested swampland. According to law enforcement officials, more than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies, led by the FBI, are utilizing massive swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s, and drones to find the 23-year-old suspect.Laundrie vanished a week ago after returning home without his longtime girlfriend alone, and his parents only reported him missing last Friday, several days after he was gone. Multiple photos and videos of the search were published on Tuesday, showing troops in tactical gear being briefed, K9 sniffing dogs in operation, specialty vehicles navigating swampland, and drone imagery of the enormous region being searched. As of Tuesday night, the search operations were concluded for the day, to resume on Wednesday morning. Earlier in the day, numerous reports appeared on social networks and in the media that Brian Laundrie was allegedly seen in several places by witnesses. However, according to reporters, the FBI denied the reports on Tuesday evening and reassured that "when Brian is found, we will be more than happy to let everyone know."This comes as the FBI confirmed earlier on Tuesday after an autopsy that the human remains discovered earlier in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming belong to Gabby Petito. Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue has deemed the death a homicide. The cause of death will not be determined until the autopsy is completed.Petito was last seen alive on August 24, leaving a motel in Salt Lake City, Utah, with Laundrie as part of a cross-country van trip she and Laundrie had begun in late June.She was last heard from when she called her mother the next day. Petito was reported missing by her family on September 11 after Laundrie returned to North Port alone in their van on September 1 and kept mum about her whereabouts. According to media reports, Laundrie refused to assist detectives or tell them when he last saw his fiancee, and as a result, he was labeled a person of interest in her disappearance on Wednesday, four days before the body was recovered.

https://sputniknews.com/20210921/family-lawyer-reportedly-confirms-human-remains-found-in-wyoming-belong-to-gabby-petito-1089281682.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20210922/german-government-says-unaware-who-sponsored-navalnys-accommodation-in-germany-1089306982.html

German Government Says Unaware Who Sponsored Navalny's Accommodation in Germany

German Government Says Unaware Who Sponsored Navalny's Accommodation in Germany

BERLIN (Sputnik) - The German government does not know who sponsored the two-month accommodation of Alexey Navalny and his wife in a five-star apartment in... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T14:27+0000

2021-09-22T14:27+0000

2021-09-22T14:27+0000

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europe

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"The federal government does not know anything about the cited messages [the relevant information from the media was quoted in the faction's question] and sees no reason for further investigations," the response says.Earlier, the Suedkurier newspaper published a message about Navalny and his wife Yulia's stay at a five-star apartment in Schwarzwald, the publication included photographs of the spouses near the rented house.The German government also refused to answer the question about fingerprints on objects reportedly containing the substance that had allegedly poisoned Navalny."With regard to the study of fingerprints, the federal government refers to its response ... dated February 15," the document says.In the response dated February 15, which was also seen by Sputnik, the government said that "the subject of the question is information that particularly strongly affects the public interest, and therefore cannot be responded even in secret."

koursk koursk the only solution is for the future gauliter of germany to encourage citizens to mobilize to leave the euro and nato zones, to join the otsc and eurasia; and at the shanghai cooperation organization *** germany will no longer be between two chairs, and will no longer have any reason to welcome navalny *** it will be clearer 2

vot tak The "german" government is lying. 1

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https://sputniknews.com/20210922/haitian-immigrant-crisis-on-southern-us-border-intensifies-bidens-un-speech-1089287453.html

Haitian Immigrant Crisis on Southern US Border Intensifies; Biden's UN Speech

Haitian Immigrant Crisis on Southern US Border Intensifies; Biden's UN Speech

In the shadow of a humiliating exit from Afghanistan, a murderous drone strike in Kabul, and a diplomatic row with Paris, President Joe Biden gave a speech at... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T09:32+0000

2021-09-22T09:32+0000

2021-09-22T09:32+0000

nikolai patrushev

crimea

raytheon

israel

frank kendall

nato

radio sputnik

the critical hour

aukus

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Haitian Immigrant Crisis on Southern US Border Intensifies; Biden's UN Speech In the shadow of a humiliating exit from Afghanistan, a murderous drone strike in Kabul, and a diplomatic row with Paris, President Joe Biden gave a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday morning in New York.

Dr. Jemima Pierre, associate professor of Black studies and anthropology at the University of California, joins us to discuss the Haitian immigrant crisis. President Biden is struggling to find the right message regarding the Haitian immigrant crisis on the southern US border. Meanwhile, some Haitian officials are demanding a humanitarian moratorium on deporting the immigrants until the political crisis and earthquake response can be brought under control.Professor Ken Hammond, professor of East Asian and global history at New Mexico State University and activist with Pivot to Peace, joins us to discuss China. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, the latest Raytheon employee to rise to the top of the military establishment in Washington, has said that his focus is on China and intends to see that considerably more money is spent to address his concerns. Observers and anti-war activists argue that this is merely another example of the war profiteering and corruption surrounding the US Empire's military machine.Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer joins us to discuss Biden's UN speech. In the shadow of a humiliating exit from Afghanistan, a murderous drone strike in Kabul, and a diplomatic row with Paris, President Joe Biden gave a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday morning in New York. Biden reiterated US imperial rhetoric about leading the world against non-democratic nations.K. J. Noh, peace activist, writer, and teacher, joins us to discuss AUKUS. Russian Security Council Chief Nikolai Patrushev argues that the new US, UK, and Australia alliance known as "AUKUS" is aimed directly at Russia and China. Also, North Korea is reacting to AUKUS with anger, and some analysts believe that the move will drive the small nuclear nation directly into the Chinese military and political orbit.Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss the Russian election. United Russia, the political party that is the political home of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has retained power in the latest election. The US empire and its vassal states are positing that the election is illegitimate and arguing that the Russian annexation of Crimea invalidates the results of the entire electoral process.Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss NATO expansion. In another dangerous expansion of NATO troops, the US Congress is moving to put more troops on the border of Russia. While some security analysts suspect that the move is for domestic purposes, the presence of US troops along with the constant regime change rhetoric coming out of US think tanks could be enough to spark a Russian response and create a disaster.Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss the US empire. Patrick Lawrence has penned an excellent article in Consortium News in which he revisits the Cold War and explains how this one is similar. Lawrence writes "It is the U.S. that has assiduously sought to kindle Cold War II, just as it, and not the Soviet Union, was responsible for starting Cold War I."Miko Peled, author and activist, joins us to discuss Israel. Miko Peled's latest Mintpress news article discusses the Israeli long-term move to change the foundational story of the Palestinian people in their homeland. Peled says that the narrative change has been an effective tool for Zionists to convince the world to forgive their horrendous crimes against the Palestinian populace.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com

Truth 101 According to the Hebrew Old Testament, In BC 1405 a tribe of white Caucasian Hebrews from Turkey, they invaded the land of Canaan and executed genocide on 90% of the population. Than 832 years later, because the Jews had become so corrupt that a majority of those who worshiped were praying to foreign gods, all of the Jews were exiled to Babylon where they died. Then the natives of the land now called Palestine, they returned to their native land and to this day have been farming their native land.

Truth 101 If everyone enjoyed a vegetarian diet, Covid 19 and virtually all illness would disappear. For you would have a Genesis 1:29 diet, a most perfect diet created for the perfect human body, as it would be 10% protein, 10% fat and 80% complex carbohydrates. For USA has the highest fate of Covid 19 because it has the worst diet on earth, with 45% protein, 50% fat and only 5% complex carbohydrates.

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nikolai patrushev, crimea, raytheon, israel, frank kendall, nato, radio sputnik, the critical hour, aukus, , radio
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/hollywood-bids-farewell-to-sex-and-the-city-star-who-died-aged-57-1089295719.html

Hollywood Bids Farewell to Sex and the City Star, Dead at Age 57

Hollywood Bids Farewell to Sex and the City Star, Dead at Age 57

Best known for his roles as Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City and Mozzie on White Collar, Willie Garson has passed away at the age of 57. 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T10:14+0000

2021-09-22T10:14+0000

2021-09-22T10:19+0000

hollywood

actor

film

society

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Garson's son, Nathen, shared a farewell message on Instagram on Tuesday night. "You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person Ive known. Im glad you shared your love with me. Ill never forget it or lose it," he wrote. Garson's colleagues took to social media to express their feelings regarding the loss; actress Cynthina Nixon, who plays the role of Miranda Hobbes in the Sex and the City series, said Garson was "endlessly funny on-screen and and in real life."Willie Garson has appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes.

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https://sputniknews.com/20210922/india-anti-terrorist-squad-arrests-islamic-cleric-over-religious-conversion-charge--1089296781.html

India: Anti-Terrorist Squad Arrests Islamic Cleric Over Religious Conversion Charge

India: Anti-Terrorist Squad Arrests Islamic Cleric Over Religious Conversion Charge

Earlier this year, the anti-terrorism squad of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police also arrested two men, Mufti Qazi Jahangir Qasmi and Mohammad Umar Gautam, from south... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T17:07+0000

2021-09-22T17:07+0000

2021-09-22T17:07+0000

muslim

india

uttar pradesh

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muslim cleric

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The Anti-Terrorist Squad of India's Uttar Pradesh state has arrested a prominent Islamic cleric and President of the Global Peace Centre Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui from Meerut city on charges of alleged religious conversion. The 64-year-old cleric is also the president of Jamaat-e-Waliullah, a trust that funds several madrassas, according to the police. During a press conference on Wednesday, the police revealed that they arrested Siddiqui on Tuesday night when he was returning to his native Muzaffarnagar after attending a function. Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Inspector General G.K. Goswami said that the syndicate had "converted around 1,000 people in India." Kumar also said that the investigation reveals that Maulana Siddiqui's trust received over INR 30 million ($406,178) in foreign funding including over INR 15 million (about $203,075) from Bahrain. Six teams of ATS have been formed to investigate the case. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker and Chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board Amanatullah Khan took to Twitter to criticise the arrest, saying the police were targeting Muslims, before the upcoming UP legislative assembly elections. "Right before the election famous Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui has been arrested. Atrocities on Muslims are increasing. The silence of secular parties on this issue will strengthen BJP. How low can BJP stoop to just to win the election in UP?" Khan tweeted in Hindi.According to the police officials, Siddiqui's name came up when Mufti Qazi Jahangir Qasmi and Mohammad Umar Gautam were arrested in June this year  they were allegedly involved in the conversion of over 1,000 children and women with hearing impairment to Islam in the state's Noida city.

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muslim, india, uttar pradesh, anti-terrorist, muslim cleric
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/india-traders-in-bjp-stronghold-go-on-strike-as-big-retailers-enter-jammu-and-kashmir--1089288724.html

India: Traders in BJP Stronghold Go on Strike as Big Retailers Enter Jammu and Kashmir

India: Traders in BJP Stronghold Go on Strike as Big Retailers Enter Jammu and Kashmir

The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), a trade body, said in the past eight months that they have been trying to convey their problems to the... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T07:35+0000

2021-09-22T07:35+0000

2021-09-22T07:57+0000

india

strike

jammu

protest

jammu

strike

strike

protesters

strike

jammu and kashmir

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On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir trade bodies and various political parties called for a day-long shutdown strike in the Jammu region-- a political stronghold of the ruling BJP within the Union Territory.The strike is primarily in response to a government proposal that big companies like Reliance should be able to open 100 stores in Jammu, triggering local small and medium-sized businesses. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is an Indian multinational. RIL's diverse businesses include energy, petrochemicals, natural gas, retail, telecommunications, mass media, and textiles.The trade body, JCCI, had alleged that the BJP government in the region has been marring business for the "past two years.We dont have one issue. We have several issues. And, government officials are not listening to us, JCCI president Arun Gupta told reporters.The Reliance stores are coming up in Jammu. The Reliance is not opening one store but hundreds. So where will our small traders go? Gupta said.Reliance has infrastructure. It has human resources. How can small traders compete with it? They will give jobs to 1,000 youths in Jammu, but 2,000 small shops will get closed. Where will they go? We will not accept it, Gupta stressed.The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association and different political parties  Congress, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), National Conference (NC), the Panthers Party, the Communist Party of India- (Marxist), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Apni Party have extended their support to the strike.It will be the first-ever 'bandh' (protest) by the traders since the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A on 5 August 2019.Gupta also said the government is not willing to meet and discuss issues with trade bodies, forcing them to call for the Jammu bandh.

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india, strike, jammu, protest, jammu, strike, strike, protesters, strike, jammu and kashmir, india
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/irgc-chief-iran-no-longer-sees-us-as-a-threat---report-1089286089.html

IRGC Chief: Iran No Longer Sees US as Threat - Report

IRGC Chief: Iran No Longer Sees US as Threat - Report

Iran has built power to confront the United States, Iranian Military Officer Hossein Salami said on Tuesday, in reference to the recent chaotic withdrawal of... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T01:43+0000

2021-09-22T01:43+0000

2021-09-22T01:47+0000

joe biden

us

iran

us sanctions

confrontation

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Iran no longer saw the US as a threat after it withdrew forces from the region, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.We witnessed a failed, fleeing and depressed US, he reportedly added.President Joe Biden indicated an interest in turning a page on US-Iranian relations during his first address to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday.He stressed his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. We are working with the P5+1 to engage Iran diplomatically and seek a return to the JCPOA, Biden said.Salami also declared that Iran has managed to weather US sanctions. Inside our own country, despite all natural or imposed pressures, the Iranian nation has been engaged in resistance, he said.In 2018, former US President Donald Trump ditched the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, introducing harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic under a "maximum pressure" campaign. The US sanctions have, for the most part, burdened the life of ordinary Iranians, especially in a time of pandemic, as Iran has been prevented from obtaining medicines and medical equipment from abroad.

https://sputniknews.com/20210921/us-hegemony-has-failed-miserably-irans-raisi-tells-un-1089277910.html

vot tak In other words, israel's main enforcer colony lacks credible military might to subdue us. Well said, Salami. 8

Preterist-ADSeventy Iranian Military Officer Hossein Salami better watch his back. He may suffer the same fate that General Soleimani did. 0

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joe biden, us, iran, us sanctions, confrontation
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/leaks-reveal-uk-equalities-minister-dismissed-colonialism-mocked-trans-people-1089315855.html

Leaks Reveal UK Equalities Minister Dismissed Colonialism, Mocked Trans People

Leaks Reveal UK Equalities Minister Dismissed Colonialism, Mocked Trans People

A series of leaks have revealed that Kemi Badenoch, the UKs parliamentary under-secretary of state for equalities, made disparaging comments about transgender... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T19:53+0000

2021-09-22T19:53+0000

2021-09-22T19:53+0000

conservative party

minister

social inequalities

lgbtq

colonial past

uk

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According to VICE World News, which viewed messages sent by Badenoch on WhatsApp in 2018, the equalities minister mocked many high-profile Black political figures in the UK and flatly said I don't care about colonialism.The messages were either sent privately or posted on a chat called Conservative Friends of Nigeria. The person who leaked the messages, Funmi Adebayo, said they felt compelled to bring Badenochs comments to public attention after she was given a portfolio at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.Born in Wimbledon, Badenochs family returned to Nigeria for much of her youth before moving back to the UK when she was 16. She said in other messages that she had a mini-identity crisis in her twenties after speaking with a colleague who would just be sacked for racism today. She said, he was very aggressive in challenging my view of what African achievement actually was.Adebayo, a Conservative supporter who was an investment banker when they first met Badenoch, told Vice they looked up to her as one of the partys few Black women. Now, however, they said Badenochs comments are dangerous and ignorant.I think she's absolutely the wrong person to be sitting in this office that she has now been given, Adewayo said Badenochs foreign office appointment. As great as it is to see a Black woman in her position of power, and as great as that is for representation, she is not equipped, she does not have the knowledge, she does not have the experience, nor does she have the empathy to be in such a role. I hope that it is strongly understood that just because she is a Black woman, does not mean that she can be the spokesperson for all Black people.British colonization of Nigeria began in the 17th century with the African slave trade, which saw up to 20,000 slaves transported west across the Atlantic every year by the end of the century and up to 76,000 people per year by the late 18th century, with ports like Lagos becoming important hubs for the slave trade. The slave trade was abolishd in 1807, and military conquest of the interior of the continent came later in the 19th century. The colony exported tin, cotton, cocoa, groundnuts, and palm oil. It gained independence in 1960.Criticism of Leading Black FiguresOther messages leaked to Vice included dismissals of leading Black politicians, academics and public figures, including boasting about bringing Kimberle Crenshaw, a professor at the UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School who is credited with coining the term intersectionality, to tears.Some other targets included Tory MP and government minister Sam Gyimah, who she dismissed as a potential leader of the Conservative Party, and Diane Abbott, who at the time of her comments was shadow home secretary.Badenoch is well-known as a critic of critical race theory. Last year, she blasted teachings about white privilege in schools and the idea that history education in the country is distorted by its colonial legacy.Men Using Womens RestroomsThe leak comes just days after a recording surfaced in which Badenoch, whose post at the Government Equalities Office has her overseeing the advancement of women and fighting against all forms of discrimination, was wholly dismissive of transgender peoples campaign for equality, calling trans women men.Even when, you know, so, people hear about, you know like the whole bathroom thing, its actually more of an American thing, but they have a similar problem, that, right so now its not just about being free to marry who you want, you now want to have men using womens bathrooms.According to Vice, which did not post the leaked audio, in the recording, Badenoch also appears to mock gay marriage, and the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, which was spearheaded by several of her predecessors as equalities minister.Badenoch has also aroused fury after admitting in 2018 to having hacked a Labour MPs website in 2008 to post pro-Conservative messages on it. She apologized for the incident, calling it a foolish prank.

far bat the two dislikes are made by jews 0

Thomas Turk ..and was dismissive of the effects of British rule on its colonies.'' Really Morgan, and what do you know about that? When the Brits went to Kenya in the late 1800s, there were empty plains with wild animals, and some wild tribes stealing cattle and women from each other. When the Brits left in the 1960s, there were roads, rail, airports, communications, hospitals, Unis, schools, Police forces for law and order, (heck, they even had special laws to allow for specific tribal customs, trigamy etc), massive plantations of tea, coffee, wheat, mining etc etc. etc for employment and exports. I know, I went there in 1938 and watched it happen. The Congo,? The Belgians? 5kms out of the cities, the roads ended in the jungles! 0

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conservative party, minister, social inequalities, lgbtq, colonial past, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/lna-commander-haftar-instructs-col-gen-al-nazuri-to-act-lna-head-for-next-3-months-1089311180.html

LNA Commander Haftar Instructs Col. Gen. al-Nazuri to Act LNA Head for Next 3 Months

LNA Commander Haftar Instructs Col. Gen. al-Nazuri to Act LNA Head for Next 3 Months

BENGHAZI (Sputnik) - The commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar, instructed Col. Gen. Abdulrazzak al-Nazuri to act as head of the LNA for... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T16:29+0000

2021-09-22T16:29+0000

2021-09-22T16:29+0000

khalifa haftar

news

libya

elections

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"Col. Gen. Abdulrazzak al-Nazuri is appointed acting commander ... for a period of three months, from 09/23/2021 to 12/24/2021," Haftar's order is given in the text.This comes ahead of the presidential elections in Libya scheduled for 24 December. However, Haftar has not yet announced his intention to take part in them. Since the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled and killed in 2011, Libyan factions have been engaged in a civil war. The UN-recognised Tripoli government under Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), has been fighting against the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by General Khalifa Haftar. In March, international mediation efforts resulted in the creation of a Libyan Government of National Unity aimed at leading the country to the elections.

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khalifa haftar, news, libya, elections
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/merkel-kramp-karrenbauer-pay-tribute-to-german-soldiers-who-participated-in-afghanistan-evacuation-1089296057.html

Merkel, Kramp-Karrenbauer Pay Tribute to German Soldiers Who Participated in Afghanistan Evacuation

Merkel, Kramp-Karrenbauer Pay Tribute to German Soldiers Who Participated in Afghanistan Evacuation

About 600 German emergency services personnel took part in evacuating more than 5,000 people from Afghanistan last month. 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T12:58+0000

2021-09-22T12:58+0000

2021-09-22T12:59+0000

afghanistan

news

angela merkel

afghanistan

annegret kramp-karrenbauer

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Sputnik goes live from Seedorf, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer are paying tribute to the German soldiers who were part of the evacuation effort in Kabul. Merkel is expected to speak to soldiers who were deployed in Kabul and Tashkent and present awards to some of the soldiers who were on duty in Afghanistan. About 600 emergency services personnel were involved in Germanys military evacuation, which flew out 5,347 people from Kabul between 16-26 August. Follow Sputnik's live feed to find out more.

Martian So what!? You occupied a nation, stole whatever you possibly could, and left a whole country into the hands of your terrorist gran children! Shame on you and the terrorist corporate elite you aerve! 2

Norman Camilleri Well said!! 1

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Merkel, Kramp-Karrenbauer Pay Tribute to German Soldiers Who Participated in Afghanistan Evacuation Merkel, Kramp-Karrenbauer Pay Tribute to German Soldiers Who Participated in Afghanistan Evacuation 2021-09-22T12:58+0000 true PT78M38S

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news, angela merkel, afghanistan, annegret kramp-karrenbauer, 
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/moscow-refutes-polish-claims-about-nord-stream-2-impact-on-gas-price-spike-source-says-1089293767.html

Moscow Refutes Polish Claims About Nord Stream 2 Impact on Gas Price Spike, Source Says

Moscow Refutes Polish Claims About Nord Stream 2 Impact on Gas Price Spike, Source Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow is calling on Poland to "cool down" its assessments of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline's influence on the global gas prices, since... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T07:47+0000

2021-09-22T07:47+0000

2021-09-22T07:47+0000

russia

poland

gas

nord stream 2

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"I would like to remind that we began building the Nord Stream 2 when the gas price level was different," the source said, commenting on Morawiecki's statement.The construction was being finalized when prices were "almost negative," the source recalled.Earlier this week, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki expressed the belief that the Nord Stream 2 construction provoked the rise in global gas prices. The minister also admitted that Poland opposes the Nord Stream 2, as project implementation does not meet Warsaw's interests.Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall. The pipeline is designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. On September 10, Russia's Gazprom announced that the project was completed.

Shadowwalker 'Poland opposes the Nord Stream 2, as project implementation does not meet Warsaw's interests'. It never meant to be. Its for entire EU not just pathatic Poles. Idiot. 3

TruePatriot Which is the exact reason they should not be on the licensing panel that looks to have been a setup for denial of operating permits by the EU courtesy of its master the US. 1

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russia, poland, gas, nord stream 2
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/pandemic-times-indias-healthcare-adopts-cloud-computing-12-mln-consultations-clocked--1089263166.html

Pandemic Times: India's Healthcare Adopts Cloud Computing, 12 Mln Consultations Clocked

Pandemic Times: India's Healthcare Adopts Cloud Computing, 12 Mln Consultations Clocked

Since the pandemic struck last year, hospitals in India have shut down outpatient services departments catering to non-COVID ailments, and it was feared that... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T11:07+0000

2021-09-22T11:07+0000

2021-09-22T11:07+0000

delhi

india

hospital

telemedicine

india

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India developed its own cloud-based platform to provide healthcare services during the pandemic, which has clocked a staggering 12 million consultations in the year since its launch.The federal Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday revealed that the National Telemedicine Service  dubbed "eSanjeevani"  serves 90,000 people on a daily basis across the country, signalling its widespread use by patients and specialists. eSanjeevani comprises two different platforms - the first one has been developed to let patients receive doctor's advice remotely, while another, used at the Ayushman Bharat Health, and Wellness centres (AB-HWC), facilitates doctor-to-doctor consultations.AB-HWC, first implemented in the state of Andhra Pradesh, has completed about 6,700,000 consultations since it was rolled out in November 2019. In April 2020, when all the outpatient services departments were shut down during the nationwide lockdown on account of the pandemic, the government launched telemedicine service for patients to obtain a doctors' consultation. "eSanjeevani has rapidly shaped up to be the country's largest and most popular amenity," the ministry said in a statement. The Health Ministry's statement highlighted that the telemedicine facility is plugging the digital divide which exists in urban and rural India. It is addressing the shortage of doctors and specialists at the ground-level while reducing the burden on secondary and tertiary level hospitals. According to Dr. Rohit Shukla, an assistant professor at a reputable government hospital in the city of Chandigarh, people living in the bigger cities in India have better healthcare facilities at their disposal than those living in the rural areas and villages. "With the government integrating all the hospitals for the telemedicine project on account of the pandemic, those living in far flung areas are also now able to get consultations from the best doctors online," he told Sputnik on Tuesday. It is the digital conversion of medical records, charts, X-rays, histopathology slides and medical procedures that is being valued the most by doctors as these can be easily shared by patients and attendants at any point of time. Digital medical records are also helping doctors reduce the time they take in extending treatment to patients. Earlier, patients physically carried the results of medical tests for doctors' examinations in OPDs, which inexorably delayed treatment and reduced its effectiveness. For the patients, the telemedicine service has been a boon, as they are spared the necessity of making trips to government hospitals when they seek something as basic as an appointment to get a diagnostic test done. "My father was diagnosed with cancer last year. Since all the hospitals' OPDs were shut, we panicked," Savita Sikri, a government employee in Haryana state, told Sputnik."But the online mode of seeking treatment really worked as we got all the appointments online and could complete radiation therapy treatment in a most effective manner," she added. Seeing the huge success of the telemedicine services, the ministry said that as a measure of planning for another wave of COVID19 infections, an attempt is being made to augment the number of consultations to half a million patients every day.

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delhi, india, hospital, telemedicine, india
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/portugal-wants-to-cooperate-with-russia-on-economic-crises-covid-19-refugees-president-says-1089292173.html

Portugal Wants to Cooperate With Russia on Economic Crises, COVID-19, Refugees, President Says

Portugal Wants to Cooperate With Russia on Economic Crises, COVID-19, Refugees, President Says

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Lisbon is interested in strengthening cooperation with Russia on addressing various global challenges, including the COVID-19... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T06:54+0000

2021-09-22T06:54+0000

2021-09-22T06:54+0000

portugal

russia

un general assembly

covid-19

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"Nowadays, the pandemic is still a vital subject. Economic and social crises, emerging from the pandemic - another vital subject," De Sousa said when asked about areas where the two countries could strengthen cooperation.The Portuguese president went on to add the need to cooperate on the challenges posed by terrorism, migration and refugees along with security in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.De Sousa pointed out that the issues to be addressed are numerous and require a broad multilateral approach that does not just involve "classic allies," but the cooperation of everybody in international organizations such as the United Nations.De Sousa emphasized that a "permanent relation of dialogue" exists between Moscow and Lisbon.However, he reiterated that the current challenges require even greater cooperation via multilateralism in that that no one country, regardless of its status, can address them alone.De Sousa also emphasized that cooperation at the level of international organizations, necessitates even greater emphasis on "respecting international law, respecting the values and principles and coexistence of different points of view, trying to reinforce human rights and the rule of law."De Sousa spoke to Sputnik on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

wtfud If Portugal can free itself from the anus of the corrupt EU then we can talk seriously.. I use 'we' to mean sane people.

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portugal, russia, un general assembly, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/russias-an-26-plane-with-6-people-onboard-disappears-from-radar-in-khabarovsk-region-1089296525.html

Russian An-26 Plane With 6 People Onboard Disappears From Radar in Khabarovsk Region

Russian An-26 Plane With 6 People Onboard Disappears From Radar in Khabarovsk Region

A Mi-8 helicopter has been deployed to search for the missing plane, a source in the emergency services said. 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T09:58+0000

2021-09-22T09:58+0000

2021-09-22T10:56+0000

news

russia

plane

an-26

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An Antonov-26 plane with six people onboard has disappeared from radar in Russia's Khabarovsk region, according to the nation's emergency services ministry."The An-26 plane with six crew members on board disappeared from radars 38 kilometres [23 miles] south-west of Khabarovsk," a spokesman for emergency services said.The plane was conducting the flight to test its communication equipment.A Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency has been sent for a search operation, which is being hampered by poor weather conditions and a lack of daylight.According to preliminary information, the incident may be blamed on bad weather, the spokesman added. However, the version of a technical fault of the aircraft is also not excluded.

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https://sputniknews.com/20210922/saudi-king-tells-un-general-assembly-yemens-houthis-reject-peaceful-solution-to-conflict-1089312630.html

Saudi King Tells UN General Assembly Yemen's Houthis Reject Peaceful Solution to Conflict

Saudi King Tells UN General Assembly Yemen's Houthis Reject Peaceful Solution to Conflict

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said in a speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that the Houthi rebels reject the... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T17:42+0000

2021-09-22T17:42+0000

2021-09-22T17:44+0000

yemen

news

middle east

houthis

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The peace initiative in Yemen, tabled by the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] last March, ought to end the bloodshed and conflict. It ought to put an end to the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people, the King said. Unfortunately, the terrorist Houthi militias reject peaceful solutions. They have placed their bets on a military option to take over more territory in Yemen.Saudi and Houthi forces continue to clash as part of the conflict in Yemen between the government and the rebels that has been ongoing since August 2014. Saudi Arabia backed the Yemeni government in 2015, leading a coalition of states conducting air, land and sea operations against the Houthis on its behalf.Saudi Arabia proposed a widespread United Nations-sponsored ceasefire in Yemen in March that was welcomed by the United States but has been rejected by the Houthis.

powerandpeople Houthi ACTUALLY say they will negotiate an agreement but Saudi must end its food and goods blockade of Yemen FIRST. 3

2007harleydavidsonsg Head choppers want peace, lol. 1

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yemen, news, middle east, houthis
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/sothebys-puts-frida-kahlos-rare-1940-self-portrait-up-for-auction-1089311565.html

Sothebys Puts Frida Kahlos Rare 1940 Self-Portrait Up for Auction

Sothebys Puts Frida Kahlos Rare 1940 Self-Portrait Up for Auction

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Sotheby's announced on Wednesday that it would auction a rare 1949 self-portrait by Frida Kahlo, with an estimated price of $30 million, and... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T16:39+0000

2021-09-22T16:39+0000

2021-09-22T16:39+0000

news

art

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"This November, Sothebys will present Frida Kahlos 1949 self-portrait, Diego y yo (Diego and I), the final, fully realized bust self-portrait completed before her death in 1954. Offered as a star lot in the Modern Evening Sale in New York, this historic work carries an estimate in excess of $30 million," the auction house said.The self-portrait is expected to shatter Kahlo's current auction record of $8 million, achieved in 2016, Sotheby's noted. A painting of this scale is a rarity at auction and marks a trend for greater representation and estimation of underrepresented artists, especially female artists, according to the auction house."Diego and I" will be available for public view from October 7-11 in Hong Kong and from October 22-25 in London, before returning back to the New York exhibition ahead of the November sale.

vot tak It is not rare, it is a unique piece of art.

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news, art
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/sudanese-authorities-lack-mandate-to-sign-naval-base-agreement-with-russia-minister-says-1089301266.html

Sudanese Authorities Lack Mandate to Sign Naval Base Agreement With Russia, Minister Says

Sudanese Authorities Lack Mandate to Sign Naval Base Agreement With Russia, Minister Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Sudan does not yet have the full authority to sign an agreement with Russia on a military base, since the country's legislative institutions... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T11:57+0000

2021-09-22T11:57+0000

2021-09-22T11:57+0000

sudan

africa

russia

naval base

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"[In negotiations with the Russian Foreign Ministry], we also raised the problem of military cooperation ... However, we have not yet fully formed legislative bodies in Sudan to have enough power to sign such an agreement. The Sovereign Council has approved this document," Sharif stated at a press conference in the Rossiya Segodnya information centre in Moscow.He said that "this issue will be coordinated between the military of both states."A Sudanese military source has told Sputnik that Sudan wanted to amend the agreement establishing a Russian naval base in Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast in order to receive economic assistance from Russia on condition of lease for five years with the possible signing of an agreement for 25 years. The Sudanese embassy assured Sputnik that the country was not requesting any payments from Russia, slamming any reports about this as "unfounded."The Sovereign Council of Sudan, created shortly after the military coup in 2019, is supposed to serve as the country's leadership for 39 months.

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sudan, africa, russia, naval base
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/the-bennett-lapid-governments-first-100-days-what-promises-have-they-broken-1089289687.html

The Bennett-Lapid Government's First 100 Days: What Promises Have They Broken?

The Bennett-Lapid Government's First 100 Days: What Promises Have They Broken?

Before they took office in mid-June, the duo dispersed vows left, right and centre. They said they would pass a number of reforms and improve the lives of... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T06:10+0000

2021-09-22T06:10+0000

2021-09-22T06:10+0000

israel

yair lapid

naftali bennett

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It's been 100 days since Israel established a coalition government that ended two years of political turmoil and instability.The chief of the hawkish Yamina party Naftali Bennett has become the country's Prime Minister. His partner, the liberal Yair Lapid took the office of Foreign Minister, and in August 2023 he is slated to become the next PM.Before they were sworn in, in mid-June, the duo offered multiple promises to Israeli voters and now, 100 days later, Sputnik checks if they've kept their word.Bennett - A Man of His Word or Empty Promises?Coalition with Lapid -- Bennett has always been known for his harsh stance on the Palestinians and the status of Jerusalem. He has never believed in a two-state solution and has repeatedly vowed to keep the capital of Israel united, without compromising with the other side.This was one reason why Bennett claimed he could only enter a conservative government, whereas sitting down in a coalition with Lapid, who has a more liberal approach on those issues and who has said on a number of occasions that he would try to resolve the decades-long saga with the Palestinians, was not an option.On 13 June, Bennett showed that Lapid's views on core issues that divide Israeli society were not an issue as long as they bring him the premiership.Seats -- In one of the interviews Bennett vowed that he would not try to become PM if he doesn't obtain enough seats in the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset.Historically, it has been that the head of the biggest or second-biggest party who gets the nation's top job. Bennett, however, only managed to secure 6 out of 120 seats in the chamber, but that didn't prevent him from assuming the PM position.Sitting down with Raam -- In February, Bennett vowed that he would not sit down in a government that includes or that is supported by Raam, an Islamic party with purported ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement banned in many countries around the world. But when he realised that their vote would catapult him to the PM role, he withdrew his objection and to seal the deal, he promised to pour billions of dollars into the Arab sector, which has allegedly been neglected for many years.Lapid - More Broken PromisesBut Bennett is not the only politician that dared to break promises given to voters. His partner Lapid has also been accused of similar betrayals.Compensation for Freelancers -- the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has dealt a severe blow to business owners and freelancers, who have struggled to obtain compensation from the state for losing much of their income. Lapid had vowed to change that in the ruling coalition's first 100 days in office. But it turned out that it was easier said than done.Correcting Israel's Nation-State Law -- the law that was passed in July 2018 reiterated that Israel was a state of the Jewish people, that Jerusalem was its eternal capital and that Hebrew was the official language of the state. Soon after the legislation was passed, it stirred an uproar in Israel, the region and the world, with the international community slamming the country for actively discriminating against its sizeable minority community.Lapid promised to right the wrong and make changes to the law that has evoked so much criticism. A hundreds days down the line, nothing has been altered.Religion and State -- the liberal Lapid has always stressed the importance of separating religion from state and implementing a number of reforms that would improve the lives of his voters. These include allowing civil marriages (that are currently under the monopoly of the rabbinical court) or letting same-sex couples go through the process of surrogacy.However, in a coalition that's reliant on a number of conservative elements, that has proved to be a mission impossible.Political Reforms -- Lapid has been critical of the previous coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu. He slammed him for staying in his seat for way too long and for bloating his government, which included 34 ministers, compared to the usual average of 19.Before he took office, Lapid vowed to pass a law that would limit the tenure of the PM to two terms only. He also vowed not to have more than 18 ministers in his government. Neither of the promises has been kept and the coalition currently lists 28 ministers and assistants.However, there were also promises that the duo did keep. They prevented a lockdown and kept Israel open despite the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic. They passed the national budget after two years of stagnation. And, more importantly, they managed to prevent another round of elections.Did it translate into high approval ratings? Not really. A recent poll indicated that more than 75 percent of conservatives, which had served as Bennett's base, disapproved of the current government.Another one showed that Bennett, if yet another vote were to be held, would continue to have 6 seats in parliament, barely passing the threshold.Former Prime Minister Netanyahu, on the other hand, has only gotten stronger, receiving 33 seats, compared to his previous 30. And that might be an indication that his comeback is just around the corner.

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israel, yair lapid, naftali bennett
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/the-cypriot-caveat-why-erdogan-shouldnt-call-russia-out-on-crimea-1089308716.html

The Cypriot Caveat: Why Erdogan Shouldn't Call Russia Out on Crimea?

The Cypriot Caveat: Why Erdogan Shouldn't Call Russia Out on Crimea?

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, has said Ukraines territorial integrity should be... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T16:53+0000

2021-09-22T16:53+0000

2021-09-22T20:06+0000

cyprus

crimea

turkey

erdogan

world

crimea

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On Wednesday, 22 September, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy thanked Erdogan for describing Crimea's reunification with Russia as "annexation" in his UN General Assembly speech.A statement on Zelenskyys website reads: "The head of the Ukrainian state thanked the leader of Turkey for his firm position in relation to the non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.Turkey was also one of the first countries to support the Crimean Platform, Kievs new diplomatic initiative initiated by Zelenskyy and designed to increase pressure on Russia and reverse the secession of Crimea. Both moves expectedly shrugged off as "unfriendly" by Moscow but also laying the Turkish leader himself open to accusations of hypocrisy by those who are familiar with Turkey's very own history.The 'Other' CyprusIn the very same speech to the 76th general assembly of the UN, Erdogan criticised the UN for refusing a platform to Ersin Tatar, the president of the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) as he referred to the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities as co-owners of the island''.Cyprus became independent from the British Empire in 1960 but the Turkish Cypriot minority felt increasingly alienated by the new republics government in Nicosia.On 15 July 1974, encouraged by the junta of nationalist Greek colonels in Athens, the Greek Cypriot rabble rouser Nikos Sampson saw his opportunity and staged a coup in Nicosia.He sought to push through enosis - the unification of Greece and Cyprus - and also talked of getting rid of the islands Turkish Cypriots.Greek and Turkish Cypriots are actually closely related and share a lot of food and culture but the former speak Greek and are Orthodox Christians while the latter tend to be Muslim and speak Turkish.Turkey responded to the threat of enosis with a military invasion, which was so humiliating for Greece that it led to the fall of the junta on 23 July 1974.No Sanctions on NATO MemberNo sanctions have ever been imposed on Turkey, which is a NATO member, despite the fact that Turkish troops still occupy about a third of the island of Cyprus while Turkey remains the only state to recognise the Republic.The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 353 in July 1974, ordering Turkey to withdraw its military from the island.Numerous other resolutions against Turkey over Cyprus have been passed and ignored by Ankara. A UN force now separates the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) - where thousands of Turkish troops are stationed - from the Greek Cypriot-dominated Republic of Cyprus, which is a member of the European Union and is recognised by almost every nation in the world as having jurisdiction over the whole island.

Crookim Erdogan is a nationalistic buffoon that doesn't know his place in the world and doesn't know when to shut up.... 12

Volkan Kalender What can I say? Erdogan is very sick. He even can't walk alone. 4

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https://sputniknews.com/20210922/thousands-of-haitian-migrants-reportedly-released-in-us-undercutting-biden-admins-expulsion-vows-1089292760.html

'Thousands' of Haitian Migrants Reportedly Released in US, Undercutting Biden Admin's Expulsion Vows

'Thousands' of Haitian Migrants Reportedly Released in US, Undercutting Biden Admin's Expulsion Vows

As over 13,000 migrants, largely from Haiti, have flooded an impromptu camp in the Texas town of Del Rio, hoping to receive legal resident status, US... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T07:40+0000

2021-09-22T07:40+0000

2021-09-22T07:40+0000

joe biden

migrants

us

alejandro mayorkas

texas governor greg abbott

homeland security

haitian

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Haitian migrants camped under and near a bridge in the Texas border town of Del Rio are being released in the United States in the thousands, reported AP. Haitians have recently been freed on a very, very large scale'', according to cited US officials with direct knowledge of operations. The reports state that large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws instead of being deported and put on expulsion flights to Haiti, launched on 19 September. Furthermore, instead of summons to an immigration court, many are being released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, the officials reportedly said, in an effort to speed up processing time by Border Patrol agents. Haitian migrants from the impromptu camp are reportedly being taken by bus to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border for processing by the Border Patrol in line with orders by the Homeland Security Department. They are also being put on additional flights to Tucson, Arizona, after not enough buses to Tucson could be enlisted, said the cited officials. Haitians were flown on Coast Guard planes from Del Rio to El Paso, added the report. While it was not clarified what criteria was used to decide who was deported to Haiti and who was released in the US, the report suggested single adults were prioritised for expulsion flights. It was added that seven daily flights to Haiti were planned as of Wednesday. There has not yet been any official comment from the Homeland Security Department on the report. The purported releases of the Haitian migrants in the US appear to be occurring despite a ramped-up effort to expel them of flights to Haiti, in line with COVID-19 pandemic-related authority, known as Title 42. The policy is based on a public health law to close borders to people seeking asylum, and was introduced by then-president Donald Trump in 2020 purportedly to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Under Title 42, people who ask for asylum at the border are summarily expelled by US officials to Mexico, or to the countries they fled.Total Chaos The reports of numerous migrant releases also appear at variance with statements recently made by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who had visited Del Rio and weighed in on the challenging and heartbreaking situation. The official had vowed swift action to resolve the migrant problem plaguing a town of 35,000 residents.Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who went to Del Rio on Tuesday, said during a press conference that the state was taking unprecedented steps to secure the border. Abbott blamed the Joe Biden Administration for the surge of nearly 15,000 Haitian migrants who entered Del Rio from Mexico last week.Were here to tell you, it exists, its total chaos, and the Biden administration, they need to up their game big time, added the governor.Amid sharp bipartisan censure, Republicans slammed the Biden administrations migrant policies for allowing the Haitians to believe they would be granted asylum. Earlier, viral images showing Border Patrol agents on horseback using what looked like whips, but Mayorkas claimed were long reins, to force back the migrants unleashed a torrent of condemnation.Top Biden administration officials have also deplored the actions against illegal migrants as mistreatment and initiated an investigation into the incident.The latest surge of Haitian refugees added to the record-breaking number of illegal border crossings registered this summer.The administration of the Democratic POTUS has been under fire for its imprudent moves to roll back the Trump-era hairline immigration policies, resulting in over 200,000 southwest border crossing in August alone a four-fold rise from encounters documented a year ago.

GrinOlsson why and hell no one in Congress isn't take the stand and impeach this son of a bitch to remove Biden from office, God only knows. His entire administration read from a Congregation list at n Israeli Synogod. The White House if filled with Bolsheviks in every stratgeic position. 1

TruePatriot The problem is that if you remove the dotard, then you have "giggles" his VP who is completely stupid or stoned or both, after that you have Nasty Nancy, after that you have Janet Yellen. Pretty ugly isn't it? 1

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joe biden, migrants, us, alejandro mayorkas, texas governor greg abbott, homeland security, haitian
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/uk-reportedly-mulls-joining-us-mexico-canada-trade-deal-as-fta-with-america-stalls-1089289338.html

UK Reportedly Mulls Joining US-Mexico-Canada Trade Deal as FTA With America Stalls

UK Reportedly Mulls Joining US-Mexico-Canada Trade Deal as FTA With America Stalls

Boris Johnson acknowledged on Tuesday that a much-hoped for post-Brexit bilateral free trade deal with the US was low on President Joe Bidens list of... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T05:42+0000

2021-09-22T05:42+0000

2021-09-22T05:54+0000

joe biden

boris johnson

ustr

news

world

britain

brexit

usmca

uk

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The UK is considering joining the free trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, reported Sky News. Ministers are believed to be mulling the option, along with a possible series of smaller, sectoral deals with America on separate issues, as an alternative to a US-UK free-trade agreement (FTA), hopes for which have waned, according to government sources cited by the outlet.Unlike his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, Joe Biden does not seem eager to pursue stand-alone trade deals, so sources are hopeful that expanding already existing agreements, like the one between the US, Mexico and Canada, known as USMCA, might prove more successful.The USMCA agreement in July last year replaced the renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement, after then-POTUS Trump offered a deal that he claimed was rebalanced and works much better for North America.Sources acknowledged, however, that there had not previously been any talk of extending the three-nation arrangement beyond the continent.On Tuesday, ahead of his Oval Office sit-down with Boris Johnson after a meeting of the UN General Assembly, Joe Biden appeared to downplay hopes for a swift FTA with Britain.Biden reiterated earlier warnings that Londons post-Brexit arrangements with Brussels must not result in a "closed border" on the island of Ireland.To these remarks, the UK Prime Minister responded by saying: On that point, Joe, we are completely at one. Nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.A Great FTABoris Johnson conceded that a bilateral agreement with Washington  one of his much-touted campaign pledges for Brexit  may not be hammered out before the next general election in 2024.Johnson, who is on a visit to New York and Washington DC this week, acknowledged this to reporters, saying: Were going to keep going for free-trade deals as fast as we can.Johnson added:Boris Johnson underscored that Britain was doing major exports with free-trade deals, including in the United States and said that he had reason to be optimistic. However, he added:Post-Brexit Trade DealsIn 2017 Boris Johnson had vowed that the UK was first in line for an FTA with the US.Britain launched trade talks with the US immediately after it officially withdrew from the European bloc in January 2020, however, negotiations hit a number of challenges, such as differences about chlorinated chicken, hormone-pumped beef and access to the National Health Service (NHS).Meanwhile, the UK government has been rolling over UK agreements it previously enjoyed with Mexico and Canada as part of the EU. Furthermore, this year ministers announced planned talks to upgrade the trade deals with these two countries to ensure they are "better tailored to the UK economy".The UK also announced in June 2021 that it was launching negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to open new opportunities to this 9 trillion trade area.CPTPP grew out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and was signed in March 2018. It came into force at the end of December 2018. Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam are signatories to the deal.

See you in the ice Strange headline. Might it not be, "UK and its murderous lying thieving usurping and traitorous English dream of joining NATFA but cannot."? 2

Preterist-ADSeventy The USMCA, Trumps new name for NAFTA, is not really an economic bloc like they want us to believe. Its hidden purpose is its going to become a political bloc with a central government that will govern the three nations. Just like what happened with Europe. Europe was told the European Union was to be an economic bloc that was going to improve the economies of the European countries. But in reality the zioglobalists plans were not to make it an economic bloc but make it a political bloc with a central government in Brussels Belgium. Its all in the zioglobalists plans to eventually establish their worldwide government with them in control of it all. So the UK exits one political bloc only to join another political bloc on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The zioglobalists have their nations politicians in their hip pocket thats for sure. 1

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Svetlana Ekimenko

joe biden, boris johnson, ustr, news, world, britain, brexit, usmca, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/un-chief-guterres-got-letter-from-taliban-requesting-to-join-76th-session-of-general-assembly-1089291522.html

UN Chief Guterres Got Letter From Taliban Requesting to Join 76th Session of General Assembly

UN Chief Guterres Got Letter From Taliban Requesting to Join 76th Session of General Assembly

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has received a letter from the foreign affairs minister of the Taliban* group requesting to... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T06:30+0000

2021-09-22T06:30+0000

2021-09-22T06:30+0000

antonio guterres

afghanistan

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/09/15/1089257951_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_fa1fded6835a68c90b524055aebd7550.jpg

"On 15 September 2021, the Secretary-General received a communication from the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United Nations signed by Ambassador Ghulam Isaczai, the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations in New York, containing the list of delegation of Afghanistan for the 76th session of the General Assembly. The Permanent Representative is listed as the head of delegation," Haq said.A Doha-based spokesperson of the movement Mohammad Suhail Shaheen has been nominated to lead Afghanistans mission to the United Nations, Haq said."The letter further indicates that the mission of the Permanent Representative is considered over and that he no longer represents Afghanistan. A new Permanent Representative, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, is nominated," the letter said, according to Haq.A month ago the Taliban entered Kabul and announced the end of the war. The last province to resist the group, Panjshir, surrendered on 6 September. The Taliban then formed an interim government with Mohammad Hasan Akhund at the top, who served as a foreign minister during the first Taliban rule.*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

WhatTheFishIsThis UN represents the Countries of the World, not only for the chosen few. 1

WhatTheFishIsThis Let Afghanistan speak directly, and not censured by the Media !! The World needs to know. 1

2

afghanistan

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antonio guterres, afghanistan
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/us-assures-eu-of-solidarity-in-seeking-solid-gas-supply-in-winter-1089305960.html

US Assures EU of Solidarity in Seeking 'Solid' Gas Supply in Winter

US Assures EU of Solidarity in Seeking 'Solid' Gas Supply in Winter

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States will align with its European partners to ensure "a solid, secure" supply of gas during the winter period while not giving... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T14:01+0000

2021-09-22T14:01+0000

2021-09-22T14:01+0000

europe

us

gas

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The remark was made during the US official's visit to Poland to partake in the 2021 Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation forum.The official noted though that it would take time to diversify energy sources, it is necessary to continue efforts in the area "in an aggressive way."Concerns over gas supply are mounting as European natural gas prices continue to spiral up amid growing demand. Last week, the prices hit the record $963.9 per 1,000 cubic meters  four times higher than the level seen at the same time last year.

vot tak Sure the zio-quislings will, at a huge cost increase. And laugh at your stupidity at the same time. 1

TruePatriot Quit obstructing NS2 and all will be ok. Of course Poland announces it's on the certification board just after the US was there as noted in this article. Anyone smelling dead rats? 1

3

us

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europe, us, gas
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/us-to-lift-travel-ban-un-general-assembly-begins-1089275547.html

US to Lift Travel Ban, UN General Assembly Begins

US to Lift Travel Ban, UN General Assembly Begins

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan talk about the results of the Duma election in Russia, the FDA committee not... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T09:26+0000

2021-09-22T09:26+0000

2021-09-22T09:26+0000

france

haiti

deportation

radio

russia

us

texas

nuclear

immigration

refugees

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/09/15/1089275521_0:0:640:360_1920x0_80_0_0_cab4026d737578712358fc3c90d3b326.jpg

US To Lift Travel Ban, UN General Assembly Begins On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan talk about the results of the Duma election in Russia, the FDA committee not recommending boosters for the mass public, the growing migrant issue on Americas southern border, how this issue started back in Haiti, and the Bidens goals with the United Nations General Assembly.

Guests:Bryan MacDonald - Head of the Russia Desk at RT Online | Result of the Russia ElectionDr. Mikhail Kogan - Medical Director at the George Washington Center | FDA Committee Deem Booster Not Needed in Most CasesSusan Pai - Worked at the internationally recognized UCLA Brain Mapping Lab | Haitian Migrants On Texas BorderDanny Shaw - International affairs analyst and professor | Long Standing Causes of the Haitian MigrationMichelle Witte - Sputnik News analyst and host of Political Misfits | United Nations General AssemblyIn the first hour Bryan MacDonald joined the show to talk about how Russia has evolved politically as showcased in this election, but also the security Putin has in his position of power. We were also joined by Dr. Mikhail Kogan to talk about the results of the FDA committee finding the Pfizer Booster not necessary for most people.In the second hour Fault Lines was joined by Susan Pai for a discussion on the massive migrant issue on the Texas border and the failings of the current administration on this. Many migrants do not have an asylum case due to their attempted settling in Central and South America. We were also joined by Danny Shaw to talk about the problems in Haiti causing these mass migrations, as well as an update on the assassination of president Jovenel Moise.In the third hour Michelle Witte joined the conversation to talk about the general assembly by the United Nations. Can Biden repair the relationships with foreign powers he has tattered so far in his presidency?We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com

france

haiti

russia

us

texas

duma

kremlin

united nations

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france, haiti, deportation, radio, russia, us, texas, nuclear, immigration, refugees, migrants, putin, submarine, us border patrol, communism, election, ice, vaccine, duma, kremlin, fault lines, united nations, united nations general assembly (unga), booster, covid-19, jovenel moise , 
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/watch-haitian-deportees-throw-shoes-at-us-officials-try-to-storm-plane-in-port-au-prince-1089310884.html

Watch Haitian Deportees Throw Shoes at US Officials, Try to Storm Plane in Port-au-Prince

Watch Haitian Deportees Throw Shoes at US Officials, Try to Storm Plane in Port-au-Prince

The Biden administration made use of a Trump-era policy to order the mass deportation of Haitian immigrants after media discovered as many as 15,000 nationals... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T16:17+0000

2021-09-22T16:17+0000

2021-09-22T16:18+0000

haiti

deportation

united states

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/09/16/1089306846_0:241:3071:1968_1920x0_80_0_0_9bc9127fc71b7383154034fd25d34991.jpg

Three Immigration and Customs Enforcements received non-life threatening injuries after a group of adult Haitian men deported from the US attacked an adjacent flight carrying families after it landed in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, Department of Homeland Security sources speaking to NBC News and Fox News have said.Amateur footage obtained by US news services shows drama on the tarmac as dozens of people, mostly men, run toward a plane and began throwing shoes and other objects at it while others attempt to board the charter flight, with one crewmember desperately trying to close the door. A local police officer could then be seen stepping onto the ladder truck in front of the angry mob and asking them to disburse as another argues with the crowd.The incident in the footage is said was one of two disruptions that took place at the Port-au-Prince airport on Tuesday, according to the DHS.The Biden administration signed off on deportation flights on Sunday, with over 1,000 Haitian nationals sent back to their home country as of Tuesday. The deportations began after over 15,000 Haitians were discovered congregating under a bridge on the US border with Mexico in Del Rio, Texas.A Fox News drone discovered the makeshift encampment last week, prompting the Federal Aviation Agency to ban drones from flying over the area. The footage, combined with dramatic images of US border patrol agents on horseback whipping Haitian migrants, proved a major embarrassment for the Biden administration, which is already reeling from Americans anger over its response to the crisis at the border.The socio-economic crisis in Haiti, one of the poorest country in the world, has been exacerbated in recent months by a massive earthquake in August, and the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, by a group of US and Colombian mercenaries in July.Deportations Possible Thanks to Trump-Era DirectiveThe Biden administrations move to deport Haitians is being conducted using a Trump-era provision known as Title 42, which allows authorities to deny migrants an opportunity to apply for asylum status and deport them due to coronavirus-related public health restrictions.The policy has been criticized by members of Bidens own party, including Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who told reporters this week that the expulsions of Haitians defy common sense. A federal judge ruled that the deportations must stop immediately, but Biden administration lawyers contested the ruling on Monday. Other civil and refugees rights organizations, including the NAACP, have also blasted the administration for its reversal on human rights grounds.Republicans have also attacked Biden over the border crisis, but from the other direction, asking the president to crack down further to prevent the situation from degenerating further. On Monday, a group of 26 Republican governors penned a letter asking Biden for an urgent meeting, calling for an open and constructive dialogue regarding border enforcement on behalf of US citizens and all those hoping to become US citizens.The governors accompanied their appeal with statistics, referencing a 500 percent surge in border apprehensions last month compared to the same period in 2020, with 9,700 of those detained reportedly revealed to have a criminal record. The letter indicated that border agents found and confiscated more fentanyl this year than in the three previous years combined.On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott revealed that he had sent hundreds of Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles to create a steel wall to physically block migrants from simply walking into the state of Texas.Former President Donald Trump has been relentlessly attacking Biden over the situation at the border since March, warning that the US was at risk of becoming a Third World Nation and a cesspool of humanity thanks to the influx of migrants, many of whom he said were totally unchecked and unvetted.On Wednesday, unnamed US officials told AP that many of the Haitian nationals encamped under the Del Rio bridge had been quietly been freed in recent days instead of being deported, and instructed to simply give their word to appear at an immigration office within 60 days time.The crisis on the US-Mexico border began to take shape immediately following Bidens inauguration after he signed about a dozen immigration-related directives cancelling his predecessors hardline policies. The president scrapped Trumps much-touted border wall, promised to restore and expand the asylum system, and mentioned the possibility of a path to citizenship to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already living in the US. These policies, combined with the poverty, crime and social upheaval plaguing much of Central America and the Caribbean thanks in part to decades of US intervention, has prompted hundreds of thousands of migrants to attempt to make the perilous journey to make it to the United States.According to Customs and Border Patrol, over 209,000 migrants were apprehended at the USs southern border in August, bringing the total for the fiscal year up to 1.5 million  on track to matching or surpassing the record 1.7 million apprehensions recorded in the year 2000.

https://sputniknews.com/20210921/joe-biden-dhs-chief-upset-by-horrible-videos-of-border-patrol-dealing-with-haitian-migrants-1089278719.html

BUY HUAWEI lol, is there anyone who likes the usa 6

Dicksonrp America is already burdened and sinking under the blacks weight, more will only complete the job. Any country with a large black population ends up a failed state 6

7

haiti

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Ilya Tsukanov

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Ilya Tsukanov

haiti, deportation, united states
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/were-done-with-fear-florida-appoints-joseph-ladapo-as-states-new-surgeon-general-1089316777.html

Were Done With Fear: Florida Appoints Joseph Ladapo as States New Surgeon General

Were Done With Fear: Florida Appoints Joseph Ladapo as States New Surgeon General

Dr. Ladapo emphasized during a Tuesday news conference that Florida will be completely done with fear stemming from the pandemic. The physician has advocated... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T21:35+0000

2021-09-22T21:35+0000

2021-09-22T21:34+0000

florida

ron desantis

covid-19

delta variant of covid-19

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Dr. Joseph Ladapo - a UCLA medical professor who opposed COVID-19 lockdown policies and mask mandates - to become the states new surgeon general and secretary of the Florida Department of Health.According to UCLA Health, Ladapo's "primary research interests include assessing the cost-effectiveness of diagnostic technologies and reducing the population burden of cardiovascular disease."Dr. Ladapo will bring great leadership to the Department of Health. I would also like to thank both Dr. Scott Rivkees and Dr. Shamarial Roberson for their hard work on behalf of all Floridians.Like DeSantis, Ladapo opposes evidence-based mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and lockdowns, as well as advocating for the controversial idea of achieving herd immunity.Lapado said after being announced as the new surgeon general, that vaccines arent the only way to combat COVID-19 and getting one is a personal choice."The state should be promoting good health, and vaccination isn't the only path to that," Ladapo said. "It's been treated almost like a religion, and that's just senseless. There are lots of good pathways to health, and vaccination isnt the only one."In addition to vaccines, people should be encouraged to lose weight, exercise more and eat healthier, Ladapo added.Ladapo, who is known for publishing controversial articles about covid mania, spoke out against lockdown, arguing that those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal.After lockdowns, overall mortality increased. Lockdowns are bad. Lots of reasons why theyre bad, thats just one really good one, he underscored.DeSantis took the opportunity to stress how important telling the truth is. I think thats what Dr. Ladapo understands.  Youve got to tell people the truth, and youve got to let them make decisions, the governor said.Florida recently became the fourth state to surpass 50,000 novel coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to the states latest weekly pandemic data report. Health officials reported Thursday that the fierce surge in COVID-19 cases was fueled by the new Delta variant.

Ivor Hardon Great! Let's see the hammer of rationality smash the remaining fear dominoes still standing. 0

Francesco Slossel Finche c'e posto in ospedale... 0

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florida, ron desantis, covid-19, delta variant of covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/would-fire-it-onto-ceiling-prince-philips-mustard-jokes-landed-him-in-trouble-with-queen-1089310265.html

'Would Fire it Onto Ceiling': Prince Philip's Mustard Jokes Landed Him in Trouble With Queen

'Would Fire it Onto Ceiling': Prince Philip's Mustard Jokes Landed Him in Trouble With Queen

In an-hour long documentary originally made by the BBC to mark Prince Philips centenary, his kids and grandchildren have shared their candid memories of the... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T17:01+0000

2021-09-22T17:01+0000

2021-09-22T17:01+0000

prince william

prince harry

news

world

prince philip

viral

uk

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Prince William has recalled in a new BBC documentary how his grandfather would play practical jokes using a tube of mustard at family BBQs  and really annoy the Queen in the process. The prank would apparently land Prince Philip in a lot of trouble with his wife for covering most of the places we had lunch and things with mustard on the ceiling.Prince William was one among 15 royals who shared their memories about the late Duke of Edinburgh  who passed away in April, just two months before his 100th birthday.His cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips also recalled the grandads mustard prank:Her brother Peter Phillips added that the marks from the mustard were probably still on the ceiling. The Queen herself wasn't interviewed for the documentary  nor was Williams wife Kate Middleton or Harrys spouse Meghan Markle.Prince Harry, who filmed his part from California, spoke about how his grandparents would both chuckle an awful lot when things would go awry during royal events.Everyone else gets mortally embarrassed. They love it, the prince added.Harry previously referred to his grandfather as master of the barbecue, legend of banter as he paid him a candid tribute in April.

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prince william, prince harry, news, world, prince philip, viral, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/xi-jinping-vows-china-will-never-invade-or-bully-states-calls-to-reject-zero-sum-games-1089303229.html

Xi Jinping Vows China Will Never Invade or Bully States, Calls to Reject Zero-Sum Games

Xi Jinping Vows China Will Never Invade or Bully States, Calls to Reject Zero-Sum Games

Earlier, in his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly, without mentioning China by name, US President Joe Biden emphasised that democracy would... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T13:34+0000

2021-09-22T13:34+0000

2021-09-22T13:34+0000

joe biden

xi jinping

xinjiang

world

china

un general assembly

aukus

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Chinas President Xi Jinping on Tuesday pledged that his country will never seek hegemony by attacking other countries. As he addressed the United Nations General Assembly, he emphasised that China is always a builder of world peace, contributor to global development, defender of the international order and provider of public goods. Chinas President elaborated on the guiding principles for international relations, urging to strengthen solidarity and promote win-win cooperation in conducting international relations". Referring to recent developments in the global situation, such as the hasty withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, resulting in the return of Taliban* rule in the country, Xi said they were proof that military intervention from the outside and so-called democratic transformation entail nothing but harm.The remark appeared to address tensions triggered by the formation of alliances such as the "Quad" grouping, comprising Australia, the US, India and Japan, which is due to meet at leader level in Washington on Friday.It also seemed to reference the recently-forged AUKUS pact. While the announcement of the trilateral security alliance, comprising Australia in addition to the United Kingdom and the United States, did not mention China by name, reference was repeatedly made to regional security concerns which they said had "grown significantly".Beijing denounced the three-way security pact, suggested as aimed at offsetting China's assertiveness in the contested South China Sea as "extremely irresponsible" and "narrow-minded. The alliance risked "severely damaging regional peace... and intensifying the arms race", said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. Chinas President Xi Jinping concluded his statement at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly by underscoring that one country's success does not necessarily have to signify another country's failure, suggesting that the global arena was big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries. Xi's address came as US President Joe Biden, in his debut speech at the United Nations, said that democracy would not be defeated by authoritarianism, in a perceived nod at China, albeit it the country was not mentioned by name. Washington has taken a hard stance against Beijing, slamming it for allegedly repressive policies toward ethnic Uyghurs other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province. The US has also called out Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea, the national security law in Hong Kong, and Chinas policy regarding Taiwan as a rebellious province of the country. China has consistently refuted these accusations, describing them as outside meddling.*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

mandrake Xi knows what he is doing and what China is doing whereas Biden hasnt got a clue of what he is doing (onset of dementia) or what moronistan is doing (due to the disorder in the line of command)! 4

Shadowwalker "This is an historic opportunity for the three nations, with like-minded allies and partners, to attack weaker countries on lies, destroy their ecnomy to make sure they are submit to admission. And ignore the suffering in Palastine, Yeman because we dont class them living worthy humans. Instead this parnership is willing to take more adventures without International Community permission or approval. 4

5

xinjiang

china

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Svetlana Ekimenko

Svetlana Ekimenko

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Svetlana Ekimenko

joe biden, xi jinping, xinjiang, world, china, un general assembly, aukus
https://sputniknews.com/20210922/zelenskyys-aide-shefir-says-assassination-attempt-on-him-aimed-at-intimidating-government-1089304335.html

Zelensky's Aide Shefir Says Assassination Attempt on Him Aimed at Intimidating Government

Zelensky's Aide Shefir Says Assassination Attempt on Him Aimed at Intimidating Government

KIEV (Sputnik) - Ukrainian First Presidential Assistant Serhiy Shefir expressed the belief on Wednesday that the assassination attempt on him was aimed at... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T13:08+0000

2021-09-22T13:08+0000

2021-09-22T15:45+0000

europe

ukraine

assassination

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"In my opinion, the assassination attempt was carried out to intimidate the upper echelons of the government, but we must understand that our president is a strong-willed person who cannot be intimidated. He chose the right path, he pushes his own agenda and people support him," Shefir said at a briefing.He said he did not think that his professional activities had motivated the attackers. He told reporters that he liasoned between the government and potential investors and managed Studio Kvartal 95, a television company he co-founded with his longtime friend Zelenskyy in 2003.More than 10 shots were fired at Shefirs car as he was traveling in Kiev suburbs. The driver was wounded. Ukrainian investigators launched a probe into a suspected assassination attempt. Zelenskyy, who is in New York for a UN General Assembly, said he would fly home right after his speech and vowed a tough response.

BUY HUAWEI hahaha should not zelenskyj on a golf tour with trump before he flies home ??  13

Sputnik User The Mosaic cabal running Ukraina came under attack. 3

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https://sputniknews.com/20210922/zuckerberg-reportedly-approved-using-news-feed-to-push-pro-facebook-coverage-in-image-reshaping-bid-1089295117.html

Zuckerberg Reportedly Approved Using News Feed to Push Pro-Facebook Coverage in Image-Reshaping Bid

Zuckerberg Reportedly Approved Using News Feed to Push Pro-Facebook Coverage in Image-Reshaping Bid

Facebook has been plagued by bad publicity over privacy issues, misinformation and hate speech on its platform, with a recent series of stories by the Wall... 22.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-22T09:18+0000

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had personally approved an initiative to use the platforms News Feed to show people positive stories about the social network, reported The New York Times. The News Feed is the cascading screen of content that is seen when users log in.The initiative, code-named "Project Amplify," presupposed pushing more pro-Facebook news stories, according to sources cited by the publication. The unveiled plan had purportedly "shocked" several executives at the internal meeting in January, as the idea of positioning the News Feed as a place for explicitly burnishing Facebooks reputation was a novel one. The promotion of some posts written by Facebook employees was also purportedly part of the initiative, allowing users to see posts marked with the company logo that linked to stories written by the company. Once Zuckerberg had approved the plan in August, Facebook went on to test the initiative through a tool called "Quick Promote" in three US cities, claims the report. According to the outlet, this decision was the companys first to unambiguously promote positive press about itself and spruce up its reputation amid a plethora of scandals. Facebook has battled public press censure over concerns about user data privacy, the spread of misinformation and hate speech on its platform. Current and former company employees indicated that "Project Amplify" came as executives opted to "go on the offensive" and ditch the social networks previous apologetic stance in the face of criticism.Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne dismissed claims that Facebook had shifted its messaging strategy. According to him, Project Amplify was "a test for an informational unit clearly marked as coming from Facebook", as he argued the initiative was "similar to corporate responsibility initiatives people see in other technology and consumer products." Riddled With Flaws' A barrage of critical reports have recently targeted Facebook. The Wall Street Journal published a series of damning stories claiming the social network was aware of numerous problems and ill effects riddling its platforms that cause harm to users, but is lax on addressing them. "The Facebook Files" purported that Facebook employees know the social media giant is "riddled with flaws that cause harm, often in ways only the company fully understands, from the trafficking of humans via the site to overlooking the impact on the mental health of teenagers. The multi-pronged report was supposedly based on reviewed leaked internal company research, online employee discussions and drafts of presentations to Facebook management.Facebook dismissed the allegations as full of "deliberate mischaracterisations" in a statement by Nick Clegg, the company's vice president of global affairs. Clegg added that the company fundamentally rejects this mischaracterisation of our work and impugning of the company's motives."

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Leamington Raceway track announcer Nathan Bain took home the crown in the $500 Hiawatha Horse Park Youth Handicapping Challenge as the contest concluded with the final card of the meet on Saturday, Sept. 18.

Bain took the lead on the first day of the contest and he never looked back. He finished the contest with 944 points, beating rival Ontario Racing handicapper Nicholas "Ace" Barnsdale, who amassed 861 points. Scoring was based on a 10-5-3 points system awarded for the handicappers top choices finishing first, second or third. There was also a five-point bonus awarded for winning Best Bets.

The contest  for which the $300 first prize and $200 second prize was supplied by Hiawatha Horse Park  ran for the entire meet.

Bain said he appreciated the opportunity to participate: Thank you to Hiawatha Horse Park for running this challenge. Promoting youth in our industry is very important. Myself and Nick had a lot of fun handicapping the races this season and thats what matters the most.

Barnsdale, who finished behind Bain in a similar contest held during the Leamington Raceway meet last year, was hoping for a better result, but was also happy to compete.

I'm disappointed to lose again, but the contest was a lot of fun, he said. I appreciate Hiawatha sponsoring it, and I hope to do it again  and win  in the future."

(USHWA)
National Caretaker Appreciation Day (NCAD) events take place at racetracks across the country this week. Events kicked off on Monday and continue through Sunday, Sept. 26.

Heres a list of the events scheduled for the balance of the week to recognize the hard work and dedication of the caretakers in the industry:

Wednesday, Sept. 22  Grand River Raceway

Thursday, Sept. 23  Woodbine Mohawk Park

Saturday, Sept. 25  Kawartha Downs, Red Shores at Charlottetown Driving Park

Sunday, Sept. 26  Flamboro Downs, Hippodrome 3R, Leamington Raceway, Truro Raceway

Caretakers, dont forget to send your photos in for the Love of the Horse photo contest. Click here for more information.

If you are posting any photos, etc. for Caretaker Appreciation, please use the hashtags #NCAD21 and #thehorsecomesfirst and if you would like to submit / share any photos or video for our Caretaker Appreciation wrap up, you can email [email protected] or [email protected].

Standardbred Canada would like to thank all the caretakers that were willing to be profiled in our Faces of Racing Series. If you have not read some of the features, the links are below:

This is the fourth year that Standardbred Canada (SC) has facilitated events across the country. Showing appreciation for the caretakers keeping our horses healthy and safe while training and racing under unusual circumstances and protocols during the pandemic is important, and SC would like to thank the many racetracks, associations, owners, trainers, breeders, drivers, volunteers and stakeholders that are all taking part to make this happen.
The State of Ohio, joined by the States of Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi and Nebraska requested leave yesterday to file an amicus brief supporting the effort to persuade the federal court in Lexington, Kentucky to strike down the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) as unconstitutional.

The six amicus states join the States of Oklahoma, West Virginia and Louisiana, which are already plaintiffs in the case, along with the United States Trotting Association, several state racing commissions, the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association, several Native American-owned racetracks, and Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc.

In the amicus brief, the States explain that the private corporation that HISA sets up to regulate the racing industry amounts to a private club having governmental powers. It is settled law that the Constitution forbids Congress to set up a private entity to exercise governmental power over the States and the people in them. Accordingly, the States argue, the Court should declare HISA unconstitutional.

The Congressional Research Service tried to explain these constitutional problems to HISAs legislative sponsors as long ago as 2015, said USTA President Russell Williams. The USTA lobbied intensively against HISA and its predecessor bills since then, trying to point out why unconstitutional legislation simply compounds the problems that it was meant to address. But members of the House and Senate went ahead anyway, at the urging of their wealthy racing sponsors, heedless of the constitutional defects now being litigated. Legislation instigated by an elite sliver of an industry should be approached with caution, not slipped into the middle of a 5,500-page, must-pass appropriation measure as HISA was.

A private entity should have no more power over state functions than the AAA, another private entity, has over issuing, suspending, or revoking motor vehicle drivers licenses, stated Joe Faraldo, chairman of the USTA Board of Directors. Unfortunately, overreaching by private entities is a recurrent problem and the courts have had to deal with it before, continued Faraldo, quoting the New York Court of Appeals from a case decided in 1951:

"We are told that benefits of great worth to the maintenance of proper control over race meetings and to the improvement of the breed of horses have been derived from action by The Jockey Club. Even assuming that fact we are mindful that 'nothing is more certain than that beneficent aims, however great or well directed, can never serve in lieu of constitutional power.'"

This litigation could take years to reach its conclusion, but we are prepared to stay the course, added Williams. When the courts have consigned HISA to the scrap heap of unconstitutional legislation, we have a better plan to offer. We are ready with draft legislation that would be constitutional, would better protect the welfare of the horse than HISA, and would not impose HISAs heavy costs that threaten to diminish racing to the status of a hobby.

Our Racehorse Health and Safety Act originated with veterinarians and is therefore grounded in equine medical science. Racing regulators and racing participants from all the racing breeds have contributed to it. It would have federal oversight under the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution, but the States would administer it. It is open to public and congressional debate plus input from all participants in racing, something that was never the case with HISA, concluded Williams.

To read the draft of the Racehorse Health and Safety Act, click here.

(USTA)
Peace is elusive in Syria because of Iran. In the 1980s, the new government in Iran, which emerged from the 1979 revolution that ousted the monarchy, had quickly evolved into a religious dictatorship and declared itself the protector of Shia throughout the region. Most of these Shia were persecuted religious minorities in Sunni dominated nations. Two exceptions were Syria and Lebanon. In Syria the ruthless and resourceful Shia Assad clan had managed to take control of the government despite the Sunni majority population. During the 1980s Iraq and Iran fought an eight-year war after an Iraqi surprise attack sought to grab oil-rich Iranian territory near the border where most of the locals were Arabs. Iran was still suffering from the aftereffects of their revolution and Iraq thought they had a rare opportunity here. The majority of Iraqis were Shia Arabs but the government was dominated by a ruthless Sunni minority, now led by Saddam Hussein. The Sunni majority nations in the Persian Gulf area, especially the ones that controlled most of the regions oil wealth, rallied to the support of Iraq, which was now the Defender of True Islam against the Iranians, who in addition to being Shia, werent Arab either, but Indo-Europeans, like those heathen Indians and Europeans.

Assads rule of Syria was assured when they became allies with Iran. This move included support for the Shia minority in neighboring Lebanon, where a civil war between Sunni, Shia and Christians had been going on since 1975, and didnt end until 1990. The Shia were about a third of the population but taking a beating. Iran supplied cash, weapons and military trainers and advisors. The result of this was the Hezbollah militia, which came to control southern Lebanon and the Israeli border. While this Iranian intervention was good for the Shia, it was bad for the non-Shia majorities in Syria and Lebanon. The Iranians also supported the revival of Greater Syria which included Lebanon as well as chunks of Jordan, Israel and Turkey. ISIL calls Greater Syria the Levant. This is the only thing ISIL and Iran agree on. Beyond that, the Iranian influence is seen as a malign presence in the Levant.

The latest example of this is the fact that Iran has major, and expensive, problems in Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen. All these Iranian trouble spots are managed by the Iranian Quds Force as part of its ongoing wars against Israel and Saudi Arabia. None of these conflicts are doing well for Iran, which provides some comfort for the people in Syria, now being torn apart by its own endless civil war. The most damage to Iran is occurring in Syria. The core problem is that if Sunni Islamic terrorists remain in northwest Syria (Idlib province), while ISIL is active in eastern Syria and Iranians near the Israeli border, there will be no peace and rebuilding. While the Islamic terrorist and the Iranian presence persists, the Syrian civil war will not be over. Officially, Iran needs this civil war to end so they can concentrate on Israel. The key role of Iran in Syria has been noted and no one, not even Iranian allies, are cooperating with Iran. The only ones who cannot walk away from this are the Syrian Assad government, Turkey and Israel.

Syria has been at war with Israel from the beginning, when modern Syria was created in 1946 and Israel in 1948. Israel would like to make peace with Syria but will settle for a quiet border. Russia depicts itself as an old (since the 1950s) Syrian ally interested only in peace and prosperity for Syria. Russia has treaties with Syria justifying their presence. That leaves Iran as the real interloper and troublemaker. Dealing with Iran has been a headache for Turkey and Russia for centuries while the Arabs have several thousand years of bad memories created by Iran. In other words, Iran is difficult to deal with, something everyone can agree on. That is a common problem, not an incentive to violently gang up on Iran. Yet there is an unofficial anti-Iran coalition in Syria, with Israel, Russia, Turkey and the Assad Syrian government as active members. Israel is doing most of the fighting and hurts Iran in a major way. Russia, Turkey and Syria sympathize with their ally Iran but do little beyond that and Iran does not like this sort of thing because it is straight out of the ancient Iranian/Persian playbook. The Syrian mess makes Iran, and especially the Quds Force, look bad to Iranian supporters in Iraq (Shia radicals on the Iranian payroll), Yemen (more Shia rebels), Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Gaza (Sunni Hamas).

The recent return of the Afghan Taliban to power in Afghanistan is also having an impact on the Syrian Civil War. Afghan refugee resettlement is a major domestic political issue in Turkey, which already has too many Syrian refugees. Economic stress from hosting Syrian refugees is a major reason for getting directly involved in the Syrian civil war since 2016. More Afghan refugees would bring more violence, from cultural differences and the threat of Islamic terrorists using refugee status as a cover. Turkey currently hosts over four million refugees. About 92 percent of them are Syrian. Over 200,000 Afghans were already living in Turkey when the Taliban returned to power in August. Many of the current refugees have been in Turkey since mid-2011. Refugees, legal and illegal, have put a major stress on the Turkish economy and many individual Turks. Over 500,000 Syrian school children attend Turkish schools and will get worse if more Afghan refugees get in. Some Turkish provinces are feeling the stress more than others. In southern Turkey, on the Syrian border, Kilis province has a population of 140,000 Turks and provides refuge for 105,000 Syrians. Fear of Islamic terrorism is another reason Turks are concerned about an Afghan refugee influx. Al Qaeda and ISIL have launched attacks within Turkey for years. Turkey is seen by smugglers as a gateway to Europe, especially for the lucrative business of smuggling people. Often the refugees fail to get into Europe and end up stuck in Turkey. All this puts more pressure on the Turks to end the Syrian Civil War and give many of the refugees an incentive to go home.

September 20, 2021: In the northwest (Idlib province) an American UAV destroyed an automobile carrying two senior al Qaeda officials. The U.S. admitted the attack but did not provide data on exactly who the targets were. That is usually revealed quickly by locals who can tale cellphone photos and either identify the dead or provide visual evidence to help other do so. In this case the local chatter was that the three men in the car were all from a large independent (dissident) al Qaeda faction called Hurras al Din (Guardians of Religion). One was a senior Hurras commander Al Bara al Tunisi, a Tunisian who had been in Idlib at least four years and been the target of assassination several times. One man in the car was the driver and the third was believed to be a close associate of al Tunisi. Locals also report that large UAVs had been circling overhead for days and many thought it was probably Turkish or one of the new Russian Predator size UAVs. American UAV attacks in Syria are usually only for senior terrorist leaders or key technical experts.

Huras is one of the largest al Qaeda factions trapped in Idlib, with about ten percent of the rebel manpower there. Hurras and the larger al Qaeda alliance HTS leave each other alone and to help with that Hurras has moved a lot of its terror attack operations out of Idlib into Raqqa, Hama and Homs provinces. This includes attacking Turks and Kurds. This brings Hurras into proximity with ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) activity but these two groups also appear to be leaving each other alone. Unofficial truces between rival Islamic terror groups are common, but nearly always temporary. Once one of these factions gains a degree of dominance anywhere, they will attack rival Islamic terror groups nearby. Hurras al Din has not made a big difference in eastern Syria but still controls a significant portion of al Qaeda gunmen in Idlib.

September 18, 2021: Israel announced that it was not attacking Iranian tankers delivering oil products to Syria because most of it is sent to Lebanon where Iran is blamed for the collapse of the economy and inability of the Lebanese government to pay for oil imports. Israeli attacks on Iranian forces in Syria are popular with most Lebanese, who are increasingly threatened by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Syria gets a portion of these oil shipments, which are moved to Lebanon via tanker trucks. The Syrian government uses local pipelines as well as tanker trucks to move its share of the oil throughout Syria. These shipments are generally safe from attack, except in areas where ISIL is still active. ISIL attacks the oil and natural gas pipelines frequently enough to cause periodic electricity shortages in government controlled area. Recently the capital, Damascus, suffered blackouts because of several attacks on pipelines supplying the city.

ISIL sees Damascus as a prime target because it is dominated by the Shia minority, which the Assad clan belongs to. There are also numerous Iranian military facilities in the Damascus area. ISIL is particularly hostile to Iran in particular and Shia in general. The fanatically Sunni ISIL considers Shia heretics, a death penalty offense under Sunni Islamic law.

In Lebanon, Iran is trying to revive Hezbollah power by sending several illegal oil shipments to Syria rather than Lebanon because Syria is already under sanctions and Lebanon is not, at least not yet. Iran hopes to change that, in order to make Lebanon easier to control because Hezbollah already controls many of the black market and outlaw enterprises in Lebanon. Iranian interference did help achieve a negotiated end to the civil war. This involved Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Arab states, cooperating with Iran. This settlement came with a catch that meant the civil war had not ended but just paused while Iran expanded Hezbollah power via cash and weapons. Hezbollah soon became a state within a state by controlling large portions of southern Lebanon and acquiring veto power over the elected Lebanese government. Iran also acquired Syria as an ally in the 1980s and got away with having Syrian troops part of the peacekeeper force that occupied much of Lebanon to prevent the civil war from restarting. Most Lebanese saw the Syrian troops as an occupation force that was there to protect black market and drug smuggling operations that enriched Hezbollah and Syria at the expense of most Lebanese. Over the decades the Lebanese government sought to reduce the Iranian influence and illegal Hezbollah control of the south. Iran helped Hezbollah exploit the complex and often corrupt factional politics of Lebanon, which had a population where no one was a majority. Christians were the majority after World War II but that changed as Palestinians moved in as refugees and formed armed militias that became a threat to Lebanese as well as Israel, which until the last decade was generally considered the enemy by most Moslems in the region. That began to change in the 21st century when more and more Arab states realized that Israel was more valuable as an ally than the target of violence that always ended up hurting the Arab attackers much more than the Israeli defenders. The Israelis were also the most effective nation in the region against the growing Iranian threat. Iran and Hezbollah are seen as the cause, and chief beneficiary of the recent collapse of the Lebanese economy and continued political chaos. The non-Shia majority in Lebanon realize that the fuel shipments to Lebanon are not free but do fill an immediate need because the Lebanese currency is worthless and the economy unable to function. With control of the black market for fuel, Hezbollah and Iran can expand their power, as they did in Syria until 2011 when the non-Shia majority rebelled.

For the moment Iran cannot call on Hezbollah to carry out any sort of major military operation against Israel. First, Hezbollah must deal with local problems because most Lebanese want Hezbollah gone and getting Lebanon involved in another war with Israel might see Hezbollah fighting Israel and Lebanese at the same time. Iran wants to destroy one enemy at a time. Iran hopes a major war with Israel will result in more popular support from all Moslems in the region. Thats more of a gamble than a sure thing as Iran has replaced Israel as the designated enemy.

September 17, 2021: In the northwest (Latakia and Idlib provinces) there has been another round of Russian airstrikes on Islamic terrorist rebels trapped in Idlib and ignoring the 2020 cease agreement with Turkey, Russia and Syria that only worked if everyone stopped attacking each other and not enter territory they did not already control. The key weapon of reprisal for Syria has been Russian airpower. This time some of the Russian airstrikes were on rebels who were very close to Turkish positions, risking Turkish casualties. Russia blames Turkeys more accommodating attitude towards Islamic terror groups that were willing to work with Sunni Moslem governments, which Russia is not. Everyone in Syria agrees that ISIL is bad and most everyone is hostile towards Iran. While Turkey and Russia try to maintain some kind of military alliance, the two governments still have fundamental differences about how to handle Islamic terrorism. Increasingly those differences get Turkish forces killed or wounded by Russian airstrikes and artillery fire.

September 16, 2021: In the east (Deir Ezzor province) there have been more ISIL clashes with Syrian troops trying to establish control over remote rural areas that are technically controlled by the Syrian government but because of ISIL, or sometimes tribal feuds, are not. The current clashes have been on the border with Homs province that is west of Deir Ezzor. This is a desert area that has long provided hiding places for outlaws and rebels who had some local support. ISIL often obtains this support via intimidation and the locals would acknowledge the hated Assad government if the Assads could send enough army troops to eliminate ISIL. Iran is taking losses in this area as well because Iran assigns some of its Syrian mercenaries to help keep key roads, between Iraq and Damascus and Lebanon, open. These roads are also subject to ISIL attacks in this area. One recent clash left 17 of the Iran mercenaries killed (eight) or wounded (nine).

September 15, 2021: The safety of Afghan Shia, now that the Taliban are back in control of Afghanistan, has become a major issue in Iran and a minor one for Syria. The new Taliban government, now more openly controlled by Pakistan, is not seen as an improvement by most Iranians or the 20 percent of Afghans that are Shia. Many of those Afghans served as Iranian mercenaries in Syria and some are still in Syria because they are the best, and most expensive, mercs. The new hardline Iranian government regards defending all Shia as one of its core functions. Doing that in Afghanistan and Pakistan, two nations that have been notorious for persistent anti-Shia violence, is going to be difficult. So far, the Taliban have not gone after Afghan Shia, but Iran knows that could change quickly. The centuries old Sunni animosity towards Shia remains. As in the past, Iran will try to get what it can from the Taliban while remembering that many Taliban factions and individuals see tolerance for Shia as bad for Afghanistan.

September 12, 2021: In the northwest (Idlib province) the March 2020 agreement with Russia to establish de-escalation zones has failed. No one has officially called the agreement a failure but the increased Russian airstrikes in Idlib and the inability of the Islamic terror groups to control their more radical factions justifies increased Russian airstrikes. Turkey is less tolerant of Syrian troops resuming their efforts to push the rebels back after Russian airstrikes and artillery fire have weakened the Islamic terrorist defenders. Turkey overestimated its ability to negotiate deals with the Idlib Islamic terrorist rebels that control half the province and have nowhere to go, except Turkey.

September 10, 2021: Russia warplanes carried out over a hundred airstrikes in the last week against Islamic terrorist targets in northwest Syria (Latakia, Idlib and Homs provinces) plus ISIL targets in eastern Syria. Russian warplanes are based in Latakia, where Russia has built a large airbase on land provided by the Syrian government on a long-term lease. Russian military aircraft have been active in Syria since 2015 and by 2021 had flown over 40,000 sorties. Most of these sorties were non-combat operations by helicopters, military transports and combat support aircraft carrying out reconnaissance missions seeking out targets and keeping track of enemy, and friendly activity on the ground. Russia does not have many UAVs for recon or ground attack. Using manned aircraft for any sorties is expensive, the combat sorties are just more expensive because they deliberately expend most of their cargo.

The Assad government wants the Russians to stick around to deal with the long-term threat from Islamic terror and secular rebels. The airstrikes and maintaining an airbase and nearby port facility are expensive but easier to hide in the budget than Russians getting killed in Syria. Nearly all the Russian military personnel in Syria are volunteers or military contractors, who are also more expensive than sending conscripts, which still comprise over half the armed forces. Families of conscripts are unhappy with conscription in general and get agitated if their sons are sent overseas and even more angry, and outspoken locally and on the Internet, if their conscript son is wounded or killed overseas.

September 9, 2021: In southern Syria (Daraa province) there was a little noticed (especially by Iranian media) incident where Iranian forces were forced to leave the border area because of Russian and Syrian pressure. Russia and Syria have been seeking to get Iranian forces (Arab Shia wearing Syrian army uniforms) away from the Israeli border. This is a big deal for Syria and Israel and a major embarrassment for Iran, which is why Iran has not cranked up its usual media outrage to complain. Negotiations are underway between Iran and Russia/Syria but are not making much progress.

This seemingly sudden move by Syrians and Russians is the result of years of effort working to gain the support of the largely Sunni and Druze civilian population along the border in (from west to east); Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda provinces. This is a joint effort to block Iranian efforts to gain the support of the border population. Total population of these provinces in 2011 was 1.4 million but only about 20 percent of that was on or near the border. After the 2011 Civil War began much of the Sunni population fled. How much remains on the border is unclear but is apparently at least 100,000. Only Queneitra and Daraa border Israel. Israel has occupied most of Queneitra province since the 1967 War and the Israeli controlled area is mostly the Golan Heights. This is the high ground overlooking northern Israel and the Syrians made a major and ultimately failed effort in the 1973 War to retake Golan. Control of the Daraa border with Israel was sought by Iranian forces but Russian and Syrian troops blocked many of the Iranian efforts and are now pushing away Iranian-backed forces already there.

Israel was also aware of what Russia had accomplished here and two days later the Israeli foreign minister was in Russia to discuss this and many other matters of mutual interest with the Russian foreign minister. A key result of these talks was Israels willingness to tolerate continued Assad rule in Syria while Russia and the Assads continue to clear anti-Israel groups from the border area. This meeting and its agenda were no secret but Iran had nothing much to say.

September 7, 2021: In northeast Syria (Hasaka province) SDF (Syrian Kurd militia) fighters clashed with Turkish troops and their Syrian mercenaries, leaving one Turkish soldier and four Syrian mercs dead. SDF losses were not revealed. The SDF instigated these clashes in retaliation for earlier Turkish attacks on the SDF. While mainly Kurdish, SDF also includes Syrian Arabs and Turkmen

September 2, 2021: In southern Syria (Damascus) an Israeli airstrike on a weapons-development and modification facility used by Syria was destroyed. Israeli warplanes over Lebanon fired several air-to-ground missiles that Syrian SAMs (Surface to Air) sought to intercept. The interception efforts largely failed and in this case one of the Syrian SAMs kept going until it self-destructed off the Israeli coast near Tel Aviv. Israeli radars did not detect this wayward SAM but civilians in central Israel reported hearing the SAM exploding in the air. Some of the debris was found in or near Tel Aviv.

Since 2016 Israeli forces, mainly the air force, have used over 5,000 missiles to hit about a thousand targets in Syria. During this period Syria fired about 900 SAMs (Surface to Air Missiles) at Israeli aircraft or missiles. Only one of these missiles damaged an Israeli F-16 and that was in 2018 because the pilot did not, as he was trained to do, carry out evasive maneuvers when his missile warning system alerted him to the threat. The pilot tried to complete his mission first and then evade. The F-16 was damaged and crashed in northern Israel. The pilot safely ejected. This incident demonstrated that the Syrian Air Defense systems could be dangerous if a pilot did not pay attention. As a result, more attacks (firing long range missiles) were carried out from Israel, Lebanon or Jordan, with missiles launched near the border. With new air-to-ground missiles Israeli aircraft were still able to hit anywhere in Syria. The Syrian SAMs did shoot down a Russian surveillance aircraft off the coast that year. The Syrians were aiming for Israeli warplanes but the Israeli countermeasures worked and the Syrian SAM turned to the next available target, which was the Russian aircraft off the coast.

Syrian air defenses use the SA-5/S-200 SAM (Surface to Air Missile) system as their primary weapon against Israeli attacks. The SA-5 is a 1960s Russian design that has been updated and Syria received the latest S-200 version of the missile in 2010. Each seven-ton S-200 missile has a range of 300 kilometers but Israel has apparently developed effective countermeasures. Sometimes S-200s fail and do not self-destruct when it has not found a target. Most of these targetless missiles would land in Syria or Lebanon if they did not self-destruct. A few have come across the Israeli border. Most were spotted and shot down by Israeli missile defense systems.

August 29, 2021: In the east (Deir Ezzor province) fifty tanker trucks carrying vehicle fuel were allowed into Syria from Iraq, The fuel headed for Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iraqi soldiers and border guards at the Al Bukamal crossing into Syria did not interfere because both sides of the border are dominated by pro-Iran groups. On the Iraqi side there are Iran-backed PMF militias. The Syrian side is controlled by the pro-Iran Syrian government and Iranian Syrian mercenaries. Israeli and American airstrikes often hit the Syrian side, where there are a growing number of Iranian bases, which include warehouses for Iranian rockets and missiles trucked in from Iran via Iraq. Fuel trucks are usually not hit because that cargo is useful to civilians as well as Iranian controlled military personnel. The U.S. recently carried out a rare airstrike on the Iraqi border crossing, in retaliation for an Iranian rocket attack on an American base. Iran wants all American troops out of Iraq but that is not going to happen as long as there is ISIL activity in Iraq. Even after ISIL is suppressed, the U.S. has made it clear it will maintain a force or military trainers and advisors in the autonomous Kurdish north.
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro is slated to be Motorolas next smartphone launch in India, as suggested by the latest teasers. The Edge 20 Pro is expected to be the companys conventional flagship smartphone this year as it still sells last years foldable Razr 5G. Compared to the standard Motorola Edge 20, the Edge 20 Pro offers upgraded cameras and more performance.

Motorola is yet to announce a launch date formally for the Edge 20 Pro but based on the Flipkart listing, it seems the announcement could take place on October 1. The phone was globally announced along with the Edge 20 and Edge 20 Fusion back in July 2021.

Motorola Edge 20 Pro launching soon

The Edge 20 Pro is loosely based on the Edge 20 midrange model that launched earlier. However, the Pro variant gets a faster chipset, better cameras, and more storage.

Instead of the midrange Snapdragon 778G chip, the Edge 20 Pro relies on the Snapdragon 870 chipset. The Snapdragon 870 is a high-end processor that delivers the same kind of performance as last years Snapdragon 865. However, it still falls behind the mighty Snapdragon 888 and it remains to be seen whether Motorola does a higher-end version of this model.

The Edge 20 Pro carries over the same 6.7-inch AMOLED display from the Edge 20, complete with its 144Hz refresh rate and support for HDR10+ colours. The phone relies on a 4500mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging. Theres no wireless charging on this one like the Edge Pro.

When it comes to the cameras, the Edge 20 Pro offers upgraded hardware. The main camera uses a 108-megapixel sensor that is accompanied by a 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera. The third camera is an 8-megapixel telephoto shooter with 5x optical zoom and the ability to digitally zoom up to 50X. Selfies and video calls are handled by a 32-megapixel front camera.

What remains to be seen is how Motorola prices this for the Indian market. The Edge 20 Pro in Europe starts at Euro 699 for the 12GB/256GB variant. Given Motorolas aggressive pricing strategy, we wont be surprised if the company positions this as an alternative to the popular OnePlus 9R and iQOO 7 Legend.
Google Meet web version is gaining support for a useful feature that is currently available on the companys apps for smartphones, allowing users to use the service even when ideal lighting is unavailable. Google is adding an artificial intelligence-powered low-light mode that will brighten the video in dark locations. The feature, which exists on both Google Meet and Google Duo for smartphones, is now arriving on the web version of the popular video meeting service.

The new Google Meet feature will be automatically enabled for users who are located in an area that lacks ample lighting. The service will intelligently adapt, for example increasing enhancements as lighting conditions worsen and turns processing off when lighting conditions improve according to Google. This suggests that users who later move to an area with enough lighting will see the feature turn off automatically.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

However, it looks like using the new Google Meet feature will come at some cost, and older devices might be affected the most by this new automatic low light feature on the web, according to Google. The company says that users could see their devices slow down while using the feature. This can happen on older devices that do not have the processing power to handle such a feature, in which case users can simply disable the low light mode by starting a new call from the browser, and using the Settings options to disable Video Lighting. This can be found in the Video settings before a user joins a call, and can be useful for users running older computers and laptops.

Meanwhile, Google says that the automatic low light mode will come to Google Workspace, G Suite Basic, and G Suite Business users, which covers all Google account holders. Users will be able to access it on all of their devices within 15 days, according to the company, and workplace administrators will not be able to control the setting, although as previously mentioned, users will still be able to turn the feature on and off after it has been enabled for their account.
Scientists have discovered another clue to the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19, with bats living in caves in Laos found to be carrying a similar pathogen that experts suggest could potentially infect humans directly.

The virus has killed millions since it emerged in China in late 2019, and controversy continues to swirl around where it came from.

Some experts say it is animal-driven but others have pointed to the possibility the pathogen leaked from a lab.

Researchers from Frances Pasteur Institute and the National University of Laos said their findings showed that viruses genetically close to the SARS-CoV-2 virus exist in nature among bat species in the limestone caves of northern Laos, which neighbours China.

Of the viruses they identified among the hundreds of bats tested in Vientiane Province, three were found to closely resemble the virus that causes Covid-19, particularly in the mechanism for latching on to human cells.

The idea was to try to identify the origin of this pandemic, Marc Eloit, who leads the Pasteur Institutes pathogen discovery laboratory, told AFP.

Eloit, whose team analysed the samples collected, said there were still key differences between the viruses found and SARS-CoV-2.

But he said the work was a major step forward in identifying the pandemics origin, confirming the theory that the coronavirus that has spread across the world could have started with living bats.

The authors of the study, which has been submitted to Nature for peer review, warned that their findings suggest the new viruses seem to have the same potential for infecting humans as early strains of SARS-CoV-2.

People working in caves, such as guano collectors, or certain ascetic religious communities who spend time in or very close to caves, as well as tourists who visit the caves, are particularly at risk of being exposed, the authors said.

Natural spillover

International experts sent to China by the World Health Organization (WHO) in January concluded that it was most likely that the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from bats to humans via an intermediate animal.

A competing hypothesis that the virus leaked from a lab like the specialised virology laboratory in Wuhan was deemed extremely unlikely, although it has yet to be ruled out.

Martin Hibbert, Professor of Emerging Infectious Disease at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine  who was not involved in the Laos research  said the most closely related virus was found to be able to infect human cells as easily as SARS-CoV-2 and therefore might be capable of infecting humans.

But he stressed that the virus is not an ancestor of the pandemic strain.

This work confirms the expected diverse nature of bat infecting coronaviruses and increases the evidence that natural spill-over events from bats to humans can occur, said Hibbert.

The authors of the Laos study, which has been posted on the site Research Square, said their results suggest the pandemic coronavirus potentially evolved through mixing between different viruses and species of bats.

James Wood, Head of Department of Veterinary Medicine at University of Cambridge  who was also not involved in the research  said it suggests recombination between different viruses was likely involved, rather than there being a simple evolution of a single lineage over a long period.

In a comment to the Science Media Centre he said this not only underscores the likely role played by bats and perhaps other animals living closely together, but also shows the risks inherent in living wildlife trade, where markets can help drive cross-species zoonotic transmission.

The post Bats with Covid-like viruses found in Laos: study appeared first on ARY NEWS.

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image Credit: Cartona

Year-old startup Capiter announced last week that it raised a $33 million Series A to digitize Egypts traditional offline retail market.

Its looking to take a large pie in the budding e-commerce and retail play, where multiple startups are pulling their weight including Cartona, also a year-old startup out of Egypt.

Today, Cartona is announcing that it has raised a $4.5 million pre-Series A funding round to connect retailers and manufacturers via an application.

The company confirmed that Dubai-based venture capital firm Global Ventures led the round, with Pan-African firm Kepple Africa, T5 Capital and angel investors also participating.

Cairo-based Cartona, founded in August 2020, focuses on solving the supply-chain and operational challenges of players in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry by helping buyers access products from sellers on a single platform.

Buyers, in this case, are retailers, while sellers are FMCG companies, distributors and wholesalers.

The problem retailers in Egypt and most of Africa face mainly revolves around limited access to suppliers. There are also issues around transparency in market prices, which are dependent on traditional logistical capabilities.

For suppliers, the lack of data and inability to make data-backed decisions to improve margins and aid growth add up to unoptimized warehouses.

The trade market is completely inefficient and its not good for the supplier nor the manufacturers, and its definitely not good for retailers, CEO Mahmoud Talaat told TechCrunch in an interview. So we came up with the idea of Cartona, which is basically a fully light-asset model that connects manufacturers and wholesalers to retailers.

Talaat founded the company alongside Mahmoud Abdel-Fattah. Before Cartona, Abdel-Fattah founded Speakol, a MENA-focused adtech platform serving 60 million monthly users, while Talaat was the chief commercial officer of agriculture company Lamar Egypt.

Cartona works as an asset-light marketplace. On the platform, grocery retailers can get orders from a curated network of sellers. The company says this way, it can provide visibility through real-time price comparisons and clarity on delivery times.

Also, FMCGs and suppliers can optimize their go-to-market execution through the use of data and analytics. Cartona tops it off by providing embedded finance and access to credit to retailers and suppliers.

Cartona makes money through all these processes. It takes a commission on orders made, charges suppliers for running advertising to merchants (since they compete for the latters attention), and provides market insights on buyer behavior, price competition and market share.

It is time to capitalize on technology beyond warehouses and trucks. Data and technology will transform traditional retail to a digitally native one, which in return will drastically improve the supply chain efficiency, Abdel-Fattah said about how the company sells information to retailers and suppliers.

Cartona has over 30,000 merchants on its platform. Together, they have processed more than 400,000 orders with an annualized gross merchandise value of EGP 1 billion (~$64 million). Cartona also works with more than 1,000 distributors, wholesalers and 100 FMCG companies, offering consumers more than 10,000 products, including dry, fresh and frozen food.

The companys business and revenue model is similar to other companies in this space, but the main difference lies in whether they own assets or not.

Taking a look at the players in Egypt, for instance, MaxAB operates its warehouses and fleets; Capiter uses a hybrid model in which it rents these assets and owns inventory when dealing with high-turnover products. But Cartona solely manages an asset-light model.

The CEO tells me that he thinks this model works best for all the stakeholders involved in the retail market. He argues that not owning assets and leasing the ones on the ground shows that the company is trying to improve the operations of existing suppliers and merchants instead of displacing them.

I believe that the infrastructure already exists. We already have many warehouses, many small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, and wholesalers and distributors and companies that have a lot of assets. If you want to fix the problem, we think one should enable the people who are strategically located in small streets all over Egypt and have the infrastructure but dont have the technology needed to optimize their warehouses and carts.

The current margins for suppliers with warehouses are slim, and Cartona provides the technology  an inventory and ordering system  to provide efficiency in its supply chain.

The general partner at lead investor Global Ventures, Basil Moftah, said in a statement that Cartonas technology and not owning inventory proved critical in the firms decision to back the company.

The trade market is one of the most sophisticated, yet [it is] characterized by multiple critical inefficiencies across the value chain, he said. Cartonas asset-light approach tackles those inefficiencies by optimizing the trade process in unique ways and does so with minimal capital spent.

Proceeds of the investment focus on improving this technology, Talaat said. In addition, Cartona is expanding its team and operations beyond two cities in Egypt  Cairo and Alexandria  to other parts.

A longer-term plan might include horizontal and vertical product expansion into pharmaceuticals, electronics and fashion.
KARACHI: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Cell has restored the hacked Facebook page of the Sindh Minister for Prisons Aijaz Jakhrani, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Following the complaint of the Sindh Prisons Minister Aijaz Jakhrani, the FIA cyber crime cell regained access to the social page having around 60,000 followers.

According to the FIA spokesperson, the hackers had gained access to the social media page after sending a link. The hackers had shared obscene pictures on the Facebook page and retained access to the social media page for 12 days.

FIA Additional Director Cyber Crime Cell Imran Riaz said in a statement that the intelligence agency was taking steps to arrest the hackers at the earliest.

After getting back access to his social media page, Aijaz Jakhrani in a video message praised the FIA team for retrieving his Facebook page.

He thanked FIA Director-General (DG) Sanaullah Abbasi, FIA Additional Director Imran Riaz and Deputy Director Kaleemullah Memon for taking immediate action to recover his social media page.

Aijaz Jakhrani criticised his political opponents for playing dirty tricks to defame him by posting obscene pictures and stories after hacking his Facebook page. He added that the hackers will be arrested soon and their motives will be exposed.

The post FIA cyber crime cell restores hacked Facebook page of Sindh minister appeared first on ARY NEWS.

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The prototype of MobileCharger. Credit: arXiv:2107.10585v2 [cs.RO]

Researchers at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia have recently developed MobileCharger, an autonomous robotic system designed to charge other robots as they complete their missions. This system, presented in a paper pre-published on arXiv, can transfer energy to mobile robots without forcing them to fly back to designated charging stations when their power is depleted.

"In a nutshell, MobileCharger is a mobile power bank for autonomous robots," Dzmitry Tsetserukou, Professor and Head of the Intelligent Space Robotics Laboratory, told TechXplore. "Can you imagine that soon thousands of delivery robots will travel through the city next to us? If one or several such robots are discharged, it will be the serious obstacle for pedestrian and traffic."

The general idea behind the recent study by Tsetserukou and his colleagues was to devise a system that can reach faulty robots or robots with a depleted battery power and assist them. The system they developed, dubbed MobileCharger, can charge robots as they are operating and trying to complete a mission, such as delivering a parcel or collecting data in a specific location.

"A delivery robot and MobileCharger can run as one unit until the target robot is fully charged," Tsetserukou explained. "Subsequently, MobileCharger detaches and goes to a new robot or charging station."

Aerial refueling (i.e., the provision of fuel during flight operation) allows aircraft to remain in the air longer and can lead to 3540 percent fuel savings during long-range missions. The system devised by Tsetserukou and his colleagues may thus be highly valuable, as the deployment of several of these systems as a swarm could decrease the costs of robot missions and shorten the time a delivery robot takes to deliver items to a given location.

"Instead of losing time for traveling to the charging station, delivery robots can always be engaged in the mission," Tsetserukou said. "In the future, it will be also possible to create a MobileCharger energy harvester with integrated solar panel. This would mean that when the battery is near exhausted, a robot can simply move to a sunny spot and position solar panel towards sun light."

Video of DeltaCharger, Credit: Okunevich et al.

MobileCharger is the first robot that can directly charge other autonomous robots on the go. Its most characterizing component is the DeltaCharger, a system that can position electrodes in three-dimensions (3D) to sustain charging in situations where a target robot is not horizontally or vertically aligned to the charger. This could happen, for instance, when a robot is running over stones and other objects or when a robot's configuration does not allow it to be favorably positioned for charging.

"Computer vision systems are not as effective as tactile ones in detecting the electrode misalignment in close proximity," Tsetserukou said. "DeltaCharger has an advanced tactile perception, as it based on high-density pressure sensors provided by Professor Hiroyuki Kajimoto from University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, Japan."

Tsetserukou and his colleagues also developed a convolutional neural network (CNN) that can evaluate the angle of misalignment between the electrodes on MobileCharger and those on a robot that requires charging. This algorithm was trained on a series of tactile patterns comprised of 100 points.

The team evaluated the CNN in a series of tests and found that it could measure the angle, vertical and horizontal values of electrode misalignment by analyzing pressure data with remarkable accuracies of 95.46 percent, 98.2 percent, and 86.9 percent, respectively. This means that the robot charging system they developed should be able to attach itself to a variety of robots with different configurations, irrespective of the environment they are in when they need charging.

"Besides the charging of mobile robots, a future application of the technology may be the charging of drones in midair, with a charging drone based on the DeltaCharger mechanism wired to the ground power station and a target UAV being recharged without landing," Tsetserukou said. "Innovative autonomous ships and tankers with electric motors could also be charged during sailing with the proposed concept, as this would prevent them from having to enter ports for refueling. Additionally, any types of robots such as robot dog, outdoor cleaning robots, and even self-driving cars can be charged in the similar way."

In the future, the innovative robot charging system developed by this team of researchers could be adapted to charge countless different robotic systems, ranging from autonomous vehicles to mobile robots. Meanwhile, Tsetserukou and his colleagues plan to continue working on the initial prototype they created to further improve its performance and generalizability.

"To increase the power of the electric source, swarm of MobileCharger robots can form parallel connection with increased capacity to charge powerful vehicles or series connection to adjust output voltage to the target vehicle," Tsetserukou said. "In the future, we can imagine that robots will not only charge but also repair the autonomous robots to make Roboverse (robotic universe) self-sustainable."

Explore further Smart robot can lend hospitals a big hand

More information: Iaroslav Okunevich et al, MobileCharger: an autonomous mobile robot with inverted delta actuator for robust and safe robot charging (2021). arXiv:2107.10585v2 [cs.RO], Iaroslav Okunevich et al, MobileCharger: an autonomous mobile robot with inverted delta actuator for robust and safe robot charging (2021). arXiv:2107.10585v2 [cs.RO], arxiv.org/abs/2107.10585 Iaroslav Okunevich et al, Delta Charger: Charging robot with inverted delta mechanism and CNN-driven high fidelity tactile perception for precise 3D positioning. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters(2021). DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2021.3098838.

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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In 2016, Meicen Sun came to a profound realization: "The control of digital information will lie at the heart of all the big questions and big contentions in politics." A graduate student in her final year of study who is specializing in international security and the political economy of technology, Sun vividly recalls the emergence of the internet "as a democratizing force, an opener, an equalizer," helping give rise to the Arab Spring. But she was also profoundly struck when nations in the Middle East and elsewhere curbed internet access to throttle citizens' efforts to speak and mobilize freely.

During her undergraduate and graduate studies, which came to focus on China and its expanding global role, Sun became convinced that digital constraints initially intended to prevent the free flow of ideas were also having enormous and growing economic impacts.

"With an exceptionally high mobile internet adoption rate and the explosion of indigenous digital apps, China's digital economy was surging, helping to drive the nation's broader economic growth and international competitiveness," Sun says. "Yet at the same time, the country maintained the most tightly controlled internet ecosystem in the world."

Sun set out to explore this apparent paradox in her dissertation. Her research to date has yielded both novel findings and troubling questions.

"Through its control of the internet, China has in effect provided protectionist benefits to its own data-intensive domestic sectors," she says. "If there is a benefit to imposing internet control, given the absence of effective international regulations, does this give authoritarian states an advantage in trade and national competitiveness?" Following this thread, Sun asks, "What might this mean for the future of democracy as the world grows increasingly dependent on digital technology?"

Protect or innovate

Early in her graduate program, classes in capitalism and technology and public policy, says Sun, "cemented for me the idea of data as a factor of production, and the importance of cross-border information flow in making a country innovative." This central premise serves as a springboard for Sun's doctoral studies.

In a series of interconnected research papers using China as her primary case, she is examining the double-edged nature of internet limits. "They accord protectionist benefits to domestic data-internet-intensive sectors, on the one hand, but on the other, act as a potential longer-term deterrent to the country's capacity to innovate."

To pursue her doctoral project, advised by professor of political science Kenneth Oye, Sun is extracting data from a multitude of sources, including a website that has been routinely testing web domain accessibility from within China since 2011. This allows her to pin down when and to what degree internet control occurs. She can then compare this information to publicly available records on the expansion or contraction of data-intensive industrial sectors, enabling her to correlate internet control to a sector's performance.

Sun has also compiled datasets for firm-level revenue, scientific citations, and patents that permit her to measure aspects of China's innovation culture. In analyzing her data she leverages both quantitative and qualitative methods, including one co-developed by her dissertation co-advisor, associate professor of political science In Song Kim. Her initial analysis suggests internet control prevents scholars from accessing knowledge available on foreign websites, and that if sustained, such control could take a toll on the Chinese economy over time.

Of particular concern is the possibility that the economic success that flows from strict internet controls, as exemplified by the Chinese model, may encourage the rise of similar practices among emerging states or those in political flux.

"The grim implication of my research is that without international regulation on information flow restrictions, democracies will be at a disadvantage against autocracies," she says. "No matter how short-term or narrow these curbs are, they confer concrete benefits on certain economic sectors."

Data, politics, and economy

Sun got a quick start as a student of China and its role in the world. She was born in Xiamen, a coastal Chinese city across from Taiwan, to academic parents who cultivated her interest in international politics. "My dad would constantly talk to me about global affairs, and he was passionate about foreign policy," says Sun.

Eager for education and a broader view of the world, Sun took a scholarship at 15 to attend school in Singapore. "While this experience exposed me to a variety of new ideas and social customs, I felt the itch to travel even farther away, and to meet people with different backgrounds and viewpoints from mine," than she says.

Sun attended Princeton University where, after two years sticking to her "comfort zone"writing and directing plays and composing music for themshe underwent a process of intellectual transition. Political science classes opened a window onto a larger landscape to which she had long been connected: China's behavior as a rising power and the shifting global landscape.

She completed her undergraduate degree in politics, and followed up with a master's degree in international relations at the University of Pennsylvania, where she focused on China-U.S. relations and China's participation in international institutions. She was on the path to completing a Ph.D. at Penn when, Sun says, "I became confident in my perception that digital technology, and especially information sharing, were becoming critically important factors in international politics, and I felt a strong desire to devote my graduate studies, and even my career, to studying these topics,"

Certain that the questions she hoped to pursue could best be addressed through an interdisciplinary approach with those working on similar issues, Sun began her doctoral program anew at MIT.

'Doer mindset'

Sun is hopeful that her doctoral research will prove useful to governments, policymakers, and business leaders. "There are a lot of developing states actively shopping between data governance and development models for their own countries," she says. "My findings around the pros and cons of information flow restrictions should be of interest to leaders in these places, and to trade negotiators and others dealing with the global governance of data and what a fair playing field for digital trade would be."

Sun has engaged directly with policy and industry experts through her fellowships with the World Economic Forum and the Pacific Forum. And she has embraced questions that touch on policy outside of her immediate research: Sun is collaborating with her dissertation co-advisor, MIT Sloan Professor Yasheng Huang, on a study of the political economy of artificial intelligence in China for the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future.

This year, as she writes her dissertation papers, Sun will be based at Georgetown University, where she has a Mortara Center Global Political Economy Project Predoctoral Fellowship. In Washington, she will continue her journey to becoming a "policy-minded scholar, a thinker with a doer mindset, whose findings have bearing on things that happen in the world."

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
A parapet is the decorative extension at the top of a wall, often found on top of buildings. Credit: Shutterstock

News of Melbourne's earthquake today made my left leg hurt. That's the leg I nearly lost.

On February 22 2011, there were nine of us on a red bus from Sumner to Canterbury University in Christchurch. At 12.51, the unreinforced brick facade of 605 Colombo Street crushed our bus and four pedestrians. I felt brick after brick land on my left hip, and wondered how long I would last.

I'm the only one leftthe lucky thirteenth.

I was taken to hospital on the back of a stranger's truck. I broke more bones than the surgeons were willing to count, spent two months in hospital, and six months off work. More than a decade later, I feel the earthquake in every step.

During that earthquake, 16 people were killed just on that one block of Christchurch's main street. Melbourne and country Victoria are full of places just like it, with brick facades, parapets and gables.

It wasn't the earthquake that killed everyone but me on that bus. It was the building, its lack of regulation, lack of structural support, and lack of a fence. It wasn't just bad luck.

Changing New Zealand's Building Act to prioritize "fally-offy bits" of buildings was not in my life plan. But extraordinary events can change ordinary life plans. So when I got out of hospital, I set my ordinary environmental work to the side, and took a couple years to brush up on seismology, earthquake engineering, and the seismic safety of buildings.

Five years later, the NZ Parliament ratified the "Brower amendment" to the Building Act to prioritize fixing unreinforced brick decorative bits of buildings. And now I'm asking Victoria to please learn from your Kiwi cousins.

Earthquakes don't kill people; buildings do. And those lovely decorative bits of buildings are the first to fall, even in relatively mild earthquakes like the ones Victoria gets from time to time.

Building back better

After Christchurch, New Zealand learned our lesson and reformed our building legislation. Victoria can skip the truly painful part of the lessonthe deaths and injuries in the streetsand skip straight to the legislative reform.

The smart thing to do is create a separate category for non-structural unreinforced masonry: parapets (the small decorative extension at the top of a wall), gables and chimneys. This is a good idea because:

they are the cheapest to fix

they are the first to fall

they are the deadliest when they do.

It makes sense to pick the low-hanging fruit first. It will greatly improve the safety of Victoria's streets without costing an arm and a legliterally or figuratively.

Here, the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission recommended it. And GNS Science calls parapets, gables and chimneys "dangerous", even in cities with low earthquake risk, such as Auckland, Dunedin and Melbourne.

The building that collapsed on our bus was expected to fall. Everyone knows unreinforced bricks fall. To me, the most predictable losses are the least acceptable. This is especially true when the methods of prevention are as known and straightforward as securing a parapet to the building's structural core.

Fixing the parapets first has the highest ratio of safety gains to cost. There is no complicated inspection required. Parapets do not hold the building up.

Attaching them securely is less disruptive to the activity inside the building than replacing them entirely. That said, they could easily also be replaced with lighter, less deadly materials, as is often done in California.

The building that collapsed onto us was worth NZ$30,000 (A$29,000), according to its 2007 government valuation. The Royal Commission heard that attaching the front facade to the building would have cost NZ$200,000 (A$194,000).

By my calculations, saving my left leg cost taxpayers about half a million dollars.

Fixing parapets, gables and chimneys first is also equitable. Unreinforced masonry buildings pose a greater public danger to passers-by than other types of quake-prone buildings that risk collapsing inwards. Placarding the buildings will do nothing for those in the street and on the footpath.

Allowing the parapets to persist unattached benefits only the owner. The risks, meanwhile, are transferred to the public, and onto the public health system if an accident happens.

Fixing the most dangerous and least expensive bits first is also a cost-effective way to preserve heritage buildings. Fixing the fally-offiest bits might render unnecessary the full building strengthening, and might prompt owners to spend the money now rather than in several decades' time when the entire building needs repairs.

I am not saying all buildings in Victoria or Melbourne should be whizz-bang "earthquake-proof" like those in Tokyo or San Francisco. I am recommending cheap, effective fixes to the bits of buildings that are easiest to fix, and deadliest if you don't.

I treasure my left leg, scars and all. But please, Australia, learn from your Kiwi cousins.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A surge in wholesale gas prices has led to a shortage of fertiliser and carbon dioxide, hitting the livestock industry and supply chains.

The tranquil landscape of flat farmland and small villages in the Essex countryside in southeast England seems a world away from Britain's escalating energy crisis.

But fertiliser and carbon dioxide shortages are beginning to bite at places like Wicks Manor Farm, which rears pigs for pork and grows crops.

"We've got some real concerns (and) quite frightening consequences to farming, as an industry throughout the UK, certainly to our farming business here," owner Fergus Howie told AFP, barely audible over his pigs' squeals.

"There's a lot of issues and they're all kind of coming together," he added, saying the situation had prompted "real concerns" about the "immediate food supply chain".

Howie's farm and butchery, in the idyllic Essex countryside some 50 miles (80 kilometres) northeast of London, sells pork to leading supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, and for export.

Wheat and barley grown over 4,400 acres (nearly 11,000 hectares) are used to feed the animals and sold wholesale.

Fertiliser is needed for the crops, and CO 2 for the humane slaughter of livestock, as well as in the production and packaging of sausages, burgers, bacon and ham.

If the shortages continue, there are fears farms like Wicks Manor could be left unable to cull animals and low yield harvests will be economically unviable.

Production of fertiliser relies on natural gas. C02, its by-product, is used to stun animals before slaughter.

'Crazy'

Britain is not alone in being hit by surging gas prices, caused by a global supply shortage, causing a spike in wholesale costs that threaten to hike bills for consumers.

But the sharp increase led two UK fertiliser production sites, which rely on natural gas to halt operations last week, with a knock-on effect on livestock farming and the supply chain.

Carbon dioxide is a by-product of fertiliser production and the two plants account for up to 60 percent of Britain's CO 2 supply.

Farmers like Howie now worry there will not be enough to go round.

The UK government announced Tuesday a financial support deal with CF Fertilisers, the US firm that runs the biggest of the two facilities, to restart production at one site.

But the agreement, which ministers concede could end up costing British taxpayers tens of millions of pounds, will only last for three weeksand produce a fraction of the CO 2 needed.

Two UK fertiliser production plants shut down because of the surge in wholesale gas prices.

"Three weeks isn't exactly going to cut the mustard," said Howie, whose grandfather began farming in Essex nearly a century ago.

"It's been a real surprise to the industry... how important these two plants in the UK are to the food chain that we all need to have food available in our shops.

"It's crazy that there are only two plants, it's crazy that they are both under foreign investment."

'Welfare issues'

Wicks Manor Farm, which opened in its current form in 1967, typically has up to 3,000 pigs on-site, including some 250 sows giving birth year-round.

It sends around 110 animals to slaughter every Friday, freeing up space in its open strawed yards for new piglets.

On Wednesday, 20 pens housing newly-born suckling piglets were full. In five weeks, they will move out into the bigger yardsif there is space.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has signed a deal to enable the plants to restart production for three weeks.

"We need to have pigs go off so that we have got room for those new animals to come into the farm environment," said Howie.

"Welfare issues will become quite significant if abattoirs say they're stopping because these two plants have stopped production."

Before the CO 2 crisis, Howie was already sending 25 percent fewer pigs to slaughter due to chronic staff shortages at abattoirs caused by a "double whammy" of Brexit and the pandemic.

He said Britain has long been too reliant on eastern European labour that is now disappearing and subject to tougher post-Brexit immigration requirements.

Short-term, he wants the government to secure "consistency of supply" for both fertiliser and CO 2 , before tackling the longer-term problems around resilience.

"We need to start looking at why we have such a fragile food supply chain in the UK," the 46-year-old said, urging "investment in more plants (and) different technologies so we don't rely on natural gas" and imports.

Supermarkets have seen empty shelves due to a shortage of certain foods, exacerbated by the gas crisis, as well as a lack of lorry drivers post-Brexit.

An inability to slaughter animals will create welfare issues, farmers say.

Farmers say the crisis has shown the fragility of the food supply chain in the UK.

If the government fails to address the issues adequately, the father-of-three fears for the future of his family-run firm.

"When you're running a farming business for three generations, there's a lot of passion, a lot of involvement," he said.

"We've got to make sure that we have something that hopefully we can pass to the next generationwe don't want to be the ones that trip over holding it."

Explore further Toyota to cut Sept production by 40% as virus hits supply chain

 2021 AFP
This April 18, 2019, file photo shows a sign for Zoom Video Communications ahead of their Nasdaq IPO in New York. A U.S. government committee that reviews foreign investment in telecom is probing videoconferencing company Zoom's $14.7 billion deal for cloud call center company Five9 for national security risks due to "foreign participation." The Justice Department declined to answer questions Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File

A U.S. government committee that reviews foreign investment in telecom is probing videoconferencing company Zoom's $14.7 billion deal for cloud call center company Five9.

In an August filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the Justice Department, which chairs the committee, said it would review the deal "to determine whether this application poses a risk to the national security or law enforcement interests of the United States." The Justice Department "believes that such risk may be raised by the foreign participation (including the foreign relationships and ownership) associated with the application." The Wall Street Journal first reported the probe.

The Justice Department did not say in its filing what the foreign ties of concern were and spokesperson Wyn Hornbuckle declined to answer questions Tuesday.

Five9 spokesperson Allison Wilson declined to comment. Zoom said in an emailed statement that it anticipates getting the required regulatory approvals and closing the Five9 deal in the first half of 2022. Zoom spokesperson CJ Lin did not respond to further questions.

Zoom is based in San Jose, California, and says more than half of its employees are in the U.S. But it has a "sizable number" of research and development workers in China, which the company has noted has exposed it to government and media scrutiny. Zoom's CEO, Eric Yuan, was born in China and became a U.S. citizen in 2007.

The company said in a late August regulatory filing that it is cooperating with ongoing investigations by prosecutors in New York and California, who last summer had sent subpoenas that asked about interactions with the Chinese government, among other things.

Zoom last year drew attention for blocking online meetings related to Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and temporarily suspending the accounts of three U.S. or Hong Kong-based activists at the request of the Chinese government. The company then said it would no longer "allow requests from the Chinese government to impact anyone outside of mainland China."

Tensions in recent years have increased between Washington and Beijing, with disputes over trade, technology, cybersecurity and human rights. The U.S. government has taken a tougher stance on Chinese investment, with more scrutiny of deals.

Zoom has said that buying San Ramon, California-based Five9 will accelerate its growth and give it access to more business clients. Zoom Video Communications Inc. went public in early 2019, before the pandemic made the company a household name with the shift to online school and work.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Husker researchers are testing a new landfill ground covering system shown to improve landfill gas emissions. Credit: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Area landfills conjure up so many negative feelings for a lot of peoplethe odor, the litterit's no wonder so many communities are struggling to find new locations for them. Working to create a better environment and improve community perceptions, University of NebraskaLincoln researchers are investigating ways to remediate gas emission pollution from landfills by using an innovative ground covering system and analyzing its community impact.

A university collaboration led by Jongwan Eun, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Yunwoo Nam, associate professor of community and regional planning, started three years ago with a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust. The team's goal was to test a new landfill ground covering system made from a co-extruded geomembrane with an ethylene vinyl-alcohol layer sandwiched between two inner, low-density polyethylene layers. This new system has been tested against traditional covering systems consisting of low-density polyethylene and no covering at all in recent field tests.

Reducing gas emissions is particularly important for the environment because landfill gases are not only the third largest source of greenhouse gases in the United States, but they include hazardous, noxious gases that often upset landfill neighbors, resulting in strained relationships with the community, regulatory actions and, in some cases, costly litigation for communities. Poor community perceptions of landfills also negatively impact the selection of future waste management sites as residents embrace NIMBY (Not In My Backyard). This research is of particular interest not only to environmentalists, but planners, legislators and community administrators as they manage current and future sites.

Mitigating gas emissions was a major component of the research project, in addition to gathering, analyzing and evaluating data regarding the new system's potential impact to any given community using gas dispersion modeling. Using geographic information system and engineering data, the team identified and evaluated the boundaries of simulation results to ascertain how far the gases would have an impact in any given community. Knowing how far the gas travels with this new covering system is important data to consider for any city administrator or stakeholder interested in implementing the new technology.

Although the testing for the new cover is ongoing, preliminary results are promising. The new system has proven to reduce gas emissions by 20 times the normal amount and increase gas collection by three times in laboratory and field tests in Butler, Nebraska.

As part of the field test, the team assessed the new landfill cover's impact on the Butler community. Using GIS and data collected through the state of Nebraska's Enterprise Content Management system, the team was able to measure the area impacted by gas emissions by analyzing the addresses of resident complaints. GIS mapping of complaints verified the accuracy of the gas dispersion modeling.

Cost effectiveness of the new technology was also analyzed by the team.

"Although initially more expensive to install than the traditional approach, based on our simulation for the sixth and seventh year, there is a turning point where you will see a return on investment," Nam said.

In addition to faculty, Master of Community and Regional Planning student Sunah Moon and civil engineering doctoral student Yuan Feng have assisted with research and data collection.

"As a Ph.D. student, I loved working on this project and plan to continue my research work in the future," Feng said. "This project, as the world's first, on-site application of EVOH geomembrane, has built a strong foundation for my career. I hope to continue to engage in research that focuses on reducing landfill gas emissions after graduation and contribute my efforts to the protection of the environment."

Based on the team's research, this new approach to landfill coverings has promising results. With less gas emissions, higher gas collection and greater return on investment, the method may soon gain traction in communities looking to upgrade their systems.

"For my perspective, my long-term goal for this research project, I wanted to provide information that others can use for a good alternative to control and manage the greenhouse gases from landfills, which will be a huge benefit for the environment," Eun said.

For Nam and his many research interests in the planning sector, one of the main goals is creating healthier communities. This is certain to be an increasing struggle for community planners and city administrators as the Nebraska population grows, because increased population means increased waste.

"If you change the perception of waste facilities, then residents will not be so opposed to having them built in their neighborhoods," Nam said. "This is a great example of NIMBY and how it negatively impacts planning and a community's overall health. But hopefully, the work we do here today will make a positive difference."

Explore further New study provides guidelines for more effective waste management
In this Thursday, May 16, 2019 file photo, a man is silhouetted near the Huawei logo in Beijing. Lithuanian cybersecurity authorities are urging the country's governmental agencies to abandon the use of Chinese smartphone brands. Lithuania's National Cyber Security Center said Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 it found four major cybersecurity risks for devices made by Huawei and Xiaomi. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, file

Lithuanian cybersecurity experts are urging the country's government agencies to abandon the use of Chinese smartphone brands after an investigation identified security vulnerabilities and censorship concerns with certain devices.

Lithuania's National Cyber Security Center said it found four major cybersecurity risks for devices made by Huawei and Xiaomi, including two relating to pre-installed apps and one involving personal data leakage, and warned against using these two brands.

Xiaomi phones, which contain a content-filtering feature for 449 keywords or groups of keywords in Chinese characters, also carry the risk of possible restrictions on freedom of expression, according to the Lithuanian investigation.

The cybersecurity center warned the function could be activated at any time and said it did not rule out the possibility that words written in Latin characters could be added. According to the Lithuanian report, apps receive updated lists of censored words and phrases and are capable of blocking them.

The phrases include "Free Tibet," "Voice of America," "Democratic Movement" and "Long Live Taiwan Independence." Although the content-filtering feature was disabled and no censorship was performed on the phones the Lithuanian center inspected, the center warned the function could be activated at any time.

A Huawei spokesperson in Lithuania denied the allegations.

Xiaomi denied its phones could be used to censor or posed privacy risks, saying they complied with the European Union's stringent privacy regulations.

"Xiaomi's devices do not censor communications to or from its users," the company said in a statement. "Xiaomi has never and will never restrict or block any personal behaviors of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, web browsing or the use of third-party communication software. Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users."

The cybersecurity center, which is a Defense Ministry agency, also investigated phones made by another Chinese company, OnePlus, but found no problems.

"We strongly recommend that state and public institutions not use those devices and plan to initiate legislation which regulates acquiring certain devices for the ministries and various state agencies," Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevicius said Wednesday.

More than 200 public authorities have purchased such phones, and over 4,500 phones are in use, "which, in our opinion, increases the risks," Abukevicius said. He didn't specify the makes of all the phones.

The center's investigation, released Tuesday, was done "to ensure the safe use of 5G mobile devices sold in our country and the software they contain," he said.

Also, ordinary "people should also know what's inside these phones, about the certain software and consider safety before making their decisions," the minister said.

Beijing-based Xiaomi, known for its value-for-money devices, became the world's No. 2 smartphone maker by sales this year, trailing only Samsung. The company was put on a U.S. Defense Department blacklist in the last few days of the Trump administration, which accused it of links to China's military. It was later removed after suing the U.S. government and denies having any links with China's People's Liberation Army.

The move comes amid tensions between Lithuania and China.

Earlier this month, Lithuania recalled its ambassador to China following the Baltic country's decision in July to allow Taiwan to open an office in its capital under its own name. In August, China recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and told the Baltic nation to "immediately rectify its wrong decision."

China says Taiwan is part of its territory and doesn't have the right to diplomatic recognition, although the island maintains informal ties with all major nations through trade offices, including in the United States and Japan. Chinese pressure has reduced Taiwan's formal diplomatic allies to just 15.

Taiwan and Lithuania agreed in July that the office in the capital, Vilnius, set to open this fall, will bear the name Taiwan rather than Chinese Taipeia term often used in other countries in order not to offend Beijing. On Wednesday, Lithuania said it was sending another 236,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan.

Explore further Pentagon agrees to remove Xiaomi from blacklist

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This July 17, 2017 file photo shows a Netflix logo on an iPhone in Philadelphia. Netflix said Wednesday Sept. 22, 2021, it has bought the works of Roald Dahl, the late British author of celebrated children's books such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File

Netflix has acquired the works of Roald Dahl, the late British author of celebrated children's books such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

The video streaming giant said Wednesday that it acquired the Roald Dahl Story Co., which manages the rights to the author's characters and stories. No financial terms were disclosed.

The deal builds on a partnership struck in 2018 to create a slate of animated TV series, under which "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is getting a reboot by Academy Award winning filmmaker Taika Waititi and Netflix is working with Sony on an adaptation of "Matilda the Musical."

The new deal paves the way for Netflix to bring all of the author's back catalogue to screens.

"These projects opened our eyes to a much more ambitious venture - the creation of a unique universe across animated and live action films and TV, publishing, games, immersive experiences, live theatre, consumer products and more," Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Luke Kelly, managing director of the Roald Dahl Story Co. and Dahl's grandson, said in a joint statement.

Dahl died in 1990 at the age of 74 but his books, which also include "The BFG," "The Twits" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox," remain popular with young readers, with more than 300 million copies sold worldwide and translations in 63 languages.

Explore further Spielberg signs major streaming deal with Netflix

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Pepper is a socially interactive robot used by a team in the Autonomous Systems and Biomechatronics Lab at U of T Engineering to study persuasion and authority in robot-human interactions. Credit: Liz Do / University of Toronto Engineering

In the future, socially interactive robots could help seniors age in place or assist residents of long-term care facilities with their activities of daily living. But will people actually accept advice or instructions from a robot? A new study from University of Toronto Engineering suggests that the answer hinges on how that robot behaves.

"When robots present themselves as human-like social agents, we tend to play along with that sense of humanity and treat them much like we would a person," says Shane Saunderson, lead author of a new paper published in Science Robotics.

"But even simple tasks, like asking someone to take their medication, have a lot of social depth to them. If we want to put robots in those situations, we need to better understand the psychology of robot-human interactions."

Saunderson says that even in the human world, there's no magic bullet when it comes to persuasion. But one key concept is authority, which can be further divided into two types: formal authority and real authority.

"Formal authority comes from your role: if someone is your boss, your teacher or your parent, they have a certain amount of formal authority," he says. "Real authority has to do with the control of decisions, often for entities such as financial rewards or punishments."

To simulate these concepts, Saunderson set up an experiment where a humanoid robot named Pepper was used to help 32 volunteer test subjects complete a series of simple tasks, such as memorizing and recalling items in a sequence.

Credit: Autonomous Systems and Biomechatronics Lab, University of Toronto

For some participants, Pepper was presented as a formal authority figure: it was the experimenter and the only 'person' the subjects interacted with. For others, Saunderson was presented as the experimenter, and Pepper was introduced to help the subjects complete the tasks.

Each participant ran through a set of three tasks twice: once where Pepper offered financial rewards for correct answers to simulate positive real authority, another time, offering financial penalties for incorrect answers, simulating negative real authority.

Generally, Pepper was less persuasive when it was presented as an authority figure than when it was presented as a peer helper. Saunderson says that this result might stem from a question of legitimacy.

"Social robots are not commonplace today, and in North America at least, people lack both relationships and a sense of shared identity with robots," he says. "It might be hard for them to come to see them as a legitimate authority."

Another possibility is that people might disobey an authoritative robot because they feel threatened by it. Saunderson notes that the aversion to being persuaded by a robot acting authoritatively seemed to be particularly strong among male participants, who have been shown in previous studies to be more defiant to authority figures than females, and who may perceive an authoritative robot as a threat to their status or autonomy.

Shane Saunderson describing the history, context, and results of authority HRI study. Credit: Autonomous Systems and Biomechatronics Lab, University of Toronto

"A robot's social behaviors are critical to acceptance, use and trust in this type of distributive technology, by society as a whole," says Professor Goldie Nejat, Saunderson's supervisor and the other co-author on the new paper.

Nejat holds the Canada Research Chair in Robots for Society, and is a member of U of T's Robotics Institute. She and Saunderson conducted the work with support from AGE-WELL, a national network dedicated to the creation of technologies and services that benefit older adults and caregivers, as well as CIFAR.

"This ground-breaking research provides an understanding of how persuasive robots should be developed and deployed in everyday life, and how they should behave to help different demographics, including our vulnerable populations such as older adults," she says.

Saunderson says that the big take-away for designers of social robots is to position them as collaborative and peer-oriented, rather than dominant and authoritative.

"Our research suggests that robots face additional barriers to successful persuasion than the ones that humans face," he says. "If they are to take on these new roles in our society, their designers will have to be mindful of that and find ways to create positive experiences through their behavior."

Explore further Researchers explore what makes robots 'persuasive' to humans

More information: Persuasive robots should avoid authority: The effects of formal and real authority on persuasion in human-robot interaction, Science Robotics (2021). Journal information: Science Robotics Persuasive robots should avoid authority: The effects of formal and real authority on persuasion in human-robot interaction,(2021). www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abd5186
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

While many employers have delayed their office returns until next year, T-Mobile is pushing ahead with plans to bring workers back at least part-time before the end of October.

Although the Bellevue, Wash.-based cellular company postponed its original return date, from Sept. 20 to Oct. 25, to give workers more time to get vaccinations, it's still urging vaccinated workers to return by the earlier date. To help returning employees feel safe, it has also limited access to its Factoria offices and other "badge-controlled" facilities to vaccinated employees.

"Because we're taking this big step to ensure your safety at our offices, I'm also urging employees to stick to our planned September 20 or earlier date for returning to the office with your flexible resident or hybrid schedule," Mike Sievert, T-Mobile CEO, said Aug. 31 in an internal email shared with The Seattle Times. "Our spaces are open and ready for you, and it is time to come back regularly."

Unvaccinated employees have until Oct. 25 to ask to keep working remotely, the company said, and those requests "will be approved based on their role and circumstances," said spokesperson Tara Darrow.

T-Mobile is developing a tool that will let employees upload vaccination documentation, which should be "in place well before" the Oct. 25 return date, Darrow said, but for now is relying on employee declarations of vaccination status.

T-Mobile's October return makes it something of a local outlier, at least among big tech firms.

Seattle-based Amazon recently pushed its office return to Jan. 3 as it continues to "closely watch conditions related to COVID-19." On Sept. 9, Microsoft said it was delaying the move indefinitely as a result of the "evolving Delta variant." The Redmond tech firm had already delayed its return from Sept. 7 to Oct. 4.

But T-Mobile appears to be convinced of the value of in-person work. "We have found, hands-down, that we are at our best ... when we are collaborating in person at least some of the time," Sievert said.

T-Mobile's initial plans for a Sept. 20 return had led to concerns among some employees that the company was coming back too soon, given that COVID-19 cases were surging, some employees said.

Sievert appeared to address those concerns in his Aug. 31 email.

"I understand that this pandemic is far from over, but the data is crystal-clear that the vaccines are HIGHLY effective at preventing the kinds of infections that result in serious illness, hospitalizations, and death," Sievert said. "And limiting our physical spaces to fully vaccinated-only people further reduces the risk, because unvaccinated people comprise the vast majority of cases and serious illnesses."

T-Mobile's vaccine mandate doesn't include its retail stores, but the company will continue to require masks for unvaccinated customers and employees and is encouraging employees to get vaccinated.

By this week, many T-Mobile workers were already back at work. Matthieu Marescaux, an engineer at the company's Factoria facility, estimated that the office was around 40% full. "It's definitely increased," he said. "But it's not 100%far from that."

T-Mobile's October office return will be welcome news to small business near the Factoria headquarters.

At nearby Spotless Cleaners, which had relied on T-Mobile office workers for much of its pre-COVID-19 business, proprietor Boon Seo has seen a slight increase in business from T-Mobile employees in the last week.

"Business is a little bit better," said Boon. "Better than last month."

Explore further Amazon pushes back return to office to January due to COVID

2021 The Seattle Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Job Title: Computer Control Assistant (Customer Service Supervisor)

Organisation: United States US Embassy in Kampala

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Salary: USD $38,056 (UGX 134m)

Announcement Number: Kampala-2021-030

About US:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda. The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

Job Summary: The Computer Control Assistant (Customer Service Supervisor) supports the Information System Center managing the Customer Service Center, serving as the primary Local Registration Authority (LRA) and designated American escort to the limited access area (LAA)s. The incumbent will serve as the supervisor and rating official for (2) Customer Service Analysts and (1) Asset Management Clerk position. The Customer Service Supervisor reports directly to the Information Systems Officer.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The applicant for the United States Embassy Computer Control Assistant (Customer Service Supervisor) job should have completed two of years post-secondary Education. Required.

Two years post-secondary Education is required.

Broad knowledge of computer hardware and software capabilities; standard knowledge of Microsoft software applications, experienced at customer service, standard office practices and problem-solving techniques.

Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.

Sound technical skills and decision making to independently manage, administer and maintain user accounts

Developed interpersonal skills and ability to communicate variably with staff at post and help desks in DOS and ability to communicate information and problem solving in writing so others will understand. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with senior management and local and international vendors.

Analytical skills to provide subject matter expert recommendations and resolutions for technical problems related to equipment maintenance and operational readiness

The ability to present new ideas to improve customer service processes and resolve customer problems.

Must have excellent organizational and planning skills.

Ability to identify, research, and resolve technical problems relating to the technical environment.

Ability to work in stressful situations and meet deadlines.

Ability to evaluate customer service metrics and dashboard data for process improvement.

Must be able to obtain and hold a Top-Secret security clearance.

Language: Level IV (Fluent) speaking/reading/writing English is required.

How to Apply:

All those interested in working with the US mission in Kampala should send their applications online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 4th October 2021

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
A national budget is, in one sense, no more than a snapshot in time of the fiscal condition of a country and a near term forecast of the future. It can also be viewed as an opportunity for national reflection on longer-term trends and a focal point for discourse about what it would entail to shape a better future.
Ministry of Planning

Trinidad and Tobago is leading the way in providing solutions to global environmental issues through multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

More here
A state of emergency is the exceptional power of a government to suspend certain rights or freedoms where some eventusually war, disease or natural disasterthreatens to undermine the very fabric of the state in question.

What is the legal basis for it?
Vietnams Ministry of Industry and Trade has decided to investigate the evasion of trade remedies by cane sugar products originating in Thailand after considering requests from domestic sugar producers.

The ministry said it has received the petition of the Vietnam Sugarcane and Sugar Association (VSSA) and domestic cane sugar refineries, which submitted evidence that Thai cane sugar products subject to anti-dumping and anti-subsidy taxes have entered the Vietnamese market through five ASEAN countries, namely Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar.

The ministry previously imposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on a number of cane sugar products originating in Thailand on June 15.

Data of local customs agencies showed that the volume of sugar imported from these five countries had increased sharply from 107,600 to 527,200 metric tons after Vietnam initiated an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into sugar from Thailand from October 2020 to June 2021.

Meanwhile, the volume of sugar imported from Thailand decreased nearly 38 percent, from 955,500 to 595,000 metric tons during the same period.

In accordance with regulations, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will work with relevant parties to collect information in order to analyze, evaluate, and clarify the allegations and related evidence.

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BERLIN -- German Health Minister Jens Spahn backed a second term for World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and called on other countries to support the former Ethiopian health minister ahead of a deadline this week.

"We invite partner countries to join us nominating DG (Director General) Tedros," Spahn told Reuters. The support is significant as Germany is a major financial backer of the WHO.

Last week, sources told Reuters that Tedros looks set to run unopposed for a second term at the helm of the WHO as it tries to guide the world through its biggest health crisis in a century, even though he lacks the support of Ethiopia due to friction over the Tigray conflict.

He has steered the agency through several Ebola outbreaks as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, surviving savage criticism from the Trump administration for allegedly being "China-centric".

Those criticisms were echoed in a Wall Street Journal editorial on Tuesday arguing against a second term.

"The White House is committing diplomatic malpractice by not working with allies and partners to back a credible alternative," the newspaper wrote.

The WHO had no immediate comment on the issue.

While Tedros has not publicly acknowledged his plans to run again for a second five-year term, saying he was focusing on fighting the pandemic, four sources said he is the only known candidate.
Vietnam inked deals to purchase 10 million doses of Cuban-developed vaccines against the novel coronavirus during the visit of State Present Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Cuba that ended on Monday.

I am pleased to announce that Vietnam has signed a contract to buy 10 million doses of Cuban-made vaccines, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said during a meeting with the general director of the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZED Mariel) in La Habana, Cuba, on Monday morning.

With the signing of the vaccine procurement deal, the Cuba visit of the Vietnamese delegation was a success, demonstrating the special traditional relationship between the two countries, Phuc said.

Cuba will transfer five million shots of the Abdala vaccine to Vietnam while both sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on the purchase of five million doses of the Soberana 02 jab.

The Vietnamese government had issued a resolution on the purchase of the Abdala vaccine and assigned the Ministry of Health to proceed with the procurement and effective use of the jab in the fight against COVID-19.

The three-shot vaccine is developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) and manufactured at AICA Laboratories in Cuba, using the same recombinant protein-based technology as Vietnams Nano Covax vaccine candidate, which is undergoing the procedures to be authorized for emergency use.

The ministry already granted conditional approval to the Abdala, the eighth after seven COVID-19 vaccines that have been given emergency use authorization in Vietnam, namely the UKs AstraZeneca, Chinas Sinopharm, Russias Sputnik V, the UAEs Hayat-Vax, and three U.S. jabs including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

Besides mentioning the vaccine deal as a success, State President Phuc told the ZED Mariel leader that Vietnam will promote investment in the special development zone in various fields, especially production of essential goods, high-tech industry, and infrastructure development.

Phuc also suggested the ZED Mariel general director provide Vietnamese investors with favorable conditions, including infrastructure, incentives, and simple investment procedures.

The ZED Mariel leader said the zone now has three projects of Vietnam, including a US$37 million industrial park developed by building material group Viglacera, and is currently attracting the fourth project from the Southeast Asian nation.

On Tuesday morning, State President Phuc and his entourage wrapped up his three-day visit, during which he had talks with First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, and Chairman of the Cuban National Assembly Esteban Lazo Hernandez.

State President Phuc has left Cuba for the U.S., where he will attend the high-level General Debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) and join a number of bilateral activities from Tuesday to Friday.

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Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and a delegation of high-ranking officials attended the opening session of the high-level general debate of the United Nations General Assemblys 76th session (UNGA 76) in New York City on Tuesday.

The theme for this years UNGA is 'Building resilience through hope  to recovery from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations.'

The event was attended by heads of state and government, prime ministers, and high-ranking representatives from 193 member states, along with leaders of international and regional organizations and international financial institutions.

During the gathering, delegates discussed solutions and proposals to address global issues including the COVID-19 pandemic, recovery and sustainable development, hotspots in regions, non-traditional challenges, climate change, and food security.

In his opening speech, President of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid pledged to boost international cooperation in order to cope with and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He stressed the need to increase global efforts to respond to climate change, reduce poverty, and promote and protect human rights so that no one is left behind.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the international communitys prompt actions and cooperation to seek solutions to a series of crises.

He urged the implementation of sustainable development goals, and promoted equal access to COVID-19 vaccines.

President Phuc is scheduled to deliver a speech on Wednesday afternoon (New York time), in which he will propose comprehensive and long-term solutions to urgent international issues, contributing to the maintenance of global peace and security as well as sustainable and inclusive development.

The Vietnamese leader will have meetings with senior leaders of countries and international organizations, and join summits within the framework of the UN General Assemblys 76th session.

The annual high-level general debate will last until September 27.

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The Ministry of Health reported 11,527 coronavirus cases in Vietnam on Wednesday, together with 11,919 discharged patients and 236 deaths.

Thirty-five provinces and cities logged 11,525 domestic cases while the country recorded another two imported infections, the health ministry said.

The ministry had documented 11,687 locally-infected patients on Tuesday.

Nearly 5,900 of the latest domestic cases were found in the community, with the remaining detected in sectioned-off areas or centralized quarantine facilities.

Ho Chi Minh City reported 5,435 local infections, down by 1,086 patients from yesterday; Binh Duong Province 4,179, up by 570; Dong Nai Province 930; Long An Province 191; An Giang Province 186; Kien Giang Province 137; Can Tho City 48; Da Nang 10; and Hanoi seven.

Vietnam has confirmed 714,497 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth  and worst  virus wave emerged in the country on April 27.

Ho Chi Minh City suffers the most with 353,655 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 187,493, Dong Nai Province with 42,362, Long An Province with 31,041, Tien Giang Province with 13,464, Dong Thap Province with 8,136, Khanh Hoa Province with 7,581, Da Nang with 4,884, Hanoi with 4,185, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 4,096.

By comparison, Vietnam detected a combined 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in the previous three waves.

The health ministry announced 11,919 recoveries on Wednesday, bringing the total to 487,262.

The toll has soared to 17,781 deaths after the ministry documented 236 fatalities on the same day, including 181 in Ho Chi Minh City and 37 in Binh Duong Province.

Vietnam has recorded 718,963 patients since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it early last year.

Health workers have given around 35.6 million vaccine doses, including 616,590 shots on Tuesday, since inoculation was rolled out on March 8.

Almost 6.9 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Health authorities aim to immunize at least two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year.

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A sea of people and vehicles crowded the streets in downtown Hanoi to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on Tuesday evening, the first day after social distancing regulations were relaxed in the capital city.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is observed in some Asian countries including Vietnam, China, and South Korea on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month every year.

This years festival fell on Tuesday while many cities and provinces in Vietnam, including Hanoi, were still in the grip of strict social distancing measures for the COVID-19 fight.

However, as Hanoi had switched to the less stringent Directive No. 15 right before the festival night, with travel passes no longer required, people thronged to the citys central area just like any other year.

Streets leading to Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter, the spotlight of the festival, became jammed, with vehicles moving at a snails pace, from early Tuesday evening.

A sea of people and vehicles throng the streets in downtown Hanoi to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 21, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Hang Ma Street, where many stores selling lanterns and toys are located, was so overcrowded that local authorities decided to seal it off to limit the number of festival-goers from around 7:30 pm on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, congestion happened on Hang Bai Street.

The streets are packed with people today, said Do Kieu Anh, a local resident.

Today is the Mid-Autumn Day, so I want to go out with my family for a festive atmosphere after staying home for two months.

Because the pandemic is still complicated, I dont stay anywhere for too long.

A city of eight million people, Hanoi recorded 12 local COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, raising its caseload since a new wave of transmissions hit Vietnam on April 27 to 4,178, including 45 deaths.

Health workers have administered more than 5.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the citys population, over 747,000 of whom have been fully inoculated, according to the national COVID-19 vaccination portal.

People and vehicles throng the streets in downtown Hanoi to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 21, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

People ride motorbikes to downtown Hanoi to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 21, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

People ride motorbikes to downtown Hanoi to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 21, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

A sea of people and vehicles throng the streets in downtown Hanoi to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 21, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

People purchase lanterns on Hang Ma Street in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, September 21, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in has announced that his country will provide Vietnam with at least one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine next month.

The donation was announced during President Moons meeting with Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, according to spokesperson Park Kyung-mee.

The vaccine jabs are expected to be delivered in October.

This will be South Koreas first direct vaccine donation to another country aside from its financial support for the COVAX Facility, a global initiative working to guarantee fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for every country in the world.

During their conversation, the two leaders agreed that South Korea and Vietnam are close partners with deepened cooperation in various fields, including politics, economic matters, and diplomacy.

Both sides consented on making efforts to further enhance bilateral relations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2022.

In 2009, the two countries upgraded their relations to a strategic cooperative partnership.

The leaders exchanged views on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and agreed to establish and maintain close partnerships.

President Moon also asked Vietnam to continue ensuring safety for Korean people and businesses in Vietnam during the pandemic.

In early August, the Consulate General of South Korea in Ho Chi Minh City announced that the South Korean government would donate 7.5 million vaccine syringes to the southern city.

The South Korean community in Ho Chi Minh City and the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KoCham) have also donated VND57.5 million (US$2,500) to assist in the city's pandemic prevention and control efforts.

Vietnam aims to immunize at least two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year.

About 35 million vaccine doses have been administered since inoculation was rolled out on March 8, with nearly 6.8 million people fully vaccinated.

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Authorities of Phu Quoc City on Wednesday announced an additional 13 coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases related to its first-ever COVID-19 cluster that was detected two days ago to 30.

The 13 cases were confirmed by Pham Van Nghiep, deputy chairman of the Peoples Committee of Phu Quoc, an island under the administration of Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam.

Earlier, they had been considered at high risk for their direct contact with confirmed cases of an infection cluster, which was discovered only hours after social distancing regulations had been relaxed on Phu Quoc on Tuesday.

This is the first-ever community infection chain in the island city since the pathogen emerged in Vietnam in early 2020.

All cases currently on the island can be traced to H., a 45-year-old woman in An Thoi Ward, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday after going to a local medical station over a prolonged cough and fever.

Subsequent screening found that N., Hs husband, as well as eight other people working closely with him at the local Vinh Dam Port also contracted the disease.

The cluster prompted functional forces to roll out extensive measures, taking 505 samples from people living in the same area as the infected cases and 1,200 others from residents of An Thoi Ward for COVID-19 testing.

On late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, local authorities issued urgent announcements to look for individuals who visited high-risk areas in An Thoi Ward between September 7 and 21.

Functional forces are also searching for people who came into contact with T.H.T.T., tbe 35-year-old owner of a popular eatery on Phu Quocs Nguyen Trai Street that serves hundreds of customers per day.

Prompt contact tracing in An Thoi Ward has helped officials find a related infection case on nearby Duong Dong Street, deputy chairman Nghiep stated.

Meanwhile, the high-risk area of Vinh Dam Port is also tightening safety mandates, according to a representative of the facility owner, Toan Hai Van Company.

Crew members must have valid coronavirus-negative test results before their ships reach the port, according to the company.

They are neither allowed to leave their ships nor contact the porters during cargo unloading.

On Wednesday morning, all staffers of the port were put through COVID-19 screening and had negative results.

The administration of Kien Giang just downgraded social distancing regulations in Phu Quoc City and nine districts from the prime ministers Directive No. 15 to the loosened Directive No. 19 from 0:00 on Tuesday after detecting new cases mostly in zoned-off areas in the preceding seven days.

However, An Thoi Ward has been put under the stringent Directive No. 16, which bans all non-essential businesses and travels, after the new cluster emerged.

The detection of the chain is likely to dampen a plan mapped out by the central government, ministries, and Kien Giang Province authorities to reopen tourism activities and welcome international tourists back from next month.

Kien Giang Province has recorded 4,574 local infections since a new virus wave hit Vietnam on April 27.

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Vietnams COVID-19 Vaccine Fund has so far disbursed VND4,506 billion (US$198 million) to vaccine procurement, development, and testing in the country, the fund management announced on Tuesday.

As of 5:00 pm on Tuesday, the fund had accrued VND8,692 billion ($382 million), including VND13.5 billion ($583,000) from bank interest, using the donations from 549,698 benefactors, its management board stated.

Expenditure from the fund has reached VND4,506 billion ($198 million) million, with VND 4,498 billion ($197.6 million) earmarked for vaccine purchases, while VND8.8 billion ($386,662) is set aside for domestic vaccine trials..

The fund is left with VND4,185 billion ($211.4 million), while it is also waiting for VND36 billion ($1.58 million) of promised donations from 13 benefactors to arrive.

Based on the Ministry of Health's direction, the fund management has selected the optimal fixed-term deposit plans via bidding proposals from commercial banks, said Ho Duc Phoc, Minister of Finance, during a discussion with Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper.

Interest from the deposit would be directed back to the fund and funneled into vaccine purchase and manufacturing projects, he added.

The country set a target to secure 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to vaccinate two-thirds of its 98-million population, but it has so far got only over 50 million shots of various vaccines from different sources, including COVAX Facility, contractual purchases, and donations.

To date, the health ministry has approved eight COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in Vietnam, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Hayat-Vax, and Abdala.

Meanwhile, Nano Covax, one of the four vaccines being developed domestically, is going through steps to be licensed for emergency use as the first made-in-Vietnam coronavirus jab after several successful trials that began in December 2020.

Health workers have administered around 35 million vaccine doses since inoculation was rolled out on March 8. Nearly 6.8 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Since the pandemic hit Vietnam in early 2020, the country has registered 707,436 COVID-19 cases, including 475,743 recoveries and 17,545 deaths.

The coronavirus has so far spread to 62 of the countrys 63 cities and provinces, except Cao Bang Province in the northern region.

Ho Chi Minh City has become the most affected by the pandemic with 348,740 infections and 13,628 fatalities, the ministrys data shows.

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Suits spin-off Pearson has its Free to Air debut next week on Nine.

Starring Gina Torres, Bethany Joy Lenz, Simon Kassianides, this lasted just a single season in 2019.

It aired on Pay TV earlier this year.

12:05am Thursday Sept 30 (Wednesday night)

The Alderman

Looking to atone for her past and reconnect with her estranged family, Jessica Pearson, a recently disbarred powerhouse attorney, leaves her New York City law firm for the down-and-dirty politics of the Windy City.

11:50pm Saturday October 2

The Superintendent

Jessicas reputation in the press puts the police contract in jeopardy.
A crew member from Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! has been charged over multiple alleged COVID-19 breaches on a trip to northern NSW.

The crew member had been granted an exemption to travel to the Tweed-Byron Bay area for work-related reasons only.

Police allege a 31-year-old woman visited several businesses and venues in Byron Bay and Kingscliff over the weekend, breaching her exemption. She allegedly also failed to check in at those locations with QR codes.

The woman was issued with a court attendance notice on five counts of failing to comply with an electronic registration device.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, That person did the wrong thing.

The system worked. It was people doing the wrong thing, and Im really glad police have charged them.

Byron and Tweed regions have entered a snap 7 day lockdown following a positive case.

Yesterday ITV Studios Australia said in a statement, We can confirm that one of our crew members has tested positive to COVID-19. This discovery was made through the rigorous testing regime implemented by our CovidSAFE plan. The crew member is fully vaccinated and was wearing PPE while at work.

The woman is set to appear before court in Tweed Heads on November 8.

Source: Nine News
Stan Grant hosts Q+A this week as some of Australias finest scientific minds ask What Comes Next?

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust scientists into the public eye and made many of them household names. How do we translate this upsurge of interest into the next generation of scientific superstars? Are our universities doing enough to foster world-class scientists and how do we turn ideas into tangible solutions and products?

The pandemic is changing the way scientists study and work. Will our brightest minds of the future spend less time in the lab and more time in front of quantum computers? What will the future look like? Well look at how artificial intelligence will shape our lives and ask, can robots help us tackle cyber-crime?

Australia will become only the second country in the world after the UK to receive technology from the United States to build nuclear-powered submarines. What do we know about the science behind this major security step? And after Christian Porters resignation from the Ministry, who will be Australias next Federal Science Minister?

And why on earth should we care about whale snot? Our panel will explain all!

Joining Stan Grant on the panel:

Brian Schmidt, Nobel laureate and Vice-Chancellor, ANU

Lidia Morawska, International Air Quality expert

Michael Biercuk, Quantum Physicist and innovator

Vanessa Pirotta, Wildlife scientist and science communicator

Toby Walsh, Artificial Intelligence expert

8:30pm Thursday on ABC.
Vanessa Alexander, Jon Bell, Elise McCredie.

Screen Australia and Australians in Film have announced recipients for Talent Gateway and the Global Producers Exchange, two joint initiatives to connect Australian creatives with key US decision makers.

Talent Gateway provides Australian screenwriters and directors, who have had some success either internationally or in Australia, with the skills, knowledge, access, and relationships necessary to succeed further in the global market. The program aims to attract US support, investment and partnerships for Australian content and careers.

Screen Australia Chief Executive Officer Graeme Mason said, We congratulate the successful applicants for both programs, and we look forward to supporting them as they continue to build on their already impressive careers. We received a high volume of applications and this reflects both the breadth of talent we have in Australia and the appetite from Australian screenwriters, directors and producers to connect with the epicenter of the global screen market  Hollywood  and build their reputations internationally.

With the support of additional Federal Government funding, these programs, along with Untapped, allow us to offer invaluable professional and business development opportunities to these participants, connecting them with influential decision makers via roundtables, individualised mentorships and masterclasses, and ensure our projects are globally competitive.

Our continued partnership with AiF will ensure Australian screen talent and culture is championed in the US and creates a trusted pipeline for world-class projects and collaboration between Australian creatives and Hollywood decision makers, creatives and executives.

Australians in Film Executive Director Peter Ritchie said, The thirst for entertaining and quality content continues unabated internationally. The excitement of finding a new voice, series or film is what motivates us all at AiF, and we are thrilled to be working with Screen Australia, and all our national, state and territory partners, in delivering these programs to connect leading Australian screen creatives and the US industry.

The Talent Gateway recipients are:

Vanessa Alexander: Vanessa Alexander is an award-winning writer and producer who works between Australia, the US and the UK. Internationally, she has written for the Emmy-nominated series The Great, Vikings and Tin Star. She has also written for the Australian series Love Child and The Wrong Girl, the latter garnering her an AWGIE nomination in 2018. Vanessa has worked extensively in both comedy and drama writers rooms where she is a sought-after storyliner with a great flair for poorly-behaved but endearing female protagonists. Vanessa currently has two series in development with CBS-Viacom.

Jon Bell: Jon Bell is one of the most experienced Indigenous screenwriters in Australia. His TV credits include Cleverman, which was picked up by AMC and Ready For This, which earned an International Emmy Kids award nomination. His short film The Moogai, won the Midnight Shorts category at SXSW 2021, Best Horror Short at the LA International Shorts Festival 2021 and the Erwin Rado Award for Best Australian Short Film at Melbourne International Film Festival 2020. He is currently writing the feature script for The Moogai, produced by Causeway Films and No Coincidence Media and supported with development funding from Screen Australia.

Alice Foulcher and Gregory Erdstein: Alice Foulcher and Gregory Erdstein are award-winning filmmakers from Naarm/Melbourne. Their debut feature film Thats Not Me received widespread critical acclaim, ranking #5 in the Guardians Top 10 Australian films of 2017 and earning Foulcher a Best Actress nomination from the Australian Film Critics Association. In 2020 Thats Not Me was shortlisted by AACTA for the Byron Kennedy Award as one of the Top 12 Australian Indie Features of the decade. Their second feature One More Shot (Good Thing Productions/Truce Films) has received development funding from Screen Australia and Film Victoria.

Naomi Higgins and Humyara Mahbub: Naomi Higgins and Humyara Mahbub are two of the writers/creators of the Netflix/ABC comedy series Why Are You Like This (excellent and edgy  The Guardian, Australian comedy thats actually funny  news.com.au). Naomi also starred in the series as Penny, and has a background in stand-up comedy, podcasting and presenting. Humyara is also an illustrator, who has been published on the ABC and Liminal among others. Between them, they have an engineering degree, a law degree, a science degree, a philosophy degree and the ability to turn any conversation into a screaming match.

Elise McCredie: Elise McCredie is a director, screenwriter and showrunner. Her TV credits include the Emmy winning series, Nowhere Boys, the AACTA winning mini-series Sunshine, Secret City and Jack Irish. Her feature credits are Strange Fits of Passion (writer/director) selected for the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for three AFI awards and an AWGIE, and Ride Like a Girl nominated for an AWGIE and an AACTA. Elise is the writer, co-creator and showrunner of Stateless (Netflix/ABC) which she executive produced with Cate Blanchett and Tony Ayres. Stateless was awarded a record 13 AACTAs, including Best Screenplay and Best Limited Series. She has been nominated for 5 Australian Writers Guild Awards (winning twice). Elise is currently working on new film and TV projects for Big Talk, Lucky Chap, Star Disney, CBS, Netflix, Aquarius, Wooden Horse and Merman.

Samuel Van Grinsven: Samuel Van Grinsven is a writer and director whose debut feature film Sequin in a Blue Room won the Audience Award at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival. It soon became a festival hit screening globally at festivals including Palm Springs International Film Festival, TIFF Next Wave, BFI Flare and MIFF. Nominations for AACTA and ADG Awards followed, as well as domestic and international theatrical releases. He is currently in development on his second feature Went Up The Hill, an Australia/New Zealand co-production with Causeway Films (The Babadook) and POP Film (Savage), as well as his first TV series with an Australian broadcaster.

Global Producers Exchange provides Australias leading scripted producers the skills, knowledge, access and relationships necessary to succeed in the global market and to attract foreign investment and marketplace partnerships for Australian scripted content. The exchange aims to give Australian IP and cultural stories the opportunity to be developed with internationally based collaborators who possess a global outlook and a proven track record of success with international audiences, and to help position projects for success in the global market. The Global Producers Exchange recipients are:

Blackfella Films  Darren Dale and Erin Bretherton: Blackfella Films is one of Australias leading production companies. For over 20 years it has produced innovative, compelling and award-winning drama and factual projects which have distinguished its team, led by producer Darren Dale and director/writer Rachel Perkins, as creators of distinctive Australian content for global audiences. The companys scripted credits include the AACTA Award-winning Total Control (ABC), which premiered in the Primetime program at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and was recognised with the 2020 MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award for Representation of Race and Ethnicity. Previous credits also include true crime series Deep Water (SBS) which sold to the BBC, Netflix, Sundance TV/AMC and Acorn, the ground-breaking and AACTA award-winning series and telemovie Redfern Now (ABC), and the telemovie Mabo (ABC).

Causeway Films  Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings: Founded by Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings, Causeway Films launched in 2014 with globally acclaimed The Babadook which premiered at Sundance. In 2018, Causeway delivered The Nightingale, winning the Special Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival, and Australias first Netflix Original Cargo which premiered at Tribeca. In 2019, Buoyancy premiered at the Berlinale and was Australias submission for Best International Feature Film at the 2020 Academy Awards. Causeways features have won awards at Venice, Berlinale, New York Film Critics Circle, to name a few, and numerous AACTAs. In 2020 Causeway completed principal photography on three new features.

Closer Productions  Bec Summerton and Sophie Hyde: Closer Productions is an Australian production company working across film and television on Kaurna Land in South Australia. Their feature dramas include 52 Tuesdays which won the Directing Award at Sundance (2014) and the Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival (2015), and Animals (2019) based on the acclaimed novel by Emma Jane Unsworth. Their feature documentaries include Sundance favourites Shut up Little Man! (2011) and Sam Klemkes Time Machine (2015), Australian Documentary Prize Winner Life In Movement (2011) and the AACTA nominated In My Blood It Runs (2019). Closers television work includes F###king Adelaide for ABC, The Hunting for SBS which became the networks most successful commissioned drama and won two AACTA awards, and Aftertaste for ABC, which is currently in development for its second season.

GoodThing  Nick Batzias and Virginia Whitwell: GoodThing are passionate about stories with big ideas at their heart that speak to a global audience. Formed in 2018 by Nick Batzias and Virginia Whitwell, GoodThing produces both scripted and factual work for TV and cinema. Recent credits include dramatic projects such as Justin Kurzel feature film Nitram (Cannes Competition 2021, Best Actor Award, CinefestOz Best Film 2021) and absurdist comedy feature, Nude Tuesday (Director Armagan Ballantyne, International Sales Cornerstone). Feature documentaries include 2040 (Director Damon Gameau, Berlinale 2019), AACTA award winning The Australian Dream (Director Dan Gordon; Telluride, TIFF 2019) and Off Country (Directors John Harvey, Rhian Skirving MIFF 2021).

Jungle Entertainment  Jason Burrows and Chloe Rickard: Jungle Entertainment produces premium drama and comedy, collaborating with the very best creators, and working tirelessly to champion their unique vision. Jungle Entertainment produce work that is unique on the international market and are known for a signature comedic tone, through which they explore the light and the dark in every story. 2021 will see four Jungle productions on air in the US, including Wakefield (Showtime/ ABC Australia/ BBC Studios), the fourth season of No Activity (Paramount Plus), the third season of Mr Inbetween (FX) and the second season of A Moody Christmas (Fox). No Activity is also one of the highest selling formats around the world, having now been produced in several different languages.

Wooden Horse  Jude Troy and Matt Okine: Wooden Horse is a dynamic new partnership between Jude Troy and Richard Finlayson and has produced two seasons of The Other Guy (Stan, Hulu & Super Channel); factual series Waltzing the Dragon with Benjamin Law (ABC); and award winning documentary All this Mayhem from the team behind Amy, (James Gay Rees / Chris King). Alongside executive producer, Matt Okine (The Other Guy) and development and production manager, Alexandra Cameron, Wooden Horse is working across a diverse slate with Australias finest creatives including Elise McCredie, Matt Cameron, Beatrix Christian, Giula Sandler, Michael Ware, Ben Chessell, and Gracie Otto amongst others.

Supporting Partners for these industry development programs are Screen NSW, Film Victoria, South Australian Film Corporation and Scripted Ink. Industry Partners are Australian Directors Guild, Australian Writers Guild, Screen Producers Australia, Screen Canberra, Screen Queensland, Screen Tasmania, Screen Territory, Screenwest and Screenworks.
Indians who have taken both the shots would still be required to follow a 10-day quarantine rule in UK.

Indians who have taken both the shots would still be required to follow a 10-day quarantine rule in UK.

Indians who have taken both the shots would still be required to follow a 10-day quarantine rule in UK.

UK's Covid-time travel regulations have been criticised by the netizens and the Indian ministers.

If you have plans to go the UK, you will be required to follow certain rules till the Indian government resolves the vaccination issue with UK.

People who are about to travel to UK are going to get the shock of their lives. As per the new rules by UK government, fully vaccinated Indians will be considered unvaccinated and each one will have to undergo Covid-19 test and a 10-day quarantine period. There are 7 other countries in the list apart from India whose vaccination will not be considered by UK.

The new rules by UK have been criticized by a number of netizens and Indian Ministers like Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "Absolutely bizarre considering Covishield was originally developed in the UK and The Serum Institute, Pune has supplied to that country too! This smacks of racism."

The government of UK said that if a person has been vaccinated In India, Africa, South America, UAE, Turkey, Jordan, Thailand or Russia, he or she will be considered unvaccinated even if they have received both the jabs. They will also be required to follow the 10-day quarantine rules.

One must check the following before travelling to UK:

3 days prior to travel to the UK, take a pre-departure Covid test.

Book and pay for day 2 and day 8 Covid tests to be taken after arrival in UK.

Complete your passenger locator forms before you arrive in England anytime in 48 hours.

After reaching UK:

Quarantine for 10 days wherever you are staying.

Take a Covid test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8.

Those who are considered fully vaccinated by the UK government, will not be required to take a pre-departure test, 8-day Covid test or subject to quarantine period. If recognised as fully vaccinated, one has to:

Book and pay for a day 2 Covid-19 test to be taken after arrival in England.

Complete the passenger locator form any time in the 48 hours before arrival in England.

Take a Covid-19 test on or before day 2 after arrival in England.

As per new travel rules UK has divided countries into three different categories  Green, Amber and Red. India is listed under the Amber category.

The UK Government website said, "From 4 a.m. Monday 4 October 2021, the rules for international travel to England will change from the red, amber, green traffic light system to a single red list of countries and simplified travel measures for arrivals from the rest of the world. The rules for travel from countries and territories not on the red list will depend on your vaccination status."

(source and inputs:in/twitter)
PARIS (Reuters) - LVMH aims to hire 25,000 people under 30 years of age by the end of 2022, the French luxury behemoth said on Wednesday, as it accelerates recruitment to meet brisk demand for high end goods.

The European luxury sector has seen a fast pace of growth in recent months, as stores reopened following lockdown periods and consumers drew on money saved during periods of confinement to splash out on pricey goods.

LVMH has more than recovered business lost to pandemic disruptions. In July, it reported first half sales grew 11 percent on an organic basis compared to the same period in 2019, before the crisis hit, fuelled by demand for clothing and accessories from its star fashion labels Louis Vuitton and Dior.

The companys focus on recruiting younger staff comes as it seeks to bolster the popularity of its brands with younger consumers, weaving streetwear styles like cargo pants and sneakers into its luxury fashion collections.

The hiring target for the upcoming year marks an acceleration of around 20 percent compared to previous years, according to Chantal Gaemperle, director of human resources and synergies at LVMH.

The group intends to use various methods to recruit younger staff, including drawing on a company training institute in France and other countries that is focused on design, crafts and sales techniques. It plans to expand training, which covers areas such as pastry baking and vineyard techniques, and further roll out the teaching in countries including Italy, Spain, Germany and Japan.

Seeking to broaden and diversify its recruitment further still, LVMH is opening a public online training platform and says it has forged partnerships in under-privileged areas in France to recruit high school students for apprenticeships. The group said it expects to grant 2,500 long-term contracts in France along with 5,000 internships in the country, but did not provide further details on the expected geographic breakdown of its hiring plan.

(Reporting by Mimosa Spencer;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
In late July, a Tajik official said the country had the capacity to accept 100,000 Afghan refugees. Since then, Dushanbe has fallen into the broader, anti-refugee Central Asian line. After the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban (banned in Russia) on August 15, the country once again became the epicenter of a new refugee crisis that sparked worry in regional neighbors and farther abroad. Afghanistans Central Asian neighbors from the outset made clear that they will not welcome large numbers of Afghan refugees. Those who have crossed into these countries have either been returned or quickly sent onward to a third country, The Diplomat writes.

Tajikistan is an outlier with its openly anti-Taliban rhetoric, thus Dushanbe stated its readiness to admit refugees. Around the same time, Tajikistans Gorno-Badakhshan district announced that it would be ready to accept up to 10,000 refugees. On July 23, deputy chair of the Committee on the Emergency Situations of Tajikistan stated that the country had the capacity to accept 100,000 refugees.

Tajikistans Central Asian neighbors, on the other hand, strongly oppose any flow of refugees and view them primarily as a security concern. In addition to other concerns, fears regarding the flow of refugees pushed Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to start negotiating with Taliban years ago. In 2020, a Turkmen delegation held negotiations with the Taliban to guarantee the blocking of possible flows of refugees to its territory. In July 2021, Turkmenistan held another dialogue with the Taliban to receive guarantees of protection for their mutual border.

Uzbekistan similarly entered into negotiations with the Taliban a few years ago, in part to receive assurances of maintaining security at the border. Tashkent has condemned each attempt to cross its border by Afghans, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan described refugee inflows as a violation of national borders and pledged that the perpetrators would be severely punished. Uzbekistan defends its decision to not admit refugees by prioritizing work on preventing a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, for example by leaving its railroad to Mazar-i-Sharif open for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that he supported the common position of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on non-admission of Afghan refugees to their territories. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov proposed to go as far as creating a security belt in the region, developing a strategy to prevent encroachment at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and controlling migration processes.

Russias opinion on the matter, as a significant player in the region, has weight on what choices the Central Asian countries make. Moscow has clearly come out against any refugee flows to Central Asia. President Vladimir Putin spoke against even temporarily placing Afghan nationals in Central Asia for processing to receive visas to the U.S. and Europe. The ambassador of Russia to Uzbekistan said that refugee admittance would be akin to opening the flood gates and allowing for uncontrolled migration from Afghanistan, implying further that reaching Russia from Central Asia would therefore become easier.

As a member of the CSTO, Tajikistan also has motivation to heed member opinions that are overwhelmingly anti-refugee as well. Dushanbe, therefore, had little choice but to moderate its rhetoric. Furthermore, on September 2, Tajikistans Minister of Interior Affairs Ramazon Rahimzoda said that his country will not accept a large number of migrants from Afghanistan due to the lack of infrastructure for accommodation and the financial burden on Tajikistan.
Iran has finally begun the formal process to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The process, which will take up to two years, is in line with President Ebrahim Raisis goal of improving ties with neighboring countries. Iran has had observer status in the Asian security body led by Russia and China for 15 years, and it hopes membership will improve the countrys economy, Al-Monitor writes.

After arriving from Tajikistan, where the summit was held during which Irans membership was approved, Raisi ordered Irans ministries to prepare reports on their abilities for cooperation with the SCO. Today, not just the Foreign Ministry but all of the ministries have a responsibility to make the most of the countrys economic prosperity from the opportunities provided, Raisi said Sept. 19.

Raisi said the member states of the SCO are all ready to expand economic ties with Iran and Iranian ministries must be ready for this. One important area of growth Raisi mentioned was the Chabahar port in southeast Iran on the Gulf of Oman. He said the port, which is being financed and built with India, could be a gateway to Asia and the world. The Chabahar port could serve as an entry into Central Asia for India through the land on a path that would avoid Pakistan, something that India is particularly keen on. The port had been plagued by delays and problems between Iran and India.

In addition to improving trade relations with India, Iran is hoping to expand economic ties with China and Russia, two other large economies within the SCO. However, there are still issues concerning US sanctions, which limit Irans ability to conduct banking transactions and sell its oil.

An article in Fars News Agency argued that one of the issues Iran was facing with Western countries is that those countrys economies did not rely on Iran to operate; therefore, it was not difficult for them to cut ties with Iran once the United States exited the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and reapplied sanctions. The article argued that, with members of the SCO, there is potential for both sides to become linked and dependent on each other, forcing solutions that would evade US sanctions. The article, citing the former head of Irans National Petrochemical Company, Abdulhussein Bayat, said that during the peak of sanctions Iran was still exporting petrochemical products to India and China. Bayat conceded that sanctions could make it more difficult for Iran to establish economic links with SCO countries but noted there are solutions.

Iranian officials have praised the new SCO membership. Mohammad Reza Mirtajaldin, a member of Irans parliament, called Tehran's membership into the SCO a great achievement. He said it was something the country has wanted for nearly two decades, and with the incoming administration of Raisi and his team, it came to fruition. Irans Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh called Irans membership into the SCO the operational end of the project of Irans isolation by America.
Conflict-hit regions of Azerbaijan are undergoing extensive reconstruction and revitalization, with plans for green, digitally-connected smart cities offering a better way of life to citizens. Now, as Azerbaijan tries to gradually rebuild the battle-hit land, authorities hope technology can play a central role in encouraging citizens back to the region through the creation of smart cities and villages offering a better way of life, ZDnet writes.

According to urban planning expert and associate professor at the ADA University in Baku, Anar Valiyev, building new communities underpinned by digital amenities will not only make the region more attractive for those looking to return, but also for those who have remained in the region throughout the conflict. "Another reason is the signal that the government wants to send to the overall population about the way that authorities will operate in the region, which will be completely different, much more efficient, more effective, and equity-based," Valiyev tells ZDNet.

An initial planning period will be followed by a pilot project that will see a number of 'smart villages' -- designated Aghaly-1, Aghaly-2 and Aghaly-3 -- built in the Zangilan region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Here, more than 200 houses will be built using innovative building materials like recycled steel and precast concrete, and connected to smart electricity, gas and waste management utilities.

The first phase of the pilot was launched in February 2021. "The project itself will consist mainly of five components  housing, manufacturing, social services, smart agriculture, and alternative energy," Azerbaijan's agriculture minister, Inam Karimov, said in a statement to ZDNet. "Alternative energy sources will be used for all residential buildings, social facilities, office buildings, catering, processing and production of agricultural products." Building new, digitally-enabled communities will also serve to bridge the divide between Azerbaijan's capital of Baku and other urban and rural areas.

According to the Baku Research Institute, there is currently a 20-percentage point gap between rural and urban households in fixed internet penetration, mainly because of shortages in fixed infrastructure and lower levels of digital literacy in rural areas.

Such projects could also tempt young Azerbaijanis to move to the Nagorno-Karabakh region in search of new opportunities. Twenty-six-year-old Eldar Hamza is one of them. During the first Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Hamza's family was displaced from the town of Fizouli, which had a population of around 17,000 before the war but became a ghost town after its population fled. With the town now back under Azerbaijani control, Hamza, who is working as a tour operator in Baku, says that he would be ready to return. "When we saw the government plans for the cities, the new buildings and the smart villages, this was very exciting for the younger population," he tells ZDNet. "I also believe that if there are options for big companies to transfer workers to the region, then most of them will come back to live here."

The nearby city of Agdam is also being rebuilt. Before the conflict, the city had a population of nearly 30,000. Now, like Fizouli, it is practically deserted. Azerbaijani authorities immediately started planning Agdam's reconstruction after the conflict ended in November 2020. According to plans, it will be the fourth largest city in Azerbaijan once completed, with a population of 100,000  though things are still in a very early stage.

"We are at the planning stage and now we are conceptualizing various sites," Emin Huseynov, Azerbaijani economist and special representative in Agdam district, tells ZDNet. "However, the most important [part] is the basic infrastructure that is being done now. When it is in place, we will start building the city."

The development of smart cities is likely to be a boon for Azerbaijan's ICT industry, which is at its beginnings in the country and its oil-oriented economy. In 2016, ICT was one of 11 economic sectors that Azerbaijani authorities identified to be of strategic importance for the country. The country has now adopted a strategic roadmap for its development; however, according to a report from the IPHR and the Azerbaijan Internet Watch, in 2020 the ICT sector made up only 1.6% of Azerbaijan's total GDP.

"I think that the ICT sector will develop faster because the development of the smart cities also requires a faster development of information technologies," Valiyev tells ZDNet, who adds that many young people in the country are beginning to take up IT-related subjects like computer science and systems engineering.

There is also a significant interest in IT and agriculture. Dmitry Andrianov, founder of Baku-based tech magazine InfoCity, says the development of smart cities and smart villages in the liberated territories of Karabakh should prove as an incentive for the further development of Azerbaijan's tech sector, pointing to the growth of fledgling IoT startup Sumaks and agritech startup, Kibrit. "This all contributes to the creation of a sustainable demand for young IT professionals," Andrianov says.
The vibrant network opened up exchanges between far-flung cultures throughout central Eurasia. The Silk Road wasnt a single route, but rather a vibrant trade network that crisscrossed central Eurasia for centuries, bringing far-flung cultures into contact. Traveling by camel and horseback, merchants, nomads, missionaries, warriors and diplomats not only exchanged exotic goods, but transferred knowledge, technology, medicine and religious beliefs that reshaped ancient civilizations, The History writes.

The term silk road was coined in 1877 by Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen, a German geographer, who focused on the flourishing silk trade between the Chinese Han Empire (206 B.C. to 220 A.C.) and Rome. But modern scholars recognize that the Silk Road (or Silk Roads) continued to enable cross-continental trade until large-scale maritime trade replaced overland caravans in the 17th and 18th centuries.

1. Silk

Its called the Silk Road for a reason. Silk, first produced in China as early as 3,000 B.C., was the ideal overland trade item for merchant and diplomatic caravans that may have traveled thousands of miles to reach their destinations, says Xin Wen, a historian of medieval China and Inner Asia at Princeton University. Your carrying capacity was very limited, so you brought whatever was most valuable, but also the lightest, says Wen, whose upcoming book is titled The Kings Road: Diplomatic Travelers and the Making of the Silk Road in Eastern Eurasia, 8501000. Not only does silk fit these characteristics exactlyhigh value, low weightbut its also extremely versatile.

The Roman elite prized Chinese silk as a luxuriously thin textile, and later, when silk-making technology was brought to the Mediterranean, artisans in Damascus created the reversible woven silk textile known as damask.

But silk was more than clothing, says Wen. In Buddhist cultures it was made into ritual banners or used as a canvas for paintings. In the important Silk Road settlement of Turfan in Eastern China, silk was used as currency, writes historian Valerie Hansen, and in the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 A.C.), silk was collected as a form of tax.

2. Horses

Horses were first domesticated in the steppes of Central Asia around 3700 B.C. and transported nomadic tribes that hunted and raided across vast territories that bordered China, India, Persia and the Mediterranean. Once the horse was introduced into agrarian societies, it became a sought-after tool for transport, cultivation and cavalry, writes historian James Millward in Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction. The silk-for-horse trade was one of the most important and long-lasting exchanges on the Silk Road. Chinese merchants and officials traded bolts of silk for well-bred horses from the Mongolian steppes and Tibetan plateau. In turn, nomad elites prized the silk for the status it conferred or the additional goods it could buy.

Wen says that horses, by providing their own transportation, were the ultimate high-value, low-weight commodity on the Silk Road, and were a very unique luxury item for the elite of the Eurasian world. Its not surprising that the famous tomb of the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang (259210 B.C.) not only contains 8,000 terra cotta warriors, but also lifelike statues of 520 chariot horses and 150 cavalry horses.

3. Paper

Paper, invented in China in the second century A.C., first spread throughout Asia with the dissemination of Buddhism. In 751, paper was introduced to the Islamic world when Arab forces clashed with the Tang Dynasty at the Battle of Talas. The Caliph Harun al-Rashid built a paper mill in Baghdad that introduced paper-making to Egypt, North Africa and Spain, where paper finally reached Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries, writes Millward.

On the Silk Road, travelers carried paper documents that served as passports to cross nomadic lands or spend the night at a caravansary, a Silk Road oasis. But the most important function of paper along the Silk Road was that it was bound into texts and books that transmitted entirely new systems of thought, especially religion.

Its not a coincidence that Buddhism spread to China around the same time that paper became prevalent in the region, says Wen. Same with Manichaeism and Zoroastrianism. One of the central significances of the Silk Road is that it served as a channel for the spread of different ideas and cultural interactions, and much of that relied on paper.

4. Spices

Spices from East and South Asia, like cinnamon from Sri Lanka and cassia from China, were exotic and coveted trade items, but they didnt typically travel the overland routes of the Silk Road. Instead, spices were mainly transported along an ancient maritime Silk Road that linked port cities from Indonesia westward through India and the Arabian Peninsula.

Across the Silk Road, spices were valued for their use in cooking, but also for religious ceremonies and as medicine. And unlike silk, which could be produced wherever silk worms could be kept alive, many spices were derived from plants that only grew in very specific environments. That means theres a clearer origin for spice than for some of the other luxury items, which adds to their value, says Wen.

5. Jade

Millennia before there was such a thing as the Silk Road, China traded with its western neighbors along the so-called Jade Road. Jade, the crystalline-green gemstone, was central to Chinese ritual culture. When jade supplies ran low in the 5th millennium B.C., it was necessary for China to establish trade relations with western neighbors like the ancient Iranian Kingdom of Khotan, whose rivers were rich with hunks of nephrite jade, the best variety of jade for carving intricate figurines and jewelry. The jade trade to China flourished throughout the Silk Road period, as did trade in other semi-precious gems like pearls.

6. Glassware

Westerners often assume that most Silk Road goods traveled from the exotic Far East westward to the Mediterranean and Europe, but Silk Road trade went in all directions. For example, archeologists excavating burial mounds in China, Korea, Thailand and the Philippines have found Roman glassware among the prized possessions of the Asian elite. The distinct type of soda-lime glass made in Rome and fashioned into vases and goblets would have eagerly been traded for silk, which Romans were obsessed with.

7. Furs

The taiga is the vast stretch of evergreen forest that runs through Siberia in Eurasia and continues into Canada in North America. In the days of the Silk Road, writes Millward, the taiga attracted hardy bands of trappers who harvested fox, sable, mink, beaver and ermine pelts. This northern fur road supplied luxurious coats and hats to Chinese dynasties and other Eurasian elites. Millward writes that Genghis Khan cemented one of his earliest political alliances with a gift of a sable coat. By the 17th century, in the waning days of the Silk Road, rulers from the Chinese Qing Dynasty could buy furs from both Siberian and Canadian trappers.

8. Slaves

Enslaved people were a tragically common trade good along the Silk Road. Raiding armies would take captives and sell them to private traders who would find buyers in far-flung ports and capitals from Dublin in the West to Shandong in Eastern China, writes Silk Road historian Susan Whitfield. The slaves became servants, entertainers and eunuchs for royal courts. Wen says that while enslavement was pervasive in premodern Eurasia along the Silk Road, none of these kingdoms or societies could be classified as slave-based in the same way that the African slave trade operated in the New World. Slaves were more like an ornament of the life of the Silk Road elite, says Wen, Not a major economic source.
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the United States President Joe Biden agreed that the approach to Russia and China should be based on the common values shared by both London and Washington, said Johnson's spokesman following talks between the two politicians in Washington DC on Wednesday, TASS reports.

According to the statement, the two leaders discussed several international topics and among them China and Russia. They agreed to pursue these issues based on the common values. Johnson added that he is looking forward to the Democracy Summit, which will take place on December 9-10, 2021. Biden previously invited the British PM to it.

The summit will be held via video conference, and will focus on three issues - the fight against corruption, protection from totalitarianism and the respect for human rights. During their shared values conversation, Biden and Johnson spoke of the new security partnership for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States - AUKUS.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday that Turkey was ready to finally ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, France 24 reports.

Erdogan's announcement at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly followed a year of violent weather events in Turkey -- including wildfires and flash floods -- that have claimed some 100 lives.

Turkey in April 2016 signed the landmark agreement on limiting the dangerous emissions that contribute to global warming, which scientists blame for increasingly extreme and more frequent weather events.

But it has yet to formally ratify the accord by a vote in parliament.

Erdogan told the UN General Assembly that Turkey now intends to complete the ratification process in time for the November UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

"I would like to announce to the whole world here from the United Nations General Assembly the decision we have taken following the progress made within the framework of the agreement. We plan to submit the Paris Climate Agreement for approval to our parliament next month," Erdogan said.

"Before the United Nations climate change conference, which will be held in Glasgow, we envisage the ratification phase of the carbon-neutral targeted agreement."
The further cultivation of allied relations between Russia and Armenia corresponds with the interest of the fraternal peoples of both countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted in a congratulatory message marking the 30th anniversary of the declaration of Armenias independence, TASS reported.

The Russian leader sent a telegram to his Armenian counterpart Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Kremlin press service reports on Tuesday.

"Relations with Armenia are based on a good tradition of friendship, cultural and moral affinity. Their further development, undoubtedly, corresponds with the vital interests of our fraternal people," the Russian head of state stressed.

Putin pointed out that between both countries, there is close cooperation in various spheres and constructive interaction within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and the CIS.
Head of Russias Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov has offered an invitation to the region to US President Joe Biden in response to his recent comments about LGBTQ rights in Chechnya, Kadyrov wrote on his Telegram channel, TASS reports.

On Tuesday, Biden addressed the UNGA session, calling on the international community to join forces to protect rights of sexual minorities around the world, separately mentioning Chechnya to Cameroon.

"Biden, who shamefully returned troops from Afghanistan, suddenly started mentioning Chechnya. We are still yet to get over his certain ridiculous statements and actions as president of the US and he has already cheered us up with new strange and unreasonable statements. Biden made such an absurd statement that I can only invite his to our region in response," Kadyrov wrote.
Moscow and Ankara are preparing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the Russian resort town of Sochi where he will meet with Vladimir Putin next week, the Russian presidential spokesman said on Tuesday, Sputnik reports.

"The visit is in the pipeline," Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik.

Erdogan is due to travel to Russia on Wednesday next week for a one-day visit. The presidents are expected to talk about bilateral relations and the decade-long Syrian war.
The national digital transformation program says Vietnam will develop hi-technology agriculture with a focus on smart and precise agriculture, while increasing the proportion of digital agriculture in the economy.

Opening the forum on digital transformation in Vietnams agriculture, Truong Gia Binh, Chair of the Vietnam Digital Agriculture Association (VIDA), stressed that its necessary to conduct strong digital transformation in e-commerce, e-payment, logistics and agriculture operations. If Vietnam can successfully do these, it will become a country with great competitive potential.

Our land is situated in the area which doesnt need heating in winter. It allows us to harvest many crops all year round. We still develop agriculture with 2/3 of population in rural areas. Vietnams IT is developing rapidly. All these factors will turn Vietnam into a farm produce granary of the world, Binh said.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung said the important role of agriculture in maintaining the survival of the society has been confirmed in the pandemic. Agricultural development is the foundation for socio-economic development.

Digital transformation in agriculture needs to be implemented on the basis of data. Its necessary to have big data about land, crops, livestock and aquaculture; apply digital technology to automate production and business processes, and supervise origin and product supply chains, ensuring transparency, accuracy, safety and food hygiene; and deploy the initiative every farmer is a businessperson and every cooperative is a business utilizing digital technology.

Also, its necessary to conduct digital transformation in management to have reasonable and timely policies for agriculture development, such as market forecasting and planning management.

According to Dung, the goal is that farmers make products at the lowest possible cost and sell products at the highest possible price. Digital transformation is one of the keys to reach that goal.

Minister of Agriculture Le Minh Hoan said Vietnam is facing three challenges, including climate change, market fluctuations and changes in consumption trends in the world.

However, challenges could turn into opportunities. Vietnam is shifting from the period of agricultural production into the period of an agricultural economy based on technology and digital transformation.

Prof Tran Dang Xuan from Hiroshima University said that 70 percent of Vietnams farm produce is from small-scale farming households. These households should be put at the center. Of smart agriculture production areas, Mekong Delta should be put at the center. Farmers should learn how to make online transactions. The Government should create policies to encourage farmers to develop digital agriculture.

The scholar said that Vietnam should learn from Japan when developing digital agriculture by sending students to Japan every year for internships.

Tam An

Farm produce pile up in south as farmers struggle to sell them amid COVID restrictions Farmers across the south and Central Highlands are struggling to sell their harvests due to COVID-19 restrictions on travelling and business...
Vietnams export turnover is forecast to surpass 315 billion USD this year, which, however, requires more drastic measures.

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, in the first eight months of this year, the countrys export revenue stood at 213.52 billion USD, up 21.8 percent year-on-year.

Based on the eight-month performance, together with the latest market situation, economists have drawn up two scenarios for Vietnams exports in the remaining months and the whole year.

Under the first scenario when the COVID-19 pandemic is put under control in October, the export value for the remaining four months of the year would reach 108.8 billion USD and 322 billion USD for the entire year, up 14.3 percent from last year.

Meanwhile, under the second scenario when the pandemic is only contained at the end of the year, the revenue is projected to go down 4.4 percent to 102.7 billion USD in the four-month period, and total 316 billion USD for the year, an increase of 11.8 percent.

The projected value of 316 billion USD in the second scenario is still higher than the record 315 billion USD last year, and represents a double-digit rise year-on-year.

The country recorded a trade deficit of over 2.6 billion USD in the past eight months, partially due to the impact of COVID-19 and social distancing imposed in many cities and provinces, including major economic centres, along with shortcomings in domestic support industries and limitations in the control of product origin.

Vietnam ran the largest trade deficit with China, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Taiwan (China), Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Specifically, Vietnams trade with Cambodia shifted to a deficit.

To boost exports in the remaining months, it is a must for Vietnam to contain COVID-19 and ensure the circulation of goods, particularly exports.

Vietnam also needs to enhance support industries, assist firms operating in for-export production and business in the form of financial mechanisms and policies to promote startups and reduce the number of suspended and dissolved enterprises, and restructure import markets, experts said./.

Source: VNA
Its unreasonable to close a factory with thousands of workers when only one positive case is found, officials have said.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh at the conference

At an online conference discussing solutions to help enterprises in industrial zones (IZs), export processing zones (EPZs) and hi-tech zones on September 20, 2021, a representative of Nidec Vietnam proposed that enterprises should not be forced to close the entire enterprise when discovering a positive Covid case on production lines.

In these cases, enterprises need to quarantine or close the specific production divisions.

A representative of Nike Vietnam said that there is no need to close the entire factory if only one positive case is discovered. Separate the person and quarantine their contacts in the factory. Nike wants to allow fully vaccinated workers who have negative testing results to go to work every day

Meanwhile, Samsung Thai Nguyen proposed that workers who have two vaccination shots be allowed to travel from their homes (green zone) to the company with buses provided by the company.

Replying to questions about the requirement of recovering production while ensuring absolute safety, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh said "absolute safety" means that enterprises must not let hotbeds break out in enterprises. When resuming production, enterprises must control production activities to avoid the spread of infections among staff.

If enterprises resume production activities, they must organize regular testing. Ministries will give further guidance on this issue.

It would be very dangerous for an industrial zone with 20,000 workers to become a hotbed, Thanh said.

However, Thanh said there was no need to be too rigid when applying anti-pandemic regulations - for example, closing a factory with thousands of workers when positive cases are discovered. In this case, its necessary only to stop the operation of the workshop where the patient worked and quarantine their close contacts.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu promised to help enterprises simplify procedures for foreign specialists to enter Vietnam.

For example, Vietnam may consider reducing the required quarantine time from 14 to 7 days. Vietnam has temporarily recognized vaccination certificates of over 60 countries. Ministries are considering expanding the foreign subjects allowed to enter Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said the ministry is considering the five green principle  green factory, green workers, green travel, green workers

The Government has been urged to act promptly to save businesses, or it will be too late.

In HCM City, a study of the University of Economics and Law showed that since the fourth wave of Covid-19 broke out in late April, as many as 288,300 businesses with 3.2 million workers had to stop operation.

Enterprises put at center

Thanh said the Government will have monthly meetings with ministries, branches, localities and enterprises, and will take the initiative in learning and sharing difficulties with enterprises.

The most important thing is close cooperation and high responsibility. If ministries cannot cooperate well, we wont succeed, Thanh said.

Enterprises need to take the initiative in building plans to recover production, including solutions to control positive Covid-19 cases. Meanwhile, local authorities will settle administrative problems and help enterprises.

Localities need to soon organize conferences, meetings and exchanges to thoroughly grasp the production recovery spirit in the current conditions.

In related news, in the first eight months of the year, coastal IZs and economic zones (EZs) attracted 428 new investment projects and 517 projects registered for capital increase with additional capital of $8.1 billion.

The total revenue of enterprises was $140 billion, with export turnover of $100.7 billion, accounting for 47.5 percent of the countrys total export turnover, contributing VND96.5 trillion to the state budget and creating 4 million direct jobs.

Thu Hang

Hanoi mulls solutions to stay safe when social distancing rules end Hanoi needs to find solutions to prevent the coronavirus from spreading and causing overloading of the healthcare system.
Reopening Phu Quoc to receive tourists has proven to be a big challenge.

But if Vietnam can solve these issues, it will successfully reopen the tourism industry and be able to live together safely with the coronavirus.

The news that the Government has allowed Phu Quoc Island to go ahead and receive foreign travelers from October has ignited hopes for a revival of the tourism industry which has been paralyzed because of Covid-19.

The industry and travel firms have been operating under the on/off mode with the door opening and closing, depending on pandemic developments.

The firms have learned a lot of lessons.

They have realized that they need to live together with coronavirus instead of waiting when the virus is completely eliminated. But how should they do this?

At an online webinar on vaccine passports and an opportunity to stimulate demand in the aviation, tourism and service sectors, Tran Dac Phu, former Director of the Preventive Medicine Agency, said Vietnam needs to fight the pandemic while developing the economy at the same time, and ensure social welfare.

The reopening of the service sector, including tourism, needs to be implemented in a cautious way to ensure safety. Phu Quocs pilot reopening will provide useful information for other provinces.

The reopening will be deployed on the basis of vaccine passports or green vaccine passes, to be granted to those who have been fully vaccinated, or have fully recovered from Covid-19.

Under the pilot reopening, Phu Quoc will receive foreign travelers who have vaccine passports for six months. It is expected that there will be 40 flights to the island a month, carrying 25,000-40,000 passengers.

Nguyen Dao Dung from Vietnam National Tourism Administration (VNAT) said there are two issues to ensure safety for travelers when applying vaccine passports.

First, local authorities need to observe measures to ensure safety of destinations and improve medical service capability.

Second, its necessary to choose travel firms that can meet high requirements to serve travelers.

Challenges for Phu Quoc

Three issues have arisen during reopening of Phu Quoc tourism, including herd immunity; procedures (recognition of vaccine passports and epidemiological control over foreign travelers); and the revival of the domestic market.

To date, 37,000 citizens of Phu Quoc aged 18 and above have had the first shot, accounting for 35 percent, and 8,000 have had the second shot, or 6 percent. It needs 300,000 more vaccine doses to obtain vaccination coverage of 70 percent of population and reach herd immunity.

Regarding vaccine passports for air travelers, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways use the IATA Travel Pass, which is being used by nearly 200 airlines and 80 countries to cooperate to provide air services.

Regarding epidemiological control, Vietnam now has many apps for medical declarations. Experts believe that it would be better to use a single app for both Vietnamese and foreign travelers as per the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

The Du Lich Viet Nam An Toan app (Vietnam Safe Travel) of VNAT is connected with the Ministry of Health's Record app, designed for Vietnamese people. There is no English version.

Vietnam needs a single app that integrates all other existing apps, containing all necessary information for people to travel domestically and abroad.

Vietnam now applies stricter requirements than other countries when requesting foreign visitors to have concentrated quarantine, while others countries allow quarantine at home.

In order to attract more foreign travelers, its necessary to simplify procedures for entry. And to simplify procedures, cities and provinces need to obtain a high percentage of fully vaccinated people. At this moment, only six cities and provinces can satisfy this requirement.

Regarding domestic demand, the largest market now  HCM City  is still making every effort to constrain the fourth Covid wave which broke out in May.

Meanwhile, Hanoi and Da Nang are taking cautious steps, gradually loosening social distancing in a plan to both control the outbreak and develop the economy. If the two cities can vaccinate 70 percent of their population in the next two months, they will be able to draw up a long-term plan to live together with the pandemic.

If there are not enough vaccines for all, it would be better to reopen tourism step by step, in safe zones first. For example, Vietnam can receive travelers to Phu Quoc, while waiting for vaccines in other places.

Nguyen Duc Chi (Tourism expert)

October: The golden time for Phu Quoc tourism The success in welcoming the first international visitors to Phu Quoc Island is expected to have a huge media impact.
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received left-wing friends from the US in New York on September 21 as part of his trip to the country to attend the high-level general debate of the United Nations General Assemblys 76th session (UNGA 76).

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) is welcomed at J.F. Kennedy airport (Photo: VNA)

Phuc stated that the positive and continuous development of the Vietnam - US relations over the past time is importantly attributable to the contributions of left-wing forces and progressive Americans.

Vietnam appreciates the practical and valuable support of US leftists in the process of overcoming post-war consequences, and for the bilateral relations, thus bringing about substantive benefits to the two countries and peoples, and contributing to peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region in general and Southeast Asia in particular.

The President affirmed that under the Communist Party of Vietnams sound foreign policy, Vietnam has enjoyed good relations with countries around the world despite different political regimes.

He expressed his wish that American friends continue to support the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and peoples.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives a delegation of US friends, led by Merle Ratner, Coordinator of the US-based Vietnam Agent Orange (AO) Relief and Responsibility Campaign (Photo: VNA)

Earlier, President Phuc had a meeting with a delegation of US friends, led by Merle Ratner, Coordinator of the US-based Vietnam Agent Orange (AO) Relief and Responsibility Campaign, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary in commemoration of the Agent Orange disaster in Vietnam,.

He affirmed that after more than 25 years of normalisation, the bilateral Vietnam-US relationship has developed effectively, sustainably and mutually beneficially, based on the principle of respecting each others independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions. He spoke highly of the USs commitment to and support for addressing post-war consequences in Vietnam, thus contributing to the process of building trust with tireless efforts from both sides

The Vietnamese leader showed his hope that US friends will continue to support the bilateral friendship and cooperation, especially in dealing with the consequences of Agent Orange/dioxin.

Merle Ratner affirmed that she has worked for many years to canvass the US Government to fulfill its responsibility to dioxin victims in Vietnam by supporting them in all aspects, from health care to vocational training and dioxin detoxification.

She pledged to continue doing all she can to support Vietnam's Agent Orange/dioxin victims.

Source: VNA
Vietnam values and supports the central role of the United Nations (UN) in the global governance system to respond to today's common challenges and wishes to promote all-round cooperation with the organisation,

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has reaffirmed.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

President Phuc made the statement during his separate meetings with President of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on September 21.



He told the two UN leaders that Vietnam is exerting utmost efforts in the fight against COVID-19, and putting the safety and health of the people first. He asked the UN to continue supporting Vietnam during this difficult time, especially in the vaccination drive.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) and President of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid.

Phuc highlighted that Vietnam has always made effective contributions to the common work of the UN, including taking on the role of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, participating in peacekeeping operations, implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, participating in elections to UN organisations and contributing to reform efforts to improve performance of the organisation.



Discussing regional and international issues, the two sides emphasized the need to continue strengthening multilateralism with the UN playing a central role, and speeding up the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.



They agreed to strengthen cooperation between the UN and ASEAN, promote ASEAN's central role in solving regional issues, and support efforts of the bloc and relevant countries in maintaining peace and stability in the region, upholding respect for international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc writes in a scrapbook at the meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (Photo: VNA)

The UN leaders said that they are impressed by Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements and appreciated the countrys increasing role and position in the region and in the international arena. They spoke highly of Vietnam's active, responsible and effective contributions to the UN's common work, especially as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council as well as in joining UN peacekeeping missions, and implementing sustainable development goals and climate goals.



The UN Secretary-General affirmed that the organisation will continue to pay attention to and support Vietnam's response to the pandemic, and always stand side-by-side and assist the country in post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and development.



He also expressed his wish that Vietnam will contribute more to climate change response efforts, especially raising its commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions towards the COP26 Conference in November 2021 in Glasgow (Scotland- UK).

Source: VNA

Vietnam is ready for peacekeeping mission The establishment of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations was a milestone for the development of the Vietnamese peacekeeping force, providing the conditions for Vietnamese blue beret officers to engage in the UN multilateral mechanisms
Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health Nguyen Hoai Nam said the city needs 6,031,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from September 20 to October 31.

According to the Center for Disease Control of HCM City (HCDC), on September 20, 102,593 people were vaccinated against Covid-19, bringing the total number to 8,876,463 people, including 2,100,826 people fully vaccinated with two vaccine doses.

According to the HCM City Department of Health, the city currently has 774,272 doses of vaccine, including 108,894 doses of AstraZeneca, 125,800 doses of Pfizer, and 539,578 doses of Sinopharm vaccines.

The city needs an additional 6,031,000 doses from September 20 to October 31, including 472,000 doses for people who need the first shot and 5,559,000 doses for people who need the second shot. Specifically, it needs 4,935,000 doses of AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine, and 624,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine.

HCM City has sent a request for further vaccine allocations to the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Ngoc Trang
7 picked to support the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command with engineering services

Seven companies have won spots on a $169.1 million Navy contract to support the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command with engineering and technical services.

The contract specifically supports the NIWC Pacifics Enterprise Communication and Networks Division in San Diego. Services to be provided include technology insertion, software and systems engineering, modeling and simulation, and model based systems engineering. The companies also will vie for task orders for network engineering, installation and testing, and integrated logistics.

The seven winners are:

Booz Allen Hamilton

Epsilon C5I Inc.

McKean Defense Group LLC

Parsons Government Services Inc.

Science Applications International Corp.

Solute Inc.

Systems Technology Forum Ltd.

The contract has a three-year base and four one-year options. With the options,it runs through September 2028.

The contract also is a follow on to an earlier contract that was held by Booz Allen, SAIC, Epsilon Systems and General Dynamics IT.

This time around 16 companies submitted bids with seven bidders receiving awards.

Well be watching for any protests that might get filed in the coming weeks.
Leave these dead horses/squirrels alone Britain

What amazing timing for these tidbits of squirrely news to come out.and I am sure sanctions will be imposed very soon again and again

1st: Police said Sergey Fedotov (a Russian), real name Denis Sergeev, also tried to assassinate former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and police officer Nick Bailey. 2nd: Russia has been ordered to pay 105,000 in damages to Alexander Litvinenkos widow after European judges ruled Russia is responsible for his 2006 murder.

Russia did it! Russia Russia Russia Russia

Now would they like to answer?

Where oh where have and or what has happened to the Skripal Dynamic Dual?

~~ More powerful that a Novichok Poisoning. ~~

At least we believe, according to what we are told that Alexander Litvinenko is at least six feet under the ground.but how far under the ground are the Dynamic Dual?

Look! A Squirrel.over there.no over there under that tree.no the other tree.not that one, the other tree and no not that squirrel.the other squirrel

Gosh, darn it, and heck, that other tree and that other damn squirrel

WtR
New installments in best-selling series

The Herons Cry by Ann Cleeves. OK, this isnt a blockbuster series yet, but its second in the Two Rivers series by the best-selling British author thats already being adapted for TV. It features detective Matthew Venn, whom we first met in 2019s The Long Call, investigating the murder of a Dr. Nigel Yeo  who himself had been investigating the apparent suicide of a young local man. (Sept. 6)

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman. Osmans 2020 cozy mystery, The Thursday Murder Club (read our excerpt), was a massive hit that sold some 1.4 million copies in Britain alone, with movie rights snapped up by Steven Spielberg. His latest again focuses upon the same four charming septuagenarian sleuths, residents in a luxury retirement village in England who meet once a week to contemplate cold murder cases. Their new caper involves stolen diamonds and a ruthless killer. (Sept. 28)

The Judges List by John Grisham. Lacy Stoltz (first seen in The Whistler; this is her second book) meets a woman whos convinced she knows who killed her father 20 years earlier. Stoltz is drawn into the hunt for his murderer, who turns out to be a serial killer who thinks hes above the law. Actress Mary-Louise Parker narrates the audiobook. (Oct. 19)

Game On by Janet Evanovich. This is Evanovichs 28th book (Tempting Twenty-Eight, she calls it) in the wildly popular Stephanie Plum series about the tireless bounty hunter battling bad guys in Trenton, N.J. As always, the author adds a heavy dose of humor to Plums escapades, which in this case involve a criminal computer hacker named Oswald Wednesday. (Nov. 2)

The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly. The fourth book in his series starring LAPD detective Renee Ballard, Connellys latest has Ballard teaming up with Harry Bosch to investigate a New Years Eve killing that may be related to an older unsolved case. (Nov. 9)

Mercy by David Baldacci. Atlee Pine returns for the fourth and last book in this series, still searching for her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted in childhood. Pine faces danger as she finally learns the truth behind Mercys disappearance. Baldacci includes enough exposition that you dont need to have read the previous books to follow the storyline  as is the case with most of the series listed here. (Nov. 16)

Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell. Cornwells new Dr. Kay Scarpetta novel has Scarpetta back as chief medical examiner in Virginia and called upon by the White House to investigate the accident that caused the deaths of scientists who were working at a secret lab in outer space. (Nov. 30)

Also of Note

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell. In this entertaining mystery by the best-selling author of Then She Was Gone and The Family Upstairs, clues begin to surface about what may have happened to a young couple who disappeared a year earlier. (Sept. 7)

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. A wildly imaginative, time-traveling epic thats set in part during the 1453 siege of Constantinople  very different than Doerrs beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning World War II novel All the Light We Cannot See. The new novel has just been long-listed for the National Book Award. (Sept. 18)

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. The author of the brilliant A Tale for the Time Being returns with a sensitive, quirky story about a 14-year-old boy who starts hearing voices, first of his dead father, then from inanimate objects. (Sept. 23)

What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J.A. Chancy. A young boy, wealthy expat, a call girl and more find their lives torn apart in Haiti after the massive earthquake that hit the island in 2010. Each has to find a way to rebuild from the rubble. (Oct. 5)

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. The author of the massive best seller A Gentleman in Moscow returns with a very different story, set in the 1950s and featuring two young Nebraskan brothers hoping to create new lives out West. (Oct. 5)

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman. This is the fourth and last book in Hoffmans spellbinding series (Practical Magic, The Rules of Magic, Magic Lessons), about the multigenerational Owens family and the women who have unusual gifts, but have been cursed to never find love. (Oct. 5)

Silverview by John le Carre. Fans are eager to read this posthumously published novel by the renowned master of spy fiction (The Man Who Came in From the Cold, among many others). Julian Lawndsley is running a bookstore in a quiet seaside town when a mysterious man shows up at the store. Julians simple life soon grows very complicated. (Oct. 12)

State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny. Yup, another blockbuster author collaboration, following thrillers penned by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. The plot has, no surprise, a Secretary of State as the hero, leading the U.S.s effort to disrupt a terrorist plot and save the country from disaster. (Oct. 12)

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris. A debut thriller set in Atlanta about a Black corporate attorney (Morriss own profession), Ellice Littlejohn. When her lover/boss is murdered, shes mysteriously promoted in his place, and begins to learn some sinister secrets. (Nov. 2)
Virginia voters say they are concerned about being able to afford the cost of prescription medication for themselves or a family member. To reduce costs in Virginia, the majority of voters support proposals such as bulk-purchasing and creating a drug affordability board.

For more information, please contact Katherine Bridges at kbridges@aarp.org. For media inquiries, please contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.

Suggested citation:

Bridges, Kate. 2021 Virginia Election Survey: Likely Voters Support Lowering Prescription Drug Prices. Washington, DC: AARP Research, September 2021. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00491.002
iStock / Getty Images

En espanol

In this world, risks are inevitable, and thats why we have insurance: to mitigate risk. For the price of a premium, you transfer some of your risk to the insurance company; in return, you receive a payout if a problem occurs. The goal is to reduce your exposure to a sudden and potentially catastrophic loss, thus protecting your financial foundation and that of your loved ones. It sounds good, in theory, but some forms of insurance are unnecessary or may not be worth the cost.



To save money, you could self-insure, to some extent, by redirecting some dollars to your emergency fund to use if a loss occurs. If a person has the discipline to build adequate savings, then they can save unnecessary insurance expenses, says Charles Sachs, a certified financial planner (CFP) at Kaufman Rossin Wealth in Miami, Florida. One example, he says, is a health plan with low out-of-pocket-costs. They are more expensive than higher-deductible plans where you rely on your savings, should you need to.

Reviewing your insurance requirements periodically is a good practice, financial advisers agree. To determine if a certain type of policy is extraneous, look at the potential risk  the probability of filing a claim  and the cost of protecting against that risk, says Landon Tymochko, a CFP at Leslie Roper Day & Associates in Folsom, California. Youll also want to consider whether the policy is still needed, given your age and circumstances. Below is a list of insurance products that often dont make sense for many people.

1. Life insurance after you retire

Life insurance is intended to protect your loved ones from a loss of income should something happen to you. The need for it depends on your age and financial situation, says Geoffrey Owen, a CFP at Front Porch Financial Advisory in Charlotte, North Carolina. If you have debt, and your spouse and others depend on you, then it may be a good choice. It may not be if you have little or no debt and your retirement assets are substantial. Whole life policies dont make sense for people with no obvious reason for it, including those with a high-net-worth estate plan. 

2. Final-expense coverage

These policies are heavily advertised to people over 50. Do you need one? No, if you have little debt and substantial assets; yes, if youre still building those assets and want to spare loved ones the burden of covering your outstanding debts, end-of-life medical costs and funeral expenses, should you pass away suddenly. 

3. Life insurance for kids or grandkids

When asked about this type of insurance, George Gagliardi, a CFP at Coromandel Wealth Management, in Lexington, Massachusetts, raised a good question: Your children are not sources of income, so why do you need to insure them? He adds that life insurance for children is most often sold as term insurance, which has no cash value. Still, in this era of COVID-19 and the potential for future health issues, some parents have been purchasing whole life insurance for their kids to guarantee their insurability in the future. Although adults hold these policies initially, they can be transferred to children down the road. Also, should COVID or its complications take the childs life, the payout can be used for medical costs as well as funeral expenses. Your financial planner may have more ideas on the subject.

 4. Disability insurance as you age

 Having disability insurance is a responsible move. But people often carry it longer than they should, observes Seth Benjamin Mullikin, a CFP at Lattice Financial LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina. Because this insurance pays only until age 65, the number of years that you could collect from it after a disabling injury or illness decreases over time. A 35-year-old paying the same premium could collect for 30 years; if youre 62, you could collect for just three.

5. Mortgage life insurance

A policy that will pay your mortgage payment if you cannot may sound reasonable, but these policies are narrow in scope. Your loved ones will receive no additional financial benefit, as they would with a life insurance policy, which also may be less expensive. Whats more, the older you get and the more you pay down your mortgage, the less you need this type of coverage. Yet the premiums will remain the same.
Sipa USA/Alamy Live News

En espanol

Job seekers who are looking for seasonal work might find some extra holiday cheer this year. Retailers such as Amazon and shipping companies including UPS are hiring thousands of people to help with the holiday rush. And some companies are likely to sweeten their employment offers with incentives such as signing bonuses and tuition benefits.



Unemployment levels have dropped since their pandemic peak in spring 2020, and there are more job openings than people seeking jobs. That means the seasonal job market right now especially favors workers, including mid-career adults and retirees looking to earn additional income.

Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist at the New School for Social Research, says that this holiday season shell be looking to see if workers get better pay and conditions.

I would advise someone who is going to enter the labor market or is going to pick up another job to push a little bit and ask for what they want, she said, including more flexible schedules. I am seeing employers aware they have to give workers more. But, she added, its important to negotiate up front. Once you start working, its very hard to change the terms of contract, she said.

The types of opportunities available this holiday season have been shaped by pandemic shopping trends, such as e-commerce. Shipping and warehousing businesses added a record-breaking 493,000 jobs last holiday season, according to a report from the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas based on U.S. Labor Department statistics.

Job seekers hoping for more traditional retail work may also take heart. Even with the spike in e-commerce, more retail stores opened in the United States this year than closed, according to a survey from RetailSphere, and companies like Michaels and Kohls are hiring now for in-store associates.

Not interested in retail, transportation or warehousing? Most of the companies hiring by the thousands are in those industries, but Ghilarducci said those seeking seasonal work should also look to the hospitality industry.


Lake Webinar information

Sydney, Sep 22, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Clean lithium developer Lake Resources NL ( ASX:LKE ) ( FRA:LK1 ) ( OTCMKTS:LLKKF ) invites investors to join Lake's Managing Director, Steve Promnitz and Chairman Stu Crow, together with David Snydacker, CEO of Lilac Solutions Inc., at an investor webinar hosted by Red Cloud Securities Inc. to discuss the companies' clean lithium technology development.Please register for the webinar via:For investors who cannot attend the live event, a recording will be automatically sent to all who register via the link above, with a link also to be made available via Lake's website.Lake Resources NL and Lilac Solutions, Inc. announced today that after extensive successful testwork, they have entered into a partnership for technology and funding to develop Lake's Kachi Lithium Brine Project (Kachi) in Argentina. Under the terms of the partnership earn-in, Lilac is able to achieve an equity stake in the Kachi project with certain corresponding project funding obligations, while providing its leading technology to advance the project (see ASX release 22 Sept 2021).To view the Webinar Presentation, please visit:About Lake Resources NL

Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) (OTCMKTS:LLKKF) is a clean lithium developer utilising clean, direct extraction technology for the development of sustainable, high purity lithium from its flagship Kachi Project, as well as three other lithium brine projects in Argentina. The projects are in a prime location within the Lithium Triangle, where 40% of the world's lithium is produced at the lowest cost.



This method will enable Lake Resources to be an efficient, responsibly-sourced, environmentally friendly and cost competitive supplier of high-purity lithium, which is readily scalable, and in demand from Tier 1 electric vehicle makers and battery makers.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Teacher vacancies at New Mexico public schools have exploded this year  with a persistently high volume of openings for elementary and special education teachers, according to preliminary research shared Tuesday.

Rachel Boren, director of the Southwest Outreach Academic Research Evaluation and Policy Center at New Mexico State University, said she and her students are still finalizing an annual report on teacher vacancies.

But the initial analysis suggests New Mexico had more than 1,000 openings this fall, up from 570 last year, she told legislators in a hearing at the Capitol.

Its a staggering number, she said of teacher vacancies.

New Mexico has about 21,000 to 22,000 teachers overall.

The eye-opening vacancy report came as members of the Legislative Finance Committee weigh academic and policy research ahead of the 2022 legislative session. They heard from a number of experts during a hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Improving student achievement is a particular priority for the upcoming session, following a landmark court ruling in 2018 that found the state is violating the rights of some students by failing to provide a sufficient education. Much of the case focused on students who are English language learners, Native American or from low-income families.

Boren said job advertisements reviewed by her students suggest New Mexico needs more teachers at the elementary level and with a special education background. Theres also high demand for teachers in math, science, health, English and other subjects.

Danny Espinoza, a research and policy associate at the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute, told lawmakers that teacher qualifications and experience are an important predictor of student achievement.

Teachers, for example, appear to get better over the course of their careers, he said, making retention an important strategy for helping students. But New Mexico teachers leave the profession at a much higher rate than the national average, Espinoza said.

Compensation, the working environment, support from administrators and mentoring are factors that aid in retention, Espinoza said.

About 23% of New Mexicos teachers are inexperienced, he said, a figure that grows to 36% for schools serving high-poverty communities.

New Mexico has struggled with teacher shortages for years, Espinoza said.

The state has jumped up the national rankings in teacher pay in recent years, he said, but it still trails neighboring Colorado and Texas. Average teacher salaries in New Mexico range from about $43,000 to $61,000, according to his presentation.

Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, said the Legislature needs to ensure its spending is directed appropriately to improve retention.

Evidently, were not spending the money in the right place to do that if were having so many leaving, Woods said.

Sen. Roberto Bobby Gonzales, a retired educator and Democrat from Ranchos de Taos, said higher pay will have to be part of the answer.

The main part is going to have to be better salaries, he said.

Representatives from the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation, a nonprofit group in northern New Mexico, shared quotes from local teachers to provide insight into why teachers might be leaving. Many said they dont feel valued and need better support from leadership, increased pay and ongoing professional development.

One teacher said each educator is expected to be a miracle worker and treated as defective if they dont succeed.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

After five sessions convening law enforcement, court officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and representatives from higher education and rehab facilities, the city has unveiled 40 items it says will turn the tide on crime in the region.

I will tell you to stand up here as a collective community, in our respective offices, and admit our challenges, admit our failures, but also commit to doing more going forward, that is  I think  what all of us expect from our leaders, Mayor Tim Keller said at a late morning news conference at the Albuquerque Police Departments Real Time Crime Center. I want to thank everyone for being part of that because it is not easy. Its easy to blame someone else, its easy to point fingers, its easy to make excuses. And that is what you will not see in this effort going forward.

The administration launched the Metro Crime Initiative in mid-July in a bid to identify ways to fix what it called a broken criminal justice system. The five sessions, each about two hours and livestreamed on the citys YouTube channel, addressed opportunities for early intervention, detention, diversion and hearings, resources for victims advocates and offender reentry, and career pipelines.

The resulting to-do list includes: invest in mobile speed enforcement to free up officers while combating the scourge of dangerous driving; create a task force to examine officer retention and lateral recruitment programs for all police agencies in New Mexico; create restorative justice programs in schools; fund indigent copays for drug testing for pre-prosecution diversion programs; and many more items.

The last item came out of conversations with both the District Attorneys Office and the Law Offices of the Public Defender.

Were covering the cost of drug testing required to participate in the pre-prosecution diversion for those who cant afford it, said Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair. So the cost is not a barrier. And thats the kind of simple concrete idea that came out of this initiative that we can all commit to definitely funding and moving forward with.

It also includes such legislative changes as pass(ing) a law that makes owning, operating or doing business with a chop shop a crime and pre-trial presumption of dangerousness when an offender uses, brandishes, or is in possession of a firearm during a violent, drug or property crime.

Notably, while Bernalillo County commissioners and the manager participated in the meetings, the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office did not.

Keller said the Sheriffs Office was invited to every session, but frankly, theyre the only one in the entire state of New Mexico who never showed or never replied.

Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, whos running for mayor, at first said he was not formally invited. Then, he said that he was invited, but didnt have time between his constitutional duties and campaigning, and he thinks its all just smoke and mirrors.

So, for them to try to invite me  thinking that Im going to show up in the middle of these things that to me are more pressing  to try to distract me from ultimately winning this race, I will not fall into that trap, Gonzales said.

Officials stressed that just because an agencys logo was included on the handout with the action items, that does not mean it endorsed every one.

After the news conference, Chief Public Defender Bennett Baur said he thought the initiative was a great forum that allowed for some wonderful discussions with the chief of police and with the mayors staff.

However, he said, he strongly disagrees with a number of items regarding the court system and proposed laws. For instance, he said the group didnt have a chance to discuss pretrial detention in any depth.

I think that if we detain people pretrial the way that theyre talking about  they want to change the rules about the case management order  I think in the long run that could actually create more crime, Baur said. Well be holding people in jails prior to trial, possibly for months, and that actually increases recidivism. So, I think this group started some good discussions. But I think of the 40 things here, theres four or five, I think, that will not help solve crime. They would make it worse.

He said instead of holding more defendants in jail pending trial, the focus should be on better policing and better prosecution in order to secure convictions for those who are guilty.

The other thing I think that is really important to talk about is the conditions in the jails and prisons, Baur said. If people are going to be held, what are the conditions? And what are they going to be like when they get out? And thats something I think we didnt have time to talk about.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

A judge has authorized federal agents to seize more than $1.52 million from bank accounts of Robotics Learning Management LLC and more than $1 million from bank accounts of businesses and charities associated with former House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton.

The seizure order was signed Sept. 9 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Yarbrough, according to documents unsealed Tuesday in federal court.

Stapleton, who was indicted Monday on 26 state felony charges, including racketeering, money laundering and fraud, oversaw the program at Albuquerque Public Schools that paid Robotics from federal grant money managed by the state Public Education Department. Robotics provided software and training for APS teachers and students in the vocational and career technical education program at APS.

Publicly available documents dont say what FBI agents actually found or confiscated from the accounts, but do say the federal government has taken control of $452,419 that was being held by state District Court in Albuquerque after it was seized by the office of Attorney General Hector Balderas in August.

The documents also show federal agents have seized Stapletons 2017 Volvo SUV because money from one of the charities was used to pay for it.

Stapleton, a Democrat and longtime representative from House District 19, east of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, resigned from the Legislature on July 30, two days after agents from the Attorney Generals Office served search warrants on her home, APS offices, her family restaurant and the Legislature. She was fired in August from APS, where she was coordinator and director of career and technical education.

Stapleton is charged in state court with five counts of money laundering for allegedly transferring more than $200,000 from a Robotics bank account to companies and charities she had an interest in, including her private consulting firm and the family restaurant, Taste of the Caribbean.

She also faces state charges of taking kickbacks, having an unlawful interest in a public contract and using her legislative position to attempt to get a promotion at APS.

While federal authorities have moved to seize assets, no federal charges have been filed against Stapleton. Federal agents were present during the July raid.

Stapleton and her attorney say she is innocent of any criminal charges and intend to fight to clear her name.

Robotics, based in Washington, D.C., had a sole source contract for years at APS and was paid more than $5 million for what Superintendent Scott Elder called services of questionable value when he asked Attorney General Hector Balderas to investigate Stapleton in April. APS stopped doing business with Robotics after the investigation began.

Records in federal court show the president of Robotics Learning Management Systems LLC, Joseph F. Johnson, told the FBI that Stapleton wasnt authorized to take money from his company and deposit it into her own businesses.

The money federal agents are seeking to seize was paid to Robotics through the federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Educational Act, according to the affidavit  totaling more than $3 million since 2013. The affidavit filed in support of the seizure order said grant money diverted to Stapletons business and charitable interests is subject to civil and criminal seizure because federal law prohibits kickbacks and bribes.

Johnson told FBI agents that he and Stapleton have been friends since the 1970s when they both attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

Johnson founded Robotics, which offered a software program that promised to help underperforming students in math, and told his longtime friend Stapleton about the computer program. She expressed interest and ultimately got APS to sign a contract with Robotics.

Robotics had a sole-source contract with APS, its only major client, for almost 14 years before the contract was put out to bid in 2019.

According to the seizure warrant filed in federal court, Johnson told FBI agents that he had no financial relationship with Stapleton.

There is nothing coming to her from our company, period, Johnson told FBI agents, according to the affidavit.

FBI agents noticed discrepancies in the handwriting on the checks written out to Stapletons family restaurant and other businesses and charities.

They concluded, according to the affidavit, that Johnson did not sign the checks deposited into the accounts linked to Stapleton.

According to the affidavit, Johnson said he contributed about $10,000 to the Ujima Foundation and the Charley Morissey Foundation, but bank records showed checks totaling more than $400,000 from Robotics deposited into the accounts of the two charities. Both Johnson and Stapleton served as directors of the charities, but according to court records, Stapleton controlled the bank accounts for both entities.

The affidavit also says that the amount of money going into the charities accounts did not match what was being reported in IRS filings. Agents said they found similar discrepancies in state gross receipts tax filings made by Stapletons family restaurant and her consulting company, S Williams and Associates.

Johnson was once a rising star in Democratic Party politics.

During the administration of Gov. Toney Anaya in the 1980s, he served as secretary of the Health and Environment Department until he was charged in a criminal complaint with accepting bribes from former business partners in Carlsbad.

The criminal complaint was dismissed in July 1986 by then-District Judge William Schneder after a series of hearings. Schneder ruled that prosecutors had failed to show probable cause that a crime had been committed.

Johnson went on to head the Rev. Jesse Jacksons campaign in New Mexico for president in the Democratic primary. After Jackson lost to Michael Dukakis in 1988, Johnson went on to be Jacksons national director of the Rainbow Coalition for two years.

He then went into private business and worked for a private prison company in Washington, D.C.
Tara Calicos name popped up again on my calendar this week, my annual reminder that on Sept. 20 her family and those who love and remember her marked another year without her, another year not knowing what happened to her that morning in 1988 when she went for her daily two-hour bike ride from her Rio Communities home and never returned.

Thirty-three years now.

People still remember at least parts of the story, the details that stick and rattle around in their memory, her disappearance among the states most notorious and perplexing unsolved mysteries.

They remember her mothers neon pink 12-speed Huffy with the yellow control cables and sidewalls that she borrowed for her ride that morning. The Boston cassette tape playing in the yellow Walkman she was listening to. The light-colored truck witnesses say was following her on N.M. 47. The mysterious photo of a young woman and a boy, bound and gagged in a van in Florida, their identities never known with 100% certainty. How she was 19, a sophomore at the Valencia County branch of the University of New Mexico. How pretty she was, always smiling. How hard her parents, Patty and John Doel, worked to find her and to keep her case in the headlines and on the minds of the public and law enforcement.

Patty died in 2006 in Port Charlotte, Florida. They moved into their dream home there in 2003 to escape their nightmare, but it hadnt worked. Patty, her mind muddled by strokes, never stopped looking out her window, waiting for Tara to ride home.

John is back in New Mexico now, living with daughter Michele, who carries on her parents vow to never stop looking for answers.

Thirty-three years now and there is still hope those answers are just a few clues away.

She is certainly not and never has been forgotten, and we have always continued to follow leads and work on solving the case, Valencia County sheriffs Lt. Joseph Rowland said.

He has news in the case, of a sort.

Last April, a search warrant was executed at a home in Valencia County in connection with Calicos disappearance, Rowland said. A judge sealed the warrant, however, so Rowland cannot divulge any information on what was discovered or what leads are being followed as a result.

But it appears leads are being followed.

What Rowland can say is that Calico is not believed to be connected to the suspect in at least three long-unsolved homicides that occurred in Albuquerque around the same time as Calicos disappearance.

Last month, Paul Apodaca was charged in the 1988 murder of Althea Oakeley, another UNM student. Albuquerque police say he also confessed to at least two more homicides, including the 1989 shooting death of 18-year-old Kaitlyn Arquette, whose case has also been one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries in New Mexico.

We are not aware of any potential connection between Paul Apodaca and the disappearance of Tara Calico, Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos confirmed.

Hopes have risen and fallen over the years, so it is hard to place much hope on whatever this search warrant may lead to.

And still we hope.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been obsessed this month with the disappearance of another young woman, her case going viral across social media.

Gabby Petito, 22, had been missing for days from her Instagram-documented, cross-country, van-life trip with her fiance, Brian Laundrie before her family filed a missing persons report Sept. 11 after learning that Laundrie and the van had quietly returned home to North Port, Florida, more than a week before without her  and he wasnt talking.

Petitos remains were located Sunday in a remote site in the vast Grand Tetons National Park, this needle-in-a-haystack find aided in part by tips from the public.

Calicos case was also widely publicized, albeit in an era before social media, YouTube and blogging. Today, her case has a Facebook page and a podcast, though activity on both has been somewhat sparse of late.

Women disappear more often than most of us know, their trail cold and, worse, rarely followed to the answers. Few receive the same public attention as Calico or Petito.

This Tuesday, for example, marked the 36th year since Debra Lansdell, 29, of Belen disappeared, her Porsche found five months later in the 1500 block of Gold SE in Albuquerque. Like Calico and Petito, Lansdell was young, white and pretty. But I bet youve never heard of her.

Hundreds more women, many who are minorities, go missing, their stories largely unheard by the public. As of 2016, the National Crime Information Center has reported more than 5,700 missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. They are among the MMIW  Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and if nothing else, the Petito case has shown they deserve attention, too.

And I hope, as I have for 33 years, that this time, this year Tara Calico gets the attention her case needs to bring those answers home.

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline at 730-2793, jkrueger@abqjournal.com, Facebook or @jolinegkg on Twitter.
SANTA FE  New Mexico education officials say they are demanding additional oversight of a narrow slice of federal funding awarded to Albuquerque Public Schools after a criminal investigation into a former employee.

District officials reported the alleged fraud this summer after staff first noticed irregularities in contracts in the career and Technical Education Department in 2018. That led to a criminal investigation regarding about $5 million in questionable contracts.

The New Mexico Public Education Department announced additional oversight Tuesday, after the release Monday of a criminal indictment of former state Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, who was the districts Technical Education Department coordinator.

She was fired from her job and resigned from the Legislature.

She also denied wrongdoing and said through an attorney Monday that she will fight the charges, which consist of 26 counts related to fraud, tax evasion and using her position to serve her own financial interests.

State officials say they will withhold around $1 million in federal funds until the district hires an independent auditor and trains staff on an improved plan to prevent waste and fraud. The district faces deadlines to meet some requirements in October.

State Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus said his department takes seriously the recent allegations and is committed to working cooperatively with Albuquerque Public Schools.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Speaking publicly for the first time, Sgt. Sean Kenny recounted the morning he was shot, squarely in the bulletproof vest, a little more than a month ago.

The 22-year veteran of the Albuquerque Police Department also blamed the court-mandated reform effort for the high number of officers leaving the force, saying hes not opposed to reform, but its got to be smart. Its got to be intelligent. Its got to be workable.

They dont know Im saying this. Im challenging everybody in this room, everybody on this list, to do better, Kenny said. Because everybody can  from the brand new (officer) who makes that first arrest to the governor and everybody in between. We have to do better because we are failing. Everybodys failing. APD is failing. Everybody, were failing.

Kenny and three other officers were wounded  one critically  in a shootout in the parking lot of a busy drive-thru coffee shop in Northeast Albuquerque. An armed robbery suspect, James Ramirez of Los Angeles, was also wounded and is facing federal charges. The shooting happened between sessions of the citys Metro Crime Initiative and the mayor said Kenny asked to speak about his experience at a Tuesday news conference.

Kenny said that, on the morning of Aug. 19, he heard a call about an armed robbery that piqued his interest, but he was in the middle of doing paperwork at the Foothills Substation.

A short time later, he was asked to go to the scene because the sister of a person who was stopped had a complaint and asked to speak to a sergeant. By the time he got there, she was gone.

Then, officer Mario Verbeck called out that they had eyes on the suspects.

So we all headed down that way, Kenny said. I came around the corner, and I see Mario and James Eichel running down, running down the alley  . When I saw them run down the alley, I whipped a U-turn. Im heading southbound on Juan Tabo and I can hear the gunfire in my car over the radio. And theres a lot of it.

Kenny said he arrived at Dutch Bros Coffee and threw on his rifle plate carrier  basically a bulletproof vest.

When the suspect popped up to my right, Im in my drivers seat. Im not ready for this, Kenny said. I bailed out of the car, I watched my camera go skidding across the pavement. And the thought, literally, that goes through my mind  by now, Harry (Gunderson) and the suspect are shooting each other  is Im going to get in trouble.

Kenny said the gunfight lasted a minute-and-a-half to two minutes and, in the middle of it, the suspect reloaded.

That was by far (and) away, the most terrified Ive been in my life, he said. I didnt think I was going to see my wife and my son again.

Afterward, as police arrived and started tending to the wounded, an officer noticed Kenny had been struck in the chest. I got a little notebook. He pulls it out. Its got a hole in it. Im like, Yeah, I was hit and Ill be blunt. I was a little foggy from there on out. 

Ramirez, Kenny said, is an example of someone who should not have been given a second and third chance.

He knew what he was doing, Kenny said. One hundred percent  he had a ton of ammo, he had a ton of magazines and he was ready to go to war with somebody, whether it was us or the people that he robbed.
SANTA FE  Las Cruces-based defense and civil rights attorney Margaret Strickland was confirmed Tuesday by the U.S. Senate to serve as a federal judge in New Mexico, where two prior nominees from former President Donald Trump were sidelined in the runup to the 2020 election.

Strickland was among President Joe Bidens first slate of nominees to the federal bench announced in March. She was confirmed Tuesday by a 52-45 vote of the Senate, including supportive votes by Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan.

Prior nominations by Trump to fill two vacancies on the U.S. District Court in New Mexico were put on hold in September 2020 by Heinrich and Sen. Tom Udall, Lujans predecessor. They said Trump had politicized the judicial nominations process blatantly as a tool for campaigning shortly before the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and deferred the vetting process until after the 2020 election.

Heinrich praised Strickland for her familiarity with the Southwest region along the U.S. border with Mexico and her work ethic.

The New Mexico U.S. District Court has relied on visiting judges to relieve pressure on its robust dockets of immigration and drug trafficking cases.

Republican Judge Kea W. Riggs filled a vacancy on the local U.S. District Court in 2019, and Trump also opened the way in 2017 for former Roswell-based attorney Joel Carson to join the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to take the place of Paul Joseph Kelly.

Strickland takes on the lifetime judicial appointment at age 41. She started her career at the Law Offices of the Public Defender for the state of New Mexico, from 2006 through 2011. She continued her career as a partner at McGraw & Strickland, representing more than 70 clients at trial and arguing before the state Supreme Court.

Among civil rights claims, Strickland represented Jillian and Andrew Beck in a lawsuit against two Las Cruces police officers on allegations of brutality and civil rights violations. The couple prevailed in a jury trial and received a $1.4 million settlement award in 2018.

Lujan said that Strickland brings professional diversity to the federal courts as a former public defender.
HELSINKI, Finland  The top American military officer held talks Wednesday with his Russian counterpart as the United States struggles to secure basing rights and other counterterrorism support in countries bordering Afghanistan  an effort Moscow has opposed.

The six-hour meeting in Finlands capital between Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, came at a crucial time after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Without troops on the ground, the U.S. needs to reach more basing, intelligence sharing and other agreements to help monitor al-Qaida and Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.

Russias deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, had said in July that Moscow warned the U.S. that any deployment of American troops in countries neighboring Afghanistan is unacceptable. He said Russia told the U.S. in a direct and straightforward way that it would change a lot of things not only in our perceptions of whats going on in that important region, but also in our relations with the United States.

Ryabkov also said that Russia had a frank talk with the Central Asian countries to warn them not to allow U.S. troops within their borders.

Both sides agreed not to disclose details of the talks, as has been the practice in previous meetings and calls. Afterward, Milley said: It was a productive meeting. When military leaders of great powers communicate, the world is a safer place.

He recently made clear that the basing issue was a key topic on his European trip, saying he discussed it with NATO counterparts when they met in Greece over the weekend.

Milley, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and American intelligence officials have warned that al-Qaida or IS could regenerate and pose a threat to the United States in one year to two years.

U.S. military leaders have said they can conduct counterterrorism surveillance and, if necessary, strikes in Afghanistan from military assets based in other countries. But they acknowledge that surveillance flights from bases in the Persian Gulf are long and provide limited time in the air over Afghanistan. So the U.S. and allies want basing agreements, overflight rights and increased intelligence-sharing with nations closer to Afghanistan, such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan.

So far there are no indications of any progress. Moscow maintains a tight grip on the Central Asian nations and opposes a Western presence there.

The U.S. used the Transit Center at Manas, in Krygyzstan, for a large part of the Afghanistan war, moving troops in and out of the war zone through that base. Under pressure from Russia and its allies, however, Krygyzstan insisted the U.S. vacate the base in 2014.

The U.S. also leased Karshi-Khanabad, known as K2, as a base in Uzbekistan for several years after the Afghanistan war began. Uzbekistan ordered the base closed in 2005 amid tensions with Washington, and the Defense Ministry reaffirmed in May that the countrys constitution and military doctrine rule out the presence of foreign troops there.

Its unclear whether there is any potential for negotiations with the Russians to encourage them to lessen their objections to U.S. or allied presence in the region. But Russian officials also have expressed concern that the Taliban takeover could destabilize Central Asia, and they worry about a growing threat from IS.

Milleys meeting with Gerasimov, and broader discussions about counterterrorism this week, come on the heels of a deadly U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan in the final days of the chaotic evacuation of Americans, Afghans and others. The U.S. initially claimed the drone strike killed an Islamic extremist looking to attack the Kabul airport, but now says it was a mistake that killed 10 civilians, including seven children.

The incident triggered questions about the future use of drone strikes to target terrorists in Afghanistan from beyond the country. But Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said that while that airstrike was a tragic mistake it was not comparable to future counterterror strikes.

Future strikes on insurgents deemed to pose a threat to America, McKenzie said, would be done under different rules of engagement and there would be more time to study the target.
UNITED NATIONS  Racism, climate change and worsening divisions among nations and cultures topped the agenda Wednesday as leaders from China to Costa Rica, from Finland to Turkey to the United Nations itself outlined reasons why the world isnt working as it should  and what must be done quickly to fix it. Said one countrys president: The future is raising its voice at us.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began early last year, more than two dozen world leaders appeared in person at the U.N. General Assembly on the opening day of their annual high-level meeting Tuesday. In speech after speech, the atmosphere was somber, angry and dire.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that the world has entered a period of new turbulence and transformation. Finland President Sauli Niinisto said: We are indeed at a critical juncture. And Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada declared: The future is raising its voice at us: Less military weaponry, more investment in peace!

Speaker after speaker at Tuesdays opening of the nearly week-long meeting decried the inequalities and deep divisions that have prevented united global action to end the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed nearly 4.6 million lives and is still raging, and the failure to sufficiently tackle the climate crisis threatening the planet.

COVID-19 and climate are certain to remain top issues for heads of state and government. But Wednesdays U.N. agenda will first turn the spotlight on the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the controversial U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery.

The U.S. and Israel walked out during the meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism to racism  a provision that was eventually dropped. Twenty countries are boycotting Wednesdays commemoration, according to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which urged more countries to join them in continuing to fight racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism.

Following the commemoration, heads of state will start delivering their annual addresses again in the vast General Assembly hall. Speakers include King Abdullah II of Jordan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Perhaps the harshest assessment of the current global crisis came from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who opened his state of the world address sounding an alarm that the world must wake up.

Our world has never been more threatened or more divided, he said. We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes.

We are on the edge of an abyss  and moving in the wrong direction, the secretary-general warned.

Guterres pointed to supersized glaring inequalities in addressing COVID-19, climate alarm bells  ringing at fever pitch, upheavals from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Yemen and beyond thwarting peace, and a surge of mistrust and misinformation (that) is polarizing people and paralyzing societies.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the pandemic was a reminder that the entire world are part of a big family.

But the solidarity test that we were put to failed us miserably, he said. It is a disgrace for humanity that vaccine nationalism is still being carried on through different methods, and underdeveloped countries and poor segments of societies have been literally left to their fate in the face of the pandemic.

As for the climate crisis, Erdogan said whoever did the most damage to nature, the atmosphere and water, and whoever has wildly exploited natural resources should make the greatest contribution to fighting global warming.

Unlike the past, this time no one can afford the luxury to say, Im powerful so I will not pay the bill because climate change will treat mankind quite equally, the Turkish leader said. The duty for all of us is to take measures against this enormous threat, with a fair burden-sharing.

Romanias President Klaus Iohannis did find something positive from the COVID-19 crisis.

While the pandemic affected almost all aspects of our lives, he said, it also provided us with opportunities to learn, adapt and do things better.

Two of the most closely watched speeches on Tuesday were delivered by U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In an Associated Press interview on Saturday, Guterres warned that the world could plunge into a new and probably more dangerous Cold War if China and the United States dont repair their completely dysfunctional relationship. Unfortunately, today we only have confrontation, he said.

Biden said in his U.N. address that the United States was not attempting to be divisive or confrontational.

We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs, he said. The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges even if we have intense disagreements in other areas.

Speaking later, Xi said disputes among countries need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation.

One countrys success does not have to mean another countrys failure, Xi said. The world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries.

By tradition, the first country to speak was Brazil, whose president, Jair Bolsonaro rebuffed criticism of his handling of the pandemic and touted recent data indicating less Amazon deforestation. He said he was seeking to counter the image of Brazil portrayed in the media, touting it as a great place for investment and praising his pandemic welfare program, which helped avoid a worse recession last year.

Bolsonaro said that his government has successfully distributed first doses to the majority of adults, but doesnt support vaccine passports or forcing anyone to have a shot. He has said several times in the past week that he remains unvaccinated. He had COVID-19 last year.

Brazils health minister, Marcelo Quiroga, who was with Bolsonaro, later tested positive for the coronavirus and will remain in isolation in the United States, the government said. Quiroga got his first shot of coronavirus vaccine in January.

___

Edith M. Lederer, chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, has been reporting internationally for nearly 50 years. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EdithLedererAP
NEW ORLEANS  Louisianas oyster farmers, crabbers, shrimpers and anglers are nothing if not adaptable, producing millions of pounds of seafood annually, often in water that was dry land a generation ago. Theyve fought off a devastating oil spill, floods, changing markets and endless hurricanes just to stay in business.

After Hurricane Ida, though, some wonder about their ability to continue in a seemingly endless cycle of recovery and readjustment.

The Category 4 hurricane that struck Louisiana late last month fractured some parts of the industry even worse than 2005s Katrina, which cost seafood businesses more than $1 billion. No one yet knows how many boats, docks and processors were lost because of Idas relentless, 150-mph winds. Vessels that made it to the safest harbors fared the best, yet even some of them were destroyed by the storms fury.

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, whose office oversees seafood promotion, said some areas, like Lafitte, were all but wiped out. The damage is a devastating blow to people whose entire lives are intertwined with fishing and the Gulf Coast.

This thing just seemed to beat and beat and beat, kind of mixing it up like a washing machine, Nungesser said. I think that slow-moving storm beating these boats against the docks, against each other, caused a lot more vessels to sink and have major damage.

The story of Idas impact on Louisianas $2.4 billion seafood industry, which employs more than 23,000 at last count, is unfolding across places that outsiders struggle to even pronounce: Parishes like Plaquemines, Lafourche, and Terrebonne, cities and hamlets including Pointe-aux-Chenes, Des Allemandes and Houma. There, seafood families go back generations.

The people who make their living off the Gulf bounty are pledging to come back again this time provided another hurricane doesnt wipe them out first. But there are other challenges ahead as Louisiana tries to save a vanishing coastline, an industry and a way of life, all at the same time.

RAINING INSIDE

The ferocious wind from Hurricane Ida tore off so much of the roof of Motivatit Seafoods that it rained inside the oyster plant in Houma when squalls from Hurricane Nicholas blew through two weeks later, ruining expensive processing equipment. Across a parking lot, Ida reduced the companys maintenance shop to a crumpled heap of metal.

This is at least 20 times worse than weve ever had, said Steven Voisin, who runs the 50-year-old family business founded by his late brother and father. It could have been worse, but it doesnt matter. The buildings are to the extent of not really being able to be reused.

Oyster production already was down in Louisiana because of hurricanes and the BP oil spill of 2010, and several years of bad flooding virtually wiped out some areas where the shellfish grew, partly because a major spillway had to be opened in 2019, Voisin said.

Where this state was out-producing all other states combined in the past, now were just another state with a few oysters, he said.

Then, the coronavirus pandemic forced restaurants around the U.S. to close last year, killing demand for a product thats best served fresh. While Motivatit Seafoods employed as many as 100 people in the past, Voisin said, the current payroll is around 20 people, at least some of whom will help determine how to move forward after Ida.

Were going to have to consolidate things, become smaller, use what we can and hope to get up and running, he said.

Voisin said he has yet to compute a dollar estimate for damage to the company, which also operates boats that harvest oysters, but its substantial.

We hope that were able to have the vision and the wisdom to continue. Its going to be a battle, he said.

FRACTURED SHRIMPERS

Unable to speak for a decade since cancer surgery, Dale Williams gets by on disability payments of $1,300 a month. Living in a mobile home at Port Sulphur on the west bank of the Mississippi River, he supplements his income by catching shrimp with a little boat he parked in his front yard for Hurricane Ida.

Idas Category 4 winds flipped Williams trawler on its side, bending the frame and tearing nets, but it should be ready to go after about $1,500 in repairs, he said in an interview conducted by written notes. The goal is to get back on the water by October, he said, either with the damaged boat or another one that fared better.

I miss it, he wrote.

Still, Williams felt fortunate after seeing what happened a few miles down Highway 23, toward the tip of Louisianas boot. There, dozens of shrimp boats were sunk or damaged at a commercial marina off Bay Lanaux; workers tried to salvage one at dockside the day before Hurricane Nicholas followed Ida.

About half the shrimping fleet was destroyed by Ida in some coastal parishes, Acy Cooper, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, said. That amounts to hundreds of boats.

Its going to be devastating for the industry, Cooper said. Every (boat) is a small business youre losing.

Even shrimp boats that werent damaged couldnt fish for days after Ida because of the lack of power and clean water needed to make ice, which is vital to storing the catch, he said. A day at the dock means a day without income, which hurts in an industry already buffeted by years of foreign imports, high fuel prices, shifting demand and more.

The industry is going to take a big hit here, said Cooper.

COMMUNITY ON THE EDGE

The fate of a handful of rental houses could help determine whether an isolated fishing community on Louisianas southern coast lives or dies after Hurricane Ida.

Anglers from all over visit Pointe-aux-Chenes, which bills itself as having some of the very best fishing and crabbing in a state proclaimed on car license plates as a Sportsmans Paradise. Many of the communitys 3,600 or so residents are Native American or speak Cajun French, and the marina at the end of the main road helps bring cash into the modest local economy.

They come from Illinois. They come from Michigan, Ohio. All kind of people come down, said Patti Dardar, who works at the marina and lives just a few miles up the road in a badly damaged home that hasnt had water or power since Ida.

The problem for Pointe-aux-Chenes is that Ida heavily damaged a group of rental houses that stand on stilts near the marinas docks, about 80 miles southwest of New Orleans. Without housing, the visitors who normally buy tackle, fuel, food and beer wont be around for awhile to contribute to the communitys economy, which needs every penny it can get.

Even before Ida, the shrinking community was fighting to prevent its elementary school from being merged with one in nearby Montegut. Members of the Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe were among those who protested the proposal at a demonstration in April, before hurricane season began.

For now, though, cleaning up the wreckage from Ida is the main job for an isolated community that, like others in the far reaches of the state, plays a sometimes-forgotten role in the states seafood industry. Sunken or damaged commercial fishing boats, broken docks and splintered homes line the bayou that runs through town.

Dardar doesnt know when the marina might reopen, but she knows it will. It must, she said, for the town.

We gotta rebuild and start over, said Dardar.

OYSTERS ON THE HOMESTEAD

Mitch Jurisichs grandparents immigrated to the United States from Croatia in the early 1900s, settling at Bayou LaChute and living in a house surrounded by peach trees, chickens and, just off the shore, oyster beds. Today, the entire homestead is covered by more than 4 feet of water, and all that remains visible of the old camp are wooden pilings around where Jurisich farms oysters near Empire, Louisiana.

This was a high hill, he said, pointing out over submerged beds where big, succulent oysters grow to maturity quickly in the warm waters of Plaquemines Parish about 60 miles southeast of New Orleans.

Idas heavy rains caused freshwater and sediment to flood coastal estuaries, killing the shellfish, said Jurisich, chair of the Louisiana Oyster Task Force, an industry group. While farmers are still assessing their losses, he said, the final numbers will be bad.

Overall, its pretty dismal, he said.

Many in the seafood industry fear more trouble could come from a method officials are debating to save Louisianas coastline, which is disappearing similarly to the way the old Jurisich property vanished. Coastal land has been sinking in the region for years in a process thats linked in part to oil and gas extraction. Rising waters associated with climate change are only making matters worse.

To help regain land, some are advocating a multi-billion dollar plan to divert Mississippi River water in a way that would cause sediment to build new acreage where land was lost in decades past. Opponents fear the project would upset the freshwater-saltwater balance and kill an industry thats already teetering; an initial federal review found the benefit would outweigh harm to the seafood industry.

Combine that uncertainty with demand thats still off sharply because of the pandemic, and Jurisich said the future of he and his brothers company, Jurisich Oysters LLC, is far from guaranteed.

As long as Mother Nature leaves us something out there to work with, were going to bounce back, he said. Natural disasters have been around since the dawn of time. Man-made disasters are so much harder to recover from.
NEW YORK  Former President George W. Bush will headline a fundraiser next month for top Donald Trump critic Liz Cheney, turning her reelection race into a proxy war of sorts between the ex-presidents who represent two competing factions of the Republican Party.

Bush will be the featured guest at an Oct. 18 event in Dallas supporting the Wyoming congresswomans campaign, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to discuss the fundraiser by name and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Cheney, a daughter of Bushs two-term vice president, Dick Cheney, was the most prominent House Republican to vote to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. She has since emerged as one of his most vocal antagonists, and Trump has vowed to exact his revenge.

Bushs involvement puts the two former Republican presidents directly at odds and underscores the deep tension that remains within the party between Trumpism and the GOPs establishment wing.

Earlier this month, Trump announced his support for Cheney challenger Harriet Hageman, a Wyoming attorney looking to unseat the three-term congresswoman.

Bush spokesperson Freddy Ford said in a statement that the former president has historically helped a few key candidates and friends each cycle, so this one shouldnt come as any surprise.

President Bush is impressed by Liz Cheneys strength and vision, and hes proud to support her, he added.

Trump on Wednesday evening fired back in a statement that cast Bush as a Republican in name only, despite his lengthy leadership of the party, and labeled Cheney warmongering and so bad for Wyoming.

Cheneys campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday on the significance of the fundraiser. Bush aides did not comment on any possible plans to campaign on the congresswomans behalf.

While Bush has generally kept a low profile since leaving office in 2009, he delivered a pointed speech earlier this month on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in which he warned of the countrys growing internal division and a violence that gathers within.

There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home, he said as he delivered the keynote address at the national memorial to the victims of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit. And it is our continuing duty to confront them.

The warning came eight months after the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters attempting to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election. It marked some of Bushs sharpest criticism of that attack and appeared to be an implicit criticism of Trumps brand of politics.

Trump, a longtime critic of Bush who ran on opposing the countrys wars in the Middle East, responded to the speech by slamming Bush for suggesting terrorists on the right are a bigger problem than those from foreign countries that hate America, and that are pouring into our Country right now.

He shouldnt be lecturing us about anything, Trump said in a statement. The World Trade Center came down during his watch. Bush led a failed and uninspiring presidency. He shouldnt be lecturing anybody!

Cheney was ousted from her leadership position as the No. 3 House Republican for taking on Trump but has nonetheless posted huge fundraising numbers, with two consecutive record quarters, according to financial reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

That includes bringing in $1.88 million from April through June and $1.54 million in the first three months of 2021, reports show.

Trump has endorsed several other Republicans challenging GOP incumbents who voted to impeach him. That includes Kelly Tshibaka, who is running against Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska; Michigan state Rep. Steve Carra, who is trying to unseat longtime Rep. Fred Upton; and Joe Kent, who is challenging Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington.

Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio announced last week he will be retiring instead of running for reelection next year against a Trump-backed opponent.
A new state-funded boot camp program has helped 15 New Mexicans move closer to a career in 3D printing and smart manufacturing.

The 3D printing boot camp was offered via a partnership between Santa Fe Community College and New Collar Network, a nonprofit that is part of MITs Fab Lab network, according to a news release from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions.

It was funded by Ready NM, a partnership between DWS, the New Mexico Higher Education Department and New Mexico Workforce Connections, according to the release.

The four-week hands-on program was offered free of cost and allowed students to learn in-demand skills and industry-recognized credentials in 3D printing and digital fabrication, according to the release

Students earn eight micro-certifications leading to a 3D printing operator master badge and project portfolio, a credential recognized by the North American Digital Fabrication Alliance.

The 3D printing boot camp at Santa Fe Community College is one of six projects funded by the states Ready NM project, supported by $1.5 million in federal workforce funding, according to the release.

The 3D printing boot camp is now enrolling students for the next four-week cohort, beginning Oct. 4. To register, visit www.ready.nm.gov.
A person was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being shot Wednesday afternoon in Southeast Albuquerque.

Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said the shooting happened around 4 p.m. near Kentucky and Bell SE.

The victim was critically injured and has been transported to the hospital, he said.
REDDING, Calif. - The Redding City Council is talking with Turtle Bay Exploration Park to update the Sundial bridge.

Action News Now spoke to the director of community services about how this could attract more tourists and businesses.

The sundial bridge has been the icon for our community since it was constructed; these are the services that we need to keep in place to make sure that the bridge continues to be attractive, clean, and safe for our residents as well as our guest. The new contract will be 184-thousand a year; it includes daily maintenance for the bridge as well as security patrol, Director of Community Services of Redding, Kim Niemer said.

Meanwhile, some people think the sundial bridge could use a touch-up.

There has been some vandalism, so sorry to see that and they have chipped away some of the beautiful mosaics, around the bottom where you can see it very plainly, and I was so sad, they need to keep it in top-notch shape, for visitors and for around the world, Sharon Dederer said.

The Sundial Bridge brings many tourists from all across the county to see this attraction.

My husband and I have come here each time we have driven each time from Washington to California once a year, and this is the last place we have visit together before he passed away, so this is a memorial trip to me. Its such a beautiful place, and the structure is so magnificent, and there is nothing else like it anywhere, Judy Bowden said.

Niemer tells Action News Now additional funding will go toward remodeling the restrooms and replacing the old Zamboni to clean the bridge.
Ad volumes of the Ecom-Gaming category saw the sharpest growth of 9.2x in the Print medium during Jan-Aug21, compared to Jan-Aug20, with Tictok Skill Games and Paytm First Games being the Top 2 advertisers, as per TAM AdExs overview of this category across TV, Print, Radio and Digital. Category advertising on Radio was up 2.3x, while Digital ad insertions saw a growth of 2.1x during Jan-Aug21.

Television

Ad Volumes of the Ecom-Gaming category on Television rose by 2% during Jan-Aug21, compared to same period in Y 2020. The Top 10 advertisers accounted for 95% share of the category Ad Volumes during Jan-Aug21, with Galactus Funware Technology leading the list with a share of 36%. Tictok Skill Games followed with a share of 28%. MPL and Winzo Games were the Top 2 brands during Jan-Aug21 with 36% and 28% share of Ad Volumes, respectively. The Top 5 brands had more than 80% share of the TV Ad Volumes.

Winzo Games was the top new brand, followed by Howzat during Jan-Aug21, compared to Jan-Aug20. More than 20 new brands appeared for Ecom-Gaming category during Jan-Aug21.

The News genre alone accounted for 33% share of the categorys Ad Volumes, followed by Movies in the 2nd position with a share of 29%. The Top 3 channel genres grabbed 76% of the Ad Volumes for Ecom-Gaming category during Jan-Aug21. Feature Films was the most preferred program genre to promote Ecom-Gaming on Television. The Top 3 program genres  Feature Films (30% share), News Bulletin (23% share) and Film Songs (8% share)  together added more than 55% of the category Ad Volumes.

On TV, Prime Time was the most preferred time-band, followed by Afternoon. Prime Time, Afternoon, and Morning time bands together added more than 65% share of the Ad Volumes. 20-40 seconds was the most preferred ad length by Ecom-Gaming advertisers on Television. <20 seconds and 20-40 seconds ad size together added almost 100% share of category Ad Volumes during Jan-Aug21.

Print

In Print medium, Ad Space of the Ecom-Gaming category grew sharply by 9.2x during Jan-Aug21 over Jan-Aug20. Tictok Skill Games (77% share) and Paytm First Games (15% share) were the Top 2 advertisers of the Ecom-Gaming category, which together contributed more than 90% share of Ad Space in Jan-Aug21. Winzo Games was the top brand with 77% share of the Ad Space, followed by Paytm First Games with a share of 15%. The Top 10 advertisers and brands had almost 100% share of Print advertising.

More than 10 new brands advertised in Print during Jan-Aug21, compared to Jan-Aug20 in the Ecom-Gaming category. Winzo Games was the top new brand followed by Mobile Premier League (MPL), Kalyangame.com, Rain Maker, India Today Gaming-Esports Premier League, Sportsbet.Io, Namma11, Mymaster 11, EPWA and Hippopappa.Com.

During Jan-Aug21, Hindi language topped with 67% share of Ecom-Gamings Ad Space, followed by Marathi with 13% share. The Top 5 Publication languages together added 98% share of the category Ad Space. General Interest publication genre had almost 100% share of the Ad Space.

North Zone topped in Ecom-Gaming with 50% share of the Ad Space during Jan-Aug21, followed by West Zone with a share of 29%. Aurangabad and Nagpur were the Top 2 cities in overall India as well as in West Zone for the advertising of Ecom-Gaming category in Print.

Sales Promotion had 80% share of Ecom-Gamings Ad Space during Jan-Aug21. Among Sales Promotions, Multiple Promotion occupied 45% share of the Ad Space, followed by Contest Promotion with 28% share. Among the advertisers using Sales Promotions, Tictok Skill Games topped with 82% share of the Ad Space, followed by Paytm First Games with 18% share during Jan-Aug21.

Radio

When comparing Jan-Aug21 to Jan-Aug20, a sharp 2.3x growth in Ecom-Gaming categorys Ad Volumes was observed on Radio medium. Among the advertisers, Tictok Skill Games topped with 31% of the Ad Volumes share in Jan-Aug21. Winzo Games was the top brand with 31% share of the Ad Volumes, followed by Rummycircle.Com with 28% share. During Jan-Aug21, the Top 10 advertisers and brands accounted for almost 100% share of the Ad Volumes.

On Radio, 10+ new brands registered under the Ecom-Gaming category in Jan-Aug21 over Jan-Aug20. Winzo Games was the top new brand on Radio medium, followed by Ludo King, Lottoland, Paytm First Games, Playerzpot, 11wickets.Com, Milliontree, Skilled Housie, Stick Pool Club, and Koodo.

West Bengal and Maharashtra had almost the same share of Ad Volumes during Jan-Aug21 on Radio, that is, 22%. The Top 3 states occupied 60% of the ad pie for Ecom-Gaming.

Advertising on Radio was preferred in the Evening time-band, followed by Morning & Afternoon. 78% share of Ecom-Gamings Ad Volumes together was contributed by Evening & Morning time-bands during Jan-Aug21.
Indian tyre industry major and the pioneer of radial tyre technology in the country, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. has launched a high-impact TVC for their latest innovation, Smart Tyre  Tyre With a Brain.

The TVC campaign aims to establish JK Tyre as a new age tech-driven brand that understands the pulse of their customers, in line with shift in customer preference towards connectivity and smart devices. The new TVC also showcases the cutting-edge innovation of JK SMART TYRE, and the new features that will define the future of mobility.

SCREENXX Awards 2021 - Digital Video Content and OTT Platform, Last Date for nomination extended - Thursday, September 23, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN

Featuring Indias first Formula One racer and motorsports icon Narain Karthikeyan, the new television commercial by creative agency Cheil India, builds a thrilling connection with Narains ambition to explore the unexplored, equipped with all the information on the tyre health provided by JK SMART TYRE.

The ad showcases the character of an enthusiast, portrayed by Narain Karthikeyan, who trusts JK Tyres future of mobility - SMART TYRE - to be a part of his everyday journey, enabling him to experience the ever-changing road conditions.

Talking about the commercial, Mr. Srinivasu Allaphan, Director - Sales & Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. said, Our new TVC aligns with JK Tyres philosophy of driving innovation and excellence in the tyre industry. We have had a long-standing relationship with Narain Karthikeyan and the new TVC intersperse his spirit of excellence, performance, and endurance. Through this new TVC, we have highlighted the importance and benefits of our SMART TYRE and how it provides innovation exemplified for total control, utmost safety, and delivers excellent performance. With this, we hope to build a strong brand connect and strengthen our position in the category.

The advertisement has been directed by Andreas Bruns, with CGI contributions from UPP Prague. The TVC is currently running across platforms, including television channels and social media.

SMART TYRE comes with inbuilt smart sensors and new-age technology, bringing in connectivity through a phone app. The indigenous product from JK Tyre provides real-time updates about the health of the Tyres (pressure and temperature) on your connected smartphone. The one-of-a-kind technology-based tool is geared towards smart monitoring and maintenance of tyres, ensuring total control over any journey. SMART TYRES are available for premium vehicle models and are available for purchase at authorized JK Tyre showrooms.
Netflix Co-Founder, Chairman and Co-CEO Reed Hastings interacted with Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday.

Tweeting the pictures of the meeting with Hastings, Thakur said: Good discussion with Mr @reedhastings (Co-Founder & CEO, Netflix). Today, consumers of content are travelling the world through stories; India offers a variety of opportunities and ideas  in multiple languages.

Hastings has been talking about Netflixs focus on India, especially building up local content. In an interaction with an online media house earlier, he had emphasised on the importance of India and called it a priority market for the streaming giant. Having invested Rs 3,000 crore during the last two-year-period for the development of original programming, Netflix plans to invest more in the country in the days to come.

He also recalled how Netflixs initial foray into India was tougher than they anticipated at first, but the platform made inroads thanks to the determination to surmount those challenges by way of its continued commitment in the Indian market and investments.

Hastings further informed that the Rs 199 mobile-only plan has been a great success in India. This plan enables subscribers to stream all their favourite content they want.
PDS Multinational Fashions Limited (the Company), a design-led sourcing, manufacturing & supply chain platform catering to leading brands and retailers globally with a presence in over 22 countries, announced the appointment of Raamann Ahuja as Group Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).

Raamann Ahuja is an accomplished professional who brings along the extensive experience of 25 years. As an HR leader, he brings vast experience in business partnering, leadership development, talent management, HR transformation, M&A, HR process rigor, and organization culture building. Before joining PDS, Raamann has worked with CK Birla Group, a USD 2.4Bn global conglomerate, as Senior VP - HR in the Group Office. He brings diverse Industry experience from FMCG, Banking, IT/ITES, Manufacturing & B2B business. Raamann has also worked with reputed global MNCs like HSBC, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, besides working with very reputed Indian companies like Asian Paints, Intelenet Global (founded by Tatas and HDFC). With Thermo Fisher, Raamann has been HR Head for India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan. Additionally, he also has worked in the US and Singapore leading various HR portfolios. Raamann brings a rich diversity of cultural & international experience which will further add strength to our leadership team. Raamann has a post-graduate Management degree in Human Resources and is a Chemical Engineering graduate from Panjab University, Chandigarh.

We are pleased to have Raamann Ahuja join PDS and lead the HR initiatives for the Group. Raamann comes with extensive expertise and international exposure which we believe will be a true value add and benefit the entire PDS platform, said Pallak Seth, Vice Chairman, based out of Hong Kong.

People First is one of the core values of PDS platform and with our global presence, we have a diversity of people and cultures that work with us. We believe that Raamanns rich experience will be a perfect fit to drive our human capital initiatives, added Sanjay Jain, Group CEO.

Raamann Ahuja will be based out of Mumbai, India.
Indians, in general, prefer traditional drying methods like using a clothesline or just drying clothes in the open, making dryers a nascent category in the country. As a result, the typical Indian household has accepted drying clothes as an added chore. To challenge this notion, German Giant  Bosch Home Appliances (BSH), in association with Taproot Dentsu, has launched a quirky campaign that highlights effortless drying with Bosch Dryer.

Conceptualised and executed by Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from the house of dentsu India, the film amusingly showcases the day-to-day ordeal of an urban couple who do not own an automated drying appliance. It underlines the struggles involved with drying clothes manually. Bosch, with its less effort, 100% dry clothes promise, comes to the rescue and effortlessly saves the day.

SCREENXX Awards 2021 - Digital Video Content and OTT Platform, Last Date for nomination extended - Thursday, September 23, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN

Commenting on the campaign, Neeraj Bahl, CEO & MD, BSH India said, We are thrilled to launch our first ever dryer campaign in India, showcasing the Bosch range of dryers which requires minimal efforts and provides better drying. Our objective is to focus on the lifestyle and convenience benefits that the category can deliver and closely analyze the mind shift. The demand for premium products in India is increasing and we are confident that this will drive the adoption of newer categories and technologies when people are looking to create better comforts within the confined space of their home. We are looking forward to the vast possibilities for dryers in India and hope to replicate global success of the category in the country.

Yogesh Rijhwani, Executive Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu commented, We wanted to find an endearing narrative for Indian couples that helps them realise a bitter truth  till the time you don't get a dryer, you are the dryer. To make a case for automated drying, we tapped into our collective memories to find the most relatable experiences we could, including the recent experiences from two lockdowns and many Mumbai monsoons.
The Type Directors Club, the worlds leading typography organization and part of The One Club for Creativity, has opened the call for entries and announced juries for its two premiere global awards programs: TDC68 Communication Design and expanded 25TDC Typeface Design competitions.

SCREENXX Awards 2021 - Digital Video Content and OTT Platform, Last Date for nomination extended - Thursday, September 23, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN

TDC68 recognizes how letterforms are used, honoring typographic excellence and innovation along with the art and craft of typography and design. 25TDC focuses on how letterforms are drawn, and celebrates new typeface designs in non-Latin letterforms. The competitions regularly receive entries from more than 60 countries.

To be eligible, work must have been produced or published in the 2021 calendar year. Early bird deadline for entry is October 29, 2021, with final deadline December 17, 2021. More details on both competitions can be found on the entry site.

This years awards competitions reflect TDCs ongoing commitment to increase the level of diversity and representation in its juries, awards entries and general programming, as well as among TDC membership and on its Advisory Board.

Full juries for both competitions are as follows:

TDC68 Communications Design

Co-Chair: Manija Emran, co-founder/creative director, Me and the Bootmaker, Los Angeles

Co-chair: Joe Newton, partner, Anderson Newton Design, New York

Antonio Alcala, owner, designer, Studio A, Alexandria (US)

Philippe Apeloig, creative director, Apeloig, Paris

Anl Aykan, editorial design, Barnbrook, London

Gotz Gramlich, founder, dipl. designer, gggrafik design, Heidelberg (Germany)

Eva Kellenberger, cofounder, Kellenberger-White, London

Hassan Rahim, owner, art director, 12:01 AM, New York

Mehdi Saeedi, graphic designer, visual artist, Mehdi Saeedi Studio, Philadelphia

Osmond Tshuma, cofounder, creative director, Mamgobozi Design Factory, Johannesburg

Emma Thomas, cofounder, director, A Practice for Everyday Life, London

Kelly Walters, artist, designer, founder, Bright Polka Dot; educator, Parsons School of Design, New York

A highlight for this year is the expanded 25TDC Typeface Design competition, which for the first time includes dedicated categories and expert judges for Arabic, Indic, and Chinese/Japanese/Korean. The competition has always accepted entries for those scripts; this expansion of dedicated categories and additional judges was prompted by the increased number of entries for these scripts in recent years.

Each of the script categories has three dedicated expert jury members, increasing the total number of 25TDC jurors from six to 14. This represents the typeface design competitions largest awards jury expansion in its 25-year history, a reflection of TDCs mission to recognize and support the diverse global type design community.

25TDC Typeface Design

Co-chair: Dr. Nadine Chahine, director, ArabicType; CEO, I Love Typography, London

Co-chair: Ksenya Samarskaya, director, Samarskaya & Partners, Brooklyn.

Main category

Kostas Bartsokas, type designer, typographer, Thessaloniki (Greece)

Martin Majoor, founder, Martin Majoor, Arnhem (Netherlands)/Warsaw

Daria Petrova, type designer, Berlin

Ulrike Rausch, type designer, founder, LiebeFonts, Berlin

Arabic

Khajag Apelian, lettering artist, type designer, graphic designer, Beirut/Yerevan

Borna Izadpanah, graphic and typeface designer, researcher, London

Mamoun Sakkal, founder, principal, Sakkal Design, Seattle

Indic

Kimya Gandhi, typeface designer, partner, Mota Italic, Berlin/Mumbai

Neelakash Kshetrimayum, creative director, Brandnewtype, Goa

Anagha Narayanan, independent type designer, Hyderabad (India)

Chinese/Japanese/Korean

Minjoo Ham, type designer, typographer, graphic designer, Berlin

Lisa Huang, independent type designer, Paris

Kazuhiro Yamada, senior type designer, Monotype, Tokyo

Also new this year, TDC68 Communications Design includes a new Design for Social Good category, in recognition of the important role that design plays in furthering social causes.

In addition, an exciting change to TDC student entries will be announced shortly.

TDC68 and 25TDC winners receive a Certificate of Typographic Excellence and digital tag certifying their work is among the worlds best of the year. Winning work will be featured in the highly respected TDC Annual, The Worlds Best Typography, and showcased in eight exhibitions that travels to museums, schools and design organizations around the world. In the student categories, three students for TDC68 and one for 25TDC will win monetary awards.

TDC68/25TDC branding by Tereza Bettinard

This years call for entries is supported by a striking branding campaign designed by TDC member Tereza Bettinardi, based in Sao Paulo, which creatively explores the counterspaces or inner parts of letters.

The design process started with one question: what if we expand the inner shapes of the letters to create new forms?. she said. As these small shapes expand and are used to create entirely new forms, at some point we end up also setting new rules to this infinite game.

Bettinardi also brought warmth to the design system by using vibrant colors and gradients -- a way to share a bit of her landscape -- inspired by vernacular lettering and signs.

Living and working in Brazil, much of my practice was coined in dealing with restrictions, such as how to find drops of wonder even in the driest places, she explained. In this sense, you need to pay a lot of attention because every minor gesture counts. My team and I hope this campaign can ignite a conversation with the TDC community to keep expanding into and embracing more diverse perspectives.

Typefaces for the campaign are Proxy by Commercial Type and ABC Laica by Dinamo, both of which were generously donated by the foundries.

Bettinardi was a two-time winner in last years TDC67 competition, receiving certificates for As Mulheres Contam on behalf of Carambaia in Books/Single, and Cursos E Oficinas for Sesc 24 de Maio in Miscellaneous/Campaigns. She was also a featured speaker at TDCs recent Type Drives Communities conference, where she talked about her pandemic book club project Clube do Livro do Design.

TDC is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary as an professional design organization, and its second year as part of The One Club for Creativity, the worlds foremost nonprofit whose mission is to support the global creative community.

The One Club for Creativity, producer of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards , Type Directors Club Communication Design and Typeface Design awards, Young Guns and Creative Week, is the world's foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community. The One Show is a top global awards show for advertising, design and digital marketing, focusing on the creativity of ideas and quality of execution. The global ADC Annual Awards honors creative excellence in craft, design and innovation across all disciplines. Creative Week takes place in June, and is the preeminent festival celebrating the intersection of advertising and the arts.
Eidgenossisches Departement fur auswartige Angelegenheiten

New York, 22.09.2021 - To reaffirm cross-regional support for the transformation towards sustainable food systems, Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation, H.E. Macky Sall, President of Senegal, and H.E. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica, met ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit in New York. The three heads of state discussed innovative solutions from farm to fork that emerged in the run-up to the UN Food Systems Summit and defined common priorities. These include promoting agroecological principles, supporting family farming and strengthening inclusive investments for smallholder farmers in rural areas.

The UN Food Systems Summit, taking place virtually on September 23, calls for a profound transformation on how food is produced, processed and consumed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Food systems are directly linked to the major global challenges of our time, including food security, nutrition, climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity loss and global health risks. Currently, two billion people are malnourished, around 800 million people are hungry and about 700 million adults are obese, with health problems related to overweight increasing in both developed and developing countries. Innovation and investments are central themes of this meeting, because they are two key ingredients for transforming food systems, said Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation. He emphasised that this includes technological innovation, such as the use of geospatial data for precision agriculture, but also innovations at social and political level such as new forms of multi-stakeholder collaboration with cities and the youth.

H.E. Macky Sall, President of Senegal stressed the necessity of fighting food deprivation: The Covid-19 pandemic that we have been experiencing for more than a year has brutally reminded us how important it is to control our food sovereignty in order to be protected from the vagaries of the market when unforeseen events occur.

Costa Rica, Senegal and Switzerland have similar views on various issues, including water and peace, and a similar approach to food systems.

The meeting also offered the opportunity to taste sustainably produced food from transformative and thus exemplary partnerships from the three regions. The culinary experience included fonio, a cereal widely grown in West Africa that can be produced with very little water; a Swiss made insect snack, which are a sustainable, environmentally friendly source of protein; buckwheat served according to a traditional recipe; and honey from a Costa Rican enterprise that helps conserve biodiversity jointly with small family businesses. H.E. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica pointed out: We must support family farmers, especially through fair prices and food traceability, to advance hunger eradication, sustainable development and environmental protection.

Adresse fur Ruckfragen

info@gs-wbf.admin.ch

Herausgeber

Eidgenossisches Departement fur auswartige Angelegenheiten

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/de/home.html



Eidgenossisches Departement fur Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung

http://www.wbf.admin.ch




Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 22.09.2021 - At a high-level event on the margins of the general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, pledged to increase Switzerland's contribution to humanitarian aid in Yemen by USD 1 million.

On the margins of the general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York and as a follow-up to the Yemen pledging conference in March 2021, the meeting of all relevant actors co-chaired by Sweden, the European Union and Switzerland once again highlighted the enormous humanitarian needs in this part of the world. Ignazio Cassis reiterated his call for respect for international humanitarian law, stressing the need for safe, unhindered humanitarian access and advocating for UN-led peace efforts.

"Since we met six months ago, we have made significant progress," said Cassis. "Many lives have been saved, largely thanks to your support. Nevertheless, the situation remains precarious. It is in our hands to make a difference today for millions of Yemeni men, women and children."

World's worst humanitarian crisis

The armed conflict that erupted in 2015 has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, leaving over 20 million people, 70% of the Yemeni population, in need of humanitarian assistance. Yemen is also in the midst of a full-scale migration crisis involving 3.6 million internally displaced persons, with devastating consequences for health, nutrition and children's education.

In addition to the CHF 14 million it has already committed, Switzerland will increase its contribution to the humanitarian response by USD 1 million. Since 2017, Switzerland has provided Yemen with humanitarian aid worth CHF 71 million, focusing primarily on water, sanitation, food security and protection for civilians.

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




Each year since 2016, Concordia University in Wisconsin trains approximately 130 new students in its School of Health Professions (SHP) on AHRQ's TeamSTEPPS. As of early 2021, more than 500 Concordia students have entered the local workforce and are using TeamSTEPPS principles to keep patients safer.

Linda Samuel, Ph.D., M.S., SHP dean, reports that Concordia graduates are better prepared to hit the ground running when they go to work, as several healthcare facilities in the area routinely use TeamSTEPPS.

Developed jointly by AHRQ and the Department of Defense, TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based system that helps improve communication and teamwork skills among healthcare professionals, boosting patient safety and quality of care. TeamSTEPPS is frequently used in a variety of healthcare settings where Concordia's SHP students eventually practice, including long-term care, medical offices, and acute care hospitals.

TeamSTEPPS training is offered in all SHP students' degree programs at Concordia, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, physician assistant, social work, and diagnostic medical sonography. TeamSTEPPS is also introduced and reinforced to pharmacy students during first- and third-year coursework. All students use TeamSTEPPS training as part of their Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE) certificate. The IPE graduate certificate can be completed through all health and social care programs.

Key TeamSTEPPS concepts taught at Concordia include team structure, tools and strategies, communication, leading teams, situation monitoring, and mutual support.

"During the first year, almost all students have been already exposed to concepts such as Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (SBAR)," explained Michael Oldani, Ph.D., M.S., IPE director. "Our training helps students learn this common language and these strategies to be patient-safety vigilant and to reduce errors."

"Knowing the TeamSTEPPS concepts can help students be more employable in facilities that use TeamSTEPPS, such as the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, the VA Medical Center, and Aurora Healthcare," Dr. Samuel said. Since TeamSTEPPS was first incorporated into the curriculum, the university has awarded approximately 90 IPE certificates each year.

Concordia leaders believe TeamSTEPPS brings substantial value to the IPE certification. "We believe students need to learn how to communicate with each other effectively. They need to understand their profession, their role, and the role of othersboth to be an integral member of the healthcare team and to provide the best possible care to their patients," Dr. Samuel noted.
Throughout the years, people have searched for lost treasures whether they seek a buried pirate chest or a sunken ship carrying gold. There are plenty of movies and books based on treasure hunts, both true and fictional.

A search of the internet brings up several tales of lost treasure in Oklahoma. Here are a few:

 During the Civil War, four barrels of gold coins were captured from two Federal wagons by Confederates during a battle in Kansas. The rebels were attacked by outlaws in Oklahoma and the gold coins were hidden in a cave close to the Blue River (about 5 miles northeast of Brown).

. In a cave near Mill Creek, in the Arbuckle Mountains, is a treasure of Army stolen payroll, in gold and silver coins.

 At Old Fort Sill Trading Post, an outlaw tossed four bags of gold and silver coins into a well that is now covered. The approximate worth at that time, in 1892, was $100,000.

 The ghost town of Standing Rock was in existence before the 1964 dam was completed at Lake Eufaula. Standing Rock and a few other towns were flooded as a result. A silver bar was found near the base of a rock that was an area used as a campsite by westward travelers.

 In 1933, Samuel Stewart buried $5,000 in $20 gold coins in the Gyp Hills on his farm near Butler. He concealed the coins in a metal box, in a cave-like niche in the hills.

 In the 1870s, outlaws accumulated $500,000 worth of stolen gold coins and metal bars in Colorado and were being pursued by a posse in Oklahoma. In the area of Kite, the gang buried the gold in several different places on the side of a small creek that ran from east to west, no more than 5 feet from the running water.

 Near the town of Geronimo and the Cache River, in the Wichita Mountains, is a treasure of gold bullion worth approximately $1 million. The hoard was buried by the famous outlaw Jesse James.

 There is a legend that a huge cache of treasure is buried near Sugar Loaf Mountain.

 In the early 1900s, three outlaws made off with $40,000 in gold coins during a Wichita bank robbery and headed off for the Wichita Mountains.

Unclaimed Property

Im not interested in traipsing around the state looking for rumors and clues of lost treasure. But theres another way.

In Sundays Alva Review-Courier is a long list of people and businesses in Woods County. The ad was placed by the state treasurers office. More than 1.2 million Oklahomans have more than $1 billion in unclaimed property, according to the OKTreasure.com website.

As I read through the list, I spotted my late husbands name. I decided to check the website and found another. One included his full middle name while the other just had an initial.

On Sundays list, I also found an employees name, but it was out of order alphabetically. I finally found the listing on the website putting her first name in the space for the last name. Somehow, her first and last names were switched.

I tried that with my husbands name and found one more listing. Of the three, two are over $100 and one is less than $100. Thats the only information youll learn about the money unless you submit a claim.

Sundays ad included a form to fill out and submit by mail. If you try to fill out information online, youll be told to print it out and mail it. With your form, you need to send a copy of your drivers license and social security card. In the case of a deceased person, proof of relationship is also required.

Many years ago, I noticed the Alva Review-Courier was on the list. I submitted the form and later had to submit a little more information. Eventually we received a check from the state. It wasnt much, but it was enough to be worth the small effort involved.

How does this property end up in the treasurers office? Heres what the website says:

Property is considered unclaimed when there is a lack of activity generated by the rightful owner of the property. Evidence of this inactivity includes failure to cash a check, the return of a check or correspondence by the Post Office as undeliverable, or the absence of any communication from the owner. If property remains unclaimed for a certain number of years set by statute, it is considered abandoned and must be reported to the state's unclaimed property program.

The types of unclaimed property are numerous: royalties, proceeds due beneficiaries, miscellaneous outstanding checks, money orders, individual policy benefits, cashiers checks, checking account, savings account, net revenue interest, premium refund on individual policy, group policy benefits, refunds due, credit balances, accounts receivable, accounts payable, matured certificates of deposit, payroll or wages or salary, treasurers checks, utility deposits, dividends, credit balances, funds for liquidation, escrow accounts, other amounts due under policy, working interest, vendor checks, customer overpayments, refunds or rebates.

If you have access to the internet through your phone or computer, you can check for lost treasure. Just log onto OKTreasure.com and follow the instructions. Youll only need to enter your name and city. Remember to check with your first and last names switched, too.

I wonder how much money is sitting there just waiting for me to apply.
Look at it from Xi Jinpings perspective. The PRCs leader-for-life learned nothing from Joe Bidens abject surrender in Afghanistan but confirmed everything that he knows about our 46th president. Xis knowledge of Biden is bound to lead him to conclude -- if he hasnt already -- that his window for conquest is during Bidens tenure. Weakness -- in Bidens case, evident gross weakness -- invites predation. Its a law of nature and human affairs.

By conquest, were not referring to anything as dramatic as an attack on the U.S. To achieve PRC dominance, Xi would hope to avoid direct conflict with America. Wars definition has expanded, anyway; its increasingly asymmetric, multidimensional.

Battlefields include areas of perceptions manipulation, cultural subversion, infiltration, leveraging commerce, neutralizing or corrupting an adversarys elites, financially and otherwise. Its possible to fight and win wars without a shot being fired. The PRC has been conducting unconventional war against the U.S. for years now. Uncle Sam has been slow on the uptake.

For Xi, conquest doesnt refer solely to the PRCs longstanding desire to capture Taiwan. Thats a first objective. Or control of the South China Sea. Thats international waters and vital to U.S., allied, and global commerce. Its the subject of creeping conquest by China.

No, here we refer to the PRCs longer-term aim: global hegemony. Chinas dragon, not Uncle Sam, is to bestride the world. Pax Americana is to be replaced by East Germany with a Chinese face. If you dont think that matters to Des Moines and San Jose and Little Rock, think again.

If you worry about the Democrats' embrace of COVID tyranny; the 2020 presidential elections fix; the clearly unconstitutional dictum from Biden about forced vaccinations; the dissolved U.S.-Mexican border; the imposition of Critical Race Theory; and pernicious cancel culture -- then be very worried if China topples the U.S. globally.

A globally dominant China means that Xi and his successors (Xi is 68 years old) will order the community of nations as China is ordered: top-down. Thats what a Leninist party does. Obedience -- actually, subservience -- will be demanded. Dissenting nations should expect rough treatment. Ask Australians about that. Ask Hongkongers about what happens when people stand up for liberty and rights. Speak with Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Falun Gong practitioners about how theyre faring at Xis hands. Ask the Taiwanese about the 24/7 menace they endure from the PRC.

A triumphant PRC will, of necessity, export its tyranny. The PRC wont just control affairs among nations but within them. Progressives and would-be oligarchs in the West are infatuated with Chinas emerging totalitarian model, the social credit system, which is 1984 with a lot of scary high-tech applications.

Like Murder Hornets, the social credit system has already invaded the U.S. It just hasnt yet spread its oversized wings across the nation. Big Techs censorship is a leading indicator. Chase Bank canceling Michel Flynns credit cards is illustrative (Chase restored Flynns cards after an outcry). Masking is about compliance, not public health. Bidens vax passport endorsement is a further run at eviscerating our rights and controlling us.

Granted, theres nothing new about tyrants wanting to see someones papers. The Nazis and Soviets demanded papers, but, today, add to the mix gobs of computer networked data on you, facial and retinal recognition, among other high-tech bells and whistles, and slipping through the states web will become nearly impossible. Even Jack Reacher might have trouble evading this new Big Brother.

Xi taking Bidens measure isnt hard to do. It predates the Afghanistan disaster. Hes also sized up Bidens weak top echelon: notably, Tony Blinken at State, Lloyd Austin at Defense, and General Mark Milley. It would be interesting to know the depth of Xis contempt for these men.

Bidens corruption is well known to Xi. If we accept the emails that Tony Bobulinski provided Tucker Carlson before last years elections -- and theres no reason not to -- Biden is a historically compromised president. Per the emails, the Big Guy received a 10% skim of Hunter Bidens takings from China, Russia, Ukraine, and elsewhere. The PRCs dossier of incriminating evidence on the Biden Family Syndicates influence-peddling schemes is surely thick.

The million-dollar questions: To what extent does Bidens corruption impede his discharge of duties? Is there a red line that Biden dare not cross with the PRC?

In his early dealings with China, Biden and his minions have sent mixed signals. Ambiguity can be effective in dealing with an adversary -- if its the right sort of ambiguity. But Xi isnt seeing useful ambiguity from Biden; hes seeing abysmal decision making, incompetence, callous disregard, and lack of resolve. Biden is also feeble, which is no small consideration.

Antony Blinken was outright humiliated by two high-ranking Chinese officials at the now-infamous meeting at Anchorage, Alaska back in March. Blinkens presentation of Chinas human rights violations was tepid and his smackdown by the two high-ranking PRC officials celebrated in China.

Then this Epoch Times, September 17 headline says it all: Blinken Replaces We Stand With the People of Hong Kong With a Milder version on Twitter.

In diplomacy, like law, language matters. Blinken removing a statement of American solidarity with Hongkongers is consequential. Blinken slunk behind a red line.

What about the wokeness that Lloyd Austin is pushing on the military? What is Xi concluding, that the U.S. is preparing future warriors for conflict with the PRC or for life on military bases comparable to the rotted progressive cultures on American college campuses?

Then theres the recent explosive Bob Woodward revelation that Mark Milley decided to play junta chief and assure his PRC counterpart, General Li Zuocheng, that he, not Trump, had control of the U.S. military following the 2020 elections. What conclusion is Xi drawing from Milleys treachery?

1945 reported on September 17 that the U.S., U.K., and Australia have formed an alliance (AUKUS), defensive in nature. On the face of it, thats good news. Australia, with U.S. assistance, will be able to build and operate its own nuclear-powered submarines, this as an unstated counter to the PRC.

But 1945 further reports that the Biden administration insists the deal is a one off without potential extension or duplication to additional partners. Here, the Biden administration would have been better served by ambiguity. Why signal Xi that further moves are off the table? In fact, why are additional moves out-of-bounds?

Heres the critical takeaway for Xi: Bidens pattern in the early going demonstrates a lack of will to contend with and prevail against a rising enemy. Military prowess, technological edges, and alliances are for naught without leadership resolve generally and a focused and declared determination to confront and counter challenges from the PRC and other adversaries.

Along with Marx, Xi will have read Sun Tzu. He appreciates this Sun Tzu aphorism, no doubt: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.

The offset to Bidens weakness is for a huge grassroots mobilization that permits the GOP to retake Congress in 2022 (demanding honest elections is first order). Xi may not fear Joe Biden, but he must fear a fiercely resolved American citizenry.

J. Robert Smith can be found regularly at Gab @JRobertSmith and occasionally on Parler, again @JRobertSmith. He also blogs at Flyover.

Image: Presidencia de la Republica Mexicana

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After years of pretending the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was immune to market forces, there is a serious possibility of a Chinese Lehman Brothers moment  a major financial bankruptcy potentially triggering a cascade of defaults -- creating an economic hard landing. If giant real estate developer Evergrande does default on its $300 billion debt, then there is a real possibility of China experiencing its first severe recession in over 30 years. This dangerous possibility is happening just one year after the CCPs mismanagement caused a worldwide pandemic and will likely further degrade the CCPs political standing.

So, what options are available to the CCP and how will this impact Xi Jinpings ambitions?

A realistic assessment requires an understanding of both the CCPs current standing and motivation as well as an evaluation of how previous economic disasters have impacted totalitarian states. Despite some projections, a single major economic setback is unlikely to dislodge the CCP from power. Crisis events in Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, and even Maoist China, demonstrate dictatorships are very resilient to being overthrown from within.

The next consideration is the acknowledgment that the motivation of the CCP is not wealth and prosperity for China but the continued acquisition of wealth and power for the Party itself. When one accepts that the CCP uses China like it uses everything else as a tool for power, then one will understand how the CCP will likely react in the wake of a major economic shock.

Since Deng Xiaopings era, the CCP became more flexible in both ideology and management -- as a means to strengthen its control, not to liberalize the country. True liberalization would benefit China but at the cost of the CCPs power, which is an intolerable concept to the Partys inner circle.

The Partys greedy desire to prioritize itself over the nation it controls vividly showed itself during the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989. The student demonstrations scared the regime enough to stop all further political reforms that started in the early 1980s and never resumed. This means that the CCP is more likely to prefer the choice of ruling over a weaker China with diminished global status than fixing Chinas economy at the cost of diminishing the Partys power. The oft-quoted John Milton statement of Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven is the perfect motto for the Politburo Standing Committee.

So, what will likely happen in China if Evergrande triggers a default cascade resulting in a 2008 style crisis? The CCP already gave some indications before the Evergrande revelations. First, President Xi Jinping announced new restrictions for private tutoring in the name of wealth redistribution, which is a fancy way of justifying a state power grab of the private education industry. Next, Xi decried the excess profits and rogue behavior of Chinas technology and IT sectors. He then instituted more state controls under the guise of creating more social equity. Xi then focused on more control over social activities such as playing video games or dictating social portrayals in media. These actions are all efforts to re-centralize more state control over key sectors that could threaten the CCPs grip on China.

But why now?

Recent actions by Xi Jinping appear to indicate the CCP was expecting major financial difficulties within the Chinese real estate market and knew there was a serious risk that the Party might not contain the financial damage. The CCP targeted specifically any and all industries that convey information, spread news, or perceptions of events to the Chinese population. If this is the case, then the CCP is defaulting to the standard choice of totalitarians. Rather than risk the loss of political power through economic reforms, these earlier policy actions indicate the CCP will instead tighten the reins to ensure no major political repercussions result from an economic disaster.

Some may believe the CCP will not bail out Evergrande to genuinely allow the housing market to self-correct and reduce the wealth gap in the country. Other more cynical observers believe the CCPs recently stated priority of wealth redistribution is the new excuse to convince its subjugated population the Party is the savior during a potential economic crisis, not the cause. The CCP will then blame the private sector while increasing state control.

The CCPs recent actions indicate its willing to revert to older Maoist era policies and reimpose a more directed economy with more indoctrination in the name of protecting the Party from insurrection. If this happens, then these policies will unlikely be canceled even after the fiscal crisis ends.

Many forget Xi Jinpings love of micromanagement and state interference in the economy goes back to his first term as General Secretary. During that time, Xi implemented a series of reforms to re-galvanize Chinas state-owned enterprises and increase the amount of ideological indoctrination in daily life. So, what makes the CCP, especially Xi, so afraid they are willing to risk crippling economic growth that is the center of their global ambitions by stifling innovation with more state control?

The key lies in the Chinese cultural concept of the loss of public dignity or face. The CCP must keep its public dignity well maintained to retain political legitimacy. Actions that embarrass the Party or its members risk losing authority in the eyes of its subjects. Consequently, the CCP must not just consider practical fiscal considerations but also take social expectations into account when making decisions.

No matter what the Chinese state propaganda apparatus or its Western collaborators may say, the CCP lost domestic face and reputation after the COVID disaster in Wuhan. Whether it was an accident or not, the CCP demonstrated incompetence as the contagion spread beyond provincial and national borders. An economic disaster one year after a medical disaster could potentially cripple the CCP. A crippled CCP is vulnerable to a future uprising, so the Party will do everything to prevent this possibility, even if it means the end of the globalist economic miracle of massive growth.

The final complication in the CCPs calculations is the internal factional rivalry within the Party itself. The internal machinations of CCP politics are well hidden but enough is known that at least one faction led by former leader Jiang Zemin wants to depose Xi Jinping. Multiple disasters expose Xi to political vulnerabilities, so greater central control helps Xi prevent factional rivals from maneuvering against him. With all these considerations, the CCP will likely revert to more Maoist policies rather than reform to preserve its power because China is not as important as the Party. The CCP will very likely survive the turmoil, but Xi Jinpings rule and Chinas global ambitions might come to an end if the Party miscalculates.

Aaron Hirschi served in the US Army and formerly worked in the Pentagon, now works in a non-descript Federal building somewhere in Washington DC.

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A 74-year-old woman lies on her back, writhing in pain and clearly in distress on a blacktop road in Melbourne, Australia. Two police officers stand over her. Are they coming to her rescue and bringing her to her feet? No, they're dousing her with two separate streams of pepper spray while keeping their free hands on military batons in case the tortured septuagenarian somehow springs up in attack mode to wrestle down the pair of twenty-something jackboots "just following orders." The woman had been participating in a freedom march against Australia's COVID-1984 insanity, but the government proved that Grandma was no match for goon squad brute force. Forget chivalry and common sense. If senior citizens refuse to believe that a respiratory illness might kill them, well then, by golly, the authorities will just have to spray them with so much poison that they can't breathe. That'll show 'em!

Chalk this incident up to yet another one of countless examples of the globe's ruling faction losing control over its precious narrative. You can't scare schoolchildren into wearing face masks for the next ten years in order to "save Granny" while getting caught clubbing and macing Granny in the street. That contradiction just won't do. Yet contradictions abound, and normal people are opening their eyes long enough to notice. That's no good for the powers that be.

In describing how to create a commercially successful product, industrial designer Raymond Loewy argued that familiarity must be balanced against novelty in order to appeal psychologically to the greatest number of consumers. Should a new version of an old product become too futuristic or fanciful, too many people will refuse to adapt. His MAYA principle  selling the "Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable" widget on the market  is the golden rule behind every new iteration of most companies' product lines today.

In the "free world," Western governments have adopted a similar MAYA principle  "Most Authoritarian, Yet Acceptable"  to slowly assimilate their populations into living with fewer freedoms under more expansive government powers. Giant administrative states filled with unelected bureaucrats who exert enormous control over the minutiae of each individual's life have slowly grown one tiny regulatory rule at a time until the majority of citizens learned to accept the existence of intrusive government agencies as perfectly normal. This "frog in the pot of boiling water" approach to implementing "rule by elite" socialism has worked remarkably well for the last century. One decade, free speech and gun ownership, and anti-government slogans are considered part of every red-blooded American's birthright. A few decades later, after the slow but steady chipping away of constitutional protections, entire generations of self-described "progressives" argue that "progress" requires censorship, gun control, and obedience to government authority. Swapping freedom with servitude, one dictate at a time  it's the MAYA way!

What's going on today is radically different. The whole "Yet Acceptable" hook for tricking the people into compliance has been tossed out the window for smash-mouth "do it our way or suffer" governance. The end result is that people are finally refusing to adapt to the government's new rules. Why should Americans be punished for choosing to remain unvaccinated when the federal government is actively transporting unvaccinated illegal aliens for resettlement around the country? Why should ordinary American workers have their jobs threatened for not complying with White House vaccination demands, while U.S. congressional staffers and the U.N.'s global elite remain exempt? Why must two-year-old toddlers be abused by mask requirements when celebrities party live on television mask-free? Why should any thinking person put stock in mandatory social distancing rules when the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration admits that nobody has a clue why federal health authorities began insisting on six feet of separation in the first place? Why should anybody trust the government's recordkeeping of COVID cases and deaths when it has been discovered that even incidents of murder-suicide have been fraudulently included in those numbers? Why should schoolchildren be forced to become test subjects for the pharmaceutical industry's experimental faux vaccines when schoolteachers are balking at being treated as test subjects themselves? Why would any American trust the politicized "science" being peddled by the flip-flopping Dr. Fauci when reputable colleagues in his own field accuse him publicly of flagrantly betraying the impartiality of rigid scientific research by engaging in campaigns of intimidation against those who have refused to toe the line of state-sponsored medical propaganda?

A little manipulation at a time over many years  maybe Americans and other Westerners can be expected to comply dutifully with all these counterfactual realities. An avalanche of mendacity and treachery landing on them all at once, and the narrative engineers have real problems on their hands. You knock Granny on the pavement and nearly kill her for "her own good," however, and the jig is up. You call Granny a "domestic extremist" and the young men slapping Granny around "heroes," and people start wondering whether their government is even capable of telling the truth. You wake enough people up with that uneasy thought, and the whole MAYA Project comes crashing down. You end up in a situation where less than half of the country believes that the installed U.S. president is even mentally stable enough to be putatively in charge.

People who formerly had little interest in the everyday goings-on of politics begin asking uncomfortable questions out loud. For instance: How are "free" societies that have embraced medical censorship and state control over the economy at all different from communist China's? Why are Western political leaders using the specter of catastrophic climate change to make it more expensive to manufacture products domestically while China is gobbling up control over most of the world's supply chains? Why are Western corporations shaming citizens for unconscious racism at home while simultaneously profiting from the modern-day slavery powering China's manufacturing advantage over the rest of the world? Why did ordinary soldiers have to sacrifice for twenty years to prop up a fabricated government in central Asia that couldn't last two weeks on its own? Why would anybody sacrifice a son or daughter again to another foreign war when the political and military leadership responsible for their survival are more concerned with identity politics and craven political games? In other words, is there anything to suggest that those in charge have been good custodians of our government? And if not, is it perhaps time for the people to govern themselves?

The drip-drip-drip of the COVID narrative collapse is starting to spiral into something that can no longer be controlled. Western governments have lied so many times that nobody believes anything they say. They have become "the boy who cried wolf" one too many times, and if they're not careful, they will surely get eaten up in the end.

Image via Pixabay.

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On Tuesday, British prime minister Boris Johnson met Joe Biden at the White House. They had the usual sit-down in the room reserved for heads of state meeting the press. The substance of what they said, as best as I can tell, was pretty meaningless. What was interesting was everything other than the substance. Biden waved his ubiquitous note cards around, revealing how much he needs to be prompted; his staff ensured that no reporters could ask him questions relevant to Americans; both Biden and Boris were masked. It was a theater of the absurd.

Here's the Daily Mail's summary:

Joe Biden on Tuesday did not recognize any American reporters for questions during an Oval Office meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his aides cleared out journalists as they tried to query the president. Biden did attempt to answer one shouted question from a CBS reporter about the crisis on the Southern border but his answer was unclear when White House staff shouted down reporters, covering the president's attempt to respond as they demanded journalists leave. 'Violence is not justified,' Biden appeared to say but the rest of his response was not decipherable. White House staff even interrupted Johnson as they pushed to get reporters out of the room, shouting over the British prime minister as he and Biden sat in their chairs, watching the chaotic scene unfold as aides ushered journalists out of the Oval Office. As reporters were ushered out, CBS White House reporter Ed O'Keefe shouted a question to Biden asked about the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration is facing backlash and criticism following images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback using whips to round up migrants or prevent them from stepping onto American soil. But White House aides yelled 'thank you' and 'let's go' to the press in the room, herding them out as Biden appeared to try and address the issue. Between the shouting of his aides and the president's wearing a face mask, it was impossible to make out the majority of what Biden said.

Reuters took a series of photos, one of which perfectly captured the notes Biden waves around whenever he's in public with a shot so good that it was easy to read the notes' first page. If you're thinking the notes contain specific details that might be hard for anyone without a photographic memory to retain (specific dollar amounts, statistics, complex programs), please disabuse yourself. The notes tell Biden where he is and the person with whom he's meeting:

Remarks of President Biden Pool Spray with PM Johnson It is a pleasure to welcome you to the White House, Prime Minister Johnson. I'm honored to have the chance to return a small amount of the hospitality that you showed to Jill and me this summer in Cornwall for the G7 meeting. Since then, our countries have worked in close cooperation  with each other, and our fellow democraciesto continue our efforts to advance the ambitious agenda we laid out. We're turning our revitalized Atlantic Charter into action  taking on pressing global challenges together.

These are notes for a person who is making only periodic connections with reality. This is the man at the head of the American government. It's terrifying, frankly. And if you watch the video from the beginning, even with the notes, Biden stumbled:

No wonder that Biden's staffers were absolutely panicked lest he deviate from his notes by answering a reporter's question and did everything they could to stop that from happening. There's no telling what Biden might say since his own notes establish that he's no longer in control of even the most basic facts in his world. That too is terrifying.

Finally, about those masks. Boris Johnson has had COVID, which seemed to have affected him so profoundly that he switched from being a sort of conservative prime minister to becoming a hard leftist. That's a very strange side-effect. Boris Johnson has also been vaccinated. Biden too has been vaccinated.

But there they sat in their little masks, muffling their voices and making it hard to read their expressions. This mask kabuki is not the kind of thing that increases confidence in the vaccine that Joe Biden is insisting American workers must take or be fired from their jobs. Johnson, at least for now, is resisting that tyranny.

So here we are in 2021: our country is governed by a mentally incompetent "president" whose staff tries desperately to hide him from the media and who is imposing mandates on America more tyrannical than those in England, the country from which we broke 245 years ago in an effort to be a country free from government tyranny. Something's got to give, and I devoutly hope it's not America itself.

Image: Biden reads his notes to say hello to Boris Johnson. YouTube screen grab.

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The hardest working states, as measured by WalletHub, are predominantly Republican. The lowest 10 in the rankings are mostly run by Democrats. Probably not a surprise since they were lavish with unemployment benefits and other work disincentives.

Democrat-run states and cities rarely score well in various quality of life ratings. Notably, the U-Haul ranking of states by migration growth shows that people are fleeing blue states for red states, usually for economic reasons. They intend to work hard and benefit from the fruits of their labor.

The dignity and sense of purpose that accompany hard work can be tied to long-lasting happiness  which conservatives enjoy more than liberals  versus the fleeting, instant gratification the ingordigious lefties pursue. Indeed, one of the key indicators WalletHub uses in ranking work ethic is annual volunteer hours per resident. WalletHub also includes Idle Youth in their rankings, defined as aged 1824, not in school, not working, and having no degree beyond high school.

From the WalletHub survey: "Hard work is key to success, and the people of some states understand that better than others." States like Texas, Wyoming, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Nebraska, and Kansas. Mostly states the effete elites prefer to fly over rather than relish our great heartland up close.

It's no coincidence that states ranking low in WalletHub's methodology are keen to escort their public charges to the government trough. Rather than the dignity that comes with gainful employment, their idle hands do the devil's work.

Just the other day, the she-devil herself  that'd be nasty AOC  wore a devilish dress emblazoned with "Tax the Rich." A better slogan might be, "put the idlers to work!" There are, after all, a bunch of job vacancies out there. They can even start  start  at Amazon for $18 per hour, without an advanced degree. In desperate search of labor, some employers will reimburse employees for educational expenses, thereby eviscerating WalletHub's definition of Idle Youth: no job, not in school, no degree.

Idle hands do the devil's work in squalid liberal enclaves, where dim Dems dance with the demons. They promote hooliganism and undermine the primary purposes of government, such as ensuring our safety and well-being in civil society.

Speaking of civility, as James Madison wrote in Federalist 51, "If Men were angels, no government would be necessary." One might extrapolate that where slothfulness prevails that more government is necessary to provide bread and circuses in vote-buying wantonness. However, as Ronald Reagan reminded us in his 1981 inaugural address, "government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem."

Part of the problem is enabling idlers to promote demonic Dem discord. Indeed, the rudest cities are run by rude Dems, so, too, the most dangerous. The least friendly states, as ranked by Big Seven Travel, are liberal places. Highest crime rates? You guessed it...Dem cities with a bunch of layabouts on the dole  probably planning their next heist. Not that robbing tourists enjoying dinner al fresco requires much planning for the ill-educated.

Conversely, there's symbiosis between hard work and long-lasting happiness engendered by a sense of purpose, and shared values like freedom, not diversity, being our greatest strength. That's why the hardest-working states offer a higher quality of life than wretched liberal sanctuaries.

No wonder the U-Hauls are fleeing blue for red states. Diversity is welcome, but it is our freedom that unites us against them Dem devils.

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From the beginning of COVID's emergency, the state of Victoria, Australia's most densely populated state, announced that its goal was zero COVID cases, which it assured people could be met by extraordinary lockdowns, masks, and social distancing. Even when it became apparent that (a) you can't have zero cases in a globally interconnected world, (b) that the virus has a >99% survival rate for people under 70, and (c) that COVID is treatable, Victoria's government didn't let up. Most recently, it declared that everyone who wishes to work must be vaccinated. The people are beginning to fight back.

Two weeks ago, Joe Biden, even though he promised he wouldn't impose a mandate and had already conceded that doing so was unconstitutional, announced that OSHA was creating a rule requiring all people in workplaces of 100 or more people get vaccinated or get tested every week (a practical impossibility) or get fired. You can bet that what Biden really wanted to do was what the Victorian government is doing:

All Victorian school staff and early childhood services must be fully vaccinated by November 29, the Andrews government has announced. The order will apply to both government and non government schools, as well as all types of early childhood and care settings, Deputy Premier James Merlino said on Wednesday. [snip] Earlier on Wednesday, Premier Daniel Andrews said Victorians could expect more announcements about Covid-19 vaccine mandates for additional industries going forward. While fronting the media to condemn the violent anti-vaccination rallies, Mr Andrews said more industries would need to get the jab as the state raced towards its 80 per cent target. [snip] [The order] came as protest organisers vowed to stage marches daily until construction workers were allowed back on the job following the state government ordering the entire industry to shut down for at least two weeks. The decision to lock up all building sites, a position strongly pushed by chief health officer Brett Sutton, was taken after it became clear the industry would not reach its government-imposed deadline of vaccinating 90 per cent of construction workers with at least one jab by Thursday.

You've already read about how the construction union staged a violent protest, including attacking the union boss who is cuddling up to the government. Today, Sundance, at The Conservative Treehouse, is back with more about how Australians are pushing back. I urge you to read the whole post, but here are some of the high points:

An inflection point has been reached in Australia with the government COVID-19 lockdowns, forced vaccinations and now, vaccine passports. What is happening today in the state of Victoria, specifically the Melbourne metropolitan area, is an outcome of more than a year of heavy-handed government rules and regulations deaf to the voices of the average man, woman or family. There is a middle class & blue-collar backlash taking place, and Americans would be wise to pay attention. [snip] Vaccination passports will be required to work, shop, attend events and essentially live in the New World Order Premier Andrews has created for the citizens of Victoria. The day after Andrews outlined the new rules  the working class, who have been locked down and compliant to this point, finally had enough.

Sundance walks his readers through yesterday's story about the union protests, including the fact that the prime minister shut down the industry for two weeks to punish union members' recalcitrance.

He then turns to what happened yesterday, when even more trade unionists hit the street, along with other blue-collar workers. Eventually, tens of thousands of people were out there, in protests reminiscent of the Solidarity movement in Poland that brought down the Soviet Union. The media are solidly behind the government, and, for now, so are the police.

This first video is an amateur one that shows the protest as a good thing.

This official media video is hostile to the protests  and shows how hostile the protesters are to the government's lapdog media:

Sundance then explains what all this means for us in America:

While the United States has not yet arrived at the same level of outrage, in part driven by a distinctly different constitution that outlines the inherent rights of Americans, it is very clear that we too will soon arrive at this point now visible on the streets in Melbourne. Do not be naive to the fact that U.S. and Canadian government officials; those in direct ideological alignment with the leftist perspectives of government in Australia; are not paying close attention to what is happening there in preparation for when both the U.S. and Canada move to block the unvaccinated from participating in society. The vaccination passport methods, processes and procedures being tested right now in Australia are soon to arrive in the United States. Electronic check-ins and QR codes deployed to track the movements of vaxxed and unvaxxed are being tested right now in almost all states in Australia. We The People in America are only a few weeks or months away from having to make the same decisions that middle-class Victorian workers are faced with right now. This is why you should pay attention to what is happening there.

Australia's present is America's future  and the Republican Party will not stop it. It's up to the American people to do so.

Image: Protests in Melbourne. YouTube screen grab.

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Hanlon's Razor states, "One should never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity." There's an engineering interpretation of this guidance that says, "Never underestimate the ingenuity of idiots." It is a caution to engineers never to underestimate the ways in which their products may be misused. As we've discovered this year, the guidance is applicable to politics as well. Barack Obama even provided a political interpretation of Hanlon's Razor. As he said, "never underestimate Joe's ability to eff things up." Just as Obama warned, Joe has given us a remarkable demonstration of idiotic ingenuity.

In just the last couple of months, Joe has flipped the world order on its head. He left our allies in the dark about our Afghanistan withdrawal plans. After they had helped us in the war on terror for twenty years, we left them to pick up the pieces. Just for good measure, after the Afghanistan debacle, we cut the French out of a submarine deal with Australia. Great Britain's Parliament has held Joe in contempt and France has recalled its ambassador. But we've thanked the Taliban for conducting themselves in a businesslike fashion (at least if your business is murder). Our friends have become our enemies and our enemies have become our friends  in only a couple of months.

Joe turned the most formidable military in the world into the Keystone Cops in camo. Under his orders, they dropped their weapons (80 billion dollars' worth) and ran from a bunch of 12th-century cavemen. In fairness, they did have another pressing mission  looking for white supremacist boogeymen and phantom Trump insurrectionists. Never underestimate the ingenuity of idiots.

Joe managed to make the most energy-rich country in the world dependent on foreign oil. That would be oil from the most unstable region in the world. Just for extra credit, he even ticked off Canada by canceling its pipeline project.

Joe even achieved something that shouldn't be economically possible. We have high unemployment while at the same time businesses have a shortage of workers. How did he manage that? By using other people's money to pay people not to work, that's how.

Joe has even managed to splinter his own party. The Dems control the Executive and Legislative Branches for the first time in ten years. To celebrate, Biden promised them a bountiful Christmas with his "build back better" plan. The party responded by feverishly putting together their wish list. Now there's a fight going on about how big the spending bill should be. Bernie and the Squad (sounds like an Elton John song) want the bill to be insanely outrageous, while Manchin and Sinema want it to be only kinda outrageous. Both sides are refusing to compromise  and the Republicans are eating popcorn and enjoying the show.

As if splintering his own party weren't enough, Joe also managed to offend the Democrats' most loyal voting bloc: the black community. He not only imposed vaccine mandates, but said he'd lost patience with those resisting it. He apparently didn't notice that members of the black community are the biggest resisters to the vaccine. It harkens back to their distrust of government-ordered medical treatment from the Tuskegee experiments. Now we have the image of a white guy ordering blacks to take an experimental treatment. The master has spoken. It's totally tone-deaf, but further proof that one should never underestimate the ingenuity of idiots.

Joe even accomplished something I didn't think was possible. He got John Roberts to defend the Constitution. Roberts had originally voted with the radical wing of the Supreme Court to uphold the CDC eviction moratorium  based on the "we can do whatever the hell we want" penumbra. But when Joe announced that he knew that the moratorium was unconstitutional but was extending it anyway, it was too much for wishy-washy John  he switched his vote to strike down the moratorium. Biden's move was so idiotic that it even got Roberts to do the right thing. Genius.

But my personal favorite is this: Joe created a Haitian crisis at the Mexican border. How is that even possible without a military airlift and way more planning than went into our Afghanistan surrender? But Joe made it seem effortless  or at least mindless. Never, ever underestimate the ingenuity of idiots.

We're only about eight months into the Harris/Biden administration. Let's pray the displays of ingenuity slow down a bit.

Image: Russ Allison Loar.
Joe Biden has already trashed his presidency through his disastrous Afghanistan pullout and unprecedented border meltdown. Voters won't forgive these failures, and Democrats will pay in 2022 and 2024.

But the emerging collapse of his domestic agenda in Congress  the $1-trillion stimulus, with its $3.5-trillion "reconciliation" rider, is just as notable.

According to Politico:

Internal Democratic discord has wounded President Joe Biden's massive social spending plan, raising the prospect that the package could stall out, shrink dramatically  or even fail altogether. Myriad problems have arisen. Moderate Senate Democrats Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) continue to be a major headache for party leadership's $3.5 trillion target. The Senate parliamentarian just nixed the party's yearslong push to enact broad immigration reform. House members may tank the prescription drugs overhaul the party has run on for years. And a fight continues to brew over Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) push to expand Medicare.

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has an excellent analysis here.

Politico points out that the ruling Democrats are squabbling among themselves about how to go about the vote.

Moderates, if we can call them that, such as Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have sought a vote on the $1-trillion infrastructure bill, with, as Manchin asks, a "pause" until 2022 on the Bernie Sanderscrafted $3.5-trillion reconciliation, which includes monster tax hikes on "the rich," a full Green New Deal, amnesty and citizenship for tens of millions of illegals (apparently quashed by the Senate parliamentarian as out of the scope of a budget bill), and a gargantuan expansion of government welfare programs to ensure full citizen dependency on the whims of government spending. Of course it's too much. The $1-trillion "infrastructure" is too much, but at this point, Democrats have lost track of how much money they are splashing out. Sinema and Manchin know this and are calling for just a vote on the spare tril for "infrastructure," which could get through, given that RINOs such as Sen. Mitt Romney are all in for it.

Over in the House, the Squad Democrats are having none of it. House members such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her fellow communistic Democrats know very well that the $3.5-trillion Bernie bill is a non-starter, so they're holding the $1-trillion package hostage with a demand that it also include a vote on the $3.5-trillion Bernie spend-a-thon. They won't take half a loaf and at least get that $1 trillion out there wasted. It's all or nothing for them; they've never heard of compromise or even "salami tactics." They want their full revolution upfront, and that's where the stalemate is. At least one of them called the $3.5-trillion price tag "a floor."

That means...the Joe Biden domestic agenda probably isn't going to happen. Sure, a lot of muscle is going to be applied from both directions from characters such as House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, both of whom want the largely unread monstrosity of a bill.

But against their muscling is the knowledge of purple- or red-state pols, including many who are less visible in the House, that the voters don't want this and are going to take it out on their representatives who vote for that. This is concentrating many minds.

Politico's report is irritating in that it seems to be pinning Manchin and Sinema as the monkey-wrench obstructionists here. In reality, it's the crazed leftists of the Squad and the Bernie Sanders socialists who are the obstructionists. Offered half a loaf, they vow to take the whole thing down rather than work some more on getting the whole. What's more, Pelosi has repeatedly shown herself to be afraid of them, unable to control them, and essentially just joining them.

For Biden, it's all a disaster. We all know he's not up to the job of the presidency based on stamina alone, given that he can only work a 30-hour week before he poops out and heads for the beach. But it's also significant that he's not in control of his party, and now the crazies are taking over. They couldn't care less if he goes down in flames; they know he's just a shell of a president, put in there by fraud, not popularity.

Now that Biden's popularity has tanked in polls, he's got even less power and influence, while key Democrats are looking to the voters, not him, to ensure their own survival.

It all adds up to a welcome sinking of a Titanic-sized spend-a-thon bill, a big bludgeony bill that just shovels money in place of introducing new ideas and efficiencies. Biden lacks the imagination of the Clintonites and the political muscle of the Obamatons. So now he's twisting in the wind, and likely to be done in by his own Democrats.

Couldn't happen to a nicer fraudster. If fraud can't be exposed at the voting booth, it still comes out in the political pudding.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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The news from the southern border regarding the Haitian invasion is not good. More than ten thousand Haitians are camping within Texas and, allegedly, tens of thousands more are lined up in Mexico heading to the U.S. (with help from the Mexican government, according to rumor). For now, the ones already in America have created a squalid encampment, America's border services are overwhelmed, and the media have whipped up hysteria about border patrol agents on horseback.

This last story came about because the same idiots who confuse a rope pull at NASCAR with a noose saw the reins used on horses and thought they were whips. Kamala Harris has vowed to get to the bottom of this and find who's responsible. She seems to have forgotten that she's responsible.

First off, let's get one thing clear. As far as the Democrats are concerned, what's happening at the border is not a "crisis," which assumes that it's a problem that needs to be addressed and stopped. On the contrary, this is exactly what the Democrat party wants.

Democrats, from Biden on down, could stop all of this instantly by telling people who arrive that they will be deported and then finishing Trump's wall. Instead, the Biden administration stopped Trump's useful wall and is sending hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens to swing states and red states. It doesn't take a genius to know what's going on. Tucker has a good summary of the disaster for America that the Biden administration is deliberately fomenting:

But back to Kamala. It was back in March that Biden handed to Kamala the responsibility for the burgeoning chaos at the southern border:

Biden on tasking VP Harris with overseeing border response:



When she speaks, she speaks for me  doesnt have to check with me. She knows what shes doing. pic.twitter.com/Wtpz8Vgrx0  The Recount (@therecount) March 24, 2021

Aside from flying to Latin America, where she made an incredibly poor showing because she is now and always has been as dumb as a rock, in the ensuing six months, Kamala has done nothing regarding the border.

However, she was finally stirred from her stupor when the media insisted that horse reins were whips. Monica Showalter has covered that blend of ignorance and useful propaganda. No matter how wrongheaded the story, the racism aspect forced Kamala to say something:

.@VP Kamala Harris: "What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were is horrible. I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation." https://t.co/2nLemZc38J pic.twitter.com/8l2TV9RCG2  The Hill (@thehill) September 21, 2021

Kamala's ignorance there is remarkable. First, and most obviously, she's wrong about the nonexistent whips. Second, she's wrong about the Haitians themselves. As Tucker pointed out, these people are not refugees in the traditional sense of the word. They have cell phones and the money to travel through Latin America, always looking for a more generous government. (I would say they're analogous to the Muslims who flooded Europe when Merkel opened the gates in 2015.)

But there's another remarkable level of ignorance at work (or denial), which is Kamala's claim that she's looking for the culprit. Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-Ill.) perfectly summed up the issue:

Wait until she finds out who was in charge. https://t.co/ZwDV85Je7Z  Congresswoman Mary Miller (@RepMaryMiller) September 21, 2021

Again, the bottom line is that the reason Kamala's been hiding from the border, and has been drawn out now only because it's been turned into a "Black men whipped by White law enforcement" problem, is that everything is proceeding precisely as intended on America's southern border.

One more thing: Tucker Carlson discussed the fact that, currently, only Texas governor Greg Abbott has the power to effect immediate change, and while he's stopped the influx at one point along the border, he's otherwise been passive. It's an interesting discussion and worth a few minutes of your time:

Stephen Miller: If this presidency isnt held accountable, we wont have a country | https://t.co/I4ChOFDt5W  Bookwormroom (@Bookwormroom) September 22, 2021

Image: A vaccinated Kamala Harris, standing in the great outdoors, wears a mask as she promises to find the culprit who caused racism at the border. With her, everything is performative. Twitter screen grab.

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Correction: A previous version of this story had Rep. Mary Miller as a Democrat. She is a Republican. We regret the error.
I get sick and damn tired of hearing progressives and Millennials say they dont feel safe if a pro-life group is on campus or a conservative is slated to speak. I nearly vomit when I hear them say they are otherized or marginalized if, say, a straight white Christian male doesnt proactively volunteer to personally make a three-tiered wedding cake for a pan-gendered polyamorous throuples wedding. When college students feel the need to run for their safe spaces if a Trump supporter is nearby, I feel the need to mourn the loss of intellectual rigor, dignity, self-respect, independence, and liberty.

logo of the Safe Space Alliance, a LGBTQI+ led non-profit organization Kquest4NZ CC BY-SA 4.0 license

When leftists claim to be the victims of violence because of what someone says (or doesnt say), they commit violence against the language, they assault reason and they cheapen the idea of actual violence while they diminish its victims.

In this way, the burning and looting of many of Americas large cities last summer and the assault on police and innocent bystanders were characterized as mostly peaceful while the January 6th protest was portrayed as a violent insurrection. Abortion is womens health care, anyone who deeply disagrees with that is guilty of an assault on womens bodies, an attack on their freedom and autonomy.

But do you know where people really dont feel safe? And with good reason? In virtually every one of the cities run by Democrats since time immemorial. Because tens of thousands of them are murdered every year, mostly due to Black-on-Black crime. Almost none of them at the hands of police officers. Countless numbers that would otherwise have lost their lives have not due to the presence and efforts of police.

But nothing makes sense anymore. (People are now askedin fact, forcedto believe what no other people have ever believed before. There are an infinite number of genders. It is impossible to know a babys sex at birth, etc.) Many feminists/progressives/leftists in the U.S. believe that toxic masculinity is a pox on American society. A man holding open a door for a woman is offensive, the same calling her sweetheart is somehow demeaning. Yet other culturesall other culturesget a pass. Female genital mutilation? Just part of their cultural heritage. Young girls as sex slaves? Que sera, sera. Women cant leave home without a male relative escorting them, are deemed unfit for government service, etc.? Who are we to judge? Walk a mile in their shoes. Tolerance and inclusiveness!

Progressives have it backward. It is indisputably and demonstrably the case that conservatives are the victims of systemic bias and bigotry. Conservatives are routinely mocked, excluded, otherized, and marginalized. From campuses. From social media. From corporate boardrooms. And now many are even being prevented from having a job or flying on a plane.

Care to know what Im afraid of? I am afraid of what this administration is doing to America and what it is willing to do to anyone or anything that may stand in its way. I dont feel safe with leftist wackos running things. I dont feel safe with The Lefts attempt to repeal natural law, cancel the Constitution, and banish the Bill of Rights.

I dont feel safe when heads of government ignore democratic processes and decree mask and vaccine mandates. If a government can force you to cover up your breathing apparatus and allow an unvetted foreign substance into your body, it can imprison you if you disobey. There is nothing it cant do. It owns you.

Democrats liked to portray Ronald Reagan as a warmonger. Called him Ronald Ray-gun. Yet his principled stand against communism won the Cold War. Through strength, he was able to negotiate actual nuclear arms reduction treaties no one else could have achieved. Reagan famously (infamously to liberals) quipped during a pause in a radio show, the bombing starts in 10 minutes. He was teasing but the Soviet Union, largely due to his portrayal in the American media, thought he might be capable of anything. The media portrayed Donald Trump the same way. He, too, was crazy, dont you know.

Reagan and Trump did what they did for the benefit of America and to protect the American people. That was their one and only sworn duty, after all. They succeeded.

With Reagan and Trump out of their way, I am afraid Biden and The Left will now succeed in destroying what the Founders bequeathed us and Reagan and Trump protected.

Todays liberals were afraid of Trumps tweets. I am afraid of China. Of becoming China, that is. I am not afraid of anyones free speech or natural rights. I am afraid of tyranny. How about you?

What are we going to do about it?

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It's been a fun year down here in the Lone Star State. We lost electricity in February, the opposition refused to participate in the legislative session over an election law, the Rangers will lose 100 games, and now everybody is getting his rhetoric ready for the battle over redistricting.

Then, of course, there is the heartbeat law. It appears that a couple of lawsuits are coming. This is from the Texas Tribune:

Dr. Alan Braid, a San Antonio OB/GYN, admitted in a Washington Post column published Saturday that he performed an abortion prohibited by the law earlier this month, motivated by "a duty of care." He said although there "could be legal consequences," he "wanted to make sure that Texas didn't get away with its bid to prevent this blatantly unconstitutional law from being tested." No other lawsuits have been publicly announced, although because one could appear in a court anywhere in the state, it is unclear if others could have already been filed. At least two lawsuits have been filed against Braid, both by disbarred attorneys. One was filed by Illinois resident Felipe N. Gomez, who identified himself as a "Pro Choice Plaintiff" and aligns himself with Braid in the lawsuit, KSAT reported. Gomez does not ask for monetary damages in the suit, but asks "the Court to declare that the Act is Unconstitutional, and in violation of Roe v Wade," according to the TV station. The plaintiff for the other lawsuit filed Monday is Oscar Stilley, according to a copy of the lawsuit he posted online. Bexar County court records show that he and Gomez filed lawsuits against Braid on Monday, but county officials did not make copies of the suits available online. The Bexar County District Clerk's office did not respond to a phone call. The law allows anyone in the country to sue people who "aid and abet" someone getting an abortion once fetal cardiac activity is detected  which can occur as early as six weeks. The person suing would get a minimum of $10,000 if they won the case, but even if it were thrown out, the law prevents defendants from recouping their attorney fees from the person who filed the suit  minimizing risk to the plaintiff. "I understand that by providing an abortion beyond the new legal limit, I am taking a personal risk, but it's something I believe in strongly," Braid wrote in The Post column. "I have daughters, granddaughters and nieces. I believe abortion is an essential part of health care ... I can't just sit back and watch us return to 1972." In the copy of the suit he posted, Stilley described himself as a "disbarred and disgraced former Arkansas lawyer." Stilley, who was convicted of tax fraud in 2010, is suing Braid for $100,000.

You can't make this up, as someone said.

A disbarred attorney serving out a federal sentence at home? A political activist living in Illinois? Hard to believe that this is the best that they have. I guess that disbarred attorneys are people, too.

Dr. Braid defends abortion because he has daughters, granddaughters, and nieces. I'm glad the good doctor is a family man. We can all thank God that those Braid girls or women were not aborted. Otherwise, they wouldn't be around to witness Dr. Braid's actions.

Who knows where this goes? I am confident that there are five, maybe six with Justice John Roberts, who believes that states can regulate abortion through their legislatures. At the same time, the Texas law may be the appetizer for the Mississippi opinion coming up next year.

We will see. In the meantime, we are about to get into another war over redistricting. Perhaps a couple of legislators will go to Portugal and get married over there rather than vote for the final map.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: Anthony Easton.

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If Jewish brains were computers, they'd have fast processors (smart), but they'd mostly be running defective programs (making them act stupid). That's the only way I can fathom my fellow Jews' devotion to the Democrat party. Democrats are increasingly open about their hatred for Jews and for the tiny nation that was finally returned to its indigenous people in 1948 and that is the only place in the world where Jews can be sure that their government won't eventually try to send them to gas chambers. On Tuesday, the Democrat party yielded to the demands of "the Squad" and voted on a budget that pulled $1 billion from Israel's purely defensive Iron Dome system.

According to Politico, the House did manage to pass a fiscal rescue package last night that will prevent a government shutdown and a U.S. debt default, provided that Senate Republicans vote yes on the bill. There are a lot of problems with the bill because it's a Democrat bill, but this post is about one specific problem: the open animus it reflects toward Israel, which has been a loyal American ally for decades, in addition to being the only free, multi-racial, multi-religious society in the Middle East.

The only way Pelosi was able to get the bill to the floor for a vote was to yield to her party's hard left wing (as opposed to its merely left wing) demanding that funding for Israel's Iron Dome get pulled:

The House vote came Tuesday night, after Democratic leaders yanked $1 billion for Israeli missile defense from the government funding package at the last minute amid objections from a group of House progressives. [snip] [T]he episode resurfaced the long-simmering internal tension among Democrats over supporting a longtime U.S. ally in the Middle East. And it comes as Republicans have already sought to portray the majority party as anti-Israel due to progressives' long-standing skepticism of the U.S.-Israel security relationship. Two people familiar with the matter said that the group of objectors to the Iron Dome language included the Democrats who pushed earlier this year to cancel an arms sale to Israel amid its shooting war with Hamas militants in Gaza. The funding would have made good on a pledge by the Biden administration to help Israel replace hundreds of interceptors used to knock down rockets Hamas launched from Gaza in the spring.

Incidentally, while we won't help our ally, taxpayers will be on the hook for $6.3 billion to settle Afghan refugees, almost none of whom assisted America, and all of whom come from a country with a 99% support rate for sharia law.

Pro-Israel Democrats  or, at least, Democrats who rely on Jewish votes  insisted that they'd make sure that some other bill funded Iron Dome:

Instead, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday night that he plans to call for a vote later in the week on a bill to fully fund the Iron Dome system, which Israel views as critical for its protection from rocket attacks. "I was for that. I'm still for it, we ought to do it," he said. "There is no interruption in funding for the Iron Dome," Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said. "We are trying to make this seamless."

If you go here, you can see Republicans attacking the decision to pull Iron Dome funding from the bill. And if you go here, you can see Rep. Elissa Slotkin having to admit that there are people in her party who hate Israel.

What's enormously frustrating is that it's likely that this won't do a darn thing to change the fact that Jews, by a huge majority, vote Democrat and that their devotion to the party is unswerving. I belong to a Jewish Facebook group, and, rather than being outraged by a party that has a leadership that caves to anti-Semites, people in the group are celebrating the fact that, after the Democrat leadership bowed down to these radicals, the same leadership promises to do an after-the-fact workaround.

What I can't understand is why these Jews believe that, having caved once, the same party leadership won't cave again and again. Over the years, Democrats have been broadcasting at top volume that up-and-coming players in the party hate Israel. Obama was open in his disdain for the country. Biden has surrounded himself with anti-Semites. It's no use defending by saying that Biden has Jews in his administration. These are J Streettype Jews who hate Israel as much as Rashida Tlaib does.

When Ilhan Omar let loose with a flurry of openly anti-Semitic tweets in 2019, Nancy Pelosi was unable to call her on the carpet for it. Instead, the Democrats eventually cobbled together a statement saying they are opposed to all hatred as if every minority group in America has experienced a Holocaust and has been systematically exposed to deadly religious hatred for millennia.

On Tuesday, Pelosi again caved to the Squad. This isn't going to change. As I said, my fellow American Jews have great processors (brains) but lousy programs (political values and common sense).

Image: The Squad. YouTube screen grab.

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I offer a few comments on the Haitian migrant crisis.

First, this is mostly self-inflicted by the Biden administration. The Haitians heard Biden's call for economic "refugees" to come here. They understood that Biden had reversed Trump-era policies. So it should come as no surprise that they decided to try their luck.

Second, it is remarkable that the administration largely succeeded in downplaying the crises for so long. Having a pliant media at its disposal was a factor. It was only after the migrant shantytown was populated by about 15,000 people, who were running out of rations and living in unsanitary conditions, with many more coming across the Rio Grande every day, that the media had to start covering the story.

Third, the unfolding humanitarian crises led to, guess what, the Biden administration re-imposing Trump-era policies it and the media had decried during the campaign as racist and cruel. In sum, based on Trump's policies and precedent as upheld by courts, the Biden administration is sending thousands of Haitians back to their home country, without the "due process" Biden the candidate and Democrats derided when Trump did it to address Central American migrants during his presidency.

Finally, I close with a question. If America is such a hopelessly racist country as the progressive left and many in the media want you to believe, why are so many Haitians willing to travel thousands of miles by boat and on foot in dangerous conditions and risk their lives to come here?

Josh Kantrow is a cybersecurity lawyer in Chicago.

Image via Good Free Photos.

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(ANSA) - TURIN, SEP 22 - After entering the world of ice lollies, Italian chocolate giant Ferrero Rocher on Wednesday launched a new chocolate bar aiming for a chunk of the world's 578 million euro market.

The segment is constantly growing and in large-scale retail alone is worth some 439 million euros with 45% of the market taken by only two players, the candy maker said.

The launch of the new bar will involve, as well as Italy, also Germany, the UK, Russia, Austria, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg this year, and next year Spain, Portugal and the USA. (ANSA).


MADRID - Lava from the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands has already destroyed 320 buildings and covered 154 acres of land, according to updated data from the European Copernicus system.



The Volcanology Institute of the Canaries said that although it is still difficult to respond to the question of how long the eruption could last, based on the duration of past events it could be between 24 and 84 days.



Cumbre Vieja continues to spew vapor and lava, which is slowly advancing along the western coast of La Palma.



In some points the flow has reached a height of over 10 metres, according to Copernicus data cited by El Pais.



Volcanologist David Calvo, speaking to Spanish public broadcaster TVE from the area of the eruption, said that near the volcano there are "striking explosions" of "lava bubbles" and a "rain of ash".



Local media reported that firefighters are making desperate attempts to dig a trench to try to prevent volcanic material from completely overwhelming the urban centre of Todoque, which has about 1,300 residents, all of whom have already been evacuated.



Authorities allowed residents with homes still intact to re-enter briefly to get documents and basic necessities.



They have until 7 pm local time on Wednesday.



About 6,000 people on the island have been evacuated, including a few hundred tourists.
Joe Biden has given Boris Johnson a timely reminder that he would risk any future US trade deal if he ditches Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol, a Sinn Fein minister has said.

Stormont Finance Minister Conor Murphy said that was his interpretation of remarks made by the US President as he met Mr Johnson in the White House and expressed concern at any moves to create a closed border on the island of Ireland.

The protocol was agreed by the EU and UK as way to avoid trade barriers on the island.

It achieves that by moving regulatory and customs checks and processes to the Irish Sea  an arrangement that has caused disruption to GB to NI trade and created anger among unionists in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein Minister of Finance Conor Murphy talks with DUP Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots (right) during a visit to the Balmoral show, Lisburn (Peter Morrison/PA)

DUP First Minister Paul Givan offered a different reaction to the Presidents comments, suggesting that it was the protocol that had trashed the terms of the Good Friday Agreement by creating east west barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Both ministers were at the Balmoral agriculture show near Lisburn on Wednesday.

Mr Murphy said: If Boris Johnson is looking at trade arrangements for the United States it is on the basis that they (the UK Government) are not damaging the Good Friday Agreement or any of the arrangements that flow from the Good Friday Agreement, he said.

So, I think it was a timely reminder for the British Prime Minister exactly where he fits in overall politics and the extent of support in the American administration, in Europe, across this island for the Good Friday Agreement arrangements to be able to be protected.

I hope that the British Prime Minister got that message and that he goes back and has a proper negotiation with the EU, that they resolve the issues of the protocol and we get on with actually taking advantage of the position that we have.

The Sinn Fein minister said talk of the UK unilaterally suspending part of the Northern Ireland Protocol was a distraction.

What they (UK Government) really need to do is sit around the table with the EU and negotiate this out sensibly, he said.

The grandstanding both by the British government and by unionist parties here is a complete distraction for what needs to be done.

Stormont First Minister Paul Givan has warned that the Northern Ireland Protocol has trashed the Good Friday peace agreement.

Northern Ireland First Minister Paul Givan (left) and Minister for Health Robin Swann visit a Covid-19 Vaccination centre at the Balmoral show, Lisburn (Peter Morrison/PA)

Mr Givan, who accompanied DUP colleague and Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots on a visit to the first day of the show, was also asked about the President Bidens comments.

Were all very much committed to making sure that the peace accords, as he referred to them as, are respected, he said.

The Good Friday Agreement as a result of the protocol has been trashed and therefore that needs to be put right.

So, I know in my engagements with the new United States Consul General (Paul Narain) here in Northern Ireland, they recognise the very real issues that the DUP has been presenting and the need for a solution to be found that respects our constitutional status as an integral part of the United Kingdom and delivers a practical solution so that we have that unfettered trade east-west, and indeed north-south.

Mr Poots suggested the US administration had not read the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, in particular the elements around protecting and developing east west relations.

He said Washington was not the decision-maker when it comes to the future of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Theres no surprise, the Biden administration have been saying this from the outset, Mr Poots told BBC Radio Ulster.

As far as were concerned, I think they need to actually understand what the Belfast Agreement actually does say and go and read it.

If they do that, they will recognise that the Northern Ireland Protocol is actually damaging to the Belfast Agreement.

It is creating a border where there shouldnt be one and therefore the protocol has to go in order to meet the requirements of the Belfast Agreement.

Mr Poots added: Washington arent the decision-makers here. The UK Government will ultimately be the decision-maker.

Theyre in negotiations with the EU at the minute  if those negotiations dont yield considerable fruit, then it is for the UK Government to make the ultimate decision, which is that they step back from the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Four men have been arrested at Heathrow Airport as they tried to leave the country following a fatal drive-by shooting in south London.

Chino Johnson, 27, was gunned down while he was with a group of friends in Ferrey Mews, Brixton, just before 9pm on September 12.

Two women were also injured.

At Heathrow Airport on Tuesday, officers from the Metropolitan Police arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of murder and three other men aged 20, 22 and 24 on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Mr Johnson was shot by two suspects who rode a moped past the group and opened fire, before they then fled in the direction of Bennett Road and Dora Way.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard said: Despite four arrests having been made, I am still very keen to hear from anyone who has information relating to Chinos murder.

If you know something, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please do the right thing and get in touch with us.

If you do not wish to speak to police, you can also provide information 100% anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers.

Anyone with information can call the incident room on 020 8721 4622, tweet @MetCC, giving the reference 7163/12SEP, or to remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Anyone with footage that could assist police can upload it to https://mipp.police.uk/operation/01MPS21S92-PO1.
The husband of British dual national detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe will be appealing to MPs from a giant snakes and ladders board on the 2,000th day of her imprisonment in Iran.

Richard Ratcliffe is planning to stand on the board with his daughter Gabriella at Parliament Square in central London on Thursday to symbolise the feeling of being caught in a game between two governments, Amnesty International has said.

This comes as Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is due to meet her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, with his daughter Gabriella (Ian West/PA)

Mr Ratcliffe has urged Ms Truss to impress on Iran that hostage-taking is an unacceptable practice, and will invite MPs to join him on the colourful games board opposite the Houses of Parliament during his demonstration.

Mr Ratcliffe said: Since Nazanin was taken 2,000 days ago, weve had five foreign secretaries, three prime ministers, a referendum that changed the country, a US presidency that changed the world, and a pandemic that changed life for all of us.

And yet we remain  caught in a game between governments.

We live the ups and downs of our lives, as they roll their dice, and make their diplomatic moves.

With all its broken promises and false dawns, and the countless threats of more bad days to come, it is far too long to keep living like this.

We have been clear with the Prime Minister, he needs to be a lot braver in dealing with Irans hostage diplomacy.

The 10ft games board designed by Amnesty International, a group supporting Mr Ratcliffe, features ladders including the UK granting Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe diplomatic protection status and Dominic Raab saying her treatment in Iran amounted to torture.

Meanwhile, the snakes symbolise events like her second jail sentence being handed down earlier this year.

Amnesty Internationals UK chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, said: Peoples lives shouldnt be treated like a game by governments  its excruciating to see how Nazanin and her family are being made to suffer like this.

Were hoping Liz Truss will make the job of securing Nazanins release a major priority as Foreign Secretary.

The Government urgently needs to set out a clear strategy for securing the release of all British nationals unfairly held in Iran.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe is one of several people with British or dual-British nationality detained in Iran.

She was held in Tehran in 2016 while taking daughter Gabriella to see her family, as authorities made widely refuted allegations of spying.

Amnesty International has said the family of another detainee in Iran, Anoosheh Ashoori, are also expected to attend the event, which is due to begin at 11am.
The boss of an energy industry body has said her team warned the Government and Ofgem that the sector was fragile at least two years ago.

Energy UK chief executive Emma Pinchbeck said a short-term crisis as gas prices spike has exposed some fault lines in the UK market and warned that even well-run suppliers might go bust.

I took this job a year ago. When I was hired, the chairman of Energy UK said that your biggest challenge is going to be the vulnerability of the retail market, she told MPs on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee.

Commenting on the current situation in the energy sector, @ELPinchbeck said that the priority of all involved is to protect customers as much as possible while also trying to minimise further disruption. Read in full https://t.co/lNDU0dJRST pic.twitter.com/fuseNO4GvM  Energy UK (@EnergyUKcomms) September 21, 2021

And I know that for a year or more before that my team had been making the case to the regulator and the Government that the sector is fragile.

Theres a short-term crisis here, which is in some ways out of our control  its to do with the gas prices  but its been exacerbated and arguably caused by our regulatory design.

And that is a resilience and security of supply risk in the future. Its terrible news for customers in the long run.

She called for regulators and politicians to stop dismissing suppliers when they say the way the market is designed is flawed.

She added: In any normal market we have companies that fail. The point is, right now, we think that good, well-run companies will fail. And thats a function of both the pricing shock but also market design.

She was speaking alongside Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley

In a hearing where, at one point, his lights went off due to an automatic switch, Mr Brearley declined to put a number on how many customers are with a supplier at risk of collapse.

He said: We do expect a large number of customers to be affected, weve already seen hundreds of thousands of customers affected, that may well go well above that.

Its very hard for me to put a figure on it.

Its not unusual for suppliers to go out of the market. I think what is different this time is that dramatic change in the costs that those suppliers are facing.

We do expect more (suppliers) not to be able to face the circumstances were in, but its genuinely hard to say more than that, partly because that means predicting what may happen to the gas price.
Joe Biden is wrong to have concerns about the Northern Ireland peace deal and does not fully appreciate the row over post-Brexit trading arrangements, a Cabinet minister has said.

The US president downplayed the prospects of a trade deal with Boris Johnson during talks at the White House and raised concerns about Northern Irelands situation.

Mr Biden, who is proud of his Irish roots, issued a fresh warning for the UK not to damage the peace process in Northern Ireland over the EU departure.

He did not counter the assertion from his predecessor Barack Obama that Britain would be at the back of the queue for a post-Brexit free trade agreement.

Environment Secretary George Eustice suggested Mr Bidens concerns about Northern Ireland were based on just reading the headlines and listening to accounts from the European Union.

The Prime Minister and US president held talks at the White House on Tuesday.

Sitting next to Mr Johnson in the Oval Office, Mr Biden told reporters: Were going to talk a little bit about trade today and were going to have to work that through.

He said he felt very strongly about issues surrounding the peace process, as problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol persisted.

And I would not at all like to see  nor, I might add, would many of my Republican colleagues like to see  a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland, he said.

Mr Johnson said thats absolutely right, adding: On that point, Joe, were completely at one, nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

George Eustice (Victoria Jones/PA)

Downing Street said the Prime Minister updated Mr Biden on developments with the protocol since they last met in June.

The leaders agreed on the importance of protecting peace in Northern Ireland.

The White House said Mr Biden reiterated his longstanding support for a secure and prosperous Northern Ireland in which all communities have a voice and enjoy the gains of the hard-won peace.

The UK is seeking to renegotiate the terms of the Brexit deal with the EU.

The protocol means Northern Ireland is effectively in the EUs single market for goods, to avoid a hard border with Ireland, which creates a trade barrier for products crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain.

Mr Eustice told Sky News: (Mr Biden) is probably at the moment just reading the headlines, reading what the EU is saying, reading what Ireland might be saying, which is that they would like the Northern Ireland Protocol to work in the way the EU envisage.

We think he is wrong because the truth is that unless we have a sustainable solution that enables trade to continue between GB and Northern Ireland then we are going to have issues, and that itself would become a challenge to the Belfast Agreement.

We will obviously explain to the United States effectively it is tantamount to saying that potatoes grown in one part of the United States cant be sold in another part of the United States.

When you explain some of those provisions in detail, it is understood by the US government that that clearly does not make any sense and therefore should be revisited.

Mr Eustice said the protocol was very complicated and Im not sure he (Mr Biden) does fully appreciate all of that.

The Prime Ministers first White House meeting with Mr Biden came as the Governments hopes for securing a comprehensive free trade deal with the US faded.

Ministers are instead considering whether to join an existing pact with the US, Mexico and Canada to boost transatlantic trade, in a major departure from their prior ambitions.

Mr Eustice said we still very much hope to be able to put together an agreement with the United States but its just not a priority for the Biden administration.
Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have risked further enraging French president Emmanuel Macron by discussing deepening their new military pact with Australia.

The Prime Minister told Mr Macron he should prenez un grip and give him a break and described how both he and the US president were taken aback by the reaction from Paris.

Mr Johnson ruled out allowing France to join the Australia-UK-US pact in order to calm tensions, resulting in France recalling ambassadors and postponing high-level meetings.

Dubbed Aukus, the agreement led Sydney to pursue the development of nuclear-powered submarines at the expense of a lucrative deal with France to provide diesel-electric boats.

The day after his meeting with Mr Biden in the White House, Mr Johnson told reporters there was scope for the agreement to extend beyond submarines, particularly on technology.

He raised the example of Huawei, with the Chinese firms technology being stripped from UK mobile networks at a colossal expense.

What we need is a Western technology on which we can rely, and the fact is the Chinese are ahead on some of these technologies, Mr Johnson said on an Amtrak train to New York.

What the Americans and Australians want to do with us is to try and recapture the Western lead in some of these areas, and work together on that. So on cyber, on AI, there are plenty of ways in which we want to co-operate.

Mr Johnson was under the impression Canberra had warned Paris of the move to cancel the original submarine contract, but he suggested the notification may have been delayed, comparing it to putting off a difficult conversation.

Its a very human thing to delay the conversation until the last possible moment, I dont know if anyones been in that situation in their emotional life, but its very human to put it off, Mr Johnson said.

I am being recalled to Paris for consultations. This follows announcements directly affecting the vision we have of our alliances, of our partnerships and of the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe. https://t.co/ue2V1NUTpN  Philippe Etienne (@Ph_Etienne) September 17, 2021

Asked if the current pact could be extended to France, Mr Johnson said: Aukus has its own logic.

During their 90-minute White House meeting on Tuesday, Mr Johnson and Mr Biden were understood to have gone further by saying they explicitly did not want other allies to enter the pact itself.

People familiar with UK Government thinking said the pair spoke about deepening the current pact to collaborate on other areas such as principles on open markets.

Enhancing non-nuclear deterrents and tackling human rights issues, were other areas said to have been discussed.

There were some suggestions from London that Paris could be ratcheting up its outrage in an effort to increase the level of compensation for the collapsed deal with Australia.

Mr Johnson also used Franglais to chide the French president during an interview in Washington.

I just think its time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip (get a grip) about this and donnez-moi un break (give me a break), he said.

However, there has been some thawing of tensions between Mr Macron and Mr Biden, with France now sending its ambassador back to Washington next week after a phone call between the men on Wednesday to help clear the air.

.@EmmanuelMacron  and @POTUS  agreed the situation would have benefitted from open consultations and established a process of in-depth consultations ahead of a meeting in Europe in October. Amb. @Ph_Etienne will return next week.Read  https://t.co/SSEhSyfmQ6  French Embassy U.S. (@franceintheus) September 22, 2021

The two heads of state have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence, the Elysee and the White House said in a joint statement. They will meet at the end of October in Europe.

Mr Biden and Mr Macron agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners, the statement said.

Philippe Etienne, the French ambassador to the US, will have intensive work with senior US officials after his return to Washington next week.

Meanwhile, the White House meeting between Mr Biden and Mr Johnson was described as being far more relaxed than those under Donald Trump, when the business mogul would be on the edge of his seat and appear pushed for time.

Mr Biden was said to be friendly and willing to crack jokes, helping his rapport with a similarly gag-prone Prime Minister, and open to others around the table chipping in with their own ideas.
This photo provided by Maricopa County Sheriffs Office Antoine Suggs Suggs, one of two men suspected in the shooting deaths of four people whose bodies were found in an abandoned SUV in Wisconsin has been arrested in Arizona. Suggs turned himself in to police in Gilbert, Ariz., on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021(Maricopa County Sheriffs Office via AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  An Arizona man who allegedly told his father he snapped and shot a couple of people" was charged Tuesday with murder, about a week after four bodies were found in an abandoned SUV in western Wisconsin, according to a criminal complaint.

Antoine Suggs, 38, of Scottsdale, Arizona, faces four counts of second-degree intentional murder, without premeditation. Suggs turned himself in to Gilbert, Arizona, police last week after investigators announced he was wanted for questioning. Prosecutors said he remains jailed in Arizona, awaiting extradition to Minnesota.

Suggs' father, 56-year-old Darren McWright, who also goes by the last name Osborne, has been charged in Wisconsin with four counts of hiding a corpse. The Minnesota complaint against Suggs does not name McWright as Suggs' father, but comparing the details with the charges out of Wisconsin shows the two men are father and son. The Ramsey County Attorney's Office says it is reviewing the case against McWright.

The Gilbert Police Department said Suggs was taken to the Maricopa County jail on Friday. It was not immediately clear if he was still there on Tuesday night because the jail's online records showed an error. A message left with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office was not immediately returned. The Ramsey County jail's phone system has McWright listed as an inmate, but staff there do not take messages. It was not immediately clear if either man had an attorney to comment on his behalf.

The bodies of Matthew Pettus, 26, his half-sister Jasmine Sturm, 30, and Sturms boyfriend, 35-year-old Loyace Foreman III, all of St. Paul; and 30-year-old Nitosha Flug-Presley, of Stillwater, Minnesota, a close friend of Sturm, were found by a farmer in a cornfield on Sept. 12 just outside of the Town of Sheridan in Dunn County, Wisconsin, roughly 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of St. Paul.

Authorities said all four had gunshot wounds to the head. Nitosha Flug-Presley, who was in the front passenger seat, had been shot in the mouth, Pettus had two gunshot wounds to the back of his head, Foreman had a gunshot wound to the face and another gunshot wound to the top of the head, and Sturm had a gunshot wound to the left cheek, the complaint said.

Authorities said in court documents that Suggs was seen at a St. Paul bar with Flug-Presley, Sturm and Pettus on Sept. 12. The Wisconsin criminal complaint against McWright said Flug-Presleys aunt told authorities that her niece had a thing with Suggs and he would fly in from Arizona to see her.

According to the criminal complaint against Suggs, an employee at a bar saw a woman who looked like Flug-Presley arguing with a man, who the employee identified as Suggs from a photo lineup. The employee said Suggs said something about having six children and this happening every time he comes back to Minnesota, the complaint said.

Flug-Presley, Pettus and Sturm were then seen getting into a black SUV, the complaint said. The SUV and Suggs returned to the area shortly before 3 a.m. Investigators believe that Suggs killed the four victims in St. Paul, sometime between 3:30 a.m. and 3:48 a.m. Six spent shell casings and Suggs' bloody driver's license were found in the vehicle.

Suggs then called his father and showed up where his father was staying at about 5 a.m. Suggs' father told authorities that Suggs snapped and shot a couple of people. Suggs then drove the SUV from St. Paul to Wisconsin, and Suggs father followed him. They stopped at various gas stations  surveillance video from one St. Paul station shows Suggs driving the SUV, and Flug-Presley slumped over in the passenger seat, the complaint said.

Suggs' father told authorities that after leaving the SUV in a cornfield, he gave Suggs a ride back to Minnesota. Suggs father denied knowing the bodies were in the abandoned SUV, the complaint said.

But surveillance video from a gas station in Wheeler, Wisconsin  about 10 miles from the cornfield  shows that Suggs father handed something to the driver of the SUV. Suggs father also stood at the SUVs open passenger window while it was in the gas station parking lot, the complaint said.

Both vehicles then left the gas station in Wheeler and drove toward the direction of the cornfield where the SUV was discovered. Investigators found blood in the gas station parking lot where the SUV had stopped, the complaint said.
The FBI is offering $10,000 for information that could lead them to whoever is responsible for the disappearance of a Washington state woman who went missing from the Tulalip Reservation in December. Mary Johnson Davis, 40, was last seen in late November, according to a bureau bulletin.

She was believed to be headed to a friends house, but never arrived. Her disappearance was reported Dec. 9, 2020.

The FBI is offering $10,000 for information that could lead them to whoever is responsible for the disappearance of a Washington state resident Mary Johnson Davis, 40 who went missing from the Tulalip Reservation in December.

The #FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for info leading to the identification, arrest & conviction of person(s) responsible for the disappearance of Mary Johnson (Davis). See poster for more details. Contact https://t.co/i8Q6W0Fdnf @Tulalip_Tribes https://t.co/dkdSwrcwJg pic.twitter.com/tbhbDXiwdA  FBI Seattle (@FBISeattle) September 15, 2021

Her family posted a billboard seeking information regarding her whereabouts, CNN reported. Davis is described by Seattle feds as a Native American woman who stands 5-feet-6 and has a Sunburst-type tattoo on her upper right arm.

The Herald Net reports Johnson texted a friend at 1:52 p.m. saying, I am almost to the church on the day she disappeared. That friend was supposed to meet with Johnson and give her a ride. Johnsons estranged husband had reportedly dropped her off at a Tulalip Reservation home the previous day. She is said to have told a friend the two werent getting along.

The Tulalip Tribes established its 22,000 acre reservation in 1855 in the mid-Puget Sound area. The expansive territory is described as rich with natural resources including lakes, creeks and forestland.
(Reuters) - Police and FBI agents planned to resume their search of a swampy Florida wilderness for Gabby Petito's fiance on Wednesday, one day after the local coroner in Wyoming identified a body found there as the missing 22-year-old travel blogger.

Police have called Brian Laundrie, 23, a "person of interest" in the case, which has captivated Americans since Petito's family reported her missing on Sept. 11. Ten days earlier Laundrie had returned home to North Port, Florida, without her from a cross-country road trip.

Laundrie has not been seen since Sept. 14, when he purportedly left the family home in North Port with plans to hike alone in the nearby Carlton Reserve wilderness area. North Port police say they learned from Laundrie's family only on Friday that he had been gone for three days.

At nightfall on Tuesday police and FBI agents broke off their efforts to find Laundrie in the vast, alligator-infested reserve, which has some 80 miles of hiking trails. Other sections are nearly impassable.

A North Port police spokesman said they would return there early on Wednesday to resume the effort.

Search teams found Petito's body on Sunday in a remote area of Bridger-Teton National Forest, in western Wyoming, less than 1,000 feet (300 meters) from where, on the evening of Aug. 27, a pair of travel bloggers recorded on video what appeared to be the couple's white Ford Transit van parked along a dirt road.

In identifying her remains, the Teton County Coroner's Office ruled Petito's death a homicide, but did not make the cause of her death public.

"The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms. Petito's death is held accountable for their actions," FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a statement.

FILE PHOTO: Handout photo of Gabrielle Petito and Brian Laundrie

Petito and Laundrie left her home state of New York in late June or early July, heading west in the van with plans to visit U.S. national parks and document the trip on social media.

Witnesses last saw Petito on Aug. 24 as she left a Salt Lake City hotel. She posted her final photo the next day.

Petito's family believes she was headed to Grand Teton National Park when they last heard from her. Her body was found at the edge of the park, near the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area.

On Monday investigators served a search warrant on the Laundrie family home. They were seen loading cardboard boxes into a van and towing away a silver Ford Mustang.

In seeking the search warrants, investigators cited an Aug. 27 text from Petito's phone to her mother, Nicole Schmidt, which describes getting calls and voice messages from "Stan," Petito's grandfather.

Schmidt told investigators the text was odd because her daughter would not usually refer to her grandfather by his first name. Petito's family has said a second text message also seemed suspicious.

Last week, police in Moab, Utah, released body camera video of an Aug. 12 encounter that two of their officers had with Petito and Laundrie during a traffic stop.

Petito sobs in the video as she describes a quarrel with Laundrie, and admitted that she slapped him. The officers did not detain the couple but insisted they spend that night separately, Petito in the van and Laundrie at a hotel.

That same day, a caller told emergency dispatchers that he had seen Laundrie slapping and hitting Petito, according to audio of the 911 call released by police.
LONDON (AP)  A British couple who sought justice for their son after he died in a vehicle crash said Tuesday they have settled a civil lawsuit they filed in the United States against an American motorist involved in the collision.

Harry Dunn, 19, died in August 2019 after his motorcycle crashed into a car being driven on the wrong side of the road outside a U.S. airbase in central England.

BRACKLEY, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 7: A general view of flowers left in remembrance of Harry Dunn on the B4031 near RAF Croughton on October 7, 2019 near Brackley, England. A motorcyclist, Harry Dunn, 19, was killed in a collision with a car on August 27 on the B4031 near RAF Croughton. The driver was identified as Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat, who has since returned to the United States. (Photo bu Peter Summers/Getty Images)

The car's driver, Anne Sacoolas, left for the U.S. several weeks later along with her husband, Jonathan, a U.S. intelligence officer at RAF Croughton. Sacoolas was able to leave Britain after the collision because the U.S. government invoked diplomatic immunity on her behalf.

British authorities filed criminal charges against her and sought her extradition, and British officials have repeatedly brought up the case during high-level international talks.

The U.S. government rejected the extradition request, causing an outcry in Britain and becoming a source of tension in the U.K.'s relationship with the United States.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 03: Charlotte Charles, Mother of Harry Dunn joins an anti-Donald Trump protest as NATO Leaders attend a reception at Buckingham Palace on December 3 2019 in London, England. Harry Dunn died after being hit by a car reportedly driven by Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US Diplomat, who then fled back to the United States of America sparking tensions. France and the UK signed the Treaty of Dunkirk in 1947 in the aftermath of WW2 cementing a mutual alliance in the event of an attack by Germany or the Soviet Union. The Benelux countries joined the Treaty and in April 1949 expanded further to include North America and Canada followed by Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. This new military alliance became the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The organisation grew with Greece and Turkey becoming members and a re-armed West Germany was permitted in 1955. This encouraged the creation of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact delineating the two sides of the Cold War. This year marks the 70th anniversary of NATO. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)

The Dunn family then filed the civil lawsuit in the District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, seeking damages.

Radd Seiger, the Dunn family's spokesperson, said Tuesday the two sides have reached a resolution in the civil damages claim.

The family feel they can now turn their attention to the criminal case and the long-awaited inquest into Harrys death which will follow the criminal case," Seiger said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the Harry Dunn case very sad when he and President Joe Biden were asked by a reporter about the settlement as the two leaders met in Washington on Tuesday.

Johnson added that Biden has been personally trying to move things along, but did not offer any details of the presidents effort. Biden said he was unaware of the settlement.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian war veterans with disabilities who are now undergoing treatment at the Soldiers Home (Zinvori Tun) Rehabilitation Center will be taken to Jerusalem to receive psychological support, senior lawmaker Andranik Kocharyan said.

On August 17 I sent a letter to Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem His Beatitude Nourhan Manougian, asking the patriarchate to support us in terms of providing psychological assistance to our servicemembers whove suffered disabilities in the 44-day war. Today the Patriarch sent his representative Archimandrite Koryun to check the details, Kocharyan, the chair of the parliamentary committee on defense and security affairs said at a meeting of the committee. He said they will work with the rehabilitation centers administration and the Yerevan State Medical University Rector Armen Muradyan to clarify the details.

Kocharyan said the move can also speak about the important role of the church.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Mr Sarma told reporters he had sought permission from Shah to start a peace dialogue with the 'anti-talk faction' of Ulfa-I too

Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here Tuesday that Union home minister Amit Shah had authorised him to hold talks directly with outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) chief Paresh Baruah.

Admitting that his government had some communication with elusive Ulfa-I chief Paresh Baruah through a third party since he took charge of the administration, Mr Sarma told reporters he had sought permission from the Union home minister to start a peace dialogue with the anti-talk faction of Ulfa-I too.

Pointing out that everything was now at the preliminary stages and it would take some time to take shape, Mr Sarma said Mr Shah had asked him to ensure that the dialogue was held in a structured manner. As of now, I only took permission to speak to Mr Baruah over the phone or through other media so that we can give a push to the peace process. But those are very preliminary things. No conclusion should be drawn, and it will be a long affair, he said.

He also clarified that if things moved in the right direction, the Central government may get involved in the peace parleys with the outfit at a later stage.

It is significant that Mr Sarma, who met the Union home minister in New Delhi, also met National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah at Dimapur in Nagaland on Monday. Mr Sarma met the top leadership of NSCN (I-M) with Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio. What transpired in the meeting is not yet known, but Mr Sarma reiterated that his visit to Nagaland was political.

The ongoing Naga peace talks, which have been on hold since October 31, 2019 due to differences between the NSCN (I-M) general secretary and former Nagaland governor and interlocutor R.N. Ravi over the demand for a separate flag and constitution by the NSCN (I-M), has resumed once again, this time with the former special director of the Intelligence Bureau, Mr A.K. Mishra.

Mr Sarma held a meeting with the Union home minister in New Delhi on Sunday, following which he said he was partly involved in the ongoing peace process with the NSCN-IM, but he was not officially holding any negotiations with the Naga rebel group.
Biden will host PM Modi at the White House on September 24

PM Modi will address the UN General Assembly and attend the Quad Summit as well. (Photo: Twitter/@PMOIndia)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a three-day visit to the United States on Wednesday where he will address the UN General Assembly and attend the Quad Summit as well as hold a bilateral meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

Biden will host PM Modi at the White House on September 24, this is going to be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Biden took over as the US President on January 20.

As per the statement issued by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, PM Modi and President Biden are expected to discuss ways to stem radicalisation and combat terrorism. They are also expected to discuss ways to bolster defence, trade ties, security collaborations and clean energy partnership among others,"

PM Modi and Biden will discuss the current regional security situation following the recent developments in Afghanistan.

PM Modi will also hold business interactions during his US visit from September 22-25.

Prime Minister Modi will attend the first in-person summit of the Quad hosted by the US President on Friday, which will be attended by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia.

PM Modi will address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of 76th Session of UN General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in New York.

The theme for this year's general debate is building resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people and revitalise the United Nations.

While addressing the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister will dwell on the important issues, including the regional situation, cross border terrorism, global efforts to combat COVID-19 and climate change and the need to reform multilateral institutions.

Another element of the Prime Minister's visit would be bilateral meetings with our close partners Japan and Australia where he will hold several bilateral meetings including with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

PM Modi is accompanied by a high-level delegation consisting of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and senior officials including Shringla.

This is Prime Minister Modi's first visit abroad beyond the neighbourhood since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
The devious games inside the Congress Party are too well known, and they are past lamentation

The statement by Punjabs new dalit chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi  The party is supreme, not the CM or the Cabinet The government will work as per the partys ideology  lays bare the crux of the leadership turmoil in the state Congress unit. It is also interesting that the Congress has adopted a rigid stance usually associated with the BJP on the right and the CPI(M) on the left. The Congress has always been associated with pragmatism, and not hidebound ideology. But it seems to have suddenly dawned on the party that it should stick to its ideology, whatever that may be. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhis presence at the swearing-in ceremony in Chandigarh on Monday puts the stamp of approval on Mr Channis submissive, perhaps even servile, stance. Its easy now to infer that Mr Gandhi believes the former chief minister, Capt. Amarinder Singh, did not subscribe to the Congress ideology, and that he did not consider the party to be supreme. That is, he did not accept the leadership of Rahul Gandhi or of Mrs Sonia Gandhi as absolute. If ideological deviation is the sin of Capt. Amarinder Singh, the party should expel him with or without a showcause notice.

The devious games inside the Congress Party are too well known, and they are past lamentation. Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Congress high commands handpicked choice as Punjab PCC chief, and Mr Gandhi himself will now have to find a way to win the February Assembly polls. This will involve a few commitments. One of them is to promise that Mr Channi will be the chief minister if the Congress is returned to power. This would entail that Mr Sidhus chief ministerial ambitions will have to be deferred, if not abandoned. It would also require that Mr Gandhi, Mr Sidhu and Mr Channi carry the other dominant and adversarial sections in the state. Does Mr Sidhu have enough clout among the Jat Sikhs to keep them within the fold when one of them is not going to be the chief minister? It is a genuine challenge. In every state in this country, and in every party, the dominant minority caste has a stranglehold on the leadership. It can be broken only if the remaining caste groups join hands. The battle is unequal because the dominant minority caste  in the case of Punjab it is the Jat Sikhs, with a 18 per cent share of the population and a monopoly of economic power  that calls the shots. An influential Jat Sikh leader must convince the party to accept the democratic imperative of a dalit leader of the state. Its not an easy thing to achieve, and the Congress may fail too. But if its intentions are sincere, then it will stick with a dalit leader even through a defeat. The Congress does not really have the courage to go through with a political revolution inside its organisation.

There are enough reasons for pushing out the Captain Saheb from the chief ministerial perch. He has been there for long enough and the party badly needed a new face. This should have been done midway through the term and not right at the end. If the Congress loses the election, which seems more likely than any other outcome at the moment, Mr Channi and the cause of the dalit leadership in the state will face a huge setback. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) under the leadership of Kanshi Ram had worked out a social and political coalition that facilitated the emergence of a dalit chief minister in caste-ridden Uttar Pradesh. But he failed to achieve that in Punjab. The times have changed and perhaps its possible to put in place a social and political coalition with a dalit leader in charge. But it doesnt seem that the Congress has worked out a similar ground plan. It has to do that if it means to ensure a dalit chief minister in Punjab, which is indeed a democratic imperative.

The question remains whether Capt. Amarinder Singh would have brought about a social revolution better than Mr Sidhu as the former CM was perhaps in a better position to lead the change. Capt. Singh is above Sikh communal politics, whatever may be his other failings. Mr Sidhu has shown signs of playing the religion card, which is also the bane of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) brand of politics in the state. In the 1980s, Indira Gandhi was ill-advised to let Sikh fanatics flourish to challenge the communal politics of the Akali Dal. That was a huge and tragic blunder. Capt. Singh had refused to play the Sikh communal card. The Congress should not repeat the mistake of the 1980s.

What started out as a vicious personal rivalry between Capt. Singh and Mr Sidhu, and which had vitiated the atmosphere for a Congress that was sitting pretty in the state with almost an assured second term, has now turned out into a bigger social battle. The Congress leadership has used the dalit card to raise the Singh-Sidhu battle to an ideological one, but it has to stick to the end. The Congress record in Punjab since 1966 has been patchy. There is the impression that Capt. Singh has given it a stable image. But Congress has now gone into an experimental mode because it does not seem to be certain that it can retain its hold on Jat Sikhs in the state. In Andhra Pradesh and in Telangana, the party has stuck to the traditional dominant caste, which is a numerical minority, the Reddys, despite persistent demands from Other Backward Classes (OBC) sections. The departure from the norm is noteworthy if it goes beyond political exigencies. After the Capt. Singh hurdle, the Congress will face the Sidhu hurdle in managing change in the political leadership in the state. Will Mr Sidhu be content to lead a socio-political revolution in Punjab as head of the Congress in the state? Taking the leadership of state politics away from the Jat Sikhs is a truly herculean task because it involves nothing less than displacing the states power elite. Its never going to be a smooth change. In the ensuing convulsion, the Congress may well lose out. But it is a battle worth losing if it is about challenging the reigning social and caste hierarchy.
The great advantage is that Prof. Sen writes lucidly about a stupendous range of topics and ideas that a general reader can relate to

I cant remember when I last enjoyed a memoir so much while learning from it in equal measure. No review that I have seen so far has done justice to the recently published Home in the World: A Memoir, by Amartya Sen. I thought I would use this column to talk about what our young could learn from reading this book. The great advantage is that Prof. Sen writes lucidly about a stupendous range of topics and ideas that a general reader can relate to. For example, the learned discussions about different economic theories have been narrated in such a way that even the unscholarly can grasp the essentials without much difficulty.

So, what are the learnings from this brilliantly written memoir? We learn about the brutal contrast between the way the British ruled their own country and the way they ruled ours. How ironical it appears that the savagely exploited India was called the jewel in the crown of the British empire, where the sun did not ever set. We also learn that Calcutta was an already thriving area of established urban living and consequently it was Job Charnocks deliberate choice for being the centre of English trade and commerce. It was not at all chance-directed, as Rudyard Kipling suggested in his famous poem. Prof. Sen cites the richness of Bengal, proximity to the sea and downriver trade as the reasons for Charnocks choice. Thus, the history of Calcutta (or Kolkata, as it is called now) can be traced well before the advent of Job Charnock. Incidentally, the authors relationship with the city of Kolkata and its people makes those who have ties with the city fall in love with it all over again. The reader is reminded that a city can be loved for a variety of reasons.

A valuable lesson to learn from this book -- especially in view of the growing intolerance that we observe in contemporary India -- is the need to respect different views. The author strongly condemns blind support for only one school of thought.

We are made to realise that blinkered thinking is the reason for senseless polarisation and vice versa. Prof. Sens description of Joan Robinsons unyielding attitude towards new theories of economics illustrates this principle powerfully. She was a better speaker than a listener is such a loaded comment! Indeed, listening is something that people seem to have forgotten these days.

Its true that the past is always present and that is why a misrepresentation of the past is so harmful. This memoir shows how important it is to be ready to look at new evidence and to re-investigate established ideas and past events. For instance, the author shows that the acceptance of different religions was the firmly declared policy of the Mughals beginning with Akbar, contradicting many of todays pronouncements. After reading this book many readers have learned that the Bengali calendar is an example of multi-cultural integration -- the handiwork of Emperor Akbar himself. Other examples of set ways of thinking are the way we overlook the defence of individual freedom by Karl Marx as opposed to the authoritarian practices of the Communist regimes that we unfairly associate with him.

Giving us food for thought is the startling revelation that undernourishment actually dropped in Britain during the food shortages in the Second World War. This was on account of rationing and price control.

The multi-dimensional character of the individual has always been a central idea in Prof. Sens thinking. An appreciation of this truth would not only prevent destructive misunderstanding but also stem the formation of faulty ideas and policies. For instance, theories cannot be based on a workers link with labour alone: a worker has several identities like all other people. The overarching need for basic education, healthcare and nutrition are stressed repeatedly in the book, along with how neglect of these negatively affect the productivity of a nation. No country can prosper without attention to these vital factors. Hopefully, a central learning that young readers will take away from this book is the need for genuine compassion for the poor and hungry.

It is extremely important for the young to understand that just voting does not make a democracy. Discussion, argument and persuasion are all essential marks of a vigorous democracy. But even in these assertions Prof. Sen demonstrates gentleness and elegance as well as an almost childlike sense of humour while pressing a point. We learn that it is possible to argue effectively without being aggressive or nasty; it is possible to love ones country without being aggressively nationalistic and that it is possible to be patriotic without having to hate others. Prof. Sens exemplary generosity of spirit shows the reader the importance of acknowledging various individuals contributions to scholarship or to society in general, irrespective of their ideology or faith. Friends and friendship find a heart-warmingly significant place in this memoir while the mention of innumerable thinkers, teachers, historians, philosophers, poets and economists of diverse kinds in his memoir indicates the authors phenomenal breadth of mind. There are lessons to be learned from Prof. Sens love of Sanskrit and ancient texts, from his deep interest in Mathematics and from his valiant and informed battle with cancer at a young age. But what is most endearing is his expression of gratitude to ordinary people such as his landlady, his doctors of old and his favourite bookseller on Kolkatas College Street.

Apart from gaining hours of pure pleasure from the pages of Home in the World, the mindful reader is sure to learn some valuable lessons of life.
The French received no hint the deal was about to be broken and put the blame squarely on the United States

The French are furious. They believe they have been had. Their $66 billion deal to build a dozen conventional submarines for Australia has been torpedoed by a counter-offer by the United States to build eight nuclear-powered undersea behemoths for the Australian naval fleet.

The Australian government, on learning about the offer, which was announced by US President Joe Biden on September 15, promptly scrapped the French deal and announced they would be delighted to have nuclear submarines instead.

The US-Australia submarine deal is part of a far more significant trilateral partnership launched that day between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. It is a major step towards resisting rising Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.

This is President Bidens first significant strategic move and one that will have profound effects on global geopolitics. It also highlights the criticality of the Indo-Pacific in world politics.

Pointing out that the US, Australia and Britain have long been faithful and capable partners, Mr Biden declared: Today, we are taking another historic step to deepen and formalise cooperation among all three of our nations, because we all recognise the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term.

The French, however, did not see the bigger picture. Its a betrayal, said French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Commenting on the Australian governments decision to renege on the submarine contract, he remarked: Speaking politely, its a real stab in the back We had established with Australia a relationship of trust ... that trust has been betrayed. And today I am angry, with much bitterness at this break.

Indeed, he had reason to be angry. For, the French-Australian deal had been in the works since 2014 and had virtually been cemented. Moreover, it was designed to last 50 years. The French foreign minister said that they had been discussing the details of the submarine deal with their Australian counterparts up to a couple of days before the surprise announcement.

The French received no hint the deal was about to be broken and put the blame squarely on the United States. The French foreign minister said that relations with the United States and Australia were in a crisis. The Australians on their part stoutly defended their decision to go with the United I dont regret the decision to put Australias national interest first, said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

He said the new partnership is the most significant strategic development for Australia since the signing of the ANZUS treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the US following the Second World War. Not only will Australia become the second country after the UK to get state-of-the-art US nuclear technology, but it also signifies its integration into a much larger military system.

All that is of course little consolation for France, which has lost a massive defence contract, as well as suffered a loss of face. Its a humiliation for France and one that is destined to leave a scar on trans-Atlantic ties. Paris has withdrawn its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra in protest. It also cancelled a high-profile US-France celebratory event marking the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes. The grand official reception at the Residence of France in Washington D.C. to celebrate this event on September 17 was called off at the last minute, with the French foreign minister saying that going ahead with it would have been ridiculous!

What should worry the French and other European powers more is that the announcement of the AUKUS marks the beginning of a significant strategic shift away from Europe, a part of the globe that has dominated global geopolitics for over a century. The focus has shifted completely and irrevocably to the Indo-Pacific, which is now the current fulcrum of world geopolitics.

The consequent downslide in Washingtons relations with Western Europe is somewhat inevitable. The influential US think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace carried an article last year on why Europes relations with the United States are destined to erode. Author David Whineray wrote one reason for this is that the US interest in Europe -- a product of the dominance of the Cold War in US foreign policy -- will continue to decline this decade. As others have argued, the new Cold War is with China. The focus of US foreign policy of any futuremadministration will be the Pacific, not the Atlantic.

And indeed, this is the broader reason for the spat involving France and Australia. For Washington, Australias ability to stand up to China is more important than relations with Paris.

Europe perhaps does not quite see it that way. It only feels increasingly frustrated with the United States for several reasons, not the least of which was the sudden, unilateral US decision to quit Afghanistan in the middle of the night. The reaction in Britain, the closest US ally, was nothing short of fury. A BBC report quoted an unnamed Cabinet minister who felt the US unconcern about the Afghanistan debacle shows that America is looking inward and is unwilling to do even a modest amount to maintain global order. The minister added: The US remains by far and away our most important ally, but we are not Washingtons most important ally by some stretch.

Coming from a British minister, that is indeed something. The trans-Atlantic divide can only further widen. Already issues like Washingtons decision to restrict visas for Europeans (as part of its Covid-19 containment plan), its continued apathy on climate change, the abrupt troop withdrawals from Germany as well as disagreements over issues involving China and Hong Kong have made relations more acerbic than ever before. The Europeans also complain that President Bidens policies demonstrate an unconcern for the rest of the world and are not very different from Donald Trumps America First approach.

There are, however, other more profound dynamics at work. America is rapidly shifting away from dependence on the Chinese economy and its technology while Europe remains deeply engaged with China in both those areas, and therefore has not supported a hard anti-Beijing posture.

The French might have reason to be furious, but they would only be imprudent if they do not read the writing on the wall. It is time for some serious strategic rethinking in Europe, which has leaned far too long on the United States for its security requirements, and more.
The move follows widespread condemnation of the SII-manufactured vaccines not being included in a list of eligible vaccines

A health worker prepares a dose of the Covishield vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus at a vaccination centre in Ahmedabad. (Photo: AFP)

London: The UK government on Wednesday added Covishield, the India-manufactured Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, to an updated international travel advisory, a day after the Indian government warned of reciprocal measures over discriminatory action against a UK-licensed product.

There was widespread condemnation of the Serum Institute of India manufactured vaccines not being included in a list of eligible COVID-19 vaccines recognised under Britain's reviewed international travel norms, effective from October 4.

The updated advisory means that Indians fully vaccinated with Covishield will no longer be required to undergo compulsory 10-day self-isolation at home or declared location on entry to England.

Formulations of the 4 listed vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as approved vaccines, reads the advisory from the UK's Department for Transport (DfT) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

You must have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England, it adds.

The move will also mean that a pre-departure PCR test is no longer required as long as vaccinated travellers pre-book a day two test post-arrival in England and complete the compulsory passenger locator form in advance.

From October 4, England's current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries based on levels of COVID-19 risk will be scrapped and replaced with one red list only. However, until this latest update, Indians vaccinated with any vaccines in India  including Covishield  were not recognised as vaccinated under the UK's eligibility criteria.

We have to see how it goes. But if we do not get satisfaction we would be within our rights to impose reciprocal measures, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said in response to a question on the issue on Tuesday in New Delhi.

The basic issue is that here is a vaccine, Covishield, which is a licensed product of the UK company, manufactured in India of which we have supplied five million doses to the UK at the request of the government of the UK. We understand that this is being used under the national health system, and, therefore, non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminatory policy and does impact those of our citizens travelling to the UK, he said.

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK, whose patron Congress Party MP Shashi Tharoor cancelled his planned UK visit in retaliation of the "offensive" rules, was among the many organisations in the UK rallying against the policy that would impact thousands of Indian students.

Delighted that Covishield has now been recognised by the UK government, and that all the lobbying has worked, said NISAU chair Sanam Arora.

Though the vaccine is now approved, India is not yet in the list of approved countries making it apparent that the 10-day quarantine and all associated rules still apply for other Indian vaccines. We will continue to urge authorities to take this to its natural conclusion, she said.

From October 4, travellers from 17 additional countries with eligible vaccines, including Australia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, will fall under the UK's list of recognised jabs of Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines. The DHSC has said this list is reviewed fortnightly.

Under the new rules from October 4, unvaccinated Indian travellers or those not vaccinated with Covishield must take a COVID test three days before departure and book in advance for two COVID tests to be taken upon arrival in England.

On arrival in England, the passengers must self-isolate in the place they have confirmed on their passenger locator form for 10 days. A privately paid-for "Test to Release" option does exist at day five, which allows an early end to the 10-day quarantine with a negative PCR test.

The Indian government has said it is working with several countries to recognise India's vaccine certification on a mutual reciprocal basis.
Norwegian Cruise Line is ready to kick off the summer 2022 season with its newest ship, the first of six that will be part of the luxury Prima Class. The 965-foot (294 meters) monster, weighing more than 142,000 tons, can accommodate more than 3,000 guests. As any luxury cruise ship, its designed with high-end features, incredible relaxation areas, and sumptuous interiors.But lets talk about whats truly unique about this paradise on water For those who thought that cruise ships and adrenaline rush dont mix, the Norwegian Prima is debuting a show-stopping three-level racetrack for go-karts. This was the first cruise line to offer go-karts at sea, but the Prima Speedway is even more spectacular, as the largest and first multi-level track of its kind.The 1,378-foot (420 meters) long track features 14 turns and goes around and through the ships funnel. A total of 15 drivers can race simultaneously at a 30 mph (50 kph) speed.This majestic ship also introduces the worlds first venue that transforms from a three-story theater into a Las Vegas-inspired nightclub. This innovative space features customizable seating and a giant, moving LED screen thats almost half the size of the venue, and that drops from the ceiling. The space turns from a performance stage to a dance floor with nightclub special effects, in no time.For even more exciting thrills, the Norwegian Prima also integrates a virtual gaming complex and a freefall dry slide, with a ten-story plunge. But its not all about the adrenaline rush. Guests on board can also relax on the ships massive beach club, which includes a bar and another premiere- two infinity hot tubs, in addition to the generous pools.The Norwegian Prima is scheduled to make its debut in August 2022. It will be the only cruise ship to travel to the Western Caribbean, out of Galveston, Texas, for the winter season.
The Nighthawk was retired in 2008, and the arrowhead-shaped plane made its bones, eliminating thousands of enemy targets during Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.Liveried in jet black and wrapped in sheets of radar-absorbing material, the F-117 was famous for taking out targets before they know what hit them, so its a bit strange to see one in flight over a civilian highway - and in broad daylight. So what was this aircraft, out of service for the last 13 years, doing coming in hot over Fresno?The Fresno-based 144th Fighter Wing says the Nighthawk was simply returning from a training mission with a group of F-15 pilots, and that two Nighthawks had recently participated in air combat training missions the previous week.An Air Force spokesperson for the 144th Fighter Wing said thatThe footage includes an exceedingly rare public look at the Nighthawk, and this one has been flying red air missions for two years as it stands in as a bad guys to face off against active pilots in training missions.And the Air Force says theres a very good reason the retired stealth attack plane was used to train pilots in air-to-air combat. Many U.S. fighters now feature electronically scanned array radars and improved Sniper targeting pods which allow them to take on and track similar warplanes now used by Russia and China. The tiny radar profile of the Nighthawk makes for an ideal simulation to ape radar and infrared signatures, which current American pilots are unlikely to have seen or flown against.According to Air Force officials, there are 48 Nighthawks in the arsenal, but that its moving four aircraft each year into museum collections via the USAF Strategic Basing program and the National Museum of the USAF.
The arrival of the 2022 Tundra is a pretty big deal, seen as how the full-size pickup truck segment isnt a particularly crowded one, and if youre Toyota, youre probably thinking you can upset the status quo a tiny bit and move further up the rankings in terms of sales.In the first half of 2021, the best-selling truck in America was still the Ford F-Series, with 362,032 units sold as per Carsalesbase . In second place, the Ram pickup, with 313,068 units moved, while third place belonged to the Chevrolet Silverado, with 291,322 units sold.Thats a tough top three to crack, but the Tundra isnt necessarily going after those three, but rather the GMC Sierra, which is the fourth best-selling truck in its class, with 138,412 units sold in H1 of 2021  compared to the old Tundras 43,865. However, thats a gap that Toyota can probably shrink, if not overcome, as long as the 2022 Tundra proves to be as excellent as it looks on paper.Like its predecessor , the new Tundra will also be assembled at the carmakers TMMTX plant in San Antonio, Texas, and buyers will be able to choose between several colors, some of which work really well with the new design language.The model on display at Motor Bella 2021 is wearing Magnetic Gray, which is arguably the least vibrant color in the entire available palette. It helps the 2022 Tundra look a little more elegant than it does rugged, especially when you add various chrome elements to the exterior.There are two powertrain options to be considered when it comes to the new Tundra: a twin turbocharged V6 engine and a hybrid twin turbo V6. The former has 389 hp and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque, whereas the i-FORCE Max hybrid unit is said to produce 437 hp and 583 lb-ft (790 Nm) of torque.While the new Tundra boasts tons of cool new features, which we covered during our presentation of the vehicle, whether wed prefer it over the equivalent Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado or Ram 1500 is a whole different matter.
VTOL

Aviation companies all over the world are developing electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), each claiming to be the most innovative one. But, until specific regulations are fully established, and all of these companies get the necessary funds to actually develop their products, its mostly about marketing.On the other hand, the companies with a longer history in aviation could have better chances of getting flying taxis up in the air, compared to startups.One of them is the UK-based Bristow, specializing in helicopters for search and rescue (SAR services), both commercial and public. The vertical flight specialist has recently joined forces with a younger company, Vertical Aerospace, in order to begin operating a piloted, fully electric eVTOL.Called VA-X4, the eVTOL developed by Vertical is an air taxi that can transport four passengers (plus the pilot), with zero emissions and zero noise  its supposed to be a hundred times quieter than a helicopter, both when cruising and hovering. Boasting a 200 mph (174 knots) top speed and a range of over 100 miles (161 km), the VA-X4 looks like one of the most efficient eVTOLs on the market.So, what makes this new eVTOL so powerful? One of its leading features is the advanced avionics, based on the flight control technologies of the F-35B , the supersonicversion of the famous F-35. This makes it easier to maneuver and offers a high level of automation, even though the VA-X4 is piloted.Another innovation that Vertical says it brings is the one MW electric powertrain. Developed together with Rolls-Royce, its presented as the lightest and safest powertrain of its kind in the world. In addition, Verticals proprietary battery system is also designed to reduce the overall weight, without minimizing efficiency.Bristow has pre-ordered 25 VA-X4 eVTOLs from Vertical, with the option for 25 more aircraft, and is now working with the aircraft manufacturer on the future development process, including airspace legal requirements, fleet size, and infrastructure.
The Chinook came to be at a time when helicopters were becoming indispensable for the American military. The Vietnam War was in full swing, taking its toll on troops and hardware alike, and helicopters were seen as the perfect tools for quick insertions and extractions in and from the dense landscape of the enemy country.For the Chinook, the story did not start with the YCH-1B prototype first flown six decades ago, but as usual it was made possible by advancements made long before it came along.It all started with American engineer Frank Piasecki, his Vertol Aircraft Corporation, and a project called HRP-1, which was the worlds first successful tandem-rotor aircraft, flown for the first time in March 1945.That machine later evolved into the first helicopter to use overlapping tandem rotors, the HUP/UH-25, and a series of other variants that started being used by the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps from 1949 for various operations. In 1953, the Air Force began making use of the aircraft as well, at first for rescue operations in the Arctic.Then, in 1960, Boeing got its hands on Vertol and pushed hard for the production of new vertical flight machines, namely the Sea Knight and Chinook, whose story started with the said YCH-1B (pictured above).In service with the military since one year after its first flight, the Chinook quickly established itself as an all-rounder. It first saw action as a workhorse for the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, deployed in Vietnam in 1965, and the twin-engine, tandem rotor configuration must have been one of the strangest sights in the sky. It still is, but also a very capable heavy-lift helicopter, good for carrying a useful load of 26,000 lbs (11,793 kg).It can do that thanks to the pair of Lycoming T55 turboshaft engines (4,800 shaft horsepower each) that are on deck to power it, while the massive blades that spin in opposite directions at the tip of the front and rear rotors (measuring 18.29 meters/60 ft)) give it a cruise speed of 291 kph (181 mph), and a service ceiling of 6,096 meters (20,000 ft).Despite being made with military applications in mind, the Chinook is presently used by a large number of countries (about 11 of them) for anything from troop and cargo transport to medevac and firefighting duties.While doing so, the aircraft became something of the king of pinnacle landings , those rescue or insertion operations that require the helicopter's rear end to be lowered on things like rooftops or cliffs, while the front is still in the air.Having been in the air for 60 years is quite the accomplishment, and makes the Chinook the "longest running continuous production program in Boeing history and one of the longest in aviation history." But this machine is not nearly done with us yet, with Boeing saying its targeting a 100 years lifespan. To that end, of course, some modernization work is in order. Back in May 2021, Boeing announced it is working with General Electric to create a much more powerful engine for the craft, rated at 7,500 shaft horsepower. A number of them have been undergoing testing starting with 2019, with the companies looking at how they perform in three gross weight configurations, at maximum torque, at an airspeed of up to 140 knots, while taking turns of up to 60 degrees angle of bank, and at altitudes up to 4,000 feet (1.2 km).The tests seem to have gone just as planned, and the Chinooks survived, so those 100 years do not seem so far fetched. Here's to hoping that party will be a more high-profile one.
From smartphones to trains or entire smart factories, semi-conductors make everything work.



But we depend on state-of-the-art chips manufactured in Asia.



We will present a new European Chips Act.



This is a matter of tech sovereignty. #SOTEU pic.twitter.com/76abBuLCyw  Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 15, 2021

According to a tweet she shared, this law would help to linkandwhatever that means.Although the idea is noble, it fails to investigate why Europe is not a chip-production leader at this point. Was it cheaper to buy from Asian manufacturers? Could the European industry compete in prices and technology with what Asian countries do? If it could, why hasnt it? Perhaps Adam Smiths theory worked well until COVID-19 made it stop working, as it halted multiple other things.If creating a law was the solution for the situation, other questions would impose themselves. The main one is why this law was not approved before a pandemic showed Europe was too dependent on Asian countries for these semiconductors. U.S. lawmakers may make the same question with the crisis American companies are also facing.Whatever the answer is for these questions, it seems Adam Smith was right about how some countries are better at doing some products than others. It is not only a matter of natural resources but also the expertise some countries acquire, the investments they make in education, the taxes they charge, and the plans they make for the economy to work.It will be great for Europe if the European Chips Act manages to turn Europe into a relevant chip producer in the near future. However, if that were supposed to happen, we would see other countries discussing how not to be so dependent on European chips.
How many times did a pothole or junction end up ruining your day? It would be nice to know about things like potholes, roundabouts, badly-placed bus stops and many other similar things beforehand, so that we could avoid them altogether. Starting from now, thats possible for those who will be using Ford s new safety feature.This digital tool is a hotspot map, where areas with a high incident risk are marked with red, and the ones with the lowest risk are marked with yellow. The information can then be used not just by individual drivers, but also by fleet managers looking to optimize their routes, as well as local authorities, who could warn other drivers and identify the infrastructure areas that need to be worked on.How does the system work? An advanced algorithm puts together data coming from three different types of sources: connected vehicles, roadside sensors and accident reports. The vehicles record driving events such as braking and acceleration. The sensors detect near-miss incidents and analyze the movement patterns of non-connected vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists (with the data then being anonymized, for privacy protection). The final addition comes from historic accident data. Ford worked with the Oxfordshire County Council, Loughborough University and Vivacity Labs (AI sensor developer), in a government-funded project (backed by the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK), which unfolded over 20 months. The research began in Greater London and then was extended to Oxfordshire, with over 200 connected vehicles involved. This extensive project is the latest development in Fords four-year research for the RoadSafe technolgy.This remarkable tool for predicting traffic incident locations could have an even wider application in the future, including helping autonomous vehicles anticipate and avoid potential hazards.
And what better way to discover them than to have a Ford expert uncover every quirk and feature ? Cue to Mitchell S. Watts, the knowledgeable host of the Town and Country TV channel on YouTube. If one hasnt seen any of their previous works, we must give up a secret from the very beginning  they are a bunch of car guys who work for a Birmingham, Alabama-based Ford dealership and aftermarket outlet.That means they are a bit biased towards everything Ford, but also have insider access to many internal secrets. Besides, they have been acting as a social media interface for enough time to deliver a lot of cool stuff  from modified Broncos to retro-flavored 2021 F-150 examples, among others.So, Watts has seemingly taken a break from playing with his latest off-road-modified rig (he dropped an F-150 Raptor for that white Bronco !) to show us everything new on the 2022 Super Duty. Acting as an example is a Star White 2022 F-250 Platinum, which kicks off at $66,615. But, of course, its not a base configuration.Instead, the customer also ordered the Super Duty with the $10,495 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel engine, the $400 FX4 package, and possibly more. Then, courtesy of the dealerships aftermarket arm, the 20-inch Platinum wheels are shod in 35-inch Nitto Grapplers, while the front end got a 1.5-inch (3.81 cm) lift kit that makes the truck feature a level stance.Now, as far as all the big and small changes between model years are concerned (hint, theres a massive 12-inch infotainment system inside, among others), we are just going to let the T&C TV host explain all of them. By the way, all the timestamps have been properly embedded in the embedded videos description, so its quite easy to jump directly to the most interesting chapters.
EV

That will change starting October 4, 2021, ElectraMeccanica says in a recent statement. This is the day when the first customer deliveries start, with the units produced in partnership with Chinese giant Zongshen Industrial Group.Once this milestone is reached, deliveries to other reservation holders and customers will steadily increase as production continues to ramp, the company says. This basically means nothing in terms of setting a more exact timeline for the next batch of deliveries, so if youre among reservation holders, just take it to mean that ElectraMeccanica continues to work toward meeting all commitments. SOLO EV units have been assembled before, and only after the Canadian company reached out to the Chinese one. However, those three-wheelers were used extensively for testing and further marketing, demo events, and fleet service demos. The units that will go out on October 4, in an event held in Los Angeles, are the first proper customer units.The SOLOwas designed based on the idea that most cars used in the city for the daily commute carry only one person. To save up space and cut down costs, ElectraMeccanica proposed a three-wheeler with a decent range, some cargo space, and only one seat inside the car-like cabin, aptly called the SOLO.Since its legally classified as a motorcycle or an autocycle, SOLO has access to HOV lanes. With a top speed of 80 mph (129 kph), its perfectly able to travel on highways. Its ange is estimated at 100 miles (161 km), and certain safety features from actual cars are present, like front and rear crumple zones, side-impact protection, roll bar, and torque-limiting control.The SOLO is priced at $18,500 and is still taking orders. Earlier this month, ElectraMeccanica also announced plans for a cargo version, called SOLO Cargo EV , but did not offer an estimate for deliveries or pricing.
Using sustainable fuels is yet another advantage to be added to the list of S-92 benefits. The S-92 is used by 25 countries worldwide for various operations and the first such helicopter to fly on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) belongs to the CHC Helikopter Service of Norway. It used Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene, which is one of the seven types of approved SAFs available right now. This type of fuel is produced from waste and residual feedstock such as used cooking oil.This achievement is an important one in the context in which aircraft companies all over the world strive to switch to sustainable aviation fuels. Compared to traditional jet fuels, SAFs reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80 percent, as stated by Lockheed Martin.S-92 helicopters are powered by CT7-8A engines produced by GE Aviation, which require no modifications for the aircraft to be able to use approved SAF blends, as explained by Harry Nahatis, vice president and general manager of GE Turboshaft Engine programs.The first S-92 was delivered by Sikorsky in 2007, as a search and rescue helicopter . The chopper has a maximum take-off weight of 27,700 pounds (over 12,500 kg). In 2016, the S-92 fleet already achieved one million flight hours.Today, Sikorsky boasts of its S-92 having more than 1.6 million flight hours so far, with almost 90 percent of these hours being dedicated to offshore oil transportation. But the helicopter, which can accommodate up to 19 passengers, can also be practical for airline missions as well as Head of State ones.
On October 30-31, four members of the A-10 Demo Team will attend the Wings Over Georgia Air Show. Their presence there is not random since they grew up less than a two-hour drive from Rome, GA. That includes the team leader Capt. Haden Gator Fullam, Staff Sgt. Hunter Nance, Staff Sgt. Robert Benson, and Senior Airman Jacob Stephens.Senior Airman Stephens said thatand added thatFullam joined the U.S. Air Force as a tribute for his grandfathers, who fought in Vietnam and, moreover, for 2021, the A-10 Thunderbolt used by his team will come with the Vietnam War-era paint scheme. That paint includes the name of 97 members of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing who paid the ultimate price or were POWs during military service. The A-10 Demonstration Flight Team is part of the 355th Wing based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, near Tucson, AZ.This year, the event will use a hybrid format, including a drive-in tailgate system and hill-top patio seating. Those who choose the parking will get a 10 by 20-foot spot (3x6m) for their vehicles and an adjacent area for enjoying the show.Apart from the A-10 Demo Team, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels will attend the event, celebrating their 75th Anniversary as the headlining act, U.S. Army SOCOM Black Daggers, and U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster II. Ticket prices for general airfield parking are $150 for every day, and the organizer announced that the vehicles could not exceed 20 ft (6 m). The capacity of the cars will be counted by the number of seatbelts installed. Tickets must be purchased in advance; hence there will be no tickets sold at the Show.
The construction method is based on the intelligent use of composites, something Murray brought from his years in F1. Despite that, the designer knows the automotive industry has budget restrictions related to making a profit with each car it sells. That said, the iStream mixes these composite panels with a metallic frame called iFrame. It is this metallic structure that houses the mechanical components of the vehicle.The composite panels (iPanels) are bonded to the iFrame, giving it more rigidity than a regular vehicle could present. The iPanels allow a car to have 50% fewer components, which helps vehicles made with it be 20% lighter than comparable ones built with traditional methods. Murray is proud of how they keep their integrity for much more time than a typical monocoque structure.The way it is conceived, the iStream makes it possible to build cars in smaller structures, saving CO2 in the process. Being lighter, these vehicles also are more energy-efficient, naturally emitting less carbon.Although iStream was presented in 2010, it is the sort of apparently good idea that sits for years without any application. Gordon Murray would have given up on it a long time ago if it were a bad idea or something that was not feasible. At the same time, all the companies that got interested in it have failed to produce iStream cars.Apart from GMA (Gordon Murray Automotive) TVR is the latest company that may use the system. Were still waiting for any company to put the T.25 and the T.27 into production. The innovative urban car Murray conceived more than ten years ago certainly deserved a shot.
DCT

DOHC

FuelTech is the company responsible for the red-painted Stingray in the featured video, and the record-breaking run wouldnt have been possible without perfect weather conditions at Virginia Motorsports Park, a stellar launch off the line and a dual-clutch tranny with Stage 2 Dodson clutches.As opposed to the OEM setup with 5 and 6 friction clutch plates, the aftermarket company from New Zealand levels up to 9 and 10 frictions. The peeps at FuelTech USA have also fitted thewith an FT600 control system that enables a new transmission strategy. Another FT600 control system is used for engine control, and its the right call for a strip-slaying car because the factory powertrain control module reduces torque to preserve the drivetrain if the clever software detects extreme torque loads.Tipping the scales at 3,950 pounds (1,792 kilograms) including the driver, the ever-improving FuelTech Corvette develops a simply astonishing 1,350 horsepower at the rear wheels. Thats 1,500 horsepower  if not more  at the crankshaft of the LT2 small-block V8 engine. Equipped with 18-inch wheels, rear drag radials, and front skinnies, the car is rocking two Garrett turbocharged mounted topside, Turbosmart electronic wastegates, forged pistons, and a custom intake manifold that hides a set of injectors. With the help of a brushless pump, those injectors spray VP Racing Fuels M1 methanol.The second fuel system runs in conjunction with the OEM direct injection. Nitrous Outlet provides extra air to the engine through chemical enhancement, which helps cool down the non-intercooled turbo air.As far as extreme builds go, this C8 is up there with the best of them. Considering that Chevy will debut a flat-plane crankshaft V8 with avalvetrain for the 2023 model year in the wide-bodied Corvette Z06, the mid-engine platform developed specifically for the V8 still has more to offer.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

kWh

Workhorse says the vehicles now require more testing and modifications to ensure that the vans meet mandatory standards.Also, shares in Workhorse dropped some 14%, and that means share value is at close to a one-year low of $7.05 as the company suffers yet another snag. The same announcement also said that Workhorse will recall all 41 vans which have already been delivered to customers.Last week Workhorse Group voluntarily dismissed a legal challenge against their rivals, Oshkosh Defense, which sought to overturn a USPS move to award a multibillion-dollar deal to Oshkosh for delivery of the next generation of Postal Service vehicles. The 10-year contract deal, which was announced at the start of this year, is projected to be worth upwards of $6 billion. It called for the delivery of anywhere from 50,000 to 165,000 vehicles.The Workhorse bid proposed that the company would build an all-electric vehicle fleet while the winning Oshkosh bid called for meeting the requirement with a mix of internal combustion-powered and electric vehicles.The suspension and recall is bad news on top of bad news, as Workhorse are also said to be under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Based in Ohio, the company said a fresh leadership team has concluded that additional modifications were necessary to make sure the C-1000 vehicles meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).Workhorse also says they informed theabout the need for the changes and that their information about the van's compliance with NHTSA standards is no longer reliable.Workhorse declared that they expect to complete testing of the C-1000 vans by the end of the year.According to the company, the C-1000 van has a range of 100 miles and is powered by a 70battery pack.
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House Democrats on Tuesday stripped $1 billion for Israel's Iron Dome defense system from its short-term government funding bill after backlash from progressives, people familiar with the decision tell Axios.

Why it matters: There has never been a situation where military aid for Israel was held up because of objections from members of Congress. While the funding will get a vote in its current defense bill, the clash underscores the deep divisions within the Democratic Party over Israel.

What we're hearing: Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday about the holdup in the voting on the Iron Dome funding.

Lapids office said Hoyer stressed the holdup was "technical due to disagreements in Congress about the deficit and conveyed the commitment by him, the White House, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to pass the Iron Dome funding soon.

The backdrop: Politico first broke the news about the funding being removed from the continuing resolution, which is expected to be considered by the House later today.

The funding has been a key priority for Hoyer, but its supporters ultimately caved after several progressive members like Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) threatened to vote against the short-term funding bill, which also includes language to raise the debt ceiling.

The Iron Dome will be included in the final, bipartisan and bicameral fiscal year 2022 defense bill," said a House Appropriations Committee spokesperson.

Flashback: President Biden committed publicly in May at the end of the Gaza war to replenish Israel's Iron Dome system. Biden repeated the pledge last month during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

What they're saying: Israeli officials told Axios' Barak Ravid that the development is a result of the 12 years of Netanyahu policies, which harmed Israel's bipartisan status in America.

This story has been updated with new reporting about Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's call with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
The House passed a bill on Tuesday to fund the government through early December, along with a measure to raise the debt ceiling through December 2022.

Why it matters: The stopgap measure, which needs to be passed to avoid a government shutdown when funding expires on Sept. 30, faces a difficult journey in the Senate where at least ten Republicans would need to vote in favor.

Republicans have already said they oppose including an extension of the debt ceiling in the government funding bill, also known as a continuing resolution.

Inaction by Congress on the debt ceiling means the U.S. would default on its debts by October, according to a warning issued by the Treasury Department.

What's next: Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to oppose the measure, and it is expected that most members of his party will vote with him.

If the Senate votes it down, Democratic leadership must return to the drawing board, where they face a ticking clock toward a government shutdown.

What they're saying: While a vote on the debt ceiling increase has historically been bipartisan, Republicans are refusing to support it.

"The debt ceiling will be raised as it always has. But it will be raised by the Democrats," McConnell said at a press conference on Tuesday.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Tuesday that Republicans are practicing situational ethics.

"It is a phony issue, an absolute phony demagoguery lending issue, which has really nothing to do with the debt of the United States," he said.

The details: The funding bill, also known as a continuing resolution, includes over $6 billion in additional funding dedicated to resettling Afghan evacuees and $28.6 billion allocated for disaster relief to address recent natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires.
Azerbaijan gained control over a 21-kilometer section of the highway last December as a result of an Armenian troop withdrawal from border areas along Armenias southeastern Syunik province which also border Iran.

Azerbaijani officers deployed there began stopping and taxing on September 12 Iranian trucks delivering goods to and from Armenia. Many truck drivers have refused to pay the road tax reportedly ranging from $150 to $350 per vehicle.

Two of them were arrested by Azerbaijani authorities last week for allegedly travelling to Nagorno-Karabakh without Bakus permission. The Iranian Foreign Ministry called for their immediate release at the weekend.

Irans President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the road crisis with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian at a meeting held in Tajikistans capital Dushanbe on Friday.

The issue was also high on the agenda of Iranian Ambassador Abbas Badakhshan Zohouris meeting with Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenias Security Council, on Wednesday.

Ambassador Zohouri expressed concern over problems with the use of road infrastructure connecting Iran to Armenia, Grigorians office said in a statement.

It said Grigorian assured the diplomat that Armenia is conscious of the issues sensitivity for its Iranian partners and hopes for a quick solution to the crisis.

The Iranian side, including the Embassy, is making efforts to have this issue resolved as soon as possible, Zohouri told reporters on Monday.

He stressed at the same time that Tehran hopes the Armenian government will speed up the ongoing reconstruction of an alternative Syunik road so that Iranian drivers can transport cargo in safe and secure conditions.

That 70-kilometer road bypasses Armenian-Azerbaijani border areas. Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikian indicated last week that it will not be fully refurbished before next spring. Armenian media reports suggest that many Iranian trucks are already using it.

Iran offered to help Armenia rebuild or repair its strategic highways passing through Syunik even before the latest crisis. The two governments set up this summer a joint working group tasked with looking into Iranian companies possible participation in multimillion-dollar transport projects planned by Yerevan.
Turkey keeps saying the same things as Azerbaijan, Giro Manoyan told RFE/RLs Armenian Service. Despite that, our prime minister tried to have a meeting with [Turkish President Tayyip] Erdogan.

Manoyan complained that Erdogans statements making a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement conditional on Armenia fulfilling Azerbaijans post-war demands have been construed as positive signals by Pashinian. That is directly jeopardizing our national interests, he said.

Pashinian first spoke of such signals emanating from Ankara on August 27, saying that his government is ready to reciprocate them.

Erdogan responded by saying that Ankara is open to normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations. But he cited in that context Azerbaijans demands for a formal Armenian recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Erdogan said on Sunday that Pashinian has offered to meet with him. He appeared to make the meeting conditional on Armenia agreeing to open a transport corridor that would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave.

A spokeswoman for Pashinian did not deny the offer while criticizing Erdogans calls for the Nakhichevan corridor sought by Baku.

Manoyan said the Turkish leader thus made clear that Ankara will not establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan and open the Turkish-Armenian border without the opening of such a corridor and the restoration of full Azerbaijani control over Karabakh.

Negotiating with the Turks in these circumstances, he said, would be tantamount to accepting their preconditions.

We were and are against starting negotiations without [Turkey] dropping those preconditions, added Manoyan.

Dashnaktsutyun has long favored a hard line on Armenias dealings with Turkey. It is now part of the main opposition Hayastan alliance led by former President Robert Kocharian.

Hayastan and other opposition groups have denounced what they see as Pashinians secret overtures to Erdogan. They too believe that Ankara is not prepared for an unconditional normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Partly cloudy. High near 80F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 59F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
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Do you have a tip, question or recommendation on Bakersfield restaurants, trends or food news in general? Email thedish@bakersfield.com, and your input might wind up in a future column.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @idesai98 on Twitter.
When Oregon Coast Beaches Were the Only Roads: An Historical Twist

Published 09/16/21 at 7:16 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast)  As you whiz along Highway 101 on any part of the Oregon coast, the scenery and the beaches flash intermittently between stands of trees or rugged hillsides, giving the briefest of glimpses to outstanding beauty at every turn. Yet there is something intrinsically ironic in this, a historic fact about Oregon that will surprise. The pristine state of the beaches here is directly connected to the fact they were once the only roads. (Photo of Taft - later part of Lincoln City. Courtesy North Lincoln County History Museum)

A complex mix of politics and forward-thinking tourism made that happen over a couple of decades in the early last century, first securing the beaches as a public domain so they could be used as roads, which then led to them becoming public and staying that way.

For nearly 100 years after settlers first arrived here there were no real roads in the area, and nothing that connected Oregon coast villages that were distant from each other such as Bandon to Seaside. Highway 101 didn't actually come into existence until the early 1920s. Before that, all you could do to get to most places was drive up the beach by horse 'n' buggy or by early models of motorcar. To get to Empire (later Coos Bay) from Newport, you had to sail down there; or travel inland, then south, then over again.

Around the turn--of-the-century, a future Governor Oswald West was riding his horse in the Nehalem area and had an epiphany: the Oregon coast needed roads and the beaches should stay pristine.

In 1914, West declared the beaches public highways, as part of a first step to keep the roads open and assure more would be built. Shortly after, a series of unpaved roads began to spring up. The Columbia Highway was to run from Seaside to Astoria and then along the Columbia River to Pendleton. In 1915, an unpaved highway between Astoria and Portland opened up.





One fascinating example of these beach roads remains: the old road carved out of Hug Point near Cannon Beach. Just after 1900, the rock here was blasted apart and a small road made around this point. You can still see the ruts in the old rock, etched by the wheels of ancient vehicles. (Photo here, courtesy Cannon Beach History Museum)

Meanwhile, down in Newport, Nye Beach and Newport were actually separate little villages, connected by a muddy set of wooden planks.

In 1912, a group of central coast businessmen hoped to give local tourism a big boost by making the first automobile trip between Newport and Siletz Bay in what would later become Lincoln City. These days, along 101, the trip takes 45 minutes to a half hour, depending on traffic. Back then, the group that called itself the Pathfinders needed 23 hours to make the round trip along muddy tracks on slippery hillsides and soft beaches.

Mail was, of course, delivered by sauntering over the vehicle-stressing beaches as well. This resulted in a flurry of interesting tales all their own, such as major strandings and near-death experiences in wild tides. One that stands out was the discovery of a mail truck from the '20s beneath the sands of Waldport, found in early 2008 when sand levels reached record lows.

In 1919, Oregonians finally approved a measure to create a full highway from the California border up to the Washington edges, partially due to World War I and how it shifted the American mindset to emergency preparedness and the next big war. Actual paving began on it in 1921, although first it was called the Roosevelt Coast Military Highway, after Teddy Roosevelt (who had an interesting connection to Oceanside).

The highway changed names periodically over the decades, including being called the Oregon Beach Highway, Oregon Coast Highway and a few others. Some of the original name remains: Highway 101 in Seaside is still called Roosevelt.

Highway 101 was essentially finished in the 1930s, with the last bit up around the Arch Cape Tunnel. As travel opened up between the little burghs, Oregonians found towns that had developed distinctly different cultures in that isolation.

During much of this time, it was the Oregon Highway Department that still had jurisdiction over the beaches (that switched to Oregon State Parks late in the century). Oregon's state park system was actually an offshoot of the Highway Department back in the 20s. Throughout this period, Oregon's beaches remained thoroughly public, until someone in Cannon Beach challenged that in the 1960s.



Pathfinder group in 1912 trying to navigate Fogarty Beach: courtesy Lincoln County Historical Museum

It was highway jurisdiction over the public beaches that helped form a legal precedent when this situation arose, with Gov. Tom McCall championing the cause to absolutely make it firm in the legal sense that the Oregon coast sands were to remain open to all. It had been an unclarified law until that point, and McCall's Oregon Beach Bill campaign went into action.

The landmark bill, based on something similar in Texas, was nearly defeated in the state legislature. After an extensive PR campaign, McCall rallied public support and the bill was signed into existence on July 6, 1967.

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Buildng the Neahkahnie overlooks at Manzanita, courtesy ODOT

Highway 101 near Port Orford in the '40s: courtesy Oregon State Archives

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Fall Equinox and Its Interesting, Colorful Aspects on Washington / Oregon Coast

Published 09/17/21 at 5:46 PM PDT

By Andre' GW Hagestedt

(Astoria, Oregon)  Summer comes to a close on Northwest beaches with some engaging astronomy tidbits and fun sights still to be encountered. Among them: a harvest moon with a different color, lovely weather waiting in the wings and maybe something odd glowing at night. (Above: after dark at Manzanita)

The Oregon coast and Washington coast will officially say goodbye to summer on September 22 at 12:21 p.m., as the autumnal equinox kicks in.

Jim Todd, astronomy expert with Portland's OMSI, said this is what happens along the entire northern Hemisphere, a date that marks when the days really start getting shorter and the nights are longer. There is a significant shift in the times of day and night.

This is the moment in time where the Sun's rays are directly over the equator and the days are nights are nearly equal in length, Todd said. The Sun's rays continue to make their journey south, and as a result, hours of darkness will be longer than daylight. This is the reason it's called an equinox,' Latin word meaning equal.'

In and around Portland, September 25 is actually when day and night both get to 12 hours each, with sunrise in Ptown happening at 7:01 a.m. and sunset at 7:02 p.m.

In a way, it centers around the 45th latitude North  which runs right near Neskowin and Lincoln City.

At the 45th latitude North, the time it takes for the sun to fully rise and set, which is several minutes, is added to the day and subtracted from the night, and therefore the equinox day lasts a little longer than 12 hours, Todd said. Another reason why the day is longer than 12 hours on an equinox is that the Earth's atmosphere refracts sunlight.

Around the world, autumnal equinox coincides with many cultural events, religious observances, and customs around the world, Todd said.



Harvest moon above Newport, after it's moved above the horizon and no longer orange

For example, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a harvest festival also celebrated in Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, he said. Locally, modern Harvest Moon festivals with variety of concerts, farmers markets, beer- and wine-tasting, and craft fairs. The wonderful changing fall color of the trees in the Pacific Northwest is expected for rest of September and well into October this year. This is a perfect opportunity to align sundial as the Sun rises due east and sets due west on the equinox.

For the Oregon and Washington coastlines, this season brings the second summer, where weather is generally at its nicest of all the year. Due to a special set of meteorological circumstances, you'll get less winds, warmer temps and bluer skies  although not all the time, of course. This weekend is expecting the largest storm system to hit the Pacific Northwest in months.

Other special aspects: when warmer temps return to the beaches, look around darker beaches for the glowing sand phenomena, which is caused by bioluminescent phtyoplankton. Head to a beach with no light interference (and no moon helps), such as those along Long Beach, southern Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Oceanside, Coos Bay's Horsfall Beach, some beaches of Lincoln City, and really most beaches along the southern Oregon coast. Bioluminescent Phytoplankton: What Makes Glowing Sand On Oregon Coast, Washington

Also coming up in a few days is the Harvest Moon, happening on Monday, September 20 at 4:54 pm.

It refers to the Full Moon that comes closest to the first day of autumn, which is on Wednesday, September 22, Todd said. Depending on the year, the Harvest Moon can fall before or after the autumnal equinox which arrives annually on or near September 22 or 23.

As if to portray fall, you'll likely see a large orange moon for awhile.



Port Orford, courtesy Manuela Durson - see Manuela Durson Fine Arts



The orange color of a moon near the horizon is a true physical effect, Todd said. When looking toward the horizon, we are actually looking through a greater thickness of Earth's atmosphere than when looking directly overhead. The atmosphere scatters blue light (the reason the sky looks blue). The thickness of the atmosphere in the direction of a horizon scatters blue light most effectively, but it lets red light pass through. Therefore, a moon near the horizon takes on a yellow, orange or reddish hue.

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Westport, Washington, courtesy Washington State Parks

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees nearly 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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As a booze enthusiast and native Texan, Im quite proud of how far the state has come in terms as how we brew, distill, harvest and imbibe. In fact, Texas  boasting more than 130 distilleries  now trails just California, New York and Washington in terms of its sheer volume of producers. And one Texas town thats been right at the forefront of that movement is Fort Worth.

The 13th-largest city in the States, Cowtown now offers a variety of distilleries creating delicious spirits via innovative methods. From premier vodka crafted with Texas-grown black-eyed peas to small-batch grain-to-glass bourbons, local spirit-makers are combining regional and unconventional ingredients with experimental techniques that fuse Texas tradition with advances in distilling.

In terms of where to start, you cant talk spirits in Texas without mentioning its booming bourbon business. Generally, Texas bourbon features flavor notes that are distinctive to the region. As Blackland Distillery master distiller Ezra Cox says, The maturation revolves around environmental conditions. It gets super hot here in the summer and it gets super cold here sometimes in the winter, and those things can affect maturation in a different way than what happens in Kentucky or Tennessee. Unlike the whiskey-producing states east of Texas, where there are clearly defined seasons, the Lone Star States weather is generally dry and hot. Those conditions cause barreled alcohol to expand, which helps the distillate reach deep into the pores of the wood, where many of the flavors originate.

Its about the grain and thats pretty much true for just about every Texas distillery  Texans are all about Texas. We buy nothing but Texas grain because theres a lot of things that grow here, Cox says. Blackland purchases all their grains from a local Fort Worth-based malting house called TexMalt. Theyre kind of our middleman between what we do and the farmers themselves  We buy everything from TexMalt, and they source everything from within Texas, Cox adds.

Another key player shining a spotlight on Texas grain-to-glass whiskey is the first craft bourbon and whiskey distillery in North Texas, Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co. They make the award-winning TX Straight Bourbon, which comprises Texas-grown corn, wheat and barley, pure Texas water, and a proprietary strain of yeast taken from a Texas pecan. The distillerys Whiskey Ranch features 19-foot-tall sliding barn doors that open to a 50-foot copper column still and a custom copper doubler.

Firestone & Robertsons distillery in Forth Worth Firestone & Robertson

Most whiskey lovers know the importance of water quality in the distillation process, and Trinity River Distillery, the creators of Silver Star Spirits bourbon, whiskey and vodka, also source theirs with the utmost care. As Master Distiller Kirk Richards states, We have a rain watering harvest system basically designed for us and its on the roof  we have 30,000 square feet of roof  and we harvest what I like to call angels tears. Rainwater. We catch it in the tanks, then we take it through a reverse osmosis double filtration process. Housed in the iconic Ranch Style Beans factory, Trinity River Distillery cuts all of its spirits with the rainwater collected from the storage tanks.

Of course, bourbon isnt the only category of spirits on offer in Forth Worth. Blackland, for example, uses local ingredients from the Texas prairie to create vodka, gin, bourbon and rye. Part of their five core spirits in addition to their two best-selling bourbons and rye whiskey are gin and vodka. Theres good vodka and bad vodka all over the map. The one thing that I brought to the table that makes us truly a premium vodka, frankly, is filtration. Thats really what we do that puts our stamp on it and makes it different than other vodkas, Cox says. Using carbon filtration to get the vodka as neutral as possible contributes to its subtle, sweet, clean flavor.

The tasting room at Blackland Distillery Blackland Distillery

And then theres the gin: after more than 100 iterations and experimenting with 50 different botanicals such as clove, fennel seed and ginger (which didnt make the final recipe), Blackland Gin infuses Texas red winter wheat with 12 botanicals including juniper, coriander, orris root, angelica root, chamomile flower, licorice root, galangal, grains of paradise, lemon balm, grapefruit peel, lemon peel and orange peel. The result is a perfectly balanced, handcrafted gin thats slightly earthy, floral and citrusy.

Theres also Black Eyed Distilling, which is the first distillery to distill vodka from black-eyed peas, a core Texas crop. Operating out of a historic fire station in Fort Worths Near Southside neighborhood, the distillery uses charcoal filtration in addition to 22 distillations to soften the spirits notorious burn and create their flagship farm-to-bottle (cooked, distilled and bottled) BLK EYE Vodka.

Another distillery producing an array of award-winning spirits is Acre Distilling Co. They have more than 18 different spirits, including vodkas, gins, bourbons, single malt whiskeys and rum, plus flavored liqueurs and cordials. Hailing from downtown Fort Worths Hells Half Acre neighborhood, Acre Distilling Co. is one of the few distilleries in the U.S. running entirely on solar energy. (The also take those sustainable initiatives up a notch by using disposable cups made of corn, straws made of actual straw, and hosting a program that allows customers to reuse their bottles for a discount.)

Already home to distinct bars and luxe hotels that sling high-quality cocktails, Forth Worth has always been a great town for drinking. But now, with an impressive array of distilleries housing some of the swankiest tasting rooms in the country, Fort Worth might be something even greater: Americas next great booze destination.

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Restaurants and other businesses have enforced mask rules across the country over the past year and a half. But at one Texas eatery last week, a couple was asked to leave for refusing to remove their face coverings.

Natalie Wester and her husband visited Hang Time Sports Grill & Bar in Rowlett, east of Dallas, to meet with friends, CBS DFW's Nicole Nielsen reports.

Wester said she and her husband were wearing masks when they came in and the hostess asked them to remove them. She assumed it was just for the ID check until a waitress came over to their table.

"About half an hour passes and our waitress comes, sits down next to me, and says 'Our manager sent me over because Im nicer than he is. And yes, this is political,'" Wester wrote on Facebook. "She then told me that masks are not allowed in their building, and they can make the rules because they are private business."

Wester and her husband were asked to leave when they didn't want to remove their masks. According to Wester's Facebook post, their 4-month-old son has cystic fibrosis so the couple has continued wearing masks while in public.

Hang Time's owner, identified as Tom, told CBS DFW he has the right to refuse service to anyone who wears a mask, which he considers against the restaurant's dress code.

I have spent my money on the business, my blood sweat and tears in this business, and I dont want masks in here, Tom said. I feel the overall reaction with masks is ridiculous in the United States right now."
WICHITA, Kan. (AP)  Three students suffered gunshot wounds during a lunchtime shooting Tuesday outside a Wichita high school and three other teenagers have been arrested, police said.

Police responded to citizen 911 calls of a disturbance that unfolded on a sidewalk about 200 yards (182.88 meters) from East High School, said police Capt. Kevin Kochenderfer.

First responders initially located two male students, ages 15 and 16, who were taken with minor gunshot wounds to a local hospital, where they were treated and released. Police said that another 15-year-old male student who was grazed by a bullet while standing in front of the school later reported his injury to a school nurse.

None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.

Police said in a news release that their investigation revealed three teenagers pulled into an alley near the school in a gray Volkswagen Passat. They exited the vehicle and approached the initial two victims. Multiple shots were fired, striking them and the school building. The two victims then ran across the street to a parked food truck, where officers contacted them. The suspects fled in the Passat.

With the help of witnesses, officers obtained a description and a license plate number of the suspect vehicle and were able to track it using the city's traffic camera system. Officers located a handgun and other evidence related to the shooting in the vehicle.

Three male suspects, a 17-year-old and two 16-year-olds, are in custody, according to the release. The investigation is ongoing and the case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office.

Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said the shooting appears to stem from an ongoing dispute.

The school building was struck twice by gunfire, with both shots ricocheting off windows without penetrating it, police said.

Numerous students were outside at the time of the shooting.
Beaumont native and multi-genre bestselling author Lindy Miller Ryan is set to return home on Friday.

She will make an in-person visit to the 2nd and Charles bookstore inside Parkdale Mall at 11 a.m. The author also will have signed copies of her books available for purchase at Barnes & Noble, 4155 Dowlen Rd.

The West Brook High School graduates most recent book, Aloha With Love, hit shelves in July and the TV adaptation just wrapped filming in Hawaii. She writes under the name Lindy Miller, and her books have received numerous awards and been adapted for screen.

Miller is known for her feel-good romances featuring women who are charting their own destinies by taking charge of the decisions that affect their lives and careers, as described by online literary magazine BookTrib.

Ryan resides in Juneau, Alaska and is an entrepreneur, award-winning analytics professor at Rutgers University and publishing professional. In 2011, Ryan became the co-founder of Radiant Advisors, a business intelligence research and advisory firm, where, as Research Director then Chief Operations Officer, she led the company's editorial and research divisions, and its data enablement practice, for clients that have included 21st Century Fox Films, Warner Bros., and Disney.

Its been about five years since Ive been able to come to Beaumont, she said. Im grateful to be able to come back and share my experiences. Its weird to think about because I still think of myself as Lindy that works at Market Basket on Dowlen.

Ryan has developed her drive and enthusiasm into a burgeoning multimedia producing empire. In 2017, she founded Black Spot Books, an independent small press focused on speculative fiction, which was acquired by Vesuvian Media Group in 2019. Now an accomplished publishing professional, Ryan serves on the Board of Directors for the Independent Book Publishers Association and was named one of Publishers Weekly's 2020 Star Watch Honorees.

Beaumont has often been an influence in my creative stories, she said. I still have family here. In fact, Im here because my oldest son is getting married. Im also here doing research of an upcoming horror story Im writing that takes place here in 1999.

Without revealing too much of her upcoming project, Miller said she has been keeping in touch with friends research about the many haunts she had growing up in Beaumont.

I ask friends to help me remember which place was located where when I cant remember or things like What was the price of a Coke in the West Brook cafeteria in 1999.

When she's not immersed in books, Ryan is an avid historical researcher, with specific interest in nautical and maritime history, cryptozoology, and ancient civilizations.

Stephen Malick is a freelance writer.
A Beaumont man who committed sex crimes against three young girls following their mothers deportation has been sentenced to 100 years in prison by a Jefferson County court.

District Attorney Bob Wortham on Tuesday afternoon announced that 48-year-old Carlos Yalibat, of Beaumont, was sentenced to the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for 13 cases involving sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children.

Judge Raquel West, of the 252nd District Court, sentenced Yalibat to 20 years for indecency with a child, 20 years for sexual performance of a child, 10 years for attempted sexual performance of a child, and 5 years each for 10 cases of possession of child pornography, the release said.

West ordered Yalibats sentences to run consecutively. He must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life if ever released on parole, the release said.

On May 20, 2019, the Beaumont Police Department initiated an investigation into Yalibat after receiving a call from a 19-year-old woman reporting the alleged crimes.

Police said the oldest of the three girls, who were all under the age of 13, described being sexually abused by Yalibat while the two other girls watched.

He also frequently offered to get their nails done in exchange for naked photos of them. the release said, adding that he provided a digital camera to one of the girls and gave her $20 for the pictures.

The release said Yalibat secretly recorded all three of the girls while they were showering.

He drilled holes into the bathroom ceiling and recorded the victims with his cell phone from the attic, the release said.

In addition to the photos and videos of the three victims, Yalibat possessed an additional 592 images and 157 videos of child pornography, the release said.

The case was prosecuted by Special Crimes Chief Kimberly Hobbs Duchamp and investigated by Detective Jeff Curl with the Beaumont Police Department.

The District Attorneys Office would like to acknowledge the hard work of Detective Curl, the release said. These cases were the last he investigated before retiring from law enforcement in 2020 after 26 years with the Beaumont Police Department.

Detective Curl spent most of his career in the Special Crimes Unit where he focused on cases involving sexual exploitation of children, and right up until the very end, he was doing what he did best, protecting vulnerable children, the release continued. As always, the District Attorneys Office would also like to recognize the bravery of the victims in coming forward to report the abuse.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
CIUDAD ACUNA, Mexico (AP)  After more than a week at this crossing on the U.S.-Mexico border, Haitian migrant Nelson Saintil felt like the walls were beginning to close in on him and his family.

Saintil was along the banks of the Rio Grande on Wednesday morning with his wife and four children, ages 5, 10, 13 and 16. They had returned to Ciudad Acuna the day before after eight days in the squalid camp in Del Rio, Texas, where as many as 14,000 migrants had gathered.

Reports of U.S. deportations to Haiti had pushed them back to Mexico, but the situation remained fluid. The family constantly reevaluated its situation based on imperfect information.

I dont want to be like the mice who dont know about the trap and get caught, because returning to Haiti is like being buried alive, Saintil said.

At the same time, he and others feared straying far from the growing river camp on the Mexican side, because Mexican immigration agents continued picking up migrants around town and conducting overnight raids at the small hotels where some stayed. The threat of possible deportation on both sides of the border created the sensation of an open-air jail, he said.

Without the sort of overwhelming show of force deployed by the United States and Texas on the north side of the border, Mexico has been ramping up efforts to relieve migrant numbers at this segment of the border.

In Ciudad Acuna, patrols of National Guard, immigration agents and in some cases local police intensified Wednesday, with more raids and migrant detentions in hotels and in the streets.

Empty buses waited for detained migrants outside the local immigration offices. Suddenly, some buses would disappear and be replaced by others. Mexicos National Immigration Institute has not provided numbers on how many migrants have been moved from Ciudad Acuna in recent days.

Well before dawn Wednesday, a couple of immigration vans pulled up outside a small hotel in Ciudad Acuna with National Guardsmen carrying rifles. Soon, shattered glass rained down from a second floor window and a woman screamed. Several migrants were led out with their hands secured behind their backs and loaded into a van.

Inside, an AP journalist found blood spattered on the tiled floor of the room in which they had been staying.

Bodlet Manaasse, 27, was the only migrant not taken from the hotel in the raid.

I was sleeping, they knocked on the door and I didnt open, he said. The owner opened it, and they told me, you have to go with me."

They didnt ask to see any documents, but he told them he was sick and had to see a doctor, showing his swollen belly. He was the only one they left, he said.

The rest of the hotel exploded in shouts, scuffles and breaking glass. One family tried to hide in the bathroom, but authorities broke down the door. A couple families wielded shards of glass to ward off agents and managed to dash out of the hotel with their children and run into the night.

One migrant accidentally cut himself with the glass, explaining the blood on the floor, said Manaasse.

The hotel manager, shaken by the event, would only say that he witnessed part of the action and had never seen anything like it.

On Tuesday, Mexico flew the first planeload of migrants from the border city of Piedras Negras  just downstream from Ciudad Acuna  to the southern city of Villahermosa. More flights were expected, including to Tapachula, near the Guatemala border.

At the same time, Mexico was trying to keep more migrants from reaching the northern border. Bus lines were reminded not to sell tickets to migrants without proper documentation. On Monday, immigration agents in the northern city of Monterrey, a key transportation hub for travel to the border, detained about 100 migrants at the bus station who were then flown to Tapachula.

In Monterrey, the number of Haitian migrants arriving at a local shelter had grown exponentially since Sunday.

Some 1,500 Haitian migrants had arrived to the shelter since Sunday. The shelter, which has a capacity of 700, has expanded outside with tents for the overflow.

The wave started with the deportation from from the United States, which has been done inhumanely, said Jose Jaime Salinas, administrator of the Casa INDI shelter. It is the new United States presidents first error, because this is being seen around the world.

Selomourd Menrrivil, 43, left Tapachula to head to Monterrey with his family after seeing the situation developing in Ciudad Acuna and Del Rio. He and his wife arrived in Monterrey Sunday with their two teenage daughters.

Their plan is to regularize their status in Mexico and find work, even though he conceded that their ultimate destination remains the United States.

Without work we cant do anything, said the Cap-Haitien native who lived for five years in Santiago, Chile before heading north. We want documents here.

Mexicos immigration agency estimated Wednesday that 3,300 migrants were still on the Del Rio side and 500 to 600 were in Ciudad Acuna. That was down from the 8,600 that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reported Tuesday and from the more than 14,000 estimated five days earlier.

Mexico plans to begin direct flights to Haiti, which would initially target Haitian migrants already in Mexicos detention centers who have not applied for asylum. Those with open asylum cases would be flown or bused to Tapachula, according to a federal official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Andres Ramirez, coordinator of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance, told Milenio television Wednesday that we have had a quantity of people applying like never before in the history of Mexico.

From January to August, the agency received more than 77,000 applications for asylum, already 10% above the previous record in 2019, he said. About 19,000 of those came from Haitians.

Dozens of Haitians waited outside the offices of the agency in Mexico City with a seemingly new urgency to legalize their status in Mexico.

Leon Cardin, a 30-year-old plumber, waited with his wife and 1-year-old son. They arrived Wednesday morning from Tapachula. He said he paid about $750 for them to travel from Tapachula to the capital on a bus and in a private vehicle.

Cardin had been in Tapachula for more than a month, but the commission cancelled his appointment to apply for asylum, so they decided to come to Mexico City. He left Haiti in 2019, passing through Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and all of Central America before arriving in Mexico.

Cardin had seen what was happening at the border  his sons godfather was expelled by the U.S. to Haiti  and wants to make sure he cant be sent back to Haiti.

Like others, though, he said he would one day like to make it to the United States.

But were not lucky now. Were obliged to stay here and seek a visa and try to find work here, he said.

Back in Ciudad Acuna, little by little the migrant camp was growing beside the Rio Grande. Small tents and tarps were sprouting to provide shelter for several hundred migrants, mostly families, in a scene reminiscent of camps that have appeared in other border cities like Matamoros, Reynosa and Tijuana in recent years.

Antonio Pierre, 33, listened to the news on a friends cellphone.

They are releasing some, but they are very few, he said. His wife and daughter were across the river in Del Rio. He had waded back across the river through waist-deep water just to charge his cellphone, but said it was possible the whole family would join him in Mexico before the day was through.

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Associated Press photojournalist Felix Marquez in Ciudad Acuna and AP writers Marcos Martinez Chacon in Monterrey and Fabiola Sanchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
The Latest on the U.N. General Assembly:

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The chair of Bosnia and Herzegovinas presidency called upon the United Nations to uphold its commitment to human rights, citing ethnic inequality within his own country.

Zeljko Komsic is the Croat member of the western Balkan countrys presidency, which is shared between the countrys Croats, Bozniak Muslims and Serbs.

Komsic on Wednesday hailed bilateral and regional cooperation during the pandemic, saying neighbors provided aid before multilateral institutions did. But later in his speech, he spoke of neighbors intentions to annex parts of his country by fomenting ethnic tensions within.

Bosnia was the site of a bloody civil war in the 1990s that ended with the Dayton Peace Agreement. Komsic says the international agreement created complex institutions that make it difficult for the country to come to a political consensus that would allow it to move toward a functioning state.

He lambasted conditions that have created political, electoral and social inequality within his own country on ethnic and religious lines. In an address to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Croatias president also called for electoral reform in Bosnia, saying its Croats were marginalized.

Komsic bemoaned population outflows, saying a substantial segment of the population, including those of working age and with young families, have left Bosnia for better business and human rights opportunities. At the same time, Bosnia has received economic migrants from elsewhere. He says this combination has created additional social problems.

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The presidents of Argentina and Colombia warned the U.N. General Assembly that increasingly strapped emerging markets could default on their foreign debts, and called on multilateral lenders to push for changes that ease conditions.

Argentinas Alberto Fernandez said in a video message there is clearly risk of a generalized debacle of foreign debts for developing nations, and said there should be a reconfiguration of global financial architecture.

Hours earlier, his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque told diplomats assembled in New York that governments increased their indebtedness and fiscal deficits to cope with COVID-19, but credit ratings agencies still evaluate them with pre-pandemic eyes. He called on multilateral lenders to create a new consensus on acceptable minimum risk criteria that reflect the post-pandemic reboot period.

Otherwise, in the short term, in the face of demand for debt and generalized increase in the cost of capital, it could precipitate a debt crisis, Duque said.

He also proposed excluding all expenses and investments directed toward climate change from the assessment of fiscal deficits.

Credit ratings agency Standard & Poors cut Colombias sovereign bond rating to junk in May, and Fitch Ratings did the same in July. Duque didnt make explicit reference to his countrys downgrades.

Fernandez, for his part, called Argentinas indebtedness to the International Monetary Fund toxic and irresponsible. His predecessor, Mauricio Macri, arranged a $57 billion loan that Fernandez has previously said was unpayable. His country has received $45 billion of the total, and the president refused to accept the remainder.

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NEW YORK  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised the very different mood in Washington about the urgency of dealing with climate change since President Joe Biden replaced Donald Trump.

Johnson, who is due to meet Biden at the White House on Tuesday, said the U.S. government was passionately committed to fixing climate change.

Johnson is due to host a United Nations climate conference in Glasgow in November, and has been using a visit to the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week to urge nations to contribute more to help poor countries tackle the crisis.

Britain welcomed Bidens announcement Tuesday that the U.S. would double its contribution.

Johnson downplayed the likelihood of a U.S.-U.K. trade deal being struck soon, saying this week that Biden had a lot of fish to fry.

Johnson, a long-time backer of Brexit, has often cited the chance of a deal with the U.S. as one of the key benefits of leaving the European Union. But talks have stalled, and the U.S. has warned there will be no trade deal unless Britain resolves post-Brexit tensions with the EU over Northern Ireland that some fear could undermine the peace process there.

I have plenty of reason to be optimistic about (a trade deal), Johnson said during interviews in New York on Tuesday with British broadcasters. But the Americans do negotiate very hard.

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NEW YORK  President Joe Biden is meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, several days after unveiling a new partnership that would enable Australia to acquire at least 8 U.S. nuclear submarines led to a diplomatic blowup with France.

The new deal that also included the United Kingdom led Australia to cancel previous submarine acquisitions from France, which then recalled its U.S. ambassador. The deal has widely been seen as an effort by the U.S., Britain and Australia to counter an increasingly assertive China.

The pair are meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Morrison did not address the submarines issue directly, but thanked Biden for his leadership in the region. Biden says their goal is a free and open Pacific region and emphasizes that the U.S. has no closer or more reliable ally than Australia.

Biden says that their conversation will continue Friday in a meeting with Japan and India, the other two members of a separate partnership known as the quad.

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UNITED NATIONS  Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih called hope a highly desirable commodity in these difficult times in his address at the U.N. General Assembly.

Solihs foreign minister, Abdulla Shahid, is presiding over the U.N. General Assembly. Addressing him, Solih said Tuesday that it was apt his tenure is called the Presidency of Hope. But he cautioned that hope without action is ineffective.

The Maldives is highly reliant on tourism for its economy, and was accordingly devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. While its borders have reopened, Solih said the virus remains a threat as long as it's not defeated everywhere. He touted vaccines, saying 85% of all Maldivians are vaccinated.

Climate change threatens to wipe out the small Indian Ocean island nation, and Solih brought with him pleas written by young children to protect their home. He said that 56 years since Maldives made haste to seek U.N. membership, he still believes the world body is the best hope for humanity.

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UNITED NATIONS  President Joe Biden is appealing to delegates to the U.N. General Assembly for action on climate change. He says the situation is at a code red for humanity.

Biden says the world is fast approaching a point of no return with regard to extreme weather events that are taking lives and costing billions of dollars in damage. He says every nation must bring their highest possible ambitions to an upcoming global climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, that he plans to attend.

Biden says hes working with the U.S. Congress on climate investments and encouraged other leaders to work with their governments, too, saying it will help create good-paying jobs for their citizens.

The address is Bidens first to the U.N. General Assembly.

Biden says the U.S. is looking forward after recently turning the page on 20 years of war in Afghanistan.

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UNITED NATIONS  President Joe Biden is delivering his first address to the United Nations General Assembly.

Biden opened by addressing the challenge and loss facing the world from COVID-19 and he appealed to delegates to address climate change.

Biden is delivering the speech at a difficult time in his still new presidency after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and a new deal with Australia and the United Kingdom that has angered France, one of Americas oldest European allies.

Biden told delegates he will outline how the U.S. intends to work with partners and allies to help lead the world toward a more prosperous future for all people.

To deliver for our own people, we must also engage deeply with the rest of the world. he said.

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UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations chief is warning global leaders that the world has never been more threatened and divided and we face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetime.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rang the alarm in his annual state of the world speech at Tuesdays opening of the U.N. General Assemblys annual high-level meeting for leaders of its 193 member nations.

We are on the edge of an abyss  and moving in the wrong direction, he said.

Guterres pointed to supersized glaring inequalities sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate alarm bells ringing at fever pitch, upheavals from Afghanistan to Ethiopia and Yemen thwarting global peace, a surge of mistrust and misinformation polarizing people and paralyzing societies and human rights under fire.

The secretary-general said the solidarity of nations to tackle these and other crises is missing in action -- just when we need it most.

And he lamented that instead of humility in the face of these epic challenges, we see hubris.

Guterres said people may lose faith not only in their governments and institutions but in basic values when they see rights curtailed, corruption, the reality of their harsh lives, no future for their children -- and when they see billionaires joyriding to space while millions go hungry on earth.

Despite all these crises and challenges, the U.N. chief said he has hope.

Guterres urged world leaders to bridge divides to promote peace, restore trust between the richer north and developing south on tackling global warming, reduce the gap between rich and poor, promote gender equality, ensure that the half of humanity that has no access to the Internet is connected by 2030, and tackle the generation divide by giving young people a seat at the table.

Last year, no leader showed up in person because of COVID-19, but this year despite the pandemic still raging over 100 heads of state and government and several dozen ministers are slated to speak from the General Assembly podium during the high-level meeting which ends Sept. 27.
Technically, and unfortunately, it is still illegal for a public school district in Texas to require teachers and students to wear masks. But more than a hundred districts have done that, including the Beaumont and Port Arthur ISDs, as they watch with alarm the growing number of COVID-19 cases in their communities. But a strange thing is happening is these districts  or actually, not happening.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has published a list of dozens of cities, counties and school districts that have mask bans, but he has only filed lawsuits against six of them  the Richardson, Round Rock, Galveston, Elgin, Spring and Sherman ISDs. He has sent letters to the others threatening legal action too, but that may just be political bluster.

Ironically, he sought and received an injunction against the one district  the Paris ISD  that tried to get around the ban on mask mandates by making them part of the schools dress code when warranted by medical conditions.

Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to impose $1,000 fines for officials who impose mask mandates, but no such fines have been handed down yet. Abbott also could send state troopers or deputize the Texas National Guard to enforce his order, as he has done on the border with Mexico, but that hasnt happened either and seems less likely.

The Texas Education Agency has also said that the ban on mask mandates would not be enforced until the courts have resolved legal challenges to them.

Bottom line: The illegal mask mandates are mostly remaining in effect, and it appears that some Republican politicians are content to let that happen. They can tell their constituents they tried to protect their individual liberty  to contract a potentially fatal disease?  while almost everyone else realizes the common-sense need for these mandates in some places.

The politicians also might be looking at polls that show more support for local authority to impose mask mandates (56%) than opposition to them (35%). With just 9% of voters undecided in that poll by theTexas Politics Project last month, the 21-point gap between approval and disapproval is significant. That shows that even in a conservative state like Texas, many voters want to fight COVID-19 with tactics that work instead of political slogans.

Given the divided nature of Texas politics these days, an outcome like this might be the best option. It respects the concept of local control that lawmakers often say they revere while giving them political cover against hardline primary challengers who think incumbents tried too hard to save lives.

If this uneasy truce holds up through the rest of the 2021-22 school year, Texans would be well-served. School districts that want this option can pursue it, while others dont have to. And it must be pointed out that only a hundred of the 1,200 public school districts in the state have issued mask mandates.

Even so, its a strange way to operate in a law-and-order state  public entities violating a bad law but not really being sanctioned for doing so. But it will help keep some students and teachers out of ICUs, so no one should complain about the result.
A lawsuit that could test the constitutionality of the nation's most restrictive abortion ban was filed in Texas Monday against a doctor who admitted to performing an abortion considered illegal under the new law.

The details of the civil suit against Alan Braid, a physician in San Antonio, are as unusual as the law itself, which empowers private citizens to enforce the ban on abortion once cardiac activity has been detected - often as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

Braid stepped forward last week to say that he provided an abortion to a woman who was in the early stages of pregnancy, but beyond the state's limit. Despite the risks, Braid said he acted because of his duty as a doctor and "because she has a fundamental right to receive this care."

"I fully understood that there could be legal consequences - but I wanted to make sure that Texas didn't get away with its bid to prevent this blatantly unconstitutional law from being tested," he wrote in a column in The Washington Post.

On Monday, an Arkansas man said he decided to file a lawsuit to test the constitutionality of the Texas measure after reading a news report about Braid's declaration. Oscar Stilley, a former lawyer convicted of tax fraud in 2010, said he is not personally opposed to abortion, but believes that the measure should be subject to judicial review.

"If the law is no good, why should we have to go through a long, drawn-out process to find out if it's garbage?" Stilley said in an interview after filing the complaint in state court in Bexar County, Texas, which includes San Antonio.

He also noted that a successful lawsuit could result in an award in court of at least $10,000 for the plaintiff.

"If the state of Texas decided it's going to give a $10,000 bounty, why shouldn't I get that 10,000 bounty?" said Stilley, who is currently serving his 15-year federal sentence on home confinement.

That the first legal challenge to the Texas law came from a convicted felon in Arkansas was somewhat surprising. The antiabortion group Texas Right to Life has been gathering anonymous tips about potential violations, but had not yet filed a lawsuit - in part because abortion providers and clinics said they were complying with the law. The group has also been temporarily barred by state court decisions from suing certain providers in parts of the state.

Braid, whose clinics are represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, declined to comment through the legal organization.

"S.B. 8 says that 'any person' can sue over a violation, and we are starting to see that happen, including by out-of-state claimants," Marc Hearron, the group's senior counsel, said in a statement.

The Texas law took effect Sept. 1 and was designed to avoid judicial scrutiny by barring state officials, who would typically be the target of lawsuits, from enforcing the ban.

Instead, private citizens are charged with enforcing the ban by filing civil lawsuits against anyone who helps a woman get an abortion.

Abortion providers sued to try to stop the law, saying it is at odds with the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a right to abortion before viability, usually around 22 to 24 weeks into pregnancy.

But the high court allowed the measure to stand while litigation continues.

In a 5-4 order, the court's conservative majority said that initial legal challenge raised "serious questions" about the constitutionality of the law. But the justices said opponents, who sued state judges and court clerks, had not clearly shown that their lawsuit targeted the right people because government officials cannot enforce the law.

Separately, the Biden administration sued the state of Texas this month to block the law. A judge in Austin has set a hearing in that case for Oct. 1.

Until Braid's public admission, abortion clinics in Texas said they were abiding by the new restrictions and sending women to Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico to terminate their pregnancies. The law bars abortion at a time when many women do not yet realize they are pregnant. There are no exceptions in the law for rape, sexual abuse or incest.

Braid, who owns Alamo Women's Reproductive Services, said in his column that since the law took effect, he has discussed with patients how they might access abortion services in another state.

He advised one woman, who is 42 with four children, to travel to Oklahoma - a nine-hour drive one way - and offered to help with funding.

"She told me she couldn't go even if we flew her in a private jet," he wrote. "'Who's going to take care of my kids?' she asked me. 'What about my job? I can't miss work.' "
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte speaks remotely during the 76th Session of the General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York, Sept. 21, 2021.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defended his controversial war on drugs before the United Nations General Assembly, a week after The Hague-based International Criminal Court approved an investigation into the deadly campaign.

The Southeast Asian leader also appeared to take aim at China, without naming the superpower, when he said that no nation, however influential, could disregard Manilas 2016 victory against Beijing in an international arbitration case over the disputed South China Sea.

In what appeared to be a concession to the demands of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Duterte said in a pre-recorded video speech that he had ordered a government probe into questionable deaths in his anti-drugs campaign, but also said his administration had the right to enforce the rule of law.

We will deal with all criminals, including terrorists, with the full force of our laws, Duterte said in the last speech of his presidency at the U.N. General Assembly early on Wednesday (Manila time).

I have instructed the Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police to review the conduct of our campaign against illegal drugs. Those found to have acted beyond bounds during operations shall be made accountable before our laws.

Dutertes lawyer had said last week the president would not cooperate with the ICC on the investigation, as a foreign institution had no jurisdiction to carry out such a probe.

The Philippines has not been a member of the ICC since 2019 when Duterte pulled the country out of the treaty, but the ICC inquiry includes the period when it was a member.

Rights groups as well as the U.N. have criticized Dutertes war on drugs for its use of lethal force in official law enforcement operations, and alleged extrajudicial killings, often carried out by masked assassins.

The majority of the victims of his drug war have been poor people living in slums or low-income neighborhoods. Some of them were minors, including young children hit by stray bullets.

The ICC judges had said that the Philippine authorities failed to take meaningful steps to investigate or prosecute the killings, noting that only one case resulted in convictions.

On Wednesday, a human rights researcher said that of thousands of questionable killings, only one case had been properly investigated, which led to the jailing of three policemen.

A vast majority of these cases are uninvestigated, with the police unwilling and unable to pursue their investigations, while families of the victims are either afraid or too poor to file cases, Carlos Conde, the Philippines researcher for the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

Arbitral awards importance

While Duterte in his speech took aim at the U.N.  saying it was outdated and needed reform  he also said he believed that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) showed the way to a solution on the issue of the disputed South China Sea.

In 2016, the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected Chinas sweeping claims over the South China Sea region as invalid under UNCLOS, as it ruled in favor of the Philippines in a case brought by Manila against Beijing.

UNCLOS and the arbitral award provide a clear path towards a just, fair, and win-win solution for all, Duterte told General Assembly.

The Award must be seen for what it is  a benefit across the board to all who subscribe to the majesty of the law, he said.

No amount of willful disregard by any country, however big and powerful, can diminish the Arbitral Awards importance.

Manila and Beijing have had several verbal spats  including this year  over Chinas alleged transgressions in Philippine waters in the South China Sea.

In March, security officials in Manila reported that about 220 ships, including some they alleged were manned by Chinese maritime militia, had anchored in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Since taking office five years ago, and with less than a year left before his single term expires, Duterte has been criticized at home for not doing enough to assert the 2016 ruling.

In his first speech at the General Assembly last September, he stridently defended ruling by the court in The Hague, but in later months said that the Philippines could not do anything if China chose to ignore arbitral award.

But earlier this week, the Philippines top diplomat said that Manila backed a new U.S.-U.K.-Australia defense pact because it addressed a military imbalance in Southeast Asia.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. did not name any countries responsible for this so-called imbalance, but he was likely referring to China.

There is an imbalance in the forces available to the ASEAN member states, with the main balancer more than half a world away, Locsin said of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Duterte told the General Assembly that the Philippines was one with ASEAN and other stakeholders in ensuring that the South China Sea remains a sea of peace, security and prosperity.
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Investigations editor

Larry Parnass joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, CommonWealth Magazine and with the Reuters news service.
Opening arguments and testimony Tuesday in the stabbing trial of Anthony D. Chambers, the first criminal prosecution to be tried before a jury in Berkshire Superior Court during the pandemic.
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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.
Danny Jin, a Report for America corps member, is The Eagles Statehouse news reporter. He can be reached at djin@berkshireeagle.com, @djinreports on Twitter and 413-496-6221.
If I am being honest, I am ashamed to say that I have probably made at least one joke about every president who we have had at one point or another. They hold one of the most powerful positions in the world, in yet each one has his own characteristics and goals. As believers, it is important that we seek God on how to approach the concept of having a president. Today we are going to explore what does the Bible say about the president. I pray this will bring us clarity and wisdom in how to handle the variety of personalities from leaders we encounter.

What Does the Bible Say about the President?

The Bible never uses the exact word of a president since this is a more modern term and model of leadership for a country. However, Scripture does address how we should treat our leaders and those in authority.

1 Peter 2:17 says, Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

Notice how this verse tells us to show respect to all and love the church body. So many times politics come into the church building, and the enemy uses various opinions to divide from the core focus of the body of Christ, which is the Gospel. It is okay to have strong opinions about the way our country should be run, but when that becomes more important than the mission to share Jesus, we miss the correct priorities.

Next, we fear God first, then honor the emperor (Or in our case, the president). This verse is vital in understanding just like any relationship, we honor others and follow our leaders, but we are ultimately called to obey God. If a president asks us to sin, we are called to be obedient to the Lord first. I think of Daniel refusing to eat the meat from the palace. He took a stand for what was right rather than what the king required (Daniel 1:8).

1 Peter 2:13-14 says, Be subject for the Lords sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

The concept of a government is to help a nation to run smoothly and have order. Our God is a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33). We are to follow rules and guidelines that are set up for the safety of communities and others. We are to respect those enforcing the law as well.

Romans 13:1: Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

This verse gives great peace when we may not agree with the decisions of a leader. Ultimately, the Lord gave whoever is in leadership the position. This may be hard to stomach because there are many corrupt and ungodly rulers in the world, but somehow our God is using them to accomplish His purposes. He is, for reasons beyond our own knowledge, allowing them in their positions to work His greater plans. We have to trust that the Lord is sovereign.

1 Timothy 2:1-2: I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Lastly, the Bible urges us to pray for our leaders and those in authority. If I am being honest, I do not pray regularly enough for our president and those in leadership over our country. I need to be crying out to God more than ever as the people in our nation are beginning to walk away from worship of the one true Lord. We need Jesus more than ever and we need to pray for our leadership.

Does the Bible Obligate Us to Follow Leaders?

Mark Altrogge from Bible Study Tools wisely shares, No matter how much we disagree with or disapprove of our president, we must realize that God has placed him there to accomplish his own sovereign purpose, as God did with Pharaoh in Moses day Since God has placed our president in office, we should speak of him respectfully, not in a dishonoring, mocking way. We should also pray for him and bless him. God commands believers to pray for our leaders and all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:2).

With what Mark said in mind, we are called to trust in Gods placement of leaders. We still can voice and vote for differences of opinion, but we ultimately represent Christ. We need to be respectful whether we personally like or agree with a president or not.

When Is it Biblical to Disobey Leaders and Laws?

Jason Soroski from Crosswalk shares, As Christians, we are to live in a fine balance; standing for that which is true while seeking unity amongst ourselves whenever possible, standing firm in the faith while showing grace to those who do not, holding our leaders accountable while praying for their wisdom and well-being.

There is a fine balance between obeying God but respecting worldly leaders. Men who are presidents will fail us because they are human. Just as I would encourage a husband or wife to not listen to their spouse but follow Jesus if the spouse was encouraging him or her to sin, we are called to obey Jesus first. If any president is modeling and encouraging us to sin, we are responsible to honor the King of Kings and Lord of Lords first and foremost. We all will not answer to the president one day; we will, however, all answer God for our decisions. People in the Bible like Daniel, Esther, David, and Jesus Himself honored those in authority, but their priority was first living for God.

It is very popular to get on the gossip train, fall into deep fear, or become argumentative of others with differing views. However, we are never called to be violent, hateful, or despair at who holds the position of president. We are asked to shine a light, trust that the Lord is in control, and be peacemakers. A peacemaker is not a peacekeeper. We should still stand up for our religious freedoms and support ideas that are biblically supported. However, we do so with peace, love, and tact.

Ways to Pray for the President Today

Maybe you have been a prayer warrior for the president? If not, lets start today.

The Crosswalk Editorial Staff shares tips on praying for the president. As Christians, we should lead by example and lift anyone in authority up to the Lord in prayer, supplication, and intercession. May God give our leaders wisdom and discernment as they lead, and may we continually lift them up in our prayers.

Salvation: First of all, we can pray for our president and leaders to accept Jesus if they have not already. If a leader is not led by the Holy Spirit, there is reason to be concerned in the direction he or she is heading.

Wisdom: Pray for wisdom like that of Solomon. Leaders need to apply the knowledge that they have been given to make helpful decisions not only for themselves but for society as a whole.

Protection: Being the president is a dangerous job. He is possibly the most wanted man in all of the evil circles of the world. Pray for protection from the attacks of others and more importantly against the attacks from the enemy.

These are just a few ways in which we can daily pray for our leader. Today we can honor God by praying for the president who He allowed to be in charge. We can trust in our great Lord and that He is in control. We may not be lawmakers or government leaders, but we can be prayer warriors.

Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/photovs

Emma Danzeys mission in life is to inspire young women to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. Emma is a North Carolina resident and green tea enthusiast! She is married to her husband Drew and they serve international college students. She enjoys singing, dancing, trying new recipes, and watching home makeover shows. During her ministry career, Emma recorded two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, ran the Refined Magazine, and served in music education for early childhood. Currently, she is in the editing stages of her first two writing projects: a Bible study on womanhood and a non-fiction book on singleness. You can visit her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com
What Does the Church Do?

The church is a spiritual body , made up of gifted individual members with Jesus as its head.

, made up of gifted individual with Jesus as its head. The church is a spiritual building, made up of individual living stones, with Jesus as its cornerstone.

How does the universal church, the spiritual body of Christ, accomplish its purpose? The body of Christ is manifested in the local church body  the group of individuals meeting in community together in a specific location.

As a child, did you own a kaleidoscope? I thought they were such amazing things. You pointed the end towards the light, and as you turned the cylinder, the most beautiful and interesting pictures would appear. To me, this is a great illustration of the church. The members of the body are like the pieces of mirror and glass in the kaleidoscope. Separately, we arent very special. But when we are pointed toward the Light, Christ, and we come together as a local church, just as each piece slides into place when you turn the cylinder, a beautiful picture emerges. Each picture is different, just as each local body has its own personality and giftedness. But we are all parts of the whole  the beautiful kaleidoscope of the body of Christ.

It is in the local church body that the spiritual body of Christ becomes visible to a watching world.

What is the purpose of the church, and why is it important that every believer identify with a local body of Christ-followers? Just as a building cannot stand without each individual stone bearing its weight, and a body cannot function properly without each individual part performing its designed role, the divinely inspired idea called the church is contingent on believers being united to carry out Gods kingdom purposes. This happens both in spirit (the universal church of all believers everywhere) and in the practical realm (the local church).

Ephesians 4:11-16  And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

This passage is a wonderful explanation of how the church functions. The goal of a believer is to grow up into maturity  into Christlikeness. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are gifted by the Spirit to carry out their ministry. The original twelve apostles established the New Testament church. Today, men and women are called and gifted to establish and equip one another in the local church.

We are given six specific results of a saint who is properly equipped.

- An equipped saint carries out the work of ministry or service.

- An equipped saint strives to attain unity of the faith.

- An equipped saint grows in his knowledge of Christ.

- An equipped saint is mature and Christ-like.

- An equipped saint is doctrinally stable.

- An equipped saint loves the members of the body.

The local church is where a saint can be fully furnished or equipped. Participation in a local church that is biblical in its teaching, whether formalized by membership, or simply by faithful personal covenant commitment, is vital for every believer. It is the only way we discover what it truly means to be a Christ-follower.

Photo credit: Getty Images/wildpixel
DEARY - The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking public comment on draft Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (IPDES) permits for the wastewater treatment plants in both Deary and Troy, ID.

City of Deary

The city of Deary has applied for a wastewater discharge permit for its wastewater treatment facility, located at 1010-1012 Highway 9 in Deary, Idaho. The draft permit would authorize the discharge of treated municipal wastewater year-round to Mount Deary Creek for duration of the permit.

The permit identifies the pollutants of concern and the required limits for each pollutant or parameter, and monitoring and reporting requirements necessary to ensure compliance with the permit and protect human health and the environment.

City of Troy

The city of Troy has applied for a wastewater discharge permit for its wastewater treatment facility, located at 4008 Highway 8, in Troy, ID. The draft permit would authorize the discharge of treated municipal wastewater year-round to West Fork Little Bear Creek for the five years from the effective date.

The permit identifies the pollutants of concern and the required limits for each pollutant or parameter, and monitoring and reporting requirements necessary to ensure compliance with the permit and protect human health and the environment.

Public Comments

Written comments on the draft permits and fact sheets will be accepted through October 22 at 5:00pm MDT. The draft permits and fact sheets are available for public review at DEQs state office (1410 N. Hilton St.), DEQs Lewiston Regional Office (1118 F Street, Lewiston, ID, 83501), and on DEQs website. A public meeting may be held, if requested in writing, by October 6, 2021.

Comments and questions regarding this process should be directed to Jonathan Drygas or on DEQs Public Comment Opportunities page. Comments should address water quality considerations and include supporting materials where available. Comments should also reference the city of Troys WWTP and permit number (ID0023604).

Jonathan Drygas

Surface & Wastewater Division

1410 N. Hilton St.

Boise, ID 83706

jonathan.drygas@deq.idaho.gov

Please submit requests for a public meeting electronically on DEQs website, by mail, or email to Lori Flook.

Lori Flook

Surface & Wastewater Division

1410 N. Hilton St.

Boise, ID 83706

Lori.Flook@deq.idaho.gov
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea has criticized a U.S. decision to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia and threatened unspecified countermeasures if it finds the deal affects its security.

State media on Monday published comments from an unidentified North Korean Foreign Ministry official who called the arrangement between U.S., Britain and Australia an extremely dangerous move that would destroy the security balance in the Asia-Pacific. The official said it would set off a nuclear arms race.

The official said the North was closely examining the deal and would proceed accordingly if it has even a little adverse impact on the security of our country.

President Joe Biden announced last week a new alliance including Australia and Britain that would deliver an Australian fleet of at least eight nuclear-powered submarines. Biden has stressed the vessels would be conventionally armed.

France denounced the move, accusing Australia of concealing its intentions to back out of a 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) contract with the French majority state-owned Naval Group to build 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines for Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison blamed the switch on a deteriorating strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific, a clear reference to Chinas massive military buildup that has been gaining pace.

Apparently alluding to the French complaints, the North Korean official said the United States was being accused of back-stabbing even by its allies. The North believes the deal would destroy the peace and stability of the region and the international nuclear non-proliferation system and catalyze an arms race.

The prevailing situation shows once again that bolstering the capabilities for national defense from a long-term perspective should not be slackened even a bit in order to cope with the ever-changing international security environment, the Korean Central News Agency quoted the official as saying.

North Korea suspended its testing of nuclear bombs and intercontinental-range ballistic missiles that could hit the U.S. mainland in 2018, when its leader Kim Jong Un initiated diplomacy with former President Donald Trump while attempting to leverage his arsenal for badly needed sanctions relief.

Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since the collapse of a second Trump-Kim meeting in 2019, when the Americans rejected North Korean demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for dismantling an aging nuclear facility. That would have amounted to only a partial surrender of the North's nuclear capabilities.

The North has continued testing shorter range weapons, threatening U.S. allies South Korea and Japan in an apparent effort to pressure the Biden administration over the stalled diplomacy.

This month, the North tested a new cruise missile it intends to eventually arm with nuclear warheads and demonstrated a new system for launching ballistic missiles from trains.

The North's launches from rail cars on Wednesday came hours before the South reported its first test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. The dual display of military might highlighted a return of tensions in the region.

In a separate statement Monday, the North scoffed at the South's test, saying the missile was clumsy and didn't appear ready for military use.

Jang Chang Ha, president of North Koreas Academy for National Defense, said the rudimentary weapon system designed to fire conventionally-armed missiles posed no immediate threat to the North.

The North tested its Pukguksong-3 missile from a sea-based platform in 2019, part of a years-long effort to acquire the ability to fire nuclear-armed missiles from submarines.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, the truth about the harms of marijuana.

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The funds will be utilised to fuel further growth

Healthcare AI startup Endimension, based in Mumbai, has raised Rs 2.3 crore in a Seed Round from Inflection Point Ventures. The funds raised will be utilised to acquire talent for new product development, R&D and for boosting the sales team to fuel further growth.

The IIT-Bombay incubated startup stands strong with an in-house AI technology team and a combined experience of over 35 years. The AI platform of the startup helps to automatically detect abnormalities and diseases, via AI algorithms from medical scans, so as to reduce patient misdiagnosis and increase Radiologists efficiency.



Ankur Mittal, Co-Founder, Inflection Point Ventures says, Cutting edge technologies are being used in many complex treatments and surgeries. These are early days for application of AI and ML at the diagnostic stage, not only in India but worldwide."



Bharadwaj Kss, Founder & CEO, Endimension is an alum of IIT Madras and IIT Bombay and has experience of over a decade in AI and Machine Learning research. He says, There is a global shortage of radiologists leading to radiologist burnout and patient misdiagnosis. The number of medical images is increasing exponentially whereas radiologists are only growing linearly.
Wunderman Thompson Intelligence has published Into the Metaverse - a new report covering everything brand owners and their agencies need to know about this new paradigm, from what the metaverse is to its meaning for brands.

MetaLives  characterized by the rise of virtual possessions such as digital art and NFTs, the close connection between digital access and health and wellbeing, and the significant role technology now plays in creativity. Daily habits across all areas of our lives are being transplanted into the digital realm and giving rise to extended selves and lifestyles - whether thats digital ownership, meeting friends through technology, active content creation or turning to technology for recreational release.





 characterized by the rise of virtual possessions such as digital art and NFTs, the close connection between digital access and health and wellbeing, and the significant role technology now plays in creativity. Daily habits across all areas of our lives are being transplanted into the digital realm and giving rise to extended selves and lifestyles - whether thats digital ownership, meeting friends through technology, active content creation or turning to technology for recreational release. MetaSpaces  characterized by the emergence and growing popularity of new virtual venues, and the rise of blended virtual/real world spaces. With traditional gathering spaces evolving, this is redefining what home, events and vacations can mean in the meta-era.





 characterized by the emergence and growing popularity of new virtual venues, and the rise of blended virtual/real world spaces. With traditional gathering spaces evolving, this is redefining what home, events and vacations can mean in the meta-era. MetaBusiness  characterized by the recent significant uplift in gamevertising and the emergence of new retail frontiers. While gaming has become a playground where brands and marketers can connect with often hyper-engaged audiences, business in the metaverse is booming - opening up an abundance of opportunities, as we begin to witness the likes of automated shopping experiences, holograms and roaming avatars.





 characterized by the recent significant uplift in gamevertising and the emergence of new retail frontiers. While gaming has become a playground where brands and marketers can connect with often hyper-engaged audiences, business in the metaverse is booming - opening up an abundance of opportunities, as we begin to witness the likes of automated shopping experiences, holograms and roaming avatars. MetaSocieties  characterized by a sharp uplift in peoples interest in cultivating hyper-real identities online, the rapid growth of business social networks, and the promise of decentralised futures. This digital reality reflects the values and standards of our physical lives - through borderless networks and virtual utopias - with groups championing social causes close to their hearts.

Noteworthy findings

Global consumers growing reliance on tech: 76% of all consumers surveyed say their everyday lives and activities now depend on technology, rising to 79% of gen Z (16-to-26-year-olds) and 80% of millennials (27-to-41-year-olds)





Technology dependence now informs every aspect of daily life: 64% of global consumers say their social lives depend on it; 61% that their livelihoods depend on it; 56% that their creativity depends on it; 52% that their happiness depends on it; and 50% that their wellbeing depends on it





Digital is redefining consumer/brand relationships: 62% of consumers say they feel closer when interacting with a brand digitally; 66% prefer to engage with brands digitally; 73% find it easier to interact with brands with a digital presence; and 85% believe digital presence will be essential for a brand to be successful in the future





The future will be defined by technology: 93% of global consumers agree that technology is our future.





Despite all this, only 38% global consumers have heard of the term metaverse

Interest in the metaverse  a term first coined in Neal Stephensons 1992 novel, then closely associated with gaming, meaning a world in which the digital and physical are blurredhas grown significantly over the past 12 months.As Covid-19 lockdown measures forced many people to conduct much of daily life  from work to entertainment to shopping and social interaction  online via screens, all brands had to adapt at speed.Now, as the world nudges towards a return to offices, schools, brick-and-mortar stores and other physical spaces as part of its adjustment to living with coronavirus, many are assessing the lasting impact of screen-based living and the impact of accelerated blurring of the virtual and physical worlds moving forward.Emma Chiu, Wunderman Thompson Intelligence global director and author of thereport, says: Were entering the era of the metaverse, where our virtual and physical realities converge and we operate in a digital twin of our own world. Here, we replicate our routines, interests and obsessions: from picking outfits for our avatars to wear and cars for them to drive to constructing virtual homes or pursuing a more equitable and inclusive society online. Our report offers a glimpse into how the metaverse is shaping our future.To compile, Wunderman Thompson Intelligence conducted quantitative research among over 3,000 consumers, spanning the United States, the United Kingdom and China, in July 2021, in addition to qualitative analysis to reveal peoples understanding of and attitudes to the metaverse and identify the implications - both challenges and opportunities - for brands. The team also interviewed 15 experts for their interpretations of the metaverse and insight into how it will restructure business and industries.The report identifies global drivers such as tech-celeration, the rise of gaming, and the battle for power in the rapidly emerging metaverse among companies such as Facebook, Roblox Corporation and Epic Games.Drilling down, it also highlights key meta-trends impacting consumers through the creation of:Interesting findings from the quantitative study include:Naomi Troni, global chief marketing and growth officer at Wunderman Thompson says: The time has come to stop thinking of the metaverse as solely a domain for gaming. Increasingly, with the ongoing blurring of the lines between the virtual and physical worlds accelerated dramatically by restrictions on what people can do in physical spaces imposed under measures to combat the spread of Covid-19, it is a new social place. And what our new report shows is that new social space is here to stay. The foundational tools and habits forming the building blocks of the metaverse are already established. Only 38% of global consumers may have heard of the term metaverse, but the time is now to truly define what the metaverse is and establish a roadmap for brands entry.The fullreport is available for download
Mid-Print Graphic Designer

Remuneration: negotiable depending on experience Benefits: Annual bonus plus certain office meals Location: Johannesburg, Greenside Education level: Diploma Job level: Mid Type: Permanent Reference: #DPSA-MidSept Company: Digital Publications SA

Design and layout of various print publications.

Design digital magazine layouts

Design new website layouts and improve and enhance existing ones

To design social media posts for our customers based on their go-to-market strategy.

Assist our existing customers with executing their marketing strategies on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter

Participate in marketing strategy and conceptualization with existing clients

Three years of industry experience

Adobe Suite - Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign CC

Experience in layout/publication design either from an agency or publisher

Be a motivated, considerate, even-tempered and positive team player

Practice high attention to detail

Tertiary qualification in graphic design

Ability to create strong concepts for social media and mobile engagements

Sketch program would be an added benefit but not required

Website design

Previous UX/UI experience

Social media experience

Any digital design experience

Emotional maturity - critical skill

Ability to get on well this others - critical skill

Have a great attitude - critical skill

Apply excellent written and verbal communication skills

Have a can-do approach to all work

Have pride in good design and high-quality work

Experience showing skill in web design

Experience in UX or UI design

Focus on working to a schedule and meet the clients expectations

Understanding of digital publishing and the role design plays in digital publishing/app development

Passion for innovation, latest technology and app trends

Digital Publications is currently looking for graphic designer with print experience to join our company to produce designed content for our print and digital customers.In addition the following job functions are also available for suitably qualified candidates and those for those who wish to increase their skill set.Nice to have'sIt is not critical to have experience in all of the above, but we looking for go-getters who are passionate about creating awesome designs.The successful candidate will be required to work as part of a team as well as on their own handling customer projects from concept through to design & layout and publishing.Please ensure to send your portfolio with your application, all applications without portfolios will be disqualified. Posted on 22 Sep 09:18, Closing date 20 Nov
Initially, those lockdowns were supposed to last a week. But months later, with tensions running high, millions of Australians are fed up with the government's lockdowns and vaccine requirements.

And although Aussie health authorities have at the very least acknowledged that their "COVIDZero" approach isn't actually feasible, frustrations among the Australian people are running high (perhaps intensified by the country's latest diplomatic faux pas, which angered France and made PM Scott Morrison look like he stabbed President Macron in the back).

On Tuesday in Melbourne, authorities were forced to confront this blazing public anger as protesters executed an "extremely dangerous maneuver" by marching onto a busy freeway and blocking traffic in a tactic that some Americans might remember from last summer's BLM protests inspired by the killing of George Floyd.

Right now in Melbourne, Australia the most severe clash to date between workers and the state over mandated jabs as thousands of unionized construction tradesmen take the streets.



Victoria Premier Dan Andrews has shut down all construction for two weeks pic.twitter.com/lnM7yi2puS  Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 21, 2021

Thousands converged on the city for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, with shocking footage capturing dozens moving onto the West Gate Freeway into the path of cars. Traffic on the freeway, which is the busiest stretch of highway in Australia, was forced to a standstill in both directions as police tried to disperse the crowd.

Footage circulating on social media showed protesters tossing glass bottles and flares toward police, while some approached officers with their hands up, chanting "you serve us". One was heard shouting "this is our bridge".

The police responded by deploying tear gas and firing off rubber bullets. They were filmed telling protesters to move on via loudspeakers around the area. In response, a huge chorus of men could be heard shouting, everyday in response, implying they would show up every day until their demands were met.

"F*ck the Jab!" God Bless Australia!



Thousands of angry protesters attempted to shutdown a highway in Melbourne, as police struggled to get a grip on the massive demonstration - using rubber bullets and tear gas.



State Premier Dan Andrews condemned the "terrible behavior" as pic.twitter.com/Io4sCH3wZ4  Supergran6 (@Supergranagain) September 21, 2021

Organizers of the event, who mostly relied on the messaging app Telegram, said the "Victorian Workers Rally For Freedom" said the rallies would continue until victory had been won.

"Bring your friends and family in support. Wear work gear. Bring food and drinks," they instructed attendees on Telegram.

Elsewhere, mounted police were filmed in the city as an announcement telling protesters to move on played over a speaker.

The government in Victoria estimated more than 20K people joined the protest on Tuesday following the announcement of a two-week industry shutdown on Monday night. Many of those who participated were union members and tradesmen responding to the government's latest business shutdown.
Excerpts from the Report to NSAC on Implementing the 2007 Long Range Plan

The full report of a Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) subcommittee charged with making recommendations for the field of nuclear physics under constrained budget scenarios and the transmittal letter delivering this report from NSAC to the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation are now available online. Background on the task facing the subcommittee and documents presenting the scientific and economic impact of the research program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at DOEs Brookhaven National Laboratory, one of three facilities described in detail in the report, can be found on the RHIC website here. What follows are direct quotes taken from the report that help to describe the importance of the field of nuclear physics as a whole, and particularly the research taking place at RHIC. Note that the page numbers given refer to those printed on the document, not PDF pages. Boldfaced type appears in boldface in the document.

p. 2 on the impact of nuclear science

It is difficult to forecast the future impact of a field like nuclear science whose goal is to understand the origin, evolution, and structure of visible matter in the universe. However, history shows that breakthroughs in technology nearly always have come either from science discoveries that "had no apparent application" or from developing the tools that were needed to make the discoveries.

p. 3 on the consequences of flat-flat or cost-of-living increase budget scenarios

It is clear that leadership will shift away from the U.S. if major cuts are requiredUnder any of the options, the losses would erode the ability to train the next generation U.S. nuclear science work force. This, with the concomitant loss of trained researchers expert in nuclear science, would make our nation poorer and the losses would likely be permanent.

p. 3 on an alternate modest increase budget proposal

 A budget is also presented that while tight would not force a major loss in present or future tools and capabilities. This option adds little to the overall cost of the nuclear science program compared to the value it retains and it is the course that we strongly recommend. Of course funding decisions ultimately rest with Congress. In considering this report, we hope that Congress considers in its assessment the balance between funding for science that is done with a specific short term goal versus the science that seeks to discover new knowledge that may be key to unlocking completely new technology with major long term benefits to society.

p. 4 on the basic questions about the visible matter of the universe [that] remain only partially answered and benefits to society that stem from nuclear science

The quest to answer these questions inspires young people to begin careers in science, continues to engage some of our nation's brightest minds, and attracts future stars in science and technology from around the world to the U.S. Future investments in capabilities at our national laboratories and universities will give them the tools needed to pursue answers to these questions. The excitement engendered by this enterprise will strengthen our scientific and technical workforce while continuing to spawn technological advances that have far-reaching societal benefits.

Measured by its impact on society, the return on investments made by the U.S. in nuclear science research is large. Nuclear technologies are an integral part of industrial applications and developments. Nuclear science methods provide the foundation on which the most advanced medical diagnostics are built and offer medical treatment of cancer. Nuclear analytics provide the tools for probing rare materials from ancient artifacts to modern space components. Nuclear detector technologies are making airports safer and are protecting our borders. And nuclear energy offers an alternative electrical power source to carbon-based fuels.

p. 7 on the choices facing nuclear science in the U.S.

With significant investments being made around the world in nuclear science, the U.S. is in a position of shared leadership in the field. Moreover a reverse brain drain is underway to countries making significant investments and it could accelerate if the momentum in the U.S. program in nuclear science stalls. From the options and their impacts that are presented in this report, there exists a clear choice for the U.S. If nurtured, the science potential can be realized. And the gains will be of high impact to both our understanding of the world and to making it a better place to live.

p. 19 on RHIC and the science of quark-gluon plasma

The most powerful accelerators in the world today are capable of colliding nuclei at such high energies that they can recreate droplets of the quark-gluon plasma that filled the microseconds-old universe, making it possible to study its properties in the laboratory and answer questions about the nature of the new-born universe that will never be accessible via astronomical observation. The formation of protons and neutrons from quark-gluon plasma is likely to be the earliest scene in the history of the universe that will ever be re-enacted in the laboratory. Each nuclear collision at RHIC makes a droplet of quark-gluon plasma, exploding in a "little bang" which recreates the transition by which the first protons and neutrons were formed. These experiments allow us to see the essence of the fundamental nuclear force, as described via the theory of QCD. Although the analysis of the experiments is challenging due to the short lifetime and small size of these droplets, we have the advantage of billions of little bangs to study as well as a surprising degree of control over their initial conditions.

p. 20  a suite of precision measurements, including some that can only be made at RHIC, some that can only be made at the LHC, and some where the payoff comes only from combining measurements at both, are expected to provide fundamental insights as they follow up on discoveries made by RHIC in its first decade.

p. 22 on quantum fluctuations and parity violations at RHIC that may be relevant to understanding the evolution of the universe

Control over both collision geometry and energy is unique to RHIC and relies upon its flexibility, putting the United States in the position to discover parity-violating domains. This makes RHIC the unique place for studying these quantum fluctuations, similar to those that may be responsible for the universe being made of matter today, instead of anti-matter. RHIC thus continues to serve up new discoveries and new concepts with ramifications well beyond nuclear physics.

p. 23 on the discovery of the perfect liquid nature of quark-gluon plasma at RHIC

This discovery was like lighting a match to a fuse, igniting new ideas and insights in far-flung corners of science that had not previously had fruitful connections with nuclear physics.

p. 25 on quantum fluctuations, color glass condensate, and the Electron Ion Collider

This physics of quantum fluctuations in the initial creation of the mini-verse quark-gluon plasma relates directly to a theory that the nucleus just before the collision is not best described as a container of protons and neutrons, or even of quarks and gluons. Instead, just as particles of light (photons) are sometimes better described as waves (for example the refraction of light), there are circumstances where it is best to think of the nucleus as a single fluctuating wave of gluon fields. These gluon fields are sometimes called Color Glass Condensate.  A future Electron Ion Collider would be the best tool with which to do a systematic exploration of the new regime that we are starting to explore with proton-nucleus collisions.

p. 28 summary of the science of quark-gluon plasma

By virtue of the investments, both intellectual and financial, made by the U.S. in the science of quark-gluon plasma over the past decade, this field is now at a moment analogous to superconductivity research just before the key measurements that let us see how a superconductor works or astronomy just after the Hubble telescope had taken its first high quality images. Because of the unique flexibility and capability of RHIC, critical regions of the phase diagram of quark-gluon plasma can now be explored and the dynamical processes that may be responsible for the excess of matter over antimatter in our universe can now be probed. And, RHIC and the LHC can now be used in concert to characterize the most perfect liquid in naturehow it moves and how it is assembled from its quark and gluon constituents. The U.S. has led this new field of science for its first decade and is poised to lead it in the decade to come, which promises to be an era of discovery, precision, and precision-enabled discovery.

p. 54 on the role of nuclear theory in understanding symmetry violating bubbles, color glass condensate, and the connections between quark-gluon plasma and string theory

RHIC is an ideal testing ground for such theoriesTheoretical advances on these fronts will come in concert with anticipated new data.

p. 58 on the importance of people to the field of nuclear theory

 People remain the key factor. In particular, early-career scientists working at the interface between nuclear theory, computer science, and applied mathematics are critical to make future impact

p. 59 the U.S. leadership position in computational nuclear physics is endangered by the substantial investments made in other countries. For example, Japan has now allocated approximately 4 times the computational resources to nuclear physics than is available in the U.S.  nuclear physics in the U.S. will remain healthy only if the theory and computational physics programs are sustained.

p. 60Small changes in the nuclear theory budget have a dramatic effect, particularly on the support of students and postdocs, who are the future of the field. When support for students and post-docs declines, the best young scientists turn away from nuclear theory and seek a more predictable future elsewhere, and nuclear physics enters a downward spiral.

p. 62 on some unique strengths of RHIC as a facility

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory is the only ion-beam collider facility devoted primarily to the study of QCD  RHIC has unprecedented capability to collide a wide array of atomic nuclei, with masses spanning the periodic table, over a wide range in energy; such versatility is required for the study of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). RHIC is the worlds only polarized proton collider, providing unique insights into the fundamental question of the spin of the nucleon.

p. 63 RHIC and its experiments have  exploited the unique flexibility of the facility to study collisions of gold nuclei at lower energies, and the recorded datasets now span a factor 20 in collision energy, at nine distinct energy values, enabling a detailed mapping of experimental signatures as the quark-gluon plasma is effectively "turned off" with lowering of the energy.

p. 64  The Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer (BLIP) is an integral part of the RHIC complex. BLIP uses the proton injector linac to produce a number of isotopes for  cardiac imaging  antibody labeling and as calibration sources for PET imaging.

p. 73 on applications that stem from fundamental nuclear science

Nuclear-science generated technologies are pervasive in our present-day world. These include imaging technologies in medicine, cancer treatments, sterilization of blood and other medical items, oil-well logging, ion implantation of semiconductors, the most common type of smoke detectors, forensic analysis, monitoring cargo for contraband, and of course commercial power generation. Nuclear science also provides a host of tools for research spanning the scientific disciplines. It is a defensible statement that nuclear techniques taken in aggregate are, after microelectronics and computers, and perhaps lasers, the most widely used set of tools in science.

 It has been estimated that the collective value of the products made using accelerator technology is more than $500 billion per annum [Phys. Today 64, 46 (2011)]. There are about 1000 accelerators of one form or another sold every year with a collective value exceeding $2 billion. A large fleet of accelerators are engaged in semiconductor processing, another fleet for producing short-lived isotopes for medical imaging, another for accelerator mass spectrometry, and yet another widely distributed set for radiation therapy.

p. 79-80Advancing basic nuclear science has also driven innovation in computer architectures. The nature of lattice QCD calculations makes these computations particularly well suited for massively parallel supercomputers. This aspect of the calculations motivated a group of theoretical physicists centered at Columbia University to design a computer chip for use in special-purpose supercomputers. This chip attracted the attention of IBM computer engineers who employed aspects of the design of these chips (as well as some of the nuclear physicists in the effort) in the commercially successful Blue Gene line of computers. These supercomputers have simulated exploding stars and nuclear reactors. Climate science researchers at BNL are using a Blue Gene computer to make significant progress in understanding todays climate and how it is likely to evolve. Genomic sequencing, protein folding, predicting novel and functional phases of perovskites (materials with atomic compositions ABO3), and brain simulations are also successful Blue Gene computational projects.

 If the past can be used as a guide, the isotopes, data, and technologies nuclear science will generate in the coming years will provide substantial new benefits to society, demonstrating once again that nuclear science solves practical problems in our every-day lives as well as answering some of the largest questions about the nature of our universe.

p. 81 on impacts of and on the nuclear science workforce

In the 20th century, investments in science and technology contributed significantly to economic growth and prosperity in the United States. The close connection between fundamental research in physical sciences and economic strength is well documented The intellectual grand challenges inherent in understanding our universe draw many of the best minds in the world to the U.S. Equally importantly, they serve as powerful attractors of young people to the sciences. Losing U.S. leadership in Nuclear Physics would have a deleterious impact on attracting young people into science careers.

p. 82In the physical sciences, large facilities are often key components in training the workforce, in addition to producing new knowledge. They provide effective outreach to their local communities, helping to nurture a high tech economy and providing key support to STEM K-12 education for both students and teachers Closing a major research facility would significantly reduce the opportunity to attract and retain STEM majors. Compounding the situation is the fact that other countries are investing heavily in Nuclear Science research. Should the U.S. underinvest, future opportunities will be lost, including a variety of commercial applications.

Nuclear Science plays a key role in providing the required skilled workforce, and the U.S. has long been the world leader in this area. Fundamental research into the physics of the atomic nucleus has provided a solid foundation for technologies used in

Nuclear medicine and health physics

Nuclear energy

Nuclear forensics

Non-proliferation

Stockpile stewardship

Border protection and other national security challenges

Tools, instruments, and detection techniques valued in industry and the marketplace

p. 82 All of these areas are important for U.S. security and prosperity, yet their increasing needs come at a time when the nuclear workforce is shrinking.

p. 83  Students trained in other fields do not possess sufficiently deep knowledge of nuclear properties and the most advanced nuclear techniques to step in and fill the needs. In addition, the more general skills offered by Nuclear Science graduates include working with complex systems of hardware and software, handling Petabyte scale data sets, solving technically challenging problems in large collaborations, modeling advanced theoretical concepts, differentiating large effects from small ones, exploiting advanced mathematical techniques, and developing large-scale computer simulations.

Providing the workforce needed to maintain U.S. competitiveness requires sufficient funding for graduate student support and to finance research projects upon which Ph.D. dissertations can be based.

 A telling quote by Gordon England, Former Deputy Secretary of Defense, appears at the end of the updated "Gathering Storm" report: "The greatest long-term threat to U.S. national security is not terrorists wielding a nuclear or biological weapon, but the erosion of Americas place as a world leader in science and technology."

p. 84 ... Facilities producing high-visibility, high-impact science attract the best graduate students. The closing of one of the nations premier nuclear science facilities will likely result in an exodus of young people from nuclear science and the ability to attract a new generation would be seriously undermined.

p. 88 on budget options and the future of the U.S. nuclear physics program

 The subcommittee is unanimous in reaffirming the LRP vision for the field. Each of the recommendations is supported by an extremely compelling science case. If any one part is excised, it will be a significant loss to the U.S. in terms of scientific accomplishments, scientific leadership, development of important new applications, and education of a technically skilled workforce to support homeland security and economic development.

p. 91 on the modest growth budget option

It is a budget that can sustain the momentum in the U.S. nuclear science program and not lose a major part of the science discussed in the report. It will provide the impetus needed to promote future faculty positions at research universities and will continue to attract students to the field Following this budget scenario will slow the progress in the field but it will not have the devastating consequences of the no growth budget scenarios.

 the sub-committee was unanimous in endorsing the modest growth budget scenario as the minimum level of support that is needed to maintain a viable long-term U.S. nuclear science program that encompasses the vision of the LRP. This endorsement, which was made fully recognizing the sacrifices that it would entail, preserves the tools needed for both the present and future program. It preserves a path to realize the long-term vision outlined in the 2007 Long Range Plan, in which there are two large nuclear science facilities in the U.S.: FRIB, devoted to the study of complex nuclei and their applications, and an Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) focused on questions at the frontier of QCD and the nature of the interactions of quarks and gluons.

pp. 93-94 on what would be lost by closing RHIC

Closing RHIC at this time would leave unexploited a major fraction of the investments, both intellectual and financial, made by the United States in the science of quark-gluon plasma over the past decade. Without the unique flexibility and capability of the newly upgraded RHIC, critical regions of the phase diagram of quark-gluon plasma would remain unexplored for our lifetimes. There would be no way to use the different and unique capabilities of RHIC and the LHC to reach a comprehensive understanding of the most perfect liquid in nature  Ceasing RHIC operations now would terminate an international program that is elucidating the origins of the spin of the proton just as it is providing significant new insights Closing RHIC at this time would be akin to abandoning superconductivity research just before the key experimental discovery of Josephson tunneling, which demonstrated how a superconductor works, or abandoning the Hubble telescope just after seeing its first high quality images.

Investments by the United States and its international partners, including a key part of the overall $130 M contribution from Japan, have transformed RHIC into a machine with new and unique capabilities that is just now taking its first steps.

If the newly upgraded RHIC were closed now, the United States would risk losing a world-class accelerator division, a group whose technological breakthroughs enabled the RHIC intensity increase to be so much less expensive than initially projected, and whose expertise in collider operations represents key future discovery potential at many current and future frontiers of science. It would immediately jeopardize the ability  to produce  important medical isotopes  jeopardize the viability of the NASA space radiation program  adversely impact many other activities of one of the major multi-purpose national laboratories in the U.S.  terminate a vital partnership with Japan, whose investments have substantially enhanced U.S. nuclear physics decimate quark-gluon plasma science while simultaneously ceding leadership in a new field that the U.S. has led for its first decade and is poised to lead in the decade to come.

pp. 95-96 on no-growth budgets

Because of the superb science lost in either shutting down RHIC or terminating construction on FRIB, the committee was not able to make a choice based on scientific merit alone.  the subcommittee vote, while closely split, resulted in a slight preference for the choice that proceeds with FRIB. This slight preference arises in the context of facility timelines and the approximate profile for FRIB construction, presented to the subcommittee as a snapshot of the field. If this budget exercise had occurred in a near future year, this snapshot would have changed, and the choice might well have been different.

With no growth in the budget in the next four years, nuclear science must relinquish a major part of its program. If we close RHIC now, we cede all collider leadership, not just the high-energy frontier, to CERN and we lose the scientific discoveries that are enabled by the recent intensity and detector upgrades at RHIC.

on the loss of any part of the program

 very significant opportunities are lost in terms of applications of nuclear science, and for education of a workforce that is highly skilled in nationally important areas.

There are alternate paths  the modest growth budget will allow the U.S. to preserve the tools that enable our science, and to preserve a path to the long-term vision outlined in the LRP in which there are two large U.S. facilities, one devoted to the study of complex nuclei and the other to questions at the frontiers of QCD. The subcommittee is convinced that it represents the minimal budget for a viable U.S. program that maintains leadership in the core areas of nuclear
Manitoba government officials updated the public Tuesday on their new standards for tracking and monitoring COVID-19 cases in K-12 schools.

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Manitoba government officials updated the public Tuesday on their new standards for tracking and monitoring COVID-19 cases in K-12 schools.

Public-health officials are now considering the immunization status of staff and students when determining isolation requirements for close contacts since vaccines werent widely available throughout the previous school year.

Self-isolation requirements for close contacts have dropped from 14 days to 10 days, with testing being recommended at day seven.

However, isolation requirements may change if higher community transmission or outbreaks are at play.

According to a Monday afternoon news release, the provinces definition of what constitutes a "school case" and "school outbreak" is also being updated to better align with current COVID safety guidelines.

A school outbreak is considered to be a scenario that involves at least three school-associated cases being identified within 14 days of each other in students, teachers or staff within a specified cohort.

"The new definition will allow more consistent reporting of outbreaks," the news release read. "Declaration of an outbreak allows further preventive measures to be put in place to reduce the risk of ongoing transmission."

A school case is now considered to be a staff member, student or volunteer who was present in the school during the 14 days prior to symptom onset, (or a positive test date if asymptomatic) or within 10 days after illness onset (or a positive test date if asymptomatic).

During an online news conference, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin told reporters that Mondays announcement was designed to help maintain transparency with the public.

Roussin said they all need to be on the same page if they want to keep students safe while attending school in person, which he views as preferable to remote learning.

"Certainly, we cannot say there is zero risk for kids [when it comes to] COVID-19," he said.

"But we need to balance that risk of COVID with the risk of [social] isolation that has played on the mental and physical well-being of children."

As of Monday afternoon, the province has registered a total of 56 COVID cases in K-12 schools since the 2021-22 academic year began on Sept. 7.

Several of these exposures can be found right here in the Brandon School Division, with Betty Gibson School, Riverheights School, Ecole OKelly School and Vincent Massey High School all registering cases throughout the last two weeks.

However, Roussin maintains that the rate of broader community transmission in Manitoba is equal to or less than the transmission found in schools, with school-age children also being far less likely to suffer severe outcomes after getting infected with COVID.

When asked what it would take for the province to transition students back to remote learning this fall, Roussin responded by saying that a variety of factors would need to converge at the same time.

"The many indicators we have related to community transmission will certainly be taken into account," he said, mentioning variables like vaccine uptake rates and outbreak frequency in schools.

"So its really difficult to give a set definition of when  the risk of keeping them in school outweighs the benefit."

However, not everyone was happy with the provinces latest update on COVID protocols and standards for K-12 schools.

By dropping this announcement two weeks into the school year, NDP education critic Nello Altomare believes the change will only create "more chaos and uncertainty" for school staff and families.

"Teachers and school leaders spent all summer getting ready for the school year. Why couldnt the PCs do the same?" Altomare wrote in a statement. "Families deserve a government that does the work ahead of time to keep our kids safe and keep schools open."

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont echoed Altomares sentiments about the provinces poor handling of the back-to-school plan, especially since they knew about the fourth wave of the COVID pandemic well in advance of the 2021-22 academic year.

"The PCs need to get their act together because there is little evidence they have learned anything from the second and third waves, which were among the worst in Canada," Lamont wrote in a statement.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @KyleDarbyson
Westmans re-elected Conservative MPs said it before the election and theyre saying it again afterwards: it was a waste of time.

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CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Dan Mazier speaks to reporters Monday night after being re-elected to represent Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa in the House of Commons.

Westmans re-elected Conservative MPs said it before the election and theyre saying it again afterwards: it was a waste of time.

Though some races still had yet to be decided as mail-in votes got counted on Tuesday, it was apparent that just as it was before the writ was dropped, Canada will once again be run by a minority Liberal government.

The Liberals, looking for a majority, only gained three seats as the results stood as of 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The Conservatives kept the exact same number of seats, the Bloc Quebecois gained two seats and the NDP gained one.

Every incumbent in Manitoba kept their seats intact, except in Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley, where mail-in votes could push former Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson back into power over incumbent Conservative Marty Morantz with 109 votes separating them.

As Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Dan Mazier and Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire prepare to head back to Ottawa, theyre facing a return to the status quo.

"Were very happy that we won here in Brandon-Souris, but disappointed in the federal results," Maguire told the Sun in a Tuesday phone interview. "I think it proved that the prime minister jumped the gun there because it was a very expensive election just to move a couple of seats around."

Commenting further, Maguire said that he and his party are likely just as disappointed in the results as the Liberals are with the Conservatives remaining in opposition and full control over Parliament eluding the Grits.

"It is disappointing," Mazier said about not having the chance to be in government. "Locally, though, I was very proud of our campaign and the results here. Thats where the focus has to be for me right now with the national campaign and the candidates across the country get it figured out in Ottawa how were going to go back."

One positive Mazier sees is that unlike the 2019 election, where he had to establish staff and buildings in Westman and Ottawa, hes able to go into his second term with a fully formed team.

"I think we need to continue to build, co-operate and get our message out," Maguire said about what needed to be done for the Tories to improve in the next election. "There are people who felt otherwise last evening and we need to build more trust with them across party lines and let them know theres a new Conservative Party out there that wants their vote and respects their vote.

The "new" Conservative Party, according to Maguire, represents the new ideas the party has brought forward as a result of listening to younger generations about their needs.

TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire addresses supporters at his campaign headquarters in Brandon on Monday evening after winning his riding in the federal election.

Asked about their priorities upon returning to the capital, both MPs highlighted different focuses.

Maguire talked about wanting to ensure economic recovery from the pandemic, especially returning people back to work and assisting small businesses, while Mazier wants to address rural cellphone and internet connectivity.

Both Maguire and Mazier, who were early supporters of Conservative Leader Erin OToole in his bid to succeed Andrew Scheer, said they stood firmly behind him after Mondays results.

"One good thing that came out of the election being called is that people now know who Erin OToole is," Maguire said.

With the pandemic having limited OTooles opportunities to get out, meet Canadians and explain his platforms, Maguire believes the election has now given Canadians a better sense of the man.

"Ill back him as long as hes leader," Mazier said. "We ran a great campaign thanks to him. He had his brand all over it."

Reflecting on his partys campaign, Mazier said he believes it was positive, well run and a good attempt at uniting the country. He singled out his partys pledge to create a rural affairs minister as one of his favourite things from the Conservative platform along with its environmental plan.

In June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Parliament had become dysfunctional.

As Mazier and Maguire get to work on their new terms in a minority Parliament, they firmly believe that Trudeau and the Liberal Party were the ones creating that situation.

Whether the new makeup of the House of Commons will result in less dysfunction remains to be seen.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, heres how the election results looked for both Westman ridings. Both ridings were still waiting on a single poll to return results.

Brandon-Souris:

 Larry Maguire, Conservative: 22,077 votes (59.9 per cent)

 Whitney Hodgins, NDP: 7,524 votes (20.4 per cent)

 Linda Branconnier, Liberal: 4,394 votes (11.9 per cent)

 Tylor Baer, PPC: 2,887 votes (7.8 per cent)

 Voter turnout: 59.44 per cent

Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa

 Dan Mazier, Conservative: 22,221 votes (59.2 per cent)

 Arthur Holroyd, NDP: 5,524 votes (14.7 per cent)

 Kevin Carlson, Liberal: 4,649 votes (12.4 per cent)

 Donnan McKenna, PPC: 3,965 votes (10.6 per cent)

 Shirley Lambrecht, Green: 816 votes (2.2 per cent)

 Lori Falloon-Austin, Maverick: 380 (one per cent)

 Voter turnout: 60.34 per cent

 cslark@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday he feels secure in his leadership despite the NDP's seat count barely shifting after a pandemic election where Canadians consistently ranked him as the most popular party chief.

Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday he feels secure in his leadership despite the NDP's seat count barely shifting after a pandemic election where Canadians consistently ranked him as the most popular party chief.

"Im really here because I want to make a difference," the NDP leader said in Vancouver Tuesday morning.

Singh said New Democrats will still get work done in Parliament even though they hover within a few seats of their 2019 tally, and despite his campaign talking point that Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cannot be trusted.

The New Democrats had 24 seats in the House of Commons at dissolution and, while some close races are still being counted, it appeared as of Tuesday afternoon they have gained only a seat or two.

Singh said he was proud of his team and the campaign, but "disappointed" that many NDP candidates who failed to win their ridings will not be joining him in Ottawa.

The showing was significantly smaller than Singh predecessor Tom Mulcair's 44-seat outcome in 2015, which led to a leadership review and Singh's ascension in 2017.

Monday prompted some deja vu among New Democrats after a tough run in 2019 that yielded a seat count nearly identical to the latest election. Singh was relatively new on the federal scene at the time, with only two years under his belt as leader of a party that also faced financial difficulty.

This time around the NDP spent a lot more money, and Singh enjoyed name recognition across the country and a stated record of boosting pandemic relief to run on. He has also consistently been found the most likable leader in public opinion polls, leveraging an outsized social media presence that blends talking points and trap beats.

But that didn't translate into ballots cast  "the only currency that matters," said Karl Belanger, president of consulting firm Traxxion Strategies and former senior adviser to the NDP.

The NDP failed to make significant gains in key ridings in Quebec and downtown Toronto, and its share of the popular vote  17.7 per cent as of Tuesday evening  fell short of polling projections.

"You've lost a few seats, you've gained a few others. So you're treading water. You need to do better. And the key to that is to get the people who say they will vote for you to actually vote for you," said Belanger.

He added that Singh's place atop the party is secure at least in the short term.

"I have total confidence in Jagmeet," said NDP MP Taylor Bachrach, citing his "incredible enthusiasm and positive spirit" on the campaign trail.

Neck-and-neck races the NDP may be on the cusp of losing include Toronto's Davenport riding, Montreal's Laurier-Sainte-Marie, Berthier-Maskinonge in rural Quebec, the New Democrat-held Hamilton Mountain and, in downtown Toronto, SpadinaFort York, where the Liberal candidate was effectively booted from the party over the weekend.

"They cannot consider this a victory," said Sanjay Jeram, senior lecturer of political science at Simon Fraser University.

"If you're thinking about what kind of conditions in which the NDP could make their breakthrough with Jagmeet Singh at the helm, this was it. And he didn't pull it off."

The party did pick up at least one new seat in Edmonton and remained in the lead in the previously Green riding of NanaimoLadysmith.

Singh criticized Trudeau on Tuesday for holding an election during the pandemic, saying it seems to have resulted in long lines at polling stations, less accessibility and ultimately a low voter turnout.

The New Democrats, as the fourth party, are back in a position to hold some of the balance power in supporting the minority government following a 36-day campaign that largely focused on slamming Trudeau, often in very personal terms.

Singh said has no intention to force another election.

"We used our position successfully to win really big victories for people, for Canadians. They were better off because we were there," he said.

"We will do the same thing."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2021.
Loading We could see a situation where China starts to dump LNG on the European market. If it happens soon enough over the next month, well all be saved again from our own total incompetence, said Professor Alan Riley, an energy expert at the Atlantic Council. The Communist Party is deliberately deflating Chinas property bubble, deemed a threat to social stability. New home sales dropped 27 per cent in August. Land sales this month are down 90 per cent. Regulators are squeezing the pips out of the construction sector. Nomura calls it Chinas Volcker moment. Markets have significantly underestimated the scale of the growth slowdown in the second half, said the banks China strategist Ting Lu. It remains to be seen whether Beijing can safely allow developer Evergrande to default on up to $US305 billion ($422 billion) of liabilities. A calibrated soft-landing could all too easily turn into a hard one at a time when COVID stimulus is fading and the US Federal Reserve is about to taper bond purchases.

For now, Beijing is holding its nerve. It is dialling down reliance on high-energy industries. Steel output fell 13 per cent to 83 million tonnes in August. Yunnans aluminium smelters have been told to curtail output. It is a fundamental shift in Chinese policy, but it will take time to alleviate a frighteningly tight global gas market. The hurricane season has shut 40 per cent of US gas production. Latin Americas worst drought in a century has cut hydro power in Brazil, Argentina and Chile, forcing a switch to LNG. If I were sitting in the Kremlin stroking my white cat, I would say: Vladimir Vladimirovich, you have already won much; it is time to pick your winnings and walk away from the table. We have pushed this as far as we can. Energy expert Professor Alan Riley This gas crunch is a gift to the Kremlin as it tries to coerce EU regulators into certifying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Any hope that Putin would lower the pressure to avert an autumn crisis vanished on Monday. Gazprom chose not to bid for top-up flows in October through the Ukraine pipeline. It took up just over a third of the offered capacity on the Polish Yamal route. Were entering uncharted waters. The problem is not so much supply and demand now: it is a perceived squeeze in the future that is causing markets to go ballistic, said Tom Marzec-Manser from ICIS.

Alexei Miller - Gazproms famously mischievous chief executive - could not resist rubbing salt in the wound, noting that the Europeans had depleted their reserves over the winter and the long wet spring. Europe has never seen anything like it, he said. We are seeing the prices in Europe breaking all kinds of records. They might even break new records very soon. You cant coherently argue that a recent wind lull has brought Britain to its knees. Credit:Getty At some point Putin might recoil. To overplay his hand would accelerate the EUs green switch. If I were sitting in the Kremlin stroking my white cat, I would say: Vladimir Vladimirovich, you have already won much; it is time to pick your winnings and walk away from the table. We have pushed this as far as we can, said Professor Riley. Kwasi Kwarteng, the Energy Secretary, said Britain is secure because it does not import Russian gas. Really? We import European gas, and where does he think that gas comes from? Norwegian supply is reliable but mostly goes where the price is highest and therefore is in symbiotic rhythm with Gazprom. In a perfect world of market contracts, leaving the task of gas storage to others would be efficient. But Europes own stocks are now critically low, and energy is neuralgic.

If countries in the EU are facing blackouts, every single government is going to be looking at their own security of supply regulation. Well find out who plays by the rules, said Thierry Bros, a former gas strategist at Frances economy ministry now at Science Po. Loading The pandemic was a salutary lesson in the politics of force majeure. Germany cut off contracted supplies of masks and PPE to other countries even within the EU. The Commission sought to override the market on vaccine supply at the first sign of trouble. Some have blamed the current crisis in the UK on lack of wind. That requires interrogation. You can make a strong case that switching to the new (ultimately cheaper) post-fossil regime is creating a crossover point of maximum vulnerability. You can also make a case that Britain has been careless. If this country is relying more on intermittent wind and solar - while phasing out coal, losing 4.5 gigawatts of nuclear by 2025 and embracing electric cars - it needs more gas, both as the bridge-fuel and for flexible peaker plants. It therefore needs larger strategic gas reserves.
A young-gun forward with the Brisbane Broncos will front court on Thursday accused of grabbing the steering wheel of a car he was a passenger in, causing it to swerve across two lanes of traffic.

Teui TC Robati, 19, will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Bowen Hills this month.

TC Robati (centre) celebrates after scoring a try against the St George Illawarra Dragons in Sydney on June 3. Credit:Cameron Spencer - Getty Images

Police said Robati was a passenger in a Ford Focus travelling along St Pauls Terrace about 9.20pm on Sunday, September 5. The driver was a 19-year-old woman.

It will be alleged Robati pulled the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to swerve across two lanes near the intersection with Amelia Street.
That is an expense for those schools, but for the many, many low-fee Catholic and independent schools, the government will be directly supporting those schools, as well as all government schools. The same mandate [of vaccinations for teachers] and the restrictions or rules around ventilation still apply. Victoria recorded three deaths and 628 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, the highest number of daily infections in more than a year. There were 60,829 COVID-19 tests results processed, while more than 43,056 people rolled up their sleeves for a coronavirus jab. It is the highest number of daily infections since August 4 last year, when there were 686 new locally acquired cases. There are now 6221 active cases across the state.

Loading Mr Merlino said those who died were a woman in her 50s from Wyndham, a man in his 70s from Wyndham and a man in his 80s from Darebin. He said 257 people were in hospital with COVID-19, with 58 in intensive care and 37 on ventilators. Of the Victorians in hospital on Tuesday, 81 per cent were not vaccinated, 15 per cent were partially vaccinated and 3 per cent were fully vaccinated. Mr Merlino said the government already had infrastructure audits, ventilation assessments and carbon dioxide monitoring in place in a sample number of schools. Out of the new funding, $7 million would go towards a further 3500 carbon dioxide devices. He said assessments would be made in 20,000 rooms in different kinds of schools, including vertical and heritage buildings. Monitoring and assessment would inform the full rollout of our air purification devices over the coming weeks and months, for this is a very, very significant announcement.

Schools will be entitled to grants of up to $25,000 to purchase shade sails, to create more outdoor learning spaces. The government will establish a ventilation Technical Advisory Panel to undertake risk assessment in other environments such as early childhood and youth justice settings to inform future ventilation measures. Deputy Chief Health Officer Deb Friedman said vaccination and ventilation were not the only strategies a new government taskforce would look into to reduce transmission in schools. She said one measure that might be tried would be to create bubbles of students. So that if one class, for example, gets exposed to COVID-19, the entire year level doesnt get exposed.

Loading Other measures might include people not sending children who are unwell to school, or not sending children in if somebody in the family had been found to have COVID-19 or be a close contact of an outbreak. Another strategy might be to stagger entry and exit of students to and from school. Dr Friedman said as well as air purification devices, simple things would be considered, such as natural ventilation, opening of windows and using outdoor areas where possible. She said existing heating and air conditioning systems might be made fit for purpose for a pandemic, which means using 100 per cent external air rather than recirculated air, which we know is a risk.

Dr Friedman said it is now recommended for primary and secondary school children and staff to wear masks indoors. Its certainly not mandated, but its recommended. Mr Merlino said while home antigen testing for COVID-19 was not yet approved by the Therapeutic Goods Association, the government would conduct a trial of home testing involving families when the practice is approved. Meanwhile, the regional city of Ballarat will end its seven-day lockdown at midnight on Wednesday. Mr Merlino said health authorities felt confident they had the outbreak contained. My thanks to the entire community of Ballarat. The five reasons to leave your home will no longer apply. And the settings in Ballarat will align with the areas of regional Victoria not in lockdown, he said.

Wednesdays new cases Dr Friedman said 11 of Wednesdays new COVID-19 cases could be attributed to a construction warehouse in Craigieburn, while a wholesale food and supermarket site in Somerton was closed and staff were isolating after 15 new cases were recorded. Loading She said she was pleased with the construction blitz of worker vaccinations. Although there was minimal uptake last week, were now seeing significant demand, she said.
Queenslands mandatory COVID contact tracing app has malfunctioned, with users unable to check in to businesses and office buildings.

The Check In Queensland App displayed an error message on Thursday morning.

Attempts to use the state governments official Check In Queensland app on Thursday morning returned an error message, complete with a big thumbs-down image: The QR code entered did not return a registered business location. Please try again.

Users on iPhones and Android systems reported the app did not recognise businesses and entering the code manually crashed the app.

The Queensland government mandated the use of its contact-tracing app for pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants from May, arguing it was a vital tool for authorities in quickly quashing any outbreaks.
Delhi: India has criticised the British governments decision not to recognise coronavirus vaccine certificates issued by Indian authorities, calling it a discriminatory policy that will impact on its citizens who want to travel to that country.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the new rules unveiled last week, which take effect next month, could force India to impose reciprocal measures if it isnt resolved.

Covishield vaccine is packed at the Serum Institute of India in Pune. Covishield is a licensed product of a UK company, manufactured in India. Credit:AP

The news comes as Johnson & Johnson announced a second shot of its vaccine boosts protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19. The booster shots also generated additional antibodies, molecules churned out by the immune system to help fight off infections, it said.

The new rules require Indians visiting Britain to quarantine themselves for 10 days and undergo COVID-19 tests even if they are fully vaccinated with Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine.
Rome: Her face was bloodied and bruised, she spoke fluent English but had no idea what her name was or where she had come from, when she was found on a rocky outcrop off the coast of Croatia.

Ten days after the woman was spotted by a fisherman on the island of Krk, her identity has been revealed.

Croatian police identified her as Daniela Adamcova, 57, a jewellery designer who once made pieces for Brigitte Bardot, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross.

The woman discovered by Croatian police has been identified as jeweller Daniela Adamcova. Credit:Croatian police

Her handmade jewellery even made an appearance on the long-running TV series Friends.
DOYLESTOWN >> A Middletown Township couple was convicted in absentia Wednesday, Oct. 6 in a case of child neglect one doctor described as the worst hes ever seen. Albert Dunkowski, 54, and Christine Dunkowski, 47, were convicted by a Bucks County jury of three counts each of endangering the welfare of a child. The Dunkowskis appeared for the first two...
The country's third largest private sector lender has committed Rs 30,000 crore lending till fiscal year 2025-26 under its sustainable financing framework, a senior official said.

These commitments are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), supporting India's commitments under the Paris Agreement.

"As part of its commitments, the bank has set a target of incremental lending of Rs 30,000 crore over the next 5 years, under wholesale banking towards pertinent sectors included in its Sustainable Financing Framework (SFF)," Rajesh Dahiya, Executive Director (Corporate Centre), told PTI.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is a measure which investors use as a tool to assess how good the practices of a company are. For the last 3-4 years, the words sustainability and ESG have made people sensitive about the whole idea of a sustainable planet, Dahiya said.

"These are the metrics which have been spoken about for about 3-4 years now. However, with COVID and all its problems, it highlighted the issue of sustainability in a very big and magnified manner.

"In the next five years, we want to lend Rs 30,000 crore more incrementally as wholesale banking towards pertinent sectors including Axis Bank's SFF. We want to increase our portfolio of green lending," Dahiya said.

He said the bank's existing wholesale banking portfolio towards SFF, including green and social sectors, is little over Rs 29,000 crore and it intends to lend to where there are green practices.

After five years till 2025-26, the bank will assess these lendings to see positive social and environmental outcomes and increase it further, he added.

Going forward, the lender will also scale down its exposure to carbon-intensive sectors in its wholesale banking business portfolio.

The lender said it is expanding its ESG risk coverage in credit appraisal under its ESG policy for lending.

is building and deploying an ESG risk assessment toolkit, with ESG stress testing and ESG scenario analysis, for its large corporate, SME and agri-business verticals by 2022-23.

The lender will incentivise the borrowers for adopting good practices by offering 0.5 per cent interest waiver on new electric vehicle loans, effective immediately.

"We will make 5 per cent of our retail two-wheeler loan portfolio as electric by 2023-24 ," he said.

Besides, the bank has set the target of incremental disbursement of Rs 10,000 crore by 2023-24 under Asha Home Loans for affordable housing, and increasing share of women borrowers.

Also, the bank will aim to reach 30 per cent female representation in its workforce by 2026-27, aligned to its #ComeAsYouAre Diversity Charter.

Among others, it will plant 2 million (20 lakh) trees by 2026-27 across India towards contributing to creating a carbon sink.

Dahiya said Axis Bank is probably the first among corporates to constitute an ESG Steering Committee comprising heads of key departments who shall act as ESG champions within and outside the bank.

"Since the day COVID hit, our board got us together and decided...we want to create a practice which is differentiated and which is measurable," he added.

The bank has announced its commitments ahead of the upcoming 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) at Glasgow, UK from October 31 - November 12.

The participants are expected to talk about enhancing their commitments made at COP21 at Paris in 2015.

In line with its ESG strategy, Axis Bank has recently raised India's first sustainable USD AT1 bonds of USD 600 million in the overseas markets.

(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.)
Pentathlon Ventures, an early-stage B2B SaaS-focused VC firm, announced the final close of its first fund, which has secured investments totalling Rs 76 crore. Pentathlon plans to invest in over 20 B2B SaaS startups in a year and make investments of between Rs 75 lakh and Rs 3 crore on an average.

The firms investment strategy is based on a fundamental, value-oriented approach. It invests in that have a proven product market fit, possess strong intellectual property, and display the potential for market disruption.

We appreciate the confidence and trust our investors have shown in our team and strategy. Not to mention the unwavering support of the brilliant entrepreneurs who continue to partner with us, said Gireendra Kasmalkar, managing partner, Pentathlon Ventures.

All the managing partners at Pentathlon are founders turned funders and play an active role in all material aspects of the early-stage business building process.

We are proud to say in our portfolio showed great resilience during the recent pandemic downturn, said Saurabh Lahoti, managing partner, Pentathlon Ventures. Their solid performances coupled with the consistency of our investment strategy are what I think ultimately struck a chord with a world-class pool of investors, he added.

Started by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, this Pune-based fund will continue to focus on early-stage B2B SaaS start-ups. Industry veterans Gireendra Kasmalkar (Ideas to Impacts), Sandeep Chawda (formerly MD at Globant India), Madhukar Bhatia (co-founder Sapience Analytics), Saurabh Lahoti (has run 3 early-stage funds in past), Hemant Joshi (Cofounder Sapience Analytics), and Shashank Deshpande (co-founder Clarice Technologies) are partners in Pentathlon Ventures.

Supporting the partners in this regard are the board of advisors, including industry stalwarts such as Shirish Deodhar (Serial entrepreneur), Martin Umaran (Globant), Mohan Kumar (Avataar Ventures), Pravin Bhalerao (Pranitya Wealth), and Abhishant Pant (The Fintech meetup).
E-commerce company is wooing 'kiranas' for upcoming festive season sales. Today one-third of all shipments of Group, is managed by kiranas at the last mile and the Walmart-owned company is committed to growing this constantly, said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, chief executive officer, Group, according to the people who attended a town hall meeting ahead of the firms festive sale.

Flipkart will kick off the countrys festive season with the 8th edition of its biggest flagship event, The Big Billion Days (TBBD), from October 7-12. The six-day event will see millions of consumers, sellers, small businesses, artisans, Kiranas, brands and e-commerce ecosystem partners come together for the upcoming festive season.

According to the sources, the company is expecting 90 million shipments and they would have 100 per cent green packaging. More than 200,000 truckers would be part of the ecosystem.

Solving for kiranas and making them part of the digital ecosystem is a big priority for us at Flipkart, said Krishnamurthy, during the town hall meeting with the employees. Our kirana partner network (has) more than doubled.

Over 100,000 kiranas have been onboarded to reach consumers across thousands of cities. Also, over 1.5 million kiranas and retailers will be able to avail credit in just two minutes through Flipkart Wholesales partnership. Kiranas can avail credit line will range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 3 lakh with an interest-free period of up to 14 days. Over 1.5 million kiranas and retailers will have access to a wide range of products through Flipkart Wholesale.

Flipkart wholesale will also be part of this BBD for the first time as an integrated one group. Krishnamurthy said that kiranas and other small businesses will be able to benefit hugely from BBD for the wholesale unit.

Krishnamurthy said the company's customer base and gross merchandise have both grown 7x since 2016. He said there are 20,000 on-roll employees and 200,000 full-time contract employees chasing one objective during BBD, which is to develop an inclusive ecommerce ecosystem and taking Flipkart ship and the whole ecosystem in one direction.

The company now has over 200,000 indirect workforce, which includes a significant number of women workforce, former armed force veterans and people with disabilities.

Flipkart has doubled its warehouse space compared to the last BBD. It is also setting up an integrated logistics hub at Haringhata in Nadia district, in West Bengal in over 100-acre land parcel. The facilities would also serve BBD this year. It will help sellers offer a wider selection and enable faster deliveries not just in Bengal, but also in the neighbouring north Eastern states, where sellers can access pan-India market via this new facility.

During the past few months this year, Flipkart has opened many large warehouses in the country including West Bengal and Karnataka. These will cater to the needs of both Flipkart and Myntra customers in the upcoming festive season.

This year, the Haryana government approved the allotment of 140 acres of land to Flipkart for setting up its largest fulfilment centre in Asia, covering 3 million sq ft in Patli Hajipur in Gurugram district's Manesar. Also, this year Flipkart has formed a strategic and commercial partnership with the Adani Group, Indias largest multinational infrastructure company. In this two-pronged partnership, Flipkart is working with Adani Logistics Ltd to strengthen the e-commerce firm's supply chain infrastructure. The tie-up will enhance Flipkarts ability to serve its rapidly growing base of customers.

Flipkart's rival Amazon recently said over 11,000 offline retailers and neighbourhood stores from Maharashtra are now part of Local Shops on Amazon. With the upcoming festive season, Amazon said it is focused on helping Local Shops sellers grow their business and recover from the recent economic disruption caused by the pandemic.
Healthcare AI startup Endimension has raised Rs 2.3 crore in a seed funding round from Inflection Point Ventures, one of Indias largest angel investment platforms. The funds raised will be utilised to acquire talent for new product development, R&D and for ramping-up the sales team to fuel further growth.

The AI platform of the startup helps to automatically detect abnormalities and diseases, via AI algorithms from medical scans, so as to reduce patient misdiagnosis and increase Radiologists efficiency.

There is a global shortage of radiologists leading to radiologist burnout and patient misdiagnosis. The number of medical images is increasing exponentially whereas radiologists are only growing linearly. We wanted to bridge this demand-supply gap using our Radiology AI Platform. Our AI platform improves radiologist efficiency and reduces patient misdiagnosis, said Bharadwaj Kss, founder & CEO, Endimension. He is an alum of IIT Madras and IIT Bombay and has experience of over a decade in AI and machine learning research.

Ankur Mittal, co-Founder, Inflection Point Ventures, said, Cutting edge technologies are being used in many complex treatments and surgeries. These are early days for application of AI and ML at the diagnostic stage, not only in India but worldwide. The use cases range from providing teleradiology services to medical institutions in the west to supporting lack of infrastructure in remote parts of India. Endimension is building a unique GTM for Indian market and have entered in to couple of interesting JVs in related areas in the west building additional valuation opportunities for its investors.

Endimension stood first in India at the LUNA-16 International Radiology AI Hackathon competition, competing with over 350 Indian teams. The startup has also received Life Science Award at Asian Entrepreneurship Awards in Japan in 2020.

The global AI in medical diagnostics market is projected to reach $ 3,800 million by 2025 from $ 500 million in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 50.2% during the forecast period. Growth in this market is primarily driven by government initiatives to increase the adoption of AI-based technologies, increasing demand for AI tools in the medical field, growing focus on reducing the workload of radiologists, influx of large and complex datasets, growth in funding for AI-based startups, and the growing number of cross-industry partnerships and collaborations.
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Digital Editor
Vodafone plc has made it clear that it will not make any fresh equity infusion in its Indian telecom business--Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL). Responding to a query, a spokesperson at the UK-headquartered telco said: Just to confirm our position, there will be no new equity infusion from Vodafone Group. This is the first time that Vodafone has spoken about its stand after the government announced a telecom package last week.

The Cabinet approval of the telecom package had triggered speculation that the two key shareholders in VIL may invest in the company once again. While ...
on Wednesday met its principal dealers to work out a compensation formula as it prepares to exit India's automobile market as part of a restructuring it announced on September 9. Most of the company's 170 dealers signed a non-disclosure agreement  a precondition set by the company to start negotiations.

The day-long meeting hosted by Anurag Mehrotra, managing director, was attended by 10 principal dealers of the company at its corporate office in Gurugram.

As part of the restructuring plan, Ford will cease production of cars and sport utility vehicles at its plants and will sell vehicles only till stocks last.

In a response to a query on the company's dealer compensation plan, a spokesperson for said, We have a plan that ensures continued viable business for our dealer partners. We like to share those details first with our dealer partners than anyone outside."

Meanwhile, in a meeting with Minister of Heavy Industries (MoHI) Mahendra Nath Pandey on Tuesday, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association requested the ministry to act as an intermediary between dealers and the company.

"This is to ensure all dealers get fair compensation and the company gives a written commitment regarding servicing the vehicles for 10-15 years," said a person who attended the meeting.

"Going by the GM precedent, the track record of companies that exit the market hasn't been good," pointed out a dealer.

The Ford India spokesperson said the company is working with its dealers. "We continue to maintain full customer operations for our existing customers with service, aftermarket parts, and warranty support, he said.

The 170 dealers have 391 outlets and have invested approximately Rs 2,000 crore for setting up their dealerships.

Cumulatively, dealerships employ around 40,000 people. Dealers currently hold 1,500 vehicles, which amount to Rs 150 crore via inventory funding from reputed Indian banks.
Within days of the Union Cabinet clearing a telecom relief package, CEO and MD Ravinder Takkar told Aneesh Phadnis & Nivedita Mookerji that the question mark over a third private player is a thing of the past now. Also, funding can come from new investors, existing promoters or a mix of both, sai. Edited excerpts from the interview:

The recent telecom package is being described as a lifeline for How does the company plan to respond?

The reforms are exceptionally important and the clear message from the government is that it recognises the importance of the telecom industry. Also, it recognises that the competition in industry is important and does not want a monopoly or a duopoly. While we always said we would be the third player, questions were raised about our survival. Now with the reforms, there should be no reason to believe that will go away and the telecom market will have less than three players. The confidence that the reforms bring is very important.

Will you make investments now?

The four-year moratorium on spectrum and AGR (adjusted gross revenue) dues will allow us to make investments and continue to focus on network. Our 4G network has coverage for 1 billion people and there is a potential opportunity to increase by 100-150 million. We would like to increase capacity further, provide great experience and introduce new services by deploying cash we save due to the moratorium. Thats the roadmap for us.

Vodafone Plc has ruled out further equity infusion in the company. What is your take?

The biggest concerns of investors have been whether the government wants three telecom players, whether it will ensure enough competition and whether the government supports delays in payment or would it place itself in the front to get priority in payments. The reforms package has addressed the concerns of investors. I see investor interest in telecom and Vodafone Idea particularly change completely and believe that it creates a great opportunity to get external funding. The funding can come from new investors, existing promoters or a mix of both. Whether a particular promoter will participate or not is a choice they will have to make. I expect the fund raising to be more relevant and successful and we expect funding will come in different forms. I think the four-year moratorium period is a long enough time to get the company back on track.

The promoters have refrained from investing as it would mean throwing good money after bad. Will that stand change?

We have never said that. That is not the company position. If a particular investor or shareholder has probably taken that stance, I am not aware. We believe investment in Vodafone Idea is good investment and with the reforms package, the investment thesis has enhanced significantly

Are you comfortable with the government taking a stake in Vi? Wont that make the telco a PSU after four years on conversion of its dues into equity?

In all my conversations with the government, it has clearly said that the government has no interest in acquiring and running telecom in India. The government has a PSU (BSNL) and they have got their hands full. So the message is really the opposite. The government wants us to run the company efficiently and competitively. It is not a worry for me at all as the talk about converting Vodafone Idea into a PSU or the government having a role in running the company is incorrect.

Isnt tariff increase a critical step that you have to take? When will that happen?

Tariff has been one of the biggest challenges in the industry. There hasnt been enough discipline and pricing has been used as a tool to kill competition, gain market share and create a scenario of stress. This cycle has played out several times. If we have to fix the industry, pricing has to improve and that has been our stance for a long time. The reforms create a right environment for price increases. Price increases will come soon and will come gradually so that there is no huge shock for our customers.

Will you be the first mover in increasing prices?

We have been increasing prices already. We took the first step in increasing prices for our enterprise base and family plans and Airtel followed us. Airtel did a pricing change on low-end 2G customers and we followed them. Prices have been inching up slowly but it is not across the board. I have always said I will not be shy of increasing prices but I need to be confident that others follow and I will not be left out there alone in increasing price.

Vodafone Idea is often referred to as a third weak player. Is it a comfortable position to be in. Arent you looking at becoming number two or number one player?

I think theres somehow a feeling that to be good and successful you have to be number one in the market, somehow you have to become bigger. In my managerial experience and many years in this industry, that has not been my goal. It hasnt been a goal for us. Vodafone India was number two in the market for many years and Idea Cellular was the number three player. I think they were fabulous in that space. Our focus is to provide returns to shareholders. Whether that is done as number one, number two or number three is not relevant.

Currently, your ARPU (average revenue per user per month) is around Rs 100. What ARPU is Vodafone Idea targeting for future?

There are two elements to the ARPU pricing and customer mix. From a market perspective, our 4G customer pretty much pays the same amount as what he would pay to Airtel. The difference with our competitors ARPU is due to the mix of customers. We have a higher proportion of 2G customers. As migration from 2G to 4G happens, we expect ARPU to get better. And as pricing in the industry goes up, ARPU goes up for everyone. In India, the ARPU needs to increase to Rs 200 as it was five years ago and eventually it has to go to Rs 300 for the industry to be sustainable and healthy.





The telecom market in India has been termed among the most painful in the world. Is it less painful now?

I dont know who described it as painful. I dont want to take credit for that! I would say its one of the most challenging markets.
: and on Wednesday announced the signing of memorandum of understanding with the Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Tamil Nadu to establish long-term cooperation for providing capacity building support.

Through the Walmar Vriddhi Supplier Development Programme ( Vriddhi), delivered by knowledge partner Swasti, opportunities are provided to the MSMEs, small businesses to join online, offline and export channels and to reach pan-India as part of supply chains of Walmart, and other

The programme would organise workshops also to further enable growth and the development of the small and medium businesses in the State, a press release said here.

"Through Vriddhi, we look forward to partnering with the government of Tamil Nadu and supporting its efforts to build a robust MSME eco system...we are committed to tripling our exports from India to USD 10 billion annually by 2027, and will keep extending our support to small businesses," vice-president (International Partnership Services) Walmart Nidhi Munjal said.

Chief Minister M K Stalin said, "Tamil Nadu is home to one of the largest number of in the country that are renowed all over the world for their product quality and craftsmanship. Our are the backbone of our economy, and their growth is key to help us achieve our vision of making Tamil Nadu a USD 1 trillion economy by 2030. We welcome the MoU With Walmart, and Swasti, that shall further strengthen our MSME ecosystem."



Senior director and Head-marketplace, Flipkart, Jagjeet Harode said, "Flipkart has made significant supply chain and infrastructure investments in the State of Tamil Nadu. Furthering our commitment to the State, we recently launched a dedicated grocery fulfillment centre in Coimbatore that shall generate significant employment opportunities for the youth of the State."



"Through programmes like Walmart Vriddhi and Flipkart Samarth, we are committed to empowering Tamil Nadu's MSMEs, artisans and craftsmen and will continue providing them the eco system support they require to grow," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The two biggest economies and largest carbon polluters in the world announced separate financial attacks on Tuesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country will no longer fund coal-fired power plants abroad, surprising the world on climate for the second straight year at the UN General Assembly.

That came hours after US President Joe Biden announced a plan to double financial aid to poorer nations to USD11.4 billion by 2024 so those countries could switch to cleaner energy and cope with global warming's worsening impacts. That puts rich nations close to within reach of its long-promised but not realized goal of $100 billion a year in climate help for developing nations.

This is an absolutely seminal moment, said Xinyue Ma, an expert on energy development finance at Boston University's Global Development Policy Center.

This could provide some momentum going into major climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, in less than six weeks, experts said. Running up to the historic 2015 Paris climate deal, a joint US- agreement kickstarted successful negotiations. This time, with China-US relations dicey, the two nations made their announcements separately, hours and thousands of miles apart.

Today was a really good day for the world, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is hosting the upcoming climate negotiations, told Vice President Kamala Harris.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has made a frenetic push this week for bigger efforts to curb called the two announcements welcome news, but said we still have a long way to go" to make the Glasgow meeting successful.

Depending on when China's new coal policy goes into effect, it could shutter 47 planned power plants in 20 developing countries that use the fuel that emits the most heat-trapping gases, about the same amount of coal power as from Germany, according to the European climate think-tank E3G.

It's a big deal. was the only significant funder of overseas coal left. This announcement essentially ends all public support for coal globally, said Joanna Lewis, an expert on China, energy and climate at Georgetown University. This is the announcement many have been waiting for.

From 2013 to 2019, data showed that was financing 13 per cent of coal-fired power capacity built outside China far and away the largest public financier, said Kevin Gallagher, who directs the Boston University center. Japan and South Korea announced earlier this year that they were getting out of the coal-financing business.

With all three countries pulling out of financing coal abroad that sends a signal to the global economy. This is a sector that's fast becoming a stranded asset, Gallagher said.

While this is a big step it is not quite a death knell for coal, said Byford Tsang, a policy analyst for E3G. That's because China last year added as much new coal power domestically as was just potentially cancelled abroad, he said.

Tsang cautioned that the one-sentence line in Xi's speech that mentioned this new policy lacked details like effective dates and whether it applied to private funding as well as public funding.

What also matters is when China stops building new coal plants at home and shutters old ones, Tsang said. That will be part of a push in the G-20 meetings in Italy next month, he said.

The Chinese are going to respond to international pressure, rather than just American bilateral pressure right now, said Deborah Seligsohn, an expert on China's politics and energy at Villanova University.

A coal-free energy mix is still decades in the future because coal power plants typically operate for 50 years or more, said Stanford University environment director Chris Field.

Many nations that are trying to build their economies including top polluters China and India have long argued they needed to industrialize with fossil fuels, like developed nations had already done. Starting in 2009 and then with a grand bargain in 2015 in Paris, richer nations promised USD100 billion a year in financial help to poorer nations to make the switch from dirty to clean fuel, World Resources Institute climate finance expert Joe Thwaites said.

But as of 2019, the richer nations were only providing USD80 billion a year, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

So when rich nations like the asked poorer ones to do more it gives any other country a very easy retort," Thwaites said: 'You took out commitments and you haven't delivered on those either.'""



In April, Biden announced he would double the Obama era financial aid pledge of USD2.85 billion a year to USD5.7 billion.

On Tuesday he announced that he hopes to double that to USD11.4 billion a year starting in 2024, but he does need passage from Congress.

The European Union has been doling out USD24.5 billion a year with the European Commission recently upping that to more than USD4.7 billion over seven years. The Europeans are doing a lot more and the Americans are lagging behind, Thwaites said.

He said several studies calculate that based on the US economy, population and carbon pollution, it should be contributing 40 per cent to 47 per cent of the USD100 billion fund to be doing its fair share.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Wednesday reported a net decrease of 7,586 in active cases to take its count to 301,989. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 1.63 per cent (one in 60). The country is eighth among the most affected countries by active cases. On Tuesday, it added 26,964 cases to take its total caseload to 33,531,498 from 33,504,534  an increase of 0.1%. And, with 383 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 445,768, or 1.33 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 7,557,529 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Tuesday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 826,515,754. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 32,783,741  or 97.77 per cent of total caseload  with 34,167 new cured cases being reported on Wednesday.

Now the eighth-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases, and first by recoveries, India has added 214,743 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 1.63% of all active cases globally (one in every 60 active cases), and 9.45% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths).

India has so far administered 826,515,754 vaccine doses. That is 2464.89 per cent of its total caseload, and 59.23 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (101572493), Maharashtra (79722348), Madhya Pradesh (61289437), Gujarat (60937428), and Rajasthan (58539963).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (1031066), Gujarat (954049), Uttarakhand (947338), Delhi (932409), and Karnataka (819055).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 28 days.

The count of active cases across India on Wednesday saw a net reduction of 7,586, compared with 8,606 on Tuesday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Mizoram (223), Himachal Pradesh (99), Assam (97), Goa (76), and Puducherry (55).

With 34,167 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 97.77%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.33%.

The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.74%), Uttarakhand (2.15%), and Maharashtra (2.12%). The rate in as many as 16 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 34,550  383 deaths and 34,167 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 1.72%.

Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.1%.

Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 861.6 days, and for deaths at 806.4 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (15768), Maharashtra (3131), Tamil Nadu (1647), Mizoram (1355), and Andhra Pradesh (1179).

Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Kerala (95.91%).

India on Monday conducted 1,592,395 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 556,754,282. The test positivity rate recorded was 1.7%.

Five states with the highest test positivity rate (TPR)  percentage of tested people turning out to be positive for Covid-19 infection (by cumulative data for tests and cases  are Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.74%), Goa (13.43%), Kerala (13.23%), Sikkim (12.5%), and Maharashtra (11.39%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are Kerala (14.94%), Mizoram (14.5%), Sikkim (8.46%), Manipur (6.56%), and Meghalaya (3.66%).

Among states and UTs with more than 10 million population, five that have carried out the highest number of tests (per million population) are Delhi (1446270), J&K (1059030), Kerala (960966), Karnataka (688050), and Telangana (659163).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6527629), Kerala (4539926), Karnataka (2969361), Tamil Nadu (2648688), and Andhra Pradesh (2040708).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 3131 new cases to take its tally to 6527629.

Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 15768 cases to take its tally to 4539926.

Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 818 cases to take its tally to 2969361.

Tamil Nadu has added 1647 cases to take its tally to 2648688.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 1179 to 2040708.

Uttar Pradesh has added 13 cases to take its tally to 1709693.

Delhi has added 39 cases to take its tally to 1438556.
External Affairs Minister on Tuesday held meetings with his counterparts from Korea, Italy and Australia on the sidelines of the 76th session of the General Assembly.

Jaishankar met his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-Yong and had wide-ranging conversations on different aspects of the bilateral relationships, including Southern Policy and India's Act East Policy.

"Pleased to meet FM Chung Eui-Yong of the Republic of Korea. A wide-ranging conversation on different aspects of our relationship. RoK's New Southern Policy and India's Act East Policy have strengthened our convergence in the Indo-Pacific," tweeted Jaishankar.

While interacting with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio, he discussed challenges related to vaccine accessibility and smooth travel.

Foreign Minister of Italy Luigi Di Maio is the current G20 chair.

"Discussed challenges related to vaccine accessibility and smooth travel. Look forward to joining him at a discussion on Afghanistan tomorrow," he tweeted.

Jaishankar also met his Australian counterpart Marise Payne and discussed recent developments in the Indo-Pacific.

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Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday asked officials to complete the second phase of Bengaluru Metro work by 2024, a year before the deadline.

"You have set a deadline of 2025 for second phase, but you finish it by 2024. You re-plan and reschedule it so that you can complete it at the earliest because work causes much trouble to people," he said. Bommai was speaking at an event to mark the "breakthrough" of tunneling for line from Cantonment to Shivaji Nagar Metro Station by Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) 'Urja'. He said the early completion of the project will help people reach their destination faster and reduce traffic congestion.

He also said that he himself will supervise the progress of the work. "I will personally supervise it. At any cost, the second phase should be finished by 2024". Bommai said the idea is to give metro rail connectivity up to the International Airport, adding, the Centre too has shown its interest to complete the work by providing financial assistance.

According to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited officials, the 21.26 kms new line (Line-6) from Gottigere to Nagawara is part of Phase-2 of the project. This line consists of 7.5 Kms of elevated corridor with six elevated stations and 13.76 kms underground corridor from south ramp near Jayanagar Fire station to north ramp at Nagawara with 12 underground stations. The tunneling from Cantonment to Shivaji Nagar station started on July 30, 2020. The total length of tunneling to be done is 21.246 km and the total number of TBMs deployed are nine. Till now 3.842 km of tunneling has been completed, they added.

The cost of second phase of 'Namma" (Bengaluru) Metro is Rs 30,695 crore.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's non-stop flight to the US on Wednesday will fly over Pakistan's airspace to avoid

Prime Minister has embarked on a three-day visit to the United States on Wednesday where he will address the UN General Assembly and attend the Quad Summit as well as hold a bilateral meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

A high-level delegation including Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and top government officials are accompanying PM Modi to the US.

According to government sources, India had sought permission from regarding the usage of Pakistan's airspace for Prime Minister Modi's flight to the US, for which a nod was given by Islamabad.

" has allowed India to use its airspace," a top government source told ANI.

Notably, had previously denied the permission of President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Modi to use Pakistan's airspace thrice to travel to foreign countries in 2019 after India abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

Islamabad had even denied permission when PM Modi was visiting the US and Germany and President Kovind was visiting Iceland.

"In view of the situation in (Jammu and) Kashmir and India's attitude, oppression and barbarity...and the violation of rights in the region, we have decided not to give permission to the Indian prime minister and we have conveyed this decision to the Indian High Commission," Pakistan foreign ministry had said in a statement in 2019.

After that India had officially registered protest against Pakistan with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on the denial.

Meanwhile, India had permitted the usage of airspace for Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan's plane to visit Sri Lanka this year.

The aircraft carrying PM Modi and the Indian high-level delegation took off from the Indian Air Force (IAF) Technical Airbase in Delhi on Wednesday morning.

First time Air India One (AI1) the call sign of India's VVIP Boeing aircraft has been deployed for US long haul direct flight. The new Boeing B-777 aircraft Extra Range (ER300) aircraft, which was recently modified for VVIP guests of India is also equipped with advanced defence systems.

The B-777 will take 15 hours of non-stop flight directly to the US. As it is avoiding Afghanistan's airspace, the flight will fly extra hours for the US trip.

The VVIP plane will avoid airspace, the country had closed its airspace for any commercial use. The new regime in announced the closure of its airspace on August 16 just after the Taliban took full control of the nation.

Due to the precarious security situation in Afghanistan, the Indian government has advised its carriers to avoid airspace over the country.

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A total of 40 cases have been reported at Government Fever Hospital since September 1, informed Dr K Shankar, Superintendent of the hospital in Hyderabad.

"There is a decrease in cases but an increase in fever and malaria cases. We have reported 40 cases of since September 1. We are reporting 4-5 cases of malaria daily here," he said in an interview with ANI on Tuesday.

He further said some dengue patients reported high-grade fever, severe headache and body pain, and sometimes rashed on the body.

Meanwhile, dengue, a vector-borne disease, has been on the rise in Uttar Pradesh. Several districts have reported dengue cases. Meerut on Monday recorded 18 new cases while the total tally stood at 205.

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Former owner of Club Titos, one of the top nightclubs in Goa and an aspirant for a assembly election ticket for the 2022 polls, Ricardo D'Souza, wants all MLAs to take a to prove they have not taken bribes in public life.

D'Souza, who spoke to reporters late on Tuesday, after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party's Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, also said that he stood firm by his poll promise of providing one apartment to every family in the assembly constituency of Calangute in North Goa, from where the former nightclub owner is keen on contesting.

When asked about the issue of corruption in politics, D'Souza said that all legislators should be subject to a to prove that they were not involved in graft.

"Let the universe and God judge who has taken money. If you want (to do it) the legal way, we can bring a Put all the MLAs hand on the lie detector, ask them have you taken money as a bribe... Why don't they do it?" D'Souza said.

"There is technology. The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) has it (lie detectors). Get them, put them to a (lie detector test) and let us see who has robbed," D'Souza said.

D'Souza had made a splash in June this year, after he publicly announced that he was forced to sell off one of the state's most popular night clubs, Club Tito's, and other businesses in Goa, due to harassment by government officials, politicians and NGOs.

D'Souza has also had a running feud with Michael Lobo, Ports Minister sitting MLA from the prestigious Calangute assembly constituency. While both have maintained that they have friendly relations with each other, D'Souza claims that Lobo "would not win the next election".

D'Souza said that he is an aspirant for a ticket in the upcoming 2022 polls, he also said that he had received offers from several other parties to contest from Calangute.

"All options are on the table. Every party has approached me. Absolutely every party. AAP (Aam Aadmi Party), Congress, NCP (Nationalist Congress Party). You must have seen my photos with various leaders. It is up to the universe to guide us all," D'Souza said.

D'Souza also stuck to a poll promise he had made to the people of Calangute recently, which involved providing one apartment to every resident of Calangute.

"My heart is in the right place. I am here to change things. I am here to give one free apartment to each and every family in Calangute. I have explained how. Slum rehabilitation in Mumbai, look at it. It is not rocket science. It can happen, it will happen if I am elected," D'Souza said.

--IANS

maya/in

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Vodafone Group has made it clear that there will not be any fresh equity infusion in Ltd. Group of China missed loan payments to two of its largest bank creditors.

More on these stories and other top headlines of the day:



No fresh equity for Voda Idea

Vodafone plc has made it clear that it will not make any fresh equity infusion in its Indian telecom business-- Ltd (VIL). Responding to a query, a spokesperson at the UK-headquartered telco said: Just to confirm our position, there will be no new equity infusion from Vodafone Group. Read more

Airtel, Jio tooled up for indigenous 5G network trials

Indias tryst with Make in India 5G telecom networks has taken a giant leap with the Bharti Airtel-Tata combine and Reliance Jio making trials based on their own equipment.
There is confusion over the UK government's vaccine recognition process for Indian travellers as even though Oxford/AstraZeneca Covishield, the India-manufactured Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, is on an updated international travel advisory, India is not yet on a list of 17 approved countries.

The UK's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have said on Wednesday that they are unable to confirm this and will require further clarifications even though the advisory states: Formulations of the 4 listed vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as approved vaccines. There has been widespread condemnation of the Serum Institute of India manufactured vaccines not being included in a list of eligible COVID-19 vaccines recognised under Britain's reviewed international travel norms, effective from October 4.

From October 4, England's current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries based on levels of COVID-19 risk will be scrapped and replaced with one red list only. However, there is a lack of clarity over whether Indians vaccinated with any vaccines in India  including Covishield  fall within the UK's eligibility criteria or not.

We have to see how it goes. But if we do not get satisfaction we would be within our rights to impose reciprocal measures, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said in response to a question on the issue in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The basic issue is that here is a vaccine, Covishield, which is a licensed product of the UK company, manufactured in India of which we have supplied five million doses to the UK at the request of the government of the UK. We understand that this is being used under the national health system, and, therefore, non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminatory policy and does impact those of our citizens travelling to the UK, he said.

Covishield and other Indian vaccines being covered as eligible would mean that a pre-departure PCR test is no longer required as long as vaccinated travellers pre-book a day two test post-arrival in England and complete the compulsory passenger locator form in advance.

From October 4, travellers from 17 additional countries with eligible vaccines, including Australia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, will fall under the UK's list of recognised jabs of Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines. The DHSC has said this list is reviewed fortnightly.

So far it means, under the new rules from October 4, travellers from India must take a COVID test three days before departure and book in advance for two COVID tests to be taken upon arrival in England. On arrival in England, the passengers must self-isolate in the place they have confirmed on their passenger locator form for 10 days.

A privately paid-for "Test to Release" option does exist at day five, which allows an early end to the 10-day quarantine with a negative PCR test.

The Indian government has said it is working with several countries to recognise India's vaccine certification on a mutual reciprocal basis.

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The United Kingdom has finally recognised Covishield, the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India. However, the travails of Indians travelling to the arent over. The country, which appears to have doubts over vaccine certification in India, has not removed the home isolation requirement for vaccinated Indians and has sought details regarding the working of the CoWin app.

The recognition to Covishield, meanwhile, came a day after an angry response from India's external affairs ministry, which dubbed the British policy as discriminatory. India also warned of reciprocal measures if the did not make policy corrections.

On September17, the introduced a new system for international travel, removing the home isolation requirement for vaccinated individuals from certain countries. The benefit was extended to an extra 17 countries, including those in Asia and the Caribbean. India, however, was not included in the list and travellers from here (including those who are fully vaccinated with both doses of Covishield) would have to self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival in the UK, according to existing norms. The new policy comes into effect from October 4.

Speaking to a news channel, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis said technical discussions were on to understand the working of the CoWin app. While Ellis did not commit to a timeline as to when Indians would be able to visit the UK without having to self-isolate, he said the issue was being looked into urgently.





He also added that the 17 countries included in the latest list were part of a green list with low Covid-19 prevalence. Passengers arriving from these countries were not required to quarantine upon arrival.

R S Sharma, chief of National Health Authority (NHA), which operates CoWin, also confirmed that discussions were ongoing with the UK on the matter. Speaking to a television channel, Sharma said there was no communication from the MEA or the UK High Commission on whether there were issues related to the CoWin app.

The British High Commissioner met me on September 2, and he and his colleagues wanted to understand the architecture of CoWin, Sharma said. They have had two meetings on the matter so far. The second meeting was held on Tuesday. Sharma told the news channel they are not aware of any concerns so far. The meetings, he added, are to understand how the process of vaccination happens, how they are registered on the platforms, how the certificates are generated, and how they are encrypted.

Separately in a statement, Ellis said, We have been having detailed technical discussions regarding certification, with the builders of the CoWin app and the NHS app, about both apps. Theyre happening at a rapid pace, to ensure that both countries mutually recognise the vaccine certificates issued by each other.
Britain's government has announced plans to share more than a million doses of with in a vaccine swap.

The plans to ship more than a million doses of its stockpile of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to in the coming weeks. is attempting to fully vaccinate 70 per cent of its population by the end of October.

The Department of Health says the vaccine doses are not immediately required in the and won't affect Britain's programme to roll out booster shots for parts of the population this fall and winter. South Korea will return the same number of doses to Britain by the end of the year.

Officials add the doses swapped with South Korea are not part of Britain's commitment to send 100 million vaccines overseas.

Britain has donated 10.3 million vaccines to other nations, including 6.2 million through the vaccine-sharing facility COVAX. The rest were donated bilaterally to countries in need.

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Prime Minister on Wednesday said his visit to the United States would be an occasion to strengthen the Indo-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and consolidate ties with Japan and Australia. In a statement just before leaving for the US, Modi said he will conclude his visit with an address at the General Assembly focusing on the pressing global challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, and other important issues. Modi emplaned for the United States this morning with his office tweeting a picture of him just before boarding the plane for the US where he will take part in a wide range of programmes. "I will be visiting the USA from 22-25 September, 2021 at the invitation of His Excellency President Joe Biden of the United States of America. During my visit, I will review the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with President Biden and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the prime minister said.

"I am also looking forward to meeting Vice President Kamala Harris to explore opportunities for cooperation between our two nations particularly in the area of science and technology," he said.

Modi said he will participate in the first in-person Quad Leaders' Summit along with President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Premier Yoshihide Suga The Summit provides an opportunity to take stock of the outcomes of the Quad leaders' Virtual Summit in March this year and identify priorities for future engagements based on our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

"I will also meet Prime Minister Morrison of Australia and Prime Minister Suga of Japan to take stock of the strong bilateral relations with their respective countries and continue our useful exchanges on regional and global issues," Modi said.

"My visit to the US would be an occasion to strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the USA, consolidate relations with our strategic partners -- Japan and Australia -- and to take forward our collaboration on important global issues," he said in his departure statement.

The Afghan crisis and its implications, China's growing assertiveness, ways to stem radicalism and cross-border and further expansion of India-US global partnership are expected to be the central focus of the first in-person meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Biden in Washington on September 24.

At a media briefing on the prime minister's visit to the US, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday said the developments in Afghanistan will be extensively discussed in the bilateral talks between Modi and Biden and the Indian side will convey that Washington needs to continue focus on that country.

Shringla said Modi will also participate in the COVID-19 global summit being hosted by President Biden. After concluding his engagements in Washington, Modi will travel to New York on the evening of September 24 and address the 76th session of the the next day.

The prime minister is also scheduled to meet a number of top executives of major American companies.

.

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The Co-founder and Joint Managing Director of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, Suchitra Ella has said that vaccines should not be a barrier to enter into any nation.

Amid the ongoing row over new UK travel restrictions that consider fully Indian vaccinated as unvaccinated and prescribes 10-day quarantine, she said, "Vaccines must not be entry barriers for nations".

Underlining that India has supplied billions of doses of Covid-19 vaccine the world over, Suchitra Ella tweeted, "Our vaccines will prove yet again that they are world class."

According to the new UK rules, Indian travellers who have received both doses of the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) will be considered unvaccinated and will have to undergo self-isolation for 10 days, though the UK has revised its travel policy to include Covishield as an approved vaccine after India raised strong objections.

Bharat Biotech Co-founder tweeted, "Our vaccines will prove yet again, are world class. India has supplied billions of doses world over. Covid-19 taught us enough life lessons, vaccines must not be entry barriers for nations, when NRA approved & licensed, crossed 800 mn doses, no small achievement".

India's mass vaccination program is being run with mainly two vaccines Covishield and Covaxin. Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has developed Covaxin in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research. Covishield has been developed by researchers at the University of Oxford and pharma giant AstraZeneca.

However, the WHO chief scientist Dr Saumya Swaminathan has said that all countries are supposed to follow the WHO recommendations. Talking to IANS, WHO chief scientist said, "WHO position is clear on this that all countries should recognize EUL vaccines. All countries supposed to follow our recommendations. They are not binding".

--IANS

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Before you put out an advertisement, how about running it past us to ensure it does not violate the codes of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)? Thats the message ASCI, which is a self-regulatory body, has sent out to brands with the launch of an Advertising Advice service.



A paid service available to both members and non-members of ASCI, it will point out to advertisers and marketers, at the campaign planning stage, if their claims are misleading or exaggerated, or if the ad is objectionable or potentially violative of guidelines in any way. A pay-per-advice model would be followed and the schedule plus cost of the service would be shared soon, says



The Advertising Advice service will be a crucial element in the cause of self-regulation, says Subhash Kamath, chairman, The service gives brands a chance to better prepare their campaigns and mitigate reputational risks.



By helping brands to take corrective action at the pre-production phase, the service has a two-pronged aim: to protect consumers from objectionable ads and offer confidential, quick expertise to advertisers to make responsible ads.



With this, ASCI says, advertisers will be able to modify claims and depictions at pre-production stage, thus saving effort, money and possible loss of reputation. The Advertising Advice panel, says the council, will also include technical experts in different specialties who can examine the claim and evidence for technical claim support.



Brands wish to be competitive and push the boundaries of claims. With this service, we can support advertisers to make strong claims, while not crossing the all-important lines of honesty, decency, fairness and safety, says ASCI Secretary-General Manisha Kapoor.



ASCI has also clarified that while advertisers may use the advice to improve their ads in a manner they deem fit, the service should not be read as a pre-clearance. Nor is it a guarantee against complaints filed by consumers. ASCI will continue to process any complaints it receives against such ads according to normal process. To avoid potential conflicts, the advisory panel for Advertising Advice service will be completely different from the complaints process.



While there is no guarantee that consumers will not raise a claim against a brand, the advisory does help brands take steps to ensure that their campaigns dont violate any norms formulated to protect consumer interest, says Kamath.



Kapoor adds, By making this a part of the way advertisers think of campaigns at an early stage, such risks can be mitigated. We see this as a win-win for advertisers and consumers, who then get exposed to fewer problematic ads.



In FY20-21, ASCI had processed over 6,140 complaints regarding misleading ads. Ads that made Covid-related claims were also in focus and the regulatory body found only 12 of such 332 ads to be scientifically correct.



Besides Covid-related advertising complaints, the ASCI Consumer Complaints Council also processed 1,406 complaints in the education sector, 285 against food and beverage advertisements and 147 related to personal care. In addition, 364 advertisements were found to be, prima facie, in violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act.
The Board of Directors of the Rail Corporation is likely to meet on September 24 and the issue of arbitration amount to be given to group firm, Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd (DAMEPL), may figure, sources said on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court on September 9 had upheld the 2017 arbitration award worth over Rs 4,600 crore in favour of the firm, enforceable against the

sources said its board of directors is likely to meet on Friday and the arbitration amount is expected to be on the agenda.

On September 9, a bench of the apex court headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao had quashed the Delhi High Court order that had set aside the arbitration award in favour of DAMEPL, which had pulled out from running the Airport Express metro line over safety issues.

On the day of the judgement, the in a statement had said, "The judgment is being currently analysed for future course of action".

Reliance Infrastructure will receive Rs 7,100 crore from the Rail Corporation (DMRC) after the Supreme Court judgement, the company's chairman had told shareholders last week.

Queries to the DMRC on the dues to be given to the company did not elicit any response.

The arbitral tribunal in its May 2017 award had accepted the airport metro operator's claim that the running of operations on the line was not viable due to reasons such as structural defects.

In 2008, DAMEPL had entered into a contract with DMRC for running the airport metro line till 2038.

As disputes arose between the parties, DAMEPL stopped operating the metro on the airport line and invoked the arbitration clause against DMRC alleging violation of contract and sought a termination fee.

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The second leg of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme has picked up pace and is already close to its target of disbursing 10 million new Liquefied Petroleum Gas ( or cooking gas) connections.

According to oil ministry officials, know-your-customer (KYC) approvals for 9.5 million new applications have already been received by the public sector oil marketing companies, which are implementing the scheme. KYC is a processinstitutions undertake to verify the details of an intended beneficiary before beginning services. A KYC approval brings a recipient one step closer to the sought benefit.

Of these, 2.3 million new deposit free connections have already been disbursed from August 10 to September 15, an official told Business Standard.

The highest number of connections have been disbursed in Bihar (605,000) till now. West Bengal (334,000) comes second while Gujarat (281,000) comes third, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched 2.0 on August 10 by handing over connections at Mahoba Uttar Pradesh through video conferencing. The second leg of the Ujjwala programme will give greater prominence to self-certifications. This will help those who move out of their native places, in search for jobs, to get these deposit free LPG connections, Modi had said.

According to the oil ministry official, beneficiaries are getting connections under easier KYC guidelines. Since the focus is on covering migrants, the KYC approvals are happening regardless of the address on the Aadhar card of beneficiaries.

Focusing his speech on poll bound Uttar Pradesh (UP), Modi had said, People from all over UP and other states including Bundelkhand, migrated from village to city or to other states for work. There they face the problem of address proof. Now these workers from other places need not run from pillar to post for address proof. The government has full faith in the honesty of the migrant workers. All one has to do is give a self-declaration of the address for getting a gas connection.





This will take the total number of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG, or cooking gas) consumers in the country close to 300 million by March 2022. There are around 207.2 million non-PMUY LPG consumers in the country.

The implementation of the populist PMUY scheme this year also gains relevance ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due in early 2022. Uttar Pradesh already has the largest number of PMUY beneficiaries from amongst all states of the country with around 15 million existing recipients. West Bengal and Bihar come second and third at around 9 million each. Besides Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab, and Uttarakhand are also poll bound in February/March 2022.

To aid lower income households during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the centre offered three free cylinder refills to PMUY recipients under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package. This cost the exchequer Rs 9,670.41 crore and was transferred to PMUY beneficiaries during April to August 2020 under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for buying the LPG refills. This pushed up the overall LPG consumption of the country while most other fuels reported a decline during 2020-2021.
Indias financial system is maturing and economic growth is on the mend, but the pandemic has asymmetrically affected the population, which must be bridged for sustainable, and inclusive growth, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das said on Wednesday.

The governor also lauded the governments Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for manufacturing, which has enabled India to be the "home to almost all the leading global mobile phone manufacturers, leading the country to turn from being an importer to an exporter of mobile phones.

This trend is likely to spill over to other sectors also," he said, adding global players would help enhance Indias share in the Global Value Chain (GVC) and will help build a resilient supply chain network. Such greater GVC participation would enhance the competitiveness of Indias large and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) supplier base, the governor said.

However, it is necessary that the sectors and companies which benefit from this scheme utilise this opportunity to further improve their efficiency and competitiveness. In other words, the gains from the scheme should be durable and not one off, the governor said.

He was delivering his keynote address at the National Management Convention of the All India Management Association (AIMA).

"Indias financial system has transformed rapidly to support the growing needs of the economy," the said.

Banks traditionally have been the primary channels of credit in the economy, but non-bank funding channels have opened up. Assets of NBFCs and mutual funds are growing, and funding through corporate bonds is increasing.

This is a sign of a steadily maturing financial systemmoving from a bank-dominated financial system to a hybrid one," governor Das said.

However, the governor sounded warning bells about the rising inequality brought forward by the pandemic in the country.

History shows that the impact of pandemics, unlike financial and banking crises, could be a lot more asymmetric by affecting the vulnerable segments more. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception," he said.

Das termed the pandemic as a watershed event of the present era, causing widespread devastation of life and livelihood and it is still haunting the global economy in several ways. There are very few parallels of a shock like COVID-19 in history which left policymakers with no template to navigate through the crisis.

The pandemic has affected the contact-intensive service sectors, which employ a large number of informal, low-skilled and low-wage workers, the hardest. In several emerging and developing economies, lack of health care access has disproportionately affected the family budget of the poor.

Even education which was provided online during the pandemic excluded the low-income households because of the lack of requisite skills and resources. Overall, there is evidence across countries that the pandemic may have severely dented inclusivity," the said.

Greater automation would lead to overall productivity gain, but it may also lead to slack in the labour market, he said. Therefore, significant skilling and training are required of the workforce.

We also need to guard against any emergence of digital divide as digitisation gains speed after the pandemic, he said. Traditional education cannot supply enough workforce trained in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is rising briskly, which would be in demand. Therefore, close involvement of corporate houses would be required to design and implement courses suitable to the changing industrial landscape.

Multilateralism will lose credibility if it fails to ensure equitable access to vaccine across countries. If we can secure the health and immunity of the poor, we would have made a great leap towards inclusive growth, Das said.

In the future, restoring the durability of private consumption, the mainstay of aggregate demand, will be crucial. "More importantly, sustainable growth should entail building on macro fundamentals via medium-term investments, sound financial systems and structural reforms.

To achieve these objectives, Governor Das called for a big push to invest in healthcare, education, innovation, physical and digital infrastructure.

"We should also continue with further reforms in labour and to benefit from pandemic induced opportunities.
The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) will pay the depositors of 21 stressed cooperative banks, including the Punjab & Maharashtra Co-Operative Bank (PMC Bank), up to Rs 5 lakh within 90 days.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had imposed restrictions on the withdrawal of deposits from these Of the 21 banks, 11 are from Maharashtra, five from Karnataka, and one each from Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab.

The DICGC in a statement said only those depositors who have submitted their willingness to the insured would get money. The last date to submit the declaration of willingness and update any other documents/ information to help to include their claims in the list is October 15.

The banks are required to submit a claim list by October 15 and update the position as on November 29 (with principal and interest). This will enable the DICGC to settle the claims and discharge its insurance liability in full in accordance with norms. The DICGC will do the verification and settlement of the claims within 45 days (November 29).

The development comes after Parliament passed the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, ensuring that account holders get up to Rs 5 lakh within 90 days of the RBI imposing a moratorium on banks. The government notified September 1 as the date on which the provisions of the Act would come into force. The mandated 90 days from the notified date comes to an end on November 30.

Protected accounts

The number of fully protected accounts, 2.48 billion, at the end of March constituted 98.1 per cent of the total number of accounts (253 billion), as against the international benchmark of 80 per cent.

The total insured deposits were Rs 76.21 trillion, which constituted 50.9 per cent of assessable deposits of Rs 149.7 trillion as of March end. The international benchmark is 20-30 per cent.

The number of registered insured banks stood at 2,058 as on March 31, 2021 comprising 139 commercial banks [including 6 payment banks (PBs), 10 small banks (SFBs), 43 regional rural banks (RRBs), two local area banks (LABs)] and 1,919 co-operative banks.
Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) will pay the depositors of 21 insured cooperative banks, including Punjab & Maharashtra Co-Op Bank (PBC Bank) and City Co-operative Bank, upto Rs 5 lakh in 90 days.

These have been placed under direction with restrictions on withdrawal of deposits. Out of the 21 banks, 11 are from Maharashtra, 5 from Karnataka and one each from Uttran Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.

In June, the Reserve Bank of India gave in-principle approval to Centrum Financial Services Ltd (CFSL) to set up a small bank, which will take over the beleaguered Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC Bank).

DICGC in a statement said only those depositors who have given willingness to the insured would get money. The depositors should submit the declaration of willingness and also update any other documents/information to help to include their claims in list by October 15, 2021.

These banks shall submit a claim list by October 15, 2021 and update the position as on November 29, 2021 (with principal and interest). This will enable DICGC to settle the claim and discharge its insurance liability in full as per norms. DICGC will do the verification and settlement of the claims within 45 days (November 29, 2021).
At an online discussion organised by Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International on the issue of evaluating consumer welfare in digital payments, several industry stalwarts discussed the way forward for India's banking regulator.

The Reserve Bank of India needs to engage with consumers and clearly explain the rationale and impact of its regulations, said Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former Deputy Chair, Planning Commission of India.

The discussion reviewed a recent Reserve Bank of India (RBI) circular that prohibits continuation of frictionless e-mandates from modes like debit cards from October 2021, if conditions mentioned therein are not complied with by industry stakeholders, particularly banks.

Aruna Sharma, former Secretary, Government of India, questioned whether was worried about the convenience of consumers or banks. She cautioned that an approach favouring of market players over consumers may make them move away from the digital economy towards cash.

It was pointed out that RBI's action of increasing friction in is likely to hit vulnerable consumers, including digital novices and those with disabilities. This is likely to further increase the digital divide and pose challenges to the Governments vision of an equitable digital society.

Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS International, noted that RBI's actions have forced consumers to choose between convenience and security of digital payments, which should not be the case.Consumers should be free to choose the modes of making digital payments, the amount which they are comfortable in transacting without additional authentication, and whether to securely store card details with merchants or not.

Akash Karmakar, Partner, Panag and Babu, said the has not prescribed any consequences for non-compliance by banks, who have little incentive to comply with conditions of the circular. Bhargavi Zaveri, Doctoral candidate, National University of Singapore, highlighted the importance of friction free digital interfaces and pointed out that friction can lead to consumers abandoning transactions mid-way.

Ashish Aggarwal, vice president and head, public policy, NASSCOM, suggested that the regulator could provide weekly updates in terms of compliance by banks with its circular, and should work more closely with stakeholders to ensure consumer welfare is not compromised.

Close to 100 stakeholders participated in the discussion, including representatives from government departments, policy influencers, regulators, think tanks, consumer groups, academia and media.
Ajay Banga, one of the topmost Indian-American corporate leaders, and a strong advocate of India-US relationship, would retire from at the end of the year, the global credit card company has said.

Announcing retirement on Tuesday of its executive chairman, Banga, effective on December 31, Board unanimously elected Merit Janow, currently Lead Independent Director, to serve as non-executive independent chair of the Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2022.

With Merit as Chair and the strong foundation Michael Miebach has established as CEO, is in incredible hands for the next phase of growth and innovation, said Banga.

I am grateful for the role I have been able to play in Mastercard's evolution and I look forward to where Merit and Michael will lead it next, he said in a statement.

Following a successful decade as CEO, Banga transitioned to the Executive Chairman role at the beginning of this year. Among his responsibilities during the transition were serving as a counsellor to the CEO and facilitating a smooth transition of key external relationships including customers and regulators to Miebach.

In a statement, Mastercard said this milestone completes a thoughtful and intentional executive transition announced in February 2020. When Miebach was announced as CEO-elect, the Board created a pathway for him to deepen his engagement with clients and partners and across every aspect of the business.

Banga, 61, remained as Executive Chairman to support the transition, alongside Janow as Lead Independent Director. For the two decades I've known Ajay, he's been a tremendous inspiration, mentor and friend. His vision and passion for what Mastercard could accomplish and what we could become is well known. I am incredibly thankful that we had the opportunity to partner and create such a thoughtful transition plan, said Miebach.

Janow contributes an extensive global perspective as a dean and professor of economic law and affairs at Columbia University's School of and Public Affairs, especially with respect to the Asia Pacific region.

Her university career, public board service and other initiatives provide significant insight on technology, innovation, digital matters, cybersecurity and sustainability. She joined the Board in 2014 and also serves as the Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee, the statement said.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank Ajay for his outstanding leadership and commitment to Mastercard for more than a decade, Janow said.

His strategic and cultural vision transformed the company into what it is today a leading payments technology company renowned for the strength of its management, extensive partnerships with organisations of all kinds, and an inclusive mindset and innovative approach to everything, she said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It has been announced the US, and the are forming a new security partnership to be known as AUKUS.

This alliance, announced by the leaders of the three countries, throws an entirely different light on the recent 70th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty and indeed key defence relationships of the past seven decades.

Dubbed by some as ANZUS 2.0, AUKUS is a trilateral agreement, but one that notably excludes New Zealand. With the UKs inclusion instead, this agreement shifts the ANZUS Treatys Pacific Ocean focus to one that encompasses the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Oceans too. It is an arrangement with global reach and profound, long-term implications.

There is much to unpack from this far-reaching announcement. It was only known publicly that a major announcement was coming less than 24 hours beforehand. In the slick promotional video that preceded remarks by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and finally US President Joe Biden, the fact that the three nations are democracies was touted as a defining and unifying feature.

Yet the publics of the three nations were kept in the dark about what was afoot, and were instead presented a fait daccompli. AUKUS is born, Morrison declared. Few knew it was even in gestation.

The secrecy surrounding AUKUS is troubling given its significance, especially for These stakes were clearly demarcated in todays White House press briefing ahead of the formal leaders announcement. AUKUS in its scope and aims:

binds decisively to the and Great Britain for generations.

To further underscore the significance for Australia, the US spokesperson described AUKUS as:

the biggest strategic step Australia has taken in generations.

The most significant component of AUKUS announced so far is that Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The US and the have shared this nuclear technology in an arrangement dating back to 1958.

Read more: Why nuclear submarines are a smart military move for Australia  and could deter China further

Over the next 18 months, the US and UK will support Australias desire to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Adelaide will soon see technical and strategic teams from all three countries working on building the subs.

These submarines will allow Australia to deploy for longer periods, are quieter, much more capable and will allow us to sustain and to improve deterrence across the Indo-Pacific, the White House said. All three leaders were at pains to stress Australia has no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons, though these capabilities will necessarily develop along with the limited AUKUS aims of propulsion.

Now Australias pre-existing sub-building deal with is destined for the scrap heap, but not without a hefty bill for Australian taxpayers, it has been reported.

The other elements of AUKUS include enhancing joint capabilities, deeper military interoperability, new architectures of meetings and engagements between defence and foreign policy officials, and to spur co-operation across many new and emerging arenas  cyber, applied AI, quantum technologies and some undersea capabilities.

The need for this immense shift in Australias defence capabilities and the genesis of the AUKUS partnership were not specified in todays announcement. Biden came closest to articulating AUKUSs intent when he said it will help better meet the threats of today and tomorrow. There is no doubt what has sparked this strategic recalibration: the rise of

In addition to exponentially increasing Australias military capabilities, the overarching rationale of AUKUS is to link existing allies and partners together. This will in turn create a global web of security arrangements to combat Chinas massive and rapid global expansion. This is why the focus of AUKUS is on the Indo-Pacific, which stretches from the eastern Pacific to the east coast of Africa.

Many questions remain about AUKUS.

One is why did the UK return to the Indo-Pacific arena in this way, having essentially left it, in strategic terms, in the 1950s?

ALSO READ: The Aukus effect

According to Johnsons brief remarks today, it joined to impart knowledge about nuclear submarine technology, acquired over generations, to Australia. This will have a two-fold benefit, he said. It will preserve security and stability in the Indo-Pacific while creating hundreds of highly skilled jobs across the United Kingdom. The UKs involvement in AUKUS is its most significant enaction of its new Indo-Pacific strategic tilt set out in its 2021 defence and foreign policy review.

Alberto Pezzali/AP/AAP

And where does AUKUS leave New Zealand? Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reassured New Zealanders today that she welcomed greater UK and US involvement in the Indo-Pacific region, a security outlook she has clearly adhered her nation to.

But beneath statements insisting that AUKUS does not interfere with New Zealands existing security arrangements, its exclusion from this security partnership has set it on a singular course.

AUKUSs initial purpose of building Australia a fleet of nuclear-powered subs assures this. As Ardern emphasised,

New Zealands position in relation to the prohibition of nuclear-powered vessels in our waters remains unchanged.

There is no doubt will react strongly to this news and, given its recent conduct towards Australia, punitively in terms of trade. The implications are likely to be manifold.

How Australians respond to the nations course set today without their knowledge or consultation will be interesting to gauge. If 70 years of living with the ANZUS treaty is any indication, reactions will be strong and sharply divided.

Patricia A. O'Brien, Visiting Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University, and Adjunct Professor, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The Democratic-controlled House passed a bill that would suspend the into December 2022 and provide the government funding to operate past September 30. Republicans have vowed to block it when it reaches the Senate over the debt limit provision. The measure was approved Tuesday night on a 220 to 211 party-line vote.

The debt ceiling suspension  to December 16, 2022  is urgently needed because the Treasury Department has warned it could run out of accounting measures to stave off a payment default sometime in October. The debt limit came back into effect in August after a two-year suspension.

The political standoff raises the chances of twin fiscal disasters  a government shutdown and a default  that could have devastating consequences for Wall Street and the broader American economy. We played chicken with the debt in the early 2010s and the credit of the was put down a notch said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. We do not welch on our debts.

It is not yet entirely clear what Democrats plan to do after the bill fails to advance in the Senate, likely later this week. One alternative would be to strip the debt ceiling provision from the funding bill and to pass it in order to avoid a government shutdown on October 1. Democrats could then use the fast-track budget process to pass a debt ceiling increases without Republican support.

But Democrats want Republicans to share political responsibility for the debt, which was increased under both Republican and Democratic administrations, ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans were united in opposition to that prospect.
Inc (FB.O) has told Australian publishers it has stopped negotiating licencing deals, an email to the industry seen by Reuters showed, a move which came just six months after the passing of a law designed to make tech giants pay for news content.

While has announced deals with most of the country's largest news outlets, some media including TV broadcaster SBS have been left out in the cold, raising questions about the scope and effectiveness of the law.

The Special Broadcasting Service, or SBS, one of Australia's five national free-to-air broadcasters and the country's main source of foreign language news, said declined to enter negotiations despite months of attempts and that it was surprised and disappointed. It noted it had successfully concluded a deal with Google (GOOGL.O).

"This outcome is at odds with the Government's intention of supporting public interest journalism, and in particular including the public service broadcasters in the Code framework with respect to remuneration," an SBS spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

Facebook's regional head of news partnerships, Andrew Hunter, said in an August email to publishers that it had "now concluded" deals where it would pay Australians for content on its just-launched "Facebook News" channel.

Hunter added that rejected publishers would continue to benefit from clicks directed from Facebook and recommended they tap a new series of industry grants.

The email has not been made public.

Hunter didn't comment on the email or the SBS remarks but said in a statement to Reuters that content deals were "just one of the ways that Facebook provides support to publishers, and we've been having ongoing discussions with publishers about the types of news content that can best deliver value for publishers and for Facebook".

The U.S. social media giant has inked deals with a range of Australian big media including News Corp (NWSA.O) to the Australian Broadcasting Corp and has a collective bargaining arrangement with rural publishers. But only a handful of independent and smaller publishers have reached deals.

As previously reported by Reuters, Facebook declined to negotiate a deal with the Conversation, which publishes public affairs commentary by academics, prompting a rebuke from the regulator which drafted the law. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission declined to comment on Wednesday. read more

Under the law, which drove Facebook to block third-party content on newsfeeds briefly in the country this year, Facebook and Google must negotiate with news outlets for content that drives traffic to its website or face possible government intervention.

But before there can be any government intervention, the federal treasurer must determine that either Facebook or Google failed to negotiate in good faith, a step known as "designation". A representative for the treasurer was not immediately available for comment.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority, which will help enforce the law, declined to comment on the grounds that no technology firm had been designated so the law did not technically apply.

(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.)
talked up a trade deal with the US as one of the major prizes of his campaign for Sitting in the Oval Office on Tuesday, it was clear the UK leader has little hope of delivering it.

Were going to talk a little bit about trade today and were going to have to work that through, US President Joe Biden told reporters at the start of his meeting with Johnson, when asked about the prospects for an agreement. The lukewarm response comes after the British prime minister himself tried to downplay expectations of progress. On the plane to New York, he told reporters Biden has a lot of fish to fry and didnt have time to negotiate. He also hinted to Sky News he doesnt expect an agreement before the next UK general election, due in 2024.

Biden and Johnson also discussed Northern Ireland, climate change and Afghanistan during the 90-minute meeting. The UK is keen to strike free trade deals around the world in the wake of leaving the EU's single market - including with the US, with which annual trade was worth an estimated $273 billion (200bn) in 2019.

Then hours before Johnsons meeting with Biden came a major strategy shift, which also risks coming to nothing. A person familiar with the matter said the UK is exploring joining an existing free-trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, a recognition that the Biden administration wont start talks on a bespoke deal any time soon.
President is set to announce that the United States is doubling its purchase of Pfizer's COVID-19 shots to share with the world to 1 billion doses as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year.

The stepped-up U.S. commitment is to be the cornerstone of the global vaccination summit Biden is convening virtually Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where he plans to push well-off nations to do more to get the under control.

World leaders, aid groups and global health organizations are growing increasingly vocal about the slow pace of global vaccinations and the inequity of access to shots between residents of wealthier and poorer nations.

The U.S. purchase, according to two senior Biden administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview Biden's remarks, will bring the total U.S. vaccination commitment to more than 1.1 billion doses through 2022. At least 160 million shots supplied by the U.S. have been distributed to more than 100 countries, representing more donations than the rest of the world combined.

The latest purchase reflects only a fraction of what will be necessary to meet a goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population and 70% of the citizens of each nation by next September's U.N. meeting. It's a target pushed by global aid groups that Biden will throw his weight behind.

The White House said Biden will use the summit to press other countries to commit to a higher level of ambition in their vaccine sharing plans, including specific challenges for them to meet. The officials said the White House will publicly release the targets for well-off nations and nonprofits after the summit concludes.

The American response has come under criticism for being too modest, particularly as the administration advocates for providing booster shots to tens of millions of Americans before vulnerable people in poorer nations have received even a first dose.

We have observed failures of multilateralism to respond in an equitable, coordinated way to the most acute moments. The existing gaps between nations with regard to the vaccination process are unheard of, Colombian President Ivn Duque said Tuesday at the United Nations.

More than 5.9 billion COVID-19 doses have been administered globally over the past year, representing about 43% of the global population. But there are vast disparities in distribution, with many lower-income nations struggling to vaccinate even the most vulnerable share of their populations, and some yet to exceed 2% to 3% vaccination rates.

In remarks at the U.N., Biden took credit on Tuesday for sharing more than 160 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with other countries, including 130 million surplus doses and the first installments of more than 500 million shots the U.S. is purchasing for the rest of the world.

Other leaders made clear in advance it was not enough.

Chilean President Sebastian Piera said the triumph of speedy vaccine development was offset by political failure that produced inequitable distribution. In science, cooperation prevailed; in politics, individualism. In science, shared information reigned; in politics, reserve. In science, teamwork predominated; in politics, isolated effort, Piera said.

The World Health Organization says only 15% of promised donations of vaccines from rich countries that have access to large quantities of them have been delivered. The U.N. health agency has said it wants countries to fulfill their dose-sharing pledges immediately and make shots available for programs that benefit poor countries and Africa in particular.

COVAX, the U.N.-backed program to ship vaccines to all countries has struggled with production issues, supply shortages and a near-cornering of the market for vaccines by wealthy nations.

The WHO has urged companies that produce vaccines to prioritize COVAX and make public their supply schedules. It also has appealed to wealthy countries to avoid broad rollouts of booster shots so doses can be made available to health care workers and vulnerable people in the developing world. Such calls have largely gone ignored.

COVAX has missed nearly all of its vaccine-sharing targets. Its managers also have lowered their ambitions to ship vaccines by the end of this year, from an original target of some 2 billion doses worldwide to hopes for 1.4 billion now. Even that mark could be missed.

As of Tuesday, COVAX had shipped more than 296 million doses to 141 countries.

The 70% global target is ambitious, not least because of the U.S. experience.

Biden had set a goal of vaccinating 70% of the U.S. adult population by July 4, but persistent vaccine hesitance contributed to the nation not meeting that target until a month later. Nearly 64% of the entire U.S. population has received at least one dose and less than 55% is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

U.S. officials hope to increase those figures in the coming months, both through encouraging the use of vaccination mandates and by vaccinating children once regulators clear the shots for the under-12 population.

Aid groups have warned that the persistent inequities risk extending the global pandemic, and that could lead to new and more dangerous variants. The delta variant raging across the U.S. has proved to be more transmissible than the original strain, though the existing vaccines have been effective at preventing nearly all serious illness and death.

(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.)
Sri Lankan police are investigating an incident in which the government prisons minister allegedly threatened to kill two ethnic minority detainees inside a prison, an official said Wednesday.

Lohan Ratwatte, state minister of Prison Management and Prisoners' Rehabilitation, resigned last week following a public outcry after he was accused of threatening to kill two Tamil He was also accused of forcibly entering another prison with his friends to show them the gallows.

Government spokesman Dullas Alahapperuma said a police investigation is underway.

He said Cabinet ministers also discussed the allegations at their weekly meeting on Tuesday and Justice Minister Ali Sabri sought approval to launch a separate investigation headed by a retired judge.

Tamil minority lawmaker Gajen Ponnambalam said Ratwatte summoned the Tamil in the prison in Anuradhapura, about 200 kilometers (125 miles ) north of Colombo.

He got two of them to kneel in front of him and pointed his personal firearm at them and threatened to kill them on the spot, Ponnambalam tweeted.

Ratwatte is a member of the Sinhalese ethnic majority. Tamil lawmakers asked the government to arrest him.

The London-based human rights group Amnesty also called for an inquiry, saying the minister must be held to account for his actions.

Separately, local newspapers reported that a government minister had forcibly entered Welikada prison in Colombo with his friends to show them the gallows.

The newspapers did not identify the minister, but the president's office said Ratwatte acknowledged responsibility for the incidents at both prisons and tendered his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

There was no immediate comment from Ratwatte on the announced investigation.

Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested, with more than 32,000 inmates crowded into facilities with a capacity of 11,000.

A dozen inmates were killed and 100 injured last November during a riot by inmates at a prison on the outskirt of Colombo.

Tamil rebels fought to create a separate state during a 26-year civil war but were defeated by government troops in 2009.

(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.)
British Prime Minister conceded Wednesday that a post- trade deal with the U.S. was not imminent as he revealed that the decades-long U.S. ban on the import of British lamb would be lifted.

A day after President Joe Biden downplayed the prospect of a trade deal by not pushing back on a suggestion that Britain was at the back of the line, Johnson said British farmers, notably those in Wales, would once again be able to export lamb to the U.S.

I can tell you today that what we're going to get from the United States now is a lifting of the decades old ban, totally unjustified, discriminating on British farmers and British lamb," he told reporters outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington. It's about time too. And what we're wanting to do is make solid incremental steps in trade."



When campaigning for Britain's departure from the European Union in 2016, Johnson and other supporters said one of the great prizes of leaving the bloc would be an overarching trade deal with the U.S. that would see tariffs and quotas eliminated on a wide array of goods.

The Biden administration is not doing free trade deals around the world right now but I've got absolutely every confidence that a great deal is there to be done, Johnson said.

Unlike his predecessor Donald Trump, Biden has shown little interest in negotiating a trade deal with Britain, partly because of his concerns about the situation in Northern Ireland.

Ahead of his bilateral discussion with Johnson in the White House on Tuesday, Biden voiced worries about the situation in Northern Ireland following recent talk that the British government wants to renegotiate the post- deal with the EU that it signed up to at the end of last year.

He said he felt very strongly about issues surrounding the peace process, as problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol persisted. Under that Brexit deal, customs and border checks have been imposed on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. in order to prevent a physical border once again being put up between Ireland, which is part of the EU, and Northern Ireland.

One of the significant achievements of Northern Ireland's peace process was the nearly invisible border with Ireland.

I would not at all like to see, nor, I might add, would many of my Republican colleagues like to see, a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland, said Biden, who has consistently shown pride in his Irish roots.

As well as seeking to respect the rules governing the EU's single market for goods, the regulations seek to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. However, they have angered Northern Ireland's unionist community, who say the checks amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken Northern Ireland's ties with the rest of the U.K.

Since Britain formally left the economic structures of the EU at the start of this year, the country has sought to re-orientate its trade profile away from Europe. For example, it is pushing to join the 11-country Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is home to around half a billion people in and around the Pacific.

There's even talk now that the British government may look to join the trade partnership between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

(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 aid chief said Wednesday he had released $45 million in emergency funds to help prevent Afghanistan's battered healthcare system from collapsing, news agency AFP reported.

Martin Griffiths, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned in a statement that medicines, medical supplies and fuel are running out in 

Cold chains are compromised. Essential health-care workers are not being paid, he said. In a bid to avert catastrophe, Griffiths said he was releasing funds from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund to boost life-saving support in Afghanistan, AFP said.

Allowing Afghanistan's healthcare delivery system to fall apart would be disastrous, he said.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been visiting Kabul, meeting Taliban leaders as well as patients and hospital workers. Afghanistans health system is on the brink of collapse.

Unless urgent action is taken, the country faces an imminent humanitarian catastrophe, he said in a statement. Afghanistan's healthcare system was plunged into crisis after the Taliban swept into power last month, complicating aid deliveries and leaving many health facilities understaffed.

China, Russia, Pak special envoys meet Taliban, top Afghan leaders



Special envoys of China, Russia, and Pakistan have met the top officials of the interim Taliban government as well as Afghan leaders Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul and discussed the formation of an inclusive government, combating terrorism, and handling the humanitarian situation, a top Chinese official said on Wednesday.



The three special envoys have held talks with acting Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqi, Finance Minister and other high-level officials of the interim government, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.



Taliban names Afghan UN envoy, asks to speak to world leaders



The Taliban have asked to address world leaders at the in New York this week and nominated their Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's UN ambassador, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Tuesday. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made the request in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The United States is set to announce the purchase of an additional 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to donate to low- and lower-middle-income countries around the world, a senior Biden Administration Official informed on Wednesday.

This new commitment will bring our total to over 1.1 billion vaccines donated to the world.

"So, tomorrow, President Biden will announce that the US is purchasing an additional 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to donate to low- and lower-middle-income countries around the world," said senior Administration Official Previewing the Global Summit to End COVID-19.

A senior official said that the donations are being made "free of charge, no strings attached".

"These half a billion vaccines will be made here in the United States by American workers. They'll start shipping out in January. And that means from January through September of next year, we will ship out 800 million vaccines to the world," the official added.

The official further stated that the US has committed to donating over 600 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world so far. "That includes 500 million Pfizer doses that the US purchased earlier this summer to donate to 100 countries in need -- the largest donation of COVID-19 vaccines by a single country ever."

Overall, the United States has now shipped nearly 160 million of these doses to 100 countries around the world -- from Peru to Pakistan, Sri Lanka to Sudan, El Salvador to Ethiopia.

(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.)
On 21st September 2021, Nifty and BankNifty recovered sharply from the days low and closed on a strong note. Nifty took support on its 13-day EMA and reversed north. BankNifty has formed Long legged Doji candlestick pattern on the daily chart, which is having bullish implications. Traders are advised to remain long in Nifty and BankNifty with the stop-loss of 17,325 and 36,525 resepctively.

Buy Infosys Rs 1717 | Target Rs 1,790 | Stop-loss Rs 1,670

Stock has broken out from the symmetrical triangle pattern on the daily charts. Primary trend of the stock has been bullish with higher tops and higher bottoms. IT as a sector has been continuously performing very well for last many months. Indicators and oscillators have also been showing strength on daily and weekly charts.

Buy GNFC Rs 381.50 | Target Rs 424 | Stop-loss Rs 350

Downward sloping channel breakout is seen on the daily charts. Price breakout is accompanied by jump in volumes. Stock has been holding levels above its medium to long term moving average. Inverted head and shoulder breakout is seen on the daily charts. Indicators and oscillators have turned bullish on daily and weekly charts. Short term moving averages are trading above medium to long term moving averages.

(Vinay Rajani, Technical Research Analyst, HDFC securities. Views expressed are personal)
Data Patterns (India), which supplies electronic systems to defence and aerospace sector, has filed preliminary papers with capital regulator to mop up Rs 600-700 crore through an initial share-sale.

The public issue comprises a fresh issue of Rs 300 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of 60,70,675 equity shares by promoters and individual selling shareholders, according to draft red herring prospectus (DRHP).

The OFS includes sale of up to 19.67 lakh shares each by Srnivasagopalan Rangarajan and Rekha Murthy Rangarajan, up to 75,000 by Sudhir Nathan, up to 4.15 lakh equity shares by G K Vasundhara and up to 16.47 lakh equity shares by other existing shareholders.

The Chennai-based defence electronics company may consider a pre-IPO placement aggregating for up to Rs 60 crore. If such placement is undertaken, the amount raised will be reduced from the fresh issue.

As per market sources, the is expected to raise Rs 600-700 crore.

The company intends to utilise net proceeds from the fresh issue for repayment of debt, funding its working capital and upgradation and expansion of its existing facilities besides general corporate purposes.

Data Patterns is backed by former Blackstone head Matthew Cyriac via Florintree Capital Partners LLP which holds 12.8 per cent stake in the company.

Founded by Srinivasagopalan Rangarajan and Rekha Murthy Rangarajan, Data Patterns is a vertically integrated defence and aerospace electronics solutions provider that caters to requirements across space, air, land and the sea.

Its core competencies include design and development across electronic hardware, software, firmware, mechanical, product prototype besides its testing, validation and verification.

Its involvement has been found across radars, underwater electronics/communication, electronic warfare suites, avionics, small satellites, automated test equipment, and programmes catering to Tejas light combat aircraft, light utility helicopter, BrahMos and other communication and electronic intelligence systems.

It had developed the first nano satellite "NiUSAT" which thereafter deployed in 2017. In addition, two more satellites are in progress, the draft papers noted.

Data Patterns works closely with the defence PSUs such as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd as well as government organisations involved in defence and space research like DRDO.

The company's order book has grown at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 40.72 per cent over the last four years and as on July 2021 stood at Rs 582.30 crore.

For FY21, the company's revenue from operations was at Rs 226.55 crore against Rs 160.19 crore in the preceding fiscal. Its net profit for the period stood at Rs 55.57 crore as compared to Rs 21.05 crore last financial year.

IIFL Securities and JM Financial are the book running lead managers to the issue.

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Paras Defence subscribed 41x on day 2



The of Paras Defence and Space Technologies was subscribed nearly 41 times on Wednesday, a day before its close. Bulk of the bids in the have come from retail investors. The price band for the IPO is Rs 165-175 per share. At the top-end, Paras Defence will have a of Rs 683 crore on a post-diluted basis. The companys IPO comprises Rs 140.6 crore fresh fund raise and Rs 30.2 crore secondary share sale. The company is engaged in manufacturing and testing of defence and space engineering products and solutions. For the year ended March 2021, Paras Defence had clocked net profit of Rs 16 crore on revenues of Rs 143 crore.

...Another defence sector firm files for IPO

Data Patterns (India), a supplier of electronic systems to defence and aerospace sector, has filed its draft red herring prospectus with market regulator Sebi. The company is looking to raise Rs 300 crore through the IPO, which will also consist of secondary share sale between Rs 300-400 crore. Former Blackstone head Matthew Cyriacs Florintree Capital Partners holds a 12.8 per cent stake in the company. The Chennai-based firm intends to utilise the IPO proceeds for repayment of debt, funding its working capital and upgradation and expansion of its existing facilities besides general corporate purposes. Data Patterns works with defence sector firms such as Hindustan Aeronautics and Bharat Electronics as well as government organisations involved in defence and space research like DRDO.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) foreign ministers meet slated to be held on Saturday in New York has been cancelled.

It is learnt from reliable sources that Pakistan wanted the to represent Afghanistan in the meet.

India along with some other members objected to the proposal and due to lack of consensus or concurrence meet has been cancelled.

Nepal was the host of the meet, which is annually held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

has not been recognised by India to date. The new regime in Kabul is still not recognised by the world and top cabinet ministers are blacklisted by the UN.

Amir Khan Muttaqi is the acting foreign minister of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan and he is unlikely to attend any UN and affiliated meetings.

In fact, last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meet said that the is a non-inclusive government, the world must think before accepting or recognising the regime in Afghanistan.

He also pointed out that women, minorities have no representation in the government in Kabul.

The is the regional intergovernmental organization of eight countries of South Asia--Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

It is learnt that the majority of members in agreed that empty chair can be kept for Afghanistan during the meet. However, Pakistan did not agree and the meet was called off.

SAARC Secretariat told ANI that the meeting was cancelled due to the lack of concurrence from all member states as of today.

(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.)
Chalet Hotels rose 1.67% to Rs 191.25, extending gains for the third straight session.

Shares of Chalet Hotels have risen 6.28% in three sessions from its recent closing low of Rs 179.95 on 17 September 2021. The stock has risen 15.94% in one month compared with the Sensex's 6.71% rise in the same period. It has risen 34.23% in one year as against 56.47% rise in the Sensex.

Hospitality stocks are in demand recently as declining COVID-19 cases in India has boosted reopening optimism. Furthermore reports suggest that India may soon reopen for foreign tourists for the first time in one-and-a-half years.

Following a decline in COVID-19 cases in the country, India is reportedly planning to reopen for foreign tourists. First five lakh foreign tourists will be issued visas free of cost in an attempt to revive the tourism, reports added.

Hospitality and aviation sectors are badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020 when a nationwide lockdown was announced.

Meanwhile, Chalet Hotels on Tuesday (21 September) announced that it has become the first hospitality company, globally, to join Climate Group's RE100, EP100 and EV100 initiatives linked to renewable electricity, energy efficiency and electric mobility respectively.

Under the three initiatives by Climate Group, Chalet Hotels has committed that all properties under its portfolio will move to 100% renewable electricity by year 2031.

Chalet Hotels has committed to double its revenue per unit of electricity consumed by the year 2029, considering a baseline year of 2016.

Further, 100% of the vehicle fleet deployed across the properties in the company's portfolio, that is used for guest transport, will transition to electric vehicles by 2025. All Chalet properties will be equipped with EV charging points accessible to both employees and visitors.

Amongst its other sustainability initiatives, Chalet Hotels is in the process of putting into place measurable benchmarks to monitor its carbon footprint, and electricity and water consumption through the deployment of solutions based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation. Hotels of the Chalet portfolio ensure 0% waste-water discharge and have been committed to reducing use of single use plastic and paper. The company has reduced overall energy consumption, by investing in energy efficient devices, automation, and latest technology, across its portfolio.

On a consolidated basis, Chalet Hotels reported net loss of to Rs 41.66 crore in Q1 June 2021 as against net loss of Rs 39.36 crore in Q1 June 2020. Net sales rose 32.12% to Rs 69.52 crore in Q1 June 2021 over Q1 June 2020.

Chalet Hotels is an owner, developer and asset manager of high-end hotels in key metro cities in India. Its hotel platform comprises seven operating hotels, including a hotel with a co-located serviced residence, located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune.

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Mindtree is expanding in Europe and Asia-Pacific. The company has made several key executive appointments to further accelerate growth in the two markets.

The company has appointed Klaus Seifert as Head of Strategy for Europe and Chief Business Officer for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH). Munich-based Seifert brings more than two decades of experience in sales, business development, and P&L management across diverse industry sectors. He was formerly the head of Global Technology Services for DACH at IBM.

Erik Julius Larsen has joined the company as Chief Business Officer for Nordics and Benelux.

Larsen's experience of more than 25 years includes several executive positions in the IT industry across northern Europe. Prior to joining Mindtree, he worked at Cognizant as Country Manager and Head of Sales for Nordics.

Dominic Del Giudice has been appointed as Chief Business Officer for Asia-Pacific. Melbourne based Del Giudice joins Mindtree with more than two decades of management consulting, business and digital transformation, and enterprise and technology solutions experience with large multinational companies. He joins Mindtree from IBM, where he was Vice President and Senior Partner at IBM Global Business Services across Asia-Pacific and Australia/New Zealand.

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Mphasis announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Mphasis Corporation, USA has acquired Blink Interactive, Inc, a Washington Corporation, consequent to signing a definitive agreement regarding the acquisition.

The acquisition entails a total consideration of up to USD 94 million, including earnouts.

Blink Interactive, Inc, a US based (Seattle) corporation was founded in 2000, which provides design consultancy services around User Experience (UX), User research based software product design and strategy, and Customer Experience (CX) design for marquee brands

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New Delhi Television (NDTV) hit an upper circuit limit of 10% to Rs 96.35, extending rise for the third straight session.

Shares of NDTV have surged 33% in three sessions from its close of Rs 72.45 on 17 September 2021. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 96.35 in early trade today. The stock has risen 254.23% from its 52-week low of Rs 27.20 on 28 October 2020.

In the past one month, the NDTV stock has surged 64.93% as against 6.69% rise in the Sensex. It has jumped 42.74% in the past one year compared with 56.44% surge in the Sensex.

On 20 September 2021, the media reports indicated that Adani Group is looking to acquire a Delhi-based media house, which many speculate to be NDTV.

Adani Group recently appointed veteran journalist Sanjay Pugalia as the CEO and editor in chief to lead the media initiatives of the group. Pugalia was more recently the president at Quint Digital Media.

Following the market rumors, NDTV clarified to the bourses on 20 September 2021 that the founder-promoters of NDTV, Radhika and Prannoy Roy, who are both journalists, are not in discussions now, nor have been, with any entity for a change in ownership or a divestment of their stake in NDTV. They individually and through their company, RRPR Holding, continue to hold 61.45% of the total paid-up share capital of NDTV.

"NDTV has no information on why there is a sudden surge in the stock price. As far as your query about the news article is concerned, NDTV cannot control unsubstantiated rumours, nor does it participate in baseless speculation," it added.

On a consolidated basis, net profit of NDTV rose 132.08% to Rs 15.99 crore on 16.90% rise in net sales to Rs 85.02 crore in Q1 June 2021 over Q1 June 2020.

NDTV is in the business of television media and operates operates channels NDTV 24x7 (English), NDTV India (Hindi) and NDTV Profit-NDTV Prime (business and infotainment). The company's segments include television media and related operations, and retail/e-commerce.

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Reliance Industries Ltd is quoting at Rs 2429.5, up 1.03% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 8.91% in last one year as compared to a 57.93% gain in NIFTY and a 43.83% gain in the Nifty Energy index.

Reliance Industries Ltd rose for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 2429.5, up 1.03% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.11% on the day, quoting at 17581.05. The Sensex is at 59046.96, up 0.07%. Reliance Industries Ltd has added around 12.35% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Reliance Industries Ltd is a constituent, has added around 11.28% in last one month and is currently quoting at 21324.5, up 0.88% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 27.59 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 73.63 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark September futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 2435.15, up 1.2% on the day. Reliance Industries Ltd is up 8.91% in last one year as compared to a 57.93% gain in NIFTY and a 43.83% gain in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 48.38 based on TTM earnings ending June 21.

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SBI Cards and Payment Services fell 1.08% to Rs 1058.95 after CA Rover Holdings on Tuesday sold 3.20 crore shares, or 3.4% equity, of the company through multiple bulk deals on the National Stock Exchange.

As per the bulk deals data on the NSE, CA Rover Holdings on Tuesday (21 September 2021) sold 1.60 crore shares (1.7% equity) of SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card) at Rs 1021.25 each. It sold another 1.60 crore shares of the company at Rs 1021.01 each.

As of 30 June 2021, CA Rover Holdings held a 6.50% stake in the credit cards company.

In another transaction, Societe Generale bought 85.06 lakh shares (0.90% equity) of SBI Card at Rs 1,021 each through a bulk deal on the NSE.

The SBI Card stock has fallen 1.79% in four straight sessions. The stock hit a record high of Rs 1,164.65 on 1 September 2021. It has risen 38.84% from its 52-week low of Rs 762.70 hit on 23 October 2020.

In the past one month, the stock has risen 5.65% as against 6.78% rise in the Sensex. It has jumped 30.38% in the past one year compared with 56.57% surge in the Sensex.

SBI Card posted a 22.6% fall in standalone net profit to Rs 304.61 crore on 11.6% rise in total income to Rs 2,450.94 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

SBI Card is a non-banking financial company that offers extensive credit card portfolio to individual cardholders and corporate clients.

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The low-cost air carrier on Tuesday issued clarification on a news report on Monday titled "SpiceJet gets lease rental waiver of Rs 300 crore for 4 Boeing MAX aircraft".

Earlier this week, the media reported that SpiceJet has received a waiver of lease rentals of about Rs 300 crore for four Boeing MAX aircraft for the period beginning March 2019, as it prepares to bring them back into service by the end of this month.

Following the media reports, SpiceJet clarified to the bourses that "the terms of these commercial settlements with aircraft lessors are confidential and as a policy we do not comment on such speculative media reporting."

On 26 August 2021, SpiceJet announced that it has entered into a settlement with Avolon, a major lessor of MAX aircraft, paving the way for the airline's 737 MAX aircraft to start to return to service.

Later on 13 September 2021, the airliner announced that it has commercially agreed a settlement with CDB Aviation, another major lessor of MAX aircraft. This adds to already announced settlement with Avolon and grow its fleet of 737 MAX aircraft.

SpiceJet said it expects to start operations of MAX aircraft around the end of September 2021, subject to regulatory approvals.

The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide in March 2019 after two fatal crashes in five months killed several people. In August 2021, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation cleared 737 MAX aircraft to fly with immediate effect, after nearly two-and-a-half years of regulatory grounding.

SpiceJet's consolidated net losses widened to Rs 731.12 crore in Q1 June 2021 (Q1 FY22), higher than net loss of Rs 600.52 crore in Q1 June 2020 (Q1 FY21). Consolidated net sales surged 121.20% to Rs 1,083.24 crore in Q1 FY22 as against Rs 489.60 crore in Q1 FY21.

SpiceJet is India's low-cost airline that operates a fleet of Boeing 737s, Bombardier Q400s & freighters and is the country's largest regional player operating 63 daily flights under UDAN or the Regional Connectivity Scheme.

Shares of SpiceJet were down 0.88% at Rs 79. The stock hit a high of Rs 80.55 and a low of Rs 78.55 during the day.

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After the Shimla confabulations of the Gandhis where Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are on vacation, it is expected that the will push for an reshuffle and put its house in order in the states. This follows the Punjab operation in which pushed for change and Charantjit Singh Channi was appointed as Chief Minister after the exit of Amarinder Singh.

This has raised hopes in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where two chief minister aspirants -- TS Singh Deo and -- are waiting for their turn. Ahead of the Shimla vacation, had met in Delhi for a long discussion. Although no details have come out about the meeting, alarm bells have start ringing in Rajasthan with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot likely to travel to Delhi to meet the central leadership. There is a strong sense in the that Pilot will return as the Pradesh Committee chief and move forward with the new assignment ahead of state elections.

Similarly in Chhattisgarh there has been no final decision on the demand for a rotational chief ministership. Rahul Gandhi was supposed to go there on the chief minister's invitation but that he chose otherwise shows that all is not well. The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister may have time till the elections in five states as his team is working in Uttar Pradesh.

In the election going states of UP, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab, the Congress sees a chance of returning to power in four states except UP where it is not the main challenger. The party also has a tough task to overcome the Aam Aadmi Party which is cutting into its votes in Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand.

The Congress is likely to see a reshuffle in the with the appointment of a Gujarat in-charge in the party, a post which is vacant due to the demise of Rajeev Satav. The party will also try to balance regional and caste equations in the with more representation from the northern states.

However there is strong resentment against Rahul Gandhi's close aides in the party and there is consultation to appoint a senior leader to quell the resentment.

The party has to decide on the organizational elections which was also the demand of the G-23 group in the party. After the Shimla sojourn it has to be seen if Rahul Gandhi is ready to take the post or the Congress will go for a working president.

Senior party leader Shashi Tharoor had said on Saturday there should be a new leadership in the Congress party. "No one has spoken a word against Sonia Gandhi, but she herself is saying she wishes to step down and hence a new leadership should take over quickly."

"If Rahul Gandhi wishes to take over, it should happen quickly," said Tharoor to the media as he arrived near Ernakulam on a day that saw the party's Punjab unit implode.

He said if the Congress has to come back, things should fall in place quickly and it should get ready to face the elections.

Till now various frontal organisation of the Congress party have been demanding that Rahul Gandhi should take over as the new president.

--IANS

miz/bg

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Newly-appointed Chief Minister Charanjeet Singh Channi along with his deputies Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Saini on Wednesday visited the in Punjab's Amritsar to pay obeisance at Sri Darbar Sahib.

Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Chief was also present there.

Channi was sworn in as Chief Minister of on Monday. The three-time MLA from Rupnagar's Chamkaur Sahib is the state's first Dalit Chief Minister.

On Sunday, after several rounds of parleys, Channi was selected for the post by the party high command, following Captain Amarinder Singh's resignation.

Amarinder Singh on Saturday submitted his resignation to state Governor Banwarilal Purohit, following months of infighting between him and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief

These developments came months before the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday asked the to announce its CM face for the next year's Assembly polls, saying people want to know who is their real leader.

The statement came two days after the said it will fight the elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu, and both will their faces.

The went into damage control after it came under attack from various parties over the statement of its general secretary Harish Rawat that the party would go to polls with Sidhu as it face.

"First, the Congress high command announced one name but when an objection was raised it has now announced two names. Soon, there may be three leaders who will be given this assignment. Punjabis want to know who is the real leader," Badal said in a statement here.

Badal said all this proved that the fight in the Congress had nothing to do with any public issue but it was for the top post.

"The fight was also for the spoils of power. While the outgoing leadership has looted the state, the incoming one wants to grab the chance to do the same in the next three months," he alleged.

The truth is that the entire Congress party is responsible for failing Punjabis, he said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi were behind the party's election manifesto and had endorsed all promises made by former chief minister Amarinder Singh, he stated.

"None of these promises have been honoured. Instead of doing this, the Congress now wants to befool people with a change of guard. Punjabis are not so foolish. They will give a befitting answer to the Congress in the 2022 Assembly elections," he said.

Meanwhile, Congressman and entrepreneur Jagdev Singh Boparai joined the Akali Dal in the presence of Badal.

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): Axis Bank, India's third-largest private sector bank, announced a series of commitments aligned to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), supporting India's commitments under the Paris Agreement. As part of its commitments, the Bank has set a target of incremental lending Rs. 30,000 crore over the next 5 years, under Wholesale Banking towards pertinent sectors included in its (https://www.axisbank.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/axis-bank-sustainable-financing-framework.pdf)Sustainable Financing Framework.

Axis Bank has now become the first financial institution in India to have set up a standalone Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Committee at the Board level, underscoring the Bank's strong intent to adopting ESG as a strategic driver for the organization's plans and performance. The Bank has also established an ESG Steering Committee at the Management level, comprising senior business leaders to champion ESG integration across the organization.

The Bank has announced its commitments ahead of the upcoming 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) at Glasgow, UK from 31 October - 12 November, where the Parties are expected to talk about enhancing their commitments made at COP21 at Paris in 2015.

The Bank's commitments include:

* Incremental financing of Rs. 30,000 Crores under Wholesale Banking to sectors with positive social and environmental outcomes, by FY 2026

* Scaling down exposure to carbon-intensive sectors in its Wholesale banking business portfolio

* Expanding ESG risk coverage in credit appraisal under its (https://www.axisbank.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/esg-policy-and-procedure.pdf)ESG Policy for Lending

* Building and deploying an ESG risk assessment toolkit, with ESG stress testing and ESG scenario analysis, for its Large Corporate, SME and Agri-business verticals by FY 2023

* Making 5% of its retail Two-Wheeler loan portfolio as electric by FY 2024, and offering 0.5% interest waiver on new EV loans, effective immediately

* Incremental disbursement of Rs. 10,000 crores by FY 2024 under Asha Home Loans for affordable housing, and increasing share of women borrowers

* Reaching 30% female representation in its workforce by FY 2027, aligned to the Bank's (https://www.axisbank.com/about-us/press-releases/axis-bank-announces-comeasyouare-a-charter-of-policies-and-practices-for-employees-and-customers-from-the-lgbtqia-community)#ComeAsYouAre Diversity Charter

* Planting 2 million trees by FY 2027 across India towards contributing to creating a carbon sink

* Achieving carbon neutrality in its business operations

Commenting on this announcement, Rajesh Dahiya, Executive Director, Axis Bank said, "As a financial institution, we are aware of our responsibility towards helping India move on the path of equitable and sustainable economic growth. Over the past two years, we have been working relentlessly on bolstering our holistic strategy, governance, and performance benchmarks around ESG. These commitments are part of our longer term ESG strategy woven around our purpose of 'Banking that leads to a more inclusive and equitable economy, thriving community and a healthier planet'. We would like to think of this as only the beginning and we shall continue to explore scaling and strengthening our commitments over time.''

Recently, the Bank launched its Sustainable Financing Framework that articulates the Bank's strategy for financing ESG-aligned sectors and defines the project categories that the Bank shall consider to be eligible as 'Sustainable'. The Framework has received a Second Party Opinion from Sustainalytics, thus providing the highest level of confidence on its alignment to global sustainable finance best practices. The Bank has also set up an ESG Working Group towards managing the Bank's obligations and commitments under the Framework.

In line with its ESG strategy, Axis Bank has successfully raised India's first Sustainable USD AT1 notes of USD 600 million in the overseas markets on September 1, 2021. With this issuance, India is now only the second jurisdiction in Asia with an ESG AT1 issuance. The offering witnessed an overwhelming response from the investors, especially high- quality real money investors, with the order book being 3.8 times oversubscribed ahead of the Final Pricing Guidance announcement. Global investors, with their participation in this marquee transaction, have demonstrated confidence in the Bank's ability to positively impact India's socio-economic and environmental landscape.

Further, extending the reach and impact of its wider ESG aligned commitments, the Bank recently announced #ComeAsYouAre, - a charter of policies and practices that embrace diversity, equity and inclusion within the organization and for its customers. With these initiatives, Axis Bank became one of the first companies in the country to announce such a wide variety of inclusive steps for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank has been working closely towards supporting its employees, customers, business partners, communities and government agencies towards fighting and emerging from the pandemic. It was amongst the first banks to put in place a Crisis and Emergency Response Team (CERT), which enabled the Bank to continue fulfilling its commitments to its stakeholders throughout the pandemic.

Over the years, Axis Bank has been recognized at various platforms for its ESG-aligned performance and impact. The Bank has been on the prestigious FTSE4Good Indices by FTSE Russell for five consecutive years since 2016 and is among the top 10 constituents of the S & P BSE 100 ESG Index and the MSCI India ESG Leaders Index, and is a constituent of the NIFTY100 ESG Sector Leaders Index.

Axis Bank is the third largest private sector bank in India. Axis Bank offers the entire spectrum of services to customer segments covering Large and Mid-Corporates, SME, Agriculture and Retail Businesses. With its 4,594 domestic branches (including extension counters) and 11,333 ATMs across the country as on 31st March 2021, the network of Axis Bank spreads across 2,559 centers, enabling the Bank to reach out to a large cross-section of customers with an array of products and services. The Axis Group includes Axis Mutual Fund, Axis Securities Ltd., Axis Finance, Axis Trustee, Axis Capital, A.TReDS Ltd., Freecharge and Axis Bank Foundation.

For further information on Axis Bank, please refer to the website: (https://www.axisbank.com/)www.axisbank.com.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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(Nikkei Asia)  Southeast Asian governments have increasingly turned to highly unusual measures to fund state coffers depleted by prolonged pandemic relief programs, raising the specter of a sell-off in the regions currencies.

Thailand on Monday decided to raise its debt ceiling from 60% to 70% of the real gross national product. Its economy has deteriorated after the government imposed tighter restrictions on activities in the capital Bangkok and other areas.

This move will provide room for the government to engage in further fiscal policies down the road, said Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith.

To date, the Thai government has authorized 1.5 trillion baht ($44.9 billion) in total borrowing to offset the fallout from Covid-19. As a result, public debt is projected to swell to 58.8% of GDP at the end of this month.

In Indonesia, the government will expand the budget for the state economic recovery program to 744.7 trillion rupiah ($52.2 billion) from 699 trillion rupiah. Policymakers seek to revitalize the economy so that the annual GDP will grow between 3.7% and 4.5% compared with last year. The economy shrank in 2020.

To fund the endeavor, the Indonesian central bank agreed in late August to purchase 439 trillion rupiah ($30.8 billion) in government bonds through 2022 as part of a burden-sharing deal with the state. This amounts to the central bank directly financing the government instead of purchasing debt on the open market. Debt monetization is prohibited in many other economies.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, home to the highest daily Covid-19 case rates in Southeast Asia, the government in late August raised the outlook for the annual budget deficit-to-GDP ratio to between 6.5 and 7% from 5.4%.

Malaysia announced a 150 billion ringgit ($35.7 billion) economic stimulus package in June as part of a series of funding schemes to mitigate the impact of restrictions imposed on businesses.

The projected deficit-to-GDP ratio would be on par with the 6.7% recorded in 2009 in the immediate aftermath of the global financial crisis. The debt-to-GDP ratio in Malaysia is approaching the legally mandated ceiling of 60% as well.

Malaysias central government plans to introduce a bill to the legislature that would raise the debt ceiling to 65%. It was only last year that the ceiling was pushed up 5 points to 60%. The protracted pandemic has forced the state to loosen fiscal discipline further to secure funds for next years economic stimulus.

Compared with other places in the world, Southeast Asian nations have seen a relatively low rate of full vaccinations. For this reason, governments in the region are reluctant to significantly ease restrictions on movement.

The fitful dynamic has clouded the prospects for economic recovery. The Asian Development Bank downgraded Southeast Asias economic growth forecast to 4% this year from 4.4%.

While worsening public finances is a shared problem between developed and developing economies, economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations rely heavily on external debt. In addition, investors tend to sell off currencies from the region if governments appear to relax fiscal discipline.

The ratio of external debt to gross national income stood at 37% in Indonesia and 34% in Thailand, according to 2019 data from the World Bank.

Southeast Asian states thus face a dilemma. They need to spend more funds to keep their economies afloat while restrictions are in force. Yet a perceived lack of discipline may drive away investors and aggravate the risk of currency depreciation.

The governments will need to put more effort into expanding their tax base to help restore fiscal health, said Bhima Yudhistira, a director at the Center of Economic and Law Studies in Indonesia.

This story was first published in Nikkei Asia.

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President Xi Jinping speaks at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

China will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday, adding that the country will increase efforts to realize its climate pledges.

Xi also said that the country will give more support to developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, according to a transcript of his speech delivered via video released by the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Earlier in the day, U.S. President Joe Biden in a speech to the UNGA also addressed issues related to climate change with a pledge to double financial aid to developing countries. The leaders of the worlds largest carbon emitters noted the two countries commitments in a phone conversation on Sept. 10, during which Xi said that the two sides may continue their engagement and dialogue to advance coordination and cooperation on climate change.

The two countries have been engaged in talks on bilateral climate cooperation ahead of the upcoming U.N. climate talks in November in Glasgow, and action by China on overseas coal-fired power projects is reportedly one of the demands from the U.S. side. During meetings with senior Chinese officials in North Chinas Tianjin earlier this month, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry pressed Beijing for a moratorium on financing overseas coal-fired projects, according to a South China Morning Post report.

Commenting on Xis announcement Tuesday, Kerry said, Im absolutely delighted to hear that President Xi has made this important decision. Its a great contribution. Its a good beginning to the efforts we need to achieve success in Glasgow.

Earlier this year, South Korea and Japan announced that they will stop funding overseas coal-powered plants.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres also said in a statement that he welcomes Xis announcement. Accelerating the global phase out of coal is the single most important step to keep the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement within reach, he said.

Guterres also said that he is encouraged by the announcements from the leaders of the worlds two largest economies regarding their commitment to climate action.

Last September, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged at the UNGA that China would peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060. And in April, President Biden at a virtual climate summit vowed to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions as much as 52% by 2030.

In mid-July, China launched its national carbon trading market, as the country considers an emissions trading scheme a key part of its strategy to transition to a low-carbon economy.

Apart from the climate pledge, Xi in his speech also reiterated the importance of international cooperation and multilateralism, saying that differences and problems among countries, hardly avoidable, need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

One countrys success does not have to mean another countrys failure, and the world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries, he said, without specifically referring to the U.S.

Biden said in his speech that the U.S. is opening a new era of relentless diplomacy, of using the power of our development aid to invest in new ways of lifting people up around the world, renewing and defending democracy.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Guterres had warned China and the U.S. against a new Cold War and urged the two countries to fix a completely dysfunctional relationship.

For his part, Biden said the U.S. is not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs.

China and the U.S. see climate change as an area for reengagement after four years of turbulent ties under the Trump administration, though Beijing looks to leverage the climate talks to address bilateral tensions while Washington insists on keeping politics out of talks.

China is the largest financer for overseas coal power plants. Other major financers U.S., Germany, Japan and South Korea implemented restrictions or announced an end on overseas coal financing, and world leaders have been paying attention to Chinas move, Alvin Lin and Jake Schmidt from the Natural Resources Defense Council, a U.S. based non-profit international environmental advocacy group, wrote in an analysis.

China had plans to support over 40 gigawatts of new coal-fired power plants in 20 developing countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam, the authors noted.

Support for coal projects globally has fallen as a growing number of leaders in developing countries have called for a rapid shift away from coal and toward renewable energy, the authors wrote. Chinas new announcement has the potential to help promote a clean energy revolution around the world by sending an important signal that China will immediately shift its support for overseas coal power plant projects to work with developing countries to build the zero emissions future that we urgently need.

Contact reporter Cai Xuejiao (xuejiaocai@caixin.com) and editor Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)

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Travelers crowded Chinas transportation hubs as the weeklong National Day holiday came to an end Thursday. Railway stations and highways were packed with passengers and vehicles as people headed home. This year, rains and snow in some parts of the country have also caused train delays and road traffic

Oct 07, 2021 05:35 PM
Photo: CTV Vancouver

A woman says she was allegedly beaten by two SkyTrain passengers after asking them if they had masks to wear.

Police tell CTV News Vancouver, a white man and woman were near the victim on the train that was heading to Burnaby on Monday evening.

The couple responded to the victim's question by asking "what's it to you?"

The female suspect allegedly proceeded to stand up and strike the victim with so much force "it caused her to fall from her seat to the ground," Metro Vancouver Transit Police said in a news release.

Police say both the man and woman continued to beat the victim while she was lying on the floor of the train.

The two suspects fled at the Metrotown SkyTrain Station.

Police say the victim escaped with minor injuries.

"Violence in any form will never be tolerated, especially when it's unprovoked and results from a reasonable expectation that masks be worn on transit during a pandemic," Const. Mike Yake said in the news release.

People who refuse to wear a mask on public transit can face a fine of $115.

Authorities asked anyone with information on Monday's attack to contact Metro Vancouver Transit Police.

The female suspect is described as 5'6" tall, in her early 20s, with a medium build and long hair that was dyed red. She was wearing a black coat with writing down the sleeves and red track pants.

The male suspect is described as 5'10" tall, 25 to 30 years old, with a medium build and short, brown hair. He was wearing a dark jacket and jeans.

-with files from CTV News Vancouver
Photo: The Canadian Press Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix look on as Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry speaks about the COVID-19 vaccine card set to arrive in mid-September as they discuss details about the process during a press conference at provincial legislature in Victoria, B.C., on August 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

British Columbia is reversing course on notifying parents about COVID-19 exposures at schools after the provincial health officer previously said reporting of single cases caused too much anxiety.

Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that parents and teachers from across the province have let it be known they need to be informed about the transmission of the virus and that a new system is expected to be in place by the end of the week.

"We have asked our team to get together right now to make sure that we can notify schools in a timely, less intrusive and more sustainable way and that parents will have access to that information rapidly," she said.

Henry said in early September that notifications would go out only for outbreaks or clusters, prompting parents and the B.C. Teachers' Federation to say that not having an understanding of what's going on at schools would create more anxiety.

An online "COVID tracker'' page created last year by Richmond mother Kathy Marliss includes data based on exposure and case information submitted by teachers, parents and administrators. She has said parents, teachers and students would be better served if the data came directly from the province.

Henry said parents of students who have been exposed to COVID-19 would be notified but that following up on each case could take longer than expected as public health teams prioritize schools in order to keep youth learning there.

B.C. reported 525 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, moving active cases up to 5,282. One more person has died, bringing the death toll to 1,900 since the pandemic began.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Who should represent Afghanistan at the United Nations this month? It's a complex question with plenty of political implications.

The Taliban, the country's new rulers for a matter of weeks, are challenging the credentials of their country's former U.N. ambassador and want to speak at the General Assemblys high-level meeting of world leaders this week, the international body says.

The question now facing U.N. officials comes just over a month after the Taliban, ejected from Afghanistan by the United States and its allies after 9/11, swept back into power as U.S. forces prepared to withdraw from the country at the end of August. The Taliban stunned the world by taking territory with surprising speed and little resistance from the U.S.-trained Afghan military. The Western-backed government collapsed on Aug. 15.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a communication on Sept. 15 from the currently accredited Afghan Ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, with the list of Afghanistans delegation for the assemblys 76th annual session.

Five days later, Guterres received another communication with the letterhead Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed by Ameer Khan Muttaqi as Minister of Foreign Affairs, requesting to participate in the U.N. gathering of world leaders.

Muttaqi said in the letter that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was ousted as of Aug. 15 and that countries across the world no longer recognize him as president, and therefore Isaczai no longer represents Afghanistan, Dujarric said.

The Taliban said it was nominating a new U.N. permanent representative, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, the U.N. spokesman said. He has been a spokesman for the Taliban during peace negotiations in Qatar.

Senior U.S. State Department officials said they were aware of the Talibans request  the United States is a member of the U.N. credentials committee  but they would not predict how that panel might rule. However, one of the officials said the committee would take some time to deliberate, suggesting the Talibans envoy would not be able to speak at the General Assembly at this session at least during the high-level leaders week.

In cases of disputes over seats at the United Nations, the General Assemblys nine-member credentials committee must meet to make a decision. Both letters have been sent to the committee after consultations with General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid's office. The committee's members are the United States, Russia, China, Bahama, Bhutan, Chile, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Sweden.

Afghanistan is scheduled to give the last speech on the final day of the high-level meeting on Sept. 27. It wasn't clear who would speak if the committee met and the Taliban were given Afghanistan's seat.

When the Taliban last ruled from 1996 to 2001, the U.N. refused to recognize their government and instead gave Afghanistans seat to the previous, warlord-dominated government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who eventually was killed by a suicide bomber in 2011. It was Rabbanis government that brought Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11, to Afghanistan from Sudan in 1996.

The Taliban have said they want international recognition and financial help to rebuild the war-battered country. But the makeup of the new Taliban government poses a dilemma for the United Nations. Several of the interim ministers are on the U.N.s so-called blacklist of international terrorists and funders of terrorism.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Police in Quebec say they are looking for a man who is alleged to have repeatedly punched a nurse in the face because he was angry she had vaccinated his wife against COVID-19.

Police say a man between the ages of 30 and 45 approached the nurse on Monday morning at a pharmacy in Sherbrooke, Que., about 150 kilometres east of Montreal.

They say he accused the nurse of vaccinating his wife against her consent and repeatedly punched the nurse before leaving the store.

Police say the nurse had to be treated in hospital for serious injuries to her face.

Quebec's order of nurses tweeted today that the alleged assault was unacceptable and wished the nurse a full recovery.

Sherbrooke police are asking for the public's help in finding the assailant, who they say has short dark hair, dark eyes, thick eyebrows and a tattoo resembling a cross on his hand.
I find it unfathomable that there can be the level of support that is shown for the federal Liberal Party in certain areas of our province.

Let me be clear, I emphasize federal, as I support our provincial B.C. Liberal Party.

We live in Western Canada. We live in British Columbia. How on earth can you support a federal political party that is virtually owned by Ontario and Quebec, a federal political party that typically acts in a manner contrary to the interests of Western Canada?

This isnt a new or unexperienced phenomenon. It has existed for years and we, in certain areas of this province and in Western Canada, generally fall into the same trap every election essentially nullifying any real effect on which party runs our country by 6 p.m. PST (on election day).

By way of example, the (last Liberal) minority government, during its tenure, gave away over $1 billion our our tax dollars to other countries to support programs over which we have no control. They are attractively labeled as programs in support of health care, education, family support, etc.

Where the money ultimately goes we have no real idea.

What about our provinces that struggle with maintaining adequate levels of health care and facilities Pandemics such as COVID will probably happen again. Will be better prepared next time.

What about additional support for our countrys educational system and support for families so we can re-build a middle class that has all but disappeared?

I see no shame in addressing the needs of our own country first and then be in a better position to help others.

Allan Kleinfelder, West Kelowna
Photo: Government of Canada The Canadian government captured this photograph in August of some of the first Afghans to arrive in Toronto. Almost 300 of the newcomers eventually moved on to B.C.

It is the maple leaf emblazoned on the Canadian flag that intrigues Ahmad as he pauses momentarily from telling the harrowing story of his familys escape from Afghanistan.

The leaf, he said, was also visible on the side of the military transport plane that airlifted him, his wife and six children from Kabul, and he has since seen it on trees near the reception centre in Metro Vancouver, where he currently resides.

It was a big question for me why the symbol of Canada is a leaf, he said during a recent Zoom call. I have been to more than 30 countries and I have never seen this leaf.

He will now see it a lot more.

Ahmad and his family are among the Afghans who fled Kabul in August after Taliban forces captured Afghanistans capital. The family flew to Kuwait, then continued to Germany before landing in Toronto.

Two weeks ago, the family arrived in B.C.

As of Tuesday, 292 individuals spread across 77 Afghan families had settled in the province since Aug. 23, with another 60 people expected to land in B.C. by the end of the week.

The newcomers are the result of the Canadian governments three-year humanitarian mission to resettle 20,000 vulnerable citizens threatened by the Taliban and forced to leave Afghanistan.

Glacier Media has chosen not to publish Ahmads real name, reveal his location or provide specific details about his work in Afghanistan, where we was involved in a media organization and known for his human rights advocacy.

Some of his work involved the Canadian embassy in Kabul  a connection that ultimately allowed him to flee his country and have him and his family become permanent residents of Canada.

He still has immediate family in Afghanistan, including his mother, who was unable to make the trip because she was not mobile enough to pass through the crowds and Taliban forces outside Hamid Karzai International Airport.

I am thinking about my mom and how to get her in  it is the only thing that I am thinking about, Ahmad said. But otherwise, I am very happy, especially for the future of my kids.

Like many Afghans, he said, he did not predict the Taliban would capture Kabul as rapidly as they did, describing his current situation in Canada as unimaginable when looking back to his steady daily life in early August.

But in mid-August when the Taliban conquered the last major city in northern Afghanistan that was still under government control  Mazar-i-Shariff he knew the fall of his country was coming.

Ahmad recalls it was a Sunday when he and his co-workers assembled at their office in Kabul. The streets were quieter than normal and soon rumours spread that the Taliban was on its way.

A traffic jam ensued, with him taking five hours to get home  a drive that normally takes less than an hour. He then began a daily routine of hiding at various relatives houses during the day and returning to his house at midnight.

He did this because he was sure the Taliban, whom he criticized publicly and was considered an enemy of the Islamic extremists, would come for him. The family tried a couple of times to reach the airport, but the crowds and shooting in the streets forced them to turn back.

The day they made it the airports gates, Ahmad, his wife and two eldest children formed a human shield around the younger children, walking step by step by step through the crowd.

Dying, he said, was something he thought about that day.

It was very hard for me to take this risk, especially when my kids and wife were with me, he said, noting his children range in age from eight to 21.

When the family reached the gates, he passed his paperwork from the Canadian embassy to Canadian soldiers, who let them inside the airport and led them to an area where they were able to drink water and eat food.

Closer to midnight, the family then boarded a military plane to Kuwait. And so began the familys journey to Canada, landing in Toronto and staying in a hotel there for 14 days to quarantine as a precaution related to COVID-19.

The entire family has been fully vaccinated.

For the next year, the family will be provided with financial assistance from the federal government and help in accessing health care, opening a bank account and other needs as it begins its new life in B.C., where an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Afghan-Canadians live, including one of Ahmads former classmates.

Meanwhile, the agency that has helped Ahmads family resettle in B.C., along with other Afghans that have arrived since August, is overwhelmed with interest from citizens to assist the newcomers.

That includes more than 500 Canadian Forces veterans living in B.C., many of whom served in Afghanistan, said Chris Friesen, the chief operating officer of the Immigrant Services Society of B.C.

A survey is being done to assess what level of assistance the veterans can provide.

One of the biggest challenges for the agency is finding permanent accommodation for the Afghans in one of the worlds most expensive regions, with Friesen pointing to the ISS of B.C. website for details on housing needs, if citizens want to help.

This has been our most immediate call to public action, he said, adding that the agency recently met with developers and has spoken to B.C. Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin about finding homes.

Everybody that Ive spoken to wants to help, and were just trying to figure out a mechanism to bring folks together in a room to really crack this nut.

'Constantly changing situation'

While there are parallels to the intake of Syrians to B.C. in 2015 and 2016, Friesen said the resettlement of Afghans in the region has brought other challenges, including no pre-arrival processing done in Afghanistan.

Medical exams, background security clearances and immigration-related requirements were all completed when the first group of Afghans arrived in Toronto, many of them landing with only the clothes on their back.

So it is a very fluid, chaotic and constantly changing situation, said Friesen, noting the agency had staff on the ground in Toronto to assist with the transfer of Afghans to B.C. We dont know from day to day whether the manifests we get around arrivals are actually going to show up. We dont know today how many Afghans will eventually land in B.C.

Coupled with that unknown is the fact the Canadian government has yet to provide the public with information about the ability to name and sponsor an Afghan refugee who doesnt fall under the current category of people airlifted from Kabul.

If you and I joined together and submitted an application to an Afghan overseas, the current processing time is upwards of two years, Friesen said.

So youre talking about the private sector, citizens, faith communities, Canadian veterans all wanting to sponsor an Afghan refugee and not understanding the challenges with our existing program.

The system is in need of some political Drano, he added, saying the government has to accelerate processing times, particularly if the newly re-elected Liberal government wants to keep its election promise to increase the number of Afghans welcomed to Canada.

Friesen said he had a phone call from a major Canadian company two weeks ago that wanted to bank roll 150 Afghan families. Another offer was for $50,000 to sponsor a family and get them settled in the region by Christmas, which under the current system wont happen.

So the offers, the generosity, the public support for the emergency special initiative is great, but we lack the details of how the government is going to prioritize Afghans, he said, noting the recent election campaign hampered communication with the federal government.

For now, the agency has no capacity to address the outpouring of donated goods, furniture, clothing and toys, said Friesen, adding that the focus is on providing gift cards, with details on how to do that on the agencys website.

'The country is a century back'

Meanwhile, Ahmad is eager to find a permanent home for his family and get his children set up in school. He and his wife also want to participate in English classes, although Ahmads command of the language was at a high level while speaking to Glacier Media.

He wants a job  not a passionate job, or luxury job, but a job that I could get my life going on. That comment led him to reflect on the progressive work he was involved with for 20 years in Afghanistan and suddenly had to leave behind.

When you hear about what happened in Afghanistan, Im sure youre upset, he said. I will tell you I worked from the top of my heart and I put everything into working for freedom of expression. Now it is damaged. It is really hard for me.

Added Ahmad, who got emotional as he completed his thought: Our politicians ruined and they destroyed everything, including the hopes of the people and the will of the people and the life of the people. The country is a century back.

As the interview came to a close, Ahmad wanted Canadians to know that he is grateful to begin a new life in this country and he promised that his children  some of whom were in university in Afghanistan  will contribute to society.

This is very important to me  that the contribution I received will be compensated by the contribution my children will give, he said. When I receive kindness, my children should give back this kindness.
Letter writer Jenine Tepsa likes her vaccine passport but doesn't want to be around unvaccinated Covid spreaders.

(Federal chief public health officer Dr.) Theresa Tam states the vaccine doesnt necessarily eliminate your risk of transmission. (B.C. public health officer Dr.) Bonnie Henry stated it (the vaccine) doesn't necessarily mean that all transmission will be stopped.

So you could be an unwitting Covid spreader, Janine. If you're so scared of unvaccinated superspreaders, stay away from waiters, greeters, servers, and restaurant owners, none of which need to be vaccinated. This is a mind-bogglingly unscientific social conformity experiment.

Recently at Atlanta Zoo, a gorilla caught Covid from a vaccinated, masked, gloved employee, so be careful castigating the unvaccinated as superspreaders. In the UK (according to the Public Health Englands latest technical briefing) the vaccinated are three times more likely to die than the unvaccinated. Despite claims to the contrary, the raw data doesn't lie. Gorillas be warned, not everything is what it seems.

So much for vaccine passports helping reduce spread of infection. In Israel government ministers were caught admitting the Green Pass was simply coercion. Its health minister stated "there is no medical or epidemiological justification for the Covid passport, it is only intended to pressure the unvaccinated".

I wonder what Bonnie Henry's private thoughts are as she wages war on unvaccinated dissidents? In the U.K., England backtracked on vaccine passports because of the lack of supporting evidence, economic damage to the service sector, and social backlash against further health tyranny.

Here in B.C., we're determined to destroy small businesses. And Bonnie Henry has still not provided scientific data to prove vaccine passports reduce transmission.

A New York hospital plans to cease baby deliveries due to staff shortages. Is this the future for healthcare in Canada if we pursue vaccine mandates? Care homes are already struggling to recruit staff. In the UK they are demanding the government end the vaccine mandate due to staff shortages and employees quitting. KGH barely has full staffing levels in any department, and a 10% to 15% loss of staff because of mandatory vaccination would destroy the system.

People should be careful what they vote for and who they support, especially the elderly and vulnerable. We all want to be safe but safe has a myriad of dimensions to it, not least the functionality of the healthcare system. A broken healthcare system mostly doesn't affect the healthy but if you have any health issues, or are ageing, then be forewarned.

Bonnie Henry lays out plans to mandate vaccines for all healthcare workers and even the B.C. Nurses Union oppose her. They seem to understand freedom of choice, informed consent and the concept of my body, my choice.

Nurses and doctors are obviously well-informed about their own health choices and one would think they don't need Bonnie Henry to nanny them. Please think long and carefully before deciding who to support on this matter. This may well be a bridge too far for many extremely valuable people in our community. The ones we claim to support. So let them and the BCNU decide.

Moderna's share price increased 5% after announcing news of a new booster shot. But of course, it's not about the money. Eighteen members of the FDA wrote a Lancet paper stating there was no justification for boosters. It's hard to follow the science when scientists' views are overpowered by politicians. Make sure you get all your boosters, otherwise you won't qualify for Bonnie Henry's freedom pass. The one that's only temporary.

No booster shot and you're considered unvaccinated. Endless revenues for endless variants with endless restrictions. Do you think the pandemic will ever end?

People seem quite willing to hand over bodily autonomy to the government, giving them complete control of a human being. But the same people don't seem willing to relocate to China for more CCP misery and totalitarianism. Never fear, if they stay here long enough we'll soon have the same level of freedom as Communist China.

Obey your government so you can get some of your previous freedoms back, so they can impose more rules to remove more freedoms so you can get a couple of them handed back. See the pattern? One day you'll wake up and the government owns you. But you're safe.

Ricky Daytona, West Kelowna
Photo: The Canadian Press The Shovel Lake wildfire burns near the Nadleh Whut'en First Nation in Fort Fraser, B.C., on Thursday August 23, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A report examining British Columbia's response to the record-setting wildfire seasons of 2017 and 2018 says improving communication with communities at risk of fire will save properties and lives.

The report from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., makes six recommendations, including ensuring remote and Indigenous communities have robust communications systems in place where emergency officials can relay fast and accurate information about wildfires.

Prof. Michael Mehta, who led the study, says improving internet services to remote communities or at least supplying local officials with a satellite phone to communicate prompt wildfire information offers better protection.

While the study didn't look at B.C.'s recent wildfire season, Mehta says the fire-ravaged communities of Lytton and Monte Creek faced communication challenges, where residents weren't getting the information they needed to get out.

Mehta says communication also needs to be extended to helping people after fire sweeps through their community because anxiety levels are elevated and victims need to know how to make the right decisions.

B.C. Wildfire Service executive director Ian Meier says the service has the report and is committed to continuous improvement.

A 2018 report by former B.C. cabinet minister George Abbott and hereditary chief Maureen Chapman called for an overhaul of the province's disaster response, including improving communications gaps and relations with First Nations.
Castanet seems to love to publish a lot of (letters from) people who have a lot of dislike towards the vaccines for Covid-19.

Scientists and doctors have collaborated all over the world to get the vaccines out ASAP. Covid-19 came on us suddenly and we needed vaccines as soon as possible.

These anti-vaxers know darn well this had to be produced as quickly as possible and, despite reassurances from scientists, head doctors, etc, it's never good enough for them. Despite the overcrowded Covid-19 positive cases polluting the hospitals and passing on their Covid-19 because they refuse to take the shot, it's still all about themwanting explicit answers to questions that take time to answer.

They know the vaccinated have been doing very well. Sure, there are some complications but those are minor but this minority will always blow up the problems and not look at the positives.

They keep writing letters to Castanet asking for answers from scientists, government, etc.

What makes them think that all these very busy people who are trying to control the Covid-19 spread as quickly as possible to prevent flooding of hospitals, etc. have time to read Castanet to answer their questions?

If these people really want answers why don't they ask the people who can answer their questions? That makes me think they don't really want answers, they just want to stir (up) trouble and also like to show how educated they are.

Our world is in trouble if these anti-vaxers keep getting too much attention thus creating discontent by picking at everything and only looking at worst case scenarios instead of all the positive results of Covid-19 vaccines.

I know you are more interested in publishing letters from people who are opposed or undecided about the vaccine. Again, what reason do they have to write a letter asking questions only the powers that be can answer?

I find their letters very disturbing and will have to quit reading Castanet for awhile. I don't expect this letter to get published. Don't know if you should because I'm sure to be attacked by them.

Beverly Ryder

(Editors note: We try and print a representative amount of letters on any topic. With vaccines, the majority of letters received have been opposed to vaccines and vaccine passports, That, however, does not mean pro-vaccine letters have not been published. A case in point is not only this letter, but previous letters by this writer that have also been published.)
Lehigh Cement launches new EcoCemPlC bag

22 September 2021

Lehigh Hanson (HeidelbergCement group) has released a new bag design for Lehigh Cements EcoCemPLC, marketed as the greener alternative to ordinary Portland cement.

The redesign comes as part of Lehigh Hanson's ongoing commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and offering more sustainable options for its cement products, which are typically used in mortars, grout, precast and ready-mixed concrete, paving applications, soil stabilisation and concrete blocks and pavers.



"The new bag design and transition to EcoCemPLC is about more than aesthetics  it's about clearly communicating the proven benefits of EcoCemPLC to sustainably minded customers," said Alex Car, president of Lehigh Hansons Northeast Region.

Features of the refreshed packaging design for EcoCemPLC include the reduced carbon footprint icon, featured prominently in the new bag design to emphasise EcoCemPLCs demonstrated carbon-reduction benefit: about a 10 per cent reduction in CO 2 emissions versus ordinary Portland cement.

The product is also now easily identifiable as a Portland limestone cement, which contains about 10 per cent more limestone content than ordinary Type I & II Portland cement.

The newly-designed EcoCemPLC bag will hit big-box US stores and dealers in October.

Published under
Iraq's cement association calls for reversal of fuel subsidy decision

22 September 2021

Iraq's association of cement manufacturers has called on authorities to reverse a decision which has seen a reduction in fuel subsidies for the sector, according to Agence France-Presse.

Earlier this month, the oil ministry raised the price of fuel sold to cement manufacturers from IQD150/l (US$0.10) to IQD250, in addition to a previous increase this year. The association has warned that the move risks factory closures or a hike in cement prices by at least US$10/t.

"The decision will lead to an additional cost of EUR35m (US$41m) per year, which could lead to heavy losses for the business," said Adham al-Sharkawy, head of Lafarge Iraq.



The fuel subsidies were originally approved in return for a commitment by producers to cap the price of cement.

Published under
The senior class of Heritage High School is raising money for the Catoosa County Childrens Fund as part of their 2021 Homecoming festivities. Funds raised to support the Catoosa County Childrens Fund provide food, clothing, shelter, dental and medical care, educational supplies and fees and short-term emergency needs for students in need in Catoosa County.



The fundraiser is led by seniors, all male, from Heritage High School, who were nominated by their peers to compete for the title of Emperor of the Taj. This year, eight seniors from Heritage High school have been nominated by their peers to participate and compete for the Emperor of the Taj title: Dylan Campbell, Alex Frost, Hunter Goins, Jacob Lozano, Nathan Minton, Parker Taylor, David Shehee and Trey Weldon.



Nathan Minton, one of the candidates, has created a personalized website dedicated to sharing information about the Emperor of the Taj, as well as his efforts to raise money on behalf of the charity. Visit www.nathanminton.com for more information.



Students, teachers, family, friends and individuals and businesses from the community are asked to donate to the selected charity by giving directly to Heritage High School, which will present the charity with one final check for all donations the eight seniors receive once all funds are tallied. One hundred percent of the funds raised will directly to help Catoosa County students in need through the work and efforts of the Children's Fund. In 2020, seven male students from Heritage High School raised almost $11,000 in a span of about three weeks leading up to Homecoming 2020. According to Heritage High School Principal Ronnie Bradford, the amount raised was more than three times the amount raised in 2019.



To donate, you may contact Nathan Minton, or any of the other seniors of your choice, by Oct. 1. A faculty sponsor is charged with collecting the donations on school property, as students are not allowed to take donations in person.



"Being nominated for Emperor of the Taj is an honor, and raising the funds is a privilege," said Mr. Minton He hopes you will make a donation on his behalf of any amount ($1, $10, $25, or more). Businesses are encouraged to make a donation of $100, $250 or even $1,000.



The Catoosa County Children's Fund was established in 1991 and has no employees. As a result, 100 percent of every donation goes directly to help vulnerable students stay in school and continue their education.

According to the Catoosa County school website: "The Fund will provide qualified Catoosa County School children and families with short-term needs such as food, clothing, shelter, dental and medical care, educational related supplies or fees, or short-term emergency needs in an effort to develop their physical, mental, and emotional health and welfare. The School Social Workers will investigate referrals for assistance. No fees are required for assistance. By filling these short-term needs, it is the hope of the Board of Directors that the assistance will keep those children in school.



"The goal is to achieve the purpose of the Catoosa County Children's Fund by soliciting contributions in various ways such as from local businesses, fund-raising drives in the schools, individual donations from letters sent annually, or from local churches."



The board of directors is made up of one representative from each chartered civic group who chooses to participate in the fund; the county school superintendent; county director of student services; representatives of community agencies; and representatives of supporting businesses if they choose to belong.
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program announced that Dr. Rebecca Ashford, president at Chattanooga State Community College, is one of 25 leaders selected for the 2021-22 class of the Aspen New Presidents Fellowship. This program supports community college presidents in the early years of their tenure as they aim to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success. The Fellowships philanthropic partner is JPMorgan Chase.



The 25 Aspen Fellows, who lead colleges that collectively serve more than 280,000 students, were selected through a highly competitive process. Starting later this year, the Fellows will engage over nine months in residential sessions and virtual learning to develop strategies to meet their goals for student success and equity with data to assess challenges and progress.



We continue to learn how the best community colleges improve outcomes for students and close persistent race- and income-based equity gaps, said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. This years fellows have demonstrated their commitment to achieving excellent and equitable student outcomes, and we are eager to work with them as they join Aspens network of more than 100 fellows who serve as community college presidents.



Dr. Ashfords selection for the highly competitive Aspen Institute fellowship is a deserved distinction and represents her commitment to community college excellence during her first four years serving as Chattanooga States president, said Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Dr. Flora Tydings.



I am incredibly honored and humbled to have been selected to be a member of this years Aspen New Presidents Fellowship cohort, stated Dr. Ashford. I look forward to learning with colleagues from across the nation about how we can improve our student success and equity outcomes. I hope that by participating in this program, I can better serve Chattanooga State and our students to fulfill our purpose of supporting everyone in our community to learn without limits.



Officials said, "As community colleges grapple with the impact of COVID and enrollment declines, turnover among presidents remains high. Aspen is committed to helping prepare the next generation of exceptionally capable and highly diverse leaders through its fellowship programs for new and rising presidents. This new class of Aspen Presidential Fellows is 48 percent female, and 64 percent are people of color. Located in 18 states, their institutions too are diverse, from a tribal college with fewer than 500 students to an urban college that educates more than 35,000 each year."



Community colleges play a critical role in helping to prepare young adults and incumbent workers for in-demand jobs of the future, said Monique Baptiste, vice president and head of jobs & skills for Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase. Ensuring that the leaders of these institutions are equipped with the support and training they need to develop equitable student success is an integral part of building capacity over the long-run. JPMorgan Chase is proud to partner with the Aspen Institute to build the next generation of exceptional college leaders as they work to advance the prosperity of the diverse communities and students they serve.



JPMorgan Chase funds the Aspen Presidential Fellowship as part of New Skills at Work, a five-year, $350 million investment to prepare for the future of work and meet the growing demand for skilled workers, including support for community colleges and other pathways to great careers and economic mobility.





The 2021-22 Aspen New Presidents Fellows



 Rebecca Ashford, Chattanooga State Community College (TN)

 Seher Awan, Los Angeles Southwest College (CA)

 Vincent Bowhay, Independence Community College (KS)

 J.B. Buxton, Durham Technical Community College (NC)

 Karin Edwards, Clark College (WA)

 Angelica Garcia, Berkeley City College (CA)

 Veronica Garcia, Northeast Lakeview College (TX)

 Tracy Hartzler, Central New Mexico Community College (NM)

 Greg Hodges, Patrick Henry Community College (VA)

 Stephanie Kashima, West Valley College (CA)

 Georgia Lorenz, Seminole State College of Florida (FL)

 Kimberlee Messina, Spokane Falls Community College (WA)

 Rachel Pokrandt, Umpqua Community College (OR)

 Christy Ponce, Temple College (TX)

 Omid Pourzanjani, San Joaquin Delta College (CA)

 Monte Randall, College of the Muscogee Nation (OK)

 Anton Reece, West Kentucky Community and Technical College (KY)

 Angel Reyna, Madera Community College (CA)

 Claudia Schrader, CUNY Kingsborough Community College (NY)

 Ricky Shabazz, San Diego City College (CA)

 Ron Slinger, Miles Community College (MT)

 Willie E. Smith, Baton Rouge Community College (LA)

 Russell Swagger, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College (WI)

 Justina Wilhelm, I?isagvik College (AK)

 Jermaine Williams, Nassau Community College (NY)
CHI Memorial, Dignity Health, and All Administrators in Chattanooga, TN and throughout our companies, the following letter is my heart felt forced termination for not complying to allow, against my own will, the injection of an illegally mandated vaccine under Emergency Use Authorization.

First, I would like to express I have enjoyed working in my unit for the last three years. We have a culture of helping and supporting each other through the best and worst of times. I worked through the 2020 COVID pandemic when we did not have proper PPE. Our facilitys PPE policies were changed several times to omit use of PPE used with infectious diseases we once would take protection from when encountering. Our loop masks that we wore for the entire 12-hour shift came in a box for months that stated on the side not for medical use. In the beginning of the pandemic, we were not afforded N95 masks unless we worked in the COVID units then we were able to have 1 N95 mask, we were handed a brown paper lunch bag with a sheet of paper to log each shift we wore it for. After 7 shifts of wearing the same N95 mask we could turn it in for a new one while the used one was sent for sterilization. Loop masks and N 95 masks are only made for a one-time use, but we knew PPE was limited and took what we could get.

Each day I worked I had no idea what I would be walking into or what disease I might take home to my own family and children, BUT I showed up and worked tirelessly with my work family. Even through months of mandatory pandemic overtime I WORKED without proper PPE and without compensated payment for exposure. I was able to work in the COVID ICU to see which PPE they used and the process of donning, doffing, Code Blue in COVID rooms, and the dependency they had on each other because otherwise we could not make it.

There were signs made that sat in front of our hospital that spelled out Heroes work here. Administrators met us at the door coming and going from our shift cheering for us. We had catered food delivered. I remember one morning in particular administrators met us at the door to give us small bags of candy just before Christmas 2020, then we were delivered a $15 gift card through the mail at home but paid our own taxes on our paychecks. Honestly why did you not keep your candy, cheering, and signs and just pay the small taxes for each gift card? I did not feel like a hero at all, I felt expendable just as I do now. Administrators would not come to our units, JACHO would not come into hospitals, and even patients were terrified to show up at the hospital to receive needed care. Many nurses, respiratory therapists, cleaning staff, and others left us in 2020 either to leave the bedside all together or to travel, but I was there, and I worked.

Secondly, the mandated vaccine. I am educated with an Associates Degree in Nursing and will complete my Bachelor of Science in Nursing next month. I have bedside experience not only with infectious COVID positive patients, but also post COVID patients or what some have coined the phrase as COVID long haulers. If anyone is educated and informed enough to make a conscious decision of medical treatment, vaccination, or health plan I am 100% qualified to make that decision for myself and my children. I am a patient and staff advocate. We at the bedside educate each patient, as it is their right, of their care plan and medications. Our patients have a RIGHT to refuse any treatment or medication for whatever reason they choose, and I will stand beside them on their educated decision. If a patient chose to refuse lifesaving treatment and would rather go home to pass peacefully then I support their decision, this is what we do! I do not force treatment on patients against their will because this is against the law, unethical, and immoral. I must also advocate for myself too because no one else obviously will.

One of our Dr.s came to our unit about a month ago to answer questions regarding the EUA vaccines and explained the mRNA process of how it enters and builds immunity in our bodies, but he left out information that the mRNA base is made of aborted fetal tissue. I NEVER thought I would see the day that working for a CATHOLIC hospital where I can pray with my patients that I would have to defend my judgement and religious beliefs of not wanting a forced aborted baby tissue based medical treatment. Therefore, I will not. I simply say NO and no means no.

Third, there is no FDA approved mRNA COVID vaccine available at this time, and I am very aware that Comirnaty is not even being produced for use in the United States to date. The vaccines being administered remain under Emergency Use Authorization with NO information on the package insert and NO way to obtain compensation for those that experience adverse effects, permanent damage, or loss of life. Also, I know that our employer does not cover or insure this either secondary to taking these vaccines. The only way for anyone to be held accountable is by accepting the injection of Comirnaty, the FDA approved vaccine, that is NOT AVAILABLE. Facts remain that this would be a great place to build a hospital one day, with values of Excellence, Reverence, Compassion, Integrity, and Inclusion because as it stands today the only staff upholding these values are the soldiers in the trenches, or bedside, NOT the administrators sitting at their desks deciding an unlawful vaccine is best for ME to place in my body for immunity. God gave me an excellent immune system and it builds antibodies all by itself.

Also, please do not try to tell me that this is for the peace of mind of my patients and their families because I have held the hand of a dying man, cried with his wife, and consoled his daughter as he took his last breath. All three of them were fully vaccinated, he was dying from COVID, his wife had just recovered, and NO ONE asked me if I was vaccinated. When it comes down to it this your business, not a loving hospital that I thought I was employed by.

Lastly, there will be a day coming soon when more staff walk away, get terminated, or those left behind after the mass exodus become weary, when there will be no more nurses or staff to hire. If this company thinks it is so bad now because there is a bed shortage when we all know its a staffing shortage, there are darker days ahead. During all this pandemic if CHI Memorial and Dignity Health would have just taken care of those loyal to them then you would not be facing have to pay travel nurses up to $110 an hour to fill my shoes. My last date of employment, caring for patients and families, precepting residents, and contributing to all the awards this hospital receives will be October 4, 2021.

Sincerely Outraged and Grieving,

Maria Wright RN

* * *

I read Ms. Wright's story, which she signed "sincerely outraged and grieving," and I have to say that I am very very sad for her, and anyone in her awful situation. Anyone being forced to take a vaccine that they themselves have a personal objection to, or else lose their job, is in an awful situation.



It seems especially ridiculous that we would force our heroes in the medical field, or police, fire, military, teachers, etc - get the vaccine or you can't serve your country any more in this profession.

This is not how we treat our heroes.



We stand on interstate bridge overpasses and hold signs of love and admiration and wave American flags when our soldiers go off to war, but then we turn around and make war on these same people when they don't personally believe they should take a COVID vaccine?



Are you so scared of COVID that you would force your way on someone like this? Don't you think people can make up their own minds? Who gave you the power to overpower someone else in this way? Don't we have any respect for someone that has a view that is different from our own?



The people that sell vaccines have a lot of interest in promoting them. When they say the 4th and 5th and 6th boosters are needed, you can get them if you want to. But are we going to start new rounds of firing employees every time a new booster shot comes out, if they don't want it?



If what Ms. Wright says is true, and she really is a real person that is being treated this way by her employer in Chattanooga at this hospital (to get the vaccine or be fired, or resign), then Ms. Wright

please send me an email through Mr. Wilson at the Chattanoogan and my family will do what we can to help. You can have a seat at our dinner table - maybe we can work out a schedule for once a week or something to start. Maybe others in our community with similar concern for you will reach out and offer some help as well, while you look for an employer who can treat you with more respect. I am so sorry you are going through this.



David Shinn

* * *

As I read Nurse Wright's heart-felt resignation letter I feel that the countrys temperature is sitting at 211.

Nurse Wright, Mr. Sells and many others including myself are trying to tell others that we just want to be left alone. Let us do or jobs and live our lives as we supposable have those freedoms in our country.

See there is information out there and it is not only our opinion but the opinion of many that so much of the pain, suffering and death has been orchestrated by mis-information and propaganda on so many fronts all for the purpose of furthering the headlong rush into Progressivism / Communism where the government runs peoples live by command and control.

We now can see the governments influence on Catholic organizations such as Memorial Hospital who are now forcing this experimental vaccine on all their employees going against peoples religious views and Miss Wright I commend your stand and I stand with you. I dare say that COVID has been very good for the bottom line for all heath care facilities as its been awhile since I heard any shortfalls for Erlanger as Im sure the governmental compensation is more than what we can even imagine.

The truth is out there from the testimonies at the FDA hearing on the booster shots to many articles and studies including Ivermectin success in reducing the death rate in Indias Uttar Pradesh to .04 percent where they are now COVID free all because they didnt listen to Fauci, WHO, NIH and all nay-sayers of Ivermectin.

It is way past time that this all comes to an end and it wont be because everyone is vaccinated.

Be blessed and ready,

Jay Reed

* * *

Did you receive your influenza vaccines? They are mandated each year for all health care workers? Scientist rush those together each year to cover as many variants as possible.

I'm sorry you are retiring early due to COVID, but if one of my loved ones or myself are In the hospital, the nurse and physician better have their COVID vaccines.

Have you recently checked the statics of deaths in the unvaccinated? Compare those to the ones who received their vaccines.





Thanks for your nursing services.





Best wishes





Tammy Greene

* * *

Ms. Greene, if you've been vaccinated, then why should you care if your doctor or nurse has been vaccinated or not? You're protected, right?

I don't know Nurse Wright but I suspect she did take the influenza vaccine because 1) It doesn't use aborted fetal cell lines in the vaccine and 2) Influenza vaccines are fully approved by FDA. The current COVID vaccine is not FDA approved regardless of all the hype from the media. You were lied to. There is only one vaccine that has been FDA approved. It's called Comirnaty and it isn't available anywhere at this time. Pfizer, J&J, and Moderna are all still being given under Emergency Use Authorization, which means that legally, they are still considered an experimental vaccine and they still enjoy no legal liability for any adverse effects from the vaccine.

I feel certain there will be many lawsuits regarding employers mandating that their employees be forced to take an experimental vaccine against their will as a condition of their continued employment.

John Hodge

* * *

It is very disturbing that people who worked to get us through a very hard time are now discarded like none of it meant a thing.

I know why the drug companies and our corrupt government are pushing this, but I never cease to be amazed that our fellow citizens are okay with making good people choose between their livelihoods and an experimental vaccine (that at best functions more like a therapeutic).



The same people that were good enough to risk their lives for over a year fighting this are suddenly too dangerous to keep around any longer.



This has nothing to do with health or science or even common sense at this point. I just hope there is someone around the next time we need heroes.



I wish Ms. Wright luck in her future endeavors. She deserves better.

Sherece Manchester

* * *

Thank you, ma'am, for explaining far better than I ever could why this "vaccine" isn't what it's supposed to be. I appreciate your honesty and like everyone else I'm 110 percent behind you.

This fight between the vax vs. unvaxed is merely something that politicians hope will take our eyes off the ball. If and when I can sue your pants off for making me sick or killing me...then I'll take your vaccine. If you're so proud of it, if it is so darn good, what are you afraid of? Early on OSHA posted that if you worked for a company and if you took the jab and if it caused you health problems you could sue the company that made it part of your employment. Well that lasted about four weeks and they quickly changed direction. Don't believe me, research it yourself. No way would the employers go for that, it would bankrupt them...follow the money.

Ma'am, thank you for pulling the curtain back and letting us see the Wizard.

Sue White
Christians should be against using products or medicines that contain, are derived from, or were tested by using aborted fetal cells. All three vaccines available in the U.S. use aborted fetal cells to test their product. (If you have already taken a vaccine, see my comments at the end.)



The two gentlemen I will be taking issue with from the Spirit of Saint Tikhons podcast agree that all three vaccines conduct testing using fetal cells. However, their conclusion is flawedI would even say wrong.



They are good men. One is a friend. And yet this pivotal issue of our time must be addressed, even opposed. I trust that my disagreements will be received as loyal opposition.



St. Tikhons Seminary is considered by many to be one of the more conservative of the handful of Orthodox seminaries in America. The interviewer, Fr. John Parker, Dean of the Seminary, and the interviewee, Dr. Ryan Nash, a prestigious physician and Director of the Center for Bioethics at Ohio State, are longtime pro-life and conservative leaders. Both are weighty figures. Their podcast, Covid and the Vaccines, I believe fairly represents the Orthodox position in America. Any real objections to their views in the Orthodox hierarchy would likely come from more left-leaning leaders, not a conservative like me who would disagree with their conclusion that it is permissible for Orthodox Christians to take the Covid injection.



While fetal cell testing is the main issue discussed, their podcast also covers mRNA technology and the safety of the vaccines. (I will use this word, knowing that these are not traditional vaccines. You cant fight every battle at once.) This article will deal primarily with the fetal cell issue.



DO THE VACCINES CONTAIN OR USE ABORTED FETAL CELLS, AND IS IT THEREFORE WRONG TO USE THEM?



Yes, all three vaccines available in the U.S. use or contain aborted fetal cells (see here). Because both Fr. John and Dr. Nash agree with this, my article will be mercifully shorter. (To his credit, Fr. John even cuts through the euphemisms and calls aborted fetal cells murdered baby parts.) Nash cites the Charlotte Lozier Institute as an authority, which confirms that all three vaccinesPfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnsonuse aborted fetal cells in testing, while J & J also uses them in production.



THE SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION REQUIRES MORE DISCUSSION: IS IT THEREFORE WRONG TO USE THEM?



I believe it is wrong to use them. Dr. Nash is clearly uncomfortable with vaccines that use aborted fetal cells for testing. But he is also uncomfortable saying it is therefore wrong to take the vaccine. He says the following at various points in the interview:



So to make things clear, I prefer, I don't think HEK (Human Embryonic Kidney) cell lines should be used. I think there can be alternatives now.



I'd rather not use HEK cell lines. I think there should be viable alternatives, but I don't want to profit from anything that was related to an abortion.



And Fr. Parker confirms: This is a striking point that I think everyone needs to hear. You have been extremely clear that as a medical doctor and a bioethicist, you would prefer that we not use HEK cell lines, that is, the cell lines that have been derived from a 1970s era abortion.



REASONS GIVEN FOR PERMITTING THE COVID VACCINE



So, what are the reasons Dr. Nash provides for the permissibility of taking these vaccines? I will cite several, saving his primary argument for last.



He mentions that some Orthodox academics have defended the use of cell lines, that more abortions are not being performed for the stem cell practice, and we can benefit from the cells that already exist. To his credit, Nash discounts that view, saying, I'm a little bit more hesitant than that. I think there are viable alternatives that should be used instead. And, yet, he still is not willing to completely denounce the use of these cell lines.



Nash mentioned that the post-production testing done by all three companies using aborted fetal cells allows them to do really rapid and excellent science. What might take much longer to test and verify can be done swiftly. While this is obviously a plus for efficiency, its not a good reason to use aborted fetal cells. And Dr. Nash never says it is a good reason.



One other lesser argument mentioned was that we may not have an issue with using a donated organ from someone murdered. In that case, it's also murder, in this case murder of an adult, said Nash, but a person is directly benefiting from that.



The difference here would be that murder of adults is in fact outlawed in our country. Allowing a murdered persons organ to help someone after the fact does not support, advance, or threaten the abolishment of murder laws. If murder of adults were legalized, the analogy would be stronger.



Dr. Nash also attempted to make an equivalency between abortion funding and using fetal parts. The very computer that some [use to denounce stem cell testing] probably directly contributes to future abortions, more by funding companies that further political agendas that are antithetical to Orthodoxy.



There is no equivalency between doing business with a company that donates to Planned Parenthood and doing business with a company that actually uses murdered baby parts to develop their product. Beyond that, proponents for the Covid vaccine are advocating that the products relying on aborted fetal cells actually be injected into our bodies.



THE PRIMARY ARGUMENT FOR COVID VACCINES



What is Nash and Parkers primary argument for permitting the use of vaccines that use aborted fetal cells in their testing? In short, they say the use of aborted fetal cells is so pervasive in our world that there is no way to escape using them.



In their own words:



Dr. Nash: This has been not quite ubiquitous, but incredibly common for any pharmaceutical, any naturopathic remedy. So, vitamins and things such as that, any diagnostic or therapeutic device often are tested against tissue cultures and [its] often that the second most common human tissue culture available in labs is the HEK cell line.



Fr. John Parker: ... those cell lines, while not ubiquitousmeaning everywhere presentare quite all over the place. Present in all kinds of various medicines and vitamins. You've mentioned to me Vitamin D supplements on the one hand. And you mentioned to me in an earlier conversation, I believe, metformin, one of the most common blood pressure medications.



Dr. Nash: All of your common diabetes and blood pressure medications are going to be tested on HEK cells. Most, many, of your herbal remedies and vitamin supplements are going to be tested on HEK cells. I mean, it's just common. Very, very common.



Fr. John Parker: ... I imagine we could buy almost nothing from anyone, from food to shoes, electricity, whatever, because of the amount of taint, for lack of better word, that's not generically sinit's in everything. But specifically, the sin of abortion touches so many companies and the products that they sell.



Dr. Nash: If you're going to reject the vaccine solely based on HEK cell use, I'm sorry, you're going to have to reject almost all of modern medicine, all of [the] supplement world. And there are other industries that will be problematic as well.



... I agree that as Orthodox Christians, we must distance ourselves from sin. But because we live in a fallen world, in a world that is corrupted by sin, our ability to have a pure, untainted reality, is, elusive.



 Again, if you want a completely morally ethically pure world, or ethically pure medicine, you're not going to find it.





Thus, the primary argument by Orthodox Christianity, even for the traditional Orthodox, is that the use of aborted fetal cells is so pervasive in our culture, it is impossible and unrealistic to try to do otherwise.



THREE REASONS THEIR CONCLUSION IS WRONG



This is a disheartening conclusion by two good men who have spent their entire careers as pro-life advocates. Their position is wrong on several counts, and I would ask them to consider reviewing their position.



1. Resources Are Available To Avoid Using Aborted Fetal Cells



Firstly, it is factually wrong that alternatives to the use of aborted fetal cells are not available and that there is no ability to determine what products we can use to avoid participation in the evil sin of abortion.



The pro-life group Children of God for Life has been diligently providing the information for several years. A list can be found here for the following products that use aborted fetal cells in testing: vaccines, medicines, food products, cosmetics. It is a one-page finite list.



The cogforlife.com site also provides a list of alternatives to the several vaccines (not just Covid injections) that use aborted fetal cells for testing or production. It is a one-page finite list.



2. We Should Not Choose A Hopeless Spirit Of Futility



Secondly, the conclusion of Dr. Nash and Fr. Parker lacks hope and spreads a spirit of futility for changing our culture. According to Rehumanize International, Kraft, Solae, Campbell Soup, and Pepsi  have changed or cancelled their contracts [to] ensure that no fetal cells were used to develop their products. So public pressure brought to bear on a culture CAN change things.



Both Parker and Nash actually allude to the opportunity for change. Parker says all the questions about Covid are a good problem, because people are starting to think in bioethical terms.



Nash alludes to similar momentum: The intent of the Charlotte Lozier Institute is to increase public awareness of the HEK cell line and to encourage science to find better alternatives and for them not to use it. He said the Lozier Institutes president told him their website has had more hits in, I think, a week, on the HEK cell line news than it had had for probably years.



This is not the time to give up. This is a time to rally the upright in our world to fight against the evil of abortion. As a personal example, I have chronic diabetes, but I will never again take metformin or any other diabetes medicine that uses stem cells. I did not learn about metformin until now. (Update: metformin does not qualify. It was invented in 1922, long before stem cells.)



Of course, sometimes we are not able to produce the change we desire in this corrupt and perverse generation. And that is why the third reason for refuting the premise of the Nash and Parker podcast is the most important. We ourselves must not become corrupt and perverse.



3. Gods Standard For Perfection And Holiness Should Not Be Compromised



Dr. Nash: If you're going to reject the vaccine solely based on HEK cell use, I'm sorry, you're going to have to reject almost all of modern medicine, all of [the] supplement world. And there are other industries that will be problematic as well.



We have already seen that in terms of other products (cosmetics, food items, supplements) it is not true that these must all be rejected. Alternatives exist, and good people and organizations have provided the lists.



And if it is true that almost all of modern medicine must be rejected, then it is time to do so. Modern medicine has ingratiated itself with the murder of unborn children. While I think alternatives can be found there as well, if they cannot, it is time to suffer, and even die, for what is right. Do not take the vaccine.



Jesus did not say, Dont try to perfect, its not possible (Matt. 5:48). Jude said we are called to hate even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh (Jude 1:22), not to inject ourselves with potions associated with the corrupted flesh of murdered children.



Im sorry these are hard words. I dont doubt that Fr. John and Dr. Nash take those Scriptures as seriously as I do. However, Dr. Nash did mention pro-lifers more radical and sensational than those who take his sober pro-life approach. But I believe we have reached a time that requires radical purity, radical obedience. We may lose our jobs. Those in the lucrative medical profession may have to give it up. We may have to suffer. We may have to move toward more separatist communities. We may have to die. The sufferings of the martyrs I sing about every week (see the one pictured at the bottom) endured far worse than what we will likely suffer if we refuse to take the vaccine.



FORGIVENESS FOR THE VAXXED



Have you already taken the vaccine? Is it too late for you? Definitely not. God is an abundant forgiver of both our voluntary and involuntary sins. Should you take another shot? Definitely not.



I believe we will all have plenty of opportunities in the near future to refuse the next shot and demonstrate to God and man our commitment to purity and our resolve to bear the consequences of being regarded as unvaccinated.



THE FETAL CELL DILEMMA IS A GIFT TO THE CHURCH



While Fr. John and Dr. Nash spent some time during their podcast on questions of whether the vaccine is safe or not, on the fact that it was just approved by the FDA (it was not and will not be in the near future), on the experimental mRNA technology, and on nanoparticles, tracking technology, and Luciferase, the lions share of the talk was on aborted fetal cell use.



I will not discuss these other items for now, but rather choose to focus on fetal cells as the primary topic, even though this is not, in fact, the biggest reason I refuse to take the vaccine. It is certainly a good enough reason, and it is the easiest to discern. It is a gift to Christians and the Church. Experimental gene manipulation, official reports of large-scale injury and death from vaccines (along with other official denials), sophisticated tracking systems, and haunting authoritarianism ushered in by deceptive officials of the Noble Liethese are more difficult to discern.



But the question of whether or not to associate with the use of aborted fetal cells is easy to discern. Before you can figure out the other reasons, dont take the Covid vaccine for the obvious moral reason.



* * *

Dean W. Arnold is an author and documentarian. He is tonsured The Reader Gabriel in the Orthodox Church in America.

* * *

Mr. Arnold, I respect your rights and opinion, but Ive learned over the years a good salesman doesnt have to have a long presentation to sell their product. I found your article lengthy and honestly lost interest due to repetitive remarks.



If Im correct, over 4.5 million people worldwide have died from this disease. Regardless, of religious affiliation it comes down to choice and, unfortunately, most of these individuals choose wrong.



I encourage everyone to get vaccinated. Ive seen the results and comforted family and friends as a result.

John Tilley

* * *

Mr. Tilley, you say "Ive learned over the years a good salesman doesnt have to have a long presentation to sell their product."

Well, I've learned that a good product doesn't need a government mandate to sell it.

So why do the present mandates come after perhaps the longest presentation ever for any medicine?

One logical conclusion might be that we don't trust the product, and we don't trust the salesmen.

Larry Cloud










The Sandy Erickson Race for Christian Education 5K and Fun Run, The Collegedale Academy Worthy Student Fundraiser, will be held on Nov. 7.This community building Fun Run and 5K support CAs Worthy Student Fund. The WSF is a part of CAs student aid program that gives many students the opportunity, who otherwise might not have the chance, to attend Collegedale Academy, including over 160 students this school year.To support by donating to the cause and or registering to run/walk in the 5K race and Fun Run, go to www. sandyericksonfunrun.com or call Race Coordinator Marilee Silverstein at 423-396-2124 x 5017.
Erlanger Health System announces the Erlanger Heart and Lung Institute is participating in a clinical trial studying if blood thinners are more effective at preventing stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF) than the WATCHMAN device for left atrial appendage closure (LAAC).



According to the Centers for Disease Control, Patients with AF are five times more likely to suffer a stroke than someone with a normal heart rhythm. In people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), more than 90 percent of stroke-causing blood clots that come from the heart are formed in the left atrial appendage.

The WATCHMAN FLX device is designed to reduce the risk of stroke in people with NVAF by closing off this area of the heart, while helping patients discontinue long-term use of blood thinners.We are pleased to participate in this important study that will evaluate whether a one-time WATCHMAN FLX procedure is equally as effective as blood thinning medication as a first time treatment for a wider population of patients with non-valvular AF, said Dr. Megan Coylewright, director of the Erlanger Heart and Lung Institutes Structural Heart Program and is serving on the global steering committee for this trial. A positive outcome of this trial may put the device on equal footing with what is considered the best-in-class drug therapy for stroke risk reduction, and offer an alternative for more patients who would otherwise face life-long use of blood thinners and the associated risk of serious bleeding.In October 2020, Boston Scientific began the enrollment of the CHAMPION-AF trials, a randomized head-to-head trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the WATCHMAN FLX LAAC Device within a broad population of patients with NVAF, including those who are at low-to-moderate risk of bleeding from the use of blood thinners. The device will be compared to non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), considered the leading contemporary drugs for stroke risk reduction in this population.According to Boston Scientific, the trial will study 3,000 patients suitable for oral anticoagulation across a broad spectrum of bleeding risk. Patients at approximately 150 global sites will be randomized to receive either the WATCHMAN FLX device or a NOAC and be evaluated for rates of stroke, bleeding and other major adverse events over five years.

The WATCHMAN FLX device was designed to advance procedural performance and safety and treat a wider range of patient anatomies. It features a new rounded frame to allow physicians to safely enter and maneuver within the left atrial appendage and is the first LAAC device that can be fully recaptured, repositioned and redeployed for precise placement. It is also available in broader size options than the previous generation device.



The WATCHMAN FLX device, which received FDA approval in July 2020 and CE Mark in March 2019, builds upon the original WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device that has been used to treat more than 100,000 patients worldwide.



For more information about Erlangers Structural Heart program visit erlanger.org/heart.
City Judge Sherry Paty told City Council members on Tuesday that case numbers in the court are way down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a drop in the city police force of around 100 officers.

However, she said if there is a sharp rise in new cases there may still be a need for Division II of the court.

Division II Judge Russell Bean has announced he plans to retire next year, and City Council Chairman Chip Henderson is sponsoring a resolution to abolish Division II.

Chairman Henderson said he called the court and was told that Division II heard only 318 cases in 2019 and 422 in 2020. Judge Bean said that was "not accurate. I probably hear that many in a month."

He said Division I does hear a majority of the cases since all the animal and environmental cases went there.

Judge Paty said she hears the 8, 9 and 10 a.m. dockets and Judge Bean handles the 3, 4 and 5 p.m. dockets.

Other judges at the courthouse are not on the bench for eight hours at a stretch either, the council was told.

Judge Paty said judges have other duties off the bench, including signing court papers and reading citizen letters.

Councilman Anthony Byrd said he was interested in "strengthening" City Court, saying it once heard many types of cases.

The council was told that City Court is unlikely to get back its ability to hear felony cases.

Judge Bean said he mainly hears traffic cases, but police have been bringing fewer of those. He said it can depend on the agenda of the police chief on whether there will be a lot or a few speeding cases.

Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod said the court should get involved in handling small-time drug charges and marijuana cases.

Chairman Henderson said, "It seems like we are trying to create some work to justify two courts. For the eight years I've been up here we've been talking about doing away with one division of City Court. Now we're talking about keeping it."

Councilman Byrd said that was not his intention.

Judge Bean said it was true it would save the city $400,000 to $500,000 a year to close down his division, which also includes a court administrator and two court officers.

Judge Paty said she would favor including a provision that should cases go back up that there could be use of a magistrate or bring Division II back.
The Signal Mountain Town Council, on a vote of 3-1, appointed Elizabeth Baker as the council person to replace Dan Landrum who stepped down from the position.

She will fill the unexpired term until the next election in November 2022. Mayor Charles Poss opened the process by giving citizens an opportunity to address the council and requesting that there be no negative comments about a candidate, warning that if there are negative comments that speaker would be cut off.

The first citizen to speak, Dan Landrum, asked if it was inappropriate for someone to vote on a new council member if that person had been their campaign manager. So youll know, said the mayor, Dan already called and asked me that question. To find the answer, he said he had looked at the towns code of ethics and the answer is No. He also asked Town Attorney Harry Cashs opinion and he said there is nothing in state law prohibiting a vote for someone they campaigned for. It is not unethical or improper, that is the legal answer, said the mayor.

Then Mr. Landrum asked for the citizen comments to be moved to the end of the meeting after the candidates had spoken. Vice Mayor Susannah Murdock responded that the agenda had been decided at the last council meeting. Mayor Poss said he was asking for citizen comments at that point of the meeting. "This isnt how I thought my term would end with vitriol and the shut-down of open ideas, said Mr. Landrum as he walked away from the podium. Ill take care of this on social media, he said.

Im sorry I have to follow that, my only request is that the council considers demographics, said Anne Haygood. She said the council is currently composed of members with young families and children, and asked for representation by someone that met her demographics.

The agenda was first to cull the list of candidates from five to three. Elizabeth Baker, Tim Cleary, Clay Crumbliss, Jr., Robert Taylor and John Foreman had all filled out applications and answered questions prior to the meeting Tuesday night. They each had the opportunity of addressing the council, introducing themselves and giving a brief overview of their positions on issues of importance to the city.

Elizabeth Baker said that she had followed advice from her father that the way to change is with head, heart and hands. She said you see the need and fill the need with a commitment to your community. She said she had spent her adult life following those principles and for the past 21 years had encouraged meaningful changes at the county and state levels of government advocating for stakeholder engagement and policy making.

She told the council members that she would like to help move Signal Mountain to even a better place and that her qualifications of a background in making public policy, stakeholder engagement, and research and analysis to show impact on public policy would be an asset to the town.

In the first round of voting to narrow the field to three were Elizabeth Baker, Clay Crumbliss and Tim Cleary. In the second round of voting, Ms. Baker received the majority of three votes and Clay Crumbliss received one.

Mayor Poss said he applauded all who applied for the job and their willingness to serve the community. He invited them to participate in other ways such as serving on some of the many boards.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $142 million to build systems to end youth homelessness in 33 local communities. On behalf of the local homeless response, The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition applied for and received $2.2 million. Chattanooga and surrounding communities in Southeast Tennessee ranked in the top six out of 33 that received the grant. These funds will be used in a manner specific to the needs of youth experiencing homelessness, including funding for housing units, wrap-around services, and housing support.

The CRHC is the lead coordinating agency of the Chattanooga/Southeast Tennessee homeless response system known as a Continuum of Care. The Young Adult Advocacy Board operates as a six-member advisory board to the CoC. Members focus on preventing homelessness in young adults aged 18-24.

YAAB member Brittney Stowers says each member has a unique understanding of how these funds should be distributed because of their personal experience with homelessness. As a child, I was homeless. I was born into it and raised in it, said Ms. Stowers. Shes no longer homeless and is giving back to those in the same situation, saying If Im in a better position, I know I can help somebody who isnt."

YAAB member Jasmine Snell echoed Stowers sentiment saying, I cannot rewrite my story, but I can help other young adults avoid or get out of homelessness.

Executive Director of CRHC Wendy Winters says that its hard to know the number of young adults experiencing homelessness in our region because their experience can differ from most adults. However, she suspects that the numbers are much higher than what is currently known.

YAAB member Aslynn Price says youth homelessness is often a hidden problem. Maybe young people do not know or consider their situation as homelessness, so they are not receiving services they need. Helping young adults in the early stages of their homelessness experience can prevent long-term homelessness.

The local homeless response has spent the last year laying the groundwork to support youth-focused projects. We are so proud of our community and HUDs recognition of our efforts," said Ms. Winters. "During the coming months, we will be working with the YAAB, organizations serving youth, and other community partners to create a comprehensive plan to end youth homelessness in Southeast Tennessee.

The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition will hold a local funding competition to allocate the $2.2 million. The Young Adult Advocacy Board will help ensure that applicants understand the needs and priorities of the young people they will serve. Call 710-1501 or visit homelesscoalition.org to learn how to help the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalitions efforts to eliminate youth homelessness.
David Shane White, age 40, of Dalton, Georgia, departed this life Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at his residence.

Shane was born June 23, 1981 in Dalton, a son of the late Franklin and Diane Rittenhouse White. He was also preceded in death by nephews and a niece, Justin Fowler, Isaiah Rosas and Gabriela Dorado and a sister-in-law, Katrina White.

He is survived by his brothers, Mark White and Frank Daniel White both of Chatsworth, GA; sisters and brother-in-law, Amy and Herbert Spurlock and Melissa Gutierrez, all of Dalton, GA; 16 nieces and nephews; and aunts, uncles and many cousins.

Services to celebrate the life of David Shane White will be held Monday, Sept. 27, at 11 a.m. at Ponders Melrose Chapel with Johnny West officiating. He will be laid to rest at Dunagan Cemetery with Benny Clayton, Shannon Roach, Nathan Call, James Martin, William Norris and Austin Pelt honored to serve as pallbearers.

The family will receive friends at Ponders Melrose Chapel after 9 a.m. Monday until the service hour.

Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.pondersfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements are by Ponders Melrose Chapel, 138 Melrose Dr., Dalton, GA 30721.
The daunting task of pandemic response and post-pandemic recovery requires input and assistance from all nations if international efforts are to succeed. Thus, it is time for the international community to welcome Taiwan as a full member of the United Nations.

There is no compelling reason to obstruct Taiwans participation. The country has proven that it can offer value as a productive global partner.

Taiwan has contributed to the achievement of several global goals and collaborative efforts among allied partners to tackle the challenges presented by the pandemic. The nation has fulfilled its UN Sustainable Development Goals in gender equality, clean water, sanitation and health. Taiwan is also spearheading the transition towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

In recent history, China has placed undue pressure on UN countries and agencies to continue to reject Taiwan, citing the 1971 UN Resolution that specifies who represents China. However, that resolution does not authorize China to claim sovereignty over Taiwan, despite the Communist Partys assertions to the contrary. This deceptive coercion is restricting the representative freedoms of over 23 million people.

Not only is Taiwan obstructed from civil participation, but Taiwanese passport holders are also discriminated against daily. Taiwanese citizens are denied access to UN premises for tours or meetings. Journalists are not allowed to cover UN events. This jingoism runs counter to the idealistic goals of universal human rights that the UN represents. By arbitrarily barring Taiwans civil society from international cooperation, the UN actively contradicts itself.

In his oath of office this year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged that everyone needed a seat at the table to build inclusive, fair and sustainable developments for the future. Let us answer that call to action.

I hope you will join me in giving a voice for Taiwans inclusion in the United Nations.



Foreign Minister Joseph Wu
Phil Acord, CEO of Chambliss Center for Children, will retire at the end of this year after 50 years of employment with the organization, and current President Katie Harbison will assume the president/CEO position, completing a five-year succession plan.

Mr. Acord, who began his career with the agency in 1971, will transition into the honorary role of CEO emeritus as Ms. Harbison, 16-year employee with Chambliss Center for Children, becomes president/CEO on Nov. 12, overseeing the organization and its partner agencies $10 million budget and over 300 employees.

Phil Acord is a true champion for children, says Board Chairman Julie Stowe. His passion, efforts, and accomplishments in the realm of early childhood education have established Chambliss Center for Children as a model institution for the most inventive and inclusive childrens programs of national acclaim.

During the planned five-year transition, Ms. Harbison worked alongside Mr. Acord as vice president and then president of Chambliss Center for Children. Ms. Harbison, a native of Chattanooga, attended the Baylor School and earned her Bachelor and Master degrees from UTC. She is a graduate of Leadership Chattanooga; a past Board member and Board president of both Youth Leadership Chattanooga and the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals; a member of the Downtown Chattanooga Rotary Club; and recently served on the State of Tennessees Child Well-being Task Force. Ms. Harbison currently serves as the co-chairman of the local Early Matters Coalition and is involved in both the child welfare system and the early childhood education arena.

While Phil will be missed dearly, I am thrilled that Katie Harbison will be taking on the role of President/CEO, said Ms. Stowe. She has worked alongside Phil for many years and is an incredible leader in her own right. I am confident that Katie will build on Phils legacy and continue to lead Chambliss Center for Children as the standard for the highest quality programs for children.
The Hamilton County Health Department reported two more coronavirus deaths on Wednesday and 172 new positive cases, down from 183 the day before. The total cases in the county now stands at 60,576. The death total is at 610.

The deaths were reported to be one man and one woman, both white, both age 81 or older.



The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 272 in Hamilton County - down from 278 on Tuesday. Six more are hospitalized with suspected COVID. There are 89 Hamilton County inpatients and 74 patients are in ICU, down from 83 reported Tuesday.



The number of those who have recovered from coronavirus in Hamilton County is 57,324, which is 95 percent. There are 2,642 active cases, down from 2,848 on Tuesday.

Tennessee reported 4,773 new cases on Wednesday for a total of 1,199,956 coronavirus cases.



There were 96 more deaths in Tennessee reported on Wednesday, for a total of 14,677.



The state currently has 3,176 people hospitalized from the virus - 71 fewer than the day before.



The number of coronavirus tests that have been administered in the state is 9.738 million.



There have been 1,122,749 Tennesseans that have recovered from the virus, which is 94 percent.



Here are the numbers by county, last updated Monday:



Bledsoe County: 3,270 cases, up 21; 13 deaths



Bradley County: 20,991 cases, up 164; 169 deaths, up 3



Grundy County: 2,566 cases, up 25; 36 deaths



Marion County: 5,405 cases, up 50; 52 deaths



Meigs County: 2,052 cases, up 41; 25 deaths, up 1



Polk County: 2,967 cases, up 20; 25 deaths



Rhea County: 6,522 cases, up 46; 89 deaths



Sequatchie County: 2,785 cases, up 14; 30 deaths



Knox County: 72,777 cases, up 780; 805 deaths, up 15



Davidson County: 114,511 cases, up 625; 1,077 deaths, up 16



Shelby County: 137,729 cases, up 711; 2,017 deaths, up 21
Traffic investigator Joe Warren told a Criminal Court jury from Nashville on Wednesday that the motorist who struck and killed rookie police officer Nicholas Galinger was straddling the center line of Hamill Road and traveling at an excessive speed.

Investigator Warren said the collision was a "roof vault" in which the victim is propelled over the roof of the vehicle. He said those type wrecks are most often seen on the interstate where there are high speeds.

He also said he knew excessive speed was involved because of the distance the body was thrown. The body was thrown 160 feet from the point of impact, landing at the edge of a yard near a driveway. Officer Galinger had been leaning over inspecting an overflowing manhole cover when he was hit.

Janet Hinds, the former Soddy Daisy postmaster, is standing trial for vehicular homicide and other charges in the courtroom of Judge Don Poole.

In other testimony on Wednesday, Mike Lyttle of the TBI Crime Lab estimated that the blood alcohol content of Ms. Hinds at the time of the wreck on the night of Feb. 22, 2019, was between .14 and .18.

He said he made that estimate based on the number of drinks Ms. Hinds had consumed at a Ringgold restaurant in the hours prior to the wreck.

Director Lyttle acknowledged that it was the first time he had been asked to make such an estimate based on the number of drinks consumed.

Defense attorney Ben McGowan said the alcohol level would have been considerably less had the estimate include the actual weight of Ms. Hinds at the time - 168.6 pounds - rather than 150 pounds that was used.

Investigator Warren said there had been a frame barricade put up by city Public Works over the manhole. He said the light on the barricade was not flashing at the time.

He said another officer who was with officer Galinger had parked in a driveway nearby. He said that officer's flashing lights were not on, but he said that when motorists see flashing lights they can brake suddenly and cause more wrecks.

On the question of whether the officers at the scene should have been wearing illuminated vests, he said the policy is they should be worn when directing traffic or when an officer is going to be in the roadway working a traffic incident.

Investigator Warren said a key piece of evidence left at the scene was the front grille of a Honda CRV. He said he went to the home of Ms. Hinds at 207 Port Dr. the next day after another officer spotted a Honda CRV with major front end damage.

The investigator said the amount of the damage, including the shattered front windshield, illustrated the speed the car had been traveling. He said straight black marks on the hood were caused by items from the officer's tool belt.

Investigator Warren estimated that the Hinds vehicle was traveling between 49-53 miles per hour and likely faster.

He said officer Galinger did get hit by a second car.

Mark Hamilton of the District Attorney staff said the rain stopped just before the wreck. He said the Hinds vehicle could be seen going along Hamill Road on two nearby video systems - one at a residence at 2514 Hamill Road and another at the nearby Ministry Center.

There were two vehicles that passed ahead of the Hinds car.

Mr. Hamilton said video showed the Hinds car stop at the wreck scene, then take off.

An employee of EPB said at the time of the wreck there was a street light near the manhole that was outfitted with a high pressure sodium light bulb. She said that was later replaced by an LED light bulb that she said is more efficient.

Attorney McGowan showed an illustration depicting the LED bulb as much brighter than the sodium light bulb.
A larger deck recently constructed on the nature trail next to Praters Mill provides a birds eye view of the surrounding area. Guided tours along the trail will be offered to visitors at the annual Country Fair set for Oct. 9-10. - photo by Mitch Talley

A larger deck recently constructed on the nature trail next to Praters Mill provides a birds eye view of the surrounding area. Guided tours along the trail will be offered to visitors at the annual Country Fair set for Oct. 9-10. - photo by Mitch Talley

A small deck extends over the water, giving an up-close look at the plants and animals that call the Praters Mill area home - photo by Mitch Talley

Nestled amidst the trees, the two new observation decks in the woods next to Praters Mill seem miles from civilization.

Actually, though, the decks  located along the Norma Gordon Nature Trail  offer a convenient way for area residents to step back and take a momentary break from the hectic world around them and enjoy the natural beauty of Whitfield County year round.

Praters Mill really is a hidden treasure, says Greg Bruner, a member of the Praters Mill Foundation board who oversaw construction of the new platforms. Its great that we have such a significant property in that part of the county. And its just another park that were going to be really fortunate to have here.

While its no secret around the Southeast that Praters Mill has been the site of popular country fairs for decades, the Foundation recently commissioned the creation of a master plan to guide future development of the site, including the decks along the nature trail on the 80-acre site donated by the Boring family and located off Cleveland Highway on Praters Mill Road.

The Foundation used a $2,938 grant from the Department of Natural Resources to pay for the two decks  one that overlooks Coahulla Creek (6 x12 feet) and another larger, higher one (12 x 12 feet) that provides a birds eye view of the surrounding area. Whitfield County Buildings & Grounds crews constructed the decks earlier this summer, and already visitors have begun to walk through the two-mile-long loop, observing all that Mother Nature has to offer there, including a rookery where great blue heron have been raising their babies for the past two years

In the fall and winter, the view will really be spectacular, Mr. Bruner says. From that high platform, you can look across and see the great blue heron rookery. The fledglings have already flown away from the nest right now, but were hopeful theyll come back next spring, They usually do come back to the same colony, but you never know fingers crossed.

The first platform, located near the creek, is about a quarter-mile away from the beginning of the trail, which is located in the woods north of the old mill. The second larger platform is about a mile in.

Mr. Bruner says he walked the trail a few days ago with two teachers from nearby Coahulla Creek High School, who are planning to take advantage of the expanded trail in their agricultural science and environmental science classes.

Theyre interested in using it as an extension of their classroom and are pretty excited about the opportunity, he said, noting that the larger observation deck is only about a quarter-mile from the edge of the school property and could easily be made accessible on a trail already built as part of an Eagle Scout project.

Since parts of the trail sometimes are flooded by Coahulla Creek after heavy rains, Mr. Bruner is excited about another recent $11,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia that will pay for construction of additional footbridges and boardwalks across some of the lower-lying areas this winter.

Weve already got some small footbridges now, but theyre just resting on the surface and tend to get moved around when the water rises, Mr. Bruner says. The new footbridges and boardwalks will be more permanent structures anchored into the ground and will allow visitors to easily walk on and off them. The new structures will also help protect fragile plant life and wont block natural water from flowing under them.

He believes the project will reduce the number of days the trail is impassable because of high water to maybe half a dozen per year. But I think without those new structures, it would be 30 days a year, he says, so the bridges and boardwalks will just make it much more dependable in terms of people being able to go out there and get through without running into problems crossing water.

For visitors who arent familiar with the plants and animals theyre seeing, the Foundation  with the help of Southern Adventist University outdoor masters education student Cheryl Craven  has been mapping the trail to create explanatory signage. Helping with that project has also been a team of botanists from the DNR to ensure the different plants and trees along the trail are identified correctly, Mr. Bruner says.

The nature trail will also take advantage of the latest technology, including the use of QR codes along the way so that you can get a whole lot information about the plants and animals youre seeing, just by scanning the codes with your smartphone, he added.

Age-appropriate activities will also be posted along the way, and visitors will be able to use an app named iNaturalist to take photos of the sights there. This app will automatically associate the photos with the trail and the site, so well eventually have this cloud-sourced listing of the plant and animal life out there, Mr. Bruner says. Even though youre out there in the quiet and the peace, you can also  if youre a techie  pull it up on your phone and see all the things that people have observed out there.

The Foundation hopes to have the master plan in hand in about four months, construction of the footbridges and boardwalks completed over the winter, and the signs explaining it all in place by next spring.

In the meantime, though, visitors to the site are welcome to walk through the trail on their own. During the annual Praters Mill Country Fair on Oct. 9-10, Craven will even be there to offer guided tours of the trail to the public.



It wont really be a grand opening because we wont have all the foot bridges and boardwalks built yet, Mr. Bruner says, but the nature platforms will be there and the trail will be groomed. Even though its not a finished product, it will be open to the public to enjoy.
A bizarre photo of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way star Steven surfaced on the internet. Hes pictured on a double date with The Family Chantel stars Pedro Jimeno and Chantel Everett, along with a woman who isnt Alina. Of course, 90 Day Fiance fans are freaking out over the photos. Could the picture be a hint that Steven and Alina have split?

Alina and Steven 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 | TLC

Alina and Stevens journey on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way

25-year-old Steven, a devout Mormon from Salt Lake City, Utah, traveled to Turkey in the hopes of marrying his 20-year-old Russian girlfriend, Alina. The young couple met on a language app where Steven learned Russian and Alina learned English. After only spending two weeks together in person, chaperoned by Alinas mother, they decided to meet in Turkey and get married.

On the Sept. 19 episode of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, Alina was upset with Steven to book himself a hostel separate from her apartment. He wanted to adhere to the Law of Chasity that the Mormon church endorses and avoid sleeping together. Alina asked Steven to control his sexual urges and stay with her in the apartment because she worried about her safety.

Alina also worried that Steven would not be faithful to her during his stay in the hostel. Fans remember that Steven had asked Alina for permission to date other women earlier in their relationship. Alina asked her friend to bait Steven with flirtatious messages to see if he would be faithful.

A photo posted to the 90 Day Fiance Reddit page on Sept. 21 shows Steven on a double date with a mystery woman who is clearly not Alina. Hes sitting at a table with The Family Chantel stars, Pedro and Chantel. In the photo, Steven is on the far left with a young blonde woman sitting next to Chantel and Pedro. There is a second photo of Steven and Pedro standing side by side, drinking their drinks together. Steven appears to be flipping off the camera with the hand that is holding the glass.

While its not uncommon for 90 Day Fiance stars to meet up and hang out, it is bizarre because Steven was supposedly in Russia right now with Alina. Steven and Alina planned to meet in Turkey and get married. Then Steven would apply for Russian citizenship and move to Russia to start their life together. It appears all of that has changed now that Steven seems to be in the states. So did Alina and Steven split?

90 Day Fiance fans react to the bizzare photo

The fans of 90 Day Fiance are rightfully freaking out over this photo. Theyre confused about why Steven is in America, with another woman, and why hes hanging out with Pedro and Chantel. A Reddit user commented on the photo, Oh thank goodness, does this mean that Alina left him?! yasssss. Another commented, What is this? The twilight zone?

The fans are all trying to make sense of these photos. Who is the mystery woman? What happened to Alina? Why is Steven hanging out with Chantel and Pedro? There are so many questions that need answering. Some fans think the picture is purely for attention and possibly even staged to drum up more viewers for season 3 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way. One user wrote, 100% Steven staged this with another woman to get us watching if Alina leaves him or not.

Its unclear when these photos were taken, given the lack of context. However, it makes sense that someone took these photos after Steven made his 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way debut, which means they were likely pretty recent. The images could hint that Alina and Steven may have split while they were in Turkey. Fans will have to keep watching 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way for the whole story.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance Fans Call Out Sumits Nervous Body Language During Marriage Discussion With Jenny
Evan Peters is best known for playing numerous characters on FXs American Horror Story. Whether its portraying a psychotic serial killer or a right-winged cult leader, fans have a special appreciation for all his characters. However, there is one particular character that trumps the others in the AHS universe.

Evan Peters | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Evan Peters first appeared in American Horror Story: Murder House

Fans were first introduced to Peters in American Horror Storys first season, Murder House. Firstly, he played the role of Tate Langdon. Tate first appeared as Dr. Ben Harmons (Dylan McDermott) psychiatric patient. Then, he develops a romantic relationship with Harmons daughter, Violet (Taissa Farmiga). Since then, the actor has starred in all nine seasons, excluding 1984 (Season 9).

Peters is one of the longest-serving cast members in Ryan Murphys anthology series. Other actors include Sarah Paulson, Frances Conroy, Lily Rabe, and Finn Wittrock. In addition, the actor became a fan favorite, with many noting his unwavering charisma on-screen.

James Patrick March was a hit among fans

Evan Peters from American Horror Story: Hotel | Prashant Gupta/FX

RELATED: American Horror Story: Fan Theories Suggest Season 10s Black Pills Are Connected to Season 5, Hotel

In a Reddit poll, one fan posted a list of Peters AHS characters and asked others to vote on their favorite. Out of the choices, fans picked the psychopathic serial killer, James Patrick March (Hotel Season 5). March designed the infamous Hotel Cortez.

The hotel owner was a ruthless killer  he murdered his victims and hid their bodies in the hotels infrastructure. In the early 1930s, Marchs loyal assistant, Miss Evers, reported him to the police and said he was responsible for the first Ten Commandments murders.

When Evers told March the police were on their way, he decides to kill them both. Ultimately, March killed the assistant with a gun, and he slit his throat with a knife. He became one of the most notorious serial killers of all time; the ghost of his victims and his soul remain trapped in Hotel Cortez to the present day.

Many fans agreed that this was Peters best performance in American Horror Story. Marchs sadistic backstory and overall attire was a hit among viewers. One Redditor wrote, Evan Peters with the weird mustache and cartoonishly evil accent makes me [smile].

Fans also love Kai Anderson from Cult

Evan Peters from American Horror Story: Cult | Frank Ockenfels/FX

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Although March won the overall vote, many praised the actors portrayal of Kai Anderson in Cult (Season 7). Anderson was a cult leader from a small, suburban town in Michigan. Some fans applauded Peters approach to the character, noting its powerful execution on-screen.

Evan Peters gave an amazing performance in all his roles, but what he did with Kai exceeded every expectation, another fan wrote. Brilliant, wonderful acting, I knew he was very good, but his work on Cult was something else.

Lastly, another Redditor wrote, Its hard to choose anyone because he puts so much into his roles and really becomes the characters. But, he was outstanding as Kai.

How to watch American Horror Story Season 10

In August 2021, American Horror Story Season 10 returned to FX. Double Feature premieres in Part 1: Red Tide and Part 2: Death Valley. The first segment follows Doris Gardner (Lily Rabe), and her husband Harry (Finn Wittrock), and her daughter Alma (Ryan Kiera Armstrong).

The family moves to a secluded town in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Soon, they realize the small town is filled with bloodthirsty vampires. While the storyline for part two remains under wraps, Death Valley centers around aliens.

American Horror Story: Double Feature airs every Wednesday at 10 p.m ET/PT on FX.
In the 1990s, The Fugees rose to become one of the most prominent groups in hip-hop. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel released their smash album The Score in 1996, which remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. To celebrate the albums 25th anniversary, the group is embarking on a massive international tour.

The Fugees | Tabatha Fireman/Redferns

The Fugees are touring to celebrate 25 years of The Score

The groups second and final studio album The Score was released in February 1996. It was highly praised for hit songs such as Ready or Not, Killing Me Softly, and Fu-Gee-La.

In a press release about the upcoming anniversary tour, Lauryn Hill was honest about her relationship with the album: she didnt even know the anniversary had passed.

The Fugees have a complex but impactful history, she said in a press release. I wasnt even aware the 25th anniversary had arrived until someone brought it to my attention. I decided to honor this significant project, its anniversary, and the fans who appreciated the music by creating a peaceful platform where we could unite, perform the music we loved, and set an example of reconciliation for the world.

Wyclef Jean added a similar sentiment. As I celebrate 25 years with the Fugees, my first memory was that we vowed, from the gate, we would not just do music we would be a movement, he said. We would be a voice for the unheard, and in these challenging times, I am grateful once again, that God has brought us together.

The Fugees (L-R) Pras Michel, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill | Paul Natkin/Getty Images

RELATED: The Fugees: Rohan Marley Says Wyclef Jean Lied About Believing His Son by Lauryn Hill Could Possibly Be Jeans

Where are The Fugees going on their reunion tour?

The Fugees are kicking off a 12-city tour this fall, starting with a special pop-up show at Pier 17 in New York City on September 22. The tour will officially kick off in full in early November. It will have performances in the United States, France, the UK, Nigeria, and Ghana.

The tour dates are as follows:

Wednesday, September 22: New York City  Pier 17

Tuesday, November 2: Chicago, IL  United Center

Sunday, November 7: Oakland, CA  Oakland Arena

Friday, November 12: Los Angeles, CA  The Forum

Thursday, November 18: Atlanta, GA  State Farm Arena

Sunday, November 21: Miami, FL  FTX Arena

Friday, November 26: Newark, NJ  Prudential Center

Sunday, November 28: Washington, D.C.  Capital One Arena

Saturday, December 4: Paris, France  La Defense Arena

Monday, December 6: London, U.K.  The O 2

TBA: Nigeria  TBA

Saturday, December 18: Ghana  TBA

RELATED: Lauryn Hill Explains Why She Never Made Another Album After The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

How to buy tickets for The Fugees reunion tour

Naturally, fans of the Fugees spanning all generations and demographics are thrilled about the tour. Securing tickets may prove to be difficult as a result.

Tickets for the Fugees The Score 25th anniversary tour will go on sale to the general public on Friday, September 24, 2021 at 10 a.m. local time on LiveNation.
Hobbit Day 2021 celebrates the 20th anniversary of Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings trilogy. Surprisingly though, The Lord of the Rings franchise received very few comic adaptations over the years. In fact, out of all of JRR Tolkiens Middle-Earth books, only The Hobbit comics have fully materialized. However, they managed to outperform the massive DC title, Suicide Squad.

Martin Freeman and Kate McKinnon | Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal

Hobbit Day 2021 looks back at JRR Tolkeins Lord of the Rings

The Hobbit released in 1937, while Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers debuted in 1954.

The JRR Tolkien fantasy world of Middle-Earth was never unpopular, but it peaked with Jacksons trilogys release.

However, with Tolkien long gone, fans had to look to the past. A franchise as enormous as Lord of the Rings had to have dozens of adaptations, right?

On this day in 1978: the @ralphbakshi animated film The Lord of the Rings was released. Based on #Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, this was the first licenced visual adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. pic.twitter.com/eBJTYeb4zt  Tolkien Society (@TolkienSociety) November 15, 2020

An article from Polygon notes that Middle-Earth had seen several other mediums off the page.

There had been no less than four radio versions, two television adaptations, a stage play, and an earlier animated movie based on the opening book in the trilogy, Polygon reported.

Fans could enjoy the earlier adaptations, yet audiences could not ignore the glaring whole. Seemingly everything received comic adaptations, from Star Wars to Scooby-Doo!

While the trilogy never saw a comic adaptation, its predecessor did; two, in fact.

The 1989 Hobbit Day celebrated the Hobbit comic outselling DCs Suicide Squad and Sandman

The Polygon article confirmed that The Hobbit: An Illustrated Edition of the Fantasy Classic actually outsold some surprisingly big titles.

The Hobbit: An Illustrated Edition of the Fantasy Classic was originally released as a three-issue series by indie publisher Eclipse Comics, launching in August 1989 and selling surprisingly well, based on contemporaneous sales charts, Polygon reported.

While 1978 established Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week, 1989 celebrated The Hobbit outperforming huge names at Marvel and DC.

A few issues of the Hobbit (1989) by Charles Dixon and David Wenzel. See more at https://t.co/NAYaNuALgd pic.twitter.com/SniEdWwcAQ  EHTcomics (@EHTcomics) May 22, 2021

Among those titles were Suicide Squad and Neil Gaimans Sandman, both of which secured film adaptations.

Suicide Squad #32 saw Amanda Waller send a team including Captain Boomerang, Vixen, and Bronze Tiger to Iran to rescue an American citizen. Meanwhile, issue 8 of Sandmans second volume followed Dream accompanying Death as she visited souls worldwide.

The series was written by Chuck Dixon, the same guy that also wrote DCs Nightwing and Robin for years in the 1990s, Polygon said, but the real star of the book was David Wenzel, a former Marvel creator.

On the Marvel side, The Hobbit comic ranked above Punisher and Cloak and Dagger.

This was the second Hobbit comic adaptation

If the 1989 debut of The Hobbit comic marked the first adaptation for Middle-Earth, fans would understandably rush to the stands for the events.

However, The Hobbit: An Illustrated Edition of the Fantasy Classic was the second comic adaptation for the book.

The first wasnt a comic strip; British publishers Fleetway ran an abridged version of the story, accompanied by spot illustrations by Ferguson Dewar, across 15 issues of the anthology series Princess and Girl in 1964, Polygon reported.

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings movies, so each week this year, we're publishing a new story looking at what made the trilogy so eternal. Read on for the #YearoftheRing: https://t.co/GL4ISsLtxz pic.twitter.com/nD3PpjMnBj  Polygon (@Polygon) March 6, 2021

Though, this initial adaptation was not received kindly by Tolkien himself. The author complained that Gandalf resembled more of a magician than a wizard.

The staying power of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit cannot be denied. As Hobbit Day 2021 celebrates the 20th anniversary of Jacksons epic trilogy, Middle-Earth saw adventures in several other mediums.

RELATED: Lord of the Rings: How Elijah Woods Snagged Frodos Role
Sept. 22 is Hobbit Day, and no one is celebrating it better than Italian pastry chef Nicolas Gentile. The Lord of the Rings superfan is determined to live that hobbit life by making his own Shire in Italy. And hes already gotten started: hes been living in a self-made Hobbit hole for three years. And the Lord of the Rings actors are absolutely here for it. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, and Billy Boyd all showed their support for Gentiles efforts to live his dream Shire life in recent Cameo videos.

The Shire filming location | Alex Livesey  FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

A Lord of the Rings fan built his own Hobbit hole

Fans of Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings franchise know they can visit the Shire in New Zealand. The franchises production staff built a real-life Hobbit village in New Zealand as a tourist attraction that has been enjoyed by countless J.R.R. Tolkien fans. But Gentile has taken his Tolkien love to the next level by living like a Hobbit.

Gentile runs the Instagram account called My Hobbit Life, where he shares updates on his whimsical lifestyle. He told Insider he spent all of his lifes savings building his Hobbit home outside the Italian city of Chieti in Abruzzo. He said:

I have always loved fantasy literature and movies, Dungeons and Dragons, and video games. But at some point in my life, I felt like I was living the adventures of others and not my own. I decided that I, too, would live my life like a character in the movies and books I loved so much.

L'uomo che sta ricreando la contea degli hobbit in Abruzzo



Nicolas Gentile, il 37enne pasticciere amante della saga tolkieniana che ha deciso di costruire una vera contea di hobbit a pochi chilometri da Chieti. Affrontando anche il suo Smaug: la burocrazia italiana. pic.twitter.com/Nx7SUf19Di  Wired Italia (@wireditalia) May 15, 2021

RELATED: Hobbit Day 2021: A Lord of the Rings Comic Once Destroyed Suicide Squad and Sandman in Sales

Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd show their support for fan-made Shire

Gentiles home has piqued the interest of many. And now, hes hoping to raise enough money to build his own Shire. And Wood, Astin, and Boyd got involved in the crowdfunding efforts.

The Lord of the Rings actors played Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, and Peregrin (Pippin) Took in the Jackson films. And in a collection of Cameo videos shared on Gentiles Instagram, they praised his efforts. The videos started with all of the actors speaking in Italian before sharing more kind words. Wood said:

It is incredible what youre doing. I love all of the costumes and the individual set photos youve done in front of fires and spoking pipe. Its so beautiful. But also the design  a perfect replica of Bag End! How did you do that?! Looking at the 3D mach-ups, it is absolutely perfect from what I remember Bag End to be.

If Im ever in your neck of the woods, in your Shire, I would love to visit, he added.

I know you walked for 300km to throw the ring into Vesuvius. Into Vesuvius! Astin said. This is an amazing thing! I dont know if the Italian mountains are Mordor, but all that effort and work is a wonderful thing!

I hear theres a lot of building going on in Italy, Boyd said before speaking some Italian.

That was very bad Italian, he smiled, but its the best I can do to help Nicolas build his own Shire in Italy, which I think would be a wonderful thing.

The Lord of the Rings cast Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom | Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images

RELATED: Amazons The Lord of the Rings Series Breaking Major Tradition With Season 2

Nicolas Gentile is crowdfunding to build his own Shire

Gentile couldnt believe the Lord of the Rings casts words of support. He told The Guardian it shows their true character (aka theyre real Hobbits). He said:

Seeing their humanity, their emotion, for my project filled me with pride and joy, he said. I understood they are very humble, simple people. In short, come to think of it, Wood, Boyd, and Astin are real Hobbits.

No doubt, Wood, Astin, and Boyds participation will help spread the word about Gentiles crowdfunding. Hes hoping to pull together $1.8 million to create his livable Shire neighborhood, called La Contea Gentile.
Throughout all the MCU films, a fairly diverse range of cultures speaking all sorts of languages are shown. Though the films focus on a mostly American group of superheroes, fans have heard dozens of languages other than English spoken onscreen just as they would be in normal, everyday life. Some fans have been quick to notice that sometimes communication is a little too simple between characters, however. As gods and aliens show up in the MCU, theyve often been able to quickly and easily communicate in plain English with locals here on Earth. Though ease of storytelling probably has more than a little to do with it, the MCU doesnt commonly have overlooked details, and there are some explanations in-universe as to how characters can communicate in English so easily.

Not just an English issue

Most MCU titles are dubbed into over a dozen languages, so its not always English that the aliens show up on Earth speaking. While theres certainly other languages spoken in Marvel movies, even alien ones, the language of the audience is always what most of the significant action of the film happens in.

This isnt always the case. In the recent Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, much of the dialogue is in Mandarin Chinese because its the native language of the characters.Thor: The Dark World had the dark elves speak almost exclusively in their native tongue throughout the film, but inexplicably, when he meets Jane Foster, Malekith speaks perfect English.

Most moviegoers probably understand that this is done mostly so that the audience can easily understand whats going on throughout the film without having to constantly watch subtitles. Some MCU films have, however, offered explanations for their ability to break the language barrier, and decades of comic tradition also give lots of possible solutions to communication problems.

The old sci-fi standby in the MCU

Kevin Feige | Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

In a recent discussion on Reddit, one fan was curious about how it was that so many aliens understood English. Many fans were quick to note that both Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel mention that the characters are using universal translators.

This brings up a lot of other questions about these translators though. As one fan mentions, It really bothers me that the avengers can understand the guardians in infinity war even tho they dont have the translator implants. It could actually be the case that only one translator is needed, as Carol Danvers seems to imply in her film that her translator should be all thats needed for her to communicate with humans.

The comics have offered other explanations for the issue, but mostly in the same form as a universal translator. One fan says, In one of the first FF4 comics issues, Mr. Fantastic invents a universal translator. This probably was seen as an easy fix for early comic creators, but the fan continues, Which is never mentioned again.

Magic

In a world that contains beings of unimaginable power, there are some tricks that Marvel characters may have to communicate with alien races that dont involve the latest tech. One commenter even fills other fans in on the comic explanation for why all races understand the gods in words they can understand (remember Loki in Germany?), saying, Thor and the Asgardians, as well as other gods use Allspeak, a magical language interpreted by every species as their native tongue.

There are plenty of other literary devices Marvel has used to explain it over the years, and at the end of the day characters understanding each other just makes for better storytelling. Still, its amazing to know that the mythology and tradition of Marvel are so vast, that you can really explain every little detail in its rich multiverse.

RELATED: Doctor Strange: Stephen Strange Canonically Knows Hes Played by Benedict Cumberbatch
Netflix officially released My Names teaser trailer, giving Korean drama fans a taste of what is to come from Han So-Hees new crime show. The K-dramas official Netflix page has a new teaser trailer explaining Ji-Woos (Han) troubling past that leads her to take revenge.

Ji-Woo joins one of the most ruthless crime gangs in South Korea to find the culprit behind her fathers murder. To get answers, Ji-Woo joins the police force and lives a double life under a new name.

Han So-Hee as Ji-Woo in My Name Netflix K-drama | via Netflix

Ji-Woo leaves her life behind to become Oh Hye-Jin

The Netflix K-drama My Name is a dark and gritty crime story of a young woman trying to find her fathers killer. The first teaser showed Ji-Woo joining an organized crime gang and promised their protection. Ji-Woo plans to join the police force and becomes a mole for the gang. Before doing so, Ji-Woo must abandon who she was once was. Her old life is now gone as she trains to become a skilled fighter and learns to survive in a world of crime.

After joining the police force, Ji-Woo is assigned to the drug unit and partners with a cop who is a stickler for the rules. Intermixed in her story is a veteran detective who will stop at nothing to take down the gangs boss. Ji-Woo not only looks for clues of her fathers killer but has to pretend to be a dutiful officer and follower of the law.

New My Name trailer explains Ji-Woos backstory

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On the My Name Netflix page, a new teaser gives fans an explanation behind Ji-Woos fathers death and who he is. The video begins showing a bruised Ji-Woo with a severely swollen eye. Crime boss Choi Moo-Jin (Park Hee-Soon) gives her a new identity as Oh Hye-Jin. The scene cuts to Ji-Woo in funeral attire standing in front of her fathers dead body, asking who killed him. Entering the funeral is Moo-Jin.

The trailer shows how powerful Moo-Jin is in the world of crime and reveals Ji-Woos father was his closest friend, even considering him a brother. It seems as though Ji-Woo had no idea about her fathers secret life. Fans see firsthand Ji-Woo witnessing her fathers murder. Her father comes home intoxicated, waking up Ji-Woo. As he wishes his daughter a happy birthday, someone approaches from behind. Ji-Woo watches her father as he gets fatally shot.

After losing her only family, Ji-Woo wants revenge. The trailer shows a man dressed in all black concealing his face with a motorcycle helmet. Moo-JIn explains to Ji-Woo the only way to get revenge is to become a person who can kill. Looking emotionless, Ji-Woo says, Two names, two identities, as it montages her training and joining the police. The final scene is Ji-Woo listening to her fathers last words.

Fans believe Han So-Hees My Name Netflix K-drama will be a hit

RELATED: Tudum: Korea Spotlight: Is Jam-Packed With K-Drama Content for Netflix Fans

Han So-Hee has developed a fan base over the past two years with her role in Netflixs Nevertheless and her breakthrough role in The World of the Married. Playing Ji-Woo in My Name is a drastic shift for the actor. One fan on Reddit says, I just finished Nevertheless and its so weird seeing her doing a complete 180. Nonetheless, still excited for this one! Fans are excited more than ever to see Han become a ruthless character seeking retribution for her father. The latest still images ramped up the anticipation for the crime K-drama.

Fans on Reddit have loved the teasers for My Name so far and even compare it to having a John Wick-style storyline. Knowing Han So-Hees aesthetic before she became an actor, THIS is the role I was waiting for her to score. I feel like this is very much right up her alley, said one Redditor. Many have commended Hans ability to play three drastically different roles in such a short time.
Article Highlights:

What is sovereign immunity and does Prince Andrew have it?

What is the marital privilege rule?

What Sarah Ferguson has said recently about her embattled ex-husband

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew photographed standing next to each other during Royal Ascot | Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images

Theres a lot going on lately with members of the royal family from the rift between Prince Harry and other senior royals to Princess Beatrice welcoming her first child to the queens son Prince Andrews legal troubles. The family may have thought they could brush the years of sexual abuse allegations against the Duke of York under the rug until Andrews accuser filed a lawsuit against him. Now, with reports swirling that Andrew will do anything to save himself, the chatter of him remarrying his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson has been brought up by royal watchers. Heres more on why the Duke and Duchess of York may be walking down the aisle again.

What is sovereign immunity and does Prince Andrew have it?

Prince Andrew was forced to step down from his royal duties following his 2019 car crash Interview with the BBC in which he denied the accusations that he had sex with alleged Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was a minor. Prior to Giuffre filing the civil lawsuit, U.S. prosecutors stated that Andrew had been unwilling to speak to law enforcement about his association with Epstein. A question that has come up a number of times is: Does the prince have Sovereign Immunity?

Many royal fans have heard of Sovereign Immunity but arent quite sure what it is or if it applies to Andrews situation. According to the royal households website, sovereign immunity means that civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the sovereign as a person under U.K. law.

That law, however, only applies to Queen Elizabeth II not the rest of her family. Therefore, Andrew does not have that protection in this matter.

What is the marital privilege rule?

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson on their wedding day in 1986 | John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty Images

Andrew and Fergie were married on July 23, 1986. They divorced following what became known as Sarahs toe-sucking scandal with businessman John Bryan. Over the years the two have remained very close and even live under the same roof. This has led to rumors that they are considering getting hitched again and some believe that could happen sooner than later because of the Marital Communications Privilege.

The Royal Observer noted that under that, any communications privately disclosed between a husband and wife are protected. Moreover, either spouse may invoke the privilege and prevent the other from testifying about their private marital communications in a civil or criminal matter.

This has led to the conclusion that Andrew and Sarah will be rushing to say I do. However, that may not be the case as the duke and duchess dont need to get remarried to invoke the privilege because it can be asserted by a spouse even after divorce to protect confidential communications that were made during the marriage. So if Sarah knows anything pertaining to Epstein or his alleged victims she cannot testify under the communications privilege.

What Sarah Ferguson has said about her embattled ex-husband?

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson having a conversation during Royal Ascot | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

If Sarah and Andrew do decide to tie the knot again it wont be in an effort to try and save the prince from any legalities. Married or not the Duchess of York has made it clear exactly how she feels about Andrew and that she still honors their wedding vows.

During an appearance on the British TV program Lorraine, Sarah said that Andrew is just such a good man. Hes a really thoroughly good man, hes a very gentle man.

And while in Poland recently Fergie revealed that she still stands by her wedding vows. I kept my commitment, no matter what. People said: You got divorced They dont know how I feel. Divorce is one thing, but my heart is my oath, my obligation, she told Polsat News.

RELATED: Prince Philip Had Warned Prince Andrew About Seedy Billionaires Before His Death, Royal Biographer Says
The Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard revealed her husband, Chris Bassett, also began stepping in as her manager, a situation Gizelle Bryant admitted raised yellow flags for her. Dillard blasted Bryant in response to the comments.

RHOP stars, Candiace Dillard, her husband Chris Bassett; Gizelle Bryant on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Heidi Gutman/Getty Images; Charles Sykes/Getty Images

Gizelle Bryant voiced concerns about Candiace Dillards husband managing her during RHOP season 6

Candiace Dillard opened up about her husband, Chris Bassett, now managing her music career at a dinner during the Williamsburg, Virginia cast trip.

OG Gizelle Bryant and friend of the show, Askale Davis, wondered if their dynamic worked for them and Dillard explained he has the utmost belief in her.

RELATED: RHOP: Gizelle Bryant Says She and Newbie Mia Thornton Had a Rocky Start Due to Another Housewife

However, she admitted they had arguments and that her mother didnt like the situation as she thinks Bassett might try to live off her daughter. Additionally, Dillard implied she doesnt have a contract with her husband as his manager. Regardless, she claimed she trusted her husband and wouldnt have married him if she felt he wouldve used her.

Bryant told Dillard she didnt want her to resent Bassett because shes focused on building a career while he isnt. She also admitted shes concerned hes riding her coattails. While Dillard acknowledged the concern, she insisted she knows her marriage.

Bryant claimed the situation raised yellow flags for Dillard blasted her in response

During the Aftershow, Bryant explained shes aware of Dillards desire to act and sing and believes the RHOP star has an out of the world personality to pull it off. Therefore, she wants her to be successful.

However, the OG Housewife noted Bassett not pursuing cooking anymore, even though hes a chef, and is now choosing to manage Dillard, raising yellow flags for her.

The Undisputed Champ of Reads #RHOP pic.twitter.com/Iwx3roRonw  absolutely that hoe did (@candiace_clique) September 19, 2021

She also admitted the situation caused her spidey senses to go up. Dillard responded to Bryant, claiming she didnt believe the Bravo star could recognize a supportive husband. She continued, noting her husband would do anything to make her happy and support her career while she doesnt think Bryants ex would do the same.

Additionally, Dillard said she considered her co-stars response a product of her environment, claiming shes reacting out of personal experience.

The most recent episode involved her mother, Dorothy, asking questions about their situation

The Sept. 19 episode featured the ladies, except for Ashley Darby, appearing as extras in Dillards music video. While they waited around for cars to show up, newbie Mia Thornton asked Dillards mom, Dorothy, if Bassett planned on attending the video shoot.

She answered that she didnt know and admitted she disagreed with their husbandger arrangement. Thornton agreed, explaining she and her husband previously tried it, and it didnt work.

I LOVE this photo. If I had to describe our relationship in a photo, this would be it. Thank you @loutfieliasAL for the reminder #RHOP pic.twitter.com/ojDozPqBph  CANDIACE (@TherealCANDIACE) August 11, 2021

RELATED: RHOP Season 6 Trailer Teases Fight Between Candiace Dillard and New Housewife Mia Thornton

The newest housewife then asked if she paid Bassett as her manager, and Dillards mom admitted that the payroll situation served as an issue as she didnt think so. The conversation made Davis and Wendy Osefo uncomfortable, and they walked over to Karen Huger and Robyn Dixon, where they relayed the discussion.

Dorothy later began gossiping to Huger about the restaurant closing and her desire for Bassett to move up. Dillard has yet to respond to her mothers comments, although she noted shes aware of how she feels. The Real Housewives of Potomac airs on Sundays at 8/7 Central on Bravo.
Stranger Things Season 2 has a cloud hanging over it throughout all nine episodes. Yes, the third season really amps up the fear and gore, but when we join our friends in Hawkins, Indiana, in season 2, everyone is in a slump.

The actors in the series are talented because they know how to channel their emotions into excellent performances. However, theres one scene in Stranger Things Season 2 that took a toll on both David Harbour, who plays Chief Jim Hopper, and Millie Bobby Brown, who plays the role of Eleven.

David Harbour as Chief Jim Hopper | Netflix

David Harbour had a hard time processing his emotions for this scene in Stranger Things Season 2

In the second season of the Netflix hit series, we find Hopper keeping Eleven safe from anyone who might want to take her back to Hawkins Lab, or someplace even worse. Shes been hiding out in Hoppers grandfathers cabin in the woods and hasnt had any contact with a single person besides Hopper.

Hes given her three rules to follow, and those rules keep her isolated from the rest of the world. We understand that Hopper is only trying to keep her safe, but the isolation takes a toll on the young girl.

After realizing Hopper might not ever let her rejoin civilization, she sneaks out on her own. The police chief learns about her jaunt into town through a call from another worried Hawkins parent. After he gets home, she arrives, and hes furious with her disobedience. Locked in a battle of wills, Hopper tries to ground her, and Eleven proceeds to have a psychic tantrum and eventually blows the windows out of the cabin.

There is a lot of yelling and tears, which anyone would expect after such an emotional showdown, but the actors themselves had a hard time dealing with the scene as well. Harbour sat down with Insider to talk about the show and this scene in particular.

I mean I was feeling all messed up about it, Harbour said. But I did want to treat the scene with the respect it deserves and I wanted to treat Millie [Bobby Brown] with the respect she deserves as my female costar, and really give her my all and my power, and shes able to give it right back. So that was a very complicated day.

all hopper ever wanted was to keep el safe and so he did just that pic.twitter.com/yDoJevtYmB  stranger writers (@strangerwriters) August 20, 2019

RELATED: Stranger Things: 3 Reasons We Love Steve Harrington

Harbour also mentioned another scene involving an argument with Finn Wolfhard

As we said, Stranger Things Season 2 has all of the characters on edge, and its evident in the scenes when an argument has to play out. This scene, however, has Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) instigating the fight. Mike lashes out at Hopper because he feels like hes been lied to, and really, he has.

As much as the audience understands it was for his own good, we know why a kid would take a less forgiving approach. Harbour, however, felt this was an easier scene to film.

In terms of the scene with Mike, I gotta say, that was really easy, Harbour said. I mean, look, I love all the kids equally. But as my parents would say, Some months one kid is your favorite and other months a different kid is your favorite, and I have to say during that sequence, Finn [Wolfhard] really is one of my favorites.

Were just glad it all worked out in the end. When we catch up with our friends in Stranger Things Season 3, Hopper has moved on to being annoyed by much more typical parenting issues  like how much time his daughter is making out in her bedroom with her boyfriend.

RELATED: Could Stranger Things Season 4 Continue the B-Name Curse?

Where will we find our favorite Hawkins residents in Stranger Things Season 4?

Stranger Things Season 3 ended on a devastating cliffhanger. However, we didnt have to worry for long, thanks to the showrunners. While we had a few months of wondering if our favorite small-town police chief was alive, our minds were put to ease with the first teaser trailer released back in Feb. 2020.

Right now, we can expect to see Stranger Things Season 4 return in 2022, but nothing more specific. Fans hope well get an actual release date at the upcoming Netflix global fan event TUDUM on Sept. 25. In the meantime, well just have to satisfy ourselves with multiple rewatches of the first three seasons.
The Wonder Years is returning to TV. This time it will look very different than what fans of the original show might remember. Like the 1988 show, The Wonder Years 2021 will be set in the 1960s. It will also examine the life of a young boy as he walks through those very last years of childhood.

Here are details on The Wonder Years 2021 including the release date. Weve also revealed how to watch it and how its connected to the original show.

Amari ONeil as Cory Long, Milan Ray as Keisa Clemmons, Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams, Elisha Williams as Dean Williams, Saycon Sengbloh as Lillian Williams, Julian Lerner as Brad Harper, and Dule Hill as Bill Williams in The Wonder Years | Matt Sayles/ABC via Getty Images

When does The Wonder Years reboot premiere?

Set in 1968 in Montgomery, Alabama, The Wonder Years reboot premieres on ABC on Sept. 22 at 8:30 p.m. EST. The original series followed Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), who group up in the same time period in the suburbs. This version of the series has a twist.

The Wonder Years 2021 follows Dean Williams (Elisha EJ Williams), a 12-year-old Black boy. The Williams family includes Deans music professor father Bill (Dule Hill), his mother, Lillian Williams (Saycon Sengbloh) and his older sister, Kim (Laura Kariuki) who has her sites on becoming a Black Panther. Also, Deans older brother Bruce is mentioned. Howeve, its stated that he is away fighting in the Vietnam War. On the show, Dean deals with the trials and tribulations of tweendom. However, hes also dealing with ever-changing world around him, especially as it pertains to race and racism.

Dean attends a recently integrated school, Jefferson Davis Junior High School and the pilot opens on a day that would change the course of American history. Despite whats happening around him, Dean is also very much concerned with his very cool best friend, Cory (Amari ONeil) and his oblivious crush, Keisa Clemmons (Milan Ray).

Savage directed the pilot and he says he cant wait for the new series. Were maintaining a similar tone from the original, a blend of comedy and truth with a narrator looking back on youth with the wisdom of age, the executive producer told the Boston Herald. But there are things that are incredibly unique about this show.

RELATED: The Wonder Years: Danica McKellar Said Kevin and Winnies First Kiss Nearly Killed Us Both

How to watch the reboot?

This reimagining of The Wonder Years is set to air on ABC. The episode will be available to stream on Hulu the next day. Though television has certainly become more diverse and inclusive in recent years, this series is something that hasnt been explored just yet.

When you think back to this time period in Black America, you think impoverished; you think of what the media portrayed us to be, executive producer Lee Daniels explanined. This is a story that hasnt been told.

RELATED: The Wonder Years: The Shows 6-Season Run Ended Because Fred Savage and the Other Kids Werent Kids Anymore

Where can you watch the original The Wonder Years?

All six seasons of the Emmy winning drama series are available to stream on Hulu. The show originally debuted after the Super Bowl on January 31, 1988. At the time, 29 million people stuck around to watch the series.

It will be wonderful to see if the magic of The Wonder Years can be reimagined with the new series.


Months after the Southern Baptist Convention voted for a third-party investigation into how its Executive Committee responded to abuse allegations, leaders failed to adopt the conventions terms for the process, deferring to ongoing negotiations between leaders and a sexual abuse task force.

The two-day proceedings in Nashville highlighted growing turmoil in the nations largest Protestant body and disappointed victims who had held out hope the convention would adopt a thorough outside review to address its missteps.

Still up for debate is whether the Executive Committee (EC) will comply with the conventions directive to waive attorney-client privilege to allow investigators to obtain relevant documents from EC members and staff.

The majority of the EC voted against doing so, with several citing the fiduciary duty to protect the entity and the denomination as a whole.

We grieve yesterdays vote by the Executive Committee, who in unprecedented fashion prohibited the will of the messengers for an open and transparent investigation, a dozen EC membersincluding Jared Wellman, an outspoken advocate for victims, and Rolland Slade, the EC chairmansaid in a statement. It is our opinion that the failed vote only justifies the need for an open investigation.

After consulting with additional legal counsel who reportedly advised against waiving privilege, the EC voted to take another week to negotiate on access to privileged information. However, the group also agreed to fully fund the upcoming investigation up to $1.6 million.

Not a win, but a step, tweeted Florida pastor and EC member Dean Inserra, who was among the minority of EC leaders who spoke up to waive privilege. I promise we tried.

Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) president Ed Litton said Tuesdays outcome fell far short of the mandate expressed by the messengers.

At their annual meeting in June, Southern Baptists approved forming a task force to oversee a third-party investigation of the ECs abuse response. According to the motion, the investigation should follow accepted best standards and practices, including waiving privilege and releasing a public report of the findings; these specifications were seen as good-faith efforts to ensure the credibility of the process.

If its not done in a way that the survivors have requested, then survivors wont trust the results, said Hannah-Kate Williams, who filed a lawsuit in August against the EC and other SBC entities and leaders for failing to investigate abuse allegations.

She attended the Nashville meeting along with several other survivors, wearing T-shirts with a quote from theologian Russell Moore: Lets Not Do Stupid Stuff.

The move to investigate the EC came after leaked letters showed top SBC leadersincluding Moore, who was then president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), and J. D. Greear, then president of the SBCdetailing deep concern about mishandled abuse claims. Their correspondence documented ongoing concerns and gave support to the narratives victims had shared for years about their frustrations with reporting their abuse and official inaction when credible allegations against churches had been brought forward.

As EC member and Texas pastor Jared Wellman pointed out during Tuesdays discussion, it has been a tumultuous few years for the EC, a prominent body of leaders that enacts SBC business outside the annual meetings. Former EC president Frank Page resigned in 2018 over a morally inappropriate relationship; longtime general counsel Augie Boto was barred from employment with any SBC entity as part of a settlement issued in February; and the EC-run Baptist Press mischaracterized the abuse of Jennifer Lyell, then a leader at Lifeway, by presenting it as an affair.

Ahead of the annual meeting, the EC initially opted to launch its own third-party investigation, but the convention voted to transfer oversight of that investigation to a task force appointed by its new president. The task force hired the same firm to oversee the review as the EC planned toGuidepost Solutionsbut emphasized that the EC cant be the one to determine what information comes to light.

On Monday and Tuesday, the Executive Committee heard from task force chair Bruce Frank, a North Carolina pastor, and Julie Myers Wood, CEO of Guidepost. Both emphasized that the waiver of privilege was necessary to meet the terms of the conventions motion and to signal that the investigation was trustworthy.

Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the EC, reiterated the groups stance against all forms of sex abuse, mishandling of abuse, mistreatment of victims and any intimidation of abuse survivors. During the meeting, he encouraged members to work with the task force and Guidepost in every way possible, but within our fiduciary responsibilities as assigned by the messengers.

Those opposed to waiving privilege worried that the move would open up the EC and its members to litigation and possibly bankrupt the SBC. Joe Knott, an attorney and former EC secretary, spoke up to defend the ECs responsibility for keeping SBC entities solvent. He favored moving forward and addressing attorney-client privilege at the end.

If someone is hiding something, we want it out, said Knott. But theres a way to do it without destroying our convention. A member of the Conservative Baptist Network, he suggested the investigation would vindicate current EC president Ronnie Floyd.

The officers of the EC initially proposed a motion that factored in fiduciary obligations and wouldnt require them to hand over privileged information. They said they believe there is a workable path to achieve a full and fair investigation that does not sacrifice its responsibilities or jeopardize the future work of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Many Southern Baptist pastors who saw waiving privilege as the right thing to do lamented how the deliberations seemed to downplay the importance of care for victims and transparency. Bruce Frank, the chair of the task force, repeatedly reminded the room of the significance and urgency of their decision.

Marshall Blalock, a South Carolina pastor and vice chair of the task force, said he was deeply saddened by the spirit of the way this process has gone, adding, My heart also goes out to the many survivors of sexual abuse who had hoped this would pass without controversy.

Survivor Tiffany Thigpen said the meeting was excruciating to sit through.

They were not properly prepared for such a vote, said Thigpen, who first reported her abuse to SBC leaders 30 years ago. There were so many questions that should have been handled long before this meeting.

The failure to waive attorney-client privilege was also seen as a blow to Baptist polity.

Please understand the implications of this. They have just opened up the SBC to MASSIVE liability, said Liz Evan, an attorney serving on the task force, writing for SBC Voices. In every lawsuit against the SBC thus far, the SBC has been able to argue that we are a bottom-up organization, and therefore the SBC itself has no authority over or liability for what happens at the local church level. That ended today.

The delay in decision on the attorney-client privilege element still leaves the possibility that the EC and the task force will arrive at a stalemate. Guidepost Solutions has until mid-May to look into how hundreds of staff and EC members addressed abuse over 20-plus years. Its report will go to the task force and then before the convention in June 2022.

Guidepost has experience with ministry investigations, as well as corporate cases, and is seen as committed to trauma-informed care. However, the firm has also garnered some criticism for its handling of a culture review of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and an investigation into allegations of mishandling abuse by pastor Bryan Loritts.

Ever since the #ChurchToo movement began with testimonies from survivors like Jules Woodson and the reporting on hundreds of SBC abuse cases by the Houston Chronicle, the watching world has been paying attention to how the prominent denomination will address pastoral abuse and coverup in its ranks.

As a survivor, Williams said her primary reason for showing up in Nashville this week was for the EC to know that were still here.  Were still their family. Were not going anywhere no matter how much they try to distance us from themselvesand were showing up in Anaheim, where the SBC annual meeting is scheduled to be held next year.

Last week, the ERLC followed up on another meeting motion to conduct an audit and assessment around the extent of sexual abuse in the SBC. Without opposition, its leaders agreed to commission the audit and allocated an initial quarter-million dollars to the project.
The local church is Gods plan A for life change in any community. It is always right for us to take on that mantle of leadership, but especially when there are critical needs to be met. The challenges of this past year have brought many needs to the surface. It has been hard work but also wonderful as the Lord has used many churches, just like ours, to see some of those met. Our church has been beautifully stretched as weve watched the Lord use us in reaching others.

Poverty has always been an issue, both internationally and throughout the United States, but the economic fallout from COVID-19 has had a devastating and disproportionate impact on low-income people who were already struggling. And its even worse for many other countries globally.

I am the lead and teaching pastor at Parkridge Church in Coral Springs, Florida, where we have seen first-hand the economic impact of the pandemic. We saw this as an opportunity to step up, make a positive difference, and show the church in action.

Making a Difference

The scale of the problem seemed overwhelming. We knew we needed to work with an organization that could support us in providing relief to our congregation and our community.

We partnered with Food For The Poor (FFTP), one of the largest international Christian relief and development organizations, to provide food, water, and essential household products for those in our community still struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The distribution was a success, and we provided hundreds of families with necessities and spiritual support from our prayer tent. Not only did we make a difference in each of their lives, but helping and serving others renewed us as a congregation.

Partners with Heart and Purpose

Parkridge loves any project like this because it allows us to put head, heart, and hands to work simultaneously. By partnering with FFTP, our church grows in our understanding of the Lords grace and purposes.

Since FFTPs beginning in 1982, they have focused on relationship building with pastors and churches as well as donors, government agencies, and the people they are supporting. My trip to Haiti with FFTP made me appreciate their intentional focus on specific needs and targeted areas. Their emphasis on distribution points for local relief is a blessing, and Parkridge Church is glad to partner with them to help meet crucial needs.

Together in Christ

FFTP has allowed us to come together after a tough year to do what Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25to serve the least of these. They are now broadening their involvement in evangelical partnerships both in the United States and internationally. They have been a great group to work with toward the goal of meeting physical needs while attending to the greater spiritual needs that only the gospel of Jesus Christ can provide.

Pastor Eddie Bevill leads Parkridge Church in Coral Springs, Florida.
Doctor who violated Texas abortion law is sued by disbarred lawyers

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Alan Braid, a Texas abortionist who admitted that he violated the states new law banning most abortions after six weeks gestation, was sued Monday by two disbarred pro-choice attorneys from Illinois and Arkansas who are both seeking to test the validity of the law many legal experts have called unconstitutional.

"I know what the proponents of this law are doing," disbarred Arkansas attorney Oscar Stilley, 58, told The Daily Beast about his decision to sue Braid. "They're trying to inject uncertainty so that the doctors are going to say, 'Oh, my goodness, this could bankrupt me.'"

Braid, who began his career as an obstetrician and gynecologist before the U.S. Supreme Court made abortion legal nationwide in Roe v. Wade in 1973, announced Saturday that he violated Texas new abortion law known as Senate Bill 8 just days after it became effective on Sept. 1.

Along with prohibiting abortions once a baby's heartbeat can be detected, SB 8 also allows individuals to take civil action against anyone who performs and induces an abortion or knowingly engages in conduct that aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion, including paying for or reimbursing the costs of abortion through insurance or otherwise.

In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Braid said he violated the controversial abortion law because he had a duty of care to his patient who has a fundamental right to receive this care."

I fully understood that there could be legal consequences  but I wanted to make sure that Texas didnt get away with its bid to prevent this blatantly unconstitutional law from being tested, Braid wrote.

In his complaint against Braid, Stilley is suing for the sum of $100,000, but in no case less than the statutory minimum of $10,000; for an injunction prohibiting Defendant from performing any more abortions contrary to the terms of Senate Bill 8.

He also suggests that Braid believes God wouldnt object to all abortions.

On information and belief, Defendant is thoroughly convinced that his acts, which form the basis for this lawsuit, contribute mightily to human happiness and the advancement of human society. On information and belief, Defendant believes that his Elohim (mighty ones, AKA God is entirely capable of giving a new body to replace a defective fetus, in the here and now, and not only when you die bye and bye, he wrote. On information and belief, Defendant believes that his Elohim (mighty ones, AKA God is not offended because he aborts a defective fetus, at the request of the pregnant woman.

Bexar County court records obtained by KSAT 12 in Illinois noted that Braid was also sued on Monday by Felipe N. Gomez, whose license to practice law in Illinois was suspended indefinitely on April 8 after he was accused of sending threatening and harassing emails to other attorneys.

He is not seeking monetary relief from the court but has asked the court to declare the Texas abortion law unconstitutional and a violation of Roe v. Wade.

The Justice Department, which sued Texas over the law, argued in an emergency motion last week that the state adopted the measure to prevent women from exercising their constitutional rights.

It is settled constitutional law that a state may not prohibit any woman from making the ultimate decision to terminate her pregnancy before viability, but Texas has done just that, the department said in their lawsuit.
Angela Codevilla, Christian philosopher who predicted failures of American political and foreign policy elite, dies

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One of our countrys greatest public intellectuals, Angelo Codevilla, died on Monday night. Codevilla was one of the few remaining titans of statecraft, and among the most insightful and powerful analysts of American politics and culture. Aside from his years in service to the country and teaching international relations, he was a prolific writer and analyst, defining a truly conservative foreign policy. He was nearly a decade ahead of the curve on the failures of our ruling class. Somehow, he also found time to produce a translation of Machiavellis The Prince.

I dont want to give the wrong impression: I did not know him personally, and I am wholly inadequate for the task of eulogizing a man I never even spoke to  though I do have a vague memory of him being courteous enough to respond to my emails in 2013, when I would have been 16. My father, however, did know him, and interviewed him, and prayed with him. Around that time, he pointed me in the direction of one of Codevillas many books about international politics and the history of American foreign policy, as a kind of gentle nudge to move on from my World War II obsession towards what would end up being the basis for most of my writing  international politics.

By 2013, the international relations establishment had been thoroughly penetrated by the philosophy of neoliberal internationalism, expressed in the impenetrable language of academia that we are all now intimately familiar with. I encountered terms like post-modernism, "neoliberalims," and critical theory for the first time in international relations publications. Codevilla showed another way, a philosophy of nations and their relations to one another that was uniquely Christian.

Today, we tend to see foreign policy as a choice between two poles: on one side, isolationism, the supposed refusal to use force in virtually any scenario; on the other, interventionism, the modus operandi of Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Codevilla showed us that was an illusion, a false dichotomy that paints any opposition to the latter as being a variant of the former, and vice versa.

Codevillas foreign policy put national interest at the center. It did not fall into the trap of neoconservatism and liberal internationalism, which see Americas role in the world as promoting democracy and/or human rights in distant lands. Nor did it fall into the trap of isolationism, which opposes military action in virtually every scenario, regardless of national interest. Writing about Iraq and Afghanistan, he urged us to leave others business to them, while doing a better job minding our own. Given the recent collapse in Afghanistan, caused by the utter incompetence of our elites, it would be hard to contend his point. Following the biblical standard of self-determination of nations and the doomed nature of empires, Codevilla opposed the neo-imperialism of the Bush-Obama era. (And the Wilson era, at that.)

He is probably best known for his prescient critiques of the ruling class, which informed his criticism of the foreign policy establishment. In an essay which then became the basis of a book, Codevilla laid out just how unelite our so-called elites really are. That was in 2010, 6 years before the election of Trump. In the aforementioned interview, Codevilla analogized the coming populist wave to an ill-treated horse: This country, this wonderful horse of ours, has had a bunch of bad riders and the horse is gonna buck. May the next rider be worthy of the horse.

Contrasting many of the recently-populist pundits of today, Codevilla was detailed and consistent in his critiques of the ruling class, while simultaneously warning about what might replace them. Despite his scathing critiques of the elites and long history of defending conservatives in fly-over country, Codevilla did not hop on the Trump train, criticizing the president despite enormous pressures not to  a principled stance which is still earning him vitriol even after his death. But, unlike many other conservatives who were critical of Trump, he did not abandon his principles for a job at MSNBC or CNN.

He dubbed the Democrats, as an institution of and for the elites, the Court Party, and the GOP the Country Party. This was at a time when the GOP was still seen as the party of Mitt Romney. As Michael Brendan Dougherty pointed out in his excellent obituary in National Review, Codevilla perceived what the actual political divisions in the country were back in 2009, when many thought the main dividing line was over how large the welfare state should be. Codevilla foresaw the problems the War in Iraq would face before it was launched, at a time when the vast majority of the country favored invasion. Again, neither falling into knee-jerk anti-war isolationism, nor the GI Joe foreign policy of the Bush years, he pointed out the foolishness of launching an invasion without a clear enemy, goal, and condition for victory. He made the same criticism over the then-popular war in Afghanistan.

Codevilla maintained his principles despite pressures to change, criticizing mistakes when they were made regardless of the cost to his prestige and public regard. He was, and is, attacked by both the failed elites and die-hard Trump supporters, but kept telling the truth just the same. He was vastly ahead of his time on foreign policy and the populist-elitist divide which defines modern U.S. politics. He was one of the few public intellectuals in the modern era who deserved the name. I did not know him personally, but his work was instrumental in the development of my writing and analysis of foreign affairs, and for that, I am in his debt. Right now, Im sure many readers are pouring over his work, having their worldviews challenged and changed by the vast catalogue of his excellent writing, just as I did when I was 16.



Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Pastor Jamal Bryant, UNHCR and NAACP slam Biden admins handling of Haitian migrants

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Megachurch Pastor Jamal Bryant, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People were among several powerful voices condemning the Biden administrations handling of Haitian migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.

More than 15,000 Haitian migrants illegally crossed the Rio Grande from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas, in the last three weeks, creating an immigration crisis at the border. Recent images of U.S. Border Patrol agents attempting to keep migrants from entering the country prompted Bryant on Tuesday to call on President Joe Biden to address this affront against humanity.

Im beyond outraged at #america treatment of #haiti refugees. @joebiden must address this affront against humanity. Im calling on @congressionalblackcaucus to go inspect this camp immediately! The faith community must lift its voice! Bryant wrote in a Facebook post published Tuesday. His post was accompanied by a video showing Haitian migrants gathered under the International Bridge in Del Rio as they sought entry into the U.S.

The head of the National Border Patrol Council, Brandon Judd, said he and Border Patrol agents also believe the migrants living under the bridge are being treated inhumanely by the Biden administration.

They [Border Patrol agents] have been abandoned by the administration. I mean, I get that all the time. My agents are constantly reaching out to me asking, Why isnt this administration standing up and doing something to secure the border? Why is this administration allowing cartels to have free rein of the border? Why is this administration [doing nothing] when they said that they were going to have humane immigration practices? I dont know, Judd told The Epoch Times.

You tell me, does this look like its humane right here? he added. This looks like a warzone refugee camp. Thats what this looks like. And if anybody says that this is humane, I would love for them to come and explain to me how this, right here, is humane."

As the number of migrants has surged past 15,000, the Biden administration has begun working to repatriate some single adult men and women who aren't pregnant and deter future migration. We have reiterated that our borders are not open, and people should not make the dangerous journey, Marsha Espinosa, assistant secretary for public affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement to Reuters.

An official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told Reuters that 4,000 migrants have been relocated from the camp to detention centers. Meanwhile, 523 have been deported back to Haiti on four flights. The deportation process is set to continue.

Before they made the trek to the U.S., a majority of the Haitians in the encampment were living in South American countries, such as Chile and Brazil, where they settled for economic opportunities after the 2010 earthquake.

The expulsion of the migrants comes one month after the U.S. Department of State issued a do not travel advisory to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and COVID-19 and two months after the assassination of the countrys late President Jovenel Moise.

US Border Patrol agents try to stop Haitian migrants entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas.



US says it will ramp up deportation flights for migrants flooding into Del Rio as authorities scramble to alleviate a burgeoning crisis



????Paul Ratje pic.twitter.com/m39J1yAzRq  AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 20, 2021

In a statement Tuesday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, expressed shock at the treatment of the Haitian migrants and urged the U.S. government to lift Title 42 restrictions that went into effect in March 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic broke out. Title 42 is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 that allows the government to deny entry to individuals who enter the country without authorization.

While Biden has continued the Trump-era order, his administration applied exceptions for unaccompanied children and families that Mexico refuses to allow back into the country. "Of the more than 86,000 migrant families encountered in August, only 19% were removed under Title 42  in part due to Mexicos refusal to take back families with small children," Fox News reported.

I was shocked by images of the deplorable conditions beneath the concrete highway overpass in Del Rio, Texas, where more than 14,000 Haitians had gathered after arduous journeys from a number of countries in the Americas, Grandi said. The summary, mass expulsions of individuals currently under way under the Title 42 authority, without screening for protection needs, is inconsistent with international norms and may constitute refoulement."

I reiterate UNHCRs call for the U.S. government immediately and fully to lift its Title 42 restrictions in effect since March of 2020 which continue to deny most people arriving at the southwest U.S. land border any opportunity to request asylum," he added.

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson called the U.S. governments response to the Haitian migrants utterly sickening and inhumane.

No person fleeing poverty and hunger should be treated in this egregious manner. For far too long, the Haitian community has endured mistreatment at the hands of our nation. The administration has got to grant temporary protected status (TPS) to those seeking refuge, he said in a statement. The actions of the U.S. Border Patrol are deplorable and should be investigated and reprimanded. Our country claims to be better than this  we must show it.

In response to accusations that Border Patrol agents used force against Haitian migrants, Judd said the horse patrol agents are there to prevent illegal entry into the U.S. The reins seen in images are there to control the horses and to keep people away from inadvertently being kicked, he added.

Agents have to keep the migrants away from the horses for their own protection. And so they will use the reins, to twirl the reins, so that they will stay away from the horses. But they do not use those reins to lash out, to try to strike people. Those agents did not use those reins in any way, shape, or form to try to strike anybody," Judd told The Epoch Times.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who's also the administration's border czar, agreed with Johnson, however, saying that the images of Haitian migrants at the border being blocked by border agents on horseback were horrible.

VP HARRIS: "What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were is horrible...Human beings should never be treated that way."



"...As a member of the Western Hemisphere, we've gotta support some very basic needs..." pic.twitter.com/Q8l5S6W8gi  Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 21, 2021

What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback, treating human beings the way they were, is horrible. And I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into exactly what is going on there, Harris told reporters Tuesday. Human beings should never be treated that way and I am deeply troubled about it.
Vatican mandates COVID-19 vaccination, negative test for entry into Catholic city-state

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People wishing to visit the Vatican, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and home to Pope Francis, will have to show proof that they received a COVID-19 vaccination, that they have recovered from the virus or tested negative starting in October.

Following Pope Francis' acceptance, the president of the commission in charge of Vatican City Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello signed the mandate on Monday, according to a Sept. 20 update from Vatican News, the news arm of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

The mandate requires that starting on Oct. 1, entry into Vatican City will only be allowed to people who possess the Vatican, European or foreign "Green Pass," a certification document attesting that the person has been vaccinated against COVID-19 or had previously had and recovered from COVID-19. Additionally, entry will be allowed for those who possess a negative COVID-19 test.

The Vatican News confirms that any person entering the Vatican solely to attend a liturgical celebration is exempt from the COVID-19 regulation but only for the duration of the liturgy. Participants must still wear masks, engage in temperature checks and practice social distancing before and during liturgies.

Vatican City, a city-state governed by the Holy See surrounded by Rome in Italy, is often visited by tourists and recognized for offering a wide range of antique art, architecture and museums.

To receive entry into the city-state by Vatican Police, visitors, tourists or employees will have to provide a Green Pass, the documentation of certification provided in Italy to avoid the spread of COVID-19, proof of having recovered from COVID-19 or any international equivalent. The documentation of recovery, if provided, must be within the last 180 days. Or a negative COVID-19 test taken in the previous 72 hours can be shown for entry, according to the Catholic news outlet Crux.

Vatican News notes that the mandate follows a request made by Pope Francis during a Sept. 7 audience.

The Pope expressed the importance of maintaining "the health and well-being of the working community while respecting the dignity, rights and fundamental freedoms of each of its members." He reportedly requested the governorate to "adopt every suitable measure to prevent, control and counteract the health emergency."

Vatican News tweeted that the decree stipulating added COVID-19 measures is being taken as part of "efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 within Vatican city-state."

It has been reported that the policy will not include St. Peter's Basilica or Square. The Catholic News Service reports that it's unclear if the COVID-19 mandate will apply to the Pope's weekly general audiences and midday recitation of the Angelus on Sundays.

The decree did not specify if Pope Francis' weekly events will be recognized as liturgies or treated as museum events in the Vatican.

Both weekly attractions already require masks and temperature checks.

Last Thursday, the Italian government approved a mandate requiring every worker to show proof of vaccination starting Oct. 15. This requirement has also been reported as applying to travel, indoor dining, gym activities and movie theatres.

Despite COVID-19 testing in Italy costing $25, receiving a vaccine is free. In January, Vatican City became the first country to offer free COVID-19 vaccines.
Youth pastor shot dead while trying to help congregant save burning home in Myanmar

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A beloved youth pastor was reportedly shot dead as he tried to help one of his congregants save their burning home after it was set ablaze by Myanmars military junta during an attack on civilians in Chin state on Saturday.

The pastor was identified in multiple social media posts as Cung Biak Hum of Thantlang Centennial Baptist Church. Information on his Facebook page shows that he was married with two sons and was pursuing a master's of divinity degree at MIT Yangon.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews highlighted the pastors murder in a tweet Saturday and called on the international community to pay closer attention to the living hell civilians have been experiencing there since a Feb. 1 coup brought back full military rule following years of quasi-democracy.

The murder of a Baptist minister and bombing of homes in Thantlang, Chin State are the latest examples of the living hell being delivered daily by junta forces against the people of Myanmar. The world needs to pay closer attention. More importantly, the world needs to act, Andrews noted.

In a statement Monday, the Baptist World Alliance, a global Christian group representing 49 million Baptists in 126 countries and territories, also highlighted disturbing details of Pastor Hums death as it sought the immediate release of another Baptist pastor, the Rev. Thian Lian Sang.

On September 18, over 19 houses were burned down by military forces. Baptist Pastor Rev. Cung Biak Hum attempted to help as one of the houses belonged to a member of his church. Instead, upon his arrival on the scene, he was shot and killed by military soldiers  making him the first Baptist minister to die due to the ongoing conflicts. The military soldiers also stole his cellphone, watch and cut off his finger in order to steal his wedding ring, the Virginia-based group said.

Prior to the military coup, Myanmars Parliament was scheduled to hold its first session since the countrys Nov. 8 elections in which the countrys leading civilian party, National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won 83% of available seats. The military refused to accept the results of the elections claiming there was fraud and detained the leaders of the National League for Democracy and other civilian officials, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, cabinet ministers, the chief ministers of several regions, opposition politicians, writers and activists The New York Times reported.

Street protests and civil disobedience has been growing since then and at least 1,109 people have lost their lives as a result of the violent repression of protests by security forces La Prensa Latina said.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reported that as of Monday, a total of 6,637 people are under detention in Myanmar. Some 280 people have been sentenced in-person, including 26 who have been sentenced to death. Two of those 26 are children.
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As a follower of Jesus, my highest calling is to love God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love my neighbor as myself.

But as a follower of Jesus who lives in the United States, I am deeply concerned about how the Christian Church here has capitulated to a comfortable Gospel  a Gospel that does not resemble what Jesus preached.

We have compromised the truths of Scripture by conforming to the culture, and we have done so for decades. But how can we find the courage to stand up to the metaphorical giant of conformity?

The prophet Daniel shows us how.

Daniel was a young Jewish man who had been kidnapped from Jerusalem as part of the Babylonian Captivity. In 605 BC, soldiers from Babylon, led by Nebuchadnezzar II, defeated the combined armies of Assyria and Egypt in the Battle of Carchemish. Shortly after his fathers death, Nebuchadnezzar II became the ruler of the Babylonian Empire. That same year, he attacked Jerusalem. He attacked Jerusalem again in 597 BC and again in 586 BC when he finally succeeded in destroying the city and burning the temple. His men abducted the surviving Jews and forced them to travel 1,600 miles to Babylon.

Daniel lost everything  except his faith.

Along with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel was taken into the courts of King Nebuchadnezzar II to be trained to serve in the kings palace. The four young men were isolated, reeducated, intimidated, and renamed.

They had every reason to conform to Babylonian culture. They had suffered tremendous loss and abuse. Conformity offered a possible escape from pain, ostracization, and death.

When confronted by the chief eunuch about refusing the kings food and drink, Daniel asked that he and his friends only be given vegetables to eat, believing that God would take care of them. Daniel had purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself, so he requested an alternative (Daniel 1:8-16).

There was a line Daniel would not cross and he made it known that he would not cross it. But Daniel did not protest with a raised voice or raised fists. He exercised humility in his nonconformity. He knew the rest of his life and the lives of his friends  and that of the chief eunuch  depended on that crucial moment.

Daniels choice began with an inward conviction. He met the isolation, re-education, intimidation, and renaming with a determination to remain faithful to his God, no matter what. The power to not conform to what the culture around us says is right is always an inside job.

And Daniel did not make his choice because he thought he could transform Babylon. He knew he never could. Ultimately, he never did, although God used him in mighty ways because of his faithfulness.

Daniel was not trying to change Babylon  he purposed in his heart that he was not going to let Babylon change him.

While Daniel did not live to see all the fruits of his faithfulness, other people did, like the Magi who brought gifts to the child Jesus. Apostle Matthew writes, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him (Matthew 2:1-2).

But how did these men know to look for a Jewish king? They would not have known unless someone told them about him.

After Daniel successfully interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar IIs dream (Daniel 2), the king appointed him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and the chief administrator over all the wise men. While Daniel requested that Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego manage Babylon instead, he remained in the kings court and mentored the wise men. Presumably, he taught them about his God. And the overarching theme of Daniels surviving writings is that a Jewish king will one day come to rule the world.

Centuries later, Daniels influence would culminate in Gentile astrologers from the Medo-Persian Empire  which overthrew the Babylonian Empire in BCE 539  traveling hundreds of miles to worship the young Messiah.

All because Daniel refused to conform.

Of course, Daniels attitude and lifestyle did not save him from persecution. After all, he was eventually thrown into a den of lions for refusing to worship King Darius (Daniel 6). While God chose to miraculously save Daniel, he was willing to risk his life for his faith.

While we modern-day followers of Jesus in the United States cannot parallel our situation with Daniels, we can still learn from his example. He lived with conviction, exercised his faith with humility and without compromise, and taught others about God in a respectful, God-honoring and others-honoring way.

Following Jesus is hard, especially when our culture screams at us that we are fools for following Him. But Jesus never said it would be easy. Rather, he told His followers, For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:14).

We need to pray for the same kind of wisdom that Daniel had. And let us not forget the meaning of Daniels name: God is my judge.
Mayflower 400 year ends with Thanksgiving legacy

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Last years 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing to the New World was devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of the originally planned festivities were canceled or greatly scaled back. Then there were the American tourists who never came to Plymouth, England, where the ship departed on Sept. 16, 1620, with 102 passengers.

Heading into 2020, Mayflower 400 looked very promising overall for all the destinations in the Mayflower 400 commemoration with both domestic and international visitors booking to visit the U.K., Mayflower 400 UK spokesman Mark Howell said. We originally anticipated an extra 500,000 visitors in 2020 on top of the 5.2 million we get annually.

Ignoring what was lost, October is actually the quadricentennial of the 1621 Thanksgiving held by the Pilgrims, most of whom dissented from the Anglican state church at a time of political and religious tumult.

According to a contemporary account by Edward Winslow, a three-time governor of Plymouth Colony, they were joined by local Indians in celebrating the harvest with three days of feasting and rejoicing in the goodness of God.

The harvest would have been quite the celebration, as it was one of the rare successes in the first year. Not only had the Mayflower landed hundreds of miles from their intended destination of Virginia, but nearly half of the colonists died from malnutrition or disease during what William Bradford, the most famous and important of Pilgrims, called their hard and difficult beginnings.

Popular belief notwithstanding, the Thanksgiving in Massachusetts wasnt Americas first. Nevertheless, the Pilgrims feast is seen, fairly or not, as the precursor to the modern Thanksgiving holiday.

Of course, the enduring legacy of the Pilgrims isnt the kitsch and commercialism of the holiday every November. Rather, it is the exceptionalism of God-given American liberty, which was written into their covenant of self-government known as the Mayflower Compact. These foundational principles were reaffirmed more than a century later by the Founding Fathers in Philadelphia.

If you go

Those going to England now that U.K. borders are reopen to tourists should visit the Mayflower 400: Legend and Legacy exhibit at The Box, the newish museum and cultural center in Plymouth. The exhibit, which uses 300 artifacts and other objects to tell the epic journeys story, runs through the end of December.

Perhaps the best resource for planning a trip on all things Pilgrims and the Mayflower is the Mayflower 400 UK website. Consider the road trip I did back in 2018, which took me to 11 destinations across Englands Mayflower 400 trail. (Read On the Pilgrim trail across England, 400 years after the Mayflower: Part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.)

On these shores is the Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The open-air museum and recreation of the original 17th century settlement is a must visit. Visitor hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Follow @dennislennox on Instagram and Twitter.
A return to moral leadership: Christian group celebrates Biden's proposal to raise refugee cap to 125K

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A Christian humanitarian group commended the Biden administration for submitting a report to Congress to raise the refugee resettlement cap to 125,000 people for the next fiscal year.

On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced that the administration would raise the refugee admissions cap from 62,500 in the current fiscal year to 125,000 for fiscal year 2022, which begins on Oct. 1.

Church World Service, an immigrant and refugee resettlement organization that has 23 locations in 17 states, released a statement Monday praising the decision to increase the resettlement ceiling for refugees.

Erol Kekic, who head's the organization's immigration and refugee program, said in a statement shared with The Christian Post that he believed the move to raise the resettlement cap represented a return to moral leadership and our nations commitment to welcome and generosity.

At long last there is hope for refugees in search of safety, including Afghans who are in imminent danger and thousands of families waiting to be reunited, Kekic said. We urge Congress to hold the administration accountable to meeting the unprecedented protection needs during the worst displacement crisis in history.

While CWS praised the Biden administration for increasing the number of refugees being admitted into the U.S., the organization took issue with Bidens decision to deport some adult male Haitian refugees living in an encamped at a border bridge in Del Rio, Texas. Although some single men among the over 15,000 are being repatriated to their home countries, the Biden administration said family units who entered the country illegally will be allowed to remain in the U.S.

CWS is deeply concerned by the increased deportation flights to Haiti under the immoral Title 42 policy and by the treatment of Haitians seeking refuge at the Southern border, said the faith-based organization, which received over 55% of its funding from U.S. taxpayers in 2020.

We urge the administration to honor our countrys moral and legal obligation to welcome all people with dignity.

In a press release from Monday, the State Department announced that the administration was recommending that Congress raise the refugee resettlement cap to 125,000 people for fiscal year 2022.

A robust refugee admissions program is critical to U.S. foreign policy interests and national security objectives, and is a reflection of core American values, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

The United States has long been a global leader in refugee resettlement. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) reflects our tradition as a nation that has long welcomed immigrants and refugees.

Initially, President Joe Biden had opted to maintain the Trump administrations historically low resettlement cap of 15,000; however, after much criticism from multiple groups, Biden reversed course.

We are working quickly to undo the damage of the last four years. It will take some time, but that work is already underway, Biden said back in May in response to the Trump administration decreasing the number of refugees being admitted into the U.S.

The United States Refugee Admissions Program embodies Americas commitment to protect the most vulnerable, and to stand as a beacon of liberty and refuge to the world. Its a statement about who we are, and who we want to be.
Political hypocrisy, the war on churches and COVID

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At no time in memory have we seen more glaring examples of double standards, blatant hypocrisy, and attacks on religious freedoms than we have during the last two years with the COVID outbreak.

It started last year during the lockdowns when liquor stores and abortion clinics were allowed to operate, seeing that they provided essential services, while church gatherings were banned and shut down.

Then, when crowds of thousands flooded our streets during major race protests and riots, over 1,200 medical professionals signed an open letter supporting the protests. Their argument was that racism was more deadly than COVID. Consequently, protesting racism, even at the risk of getting and spreading COVID, was a healthy thing to do.

To quote their letter directly, as public health advocates, we do not condemn these gatherings as risky for COVID-19 transmission. We support them as vital to the national public health and to the threatened health specifically of Black people in the United States. We can show that support by facilitating safest protesting practices without detracting from demonstrators' ability to gather and demand change. This should not be confused with a permissive stance on all gatherings, particularly protests against stay-home orders.

So, go ahead and protest  as long as its against racism  and risk spreading death and disease to many. After all, its for a good cause! As for everyone else, stay home and stay locked down.

The most recent example of mind-blowing hypocrisy goes one step further. The very same week that the Biden administration announced a massive vaccine mandate, Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged that immigrants pouring through our borders did not need to be vaccinated. Can anyone possibly explain the rationale behind this? Anyone?

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy had asked, It [meaning, the vaccine] is a requirement for people at a business with more than 100 people. It is not a requirement for migrants at the southern border. Why?

Psaki replied curtly, Thats correct, without further explanation.

What an insult to all other Americans being put under forced vaccine pressure, and what a display of the political bias behind some of these decisions. (I do not write this an anti-vaxxer. Im simply talking about blatant hypocrisy and double standards.)

In July 2020, the Supreme Court, quite inexplicably (in fact, without explanation), declined to hear the case of a Las Vegas church protesting the states unfair and uneven COVID regulations. These regulations allowed casinos to operate at 50 percent capacity but churches, regardless of their building capacity, were limited to 50 people.

What a ridiculous, indefensible example of anti-religious double standards. (I guess the casinos brought in a lot more taxable revenue than the churches.) Yet Justice John Roberts joined the four liberal justices in deciding not to hear the case.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote, that while synagogues, mosques and churches were arbitrarily limited to 50 people in attendance for any religious services regardless of the capacity of their buildings, certain other favored facilities may admit 50% of their maximum occupancy, and in the case of gigantic Las Vegas casinos, this means that thousands of patrons are allowed.

To add insult to injury, when one congregation decided to get around these restrictions by holding a pro-Trump prayer gathering in a casino, the casino was fined as a result, even though the attendees followed all safety protocols. You can gamble here to your hearts content. You cannot worship God or pray here.

Last month, the ACLJ filed a lawsuit in federal court in Virginia on behalf of Alive Church of the Nazarene. (If you thought these previous examples were crazy, this one might just take the cake.)

Because of COVID restrictions, the congregation could no longer meet in the public school it had been using, so it sought permission to meet on property located in Prince William County. The county said it would grant them permission, as long as they obtained a liquor license. (Seriously.)

But based on their denominational convictions (they dont even serve wine at communion), they said they could not do so. As a result, the county banned them from meeting on their property. So, unless the church operates like a bar, it cannot meet on certain properties owned by the country.

As explained by attorney Jordan Sekulow, In so many words, our client asked the county, How do we get treated as favorably as breweries and wineries? The countys response, Go get a liquor license.

He continued, Wineries and breweries can host weddings. They can host live music. They can host community-engaging events and gatherings. They can even rent their facilities to churches to use. All while enjoying the beneficial treatment of the countys favor and avoiding cumbersome and expensive zoning and permit requirements. But not churches.

The bottom line is the county is treating our client, the church, differently and worse  because its a church and has these religious beliefs about alcohol.

So, there you have it.

Casinos can meet at 50 percent capacity but churches, even with buildings that seat thousands, can only accommodate 50 people.

If you kill babies in the womb and sell liquor to the public, you provide essential services. If you open your building to minister to struggling families, suicidal teens, drug addicts and others, providing Christian care and support, your services are not essential.

And if a church wants to operate on some properties in Prince William County, it must get a liquor license.

Whats more, if you gather to worship God and pray on the city streets, you are self-centered, reckless, superspreaders. But if you gather to protest racism, you are contributing to public health.

As for companies with at least 100 employees, vaccines are a must. As for tens of thousands of immigrants, legal or otherwise, who cares about vaccines?

Enough said.
SBC leaders agree to pay $1.6M for sexual abuse review, delay decision on waiving privilege

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After hours of debate this week, Southern Baptist Convention leaders declined for the time being to allow a third-party firm access to communication with its lawyers as part of an investigation into how top denominational leaders handled sex abuse allegations.

On Tuesday, the SBC's Executive Committee rejected a proposal that would have allowed Guidepost Solutions, the firm investigating the committee's handling of sexual abuse claims, to review materials involving the executive committee and its attorney.

Instead, the EC voted to take another week to negotiate whether or not to waive attorney-client privilege. It adopted a temporary measure to move the sexual abuse review forward and agreed to fully fund the upcoming investigation up to $1.6 million.

"Resolved that the SBC Executive Committee continue negotiating legal means of accomplishing the goal of a public internal investigation and submit this agreement to the Executive Committee, Task Force, and Guidepost by September 28, 2021," the committee announced. It added that at this point, "attorney-client privilege has not yet been waived but is being fleshed out through negotiations."

In a statement, members of the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force said that while they are "glad that the investigation can begin," they are "disappointed that so far, the Executive Committee has not followed the overwhelming clear mandate of Messengers to waive attorney-client privilege so that all relevant materials can be examined."

"We recognize as well that this has created yet another painful burden upon the many survivors of sexual abuse who had hoped that this would pass without controversy, and we are grieved at this reality," the statement reads.

In June, SBC messengers voted for newly-elected SBC President Ed Litton to appoint a task force to oversee a third-party investigation of allegations SBC leaders mishandled a "crisis of sexual abuse" in the nation's largest Protestant denomination.

Guidepost Solutions was commissioned to "review and enhance training provided to SBC Executive Committee staff and its board of trustees" as it relates to sex abuse and the organization's "communications to cooperating churches and congregants in cooperating churches."

The investigation, funded by allocations from the Cooperative Program, will cover the period from January 1, 2000, to June 14, 2021, and include a review of "actions and decisions of staff and members of the Executive Committee." Locke Lord, a Dallas-based firm, was also hired as additional legal counsel to help oversee the independent review.

The task force had subsequently asked the Executive Committee to waive attorney-client privilege for the investigation, prompted by a 2019 report from the Houston Chronicle that documented hundreds of abuse cases in Southern Baptist churches over decades.

Pastor Bruce Frank, chairman of the sexual abuse task force, and Guidepost CEO Julie Myers Wood addressed the EC on Monday and Tuesday. They stressed that the waiver of privilege was necessary to conduct a thorough investigation and establish transparency within the SBC.

"This is about whether or not insurance money matters more than honesty and people," Frank said.

He also reminded the EC of the trust the SBC had placed in them.

"God judge us if we are protecting the brand, or we are protecting the base and not doing all we can to protect the most vulnerable among us," he said.

"A non-profit that doesn't have the trust of either the messengers or the mission or the mission field is going to be impacted far more by not dealing transparently with any mess than if they deal honestly with it," Frank said.

Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the EC, urged members to work with the task force and Guidepost "in every way possible, but within our fiduciary responsibilities as assigned by the messengers." He reminded attendees of the SBC's primary mission of furthering the Gospel.

"The SBC Executive Committee is committed to doing the right thing, in the right way, in order to elevate the mission of the Convention  eliciting, combining and directing our energies for the global propagation of the Gospel," he said.

In a statement, Litton said Tuesday's outcome "fell far short of the mandate expressed by the messengers."

"I'm disappointed that several known issues are only now being addressed with appropriate seriousness, but I'm grateful the investigation will begin," Litton said. "Further, I'm hopeful that the next seven days will yield an agreement to allow the investigation to go forward unimpeded. My prayers are with the sexual abuse task force and EC officers as they work as diligently to address these concerns over the next week."

On Monday night, Litton said his heart was "heavy" about the gathering.

"I think all of us feel the weight of it, and we need to find a way forward for the glory of God together," he said.

"Our convention is struggling right now," he continued, "and it's a crisis of trust. However you label it, there's a solution and that solution is with us. Our churches want to see our entities working together in harmony, and they want to see the EC leading the way."

Southern Baptists, Litton said, have "genuine concerns" for how abuse cases will be handled.

"The people are watching, and what they're looking for is openness and transparency," he said.

"The world is watching," he added. "They'll watch to see what we do here this week about abuse. They'll watch to see how sincere we will be about racial reconciliation. They'll watch us in every turn and they'll make decisions."
Texas Supreme Court rejects The Episcopal Church's motion to keep breakaway diocese property

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The Texas Supreme Court has once again rejected an effort by The Episcopal Church to secure the property and assets of a diocese that broke away over theological differences.

For the past several years, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth has been engaged in a legal battle against the Episcopal Church over the property and assets of the regional body.

In an order released Tuesday, the states highest court rejected a motion for Emergency Temporary Relief, allowing an earlier ruling against the mainline Protestant denomination to be implemented.

As a result, The Episcopal Church has to surrender all financial accounts, property and records that it had removed from the diocesan properties that formerly were part of the denomination.

Todays rejection is the third loss for Episcopal Church parties in the state Supreme Court and permits enforcement of the judgment to continue, noted the Fort Worth Diocese in a statement.

In 2008, a majority of the Fort Worth Diocese voted to leave The Episcopal Church over the increasingly progressive theological views of the denomination, especially the ordination of the denominations first openly gay bishop, the Rev. Gene Robinson.

Litigation over who rightfully owned the property and trademarks of the diocese ensued, with The Episcopal Church arguing that it rightfully held the properties and assets via the Dennis Canon, a measure labeling all church properties as being held in trust for the benefit of the national denomination.

In April 2018, the Fort Worth Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the national denomination, concluding that state law did not guarantee that the diocese could take their property with them when leaving the denomination.

Individual members of a parish may decide to worship elsewhere; a majority of individual members of a parish or diocese may decide to do so. But when they leave, they are no longer Episcopalians as identified by TEC; they become something else. And that something else is not entitled to retain property, stated the appeals court ruling.

In May 2020, however, the Texas Supreme Court ruled against the national denomination, arguing that the Dennis Canon did not apply to the breakaway diocese, given internal developments.

Justice Eva Guzman authored the opinion of the court, concluding that changes made to the Dioceses Constitution and Canons in 1989 prevented the Dennis Canon from being applied.

While it is true, as TEC says, that the dioceses organizational documents prohibited the adoption of canons inconsistent with the national churchs constitution and canons, revocation is not inconsistent with a revocable trust, wrote Guzman.

Moreover, in the twenty years between revocation and eruption of a dispute over the property, TEC lodged no objection to the amended canon and does not now contend the 1989 amendment is invalid for any other reason than purported inconsistency.
Texas gov. signs new law tightening restrictions on use of abortion drugs

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Just weeks into Texas' ban on most abortions once a heartbeat can be detected in a pregnancy, the state's Republican Gov. Greg Abbott further tightened the screws on the practice last Friday by signing into law another bill restricting access to abortion-inducing drugs.

The new law, Texas Senate Bill 4, prohibits a person "from providing an abortioninducing drug to a pregnant woman without satisfying the applicable informed consent requirements for abortions."

The law introduces certain reporting requirements for doctors prescribing the abortion pill, such as ensuring that her preborn baby is no older than seven weeks gestation. Violation of the law is a state jail felony.

The abortion drug Mifeprex, also known as mifepristone, blocks a hormone called progesterone that is needed for a pregnancy to continue, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

When used with another pill called misoprostol, the FDA says it can be used to end a pregnancy up until 70 days after the first day of a woman's last menstrual period.

A Texas Senate Research Center analysis of the bill noted, however, that the use of these abortion drugs can cause "significant medical complications."

"The use of Mifeprex or mifepristone presents significant medical complications including, but not limited to, uterine hemorrhage, viral infections, abdominal pain, cramping, vomiting, headache, fatigue, and pelvic inflammatory disease; and the failure rate and risk of complications increases with advancing gestational age," the analysis detailed.

"These drugs are in the United States Food and Drug Administration's special program Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategies due to their potential harmful impact. If this classification were to change, Texas would not be able to maintain these safety standards until the legislature convenes."

Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, said in a statement that the organization "strongly" supports "the chemical abortion safety protocols in S.B. 4."

"Texas needs this bill to assure that chemical abortions are performed under the supervision of a physician and with adequate safety protocols," Pojman stated.

Jonathan Saenz, an attorney and president of Texas Values, told The Daily Citizen that Chemical abortions "are dangerous" and "must be regulated to protect the health and safety of women."

"The 'No Mail Order Abortions' bill, S.B. 4, does just that by restricting chemical abortions, banning chemical abortions by mail, requiring an in-person examination of a woman considering a chemical abortion, and requiring informed consent and reporting, and prescribing criminal offenses for violations," Saenz stated.

Abortion rights activists groups have voiced their displeasure with S.B. 4. NARAL Pro-Choice America Acting President Adrienne Kimmell said in a statement that the new law is the continuation of Texas' "attacks on abortion access from every angle imaginable."

"This law blatantly tramples on Texans' fundamental freedoms and pushes access to care further out of reach," Kimmell contends.

In 2016, the FDA approved an extension for the use of Mifeprex up to 70 days of pregnancy from a previous limit of 49 days despite the possible health risks, including death.

While that move was applauded by the abortion industry, Randall K. O'Bannon, director of education and research at the National Right to Life lobbying organization, said in a statement that the changes approved by the FDA only benefit the drug company. O'Bannon charged at the time that at least 14 deaths were caused by the use of Mifeprex.

"Despite a record of at least 14 known deaths, and thousands of women suffering significant adverse events, the FDA relaxed safety standards and modified the protocol for mifepristone/misoprostol chemical abortions that had been in place since September of 2000," O'Bannon said.

"The documentation demonstrating the impact on women's safety has not been made publicly available. Certainly, none of the modifications is of any benefit to the unborn child," he added.
Biden admin. ramps up deportation flights after migrant encampment at border swells to over 15,000

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The Biden administration said thousands of migrants gathered under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, will be deported to their home country under a Trump-era pandemic health measure, but it will only apply to single men as family units will be allowed to enter the U.S.

Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin reported that "U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz says there are currently 12,600 [migrants still] under the bridge in Del Rio."

"Single adult men will be expelled via Title 42, but most family units will be processed and released into [the] U.S. [with a] notice to appear," he added in a post on Twitter.

A majority of migrants being held under an international bridge bordering Mexico are Haitian, but many others are from Venezuela, Cuba and multiple African countries.

The Department of Homeland Security on Sunday started repatriation flights, with Haitian migrants being flown from San Antonio to Port-au-Prince.

NEW: As of 7:15pm Del Rio time, here is what the situation under the international bridge looks like, where close to 15,000 migrants have camped out after crossing illegally. Many of the migrants have constructed makeshift shelters from sticks and plants. @FoxNewspic.twitter.com/i6tyPxSw25  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 19, 2021

As of Thursday, about 9,000 migrants were in the area, but the number increased to over 14,000 by Saturday, The Epoch Times reported. By Sunday, the numbers had surpassed 15,000.

Officials are relocating the migrants to processing locations to accelerate the deportation process. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it planned to send 400 agents and officers to Del Rio to assist with processing, The Wall Street Journal reported.

NEW: From our @FoxNews drone, a look at the migrant camp under the international bridge in Del Rio this morning, where thousands migrants remain after they crossed into the US illegally. pic.twitter.com/06sUY2XCi5  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 19, 2021

Rep. Tony Gonzalez, R-Texas, who represents the states 23rd Congressional District that includes Del Rio, said Saturday that the border crisis is causing a shortage of food in local grocery stores, The Daily Wire reported.

Border patrol agents are doing everything they can but its clear they need more support and they need it NOW, Gonzalez wrote on Twitter. DHS is also working to increase and accelerate repatriation flights to return migrants to their country of origin. This includes Haitians & Central Americans. There will be a surge of 8 ICE flights this coming week, up from 2-5 flights before, with more flights to come, he added.

Gonzalez also wrote that the Biden administration is still using the pandemic health measure, known as Title 42, to expel some migrants but others will be released in the U.S. while awaiting immigration proceedings.

He added, This policy is disastrous & Ill continue to push to resume Remain in Mexico so migrants no longer have an incentive to be released in the U.S.

The Remain in Mexico policy dealt with a surge in illegal immigration by requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their court hearings in the United States. Biden reversed the policy on his first day in office on Jan. 20.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday gave clearance to Fox News to document the surge of illegal immigration in Del Rio, just as the network has done in the past.

At the behest of the Biden administration, the FAA had implemented two-week temporary flight restrictions over the International Bridge in Del Rio for a special security reason.

The restrictions, which had the temporary effect of blocking the Fox News drone from entering the airspace above the Del Rio International Bridge, sparked outrage and allegations of censorship by the Biden administration.

Haitians have been migrating to South American countries for jobs for years and after the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in those countries, they are seeking to enter the U.S. Many migrants believe that the Biden administration will let them in.

The surge of migrants in Del Rio comes as CBT reported 208,887 encounters between law enforcement officials and illegal immigrants at the southwest border in August.

While the number of encounters dropped slightly from July to August, more than 1.5 million people have crossed the border illegally in the fiscal year 2021, with the fiscal year 2022 set to begin on Oct. 1.

Critics of the Biden administration attribute the astronomical number of border crossings to the reversal of Trump-era policies designed to curb illegal immigration.
Billboard comparing Trump to prophecy of Jesus birth taken down after backlash

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A billboard installed near the city of Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia featuring a photo of former President Donald Trump and a Bible verse saying, unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders, has been taken down after backlash.

The Washington Posts political reporter Eugene Scott drew attention to the billboard by posting a photo of it on Twitter.

Unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders, read the text in capital letters on the billboard with a picture of Trump looking on alongside the verse.

The text appeared to be referring to Isaiah 9:6, which says, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

However, the billboard claimed it was Romans 8:17.

More than 2,000 users commented and retweeted it.

Uh this is the most blasphemous and sacrilegious thing yet. Not to mention, that is not what Romans 8:17 says, not even close. Somebody needs to buy the religious right some Bibles. Stat. Where are the Gideons when you need them? reads one comment.

The billboard space is owned and operated by Reagan Outdoor Advertising-Chattanooga, whose General Manager, Scott Hibberts, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that the ad had been removed.

Hibberts said the ad was placed by an employee at Impact Outdoor Media Group of Atlanta.

Trump is not the first president to be compared to Jesus.

At the televised 2012 Soul Train Awards, actor Jamie Foxx told the audience: Its like church over here. Its like church in here. First of all, give an honor to God and our Lord and Savior Barack Obama. Barack Obama, as reported by E! Online at the time.

The same year, New York-based artist Michael DAntuono made a painting titled The Truth, featuring then-President Obama with a crown of thorns on his head with his hands stretched out, alluding to the crucifixion, HuffPost reported at the time.

However, he was quoted as saying, The crucifixion of the president was meant metaphorically. My intent was not to compare him to Jesus.

In 2009, actress Susan Sarandon compared Obama to Jesus.

He is a community organizer like Jesus was, Sarandon said, according to The Hill. And now, were a community and he can organize us.
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On September 9, President Joe Biden announced new executive action concerning COVID-19 vaccines. According to the presidents plan, all employers with more than 100 employees must require their workers to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. Businesses that do not comply with the rule can be fined up to $14,000 per violation. The new mandate follows a recent mandate that all federal employees receive the vaccine, get tested weekly, or face dismissal from their job.

The new regulation is supposed to be drafted and implemented by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor (although some think this is without legal authority). Currently, it is unclear what type of medical, religious, or conscience exemptions will be granted concerning the vaccine mandate.

How should Christians respond to President Bidens sweeping vaccine mandate? Specifically, how should Christians think about religious exemptions and accommodations? Admittedly, these are complex questions on which many biblically grounded Christians differ. But given the scope and far-reaching consequences for civil liberties, conscience rights, religious freedom, and the ability of families to make health decisions, these questions deserve careful consideration and reflection.

Legal concerns

First, there are serious concerns that President Bidens vaccine mandate is illegal and unconstitutional. No federal statute or constitutional provision expressly gives the president the authority to impose a sweeping vaccine mandate on private businesses and their employees in this manner, and the Biden administration has an extremely questionable reading of the statute they claim gives him this authority. Some states have already threatened to sue.

At the very least, Christians should be aware of the legal and constitutional concerns related to the presidents order. Once the new rule goes into effect, the mandate might not withstand the likely barrage of lawsuits challenging its legality.

Role of government

Second, questions about the legality and constitutionality of President Bidens vaccine mandate should prompt Christians to think about the proper role of government. The Bible teaches that government has been ordained by God. According to Paul, Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment (Rom. 13:2, ESV). In the United States, the primary governing authority is the U.S. Constitution. This means that when a president or any government official pursues a policy that oversteps their prescribed realm of authority, they are acting unlawfully. Of course, when our elected officials issue directives within their rightful scope of authority, Christians are bound to comply, so long as obeying does not require us to sin against God, a Christians highest authority (Acts 5:29).

But do we have an obligation to automatically and always obey the government? Similarly, how should Christians respond if a mandate or law is not illegal, but they personally dont like the law or find it inconvenient? For example, whats the proper Christian response if the government were to mandate a weekly exercise routine or require its citizens to wear pink hats on Thursday? On these questions, Christians should be humble and willing to learn from one another. We should also endeavor to think biblically about the role and purpose of government.

One helpful way to think biblically about the role of government is through the concept of sphere sovereignty, a philosophy of society developed by Dutch theologian and politician Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920). According to Kuyper, life is divided into distinct, autonomous jurisdictions such as the state, family, church, and the individual. Although these spheres interact and may even overlap at points, there are clear lines of demarcation related to sovereignty that should not be crossed. For Kuyper, the state is empowered with limited oversight responsibility over the other spheres. However, the states authority is derivative and dependent on God. Thus, the state must never attempt to monopolize power. Moreover, the state should respect the sovereignty of the individual. The state may intervene when a dispute arises between individuals and other spheres, but the state must never assume an outsized role and take over the tasks of society.

In short, sphere sovereignty is a model of diffused power that Kuyper believed was rooted in the structure of nature. Because authority is distributed across societys vast array of institutions, no single entity or sphere accumulates ultimate sovereignty. Consequently, Gods position as supreme sovereign is preserved. Kuypers reflections are helpful when applied to the role of government. In fact, Kuypers thought follows the logic of Romans 13 which teaches that the state exists to punish evildoers and exact Gods wrath on those who do wrong (v. 4).

Romans 13 does not teach that Christians should uncritically comply with the state no matter what is being demanded. As theologian Thomas Schreiner explains, [Romans 13] is a general exhortation that delineates what is usually the case: people should normally obey the governing authorities. In other words, the God-delegated purpose of the governing authorities is to punish evildoers and reward those who do good.

An implication of these principles is that when the government goes beyond its prescribed limits, it is acting unjustly and loses legitimacy. Applying the logic of sphere sovereignty to the vaccine mandate, the government does not have the authority to force us to inject a substance into our bodies that we do not consent to. This is outside the governments jurisdiction, so it is appropriate for individuals to be wary about forced vaccination. The issue of bodily integrity is important, and Christians should be very concerned when the government oversteps its jurisdiction into the realm of the family and individual.

Of course, it is important to note that this appeal to bodily integrity is different than the popular but logically flawed pro-abortion slogan my body, my choice. For one, abortion deals with two bodies: the mothers and her childs. The mother and child are two separate people; they are genetically distinct. Abortion violently destroys the body of the unborn child and interrupts the natural process of pregnancy, permanently severing the relationship between mother and child.

Political concerns

Third, there are relevant political considerations related to the presidents mandate. In short, if Joe Biden can enact a mandate as broad and sweeping as this one, is there a mandate that this president or a future president cant hand down in the name of public health? Whats the limit to what the president can compel American families and private companies to do? As it stands, the presidents mandate would affect about 100 million people. This fact alone necessitates careful consideration of the scope of presidential authority and power.

It is worth noting that the presidents directive is far more extreme than the orders handed down by Democrat governors and mayors. Throughout the pandemic, Democrat leaders have embraced measures such as mask mandates, lockdowns, and school closures. But the presidents mandate goes even further. In fact, Bidens heavy-handed action threatens to increase vaccine hesitancy rather than persuade the unvaccinated to comply with the order.

Conscience concerns

Fourth, questions about religious exemptions to the vaccine mandate have prompted debate in the wider society, including among Christians. Notably, there is nothing in the Bible that forbids Christians from getting vaccinated. Many Christians, citing verses like Philippians 2:4 (Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.), have cheerfully received COVID-19 vaccines out of a desire to protect not only their own health but also the health of their loved ones and neighbors. Meanwhile, other believers have reservations or sincerely held conscience objections to receiving the vaccine, believing it is morally impermissible or not right for them.

If there are no clear biblical admonitions against receiving a vaccine, are there any grounds for a religious exemption? On this question, Alliance Defending Freedom, an influential Christian legal group, provides the following advice:

"You must first determine if your objection is based on a sincerely held religious belief against taking any of the available vaccines (since they are different), or whether your objections are based on other medical, health, cultural, or political, but not religious, concerns. Many people have medical or other concerns which do not rise to the level of an actual religious belief. A belief that taking a vaccine is unwise or could be harmful will normally be considered a medical or health objection, not a religious objection."

While the objections of some Christians to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine are rooted in medical, personal, and political concerns, the concerns of others qualify for what might be called conscience objections. Like religious beliefs, conscience claims are deeply personal and connected to the core of a person. Now, when talking about conscience, as with anything, it is important to define our terms. In short, Christians believe conscience is a God-given internal faculty that guides moral decision-making. Our conscience convicts us when we do something wrong. A rightly functioning conscience inflicts distress, in the form of guilt, shame, or remorse, whenever we violate what we believe is a morally appropriate course of action.

Significantly, Christians believe that to willfully act against ones conscience is sinful. Romans 14:23 teaches that For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. This admonition seems especially pertinent when the action involves something as personal as injecting something into ones body which, according to Scripture, is a temple of the Lord (1 Cor. 6:19). In other words, Christians believe it is sinful to do something that goes against their conscience; therefore, it is morally wrong to force anyone to do something that violates their conscience. In the context of the vaccine mandate, it seems appropriate to honor and respect those who have legitimate, morally informed reasons for receiving or not receiving a vaccine.

Abortion concerns

Fifth, when it comes to religious freedom concerns and the vaccine, concern about complicity with abortion has been raised. On this front, it is worth noting that for 2,000 years, Christians have been clear on their convictions about abortion (i.e., the intentional killing of unborn children in the womb). According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, fetal cell lines were used in the development and production of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, and fetal cell lines were used in the testing of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines (but not in the vaccines themselves).



Passages from the Bible  including Exodus 21:22-25; Psalm 51:5-6, 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:4-5; and Luke 1:39-45  affirm the personhood of the unborn. Many who believe in the sanctity of life sincerely believe it is inappropriate to have even the slightest connection with abortion, even if that connection is remote. For that reason, some have chosen to forego a vaccine.

Finally, as a general note, when abortion-derived cell lines are used in the development, production, or testing of vaccines, the Christian community  including those who chose to get vaccines  should express disapproval about the continued use of these cell lines and request that laboratories and pharmaceutical companies not use these cell lines in the future.

Final reflections

In short, President Bidens vaccine mandate has proven to be divisive and frustrating to millions of Americans. After months of promising that his administration would not mandate vaccines, Biden has done an about-face. (As recently as July, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about vaccine mandates and responded, Can we mandate vaccines across the country? No. Thats not a role that the federal government, I think, even has the power to make.)

Many Americans are understandably outraged. As those called to take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5), Christians cannot respond to the vaccine mandate simply out of emotion but must think carefully and biblically about the announcement. Legal challenges will determine whether the order is constitutional and therefore enforceable.

But beyond the specifics of the mandate, Christians should think biblically about the role and authority of government as well as the propriety and wisdom of appealing to religious freedom exemptions. Religious freedom is a precious right afforded to those who live in this country and should never be abused. Although some Christians think it is unwise to appeal to religious freedom exemptions when the Bible does not prohibit vaccines, it is nonetheless the case that millions of Christians believe taking a COVID-19 vaccine is not the right decision for their health or have sincere conscience objections to being forced to do something they deem even remotely connected to an immoral practice such as abortion.

Therefore, rather than bully, cajole, or coerce our fellow Americans, it seems prudent to respect each others religious beliefs, consciences, and moral convictions concerning vaccines.

Originally published at the Family Research Council.
For peace in Ethiopian conflict, church leaders say diplomatic process must be fair

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As tensions continue to mount in the ongoing civil war in Ethiopia that has left thousands dead and some 2 million people displaced, leaders in the North American Dioceses of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church urged the Biden administration and Congress this week to intensify efforts to bring an end to the conflict in Tigray.

Ten archbishops attended meetings this week with the U.S. State Department, Congress and the White House, calling for a fair diplomatic process that will hold the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front accountable for atrocities they have committed.

The atrocities that have been done by this terrorist organization is untold," Archbishop Abune Fanuel of Washington D.C. and chairperson for the Ethiopian Religious Council told The Christian Post in an interview Thursday. "Millions have been destabilized from their property and the kind of damage they do to the people takes different forms.

He was also joined by Archbishop Abune Nathanael, who oversees the archdioceses of Colorado, Utah, Kansas and Nebraska.

The current conflict in Ethiopia erupted last November when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, a left-wing rebel group that led Ethiopia from 1991 until Abiy became prime minister in 2018, The New York Times reported.

Abiy reportedly preached a message of hope and unity and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. He has accused TPLF of attacking a federal military base and attempting to steal weapons.

The conflict has since escalated and militia fighters from the Amhara region to the south and Eritrean troops from the north joined the Ethiopian military in opposing the Tigrayan rebels who have also captured Mekelle, the regional capital of Tigray.

In May, President Joe Biden expressed concern over the escalating violence and noted that his administration was working with the Ethiopian Government, the African Union, the United Nations and other international partners to reach a diplomatic solution to the crisis. He also urged Ethiopian officials to promote reconciliation, human rights, and respect for pluralism.

Doing so will preserve the unity and territorial integrity of the state and ensure the protection of the Ethiopian people and the delivery of urgently needed assistance," Biden said. "The Government of Ethiopia and other stakeholders across the political spectrum should commit to an inclusive dialogue. Working together, the people of Ethiopia can build a shared vision for the countrys political future and lay the foundation for sustainable and equitable economic growth and prosperity."

The church leaders who met with senators and members of Congress about the situation in Washington Thursday argued that the international partners need to hold TPLF accountable if a peaceful solution is to be reached.

The religious leaders were scheduled to meet with Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., according to a source with knowledge of the arrangements.

Lasting solution can come only when its based on fairness and truth, Archbishop Nathanael said, noting that the analysis of the conflict by American government and media has been biased.

That may be the policy of the American government to invite diplomats, but what has actually [been happening] is a very biased part of the terrorist groups even when it is clearly seen that these terrorist groups have been killing thousands and violating every [law] on the books, Fanuel added.

Even before this war began, there had been a lot of attempts by the Ethiopian government and the Ethiopian people for a peaceful resolution to the problem. But they started the war and they have done a lot of damage," he added. "Even when the government has taken a unilateral ceasefire, they wage war in Amhara and the Afar regions. Thats the reason for millions fleeing those places."

Abiy had called for a ceasefire in June.

How could negotiations go with a terrorist organization when they are not willing to take a ceasefire? When they are not willing to negotiate with the people in the Ethiopian government? Fanuel asked. If it could be balanced in terms of holding both parties accountable, then that is how [it can work].

He further added: As spiritual leaders, our primary responsibility is to pray to the Lord to bring solutions. But what we also say at the same time, the process has to be fair for the Ethiopian people and the Ethiopian government. There is an elected government that is putting conditions on the terrorists to respect the Ethiopian sovereignty.

Nathanael said spiritual leaders have been to the Tigray and pleaded for peace many times, but TPLF has refused to come to the table.

As the saying goes, it takes two to tango," he said. "It takes two parties to bring peace."

A source with knowledge of the meetings said that the archbishops sought to encourage the U.S. to "work more constructively with the Ethiopian Government to ensure aid is made available to the vulnerable and those who have committed atrocities are prosecuted."

There was much international media focus at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 surrounding the military offensive carried out in the Tigray region. Reports had circulated about atrocities committed against civilians in the Tigray region by suspected Eritrean troops. Among the dead were said to be priests, women, entire families and even a group of Sunday school children.

Some witnesses claimed that Eritrean soldiers went from door-to-door to kill Tigrayan men and boys as young as 7 years old.

Reports indicate that the Tigray forces retook their home region in June. Since then, the conflict has crept into the Amhara region.

While much international attention was placed on the actions of the Eritrean and Ethiopian military in Tigray, Tigray militants are facing growing allegations that they have attacked civilians in retaliation for the atrocities committed in Tigray.

A dozen witnesses told The Associated Press about how Tigray forces have attacked communities and religious sites with artillery. Witnesses say that civilians were killed while schools and health centers were looted, leading to thousands of people fleeing from their homes in the past two months.

Additionally, a Human Rights Watch report released this week details that both Eritrean government forces and Tigrayan militias have committed killings, rape and other grave human rights abuses against Eritrean refugees in the Tigray region.
Chinese police harass, surveil house church members over baptism fears

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Police in Chinas Shenzhen city disrupted the fifth-anniversary celebrations of a house church and harassed members because they feared the congregation was going to baptize new believers, according to reports.

Trinity Gospel Harvest Church in Guangdong province celebrated its anniversary earlier this month by taking a trip together to the Huizhou beach. But police warned some members not to go and forcibly canceled the hotel reservation of the remaining group, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog organizations International Christian Concern and China Aid have reported.

The house church has been on the government's radar since its leaders signed a statement titled A Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith" penned by pastor Wang Yi of the heavily persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church. The declaration advocates for religious freedom.

On Sept. 4, the day before the anniversary celebration, the hotel owner informed members who were having lunch at a restaurant that he was canceling their reservation and would refund the payment.

He said their churchs pastor, Mao Zhibin, and four other Christians had been asked by the local police station not to hold the celebrations.

When the restaurant owner learned about the ordeal, he offered a villa for people to stay overnight. However, the five Christians on the blacklist had trouble finding a place to stay as all the local hotels had been notified by the police of their status. But, they were able to stay at the home of a local farmer.

Late in the night, police visited the villa where members of the celebration were staying. Two officers checked everyones identification and forced those without IDs to stay elsewhere. The owner reportedly had to move the guests to other rooms before being interrogated at the police station until 4 a.m.

On the day of the anniversary, many police officers were reportedly at the Huizhou beach as the local authorities had mistakenly assumed that the church would conduct baptisms.

This is not the first time that authorities have cracked down on the activities of Shenzhen Trinity Gospel Harvest Church.

In July, security agents, police officers and other officials surrounded the house church and forced Pastor Mao and Elder Chu Yanqing to stop preaching during an online worship service on Zoom.

China ranks as the 17th-worst country globally when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USA's 2021 World Watch List.

Open Doors, which covers persecution in over 60 countries, states that Chinese Christians face increasing pressure from the government. From 2020 to 2021, China jumped six places on the World Watch List. Over the last three years, China has risen 26 spots on the World Watch List rankings amid a "rapidly deteriorating situation for Christians."

In recent years, there has been an increase in raids and harassment of Christians while thousands of churches have been damaged, confiscated or destroyed. Open Doors warns that laws regulating religion passed in 2018 continue to be rolled out in provinces nationwide.

The country has also been labeled by the U.S. State Department as a country of particular concern for engaging in severe violations of religious freedom.

Open Doors estimates that China has more than 97 million Christians, many of whom worship in unregistered or illegal underground churches.

ICC documented more than 100 incidents of Christian persecution in China between July 2020 and June 2021 as the countrys communist regime seeks to forcefully convert independent religious groups into mechanisms of the Chinese Communist Party.

Earlier this year, authorities in China removed Bible apps and Christian WeChat public accounts as restrictive administrative measures on religious staff went into effect this year.
Christian group urges public to join campaign demanding Cuba release pastor jailed for protesting regime

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A Christian group that works to protect religious freedom worldwide has started a campaign calling on the communist government of Cuba to release a Protestant pastor who has been in jail without trial for participating in the peaceful protests that emerged across the country in July.

State Security officers arrested Pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo on July 11 during peaceful protests in Palma Soriano. Later, they transferred him to the Boniato Maximum Security Prison outside the city of Santiago de Cuba last month, the U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide said in a statement announcing its campaign.

Rosales Fajardo, a pastor for 20 years who leads the Monte de Sion church, faces charges including disrespect and public disorder, punishable with an imprisonment between three and 20 years and has been held incommunicado for most of his detention, the groups adds.

Prison authorities havent allowed even his wife, Maridilegnis Carballo, to visit him. He can speak to his family only on a few three-minute phone calls, according to the CSW.

Authorities have warned Carballo that their 17-year-old son, who was arrested with his father but later released, will face repercussions if she continues to speak out about her husbands plight. She has also been threatened with imprisonment herself for speaking to international human rights organizations about her husbands unjust detention, the group points out.

CSW quoted the pastors wife as saying in July: I went to the place where they say they have my husband detained. No one would let me see him, they haven't even allowed us a phone call  I have run out of strength; how hard it is to pass through the valley of death. But I will not fear anything, I know that [God] is with us.

In 2012, the government confiscated the pastors church property.

The pastor has now spent over two months in prison in horrible conditions simply for participating in peaceful protests, CSWs head of campaigns, Dave Mance, said in the statement.

CSW continues to call for his immediate and unconditional release, and we urge everyone who cares about justice to stand with us in sending a message to Cuba that the world is watching and that their treatment of Pastor Rosales Fajardo will not be tolerated, Mance added.

The protests in July were said to be the largest in decades amid ongoing shortages of medicine and food during the pandemic.

Protests were held in cities around the Caribbean island country, including in San Antonio de los Banos, Palma Soriano and Havana.

It is the most massive popular demonstration to protest the government that we have experienced in Cuba since 59, the year Fidel Castro took power, Cuban activist Carolina Barrero was quoted as telling The New York Times at the time.

Hours after the protests erupted, President Diaz-Canel addressed the nation on national television, urging government supporters to confront the protesters on the streets. He also accused the U.S. of causing the crisis in Cuba by imposing sanctions.

In July, Cuba released two pastors  Yeremi Blanco Ramirez and Yarian Sierra Madrigal  who were arrested during the same protests, Christian Today reported at the time.

The two were detained in a state security facility in the wing of a womens prison in Matanzas for nearly two weeks. During that time, their families were able to visit them only once to deliver basic hygiene items but had no other contact with them, leaving them to worry about their welfare.

According to the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, about 59% of Cubans are Christian. Cuban Christians face constant government surveillance and infiltration even though the church is growing in the island country.

The Cuban government amended its Constitution in 1992, declaring it a secular state, instead of an atheist state, partially allowing religious activities. Since then, the percentage of the country's population that identifies as Christian has grown.

However, the communist regime of Cuba continues to persecute Christians. A new constitution was adopted in 2019, which also lists the country as a secular state.

Cuba has been a one-party state under the Communist Party of Cuba since the late dictator Fidel Castro overthrew the United States-supported dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. In 2008, Castros brother Raul Castro was elected president, followed by Miguel Diaz-Canel in 2019.
Taliban are carrying out mass executions, says Christian missionary helping Afghans

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Less than a month after the U.S. withdrew troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have started arresting, and in some instances executing, people they perceive as their enemies. Recent photos and video suggest they're killing as many as 30 to 40 at a time, Christian missionary David Eubank, a former U.S. Army Special Forces and Ranger officer, said in a media interview.

The way the United States pulled out is dishonorable, and a horrible breaking of promises  and leaving thousands of people behind that we promised wed take out with us including American citizens, Eubank, who is from Free Burma Rangers and provides humanitarian services in war-torn areas, told CBN News.

In some instances, the pull-out has been cowardly, he continued, speaking from Tajikistan, which neighbors Afghanistan and where many Afghans are arriving after fleeing the Taliban.

They [the Taliban] are hunting down people right now, trying to get all the names of anyone they perceive as an enemy, Eubank said, adding that the enemies include people who work with the U.S. government, people who are with other governments, people who work with non-governmental organizations they dont agree with.

Eubank, who is in Tajikistan to help Afghans, also said that many have been executed.  Ive seen recent photos of 30 to 40 people [being executed].

Eubank clarified that he doesnt know the scale of the killings or the arrests, but I believe its countrywide now.

The Taliban are allowing American citizens who have identity cards to escape, he continued, adding that anyone who doesnt have papers, anyone they perceive as an enemy, they are going to arrest them, and, in many cases, execute them.

The people in Afghanistan are in terror, Eubank added.

According to its website, Free Burma Rangers have helped 1.5 million displaced persons to date who would have otherwise died.

Eubanks mantra is that love is the antidote to evil.

In an interview with The Christian Post last year, Eubank shared: I am motivated by what Jesus does for me and want to share His love and encourage people to follow Him. We are not to be led by comfort, fear or pride, but go in the love God gives us. We go into areas of direct combat to save lives and share love.

Following the drawing down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly seized control of much of the country, taking the capital Kabul last month and forcing the government to flee.

The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern warned last week that as the Taliban is cracking down on protests and journalists, concerns are also being raised among religious minorities of increased oppression and persecution because the Taliban have promised strict enforcement of Sharia law.

Almost all Afghan Christians  estimated to be between 8,000 and 12,000  are converts from Islam and remain largely closeted and hidden from the public eye due to severe persecution.

Their status as converts makes Afghan Christians direct targets for persecution by both extremist groups and society in general, ICC reports. In Afghanistan, leaving Islam is considered extremely shameful and converts can face dire consequences if their conversion is discovered.
Marin County could face critically low water supplies next summer, with its reservoirs depleted, if California sees another dry winter amid already dire drought conditions.

To prepare for the worst, Marin Municipal Water District is exploring leasing or purchasing desalination plants, said Emma Detwiler, a spokesperson for the agency.

In its search for equipment, the district is reportedly competing with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. The prince is also on the hunt for a desalination plant for his $500 billion mega-city Neom, which is currently under construction, the Marin Independent Journal first reported.

When Neom is completed on Saudi Arabias Red Sea coastline, the city is expected to be about the size of the state of Maryland, and it will be dependent on water pulled from the sea.

Marin Water estimates desalination plants could provide 5.4 million gallons of water per day to supplement its existing supplies.

"The cost is estimated to be $35 million, and would be covered through a combination of financing and grants," said Detwailer, noting the cost estimate is for renting.

The district has reached out to three companies  Suez in France, Osmoflo in Australia and Seven Seas in Florida  regarding availability and delivery timelines.

Paul Sellier, the water districts operations director, told the Independent Journal that bin Salman is also talking to Osmoflo.

Its kind of an interesting angle to this whole story, Sellier said.

Marin Water is also considering increasing its water supplies with a pipeline that would be built across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and carry water purchased from agricultural producers in the Sacramento Valley to the county.

Detwailer said this option is preferred over the desalination plants as its "cost to supply relationship is better," but the district also wanted to explore other options.

The first major water district in the Bay Area to declare a water shortage emergency, Marin Municipal Water District serves about 20,000 residents. It started imposing restrictions on customers in April.

As of Tuesday, the district's reservoirs were at 35% capacity. "This time last year, we had 67% capacity and the average for this date is 71%," Detwailer noted. "If we have another very dry winter, our supplies could be critically low by next summer. Conserving water helps to extend our limited supply and we are encouraging our customers to do all they can do save water."

Neom didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.
The stock market version of an NFL opening kickoff, Alcoa (NYSE: AA) often gets the party started when it comes to quarterly earnings season.

Lately, the global leader in aluminum products has kicked earnings seasons off with a bang thanks to a surge in metal prices. In fact, Alcoa has topped earnings expectations in each of the last six quartersand in many instances by a wide margin.

So, in a few weeks when third-quarter earnings reports start pouring in, Alcoas may not be only one of the first but one of the strongest considering aluminum futures have trended higher since July 1st. This makes Alcoas stock not only good earnings play but a sturdy long-term bet on the growing global appetite for aluminum.

Why are Aluminum Prices Going Up?

Like many commodities, the price of aluminum has risen sharply during the global economic recovery. Aluminum futures that had slipped below $1,500 per ton in April of last year are currently trading around $2,800. They are rapidly closing in on the record high of $3,070 set back in February 2008.

There are both demand and supply-related reasons behind the stunning rebound in aluminum. Global demand for the metal has been soaring since the economic recovery got underway. Buyers have been scooping up all the aluminum they can for use in construction, cars, airplanes, food & beverage cans, and more.

On the supply side of the equation, China, the worlds top aluminum producer, has pulled back on its production levels in favor of green energy ambitions. Meanwhile, pandemic-related container shortages and shipping delays have made it even harder to get a hold of aluminum supplies. Adding fuel to the supply limitations are surging electricity costs which are making it hard to reopen energy-intensive aluminum smelting plants.

How Does Alcoa Benefit from Higher Aluminum Prices?

Since Alcoas aluminum and alumina businesses together account for the vast majority of overall profits, the companys fortunes are closely tied to the prices it can charge for its aluminum products. Its third segment, Bauxite, is a minor part of the business and has struggled of late due to increased production costs and less favorable pricing.

Although Alcoa has become synonymous with an aluminum industry it pioneered more than a century ago, it does more than simply smelt aluminum. It sells an extensive lineup of value-added aluminum products that includes billets, foundries, rods, and slabs as well as patented cast alloys. In a world that is quickly moving towards clean energy practices, Alcoa also offers low-carbon aluminum products through its Sustana brand. More than three-fourths of its smelted aluminum products are made using renewable energy sources.

So, because Alcoa sells a mix of value-added aluminum products it can command strong pricing that goes beyond the price of basic aluminum. Its customers receive Alcoa products in a state that allows them to be immediately implemented into their own manufacturing processes.

The impact on Alcoas financial results has been clear. It has recorded $5.7 billion in revenue for the first six months of the year. And with its cost structure relatively steady, profits have been outstanding. Earnings per share (EPS) were $2.28 for the first two quarters combined. Analysts are predicting an even better bottom-line performance in the back half of 2021 as the prevailing supply-demand dynamics keep aluminum prices elevated.

Is Alcoa Stock Undervalued?

Economists are forecasting that aluminum prices will continue to trend higher into early next year. Depending on how supply conditions unfold, the rally could extend even further with new all-time highs in 2022 not out of the question. This means that Alcoa has a significant period to relish in high aluminum prices supported by a well-diversified demand environment.

It also means that the market may still be underappreciating Alcoas near-term growth prospects despite the recent earnings beats. The stock is trading at less than 9x next years earnings. This compares quite nicely to the 20x forward P/E ratio for the S&P 500 based on 2022 consensus earnings estimates.

In recent days, there has been downward pressure on aluminum and Alcoas share price due to the developments in Chinas real estate sector. The potential impact on aluminum demand in the key construction market of China will be something to monitor. This, however, could amount to a near-term risk that gets outweighed by the longer-term aluminum supply-demand dynamics. It could also make Alcoas stock even more attractive if the recent downtrend persists.

Look for Alcoa shares to trend lower in the days leading up to its October 13th earnings report. If they do, it will create a great opportunity to buy the stock cheaper ahead of what could be another shiny earnings reportand more importantly, a chance to ride the metals wave into 2022.

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Caseys General Stores (CASY) is a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) that operates convenience stores under the Casey's and Casey's General Store names.

The stock had a nice run higher earlier in the year, but after a recent earnings beat, almost all the 2021 gains have been erased. Investors are now looking at why the stock has sold off and eyeing levels to buy the dip.

About the Company

Caseys stores offer a selection of food, nicotine products, automotive products, and many more items you would typically find in convenient stores. Loyal customers are a fan of their pizza, but if you have traveled in the Midwest, you might be familiar with the company as a gas station. Casey provides gasoline and diesel fuel in over 2000 stores in 16 states.

The company has almost 18,000 full time employees and is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa. Caseys has a market cap of $7 Billion and has Zacks Style Scores of B in Growth and Value. The stock has a Forward PE of 22 and pays a 0.75% dividend.

Q1 Earnings

Earlier this month the company reported earnings, seeing a 13% EPS beat. The company also beat on revenue and raised its dividend by a penny. Adjusted EBITDA came in above expectations and inside SSS were up 8%.

Caseys also affirmed FY22 fuel and inside SSS, which indicates growth of mid-single digit percentages.

CEO Darren Rebelez had the following comments on the quarter:

Total revenue was up across the board as guest traffic returned throughout the quarter. Inside gross profit was up almost 17% due in part to the merchandise resets and strategic sourcing initiatives the Company implemented earlier this calendar year.

While the numbers looked good, the stock sold off to prices not seen since February.

Pullback Unjustified

Jefferies was out with a note shortly after earnings making the case that the post-earnings sell-off was not justified. The firm believes the year over year opex growth created some fear, but there are many positives that were overshadowed by the headline.

Jefferies points out that elevated fuel margins, longer-term growth due to M&A, and positioning relative to peers as reasons as why they have a Buy rating. The firm has a $237 price target, about 25% higher from current levels.

Estimates

Jefferies isnt the only analyst that likes the stock, as estimates are going up across the board.

Over the last month, estimates for the current quarter have been raised by 8%, from $2.57 to $2.78. For the current year, we have seen jump of 11% in that same time frame.

Since earnings, both Deutsche Bank and Northcoast Research raised price targets to $256 and $247 respectively.

The Technicals

CASY was up almost 30% on the year when it hit an all-time high of $229 back in May. However, the stock is now trading under $190, or 17% lower.

The stock is below all moving averages, with the 50-day at $197 and the 200-day at $202. Eventually, the bulls will need to recapture those levels for technical analysts to get bullish again.

In the meantime, investors should look at $180 a as long-term support area to accumulate. If the market does see a sell off, CASY could fall in sympathy to the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement at $160. This area between $160-$180 should a buy zone for anyone interested in the stock.

Bottom Line

Those that have driven though the Midwest are familiar with Caseys. Their gas stations and convenience stores are a staple on any road trip in the middle of the country.

The stock has had a rough summer, but the recent sell off isnt justified. Estimates are going up and the company has a lot of growth potential as it expands through M&A. Additionally, with gas prices elevated, margins will continue to help the bottom line.

With the recent sell off, the stock might need time to digest. Investors should be eyeballing current prices as an opportunity for long-term entry.

Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America

A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.

The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?

Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



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CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  Fall visitors to New Hampshire are being asked to keep their tempers in check and their trash off the ground during their leaf peeping trips this year.

With interest in outdoor recreation on the rise during the coronavirus pandemic, state tourism officials last year launched a Leave No Trace campaign to remind visitors not to sully the state's natural resources. This year, they added a new message  Don't Take New Hampshire for Granite  to encourage visitors to be understanding about rules and respectful of other people and property.

Now, with foliage season just beginning, officials are again reminding visitors to show courtesy to workers and the environment alike.

We need to protect the natural resources that you're using for future generations, but also because it is literally the lifeblood for our tourism industry, said Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Development.

Fall is New Hampshire's second-busiest tourism season, behind summer, and state officials expect 3.2 million visitors to spend $1.4 billion this year. That's close to the nearly $1.5 billion tourists dropped in 2018 and 2019, and a significant rebound from last year, when fall tourism spending was $1.2 billion.

While the state's hospitality industry came roaring back this summer, businesses still are struggling with workforce shortages and supply chain delays, said Mike Somers, president of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association. That, in turn, has led to an increase in rude and abusive customer behavior.

We're really asking folks to plan ahead and have a little bit of patience and understanding, he said. Just call ahead, find out what the hours of operation are, and please don't get upset if we're not open until 11 o'clock at night.

The workforce and supply chain problems experienced by the hospitality industry also are seen across business sectors, said Caswell, who highlighted his agency's recent efforts to take a more regional approach to attracting businesses and recruiting and training workers. Two regional organizations have been set up, and two more are planned later this year.

Darren Winham, director of economic development for the town of Exeter, said sharing ideas with his peers in other communities has been invaluable. In some cases, if one town can't accommodate a business looking to move in or expand, it will refer it to a more suitable location, he said.

Rising tides lift all boats. If something good happens in Hampton, it's good for Exeter, he said. When we're working together, we're more effective. We can serve our businesses and communities better, we can serve New Hampshire better, and frankly, it's a lot more fun.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The Belgian town of Aarschot has a vaccination rate of 94% of all adults, but Mayor Gwendolyn Rutten worries her town is too close for comfort to the capital of Brussels, where the rate stands at 63%. But theres not much she can do about it.

Her hope is that the government mandates vaccination. Otherwise, you drag all others back into danger, Rutten said in a recent interview.

But few European Union countries have issued outright mandates, instead requiring people to show proof of immunization, a negative test or recent recovery from COVID-19 to participate in ever more activities  even sometimes to go to work.

More sweeping requirements are the order of the day in the U.S., which has faced significant vaccine resistance. President Biden announced mandates last week that cover large portions of the population, sometimes without any option to test instead.

Despite apparently divergent strategies, officials in both the U.S. and the EU are struggling with the same question: how to boost vaccination rates to the max and end a pandemic that has repeatedly thwarted efforts to control it.

And the apparent split may in fact be narrowing. While not calling their restrictions mandates, some European countries are making life so difficult for those without the vaccine that it may amount to the same thing.

In a perhaps surprising move in a country known for touting individual freedoms, Biden has imposed sweeping vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans, including many private-sector employees and health care workers. Employees at firms with more than 100 workers will need to get immunized or test weekly, while vaccination will be required for employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government  with no option to test out. There are some exemptions.

The seemingly more aggressive U.S. policy may reflect greater pressures there. The EU, which initially lagged way behind the United States in terms of vaccinations, surpassed it at the end of July. As of Thursday, the 27-nation bloc had 60% of its population vaccinated compared to 53% for the United States, according to Our World In Data. In the both places, immunization rates vary widely from country to country or state to state.

American authorities from Biden on down have labeled the current phase a pandemic of the unvaccinated, with data showing that nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are now are in people who werent vaccinated. EU officials have used the same description for continuing outbreaks in their countries.

But it's harder for the EU writ large to impose vaccine mandates since health policies are the responsibility of the 27 national governments, and top EU officials walk on egg shells addressing the issue. Asked specifically by The Associated Press whether mandatory vaccination could be part of the solution, three EU commissioners swerved around the question, though none argued against it.

This is not within our remit. This is not part of our legal framework," EU Vice President Margaritis Schinas said, before adding: But if there is a message that we would like to repeat to member states and through member states to the European citizens, it is 'vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate.'"

Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasized that supply wouldn't be an issue, and the bloc would "be ready for everything which is needed. That underscores that such debates can only play out in wealthy nations, while many lower-income countries remain unable to even offer all their citizens a first shot.

But while officials in Brussels can't impose a mandate on the EU's 450 million citizens, many national governments are ramping up restrictions for those who are not vaccinated. Some countries are, in fact, requiring vaccines for some groups: Slovenia is imposing them for government employees, with no option to test out.

More common in the EU, however, is essentially requiring regular testing for those who aren't vaccinated.

Want to see The Last Judgment by Flemish Primitive Rogier van der Weyden at a Burgundy museum? You must show a so-called COVID pass  which provides proof of a negative test, a vaccination or recent recovery from COVID-19  to be allowed to admire that Northern Renaissance gem. The restrictions apply across France for everything from entering restaurants to visiting the Eiffel Tower.

Struggling to boost its paltry vaccination rates in the early summer, France was the first major EU nation to start using such passes. Macron then announced obligatory vaccinations for all health workers in July.

It proved effective. In the eight weeks since the announcement, the French public health service said that the overall vaccination rate went from 40% fully vaccinated to 69%.

As a result, it has found other takers in the bloc. And on Thursday, Italy, which already required the pass for many activities, upped the ante. Premier Mario Draghi's government said workers in both the public and private sectors will soon be forced to show one to go to work. Slovenia and Greece have adopted similar measures, but Italy is the first major European economy to require the COVID pass to access places of work across all sectors.

The health pass is not a nudge to get vaccinated, it is a not-so-gentle push, Italian legal expert Vitalba Azzollini said.

On both sides of the Atlantic, people have sometimes felt the push more like a shove.

In the United States, there has been lots of angry rhetoric and scattered demonstrations.

Everyone should have a right to say no to something, and not lose everything, said Candace Ganjavi, a nurse at Memorial Herman Healthcare in Houston, Texas, who is helping others with advice on how to obtain an exemption from the vaccine mandate her employer has imposed.

Meanwhile, Republican governors across the U.S. have loudly condemned Bidens mandate and vowed to take legal action. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster vowed to fight the president to the gates of hell.

Biden has defended the mandates by saying my job as president is to protect all Americans."

Italy and France have seen thousands take to the streets in protests of the COVID passes, some of which resulted in clashes with police in Paris. In Slovenia, hundreds of anti-vaccination protesters hurled flares at the parliament building on Wednesday to protest new measures that require a COVID pass for entering almost any shop as well as restaurants and private workplaces.

The government doubled down, announcing Friday it would expand the requirement to government employees.

Vaccination rates have soared since the first measures were announced.

I would be more pleased if people understood why they have to get vaccinated," said Bojana Beovic, the chief of the Health Ministrys advisory group on COVID-19. "But the main thing is that the share of the vaccinated population is increasing.

___

Associated Press writers Christina Larson in Washington, Josh Hoffner in Phoenix, Angela Charlton in Paris, Colleen Barry in Milan, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, and AP reporters from across the EU contributed to this report.
Per the reports published, Royal Dutch Shell plc ( RDS.A ) plans to generate about 2 million tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) within 2025. By 2030, it wants SAF to account for at least 10% of its worldwide aviation fuel sales.

Shell does not yet produce its own SAF. Instead, it obtains it from other parties, such as the Neste refinery in Finland. This currently Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) Shell claims that SAF, which is made from waste cooking oil, plants and animal fats, may reduce aircraft emissions by up to 80%. Currently, SAF accounts for less than 0.1% of aviation fuel demand. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The SAF production target is consistent with Shell's goal of being a zero-emissions energy company by 2050. The ambition comes a week after the company made a final investment decision to construct an 820,000-tonne-per-year biofuels facility at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam in the Netherlands. When completed, the plant will be one of the largest producers of SAF and renewable diesel from trash in Europe.

The majority of oil and gas supermajors including BP plc BP and TotalEnergies SE TTE, promised to become net-zero energy firms by 2050 and heavily invest in renewable and low-carbon energy alternatives, such as SAF.

The development of SAF is a strategic path pursued by most companies to achieve carbon neutrality as biojet fuels help reduce emissions from air transportation.

Earlier this year, TotalEnergies announced that it started producing SAF at the La Medebio refinery in southern France and the Oudalle facility near Le Havre. SAF, which is made from used cooking oil, animal fat and other waste will be supplied to Frances airports from April 2021 and aid the company in curbing toxic emissions from air transportation.

Recently, another oil biggie Chevron Corporation CVX along with renewable energy firm Gevo, Inc. signed a letter of intent to jointly invest in the construction and operation of one or more new facilities to turn inedible corn into SAF, thereby lowering the lifecycle carbon intensity of aviation fuels.

Shells SAF Initiatives

This July, Shell signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc as part of its efforts to decarbonize the aviation industry and reach net-zero emissions.

Per the terms of the agreement, Shell and the engineering company Rolls-Royce will explore opportunities to bring 100% SAF to certification. Both companies plan to enhance their cooperation on SAF and fully certify its use in planes as it produces 70% less carbon than conventional fuel.

In December 2020, Shells Shell Aviation entered into an agreement with the global logistics services provider DHL Express to supply the latter with SAF at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.

The deal sets an excellent example of how the aviation industry will expedite its shift toward net-zero emissions as the fuel industry aims to increase the supply of SAF. As the commercial airlines are operating with lower capacity, Shell considers this deal an opportunity for the cargo sector to increase the uptake of SAF in the aviation industry. Further, the oil and gas major believes that cargo operators can play an important role to prompt the demand signals to boost investment and the use of SAF.

Shell has seen its shares surge 62.7% in a years time compared with the industry's growth of 57.4%.



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Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America

A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.

The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?

Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



BP p.l.c. (BP): Free Stock Analysis Report



Chevron Corporation (CVX): Free Stock Analysis Report



Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS.A): Free Stock Analysis Report



TotalEnergies SE Sponsored ADR (TTE): Free Stock Analysis Report



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A doctor who was fired after Houston-area public health officials accused him of stealing vials of COVID-19 vaccine to administer to family and friends sued the county Tuesday, accusing it of discriminating against South Asians and issuing disinformation about him.

The lawsuit filed on Dr. Hasan Gokals behalf seeks unspecified damages.

Gokal said his supervisor in the Harris County Public Health department and a representative from the department's human resources office accused him of giving the vaccine to too many people of South Asian origin or descent late the first night of the Moderna vaccine rollout in a north Harris County parking lot last December. All those present had been vaccinated, and there were 10 doses left.

None of the volunteers and police at the rollout wanted them, Gokal said, so he made late-night calls to people he knew, and even his wife, who were eligible to receive the doses. So that evening, I actually went around making sure all those 10 doses were given out, he said.

There wasnt one single person who was turned down (for vaccination) who was at risk that he could have given it to instead, said Michael Killingsworth, Gokals attorney.

Gokal said he routinely reported and documented what he did. He said he was told, Oh, you admit it? So, you're fired.

It was stated in no uncertain terms, Gokal said in a video interview from his Houston attorney's office Tuesday. The conversation specifically was, as I was being told I did the wrong things, Well, you didnt give it out equitably.' I asked him, Equitably? What do you mean equitably? Are you saying theres too many Indian names in the group?' He looks at me and says, Exactly."

The department charged him with misdemeanor theft, which a judge dismissed, and reported him to the state's medical licensing board. County officials still presented the theft case to the grand jury, however, a process that took six months before the jury finally cleared him.

The medical licensing board had cleared him long before then, and he was able to resume practicing emergency medicine at Houston-area hospitals.

A spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office referred requests for a response to the county attorney's office, which did not immediately return a message.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands broadcasting regulators extended the license of Discovery Inc.-owned TVN24 at the last moment Wednesday but also adopted a resolution to pressure the American company to sell its majority stake in the TV news channel, which airs coverage that is critical of Polands government.

The National Broadcasting Council, known by the Polish acronym KRRiT, had delayed the renewal of TVN24's license for almost two years. The independent television channel is watched by millions of people daily in Poland. Its current license expires on Sunday.

Discovery said the news of the extensions was bittersweet because it showed there has been no reason do delay or deny the extension renewal.

It said in a statement that the regulator's resolution is a reason for concern and undermines the democratic legislative process itself.

The rule of law, freedom of the press and stability for foreign investments are still very much at risk in Poland, Discovery said.

Poland's governing Law and Justice party has at times denounced the TVN24 channel. It is also trying to push a law through parliament to ban non-European ownership of broadcasters, a move viewed as an effort to curb media freedom in Poland. However, the party cannot be sure of winning enough votes for the law.

Before extending TVN24s license, the council unanimously adopted a resolution stating that says owners from outside Europe cannot hold more than a 49% stake in radio or TV stations in Poland.

The resolution is seen as a step intended to force Discovery to sell majority of its stake in TVN24 and its sister channels in Poland, without the need for the controversial law to be adopted.

The leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has repeatedly said he wants Poland's media to be controlled by Polish owners.

Since it came to power in 2015, the party has turned state-owned station TVP into its mouthpiece.
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Steve Bannon, the White House adviser turned accused fraudster turned podcast host, admitted on Wednesday that he conferred with Trump ahead of the January 6th insurrection, with the intention of kill[ing] the Biden presidency in its crib.

Bannons activity anticipating January 6th has been well-documented, but the extent to which he spoke with Trump ahead of the insurrection was not known until Peril, a new book from Robert Costa and Bob Woodward, was published on Tuesday. Bannon appeared to confirm Costa and Woodwards reporting during a recording his War Room podcast on Wednesday.

Bannon played clips of journalists discussing the book, which details how Bannon spoke with the then-president about the crisis that needed to be rectified on January 6th. People are going to go, What the fuck is going on here? Were going to bury Biden on January 6th, fucking bury him, Bannon told Trump days before the insurrection, according to Peril. Were going to kill it in the crib, kill the Biden presidency in the crib.

Heres how Bannon responded on Wednesday:

Yeah, because his legitimacy. Forty-two percent of the American people  4-2  think that Biden did not win the presidency legitimately. It killed itself.  Just let this go with what this illegitimate regime is doing. It killed itself. We told you from the very beginning. Just expose it. Just expose it. Never back down. Never give up. This thing will implode.

Bannons admission that he spoke with Trump about overthrowing the election isnt shocking considering how he was lathering up his followers to take action on the 6th. Bannon told his podcast listeners on January 5th that all hell was going to break loose the following day in Washington, D.C., and later encouraged his Facebook followers to TAKE ACTION. THEY ARE TRYING TO STEAL THE ELECTION, according to Vice News. They did just that by marching to and into the Capitol from Trumps rally at the Ellipse. The rally, during which Trump implored his supporters to fight like hell, was organized by March for Trump, a group with close ties to Bannon.

In the hours following the insurrection, Bannon interviewed Trump lawyer John Eastman, who bashed Vice President Pence for not doing more to prevent the certification of the election results. His frustration was cast in a new light this week after CNN obtained instructions Eastman provided to Pence, detailing the steps he needed to take in order for the election to be sent back to state legislatures. Eastman appeared on Bannons podcast again on Tuesday to whine more about Pence.

He refused to do [it], Eastman said about Pences failure to send the election back to the state legislatures, which would not have even been possible. Bannon said he needed to get Eastman back on the show the next day.
The acknowledgment section at the beginning of a book is an opportunity for the author to praise those who helped make the work a reality.

Tucker Carlson went in a different direction.

The Fox News host castigates his own publisher in the opening pages of his newly released book - "The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism." Carlson called Simon & Schuster's president a "cartoonish corporate censor" in the book's acknowledgments section and used the introduction to attack the company for canceling a book deal with one of his regular guests: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. In a promotional interview earlier this month, where another author might have thanked his publisher, Carlson called it is "a disgusting company run by disgusting people."

Carlson said he turned against Simon & Schuster after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, when the company accused Hawley of contributing to "what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom" and canceled a book contract with the senator. But while Hawley eventually found a new publisher for "The Tyranny of Big Tech," Carlson says he was contractually obligated to keep writing "The Long Slide" for Simon & Schuster, which also published his best-selling 2019 book, "Ship of Fools," as part of a two-book deal with the company.

In the introduction to "The Long Slide," Carlson revealed details of a private Zoom conversation he had with Simon & Schuster's president, Jonathan Karp, and publisher Dana Canedy, after Hawley's book deal was canceled. The senator had been widely accused at the time of encouraging the Capitol riot by spreading baseless claims of election fraud.

"I switched tacks and once again asked what Josh Hawley had done wrong. What was his crime?" Carlson wrote. "It's a business decision, Tucker," Karp replied, according to the book.

In an interview with the political commentator Dave Rubin this month, Carlson called Karp "dishonest," "not super smart," and "absolutely awful." He declared he would never write another book for the publisher, which he said "(hates) me more than they've ever hated anybody" and "threatened to sue" Carlson when he said he didn't want to write the book.

"A company I was working for was doing harm, not just to one person, Josh Hawley, but to our entire system, to the idea of a free country," Carlson told a Fox News media reporter last month.

Literary agent Esther Newberg told The Washington Post that it's very unusual for an author to publicly criticize a book publisher using such vitriolic language. And like many others in the publishing world, she defended Simon & Schuster's leadership. "Jonathan Karp is a very smart publisher," she said. "For Tucker Carlson of all people to suggest that he's not smart is beyond the pale."

But like others in the industry who spoke to The Post, Newberg predicted that mainstream publishers will increasingly face conflicts with authors who represent a conservative movement that continues to embrace denialism about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. They are facing increasing criticism both externally and from company employees who would rather them not publish such authors.

"We're in a new phase politically," a conservative book publisher who spoke on the condition of anonymity to give a candid assessment. "Both sides are so agitated, and so people are much more reactive and a little less committed to the idea that ideas are best if exposed to the light."

"The Long Slide" was published by Simon & Schuster's Threshold Edition imprint - essentially a sub-company that caters to conservative audiences. Most of the publishing mega-houses have their own conservative imprints: Penguin Random House has Sentinel, HarperCollins Publishers has Broadside Books and Hachette Book Group has Center Street, which published Donald Trump Jr.'s 2019 book, "Triggered."

"One of the problems, I think, is when a publisher decides that they're going to make money publishing things that they don't agree with but everybody agrees that they deserve to be published. You get into a situation like this," Newberg said.

Simon & Schuster, which declined to comment on the dispute, has signed several other conservative authors just within Carlson's circle of co-workers. The company published Fox News host Mark Levin's book "American Marxism," which spent nine weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list. And when Fox News host Greg Gutfeld hosted Carlson for a promotional interview late last month, he mentioned that he, too, has a book deal with Simon & Schuster.

"I owe (Karp) a book, so I think actually he's doing quite well," Gutfeld said, jokingly. "Tucker, I think you're being a little hard on the guy."

(Representatives for Fox News did not return a request for comment on this story.)

During a radio interview last month, Carlson got an assist from Alex Marlow, the Breitbart News editor in chief who had a book published this spring by the same publishing imprint as Carlson. Marlow called Carlson's book introduction ripping Simon & Schuster "one of the most unbelievable things (he's) ever read."

Carlson, 52, told Marlow that he has "the luxury" of criticizing his own publisher at this stage in his career. "All my kids are out of the house," he said. "If I were 35, and I had four kids in private school, which I did when I was 35, I'd be a little more cautious, I think. I get that people are really hamstrung because you have to make a living, and you're dependent on these awful, stupid people in order to do that. And, so, it's hard to exercise your freedom of speech. So, I'm just in this hyper-privileged position where I can say whatever the hell I want, and my view is: I'm just going to."

Marlow, however, said the publisher had been "decent" to him. "I had no issues with Simon & Schuster going through my process," he said.

Carlson has occasionally given credit to Simon & Schuster for actually releasing the book - which aside from its attacks on the company consists mostly of magazine essays lamenting the decline of free speech. "They come off as craven and dangerous, but they're still publishing it, so good for them," he said during a virtual book-signing event last month.
Rated PG-13 for some suggestive references, brief strong language, suicide and thematic material

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 43 percent at time of writing

In Theaters

Based on the smash Tony-winning Broadway musical, Dear Evan Hansen follows a high-schooler (Ben Platt, revising his stage role) whose anonymity is compromised when he falsely becomes associated with a fellow high schooler who commits suicide. As he pretends to have been part of the young mans life, he finds his way into the kids family and gains popularity amongst his school and beyond. While this synopsis makes the story feel cold and mean, it is actually quite a moving narrative as Hansen doesnt want the notoriety, but he is drawn into it when it begins to meet his needs for love and friendship. And with songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the team behind La La Land and The Greatest Showman, the music couldnt be more addictive and powerful. Having seen the stage production twice on Broadway (but not with Platt), I was concerned that the big screen wasnt the place for this, but it does work here, to a point. It helps to have an amazing cast including Amy Adams, Julianne Moore and Kaitlyn Dever, along with a great director in Stephen Chbosky (Beauty and the Beast) who has pulled this off before. Part of me does think that Platt might be a bit too old to play a high schooler, but honestly, it wasnt as noticeable as I thought it would be and by the end I was grateful to have finally seen him perform the role. The movies biggest fault is that it isnt perfect, or at least as good as what you get to see on stage. Some terrific songs were cut and the new songs are merely only okay, but I also found the movie not to be as emotionally draining. Maybe thats a good thing. On Broadway I embarrassed myself with my crying while the movie only had me wiping away a couple of tears. Overall, its a good enough endeavor and should win some fans, even if the critics seem to be piling on, probably in order to gain attention on social media, ironically. B

Cry Macho

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and language

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54 percent

In Theaters and Streaming on HBO Max

In Clint Eastwoods latest acting/directing adventure, he plays a ranch hand who is sent to Mexico from Texas in order to bring back his bosss teenage son. Forced to take back roads in order to get past the law and the boys mothers henchmen, the two become friends as they risk their lives to get back to America. As I write that synopsis, I realize that there is some potential in that story. It actually sounds good. But the execution here is awful. The biggest problem is the casting. Eastwood is a legend, but he is all wrong for this part and it is hard to watch. The boy is also not great in the role, although its entirely possible that he was just not well-directed. The whole project feels sloppy and rushed and not in the least believable. My advice - watch the trailer and it will give you the perfect rundown and allow you to save two valuable hours. C-

Zola

Rated R for language throughout, graphic nudity, a sexual assault, strong sexual content and violence

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88 percent

Available on Disc and Streaming

This dark comedy is based on a true story about two strippers who make a road trip to Florida that goes wrong when one of the girls decides to prostitute herself halfway through the outing. The movie tries to prepare its audience for a crazy, disastrous road trip that will burn a bad memory into your brain, and if theres one disappointment here, it is that it never lives up to that promise. It is, however, an interesting story with some terrific performances by a very talented cast. I was actually convinced that the actors came from that world and were just making a documentary-like film, as they seemed almost too perfect in their parts. But when you dig into their IMDB pages, you start to realize that these are some big pros with impressive resumes and one of the girls (Riley Keough) is actually Elvis Presleys granddaughter. I was also really impressed with director Janicza Bravos tremendous sense of style and flair in a film where that is truly unexpected. B

Danny Minton may be reached at danny@dannyminton.com.
DEL RIO, Texas (AP)  Three hours after being freed from a giant migrant camp under an international bridge, Mackenson Veillard stood outside a gas station and took stock of his sudden good fortune as he and his pregnant wife waited for a Greyhound bus to take them to a cousin in San Antonio.

The couple camped with thousands for a week under the bridge in Del Rio, Texas, sleeping on concrete and getting by on bread and bottled water.

I felt so stressed, Veillard, 25, said this week. But now, I feel better. Its like Im starting a new life.

Many Haitian migrants in Del Rio are being released in the United States, according to two U.S. officials, undercutting the Biden administrations public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion to Haiti.

Haitians have been freed on a very, very large scale in recent days, one official said Tuesday. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter and thus spoke on condition of anonymity, put the figure in the thousands.

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving.

The releases come despite a massive effort to expel Haitians on flights under pandemic-related authority that denies migrants a chance to seek asylum. A third U.S. official not authorized to discuss operations said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.

Ten flights arrived in Haiti from Sunday to Tuesday in planes designed for 135 passengers, according to Haitian officials, who didnt provide a complete count but said six of those flights carried 713 migrants combined.

The camp held more than 14,000 people over the weekend, according to some estimates. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, during a visit Tuesday to Del Rio, said the countys top official told him the most recent tally was about 8,600 migrants. U.S. authorities have declined to say how many have been released in the U.S. in recent days.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio, a town of 35,000 people, to El Paso, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said. They are processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

Criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the U.S. are a mystery, but two officials said single adults were a priority. If previous handling of asylum-seekers is any guide, the administration is more likely to release those deemed vulnerable, including pregnant women, families with young children and those with medical issues.

The Biden administration exempts unaccompanied children from expulsion flights on humanitarian grounds.

The system is a black box, said Wade McMullen, an attorney with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, who was in Del Rio. Right now, we have no official access to understand what processes are underway, what protections are being provided for the migrants.

On Wednesday, more than 300 migrants had been dropped off in Border Patrol vans by early afternoon at a welcome center staffed by the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition. They waited for buses to Houston, a springboard to final destinations in the U.S. Many were required to wear ankle monitors, used to ensure they obey instructions to report to immigration authorities.

Hello. How are you?" volunteer Lupita De La Paz greeted them in Spanish. We will help you. You have arrived in Del Rio, Texas. Its a small town. There are not many options. We will help you get to another place.

Rabbiatu Yunusah, 34, waited with her 3-year-old daughter Laila, was headed to settle with an uncle in Huntsville, Alabama. She felt very happy to be in this country, to be free.

Jimy Fenelon, 25, and his partner, Elyrose Prophete, who is eight months pregnant, left the camp Tuesday and were headed to Florida to stay with an uncle.

Everyone has their luck. Some didnt have luck to get here. Fenelon said.

Accounts of wide-scale releases  some observed in Del Rio by Associated Press journalists -- are at odds with statements Monday by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who traveled to Del Rio to promise swift action.

If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your familys life, he said at a news conference.

Homeland Security, asked to comment on releases in the United States, said Wednesday that migrants who are not immediately expelled to Haiti may be detained or released with a notice to appear in immigration court or report to an immigration office, depending on available custody space.

The Biden Administration has reiterated that our borders are not open, and people should not make the dangerous journey, the department said in a statement. Individuals and families are subject to border restrictions, including expulsion.

Meanwhile, Mexico has begun busing and flying Haitian migrants away from the U.S. border, signaling a new level of support for the United States as the camp presented President Joe Biden with a humanitarian and increasingly political challenge.

The White House is facing sharp bipartisan condemnation. Republicans say Biden administration policies led Haitians to believe they would get asylum. Democrats are expressing outrage after images went viral this week of Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics against the migrants.

Immigrants have described a screening process at the camp where people were given colored tickets for four categories: single men; single women; pregnant women; and families with young children, McMullen said. The vast majority of immigrants he and other advocates have interviewed and who have been released into the U.S. have been families with young children and pregnant women.

Wilgens Jean and his wife, Junia Michel, waited in Del Rio this week for relatives to send the $439 in bus fare to get to Springfield, Ohio, where Jeans brother lives. Michel, who is pregnant, huddled under the little shade the parking lot had to offer from the brutal heat. Her only request was for sunscreen that she softly rubbed on her pregnant belly.

On the concrete in front of them lay two backpacks and a black garbage bag which held everything the couple owns. The pair left in Haiti in April and were in the Del Rio camp for five days. Jean said because his wife is expecting, they were released from the camp on Monday.

I entered by crossing the river, Jean said. Immigration gave me a ticket.

After an initial stay with family in San Antonio, Veillard eventually hopes to get to New York City to live with his sister. He will take any job he can find to support his growing family.

Veillard and his wife left Haiti four years ago and had been living in Brazil until they began their journey to the United States in June, much of it on foot.

I dont know how Im going to feel tomorrow but now I feel lucky, he said.

___

Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press writers Maria Verza in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Evens Sanon from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this report.

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Follow APs coverage of migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
SENECA, S.C. (AP)  A $50,000 reward is being offered for information about the 2014 death of Clemson University student Tucker Hipps.

Hipps, a 19-year-old sophomore, went missing after an early morning run with other pledges of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity near the school on Sept. 22, 2014. After an alleged altercation with an older fraternity brother, Hipps was allegedly forced to walk along guard rails on the road where he slipped and fell, hitting his head on the rocks below, authorities have said.

The student's body was later found in Lake Hartwell under the Hwy. 93 bridge. No arrests have been made in connection with the case.

On Wednesday, Hipps' family held a news conference to discuss the reward and urge his fraternity brothers to come forward and tell them what happened, news outlets reported.

Im just ready for someone thats involved to reveal what happened, said Hipps' mother, Cindy Hipps. Until I find out what happened, I dont feel like Im gonna have the joy that I seek.

The Hippses were joined by Daniel Catullo, a documentary filmmaker who has included their son's story in a film about fraternities, hazing and the code of silence that surrounds their activities.

Catullo, who was a member of the same fraternity Hipps was pledging, said the Hipps case was the only one in which no fraternity member would talk about what happened. He said he has pleaded with members of the fraternity through phone calls and emails to tell what they know.

Clemson is better than this, Catullo said. Weve been blocked every step of the way.

He said 29 fraternity members were there the day Hipps died and that he believes all 60 members in the fraternity's chapter know what happened. They are men now, possibly fathers, who should no longer wrestle with their consciences about that day, he said.

Were still not seeing that compassionate side of anyone, Catullo said.

Oconee County Sheriff's Deputy Jimmy Dixon said that although it's been seven years, the case remains open.

This is weighing on somebody's conscious and until somebody comes forward with the truth, it's going to continue to weigh on them, Dixon said. What we're looking for is the truth. We won't stop until we find the truth.

Hipps' death led to the passing of the Tucker Hipps Transparency Act in 2016, which requires all public universities in South Carolina to report all conduct investigations into student organizations, The Greenville News reported. Since then, reports of hazing at Clemson University have declined by nearly half, the newspaper said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Dixon at 864-638-4111 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-724-6372.
LAFAYETTE, Ala. (AP)  The mayor of an eastern Alabama city pleaded guilty Wednesday to using his official position or office for personal gain.

Lanett Mayor Jonathon Kyle McCoy was immediately removed from office following his plea to felony ethics violations and is barred from holding office again, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a news release.

Under a plea agreement, McCoy admitted using his position as mayor to provide a city-owned Chevrolet Tahoe to a family member for about seven months. McCoy's relative did not work for the city and had no government purpose in possessing the vehicle, Marshall's office said.

McCoy, 57, also admitted using his position to avoid paying for city utility services on seven separate accounts.

By August 2019, McCoy owed more than $41,000 to the city of Lanett, Marshall's office said.

At that time, McCoy directed a city employee to put a hold on these accounts, which resulted in McCoy no longer incurring minimum fees and late charges as well as his accounts being removed from the city's cut-off list, the news release said.

McCoy paid the $41,232 balance seven months later, but did not pay any late charges or fees for the period his accounts were on hold. Under the plea deal, McCoy agreed to pay $2,069 in unpaid fees and charges as restitution to the city, Marshall's office said.

In addition, McCoy will pay another $12,124 in restitution to the city for money spent on personal items and gifts not related to city government. In total, McCoy will pay the city $14,193 in restitution.

McCoys actions are appalling violations of the citizens trust and brazen abuses of his authority as mayor, Marshall said. The people of Lanett deserve leadership with honor and integrity. It is important that McCoy now is removed from office, that he may not be in a position to betray the public trust in the future, and that he is being held to account and (be) punished for his crimes.

Chambers County Circuit Judge Steve Perryman set sentencing for Oct. 26.

McCoy, who was elected in October 2015, faces possible penalties of two to 20 years behind bars and fines of up to $30,000 for each of the two felony convictions.
TIRANA, Albania (AP)  An Albanian appeals court Wednesday sentenced the countrys former chief prosecutor to two years in prison and confiscated his property Wednesday for hiding the money involved in illegally owned properties.

The Tirana Appeals Court upheld another court's verdict against Adriatik Llalla, who served as Albania's prosecutor general during 2012-2017. A court that handles top officials corruption cases sentenced him in May for hiding property and giving false information on the asset declarations officials must submit every year.

Adriatik Llalla has committed the penal crime and should be held accountable penally, Appeals Court Judge Nertina Kosova said in rejecting his request to have the sentence overturned.

Llalla, who also is barred from holding any public post for five years, was not present in court for the decision. He would normally be required to start serving his sentence immediately, but his lawyer said Llalla's exact whereabouts are unknown.

Lawyer Sokol Hazizaj said he knew that Llalla was hospitalized but could not specify whether that was in Albania or abroad.

Llalla has not been able to account for the money behind his buying and selling some 5.4 acres of land and the purchase of an apartment. He also failed to justify his familys expenses in the United States and Germany.

Fighting corruption has been post-communist Albanias Achilles' heel, strongly affecting the countrys democratic, economic and social development.

Llalla was the first high-ranking person to be sentenced by newly formed judicial institutions that were established to address corruption. Many judges and prosecutors have been dismissed for alleged corruption and illegally acquiring property and money.

The judicial reform, which was approved in 2016 with the involvement of the United States and the European Union, introduced a vetting process for judges and prosecutors to prove their properties were legally acquired and that they met anti-corruption and professional standards.

In 2018, Llalla was barred from entering the United States due to his suspected involvement in corruption. In May, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also sanctioned former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha for alleged significant corruption and barred him and his wife and children from entering the country.

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Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini
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WARSAW, Poland (AP)  A region in southern Poland revoked an anti-LGBT resolution Wednesday under the threat of losing European Union funding.

The regional assembly of Swietokrzyskie voted in a special session to revoke the resolution, first passed in 2019, that stated opposition to the attempts to introduce LGBT ideology to local government communities and the promotion of this ideology in public life.

The measure also declared deep disapproval and strong opposition to the attempts by liberal political and social circles to promote an ideology based on LGBT affirmation, which are in clear contradiction to the cultural heritage and centuries-old Christian traditions not only of the ... region but also of Poland and Europe.

Swietokrzyskie is the first area of Poland to rescind such a measure after many were passed in areas that have colloquially known as an LGBT-free zones.

Its move came after the country's government asked authorities in several regions to revoke their largely symbolic anti-LGBT resolutions.

The appeal marked a reversal for the conservative government after the EU put on hold millions of euros of funding to the regions. Members of Poland's ruling Law and Justice, party had supported the resolutions, which local communities said were intended to protect families based on unions of a man and a woman.

The anti-LGBT resolutions were part of a backlash against an increasingly visible gay rights movement in Poland. Rights activists said the LGBT-free designations made gays and lesbians feel unwelcome.

LGBT rights activists had been urging the EU to do act more forcefully to protect them from discrimination, and they welcomed the development.

Activist Bart Staszewski called it a great day for Poland and great success of activists and civil society. I am really moved.

Meanwhile, the liberal newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza said the region's action marked a good day in the fight against discrimination.

EU leaders had denounced the resolutions as discriminatory, and the EU Parliament reacted earlier this year by passing a resolution declaring the entire 27-member EU a freedom zone for LGBT people.

According to Polish media reporters Wednesday, Swietokrzyskie's assembly passed a new resolution in the place of the old one stating that Poland's Constitution guarantees parents the right to raise their children in accordance with their beliefs and views but also provides a guarantee of equality and fair treatment for all.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Federal lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday that would change 19th century maritime liability rules in response to the 2019 boat fire off the coast of Southern California that killed 34 people.

The bill would update the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, under which boat owners can limit their liability to the value of the remains of the vessel. In the case of the Conception, the scuba diving boat where an inferno trapped 33 passengers and one crew member in the bunkroom below deck, the boat was a total loss.

The legislation would be retroactively applied to the families of Conception victims if it passes, officials said. The tragedy was one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent U.S. history.

The bill, sponsored by California Democrats Rep. Salud Carbajal and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, would mean that owners of small passenger vessels could be held legally responsible for maritime accidents. The owners would be mandated to compensate victims and their families regardless of the value of the boat after the incident.

The 1851 law is a time-tested legal maneuver that has been successfully employed by owners of the Titanic and countless other crafts, some as small as Jet Skis. It has its origins in 18th century England and was meant to promote the shipping business.

Carbajal, who represents the area where the Conception disaster occurred, said the 2019 fire prompted lawmakers to see how they could help the victims' families.

While nothing makes up for the loss, at the very least theyd get just and fair compensation thats owed to them, he told The Associated Press. The aftermath of this tragedy brought this to light.

Feinstein, in a statement, said the law doesnt account for modern tourism such as commercial dive boats."

The Passenger Vessel Association, a trade group, did not respond to a request for comment.

Under the current act, the company Truth Aquatics and owners Glen and Dana Fritzler have to show they were not at fault in the Conception disaster. Even if the captain or crew are officially blamed, the Fritzlers and their insurance company could avoid paying a dime under the law.

The Fritzlers' suit to limit their liability remains ongoing in federal court. Attorneys for the couple did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Jeffrey Goodman, an attorney for the families, told AP the long overdue legislation may not really affect the Conception case because the Fritzlers do not have many assets to compensate the families.

However, Goodman said the bill is important in a broader sense to hold boat owners and operators accountable.

Removing the financial protections provided (to) them will promote maritime safety moving forward, he said.

The National Transportation Safety Boards investigation of the disaster did not find the cause of the fire, but it blamed the vessels owners for a lack of oversight and said failing to post a night watch allowed flames to spread quickly.

The Conception's captain, Jerry Boylan, pleaded not guilty in February to rare federal manslaughter charges. Prosecutors say Boylan failed to follow safety rules before the fire broke out Sept. 2, 2019, by failing to train his crew, conduct fire drills and have a roving night watchman on the boat when the fire ignited. His case is pending.

Boylan and four other crew members, who had all been sleeping above deck, escaped from the fiery boat after the captain made a panicked mayday call.

___

Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  California has the lowest coronavirus transmission rate of any state following a sharp decline in cases and hospitalizations after a summer surge.

The nation's most populous state is the only one experiencing substantial" coronavirus transmission, the second-highest level on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's color-coded map. So is Puerto Rico. In all other U.S. states, virus transmission is labeled as high," defined as 100 or more cases per 100,000 people in the last week.

California's rate is 94 cases per 100,000. By comparison, Texas is 386 and Florida is 296.

State health experts say relatively high vaccination rates in California ahead of the arrival of the delta variant made a difference, and additional measures, such as masking, also helped stem the surge. Nearly 70% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated, and another 8% have received their first shot, state data shows.

The overall secret to California has been the vaccination rates were high enough that we started off in an OK place," said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, a professor of epidemiology at University of California, San Francisco's medical school. We just never reached the height we saw in Florida, for example, because it's against the backdrop of fairly high vaccination rates.

On Monday, a state mandate went into effect requiring attendees at indoor events with 1,000 or more people show proof of full vaccination or a negative test. Patrons previously were allowed to just attest they were vaccinated or had a negative test.

California has seen coronavirus cases and hospitalizations decline following a summer increase in cases with the arrival of the delta variant. In the past two weeks daily new cases are down by more than 4,000, a decrease of 32%, while hospitalizations have dropped by 22% to just over 6,000.

The summer surge occurred after California lifted many limits on businesses in June. It followed a much more severe winter surge when officials shuttered shops and schools in the state of nearly 40 million. During that time, sick patients packed many hospitals, and thousands died every week.

California's death toll is now more than 68,000, tops in the nation, but the per-capita rate is lower than more than the half the states.

The severity of last winter may have helped temper this most recent surge in California, said Andrew Noymer, a public health professor at University of California, Irvine.

It's a combination of immunity from vaccination and from the huge winter wave that we had, he said.

Los Angeles County, which is home to one in four of the state's residents and has some of the state's strictest virus mandates, reported a 1.2% positivity rate on Monday.

Barbara Ferrer, LA County's director of public health, said safety measures that encourage masks and limit places where large numbers of unvaccinated people gather are needed to head off a continual cycle of surges fueled by new variants of concern.

In neighboring Orange County, which has looser restrictions than LA, coronavirus cases, positivity rates and hospitalizations also have declined in recent weeks, said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the countys deputy health director. She said she believes vaccinations made a difference, noting the recent surge was initially detected in the county's coastal areas and other places with lower vaccination rates.

In terms of case rates and hospitalizations, everything is downward trending, she said, adding the county's positivity rate has fallen to 3.7% from 6.8% in late August. We are starting to get out of this surge, which is good.
PRAGUE (AP)  Czech President Milos Zeman was released from the hospital on Wednesday.

Zeman was admitted to Pragues military hospital on Sept. 14 for what his office described later as a planned examination. It later said CT scans, sonography checks and blood tests carried out by doctors didnt reveal any problems or disease that would threaten his life.

The office said the president was only dehydrated and slightly exhausted.

Due to similar reasons, he spent four days in the same hospital in 2019.

Zeman, 76, is a heavy smoker who has suffered from diabetes and neuropathy linked to it. He has trouble walking and has been using a wheelchair.

Zeman was set to return to his duties later Wednesday.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Search teams found nothing of note Wednesday at a Florida wilderness park where they have spent days looking for the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, the young woman who authorities say was killed while on a cross-country trip with him.

The search resumed Wednesday morning at the 24,000-acre (9,700-hectare) Carlton Reserve park and ended just before dark, North Port police spokesperson Joshua Taylor said. Investigators say Brian Laundrie's parents told them he had gone there after returning home without Petito on Sept. 1.

It marked the fourth day of searching in the Carlton Reserve, with operations suspended Monday while the FBI searched the nearby Laundrie home for evidence.

The search of the reserve was set to resume Thursday morning, Taylor said in an email.

The outdoors search includes thousands of acres of forbidding, swampy subtropical terrain replete with alligators, snakes, bobcats, coyotes, turkey, deer and many other wild creatures. There are more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) of hiking and horseback riding trails, plus numerous camping areas and rivers.

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office brought in a diver unit called SURF, or Sheriffs Underwater Recovery Force, to perform a more specialized search for evidence.

These highly-trained deputies work in the most difficult and challenging environments imaginable. They are on call 24/7/365, the sheriff's office said in a tweet.

Petito, 22, was reported missing Sept. 11 by her parents after she did not respond to calls and texts for several days while the couple visited parks in the West. Her body was discovered Sunday at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Teton County Coroner Brent Blue classified Petito's death as a homicide  meaning her death was caused by another person  but did not disclose how she was killed pending further autopsy results. Laundrie, 23, is not charged with any crime but is considered a person of interest in the case.

With online sleuths and theories multiplying by the day, the FBI and police have been deluged with tips about possible Laundrie sightings. Taylor, the North Port spokesperson, said none have so far panned out. He also batted down rumors that Laundrie had been captured Tuesday.

These reports are unfortunately false. Please rest assured that when Brian is found, we will be more than happy to let everyone know, Taylor said in an email.

Petito and Laundrie grew up together in Long Island, New York, but moved in recent years to North Port, where his parents live. Their home, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Sarasota, was searched by investigators earlier this week and a Ford Mustang driven by Laundrie's mother was towed from the driveway. Authorities believe Laundrie drove that car to the Carlton Reserve before disappearing.

The couple documented online their trip in a white Ford Transit van converted into a camper, but got into a physical altercation Aug. 12 in Moab, Utah, that led to a police stop for a possible domestic violence case. Ultimately, police there decided to separate the quarreling couple for the night but no charges were filed and no serious injuries were reported.

The FBI is seeking information from anyone who may have seen them in the Grand Teton area as well as any other tips nationally.

We join the FBI in asking for continued public assistance by sharing any information through the tip lines 1-800-CALL FBI or tips.fbi.gov, Taylor said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Bipartisan congressional talks on overhauling policing practices have ended without an agreement, top bargainers from both parties said Wednesday, marking the collapse of an effort that began after killings of unarmed Black people by officers sparked protests across the U.S.

It was clear that we were not making the progress that we needed to make, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., told reporters. He cited continued disagreements over Democrats' efforts to make officers personally liable for abuses, raising professional standards and collecting national data on police agencies' use of force.

Talks had moved slowly for months, and it had became clear over the summer that the chances for a breakthrough were all but hopeless. Booker said hed told South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the lead Republican negotiator, of his decision earlier Wednesday.

Repeated visits to Washington by victims' relatives helped keep pressure on the issue. But in the end, Booker said, I couldnt get to a point where I can meet with families and tell them that we were going to address the specific issues that were putting your family member in harms way.

Scott said he was deeply disappointed" that Democrats had walked away from accords reached on several issues, including banning chokeholds, curbing the transfer of military equipment to police and increased funds for mental health programs, which address problems that often lead to encounters with law enforcement officers.

Crime will continue to increase while safety decreases, and more officers are going to walk away from the force because my negotiating partners walked away from the table, Scott said in a statement.

Democrats rejected a deal because they could not let go of their push to defund our law enforcement, said Scott, using a catchphrase of progressives from which most Democrats in Congress have disassociated themselves. Once again, the Left let their misguided idea of perfect be the enemy of good, impactful legislation.

The failed congressional effort followed high-profile police killings last year of Black people including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. Those killings and protest demonstrations in scores of cities that followed called attention to abusive police behavior and the disproportionately high number of Blacks who are victims of fatal encounters with law enforcement.

In a written statement Wednesday, President Joe Biden called Floyds killing a stain on the soul of America, adding, We will be remembered for how we responded to the call.

He said Senate Republicans had rejected enacting modest reforms that then-President Donald Trump had backed and some law enforcement organizations were open to. He cited new Justice Department policies on chokeholds and other practices, and said his administration would seek ways, including with executive orders he could issue, to live up to the American ideal of equal justice under law.

Booker cited support parts of the effort had won from police organizations, and said he was talking to the White House, other congressional Democrats and civil rights and other outside groups about still making some progress on the issue. But he avoided specifics.

I just want to make it clear that this is not an end, he said.

Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who have represented shooting victims' families, expressed extreme disappointment" in the talks' outcome.

We can not let this be a tragic, lost opportunity to regain trust between citizens and police," they said. They said the Senate should vote anyway on Democrats' policing bill  which Republicans would be certain to defeat with a filibuster, or procedural delays, but would let voters see who is looking out for their communities best interests."

The police killings and the public reaction quickly caught the attention of both political parties, and work began in Congress to write legislation that would curb and monitor the police use of force. But from the beginning, some from each party voiced suspicions that their rivals would make few concessions in hopes of retaining an issue  crime for Republicans, restraining police for Democrats  that they could use to appeal to voters in election campaigns.

Political roadblocks soon emerged. Democrats blocked a Republican Senate bill last year that they said was too weak, while a tougher House-approved bill this year was derailed in the Senate by the GOP.

Lobbying trips to Washington by victims families and Bidens call this spring for a bipartisan deal by May 25, the anniversary of Floyds death, seemed to provide momentum for the effort. But May 25 came and went without an agreement.

Booker and Scott, among only three Black senators, refrained from criticizing each other throughout the talks and held to that on Wednesday. The two have said they are friends and have cited similar experiences of being challenged by officers.

We disagree on a lot of issues, and in this case, Im disappointed that we have those disagreements," Booker said. But we both share the humiliation of being stopped by police officers."
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP)  Officials in a suburban Kansas City school district are investigating after a small group of students posted a petition online calling for the return of slavery.

The petition came to light last week after the students at Park Hill South High School posted it during a school-related activity, officials said.

Further details about the number of students involved, the specific language of the petition or what might have prompted it were not being released because it is a discipline issue, district spokeswoman Nicole Kirby said Wednesday.

Jeanette Cowherd, superintendent of the Park Hill School District, said in a letter to the community Wednesday that the district does not tolerate discrimination or harassment and has specific policies addressing any violations, which could result in a suspension or expulsion.

The district also has a policy on civility that prohibits attacks against people based on factors such as race, gender, religion, disability or other personal characteristics.

I cannot share the specifics of any particular student's discipline but I can tell you that we follow our Board policy when disciplining students, she wrote.

Kerrie Herren, principal of Park Hill South, said a student notified him of the petition last Thursday and school officials have been working since then to help students and staff who are upset by the incident.

I think that a large portion of our population is hurt, mad, outraged and confused and want to use it as way to make Park Hill South better," Herren said.

The Park Hill district had a student population of 11,767 this school year, of which about 12.7% were Black. The district instituted an inclusion and equity council with teachers in 2015, which led to student focus groups and eventually a family advisory council on the issue.

Terri Deayon, the district's director of access, inclusion and family engagement, said district and school officials have met with student groups and staff at Park Hill South and at LEAD Innovation Studio, a separate school on the Park Hill South campus that offers a different educational approach to students.

"I wholeheartedly believe we are in a situation that we are going to confront, restore and heal," Deayon said. We will be better and we will take this and use it as an opportunity to improve.
FARGO, N.D. (AP)  A petition drive to recall four members of the Fargo School Board who have supported measures meant to limit the spread of COVID-19 has failed, district officials said Wednesday.

Officials said that while the recall group submitted more than the required amount of signatures, many of them were rejected for various errors. That included inadequate signatures, out-of-district addresses, notary mistakes and the lack of city, zip code and date information.
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (AP)  Longtime Arizona Rep. Frank Pratt has died following a long illness. He was 79.

Speaker Rusty Bowers announced Pratt's death on Tuesday, calling the Casa Grande Republican an irreplaceable figure in the Arizona state Legislature.

Pratt was a farmer and rancher before forming a swimming pool construction business in 1986, according to his biography in a legislative guide published by the parent company of the Arizona Capitol Times.

On Christmas Day in 2010, Pratt was tied up and beaten at his business, found hours later by his worried wife, Janice Pratt. The assailant stole his Rolex watch and vehicle, and Pratt was hospitalized.

Pratt had served in the Legislature since 2009, first in the House, then in the Senate before returning to the House at the beginning of the year. He was a quiet legislator who rarely spoke on the House and Senate floor.

Although he was not vocal, when he spoke, his words carried weight, said Rep. Reginald Bolding, the top Democrat in the House.

Pratt was among a handful of Republican legislators who joined all Democrats and Republican Gov. Jan Brewer in 2013 in a coalition to expand Medicaid, a key part of then-President Barack Obama's health care law. The expansion was vehemently opposed by the GOP House and Senate leaders, who blocked votes in the Legislature for weeks until Pratt and other expansion supporters forced them to cave.

More recently, he missed many legislative days this year as he battled an illness.

He was a trailblazer not just in Pinal County politics but also in life, said Sen. T.J. Shope, a Republican who represents the same district as Pratt. While most knew him to be a quiet type who played his cards close to the vest, I knew him as somebody of deep conviction and a firm belief in right & wrong.

Pratt's 8th Legislative District includes parts of Pinal and Gila counties. Republican precinct committeemen will choose three candidates to replace him, and county supervisors will select a winner, who must be a Republican. The Legislature is not scheduled to be in session until January.

Gov. Doug Ducey has ordered flags at all state buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Wednesday in honor of Pratt.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  A man accused of massacring a Florida family under the delusion that they were child sex traffickers has been formally charged with four counts of first-degree murder.

Court documents show a grand jury's 22-count indictment was filed Tuesday in Polk County Circuit Court against Bryan Riley. Other charges included attempted murder  one 11-year-old girl survived the Sept. 5 rampage and Riley got into a gunfight with police  kidnapping, arson, burglary and animal cruelty for killing the family dog.

Riley, a 33-year-old former Marine, could ultimately face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted of the killings. Prosecutors have not announced a decision on whether they will seek the death penalty.

Riley is being held without bail and has not yet entered a plea to the charges.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd previously said Riley falsely believed the family was involved in child sex trafficking and that he had been told by God to rescue a purported child victim named Amber. There was no child by that name at the home.

Riley chanced upon the family after seeing a man mowing his lawn with a young girl out in the yard that he thought might be the trafficking victim, Judd said.

Officials say Riley, wearing body armor, had three weapons with him and fired at least 100 shots in the main home and a smaller one in back where Catherine Delgado, 62, was the first to be killed.

Law enforcement officers fired about 60 shots in a gun battle that left Riley with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Riley surrendered after that.

The victims are Justice Gleason, 40; his 33-year-old girlfriend, Theresa Lanham; their baby boy, Jody, who was born in May; and Delgado, who was Lanhams mother and owned the property. Gleason's daughter survived despite several gunshot wounds.

Riley served as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan and was working as a security guard in the Lakeland area, including at a church. After that recent job, his girlfriend of four years told investigators Riley began talking about communication with God but not about violence.
HONOLULU (AP)  A Honolulu police officer decided to get vaccinated against COVID-19 instead of losing his job.

Cpl. Mark Kutsy told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine last week and returned to duty on Tuesday.

It was a very big, difficult decision, he said. Of course I had a lot to lose, and that's why I was taking it day by day, to weigh out my options and not make a hasty decision.

He said he still doesn't agree with getting vaccinated, but chose the lesser of two evils" to save my career.

He said he didn't want to get vaccinated because he rarely gets sick.

After getting the shot, he said he had a fever, sweats and chills for two days. His wife didn't experience any side effects after she got vaccinated.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a COVID-19 vaccination will help protect against getting COVID-19. It says side effects are possible but should go away in a few days.

The citys vaccination policy does not allow weekly testing for workers who decline to be vaccinated.

About 78% of police officers, 86% of firefighters and 71% percent of lifeguards and paramedics are vaccinated, according to the city.
Epik long has been the favorite Internet company of the far-right, providing domain services to QAnon theorists, Proud Boys and other instigators of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol - allowing them to broadcast hateful messages from behind a veil of anonymity.

But that veil abruptly vanished last week when a huge breach by the hacker group Anonymous dumped into public view more than 150 gigabytes of previously private data - including user names, passwords and other identifying information of Epik's customers.

Extremism researchers and political opponents have treated the leak as a Rosetta Stone to the far-right, helping them to decode who has been doing what with whom over several years. Initial revelations have spilled out steadily across Twitter since news of the hack broke last week, often under the hashtag #epikfail, but those studying the material say they will need months and perhaps years to dig through all of it.

"It's massive. It may be the biggest domain-style leak I've seen and, as an extremism researcher, it's certainly the most interesting," said Megan Squire, a computer science professor at Elon University who studies right-wing extremism. "It's an embarrassment of riches - stress on the embarrassment."

Epik, based in the Seattle suburb of Sammamish, has made its name in the Internet world by providing critical Web services to sites that have run afoul of other companies' policies against hate speech, misinformation and advocating violence. Its client list is a roll-call of sites known for permitting extreme posts and that have been rejected by other companies for their failure to moderate what their users post.

Online records show those sites have included 8chan, which was dropped by its providers after hosting the manifesto of a gunman who killed 51 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019; Gab, which was dropped for hosting the anti-Semitic rants of a gunman who killed 11 in a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018; and Parler, which was dropped due to lax moderation related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Epik also provides services to a network of sites devoted to extremist QAnon conspiracy theories. Epik briefly hosted the neo-Nazi site Daily Stormer in 2019 after acquiring a cybersecurity company that had provided it with hosting services, but Epik soon canceled that contract, according to news reports. Epik also stopped supporting 8chan after a short period of time, the company has said.

Earlier this month, Epik also briefly provided service to the antiabortion group Texas Right to Life, whose website, ProLifeWhistleblower.com, was removed by the hosting service GoDaddy because it solicited accusations about which medical providers might be violating a state abortion ban.

An Epik attorney said the company stopped working with the site because it violated company rules against collecting people's private information. Online records show Epik was still the site's domain registrar as of last week, though the digital tip line is no longer available, and the site now redirects to the group's homepage.

Epik founder Robert Monster's willingness to provide technical support to online sanctuaries of the far-right have made him a regular target of anti-extremism advocates, who criticized him for using Epik's tools to republish the Christchurch gunman's manifesto and live-streamed video the killer had made of the slaughter.

Monster also used the moment as a marketing opportunity, saying the files were now "effectively uncensorable," according to screenshots of his tweets and Gab posts from the time. Monster also urged Epik employees to watch the video, which he said would convince them it was faked, Bloomberg News reported.

Monster has defended his work as critical to keeping the Internet uncensored and free, aligning himself with conservative critics who argue that leading technology companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and YouTube have gone too far in policing content they deem inappropriate.

Monster did not respond to requests for comment from The Washington Post. But he said in an email to customers two days after hackers announced the breach that the company had suffered an "alleged security incident" and asked customers to report back any "unusual account activity."

"You are in our prayers today," Monster wrote last week, as news of the hack spread. "When situations arise where individuals might not have honorable intentions, I pray for them. I believe that what the enemy intends for evil, God invariably transforms into good. Blessings to you all."

Since the hack, Epik's security protocols have been the target of ridicule among researchers, who've marveled at the site's apparent failure to take basic security precautions such as routine encryption that could have protected data about its customers from becoming public.

The files include years of website purchase records, internal company emails and customer account credentials revealing who administers some of the biggest far-right websites. The data includes client names, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and passwords left in plain, readable text. The hack even exposed the personal records from Anonymize, a privacy service Epik offered to customers wanting to conceal their identity.

Similar failings by other hacked companies have drawn scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, which has probed companies such as dating site Ashley Madison for failing to protect their customers private data from hackers. FTC investigations have resulted in settlements imposing financial penalties and more rigorous privacy standards.

"Given Epik's boasts about security, and the scope of its web hosting, I would think it would be an FTC target, especially if the company was warned but failed to take protective action," said David Vladeck, a former head of the FTC's consumer protection bureau, now at Georgetown University Law Center. "I would add that the FTC wouldn't care about the content - right wing or left wing; the questions would be the possible magnitude and impact of the breach and the representations . . . the company may have made about security."

The FTC declined to comment.

Researchers poring through the trove say the most crucial findings concern the identities of people hosting various extremist sites and the key role Epik played in keeping material online that might otherwise have vanished from the Internet - or at least the parts of the Internet that are easily stumbled upon by ordinary users.

"The company played such a major role in keeping far-right terrorist cesspools alive," said Rita Katz, executive director of SITE Intelligence Group, which studies online extremism. "Without Epik, many extremist communities - from QAnon and white nationalists to accelerationist neo-Nazis - would have had far less oxygen to spread harm, whether that be building toward the January 6 Capitol riots or sowing the misinformation and conspiracy theories chipping away at democracy."

The breach, first reported by the freelance journalist Steven Monacelli, was made publicly available for download last week alongside a note from Anonymous hackers saying it would help researchers trace the ownership and management of "the worst trash the Internet has to offer."

After the hackers' announcement, Epik initially said it was "not aware of any breach." But in a rambling, three-hour live stream last week, Monster acknowledged there had been a "hijack of data that should not have been hijacked" and called on people not to use the data for "negative" purposes.

"If you have a negative intent to use that data, it's not going to work out for you. I'm just telling you," he said. "If the demon tells you to do it, the demon is not your friend."

Several domains in the leak are associated with the far-right Proud Boys group, which is known for violent street brawls and involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and was banned by Facebook in 2018 as a hate group.

A Twitter account, @epikfailsnippet, that is posting unverified revelations from the leaked data, included a thread purporting to expose administrators of the Proud Boys sites. One man who was identified by name as administrator of a local Proud Boys forum was said to be an employee of Drexel University; the university said he hasn't worked at Drexel since November 2020.

Technology news site the Daily Dot reported that Ali Alexander, a conservative political activist who played a key role in spreading false voter fraud claims about the 2020 presidential election, took steps after the Jan. 6 siege to obscure his ownership of more than 100 domains registered to Epik. Nearly half reportedly used variations of the "Stop the Steal" slogan pushed by Alexander and others. Alexander did not reply to requests for comment from the Daily Dot or, on Tuesday, from The Post.

Extremism researchers urge careful fact-checking to protect credibility, but the data remains tantalizing for its potential to unmask extremists in public-facing jobs.

Emma Best, co-founder of Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit whistleblower group, said some researchers call the Epik hack "the Panama Papers of hate groups," a comparison to the leak of more than 11 million documents that exposed a rogue offshore finance industry. And, like the Panama Papers, scouring the files is labor intensive, with payoffs that could be months away.

"A lot of research begins with naming names," Best said. "There's a lot of optimism and feeling of being overwhelmed, and people knowing they're in for the long haul with some of this data."
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Iowa's medical director, who was a visible adviser to Gov. Kim Reynolds in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, will quit her job next month, the state's Department of Public Health announced Wednesday.

Dr. Caitlin Pedati, who also serves as the state epidemiologist, appeared in numerous press conferences Reynolds regularly held last year as COVID-19 cases spread throughout Iowa. Pedati has taken a much less public role more recently, as the state has experienced a surge in cases involving the delta variant that has sickened more children and young adults.

Officials didn't say why Pedati was leaving and only stated she plans to pursue new career opportunities."

Throughout the pandemic Pedati largely followed Reynolds' policies even when they conflicted with medical science at the time. She was silent when Reynolds reopened businesses in May 2020 as the state continued to see high case counts and deaths. The governor took the posture that Iowans must "learn to live with COVID virus activity without letting it govern our lives, although infectious disease experts said it was too soon and would lead to more illness and death.

Pedati also stood by as Reynolds refused to implement a mask mandate to slow virus spread as recommended by medical professionals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a White House virus task force.

In early October, a federal task force in former President Donald Trump's administration told Reynolds that many preventable deaths were occurring in Iowa after she lifted business restrictions and refused to require that masks be worn in schools or other public places. Average daily deaths increased to 10 per day with 250 deaths in the month prior to the report.

Reynolds eventually implemented a limited mask requirement in mid-November after a record 1,510 people infected with COVID-19 were hospitalized statewide. When she lifted it in February, she did not consult the public health department.

In August 2020, Pedati acknowledge she was aware of inaccuracies in the state's coronavirus data when her agency used it to release flawed calculations that helped guide decisions on school openings and enrollment. Pedati said she became aware the previous month of a problem in Iowas disease surveillance reporting system that backdated thousands of new test results.

Prior to her role in Iowa, Pedati worked as medical epidemiologist for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Reynolds said Pedati was instrumental to our states strong COVID-19 response and a valued member of my team.

The health department release said the agency will work quickly to fill the position.
CHICAGO (AP)  The Rev. Jesse Jackson was released Wednesday from a Chicago facility a month after he was hospitalized for a breakthrough COVID-19 infection and intensive physical therapy for Parkinson's disease.

The civil rights leader and his wife, Jacqueline, were first hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital last month. Jesse Jackson, 79, was vaccinated for COVID-19, but his 77-year-old wife was not. She required oxygen and a brief intensive care unit stay before she was released this month.

The reverend's case was less severe, and about a week after he was first hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, he was transferred to a physical therapy hospital. He briefly spoke to reporters Wednesday, accompanied by doctors and therapists who worked with him at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

Jackson said he did not have any shortness of breath or respiratory issues, but it did affect his Parkinson's and his ability to walk and talk.

The shot protected me from death, he said of the vaccine.

Doctors and other medical staff described a regimen of about 60 to 90 minutes of daily physical therapy, along with occupational and speech therapy, saying the civil rights leader who has remained active since disclosing his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2017 was full of energy and upbeat during his treatment.

Before he left the hospital for home, he playfully confirmed with the medical team: So I can march again?

Despite his illness and gallbladder surgery this year, Jackson has remained active and continued traveling in his advocacy for voting rights and other causes.

He has encouraged COVID-19 vaccinations, particularly for Black people, and got his first shot publicly at an event in January. However, he told The Associated Press last month that his wife of nearly 60 years wasn't vaccinated because she had an undisclosed pre-existing condition that worried family members. Generally, public health experts strongly encourage people with existing health conditions, such as cancer or diabetes, to get vaccinated as they are at increased risk for severe illness.

Since her release from the hospital, though, Jacqueline Jackson has become a true advocate for everyone to get vaccinated, according to son Jonathan Jackson.

We know it is a miracle that both of our parents are now COVID-19 survivors, and we thank God for his healing, Jonathan Jackson said in a Wednesday statement. We also pray for the millions of people who have been infected with this virus and pray they too will also overcome.

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Follow Sophia Tareen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiatareen
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP)  Scott Peterson, who spent more than 15 years on Death Row in the 2002 murders of his pregnant wife and unborn son, will be sentenced to life in prison this fall, a judge said Wednesday.

Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo said she wants to sentence Peterson in November before deciding whether he deserves a new trial over alleged juror misconduct. She set an Oct. 6 hearing to set a date for resentencing him to a life term with no chance of parole.

The California Supreme Court overturned Petersons death sentence last year because jurors who personally disagreed with the death penalty but were willing to impose it were improperly dismissed.

Prosecutors said they wont seek the death penalty if Peterson gets a new trial.

The high court found there was considerable circumstantial evidence incriminating him in the first-degree murder of Laci Peterson, 27, who was eight months pregnant, and the second-degree murder of the boy they planned to name Connor.

Prosecutors said Peterson took his wife's body from their Modesto home on Christmas Eve 2002 and dumped her in San Francisco Bay from his fishing boat. The body of his wife and the boy's fetus washed ashore in April 2003.

Peterson's lawyers are seeking a new trial on allegations a juror committed misconduct by falsely answering questions during the selection process.

Defense lawyers said the woman, who coauthored a book on the case, eagerly sought to be a juror in the case and did not disclose she had been a crime victim.

The woman known as Juror 7 did not reveal during jury selection that she had been beaten by a boyfriend while pregnant in 2001. She also didn't disclose that during another pregnancy she had obtained a restraining order against a boyfriends ex-girlfriend, whom she feared would hurt her unborn child.

The judge denied a defense request to take depositions of the juror and witnesses to those crimes against her but said she could be questioned during an evidentiary hearing.

The juror, however, has said she won't testify at a hearing unless she is granted immunity from prosecution on a possible perjury charge, attorneys said. If not, she will invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  Opening statements in the case of a U.S. Air Force airman charged in the shooting death of a Mennonite woman are scheduled to start Friday.

Mark Gooch, 22, faces up to life in prison if he is convicted of first-degree murder and other charges in the disappearance and death of Sasha Krause, 27.

Jury selection wrapped up late Wednesday after two days. The process was slowed by protections in place to keep jurors more socially distant during the pandemic. The court won't be in session Thursday.

Krause was gathering material for Sunday school in a Mennonite community in Farmington, New Mexico, when she disappeared in mid-January last year. A camper discovered Krause's body in a forest clearing outside Flagstaff, Arizona, more than a month later.

Krause's parents and members of her community in Farmington were in court Wednesday during jury selection. Fifteen jurors were picked, some of whom unknowingly are alternates and won't weigh in on the verdict.

Gooch was stationed at Luke Air Force Base in metropolitan Phoenix at the time. He told investigators he was near Farmington  about a seven-hour drive  when Krause went missing because he had been seeking out Mennonite churches for the fellowship. But he said he did not kidnap or kill her, according to a recording of the interview.

There is no indication that they knew each other. Krause moved to Farmington from Texas where she was a teacher. Gooch grew up in the Mennonite faith in Wisconsin but never officially joined the church, he told investigators.

Prosecutor Ammon Barker will try to convince the jury that Gooch was motivated to kill Krause by a general disdain for Mennonites. A bullet taken from Krause's skull was fired from a .22-caliber rifle that Gooch owned, a state crime lab report showed.

Authorities said they tied Gooch to the crime using cellphone data, financial records and surveillance video. Gooch's attorney, Bruce Griffen, has said using cellphone data to determine location isn't scientifically sound.

The trial began Tuesday in Coconino County Superior Court. It's scheduled to last three weeks.
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP)  Ethnic Serbs blocked the Kosovo-Serbia border for a third straight day Wednesday to protest a decision by Kosovo authorities to start removing Serbian license plates from cars entering the country.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti called on Serbs to move vehicles away because they are blocking themselves. Small groups of Serbs spent the night in tents and they have blocked the roads to the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings with trucks.

The recent incident has raised fears that it may unleash much deeper tensions between the two Balkan neighbors.

Serbia, which doesnt recognize its former province of Kosovo as a separate nation, has for years been taking off registration plates from Kosovo-registered cars entering Serbia. Drivers need to pay five euros (nearly $6) for a 60-day temporary license plate.

Serbia considers its border with Kosovo as an administrative and temporary boundary.

Tensions soared Monday when Kosovo special police with armored vehicles were sent to the border to impose the same rule of temporarily replacing Serb license plates from cars while they drive in Kosovo.

Kosovo authorities said a 2016 deal with Serbia reached in European Union-mediated talks had expired and now only official Kosovo symbols are valid.

Our offer is very practical, lets lift the temporary plates, in Serbia and in Kosovo, Kurti said at the government meeting.

Neither our state or citizens nor Kosovar Serbs or Serbia are interested in incidents and escalation (of tension)," said Kurti, blaming Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as the "only one individual...interested in that. We are for dialogue.

Vucic said Wednesday that there would be no European Union-mediated talks with Kosovo officials on the latest crisis until Kosovo's special police units pull back from the border.

They can organize whatever they want, I will not accept anything," Vucic said in Budapest, Hungary, where he's to attend a summit of right-wing European leaders.

The EU has facilitated a dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia since 2011 and helped to broker more than 30 agreements, but few of them have been applied.

The EU and U.S. urged Kosovo and Serbia to immediately, without any delay exercise restraint and refrain from unilateral actions.

In a tweet on Wednesday, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi urged both Kosovo and Serbia to exercise restraint and deescalate the tensions, return to dialogue and ensure freedom of movement without delay. Unilateral actions are never a solution. They only lead to unnecessary tensions and should be withdrawn.

Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani met with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in New York and urged the bloc that efforts on tensioning and destabilization from illegal structures supported by Serbia should be judged from the EU.

After the 1998-1999 bloody crackdown by Serbian troops against Kosovo Albanian separatists ended after NATO intervention, Kosovo declared independence in 2008. It has been recognized by the U.S. and other Western nations, but not by Serbia and its allies Russia and China.

Thousands of NATO-led peacekeepers, including U.S. troops, are still deployed in Kosovo, trying to stave off lingering ethnic tensions between majority Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs.

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Llazar Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan lawmakers who finished passing the state budget Wednesday will next turn to allocating an unprecedented amount of federal COVID-19 rescue funding  money that largely is flexible and can be spent however the state decides.

For months, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been proposing ways to allot $6.5 billion in discretionary funds approved by Congress and President Joe Biden. About $5.7 billion remains after the bipartisan budget deal and the enactment of K-12 and supplemental spending bills in July.

The initial allotments will expand free preschool eligibility for low-income 4-year-olds, help schools wanting to transition to a year-round calendar, and assist hospitals and nursing homes confronting financial pressures.

The aid also will be used to partly replenish the state unemployment benefits fund and increase Medicaid payments for nursing facilities. New economic development grants will help rehab vacant buildings and develop place-based infrastructure associated with social zones, downtowns and outdoor dining in communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Legislators also have left unspent $1.8 billion in federal coronavirus aid with which they have less discretion and $3 billion in surplus state revenues, according to the state budget office.

I'm looking forward to additional infrastructure, education and water packages that we will be able to put together over the coming months, House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski of Washtenaw County's Scio Township told reporters after the House passed $55 billion in spending on 99-6 and 97-8 votes. The governor will sign it and likely declare some Republican-backed vaccine and mask provisions constitutionally unenforceable before Oct. 1, when the next fiscal year begins.

Most recently, she proposed spending billions of the federal pandemic funding to boost the business climate and to expand health care and infrastructure, including to bolster access to mental health services, replace state psychiatric hospitals and build a new public health lab. Other initiatives would expand tuition-free programs for adults ages 25 and older and frontline workers, provide grants and loans to small businesses, replace lead water pipes and upgrade state parks.

Republicans in the GOP-led Senate have floated proposals as well. One would rehabilitate or replace local bridges, beyond those that will be fixed under the budget agreement. Another would replace lead pipes, upgrade drinking water and wastewater facilities, repair dams and clean up sites contaminated with forever chemicals" called PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

In the months ahead, we will continue to take advantage of the opportunity to make additional one-time investments that will strengthen Michigan for years to come, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Thomas Albert, a Lowell Republican.

GOP legislators included provisions in the budget designed to restrict state and municipal coronavirus vaccine requirements  including for government employees  ban vaccine passports and to prohibit school masking mandates that have been ordered by county health departments. President Joe Biden plans to require vaccinations for employers with at least 100 workers, which could affect state and municipal employees regardless.

Whitmer, who has said she does not plan to mandate the vaccine, is expected to strike the anti-mask language. Republicans said there is an agreement on at least some of the provision related to vaccines.

Government funds cannot be used to create or support a vaccine passport, and it ensures that government employees are afforded vaccine exemptions. Additionally, college students must be given vaccine exemptions or given reasonable accommodations," Albert said.

Whitmer spokesman Bobby Leddy said her office was conducting a legal review of the legislation and was aware of likely unenforceable or unconstitutional language that she will address. He said the governor made clear during negotiations that she would not bar businesses, local health departments and schools from using all of the tools necessary" to combat COVID-19.

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Associated Press/Report for America writer Anna Liz Nichols in Lansing contributed.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  An abortion bill similar to one signed into law in Texas was filed in Florida on Wednesday that would ban most abortions in the state and would allow lawsuits against doctors who violate it.

The legislation filed by Republican Rep. Webster Barnaby immediately met with opposition from Democrats who want to preserve the right to legal abortions. Barnaby's office said he wasn't ready to comment on it.

This bill is dangerous, radical, and unconstitutional. The hypocrisy of this attempt by Governor (Ron) DeSantis and Republicans in the state legislature to take away our rights while at the same time preaching my body, my choice' when it comes to wearing masks is absolutely disgusting," Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a statement. Fried is a Democratic candidate to challenge DeSantis next year.

While similar bills have died in the Florida Legislature in past sessions, the debate has heated up since the U.S. Supreme Court chose not to block the Texas law that bans abortion when a so-called fetal heartbeat is detected, or about six weeks into pregnancy, before many women realize they are expecting.

Medical experts say the cardiac activity is not an actual heartbeat but rather an initial flutter of electric activity within cells in an embryo. They say the heart doesnt begin to form until the fetus is at least nine weeks old, and they decry efforts to promote abortion bans by relying on medical inaccuracies.

After the Supreme Court decision earlier this month, GOP leadership began looking at what could be done in Florida. DeSantis said he thought the law was interesting and Republican Senate President Wilton Simpson expressed support for a similar law.

GOP House Speaker House Speaker Chris Sprowls said he'd like to see more abortion restrictions, but said any legislation has to be crafted to not only withstand federal law, but also the state's constitution.

I have always fought for unborn babies and their right to life, and the Florida House of Representatives has been a national leader in developing pro-life legislation," Sprowls said through a spokesperson. "Our laws have to be strong enough to jump through multiple levels of judicial scrutiny. We look forward to bringing to the Floor a bill that saves every unborn life possible."

DeSantis' office said the legislation will be reviewed.

Governor DeSantis is pro-life. The Governors office is aware that the bill was filed today and like all legislation, we will be monitoring it as it moves through the legislative process in the coming months, DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske said in an email.

Besides banning abortions after cardiac activity is detected, the bill would change all references to fetus in the state's abortion laws to unborn child.

The bill calls for $10,000 civil awards per abortion for the doctor who performs the procedure or any defendants that aided or abetted the procedure. People would have six years to file a lawsuit after an illegal abortion is performed.

After Texas law went into effect, Republican lawmakers in Florida and other states said they would consider introducing bills using the Texas law as a model, hoping it provides a pathway to enacting the kind of abortion crackdown they have sought for years. Those states include Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, North Dakota and South Dakota.

This gross excuse of a bill attacks women and birthing people who are seeking an abortion before they even know they are pregnant," Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani said in a statement. Extreme attacks on reproductive health are not about policy, it is about control, shame, and will negatively impact communities who already experience barriers to accessing care.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  State agencies spent federal pandemic aid at a furious pace during the month of August, channeling about $630 million in efforts to bolster unemployment reserves, provide emergency housing assistance and promote COVID-19 vaccination efforts, the Legislature's budget and accountability office said Wednesday.

An update on pandemic relief spending from the office shows that New Mexico agencies have pushed out more than half of their $10.5 billion share of federal relief tied to the pandemic.

Of the $6.3 billion spent so far, about 70% has gone toward unemployment benefits to prop up household income amid economic turmoil associated with COVID-19.

State finance officials are racing against a deadline at the end of September to distribute at least $104 million in federal rental assistance to residential landlords and tenants or risk forfeiting additional money to the program.

As of mid-September, the state had spent or assigned $51 million of that federal rental assistance. State finance officials are providing assurances that New Mexico will meet the deadline as it partners with courts to avoid housing disruptions.

New Mexico is among about a dozen states that still have a moratorium on evictions for people who cannot afford to pay rent.

Federal supplementary unemployment benefits of $300 a week expired in early September, but New Mexico is allowing a 13-week extension of standard benefit payments.

The federal government will pay for half of those extended benefits  as long as the state's unemployment rate exceeds 6.5%. The August unemployment rate was 7.2%, down from 7.6% in July.

Unemployment benefit-eligibility notices were sent to 11,000 state residents, but many already may have exhausted their benefits during the pandemic.

Full enrollment for a 13-week period would cost the state unemployment insurance trust $23.5 million. Ordinarily payroll taxes underwrite the trust.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has lifted the states once-aggressive pandemic-related restrictions on gatherings and business operations, though masks are still required in public, indoor settings.

About 4,700 have died from COVID-19 across the state of 2.1 million residents. Nearly 250,000 cases have been diagnosed.

State health officials said during a briefing Wednesday that despite persistent high community transmission rates, COVID-19 cases appear to have plateaued and that hospitalizations are projected to decline in the coming weeks.

They also reported that 70% of New Mexicans 18 and older are now fully vaccinated. Deputy Health Secretary Laura Parajon called it an incredible milestone.

The latest state data also shows that children ages 5 to 17 make up one-fifth of the states new COVID-19 cases but that very few of those cases have resulted in hospitalizations. Vaccinations have yet to be approved for many within that age group.

In other financial developments, relief spending has been painstakingly slow when it comes to $200 million set aside from the state general fund for grants to small- and medium-sized businesses that can offset rent, lease or mortgage payments as they rehire staff.

New Mexico Finance Authority CEO Marquita Russel told legislators that about 17% of applications are declined because businesses are rehiring contract workers and not staff.

We have only funded about $10 million outright, Russel said of applications to the grant program. We have additional ones that we are currently working through.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  A bipartisan group of lawmakers is renewing a push to expand a U.S. compensation program for people who were exposed to radiation following uranium mining and nuclear testing carried out during the Cold War.

Advocates have been trying for years to bring awareness to the lingering effects of nuclear fallout surrounding the Trinity Site in southern New Mexico, where the U.S. military detonated the first atomic bomb, and on the Navajo Nation, where more than 30 million tons of uranium ore were extracted over decades to support U.S. nuclear activities.

Under legislation introduced Wednesday by U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat from New Mexico, and Mike Crapo, a Republican from Idaho, other sites across the American West would be added to the list of places affected by fallout and radiation exposure. Eligibility also would be expanded to include certain workers in the industry after 1971, such as miners.

The legislation also would increase the amount of compensation someone can receive to $150,000 and provide coverage for additional forms of cancer.

A multibillion-dollar defense spending package approved last year included an apology to New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and other states affected by radiation from nuclear testing, but no action was taken on legislation that sought to change and broaden the compensation program.

Advocates, including those who testified before Congress earlier this year, say its time to do so, especially because the existing provisions are set to expire next July. The legislation would extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, another 19 years.

Tina Cordova, a cancer survivor and co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, said she has been working on the legislation for months with other residents of places affected by radiation, from Indigenous communities in New Mexico to Gaum.

We put forth language to make certain the bill went far enough to help as many people as possible, she said. This is a make-or-break time for all the downwinders and post-71 uranium workers that have been left out of the original RECA bill.

While efforts to expand the program have been years in the making, advocates say there is broader interest now because more people would stand to lose access to compensation funds if the law expires. They also acknowledge that some members of Congress might argue that there's not enough money to bankroll the proposal.

We wont settle for that answer any longer. Imagine the insult added to our injury of such a statement, Cordova said. There is always money when theres political will. This is a social, environmental and restorative justice issue that we, as a nation, can no longer look away from.

On the Navajo Nation, uranium mining has left a legacy of death, disease and environmental contamination. That includes the largest spill of radioactive material in the United States, when 94 million gallons of radioactive tailings and wastewater spewed onto tribal lands in the Church Rock area in western New Mexico in 1979. It happened just three months after the partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, which got far more attention at the time.

With hundreds of abandoned uranium mines and radioactive waste still to be cleaned up, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said residents of the nation's largest Indigenous reservation have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation for years and have endured a wide range of illnesses as a result, with some dying prematurely.

Nez called an expansion of the program and extension of the trust fund a matter of justice.

"We look forward to advocating for the advancement of this legislation and to encourage consideration of additional provisions that would advance the objectives of justice and fairness represented by this bill, he said.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico is helping lead the push in the House. House Republicans who are co-sponsoring include Reps. Yvette Herrell of New Mexico and Burgess Owens of Utah.

For Sen. Lujan, the fight for compensation started in 2010 when he was a congressman.

While there can never be a price placed on ones health or the life of a loved one, Congress has an opportunity to do right by all of those who sacrificed in service of our national security by strengthening RECA, he said in a statement.
BEAUFORT, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina man is charged with child abuse after health care workers reported a 4-year-old child was brought to a hospital with a severe head injury, a sheriffs office said Wednesday.

In a news release, the Carteret County Sheriffs Office said Matthew David Langley, 31, of Newport is charged with felony child abuse inflicting serious injury. Langley is jailed on a $150,000 bond. It's not known if e has an attorney.
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP)  A northwest Indiana woman has admitted that she cashed her late father's government disability checks and pocketed the money for 10 years after his death.

Gary resident Elizabeth Harris, who's also known as Elizabeth Harris-Liuhoulo, pleaded guilty Tuesday to mail fraud in U.S. District Court in Hammond. Prosecutors said she defrauded Social Security out of more than $192,000.
MOUNDS VIEW, Minn. (AP)  A Ramsey County sheriff's deputy used an SUV to hit a male suspect on Wednesday after he began shooting at officers who were investigating a domestic assault in Mounds View, authorities said.

The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that deputies and Mounds View police officers were investigating a felony domestic assault that involved a gun being fired at an AmericInn by Wyndham.

Authorities made sure the female victim was safe and got the suspect's description, the sheriff's office said. When officers found him, he raised a handgun and fired at the approaching squads ... narrowly missing both officers," the sheriff's office said. The Mounds View squad car was hit above the drivers side windshield and a Ramsey County squad was hit below the drivers side windshield.

Fearing for his life and the life of others, the Ramsey County Sheriffs Deputy who was fired upon used his vehicle to stop the threat, the sheriff's office said.

After the suspect, who is white, was hit, authorities provided first aid and called an ambulance. He was taken to a Minneapolis hospital. His condition was not immediately known.

The sheriff's office said a cocked handgun was found at the scene. Authorities are investigating the alleged domestic assault and the alleged attempted homicides of police officers.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which was at the scene, will investigate the deputy's use of force. The sheriff's office said there is video of the incident, but it is not yet being released.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia's governor on Wednesday appointed a review panel to determine whether a district attorney who was indicted on charges of criminal misconduct while in office should be suspended while the case is pending.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order appointing two district attorneys and a retired state Supreme Court justice to review the case against Chattahoochee Circuit District Attorney Mark Jones. An indictment obtained Sept. 7 by the office of state Attorney General Chris Carr accuses Jones of trying to influence a police officers testimony, offering bribes to prosecutors in his office and trying to influence and prevent the testimony of a crime victim.

Jones took office in January and his office serves Muscogee, Harris, Chattahoochee, Marion, Talbot and Taylor counties in west Georgia.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Jones said he hadn't seen the executive order and needed to look at it before commenting. He has previously denied the charges in the indictment and said he has no plans to resign, according to the Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus.

I feel like this AG guy is coming out of woodwork trying to take the peoples seat, he told the newspaper. I took an oath, and Im going to protect that seat as long as I can.

Georgia law requires the governor to appoint a review commission to consider whether suspension is appropriate when an elected official is indicted on a felony charge. Generally the panel is made up of the attorney general and two officials who hold the same office as the indicted official. But if the attorney general brings the indictment, that seat is filled by a retired Supreme Court justice or a retired Court of Appeals judge.

To review Jones' case, Kemp appointed Harold Melton, who stepped down as Georgia Supreme Court chief justice in July, as well as South Georgia Judicial Circuit District Attorney Joe Mulholland and Cherokee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Samir Patel.

They will be tasked with determining whether the indictment relates to and adversely affects Jones performance of his duties in a way that negatively affects the public. They are to make a written report to the governor within 14 days with a recommendation on whether Jones should be suspended.

If the panel recommends suspension, the governor may immediately suspend Jones with pay pending the final disposition of his case or the end of his term of office, whichever happens first. If hes convicted and any appeals fail, hell be removed from office.

The indictment says Jones tried to influence a police officers testimony during grand jury proceedings in July. Jones told the officer he should testify that a suspect in a killing believed the victim had been cheating on him to provide a motive so the suspect could be charged with murder, the indictment says.

Jones in March offered a prosecutor in his office $1,000 to get a murder conviction and offered another prosecutor in his office $1,000 to say a case was ready for trial when it wasnt, the indictment says.

Also in March, Jones did knowingly use a threat and engage in misleading conduct to influence and prevent the testimony of a crime victim and did not assist the victim through the complexities of the criminal justice system and ensure that the victim was informed of his rights under the law, the indictment says.

Jones went to trial earlier this month on unrelated felony charges. He was charged with first-degree criminal damage, interfering with government property and conspiracy in connection with a May 2020 video for his election campaign. The video included stunt driving moves, including cars driving in doughnuts with smoking tires in the parking lot of the Columbus Civic Center.

After visiting Judge Jeffery Monroe declared a mistrial in that case, prosecutor Brian Patterson said he decided to dismiss the charges.

Jones is also charged with DUI, reckless driving and causing injury following a November 2019 crash in which police said Jones was driving drunk.
LAKE CITY, Fla. (AP)  A Florida man tried to trade in a vehicle from the same dealership he stole it from, police said.

Lake City police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at a Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership on Monday, WTLV-TV reported.
TAUNTON, Mass. (AP)  An employee of a Massachusetts hospital was stabbed multiple times during an unprovoked attack and the alleged assailant remains on the loose, police said.

The worker at Morton Hospital in Taunton was outside on a break on Tuesday afternoon when a woman approached her from behind and stabbed her several times, Taunton police said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
NEW YORK (AP)  Jim Sheeler, a former Rocky Mountain News journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his extensive and compassionate reporting on the families of Colorado soldiers killed in the Iraq War and the man tasked with notifying them, has died. Sheeler, who was also an author, was 53.

Sheeler died last week at his home in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, according to Case Western Reserve University, where he taught journalism and media writing. The cause of death was not immediately determined, the school said Wednesday. Sheeler's 12,000-word Final Salute won the feature writing Pulitzer in 2006 and was expanded into a book of the same name that received a National Book Award nomination two years later.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Saudi Arabia's monarch expressed hope Wednesday that the kingdom's direct talks with Iran will lead to confidence building as the two bitter regional rivals take small steps toward dialogue following several years of heightened tensions.

King Salman made the remarks in a pre-recorded speech delivered to leaders gathered for the U.N. General Assembly. He said Iran is a neighbor of Saudi Arabia, and that the kingdom hopes talks between the two nations can lead to tangible results that pave the way to achieving the aspirations of the region's people.

He cautioned, though, that relations must be based on respect of national sovereignty and the cessation of support for sectarian militias.

Relations between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-ruled Iran hit a low when the Trump administration was exerting maximum pressure on Iran. During those years, Iran was accused of being behind multiple attacks on energy targets in the Persian Gulf including a stunning strike on an Aramco refinery in 2019 and of supporting Houthi fighters in Yemen, where the kingdom has been at war for more than six years.

In April, news emerged that the rivals had held a first round of talks in Iraq after President Joe Biden's election. Former President Donald Trump had pulled the U.S. out of a nuclear deal in 2018; Biden said the U.S. wants to return to the pact, though talks have stalled.

The two regional foes met again in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, according to Irans semi-official Mehr news agency.

The site reported Wednesday that a meeting of foreign ministers and officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan and France took place. The EU foreign policy chief was also in attendance. The meeting was chaired by Iraqs foreign minister.

Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amirabollahian, was quoted by Mehr as saying the priority of Iran's new government "is to strengthen and develop relations with its neighbors and the region. He also met with Finnish, German, Austrian, Swiss and Croatian foreign ministers on Tuesday in New York, according to Mehr.

Newly sworn-in Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has remained in Iran amid the ongoing pandemic. He was severely critical of American policies in his speech delivered remotely to the U.N. gathering Tuesday, speaking shortly after Biden's in-person remarks.

King Salman reiterated Saudi concerns about Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran insists is for peaceful energy purposes.

He also used his speech to stress Saudi Arabia's longstanding public position on Palestinian statehood, saying that a lasting peace must guarantee an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.

He acknowledged economic difficulties, but said despite such challenges the kingdom remains a major donor of humanitarian aid and global efforts to combat COVID-19 as a Group of 20 nation. The coronavirus pandemic sent oil prices crashing last year, eating away at the kingdom's key source of revenue. Saudi Arabia has led major oil producers in a pact to curb production to help support oil prices.

___

Al-Shihri reported from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
TAMAQUA, Pa. (AP)  A Pennsylvania school district that openly flouted a statewide mask mandate for K-12 schools has reversed course and said it will require universal masking for students and others inside school buildings.

The Tamaqua Area School Board voted 6-3 on Tuesday night to comply with the masking order from the state Health Department, which requires students, staff and visitors to cover their faces while indoors.
WARREN, N.Y. (AP)  A 22-year-old man is accused of killing his father and 12-year-old sister at home with his younger brother, 9, witnessing it.

Michael J. Andreev Jr. has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder and a weapons charge in Sunday's killings, the Syracuse Post-Standard reported.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Robin Lennon-Dearing, University of Memphis

(THE CONVERSATION) Despite the fact that HIV is now a treatable medical condition, the majority of U.S. states still have laws on the books that criminalize exposing other people to HIV. Whether or not the virus is transmitted does not matter. Neither does a persons intention to cause harm. A person simply must be aware of being HIV-positive to be found guilty.

These laws are enforced mainly on marginalized people living in poverty who cannot afford lawyers. The penalties  felony convictions and being placed on sex offender registries  are severe and life altering.

It is difficult to know exactly how many people are affected by HIV criminal laws, since a central database of such arrests does not exist. The HIV Justice Network has collected a partial list of 2,923 HIV criminal cases since 2008 based on media reports.

I am a professor of social work who studies the impact of HIV criminal laws from the perspective of people who have been arrested. My research shows such statutes are outdated, harm people living with HIV and exacerbate the spread of the virus by driving people into hiding and away from treatment services.

The early years of AIDS

In 1981, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first cases of what later would be called acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. By 1982, researchers had strong evidence the disease could be transmitted through blood and sexual activity. At the time, the death rate for AIDS patients was estimated to be 65%.

In 1983, scientists discovered the retrovirus that causes AIDS and named it the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Initially, HIV infection was reported mainly in gay men, but as time went on, it was diagnosed in other populations, including women and children.

In 1994, AIDS was the leading cause of death for all Americans ages 25 to 44. Medical treatment for the disease was in its infancy. Both factors fueled the publics fear of being exposed to AIDS. A diagnosis seemed like a death sentence.

Criminal laws

The 1988, Ronald Reagans Presidential Commission on the HIV Epidemic recommended that states establish criminal penalties as a way of deterring people with HIV from engaging in behavior likely to transmit the virus. The 1990 Ryan White CARE Act, which provided major funding for HIV services, required states to certify they had adequate laws in place to prosecute individuals who knowingly exposed another person to HIV.

In 1990, 14 states had HIV criminal laws. By 2005, 23 states had them  even though the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act in 2000 removed the criminalization requirement. Today, these laws are on the books in 37 states.

Unintended consequences

From the outset, experts across many disciplines voiced concern about the effectiveness of using punitive criminal laws as a way of deterring the spread of HIV.

Indeed, HIV criminal laws have backfired from a public health perspective. A 2017 study found people living in states with HIV criminal laws are less likely to get tested and know their HIV status than those in states without HIV laws. Stigma and fear of prosecution discourage people from seeking information or help.

This lack of knowledge is significant because pharmaceutical treatments, beginning in 1996 with highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, have steadily transformed HIV into a chronic manageable condition.

Medical experts have recommended that HIV criminal laws be revised. However, most state legislatures have not done so.

These laws are regularly enforced  most often on members of stigmatized groups, including those who are homeless or suffering from an addiction or mental illness. Research has also documented that HIV criminal laws are disproportionately applied to people of color. In fact, the majority of people arrested for an HIV crime are members of multiple minority communities.

Being arrested for an HIV-related crime is often devastating for individuals  beginning with the permanent exposure of personal health information to the public. For indigent defendants, felony charges pursued by a countys district attorney will result in the appointment of a public defender, who will most likely counsel a guilty plea  regardless of whether the individuals believe they are guilty or even understand the consequences of such a plea.

Sentences for violating HIV exposure statutes are comparable to sentences for vehicular homicide and can be as severe as life in prison. A 2017 analysis of 393 convictions in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee found the average sentence for an HIV-related crime was 92 months  or nearly eight years in prison.

Incarceration can result in permanent restrictions on employment, housing, education and voting.

Additionally, six states currently place people convicted of an HIV-related crime on the sex offender registry, which results in lifetime sex offender status  a relentless and unending punishment.

Treatment lowers risk

The HIV epidemic in the U.S. has changed tremendously in the past 40 years.

HIV exposure laws have not kept up with the changes in HIV science and treatment. People with knowledge of their HIV status can receive treatment that makes them unable to transmit the virus. Proven prevention methods such as HIV testing, treatment and preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, are tools that remove the justification for HIV criminal laws.

Scientists can identify solutions to public health challenges, but it takes action by politicians to turn solutions into policy. HIV criminal laws are largely ignored because the people they directly affect are not connected to political power.

Bipartisan support is needed to replace existing laws with proven public health interventions.

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/spreading-hiv-the-virus-that-causes-aids-is-against-the-law-in-37-states-with-penalties-ranging-up-to-life-in-prison-166230.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is heading to California to deliver a keynote address to fellow Republicans.

Sununu will speak Friday night at the California Republican Party's fall convention, which takes place Friday through Sunday in San Diego.

Sununu will leave New Hampshire on Wednesday night and return Sunday. According to his office, he will continue to serve in his official capacity while he is away, and no taxpayer money will be used during the trip.

Sununu, who is serving his third term, is considering running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Maggie Hassan.

Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, accused Sununu of abandoning the state to further his political ambitions.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Nolan Fahrenkopf, University at Albany, State University of New York

(THE CONVERSATION) The weapons and military equipment left behind by the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, including through the collapse of the Afghan army, are now largely in the hands of the Taliban  and likely other militant groups as well. Though many politicians and observers reactions have been sensationalized, it does highlight significant problems arising from U.S. arms transfers during the two-decade-long War on Terror.

Despite U.S. and international efforts to control the spread of military equipment, the U.S. has a long history of leaving weapons behind and questionable arms transfers. As a result, U.S. weapons ended up in the arsenals of adversaries in Iraq and Syria, as well as Afghanistan, even before the U.S. pulled out completely.

As a result of both abandonment and poor tracking, the Islamic State group, the Taliban and other militant groups managed to acquire American-supplied anti-armor weapons, tanks, drones and massive numbers of small arms, like rifles, and light weapons, such as machine guns and basic rockets.

This equipment was often subsequently used against U.S. forces or their allies, and sometimes recaptured after battles.

Weapons proliferation in Afghanistan

For years, the Taliban have been acquiring U.S. weapons, relying on corrupt Afghan officials and troops selling U.S. equipment, capturing weapons in battle or stealing them in raids. The sudden collapse of the Afghan army provided a uniquely large windfall.

Many of the more advanced weapons and equipment may not prove useful to the Taliban, because they are too complex or require special maintenance  or were damaged or destroyed by U.S. forces before they left.

However, easier-to-use high-tech equipment, such as communications instruments and night vision goggles, will help the Taliban. Some of this gear has already been used by the elite Badri 313 unit as they guarded key sites, such as the Kabul airport.

The Taliban could also share their weapons with other militant groups, such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and al-Qaida. Those groups are already threatening the security of people across the region.

Arms transfer failures, safeguards ignored

Several U.S. government programs are aimed at stopping weapons from getting to adversaries. Whether run through the Defense Department or the State Department, they rely on what is called end-use monitoring.

Those efforts seek to ensure that when other nations military forces get U.S. weapons, they are kept secure both in transit and once they arrive at their destinations. U.S. officials are supposed to help recipients receive and store the weapons or equipment and distribute them to soldiers or other authorized personnel. Those officials are also supposed to keep careful records of which weapons are transferred to which foreign forces, and track them over time to make sure they are being stored securely  and fix any problems that arise, or even stop the weapons transfer from continuing.

But evidence shows that many arms transfers to foreign partners in support of the War on Terror lacked these basic end-use safeguards. In one instance, starting in 2007, U.S. officials in Afghanistan took 15 months to set up the required tracking system for weapons and equipment delivered to the Afghan army. In that time, some equipment, including night vision systems, were lost  presumably to the Taliban.

In another instance, a 2007 Government Accountability Office report found that military and other government officials in Iraq did not know where massive amounts of small arms, light weapons and equipment had gone. They were supposed to have been given to the Iraqi army, but untrained staff and poor distribution networks meant nobody had any idea if any of it had actually been delivered  or whether it was stolen or even lost somewhere along the way.

Despite military promises to do better, the problem continues. U.S. government audits and investigations have found that the safeguard processes were not followed in transfers of drones to the Afghan military, as well as countless weapons transfers to the Iraqi military and other forces involved in the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

If the proper procedures had been followed, they could have at least reduced the number of U.S.-supplied weapons in the hands of the countrys enemies.

Additional protections could help as well. Even before they agree to arms transfers, U.S. officials are supposed to consider whether their foreign partners can guarantee that the weapons wont fall into enemy hands. But political pressure for fast results in violent situations and competing strategic priorities frequently mean weapons are given to groups who cant reliably secure them.

By not following through on existing accountability and security procedures, the U.S. has contributed to the groups and conflicts its weapons transfers sought to quell.

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/taliban-islamic-state-arm-themselves-with-weapons-us-left-behind-167960.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Pennsylvania senators grilled turnpike executives over their efforts to collect unpaid tolls that amounted to $104 million last year during a hearing Wednesday prompted by an Associated Press report last week regarding some 11 million rides that generated no revenue for the debt-hobbled agency.

Transportation Committee Chairman Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria, scolded the turnpike brass for not alerting him to the growing problem that he said should have been a red flag within your department.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. General Assembly pledged Wednesday to redouble efforts to combat racism around the world, commemorating a landmark but contentious 2001 anti-racism conference by holding an anniversary meeting once again riven with divisions.

Looking back on the two decades since the conference in Durban, South Africa, the assembly adopted a resolution that acknowledged some progress but deplored what it called a rise in discrimination, violence and intolerance directed at people of African heritage and many other groups  from the Roma to refugees, the young to the old, people with disabilities to people who have been displaced.

At a meeting focused on reparations and racial justice for people with African heritage, the assembly pointed to the effects of slavery, colonialism and genocide and called for ensuring that people of African descent can seek adequate reparation or satisfaction through national institutions.

Millions of the descendants of Africans who were sold into slavery remain trapped in lives of underdevelopment, disadvantage, discrimination and poverty, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told the gathering via video.

He urged the U.N. to take up the question of reparations for one of the darkest periods in the history of humankind and a crime of unparalleled barbarity.

President Felix Tshisekedi of Congo said reparations, however they might be provided, should reflect not only historic wrongs but also the scars of racial inequality, subordination and discrimination, which were built under slavery, apartheid and colonialism."

The assembly's resolution also noted ills caused by religious prejudices, specifically including anti-Muslim, antisemitic and anti-Christian bias.

But Israel, the United States and some other countries boycotted the meeting because of continued grievances about the Durban meeting 20 years ago. There, the U.S. and Israel pulled out because participants drafted a conference declaration that denounced Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

And Jamaica, while joining Wednesday's meeting, said there weren't sufficient calls for slavery reparations in a new political declaration that was being drafted.

Still, the event  coinciding with the assembly's annual meeting of world leaders  spotlighted the cause of racial equality at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has underscored inequities, and as the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in the U.S. has re-energized racial justice movements around the world.

The disparity in vaccine availability around the world clearly does not demonstrate equality between the countries and peoples of this world, Tshisekedi said. Only about 1 in 1,000 people in his country have gotten at least one shot.

He and others praised some developments since the 2001 conference, including some national-level legislative efforts and the assembly's new Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, meant to promote their rights and inclusion.

But we, as a global community, have not done enough to tackle the pervasiveness of racism, racial discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia," said assembly President Abdulla Shahid, who is from the Maldives.

The 2001 Durban conference aimed to usher in a century of human rights, one that would see the eradication of racism .... and the realization of genuine equality of opportunity and treatment for all individuals and peoples, according to its declaration.

But work on the document was rocked by tensions over how to address the legacy of slavery, complaints from multiple groups who felt their cause was getting short shift, and a clash over Israel.

With Arab states keen to condemn the Jewish state over its conduct toward Palestinians, the draft declaration decried racist practices of Zionism and accused Israel of ``practices of racial discrimination.

After the American and Israeli walkout, the wording was changed to recognize the plight of the Palestinians, and the document was eventually adopted.

The U.S. still faults the anti-Israel and antisemitic underpinnings of the Durban process and has longstanding freedom of expression concerns with the results, U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement Wednesday explaining her country's decision not to participate in the anniversary meeting.

Thomas-Greenfield, who is African American, said combating racism is a top priority for her and for the Biden administration. She said the U.S. would continue working on the issue in more inclusive settings, without detailing what she meant.

The U.S. decision drew criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union, one of the nation's most prominent rights groups.

The boycott sends the wrong message to the global community regarding the U.S. commitment to fight all forms of racism and racial injustice everywhere, ACLU Human Rights Program director Jamil Dakwar said.

Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan lambasted the radical antisemitism of the Durban conference in remarks at a competing, virtual meeting organized by a professor at Touro College in New York.

At least 19 nations skipped the assembly's event Wednesday, by Israels count.

The meeting focused on reparations and racial justice and equality for people with African roots, while reaffirming the entire Durban declaration.

Calling the Durban conference a highlight of her life, Suriname-born Dutch activist and former politician Barryl Biekman complained of a structurally persistent negative campaign to defame and undermine the declaration, called the DDPA for short.

Without the DDPA, we would not have been as close as we are today in having a global platform position to recognize the unfulfilled rights of Africans and people of African descent, at the United Nations and in global society, she said.
Army combat veteran Spencer Sullivan has never felt more victorious.

Sullivan spent years fighting to get his Afghan translator asylum after his former platoon's other interpreter was denied a U.S. visa before being killed by the Taliban in 2017.

On Wednesday, Abdulhaq Sodais was finally granted asylum by a court in Germany, where he was forced to flee after being denied a U.S. visa repeatedly despite facing death threats for aiding U.S. troops during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.

Sullivan, who now lives in Virginia, said he dropped his phone when he saw the text message from Sodais.

I just started crying," Sullivan said.

The decision marked the end of an eight-year journey between the two men who risked their lives together trying to eliminate the Taliban, bonding in a way that can only be forged in war.

Sullivan dedicated himself to helping Sodais after losing another translator, Sayed Masoud, who was killed by the Taliban in 2017 while waiting for a U.S. visa. The former soldier is among scores of U.S. combat veterans who have been working on their own to rescue the Afghans who served alongside them.

Its ultimately just cathartic relief," said Sullivan, adding that he was overwhelmed with emotion Wednesday in part because it also opened the war wound that he couldn't help Masoud. This long journey is over but Sayed didnt make it."

Thousands of Afghans who aided U.S. troops have spent years stuck in a backlogged and beleaguered U.S. Special Immigrant Visa program, and countless others were denied because of minor inconsistencies in their work records, such as showing up late to their jobs, according to veterans who worked with them.

Sodais first applied for a U.S. visa in 2013 but was denied. He appealed four times before ultimately fleeing to Germany after his uncle was beheaded and his neighbor who worked for the U.S. military was gunned down by the Taliban.

Sodais traveled for seven months going through nearly a half dozen countries. He was beaten and abandoned by smugglers and jailed and beaten by police before reaching Germany, where his first asylum request was denied.

Sullivan wrote letters of recommendation, provided photos of his time with his platoon and obtained records from the U.S. government that showed his denial was based on a vague review by a civilian contractor who Sodais said falsely accused him of checking social media on the job.

On Aug. 11, Germany temporarily halted the deportation of all Afghans due to the upheaval but did not specify how long the order would last. Sodais said he believes Sullivan's letters of recommendation made the difference in finally being granted asylum. His case will be reviewed in three years when he can then apply to become a German citizen.

Sodais said he looks forward to getting his German passport so he can someday visit Sullivan and they can travel together so Sodais can finally see the United States.

I'm feeling right now that I will have an amazing future," he said.
Brent Stirton, Staff / TNS

A former Houston police officer pleaded guilty this week to charges related to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Tam Pham, an 18-year veteran of the Houston Police Department, was charged with parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. He was initially arrested on Jan. 20 for knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson is upset with Texas Governor Greg Abbott for refusing to appear on his show.

In a Tuesday night monologue, the conservative commentator claimed show organizers have been trying for months to get the Republican leader to come on the show and answer questions about the situation at the Texas border .

Weve asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott many times to come on this show to explain to us why he hasnt called the National Guard to seal the Texas border and protect us from this invasion, Carlson told viewers. Greg Abbott has refused to come on repeatedly.

The news anchor threatened to invite Abbotts primary opponents on the show to explain how they would better manage the state, but gave the governor a final chance to make an appearance.

Sincerely, please, come on and tell us how you plan to save the rest of us from what is happening in your state," Carlson said.

Carlson has been consistently critical of the handling of immigration in Texas, where thousands of asylum-seeking Haitian migrants remain under the Del Rio International Bridge after crossing the border from Mexico.

In an article shared on Fox News Tuesday, Carlson blamed President Joe Biden for the migrant surge and made claims of broad dereliction of duty at border outposts.

On Friday, the Border Patrol checkpoint near El Indio, Texas was completely unmanned, Carlson said in the article. There was nobody there. You could have driven a truck full of fentanyl or illegal aliens directly into the United States without being stopped or questioned or checked or anything.

It's unclear why Abbott has refused requests to appear on Carlson's show, as the two appear to agree that the Biden administration is not doing enough to secure the countrys southern border.

During a press conference at the border Tuesday evening, Abbott railed against the Biden administration for promoting and allowing open border policies.

Abbott added that DPS and the National Guard have taken steps to seal the border by placing DPS vehicles along the border to create a makeshift barrier, but the Biden Administration needs to step up.

The Biden Administration is a man-made disaster of inhumanity of epic proportions, he said. It must end immediately.
Gene J. Puskar/AP

Former President George W. Bush is headlining a fundraiser for Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney as she lines up support in her effort to fight off attacks from former President Donald Trump in her bid for re-election.

Bush is attending an Oct. 18 event in Dallas for Cheney, who was ousted from her leadership position in Congress over her vote to impeach Trump. The event will also feature other prominent Republicans including Bush strategist Karl Rove and former Texas senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, according to a person familiar with the event first reported by Politico and the Wall Street Journal.
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Canada-India direct flights to resume September 27 Three direct flights from India will arrive in Canada on September 22.

Canada-India direct flights to resume September 27 Three direct flights from India will arrive in Canada on September 22.

Canada-India direct flights to resume September 27 Three direct flights from India will arrive in Canada on September 22. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Canada is lifting the ban on direct flights to India next week.

India air travellers will once again be able to come to Canada starting at midnight on September 27, according to a media release. Travellers will still have to comply with public health measures, such as testing requirements, and possibly quarantine.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

There will still be additional measures for travellers coming directly to India:

Travellers must have proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test from the approved Genestrings Laboratory at the Delhi airport taken within 18 hours of the scheduled departure of their direct flight to Canada.

Prior to boarding, air operators will be checking the travellers test results ensuring they are eligible to come to Canada, and that fully vaccinated travellers have uploaded their information into the ArriveCAN mobile app or website. Travellers who are unable to meet these requirements will be denied boarding.

On September 22, there will be three direct flights from India arriving in Canada. All passengers on these flights will be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival to ensure that the new measures are working.

Also, after direct flights resume, travellers from India who take an indirect route will still need a negative COVID-19 molecular test within 72 hours of departure, before continuing their journey to Canada.

Canada originally halted direct passenger and commercial flights between India in April, while both countries were experiencing high counts of coronavirus. Since then, only cargo operations, medical transfers, or military flights have been allowed to go directly between the two countries.

Canada also has a ban on direct flights with Morocco, which is in effect until September 29.

What to know before you go to Canada during the pandemic

Canada opened its border to fully vaccinated tourists from all countries on September 7. In order to qualify for the exemption from quarantine, travellers need to provide border officers with a negative COVID-19 test, and proof of vaccination of a vaccine that has been approved in Canada. Travellers also need a 14-day quarantine plan, just in case.

All travellers coming to Canada need to use the ArriveCAN mobile or web application to submit their personal and travel information. When they arrive at the border, they may not have any symptoms of the virus, and provide a negative COVID-19 test. If they want to be exempt from quarantine, or travel to Canada for a non-essential reason, they will need to show that they are fully vaccinated with a Canada-approved vaccine such as: Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, or Janssen (Johnston & Johnson).

Regardless of country of origin, new arrivals will need to show a negative pre-arrival COVID-19 molecular test result, even if they are fully vaccinated. Travellers may also be selected at random to conduct a COVID-19 test upon arrival.

Those who are not considered fully vaccinated will only be allowed to travel to Canada for essential reasons, such as work, family reunification, school, compassionate reasons, or immigration. Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as their families, who are not fully vaccinated will still be allowed to enter, however, they may have to quarantine at home.

Unvaccinated individuals under age 12 will be allowed to enter Canada without needing to quarantine if their parent or guardian is fully vaccinated and is accompanying them.

Foreign nationals who are not vaccinated are not allowed to enter Canada. Those who are allowed to enter Canada include temporary workers, international students, diplomats and other individuals who are traveling for an essential reason. These individuals are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival if they are not fully vaccinated.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Ontario's third In-Demand Skills stream draw was also the largest one so far.

Ontario invites 72 workers to apply for PNP Ontario's third In-Demand Skills stream draw was also the largest one so far.

Ontario invites 72 workers to apply for PNP Ontario's third In-Demand Skills stream draw was also the largest one so far.

Ontario invites 72 workers to apply for PNP Ontario's third In-Demand Skills stream draw was also the largest one so far. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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On September 22, Ontario invited 72 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) held its third-ever In-Demand Skills stream draw under its new intake system. Ontarios new Expression of Interest (EOI) system replaces the old first-come-first-served model, and means that interested candidates can register at any time for a chance to receive an invitation from Ontario. In other words, express their interest to apply for a provincial nomination under an Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

In the general draw, 65 candidates were invited. Ontario also held a draw for the Regional Immigration Pilot, where they invited seven candidates. There is no EOI score requirement for this stream.

Invited candidates needed work experience in one of the following occupations, listed by sector in order of their National Occupational Classification (NOC) code.

Health and agricultural occupations:

NOC 3413  nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates

NOC 4412  home support workers and related occupations, excluding housekeepers

NOC 8431  general farm workers

NOC 8432  nursery and greenhouse workers

NOC 8611  harvesting labourers

NOC 9462  industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers

Manufacturing (outside the GTA only):

NOC 9411  machine operators, mineral and metal processing

NOC 9416  metalworking and forging machine operators

NOC 9417  machining tool operators

NOC 9418  other metal products machine operators

NOC 9421  chemical plant machine operators

NOC 9422  plastics processing machine operators

NOC 9437  woodworking machine operators

NOC 9446  industrial sewing machine operators

NOC 9461  process control and machine operators, food, beverage and associated products processing

NOC 9523  electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers

NOC 9526  mechanical assemblers and inspectors

NOC 9536  industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators

NOC 9537  other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors

About the In-Demand Skills Stream

This immigration program focuses more on provincial demand than occupation skill level. Many immigration programs target occupations that the government considers to be high skilled. Yet, Ontario still has labour shortages in occupations that are considered to be low skilled.

Enter the In-Demand Skills stream. Foreign workers with eligible job offers in Ontario can apply for a nomination with nine months of cumulative work experience in the province within the past three years. Seasonal work experience is not eligible to meet the work requirement. Part-time work may be eligible if the candidate completed the required number of work hours. The number of work hours has to equal either 1,200 hours of paid employment in one job over the course of 18 months. Or, for those who had more than one job, it would mean working for at least 30 hours per week for nine months totalling 1,200 hours.

There are a number of other eligibility requirements. Generally, candidates need a high school education, a language score of at least 4 in all proficiencies, and sufficient settlement funds, among other requirements.

List of in-demand occupations

NOC Code Occupation 3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates 4412 Home support workers and related occupations, excluding housekeepers 7441 Residential and commercial installers and servicers 7511 Transport truck drivers 7521 Heavy equipment operators (except crane) 8431 General farm workers 8432 Nursery and greenhouse workers 8611 Harvesting labourers 7611 Construction trades helpers and labourers 9462 Industrial butchers, meat cutters, poultry preparers, related workers

Available only to candidates outside the Greater Toronto Area

NOC Code Occupation 9411 Machine operators, mineral and metal processing 9416 Metalworking and forging machine operators 9417 Machining tool operators 9418 Other metal products machine operators 9421 Chemical plant machine operators 9422 Plastics processing machine operators 9437 Woodworking machine operators 9446 Industrial sewing machine operators 9461 Process control and machine operators, food, beverage and associated products processing 9523 Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers 9526 Mechanical assemblers and inspectors 9536 Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators 9537 Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors

How do you get points for Ontario immigration?

Ontario ranks EOI profiles based on a number of human capital factors that the province has decided will be important in selecting immigrants with the potential to thrive. You get points for the skill level of your job offer as well as your Canadian work experience.

The OINP scoring system is different depending on which stream you apply for. Other than skill level and work experience, it also takes into account your wage, education, official language ability, and the region in which you study or work. The province also allocates 10 points at its discretion to respond to labour market needs.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Should I enter Canadas Express Entry pool now? The benefits of entering the Express Entry pool now far outweigh the risks.

Should I enter Canadas Express Entry pool now? The benefits of entering the Express Entry pool now far outweigh the risks.

Should I enter Canadas Express Entry pool now? The benefits of entering the Express Entry pool now far outweigh the risks. Daniel Levy Gabriel Dumitrascu Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Should I enter the Express Entry pool now?

This is a valid and excellent question you may be asking yourself. If so, you are not alone.

Canada is aiming to welcome the highest levels of immigration in its history to support its post-COVID economic recovery. Under its 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada is seeking to welcome over 400,000 new immigrants per year.

Nearly 60 per cent of these new arrivals will come to Canada as skilled workers. Express Entry is the main way that Canada processes skilled worker applications.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Under normal circumstances, most of those who successfully immigrate to Canada through Express Entry do so via the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).

FSWP candidates made up nearly half of all Express Entry immigrants per year prior to the coronavirus pandemic. The other half of Express Entry arrivals came through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

Throughout 2021, however, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has only issued Express Entry invitations to CEC and PNP candidates. Its rationale for this is most of these candidates are currently in Canada, and hence less likely to encounter pandemic-related disruptions (e.g., travel delays) that will impede their ability to complete the permanent residence process.

As such, many FSWP candidates are currently waiting in the Express Entry pool for IRCC to resume issuing Invitations to Apply (ITA) to them.

Prospective FSWP candidates may think it is better to wait for such invitations to resume before entering the pool themselves, however this would be a mistake.

Calculate Your Express Entry Score

A careful cost-benefit analysis highlights the advantages of going ahead and entering the pool now anyway.

The only real risk of entering the pool now is the risk that your official language test will expire if you do not receive an ITA within two years of having completed the test. That is, you may need to spend some additional time and money retaking the language test if fortune does not favour you over the next two years.

This cost is minimal in comparison to the more significant reward of obtaining Canadian permanent residence.

Put simply, your chances of receiving an ITA for permanent residence are zero if you are not in the Express Entry pool. Conversely, you have a chance of receiving an ITA by virtue of entering the pool.

First, no one knows when IRCC will resume ITAs to FSWP candidates. Express Entry is unpredictable by design as it is meant to be competitive (giving advantage to the highest-scoring candidates) and responsive to the needs of Canadian provinces and employers. It has become even more unpredictable since last year due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic. The February 13, 2021 Express Entry draw is a major illustration of this. Without any warning, IRCC held a draw on a Saturday (draws usually take place on Wednesday and Thursday) and IRCC issued 27,332 ITAs to CEC candidates. The previous record was 5,000 ITAs. The Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) cut-off for that draw was just 75the lowest ever.

You do not want to be caught by surprise when IRCC begins to invite FSWP candidates once again. Being in the pool gives you an opportunity to receive an invitation and potentially be the beneficiary of an unconventional draw like the one we saw on February 13.

Second, being in the pool gives you a chance to receive a provincial nomination invitation. Accepting a provincial invitation results in an additional 600 CRS points which all but guarantees you will receive an Express Entry ITA. Canadas provinces regularly invite Express Entry candidates to apply to their PNP. They do this to recruit skilled workers who meet their provinces labour market needs. If you get an invitation, you go ahead and apply to receive a provincial nomination certificate. You then notify IRCC that you have received the certificate which results in the awarding of 600 CRS points and the probability of receiving an ITA for permanent residence in the next Express Entry draw that considers PNP candidates.

Third, being in the pool gives you the ability to create a Plus Account in the Canadian governments Job Bank. Having this access can help you match with suitable employment opportunities which may increase your chances to receive a job offer. Eligible job offers can result in you gaining an additional 50 or 200 CRS points. These points will not guarantee that you will receive an ITA, but they sure will help your chances. Assuming you do get an ITA, you will be in good standing to quickly integrate into the Canadian labour market through your pre-arranged employment.

It is understandable to be on the fence about entering the Express Entry pool now, but it is to your benefit to do so. Keep in mind that Canada values your skills and talents and wants you to immigrate here. Eventually IRCC will re-open its doors to FSWP candidates and beginning the Express Entry process now could leave you one step closer to achieving your goal of immigrating to Canada.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Just over a year ago we launched Google Cloud VMware Engine to help enterprises easily migrate their VMware workloads to Google Cloud. Since then, we helped retailers, financial institutions, telcos, and other global customers move to Google Cloud to lower their total cost of ownership (TCO) and modernize their applications with Google Cloud services. To help more VMware users ease their transition to the cloud, were excited today to announce the Catalyst Program.

Moving to the cloud can bring up concerns about how to rationalize existing license investments you have made. The Google Cloud Catalyst Program provides Google Cloud VMware Engine users financial flexibility and choice to accelerate your journey to Google Cloud.

Google Cloud Catalyst Program benefits include:

Financial flexibility : Eligible customers can now get one-time Google Cloud credits to help offset existing VMware license investments. This offer may be combined with other Google Cloud offers to reduce your overall cloud TCO. For example, credits may be applied to PayGo, monthly (1 or 3 year) commitment, or prepay commitment SKUs consumed during the first 12 months of the program.

Choice : You are free to apply earned credits across any Google Cloud service, including Google Cloud VMware Engine. In addition, this program is available directly through Google Cloud or through existing Google Cloud channel partners you work with.

Consumption-based: Moving to the cloud often expands the reach of enterprises resulting in the need for increased cloud resources. Weve designed this program to grow with your business. As you shift more of your business to the cloud, you earn additional credits which can be applied toward any future Google Cloud spend.

You now have a plethora of incentives to help you execute on your journey to Google Cloud. Our Rapid Assessment and Migration Program (RAMP) program provides free assessment and planning tools to help you understand your inventory and develop a migration game plan. You can also take advantage of our on-demand or committed use discounts for one- and three-year terms with monthly and prepay upfront payment plans. And, now you can take advantage of the Catalyst Program to help offset existing VMware licensing investments, which can be combined with other Google offers.

Google Cloud customers and partners share some of the benefits of participating in the Catalyst Program:

The Google Cloud VMware Engine Catalyst Program will help us rationalize our existing license investments flexibly and reduce the cost of migration. The potential savings in OPEX makes good sense since we were going to migrate anyway and this program will help us move our business to the cloud more rapidly.Jason Elliott, Senior Manager, Cloud Infrastructure, Southwire.

We see first-hand that migrating to the cloud can be a complex and costly process. The Catalyst Program represents a unique way for customers to offset some of the migration costs, while Google Cloud VMware Engine removes much of the cloud migration complexity.Gregory Lehrer, Vice President Strategic Technology Partnerships, VMware

By combining Google Cloud technologies with services and offerings from SADA, customers will benefit from greater innovation, operational efficiency, and risk mitigation along their cloud journey. The Catalyst Program is a simple and powerful way to reduce the cost of migrating to the cloud and help accelerate an enterprises digital transformation.Miles Ward, CTO, SADA

To learn more about the Google Cloud VMware Engine Catalyst Program, please download this program overview. To apply for the program, please contact us.
One of the first flash points Joe Biden faced as president came over the United StatesMexico border. Talk of the so-called Biden Border Crisis, led by Republican commentators, began even before inauguration. Everywhere from the Washington Examiner to the New York Times, journalists reported on a new rush of migrants and Bidens open-door approach as GOP officials seized on opportunities to escalate the hysteria. A delegation of nineteen Republican senators led by Ted Cruz and John Cornyn toured the Rio Grande aboard a fleet of Border Patrol boats armed with machine guns; afterward, they held a press conference along the bank of the river, where Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, declared, Theres a word for whats happening at our border: its insanity. Days later, Cotton and other members of his party encouraged reporters to consider the political nature of their crusade, calling immigration a central issue in the campaign, in 2022.

There could be no denying that the number of migrant apprehensions had risen since the previous summer, when Trump virtually closed the southern border. But, in their coverage, many news outlets glossed over crucial context. For one thing, consistently citing the arrests of people crossing told only part of the story; doing so did not reflect how many migrants were ultimately expelled. In March, when Customs and Border Protection reported having taken more than a hundred and seventy-two thousand migrants into custody, most of them from Central America, the Biden administration sent back the vast majority under Title 42, an emergency health order that Trump had used to expel people en masse.

By April, the number of migrants seeking refuge at the border rose slightly, yet talk of the Biden Border Crisis largely subsidedand a brief moment of reckoning ensued. In The Washington Post owes Biden an apology, Eric Boehlert, a media critic, wrote, In terms of the amount of border news coverage this year, its been eye-popping, as the press continues to take its cues from Republicans. During Bidens first nine weeks in office, immigration was the third most-common topic of news coverage, according to a Pew studyand that coverage was overwhelmingly negative. He added, The press and the GOP have helped create the border crisis this year.

The sensationalism rife in immigration news over the past several months not only showed how political rhetoric can permeate journalists work, it also laid bare the episodic nature of Latin America coverage in the US. Immigration is too often viewed through the narrow lens of Washington politics, as stories ignore the roots and ramifications beyond the southern border. Latin America is a blind spot for the US media, Brian Winter, the editor in chief of Americas Quarterly, said. And Central America is the blindest spot of all. Before the headlines around the Border Crisis, there had been minimal coverage of the pandemics ravages in the region or of two Category 4 hurricanes that, in two weeks last fall, devastated Northern Triangle countries. There had also been practically no mention of the fact that the countries migrants were fleeing have been grappling with some of the highest rates of violence and poverty the Western Hemisphere has seen. With Biden the central focus of Latin Americanews reports, a reader could be forgiven for reaching the mistaken conclusion that his administration had provoked a sudden influx of migrantsand that this was the regions biggest story.

When it comes to international reportage, the American press has been reductionist since the early days: If you look back a hundred years, you will find that ten countrieswhether longtime US rivals, countries where American troops have been deployed, or world powershave dominated 70 percent of the coverage in the United States, Guy J. Golan, an associate professor at the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at Texas Christian University, said. In 2014, when Golan worked at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, he coauthored a study with Greg Munno, a doctoral student, Framing Latin America in Elite U.S. Media: An analysis of editorials and Op-Eds. Their research explored what they called the newsworthiness of nations; they argued that the coverage a country receives depends on whether it is deemed powerful, peripheral, or semi-peripheral. Coverage of most peripheral and semi-peripheral nations is limited to natural disasters, conflicts, and coups, Golan and Munno wrote. Aside from a countrys position within the international arena, they found, its newsworthiness depended on its relationship to the US.

Despite Latin Americas geographic and economic proximity, Golan and Munno observed, it has been among the regions least covered by the US press. Even back in the seventies, when Washington intervened directly and indirectly in the political affairs of countries such as Chile and Argentina, Latin America accounted for less than 6 percent of TV coverage. More recent studies suggest that figure rarely exceeds 11 percent. In the course of their research, Golan and Munno examined more than a hundred opinion pieces published in the Times and the Post; the large majority were written by men based in the US, which also happened to be the focus of their writing. In essence, the framing of Latin America in the opinion sections of both newspapers presents readers with a domestic frame to an international story, Golan and Munno found.

Of course, any regions coverage is a reflection of how outlets allocate resources. For decades, media scholars have denounced the lack of voices to report on Latin America in all its complexity; as of 1991, Ralph E. Kliesch, a professor at Ohio University, counted two hundred and forty-one correspondents working there, more than half of whom were concentrated in seven countries. In the years since, as US newspaper employment has fallen sharplysince 2008, its dropped 26 percentmany outlets have opted to close or downsize their bureaus abroad. The Puerto Rico outpost of the Associated Press, for instance, is now down from about ten staffers to onea reporter who is responsible for covering stories across the Caribbean. With fewer correspondents on the ground, news organizations are left to rely on whats known as safari or swat journalism, which is quick, reactive, and more heavily reliant on government sources than independent observation.

When reporters have less time to develop stories in place, and instead chase breaking news wherever it leads, the resulting coverage frames narratives of Latin America in response to emergencies, especially political exigencies. These dispatches convey a sense of urgencywhich may well lead readers to favor swift and temporary solutions to what are, in reality, long-standing problems. If immigration is always cast as a crisis, it will always be treated as a new phenomenon, unrelated to a structural issue which is directly tied to US foreign policy, Alexandra Delano, the cochair of global studies at the New School, said. It is from that idea of a crisis that more visible policies, such as the wall, the National Guard, or the borders militarization, emerge.

Once Trump kicked off his presidential campaign, in 2015, the most visible reports on Latin America were those that revolved around his talking points, often singling out Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela. (That was what drove clicks and drove traffic, Winter said.) By the summer of 2018, news about the region had become a warped reflection of Washington political drama. It was no coincidence that journalists started referring to Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, as the Trump of the Tropics and to Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the president of Mexico, as the Mexican Trump. That is a familiar trope, casting foreign leaders as doppelgangers of American officials. Yet as Carlos Bravo Regidor, a Mexican political analyst, recalled of the AMLO comparisons, It was as if his similarities to Trump were all there was to know about him, as if invoking Trump were enough.

When the crisis at the border magically disappeared, in the view of news outlets, so did the countries from which migrants came.

With the White House in focus, Latin America often gets rendered in poorly drawn Manichaean extremes: countries are depicted either as vulnerable allies or as formidable enemies. So much of the way that Americans look at the region isvery tragicallythrough the lens of drugs and thugs, Winter said. Readers are left with a series of falsities and cliches (3 Mexican Countries; Border jumpers). Theres a certain kind of stereotypical coverage, which is after exotic stories, Graciela Mochkofsky, the director of the bilingual masters program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, said. Its as if everything in Latin America pertained to the realm of magic realism, or that of the ridiculous.

The very notion of Latin America as a unit is questionable; the region encompasses thirty-three countries, where roughly five hundred languages are spoken. This degree of homogenization obscures the nuances inherent to a region that is very diverse, Bravo Regidor said. But unless media outlets recognize those nuances, and devote the reporting staff necessary to distill them, public debate will be as thin as the coverage. Katherine Vargas, who headed the office of Hispanic media at the White House during the Obama administration, complained to me recently that journalists have a perverse incentive to focus on negatives, such as diplomatic crises. It wasnt until the middle of Obamas second term, when he announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba, that Vargas started hearing from White House correspondents.

Recent events have brought to the fore more gaps in coverage of the region: little attention was paid to the state of democracy in Haiti before President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, in early July; Raul Castros retirement as the leader of Cubas Communist Party wasnt thoroughly examined until protesters took to the streets months later to demand lasting change. And even if Biden does not provoke the same level of panic as his predecessor, the White House remains the primary driver of Latin America newsas assigning editors still, apparently, determine its importance (whether its powerful or peripheral) on the basis of Beltway discourse. As a case in point: when the Biden-created crisis at the border magically disappeared, in the view of news outlets, so did the countries from which migrants came. Latin America is not seen by a lot of people as relevant to the US national interest, Winter said. I think theyre wrong, but its a lonely fight sometimes.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Stephania Taladrid is a contributing writer at The New Yorker. Before that, she served as a speechwriter for the Obama administration. She holds a masters in Latin American studies from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Last Thursday, more than ten thousand asylum-seekers, most of them from Haiti, gathered in a makeshift holding facility under an international bridge in the Mexican-American border town of Del Rio, Texas. The staggering number of migrants living in limbo, the poor conditions in which they waited, and the question of how the US government might respond spawned droves of international coverage: in the Washington Post, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Yahoo News, the BBC, NPR, the New York Times, USA Today, National Geographic, CNN, the South China Morning Post, and more. On Saturday, the Biden administration announced that it would begin deporting asylum-seekers en masse, using a Trump-era policy to expedite their removal; on Sunday, the first deportation flights carried hundreds of migrants back to Haiti, a country many of them had not lived in for years. The flights continued through Tuesday, and international attention intensified again after photographers captured disturbing images of US Border Guards on horseback chasing migrants while holding leather straps.

Many US media outlets called the situation at the border a crisis, though for whom sometimes differed, according to the coverage. The Wall Street Journal noted that migrants had overwhelmed the small city of Del Rio. POLITICO wrote that Biden is caught in a political vise. Others called the large number of migrants seeking asylum a surge or floodwords used commonly in reporting on the Mexican-American border, ostensibly intended to convey disproportionately high numbers of simultaneous asylum-seekers but often erroneously, and with the effect of reducing a humanitarian problem to a logistical problem or stoking xenophobic fears.

Humanitarian crises are often logistical crises, to be sure, and both require attention. The best coverage of the Haitian asylum-seekers and the Biden administrations response has scrutinized the USs immigration policies and recent deportation efforts while focusing on their devastating human consequences. On Monday, Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean correspondent at the Miami Herald, led with the US governments role in incentivizing this migration: Lack of access to asylum in the US, confusion over US immigration policy and desperation are fueling a surge of Haitian migrants into Del Rio, Texas, where thousands who have arrived in the past few days are living in makeshift conditions under an international bridge, Charles wrote. Jonathan Katz, a former AP correspondent for Haiti, summarized Americas schizophrenic immigration policy for his newsletter: At first, the Biden administration had been fighting (and apparently proved unable to control) the unhinged bureaucratic border-security superstructure left by Stephen Miller and Donald Trump. Then the White House changed course and took the lead on deporting Haitians, dumping thousands into Port-au-Prince on private flights owned by a Trump super-donoreven as it officially found Haiti to be unstable enough to allow thousands more who had come just a few weeks before to stay, citing the instability of Haitian politics following the July assassination of President Jovenel Moise. A pause in deportation flights after the Aug. 14 earthquake, which killed 2,200 people, apparently lasted a month. Widlore Merancourt reported with Anthony Faiola on the Biden administrations most recent mismanagement, writing in the Washington Post that several deportees said they were returned to Haiti without being told they were being repatriated.

Such critical coverage is predicated upon knowledge of Haitis historyincluding the role the US played in shaping its current realitiesand the human stakes, which reporters like Charles, Katz, and Merancourt have kept near at hand. Charles has recently covered the intersecting crises in Haitia presidential assassination, a deadly earthquake, delays in COVID-19 vaccine delivery and distributionthat are both precursors and backdrops to this story. In his newsletter, Katz, who covered Haitis devastating 2010 earthquake for the AP, considers the questions and concerns of a Haitian friend attempting to read the room on fickle US immigration policies. Merancourt, editor in chief at Haitis Ayibopost, has reported recently on the influx of US weapons into Haiti, the barriers to humanitarian aid following the earthquake, and families fleeing to barely habitable shelters to escape gang violence.

Any regions coverage is a reflection of how outlets allocate resources, Stephania Taladrid writes in a piece, out today, about immigration for CJRs newest magazine. Taladrids piece, which focuses primarily on Latin America, speaks well beyond any one region or subject. When reporters have less time to develop stories in place, and instead chase breaking news wherever it leads, the resulting coverage frames narrativesin response to emergencies, especially political exigencies, Taladrid writes. These dispatches convey a sense of urgencywhich may well lead readers to favor swift and temporary solutions to what are, in reality, long-standing problems. As newsrooms allocate resources to cover the present crisis, its worth investing in reporters who have a wider scope, and who take a deeper, longer look.

Below, more on immigration coverage:

Out of Focus: For CJRs newest Politics magazine issue, Stephania Taladrid writes that, too often, immigration coverage is viewed through the lens of American politics. If immigration is always cast as a crisis, it will always be treated as a new phenomenon, unrelated to a structural issue which is directly tied to US foreign policy, Alexandra Delano, the cochair of global studies at the New School, told her. When the Biden-created crisis at the border magically disappeared, in the view of news outlets, so did the countries from which migrants came, Taladrid writes.

For CJRs newest Politics magazine issue, Stephania Taladrid writes that, too often, immigration coverage is viewed through the lens of American politics. If immigration is always cast as a crisis, it will always be treated as a new phenomenon, unrelated to a structural issue which is directly tied to US foreign policy, Alexandra Delano, the cochair of global studies at the New School, told her. When the Biden-created crisis at the border magically disappeared, in the view of news outlets, so did the countries from which migrants came, Taladrid writes. Biden Border Crisis: For Washington Monthly, James North wrote about the GOPs manufactured outrage against the Biden administration and how its talking points successfully proliferated throughout media coverage of migration at the Mexican-American border. Some reports emphasized the political challenge for Biden, instead of the humanitarian challenge for the Haitians, North writes. But the mainstream medias biggest failure is that it ignores U.S. complicity in the chronic crisis in Haiti, especially in the decade since the devastating 2010 earthquake.

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Lauren Harris is a freelance journalist. She writes CJR's weekly newsletter for the Journalism Crisis Project. Follow her on Twitter @LHarrisWrites.
The newest member of Farmers Insurance Groups catastrophe response team is a four-legged robot that vaguely resembles a headless greyhound.

Farmers announced that it purchased a remote-controlled robot dubbed Spot from Boston Dynamics and expects delivery this fall, after the device is customized to meet the insurers specifications. Spot can access spaces that may be unsafe for human claims adjusters, such as collapsed structures or burned out buildings.

Samantha Santiago, head of claims strategy and automation, said Farmers is the first insurer to purchase the device.

Were big believers in emerging technologies, she said.

Santiago said Boston Dynamics is equipping its robot with a 360-degree camera, an infra-red camera, site documentation software and an extendable arm that can be used for tasks such as opening doors or turning nozzles. The device weighs 65 pounds. It is packed into really large luggage that can be carried in the back of a pickup to where it is needed, she said.

Santiago said Farmers uses drones for field inspections, but aerial photography is notsuitable in all situations. For example, Federal Aviation Administration regulations would not allow operators to fly drones when the air is so smoky that it restricts visibility.

Farmers said Spot will be used for both catastrophe response and more routine property inspections. Boston Dynamics will ship the device to its Los Angeles headquarters. Santiago said for now Farmers has purchased only one robot, but the company will assess its needs after gaining experience with the device.

Santiago said Boston Dynamics will assist in training two claims adjusters at the companys innovation lab in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. She said she expects to deploy Spot for field inspections before the end of the year.

Santiago refused to say how much Farmers paid for its customized robot, but a spokesperson for Boston Dynamics said the base model of Spot sells for $74,500. It can walk about five miles and can run for 90 minutes on a charge, the spokesperson said in an email.

Boston Dynamics says on its website that the resemblance of its robots to living animals is not a coincidence. The company said when its founders first began designing robots more than 30 years ago, they knew that advanced mobility in natural and built environment requires legs. Wheeled and tracked robots are limited by stairs, gaps, and obstructions such as cabling and staged materials even minor height differences in flooring, the company says.

Versions of Spot are now used to monitor job site progress at construction sites, collect data at nuclear power plants and inspect industrial infrastructure, the company says. They can also be used by public safety agencies in hostage situations to assist in search and rescue efforts. Boston Dynamics specifically prohibits use of its devices for weapon systems.

Boston Dynamics was founded by Marc Raibert, a former electrical engineering and consumer science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University. Raibert founded the Leg Laboratory at Carnegie, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Google acquired the company in 2013, but sold the firm in 2017 to SoftBank, which last year sold a majority stake to the Hyundai Motor Group.
CHICAGO  Troy Walkers phone will not stop ringing at his Kansas farm cooperative, with growers needing fertilizer for their wheat fields in the coming months.

In Kentucky, corn and soybean farmer Caleb Ragland said shelves at his local farm supplier are often bare of weed killer glyphosate and other crop chemicals. He expects the situation could get worse.

Bayers glyphosate manufacturing plant in Louisiana remains shut after Hurricane Ida slammed the Gulf Coast in late August, further complicating logistical and supply chain problems that had already tightened global supplies of fertilizers and chemicals.

Ida was like a heavyweight boxer going 15 rounds, and threw a hard upper-cut at the farmer, said Ragland, a ninth generation corn and soybean farmer in Magnolia, Kentucky. Things were already bad. Ida made it worse.

Ida disrupted grain and soybean shipments from the Gulf Coast, which accounts for about 60% of U.S. exports, at a time global crop supplies are tight and demand from China is strong.

Now, the storms ripple effects are hampering production and movement of some fertilizers and crop chemicals ahead of U.S. harvest. This is straining an agricultural and food supply chain already battered by trade and logistics delays during the pandemic.

Rising input costs threaten the incomes of farmers who had banked on booming profits this year, as crop prices soared to the highest in nearly a decade, after years of stagnating around break-even levels. Ragland and other farmers have been rethinking what they will plant in the spring; crops requiring less fertilizer look more attractive.

At the current prices for nitrogen, its making me take a hard look at my corn acres, Ragland said. It makes me think we might grow soybeans on some of those acres.

Before Hurricane Ida, the U.S. Agriculture Department had estimated that farmers would face a 2.2% increase in all corn input expenses for every acre planted in 2022, according to the most recent data, as chemicals and fertilizers followed higher crop prices and supply chain disruptions.

Global supplies were thin of the raw ingredients needed to make farm herbicides including glufosinate, atrazine and glyphosate, partly due to pandemic-related labor and shipping issues, said Marc-Andre Fortin, director of North American crop protection with Farmers Business Network, an online marketplace for farmers.

Imports of glyphosate containers shipped into the Port of New Orleans were down 71% from the same period a year earlier and herbicide container imports were down 1.2%, according to Panjiva, the supply chain research unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence. Potash imports into New Orleans dropped 14.8%.

Then, Ida hit and shuttered Bayers glyphosate plant in Luling, Louisiana. The plant helps provide all the active ingredient for Bayers Roundup branded ag herbicides in the United States, the company told Reuters.

Bayers plant has been closed since Aug. 28. The company, which hopes to restore power within weeks, said it is also working to repair wind damage and run system tests.

Rationing Supplies

Global glyphosate supplies were already tight as flooding, COVID-19 outbreaks and congested ports snarled production and exports in China for months, said Allan W. Gray, executive director of the Purdue University Center for Food and Agricultural Business.

As a result, chemical manufacturers are rationing supplies to farmers and others, Gray said.

Fertilizer is problematic, too. Walker and the staff at Kansas farm cooperative MKC have not been able to get price quotes from fertilizer suppliers for early 2022. Suppliers do not know if they will have anything to sell, he said  so Walker has turned away some customers.

Such problems have plagued retailers for months. China, the worlds top exporter of phosphate, temporarily halted urea and diammonium phosphate fertilizer exports this summer to feed domestic demand as energy costs and corn prices rose.

More recently, fertilizer producer CF Industries Holdings Inc halted operations at two United Kingdom manufacturing complexes, citing high costs for natural gas feedstock, a key raw material used in nitrogen fertilizers.

Canadas largest potash producer Nutrien Ltd is sold out in North America through at least the third quarter, and global stocks for potash are tight for the rest of the year, said Ken Seitz, executive vice president of potash at Nutrien Ltd.

Ida tightened fertilizer supplies further, when CF Industries and Incitec Pivot Ltd shut plants because of the hurricane and declared force majeure for customers.

As the supply chain snarled, prices spiked. Prior to the storm, a New Orleans barge of urea set to ship in September to destinations across the U.S. or Canada traded at $450 a ton, said Josh Linville, director of fertilizer at StoneX Group Inc. After, the price jumped to $552 a ton.

In the fertilizer world, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, Linville said. Its death by a thousand cuts.

Wheat and cotton farmer Keeff Felty, 54, said the situation is spiraling. He is studying soil samples to see where he can cut back on fertilizer next season, and paid a company to haul some in-state after local suppliers could not fill his order.

The price went up from Monday to Wednesday, said Felty, and by that night, they were out.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  The Department of Education (DepEd) has sought the assistance of social media companies to ban online groups used by students to cheat during online classes.

"We are now exhausting all possible means to put a stop to these activities. We have already sought the assistance of social media companies to ban these groups and prevent similar attempts of academic dishonesty that promote laziness, irresponsibility, and instant gratification," the department said in a statement on Wednesday.

Some Facebook groups called "Online Kopyahan" (Online Cheating) recently made the news for supposedly allowing students to share answers on modules as classes remain under an online setup due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These groups have tens of thousands of members.

"Although these (online school) activities are not graded, learners are encouraged to demonstrate what they can and cannot do without feeling obligated to always get it right," DepEd said. "Mistakes are understandable in the learning process, and the learner's capacity to learn from them while striving for excellence is vital to their holistic development," it added.

DepEd also appealed to parents and teachers to help discourage online cheating.

The Philippine National Police on Tuesday said it has tasked the Anti-Cybercrime Group to coordinate with DepEd to look into the reports of online cheating.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  Internist-cardiologist Willie Ong on Wednesday gave Filipinos a glimpse of how he will handle the ongoing pandemic if he is elected vice president next year. His strategy includes limiting the release of COVID-19 case data.

Presidential aspirant Isko Moreno said he picked Ong to be his running mate because of his medical background.

Ong, who describes himself as a vlogger, listed six ways to respond to the global health crisis. The first is to address the demands of healthcare workers who are demoralized due to issues with their salaries and benefits. He said he will also ensure that more hospitals are built to cater to more patients.

Ong also said he will make sure that an intent to order should already be in place for the best second generation COVID-19 vaccines even if they are still in the development stage. Other medicines, equipment, and vitamins to help patients will also be made available.

The doctor also vouched for testing - best if it's free - to help lower the positivity rate.

His final idea is to lessen the anxiety brought about by grim COVID-19 data by not releasing new cases and mortalities daily.

"Ayaw ko kayo araw-araw check nang check, 'Naku tumaas ang kaso, bumaba ang kaso.' Gagawin natin siguro every three days lang... Hindi ko kayo iistress," Ong said during their campaign launch in Tondo.

[Translation: I don't want you to check the data every day and say cases are going up or down. Maybe we'll release it every three days. I will not stress you out.]

He also gave tips on how to stay healthy so COVID-19 infections will not be too severe.

"Panlaban sa COVID, hihinga lang nang malalim lagi. Turo ito ng pulmonologist, hinga nang malalim, expand, tigil, tapos exhale. Papalakasin ang baga. Tamaan man ng COVID, may laban," he said.

[Translation: To fight COVID, take deep breaths. This is what pulmonologists teach. Take a deep breath, expand, stop, then exhale. This will make your lungs stronger, so if you get infected, you can fight it.]

Ong, who has 16 million followers on Facebook and 6.5 million subscribers on YouTube, lost in the 2019 senatorial elections  placing 18th out of the 62 candidates.

Despite joining Moreno's ticket, Ong is still part of Lakas-CMD - a party allied with President Rodrigo Duterte, but has expressed intent to resign. He is still the political party's vice president for health services as of August.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  President Rodrigo Duterte has renewed his call to dismantle the Kafala system for migrant workers in the Middle East, saying it is "unjust."

Kafala system requires each worker to have a sponsor  either a citizen or a company  in the host country. It gives sponsors control over workers' employment and immigration status, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, according to human rights groups.

"The Kafala system is one such behemoth that chains the weak, the desperate, and the voiceless to an existence of unimaginable suffering," Duterte said in his speech for the 76th United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

"Nothing can justify the continued existence of this unjust system. While reforms have been made, the Kafala system must be dismantled  sooner rather than later  in the name of justice and basic decency," he added.

He made the same call in April this year, calling the sponsorship system "exploitative."

PH accepts Afghan refugees

Duterte also said the Philippines has opened its doors to Afghan nationals fleeing from conflict and urged countries to do the same.

"As one global community, we must do our utmost to help the Afghan people and all those who continue to suffer," he said.

The chief executive added that the government is also working with the UN High Commissioner on Refugees to prepare a cooperation program for a "specific number" of Rohingya, an ethnic groupmost of whom are Muslimsin Myanmar.

"The Philippines has limited resources during these extraordinary times. But what we can do for humanity and to uplift human dignity, we will," Duterte said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  President Rodrigo Duterte, who previously called the Philippines' arbitral win against China "just" a piece of paper, is now saying that noncompliance from the side of Beijing cannot diminish its worth.

"The Award must be seen for what it is  a benefit across the board to all who subscribe to the majesty of the law," the President said in his recorded virtual address to the 76th United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday

"No amount of willful disregard by any country, however big and powerful, can diminish the Arbitral Awards importance," he stressed.

Beijing continues to reject the 2016 landmark ruling of the arbitral tribunal in The Hague which recognized the Philippines' sovereign rights in areas within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

It continuously disregards the ruling, proven by numerous Chinese vessels regularly seen in the disputed waters despite diplomatic protests filed by the Philippines.

RELATED: China says PHs 2016 arbitral win 'illegal, null, and void

Duterte said the country will continue to resolve sea disputes peacefully  a position he has kept during his administration due to fear of a war with the powerful nation.

This was Duterte's second appearance at the UNGA since he took office in 2016.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday urged the United Nations to reform itself as it leads the world out of many crises.

In his pre-recorded speech for the 76th United Nations General Assembly, Duterte said the institutions, including the UN, "have proven to be inadequate."

It (UN) no longer reflects the political and economic realities of the world If the UN is to lead the world out of the many crises we face, things need to change. The UN must empower itself, by reforming itself. Therein lies the hope for humanity, he said.

The President also claimed the UN Security Council has violated the tenets of the organization, saying it is neither democratic nor transparent in its representation and processes.

DOJ, PNP to review drug war

Duterte also mentioned that he has instructed the Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police to review the conduct of the countrys drug war.

He assured that those found to have acted beyond bounds during the conduct of illegal drug operations will be held accountable.

Meaningful change, to be enduring, must come from within. The imposition of ones will over another  no matter how noble the intent  has never worked in the past and it never will in the future, Duterte said.

His statement comes after the International Criminal Court's pre-trial chamber gave its go signal to start the investigation into the Duterte administrations controversial drug war.

The Duterte administration maintains its stand that it will not cooperate with the ICC, saying it has no jurisdiction over the Philippines since the country withdrew from the Rome Statute  the treaty that established the ICC  on March 17, 2019.

Duterte hits rich countries for hoarding vaccines

Duterte also said there is a man-made drought of vaccines ravaging poor countries because rich countries hoard COVID-19 shots.

Rich countries hoard life-saving vaccines, while poor nations wait for trickles. They now talk of booster shots, while developing countries consider half-doses just to get by. This is shocking beyond belief and must be condemned for what it is  a selfish act that can neither be justified rationally nor morally, he added.

This is the second time that Duterte attended the UN General Assembly since he took office in 2016.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said some local factories can be used in the fill and finish service for vaccines eyed by the government.

"'Yung mga existing manufacturer natin na maaaring ire-align mula sa ibang gamot na injectable to vaccines. So, posible 'yon," FDA general managrer Eric Domingo said at a briefing on Tuesday.

[Translation: Exisiting local manufacturers can realign from other injectable medicines to vaccines. That is possible.]

"Later on, pag hindi na COVID-19 ang kailangan na vaccines, gusto natin na makapag branch out din sila into other vaccines na ginagamit natin sa regular vaccination programs,"

[Translation: Later on, when COVID-19 vaccines are no longer necessary, we want them to branch out into other vaccines which are used in the regular vaccination programs.]

He added that all vaccines currently being used in the country are imported. Domingo, however, did not say which factories were being considered.

Domingo earlier said that "fill and finish" means bringing over bulk product and then repackaging them locally into small vials, ampoules or syringes.

The Departments of Science and Technology,Trade and Industry, and Health are spearheading efforts to ensure the country's self-sustainability when it comes to vaccines.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  Presidential aspirant Francisco "Isko Moreno" said he will not block the operation of ABS-CBN if its franchise application passes Congress.

"I made it clear: rule of law. If Congress gives you such privilege and approves it, I will sign it," the former actor said on Wednesday as he officially declared his 2022 plans.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who has repeatedly accused ABS-CBN of not paying taxes despite the allegation being refuted by government agencies, earlier threated to block the broadcaster's operations even if it gets a franchise.

The media giant went off the air on May 2020 for the first time since the martial law regime of late President Ferdinand Marcos to comply with National Telecommunications Commission's order. It was officially shut down in July after the House Committee on Legislative Franchises denied its application for a fresh 25-year franchise.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  The country received another large shipment of COVD-19 vaccines made by US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer on Wednesday.

A plane carrying the bulk of the 940,680 vaccine doses procured by the government arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City Wednesday evening, state media reported.

From this batch, 811,980 shots will be sent to the Pharmaserv cold storage facility in Marikina City, while 128,700 doses have already been dropped off in Cebu.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. earlier said that as of Sept. 20, the country has received almost 65 million vaccine doses. Out of the total, 9,586,270 were delivered from Sept. 13 to 19 alone, making it the largest weekly shipment since February, Galvez added.

Some 13 million doses of the more than 34 million doses from different brands expected to arrive within the month have arrived so far.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22)  Sen. Win Gatchalian on Wednesday defended the Philippine Red Cross chaired by his colleague, Sen. Richard Gordon, which has been the subject of numerous tirades from President Rodrigo Duterte over the past weeks.

Gatchalian, a member of the Board of Governors of the PRC, underscored the importance of the organization's contribution to boost the Philippines' testing capacity, particularly when the pandemic started last year.

"We have to remember during the surge of the pandemic last March and I have seen this with my own eyes, the whole nation was scrambling for testing capacity," Gatchalian told CNN Philippines' The Source. "We did not have any testing capacity and RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) was the only institution that can do RT-PCR tests."

"Red Cross responded very quickly," the senator said. "In fact, in a matter of three months, Red Cross managed to put a testing lab for the country and that capacity, it (reached) about 70% of the total testing capacity of the Philippines."

He added: "In due fairness to the organization, the organization was a big factor in terms of fighting COVID-19. It responded very quickly when we needed the testing capacity during last years surge."

Gordon on Tuesday said the PRC is ready to face a probe following the allegation of President Rodrigo Duterte about the supposed "false positive" COVID-19 test results from some PRC laboratories.

He also called the President a "bully" for attacking him and the humanitarian organization.

"You are a bully. And I am sorry, Mr. President, the Filipino people can fight back against bullies," the senator said. The Filipino can have a revolution against bullies."

READ:Gordon says PRC ready to face probe, explains alleged false positive COVID-19 test results

Duterte earlier accused Gordon of using PRC funds for his election campaigns.

He also repeatedly called on the Commission on Audit to look into PRC's financial records, even if it is not covered by state audits as a non-government organization.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 23)  President Rodrigo Duterte has insisted that the government's purchase of medical supplies from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. is in accordance with Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, contrary to what senators say.

In his public address aired Wednesday night, Duterte attacked senators anew, particularly Senator Francis Pangilinan who said that Bayanihan 1 was not yet in effect when the government purchased medical supplies from Pharmally.

Itong si Pangilinan effectivity date naman ng Bayanihan ang pinagsasasabi Anong klaseng senador ka? Mag-debate ng technicalities habang mayroong global pandemic? the President said.

[Translation: This Pangilinan is now talking about the effectivity date of Bayanihan 1 What kind of senator are you? You want to debate about technicalities during a global pandemic?]

You do not go into such trivial matters as long as the property, the money of the republic, was protected, and that the goods that we bought reached their intended beneficiaries, he added.

During Mondays hearing on the use of pandemic response funds, senators questioned former Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao on the purchase of face masks from Pharmally.

Lao said the purchase was in accordance with Bayanihan 1, which he said took effect on March 25, 2020. But Pangilinan pointed out that the law took effect on April 6, 2020.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Richard Gordon, chairperson of the Senate investigating panel, supported Pangilinans statement.

Lao argued that Congress passed the law on March 23, signed by the President on March 24, and was published in the Official Gazette on March 25.

Duterte defended Laos argument during his public address. The President cited section 9 of Bayanihan 1.

This act shall take effect immediately upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation or in the Official Gazette and shall be in full force and effect only for three months unless extended by Congress, the section of the law says.

The chief executive told senators that they should not question government officials about the effectivity of the law. Instead, they should ask themselves as the creators of the law.

Puro kayo analysis, analysis, analysis. It results to a paralysis Madali magsulat ng batas. Ako, i-dictate ko lang iyan eh," he also said.

[Translation: You always do analysis, analysis, analysis. It results in paralysis. It's easy to write a law. For me, I just dictate it.]

The Senate probe came after the Commission on Audit flagged the mishandling of over 67-billion pandemic response funds.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 23)  Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. is proposing to start the COVID-19 vaccination of minors aged 12 to 17 by mid-October.

Galvez presented the proposal during President Rodrigo Dutertes public address on Wednesday.

He said additional 20 million doses are expected to arrive in the country by the first week of October. It will be on top of 23.75 million COVID-19 shots in stock. These will be enough to vaccinate 12 million minors aged 12 to 17.

He noted that minors with comorbidities and children of health workers would be inoculated first if the President would approve his proposal.

Some local governments have started the pre-registration of minors for inoculation after the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for 12 years old and above.

READ: LIST: Local govts open pre-registration for COVID-19 vaccination among minors
(CNN)  With COVID-19 and the environment at the top of the agenda at this year's United Nations' General Assembly, observers braced for the first world leader to speak in the UN headquarters' storied hall: Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, notorious for both his off-the-cuff comments and controversial handling of the pandemic and the environment.

The Brazilian President's speech was calmly given, even monotone at times, opening with a numbing sales pitch of his country to investors that touted developments in sanitation and transportation services. He was presenting "a new Brazil whose credibility has been recovered in the world" -- one very different from the country devastated by the coronavirus on his watch and lashed by fires in the Amazon, where Bolsonaro has pushed for development.

The conservative populist leader stuck to established provocations on social and pandemic issues, repeatedly alluding to the importance of "the traditional nuclear family" and criticizing pandemic lockdown measures. Doctors should be free to prescribe the use of "off-label" medications against COVID-19, added the president, who has long championed the unproven malaria medicine hydroxychloroquine as a treatment.

Brazil traditionally goes first in the General Assembly's weeklong roster of speeches by member states, and Bolsonaro, who is up for reelection next year, had already set a pugnacious tone for his appearance, publicly flouting the UN's "honor system" that calls for foreign delegations to be vaccinated before entering the building. Bolsonaro declared last week that he would not get vaccinated, because he already had COVID-19.

"Why do you take a vaccine? To have antibodies, right? My antibodies rate is really high. I can show you the document," he said in a live social media broadcast. He added that he will only make a decision about getting vaccinated "after everyone in Brazil gets the vaccine" -- a dissonant voice as the General Assembly pushes this year to increase vaccination throughout the globe, and cajoling wealthier nations to share more doses with poorer ones.

But while the Brazilian President has tended to use appearances at the UN to reject foreign authority -- showing a similar allergy to being told what to do when it comes to another globe-spanning crisis: global warming -- he seemed to sidestep any direct confrontation on that front.

In 2020 at the UNGA podium, as flames raged in the Amazon, he told the hand-wringing world to back off, claiming foreign agents were overhyping the wildfires in "the most brutal misinformation campaign." He has long painted the environmental concerns expressed by foreign governments, local indigenous groups, and organizations as prelude to an imagined foreign invasion of the Amazon.

This year, a quieter Bolsonaro acknowledged "environmental challenges" but boasted that the Amazon region had seen a drop of 32% deforestation in August compared to the prior year, citing numbers from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research indicating 918 square kilometers of deforestation. The number is still nearly double what was registered in August 2018, before the Bolsonaro administration, however.

In contrast, data from the Amazon Institute of Man and Environment (Imazon) -- which monitors the deforested areas by satellite -- suggest 1,606 square kilometers of deforestation in August, a 7% rise in comparison to the same month last year. It is also the highest rate for August in a decade, according to Imazons satellites imagery.

The president also called on other countries to do their part by fulfilling commitments to climate funding "at substantial amounts." His own government has previously received significant foreign aid from other countries to help halt deforestation -- a tactic that some environmental advocates in Brazil criticize, pointing out that not all the money allocated for environmental work in Brazil is spent in the first place.

Bolsonaro, never a fan of pandemic restrictions, acknowledged as much in Tuesday's speech before world leaders, saying that while he regrets "all of the deaths that took place in Brazil and worldwide," the toll of unemployment must be balanced against that of the coronavirus. Over the past year, he had frequently raged against municipal and state-level lockdown orders in Brazil, even during the grimmest moments of the pandemic, when hospitals filled to capacity and whole cities ran out of oxygen. Over half a million Brazilians have died in the pandemic -- the highest death toll in the world after the United States.

A more moderate tone had been expected from Bolsonaro this year, said Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and vice president for policy at Americas Society/Council of the Americas. For one thing, the assembly's mood was simply different, with fewer fellow right-wing populist leaders to join Bolsonaro in giving international busybodies the middle finger.

"Bolsonaro is more isolated than ever," Winter told CNN. "Trump left, Netanyahu is gone. The main country that really aligns with his brand of right-wing conservatism is Victor Orban's Hungary," he says. (Bolsonaro did have a sit-down scheduled with Poland's conservative, anti-LGBTQ president Andrzej Duda before he took the stage Tuesday, though.)

This year, too, the stakes of climate change have never been clearer, with catastrophic fires and floods seen around the world. Brazil's vast forest works as an "air conditioner" for the globe, influencing global temperature and rainfall patterns, and absorbing carbon dioxide, and Winters says Bolsonaro had already previewed a new "constructive" tone on coordinating climate protection during a summit convened by US President Joe Biden this spring, when Bolsonaro presented a plan to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2030 and neutralize greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

In a meeting Monday with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Bolsonaro showed the same mild-mannered stubbornness that he later displayed at the podium. The two leaders discussed climate and Covid-19, and Bolsonaro "affirmed Brazil's commitment to sustainable development," a Brazilian Foreign Ministry statement read after the meeting.

But when it came to getting vaccinated per the United Nations' request, he was as unmoving as ever.

During footage of the meeting at the UN headquarters, Johnson could be heard telling Bolsonaro, "AstraZeneca, it's a great vaccine. Get the AstraZeneca vaccine. I had it twice." Bolsonaro laughed the tip off. "No, not yet," he said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "'Isolated' but defiant, Brazil's Bolsonaro defends handling of Covid and climate at UN."
This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong!
UK recognises Covishield vaccine, but quarantine rules still to apply for Indian travellers

The United Kingdom has announced changes in its travel and quarantine rules and said that the UK now recognises Covishield as a vaccine. This comes after the Indian government had threatened 'reciprocal action' amid a growing row over UK not recognising the Covishield vaccine made in India.

India yesterday had warned of "reciprocal measures" if the UK did not address its concerns over the new travel rules relating to COVID-19 vaccine certification. Photo courtesy: geograph.org.uk

However, Indians who have taken the Covishield vaccine will still have to remain in quarantine due to a 'certification' issue, according to the UK government.

In its latest travel update, the UK has said that from October 4, one will qualify as fully vaccinated if they are vaccinated under an approved vaccination programme in the UK, Europe, USA or UK vaccine programme overseas with a full course of the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines from a relevant public health body in Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea or Taiwan.

It further mentions, Formulations of the four listed vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as approved vaccines.

India yesterday had warned of "reciprocal measures" if the UK did not address its concerns over the new travel rules relating to COVID-19 vaccine certification, calling the new policy "discriminatory".

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also took up the issue of Covishield-vaccinated travellers being required to quarantine in the UK with newly-appointed British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss at a meeting in New York yesterday.

Pleased to meet new UK Foreign Secretary @trussliz.



Discussed the progress of Roadmap 2030. Appreciated her contribution on the trade side.



Exchanged views on developments in Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific.



Urged early resolution of quarantine issue in mutual interest. pic.twitter.com/pc49NS7zcw  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 21, 2021

"The basic issue is that here is a vaccine, Covishield, which is a licensed product of the UK company, manufactured in India of which we have supplied five million doses to the UK at the request of the government of the UK, said Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

"We understand that this is being used under the national health system, and, therefore, non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminatory policy and does impact those of our citizens travelling to the UK," Shringla said at a media briefing.
09/22/2021

Photo (c) Halfpoint - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 42,416,012 (42,294,019)

Total U.S. deaths: 678,522 (676,347)

Total global cases: 229,665,913 (229,222,879)

Total global deaths: 4,711.253 (4,702,936)

Breakthrough cases becoming more common

Data show being vaccinated greatly reduces the chances of getting COVID-19, but the variants of the virus, particularly the Delta variant, have resulted in an increasing number of breakthrough cases of vaccinated people being infected.

But theres good news. Most of these breakthrough cases produce only mild symptoms  and no symptoms at all in some cases. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) correctly notes that severe illness and death are rare, state-level data show that milder breakthrough cases are on the rise and may keep rising.

Its likely that everybody will probably get infected with COVID-19 [at some point] because its an endemic respiratory virus, Amesh Adalja, a doctor and infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Roll Call. The goal is to make sure that at that time, that infection occurs after youve been vaccinated so its mild.

Legal experts suggest vaccination mandates will stand up in court

The U.S. government and large private employers have issued vaccination mandates for employees, producing threats of lawsuits from people who refused to be vaccinated against the virus. But many legal experts say the law may back the employers.

In one case, it already has. In June, a federal judge ruled in favor of Methodist Hospital in Houston after more than 100 of its employees sued to overturn the vaccination mandate. The judge ruled the mandate did not violate anyones rights or amount to coercion.

That may not stop future lawsuits. Anti-vaccination groups have said their legal challenges will be based on a claim that mandates to be vaccinated violate the right to bodily integrity under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Employers counter that it is simply a requirement for employment.

WHO study finds Delta may be changing symptoms

From the beginning of the pandemic, health experts told health care providers to watch for a certain set of symptoms. COVID-19 was likely to be present if a patient had a dry cough, a fever, a loss of smell or taste, or fatigue.

With the rapid spread of the Delta variant, a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized a new set of common symptoms. It said the virus among the vaccinated population now causes headaches, a runny nose, sneezing, or loss of smell.

For the unvaccinated, the study found the most common Delta variant symptoms are headache, sore throat, runny nose, fever, and a persistent cough.

Around the nation
In response to the cannabidiol (CBD) trend beginning in 2018-2019, Nu Skin researchers sought to examine CBD and hemp extracts to get a feel for the supply chain. Findings were inconsistent, posing a challenge to research; the company will highlight these during the 2021 Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) Annual Meeting.

According to Brian Cook, scientist and senior associate for the company's global R&D, the goal was to assess the quality standards of these materials and to dig "for a more concrete scientific justification for potential skin benefits." Cook adds, "From my perspective, the claims up to [that] point were at best a mix of hype and anecdotal stories and, at worst, a potential regulatory, legal or even safety issue."

He notes that Nu Skin is fortunate to have a robust internal analytical group but they found it difficult to get good, reproducible analytical results for cannabinoids, even with the certified reference materials purchased. "It turns out, this is quite a big issue, which the National Institute of Standards is actively seeking to help the entire industry address," Cook writes.

See related: CBD in Cosmetics; A Practical Primer

"Along with wide discrepancies between the suppliers COA (certificate of analysis) and our own data, we found very wide variations, even biphasic responses, to the in-vitro gene expression responses of skin cells when exposed to various sources, concentrations and compositions of hemp extracts." He explains that biphasic refers to a cell responding one way at a certain concentration and entirely the opposite way at another concentration of the same extract.

"For us, this highlights how critical a clear understanding of the quality and quantity of cannabinoids present would be to the proper investigation of a finished products potential safety and efficacy profile," Cook concludes. He will present these challenges with an eye toward improved analytics and standards during the SCC Annual Meeting, held Dec. 13-15, 2021 in New York.

See the SCC Scientific Meeting Agenda for more information.
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But even worse than shoddily made biopics was when Pac was sentenced to prison time for participating in a gang rape.

The story starts with a woman named Ayanna Jackson. Back in 1993, Jackson, then 19 years old, was invited to Tupac's Parker Meridien hotel room to hang out. The two both had a history and knew each other in the past, maintaining a sexual relationship for a while, but things took a bit of a sinister turn that night. She quickly discovered that they would not be alone and were joined by three other men.

Tupac kept pressuring her into having sex, which she did not want to do, and eventually was assaulted by the men and Tupac. Jackson would later recount the story and how Tupac brushed it off entirely. A year later, Tupac was convicted in court of rape and served a year and a half, though he vehemently denied that rape took place. At least this time, a conviction happened, instead of the millions of other times when nothing happens at all.

Chigot/Wiki Commons They'd have sentenced him longer but felt sorry for him because he'd got shot earlier that week.

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By almost every measure, Somaliland has been an independent country since 1991. They have their own functioning government, a flag, a currency, a police force, and a population that almost universally considers themselves a country. In 2001, 97% of Somaliland voters stated support for their independence, and it does not seem like this number has gone down.

But according to international recognition, Somaliland is simply part of Somalia. Not a single country recognizes Somaliland as a country. Neither does the United Nations. Nor does the African Union. This makes Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, one of the most unique cases of statehood around the globe.

Officially, Somaliland and Somalia have been united since 1960. Before this, both Somaliland and Somalia were territories under European rule from Great Britain and Italy, respectively. In 1960, they both gained independence and united as one Somalia. The shared cultural heritage theoretically made this a natural fit, but many in Somaliland considered themselves more strongly tied to Somaliland rather than the new country.

This intensified when Somalia came under the rule of Siad Barre in 1969 following a military coup. Barres rule was oppressive and was especially unpopular in the northern parts of Somalia that are today Somaliland. During the 1980s, the Somali National Movement based in present-day Somaliland rebelled against Barres regime, and after a civil war, declared itself an independent country.



Since then, Somaliland has functioned as its own country with no major opposition from Somalia. Whereas Somalia has been considered unsafe and unstable due to terrorists and pirates, Somaliland is regarded as being one of the most stable parts of the region.
Jeroboam was the first king of Northern Israel after the nation split into two kingdoms following the death of Solomon. Though God promised to give Jeroboam the ten northern tribes of Israel as a result of Solomons disobedience and Israels idolatry, Jeroboam failed to honor God and keep false worship out of Israel, setting a precent future kings in the north would follow.

Human beings are fascinated by stories of kings and conquest, royalty, elections, and political turmoil. History is full of unpleasant tales involving those in power, those who crave power, and those who will do anything to keep power. The history of Israels kings is no exception.

Foreign wars, national turmoil, political coups, backstabbing, betrayal  1&2 Kings chronicles this unsettling and often violent three hundred and fifty years of Israels history.

And yet, long before Gods people were led into exile at the hands of Babylon in 586 B.C., Israel as a nation had already begun to fracture and deteriorate from within, beginning with the nation being divided into two kingdoms in 931 B.C.

Though Solomons son Rehoboam would succeed his father on the throne, Solomons own disobedience and Rehoboams imprudence would prove calamitous for the nation as a whole. As a result, God would split Israel into two kingdoms, raising up a new king to lead the northern tribes as prophesied. His name was Jeroboam.

Who Was Jeroboam in the Bible?

Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim, was the first king of Northern Israel following the ten northern tribes revolt against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Disillusioned by Rehoboams ineptitude and insensitivity, the northern tribes broke from the house of David and declared Jeroboam their king, effectively splitting Israel into two nations, Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah (the Southern Kingdom).

Prior to becoming the king of the north, Jeroboam was a servant of King Solomon, a skilled worker, and a valiant warrior. As a labor secretary of sorts, Jeroboam would have had an ear to the ground and been well-acquainted with and even sympathetic to the growing discontent amongst Israels workforce.

Make no mistake, the glory of Solomons kingdom was unprecedented in its splendor. His reign was an era unmatched in peace and prosperity, highlighted by the completion of the Temple in Jerusalem. However, Solomon had achieved prosperity through forced labor and high taxes. Toward the end of his life, discontent was already beginning to brew amongst the people. Israel was a powder keg ready to explode or be exploited.

Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done, introducing false worship into the heart of Israel (1 Kings 11:6). For this reason, God declared that He would tear the kingdom from Solomon and give it to his servants (1 Kings 11:11). The servant prophesied would be Jeroboam.

As Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon, the prophet Ahijah appeared to Jeroboam with a unique prophecy. The Bible tells us that Ahijah took his cloak and tore it into twelve pieces. Take for yourself ten pieces, he told Jeroboam, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes. (1 Kings 11:31) The house of David would retain a portion of the kingdom, including Jerusalem, as God had promised to David (1 Kings 11:32).

Hearing that God had anointed Jeroboam, Solomon moved to kill the would-be usurper. Jeroboam, however, escaped and fled to Egypt, where he was given political asylum by Shisak I, king of Egypt. It wasnt until Solomons death that Jeroboam dared to return to Israel (1 Kings 11:40).

After Solomons death, his son Rehoboam became king. At this time, Jeroboam returned to Israel and appeared before Rehoboam on behalf of the people, asking the new king to alleviate some of the high taxes and heavy labor placed upon them during his fathers reign (1 Kings 12:1-5). Rather than listen to the cries of his people and heed the wisdom of his fathers advisors, Rehoboam instead turned to the council of his inexperienced companions. He decided to flex his political muscles, declaring, whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions. (1 Kings 12:14)

Here, the word of the Lord concerning Jeroboam came to fruition. For when the people of Israel saw that King Rehoboam had no intention of listening to their concerns and wasnt going to lead with the wisdom of his father, they rejected the house of David and made Jeroboam their king instead (1 Kings 12:20). The nation was split into two kingdoms under Jeroboam and Rehoboams leadership.

With Jeroboam over the north, God promised that Jeroboams line would continue to rule under one condition: if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. (1 Kings 11:38)

Regrettably, obedience to the King of Kings and trust in Gods promises would prove too difficult for Jeroboam.





Photo Credit: GettyImages/Tomertu

What Did King Jeroboam Do in the Bible?

Once king, Jeroboam feared that the northern tribes might grow nostalgic and eventually seek to return to the house of David. Knowing that the Temple of Solomon was located in Jerusalem in the south, Jeroboam worried that frequent trips to Jerusalem might foster this desire even further (1 Kings 12:26-27).

Therefore, the Bible tells us that Jeroboam, made two golden calves, and he said to them, it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the lands of Egypt. (1 Kings 12:28)

Jeroboam placed one calf in Bethel, the other in Dan, destroying any sense of unified worship, as was Gods intention when He established the Temple in Jerusalem as the center of worship for the nation.

From then on, Jeroboams alternate sites of worship would be referred to as the high places, which no subsequent king had the spiritual sense to eliminate, to their peril.

According to Albert Baylis in From Creation to the Cross, Jeroboam believed in good politics more than Gods promise. Furthermore, his attempt to save his kingdom became the very thing that lost it (210).

Because of Jeroboams blatant rejection of the Lord, the prophet Ahijah delivered Gods judgment, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. (1 Kings 14:10)

Jeroboam would rule over Israel for twenty-two years and be succeeded by his son Nadab. Nadab, however, would do evil in the eyes of the Lord, leading Israel in the sins of his father. In just his second year as king, Baasha of the tribe of Issachar assassinated King Nadab and took the throne for himself (1 Kings 15:27). He then proceeded to kill anyone left of the house of Jeroboam, fulfilling what the prophet had spoken over Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah (1 Kings 15:29-30).

5 Important Things We Can Learn from Him

Though Jeroboam doesnt gain the seal of divine approval as Northern Israels first king, a credential withheld from every northern king who followed, there are several things we can learn from his leadership and those like him.

1. Weak and Insecure Leaders Sow Division. Its impossible to talk about Jeroboams rise without discussing Rehoboams imprudence and folly. In his early days as king, Rehoboam took council from foolish, inexperienced friends and failed to recognize the hurt and frustration of his own people, that, or he was simply too power-hungry to care. As a result, an opportunity to bring about national healing, instead sowed the seeds for a national divorce as Rehoboam chose to flex his political power and assert his will over the people rather than serve them. Likewise, Jeroboam furthered division by establishing the high places in Bethel and Dan, effectively segregating once unified worship into north and south.

Insecure leaders too focused on their power and influence often neglect the needs of the people they are called to lead, causing even more division.

2. Those Afraid to Lose Power Will Often Overreach to Try and Keep It. Both Rehoboam and Jeroboam showed signs of insecurity and weakness during their respective reigns. However, Jeroboams fear that he might lose power if the northern tribes returned to Jerusalem to worship led him to overstep and implement a bad policy to try and secure power that was never his to begin with. Those who believe that their crown and power are theirs, are more likely to overstep or fight tooth and nail to keep it. Those who recognize that all power and authority come from above, are more inclined to submit to Gods way of doing things, not their own agenda or desires.

3. Leaders Set the Example Others Will Follow. Perhaps Jeroboams greatest failure as king was his establishment of the high places of worship at Dan and Bethel. Idolatry in any form is sin and a violation of both the first and second commandments. Later kings would implement far worse forms of pagan worship than even Jeroboam. However, precedent had already been set. Jeroboam was not the spiritual leader Israel needed, and as the kings of Israel and Judah went, so went the nation.

4. Bad Leaders Reap What They Sow. Unfortunately, the cycle of the Bibles own game of thrones saw various kings outdo each other on the wickedness scale. Those who seized power by the sword often died by the sword (Matthew 26:52); and those who use violence and treachery to gain power were often the victims of violence and treachery at the hands of those who crave power for themselves.

5. God is Sovereign Over ALL Kings and Earthly Rulers. Not every king, leader, or earthly ruler acts in accordance with Gods will. Most do not. However, as God is sovereign over all, He often moves in the hearts of kings and uses earthly rulers to do His work, fulfill His promises, and accomplish His plans. Sometimes those plans involve judgment; other times they include blessings (1 Peter 2:14). The apostle Paul would later write, there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1)

Like all kings and rulers, Jeroboam was established by God, used by God, and removed by God just as quickly. Despite their efforts, all rulers are subject to the authority of the King of Kings and will answer to Him for their leadership.

Further Reading

Who Was Jeroboam

Photo Credit: Getty Images/webking

Joel Ryan is an LA-based childrens author, artist, professor, and speaker who is passionate about helping young writers unleash their creativity and discover the wonders of their Creator through storytelling and art. In his blog, Perspectives off the Page, he discusses all things story and the creative process.
Days after the Russia-linked BlackMatter ransomware gang hit an Iowa grain cooperative with a ransomware attack, the Biden administration unveiled its latest effort to address the ongoing ransomware crisis. In a move designed to cut off ransomware gangs from their financial rewards, the Treasury Department announced that its Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) placed Czech Republic-registered but Russian national-owned and -operated cryptocurrency exchange Suex on its sanctioned entity list, formally called the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List.

Suex facilitates financial transactions for ransomware actors, involving illicit proceeds from at least eight ransomware variants, according to the announcement. Treasury says that over 40% of Suexs known transaction history is associated with illicit actors, representing $370 million in illicit trading.

OFAC included on the SDN list a total of 25 bitcoin, ethereum, and tether addresses known to be controlled by Suex. These addresses received more than $934 million in various crypto assets overall. In addition, blockchain transactions tracking company Chainanalysis said that the Suex addresses have received more than $160 million in bitcoin alone from ransomware actors, scammers, and dark net market operators since the exchange was founded in 2018.

Company steps to mitigate risks are crucial

OFAC also issued an update to its Advisory on Potential Sanctions Risks for Facilitating Ransomware Payments. Sending a strong message to potential ransomware victims, OFAC highlighted the proactive steps companies can take to mitigate such risks, including actions that OFAC would consider to be mitigating factors in any related enforcement action. These steps could include maintaining offline backups of data, developing incident response plans, instituting cybersecurity training, regularly updating antivirus and anti-malware software, and employing authentication protocols, among others.

Overall, the advisory does not appear to be much of a separation from past practice, Adam M. Smith, Partner at Gibson Dunn and former senior advisor to the director of OFAC, tells CSO. The advisorys basic thrust is that, If youre engaging in the online world, you need to be as concerned with who your counterparties are as if you were in the offline world, he says. If you are engaging with people who have been sanctioned, it is as big a problem online as it is offline.

The critical mitigation step is working with the feds

Two new aspects of the updated OFAC advisory have implications for how ransomware victims might better protect themselves from paying penalties if forced to deal with sanctioned ransomware operators. First, the new advisory strongly suggests that engagement with law enforcement and engaging with OFAC in and of itself is going to be a mitigation with respect to a potential penalty, Smith says.

The updated advisory states that OFAC strongly encourages all victims and those involved with addressing ransomware attacks to report the incident to CISA, their local FBI field office, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, or their local US Secret Service office as soon as possible. Victims should also report ransomware attacks and payments to Treasurys OCCIP and contact OFAC if there is any reason to suspect a potential sanctions nexus with regard to a ransomware payment.

The advisory goes on to say, In doing so victims can receive significant mitigation from OFAC when determining an appropriate enforcement response in the event a sanctions nexus is found in connection with a ransomware payment. This new part of the advisory means that Treasury and OFAC want ransomware victims who might be dealing with a sanctioned operator to contact the federal government immediately. Doing so could lessen the chances that victims could face harsh penalties if they end up paying ransom to a sanctioned entity.

What OFAC is saying is that there is potential enforcement [against victims that pay ransom to sanctioned entities], Smith says. However, if you engage OFAC and the Department of Justice, there would potentially be mitigation in the decision to enforce. Theres always been the potential for mitigation. Making it explicit is new in this regard. Most people in this space already recognize that in a real duress situation, the potential of mitigation was always there.

OFAC frowns on licenses to pay sanctioned operators

However, the updated advisory also explicitly states that OFAC holds a dim view regarding licenses to pay sanctioned ransomware operators. (A license is an authorization from OFAC to engage in a transaction that otherwise would be prohibited.) Ransomware payments benefit illicit actors and can undermine the national security and foreign policy objectives of the United States, the advisory says. For this reason, license applications involving ransomware payments demanded as a result of malicious cyber-enabled activities will continue to be reviewed by OFAC on a case-by-case basis with a presumption of denial.

So, it wants you to engage with OFAC, but its not saying that a license or some other authorization will be forthcoming, Smith says. It doesnt actually change the analysis for parties who are facing a horrific issue with ransomware.

Actions unlikely to reduce ransomware attacks anytime soon

Whether these actions by the Treasury Department will reduce ransomware attacks is an open question. I think its definitely a good first step, Allan Liska, intelligence analyst at Recorded Future, tells CSO. Its very hard to sanction the actors directly, although they have done that before.

As OFAC notes in its advisory, Russian cybercrime organization Evil Corp, which used Dridex malware to infect computers and steal login credentials from hundreds of banks and financial institutions worldwide, was placed on the SDN list in 2019. Evil Corp subsequently entered the ransomware business but has gone to great pains to rebrand itself and its ransomware to fool victims so that they dont delay payments due to fear of sanctions-related penalties.

So, going after the cryptocurrency exchanges is going after that next step as a way to slow down the transactions and go after their ability to move money, Liska says. The Treasury Department is unlikely to stop with just this one exchange. There are cryptocurrency exchanges that have a reputation for being friendly to money launderers. I think that as the Treasury Department gathers more evidence of that, theyre going to file more sanctions like this.

Despite this progress, Treasurys action is unlikely to provide immediate relief from the onslaught of ransomware attacks. What unfortunately it doesnt do in the short term is slow down ransomware attacks, Liska says. Ransomware attacks are going to continue, and theyre going to continue at a growing pace. It doesnt hinder the ability of anybody to make payments because you dont necessarily have to make a payment through an exchange.

If Treasury makes it more and more difficult for ransomware actors to get rid of the money, then that may have a long-term negative impact on the ability to carry out ransomware attacks, Liska says. But in the short term, I dont think its going to make much of a difference.

Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and a member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, praised the Treasury Departments action. He also reinforced Treasurys message that victims should contact the federal government and follow the recommended mitigation steps. The guidance also reiterates that strict liability will hold individuals and businesses to account if they support a sanctioned entity by paying a ransom, regardless of their intent, Langevin said in a statement. However, Treasury lays out steps companies can take to mitigate an enforcement response. Businesses that fall victim to ransomware should proactively alert the government to minimize any penalties they may incur.
WASHINGTON (AP)  With a personal push, President Joe Biden pressed fellow Democrats to hasten work on his big build back better agenda Wednesday, telling them to come up with a final framework and their best topline budget figure as the party labors to bridge its divisions in Congress ahead of crucial voting deadlines.

Biden and Democratic House and Senate lawmakers met for hours of back-to-back-to-back private White House sessions stretching into the evening, convened at a pivotal juncture for Biden's $3.5 trillion package as lawmakers struggle to draft details of the ambitious effort. With Republicans solidly opposed, Democratic leaders are counting on the president to galvanize consensus between progressives and centrists in their party.

Biden first conferred with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, then held separate sessions with moderate and progressive senators and representatives. The president listened intently, lawmakers said, but also indicated strongly he wanted progress soon, by next week.

Were in good shape, Pelosi told reporters back at the Capitol after returning.

The White House called the meetings productive and candid and said follow-up work would be immediately underway. Earlier in the day, press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House realized that with time growing short there needs to be deeper engagement by the president.

The intense focus on Biden's big-money domestic proposal showcases how much is at stake politically for the president and his party in Congress. The administration has suffered setbacks elsewhere, notably with the Afghanistan withdrawal and prolonged COVID-19 crisis, and Democrats are running short of time, anxious to make good on campaign promises.

Congress is racing toward Monday's deadline for a House vote on the first part of Biden's plan  a $1 trillion public works measure  which now also serves as a deadline for producing a compromise framework for the broader package.

At one point, Biden told the lawmakers there were plenty of conference rooms at the White House they could use to hunker down this weekend as some suggested they roll up their sleeves and stay to get final details done.

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a key centrist who has balked at the $3.5 trillion price tag, said the president told him to come up with a number he could live with.

He just basically said, Find it, Manchin said. "'Just work on it, give me a number.'"

The president is really fired up," said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, after the evenings final session.

Meanwhile, the House and Senate remained at a standstill over a separate package to keep the government funded past the Sept. 30 fiscal yearend and to suspend the federal debt limit to avert a shutdown and a devastating U.S. default on payments. Senate Republicans are refusing the House-passed bill.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said at a press conference Tuesday that failing to extend the debt limit was just not something we can contemplate or we should contemplate.

As for Biden's big plans, the president and the Democratic lawmakers appeared to have not fully resolved their differences ahead of Monday's test vote on the smaller public works bill for roads, broadband and public water projects.

Centrist Democrats want swift passage of the slimmer public works bill and have raised concerns about the price tag of Bidens broader vision, but progressive Democrats are withholding their votes for the $1 trillion measure they view as inadequate unless its linked to the bigger package.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, a leader of the centrist coalition who attended one of the White House meetings, said all agreed on doing both  passing the bill Monday and working on the bigger package.

But Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued a statement after another meeting with Biden reiterating that some 50 members plan to vote against the bipartisan measure unless its linked to the broader bill. She has said the two bills must move in tandem to win the progressive votes.

Beyond the public works measure, Biden's build back agenda is a sweeping overhaul of federal taxes and spending to make what the president views as overdue investments in health care, family services and efforts to fight climate change.

The $3.5 trillion package would impose tax hikes on corporations and wealthy Americans earning beyond $400,000 a year and plow that money back into federal programs for young and old, along with investments to tackle climate change.

Tensions are high as the Biden agenda is a key campaign promise not only from the president but most of the the Democratic lawmakers, including those in the House who face re-election next year.

It wasn't a matter of when we get it done, it was how we get it done, said Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, who was with the moderate group meeting with Biden.

All told, more than 20 lawmakers were invited to confer with Biden, moderates and progressives in separate meetings stretching into the evening, making their best pitches, Manchin and another key centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, among them.

Despite disputes, many Democrats say they expect the final product to align with Biden's broader vision and eventually have robust party support, even if that version is adjusted or scaled back.

But Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., a leader of the centrist Blue Dog caucus, said the big bill will take more time. "Im not sure that were at a place of closing out just yet," she said.

While all this is going on, the government faces a shutdown if funding stops on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Additionally, at some point in October the U.S. risks defaulting on its accumulated debt load if its borrowing limits are not waived or adjusted.

Rushing to prevent that dire outcome, the Democratic-led House passed the funding-and-debt measure Tuesday night, but Republicans are refusing to give their support in the Senate, despite the risk of triggering a fiscal crisis.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said since Democrats control the White House and Congress, its their problem to find the votes  though he had relied on bipartisan cooperation to approve debt limit measures when Republicans were in charge.

But in the 50-50 Senate, Democrats will be hard-pressed to find 10 Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster. Other options to try to pass the debt ceiling package could be procedurally difficult.

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Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Martin Crutsinger, Darlene Superville, Brian Slodysko and Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iran's new president slammed U.S. sanctions imposed on his nation as a mechanism of war, using his first U.N address since his swearing-in to forcefully call out Washington's policies in the region and the growing political schism within America.

President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday delivered a far more critical and blunt take on American foreign policy than his moderate predecessor, Hassan Rouhani, had done in previous speeches to the U.N. General Assembly. Raisi, who was sworn in last month after an election, is a conservative cleric and former judiciary chief seen as close to Irans Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

His speech espoused Irans Islamic political identity and where the Shiite-led nation sees its place in the world, despite crushing U.S. sanctions that have hurt its economy and ordinary Iranians.

Sanctions are the U.S. new way of war with the nations of the world, Raisi said, adding that such economic punishment during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic amounts to crimes against humanity.

U.S. sanctions, while allowing for humanitarian aid, have made international purchases of medicine and equipment much more difficult. Iran has endured multiple waves of the coronavirus, with nearly 118,000 deaths recorded  the highest in the region.

In taking aim at the United States, Raisi also referenced the shocking Jan. 6th insurrection on Capitol Hill by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, and the horrific scenes at Kabul airport last month as desperate Afghans plunged to their deaths after clinging to a U.S. aircraft evacuating people.

From the Capitol to Kabul, one clear message was sent to the world: the U.S. hegemonic system has no credibility, whether inside or outside the country, Raisi said.

The Iranian president said the project of imposing Westernized identity had failed, and added erroneously that today, the U.S. does not get to exit Iraq and Afghanistan but is expelled.

The U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan amid a hasty and chaotic airlift of more than 100,000 Afghans and foreigners, and has largely withdrawn from Iraq. Iran shares long borders with Afghanistan to its east and Iraq to its west, where Shiite militias are powerful.

The perseverance of nations, he said, is stronger than the power of superpowers. In a dig at the political slogans used by Trump and his successor President Joe Biden, Raisi said: Today, the world doesnt care about America First or America is Back.

Speaking remotely via video from Tehran, Raisi wore a black turban on his head that identifies him in the Shiite tradition as a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He praised Irans Islamic Revolution of 1979 as the fulfilment of religious democracy and linked the growth of indigenous terrorism in the West to a decline in spirituality.

Despite the criticism aimed at Washington, Raisi appeared not to rule out a return to the negotiating table for the nuclear accord, saying Iran considers talks useful if their ultimate outcome is the lifting of all sanctions. Still, he stated: We dont trust the promises made by the U.S. government.

A senior U.S. State Department official said Washington had taken note of Raisis speech but was looking to Iran for actions, rather than rhetoric.

In that context, the official said the U.S. also noted an Iranian foreign ministry statement earlier Tuesday that said Iran is willing to return to the indirect nuclear talks in Vienna in the coming weeks.

We continue to believe that we need to re-engage in the Vienna context as soon as possible, said the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.

Tensions peaked last year between the U.S. and Iran after the Trump administrations assassination of powerful field commander, Qassim Soleimani, and a top Iraqi Shiite militia leader by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq. Raisi mentioned the men in his speech, saying they helped fight Sunni extremists of the Islamic State Group from becoming neighbors of Europe.

Biden has made clear he wants to salvage the nuclear deal with Iran that Trump withdrew the U.S. from, but indirect talks between Washington and Tehran in Vienna have stalled as tensions in the Persian Gulf persist. The Biden administration and allies like Israel and Gulf Arab states also want to see Irans missile development and support for regional militias addressed.

The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, Biden said in his own U.N. speech, delivered in person earlier Tuesday.

When asked about Iran, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One that the door remains open to diplomacy and that U.S. negotiators believe the best path forward is to pursue talks, but she had no update on when the parties might meet again.

Raisi insisted that atomic weapons have no place in Irans defense doctrine and deterrence policy.

___

Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Darlene Superville in Washington and Matthew Lee in New York contributed to this report.

___

Dubai-based Associated Press journalist Aya Batrawy covers the Gulf and wider Middle East. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ayaelb
Head on over to the state Judicial Department website and youll likely see a warning, emblazoned in bright, red text: No cannabis (marijuana) is allowed in a courthouse.

A similar notice is prominently displayed in all Connecticut state courthouses.

That notice is the result, judicial branch spokesperson Rhonda Hebert confirmed, of the states legalization of recreational cannabis use.

It is related to the recreational legalization of marijuana, she said.

As of July 1, possession of 1.5 ounces of cannabis for recreational use is legal in the state, Gov. Ned Lamont signing a bill legalizing cannabis into law earlier this year.

Hebert said the notice went up soon after legalization.

There were a few incidents in the beginning when people didnt know they couldnt bring it into a courthouse, she said. Those incidents, however, have tapered off.

Cannabis may be legal to possess in the state  1.5 ounces openly and another 5 ounces in a locked container -- but that doesnt necessarily mean you can carry or smoke pot anywhere in the state.

The law does place some limits on where cannabis can be used. Residents are not, for example, allowed to consume cannabis in public buildings, most workplaces and stores and state parks, among other locations.

The bottom line is, anyplace that smoking tobacco is illegal, either smoking or vaping cannabis will also be illegal, state Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, said earlier this year.

The law does not specifically limit the possession of cannabis in state courthouses, but the judicial branch has put in place a rule preventing possession inside courthouses.

The judicial branch decided to treat marijuana like it would alcohol, according to a July statement  not illegal, but not permitted. Anyone found to be in possession of cannabis will be informed that it is not allowed.

While possession of specified amounts of cannabis is now lawful in Connecticut, possession of cannabis products in a courthouse will be treated in the same way as possession of alcohol in a courthouse is treated, the statement said. As such, possession of cannabis will not be allowed in Judicial Branch facilities - the same as alcohol is not allowed.

As such, though there were incidents that resulted in notices in courthouses and on the website, there were no arrests made, Hebert said.

People were just told they couldnt bring it in, she said.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Racism, climate change and worsening divisions among nations and cultures topped the agenda Wednesday as leaders from China to Costa Rica, from Finland to Turkey to the United Nations itself outlined reasons why the world isn't working as it should  and what must be done quickly to fix it. Said one country's president: The future is raising its voice at us.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began early last year, more than two dozen world leaders appeared in person at the U.N. General Assembly on the opening day of their annual high-level meeting Tuesday. In speech after speech, the atmosphere was somber, angry and dire.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that the world has entered a period of new turbulence and transformation. Finland President Sauli Niinisto said: We are indeed at a critical juncture. And Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada declared: The future is raising its voice at us: Less military weaponry, more investment in peace!

Speaker after speaker at Tuesdays opening of the nearly week-long meeting decried the inequalities and deep divisions that have prevented united global action to end the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed nearly 4.6 million lives and is still raging, and the failure to sufficiently tackle the climate crisis threatening the planet.

COVID-19 and climate are certain to remain top issues for heads of state and government. But Wednesdays U.N. agenda will first turn the spotlight on the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the controversial U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery.

The U.S. and Israel walked out during the meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism to racism  a provision that was eventually dropped. Twenty countries are boycotting Wednesdays commemoration, according to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which urged more countries to join them in continuing to fight racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism.

Following the commemoration, heads of state will start delivering their annual addresses again in the vast General Assembly hall. Speakers include King Abdullah II of Jordan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Perhaps the harshest assessment of the current global crisis came from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who opened his state of the world address sounding an alarm that the world must wake up.

Our world has never been more threatened or more divided, he said. We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes.

We are on the edge of an abyss  and moving in the wrong direction, the secretary-general warned.

Guterres pointed to supersized glaring inequalities in addressing COVID-19, climate alarm bells ... ringing at fever pitch, upheavals from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Yemen and beyond thwarting peace, and a surge of mistrust and misinformation (that) is polarizing people and paralyzing societies.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the pandemic was a reminder that the entire world are part of a big family.

But the solidarity test that we were put to failed us miserably, he said. It is a disgrace for humanity that vaccine nationalism is still being carried on through different methods, and underdeveloped countries and poor segments of societies have been literally left to their fate in the face of the pandemic.

As for the climate crisis, Erdogan said whoever did the most damage to nature, the atmosphere and water, and whoever has wildly exploited natural resources should make the greatest contribution to fighting global warming.

Unlike the past, this time no one can afford the luxury to say, 'Im powerful so I will not pay the bill because climate change will treat mankind quite equally, the Turkish leader said. The duty for all of us is to take measures against this enormous threat, with a fair burden-sharing.

Romanias President Klaus Iohannis did find something positive from the COVID-19 crisis.

While the pandemic affected almost all aspects of our lives, he said, it also provided us with opportunities to learn, adapt and do things better.

Two of the most closely watched speeches on Tuesday were delivered by U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In an Associated Press interview on Saturday, Guterres warned that the world could plunge into a new and probably more dangerous Cold War if China and the United States dont repair their completely dysfunctional relationship. Unfortunately, today we only have confrontation, he said.

Biden said in his U.N. address that the United States was not attempting to be divisive or confrontational.

We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs, he said. The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges even if we have intense disagreements in other areas.

Speaking later, Xi said disputes among countries need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation.

One countrys success does not have to mean another countrys failure, Xi said. The world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries.

By tradition, the first country to speak was Brazil, whose president, Jair Bolsonaro rebuffed criticism of his handling of the pandemic and touted recent data indicating less Amazon deforestation. He said he was seeking to counter the image of Brazil portrayed in the media, touting it as a great place for investment and praising his pandemic welfare program, which helped avoid a worse recession last year.

Bolsonaro said that his government has successfully distributed first doses to the majority of adults, but doesnt support vaccine passports or forcing anyone to have a shot. He has said several times in the past week that he remains unvaccinated. He had COVID-19 last year.

Brazils health minister, Marcelo Quiroga, who was with Bolsonaro, later tested positive for the coronavirus and will remain in isolation in the United States, the government said. Quiroga got his first shot of coronavirus vaccine in January.

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Edith M. Lederer, chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, has been reporting internationally for nearly 50 years. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EdithLedererAP
NEW YORK (AP)  Four members of Congress from New York demanded the release of inmates and closure of New York City's troubled Rikers Island jail complex after another inmate was reported dead at the facility.

Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jerry Nadler, Jamaal Bowman and Nydia Velazquez called conditions at the jail deplorable and nothing short of a humanitarian crisis," in a letter Tuesday to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The demand followed the 11th death reported at Rikers Island this year. The city's Department of Correction said an inmate died Sunday at the jail after reporting he did not feel well and was taken to the infirmary.

His death came on the heels of both Hochul and de Blasio announcing plans to try to improve conditions at Rikers Island, where longstanding troubles were exacerbated amid the pandemic.

Hochul's press secretary, Hazel Crampton-Hays, said the governor took swift action to release hundreds of people incarcerated in Rikers and improve justice and safety, and promised further steps.

A message seeking comment was also left with the mayor's office.

In their letter, the House members said the jail has failed to provide inmates with basic services and protection against the spread of COVID-19, and lawmakers on a recent visit to the facility found conditions that were life-threatening and horrific.

They reported overflowing toilets and floors covered in dead cockroaches, feces and rotting food. State Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas said inmates told her they felt like they were being treated like slaves and animals.

It was not immediately clear from the letter whether the four House members were calling for all inmates, including those being held for violent crimes, to be immediately released or for some to be transferred to other facilities.

Ocasio-Cortez's office said the congresswoman believed that inmates should be released. Messages seeking additional information from the offices of the other House members were not immediately returned.

Of the 11 inmates who have died at Rikers Island this year, at least five died in suspected suicides. Officials have said deteriorating conditions at the jail came amid a slowdown in court proceedings, leaving more inmates incarcerated while awaiting trial, and chronic staff shortages.

At one point this summer, more than one-third of the citys jail guards were on sick leave or medically unfit to work with inmates. Some guards missed shifts without any explanation.

De Blasio announced measures last week that included requiring jail guards to get a doctor's note if they miss work for more than one day or face suspension without pay. Hochul on Friday signed legislation that largely eliminated the practice of incarcerating people for technical parole violations. The Democratic governor also said she was asking the state parole board to immediately release 191 people and move 200 sentenced inmates to state facilities.

The Department of Correction said it is tirelessly working to continue improving conditions on Rikers, including releasing eligible people under the Less is More Act, increasing accountability for absent staffers, expediting intake to create more space, and using emergency contracting to secure quick repairs and deep cleaning.

Michael Skelly, a spokesperson for the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, representing the jail guards, dismissed the letter.

Closing Rikers is a talking point and not a reality right now. We have 6,000 inmates. There are no new jails built yet," he said. "Where are they going to go?

He encouraged members of Congress concerned about Rikers to use their power to expedite building new jails, plans for which have been met with community opposition.

Skelly said those jails wont open until 2027 at the earliest and combined theyd have a maximum capacity of 3,300 inmates.

De Blasios annual accounting of city agencies released late last week showed sharply higher rates of violence and increased mental health concerns among inmates in the citys jails compared with previous years. Serious injuries to inmates and assaults on staff also jumped.

According to the report, more than half of inmates across the city's jails had a mental health diagnosis and 16.5% of inmates had a serious mental health diagnosis.

Meanwhile, uniformed personnel at the jails has plummeted, from a staff of 10,862 in the 2017 fiscal year to 8,388 in 2021. The guards union says 7,600 of staff are correctional officers and the rest are in supervisory roles. About 1,200 officers have resigned since January 2019, the union said.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Sisak contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The White House is facing sharp condemnation from Democrats for its handling of the influx of Haitian migrants at the U.S. southern border, after images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics went viral this week.

Striking video of agents maneuvering their horses to forcibly block and move migrants attempting to cross the border has sparked resounding criticism from Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are calling on the Biden administration to end its use of a pandemic-era authority to deport migrants without giving them an opportunity to seek asylum in the United States.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., an administration ally, said images of the treatment of the migrants turn your stomach and called on the administration to discontinue the hateful and xenophobic policies of Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump.

The policies that are being enacted now  and the horrible treatment of these innocent people who have come to the border  must stop immediately, Schumer told the Senate on Tuesday.

At the same time, the administration continues to face attacks from Republicans, who say Biden isn't doing enough to deal with what they call a crisis at the border.

Reflecting the urgency of the political problem for the administration, Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday the images horrified him, a seeming shift in tone from a day earlier, when he and others were more sanguine about the situation at the border.

Mayorkas announced later that the agents involved have been placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of an investigation. The actions were taking are swift and strong, and we will take further action as the facts adduced in the investigation compel, he said on Twitter.

It's a highly uncomfortable position for the administration, led by a president who has set himself up as a tonic for the harshness of his predecessor. But immigration is a complex issue, one no administration has been able to fix in decades. And Biden is trapped between conflicting interests of broadcasting compassion while dealing with throngs of migrants coming to the country  illegally  seeking a better life.

The provision in question, known as Title 42, was put in place by the Trump administration in March 2020 to justify restrictive immigration policies in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But the Biden administration has used Title 42 to justify the deportation of Haitian migrants who in recent days have set up an encampment in and around the small city of Del Rio, Texas. The provision gives federal health officials powers during a pandemic to take extraordinary measures to limit transmission of an infectious disease.

A federal judge late last week ruled the regulation was improper and gave the government two weeks before its use was to be halted, but the Biden administration on Monday appealed the decision.

The Biden administration pushing back on this stay of expulsions is another example of broken promises to treat migrants with respect and humanity when they reach our borders to exercise their fundamental right to asylum, said Karla Marisol Vargas, senior attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project and co-counsel on the litigation.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson demanded a meeting with Biden to discuss the situation and called the treatment of the Haitian migrants utterly sickening.

The humanitarian crisis happening under this administration on the southern border disgustingly mirrors some of the darkest moments in Americas history, he said in a statement.

Shortly after the judge's decision on Friday, Homeland Security officials formed a plan to begin immediately turning the groups of Haitian migrants around, working against the clock. But people kept coming.

Trump essentially put a chokehold on immigration. He decreased the number of refugees admitted to a record low, made major changes to policy and essentially shut down asylum.

Biden has undone many of the Trump-era policies, but since his inauguration, the U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials. The Haitian migrants are the latest example.

More than 6,000 Haitians and other migrants have been removed from the encampment in Del Rio, and Mayorkas predicted a dramatic change in the number of migrants there within the next two to four days as the administration continues the removal process.

As the controversy swirled around him, Biden spent his Tuesday address at the U.N. General Assembly in New York calling for the global community to come together to defend human rights and combat injustice worldwide, declaring, the future will belong to those who embrace human dignity, not trample it.

The remarks stood in notable contrast to images of the Border Patrol agents on horseback. Biden himself seemed to acknowledge the challenge his administration faces with immigration, offering a clipped response when asked by a reporter after his U.N. remarks to offer his reaction to the images.

Well get it under control, he insisted.

Vice President Kamala Harris also weighed in, telling reporters in Washington that she was deeply troubled by the images and planned to talk to Mayorkas about the situation. Harris has been tasked with addressing the root causes of migration to the U.S., and emphasized that the U.S. should support some very basic needs that the people of Haiti have that are causing them to flee their homes for the U.S.

Videos and photos taken in recent days in and around Del Rio show Border Patrol agents confronting Haitians along the Rio Grande near a border bridge where thousands of migrants have gathered in hopes of entering the country.

One Border Patrol agent on horseback was seen twirling his long leather reins in a menacing way at the Haitian migrants, but not actually striking anyone. There was no sign in photos and videos viewed by The Associated Press that the mounted agents were carrying whips or using their reins as such when confronting the migrants.

The agents, wearing chaps and cowboy hats, maneuvered their horses to forcibly block and move the migrants, almost seeming to herd them. In at least one instance, they were heard taunting the migrants.

Asked about the images on Tuesday, Mayorkas told lawmakers that the issue had been uppermost in my mind ever since he had seen them. He said the department had alerted its inspector generals office and directed that staff from the Office of Professional Responsibility be present round-the-clock in Del Rio.

I was horrified to see the images, and we look forward to learning the facts that are adduced from the investigation, and we will take actions that those facts compel, Mayorkas said. We do not tolerate any mistreatment or abuse of a migrant. Period.

Previously, during a Monday news conference, both Mayorkas and Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz played down the incident, with Ortiz telling reporters that the agents were working in a difficult and chaotic environment and trying to control their horses.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Mayorkas spoke Monday before he had seen the images. He believes this does not represent who we are as a country and does not represent the positions of the Biden-Harris administration," Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.

Criticism was withering from members of Congress, including Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. He called on Mayorkas to take immediate action to hold those responsible accountable. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for an investigation.

Republicans, meanwhile, stepped up their continued criticism of Bidens approach to the border, with 26 Republican governors calling on the president to change his border policies.

A crisis that began at the southern border now extends beyond to every state and requires immediate action before the situation worsens," they said in a statement.
I grew up in Bristol, home of ESPN and ... well, thats about it. Still, anyone I mention it to says the same thing: Bristol, eh? I drove through there once.

Everyone passes through, no one stops. But at least theyve heard of it. Anytime I meet someone from Connecticut, theyre from some town Ive never heard of, such as Pumpkin Corners or Old New East-West. Were not that big a state  theres only two smaller  so we should be able to keep track of all our towns. Theres 169 of them, and they fall into five basic categories.

First, about half of Connecticut towns sound like the names of English butlers: Simsbury, Milford, Sterling and the beloved family valet, Old Saybrook. You could fill six seasons of Downton Abbey with servants such as Wilton, Weston, Wolcott and Wallingford. And those are just the Ws!

At the other end of the spectrum are the casual Connecticut towns, the ones that go by their first names: Milton, Morris, Sherman, Vernon, Seymour, Warren and Sharon. This reminds me of every college party I ever went to  six guys and one woman.

Then there are the cities named for foreign places with which they have absolutely nothing in common: Lebanon, Berlin, Lisbon and, God help me, Bethlehem. Theres even a Brooklyn  one with just 8,000 people.

Theres a pair of Connecticut towns that frankly scare me: Killingly and Killingworth. What the heck did they do to earn these names?

Rounding out the list are the cities seemingly named using random Scrabble tiles: Bozrah and Pomfret.

Connecticut is a funny place, and I mean that in the literal sense. Weve produced more writers for The Simpsons than any other state. Currently, its roughly a third of The Simpsons staff. When I ask people why they think that is, they all have the same answer: Who cares?

Well, I care, deeply. And you know who else does? Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy. When we met, one of the first things he told me was, Im from Kent, Connecticut.

Never heard of it, I admitted. And Im from Bristol.

Bristol, eh? Seth replied. I drove through there once.

Mike Reiss is the author of Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons.

This essay has been updated to correct the name of Killington to Killingworth.
BRANFORD  Motorists can see progress daily at the sprawling construction site where Metro Star is building 144 luxury apartments at the former Margarita Grill/Days Inn.

Some residents may be surprised to learn that between 350 and 450 additional multifamily residential units will be coming to town. Many may not have noticed these projects, since they are not as visible as work now underway across from Exit 55 on busy East Main Street.

These future developments include recently approved projects, one that doubled in size earlier this year; and another that will offer affordable housing.

Reasons behind building boom

The flurry of new construction and flood of applications had been growing pre-pandemic, and has taken off this year, according to Town Planner Harry Smith.

I think its always been busy to start  and its accelerated, Harry Smith said. I think the housing market was just heated up, and part of that was fueled by the pandemic and then national market conditions.

Rentals are hot, he said about the boom. I think the housing market is pretty intense in all sectors.

The fact that the town has sewers paves the way for more multi-family development, the town planner added.

Smith said his office is also getting a lot of inquiries about future residential projects. There may be more coming. Theyre not in the door yet.

Other developments lie ahead

Plus, there are approved developments on the books, some that have been amended to increase the size.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved 147 units at Anchor Reef. The town had allowed the development on a smaller scale over a decade ago, but that phase was never built, according to Harry Smith.

The planned waterfront development is at the site of the former Malleable Iron Fittings building and grounds, near the Stony Creek Brewery on the Branford River.

Its newest phase, renamed Mariners Landing, doubles the size of the original proposal, to include four buildings housing 150 units. These will join phase one of Anchor Reef, built over 10 years ago, with 47 apartments in two buildings.

It appears that most of these developments are built in phases.

Past Branford Hill on Route 1, the third phase at Summit Place, with 48 units at the site of the former Branford Hall Technical Institute, will soon be under construction.

The apartments would be in an incentive housing overlay development with 20 percent of the units as deed restricted affordable housing, Harry Smith said.

The first phase included 35 units in two former office buildings, not affiliated with the school, that were converted to apartments.

The clubhouse, new construction and part of phase two, was recently completed. Also included in this stage is a new building with 56 units, now nearing competition.

The planned development Atlantic Wharf, also owned by Milford-based apartment developer Metro Star at the site of the old Atlantic Wire, is stalled in court.

The towns 2017 approval of the 10 building residential and commercial/office complex with 200 residential units is in effect through 2022.

We remain optimistic that a settlement can be found for the Atlantic Wire property, and the project will proceed as planned, Robert Smith [no relation to Harry Smith] of Metro Star said in an email.

This is in contrast to Metro Stars rapid progress at the Days Inn site, known as Star Deluxe Branford.

Metro Star expects the first building of Star Deluxe to be finished this coming spring, and Robert Smith predicted that the entire project will be completed fall of next year.

Whats the draw to Branford?

A local Realtor cites the towns proximity to New Haven, its coastal beauty, lively restaurant and bar scene, plus its hometown feel as attractions.

William Raveis Realtor Pam Kirkby, who lives in Branford, said the town is welcoming and offers many amenities to people just moving here. Its inclusive  I think thats huge, she said.

Basically its a bedroom community for Yale (University). You can be there in 15 minutes, Kirkby added.

And, there is a great mix in the population, she added, calling it heterogenous  a vast array of backgrounds. You can find single-family, lower-priced homes on the very same street as you would find million-dollar homes. You dont have the cookie cutter McMansions.

Single people feel very comfortable here  just as many as married and families (do). The attraction is for all walks of life, Kirkby said, pointing to the variety of events hosted on the Town Green  from concerts, arts and craft shows, the Branford Fest, childrens activities, and even fairs for pets and their owners.

Plus, she added, Theres great nightlife. Theres fun restaurants and bars. For the active folks, theres hiking trails; theres biking.

Kirkby tells her clients: I could take my dog for an hour hike and be on the beach and in the woods in the same hour  it has so much packed in the area.

Robert Smith agreed about the towns appeal. Branford has a nice blend of suburban-style living combined with a wonderful downtown for socializing, a comfortable lifestyle enjoyed by all generations.

Kirkby noted that the Shoreline town is also a magnet for mariners. Its a huge hub for the boating community, she said, citing several marinas and yacht clubs to choose from.

The combination of the financial crises, the millennial pause to enter the housing market, and the general anti-development posture of cities and town for decades, has led to a great shortage of homes, which, in turn, has led to pent-up demand, Robert Smith said.

An ideal time for development

Its time for new housing in Branford, he said.

Branfords housing stock is old  47 percent of the existing homes were built before 1970. New housing supply is needed. Its a development cycle that has been disrupted for decades, Robert Smith said.

He also sees apartment availability as important for new residents and employers. Branford is close to New Haven, one of Connecticuts better job markets.

Today, housing is critical infrastructure for companies looking to move to the area, and they must see a diverse housing stock capable of providing homes for all level of workers, Robert Smith said.
MILFORD  A staple of the citys community for six decades, Saint Mary School continues to grow even in the face of a pandemic which has changed the face of education for districts across the state and country.

School Principal Dominic Corraro, also a deacon at the Archdiocese of Hartford, said the school remained open for a full daily schedule in 2020 - except for when all schools were shuttered because of mandates from Gov. Ned Lamont - which attracted those seeking a more stable, in-person educational experience for their children.

Saint Mary School is a Milford gem, Corraro said about the school located on Gulf Street. This is a very special place in the community. Sixty years of Catholic education in any community is a gift of God. For 60 years, this community has been blessed with a school that brings gospel values, moral development, the message of Jesus and high academic standards to the entire Milford community.

Corraro said the school followed all required COVID protocols.

We did have our share of quarantines here and there and cases as time went on, but we were in session all year, he added.

Because Saint Mary School was able to stay in session, Corraro said more than 100 new families joined the school this year - bringing enrollment to some 330 overall in pre-K through eighth grade.

So many people are so impressed with what Saint Marys does, Corraro said, and the fact that we were in school all last year, the fact that we are remaining a traditional school with modern innovations like 21st century learning, is attracting many families. But we are still holding true to our foundations which are rooted in gospel values.

The mantra of the school is live the message of Jesus, and youll see it everywhere throughout the building, he added.

Corraro said Saint Mary School is one of the largest schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford. Currently, the pre-K to eighth-grade school has around 330 students.

The Rev. Joseph F Collonan, according to Corraro, initiated construction of the school in 1960 - his goal was to respond to the needs of the citys Catholic population. Within a year, an 18-room school building was completed.

After securing the services of the Sisters of Mercy and providing a Convent for them, Saint Mary School opened in September 1961 with 252 students enrolled in grades 1 to 3. Each succeeding year saw the addition of an advanced grade until 1966, when the school was a fully functioning grade 1 through 8 school that graduated its first class in June 1967. Later, the school added a kindergarten class.

The Sisters of Mercy, a religious order of nuns, founded the school in 1961 and ran it up until I believe the 1990s, Corraro said.

Throughout the school's six decades, Corraro said staff has prioritized high academic learning.

Weve had high Iowa test scores, and even last year when most schools were not in session, we were in session full-time last year, he said. Everyone in our school was ahead two grades or more in every academic field, and this has been consistent in the school's history. Academically, we do much better than our public school counterparts.

Over the years Corraro said the school has expanded its extracurricular activities and intramural sports. Smartboards are in every classroom, iPads were purchased for use in the preschool and lower grades, and Chromebooks are now used in the upper grades, he said. The preschool has also expanded over the years - with the largest class ever graduating in 2017.

The teaching staff today includes 37 teachers, 19 of which are full time. There are also 18 part-time paraprofessionals, working mostly in the primary areas. The Convent, where the Sisters once resided, is now used as the preschool.

Correro said the schools success is thanks in large part to the relationship between Precious Blood Parish and Saint Mary School.

Our pastor, Father Eden Donahue, is a big proponent of Catholic education in our school compiled with our school board and a home school association that is phenomenal, Corraro said. There is great parent involvement, great community involvement, there is a strong relationship and rapport between parish, community, school community, which leads to a vibrant school. Thats the work of 60 years.

They know we are what we say we are, the community knows Saint Marys is, and there is great respect for Saint Marys in the Milford community, he added.

Correro said the school now has a student government, National Junior Honor Society and various extracurricular activities that contribute to each student's development.

Were a community that is getting more diverse, too, he said. We have several families that English is not their first language, he said. Everybody really looks for good moral development for their students and faith-based learning for their students. Thats what I hear when people ask me about Saint Mary School, and thats what people expect.

The reason Correro believes Saint Mary School praised the staff, students and parents for combining to keep Saint Mary School alive in a time when many Catholic schools are faced with lowering enrollment.

The school community is phenomenal, the parents and their involvement in the school, the parents who support the school, the alumni, the grandparents who support the school ... the list goes on and on, he said. Saint Marys is phenomenal the way it operates. From the dedicated faculty that goes above and beyond to reach out to their students and families and to worry about the social and emotional well-being of each and every student at school to the administration who are active in the school, its all about teamwork.
NEW YORK (AP)  Former President George W. Bush will headline a fundraiser next month for top Donald Trump critic Liz Cheney, turning her reelection race into a proxy war of sorts between the ex-presidents who represent two competing factions of the Republican Party.

Bush will be the featured guest at an Oct. 18 event in Dallas supporting the Wyoming congresswoman's campaign, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to discuss the fundraiser by name and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Cheney, a daughter of Bush's two-term vice president, Dick Cheney, was the most prominent House Republican to vote to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. She has since emerged as one of his most vocal antagonists, and Trump has vowed to exact his revenge.

Bush's involvement puts the two former Republican presidents directly at odds and underscores the deep tension that remains within the party between Trumpism and the GOP's establishment wing.

Earlier this month, Trump announced his support for Cheney challenger Harriet Hageman, a Wyoming attorney looking to unseat the three-term congresswoman.

Bush spokesperson Freddy Ford said in a statement that the former president has historically helped a few key candidates and friends each cycle, so this one shouldnt come as any surprise."

"President Bush is impressed by Liz Cheneys strength and vision, and hes proud to support her, he added.

Trump on Wednesday evening fired back in a statement that cast Bush as a Republican in name only," despite his lengthy leadership of the party, and labeled Cheney warmongering" and so bad for Wyoming."

Cheneys campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday on the significance of the fundraiser. Bush aides did not comment on any possible plans to campaign on the congresswoman's behalf.

While Bush has generally kept a low profile since leaving office in 2009, he delivered a pointed speech earlier this month on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in which he warned of the country's growing internal division and a violence that gathers within.

There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home, he said as he delivered the keynote address at the national memorial to the victims of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit. And it is our continuing duty to confront them.

The warning came eight months after the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters attempting to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. It marked some of Bushs sharpest criticism of that attack and appeared to be an implicit criticism of Trumps brand of politics.

Trump, a longtime critic of Bush who ran on opposing the country's wars in the Middle East, responded to the speech by slamming Bush for suggesting terrorists on the right are a bigger problem than those from foreign countries that hate America, and that are pouring into our Country right now.

He shouldnt be lecturing us about anything, Trump said in a statement. The World Trade Center came down during his watch. Bush led a failed and uninspiring presidency. He shouldnt be lecturing anybody!

Cheney was ousted from her leadership position as the No. 3 House Republican for taking on Trump but has nonetheless posted huge fundraising numbers, with two consecutive record quarters, according to financial reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

That includes bringing in $1.88 million from April through June and $1.54 million in the first three months of 2021, reports show.

Trump has endorsed several other Republicans challenging GOP incumbents who voted to impeach him. That includes Kelly Tshibaka, who is running against Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska; Michigan state Rep. Steve Carra, who is trying to unseat longtime Rep. Fred Upton; and Joe Kent, who is challenging Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in Washington.

Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio announced last week he will be retiring instead of running for reelection next year against a Trump-backed opponent.
The controversial statue of Capt. John Mason, who led the massacre of Pequot Indians during the Battle of Mystic in 1637, got a reprieve of sorts on Wednesday when the commission that oversees the preservation of the State Capitol building agreed to hold a hearing on the issue.

That forum, combined with a higher-than-expected price tag on the removal of the statue, mean that the possible tearing down of Mason is unlikely to occur until next year, at the earliest.

Amid reluctance by members of the Capitol Preservation and Restoration Commission to see the statuary torn away from the buildings third-floor facade overlooking Bushnell Park, the panel said that a November hearing of invited guests, including historians and representatives of Connecticuts five surviving indigenous tribes, could fully air the arguments over removing Mason because his presence insults Native Americans, or keeping it in place to acknowledge the states messy history.

At the same time, leaders of the commission noted that there is room in empty niches around the Capitol, to commission new statues of indigenous leaders, such as the Mohegan Tribal Nations Sachem Uncas and Sachem Sassacus of the Pequots, who was killed in 1637 by the Mohawks in New York State and whose head and hands were sent to the English settlers.

During a more-than-hour-long discussion on the issue Wednesday, state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, who as chairwoman of the legislative Appropriations Committee put $15,000 in the current budget to remove the statue and transfer it to the Old State Capitol building a mile away, said that the Mason statue remains a symbol of genocide and an insult to federally and state-recognized tribes alike in the state.

I just dont believe he should have that place of honor on the State Capitol, Osten said in a rare appearance before the appointed board, which includes former state lawmakers, retired nonpartisan staff, as well as State Historian Walter Woodward. Im not looking to dispose of that component of history.

It was an ugly, complicated, conflicted past Woodward said. There are no good guys here. It is not a case of the terrible blood-thirsty English and the mild-mannered, peaceable indigenous people. There was enough atrocity on both sides to make your head spin. Woodward said. In our desire to correct for centuries of injustice to indigenous people we have adopted an interpretation of much of the past events that downplays one side of the stories and mollifies another side of the story.

He suggested retaining the Mason statue on the Capitol, and that statuary honoring both Uncas and Sassacus be created and put up on the facade, which has several empty niches. I see this as a moment of great opportunity, Woodward said. The last statue placed on the facade was Gov. Ella T. Grasso nearly 40 years ago.

Eric Connery, facilities administrator for the Capitol complex, said the $15,000 budgeted for taking down and transferring the Mason statue underestimated the actual costs, which exceed $50,000, he said. The issue is pending before a bipartisan group of House and Senate leaders and Connery declined to give commission members, meeting virtually, with the current total cost.

The extraction of the statue would include mechanical lifts and a crane that would hold the statue in a sling while workers chisel-out the material holding the heavy stone to the niche.

Connerys remarks prompted William Morgan, a commission member who was the longtime head of the State Capitol Police, to warn that such a removal could affect the structural integrity of the building, which was erected in 1878.

Equity dictates that we hear from all sides, said Chairman Buddy Altobello, a former longtime state representative from Meriden, noting that Tuesday was the anniversary of the 1638 Treaty of Hartford.

Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, sent a letter commemorating the 383rd anniversary of the treaty, stressing that its harsh terms included the execution of Pequot men and the placing of women and children into slavery and servitude. It essentially began to erase the tribe that once lived in 250 square miles of Southeastern Connecticut from historical memory, Butler said.

In order to come to terms with our present, we must reflect on our past and acknowledge the atrocities committed in building this nation, Butler wrote. Masons actions, when viewed in this full context, do not warrant posthumous representation on our State Capitol. Quite the contrary, his likeness should be relegated to halls of Connecticuts historical museums, along with an accurate representation of his deeds and actions.

Osten noted that after the Pequot Wars, which included the battle of the Great Swamp in Fairfield and other confrontations in New York State including the murder of Sassacus, the name of the river that separates Groton from New London was changed from the Pequot River to the Thames River. She said that in recent conversations with Connecticut College and the Coast Guard Academy, those two New London institutions became interested in commemorating the Pequot name for the river.

Connery, who works in the Office of Legislative Management, which sought bids for the statue removal, noted that another complaint from Native Americans that a picture in the underground walkway between the Capitol and the Legislative Office Building portrays a member of an indigenous tribe from Pennsylvania or Virginia, and not Connecticut, can be changed as soon as an appropriate eastern woodland Indian image is found. The commission does not have to review issues outside the Capitol.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
A Bridgeport man pleaded guilty Wednesday after investigators found thousands of photos depicting the sexual abuse of children in his online storage account, according to federal prosecutors.

In 2016, Robert Mosley, who is now 54, was convicted of second-degree possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to six years in jail and 20 years of probation. He was released on parole in November 2018, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.
BRIDGEPORT  It is not a formal federal takeover, but the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is assigning staff to work more closely with officials at the citys failing public housing authority to improve the situation there.

The authority, named Park City Communities, provides units for 9,500 low-income tenants.

Seven years after designating the authority as troubled because of poor management, finances and building upkeep, HUD on Aug. 19 notified Bridgeport's executive director for the past year, Jillian Baldwin, via letter that her agency was in substantial default of its recovery plan.

Any federal public housing entity rated below 60 on HUDs annual performance assessment scale of 100 is deemed troubled and given two years to shed that label. Bridgeports authority, which scored a 56 rating in December 2014, currently has an even worse rating of 48.

Despite HUDs long history of cooperatively and comprehensively engaging with BHA (the Bridgeport Housing Authority) ... BHA has repeatedly failed to fix the systemic issues of its failing public housing ... programs, reads the letter. The performance of its public housing program has not recovered, and its ... designation has remained troubled.

While HUD already had employees working with Bridgeport, Rhonda Siciliano, a HUD spokesperson, told Hearst Connecticut Media in a statement that as a result of the substantial default classification, HUD will assign a remediation monitor and team who will work closely with BHA to take necessary steps to ensure decent and safe housing for residents.

Siciliano also emphasized, HUD is not proposing to take possession of BHA at this time. It is expected that residents will not be directly impacted by declaring BHA in default.

Baldwin, hired in spring 2020 following a national search, in a subsequent interview Thursday argued the situation is not as dire as it may initially seem based on HUDs letter from last month.

Baldwin said HUD not long after she began work in June of last year had made her aware Bridgeport was facing default, though the formal letter did not arrive until a year later. Within that period of time, Baldwin said, she, her staff and the mayoral-appointed authority board did what they could to make further improvements.

There were 141 recovery action items that had to take place to bring the agency out of troubled status and monitoring from HUD, Baldwin said. That was seven years ago. When I came here in 2020 ... 61 (action items) remained open.

And since then, Baldwin said, that figure has further been reduced to 26  something confirmed in HUDs August letter.

Substantial progress has taken place in these last 12 months, Baldwin said, adding that likely prevented HUD from pursuing a more drastic recourse, such as taking over the authority or having other Connecticut low income housing organizations do so.

Its not a federal takeover, echoed Cowlis Andrews, a board member who served as its chairman until early 2020. They could have gone with a takeover. They could have dissolved it (Park City Communities). ... They chose assistance for the authority because were headed in the right direction and they see us headed in the right direction.

Both Andrews and Baldwin also sought to portray current management as cleaning up a years-old mess.

This is a long, long story. This is not something any of us are surprised about, Baldwin said.

Nearly two decades ago, in 2004, then-Mayor John Fabrizi upended the existing board with new members after HUD criticized the management. Jump ahead to 2015 when Mayor Joe Ganim, Fabrizis predecessor, is reelected after 12 years out of office. Ganim inherited an again-floundering Housing Authority from his immediate predecessor, Mayor Bill Finch, who was elected in 2007.

During the summer of 2016 Ganim forced out both the authoritys executive director, George Lee Byers  the third person to occupy the executive directors office since spring 2013  and, with HUDs backing, the board members he inherited.

Until Baldwin was hired, James Slaughter served as interim director.

Steve Nelson, another housing board member, said he did not understand why HUD waited until Baldwin was on board to issue the default designation.

Why wait until now when we get a new executive director who has rolled up her sleeves and is addressing 100 percent of these issues that were already in existence? Nelson said.

Siciliano in her statement Wednesday expressed HUDs faith in Baldwin and the current board, stating the federal agency was not seeking leadership changes in Bridgeport.

HUD looks forward to our continued work with the current executive director. Additionally, governance by the Board of Commissioners has improved, Siciliano wrote.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's health minister on Wednesday partly blamed incitement against the government's pandemic rules on social media for the killing of a gas station clerk by a man who refused to wear a face mask.

A 49-year-old German man was arrested Sunday over the the fatal shooting a day earlier in the western town of Idar-Oberstein. Authorities said the suspect told officers he rejected the measures against the coronavirus.

It was a cold-blooded murder, Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters in Berlin, noting that the suspect had initially gone home after being refused service for failing to wear a mask, only to return later and shoot the clerk in the head.

The question is, what is the environment, what are the circumstances in which such a crime can occur? he asked. This has a lot to do with the incitement, the hatred, that is posted on social media."

A Twitter account linked to the suspect followed several prominent far-right politicians, including senior members of the Alternative for Germany party. Posts from the account, which was last used in October 2019, reflect a dislike for immigrants, climate activists and the government.

Chants of Traitors! heard at anti-lockdown protests during the pandemic could be seen by some as legitimizing violence, Spahn said.

Words eventually always become deeds, he said.

The health minister called on Germans to speak up if friends, relatives or neighbors start spreading conspiracy theories about the pandemic.

We must clearly and decisively say no to any form of pandemic extremism, he said.

Spahn's center-right Christian Democratic Union party has come under fire for an election ad featuring a prominent member of Germany's Querdenken movement, which opposes the pandemic restrictions. Germany has a federal election scheduled for Sunday.

The general secretary of the center-left Social Democratic Party, Lars Klingbeil, told German media group RND that it was time the Christian Democrats pulled the ad off the airwaves and apologize to the victims' family.

Tributes were paid Wednesday to the gas station clerk, a 20-year-old student identified on condolence cards only by his first name, Alex.
SOUTHINGTON - A town woman was arrested after allegedly attempting to drive under the influence with three children in her car, according to police.

Southington Police received a call around 8:48 p.m. Sunday to Spartans II, a pizzeria on Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike, for a woman attempting to leave the scene of a crash in the parking lot.

The driver, 41-year-old Colleen Herrera of the Plantsville section of Southington, had three kids in her car and showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol, according to the Southington Police Department.

Witnesses told police that Herrera had ordered food. While she sat at a booth to wait, she consumed two classes of wine, witnesses said. Meanwhile, a young child was left inside the car for about 10 to 20 minutes, police said.

It was unclear if all three children were in the car while Herrera was in the restaurant.

After finishing her wine, she went outside and stood by her vehicle with the child in the car. Witnesses said after Herrera had her food brought out to her car, she acted confused. Witnesses said they were concerned about her driving and offered to order an Uber for the family, according to police.

Before the Uber arrived, Herrera got into her car and began to back up, nearly running over witnesses who were trying to keep Herrera from driving away with her kids. She then hit a parked car, police said.

A witness then reached into Herreras car and grabbed her keys from the ignition, according to police.

Herrera was arrested and charged with evading responsibility of an accident, unsafe backing, three counts of risk of injury to a child and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment, police said.

Herreras bond was set at $10,000, according to police.
SYDNEY  Australias two largest cities are moving closer to ending lockdowns as vaccination rates climb, but leaders are warning that people should remain cautious with their newfound freedoms and that coronavirus case numbers will inevitably rise.

In New South Wales state, where an outbreak continues to grow in Sydney, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has set a target of reopening on Oct. 11 once vaccination milestones are reached.

But she said Friday it would need to be done with a degree of caution and responsibility because otherwise too many people would end up in hospitals. Meanwhile in Victoria State, where there is an outbreak in Melbourne,

Health Minister Martin Foley said there had been a tremendous increase in vaccinations and there was no shortage of enthusiasm among people wanting to get jabs.

Health officials in New South Wales reported 1,043 new cases and 11 deaths on Friday, while officials in Victoria reported 733 new cases and one death.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Vaccine apartheid: Africans tells UN they need vaccines

 New York state health commissioner resigns, backed Cuomo

 CDC advisers try to work out details on booster shots

 Some Argentines turn to unusual pandemic pets for comfort

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See all of AP's pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea has reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as people returned from the countrys biggest holiday of the year.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said more than 1,750 of the 2,434 new cases reported Friday were from the greater capital area, where officials have raised concern over an erosion in citizen vigilance despite the enforcement of the strongest social distancing rules short of a lockdown since July.

It was expected that transmissions would worsen beyond the capital region during the Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving which began on the weekend and continued through Wednesday, a period when millions usually travel across the country to meet relatives.

It will be crucial to maintain the effectiveness of our anti-virus campaign throughout next week, when the effect of increased travel during the holidays will manifest more clearly, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said during a virus briefing.

The restrictions in the Seoul metropolitan area prevents gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. unless the participants are fully vaccinated. Officials have said peoples exhaustion and frustration with social distancing are becoming an increasing challenge in the countrys fight against COVID-19.

The country has now reported a daily increase of more than 1,000 for 80 straight days. Its previous one-day record was 2,221 reported on Aug. 11.

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind.  Indiana State University will require that all students and staff show proof of vaccination by Jan. 1 or be tested each week for COVID-19, the schools president said Thursday.

The announcement by Deborah Curtis is a shift in policy. The university has been encouraging vaccinations this fall but has not made them mandatory. Masks are required indoors.

Some students whose school work takes them off campus must be regularly tested or get the vaccine, starting Oct. 1.

As the pandemic has evolved locally, statewide and across the country, we have remained committed to making decisions based upon guidance from federal, state and local health officials, Curtis said.

More details about the vaccination plan will be released before the end of fall term, she said.

Indiana State has 9,400 students.

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SEATTLE - Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday the states eviction protections will remain in place through the end of October because counties arent getting federal and state COVID-19 relief funds intended for rental assistance out fast enough ahead of the current moratorium that was set to expire Sept. 30.

Under an eviction moratorium bridge that Inslee announced in June, landlords were prevented from evicting tenants for any past-due rent owed from Feb. 29, 2020 through July 31, 2021.

Since Aug. 1, renters have been expected to pay full rent unless they negotiate a lesser amount with their landlord or are actively seek rental assistance. Tenants must also be provided in writing what services and support are available to them and landlords must offer them a reasonable repayment plan before starting the eviction process.

Those protections will now remain in place until Oct. 31.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla.  A Florida school district has received cash from President Joe Bidens administration to make up for state pay cuts imposed over a boards vote for a student anti-coronavirus mask mandate.

Alachua County school Superintendent Carlee Simon said in a news release Thursday the district has received $148,000 through a U.S. Department of Education program.

Simon says Alachua, where Gainesville and the University of Florida are located, is the first district in the nation to receive such a grant.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state education officials have begun cutting salaries paid to school board members in Florida who voted to require masks for students. DeSantis favors allowing parents to decide whether their children wear face coverings and is in the midst of court battles over this broader issue.

About a dozen school boards in Florida, representing more than half the states students, have voted to defy the state ban on mask mandates despite Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to withhold some of their funding.

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RALEIGH, N.C.  More than one-third of the 56,000 North Carolina government employees included in Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers executive order compelling them to get a COVID-19 shot or face weekly testing have not been fully vaccinated, according to new state data.

Law enforcement officials are getting vaccinated at the lowest rates, though the state said it is still processing a large set of data from the Department of Public Safety. Less than 53% of the 21,804 employees within that department who are subject to Coopers directive have been fully vaccinated.

This is substantially lower than the 63% of North Carolina adults who have gotten one Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two Pfizer or Moderna shots, as of Thursday.

Cooper said in a news conference Tuesday that he is particularly concerned by the number of prison officials who have thus far refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Its probably the most concerning because we know theres close quarters and congregated populations there, so we really want to work on those percentages, Cooper said. Right now, were setting up discipline procedures for people who do not do the vaccination or the testing, and there are some employees who are beginning to fall in that category.

The Department of Public Safety is the largest agency covered under Coopers order, followed by the state Department of Health and Human Services, which has three-fourths of its more than 15,000 employees subject to Coopers directive fully vaccinated.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala.  Alabama has averaged more than 100 deaths a day from COVID-19 over the last week, statistics showed Thursday, giving it the nations highest death rate over the period even as hospitalizations linked to the coronavirus pandemic continue to decline.

Statistics from Johns Hopkins University show 106 deaths were reported statewide daily over the last seven days, although some of those could have occurred earlier because of a lag in reporting. Alabamas rate of 18 deaths for every 100,000 people over the last week is far above second-place West Virginia, which had 10 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The increase in deaths come as hospitalizations in the state fell below 1,800 patients for the first time in a month, a change health officials said likely was due to both people getting well and dying.

While more people are getting vaccinated than before the highly contagious delta strain took hold, the state still has one of the nations lowest vaccination rates, and its chief health officer said still more people need to get shots because the risk of getting infected remains high.

Increasing vaccine rates remains critical to reduce cases of COVID-19, Dr. Scott Harris, head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, said in a statement Thursday.

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NEW YORK  The inequity of COVID-19 vaccine distribution is coming into sharper focus as many of the African countries whose populations have little to no access to the life-saving shots stepped to the podium to speak at the U.N.s annual meeting of world leaders.

South Africas president Cyril Ramaphosa pointed to vaccines as the greatest defense that humanity has against the ravages of this pandemic.

Ramaphosa, speaking by video link, urged U.N. member states to support a proposal to temporarily waive certain intellectual property rights established by the World Trade Organization to allow more countries, particularly low- and middle-income countries, to produce COVID-19 vaccines.

It is an indictment on humanity that more than 82% of the worlds vaccine doses have been acquired by wealthy countries, while less than 1% has gone to low-income countries, he says.

Angola president Joao Lourenco says: These disparities allow for third doses to be given, in some cases. While in other cases, as in Africa, the vast majority of the population has not even received the first dose.

The U.S., Britain, France, Germany and Israel are among the countries administering boosters or have announced plans to do so. Namibia president Hage Geingob called it vaccine apartheid.

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OAKLAND, Calif.  The Oakland Board of Education has voted to require students 12 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend in-person school.

The move late Wednesday makes Oakland Unified the first school district in Northern California to adopt a vaccine requirement. The vote comes after Los Angeles Unified, the states largest school district, and the smaller Southern California district of Culver City imposed similar policies for their students this month.

Several other school boards in the San Francisco Bay Area are considering similar measures as schools try to navigate in-person instruction during the pandemic.

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ISTANBUL  A Turkish school official is using traditional shadow puppet shows to teach children how to follow COVID-19 restrictions in class, the state-run news agency reported Thursday.

Mehmet Saylan, based in the central Anatolian city of Kirsehir, has been staging Karagoz plays to educate kindergarten and primary school pupils. Karagoz was popularized during the Ottoman period and often contains a moral message.

I cover the issues of masks, distance and hygiene, Saylan, 39, told Anadolu Agency. The children do what they see and hear in the play with more enjoyment and willingness. The feedback we get from schools is also very positive. The children learn the rules of the pandemic while having fun.

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NEW YORK  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker has submitted his resignation. Hochul said Thursday that Zucker has agreed to stay on until the state names a new commissioner.

Zucker was appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as state health commissioner in 2015. He has faced heated criticism over the states COVID-19 response, particularly in nursing homes.

Data released by the state earlier this year show 15,800 people living in nursing homes and other long-term care homes in New York have died of COVID-19.

Zucker has defended a since-rescinded March 2020 directive that said nursing homes couldnt refuse to admit patients solely because they had COVID-19.

Zucker also faced criticism from health care workers who said the state failed to ensure hospitals and nursing homes had adequate personal protective gear and staffing during the peak of the pandemic in New York.

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FOND DU LAC, Wis.  A 26-year-old Fond du Lac police officer has died of COVID-19 complications, according to his department.

The death of Officer Joseph Kurer on Wednesday came a day after his second child was born, according to a statement from Chief Aaron Goldstein.

Kurer joined the Fond du Lac Police Department in August 2018 and was a member of the Tactical Field Force Team, the Honor Guard Unit, Domestic Violence Intervention Team and was certified as a field training officer.

Kurer also was a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, according to his department.

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HELENA, Mont.  Medical providers and Montana residents with compromised immune systems are challenging a state law that prevents employers from mandating vaccines for employees.

They argue the law passed by the 2021 Legislature violates federal requirements for safe workplaces and reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and want a federal judge to rule it doesnt apply to hospitals and other medical providers.

The Montana Medical Association, private physician groups, a Missoula hospital and seven individuals filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Missoula on Wednesday. The complaint names Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Commissioner of Labor and Industry Laurie Esau as defendants.

Montanas Republican-controlled Legislature passed a law that said requiring vaccines as a condition of employment is discriminatory and violates the states human rights laws. Montana is the only state with such a law.

Knudsens office says he'll defend the law, and is committed to protecting Montanans right to privacy and their ability to make their own healthcare decisions.

The complaint argues the new law prevents medical providers from taking steps to protect employees and patients who have compromised immune systems and violates Occupational Safety and Health Act provisions that require employers to provide workplaces free from hazards.

___

LISBON, Portugal  Portugal is scrapping many of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, after becoming the world leader in the vaccination rollout.

Portugal has fully vaccinated nearly 85% of the population, according to Our World in Data.

The government says starting Oct. 1, it will remove limits on how many people can be in cafes and restaurants, weddings and baptisms, shopping malls, concerts and cinemas. Bars and discos will reopen, although only for vaccinated people and people with negative coronavirus tests.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa said some restrictions need to stay in place. The wearing of face masks will still be mandatory on public transportation, in hospitals and care homes, and shopping malls. People arriving from abroad by air or sea must still show a vaccine certificate or a negative virus test.

The pandemic isnt over, he said. The risk is still there.

Naval Rear Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo, with his team from the three branches of the armed forces, took charge of the vaccine rollout in February.

Tiago Correia, an associate professor in international public health at Lisbons New University Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, credits the traditional consenting attitude in Portugal toward national vaccination programs. Its vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella is 95% one of the EUs highest  and theres no significant anti-vaccination movement.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The possibility of a 9/11-type attack has diminished over the last 20 years, but the Taliban victory in Afghanistan could embolden U.S.-based extremists at the same time that the FBI is confronting increasing threats from individuals motivated by racial and political grievances, top national security officials warned Tuesday.

Christine Abizaid, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the terrorism threat to the country is less acute than it was two decades ago, and that the danger posed in Afghanistan by groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State is at the moment primarily a regional threat.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said that though extremist groups have never stopped plotting attacks against the U.S., the FBI is better positioned to stop them.

Even so, the officials said, the collapse of the Afghanistan government and the potential ascendancy of foreign terror groups there could inspire Westerners to commit acts of violence. That's on top of a domestic terrorism caseload that Wray said has exploded" since the spring of 2020 from about 1,000 investigations to around 2,700.

We are concerned that, with developments in Afghanistan  among other things  that there will be more inspiration to the first bucket," Wray said of the international terrorism threat. So I think we anticipate, unfortunately, growth in both categories as we look ahead over the next couple of years.

U.S. officials say they're monitoring the situation in Afghanistan following the speedy Taliban blitz, particularly with an eye on how al-Qaida or the Islamic State group could rebuild to the point of being able to conduct an attack targeting the U.S. Even if the terror threat is now less acute than it once was, it is also becoming more ideologically diffuse and geographically diverse, Abizaid said.

In the wake of our withdrawal, the question is at what point does that regional threat build to a capability and intent that is focused externally, and particularly focused on the homeland, she said. I would say from an intelligence community perspective, that's one of our highest priorities, is just to monitor and assess the degree to which those groups actually present an external threat.

Officials also defended the vetting process they have in place to screen the backgrounds of Afghanistan refugees seeking entry into the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the number of refugees denied entry has been minimal because we have not found many people with derogatory information relative to those who qualify for admission to the United States by reason of their status.

The (screening) architecture that has been built over 20 years since 9/11 remains in place and has only strengthened, he said. We have a screening and vetting architecture. We have greater cooperation amongst the federal agencies in the counterterrorism, intelligence and law enforcement communities. We remain ever vigilant in that regard."

____

Associated Press writer Ben Fox contributed to this report.

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
COVID-19 was the pervasive consideration dominating virtually all short-term and many long-term business decisions in 2020. Among the questions that many credit unions asked during the early months of the pandemic was whether to proceed with a merger. Often the answer came back as a no or, at the very least, a not right now.

The net effect was to slow merger activity, but in the near future, the pent-up demand that occurred during the first year of the pandemic will likely increase the pace of consolidation. Merger activity also is likely to increase among credit unions that in the early days of 2020 were already struggling to maintain adequate capital and revenue production and, in the aftermath of the pandemic, may be less likely to see a viable path forward.

Those are among the insights derived from two dozen credit union leaders who contributed to a three-part white paper from DDJ Myers Ltd., More for Members: Credit Union Leaders Plan Post-Pandemic Merger & Acquisition Strategies.

Among the leaders providing their thoughts for the white paper is Barry Shaner, President/CEO of $1.1 billion Directions Credit Union, Toledo, Ohio. According to Shaner, credit unions response to the COVID-19 outbreak consumed a great deal of management bandwidth and forced leaders to rethink strategic priorities, which may have dropped mergers down on the to-do list. The pandemic-driven economic slowdown especially has put great pressure on smaller financial institutions, which will likely drive up the supply side of the merger equation in 2021 and beyond.

Its a tough time to be a smaller credit union, Shaner observes. If you throw in the potential for elevated loan losses, I think that heightens the financial factors that drive their decision making.

Key Impacts of the Pandemic

There were several major impacts that financial institutions experienced as a result of the pandemic, including the big influx of deposits that occurred with the distribution of stimulus checks, and a higher demand for digital services to replace in-person interactions.

Not all credit unions experienced these impacts in the same way, says Brandon Riechers, CEO of $3.5 billion Royal Credit Union, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Many high-performing credit unions have made it through the pandemic well. For institutions with average net worth, the surge of deposits may have provided a temporary boost and put off the need to consider merging. But that influx was more problematic for credit unions with lower net worth and/or loan-to-share ratios.

A lot of smaller credit unions currently have a false sense of security, concurs Val Mindak, President/CEO of $290 million Park City Credit Union, Merrill, Wisconsin. Their assets are growing like never before, and theyre able to perhaps do loan deferrals to minimize the delinquencies at this time. But the reality is they dont have the ability to sustain that.

Merger volume may also have slowed because the pandemic prevented credit union leaders from getting together to talk through the challenges facing their organizations. People not being able to communicate as effectively with one another hampered the ability of getting things through, notes Matt McCombs, President/CEO of $970 million Vibrant Credit Union, Moline, Illinois.

Accelerated Shift to Technological Transformation

The pandemic has ratcheted up the need to embrace what Kirk Kordeleski, executive benefit consultant with OM Financial Group, refers to as the latest stage of the industrial revolutionthe deployment of data and digital technologies as the foundation for AI and machine learning in member service, lending, marketing, and other aspects of financial services.

While the transition to digital channels was already well underway throughout much of the previous decade, the pandemic shutdown of face-to-face commerce accelerated that shift. Once the convenience switch is flipped, you just dont go back. Theres no reason to go to a branch just to make a deposit, Kordeleski notes.

However, not all credit unions have the resources to make the digital transformation that consumers have grown to expect, leading many of them to seek out a merger partner that has the resources to do so. The digital and data transition requires significant investments of capital and talent, which will continue to drive mergers, Kordeleski says.

One of the leaders contacted for the white paper said the pandemic was a wake-up call to credit unions regarding the need to speed up their transformational journey. As a result, the transition to digital capabilities has accelerated, but the hefty price tag is putting a strain on smaller credit unionsand in many cases, causing them to look toward mergers as a solution.

The Continuing Need for Brick and Mortar

While the COVID-19 outbreak has increased demand for remote access among many members, that doesnt mean credit unions in certain markets can shift away from maintaining their brick-and-mortar infrastructure. At Royal, Riechers reports that branches throughout 2020 handled about 80 percent of the traffic as during the previous year, though members seeking routine transactions relied primarily on drive-through access.

Jeff Disterhoft, President/CEO of $7.1 billion GreenState Credit Union, North Liberty, Iowa, agrees that the pandemic-driven shift toward mobile channels was notable, but in at least some markets, it likely wont be permanent. Soon after GreenState began reopening its branch lobbies as the shutdown eased, some of the credit unions members returned for in-person banking.

Its been surprising to us how quickly certain consumers have gone back to their traditional means of transactionseven after they did those transactions electronically while our branches were closed, Disterhoft reports. Some of those people who were doing things the old-fashioned way before probably were doing that for reasons other than convenience: They enjoy the interactions with other people. They want to get out and about, especially during these interesting times we live in.  The branch continues to be an extension of our brand and our commitment to the community.

Click the link to download the three-part white paper, More for Members: Credit Union Leaders Plan Post-Pandemic Merger & Acquisition Strategies.
The United Academics office at 872 E 13th St. as seen in Eugene, Ore. on September 18, 2021. United Academics and the University of Oregon came to an agreement on new standards to keep staff, faculty and students safe with many school events returning in person. (Isaac Wasserman/ Emerald)
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THE MACRO SETUP OVERVIEW:

US equities sell-off finally arrives amid a perfect storm for risk aversion

Will Chinas Evergrande contagion be contained for the foreseeable future?

The US Dollar continues to follow Fed hike odds, US Treasury yield curve shifts

Will the Fed React to Evergrande?

In this weeks edition of The Macro Setup, featuring Dan Nathan and Guy Adami, we talked about why the news out of China regarding property developer Evergrande is weighing down US financial markets, as well as what the September Fed meeting could mean for the US Dollar, US stocks, gold, oil, and bitcoin.

While concerns have been lingering about Chinas property market for several years, the situation appears to have come to a head for Chinas second largest property developer in recent weeks as Evergrande appears poised to miss upcoming debt repayments, setting it on course for default.

With delta variant concerns still raging  even though US economic data appears to be weathering the storm, so to speak  the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting may be arriving at an inopportune time for risk appetite. After all, expectations are running high that the FOMC will suggest that enough progress has been made to warrant a winddown of pandemic-era stimulus measures, with a formal taper announcement and commencement of the policy shift before the end of the year.

The risk-off attitude proving pervasive in global financial markets, coupled with the Feds intention to withdraw stimulus efforts, has proven beneficial for the US Dollar (via the DXY Index). But strength in the greenback has enhanced weakness in commodity prices, particularly those that are sensitive to growth conditions like copper, crude oil, and iron ore.

*For commentary from Dan Nathan, Guy Adami, and myself on the US Dollar (via the DXY Index), the US S&P 500, gold prices, among others, please watch the video embedded at the top of this article.

CHARTS OF THE WEEK

Eurodollar Futures Contract Spread (September 2021-DECEMBER 2023) [BLUE], US 2s5s10s Butterfly [ORANGE], DXY Index [WHITE]: Daily Rate Chart (January 2021 to September 2021) (Chart 1)

GOLD PRICE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: DAILY CHART (JULY 2020 TO SEPTEMBER 2021) (CHART 2)

GBP/USD PRICE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: DAILY CHART (MARCH 2020 TO SEPTEMBER 2021) (CHART 3)

--- Written by Christopher Vecchio, CFA, Senior Strategist
The crisis in the nation's energy supplies has reached a level unseen for two generations. Nine firms have gone bust this year amid soaring wholesale gas prices, while companies supplying some six million homes are said to be at risk of imminent collapse.

Millions of pensioners and the most vulnerable households now face untold hardship this winter, while the 'squeezed' middle classes can expect their bills to soar far in excess of anything they are used to.

For years  as the run-up to the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow has amply shown  successive governments have focused on renewables and other non-polluting energy sources as a means of addressing climate change.

Drilling

The result is that Britain now faces a crisis in its energy security. And the worst part? This chaotic and alarming situation is wholly unnecessary.

More than 50 years since the first North Sea oil was struck, the British Isles remain surrounded by unexploited oil and gas reserves; while beneath the country's surface lie layer upon layer of shale.

With careful and environmentally sensitive modern drilling techniques, these untapped gold mines of natural resources could keep our fleet of mothballed natural-gas generators fired up until long-lasting sources of greener energy have been secured.

More than 50 years since the first North Sea oil was struck, the British Isles remain surrounded by unexploited oil and gas reserves; while beneath the country's surface lie layer upon layer of shale

In decades to come, Britain may well sustain carbon-free energy solutions at huge scale in solar, water and hydrogen. We could even, as the Prime Minister once colourfully put it, become 'the Saudi Arabia of wind power'.

But until those technologies are properly invested in, many fear we now face the prospect of the lights going out just as they did in the 1970s.

Quite simply, Britain must look for alternatives. If we do not, the consequences will be grave.

British Steel is warning that prices are 'spiralling out of control' amid an unbelievable 50-fold increase in quoted rates for power.

Yet while the industrial fallout from the present crisis is obviously horrendous, the potential damage to households is even greater.

The current energy 'price cap' limits the average energy bill for UK households at 1,277.

As wholesale prices spiral out of control, the pressure on the regulator to raise the cap, or see the industry strewn with failures, is now almost overwhelming.

Without an eye-watering increase in the price cap of perhaps 400 (some 30 per cent or so), even the biggest players such as Centrica, owner of British Gas which has more than 12 million customers, could be under enormous pressure.

Fixated on 'net zero' as part of his political legacy, fresh from delivering his address on climate change to the United Nations this week and looking forward to strutting the global stage at Cop26, Boris Johnson has clearly failed to understand the risk to the country of relying excessively on energy purchased from abroad.

It ought to be obvious that surrendering our energy needs to the Moscow-controlled Gazprom (a huge gas supplier to Europe) and a ghastly collection of Middle-East potentates has been a grievous error.

Making matters worse, a serious fire on a key undersea electricity cable from France has further limited supplies and shown the value of a reliable domestic source.

So what are the alternative technologies that the Government should now urgently be exploring to prevent this crisis from worsening still further?

With careful and environmentally sensitive modern drilling techniques, these untapped gold mines of natural resources could keep our fleet of mothballed natural-gas generators fired up until long-lasting sources of greener energy have been secured

As someone sympathetic to the green objections to fracking, from despoiling of country roads to potential earth tremors in nearby urban areas, I would prefer we avoid that path if possible.

Nevertheless, we should not overstate its dangers, and we should certainly not fall victim to untruths about 'earthquake' risks and other lurid allegations.

In 2017, for example, the advertising watchdog rapped environmental charity Friends of the Earth for a 'misleading' leaflet that claimed fracking can cause cancer.

Meanwhile, one only has to look across the Atlantic to witness the vital strategic gains that can be reaped from regaining a measure of energy independence.

Having risen steadily for 30 years, American imports of oil are now negligible thanks to the fracking revolution, as the process releases oil as well as gas.

Washington, therefore, enjoys somewhat greater freedom in its relations with the dictatorships of the Middle East, and is no longer beholden to those who control the rivers of cheap oil that flow from Arabia's desert sands.

Exploration

When the UK Government halted fracking in November 2019, it made it clear that this was a moratorium, not a permanent ban.

If ever there was a moment to rethink this pause, it should be now: especially given that the evidence suggests the 'earth tremors' from exploration were far less than originally measured and also confined to a much narrower area than was claimed.

But fracking is only one possibility. A less intrusive way of bringing oil and gas to these shores might be for Boris Johnson to license applications for development of the Cambo field situated some 75 miles to the west of Shetland.

This contains more than 800 million barrels of oil as well as considerable potential gas deposits.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer may come to regret his opposition to the drilling, which would have created a reported 1,000 jobs, on 'carbon emission' grounds.

Similarly, a new modern and safer coal mine in Cumbria has been held up in spite of the willingness of investors to plough more than 150 million into the project.

Instead, coal imports to Britain have been soaring  up 45 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 on the same period last year, to a total of 1.5 million tonnes. Some 60 per cent of Britain's imported coal comes from  where else?  Russia.

Alarming

In my view, one of the best ways of rapidly delivering a greener and more secure energy supply would be for the Government to commit far bigger sums of money  perhaps as much as 1 billion rather than the 215 million already earmarked  to speed up Rolls-Royce's plans for 'miniature nuclear plants'.

The engineering giant has announced plans to build up to 16 of these so-called 'small modular reactors'.

Rather than spending decades building huge and inordinately expensive plants such as Sizewell and Hinkley Point, the smaller plants are assembled from 'modules' in factories, thanks to technology that is already used in the nuclear turbines that power the Royal Navy's submarines.

Most sensible people want to see Britain and the world's carbon emissions fall for the sake of generations to come.

But sacrificing our prosperity and the health and comfort of our people on the 'green altar'  when technology exists that renders this entirely unnecessary  would be unforgivable.

The nation is engaged in a monstrous act of self-harm. To avoid prolonging this crisis, we should consider urgently giving the fracking pioneers and North Sea drillers the only 'green' light that matters: the one that says 'Go'.
Donald Trump was a braggart and a bully who in the dying days of his presidency was accused of inciting violence in Washington. Good riddance to him.

But we should beware of assuming that his apparently civilised and superficially reasonable successor is a huge improvement. The evidence of the past few days is that Joe Biden is not. He could even be a liability for this country.

Part of the problem is that he can be dithery, vague and intermittently confused. During his White House meeting on Tuesday with Boris Johnson, the President had to rely on a cue card on which were written empty endearments. Our own PM burbled on genially without any prompt.

We should beware of assuming that Trump's apparently civilised and superficially reasonable successor is a huge improvement. The evidence of the past few days is that Joe Biden (pictured) is not. He could even be a liability for this country

As often happens, Biden ducked questions from the Press, though Mr Johnson was eager to answer them. The Presidents disinclination to engage with the media is familiar to exasperated American journalists.

On several occasions, he has told White House reporters that he is not supposed to answer their questions, though admittedly he sometimes does. His aides are evidently worried about gaffes and malapropisms tumbling out of his mouth.

They are right to be. Only last week, Biden fouled up in a video press conference with the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and Boris Johnson. An important new trilateral security partnership with Britain and Australia called Aukus was being unveiled.

The President appeared to forget Mr Morrisons name. After hesitating, he said: I want to thank that fella down under. Thank you very much pal. Appreciate it, Mr Prime Minister.

This is the man who, on the eve of the presidential election last November, confused one of his granddaughters with his late son, Beau. Placing his arm around her, he announced: This is my son, Beau Biden, who a lot of you helped to elect to the Senate in Delaware.

Part of the problem is that he can be dithery, vague and intermittently confused. During his White House meeting on Tuesday with Boris Johnson, the President had to rely on a cue card on which were written empty endearments

Believe me, I am the last man in the world to be ageist. I love the idea of a president entering office at the age of 78. He would be an oldie hero, if only he were on the ball. Hes not.

The blunders arent important in themselves but they betray a lack of mental agility. The leader of the free world has repeatedly shown that he either does not, or cannot, think through issues as one would wish. He can appear stubborn, careless and intransigent.

This was evident during his session with Mr Johnson in the Oval Office. Almost provocatively, he stated that he felt very strongly about the post-Brexit Northern Irish protocol. He would not at all like to see . . . a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland.

But absolutely no one is proposing a closed border in Ireland. The Government is worried that a de facto border in the Irish Sea is impeding trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and potentially aggravating some members of the Protestant community. It wants the EU to be accommodating.

Northern Ireland is part of the UK. For Biden to lay down the law in such a clumsy fashion suggests an absence of diplomatic finesse. It also implies that he is unwilling or incapable of getting his mind around a new problem.

He was similarly inflexible to the point of stupidity over Britains desire to sign a bilateral trade deal with the U.S., and did not deny that we are at the back of the queue, where President Obama put us in 2016.

Wouldnt a trade deal benefit both countries? It should not be regarded as a gift which Biden can bestow if and when he is satisfied that the Government hasnt infringed the Northern Ireland protocol. A good trade deal would be mutually advantageous. What is there not to like?

Its possible the President regards Boris as a kind of mini-Trump  with all that blond hair and populist appeal. Boris, though, is much more polite to Sleepy Joe than Trump ever was, telling him, no doubt jokingly, that he is a living deity because of his enthusiasm for combating climate change. A little undignified, perhaps.

There are unfortunately other recent examples of Bidens intellectual impairment. As the Taliban took city after city, Biden ignored Boriss attempts to contact him by telephone for some 36 hours. That was no way to treat Americas closest ally, which has lost 457 lives defending Afghanistan

There are unfortunately other recent examples of Bidens intellectual impairment. He completely underestimated the catastrophic effects of Americas unilaterally pulling out its few remaining troops from Afghanistan.

Nor did he show himself a reliable ally. As the Taliban took city after city, Biden ignored Boriss attempts to contact him by telephone for some 36 hours. That was no way to treat Americas closest ally, which has lost 457 lives defending Afghanistan.

And actually  here you should suspend any prejudice you may have against President Emmanuel Macron  Biden has also proved himself a disgracefully wayward ally towards France, whose government regards the U.S. as an old and close friend.

Macron can be accused of behaving in a petulant way after learning from the newspapers that France had been excluded from Aukus, and that Australia had reneged on a multi-billion euro submarine deal.

But doesnt he have a point? How would we feel if America and France had let us down in a similar manner? As leader of the senior partner in the new trilateral arrangement, it fell to President Biden, out of respect and courtesy, to give Macron advanced notice of such a seismic development.

Does Boris Johnson (pictured, looking at a bust of Winston Churchill in the US Capitol) grasp Bidens shortcomings, having watched him firsthand? I should be astonished if he didnt, notwithstanding the flattery about Biden being a living deity.

Any prime minister visiting the U.S. is naturally anxious to make a good show back home. Boris has been waxing enthusiastically about America lifting restrictions on British beef and lamb. There are only victories, and absolutely no setbacks

He failed to do so. U.S. officials have been trying to re-build bridges with France. It wont be easy, though Biden has belatedly telephoned Macron, who agreed to send back the ambassador he recalled last week. The row has boosted wrong-headed arguments for a European army in Macrons prickly mind.

Aukus is encouraging but there are precious few published details as to what it involves. Bearing in mind the high-handed way in which Biden treated Britain and other allies in Afghanistan, as well as his shameful neglect of French sensibilities, I trust our officials are carefully studying the fine print.

Can anyone doubt that the new occupant of the White House is unfit for his high office? Maybe Biden would have made a rotten president if he were 25 years younger, not least because he has had little international experience. At 78  an old 78  hes simply not up to the job.

Its true he presides over an enormous government which has many highly talented people capable of making good decisions. But a defective president will ruin any administration. Look at Trump.

Does Boris Johnson grasp Bidens shortcomings, having watched him firsthand? I should be astonished if he didnt, notwithstanding the flattery about Biden being a living deity.

Any prime minister visiting the U.S. is naturally anxious to make a good show back home. Boris has been waxing enthusiastically about America lifting restrictions on British beef and lamb. There are only victories, and absolutely no setbacks.

Deep down, though, he must have realised that President Biden is an intellectually impaired man who is unlikely to understand the British point of view over Northern Ireland, or expedite a trade deal.

Well have to make the best of it, of course, since America is so important to us. Banish any hope of Sleepy Joe being led away by men in white coats. Until January 2025, were almost certainly stuck with a president who cant be trusted.
There is no sex in an emotional affair - but these confessions prove they can still be just as damaging as full-blown infidelity.

People from around the world took to US-based secret sharing app Whisper to share details of their illicit relationships, including one woman who started seeing her boss.

Another unfaithful wife told how she is embarking on an emotional affair with her best friend's husband. Meanwhile one man said he can't cut off communication with his ex.

Here, FEMAIL shares some of the most eye-opening revelations...

Can't stop: This mother-to-be can't end her emotional affair even though she is expecting a baby with her current partner. It is just one of the shocking confessions shared on Whisper

Understanding? Or unbothered? A woman was surprised by her husband's laid-back reaction to discovering she had been having an emotional affair with her boss

The one who got away? This person from Brunswick, Maryland, is seeking comfort in their ex who they believe is their 'soul mate' - despite being in a relationship with someone else

Payback: This scorned wife knew exactly what she was doing when she started an emotional affair with her boss - and has no regrets

Sometimes two wrongs do make a right: This woman from Memphis, Tennessee, seemed able to forgive her boyfriend for his indiscretion after confessing her own emotional affair

Caught up in the excitement: This cheater from Redvales, Greater Manchester, has fallen in love with the person they started up an emotional affair with - and isn't surprised

Wrong but it feels so right: This married woman from North Bay, Ontario, is delving deeper with her best friend's boyfriend and refuses to stop the affair

A shocking discovery: This woman from Silver Springs, Florida, sought refuge back in her husband's arms after straying

Keeping the truth hidden: This woman from Houston, Texas, won't tell her husband that another man is behind her tears

Wanting something more: This unfulfilled wife is thinking about taking the next step in her affair

Making excuses: This man from Columbus, Ohio, claims he just can't leave his ex alone

Ready to move on: This woman from Santa Maria, California, is prepared to put her marriage first

Too close for comfort: A Canadian man from Sunnyside, British Columbia, turned to his female friend for help... but realises he might have crossed a line in the relationship

Catching him out: This woman from Richmond, Virginia, had her boss fired after their affair

Time to call it quits: This person from Norwich was so unhappy in their relationship they turned elsewhere for an emotional bond
By Stephen M. Lepore for Mailonline and Alastair Talbot for Mailonline

A former Arkansas lawyer says he's going to sue a Texas doctor who performed an abortion in defiance of Texas' new laws against the procedure in an attempt to either prove or disprove their legal viability.

Oscar Stilley, a man who says he has been 'disbarred and disgraced' from practicing law, is suing Dr. Allan Braid in one of the first lawsuits tied to SB 8, which prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, about six weeks into a pregnancy.

Stilley's interest in the new law in part comes from the incentive provided, as it is enforceable by private citizens, who are able to take medical providers or anyone else who aides in an abortion to try and claim a bounty of up to $10,000.

'That's a fine payday,' said Stilley.

However, Stilley also believes that the law is 'blatantly unconstitutional' and deserves to be tested, because he believes it's meant to hurt doctors.

Stilley (right) said he decided to sue Braid (left) after reading a news report about Braid's remarks. He added in an interview that he is not personally opposed to abortion but thinks the measure should be subject to judicial review

'I know what the proponents of this law are doing,' he explained. 'They're trying to inject uncertainty so that the doctors are going to say, 'Oh, my goodness, this could bankrupt me.''

Stilley, who in his complaint says he's on home confinement from prison while serving a 15-year sentence for tax evasion and conspiracy, wants to see how the law is applied in court.

'I want a judgment on it. I'd like to get this established  is this a valid enactment or is this garbage that needs to be thrown out?'

Stilley, who has spent the last decade in prisons across the south, describes himself as libertarian leaning and generally in favor of abortion.

He believes 'any woman or any couple who has a defective fetus, and has the good sense and judgment to abort it, deserves our praise and our support.' He added, 'I support the jurisprudence that [the country has] on abortion right now.'

Stilley attempted to contact Braid's office in San Antonio Monday but was not given the time of day.

'I think they thought I was a bad guy,' he said, chuckling. 'But I just want to him to know  I respect the man. Any man who will stand on his hind legs, knowing good and well that the whole purpose of the thing is to bankrupt any doctor who tries it, and does what he thinks is the right thing to do, I have a high degree of respect for him.'

Texas lawmakers enacted SB 8 in a special legislative session that also including controversial voting laws

He doesn't believe he'll win if the case goes to trial, but he wants to target lawmakers who enacted the legislation in the first place.

'I see what you guys are doing,' he said. 'Oscar's laying in wait for you. I'm coming.'

And if he wins, well, Stilley  who currently makes $13.75 an hour, according to The Daily Beast  says he might as well profit.

'Oscar is going to be the fastest gun in the West. He's going to be there first. If there's money to be had, it's going to go in Oscar's pocket. Might as well go there as anywhere, if it's just a free-for-all. This is the Wild, Wild West.'

Dr. Alan Braid admitted in a Washington Post opinion column that he had carried out the procedure, becoming the first Texas abortion provider to publicly reveal he violated the law that took effect on September 1st.

The Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, which is usually around six weeks and before some women even know they are pregnant.

Prosecutors cannot take criminal action against Braid, because the law explicitly forbids that.

The only way the ban can be enforced is through lawsuits brought by private citizens, who don't have to be from Texas and who are entitled to claim at least $10,000 in damages if successful.

A Texas woman carries a sign criticizing Texas Governor Greg Abbott at a rally at the Texas State Capitol on September 11

Stilley and another former attorney in Illinois filed separate state lawsuits Monday against the doctor.

They both came in ahead of the state's largest anti-abortion group, which had said it had attorneys ready to bring lawsuits.

Neither ex-lawyer who filed suit said they were anti-abortion. But both said courts should weigh in.

Stilley, of Cedarville, Arkansas, near the Oklahoma border, told The Associated Press: 'I don't want doctors out there nervous and sitting there and quaking in their boots and saying, 'I can't do this because if this thing works out, then I'm going to be bankrupt'.'

The second lawyer to launch legal action, Felipe N. Gomez of Chicago, asked a court in San Antonio in his lawsuit to declare the new law unconstitutional.

In his view, the law is a form of government overreach. He said his lawsuit is a way to hold the Republicans who run Texas accountable, adding that their lax response to public health during the COVID-19 pandemic conflicts with their crack down on abortion rights.

'If Republicans are going to say nobody can tell you to get a shot they shouldn't tell women what to do with their bodies either,' Gomez said. 'I think they should be consistent.'

Gomez said he wasn't aware he could claim up to $10,000 in damages if he won his lawsuit. If he received money, Gomez said he would likely donate it to an abortion rights group or to the patients of the doctor he sued.

Legal experts say Braid's admission is likely to set up another test of whether the law can stand after the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect.

Braid wrote that on September 6, he provided an abortion to a woman who was still in her first trimester but beyond the state's new limit.

'I fully understood that there could be legal consequences  but I wanted to make sure that Texas didn't get away with its bid to prevent this blatantly unconstitutional law from being tested,' Braid wrote.
A foodie has revealed how to turn a loaf of stale bread into a delicious French toast casserole the whole family will love in just ten minutes.

Yumna Jawad, the feel good foodie, showed off the easy recipe on her Instagram recently - where it quickly went viral attracting more than 25k likes and comments.

The recipe calls for stale bread, eggs, Greek yoghurt, maple syrup, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and pecans.

A foodie has revealed how to turn a loaf of stale bread into a delicious French toast casserole the whole family will love in just ten minutes

Yumna's instructional video begins with a shot of the loaf of bread which she quickly cuts into two centimetre cubes.

The bread is poured into a baking dish and then set aside while the foodie prepares the custard mixture.

She combines the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, Greek yoghurt and cinnamon using her blender.

This mixture was then poured over the bread cubes before the foodie tops the casserole with her pecans.

The casserole was then placed in the oven at 180c and taken out when it was golden brown on the top.

The home cook said the casserole has become a family favourite and will 'definitely make an appearance over Christmas time'.

Yumna Jawad, the feel good foodie, showed off the easy recipe on her Instagram recently - where it quickly went viral attracting more than 25k likes and comments

How can I make French toast casserole at home? INGREDIENTS 1 loaf challah bread, cut into two centimetre cubes 8 eggs 2 cups milk 1 cup Greek yogurt 1/2 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons maple syrup + more for topping 1  teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt METHOD Cut the stale bread into two centimetre cubes and place in a casserole dish. Mix together the eggs, milk, yoghurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt using a blender. Pour the custard mixture over the bread. Add your pecans and some more maple syrup over the top. Place in an oven at 180c until golden brown. Advertisement

And her fans appeared to be just as obsessed with the easy brunch meal.

'This sound perfect for Sunday brunch,' one woman wrote on the video.

While dozens of others left simple one-word comments about how delicious the baked treat looked.

The casserole, which serves 12, doesn't need to be left to soak overnight, making it quick and easy to prepare.
As the weather gets colder and the leaves start to change color this September, TikTokers are happily leaving behind 'hot girl summer' and gearing up for a cozy 'Meg Ryan fall.'

Starting as a slow-burning trend, young millennials and Gen Zers  many of whom weren't even alive for the height of Ryan's fame  have been turning to the actress' iconic movies from the late '80s and early '90s for autumnal style inspiration.

'Hot girl summer may be over, but it is time for Meg Ryan fall!' TikTok user @technicolorghost announced last month in a video paying homage to the rom-com queen.

Autumn is in the air! TikTokers have hailed this season 'Meg Ryan fall' as they pay tribute to the rom-com queen's famous movie looks

Inspiration: Bradi, who goes by @stylincafe, recreated the outfits worn by Ryan's character Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally in her video

Clever: Bradi put together seven different looks comprising many of the fictional journalist's go-to staples

The playful clip features photos of Ryan wearing cozy sweaters, wool blazers and skirts, and button-down shirts in When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle  all of which are Nora Ephron movies.

The TikTok has been viewed more than 365,000 times and appears to have prompted the increasing use of the hashtag #MegRyanfall.

One fan even asked @technicolorghost to make the audio an original sound for others to use on the platform, a request to which she obliged.

Some have gone a step further by modeling their own Ryan-inspired outfits, and When Harry Met Sally has been the most popular point of reference by far.

TikTok user Jess Morris, whose handle is @jessicaleighmorris, shared a video of herself putting together her version of an outfit Ryan's character Sally Albright wore in the 1989 film, which is right on trend more than 30 years later.

Just the basics: The TikToker mixed and matched a gray blazer, a white button-down, a black mini skirt, and a red sweater for most of the outfits

Throwback: Bradi is clearly a Ryan fan as she made a similar video in May featuring outfits from her 1998 movie You've Got Mail

Morris started with high-waisted tapered jeans and threw on a red sweater that she tucked in before adding a brown belt to cinch her waist.

Next, she put on a pair of tan oxfords and wire-frame glasses, completing the look with a brown corduroy blazer.

Bradi, who goes by @stylincafe, paid tribute to Sally's style in her own video, where she put together seven different looks comprising many of the fictional journalist's go-to staples.

The TikToker mixed and matched a gray blazer, a white button-down, a black mini skirt, and a red sweater for most of the outfits, using accessories such as a bowler hat, a pink bow tie, and a plaid blazer to differentiate them.

Listen up! TikTok user @technicolorghost announced in a video last month that 'hot girl summer may be over, but it is time for Meg Ryan fall!'

Style: The clip features photos of Ryan wearing cozy sweaters, wool blazers, and button-down shirts in When Harry Met Sally (pictured), You've Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle

Going viral: The TikTok has been viewed more than 365,000 times and appears to have prompted the increasing use of the hashtag #MegRyanfall

She also took inspiration from the preppy sweater and yellow dress shirt combo Sally had on when she first met Harry at the start of the film as well as the New Year's Eve dress she donned in one of the final scenes.

Bradi is clearly a Ryan fan as she made a similar video in May featuring outfits from her 1998 movie You've Got Mail, writing in the caption: 'Kathleen Kelly is who I model my life around.'

Maggie OGara, who is known as @schmaggieogara, also took the path less traveled when she took on Kathleen's outfits, which included a jumper and a long-sleeve henley.

Of course, Meg Ryan fall isn't just about matching the actress' rom-com looks. Rather, it's the feeling that chunky knits and curling up on the couch to watch a rom-com evoke come autumn.

Three decades later: Ryan's outfits in the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally has been the most popular point of reference by far

Modern-day Sally: TikTok user Jess Morris, whose handle is @jessicaleighmorris, shared a video of herself putting together her version of a beloved Sally outfit

Finished look: Jess wore a corduroy blazer over a red sweater and high-waisted tapered jeans, topping off the look with a pair of oxfords and wire-frame glasses

Loving it: Fans also took inspiration from Sally's blazer and bowler hat combo in When Harry Met Sally

It's that time! Ember Cuddy, who is nonbinary and uses the pronouns them/them, showed off their green blazer and pink pussy-bow blouse combination on their @void_flowers account

Her take: Emma Eryn, who uses the handle @allgingerandjazz, put her own spin on When Harry Met Sally fashion while modeling a wide-brim black hat, a plaid blazer, and loafers

Ember Cuddy, who is nonbinary and uses the pronouns them/them, showed off their green blazer and pink pussy-bow blouse combination in their video featuring the original Meg Ryan fall audio, which was posted to their @void_flowers account.

Meanwhile, Emma Eryn, who uses the handle @allgingerandjazz, put her own spin on When Harry Met Sally fashion while modeling a wide-brim black hat, a plaid blazer, and loafers.

'When Harry Met Sally but make it gay???' she captioned the post.

Ryan's When Harry Met Sally co-star Billy Crystal  aka Harry Burns  also got some love from a fan who insisted he was the real style star of the film.

Another take: 'We need to make room in our heart for the Harry Burns sweater fall,' argued TikTok user @graciewiener, who gushed about the fisherman's knit worn by Billy Crystal

Hot take: Maggie OGara, who is known as @schmaggieogara, took the path less traveled when she took on the fall-friendly outfits worn by Ryan's character Kathleen Kelly in You've Got Mail

Comfortable: Maggie looked cozy in a long-sleeve henley that was nearly identical to the one worn by Ryan in the rom-com

Aran sweaters, also known as fisherman's sweaters, get plenty of play in the movie. It takes its name from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland where the style originated.

Sally wore a red mock-neck version, hence all the red sweater tributes on TikTok, but everyone remembers Harry's heavenly cream cable knit.

'As we enter Meg Ryan fall, truly Nora Ephron's Meg Ryan is the queen of fall fashion, we need to make room in our heart for the Harry Burns sweater fall,' argued TikTok user @graciewiener.

'This sweater is immaculate,' she said, pointing to a photo of Crystal wearing the famous sweater in the film.

'It is gold standard. I love When Harry Met Sally. I love sweater season, so this is what I've been dying for.'
A $3 face mask that promises to leave your skin glowing after the first use has received more than 3,100 positive reviews on Amazon.

The Garnier SkinActive Nutri Bomb Tissue Mask is designed to nourish and restore hydration to dry skin after only 15 minutes.

Enriched with hyaluronic acid and organic almond milk, the skin will instantly feel firmer, smoother and revitalised.

The 'must-have' buy is the perfect at-home solution as beauty salons remain shut in Sydney and Melbourne due to ongoing Covid-19 lockdowns.

The Garnier SkinActive Nutri Bomb Tissue Mask is designed to nourish and restore hydration to dry skin after only 15 minutes

Australia's 2021 Bachelorette Brooke Blurton has been one of several social media influencers who has praised the brand and product online (pictured)

The affordable product retails for $2.97 on sale on Amazon but can also be purchased from Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Woolworths and Big W.

Australia's 2021 Bachelorette Brooke Blurton has been one of several social media influencers who has praised the brand and product online.

Earlier this year in January Brooke shared an image of herself with her 237,000 Instagram followers wearing the moisturising mask while relaxing at home.

Ten varying scents are available online - including coconut milk, green tea and lavender - but the most popular seems to be the almond milk option.

The 'must-have' buy is the perfect at-home solution as beauty salons remain shut in Sydney and Melbourne due to ongoing Covid-19 lockdowns

'Love these face masks, super hydrating in winter and allows for a better base for my makeup. Leaves skin feeling smooth and buttery soft,' one woman wrote on Amazon.

'Superb face mask! It was my first time using this one and it was fantastic! I have really dry skin and struggle with my face skin for ages and it is exactly what i was looking for!' another added.

A third added: 'I have super dry skin and so was hoping for a miracle - and this does exactly what it says.'

Ten varying scents are available online - including coconut milk, green tea and lavender - but the most popular seems to be the almond milk option

It's recommended to cleanse the skin well before applying the face mask and many choose to use the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water (pictured)

Each packet comes with 15 tissue masks that only need to be worn for 15 minutes at a time.

The skin will be provided with 24 hours of lasting hydration after every use.

It's recommended to cleanse the skin well before applying the face mask and many shoppers choose to use the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water.
Women are raving about an affordable cream that claims to tighten sagging skin on the chest and neck, leaving skin looking years younger in just seven days.

Prai Beauty's Ageless Throat & Decolletage Cream ($30 AUD) has been making waves across the cosmetics industry for its ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines by firming and smoothing creped complexions.

Made with powerful ingredients including hyaluronic acid, the vegan-friendly lotion promises visible results after just one week of daily use - and it's so popular, one sells every minute.

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Women are raving about Prai Beauty's $30 Ageless cream that claims to tighten sagging skin on the chest and neck, leaving skin looking years younger in just seven days. Pictured: A customer transformation is shown in photos taken before and after using the product.

Packed with powerful ingredients including shea butter and hyaluronic acid, the cream (pictured) is so popular, one sells every minute

Founded by American skincare guru Cathy Kangas, Prai Beauty products are packed with natural extracts such as shea butter and squalene which lock moisture into skin.

The range also contains mulberry and grapeseed which improve uneven skin tone, as well as vitamins A, E, and F which fight signs of ageing by stimulating the production of collagen and strengthen the skin's natural barrier.

The 'age-positive' brand, designed for women over 45, has become famous for its neck and jawline treatments.

Sales have skyrocketed since the pandemic began due to the rise of 'tech neck', a term that refers to loose, sagging skin caused by increasing time spent looking down at phones and laptop screens.

New York Times best-selling author Nora Ephron even wrote a book about the phenomenon, with the candid title: 'Our faces are lies and our necks tell the truth.'

And it seems women are catching on.

Prai Beauty's neck cream boasts dozens of five-star reviews, with customers claiming to see noticeable differences in a matter of weeks.

Founded by American skincare guru Cathy Kangas, Prai Beauty products are packed with natural extracts such as shea butter and squalene which lock moisture into skin

How Prai Beauty cream firms sagging skin Prai Beauty's best-selling Ageless cream is packed with powerful ingredients that target issues directly related to ageing skin across the neck and chest. Hyaluronic Acid: Helps plump and fill-in wrinkles. Shea Butter and Squalane: Locks in moisture for long-lasting hydration. Mulberry, Saxifrage and Grapeseed extracts: Helps even-out skin tone. Vitamins A, E and F: Rejuvenates ageing and damaged skin. Advertisement

'Been using this cream for a few years and wouldn't live without it. It makes your decolletage and throat look years younger!' one woman wrote.

'It's also lightweight and cooling. Try it, you won't be disappointed.'

A second who got the cream as a sample with a previous order of Prai Beauty products raved about its firming effects.

'I've bought so many creams and have been disappointed. Either they didn't work or reeked of perfume. This one has no smell. I use it on my turkey neck and it has been diminishing my wrinkles. It really works!' she said.

Another said while the cream cannot erase wrinkles, it leaves your face 'silky soft'.
Mr Mitchell captioned the video: 'And I thought, man this plank has me shaking!'

He mistook the 5.8 magnitude quake for muscle shakes resulting from exercise

Incredible footage of the record-breaking Melbourne earthquake has been captured by a fitness fanatic filming his morning workout.

Harry Mitchell was in the middle of a plank in the city's inner-south when a magnitude 5.8 quake rocked Victoria at 9.15am on Wednesday, the biggest the state has experienced since European settlement in 1834.

In a video shared to TikTok, Mr Mitchell can be seen initially mistaking the event for muscle shakes which often occur during strenuous training sessions, before calling out to his housemate: 'Dude, is that an earthquake? Holy s**t.'

The 30-second clip - captioned 'And I thought, man this plank has me shaking!' - shows plants and furniture swaying, while a thunderous noise that sounds like a jet engine rumbles in the background.

Harry Mitchell (pictured) was in the middle of a plank on his yoga mat when a magnitude 5.8 quake rocked Victoria at 9.15am on Wednesday, the biggest the state has experienced since European settlement in 1834

The terrifying scene, which has racked up more than 70,000 views since it was uploaded online around 10am, sparked stunned responses, with many describing it as 'wild' and 'unbelievable'.

'Wow, thanks for sharing! I've never seen an earthquake so close to home,' one person wrote.

'Omg!' added a second, while a third said the quake woke everyone in the house except for their father.

A fourth said they felt the tremors in Canberra, 662km north, while a fifth said they thought the sensation was their washing machine exploding.

The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 9.15am near the small town of Mansfield, 180km north-east of Melbourne, demolished part of a building on famous Chapel Street. It was 10km deep, according to Geoscience Australia.

The quake was followed by two 4.0 and 3.1 magnitude aftershocks 18 and 39 minutes later - both within 10km of the original tremors.

The earthquake is the biggest Victoria has experienced since 1834 and there will be more aftershocks, a seismologist told ABC Radio Melbourne.

Pictures have emerged of a Betty's Burgers restaurant partially collapsed on Chapel St in Melbourne's inner-city after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake

Tremors were felt as far away as Tasmania, South Australia and some parts of Sydney.

Pictures emerged of a Bettys Burgers fast food restaurant partially collapsed on Chapel St in Windsor in Melbourne's inner-city.

The burger chain later said in a statement that there was no-one inside the building at the time and all staff were safe.

Emergency and rescue officials examine a damaged building in the popular shopping Chapel Street in Melbourne following the earthquake

Workers are pictured examining debris from a damaged building along Chapel Street in Melbourne on Wednesday

Office and apartment blocks across Melbourne were evacuated, with homeowners close to the epicentre in Mansfield reporting damage to their properties.

There are also reports of damage in Prahran - where rubble was seen strewn across the road on Wattle Street - Brunswick, West Melbourne and Albert Park.

Seismologists have meanwhile warned there could be more aftershocks throughout the day with a larger event also possible.

'Geoscience have confirmed there is a possibility that we may receive further aftershocks and potential risk of further earthquakes,' Victorian Deputy Premier James Merlino said in a press conference.

'Indeed, more aftershocks could occur for weeks, if not months.'

A homeowner near Leongatha in South Gippsland who was in the bathroom when the earthquake hit said the sound was like a 'jet engine' and the glass shower screen was shaking.

'I grabbed my granddaughter and held her tight,' the woman said. 'It was very frightening.'

'The whole world just shook,' another Victorian said.

Rubble is pictured outside the Betty's Burgers on Chapel Street after the building was damaged by the earthquake

Two people crouch down after the earthquake forced with the evacuation of a Melbourne building on Wednesday morning

A building also appeared to have been damaged by the earthquake on Wattle Street in Melbourne's inner-city Prahran

New Zealander Colin, who lives in Ferntree Gully in Melbourne, said the quake felt just as powerful as the magnitude 6.2 Christchurch earthquake in 2011 that caused widespread damage across the city and killed 185 people.

'About 30 seconds it lasted. I didn't know whether to run outside or upstairs,' he told Newstalk ZB.

'I'm in a solid concrete house, so it really shook. It shook as much as I've felt in Christchurch.'

Victoria's State Emergency Service confirmed the earthquake was '6.0 on the Richter scale and emanated from Mansfield. There is no tsunami threat'.

Pictured are people evacuating Melbourne CBD buildings after Melbourne felt the tremors from a magnitude 5.8 earthquake on Wednesday morning

Pictured: Damage to the Betty's Burgers restaurant. The earthquake has been reported in Victoria and tremors were felt across Melbourne and as far away as Canberra and Sydney

Premier Daniel Andrews made the first official reaction to the earthquake, tweeting at 9.47am: 'Yes, that was an earthquake.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison then fronted a press conference in Washington DC - where he is taking part in the Quad leaders summit - to reveal the 'rare event' had so far led to no injuries.

'These are very rare events in Australia and I am sure people would have been disturbed - particularly in the most immediate area effected,' he said.

'The agencies at a state government level are there responding, and the federal Government will provide the support that is necessary.'

Extraordinary moment ABC's Melbourne studio is hit by an earthquake live on air  and the News Breakfast presenters have VERY different reactions News Breakfast presenters have had two very different responses to an earthquake that hit the ABC's Melbourne studio. The magnitude 5.8 quake was felt across Melbourne at 9.15am on Wednesday, with residents reporting feeling strong tremors for 30 seconds. Presenters Michael Rowland and Tony Armstrong were forced to stop mid-program when the studio began to shake. 'Is it an earthquake or a structural thing?' a concerned Mr Rowland is heard asking. The anxious presenter grabbed his phone and prepared to leave the studio as his smiling co-host remained seemingly unbothered by the tremors. 'Let's go,' Mr Rowland said to the newsroom. 'That was a big one.' 'That's still tremoring,' Mr Armstrong added. Presenters Michael Rowland (left) and Tony Armstrong (right) were forced to stop mid-program when the earthquake began to shake the ABC's Melbourne studio on Wednesday Twitter users were quick to poke fun at the pair with many comparing the hosts' polar-opposite reactions to the large earthquake. 'Let's go!' What a bad ass reaction from Michael!' one user said. 'For fans of Tony, all we see is him holding down that desk and saving the building,' another woman tweeted. 'He was cool, calm and collected. As always,' a third agreed. Mr Rowland tagged his co-host in a post to social media following the quake tweeting: 'That was quite a post-show chat with @Tonaaayy_.' Advertisement

Mr Morrison said he was in 'text contact' with Mr Andrews about the quake.

Emergency crews have warned Victorians to brace for further aftershocks throughout the day.

'If you are located in Victoria, you are in danger,' Victoria's SES said in a statement.

The SES is receiving calls for assistance from across the state but is yet to make an assessment of any damage.

Lynne Myers of High County Apparel in Mansfield told AAP 'it just scared the hell out of us.'

The epicentre of the quake was in Mansfield in eastern Victoria but the shockwaves were felt as far south as Tasmania and as far north as NSW

'Everything shook, the roof shook, boots fell off the shelf and I just ran outside,' she said.

'There's no cracks or anything in the walls. We seem to have got over it pretty well. Everyone's a bit shaken up here but there doesn't seem to be any damage.

'I've lived here 29 years and have never felt anything like it.'

Mansfield Shire Councillor Mark Holcombe said he lived in the area for 20 years but had never experienced an earthquake.

He said it 'came out of left field'.

A woman named Elizabeth from eastern Melbourne was on a work call when the quake hit.

'All the windows were shaking, I yelled at the kids to come and stand in a doorway but our eight-year-old ran outside to see if any sinkholes were opening up,' she said.

'Fortunately that didn't happen.'

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND'S BIGGEST EARTHQUAKES 1989 Newcastle earthquake The magnitude 5.6 quake that struck in the suburbs of Newcastle, NSW is widely regarded as one of Australia's worst natural disasters. Thirteen people died and more than 160 were injured - with the damage cost estimated at $4billion. The earthquake damaged more than 35,000 homes and 147 schools. 2011 Christchurch earthquake A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, on New Zealand's south island, on February 22, 2011 - claiming the lives of 185 people and leaving an estimated 2,000 with injuries. The quake struck 6.7km southeast of the city at a depth of 6km. Advertisement

Ciara Lynch, a 26-year-old Irishwoman living in Balaclava, nine kilometres south of the CBD, was in a Zoom meeting with colleagues in Melbourne and Sydney when her living room started to shake.

'People were screaming on the call, it was the wildest thing I've ever experienced,' she said.

Baristas at Industry Beans cafe in Melbourne's inner-north said the walls 'rumbled' and lights swung from side to side while they took their morning break.
Society beauty Emma Weymouth cut an elegant figure in a black gown as she stepped out for a glitzy event in London last night.

Emma, 35, who is married to Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath, joined close friend and British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful at private members' club Annabel's for a British Fashion Council bash hosted in collaboration with Swarovski.

The aristocrat opted for a figure-flattering black evening gown with a semi-sheer embellished side panel that offered a peek at her legs.

Elegant Emma! Society beauty Emma Weymouth cut an elegant figure in a black gown as she stepped out for a glitzy event in London last night

BFFs: Emma joined close friend and British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful at private members' club for a British Fashion Council bash hosted in collaboration with Swarovski

The same sparkling material was used to create a double scoop neckline and added a touch of excitement to an otherwise plain dress.

Keeping her accessories simple, Emma paired the dress with black point toe pumps and a black clutch.

The only splash of colour came with her eye-catching red nail polish.

The fashionista wore her hair in a loose, fuss-free style and kept her makeup to a minimum.

She beamed as she left the private members' club behind Enninful, who is in the midst of a busy fashion month.

It has marked a busy week for Emma, who on Monday attended the British Vogue party at The Londoner Hotel.

Touch of sparkle: The aristocrat opted for a figure-flattering black evening gown with a semi-sheer embellished side panel that offered a peek at her legs

Less is more: Keeping her accessories simple, Emma paired the dress with black point toe pumps and a black clutch

Emma's appearance comes after the Strictly Come Dancing star returned to the UK after attending the nuptials of her friend Lady Kitty Spencer in Italy followed by a short break in France with her children.

Princess Diana's niece, 30, wedded her long-term boyfriend Michael Lewis, 62, at a 17th century Italian castle last Saturday.

Lady Kitty's father Earl Spencer, 57, did not attend and she was walked down the aisle by her brother Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, 27, and half brother Samuel Aitken, whose father is businessman Jonathan Aitken.

During her time aboard she was spotted exploring Venice with her hunky Serbian model pal Alessandro Egger this month.
Tensions run high between Amy and Josh as they embark on their homestay on Married At First Sight UK.

In tonight's episode of the E4 show, Amy Christophers, 34, from Cornwall, and husband Joshua Christie, 26, from West London, get a taste of the future as they embark on their homestays and rent a property in the city.

But while immersing themselves in each other's worlds raises big questions for some, Amy and Josh's homestay proves to be far from domestic bliss.

Reaching breaking point after bickering with Josh in the kitchen, she rages: 'I'm not f**king doing this,' before walking off camera.

Tensions run high between Amy and Josh as they embark on their homestay in tonight's episode of E4's Married At First Sight UK

Josh (pictured) speaks to the camera and says: 'I don't think anyone should have to put up with mood swings or anything'

During the show, the couple can be seen exchanging some heated words, with Amy asking Josh to put a bottle of wine in the fridge.

But when he puts it down on the side instead, she immediately picks it up and puts it in back in the fridge - resulting in him accusing her of being 'childish.'

He adds: 'You are pushing me over my limit,' to which Amy snaps back: 'Shhhh be quiet!'

And when Josh admits: 'I'm actually reaching the end of my tether,' Amy storms off out of the door.

While immersing themselves in each other's worlds raises big questions for some, Amy and Josh's homestay proves to be far from domestic bliss. Pictured, together

When Josh admits: 'I'm actually reaching the end of my tether,' Amy storms off out of the door (pictured, together)

Reaching breaking point after bickering with Josh in the kitchen, Amy (pictured) rages: 'I'm not f**king doing this,' before walking off camera

'Looks like we're done then!' he mutters.

Speaking to the camera outside, Josh says: 'I don't think anyone should have to put up with mood swings or anything. It's not fair on the other person - especially when they've done nothing to cause it.'

Their argument comes just days after Morag Crichton branded Joshua a 'f****** liar' for saying he didn't remember sliding into her DMs.

And while voices were raised with many couples offended by their letters the drama reached a boiling point when Morag again brought up that Joshua had previously contacted her and liked multiple Instagram photos year ago.

Despite Morag's friend and Joshua's wife Amy saying she 'didn't care' about the previous contact, the argument blew up with many of the contestants storming off.

Fellow contestants said they 'didn't believe' he DMed her with Ant Poole branding her an 'attention seeker' just looking for drama, while viewers branded her 'arrogant' and 'egotistical' with one writing: 'Morag is hurt Joshua doesn't remember her'.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are considering taking their children to the UK for Christmas, a royal expert has claimed.

Speaking to Closer, royal author Katie Nicholl said it is being 'looked at as an opportunity' that could 'pave the way for a healing of the family rift'.

The last time the couple spent Christmas in the UK was in 2018, seven months after their wedding, and Harry has only returned twice since stepping down as a senior royal in March 2020. Meghan has not been back to the UK since then.

The visit would mark three-month-old Lilibet Diana's first time in the UK and would give the Queen a chance to meet her great-granddaughter.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are considering taking their children to the UK for Christmas, a royal expert has claimed. The last time the couple spent Christmas in the UK was in 2018. Pictured, the Sussexes and the Cambridges with Charles on Christmas day that year

The royal family have not seen Archie since winter 2020, when his parents relocated to Canada before officially leaving the UK.

Nicholl said: 'When Harry and Meghan left, they made it clear they didnt want to give up their home in Britain. They still have Frogmore Cottage and their plan was to come back to the UK.

'Christmas is being looked at as an opportunity. There may be a softening, which could pave the way for a healing of the family rift.

'Its certainly what the Queen wants. Prince Charles would like to see his grandchildren. A meet-up suggests they hope to move on and sort things out.'

Bringing their children with them could help soften the rocky relationship the couple are rumoured to have with other members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, both 39.

Royal author Katie Nicholl said Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, pictured, could return to the UK with their children this Christmas

The brothers have only been reunited twice since Harry's decision to leave: once at the funeral of the late Duke of Edinburgh in April, and a second time to unveil a statue of their mother the late Princess Diana on July 1.

Both visits were short, with Harry only staying long enough to respect a quarantine and attend each specific event before returning to his new home in California.

Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan are set to make their first public trip since moving to California to broadcast from Central Park for Global Citizen Live event.

In May, the Duke, 37, and Duchess of Sussex, 40, acted as Campaign Chairs of Vax Live, which 'aims to inspire vaccine confidence worldwide and help get the COVID-19 vaccines to everyone, everywhere' - according to Global Citizen.

And according to the organisation's website, the couple will attend the event in New York on Saturday where they will 'continue their urgent work with world leaders in the pursuit of global vaccine equity to end the COVID-19 pandemic for everyone, everywhere.'

It marks the first occasion the couple have appeared in public together since stepping back from royal duty and moving to California last year.

The Duke of Sussex returned to the UK on July 1 to unveil a new statue of his mother the late Princess Diana in Kensington Palace, with his brother Prince William, pictured

The event will be part of a number of shows being held in cities as varied as London to Lagos by the organisation Global Citizen, with artists like Ed Sheeran, Sir Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Metallica and Coldplay scheduled to perform.

The Global Citizen Live campaign is calling on G7 countries and the European Union to share at least one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses with those most in need and support calls for a waiver on vaccine intellectual property rights.

It also marks the return to work for the Duke and Duchess, who have taken several months off following the birth of their daughter Lilibet in May.

Meghan has previously made several high profile trips to New York to visit friends in recent years.

The Duchess celebrated the impending birth of her firstborn son Archie by flying to the Big Apple by private jet in 2019, provoking outcry with the five-day baby shower celebration. Around 20 friends attended, including Serena Williams and Amal Clooney.

Months later, she visited the state again for a flying trip away to support her close friend Serena Williams in the US Open final.
Royal fans have begged Princess Charlene of Monaco to 'let them know she's OK' as she shared a charity post online a month after her last public outing.

The mother-of-two, 43, posted a piece of artwork to promote World Rhino Day on Instagram but was quickly flooded with comments by followers questioning if she was alright.

One concerned fan posted: 'Princess, are you fine?', while another wrote: 'Hope you are well Princess Charlene.'

The Olympian has spent the past several months in South Africa being treated for an ear and throat infection she contracted in May, following a sinus lift and bone graft procedure she'd undergone prior to her arrival in preparation for dental implants.

As a result, the mother-of-two missed her 10 year wedding anniversary and is not expected to return to the principality until October, after undergoing a 'four-hour operation under general anaesthesia' in August - although it was not made clear whether this was linked to the sinus infection.

Despite Charlene being admitted to hospital earlier this month after a 'sudden collapse' rumours are rife that a rift with Prince Albert, rather than health issues, is what's keeping her away from Monaco.

Princess Charlene of Monaco shared an awkward hug when she was finally reunited with her husband and children after almost three months apart

It comes as a friend said Charlene, who hasn't been seen in Monaco since January, sees herself as a 'protector of the heirs' and not a royal.

Speaking to People Magazine, a source close to the former Olympic swimmer said: 'She sees herself as the protector of the heirs, as opposed to the princess of Monaco'.

The friend added Charlene 'only felt fully part of the family' after welcoming the twins which gave her 'a kind of security'.

'She's incredibly involved and protective ... in a very loving and providing kind of way, shunning other activities to be with them and making sure that they're kind of living a semi-normal life,' they added.

Charlene, who travelled to Thanda Safari in KwaZulu-Natal in January to learn more about being done to help save rhinos from poachers, shared a piece of artwork on World Rhino Day

Meanwhile, Prince Albert has been preparing for his wife's return home after spending most of 2021 apart.

In a previous interview with People, he said Charlene was ready to come home and has been joking that she wants to clandestinely hop on a ship to make her way to Monaco.

Earlier this month, he told the magazine: 'She didn't leave Monaco in a huff! She didn't leave because she was mad at me or at anybody else She didn't go into exile. It was absolutely just a medical problem which had to be treated.'

He added that his wife had planned to travel to South Africa to reassess her foundation's work and to spend time with her brother and friends.

Many royal fans commenting on the post begged the royal for an update on her health and sent her get well soon messages

Albert admitted he 'probably should have addressed' the rumours sooner, but was 'concentrating on taking care of the kids' and believed they would just 'go away'.

'Of course it affects her, of course it affects me,' he told the magazine. 'Misreading events is always detrimental... We're an easy target, easily hit, because we're in the public eye a lot.'

How Charlene and Albert made solo outings in South Africa and Monaco during seven months apart January 27 - Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. March 18 - Charlene is pictured at the memorial for the late Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini at the KwaKhethomthandayo Royal Palace in Nongoma, South Africa April 2 - Charlene posts an Instagram picture of herself, Albert and their twins Jacques and Gabriella for Easter. It is unknown where the image was taken. May 8 - Albert, Jacques and Gabriella attend a Grand Prix event in Monaco without Charlene May 10 - Albert attends Monaco Gala Awards in Monaco without Charlene May 18 - Charlene shares her first picture from her conservation trip in South Africa June 1 - Prince Albert II, Jacques and Gabriella attend event at Oceanic Museum in Monaco June 3 - New photos emerge of Charlene on her conservation trip June 5- Charlene puts on a united front as she shares a photo with her family to mark her niece's fifth birthday with her brother's family and Albert and the twins in South Africa June 7 - Albert and the twins attend the World Rugby Sevens without Charlene June 17 - Prince Albert attends Red Cross Summer concert in Monte Carlo with his sister Princess Caroline of Hanover June 18 - Prince Albert appears alone Monte Carlo TV Festival June 24 - Charlene's foundation releases a statement saying the royal is unable to travel and is undergoing procedures for an ear, nose and throat infection July 2 - Charlene and Albert mark their 10th anniversary separately. 'This year will be the first time that I'm not with my husband on our anniversary in July, which is difficult, and it saddens me,' Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene said in a statement. July 3 - Albert appears with glamorous niece Charlotte Casiraghi at the 15th international Monte-Carlo Jumping event, which is part of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco, July 27 - Prince Albert attends Olympics alone in Tokyo August 13 - Charlene undergoes a four-hour operation. The reason is not announced August 25 - Charlene shares photos of Prince Albert, Gabriella and Jacques visiting her in South Africa August 31 - Speculation mounts in the media about couple's relationship Advertisement

The Princess has missed out on countless public engagements and family events due to her extended stay in South Africa, including her children's return to school this week.

On Monday, after a trip to Ireland with their father, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella joined the 5715 pupils starting their school year at FANB.

Sporting the school's red polo shirts, the twins wore face coverings as they entered the building ahead of their 10am start.

Last week it was announced that the royal had been admitted to hospital in in the port city of Durban in the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province after collapsing at home.

'Her Serene Highness (HSH) Princess Charlene of Monaco was rushed to hospital by ambulance late Wednesday night after collapsing due to complications from the severe ear, nose, and throat infection she contracted in May,' her foundation said in a statement.

'The Princess' medical team is currently evaluating her but have confirmed that the Princess is stable,' it said.

Chantell Wittstock, director of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation and Charlene's sister-in-law, later said that 'she has been released. She was released this morning'. 'Doctors are still establishing exactly what happened,' she said.

Her latest health scare was 'part of the recovery,' Wittstock said. 'She has been in a lot of pain.'

Charlene and Albert reunited last month for the first time in months after the monarch and their children flew to South Africa, but photographs of the pair embracing were branded 'awkward' by a body language expert.

In recent weeks, lifestyle magazines across Europe have speculated feverishly that the royal couple could be headed for divorce. French magazine Madame Figaro stated the images 'failed to convince the Monegasques' amid reports Charlene is looking for a house in Johannesburg.

According to The Telegraph, the magazine asked: 'How long can she remain away from her children, her duties?'

'How long will the fight against rhinoceros poaching remain the Princess of Monaco's top priority?

'How long will Albert II of Monaco go on bearing this affront, which is becoming ridiculous?'

Historian Philippe Delorme said that 'lots of people got the impression it was an arranged marriage' between Charlene and Albert, adding: 'Albert chose a wife who resembled his mother, and Charlene clearly felt very ill at ease in this Grace Kelly role they wanted her to play'

The mounting speculation about the couple's marriage comes after Charlene shared professional photographs of her reunion with Prince Albert online, saying she was 'thrilled' to have her family back.

She shared a series of photos cuddled up with her kids in South Africa with the caption: 'I am so thrilled to have my family back with me (Gabriella decided to give herself a haircut!!!) Sorry my Bella I tried my best to fix it,' referring to her daughter's choppy fringe.

However a body language expert told FEMAIL Charlene showed 'no emotional bond' towards her husband Prince Albert in the images.

Judi James said that rather than being the loved-up reunion photo one would expect of a couple surrounded by split rumours, the royals' poses suggested 'no signs of connection between awkward-looking Albert and Charlene'.

Last Monaco outing together: Charlene and Albert were last pictured together at an official event together in January at the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. Albert has made a few visits to South Africa since

Charlene has been in South Africa since at least March, with media reports suggesting she is looking for a house there.

The prince, who already supports two illegitimate children, is alleged to have been in a relationship with a Brazilian woman which resulted in a daughter in 2005.

Princess Charlene's trials and tribulations in the Monaco royal family 1987 - Bea Fiedler, a German topless model, claims her son Daniel was the prince's son. 1992 - An American national files a paternity lawsuit against the Prince, claiming that he was the father of her daughter, Jazmin Grace. 2000 - Princess Charlene meets Prince Albert at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo 2005 - In May, a former flight attendant claims that her youngest son, whom she named Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, was Prince Albert's child. She states that his parentage had been proven by DNA tests requested by the Monegasque government. On 6 July, a few days before he was enthroned on 12 July, the Prince officially confirms via his lawyer Lacoste that Alexandre was his biological son. 2006 - After a DNA test confirmed the child's parentage, Albert admitted, via statement from his lawyer, that he is Jazmin Grace's father. 2010 - Princess Charlene and Prince Albert announce their engagement 2011 - Princess Charlene was said to have bolted two days before the royal wedding after hearing Prince Albert had a third love child during their relationship. It was alleged that Charlene tried to flee home to South Africa three times before her 'arranged marriage', at one point taking refuge inside her country's embassy in Paris. Monaco officials were said to have coaxed her back by brokering a deal between the Prince and his reluctant bride that she provide him with a legitimate heir. After that she would be free to leave of her own free will. During the wedding, Charlene was in floods of tears, while her husband looked on impassively. Later in the year, Princess Charlene confessed she felt 'very lonely' in Monaco 2012 - Princess Charlene was reported to be 'depressed' at her failure to provide her husband with a legitimate heir. 2014 - Pregnancy was announced in May. In December Charlene gave birth to twins Princess Gabriella and heir to the throne Prince Jacques. 2017 - Princess Charlene visits Africa, tells media: 'I am African and this is my heritage. It will always be. It's in my heart and in my veins.' 2019 - In a rare interview, Princess Charlene confessed it is 'sometimes hard to smile' and said the year had been 'very painful'In another interview, she said she found motherhood 'exhausting' 2020 - Charlene debuts a shocking half-shaved hairstyle. It is announced Prince Albert of Monaco will appear in court in the new year to fight explosive claims he fathered a third love child with a secret girlfriend before marrying his now wife Princess Charlene. 2021 - January 27 - Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. It is the last time she has been seen in Monaco this year. Advertisement

The claim, which his lawyers dismissed as a 'hoax', is particularly painful as he was dating Charlene at the time, having met in 2000.

However, Charlene has publicly supported her husband, and the palace have reiterated she is only in South Africa because she's unable to fly.

On August 13, the Monaco palace released a statement saying Charlene was to undergo surgery.

It read: 'Princess Charlene will undergo an operation today, Friday, August 13, for four hours under general anaesthesia.'

The princess will not return to Monaco until at least the end of October.

Princess Charlene, who has been well enough to conduct interviews from South Africa and has been seen out and about, has used the time to promote her anti-poaching initiative, Chasing Zero.

Charlene's last formal engagement was on January 27 when she joined Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monte Carlo. She has not been seen at home since.

Instead she has been keeping followers updated through social media posts and media interviews, in which she has spoken candidly about missing her children and described her husband as 'her rock'.

Speaking to South Africa Radio 702's host Mandy Wiener, the royal said: '[It's] very frustrating, terribly frustrating. I can't wait to get back to them, I can't wait to see my children.'

Charlene revealed: 'It's the longest period I've actually been away from Europe, let alone my children, but I'm FaceTiming them most days and they've been here and will be returning to see me again after my procedure.

'It's an amazing opportunity [to be here] but I'm very sad I can't be with my children this summer in Europe.'

She added that she was initially only supposed to be in her native South Africa for ten to 12 days for a conservation trip with her Princess Charlene of Monaco foundation.

However, the royal had a problem 'equalising her ears' and was told by a doctor that she was suffering from a serious sinus infection.

'It's taken time to address the problem that I'm having,' explained Charlene. 'I cannot go into full detail, but I cannot force healing so I will be grounded in South Africa until the end of October.

'The reason being I cannot fly above 3,000 metres otherwise I'll have a problem with my ears.

'I feel well, I feel good, it's just obviously a waiting game for me, but I've had a great opportunity to understand a little bit more about South Africa, the environment, the needs and it's been wonderful to be back in South Africa, and I think at this time it's crucial that people are aware of certain things via my foundation.'

Charlene joined the video interview from bush country in the KwaZulu-Natal region.

She has also shared videos released by the Monaco royal palace to mark her and Albert's 10th wedding anniversary, which took place in July. The couple spent the milestone thousands of miles apart.

But royal sources have suggested the princess has 'no plans' to return soon.

A palace source told Paris Match: 'The Princess has, for the time being, in reality, no intention of returning.'

The separation is also affecting Charlene's relationship with the people of Monaco.

Stephane Bearn uses an impeccably sourced piece in the latest Paris Match to discuss the torturous separation.

He describes subjects in Monaco becoming increasingly angry about their runaway Princess, as they criticise everything from Charlene's mood swings to her appearance.

'In Monaco, since the departure of Charlene, tongues have loosened,' Mr Bearn writes. 'In the whirlwind of a hard-nosed court, her fine shine is rubbing off. Her sad looks are regarded as haggard.

Friends of Princess Charlene of Monaco, 43, pictured, have said the royal, who has been away from her family for several months, is a 'tough cookie'

'Disappointed Monegasques talk about her anger, her whimsical moods, which are as changeable as her hair.'

He added: 'The Palace had to invoke a suffering Princess so often that the Monegasques today find it hard to believe. By crying wolf, the mother of Jacques and Gabriella would have discredited and isolated herself.'

During her trip, Charlene also debuted a dramatic new shaved hairstyle.

She showcased the 'French crop' hairdo - featuring a longer strip on top of the head and dramatically shaved back and sides - in snaps shared on her charity's Instagram page in late May.

The royal first stepped out with a dramatic half-shaved head in December 2020 but has since gone even shorter and bolder with the cut.

Charlene and Albert's marriage has been plagued with rumours from the start.

The couple met at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo in 2000, announced their engagement in 2010.

Former Olympic swimmer Charlene reportedly tried to flee Monaco for her native South Africa on three separate occasions before the royal wedding after discovering Albert had allegedly fathered a love child - his third - while they were together.

Monaco officials were said to have coaxed her back by brokering a deal between the Prince and his reluctant bride, saying she could leave once she had provided him with a legitimate heir.

One source said at the time: 'Charlene will provide an heir, then if things don't go well, she will receive a generous divorce settlement once she's served a decent amount of time.'

Charlene, 43, who was last seen in Monaco in January, shared professional photographs of a reunion with her family on Instagram last month (pictured)

Mummy's boy: Princess Charlene poses with her son Jacques, who is heir to the Monaco throne. She said she was delighted to be back with her family. The family were last together at the start of June, when Albert and the children flew out to South Africa to be with Charlene

Charlene was seen in floods of tears on her wedding day in 2011.

Just one year after their wedding, it was reported that Charlene was 'depressed' at her failure to provide her husband with a legitimate heir.

Her pregnancy was announced in May 2014, and in December that year she gave birth to twins Princess Gabriella and heir to the throne Prince Jacques.

In the 10 years since, Charlene has rarely spoken publicly of her experience.

In 2017, the Princess made an emotional return to Africa, where she spoke about how much the continent means to her.

'I am African and this is my heritage. It will always be. Its in my heart and in my veins,' she told Eyewitness News.

Last year she admitted life was 'very painful', saying: 'I have the privilege of having this life, but I miss my family and my friends in South Africa and I'm often sad because I cannot always be there for them.'

It's been a tumultuous start to the year for the royal, after news emerged that her husband is facing a paternity suit over a love child born in the early years of their relationship.

Play time! Twins Jacques and Gabriella climb a tree in one of the photos shared on Instagram

The 34-year-old claimant  who cannot be named for legal reasons  says she had a passionate affair with Albert, leading to the birth of their daughter  whose name is also classified  on July 4, 2005.

Albert received a handwritten letter from the child, who is now 15, in September last year reading: I don't understand why I grew up without a father, and now that I have found you, you don't want to see me.

Legal papers were also filed, as lawyers for the claimant called on Albert to undergo a DNA test  just as he did before finally being identified as the father of two illegitimate children born in the 1990s and early 2000s.

In January, Charlene spoke publicly for the first time since the allegations, telling Point de Vue: 'When my husband has problems, he tells me about it. I often tell him, "No matter what, no matter what, I'm a thousand percent behind you. I'll stand by you whatever you do, in good times or in bad."

The mother-of-two went on to say she also often tells her husband she will 'protect him' and will 'always be by his side.'

Charlene, who was raised in South Africa and represented the country at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, travelled to Thanda Safari in KwaZulu-Natal in January to learn more about being done by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa to help save rhinos from poachers.

The princess took part in conservation operations including rhino monitoring and tracking, deployment with the Anti-Poaching Unit, educational wildlife photography sessions, and a White Rhino dart and dehorning exercise.
Queen Letizia of Spain has once again showcased her stunning fashion prowess in a sophisticated lilac suit as she stepped out in Madrid.

The royal mother-of-two, 49, attended a World Cancer Research Day event in the Spanish capital today.

She was on hand to support the work of the Spanish Association Against Cancer, which funds research projects and supports patients and their families.

Queen Letizia of Spain (pictured) has once again showcased her stunning fashion prowess in a sophisticated lilac suit as she stepped out in Madrid

The royal mother-of-two (pictured), 49, attended a World Cancer Research Day event in the Spanish capital today

Looking perfectly polished, Letizia teamed her purple number with a white lace-detailed blouse and matching high heels.

Putting safety first, the glamorous royal wore a protective face covering when arriving at the event.

She completed her ensemble with a touch of makeup, opting for a radiant smokey eye look while keeping her hair down.

Letizia (pictured) was on hand to support the work of the Spanish Association Against Cancer, which funds research projects and supports patients and their families

Looking perfectly polished, Letizia teamed her purple number with a white lace-detailed blouse and matching high heels

Putting safety first, the glamorous royal wore a protective face covering when arriving at the event

It's been a busy week for Letizia; yesterday she stunned in an emerald green dress as she attended a charity awards presentation in Madrid.

The royal donned a favourite Sandro number to present the 11th Santander Social Projects award at the Queen Sofia Museum.

The awards recognise social initiatives chosen by the bank's employees in Spain, which will receive more than 40,000 euros (34,300) each in funding.

Accompanied by Santander's president Ana Patricia Botin, the Spanish queen looked relaxed at the event.

She completed her ensemble with a touch of makeup, opting for a radiant smokey eye look while keeping her hair down

Queen Letizia poses on her arrival with the president of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), Ramon Reyes Bori

It's been a busy week for Letizia (pictured right); yesterday she stunned in an emerald green dress as she attended a charity awards presentation in Madrid

Letizia struck the perfect balance between elegance and business chic in the floaty midi dress, which featured a striking green and white print.

Letting the dress speak for itself, she streamlined her look by picking discreet accessories.

Keeping things simple, she picked a black clutch bag, which matched her stiletto heels for the occasion.

Her dark tresses were styled perfectly in a glossy blow-dry, which a few locks tucked behind her ears.
As Sex and the City fans mourn the death of Willie Garson at the age of 57 this week, many are wondering what his untimely passing means for his beloved character Stanford Blatch.

The actor had been in New York filming HBO's ten-episode reboot, And Just Like That, and was last seen on set on August 2 alongside Mario Cantone, who plays his on-screen husband, Anthony Marantino.

But it's unclear whether Garson had already wrapped filming on the limited series or if he still had scenes left to shoot. The show's producers have not announced whether his death will be written into the show.

As Sex and the City fans mourn the death of Willie Garson at the age of 57 this week, many are wondering what his untimely passing means for his beloved character Stanford Blatch

The actor had been in New York filming HBO's ten-episode reboot, And Just Like That, which began production in June. He is pictured with Sarah Jessica Parker on July 24 in NYC

He'd alredy shot scenes with his on-screen husband Mario Cantone, as well as Parker, Cynthia Nixon, David Eigenberg, and Evan Handler

The last footage of Garson filming is from August 2, when he and Mario were recorded existing an indoor filming location, dressed in black suits.

He was also pictured filming on July 24 with Mario, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, David Eigenberg, and Evan Handler.

And Just Like That is still in the process of filming, and is set to shoot scenes later this week, though scheduling may be affected by Garson's death.

Cast members who have paid tribute to Garson  including Parker and Nixon  have not clarified whether he was scheduled to film any more scenes.

If Garson's filming had yet to wrap, that would mean rewrites  and possibly even re-shoots  for the series.

However, it is possible that showrunners knew of Garson's illness  and that Stanford's death may have even already been planned.

In August, a source close to the show revealed to DailyMail.com that there was 'going to be a big death' in the reboot.

The insider said that the shock death would lead Carrie Bradshaw to reunite with characters with whom she has had rocky relations during the TV series.

The last footage of Garson filming is from August 2, when he and Mario were recorded existing an indoor filming location, dressed in black suits

Instagrammer @mickmicknyc shared footage taken at the filming location

'This is all top secret at the moment,' the source said, 'but in the first episode fans will be served up a jaw-dropping storyline where one of the major names on the show will die.

'Those in the know are calling it a ''big death,'' which obviously has everyone leaping to the conclusion that Mr. Big will be no more.

'But we have been implored not to say anything or divulge any other info, because HBO wants this to be one of their huge promotional points for the launch.

'Obviously Samantha Jones is a clear candidate for the chop too, given Sarah and Kim's ongoing war.

'Only the leading stars and show executives are aware of this presently and are desperate to keep a lid on it  a coffin lid.'

Now with Garson's death in real life, fans are worried about the fate of his character.

'This can't be happening! I have to see what will happen with Stanford and Anthony saga!!' wrote one on Twitter.

'Willie had already started shooting for #AndJustLikeThat. I hope they do justice to his character in the show,' said another.

'This is incredibly sad,' wrote a third. 'He was in the middle of filming with them, again... wonder if they'll leave his parts in the new show.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to HBO for comment.

When Cory Monteith tragically died at age 27 from an overdose in 2013, his hit show Glee was on summer haitus. His death was written into the show

In 2003, actor John Ritter, then 54, died of an aortic dissection while starring in 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter. The show also wrote his death into the plot

This is certainly not the first time that an actor has died in the midst of filming a television show, and other series have found different ways to deal with a character's sudden absense.

Many have written the deaths into the storyline.

When Cory Monteith tragically died at age 27 from an overdose in 2013, his hit show Glee was on summer haitus. His death was written into the show, though no specific reason was given for the character's death.

In 2003, actor John Ritter, then 54, died of an aortic dissection while starring in 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter. The show also wrote his death into the plot, having his character die of a heart attack  and changing the direction of the series.

Bill Hartman's character died on NewsRadio after he was killed in May of 1998.

The deaths of Monk's Stanley Kamel, The West Wing's John Spencer, and and Cheers' Nicholas Colasanto were also written into the shows.

After his death, actor Phil Leeds's character died on Ally McBeal, but the show used old footage of the actor sleeping to portray his death on screen

Nancy Marchand, who played Livia on The Sopranos, died from lung cancer at age 71 in 2000  but she was still featured in the show's third season with the use of CGI

Some shows have taken different routes. When Freddie Prinze died by suicide in 1977, Chico and the Man was left without its title character. The show explained his absensce by having his character move to Mexico and get replaced with a new character.

Several shows have even made use of Hollywood magic to keep characters on screen.

Phil Leeds, who played Judge Dennis Boyle on Ally McBeal, died of pneumonia in the midst of filming. The show still wrote in his death, but used old footage of the actor sleeping to portray his death on screen.

And Nancy Marchand, who played Livia on The Sopranos, died from lung cancer at age 71 in 2000  but she was still featured in the show's third season with the use of CGI.
Princess Diana's nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer were elegant in matching trouser suits as they arrived at Milan Fashion Week today.

The stunning twins, both 29, who grew up in South Africa, were seen front row of the Alberta Ferretti fashion show this afternoon.

Lady Amelia, who recently moved from Cape Town to London with her fiance Greg Mallett, looked chic in a three piece black trouser suit, while Lady Eliza opted for the identical tailoring but in a maroon shade.

It is far from the first high profile event the blonde duo, who are daughters of Earl Spencer and first cousins of Princes William and Harry, have attended in recent weeks.

Princess Diana's nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer were elegant in matching trouser suits as they arrived at Milan Fashion Week today

Last night, the sisters attended the Miss Dior launch event for Dior's new Miss Dior Eau de Parfum.

The twins posed up a storm on the pink carpet in Dusseldorf, Germany.

And earlier this week, they joined their sister Lady Kitty at their first ever London Fashion Week.

Sisters Lady Kitty, Amelia and Eliza Spencer proved that their trio can pose up a storm as they arrived for the Perfect Magazine and NoMad London Fashion Week party on Sunday.

Yesterday, the sisters attended the Miss Dior launch event for Dior's new Miss Dior Eau de Parfum in Dusseldorf

The blonde beauties aligned their fashion senses for the glamorous evening as they joined forces to celebrate Perfect Issue One, Joy, and the official launch of NoMad, London.

And earlier this month they attended the 78th Venice Film Festival, turning heads in their elegant floor-length Alberta Ferretti gowns.

Amelia and Eliza, who are both signed to Storm Model Management, are looking forward to fulfilling long-held ambitions now they're both living 20 minutes apart in London.

Amelia hopes to become a wedding planner and Eliza dreams of being an interior designer.

Lady Amelia, who recently moved from Cape Town to London with her fiance Greg Mallett, looked chic in a three piece black trouser suit (left), while Lady Eliza opted for the identical tailoring but in a maroon shade (right)

They grew up with their father and mother Victoria Aitken in Constantia but spent significant time in the UK after their parents split and Charles moved back to the family's seat, Althorp.

They have two half-sisters and half-brother from their father's second and third marriages, and half-brother from their mother's second marriage.

Earlier this year, the pair were hailed by society bible Tatler as among the hottest and most elegant socialite siblings from across the world who are used to moving in the same circles as supermodels, aristocrats and royals.

They were ranked among others as one of the most glamorous sets of twins on the elite social scene.

The stunning twins, who grew up in South Africa , were seen front row of the Alberta Ferretti fashion show this afternoon

The sisters have an unbreakable bond as twins, with Lady Amelia telling Tatler she and Lady Eliza have always been close and are 'very similar'.

'We love doing the same things and share the same friends,' she said. 'You're guaranteed to have a best friend there always  you can't really compare it to anything else.'

She added that they are a 'very open family' and value the importance of talking about mental health.

'It was never something that we felt afraid to talk about when we had our own struggles,' Lady Eliza said.

It is far from the first high profile event the blonde duo, who are daughters of Earl Spencer and first cousins of Princes William and Harry, have attended in recent weeks

The society beauties wore matching three piece suits for the event at Milan Fashion Week (pictured, Lady Amelia)

The society beauties also told Tatler they have very fond memories of Althorp, the Spencer family seat, where they'd stay with their father during the school holidays.

'It is a truly special and beautiful place. Having spent the first three years of our lives at Althorp, exploring and discovering it as children, and being part of a long heritage of Spencers that have lived there, it has always felt like another home,' Lady Eliza said.

'And of course it conjures up memories of family Christmases as children, with our extended family all together.'

Speaking to Hello magazine, Eliza and Amelia revealed they have 'precious memories' of their late aunt Diana who was close to their hearts.

Last night the twins piled on the glamour as they attended a Dior event in Dusseldorf

It is not known when Greg and Amelia will marry, or if they will choose to wed in England or South Africa. Lady Amelia hasn't ruled out holding the wedding at Althorp, after her father suggested their family seat as a venue.

Meanwhile Eliza and Channing often share romantic snaps together on Instagram of their date-nights and lavish holidays abroad.

Marketing executive Channing, who attended the same school as Eliza's brother, Viscount Althorp, has a son from a previous relationship, and his girlfriend appears to dote on the boy.
British columnist Jenni Murray (pictured) say women didnt fight for equality only to be erased

So often in my long career as a journalist with a special interest in the rights of women, Ive heard young women and girls putting forward the idea that there was no longer any need to struggle for equality. Wed won. We had it all.

I would always point out that rights, once won, were not necessarily set in stone. Often, whether the concern was rape, domestic violence, opportunities in the workplace or just the freedom to dress as we pleased, drink in a pub or walk home at night, we had made two steps forward and one step back.

We should never assume that rights, once gained, could never be taken away. We must always remain vigilant. I would often use Afghanistan as my example. Women in the 1970s there were educated, wore whatever they pleased and had good jobs. The Taliban took that freedom away.

It was regained during the past 20 years. Now its gone again as the Taliban shuts down the Womens Ministry and renames it the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice  slipping into that cliche of defining women as Madonna or whore.

I never expected anything so radical here, but we are, I fear, on a slippery slope to the erosion of womens sex-based rights. Too many businesses, including the Crown Estate, have fallen in with powerful lobbying by an organisation called Stonewall. Suddenly trans activists appear to dominate and women are left behind.

A year ago, Keira Bell won her case in the High Court. She had argued that a child under 16 was not competent to make an informed choice about puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. She had been a patient at the Tavistock clinic as a teenage girl who thought she wanted to be a boy.

In her early 20s, she realised she had made a mistake and de-transitioned, but had suffered profound and irreversible changes to her body and her fertility. It felt like a huge step forward in the protection of children when the court agreed with her concerns.

Last week, the Tavistock, which runs the UKs only youth gender identity clinic, appealed the decision and won. In a reversal of the earlier judgment, it is now to be left to doctors to decide whether a child is competent to understand the impact of treatment such as Keira had.

But was it not the doctors who had enabled Keiras girl to boy transition without, as she argued, challenging her perceived gender dysphoria at the time?

All this as Scotland is talking about lowering the age someone can legally change their gender from 18 to 16.

Have the trans activists made this whole debate so toxic we are forgetting our duty to protect children from drugs that may ruin their adult lives as women?

The Labour MP Rosie Duffield has also landed in hot water. She has been advised to stay away from her partys conference this weekend because of fears for her safety. She was branded transphobic after saying only women have a cervix and that it might not be appropriate for people with male bodies who identify as women to enter female-only spaces.

Ah women, that word we all thought we knew the meaning of. Not any more. This week, I read on Twitter about a woman whod been asked by a company she did not name to write a plan for better treatment of women going through the menopause. She did so, but was ordered by her bosses to remove the word woman.

Menopausal people would be more satisfactory as it would include trans men who, despite their appearance, would still be biologically female.

The Labour MP Rosie Duffield has also landed in hot water. She has been advised to stay away from her partys conference this weekend because of fears for her safety. She was branded transphobic after saying only women have a cervix and that it might not be appropriate for people with male bodies who identify as women to enter female-only spaces.

She has been threatened with death and mutilation on social media, as so many of us have for saying similar things. No wonder shes frightened.

Lets not forget the MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in 2016. We like to think these vicious trolls wont carry out their threats, but we never know.

The Speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has supported Rosie, but the party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has failed to arrange a meeting to discuss her concerns and establish the partys policy on the transgender question. He should arrange police protection for her, as was given to the former MP, Luciana Berger, in 2018 when she feared attending the conference after months of anti-Semitic abuse.

Rosie Duffield should feel safe among members of her own party. Women are women. Trans women are trans women. All deserve respect and safety, but women must not be erased.

Weve fought long and hard for respect for our sex, not our gender and I, for one, will never give up.

Im a woman and a mother. No more steps back, please.

All my good luck and sympathy go to Julia Bradbury, who has just experienced that ghastly moment when the surgeon says to you: Im sorry, you do have breast cancer.

Cancer isn't a battle - it's all down to luck

All my good luck and sympathy go to Julia Bradbury, who has just experienced that ghastly moment when the surgeon says to you: Im sorry, you do have breast cancer.

I remember, as if it were yesterday, the moment the doctor said the same thing to me. Its terrifying because you dont know your prognosis, but you do know its going to be a long and difficult haul which will change your body forever.

I do wish, though, that it could be seen as something you simply have to endure in the hope youll be one of the lucky ones. Julia said: It will be the fight of my life and Ill have the battle scars to prove it.

I doubt that kind of pugilistic language is at all helpful to the women who are not going to make it. Why put into their heads the fear that they didnt battle hard enough?

We all need to know its simply the luck of the draw.

I'm too old for romance by candlelight

There seems to be so much worry about the potential impact of the 2021 energy crisis. Maybe the bills will go up  not good. Maybe well have to keep the temperature down a bit and put on an extra jumper  not too bad.

Were told the lights wont go out, but what if they did? I was 23 in 1973 when the lights did go out. We were told when to expect a power cut and were able to prepare for it.

I remember it as rather romantic. I would sit, late at night in candlelight, listening to music on a transistor radio and chatting with family and friends. Im not sure Ill be quite so keen nearly 50 years on.

My mothers advice when choosing a sweater was never to buy one with horizontal stripes. Itll make you look fatter, she said. I stuck with the vertical.

The horizontal came back into fashion soon after Id lost half my body weight through gastric surgery. I bought two, one navy and white, one red and white, and wore one to speak at a conference on obesity. In my speech, I said what a liberation it was to wear it after Id lost so much weight. I would never have dared during my obese years.

Now I learn my mother was mistaken. Scientists have discovered that its dark horizontal stripes that make you look slimmer. How annoying that, during my fat years, I could have benefited from an optical illusion.
Society beauty Emma Weymouth cut an elegant figure in a strapless floral gown as she stepped out for a glitzy event in London this evening.

Emma, 35, who is married to Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath, was in high spirits as she attended the exhibition opening for Elena Gual at Grove Square Galleries.

She opted for a figure-flattering floral evening gown, and posed alongside a portrait the Spanish artist had drawn of her.

Emma's appearance comes after the Strictly Come Dancing star returned to the UK after attending the nuptials of her friend Lady Kitty Spencer in Italy followed by a short break in France with her children.

Society beauty Emma Weymouth cut an elegant figure in a strapless floral gown as she stepped out for a glitzy event in London this evening

Emma, 35, who is married to Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath, was in high spirits as she attended the exhibition opening for Elena Gual at Grove Square Galleries

While attending the event in London, the fashionista posed next to an illustration drawn by Elena.

Last night she joined close friend and British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful at private members' club Annabel's for a British Fashion Council bash hosted in collaboration with Swarovski.

The aristocrat opted for a figure-flattering black evening gown with a semi-sheer embellished side panel that offered a peek at her legs.

The same sparkling material was used to create a double scoop neckline and added a touch of excitement to an otherwise plain dress.

She opted for a figure-flattering floral evening gown, and posed for an illustration the Spanish artist had drawn of her.

Keeping her accessories simple, Emma paired the dress with black point toe pumps and a black clutch.

The only splash of colour came with her eye-catching red nail polish.

She beamed as she left the private members' club behind Enninful, who is in the midst of a busy fashion month.

It has marked a busy week for Emma, who on Monday attended the British Vogue party at The Londoner Hotel.

Emma's appearance comes after the Strictly Come Dancing star returned to the UK after attending the nuptials of her friend Lady Kitty Spencer in Italy followed by a short break in France with her children

Emma's appearance comes after the Strictly Come Dancing star returned to the UK after attending the nuptials of her friend Lady Kitty Spencer in Italy followed by a short break in France with her children.

Princess Diana's niece, 30, wedded her long-term boyfriend Michael Lewis, 62, at a 17th century Italian castle last month.

Lady Kitty's father Earl Spencer, 57, did not attend and she was walked down the aisle by her brother Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, 27, and half brother Samuel Aitken, whose father is businessman Jonathan Aitken.

During her time aboard she was spotted exploring Venice with her hunky Serbian model pal Alessandro Egger this month.
Memories return to torture Sophie Beresford, fragments of insight into a night that otherwise remains terrifyingly blank. She recalls cash being waved at the taxi driver and seeing her dog as she and her date returned to the flat where she lived alone.

She remembers a man lying naked on top of her; and waking without clothes the next morning, her pink dress discarded on the floor.

Only days later did it sink in that the two glasses of red wine shed had that evening were nowhere near enough to make her black out  and that the man had probably drugged her drink before raping her.

Three years on, the legacy of her ordeal lives on. The more time passed, the worse I felt, says Sophie, 35, an artist now living in Norwich. I left London, where it happened, because I didnt feel safe. I felt depressed, anxious and worthless.

She had met the man on Tinder, the dating app that uses smartphone GPS to allow members living near each other to swipe the screen to say if they are attracted. If they are, they match and can meet.

There is no accountability when youve met on Tinder, says Sophie. If you treat someone badly, you have no friend or colleague in common. Theres no comeback.

According to research, 618,000 women in England and Wales were sexually assaulted in the year to March 2020.

Number of people who reported they had been raped on a first date with someone they met on a dating app had risen sixfold from 2011 to 2016

In 2016 it was revealed the number of people who reported they had been raped on a first date with someone they met on a dating app had risen sixfold in five years, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). However, the NCA said the true figure may be ten times higher, as rape is under-reported.

Last month, Bumble announced it would offer free online therapy to users who report an act of sexual violence by someone they have met on its dating app. From later this year, members will receive a code to access live video sessions with a therapist.

The decision is well intentioned  but shouldnt such companies be doing more to stop women being sexually assaulted in the first place?

Lots of women who are raped feel on some level guilty, says psychologist and trauma specialist Dr Lori Bisbey.

But women who have met someone on a dating app see the app as going through a form of selection procedure. Female users think they have vetted the person  and then take responsibility for what happens.

Yet anyone can hide their intentions and identity online. Tinder requires no proof that those signing up give their real name, date of birth or profile picture. And the swiping mechanism arguably gamifies the dating process, speeding up decisions and giving the same rush of dopamine  the pleasure hormone  that social media and games apps provide.

Vicky Saynor found herself reporting a man she met on Match who drugged her and left her naked in a hotel room

On a dating website, people tend to spend longer choosing a date than on an app  its not swipe left or swipe right, says Dr Bisbey. Apps are deceptive. People think they have more information than they do.

Sophie joined Tinder in 2018, providing pictures of herself alongside a brief biography that said she liked sport, reading and dogs.

She was deluged with messages, some boring, others from guys who treated me like a pizza delivery, immediately asking if I was free to come over, she says. But with Zachary there was a rapport.

After two weeks of messaging, she met Zachary  32, blond, working in finance  at a London pub. Although he seemed fun, she says, he asked if I lived alone and if I was close to my neighbours. Looking back, he wanted to know I didnt have a support system around me.

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Sophie had just returned from the toilet to sip her second glass of wine when suddenly she felt incredibly drunk, then everything went blank.

I dont remember leaving the pub, but I remember he had money to give to the taxi driver, as if he planned it, says Sophie, a quietly spoken, moderate drinker who hasnt blacked out from alcohol before or since.

I have a memory of him on top of me  but how can I have consented to sex when I was so out of it?

The next morning, both woke up naked before he made his excuses and left. She continues: I had a horrible, creepy feeling  did he have sex with me while I was asleep?

Later that day, Zachary messaged her I hope you had a good night, adding an emoji face with teeth bared.

They didnt speak again  and as days passed, the gnawing feeling grew that she hadnt consented to sex and her drink had been spiked.

I didnt have any evidence to show Tinder or go to the police with, says Sophie. My self-esteem took a battering. I felt worthless.

Tinder does offer all users the option to verify their profiles with a blue checkmark, using facial recognition software to confirm that the person in the photo is genuine. Last month, it announced plans to make wider, voluntary ID verification available.

There is no requirement for dating apps to vet their members for criminal records. But in March, Match Group  which owns apps including Tinder, Match and Plenty Of Fish  announced it was partnering with background check platform Garbo to provide users with paid access to Garbos services, which give information about other members such as previous arrests and restraining orders. The service will be piloted in America later this year.

Vicky had been single for 18 months, with a baby, when she downloaded the Match app in 2013. I worked full-time and had limited childcare, she says. I said I was a single mother looking for a serious relationship.

Presumably, however, most of those paying for the service will be women  and why should they have to pay for male behaviour?

I think we should hand the responsibility for doing background checks back to the companies that own the dating apps, says psychotherapist Juliette Clancy, who works with more and more clients who have been assaulted by men they met on these apps.

She adds: Many who have tried to report it to apps have had no response or an automated one. They felt they were being brushed away.

That is what newly divorced Vicky Saynor found after reporting a man she met on Match who drugged her and left her naked in a hotel room.

After a week of messaging, they met in a London bar for a drink. He looked exactly like his profile picture, if not better. We talked a lot about work and children. There was chemistry, she recalls.

Match wrote back to the effect that if the police got involved, they would do something, recalls Vicky, 45, but that otherwise its one persons word against anothers.

Vicky, who at the time had a small baby, had been single for 18 months when she downloaded the Match app in 2013.

I worked full-time and had limited childcare, she says. I said I was a single mother looking for a serious relationship.

After two months, Jack caught her attention. He claimed he was a separated father of two, in his late 30s like Vicky, who worked as a music producer. He was good-looking and sounded like a good father, says Vicky, who now lives in Cottered, Herts. He seemed to admire my independence.

After a week of messaging, they met in a London bar for a drink. He looked exactly like his profile picture, if not better. We talked a lot about work and children. There was chemistry, she recalls.

After they met for dinner the following Thursday, Vicky was halfway through a vodka martini when she went outside the restaurant for a cigarette: I remember stumbling down the steps. Suddenly, I could barely see.

The next thing she recalls is coming round briefly in the night, naked and cold. Jack was sitting clothed on a chair, staring at me, she says. When she woke alone, still naked, the next morning, she realised she was in a hotel room.

For two days Vicky stayed in bed  her ex in charge of their baby  feeling sick and shaky. It was only after speaking to a friend that she realised her blackout was probably caused by a spiked drink. I dont think Jack raped me but I cant say for sure, she says. Why did he get me undressed? Why was he sitting staring at me?

I felt sick, she says. I was ashamed and embarrassed. I was 37  a mother with responsibilities  and thought Id somehow got really drunk.

She messaged Jack. He said hed had to go to work and that Id got really drunk that night. He made me feel worse. We didnt speak again.

For two days Vicky stayed in bed  her ex in charge of their baby  feeling sick and shaky. It was only after speaking to a friend that she realised her blackout was probably caused by a spiked drink. I dont think Jack raped me but I cant say for sure, she says. Why did he get me undressed? Why was he sitting staring at me? As well as reporting him to Match  now charging members from 9.99 a month  via their in-app contact form, Vicky called the police.

They asked why I hadnt called sooner. They said they probably couldnt do anything because Id showered and any evidence of being drugged had probably passed through my body. I decided there was no point in pursuing it.

For two days Vicky stayed in bed  her ex in charge of their baby  feeling sick and shaky. It was only after speaking to a friend that she realised her blackout was probably caused by a spiked drink. I dont think Jack raped me but I cant say for sure, she says. Why did he get me undressed? Why was he sitting staring at me?

Catherine Donoghue decided not to report the man she met on Plenty of Fish, either  even though he choked her nearly to the point where she thought she would suffocate.

If I could have put something on his profile to warn other women I would have  but of course it wasnt possible, says Catherine, 52, an account manager and divorced mother of three adult children, who lives near Leeds and downloaded the app in 2018.

I said I wanted to meet someone my age, living within a five-mile vicinity, she says.

I blacked out, then awoke naked and cold ...he was sitting, staring at me

She had three uneventful coffee dates, then Paul made contact: He sounded intelligent, worked with animals and was attractive.

They messaged for two weeks, spoke on the phone, then met in a bar, where the first thing he said to Catherine, who was wearing a floral dress, was: If you always dress like that, well have no problems. She recalls: I was thrown.

Looking back, there were other signs of Pauls compulsion to control. On our third date, he hired out a whole restaurant for us, she says. I was mortified but I put it down to him trying too hard to impress.

In other ways, he was a gentle, doting partner, offering to take Catherines dog for a walk and buying her flowers: He didnt raise his voice. He didnt swear.

They dated for three months and were having sex in her bed when Paul tried to choke her.

He put his hands round my neck and squeezed. I put everything into fighting him off but he was on top and bigger. I began to black out.

She was getting ever weaker when he stopped. I sat up, coughing, and asked what the hell just happened, she says. He started shaking and apologised but said you bring this out in me.

Catherine decided it would be safer to let Paul stay than try to force him to leave. I lay awake all night, terrified, she says.

For two days, she ignored his texts and voicemails before texting to tell him to leave her alone. I said You could have killed me. Dont contact me again, she recalls.

And that was when, as she puts it, Paul got really nasty.

She explains: He said hed set up his phone next to the bed and recorded everything wed done as insurance. He said if I went to the police, hed send the video to my friends and family. I said I didnt believe him. He asked if I was willing to risk it.

The threat was made before blackmailing someone with the threat of sharing sexual images was made illegal this year  and Catherine says: The thought of my children seeing me in a compromising position was horrifying. I just wanted to forget it.

Catherine has been too traumatised to date anyone else.

A spokesperson for Match Group told the Mail: Violent offenders have no place in our physical or online communities; we act on every report received, and remove and block anyone suspected of this behaviour from all our platforms.

We utilise industry-leading technologies and support legislation across the world that promotes safety. We are outraged that singles may experience fear, discomfort or worse when looking to meet someone special.
The Duchess of Cambridge dazzled in a tailored 400 white gown as she hosted an event to thank those who worked on her Hold Still project this evening.

Kate Middleton, 39, a keen photographer, started her campaign during the first lockdown last year to ask the public to submit images which captured the period.

The result was a photography book, Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020, which featured 100 final 'poignant and personal' portraits selected from 31,000 entrants and quickly became a bestseller upon its release in May.

The mother-of-three opted for a cream Self Portrait dress as she hosted the reception this evening.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, was dazzling in a tailored white gown as she hosted an event this evening to thank those who worked with her on her Hold Still project

Posting on Instagram, the Duchess thanked those who had helped her with the project, writing: 'Thank you to the brilliant partners who made Hold Still a reality!

'It took a long time to bring everyone behind this incredible project together in person but tonight we finally managed it.

'The idea for came right at the start of the pandemic, and aimed to bring people and communities together, using the amazing power of photography.

'It was made possible by so many partners, and whats more remarkable is how it was all orchestrated from kitchen tables and spare bedrooms!

Posting on Instagram, the Duchess thanked those who had helped her with the project, writing: ' Thank you to the brilliant partners who made Hold Still a reality!'

'The most special thanks must go to the thousands of people across the country who took time to share their experiences of lockdown. Without them, the project really would not have been possible.'

The royal appeared animated as she chatted with a small group of contributors in snaps from the event.

Meanwhile she opted for a 400 crisp white tailored Self Portrait gown for the occasion.

Her long brunette locks were styled into a bouncy ponytail, revealing a pair of dangling gold earrings.

Kate (pictured), a keen amateur photographer, wrote the introduction to the book, which showcases pictures from her Hold Still campaign of 2020

The book quickly became a bestseller after its release in May

As well as showcasing the final 100 images and the stories that accompany each of them, the book looked back at highlights from the community exhibition which took the portraits to billboards and outdoor poster sites in 80 towns, cities and areas in October 2020.

Over the course of the project the Duchess shared a number of her favourite images on the Kensington Royal Instagram page, including a Black Lives Matter protester holding a sign reading: 'Be on the right side of history.'

Another of the snaps was a black and white image showing a man embracing his daughter, while one shows a child kissing their godmother through a window.

Meanwhile others featured a student holding her exam qualifications, and a young girl seen drawing a huge rainbow onto a window pane.

Kate's latest appearance comes after she retuned to work following her annual summer break.

The royal has had a busy week so far, visiting the Lake District where she tried abseiling and mountain biking with the Air Cadets.

Later she met with surviving 'Windermere children' who were rescued from concentration camps and taken to the Lake District during a visit to Cumbria.

It was Kate's first public sighting since she attended her brother James Middleton's glamorous wedding in the South of France just days ago.

The couple got engaged in September 2019 but had to delay the ceremony twice in the last year due to Covid, before finally announcing they had tied the knot in Bormes-les-Mimosas in Provence at the weekend.
Almost four times as many parents in England and Wales are using surrogates now compared to a decade ago, it was revealed today.

A report by Kent University found there were 413 babies born to surrogate mothers last year, compared to just 117 in 2011.

Two-thirds were among heterosexual couples and most were in their 30s and 40s.

One surrogate mother claimed the uptick was because the procedure has become more mainstream over the past decade.

Kim Kardashian and estranged husband Kanye West's children Chicago, three, and Psalm, one, were born to surrogate mothers.

Reality TV star Kim opted to go down the surrogate route after suffering placenta accreta, a serious medical issue that occurs when part of the placenta stays attached to the uterus after birth.

The 40-year-old said after welcoming Psalm: 'I always knew surrogacy was an option  now it's my reality. Whatever is meant to be will be.'

Experts have previously suggested influential celebrities choosing to have surrogates may have helped to normalise the practice.

Surrogacy first became legal in the UK in 1985, but many couples struggle to find mothers willing to help. In the US, the first state made surrogacy legal in 1989.

Kent University researchers found 413 parental orders were issued in England last year, compared to just 117 in 2011. A parental order is used to transfer legal responsibility from a child to a baby's parents

One surrogate mother said Kim Kardashian had made the procedure more mainstream. The 40-year-old reality TV star used it for two of her four children

Kim lovingly cradling her three-year-old daughter Chicago, who was born to a surrogate mother, in a sweet Instagram album back in April

Kim's youngest child Psalm, one, was also born to a surrogate mother. Psalm is pictured playing in a ball pit last April

In the UK, a surrogate is deemed the legal mother when the baby is born irrespective of genetics or agreements. A parental order must be made to transfer legal rights to the intended or biological parents.

Surrogacy charities said the number of women looking to be surrogates had 'risen considerably' in recent years, but more were needed.

The report  first reported by the BBC  used data from the Ministry of Justice, which was obtained through Freedom of Information requests.

WHAT ARE THE SURROGACY LAWS IN THE UK? Surrogacy is legal in the UK, but if you make a surrogacy agreement it cannot be enforced by the law. If you use a surrogate, they will be the childs legal parent at birth. If the surrogate is married or in a civil partnership, their spouse or civil partner will be the childs second parent at birth, unless they did not give their permission. Legal parenthood can be transferred by parental order or adoption after the child is born. If there is disagreement about who the childs legal parents should be, the courts will make a decision based on the best interests of the child. The intended parents and surrogate can record how they want the arrangement to work in a surrogacy agreement. Surrogacy agreements are not enforceable by UK law, even if you have a signed document with your surrogate and have paid their expenses. You cannot pay a surrogate in the UK, except for their reasonable expenses. Advertisement

It was carried out by Kent University and My Surrogacy Journey, which is a non-profit organisation that supports surrogates and intended parents.

Natalie Gamble, the director of surrogate and intended parent matching agency Brilliant Beginnings, said more women are looking into the role.

She said: 'We get around 100 enquiries a month from women who want to be surrogates and thats risen considerably in the past few years.

'Unfortunately, there are still more intended parents looking for a match than we can help.'

Dr Channa Jayasena, a reproductive hormones expert at Imperial College London who was not involved in the report, said there was currently 'unprecedented demand' for surrogates.

She added: 'Fertility treatment for same-sex male couples and those who with gender reassignment may further increase the future demand for surrogacy.

'It will be interesting to see if future changes to regulations encourage or discourage women to come forward as surrogates, at such a period of unprecedented demand.'

A surrogate who runs a Facebook group to match intended parents and surrogates said she thinks the practice has become more mainstream.

NHS worker Gina Kinson, 43, from Kent, who set up the group after being a surrogate herself said they now have more than a thousand members.

She told the BBC: 'Across independent groups there have been over 40 babies born in 2019 alone.'

Ms Kinson has carried two baby daughters for Frances Simmons, 39, from Stockton-on-Tees who decided to use surrogacy after cervical cancer led to her uterus being removed.

She told the BBC: 'You hear about the Tom Daleys who have surrogacy in the US and spend thousands, but on the Facebook groups it is just normal people, teachers, people who re-mortgage their houses.'

There have been repeated calls for the UK to reform laws written in 1985 to make intended parents legally responsible for their children as soon as they are born.

In other countries such as the US, laws already make intended parents legally responsible as soon as the baby is born.

Sarah Norcross, the director of infertility support charity the Progress Educational Trust, said: 'These figures drive home the fact that reform of UK surrogacy law is long overdue.

'Thankfully, some are able to navigate the law as it stands and achieve their intended outcome.

'All too often, however, the law can leave surrogates, intended parents and the clinicians who treat them uncertain as to their legal position.

'A law which simplifies surrogacy arrangements is sorely needed.'

The UK Government is undertaking a review into surrogacy laws, with the conclusion expected to be published in 2022.

A Department of Health spokesman said: 'We know surrogacy is an important option for families and we remain committed to reforming legislation to ensure more certainty for surrogates and intended parents.

'The Law Commission is undertaking an independent review on surrogacy, which is due to conclude in 2022.'

Professor Nick Hopkins, who is leading the review, said they received their 'largest volume of responses' when the review began, and that the law 'does need updating'.
A man was left ejaculating out of his anus and urinating faeces because of a rare condition, doctors have revealed.

The 33-year-old, from Texas, did not seek medical help for two years, and only went for a check-up after suffering testicle pain for five days.

He told medics he had passed a 'substantial amount' of semen and urine from his anus for two years.

And the man, who wasn't identified, also complained of fecaluria  the presence of faecal matter in the urine.

Doctors discovered he had an abnormal connection between his prostate and rectum that was causing his urine, faeces and semen to come out of unexpected places.

The CT scan has a small arrow pointing to a small tunnel that developed between the patient's anus and prostate, allowing faeces to come out in his urine and for semen and urine to come out of his anus

His unusual ailment was published in the journal Cureus by physicians who treated him at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

They said the man's condition  a rectal-prostate fistula  is very unusual and tend to be the result of surgery or inflammatory conditions such as Crohn's.

Five cases per million people are diagnosed each year  the equivalent of around 300 Brits, according to their report.

WHAT IS A RECTAL-PROSTATE FISTULA? Rectal-prostate fistula is a very rare condition, and is only diagnosed in five people per million every year. The condition occurs when a connection appears between the prostate  which produces a fluid used to make semen  and the rectum  which stores faecal matter. This allows fluids to flow back and forth between the two areas, which can lead to semen leaking out the anus. Common symptoms of the condition include the above as well as blood and faecal matter in the urine, and urinary tract infections. Surgery is usually required to patch up the tunnel between the prostate and the rectum. Scientists warn that if the condition is left untreated it can lead to regular urinary tract infections, kidney infections and life-threatening sepsis. Advertisement

Common symptoms of the ailment are faeces and blood in urine, as well as urinary tract infections (UTIs).

But the team, led by Frank Ventura, noted that passing sperm through the rectum is a 'rare symptom'.

Surgery is usually required to patch up the tunnel that allows for urine, semen and faeces to get mixed up.

They discovered the patient was suffering from the problem after a CT scan of his pelvis revealed he had a 'gas-filled structure' linking his prostate and rectum.

He was also suffering from a swollen left testicle and a UTI and medics carried out 'extensive' tests to make sure he didn't have tuberculosis and inflammatory bowel disease.

The man said he had not previously undergone surgery, or suffered any trauma to his rectum.

After examining his medical history, the medics pinned the problem on him having a catheter inserted two years earlier while he spent three weeks in a coma after taking cocaine and phencyclidine (PCP).

A catheter is a flexible tube used to empty the bladder and collect urine. It is used on coma patients, those who have problems urinating naturally, as well as before and after surgery.

It is inserted through the urethra and then inflated.

The doctors believe in their patient's case, it was put in incorrectly and the balloon part of the catheter blew up too early.

This left the patient with a tunnel linking his prostate and rectum.

He was given medicine to treat his swollen testicle and a surgical fistula repair was performed.

And surgeons used part of his rectal wall to create a 'flap' to close the tunnel.

If he had not come forward for treatment, he could have suffered from recurring UTIs, kidney infection and life-threatening sepsis, according to the medics.

The medics said the case is a warning to doctors that there can be rare complications after using a catheter and emphasises 'the importance of provider mindfulness when utilising seemingly benign therapies', such as catheters.
Despite protests and vocal backlash, a statewide vaccine mandate for all healthcare workers in Maine has led to barely any employees resigning.

An analysis by the Maine Beacon found that only one out of every 500 staff members at hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the state quit their jobs over the mandate.

Maine Gov Janet Mills implemented the mandate on August 12, and it will go into effect on October 1.

The results show that those that have opposed the mandate are largely a 'vocal minority,' according to the analysis.

Despite protests against a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in Maine, less than 0.2% of employees actually left their jobs because of the order. Pictured: An anti-vaccine mandate protest in Lewiston, Maine, August 21

Gov Janet Mills (pictured) gave all healthcare workers in the state until October 29 to get vaccinated in order to remain employed

The two largest healthcare providers in Maine both report that less than 0.2 percent of employees have decided to resign due to the mandate.

Maine Health, the largest provider in the state, reports that 0.19 percent of their workforce resigned due to the mandate.

Northern Light, the second largest provider, told the Beacon that 20 out of more than 10,000 employees have resigned due to the mandate - also less than 0.2 percent.

Mills announced plans to put a vaccine mandate in place in mid-August.

The mandate received backlash from anti-vaccine, anti-mandate and conservative groups and lawmakers in the state.

State Rep Heidi Sampson even compared the mandates to actions taken by the Nazis against Jewish people during the Holocaust.

'Do I need to remind you of the late 1930s and into the 40s in Germany? And the experiments with Josef Mengele,' Sampson said in August, according the Beacon.

'What was it? A shot. And these were crimes against humanity. And what came out of that? The Nuremberg Code. The Nuremberg Trial. Informed consent is at the top and violating that is punishable by death.'

Josef Mengele was a Nazi doctor made infamous for performing brutal human experiments on Jewish prisoners in concentration camps.

Sampson was denounced by the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, the Beacon reports.

The mandate was also protested by some citizens in Maine, and a lawsuit in the state is hoping to overturn the mandate.

Unlike other vaccine mandates, Mills's order does not allow for religious exemptions, only medical exemptions.

This follows a 2019 law in Maine that also does not allow religious exemptions for other vaccine requirements.

Maine is one of the most vaccinated states in America, with 73% of residents having received at least one shot of the vaccine and 68% being fully vaccinated. Pictured: The amount of Maine residents to get vaccinated every day since the vaccine first became available over winter

Pictured: Counties in yellow and green have more than 60% of residents at least partially vaccinated

Maine is among the most vaccinated states in the U.S., with 73 percent of the population being fully vaccinated - sixth highest of any state - and 68 percent being fully inoculated - third in the U.S., CDC data show.

A vast majority of individual counties also have a vaccination rate of over 60 percent, according to official state data.

These types of vaccine mandates have proved to be much more controversial in states with less demand for the shots, though.

In Texas, for example, more than 100 employees ended up leaving their positions at Houston Methodist after the hospital system put a mandate in place.

Opponents to the Maine mandate are seeking an injunction to prevent the law from going into place at the start of October, but a U.S. District Judge said the injunction could overturn the 2019 law.
Health experts believe there will soon be an increase in COVID-19 breakthrough cases, but that most of those who are infected will have mild illnesses.

Due to data suggesting the waning efficacy of Covid vaccines and the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, more fully vaccinated Americans are starting to contract the virus.

Over time, efficacy of the vaccines will continue to decline, and with, Covid booster shots remaining in limbo, even more breakthrough cases will occur.

But most cases will be mild - even asymptomatic - with only 15,790 of at least 178 million fully vaccinated Americans being hospitalized due to the virus - or only 0.008 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While Covid hospitalizations and deaths are still almost entirely among unvaccinated people, experts believe there will be an increase of breakthrough COVID-19 cases in the coming months as vaccine efficacy wanes. Pictured: A Covid patient receives treatment in a Sarasota, Florida, ICU on September 22

In order to boost the falling vaccine efficacy, the federal government planned to make Covid vaccine boosters available starting this week. Regulators are yet to approve additional shots, though, leaving the plan in limbo. Pictured: A woman in Los Angeles, California, receives a COVID-19 vaccine dose on September 22

'It's likely that everybody will probably get infected with COVID-19,' Dr Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, in Baltimore, Maryland, told Roll Call.

'The goal is to make sure that at that time, that infection occurs after you've been vaccinated so it's mild.'

Research finds that the COVID-19 vaccines have lost some effectiveness over time, but breakthrough cases resulting in hospitalization or death are still relatively rare.

Fully vaccinated people, especially those who live in areas with high Covid transmission and low vaccination rates, can still catch the virus, though.

'With a lot more virus circulating - and almost all of it is Delta, which is more transmissible - a fully vaccinated person is more likely to be exposed than they were in July, depending on where they live,' Dr Jen Kates, director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told Roll Call.

Increases in breakthrough infections have been reported across the nation.

Massachusetts recorded 4,568 new breakthrough cases last week, with 178 of them ending in hospitalization - up from 3,919 breakthrough infections the previous week.

In Los Angeles, fully vaccinated people accounted for around one in every five Covid cases reported in mid-July compared to 11 percent in May and just two percent in March.

Additionally, around one-in-five cases detected in Colorado during the first three weeks of July were among fully vaccinated people compared to representing just three percent of all cases earlier this year.

Health officials assure Americans that the vaccines still work, though, and that they are still the best protection against the virus that has killed over 679,000 Americans.

'If I'm in a little bit of rain and I have an umbrella, I don't get wet,' Dr Carlos del Rio, a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, told Roll Call, eplaining that breakthrough cases are now occurring because of the 'storm' created by the Delta variant.

'But if I'm in a hurricane, I'm going to get wet despite wearing an umbrella. That doesn't mean you can say, all of a sudden, umbrellas don't work very well. It's a hurricane.'

In order to prevent breakthrough cases, the White House attempted to introduce Covid booster shots.

Last month, federal health officials announced plans to rollout vaccine boosters starting on September 20, pending approval from regulators.

The shots are still yet to received approval, though, and the plan to get fully vaccinated Americans additional shots is in limbo.

Some have argued these additional shots are not necessary, though, as breakthrough cases are still unlikely to result in hospitalizations or deaths.

Currently in the U.S., around 90,000 people are hospitalized with the virus and around 2,000 people are dying every day.

Almost all of those cases are among unvaccinated people.

These cases can still cause disruptions to people's day-to-day lives, though.

A positive Covid test could prevent someone from going to work or taking part in other activities for around two weeks.

Getting sick is not particularly fun either, and even a person that will not require serious medical care will still have to deal with a fever, body aches and other symptoms of the virus.

Covid may become endemic - meaning it will be a persistent part of our world like the common flu is - and experts recommend robust testing strategies to keep the virus at bay in the future.
COVID-19 outbreaks in schools are not common with few students and teachers testing positive - and a very small number of close contacts contracting the virus.

New data published by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) last week looked at cases of COVID-19 since classrooms reopened in mid-August.

Researchers found that less than 0.1 percent each of pupils and staff members tested positive for the virus over the course of a month.

What's more, only about 0.2 percent of people who came into contact with a Covid patient later tested positive themselves.

The findings suggest that outbreaks in schools are not frequent and that Los Angles County was successful in fully reopening its schools safely.

New data found a total of 7,995 students out of 1.5 million, or 0.5%, and 1,193 staff out of 157,000, or 0.7%, have tested positive for COVID-19

Out of more than 30,000 close contacts of COVID-19 patients, just 63 went on to contact the virus, equivalent to 0.2%. Pictured: Students walk to their classrooms at a middle school in El Sereno, East Los Angeles, September 10

The LA County report looked at COVID-19 cases among students in grades K-12 and in staff members.

Between August 15 and September 13, 7,995 students and 1,193 staff tested positive for COVID-19.

With about than 1.5 million students in county schools and 175,000 staff that means 0.5 percent of children and 0.7 percent workers have contracted the virus since schools reopening.

'This is just slightly higher than the 0.4 percent rate of infection we experienced overall in the county,' LADPH Director Barbara Ferrer said at a press briefing, according to the Los Angeles Times.

'And, given the massive testing of asymptomatic individuals at schools, this very low rate of infection affirms the safety that's provided to students and staff on their campuses.'

Health officials say COVID-19 protocols followed by the schools are likely cause for the low numbers, including indoor masking and universal testing by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

While it's notable that a smaller percentage of students than teachers tested positive, it's unknown how many of these students were vaccinated and how many teachers have received their shots.

Currently, only students aged 12 and above are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine with five-to-11-year-olds expected to become eligible by Halloween.

The county notes that, as of September 16, the case rate for the five-to-11 age group is 141 new cases per 100,000 and for 12-to-17 year-olds is 132 new cases per 100,000.

Additionally, over the last three weeks, COVID-19 cases fell across all child age groups by around 40 percent - comparable to the declining test positivity rate, Ferrer said at the briefing.

Over the last three weeks, COVID-19 cases fell across all child age groups by around 40% comparable to the declining test positivity rate, which is nearing 1%

LADPH Director Barbara Ferrer said at a press conference that the data are evidence that there is low Covid transmission at schools and few outbreaks as cases continue to fall in LA (above)

'This is promising, since it's occurring as students are going back to school,' Ferrer said, according to the Times.

'So we're hopeful, with continued close attention to those school-based strategies that reduce the risk of exposure, we'll continue to see these lower case rates across all age groups.'

Additionally, a very small percentage of children have tested positive after coming into contact with infected individuals.

According to the LADPH, more than 30,000 students and staff were forced to quarantine for seven days after being in contact with a patient.

However, just 63 of them went on to test positive themselves, equivalent to 0.2 percent.

Because of this, the LADPH said unvaccinated students will no longer have to be sent home to quarantine after coming into contact with a Covid-positive person.

The new policy allows unvaccinated close contacts to continue to attend in person classes as long as they test negative twice over a seven-day period, the Times reported.

However, they will not be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, including sports.

'We feel comfortable that, with relatively low transmission at schools, it's appropriate to offer schools a modified quarantine option for K-12 students exposed to COVID at schools,' Ferrer said at the briefing.
UK taxi company, Addison Lee, has pledged to use only electric vehicles from 2023.

The London firm said it is investing 160million to shift its 4,000-strong fleet to electric, beating Uber to the punch by two years.

The switch to battery technology and near-silent cab journeys will involve putting 200 Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles on the capital's roads every month from November.

Addison Lee to go all-electric: The taxi firm has announced it will switch to an entirely battery-powered fleet of vehicles by 2023 as part of a 160million investment

VW's all-electric SUV has full-charge driving ranges of between 213 and 322 miles, depending on the choice of two battery options, 52kWh and 77kWh respectively.

They take around 7 and a half hours to fully charge from an AC 3-phase 11 kW device, though a rapid charger will charge a battery from 5 per cent to 80 per cent in just 38 minutes.

It's new ID.4s will join the existing 650 zero-emission taxis it already has in its fleet.

The commitment is the largest single order of electric vehicles made by the UK's private hire industry, according to Addison Lee.

Making the announcement, the firm's chief executive Liam Griffin said the move will allow for some 20,000 emission-free taxi journeys per day in the capital.

'As the transport provider of choice for many businesses and passengers, we know that we play a critical role in London's transport network,' he said.

'Over the years, we have invested in our vehicles and technology to ensure we do all we can to make London a greener place.

'We are now going even further, by partnering with Volkswagen to invest in a rapid transition to electric.

'In doing so, we can help more businesses reduce their carbon footprint and give passengers greater access to green, safe and premium transport options as life gets back to normal.'

The private hire company has also allocated 3.5million to support its drivers and their families, with the funds being used to install charging points, pay for congestion charges and invest in local projects that improve the environment.

The commitment is the largest single order of electric vehicles made by the UK's private hire industry, according to Addison Lee, and means it will have electrified its fleet two years earlier than Uber currently plans to

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: 'As we continue working tirelessly to decarbonise our transport network, I am thrilled to see Addison Lee lead the way through pledging to electrify their fleet by 2023.

'This Government has committed to reach net zero by 2050. With more than 500,000 electric vehicles now on our roads and nearly 25,000 public charge points, we're at the beginning of an electric vehicle revolution which will help create communities free from pollution as well as supporting thousands of jobs in the supply chain over the coming decades.'

The move comes as Uber, Addison Lee's biggest rival, said it is aiming for all its private hire vehicles in London to be fully electric by 2025.
The average British motorist would only need to charge an electric car once every three weeks - with most drivers hardly needing to use the public charging network, according to Hyundai.

In a UK poll, the Korean motor manufacturer found that 85 per cent of motorists are worried about an EV running out of battery and having nowhere to charge.

This is despite the average driver, surveyed by Hyundai, only driving 108 miles per week, which is just over a third of the claimed 289-mile range of its current Kona Electric on a single charge.

UK drivers only need to charge an EV 20 times a year: A study by electric car maker Hyundai claims motorists will only have to plug their battery models into a charger once every 3 weeks

The poll of 2,000 motorists revealed more than half (56 per cent) are considering an electric car as their next vehicle.

But it also uncovered a raft of concerns that need to be dispelled in order for the vast majority of drivers to ditch their petrol and diesel motors.

Not least continued fears about range anxiety and charging worries.

According to the poll, the average British motorist covers 5,616 miles per year, based on a weekly distance of 108 miles.

Hyundai says its range-topping Kona Electric with the 64kWh battery could cover that annual mileage with fewer than 20 full charges, based on its claimed eco performance.

That said, What Car?'s Real Range assessment of this Kona version says the on-the-road range is 259 miles - 40 miles shorter than what 'official' tests suggest.

That already pushes minimum annual charges to 22, before taking into account the widely acknowledged fall in battery efficiency in the winter months, with the lithium-ion units dropping in performance levels when the temperature drops - a common occurrence in the UK, of course.

An average UK motorist covers 5,616 miles per year, based on a weekly distance of 108 miles. The range-topping Hyundai Kona Electric can cover that annual mileage with fewer than 20 full charges, based on its claimed eco performance

Hyundai's study also found that 61% of UK motorists have driveways or garages to install a home charger. This means most drivers would 'very rarely need to use any of the UKs public charging network'

Hyundai's study also attempted to dispel the worries about charging infrastructure after it found that six in 10 (61 per cent) of respondents said they had a driveway or garage to install a home charger.

The tallies with property records which show that a third of households in England do not have off-street parking.

The car maker says that this figure suggests most drivers would 'very rarely need to use any of the UKs public charging network.'

Despite this, 85 per cent of the licence-holding panel said there are worried that there are not enough public charging points available to cope with the increasing demand from EVs.

Hyundai says there are almost 25k public chargers across the UK - almost five times as many as there were in 2016

Hyundai says there are already almost 25,000 publicly-accessible chargers across the UK - almost five times as many as there were in 2016 and numbers will accelerate as Britain nears the ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

More than a third (35 per cent) like the idea of an electric car but are worried they won't understand how to drive one. This rises to 72 per cent among 18-to-24-year-olds.

Ashley Andrew, managing director at Hyundai UK, said there are still 'a number of obstacles we need to overcome' when it comes to persuading Britons to covert to electric cars.

'Weve found the barriers to making the switch for first-time electric owners are education on how the car will fit into your lifestyle as well as getting to grips with slightly different terminology compared to traditional petrol and diesel vehicles.

'There is very little difference between driving an electric car compared to one with a combustion engine, and many find an EV is actually easier.'

The research also found more than half of those polled (57 per cent) don't understand the terminology around electric cars.

Just a fifth (20 per cent) of motorists understood what '64kWh' - the battery size - related to on an electric car, according to the study.

And 76 per cent think companies which have staff parking should be installing charging points to encourage employees to have an electric car.
The chairman of Meggitt is on course for a multi-million-pound payday after shareholders backed plans to sell the defence giant to an American rival for 6.3bn.

Sir Nigel Rudd stands to receive 2million after 99.8 per cent of shareholders supported the takeover by Parker Hannifin yesterday.

Another payday: Sir Nigel Rudd stands to receive 2m when Meggitt's takeover by Parker Hannifin goes through next year

It is the latest example of Rudd presiding over the foreign takeover of a company he chairs  leading to his nickname the man who sold Britain.

The 74-year-old also oversaw the sales of Pilkington Glass, Alliance Boots, engineer Invensys and Signature Aviation.

He owns 250,000 shares in Meggitt and has been chairman since 2015. That puts him in line for 2million under Parkers 8 a share offer.

This is on top of 2.1million that he has earned during his six years at the company.

Meggitt makes parts for several aircraft, including military planes such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35.

It has annual revenues of around 1.7billion and employs more than 9,000 staff.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has not ordered an investigation into whether the takeover would harm UK national security.

Parker chairman Tom Williams said: The legally-binding commitments we offered alongside our recommended offer underline our intention to be a responsible steward of Meggitt, and we are engaged with the Government to finalise the commitments.

Meggitt had a higher offer from US rival Transdigm whose interest later fizzled out
Sir Peter Wood is putting 25m of his personal fortune into the Castlenau investment trust

Two of Britains most innovative and patriotic entrepreneurs are combining financial and intellectual resources to form an investment trust to take some of the nations best known brands to the next level.

Sir Peter Wood, the brains behind Direct Line, insurer Esure and a big investor in the publisher Future is combining with Gary Channon of Phoenix Asset Management to launch the Castelnau investment trust, which will be introduced to the London Stock Exchange today.

The fund will be supported by Phoenixs investors and Wood is putting 25million of his personal fortune in.

He is committing to an extra 75million and upwards should the right new opportunities among potentially valuable British firms come to the fore.

Channon, who runs his funds from Barnes, west London, is known for his love of the UKs great hobby brands.

He is the biggest investor in famous stamp auction and collecting firm Stanley Gibbons and, for 6million, recently bought the worlds most valuable stamp, the 1856 One-Cent Magenta, worth more than a third of Gibbons market capitalisation.

His plan to syndicate the stamp, in the manner of a bloodstock racehorse, is seen as a means of transforming the rarefied world of philately, which is in acute need of modernisation.

Yesterday, Channon played down events in New York where Stanley Gibbons has been forced into liquidation as a result of a lease dispute with the LVMH-controlled Stella McCartney fashion brand.

All aboard: Sir Rod Stewarts Hornby trainset. The initial investments in the fund start with hobby favourite Hornby, best known for high-quality train sets but also home to Airfix models

He argues it is time for Stanley Gibbons to tap into burgeoning interest among young people in India and China for stamps celebrating the heritage and culture of two of the worlds fastest-growing economies.

Using technology provided by digital group Rawnet, one of the firms being injected into the Castelnau fund, Gibbons has begun a large project to put more than a century of its famous catalogues online.

The valuation of the shareholdings of the companies being transferred into Castelnau is expected to be a modest 250million.

But there is a confidence that with the right creative direction, it could be valued at 1bn or more within three to five years.

The initial investments start with British hobby favourite Hornby, best known for high-quality electric train sets but also home to Airfix models, which made a huge comeback in the pandemic when craft industries prospered.

Record breaker: The one-cent magenta stamp bought by Stanley Gibons for 6m

Channon believes Hornby could appeal to the same hobbyists who have lifted Games Workshop into a stock market phenomenon.

It will sit alongside Gibbons, another eclectic favourite.

At the next stage, the Castelnau portfolio will include shares in Cambium Group, which has become the UKs leading wedding gift enterprise.

Its victory over UK rivals such as John Lewis is down to a clever platform that goes beyond selling china and vacuum cleaners.

At the less joyful end of life Castelnau will also hold a stake in leading funeral provider Dignity where Channon is chief executive  although his role as the investment manager of the new trust will doubtless lead to claims in some quarters of a conflict of interest.

Channon will count on Woods expertise in insurance and comparison site marketing to bring pizzazz to a sector steeped in tradition. Woods ability to break the mould, with Direct Line and Esure in the UK and Plymouth Rock in the US, should enable Dignity to provide funeral cover and add-ons that relieve some of the pain of bereavement.

The engine of the new trust will be two privately-owned enabling firms. Rawnet provides digital knowhow while the data analytics comes from Ocula Technologies, founded by tech specialist Gerry Buggy, as firms embrace social media to sell their wares.

Channon is seeking acquisitions and claims to have the disruptive technology to take famous but under-valued brands onwards.

The Castelnau project looks risky. Previous efforts to turn around Gibbons and Hornby have failed. But with Wood and Channon in the Fat Controllers cabin, investors wont be steaming into the unknown.
Mike Lynch is accused of cooking the books at his software firm Autonomy before it was sold to Hewlett Packard for 9bn

A final decision on whether British technology tycoon Mike Lynch will be extradited to face fraud charges in the US has been delayed.

Following a court judgement in July, the Home Office was this week due to make a decision on whether to send him for trial.

The 56-year-old has been accused of cooking the books at his software firm Autonomy before it was sold to Hewlett Packard for 9billion in 2011.

He denies the allegations.

Yesterday, the Home Office said it was invoking a seven-day extension on the decision under the Extradition Act 2003. It declined to comment on its reasons.

Home Secretary Priti Patel is under pressure from Tory backbenchers to overrule the court. MP David Davis has called the ruling an outrage and says the tycoons fate should be for UK courts to decide.

If found guilty, Lynch faces 20 years in a US prison. He is still awaiting a separate civil case, brought by HP Enterprise, seeking damages for alleged accounting fraud.
Vertical Aerospace has won a 585million order for its electric air taxis in a major boost for its prospects.

Japanese conglomerate Marubeni has ordered 200, which it is due to receive in 2025. The deal means Vertical Aerospace now has orders for 1,350 aircraft, worth 4billion.

Other companies ordering the taxis include American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, the latter wanting to use them to fly passengers into Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester airports.

Future flight: Japanese conglomerate Marubeni has ordered 200 of Vertical Aerospace's groundbreaking taxis, which it will receive in 2025

The latest order comes as the firm is set to float in New York by reversing into a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) in a 1.6billion deal later this year.

Vertical Aerospace is designing and building electric aircraft which it says will be faster, quicker and greener than helicopters but with the same versatility.

Founded five years ago by serial entrepreneur Stephen Fitzpatrick, it has developed a 200mph craft capable of taking four passengers and a pilot up to 120 miles.

They are also silent, potentially making it easier for them to obtain permission to fly over homes.

Fitzpatrick, the company's chief executive, said: 'Marubeni is one of the most respected companies in Japan and its option for up to 200 aircraft provides us with a potential direct route to market.

'This is the most exciting time in aviation for almost a century. Electrification will transform flying in the 21st century in the same way the jet engine did 70 years ago.'
A desperate nurse is calling for Australians to get vaccinated as Victoria struggles to cope with a seemingly never-ending increase in Covid-infected patients.

Katie, who didn't want her surname revealed, works in the emergency department of a public hospital in Melbourne and took to Instagram to highlight just how much health workers are struggling during the pandemic.

'I have worked as an ED nurse for just short of five years, and what should be the beginning of my career, feels like the end, and my passion has been short-lived,' she wrote.

'I look around at our emergency department every day, myself and my colleagues are burnt out and at breaking point.

'Our job is stressful, to say the least  our emergency departments, our hospitals, our healthcare services, and our facilities are inundated, and progressively worsening as each day passes.'

In her open letter, which she shared on social media, the nurse says she fears many health workers are at breaking point (stock image)

The number of people hospitalised with Covid in Victoria is currently 241, the highest number since September last year.

The nurse stressed that the situation will only worsen leading into the Christmas period.

'We fear for those who need our services desperately but cannot or will not have access to them due to our current surge in demand,' she said.

'When our hospitals are at capacity, and no beds are left, how will we treat you?

'With the projected numbers of emergency presentations over the next few weeks, I am almost certain we cannot and will not cope, because our limits are already stretched.'

She went on to point out many patients recovering in hospitals across the state are unvaccinated.

'It is clear vaccinations work, we have eradicated diseases time and time again,' she said. 'Without them, we'd be lucky if our lives surpassed the age of 30.

'Please listen to us, for this is our field, and we simply are the experts.'

A portion of the open letter where the nurse reveals the stress that accompanies life in the emergency room of a hospital in Melbourne during the pandemic

The nurse decided to share her open letter on social media in a bid to change the perspective of many Covid doubters.

'There is a lot of division between people getting vaccinated and not vaccinated - I thought maybe if people understood what we see and how we view it, they might understand (getting vaccinated) is not about someone trying to control you, or your own personal freedom,' she told the Herald Sun.

'It's more about everyone else being safe and prioritising the health of people you love and those of strangers.'

On Tuesday, Victoria recorded 603 new locally-acquired Covid-19 cases and one death.

It is the first time the state has surpassed the 600-case mark for positive cases in one day since the start of the Delta outbreak of the virus.

There are now 6,000 active cases across Victoria, with the death toll from the current outbreak sitting at 13.

A total of 40,811 vaccines were administered in state-run hubs on Monday - a figure Health Minister Martin Foley said was higher than in any other Australian state.

'I think that just goes to point that there is a very strong appetite for Victorians to go out there and get vaccinated because they know it's the pathway to getting to the other side of this pandemic,' he said.

It comes after the government controversially closed construction sites across Melbourne, Ballarat, Geelong, Mitchell Shire and the Surf Coast for two weeks on Monday following protests in Melbourne over a vaccine mandate for the industry.

Further violent scenes unfolded on Tuesday, with anti-vaxxer protesters chasing police and pelting squad cars with cans as Melbourne's 'freedom' rally descended into anarchy.

Footage showed tradesmen in hi-vis clothing kicking police cars in the Melbourne CBD as thousands of demonstrators massed outside Victoria's Parliament House and a TV reporter was assaulted and doused with urine in vile scenes.

Furious construction workers and anti-vaxxers took to the streets - many of them distraught - after a tradesman took his own life at a construction site earlier in the day.
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Thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials.

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio - where a peak of around 14,600 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under a bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US from Mexico - said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time under the so-called 'catch and release' scheme.

Others have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed by Border Patrol agents there, they said.

The exact number released is unclear, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott saying that 8,600 migrants were still in Del Rio on Tuesday afternoon.

Deportation flights began on Sunday, and by Wednesday morning, over 1,000 migrants had been flown back to Haiti, a source with knowledge of the matter told DailyMail.com.

Thousands of migrants take shelter along the Del Rio International Bridge at sunset as they await to be processed by Border Patrol agents

HAITIAN MIGRANT CRISIS IN NUMBERS: Number of migrants in Del Rio at peak of crisis: 14,600 Number of migrants as of Tuesday evening: 8,600 Number deported to Haiti Sunday: 327 Number deported Monday: 233 Number deported Tuesday: 523 Total deported since flights began Sunday: 1,083 Number of deportation flights scheduled for Wednesday: 7 Advertisement

Three flights deported 327 Haitian nationals from Del Rio back to the capital of Port-au-Prince Sunday, two flights deported 233 Monday and 523 were flown out on four flights Tuesday, the official said.

In total, 1083 migrants have been deported in the last three days, suggesting up to 5,000 may have been released into the United States.

Another seven deportation flights are expected to expel further Haitian migrants Wednesday.

This purported reality on the ground is drastically at odds with the public statements the Biden administration has made in recent days in an effort to get a handle on the ever-increasing migrant crisis at the US's southern border.

The official line is that Haitians are being expelled from the US back to the crisis-stricken Caribbean nation under a Donald Trump-era rule.

Under Title 42, migrants can be repatriated to their home nations without the possibility of requesting asylum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted Monday that migrants entering the US illegally will be sent back to their home countries.

'If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's life,' he said at a press conference.

Mayorkas then went one step further Tuesday, insisting that the border is now 'closed' to migrants.

A migrant walks past a pile of garbage at the camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas on the US-Mexico border Tuesday night

A Haitian girl is seen Tuesday under the bridge which was turned into a makeshift to house the thousands of migrants

A bus to transport migrants to other parts of the US for processing is seen by the Del Rio bridge in Texas Tuesday night

Haitians deported from the US recover their belongings scattered on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday

Migrants are guided by Border Patrol agents as they prepare to board a bus from the migrant camp in Del Rio to be taken to other parts of the US for processing

Buses arrive to pick up migrants, mostly from Haiti, at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge, Wednesday

Timeline of a border crisis that caught Biden by surprise May 22 2021: Department of Homeland Security announces Haitians in US will be granted Temporary Protection Status (TPS), meaning they can't be deported and can apply for documentation that allows them to work July 7: Haitian President Jovenel Moise is assassinated at his presidential palace in Port-au-Prince August 14: Haiti is hit by magnitude 7.2 earthquake, killing at least 2,000 September 17: An estimated 12,000 migrants suddenly arrive in Del Rio, Texas, after crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico. Many had been granted refugee status in Brazil and Chile after an earlier quake in 2010 September 18: Biden administration announces it will swiftly deport Haitians who cross into the US from Mexico September 19: The number of migrants in Del Rio swells to an estimated 14,600. Deportation flights to Haiti begin, with 327 people flown out of the US September 20: Border Patrol officials continue bussing Haitians away from Del Rio, with a further 233 deported. Photos of migrants being confronted by agents on horseback cracking their reigns emerge September 21: Another 523 people are deported via plane, with the number of Haitians remaining in Del Rio estimated at 8,600. Texas Governor Greg Abbott arranges for hundreds of state vehicles to form a makeshift border wall in Del Rio September 22: Unnamed sources tell AP thousands of Haitians apprehended in Del Rio have been released into the US rather than deported. Seven flights have been scheduled to continue the deportation effort. Advertisement

Many of the thousands of migrants who have gathered in Del Rio in recent days fled Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and have been living in South American countries including Brazil and Chile. But since these nations have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Haitians have traveled up through South America and Mexico to seek asylum in the US.

One US official, with direct knowledge of operations who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, told Associated Press thousands of Haitians had been freed on a 'very, very large scale' in recent days.

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, the official said.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said.

They are then processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

A second US official, also with direct knowledge and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday.

The official couldn't be more specific about how many.

US authorities scrambled in recent days for buses to Tucson but resorted to flights when they couldn't find enough transportation contractors, both officials said.

Coast Guard planes also took Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.

A third US official not authorized to discuss operations said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.

Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, head of Haitis national migration office, said last week authorities expected that 14,000 Haitians will be deported from the US over the next three weeks.

Delva warned that Haiti cannot handle thousands of homeless deportees arriving into the country.

The criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the US was unclear.

But two US officials said single adults were the priority for expulsion flights.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday night.

Joe Biden has come under fire from both sides of the political aisle over the situation in Del Rio.

In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.'

Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency.

A tiny little girl camps out with her father under a makeshift tent at the camp under the Texas bridge overnight Tuesday

Thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials

Migrant children play under the bridge Tuesday night as they await processing to be granted asylum - or be deported to Haiti

Illuminated by the lights of a National Guard vehicle, immigrants walk through the migrant camp next to the border

Around 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under the bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said thousands of migrants have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time

Other migrants have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed by Border Patrol agents there

Migrants sleep on the ground under the bridge at the makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas Tuesday night near the US border

Over in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico, close to the US border Haitian migrants sleep on the ground at a shelter

Haitian migrants are seen sleeping in Mexico. Some crossed the Rio Grande back into Mexico in search of food, water or medical treatment

Haitian migrants including young children are seen at a shelter in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico, Wednesday

Migrants lie on the ground and on cardboard boxes Wednesday at a makeshift shelter in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico

Why Haitians are fleeing to America: Thousands of Haitians have crossed the border into Texas in weeks and months to seek asylum in America. Data released by Border Patrol shows 28,000 Haitians have been arrested along the border this fiscal year, which began last October - dwarfing the 2020 number of 4,395 and 2,046 in 2019. Last month alone, 6,768 Haitians were detained by Border Patrol, up from 5,000 in July. Most Haitians who have traveled to the border in recent weeks are thought to have already been living in South America after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 2010 which killed over 200,000 people. Many have then traveled up through Mexico into the US recently - driven by the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on South America. Republicans have argued that the influx of people has also been driven by the pause on deportation flights to Haiti by the Biden administration. In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.' Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency. Then, in early July, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home of Port-au-Prince in a dramatic plot which authorities are yet to determine who the mastermind was. The murder threw the troubled nation into uncertainty with gun battles breaking out in the streets and a fight over who was the rightful successor as questions continued to mount about a possible inside job. This week, Haitis chief prosecutor said there was evidence linking the country's Prime Minister Ariel Henry to the plot and banned him from leaving the country until he answers questions about his potential involvement. One month after the assassination, the island nation was dealt another blow as a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in August. More than 2,200 people were killed and 100,000 homes destroyed. In August, Biden extended and expanded the TPS further. While it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US, critics argue many have traveled there believing they can seek asylum. Advertisement

Then, in August - following the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise in July and the earthquake which killed more than 2,000 people the next month - extended and expanded the TPS further.

A statement on the Department of Homeland Security's website stipulates that the TPS rule only applies to Haitians already in the United States when the announcement was made in May, and that Haitians who subsequently tried to travel to the US would not be allowed to benefit from the new rule.

It is unclear how the United States is able to differentiate between Haitians who illegally entered the country before and after the TPS proclamation was made.

Republicans blame this pause on deportation flights for the surge in Haitians crossing into the US, arguing that this led Haitians to believe they would get asylum in America - when in fact it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US.

Democrats, meanwhile, are slamming Biden after he resumed deportation flights Sunday, sending people back to a nation that is unable to take them.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded the Biden administration stop the flights and cease using Title 42 on the Senate floor Tuesday saying it defies 'common decency'.

Last Thursday, a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from using Title 42 to expel migrant families but the order takes 14 days to take effect and the administration appealed the ruling the next day.

This week, further outrage surfaced after images went viral of Border Patrol agents on horseback appearing to whip migrants with horse reins.

One video shows agents on horseback, waiting on the US side of the Rio Grande as migrants - some of them families with young children - wade through chest-deep waters trying to cross.

Officers appear to charge their horses toward the migrants carrying food and supplies, some swinging their reins, with one clip appearing to show a horse being used to push a migrant back into the water.

In one photo, a mounted agent appears to be grabbing a migrant by the shirt as he tries to flee.

Meanwhile, Mexico has begun busing and flying Haitian migrants away from the US border, authorities said Tuesday, signaling a new level of support for the US as the camp presented Biden with a humanitarian and increasingly political challenge.

Mexico has helped at key moments before.

It intensified patrols to stop unaccompanied Central American children from reaching the Texas border in 2014, allowed tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in US immigration courts in 2019.

And just last month, began deporting Central American migrants to Guatemala after the Biden administration flew them to southern Mexico.

Migrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge, Texas, on Tuesday

A line of Texas Department of Safety vehicles line up on the Texas side of the Rio Grande with Mexico seen across the river

Migrants are separated from others as they stand in line for transport as others await to be processed in the Del Rio camp

Young Haitian girls are pictured in a makeshift encampment where thousands of people hoping to enter the US are camped

Migrants - mostly from Haiti - have been camping out under the bridge after crossing from Mexico into the US

An aerial image shows the camp under Del Rio International Bride near the Rio Grande river in Texas, where the US connects to Mexico

Thousands of Haitian migrants are seen in the makeshift camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas Tuesday awaiting processing

Migrants are seen camped out under the bridge Tuesday where around 14,000 people were said to be staying at the weekend

Thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time

Migrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge near the Rio Grande Tuesday

One migrant crosses the river carrying a suitcase from Del Rio, Texas, to return to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, Monday

Texas border agents DENY whipping migrants and accuse Biden administration of deflecting from its failings Texas Border Patrol agents have denied whipping migrants and claimed anyone with 'two brain cells' knows they use split reins to control their horses, after images emerged of mounted officers appearing to whip Haitian border crossers. Disturbing photos and video surfaced Sunday appearing to show agents on horseback whipping Haitian migrants with horse reins at the Rio Grande river which connects Mexico and the US. Agents pushed back against the criticism and accused the Biden administration of trying to deflect from its own failings in tackling the migrant crisis. One unidentified agent told Fox News the outrage over the images shows officials lack 'basic knowledge' of handling horses and that the outrage 'just proves what absolute idiots they are.' They denied the images depict physical abuse, saying the reins are used as whips - but on horses, not humans. 'With basic knowledge and two brain cells, anyone knows those agents use split reins. They do use them as a whip, on their horses,' the agent said. 'This helps get a quicker response from the horse to move out when needed, especially when the horse may be hesitant with groups of people or other animals.' The agent voiced frustration that the officials 'in charge' do not understand their roles at the border. 'Again it is clear that those 'in charge,' a term that is disgusting to use, have no clue about our operations and frankly operate by ignorance and unhinged emotions,' they said. A second agent told Fox the situation is 'blowing up' and that the accusatory response from officials and lawmakers is fueling more anger toward the Biden administration. 'This whole situation is blowing up and even liberals are turning on this administration,' one agent told Fox News. '[Harris] is placing blame on agents to deflect because she and Biden are not going to change how they are handling this.' National Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto also pushed back against the theory the agents were whipping migrants and insisted they were using approved techniques designed to keep the agents, the horses, and the migrants on the ground safe. The National Border Patrol Council is the labor union that represents United States Border Patrol agents and support staff. 'They were not whipping anyone. They don't carry whips. They don't get assigned whips,' he told Fox. 'What they do is a training technique that has been shown to them to make sure that no one takes over their horse. It was to protect the horse, to protect the rider, and to protect the individual that was trying to cause chaos and knock down that rider from that horse.' Del Cueto described the process of 'twirl[ing] the reins to protect everything and make sure everything's done correctly.' He added: 'But nobody was getting whipped, but some members of the media are sure pushing that narrative and our agency and our administration isn't helping much by not saying something about it.' Advertisement

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's foreign relations secretary, said Tuesday he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about the Haitians' situation.

Ebrard said most of the Haitians already had refugee status in Chile or Brazil, having fled to those countries in the wake of the 2010 earthquake, and weren't seeking it in Mexico.

'What they are asking for is to be allowed to pass freely through Mexico to the United States,' Ebrard said.

Two Mexican federal officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Mexico's actions.

One of the officials said three busloads of migrants left Acuna on Tuesday morning for Piedras Negras, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) down the border, where they boarded a flight to the southern city of Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco.

The other official said there was a flight Monday from the northern city of Monterrey to the southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border.

Tapachula is home to the largest immigrant detention center in Latin America.

The flight carried about 100 migrants who had been picked up around the bus station in Monterrey, a hub for various routes north to the U.S. border.

The second official said the plan was to move to Tapachula all Haitians who already solicited asylum in Mexico.

The Haitian migrants who are already in Mexico's detention centers and have not requested asylum will be the first to be flown directly to Haiti once Mexico begins those flights, according to the official.

Around Ciudad Acuna, Mexican authorities were stepping up efforts to move migrants away from the border. There were detentions overnight by immigration agents and raids on hotels known to house migrants.

'All of a sudden they knocked on the door and (yelled) 'immigration,' 'police,' as if they were looking for drug traffickers,' said Freddy Registre, a 37-year-old Venezuelan staying at one hotel with his Haitian wife, Vedette Dollard. The couple was surprised at midnight.

Authorities took four people plus others who were outside the hotel, he said. 'They took our telephones to investigate and took us to the immigration offices, took our photos,' Registre said.

They were held overnight but finally were given their phones back and released. Authorities gave them two options: leave Mexico or return to Tapachula.

On Tuesday afternoon, they decided to leave town. They bought tickets for a bus ride to the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, planning to continue to Tapachula where they had already applied for asylum.

Others left without being told.

Small groups arrived at Ciudad Acunas bus station to buy tickets to Veracruz, Monterrey and Mexico City.

The same bus lines prohibited from selling them tickets for rides north through Mexico, sold them tickets to head south without issue.

In Haiti, dozens of migrants upset about being deported from the US tried to rush back into a plane that landed Tuesday afternoon in Port-au-Prince as they yelled at authorities.

A security guard closed the plane door in time as some deportees began throwing rocks and shoes at the plane. Several of them lost their belongings in the scuffle as police arrived.

The group was disembarking from one of three flights scheduled for the day.

A Border Patrol officer is swinging what appears to be a lariat while trying to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge Sunday

The devastating images were captures as migrants were trying to return to their encampment from Mexico, where they were buying much-needed supplies

An agent is seen grabbing a migrant by the shirt in a photo taken near the border Sunday

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot says officials are using 'unprecedented' methods to prevent 8,600 Haitian migrants from entering US by creating a 'steel barrier' of hundreds of SUVs at the border

Texas Governor Greg Abbot says officials are using 'unprecedented' methods to prevent more Haitian migrants from entering U.S. by creating a 'steel barrier' of hundreds of vehicles at the border.

Abbott visited the U.S.-Mexican border on Tuesday and praised DPS and Texas National Guard for creating a 'steel barrier' made up of hundreds of state-owned vehicles, almost all of which appear to be SUVs.

They are lined up outside Del Rio in Texas, which has seen an influx of 14,600 migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the US. An estimated 8,600 were still in Del Rio on Tuesday evening, with 1,083 so-far deported home. Unnamed officials told AP thousands more had been released into the US.

'They have created a steel barrier preventing people from being able to cross the border,' Abbott said Tuesday. 'One day there were countless people coming across the border, then the DPS put up all these DPS vehicles, and suddenly, in an instant, people stopped crossing the border in this location. That strategy is working.'

This overhead photo shows some of the hundreds of Texas state SUVs used to form a de-facto steel barrier along the United States-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas

A 'steel barrier' of vehicles is the latest method border officials are utilizing to deal with the surge of thousands of Haitian migrants crossing into the United States

A 'steel barrier' of state-owned vehicles have been lined up for miles that stretch along the border

The 'steel barrier' is the latest method border officials are utilizing to deal with the surge of thousands of Haitian migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico by walking over a dam in the Rio Grande river.

Abbott has also flooded Del Rio with law enforcement officials to stem the flow of migrants, with both he and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claiming Tuesday that the border area has been successfully sealed-off.

Abbott also took shots at the Biden administration for not doing enough to secure the border and said the state of Texas would step up and add $2 billion toward border security funding, the Washington Post reported.

'When you have an administration that is not enforcing the law in this country, when you have an administration that has abandoned any pretense of securing the border and securing our sovereignty, you see the onrush of people like what we saw walking across this dam that is right behind me,' Abbott said.
House Democrats approved a bill on Tuesday to avert a government shut down and increase the debt limit but shot down a Republican attempt to add back $1 billion in funding to Israel's Iron Dome program.

The House passed the measure, 220 to 211 along party lines, to fund the government through December 3rd.

The bill also increased the debt limit until December 2022 in order to stop the government from defaulting on its debt. Additionally, there is $28.6 billion in disaster funding to help the South after Hurricane Ida and the North East from severe storms and $6.3 billion to help Afghan refugees relocating to the United States.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where it's expected in the 50-50 chamber where Democrats will be hard-pressed to find 10 Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.

Also on Tuesday night, House Democrats batted down an attempt by Republicans to send the bill back to committee so funding could be added for Israel's defense system after it was removed due to the objections of progressive Democratic members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Pramila Jayapal of Washington.

Instead, House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer said he'll try to bring up a standalone Iron Dome bill this week.

'It is my intention to bring to this floor a suspension bill before the end of this week that will fund fully Iron Dome. I was for that. I'm still for it, we ought to do it,' he said on the House floor.

House Democrats approved a bill to avert a government shut down, increase the debt limit, provide disaster relief and help Afghan refugees

House Democrats shot down a Republican attempt to add back $1 billion in funding to Israel's Iron Dome program

Earlier in the day, Hoyer told Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid the removal of funds from the stopgap bill was only a 'technical delay' as Democrats were forced into crisis talks over the issue.

In Tuesday night's vote on the government funding bill, Democrats forced a showdown with Republicans who oppose the package despite the risk of a fiscal crisis. If it hadn't passed, the government risked shutting down at the end of the month and the U.S. risked defaulting on its debt.

Backed by the White House, Democratic congressional leaders pushed ahead at a time of great uncertainty in Congress. With lawmakers already chiseling away at the $3.5 trillion price tag of President Joe Bidens broad 'build back better' agenda, immediate attention focused on the upcoming deadlines to avert deeper problems if votes to shore up government funding fail.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer will meet with Biden at the White House on Wednesday to discuss his legislative agenda, according to reports.

The meeting comes as Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he was not about to help pay off past debts when Biden was about to pile on more with a 'reckless' tax and spending package. He said since Democrats control the White House and Congress, it's their problem to find the votes.

'The debt ceiling will be raised as it always should be, but it will be raised by the Democrats,' McConnell said.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made clear he was not going to approve a bill to raise the debt limit

The Treasury Department warned that it will soon run out of cash on hand, and have to rely on incoming receipts to pay its obligations, now at $28.4 trillion. That could force the Treasury to delay or miss payments, a devastating situation.

Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, warned if lawmakers allow a federal debt default 'this economic scenario is cataclysmic.'

In a report being circulated by Democrats, Zandi warned that a potential downturn from government funding cutbacks would cost 6 million jobs and stock market losses would wipe out $15 trillion of household wealth.

Once a routine matter, raising the debt ceiling has become a political weapon of choice for Republicans in Washington ever since the 2011 arrival of tea party lawmakers who refused to allow the increase. At the time, they argued against more spending and the standoff triggered a fiscal crisis.

Echoing that strategy, McConnell is refusing to provide Republican votes, even though he also relied on Democratic votes help raise the debt ceiling when his party had the majority. He explained his current thinking to senators during a private lunch Tuesday.

Still, some GOP senators might have a tough time voting no.

Republican John Kennedy of Louisiana, whose state was battered by the hurricane and who is up for election next year, said he will likely vote for the increase. 'My people desperately need the help,' he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that 'in our view, this should not be a controversial vote.' Psaki said Congress has raised the debt ceiling numerous times on a bipartisan basis, including three times under President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Democrats were negotiating among themselves over Biden's big 'build back better' package as the price tag likely slips to win over skeptical centrist lawmakers who view it as too much.

Publicly, the White House has remained confident the legislation will pass soon, despite sharp differences among progressives and moderates in the party over the eventual size of the package and a companion $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

There has been a flurry of outreach from the White House to Democrats on Capitol Hill, and Biden himself was given a call sheet of lawmakers to cajole, even though his week was dominated by foreign policy, including his speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

The president has been talking to a wide number of lawmakers beyond his recent meetings with Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., two key centrist votes, according to a White House official familiar with the calls and granted anonymity to discuss them.

Biden's big initiative touches almost all aspects of Americans' lives. It would impose tax hikes on corporations and wealthy Americans earning beyond $400,000 a year and plow that money back into federal programs for young and old. It would increase and expand government health, education and family support programs for households, children and seniors, and boost environmental infrastructure programs to fight climate change.

Bidens plan aims to not just rebuild the country after the COVID-19 crisis and economic fallout, but begin to change longstanding federal spending patterns in ways that provide more services to more Americans, and attempt to level growing income inequality.

With Republicans opposed to Biden's vision, Democrats have no votes to spare in the Senate, and just a few votes' margin in the House.

Pelosi has promised a Sept. 27 vote on the companion bill, a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill of public works projects that enjoys widespread support from both parties in the Senate, though House Republicans mostly oppose it.

Even though that bipartisan bill should be an easy legislative lift, it too faces a political obstacle course. Dozens of lawmakers in the Congressional Progressive Caucus are expected to vote against it if it comes ahead of the broader Biden package. And centrists wont vote for the broader package unless they are assured the bipartisan bill will also be included.
One of three teens accused of killing Barnard student Tessa Majors during a mugging in 2019 has pleaded guilty to murder as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

Luchiano Lewis, now 16, was just 14 years old when he and two friends allegedly attacked 18-year-old Majors in a New York City park.

Lewis on Tuesday pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery in Manhattan Supreme Court, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said.

He will be sentenced on October 15th, according to local court records.

Lewis appeared in an adult court despite being 14 at the time of the murder.

He is the second of three minors charged in the murder of Majors, who was stabbed multiple times during the botched mugging on 11 December 2019 in Morningside Park, which is near the Manhattan campuses of Barnard College and Columbia University.

In a statement to the court, Lewis said that he had not realized Majors was dead until the next day, but said he watched as co-defendant Rashaun Weaver repeatedly stab her in the chest, the New York Post reports.

Luchiano Lewis, 16, was charged as an adult with murder and robbery in the December 11 slaying of 18-year-old Barnard student Tessa Majors in Manhattan's Morningside Park

Lewis gave a detailed account of the night of Majors' death in a Manhattan court on Tuesday

Slain Barnard College student Tessa Majors was murdered in Morningside Park on December 11, 2019

Lewis cooperated with Manhattan prosecutors against the main suspect, 16-year-old co-defendant Weaver, who is accused of stabbing Majors.

Weaver, who has not been trialed as of yet, faces the same counts as Lewis, whose agreement with local authorities is not considered as part of a plea deal, according to the New York Post.

Zyairr Davis, a 14-year-old boy, is the third boy involved in the attack.

He pleaded guilty as a juvenile last year to one count of first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 18 months in detention.

Rashaun Weaver (left) is accused of fatally stabbing her and Luchiano Lewis (right) is accused of holding her back while he did it. They were both charged as adults and Weaver is awaiting trial while Lewis was charged with second-degree murder and robbery

Prosecutors allege that Weaver, Lewis and Davis were looking to mug someone when they went to Morningside park, where they spotted Majors, on December 11th.

Majors yelled for help and attempted to fight off the three boys while Lewis allegedly held her in a headlock position.

Lewis maintains his stance on Weaver being the one who stabbed Majors after seeing feathers in her down coat fly into the air, according to court papers.

Majors collapsed on a flight of stairs at street level after she was stabbed. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Davis said he handed Weaver the knife used to kill Majors upon their arrival at the park, well before they noticed her, according to his videotaped confession.

Before his sentencing, he told the judge: 'I went into Morningside Park in Manhattan with Rashaun and Lucci.

Police tape is seen at the scene on the stairs in Morningside Park the day after the murder

Tessa was stabbed at these stairs in Morningside Park, on the Upper West Side, in December last year

The charges come nearly two months after the gruesome slaying shocked New York City. Pictured: NYPD Scuba team searched Morningside Park for evidence involving the stabbing death of Tessa Majors in December 2019

'We went to the park planning to rob someone. In the park, one of my friends dropped a knife. I picked up the knife and handed it to Rashaun.'

In September of last year, police said Weaver allegedly confessed to the brutal murder in a wire-tapped phone conversation with his father Clifford Weaver, who was behind bars upstate at the time on a parole violation.

Weaver has also been charged for another indictment in a separate violent robbery that happened four days before Majors' death.

'The defendant stated in substance that he was in the park and tried to take the girl's phone and 'she was hanging onto her phone' and that he hit her with a knife,' court papers revealed, describing the conversation.

The elder Weaver has a long history of convictions on robbery and drug charges, and was incarcerated at Mohawk Correctional Facility at the time of the phone call.

Last September, a grand jury unsealed an indictment against Weaver in a separate violent robbery, which police say he committed while on the run from cops as a suspect in Majors' murder.

Majors' (pictured) murder shocked the student bodies at nearby Barnard and Columbia University.

According to the indictment, Weaver and his associate Keith Bonds, 14, beat and robbed a man on Valentine's Day in East Harlem.

The alleged victim was lured to 65 East 112th Street with the offer to buy a cellphone from Bonds, but was instead viciously beaten and robbed, according to the indictment.

Weaver, wearing a black ski mask, distracted the victim by asking him if he had any weed, before Weaver, Bonds, and two unidentified accomplices jumped the man and robbed him of $130, his cellphone and his shoes, prosecutors say,

At the time, he had already been questioned by police in Majors' death but released without charges.

Weaver is being held without bail in a juvenile facility. He is next due in court on November 12 for a pre-trial conference.
Boris Johnson adopted Churchillian confidence as he met with his US counterpart Joe Biden who instead appeared to 'play his cards close to his chest', a behaviour expert said.

Judi James, a leading communication and body language expert, said Mr Johnson displayed a sense of confidence with a 'hint of stability and resilience' as he sat down to speak with the US President in the Oval Office at the White House last night.

Meanwhile President Biden appeared to display a 'slightly less open approach' as he sat next to the premier with his legs and fingers crossed.

During the meeting, Mr Johnson appeared to mount the charm offensive as he told Mr Biden that he took an Amtrak train from New York and people 'love you' - a reference to the president's famous fondness for commuting by rail that earned him the nickname 'Amtrack Joe'.

The pair also enthused about the need for more action to tackle climate change, after the US announced a major boost in funding earlier.

However while the power signals between the two leaders looked 'more evenly-balanced' compared to their meeting at the G7 summit in Cornwall there were subtle hints that there might be 'slightly less tolerance beneath Biden's eye-smiles', according to Ms James.

Boris Johnson adopted a 'confident' Churchillian pose as he met with Joe Biden at the White House, according to body language expert Judi James

The Prime Minister placed one hand on each thigh to emphasise that hint of stability and resilience, although he at times did look like a 'slightly nervous schoolboy'

Meanwhile President Biden appeared to suggest a 'slightly less open approach' as he sat next to the premier with his legs and fingers crossed.

Ms James told MailOnline: 'Masked and seated side by side there were none of the body language dramas that we saw at the G7, where Macron was on hand to suck-up royally to the President, who in turn treated Boris to a volley of power-pats to show him who was in charge.

'At this meeting the power signals between the two leaders looked more evenly-balanced, with Boris adopting a Churchillian pose, sitting solid and symmetric in his chair with his legs splayed to suggest confidence.

'He placed one hand on each thigh to emphasise that hint of stability and resilience, although his habit of re-straightening his tie or scribbling furious notes while Biden spoke did at times make him look like a slightly nervous schoolboy called to the head's office.'

While Mr Johnson took an 'open' and 'positive-looking' stance, it failed to win over the US President who 'might have had less confidence than the PM in some of his plans.'

Ms James continued: 'It was Biden doing the jokes at this meeting while Boris unusually played the straight guy.

'Joe sat with his legs crossed and his notes on his lap to suggest a slightly less open approach and when Boris spoke he crossed his fingers and even widened and rolled his eyes to suggest he might have had less confidence than Boris in some of his plans.'

Later the dynamic between the pair changed and they both appeared to form a 'body language double act'.

The body language expert said: 'But with his noted rolled up, Biden became jovial and expansive, telling a long and presumably funny story that verbally got lost in his mask.

The US President crossed his fingers and even widened and rolled his eyes to suggest he might have had less confidence than Boris in some of his plans

But Ms James went on to say that despite the rapport between both leaders, Mr Biden's body language suggested 'slightly less tolerance'

The dynamic between the pair changed later as they both appeared to form a 'body language double act'

'He was animated and his eye-smile did suggest a certain fondness for the PM, who he then formed a bit of a body language double act with as they took questions from the press.

'Boris pointed at the press and Biden pointed at Boris. All looked jolly enough apart from one 'tell' from Biden.'

But Ms James went on to say that despite the rapport between both leaders, Mr Biden's body language suggested 'slightly less tolerance'.

She added: 'Despite the apparent rapport, Biden's right hand clenched and unclenched into a fist while Boris was talking.

'It was a small gesture but it did look at odds with all the good-humour, suggesting there might be slightly less tolerance beneath Biden's eye-smiles.

'Put together with the crossed legs and more concealed notes on his lap the suggestion might be that the President is still playing his cards quite close to his chest, as opposed to our more open and positive-looking PM.'

During his meeting Mr Johnson hailed Mr Biden's announcement at the UN general assembly that the US climate change finance will be doubled to $11.4billion per year, or 8.3billion.

No10 was also delighted that the American administration has finally eased the draconian travel restrictions on Britons crossing the Atlantic, in a surprise step yesterday.

During the meeting, Mr Johnson appeared to mount the charm offensive as he told Mr Biden that he took an Amtrak train from New York

However, Mr Johnson had to navigate some tricky moments, including having to defend the US decision to abandon Afghanistan to the Taliban- something that caused fury in the UK and friction between the two governments.

Earlier in the day, Mr Johnson described how the two government were 'cooperating at a higher and more intense level than at anytime I can remember' as he held talks with Vice President Kamala Harris at her offices in the Eisenhower building.

Mr Johnson said: 'Madame Vice President it's a great honor and privilege for me to be here to meet you for the first time.

'I've heard a lot about you but it's fantastic to be here and I want to thank the US government, your government, for the many ways in which we are cooperating now I think at a higher and more intense level than at anytime I can remember.

'I want to signal out the amazing work, the brave work, of the US military is helping the Kabul airlift. We could always done that without US leadership and I'm grateful for that.'

He also expressed gratitude for the new travel rules announced yesterday.

'That's great, that's an improvement on the previous arrangements and thank you for your hard work on that,' he added.
A decomposed body has been found under the boardwalk in New York's Coney Island with its hands tied together with rope and duct tape placed over its mouth, according to authorities.

The body was found by New York Police Department officers under the boardwalk by Surf Avenue and West Fifth Street in the early hours of Monday.

Police received a 911 call just before midnight about a dead body.

Officials said a group of homeless men who live under the boardwalk were the first to discover the body, according to News 10.

The New York Daily News reports that the group found the decomposed human remains after they knocked down a wall while attempting to increase the size of their camp, a police source told the news outlet.

Police said a group of homeless men who live under the Coney Island boardwalk (pictured) were the first to discover the body, according to News 10

The body, which was discovered under the Coney Island boardwalk by Surf Avenue and West Fifth Street, was found just before midnight after police responded to a call about a dead body

The person was pronounced dead at the scene, with the body wearing boxer shorts and a tank top alongside rope which bound the corpse's hands together and duct tape covering it's mouth.

The individual has not yet been identified by police as of Tuesday evening, and the cause of death is still pending an autopsy by the city medical examiner.

The body was so badly decomposed that authorities could not immediately ascertain the corpse's age or gender, according to News 10.

However, the Daily News reports that police believe the remains belong to a man.

Meanwhile, police say an investigation into the grisly discovery is ongoing.
Security camera footage shows the moment a homeless man appears to hurl a brick at a 63-year-old handyman outside a bagel shop on New York City's Lower East Side as the city's wave of violent crime continues.

The attack was allegedly sparked after the victim offered the panhandler a bagel and a cup of coffee, the New York Daily News reports.

A surveillance camera, released by the NYPD, captured the moment on September 15 as the homeless man waves a chair over his head, appearing to threaten the handyman who holds his hands up to stop the attack.

The handyman appears stoic, not backing down from the homeless man who proceeds to sucker punch the victim.

The handyman strikes back, and the men begin to wrestle before the homeless man tosses the victim to the ground.

The homeless man, in black, waved a chair over his head to threaten the handyman

When they handyman stands his ground, the homeless man sucker punches him in the face

He then tackles the 63-year-old man to the ground after the handyman tried fighting back

An employee at the Kossar Bagels & Bialys shop jumps in to stop the fight

An employee from the Kossar Bagels & Bialys shop, at 357 Grand St., steps out to stop the fight before the video blacks out.

The video resumes at a sidewalk nearby the shop, with the handyman waving a stick around to keep the homeless man away from him.

The homeless man keeps trying to get closer to the man, appearing ready to strike him, before the video cuts off again.

It resumes with the homeless holding a brick in hand, rushing to the handyman who backs away desperately as the attacker flings the brick at his face.

The man flees on foot.

The handyman suffered a cut on his nose and bruises on his wrist and was transported to New York Downtown Hospital.

The attack continues at a nearby sidewalk as the handyman tries to keep the man away

The homeless man grabs a brick and the handyman desperately begins to back up

The homeless man runs forward and the handyman braces for the attack

The brick hits the handyman in the face, cutting his nose

A manager of the bagel shop said the victim had approached the man to offer him food and a beverage, the Daily News reported.

'Because we normally do that when you see a homeless person out there. The guy took offense, it seems, to it and he attacked.'

'He was really shaken up about it, because nobody expects that, you know?' said the manager told the Daily News.

'He went to the hospital and got checked on to make sure everything is OK.'

He added that the homeless man began appearing at the shop last month, and an employee had seen police arrest the man before last week's attack.

The manager said the man has been spotted in the neighborhood since then, but whenever he calls the police, the homeless man is gone. The manager added that the homeless man may have a mental illness.

The New York Police Department is currently investigating the incident.

The incident took place outside Kossar Bagels & Bialys, on the Lower East Side

While violent crime overall had been slightly down in New York City this year compared to last year, by less than 1 per cent, the number of felony assaults are still up.

Felony assaults are up more than six percent this year, with the NYPD reporting 15,885 cases as of September 19, slightly higher than the 14,965 reported by the same time last year.

Rapes are also higher this year, with reports of 1,063 rapes so far this year, more than 3 per cent higher than the 1,026 reported last year.

The number of shooting incidents have also gone up by 2.7 percent, from 1,118 in 2020 to 1,488 in 2021.

Murders were down from 352 in 2020 to 336 in 2021. Robberies also saw a slight decrease from 9,105 to 9,014.

New York City mayoral hopeful Eric Adams last week blasted current Mayor Bill de Blasio for allowing crime to stray relatively high in the city.

The former NYPD captain vowed to crack down on violent criminals amid a string of crimes occurring at New York eateries and businesses if he wins the mayoral election this year.

'Right now no one wants to do business in the city,' Adams said Friday on Bloomberg Radio - less than 48 hours after masked men with guns attacked random outdoor diners at the popular Philippe Chow restaurant on Manhattan's East Side.

'We have been defined as a business-enemy city instead of a business-friendly city,' Adams said.

De Blasio, who boasted that this summer was one of the city's safest and praised the NYPD's work for making a record number of gun-related arrests, blamed courts for the increases of some crimes.

He lashed out at the state's criminal justice system, the high crime rates in the Big Apple on a dramatically reduced number of trial verdicts, which he slammed as 'unacceptable.'

The mayor said courts have been lagging behind other institutions in reopening at full capacity, despite offers of help from the administration

A spokesperson for the court system responded by accusing the mayor of 'gaslighting' the public in an attempt to shift the blame for the crime epidemic.

Speaking during his daily remote press conference on August 31, de Blasio revealed that in the first half of 2021, there were only 18 trial verdicts across the five boroughs, compared to 405 during the same time in 2019.

'That isn't good enough,' the mayor said.

Lucian Chaifen, Director of Communications with the Office of Court Administration, responded to de Blasio's harsh criticism by accusing the mayor of engaging in finger-pointing.

'Yet again, the mayor demonstrates his glaring lack of understanding of the criminal justice process in this state,' Chaifen said in a statement. 'His gaslighting rhetoric regarding court operations is an attempt to shift the public safety discussion continues.'
A Mississippi sheriff's department claims it has successfully identified the skeletal remains of a woman which were found 44 years ago.

Investigators believe the remains, which were found in December 1977, are those of Clara Birdlong - and they believe she was a victim of America's most prolific serial killer Samuel Little.

Birdlong's remains were found by a group of hunters in the small community of Escatawpa in coastal Jackson County, Mississippi, and investigators had referred to her since then as 'Escatawpa Jane Doe.'

A sheriff's department claims it has successfully identified the skeletal remains of a woman, which were found 44 years ago in Escatawpa, Jackson County, Mississippi, as Clara Birdlong. Pictured: A computer-generated rendering of how detectives believe the woman may have looked like when alive

An autopsy determined that the woman, who had a distinctive gold tooth, had been dead about three or four months before her remains were found.

Speaking yesterday, Sheriff Mike Ezell said that investigators used DNA to identify the remains as those of Clara Birdlong, who was born in 1933 in Leflore County, Mississippi, which is nearly 300 miles (483 kilometers) northwest of Jackson County.

A relative told investigators early this year that Birdlong went missing from Leflore County in the 1970s.

Ezell said Little confessed in 2018 to several killings in the Southeastern U.S., including that of 'Escatawpa Jane Doe,' although Little said he did not know her name.

Investigators believe Birdlong she was a victim of America's most prolific serial killer Samuel Little (pictured)

Ezell on Tuesday released a jail photo of Little that was taken in August 1977 after his arrest on a petty theft charge in Pascagoula, which is in Jackson County.

Little died in December in California, where he was serving a life sentence for multiple counts of murder.

He confessed to killing 93 people between 1970 and 2005. Most of the slayings took place in Florida and Southern California.

'Although he is now deceased, Samuel Little is considered a prime suspect in the death of Clara Birdlong,' a news release from Ezell's office said Tuesday. 'Her cause of death is undetermined.'
McDonald's says it plans to drastically cut the use of plastic in its Happy Meals toys, despite releasing a new line of plastic figurines in the US.

The move is part of a plan to reduce its plastic waste by 90 per cent by 2025.

The burger joint announced its plan to move toward more eco-friendly toys in its kids' meals.

The fast food giant's new toys will be made out more sustainable materials such as recycled cardboard and plant-based materials.

With more than 5,000 Happy Meals sold each minute, according to CBS, a lot of plastic goes out the doors and into the homes and garbage cans of families across the world.

The announcement comes despite the US chains' latest collection of 50 plastic Disney figurines celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World.

McDonald's has announced a new imitative to reduce its plastic waste in its Happy Meals by 90 per cent by 2025. Some countries, like the UK, Ireland, and France, are already seeing these two toys, while other countries will see the toys popping up in stores over the next few years

The company's new round of toys include soft toys, like plushy Batman (left), plant-based toys like an alligator (middle), and recycled cardboard buildable toys, like the Joker (right)

Children enjoying a Happy Meal in the UK, Ireland, and France can already enjoy the more sustainable toys. Other countries, like the US, will have to wait a few years before seeing these toys pop up in stores.

McDonald's new sustainable toy line includes a fun, little alligator, which will be made out of plant-based materials and a squishy Batman, which is being made out of sustainable cloth.

Other options include superhero models made out of recycled cardboard.

McDonald's Chief Sustainability Officer Jenny McColloch told their Happy Meal Superfan Kiran that the company is moving away from a 'particular type of plastic' made from virgin fossil fuels.

'Virgin fossil fuels plastic means it can cause pollution, so what we're doing is helping to shift to materials that are reusable materials or are grown from plants. And that way, we can reduce pollution and help the planet,' she said in a video released by the company.

The iconic Happy Meal has been served since 1979 and this isn't the first revamp the meal has seen.

McDonald's Chief Sustainability Officer Jenny McColloch said the company is moving away from a 'particular type of plastic' made from virgin fossil fuels

In 2018, the kid's meal was redesigned to serve food with fewer calories, sodium, and saturated fats.

The chain started working toward removing all artificial flavor and color from its kid's meals in 2018 and plans to complete this by 2022, according to Mashed.

The Golden Arches also started offering low-fat milk and juice options in the early 2000s to curb children consuming high calories drinks, like Coke Cola and Sprite. In 2018. the company announced that 50 per cent of its Happy Meals were sold with milk or juice.

The new toys will be made from recycled materials, as well as corn, fiber, sugarcane, and soybeans

McDonald's also swapped out cookies for apple slices in 2004, to promote a healthier option and plans on making all its Happy Meals under 600 calories.

The three Happy Meal options currently sold in the US range from 395 to 475 calories.

Other chains, like Burger King, have already removed plastic toys from its kids' meal in the UK, according to CBS.
Disneyland is giving Jessica Rabbit a politically-correct makeover as a private eye - ditching her famous low-rise red dress with a trench coat and a fedora - in one of its iconic rides.

Jessica Rabbit is being redesigned to be more empowered and less scantily-clad on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin ride, Yahoo News reports, as the ride's backstory is updated to make her a private investigator trying to fight a rise in crime.

The ride originally opened in 1994 in Mickey's Toontown section of the Anaheim, California theme park and featured guests catching a taxi and following Roger Rabbit and Benny the Cab as they race through Toontown looking for Jessica Rabbit, according to Inside the Magic.

But under the park's plans, the ride will get a 'more relevant' reboot with a new plot that features Jessica as a trench coat-wearing private investigator.

'Citing the return of the Toon Patrol Weasels as the main driver behind the recent sharp rise in crime statistics throughout Mickey's Toontown, Jessica Rabbit has determined it is past time to throw her fedora into the ring by starting her own private investigation service,' a poster inside the revamped ride will read.

'While taking inspiration from longtime friend and legendary Toon Detective Eddie Valiant, Jessica shows that she certainly means business.'

Jessica Rabbit, left, debuted in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

The Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin ride at Disneyland will be revamped to feature Jessica Rabbit as a private investigator instead of a femme fatale

Here's some more information about the new Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin backstory at Disneyland. This poster will be displayed in the queue.



Some background: https://t.co/ddPkhxX9ZB pic.twitter.com/bzNrM3Cb5c  Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) September 15, 2021

A Car Toon Spin Ride scene featuring Jessica Rabbit and the weasels with an automobile, as well as the final scene of the ride are being updated under the plans, the Orange County Register reports.

One scene featuring her tied up in the trunk of a car has already been updated, one park-goer pointed out on Twitter, with the damsel in distress replaced by barrels of cartoon-erasing paint thinner.

Jessica Rabbit first debuted in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, in which she is accused of murder and must turn to detective Eddie Valiant to find the killer.

The character will not be changed in the movies.

Still, the news upset some fans on social media, with one person writing that Disney 'does not understand the concept of Jessica Rabbit,' including a picture describing her as 'the most wholesome character in this movie' and an 'intentional subversion of the femme fatale trope in noir films.'

Another called the move: 'Disney blindly stumbling into the objectification vs. sex positivity debate by saying Jessica Rabbit needs to have a masculine job and wear masculine clothes in order to be empowered,' while a user 'Lukinator' said: 'The PC police have struck again.'

Other users asked, 'Why does Disney hate sexy people?' and 'Is it just me, or is Disney basically just slut shaming Jessica Rabbit?'

One user on Twitter noticed that Jessica Rabbit had already been replaced with barrels of cartoon-erasing paint thinner in one scene of the ride

Some fans took to Twitter to criticize the decision

The news comes as construction continues at the park, with the new Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway trackless ride set to open in 2023, and many attractions remaining closed since Disneyland reopened from an extended coronavirus closure in late April.

The park has previously revamped some of its rides to make them more politically appropriate for the 21st century.

In June, the Walt Disney parks unveiled a revamped Jungle Cruise ride that removed 'negative depictions of native people,' according to Yahoo News.

And last summer, the theme parks vowed to completely redo its Splash Mountain ride - based on the controversial 1946 film Song of the South - and replace it with a ride based on the 2009 film Princess and the Frog, which features Disney's first black princess.
Queensland Police are investigating the violent death of a man at the Cairns Central shopping centre.

Emergency services were called to the scene in far north Queensland just before 8am on Wednesday to reports of a 'massive laceration'.

Another man has since been arrested and is in police custody following what is believed to be a random and unprovoked attack.

Police said the 35-year-old man's body was found on McLeod St in Cairns - on the ground floor of the shopping centre.

Cairns Central Shopping Centre, where a man was murdered on Wednesday morning

Police have confirmed they have a suspect in custody, and have launched an investigation (stock image)

Detective Inspector Kev Goan has confirmed the victim suffered a single laceration to his throat. He died 20 minutes after the fatal attack.

'We will be talking to witnesses as well as viewing CCTV,' Det Insp Goan said.

'That will give us the best picture possible to what transpired here this morning.

'Our immediate information is that it appears to be a chance happening. The offender was resolute in what he had intended.'

Police are combing through CCTV footage as they look to determine the movements of both the offender and the victim.

'The crime scene is being secured and cooperation from Centre Management has been tremendous,' Det Insp Goan added.

'As you can imagine with a stabbing incident, there's an amount of blood everywhere.'

Workers at the shopping centre have described the victim as 'a fairly laid back, easy going nice gentleman.'

Soon after the incident, local police blocked off parts of the shopping centre and asked people to avoid the area.

Cairns Central's centre manager Christie-Lee Jackson said supermarkets were still open, but the rest of the centre was closed and would remain so until further notice.

'We are aware of an incident that took place this morning at Cairns Central. As this is now a police matter, we are unable to comment further,' she said.

'We are assisting police with their investigation, and as always the safety of our customers and staff is paramount.'
Joe Biden last night threw a spanner into the works of the UK's 'special relationship' with the United States, warning Boris Johnson that growing trade tensions between the two nations should not jeopardise 'hard-fought' peace in Northern Ireland.

Boris Johnson is expected to discuss concerns over the agreement aimed at preventing a hard trade border on the island of Ireland in a series of meetings with the President and other White House officials today.

But Mr Biden said he feels 'very strongly' that there should be no changes to the 'Irish accords' resulting in 'a closed border'.

Asked about a UK-US trade deal, Mr Biden, appearing alongside the Prime Minister, told reporters in the Oval Office: 'To do with the UK, that's continuing to be discussed.

'But on the (Northern Ireland) protocols I feel very strongly on those. We spent an enormous amount of time and effort, the United States, it was a major bipartisan effort made.

'And I would not at all like to see, nor I might add would many of my Republican colleagues like to see, a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland.'

Mr Johnson broke in to say 'on that point we are completely at one'.

But Brexiteers have been increasingly frustrated at the US administration's refusal to recognise that the protocol itself poses a risk to the peace process.

Joe Biden last night threw a spanner into the works of the UK's 'special relationship' with the United States, warning that growing trade tensions between the two nations should not jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland

Loyalists during a rally against the Northern Ireland Protocol in Newtownards Road, Belfast last week

What is the Northern Ireland Protocol and why is the US so involved? Britain is angling for a trade deal with Washington now it has left the EU, but it remains locked in talks with Brussels and Dublin about how best to implement tricky post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Protocol aims to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and EU member state Ireland, a key plank of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought an end to decades of violence. But pro-British unionists say the deal to mandate checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea from mainland Britain creates another de facto border and puts Northern Ireland's place in the wider UK in jeopardy. London and Brussels agreed this month to indefinitely extend a grace period on implementing some checks. Any UK-US trade deal will need to be passed by the House of Representatives led by Nancy Pelosi, whose boss, US President Joe Biden, is of Irish descent. The US, which played a key role in securing the 1998 Good Friday peace accord, has cautioned Britain against doing anything to undermine the peace settlement. Advertisement

It comes after then-president Barack Obama warned Britons in the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016, they would be at the 'back of the queue' or any trade deal if they voted for Brexit.

Mr Biden, meanwhile, is vocally proud of his Irish heritage and has previously warned there will be no trade deal if peace in Northern Ireland is jeopardised by the EU departure.

The President downplayed prospects of an agreement last night, as ministers resorted to considering downgrading their efforts to join an existing pact.

Meeting the Prime Minister in the White House, the US President issued a fresh warning for the UK not to damage the peace process in Northern Ireland over the EU departure.

Mr Biden said: 'We're going to talk a little bit about trade today and we're going to have to work that through.'

The Prime Minister's first White House meeting with Mr Biden since he succeeded Donald Trump came as the Government's hopes for securing a comprehensive free trade deal with the US faded.

Ministers were understood to be instead considering whether to join an existing pact with the US, Mexico and Canada to boost trans-Atlantic trade in a major departure from their prior ambitions.

Earlier in the day, Mr Johnson was unable to commit to securing the deal - touted as a prize of Brexit by Leave supporters during the EU referendum - before the next election.

But in one possible boost to trans-Atlantic trade, Mr Biden said they are 'going to be working on lamb' - with imports currently banned from Britain.

The US president said he was 'anxious' to attend the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow 'with bells on', and said they would continue talks on how to co-operate on Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a bilateral meeting with the President of the United States of America in the Oval Office in the White House

The Prime Minister first held talks with vice president Kamala Harris after arriving in Washington DC by train from New York, where he has been attending a UN summit.

Mr Johnson told reporters in Manhattan there were 'plenty of reason to be optimistic' about getting the free trade agreement (FTA) with the US.

But the Vote Leave figurehead downplayed the prospects of brokering a trade deal by the next election, raising the possibility that he could leave Downing Street without achieving a key ambition for the post-Brexit era.

His concession came after suggesting trade negotiations are not a priority for the US president, who he accepted has 'a lot of fish to fry'.

Asked if he would get the deal by 2024, the Prime Minister told Sky News: 'We will keep going with free trade deals around the world including in the United States.

'I have plenty of reason to be optimistic about that. But the Americans do negotiate very hard.'

The Prime Minister conceded Britain and the US could have possibly taken a different course over the withdrawal of troops of Afghanistan.

'America has been there for 20 years and it's a respectable argument to say that enough is enough. Look, I mean, could we have done it a bit differently? Maybe we could,' the Prime Minister told American broadcaster NBC.

Mr Johnson had pleaded with the president to push back his deadline for drawing down all US troops after the Taliban marched back to power.

But Mr Biden rejected the request, meaning potentially thousands of vulnerable Afghans who worked for the UK and their families were left behind.

Travelling on an Amtrak train to DC, Mr Johnson had been buoyed by the announcement the US will drop the blanket ban on travellers arriving from the UK due to the coronavirus crisis.

However, No 10 appeared blindsided by Monday's announcement, raising questions over the state of communications between the White House and Downing Street.

Just one day before the end of the ban was announced, Mr Johnson was downplaying to reporters any expectations that he could 'crack' the issue this week.

Aboard the RAF Voyager on the flight to New York, Mr Johnson also seemed negative about the prospect of getting a trade deal in place any time soon.

'On the FTA, the reality is that Joe has a lot of fish to fry,' Mr Johnson told reporters.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a bilateral meeting with the President of the United States of America in the Oval Office in the White House

Meanwhile, New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss raised the stalled negotiations with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken when they met in New York during the UN General Assembly on Monday.

It is understood Ms Truss questioned whether that position is tenable in the long term and has considered other routes to improving trading ties with the States.

She was to meet with the US president alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the White House on Tuesday.

But, after a return to New York for further talks relating to the UN General Assembly, she will head to Mexico City to open a new British embassy.

She was understood to be considering the possibility of the UK joining the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

A diplomatic source said: 'There are a variety of different ways to do this. The question is whether the US administration is ready.

'The ball is in the US's court. It takes two to tango.'

The frustration over trade negotiations follows a major diplomatic row which broke out earlier this week.

The new military pact between the UK, US and Australia scuppered a multibillion-dollar contract for France to provide submarines to Australia.

France took the extraordinary step of recalling its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra, but declined to do the same from London, accusing the UK of being America's lapdog.
No charges will be filed against a South Carolina father whose twin boys died after he forgot to drop them off at daycare and left them in a car all day, police say.

Bryson and Brayden McDaniel, 20 months, were found dead in the small family SUV outside of Sunshine House Early Learning Academy in the Columbia suburb of Blythewood at 5.30pm on September 1.

The father reportedly went into the daycare after work to pick up his children to learn they were not there. He found his sons still strapped in their car seats where they had been for nine and a half hours.

The twins died from heat exposure as the car reached an internal temperature of up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Richland County Coroner Nadia Rutherford.

But Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott reported at a press conference that the local solicitors office has decided to not press charges against the unnamed father.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott reported that the local solicitors office has decided to not press charges against the unnamed father of Bryson and Brayden McDaniel, 20 months, who died on September 1 after being left in the car for nine and a half hours

Lott called the deaths a 'tragic accident' and admitted the father's interview with police was the most 'heart-wrenching' they had ever done.

'The pure emotion that came out was not something that you could fake,' Lott said about the father's interview. 'It didn't happen on purpose, he didn't mean to do it. God, he didn't mean to do it.

'It's a parent's worst nightmare. It's also a community's worst nightmare too, because so many people cared about these two young people.'

He also reported the father was under immense pressure at work, although he couldn't say what exactly, and he suspected that contributed to the twins' death.

'I can't say a cause that contributed to it. Unfortunately, sometimes the work takes over the personal stuff and what you should be focusing on. I think that's what happened.'

The father arrived at Sunshine House daycare to pick up his children when he learned they were not there and found him in his car. The boys died of heat exhaustion

The sheriff's department closed their three-week investigation after finding the boys on September 1. The sheriff referred it to as a 'tragic accident' and said the father 'didn't mean to do it'

The Sheriff's department reported the father thought he had dropped the children off that morning. The twins were sat in rear-facing car seats.

The Richland County Coroner's Office told a press conference on September 2 that a parent had placed the children in rear-facing car seats of the SUV at around 7.30-8am, before driving to work for the day.

The office is now requesting parents with newer vehicles that are equipped with backseat reminder systems to keep them on, despite the annoying noise.

'If you have a vehicle with the rear seat reminder, set it, turn it on. A lot of times we turn off that little aggravating noise in the new vehicles,' Nadia said. 'I know the Tahoes we drive have them and I always wondered what they were for, and it wasn't until this case that I realized it was a reminder to look in the backseat

We urge each parent - there are so much stressors with COVID-19, with the world changing - look in the backseat, make sure you've dropped off the child.'

Rutherford is also calling on all daycare and childcare workers to call parents if children do not arrive.

New models of cars now have dashboard reminders, accompanied by a warning noise, that goes off on a trip if a backdoor has been opened.

The auto industry has committed to adding this feature in all cars and trucks by 2025 models, according to Consumer Report.
Two suspects in an attack on Jewish men outside a Los Angeles restaurant in May were charged with a hate crime, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Xavier Pabon, 30, of Banning, and Samer Jayylusi, 36, of Anaheim, were each charged Tuesday with two felony counts of assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The charges also include a hate crime allegation.

Pabon will make his next court appearance Thursday, while Jayylusi is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, CBS 2 reported. It wasn't immediately known if the men have attorneys.

'A hate crime is a crime against all of us,' L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascon said in a statement announcing the charges. 'My office is committed to doing all we can to make Los Angeles County a place where our diversity is embraced and protected.'

The suspects were part of a pro-Palestinian caravan that stopped near Sushi Fumi on the city's west side where diners were eating at outdoor tables on May 18, police said.

They are accused of approaching two men outside the restaurant and attacking them because of their religion, prosecutors said.

Xavier Pabon, 30, of Banning, and Samer Jayylusi, 36, were charged with a hate crime Tuesday after they were allegedly part of a group caught on video (pictured) in May attacking Jewish patrons at a sushi restaurant in Lost Angeles

Five people were injured in the melee, including an Arabic-speaking ethnic Armenian who came to the defense of his Jewish friends

The attackers were observed throwing glasses and yelling anti-Semitic slurs

The incident was caught on video, and shows the caravan driving by, honking their horns with one man using a megaphone to shout that Israelis 'killed women' and that they 'should be ashamed of themselves.'

Pabon and Jayylusi were allegedly part of a group of eight people seen in the video approaching the restaurant and cursing at Jewish customers.

Witnesses told news media that people in the caravan threw bottles and chanted 'death to Jews' and 'free Palestine,' and men got out of the vehicles and began asking who was Jewish. A brawl erupted when two diners said they were Jewish.

'They had malice,' a witness told the Los Angeles Times.

Video showed a man being punched on a sidewalk.

The men were allegedly part of a car convoy flying Palestinian flags rolling through the Beverly Grove section of LA in May. Witnesses said members of the caravan yelled 'death to Jews' and 'free Palestine'

The attack took place outside Sushi Fumi on the west side of the city, where diners were sitting outside

The man, who wished to be identified only as M, told KABC-TV that he was helping plan an upcoming wedding with four Jewish friends when the car caravan rolled up.

The footage showed some men dressed in black getting out of a car and pushing Ms friend to the ground.

M, who described himself in a separate interview with NBC Los Angeles as an ethnic Armenian who grew up in Lebanon and spoke Arabic, said he grabbed a metal stanchion. The video shows him swinging it at attackers.

M said he grabbed the heavy metal pole to scare the men after his initial efforts to 'make peace' failed.

'There were many girls behind us. I was scared that they would attack everybody,' he said.

Pabon and Jayylusi were allegedly part of a group of eight people who attacked diners at the restaurant that night

M was followed to his car, punched, had his finger sliced with a knife and pepper sprayed, and was treated at a hospital for multiple injuries, he said.

Restaurant staff rushed patrons inside, locked the doors and called police, who arrived and restored order. The melee was said to have lasted about 15 minutes.

Police said five victims were punched or hurt by broken glass, but nobody was seriously injured.

The attack came shortly after Israels bombing of Gaza that killed at least 200, Palestinians including 64 children. A dozen Israelis, including a baby were also killed in the fighting.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators had been rallying throughout west Los Angeles that week.
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Hundreds of anti-vaccination protesters chanted 'lest we forget' as they marched on Melbourne's war memorial where they set up camp in the hope police wouldn't fire on them out of respect for fallen Anzacs.

The protesters, who have been rallying for three days to demand an end to mandatory vaccinations for construction workers, swarmed Victoria's Shrine of Remembrance which was built to honour the state's men and women who served in the First World War.

Some were decked out in body armour or helmets in anticipation of a police attack while others sang chants urging officers not to arrest them out of 'respect for the Anzacs'.

Dozens of officers completely surrounded the protesters and prepared for a gas attack to flush them out while the demonstrators shouted 'join us' at the police and also sang the national anthem.

But two hours into the stand-off police had still not fired gas and were telling protesters to leave to avoid being arrested.

By about 4pm many protesters left along St Kilda Road after police parted to create a small exit route for them - but hundreds of diehards remained, chanting 'stand your ground'. Among them were two parents accompanied by four small children.

Protesters set up camp at Melbourne's war memorial in the hope police wouldn't fire on them out of respect for fallen Anzacs

Some were decked out in body armour or helmets in anticipation of a police attack while others sang chants urging police not to arrest them out of 'respect for the Anzacs'

Protesters waved flags as they marched on the war memorial which was set up to honour fallen soldiers in First World War

The protesters were totally surrounded by police with no way to escape. Officers decided not to fire tear gas

The demonstrators, many wearing high-vis clothing, chanted and waved placards as police officers surrounded them

Cops wearing riot gear and holding shields surrounded the protesters during the tense stand off on Wednesday afternoon

Protesters walk down Swanston Street in the CBD on September 22, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. Protests started on Monday over new Covid-19 vaccine requirements for construction workers but turned into larger and at times violent demonstrations

Freedom protesters, who want an end to Covid-19 lockdown rules, lit flares as they swarmed the CBD on Wednesday

Officers completely surrounded the protesters and prepared for a gas attack to flush them out

Left: Protesters march through the CBD. Right: A police officer holding a non-lethal gun at the shine protest

RSL Victoria slammed the protesters, saying they were 'completely disrespecting the sanctity' of the shrine,

'Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance is a sacred place, of critical importance to the current and ex-service members of our community, for commemorating service and for the remembrance of those who have died performing their patriotic duty,' a statement read.

'Under no circumstances, ever, should the Shrine be a place of protest.

'If any individuals or groups choose to express their political views, positions or ideological theories in the grounds of the Shrine at any time, they are completely disrespecting the sanctity of this time-honoured space, those men and women of the Australian Defence Force who have lost their lives, and all Victorian veterans.'

The chair of the Shrine of Remembrance Captain Stephen Bowater said the protest was 'disgraceful and disrespectful to the honoured memory of Australian service men and women'.

Thousands of demonstrators showed their opposition to vaccination passports and mandatory vaccinations

Protesters sit on the lawn at the Shrine of Remembrance as they rally against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations and a two week shutdown of the construction industry

Police pepper spray a protester during a rally against Covid-19 regulations in Melbourne on September 22

Riot Police watch on as protesters gather at the Shrine of Remembrance as they rally against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations

A smiling protester makes the peace sign as he rallies with hundreds of other anti-vaccination tradesmen in Melbourne

One protester held a sign saying 'not here for violence, I'm here for a choice' as he marches through the Melbourne CBD

Protesters walk down Swanston Street in the Melbourne CBD during the third day of anti-vaccination demonstrations

Protest organisers used megaphones to plead with those trapped near the shrine to 'clean up their garbage' and dispose of any weapons they may be packing.

Buses containing police were earlier seen heading to the memorial in Kings Domain on St Kilda, accompanied by scores of police cars with lights and sirens flashing.

In the morning, images and footage from the CBD show officers handcuffing dozens of demonstrators for breaching stay-at-home orders on Wednesday morning after police vowed they would be better prepared for violence since being caught off guard on Tuesday.

Another dramatic video showed panicked protesters running away from police who opened fire using pellet guns which project blunt-force pellets the size of marbles that feel like a 'hard punch' on impact.

Daily Mail Australia witnessed one man being pepper sprayed infront of his teenage son near the CFMEU building which has been the target of violent protests since Monday.

Protesters were seen taunting police guarding the headquarters after entering Victoria Street at 12.30pm, lighting flares and swearing at heavily armoured police.

A protester wearing a CFMEU hat removed his top as he marched through the CBD in protest against mandatory vaccinations

A police officer detains a protester as construction workers and demonstrators march on the streets against the Covid-19 regulations in Melbourne

Protesters wore body armour or helmets in anticipation of a police attack as they marched through Melbourne's CBD

A lone protester challenges anti-riot police as construction workers and demonstrators march on the streets against Covid-19 regulations

Despite Melbourne's stay-at-home orders and a warning from authorities, several hundred demonstrators returned to the CBD on Wednesday morning.

One man told a live stream he walked to the shrine because 'those people died for us, and now they want to take away out freedom'.

Earlier, riot police moved in to shut down dozens of people marching down Elizabeth and Collins streets.

A group of protesters sought cover in a nearby Chemist Warehouse after police pelted them with non-lethal rounds and pepper spray.

Deputy Premier James Merlino refused to call those in the city protesters, instead describing the scenes as 'a mob acting criminally'.

He said they were putting health workers, themselves and the Victorian public at risk.

'What we have seen over the last two or three days is criminal behaviour that does not represent our great state in any way, shape or form and that behaviour will not drive our case numbers down,' he told reporters in Melbourne.

Police have permission to use crowd control force against anyone trying to repeat the seven-hour 'cat and mouse' game seen in Melbourne on Tuesday, when up to 2000 protesters led police across the city and shut down the West Gate Bridge.

A blonde woman is arrested in Melbourne's CBD on Wednesday morning as police cracked down on Covid rule-breakers

Police holding pellet guns and wearing protective gear including masks marched through Melbourne on Wednesday

Victoria Police make arrests during a protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations. One man appears to have been wrapped in a blanket by officers

Police held one man's head to the ground during a violent arrest. Other arrests were less violent such as this one (left) that did not require handcuffs

Protesters gather in Melbourne's CBD ahead of another day of protesting. Police were seen speaking to and arresting several protesters on Wednesday

Heavily-armed riot police were backed up by hundreds of regular officers who marched the streets on Wednesday

Members of the Victoria Police Public Order Response Team during a protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations and a two week shutdown of the construction industry

Heavily protected riot police walked through Melbourne's CBD to disperse protesters on Wednesday morning

Earlier on Wednesday Daniel Andrews blasted violent protesters who caused chaos in Melbourne over the past two days as police vowed to use new tactics to fight back with more carnage expected.

About 2,000 tradesmen and anti-vaccination and freedom campaigners rampaged through the city for ten hours on Tuesday to demonstrate against a two-week shutdown of the construction industry imposed due to rising Covid cases.

Police - who were caught short by the hastily organised protest - said 62 people were arrested on Tuesday after footage showed violent thugs attacking police by throwing cans or punching them in the street.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison broadcast live from Washington DC - where he met with President Joe Bide earlier - to denounce the protests and call for calm.

'These are important jobs and they will return, we will get through this but protest activity and what we have seen there is highly distressing and that is not an appropriate response to trying to deal with an outbreak of this nature,' he said.

Protests started on Monday over new COVID-19 vaccine requirements for construction workers but turned into larger and at times violent demonstration. Pictured: An arrest on Wednesday

A protesters was arrested after receiving a nasty cut on his head during a clash with police in Melbourne on Wednesday

Members of Victorian Police detain a women at the corner of Elizabeth St and Victoria St near the CFMEU Building on September 22

Footage shows police officers handcuffing at least one male and two female demonstrators on Wednesday morning

Mr Andrews said the actions were an 'insult' to the majority of law-abiding tradies and said the protesters were not just builders but also far-right freedom and anti-vaxx protesters.

'Can I say at the outset that the ugly scenes that we saw yesterday are not only appalling, they're unlawful. Victoria Police will take action against those who did the wrong thing yesterday,' Mr Andrews said in his first public appearance since the protests.

'I think there were some people there who you would say were from the building industry.

'There were others who were not from the building industry. They're not there to protests, they're there for a fight, pretend to be protesting. They're from many different backgrounds.

'What offends me is not only is the conduct, but in my job, over many years, I have met hundreds and thousands of builders, hundreds and thousands of tradies who build this state, whether it be removing level crossings, building hospitals and schools, all the way through to building homes, they're fine people, hardworking people, and what we saw yesterday is an insult, an insult, to the vast, vast majority of tradies or people in the building industry who are not about wrecking, they're about building,' he said.

Members of Victorian Police detain a man at the corner of Elizabeth St and Victoria St near the CFMEU Building on Wednesday

Police stand guard as a protester is arrested. Heavily armoured police were seen marching down Elizabeth Street with 10 mounted police heading the charge

Daniel Andrews has blasted violent anti-vaccination protesters in Melbourne who took the city by storm on Tuesday

The protesters have been communicating using encrypted messaging app Telegram (above are their messages). Police say they have no obvious leader, making discussions difficult

Mr Andrews defended his construction ban saying there were more than 350 Covid cases linked to the industry, more than in Victoria's aged care sector.

He also said mandatory vaccination orders for the industry would not be removed.

Ahead of more expected protests on Wednesday, Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Shane Patton said officers would employ 'different' tactics and have more boots on the ground - but refused to reveal operational details.

'Victoria Police have planned, we have significant tactics in place, we will be agile in our response, we will be very swift in our response an conduct, as we've seen yesterday, and the previous day, will not be tolerated,' he said.

Police sources have told Daily Mail Australia that officers are on high alert for protesters carrying weapons, with fears nail guns could be used against police.

It is understood the Australian Defence Force has also been alerted should police need back-up.

Thousands of angry anti-vaxx protesters have vowed to march on Melbourne's streets 'every day' this week 'until demands are met' as part of a violent crusade sparked by mandatory coronavirus vaccinations on job sites.

Their demands include the immediate end of lockdown, the mass distribution of unproven drug invermectin to treat Covid and the removal of a law requiring construction workers to be vaccinated by Friday.

The protesters have been communicating using encrypted messaging app Telegram. Police say they have no obvious leader, making discussions difficult.

Victoria's police chief has warned next time 'things will be different' with riot cops ready to take on the mob 'head on' (pictured, riot police pictured at the Melbourne protest on Tuesday)

About 2,000 angry protesters took to the streets (pictured on Tuesday) to oppose mandatory Covid vaccinations on work sites - with unions insisting many weren't tradies but 'far-right opportunists'

Thousands of angry tradies have vowed to march on Melbourne's streets 'every day' as part of their violent crusade against Covid vaccinations (pictured, a post promoting more days of unrest)

MELBOURNE ANTI-VAXXER PROTESTERS' LIST OF DEMANDS 1. Emergency state powers to be removed immediately 2. Lockdowns to end immediately 3. Mask mandate to end immediately 4. Vaccine mandates to end immediately 5. Vaccine passport to be removed 6. Immediate resignation of Premier Daniel Andrews 7. Immediate resignation of Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton 8. Immediate resignation of Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton 9. Royal commission into government's response to pandemic 10. Charges laid against officers for 'assaulting peaceful protesters' 11. All construction sites to resume immediately. 12. Mass distribution of invermectin, vitamins C, D, and zinc Advertisement

Riot cops are expected to be armed with rubber bullets, pepper balls and stinger grenades ready to take on the mob 'head on'.

Mr Andrews' condemnation of the protesters came after he copped criticism for 'hiding' from the cameras on Tuesday, only issuing a meekly-worded statement issued later on Tuesday evening.

Tensions have been brewing for months within the construction industry with a significant contingent of workers vehemently opposed to the jab requirement.

That resentment exploded this week with hi-vis-wearing anti-vaxx demonstrators hurling projectiles at the CFMEU headquarters on Monday, before taking over the entire city on Tuesday.

A rudderless mob of up to 2,000 stormed across the CBD for more than seven hours clashing with police, lighting flares, hurling rocks and in one case even assaulting a Channel 7 news reporter by throwing urine on him.

The out-of-control group even scaled the West Gate Bridge shutting down traffic and jumping on cars as terrified bystanders including children watched on in fear from inside their surrounded vehicles.

'This was a very large and very, very angry group. Crowds like this, they're for cowards,' Chief Commissioner of Police Shane Patton said.

'Cowards who seek to hide their identity to do other things that if they were by themselves they wouldn't have the courage to do.

'I can't imagine what it would have been like to be a citizen in your car . how scary that would have been.'

An online poster created by rally organisers declares the 'Victorian Workers Rally for Freedom' will continue 'every day' from 10am outside the head office of the CFMEU until their 'no vaccine mandate' demand is met.

But Commissioner Patton has promised that police will be ready to unleash a range of new counter measures on Wednesday, setting the scene for a fiery showdown.

'I'm not going to disclose what our tactics will be but they will be different,' he said.

'This is utter criminal conduct they've been involved in. You cannot come in and break the law. We will hold you to account.'

The out-of-control group even scaled the West Gate Bridge (pictured on Tuesday) shutting down traffic and jumping on cars as terrified bystanders including children watched on in fear from inside their surrounded vehicles

A police officer receives treatment during a protest by construction workers and demonstrators against Covid-19 regulations in Melbourne (pictured on Tuesday)

A demonstrator is sent flying backwards off his bike as scenes turned ugly at the anti-vaxx protest (pictured on Tuesday)

Riot cops armed with rubber bullets, pepper balls and stinger grenades are pictured at the protest - with 'new tactics' to control the crowds set to be brought in on Wednesday

Although more than 500 officers were deployed on Tuesday with the assistance of police air wing helicopters, the police chief said it was 'really challenging for us' because of the 'spontaneity and tactics they employed throughout the day'.

Three officers were injured in the chaos along with veteran journalist Paul Dowsley who had a can thrown at the back of his head, was doused with urine and grabbed around the throat.

There were just 62 protesters arrested, but police have vowed to scour CCTV and social media footage in order to bring more arrests in the coming days and weeks.

'They seem to be intent on random violence,' Commissioner Patton said.

'It's clear this was not a protest, this was at times an affray.

'When you've got a couple of thousands of people traipsing around town  throwing bottles, throwing lit flares it defies logic for anyone to respond to that  and control the (crowd).'

Premier Andrews backed up the state's top cop in a brief statement posted to Twitter at 8:41pm, saying there is 'no excuse for the terrible behaviour we have seen in our city over the last two days'.

But he failed to reference the damage or injuries suffered by police officers, instead imploring protesters to 'think of their fellow Victorians'.

'We know vaccinations are our only ticket out of this pandemic. There is no other way,' he said.

'For those who think violence is the answer, I ask that you think of your fellow Victorians - doing the right thing over many months, following the advice of our health experts.'

The embattled state leader pleaded with protesters to 'spare a thought for our healthcare workers who are working such long hours looking after patients, many who are struggling to breathe.'

'The more of us who get vaccinated, the fewer of us who will end up in hospital,' he said. 'It's as simple as that.'

A large contingent of police line up on the West Gate Bridge (pictured on Tuesday afternoon) as the angry mob approaches

A rudderless mob of up to 2000 stormed across the CBD for more than seven hours clashing with police (pictured, protesters on Tuesday)

Demonstrators also lit flares, hurled rocks and in one case even assaulting a Channel 7 news reporter by throwing urine on him (pictured, protesters on Tuesday)

For many the softly-worded statement did not go far enough to condemn the mob, which the CFMEU claimed was fuelled by 'neo-Nazis' and 'conspiracy theorists' - not its own members.

Construction industry workers in Victoria have been furious over Covid compliance measures enforced on their industry.

Of the state's 6,000 active Covid cases, 403 are directly linked to 186 construction sites - with health officials fearing the industry is not taking the deadly virus seriously.

Police with crowd control shields force back demonstrators during the clashes as the situation became increasingly violent on Tuesday (pictured)

A demonstrator in wrestled to the ground by officers (pictured in Melbourne on Tuesday), but just 62 arrests were made out of 2,000 who attended

MELBOURNE ANTI-VAXXER PROTESTERS' LIST OF DEMANDS 1. Emergency state powers to be removed immediately 2. Lockdowns to end immediately 3. Mask mandate to end immediately 4. Vaccine mandates to end immediately 5. Vaccine passport to be removed 6. Immediate resignation of Premier Daniel Andrews 7. Immediate resignation of Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton 8. Immediate resignation of Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton 9. Royal commission into government's response to pandemic 10. Charges laid against officers for 'assaulting peaceful protesters' 11. All construction sites to resume immediately. 12. Mass distribution of invermectin, vitamins C, D, and zinc Advertisement

Last week, in an attempt to stop the virus spreading on work sites, lunch rooms were shut down prompting scores of Melbourne tradies to block off busy roads with barbecues and outdoor furniture.

The impromptu protest was not well received by the broader public as the building industry has been largely able to continue operating during Victoria's lockdowns while other sectors have been forced to close.

After about 1,000 riled-up workers stormed the CFMEU head office in Melbourne on Monday, breaking stay-at-home orders, Mr Andrews declared all job sites would be shut down for two weeks.

Furious tradies in the aftermath then organised Tuesday's protest on encrypted apps such as Telegram - popular with right-wing extremists and conspiracy groups.

The platform played a key role in the US Capitol insurrection back in January where tens of thousands of Trump supporters entered Congress bringing Washington to a standstill.

At Tuesday's demonstrations several were bizarrely seen waving Trump flags as they marched with the violent horde.

Union leaders have dubiously claimed the mob are mostly made up of 'fake tradies' and have little to do with the construction sector (pictured, protesters on Tuesday)

Construction industry workers in Victoria have been furious over Covid compliance measures enforced on their industry (pictured, crowds storming West Gate Bridge on Tuesday)

Union leaders have dubiously claimed the mob are mostly made up of 'fake tradies' and have little to do with the construction sector.

Federal member for Maribyrnong and former Australian Workers' Union boss Bill Shorten told the Today show the rowdy mob is just a 'Nazi rent-a-crowd' who got themselves a $2 hi-viz hoody from the 'Reject Shop'.

CFMEU boss John Setka labelled the majority of protesters 'man-baby Nazis' and ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said the unions have been 'infiltrated'.

But senior figures within the CFMEU say although far-right agitators and anti-vaxxers have exploited the situation, about '80 to 90 per cent' of the demonstrators were construction workers, The Age reported.

The sources also added that the once militant left wing union has seen a cultural shift take place among some of its members, with a growing number identifying with fringe right-wing ideologies.
Australians have flocked to social media with hilarious reactions after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Melbourne and the nation's southeast.

The quake was 10km deep and centred at Mansfield, a small town on the foothills of Victoria's alps, at around 9.15am Wednesday, with tremors felt as far away as NSW and Tasmania.

It is the biggest earthquake Victoria has experienced since European settlement (1834) and more aftershocks are expected, but fortunately no injuries have been reported.

Despite the terrifying nature of the event, light-hearted Aussies were quick to poke fun at the situation which coincidentally coincided with the third day of planned anti-vax protests in Melbourne as construction workers rally against jab mandates.

A meme quickly began circulating on social media showing Dan Andrews in China, making a call to 'unleash the earthquake' in Victoria to punish residents.

A massive 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Melbourne on Tuesday, with tremors felt as far away as the NSW Central Coast. Pictured: Damaged buildings are seen along Chapel Street

One meme circulating online joked the earthquake was ordered by Premier Dan Andrews following days of anti-vax protests across Melbourne

'When the police said they were deploying "different tactics" in response to the Melbourne protests, firing up an earthquake machine was not something I had on the pick list,' one person tweeted.

Another wrote: 'That was Dan sending a message to the protesters. GET VACCINATED or more earthquakes!'

One man urged Melbournians there was 'no need to worry', adding: 'That was just Dan Andrews turning Victoria off and then back on again.'

Several others joked the earthquake was caused by the 'Dan Andreas Fault' - a name play on the 1200km long San Andreas Fault that runs through California.

Meanwhile, some suggested the premier would be cracking down on Covid restrictions in light of the destruction caused by the natural phenomenon.

'Dan Andrews to lock down Victoria until we eliminate earthquakes,' one person tweeted.

'The earthquake has been fined for going outside of a 5km radius,' another added.

'Starting to feel like @Dan Andrews roadmap is actually the worst game of Jumanji ever,' a third said.

A locked-down NSW resident claimed the earthquake would not have been allowed to spark widespread damage in his state.

'Sydney earthquakes are only allowed within 5km of your home, with only two aftershocks permitted,' he wrote.

'No earthquakes may continue past 10pm on a weeknight, unless situated at the casino.'

Others renamed the rock fracture zones that caused the Victorian earthquake the 'Dan Andreas' Fault, in homage to the state's premier and the San Andreas Fault in California

Many Aussies joked the natural phenomenon was sanctioned by the Victorian government

Someone else quipped the earthquake should be subjected to Covid vaccine requirements.

'The earthquake cant just move around the state freely like that without at least 1 dose of the vaccination #IShakeWithDan,' they wrote.

The tremors were felt across Melbourne and as far away as Canberra and Sydney, as the shocks wreaked havoc on Victoria's capital city.

There are reports of damage in Prahran, Brunswick, West Melbourne and Albert Park and to the exterior of Betty's Burgers on Chapel Street in Windsor.

Video posted online show the burger chain's store-front reduced to rubble as it partially collapsed in front of terrified Melburnians trying to seek safety.

Other Victorians quickly flocked to social media to report they had felt shaking following the quake.

Another meme featured Dan Andrews' face superimposed on Simpsons' character Hans Moleman pulling a lever on an earthquake machine

Houses in Melbourne shook and movement could be felt in Geelong and even at Canberra's Parliament House and Sydney's CBD.

Victoria's State Emergency Service is receiving calls for assistance from across the state and is yet to make an assessment of any damage.

The SES have confirmed there is no tsunami threat.

Lynne Myers of High County Apparel in Mansfield told AAP 'it just scared the hell out of us.'

'Everything shook, the roof shook, boots fell off the shelf and I just ran outside,' she said.

'There's no cracks or anything in the walls. We seem to have got over it pretty well. Everyone's a bit shaken up here but there doesn't seem to be any damage.

'I've lived here 29 years and have never felt anything like it.'

Mansfield Shire Councillor Mark Holcombe said he lived in the area for 20 years but had never experienced an earthquake. He said it 'came out of left field'.

A crowd gathered in Melbourne on Tuesday morning to survey the damage after the quake struck in Mansfield around 9.15am

'It was really strong. I was sitting down at work at my desk and I needed to run outside, it took me a while to work out what it was,' he told ABC television.

'I have been in earthquakes overseas before and it seemed to go on longer than I have experienced before.

'The other thing that surprised me was how noisy it was. It was a real rumbling like a truck going past.'

Tremors were also felt as far away as the NSW central coast, nearly 1000km from Melbourne.

Building movement was reported in Sydney's CBD, and people at home in some suburbs of Sydney took to social media to say they had felt the quake.

The earthquake was originally recorded as a magnitude 6 but was later downgraded to 5.8 on the Richter scale.
Friends of a Melbourne carpenter who took his own life just hours after a two-week construction ban was announced have lashed out at the 'rubbish' protests that threaten to overshadow his tragic death.

Stipe Lijovic died at the Crema Construction site on Spencer Street in Melbourne's West on Tuesday morning, just before 7am.

Mr Lijovic has been remembered as 'an absolute gentleman' and great workmate to all who knew him over the years.

But there are concerns wild protests which spilled onto the streets will overshadow the mammoth loss felt by Mr Lijovic's family and friends.

'[It is] a loss that I refuse to be overshadowed by the rubbish that is happening around us today,' former colleague John Dagher said in a touching tribute.

Stipe Lijovic took his own life at the Crema Construction site on Spencer Street in Melbourne's West just hours after a two-week ban on construction was announced

Pictured: The worksite in Melbourne's West where Mr Lijovic died on Tuesday morning

'He was an old friend, a workmate, an amazing carpenter, a happy soul, jokester and absolute gentleman.'

Mr Lijovic lived in Keilor Downs with his wife, Blazenka, and had a tightknit family across the city.

When Victorian Premier Dan Andrews announced a two-week hiatus for the construction industry, Mr Lijovic was one of thousands of tradesmen who suddenly found themselves out of work.

A widely distributed statement claims Mr Lijovic was instructed to come to his job site to collect his tools on Tuesday morning.

'Breaks my f***in heart. His blood is on Dan Andrews' hands,' the post read.

'May you rest in peace and your mind be at ease brother. Today we protest in your name and in your honour.'

Thousands of tradies and anti-vaxxers marched on the streets of Melbourne on Monday and Tuesday

Poll SHOULD COPS TAKE A TOUGHER STANCE ON THE ANTI-VAXX PROTESTERS? Yes No SHOULD COPS TAKE A TOUGHER STANCE ON THE ANTI-VAXX PROTESTERS? Yes 1222 votes

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A Victoria Police spokesman said the man's body was found shortly after 7am.

Crema Constructions declined to comment about the man's death. Worksafe is investigating the death while police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

Colleagues have rallied behind Mr Lijovic, vowing his death 'won't be in vain' and paying tribute to the 'kind and genuine bloke [who] will be missed by so many'.

Tensions escalated again on Tuesday as protestors lit flares and hurled projectiles towards police.

About 2,000 tradesmen and anti-vaccination and freedom campaigners rampaged through the city for ten hours.

Police - who were caught short by the hastily organised protest - said 62 people were arrested on Tuesday after footage showed violent thugs attacking police by throwing cans or punching them in the street.

The angry crowd also turned on television reporters, with a group of protesters physically attacking veteran journalist Paul Dowsley and reportedly dousing him in urine.

Mr Lijovic (pictured in his youth) has been remembered as 'an absolute gentleman' and great workmate to all who knew him over the years

Daniel Andrews blasted violent protesters who caused chaos in Melbourne as police vowed to use new tactics to fight back with more carnage expected on Wednesday.

Mr Andrews said the actions were an 'insult' to the majority of law-abiding tradies and said the protesters were not just builders but also far-right freedom and anti-vaxx protesters.

'Can I say at the outset that the ugly scenes that we saw yesterday are not only appalling, they're unlawful. Victoria Police will take action against those who did the wrong thing yesterday.'

Mr Andrews defended his construction ban saying there were more than 350 Covid cases linked to the industry, more than in Victoria's aged care sector.

He also said mandatory vaccination orders for the industry would not be removed.

Members of Victorian Police detain a man at the corner of Elizabeth St and Victoria St near the CFMEU Building on Wednesday

About 2,000 angry protesters took to the streets (pictured on Tuesday) to oppose mandatory Covid vaccinations on work sites - with unions insisting many weren't tradies but 'far-right opportunists'

Demonstrations were expected to continue on Wednesday but dozens of police officers were on the front foot early in the morning arresting protesters as they arrived.

About 20 riot squad officers marched through Elizabeth Street in the city centre - after police vowed they would be better prepared for violence since being caught off guard on Tuesday.

CFMEU boss John Setka earlier blasted 'fake tradies' and 'man-baby Nazis' who sparked the violent scenes outside union headquarters - which prompted the full shutdown.

Mr Sekta described the 'professional protesters and fake tradies' as 'scum of the earth, drunken and un-Australian morons'.

'There were a few of anti-vaxxer activists there who are not union members or are from our industry, they're the ones you see at all the protests,' Mr Setka earlier said.

Thousands of angry tradies have vowed to march on Melbourne's streets 'every day' as part of their violent crusade against Covid vaccinations (pictured, a post promoting more days of unrest)

'It just got out of control. Then they were consuming a whole heap of alcohol. Thanks to these morons, 300,000 Victorians are sitting at home for at least the next couple of weeks, could drag out even longer.'

Late Monday night, the Victorian government shut down the industry for two weeks in metropolitan Melbourne, City of Ballarat, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire.

The government said the shutdown was required to cut down movement, reduce Covid-19 transmission and give the industry time to adapt to new requirements.

All worksites will need to demonstrate compliance with health directions prior to reopening.

This includes a requirement for workers to show evidence of having had at least one dose of a vaccine before they return to work on October 5.

If you or someone you know needs support, contact Lifeline 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.
Three women dressed as Holmes even made an appearance outside the federal courthouse in San Jose, California, on September 9 in a show of solidarit

'I guess there's empowerment in the idea of having a female villain,' one TikToker said, supporting the Holmes during her trial

While some of the 'Holmies' jokingly support the alleged fraudster, others genuinely back Holmes

Despite being on trial for fraud, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has gained a cult following as the hashtag #girlboss on TikTok

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has gained a wave of new supporters who call her the '#girlboss' on social media - despite being on trial for fraud over her Silicon Valley blood-testing business.

EHolmes faces up to 20 years in prison after being charged with selling a fraudulent service despite allegedly knowing about the shortcomings and inaccuracies in the blood-testing tech she promised.

But fans online continue to idolize her and have dubbed themselves 'Holmies'.

TikToks with the hashtag #ElizabethHolmes have received 13 million views on the platform, with many users imitating Holmes' mannerisms while wearing her signature black turtleneck.

Three blonde women dressed like Holmes even made an appearance outside Holmes' courtroom in San Jose, California, on September 9, Insider reports.

Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, faces legal and public scrutiny for her multi-billion dollar start up that promised revolutionary blood testing technology

Women dressed as Holmes came out during her trial on September 9 in support of the troubled entrepreneur as admiration for Holmes continues to grow

While many of the 'Holmies' do recognize the charges facing Holmes and the alleged wrongs she had committed against those who trusted her service, they continue to support Holmes - only half jokingly at times.

The hashtags #ElizabethHolmes and #GirlBoss have exploded on social media with many capitalizing on what was once just a joke.

One TikTok user, Rania Blaik, told Insider that she was an Elizabeth Holmes fan as a joke, posting memes about the troubled entrepreneur in June.

But by August, Blaik was selling 'Elizabeth Holmes is my #GirlBoss' t-shirts on Etsy for $22.25, promoting the merchandise to more than 10,000 followers.

Another TikTok user, Serena Shahidi, said there was something admirable about Holmes' rise from Stanford University dropout, to tech billionaire to modern day 'villain.'

'I guess there's empowerment in the idea of having a female villain because that's typically something that's like very taboo,' she said. 'There is something kind of progressive about the idea that a woman in the news isn't playing by anyone's rules.'

One TikToker showed unequivocal support for Holmes even as others pointed out that the billionaire is currently facing trial for fraud

If convicted of all ten counts of fraud and conspiracy charges, Holmes could face up to 20 years in prison

A composite sketch of Holmes at her trial in San Jose, on September 8

On Facebook, pages dedicated to Holmes exist, and like TikTok, Holmes enjoys both sarcastic and genuine followers.

Fans of these pages often comment on news about Holmes with, 'We believe in you,' and 'You go girl!'

Stephen D. Benning, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Insider that the phenomenon regarding support for Holmes is nothing new.

The professor, who specializes in personality disorder of psychopathy, said people have longed idolized famous people who have committed crimes.

He said Holmies may think, 'If someone so competent as Elizabeth Holmes could be taken advantage of so badly, that might help explain some of the problems that I've had with people taking advantage of me as well.'

Holmes is charged with ten counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in jail if convinced of the felony charges in a case that has captivated Silicon Valley and the biotech world.

Holmes, left, walked into the federal courhouse with her mother, Noel Holmes, on Friday

A witness, pictured, testified against Holmes during the federal trial on September 8

The firm is accused of lying that it was able to diagnose a multitude of health conditions with a simple blood test, and further lying to Walgreens in order to set up a partnership which saw testing deployed at the retail giant's drugstores.

Holmes was a Stanford University dropout who started Theranos in 2003 when she was just 19.

She grabbed headlines with her vision of a small machine that could draw a drop of blood from a finger prick could run a range of tests more quickly and accurately than those in conventional laboratories.

Her defense attorney said Holmes was an ambitious young woman who had made mistakes but did not commit a crime.
The beleaguered Duke of York is yet to return from the Queen's idyllic Scottish estate to meet his new granddaughter.

But after yet another disastrous week trying to fight the damning allegations against him, Prince Andrew was spotted putting his right foot forward (for once).

The duke, 61, who has been accused of 'hiding' in Balmoral in recent weeks, rescued a dog while attending a reception in an upper storey of a castle in the Scottish Highlands, a source told The Times.

The royal managed to rush to the aid of the small canine after it became excited at the sounds of the royal security dogs barking below and bolted towards an open window.

Moments before the dog plunged to its doom, the Duke of York rushed to the window and rescued it from peril before cradling the helpless creature in his arms.

The Duke of York, who is staying at the Queen's Balmoral estate, was spotted putting his right foot forward (for once)

The incident comes after it was reported the duke was yet to return from Scotland to meet his new granddaughter.

It was announced this week that his eldest daughter Princess Beatrice had become a mother for the first time, giving birth to a 6lb 2oz baby girl on Saturday.

The news, which comes only seven months after younger daughter Eugenie gave birth to her son August, has already been welcomed by Sarah, Duchess of York.

She is said to have returned from Balmoral on Friday and met her new grandchild over the weekend.

A friend of the duchess told the Mail: 'She's perfect and Sarah is absolutely smitten. She's always very proud of both girls but to have two grandchildren in a year is a total joy.'

The friend suggested that Beatrice's daughter might even have inherited her mother and grandmother's flame-coloured locks, saying: 'She's got a hint of red... and a hint of gold.'

Prince Andrew rescued a dog while attending a reception in an upper storey of a castle in the Scottish Highlands. (Stock image)

The duke has been attending a reception in the Scottish Highlands when the incident took place. (Stock image)

But it seems that Sarah's troubled former husband has not returned with her.

Prince Andrew bolted back to the Queen's Scottish estate just over a week ago  days before the first hearing into a US sex assault claim brought against him by long-term accuser Virginia Roberts.

Andrew, who has repeatedly denied the allegations, is said to be a doting grandfather to August and will undoubtedly be keen to meet his first granddaughter. But sources say they have no idea when he will return to Windsor.

One source told The Sun: 'Andrew has made it quite clear that he wasn't leaving Balmoral. It would appear the advice to him was to stay in hiding and miss the whole thing.'
Local hair salons and tattoo parlours across New South Wales fear they could soon go bust due to strict post-lockdown rules.

NSW Health released the roadmap on Thursday, allowing businesses to reopen to fully vaccinated clients once the state's 70 per cent vaccination target is achieved.

Personal services such as hairdressers and tattoo studios will be allowed to operate under a one person per four square metres rule. It will be capped at five clients.

Hairdressers are to reopen to fully vaccinated clients once the state's 70 per cent vaccination target is achieved (pictured, a woman has hair styled during eased Covid restrictions)

Gyms and indoor recreational facilities are also permitted to reopen under a one person per four square metres rule but will be able to hold classes for up to 20 members.

The five person cap limit has local business owners concerned as they fear they will lose money when they reopen.

Kellie Fielding owner of Wicked Ink Tattoo and Body Piercing studios in Penrith, Campbelltown, and Goulburn (pictured)

Kellie Fielding, owner of Wicked Ink Tattoo and Body Piercing studios in Penrith, Campbelltown, and Goulburn says the five person cap needs to be scrapped altogether.

'It doesn't make any sense and I do feel like we've been targeted,' she told 9News.

'Our largest studio is 220sqm, another is 120sqm and 80sqm this should equate to 20 to 55 people on our premises according to the one person per four square metre rule.'

She said the client cap was unfair in comparison to the 20 member rule for gyms while retailers and restaurants have no limit in place other than a one person per four square meter rule.

The same five person rule also applies to hairdressers and beauty salons who have labelled the move as 'impractical' and 'extremely unfair'.

Personal services such as hairdressers and tattoo studios will be allowed to operate under a one person per four square metres, capped at five clients (pictured, stock image)

In an online petition launched by Amy Campbell, the owner of The Bridal Bar in south Sydney, the state's health officials are called to scrap the limit so all staff can return to their jobs.

'Our Salon is over 400 square metres and we have 14 staff, we have the space and capability to service over 20 clients safely in a Covid safe manner,' Ms Campbell wrote.

'We would like to bring all our staff back to work after being stood down but can't if we have to cap our clients at five people at a time.'

'This is extremely unfair when gyms are allowed 20 per class and we believe hair and beauty should be treated the same.'

Gyms and indoor recreational facilities are also permitted to reopen under a one person per four square metres rule and hold classes for up to 20 members

'The Hair and Beauty industry has suffered enough.'

The petition was addressed to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard and has attracted over 16,000 signatures so far.

Concerns over how larger salons would be able to operate under the new roadmap rules were put forward to Health Minister Brad Hazzard in a press conference earlier this month.

The Health Minister acknowledged the limit could still be reviewed while sympathising with difficulties business owners would have operating under the five client cap.

'The limit of five in a hairdressers, some of them are very large premises, and it may well be that we can, as we move forward and get more people vaccinated, actually make that a much more flexible arrangement,' Mr Hazzard said.

'I'm very sympathetic to that. I'd like to be able to convince our chief health officer and other senior epidemiologists that that's where we can get to.'

Hairdressers have urged the state's health officials to scrap the limit while labelling the rules as 'unfair' in comparison to gyms (pictured, resident has her hair blowdried)

This comes as NSW is another step closer to more eased restrictions as the state recorded 1035 new coronavirus cases and five deaths on Wednesday.

The state remains on track to hit its 70 per cent double jab target in the first week of October with 54.2 per cent of eligible residents now fully vaccinated.

'I want to assure the business community that the NSW will have a similar compliance regime to before the Delta outbreak,' Ms Berejiklian said on Wednesday.

'It won't be different to what it was beforehand but we'll remind everybody was expectations to ensure that's the case.'

'The government is also busily working on our 80 per cent road map which we expect to start implementing excitingly somewhere mid-October and we'll know, obviously, closer to that time.'
Mark McGowan admits Western Australia will not open its borders until well after Christmas because complacent locals are slow to get vaccinated.

WA is dead last in the Covid vaccine race and the premier insists NSW and Victoria will be off-limits until at least two months after it hits 85-90 per cent.

Mr McGowan, a zero-Covid zealot, said he didn't want to 'invite' the virus into his state and would put it off until it had a 'very high' level of vaccination.

He admitted part of the delay was that locals enjoy their virus-free status that allowed them to pretend there was no pandemic - which would end if borders opened.

Pictured: residents of Perth during the state's June four-day lockdown. West Australia has lagged behind other states in its vaccination rate, which Mr McGowan agreed was partially because of its Covid-free status

'I'm not going to set an artificial deadline of Christmas,' the premier told Sunrise on Wednesday morning.

'We have plans in place but I'm not going to deliberately allow for Covid to come in before such time as we have very high levels [of vaccination].

'I know some people over in the eastern states are demanding we do it, I don't really get that, I don't understand why we would deliberately infect ourselves with Covid before we get to very high levels of vaccine.'

WA has lagged behind other states in its vaccination rate, which Mr McGowan admitted was partially because of its Covid-free status.

As of Tuesday this week, 60.6 per cent of Western Australians aged 16 or over have had one dose and only 42.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Police inspect cars at a border checkpoint in West Australia. The premier said he would not give in to demands by people in eastern states to re-open the border and 'deliberately infect ourselves with Covid'

Mr McGowan said some restrictions would operate in the state once its borders reopened.

'There would be some level of social restrictions that we'll need to put in place,' he said.

'We'll beef up our contact tracing teams and obviously we have strong plans around our hospitals so that if there is an outbreak, what we do to cope with that.'

WA is so far behind that it launched a new advertising campaign to drive up vaccination rates.

Mr McGowan said the state's Covid-free status allowed Perth to prepare to host this weekend's AFL Grand Final, with 60,000 fans expected to attend at Optus Stadium.

'It shows the value of being a Covid-free state that kept the virus out, crushed it when it came in... it actually did come in from Sydney, the Delta outbreak, and we crushed that with our lockdowns back in June,' he claimed.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said the state would need a 'very high' level of full vaccination before he would re-open borders to people from Covid-afflicted states such as NSW and Victoria

The premier was referring to a single traveller who arrived from Sydney very early in the NSW outbreak, prompting him to respond with a pre-emptive lockdown.

Last week Mr McGowan threatened to shut the WA border with South Australia if it opened to Victoria and NSW at 80 per cent vaccination.

SA Premier Steven Marshall on Sunday threw his support behind the national plan to reopen interstate borders once 80 per cent of the Australian adult population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

However, he backflipped days later to be far more vague about SA's timeline for scrapping border closures.

Mr McGowan said the state's Covid-free status had allowed Perth to prepare to host this weekend's AFL Grand Final, with 60,000 people expected to attend at Optus Stadium

Mr McGowan also claimed lockdowns in WA would be 'unavoidable' even when 90 per cent of the population was fully vaccinated.

The claim was based on modelling University of WA professor George Milne that predicted 2,000 new cases of coronavirus a day if the border was to open at that point, requiring a six-week lockdown to control.

In July, National Cabinet agreed to set second dose thresholds of 70 and 80 per cent to end the prospect of lockdowns and to open borders.

However, since the NSW outbreak grew to more than 1,000 cases a day, WA and Queensland have tried to wriggle out of the agreement.
Dramatic footage shows the moment two bison get into a fight in the middle of a road at Yellowstone National Park, as wary drivers keep their distance.

One of the bison - which can weigh up to 2,000lbs - is seen taking off at full speed towards its rival as they cross the road.

The two males lock horns in an aggressive battle, with one getting the better grip.

And its rival is lifted off the ground as his face gets dragged across the asphalt in the brutal showdown.

The males seem to have been battling to assert their dominance during mating season.

The footage - which was shot last month, was revealed in a video released by Yellowstone National Park on Sunday.

One of the bison was flung into the air as its rival charged at it in Yellowstone National Park

The two bison go head to head in a fight last month, in newly released footage from the National Parks' Instagram page

The bison got into a fight during mating season - which runs from late July to August. Male bison fight during mating season to show dominance

Drivers wisely parked up their cars and kept their distance as the big beasts worked out their quarrel.

Male bison become aggressive during mating season as female bison are more likely to mate with bigger, more violent partners.

National Park bosses posted the footage on Instagram Sunday, and marked Talk Like A Pirate Day with the caption: 'Arrrhhh! Prepare fer Rammin' speed, matey!

'Durin' matin' season, male bison can be mighty aggressive...'

Buffalo crossing: Yellowstone National Park is the only place bison have always lived and they maintain the largest population with up to 5,500 roaming around the park

Mating season - also know as 'the Rut' - runs from late July to August and the park notes that the males assert 'their dominance by bellowing, wallowing, and fighting other bulls.'

Although bison are lonely creatures, during mating season, once a male has found a female in heat, he does not leave her until she is ready to mate. Afterward, he moves on other another.

Bison have a long history at Yellowstone. The park is the only place bison have always lived since prehistoric times, according to the park's website.

The largest population of the animal resides at Yellowstone, where up to 5,500 bison live.
A magpie recently met its match in Melbourne, coming off second best after crashing into a drone.

In remarkable footage uploaded to popular social news site Reddit on Tuesday, the notoriously aggressive Australian bird can be seen in a spot of bother mid-air.

The image for the ages was accompanied by the caption 'Air combat in the skies over Melbourne'.

It didn't take long for scores of comments to follow, with one person stating it was a 'good meme for Collingwood vs Essendon', a sporting reference for when the two AFL sides - also known as the Magpies and Bombers - meet each year in a traditional Anzac Day clash.

Drone footage in Melbourne recently captured the moment a magpie had a mid-air confrontation - and lost

Magpies are in their peak breeding season between August and November and become aggressive while looking after their territory (stock image)

Another described magpies as 'absolute b******s', while countless others left comments on the large size of the bird.

Earlier this month, incredible footage emerged of a magpie attacking another drone, chasing it and knocking it out of the sky.

Video recorded by an FPV drone operator in Australia showed the moment the magpie spots its target and takes off after it.

The caption on TikTok sums up the intense footage: 'everything wants to kill you in Australia, even the birds.'

An FPV drone or first-person view drone is a flying drone that uses an onboard camera, relaying live video to goggles for the user to control flight in real time.

The pilot does his best to dodge the magpie, flying sideways across the beach as the bird flies after it, as the video switches between land and the drone.

The magpie then seems to get the better of the device, before the drone pilot flies it directly upwards and the magpie spreads its wings while trying to peck at it.

The chase continues across the beach, but the magpie strikes the drone while it is travelling down, sending it crashing into the grass.

TikTok footage posted by user fabreezy_ shows a furious magpie attacking a drone flying over an Australian beach (pictured, the angry magpie chasing the drone)

The triumphant bird then trots over to the fallen drone before spotting the operator, looking at him to determine if he is a threat or not.

The magpie encounter comes after a baby girl was killed in a freak magpie swooping accident last month.

Simone, 30, was walking through Glindemann Park in Holland Park West, south-east Brisbane, with baby Mia in her arms on August 8 when she tripped while trying to avoid the aggressive magpie.

The little girl suffered head injuries and paramedics took her to Queensland Children Hospital, but she couldn't be saved.

Jacob, the baby's father, said Mia was the most precious gift that he and Simone 'ever received' and that her 'adorable laugh' and 'infectious smile' brought joy to everyone's lives.

The magpie is captured chasing and pecking out at the drone in attempts to bring it to the ground, considering the flying device a threat (pictured, the magpie chase)

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the magpie has been moved 'a long way away'.

'The bird has been moved well outside of the urban area and into a place where it can't come back to Holland Park. That is an option we have available to us and one we use from time to time,' he said.

Magpies are a protected species in Australia and it is an offence to hurt or kill them.

If they are moved more than 50km away from their nest, they are unlikely to return, but the community is warned of the dangers presented by magpies during breeding season.

During the peak season, from August through to November, magpies mainly try to defend their nest, and will attack anything considered to be a potential threat.
Queensland could move to home quarantine for fully vaccinated people, but it will keep building a mass quarantine facility near Toowoomba.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has admitted that mandatory hotel quarantine is 'tough' after the state's Human Right Commissioner Scott McDougall raised concerns about a 'blanket approach' to people seeking exemptions to quarantine at home.

She suggested that Queensland could allow more people to quarantine at home once vaccination coverage is high enough in the state.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) has admitted that mandatory hotel quarantine is 'tough'

'I respect what the Human Rights Commissioner is saying, I did hotel quarantine myself, it's tough, you know it is actually 14 days, not being able to leave your room is pretty tough, I've done it myself,' she told reporters on Wednesday.

'And look, as we get more and more people vaccinated, you know, we will be looking at further options, and national cabinet is considering other options, there is a (home quarantine) trial at the moment on in South Australia.

'But let me say it very clearly, and I say it every day: the reason we have an exemptions unit in Queensland is because there is a massive outbreak on our doorstep in NSW.

'There are tens of thousands of people who have the virus in NSW, it is still spreading, people are ending up in the hospitals and the hospitals are going to be overwhelmed.'

: Police are seen directing motorists at the Coolangatta border check point on Griffith St

Ms Palaszczuk said the quarantine facility being built at Wellcamp, near Toowoomba, would still be required for international travellers, particularly students from overseas.

However, Ms Palaszczuk rejected the human rights commissioner's comments about the exemptions unit granting people permission to quarantine at home or outside the hotel quarantine program.

Mr McDougall told News Corp Australia that exemptions must not be seen to be granted on the basis of a person's "celebrity status or otherwise because of the media attention'.

'I reject that, I reject that, I reject that, I reject that, these people are doing their very best, they are looking at all the compassionate grounds,' the premier said.

'It is a very stressful time for Queenslanders that are separated from family and friends, and the best way that we can see family and friends again is to get vaccinated.'

Queensland recorded one new case of COVID-19 in home quarantine and linked to the Sunnybank cluster among 11,913 tests on Wednesday.

Queensland premier Annastasia Palaszczuk has previously said she will not open the borders to NSW and Victoria before Christmas (pictured: A checkpoint in Qld)

Queensland Health administered another 23,913 vaccine doses in the 24 hours to 6.30am with the premier suggesting another mass vaccination weekend offering people the Pfizer vaccine brand could be held soon.

The premier also took aim at the federal government after reports that Health Minister Greg Hunt is assessing research on vaccinating children under the age of 12.

Ms Palaszczuk said when she had raised the issue of children under the national plan a few weeks ago she had been attacked by the media and Mr Hunt.

'So, I would like an apology from Greg Hunt, I think it is very disappointing that all I'm trying to do is protect this state, to protect our children, and to be attacked relentlessly,' she said.

'I think now Queenslanders should feel vindicated that the federal government has looked to the international research, and is now doing something about it.'
A brave news reporter has warned violent anti-vax protesters that she will not be intimidated as Melbourne braces itself for a third day of wild demonstrations.

Channel Nine reporter Christine Ahern found herself at the mercy of a demonstrator as she tried to provide an update on the scene in Melbourne's CBD on Wednesday.

'We're marching with the second group of protesters, we've been following them all around the city and now we're going up Swanston street,' she says.

Channel Nine reporter Christine Ahern found herself at the mercy of an angry demonstrator as she tried to provide an update on the scene in Melbourne's CBD on Wednesday

A group of men clad in fluorescent-yellow vests begin to heckle at the reporter, forcing her to apologise for their crude language.

'I do apologise for the language, one again they are very fired up and unfortunately at the media as well,' she shouts over the noise of the protesters.

One man passing the live cross tries to roughly grab the microphone from her hands before turning his attention to a man taking photos of the unruly crowds.

'I'm ok, I'm ok,' she reassures her colleagues as protesters sound air horns and gesture aggressively into the camera.

One attendee wearing a black balaclava and large ski goggles is heard yelling 'fake news, it's fake news' as he passes Ms Ahern and her cameraman.

'Look we're not going to be intimidated, we're going to keep on giving you what is happening here,' the brave reporter continues.

'I've been hearing them say "keep moving, keep moving away from the police" because there are some police that are following us.

'Police are determined for this not to become another game of cat and mouse but it's exactly what it's turned into again.'

'Look we're not going to be intimidated, we're going to keep on giving you what is happening here,' the brave reporter continued as men clad in tradie uniforms heckle at the camera

Ms Arhern's altercation with angry protesters comes less than 24 hours after her TV colleague Paul Dowsley copped his own share of abuse.

The veteran newsman was reporting on the anti-vaxxer protests on Tuesday when he was jumped by one demonstrator who grabbed him around the neck.

He said during his time on the scene he was spat on and doused with urine, including in his mouth when open bottles were thrown at him.

'My colleague myself and I are covered in what I understand to be urine,' he revealed live on air as he described to the appalled TV hosts how he had been attacked.

'To put it lightly, I'm not a fighter, I've never thrown a punch in my life, so in those situations I thought I'd be quick to make a move.

'But that guy came in to my side very quickly - I did my best to get out of what felt like a headlock.

'My [cameraman] colleague Rick who was standing on a seat trying to get an elevated shot, jumped down with his camera and came to my assistance.

'Some other people came in and tried break it up - they did try to defuse it.

'I will give credit to some protesters who stopped in the minutes after to check I was OK and one made a point of telling me that's not what they were about.

'He was disgusted by any attack like that on media.'

Reporter Paul Dowsley (pictured) said during his time at the scene in Melbourne's CBD he was spat on, doused with urine, including in his mouth when open bottles were thrown at him

A woman is detained in Melbourne as demonstrators return to the streets for another day of protests against mandatory Covid vaccinations on Wednesday

Footage from the CBD shows dozens of police officers handcuffing at least three male and two female demonstrators on Wednesday (pictured, police detain a woman)

Several demonstrators have already been arrested in Melbourne as they return to the streets for another day of protest against mandatory Covid vaccinations.

Footage from the CBD shows dozens of police officers handcuffing at least three male and two female demonstrators on Wednesday morning.

Another video showed around 20 riot squad officers marching swiftly down Elizabeth Street in the city centre.

Police have vowed they would be better prepared for violence since being caught off guard on Tuesday when crowds turned on both attending media and police.

About 2,000 tradesmen and anti-vaccination and freedom campaigners rampaged through the city for ten hours on Tuesday to demonstrate against a two-week shutdown of the construction industry imposed due to rising Covid cases.

Protesters first gathered outside CFMEU's boarded-up union head office on Tuesday morning, only a day after the building was damaged in violent demonstrations.

About 2,000 tradesmen and anti-vaccination and freedom campaigners rampaged through the city for ten hours on Tuesday (pictured, men detained by police on Wednesday)

Protestors are demonstrating against a two-week shutdown of the construction industry imposed due to rising Covid cases (pictured, men detained by police on Wednesday)

The crowds then marched to Victoria's parliament building while chanting 'f**k the jab' and singing Advance Australia Fair.

Protesters are also using encrypted platform Telegram to call for an end to lockdowns, mandatory mask orders and the immediate reopening of the construction industry.

Three of the demands called for Victoria's leading figureheads in its pandemic response to stand down - Premier Daniel Andrews, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton.

Protesters also called for a royal commission into the government's response to the pandemic and for officers they claim 'assaulted peaceful protesters' to be charged.

Their final demand was for the 'mass distribution of invermectin, Vitamins C, D and Zinc' as alternative treatments for Covid-19.

Invermectin, a horse tranquiliser used to treat parasitic infections, has not been proven to be effective in treating the virus.

Around 20 riot squad officers have been seen marching swiftly down Elizabeth Street in the city centre in response to the violent scenes witnessed the day previous (pictured, police arrest a man on Elizabeth street on Wednesday)

Police have vowed they would be better prepared for violence since being caught off guard on Tuesday when crowds turned on both attending media and police (pictured, police detain protestors near the CFMEU building on Wednesday)

Protestors have returned to the streets to protest mandated Covid-19 vaccinations for the third consecutive day (pictured, police arrest a man in Melbourne on Wednesday)

Police have arrested 62 people were arrested on Tuesday after wild videos circulated on social media of officers being attacked with fists, bottles and other projectiles.

Daniel Andrews blasted violent protesters who caused chaos in Melbourne as police vowed to use new tactics to fight back with more carnage expected on Wednesday.

Mr Andrews said the actions were an 'insult' to the majority of law-abiding tradies and said the protesters were not just builders but also far-right freedom and anti-vaxx protesters.

The premier defended his construction ban saying there were more than 350 Covid cases linked to the industry, more than in Victoria's aged care sector.

He also said mandatory vaccination orders for the industry would not be removed.
Brazil Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga

Brazil's Minister of Health has tested positive for COVID-19 while attending a United Nations conference in New York City where he met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and stayed at the same hotel as Joe Biden.

Brazil's presidential office announced on Tuesday that Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga had tested positive for the virus and will be quarantining in New York for two weeks.

Queiroga had met with Johnson on Monday, where they shook hands and stood beside each other while the British leader was not wearing a mask.

It is unclear whether Queiroga is vaccinated.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stands as a vaccine skeptic and previously boasted about attending the UN meeting without being vaccinated, CBS reports.

Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, also criticized New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday after the mayor warned the president not to come to the city due to his vaccine stance, calling it a 'textbook Marxist' move.

On Twitter, Queiroga wrote, 'I communicate to everyone that today I tested positive for #Covid19. I will be quarantined in #USA , following all health safety protocols. Meanwhile, the @minsaude will remain firm in the actions to fight the pandemic in Brazil. let's win this!'

Marcelo Queiroga, far right, can be spotted shaking hands with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as UK and Brazilian leaders meet to discuss the pandemic on September 21

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, left, met with Johnson, right, as the part of the United Nations General Assembly. The Brazilian president spoke out against vaccine mandates

Queiroga confirmed on Twitter that he had contracted the virus and is in quarantine

The health minister was the second member of the Brazilian delegation in New York to test positive for COVID after a diplomat who was part of President Bolsonaro's advance team tested positive over the weekend.

Some members of the Brazilian delegation have canceled their participation at the remaining parts of the UN meeting to avoid possibly infection other nation's diplomats, Queiroga told CNN.

Queiroga had also been staying at the same hotel as President Joe Biden, who also went on to meet with Johnson after the prime minister's meeting with Queiroga.

After meeting with the Brazilian delegation, Johnson meet with President Joe Biden

During the Brazilian-United Kingdom meeting, Johnson recommended the vaccine for the famously unvaccinated Bolsonaro, who continued to refuse it

Queiroga, left, was with Bolsonaro, center, in when they addressed the nation from NYC

Brazil continues to be in spotlight during the United Nations General Assembly after Bolsonaro gave his speech on Tuesday that his approach toward COVID-19 would be proven right.

'History and science will hold everyone accountable,' he told world leaders in his address.

The right-wing Brazilian leader said he supported vaccinations but promoted early treatment of Covid-19, noting that he himself underwent 'early treatment' following a diagnosis last summer.

'We cannot understand why many countries, together with a large portion of the media, took a stance against early treatment measures,' Bolsonaro said.

Bolsonaro has been in the spotlight for his defiance of NYC mask and vaccine mandates

Supports rushed out, without masks, to greet the Brazilian president on September 21

Brazil's government has imposed 100-year secrecy on Bolsonaro's card, making it impossible to know for sure if he's been vaccinated against COVID-19 or not.

He claims, however, that he did not take the vaccine and continues to defend using other medicines, including hydroxychloroquine, against the disease.

Bolsonaro said that his government stood against vaccine mandates, such as the one he had broken to enter the United Nations. New York City requires vaccination to enter most public spaces, including convention centers.

President Biden, too, as imposed sweeping vaccine mandates that cover federal workers and those at companies with over 100 employees.

'We support vaccination efforts, however my administration has not supported a vaccine or health passport or any other vaccine-related obligations,' Bolsonaro said.

The Brazilian president boasted to his UK counterpart that Brazil does not support any vaccine or health passports or another vaccine-related mandate during their meeting on Monday

He noted that by November, 'all citizens who have chosen to be vaccinated in Brazil will be duly covered.'

In a meeting Monday night with Bolsonaro, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'Thanks everybody. Get AstraZeneca vaccines.'

'I've had it twice.'

'Not yet,' the Brazilian president replied.

Bolsonaro, who has been vocal in dismissing the seriousness of the virus, tested positive in July 2020. He previously described the disease as nothing more than 'a little flu' and claimed his past as an athlete would make him immune to the worst symptoms.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured third from left) had to eat pizza outside on the street in New York City because he is unvaccinated

Protesters came out against Bolsonaro and his anti-vaccine mandate rehtoric

One sign during the September 20 protest criticized Bolsonaro's arrival in New York

Upon landing in New York City, Bolsonaro had his first meal in the U.S. in the middle of the street due to restrictive city-wide restrictions not allowing unvaccinated people to dine indoors.

Bolsonaro and his ministers had pizza slices and sodas in the middle of the street on Sunday prior to his arrival at the U.N. Tuesday morning.

Pictures of the humble meal emerged on the Minister of Tourism Gilson Machado's social media of Bolsonaro with the Brazilian Ministers of Health, Marcelo Queiroga; Justice and Public Security, Anderson Torres; Civil House, Luiz Eduardo Ramos; and President of Caixa Economica Federal, Pedro Guimaraes, according to Brazilian news site Correio Braziliense.

Also according to the report, Bolsonaro and his ministers, all unmasked, had to sneak in the back door of their hotel in New York City as they were met by a group of protesters with signs telling him he is not welcome.

Eduardo Bolsonaro appeared on Tucker Carlson on Tuesday night to defend his father's unvaccinated trip to NYC

Eduardo has been vocal about anti-vaccine mandates. He's pictured on September 7

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio snapped back at Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Eduardo Bolsonaro appeared on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox on Tuesday night to defend his father and criticize NYC Mayor de Blasio, who said he did not want unvaccinated officials to come to New York.

'It shows a lot about how left-wing people are. They want to control everything. I know that is a Marxist and he follows a lot of what Antonio Gramsci says,' said Eduardo, referring to the neo-Marxist founder of the Italian Communist Party.

'I have advice for the American people. Do not think that Venezuela is something far far away from you,' he said referring to the country under socialist rule.

'If you told Venezuelans during the 90s [the country] would turn itself to a dictatorship, they would never take it seriously.'

De Blasio snapped back on Twitter, saying he did not regret his decision to force Bolsonaro to follow the city's indoor dining policy and urged the president to get vaccinated at NYC's many vaccination centers.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has demanded an apology from Greg Hunt claiming she was 'relentlessly attacked' for wanting younger kids vaccinated.

The Queensland premier three weeks ago made a speech in parliament claiming 'every child under 12 is vulnerable' if she opened the border.

She was widely condemned for unnecessarily scaring parents, and claiming thousands of locals would die from Covid if there was an outbreak.

However, this week federal Health Minister Mr Hunt asked Pfizer to submit an application to the Therapeutic Goods Administration to have its Covid vaccine approved for children aged 5 to 12.

Ms Palaszczuk claimed at a press conference in Toowoomba on Wednesday that this development vindicated her call for children to be urgently vaccinated.

Caitlyn Connors (left) age 12 is seen receiving her first Covid-19 vaccination at the new mass Boondall Vaccination Centre at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre

'A few weeks ago I raised the issue of this being the pandemic of the unvaccinated,' she said.

'I raised very clearly that there was an issue and we needed a plan for young children between the ages of five and 11 who weren't vaccinated.

'I was loudly criticised from all sections of the media, I was attacked relentlessly by the federal government

'And today and yesterday we hear that Greg Hunt is now speaking with the TGA to run analysis of the trials of 5 to 11s which Pfizer has been conducting,

'I would like an apology from Greg Hunt.'

Ms Palaszczuk claimed her controversial comments were just an attempt to protect Queenslanders when the virus eventually entered the state.

'I think it's very disappointing that all I'm trying to do is protect this state, to protect our children, and to be attacked relentlessly,' she said.

'Queenslanders should feel vindicated that the federal government has looked to the international research and is now doing something about it.'

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt had criticised Ms Palaszczuk for raising the issue of childhood vaccination in state parliament late in August, noting that 'no countries were vaccinating children'

Pfizer is believed to be seeking regulatory approvals in the US and Europe for a vaccine dose to be used on children aged five to 11 after promising clinical trial results.

The company said its vaccine produced a strong immune response similar to that seen in trials with 16-to 29-year-olds.

Ms Palaszczuk told parliament on September 1 that children were at risk because they could not yet be vaccinated, justifying keeping her border closed beyond 80 per cent vaccinated

'You open up this state and you let the virus in here, every child under 12 is vulnerable, every single child,' he said.

'Anyone who has a child under 12 is vulnerable because they are the unvaccinated.'

Children are far less afflicted by coronavirus, being less likely to catch it, pass it on, or suffer serious illness - though they are more susceptible to the Delta strain.

Mr Hunt at the time responded that the national plan aimed to protecting all Australians from the virus, including children.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's speech three weeks ago in state parliament claimed 'every child under 12 is vulnerable' if she opened the border

Harry Goodison, 12, gives a thumbs up after receiving a Pfizer Covid vaccination in Melbourne

He said the suggestion that kids hadn't been considered in the plan was 'false', and no vaccinations had been approved for children under the age of 12 anywhere in the world and no countries were vaccinating children.

'In fact, I think the best response in a way is what has been written by Queensland Health in their ''Covid-19 and Kids: What you need to Know'' document dated 5 August 2021: serious illness remains extremely rare in children,' he told reporters.

'I also quote: ''Even children with serious underlying conditions will mostly only experience a mild illness with Covid-19''.'

But in announcing that the TGA would now consider the new Pfizer vaccine, Mr Hunt had somewhat changed his tune.

'I am heartened by your advice that trials of the Pfizer vaccine are showing promise in children under the age of 12 years of age,' Mr Hunt wrote in a letter to the company.

'I note the announcement that Pfizer International is now intending to apply for regulatory approval of Pfizers Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 12.

'I encourage and invite Pfizer to submit a parallel application to the TGA for Australian regulatory approval at the earliest possible time.'

'Should the TGA find that the vaccine is safe and effective for children under 12 years of age, the Australian government is well placed to deliver this vaccine to this expanded age cohort,' he said.

People line up at a mass vaccination hub at South Bank, Brisbane. Vaccine doses for school-aged children in Australia could be approved for use by next year, the president of the Australian Medical Association said

On Tuesday, Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid told a Senate inquiry that a school-based vaccine program may be ready in Australia by next year, subject to regulatory approval.

'It will take that long for various approvals to come through and we need to have vaccine supply,' he said.

Ms Palaszczuk had also been heavily criticised by Mr Hunt for a Tweet on September 2 in which she claimed '80 people will die each day' if Queensland followed the NSW model of trying to re-open society while case numbers remained high.

The figure was based on a worst case scenario modelled by the Doherty Institute based on a 70 per cent vaccination rate and partial contact tracing effectiveness.

Mr Hunt slammed Ms Palaszczuk for the Tweet and said she was trying to scare the public for her own political gain.

'Selectively misusing the Doherty modelling breaches good faith and damages public confidence,' he said.
Donald Trump on Tuesday sued his niece Mary and The New York Times over their reporting on his tax affairs, accusing them of 'an insidious plot' to obtain confidential records, and is seeking an excess of $100 million in damages.

The former president filed his case against Mary, the paper and three of its reporters.

In the suit, reported by The Daily Beast, Trump claims that the Times convinced Mary Trump to 'smuggle records out of her attorney's office and turn them over to The Times' despite her having signed a confidentiality agreement.

She signed the deal in 2001 after settling a contentious legal battle over the will of Frederick Trump - Donald's father and her grandfather.

Trump is seeking damages 'in an amount to be determined at trial, but believed to be no less than One Hundred Million Dollars'.

The suit says: 'The defendants engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records which they exploited for their own benefit and utilized as a means of falsely legitimizing their publicized works.

'The defendants actions were motivated by a personal vendetta and their desire to gain fame, notoriety, acclaim and a financial windfall and were further intended to advance their political agenda'

Donald Trump, pictured in September 2020, on Tuesday sued over the publication of his tax returns

Mary Trump provided The New York Times with her uncle's financial records

Mary, 56, the daughter of his late brother Fred, laughed off the suit.

'I think he is a f****** loser, and he is going to throw anything against the wall he can,' she said.

'It's desperation. The walls are closing in and he is throwing anything against the wall that will stick.

Mary Trump said she was 'really proud' of handing over the tax records

'As is always the case with Donald, he'll try and change the subject.'

Even though The Times did not sign a confidentiality agreement, as Mary did, Trump claims that they too are liable because 'their collective efforts in tortiously breaching and/or interfering with his contractual rights and otherwise maliciously conspiring against him' make them liable as well.

Mary Trump in April told a podcast that she was proud of handing his financial records over to the paper.

'I'm actually really proud of that,' she said.

'But I have to be honest with you, I didn't even remember I had [the Confidential Records].

'It's entirely down to the brilliant Susanne Craig for, one, reminding me that I had them and, two, so effectively and tenaciously trying to convince - I mean it took her months before I did - so it's entirely down to her.'

The New York Times is yet to respond to Trump's suit, but is no stranger to his legal threats

The analysis of his tax returns, published in May 2019, challenged his frequent boast of being a brilliant businessman, and showed $1 billion in losses.

The ten years of tax returns, for the years 1985 to 1994, showed $1.17 billion in losses for the decade.

The paper reported that Trump appeared to have lost more money than nearly any other individual American taxpayer.

He lost so much money that he was able to avoid paying income taxes for eight of the 10 years.

The then-president was furious at the publication of the tax documents.

He had long refused to lay bare his tax records, as per all previous presidential candidates - arguing that he was being audited, so it was not possible to do so. Accountants said there was no sense in his argument.

Mary Trump in July 2020 published a damning account of her life as a member of the family

A year after handing over the damaging documents, Mary, a trained psychologist, then published a tell-all book about her family, entitled Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man.

The book sold more than 1.35 million copies in its first week, and in August she published a post-Trump follow-up, entitled The Reckoning.

She has also filed a suit against her uncle, accusing him and two of his siblings of defrauding her of her inheritance. The case is pending.
Victoria has announced an 'Australian first' $190million package to roll out air purifiers in public schools as children finally return to the classroom in Term 4.

The news came after the state recorded 628 Covid cases on Wednesday, the most since August 1 last year, with three deaths.

Deputy Premier James Merlino said 51,000 air purifiers would be set up in public, and low-fee Catholic and Independent schools to help combat the spread of Covid-19 - with the first load to arrive next week.

'Air purification devices, they remove the nasty particles in the air, including coronavirus,' he said during Wednesday's Covid press conference.

'We will have a focus on higher risk settings, places like sick bays, canteens, staff rooms, music rooms, and more.

'We don't want to have a return to school and have thousands of children positive with Covid getting sick in hospital or worse, that is every parent's worst nightmare.'

Victoria has announced an 'Australian first' $190million package to roll out air purifiers in public schools as children finally return to the classroom in Term 4, Deputy Premier James Merlino said on Wednesday

As students head back to the classrooms for Term 4 all teachers will need to have at least one vaccine by October 18

Mr Merlino said $125million from the package would go directly to rolling out the air purifiers while the extra funds would go towards grants for shade sails in schools for outdoor learning.

At home antigen testing would be carried out in a trial for school children and their families once approved by the TGA, the deputy premier said.

Year 12 students will return to the classroom during the first week of Term 4 followed by Kindergarten to Year 2 in week 3.

After the Melbourne Cup on November 2, students from all year groups will be back at their desks.

All school staff will also need to have received at least one vaccination before October 18 and be fully jabbed by November 29.

High schoolers and teachers will be required to wear masks while primary school students will be recommended to do so.

'We have to protect our kids, both from contracting the virus and also transmitting the virus when they go home to their families,' Mr Merlino said.

Meanwhile, the regional city of Ballarat will be released from its seven-day lockdown at midnight on Wednesday.

In the past week 18 locally-acquired infections were recorded with no new cases on Wednesday.

Victoria recorded 628 Covid cases on Wednesday, the most since August 1 last year, with three deaths (pictured protesters outside CFMEU office in Melbourne)

The regional city of Ballarat will be released from its seven-day lockdown at midnight on Wednesday

The city will now return to the health orders in place in the rest of regional Victoria but masks will still be mandatory both indoors and outside.

Visitors to residents' homes will also not be allowed while gatherings of ten people can meet outside.

Religious gatherings and ceremonies will be limited to 20 people, and travel to Melbourne will be banned unless residents are given exemptions.

Point Lonsdale in the City of Greater Geelong will also now be under the same health orders as the Borough of Queenscliffe area.

The area had been split in half with residents on the Geelong side in lockdown while those on the Queenscliffe side were free of restrictions.

The three deaths announced on Wednesday were a woman in her 50s from Wyndham, a man in his 70s from Wyndham and a man in his 80s from Darebin.

There are 257 people in hospital around the state with 58 on ICU.

Melbourne is meanwhile on track to set a depressing world record on Thursday with its 235th day in lockdown since the Covid pandemic began.

It has been widely reported that no city in the world has been under stay-at-home orders longer, with Wednesday equalling Argentinian capital Buenos Aires.

The price of repeated lockdowns and the explosion of violent opposition to them in the past week is that Melbourne is now better known as the world's most locked-down city than its former claim to being the world's most liveable city.

Melbourne equalled the most unpopular of world records - the city with the most days under lockdown - on Wednesday and will claim the miserable title on its own tomorrow. Pictured are thousands of anti-lockdown protesters in the city on Tuesday

Disillusioned and frustrated Melburnians have been subjected to six Covid lockdowns, with residents told to stay home at some point in 14 of the past 20 months

How does Australia compare? Australia remains among the most heavily locked-down countries on earth according to a respected international data project. Oxford University's Covid-19 Stringency Index, which produces a composite score to measure each country's government policy responses, gave Australia a score of 71.76 the last time the data was updated 10 days ago. That was the same score as Cuba. The score is based on nine indicators including school closures, workplace closures, and travel bans. Only Honduras (75), Argentina and Iraq (both 75.93), China (76.39), Panama (77.31) and New Zealand (81.02) scored higher. Advertisement

Longsuffering Melbourne won't just eclipse the unwanted world record, it will smash it as Premier Daniel Andrews' roadmap to freedom won't end lockdown until October 26.

At that point Melbourne would have been under various lockdowns for 268 days, with a stay-at-home-order in place for at least part of the month for 14 of the past 20 months.

While some countries have experienced various Covid restrictions for long periods during 2020 and 2021, none have endured so many days under stay-at-home orders.

Melbourne's disastrous lockdown record is made of a 111 day lockdown from July to October last year and the current lockdown, which will be 83 days if it ends as planned on October 26.

The city had three other lockdowns: 43 days, ending last May; 5 days in February 2021; 14 days in May-June 2021; and 12 days this July.

This week the patience of thousands of people in Melbourne completely ran out, as disillusionment and anti-lockdown protests grew and morphed into public disorder across the city since Saturday.

The city's tradies have been among its most visible dissenters, with thousands reacting angrily to Premier Andrews' draconian mandate to shut down all construction for two weeks.

The peak union CFMEU distanced itself from the actions of protesters on Monday, saying it 'condemns far right extremist violence'.

Images of violent clashes between police and protesters in Melbourne have gone viral around the world

The escalating protests on Melbourne's streets have led to scenes Australia and the rest of the world has not associated with its former status as the world's most liveable city

Its National Secretary Dave Noonan claimed the crowd was 'heavy infiltrated by neo-Nazis'.

But as the city's increasingly violent protests enter their fourth day the number of protesters has only grown.

The huge crowds rallying on Tuesday and Wednesday appear to represent much wider anger with Melbourne's continual and draconian lockdowns than niche groups are capable of.

Police have so far made hundreds of arrests amidst continual clashes and calls for the rallies to end.

As they struggled to contain the protests police have also come in for accusations of heavy-handed tactics.

Footage showed two officers pepper-spraying an elderly woman on Saturday, while photographer Luis Ascui, who works for Daily Mail Australia and some of the nation's other top news publications, was targeted by a young officer, who sprayed pepper foam directly into his eyes.

Demonstrators were left outraged after footage showed two officers deploying pepper spray at a woman during violent protests in Richmond, Melbourne, on Saturday

Luis Ascui was alongside an elderly woman who got pepper sprayed while on the ground moments have they attacked him

Images and video of thuggish protesters fighting with and attacking police, hurling smoke bombs and bottles on the streets of Melbourne have gone worldwide.

American news website Bloomberg ran an article about Melbourne titled 'Life in the World's Most Locked Down City'.

KRWG media in New Mexico reported: 'The Australian city of Melbourne - once deemed the world's most livable, is now one of the most locked down'.

Recent data showed Victoria experienced by far the biggest population decline of any Australian state this year

Victoria's population fell 0.6 per cent in the year to March 2021, although mainly due to lost migration.

Australia remains among the most heavily locked-down countries on earth according to a respected international data project, but Melbourne easily eclipses all other Australian cities - including Sydney.

Special Victorian police officers are seen during the tradies protest on Tuesday
A startled house cat has seemingly predicted the 'once-in-a-lifetime' earthquake in Victoria after its owner noticed 'bizarre' behaviour exhibited by the feline moments before the tremors began.

Brodie Lancaster shared the footage to Twitter on Wednesday morning after filming her cat Carol, playing with her new toy.

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit at 9.15am on Wednesday near the small town of Mansfield, 180km northeast of Melbourne, according to Geoscience Australia.

Not a joke: the earthquake started as I was filming Carol playing with her new floppy fish toy. You can see her notice somethings happening here before I do. I am a dumb woman who thought for a sec *this toy was making the floor shake*. pic.twitter.com/Z3BTPEN0Pl  Brodie Lancaster (@brodielancaster) September 21, 2021

Brodie Lancaster shared the footage to Twitter on Wednesday morning after filming her pure white cat, called Carol, playing with her new toy

The first quake was followed by two 4.0 and 3.1 magnitude aftershocks recorded 18 and 39 minutes later.

The earthquake rocked Melbourne, and tremors were felt as far away as NSW and Tasmania.

'Not a joke: the earthquake started as I was filming Carol playing with her new floppy fish toy,' Ms Lancaster wrote.

The video showed the floppy toy fish on the floor of the room as the white cat wandered around it.

Carol then began to play with the fish, attacking it with her leg as well as sniffing it, when suddenly she paused her playtime to look up at Ms Lancaster, who was recording, with a worried look on her face.

The cat was playing with her floppy fish toy when she suddenly looked up towards Ms Lancaster with a worried face, and sensed something wasn't right

Ms Lancaster said: 'You can see her notice something's happening here before I do'.

The floppy fish began to shake on the floor. The curious cat still believed something was wrong as she began to walk into another room and stop herself at the doorway.

While Ms Lancaster was filming, she said she believed Carol's floppy fish toy was causing the floor to move.

'I am a dumb woman who thought for a sec *this toy was making the floor shake*.'

As the fish began to shake along the floor, the curious cat wandered towards another room

The cat still sensed something was wrong and stopped at the doorway

The earthquake that occurred on Wednesday is the biggest Victoria has experienced since European settlement, in 1834, a seismologist told ABC Radio Melbourne.

More pictures have emerged from the aftermath of the earthquake in Victoria on Wednesday morning.

Pictures showed a Bettys Burgers fast food restaurant had partially collapsed on Chapel St in Windsor in Melbournes inner-city.

A Bettys Burgers fast food restaurant had partially collapsed on Chapel St in Windsor in Melbournes inner-city

The burger chain later said in a statement that there was no-one inside the building at the time and all staff were safe.

Office and apartment blocks across Melbourne were evacuated, with homeowners close to the epicentre in Mansfield reporting damage to their properties.

People are seen examining the aftermath damaged buildings across the city

There are also reports of damage in Prahran - where rubble was seen strewn across the road on Wattle Street - Brunswick, West Melbourne and Albert Park.

Seismologists have warned there could be more aftershocks throughout the day with a larger seismic event also possible.

'Geoscience have confirmed there is a possibility that we may receive further aftershocks and potential risk of further earthquakes,' Victorian Deputy Premier James Merlino said in a press conference.

'Indeed, more aftershocks could occur for weeks, if not months.'

A building also appeared to have been damaged by the earthquake on Wattle Street in Melbourne's inner-city Prahran
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Colorado police released a 'bikini selfie' taken by Suzanne Morphew, 49, on May 9 of last year -a day before she disappeared. Suzanne sent the photo via LinkedIn to Jeff Libler, a married father of six children from Indiana with whom she was having an affair. Her husband, Barry Morphew, has been charged with her murder

Barry Morphew sought to 'hunt and control' his missing wife Suzanne after realizing he wouldn't be able to stop her from leaving him, court documents claim.

The documents were released by Colorado law enforcement during Morphew's bail hearing as he prepares to stand trial for the murder of his wife, who disappeared on Mother's Day 2020.

Barry has pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on Monday after posting a $500,000 cash bond ahead of his May 2022 trial.

After discovering his wife's LinkedIn-fueled affair, investigators said he 'resorted to something he has done his entire life - hunt and control Suzanne like he had hunted and controlled animals.'

The explosive affidavit contains other shocking revelations, including text messages where Suzanne refers to her husband as 'Jekyl [sic] and Hyde,' referring to the fictional two-faced doctor.

'I feel like Im crazy. I just had a conversation with him. Pretty much told him I cant be healthy and stay in this,' she wrote to a friend.

The affidavit also reveals how Morphew tried to explain various unexplained stops he made in the days after 49-year-old Suzanne mysteriously disappeared.

Officers believe that between May 9 and 10 of last year, 'he took steps to dispose of evidence of Suzannes disappearance and death,' after surveillance video, Google Maps photos and cell phone pings show he stopped to throw trash away multiple times.

He excused the stops as a result of run-ins with a variety of wild animals.

'Since January 2021, Barry has admitted to: chasing a chipmunk with a gun around the house while Susan was outside sunbathing, shooting a deer with a tranquilizer dart to explain a dart and needle cap in the dryer, disposing of the tranquilizer solution during this trip to Broomfield, following a bull elk down Highway 50 in the 4:00 AM hour on the May 10th to explain why his truck would be headed west (where [a] helmet was discarded), and finally stating to the FBI on April 22, 2021 that he looks guilty from the evidence and God allowed these things to happen,' according to the affidavit.

A 'bikini selfie' that Suzanne sent to her lover the day before she disappeared and an image of her alleged killer-husband Barry carrying two shovels the following day were also unsealed on Monday.

Police found Suzannes bike on the side of a hill the same day as her disappearance, but saw no indications of a crash.' Barry is pictured above (left) after his May 5, 2021 arrest and Suzanne is pictured right

The shocking evidence was part of an arrest affidavit released by Colorado law enforcement during Morphew's bail hearing as he prepares to stand trial for the murder of his wife.

Suzanne, 49, sent the bikini selfie via LinkedIn on May 9, 2020, to Jeff Libler - a married father of six children from Indiana with whom she was having an affair - the day before she disappeared, according to the report.

In the arrest affidavit, police refer to the photo as Suzannes last proof of life. She wore the swimsuit while laying out at home, according to the document.

While questioning Barry, police said he looked at the photograph and said: Well, look at her. Shes obviously drunk. Look at her eyes. Do you know what drunk eyes look like?

I mean, would you say those eyes are drunk eyes?

The affidavit also included a surveillance photo of Barry carrying two shovels into a Holiday Inn hotel in Broomfield, Colorado the day Suzanne was reported missing by a neighbor after heading out on a bike ride.

Barry has denied any wrongdoing inside his hotel suite following claims his co-worker, Jeff Puckett, made alleging that he arrived to the room on May 10, 2020, to find it scattered with wet towels and mail belonging to Barry.

Colorado law enforcement officials released this photo showing Barry Morphew carrying two shovels into a Holiday Inn hotel in Broomfield, Colorado on May 10, 2020 - the same day that his wife, Suzanne Morphew, 49, vanished

Yesterday, murder suspect Barry Morphew grinned for the cameras as he walked out of jail after posting $500,000 bail with his daughters Macy (left) and Mallory

The room is also alleged to have reeked of chlorine.

Barry has pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on Monday after posting a $500,000 cash bond.

Television footage showed him walking out of jail with his two daughters with Suzanne.

Barry 53, was in court in Salida, Colorado, on Friday to hear closing arguments from the prosecution who said Suzanne's 'road to being murdered' began when she told him she wanted a divorce days before she vanished and described it as 'a domestic violence homicide'.

Barry learned his wife Suzanne had been having a two-year affair with one of her high school classmates, Jeff Libler (pictured), in the days before allegedly killing her

A judge ruled there is enough evidence for the case to proceed nearly a year after his wife was reported missing after going for a bike ride on Mother's Day 2020.

Barry tried to convince police that his wife ran away from home and that he had nothing to do with her disappearance, according to the affidavit.

Police did not believe him and started a frantic search on May 10, 2020, for Suzanne, who failed to return to the family home in Maysville, Colorado.

Barry's defense lawyer Dru Nielsen has questioned the police's timeline of events leading up to the disappearance as he argues that the case should be thrown out before it goes to a full-scale murder trial.

But investigators have revealed holes in Barry's story that they say prove he murdered his wife.

Barry told police that a man from whom his wife was buying drugs off the street could be behind her disappearance, according to an arrest affidavit.

He also has speculated that his wifes body was washed up in a river after either being abducted or falling in an accident and hit a rock with her head.

He did admit to police that he had been physically abusive toward his wife on one occasion when he clipped her nose.

He said that his wife would physically come at him whenever she felt frustrated.

She physically came at me several times through my life and I took it, Barry is alleged to have told investigators.

And Im a man and Im touch and I can take it.

Barry told police that he would lie to friends and neighbors about scratch marks that were visible on his face, which he alleges were caused by Suzanne.

Four days before she went missing, Suzanne wrote in a text to Barry, Im done. I could care less what youre up to and have been up to for years. We just need to figure this out civilly.

The day she went missing, investigators also noted that the cutting blade on the bucket of Barrys Bobcat loading machine were newly replaced.

One of the couples daughters, who was not named specifically, told police that her parents were not doing well, argued a lot and she thought it best for parents to separate because they were both in an 'unsafe place' emotionally.

Barry Morphew has consistently denied the allegations that he killed his wife. According to Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent Johnny Grusing, he appeared shocked when he was arrested on May 5

Police on Monday released a photo of missing mom Suzanne Morphews abandoned bike. She went missing on Mother's Day 2020 and still hasn't been found

Barry stayed at this Holiday Inn hotel room on May 9, 2020, before leaving to return to his hometown of Maysville the following day. His co-worker, Jeff Puckett, then checked in and says he found the room scattered with wet towels and stinking of chlorine

Police interviewed Suzannes sister Melinda Baumunk, who revealed a text Suzanne sent her two days before her disappearance that read, Its hard dealing with the harsh abrasiveness and having to show respect. Hes been so abusive, emotionally and physically. Theres so much I went thru a period of acceptance and I feel more angry now. Anger at what Ive allowed.

Jeff Puckett (pictured) was hired by Barry for work on a landscaping project near Broomfield. But the job never materialized and he told DailyMail.com that the experience has left him suspicious

Baumunk told police that this was the first time she was hearing that Barry was physically abusive and when she heard of Suzannes disappearance three days later, she said 'damn it, damn it damn it' to herself because she was certain that Barry had killed her.

Baumunk added that Suzanne had inherited about $208,000 from their mother Adrienne, when she died in 2013, and another $217,000 from her grandmother-in-law Helen Burnette, who died in 2017.

Suzannes phone included a list of shorthand notes detailing the abuse she alluded to in her texts to Baumunk.

The notes include, Stalking Sheila and me in house without telling, Chased me around resort and threatened, Not safe alone with you. Cant be trusted, Oppressive, Slam on breaks when angry, Threaten to jump out of car and Gun.

Police revealed in court that Suzanne had been having a two-year fling with Libler, while Barry had accessed porn website Celebrity Jihad and extramarital dating site Ashley Madison.

A judge allowed the release of the arrest affidavit laying out investigators' case against Barry after ruling last week that there was enough evidence for him to stand trial for murder in the presumed death of Suzanne.

Barry looked disheveled but happy as he walked to his car after leaving the Chaffee County Probation Department.

In this still image from video, Barry Morphew, center, appears in court in Salida, Colorado on May 6, 2021

Morphew (pictured in court in May) was released on Monday but will have to wear an ankle monitor as a condition of his release and will be forced to stay in Chaffee County

He was ordered to wear an ankle monitor ahead of his trial for murder and evidence tampering, which is scheduled for May 2022.

He will also be required to live in and largely remain in Chaffee County and will be barred from contacting a number of people involved in the case.

However, he is still permitted to be in contact with his and Suzannes two daughters - Mallory and Macy.

Barry was released on the same day Colorado cops published a photo of Suzanne's abandoned bike on Monday.



Details about the couple's troubled marriage were previously discussed in court during a hearing on the evidence in the case.

In the affidavit, investigators said that after Barry realized he could not control Suzanne's insistence on leaving him 'he resorted to something he has done his entire life - hunt and control Suzanne like he had hunted and controlled animals.'

Barry refused to take a polygraph test in the days after his wife was reported missing on May 10, 2020, which was Mother's Day, the affidavit said.

Barry, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, did not initially tell investigators that he went out of his way as he left for work that morning, driving toward the place where his wife's bicycle helmet was eventually found.

Later, he said he went that way because he had seen an elk cross the road, the affidavit said.

Suzanne's body has not been found.

Barry also is charged with tampering with a human body, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a dangerous weapon and attempting to influence a public servant.

The 130-page arrest affidavit unsealed by police includes details of notes Suzanne kept on her phone about her husband Barry's alleged 'abuse.'

New details in the case against Barry include secretly recorded notes and recordings documenting his abuse and a text Suzanne sent him four days before she went missing saying she was 'done, let's handle this civilly.'

Prosecutors told the court that they believe Barry killed his wife on the night of May 9 and could have disposed of her body at the remote Garfield Mine, 12 miles from Salida.

In police interviews, Barry admitted driving close to the turn-off to the mine in the early hours of May 10  but claimed he had done so because he had spotted a bull elk.

The decision to send Barry to trial came after a four-day preliminary hearing in August that shattered the portrait he had painted of a happy, problem-free marriage. Morphew has not yet been asked to enter a plea.

In court, prosecutors presented text messages between her and a friend from 2019 and 2020 in which she complained that her husband was picking fights and putting their children in the middle.

Cops said the pair had been fighting for years, with Barry accusing his wife of being a habitual drunk and a drug addict who bought cannabis from street dealers.

Pictured, Garfield mine near Morphew's home where it is believed that Barry dumped evidence

Cadaver dogs are brought back to the scene where Chaffee County Sheriff's officers, FBI and CBI were searching for Suzanne Morphew in May 2020

But they also said he was desperately fighting to save his marriage but to no avail with Suzanne texting him on May 8 to say  'I'm done'.

That evening, Suzanne had a pizza from Moonlight Pizza and Brew Pub, telling Libler that she had enjoyed herself.

The following morning, Suzanne and Barry had discussed going hiking but she spent most of the morning sending photos to Libler while he worked.

Barry returned home at 2.40pm. Just seven minutes later, his phone was put in airplane mode where it stayed until 10.17pm that evening.

Suzanne sent a final message to Libler just after 2.30pm and made one last call. The phone was not used again.

Police and prosecutors say it was that afternoon that Suzanne was killed, with witnesses revealing Barry had a dart gun that investigators said was the murder weapon.

Agent Johnny Grusing of the CBI told the court that the animal tranquilizer it contained would have knocked Suzanne out in around 10 minutes and then caused breathing difficulties and hypoxia.

Grusing said the heavy breathing caused by the drug would have sounded like snoring. Barry repeatedly told investigators that the last sound he heard from his wife was 'light snoring'.

On the morning of May 10, data from Barry's white truck shows the door was opened seven times between 3.25am and 3.49am.

At 5am, the truck left the Morphew home and drove close to the Garfield Mine before being picked up on camera in nearby Poncha Springs at 5.14am.

The couple with their two daughters, Mallory and Macy, who have been supporting their father

Barry then drove to Broomfield, near Denver, for a landscaping job but truck data showed he stopped several times and he was picked up on camera dumping trash in dumpsters along the way  including at a McDonalds and at a Men's Wearhouse.

He then headed to a Holiday Inn in Broomfield, where he left the room reeking of chlorine and littered with wet towels according to co-workers Morgan Gentile and Jeff Puckett.

Puckett told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview last September that he had also found ripped up insurance documents stuffed in the trash can.

In police interviews, Gentile said the job  which Barry claimed was urgent  was scheduled for the following day and that he had been due to pick her up to drive to Denver at 5.30pm on May 10.

Instead, she received a call at 11am telling her he was already there and to drive herself up, and to bring an extra worker.

By the time Gentile and Puckett arrived, Barry had already left citing a family emergency.

The next morning, she received another call from Barry at 7.30am in which he said Suzanne had vanished and suggested a mountain lion could be to blame.

Undersheriff Rohrich described the video Barry made pleading for his wife's safe return as 'crocodile tears'.

He told the court: 'I thought of it like crocodile tears. He acted like he was crying but no tears.'

When police searched the home, they found it 'perfectly clean' but found a live .22 caliber bullet lying on the floor next to Suzanne's side of the bed in the master bedroom.

They also discovered the charred remains of ring binders and a lacquered piece of wood in the fireplace  despite firewood placed nearby  and discovered an empty tranquilizer casing in the dryer, along with a pair of Morphew's khaki shorts.

Police also revealed that the door of the master bedroom bore marks consistent with being forced open, while Barry himself was found with scratches to both hands and his upper left arm.
After almost 20 years in Australia, I'm used to hearing misrepresentations of my home country, the Republic of Ireland, from people who think that makes me British (it doesn't - I have two passports, Irish and Australian) to stupid jokes usually involving potatoes and whiskey (just for the record, I do love potatoes, but can't abide whiskey).

These jibes have died out a bit in the last couple of years, probably due to Covid and lockdowns occupying so much of people's time.

But Covid and misunderstanding Ireland came together yesterday when Today show host Allison Langdon questioned epidemiologist Tony Blakely for arguing that Australia should wait until 90 per cent of people are vaccinated against Covid-19 before ending lockdowns for good.

Today show host Allison Langdon and her guest, Professor Tony Blakoverlooked an important fact when she said no country had achieved a 90% vaccination rate - Ireland has

'Can I ask why you're confident that we will get to 90 per cent when we've seen no country anywhere in the world reach that point?' Langdon asked.

Professor Blakely said countries such as Singapore, which has an 81 per cent double-dose rate, were on their way to reaching that figure.

'I believe we will get there, but it won't be overnight,' he said. 'It will be slower progress from 80 to 90 per cent than it has been so far.'

But both the TV host and the professor were unaware of an important example.

In Ireland, 90 per cent of people are fully vaccinated and 92.2 per cent have had at least one dose.

Ireland's journey from Covid hotspot to nine out of every 10 eligible people being vaccinated has been a long and deadly one, but ultimately successful.

After opening up from lockdown too early last Christmas, Ireland paid the price in January with Covid infections topping 8,000 a day in a country of just 4.9 million.

Overall, there have been 377,000 cases and around 5,200 deaths.

A strict lockdown was re-imposed and police checkpoints were used to ensure people stayed within a 5km distance from their home.

Ireland was the last country in the European Union to reopen bars and restaurants for indoor service, and when it did so it was restricted to those who are fully vaccinated or with a negative test.

Anti-vaccination protestors in Melbourne - protests have ripped through the city with the city suffering through one of the world's longest lockdowns

After months of hard lockdowns, the chance to meet friends for a meal or a drink was enough to get some vaccine skeptics over the line.

Get a couple of very safe, scientifically-tested jabs, or have no social life? For most, it was an easy choice to make.

Ireland is a very wet country, but cheap flights mean getting away for a break to countries such as Spain and Portugal is a sunny option for a lot of people. Or it was until Covid hit and grounded the vast majority of flights.

The opening up of much international travel to the fully vaccinated in recent months was therefore also a huge factor in some people getting over their fears of the jab. Be permanently stuck in a country where it rains far more days than it doesn't, or get vaccinated and fly to a sunny beach resort? Again, it was an easy choice for most.

A busy Grafton Street in Dublin, Ireland, where 90 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

The other, and maybe most important, factor in Ireland's vaccine success is that it hedged its bets on which vaccines to use - unlike Australia which initially put most of its eggs in the AstraZeneca basket.

Ireland signed up to five advanced purchase agreements for different vaccines, while Australia was haggling over the cost of the Pfizer vaccine.

Four of these have subsequently been authorised for use in the European Union - AstraZeneca, BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine.

The EU also has purchase agreements with Sanofi-GSK and Curevac, and has held exploratory talks with two other vaccine producers - Novavax and Valneva.

Overall, Ireland is expected to get 14 million doses by the end of the year, more than enough to vaccinate the entire country.

So yes, Allison, it is not only possible for a country to reach a 90 per cent vaccination rate, Ireland has already done it.

And the message for all those who are sick of lockdown is simple, get vaccinated, wear a mask and soon we will hopefully all be back to normal.
Sydneysiders may yet get their family-friendly harbourside fireworks display on New Year's Eve, despite the City of Sydney announcing its cancellation.

It would be the second consecutive year the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of Sydney's 9pm fireworks on Sydney Harbour before the main event at midnight.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian offered hope that the 9pm fireworks might go ahead, just a day after the City of Sydney announced the earlier fireworks show had been cancelled to ensure the celebrations meet pandemic public health orders.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says fireworks are 'a sign of hope for the new year'

'Last year the Sydney council decided to do that and we stepped in and did it,' she told reporters on Wednesday.

'I would think that no matter what happens, no matter what situation we are in, the fireworks are always a sign of hope for the new year and the NSW government is considering its options,' she said.

The council announcement triggered a backlash from the business community which said the cancellation would be a major blow to the economic recovery of the city's CBD.

Businesses around Sydney Harbour were looking forward to recouping some of their huge pandemic economic losses on New Year's Eve

'New Year's Eve is 102 days away and with the current vaccination rate progressing so well, it seems unnecessary to cancel them now, as businesses in the city were relying on the iconic event to boost recovery after months of lockdown,' Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said.

'The consequences ... will be devastating for hundreds of businesses around the Rocks, Circular Quay and Darling Harbour who were looking forward to recouping some of their huge economic losses throughout this long lockdown.'
A man is dead after his throat was slashed in a random attack at a Cairns shopping centre.

The victim died 20 minutes after he was set upon in what police called a "chance happening" at the Cairns Central Shopping Centre.

He was attacked on the ground floor about 8am, before businesses had opened for the day. Another man is in custody.

Cairns Central Shopping Centre, where a man was murdered on Wednesday morning

"Our immediate information is that it appears to be a chance happening. The offender was resolute in what he had intended," Acting Detective Inspector Kev Goan told reporters on Wednesday.

"The laceration is to the throat. He passed approximately 20 minutes after the wounds were inflicted."

The victim, aged between 30 and 40, was known within the shopping centre but police believe his attacker was a stranger to him.

"I can say the gentleman is known within the centre and the dealings he's had with proprietors within the centre has been very positive," Insp Goan said.

He was attacked on the ground floor about 8am, before businesses had opened

'He readily engages with others and is described as a fairly laid-back, easygoing nice gentleman.'

He said there were a number of witnesses and CCTV footage would be crucial in piecing together what happened.

The man who's been arrested is 39 years of age.

AAP has sought comment from the centre.
Mack Miller was violently thrown into a metal detector, knocking it over after being kicked out of a meeting at Clark County Commission Office's COVID-19 meeting

A GOP candidate for Nevada Lieutenant Governor was violently dragged out of a Las Vegas local government meeting and thrown through a metal detector by security after being kicked out of a COVID-19 meeting.

Cell phone footage shows the moment Mack Miller was thrown out of the Clark County Commission Office's meeting.

The committee declared in a 5-2 decision that spreading COVID-19 misinformation is a public health crisis.

Protesters at the meeting claim that this is a violation of their First Amendment rights and is pushing only one side of the agenda.

Miller was ejected from the meeting after apparently joining the protests and after fights breaking out between demonstrators and the security.

In a video shot by a citizen attending the meeting, Miller is seem being manhandled out of the meeting, before crashing into a metal detector which is lifted off the floor by the weight of the impact.

Miller hit the device with so much force, it knocked it over. Several guards had to catch the device before it crashed on top of them

Several security guards grabbed onto the structure as it tipped over as Miller hit the floor.

Miller stays on the ground for several minutes and appears injured.

Security guards surrounded Miller as several people scream out: 'Are you alright?'.

As citizens argue with security guards over whether or not to call an ambulance, Miller can be seen rolling side to side as he appeared to be in pain.

The man filming the interaction continuously screamed: 'You guys need to put yourself under arrest.'

Miller also filmed a video of himself inside the meeting.

It begins with him accusing a security guard wearing a tan uniform of shoving him while a group of people yelled behind him.

Although the video does not show the man shoving Miller, as he was out of frame, he does appear behind the woman who was could be seen shoulder to shoulder with the lieutenant governor hopeful.

Miller can be heard saying: 'Hey, hey, wait a minute. What the hell?' after claiming the officers had been 'shoving and pushing' people around.

'Don't push me, man,' Miller said in a heated moment.

Miller claimed the Clark County Commissioners Office shut down the meeting and were telling people to leave.

The accused officer can be heard forcibly tell him to 'go.'

Miller continued to film the officer, as well as his colleagues before demanding their names and badge numbers while the crowd chanted 'Free our speech' in the background.

Another officer pressed forward, asking him to 'go to the exit, please,'

Miller raised his voice, screaming: 'I don't get shoved lightly. I've been court marshaled...[indecipherable]and I'll be damned if a security guard walks in front of me and people are going to shove me around.

'You're not going to shove me around anymore...[indecipherable]...and this god damn community...and there's no way you're going to stop me from protecting these people's f***ing rights. Do you understand me?'

He continues: 'I'm sick and tired of you f***ing [indecipherable] rights.'

Miller's video cuts off as he landed on the floor.

A video showed Miller sprawled on the floor as people surrounded the lieutenant governor hopeful

This isn't the first time Miller has caught himself up in controversy.

In 2018, the politician was convicted of deserting his Army comrades during the Iraq war in 2007, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Miller claimed he was on mandatory leave from a back injury, but his comrades said otherwise.

During his state senatorial run, his fellow soldiers claimed he deserted them in the desert and that he refused to take responsibility for his actions.

Court documents reported Miller was found guilty of desertion and sentenced to 18 months confinement, a demotion to private from private first-class, and a bad conduct discharge.

Miller reported appealed twice, unsuccessfully.
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Jessica Schultz, a 38-year-old 'van lifer', believes she saw Brian Laundrie on August 26, 27 and 28 near where Gabby Petito's body was found

A graphic designer who has spent the past four years living in her Airstream trailer said that she believes she is the one that led the FBI to Gabby Petito's body, after agents told her: 'you guys are the ones that really tipped us off to the right place'.

Jessica Schultz told law enforcement that she spotted Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, near the Spread Creek campsite in Wyoming on August 26, 27 and possibly 28.

Petito, 22, was found dead on Sunday, and on Tuesday a coroner confirmed her death was a homicide.

She had set out to travel with Laundrie in July, and the couple were journeying in their white Ford Transit van across the West - but were seen arguing in mid August.

Petito was last seen alive on August 24, and was reported missing on September 11. Laundrie returned home alone to Florida on September 1, and went missing on September 14. A manhunt is underway, with him being deemed officially a 'person of interest'.

Schultz, 38, said that the publicity surrounding the missing New Yorker encouraged her to come forward, and she spoke to the FBI on September 16.

She said in a TikTok that she and a group of friends were camped at Spread Creek from August 22 to 29.

'In that time frame, we all independently noticed that van,' she said.

Schultz said that she noticed the van because it was trying to park, and blocking her way. She very clearly recalled seeing a man alone - who she now believes was Laundrie.

She said she was '100 per cent certain' that it was him.

'He was very... kind of awkward and confused,' she said on TikTok.

'It was just him, there was no Gabby.'

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito had been traveling since early July. Petito was reported missing on September 11, and on September 16 a fellow 'van life' traveler told the FBI she believed she had spotted Laundrie

'He was very kind of awkward and confused. And it was just him. There was no Gabby': Jessica Schultz describes on TikTok seeing Laundrie 'So I saw Brian Laundrie parking his van August 26 at Spread Creek. 'So I had already reported to the FBI what I had seen. 'And I wasn't 100 per cent sure, but now that there is dashcam footage of the van where I saw it, I'm 100 per cent certain that I did see him parking his van. 'And he was very kind of awkward and confused. And it was just him. There was no Gabby. 'But that's only because, as a van lifer, I was checking out their van and I was checking out to see if it was a couple or a solo dude. 'So it was a solo dude, as far as I could see. Unless she was in the back somewhere. But when I pulled up he was driving still and hadn't yet pulled over. 'So I was like, hey, what are you going to do? Are you going to let me pass because it's only one car width of a road. 'And he kind of pulled over like half way, and made me drive half out into the road to go around him. 'So I thought it was just really weird. And for a timeline, it was parked on the 26th, I believe.' 'Sorry my last video cut off. I guess I only get 60 seconds. 'It's probably a good thing as the FBI actually called me back. Not as a result of my TikTok. 'So a group of friends and I were camping at Spread Creek from the 22nd to the 29th. 'And in that time frame we all independently noticed that van parked there. And I noticed it particularly because I had seen that van trying to park. And also because it wasn't actually parked in a designated spot. 'The Spread Creek camping area is a series of designated spots and you're not supposed to camp outside those spots. 'This van was not in a real spot so I figured that he would get booted by the people who patrol the area. But the van was there for several days and nights and it did not get booted. The weirdest part was that there was no indication that there was anybody at the van. 'Usually small van people have their doors open, they're outside, they have a hammock, something. But we didn't see any signs of actual life at the van.' Advertisement

The van that Petito and Laundrie were traveling in was spotted by multiple travelers, including Schultz

Schultz approached the van to see if the man wanted to join their group, but saw that he was much younger than them so decided against extending the invite.

'He was just acting weird,' she told The San Francisco Chronicle.

'You know, when you're out in the middle of nowhere, your hackles go up when you see something that's out of the ordinary.'

She added: 'I'm pretty sure he got out of the van to like look around or something.

'There's definitely nobody in that passenger seat; like he definitely doesn't have a girl in there.'

On August 27, Schultz saw the van again.

This time, she was traveling as a passenger in her friend's vehicle, and noticed that the van belonging to Petito and used by her and Laundrie was in the same area.

'I was like, 'Oh, that guy stayed the night,' Schultz recalled telling her friend.

She remembered it clearly, she said, because it was not a designated parking spot.

Schultz also believes she saw the van on August 28, because she recalled thinking it was surprising the owners had not been asked to move on to an actual parking place.

'The weirdest part of it was that there was no indication there was anybody at the van,' Schultz recounted on TikTok.

When footage of the missing couple began circulating, Schultz noticed the distinctive hat that was on the dashboard - which she had seen.

'My friend texted me a picture of the hat on the dashboard and I just lost my s***,' Schultz said.

'And that's when I called the FBI and said, 'Guys, look at Spread Creek.'

Petito, 22, is pictured with her boyfriend Laundrie, 23, in a YouTube video made to document their 'van life' road trip. A body believed to be Petito's was found on Sunday and on Tuesday the coroner confirmed it was her. Laundrie has disappeared

Police in Florida are seen on Tuesday searching the Carlton Reserve, where Laundrie's car was found abandoned

A memorial of stones arranged in a cross pattern was spotted Monday evening at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campsite east of the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

The memorial is placed near to where authorities found Gabby Petito's body on Sunday

Lupe Alvarez, a friend of Schultz's who was camping at the site, said he and his partner first saw teams of police crews looking for Petito arrive on Friday evening.

On Saturday a forest ranger approached them as they were about to set off on a hike and asked them not to destroy any evidence.

'She told us, 'You've probably heard about the missing girl and the van,' Alvarez said.

Schultz said someone with the FBI called her and her friends back for an interview just before 10am on Sunday - before it was announced that Petito's remains had been found.

Schultz recalled that the FBI agent said: 'I've talked to hundreds of people, but you guys are the ones that really tipped us off to the right place, so thank you.'

She added: 'We're triumphant  we were right and we led them in the right direction.

'But then, of course, it's not something you like to be right about. It's been emotionally exhausting for sure.'

A huge manhunt was launched on September 11 to find the missing woman, and police said that they eventually received more than 1,000 tips.

As of Tuesday, the hashtag #GabbyPetito has received more than 650 million views on the social media platform TikTok, according to the Associated Press.

Petito and Laundrie had cultivated a following on social media as the traversed the West in their van, and fellow social media users jumped into the hunt for clues.

The van was spotted in footage made by YouTubers, a TikTok user said that she had given an 'antsy' Laundrie a lift when he was hitchhiking on August 29, and an Idaho woman who owns a shop in the town of Victor said that she had seen the pair around that time.

Laundrie and Petito are seen in a photo dated July 29. The pair met at high school on Long Island, New York, and begun dating several years ago

Petito is pictured in a bath at Mystic Hot Springs, in Monroe, Utah, in a picture posted on July 26

Petito and Laundrie are seen at Monument Rocks in Utah in a post dated July 4

On Tuesday, a coroner in Wyoming has confirmed that a body found on Sunday is that of Petito, and that her death was a homicide.

On Tuesday night TMZ reported that Laundrie is viewed by prosecutors as the prime suspect, but they are waiting to see if he is found alive, and if there is evidence that he killed her.

The search for Laundrie in the swampy 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve has ended for the night, police in Florida said on Tuesday evening - adding that they will resume on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the FBI in Denver tweeted: 'Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999.

'Coroner Blue's initial determination for the manner of death is homicide.

'The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.'

The FBI on Tuesday said that a forensic search of the camping area where her body was found had ended, and appealed for anyone who was in the area from August 27 to August 30 to contact them.

'We extend sincere condolences to Gabbys family, friends, and all the people whose lives she touched,' the FBI said in a statement.

They also added her to their 'seeking information' site, describing her as a 'homicide victim'.

Petito's case was being referred to as a criminal investigation for the first time on Tuesday.

'This is an FBI-led criminal investigation and North Port Police are assisting our federal partner in any way we can to bring this investigation to a close,' said Josh Taylor, a spokesperson for Florida's North Port Police Department, in a statement.

Laundrie's family said on Tuesday evening, through their lawyer: 'May Gabby Rest In Peace.'

The Petito family said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that they will speak publicly after her body is returned home.

Police were alerted on September 11 by Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt.

Schmidt said that she last spoke to her daughter on August 24.

She then received two text messages from her phone, but the wording sounded odd and she is unsure if Petito sent them.

The couple had been in contact with police shortly before she vanished.

On August 12, a passerby in Moab, Utah, called police after seeing a man and a woman in a blazing row, physically fighting each other.

In the audio, obtained by DailyMail.com, the male caller tells a Grant County sheriff that a 'gentleman' in a white van with a Florida license plate had slapped a girl in the vehicle before driving away.

A witness, known only as Christopher, wrote in his statement - obtained by Fox News - that 'they were talking aggressively [at] each other [and] something definitely seemed off.'

He added: 'At one point, they were sort of fighting over a phone  I think the male took the female's phone. It appeared that he didn't want her in the white van.

'I heard her say, 'Why do you have to be so mean?'

He said he saw Petito allegedly 'punching him in the arm' and trying to get inside the vehicle  which was registered in her name. She had been working as a pharmacy technician to save money for the four-month trip.

'From my point of view, something definitely didn't seem right,' Christopher wrote.

'It was as if the guy was trying to leave her, and maybe take her phone? Not sure but wanted to help out.'

Petito's case was added to the 'seeking information' site on Tuesday, with her described as 'homicide victim'

Petito and Laundrie were both interviewed by police, and Petito said that Laundrie sometimes hit her.

Melissa Hulls, the visitor and resource protection supervisor at Arches National Park, told Petito that her relationship with Laundrie 'seemed toxic'.

Hulls told Deseret News: 'I was probably more candid with her than I should've been.

'I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship, asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life.

'She had a lot of anxiety about being away from him, I honestly thought if anything was going to change it would be after they got home to Florida.'

In the end, Petito stayed with Laundrie.

'This wasn't a good day for anybody. We thought we were making the right decision when we left them.'

A tearful Petito is seen in the back of the police car. Laundrie admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation and cops determine Petito was 'the primary aggressor'

Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'

Laundrie and Petito set off on their dream road trip from New York on July 2

The pair had been traveling on a cross-country trip together since July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11

Laundrie's lawyer explains why he told his client not to speak to police about Petito's disappearance 'Many people are wondering why Mr. Laundrie would not make a statement or speak with law enforcement in the face of Ms. Petito's absence. 'In my experience, intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focus their attention on in cases like this and the warning that 'any statement made will be used against you' is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito's disappearance. 'As such, on the advice of counsel Mr. Laundrie is not speaking on the matter. 'I have been informed that the North Port, Florida police have named Brian Laundrie as a 'person of interest' in this matter. 'This formality has not really changed the circumstances of Mr. Laundrie being the focus of attention of law enforcement and Mr. Laundrie will continue to remain silent on the advice of counsel.' Advertisement

Petito's body was located on Sunday at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area.

The camp site is on the edge of the Grand Teton national park, and has views of the stunning mountain range.

Campers are allowed to stay on the undeveloped site, in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Laundrie's whereabouts are now the subject of intense interest.

Petito's family issued a withering statement through their lawyer, Richard Stafford, demanding Laundrie tell police what he knows.

'All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing,' they said on Friday.

In a letter, Petito's family implored Laundrie's parents on Thursday to tell them 'where Brian left Gabby.'

Stafford said on Thursday the family was 'devastated.'

Petito is the eldest of six children.

'They're at the point that desperation has turned to anger,' Stafford said during a news conference.

'They know that the Laundries know where their daughter is, and they will not tell them. That's infuriating.'

His car has been recovered, abandoned, from the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Florida. The Mustang had a note on it asking for the car to be removed.

Police on Monday said they had 'exhausted all avenues in searching of the grounds there,' but are still looking for Laundrie.

Carlton Reserve is described by locals as swampy, alligator-filled, and full of snakes and mosquitoes.

Yet despite their statement suggesting the search was done, they continued to scour the area.

On Tuesday evening they tweeted: 'Search of the Carlton & nearby lands concluded for the evening. Nothing of note. The current plan is to return Wednesday with a similar operation.'

On Tuesday the teams were searching the Venice sector of the reserve. It was unclear why they chose that particular site to hone in on.

Police were also investigating a possible sighting of him on Tuesday, after someone baring a resemblance was spotted in a wooded area 500 miles from his Florida home.

The photo image provided to police by Bass shows a man with a backpack as he is walking through the woods. The man appears to have the same physical features as Laundrie, including a slim build and a bald head

'I'm not saying this is the guy but whoever was on my trail camera this morning in Baker, Fl strongly fits the description of Brian Laundrie, authorities have been contacted but people in the North West Florida area be on the look out,' Bass wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday

The alleged sighting took place some 500 miles from Laundrie's North Port, Florida home. North Port Police on Tuesday resumed a search for Laundrie at the Carlton Reserve, a swampy region where he is last believed to have visited before his disappearance last week

Sam Bass told police that he spotted a man while he set up his deer camera in the wilderness in Baker, Florida in Okaloosa County early on Monday morning.

But the local sheriff's office said that it followed up on the report and 'no one - and nothing - of note was located.'

'The OCSO did its due diligence in response to this report and is wrapping up an extensive search that took place in this area to include nearby farmlands,' the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.

'No one - and nothing - of note was located. The individual referenced in the post below has no known ties to our area.'

The photo image provided to police by Bass shows a man with a backpack as he is walking through the woods in the Florida Panhandle.

The man appears to have the same physical features as Laundrie, including a slim build and a bald head.

More than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies led by the FBI are using huge swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s and drones as they ramp up efforts to track down the 23-year-old.

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, announced that at the request of local law enforcement, he had 'directed all state agencies under my purview to continue to assist federal & local enforcement as they continue to search - we need justice for Gabby'.

Police in North Port, Florida - who are facing criticism for allowing Laundrie to disappear - issued a statement last week defending themselves.

'We understand the community's frustration. We are frustrated too,' the department said in a tweet.

'For six days, the North Port police department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's fiancee Gabby Petito.

'Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail.

'It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime. We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing persons investigation.'

John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted, told CNN on Tuesday he wanted to know whether Laundrie was ever inside his parents' house, and asking whether it was possible that the Carlton Reserve story was all part of an elaborate plot to allow the 23-year-old to escape.

Laundrie's father Christopher Laundrie broke cover for the first time Tuesday - but refused to answer questions about his missing son.

The 62-year-old is seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos walking out onto his driveway around 3pm, a day after the FBI raid on the North Port, Florida home he shares with wife Roberta, 55.

Brian Laundrie's father Christopher Laundrie made a rare foray into town on Tuesday, one day after the FBI raided the North Port, Florida home he shares with his wife Roberta

Laundrie, who was dressed in khaki shorts and a black top, strode out to his red Dodge Ram pick-up truck and drove past the police presence outside his home before returning 20 minutes later with half a gallon of milk

Dressed in khaki shorts and a black top, Laundrie strode out to his red Dodge Ram pick-up truck and drove past the continued police presence outside his home.

He returned 20 minutes later with half a gallon of milk and quickly disappeared back into the house.

The Laundrie residence has become somewhat of a media circus.

Christopher and Roberta Laundrie told police on September 17 that their son had told them three days earlier he was going for a hike, and never returned.

In the early days of the investigation, they refused to speak to investigators and their son hired a lawyer.

The attorney, Steven Bertolino, was planning to hold a press conference from Long Island, New York, at 1 pm. on Tuesday.

He canceled the press conference on Monday night after discussions with the FBI.

On Tuesday photos obtained by The New York Post showed the inside of Laundrie's bedroom.

The wanted man appeared to have a gun in his bedroom, and displayed a poster of dark figures with hammers and spheres violently attacking other.

The three bedroom, two bath 1,448 square feet home has belonged to the family since 2015, and comes with a small pool in the backyard.

The family, which has a history of buying and selling properties, bought the home for $120,000 and two years later attempted to list it for $215,000, with a price reduction a month later.

The Laundries took the home back off the market shortly after, in January 2018, the paper said.
A recently dismissed local government executive in Western Australia used shire funds to pay for the services of sex workers, WA's Corruption and Crime Commission has found.

The commission has tabled a report in state parliament related to the activities of former Shire of Ravensthorpe chief executive Gavin Pollock.

The commission said for more than a year, Mr Pollock used his position to register a sex worker as a supplier to the shire.

WA's Corruption and Crime Commission found local government executive Gavin Pollock (pictured) used $55,000 of shire funds on sex workers

It said he created false invoices and generated payments for 'administrative and related services' totalling almost $55,000.

'The sole purpose of the scheme was for Mr Pollock to receive sexual services,' the commission said in a statement on Wednesday.

The commission formed an opinion of serious misconduct and recommended that criminal charges be considered at the same time noting that it made no finding that Mr Pollock was guilty of a criminal or disciplinary offence.

Its investigation began in July 2021 and in August it executed search warrants and seized electronic devices and records.

In early September, it held private examinations of the sex worker, identified only as Ms E, and Mr Pollock.

'The explanation Mr Pollock gave the commission for setting up the scheme with Ms E was so he could access support services, emotional support and use her as a sounding board at a time when he felt he was being undermined within the organisation,' the commission said.

Mr Pollock was terminated from his position by the Shire of Ravensthorpe (pictured) on September 13

'The scheme was all a sham.

'The commission does not accept that the principal purpose was emotional support or to use as a sounding board and advice.

'The fund was used to not only pay Ms E but to pay other sex workers as well. Mr Pollock well knew he would never be authorised to expend Ravensthorpe funds this way.'

On September 13, the Shire of Ravensthorpe, in WA's southern goldfields, terminated Mr Pollock's position on the basis of information provided by the Corruption and Crime Commission.

It thanked him for his services over the past two and a half years but said no further comment would be made while the commission's investigation continued.
The Asian hostess who was attacked by three black women at Carmine's had only been working at the famed New York City restaurant for a few days, a staffer revealed to Dailymail.com on Tuesday.

The hostess, who has not been named and was accused by her attackers of using the N-word, has not returned to work since the incident, said the worker - who asked not to be named.

He added that employees were told by upper management that the three customers from Texas were refused from dining at the restaurant because they presented fake vaccination cards.

Carmine's refused to comment or provide a statement.

Meanwhile, the famed New York City restaurant has released new footage of what it claims was an 'unprovoked attack' on an Asian hostess by three black women who claimed she called them the N-word during a dispute over vaccine cards.

The Italian eatery shared the surveillance footage, taken from both inside the entrance to the restaurant and the outdoor area where the brawl broke out last week, after Black Lives Matter protesters accused the restaurant of intentionally keeping it under wraps.

It shows the three Texas women - Kaeita Rankin, 44, her niece Tyonnie Keshay Rankin and Sally Rechelle Lewis, 49 - entering the restaurant as part of a larger party.

The women are escorted inside the restaurant after showing their proof of COVID-19 vaccination while three men in their party - who do not have proof and show up shortly after - remain outside.

The unnamed 24-year-old hostess passes the group, with the four women at the back of the group suddenly stopping and turning in her direction as though something has been said.

Famed New York City restaurant Carmine's has released new footage of what it claims was an 'unprovoked attack' on an Asian hostess by three black women. Footage taken inside the restaurant above

Surveillance footage also shows the outdoor area where the brawl broke out last week at the famed New York City eatery

At this moment, the women rush outside with what happened next captured on the now-infamous bystander footage shot outside.

There is no audio in the footage so it is unclear if there was an exchange of words between the diners and the hostess and - if there was - what was said.

Kaeita Rankin, Tyonnie Keshay Rankin and Sally Rechelle Lewis - all from the Houston area - say they were provoked by the server who used the racial slur.

BLM activists gathered outside Carmines Monday night in support of the three black women, chanting F*** you, Carmines, 'Cancel Carmine's' and Carmines are racist.

The restaurant denies the server used the n-word with a spokesperson for its PR firm Trident DMG describing the incident as 'an entirely unprovoked, brutal attack on our hosts'.

The restaurant had initially claimed the women did not show proof of vaccination, leading to the feud, but walked back that assertion Monday and admitted the three did present their cards.

Instead, the alleged attack broke out when three men who were part of their group arrived several minutes later and two of them could not produce proof of vaccination, Trident DMG PR Emma Novak told Gothamist.

The identity of the server is not being released by the restaurant for her safety but she is said to be new.

There were no protesters Tuesday lunchtime at the restaurant which was busy with diners.

A worker told DailyMail.com that the server was taken to hospital following the incident, which left her with bruises and scratches.

Rankin, her niece, and Lewis were arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief. They were given desk appearance tickets and ordered to appear in court on October 5.

In the newly released surveillance footage, the three women are seen arriving at the restaurant as part of a larger party.

The footage then gives an aerial view of inside the restaurant just above the doorway, showing a staff member - not the hostess who was filmed being attacked -walking ahead to seat the party.

The group of people who have shown proof of vaccination follows the server inside.

The four women at the back of the group are seen turning to their right as though something has caught their attention.

The newly released surveillance footage gives an aerial view of inside the restaurant just above the doorway, showing a staff member taking the party in to their restaurant

The four women at the back of the group are seen turning and stopping as the server goes past and leaves the restaurant as though something has been done or said

The women then rush out the door after the server. What happens next is captured on the surveillance footage from outside

At this point, the server - who was walking passed them toward the door just off camera - reaches the door and exits the restaurant.

The four women all stop and look at each other, with some of them seen to be exchanging words.

The woman second closest to the door reaches her arm out toward the woman nearest the door as if to gesture her inside, before she then suddenly rushes out the door after the server.

The three other women rush after this woman outside too.

Surveillance footage taken by a different camera outside the restaurant then reveals one of the women coming up close behind the server - who is standing with her back to the door - and appearing to say something into her ear.

The server looks around as the other women also confront her, while her coworker appears to try to guide her away from the diners.

At this point, the women push the server and a fight breaks out with other diners and restaurant workers getting involved to try to break up the fight.

Jeffrey Bank, the owner of the restaurant, released a statement saying that the surveillance footage shows the assailants started the brawl without justification and were 'entirely unprovoked.'

'This video footage makes clear that the women's Texan criminal defense attorney is heaving falsehoods to try to get his clients off the hook for their attack,' Bank said.

'It also makes clear Carmine's staff acted appropriately and professionally.'

Surveillance footage taken outside the restaurant then reveals one of the women coming up close behind the server - who is standing with her back to the door - and appearing to say something into her ear

The other women also confront the server, while her coworker appears to try to guide her away from the diners before a fight breaks out

Other diners and restaurant workers jump in to try to break up the fight in the surveillance footage released Tuesday

STATEMENT FROM KAEITA NKEENGE RANKIN'S ATTORNEY: Justin Moore, a lawyer who represents Kaeita Nkeenge Rankin, alleged that the hostess used a racial slur and was rude to the women. Moore said the hostess also accused the women of producing fake vaccination cards. 'The hostess begins spouting out derogatory comments, and speaking with two of the women; they claim that the N-word is being spewed out,' Moore told The New York Times. 'They also heard the hostess say, "Yeah, you guys can leave my restaurant," or something very aggressive like that. 'When Dr. Rankin hears that, she turns around and addresses the hostess. She tells her: "This isn't your restaurant. You're just a staff member here. Please address us with respect"'. He said the incident amounted to 'mutual combat.' Advertisement

BLM protesters on Monday demanded the restaurant release its surveillance footage of the incident and accused Carmine's management of a 'cover up.'

Hawk Newsome, a co-founder of BLM's New York chapter who planned Monday's protest, said Carmine's was 'trying to cover up their employee's actions by using the vaccination passport as an excuse.'

He said the tourists were reacting to being called the racial slur by the hostess, that she was disrespectful and that the hostess 'lunged' at the three Texans first.

'After she (the hostess) dropped the N-bomb, the three women did a double take and followed her out the restaurant,' Newsome said.

'And thats the melee you saw.'

BLM organizers also blasted the city's strict vaccine passport rules and invoked the names of recent black women killed by police.

'This vaccination card mandate to create more Sandra Blands, and more Breonna Taylors, it ends here,' said BLM organizer Kimberly Bernard.

'Consider yourself served. Cancel Carmine's!'

Newsome also blasted the vaccination edict.

'Listen, vaccine is a choice, it's a choice,' Newsome told Fox News Channel.

'You shouldn't exclude people from everyday activities because they choose not to engage in something they have every reason to doubt.'

The three women have claimed the hostess was actually the aggressor, and have called for her to be fired.

Justin Moore, a lawyer who represents Kaeita Nkeenge Rankin, alleged that the hostess used a racial slur and was rude to the women.

Moore said the hostess also accused the women of producing fake vaccination cards.

'The hostess begins spouting out derogatory comments, and speaking with two of the women; they claim that the N-word is being spewed out,' Moore told The New York Times.

'They also heard the hostess say, "Yeah, you guys can leave my restaurant," or something very aggressive like that.

'When Dr. Rankin hears that, she turns around and addresses the hostess. She tells her: "This isn't your restaurant. You're just a staff member here. Please address us with respect"'.

He said the incident amounted to 'mutual combat.'

Black Lives Matter protesters gather outside Carmine's, an Italian restaurant on Manhattan's Upper West Side, on Monday

Protesters with bullhorns chanted and denounced the restaurant's management as 'racist'

The protesters were angry over an incident on Thursday in which three black women visiting from Texas were arrested after they were filmed in a violent altercation with a hostess who is said to have asked them to show proof of vaccination

A Black Lives Matter protester holds a sign near the entrance to Carmine's restaurant on Manhattan's Upper West Side on Monday

BLM protesters chanted F*** you, Carmines and Carmines are racist outside the Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Monday night

Hawk Newsome (left), a co-founder of BLM's New York chapter, speaks during the protest

'After she (the hostess) dropped the N-bomb, the three women did a double take and followed her out the restaurant,' Newsome said. 'And thats the melee you saw.'

NEW YORK: BLM activists confront the Carmines restaurant continuing to accuse them of being racist after an altercation over vaxx papers took place a few days ago



pic.twitter.com/C7EvZCllaj  Drew Hernandez (@DrewHLive) September 20, 2021

Moore's allegations were rejected by Carolyn Richmond, an attorney for the restaurant.

'Nothing about this incident suggests race was an issue,' Richmond told The Times.

'The pandemic has added a key responsibility to the host position - insuring the safety and health of all employees and guests by checking for proof of vaccination in compliance with New York City law.

'The idea that anyone would become violent as an employee performs this necessary function is anathema to New York, the hospitality industry and New Yorkers in general,' she added.

'As all of the women showed proof of vaccination they were all permitted to enter and were in fact seated inside.'

Moore told Daily News: 'This hostess clearly has some anger management issues and unfortunately her aggression and her violence led to something that three black women are being punished for.'

Richmond denied the Texas women's accusation.

'Any claim that they were racially profiled is a complete fabrication, disingenuous, and outright irresponsible,' the lawyer for the restaurant told the Daily News.

The hostess 'refused service to these women and got hostile with them,' Moore said in a statement on Friday.

'The injuries that she received were incurred by her being physically restrained by other staff at Carmines after she was called out for racial discrimination, which she took offense to.'

Carmine's, which has two locations in New York City as well as outposts in cities including Las Vegas, is known for large servings of pasta and other Italian dishes.

The restaurant has been following the city's rule requiring proof of vaccination for indoor restaurant dining, which has been in effect since August 17 but was only being enforced as of this week.

Three women from Texas punched and beat a hostess at Carmine's Restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Thursday after she asked for their proof of vaccination to dine indoors

Carmine's staff, right, assisted by another person, jumped in to separate one of the attackers from the 24-year-old host

One of Carmine's managers, left, confronted the women who attacked her employee. The women complained that they were not being allowed inside

Black Lives Matter protest happening outside of Carmines now on the Upper West Side. pic.twitter.com/o5Mc5mvdtX  Gus Saltonstall (@GusSaltonstall) September 20, 2021

'Last weeks violence against our staff had nothing to do with race, despite a Texas criminal defense lawyers false assertions to the contrary,' the restaurant said in a statement.

'Three of our hosts who are respectively black, Latinx, and Asian American women did their best to welcome a large party while enforcing New York's vaccination requirement for indoor dining.

'We require that every guest show evidence of vaccination to eat inside.

'Unfortunately, some male members of the party were unable to provide vaccination proof and so could not enter the restaurant.

'Three female guests in the party who had shown proof of vaccination and been welcomed into the restaurant without issue then launched an entirely unprovoked, brutal attack on our hosts, one of whom continues to suffer from a concussion.'

The statement added: 'None of the attackers offered any reason for their attack. None of the hosts  all of whom are people of color  uttered a racial slur.

'None of the attackers mentioned anything about race to our managers, staff, or the police who arrested them, and the Texas criminal defense lawyer's false assertion otherwise is a deeply cynical ploy to try to excuse wanton violence.'

New York City has some of the most restrictive COVID-19 rules.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured third from left) had to eat pizza outside on the street in New York City on Sunday because he is unvaccinated

The photo of Bolsonaro and his inner circle of advisers eating pizza on the sidewalk went viral on social media

Bolsonaro, who claims he is unvaccinated against coronavirus , and his ministers had pizza slices and sodas in the middle of the street on Sunday as they arrived in-person for the United Nations General Assembly meeting

Last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio imposed a mandate requiring patrons to show proof of vaccination to enjoy indoor activities like dining, concerts, movies and conventions.

Businesses had a grace period, which ended on September 13, to begin implementing vaccine checkpoints before facing $1,000 fines.

Mask rules have remained largely relaxed, although New Yorkers must still wear them on public transport and in health settings, with individual businesses also permitted to impose a mandatory face-covering rule if they wish.

Last month de Blasio said every Department of Education employee must receive at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by September 27 in efforts to stop the hyper-contagious Delta variant spread through the city.

He did not offer the option of a weekly test instead.

City data showed that only 28 percent of black city residents between the ages of 18 and 44 are fully vaccinated, compared to 49 percent of Hispanics, 52 percent of whites, and 82 percent of Asians in the same age group.

Since New York announced its vaccine mandate, New Orleans and San Francisco have issued similar orders for patrons and staff of indoor businesses.

The US currently has about 149,000 weekly average of new cases and the death toll has reached 673,000.

The mandate applies even to world leaders, including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The leader of the world's sixth most populous country was forced to eat pizza on a Manhattan sidewalk on Sunday after he was refused indoor dining service due to his refusal to get vaccinated.

A drunken woman, branded as 'Karen,' in California attacked a restaurant worker for not wearing a mask. Karen herself was maskless when she attacked a restaurant supervisor. When no one responded to her commands, she grabbed a bottle of cleaning spray off the counter and sprayed it in the worker's face before finally leaving the restaurant

Bolsonaro and several of his key government ministers arrived in-person for the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

The photo of Bolsonaro and his inner circle of advisers eating pizza on the sidewalk went viral on social media.

New York City's health commissioner informed the General Assembly president-elect Abdulla Shahid that UNGA would be covered by a local law requiring proof of vaccination for indoor venues.

Already indicative of clashes is Bolsonaro, who says he is not vaccinated but has antibodies from a COVID-19 infection last year.

His in-person attendance at UNGA defies the New York City vaccine requirement and the honor system it implemented for attendees.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the requirement 'discriminatory' and said he was 'surprised and disappointed' by the idea of requiring proof of vaccination to enter the General Assembly Hall.

Nebenzia claimed the rule is contrary to the 1947 agreement between the US and the UN that establishes the world body's international status.

After pushback on the requirement, Shahid walked back in a new letter on Thursday: 'I would like to advise delegations that the honor system related to vaccinations  remains in place.'

The incident at Carmine's wasn't the only vaccine-related violence to take place on Thursday.

A drunken woman branded as a 'Karen' in California attacked a restaurant worker for not wearing a mask.

That woman was maskless when she attacked a restaurant supervisor and demanded she wear a mask and let her check her vaccination card, yelling at the woman: 'You don't f***ing deserve your f***ing job.'

Karen ordered that the supervisor wear a mask and when no one responded to her commands, she grabbed a bottle of cleaning spray off the counter and sprayed it in the worker's face before finally leaving the restaurant.
A team of clinicians and environmental health officers have been dispatched to a Sunshine Coast campsite after a suspected gastro outbreak.

The source of the outbreak is currently unknown with 25 children aged 8 to 11 years old from a cub scout camp site in north Brisbane taken to hospital overnight.

Several have now been discharged and all were tested for Covid-19 with no positive results returned.

Clinicians and environmental health officers have been dispatched to a Queensland cub scout campsite (pictured) after a gastro outbreak

Earlier, the Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed it had transported several patients in a stable condition from an 'organised camp' at Landsborough about 9pm on Tuesday.

Six ambulances were used to transport the patients to Sunshine Coast University and Nambour hospitals on the Sunshine Coast and the Prince Charles and Caboolture hospitals in Brisbane.

Several adults and children remained at the campsite while the affected children were treated for gastroenteritis symptoms.

Queensland Cuboree, which hosts 750 attendees from across the state, confirmed it was working with Queensland Health to prioritise the welfare of all children.

'Scouting has decades of experience in running large events for young people but when an incident like this happens we turn to the experts,' General Manager Dougal May said.

'We are asking Queensland Health to assess the situation and provide advice, and the support we have had from local staff overnight has been excellent.'

25 children were taken to hospital overnight with gastroenteritis symptoms as Queensland health investigates the source of the outbreak at the campsite in north Brisbane (pictured)

'The Cubs affected by this incident have had an unfortunate and unexpected adventure'

'Hospital staff were very complimentary about the maturity and behaviour of the Cub Scouts who attended last night, and said they were a pleasure to care for,' he added.

Sunshine Coast health clinicians environmental health officers were sent to the site to implement infection control and assess campers on Wednesday morning.

Those released from hospital are currently being looked after at local Scout halls, rather than being returned to the campsite.

The week-long 'cuboree' camp draws scouts from all over the sunshine state and is held every two years.
Rioters who turned Melbourne into a battleground have left dozens of white supremacist stickers in their wake.

A non-protesting Melburnian was disgusted to find stickers in nearby Westgate Park the next morning reading 'Australia for the white man'.

'If you have a spare five minutes and are close to Westgate Park, It's absolutely littered with this,' he wrote online.

The racist sticker the Melbourne resident found in Westgate Park (pictured) was one of about 30 they removed on the route of the anti-lockdown rallies in the city

He ripped off one of them on video and scrunched it up, explaining he and friends found and removed at least 30 of them from around the park.

People commenting on the post said they had also seen the stickers littering streets and parks in Melbourne for weeks.

'I work in parks and have been cleaning up crap like this for months... but people are quick to report it or help clean too. Thanks for helping,' one wrote.

'Thanks for sharing I'll be on the look out for these now. I'm so used to seeing parts of the city sticker bombed that I don't always take notice of what they say. I will now so that I can tear them down,' another added.

'Ironic people supporting right wing nationalism talk about how Australia used to be and traditional values but tend to forget past generations spilled blood fighting Nazi ideology,' a third said.

Other commenters said they spotted the stickers on the Maribyrnong River Trail and in St Kilda, Northcote, Thornbury, Kensington, and Flemington.

Riot police officers form a wall as they wait for protesting construction workers on the West Gate Bridge on Tuesday afternoon

Thousands of construction workers are pictured protesting on the West Gate Bridge on Tuesday afternoon as the demonstration moved out of the CBD

On Wednesday, the third day the lawless mob has descended on the streets of Melbourne, thousands marched on the city's war memorial where they set up camp, using the sacred site as a shield from which to taunt police.

The protesters, demanding an end to compulsory vaccines for the construction industry, as well as a list of other demands, swarmed Victoria's Shrine of Remembrance.

The memorial was built to honour ANZAC soldiers who served in World War I.

Some protesters were decked out in body armour ready for confrontations with police their to enforce Covid public health orders that prevent gatherings.

The mob shouted at officers not to arrest them out of 'respect for the ANZACS' and sang the national anthem.

Police in riot gear were prepared to fire tear gas to disperse the mob but an hour into the protest had held off and instead told the crowd to disperse or be arrested.

Cops wearing riot gear and holding shields surrounded the protesters during the tense stand off on Wednesday afternoon at the war memorial

Protesters set up camp at Melbourne's war memorial using the sacred site as a shield so police wouldn't fire tear gas on them out of respect for fallen Anzacs

Only a small group left with police then moving in on the remaining group and arresting them one by one.

Many, including Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, said though there were some legitimate tradies among the protesters, the group had been cop-opted by far right-wing and conspiracy theory groups.

'I think there were some people there who you would say were from the building industry,' Mr Andrews said.

'There were others who were not from the building industry. They're not there to protests, they're there for a fight, pretend to be protesting. They're from many different backgrounds.'

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley on Tuesday defended the late-night decision to close construction in locked-down Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Mitchell Shire and the Surf Coast.

An official government statement announcing the blanket shutdown, effective at midnight, was not issued until 10pm on Monday.

Riot police are seen outside the Victoria's Parliament House during Tuesday's protest, which came a day after violent demonstrators damaged the CFMEU head office in Melbourne's CBD

A protester stands by a flare at Tuesday's protest as thousands of tradesmen wearing hi-vis rallied against lockdown measures and compulsory vaccines for the industry

Mr Foley said the government had for weeks warned the sector could be shut down due to outbreaks linked to the predominantly young and mobile construction workforce.

'The public health team was left with no choice but to hit the pause button and continue working with the sector over these next two weeks to improve compliance,' he told reporters.

There are 337 cases directly linked to 154 construction sites, he said.

Of those 239 cases are linked to sites in metropolitan Melbourne, including nine people who live in regional Victoria.

Industrial Relations Minister Tim Pallas said inspectors visited thousands of worksites during the past week and about half were failing to comply with health directions.

'Broad-scale non-compliance across the industry was constituting a threat to public health in the most dramatic of terms,' he said.

Both Mr Foley and Mr Pallas have condemned the violent protests, with the former describing it as 'an insult to every Victorian who has been doing the right thing'.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned unvaccinated NSW residents will miss out on new freedoms even after the state hits 80 per cent double dose.

'At 80 per cent additional freedoms will be for those who are fully vaccinated,' she said at a Covid briefing on Wednesday.

The premier added it would be a 'period of time' before those who haven't got the jab can enjoy the same freedoms and when that is will be based off health advice.

This means that while some can enjoy a drink at the pub, holiday around the state and attend gatherings, others may have to stay at home for much longer.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned unvaccinated NSW residents will miss out on new freedoms even after the state hits 80 per cent double dose

'It will be an absolute fact that once we start opening up we will see a rise in case numbers. At 80 per cent when vaccinated people have more freedoms, it won't mean unvaccinated people will participate,' the premier said.

'There will be another date after that by which the unvaccinated people will be able to participate in events or activities.'

Some major events could however only be on offer for the vaccinated only, with Ms Berejiklian adding some airlines may only take travellers who have received both jabs.

NSW remains on track to hit its 70 per cent double jab target in the first week of October with 54.2 per cent of eligible residents now fully vaccinated.

As of Monday fully vaxxed Sydneysiders can meet in groups of five for picnics outdoors

By mid-October health authorities are hoping the state will have reached the 80 per cent target with more details to be revealed on those freedoms.

For those who have received both jabs, some restrictions have already slightly eased.

As of last Monday fully vaxxed Sydneysiders are allowed to meet in groups of five for picnics outdoors.

A quarter of NSW students aged 12-15 have also now received at least one jab as they prepare to return to the classroom within weeks.

Premier Berejiklian assured the vaccine passport will be ready with a two week test run of the initiative in regional NSW ahead of the state reopening at 70 per cent.

More than nine million doses have been administered across NSW while 83 per cent of over-16s have received at least one jab.

Customer services minister Victor Dominello shared details on how vaccine passports will be integrated into the Service NSW app.

More than nine million doses have been administered across NSW while 83 per cent of over-16s have received at least one jab

Revised roadmap to freedom: All the changes for fully vaccinated NSW residents after hitting 70% jab target Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian's freedom plan will kick off after the state hits 70 per cent of adults double dosed Gatherings in the home and public spaces  Up to ten visitors will be allowed in a home where all adults are vaccinated (not including children 12 and under).  Up to 30 people can gather in outdoor settings. Venues including hospitality, retail stores and gyms  Hospitality venues can reopen subject to one person per 4sqm inside and one person per 2sqm outside, with standing while drinking permitted outside.  Retail stores can reopen under the one person per 4sqm rule (unvaccinated people will continue to only be able to access critical retail).  Personal services such as hairdressers and nail salons can open with one person per 4sqm, capped at five clients per premises.  Gyms and indoor recreation facilities can open under the one person per 4sqm rule and can offer classes for up to 20 people.  Sporting facilities including swimming pools can reopen. Stadiums, theatres and major outdoor recreation facilities  Major recreation outdoor facilities including stadiums, racecourses, theme parks and zoos can reopen with one person per 4sqm, capped at 5,000 people.  Up to 500 people can attend ticketed and seated outdoor events.  Indoor entertainment and information facilities including cinemas, theatres, music halls, museums and galleries can reopen with one person per 4sqm or 75 per cent fixed seated capacity.  Indoor swimming pools open for lessons, squad training, lap swimming and rehab activities only Weddings, funerals and places of worship  Up to 100 guests can attend weddings, with dancing permitted and eating and drinking only while seated.  Up to 100 guests can attend funerals, with eating and drinking while seated.  For those not fully vaccinated lower caps of 5 and ten apply for weddings and funerals.  Churches and places of worship to open subject to one person per 4sqm rule, with performers exempt from ban on singing.  Ten person cap on choirs in places of worship and at religious services, with all performers to be fully vaccinated Travel  The 5km radius will be dropped but Sydneysiders can only travel within greater Sydney - including the Central Coast, Wollongong and Blue Mountains.  Caravan parks and camping grounds can open.  Carpooling will be permitted. Non-vaccinated young people aged under 16 will be able to access all outdoor settings but will only be able to visit indoor venues with members of their household. Employers must continue to allow employees to work from home if the employee is able to do so. There will be revised guidance on isolation for close and casual contacts who are fully vaccinated, with details to be provided closer to the reopening date. Masks  Masks will remain mandatory for all indoor public venues, including public transport, front-of-house hospitality, retail and business premises, on planes and at airports.  Only hospitality staff will be required to wear a mask when outdoors.  Children aged under 12 will not need to wear a mask indoors. Advertisement

The state government is consulting with industries to conduct a two week pilot of between 100-500 residents in Covid-free regional NSW areas from October 6.

'We're now in the process of consulting industry in relation to the design of how it should work, and we're pretty much there,' Mr Dominello said.

'But ultimately, we're aiming to do a pilot in the regions commencing on October 6 for two weeks and then, hopefully, the subject of the pilot will be strong and, as a result of that, we can open up to the rest of the state.

'This is, in many ways, about future-proofing for the people of NSW because even though we may be ahead of the other states, the other states may require vaccination status to be displayed so, if we get this right, it will enable freedom of movement right across Australia as well the months ahead.'

Vaccinated residents are urged to get their vaccine certificate via the Medicare express app or contact Australian Immunisation Register to receive a hard copy in the mail.

In an interview with the Today Show on Tuesday, Deputy Premier John Barilaro confirmed 'Freedom Day' may be as early as October 11.

'At this stage, it does look like it (the 70 per cent target) will happen just in the first week of October,' Mr Barilaro told the program.

'We said it'd be the Monday following. So, look, it's very possible that it's the 11th of October.

'But definitely in the first or second week of October we'll get the state open.'

The news is welcome relief to millions of residents in Sydney and surrounding regions desperate to be released from three months of lockdown.

NSW recorded another 1035 Covid cases and five deaths on Wednesday including a woman her 50s who died at home in western Sydney and tested positive after her death.

A group of friends are seen picnicing in Sydney following an easing of restrictions for locked down residents

In an interview with the Today Show on Tuesday, Deputy Premier John Barilaro confirmed 'Freedom Day' may be as early as October 11.(pictured beachgoers at Kyeemagh)

The other victims included an unvaccinated woman in her 50s who died at RPA, a person in their 60s, a person in their 70s and a fully vaccinated woman in her 80s from Wollongong who had underlying health conditions.

Meanwhile, the Byron, Tweed and Kempsey regions have been plunged into into a snap seven day lockdown on Tuesday after a Covid-19 positive essential worker flew from Sydney to Ballina on Saturday and was active in the community.

The fully vaccinated authorised worker was working for the company filming the TV series "I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!" - which Liberal MP Catherine Cusack says was an unnecessary risk in a vulnerable region.

The Tweed Council had asked the NSW government not to approve it, Ms Cusack said.
Mark Zuckerberg responded to a New York Times story claiming he approved a plan to promote himself on Facebook's news feed by correcting their claim he rode an electric surfboard.

The Facebook CEO's left-field response saw him ignore the main thrust of the Times story about the plan they said he'd signed off on, named Project Amplify.

Writing on his official Facebook page, Zuckerberg responded: 'Look, it's one thing for the media to say false things about my work, but it's crossing the line to say I'm riding an electric surfboard when that video clearly shows a hydrofoil that I'm pumping with my own legs.'

Zuckerberg's comment was in response to a line in the Times which said: 'Mr. Zuckerberg's posts have recently featured a video of himself riding an electric surfboard with an American flag and messages about new virtual reality and hardware devices.'

The excerpt of the article that Zuckerberg referenced alleges that the CEO stopped 'addressing corporate controversies' in an attempt to distance himself from policy issues and 'recast himself as an innovator.'

Mark Zuckerberg commented on a New York Times piece alleges that the CEO stopped 'addressing corporate controversies' in an attempt to distance himself from policy issues

The Facebook CEO noted that the NYTimes reported that he rode an, 'electric surfboard when that video clearly shows a hydrofoil that I'm pumping with my own legs'

The Times took note and updated the article to add, '(After this article, which described Mr. Zuckerberg as riding an electric surfboard, was published, he wrote on Facebook that it was actually 'a hydrofoil that I'm pumping with my own legs.')'

The main thrust of the story detailed allegations that the billionaire CEO had signed off on Project Amplify, which is said will use the social network's popular News Feed to push positive stories about Facebook and its founder.

Those plans are said to have shocked several Facebook executives, with the firm not previously using its own News Feed to push its agenda.

A user's feed is usually filled with updates from their friends, posts from pages or groups they follow, and advertising that is often tailored in response to their interactions on the website.

Corporate communications spokesman Joe Osborne refuted the Times' other claims on Twitter, writing: 'There is nothing surprising about a New York Times story that attempts to villainize Facebook for telling its side of the story -- but this article includes such clear falsehoods that were clearly refuted that even we are surprised..

Osborne shared what he says was his full statement to the Times, which insisted 'There is zero change to News Feed ranking,' and branded the planned changes a test, with content clearly marked as coming from Facebook itself.

Osborne continued: 'It leads with a report of a Jan mtg, which I refuted to Ryan on record, but he left out my statement: 'This meeting never happened.' Yet, here is a description of a fake meeting in the NYT, with no named people in attendance or any named source claiming it ever happened.'

He concluded: 'The story the Times could've written is that Facebook ran a small test of an informational unit on Facebook in three cities -- clearly labeled as from Facebook on the top of the unit.'

Osborne shared two images of posts that had showed up on users' feeds, complete with clear Facebook branding.

Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne also commented on the NYTimes report

Osborne refuted 'salacious' claims made against the social media company

He goes so far as to say the reporting of a January meeting in which Project Amplify was discussed is 'fake'

The NYTimes cited six current and former anonymous employees who leaked information

According to the Times, top executives at the social media network met in January to discuss how they could revamp the company's image - which has been hindered by claims that it spreads misinformation and sows division.

Facebook executives reportedly planned to promote stories on users' News Feeds that paint the social media giant and its CEO in a positive light - as part of an effort to improve the site's image.

As a result of that meeting, the executives decided to create an initiative code-named Project Amplify.

The move would push pro-Facebook news items on the site, some of which would be written by the company itself, the Times reports.

Facebook had never used its News Feed to bolster its own image, according to the Times, and unnamed sources said several executives were shocked by the idea.

The News Feeds are the prime real estate on the social network, where users can see their friends' posts along with posts from groups they are in and pages they follow.

The tech giant has since engaged in a multipronged effort to change its narrative by distancing its founder and CEO from scandals, and reducing outsider access to internal data - burying a potentially negative report about its content, and increasing its own advertising.

At least one of the decisions was driven by Zuckerberg himself, the Times reports, but they were all signed off by him.

Facebook executives have reportedly decided to take a more offensive approach to its communications plans - in part by featuring stories that paint the social media giant in a positive light directly on users' News Feeds through a new initiative

The Times reports that top executives at the company, like Alex Schultz, Facebook's Chief Marketing Officer, and Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg approved a new offensive approach to its negative publicity

The change comes after the social media company has been hit by a string of bad publicity over the past few years, with several top lawmakers claiming it spreads misinformation.

Following the 2016 presidential election, Zuckerberg took responsibility for Russian interference on the site, and promised to be transparent in the way it operates.

But from there, the Times says, the problems have only worsened, with politicians claiming the site is spreading misinformation about the COVID vaccine and helped right-wing activists plan their siege on the Capitol in January.

Some disgruntled Facebook employees have also been speaking out against their employer and leaking internal documents.

So, the NYTimes reports, Facebook executives concluded their efforts had done very little to quell criticism or win back some users, so they decided to go on the offense.

'They're realizing that no one else is going to come to their defense, so they need to do it and say it themselves,' said Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director.

Joe Osbourne, a spokesman for Facebook, though, denied that the company was making any changes.

'People deserve to know the steps we're takin to address the different issues facing our company - and we're going to share those steps widely,' he said in a statement.

The tech giant has since engaged in a multipronged effort to change its narrative by distancing founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg from scandals, reduce outsider's access to internal data - burying a potentially negative report about its content, and increasing its own advertising

But according to the NYTimes, top executives attributed the increased scrutiny on their website to the vast amount of data they release - a practice they said they would stop, and instead promote positive news about the company.

The company started cutting back on how much data it would release to academics and journalists, telling the team behind CrowdTangle - a tool that provides data on the engagement and popularity of a post - in April that they would be moved to other positions.

Alex Schultz, who was named the chief marketing officer last year, had reportedly grown frustrated with news coverage that used CrowdTangle data to show that Facebook was spreading misinformation.

Cameron Hickey, a misinformation researcher at the National Conference on Citizenship - a nonprofit that focuses on civic engagement said he was 'particularly angry' because he felt the team was being punished for giving an unfiltered view of engagement on Facebook.

Schultz, though, argued that Facebook should publish its own information about the site's most popular content, rather than supply access to tools like CrowdTangle.

So in June, the company compiled a report on Facebook's most-viewed posts for the first three month of 2021, but did not release it after the policy communications team discovered that the most-viewed link at the time was a story with a headline suggesting a doctor died after receiving a COVID vaccine.

The company feared it would be chastised for contributing to vaccine hesitancy, and reportedly decided not to release the report.

They also disabled the Facebook accounts of a group of New York University researchers who created an extension for web browsers that allowed them to see user's activity.

As a result, they concluded that misleading political ads thrived on the social network during the 2020 election and users engaged more with right-wing misinformation than any other types of content.

In a blog post, Facebook officials said they disabled the extension because the researchers violated rules about collecting user data, citing a privacy agreement it struck with the Federal Trade Commission in 2012. The FTC later admonished Facebook for its excuse, saying it allowed for good-faith research in the public interest.

The episode was compounded earlier this month when Facebook executives told misinformation researchers it had mistakenly provided incomplete data on user interactions and engagement for two years.

'It is inconceivable that most of modern life, as it exists on Facebook, isn't analyzable by researchers,' said Nathaniel Persily, a Stanford University law professor who is trying to get the federal government to force the company to share its data.

The site tested out its Project Amplify in three American cities, using a system known as Quick Promotes to place stories about people and organizations that used the social network into users' News Feeds in August, following Zuckerberg's approval

In January, the communications team also discussed ways for executives to be less conciliatory, and decided there would be less apologizing for the content that spreads on its site.

The department circulated a document with a strategy to distance Zuckerberg from scandals, partly by focusing his posts and media appearances on new products.

By January 11, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer told Reuters that the storming of the Capitol the week before had little to do with the site, and in July, when President Joe Biden said the social network was 'killing people' by allowing false information about the COVID vaccine to spread, Guy Rosen, the vice president for integrity pointed out that it was the White House that missed its vaccination goals.

'Facebook is not the reason this goal was made,' Rosen wrote in a blog post.

Meanwhile, Zuckerberg's Facebook posts have featured a video of him riding across a lake carrying an American flag and messages about new virtual reality and hardware devices.

Zuckerberg has said, though, he is trying to 'engage with more of the product work' and make sure the company is doing what we can to also highlight and focus some of the positive parts of what we're doing,' according to The Information.

The company has spent a record $6.1 billion on marketing and sales in the first half of this year, the Times reports, up more than 8 percent from a year earlier.

And in August, it officially tested out Project Amplify in three American cities, using a system known as Quick Promotes to place stories about people and organizations that used the social network into users' News Feeds.

They would see posts with a Facebook logo that link to stories and websites published by the company and from third-party sites, like one pushing 'Facebook's Latest Innovations for 2021' and another discussing how the company was achieving '100 percent renewable energy for global operations.'

'This is a test for an informational unit clearly marked as coming from Facebook,' said Osborne, the spokesman for the company, who added that the program was 'similar to corporate responsibility initiatives people see in other technology and consumer products.'
A Covid-infected makeup artist on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here began visiting vegan cafes, shops and pubs in Byron Bay an hour after she got off a flight from virus-addled Sydney - and police allege she didn't check in to a single one.

The 31-year-old was granted an exemption to travel from her home in ritzy Rushcutters Bay, in the city's eastern suburbs, to the northern NSW town at 7.30am on Saturday morning on Virgin flight 1141 for a weekend working on the Network 10 reality show.

Even though she was double-dosed and visiting an area with few restrictions, her exemption required her to follow Sydney's stay-home orders while she was not on set to prevent unvaccinated locals from catching Covid - rules she allegedly ignored.

About an hour after jumping off the plane, the makeup artist exposed everyone at local vegan eatery Combi to the virus between 9.45 and 10.15.

Pictured: A map showing the seven locations visited by the makeup artist over the weekend

The makeup artist travelled to Byron Bay and Kingscliff to work on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. Pictured: Hosts Chris Brown and Julia Morris

Crew: In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, an ITV Studios Australia spokesperson confirmed that an I'm A Celebrity crew member has tested positive for Covid-19. Pictured: Last year's cast

She then browsed the racks at Assembly Label - a clothing store with a sizable linen range - for about 20 minutes at 10.40, before popping into Orgasmic Food Byron Bay about an hour and a half later for a Mediterranean-inspired lunch.

The makeup artist left the falafel joint at 1pm and started a 50-minute drive up to her hotel in Kingscliff, but stopped for 15 minutes in at Casuarina Health and Lifestyle Pharmacy on the way.

She arrived at Peppers Salt Resort and Spa in Kingscliff at about 2.30 and waited at reception for about 20 minutes.

All five venues were listed as exposure sites by NSW Health on Tuesday, with health officials urging all patrons who shopped between those times to get swabbed and isolate until they return a negative test.

The woman, 31, went to Salt Bar and Bistro (pictured) for almost two hours on Saturday night

She also went to Orgasmic Food Byron Bay on Saturday afternoon for a Mediterranean-inspired lunch

The woman went to Saltbean cafe (pictured) three times - twice on Sunday, and once on Monday

But the main venue of concern is Kingscliff's upmarket Salt Bar and Bistro, where she dined for almost two hours between 6.40 and 8pm on Saturday night.

Anyone who was at the restaurant, which can cater to about 280 guests at any one time, is now a close contact and has been ordered to get a test and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

The following morning, the woman exposed patrons at Kingscliff's Saltbean cafe to Covid twice - once between 7.40 and 8, and again between 10.15 and 10.45.

She then returned to the cafe on Monday morning between 7.40 and 8am.

Police allege she did not use QR codes to check in the venues she visited.

Restrictions were lifted in Byron Bay on September 11, only to be reinstated on Tuesday. Pictured: A woman in the town

Pictured: People at the beach in Byron Bay on September 11, when the last lot of restrictions were lifted

On Wednesday, she was charged with five counts of fail to comply with electronic registration directive and is due to appear before Tweed Heads Local Court on November 8.

Hours later she was charged with an additional offence - person relying on permit not comply with permit conditions.

Production company ITV Studios told Daily Mail Australia the woman worked on a satellite shoot with a reduced crew of ten, who have since tested negative.

'As per the NSW Health requirements, they will still complete 14 day isolation and will be retested on day 12,' a spokeswoman said.

The makeup artist had a rapid antigen test and a PCR test before she tested positive, and was wearing PPE while at work.

She has since returned to Sydney and is isolating at home.

Byron Bay locals are slowly trickling in to vaccination centres, but rates are still low. Pictured: an anti-lockdown protest in Byron Bay on Saturday

Byron Bay locals held a freedom rally on Saturday (pictured), even though restrictions were lifted on September 11

The Mayor of Byron Shire demanded Love Island Australia halt production after the makeup artist brought Covid to the area.

In a searing Facebook post on Wednesday, Michael Lyon said he was trying to 'rescind council approval'.

'I am looking into our options this morning to rescind council approval for the Love Island production, from the same studios that brought I'm a Celebrity - and Covid - to the region,' he wrote.

'As part of that approval issued recently, which allows them to film for longer than 30 days in Federal, I insisted on a 14-day isolation period whereby any cast or crew coming from an area with cases would not come into contact with people from our region.'

'It is clear that this is not possible to implement given what has happened in the last few days. Council approval was only one part of the process, it hasn't yet had Ministerial approval so I'd say it is unlikely to proceed.'

Blistering statement: Mr Lyon accused production company ITV Studios - which produces both Love Island and I'm a Celebrity - of bringing 'Covid to the region' in a searing Facebook post (pictured) on Wednesday, and said he was trying to 'rescind council approval'

The 31-year-old I'm a Celebrity crew member had a permit to travel to the area for work-related purposes only, but police say she breached the conditions of her permit

At a press conference on Wednesday morning, chief health officer Kerry Chant said the amount of time the woman spent at the venues, plus the Byron area's low vaccination rates, was particularly concerning.

Dr Chant said it justified the decision to send Byron Shire and Tweed council areas back into lockdown on Tuesday.

NSW Health minister Brad Hazzard said the lockdown would initially be for seven days subject to a further review.

No new cases in the area were reported overnight.

Byron Shire and Tweed are both lagging well behind the state average when it comes to vaccination rates, with just 31 per cent of the population jabbed.
Hacker group Anonymous has released a massive trove of names, passwords and addresses of far-right website administrators that experts are calling the 'Panama Papers of hate groups.'

The intrusion targeted Epik, a Washington-based domain registrar that provides a safe haven to far-right websites, some of which had been turned away from more mainstream web hosting services.

The 150 gigabytes of data are a 'who's who' of Internet - and real-life - trolls. Epik has hosted QAnon home base 8chan, neo-Nazi news site The Daily Stormer and the far-right social media platforms Gab and Parler.

Experts say that the vast amount of data could take years to sift through.

'It's massive. It may be the biggest domain-style leak I've seen and, as an extremism researcher, it's certainly the most interesting,' Elon University computer science professor Megan Squire told the Washington Post.

'It's an embarrassment of riches - stress on the embarrassment.'

The Anonymous data breach targeted Epik, a domain registrar known for hosting websites that promote far-right conspiracy theories like QAnon. Above, a QAnon rally in New York in 2020

Epik was also used by Ali Alexander, a far-right activist who reportedly tried to hide his involvement in websites promoting January 6 protests before the Capitol riot broke out

The breach was first reported by freelance journalist Steven Monacelli on September 13.

Earlier this month, Epik briefly hosted the website ProLifeWhistleblower.com, which was removed by GoDaddy because it asked for the names of doctors who performed abortions in defiance of Texas's new restrictive pro-life law.

Epik was founded in 2009 by Rob Monster, who has defended his work as keeping the internet free and open.

The data leak revealed the lack of cybersecurity undergirding Epik, which some say should have known better considering the sensitive material it hosts.

Anonymous made the data available for download with a note saying it would help researchers trace the ownership and management of 'the worst trash the Internet has to offer.'

The files include years of website purchase records, internal company emails and customer account credentials that reveal who administers some of the biggest far-right websites in the world.

The data includes client names, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and passwords.

Ali Alexander, an activist who organized one of the rallies that led to the January 6 Capitol riot, tried to hide his creation of 'Stop the Steal' websites after the riot.

Epik was founded by Robert Monster in 2009. Its based in a suburb of Seattle, Washington

Several domains from the Epik leak are directly tied to Alexander, according to an analysis by technology site Daily Dot.

'A lot of research begins with naming names,' said Emma Best, the co-founder of whistleblower group Distributed Denial of Secrets who likened the leak to the Panama Papers, the 2016 leak of more than 11 million documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca that showed where the wealthy hide their money.

'There's a lot of optimism and feeling of being overwhelmed, and people knowing they're in for the long haul with some of this data,' she told the Washington Post.

A Twitter account by the handle @epikfailsnippet is already posting unverified revelations from the breach, including the name of a Proud Boys forum administrator who is a former employee of Drexel University.

The Proud Boys are a neo-fascist extremist group that believe that men and Western culture are under attack, according to the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. They've been banned from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

A former Epik employee told Bloomberg Businessweek that he quit after Monster, the company's founder, opened a meeting by telling his staff to watch a video of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand that killed 51 people, saying that the video would prove they were fake.

Two days after hackers announced the breach, Monster said in an email to customers that the company had fallen victim to an 'alleged security incident' and asked customers to report back any 'unusual account activity.'

'You are in our prayers today,' Monster wrote last week.

'When situations arise where individuals might not have honorable intentions, I pray for them. I believe that what the enemy intends for evil, God invariably transforms into good. Blessings to you all.'

Monster addressed the leak in a live stream last week, saying: 'If you have a negative intent to use that data, it's not going to work out for you. I'm just telling you. If the demon tells you to do it, the demon is not your friend.'

The hack also exposed personal records from Anonymize, a privacy service Epik offered to customers who, ironically, wanted to conceal their identity.

The Federal Trade Commission has previously enforced financial penalties on companies that didn't take enough steps to protect their customers.

In 2016, dating website Ashley Madison had to pay $1.6 million to settle a FTC investigation and state charges related to a huge 2015 data breach that exposed its customers identities, many of whom were married and having affairs.

'Given Epik's boasts about security, and the scope of its Web hosting, I would think it would be an FTC target, especially if the company was warned but failed to take protective action,' David Vladeck, a former head of the FTC's consumer protection bureau, told the Washington Post.

'I would add that the FTC wouldn't care about the content - right wing or left wing; the questions would be the possible magnitude and impact of the breach and the representations  the company may have made about security.'
The aftershocks of Australia's most powerful earthquake to hit a major population centre in 50 years could rattle the country for months, officials have warned.

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake on Wednesday rocked Melbourne and demolished part of a Betty's Burgers restaurant on the city's famous Chapel Street - with residents living as far away as Sydney, Tasmania and South Australia feeling the tremors.

The quake struck at 9.15am near the small town of Mansfield 180km north-east of Melbourne and temporarily knocked out power for 35,000 homes and businesses.

The tremor is the largest earthquake to affect one of Australia's major cities since a magnitude 6.5 quake hit 130km east of Perth in October 1968.

There have been six aftershocks since with magnitudes between 2.4 and 4.1 and Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said further tremors could hit the state for weeks and months to come.

Locals are pictured examining debris from a damaged building along Chapel Street in Melbourne on Wednesday

An apartment building is evacuated in the Melbourne CBD on Wednesday morning after the earthquake

'We will likely see more aftershocks for weeks or even months,' he told a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

'They say it's unlikely we will see anything that will equal or exceed what we saw at 9.15am this morning but there is a chance of significant aftershocks impacting Victoria.'

There have been no reported injuries from Wednesday morning's earthquake but Victoria's State Emergency Service said it has responded to 100 requests for assistance across the state.

The requests were mainly due to minor structural damage to buildings such as chimney and facade collapses, SES Chief Officer Tim Wiebusch said.

Mr Wiebusch said the partly-demolished restaurant on Chapel Street and a facade collapse in Brunswick Road in Fitzroy were the two most significant reports of structural damage in Melbourne.

Some 60 traders have reported damage along the famous promenade.

No one was inside the restaurant when the earthquake hit, managing director Troy McDonagh said.

Deputy Premier James Merlino said the Beechworth hospital in north-eastern Victoria lost power lost power following the earthquake

'We're out for months, it's structural, it looks like the top's come away, we need to get engineers in to assess it and then the works will need to be completed,' he said.

However, reports of damage have emerged from the Mansfield township and the Beechworth hospital in north-eastern Victoria lost power, Deputy Premier James Merlino said.

Office and apartment blocks across Melbourne were evacuated immediately following the earthquake.

There are also reports of damage in Prahran - where rubble was seen strewn across the road on Wattle Street - Brunswick, West Melbourne and Albert Park.

A homeowner near Leongatha in South Gippsland who was in the bathroom when the earthquake hit said the sound was like a 'jet engine' and the glass shower screen was shaking.

Pictures have emerged of a Betty's Burgers restaurant partially collapsed on Chapel St in Melbourne's inner-city after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake

Emergency and rescue officials examine a damaged building in the popular shopping Chapel Street in Melbourne following the earthquake

Rubble is pictured outside the Betty's Burgers on Chapel Street after the building was damaged by the earthquake

Two people crouch down after the earthquake forced with the evacuation of a Melbourne building on Wednesday morning

A building also appeared to have been damaged by the earthquake on Wattle Street in Melbourne's inner-city Prahran

Pictured are people evacuating Melbourne CBD buildings after Melbourne felt the tremors from a magnitude 5.8 earthquake on Wednesday morning

'I grabbed my granddaughter and held her tight,' the woman said. 'It was very frightening.'

'The whole world just shook,' another Victorian said.

New Zealander Colin, who lives in Ferntree Gully in Melbourne, said the quake felt just as powerful as the magnitude 6.2 Christchurch earthquake in 2011 that caused widespread damage across the city and killed 185 people.

'About 30 seconds it lasted. I didn't know whether to run outside or upstairs,' he told Newstalk ZB.

'I'm in a solid concrete house, so it really shook. It shook as much as I've felt in Christchurch.'

Pictured: Damage to the Betty's Burgers restaurant. The earthquake has been reported in Victoria and tremors were felt across Melbourne and as far away as Canberra and Sydney

Seismology Research Centre chief scientist Adam Pascale said it was not surprising the quake had been felt as far away as Canberra's Parliament House, central Sydney, northern Tasmania and parts of Adelaide.

He said because Australia's south-east is part of a stable continental region of old, hard rock, the energy from a quake travels further.

'A magnitude 5.8 in California wouldn't be felt anywhere near as far as in southeast Australia,' he said.

Victoria's State Emergency Service confirmed the earthquake was '6.0 on the Richter scale and emanated from Mansfield. There is no tsunami threat'.

Premier Daniel Andrews made the first official reaction to the earthquake, tweeting at 9.47am: 'Yes, that was an earthquake.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison then fronted a press conference in Washington DC - where he is taking part in the Quad leaders summit - to reveal the 'rare event' had so far led to no injuries.

'These are very rare events in Australia and I am sure people would have been disturbed - particularly in the most immediate area effected,' he said.

'The agencies at a state government level are there responding, and the federal Government will provide the support that is necessary.'

Extraordinary moment ABC's Melbourne studio is hit by an earthquake live on air  and the News Breakfast presenters have VERY different reactions News Breakfast presenters have had two very different responses to an earthquake that hit the ABC's Melbourne studio. The magnitude 5.8 quake was felt across Melbourne at 9.15am on Wednesday, with residents reporting feeling strong tremors for 30 seconds. Presenters Michael Rowland and Tony Armstrong were forced to stop mid-program when the studio began to shake. 'Is it an earthquake or a structural thing?' a concerned Mr Rowland is heard asking. The anxious presenter grabbed his phone and prepared to leave the studio as his smiling co-host remained seemingly unbothered by the tremors. 'Let's go,' Mr Rowland said to the newsroom. 'That was a big one.' 'That's still tremoring,' Mr Armstrong added. Presenters Michael Rowland (left) and Tony Armstrong (right) were forced to stop mid-program when the earthquake began to shake the ABC's Melbourne studio on Wednesday Twitter users were quick to poke fun at the pair with many comparing the hosts' polar-opposite reactions to the large earthquake. 'Let's go!' What a bad ass reaction from Michael!' one user said. 'For fans of Tony, all we see is him holding down that desk and saving the building,' another woman tweeted. 'He was cool, calm and collected. As always,' a third agreed. Mr Rowland tagged his co-host in a post to social media following the quake tweeting: 'That was quite a post-show chat with @Tonaaayy_.' Advertisement

Mr Morrison said he was in 'text contact' with Mr Andrews about the quake.

He said any federal response to the emergency will be handled by Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.

Emergency crews have warned Victorians to brace for further aftershocks throughout the day.

'If you are located in Victoria, you are in danger,' Victoria's SES said in a statement.

The SES is receiving calls for assistance from across the state but is yet to make an assessment of any damage.

Lynne Myers of High County Apparel in Mansfield told AAP 'it just scared the hell out of us.'

The epicentre of the quake was in Mansfield in eastern Victoria but the shockwaves were felt as far south as Tasmania and as far north as NSW

'Everything shook, the roof shook, boots fell off the shelf and I just ran outside,' she said.

'There's no cracks or anything in the walls. We seem to have got over it pretty well. Everyone's a bit shaken up here but there doesn't seem to be any damage.

'I've lived here 29 years and have never felt anything like it.'

Mansfield Shire Councillor Mark Holcombe said he lived in the area for 20 years but had never experienced an earthquake.

He said it 'came out of left field'.

Alice Murphy, a resident of Fitzroy 3km north of the Melbourne CBD, was working at her laptop when the tremors began.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison faced a press conference in Washington DC - where he is taking part in the Quad leaders summit - to reveal the 'rare' earthquake had so far led to no injuries

Melbourne residents walk past debris in the city on Wednesday after the earthquake, pictured right a police car in Windsor in the inner-city in the quake's aftermath

Melbourne in one video. People evacuated after the earthquake and mounted police heading into the city. pic.twitter.com/dkunUfhooQ  Sharnelle Vella (@SharnelleVella) September 21, 2021

'For a second I thought it was a tram passing by or a huge gust of wind, but then the walls were shaking and the candles were bouncing off the mantlepiece,' she said.

'It lasted about 20 seconds and then everyone spilled out onto the street to make sure they hadn't imagined it!'

A woman named Elizabeth from eastern Melbourne was on a work call when the quake hit.

'All the windows were shaking, I yelled at the kids to come and stand in a doorway but our eight-year-old ran outside to see if any sinkholes were opening up,' she said.

'Fortunately that didn't happen.'

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND'S BIGGEST EARTHQUAKES 1989 Newcastle earthquake The magnitude 5.6 quake that struck in the suburbs of Newcastle, NSW is widely regarded as one of Australia's worst natural disasters. Thirteen people died and more than 160 were injured - with the damage cost estimated at $4billion. The earthquake damaged more than 35,000 homes and 147 schools. 1988 Tennant Creek earthquake The magnitude 6.6 earthquake in a sparsely-populated region of the Northern Territory is Australia's most powerful earthquake on record. The quake damaged a major gas pipeline, but homes in the town sustained only minor damage. 2011 Christchurch earthquake A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, on New Zealand's south island, on February 22, 2011 - claiming the lives of 185 people and leaving an estimated 2,000 with injuries. The quake struck 6.7km southeast of the city at a depth of 6km. Advertisement

Craig Luelf from the All Seasons Mansfield resort said he was outside the town hospital when he felt 'waves of the ground moving'.

'At first, I thought the car was having a few issues and then realised all of a sudden that everything was moving,' he said.

'My father's neighbour is at the top of a hill and he could see the waves of the ground moving up the hill.'

Social media users in Melbourne reacted with shock after the earthquake shook the Victorian capital

Ciara Lynch, a 26-year-old Irishwoman living in Balaclava, nine kilometres south of the CBD, was in a Zoom meeting with colleagues in Melbourne and Sydney when her living room started to shake.

'People were screaming on the call, it was the wildest thing I've ever experienced,' she said.

Baristas at Industry Beans cafe in Melbourne's inner-north said the walls 'rumbled' and lights swung from side to side while they took their morning break.
The family of a young girl who died after being sucked into an irrigation pipe inside a man-made pond in Washington have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a winery operating in the area.

Danika Ross, 10, drowned inside the pipe in July at the pond in Quincy, which the family say is on property owned by Cave B Estate Winery.

According to the suit, Danika was swimming in the man-made pond with her siblings when she was sucked into the irrigation pipe, that her parents' described as 'not grated' and 'larger than necessary.'

After being sucked in, Danika was 'thrust down into a 90-degree bend in the pipe' before her body was 'transported nearly 70 feet up the hill via the mechanical pump mechanism,' the complaint alleges, referring to Danika's death as 'painful, gruesome, terrifying, and senseless.'

The Grant County Coroner's office concluded that Danika died of asphyxiation from drowning.

Two of Danika's sibling's witnessed the incident and tried to help, but could not fight the suction.

The suit claims that the Cave B website advertises swimming in the lake, and brands it 'literally a death trap', KREM reports.

The lawsuit seeks damages from the winery and the Famigilia Water District.

Danika Ross, 10, died while swimming in a man-made pool in Quincy, Washington. She was sucked into an irrigation pipe where she drowned

Simon and Margarita Ross, pictured with Danika, said their family is devastated by the loss

The couple appeared on television to share their sorrow and announce their lawsuit

The Ross family alleges that Danika's death resulted from winery's negligence, and claims they failed to place any warnings indicating the dangers at the pond, PEOPLE reported.

'It's difficult to imagine your child's death,' Margarita, Danika's mother, KREM.

'But to hear how it actually happened, and thinking what she went through in the last moments of life, makes it way more horrible.'

Simon Ross, Danika's father, told KREM that the incident has left his children traumatized and let his entire family heartbroken.

'It's like a huge void that cannot be filled,' Simon said.

'There is no hope. Like, everyday you think it might become a little bit easier, but it's not,' Margarita added.

Margarita mourned her daughter's loss on Facebook, calling Danika her 'super girl,' and celebrating what would have been Danika's 11th birthday on September 4.

Margarita Ross posted heartbreaking messages to her late daughter over the summer

Danika was an avid swimmer who often went out into the Quincy pond

The Ross's said Danika's two siblings witness her death. Pictured, Margarita and Danika posing with her two siblings during a family trip

Simon Ross with his late daughter, Danika. He said her death has placed a void in his life

The family's attorney, Anthony Marsh, called the incident 'an easily preventable death if the company followed the law and installed required grating or sensors to shut down the system in the event of a blockage like this.'

Marsh alleges that Cave B and the water district were responsible for the design, installation and maintenance of the pump and for promoting the pond for recreational use without proper warnings.

'This corporation failed to follow the law and this failure killed a child,' Marsh said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Cave B said the girl's death did not take place on their land, but a nearby property it shares a driveway with. The spokesperson added that they could not reply further due to an ongoing investigation.

The Famigilia Water District could not be reached for comment.

The case is expected to go to trial in King County in the summer of 2022.
Australia's borders could be flung open sooner than expected as a Minister confirms overseas holidays will be back on 'by Christmas at the latest'.

Minister for Trade and Tourism Dan Tehan, who is preparing to jet off for a range of overseas meetings with counterparts, said the nation was on track to lift travel restrictions this year.

'In normal times the trade minister leaving the country would be as newsworthy as dog bites man. However, these are not normal times,' he told the National Press Club on Wednesday.

Australia's borders could be flung open sooner than expected as a Minister confirms overseas holidays will be back on 'by Christmas at the latest' (pictured, a tourist in London)

Minister for Trade and Tourism Dan Tehan (pictured) said on Wednesday he believed the nation is on track to ease travel restrictions this year

'I do empathise with the Australians who have been denied the opportunity to travel overseas this year. It's another reason why everyone should get vaccinated.

'We have to stick to the national plan that will see our international border open up - at this rate by Christmas at the latest.'

It comes after Australian airline Qantas officially confirmed Australians can pack their bags for an overseas holiday from December 18.

The country's flagship airline has provided the exact date holiday-hungry residents can book flights to popular destinations like the US, UK, Canada and Singapore.

Biosecurity laws banning outbound travel without an exception will end on December 17 - the day before flights are set to resume.

Qantas has scheduled flights to London, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Singapore to commence from December 18.

Australians will additionally be able to pack their bags for a highly-anticipated holiday to Tokyo and Fiji from December 19, and Hawaii the following day.

Qantas has officially confirmed Australians can pack their bags for an overseas holiday from December 18 (pictured, a tourist in Canada)

The country's flagship airline (pictured) has provided the exact date holiday-hungry residents can book flights to popular destinations like the US, UK, Canada and Singapore

Keen travellers will be expected to fork out around $1600 and $2300 for a one-way ticket to London and Los Angeles, with a return flight costing slightly less.

The announcement will come as welcome news to holiday-starved Australians who were told by Qantas boss Alan Joyce last month he expected flights to a few selected cities to resume in mid-December.

Last week, the airline announced its plans to gradually bring back overseas flights once 80 per cent of the over 16s are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in accordance with the national plan.

Qantas said it expected the country to reach that target in December - triggering the re-opening of international borders as part of 'Phase C' of the federal government's path to pandemic normality.

The airline said flights to cities in Asia and South Africa with low vaccination rates and high Covid-19 case numbers would not restart until at least April 2022.

However, Hong Kong could be a viable holiday destination from February 2022.

Where will you be able to jet off overseas this December? December 18 *Sydney-London *Melbourne-London *Sydney-Los Angeles *Sydney-Vancouver *Sydney-Singapore *Melbourne-Singapore

December 19 *Melbourne-Los Angeles *Brisbane-Los Angeles *Sydney-Honolulu *Brisbane-Singapore *Sydney-Tokyo *Sydney-Fiji Advertisement

Qantas has scheduled flights to London, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Singapore to commence from December 18 a spokesperson has revealed (pictured, a tourist in Italy)

Australians can pack their bags for a Qantas flight to the US (pictured) from December 18

Those developing world destinations include Bali, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City and Johannesburg.

Qantas said it also plans to restart flights between Australia and New Zealand from mid-December 2021 as long as the trans-Tasman bubble had re-opened by that date.

The airline has predicted Victoria will be the first state to open its borders to NSW from early December, while hardline Western Australia will be the last.

However only vaccinated passengers will be able to book a flight after Qantas confirmed it would ban un-jabbed passengers on international flights.

Chief executive Alan Joyce previously said the mandate was intended to protect those passengers who were fully vaccinated, as the jabs reduce the chances of catching and transmitting the virus.

'Qantas will have a policy that internationally we'll only be carrying vaccinated passengers,' Mr Joyce said.

'Because we think that's going to be one of the requirements to show that you're flying safe and getting into those countries. We're hoping that can happen by Christmas.'

Qantas has been pushing for vaccination reform throughout the pandemic, instituting mandatory jabs for its 22,000-strong staff.

'Frontline employees - including cabin crew, pilots and airport workers - will need to be fully vaccinated by November 15, 2021 and the remainder of employees by March 31, 2022,' the company said in a statement.

'There will be exemptions for those who are unable for documented medical reasons to be vaccinated, which is expected to be very rare.'

Qantas has confirmed it would ban unvaccinated passengers from travelling on international flights (pictured, a tourist in Fiji)

More than 45,000 Australians are stranded overseas with the figure rising in recent months due to reduced passenger arrival caps (pictured, a tourist in London)

West Australians may also miss out on international flights after their hardline state premier refused to budge on opening his border until well after Christmas.

Where can I go and how much will it cost on December 18? Los Angeles: Between $1600 and $2300 for a one way flight Auckland: Between $300 and $500 for a one-way flight London: Between $1600 and $2300 for a one-way flight Singapore: Between $1200 and $1500 for a return flight Canada: Between $2700 and $3500 for a return flight Source: Qantas Advertisement

Mark McGowan has since declared the domestic border may remain shut until April 2022, meaning residents could remain isolated for another seven months.

The premier said he will wait until his state reaches between 85 and 90 per cent vaccination rates to open up, but has not said when that target will be reached.

More than 45,000 Australians are stranded overseas with the figure rising in recent months due to reduced passenger arrival caps.

About 4,700 are considered vulnerable.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the federal government leaving arrival caps to states and territories was absurd given it was responsible for customs, immigration and borders

'It is terrible that people are stranded. We need to fix it,' he told ABC radio.

He said federally run purpose-built quarantine centres with state support were the answer.

Home quarantine is expected to be in place on a larger scale before quarantine hubs in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are up and running.

'Get people home, get them to quarantine safely and fix this problem,' Mr Albanese said.

'This is a tragedy for people who are stranded overseas. It's also a tragedy for people here who want to see their loved ones.'

The company's CEO Alan Joyce (pictured) said the mandate would be to protect those flying who were vaccinated and ensure those aboard Qantas flights who are vaccinated can fly safely

Australians will be able to book Qantas flights to Japan (pictured) and Fiji from December 19

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a two-week initiative to test the technology behind vaccine passports would soon take place in the state's regions.

The state government is consulting with industry to conduct a two week pilot of between 100-500 residents in Covid-free regional NSW areas from October 6.

'When we hit 70 per cent double dose, irrespective of when it is, (we'll be) ready to roll out that vaccine passport,' she said during her Covid update on Wednesday.

Customer services minister Victor Dominello shared details on how vaccine passports will be integrated into the Service NSW app.

'We're now in the process of consulting industry in relation of the design of how it should work, and we're pretty much there,' Mr Dominello said.

Vaccinated residents have been urged to get their vaccine certificate via the Medicare express app or contact the Australian Immunisation Register to receive a hard copy in the mail.

Last week the NSW Premier announced the state will launch a four week trial to allow 175 fully-vaccinated returned travellers to self-isolate for seven days, rather than a fortnight in the hotel quarantine system.

It comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said self-isolation at home would become the 'primary and viable method' for Australians undergoing quarantine.

The state's Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said from the end of September some 30 participants a week will be chosen by NSW Health to take part in the trial.

Participants must have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine accredited by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and will be pre-selected for home quarantine before their flight.

Travellers will be chosen from a range of different accommodation types, age groups and family situations to ensure the trial represents the wider population.

Qantas air crew will also take part in the trial, which the minister said was a 'logical' decision given flight staff work on tight turnaround times.

Aussies have been banned from leaving the country for holidays since March 2020 and anyone returning must pay up to $2,800 for two weeks of hotel quarantine.

The federal government has also cleared a plan for Covid vaccine passports for launch with international immunisation passports to be rolled out in October (pictured, a woman in Los Angeles)

As it stands, around 47 per cent of eligible Australians have had two doses of a Covid vaccine (pictured, a woman in Sydney's domestic airport)

Departure exemptions can be granted to people leaving for more than three months or for approved work or compassionate reasons.

It is believed expats may be permitted to home quarantine if they are fully vaccinated with a jab approved by the country's medical regulator.

Mr Morrison said the passports were key to the next stage of the national plan when Australia's lockdown borders - both internal and external - will finally be re-opened.

The document will be accepted internationally so when Australians are finally allowed to go overseas again, they can travel freely.

As of Monday, 72.1 per cent of adults have had one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 47 per cent have had both.
Australia is being urged to adopt widespread rapid screening to pick up fully vaccinated coronavirus carriers without symptoms who could unknowingly transmit the disease.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has stressed the need for rapid antigen swabs that return results within 20 minutes to catch asymptomatic infections as vaccination coverage increases.

'One of the worries moving forward is that fully vaccinated people, a lot of them will be asymptomatic,' he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.

Kerryn Bailey (left) receiving a rapid Covid test from Karensa Elvi (right)

'They'll be carriers of the virus and they'll infect other people, but they won't even know they've got it.'

Canberra recorded 17 new local infections on Wednesday, with the ACT's active cases rising to 222.

Mr Barr foreshadowed an increased role for rapid antigen testing, which can be less accurate but quicker than nose and throat swabs, to weed cases out.

He expects enforcing quarantine for people who got the virus while fully vaccinated will be a challenge across Australia as coverage increases.

While people who are double-dosed are much less likely to die or become seriously ill, they can still contract and transmit the virus.

'The obligations around protecting other members of the community, other members of your own family, don't end when you're fully vaccinated,' the chief minister said.

Health Minister Greg Hunt is keen for Australia to use home rapid antigen tests when the Therapeutic Goods Administration makes them more widely available.

There are 28 tests approved for use, but they carry conditions around supervision so are largely limited to workplaces.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr says rapid antigen tests are crucial

Home testing is being widely used is the US, Europe and UK.

The TGA earlier this month expressed caution about people giving themselves rapid antigen tests without training.

The ACT is concerned about a drop in the number of people heading to its testing clinics, with just 1988 processed on Tuesday.

Mr Barr is confident its full vaccination coverage will exceed 95 per cent.

Around 56 per cent of the eligible population is double-dosed. The rate for first shots has passed 80 per cent.

A paramedic puts a Covid-19 sample into a rapid antigen test kit

Canberra remains in lockdown until October 15.

Just one of the 17 latest cases was in quarantine for their entire infectious period and at least 11 were in the community for some of the time.

There are 12 people in hospital, including two in intensive care requiring ventilation.

The ACT government is spending $50 million over four years to recruit the equivalent of 90 full-time nursing and midwifery roles.
A man has been stabbed to death during a mass brawl in a London street.

Police rushed to the Isle of Dogs, east London, around 8.30pm last night after reports of a group of males fighting.

When they arrived at the scene, in East Ferry Road, they found a man - believed to be aged in his 30s - suffering from stab wounds.

A man has been stabbed to death during a mass brawl in a London street. Pictured: Police last night set up a forensics tent at the scene

Police rushed to the Isle of Dogs, east London, around 8pm last night after reports of a group of males fighting. Pictured: Police at the scene

Officers attempted to help the man - by administering CPR - prior to the arrival of London Ambulance Service paramedics.

Despite their best efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police are working to confirm the man's identity and inform his next of kin.

Enquiries are ongoing and a crime scene is in place. Police have not yet said if there has been an arrest.

Officers administered CPR prior to the arrival of the London Ambulance Service paramedics. Despite their best efforts the male was pronounced dead at the scene

Police are working to confirm the man's identity and inform his next of kin. Enquiries are ongoing and a crime scene is in place

Anyone who has information that could help police is asked to call 101 ref CAD 7234/ 21 Sept.

The stabbing comes after the Metropolitan Police launched their 93rd murder investigation of 2021 last week.

Officers launched the prober after a man in his 40s was found with suspected stab wounds outside Belvedere railway station in south London on September 18.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A manhunt is underway to find a tattooed muscleman wanted over the suspicious death of a man in Melbourne's outer suburbs.

The body of the 34-year-old man was found in a house on Rassay Court, Frankston, about 9.30pm on Saturday.

Homicide Squad detectives are appealing for public assistance to find Christopher Hillman, who they believe knows the deceased.

Mr Hillman is described as being about 190cm tall with a muscular build and shaved head.

Homicide detectives are searching for Christopher Hillman (pictured) after a man believed to be known to him was found dead at a Frankston property, in Melbourne's southeast, on Saturday night

He has a distinctive tattoo across the front of his throat which says 'Chloe'.

Police had been called to the Frankston premises to conduct a welfare check. The death continues to be treated as suspicious.

Detectives from the Homicide Squad and a number of other police units have carried out a large-scale search over the past few days to try and find Hillman.

Police have released an image of him in the hope someone can provide information regarding his current whereabouts.

He is known to frequent Frankston, Seaford and the surrounding areas and it is believed he uses various vehicles.

Detectives are calling on Hillman to come forward and make contact with police.

Anyone who sights Hillman is asked not to approach him as hes believed to be armed, and to contact triple zero (000) immediately.
A glamorous teenager with 'a bright future ahead of her' has escaped conviction for assaulting a police officer outside a nightclub while still at school.

Elise Shrimpton, 19, pleaded guilty to three offences on Wednesday morning at Adelaide Magistrates Court.

She faced charges including behaving in a disruptive manner in a public space and hindering and assaulting police.

Shrimpton was 18 and still attending high school when she was arrested after a scuffle outside Adelaide's Envy Nightclub in the early hours of September 27 last year.

Elise Shrimpton, 19, pleaded guilty on Wednesday morning at Adelaide Magistrates Court for behaving in a disruptive manner in a public space and hindering and assaulting police

The court was previously told that police officers had gone up to a group of men standing outside the club before the incident.

Police allege Shrimpton approached and yelled at the officers and prevented them from speaking to a man from the group.

According to The Advertiser, the court heard that Shrimpton was moved to the side, which made her yell: 'F***ing push me? Who the f**k do you think you are?'

A police officer was then allegedly shoved in the back by Shrimpton and fell forward.

Shrimpton was 18 and still attending high school when she was arrested after a scuffle outside Adelaide's Envy Nightclub in the early hours of September 27 last year

According to police, Shrimpton also said an officer was a 'toxic c**t' and kicked his stomach with a 'strong force'.

The court was told the now 19-year-old woman had five grams of cannabis on her at the time of the incident and was given a fine, the Advertiser reported.

Shrimpton was also locked up for over 24 hours before a magistrate let her free on September 28, due to her being in her last year of high school.

A police prosecutor told the court that police weren't looking for Shrimpton to be convicted since she had never been involved in an incident with the law before.

Magistrate David McLeod believed Shrimpton was sorry for her actions, had no previous convictions and was a young girl with a bright future ahead.

Shrimpton was handed a $500, 12-month, good-behaviour bond.
A teenage boy has died in a heartbreaking car crash after his car ploughed into a tree that he walked past every day.

Jordan Neal, 18, lost control and collided with the tree on Bridle Path Road in Christchurch's east, New Zealand, at 2am on Saturday morning.

His 'best friend', James McRae, said it was the same tree he walked past with Mr Neal when the went to school together.

A female passenger in the car with Mr Neal, Kyra Carter, was badly injured but lived.

Friends have paid moving tributes to Jordan Neal (pictured at left) who died when the car he was driving hit a tree in Christchurch

It is believed Jordan Neal's car hit this tree in Christchurch on Saturday at 2am

Mr Neal's friends got tattoos in a remarkable tribute to a 'rare person' on Sunday after he died

'I'm truly going to miss you brother. I'll try my best to move on, but this is going to shadow my whole life for a very long time. I'm hurt,' Mr McRae said in a moving tribute, stuff.co.nz reported.

Tributes including flowers, candles and farewell messages were placed by and painted on the tree Mr Neal's car hit on Sunday, including a cross with a letter J attached.

Several of his friends held a candlelit vigil for him around the tree.

'Rest in peace', 'love you Neal' and 'love you forever', the messages included.

Friend Tyra Snowden wrote 'always with you, always with us. I love you Jordan, time to fly and watch over us now' in tribute on social media.

Eleven of Mr Neal's friends posted a remarkable image of tattoos they had done in tribute to him on Sunday.

Mr McRae, 19, described Mr Neal as his 'other half' and a 'rare person' who was popular with others.

He said Mr Neal, who had begun training as an apprentice electrician in Christchurch, was liked and 'admired' by his fellow trainees and teacher, who were 'truly in pain' at the shocking news.

Mr Neal believed 'alcohol and speed' may have played a part in the accident.

His advice to other teens weighing up whether to drive was 'just book an Uber, like we should have'.

Mr Neal's friends gathered for a candlelit tribute after he tragically died in a car crash in New Zealand

Jordan Neal (pictured left) was 18 when he died in a car crash on Saturday

Mr McRae said Ms Carter had 'many injuries' and would need a 'number of surgeries'.

Friends and family of Ms Carter have so far raised $8,500 to support her recovery.

'Receiving the call that your daughter has been involved in a serious car accident leaving her in serious condition is a call no parent should ever experience,' a family friend wrote.

'Kyra has a long road to recovery ahead of her and of course her family will be right by her side along the way.'
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Texas Governor Greg Abbot has been forced to use 'unprecedented' methods to prevent more Haitian migrants from entering U.S. by creating a 'steel barrier' of hundreds of vehicles at the border.

Abbott visited the U.S.-Mexican border on Tuesday and praised DPS and Texas National Guard for creating the barrier by using hundreds of state-owned vehicles, almost all of which appear to be bulky SUVs.

The vehicles are lined up outside Del Rio in Texas, which has seen an influx of 14,600 migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the US. An estimated 8,600 remained in the town of 35,000 people as of Tuesday night, with 1,083 so far deported back to Haiti.

Thousands of Haitian migrants have already been freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials. It's estimated as many as 5,000 migrants have been allowed in.

'They have created a steel barrier preventing people from being able to cross the border,' Abbott said Tuesday.

'One day there were countless people coming across the border, then the DPS put up all these DPS vehicles, and suddenly, in an instant, people stopped crossing the border in this location. That strategy is working.'

The 'steel barricade' consists of at least 150 state trooper, with officers reassigned from their day-to-day duties and traveling from as far as 500-miles away to assist Border Patrol agents, according to the Washington Examiner.

This overhead photo shows some of the hundreds of Texas state SUVs used to form a de-facto steel barrier along the United States-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas

They are lined up outside Del Rio in Texas, which has seen an influx of 14,600 migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the US. An estimated 8,600 remained in the town of 35,000 people as of Tuesday night, with 1,083 so far deported back to Haiti

A 'steel barrier' of vehicles is the latest method border officials are utilizing to deal with the surge of thousands of Haitian migrants crossing into the United States

A 'steel barrier' of state-owned vehicles have been lined up for miles that stretch along the border

A photo taken Wednesday shows a ramshackle encampment under the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas, as migrants are shepherded away to be processed

The makeshift border camp at one point swelled to more than 14,000 migrants, with this photo emphasizing just how large the encampment has become

Migrants who remained at the border bridge in Del Rio are seen in a waiting pen on Wednesday before being loaded onto buses

Del Rio in Texas, which has seen an influx of 14,600 migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the US. An estimated 8,600 remained in the town of 35,000 people as of Tuesday night, with 1,083 so far deported back to Haiti. Thousands more have been released into the US

Migrants, many from Haiti, are seen wading between the U.S. and Mexico on the Rio Grande

A migrant woman carrying a child leaves a Border Patrol van in Del Rio on Wednesday after being taken to a processing facility

HAITIAN MIGRANT CRISIS IN NUMBERS: Number of migrants in Del Rio at peak of crisis: 14,600 Number of migrants as of Tuesday evening: 8,600 Number deported to Haiti Sunday: 327 Number deported Monday: 233 Number deported Tuesday: 523 Total deported since flights began Sunday: 1,083 Number of deportation flights scheduled for Wednesday: 7 Advertisement

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said they have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time under the so-called 'catch and release' scheme. Others have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed by Border Patrol agents there, they said.

Deportation flights began on Sunday, and by Wednesday morning, over 1,000 migrants had been flown back to Haiti, a source with knowledge of the matter told DailyMail.com.

The 'steel barrier' is the latest method border officials are utilizing to deal with the surge of thousands of Haitian migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico by walking over a dam in the Rio Grande river.

DailyMail.com reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety for comment regarding the fleet of state-owned vehicles being used to form the barrier, and how many officers are being diverted from their day-to-day jobs.

Abbott has also flooded Del Rio with law enforcement officials to stem the flow of migrants, with both he and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claiming Tuesday that the border area has been successfully sealed-off.

The governor also criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to secure the border and said the state of Texas would step up and add $2 billion toward border security funding, the Washington Post reported.

'When you have an administration that is not enforcing the law in this country, when you have an administration that has abandoned any pretense of securing the border and securing our sovereignty, you see the onrush of people like what we saw walking across this dam that is right behind me,' Abbott said.

On Wednesday, AP reported thousands of Haitian migrants camped under a bridge in Del Rio are being released into the US on a 'very, very large scale,' according to a source who put the figure in the thousands, but couldn't clarify further.

Migrants check in with a volunteer before boarding a bus to Houston at a humanitarian center after they were released from United States Border Patrol upon crossing the Rio Grande and turning themselves in seeking asylum

Haitian migrants prepare to board a bus to San Antonio after being released from United States Border Patrol custody upon crossing into Texas on Wednesday

A pregnant Haitian Migrant waits to board a bus to Houston at a humanitarian center on Wednesday after she was released from United States Border Patrol

Haitian migrants, hoping to reach the U.S.-Mexico border, rest at the Jesus Esta Vivo shelter in Danli, Honduras pm Wednesday

Haitian migrant John Louissaint, 35, reads a Bible while resting on the bottom bunk of a bed at the Jesus Esta Vivo shelter in Danli, Honduras on Wednesday

A Haitian migrant, hoping to reach the U.S.-Mexico border, receives a plate of food at the Jesus Esta Vivo shelter in Danli, Honduras on Wednesday

A Haitian immigrant charges his smart phone after he crossed the border from a migrant camp in Del Rio, Texas on Wednesday

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said thousands of migrants have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time

Thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials

A migrant walks past a pile of garbage at the camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas on the US-Mexico border Tuesday night

A tiny little girl camps out with her father under a makeshift tent at the camp under the Texas bridge overnight Tuesday

A Haitian girl is seen Tuesday under the bridge which was turned into a makeshift to house the thousands of migrants

A bus to transport migrants to other parts of the US for processing is seen by the Del Rio bridge in Texas Tuesday night

The makeshift border camp is seen littered with trash on Wednesday morning

Timeline of a border crisis that caught Biden by surprise May 22 2021: Department of Homeland Security announces Haitians in US will be granted Temporary Protection Status (TPS), meaning they can't be deported and can apply for documentation that allows them to work July 7: Haitian President Jovenel Moise is assassinated at his presidential palace in Port-au-Prince August 14: Haiti is hit by magnitude 7.2 earthquake, killing at least 2,000 September 17: An estimated 12,000 migrants suddenly arrive in Del Rio, Texas, after crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico. Many had been granted refugee status in Brazil and Chile after an earlier quake in 2010 September 18: Biden administration announces it will swiftly deport Haitians who cross into the US from Mexico September 19: The number of migrants in Del Rio swells to an estimated 14,600. Deportation flights to Haiti begin, with 327 people flown out of the US September 20: Border Patrol officials continue bussing Haitians away from Del Rio, with a further 233 deported. Photos of migrants being confronted by agents on horseback cracking their reigns emerge September 21: Another 523 people are deported via plane, with the number of Haitians remaining in Del Rio estimated at 8,600. Texas Governor Greg Abbott arranges for hundreds of state vehicles to form a makeshift border wall in Del Rio September 22: Unnamed sources tell AP thousands of Haitians apprehended in Del Rio have been released into the US rather than deported. Seven flights have been scheduled to continue the deportation effort. Advertisement

President Biden has previously claimed that those same migrants faced immediate expulsion, but immigration sources say that many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office in 60 days.

This expedites processing times but clearly carries a colossal risk that those who are released will not return to appear before officials.

On Sunday, three flights deported 327 Haitian nationals from Del Rio back to the capital of Port-au-Prince Sunday, two flights deported 233 Monday and 523 were flown out on four flights Tuesday, the official said.

In total, 1083 migrants have been deported in the last three days, suggesting up to 5,000 may have been released into the United States.

Another seven deportation flights are expected to expel further Haitian migrants Wednesday.

This purported reality on the ground is drastically at odds with the public statements the Biden administration has made in recent days in an effort to get a handle on the ever-increasing migrant crisis at the US's southern border.

The official line is that Haitians are being expelled from the US back to the crisis-stricken Caribbean nation under a Donald Trump-era rule.

Under Title 42, migrants can be repatriated to their home nations without the possibility of requesting asylum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted Monday that migrants entering the US illegally will be sent back to their home countries.

'If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's life,' he said at a press conference.

Mayorkas then went one step further Tuesday, insisting that the border is now 'closed' to migrants.

Border Patrol agents were placed on administrative duties pending an investigation into images which appeared to show them whipping Haitian migrants while on horseback on the banks of the Rio Grande.

Mayorkas said Tuesday the images 'horrified' him, a seeming shift in tone from a day earlier, when he and others were more sanguine about the situation at the border.

'The actions we're taking are swift and strong, and we will take further action as the facts adduced in the investigation compel,' he said on Twitter.

Democrats reacted furiously to the images which have embarrassed Biden who wants to project an image of compassion in contrast to his predecessor Donald Trump.

He faces a war on two fronts amid consternation among Republicans who believe that Biden has essentially thrown open the door to migrants who believe that the US border is now softer.

At the same time, Mexico has begun flying migrants away from the U.S. border, as well as sending some by bus, towards its border with Guatemala in the south.

US authorities have scrambled in recent days for buses to Tucson but resorted to flights when they could not find enough transport contractors, the source said. Coast Guard planes took Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.

The releases were occurring despite the signaling of a massive effort to expel the migrants on flights to Haiti under pandemic-related authority that denies them an opportunity to seek asylum.

A third source said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting on Wednesday.

In this aerial view Haitian migrants cross the Rio Grande river to get food and water in Mexico, as seen from Ciudad Acuna

Clinging to ropes, some carrying children on their shoulders, Haitian migrants stranded at the US border cross the Rio Grande back into Mexico in search of food, water or medical treatment

Migrants are guided by Border Patrol agents as they board a bus at Del Rio

Border Patrol agents watch over migrants near the makeshift camp near Del Rio

US Border Patrol, National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles in Del Rio, Texas, shine their lights on the crossing point for mostly Haitian migrants on the Rio Grande

Border Patrol agents and members of the National Guard patrol a checkpoint entry near the Del Rio International Bridge

Border Patrol agents wearing green uniforms and a National Guard member stand ready at a checkpoint

Buses, top, arrive to pick up migrants, mostly from Haiti, at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge

Texas Gov. Abbott (center) praised officials for creating a 'steel wall' of state-owned vehicles that stretch along the border to deter Haitian migrants from crossing

Texas border agents DENY whipping migrants and accuse Biden administration of deflecting from its failings Texas Border Patrol agents have denied whipping migrants and claimed anyone with 'two brain cells' knows they use split reins to control their horses, after images emerged of mounted officers appearing to whip Haitian border crossers. Disturbing photos and video surfaced Sunday appearing to show agents on horseback whipping Haitian migrants with horse reins at the Rio Grande river which connects Mexico and the US. Agents pushed back against the criticism and accused the Biden administration of trying to deflect from its own failings in tackling the migrant crisis. One unidentified agent told Fox News the outrage over the images shows officials lack 'basic knowledge' of handling horses and that the outrage 'just proves what absolute idiots they are.' They denied the images depict physical abuse, saying the reins are used as whips - but on horses, not humans. 'With basic knowledge and two brain cells, anyone knows those agents use split reins. They do use them as a whip, on their horses,' the agent said. 'This helps get a quicker response from the horse to move out when needed, especially when the horse may be hesitant with groups of people or other animals.' The agent voiced frustration that the officials 'in charge' do not understand their roles at the border. 'Again it is clear that those 'in charge,' a term that is disgusting to use, have no clue about our operations and frankly operate by ignorance and unhinged emotions,' they said. A second agent told Fox the situation is 'blowing up' and that the accusatory response from officials and lawmakers is fueling more anger toward the Biden administration. 'This whole situation is blowing up and even liberals are turning on this administration,' one agent told Fox News. '[Harris] is placing blame on agents to deflect because she and Biden are not going to change how they are handling this.' National Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto also pushed back against the theory the agents were whipping migrants and insisted they were using approved techniques designed to keep the agents, the horses, and the migrants on the ground safe. The National Border Patrol Council is the labor union that represents United States Border Patrol agents and support staff. 'They were not whipping anyone. They don't carry whips. They don't get assigned whips,' he told Fox. 'What they do is a training technique that has been shown to them to make sure that no one takes over their horse. It was to protect the horse, to protect the rider, and to protect the individual that was trying to cause chaos and knock down that rider from that horse.' Del Cueto described the process of 'twirl[ing] the reins to protect everything and make sure everything's done correctly.' He added: 'But nobody was getting whipped, but some members of the media are sure pushing that narrative and our agency and our administration isn't helping much by not saying something about it.' Advertisement

Accounts of wide-scale releases  some observed at the Del Rio bus station by Associated Press journalists  are at odds with statements a day earlier by Mayorkas, who travelled to Del Rio to promise swift action.

'If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's life,' he said at a Monday news conference.

The criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the US was unclear, but two officials said single adults were the priority for expulsion flights.

Meanwhile, Mexico has begun moving Haitian migrants away from the US border, authorities said on Tuesday, signaling a new level of support for the US as the camp presented President Joe Biden with a humanitarian and increasingly political challenge.

The White House is facing sharp bipartisan condemnation.

Republicans say administration policies led Haitians to believe they would get asylum. Democrats are expressing outrage after images went viral this week of Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics against the migrants.

Many of the thousands of migrants who have gathered in Del Rio in recent days fled Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and have been living in South American countries including Brazil and Chile. But since these nations have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Haitians have traveled up through South America and Mexico to seek asylum in the US.

A second US official, also with direct knowledge and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday.

The official couldn't be more specific about how many.

US authorities scrambled in recent days for buses to Tucson but resorted to flights when they couldn't find enough transportation contractors, both officials said.

Coast Guard planes also took Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.

A third US official not authorized to discuss operations said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.

Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, head of Haitis national migration office, said last week authorities expected that 14,000 Haitians will be deported from the US over the next three weeks.

Delva warned that Haiti cannot handle thousands of homeless deportees arriving into the country.

The criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the US was unclear.

But two US officials said single adults were the priority for expulsion flights.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday night.

In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.'

Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency.

Then in August - following the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise in July and the earthquake which killed more than 2,000 people the next month - he extended and expanded the TPS further.

A statement on the Department of Homeland Security's website stipulates that the TPS rule only applies to Haitians already in the United States when the announcement was made in May, and that Haitians who subsequently tried to travel to the US would not be allowed to benefit from the new rule.

It is unclear how the United States is able to differentiate between Haitians who illegally entered the country before and after the TPS proclamation was made.

A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande

A Border Patrol officer is swinging what appears to be a lariat while trying to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge Sunday

Migrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge near the Rio Grande Tuesday

Thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials

Illuminated by the lights of a National Guard vehicle, immigrants walk through the migrant camp next to the border

Migrants, many of them Haitian, cross the Rio Grande river back and forth from the United States and Mexico, to camp after a lack of supplies are given to them in the USA in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, 21 September

Republicans blame the pause on deportation flights on the surge in Haitians crossing into the US, arguing that this led Haitians to believe they would get asylum in America - when in fact it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US.

Democrats, meanwhile, are slamming Biden after he resumed deportation flights Sunday, sending people back to a nation that is unable to take them.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded the Biden administration stop the flights and cease using Title 42 on the Senate floor Tuesday saying it defies 'common decency'.

Last Thursday, a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from using Title 42 to expel migrant families but the order takes 14 days to take effect and the administration appealed the ruling the next day.

This week, further outrage surfaced after images went viral of Border Patrol agents on horseback appearing to whip migrants with horse reins.

Haitian migrants cross the Rio Grande river to get food and water in Mexico on Tuesday

Migrants are seen sheltering next to a building in Ciudad Acuna in Mexico

Migrants have created a makeshift camp, sleeping on blankets and cardboard boxes, in Ciudad Acuna

Migrants lie on the ground and on cardboard boxes Wednesday at a makeshift shelter in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico

Haitian migrants including young children are seen at a shelter in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico, Wednesday

Haitian migrants are seen sleeping in Mexico. Some crossed the Rio Grande back into Mexico in search of food, water or medical treatment

The makeshift camp in Ciudad Acuna sprung up after Haitian migrants turned back to Mexico after being told they would be deported

Over in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico, close to the US border Haitian migrants sleep on the ground at a shelter

Migrants sleep on the ground under the bridge at the makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas Tuesday night near the US border

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's foreign relations secretary, said Tuesday he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about the Haitians' situation.

Ebrard said most of the Haitians already had refugee status in Chile or Brazil, having fled to those countries in the wake of the 2010 earthquake, and weren't seeking it in Mexico.

'What they are asking for is to be allowed to pass freely through Mexico to the United States,' Ebrard said.

Two Mexican federal officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Mexico's actions.

One of the officials said three busloads of migrants left Acuna on Tuesday morning for Piedras Negras, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) down the border, where they boarded a flight to the southern city of Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco.

The other official said there was a flight Monday from the northern city of Monterrey to the southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border.

Tapachula is home to the largest immigrant detention center in Latin America.

Around 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under the bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US

An aerial image shows the camp under Del Rio International Bride near the Rio Grande river in Texas, where the US connects to Mexico

Migrants are seen camped out under the bridge Tuesday where around 14,000 people were said to be staying at the weekend

The flight carried about 100 migrants who had been picked up around the bus station in Monterrey, a hub for various routes north to the U.S. border.

The second official said the plan was to move to Tapachula all Haitians who already solicited asylum in Mexico.

The Haitian migrants who are already in Mexico's detention centers and have not requested asylum will be the first to be flown directly to Haiti once Mexico begins those flights, according to the official.

Around Ciudad Acuna, Mexican authorities were stepping up efforts to move migrants away from the border. There were detentions overnight by immigration agents and raids on hotels known to house migrants.

'All of a sudden they knocked on the door and (yelled) 'immigration,' 'police,' as if they were looking for drug traffickers,' said Freddy Registre, a 37-year-old Venezuelan staying at one hotel with his Haitian wife, Vedette Dollard. The couple was surprised at midnight.

Authorities took four people plus others who were outside the hotel, he said. 'They took our telephones to investigate and took us to the immigration offices, took our photos,' Registre said.

They were held overnight but finally were given their phones back and released. Authorities gave them two options: leave Mexico or return to Tapachula.

A migrant in Haiti is detained by Mexican immigrant officers from a hotel at dawn in Ciudad Acuna

A hotel room is left damaged after an operation to detain migrants from a hotel in Ciudad Acuna

A migrant from Haiti shows his bloodied hands after an operation to detain migrants from a hotel in Ciudad Acuna

Mexican National Guards patrol outside a hotel where an operation to detain migrants took place at dawn in Ciudad Acuna

Haitians deported from the US recover their belongings scattered on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday

Migrants are guided by Border Patrol agents as they prepare to board a bus from the migrant camp in Del Rio to be taken to other parts of the US for processing

On Tuesday afternoon, they decided to leave town. They bought tickets for a bus ride to the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, planning to continue to Tapachula where they had already applied for asylum.

Others left without being told.

Small groups arrived at Ciudad Acuna's bus station to buy tickets to Veracruz, Monterrey and Mexico City.

The same bus lines prohibited from selling them tickets for rides north through Mexico, sold them tickets to head south without issue.

In Haiti, dozens of migrants upset about being deported from the US tried to rush back into a plane that landed Tuesday afternoon in Port-au-Prince as they yelled at authorities.

A security guard closed the plane door in time as some deportees began throwing rocks and shoes at the plane. Several of them lost their belongings in the scuffle as police arrived.

The group was disembarking from one of three flights scheduled for the day.
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La Palma's erupting volcano has entered a 'new explosive phase' with more ash and smoke being thrown into the air amid warnings that the lava flow might never reach the sea - increasing its destructive force on land.

Volcanologists on the Spanish island said there is more 'explosive activity' around the crater today, blanketing nearby neighbourhoods with ash, which comes after the force of the eruption reached unprecedented heights overnight - with chunks of lava being thrown up to 1,300 ft in the air.

Seismic activity also increased overnight, the National Geographic Institute said, with strong tremors detected that caused part of the crater to collapse, along with a 30cm bulge in the island's surface that typically indicates molten rock building up underground.

Meanwhile scientists monitoring the lava flow on land warned it might never reach the sea - having previously forecast it to do so on Tuesday - and may instead pool on land, destroying more homes and farmland.

Some 320 buildings and 370 acres have already been swallowed up by the lava, with officials warning 1,000 homes and 1,000 acres are still at risk. Angel Victor Torres, the president of La Palma island, warned the final bill for damages is likely to exceed 340million.

The warning came after a dramatic slow-down in the speed of the lava as it piles up and overflows natural channels, meaning it is spreading out like a pancake instead of flowing to the coast.

Piles of lava are now accumulating up to 40ft tall, observers said, compared to just 20ft two days ago. The increased height also adds to the lava's destructive power, because it can easily overwhelm even tall buildings.

La Palma's erupting volcano entered a 'new explosive phase' today with more ash and smoke belching from the crater along with chunks of lava that were thrown up to 1,300ft in the air (pictured overnight, when activity peaked)

Millions of gallons of lava are inching their way towards the island's west coast, burning their way through homes and hundreds of acres of valuable farmland in the process

Experts have warned that the eruption - which is the first to take place on the island in 50 years - is likely to last for weeks and possibly months, causing widespread damage

A thick plume of smoke and ash is seen rising into the sky from the volcano, which has now entered a 'new phase' of its eruption, according to scientists studying it

The 'explosive' phase has also been accompanied by an uptick in seismic activity at the crater, which caused part of it to collapse overnight Tuesday

Ash and smoke have been rising high into the sky over La Palma today, before raining down on nearby homes

La Palma's president has warned that the total bill for damages is likely to exceed 340million, though it could be weeks before the actual total becomes clear

Raul Perez, of the Geological Mining Institute of Spain, explained to El Pais: 'It is possible that it reaches the sea if there is enough emission, but the lava flows have been cooling for two days. It might or might not.'

Jose Mangas, professor of geology at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, compared the built-up lava to a 'steamroller' saying it will leave 'scars on the territory, which can last for thousands and even millions of years.'

In an effort to help the lava towards the ocean and away from houses, firefighters dug artificial channels and piled earth up around the lava flow overnight.

'We do not know if it will work,' the firefighters wrote in a Facebook post. 'But we have to try.'

The lava stream is also threatening vast areas of farmland that crews can do little to save, with La Vanguardia reporting that some 1,000 acres could be destroyed by the time the eruption finishes - which volcanologists say may not happen for several weeks, if not months.

The region that has been hit by the eruption is sparsely populated, but is covered with crop-land including some of La Palma's largest banana plantations.

Bananas are the island's largest export with a fifth of the total supply now under direct threat. Even trees that are not burned up are likely to become unproductive because they cannot be watered or accessed to harvest.

Domingo Martin, head of the La Palma banana grower's association, described the situation as 'a tragedy' - while the head of the local chamber of commerce said it will spark an 'economic debacle'.

Sunday's eruption took place on a ridge known as Cumbre Vieja, which is notorious as an area of high volcanic activity and has played host to every eruption on the island since the 1600s.

It began around 3pm when a cluster of earthquakes split the ground in an area known as Cabeza de Vaca on the western slope of the volcanic ridge as it descends to the coast, with three fissures spewing out lava.

People watch the erupting volcano from a nearby vantage point, as police warn that tourists should stay well away in case they hamper evacuation efforts or get too close to the lava

Scientists have admitted that lava flowing from the volcano may never reach the ocean as it piles up on land instead, which would increase the number of homes and amount of farmland destroyed

Smoke rises from a flow of lava (pictured rear) which is inching its way through the Todoque area of La Palma at a rate of 400ft per hour, having slowed down considerably since the eruption began

Observers say the lava has slowed because it is spreading over a much wider area than predicted, with rivers up to 20ft tall overflowing natural channels that would have directed it to the ocean

A house is pictured moments before being consumed by lava from the erupting volcano, which experts say could continue to erupt for weeks - and possibly months

The roof of a house is barely visible after being consumed by a river of molten rock on Spain's La Palma island

Firefighters watch helplessly as a river of lava burns its way through the countryside on the island of La Palma

Another powerful tremor overnight Monday then opened a fourth crack, which began belching out molten rock shortly afterwards.

Some 6,000 of the island's 80,000 inhabitants have so-far been evacuated from their homes, with 35,000 under emergency warning orders.

Fortunately, earthquake activity in the days leading up to the initial eruption meant scientists and officials were well-prepared with evacuations taking place quickly and meaning that no casualties have been reported so-far.

Nemesio Perez, Director of the Volcanology Institute of the Canaries (INVOLCAN) said just over a week ago as he assured locals and holidaymakers in the area they could go about their everyday lives: 'In 80 per cent of cases, these processes remain underground and do not result in a volcanic eruption.'

'We're moving from a situation of normality to one of alert.

'We're recognising a change in seismic activity and recommending to the population that they pay attention to information issued by the authorities.'

Mr Perez also explained the three factors that had played a part in the decision to go from green to yellow, saying they included the increased number of tremors and the fact they were occurring nearer the earth's surface at an average of around seven miles underground instead of 12.

In a social media post INVOLCAN said early last week following a swarm of small earthquakes: 'In the past few years the Cumbre Vieja volcano has seen 10 earthquake swarms, including the one that began on Saturday September 11.

'There is no doubt the current swarm represents a significant change in activity.'

Seismic activity in the south of the island of La Palma has been 'anomalous' since 2017, with eight earthquake swarms recorded since the summer of 2020.

La Palma is one of the westernmost and youngest islands of the Canary archipelago along with El Hierro.

Residents remove their belongings from their houses as they are evacuated from their village in Los Llanos, on La Palma

A fireman removes belongings from a home in the village of Todoque after people were told to evacuate as lava approached

Police and fire vehicles are seen on a road in the town of Todoque as residents are evacuated with lava nearing their homes

A policeman directs traffic in the town of Todoque as people evacuate in the face of a river of lava that is devouring homes

A woman carries a drawer during an evacuation process as Mount Cumbre Vieja continues to erupt in El Paso, spewing out columns of smoke, ash and lava

Ana Rodriguez cleans a car following the eruption of a volcano on the Island of La Palma, in Los Llanos de Aridane

Nancy Ferrero sweeps ashes following the eruption of a volcano on the Island of La Palma

The island, the first largest of the Canary Islands, is regarded as one of the highest potential risks in the volcanic archipelago and therefore in-depth studies to define its state of unrest are seen as vital.

La Palma is said to be at potential risk of undergoing a large landslide which could cause a tsunami in the Atlantic Ocean.

A 2001 research article claimed a change in the eruptive activity of Cumbre Vieja volcano and a fracture on the volcano that formed during the 1949 eruption may be the prelude to a giant collapse.

Authors Steven N Ward and Simon Day estimated such a collapse could cause tsunamis across the entire North Atlantic and severely impact countries as far away as North America.

Later research has debated whether the tsunami would still have a significant size far away from La Palma and whether the collapse is likely to take place in a single failure, with evidence indicating most collapses in the Canary Islands took place as multistage events that are not as effective at creating tsunamis.

The volcano that erupted on Sunday rises around 1.2 miles above sea level and 3.7 miles above the seafloor.

It is described as the fastest growing volcano in the archipelago and therefore dangerous in terms of collapses and landslides.

La Palma's total population at the end of 2020 was just over 85,000, with nearly 16,000 registered as living in the capital Santa Cruz de la Palma and more than 20,000 in Los Llanos de Aridane.

Tourists are drawn to La Palma by its hiking trails, food, beaches with crystal-clear water, wonderful night skies and pleasant all-year-round temperatures.

Puerto Naos, one of the coastal towns the lava is said to be heading towards where around 500 tourists have been evacuated, is surrounded by banana plantations and is described as the 'ideal destination for visitors in search of peace and tranquility.'

As well as the main beach at Puerto Naos, there are other nearby coves that can also be explored before refuelling and recharging with the tasty local squid freshly prepared in the area.

The waters off of the coastline are also popular with diving enthusiasts.
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Police have fired rubber bullets, stinger grenades and pepper balls at anti-vaxx protesters stationed at Melbourne's war memorial on a third day of violent demonstrations.

Around 400 people, who have been rallying to demand an end to mandatory vaccinations for construction workers, swarmed Victoria's Shrine of Remembrance which was built to honour the state's men and women who served in the First World War.

Throughout Wednesday the mob chanted 'lest we forget' as they stood in front of the monument, some decked out in body armour and helmets in anticipation of a police attack while others urged officers not to arrest them out of 'respect for the Anzacs'.

After an hours-long standoff where police offered to let protesters leave, officers opened fire to clear demonstrators who had started pelting them with bottles.

Victoria Police arrested 215 protesters throughout the day while two officers suffered head injuries, and one was taken to hospital with chest pains. Tap handles, golf balls, batteries and bottles were thrown at them from the shrine.

Deputy Commissioner Ross Guenther said: 'It was completely disrespectful that the crowd ended up at the shrine, which is such hallowed ground in this great city.'

The ugly scenes came after police ordered news channels to stop broadcasting aerial images of the protests, claiming organisers were using the live feed to evade police.

Police have fired rubber bullets at protesters who set up camp atop Melbourne's war memorial in the hopes police wouldn't fire on them out of respect for fallen Anzacs

Protesters set up camp at Melbourne's war memorial during a third day of protests sparked by construction workers angry about vaccine mandates

Riot police moved protesters on at the Shrine of Remembrance as they rallied against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations

Some were decked out in body armour or helmets in anticipation of a police attack while others sang chants urging police not to arrest them out of 'respect for the Anzacs'

Protesters waved flags as they marched on the war memorial which was set up to honour fallen soldiers in First World War

The protesters were totally surrounded by police with no way to escape

The demonstrators, many wearing hi-vis clothing, chanted and waved placards as police officers surrounded them

Cops wearing riot gear and holding shields surrounded the protesters during the tense stand off on Wednesday afternoon

Freedom protesters, who want an end to Covid-19 lockdown rules, lit flares as they swarmed the CBD on Wednesday

Officers completely surrounded the protesters and prepared for a gas attack to flush them out

Left: Protesters march through the CBD. Right: A police officer holding a non-lethal gun at the shine protest

Earlier officers completely surrounded the protesters and prepared for a gas attack to flush them out while the demonstrators shouted 'join us' at the police and also sang the national anthem.

By about 4pm many protesters left after police parted to create a small exit route for them - but hundreds remained, chanting 'stand your ground'.

Among them were two parents accompanied by four small children.

Footage taken from the chaotic scene shows a sea of officers in tactical gear grabbing protesters one by one, dragging them away from the steps of the war memorial.

Some of the protesting workers were seen hurling rocks and other projectiles as the police moved in, prompting officers to start firing non-lethal rubber bullets.

Shocked demonstrators could be heard calling the police 'dogs' while others screamed 'oh my god!'

The remaining holdouts were eventually forced to flee, leaving the shrine empty as the groups scattered into surrounding streets.

Dozens of riot cops completely surrounded the protesters before moving in to disperse the agitated crowd

A man wearing war medals appears dejected while standing in front of a line of riot police officers as protesters gather at the Shrine of Remembrance to rally against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations and a two-week shutdown of the construction industry, in Melbourne

Some protesters addressed the crowd with a megaphone at the Shrine of Remembrance before the situation turned ugly, having tried to coax them down

Shocked demonstrators could be heard calling the police and riot squad 'dogs' while others screamed 'oh my god!'

Protesters surrender to police at the Shrine of Remembrance holding their arms in the air as officers move in

Protesters leave after riot police moved in on the Shrine of Remembrance as they rallied against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations and a two week shutdown of the construction industry in Melbourne

RSL Victoria slammed the protesters, saying they were 'completely disrespecting the sanctity' of the shrine,

'Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance is a sacred place, of critical importance to the current and ex-service members of our community, for commemorating service and for the remembrance of those who have died performing their patriotic duty,' a statement read.

'Under no circumstances, ever, should the Shrine be a place of protest.

'If any individuals or groups choose to express their political views, positions or ideological theories in the grounds of the Shrine at any time, they are completely disrespecting the sanctity of this time-honoured space, those men and women of the Australian Defence Force who have lost their lives, and all Victorian veterans.'

The chair of the Shrine of Remembrance Captain Stephen Bowater said the protest was 'disgraceful and disrespectful to the honoured memory of Australian service men and women'.

Victoria Police have also copped criticism for declaring Melbourne's CBD a no-fly zone on Wednesday, with all helicopter traffic banned apart from the police air wing.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority on Wednesday confirmed the unprecedented shut down of the sky on the third day of the protests, leaving the media and the public outraged.

Police said demonstrators were using the live stream vision to evade police.

After a few hours, police back-tracked on the helicopter ban, allowing media cameras back in the sky, but restricting them from airing live vision.

That order will remain in place until Sunday 9am, with news choppers under strict instruction to delay their aerial footage for at least 60 minutes.

'This is because protesters were actively monitoring aerial livestreams, compromising the police operation and putting the safety of members at risk,' police said in a statement.

News crews across Australia called the extreme measure a 'huge overreach' of police power.

The Premier's office released a statement saying they were not involved in the decision.

'These are operational decisions made by VicPol and the government is not involved,' the statement said.

A tactical urban police vehicle, loaded up with riot officers is seen in the streets of Melbourne as protesters flee the scene

Thousands of demonstrators showed their opposition to vaccination passports and mandatory vaccinations

Protesters sit on the lawn at the Shrine of Remembrance as they rally against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations and a two week shutdown of the construction industry

Police pepper spray a protester during a rally against Covid-19 regulations in Melbourne on September 22

Riot police watch on as protesters gather at the Shrine of Remembrance as they rally against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations

A smiling protester makes the peace sign as he rallies with hundreds of other anti-vaccination tradesmen in Melbourne

One protester held a sign saying 'not here for violence, I'm here for a choice' as he marches through the Melbourne CBD

Protesters walk down Swanston Street in the Melbourne CBD during the third day of anti-vaccination demonstrations

Protest organisers used megaphones to plead with those trapped near the shrine to 'clean up their garbage' and dispose of any weapons they may be packing.

Buses containing police were earlier seen heading to the memorial in Kings Domain on St Kilda, accompanied by scores of police cars with lights and sirens flashing.

Officers handcuffed dozens of demonstrators for breaching stay-at-home orders on Wednesday morning after police vowed they would be better prepared for violence since being caught off guard on Tuesday.

Dramatic video showed panicked protesters running away from police who opened fire using pellet guns which project blunt-force pellets the size of marbles that feel like a 'hard punch' on impact.

Daily Mail Australia witnessed one man being pepper sprayed in front of his teenage son near the CFMEU building which has been the target of violent protests since Monday.

Protesters were seen taunting police guarding the headquarters after entering Victoria Street at 12.30pm, lighting flares and swearing at heavily armoured police.

A protester wearing a CFMEU hat removed his top as he marched through the CBD in protest against mandatory vaccinations

A police officer detains a protester as construction workers and demonstrators march on the streets against the Covid-19 regulations in Melbourne

Protesters wore body armour or helmets in anticipation of a police attack as they marched through Melbourne's CBD

A lone protester challenges anti-riot police as construction workers and demonstrators march on the streets against Covid-19 regulations

Despite Melbourne's stay-at-home orders and a warning from authorities, several hundred demonstrators returned to the CBD on Wednesday morning.

One man told a live stream he walked to the shrine because 'those people died for us, and now they want to take away our freedom'.

Another claimed police funnelled demonstrators towards the war memorial, and said it was not a planned location for the protest.

Earlier, riot police moved in to shut down dozens of people marching down Elizabeth and Collins streets.

A group of protesters sought cover in a nearby Chemist Warehouse after police pelted them with non-lethal rounds and pepper spray.

Deputy Premier James Merlino refused to call those in the city protesters, instead describing the scenes as 'a mob acting criminally'.

He said they were putting health workers, themselves and the Victorian public at risk.

'What we have seen over the last two or three days is criminal behaviour that does not represent our great state in any way, shape or form and that behaviour will not drive our case numbers down,' he told reporters in Melbourne.

Police were given permission to use crowd control force against anyone trying to repeat the seven-hour 'cat and mouse' game seen in Melbourne on Tuesday, when up to 2,000 protesters led police across the city and shut down the West Gate Bridge.

A blonde woman is arrested in Melbourne's CBD on Wednesday morning as police cracked down on Covid rule-breakers

Police holding pellet guns and wearing protective gear including masks marched through Melbourne on Wednesday

Victoria Police make arrests during a protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations. One man appears to have been wrapped in a blanket by officers

Police held one man's head to the ground during a violent arrest. Other arrests were less violent such as this one (left) that did not require handcuffs

Protesters gather in Melbourne's CBD ahead of another day of protesting. Police were seen speaking to and arresting several protesters on Wednesday

Earlier on Wednesday Premier Daniel Andrews blasted violent protesters who caused chaos in Melbourne

Heavily-armed riot police were backed up by hundreds of regular officers who marched the streets on Wednesday

Members of the Victoria Police Public Order Response Team during a protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations and a two week shutdown of the construction industry

Heavily protected riot police walked through Melbourne's CBD to disperse protesters on Wednesday morning

Earlier on Wednesday Daniel Andrews blasted violent protesters who caused chaos in Melbourne over the past two days as police vowed to use new tactics to fight back with more carnage expected.

About 2,000 tradesmen and anti-vaccination and freedom campaigners rampaged through the city for ten hours on Tuesday to demonstrate against a two-week shutdown of the construction industry imposed due to rising Covid cases.

Police - who were caught short by the hastily organised protest - said 62 people were arrested on Tuesday after footage showed violent thugs attacking police by throwing cans or punching them in the street.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison broadcast live from Washington DC - where he met with President Joe Bide earlier - to denounce the protests and call for calm.

'These are important jobs and they will return, we will get through this but protest activity and what we have seen there is highly distressing and that is not an appropriate response to trying to deal with an outbreak of this nature,' he said.

Protests started on Monday over new COVID-19 vaccine requirements for construction workers but turned into larger and at times violent demonstration. Pictured: An arrest on Wednesday

A protesters was arrested after receiving a nasty cut on his head during a clash with police in Melbourne on Wednesday

Members of Victorian Police detain a women at the corner of Elizabeth St and Victoria St near the CFMEU Building on September 22

Footage shows police officers handcuffing at least one male and two female demonstrators on Wednesday morning

Mr Andrews said the actions were an 'insult' to the majority of law-abiding tradies and said the protesters were not just builders but also far-right freedom and anti-vaxx protesters.

'Can I say at the outset that the ugly scenes that we saw yesterday are not only appalling, they're unlawful. Victoria Police will take action against those who did the wrong thing yesterday,' Mr Andrews said in his first public appearance since the protests.

'I think there were some people there who you would say were from the building industry.

'There were others who were not from the building industry. They're not there to protests, they're there for a fight, pretend to be protesting. They're from many different backgrounds.

'What offends me is not only is the conduct, but in my job, over many years, I have met hundreds and thousands of builders, hundreds and thousands of tradies who build this state, whether it be removing level crossings, building hospitals and schools, all the way through to building homes, they're fine people, hardworking people, and what we saw yesterday is an insult, an insult, to the vast, vast majority of tradies or people in the building industry who are not about wrecking, they're about building,' he said.

Members of Victorian Police detain a man at the corner of Elizabeth St and Victoria St near the CFMEU Building on Wednesday

Police stand guard as a protester is arrested. Heavily armoured police were seen marching down Elizabeth Street with 10 mounted police heading the charge

Daniel Andrews has blasted violent anti-vaccination protesters in Melbourne who took the city by storm on Tuesday

The protesters have been communicating using encrypted messaging app Telegram (above are their messages). Police say they have no obvious leader, making discussions difficult

Mr Andrews defended his construction ban saying there were more than 350 Covid cases linked to the industry, more than in Victoria's aged care sector.

He also said mandatory vaccination orders for the industry would not be removed.

Ahead of more expected protests on Wednesday, Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Shane Patton said officers would employ 'different' tactics and have more boots on the ground - but refused to reveal operational details.

'Victoria Police have planned, we have significant tactics in place, we will be agile in our response, we will be very swift in our response an conduct, as we've seen yesterday, and the previous day, will not be tolerated,' he said.

Police sources have told Daily Mail Australia that officers were on high alert for protesters carrying weapons, with fears nail guns could be used against police.

Victoria's police chief has warned next time 'things will be different' with riot cops ready to take on the mob 'head on' (pictured, riot police pictured at the Melbourne protest on Tuesday)

About 2,000 angry protesters took to the streets (pictured on Tuesday) to oppose mandatory Covid vaccinations on work sites - with unions insisting many weren't tradies but 'far-right opportunists'

Thousands of angry tradies have vowed to march on Melbourne's streets 'every day' as part of their violent crusade against Covid vaccinations (pictured, a post promoting more days of unrest)

The out-of-control group even scaled the West Gate Bridge (pictured on Tuesday) shutting down traffic and jumping on cars as terrified bystanders including children watched on in fear from inside their surrounded vehicles

A police officer receives treatment during a protest by construction workers and demonstrators against Covid-19 regulations in Melbourne (pictured on Tuesday)

A demonstrator is sent flying backwards off his bike as scenes turned ugly at the anti-vaxx protest (pictured on Tuesday)

A large contingent of police line up on the West Gate Bridge (pictured on Tuesday afternoon) as the angry mob approaches

A rudderless mob of up to 2000 stormed across the CBD for more than seven hours clashing with police (pictured, protesters on Tuesday)

Demonstrators also lit flares, hurled rocks and in one case even assaulting a Channel 7 news reporter by throwing urine on him (pictured, protesters on Tuesday)

Of the state's 6,000 active Covid cases, 403 are directly linked to 186 construction sites - with health officials fearing the industry is not taking the deadly virus seriously.

Union leaders have claimed the mob are mostly made up of 'fake tradies' and have little to do with the construction sector.

Federal member for Maribyrnong and former Australian Workers' Union boss Bill Shorten told the Today show the rowdy mob is just a 'Nazi rent-a-crowd' who got themselves a $2 hi-viz hoody from the 'Reject Shop'.

CFMEU boss John Setka labelled the majority of protesters 'man-baby Nazis' and ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said the unions have been 'infiltrated'.

But senior figures within the CFMEU say although far-right agitators and anti-vaxxers have exploited the situation, about '80 to 90 per cent' of the demonstrators were construction workers, The Age reported.

The sources also added that the once militant left wing union has seen a cultural shift take place among some of its members, with a growing number identifying with fringe right-wing ideologies.
A black shop worker has accused his colleagues of racially abusing him and calling him 'Afroman', saying his hair looked like he had put his 'finger in an electric socket'.

Terrelle Graham, 26, from Bradley Stoke, Gloucestershire, claimed he was subjected to racist abuse from staff while he was working at Currys PC World in Bristol.

Shocking video footage captured the moment that the former Sony contractor was told that his hair looked like he had put his finger in an 'electrical socket'.

Dixons Carphone, which owns Currys PC World, said an investigation had been carried out and action was taken in line with company policy.

In the clip, his colleague asks whether Mr Graham plans to get his hair 'combed' or if he is 'going for the Afro look on purpose'.

To which Mr Graham asks: 'I need to get my hair combed?'

And his colleague says: 'Well, I mean, at least straightened. It looks like you basically put your finger in an electrical socket and not left.' Mr Graham responds: 'Oh I see.'

Terrelle Graham (pictured), 26, from Bradley Stoke, south Gloucestershire, claimed he was subject to racist abuse from his colleagues while he was working at Currys PC World in Bristol

His colleague then calls Mr Graham's hair frizzy, saying it is the 'nicest way' he can describe it, before adding: 'You planning to leave it like that or are you going to the hairdressers at some point?'

When Mr Graham says that it is his natural hair, his colleague simply replies: 'Oh fair enough.'

In a follow-up video where another man allegedly racially abuses him, Mr Graham wrote a caption claiming he had been subject to racist abuse three times after being at work for just two hours.

He added: 'I shouldn't need to explain what's wrong with what was said and asked of me here.'

In the clip, his colleague is heard asking if Mr Graham has heard of the song Because I Got High by Afroman, before telling him to sing it.

Shocking video footage (left and right) captured the moment that the former Sony contractor was told that his hair looked like he had put his finger in an 'electrical socket'

When Mr Graham refuses to sing the song, the man laughs and asks: 'So how come you got the Afro today?'

To which Mr Graham says: 'It's my hair, I wanted it out.'

Mr Graham claimed the two incidents shown in the video, which he recorded after becoming fed up with the racist abuse he allegedly received from colleagues, both took place on June 22 this year at Currys PC World in Cribbs Causeway.

Mr Graham said he worked for Sony between October 2019 and September 2021 at Currys PC World and John Lewis, having been moved from the electronics store after raising concerns of racism.

He claimed he has been let go from his assignment by Sony after being told they could not find a store for him to work at, while the employees involved remain at Currys PC World.

Mr Graham (pictured) claimed he has been let go from his assignment by Sony after being told they could not find a shop for him to work at, while the employees involved remain at the store

Dixons Carphone insisted that the language experienced by Mr Graham was in no way representative of their organisation's values, while Sony said it was aware of the issues raised.

Sony claimed a full review was being conducted, insisting it takes any allegation of discrimination extremely seriously.

Mr Graham alleged that the racist abuse involved a number of different people and continued off camera throughout the entire two years he worked at the store for Sony.

He claimed he raised concerns about racist abuse from his colleagues at Currys PC World last June, but alleged that 'nothing substantial was done' apart from moving him to John Lewis.

In a follow-up video where another man allegedly racially abuses him (above), Mr Graham claimed he had been subject to racist abuse three times after being at work for just two hours

He said the racial abuse had a massive impact on him and he became too mentally exhausted to be around people, ending up becoming more isolated.

Mr Graham said: 'It caused such a mental strain on me.

'I would finish work mentally exhausted from having to put up with it.'

He claimed he has experienced similar abuse in previous jobs and described it as a 'constant cycle' due to systemic racism in companies.

Mr Graham claimed Sony reassured him and promised him mental health support two weeks ago, but he claimed this has never happened.

He alleged he was let go last week when recruitment company Hays terminated his assignment on behalf of Sony after being told they could not find a store for him to work at.

Alleging that if he had remained 'silent' he would still have a job, he claimed: 'It [the alleged racism] started within the first few months of being there and it became more frequent.

'It ended up being something that would happen multiple times a week.

'I thought, without evidence, they are not going to care and even with the evidence they do not care.

'I was trying to get some clear evidence to say 'this is what is going on in your stores'. 'If I continued to endure the abuse in silence, I'd still have a job.'

Mr Graham said he feels his concerns were not taken seriously enough, saying there have been no significant consequences for the employees involved.

He continued: 'I should have never been removed from the store - it should've been the employees who were sacked and then removed, to improve that work environment so that I'd feel more comfortable working in there.'

After he was moved to John Lewis, he claimed someone tried to get him removed by saying he was 'angry' and 'confrontational', with Mr Graham saying these are typical descriptions given to black men when they defend themselves.

A Dixons Carphone spokesperson said: 'We are truly sorry for the experience Mr Graham had while working in one of our stores.

This behaviour goes against everything we stand for as an organisation and we will not tolerate it within our business.

'We have a duty of care to everyone in our stores and we are now working with those involved to ensure we have all the facts, to inform our next steps.

'We are committed to creating a culture where everyone's treated equally, and respectfully, and where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.'

In a statement, Sony UK and Ireland said: 'We take any claim of discrimination extremely seriously.

'We embrace diversity and firmly believe in equality for everyone, regardless of race, gender, age, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

'We have been made aware of the issues raised by a contractor employed as a store promoter at a retailer site and are conducting a full review.'

A spokesperson for Hays said: 'We are aware of the allegations of racism made by a candidate. The allegations of racism do not relate to any activity by Hays.

'We fully support equity, diversity and inclusion and treat allegations of racism with the utmost seriousness.

'At the time of the allegations, we followed the correct processes to protect the candidate's welfare and worked with the other associated parties to ensure the matter was investigated.'

John Lewis said in a statement: 'John Lewis has a zero tolerance approach to racism and we're really sorry to hear about Mr Graham's experiences.

'We have started an immediate investigation.'

MailOnline has contacted Hays for further comment.
A murder investigation has bee launched after two children were found dead inside an 18th century wooden chest in Ukraine.

Anna and Mikhail Presnov, aged 10 and seven, are believed to have climbed into the chest and suffocated after its latch closed, preventing them from opening the heavy lid.

However, law enforcement have not ruled out foul play.

The two children were home alone in the village of Mykilske as their parents had gone to work digging potatoes some 18 miles away.

The parents, Svetlana, 35, and Stanislav, 41, said they had spoken to the children at 10am, but an hour later, they did not answer the phone.

The parents returned home by bus in the late afternoon and began a search for the missing children.

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Anna and Mikhail Presnov, aged 10 and seven, were found dead inside an 18th century wooden chest at their home in Ukraine

The children are believed to have climbed into the chest (pictured) and suffocated after its latch closed, preventing them from opening the heavy lid

'I took a bicycle, Svetlana went on foot along the nearby streets looking for them, but there were no signs of them,' former miner Stanislav said.

The children had last been seen playing outside the family home in the morning.

A police sniffer dog directed officers into the home where they found the bodies of the children inside the antique wooden chest, a family heirloom that had initially been part of a dowry.

'Police say it was most likely an accident - they got inside, the chest closed and they suffocated,' Stanislav said.

'There was a bracket through which to put a padlock. The latch might close in a way they could not open it from the inside.

'But the point is that they could have lifted the lid so that there was a gap for air'

Police said they are exploring all possibilities in relation to the children's deaths. A murder investigation has been launched. Pictured: The children with their mother Svetlana (centre)

'During a search of the house, the children were found in an old chest with no signs of life,' a statement from Ukraine's National Police read.

It added that forensics were working at the scene and efforts were being made to establish 'the circumstances'.

'Police are considering all versions of the deaths of the brother and sister.'

A murder investigation has now been launched.

The sister and brother were buried next to each other and the school they both attended was closed on the day of their funeral.

At the funeral, Svetlana Zhigailo, the children's headteacher said: 'The children loved their parents and the parents loved the children.'
A mother-of-two who faked having terminal cancer to con well-wishers into giving her 16,000 has been spared jail - and ordered to pay back just 1.

Megan Scotcher, 28, from Ripley, Derbyshire, admitted a charge of fraud by false representation after accepting charitable donations between June and December last year.

Nottingham Crown Court heard how one person even took part in a 1,000-km cycle ride to raise cash for her and her two young sons.

Judge Steven Coupland, handing her a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for a year, said: 'You lied about having terminal cancer to steal charitable donations. You told a terrible lie to your family and friends.

'They are the headlines, but I have read a lot about you. You were trapped and things snowballed.

'What you did was serious and caused a great deal of upset to family, friends and people who generously contributed and who feel taken advantage of.

'The probation service assesses you as somebody who presents a low risk of reoffending and I agree with that.'

He also ordered her to pay back a nominal 1 from her ill-gotten gains as she has no money or assets.

Megan Scotcher, 28, from Ripley, Derbyshire, accepted 16,000 in charitable donations between June and December last year

Nottingham Crown Court heard how one person even took part in a 1,000-km cycle ride to raise cash for her and her two young sons

Gurdial Singh, prosecuting, said the defendant was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager, but went into remission.

He said last year she told her family it had come back and was terminal.

Mr Singh said: 'A GoFundMe page was set up and there was publicity in the Derby Telegraph and then The Sun newspaper about her plight.

'One mother, who knew her as hers and the defendant's two sons went to school, together also raised 2,315.

'In October of last year, the defendant told her mother she had a mass on her brain and would only live until January.

'But her mother became suspicious as her daughter made her wait outside hospital appointments she had taken to saying she could not come in because of Covid-19.

'The mother then tried to contact an oncologist but one didn't exist.'

Mr Singh said Scotcher, now a mother of three having given birth to a daughter just two months ago, then attempted to take her own life.

Scotcher, who has no previous convictions of any kind, previously pleaded guilty to fraud over video link at a hearing at the same court on June 3.

She told police she had got into debt with an ex-partner.

James Horne, mitigating, said his client's case has attracted a large deal of press attention both locally and nationally.

He said: 'This case is both shocking and tragic in equal measure (but) her behaviour can be properly categorised as sad rather than bad.

'Her real criminal mistake was not telling the truth when it came out. That's the reality.'

As part of the suspended sentence Scotcher was also ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work.

At a previous hearing at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court, prosecutors alleged the defendant, who has a history of cancer, began to claim it had returned in April last year.

She told the Sun at the time: 'I'm absolutely devastated - more so for my children. With the youngest it's quite difficult because he wouldn't really understand.

'And with my eldest, he knows that I'm poorly but at the minute he doesn't know the full extent.'

It was claimed that following this, her ex-partner set up a Go Fund Me page for her, something which was picked up by both local and national newspapers and resulted in 'significant amounts of money being raised'.

Prosecutors said other people also set up Go Fund Me pages for her, with one person undertaking a 1,000-mile cycle ride to raise money.

'People became suspicious because things were not progressing as they would expect,' they said.
The Taliban has asked to speak to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

The terror group nominated Suhail Shaheen, their spokesman based in Doha, as Afghanistan's new ambassador to the UN.

The Islamists said the envoy for the former government no longer represented Afghanistan.

The terror group nominated Suhail Shaheen (pictured), their spokesman based in Doha, as Afghanistan's new ambassador to the UN

A UN committee will rule on the request but it is unlikely to take place during the current session, which ends on Monday.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a communication on September 15 from the currently accredited Afghan Ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, with the list of Afghanistan's delegation for the assembly's 76th annual session.

Five days later, Guterres received another communication with the letterhead 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,' signed by 'Ameer Khan Muttaqi' as 'Minister of Foreign Affairs,' requesting to participate in the gathering of world leaders.

Muttaqi said in the letter that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was 'ousted' as of August 15 and that countries across the world 'no longer recognise him as president,' and therefore Isaczai no longer represents Afghanistan, Dujarric said.

Senior US State Department officials said they were aware of the Taliban's request - the United States is a member of the UN credentials committee - but they would not predict how that panel might rule.

But one of the officials said the committee 'would take some time to deliberate,' suggesting the Taliban's envoy would not be able to speak at the General Assembly at this session at least during the high-level leaders' week.

In cases of disputes over seats at the United Nations, the General Assembly's nine-member credentials committee must meet to make a decision.

Ameer Khan Muttaq (pictured), Afghanistan's 'Minister of Foreign Affairs,' sent a letter requesting to participate in the gathering of world leaders

Both letters have been sent to the committee after consultations with General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid's office.

The committee's members are the United States, Russia, China, Bahama, Bhutan, Chile, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Sweden.

Isaczai was scheduled to give the last speech on the final day of the high-level meeting on September 27, but since Afghanistan say he does not represent them, the plans are up in the air.

It wasn't clear who would speak if the committee met and the Taliban were given Afghanistan's seat.

When the Taliban last ruled from 1996 to 2001, the UN refused to recognise their government and instead gave Afghanistan's seat to the previous, warlord-dominated government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who eventually was killed by a suicide bomber in 2011.

It was Rabbani's government that brought Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11, to Afghanistan from Sudan in 1996.

The Taliban have said they want international recognition and financial help to rebuild the war-battered country.

But the makeup of the new Taliban government poses a dilemma for the United Nations.

Several of the interim ministers are on the UN's so-called blacklist of international terrorists and funders of terrorism.

Credentials committee members could also use Taliban recognition as leverage to press for a more inclusive government that guarantees human rights, especially for girls who were barred from going to school during their previous rule, and women who weren't able to work.
An Oxford college has been accused of 'cancel culture' after apologising to students for the 'distress caused' after it hosted a Christian conference.

Worcester College hosted a Christian Concern training camp at the beginning of September while the college was closed for the summer break.

Students reportedly complained that the curriculum for the week-long event - which also hosted a speaker reportedly linked to 'conversion therapy' - was 'Islamophobic' as the final day included a discussion about 'the nature of Islam'.

In its apology, the college said booking the event 'was a serious failure that has caused significant distress' to students who discovered a leaflet from the event when they returned to the college after summer.

Christian Concern said the apology showed 'cancel culture has once again demonstrated the power of its grip in one of our top universities' and accused college leaders of 'capitulating to an aggressive movement'.

David Isaac, the Provost of Worcester College since July this year, is understood to have ordered an investigation into the hosting of a Christian conference at the beginning of this month

Worcester College has apologised to students after hosting a Christian Concern training camp at the beginning of September while the college was closed for the summer break

David Isaac, who took over as the new Provost of Worcester College in July this year, is understood to have ordered an investigation into the hosting of the residential camp after receiving a complaint from the president of the student union.

Mr Isaac was the previous chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), during which time it released guidelines to protect 'freedom of expression amid growing criticism of no-platforming decisions'. He was also previously chairman of the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall.

Christian Concern, which held its annual Wilberforce Academy at the college from September 6 to September 11, said none of the students who complained or the college heard what was said in the seminars.

The event also hosted Mike Davidson, a speaker who is reportedly linked to 'conversion therapy' and who previously said he 'takes people seriously' if they choose to move away from 'homosexual practices and feelings'.

The Wilberforce Academy has been hosted by Oxbridge Colleges for the past 11 years. In 2013, Trinity College apologised for hosting the conference over the Easter break.

A spokesman for the evangelical campaign group said it was unaware of any complaints or concerns, adding that the more than 100 young people who attended were 'warmly welcomed' at the college.

Students first became aware of the event after first-year students on the Opportunity Oxford programme discovered a leaflet about the residential camp

Andrea Minichiello Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, told MailOnline: 'Sadly, we have had no communication from Worcester college about these reports of an "apology" for hosting us, despite our attempts to contact staff and discuss what has been alleged.

'But if the college has turned its back on us, it seems that cancel culture has once again demonstrated the power of its grip in one of our top universities, fuelled by a small group of activists who wont tolerate any view that departs from their own narrow ideology and who will resort to tactics of misrepresentation and sweeping allegations to get their way, seemingly frightening nearly everyone into submission.

'That a college now led by someone who has so often claimed to be a defender of freedom of expression in higher education is rumoured to have capitulated to this aggressive movement is even more concerning.

'We very much enjoyed our week at the college, were very warmly welcomed, including by the Provost, received many compliments from the staff and were not aware of any complaints or concerns being raised with us at the time. Yet now we hear it alleged that the college has "apologised" for hosting us!

'We will be seeking urgent clarification. Whatever happens, we will continue to speak of Jesus Christ who was himself an "outsider" and by his words and actions demonstrated his commitment to reaching the marginalised, excluded and vulnerable so that they could discover true hope and everlasting love through him, even sacrificing his own life to do so.

'Oxford University should continue to stand for free speech and free expression and allow its students to have the intellectual ability to decide whether they wish to attend external events, and to make up their own minds on what they hear.

'None of the students who complained actually heard what was said in the seminars. Neither does the college know what was said. They appear just to want to shut down any discussion.

'We had such a warm welcome from them and it is upsetting that no one called us about it, to hear our side.'

Mike Davidson, one of the speakers at the event, is reportedly linked to 'conversion therapy' and who previously said he 'takes people seriously' if they choose to move away from 'homosexual practices and feelings'

Students first became aware of the event after first-year students on the Opportunity Oxford programme discovered a leaflet about the residential camp, student newspaper The Tab reports.

A spokesman for Worcester College told The Tab: 'We deeply regret the distress caused to students, staff and other members of the college community by the presence of the Wilberforce Academy conference.

'The college was not aware of the speaker list or programme content in advance. The booking was taken in good faith, but it is clear that our procedures did not work as they should. We have begun an urgent review to ensure that this does not happen again.

'We have agreed with the JCR (Junior Common Room) Committee that the profit from the conference will be set aside to fund dedicated equality, diversity and inclusivity initiatives.

'We are working with students and other members of the college community to identify the most appropriate projects.

'We acknowledge that this was a serious failure that has caused significant distress, and we apologise unreservedly to all those who have been affected.'

The self-styled 'People's Republic of Worcester College' was previously led by Dr Kate Tunstall, a French literature expert, who was called 'Red Kate' for her support for the Labour Party and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

As interim Provost, she was the most prominent figure of a 150-strong faction of rebel Oxford academics threatening to boycott Oriel students over the Cecil Rhodes statue, and once tried to ban the centuries-old customs of standing for dons and saying grace before meals.
This is the shocking moment a restaurant worker refused to let a blind woman's guide dog into a Yo! Sushi branch in central London.

In a video shared online, journalist Lucy Edwards, 28, can be heard fighting back tears after being told: 'I'm telling you the dog is not allowed!'

The employee at the Bond Street branch repeatedly tells Ms Edwards and her fiance Olly that her dog Molly cannot be inside, even when they tell him it is against the law to refuse entry.

In a video shared online, journalist Lucy Edwards, 28, can be heard fighting back tears after being told: 'I'm telling you the dog is not allowed!'

Ms Edwards, who has had a guide dog since she was 18, said she has had so many entry refusals that she is 'almost numb' to it (Pictured with Molly)

In the video, Ms Edwards, who lost her sight at 17, can be heard saying: 'You can't tell me that my guide dog is not allowed... you're breaking the law' - while demanding to speak to a manager.

She and Olly then threaten to call in police, before a manager appears to say that the dog is allowed.

Ms Edwards demands an apology, informing him of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act - now part of the UK Equality Act 2010 - which grants access to guide dogs and their owners to the majority of services, venues and vehicles.

She tells the employees she has the right to report the incident to the police, referring to her dog when she explains: 'I cannot get around without her, and you guys are refusing me entry to your establishment... basically you are discriminating against a blind woman.'

The workers eventually offer Ms Edwards a table, but she decides to leave after becoming audibly upset over the ordeal.

As she exits the restaurant, she tells staff she will be reporting their branch, adding: 'Read up on the law and never do this to a guide dog owner again.'

The upsetting clip was uploaded to Ms Edwards' YouTube account on September 20, which has more than 390,000 subscribers.

Yo! Sushi has apologised for the incident.

A spokesperson told MailOnline today that they had contacted Ms Edwards directly to apologise.

They stressed that the worker had 'made a mistake', adding: 'Of course guide dogs are welcome in all of our restaurants.'

The journalist is an avid campaigner for disability rights and her TikTok account - which has more than 1.6million followers - features her popular 'How does a blind girl' series, which sees her explaining how visually impaired and blind people carry out everyday tasks.

Speaking to MailOnline today, Ms Edwards and her fiancee said they had initially been shown to a table with high chairs at the restaurant, and asked if they could be moved to a booth.

Ms Edwards, who has been blind since she was 17, has more than 1.6million followers on TikTok where her popular 'How does a blind girl' series sees her explaining how visually impaired and blind people carry out everyday tasks. (Pictured with retired guide dog Olga)

The upsetting clip was uploaded to Ms Edwards' YouTube account on September 20

Ms Edwards, who lost her sight at 17, tells the employees she has the right to report the incident to the police, adding: 'I cannot get around without her, and you guys are refusing me entry to your establishment... basically you are discriminating against a blind woman'

They believe that is when the server noticed they had a dog with them, as he refused to take them to a table.

Ms Edwards said: 'Olly said his facial expression just completely changed, we don't think he saw the dog initially.

'And then just before we started the video he said: "No dogs allowed."'

The couple said they only began filming after the server became 'irate' and 'aggressive' and persistently refused to seat them despite being informed about the law.

Ms Edwards, who has had a guide dog since she was 18, said she has had so many entry refusals that she is 'almost numb' to it.

She added: 'You just feel scared, you don't want the confrontation, you just want a nice night.

'Often there's times when I think to myself: "I don't have the mental strength to deal with this today, I'm going to leave Molly at home" - which is awful, because she makes me the most confident that I can be with my disability, and at the end of the day she is vital.

'People need to understand that she is an extension of me and if she is discriminated against, so am I.'

Ms Edwards said she feels 'distraught' and 'unequal' following the ordeal.

But she said being refused entry is just 'part of my life'.

She added: 'If I was a new guide dog owner it would knock me back for about four weeks... and some people, if they're not as confident as me, where does something like this lead them?

'I had the confidence in that moment, because I had my fiancee with me, to advocate for myself, but I would say that's the most successful I've been, and I've only gained that confidence after being beaten down for years and years, and I just don't know where this leads us as a society.'

Ms Edwards added: 'I don't know when this discrimination is going to stop. Every time I talk about it I get emotional because I don't know when we're going to achieve equality.

Ms Edwards, who was the first-ever blind presenter on BBC Radio 1, said the UK is progressive when it comes to disability rights but she feels the law could go further in providing protections (Pictured with retired guide dog Olga)

'I don't feel at the moment that I necessarily have rights under the law, someone can discriminate against me and then say: "Oh no you can sit here now it's fine" - as if that does away with their initial refusal.

'I don't want to fight to just live a life that I deserve.'

Ms Edwards, who was the first-ever blind presenter on BBC Radio 1, said the UK is progressive when it comes to disability rights but she feels the law could go further in providing protections.

She said: 'I think the law needs to go further because I want to feel that I can prosecute and be successful in that prosecution, without necessarily having to post it all over social media and feel like that's my only choice to hold them accountable.

'I want more protections under the law for guide dog owners and I'm going to advocate for that now stronger than ever.'

A spokesperson from Yo! said Wednesday: 'We are disappointed and sorry about the experience that Lucy Edwards had at our Bond Street restaurant.

'One of our colleagues made a mistake, and of course guide dogs are welcome in all of our restaurants.

'Creating an inclusive environment for all of our customers and team is important to us and this incident does not reflect our values.

'We are undertaking a thorough review to ensure that YO!s values are reflected in all interactions and practices across our business, so none of our guests are made to feel this way in future.

'We have contacted Lucy directly to apologise for her experience and invite her contribution into building awareness and shaping our ongoing training processes.'

The company told the Mail Online it was 'undertaking a process with the employee', but that it could not provide any more details 'while it was ongoing.'

It comes after an Uber driver refused to let a man's guide dog in his car and only changed his mind when a passerby intervened.

Footage, uploaded to Twitter on September 12, showed Stephen Anderson, who is visually impaired, asking the driver why he would not let his dog Barney (both pictured) in the car

Stephen Anderson was at Harrow on the Hill station in London with his guide dog Barney when he tried to get an Uber, only to be refused by the driver (pictured) because his dog was 'big'

Stephen Anderson, who is visually impaired, was at Harrow on the Hill station in London with his guide dog Barney when he tried to get an Uber, only to be refused by the driver.

The Uber driver said that he only allowed small dogs in his car and claimed Barney was too 'big', despite Mr Anderson's insistence that he was a guide dog.

Footage of the incident, uploaded to Twitter on September 12, showed Mr Anderson asking the driver why he would not let his dog in the car, despite being legally required to accept guide dogs.

Uber said in a statement that the driver's behaviour was 'totally unacceptable'.

Mr Anderson has reached out to Ms Edwards via Twitter.

He tweeted: 'We havent met but Im a guide dog owner too who regularly gets refused access, I always challenge them through the courts.

'Im disgusted by your refusal at Yo! Sushi.'

Ms Edwards replied: 'Thank you so much for your support. I was so distressed but because I was with my partner I had the confidence to challenge it this time.

'Im here for you too! We need to stand together against discrimination!'

Research from Guide Dogs showed that the places guide dog owners are most often refused access to are minicabs, taxis, restaurants and shops.

During a one-year period, 42 per cent of assistance dogs owners were refused entry to a taxi or minicab because of their dog, while 22 per cent said a minicab or taxi drove off without speaking to them, the research showed.

An Uber driver was convicted of breaching the Equality Act after he refused to give a ride to a blind man's guide dog at Watford junction station, Hertfordshire, in June 2019.
Police have issued an urgent plea to help find four children who have gone missing in London.

Detectives said they were searching for Tyler Jackman, 11, Zeah Jackman, seven, Marley Jackson, six and Zinayah Jackman, two.

Officers said the siblings were last seen leaving home in Islington, in the north of the capital, on September 16.

Police believe they are with their father Zion Jackman and their grandmother Una Dolan.

They added the family are understood to have strong ties to the West Midlands and Essex.

Detectives said they were searching for Tyler Jackman, 11, Zeah Jackman, seven, Marley Jackson, six and Zinayah Jackman, two (pictured)

Police believe they are with their father Zion Jackman and their grandmother Una Dolan (pictured)

Detective Inspector Ridley said: 'It is absolutely crucial that we ensure the welfare of these young children.

'If you have seen them since their disappearance or know of their current whereabouts it is imperative that you come forward and tell my investigation team.

'My key priority is guaranteeing the safety of the children. Robust action will be taken if we become aware of any person intentionally assisting or facilitating their continued disappearance.

'I would encourage any person who wishes to come forward anonymously to do so. I can assure you that all information provided will be immediately followed up.'

Anyone who sees the children should call 999. Anyone with other information on their whereabouts should call police on 101, or the Missing People charity on 116000, giving the reference number 21MIS027940.

Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at the Crimestoppers website.
A man who witnessed a domestic incident between van-life couple Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie claimed she was asking him 'why do you have to be so mean?' and that he may have been trying to leave without her.

The witness, who only went by the name Christopher, said he watched them argue over a phone in a statement filed on August 12 and added that 'something didn't seem right.'

Petito, 22, was found dead on Sunday, and on Tuesday a coroner confirmed her death was a homicide.

She had set out to travel with Laundrie in July, and the couple were journeying in their white Ford Transit van across the West - but were seen arguing in mid August.

Petito was last seen alive on August 24, and was reported missing on September 11. Laundrie returned home alone to Florida on September 1, and went missing on September 14. A manhunt is underway, with him being deemed officially a 'person of interest'.

Laundrie and Petito are seen in a photo dated July 29. The pair met at high school on Long Island, New York, and begun dating several years ago

A man who witnessed a domestic incident between van-life couple Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie said they were fighting over a phone and that he may have been trying to leave her

'I heard her say, 'Why do you have to be so mean?' the witness wrote, adding that 'something didn't seem write'

The witness statement suggested that things had become tense between Petito and Laundrie.

'They were talking aggressively [at] each other [and] something definitely seemed off,' the witness, identified only as Christopher in a statement obtained by Fox News, wrote. 'At one point, they were sort of fighting over a phone  I think the male took the female's phone. It appeared that he didn't want her in the white van.'

The man, who is believed to be Laundrie, then moved into the driver's seat with the woman, believed to be Petito, following him just outside the Moonflower co-op, a grocery store in Moab, utah.

'I heard her say, 'Why do you have to be so mean?' the witness wrote.

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito had been traveling since early July. Petito was reported missing on September 11, and on September 16 a fellow 'van life' traveler told the FBI she believed she had spotted Laundrie

He went on to write that at one point he saw Petito allegedly punch Laundrie in the arm and try to get inside the vehicle.

'From my point of view, something definitely didn't seem right,' he added. 'It was as if the guy was trying to leave her, and maybe take her phone? Not sure but wanted to help out.'

This comes as more people are speaking out and police recordings are being released from people who believed they came into contact with Petito and Laundrie.

A graphic designer who has spent the past four years living in her Airstream said that she she believes she led the FBI to Petito's body, after agents told her: 'you guys are the ones that really tipped us off to the right place'.

Jessica Schultz told law enforcement that she spotted Laundrie near the Spread Creek campsite in Wyoming on August 26, 27 and possibly 28.

'He was very kind of awkward and confused. And it was just him. There was no Gabby': Jessica Schultz describes on TikTok seeing Laundrie 'So I saw Brian Laundrie parking his van August 26 at Spread Creek. 'So I had already reported to the FBI what I had seen. 'And I wasn't 100 per cent sure, but now that there is dashcam footage of the van where I saw it, I'm 100 per cent certain that I did see him parking his van. 'And he was very kind of awkward and confused. And it was just him. There was no Gabby. 'But that's only because, as a van lifer, I was checking out their van and I was checking out to see if it was a couple or a solo dude. 'So it was a solo dude, as far as I could see. Unless she was in the back somewhere. But when I pulled up he was driving still and hadn't yet pulled over. 'So I was like, hey, what are you going to do? Are you going to let me pass because it's only one car width of a road. 'And he kind of pulled over like half way, and made me drive half out into the road to go around him. 'So I thought it was just really weird. And for a timeline, it was parked on the 26th, I believe.' 'Sorry my last video cut off. I guess I only get 60 seconds. 'It's probably a good thing as the FBI actually called me back. Not as a result of my TikTok. 'So a group of friends and I were camping at Spread Creek from the 22nd to the 29th. 'And in that time frame we all independently noticed that van parked there. And I noticed it particularly because I had seen that van trying to park. And also because it wasn't actually parked in a designated spot. 'The Spread Creek camping area is a series of designated spots and you're not supposed to camp outside those spots. 'This van was not in a real spot so I figured that he would get booted by the people who patrol the area. But the van was there for several days and nights and it did not get booted. The weirdest part was that there was no indication that there was anybody at the van. 'Usually small van people have their doors open, they're outside, they have a hammock, something. But we didn't see any signs of actual life at the van.' Advertisement

Schultz, 38, said that the publicity surrounding the missing New Yorker encouraged her to come forward, and she spoke to the FBI on September 16.

She said in a TikTok that she and a group of friends were camped at Spread Creek from August 22 to 29.

'In that time frame, we all independently noticed that van,' she said.

Schultz said that she noticed the van because it was trying to park, and blocking her way. She very clearly recalled seeing a man alone - who she now believes was Laundrie.

She said she was '100 per cent certain' that it was him.

'He was very... kind of awkward and confused,' she said on TikTok.

'It was just him, there was no Gabby.'

Schultz approached the van to see if the man wanted to join their group, but saw that he was much younger than them so decided against extending the invite.

'He was just acting weird,' she told The San Francisco Chronicle.

'You know, when you're out in the middle of nowhere, your hackles go up when you see something that's out of the ordinary.'

She added: 'I'm pretty sure he got out of the van to like look around or something.

'There's definitely nobody in that passenger seat; like he definitely doesn't have a girl in there.'

On August 27, Schultz saw the van again.

This time, she was traveling as a passenger in her friend's vehicle, and noticed that the van belonging to Petito and used by her and Laundrie was in the same area.

'I was like, 'Oh, that guy stayed the night,' Schultz recalled telling her friend.

She remembered it clearly, she said, because it was not a designated parking spot.

Schultz also believes she saw the van on August 28, because she recalled thinking it was surprising the owners had not been asked to move on to an actual parking place.

'The weirdest part of it was that there was no indication there was anybody at the van,' Schultz recounted on TikTok.

When footage of the missing couple began circulating, Schultz noticed the distinctive hat that was on the dashboard - which she had seen.

'My friend texted me a picture of the hat on the dashboard and I just lost my s***,' Schultz said.

'And that's when I called the FBI and said, 'Guys, look at Spread Creek.'

Lupe Alvarez, a friend of Schultz's who was camping at the site, said he and his partner first saw teams of police crews looking for Petito arrive on Friday evening.

On Saturday a forest ranger approached them as they were about to set off on a hike and asked them not to destroy any evidence.

'She told us, 'You've probably heard about the missing girl and the van,' Alvarez said.

Schultz said someone with the FBI called her and her friends back for an interview just before 10am on Sunday - before it was announced that Petito's remains had been found.

Schultz recalled that the FBI agent said: 'I've talked to hundreds of people, but you guys are the ones that really tipped us off to the right place, so thank you.'

A memorial of stones arranged in a cross pattern was spotted Monday evening at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campsite east of the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

The memorial is placed near to where authorities found Gabby Petito's body on Sunday

She added: 'We're triumphant  we were right and we led them in the right direction.

'But then, of course, it's not something you like to be right about. It's been emotionally exhausting for sure.'

A huge manhunt was launched on September 11 to find the missing woman, and police said that they eventually received more than 1,000 tips.

As of Tuesday, the hashtag #GabbyPetito has received more than 650 million views on the social media platform TikTok, according to the Associated Press.

Petito and Laundrie are seen at Monument Rocks in Utah in a post dated July 4

Petito and Laundrie had cultivated a following on social media as the traversed the West in their van, and fellow social media users jumped into the hunt for clues.

The van was spotted in footage made by YouTubers, a TikTok user said that she had given an 'antsy' Laundrie a lift when he was hitchhiking on August 29, and an Idaho woman who owns a shop in the town of Victor said that she had seen the pair around that time.

On Tuesday, a coroner in Wyoming has confirmed that a body found on Sunday is that of Petito, and that her death was a homicide.

Petito's case was added to the 'seeking information' site on Tuesday, with her described as 'homicide victim'

On Tuesday night TMZ reported that Laundrie is viewed by prosecutors as the prime suspect, but they are waiting to see if he is found alive, and if there is evidence that he killed her.

The search for Laundrie in the swampy 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve has ended for the night, police in Florida said on Tuesday evening - adding that they will resume on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the FBI in Denver tweeted: 'Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999.

A tearful Petito is seen in the back of the police car. Laundrie admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation and cops determine Petito was 'the primary aggressor'

Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'

'Coroner Blue's initial determination for the manner of death is homicide.

'The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.'

The FBI on Tuesday said that a forensic search of the camping area where her body was found had ended, and appealed for anyone who was in the area from August 27 to August 30 to contact them.

'We extend sincere condolences to Gabbys family, friends, and all the people whose lives she touched,' the FBI said in a statement.

They also added her to their 'seeking information' site, describing her as a 'homicide victim'.

Petito's case was being referred to as a criminal investigation for the first time on Tuesday.

'This is an FBI-led criminal investigation and North Port Police are assisting our federal partner in any way we can to bring this investigation to a close,' said Josh Taylor, a spokesperson for Florida's North Port Police Department, in a statement.

Laundrie's family said on Tuesday evening, through their lawyer: 'May Gabby Rest In Peace.'

Laundrie and Petito set off on their dream road trip from New York on July 2

The pair had been traveling on a cross-country trip together since July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11

The Petito family said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that they will speak publicly after her body is returned home.

Police were alerted on September 11 by Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt.

Laundrie's lawyer explains why he told his client not to speak to police about Petito's disappearance 'Many people are wondering why Mr. Laundrie would not make a statement or speak with law enforcement in the face of Ms. Petito's absence. 'In my experience, intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focus their attention on in cases like this and the warning that 'any statement made will be used against you' is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito's disappearance. 'As such, on the advice of counsel Mr. Laundrie is not speaking on the matter. 'I have been informed that the North Port, Florida police have named Brian Laundrie as a 'person of interest' in this matter. 'This formality has not really changed the circumstances of Mr. Laundrie being the focus of attention of law enforcement and Mr. Laundrie will continue to remain silent on the advice of counsel.' Advertisement

Schmidt said that she last spoke to her daughter on August 24.

She then received two text messages from her phone, but the wording sounded odd and she is unsure if Petito sent them.

The couple had been in contact with police shortly before she vanished.

On August 12, a passerby in Moab, Utah, called police after seeing a man and a woman in a blazing row, physically fighting each other.

In the audio, obtained by DailyMail.com, the male caller tells a Grant County sheriff that a 'gentleman' in a white van with a Florida license plate had slapped a girl in the vehicle before driving away.

A witness, known only as Christopher, wrote in his statement - obtained by Fox News - that 'they were talking aggressively [at] each other [and] something definitely seemed off.'

He added: 'At one point, they were sort of fighting over a phone  I think the male took the female's phone. It appeared that he didn't want her in the white van.

'I heard her say, 'Why do you have to be so mean?'

He said he saw Petito allegedly 'punching him in the arm' and trying to get inside the vehicle  which was registered in her name. She had been working as a pharmacy technician to save money for the four-month trip.

'From my point of view, something definitely didn't seem right,' Christopher wrote.

'It was as if the guy was trying to leave her, and maybe take her phone? Not sure but wanted to help out.'

Petito and Laundrie were both interviewed by police, and Petito said that Laundrie sometimes hit her.

Melissa Hulls, the visitor and resource protection supervisor at Arches National Park, told Petito that her relationship with Laundrie 'seemed toxic'.

Hulls told Deseret News: 'I was probably more candid with her than I should've been.

'I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship, asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life.

'She had a lot of anxiety about being away from him, I honestly thought if anything was going to change it would be after they got home to Florida.'

In the end, Petito stayed with Laundrie.

'This wasn't a good day for anybody. We thought we were making the right decision when we left them.'

Petito's body was located on Sunday at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area.

The camp site is on the edge of the Grand Teton national park, and has views of the stunning mountain range.

Campers are allowed to stay on the undeveloped site, in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Laundrie's whereabouts are now the subject of intense interest.

The photo image provided to police by Bass shows a man with a backpack as he is walking through the woods. The man appears to have the same physical features as Laundrie, including a slim build and a bald head

'I'm not saying this is the guy but whoever was on my trail camera this morning in Baker, Fl strongly fits the description of Brian Laundrie, authorities have been contacted but people in the North West Florida area be on the look out,' Bass wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday

Petito's family issued a withering statement through their lawyer, Richard Stafford, demanding Laundrie tell police what he knows.

'All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing,' they said on Friday.

In a letter, Petito's family implored Laundrie's parents on Thursday to tell them 'where Brian left Gabby.'

Stafford said on Thursday the family was 'devastated.'

The alleged sighting took place some 500 miles from Laundrie's North Port, Florida home. North Port Police on Tuesday resumed a search for Laundrie at the Carlton Reserve, a swampy region where he is last believed to have visited before his disappearance last week

Petito is the eldest of six children.

'They're at the point that desperation has turned to anger,' Stafford said during a news conference.

'They know that the Laundries know where their daughter is, and they will not tell them. That's infuriating.'

His car has been recovered, abandoned, from the Carlton Reserve in Sarasota County, Florida. The Mustang had a note on it asking for the car to be removed.

Brian Laundrie's father Christopher Laundrie made a rare foray into town on Tuesday, one day after the FBI raided the North Port, Florida home he shares with his wife Roberta

Police on Monday said they had 'exhausted all avenues in searching of the grounds there,' but are still looking for Laundrie.

Carlton Reserve is described by locals as swampy, alligator-filled, and full of snakes and mosquitoes.

Yet despite their statement suggesting the search was done, they continued to scour the area.

Laundrie, who was dressed in khaki shorts and a black top, strode out to his red Dodge Ram pick-up truck and drove past the police presence outside his home before returning 20 minutes later with half a gallon of milk

On Tuesday evening they tweeted: 'Search of the Carlton & nearby lands concluded for the evening. Nothing of note. The current plan is to return Wednesday with a similar operation.'

On Tuesday the teams were searching the Venice sector of the reserve. It was unclear why they chose that particular site to hone in on.

Police were also investigating a possible sighting of him on Tuesday, after someone baring a resemblance was spotted in a wooded area 500 miles from his Florida home.

Sam Bass told police that he spotted a man while he set up his deer camera in the wilderness in Baker, Florida in Okaloosa County early on Monday morning.

Memorials for Petito have been set up across the country

But the local sheriff's office said that it followed up on the report and 'no one - and nothing - of note was located.'

'The OCSO did its due diligence in response to this report and is wrapping up an extensive search that took place in this area to include nearby farmlands,' the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.

'No one - and nothing - of note was located. The individual referenced in the post below has no known ties to our area.'

The photo image provided to police by Bass shows a man with a backpack as he is walking through the woods in the Florida Panhandle.

The man appears to have the same physical features as Laundrie, including a slim build and a bald head.

Investigators in New York, Florida and Wyoming have continued the search.

More than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies led by the FBI are using huge swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s and drones as they ramp up efforts to track down the 23-year-old.

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, announced that at the request of local law enforcement, he had 'directed all state agencies under my purview to continue to assist federal & local enforcement as they continue to search - we need justice for Gabby'.

Police in North Port, Florida - who are facing criticism for allowing Laundrie to disappear - issued a statement last week defending themselves.

'We understand the community's frustration. We are frustrated too,' the department said in a tweet.

PICTURED: Inside Brian Laundrie's bedroom where a gun appears to hang on the wall Pictures of Laundrie's bedroom show what appears to be a gun hanging from a bookcase, as well as a disturbing poster of dark figures with hammers and spheres violently attacking each other Photos from a realty website have revealed the inside of the modest three-bedroom, two-bathroom home where Brian Laundrie lived in with his parents in North Port, Florida, as the manhunt for the 'person of interest' in his fiancee's homicide continues. The images show what appears to be a gun hanging from a bookcase in Laundrie's bedroom, as well as a disturbing poster of dark figures with hammers and spheres violently attacking each other. The pictures were taken in 2017 and were first obtained by the New York Post. Also visible is a Darth Vader helmet on a book shelf, and a collection of Watchmen books. Watchmen is a series of graphic novels set in an alternative universe in which 'the mere presence of American superheroes changed history: The U.S. won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president and the Cold War is in full effect,' according to its description from DC Comics. Laundrie, 23, an apparently avid reader, was previously seen in a video uploaded to his and Gabby Petito's YouTube page reading what appears to be Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation, a 2014 novel about four females who venture into Area X, where three die and a fourth disappears permanently. Advertisement

'For six days, the North Port police department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's fiancee Gabby Petito.

'Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail.

'It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime. We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing persons investigation.'

John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted, told CNN on Tuesday he wanted to know whether Laundrie was ever inside his parents' house, and asking whether it was possible that the Carlton Reserve story was all part of an elaborate plot to allow the 23-year-old to escape.

Laundrie's father Christopher Laundrie broke cover for the first time Tuesday - but refused to answer questions about his missing son.

The 62-year-old is seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos walking out onto his driveway around 3pm, a day after the FBI raid on the North Port, Florida home he shares with wife Roberta, 55.

Dressed in khaki shorts and a black top, Laundrie strode out to his red Dodge Ram pick-up truck and drove past the continued police presence outside his home.

He returned 20 minutes later with half a gallon of milk and quickly disappeared back into the house.

The Laundrie residence has become somewhat of a media circus.

Christopher and Roberta Laundrie told police on September 17 that their son had told them three days earlier he was going for a hike, and never returned.

In the early days of the investigation, they refused to speak to investigators and their son hired a lawyer.

The attorney, Steven Bertolino, was planning to hold a press conference from Long Island, New York, at 1 pm. on Tuesday.

He canceled the press conference on Monday night after discussions with the FBI.

On Tuesday photos obtained by The New York Post showed the inside of Laundrie's bedroom.

The wanted man appeared to have a gun in his bedroom, and displayed a poster of dark figures with hammers and spheres violently attacking other.

The three bedroom, two bath 1,448 square feet home has belonged to the family since 2015, and comes with a small pool in the backyard.

The family, which has a history of buying and selling properties, bought the home for $120,000 and two years later attempted to list it for $215,000, with a price reduction a month later.

The Laundries took the home back off the market shortly after, in January 2018, the paper said.
People dressed as clowns were seen loitering around primary schools in Singapore and asking children to 'follow them' as part of a failed marketing stunt which sparked panic among parents.

One man wearing clown makeup and a hat was spotted staring at school children outside a number of schools, sparking a flurry of messages between worried parents.

The clowns were part of a bizarre marketing stunt by educational consultant Speech Academy Asia to promote their courses. The company has since apologised to parents for the 'cause of concern over the safety of your children'.

The commotion led school principle of Tao Nan School, Mdm Poh Qinyu, to issue a warning to parents to remind their children 'not to be lured by any strangers' and for them to report any suspicious behaviour to the school and police.

One man wearing clown makeup and a hat was spotted staring at school children outside a number of schools in Singapore as part of a failed marketing stunt

The commotion led school principle of Tao Nan School, Mdm Poh Qinyu, to issue a warning to parents to remind their children 'not to be lured by any strangers' and for them to report any suspicious behaviour to the school and police

Mother Lene Wong panicked when she arrived to pick up her daughter Anne from primary school and couldn't find her.

She instinctively checked her phone and saw a stream of social media posts from other parents showing pictures of men dressed up as clowns approaching children in uniform.

Wong told Vice News: 'I was held up due to traffic and my mind started racing when I didn't see Anne waiting for me,' adding that she then found all of the alarming messages about the clowns, with some parents alleging that some has 'paid' the children to follow them.

'Clowns are terrifying, even to adults,' Wong said. 'This is any parent's worst fear. What if they turned out to be psychopaths and murderers wanting to harm children?'

Singapore police told The Straits Times that they had received multiple reports of people dressed as clowns who were approaching children at various primary schools.

Parents were left furious and said the stunt was done in 'bad taste' after a rare violent incident as a Singapore school in July in which a 13-year-old was allegedly murdered by another student with an axe.

Wong, who was reunited with her daughter after she was held indoors by teachers amid the confusion, said: 'It was a foolhardy stunt that was done in such bad taste, especially considering that many parents and students in Singapore are grieving the events of the axe killing.

'Who in the world would think hiring men dressed up as clowns to confront children would be a good idea?'

The clowns were also seen outside Angsana Primary School and Temasek Primary School and they were reported to the police while parents were warned by the schools.

The clowns were also seen outside Angsana Primary School and Temasek Primary School (file photo) and they were reported to the police while parents were warned by the schools

A parent, identified only as Madam Shawalati, 36, told the newspaper that when she picked her daughter up from Angsana Primary School, the child was asking why there were clowns outside.

Madam Shawalati said the man as wearing a plastic clown mask with a red nose and lips as well as grey contact lenses.

The clown persuaded the mother to register her daughter for a speech class at Speech Academy Asia.

Madam Shawalati said: 'Since it is a marketing thing, I understand that it is important to stand out. All eyes were on him.

'But the way they dressed make them a red flag and it will alarm kids.'

Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin posted a photo of one of the men dressed as clowns in Bedok South and slammed the stunt as 'plain dangerous'.

He said: 'Whoever is doing what I assume to be some viral marketing nonsense, stop it!

'People dressed as clowns have been seen loitering around primary schools asking students to follow them. Please remind your children, DO NOT follow them and to report to the police.

'I trust the Police are investigating this. It's not amusing and just plain dangerous.'

The clowns were part of a bizarre marketing stunt by educational consultant Speech Academy Asia to promote their courses. The company has since apologised to parents for the 'cause of concern over the safety of your children'

Mr Kelvin Tan, the director of Speech Academy Asia, told The Straits Times that its marketing team had been sent to the west and east of Singapore to promote their courses on speech.

'There was no evil intention behind the costumes and we sincerely apologise for it,' Tan said.

'We will not do it again.'

In an additional statement posted on Facebook, Speech Academy Asia said: 'With reference to the news spreading online, of a promoter clad in a clown costume spotted outside various primary schools, posted on 20 September 2021, we would like to extend our sincere apologies for the cause of concern over the safety of your children.

'We would like to clarify that; although indeed, the promoter is an employee of Speech Academy Asia, our team do not offer any form of monetary rewards for children to follow them. Additionally, our promoters strictly do not take any children out of the vicinity.'

A police spokesperson said: 'Members of the public are advised to stay away from strangers and to report any suspicious persons or activities to the police.'
President Biden's approval rating in the key battleground of Iowa has plunged to 31 per cent, according to a recent poll.

Data published by the Des Moines Register yesterday found that the proportion of people who support the President in Iowa had tumbled by 12 per cent in the last three months.

While his disapproval rating in the state has also seen continued growth, rising to 62 per cent - up 10 per cent on three months before.

Iowa has always been a hotly contested swing state, though the Republican party has seen greater success in recent years.

President Biden's approval rating in the key battleground of Iowa has plunged to 31 per cent, according to a recent poll by the Des Moines Register

President Obama secured the state during his campaigns in 2008 and 2012.

However, President Trump secured the state during his presidential run in 2016 before holding the state against Biden last year.

Speaking about the results in the recent poll, J. Ann Selzer, who ran the data collection, said: 'This is a bad poll for Joe Biden, and it's playing out in everything that he touches right now.'

According to the Des Moines Register poll, President Biden has not seen a positive return in the state since March this year when his approval rating was 47 per cent.

Having broken down their data, the Register shows that among Republican voters, Biden's approval rating stands at four per cent.

Data published by the Des Moines Register yesterday found that the proportion of people who support the President in Iowa had tumbled by 12 per cent in the last three months

While amongst Democrat voters it stands at 86 per cent.

Compared to his predecessors, Biden's approval rating is below average, with the President now sitting below Trump's lowest ever polling in the state.

Though he still comfortably ahead of George W. Bush's position in 2008, who polled at 25 per cent.

Biden's latest approval ratings in Iowa reflect the state's attitude towards his handling of both the Afghanistan and Covid-19 pandemic.

The poll found that just 22 per cent of Iowa residents believe Biden handled the evacuation of Afghanistan effectively.

Biden's latest approval ratings in Iowa reflect the state's attitude towards his handling of both the Afghanistan and Covid-19 pandemic

And approval of his Covid policy has also dipped in the state to just 36 per cent - a decline of 17 points since June.

It comes after a recent Fox News poll released on Sunday showed that 54 per cent of registered voters think that the country has become more divided since Biden took office on and 37 per cent say the country has become 'more united.'

Only 7 per cent of 1,002 respondents believe there has been no change from when Donald Trump was in the White House and after Biden took over  and 3 per cent say they don't know.

Biden used the word 'unity' eight times in his inauguration speech and vowed to bring the country together and close the divisions in society that Democrats claim were created by Trump when he was president.

The question in the poll comes as Biden faces a slew of criticism on several fronts, like his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, the raging southern border crisis and his failure to get booster shots approved by mid-September like previously promised.

While American voters are not impressed with Biden's follow through on unity, a simple majority feel he cares about 'people like you.' That number, however, is slipping from 56 per cent in October 2020 to 51 per cent now.

This shift, according to the Fox survey, is mostly attributed to a 15-point dip among independent voters.

When it comes to different issues, Biden ranks most high for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic with an approval of 55 per cent to 44 per cent disapproval  a largely unchanged figure from the same poll question in August.
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An irate eco-warrior stormed off national television today after being challenged on his group's disruptive M25 protests.

Insulate Britain ringleader Liam Norton walked off Good Morning Britain mid-debate following a fiery clash with presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.

The electrician, whose eco-mob are demanding the Government pay to insulate social housing, was irked after being called out on claims his own home is not properly insulated.

His London home - which is owned by a housing association - is single-glazed, has no cavity wall insulation and uses gas central heating, energy efficiency reports show.

Norton was also quizzed on the tactics of his eco-mob, who have caused chaos for tens of thousands of motorists on the M25 with five protests over the last nine days.

Among those caught up in the protest was an insulation fitter who yesterday demanded - 'let me get on with my job'.

Meanwhile, a heartbroken son earlier this week claimed his mother suffered a stroke while caught up in six hour delays caused by the group and was now been paralysed.

Asked how if he had lost sleep about the incident, Norton replied: 'Yes'. But asked why the group continued, even at the risk of people's lives, he said: 'The future of this country is at stake.'

The eco-zealot was also asked if he was worried about members of his own group potentially being killed while protesting on the M25 - after road safety chiefs slammed demonstrators who ran into moving rush hour traffic on the motorway on Tuesday morning.

Asked what he thought about the idea of a motorist hitting and possibly killing one of the group's members, he Norton replied: 'It's terrible isn't it'.

But as the debate raged Norton became visibly frustrated, before eventually standing up and walking off the set.

As he left, Madeley let out a sarcastic 'Bye,' before going on to mock Norton's comparison of the group's support to that of Winston Churchill prior to the Second World War.

This morning's row comes as Grant Shapps and Priti Patel were granted an injunction against the eco-zealots, having come under mounting pressure to end the chaos.

The injunction means the protesters could be immediately detained - for contempt of court - if they breach the injunction. However it only covers the M25, meaning protesters could, in theory, move their demonstrations elsewhere.

It comes as Boris Johnson earlier this week described the group's protesters as counter productive saying: 'I don't think these people do any favours to their cause. I think that what they do is detract from a very important moral mission that is widely shared by the people of this country.'

Meanwhile, Tory MP Ian Liddell-Grainger today slammed Norton, telling MailOnline: He walked off because he was questioned about his own beliefs. As an MP you do get challenged on your opinions because you put yourself in the public sphere.

'These people put themselves in the public eye by running onto a motorway, but the moment they are questioned on what they believe they cant take it. They fall like a pack of cards.

On claims that Norton had failed to insulate his own home, he added: Hes a hypocrite. Its the mentality of these people, you see it time and time again. It was the same with the Extinction Rebellion leader who was driving a diesel car.

The electrician, whose eco-mob are demanding the Government pay to insulate social housing, was irked after he was called out on claims his own home is not properly insulated

Insulate Britain ringleader Liam Norton walked off Good Morning Britain mid-debate after a fiery clash with presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.

Norton clashed with Susanna Reid over the group's methods, which have come under fire from ministers, MPs, police chiefs and road safety groups for potentially putting lives at risk

Norton walks of Good Morning Britain after clashing with Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid clash over Insulate Britain's protest

Insulate Britain chiefs say protests could still continue despite injunction Insulate Britain chiefs have suggested protests could continue despite the Government getting an injunction against the group. Grant Shapps revealed a judge granted the legal remedy last night following a week of chaos on major highways. The Transport Secretary said the anarchists will face contempt of court and potentially be locked up if they continue their antics. Insulate Britain spokeswoman Zoe Cohen was asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme if the injunction will stop the protests from taking place. She replied: 'The people taking part in these actions understand that the risks they are taking are because that we have tried everything else to make the Government protect us from the predicted impacts of climate chaos. 'That involves the loss of all that we cherish, our society, our way of life and law and order. 'We're calling for the installation and whole house retrofitting of social housing by 2025 and all homes by 2030, because this is the most effective way to reduce emissions, save lives from fuel poverty.' Assistant Chief Constable Chris Noble, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for policing protests, told the programme: 'Police aren't anti-protest but we are pro-responsibility. 'This is not a benign supermarket car park that this is taking place on. 'Probably the people most likely to come to harm at the moment is probably initially police officers who are having to run across motorways to try and remove protesters as well as ironically keep them safe from themselves.' Advertisement

Norton, an electrician, is one of the leading figures in Insulate Britain - an Extinction Rebellion off-shoot campaigning the Government to reduce home heating emissions to zero.

The group have infuriated motorists by blocking the M25 on five occasions in a bid to put pressure on the Government to pay for all social housing to be fully insulated.

However it was revealed last week that Norton's own property is not insulated. Norton's property is owned by a housing association.

Asked why he had not insulated the property himself, he said: 'Whether or not my home is insulated doesn't change the fact that millions of people's homes are not insulated.'

His response sparked a bemused Susannah Reid, to ask: 'So you are saying you would risk your life, your life, for Insulate Britain, but you aren't going to insulate your own home?'

But Norton replied: 'What we are talking about is the future of our country. Our country is going to be destroyed if we don't get this sorted out.'

Asked again why he had not insulated his home. He replied: 'You know insulation costs thousands, tens of thousands.'

Asked if he could not afford this, Norton said: 'No, what I'm saying is millions of people around the country cannot afford to do it.'

Norton also clashed with Reid over the group's methods, which have come under fire from ministers, MPs, police chiefs and road safety groups for potentially putting lives at risk.

She asked the eco-warrior: 'I don't understand how this helps your cause?'

Norton replied: 'You're an intelligent jouno you haven't understood what I said last week..If you understood it you might start to understand that a bit more.

Reid said: 'Stop patronising me. I am asking how you are helping your cause. I'm extremely worried about what is now happening. . I wonder whether what's happened has backfired on you?

'You could have raised attention of this issue without risking lives.

But Norton said: 'Your worry doesn't affect what we do in terms of climate change. Worry doesn't do anything.'

As the debate raged on Norton then clashed with Richard Madeley. The presenter said he agreed with the eco-mobs aims, but accused the group's protests of having potentially 'fatal consequences'.

Then, in a bizarre twist, Norton compared the group to Winston Churchill and his support in the the 1930s.

He said: 'In 1937, do you know how many MPs support Churchill when he was trying to fight Hitler? Six MPs. Six MPs supported him. And Churchill was right.'

Eco-warrior Liam Norton's London home is single-glazed, has no cavity wall insulation and uses gas central heating

A bemused Madeley replied: 'You are comparing yourself to Winston Churchill?'

Norton, raising his voice, said: 'No I'm putting myself into a historical situation, that the not always the public are always with you, but you are still right.

'We are right now. This is about what is right and what is wrong and we are talking about the future of our country and the destruction of our economy.'

As the debate raged on, Norton then stood up and walked out, with Madeley saying: 'So ladies and gentleman, we now know these protesters are following in the footsteps of Winston Churchill.

'That's the level of debate that they are able to bring to the table. They actually compare themselves to the stand Winston Churchill took against Hitler. What do we make of that intellectual stupidity?'

Road to nowhere: Liam Norton ringleader of the eco-mob Insulate Britain - who have repeatedly blocked the M25 - storms off the Good Morning Britain set after a fiery debate with presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley

Norton also clashed with Reid over the group's methods, which have come under fire from ministers, MPs, police chiefs and road safety groups for potentially putting lives at risk. Pictured: Norton in 2017 is led away by police after gluing himself to a desk in court

It comes as it was today revealed that several members of eco-mob Insulate Britain have attended multiple road-blocking demonstrations on the M25 - despite police vowing to get tough on protesters.

Pictures show how some eco-zealots from the group - who are demanding the Government pay for insulation in social housing - have attended at least three of the five protests carried out by the group over the past nine days.

One repeat protester is retired reverend Mark Coleman, 61, who stepped down as vicar and borough dean of Rochdale last year.

Mr Coleman, who is said to have joined climate change group Extinction Rebellion in 2015 after the Rochdale floods, has been spotted at three protests.

He was seen at the first, on Monday 13, before returning to protest on Wednesday, 15.

Mr Coleman, who made headlines earlier this year when he vandalised Heywood and Middleton MP Chris Clarkson's constituency office staging a two-hour sit in, was also involved in yesterday's Insulate Britain protest at junction 10.

One former parishioner told MailOnline that Mr Coleman, a father-of-two, believed he was 'acting on God's will' by protesting.

Speaking of her former vicar, she said: 'He used to say it was God's will for him to help save the planet, and it was up to us all to do our bit. I knew he was serious about saving the planet but have not seen him since he retired.'

One repeat protester is retired reverend Mark Coleman, who stepped down as vicar and borough dean of Rochdale last year. He was seen at the first, on Monday 13, before returning to protest on Wednesday, 15. Mr Coleman was also involved in yesterday's Insulate Britain protest at junction 10.

The same activist seen at protests on three separate days on the M25 over the last week

The same activist seen at protests on three separate days on the M25 over the last week

The same activist seen at protests on two separate days on the M25 over the last week

The same activist seen at protests on two separate days on the M25 over the last week

Reverend Sue Parfitt returned to the protests yesterday, after being spotted protesting with Insulate Britain during their first protest on September 13. Pictured left: Rev Parfitt yesterday and right: On September 13

Corbynista Steve Gower was back among the protesters on the M25 today. The 54-year-old is one of the ringleaders of Insulate Britain

Do YOU know who the climate 'anarchists' blocking the M25 are? Email tips@dailymail.com or james.robinson@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

Other protesters, who have not yet been identified, have also been seen on at least three occasions, while others have been seen on at least two occasions.

Reverend Sue Parfitt was back among the protesters on the M25 yesterday. The retired family therapist, 79, from Bristol was spotted being led away by police with blue paint on her hands.

Ms Parfitt, who was once arrested as part of the 2019 Extinction Rebellion protest in London, was seen at Insulate Britain's first M25 protest on September 13.

Corbynista Steve Gower was also back among the protesters on the M25 on Tuesday. The 54-year-old is one of the ringleaders and a spokesman of Insulate Britain.

The group yesterday sparked fury by running out into flowing traffic on the M25 near junction 10 for Woking yesterday.

After the group boasted that: 'Some new people joined the protest this morning along with some who have participated in all five actions to date.'

Government gets an INJUNCTION against M25 eco-anarchists: Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says activists who return to motorway will go to JAIL

By James Gant for MailOnline

What does injunction mean? Legal remedy can stop activists...but there are loopholes What is the injunction? The High Court order, which officially came into force this morning, prohibits protesters from 'blocking, endangering, slowing down, preventing, or obstructing traffic on the M25'. The National Highways won the legal remedy from the High Court last night. The order includes verges, central reservation, on- and off-slip roads, overbridges and underbridges including the Dartford Crossing and Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. It remains in place until 21 March 2022. How will activists be punished? Anyone from the group who tries to protest on the M25 will be in contempt of court and at risk of prison, and an unlimited fine. What happens next? Mr Justice Lavender, who granted the injunction, said there will be a further hearing on October 5 at 10.30am. National Highways intends to return to court to extend the injunction and potentially seek additional powers of arrest. What are the loopholes? It is only in place for the M25, meaning protesters could get around it by taking their disruptive actions to a different road. Last week the group targeted the A3 and the A10 in Hertfordshire. Advertisement

The government has been granted an injunction against eco-zealots who have repeatedly blocked the M25.

Grant Shapps revealed a judge granted the legal remedy last night following a week of chaos on major highways.

The Transport Secretary said the anarchists will face contempt of court and potentially be locked up if they continue their antics.

Home Secretary Priti Patel hailed the 'important' move and said it will mean 'people can get moving' on the busy road again.

It comes after the two Cabinet ministers vowed to crack down on the activists - who are from Extinction Rebellion splinter group Insulate Britain.

Mr Shapps and Ms Patel were said to be 'furious' at the protesters, whose latest antics saw them run in front of traffic during yesterday morning's rush hour.

Meanwhile it can be revealed several members of the eco-mob have attended multiple road-blockings on the M25 - despite police vowing to get tough on them.

Pictures show some eco-zealots - who want Boris Johnson to pay for insulation in social housing - attended at least three of the five protests in the past nine days.

Announcing the injunction via Twitter this morning, Mr Shapps said: 'Invading a motorway is reckless & puts lives at risk.

'I asked National Highways to seek an injunction against M25 protestors which a judge granted last night.

'Effective later today, activists will face contempt of court with possible imprisonment if they flout.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the 'important injunction' would mean 'people can get moving again' on the M25.

She added: 'We will not tolerate lives being put at risk. Those who continue to do so risk imprisonment.'

The two Cabinet minister last night vowed to get tough with the protesters, revealing in the Daily Mail they had instructed officials to seek an injunction.

Home Secretary Miss Patel and Transport Secretary Mr Shapps condemned the 'arrogant' protesters and promised decisive action to stop them.

The injunction was sought by National Highways in the High Court. It means protesters will face arrest and a potential instant jail term for contempt of court.

The legal case is likely to focus on the danger to road users.

The government has been granted an injunction against eco zealots who blocked the M25

The Transport Secretary said the anarchists (pictured in Surrey yesterday) will face contempt of court and potentially be locked up if they continue their antics

Priti Patel (pictured in the Commons on Tuesday) and Grant Shapps instructed officials to seek an injunction against Insulate Britain

A source said: 'Priti and Grant are furious that the lives of the law-abiding majority are continuing to be disrupted by the actions of an extreme minority.'

'They 100 per cent back National Highways to take legal action against these individuals to ensure those who the police arrest are not released on bail and able to return to disrupting and endangering people's lives in this way.'

Activists were filmed making a death-defying dash on to the M25 just before 8am yesterday near Cobham in Surrey. Drivers were forced to slam on their brakes.

Some of the hardliners have been arrested five times over the past ten days, only to be released to return to block the motorway again.

Dr Bing Jones, who has been detained by police four times, told the BBC: 'I accept that I put my life at risk. I don't really accept that we have put other lives at risk.

'The disruption weighs heavily on me but it is necessary. Insulating houses is by far the most cost-effective means of reducing carbon emissions within the UK and it could bring millions of people out of fuel poverty.'

Senior police officers said the risk to motorists was now 'very high'  yet the four forces dealing with the protests have charged only one activist.

Surrey Police said it first received a call at 7.57am yesterday and arrived on the scene in three minutes.

The protesters held up banners saying 'Insulate Britain' and poured blue paint on the road before they were dragged away by officers.

By 8.17am both carriageways were cleared and open, with 38 arrests being made.

Among those involved was Sue Parfitt, 79, a retired vicar who had already been arrested at least once.

An Insulate Britain spokesman said the group was aware of only one activist in custody  possibly over a breach of bail  and said no charges had been brought.

They said the rise in gas prices 'increased the urgency' for change and the group would end its campaign in exchange for a 'meaningful commitment' to its demands for improved insulation in UK homes.

Chief Superintendent Jerry Westerman of Surrey Police said the group had become 'reckless' and 'a change from what we have seen recently'.

While it is not possible to remand people in custody for obstructing the highway, he said the force was willing to 'use any kind of option to prevent crime happening'.

Other activists have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, public nuisance and causing danger to road users.

'If we can find ways in the existing legal framework to prevent people coming back and repeatedly offending, we will absolutely use it, that is our aim, but there are some constraints,' Mr Westerman added.

'But we are looking at all of our options, and there may be some other things in the coming days and weeks that we are able to do that helps us in our in achieving our objectives.'

His colleague Chief Inspector Mike Hodder added that the 'risk is very high when you are messing around on a motorway'.

A spokesman for the Met Police said: 'Those arrested have been released under investigation whilst the crime team fully investigate all lines of inquiry.'

A Surrey Police spokesman confirmed no one had been charged over the protests.

Hertfordshire Police said it had made no charges but added 32 people had been issued with community protection notices, which can lead to fines if not breached.

Kent Police said Alexander Rodger, 31, from Brighton, had been charged with criminal damage.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: 'Offences committed at a protest are often summary only and if the police have sufficient evidence they can charge those themselves without the need to come to us.'

The activists are treated individually and the offences for which each can be held are relatively minor and in most cases do not carry a custodial sentence.

This means that  even if they are charged  they will not be remanded in custody.

We WILL use jail to end this motorway chaos: The protesters have broken the law and alienated the public, the Government will giving police powers to stop such guerrilla tactics, say PRITI PATEL and GRANT SHAPPS

Every year, millions of people join legal, peaceful demonstrations in this country to promote a cause they believe in, without harming the public or the environment around them. They have a right to do so.

But the Insulate Britain activists who have brought large sections of the M25 to a standstill in recent weeks have achieved the precise opposite.

They have broken the law, undermined the cause they believe in, alienated the public, and created extra pollution, in one of the most self-defeating environmental protests this country has ever seen, particularly as we all strive so hard to rebuild after 18 months of the pandemic.

Insulate Britain activists have broken the law, undermined the cause they believe in, alienated the public, and created extra pollution, in one of the most self-defeating environmental protests this country has ever seen, writes PRITI PATEL (pictured)

Punishing motorists to make a point about home insulation makes absolutely no sense at all, writes GRANT SHAPPS (pictured)

Transport is so crucial to that recovery. With every day that passes, our roads and railways are helping more businesses to grow, and more people to find jobs.

Punishing motorists to make a point about home insulation makes absolutely no sense at all.

As one van driver caught up in the chaos told a protester: 'You are making people hate you.'

The police have our full support to take decisive action and we're working with National Highways to take legal action against the protesters to ensure they cannot keep disrupting and endangering people's lives in this way.

We are giving them powers to better manage such guerrilla tactics in future.

In the medium-term, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will put public nuisance on a statutory footing, ensuring there are appropriate sentences for the harm caused.

People will continue to be able to make their voices heard without disrupting the lives of others. Even before the most recent demonstrations, the Metropolitan Police said that the actions of Extinction Rebellion  of which Insulate Britain is an offshoot  had cost the UK taxpayer a staggering 50million.

The events of recent weeks  including the cleaning of blue paint which protesters pointlessly poured on to the road  will add to that already significant drain on public funds.

It is also ironic that many of the cars that have been caught up in the queues and congestion around the M25 are electric, with zero carbon emissions.

There are now over half a million such cars in the UK, benefitting from one of the largest rapid charging networks in Europe.

Police arrive on the scene as protesters from the Insulate Britain pressure group block a roundabout near Stansted Airport last week

While Insulate Britain inflicts misery in its campaign of gesture politics, this government is getting on with the job of decarbonising our transport system by 2050.

Thousands of new charge points will encourage motorists to go electric in the coming decade as we phase out diesel and petrol. It is changes like this that make the difference, not posturing by a tiny minority who are arrogant enough to believe only they care about climate change.

We all agree that climate change must be tackled. But this sort of behaviour achieves nothing.

It puts drivers at risk  and idling cars actually increase pollution. While this group of eco-warriors parade for the cameras, we are getting on with the job of delivering our ambitious targets.

We will not stand by and allow a small minority of selfish demonstrators to cause massive and dangerous disruption to the lives of the hard-working majority.
A British Airways plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Uzbekistan today after a female passenger became ill on board.

The woman, aged 83, was reported to have died soon after arrival in the capital, Tashkent.

Flight BA260 departed from Islamabad, Pakistan at 00:38 on Wednesday and was scheduled to fly into London Heathrow.

However, the Boeing 777 made its emergency landing two hours and 50 minutes into the flight, Uzbek media reported.

Other passengers were taken off the plane and were reported to be waiting at the terminal in the former Soviet state, which borders Afghanistan.

'We're very sorry, this flight scheduled from Islamabad to London has been diverted to Tashkent,' a message carried by the BA flight tracker read.

A British Airways plane due to fly from Islamabad to London Heathrow was forced to make an emergency landing in Uzbekistan today after a female passenger became ill on board

The flight (pictured) is due to continue onto London after formalities have been completed in Uzbekistan

The flight is due to continue onto London after formalities have been completed in Uzbekistan.

The identity or nationality of the woman has not been made public.

An airport official told Russia's TASS news agency that the passenger had 'felt bad and the captain made the decision to make an emergency landing in Tashkent'.

'Immediately afterwards the passenger died,' the official, who was not named, is reported to have said.

'The airport administration does not yet know when the paperwork required in such cases will be completed and the aircraft will fly to its destination'.

The flight was further delayed after a 'technical problem' emerged as the flight was being refuelled, according to the Uzbek media.

Special dispensation had to be given for a local engineer to fix a malfunctioning pump on the Boeing 777, an aircraft not normally seen in Tashkent.

After the repairs, the crew's hours had expired and they were ordered to rest before being given the go-ahead to continue the interrupted flight.
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What does injunction mean? Legal remedy can stop activists but there are loopholes What is the injunction? The High Court order, which officially came into force this morning, prohibits protesters from 'blocking, endangering, slowing down, preventing, or obstructing traffic on the M25'. The National Highways won the legal remedy from the High Court last night. The order includes verges, central reservation, on- and off-slip roads, overbridges and underbridges including the Dartford Crossing and Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. It remains in place until 21 March 2022. How will activists be punished? Anyone from the group who tries to protest on the M25 will be in contempt of court and at risk of prison, and an unlimited fine. What happens next? Mr Justice Lavender, who granted the injunction, said there will be a further hearing on October 5 at 10.30am. National Highways intends to return to court to extend the injunction and potentially seek additional powers of arrest. What are the loopholes? It is only in place for the M25, meaning protesters could get around it by taking their disruptive actions to a different road. Last week the group targeted the A3 and the A10 in Hertfordshire. Advertisement

Eco-zealots from Insulate Britain have thwarted an injunction that could see them chucked in jail by descending on the Home Office.

Activists descended on the government building in Marsham Street, central London, where they blocked the road, lit a fire and burned documents including their bail release papers  acts that dodge the court order which only covers the M25.

The group, including many who have been seen at multiple demos in the last week, sat brandishing homemade signs with messages such as: 'Please act now.'

Others brazenly gave their names and jobs as Xavier Gonzalez, a trimmer, Janine Eagling, a bike instructor, and Stefania Morosi, a yoga teacher.

It comes after Grant Shapps revealed a judge granted the injunction last night following a week of chaos on major highways.

The Transport Secretary said the anarchists will face contempt of court and potentially be locked up if they continue their antics.

Home Secretary Priti Patel hailed the 'important' move and said it will mean 'people can get moving' on the busy road again.

Mr Shapps and Ms Patel had earlier vowed to crack down on the Extinction Rebellion splinter group and were said to be 'furious' at the protesters.

But the limited scope of the injunction was quickly realised by the eco-warriors as they simply moved to other roads the order does not cover.

A spokesman for the group said: 'We have to move quickly. What we do, I believe, in the next three to four years will determine the future of humanity.

'For ten days now, campaigners from Insulate Britain have been blocking motorways to urge our government to make a meaningful statement we can all trust on insulating and retrofitting the houses of this country.

'Doing anything less would be a betrayal of any UK government's first duty: to protect the British people. We urge you to ensure this meaningful statement is made swiftly so ordinary people can stop blocking roads.

'But, if you believe, as you say, that our acts are outrageous and illegal, and if you believe there is no right of necessity for citizens to cause disruption to prevent the infinitely greater threat of destruction to our economy and way of life, then you have a duty to act decisively.

'The offence of creating a public nuisance is already there to be used, you didn't need an injunction. Take us to court, charge us, and put us in prison.'

He added: 'Alternatively, if you think we have a case, you have a responsibility to the country to at least meet and talk with us.

'And you will find we are entirely reasonable in our demands which will save the lives of 8500 from fuel poverty this winter. We want to stop the roadblocks as much as you.

'The climate crisis is the biggest threat to Britain in its long history. It requires decisive action. The country is waiting to see if you have what it takes.'

Activists blocked off a road, lit a fire and burned documents in the central London street - which dodges the court order that only covers the M25. Left: An activist at the Home Office today. Right: The same one on the M25 yesterday

It comes after Grant Shapps revealed a judge granted the injunction last night following a week of chaos on major highways. Pictured: A protester seen today (left) and on the M25 (right)

Announcing the injunction via Twitter this morning, Mr Shapps said: 'Invading a motorway is reckless and puts lives at risk.' Pictured: The same protester today (left) and on the M25 (right)

One man brags about being arrested four times for 'mourning for life on Earth' today (left, having also appeared last week (right)

Insulate Britain indicated that they will continue blocking the M25 despite the injunction. It said in a statement earlier today that 'right now our campaign goes on'

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the 'important injunction' would mean 'people can get moving again' on the M25. She added: 'We will not tolerate lives being put at risk. Those who continue to do so risk imprisonment'

Announcing the injunction via Twitter this morning, Mr Shapps said: 'Invading a motorway is reckless and puts lives at risk.

'I asked National Highways to seek an injunction against M25 protestors which a judge granted last night. Effective later today, activists will face contempt of court with possible imprisonment if they flout.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the 'important injunction' would mean 'people can get moving again' on the M25. She added: 'We will not tolerate lives being put at risk. Those who continue to do so risk imprisonment.'

But Insulate Britain indicated that they will continue blocking the M25 despite the injunction. It said in a statement earlier today that 'right now our campaign goes on'.

The two Cabinet ministers last night vowed to get tough with the protesters, revealing in the Daily Mail they had instructed officials to sought the injunction.

Home Secretary Miss Patel and Transport Secretary Mr Shapps condemned the 'arrogant' protesters and promised decisive action to stop them.

The injunction was requested by National Highways in the High Court. It means protesters will face arrest and a potential instant jail term for contempt of court. The legal case is likely to focus on the danger to road users.

A source said: 'Priti and Grant are furious that the lives of the law-abiding majority are continuing to be disrupted by the actions of an extreme minority.'

'They 100 per cent back National Highways to take legal action against these individuals to ensure those who the police arrest are not released on bail and able to return to disrupting and endangering people's lives in this way.'

The topic was raised in the Commons during PMQ's today, as Labour MP Steve McCabe said: 'This is grossly dangerous and irresponsible behaviour and I hope these people will come to their senses.'

He suggested 'those who are successfully prosecuted receive a sentence which ensures they're put to work helping to insulate the homes of those less fortunate than themselves'.

Eco-zealots from Insulate Britain have descended on the Home Office after the government got an injunction that could see them locked up

They set up a small cauldron where they set fire to documents with indistinct writing on them

They are pictured chucking documents into the flames during the bizarre demonstrating today

Activists blocked off a road outside the central London building in their latest brazen protest

One of the demonstrators claps as another watches on during the latest brazen protest today

A group of elderly men sat in the road brandishing homemade signs with messages such as: 'Please act now'

Their latest stunt saw them hog the road while being watched closely by security guards from the building

Metropolitan Police officers stood by and watched as the demonstrators continued to sit on the road

Justice minister Kit Malthouse said: 'What a splendid idea.' He said the Government is investing 'significant amounts' encouraging people to take 'green measures' in their homes.

He said: 'I think putting some of those individuals towards that effort - more than happy for them to come and have a look at the insulation in my roof which, you know, could always do with some improvement possibly. I think that's a jolly good idea.'

Mr Malthouse also said in a separate answer that currently 'unfortunately the penalty that attaches to those offences (of blocking a public highway) is quite weak, shall we say'.

He added: 'In the Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Bill that is coming there will be a strengthening of police powers to deal with this issue'.

Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse said: 'I want to express my support to every single police officer who helps to keep us safe and keep public order, and their safety is essential.

'But I also understand the side of the protesters who really feel that climate change is a threat to their future and we must make sure that the fundamental right to protest and assembly is protected. I worry that injunctions such as this will serve to pit the police against protesters.'

Tory MP Huw Merriman said: 'The real tragedy of these morons on the motorway is that they set the cause of those of us who are trying to advance decarbonisation in the transport system back, and they also put lives at risk.'

He welcomed the minister's statement and asked if the injunctions are not successful to look at legislation and linking fines to economic damage caused.

Conservative MP Sir Robert Syms welcomed the action taken, and said: 'It's vital that we nip this in the bud.

'These people are dangerous and the consequence isn't necessarily those who can see them, it's for those miles back when the traffic comes to an instant halt could well be faced with death or injury.'

He added: 'Let people demonstrate in a safe way but not on our roads.' Conservative Mr Philip Hollobone called the protesters 'eco-maniacs'.

He supported the action being taken and said 'there's no greater supporter of the police than I, but I have been disturbed at how long it's taken the police to remove some of these protesters, especially in the early protests. I thought it was already an offence to block the Queen's highway?'

DUP MP Sammy Wilson said: 'I congratulate the Government on finally taking action against these hypocritical highway hoodlums who have caused misery to many people.'

Mr Malthouse called the protest 'selfish' and said 'the great sadness is that it diminishes, not enhances the enthusiasm for the cause for which these protesters seemingly want to promote but are, by their actions, damaging.'

Priti Patel (pictured in the Commons on Tuesday) and Grant Shapps instructed officials to seek an injunction against Insulate Britain

Louise Lancaster, a teacher, and another woman stand on Marsham Street in Westminster as they protest outside the Home Office today

Supporters hold placards and speak to the assembled media in what they called a 'press conference' on Wednesday afternoon

Metropolitan Police officers stand in formation as they watch the demonstrators outside the building, but do not intervene

Officers organise themselves around the corner from the protest on Marsham Street in the centre of the capital on Wednesday

Supporters hold placards and speak to the assembled media as Insulate Britain hold a press conference at the Home Office

A protester from Insulate Britain talks to a journalist from Guido with a microphone during the demonstration outside the Home Office today

Senior police officers said the risk to motorists was now 'very high'  yet the four forces dealing with the protests have charged only one activist. Pictured: The Home Office today

Many of the activists named themselves today, with Donald Bell, who says he is an archaeologist, pictured with a placard today

Do YOU know any of the protesters? Please email tips@dailymail.com Advertisement

Conservative MP Lee Anderson called for the police to have a zero-tolerance approach towards the protesters who have been blocking sections of the M25.

He told MPs: 'This injunction is welcomed news. Does the minister agree with me the police should now adopt a zero-tolerance approach and as soon one as of these morons steps foot on the motorway they should be carted off in an electric police van and locked up in a fully insulated cell?'

Members on both sides of the House erupted in laughter. Mr Malthouse replied: 'As it is usually the case in his forthright and direct manner, he puts his finger on the button.

'We are now seeing extremely swift action, police arriving on the scene within minutes. He will understand that it is tough for them to patrol the entirety of the motorway network and be there as fast as they can.

'I know in Kent, protesters were intercepted before they even got on the carriageway. But where do we want our police officers? It is in our neighbourhood, on our streets fighting crime?

'We don't want them patrolling the network, looking for these people and hopefully, this injunction will mean they can go back to do the job we expect of them.'

Activists were filmed making a death-defying dash on to the M25 just before 8am yesterday near Cobham in Surrey. Drivers were forced to slam on their brakes.

Some of the hardliners have been arrested five times over the past ten days, only to be released to return to block the motorway again.

Dr Bing Jones, who has been detained by police four times, told the BBC: 'I accept that I put my life at risk. I don't really accept that we have put other lives at risk.

'The disruption weighs heavily on me but it is necessary. Insulating houses is by far the most cost-effective means of reducing carbon emissions within the UK and it could bring millions of people out of fuel poverty.'

Senior police officers said the risk to motorists was now 'very high'  yet the four forces dealing with the protests have charged only one activist.

Surrey Police said it first received a call at 7.57am and arrived on the scene in three minutes. The protesters held up banners saying 'Insulate Britain' and poured blue paint on the road before they were dragged away.

By 8.17am both carriageways were cleared and open, with 38 arrests being made.

Insulate Britain chiefs say protests could still continue despite injunction Insulate Britain chiefs have suggested protests could continue despite the Government getting an injunction against the group. Grant Shapps revealed a judge granted the legal remedy last night following a week of chaos on major highways. The Transport Secretary said the anarchists will face contempt of court and potentially be locked up if they continue their antics. Insulate Britain spokeswoman Zoe Cohen was asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme if the injunction will stop the protests from taking place. She replied: 'The people taking part in these actions understand that the risks they are taking are because that we have tried everything else to make the Government protect us from the predicted impacts of climate chaos. 'That involves the loss of all that we cherish, our society, our way of life and law and order. 'We're calling for the installation and whole house retrofitting of social housing by 2025 and all homes by 2030, because this is the most effective way to reduce emissions, save lives from fuel poverty. Advertisement

Among those involved was Sue Parfitt, 79, a retired vicar who had already been arrested at least once.

An Insulate Britain spokesman said the group was aware of only one activist in custody  possibly over a breach of bail  and said no charges had been brought.

They said the rise in gas prices 'increased the urgency' for change and the group would end its campaign in exchange for a 'meaningful commitment' to its demands for improved insulation in UK homes.

Chief Superintendent Jerry Westerman of Surrey Police said the group had become 'reckless' and 'a change from what we have seen recently'.

While it is not possible to remand people in custody for obstructing the highway, he said the force was willing to 'use any kind of option to prevent crime happening'.

Other activists have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, public nuisance and causing danger to road users.

'If we can find ways in the existing legal framework to prevent people coming back and repeatedly offending, we will absolutely use it, that is our aim, but there are some constraints,' Mr Westerman added.

'But we are looking at all of our options, and there may be some other things in the coming days and weeks that we are able to do that helps us in our in achieving our objectives.'

His colleague Chief Inspector Mike Hodder added that the 'risk is very high when you are messing around on a motorway'.

A spokesman for the Met Police said: 'Those arrested have been released under investigation whilst the crime team fully investigate all lines of inquiry.'

A Surrey Police spokesman confirmed no one had been charged over the protests.

Hertfordshire Police said it had made no charges but added 32 people had been issued with community protection notices, which can lead to fines if not breached.

Kent Police said Alexander Rodger, 31, from Brighton, had been charged with criminal damage.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: 'Offences committed at a protest are often summary only and if the police have sufficient evidence they can charge those themselves without the need to come to us.'

The activists are treated individually and the offences for which each can be held are relatively minor and in most cases do not carry a custodial sentence.

This means that  even if they are charged  they will not be remanded in custody.

EXCLUSIVE: Insulate Britain protestor is convict heroin dealer By Andrew Young An eco warrior zealot who joined Insulate Britain's protest outside the Home Office today is a convicted heroin dealer who was exposed last year by MailOnline for allegedly abusing his disabled wife. Former soldier Donald Bell, 65, was condemned by fellow veterans when he staged a climate change protest in support of Extinction Rebellion at the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Day on November 11 last year. He was pictured in military fatigues as he walked over official tribute wreaths to plant his own one on the monument, emblazoned with red and white poppies and the message 'Act Now  Climate Change Means War'. Former soldier Donald Bell (above) who hijacked the Cenotaph Remembrance Day ceremony is a convicted heroin dealer who was accused of abusing his disabled wife, MailOnline has learned MailOnline later revealed how he was jailed for four years in 2007 after being caught pushing his wheelchair-bound wife around the streets of Cambridge while peddling heroin at the same time. Cambridge Crown Court heard how he hid drugs under his late wife Heather's blanket and tried to sell wraps of heroin to undercover police officers. A separate hearing in 2008, when Mrs Bell was sentenced, heard that she was a victim of domestic violence and had claimed she had been sucked into drug-dealing by her ex-husband in return for his care for her. Duncan O'Donnell, for the prosecution, told the court: 'It would appear the modus operandi was that Heather Bell would store the heroin to be supplied underneath her blanket.' Mrs Bell, who had been living in a hostel in Cambridge, admitted three charges of involvement in the sale of drugs to test purchase officers in the city centre in the summer of 2007. Passing a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, along with probation supervision, Judge Gareth Hawkesworth, told her: 'If you had been in good health you would have been going to prison for three years.' The court heard how Mrs Bell had answered some of the phone calls when the undercover police put in orders for heroin as part of a sting operation and was using the drug herself. She is understood to have died several years ago. Bell was back to his climate change antics today when he joined around 60 other protesters in a demonstration outside the Home Office after the Government successfully obtained a High Court injunction banning any further Insulate Britain protests on the M25. Standing proudly to attention dressed in his military fatigues, Donald Bell's Armistice Day actions on behalf of Extinction Rebellion (XR) caused fury from veterans after he walked over other official wreaths to plant one on behalf of the climate change extremists The bearded veteran was photographed wearing an orange hi-viz jacket and holding up a placard reading: 'Donald Bell Archaeologist * Insulate Britain'. One of Bell's relatives who asked not to be named described him last year as a long-term cannabis user, who 'has brought shame on the family'. The relative who asked not to be named said: 'He and his wife Heather were always smoking weed, long before she was consigned to a wheelchair with rheumatoid arthritis. 'Personally, I think the drugs fried his brain. None of the family agrees with his XR antics, but at least these days I think he's managed to kick the drugs. None of us have much to do with him any more.' Bell's relative added at the time: 'I don't think the bit about domestic abuse that was mentioned in court was true  I think that was Heather trying to paint herself as the victim, as they were both heavily into drugs long before she got ill.' Bell who survived a car bomb in Northern Ireland in 1974, staged his Cenotaph protest alongside Buddhist nurse and mother-of-two Anne White, 53, who was dressed in her NHS uniform. He claimed afterwards that he wanted to highlight how climate change could cause more wars. Bell said: 'I took action knowing that I would be criticised. I knew that I would be accused of being disrespectful and hated by many for speaking out in this way.' When MailOnline approached him about his past use of drugs, he simply said: 'I've said what I wanted to say already'' and closed the door of his Cambridge council flat. His protest at the Cenotaph sparked fury among veterans who accused him of disrespecting Britain's official memorial for all those who have fallen in conflicts. The widowed former infantry private was a long-term cannabis user, who 'has brought shame on the family', according to one relative who spoke to MailOnline said The widow of a British soldier killed by the IRA bomb which injured Bell that she wanted to give Extinction Rebellion protesters a 'punch on the nose' for desecrating the Cenotaph. Dianne Rose, 74, added she would give Bell a 'mouthful of abuse' if she ever met him. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, she said: 'I don't know what gave Bell the right to do what he did. It was totally, totally wrong. Earlier, he was also was heavily criticised by a war hero when they both appeared on Good Morning Britain. Ben McBean, a double amputee who fought in the Afghanistan war, said he supported the move to a more sustainable future, but had harsh words for the methods deployed by XR at their Cenotaph protest. He said: 'Tip-toeing across poppies in your big size 10 feet to put up a wreath to talk about bl***y climate change, and so on and so forth, starting a war, that's nonsense! 'These guys who died a hundred years ago fighting, running towards bullets like I did myself with my colleagues, it wasn't for climate change. 'It was to save the country, save the world but trust me, it wasn't for you to do what you did on Remembrance Day.' A spokesperson for the Prime Minister also condemned the Cenotaph protest last year, saying: 'The Cenotaph is a memorial to those who fought and died to preserve all our freedoms. 'On today, of all days, when we join together to pay tribute to our war dead, this action was profoundly disrespectful.' XR said in a statement: 'Donald Bell left the army with serious Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at a time when the illness was still not fully recognised. 'Donald was one of those people who, like so many, made mistakes and then worked hard to turn his life around. 'Extinction Rebellion stands by him and his right to speak out about the Government's complicity in knowingly taking us into future wars and a 4 degree world.' Bell's fellow Insulate Britain demonstrators include: Mark Coleman One repeat protester is retired reverend Mark Coleman, who stepped down as vicar and borough dean of Rochdale last year. He was seen at the first, on Monday 13, before returning to protest on Wednesday, 15. Mr Coleman was also involved in yesterday's Insulate Britain protest at junction 10. A retired reverend, the 61-year-old repeat eco-protester stepped down as vicar and borough dean of Rochdale last year. He is one of four vicars to have taken part in protests by Insulate Britain - a splinter group of Extinction Rebellion. Mr Coleman, who is said to have joined climate change group Extinction Rebellion in 2015 after the Rochdale floods, has been spotted at three protests. He was seen at the first, on Monday 13, before returning to protest on Wednesday, 15. Mr Coleman, who made headlines earlier this year when he vandalised Heywood and Middleton MP Chris Clarkson's constituency office staging a two-hour sit in, was also involved in yesterday's Insulate Britain protest at junction 10. One former parishioner told MailOnline that Mr Coleman, a father-of-two, believed he was 'acting on God's will' by protesting. Speaking of her former vicar, she said: 'He used to say it was God's will for him to help save the planet, and it was up to us all to do our bit. I knew he was serious about saving the planet but have not seen him since he retired.' Louise Lancaster A 55-year-old activist from Cambridge, Mrs Lancaster describes herself as 'a mother, a teacher, a world citizen', who is 'ready to step up for our planet and social justice'. She is married to Tim, a former technology director at the BBC. The group - including many who have been seen at multiple demos such as Louise Lancaster - sat brandishing homemade signs with messages such as: 'Please act now.' The same woman was at today's protest (left) as the M25 one yesterday (right) Louis McKechnie A 20-year-old mechanical engineering student from Weymouth, Mr McKechnie has been seen at other protests in the recent past, including one in Poole in May, where he sat in the road wearing a sign reading: 'I'm terrified to have children because of the climate crisis.' Nick Onley Oxford graduate Mr Onley has worked as an English teacher at four schools and is a member of environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth. Originally from Exmouth, Devon, he regularly shares details of demonstrations and rallies. Janine Eagling An IT project manager, Ms Eagling describes herself as a 'world citizen, rebel, cyclist, walker, gardener, resourceful.' The 50-year-old has owned a consultancy firm, now registered in Walthamstow, north London, since 2014. Stefania Morosi A yoga teacher from London, Ms Morosi describes herself as a 'tight rope acrobat, Etymology enthusiast, self proclaimed Poet and Activist'. The 43-year-old previously studied in Italy and Sweden. Among the demonstrators is Bing Jones from Sheffield, pictured at today's protest (left) and also at other ones on the M25 (right) Bing Jones A retired doctor and portrait painter from Sheffield, Dr Jones has insisted he is 'willing to go to prison' for the cause after being arrested four times in the space of just eight days during the protests. Additional reporting by Tom Pyman Advertisement

Ringleader of Insulate Britain's M25 eco mob STORMS off GMB after clash with Susanna Reid and admitting he's failed to insulate his OWN home

This is the moment an irate eco-warrior storms off national television after being challenged on his group's disruptive M25 protests.

Insulate Britain ringleader Liam Norton walked off Good Morning Britain mid-debate after a fiery clash with presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley today.

The electrician, whose eco-mob are demanding the Government pay to insulate social housing, was irked after being called out on claims his own home is not properly insulated.

He was also asked if he was worried about members of the group potentially being struck by a car while protesting on the M25 - to which he replied 'it's terrible isn't it'.

But as the debate raged Norton became visibly frustrated, before eventually standing up and walking off the set.

As he left, Madeley said: 'Bye,' before going on to mock Norton's comparison of the group's support to that of Winston Churchill.

Insulate Britain ringleader Liam Norton walked off Good Morning Britain mid-debate after a fiery clash with presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.

The electrician, whose eco-mob are demanding the Government pay to insulate social housing, was irked after he was called out on claims his own home is not properly insulated

Eco-warrior Liam Norton's south-west London home is single-glazed, has no cavity wall insulation and uses gas central heating, reports the Sun

Norton, an electrician, is one of the leading figures in Insulate Britain - an Extinction Rebellion off-shoot campaigning the Government to reduce home heating emissions to zero.

The group have infuriated motorists by blocking the M25 on five occasions in a bid to put pressure on the Government to pay for all social housing to be fully insulated.

However it was revealed last week that Norton's own property is not insulated.

Norton's property is owned by a housing association - and would be the sort of property he is campaigning to improve.

But asked why he had not insulated the property himself, he said: 'Whether or not my home is insulated doesn't change the fact that millions of people's homes are not insulated.'

His response sparked a bemused Susannah Reid, to ask: 'So you are saying you would risk your life, your life, for Insulate Britain, but you aren't going to insulate your own home?'

But Norton replied: 'What we are talking about is the future of our country. Our country is going to be destroyed if we don't get this sorted out.'

Asked again why he had not insulated his home. He replied: 'You know insulation costs thousands, tens of thousands.'

Asked if he could not afford this, Norton said: 'No, what I'm saying is millions of people around the country cannot afford to do it.'

We WILL use jail to end this motorway chaos: The protesters have broken the law and alienated the public, the Government will be giving police powers to stop such guerrilla tactics, say PRITI PATEL and GRANT SHAPPS

Every year, millions of people join legal, peaceful demonstrations in this country to promote a cause they believe in, without harming the public or the environment around them. They have a right to do so.

But the Insulate Britain activists who have brought large sections of the M25 to a standstill in recent weeks have achieved the precise opposite.

They have broken the law, undermined the cause they believe in, alienated the public, and created extra pollution, in one of the most self-defeating environmental protests this country has ever seen, particularly as we all strive so hard to rebuild after 18 months of the pandemic.

Insulate Britain activists have broken the law, undermined the cause they believe in, alienated the public, and created extra pollution, in one of the most self-defeating environmental protests this country has ever seen, writes PRITI PATEL (pictured)

Punishing motorists to make a point about home insulation makes absolutely no sense at all, writes GRANT SHAPPS (pictured)

Transport is so crucial to that recovery. With every day that passes, our roads and railways are helping more businesses to grow, and more people to find jobs.

Punishing motorists to make a point about home insulation makes absolutely no sense at all.

As one van driver caught up in the chaos told a protester: 'You are making people hate you.'

The police have our full support to take decisive action and we're working with National Highways to take legal action against the protesters to ensure they cannot keep disrupting and endangering people's lives in this way.

We are giving them powers to better manage such guerrilla tactics in future.

In the medium-term, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will put public nuisance on a statutory footing, ensuring there are appropriate sentences for the harm caused.

People will continue to be able to make their voices heard without disrupting the lives of others. Even before the most recent demonstrations, the Metropolitan Police said that the actions of Extinction Rebellion  of which Insulate Britain is an offshoot  had cost the UK taxpayer a staggering 50million.

The events of recent weeks  including the cleaning of blue paint which protesters pointlessly poured on to the road  will add to that already significant drain on public funds.

It is also ironic that many of the cars that have been caught up in the queues and congestion around the M25 are electric, with zero carbon emissions.

There are now over half a million such cars in the UK, benefitting from one of the largest rapid charging networks in Europe.

Police arrive on the scene as protesters from the Insulate Britain pressure group block a roundabout near Stansted Airport last week

While Insulate Britain inflicts misery in its campaign of gesture politics, this government is getting on with the job of decarbonising our transport system by 2050.

Thousands of new charge points will encourage motorists to go electric in the coming decade as we phase out diesel and petrol. It is changes like this that make the difference, not posturing by a tiny minority who are arrogant enough to believe only they care about climate change.

We all agree that climate change must be tackled. But this sort of behaviour achieves nothing.

It puts drivers at risk  and idling cars actually increase pollution. While this group of eco-warriors parade for the cameras, we are getting on with the job of delivering our ambitious targets.

We will not stand by and allow a small minority of selfish demonstrators to cause massive and dangerous disruption to the lives of the hard-working majority.
Police have launched a hunt for a 15-year-old schoolgirl, who went missing from her home two days ago.

Claudia Bihariova was last seen in Harehills, east Leeds, at around 5pm on Monday, according to West Yorkshire Police.

She is described as a white female, thin, with black hair and brown eyes.

Claudia Bihariova (pictured), 15, went missing from her home in Harehills, east Leeds, at around 5pm on Monday, according to West Yorkshire Police

The force said they have no information about the clothing she was wearing when she was last seen.

A spokesman for the police said: 'There are serious concerns for her welfare due to her age and vulnerabilities.'

Members of the public who may have seen her are being asked to call 101 and quote 574 21/9 with any information.
Boris Johnson today insisted Joe Biden does understand the Northern Ireland Protocol as he delivered a slap down to a Cabinet minister who said the US President was 'wrong' to have concerns about the peace process.

Environment Secretary George Eustice this morning questioned Mr Biden's grasp of the 'very complicated' post-Brexit trading arrangements that apply to goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Mr Eustice said he was 'not sure' that Mr Biden 'fully appreciates' the UK's position as it seeks to renegotiate the rules with the EU.

He said Mr Biden is probably 'just reading the headlines, reading what the EU are saying'.

But he was swiftly rebuked by Mr Johnson who said he did not agree with Mr Eustice's assessment.

Speaking in Washington DC, the Prime Minister said: 'No. The President actually in our meeting yesterday, I don't think it came up at all.

'We had a meeting of over 90 minutes and it wasn't raised. So there is a great deal of understanding on the part of all our friends around the world that the Belfast Good Friday Agreement is crucial to us and to the world and we need to maintain the balance and symmetry of that agreement and that is what we are going to do.'

Mr Eustice's comments had risked igniting a furious diplomatic row with the US after Mr Biden yesterday reiterated his concerns about the implementation of the protocol as he welcomed Mr Johnson to the White House.

Boris Johnson today insisted Joe Biden does understand the Northern Ireland Protocol as he delivered a slap down to a Cabinet minister

George Eustice said the post-Brexit trading arrangements that apply to goods travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are 'very complicated'

Joe Biden yesterday reiterated his concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol as he welcomed Boris Johnson to the White House

Joe Biden's Irish roots US President Joe Biden has spoken about his Irish heritage on a number of occasions. Mr Biden can trace his Irish roots back to both the Blewitts from Co Mayo and the Finnegans from Co Louth. Mr Biden's great-great-great-grandfather Edward Blewitt emigrated from Ballina for America during the Irish famine, 170 years ago. Mr Bidens other great-great grandfather was Owen Finnegan, from the Cooley Peninsula, in Co Louth. The family moved to America in the late 1840s and settled in Seneca, New York Mr Biden visited Ireland on an official visit as vice-president in 2016. He mentioned his Irish ancestry during the 2020 election campaign after he was asked by a journalist for a 'quick word for the BBC'. Mr Biden, who opposed the UK leaving the European Union and views it as a mistake, replied 'the BBC? I'm Irish' before smiling and moving away. Advertisement

Mr Biden, who has Irish ancestry, yesterday issued a fresh warning for the UK not to damage the peace process in Northern Ireland as it tries to resolve border issues with the EU.

Sitting next to Mr Johnson in the Oval Office, Mr Biden said at the start of the meeting that he felt 'very strongly' about issues surrounding the peace process.

'And I would not at all like to see  nor, I might add, would many of my Republican colleagues like to see  a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland,' he said.

Mr Johnson said 'that's absolutely right', adding: 'On that point, Joe, we're completely at one, nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.'

The protocol, agreed as part of the Brexit deal, requires checks on goods travelling from GB to Northern Ireland to be carried out at ports in order to avoid the return of a land border with the Republic.

But it has caused disruption to trade and angered unionists who have demanded the rules be scrapped, arguing they create a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The UK is seeking a major overhaul of the protocol but Brussels is refusing to budge, insisting it should be rolled out broadly as drafted.

The US wants the row to be resolved but the view held by many in Whitehall is that the White House has been siding with the EU during the rumbling dispute.

Mr Eustice was grilled on Mr Biden's stance this morning and he was asked why the US President is 'wrong' in his assessment of the situation.

He told Sky News: 'Well, I think he is probably at the moment just reading the headlines, reading what the EU are saying, reading what Ireland might be saying which is that they would like the Northern Ireland Protocol to work in the way that the EU envisage.

'We think he is wrong because the truth is unless we have a sustainable solution that enables trade to continue between GB and Northern Ireland then we are going to have issues and that itself would become a challenge to the Belfast Agreement.'

The protocol has caused disruption to trade and angered unionists who have demanded the rules be scrapped

Asked whether Mr Biden should be getting involved in the row, Mr Eustice said: It is legitimate for him to have a view on it obviously and express that view and we will obviously explain to the United States effectively what it is tantamount to saying that potatoes grown in one part of the United States can't be sold in another part of the United States.

'I think when you explain some of those provisions in detail it is understood by the US government that that clearly doesn't make any sense and therefore should be revisited.'

Told that Mr Biden is surely aware of how the protocol works, Mr Eustice replied: 'Well, look, it is a very complicated piece of agreement, the Northern Ireland Protocol.

'I am not sure he does fully appreciate all of that. We are obviously doing all we can to help the US government understand that.'
Bill Gates has floundered while being grilled on his past dinners with Jeffrey Epstein, awkwardly trying to draw a line under the concerns raised by the interviewer by saying, 'Well, he's dead.'

The Microsoft founder, 65, first met Epstein at his Manhattan townhouse in 2011 after the financier had been convicted of soliciting sex from a minor in 2008.

His continued meetings with Epstein, until at least 2013, are reported to have remained 'a sore spot' for Melinda which factored into their divorce which was announced this year after 27 years of marriage.

PBS presenter Judy Woodruff asked: 'You had a number of meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, who - when you met him 10 years ago - was convicted of soliciting prostitution from minors. What did you know about him when you were meeting with him, as you've said yourself, in the hopes of raising money?'

Gates immediately started stammering and fidgeting with his ring finger as he replied: 'Uh, you know, I had dinners with him. Uh, I regret doing that. He had relationships he said with people he said would give to public health. Not nearly enough philanthropy goes in that direction.'

Woodruff asked Gates whether there was a 'lesson' for him in the Epstein controversy. He replied: 'Well, he's dead, so... you know, in general, you always have to be careful.'

Gates at Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2011

'Those meetings were a mistake,' he added. 'They didn't result in what he purported, and I cut them off. You know, that goes back a long time ago now. There's - so there's nothing new on that.'

But Woodruff noted that he continued to meet with Epstein over several years in personal and business settings.

Melinda was reported to have been 'furious' at Bill's relationship with Epstein after the couple visited the predator's Upper East Side townhouse in September 2013.

Epstein meanwhile provided advice to Gates on how he might end his 'toxic' marriage, sources told The Daily Beast earlier this year.

Woodruff asked what Gates did when he found out about Epstein's background.

He shrugged and said: 'Well you know, I said I regretted having those dinners, and there's nothing, absolutely nothing new on that.'

The interviewer followed up by asking: 'Is there a lesson for you, for anyone else, looking at this?'

Gates threw his hands up in the air and responded: 'Well, he's dead, so... you know, in general, you always have to be careful.'

He quickly changed topic to his charity, saying: 'And you know, the, you know, I'm - I'm very proud of what we've done in philanthropy and very proud of the work of the foundation. You know, that'sthat's what I get up every day and focus on.'

In August, Gates told CNN's Anderson Cooper he 'certainly' had concerns about Epstein, who had pleaded guilty and was convicted in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute - years before the tech mogul met the financier.

'I had several dinners with him hoping that what he said about getting billions of philanthropy for global health through contacts he had might emerge. When it looked like that wasn't a real thing that relationship ended,' Gates said at the time.

'It was a huge mistake to spend time with him and give him the credibility of being there. There were lots of others in that same situation, but I made a mistake.'

Bill and Melinda Gates couple are pictured with their three kids in a 2018 family photo. The kids - Jennifer (center), Rory (right) and Phoebe (left) are now aged 25, 21 and 18. Bill and Melinda announced their split in May after 27 years of marriage

Woodruff also asked Gates about what was going to happen to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation since the couple announced their divorce.

He said that 'the priorities that Melinda and I believe in, global health and education, that will still be where our work is done.'

He added that some additional advisers were going to be brought in at board level and said that the foundation would continue its work in helping governments deal with the pandemic.

At a conference in Sun Valley in Idaho in July - dubbed 'Billionaire Summer Camp - Gates opened up about his divorce during an 'off the record' question-and-answer session.

'He fessed up to messing up,' one of the attendees told the New York Post.

'He basically referred to the fact that it [the divorce] was his fault.'

The source added: 'He did seem a bit emotional about it. He might have been on the verge of tears.'

Melinda was reported to have held 'a number of calls' in October 2019 with divorce lawyers, The Wall Street Journal reported in May.

That was the same month that the New York Times reported that Bill had met with Epstein 'on numerous occasions' starting in 2011.

The couple announced their divorce in May and it was finalised in August.

The couple have three children together Jennifer, 25, Rory, 21, and Phoebe, 18.

In June, a spokesman for Gates said that 'many lies' had been told about the reasons for Bill's split from Melinda.

'It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many lies published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates's divorce,' the spokesman told Insider.

'The rumors and speculation surrounding Mr. Gates are becoming increasingly absurd and it's unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge are being characterized as 'sources.''
An order for all Victorian teachers and childcare workers to get vaccinated against Covid-19 has been backed by the sector's unions and the state's peak Catholic schools body.

Education Minister James Merlino on Wednesday announced all staff at government and independent schools and all early childhood settings will need to have their first jab by October 18, or have a booking within a week of that date.

They will need to be fully vaccinated by November 29, unless they have a legitimate medical exemption.

Education Minister James Merlino on Wednesday announced all Victorian staff at government and independent schools and all early childhood centres will need to be vaccinated (pictured, Keilor Views Primary School)

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The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria says it will also make the Covid-19 vaccine mandatory for teachers and staff in its 498 primary and secondary schools, sticking to the same timelines.

All government school staff will be entitled to half a day of paid time off to get vaccinated.

'Children under 12 do not have access to a vaccine, so we've got to protect our kids, both from contracting the virus and also transmitting the virus when they go home to their families,' Mr Merlino told reporters.

'The best way to do that is to ensure that people who work with our children in early childhood, in care settings, in our schools, that they are all required to be vaccinated.'

All staff will have to have their first jab by October 18 or have a booking within a week of that date (pictured, a woman receives a Pfizer vaccine)

He said priority access would not be given to staff to receive a vaccine as there was 'plenty of capacity' at the state-run hubs, pharmacies and GPs, while a recent survey of 33,000 teachers found 75 per cent were already fully vaccinated.

The Australian Education Union and Independent Education Union as well as the Early Learning Association of Australia welcomed the announcement.

AEU Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said the union has taken 'every opportunity since vaccinations became available to encourage our members to get a Covid-19 vaccination as soon as they were eligible'.

'The union's position continues to be that our members and the community should follow the public health advice in relation to Covid-19 safety measures, vaccination requirements and the safe return to on-site learning,' she said in a statement.

IEU general secretary Deb James said the 'fastest, safest way out of the pandemic remains for us to get vaccinated'.

They will also need to be fully vaccinated before November 29, unless they have a medical exemption (pictured, Bentleigh Secondary College students)

'Overwhelmingly, our members support vaccination as the most important tool to get schools back to normal,' she said.

Mr Merlino also announced the government will spend $190 million to ensure schools are properly ventilated by the start of term four, in what he described as an 'Australian-first unprecedented, massive investment'.

This includes signing a contract with South Korean tech company Samsung to deliver 51,000 air purification devices to every government and low-fee independent school in the state.

Mr Merlino said the devices, which will begin arriving in the state from next week, will be placed in high-risk settings such as sick bays, canteens, staff rooms and music rooms.

The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria will also apply the mandate to their 498 primary and secondary education centres (pictured, a Melbourne vaccination centre)

Some $60 million will be spent on installing shade sails at 2149 schools to create more outdoor learning space, while a small trial of home antigen testing with students and their families will explore their feasibility.

A Ventilation Technical Advisory Panel will also be established to undertake further risk assessments of other environments including early childhood settings and youth justice facilities.

Year 12 students in Melbourne are going back to class on October 6 and a staggered return of other years will follow, starting with prep to Year 2s on October 18.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy supported the state government's plan.

'We just want our kids back in school,' he said.
Australia's vaccination rate for children aged 12 to 15 has rapidly shot up just over a week after the cohort became eligible.

Almost one in five children in that age range have received a first dose in the eight days since they were included in the rollout.

'We're only a week down, pretty much, and we're seeing some really strong levels of vaccination,' Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Washington DC.

Pfizer is being encouraged to apply to the Therapeutic Goods Administration for approval to use its vaccine on five to 11-year-olds after promising trial results.

Just eight days after being included in the Australian vaccine rollout, almost one in five 11 to 15 year old have received their first dose of the vaccine (pictured, 12-year-old Campbell is vaccinated with Moderna in Brisbane on Wednesday)

'We've invited, of course, Pfizer to bring forward that information and to progress that through the TGA,' Mr Morrison said.

He said that would enable the government to be ready to expand the rollout if the regulator approved the lower age limit.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute immunisation researcher Margie Danchin said vaccinating children was crucial despite coronavirus cases generally being less severe.

'Kids can still transmit the virus and particularly transmit it to adults,' she told the ABC.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) stated Pfizer is being encouraged to apply for approval to use the vaccine on younger children

'Unvaccinated adults, unvaccinated grandparents are vulnerable.'

Associate Professor Danchin said getting children back to schools and more normal lives was important.

She said the Pfizer trial results from 2200 five to 11-year-olds were promising but didn't show effectiveness.

'We know there's a robust anti-body response, but we don't know how well it will work to prevent clinical disease in kids.'

Australia has fully vaccinated 48.5 per cent of people aged 16 and above while 73.4 per cent have had a single dose.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute immunisation researcher Margie Danchin said trial results from 2200 five to 11-year-olds were promising but didn't show effectiveness (pictured, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both of which can be given to children)

NSW reported 1035 new cases and five deaths on Wednesday, with the outbreak's toll rising to 260.

Victoria, which has been rocked by violent anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown protests, detected 628 new local cases and three additional deaths.

The prime minister condemned the demonstrations as unacceptable behaviour.

'The protest activity and what we've seen there, I think, is highly distressing. That is not an appropriate response to trying to deal with an outbreak of this nature,' Mr Morrison said.

'None of us are above the law.'

NSW reported 1035 new cases and five deaths on Wednesday despite these rising vaccine numbers while Victoria has been rocked by violent protests (pictured, 12-year-old Harry is given a Pfizer vaccine in Melbourne)

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations chair Jane Halton said most people around the nation were doing the right thing 'unlike those 2000 people who went berserk in Melbourne'.

The former health department boss fears the rallies could lead to a spike in coronavirus cases.

'It is a real risk,' she told the Nine Network.

'You see how close all these people are together, how long they were together, how long they were together yesterday.'
Gary Goodwin made the successful bid in the High Court over his late father Tom's (pictured) 4million fortune

The son of a millionaire scrap tycoon has won a bitter battle over his father's will - despite plans for him to be cut out of it.

Gary Goodwin made the successful bid in the High Court over his late father Tom's 4million fortune.

Tom, who died in November 2018 aged 83, had been planning to write Gary out of any inheritance but died before any action was taken.

His estate was instead divided under the terms of a 2017 will, which made Gary his main heir.

The son received his father's beloved Rolls Royce, one of his farms and the reins to his business.

Tom had a keen business brain despite his 'limited ability to read and write' and built a multimillion-pound fortune, having started out with a scrapyard in Barnsley in 1967.

Over the following five decades the millionaire moved into farming as his wealth grew.

He married twice and had three children, all of whom he had serious fallings out with over the years.

Weeks before he died Tom had been planning to cut Gary out of the will but never got round to formalising it.

His sister Jacqueline Avison and her daughter Nicola Smith argued the 2017 will was the result of pressure by Gary and a previous one made in 2005 should stand.

The old will would have meant Gary would get no more than his dad's beloved Rolls Royce.

But they dropped their case midway through the trial and Judge Malcolm Davis-White QC ruled the 2017 document was Tom's final will.

His fortune will be divided up under the terms of a 2017 will, which made Gary (left) his main heir. His sister Jacqueline Avison and her daughter Nicola Smith (right) argued the 2017 will was the result of pressure by Gary and a previous one made in 2005 should stand

The reconciliation resulted in a new will in 2017, under which he got a lifetime interest in Santingley Grange (pictured), as well as the Rolls Royce and Pear Tree Farm

Giving judgment, he said claims the 2017 will was the result of fraud or pressure were groundless because Tom 'knew his own mind' and was not scared or overawed.

The court heard Tom had started off with a scrapyard in the 1960s, but moved into farming, buying two farms near Wakefield in 1997.

He had three children, Gary, 56, Jacqueline, 61, and Gillian, 59, all of whom he fell out with.

By the time he died in 2018 he was a grandfather-of-ten, most of whom had their own children.

The judge described Tom as 'wily' and 'someone who would often say one thing to one person and another thing to another person'.

The judge said: 'The breakdowns in relationships often seemed bitter and protracted. Tom would use strong language about persons he had fallen out with.

Tom had three children, Gary, 56, Jacqueline (pictured), 61, and Gillian, 59, all of whom he fell out with

'On Tom's side these family breakdowns would often be characterised by a position taken by Tom that he would not give that person any of his property, whether inter vivos or by will on his death.'

He continued: 'He had a tendency to tell people things that they wanted to hear. I am also satisfied that he did not always tell the truth.

'He had a tendency to blame his falling out with members of his family as being down to their greed or the greed of persons connected to them.'

The judge said Tom sometimes 'made promises he did not keep' to his children regarding property.

He was sued by Gillian unsuccessfully and later caravan park boss Jacqueline, who pocketed a 250,000 settlement in a row over family land.

Gillian had been due to inherit the house at Pear Tree Farm under Tom's will in 2000, but after their falling out she was left out of her father's later wills, the judge said.

In 2005, he made a new will under which the shares in the company which owned the farms and farming business would go into a trust for the benefit of his grand-daughter, Jacqueline's daughter Nicola Smith, 36.

His second wife Valerie would get his personal chattels, an income and a home for life at Santingley Grange.

The rest would go to various grandchildren and Gary would inherit only his father's Rolls Royce.

Gary had been 'largely out of favour' at the time and his father was reluctant to hand him any property for fear one of his son's 'fancy women' might take it, the judge said.

It was also claimed Gary 'physically dominated Tom (pictured), acting in an aggressive and controlling manner towards him in his old age'. But several days into the trial of the row at the High Court last month and after much evidence had been heard, the objections to the 2017 will were conceded

But the court heard over the following years there was a reconciliation between Tom and Gary, with the son giving up his offshore work and working on his father's farm.

The reconciliation resulted in a new will in 2017, under which he got a lifetime interest in Santingley Grange, as well as the Rolls Royce and Pear Tree Farm.

But the pensioner fell out with Gary in 2018 and weeks before he died contacted his solicitors to discuss a new will under which everything he had would go to Nicola.

But he died before a new will could be made, leaving his son to inherit.

The row ended in a court fight after Jacqueline and Nicola opposed the 2017 will, claiming it had been the result of 'undue influence' placed on Tom by his son.

During an alleged conversation, Tom was 'said to have asserted that he did not have a clue what was in the will, the will was not read out him' and that he 'had given in to pressure' from Gary in signing, said the judge.

It was also claimed Gary 'physically dominated Tom, acting in an aggressive and controlling manner towards him in his old age.'

But several days into the trial of the row at the High Court last month and after much evidence had been heard, the objections to the 2017 will were conceded.

After considering the evidence in the case, Judge Davis-White approved the 2017 will and said the claims should never have been brought. Pictured: Gary

After considering the evidence in the case, Judge Davis-White approved the 2017 will and said the claims should never have been brought.

'I am...satisfied that Tom was a man who knew his own mind and that he was not overawed by or in any way subject to the undue influence of anybody, certainly at the time of his execution of the 2017 will,' he said in a now published judgment.

'I am also satisfied that at least as late as a matter of weeks before his death Tom retained full mental capacity.

'In 2017, he was still farming this land and actively carrying bales of hay.

'He was not scared by Gary and that his will over what should happen to his property was not in any way overborne or subject to undue influence by Gary (or anyone else).

'As regards illiteracy, there is ample evidence, available to the defendants, that Tom was aware of the contents of the 2017 will at the time.

'Furthermore, and in any event, the defendants' own witnesses intimated that the terms of the will had been discussed with him before he went to his accountants to go and execute it.

'The evidence available shows quite clearly that Tom was aware of the terms of the 2017 will at the time and that it reflected his then wishes.

'In my judgment, there were no reasonable grounds to raise a case regarding undue influence/fraud,' the judge concluded.

He ordered the costs of the case be picked up by Jacqueline, Nicola and three grandchildren of Tom's who had supported them.
Serial killer Peter Sutcliffe died of Covid after he refused to be shielded in prison, an inquest has heard.

Sutcliffe, also known as the Yorkshire Ripper, had been warned he was vulnerable to coronavirus by authorities at Frankland Prison near Durham.

Coroner Crispin Oliver, sitting in Crook, County Durham, was told that Sutcliffe, who changed his named to Coonan, died aged 74 at University Hospital of North Durham at 1.45am on November 13 2020.

Sutcliffe was serving a life sentence at Frankland for the murders of 13 women in the 1970s, and was in poor health.

Mr Oliver was told that Sutcliffe had heart disease and diabetes - both risk factors for Covid-19.

Prison governor Lee Drummond said vulnerable prisoners had been warned of the dangers of coronavirus after the country locked down in March.

They were offered measures similar to shielding in the community, being kept apart from other inmates at meal times and to use the phone, but Sutcliffe turned down the offer.

The killer was said to be 'terrified' of catching the virus - telling a pen-pal he hoped an 'effective vaccine' would be developed.

However, he later died gasping for breath after catching Covid.

One of Sutcliffe's last acts in prison was to fall from his bed while trying to change the channel on his television, the inquest heard.

He did not suffer any injury in the fall which happened before he was admitted to hospital for the final time.

Peter Sutcliffe (left and right in 2015), 74, died after becoming infected with Covid-19 last November, having fallen ill in prison on October 27

A composite of 12 of the 13 victims murdered by Sutcliffe. Victims are: (top row, left to right) Wilma McCann, Emily Jackson, Irene Richardson, Patricia Atkinson; (middle row, left to right) Jayne McDonald, Jean Jordan, Yvonne Pearson, Helen Rytka; (bottom row, left to right) Vera Millward, Josephine Whitaker, Barbara Leach, Jacqueline Hill

The killer was first taken to hospital on October 27 after feeling dizzy and being diagnosed at the prison's healthcare unit with a blocked heart.

He returned to Frankland on November 4 and it was after this first hospital stay that he tested positive for Covid 19.

Prison nurse Angela Spence said Sutcliffe was treated with antibiotics for a cough and his health deteriorated and he had a rapid heart rate.

Mr Drummond said Sutcliffe went in and out of hospital on both November 8 and November 9, before being admitted a final time the next day.

His next of kin - ex-wife Sonia Woodward - was informed of his deteriorating health, the inquest heard.

She was aware of the inquest and was invited to attend in person or remotely, but declined, the coroner heard.

Mr Drummond said Sutcliffe was considered a retired prisoner, meaning he did not have to work unless he wanted to, and his health stopped him from doing tasks.

Sutcliffe, who arrived in 2016 after being held at Broadmoor secure psychiatric hospital, was a category A prisoner and was held on Alpha wing - 'a more relaxed environment' for prisoners with mobility issues.

Sutcliffe's crimes terrified northern England in the 1970s, but Mr Drummond said: 'For such a high-profile prisoner he was very unassuming and went about his daily business.'

Detective Constable Alistair Rogowski investigated Sutcliffe's death, a routine process for police when a prisoner dies behind bars.

He said the jail's Covid lockdown meant it was impossible to investigate his cell, but there was no evidence to suggest anything other than a death from natural causes.

On August 10 1974, Sutcliffe married Sonia (they are pictured at their wedding day). Less than a year later, the lorry driver picked up a hammer and began attacking women, two in Keighley and one in Halifax

Sutcliffe, under a blanket, arriving at Dewsbury Magistrates Court charged with the murder of 13 women and attempted murder of seven others in 1981

Sutcliffe pictured at his father's home with his wife Sonia in late 1980 in the midst of his killing spree

Pathologist Dr Clive Bloxham, appearing by videolink, said his post-mortem examination revealed Sutcliffe had 'extremely heavy lungs' - typical of someone with coronavirus.

He said the cause of death was Covid-19 infection, with heart disease and diabetes contributing.

He confirmed the death was not suspicious and was from natural causes.

Mr Oliver will give his conclusion later on Wednesday.

Sutcliffe had written regular letters to a penpal during the pandemic and months before his death had boasted about feeling 'much safer' in prison than in the outside world.

Mentioning the 'horrible worldwide pandemic', he told the correspondent, who asked to remain anonymous: 'The world is stuck with this Covid.

'Makes me feel much safer being in here with all that's going on in the world.'

He had regularly described his fears about contracting coronavirus in the months before he tested positive. He first mentioned it on March 16 writing: 'You be careful with this horrible virus about.'

He also declined to have visitors due to his fears about the virus, writing on May 10: 'Visits are going again but I won't be bothering with them in the present circumstances. I'd rather wait until they've discovered an effective vaccine.'

In July 2020, Sutcliffe said he was 'fed up with lockdown' and moaned about a prisoner friend not being able to cook him a Full English breakfast, before mentioning on August 4 how he had taken a covid test that came back negative.

In his last recorded words, he wrote: 'Lockdown still no change here and with all the new spikes going on outside these walls I don't there will be any change until the new year. Health-wise we are both doing OK and getting on with life the best we can.'

Transcript from letter on May 10: 'Here goes with another few lines to complete your letter our [removed for privacy reasons]. As you now know are going again but I won't be bothering with them in the present circumstances. I'd rather wait until they've discovered an effective vaccine. But I've put in for a video link between [removed] 2 to 3pm on Saturdays and 2.45 to 3.15 on Sundays. So we'll have to wait and see what transpires. I've just [unreadable] in a lot of trouble with his [unreadable]'

Sutcliffe's letter on June 14 to his penpal - who asked to remain anonymous - in which he boasted about feeling 'safer' behind bars during the covid pandemic

The Ripper had previously signed 'do not resuscitate forms' - while friends said he astonishingly believed he would 'go to heaven' after his death because he had become a Jehovah's Witness.

Families of his victims celebrated his death and said the serial killer will 'rot in hell'.

Marcella Claxton, who was left needing more than 50-stitches after being hit over the head with a hammer, told MailOnline: 'I'm happy he's gone. I've thought about what he did to me every day since and although the news that's he's died brings those horrible memories back at least now I may be able to get some closure.

'I'm hoping it will bring me a little peace knowing he's no longer with us.'

Neil Jackson, whose mother Emily was killed by Sutcliffe after he hit her 52 times with a hammer, heard about his death today in a phone call from his son.

He said: 'My first thought was 'thank God for that'. It's a big relief.'
Britain will lend South Korea one million spare doses of the Pfizer Covid vaccine to bolster the country's roll-out, it was announced today.

Department of Health bosses today admitted there was no 'immediate need' for the extra jabs in the UK.

Officials insisted the deal  which will see South Korea give Britain one million jabs back by the end of the year  would not derail the booster drive or the roll-out to 12 to 15-year-olds.

The deal comes just two weeks after the UK agreed to send four million Pfizer jabs to Australia, in a similar swap agreement.

Both South Korea and Australia have struggled with their inoculation programmes in the face of delays to deliveries and the failure to secure enough jabs early on.

Neither has fully-vaccinated more than 50 per cent of its adults. For comparison, the UK has dished out two doses to almost eight in ten over-16s  or 44million people.

Britain has ordered more than 500million Covid vaccines, enough to double-jab the population four times over.

The UK will have received 100million Pfizer doses by the end of this year, according to supply agreements. Around 40m vaccines made by the US giant and its German partner firm BioNTech have already been dished out.

How LLAMAS are helping in the fight against Covid Tiny antibodies produced by llamas may help in the fight against Covid, research suggests. And scientists say the virus-fighting proteins could be given to infected people in the form of a nasal spray. Academics at the Rosalind Franklin Institute in Oxfordshire found that nanobodies  a smaller type of antibody produced by llamas and camels  can effectively target the type of coronavirus that causes Covid. Short chains of the nanobodies significantly reduced signs of illness when given to infected animals. The nanobodies, which can be easily mass-produced in a laboratory, could offer a cheaper and easier alternative to human antibodies, scientists say. Throughout the pandemic, seriously ill patients have received antibodies harvested from survivors to help them fight off the virus. But they usually need to be administered by a medical injection in hospital. Professor Miles Carroll, deputy director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England, said the research had huge potential. Advertisement

Under the 'vaccine swap' announced today the UK will send a million Pfizer doses to South Korea, with the first shipment set to leave in the coming weeks.

The Asian nation will then return the same number of Pfizer doses later this year.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the deal would not have an impact on the UK's vaccine programme.

'By working closely with our friends in South Korea, this vaccine swap will maximise their rollout speed without having an impact on the UKs vaccine programme,' he said.

'Separately, we continue to deliver on our commitment to donate 100million doses to nations around the world by June 2022 to ensure as many people across the world are as safe from Covid as possible.'

Newly appointed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added: 'The UK is playing a leading role in the global response to the Covid pandemic - donating 100million vaccine doses across the world and have committed 548m to COVAX.

'The Republic of Korea is a strategic partner for the UK and the sharing of one million vaccines benefits both countries as we help build resistance against Covid and save lives.'

Ms Truss was appointed Foreign Secretary in the cabinet reshuffle last week, taking over from Dominic Raab following criticism of the UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Britain is set to receive 100million doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of this year, and has another 35million on order due in the second half of 2022.

At the height of the inoculation drive in late April the UK was dishing out around 500,000 Covid jabs a day.

But recently the inoculation drive has slowed to a crawl  with fewer than 80,000 doses being administered daily  because most Britons have received the vaccine.

The drive has been expanded to dish out booster shots, but MailOnline analysis showed only around 2million people are currently eligible for them.

The third shots should only be given from six months after the second dose, the Government's vaccine advisers have said.

Children aged 12 to 15-years-old are also now recommended to get one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

In South Korea fewer than 50 per cent of adults have got two doses of a vaccine, while in Australia just 36.4 per cent are fully inoculated.

South Korea's vaccination efforts were hampered by regular shipment delays, leading to uncertainty over the country's supply.

In Australia authorities bet on a home-grown Covid vaccine that failed during clinical trials.

The first shipment of 292,000 Covid vaccines has already been sent to Australia, with more deliveries scheduled.

The country's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the first doses were 'on the tarmac' when he announced the deal at the start of September.
Lithuania's Defense Ministry has advised citizens to throw away Chinese mobile phones or avoid buying them after a government report found some devices have built-in censorship capabilities.

Flagship phones sold in Europe by China's smartphone giant Xiaomi Corp have a built-in ability to detect and censor terms such as 'Free Tibet', 'Long live Taiwan independence' or 'democracy movement', Lithuania's state-run cybersecurity body said on Tuesday.

The capability in Xiaomi's Mi 10T 5G phone software had been turned off for the 'European Union region', but can be turned on remotely at any time, the Defence Ministry's National Cyber Security Centre said in the report.

'Our recommendation is to not buy new Chinese phones, and to get rid of those already purchased as fast as reasonably possible,' Defense Deputy Minister Margiris Abukevicius told reporters in introducing the report.

In a statement sent to Reuters on Wednesday, a Xiaomi spokesman said its device 'does not censor communications to or from its users'.

'Xiaomi has never and will never restrict or block any personal behaviours of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, web browsing or the use of third-party communication software,' the statement said.

'Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users,' it added.

Lithuania's Defense Ministry has advised citizens to throw away Chinese mobile phones or avoid buying them after a government report found some devices have built-in censorship capabilities. Pictured: A Xiaomi Mi Mix 3. Xiaomi was one of the companies found to have the technology in their handsets [Stock image]

The National Cyber Centre's report also said the Xiaomi phone was sending encrypted phone usage data to a server in Singapore, which could be against European data regulations.

'Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users. Xiaomi complies with the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR),' the spokesman's statement said.

A security flaw was also found in the P40 5G phone by China's Huawei but none was found in the phone of another Chinese maker, OnePlus, it said.

Huawei's representative in the Baltics told the BNS news wire its phones do not send user's data externally.

The report said the list of terms which could be censored by the Xiaomi phone's system apps, including the default internet browser, currently includes 449 terms in Chinese and is continuously updated.

'This is important not only to Lithuania but to all countries which use Xiaomi equipment,' the Centre said in the report.

Relations between Lithuania and China have soured recently over the question of Taiwan's sovereignty.

China demanded last month that Lithuania withdraw its ambassador in Beijing and said it would recall its envoy to Vilnius after Taiwan announced that its mission in Lithuania would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office.

Taiwanese missions in Europe and the United States use the name of the city Taipei, avoiding a reference to the island itself, which China claims as its own territory.

Lithuania is not among the fifteen UN member states to officially recognise Taiwan as the Republic of China. Those that do have no relationship with Beijing.

However, Taiwan maintains unofficial diplomatic relations with many UN member states, including Lithuania.

U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to Lithuania's prime minister Ingrida Simonyte last week and stressed support for her country in the face of pressure from China.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell accused Labour leader Keir Starmer of a 'grubby stitch-up' today as his plan to reform the way the party leader is chosen boiled over into factional infighting.

Mr McDonnell, a hardliner close to former leader Jeremy Corbyn, said his successor was leaving himself open to accusations of 'dishonesty' over changes that have provoked left-wing fury.

Sir Keir wants to scrap the current 'one member, one vote' system and replace it with a version of the electoral college system which was previously used by the party.

The proposals would see a return to trade unions, MPs and party members being split into respective categories, with each being responsible for one third of the result.

But speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programe today, Mr McDonnell said the changes were a 'huge mistake'.

'Keir was only elected 18 months ago and he was elected by those people and he never mentioned any of these reforms in that election itself and I think he is opening himself up to charges of dishonesty,' he said.

'What he should be doing is have a proper consultation  he can't just bounce this through.

'Look at the contrast in the media. You have Boris Johnson strutting the world stage, doing deals with (Joe) Biden and other world leaders, what do we have the Labour leader in grubby stitch up dealsit's unacceptable.'

The row has blown up just days ahead of the party's annual conference in Brighton, with Sir Keir also handed another blow today when new Unite union boss said she would not be attending.

Sharon Graham, recently elected general secretary of the hard left-leaning union, said current industrial disputes will have to take priority.

Sir Keir wants to scrap the current 'one member, one vote' system and replace it with a version of the electoral college system which was previously used by the party.

Mr McDonnell, a hardliner close to former leader Jeremy Corbyn, said his successor was leaving himself open to accusations of 'dishonesty' over changes that have provoked left-wing fury.

The row has blown up just days ahead of the party's annual conference in Brighton, with Sir Keir also handed another blow today when new Unite union Sharon Graham said she would not be attending

The shake-up was immediately condemned by left-wing party activists who have accused Sir Keir of launching a 'bureaucratic attack' and vowed to fight the move.

Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Keir's predecessor as leader who currently sits as an independent MP, labelled the proposed changes 'deeply undemocratic'.

The 'one member, one vote' system was instrumental in Mr Corbyn winning the party leadership in 2015 and then winning the subsequent leadership challenge against him in 2016 as left-wing activists rallied behind him to keep him in power.

Sir Keir briefed the shadow cabinet on his plans yesterday and will set them out to trade union leaders at a meeting this afternoon.

The Labour leader is understood to favour the three parts of the electoral college having an equal share of the vote.

Although the changes will be presented to unions as an attempt to bolster their position, Unite  Labour's biggest donor  is opposed to the move.

Ms Graham has written to Labour MPs saying the proposal to ditch the OMOV system introduced in 2014 was 'deeply disappointing'.

She confirmed last night she was not attending conference, which starts on Sunday and is Sir Keir's first as leader.

She said: "From day one of the general secretary election campaign I said I wanted the union to get back to what it says on the trade union tin, fighting for jobs, pay and conditions.

"That is what I am doing now. My members in dispute must be my first priority".

Ms Graham stressed her decision was not a snub to Sir Keir, saying: 'I am literally only four weeks into my leadership and my job has to be focused on defending workers.

'I had a useful meeting with Keir earlier this week and told him it was unlikely I would be at conference.

'I said I would be doing the day job to try to make sure workers don't pay the price of the pandemic.

Unite has more more than 20 ongoing industrial disputes, involving firms including Tesco and Weetabix.

The Unite delegation at Labour conference will be led by its executive council chairman, Tony Woodhouse and national political lead, Rob MacGregor.
A mother faces attempted murder charges after she drove off a cliff with her two children in a car last week.

The 38-year-old woman, who has yet to be named, was allegedly driving a Nissan sedan at a high rate of speed shortly after 8 a.m. last Friday in Santa Cruz before she crashed through a guardrail and wooden bench into Monterey Bay, authorities said.

Surfers assisted the family of three to safety early Friday after the crash as the car was lodged in a nearby cave inlet.

Her children, whose ages have not yet been revealed, were not seriously injured in the crash.

A California woman who drove off a cliff with her two children in a car last week is under arrest and faces attempted murder charges

The majority of the car, a Nissan sedan, is still stuck in a cave inlet

The 38-year-old woman, who has yet to be named, was allegedly driving a Nissan sedan at a high rate of speed shortly after 8 a.m. last Friday in Santa Cruz

Police have not revealed the woman's motive.

The mother was taken to a trauma center for treatment of her injuries shortly after the crash.

The sedan ended up submerged in the bay between rocky outcroppings at the end of the street and had not been removed as of Monday, officials said.

'The car is still submerged but we are constantly re-evaluating that for the intent of getting it out,' Sheriffs Office deputy Sgt. Dan Robbins said. 'We have additional resources coming to help with retrieving the car.'

Law enforcement officials were suspicious about the circumstances of that crash from the start.

Surfers assisted the family of three to safety early Friday after the crash as the car was lodged in a nearby cave inlet

'Right now, we are investigating whether this was accidental,' Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Ashleey Keen told local KSBW. 'If it was intentional. There were a lot of witnesses in the area and we're looking for any surveillance footage that could lead us to those answers.'

One of the surfers who helped rescue the family spoke out about her condition.

'She was pretty banged up and in shock,' Joe Evans said. 'I think she was pretty roughed up. I ran over there. There was another surfer out in the water. We both got there about the same time. Everyone was still in the car. The surfer helped them get out. He used his surfboard as a backboard. We got them on the beach and got them stable.'

The car drove straight through the guardrail and ended up submerged in the water

California Highway Patrol spokesperson Alyssa Gutierrez confirmed the automobile was still submerged when the family was rescued.

The majority of the car is still stuck in that cave inlet.

'It's in a really difficult location,' Santa Cruz Harbor Master Blake Anderson said. 'Typically, you would use airbags. The same type of airbags when a vessel sinks in the harbor just to be able to get that vehicle, in this case up and floating.'

The car likely won't be towed until sometime in October due to current weather conditions.
The chief aide to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was today targeted in an assassination attempt when his car came under fire, the country's interior minister said.

Gunmen armed with automatic weapons fired at Serhiy Shefir's car near the village of Lesnyky, just south of the capital Kiev, leaving the driver seriously injured, Anton Gerashchenko said.

'More than 10 bullets hit the car. The driver is seriously injured,' Mr Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook.

The shots were fired from the woods with automatic weapons at around 10am on Wednesday and Ukraine's National Police said a criminal case on suspicion of premeditated murder has been opened.

A local television station said at least 19 bullet holes could be seen on the driver's side of the car. Images from the scene show the black Audi with a number of bullet holes in the car.

One of Zelensky's aides said the assassination attempt could be in response to the president's fight against oligarchs while another said Russia could be behind the attack. Sherif himself said called the attack an attempt to 'intimidate' the presidency.

Zelensky promised a 'strong response' to the attack. He said: 'Saying 'hello' to me by shooting out of the forest at my friend's car is weak. The response will be strong.'

An investigator examines bullet holes in a car of Serhiy Shefir following an assassination attempt on Wednesday

Images from the scene show the black Audi with a number of bullet holes in the car

The chief aide to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (centre), Serhiy Shefir (left), was today targeted in an assassination attempt when his car came under fire, the country's interior minister said

Gunmen armed with automatic weapons fired at Serhiy Shefir's car near the village of Lesnyky, just south of the capital Kiev, leaving the driver seriously injured

Shefir may have been targeted for his work, or as part of a bid to pressure Ukraine's top leadership or destabilise 'the political situation in our country,' Igor Klymenko, head of the national police, told reporters.

'Unidentified individuals fired about 10 shots from a 7.62 calibre automatic weapon,' Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said on Facebook.

She added that an investigation was underway for a case of 'attempted murder'.

A senior lawmaker said the aide, Serhiy Shefir, was not hurt. Shefir is close to the president, leading a group of advisers.

'I briefly spoke to him, everything is fine, he is alive and well,' Davyd Arakhamia was cited by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

Zelenskiy, who came to power on a promise to take on the country's oligarchs and fight corruption, is currently in the United States at the U.N. General Assembly.

Markers are attached next to bullet holes in a car of Serhiy Shefir following the assault

The shots were fired from the woods with automatic weapons at around 10am on Wednesday

Bullet holes can be seen on the driver's side of Mr Shefir's car after the assassination attempt

Russia could be behind an assassination attempt against Shefir, the head of the president's political party, Oleksandr Korniienko, said.

'A Russian trace should not be absolutely ruled out. We know their ability to organise terrorist attacks in different countries,' Korniienko told reporters.

Zelenskiy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the assassination attempt could be a result of the president's fight against the oligarchs.

'This open, deliberate and extremely violent assault with automatic weapons cannot be qualified any differently than as an attempted killing of a key team member,' Podolyak told Reuters.

'We, of course, associate this attack with an aggressive and even militant campaign against the active policy of the head of state,' Interfax Ukraine quoted Podolyak as saying.

'The president's policy aimed at fundamental transformation of the state will remain unchanged,' he told Reuters, promising tougher measures against oligarchs.

Speaking about the attack being described as a response to Zelensky's policies on reigning in the influence of oligarchs, the president said: 'This does not affect the course that I have chosen with my team - towards changes, towards de-shadowing our economy, towards fighting criminals and large, influential financial groups.'

Parliament is this week due to debate a presidential law directed on reducing the influence of oligarchs.

Shefir, 57, was born in the industrial central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig.

He studied to be a metallurgist, but as a student began doing comedy for the popular KVN show with his brother, Boris.

In 2003 he co-founded a production company called 'Kvartal 95' with his brother Boris and Zelensky, a former comedic-actor turned president in 2019.

Shefir produced and wrote the 'Servant of the People,' a comedic show in which Zelensky portrayed a schoolteacher who becomes president.

'Anyone who has any information about the circumstances of the attempted life of two Ukrainian citizens, please report to the police on 102,' Ukraine's National Police said in a statement.
Shoppers were today warned that they face higher prices despite the government handing millions of pounds to a US firm to restart CO2 production.

CF Industries, one of the biggest fertiliser businesses in the world, shut its two plants in Teesside and Cheshire after a large surge in gas prices meant continued production wouldn't be profitable.

The plants produce 60 per cent of the UK's carbon dioxide with the decision to close them blamed for plunging Britain into a crisis that threatened to force farmers to cull animals and leave supermarket shelves empty.

However, a deal is now being finalised that will see CF Industries paid millions of taxpayer cash to restart production for the next three weeks.

Environment Secretary George Eustice has warned companies will still need to accept CO2 costs increasing fivefold, from 200 a tonne to 1,000. Ministers are urging industry use the time to find ways around the current shortages, sparked by unprecedented rises in the natural gas market.

Mr Eustice argued that the surge in prices should not be a 'major impact on food prices' for consumers because it makes up a small proportion of overall costs.

But an executive at a major meat supplier told the PA news agency that his firm could face paying an extra 1million every month due to the jump.

He added that this is likely to mean that prices will increase for customers.

'They have mentioned a sharp potential price rise and we use 600 to 700 hundred tonnes a week, so that's probably going mean more than a 1 million extra a month,' he said.

'We are still finding out exactly what prices will be and are due to have conversations with retailers now, but a jump like that is obviously going to be a bad thing for consumers in the long run.

'Suppliers can try to take some of that but there is so much pressure elsewhere and the margins are so tight.'

The executive said that his firm has around a week of CO2 left so believes empty shelves will be avoided, assuming the supply is restarted without significant further disruption.

The British Meat Processing Association (BMPA) also warned that CO2 price shifts could 'prompt price distortion in other markets'.

Meat manufacturers have warned that shoppers are likely to face higher prices as a result of the surge in CO2 costs

Pictured right, Tony Will on a private jet with a beer. Left, Environment Secretary George Eustice

Millionaire CF Industries CEO Tony Will (pictured with Warren Buffett) has been locked in talks with the government to restart his firm's two fertiliser plants

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy Kwasi Kwarteng told MPs today that there was 'no question of us writing a cheque to that company indefinitely'

Taxpayers will have to fork out 'tens of millions' to Will's firm (pictured on an Egyptian billionaire's yacht in St Tropez)

CF chief executive Tony Will, who was paid 7 million last year, previously shared photos of himself aboard an Egyptian billionaire's yacht in St Tropez and enjoying a beer on a private jet, according to the Times. He made his Instagram account private shortly before news of the government's agreement with CF Industries was made public.



However, Mr Kwateng told MPs today that there was 'no question of us writing a cheque to that company indefinitely'.

He explained: 'In a critical intervention like that you have to have a way of exiting the arrangement. It's not a case of just trying to nationalise it or supporting it indefinitely.

'That's why I think in a critical period we needed a very short-term arrangement.

'I'm confident that we can get other sources of CO2 in that period, there was an immediate crisis and the deal that we reached solved the immediate problem.'

It comes after Britons reacted with fury today after the government announced it would be giving 'tens of millions' of taxpayer cash to CF Industries.

One wrote online: 'We're being held to ransom by a foreign owned company on British soil. Instead of handing them extra cash fund or establish a British-owned company.'

Another commented: 'This morning it becomes clear that not only are taxpayers paying the CO2 company but consumers will pay higher food prices as well. Jackpot!

While a third asked: 'Why is the UK taxpayer bailing out a US owned company?'

Mr Eustice today insisted the deal would be 'temporary' lasting three weeks and had been agreed after a 'perfect storm' hit production.

He claimed that 'Christmas is safe' from the impact of soaring energy prices, and the increase in the price of carbon dioxide would not have a 'major impact on food prices' because it was only a 'tiny proportion' of overall costs.

But the deal currently being hammered out by lawyers, was blasted by Tory MPs and free market organisations, who said reform of the market was required to prevent one firm having such a stranglehold.

CF Industries stopped production last week with its most recent statement saying it did not 'have an estimate for when production will resume'.

The company has assets of $15 billion and is headquartered in Illinois. It is one of the biggest fertiliser firms in the world and was previously responsible for 25% of US fertilizer.

Will flew in to the UK on Sunday and had a meeting with Kwarteng.

The US millionaire - whose stock in the company is thought to be around $25 million - is said to have been unconvinced by efforts from the government to restart production at the firm's UK plants over the high cost of natural gas.

Now, Will and CF Industries appear to have been persuaded - though the exact cost hasn't been made clear.

Environment Secretary George Eustice today insisted the deal would be 'temporary' lasting three weeks and had been agreed after a 'perfect storm' hit production.

He claimed that 'Christmas is safe' from the impact of soaring energy prices, and the increase in the price of carbon dioxide would not have a 'major impact on food prices' because it was only a 'tiny proportion' of overall costs.

But the deal currently being hammered out by lawyers, was blasted by Tory MPs and free market organisations, who said reform of the market was required to prevent one firm having such a hold on the market.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the Sun: 'This should be a very time-limited operation and must be suspended as soon as they can ship CO2 into the UK from elsewhere.

'The bigger longer term problem is supply of energy - successive governments have taken their eye off the ball of energy security, which we are no longer producing here in this country. We won't survive if we go on like this.'

CF Industries employs thousands of employees in the US, Canada and the UK.

Around 400 staff are based at the firm's Cheshire site, where a million tonnes of fertiliser are produced per year, supplying the grass and farming sectors.

It employs around 200 staff on Teesside, and has a supply chain estimated to be worth 500m a year to the region's economy. Earlier this year, it was revealed the firm was 'evaluating its options' in the North East after being slapped with a bill for millions by Ofgem.

CEO Will joined the firm in 2007 before eventually becoming its chief in 2014.

Will was previously the senior vice president, manufacturing and distribution, which put him in charge of the annual production of 15 million tons of fertiliser, distributed through 70 locations.

He was previously Manager for The Boston Consulting Group, Inc., Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer for Terra Nitrogen Co. LP, Vice President-Business Development at Sears, Roebuck & Co., Partner at Accenture Ltd. and Vice President-Strategy & Corporate Development at Fort James Corp.

Will received an undergraduate degree from Iowa State University and an MBA and a graduate degree from Kellogg School of Management.

CO2 is used for everything from the humane slaughter of chickens and pigs, to putting the fizz in soft drinks and creating packaging that keeps foods fresh.

And it is critical for cooling nuclear reactors and as well as keeping certain medicines and vaccines cold.

Industry leaders had warned that the shortage could bring the entire meat processing system to a halt.

Mr Eustice told Sky News the deal is 'going to be into many millions, possibly the tens of millions, but it is to underpin some of those fixed costs.'

He added: 'It's going to be temporary ... at the end of the day we need the market to adjust.

Mr Eustice said there had been a 'perfect storm' caused by two plants in the UK and Norway being closed for maintenance at the same time as CF suspended operations of its two factories due to high energy costs.

He added: 'The truth is if we did not act then, by this weekend, or certainly by the early part of next week, some of the poultry processing plants would need to close and then we would have animal welfare issues - because you would have lots of chickens on farms that couldn't be slaughtered on time and would have to be euthanised on farms, we would have a similar situation with pigs.

'There would have been a real animal welfare challenge here and a big disruption to the food supply chain, so we felt we needed to act.'

But Dr Eamonn Butler, director of the freemarket think tank the Adam Smith Institute, said: 'Since we put the government in charge of setting prices on the energy industry, it has taken less than five years for a shortage.

'Only the government could screw up the energy market then use taxpayer funds to bailout companies.

'The merry-go-round of subsidy and regulation that gives security only to the most powerful and well connected at huge cost to everyone else has got to stop.'

Under the short-term arrangement, the taxpayer will financially support the factories so they can operate again.

Only one plant - the plant in Billingham - will reopen initially, Mr Eustice admitted, but he anticipated the other in Cheshire also restarting. It is expected to take up to 48 hours to start CO2 production.
Senator Pauline Hanson has come out in support of construction workers protesting in Melbourne with a controversial social media post.

The One Nation leader posted an image with the phrase 'Building Lives Matter' to her Twitter and Facebook accounts on Wednesday night.

The image was accompanied by a caption stating: '@OneNationAus stands with construction workers fighting for freedom of choice!'

Mark Latham, NSW One Nation upper house MP also shared the same image to his own public Twitter account.

Melbourne has been rocked by three straight days of protests which started over mandatory vaccinations for constructions workers and ballooned into wider unrest.

Senator Pauline Hanson (pictured) has pledged her support to Melbourne anti-vaxxers posting 'Building Lives Matter' to her social media

Both Senator Hanson and Mark Latham, NSW One Nation MP, posted the image (pictured) supporting those protesting against mandatory vaccinations for construction workers

Senator Hanson is the founder of the right-wing populist party and has previously been criticised for her references to the Black Lives Matter movement against racially motivated violence and police brutality.

Many of her followers shared her support for the Melbourne protestors and praised her 'building lives matter' slogan.

'You're always there for the average bloke ... love your work champion,' one wrote.

'Good on you Pauline, it's just a shame so many people miss your point,' wrote another on Facebook.

'I don't always agree with everything you say, but you are a true patriot Pauline. You have a genuine love for this country and its people,' said another supporter.

But some social media users objected to Senator Hanson's support for the protesters.

'Do you condemn the thuggish violence?' one asked on Twitter.

'She's clearly protesting the earthquake that happened today! Poor buildings don't need to be put through that extra stress,' another joked.

'This uninformed conspiracy nonsense is incredibly hurtful to the families of the victims. Please stop,' one user wrote.

It is also not the first time Senator Hanson has spoken out against mandatory vaccinations.

She has been reprimanded by health officials for making false claims about vaccinations and saying people should have the right to choose to catch the virus and deal with the consequences.

She has also made claims the government have been using lockdowns as a 'bullying tactic' to push residents into getting the vaccine.

The violent protests (pictured) have been going on for three days in Melbourne, with anti-vaxxers, anti-lockdown and other members of fringe groups clashing with police

Liberal senator Amanda Stoker was also criticised for her response to the protests.

She condemned the violence, but said the demonstrations reflected the effect of lockdown and a heavy-handed police approach.

The violent rallies began on Monday at the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) headquarters where construction workers gathered to protest mandatory vaccines and other government-imposed Covid regulations.

CFMEU boss John Setka said the majority of Monday's protesters were non-union members, and blamed neo-Nazis and 'right wing infiltrators' for the violence.

Ms Hanson also referred to the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020.

During global demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Ms Hanson attempted to put forward an 'all lives matter' motion in the Senate.

Her motion was denied formality by an overwhelming majority and did not proceed to a vote, with one senator walking out in protest.
Two schools have been accused of 'brainwashing' pupils as young as 12 by holding an eight-hour mock trail for a Tory MP.

Teachers from All Saints School in Weymouth and The Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis were slammed for bringing fictional claims against Richard Drax.

They tried to pin slavery 'charges' against the former British Army officer over his relatives' role in the trade hundreds of years ago.

The fake prosecutor accused the MP for Dorset of 'benefitting from the proceeds of slavery'.

Forty pupils aged between 12 and 18 were involved in the case, taking on the roles of lawyers while others were split into three juries.

The three child juries found Mr Drax guilty, although they dismissed a second count that he 'had acted like his ancestors while performing his role as MP'.

Mr Drax, whose family established a sugar plantation in Barbados in the 1620s, declined an invitation to turn up to give a defence.

Instead an actor was drafted in to play the role of Mr Drax at the trial held at Bridport Town Hall in Dorset.

Teachers from All Saints School in Weymouth and The Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis were slammed for bringing fictional claims against Richard Drax

They tried to pin slavery 'charges' against the former British Army officer (pictured, an actor playing him in the dock) over his relatives' role in the trade hundreds of years ago

The fake prosecutor accused the MP for Dorset (pictured, the actual politician on another occasion) of 'benefitting from the proceeds of slavery'

What is the 3DCentre? Non-for profit run left wing lawyers 3DCentre is a UK charity founded by Clive Stafford Smith. It campaigns against what it sees as injustice, fights cases and, on its website, claims to 'empower young people in rural areas'. These focus on jobs in human rights, climate action and economics. Also on the team is Dr Nick Hollely, who is operations and projects manager. He is a former consultant who focuses on climate action. 3DCentre also has a steering group, made up of a number of lawyers. Barrister Samantha Knights QC is one of them and has posted a number of left wing tweets in the past. She has railed against Priti Patel and the Home Office over the government's immigration policy.

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Chris McGovern, a retired head teacher and chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: 'I do not think school children should be putting anyone on trial.

'This is an example of out of control brainwashing and it should not be allowed as schools are duty bound to be impartial, not have an agenda.

'There is room for a balanced debate based on knowledge but this is a type of fanaticism.'

The event was organised by human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith - who has written for the left-wing Guardian newspaper - who pretended to be a judge.

It was the first 'Generation on Trial' which Mr Stafford Smith's charity 3DCentre is staging.

It holds make believe trials for politicians accused of crimes of 'messing up the world' for their generation.

Mr Stafford Smith's initiative only appears to target figures on the right of the political spectrum.

Others who face fictional prosecution are expected to be Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Priti Patel, Tony Blair and Jeff Bezos.

But education experts slammed the events, saying they lack impartiality and risk 'brainwashing' schoolchildren.

The event was organised by human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith (pictured, smirking as he pretended to be a judge)

An actor (pictured) was drafted in to play the role of Mr Drax at the trial held at Bridport Town Hall in Dorset

Clive Stafford Smith: Lawyer who fought against the death penalty in the US Clive Stafford Smith is a human rights lawyer who is best known for his work trying to abolish the death penalty in the US. Not all of his campaigns have been successful. He said in his book: 'Over the years, I have watched six of my clients die: two in the electric chair, two in the gas chamber and two on the lethal injection gurney... 'If I am forced to choose, I would probably say I hate the electric chair the most.' He defended terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay. He has represented more than 80 of them since 2002 but 40 are still locked up there. Stafford Smith was born in Cambridge and went to the prestigious Old Buckenham Hall School and Radley College before moving to the US to study journalism. He did another degree after this in law and practised in Louisiana. Advertisement

Actor Sir Philip Colfox was instructed to respond how he thought Mr Drax might do to questioning.

Prosecution witnesses included a supposed slavery expert while a wealth manager was brought in for the defence to explain it was 'legitimate' to inherit wealth.

Mr Stafford Smith, 62, said: 'We had some students from two schools doing a series called Generation on Trial where we are putting people from my generation on trial for how they have messed up the world for the young generation.

'We put the local MP Richard Drax on trial for benefitting from the proceeds of slavery because his family made all their money from that and we invited him to be the defendant but he didn't come.

'There were 40 pupils involved and they took on the roles of prosecution and defence lawyers, with the rest in three juries, and it was all filmed including their deliberations.

'There were opening statements, and the prosecution outlined its case.

'We had prosecution witnesses including a slavery expert and an expert on the medical consequences of the slave trade, while on the defence side there was a wealth manager who said it was legitimate to inherit wealth.

'Mr Drax was invited to come to give a defence but declined, so there was a stand-in who responded how he thought he might.

'The kids were actually very open-minded and poor Mr Drax got convicted on the charge of benefitting from the proceeds of slavery, but not on another charge.

'The idea of this and the 3DCentre is to give young people opportunities to have the experience of human rights and to therefore get them excited about it.'

He claimed: 'They really were, they were fabulous, They lasted eight hours without a yawn.'

A protest at the estate owned by Mr Drax in Winterborne Zelston in Dorset in July this year

BLM activists spray painted 'slaver' on walls of Grade-II listed pub named after Tory MP Richard Drax's slaveowner ancestors Black Lives Matter supporters in April graffitied a village pub named after a Tory MP's slaveowner ancestors. The Drax Arms in Bere Regis, Dorset, was targeted by vandals who sprayed the words 'slaver' and 'BLM' on to the walls. The Grade II-listed pub is named after the Drax family who own the nearby estate and whose forefathers ran plantations in Barbados and Jamaica in the 17th century. The Drax Arms in Bere Regis, Dorset, was targeted by vandals who sprayed the words 'slaver' and 'BLM' on to the walls But the family, including Tory MP for South Dorset Richard Drax, no longer have any ties to the pub, which has been owned by brewery Hall and Woodhouse for a century. Since 2017 it has been managed by tenant Kerry Davies and her family, who are gutted they have been vandalised ahead of their post-lockdown reopening in May. Advertisement

Mr Stafford Smith added: 'I think the younger generation should be angry because a lot of them don't understand how their chances in life have been diminished by my generation.'

Dan Watts, the headteacher The Woodroffe School, said: 'We are extremely proud of our students and their keen interest in the world beyond the school gates.

'Our students have a strong moral compass, are passionate about exploring and debating the key issues that interest them since they recognise they have an important part to play in our society in the future.

'A key role of all schools is, as stated by the Department for Education, that students should be encouraged to develop an interest in investigating moral and ethical issues and use this knowledge to support their own understanding, whilst respecting the views of others.

'Furthermore, it is expected that whilst at school, students build their understanding of and respect for democracy and the rule of law, as well as their ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong, in both simple and more complex situations.

'Clearly emphasised by the 3DCentre was the fact that this was an academic discussion and did not purport to be a real trial, but an educational process.

'However, care was taken by the organisers to ensure that the arguments heard by our students were balanced.

'The 3DCentre is planning future 'Generation on Trial' events on issues ranging from climate change, Brexit, student loans to UK immigration policy and we will continue to support our students in taking part in them.'

Mr Drax, 63, is believed to be the wealthiest landowner in the House of Commons, with 5,600 hectares of farmland and woodlands, and is worth about 150million.

He owns the Drax Hall sugar plantation in Barbados. His ancestors ran the same plantation about 400 years ago and used slave labour.

Mr Drax has previously described his ancestors links with the slave trade as 'deeply regrettable'.

But he said no one can be held responsible today for what happened hundreds of years ago.

Mr Drax declined to comment on the mock trial.
A stunning collection of German porcelain rescued by the Allied 'Monuments Men' before it could be destroyed by the Nazis has sold for more than 10million.

The hoard of Dresden antiques was acquired by industrialist Dr Franz Oppenheimer and his wife Margarethe during the 1920s and 30s.

The Jewish couple fled their home in Berlin for the relative safety of Vienna in 1936 as the Nazis began persecuting Jewish people in Germany.

The Oppenheimer's ended up emigrating to the US the day before Austria was annexed by Germany in 1938, but not before they sold off their fabulous figurines and ornaments for bargain prices to stop them falling into the hands of the Nazis.

Ultimately, the collection was found in the Netherlands by a member of the SS who acquired it for Adolf Hitler in 1941.

To prevent millions of pounds of looted artwork from being damaged by Allied bombing raids, the Nazis stored much of it in salt mines across southern Germany and Austria.

A stunning collection of German porcelain rescued by the Allied 'Monuments Men' before it could be destroyed by the Nazis has sold for more than 10million. Pictured: A unique pair of Meissen Augustus Rex hexagonal vases and covers sold for 277,000

The hoard of Dresden antiques was acquired by industrialist Dr Franz Oppenheimer and his wife Margarethe during the 1920s and 30s. Pictured: A Meissen armorial waste bowl from the service made for Clemens August, Elector of Cologne sold for 440,000

The Jewish couple were forced to hastily sell their collection as they fled the Nazis. Pictured: A very rare pair of Meissen Augustus Rex underglaze blue-ground beaker vases sold for 635,000.

Towards the end of the war, a group of male and female art experts, museum curators and librarians were assembled from the United Kingdom and United States to find and recover Hitler's stolen art before it could be destroyed by the Germans.

In 2014, the work of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives programme got the big screen treatment in The Monuments Men, starring George Clooney and Matt Damon.

Among the treasures they uncovered was the Oppenheimer's collection of 117 pieces of 17th and 18th century Meissen porcelain.

The collection was held in various Dutch museums for 70 years until the couple's descendants took their case to the Dutch Restitutions Committee, arguing that the collection was rightfully theirs.

The Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives programme was an Allied unit during the Second World War whose aim was to recover looted pieces of art. Pictured: U.S. Army sergeant Harold Maus inspects a Durer engraving hidden in the Merkers salt mine in May 1945

Items similar to those that formed part of the Oppenheimer's collection are pictured in this archival photo

During the Third Reich, agents working on behalf of the Nazi Party engaged in the organised looting of museums and private collections in occupied countries. Pictured: A U.S. Soldier with Crown of Charlemagne in a cave in Siegen, Germany

The work of this special unit had been largely forgotten by the general public until their efforts were featured in art scholar Lynn H. Nicholas' book The Rape of Europa in 1995. More books and eventually a feature film followed. Pictured: The Monuments Men with furniture from Rothschild Paris residences looted by Germans

In 2019, the committee recommended the porcelains be returned to the family, concluding that the couple 'lost possession of the objects involuntarily due to circumstances directly related to the Nazi regime.'

Last Tuesday, the items smashed all expectations when they went under the hammer at Sotheby's auction house, bringing in a massive 10,500,000.

They had been expected to make 2million but the 117-piece collection was deemed so rare that almost every item sold for over its asking price.

In an unexpected twist, more than half of the lots were bought by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which had only recently returned them to the Oppenheimer's family.

A 17-inch high Meissen clock dating back to 1727 led the sales, fetching 1.16million.

The item, which was bought by Sir Anthony de Rothschild in 1855 before being acquired by the Oppenheimers in 1923, had been expected to sell for 300,000.

A rare Meissen armorial tea and coffee service made in 1731 sold for 958,000.

More than half of the items were bought by the Rijksmuseum, which had previously owned them. Pictured: A pair of Meissen Augustus Rex yellow-ground baluster sold for 502,000

The Rijksmuseum returned the items to the descendants of the Oppenheimers after a 2019 recommendation by the Dutch Restitution Committee, which found that they were the rightful owners. Pictured: An extremely rare Meissen famille verte goblet sold for 387,000

Sotheby's had expected the 117-piece collection to fetch 2million but it was deemed so rare that almost every item sold for over its asking price. Pictured: A rare Meissen Augustus Rex vase sold for 458,000

The collection was held in various Dutch museums for 70 years before being returned to the original owners' family. Pictured: An extremely rare pair of Meissen Augustus Rex underglaze-blue-ground beaker vases sold for 901,000

A pair of Meissen Augustus Rex underglaze-blue-ground beaker vases made in about 1725 sold for 900,000.

And an extremely rare Meissen famille verte goblet, also made in 1725, went for 810,000.

Lucian Simmons, worldwide head on restitution at auctioneers Sotheby's, said: 'After the defeat of the Nazi regime, the collection was discovered by Allied Monuments officers in a Salt Mine in Austria where it had been placed by Hitler's curators for safety.

'The collection was taken first to Munich and was then sent by the Allies to Holland. The Dutch Government placed it in three museums, including the Rijksmuseum, where it remained until it was restituted to the Oppenheimer heirs.

'Ninety items were in the Rijksmuseum, 13 in the Kunstmuseum in the Hague and four in the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen.

'The Oppenheimer family first sought restitution in June 2015.

'In recommending the collection be returned to the heirs of Franz and Margarete Oppenheimer, the Dutch Restitution Committee said that Oppenheimer 'lost possession of these objects involuntarily due to circumstances directly related to the Nazi regime.

Pictured: George Clooney (second from left) and Matt Damon (right) played fictionalised members of the Monuments Men in a 2014 film of the same name

'We cannot comment on their [the Oppenheimer family's] motives, but they are a group of individuals and it is quite common for restituted collections to be sold to convert the inheritance into a form that is more easily distributed amongst the descendants of a victim of Nazi persecution.'

Franz Oppenheimer was a lawyer and part-owner of a private company that dominated the coal industry in the period before the Second World War.

Buying at a time when many important pieces were being deaccessioned from the Royal Collections in Dresden, he and his wife built up an impressive collection of Meissen.

Porcelain objects from the famed European manufacturer are often referred to in the industry as 'white gold' due to their rarity.

Sotheby's described the offering as 'one of the greatest prewar collections of Meissen porcelain to appear at auction in more than 60 years.'
Ministers were today urged to adopt stricter targets on air pollution amid claims the Government has 'dragged its heels' in the fight on toxic air.

The World Health Organization's recommended target  updated for the first time in 15 years today  is half the level of No10's proposed limit.

Politicians have yet to pass through the threshold as law, with the bill currently being debated in the House of Lords.

But charities today urged ministers to act on the WHO advice, saying its proposed limits on pollution are 'unfit for purpose'. Toxic air will 'continue to blight the health of generations to come' without urgent intervention, they warned.

And the mother of a nine-year-old girl, who was the first person in the UK to have air pollution recorded on her death certificate, has called on the Government to follow the WHO's new guidelines.

The UN agency, which last updated its guidance in 2005, demanded tougher action as evidence continues to build over the health risks of tiny pollutants, linked to heart disease, dementia and cancer.

Poor air quality is estimated to cause 7million deaths every year and cuts millions of healthy years off lives, according to the WHO.

The WHO released air quality guidelines to protect people's health, calling on countries to ensure key air pollutants do not go above a certain level. The guidelines state levels of particulate matter that are smaller than 2.5 microns (g/m) should not exceed an annual level of 5 g/m, according to the recommendations  half the level included in the Environment Bill going through Parliament.

The WHO's guidelines set new targets for so-called classical pollutants, particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10), ozone (O2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). Almost all of the targets are less than those it recommended in 2005, because researcher in the last 16 years has highlighted the impact of pollution on health

WHO Europe Regional Director Dr Hans Henri Kluge said the impact of air pollution on diseases is 'large, it is growing, and makes air pollution the single most important environmental risk factor for our health'

Mum of girl whose death was linked to pollution says UK must adopt new clean air goals The mother of a nine-year-old girl in London, whose death was linked to air pollution, has called on the UK Government to adopt new air pollution targets. Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah's daughter Ella's death in February 2013 following an asthma attack. A coroner ruled in December that pollution contributed to her death. She lived nearby the South Circular Road in Lewisham and is believed to be the first person in the UK to have air pollution recorded on her death certificate, after Southwark Coroner's Court found it was a 'material contribution' to Ella's death. Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said ministers now have a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect children's health' by updating air quality targets to follow latest guidelines from the World Health Organisation. She said: 'Air pollution stunts children's health and future - it causes premature birth, life-threatening asthma, cognitive problems, childhood cancer and so many other problems. Pictured: nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah 'There is no safe level of air pollution to breathe, but at least following the WHO's new air quality guidelines will improve children's health and set us on the path to achieving clean air for all. 'The UK government has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect children's health now, by including air quality targets in the Environment Bill that follow the WHO's guidelines. 'This bill will determine the quality of the air we breathe for the next 15-20 years - meaning that babies born today will grow up with it. We can't let them down. 'The Coroner's report on preventing future deaths like my daughter Ella's said that aligning PM2.5 pollution with the WHO's guidelines would be a minimum requirement for saving lives. 'And yet our Government wants to put the air quality targets out for consultation from January to October 2022. 'It's incredibly disappointing to see Prime Minister Boris Johnson telling other countries at the UN this week that they are not doing enough to tackle climate change, when his own government is still supporting new fossil fuel projects and delaying air quality targets that will save lives now and help reach net zero emissions by 2050.' Advertisement

The WHO's guidelines urged countries to ensure air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO), do not exceed a certain level.

Levels of PM that are smaller than 2.5 microns (g/m) should not exceed an annual level of 5 g/m, according to the recommendations  half the level included in the Government's Environment Bill and a fifth of the cap included in current regulations.

It is also half of the level it recommended in its old 2005 guidelines.

And short-term exposure  the level a person is exposed to for a maximum of four days per year  should not be higher than 15 g/m, compared to the previously recommended 20 g/m.

Tiny particulate matter are some of the most dangerous pollutants because they are capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and bloodstream, damaging the body's organs.

They have also been linked with cancer and are mainly made from burning fuel for transport, energy and agriculture.

WHO Europe Regional Director Dr Hans Henri Kluge said the impact of air pollution on diseases is 'large, it is growing, and makes air pollution the single most important environmental risk factor for our health'.

He said: 'Everybody on the planet has the fundamental right to breathe clean air. Like most environmental factors, air pollution does not respect national boundaries.

'The nature of this challenge calls for an enhanced and immediate action, because clean air is a political choice and a societal responsibility.

'The next step is now for policymakers around the world to use these guidelines to develop evidence-informed policies to decrease the unacceptable health burden that results from air pollution exposure.

'The urgent actions that are needed require sustained political commitment and cooperation of various sectors and stakeholders.'

In 2019, more than 90 per cent of the world's population lived in areas where PM 2.5 levels were higher than the WHO's 2005 guidelines.

The WHO said almost eight in 10 deaths related to PM 2.5 could be avoided if levels were reduced in line with its new guidelines.

And even if countries lower it to the old target of 10 g/m of PM 2.5 each year, 48 per cent of deaths related to the pollutant would not occur, with the biggest impact seen in South East Asia and Africa.

Addressing other key pollutants, the WHO set a new ozone (O3) level of 60 g/m at the peak in summer, while short-term exposure should not be more than 100 g/m  the same level it recommended in its 2005 guidelines.

And target levels of NO2 should be 10 g/m annually, a quarter of the previous recommended level of 40 g/m, the WHO said.

Current UK guidelines state NO2 levels must not exceed 40 g/m annually.

The WHO also introduced a recommended limit of 4 g/m in a 24-hour period for carbon monoxide.

But the WHO increased levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) that can be permitted because higher levels of this pollutant are comparably not as damaging as the others is set targets on.

The WHO said the figures are a 'practical instrument' countries can use to set goals or legally binding standards for air quality nationally and at a local level.

Air pollution increases the risk of several conditions, including heart attack, stroke and diabetes

Three of the most problematic pollutants  nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10)  dropped to all-time low concentrations last year in the UK. Pictured, the level of PM2.5 since records began in 2009 for urban areas (purple) and by roads (red)

PM10, larger particles which pose less of a health risk to people, dropped from 15g/m3 in urban areas in 2019 to 13.2g/m3 last year  a 12 per cent drop (pictured)

Pictured, a graph showing three measures of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant primarily produced by engines and the burning of fossil fuels. The urban background annual average (purple) dropped by almost a quarter (23 per cent) in 2020

Ozone (O3) levels increased slightly in urban areas (purple), likely as a side effect of nitrogen dioxide emissions decreasing. Ozone is not produced in notable amounts by human activities, but instead is formed when various other emissions react in the atmosphere

WHAT HAVE RECENT STUDIES SHOWN POLLUTION CAN DO TO OUR HEALTH AND BODIES? CAUSE CHILDREN TO HAVE A LOW IQ: Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found in May 2019 that children born to mothers who live in polluted areas have an IQ that is up to seven points lower than those living in places with cleaner air. CAUSE CHILDREN TO HAVE POORER MEMORY: Researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found boys exposed to greater levels of PM2.5 in the womb performed worse on memory tests by the time they are 10. DELAY THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN: Youngsters who live less than one-third of a mile away from busy roads are twice as likely to score lower on tests of communication skills in infancy, found researchers at Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health in April. They were also more likely to have poorer hand-eye coordination. MAKE CHILDREN MORE ANXIOUS: University of Cincinnati scientists claimed pollution may alter the structure of children's brains to make them more anxious. Their study of 14 youngsters found rates of anxiety was higher among those exposed to greater levels of pollution. CUT YOUR CHILD'S LIFE SHORT: Children born today will lose nearly two years of their lives because of air pollution, according to a report by the US-based Health Effects Institute and the University of British Columbia in April 2019. UNICEF called for action on the back of the study. RAISE A CHILD'S RISK OF AUTISM: Researchers at Monash University in Australia discovered youngsters living in highly polluted parts of Shanghai have a 86 per cent greater chance of developing ASD. Lead author Dr Yuming Guo said: 'The developing brains of young children are more vulnerable to toxic exposures in the environment.' CAUSE ASTHMA IN CHILDREN: Four million children around the world develop asthma each year because of road traffic pollution, a major study by academics at George Washington University estimated. Experts are divided as to what causes asthma - but exposure to pollution in childhood increases the risk by damaging the lungs. MAKE CHILDREN FAT: University of Southern California experts found last November that 10 year olds who lived in polluted areas when they were babies are, on average, 2.2lbs (1kg), heavier than those who grew up around cleaner air. Nitrogen dioxide pollution could disrupt how well children burn fat, the scientists said. LEAVE WOMEN INFERTILE EARLIER: Scientists at the University of Modena, Italy, claimed in May 2019 that they believe pollution speeds up ageing in women, just like smoking, meaning they run out of eggs faster. This was based on them finding almost two-thirds of women who have a low 'reserve' of eggs regularly inhaled toxic air. RAISE THE RISK OF A MISCARRIAGE: University of Utah scientists found in January that pregnant women are 16 per cent more likely to suffer the heartbreak of a miscarriage if they live in areas of high pollution. RAISE THE RISK OF BREAST CANCER: Scientists at the University of Stirling found six women working at the same bridge next to a busy road in the US got breast cancer within three years of each other. There was a one in 10,000 chance the cases were a coincidence, the study said. It suggested chemicals in the traffic fumes caused the cancer by shutting down the BRCA genes, which try to stop tumours growing. DAMAGE A MAN'S SPERM: Brazilian scientists at the University of Sao Paulo found in March that mice exposed to toxic air had lower counts and worse quality sperm compared to those who had inhaled clean air since birth. MAKE MEN LESS LIKELY TO GET SEXUALLY AROUSED: Scientists at Guangzhou Medical University in China found rats exposed to air pollution struggled to get sexually aroused. Scientists believe it may also affect men, as inhaling poisonous particles may trigger inflammation in blood vessels and starve the genitals of oxygen  affecting men's ability to become sexually aroused. MAKE MEN MORE LIKELY TO HAVE ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION: Men who live on main roads are more likely to have difficulty getting an erection due to exposure to pollution, a Guangzhou University in China study suggested in February. Toxic fumes reduced blood flow to the genitals, tests on rats showed, putting them at risk of developing erectile dysfunction. RAISE THE RISK OF PSYCHOSIS: In March, King's College London scientists linked toxic air to intense paranoia and hearing voices in young people for the first time. They said uncovering exactly how pollution may lead to psychosis should be an 'urgent health priority'. MAKE YOU DEPRESSED: Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers found in January that that the more polluted the air, the sadder we are. Their study was based on analysing social media users in China alongside the average daily PM2.5 concentration and weather data where they lived. CAUSE DEMENTIA: Air pollution could be responsible for 60,000 cases of dementia in the UK, researchers from King's College London and St George's, University of London, calculated last September. Tiny pollutants breathed deep into the lungs and enter the blood stream, where they may travel into the brain and cause inflammation  a problem which may trigger dementia. Advertisement

As it stands, the Government's Environment bill  which will be published for a public consultation early next year  says PM 2.5 must be less than or equal to 10 g/m and follow WHO targets 'as far as practicable'.

A Defra spokesperson said: 'Air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010  at a national level emissions of fine particulate matter have fallen by 11 per cent, while emissions of nitrogen oxides are at their lowest level since records began.

'To continue to drive forward tangible and long-lasting improvements to the air we breathe, we will set stretching and ambitious targets on air quality through our Environment Bill.

'We will consider the updated WHO guidelines on PM2.5 to inform the development of air quality targets but we must not underestimate the challenges these would bring particularly in large cities and for people's daily lives.

'We must all understand the impact of the choices we need to make, which is why we will be running a public consultation on the proposed targets early next year which will inform the target setting process alongside independent expert advice and analysis on a range of factors.'

But Ms Woolnough said: 'The Government has dragged its heels long enough.

'With this latest WHO guidance, COP26 on the horizon and the Environment Bill going through parliament, now is the time for politicians to commit to world-leading air pollution targets to tackle the greatest environmental threat to human health.

'We have a front row seat to the devastation caused by breathing in dirty air which creates new lung conditions, worsens existing ones and triggers life-threatening asthma attacks, and it's plain to see that the Government's current air quality legal limits are unfit for purpose.

'The WHO's revised air quality guidelines set the bar for the ambition needed by this Government, as well as world leaders, to prevent tens of thousands of early deaths each year.

'They also support the urgent need to safeguard those most at risk from toxic air, including all people with lung conditions, children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

'Our analysis shows that 99.8 per cent of schools in England are in areas where air pollution exceeds the WHO's new guideline limits, an increase of almost 70 per cent from the 2005 guidelines.

'Without urgent intervention, toxic air will continue to blight the health of generations to come.'

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the mother of nine-year-old Ella who died in February 2013 following an asthma attack that a coroner concluded air pollution contributed to, said the Government 'has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect children's health now, by including air quality targets in the Environment Bill that follow the WHO's guidelines'.

She said: 'This bill will determine the quality of the air we breathe for the next 15-20 years - meaning that babies born today will grow up with it. We can't let them down.

'The Coroner's report on preventing future deaths like my daughter Ella's said that aligning PM 2.5 pollution with the WHO's guidelines would be a minimum requirement for saving lives.

'And yet our government wants to put the air quality targets out for consultation from January to October 2022.

'It's incredibly disappointing to see Prime Minister Boris Johnson telling other countries at the UN this week that they are not doing enough to tackle climate change, when his own government is still supporting new fossil fuel projects and delaying air quality targets that will save lives now and help reach net zero emissions by 2050.'

The WHO did not recommend ways for countries to tackle air pollution levels, but noted that lockdown measures implemented by Covid slashed NO2 levels by up to 70 per cent.

Restrictions in response to Covid 'have shown how policies related to transport and the way people work, study and consume, can contribute to better air quality', which countries should consider when implementing post-pandemic recovery policies.

Dr Aaron Bernstein, the interim director of the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the health gains from moving away from from fossil fuels are 'enormous'.

He said: 'Air pollution from burning fossil fuels is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths worldwide.

'It causes children to have asthma, it causes pneumonia, it causes pregnant women to have babies born prematurely and with more birth defects, and it's increasing the risk of people who are dying from Covid right now.

'Burning fossil fuels harms everybody, but especially the poor because air pollution makes worse the very injustices we are trying to combat.

'At COP26, the world must urgently commit to phasing out fossil fuels so we can deliver the healthier, more just, and sustainable world that our kids deserve.'

Professor Stephen Holgate, Medical Research Council Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology, said achieving the PM 2.5 targets is an important step for the Government.

He said: 'But we must be aware that recent research shows there are no "safe" levels of air pollutants and, therefore, that every effort must be made to continue to drive down exposure of the population to toxic contaminants now regarded, both in this country and overseas, as the greatest environmental risk to human health.'

Andrea Lee, clean air campaigns manager at ClientEarth, said: 'These new guidelines reflect the best available science and the conclusion is irrefutable: air pollution, even at levels lower than previously thought, seriously endangers people's health and action needs to be taken.

'This must serve as a wake-up call for the UK Government  ministers should be scrambling to act.

'As the Environmental Bill is currently going through Parliament, the Government needs to listen to the health evidence, show leadership and get on with tightening air quality standards that better protect people now.'

Acting shadow environment secretary Daniel Zeichner said: 'Inaction and delay from the Conservatives has allowed catastrophic levels of air pollution to build up across the country, with toxic air estimated to cause around 40,000 premature deaths a year.

'In Government, Labour would introduce a new Clean Air Act to protect our environment, help decarbonise the economy and ensure we all have safe air to breathe.'
A Home Office chief today revealed that 'almost all' of the 8,000 Afghan nationals brought to the UK during the Kabul airlift are still staying in hotels.

Matthew Rycroft, the permanent secretary at the department, told MPs that approximately 7,000 Afghan citizens are still in an asylum hotel, almost a month after Operation Pitting ended on August 28.

Mr Rycroft also revealed there is a total of 70 unaccompanied refugee children staying in the temporary 'bridging' accommodation.

Home Office officials were unable to say when they expect the people to be moved to permanent housing as they said there is a 'shortage of offers' from councils.

It comes after Home Secretary Priti Patel reportedly said in August that housing migrants in hotels could cost up to 70million in the current financial year.

Matthew Rycroft, the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, told MPs there is a total of 70 unaccompanied refugee children staying in temporary 'bridging' hotel accommodation

The UK rescued more than 15,000 people from Kabul during last month's airlift, of whom more than 8,000 are Arap claimants

The Government launched Operation Warm Welcome to help Afghan citizens brought to the UK to rebuild their lives here.

Afghans and their families who worked with the British government and military during the Afghanistan conflict have been granted indefinite leave to remain under a scheme known as the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap).

The UK rescued more than 15,000 people from Kabul during last month's airlift, of whom more than 8,000 are Arap claimants.

More than 100 councils have come forward to help families find permanent homes.

The Government has vowed to end its reliance on asylum hotels and is planning to construct more purpose-built accommodation.

Mr Rycroft told the Home Affairs Select Committee this morning: 'I think the numbers [in asylum hotels] had got down to between 7-8,000 before Afghanistan came along and of course we have had, as you know, an evacuation of 15,000 people, many of who are now in hotel accommodation as short term accommodation, bridging from the managed quarantine service into the

Tory MP Tim Loughton asked Mr Rycroft how many Afghan citizens are still in hotel accommodation and he replied: I think almost all of them the 15,000 included the British nationals who were evacuated out of Afghanistan so in round numbers it was about 7,000 Afghans.'

Pressed on how many unaccompanied children are in the hotels, Mr Rycroft said: '70 unaccompanied children. 16 are under-16s.

Mr Rycroft said the Home Office is still encouraging councils to come forward with offers of permanent housing 'because there continues to be a shortage of offers'.

He also revealed the average amount of time it takes to decide an asylum claim is 'over a year' and 'it is going up'.

Tricia Hayes, second permanent secretary at the Home Office, later clarified that the 70 unaccompanied children is 'across the whole of our hotel estate' and that is 'not just the Afghanistan cohort'.

Ms Hayes was asked when the Home Office expects the Afghan citizens to be permanently rehoused but she was unable to specify a date.

Home Secretary Priti Patel told MPs in August that housing migrants in hotels could cost up to 70million in the current financial year

She told the committee: On the question of the trajectory out of hotel accommodation, I completely agree that it is essential that we have a really strong partnership with local government in everything that we do in running the asylum system.

The good news is that since the Afghanistan repatriation we have already secured strong partnership relationships with more than 100 local authorities who are actively looking for places to find homes for families and for others.

We would really like to work with every local authority in the country and we would really encourage them to come to us and for us to see what we can do together because while I think we cant at the minute put a date on when we are going to get people out of hotels I think we all really just want to do it as quickly as possible.
A man had to be rescued by firefighters after he got stuck inside an Ottoman-period cannon while posing for a photo in Turkey.

The man, identified only by his initials T K, climbed inside the cannon in Barbaros Square in Besiktas on Tuesday.

But after crawling inside for a photo, he became stuck and was unable to climb back out.

A man had to be rescued by firefighters after he got stuck inside an Ottoman-period cannon while posing for a photo in Turkey

He asked for his friends and passersby to help free him but they were unable to pull him out.

They called a team of Besiktas firefighters who rushed to the scene to pull the man to safety.

They managed to rescue him using oil on the sides of the heavy piece of artillery.

The man, identified only by his initials T K, climbed inside the cannon in Barbaros Square in Besiktas on Tuesday

Footage shows the man's head poking out of the cannon while firefighters stand by trying to free him

After being freed from the cannon, the man was said to be in a good state of health.

It remains unclear if he suffered any injuries in the incident.

Footage shows the man's head poking out of the cannon while firefighters stand by trying to free him.
It came as PM said Joe Biden had been 'personally trying to move things along'

The mother of Harry Dunn has spoken of her 'enormous relief' at finding a resolution in a damages claim filed against her son's alleged killer.

Charlotte Charles said balancing a criminal and a civil case had 'taken so much of our energy and resources', adding she was 'very confident' criminal proceedings would take place against 44-year-old Anne Sacoolas.

At the White House yesterday, Boris Johnson said US President Joe Biden had been 'personally trying to move things along' in the case and he was 'grateful for that'.

The two leaders met on the day the 19-year-old's parents, Ms Charles and Tim Dunn, reached a 'resolution' in their civil claim in the US against Sacoolas for damages.

The suspect was charged with causing death by dangerous driving following a road crash outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August 2019.

Diplomatic immunity was asserted on Sacoolas' behalf by the US Government and she was able to return to her home country 19 days after the collision.

An extradition request submitted by the Home Office was rejected by the US State Department in January last year.

Harry Dunn (pictured above), 19, was killed when a car crashed into his motorbike outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27, 2019

Diplomatic immunity was asserted on Anne Sacoolas' behalf by the US Government and the 44-year-old (pictured) was able to return to her home country 19 days after the collision

Ms Charles said: 'It's an enormous relief for my family and I to have reached a resolution in the civil case with the other side.

'It's taken so much of our energy and resources and been stressful having to travel to the US in the middle of the pandemic.

'We can now focus on the criminal case and we are very confident that is going to happen now.

'We really need to try to take small steps forward for our mental health. We have achieved so much but there is still so much more to do.

'We have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to reflect on all our achievements, and while we wait for the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) I really want to spend some time with my family just absorbing all the successes of the campaign and to try to be kind to ourselves.

'Every day is still a struggle. Just getting out of bed sometimes or even simple things like figuring out what to eat can be overwhelming.

'We just miss Harry so much and our hearts are broken. We hope they will mend one day and we can begin to get back to some sort of normality but not until after the prosecution and the inquest into Harry's death.

'We still have so many questions that need answering.'

Charlotte Charles (left) and Tim Dunn, the parents of Harry Dunn, have reached a resolution for damages in a civil claim against their son's alleged killer Anne Sacoolas

Liz Truss (pictured boarding RAF Voyager on Sunday), the new Foreign Secretary, said the civil case resolution was 'absolutely not' the end of the fight for Sacoolas to return to the UK

Timeline of events following Harry Dunn's death 27 August 2019: Harry Dunn, 19, killed while riding his motorcycle near Croughton, Northamptonshire near the exit to RAF Croughton, when it collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction. 28 August 2019: Suspect Anne Sacoolas is interviewed by police. Northamptonshire police request a diplomatic immunity waiver. 16 September 2019: Foreign office informs police that the waiver had been declined and that Sacoolas had left the UK on a US Air Force aircraft. 15 October 2019: Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn take their campaign for justice to the US where they meet with President Trump at the White House. They refuse meet the suspect, who was waiting in a room next door. 31 October 2019: Northamptonshire police interview Sacoolas in the US after requesting permission to do so. 25 November 2019: Dunn's parents submit a judicial review of the Foreign Secretary's actions over the extension of diplomatic immunity to intelligence staff and families at RAF Croughton. 20 December 2019: Crown Prosecution Service announces that Sacoolas to be charged with causing death by dangerous driving and that it was starting extradition proceedings against her. 10 January: Home Office formally requests the extradition of Sacoolas to face charges in the United Kingdom. 23 January: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally rejects request for extradition. 28 April: Charlotte and Tim write a letter to the US Government, urging it to change its mind on the diplomatic immunity granted to Sacoolas. 11 May: An Interpol Red Notice is issued for Sacoolas' arrest. May 12: The US State Department says the decision not to extradite Sacoolas is 'final' after Interpol notice claims. May 20: Mr Dunn's mother calls for Mr Raab's resignation. July 22: Mr Raab announces the 'anomaly' which allowed Sacoolas to claim diplomatic immunity following the road crash that killed Mr Dunn has been amended. August 25: The Lord Chancellor said Attorney General Suella Braverman was considering the possibility of trying Sacoolas virtually or in her absence. September 9: Mr Dunn's parents file a civil claim against Sacoolas in the US. September 10: Sacoolas's legal representatives admit the suspect had been driving on the wrong side of the road for 20 seconds prior to the crash. November 24: Mr Dunn's parents lose their High Court battle with the Foreign Office over the diplomatic immunity asserted on behalf of Sacoolas. January 24: The Foreign Office apologises after 'unprofessional and unacceptable language' was used by officials in internal emails about Mr Dunn's bereaved family. January 28: New US President Joe Biden's administration maintains the position that the decision not to extradite Sacoolas is 'final'. February 4: The Alexandria District Court in Virginia hears Sacoolas and her husband Jonathan's work in intelligence was a 'factor' in their departure from the UK after the road crash. March 9: Sacoolas's lawyer says the suspect is willing to complete community service. June 12: Mr Raab says the UK Government would be seeking a 'virtual trial or process' for Sacoolas. July 2: Mr Dunn's parents give evidence under oath in their 'depositions' as part of the civil claim for damages filed in the US. September 21: Mr Dunn's parents and Sacoolas reach a 'resolution' in the civil claim for damages filed in the US. September 22: Mr Dunn's mother says she is 'very confident' a criminal case will take place against Sacoolas. Advertisement

Mr Biden weighed in after the resolution in the civil claim was reached.

Sitting next to Mr Johnson in the Oval Office, the president told reporters: 'That case is being worked on.

'I was under the impression there had been a civil settlement reached, but I don't know that. Based on what I've been told it was not an intentional act. But I will follow up on that.'

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told reporters an agreement in the damages claim was 'absolutely not' the end of the matter.

Speaking on the train to Washington where she will meet Mr Biden, Ms Truss was asked if the resolution of the civil case in the UK was the end of the road for the British effort for Sacoolas' return.

She said: 'Absolutely not. We continue to press for justice for Harry.'

The details of the agreement have not been disclosed, but family spokesman Radd Seiger said the resolution means Mr Dunn's parents can turn their focus to the pending criminal case.

Confirming a resolution had been reached in the civil damages claim, Mr Seiger said yesterday: 'It has come as some considerable relief to them that a resolution to the civil claim has been now been reached successfully between the parties and they can put this part of the campaign behind them.

'It is never easy mounting a legal battle for justice abroad, let alone in the USA, but the family's courage and determination to see this through has been incredible.

'They have been supported throughout the claim by (ex-Foreign Secretary) Dominic Raab and his excellent officials at the FCDO and we are very grateful to them for all their help.

'We have been made aware that the US Government made no secret of their displeasure at the British Government's backing of Harry's family in bringing the claim.'

Meanwhile, Ms Truss said she had raised the case of Mr Dunn with US secretary of state Antony Blinken.

The damages claim, brought against Sacoolas and her husband Jonathan, unearthed a great deal of previously unheard material, such as the State Department roles held by the couple at the time of the crash.

Alexandria District Court in the US state of Virginia heard the pair's work in intelligence was a 'factor' in their departure from the UK, as they left for 'security reasons'.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Sacoolas have been approached for comment.

The Dunn family were previously advised that, although there could be no criminal proceedings in the US, they could bring a civil claim for damages against Sacoolas as her immunity was no longer valid when she returned to her home country.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Sacoolas and her husband Jonathan attempted to throw the case out on the grounds it should be heard in the UK, despite admitting she would not agree to face trial due to a 'concern' she would not 'receive fair treatment'.

Judge Thomas Ellis dismissed Sacoolas' submissions that the UK was a 'more convenient' forum, keeping the case in Virginia - describing the motion as 'not warranted'.

Mr Dunn's parents then flew out to the US to give evidence under oath as part of the 'discovery' process.

In his judgment which threw out Sacoolas' motion to dismiss the claim, Judge Ellis said: 'While it is commendable that defendant Anne Sacoolas admits that she was negligent and that her negligence caused Harry Dunn's death, this does not equate acceptance of responsibility.

'Full acceptance of responsibility entails facing those harmed by her negligence and taking responsibility for her acts where they occurred, in the United Kingdom.'

If the case had not been resolved, Sacoolas and her husband Jonathan would have had to have gone through a process known as a 'deposition' in which they would have been compelled to give evidence under oath.

The court earlier heard Sacoolas had not returned to the UK due to a 'fear' that because of the 'media attention, she would not have a fair trial'.

Her lawyer John McGavin said she was 'currently apologetic' and 'accepted responsibility for the accident'.

However, the Dunn family's main objective was for Sacoolas to face a criminal charge through the UK justice system.

Former foreign secretary Dominic Raab said a path had been cleared for a 'virtual trial or process' to take place and Harry's parents remain hopeful Sacoolas will take part in a criminal process.

Spokesman Radd Seiger for the family of Mr Dunn, flanked by mother Charlotte and father Tim, speaking to the media in August last year

The court earlier heard Sacoolas (above) had not returned to the UK due to a 'fear' that because of the 'media attention, she would not have a fair trial'

The trip to the UN General Assembly is Ms Truss's first overseas visit since she was elevated to the role of Foreign Secretary at Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle last week.

Mr Blinken had visited the UK back in May of this year when he held talks with Ms Truss's predecessor, Mr Raab.

Ms Truss and Mr Blinken 'discussed the close partnership between the UK and the USA and their shared ambitions to build a stronger economic and security alliance between the two countries'.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'As two leading free enterprise democracies they recognised the shared common ground between the UK and USA on a wide range of areas including the Indo-Pacific and regional security there and the need to build back better from the Covid pandemic.

The Foreign Secretary met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (pictured on September 16) as she attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York

'They discussed how they could use the Build Back Better World initiative to provide developing countries with reliable investment to meet their infrastructure needs in a sustainable way.'

The pair also 'welcomed the recently agreed AUKUS partnership on security in the Indo-Pacific region'.

The defence pact between the US, the UK and Australia will see the latter secure its first ever fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

But the deal has sparked a furious diplomatic row with France because Canberra has backed out of a deal with Paris to buy a fleet of diesel-electric submarines.

Ms Truss and Mr Blinken also discussed the US decision to allow fully vaccinated British travellers to visit the country from November and 'discussed the ongoing situation in Afghanistan'.

They also agreed that Iran must grant the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained British and American nationals.
Police have arrested two more men over the murder of Belfast journalist Lyra McKee.

Two men, aged 24 and 29, were arrested in Londonderry on Wednesday morning under the Terrorism Act.

The 29-year-old was shot dead by dissident republicans in Londonderry in April 2019 as she observed rioting in the Creggan area of the city.

Three men have already been charged with the murder of Ms McKee, while another two men have been charged with rioting and associated offences.

Two men, aged 24 and 29, were arrested in Londonderry on Wednesday morning under the Terrorism Act by police investigating the murder of Belfast journalist Lyra McKee (pictured)

The 29-year-old was shot dead by dissident republicans in Londonderry in April 2019 as she observed rioting in the Creggan area of the city. Pictured: Mural for Lyra McKee in Belfast

The extremist group that styles itself the New IRA has previously claimed responsibility for the killing.

Last week, Geroid Cavanagh, 33, and Jordan Devine, 21, both from Derry appeared by videolink at the city's magistrates' court where they were charged with her murder.

They were both also charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, riot, possession of petrol bombs, throwing petrol bombs and arson.

Cavanagh was further charged with robbery.

Three men have already been charged with the murder of Ms McKee (pictured, while another two men have been charged with rioting and associated offences

The two defendants were granted bail by district judge Barney McElholm and will appear in court again on October 7.

A third man, Joe Campbell, 20, from Derry, was charged with riot, possession of petrol bombs and throwing petrol bombs on the night that Ms McKee was killed.

He was also granted bail and will appear in court again on October 7.
A 24-year-old father who didn't get vaccinated because he heard it was 'not real' died from Covid three weeks after imploring others from his hospital bed to get the shot.

Patrick Burshia was in intensive care and had ventilation tubes attached to his nose when he spoke to a reporter at the Billings Clinic in Montana.

The young father paused at times to catch his breath as he spoke of his deep regrets at not having taken a vaccine and warned others not to make the same mistake.

'I would not wish this on my worst enemy. As soon as I can, I'm getting the vaccine, and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't to do it because this is a very scary situation,' he said at the time.

Burshia died over the weekend. He leaves behind a young son.

Patrick Burshia was in intensive care and had ventilation tubes attached to his nose when he spoke to a reporter at the Billings Clinic in Montana on September 1

Burshia waving from his ward at the ICU in Billings, Montana, earlier this month. At the time, the young father said he 'absolutely, 100 per cent' regretted not having the shot before.

NBC reporter Gabe Gutierrez had spoken to Burshia through a glass pane at the intensive care ward in Billings on September 1.

At the time, the young father told him that he 'absolutely, 100 per cent' regretted not having the shot before.

Burshia told NBC he had been hearing 'a lot of propaganda', including from friends and family members who did not trust the vaccine.

This included claims that it 'wasn't a real vaccine' and that it might contain 'a tracking chip that the government was trying to use on us.'

Nurse Chrissy Baxter described how Burshia took a bad turn after speaking with NBC and had to be put on a ventilator.

'Every time we moved him we weren't sure if the end wasn't going to be in that moment, so I just wanted to be there to hold his hand,' she said through tears.

The hospital where Burshia died is already experiencing its highest influx of coronavirus patients since last year.

It has been forced to set up overflow beds in the hallway in an effort to cope with the vast numbers of sick people.

Experts say that the dramatic uptick in cases in Montana and in other states is down to the highly infectious Delta variant which first originated in India.

Burshia died over the weekend. He leaves behind a young son

Montana is one of four states, including Idaho, Washington and Texas, that have started to ration care for patients due to the St. Peter's Health hospital being overwhelmed.

Governor Greg Gianforte announced on Tuesday that he is sending another 70 members of the National Guard to help at six hospitals across the state.

That includes 10 guards to the Billings Clinic.

Montana reported 1,181 new Covid infections on Tuesday, with 9,976 active cases in the state.

The number of people currently hospitalized stands at 377, an increase of 19 since Monday.
Matt Hancock has apologised for being late registering shares in a medical company that had contracts with the NHS.

The then-Health Secretary declared in March that he had acquired 15 per cent of the shares in Topwood Ltd, which specialises in the secure storage, shredding and scanning of documents.

His sister Emily Gilruth also has shares and is a director of the firm, which was awarded 300,000 of business by NHS Wales this year.

Standards commissioner Kathryn Stone launched an investigation into whether Mr Hancock - who resigned in June after being caught kissing a colleague - breached the code of conduct over registering shareholdings.

And she has now concluded that he should have declared the interest earlier.

Matt Hancock (pictured in the Commons this month) has apologised for being late registering shares in a medical company that has contracts with the NHS

Matt Hancock declared in March that he had acquired 15 per cent of the shares in Topwood Ltd, which specialises in the secure storage, shredding and scanning of documents

Mr Hancock - who was not responsible for running NHS Wales as health is a devolved matter - had said his accountants notified him of the transfer on March 2, and he registered it on March 16.

But Ms Stone said: 'After taking advice from the Registrar, I asked Mr Hancock to check with his accountants the date that the Topwood Ltd shares transfer had taken place.

'In reply Mr Hancock provided correspondence from his accountants that stated the completion of the shares transfer occurred on 25 January 2021.'

In a message to the commissioner last month, Mr Hancock confirmed he accepted the decision and 'apologised for the technical breach'.

Ms Stone said: 'My inquiry concluded that, in failing to provide the correct information for his entry on the Register of Members' Financial Interests, Mr Hancock acted in breach of paragraph 14 of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament.

'Mr Hancock cooperated fully with my inquiry. He acknowledged his breach of the rules, 20 apologised, and set out procedures he now has in place to ensure no recurrence of this breach.'

Ms Stone said she was able to deal with the matter through the summary 'rectification' process because it was at the 'less serious end of the spectrum'.

Topwood received a place on the Shared Business Services framework as a potential supplier for local NHS trusts in 2019, the year after Mr Hancock took charge at the Department of Health.

A probe by Lord Geidt, the independent adviser on ministerial standards, found earlier this year that Mr Hancock was guilty of a 'technical' breach of the rules after failing to declare that the company had become an approved NHS contractor.

Standards commissioner Kathryn Stone has concluded that Mr Hancock should have declared the interest earlier

But the ministerial sleaze watchdog ruled the contravention of the code was 'minor' and did not call for the Cabinet minister to resign.

A government spokesman insisted at the time that Mr Hancock - who said he had a 'delegated management arrangement' for the 'gifted' shares - had acted 'entirely properly'.

'Mr Hancock has acted entirely properly in these circumstances. All declarations of interest have been made in accordance with the Ministerial Code. Ministers have no involvement in the awarding of these contracts, and no conflict of interest arises.'

After the situation was highlighted by the Health Service Journal, sources insisted Mr Hancock had discussed the issue with the permanent secretary before accepting the shares, and was told that any conflicts could be handled if they arise.

Mr Hancock was said to have no 'active participation' in the running of the company, and was not involved in awarding contracts.
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How the gas crisis has erupted... and how it could get worse WHY ARE GAS PRICES RISING SO SHARPLY? The economy is opening up from its pandemic lows, so demand for gas is increasing. Europe is also about to start entering winter, when gas demand will be highest, especially from countries such as the UK which overwhelmingly rely on gas to heat homes. WASN'T THAT QUITE PREDICTABLE? Yes, but a perfect storm of other problems has also hit the sector. Supply from Russia has dried up recently, and demand is high in Asia, which is putting pressure on international markets. In the UK, several gas platforms in the North Sea have closed to perform maintenance that was paused during the pandemic. In a further stroke of bad luck, cables that import electricity from France were damaged last week, and September has not been a very windy month. These problems have meant that more gas is needed to produce electricity. SO WHAT PROBLEMS ARE BEING CAUSED? The high demand and low supply has been sending wholesale prices spiking, putting smaller energy suppliers under huge pressure. They are less likely to have 'hedged' by buying energy well in advance so they can manage costs over the longer term. As a result they face having to buy energy at 'spot' prices and incurring huge losses. Five have gone bust over the past month or so, and there are concerns more could follow. Ofgem has systems to allocate their customers to other suppliers. But appetite to take people on might be limited given the strains caused by rising wholesale costs, and the fact the government's cap limits scope for putting up prices. Inevitably as the cap is updated this autumn and then next spring consumer bills will go up sharply - possibly by nearly double. IF THIS IS ABOUT ENERGY COSTS WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT FOOD SHORTAGES? Aside from direct energy prices, there are also severe and less obvious knock-on effects. For example, fertiliser plants have temporarily shut due to the high costs, and they produce CO2 that is used in food processes such as animal slaughtering, and even for medical operations. Advertisement

Avro Energy and Green today became the latest energy firms to go out of business as soaring gas prices continued to batter the sector.

Ofgem said that it would ensure that Avro's 580,000 domestic gas and electricity customers, and Green's 255,000 households would be protected.

The regulator will choose a new supplier for the households, and said customers should wait to be contacted by their new supplier.

'I want to reassure customers of Avro Energy and Green Supplier Limited that they do not need to worry. Under our safety net we'll make sure your energy supplies continue,' Ofgem director of retail Neil Lawrence said.

'If you have credit on your Avro Energy or Green Supplier Limited account this is protected and you will not lose the money that is owed to you.'

Up to one-in-four UK homes use companies whose wholesale supplies are not 'hedged' against market fluctuations, leaving them heavily exposed, industry sources told Sky News.

Wholesale prices for gas have increased 250% since the start of the year, and 70% since August, meaning these unprotected firms are buying energy for less than they sell it to customers.

Today Igloo Energy took steps to appoint administrators Alvarez & Marsal for a potential insolvency, Sky reported.

Bulb - which has 1.7million customers - is currently seeking fresh private financing. However, it hedges against the rising cost of energy by agreeing contracts in advance so enjoys some protection.

A source speaking to MailOnline disputed the idea it was seeking a 'bailout', saying this wrongly suggested the company was at risk of collapse.

Nine firms have now ceased trading this year, with the head of regulator Ofgem warning more are likely to follow leaving 'well above' hundreds of thousands of customers in limbo.

Jonathan Brearley declined to give an estimate when in front of MPs on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee but said: 'We do expect a large number of customers to be affected, we've already seen hundreds of thousands of customers affected, that may well go well above that.' He warned the crisis may not be temporary.

However, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today rejected claims that there could be just 10 energy firms left by the end of the year as he repeated his vow that 'lights won't go out'.

He told MPs: 'I don't see how they got to that figure. I would be very surprised if we got to that figure  it is not something I am anticipating.'



It is expected that the price cap could rise to 1,500 for the average household in an attempt to put energy companies' finances on a more sustainable footing.

It came as companies today added 600 to an annual gas and electricity bill amid claims of 'price gouging' to cash in on the crisis as rivals go to the wall.

Ministers have admitted that some families will face a choice between 'eating and heating' this winter and dismissed pleas from Britain's floundering energy providers to scrap the energy cap that protects millions of the poorest households.

This morning it was revealed that suppliers are now offering customers fixed rate dual fuel deals of around 1,900-a-year. That is already 624 more than the proposed price cap of 1,277 from October 1 for those on standard variable contracts.

The eye-watering deals, more than double the 850 average bill in 2020, are on the market to lure in those who want to fix their gas and electricity prices for 12 months in case they continue to rise.

Ovo Energy launched their 'Better Smart 17 September 2021' tariff this week which has an annual bill for the average user of 1,863.85.

And So Energy launched their 'So Clementine One Year  Green' last week, which has an annual bill for the average user of 1,900.77.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warned of 'difficult' months to come as he accepted that a swathe more suppliers could go bust amid rocketing wholesale gas prices

Critics have said it is evidence of 'price gouging' - when businesses heavily inflate the price of products or services that are in high-demand. It inevitably leads to consumers paying over the odds for services.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warned of 'difficult' months to come as he accepted that a swathe more suppliers could go bust amid rocketing wholesale gas prices - but insisted that many simply had bad business models and deserved to collapse.

He stressed there is no question of the government's cap on the average bill being dropped, and said there will be no bailouts that 'reward failure'. However, he hinted that larger suppliers that agree to take on customers left in limbo could get support.

Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Mr Kwarteng was told by presenter Susanna Reid that people would face 'the choice between heating their homes and staying warm or eating, parents who may forego meals in order to feed their kids'.

He replied: 'You're right, and that's why I'm very keen to keep the warm home discount and also there are other winter fuel payments that we're looking at.'

Pressed on whether he was asking Chancellor Rishi Sunak to raise the warm home discount, he said: 'We have discussions about the Budget, and you will see what happens in the Budget. I can't possibly pre-empt or anticipate what will be in that Budget ahead of time, you'll appreciate that.'

In more grim news for the taxpayer, Mr Kwarteng also suggested that carbon dioxide producers could be subsidised to re-start their plants, which have been temporarily shut down to avoid paying brutal market gas prices.

The pause is threatening to cause chaos for the food industry as well as the nuclear sector and even the NHS - with warnings British meat will be off shelves within days and tens of thousands of pigs will need to be slaughter and put into mass graves on farms.

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Kwarteng said: 'I've been very clear that the energy price cap is staying even though some energy companies I read today are asking for it to be removed, I've been very clear that that's staying, so we're protecting customers there.

'We've got the warm home discount, we've got winter fuel payments, which are again focused on the most vulnerable customers.

'So, we're completely focused on helping vulnerable customers through this winter, particularly with regard to energy prices.'

Mr Kwarteng met with panicked energy bosses yesterday in Whitehall and slapped down calls for the cap on the average bill - which is due to rise to 1,277 from October 1 - to be abolished or suspended. It is expected to rise again to around 1,500 in April.

Average household bills in the UK are set to rise for 'standard variable' customers when the new price cap comes into force next month. The price cap, set by regulator Ofgem, will stop bills rising above 1,277 a year. Ofgem has already announced a further price cap rise for April next year, and this will see prices capped at 1,455. It is unclear whether the price cap will rise again the following October. Given the global uncertainty with wholesale gas prices, UK energy firms have today introduced 'fixed rate' deals up to 600 more than the 1,455 April cap, hoping customers fearful of ever-changing prices may prefer to a higher monthly tarriff, but one they are guaranteed will not fluctuate due to market forces - meaning families can accurately factor in energy costs into their household expenses. Setting the cost of a product way above the expected market value is known as 'price gouging'.

What companies are supplying energy? The government has been trying to open up the UK's energy market to more competition, meaning there are far smaller players involved than there used to be. The traditional Big Six tend to use their reserves to 'hedge' against changes in prices, and can withstand sharp increases. Outside that group there are four larger 'challengers' that are also fairly well-established. But then there are dozens more, often little-known, suppliers that have been trying new approaches and look far more vulnerable to the shifts. The seven energy companies to have gone bust in 2021 Simplicity Energy Green Network Energy Hub Energy PfP MoneyPlus Utility Point People's Energy The 'Big 6' energy suppliers British Gas Scottish Power Npower E.ON EDF Energy SSE - Swalec, Scottish Hydro, Southern Electric and Atlantic The challengers Ovo Energy Shell Energy Octopus Energy Utilita Energy The remaining firms Affect Energy - Atlantic - Avro Energy - Better Energy - Boost Energy - Breeze Energy - Brilliant Energy - Bristol Energy Bulb Energy - seeking government bailout Co-Operative Energy Daligas - EBICo - Economy Energy - Economy Seven Energy - Ecotricity - Engie - Enstroga - Entice Energy - ESB Energy - Eversmart Energy - Extra Energy - Fairer Power - first:utility - Flow Energy - Foxglove Energy - Future Energy - Gen4U - GnErgy - Go Effortless Energy - Good Energy - Green - Green Energy UK - Green.Energy 10,000 Green Network Energy - Green Star Energy Gulf Gas & Power igloo.energy - IRESA Limited - iSupply - Leccy - Lumo - LOCO2 Energy - M&S Energy - Nabuh - npower Select - Oink Energy - One Select - Orbit Energy - Out Fox the Market - PFP Energy - OutFox the Market - Powershop - Pure Planet Qwest - Robin Hood Energy - Sainsbury's Energy - Simplicity - So Energy Solarplicity - Spark Energy - Southern Electric - Scottish Hydro - Swalec - Telecom Utility Warehouse Together Energy - Tonik Toto - Usio Energy Supply Limited - Zog Energy Advertisement

Seven firms have collapsed in 2021 in total and many have only been in existence for five years. Experts have predicted that up to 39 more could go in the next year.

One senior industry source told the Telegraph: 'For the time the price cap has been in place, suppliers have generally been losing money or making very tiny margins.

'So the price cap is great for consumers, but companies are really struggling. There have definitely been unintended consequences.'

But Mr Kwarteng told Sky News: 'Firstly, we've got to look after customers, we've got to make sure there's a continuity of supply, and we've got to look after the most vulnerable  and particularly elderly  customers, that's my first priority.

'The second thing I've said is that I don't think we should be throwing taxpayers' money at companies which have been, let's face it, badly run.'

He told Times Radio that 'not every company' could expect a Government bailout, but support could be available for larger firms.

'Any support for those larger companies will be in terms of working capital, will be a loan, it won't be just a grant, it won't be just a blank cheque,' he told the BBC.

Mr Kwarteng said he has held talks with fertiliser firm CF Industries, which has suspended operations because of the high cost of energy, leading to a national CO2 shortage.

The gas is used to stun animals prior to slaughter and also forms part of the protective packaging used to keep foods fresh.

Mr Kwarteng said he hoped to have a 'very clear plan' to get CO2 production back up and running this week.

He told Sky News he was 'confident' of a resolution and 'it's pretty imminent', adding the CO2 situation was 'critical'.

Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, said shoppers may notice that products are missing from supermarket shelves 'in about 10 days'.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today the potential shortages of CO2 supply were 'a real crisis' and said 'the just-in-time system which underpins both supermarkets and the hospitality industry is under the most strain it has ever been in the 40 years it has been there'.

Mr Wright said that poultry production will begin to erode very seriously by the end of this week, with the same being true of pig production and the making of bakery goods. Meat packaging is probably only about a week behind, he added.

Millions of Britons have taken out attractive energy deals with firms that are now collapsing.

Under a 'supplier of last resort' system they are transferred to other stable firms - but their new terms are based on the cap level.

That means they face the prospect of paying up to 400-a-year more almost immediately.

The crisis is expected to hit huge numbers of people after wholesale energy prices went from a record low last May because of a lack of demand due to global lockdowns to the highest rates seen since the 1990s.

Boris Johnson told reporters at the UN in New York last night that the government is 'working very hard to find a way through' but the chaos demonstrated the need to move to 'clean, green sources of energy'. He compared the economic recovery after Covid to a 'big thaw' when pipes had been frozen.

'That's when you have the problems and the leaks and all the difficulties, that's really what's happening to the global economy,' the PM said.

'It's thawing very rapidly and you are seeing problems in the supply chains, very strong demand for gas around the world is producing this phenomenon but we're going to fix it.'

Scott Byrom, Chief Executive Officer of TheEnergyShop.com, told MailOnline the 650,000 customers at the five energy companies to have folded in the past month were likely to be paying around 850-a-year for their energy because of the deals on offer in 2019 and 2020.

But they could immediately face a hike to 1,277 from October 1 due to the planned energy cap rise and may be paying as much as 1,500 by next April when they are moved to a new provider.

There are concerns that millions more people could be in the same situation after energy consultants Baringa predicted that the number of UK energy companies could fall from 49 to 10 in the next 12 months if wholesale prices remain the same.

Experts have said that many of the companies that have gone bust brought in customers on 'dirt cheap' fixed deals on the back of low prices last year - but now have no hope of making any money so either folded or are seeking a Government bailout.

Ofgem will automatically move customers of Hub Energy, PfP, MoneyPlus, Utility Point, People's Energy to a new supplier in the coming days with British Gas taking 350,000 of them today and EDF 220,000 last week.

But energy market rules demand that customers whose supplier goes bust must be offered a fair deal by the new supplier - not the same one they had - meaning they are likely to pay significantly more.

They will bring whatever credit they have on their accounts to a new provider, however.

Those affected can shop around for a new deal if they are unhappy with their new provider, but last year most energy firms were offering deals at 750 to 850-a-year - today there are now scarcely any deals under 1,200-a-year.

Stacey Stothard was one of 220,000 customer at Dorset-based Utility Point, which has gone bust. She believes her bill will now go up by up to 300 or more.

She told the BBC: 'It is just like watching the meter go up and up.

'I did the right thing - not going for the cheapest deal, but choosing a company with a decent customer service record.

'I tried to protect myself from this turbulence.

'Now I've just had to order a lot of logs for the burner.'

The government's cap is already rising by 139 to stop average standard variable tariff bills going above 1,277 from October 1, but energy experts have said the wholesale price rises mean the cap may have to be raised a further 280 in the new year.

Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of trade association Energy UK, said the immediate concern is about helping energy companies through 'a really unprecedented time'.

She told GMB: 'The immediate concern is about managing the vulnerability of our retail sector and making sure that customers are looked after through any unforeseen consequences of what is a really unprecedented time.'

Mr Kwarteng suggested that he is talking to Mr Sunak and Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey on whether changes are needed to Universal Credit - with the 20 uplift brought in during the pandemic due to end.

He said: 'You're right to mention the National Insurance price tax rise, but of course that kicks in in April, so it's not strictly a winter issue.

'You're also right to say that we face a global energy spike in terms of prices. But I've said that there are mechanisms in place now to protect consumers, I've been very clear that the energy price cap is staying even though some energy companies I read today are asking for it to be removed, I've been very clear that that's staying, so we're protecting customers there.

'We've got the warm home discount, we've got winter fuel payments, which are again focused on the most vulnerable customers. So, we're completely focused on helping vulnerable customers through this winter, particularly with regard to energy prices.'

A graphic illustrating how the three issues are currently affecting the UK and the problems it is causing. The People's Energy Company (bottom, middle) is one of the energy suppliers that have already gone bust

Grilled on the issue of Universal Credit, he said: 'It's a difficult situation, it could be a very difficult winter.

'That's why, as energy minister, I'm very focused on helping people that are fuel poor. Universal Credit, you will know, is an issue for the Chancellor and the Work and Pensions Secretary, I'm speaking to them a great deal about it.'

On CO2 supplies, Mr Kwarteng said any support would be 'temporary'.

'Time is of the essence, and that's why I spoke to the CEO, speaking to him twice in the last two days, and we're hopeful that we can get something sorted today and get the production up and running in the next few days,' he said.

Mr Kwarteng said 'it will come at some cost it may come at some cost, we're still hammering out details, we're still looking at a plan'.

But he added: 'I have to say if there is support provided, that will be on a temporary basis, that's not something that we want to do indefinitely.'

Two sites in Teesside and Cheshire, run by US firm CF Industries, produce around 60 per cent of the country's CO2 as a by-product from the manufacture of fertiliser.

The gas is vital to the supply of food and is needed by hospitals and the nuclear industry.

It is used as a preservative in fresh food packaging and in the transport of frozen goods  in dry ice form.

It is also used to stun chickens and pigs prior to slaughter.

Ministers and industry figures have said there is no risk of the lights going out this winter, with energy supplies secure despite the rising costs.

The outspoken boss of Octopus Energy, Greg Jackson, one of the ten companies expected to survive, has said that 'idiot companies' who offered customers rock bottom prices without allowing for rises in global prices 'don't deserve' to survive.

He added: 'Make no mistake - there are real issues in energy caused by global gas and shortfalls in UK nukes - but the idea of 'crisis' is being pumped up by the former Big 6 in order to try to bounce govt and regulators into restoring the cosy oligopoly they used to enjoy'.

Experts have said that Britain's energy regulator must take responsibility for the crisis because their decision to open up the market to break up the Big 6's control of the market has led to too many companies entering the market.

There were just ten in 2006 but this reached 70 in 2018 and is at 49 today, but this could be back at ten again in a year.

Scott Byrom, Chief Executive Officer of TheEnergyShop.com said: 'The reality is that Ofgem relaxed the requirements for new market entrants and I don't believe that they have looked as carefully as they should have at the financial and organisational set up of some of these energy companies as well as their hedging strategies', adding that he believes the rise of prices has meant that often poorly run businesses have gone bust.

Mr Kwarteng told MPs last night that there is no danger of the 'lights going out'.

The Business Secretary hit back at 'alarmism' amid mounting concerns about the consequences of soaring wholesale gas prices - up 250 per cent since January and 70 per cent since last month - that are sending providers to the wall and causing chaos for a range of industries.

Experts say that as well as spiralling bills for household energy - which for some could nearly double by April - food supplies and even medical procedures are at risk as the pressures cause shockwaves across supply chains.

One consultant said the problems are so huge they could 'easily see a three-day working week' across affected companies this winter, evoking memories of the carnage in the 1970s.

Mr Kwarteng said last night: 'The Government will not be bailing out failed companies. There will be no rewards for failure or mismanagement.

'The taxpayer should not be expected to prop up companies which have poor business models and are not resilient to fluctuations in price.'

He went on: 'While we are not complacent we do not expect supply emergencies, this is a very important point. This is not a question of security of supply.

'The Great British UK gas system has delivered securely to date and is expected to continue to function effectively with a diverse range of supply sources and sufficient delivery capacity to more than meet the demand.'

Mr Kwarteng said: 'We have sufficient capacity, and more than sufficient capacity, to meet demand and we do not expect supply emergencies to occur this winter

'There is absolutely no question of the lights going out or people being unable to heat their homes. There will be no three-day working weeks or a throwback to the 1970s.

'Such thinking is alarmist, unhelpful and completely misguided.'

The bullish stance comes after Iceland supermarket boss Richard Walker told the BBC this morning that he was 'shocked' by how exposed the UK was to disruption.

The Government is preparing to take over the running of small suppliers on the verge of collapse due to the crisis, which has seen wholesale gas prices increase by 70 per cent in a month. Bulb, an energy provider to 1.7million customers, is reportedly seeking a bailout.

It is exploring raising funds from investors or a potential joint venture or merger with another company, according to the Financial Times. A Bulb spokesman said: 'From time to time we explore various opportunities to fund our business plans and further our mission to lower bills and lower CO2.'

There are concerns that energy regulator Ofgem may be unable to find companies willing to take over customers' accounts if gas prices continue to rise.

In that scenario the government having to effectively nationalise firms, appointing a 'special administrator'.

Meanwhile, ministers have rejected calls for green levies to be removed from energy bills. They can account for a quarter of electricity costs.

E.on UK boss Michael Lewis wants the renewable energy subsidies to be funded through general taxation instead. He has said that removing such additional costs is a 'short-term imperative' to help consumers during what is 'going to be a very challenging winter'. British Gas owner Centrica has backed his stance.

Ofgem tracking of the day's 'spot' price on natural gas underlines the sharp rise in costs
Australians could soon fly for a much-needed overseas holiday, but a government minister has hinted a UK-style traffic light system could see certain countries shut off.

Tourism Minister Dan Tehan promised Australians that they will be able to travel overseas by Christmas at the latest, but explained where they could go to remains to be decided.

In a virtual address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Mr Tehan empathised with travellers who were denied the opportunity to go overseas during the pandemic.

Tourism Minister Dan Tehan (pictured) has promised Australians overseas travel by Christmas at the latest on Wednesday

'It's another reason why everyone should get vaccinated and we have to stick to the national plan that will see our international border open up  at this rate by Christmas at the latest,' Mr Tehan said.

But although the national plan states that travel will be allowed once 80 per cent of people aged over 16 are fully-vaccinated - travel destinations are still undecided.

Mr Tehan is set to head overseas next week for 'critical trade talks', and hinted that a system similar to that seen in the UK, US and elsewhere will be in place.

'People will be able to freely travel outside of Australia, with no restrictions or no limitation,' Mr Tehan said.

'Obviously, it will be dependent on the requirements that are put in place of the countries that they are travelling with'.

Mr Tehan also hinted at a system for classifying potential risk levels of different countries, similar to the traffic light system used by the UK (pictured, a Sydney traveller)

Currently the traffic light system in the UK records countries as red, amber or green according to their risk levels of Covid-19.

Only British residents can enter the region from a red-listed zone, and they must quarantine as well as taking two Covid tests.

If anyone who travels to the United Kingdom has been in an amber listed country, they must take a test in the three days prior to travelling and also pay for their own Covid test on or before day 2 of their stay in the country.

If travellers are vaccinated they do not have to quarantine, and if they aren't they must quarantine for 10 days and have another Covid test on or after day 8.

Travellers from green listed countries must take a Covid test in the 3 days prior and within 2 days after arrival, and no quarantine is required unless a positive result is recorded.

The UK's traffic light system ranks countries in terms of their risk, classifying them as either green, amber or red zones (pictured, a list of countries classifications)

Negotiations are in place with countries for 'travel bubbles' and Mr Tehan will fly overseas next week for 'critical trade talks' (pictured, a flight out of Kingsford Smith Airport)

Currently negotiations are in place for 'travel bubbles' with other countries, and the Minister for Tourism confirmed the vaccination certification QR code system has been sent to overseas Australian embassies for checks.

'What we've seen so far and all the reports back, is that the QR code system  which has obviously been modelled on the international aviation organisation's model of what they think is needed in a QR code  seems to be interoperable with most of the countries that we've been dealing with,' he said.

'So that when those international borders open and as I said in my speech, hopefully at the latest by Christmas, that Australians will be able to travel with a QR code linked to their passport which will be able to show proof of vaccination.'

The announcements come as Qantas launches flights from December 18, offering holiday-starved Australians the chance of Christmas overseas, or back Down Under for those still locked out of the country.

Qantas officially confirmed Australians can book overseas flights from December 18 (pictured, a traveller at Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport)

Where can I go and how much will it cost on December 18? Los Angeles: Between $1600 and $2300 for a one way flight Auckland: Between $300 and $500 for a one-way flight London: Between $1600 and $2300 for a one-way flight Singapore: Between $1200 and $1500 for a return flight Canada: Between $2700 and $3500 for a return flight Source: Qantas Advertisement

The country's flagship airline has provided the exact date holiday-hungry residents can book flights to popular destinations like the US, UK, Canada and Singapore.

Biosecurity laws banning outbound travel without an exemption will end on December 17 - the day before flights are set to resume.

Qantas has scheduled flights to London, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Singapore to commence from December 18.

Australians will additionally be able to pack their bags for a highly-anticipated holiday to Tokyo and Fiji from December 19, and Hawaii the following day.

Keen travellers will be expected to fork out around $1600 and $2300 for a one-way ticket to London and Los Angeles, with a return flight costing slightly less.

The announcement will come as welcome news to holiday-starved Australians who were told by Qantas boss Alan Joyce last month he expected flights to a few selected cities to resume in mid-December.

Qantas said it also plans to restart flights between Australia and New Zealand from mid-December 2021 as long as the trans-Tasman bubble had re-opened by that date.

The airline has predicted Victoria will be the first state to open its borders to NSW from early December, while hardline Western Australia will be the last.

However only vaccinated passengers will be able to book a flight after Qantas confirmed it would ban un-jabbed passengers on international flights.

Chief executive Alan Joyce previously said the mandate was intended to protect those passengers who were fully vaccinated, as the jabs reduce the chances of catching and transmitting the virus.

Qantas has scheduled flights to London, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Singapore to commence from December 18 a spokesperson has revealed (pictured, a tourist in Italy)

'Qantas will have a policy that internationally we'll only be carrying vaccinated passengers,' Mr Joyce said.

'Because we think that's going to be one of the requirements to show that you're flying safe and getting into those countries. We're hoping that can happen by Christmas.'

Qantas has been pushing for vaccination reform throughout the pandemic, instituting mandatory jabs for its 22,000-strong staff.

'Frontline employees - including cabin crew, pilots and airport workers - will need to be fully vaccinated by November 15, 2021 and the remainder of employees by March 31, 2022,' the company said in a statement.

Australians can pack their bags for a Qantas flight to the US (pictured) from December 18

'There will be exemptions for those who are unable for documented medical reasons to be vaccinated, which is expected to be very rare.'

Travellers arriving from overseas to NSW will soon be able to quarantine at home instead of a hotel, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has also revealed.

The trial will let 175 people who have received both doses of a vaccine approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to quarantine at home for seven days - instead of 14.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison expects the program, run by the state and federal governments, to let more Australians come home and boost the supply of workers from overseas.

The government will likely expand the system - if successful - to the broader public once 80 per cent of the population have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Qantas has confirmed it would ban unvaccinated passengers from travelling on international flights (pictured, a tourist in Fiji)

NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said 30 people a week would take part in the trial with different types of accommodation, age groups and conditions to be tested.

'Today is an important step on the reopening of NSW to the rest of the world,' the minister said.

'Our roadmap is really driven by the fantastic vaccination take-up rate by NSW citizens, and because of that, today we are able to announce the next step on the reopening strategy.'

Mr Ayres reiterated that the home quarantine trial would only be extended to fully-vaccinated people with TGA approved vaccines who lived in NSW.

Mr Morrisom said the announcement was the 'next step' for Australia to reopen, with the pilot program to be run in partnership with the Commonwealth.

'NSW has carried the lion's share of quarantining returning Australians and will be leading the way with this trial that could set the standard for the next phases of the way we live with Covid-19,' Mr Morrison said in a statement.

A home quarantine program is being trialled, hoping to be enforced when international travel is again allowed (pictured, Sydney's Domestic Airport)

As of September 21, 73.4 per cent of Australians over the age of 16 have had their first dose.

The 10 million milestone was also broken, accounting for 48.5 per cent of the population fully vaccinated.

NSW and ACT are still leading the vaccination race, with 83.6 and 83 per cent of their respective populations having received their first jab.

The nation's capital has 58 per cent of their population fully vaccinated, and NSW has 55.5 per cent.

Queensland and Western Australia are lagging behind, having only 61.5 per cent and 61.2 per cent having received one dose.

Victorians have rushed to vaccination clinics of the last month, showing a 74.4 per cent rate of first doses, and a low 45.2 per cent fully vaccinated rate.
It's a truly shocking, gut-wrenching photograph: a furious mounted US Border Patrol agent on horseback wrestling with a desperate Haitian migrant trying to get into an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas.

The white agent is wielding his horse's long reins in an aggressive way that some believe was akin to whipping the black migrant, conjuring vile memories of the horrific days of American slavery.

But the agents involved later angrily denied this, saying that anyone with 'two brain cells' would know they were using their split reins to control their horses in the melee.

Either way, it's a deeply distressing snapshot of a major new immigration crisis on the southern border.

And nobody was more appalled than President Biden whose press secretary Jen Psaki described the footage as 'horrific', 'horrible' and 'devastating to watch'.

The migrant, clutching plastic bags of food, is one of many thousands of refugees who've sought asylum in America since Haiti was thrown into turmoil by the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, in July, and a massive earthquake that followed in August.

At least 14,000 have gathered at the Del Rio camp.

It's a truly shocking, gut-wrenching photograph: a furious mounted US Border Patrol agent on horseback wrestling with a desperate Haitian migrant trying to get into an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas

The white agent is wielding his horse's long reins in an aggressive way that some believe was akin to whipping the black migrant, conjuring vile memories of the horrific days of American slavery

But the agents involved later angrily denied this, saying that anyone with 'two brain cells' would know they were using their split reins to control their horses in the melee. Either way, it's a deeply distressing snapshot of a major new immigration crisis on the southern border

Paul Ratje, a photographer from Associated Press who took the extraordinarily powerful picture, described what he witnessed to the Washington Post:

'I get to the scene, and everybody is crossing there. We get in the water - a few other colleagues were in the water - and all of a sudden, some police showed up and they started trying to get people to leave. Then the Border Patrol agents on horseback arrived and they started trying to get people to leave. They had gotten a lot of people to start leaving the banks, but then people just kept coming across the river. There was a continuous flow and [the agents] were like: 'No, you can't come in. Go back to Mexico.' But people were like, 'but my family's over there.'

Ratje watched as many of the migrants then tried to run past the Border Patrol, and aimed his camera.

'That's when one of the agents grabbed a guy and kind of swung him around,' he told the Post.

What he captured is undeniably a very ugly photo of a very ugly confrontation.

(Interestingly, Ratje's own take on it, based on what he saw with his own eyes, was not entirely unsympathetic to the agents who he sensed feel 'overwhelmed' and deeply frustrated) that has shocked America, and the wider world, and enraged Democrats as much as Republicans.

'The humanitarian crisis happening under this administration on the southern border disgustingly mirrors some of the darkest moments in America's history,' said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. 'If we were to close our eyes and this was occurring under the Trump administration, what would we do? The inhumane treatment of the Haitian refugees is utterly sickening.'

He's right: if these scenes had happened on Trump's watch, the liberal screaming about what a monster he is, would have echoed around the globe.

As always, Biden gets a less censorious pass from the liberal-dominated media, just as he has done on the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal of US troops and appalling 'mistaken' killing of an Afghan family of ten by a US drone strike.

But my main concern about Biden's handling of this new border crisis is not whether Trump was better or worse than he is at what's been a massive problem for US presidents going back decades.

No, it's that I've come to the unnerving conclusion that Biden has absolutely no clue what to do about it.

Every sinew of his liberal political instincts was screaming at him to fulfil his repeated electioneering promise to treat migrants more humanely than Trump did.

Nobody was more appalled than President Biden whose press secretary Jen Psaki described the footage as 'horrific', 'horrible' and 'devastating to watch'

That's why one of his first actions as president was to suspend deportation flights taking illegal Haitian migrants back to Haiti.

But his instincts also told him that if he's seen to be too weak on the border then that could be potentially just as disastrous for him politically.

And the double whammy of Haiti's presidential assassination and earthquake sparked a new crisis at the border that did indeed make Biden look weak and woefully incompetent.

So, in a panic, he's now ordered the deportation flights to start up again and threatened the Haitian migrants in the Del Rio camp with instant expulsion.

On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas went down to Del Rio and vowed: 'If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's life.'

Tough words, but the truth on the ground is very different.

The AP revealed today that thousands of Haitian migrants are being released into the United States 'on a very very large scale'  completely contradicting Mayorkas' words and undercutting the Biden administration's supposedly draconian new stance.

Little wonder that the desperate migrants, whose reasons to flee Haiti's chaos for a better life are strikingly obvious and understandable, are ignoring the warnings if they know so many others are being let in.

Biden's mixed messaging couldn't be more shockingly bad.

'Get out - but come in!' is about as disastrous an immigration policy slogan that any country could operate  yet that's exactly what America is currently doing.

And much as Biden would love to pass the blame to the beleaguered Border Patrol agents frantically trying to keep order, and make them the target of public opprobrium, the buck actually stops with him as even some of his closest allies acknowledge.

Manny Diaz, chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, was appalled by the border scenes.

'That image is hard to erase from your mind,' he said. 'When you're the boss, everything that happened  good or bad  sticks to you.'

These images will stick to Biden just as Trump's child separation cages stuck to him.

And the current president only has himself to blame.

But my main concern about Biden's handling of this new border crisis is not whether Trump was better or worse than he is at what's been a massive problem for US presidents going back decades. No, it's that I've come to the unnerving conclusion that Biden has absolutely no clue what to do about it

America is globally renowned for being a nation that welcomes desperate refugees and gives them a new life.

It's built into the very DNA of the country, and there can be few more deserving recipients of such asylum than the poor people of Haiti.

But there is a legal process for immigration into the U.S. that needs to be followed, or total chaos will ensue.

Right now, that process has been fractured by a weak, flip-flopping president and total chaos is duly ensuing.

Biden promised a new humane way of treating migrants but has instead delivered medieval scenes of white US border patrol agents charging into groups of hungry, impoverished black people seeking a better life.

I don't blame those agents who've been ordered to stop these migrants coming in at the same time as thousands of other migrants are being allowed in.

They must be as confused as the rest of us.

No, I blame President Biden, who created this dreadful mess but doesn't want to accept any blame for it.
A grandmother chucked her McDonald's dinner in the bin after seeing 'filthy' worksurfaces and products at one of the fast food joints.

Ceri Pepper, 61, was left feeling 'grossed out' by the conditions at the restaurant in Crossways Parc in Caerphilly, Wales.

She watched as one staff member battled to hold a bottle of toffee sauce that was coated in a sticky liquid.

Ms Pepper shared images online but the chain mistakenly replied they 'love to hear when our restaurants impress with their cleanliness'.

McDonald's later said it was an 'exceptionally busy time' and 'extra cleaning' took place as soon as they were made aware of it.

The store was also slammed by Environmental Health for the conditions it was serving food in.

Ceri Pepper, 61, was left feeling 'grossed out' by the conditions at the restaurant in Crossways Parc in Caerphilly, Wales

She watched as one staff member battled to hold a bottle of toffee sauce that was coated in a sticky liquid

Ms Pepper's photos showed staff working around spillages and dirt while the floor was littered with food such as nuggets, chips and lettuce

Ms Pepper's photos showed staff working around spillages and dirt while the floor was littered with food such as nuggets, chips and lettuce.

Even after quizzing workers about the state, she claims she was told they were simply 'too busy' to clean.

She forked out 14 for three triple cheeseburgers, two fries and two McFlurrys, but chucked them away because she 'didn't want to take the risk'.

She took her complaints online but McDonald's social media staff misinterpreted what she said as they welcomed her 'compliments'.

Ms Pepper called Environmental Health and the council confirmed they have 'requested remedial actions to be undertaken by the restaurant'.

Ms Pepper said: 'It wasn't just one or two bits on the floor that could be picked up - it was horrendous.

'[A member of staff] was holding up the toffee sauce bottle with two fingers for my McFlurry because the bottle was encrusted in sauce and she couldn't hold it properly because it was so sticky.

'I looked at the rest of the area and thought 'oh my goodness'. The general eating area was like that too.

'All the orders were piled up. They weren't cleaning anything. It was just piling up and piling up.

'I should have just said can I have a refund but I just went outside and put all the food in the bin.'

Ms Pepper shared the images online but the chain mistakenly replied they 'love to hear when our restaurants impress with their cleanliness'

Ms Pepper, who took her family to another McDonald's, said she has not returned to the Crossways branch since.

She said: 'They [the staff] were oblivious to it. I was watching them. I even stood there in front of them and they were even oblivious to me being there.

'As I came out I said to a young girl 'isn't anyone cleaning today' and she said 'we're too busy'. That was it.

'At the moment, the emphasis is on hygiene and I didn't want to take that risk. I don't know what went on. Normally it's very clean but it'd gone to pot.

'There are other staff on at other times and they're so pristine. I've seen both sides to the coin. You'd think at this time, they'd be overboard on the hygiene.

'Whatever staff were on at that time were appalling, but the other staff are right on the ball and I'd like them to be mentioned.'

After being forced to throw her food away, Ceri called Caerphilly Environmental Health

She said: 'I involved Environmental Health as well. I haven't been back to that restaurant since.

'When I saw their response on social media, I was gobsmacked. I thought 'are they having a joke? Are they taking this seriously at all?'

'I phoned Environmental Health and sent them the photos. The lady I spoke to said it wasn't acceptable and they needed to be going in. She said even if they were busy it wasn't acceptable.'

After showing her photos to McDonald's on social media, the fast food giant replied: 'Thanks for letting us know, we love to hear when our restaurants impress with their cleanliness. I'll pass your compliments onto the restaurant and staff members.'

A McDonald's spokesman later said: 'Hygiene and cleanliness is of the utmost importance to us and we apologise to the customer for her experience.

'This was an exceptionally busy time for the restaurant, and as soon as the issue was brought to the attention of our franchisee the restaurant operated Drive Thru only for a short period, to allow for extra cleaning to take place.'

A spokesman for Caerphilly Council confirmed they are dealing with a complaint about the premises and have requested remedial actions to be undertaken by the restaurant. A follow up visit is planned for today [Wednesday].'
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The Washington Post's White House bureau chief Ashley Parker is the latest journalist from a liberal publication to slam the Biden administration for shutting down questions from American reporters during the president's meeting Tuesday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

'Worth noting that Biden ran for office promising to restore democracy after 4 years of Trump. But today it was the British leader, NOT the American one, who spotlighted a key tenet of a flourishing democracy - respect for a free press - by taking questions from his press corps,' Parker tweeted Tuesday night.

Biden did not recognize any American reporters for questions during an Oval Office meeting with Johnson - and his aides cleared out journalists as they tried to query the president.

President Biden's answer to a question about the situation on the border couldn't be heard as his staff shouted over him

The Washington Post's White House bureau chief Ashley Parker was critical of Biden in a Tuesday night tweet

Biden did attempt to answer one shouted question from a CBS reporter about the crisis on the Southern border but his answer was unclear when White House staff shouted down reporters, covering the president's attempt to respond as they demanded journalists leave.

'Violence is not justified,' Biden appeared to say but the rest of his response was not decipherable.

White House staff even interrupted Johnson as they pushed to get reporters out of the room, shouting over the British prime minister as he and Biden sat in their chairs, watching the chaotic scene unfold as aides ushered journalists out of the Oval Office.

As reporters were ushered out, CBS White House reporter Ed O'Keefe shouted a question to Biden asked about the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration is facing backlash and criticism following images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback using whips to round up migrants or prevent them from stepping onto American soil.

But White House aides yelled 'thank you' and 'let's go' to the press in the room, herding them out as Biden appeared to try and address the issue. Between the shouting of his aides and the president's wearing a face mask, it was impossible to make out the majority of what Biden said.

The president seemed to know what he and the prime minister where in for when he wished Johnson 'good luck' after the prime minister said the two leaders would take a few questions.

'I think we will take a couple of questions, just a couple of people,' Johnson said.

'Good luck,' Biden responded.

Johnson then took control, calling on three British reporters for questions that he and Biden answered. The president did not call on a single reporter.

With no American reporter called upon and, as White House staff said it was time to go, the U.S. journalists started shouting questions at Biden and Johnson.

That is when aides shouted them down.

'I think that's it,' Johnson quipped as the aides shouted at reporters and journalists shouted questions.

After reporters were pulled from the Oval Office, a group of American reporters making up the 'pool' - the small group of journalists that follow the president to represent the entire press crops - went into White House press secretary Jen Psaki's office to give her a formal complaint about the situation.

'The entire editorial component of the US pool went immediately into Jen Psaki's office to register a formal complaint that no American reporters were recognized for questions in the president's Oval Office,' noted CBS radio correspondent Steve Portnoy in his report. Portnoy is also president of the White House Correspondents' Association. 'And that wranglers loudly shouted over the president as he seemed to give an answer to Ed O'Keefe's question about the situation at the Southern Border. Biden's answer could not be heard over the shouting.'

'Psaki was unaware that the incident has occurred and suggested that she was not in a position to offer an immediate solution,' Portnoy's report continued. 'Your pooler requested a press conference.'

'Psaki suggested the president takes questions several times a week,' Portnoy said.

The last time Biden spoke to reporters was on September 15th - six days before - when he briefly answered a question at the end of a meeting with CEOs and business leaders.

'I have great confidence in General Milley,' Biden told reporters - again over the shouts of his aides - answering a query about Milley calling his Chinese counterpart to reassure him Trump wouldn't order an attack. And if he did, Milley would tell the Chinese military official in advance.

During Trump's tenure, aides would similarly yell at press to exit the Oval Office, but the former president was more likely to answer questions in other venues - including when he would leave the White House for trips, referred to so-called 'chopper talk,' as Marine One would be parked on the South Lawn, waiting for him to depart.

Trump also previously held a press conference tied to the United Nations General Assembly, which is happening both in-person and virtually this week.

Biden spoke before the body in New York Tuesday before returning to Washington for his meeting with Johnson.

President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Oval Office at the White House

President Biden had a notecard in hand - as he usually does for meetings - that he referred to during his remarks with Johnson

Press are seen gathered in the Oval Office as Biden and Boris Johnson hold a meeting

A close up of the notecard Biden used in his meeting with PM Johnson

At the beginning of their meeting, Biden and Johnson exchanged pleasantries and joked about their shared love of trains.

The prime minister took the Amtrak train down from New York City, where he was at the annual UN General Assembly meeting, to meet with Biden at the White House.

'They love you,' Johnson told Biden of Amtrak. 'You are a living deity on Amtrak, I can tell you.'

The president bragged how he had ridden over 2 million miles on the nation's train system.

'Well, they should. I've traveled more on Amtrak,' he said. 'If I were conductor I'd be number one in seniority.'

Johnson thanked Biden for hosting his first White House meeting. The two men were both in New York on Tuesday for the UN meeting but each traveled separately to Washington so they could meet at the White House.

'I want to thank you very much for today. It's great to be with you,' Johnson said. 'And This is a very important trip for us in the UK and we've seen some great progress just in the last period.'

He thanked Biden for lifting the ban on British beef in the U.S. and for easing the travel ban, allowing those fully vaccinated to travel between the U.S. and UK.

Biden had a notecard in hand - as he usually does for meetings - that he referred to during his remarks with Johnson.

Johnson then called on a few British reporters to ask questions.

The two leaders were quizzed on the Harry Dunn case, possible trade deals and the Irish protocols.

Reporters when then escorted out as the American press shouted questions to Biden about the latest crisis at the border and the situation with the French.

Biden reassured Johnson that the case of Harry Dunn, who died in a road crash involving U.S. diplomat Anne Sacoolas, is 'being worked on' even as no details were released.

But there seemed little prospect of Johnson get his wish for a trade deal.

'We are going to talk about trade a little bit today and we're going to have to work that through,' Biden cautioned.

Johnson, in the wake of Brexit, wants a free trade deal.

Immigrants at the Rio Grande river on the U.S.-Mexico border

CBP Office of Professional Responsibility is launching a probe into Border Patrol agents using what appears to be a whip or lasso while trying to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson enters the West Wing of the White House

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson took control of the Oval Office meeting with President Biden, calling on British reporters for questions

Johnson was at the White House for his first in-person meeting as prime minister. He first met with Vice President Kamala Harris before he joined Biden in the Oval Office.

'It's a great honor and privilege for me to be here to meet you for the first time. I've heard a lot about you but it's fantastic to be here,' Johnson told Harris at their meeting.

He praised the new announcement on climate funding from the United States, which Biden announced during his speech at the UN General Assembly. Biden said he'd ask Congress to double the amount of money for public climate financing - to about $11 billion a year.

'I just want to say, Madame Vice President, Kamala, on climate change I think that today was a really good day for the world. And I thank the U.S. government and President Biden for the steps you've taken to reassure the world that America is committed to helping to tackle climate change,' Johnson said.

Harris welcomed the prime minister, talking about the 'shared priorities' of the two countries - including the COVID pandemic and climate change.

'And of course we must work and continue to work together to uphold and protect democratic principles and values around the globe. And we look forward to that continuing relationship, and our relationship as partners,' she said.

Johnson also praised the U.S. easing its travel ban, allowing fully vaccinated people from the UK to come visit the United States.

He and Harris met in the vice president's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, across the driveway from the White House.

After their remarks, Johnson and Harris walked outside to the balcony overlooking the West Wing of the White House. They posed for photos and waved to journalists below.

Johnson and Biden took separate trips from New York to Washington on Tuesday to meet at the White House amid rising tensions with the French.

The two leaders were in New York for the UN General Assembly meeting but didn't meet face to face there. Instead their sit down on Tuesday evening will be in the Oval Office of the White House, a symbol of power and more recognizable backdrop.

It's Johnson's first trip to the White House, a visit he never made during Donald Trump's presidency, partially due to the COVID pandemic.

The British prime minister took the train from New York City to Washington D.C. a move the president - who earned the nickname 'Amtrak Joe' when he commuted daily from Wilmington, Del., to the nation's Capitol as a senator - appreciated. Biden on Tuesday took Air Force One back to Washington.

The two men previously met in person in June at the G7 meeting in Cornwall.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Vice President Kamala Harris wave from a balcony of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks with Vice President Kamala Harris in her ceremonial office across the drive way from the White House

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at White House to meet Vice President Kamala at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building ahead of his meeting with President Biden

Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes a train from Penn Station in New York to Washington DC for his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with aide David Blair (left), prepares for the meeting during the train ride

Boris Johnson in New York City's Penn Station, preparing to board his Amtrak train

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrive in Washington DC - it's Johnson's first White House meeting as prime minister

Prime Minister Johnson boarding the train

Joe Biden will sit down with Johnson in the Oval Office amid tensions with France over new AUKUS alliance - Biden flew from New York to DC on Air Force One

Johnson gushed over Biden in an interview with NBC's Today Show, which aired Tuesday morning ahead of their meeting.

'What I will say about Joe Biden and dealing with the new American president, yes, it is a breath of fresh air in the sense of the some things on which we can really really work together, and you knew I was gonna bring it up  climate change  he's great on that,' he said.

His remarks were seen as a swipe at former President Donald Trump.

But Johnson said the UK would seek a good relationship with whoever was in the White House.

'It is the job of the prime minister of the UK to have a good relationship with the president of the United States,' he said. 'The US-UK relationship - we are doomed, we are fated to get along. That applies to Donald Trump, that applies to Joe Biden.'

On Wednesday morning, the British prime minister will be on Capitol Hill to meet with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The British and American leaders are touting their close special relationship amid French fury at the new US-UK-Australian alliance, dubbed AUKUS, that saw Paris lose a $90 billion sub contract.

French President Emmanuel Macron recalled France's ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia after the deal was announced.

Biden has yet to address the situation and is attempting to speak to Macron.

'We're still working on the scheduling of it  with President Macron in the coming days,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.

'And what I expect the President will do on that call is reaffirm our commitment to working with one of our oldest and closest partners on a range of challenges that the global community is facing,' she noted.

Johnson, meanwhile, will celebrate the new deal with a dinner Tuesday night at the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C. with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

President Joe Biden emphasized the partnership American democracy shares with the world as he sat down with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Boris Johnson sat down with NBC in New York City ahead of the United Nations General Assembly where he gushed over Biden in an interview

Meanwhile, Biden and Morrison met in New York City on Tuesday afternoon where they emphasized their partnership was in the best interest of the world. The AUKUS deal, as it has been dubbed, is part of American moves to counter China's growing power in the Pacific region.

'The issues we discussed and our partnership today really do reach out to so many others in terms of how we address the global challenges,' Morrison said as he met with Biden at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York

Biden agreed. 'It goes well beyond just our partnership. Our partnership is in line with all the other democracies in the world. And we got a lot of work to do,' he noted.
The Flinders Ranges, south-west Western Australia and the Gippsland region of Victoria are Australia's most earthquake-prone areas, with several worrying tremors in recent years.

A map of Australia's quake hotspots shows areas dotted all across the country, but many are thankfully in remote areas meaning little chance of loss of life or destruction of property.

Wednesday's 5.9 magnitude earthquake, which shook Victoria and parts of eastern Australia, happened on one of the state's deepest faults - the Governor Fault.

Millions are now bracing for aftershocks, which have the potential to be just as strong as the original tremor, lasting for days or even weeks - with six smaller shocks recorded later on Wednesday ranging from 2.1 to 4.1 in magnitude.

The quake struck at 9.15am near the small town of Mansfield 180km north-east of Melbourne and temporarily knocked out power for 35,000 homes and businesses.

It demolished part of a Betty's Burgers restaurant on Melbourne's famous Chapel Street, with emergency service chiefs warning further tremors could hit the state for weeks or even months to come.

While uncommon, Australia has experienced a number of major earthquake events (pictured) with the most deadly being in December 1989

Locals are pictured examining debris from a damaged building along Chapel Street in Melbourne on Wednesday after the record-breaking earthquake

The tremor was felt all across the state, with reports of it as far away as Adelaide, Sydney, Tasmania and Canberra.

The quake was caused by a thrust fault where two sections of the earth's crust are pushed up against each other, causing friction and resulting in a quake.

Seismologist have predicted aftershocks of up to magnitude five.

Two people crouch down after the earthquake forced with the evacuation of a Melbourne building on Wednesday morning

A 2018 Geosciences Australia hazard report noted three areas in Australia that were most prone to earthquakes - the Gippsland region, south-west Western Australia and the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

Australia's strongest recorded earthquake occurred in Meeberrie, WA in 1941 measuring at 6.8 on the Richter scale but cased little damage due to its remote location.

Another of the biggest was a 1988 quake at Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, with an estimated magnitude of 6.6, according to Geoscience Australia.

Melbourne residents walk past debris in the city on Wednesday after the earthquake, pictured right a police car in Windsor in the inner-city in the quake's aftermath

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Victoria on Wednesday morning with damage cased to infrastructure around Melbourne (pictured)

Seismologists said aftershocks could be a small few or thousands after the main tremor (pictured earthquake damage on Chapel St, Melbourne)

AUSTRALIAS SEISMOLOGICAL HOT SPOTS Newcastle, NSW - experienced Australia's most deadly earthquake in December 1989 that left 13 people dead Lake George, NSW - sits on a 75km long fault line. Deemed to have the potential to be highly destructive due to its proximity to Canberra according to 2018 Geoscience Australia report South-west Western Australia - contains Darling Fault line that extends for nearly 1000km north from Albany, one of the largest in Australia. Earthquakes in this region tend to be shallow and occur to the east of the fault line. One of Australias biggest ever quakes occurred at Meckerling, 130km east of Perth, in October 1968 Mount Gambier Volcanic Chain, SA - location of a 400km stretch from Mt Gambier towards Melbourne that is Australia's most active volcanic region and hold 400 historical eruption sites Flinders Ranges, SA - has experienced more than 1600 seismic events since 2000 and is second to south-west WA for earthquake potential Gippsland, VIC - Wednesday's earthquake was the largest to hit the Gippsland in a succession in recent years. Others measured less than 3.4 since 2014 Northern Territory - experienced a series of three strong earthquakes at Tennant Creek in 1998, followed by hundreds of aftershocks. Another struck in 2016 in the Petermann Ranges, southwest of Alice Springs. Queensland Coast and Hinterland - are most earthquake prone spots in QLD. Quakes struck Gayndah in 1883 and 1935, measuring 5.9 and 6.1 respectively, and an offshore quake measuring 6.3 caused damage to Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Gladstone in 1918 Launceston, TAS - experienced 10-30 second tremor in 1929 and a series of quakes near Flinders Island in the late 1800s Advertisement

While Australia has fewer earthquakes than other parts of the world on major fault lines, scientist say this earthquake was a normal geological process and about 100 earthquakes measuring over 3 on the Richter scale occur on Australian ground each year.

This is due to Australia sitting in the middle of the Indo-Australian tectonic plate.

Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates move against each other so being in the middle of one means Australia doesn't experience as many major earthquake events.

While close in proximity, New Zealand sits on the edge of the tectonic plate on a fault line called the Pacific Ring of Fire that spans 40,000 km around the Pacific Ocean and is known for active volcanoes and earthquakes.

Pictured are people evacuating Melbourne CBD buildings after Melbourne felt the tremors from a magnitude 5.8 earthquake on Wednesday morning

New Zealand experiences more frequent and intense quakes than Australia due to its position of the Pacific Ring of Fire on a major fault line (pictured damage in Christchurch following 2011 magnitude 6.3 earthquake)

This is why New Zealand experiences more frequent and intense earthquake events than Australia such as the 2011 Christchurch earthquake measuring a magnitude of 6.2.

The most destructive earthquake Australia has experienced measured 5.6 on the Richter scale. It occurred on the morning of December 28, 1989 in the Newcastle region.

Thirteen people died because of the tremor, 160 people were injured, 50,000 buildings were damaged and 300 had to be demolished.

An apartment building is evacuated in the Melbourne CBD on Wednesday morning after the earthquake

Pictured: Damage to the Betty's Burgers restaurant. The earthquake has been reported in Victoria and tremors were felt across Melbourne and as far away as Canberra and Sydney

Seismologist Dr Gary Gibson told Daily Mail Australia the 5.9 quake was not as deadly as the 5.6 shake in Newcastle in 1989 because it struck a long way from densely populated areas.

Dr Gibson said Victoria's earthquake was centred between Licola and the town of Woods Point, around 250km east of Chapel Street Melbourne - where the most significant damage happened.

Australia's most deadly earthquake occurred in December 1989 in Newcastle that left 13 people dead, 160 injured and damaged 50,000 buildings with 300 having to be demolished (pictured damage to Newcastle Workers Club in 1989 earthquake)

He said ground buildings on Chapel Street could have caused loss of life had the popular cafe strip been busy.

'The Newcastle quake was 12km deep, 20km from the city and the fault ran in the right direction to focus a very strong motion towards the city,' Dr Gibson, from the University of Melbourne, said.

The NSW town was also badly affected because of construction on 'soft sediments instead of hard rock, which amplified the motion of the quake'.

'This latest quake was in the most remote area of Eastern Highlands of Victoria.'

It is unlikely Australia will see major quake events measuring 8 or 9 due to the lack of large and active fault lines (pictured workers survey damage on Chapel St, Melbourne)

Melbourne's earthquake was felt as far as New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania.

The quake hit at 9.15am hundreds of kilometres north-east of Melbourne. It was believed to be 10km deep.

It was followed by two 4.0 and 3.1 magnitude aftershocks 18 and 39 minutes later - both within 10km of the original tremors.

Dr Gibson said the quake, at 10km deep, was 'quite shallow' and capable of causing a lot of damage at its epicentre.

Given the unexpected damage done on Melbourne's iconic Chapel Street, Mr Gibson believes it is lucky no loss of life occurred.

'Considering the damage done there if people had been there at the wrong time things could have been very serious,' he said.
Hedge fund billionaire John Paulson, who won big betting against the US housing market, could soon see his fortune dwindle after filing for divorce from his Romanian secretary-turned-wife of 20 years.

The 65-year-old with a net worth estimated at $4.8 billion is said to have no prenuptial agreement with his 50-year-old spouse, Jenny.

Paulson cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the cause of his split, according to documents filed in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Page Six first reported.

An unnamed source told Page Six that the Paulsons have 'been living separate lives for the past 15 years,' despite sharing a 28,000-square-foot townhouse on East 86th Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side, which they purchased for $14.7 million in 2004.

'Clash of the titans': Hedge fund billionaire John Paulson and wife Jenny are divorcing after more than 20 years of marriage, setting the stage for an epic legal showdown

Jenny and John Paulson have two teenage daughters, Giselle and Danielle (pictured as a family)

Paulson attended the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens with his family in 2014

The couple - who have two daughters, Giselle and Danielle - first met in the late 1990s when the woman named Jenny Zaharia delivered lunch to his offices. He then hired the Romanian national as his assistant, reported Bloomberg.

As he approached his mid-40s, John began casting about for a wife and set his sights on Jenny, who did not smoke or drink, and had a 'cheerful' personality, according to a book about the hedge fund trader called The Greatest Trade Ever, by Gregory Zuckerman

John was quoted in the book as saying that Jenny was 'a breath of fresh air' and he spent a year courting his assistant. However, she refused to go out with him unless he fired her and found her another job.

Jenny ultimately agreed to a lunch date with John, and after sharing 200 meals together, the investor proposed to her, according to the book.

The couple tied the knot in 2000 in an Episcopalian ceremony in Southampton.

The Paulsons have multibillionaire-dollar real estate portfolio, including this elegant $14.7million townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side

The Paulsons also own a sprawling estate in Southampton, New York, called Old Tress, which was obtained for an eye-popping $41million in 2008

Paulson bought an apartment in Olympic Tower in Midtown, closer to the offices of his hedge fund, for $2.9million in 2010

Paulson married Jenny, his former assistant, in 2000. She is a Romanian immigrant

A wolf of Wall Street: How Paulson made his billions shorting the housing the market John Paulson made the bulk of his fortune on the strength of forecasting doom for the subprime mortgage market. The longtime hedge fund trader bought derivatives that served as insurance on risky mortgages and shorted financial companies ahead of the financial crisis. In 2006, he became convinced the U.S. economy would face problems amid a frenzied pace of buying by homeowners, some with no cash downpayments. His firm scooped up derivatives that protected against bundles of potentially toxic mortgages. When the subprime market collapsed in value in 2007, his firm made $15 billion, the largest one-year payout in the history of the financial markets, according to the Wall Street Journal. Paulson also bet against Lehman Brothers, a few British banks and other firms with housing exposure to net another $5 billion in profits in 2008 as the U.S. dipped into a recession. Advertisement

They have since built up a real estate portfolio that includes a sprawling estate in Southampton, New York, called Old Tress, which was obtained for an eye-popping $41 million in 2008, and a luxury 95-acre property called the Hala Ranch in Aspen worth $49 million.

The ranch was built in 1991 and was originally purchased by Saudi Arabia's Prince Bandar bin Sultan for $135 million. The estate has been ranked by Forbes magazine as the most expensive home in the United States.

Paulson also bought an apartment in Midtown, closer to the offices of his hedge fund, for $2.9million in 2010.

The two-bedroom, 1,797-square-foot luxury condo is on the 26th floor of Olympic Tower on Fifth Avenue, though it is not clear if Paulson himself uses the property.

He also has major stakes in luxury resorts in Puerto Rico, including Condado Vanderbilt Hotel and St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, according to Forbes.

The anonymous source quoted by the Post described the impending legal showdown between the former power couple as 'the clash of the titans,' led by some of New York's most prominent divorce lawyers.

The financier - ranked the No. 177 richest man in America in 2020 by Forbes - has retained attorney William Zabel, who has represented a string of rich and famous clients, including George Soros an Howard Stern.

'John has deep respect for Jenny and will continue to support all that is best for the health and happiness of the family,' Zabel said in a statement on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Jenny Paulson is said to be in talks with Robert Cohen, who had shepherded an equally impressive lineup of celebrities, among them Ivana Trump, Uma Thurman and Michael Bloomberg, through their high-profile divorces.

Cohen was most recently working with Melinda Gates on her divorce from billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, which was announced earlier this year.

Under New York's divorce laws, courts divide only marital property, and spouses gets to keep their separate property. Marital property is defined as all property acquired by either or both spouses during the marriage, regardless of who bought it.

When a couple divorces in New York, judges split property equitably - or fairly - which can result in a 50/50 property division, but not always. Judges take into consideration what each spouse contributed to the marriage.

The Paulsons own a luxury 95-acre ranch in Aspen worth $49million

The sprawling ranch in Aspen previously belonged to a Saudi prince, who originally bought it for $135million, making it the most expensive home in the US

Paulson was born in Queens, New York and attended school in the Whitestone neighborhood.

He graduated from NYU and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. In 1994, he founded his own hedge fund called Paulson & Co.

He spent his 30s as a hotshot bachelor, living in a loft in SoHo in downtown Manhattan, rubbing elbows with celebrities and models.

Paulson became a celebrity in the world of finance when in 2007 he made an unprecedent bet against the then-booming housing market, predicting that the subprime loan bubble would burst.

When Paulson's forecast came to pass, he and his investors walked away from the financial calamity $20 billion richer.

Paulsons hedge funds managed $38 billion at their height in 2011, which shrank to $8 billion by the end of 2019.

On the heels of the heavy losses, Paulson converted his hedge fund into a family investment firm last year.
A historic pub has changed its name after more than 200 years 'because of the Black Lives Matter movement'.

The Black Boy Inn, in Bewdley, Worcestershire, is now called The Bewdley Inn.

The current leaseholders said Stonegate Pubs, the brewery which owns the 15th Century tavern, ordered them to change the name 'because of the Black Lives Matter movement' and that they had 'no say in it'.

Furious locals have blasted the move, accusing the company of 'giving into woke'.

However, the owners said the pub was renamed as part of a company rebrand and disagreed with accusations it was to do with race.

The Black Boy Inn, in Bewdley, Worcestershire, has been renamed The Bewdley Inn. The current leaseholders said the rename was 'because of the Black Lives Matter movement' but the pub's owners disputed this, saying it was part of a company rebrand

Historians believe King Charles II was referred to as the 'black boy' because it was a nickname given to him by his mother due to his dark hair and complexion.

The building dates back nearly 600 years and has been known as The Black Boy Inn since the early 19th Century. Before that it was known as The Blackamoors Head.

Locals were critical of the decision to rename the pub, saying the term 'Black Boy' is not racist.

The current leaseholders of the pub said they had 'no choice' but to change the name.

They said: 'The brewery wanted it changed, because of Black Lives Matter we think - we had no say in it.'

However, Stonegate Group, which is now the UK's largest pub company running 4,708 venues across the UK, denied this.

A spokesman for the group, which was formed in 2010, said: 'Following investment in our accommodation, we have changed our name to The Bewdley Inn to reflect our new business offer with letting rooms.

'It is just a rebrand. Calling The Bewdley Inn helps customers identify that it has accommodation.

'We totally disagree with some accusations that it has to do with the race. The original naming of the pub had nothing to with race either.

'The Black Boy, the original name of the pub, came from a nickname of King Charles II whose mother called him 'Black Boy' due to his dark hair and complexion.'

The pub was previously known as The Black Boy Inn in honour of King Charles II, whom historians believe was referred to as the 'black boy' because it was a nickname given to him by his mother due to his dark hair and complexion

Furious locals took to the pub's Facebook page, with one person saying: 'Perhaps we should refer to it as The Snowflake from now on if the name can be changed that easily.'

Julia Tracey said: 'The Midlands was a Royalist region in the Civil War, so there are a few pubs with this name.

'The old pub sign at The Black Boy had a painting of Charles II on it and its a pity this was taken down, as its a clear reference to the meaning of the name.

'Ive been in, many times with black friends, and my black relatives, and no one ever gave a s*** about the name.'

Ruth Roberts added: 'Its been The Black Boy for as long as I can remember and I used to work there. Political madness.

'We should all stop bowing down to these people and stand up to them.'

At one point there were five pubs called The Black Boy in Bewdley, but now only one survives, on Wyre Hill.

The large number was attributed to Bewdleys Royalist connections during the Civil War.

There are believed to be around 25 pubs in Britain that are called 'The Black Boy' or similar variations.

Brewery giant Greene King recently changed the names of three pubs called The Black Boy and another called The Black's Head.

Managing director Wayne Shurvinton said there was a perception the names were 'linked with racism'.
The son of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro slammed Marxist Mayor Bill de Blasio for forcing his unvaccinated father to eat pizza on a Manhattan sidewalk while his father is in town for the United Nations General Assembly.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, 37, who is also a Brazilian lawmaker representing his fathers far-right Social Liberal Party, told Fox News that de Blasios vaccine mandate was a deliberate ploy to impose 'control.' It forces New Yorkers to show proof of inoculation to eat inside at restaurants, drink in bars, go to nightclubs and use gyms, as well as other amenities.

He also compared de Blasio to the late Venezuelan socialist leader Hugo Chavez, warning that if other American leaders adopted the mayors policies then the United States would be thrown into similar chaos engulfing Venezuela under Chavezs successor, Nicolas Maduro.

I have advice for the American people, Eduardo told Fox News.

Eduardo Bolsonaro (seen right during interview with Tucker Carlson on Monday), 37, the son of Brazil's president who is also a member of Brazils parliament representing his fathers far-right Social Liberal Party, told Fox News that Mayor Bill de Blasios vaccine mandate was a deliberate ploy to prevent the leader of the world's sixth most populous country from coming to New York

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured third from left) had to eat pizza outside on the street in New York City because he is unvaccinated. He is seen above with members of the Brazilian delegation on Sunday

Do not think that Venezuela is something far, far away from you.

If you told Venezuelans during the '90s [the country] would turn itself to a dictatorship, they would never take it seriously.

De Blasio snapped back on Twitter, saying he did not regret his decision to force Jair to follow the city's indoor dining policy and urged the president to get vaccinated at New York City's many vaccination centers.

The mayor drew the ire of the Brazilian leader after he mentioned him by name, telling him not to bother coming if he was not going to abide by the vaccine mandate.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio snapped back at Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his son

At his Monday news conference at City Hall, the mayor called out Bolsonaro, urging the Brazilian leader to get vaccinated

Eduardo has been vocal about anti-vaccine mandates. He's pictured in Sao Paolo on September 7

The mandate requires New Yorkers as well as visitors to show proof of vaccination before being served at indoor restaurants.

We need to send the message to all the world leaders, including most notably Bolsonaro from Brazil If you don't want to be vaccinated, don't bother coming because everyone should be safe together, the mayor said on Monday.

If you dont want to be vaccinated, dont bother coming because everyone should be safe together.

De Blasios remarks did not sit well with Eduardo, who is among his fathers delegation to the UN.

'It shows a lot about how left-wing people are,' Eduardo told Tucker Carlson on Tuesday.

'They want to control everything. I know that De Blasio is a Marxist and he follows a lot of what Antonio Gramsci says.'

Gramsci was an Italian Marxist who helped found Italy's Communist Party. He died in 1937.

Eduardo continued: 'For them, everything's about politics and ideology.

'I don't care about much of what he thinks, I dont waste my time listening to him.'

During his appearance on Fox News, Eduardo warned that de Blasios policies were being adopted in cities throughout the United States.

He said that Brazilians were disappointed in that they viewed the US as a country that promoted life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - as stated in the Declaration of Independence.

'Nowadays, it looks like some politicians have forgot about that,' Eduardo said.

They dont care about that. They want to control everybodys life  and in the point that even the Taliban can talk things about free speech to the Big Tech  this is an example if the US is going to talk about liberty and democracy.

We are scared about what is going on in the US.

Jair, the leader of the world's sixth most populous country, was forced to eat pizza on a Manhattan sidewalk on Sunday after he was refused indoor dining service due to his refusal to get vaccinated.

The photo of the president and his inner circle of advisers eating pizza on the sidewalk went viral on social media.

Jair, who has been criticized for his handling of the pandemic in Brazil, recovered from COVID-19. He claims he does not need to get vaccinated due to natural immunity created by the body after infection.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro broke New York City's COVID-19 mandates by attending an indoor event - the United Nations General Assembly - unvaccinated

'We cannot understand why many countries, together with a large portion of the media, took a stance against early treatment measures,' Bolsonaro said in his speech at the UNGA

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro (right) arrived with his wife Michelle Bolsonaro (left) to the United Nations Tuesday morning. Both of them wore masks

During a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) on Monday in New York, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (left) confirmed that he remained unvaccinated

Meanwhile, two members of Bolsonaro's delegation to the UN, including the country's health minister, tested positive for COVID-19 - this despite meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as well as staying at the same hotel as President Joe Biden.

Johnson spent time in intensive care in 2020 after catching COVID. Both he and Biden have since had their COVID vaccines on camera to encourage others to do the same.

In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly meeting on Tuesday, the Brazilian leader suggested that his approach toward COVID-19 would be proven right.

'History and science will hold everyone accountable,' he told world leaders in his address.

Brazil has the world's second-worst COVID death toll, with 591,440 confirmed fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University Figures. It has also recorded 21,247,094 COVID cases.

The right-wing Brazilian leader said he supported vaccinations but promoted early treatment of COVID-19, noting that he himself underwent 'early treatment' following a diagnosis last summer.

'We cannot understand why many countries, together with a large portion of the media, took a stance against early treatment measures,' the president said.

Bolsonaro said that his government stood against vaccine mandates, such as the one he had broken to enter the United Nations.

New York City requires vaccination to enter most public spaces, including convention centers.

President Biden has also imposed sweeping vaccine mandates that cover federal workers and those at companies with over 100 employees.

'We support vaccination efforts, however my administration has not supported a vaccine or health passport or any other vaccine-related obligations,' Jair said.

He noted that by November, 'all citizens who have chosen to be vaccinated in Brazil will be duly covered.'

In a meeting Monday night with Bolsonaro, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'Thanks everybody. Get AstraZeneca vaccines.'

'I've had it twice.'

'Not yet,' the Brazilian president replied.

Earlier this year, Jair signaled he wasn't in a rush to get the jab since he'd already had COVID.

'I already had the virus,' he said .

'I think what must happen is that after the last Brazilian gets vaccinated, if there's a spare shot, I will decide whether or not I get vaccinated.' He added that 'that's the example the boss must provide.'

Before talking about vaccinations, Bolsonaro in his address touted his administration's accomplishments, saying the Brazil has 'changed a great deal' since he took office in 2019.

'It is a solid foundation if we take into account that we were at the brink of socialism,' he said. 'Brazil has a president who believes in God, respects the Constitution, values family principles and is loyal to his people.'

The far-right politician wore a mask as he entered the United Nations Tuesday morning but took it off to deliver his address.
His daughter posted pictures on Instagram, claiming officers 'beat up my dad'

The police watchdog has launched a probe into the arrest of a black man who allegedly suffered a broken nose and a fractured eye socket after he was pulled over for a broken brake light.

Errol Dixon, 70, was stopped at around midday on Blyth Road in Bromley, south-east London, on September 13 and is said to have been left with facial fractures after his encounter with police.

His daughter posted pictures of the injuries on Instagram, saying he had been stopped for a broken brake light and alleging the officers 'beat up my dad'.

Mr Dixon had been involved in a 'struggle' during which an officer sustained an injury to his eye, said police.

He was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and later released under investigation.

Following the publicity of his injuries, Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, a staff association which represents officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector, reacted with fury.

He claimed colleagues were being 'subjected to trial by social media' and described the allegations as 'unsubstantiated and frankly false'.

Errol Dixon (pictured above), 70, was stopped by police at around midday in Bromley, south-east London, on September 13 and is said to have been left with facial fractures

The Met referred itself to the IOPC over the incident and said Mr Dixon (pictured in footage allegedly taken by his son) received first aid from officers before being taken to a hospital

Mr Dixon's son, David, told local newspaper the News Shopper: 'I saw my dad's face smashed to pieces.'

The 42-year-old added: 'Hes not really eating or sleeping, and just generally feeling very nervous. He came over in the Windrush generation.'

Mr Marsh, of the Met Police Federation, said: 'Yet again colleagues in the Metropolitan Police are being subjected to trial by social media - and subsequently traditional media - based on unsubstantiated and frankly false allegations.

'Police officers have no issue with being held accountable for their actions - we are the most accountable of public services and we look forward to the Independent Office for Police Conduct bringing this matter to a swift conclusion.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)'s regional director for London, Sal Naseem, said today: 'Ensuring the public have confidence in policing through independent scrutiny is a vital part of our role and therefore it is important that incidents like this are thoroughly investigated.

'While a small part of what happened has been circulating on social media we will seek to establish the full circumstances and context to determine how this man came by his injuries and whether the actions of officers were proportionate and in line with policy.'

Mr Dixon appearing to be treated for facial injuries by a police officer. He was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and later released under investigation

The father's head being bandaged by an officer at the scene. A spokesperson for the force said: 'He sustained a facial injury during the struggle and was given first aid by officers before being transported to a south London hospital'

The Met referred itself to the IOPC over the incident and said Mr Dixon received first aid from officers before being taken to a hospital.

'The team from the Metropolitan Police Federation have witnessed the body-worn footage of this latest incident in question. We can say we will be robustly defending the actions of these officers and are supporting them at this time.'

A spokesperson for the force said: 'Shortly after midday on Monday, 13 September, officers on routine patrol stopped a vehicle with a broken brake light.

'After exiting the vehicle, the driver became involved in a struggle with an officer during which the officer sustained an injury to his eye.

Mr Dixon's facial injuries, pictured left and right. His daughter posted pictures of the injuries on Instagram, alleging the officers 'beat up my dad'

'The driver, a 70-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

'He sustained a facial injury during the struggle and was given first aid by officers before being transported to a south London hospital.

'He was later discharged from hospital before being taken to a police station from where he was released under investigation.

'The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.'

IOPC investigators will examine footage including police body-worn video and CCTV, and have asked any members of the public with their own footage to email witness@policeconduct.gov.uk or call 0300 3030779.
Angela Rayner told Dominic Raab to go 'back to your sunlounger' in a brutal PMQs battle of the deputies today.

Ms Rayner delivered a series of vicious attacks as she faced off with Mr Raab, who was standing in at the weekly session while Boris Johnson is in the US.

She slated Mr Raab over the energy crisis, demanding the government cancels the removal of the 20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit.

And she swiped that he was busy squabbling with Liz Truss, who took his role as Foreign Secretary in the reshuffle last week, about who will get to use the '115-room taxpayer-funded mansion' of Chevening.

In a reference to Mr Raab having been on a luxury holiday in Crete while Afghanistan descended into chaos, the deputy Labour leader stormed that he should 'go back to his sun lounger and let me take over'.

For his part, Mr Raab shot back that Chevening is funded by a charity, and said that Ms Rayner was spouting a lot of 'hot air'.

Angela Rayner delivered a series of vicious attacks as she faced off with Dominic Raab, who was standing in at the weekly session while Boris Johnson is in the US

PMQs: The best clashes between Raab and Rayner Trade: Ms Rayner mocked the Government as she offered her 'commiserations' to the Prime Minister 'after he flew away to the US and made absolutely zero progress on the trade deal that he promised us'. Mr Raab hit back by pointing out the US had 'immediately given us the boost to trade and businesses by reinstating travel from the UK to the US'. Tax rises: Ms Rayner accused Mr Raab over 'cutting the income of a worker on 18,000 a year by over 1,100' because of Government tax rises. She also took aim at Mr Raab over his recent luxury holiday, asking him 'how many days a worker on the minimum wage would have to work this year in order to afford a night at a luxury hotel, say in Crete?'. Mr Raab snapped back and said 'whenever a Labour Party has gone into Government unemployment has soared, the economy has nosedived and taxes have gone through the roof'. Gas crisis: Ms Rayner said she noted the UK is facing a 'shortage of hot air' but jibed that Mr Raab was 'doing his best to shore up supplies'. Mr Raab fired back: 'There's no shortage of hot air on that side of the benches.' Chevening: The deputy Labour leader said that as 'families across the country are worried about heating their homes' Mr Raab is 'complaining about having to share his 115-room taxpayer-funded mansion with the Foreign Secretary' in reference to a reported dispute with Liz Truss over who will be allowed to use the grace-and-favour Chevening House. Mr Raab said Ms Rayner should 'check her facts as Chevening is funded by a charity, not a penny of taxpayers money'. Advertisement

Ms Rayner kicked off the bruising clashes by accusing the Government of hitting the pockets of working families by 'cutting the income of a worker on 18,000 a year by over 1,100' with tax rises.

'That is almost exactly the same as an average annual energy bill. Just as energy prices are ballooning they have chosen to take the money that could cover a year's worth of bills out of the pockets of working people,' she said.

'The Deputy Prime Minister has said the solution is for people to work harder. So, can he tell us how many days a worker on the minimum wage would have to work this year in order to afford a night at a luxury hotel, say in Crete?'

Mr Raab retorted: 'Under this Government we cut income tax, saving every worker 1,200 each year, we have introduced and extended the national living wage so full-time workers are 4,000 better-off each year, we have doubled the free childcare for working parents worth up to 5,000 for every child every year.'

Ms Rayner goaded that Mr Raab did not 'know how much his own holiday cost'.

'So, let me tell him. A worker on the minimum wage would need to work an extra 50 days to pay for a single night at his favourite resort, probably even more if the sea was open.'

The Labour deputy leader added: 'The Prime Minister has said it is just a short-term problem and we will leave it to the market to fix.

'So can the Deputy Prime Minister guarantee that no-one will lose their gas or energy supply or be pushed into fuel poverty this winter?'

Mr Raab replied: 'The Business Secretary has made very clear the energy supplies will continue, that our number one priority is to protect consumers.'

Ms Rayner joked that Mr Raab 'doing his best' to shore up supplies of 'hot air' in Mr Johnson's absence.

But Mr Raab replied: 'There's no shortage of hot air on that side of the benches.

Ms Rayner concluded by telling Mr Raab to 'go back to his sun lounger and let me take over', adding: 'Families across the country are worried about heating their homes while he's complaining about having to share his 115-room taxpayer-funded mansion with the Foreign Secretary  the truth hurts, doesn't it?  just as his Government are making choices that are making working families' lives harder.

'A typical family is facing a tough winter this year: Universal Credit down a thousand quid; rent up 150 quid; gas bills up 150 quid; taxes up and food prices are soaring. Working people will have to choose whether to feed their kids or heat their homes.

'The choice for the Deputy Prime Minister is will he make their lives easier or harder? So what will he choose  will the Government cancel the Universal Credit cut?'

But Mr Raab replied: 'She should check her facts as Chevening is funded by a charity, not a penny of taxpayers' money.

'Let me also tell her the most disastrous thing for energy bills of hard-working people across the country would be to follow Labour's plan to nationalise the energy companies, which the CBI says would cost as much as 2,000 on bills.

'This Government is the one taking action to take the country forward, with a plan for the NHS, a plan for Covid and our plan is working  employment up, job vacancies up, wages up.'

Tale of the tape: Angela Rayner versus Dominic Raab Angela Rayner Official title: Deputy Labour leader, shadow first secretary of state, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, shadow secretary of state for the future of work Age: 41 Years as an MP: Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne since 2015 Family: Married with three children. Became a grandmother in 2017 Education: Avondale School, Stockport College Life before politics: Worked as a care worker and became a trade union representative for Unison. Then became a senior official for the union. Most memorable Westminster moments: Being elected deputy Labour leader in April 2020, being removed from role as party chairman in May 2021 during botched shadow cabinet reshuffle by Sir Keir Starmer. Dominic Raab Official title: Justice Secretary, Lord Chancellor Age: 47 Years as an MP: Tory MP for Esher and Walton since 2010 Family: Married with two children Education: Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Oxford University, Cambridge University Life before politics: Worked at Linklaters law firm before joining the legal team at the Foreign Office. Later worked as chief of staff for then shadow home secretary David Davis. Most memorable Westminster moments: Resigning as Brexit Secretary in November 2018 over Theresa May's Brexit deal, being demoted from the role of foreign secretary at the September 2021 reshuffle to become Justice Secretary. Advertisement

Flame-haired 'Grangela' who overcame tough upbringing to reach the dizzy heights in Westminster

Angela Rayner's socialist credentials were forged by a tough upbringing as a carer to her bipolar mother aged just 10 before becoming pregnant with the first of her three children at the age of 16.

The flame-haired 41-year-old has drawn on her experience as a one-time struggling teenage mother throughout her political career.

She proudly welcomed her own granddaughter at the age of just 37 in 2017 with a tweet jokingly referring to herself as 'Grangela' after son Ryan Ryan became a father to baby Lilith Mae.

Ms Rayner was just 16 when she had Ryan, and has told how becoming pregnant so young 'saved' her.

She has two other sons aged under 10, Jimmy and Charlie, who was born at 23 weeks and is registered blind.

She says Charlie would not be alive today without the NHS.

Her teenage relationship with Ryan's father ended quickly and married Unison official Mark Rayner. But they split up last summer.

She also acted as a carer to her mother, Lynn Bowen, when just a child.

In 202 she opened up about her tough early life, revealing she once had to have her sectioned to prevent her from self-harming.

In a joint interview with ITV News, Ms Bowen credits her daughter with saving her, saying she would not have survived without her.

'I was in a very dark place, she used to bath me, look after me, feed me,' Ms Bowen said of her daughter.

'If it wasn't for her I don't think I'd be here today.'

Ms Rayner was only elected to Parliament as the Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne for the first time in 2015 but she has swiftly risen up the ranks to national prominence.

It did not take long for her to be welcomed to the Labour frontbench under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn as she was made shadow education secretary in 2016.

She became one of Mr Corbyn's most vocal defenders, both in the House of Commons and on the airwaves, before the party sank to its disastrous general election defeat in December 2019.

She swiftly launched a bid for the party's deputy leadership in the aftermath of the car crash poll, standing on a so-called hard-left 'dream ticket' with Westminster housemate and former frontbencher Rebecca Long-Bailey who put herself forward for the top job.

However, unlike Ms Long-Bailey, who rated Mr Corbyn' leadership 10/10, she was unafraid to criticise him.

In February 2020 she said he failed as Labour leader because he 'didn't command respect' and had not been able to unite the party.

She also insisted she could succeed where Mr Corbyn had struggled because she 'resonates with people in the country in a way that Jeremy doesn't'.

While Ms Long-Bailey failed to become leader, Ms Rayner was elected as Sir Keir Starmer's deputy with an overwhelming mandate from party supporters.

Although there have been tensions with Sir Keir - most notably over a reshuffle where he seemingly made an abortive attempt to demote her - they seem to have reached an understanding in recent months.

Karate black belt whose star waned after Afghanistan debacle

Dominic Raab's star might have waned somewhat since his ignominious ejected from the Foreign Office in Boris Johnson's reshuffle last week.

But the new Justice Secretary is also Deputy Prime Minister after his de facto position was made official - meaning he is technically the second most powerful member of Cabinet.

And he seems determined to rebuild his reputation after the Afghanistan meltdown, which saw him heavily criticised for initially staying on a luxury holiday in Crete while Kabul fell to the Taliban.

The father-of-two, who is married to a Brazilian marketing executive called Erika who used to work for Google, has sought to create something of a 'hard man' image in Westminster.

His website boasts that he 'holds a black belt 3rd dan in karate and is a former UK Southern Regions champion and British squad member'.

He captained the karate club at Oxford University where he studied law and was also a boxing blue as a member of the institution's famous amateur boxing club.

Mr Raab is clearly proud of his time as a university boxer, having previously handed a picture of him in his shorts and vest to a TV company to use for their profile of him.

He still trains at a boxing club in Thames Ditton, the Surrey village where he lives with his family, and has a poster of Muhammad Ali in his House of Commons office.

Dominic Raab, pictured with his wife Erika in June 2019 during his Tory leadership run, was first elected as an MP in 2010

Mr Raab's bulging muscles and athletic frame leap out of a photo taken during his days as an Oxford University boxing blue in 1995

In 2006, when he was appointed chief of staff to fellow Tory David Davis, the former Special Forces reservist said Mr Raab's karate black belt impressed him more than his two Oxbridge degrees - the second came in the form of a Masters from Cambridge.

Mr Raab said karate helped him cope with the premature death of his father, Peter, who had fled to the UK from Czechoslovakia at the age of six in 1938 to escape the Nazis.

Mr Raab was just 12 when his father died of cancer. 'Sport helped restore my confidence, and that hugely benefited my attitude to school and life,' he said in May last year.

'There were strong role models, camaraderie and an ethos of respect. I take the discipline and focus I learnt from sport into my professional life  and I believe that approach is vital to making a success of the Brexit negotiations and delivering a fairer deal from Brussels.'

The Foreign Secretary released pictures during his failed Tory leadership campaign of his Jewish relatives who were murdered in the Holocaust.

He described how a young Peter Raab had escaped from his home country but the majority of his family were left behind and would later be murdered because of their faith.

His father learned English, worked for M&S as a food manager and met his mother Jean, who was from Bromley, Kent.

The First Secretary of State was born in Buckinghamshire, growing up in Gerrards Cross and attending Dr Challoner's Grammar School, before going to Oxford University.

Despite his karate black belt, Mr Raab is known for his courtesy and was upset when civil servants who worked for him as Brexit Secretary anonymously described him as a bully.

Dominic and his sister Judy with their grandmothers at home in Buckinghamshire in the 1980s

A young Dominic Raab, 9, with mother Jean, father Peter and sister Jody. His father died when Raab was 12.

The Tory heavyweight said his father (pictured) was welcomed by a 'free and tolerant' Britain

Mr Raab described during the Tory leadership contest (video pictured left) how his father Peter had fled the Nazis in 1938 and came to Britain aged six (right)

Mr Raab, who previously worked at the Foreign Office as a lawyer, denied claims, made by his former diary secretary, that he insisted on the same Pret a Manger lunch every day.

The 'Dom Raab special' apparently consists of a chicken Caesar and bacon baguette, superfruit pot and a vitamin volcano smoothie.

Westminster was stunned in 2019 when Mr Johnson became Prime Minister and chose to select Mr Raab, a self-styled Tory 'tough guy', as his future stand-in.

Many were expecting him to be rewarded with a big job after he backed the PM in the Tory leadership contest having seen his own bid fall flat.

But few had anticipated Mr Raab being handed one of the four great offices of state while even fewer predicted he would be designated Mr Johnson's de facto deputy.

However, the appointment made political sense for the new premier given Mr Raab's hardline Brexit credentials.

Mr Raab was one of the most vocal supporters of the UK leaving the EU and his appointment to the highest echelons of government reassured Eurosceptic Tory MPs that the PM was not going to go soft on Brussels after winning power.
Americans around the country have little desire for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, with just 20 percent of respondents calling for the reversal of the landmark 1973 decision in a recent poll.

The survey by the centrist Marquette Law School, released Wednesday, comes on the heels of Texas's new ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

Just 20 percent of 1,411 respondents to Marquette's poll favors overturning Roe v. Wade, with 50 percent opposed and 29 percent reporting that they had no opinion.

Two other polls also wanted to keep the status quo. In a poll by Monmouth University, 62 percent of 802 Americans said Roe v. Wade should be left as-is, and 67 percent of respondents said they 'generally agree' with the Supreme Court ruling.

Just three in ten polled by Marquette agreed with the Texas law, with 46 percent opposed. Quinnipiac found that 51 percent of those 1,210 polled felt abortion should be legal even after a fetal heartbeat has been detected at six weeks.

Just 20 percent of 1,411 respondents to Marquette's poll favors overturning Roe v. Wade, with 50 percent opposed and 29 percent reporting that they had no opinion. Two other polls also wanted to keep the status quo. In a poll by Monmouth University, 62 percent of 802 Americans said Roe v. Wade should be left as-is, and 67 percent of respondents said they 'generally agree' with the Supreme Court ruling

Sixty-two percent of 802 Americans polled by Monmouth University think that Roe v. Wade should be left as-is, and 67 percent of respondents said they 'generally agree' with the Supreme Court ruling

Just 20 percent of 1,411 respondents to Marquette's poll favors overturning Roe v. Wade, with 50 percent opposed and 29 percent reporting that they had no opinion

The majority of those polled by Marquette - seven in ten - disapprove of 'having private citizens use lawsuits to enforce [a fetal heartbeat law] instead of having government prosecutors handle these cases.'

81 percent of the Marquette respondents disapprove of 'giving $10,000 to... citizens who successfully file abortion lawsuits,' a controversial element of the Texas abortion law.

The polls have been released a month before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Association, which would ban abortions in Mississippi after 15 weeks of pregnancy - challenging Roe v. Wade directly.

Just three in ten polled by Marquette agreed with the Texas law, with 46 percent opposed. Quinnipiac found that 51 percent of those 1,210 polled felt abortion should be legal even after a fetal heartbeat has been detected at six weeks

A whopping 81 percent of the Marquette respondents disapprove of 'giving $10,000 to... citizens who successfully file abortion lawsuits,' a controversial element of the Texas abortion law

The majority of Americans polled by Marquette - 45 percent - said that the Supreme Court has reduced rights of women seeking abortions over the past 15 years.

In recent years, many GOP-led states, emboldened by the more conservative makeup of the Supreme Court, have passed restrictions to abortion access with higher frequency.

At 48 percent, nearly half of those interviewed by Quinnipiac would like to see easier access to abortions in the US.

According to the polls, most Americans have nuanced views on abortion rights - about half of those polled by Quinnipiac and Monmouth said that their feelings on abortion laws fell somewhere between 'always legal' and 'always illegal.'
Brazil Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga

Brazil's Minister of Health, who tested positive for COVID-19 while attending a United Nations conference in New York City, was seen on video giving protesters the middle finger after meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and staying at the same hotel as Joe Biden.

Brazilian journalist Raquel Krahenbuhl tweeted the nine-second clip on Monday night, showing Marcelo Queiroga angrily flipping off protesters from a van as it left the UN building.

'This video from the Ministry of Health showing the finger to protesters in NYC' Krahenbuhl captioned the tweet in Portuguese for the clip, which has already amassed over a million views as of Wednesday morning

Queiroga, who said he got vaccinated this year with the Chinese-developed Sinovac, flipped the bird to protesters railing against Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic.

'Minister goes to New York, shows the protesters the middle finger, and tests positive for Covid. Sounds like a lie. But it is not,' she added in another tweet the next day.

Esse video do Ministro da Saude mostrando o dedo para os manifestantes em NYC pic.twitter.com/AXyJZdEhza  Raquel Krahenbuhl (@Rkrahenbuhl) September 21, 2021

Brazilian journalist Raquel Krahenbuhl tweeted the nine second clip on Monday night, showing Marcelo Queiroga angrily flipping off protesters from a van as it left the UN building

The video has already amassed over a million views as of Wednesday morning

'Minister goes to New York, shows the protesters the middle finger, and tests positive for Covid. Sounds like a lie. But it is not' Krahenbuhl captioned the tweet in Portuguese

By Tuesday, Brazil's presidential office had officially announced that the fully-vaccinated Queiroga had tested positive for the virus and will be quarantining in New York for two weeks.

Queiroga had met with Johnson on Monday, where they shook hands and stood beside each other while the British leader was not wearing a mask.

Bolsonaro is a staunch vaccine skeptic and previously boasted about attending the UN meeting without being vaccinated, CBS reports.

Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, also criticized New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday after the mayor warned the president not to come to the city due to his vaccine stance, calling it a 'textbook Marxist' move.

On Twitter, Queiroga wrote, 'I communicate to everyone that today I tested positive for #Covid19. I will be quarantined in #USA , following all health safety protocols. Meanwhile, the @minsaude will remain firm in the actions to fight the pandemic in Brazil. let's win this!'

Marcelo Queiroga, far right, can be spotted shaking hands with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as UK and Brazilian leaders meet to discuss the pandemic on September 21

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, left, met with Johnson, right, as the part of the United Nations General Assembly. The Brazilian president spoke out against vaccine mandates

Queiroga confirmed on Twitter that he had contracted the virus and is in quarantine

The health minister was the second member of the Brazilian delegation in New York to test positive for COVID after a diplomat who was part of President Bolsonaro's advance team tested positive over the weekend.

Some members of the Brazilian delegation have canceled their participation in the remaining sessions of the UN meeting to avoid possibly infection of other nation's diplomats, Queiroga told CNN.

Queiroga had also been staying at the same hotel as Biden, who also went on to meet with Johnson after the prime minister's meeting with Queiroga.

After meeting with the Brazilian delegation, Johnson meet with President Joe Biden

During the Brazilian-United Kingdom meeting, Johnson recommended the vaccine for the famously unvaccinated Bolsonaro, who continued to refuse it

Queiroga, left, was with Bolsonaro, center, in when they addressed the nation from NYC

Brazil continues to be in spotlight during the United Nations General Assembly after Bolsonaro gave his speech on Tuesday that his approach toward COVID-19 would be proven right.

'History and science will hold everyone accountable,' he told world leaders in his address.

The right-wing Brazilian leader said he supported vaccinations but promoted early treatment of COVID-19, noting that he himself underwent 'early treatment' following a diagnosis last summer.

'We cannot understand why many countries, together with a large portion of the media, took a stance against early treatment measures,' Bolsonaro said.

Bolsonaro has been in the spotlight for his defiance of NYC mask and vaccine mandates

Supports rushed out, without masks, to greet the Brazilian president on September 21

Brazil's government has imposed 100-year secrecy on Bolsonaro's card, making it impossible to know for sure if he's been vaccinated against COVID-19 or not.

He claims, however, that he did not take the vaccine and continues to defend using other medicines, including hydroxychloroquine, against the disease.

Bolsonaro said that his government stood against vaccine mandates, such as the one he had broken to enter the United Nations. New York City requires vaccination to enter most public spaces, including convention centers.

President Biden, too, has imposed sweeping vaccine mandates that cover federal workers and those at companies with over 100 employees.

'We support vaccination efforts, however my administration has not supported a vaccine or health passport or any other vaccine-related obligations,' Bolsonaro said.

The Brazilian president boasted to his UK counterpart that Brazil does not support any vaccine or health passports or another vaccine-related mandate during their meeting on Monday

He noted that by November, 'all citizens who have chosen to be vaccinated in Brazil will be duly covered.'

In a meeting Monday night with Bolsonaro, Johnson said: 'Thanks everybody. Get AstraZeneca vaccines.'

'I've had it twice.'

'Not yet,' the Brazilian president replied.

Bolsonaro, who has been vocal in dismissing the seriousness of the virus, tested positive in July 2020. He previously described the disease as nothing more than 'a little flu' and claimed his past as an athlete would make him immune to the worst symptoms.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured third from left) had to eat pizza outside on the street in New York City because he is unvaccinated

Protesters came out against Bolsonaro and his anti-vaccine mandate rehtoric

One sign during the September 20 protest criticized Bolsonaro's arrival in New York

Upon landing in New York City, Bolsonaro had his first meal in the U.S. in the middle of the street due to restrictive city-wide restrictions not allowing unvaccinated people to dine indoors.

Bolsonaro and his ministers had pizza slices and sodas in the middle of the street on Sunday prior to his arrival at the UN Tuesday morning.

Pictures of the humble meal emerged on the Minister of Tourism Gilson Machado's social media of Bolsonaro alongside Queiroga; Justice and Public Security, Anderson Torres; Civil House, Luiz Eduardo Ramos; and President of Caixa Economica Federal, Pedro Guimaraes, according to Brazilian news site Correio Braziliense.

Also according to the report, Bolsonaro and his ministers, all unmasked, had to sneak in the back door of their hotel in New York City as they were met by a group of protesters with signs telling him he is not welcome.

Eduardo Bolsonaro appeared on Tucker Carlson on Tuesday night to defend his father's unvaccinated trip to NYC

Eduardo has been vocal about anti-vaccine mandates. He's pictured on September 7

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio snapped back at Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Eduardo Bolsonaro appeared on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox on Tuesday night to defend his father and criticize NYC Mayor de Blasio, who said he did not want unvaccinated officials to come to New York.

'It shows a lot about how left-wing people are. They want to control everything. I know that is a Marxist and he follows a lot of what Antonio Gramsci says,' said Eduardo, referring to the neo-Marxist founder of the Italian Communist Party.

'I have advice for the American people. Do not think that Venezuela is something far far away from you,' he said referring to the country under socialist rule.

'If you told Venezuelans during the 90s [the country] would turn itself to a dictatorship, they would never take it seriously.'

De Blasio snapped back on Twitter, saying he did not regret his decision to force Bolsonaro to follow the city's indoor dining policy and urged the president to get vaccinated at NYC's many vaccination centers.
President Joe Biden will host Democratic leaders and lawmakers at the White House Wednesday in an effort to pull together his party to get his two major bills passed, as Republicans threaten to use the debt ceiling to hold Biden's legislative agenda hostage.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will meet with Biden, as well as progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, swing vote Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and a handful of both progressive and moderate House members.

Biden needs progressives to support his $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal and moderates to be comfortable with the $3.5 trillion budget bill, which will be passed through Congress using the process of reconciliation - meaning Democrats can skip needing GOP support.

President Joe Biden is hosting moderate and progressive lawmakers at the White House Wednesday in an effort to pull his party together to get his legislative agenda passed

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (left) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right) are expected to head to the White House for the afternoon meeting

Representing the progressive wing of the party is Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is also expected to attend

Forbes reported that moderate Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Stephanie Murphy, Steven Horsford, Suzan DelBene and Mike Thompson would make the trip to the White House, along with progressive Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan, Jim McGovern and Rep. Katherine Clark, the assistant speaker.

Other senators slated to join included Sens. Mark Warner, Jon Tester, Patty Murray, Ron Wyden and Brian Schatz.

Pelosi had previously promised Gottheimer, who chairs the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, that she would put the bipartisan infrastructure bill on the floor by Monday.

This bill already passed the Senate.

Progressives in the House led by Jayapal have threatened to block the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill because once it's passed, they lose some of their political capital to get the $3.5 trillion budget bill - filled with liberal goodies - across the line.

The Democratic maneuvering is happening as Republicans believe they see a chance to scale back Biden's sweeping domestic agenda while boosting their odds of retaking Congress in 2022.

The Republican gambit passed an initial political test on Tuesday, when the House of Representatives voted 220-211 along party lines to approve a measure to suspend the $28.4 trillion debt ceiling and fund the federal government beyond Sept. 30, when the current fiscal year ends.

Moderate Rep. Josh Gottheimer (pictured) had Pelosi promise to bring the bipartisan infrastructure bill to the floor by Monday. But progressives are threatening to derail it because the $3.5 trillion budget bill isn't far enough along yet

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear that his caucus, which holds half the chamber's 100 seats, will block it, seeking to frame the vote as a referendum on the $3.5 trillion budget bill progressives and Biden want to see passed.

The stakes are high.

Failing to fund federal agencies past Sept. 30 could trigger the third partial government shutdown in a decade and a failure to suspend the debt ceiling by mid-October brings the risk of a historic default that could shake financial markets and even spark a recession.

Both McConnell and Schumer have used the word 'catastrophic' to describe the fallout from a default.

'America must never default. We never have and we never will,' McConnell told reporters on Tuesday. 'The debt ceiling will be raised, as it always should be. But it will be raised by the Democrats.'

Republicans, while insisting they want to avoid a crisis, could be relatively insulated from any threat of default.

'The American people will say, "I'm mad at everybody,"' Senator James Lankford told Reuters. 'But I dont know that it becomes the fault of the group that's in the minority in the House, in the minority in the Senate and not in the White House.'

A Sept. 18-20 Morning Consult poll showed that 42 per cent of registered voters would blame both parties equally for any default, with another 33 per cent blaming Democrats but only 16 per cent blaming Republicans.

McConnell and his fellow Republicans want Democrats to suspend the debt ceiling on their own through reconciliation, which Democrats have already used to pass a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill and intend to use again for Biden's $3.5 trillion domestic spending plan.

Schumer denies that the debt-ceiling debate has anything to do with Biden's agenda and has accused McConnell of 'engaging in fantastical feats of sophistry.'

The Treasury Department will exhaust its borrowing authority sometime in October unless the debt limit is suspended. The Democratic bill would suspend the limit on government borrowing through December 2022.

Moderate Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are objecting to the size of Biden's proposed $3.5 trillion package, while House progressives insist they will reject anything smaller.

Republicans contend that forcing Democrats to own the debt-ceiling suspension could further undermine their unity and lead to a smaller package.

'There are a lot of moderate Democrats here in the Senate, and for that matter, in the House, who have concerns about the level of spending. It's a stratospheric amount,' said Sen. John Thune, the chamber's No. 2 Republican.

Republicans also see the debate as a way to draw a bright ideological line between themselves and Democrats, who they claim are being led by self-declared socialists including Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

'What's at stake is not simply a temporary hitting of the debt ceiling or defaulting temporarily or anything like that. It's really whether we're going to sit back and let them embed socialism into the institutions of our government,' Sen. Kevin Cramer told Reuters.

Some Republicans, who worry about being blamed for a failed vote, have suggested that they could give Democrats consent to pass the debt ceiling and funding measure on a simple majority.

But Republican Sen. Ted Cruz vowed to block that route.

Others said that their high-profile stand against the Biden agenda could help Republicans turn out the vote in the November 2022 election that will determine control of Congress.

'Anytime you're having a fight over taxes and spending, it's good for Republicans,' Thune, who is seeking reelection in South Dakota, told reporters when asked if the showdown could aid Republican candidates.
Kemi Badenoch was at the centre of a colonialism row today after WhatsApp messages in which she said she didn't 'care' about its impact on Africa were leaked.

The Equalities Minister said that those who lost out most when European states controlled Africa were 'old elites' rather than the regular people, in messages handed to Vice News.

She added that the Europeans who went in 'just made a different bunch of winners and losers', adding 'there was never any concept of ''rights'''.

The comments by the Saffron Walden MP, 40, who was born in London to Nigerian parents, were attacked by Labour, with one MP saying they were 'crass, divisive and painfully inaccurate'.

But Tory figures leapt to her defence, accusing her critics of bullying her for having views and opinions.

Peer Baroness Jenkin likened the situation to that of Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who decided not to attend her party conference next week after threats from trans rights activists.

The Equalities Minister said that those who lost out most were 'old elites' rather than the regular people, in messages handed to Vice News.

She added that the Europeans who went in 'just made a different bunch of winners and losers', adding 'there was never any concept of ''rights'''.

But Tory figures leapt to her defence, appearing to accuse her critics of bullying her for having views and opinions.

'At a time when Rosie Duffield doesn't feel safe to attend her party's conference and yet another woman MP has come off Twitter because of abuse, what is with men who seemingly don't like to see women doing well in politics? Let alone a black woman who has faced extra challenges,' the peer tweeted.

Ms Badenoch's messages were handed to Vice by Funmi Adebayo,a former associate of the minister. She said she acted after Ms Badenoch was promoted in last week's reshuffle to a role involving the Foreign Office.

Who is Kemi Badenoch? Born in London to Nigerian parents, Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch has two degrees and worked in McDonald's to support herself through her studies. Her childhood was spent in part in Lagos, Nigeria and the United States. She returned to the United Kingdom at the age of 16. After studying Computer Systems Engineering at the University of Sussex, she worked as a software engineer at Logica. She went on to work at RBS as a systems analyst before working as an associate director at Coutts and later as a director at The Spectator magazine. She has previously been vocal in her concerns about the the 'woke-ification' of British education. She used a Commons speech to highlight the duty of schools to avoid political partisanship. She does not want white children being taught about 'white privilege and their inherited racial guilt'. 'Any school which teaches these elements of political race theory as fact, or which promotes partisan political views  such as defunding the police  without offering a balanced treatment of opposing views, is breaking the law,' she said. Advertisement

They were taken from private chats and the Conservative Friends of Nigeria group, she said.

In them, Ms Badenoch said: 'I don't care about colonialism because (I) know what we were doing before colonialism got there. They came in and just made a different bunch of winners and losers.

''There was never any concept of 'rights,' so people who lost out were old elites not every day people.'

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Streatham, told Vice: 'For hundreds of years, the British Empire systematically underdeveloped and extracted resources from the global south. Blaming people for their own suffering and exploitation might be a tried and tested Tory tactic but it's not actually what happened.'

Ms Badenoch also mocked a former black Tory MP's chances of becoming party leader.

When she was asked about Sam Gyimah leading the Conservatives, she replied 'f*ck no'.

Ms Badenoch has previously been vocal in her concerns about the the 'woke-ification' of British education.

Born in London to Nigerian parents, she has two degrees and worked in McDonald's to support herself through her studies.

She used a Commons speech to highlight the duty of schools to avoid political partisanship.

She does not want white children being taught about 'white privilege and their inherited racial guilt'.

'Any school which teaches these elements of political race theory as fact, or which promotes partisan political views  such as defunding the police  without offering a balanced treatment of opposing views, is breaking the law,' she said, adding that schools should not openly support 'the anti-capitalist Black Lives Matter group'.
A 'bright and happy' schoolgirl who took her own life after being given a powerful acne drug 'was not bothered' by her skin condition and was not properly warned about potential suicide risks, an inquest today heard.

Annabel Wright, 15, had no medical history of depression when she was found dead in her bedroom at her home in Ripon, Yorkshire.

Just 20 minutes earlier she had been speaking with her father - who told an inquest he noticed nothing unusual about his daughter's behaviour.

Family members told an inquest into the teenager's death that they had noticed marks on her arms after she was prescribed the anti-acne medication Roaccutane.

She was on the drug, which she started taking at 14 in the form of Isotretinoin capsules, for nine months before tragedy struck. She has previously been on antibiotics to treat her acne.

But her mother Helen said she had never requested the change from antibiotics and had misgivings from the start.

She told today's inquest: 'I distinctly remember saying I had read about this drug years before and two Americans had taken their own lives.

'She said that could be because they were depressed about their skin. I was told the reaction of depression was linked to their skin and Annabel was not depressed about her skin.

'There was no other treatment suggested or offered.'

Helen told the hearing: 'Annabel was the brightest, loveliest child. She always was. I used to tell her she would live to be 120 because nothing ever bothered her.

Annabel Wright, 15, was found dead in her bedroom at her home in Ripon, Yorkshire, 20 minutes after speaking with her father. She has been taking the anti-acne medication Roaccutane

Annabel (pictured with her mother) was on the anti-acne drug, which she started taking at 14 in the form of Isotretinoin capsules, for nine months before tragedy struck. She has previously been on antibiotics to treat her acne

'Everything used to go over her head. She was not one for moods. She was just an easy going happy child with no issues.'

The teenager attended St Aidan's School in Harrogate where the inquest heard she was performing well.

'She was very happy there. She was doing really well. She had a great circle of friends.

'She never had any issues at school. She loved the social side. She was a very sociable child,' her mum added.

WHAT IS ROACCUTANE AND WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SIDE-EFFECTS? Roaccutane, or Isotretinoin, belongs to a group of medicines known as retinoids, which are substances related to vitamin A. It is used to treat acne which is severe, or which has not got better with other treatments such as oral antibiotics or skin treatments. The drug works by reducing the production of your skin's natural oil. It is also thought to reduce inflammation. Isotretinoin capsules will be prescribed for you by a specialist skin doctor. In general, many side effects associated with isotretinoin are similar to those associated with very high doses of vitamin A. Gastrointestinal side effects have included inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, bleeding and inflammation of the gums, colitis, esophagitis/esophageal ulceration, ileitis, nausea, and other nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms. Reported common side effects include: burning, redness, itching, or other signs of eye inflammation

bone or joint pain

difficulty moving

nosebleeds

scaling, redness, burning, pain, or other signs of inflammation of the lips

skin infection or rash Reported rare side effects include: Abdominal or stomach pain (severe)

attempts at suicide or thoughts of suicide (usually stops after medicine is stopped)

back pain

bleeding or inflammation of the gums

blurred vision or other changes in vision

changes in behavior Sources: Drugs.com and Patient Advertisement

On July 19 2018, Mrs Wright and her daughter attended Church Lane Surgery in Boroughbridge for a routine review of her medication.

She had suffered from acne since the age of 12 and had been on lymecycline antibiotics for a year.

At the consultation, Mrs Wright said the GP, whom they had not seen before, referred Annabel to a dermatologist at Harrogate District Hospital, something the family had not asked for.

Mrs Wright, 50, continued: 'We looked at each other and thought - result! We could get her off the antibiotics and hopefully get her on something she did not have an issue with.

'I had not expected it. Her skin was a lot better than it had been. The lymecycline had worked wonders for her acne.'

Asked by the coroner Jonathan Leach how her daughter felt at having acne for so long, Mrs Wright replied: 'It did not bother her. She was not distressed about it particularly.

'She was concerned she would get some scarring. Like most teenagers, she would go into the bathroom and pick at it a bit and ask 'Do you think it will scar?'

'I said 'No. Just leave it alone. She was not distressed about it.'

The inquest was read the new GP's letter stating: 'Annabel had been on lymecycline for a year. Her acne has not improved. Her face shows evidence of very extensive acne. I saw her because it had not been resolved.'

Mrs Wright did not entirely agree that her daughter's skin was that bad but picked her up from school for the hospital appointment on October 3 2018.

She continued: 'We were sat in the waiting room and there were a number of other patients who had very bad acne.

'I said to Annabel under my breath I think you need to be prepared that they are going to say 'You just have an oily skin, you are just a teenager, off you go'.'

The consultant told Annabel 'she wanted her on the Roaccutane before she got any scarring'.

Her mum added: 'She was only 14 and it panicked her.'

The family were given a leaflet which Annabel ticked boxes on and her mother signed. There was a warning that 'a number of side effects may occur but there are extremely rare'.

Mrs Wright said: 'There is nothing in there about suicide. Annabel was not depressed. I was told only children depressed about their skin might take their own lives.

'When you sit opposite an expert in their field and they say 'Yes, but it could be argued that these children were depressed about their acne - it sways you.

'I was not aware that sudden suicidal impulses could overcome a perfectly normal person.'

Mrs Wright said she did not realise anything was wrong when she noticed some scratches on her daughter's wrist at the end of January 2019.

Mrs Wright said she did not realise anything was wrong when she noticed some scratches on her daughter's wrist at the end of January 2019

At first, her daughter claimed she had injured herself in a fall. But the scratches were too regular to be anything other than self inflicted, her mother said.

Later, her daughter confessed she had cut herself with a razor blade in the bathroom just moments after chatting happily to her friends on the phone while doing acrobatics in her room.

Dam Busters star blamed pill for sons death Campaigners have called for Roaccutane to be banned for many years, but it is still prescribed on the NHS for severe acne. In 1997 Seamus Todd, 20, son of the late Irish actor and Dam Busters star Richard Todd, shot himself at the family home. Seamus had been taking isotretinoin, as it is known in its generic form, and his father publicly blamed it for his death. In 1997 Seamus Todd, 20, son of the late Irish actor and Dam Busters star Richard Todd (together, with wife Virginia Todd), shot himself at the family home A year later, David Tebby, 18, from Newport, South Wales, threw himself off a multi-storey car park after being prescribed a second course of the drug. A coroner said there was a possibility it played a role in his death. Jack Bowlby, 16, the nephew of racehorse trainer Jenny Pitman, also took his own life after taking the drug in October 2012. His body was found in his dorm room at private Cheltenham College after he spoke of having very dark thoughts. In April, the Governments medical regulator, the MHRA, launched an official investigation into Roaccutanes safety after another spate of suicides. According to the most recent figures, ten people taking the drug committed suicide in 2019 alone. Advertisement

'She said she just felt low. She could not explain why,' her mother added.

Her father Simon said: 'We gave her a stern talking to the same day followed by some love and affection and we all thought that was all that was required.'

Family say there were no other signs anything was wrong.

'Annabel was Annabel. She was always such a happy person. You could never tell if she was down,' Simon added.

Mrs Wright agreed with the hospital reports that Annabel's treatment was progressing well and she hardly had any spots at all except while on monthly cycle.

It was discussed that Annabel could switch to hyfication, a surgical procedure for removing lesions, but this never happened and her mother never asked why.

She added: 'I thought they knew what they were doing. I put my faith in them. We never pressed for the referral. The GP did it because she (Annabel) had an issue with antibiotics.'

On May 2019, at the final consultation before her death the same day, Annabel was told the treatment had been so successful her dosage would be reduced the next day.

She was concerned this might cause the acne to return, but she was reassured by her mother.

The same evening, Annabel had a normal tea with her family before going up to her room to revise for a Spanish test.

Her mother, grandmother, and 12-year-old brother then went off to a young farmer's do. They asked Annabel if she wanted to come but she said 'No'.

Later that same evening, her father Simon, 56, came home from work and chatted with his daughter.

Later she walked past him and upstairs to her room.

He said: 'I would have noticed if she was crying or upset. It was just a nothing.'

When the rest of the family came home they wondered where Annabel was.

Her grandmother went upstairs to check and came straight down to tell Simon he should go up straightaway.

He said: 'I knew something was wrong. I ran upstairs. She was hanging there.'

Simon cried for his wife to get a knife. She fetched a penknife and they cut her down.

On May 2019, at the final consultation before her death the same day, Annabel was told the treatment had been so successful her dosage would be reduced the next day

Mr Wright continued: 'I tried my best to resuscitate her. My son who was 12 at the time helped me.'

Mrs Wright was convinced her daughter would never have taken her own life. She warned her after the razor blade incident she could have severed an artery and died.

She said: 'She held me in her arms and said "Mum I would never do that to you".'

Her last words to her daughter was asking for her school trousers to wash because they were covered in paint from an art test.

Her daughter replied 'What's the point? They are only going to get messed up again in art' and that was the last conversation they ever had.

Asked if she believed there was a link between the acne medication and the daughters death both mother and father were convinced there was.

Mrs Wright said: 'Absolutely. Normal, happy people do not just commit suicide without any sign or lead up to it.

'I have also been in touch with several other families who have lost children to this drug.

'She walked past her own father, who she adored and had just had a conversation with 20 minutes before leaving.'

There were no other injuries and toxicology tests for drugs and alcohol proved negative, the corners court in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, was told.

She was performing well at school, had no history of bullying or self harm, and there was no suicide note.

The pathologist's report noted that Roaccutane, 'mood changes were a potential but rare side effect'.

At least one expert said they had previous experience of counselling parents of children who had committed suicides while on the drug.

Dr Chu said: 'We are talking about large numbers of patients killing themselves while on this drug.

'I dont think anyone can specifically state it does not cause suicide. Many of these suicides come totally out of the blue.

'With Annabel, she came down in the evening, passed her father, grabbed the dog lead, and hanged herself.

He said there was research that the drug could effect parts of the brain, leading to depression and suicide.

'But there is complacency in dermatology because it is so rare,' he added.

The hearing continues.

For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.
Joe Biden has finally held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron over the Australian nuclear submarine deal.

The US president acknowledged that 'open consultations' with the longtime ally might have helped.

In response Macron said the French ambassador will return to the US next week and Biden said that he will meet his French counterpart next month.

The White House and France released a joint statement on the call, which came after after the U.S., Britain and Australia infuriated the French with a new deal for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

It spells out that the call took place 'at the request' of Biden.

'The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners. President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard,' according to the statement.

'The two leaders have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence and proposing concrete measures toward common objectives,' according to the statement.

It says they will meet in Europe at the end of October, a likely reference to the upcoming G20 summit in Rome.

'President Emmanuel Macron has decided that the French Ambassador will return to Washington next week. He will then start intensive work with senior US officials,' it says.

President Joe Biden is set to speak with French President Emmanuel Macron. On Tuesday, he met at the White House with Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Joint Statement on the Phone Call between President Biden and President Macron President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic and President Joe Biden of the United States of America spoke on September 22, at the request of the latter, in order to discuss the implications of the announcement on September 15. The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners. President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard. Emmanuel Macron The two leaders have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence and proposing concrete measures toward common objectives. They will meet in Europe at the end of October in order to reach shared understandings and maintain momentum in this process. President Emmanuel Macron has decided that the French Ambassador will return to Washington next week. He will then start intensive work with senior US officials. President Biden reaffirms the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the framework of the European Unions recently published strategy for the Indo-Pacific. The United States also recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense, that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO. In the framework of their joint fight against terrorism, the United States commits to reinforcing its support to counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel conducted by European states. Advertisement

The statement concludes: 'President Biden reaffirms the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the framework of the European Unions recently published strategy for the Indo-Pacific. The United States also recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense, that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO.

'In the framework of their joint fight against terrorism, the United States commits to reinforcing its support to counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel conducted by European states,' it concludes.

The French-language version of the joint statement is slightly different at a key section, saying open consultations would have 'avoided the situation.'

The call finally happened after the two sides have discussed a possible phone call for days, after Macron recalled France's ambassador to the US for consultations in protest of the move.

Macron expected 'clarifications and clear commitments' from Biden in the call, Macron's office said in advance.

The White House has not signaled any new commitments are coming, although at the UN on Tuesday Biden repeatedly stressed the value he places on U.S. alliances.

Biden has yet to address the situation directly himself in public, after avoiding in-depth questioning for days.

He spoke virtually to a covid summit with world leaders Wednesday, but reporters were ushered out while the secretary general of the UN was speaking, providing no chance for US reporters to ask him questions.

'We're still working on the scheduling of it  with President Macron in the coming days,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said about the call on Monday.

'And what I expect the President will do on that call is reaffirm our commitment to working with one of our oldest and closest partners on a range of challenges that the global community is facing,' she said.

The call comes after Johnson, on a trip to the Capitol Wednesday, appeared to mock the French outrage.

He said it was time for some 'dear friends' to 'prenez un grip.'

Macron's office said the call, which was requested by Biden, is to discuss 'the crisis of trust' that led to the unprecedented recall of the French ambassador to the U.S. last week.

Macron expects 'clarifications on the American choice to keep a European ally away from key exchanges on an Indo-Pacific cooperation,' the statement said.

France recalled its ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Etienne, amid the fury

Biden stressed the importance of US alliances at the UN General Assembly Tuesday

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a meeting in memory of the Algerians who fought alongside French colonial forces in Algeria's war, known as Harkis, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2021. Macron's speech is the latest step in his efforts to reconcile France with its dark colonial past, especially in Algeria. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool Photo via AP)

Biden has long stressed his diplomatic experience, with decades in the Senate, including some running the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before serving as vice president.

The Indo-Pacific defense deal between the U.S., Australia and Britain was announced last week by Biden, with France being formally informed only a few hours beforehand, according to French diplomats. The pact will see Australia cancel a multibillion-dollar contract to buy diesel-electric French submarines and acquire U.S. nuclear-powered vessels instead.

France wants an acknowledgment that talks that 'should have been held' between allies before the deal was made 'did not happen' and that it is raising 'a matter of trust about which we need to draw together all the consequences,' according to Macron's office.

Paris is calling for 'acts, not words only,' including on 'the full recognition by our American ally of the need to strengthen the European sovereignty and the importance for Europeans to greater involvement in their defense and security,' Macron's office said.

France also wants the 'common commitment in the fight against terrorism' to be reaffirmed.

French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said the issue was raised by Macron during a weekly Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The call with Biden aims to bring 'clarifications' on 'the conditions of the American re-commitment in an relationship between Allies,' Attal said.

Frances European Union partners agreed Tuesday to put the dispute at the top of blocs political agenda, including at an EU summit next month.

The French presidency categorically denied a report by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper published on Wednesday saying Macron could offer the countrys permanent seat at the U.N. Security Council to the European Union if the bloc backs his plans on EU defense.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made his remarks to a Joint Session of Congress on December 26, 1941, a few weeks after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

Churchill was in Washington D.C. to meet with President Franklin Roosevelt and used his speech to argue the best way forward was to forge an effective alliance that could win World War II and preserve the peace afterward.

Here is a transcript of his speech:

Members of the Senate and of the House of Representatives of the United States, I feel greatly honored that you should have thus invited me to enter the United States Senate Chamber and address the representatives of both branches of Congress. The fact that my American forebears have for so many generations played their part in the life of the United States, and that here I am, an Englishman, welcomed in your midst, makes this experience one of the most moving and thrilling in my life, which is already long and has not been entirely uneventful. I wish indeed that my mother, whose memory I cherish, across the vale of years, could have been here to see. By the way, I cannot help reflecting that if my father had been American and my mother British instead of the other way around, I might have got here on my own. In that case this would not have been the first time you would have heard my voice. In that case I should not have needed any invitation. But if I had it is hardly likely that it would have been unanimous. So perhaps things are better as they are.

I may confess, however, that I do not feel quite like a fish out of water in a legislative assembly where English is spoken. I am a child of the House of Commons. I was brought up in my father's house to believe in democracy. "Trust the people." That was his message. I used to see him cheered at meetings and in the streets by crowds of workingmen way back in those aristocratic Victorian days when as Disraeli said "the world was for the few, and for the very few."

Therefore I have been in full harmony all my life with the tides which have flowed on both sides of the Atlantic against privilege and monopoly and I have steered confidently towards the Gettysburg ideal of government of the people, by the people, for the people.

I owe my advancement entirely to the House of Commons, whose servant I am. In my country as in yours public men are proud to be the servants of the State and would be ashamed to be its masters. The House of Commons, if they thought the people wanted it, could, by a simple vote, remove me from my office. But I am not worrying about it at all.

As a matter of fact I am sure they will approve very highly of my journey here, for which I obtained the King's permission, in order to meet the President of the United States and to arrange with him for all that mapping out of our military plans and for all those intimate meetings of the high officers of the armed services in both countries which are indispensable for the successful prosecution of the war.

I should like to say first of all how much I have been impressed and encouraged by the breadth of view and sense of proportion which I have found in all quarters over here to which I have had access. Anyone who did not understand the size and solidarity of the foundations of the United States, might easily have expected to find an excited, disturbed, self-cantered atmosphere, with all minds fixed upon the novel, startling, and painful episodes of sudden war as they hit America. After all, the United States have been attacked and set upon by three most powerfully armed dictator states, the greatest military power in Europe, the greatest military power in Asia-Japan, Germany and Italy have all declared and are making war upon you, and the quarrel is opened which can only end in their overthrow or yours.

But here in Washington in these memorable days I have found an Olympian fortitude which, far from being based upon complacency, is only the mask of an inflexible purpose and the proof of a sure, well-grounded confidence in the final outcome. We in Britain had the same feeling in our darkest days. We too were sure that in the end all would be well.

You do not, I am certain, underrate the severity of the ordeal to which you and we have still to be subjected. The forces ranged against us are enormous. They are bitter, they are ruthless. The wicked men and their factions, who have launched their peoples on the path of war and conquest, know that they will be called to terrible account if they cannot beat down by force of arms the peoples they have assailed. They will stop at nothing. They have a vast accumulation of war weapons of all kinds. They have highly trained and disciplined armies, navies and air services. They have plans and designs which have long been contrived and matured. They will stop at nothing that violence or treachery can suggest.

It is quite true that on our side our resources in manpower and materials are far greater than theirs. But only a portion of your resources are as yet mobilized and developed, and we both of us have much to learn in the cruel art of war. We have therefore without doubt a time of tribulation before us. In this same time, some ground will be lost which it will be hard and costly to regain. Many disappointments and unpleasant surprises await us. Many of them will afflict us before the full marshalling of our latent and total power can be accomplished.

For the best part of twenty years the youth of Britain and America have been taught that war was evil, which is true, and that it would never come again, which has been proved false. For the best part of twenty years, the youth of Germany, of Japan and Italy, have been taught that aggressive war is the noblest duty of the citizen and that it should be begun as soon as the necessary weapons and organization have been made. We have performed the duties and tasks of peace. They have plotted and planned for war. This naturally has placed us, in Britain, and now places you in the United States at a disadvantage which only time, courage and untiring exertion can correct.

We have indeed to be thankful that so much time has been granted to us. If Germany had tried to invade the British Isles after the French collapse in June, 1940, and if Japan had declared war on the British Empire and the United States at about the same date, no one can say what disasters and agonies might not have been our lot. But now, at the end of December, 1941, our transformation from easy-going peace to total war efficiency has made very great progress.

The broad flow of munitions in Great Britain has already begun. Immense strides have been made in the conversion of American industry to military purposes. And now that the United States is at war, it is possible for orders to be given every day which in a year or eighteen months hence will produce results in war power beyond anything which has been seen or foreseen in the dictator states.

Provided that every effort is made, that nothing is kept back, that the whole manpower, brain power, virility, valor and civic virtue of the English-speaking world, with all its galaxy of loyal, friendly or associated communities and states-provided that is bent unremittingly to the simple but supreme task, I think it would be reasonable to hope that the end of 1942 will see us quite definitely in a better position than we are now. And that the year 1943 will enable us to assume the initiative upon an ample scale.

Some people may be startled or momentarily depressed when, like your President, I speak of a long and a hard war. Our peoples would rather know the truth, somber though it be. And after all, when we are doing the noblest work in the world, not only defending our hearths and homes, but the cause of freedom in every land, the question of whether deliverance comes in 1942 or 1943 or 1944, falls into its proper place in the grand proportions of human history. Sure I am that this day, now, we are the masters of our fate. That the task which has been set us is not above our strength. That its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our cause, and an unconquerable willpower, salvation will not be denied us. In the words of the Psalmist: "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings. His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord."

Not all the tidings will be evil. On the contrary, mighty strokes of war have already been dealt against the enemy-the glorious defense of their native soil by the Russian armies and people; wounds have been inflicted upon the Nazi tyranny and system which have bitten deep and will fester and inflame not only in the Nazi body but in the Nazi mind. The boastful Mussolini has crumpled already. He is now but a lackey and a serf, the merest utensil of his master's will. He has inflicted great suffering and wrong upon his own industrious people. He has been stripped of all his African empire. Abyssinia has been liberated. Our Armies of the East, which were so weak and ill-equipped at the moment of French desertion, now control all the regions from Teheran to Bengazi, and from Aleppo and Cyprus to the sources of the Nile.

For many months we devoted ourselves to preparing to take the offensive in Libya. The very considerable battle which has been proceeding there the last six weeks in the desert, has been most fiercely fought on both sides. Owing to the difficulties of supply upon the desert flank, we were never able to bring numerically equal forces to bear upon the enemy. Therefore we had to rely upon superiority in the numbers and qualities of tanks and aircraft, British and American. For the first time, aided by these-for the first time we have fought the enemy with equal weapons. For the first time we have made the Hun feel the sharp edge of those tools with which he has enslaved Europe. The armed forces of the enemy in Cyrenaica amounted to about 150,000 men, of whom a third were Germans. General Auchinleck set out to destroy totally that armed force, and I have every reason to believe that his aim will be fully accomplished. I am so glad to be able to place before you, members of the Senate and of the House of Representatives, at this moment when you are entering the war, the proof that with proper weapons and proper organization, we are able to beat the life out of the savage Nazi.

What Hitlerism is suffering in Libya is only a sample and a foretaste of what we have got to give him and his accomplices wherever this war should lead us in every quarter of the Globe.

There are good tidings also from blue water. The lifeline of supplies which joins our two nations across the ocean, without which all would fail,-that lifeline is flowing steadily and freely in spite of all that the enemy can do. It is a fact that the British Empire, which many thought eighteen months ago was broken and ruined, is now incomparably stronger and is growing stronger with every month.

Lastly, if you will forgive me for saying it, to me the best tidings of all-the United States, united as never before, has drawn the sword for freedom and cast away the scabbard.

All these tremendous facts have led the subjugated peoples of Europe to lift up their heads again in hope. They have put aside forever the shameful temptation of resigning themselves to the conqueror's will. Hope has returned to the hearts of scores of millions of men and women, and with that hope there burns the flame of anger against the brutal, corrupt invader. And still more fiercely burn the fires of hatred and contempt for the filthy Quislings whom he has suborned.

In a dozen famous ancient states, now prostrate under the Nazi yoke, the masses of the people, all classes and creeds, await the hour of liberation when they too will once again be able to play their part and strike their blows like men. That hour will strike. And its solemn peal will proclaim that night is past and that the dawn has come.

The onslaught upon us, so long and so secretly planned by Japan, has presented both our countries with grievous problems for which we could not be fully prepared. If people ask me, as they have a right to ask me in England, "Why is it that you have not got an ample equipment of modern aircraft and army weapons of all kinds in Malaya and in the East Indies?"-I can only point to the victory General Auchinleck has gained in the Libyan campaign. Had we diverted and dispersed our gradually-growing resources between Libya and Malaya, we should have been found wanting in both theaters.

If the United States has been found at a disadvantage at various points in the Pacific Ocean, we know well that that is to no small extent because of the aid which you have been giving to us in munitions for the defense of the British Isles and for the Libyan campaign, and above all because of your help in the Battle of the Atlantic, upon which all depends and which has in consequence been successfully and prosperously maintained.

Of course, it would have been much better, I freely admit, if we had had enough resources of all kinds to be at full strength at all threatened points. But considering how slowly and reluctantly we brought ourselves to large-scale preparations, and how long these preparations take, we had no right to expect to be in such a fortunate position.

The choice of how to dispose of our hitherto limited resources had to be made by Britain in time of war, and by the United States in time of peace. And I believe that history will pronounce that upon the whole, and it is upon the whole that these matters must be judged, that the choice made was right. Now that we are together, now that we are linked in a righteous comrade-ship of arms, now that our two considerable nations, each in perfect unity, have joined all their life-energies in a common resolve-a new scene opens upon which a steady light will glow and brighten.

Many people have been astonished that Japan should in a single day have plunged into war against the United States and the British Empire. We all wonder why, if this dark design with its laborious and intricate preparations had been so long filling their secret minds, they did not choose our moment of weakness eighteen months ago. Viewed quite dispassionately, in spite of the losses we have suffered and the further punishment we shall have to take, it certainly appears an irrational act. It is of course only prudent to assume that they have made very careful calculations and think they see their way through. Nevertheless, there may be another explanation.

We know that for many years past the policy of Japan has been dominated by secret societies of subalterns and junior officers of the army and navy, who have enforced their will upon successive Japanese cabinets and parliaments by the assassination of any Japanese statesmen who opposed or who did not sufficiently further their aggressive policy. It may be that these societies, dazzled and dizzy with their own schemes of aggression and the prospect of early victories, have forced their country-against its better judgment-into war. They have certainly embarked upon a very considerable undertaking.

After the outrages they have committed upon us at Pearl Harbor, in the Pacific Islands, in the Philippines, in Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, they must now know that the stakes for which they have decided to play are mortal. When we look at the resources of the United States and the British Empire compared to those of Japan; when we remember those of China, which have so long valiantly withstood invasion and tyranny-and when also we observe the Russian menace which hangs over Japan-it becomes still more difficult to reconcile Japanese action with prudence or even with sanity. What kind of a people do they think we are? Is it possible that they do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget?

Members of the Senate, and members of the House of Representatives, I will turn for one moment more from the turmoil and convulsions of the present to the broader spaces of the future. Here we are together, facing a group of mighty foes who seek our ruin. Here we are together, defending all that to free men is dear. Twice in a single generation the catastrophe of world war has fallen upon us. Twice in our lifetime has the long arm of fate reached out across the oceans to bring the United States into the forefront of the battle.

If we had kept together after the last war, if we had taken common measures for our safety, this renewal of the curse need never have fallen upon us. Do we not owe it to ourselves, to our children, to tormented mankind, to make sure that these catastrophes do not engulf us for the third time?

It has been proved that pestilences may break out in the Old World which carry their destructive ravages into the New World, from which, once they are afoot, the New World can not escape. Duty and prudence alike command first that the germ-centers of hatred and revenge should be constantly and vigilantly served and treated in good time, and that an adequate organization should be set up to make sure that the pestilence can be controlled at its earliest beginnings, before it spreads and rages throughout the entire earth.

Five or six years ago it would have been easy, without shedding a drop of blood, for the United States and Great Britain to have insisted on the fulfilment of the disarmament clauses of the treaties which Germany signed after the Great War. And that also would have been the opportunity for assuring to the Germans those materials-those raw materials-which we declared in the Atlantic Charter should not be denied to any nation, victor or vanquished. The chance has passed, it is gone. Prodigious hammer-strokes have been needed to bring us together today.

If you will allow me to use other language, I will say that he must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great purpose and design is being worked out here below of which we have the honor to be the faithful servants. It is not given to us to peer into the mysteries of the future. Still, I avow my hope and faith, sure and inviolate, that in the days to come the British and American peoples will, for their own safety and for the good of all, walk together in majesty, in justice and in peace.
Four men have been arrested over the murder of a man who was shot dead in a drive-by shooting that also left two women injured.

Chino Johnson, 27, was with friends in Brixton, south London, just before 9pm on September 12 when two people rode by on a moped and opened fire on the group.

Emergency crews tried to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

One woman aged 29 was taken to hospital with gunshot wounds that were not life-changing, while the other, aged 26, took herself to hospital with superficial injuries.

A 20-year-old male has now been arrested on suspicion of murder alongside three other males - aged 20, 22 and 24 - who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

In a statement released today, the Met Police said the group were detained yesterday at Heathrow Airport as they attempted to leave the UK.

Chino Johnson (pictured above), 27, was with friends in Brixton, south London, just before 9pm on September 12 when two people rode by on a moped and opened fire on the group

Police officers stand at the cordoned-off area. Emergency crews tried to save Mr Johnson but he was pronounced dead at the scene

A spokesperson for the Met said: 'Police believe that shortly before 21:00hrs, two suspects on a moped rode into Ferrey Mews where they opened fire on a group of people socialising outside, Chino was fatally wounded.

'Two women, aged 26 and 29, sustained injuries that were not life threatening.

'After the shots were fired, the suspects fled the scene on the moped in the direction of Bennett Road and Dora Way.'

Mr Johnson's next of kin were informed and continue to be supported by specialist officers.

A 20-year-old male has now been arrested on suspicion of murder alongside three other males - aged 20, 22 and 24 - who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command who leads the investigation, added: 'Despite four arrests having been made, I am still very keen to hear from anyone who has information relating to Chino's murder.

'If you know something, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please do the right thing and get in touch with us.

'If you do not wish to speak to police, you can also provide information 100 per cent anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers.'

Police urged anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information about the moped or any other aspect of Chinos murder to call the incident room on 020 8721 4622 or tweet @MetCC, giving the reference 7163/12SEP.
A drive-by shooting at a school bus stop Wednesday morning in Kentucky left one high school student dead and two others wounded, police said.

At around 6:30 am, a person in a car with Illinois plates opened fire at the teens moments before the bus arrived at the stop just west of downtown Louisville, Metro Police Major Shannon Lauder said during a news conference.

According to WLKY, a 16-year-old boy was mortally wounded and pronounced dead on arrival after being rushed to University of Louisville Hospital. The news outlet did not immediately reveal the teen's name.

Bullets also struck a 14-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, whose names were not released. The boy was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover, while the girl was grazed in the head and treated at the scene, cops said.

A drive-by shooting at a school bus stop Wednesday morning in Kentucky left one student dead and another 14-year-old boy hospitalized, police said

A third child, described as a 14-year-old female, was injured after a bullet grazed her as the youths waited at the bus stop just west of downtown Louisville, according to authorities

'We had kids that couldn't even wait at a bus stop this morning without getting shot and that is horrifying and devastating,' said Metro Police Major Shannon Lauder (pictured)

All of the students at the bust stop near Dr. WJ Hodge and Chestnut Streets went to nearby Eastern High School, which is a part of the Jefferson County Public School system, WLKY reports.

The dead teen's aunt rushed to the deadly scene and spoke to the news outlet.

'I mean, you all probably interview a lot of families who are like, 'I can't believe this happened.' You know, he didn't hurt nobody, he didn't do anything,' she said.

'They can be out in God knows what, but I'm telling you, my nephew wasn't. He didn't have that time on his hands.'

All of the students involved went to nearby Eastern High School, which is a part of the Jefferson County Public School system

At around 6:30 am, as students gathered at the bus stop on Dr. WJ Hodge and Chestnut Streets, a car drove by and shot at the children as they waited for the school bus

Pictured: police on scene after Wednesday morning's deadly drive-by shooting at a school bus stop in Louisville. No arrests have been made as of Wednesday afternoon

Authorities were stunned by the brazen shooting.

'We had kids that couldn't even wait at a bus stop this morning without getting shot and that is horrifying and devastating and we're going to throw all of our resources at finding out who did this,' Lauder said.

Within hours after the shooting, police released a photo of the suspected vehicle - a gray Jeep with Illinois license plates reading BD91644.

Police are looking for this car (pictured) in connection to Wednesday morning's fatal school bus stop shooting. It's a grey Jeep with Illinois license plates reading BD91644

Pictured: Jefferson County Public Schools spokeswoman Renee Murphy said the bus, which was picking up students who attended Eastern High, arrived moments after the shooting

Jefferson County Public Schools spokeswoman Renee Murphy said the bus arrived moments after the shooting. She said the district would provide extra resources for families and students at Eastern High.

Anyone with information is asked to call LMPD's anonymous tip line at 502-574-LMPD.
Boris Johnson today further inflamed a diplomatic row with France after he told Emmanuel Macron to 'get a grip' over the new AUKUS defence pact, prompting a furious backlash from Paris.

The Prime Minister urged Mr Macron to 'give me a break' as he dismissed French anger about the deal.

Mr Johnson delivered the remarks in 'franglais' and the comments have added to the strain on relations with France.

One French diplomatic source told Reuters: '"Global Britain", it seems, is aimed at projecting Britain around the world, while marginalising Europe. We cant accept that.'

The agreement between Australia, the US and the UK will see the former secure its first ever fleet of nuclear-powered submarines but it means Canberra has cancelled an existing contract with France for a fleet of diesel-electric subs.

Paris accused Australia of a 'stab in the back' after the AUKUS deal was announced.

Mr Johnson said it is now time for the French President to 'prenez un grip' and 'donnez-moi un break'.

The Prime Minister said he believes the AUKUS deal is 'fundamentally a great step forward for global security' and it is 'not trying to shoulder anybody out'.

US President Joe Biden tried to dampen French anger at being excluded from the pact this afternoon in a phone call he requested with Mr Macron.



A joint statement issued by the White House said: 'The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners. President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard.'

Mr Biden and Mr Macron will meet in Europe for formal talks at the end of October.

The statement also said that 'President Biden reaffirms the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region'.

Boris Johnson today told Emmanuel Macron to 'get a grip' over the new AUKUS defence pact and to 'give me a break' as he dismissed French anger about the deal

Speaking in Washington, Mr Johnson said it is now time for the French President to 'prenez un grip' over the pact

The AUKUS deal will see the three nations share military technologies such as artificial intelligence, cyber defence, quantum computing and long-range strike capabilities.

French figures hit out at being excluded from the pact and blasted the submarine element of the deal.

Canberra has ripped up a deal with Paris worth an estimated 30billion that was struck in 2016 to provide 12 diesel-electric submarines.

The decision to walk away from the contract triggered a diplomatic storm as Mr Macron recalled his ambassadors to the US and Australia.

The French government is demanding Australia pay compensation for walking away from the old deal.

Speaking in Washington DC, Mr Johnson said the backlash to the pact had 'come up' during a meeting with Mr Biden in the White House last night.

But he said: 'All I want to say about that is I just think it's time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip (get a grip) about all this and donnez-moi un break (give me a break).

'Because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security. It's three very like-minded allies standing shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology.

US President Joe Biden is expected to address the dispute with Mr Macron in a telephone call scheduled to take place today

The agreement between Australia, the US and the UK will see the former secure its first ever fleet of nuclear-powered submarines

'It is not exclusive. It is not trying to shoulder anybody out. It's not adversarial towards China, for instance.

'It is there to intensify links and friendship between three countries in a way that I think will be beneficial for things that we believe in.'

The Prime Minister said he believed the defence pact will be 'good for the protection of democracy, freedom, of human rights, equalities, the rule of law'.

He added: 'I find it very hard to see in this agreement anything not to like.'
As many as 100 people are believed to have been involved in several brawls inside an Ohio high school that required pepper spray to be used and the fire alarm being pulled early on Wednesday morning.

Earlier reports indicated that multiple people were stabbed and at least one was hospitalized at Westland High School in Columbus, but law enforcement officials said there were no stabbings or gunshots. Officials also lifted an earlier lockdown.

Several people were detained on Wednesday morning, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office announced.

One student was rushed to a nearby hospital for decontamination after they were exposed to pepper spray, a spokesperson for the FCSO told local media.

The student's injuries are not considered serious. Videos that claim to show the students brawling have circulated online, although these have not been verified.

A massive presence of law enforcement officials is seen above outside Westland High School in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday morning

As many as 100 people are believed to have been involved in several brawls inside the school's recreation center

Several people were detained on Wednesday morning, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office announced

Deputies were called after a report of a fight with a 'large crowd'.

It's unclear exactly how many people have been injured, and what the extent of their injuries are.

'The situation was quickly brought under control and the school is now secure,' the Sheriff's Office said on Twitter.

A school resource officer called authorities at around 8:20am on Wednesday, prompting officers from the Columbus Police Department to respond.

A fire truck is seen outside Westland High School in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday morning

A spokesperson for the FCSO, which has jurisdiction over the area, told The Columbus Dispatch that there may have been as many as 100 people either directly involved in the brawl or in the immediate area.

Parents have been notified by the South-Western City School District.

'For the safety of our students and staff members, we evacuated everyone to the recreation center until the hallways were clear,' a spokesperson for the district told WCMH-TV.

'Students are back in the building and learning.'
A groom has broken his back at his wedding after friends dropped him on his head after throwing him up in the air in the traditional 'bumps'.

The awful moment was caught on camera, in a video showing the bride dancing happily just seconds before new husband Liviu Filimon's accident.

She turns to face the group of friends as they throw Filimon, 31, in the air before catching him.

But, after attempting a second toss, the friends fail to catch Filimon, who appears to tip over and crash head first onto the floor.

The horrified bride and revellers run over to his side as the clip ends, however local reports suggest the friends made matters worse by picking Filimon up and placing him on a chair before paramedics arrived.

The incident happened at a wedding reception in Romania on Friday evening at the Castello event hall in the Baile Felix resort.

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A groom has broken his back at his wedding after friends dropped him on his head after throwing him up in the air in the traditional 'bumps'

Liviu Filimon, 31, has said he has not ruled out suing his friends over the incident, which he said has so far left him unable to move his feet

Filimon, from Bihor County in the country's north west, is being treated for a fractured spine at the Emergency County Hospital in Oradea following the incident.

Local media reported that the reception continued after Filimon was taken to hospital, with the bride and both families attempting to keep guests entertained.

Dr Lucia Dania told local media that Filimon had 'fractured his spine', adding: 'His progress is looking slightly favourable.'

'He is hospitalised in the neurosurgery ward and next week he will undergo further tests,' she said.

Filimon has apparently not ruled out suing his friends for causing his injury, saying from his hospital bed: 'I have contacted a lawyer, but I'm still considering what I will do.'

He reportedly said that he can move his hands but not his feet following the incident.

The bride and Filimon's friends rush to his side after he is sent clattering to the ground

Filimon's new wife is seen dancing happily just seconds before the incident as a friend (second from left) approaches to pick up the groom
An uncle accused of murdering his 18-year-old niece in an honour killing in Italy after she refused an arranged marriage in Pakistan has been arrested in Paris.

Danish Hasnain was tracked down by social media to a house in the Garges les Gonesse area not far from the Saint Denis stadium which was raided by French police at the request of the Italian carabinieri on Monday.

The 33-year-old, who was staying with Pakistani compatriots, had no identity papers but was easily recognised by the distinctive mole on his brow.

He is allegedly the mastermind in the murder of Saman Abbas who went missing at the end of April after telling her family she had a boyfriend in Italy and wanted to live a 'Western' lifestyle.

Italian police say that Hasnain carried out the killing in a conspiracy involving Saman's father Shabbar, 46, mother Nazia Shaheen, 47, as well as her cousins Nomanulhaq Nomanulahq and Ijaz Ikram, 33 and 28.

Her body has still not been found but is believed to have been buried in a field not far from the family home in the town of Novellara, in the northern province of Reggio Emilia.

Italian prosecutor Emilia Isabella Chiesi told a press conference: 'From the investigations we made, I believe that he was certainly the mastermind of this crazy criminal project.'

Danish Hasnain (pictured) was tracked down by social media to a house in the Garges les Gonesse area not far from the Saint Denis stadium which was raided by French police at the request of the Italian carabinieri on Monday. The 33-year-old, who was staying with Pakistani compatriots, had no identity papers but was easily recognised by the distinctive mole on his brow.

Saman Abbas, 18, went missing at the end of April after telling her family she had a boyfriend in Italy and wanted to live a 'Western' lifestyle.

Saman's cousin Ijaz was arrested in France in June on suspicion of murder and extradited back to Italy.

Her parents Shabbar and Nazia are in Pakistan and have denied murder of their daughter.

The whereabouts of her cousin Nomanulhaq remains unknown.

Prosecutors say the case dates back to autumn last year, when the family tried to force Saman into an arranged marriage in her native Pakistan.

Saman fled the family home after an argument and since October had been living in a refuge run by social services, fearing for her safety.

But she returned home on April 11 this year, apparently to collect identity documents - though it is unclear exactly why she needed them.

Police believe that by April 26 the family had begun preparing for her murder.

That is the date on which uncle Hasnain is alleged to have bought plane tickets for her parents to fly back to Pakistan, prosecutors say.

Then, on the evening of April 29, CCTV captured three men who police say are Hasnain, Nomanulhaq and Ijaz walking into fields behind the farm around 7.30pm.

Saman (pictured) is thought to have enraged relatives by telling them she had a boyfriend in Italy and wanted to live a 'Western' life

The trio are carrying two shovels, a bucket, and a blue bag with a crowbar in it. They are gone for around two hours, before returning home.

The following day, Saman reportedly overheard a conversation between her relatives, and told her boyfriend that they were planning her murder.

Saman's boyfriend, who was not at the property, told Italian newspaper Gazzetta di Reggio Emiliano that she texted him saying she had overheard her uncle remark that murder is 'the only solution' for girls who disobey Pakistan's strict honour codes.

The boyfriend was instructed to contact police in two days if she hadn't messaged him.

The boyfriend said he tried to reassure her, but she said: 'I'm not confident.'

Police say more CCTV footage - which hasn't been published - then shows parents Shabbar and Nazia walking their daughter into the fields behind the farm at nine minutes past midnight on May 1.

The pair return just 13 minutes later, with father Shabbar carrying a backpack that Saman had previously been wearing.

Police believe the parents handed Saman over to her uncle and cousins who were waiting in the fields and who killed her and buried her body somewhere on the farm.

The family then left home - Shabbas and Nazia for Pakistan, ostensibly to visit a sick relative, while Ijaz headed into Europe.

When police called at the family farm looking for Saman on May 5, they found Hasnain and Saman's 16-year-old brother at home, who explained that the rest of the family had gone to Pakistan to see a sick relative, Corriere reports.

Then the pair also vanished. On May 9 they were stopped at the Italian border with France because the brother was not carrying his identity documents.

Hasnain was released but the brother was detained. While being interviewed by police, he told them of his suspicions that Hasnain orchestrated his sister's killing with the help of his relatives.

The boy claims the whole family was afraid of Hasnain, who he believes strangled his sister to death following a row over identity documents.

He claimed to have overheard the argument on the night his sister disappeared, before seeing his father come home in tears followed by his uncle and cousins.

CCTV released by Italian police allegedly shows Saman's uncle and two cousins taking a shovel (pictured left), a sack and a crowbar into fields behind the family home before she vanished

A phone was later uncovered which allegedly contained a text sent from Hasnain to a friend which reads simply: 'Job well done.' Police say this was a reference to the killing.

Ijaz was then arrested in France on June 6 while boarding a bus bound for Barcelona, where he is thought to have relatives. He was extradited back to Italy.

Shabbar and Nazia are in Pakistan, and have spoken to Italian journalists to deny the murder of their daughter, who they say is alive and in Belgium. Prosecutors want to have the pair extradited.

Meanwhile searches are still ongoing at the farm to try and find Saman's body.

Electromagnetic scanners have been brought in along with sniffer dogs to try and detect the remains, while waterways are also being dredged.

'The search for the remains of the injured person continues, who unfortunately we believe is dead,' prosecutor Prosecutor Isabella Chiesi told Reppublica.

'I would not give any positive feedback to what the father said, we have ascertained that the girl is not in Belgium.'

The case has shocked Italy, with the Union of Islamic Communities issuing a religious ruling denouncing forced marriages following Saman's disappearance.
Police have released footage of a drive-by shooting which left a 26-year-old man dead and injured five others in Philadelphia.

The surveillance footage captures a silver car with tinted windows as it approaches a group of people hanging out at the 1300 block of West Chew Avenue, in front of The Olney Arts Center, in the North of Philly at 2.15pm on Monday.

As it passes the group of around a dozen men and women, a suspect in the back seat raises the gun to the open window and opens fire.

The victims immediately scatter and drop to the floor, trying to shield themselves from the bullets.

One person was killed and five others were wounded in a drive-by shooting in Philadelphia on Monday

Victims scattered around when they heard gunshots and dropped to the floor, shielding from the bullets

Meanwhile, the silver car has not slowed down and calmly drives away from the scene

Meanwhile, the silver car has not slowed down and calmly drives away from the scene. Police say the car did at least one loop of the area before opening fire.

Philadelphia Police responded to reports of the shooting and found six wounded victims, aged 19 to 28., who were transported to Einstein Medical Center.

A 26-year-old was so badly injured with gunshot wounds to his chest that he died at the hospital. Police have not released the name of the victim.

The suspect fired at least 24 shots from the rear seat of a silver Chrysler 300 Sedan with a semiautomatic handgun.

A $20,000 reward has been set up by authorities for people who can provide information about the case.

The woman and four men who were wounded are expected to make a full recovery, said police.

The car was last seen driving eastbound on Chew Avenue, crossing Park Avenue, towards 12th Street.

The car's window are tinted, including the windshields. It also had a custom black grill and tinted head and rear lamps.

In the year to date data provided by Philadelphia Police Department, murders in the city have risen 17%.

The Homicide Division have asked for anybody with tips to contact them at 15-686-TIPS (8477) or texting PPD TIP (773847).

The car suspects drove in is a silver Chrysler 300 Sedan with tinted windows and break lights

Police is offering a $20,000 reward for anyone with information about the case
LATEST COVID-19 DEVELOPMENTS:

* Violence has erupted at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance after a tense stand-off between protesters and police, with Victorian veterans dubbing the occupation of the site 'disgraceful and disrespectful'.

* Several hundred demonstrators - initially protesting mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for the construction sector - returned to the city for a third day on Wednesday despite Melbourne's stay-at-home orders and a warning from authorities.

* An order for all Victorian teachers and childcare workers to get vaccinated against Covid-19 has been backed by the sector's unions.

Protestors have staged a demonstration, initially about mandatory vaccination for construction workers, at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance (pictured)

A NSW truck driver who visited Western Australia last week has tested positive for Covid-19, prompting public warnings over exposure sites and fears for the AFL Grand Final (pictured, WA premier Mark McGowan)

* Victoria recorded 628 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Wednesday, the highest daily tally in the current outbreak.

* NSW reported 1035 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 and five deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday.

* Another four regions across the state are due to be released from lockdown after going at least one week without further Covid-19 cases.

* Canberra recorded 17 new local infections.

* A NSW truck driver who visited Western Australia last week has tested positive for Covid-19, prompting public warnings over exposure sites.

Violence erupted on the third day of protesting, despite stay-at-home directions and warnings from authorities (pictured, Westgate Bridge in Melbourne)

* Almost one in five children aged 12 to 15 have received a first Covid-19 vaccine dose in the eight days since they were included in the rollout.

* Meanwhile, lockdown restrictions have eased slightly in Auckland, with the city's residents again able to go to school, buy takeaways and more.

SPORT:

* West Australian authorities say there is no change to plans for the AFL Grand Final to go ahead in Perth on Saturday after a truck driver tested positive to Covid-19.

* Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis has warned NRL players could have their contracts torn up if they refuse a Covid-19 vaccine, saying they may be unable to fulfil their obligations as employees.

Australians are still turning out in droves to get vaccinated against Covid (pictured, a pop-up vaccine hub in Sydney)

AUSTRALIAN VACCINATION NUMBERS:

* There have been 25,445,232 doses administered in the national Covid-19 vaccination rollout up to Tuesday, including 332,010 in the previous 24 hours.

* Of the total, 14,611,685 have been administered by the Commonwealth (an increase of 198,874 in the previous 24 hours).

* 13,677,534 have been issued in primary care (+189,167) and 934,151 in aged and disability facilities (+9,707).

* 10,833,547 have been administered by the states and territories, including 133,136 in the previous 24 hours.

AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS:

* Australia reported 1681 local cases on Tuesday: 1035 in NSW, 628 in Victoria, 17 in the ACT and one in Queensland.

The riot squad (pictured) was called in to disperse crowds and manage the protests as the demonstrators became violent on Wednesday

* No overseas-acquired cases were reported.

* The national death toll is 1186: NSW 316, Victoria 836, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 7, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states).

GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS:

* Cases: at least 229,563,000.

* Deaths: at least 4,709,000.

* Vaccine doses administered: at least 5,966,557,000.

Data current as at 1800 AEST on September 22, taking in federal and state/territory government updates and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre figures.
The Charity Commission has begun scrutinising Pen Farthing's mission to save Afghan animals.

The regulator is looking into how the ex-Royal Marine's charity Nowzad raised 200,000 from supporters for a private airlift out of Kabul Airport.

Officials will examine the use of charity funds for the evacuation and whether it was in line with the charity's purpose.

The regulator is looking into how the ex-Royal Marine's charity Nowzad raised 200,000 from supporters for a private airlift out of Kabul Airport

The charity told the BBC it had acted correctly to carry out 'life-saving work in incredibly difficult circumstances'.

Charity lawyer Edwina Turner, from Anthony Collins solicitors, said the fact the regulator was asking questions about the charity was 'very serious' and Nowzad would want to 'clear up any concerns'.

She said the charity would have to show it had spent the money in the best way possible to fulfill its charitable purposes.

Mrs Turner added that Nowzad would need to show any cash had been used 'in accordance of the terms of the fundraising campaign'.

Nowzad said: 'The trustees are wholly confident that Nowzad's life-saving work in incredibly difficult circumstances was both the right and only thing to do and was absolutely in furtherance of the charity's purpose.

'The trustees of course recognise that it is entirely proper for the Commission to gather more information regarding this high-profile and unprecedented operation and are very happy to provide the information requested.'

It comes a week after Mr Farthing revealed all his staff had now been successfully evacuated

A Charity Commission spokeswoman said: 'Earlier this month, we contacted the charity Nowzad for further information in relation to its recent fundraising initiative Operation Ark.

'We will assess the information provided by the trustees to determine whether or not there is a role for the Commission. We cannot comment further at this time.'

It comes a week after Mr Farthing revealed all his staff had now been successfully evacuated.

Sharing the good news, he tweeted that his Operation Ark campaign to get workers and animals from the Kabul shelter out of the country had been 'a complete success'.

He said he was 'so bloody happy' that the Nowzad staff, who had reared dozens of rescued animals by hand, had safely made it to Islamabad and were in the care of the British High Commission.

Mr Farthing, who is now in Oslo with his wife Kaisa, wrote: 'This is absolutely mind-blowing. It has still not really sunk in.'

Officials will examine the use of charity funds for the evacuation and whether it was in line with the charity's purpose

Alongside his post, he shared pictures of the staff grinning after their arrival in Pakistan, saying their joyful faces 'just tells you everything you need to know'.

The former Royal Marine had been criticised over his evacuation of nearly 200 dogs and cats from Afghanistan while he was still working to get almost 70 of his 'terrified' staff out of the country.

The Afghan staff were not able to leave during the hurried mass evacuation as foreign troops withdrew from the nation some two decades after US forces removed the militants from power in 2001.

Responding to the news, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted: 'Pleased that Nowzad's Afghan staff, who were called for evacuation, successfully crossed the border into Pakistan today.




Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar expressed outrage on Wednesday after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced he'd bring a standalone bill allocating $1 billion toward Israel's Iron Dome to the House floor.

Those funds will come to a vote on Thursday.

It was removed yesterday from a funding bill aimed at averting a government shutdown and suspending the US debt ceiling after a group of progressive Democrats threatened to tank the crucial legislation if it contained the funds.

Omar made a scathing statement appearing to accuse Israel of abusing human rights.

'We sold $175 billion in weapons last yearmore than anyone in the worldto some of the worst human right abusers in the world,' Omar wrote on Twitter.

'Heres an idea: dont sell arms to anyone who violates human rights.'

Hoyer spoke on the House floor two hours after crisis talks with Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid.

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota was one of the progressive Democrats threatening to vote against the bill aimed at keeping the government funded

Omar issued a scathing statement after the House moved to bring $1 billion toward Israel's Iron Dome defense system to a vote

'Iron Dome saved lives and property, and held Israel secure,' Hoyer told the House chamber.

He said the legislation already has the support of top Democrats in government - including President Joe Biden.

'The president wants this bill passed, Mr. Schumer wants this bill passed, the speaker wants this bill passed,' Hoyer said. 'Scores of others on both sides of the aisle want to make sure that Israel is secure.'

Lapid said the Maryland Democrat told him the measure was pulled on Tuesday because of a 'technical postponement' resulting from the debate in Congress over the US budget deficit.

'I thanked Majority Leader Hoyer for his commitment and emphasized to him the need to approve the request as soon as possible to ensure Israel's security needs,' Lapid wrote in Hebrew on Twitter.

Democrat House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said lawmakers would vote for a standalone bill on funding Israel's Iron Dome defense system later this week

Omar, meanwhile, has been blasted for comments that appear anti-Semitic in the past - like when she compared Israel to the Taliban in June.

'We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban,' Omar tweeted in June.

Her words were used against her in an attack ad by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in August.

'Stand WITH America. Stand AGAINST terrorists,' reads an anti-Omar American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) ad.

In a June CNN interview, host Jake Tapper asked her if she understood why the language she's used about Israel was perceived to be anti-Semitic by Jews.

'I have welcomed any time my colleagues have asked to have a conversation, to learn from them, for them to learn from me,' Omar responded. 'I think it's really important for these members to realize that they haven't been partners in justice,' she added.

Hoyer told lawmakers yesterday that he's bringing the bill up under suspension, which means it will circumvent the usual processes of committee markups. Instead it'll be brought to the floor under limited debate and can pass the House with a two-thirds majority.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke with Hoyer before Hoyer address the House floor

Afterwards, the Israeli official publicly thanked Hoyer for his help

The Maryland Democrat is confident the standalone bill will get the two-thirds votes it needs to pass the House

Lapid thanked Hoyer in a statement early Wednesday morning after the Majoirty Leader's announcement.

'Thank you for your friendship and your unwavering support for Israels security,' Lapid said.

Yesterday, progressive Squad members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley threatened to vote against a bill to keep the government open because it contained funds for Israel's defense system, the Times of Israel reports.

Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal led the charge.

Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman said he joined their effort because of anger toward party leadership for adding the provision at the last minute.

'The problem is once again leadership just throws something on our table, gives us about five minutes to decide what we're going to do and then tries to move forward with it,' Bowman told CNN.

Republicans also blasted Speaker Pelosi and other leaders for releasing the bill's text shortly before the vote.

'The text of this nearly 100-page bill was released mere hours before Members were forced to vote on it,' Rep. Chip Roy of Texas told DailyMail.com.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was among the Democrats threatening to vote against the debt ceiling bill if it included funds for Israel's Iron Dome

'In fact, the sole revision Democrats made to the bill was stripping a provision to provide $1 billion to replenish Israels Iron Dome missile defense system after the anti-Israel wing of their party demanded it be removed.'

But Hoyer last night appeared confident the standalone measure will pass.

He wrote on Twitter later that night, 'We will act to ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, and I expect strong, bipartisan support for this effort.'

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida told DailyMail.com he would vote for the measure if it went through traditional House channels but expressed hesitance at voting for an expedited bill.

'The Congressman joins the Republican Conference and moderate Democrats in condemning the removal of these funds at the behest of anti-Israel leftists like AOC and Omar. While it doesnt make sense for the House to take up this funding in a standalone bill, Rep. Donalds will likely support a clean bill that appropriates this vital funding to our longstanding ally, Israel,' Donalds' communications director Harrison Fields told DailyMail.com.

He blasted its removal from the debt ceiling bill as 'reprehensible and completely unnecessary.

GOP Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi told DailyMail.com he would support the measure.

Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia also told DailyMail.com he'd vote yes.

Moderate Democrats who attacked the Iron Dome funds' removal from the government funding bill lauded Hoyer's move last night.

Moderate Democrat Rep. Ted Deutch, who pushed back against party leadership removing the measure yesterday, lauded Hoyer's announcement

Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning of North Carolina also supported the move

'Im pleased Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer and [House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Rosa DeLauro] understand the importance of providing lifesaving missile defense assistance to our ally Israel & have made this commitment,' Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida said on Twitter.

'Iron Dome has been a critical partnership between the US and Israel, & I look forward to a strong bipartisan vote later this week.'

Democrat Rep. Kathy Manning of North Carolina tweeted, 'I'm pleased to see [Hoyer] announce that the House will vote on a standalone bill to replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system this week.'

After it was removed from the government funding bill yesterday Deutch criticized the decision to yank funding for something that is 'used by one of our closest allies to save civilian lives.'

In a lengthy Twitter post, Michigan Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin detailed the system's development, writing 'it protects civilians when hundreds of rockets are shot at population centers.'

'Whatever your views on the Israeli-Pal conflict, using a system that just saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives as a political chit is problematic,' the ex-CIA analyst said.

'To target Iron Dome now means the issue isnt a genuine concern over the system, but rather the desire to attack something - anything - related to the State of Israel; its devoid of substance and irresponsible.'

The Iron Dome defense system costs millions of dollars to keep operational and is regarded as one of the most sophisticated defense technologies in the world

Democratic Senator Mark Kelley of Arizona wrote on Twitter, 'The Iron Dome is a product of Israeli-American collaboration, with a long connection to southern Arizona, that protects civilians from rocket attacks. There's no good reason to block replenishing it and I'll continue to support funding it.'

Israel's Iron Dome has been operational since 2011 and is one of the most sophisticated defense systems in the world. It was created by Israeli military firms with additional support from the US.

The all-weather system uses radar technology to detect incoming airborne threats and destroy them before they can cause damage.

The radar then activates a control center that calculates a rocket's flight path. If it's found to be dangerous, interceptor missiles are launched to detonate the incoming weapon.

Each Iron Dome 'battery' comprised of radar, control center and missiles costs roughly $100 million.

Missiles fired from the Iron Dome cost between $50,000 and $80,000, according to estimates from the Jerusalem Post.

Israel uses Iron Dome systems to defend on land as well as at sea, where it can be fixed to Navy ships to guard offshore property.

House Appropriations Chair Rep. DeLauro said in a House Rules meeting yesterday that the $1 billion would be included in the 2022 defense spending bill. But a spokesperson for the committee told CNN after the announcement it wouldn't be necessary if Hoyer's bill passes.
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Gabby Petito's family has sent a cease and desist letter to Brian Laundrie's lawyer after his business's Yelp page included photos of their dead daughter.

Richard Benson Stafford, the attorney for the Petito family, is demanding the Laundrie family lawyer Steven Bertolino take down the photos by 2pm Wednesday or face 'further action.'

But Bertolino, released a statement claiming he does not 'control the internet site' and agreed that 'any such post he is referring to should be removed.'

The image has since been taken down. Yelp lets users leave reviews of businesses, and creates a page for each new one that is reviewed.

A business owner can then 'claim' that page for themselves, in order to respond to reviews, and promote themselves, but Bertolino has not moved to do so, and says he has never advertised online.

'I would certainly agree with Mr. Stafford that any such post he is referring to should be removed but advise him that I have no control over that Yelp site,' he said in a statement.

The family initially tried to remove the photos themselves but were informed that only the business owner can add or remove photos, Stafford wrote in the letter dated September 22.

Angrily denying the Yelp claims Thursday, Bertolino said the suggestion he'd use photos of Petito and Brian to 'drum up any business' is 'disgusting'.

A Yelp spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com that the photo of Petito was uploaded by a user - not by Bertolino.

In the letter, Petito's family also demands Bertolino 'cease and desist posting pictures of Gabby Petito to any and all of your social media pages, web pages, or advertisements in an effort to gain business.'

'I am sure this will be taken care of by 2pm or I will take further action on behalf of Gabby's family,' it read.

The family have yet to comment on news that Bertolino is not connected to the Yelp page.

Bertolino's business page featured a photo of Petito on the page earlier Tuesday (left). It was later revealed a user posted the photo to the page and it has since been removed (right). Yelp. Photos can be uploaded by both the owner and users and can only be removed by the person who uploaded it

Gabby Petito's family have sent a cease and desist letter to Brian Laundrie's lawyer after he used photos of their dead daughter on his business's Yelp page

Steven Bertolino (pictured) has denied having control of the Yelp page and said any suggestion he would 'use this case to drum up any business' is 'disgusting'

Bertolino's business page featured a photo of Petito on the page earlier Tuesday.

As of 1pm ET, the only two photos on the webpage was a montage of two pictures of Laundrie and a screengrab of a short bio page.

A warning was also displayed on the Yelp page reading that it was now 'monitored by Yelp's Support team for content related to media reports' and that the site had 'temporarily disabled the posting of content' to the page.

The Yelp spokesperson said the user who uploaded the photo had taken it down.

'We can confirm that the user who uploaded the photo removed it today. Yelp placed an Unusual Activity Alert, as part of our broader Consumer Alerts program, on the business's Yelp page on Tuesday,' they said.

'Businesses and consumers can always report reviews and photos for removal if they believe the content violates Yelp's Terms of Service or Content Guidelines.'

Both the business owner and website users can post photos onto a Yelp business page.

Under Yelp's policies, if a business owner uploads an image onto their Yelp page, it can only be removed by the business owner or by Yelp.

Similarly, if the photo is uploaded by a user, only that same user or Yelp can take it down.

Because the image was posted by a user, Bertolino was not able to remove it from the business page.

It is also unlikely that Bertolino either set up the Yelp page or had any connection to it as the page is listed as 'Unclaimed.'

Business listings can be created by Yelp following the posting of customer reviews and the business owner is then able to 'claim' the business to update business information and respond to reviews.

The 'unclaimed' tag reveals Bertolino has not done this.

Bertolino hit back at the allegations he was using Petito to drum up business, telling ABC7 the suggestion is 'disgusting' and that he has not 'advertised or sought business in over 20 years.'

'That's disgusting. Just so you know, my website and any review sites that I do not control have been overrun by John Q. Public,' he said earlier.

'Indeed yelp actually shut the site down due to the inordinate amount of fake commenting on it.

'I have not advertised or sought business in over 20 years and I would certainly not use this case to drum up any business.'

DailyMail.com has contacted Bertolino for further information and comment.

His Yelp page has been flooded with negative comments since taking the case.

'You wanted to be famous, and you are. You are helping a murderer with his defense. May your karma own you. You are disgusting,' one user wrote.

Another wrote: 'Just as disgusting as Brian and the laundrie family. Just as guilty as the laundrie family. Where'd you send brian off to? Where did you advise his parents to send him to?'

A warning was also displayed on the Yelp page reading that it was now 'monitored by Yelp's Support team for content related to media reports' and that the site had 'temporarily disabled the posting of content' to the page

Brian Laundrie mowed the lawn and went on family bike rides 'like nothing bothered him' after returning from cross-country trip alone, says neighbor Brian Laundrie's neighbor has revealed that the 23-year-old mowed the lawn and went on family bike rides 'like nothing bothered him' after returning from the cross-country trip alone. Charlene Guthrie, who lives across the street from the Laundrie family in North Port, Florida, told Fox News she saw Laundrie return to 'normal life' - all the while his girlfriend Gabby Petito was missing, possibly already dead. 'He mowed the lawn. Him and his mother went for a bicycle ride around the block,' Guthrie said. 'I mean, everything was just normal life once he came back. 'And I just can't get over the fact that they  it seemed like nothing bothered him. How can you do that?' Laundrie returned to North Port without Petito in the couple's campervan on September 1. Authorities were then alerted to her disappearance on September 11. Guthrie said the discovery of Petito's body and Laundrie's disappearance look 'really, really bad for him' and that she believes he 'should be a suspect.' The neighbor also hit out at Laundrie's parents for not coming forward when their son went missing and that they 'let him go' in the first place. 'I have children, and I know that you do what you can to protect your child, but, you know, that can go so far, and you gotta do the right thing eventually. You have to,' Guthrie said. '[The Laundries] should have absolutely come forward now. I mean, I just can't believe they didn't do something. I'm really angry now that they let this go. 'And that everything was so natural and they remained so normal through the whole thing, you know, while they were here, till he went on the run.' Advertisement

The legal action was taken hours after Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney in an Instagram post late Tuesday, saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and saying his attempt to show 'compassion' are 'beyond disgusting'.

Laundrie's whereabouts are still unknown, with the manhunt entering its fourth day in Florida and law enforcement sources saying the 23-year-old boyfriend of Petito is the 'prime suspect' in her homicide.

Police and FBI agents resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve early Wednesday, sharing photos of search dogs heading out into the 25,000-acre swampland on social media. Dive teams were later spotted heading into the nature reserve around midday.

Bertoloni had released a statement Tuesday after a preliminary autopsy confirmed the body found Sunday in a campsite near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming belongs to 22-year-old Petito and that her manner of death was homicide.

'May Gabby Rest In Peace,' the attorney said in the statement.

Steve Petito took to social media Tuesday to blast Laundrie's attorney accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'

'As far as the law is concerned this law firm may be immune due to attorney/client privilege,' he wrote.

'But in the eyes of the public you are as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up and stalling tactic.'

He added: 'We don't require nor want you empathy. By you trying to show compassion here at this moment is beyond disgusting.'

Steve told Fox News Wednesday the Petito family will release a statement when her remains are returned to them from Wyoming.

The coroner is still carrying out tests on the 22-year-old's body to determine her cause of death.

Police named Laundrie a 'person of interest' in his girlfriend's disappearance last Wednesday.

At the time, the case was a missing person case with officials hopeful they would find the travel blogger alive.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ Laundrie is now their prime suspect in her death.

But prosecutors are said to be holding off from bringing charges or officially naming him a suspect until they can locate Laundrie.

Even then, this does not mean he will be charged with her murder.

The coroner ruled Petito's manner of death homicide but the cause of death is yet to be determined.

'Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999,' FBI Denver tweeted Tuesday.

'Coroner Blue's initial determination for the manner of death is homicide.

'The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.'

In Colorado, homicide includes varying degrees of murder and manslaughter.

It is also unclear if Laundrie is even alive to face any possible charges.

His parents told law enforcement Friday they last saw him over a week ago last Tuesday when he left their home with a backpack and told them he was heading to the Carlton Reserve.

A North Port police spokesman said early Wednesday that searchers have 'huddled up' and headed out again to look for Laundrie in the vast, alligator-infested reserve.

Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney Steven Bertoloni in an Instagram post late Tuesday saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'

A van from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, towing a small dingy, turned up about an hour after an airboat was seen for the first time at the 25,000-acre reserve.

When asked if police divers were recovering anything significant, North Port Police information chief Josh Taylor said: 'We are looking. Nothing found. We have to work to rule it out though.'

'Area resources are looking at large bodies of water, including dive teams, boats, and sonar equipment. At this time, this does not mean anything has been found. It's a part of the overall search process,' Taylor said.

'Additionally, right now, NPPD is on scene of a possible self-inflicted death, roughly one mile from the Environmental Park. Nothing to do with this case.'

The terrain is particularly treacherous, with 80 miles of hiking trails and some sections nearly impassable to humans.

The Sarasota Police Department tweeted Wednesday that, despite rumors, Laundrie is not in custody and the search for him was continuing.

Police divers joined the search for Brian Laundrie just before noon Wednesday with an airboat to join the manhunt for Brian Laundrie

A van from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, towing a small dingy, turned up about an hour after an airboat was seen for the first time at the 25,000-acre reserve

Laundrie's whereabouts are still unknown, with the manhunt entering its fourth day at a nature reserve m Florida (pictured)

Police and FBI agents resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve early Wednesday, sharing photos of search dogs (above)

Search teams from multiple law enforcement agencies gathered Wednesday for a briefing before heading out into the 25,000-acre swampland

Search teams fan out at Carlton Reserve park near North Port, Florida, Wednesday as the manhunt for Laundrie continued

Agents with K-9s are seen in Wednesday's search for the missing boyfriend of Gabby Petito - whose body was found Sunday

Buggies are being used in the search across the 25,000-acre swampland much of which is barely passable by humans

The search was called off for the night late Tuesday before agents from around eight different teams returned to continue with their efforts early Wednesday.

The search began on Saturday, starting at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park which is linked to the Carlton Reserve, a vast nature reserve about five miles from the North Port home Laundrie shared with his parents and Petito.

The search was then paused Monday when authorities said they had 'exhausted all avenues' before teams returned to the area Tuesday, where they focused their attention on the area closer to the city of Venice, along with adjoining lands.

On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered all state agencies to assist federal and local law enforcement in the search, saying 'we need justice for Gabby'.

More than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies led by the FBI used huge swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s and drones to comb through the snake and alligator-infested swampland.

A memorial cross of stones is arranged at the spot believed to be the final resting place of Petito at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campsite, close to Grand Teton National Park

The undeveloped campground is popular with tourists though it has no water or trash service. Above, a sign points to the area

Gabby Petito, 22, is pictured with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, in a YouTube video made to document their 'van life' trip

The pair had been travelling on a cross-country trip together since July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11

The FBI is asking anyone who may have had contact with Petito or Laundrie, may have seen their vehicle or who visited the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest between August 27 and 30 to contact authorities.

Several people have come forward with tips and to report seeing the couple's van or Laundrie during this timeframe.

One witness said in a TikTok she believes she is the one that led the FBI to Petito's body.

Sarasota Police Department said Laundrie is not in custody

Jessica Schultz said she told the FBI on September 16 she had spotted Laundrie near the Spread Creek campsite in Wyoming on August 26, 27 and possibly 28.

She said she and a group of friends were camped at Spread Creek from August 22 to 29 and noticed the couple's campervan because it was trying to park, and blocking her way.

She said she very clearly recalled seeing a man alone - who she is '100 per cent certain' was Laundrie.

'It was just him, there was no Gabby,' she said.

Schultz said agents told her 'you guys are the ones that really tipped us off to the right place'.

Petito was last seen alive August 24 leaving a motel in Salt Lake City in Utah with Laundrie during the cross-country campervan trip that she and Laundrie had set out on back in early July.

She was then last heard from the next day when she called her mom Nicole Schmidt.

Laundrie arrived back in North Port alone on September 1 in their van and Petito was reported missing September 11 by her family.

Laundrie refused to cooperate with investigators or tell them when he had last seen his girlfriend and was named a person of interest in her disappearance last Wednesday - four days before a body was discovered.

Laundrie's parents then made the stunning revelation Friday that he too had vanished and that they had not seen him since September 14 - when he allegedly left their home with a backpack saying he was heading to the reserve.

Their attorney said the family went looking for Laundrie on Wednesday and found his silver Ford Mustang convertible at the reserve, which had a police note on it demanding that the vehicle be removed from the area.

The family initially left the car there so Laundrie could drive it back, but they returned on Thursday to retrieve it, he said.

A mural of Gabby Petito with wings was placed at Nicholls Road and Montauk Highway, in Blue Point, New York

Petito was originally from New York with her family saying they will release a statement when her body is returned there

A makeshift memorial for Gabby Petito is seen near North Port City Hall in North Port, Florida, where she used to live

On Monday, a dramatic FBI raid was executed on the Laundrie family home in North Port, Florida, and the Mustang was seized by authorities.

In seeking the search warrants, investigators cited an 'odd' text message sent from Petito's phone to her mom on August 27, which set off alarm bells.

The text read: 'Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls'.

'Stan' referred to Petito's grandfather but Petito's family insist she would not usually refer to him by his first name.

'The reference to 'Stan' was referring to Gabby's grandfather. But according to her mother, Gabby never calls him 'Stan'. The mother was concerned that something was wrong with her daughter,' the warrant states.

It added this was the 'last communication anyone has with the subject. Her cell phone was no longer operational, and she stopped posting anything on social media about their trip. Per her family, this was not normal behavior for the subject and they became more worried about her.'

A second text from her phone on August 30 has also been questioned by the Petito family.

'No service in Yosemite,' the message read.

Cops in ATVs were seen heading into the 25,000 acre Carlton Reserve in Florida to search for Laundrie on Tuesday

More than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies led by the FBI used huge swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s and drones

North Port Police shared these images showing officers sending drones operated by remote controls up in the air

Four ATVs were seen heading to the swampy area in this photo, as part of the huge search operation to try and find Laundrie

Petito's computer was in her white Ford Transit campervan that the couple were traveling across the US in when Laundrie arrived back to Florida without her.

The vehicle was seized by North Port Police on September 11 - the day Petito was reported missing.

The couple are known to have gotten into a suspected 'domestic abuse incident' on August 12 - less than two weeks before Petito was last seen alive.

Police were called out to the incident involving the young couple in Moab, Utah.

Chilling 911 audio released Monday revealed how the caller reported seeing the 'gentleman was slapping the girl'.

In the audio, obtained by DailyMail.com, the male caller tells a Grant County sheriff that a 'gentleman' in a white van with a Florida license plate had slapped a girl in the vehicle before driving away.

'They just drove off. They're going towards Main Street. They made a right onto Main Street from Moonflower. We drove by him, a gentleman was slapping the girl,' the man continues.

A tearful Petito is seen in the back of the police car in Utah August 12 -13 days before she was last seen. Laundrie admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation and cops determine Petito was 'the primary aggressor'

Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'

'He was slapping her?' the sheriff asks.

'Yes. And then we stopped. They ran down an up the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off,' the man says.

Shortly after the call, Petito and Laundrie were filmed in police bodycam footage when they were stopped by Moab Police.

In the video, an emotional Petito with tears streaming down her face tells officers she 'was trying to get him [Laundrie] to stop telling [her] to calm down' and admitting the couple had 'been fighting all morning.'

In the bodycam footage from Moab officers, Petito says she suffers from OCD and anxiety, with both her and Laundrie saying she was stressed because of the YouTube blog they were working on to document the doomed cross-country trip.

Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face and arm which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'.

When an officer asks Petito if her boyfriend hit her, she replies 'I guess' and makes a grabbing motion on her chin. Laundrie admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation.

Officers say that Petito was the 'primary aggressor' in the incident and separate them for the night.
The French presidency categorically denied claims saying President Emmanuel Macron is willing to give up France's permanent seat at the U.N. Security Council if the EU backs his plans for an European Union army.

A close ally of the French president told The Daily Telegraph that France's seat on the influential council may be 'at the disposal of the European Union' if its governments support the formation of an EU military.

The newspaper quoted Sandro Gozi, a former Italian Europe minister now serving as a member of the European parliament for Macron's party, as saying the proposal could be 'put on the table' for discussion at the Security Council.

But in a swift response, the Elysee flatly denied The Telegraph's report and called the newspaper an 'English tabloid'.

The French presidency categorically denied claims saying President Emmanuel Macron is willing to officer France's permanent seat at the U.N. Security Council if the bloc backs his plans for an European Union army.

But in a swift response, the Elysee flatly denied The Telegraph's report and called the newspaper an 'English tabloid'

'Contrary to the assertions of the English tabloid Daily Telegraph relayed this morning, no, France has not offered to leave its seat on the United Nations Security Council. It belongs to France and will remain so,' the presidency said on its Twitter account.

Macron has been trying to rally his European peers behind his push for a closer military integration after Australia cancelled an existing contract with France for a fleet of diesel-electric submarine in favour of a new deal with the U.S. and UK.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen said the EU will press ahead with plans to develop its own shared military to limit its reliance on the US following the hasty pull-out from Afghanistan.

Von der Leyen said that she and Macron will convene a summit on European defence when France takes over the bloc's rotating presidency in the first half of 2022.

'This is a unique opportunity for him and for Europe,' said Mr Gozi.

European Commission President von der Leyen said that the failure of the government and security forces in Kabul and their fall to Taliban insurgents in a matter of days raises troubling questions for the 27-nation bloc, but also for NATO

France is the only EU member state to have a permanent seat on the council after the UK left the bloc following Brexit. The UK, US, China and Russia are the four other members who have a permanent seat and the power of veto when voting on international relations.

Earlier this month, EU ministers debated creating a standby EU force of around 5,000 troops to deploy in crises like the one at Kabul airport, but the plan faces opposition from some of the 22 EU countries that are also members of NATO, notably countries bordering Russia comforted by US security assurances.

The EU currently has a system of battlegroups to deploy to hot spots but they've never been used, and the disjointed nature of the troops gives European leaders little confidence, particularly as they are generally reluctant to send their troops to active conflict zones.

Macron has long-called for more EU defence autonomy and is determined to lay a foundation for an EU army.

But the UK opposes the creation of an EU army, especially after Brexit. Tobias Ellwood, the chairman of the defence select committee told The Telegaph: 'The UK represents a quarter of Europe's entire military capability. It would be only helping our adversaries to exclude us from any discussion about advancing our continental defence posture.

Senior Conservative MP Bob Seely said: 'If the EU Army undermines NATO, or results in the separation of the US and Europe or produces a paper army, Europe will be committing the most enfeebling and dangerous act of self-harm since the rise of fascism in the 1930s.'

He told the newspaper that the suggestion that France could use its UN seat felt 'more about France needing to see and present itself as a great power through what it hopes is its domination of the EU'.

'Considering the economic imbalance between France and Germany, I worry it is a little delusional  it certainly has proved to be so in the past,' he said, adding that France needs 'to see the bigger picture'.

Josep Borrell (pictured above), the EUs high representative for foreign affairs, said the union was only made aware of the new alliance through the media and was not part of talks

A cross-section of Britain's Astute-class nuclear attack subs, which is likely to mirror the new vessels

Australia is now set to acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines to present a counter-balance to Beijing's growing navy, and will also be sharing other advanced military technologies with Washington and London

But France, alongside other EU countries such as Italy, have said the AUKUS submarine deal proves that the bloc must build its own army and be less reliant on the US.

The EU complained that it was 'not consulted' on the AUKUS submarine deal while France lashed out at Australia for 'stabbing it in the back'.

Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, said the union was only made aware of the new alliance through the media.

And French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has accused the Australians of a betrayal because the alliance meant they scrapped a multi-billion deal for France to provide subs.

Maro Sefcovic, the deputy head of the European Commission, said the EU must improve their defences after the AUKUS deal and The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

'I think that after Kabul, after Aukus, this was, I would say the natural conclusion, that we need to focus more on the strategic autonomy,' Mr Sefcovic said.

'Europeans shouldn't be the rejects of the strategy chosen by the United States,' Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, said.

'We are in this new state of mind, which means the Europeans need to identify their own strategic issues and to have a discussion with the United States on this topic.'

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, above, has accused the Australians of a betrayal because the alliance meant they scrapped a multi-billion deal for France to provide subs

Britain and America are to help Australia build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as part of an unprecedented alliance known as AUKUS to combat China (pictured: a British Astute-class nuclear sub which is likely to mirror the Australian design)

The submarine row has plunged Franco-US ties into what some analysts view as the most acute crisis since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which Paris opposed.

After four years of tumultuous relations with ex-president Donald Trump, the spat has also dashed hopes of a complete reset under Biden, who took office in January.

Macron, 43, and Biden met for the first time in person in June at a summit of G7 countries England where they were seen smiling broadly together.

As the row drags on, analysts have been wondering how and when Macron will call an end to the escalating face-off, which has played out just seven months ahead of presidential elections.

The French leader recalled his ambassadors to Washington and Canberra last week in an unprecedented diplomatic protest, while France cancelled a defence ministers' meeting with Britain.

'If Emmanuel Macron gets something from the United States and manages to save face, the French will be grateful to him,' Pascale Boniface, director of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, told AFP this week.

'If he gets nothing it will be detrimental to him.'

Attal said France and the US needed to begin a process 'to create the conditions for confidence to be restored'.

As well as an acknowledgement of French interests in the Pacific region, the process should include 'full recognition by our American allies of the need to boost European sovereignty as well as the importance of the growing commitment by the Europeans to their own defence and security.'

This latter point is a source of tension between Biden and Macron, who has pushed hard during his four-and-a-half years in office for Europeans to invest more in defence and pool resources in order to increase their joint military capabilities.

The US, and some EU members, see this as a potential challenge to NATO, the US-led transatlantic military alliance that has been the cornerstone of European defence since World War II.

Australia's decision to order nuclear-powered submarines was driven by concern about China's commercial and military assertiveness in the Pacific region, where Biden is seeking to build an alliance of democratic states to help contain Beijing.
The woman who created the Oxford vaccine has said Covid is unlikely to mutate into a much deadlier variant and will eventually just cause the common cold.

Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert said 'there aren't very many places for the virus to go to have something that will evade immunity but still be a really infectious virus'.

She said viruses tend to 'become less virulent as they circulate' through the population, adding: 'There is no reason to think we will have a more virulent version of Sars-CoV-2'.

Dame Sarah said the virus which causes Covid-19 will eventually become like the coronaviruses which circulate widely and cause the common cold.

Her comments come as Professor Chris Whitty warned that almost all unvaccinated children will become infected with Covid at some point in the future and around half of youngsters have already caught the virus.

Speaking at a Royal Society of Medicine seminar, Dame Sarah said: 'We already live with four different human coronaviruses that we don't really ever think about very much and eventually Sars-CoV-2 will become one of those.

Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert said Covid is unlikely to mutate into a much deadlier variant and will eventually just cause the common cold

Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, said the Delta variant's transmissibility means all school pupils will come into contact with the virus

'It's just a question of how long it's going to take to get there and what measures we're going to have to take to manage it in the meantime.'

The 59-year-old led the team at Oxford University's Jenner institute which created the lifesaving Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the most widely distributed jab in the world.

Dame Sarah also revealed she is struggling to get funding to help prevent future pandemics.

The scientist, who specialises in the development of jabs against emerging viruses, said urgent investment was needed to prevent other infectious diseases spreading around the world.

She said: 'We're still trying to raise funds to develop other vaccines that we were working on before the pandemic, against diseases that have caused outbreaks in the past and will cause outbreaks in the future.

'We are being financially supported for our ongoing work against Covid... but when we try to return to projects we were working on before coronavirus we're still trying to get funding.'

Meanwhile, she said the very rare blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca jab have not been seen in the same rates in other parts of the world.

She also suggested that primary work on a tweaked vaccine to combat the Beta variant of the virus only gave a 'slightly better' immune response than the original vaccine, when given as a third dose to people who had already had two jabs of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but the data is still being collected.

In June, then health secretary Matt Hancock said the Government was in commercial discussions with the pharmaceutical giant over the variant vaccine.

Dame Sarah was also asked which of her titles she is most proud of, and said: 'Professor, definitely.'

The scientist's comments came as England's chief medical officer said almost all unvaccinated children will become infected with Covid at some point and said the others would get it 'sooner or later', insisting that vaccines will cut that risk.

Being grilled by politicians about his decision to recommend all over-12s are given Covid jabs, Professor Whitty insisted the move was made purely due to the benefits children would get.

He denied the advice  which overruled guidance from No10's top vaccine advisory panel which recommended youngsters weren't jabbed  was political.

Professor Whitty said: 'The great majority of children who have not currently had Covid are going to get it at some point.

'It won't be necessary in the next two or three months but they will get it sooner or later because this is incredibly infectious. Vaccination will reduce that risk.'

It comes after Tory MPs yesterday slammed the Government for 'undermining' the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  the independent body advising the Government on vaccine policy  by pushing through jabs for children.

They argued bringing in the measure now was 'perverse' because Britain is 'through the worst of the pandemic'.

But speaking at an education select committee today, Professor Whitty said vaccines in 12- to 15-year-olds will be vital in stemming the current surge in cases in the age group after their return to schools.

Lauren McLean, 15, from Newcastle, receives the Pfizer vaccine at the Excelsior Academy today in Newcastle upon Tyne

Felix Dima, 13, from Newcastle, receives the Pfizer vaccine at the Excelsior Academy in Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Professor Whitty said: 'There is definitely substantial transmission happening in this age group.

What is the risk to children if they catch Covid? Most children who become infected with the virus have no symptoms, or mild symptoms such as low-grade fever, fatigue, and a cough. However children with underlying health conditions may be at an increased risk of a condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome can lead to life-threatening problems with the heart and other organs. Symptoms of the condition can include fever, stomachache, rash, vomiting, cracked lips, a swollen lymph node in the neck and sleepiness. This year, researchers found children face an 'extremely low' one in 500,000 risk of dying from the coronavirus. The studies were led by researchers at University College London, the University of York and the University of Liverpool. One of the study's showed the coronavirus contributed to 0.8 per cent of the 3,105 deaths in children from all causes in the first year of the pandemic. They found the under-18s who died were more likely to be teenagers than younger children, showing that the risk from the virus increases with age. Higher proportions of Asian and black children died from the virus but these deaths were 'still extremely rare', they said. A second study found that 251 young people in England were admitted to intensive care with Covid from March 2020 to February this year, which equates to around a one in 50,000 risk. Of these patients, 91 per cent had one or more underlying health conditions. A third study, which was led by Dr Rachel Harwood at the University of Liverpool, supported the findings of the other papers. Advertisement

'In fact, the age group we're talking about is the one in which the highest rate of transmission is currently occurring, as far as we can tell.'

The JCVI decided not to recommend mass vaccination of 12 to 15-year-olds on health grounds alone because youngsters face such a vanishingly small risk of becoming seriously ill.

There were also concerns over a rare side effect called myocarditis  inflammation of the heart.

But the expert panel suggested wider issues, such as disruption to education, should be taken into consideration and examined by the UK's four chief medical officers.

Professor Whitty and his fellow medical officers in the devolved nations ruled that youngsters should get a single dose of Pfizer.

They signed off on the plans on the basis that it could prevent hundreds of thousands of school absences.

Discussing his recommendation today, he said the advice focused purely on the benefit to youngsters, and had not been made for political reasons or for the benefit of more vulnerable adults.

He added that while the vaccination programme would cause some disruption to schools, it would be outweighed by the likely disruption caused if children caught Covid.

When asked what proportion of children had already had Covid, he replied: 'It varies by age and it does also vary by setting, but I think if we go for roughly half I think that is a reasonable stab at this.

'That's half over the period of the entire epidemic to date, and we've got quite a way to run.

'We're running into winter so there's still quite a lot of damage that could be done in terms of disruption.'

England's deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who was also being quizzed, added that because the Delta variant is so infectious 'we are not looking at a theoretical risk' of children aged 12 to 17 becoming infected.

He said: 'I think it is really quite inevitable that they will be so at some point.'

Professor Van-Tam warned that these pupils could become infected during their GCSEs and A-levels when it is 'extremely inconvenient to be laid low' with a cough, fever, and respiratory symptoms.

Britain began inoculating healthy secondary school-aged children with a single dose of Pfizer's vaccine for the first time on Monday.

It did so despite originally not getting the blessing from No10's vaccines advisory panel, which said the health benefit to youngsters was 'marginal'.

Yesterday in a Commons debate about the move to vaccinate children, Bolton West MP Chris Green said: 'In many ways we can objectively say we are through the worst of the pandemic and yet the more draconian or authoritarian measures are being introduced at this stage. It's perverse.'

MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge Miriam Cates, who led the debate, questioned the logic behind the plans, adding: 'Children are not disease spreaders, they're not a buffer for our healthcare system and they're not an economic inconvenience.'

And MP Derek Thomas added said the decision to override the JCVI's original advice 'undermined confidence in the very vaccine rollout programme'.

Tories slam No10 over 'perverse' move to give over-12s Covid vaccines

Tories today slammed the 'perverse' decision to extend the Covid vaccine rollout to children as young as 12.

In the first parliamentary debate about the controversial expansion of the jab drive, Conservative MPs said it did not make sense now that Britain was 'through the worst of the pandemic'.

They questioned the move to leave the final say on vaccination with children, if they are deemed competent enough, given that experts are torn on the health benefits and ethics.

Britain began inoculating healthy secondary school-aged children with a single dose of Pfizer's vaccine for the first time yesterday.

It did so despite originally not getting the blessing from No10's vaccines advisory panel, which said the health benefit to youngsters was 'marginal'.

The Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) left the decision to Chris Whitty and the chief medical officers in the devolved nations.

They signed off on the plans on the basis that it could prevent hundreds of thousands of school absences.

Bolton West MP Chris Green said in the Commons: 'In many ways we can objectively say we are through the worst of the pandemic and yet the more draconian or authoritarian measures are being introduced at this stage. It's perverse.'

MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge Miriam Cates, who led the debate, questioned the logic behind the plans, adding: 'Children are not disease spreaders, they're not a buffer for our healthcare system and they're not an economic inconvenience.'

And MP Derek Thomas added said the decision to override the JCVI's original advice 'undermined confidence in the very vaccine rollout programme'.
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September is set to be the new record month for migrant crossings, with 3,413 making the journey so far, Home Office data has revealed.

The record is currently 3,509, set in July, but observers in Dover believe that number might have been surpassed today.

Around 80 have arrived so far today in Dover Marina, Kent with a Border Force catamaran Hurricane docking around 9.30am with about 50 people on board.

The first family to disembark consisted of a woman carrying possessions in a clear plastic bag, a man wearing a woolly hat and three young boys wrapped up in winter coats.

They were followed up the gangway for processing by a little girl aged around seven with two women and a man all wearing orange lifejackets.

Around 80 have arrived so far today in Dover Marina, Kent with a Border Force catamaran Hurricane docking this morning at around 9.30am with 50 people on board

A little girl aged around seven with two women and a man all wearing orange lifejackets was brought ashore this morning

Arrivals today could also take the record-breaking total for the year to more than 16,000. The tally currently stands at 15,840

Onlookers monitoring activity in the Channel off the Kent coast predict it will be a busy day of crossings with people smugglers taking advantage of warm weather and calm seas

A further five women were also on board alongside the remaining Middle Eastern men.

The RNLI Dover Lifeboat docked around 11am with around 30 migrants on board - including a man with his long hair tied in a bun wearing a bright blue jacket, sunglasses and a shoulder bag.

A little boy wearing a stripy beanie hat was followed by his mum, who was one of around a dozen women in the group.

Onlookers monitoring activity in the Channel off the Kent coast predict it will be a busy day of crossings with people smugglers taking advantage of warm weather and calm seas.

It comes after UK authorities had to rescue or intercept 134 migrants in 5 boats on Tuesday.

The French intercepted at least 60 people from 3 events, according to the Home Office.

Arrivals today could also take the record-breaking total for the year to more than 16,000.

The tally currently stands at 15,840.

Dan O'Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said on Wednesday night: 'The Government is determined to tackle the unacceptable rise in dangerous Channel crossings using every tool at our disposal, at every stage in the journey.

'Working with police and international partners there have been nearly 300 arrests, 65 convictions related to small boat criminality and our targeted efforts have prevented more than 12,000 migrant attempts.

'But this is a complicated issue requiring changes to our laws. The government's New Plan for Immigration provides the only long term solution to fix the broken system and deliver the change required to tackle criminal gangs and prevent further loss of life.'

It comes after UK authorities had to rescue or intercept 134 migrants in 5 boats on Tuesday. The French intercepted at least 60 people from 3 events, according to the Home Office

Arrivals today could also take the record-breaking total for the year to more than 16,000. The tally currently stands at 15,840

The RNLI Dover Lifeboat docked around 11am with around 30 migrants on board - including a man with his long hair tied in a bun wearing a bright blue jacket, sunglasses and a shoulder bag

It comes as the Home Office's top mandarin today admitted that Priti Patel's 'pushback' tactics for Channel migrants will only be used on a 'small proportion' of boats.

During tetchy clashes with MPs, Matthew Rycroft dodged saying when the policy would be put in place, or even categorically that it will be.

However, he insisted there was a 'legal base' for the manoeuvre to be carried out in 'certain limited circumstances'.

France previously responded with fury after Priti Patel ordered the tactic to be developed amid mounting alarm at the numbers attempting the Channel crossing.

Experts also questioned how it could be used without either sinking the unstable boats and risking passengers dying, or breaking maritime law.

Giving evidence to the Commons Home Affairs Committee, Mr Rycroft said Border Force officers had been 'preparing and trialling' the 'new maritime tactic'.

However, he confirmed it had 'not been deployed yet' and this would only happen when 'all of the circumstances are in place to allow them to be deployed in a safe and legal way'.

Asked roughly what proportion of the crossings in the past six months would have met the circumstances to legally push back boats, he said a 'small proportion', later conceding it would be nearer 1 per cent than 49 per cent but adding: 'I'm not going to give a number I'm not going to go further down that '

During tetchy clashes with MPs, Matthew Rycroft (left) dodged saying when the policy put forward by Priti Patel (right) would be put in place, or even categorically that it will be

Pressing Mr Rycroft repeatedly on the subject, Tory MP Tim Loughton said the committee needed to establish whether the tactic would make a 'meaningful difference' and was 'actually going to happen'.

Mr Rycroft said he could not give a 'yes or no' answer when asked if the tactic would be deployed 'next week, month, year or ever', adding: 'When we see them will depend on lots of different factors.'

He explained it was 'hard to give a definitive answer' as it involves Border Force commanders making 'judgments in the moment' based on a number of factors, including the type of boat being used and the weather.

Mr Loughton suggested the boats may have made it to shore by the time this process is carried out, adding: 'Realistically, this isn't going to work'.

'I totally disagree with that assessment,' Mr Rycroft replied, adding that he did not want to provide detail on operations publicly so as not to give people smugglers arranging the boat crossings an advantage on tactics.

The Home Office's most senior official also hit back at suggestions that plans under the Nationality and Borders Bill to send migrants who arrive in the country illegally to jail for four years would go against the Refugee Convention and could risk criminalising Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover.
A college professor has been charged with committing a hate crime after he allegedly hurled racial slurs and spat at a black woman and her daughter because 'he doesn't like black people'.

Alberto Friedmann, 53, whose LinkedIn profile identifies him as a professor at the National University of Health Sciences, was charged with committing a hate crime by a court in Cook County, Illinois.

Friedmann, who was also charged for aggravated assault, allegedly hurled racial slurs at the woman and her daughter outside a supermarket on 7th September.

Alberto Friedmann, 53, (pictured) has been charged with committing a hate crime after he allegedly hurled racial slurs and spat at a black woman and her daughter because 'he doesn't like black people'

CBS Chicago reports that Friedmann pulled up behind the woman, who was not named, while she was parked in a car park behind the supermarket.

He allegedly started honking his horn and screaming at her, demanding that she move her car while calling her the N-word.

Friedmann allegedly then jumped out of his car, ran over to the woman and spat in her face while hurling racial slurs at her.

Prosecutors alleged on Sunday that he told the woman he spat on her because 'he doesn't like black people'.

Friedmann, who was also charged for aggravated assault, allegedly hurled racial slurs at the woman and her daughter outside a supermarket (pictured) on 7th September

After the incident, Friedmann attempted to flee the scene, but the woman stood in his way and threw a water bottle at his car while ordering him to wait for the police to arrive.

Friedmann jumped in his car and allegedly tried to run the woman over, but missed and ended up crashing into her car.

The police arrived and took Friedmann into custody.

Friedmann, who admitted to spitting on the woman and hitting her car, was released on bail after paying $2,500.

According to LinkedIn, Friedmann worked for the National University of Health Sciences, which confirmed that he had been suspended 'pending the results of an investigation'

The National University of Health Sciences told NBC: 'We take allegations of misconduct seriously, and therefore have suspended Alberto Friedmann pending the results of a university investigation.'

At the hearing on Sunday, Friedmann's attorney, John McNamara, said his client, a minority and a 'child of immigrants,' denied that Friedman used any racial language during the incident.

Friedmann, an Oak Park resident, holds a doctorate in kinesiology and exercise science and neurology and teachers neurokinesiology at National University of Health Sciences, McNamara said during the hearing.
The Home Office's top mandarin today admitted that Priti Patel's 'pushback' tactics for Channel migrants will only be used on a 'small proportion' of boats.

During tetchy clashes with MPs, Matthew Rycroft dodged saying when the policy would be put in place, or even categorically that it will be.

However, he insisted there was a 'legal base' for the manoeuvre to be carried out in 'certain limited circumstances'.

France previously responded with fury after Priti Patel ordered the tactic to be developed amid mounting alarm at the numbers attempting the Channel crossing.

Experts also questioned how it could be used without either sinking the unstable boats and risking passengers dying, or breaking maritime law.

Giving evidence to the Commons Home Affairs Committee, Mr Rycroft said Border Force officers had been 'preparing and trialling' the 'new maritime tactic'.

However, he confirmed it had 'not been deployed yet' and this would only happen when 'all of the circumstances are in place to allow them to be deployed in a safe and legal way'.

During tetchy clashes with MPs, Matthew Rycroft (left) dodged saying when the policy put forward by Priti Patel (right) would be put in place, or even categorically that it will be

A group of migrants are brought to shore by the RNLI at Dungeness in Kent today

Border Force officials assist migrants arriving at Dover Harbour in Kent today

Asked roughly what proportion of the crossings in the past six months would have met the circumstances to legally push back boats, he said a 'small proportion', later conceding it would be nearer 1 per cent than 49 per cent but adding: 'I'm not going to give a number I'm not going to go further down that '

Pressing Mr Rycroft repeatedly on the subject, Tory MP Tim Loughton said the committee needed to establish whether the tactic would make a 'meaningful difference' and was 'actually going to happen'.

Mr Rycroft said he could not give a 'yes or no' answer when asked if the tactic would be deployed 'next week, month, year or ever', adding: 'When we see them will depend on lots of different factors.'

He explained it was 'hard to give a definitive answer' as it involves Border Force commanders making 'judgments in the moment' based on a number of factors, including the type of boat being used and the weather.

Mr Loughton suggested the boats may have made it to shore by the time this process is carried out, adding: 'Realistically, this isn't going to work'.

'I totally disagree with that assessment,' Mr Rycroft replied, adding that he did not want to provide detail on operations publicly so as not to give people smugglers arranging the boat crossings an advantage on tactics.

The Home Office's most senior official also hit back at suggestions that plans under the Nationality and Borders Bill to send migrants who arrive in the country illegally to jail for four years would go against the Refugee Convention and could risk criminalising Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover.

Arrivals are escorted to safety by Border Force staff in Dungeness, Kent, today

There were 'safe and legal routes' for Afghans seeking sanctuary in the UK and the plans would not be in the legislation if they were not 'compatible with international obligations', he added.

During the hearing, he also confirmed some 7,000 Afghan nationals, including 70 unaccompanied children, were still living in hotels after being rescued in the Kabul airlift last month and was unable to say when they might be moved into more permanent accommodation. This is in addition to 8,000 other asylum seekers also being housed in hotels.

Questions were again raised about another outbreak of coronavirus at Napier Barracks in Kent where around 200 asylum seekers were being housed. Although the figures are yet to be confirmed, MPs were told the number of current cases was small.
An Arizona man who was charged on Tuesday with murdering four friends and leaving their bodies in an abandoned SUV in a Wisconsin cornfield - along with his bloody driver's license - allegedly told his father he 'snapped and shot a couple of people,' a criminal complaint has revealed.

Antoine Suggs, 38, of Scottsdale, Arizona, faces four counts of second-degree intentional murder, without premeditation. Suggs turned himself in to Gilbert, Arizona, police last week after investigators announced he was wanted for questioning. Prosecutors said he remains jailed in Arizona, awaiting extradition to Minnesota.

Suggs' father, 56-year-old Darren McWright, who also goes by the last name Osborne, has been charged in Wisconsin with four counts of hiding a corpse. The Minnesota complaint against Suggs does not name McWright as Suggs' father, but comparing the details with the charges out of Wisconsin shows the two men are father and son.

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office says it is reviewing the case against McWright.

Antione Suggs (left) is accused of killing four people in St Paul, Minnesota, and ditching their bodies in a Wisconsin field with the help of his father, Darren McWright (right)

Victim Loyace Foreman III (left) was Sturm's boyfriend, while Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley (right) was a friend of Sturm

Victims Jasmine Sturm (left) and Matthew Pettus (right) were half-siblings, and worked together at Shamrocks Irish bar and grill in St. Paul

The Gilbert Police Department said Suggs was taken to the Maricopa County jail on Friday. It was not immediately clear if he was still there on Wednesday because the jail's online records showed an error.

The bodies of Matthew Pettus, 26, his half-sister Jasmine Sturm, 30, and Sturm's boyfriend, 35-year-old Loyace Foreman III, all of St. Paul; and 30-year-old Nitosha Flug-Presley, of Stillwater, Minnesota, a close friend of Sturm, were found by a farmer in a cornfield on September 12 just outside of the Town of Sheridan in Dunn County, Wisconsin, roughly 60 miles east of St. Paul.

Authorities said all four had gunshot wounds to the head. Nitosha Flug-Presley, who was in the front passenger seat, had been shot in the mouth, Pettus had two gunshot wounds to the back of his head, Foreman had a gunshot wound to the face and another gunshot wound to the top of the head, and Sturm had a gunshot wound to the left cheek, the complaint said.

Authorities said in court documents that Suggs was seen at the White Squirrel bar on Seventh Street West in St. Paul with Flug-Presley, Sturm and Pettus in the early hours of September 12. The Wisconsin criminal complaint against McWright said Flug-Presley's aunt told authorities that her niece had a 'thing' with Suggs and he would fly in from Arizona to see her.

According to the criminal complaint against Suggs, an employee at the bar saw a woman who looked like Flug-Presley arguing with a man, who the employee identified as Suggs from a photo lineup.

The employee said Suggs said something about 'having six children and this happening every time he comes back to Minnesota,' the complaint said.

Flug-Presley, Pettus and Sturm were then seen getting into a black SUV, the complaint said. The SUV and Suggs returned to the area shortly before 3am.

Investigators believe that Suggs killed the four victims along Seventh Street West in St. Paul, sometime between 3.30am and 3.48am. Six spent shell casings and Suggs' bloody driver's license were found in the vehicle.

Suggs then called his father and showed up where his father was staying at about 5am.

Suggs' father told authorities that his son 'snapped and shot a couple of people.' Suggs then drove the SUV from St. Paul to Wisconsin, and Suggs' father followed him in another vehicle.

They stopped at various gas stations - surveillance video from one St. Paul station shows Suggs driving the SUV, and Flug-Presley slumped over in the passenger seat, the complaint said.

Suggs' father told authorities that after leaving the SUV in a cornfield, he gave Suggs a ride back to Minnesota. Suggs father denied knowing the bodies were in the abandoned SUV, the complaint said.

Four friends whose bodies were discovered in an abandoned SUV in Wisconsin had been murdered 60 miles away on Seventh Street West in St Paul, Minnesota, not from the White Squirrel bar where they had met up with Suggs

A criminal complaint alleges that Suggs had an argument with Flug-Presley at the White Squirrel bar just hours before the killings

But surveillance video from a gas station in Wheeler, Wisconsin - about 10 miles from the cornfield - shows that Suggs father handed something to the driver of the SUV. Suggs' father also stood at the SUVs open passenger window while it was in the gas station parking lot, the complaint said.

Both vehicles then left the gas station in Wheeler and drove toward the direction of the cornfield where the SUV was discovered. Investigators found blood in the gas station parking lot where the SUV had stopped, the complaint said.

McWright turned himself in and was arrested on September 15, while Suggs surrendered to police in Arizona on September 17.

Damone Presley, the father of victim Flug-Presley, told DailyMail.com that the last time he saw McWright was in the Little Six Casino in Prior Lake, Minnesota, when the man now accused of killing his daughter approached him to offer his condolences on the death of Presley's father.

'We go way back,' said Presley, 50, standing outside his home in St. Paul. 'I wouldn't say he was a close family friend but he was a well-known friend of the family.

'He certainly wasn't a stranger.

'Just a month and a half ago I spoke to him  or should I say he spoke to me.

'My father had passed last year in December, so he came up to me in the casino and gave his condolence  we shared our childhood memories and chit-chatted about some of the work I and my parents have done in the community.'

He said he hadn't seen McWright in four years prior to that.

On the night they were gunned down, Flug-Presley and three of her friends had all gone out first to Shamrocks, a popular bar in downtown St. Paul, and then to the White Squirrel, where they crossed paths with Suggs. Their bodies were found on the afternoon of September 12.

None of the victims had any ties to Sheridan, which is in Dunn County, Wisconsin.

Presley said his daughter also knew Suggs, 38, who was even in her house at her son's birthday party earlier this year.

'He is a friend of two of her cousins and at our last gathering three months ago I remember seeing him there.

'I am trying to process it all now,' Presley added.

And he had a message for his erstwhile friend and his son. 'How dare you?' he raged. 'How dare you?

'But justice will be served. Not only for you but to everyone else involved. Justice will come.'

Presley, 30, Matthew Pettus, 26, Loyace Foreman III, 35, and Jasmine Christine Sturm, 30, were found murdered inside the car in a field in Sheridan, rural Wisconsin, on the afternoon of September 12. Pictured the scene taped off

Investigators remain tight-lipped about many aspects of the case, and Bygd refused to answer many key questions, including ownership information for the SUV the bodies were found in, and the position of the bodies in the vehicle

Flug-Presley's mother and aunt told investigators that Suggs had been dating her during visits to St. Paul from his Arizona home, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dunn County District Court.

Her father said Friday that he was relieved to hear the news about Suggs' arrest.

'I am excited that he is arrested because it could have been somebody elses family that was going to pay a price for his devilish deeds,' he said.

Presley has been involved in social issues in the Rondo area of St. Paul for years. A yard sign on his front lawn reads: 'Guns Down St. Paul.'

He said he believed McWright would have stopped the murders if he had known that his daughter was one of the intended victims, as disputes in the area are normally settled between family elders

'It really alarms me that if he had any indication that she was a Presley  because our family is well known in the community  that he would not have stopped this tragic thing that happened.'

He said he is convinced there are more than the father and son involved in the slayings of his daughter and her friends. 'Four young people died,' he said. 'That wasn't the work of one or two people.'

Pettus's brother Zach Pettus had earlier told the Star-Tribune that he had an idea who had killed the quartet.

But when contacted by DailyMail.com after McWright's arrest he said he had 'spoken too soon' and had no further comment.

Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said investigators believe the bodies 'were randomly brought to' the Town of Sheridan and that someone intentionally drove the SUV into the tall corn

Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said he believed the four bodies were randomly brought to Sheridan from the Twin Cities.

Bygd said that motive in the case remains a mystery, and that all possibilities are under investigation, including the involvement of personal acquaintances, organized crime, or a drug connection.

He said earlier this week there was no preliminary evidence of drugs as a motive, but that 'it very well could be, and that's going to be discovered through our investigation.'

Loyace Foreman III was the son of Loyace Foreman Jr, senior pastor at New Vision Faith Center in Saint Paul.

'He was stolen from us,' Loyace's mother, Jessica, wrote in a post. 'And we will find the thief. If it takes my very last breath. We will not rest. Loyace PulzeRazr Foreman III was my Prince.'

According to recent social media posts, the 35-year-old Foreman III had two children and was in a romantic relationship with Jessica Sturm.

He worked as a demolition contractor and enjoyed drawing in his free time.

'He was a doting uncle to his four nieces and nephews,' Jessica Foreman told Twin Cities. 'He was the protector of his three sisters. He was not perfect and we loved him unconditionally. He left an unfillable void.'

Sturm, who worked a second job as a paralegal at a law firm, and was raising her two sons, ages 11 and 5. The youngest boy had just celebrated his birthday last month.

Mourners online described Strum and Nitosha Flug-Presley as very close friends.

'There was never a time where i would see 1 without the other,' a mutual friend wrote. 'Y'all were literally inseparable and to think we lost y'all together don't even sit right.'

Flug-Presley leaves behind a young son and daughter.

'She was an outgoing person, a very good mother, exceptional daughter,' Presley's father said. 'She was very vibrant, she had a good heart, someone who would lift up your spirits.'
NYC mayoral candidate Eric Adams has announced plans to convert former hotels that shuttered their doors during the pandemic into 25,000 housing shelters for the city's homeless population - an idea which has divided New York City.

Adams, 61, planned to create 'supporting housing' for the homeless, especially those suffering from mental health or substance abuse issues, in the outer boroughs of the city.

The move comes after wealthy Manhattan residents kicked up a fuss at the last attempt to tackle the city's homeless crisis during the pandemic dared to locate their temporary housing in the Upper West Side.

Rich residents even threatened to sue the city if they kept using the area's vacant hotels as homeless shelters, citing heckling, public urination, drug use and open prostitution.

Adams may be able to avoid the same confrontation with wealthy, powerful and vocal residents, by locating the shelters in Brooklyn's Sunset Park.

The mayoral candidate says that he want to locate the shelters in the outer boroughs because they were harder hit by the lack of tourism during the COVID-19 lockdowns resulting in more hotels permanently shutting their doors. This will both create housing for the homeless, and reduce the number of vacant businesses in Brooklyn.

But others raised concerns that Brooklyn was being asked to deal with a problem because the Upper West Side had refused to.

Eric Adams announced he is converting former hotels in the outer boroughs of New York City for use as a homeless shelter

25,000 housing spaces are planning to be created to accommodate the homeless population in NYC

Residents of New York Citys Upper West Side were considering suing the city after hordes of homeless people were placed in luxury hotels in the neighborhood due to the coronavirus crisis

'So dump them in outer boroughs and out of sight from everyone in Manhattan (wealthy friends and tourists get a bonus). Great plan,' one Twitter user wrote.

'How about affordable housing for working families instead of Bowery-style flophouses that will become a blight on neighborhoods. Idiotic,' another tweeted.

GOP city hall candidate Curtis Silwa, who has continuously slammed De Blasio and Adams, also voiced his opinion online.

'Wonder how many friends of Eric Adams are hotel owners who are going to benefit from this like when his good friend Bill deBlasio converted hotels into homeless shelters which meant a BIG payout to his contributors', Silwa said.

Silwa took to the Upper West Side with his Guardian Angel Group in the summer of 2020 after the homeless population took residence.

Adams, however, has said that the use of former hotels for shelters is economically cheaper as the city does not have to spend money for construction on vacant properties.

Sidewalk camps littered with furniture and junk were seen lining the streets of Fifth Avenue during the relocation of New York's homeless population in summer 2020

Residents hired an attorney to sue the city to transfer the homeless back into shelters where they can get help

Residents of the upscale neighborhood complained that the move-in of the vagrants has brought with it increased crime, random violence, drugs, public urination and open prostitution

Despite the negative reaction, many have praised Adams's decision for the conversion due to the 20 per cent closure of New York hotels after the pandemic.

'Eric Adams support for converting failed hotel properties into affordable housing supply is exactly the type of common sense approach we need to better protect the safety of our communities and economic resurgence of the hotel industry,' Hotel Trade Council president Richard Maroko told the Commercial Observer.

Others have added praise for addressing homelessness issues in the city.

'Adams can be the mayor who uses this inflection moment to change the trajectory on homelessness. We look forward to working with Adams to implement the strongest supportive housing program in the nation,' Executive director Laura Mascuch of the Supporting Housing Network of New York told The New York Times.

Homeless advocate Shams Da Baron showed his support to Adams at a news conference at the Phoenix Hotel in Brooklyn, a proposed site for the supporting housing unit, by giving him a hug.

Da Baron had spent time in homeless shelters in the past, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio placed members of the city's homeless community in Upper West Side hotels during the pandemic, which was met with criticism by residents

'I almost fell from this deadly virus but it was after this experience that I rose like a phoenix from those ashes,' he told City Limits.

'But despite being housed, my brothers and sisters, including over 14,000 children, still dont have permanent housing.'

Adams will be hoping that his move is more successful than De Blasio's tactic which resulted in an increase in crime in the Upper West Side and other areas of Manhattan.

De Blasio moved 13,000 homeless people out of shelters into the area's upscale hotels in the summer of 2020 due to the rising concern of the coronavirus pandemic.

Residents wanted to sue the city as reports of heckling, public urination, drug use and open prostitution were being made.

'When they're not wearing masks, congregating, sleeping on the street or sharing bottles, it's hard to see how that's helpful. What was the goal of that?' resident Alison Morpurgo said.

However, they wanted to help members of the homeless population to get them into proper mental health facilities rather than back on the streets.

De Blasio wanted to create 25,000 supporting housing units for the homeless by 2030 as they began going back to shelters.

In a similar vein to De Blasio, Adams' plans were met with both praise and criticism

The Phoenix Hotel in Brooklyn's Sunset Park is one of the sites being converted to create 25,000 spaces for members of the homeless community

On Monday, Adams stood in front of the vacant Phoenix hotel to address the city's homelessness crisis and his plans to create shelters.

'The combination of Covid-19, the economic downturn and the problems were having with housing is presenting us with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,' Adams said.

'Use these hotels not to be an eyesore, but a place where people can lay their eyes on good, affordable, quality housing.'

The space available in former hotels such as the Phoenix Hotel has provided the opportunity for Adams to create single-room occupancy hotels, which he coined as S.R.Os.

'Im a big modernized S.R.O. person,' he said. 'We can create safe spaces particularly for single adults, which is an increased population.'
A German bouncer on trial for the murder of a British heiress has told a Swiss court that she died in a 'sex game' during which he put a towel around her neck.

Marc Schatzle, 32, told a judge that 22-year-old Anna Reed - daughter of a wealthy horse breeder from Yorkshire - died as the pair were having sex in the bathroom of their plush hotel in Locano, Switzerland, in the early hours of April 9, 2019.

He claimed he put a towel around Miss Reed's neck 'as we had done a hundred times before' and 'squeezed it with my hands' before she suddenly stopped moving.

Prosecutors say that is a fabrication and Schatzle - who was heavily in debt - actually killed Miss Reed to get his hands on her money, having hidden her credit card behind a panel in the hotel elevator so he could retrieve it later.

Anna Reed (pictured with Marc Schatzle before her death) , 22, was found dead in her hotel room in Switzerland, in April 2019

Marc Schatzle, who has denied deliberately killing Miss Reed, is believed to have met Ms Reed in Thailand in February 2019

Giving his version of events in court on Monday, Schatzle said: 'We had sex on the bathroom floor. I put a towel around Anna's neck.

'Then I pressed it with my hands, as we had done a hundred times before,' he added according to Swiss newspaper Blick.

Miss Reed held on to his wrist, he claimed, then 'suddenly she stopped moving. Her tongue was sticking out. I tried to reanimate her.'

He claimed to be unable to remember exactly what time this occurred, though previous reports said the couple got back to the hotel around 2am.

It was not until 6.30am that Schatzle went down to the hotel lobby to inform staff that Miss Reed had a 'medical problem' before she was discovered dead in the bathroom of their room.

Explaining how her credit card came to be in the elevator, Schatzle said the pair had been messing around as they went back to their room the previous evening.

They had a conversation about her paying for everything, he claims, at which point she took out her credit card and held it away from him.

Schatzle claims he took it from her and - as a joke - placed it behind a lighting panel.

Prosecutors - who are due to present their case later this week - say that is nonsense, and that Schatzle actually hid the card there without Miss Reed's knowledge intending to return later to retrieve it and drain it of funds.

He was 40,000 in debt, they allege, and knew that Miss Reed had 'more than 25,000 in her account'.

Other hotel guests have also claimed they heard shouting coming from the couple's room on the night in question.

Ms Reed (left and right) had been enjoying a round-the-world trip which she received from her father as a present for her 21st birthday

On the night that Ms Reed was discovered by paramedics, other guests at the Hotel la Palma au Lac in Locarno, Switzerland, described how they heard 'furniture being pushed nosily'

One person told The Sun: 'I heard breaking glass and furniture being pushed noisily around the room

They added: 'I wanted to go and say something but thought it was too dangerous.'

But the case is far from open and shut, with forensic examiners unable to determine the time of Miss Reed's death - meaning there is a hole in the prosecutor's timeline.

The judge criticised evidence-gatherers for that in court, Blick reported, saying it makes it difficult to determine whether Schatzle went straight to hotel staff to report Miss Reed's death or waited a while afterwards.

Miss Reed had been dating Schatzle for only a few months before she died, having met him in Thailand during a round-the-world trip gifted to her by her millionaire father as a 21st birthday present.

The court heard how she had been spending around 3,000-a-month during the trip, but this 'jumped considerably' after she met Schatzle.

On the evening of her death, the couple had shared a 100 bottle of champagne over dinner before returning to their hotel.

They were then pictured smiling on the terrace of their penthouse room just hours before Ms Reed's death.

Schatzle, who has a 'Warrior' tattooed over his eyebrow, worked as a bouncer in various pubs and nightclubs on the Swiss-German border.

One source told a Swiss newspaper at the time: 'Nobody knows how he could afford all the travel. Something can't be right.'

Schatzle denies murder and the trial continues.
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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas revealed Wednesday that border officials seen in photos rounding up migrants on horseback to push them back across the Mexico border have been reassigned to desk duty while the incidents are being investigated.

Mayorkas, testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee, said the images, where Border Patrol agents on horseback appeared to be using their reins as whips, were 'correctly and necessarily were met with our nation's horror.'

'They do not reflect who we are as a country nor do they reflect who the United States Custom and Border Protection is,' Mayorkas said.

The secretary said that his agency was investigating the footage 'with tremendous speed and with tremendous force,' and would get to the bottom of the matter in 'days, not weeks.'

'We have ensured that individuals, during the pendency of the investigation, are not conducting law enforcement duties to interact with migrants.'

Some accused agents of whipping migrants, however, Border Patrol agents have defended the actions, saying that their colleagues were simply using their reins on their horses - not migrants.

Brandon Judd, a border agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council, slammed the Biden administration for condemning the images without understanding the situation.

'There are very few things that will boil my blood as bad as the White House directly coming out and condemning an action before they know what happened,' Judd said on the John Solomon Reports podcast.

'Jen Psaki came out yesterday, and she condemned these actions when in reality, it is a legitimate law enforcement action. This was meant to protect the illegal aliens.'

Judd claimed that officers swing around their reins to keep migrants from getting too close to the horse and getting trampled. 'The reins will be twirled to keep people away from the horses for their protection.'

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who sits on Homeland Security Committee, told DailyMail.com: 'Anyone who spent more than five seconds looking at those images can see that they were holding on to the reins of their horses. CBP agents do not carry whips or lassos.'

'Secretary Mayorkas and Vice President Harris need to address the serious issues causing this crisis,' she added.

'This administration is more interested in demonizing law enforcement than addressing the border crisis,' Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., told DailyMail.com of the announcement.

The Fraternal Order of Police also tamped down accusations that agents had been whipping migrants.

For all you Twitter warriors out there: these are NOT whips. And no, Border Patrol agents are NOT "whipping" people.



They are REINS... Stay with us here, like a steering wheel is used to drive a car, the reins are used to drive the horse.



Thanks for coming to our TED talk. pic.twitter.com/r0n2kXHqvy  National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) September 21, 2021

'With basic knowledge and two brain cells, anyone knows those agents use split reins. They do use them as a whip, on their horses,' the agent said. 'This helps get a quicker response from the horse to move out when needed, especially when the horse may be hesitant with groups of people or other animals,' one Border Patrol agent told Fox News.

'Again it is clear that those 'in charge,' a term that is disgusting to use, have no clue about our operations and frankly operate by ignorance and unhinged emotions,' the agent said.

A Border Patrol officer is swinging what appears to be a lariat while trying to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge Sunday

The devastating images were captures as migrants were trying to return to their encampment from Mexico, where they were buying much-needed supplies

An agent is seen grabbing a migrant by the shirt in a photo taken near the border Sunday

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the footage 'horrible to watch' and said she 'can't imagine a context where that would be appropriate,' as other Democrats cried out against the treatment of Haitian migrants.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the 'inappropriate use of whips by Border Patrol officers' and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted 'images of inhumane treatment of Haitian migrants by Border Patrol - including the use of whips.'

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said that his office had obtained emails from border agents in June warning of the forthcoming dire situation in Del Rio, Texas, and asked the secretary if he had seen the signs.

'We have not seen before such a rapid migration as we have observed and experienced with respect to the Haitians at the border in Del Rio, Texas. That has been an unprecedented speed,' Mayorkas said.

'But did you have any warning signs?' McCaul asked.

Mayorkas said they do track migration but 'the speed with which this materialized is unprecedented.'

Meanwhile, thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials.

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio - where a peak of around 14,600 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under a bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US from Mexico - said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time under the so-called 'catch and release' scheme.

Others have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed by Border Patrol agents there, they said.

The exact number released is unclear, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott saying that 8,600 migrants were still in Del Rio on Tuesday afternoon.

Deportation flights began on Sunday, and by Wednesday morning, over 1,000 migrants had been flown back to Haiti, a source with knowledge of the matter told DailyMail.com.

Thousands of migrants take shelter along the Del Rio International Bridge at sunset as they await to be processed by Border Patrol agents

HAITIAN MIGRANT CRISIS IN NUMBERS: Number of migrants in Del Rio at peak of crisis: 14,600 Number of migrants as of Tuesday evening: 8,600 Number deported to Haiti Sunday: 327 Number deported Monday: 233 Number deported Tuesday: 523 Total deported since flights resumed Sunday: 1,083 Number of deportation flights scheduled for Wednesday: 7 Advertisement

Three flights deported 327 Haitian nationals from Del Rio back to the capital of Port-au-Prince Sunday, two flights deported 233 Monday and 523 were flown out on four flights Tuesday, the official said.

In total, 1083 migrants have been deported in the last three days, suggesting up to 5,000 may have been released into the United States.

Another seven deportation flights are expected to expel further Haitian migrants Wednesday.

This purported reality on the ground is drastically at odds with the public statements the Biden administration has made in recent days in an effort to get a handle on the ever-increasing migrant crisis at the US's southern border.

The official line is that Haitians are being expelled from the US back to the crisis-stricken Caribbean nation under a Donald Trump-era rule.

Under Title 42, migrants can be repatriated to their home nations without the possibility of requesting asylum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted Monday that migrants entering the US illegally will be sent back to their home countries.

'If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's life,' he said at a press conference.

Mayorkas then went one step further Tuesday, insisting that the border is now 'closed' to migrants.

A migrant walks past a pile of garbage at the camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas on the US-Mexico border Tuesday night

A Haitian girl is seen Tuesday under the bridge which was turned into a makeshift to house the thousands of migrants

A bus to transport migrants to other parts of the US for processing is seen by the Del Rio bridge in Texas Tuesday night

Haitians deported from the US recover their belongings scattered on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday

Migrants are guided by Border Patrol agents as they prepare to board a bus from the migrant camp in Del Rio to be taken to other parts of the US for processing

Many of the thousands of migrants who have gathered in Del Rio in recent days fled Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and have been living in South American countries including Brazil and Chile. But since these nations have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Haitians have traveled up through South America and Mexico to seek asylum in the US.

One US official, with direct knowledge of operations who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, told Associated Press thousands of Haitians had been freed on a 'very, very large scale' in recent days.

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, the official said.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said.

They are then processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

A second US official, also with direct knowledge and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday.

The official couldn't be more specific about how many.

US authorities scrambled in recent days for buses to Tucson but resorted to flights when they couldn't find enough transportation contractors, both officials said.

Coast Guard planes also took Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.

A third US official not authorized to discuss operations said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.

Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, head of Haiti's national migration office, said last week authorities expected that 14,000 Haitians will be deported from the US over the next three weeks.

Delva warned that Haiti cannot handle thousands of homeless deportees arriving into the country.

The criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the US was unclear.

But two US officials said single adults were the priority for expulsion flights.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday night.

A tiny little girl camps out with her father under a makeshift tent at the camp under the Texas bridge overnight Tuesday

Thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials

Migrant children play under the bridge Tuesday night as they await processing to be granted asylum - or be deported to Haiti

Illuminated by the lights of a National Guard vehicle, immigrants walk through the migrant camp next to the border

Around 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under the bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said thousands of migrants have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time

Other migrants have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed by Border Patrol agents there

Migrants sleep on the ground under the bridge at the makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas Tuesday night near the US border

Over in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico, close to the US border Haitian migrants sleep on the ground at a shelter

Haitian migrants are seen sleeping in Mexico. Some crossed the Rio Grande back into Mexico in search of food, water or medical treatment

Haitian migrants including young children are seen at a shelter in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico, Wednesday

Migrants lie on the ground and on cardboard boxes Wednesday at a makeshift shelter in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico

Why Haitians are fleeing to America: Thousands of Haitians have crossed the border into Texas in weeks and months to seek asylum in America. Data released by Border Patrol shows 28,000 Haitians have been arrested along the border this fiscal year, which began last October - dwarfing the 2020 number of 4,395 and 2,046 in 2019. Last month alone, 6,768 Haitians were detained by Border Patrol, up from 5,000 in July. Most Haitians who have traveled to the border in recent weeks are thought to have already been living in South America after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 2010 which killed over 200,000 people. Many have then traveled up through Mexico into the US recently - driven by the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on South America. Republicans have argued that the influx of people has also been driven by the pause on deportation flights to Haiti by the Biden administration. In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.' Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency. Then, in early July, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home of Port-au-Prince in a dramatic plot which authorities are yet to determine who the mastermind was. The murder threw the troubled nation into uncertainty with gun battles breaking out in the streets and a fight over who was the rightful successor as questions continued to mount about a possible inside job. This week, Haiti's chief prosecutor said there was evidence linking the country's Prime Minister Ariel Henry to the plot and banned him from leaving the country until he answers questions about his potential involvement. One month after the assassination, the island nation was dealt another blow as a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in August. More than 2,200 people were killed and 100,000 homes destroyed. In August, Biden extended and expanded the TPS further. While it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US, critics argue many have traveled there believing they can seek asylum. Advertisement

Joe Biden has come under fire from both sides of the political aisle over the situation in Del Rio.

In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.'

Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency.

Then, in August - following the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise in July and the earthquake which killed more than 2,000 people the next month - extended and expanded the TPS further.

A statement on the Department of Homeland Security's website stipulates that the TPS rule only applies to Haitians already in the United States when the announcement was made in May, and that Haitians who subsequently tried to travel to the US would not be allowed to benefit from the new rule.

It is unclear how the United States is able to differentiate between Haitians who illegally entered the country before and after the TPS proclamation was made.

Republicans blame this pause on deportation flights for the surge in Haitians crossing into the US, arguing that this led Haitians to believe they would get asylum in America - when in fact it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US.

Democrats, meanwhile, are slamming Biden after he resumed deportation flights Sunday, sending people back to a nation that is unable to take them.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded the Biden administration stop the flights and cease using Title 42 on the Senate floor Tuesday saying it defies 'common decency'.

Last Thursday, a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from using Title 42 to expel migrant families but the order takes 14 days to take effect and the administration appealed the ruling the next day.

This week, further outrage surfaced after images went viral of Border Patrol agents on horseback appearing to whip migrants with horse reins.

One video shows agents on horseback, waiting on the US side of the Rio Grande as migrants - some of them families with young children - wade through chest-deep waters trying to cross.

Officers appear to charge their horses toward the migrants carrying food and supplies, some swinging their reins, with one clip appearing to show a horse being used to push a migrant back into the water.

In one photo, a mounted agent appears to be grabbing a migrant by the shirt as he tries to flee.

Meanwhile, Mexico has begun busing and flying Haitian migrants away from the US border, authorities said Tuesday, signaling a new level of support for the US as the camp presented Biden with a humanitarian and increasingly political challenge.

Migrants - mostly from Haiti - have been camping out under the bridge after crossing from Mexico into the US

An aerial image shows the camp under Del Rio International Bride near the Rio Grande river in Texas, where the US connects to Mexico

Thousands of Haitian migrants are seen in the makeshift camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas Tuesday awaiting processing

Migrants are seen camped out under the bridge Tuesday where around 14,000 people were said to be staying at the weekend

Thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time

Migrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge near the Rio Grande Tuesday

One migrant crosses the river carrying a suitcase from Del Rio, Texas, to return to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, Monday

Texas border agents DENY whipping migrants and accuse Biden administration of deflecting from its failings Texas Border Patrol agents have denied whipping migrants and claimed anyone with 'two brain cells' knows they use split reins to control their horses, after images emerged of mounted officers appearing to whip Haitian border crossers. Disturbing photos and video surfaced Sunday appearing to show agents on horseback whipping Haitian migrants with horse reins at the Rio Grande river which connects Mexico and the US. Agents pushed back against the criticism and accused the Biden administration of trying to deflect from its own failings in tackling the migrant crisis. One unidentified agent told Fox News the outrage over the images shows officials lack 'basic knowledge' of handling horses and that the outrage 'just proves what absolute idiots they are.' They denied the images depict physical abuse, saying the reins are used as whips - but on horses, not humans. 'With basic knowledge and two brain cells, anyone knows those agents use split reins. They do use them as a whip, on their horses,' the agent said. 'This helps get a quicker response from the horse to move out when needed, especially when the horse may be hesitant with groups of people or other animals.' The agent voiced frustration that the officials 'in charge' do not understand their roles at the border. 'Again it is clear that those 'in charge,' a term that is disgusting to use, have no clue about our operations and frankly operate by ignorance and unhinged emotions,' they said. A second agent told Fox the situation is 'blowing up' and that the accusatory response from officials and lawmakers is fueling more anger toward the Biden administration. 'This whole situation is blowing up and even liberals are turning on this administration,' one agent told Fox News. '[Harris] is placing blame on agents to deflect because she and Biden are not going to change how they are handling this.' National Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto also pushed back against the theory the agents were whipping migrants and insisted they were using approved techniques designed to keep the agents, the horses, and the migrants on the ground safe. The National Border Patrol Council is the labor union that represents United States Border Patrol agents and support staff. 'They were not whipping anyone. They don't carry whips. They don't get assigned whips,' he told Fox. 'What they do is a training technique that has been shown to them to make sure that no one takes over their horse. It was to protect the horse, to protect the rider, and to protect the individual that was trying to cause chaos and knock down that rider from that horse.' Del Cueto described the process of 'twirl[ing] the reins to protect everything and make sure everything's done correctly.' He added: 'But nobody was getting whipped, but some members of the media are sure pushing that narrative and our agency and our administration isn't helping much by not saying something about it.' Advertisement

Mexico has helped at key moments before. It intensified patrols to stop unaccompanied Central American children from reaching the Texas border in 2014, allowed tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in US immigration courts in 2019 and, just last month, began deporting Central American migrants to Guatemala after the Biden administration flew them to southern Mexico.

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's foreign relations secretary, said Tuesday he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about the Haitians' situation.

Ebrard said most of the Haitians already had refugee status in Chile or Brazil, having fled to those countries in the wake of the 2010 earthquake, and weren't seeking it in Mexico.

'What they are asking for is to be allowed to pass freely through Mexico to the United States,' Ebrard said.

Two Mexican federal officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Mexico's actions.

One of the officials said three busloads of migrants left Acuna on Tuesday morning for Piedras Negras, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) down the border, where they boarded a flight to the southern city of Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco.

The other official said there was a flight Monday from the northern city of Monterrey to the southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border.

Tapachula is home to the largest immigrant detention center in Latin America.

The flight carried about 100 migrants who had been picked up around the bus station in Monterrey, a hub for various routes north to the U.S. border.

The second official said the plan was to move to Tapachula all Haitians who already solicited asylum in Mexico.

The Haitian migrants who are already in Mexico's detention centers and have not requested asylum will be the first to be flown directly to Haiti once Mexico begins those flights, according to the official.

Around Ciudad Acuna, Mexican authorities were stepping up efforts to move migrants away from the border. There were detentions overnight by immigration agents and raids on hotels known to house migrants.

'All of a sudden they knocked on the door and (yelled) 'immigration,' 'police,' as if they were looking for drug traffickers,' said Freddy Registre, a 37-year-old Venezuelan staying at one hotel with his Haitian wife, Vedette Dollard. The couple was surprised at midnight.

Authorities took four people plus others who were outside the hotel, he said. 'They took our telephones to investigate and took us to the immigration offices, took our photos,' Registre said.

They were held overnight but finally were given their phones back and released. Authorities gave them two options: leave Mexico or return to Tapachula.

On Tuesday afternoon, they decided to leave town. They bought tickets for a bus ride to the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, planning to continue to Tapachula where they had already applied for asylum.

Others left without being told.

Small groups arrived at Ciudad Acunas bus station to buy tickets to Veracruz, Monterrey and Mexico City.

The same bus lines prohibited from selling them tickets for rides north through Mexico, sold them tickets to head south without issue.

In Haiti, dozens of migrants upset about being deported from the US tried to rush back into a plane that landed Tuesday afternoon in Port-au-Prince as they yelled at authorities.

A security guard closed the plane door in time as some deportees began throwing rocks and shoes at the plane. Several of them lost their belongings in the scuffle as police arrived.

The group was disembarking from one of three flights scheduled for the day.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot says officials are using 'unprecedented' methods to prevent 8,600 Haitian migrants from entering US by creating a 'steel barrier' of hundreds of SUVs at the border

Texas Governor Greg Abbot says officials are using 'unprecedented' methods to prevent 8,600 Haitian migrants from entering U.S. by creating a 'steel barrier' of hundreds of vehicles at the border.

Abbott visited the U.S.-Mexican border on Tuesday and praised DPS and Texas National Guard for creating a 'steel barrier' made up of hundreds of state-owned vehicles, almost all of which appear to be SUVs.

They are lined up outside Del Rio in Texas, which has seen an influx of 14,600 migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the US.

'They have created a steel barrier preventing people from being able to cross the border,' Abbott said Tuesday. 'One day there were countless people coming across the border, then the DPS put up all these DPS vehicles, and suddenly, in an instant, people stopped crossing the border in this location. That strategy is working.'

This overhead photo shows some of the hundreds of Texas state SUVs used to form a de-facto steel barrier along the United States-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas

A 'steel barrier' of vehicles is the latest method border officials are utilizing to deal with the surge of thousands of Haitian migrants crossing into the United States

A 'steel barrier' of state-owned vehicles have been lined up for miles that stretch along the border

The 'steel barrier' is the latest method border officials are utilizing to deal with the surge of thousands of Haitian migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico by walking over a dam in the Rio Grande river.

Abbott has also flooded Del Rio with law enforcement officials to stem the flow of migrants, with both he and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claiming Tuesday that the border area has been successfully sealed-off.

Abbott also took shots at the Biden administration for not doing enough to secure the border and said the state of Texas would step up and add $2 billion toward border security funding, the Washington Post reported.

'When you have an administration that is not enforcing the law in this country, when you have an administration that has abandoned any pretense of securing the border and securing our sovereignty, you see the onrush of people like what we saw walking across this dam that is right behind me,' Abbott said.
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Wildfires raging through Sequoia National Park in California have scorched the famed Bench Tree and are threatening the ancient groves as firefighters race to contain the encroaching blazes.

Incident commanders said the Windy Fire, which has already charred 25,191 acres and is only 4% contained, burned into Long Meadow Grove along the Trail of 100 Giants. The area is home to 1,500-year-old sequoias.

Thanh Nguyen, a spokesman for the fire command, told the Los Angeles Times that a portion of the Bench Tree - which gets its name because of the shape of its base - was confirmed to have burned Sunday.

The extent of any further damage has yet to be assessed, officials said.

Firefighters walk past sequoia along the famed Trail of 100 Giants in California's Sequoia National Park where the Windy Fire has charred 25,191 acres and is only 4% contained

Incident commanders said the Windy Fire, which has already charred 25,191 acres and is only 4% contained, burned into Long Meadow Grove along the Trail of 100 Giants Sunday night

Wildfires that spread to the tops of trees - especially very tall trees - can move quickly through the forest, as the tops of the trees explode, showering embers over a large area below them.

'It was running toward multiple trees and firefighters were able to get it out, but it did get into the crown of one of the sequoias,' Windy fire incident spokeswoman Amanda Munsey told the Los Angeles Times.

Images captured on Tuesday showcased the glowing blaze at it engulfed Long Meadow Grove, continuing to swirl around tree trunks and branches.

The Windy Fire blazes through the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoia trees near The Trail of 100 Giants overnight in Sequoia National Park on September 21, 2021

As climate change and years of drought push wildfires to become bigger and hotter, many of the worlds biggest and oldest trees, the ancient sequoias, have been killed

The giant trees are among the worlds biggest and live to more than 3,000 years, surviving hundreds of wildfires throughout their lifespans

Flames engulfed the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoia trees near The Trail of 100 Giants overnight

While Sequoias have adapted to wildfires, the colossal trees are struggling to withstand the intensity of recent fires

Several wildfires surrounding Sequoia National Park are threatening groves of giant sequoias, as firefighters scurry to contain the encroaching blazes

Farther north, the KNP Complex fire continued to threaten the renowned Giant Forest, home to General Sherman standing at 275 feet.

General Sherman, which is estimated by the National Parks Service to be 2,200 years old, was wrapped in fireproof foil blankets last week.

Although the tree is located 36 miles from the Windy fire, it sits 7.9 miles from the Paradise fire and 9.5 miles from the Colony fire.

Incident commanders said they believed they could protect the tree from the 24,000-acre blaze, which was sparked by lightning just over a week ago.

A big increase in personnel put more than 1,400 firefighters on the lines of the KNP Complex fire, information officer Ana Beatriz Cholo said.

The weather was expected to clear out smoke and allow aircraft to begin operations against the flames.

'The fires active, but weve got a good number of staff out there,' information officer Kate Kramer said.

General Sherman, which is estimated by the National Parks Service to be 2,200 years old, was wrapped in fireproof foil blankets last week

Firefighters posing next to The General Sherman Tree after wrapping it in fire-resistant structural wrap amid the KNP Complex Fire within the Sequoia National Forest near Three Rivers, California on September 17, 2021

As climate change and years of drought push wildfires to become bigger and hotter, many of the worlds biggest and oldest trees, the ancient sequoias, have been killed

Wildfires that spread to the tops of trees -- especially very tall trees -- can move quickly through the forest

While sequoias have adapted to wildfires, the colossal trees are struggling to withstand the intensity of recent fires.

Heat from normal wildfires in the past was considered beneficial for sequoia reproduction, but increasing fire intensity now can very likely kill them.

In 2020, the Castle fire destroyed as much as 14 percent of all the worlds giant sequoias.

Images captured on Tuesday showcased the glowing blaze at it engulfed around long Meadow Grove, continuing to swirl around tree trunks and branches

The Windy Fire blazes through the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoia trees near The Trail of 100 Giants overnight in Sequoia National Park on September 21, 2021

The giant trees are among the worlds biggest and live to more than 3,000 years, surviving hundreds of wildfires throughout their lifespans

The heat of normal wildfire of the past helped the trees reproduce but increasing fire intensity can now kill them
Lindsey Graham is trying to play peacemaker between Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell ahead of the 2022 midterm elections when Republicans try to retake control of the Senate.

Republicans have feared a GOP primary clash between Trump-back contenders versus McConnell-supported candidates would be a losing proposition for the party. Many worry the inter-party fighting will hurt them at the ballot box next November.

Two senators told The Hill newspaper that Graham was trying to smooth things over between the two men, whose rift has grown wider as Trump left office and lobbied attack after attack on McConnell, who didn't support Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

'Lindsey was with the president this last weekend. From what I understand Trump said something complimentary about Mitch,' said a Republican senator, who described Graham's efforts to help bury the hatchet between McConnell and Trump.

Another senator confirmed to The Hill that Trump conceded to Graham that McConnell had indeed helped him at key moments, even though Trump now bashes McConnell regularly in public statements.

The Senate currently sits at an even 50-50 split. Republicans are defending 20 seats, including two in states Joe Biden won in 2020, while Democrats are defending 14 and none in states carried by Trump.

Lindsey Graham is trying to play peacemaker between Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell ahead of the 2022 midterm elections

McConnell and Trump have feuded since the Kentucky Republican senator took to the Senate floor on January 6th to say Trump was 'morally responsible' for the MAGA riot earlier that day.

But McConnell did hold off on bringing Trump's second impeachment trial to the Senate until after the-then president was out of office.

He did not vote to impeach Trump and has not publicly criticized the former president since January 6th. He also refrains from answering Trump's barbs.

Trump blamed McConnell for Republicans losing control of the Senate in January 2021 when two special Senate elections in Georgia went for Democrats, making Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer the majority leader.

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported Trump was looking for a Republican to challenge McConnell as leader of Senate Republicans.

Trump made calls to allies in the Senate and other supporters to gauge if they too felt it was time for a leadership change but lawmakers and their aides said there was apparently little interest in finding a Kentucky Republican to run against McConnell.

Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have had growing rift since McConnell said Trump was 'morally responsible' for January 6 insurrection

Additionally, Trump lashed out at McConnell at the end of August for giving President Joe Biden a win by allowing the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to pass.

'Nobody will ever understand why Mitch McConnell allowed this non-infrastructure bill to be passed. He has given up all of his leverage for the big whopper of a bill that will follow. I have quietly said for years that Mitch McConnell is the most overrated man in politics - now I don't have to be quiet anymore,' Trump said in a statement.

'He is working so hard to give Biden a victory, now they'll go for the big one, including the biggest tax increases in the history of our Country,' the former president added.

Graham has had his own up-and-down relationship with Trump but is seen as the Senate Republican who is closest to the former president.

'I gotta go,' Graham told The Hill, scrolling through his smartphone, when asked about the Trump-McConnell relationship.
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Haitian immigrants deported back to the Caribbean nation have bit Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and assaulted pilots on deportation flights back to Port-au-Prince, according to new reports.

In one incident on Monday at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, two Haitian migrants left their seats as the plane taxied to the runway and attacked ICE agents by biting them, forcing takeoff to be delayed, according to the Washington Examiner.

Meanwhile in a another incident, three ICE officers also suffered non-life-threatening injuries during an assault on Tuesday at the Port-au-Prince airport, when a group from a plan carrying single adult men stormed another recently arrived flight carrying deported families, according to NBC News.

The Haitian men also assaulted the pilots of that plane, who work for a government contractor licensed to fly deportation flights, and demanded to be taken back to the US, a source familiar with internal reports told the outlet.

Haitian migrants board an airport bus in Port-au-Prince after U.S. authorities deported them on Tuesday. The airport saw scenes of chaos as some migrants tried to storm a plane

Haitians deported from the United States try to board the same plane in which they were deported, in an attempt to return to the United States. There were several disturbances at the Port-au-Prince airport on Tuesday

Haitians are seen trying to storm a plane and demanding to be returned to the US after being deported on Tuesday

A police officer tries to block Haitians deported from the United States from boarding the same plane they were deported on, in an attempt to return to the United States on Tuesday

Haitians deported from the United States recover their belongings on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday

HAITIAN MIGRANT CRISIS IN NUMBERS: Number of migrants in Del Rio at peak of crisis: 14,600 Number of migrants as of Tuesday evening: 8,600 Number deported to Haiti Sunday: 327 Number deported Monday: 233 Number deported Tuesday: 523 Total deported since flights began Sunday: 1,083 Number of deportation flights scheduled for Wednesday: 7 Advertisement

In Monday's incident in Texas, federal assault charges will be brought against the migrants accused of biting the ICE officers.

It was not immediately clear if any charges were pending in Tuesday's incidents in Port-au-Prince.

'On Tuesday, Sept. 21, some adult migrants caused two separate disruptions on the tarmac after deplaning in Port-au-Prince, Haiti,' a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement.

'Haitian crowd control officers responded to both incidents and resolved the situations. ICE fully respects the rights of all people to peacefully express their opinions, while continuing to perform its immigration enforcement mission consistent with our priorities, federal law and agency policy,' the spokesperson said.

Nearly 10,000 migrants, mainly Haitian, remain in worsening conditions in an impromptu camp that sprang up under a bridge spanning the Rio Grande from the Texas town Del Rio to Mexico's Ciudad Acuna.

In recent days, U.S. authorities have removed at least 4,000 people from the site for processing in detention centers. Some 1,000 Haitians have been deported to their homeland on flights to Haiti, with repatriations set to continue on a regular basis, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.

Returnees reacted angrily as they stepped off flights at Port-au-Prince airport on Tuesday after spending thousands of dollars on arduous voyages attempting to reach the United States, after learning that the Biden administration had stopped deporting Haitians.

In one incident, a group of men in white T-shirts rushed back toward the plane after they disembarked in Port-au-Prince, with one man attempting to get back on board, witnesses told Reuters.

The migrants broke into a restricted area of the airport as they attempted to recover passports and personal belongings, and ground staff closed the door of the plane before the man could scale the steps back into the cabin.

Haitian migrants try to return to the airplane used by U.S. authorities to fly them out of Texas in an incident on Tuesday

Haitians deported from the United States recover their belongings scattered on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Tuesday

A Haitian migrant is calmed by Haitian authorities after disturbances at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Tempers ran high, exacerbated by news the Haitian government had accepted the deportations.

'I am angry at the government. We were told in prison that the Haitian government had signed to send us back to Haiti. They are all bad people, these authorities,' said Yranese Melidor, 45, who arrived on an earlier flight.

Timeline of a border crisis that caught Biden by surprise May 22 2021: Department of Homeland Security announces Haitians in US will be granted Temporary Protection Status (TPS), meaning they can't be deported and can apply for documentation that allows them to work July 7: Haitian President Jovenel Moise is assassinated at his presidential palace in Port-au-Prince August 14: Haiti is hit by magnitude 7.2 earthquake, killing at least 2,000 September 17: An estimated 12,000 migrants suddenly arrive in Del Rio, Texas, after crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico. Many had been granted refugee status in Brazil and Chile after an earlier quake in 2010 September 18: Biden administration announces it will swiftly deport Haitians who cross into the US from Mexico September 19: The number of migrants in Del Rio swells to an estimated 14,600. Deportation flights to Haiti begin, with 327 people flown out of the US September 20: Border Patrol officials continue bussing Haitians away from Del Rio, with a further 233 deported. Photos of migrants being confronted by agents on horseback cracking their reigns emerge September 21: Another 523 people are deported via plane, with the number of Haitians remaining in Del Rio estimated at 8,600. Texas Governor Greg Abbott arranges for hundreds of state vehicles to form a makeshift border wall in Del Rio September 22: Unnamed sources tell AP thousands of Haitians apprehended in Del Rio have been released into the US rather than deported. Seven flights have been scheduled to continue the deportation effort. Advertisement

Meanwhile, thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials.

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio - where a peak of around 14,600 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under a bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US from Mexico - said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time under the so-called 'catch and release' scheme.

Others have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed by Border Patrol agents there, they said.

The exact number released is unclear, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott saying that 8,600 migrants were still in Del Rio on Tuesday afternoon.

Deportation flights began on Sunday, and by Wednesday morning, over 1,000 migrants had been flown back to Haiti, a source with knowledge of the matter told DailyMail.com.

Three flights deported 327 Haitian nationals from Del Rio back to the capital of Port-au-Prince Sunday, two flights deported 233 Monday and 523 were flown out on four flights Tuesday, the official said.

In total, 1083 migrants have been deported in the last three days, suggesting up to 5,000 may have been released into the United States.

Another seven deportation flights are expected to expel further Haitian migrants Wednesday.

This purported reality on the ground is drastically at odds with the public statements the Biden administration has made in recent days in an effort to get a handle on the ever-increasing migrant crisis at the US's southern border.

The official line is that Haitians are being expelled from the US back to the crisis-stricken Caribbean nation under a Donald Trump-era rule.

Under Title 42, migrants can be repatriated to their home nations without the possibility of requesting asylum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted Monday that migrants entering the US illegally will be sent back to their home countries.

'If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's life,' he said at a press conference.

Mayorkas then went one step further Tuesday, insisting that the border is now 'closed' to migrants.

Many of the thousands of migrants who have gathered in Del Rio in recent days fled Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and have been living in South American countries including Brazil and Chile. But since these nations have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Haitians have traveled up through South America and Mexico to seek asylum in the US.

One US official, with direct knowledge of operations who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, told Associated Press thousands of Haitians had been freed on a 'very, very large scale' in recent days.

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, the official said.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said.

They are then processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

Thousands of migrants take shelter along the Del Rio International Bridge at sunset as they await to be processed by Border Patrol agents

A Haitian girl is seen Tuesday under the bridge which was turned into a makeshift to house the thousands of migrants

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said thousands of migrants have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time

A second US official, also with direct knowledge and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday.

The official couldn't be more specific about how many.

US authorities scrambled in recent days for buses to Tucson but resorted to flights when they couldn't find enough transportation contractors, both officials said.

Coast Guard planes also took Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.

A third US official not authorized to discuss operations said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.

Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, head of Haiti's national migration office, said last week authorities expected that 14,000 Haitians will be deported from the US over the next three weeks.

Delva warned that Haiti cannot handle thousands of homeless deportees arriving into the country.

The criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the US was unclear.

But two US officials said single adults were the priority for expulsion flights.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday night.

A line of Texas Department of Safety vehicles form a 'steel barrier' the Texas side of the Rio Grande with Mexico visible, right, near an encampment of migrants, many from Haiti on Wednesday

Texas Governor Greg Abbot has praised officials for using 'unprecedented' methods to prevent more Haitian migrants from entering U.S. by creating a 'steel barrier' of hundreds of vehicles at the border

Migrants are seen camped out under the bridge Tuesday where around 14,000 people were said to be staying at the weekend

Thousands of Haitian migrants are seen in the makeshift camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas Tuesday awaiting processing

Migrants - mostly from Haiti - have been camping out under the bridge after crossing from Mexico into the US

President Joe Biden has come under fire from both sides of the political aisle over the situation in Del Rio.

In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.'

Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency.

Then, in August - following the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise in July and the earthquake which killed more than 2,000 people the next month - extended and expanded the TPS further.

A statement on the Department of Homeland Security's website stipulates that the TPS rule only applies to Haitians already in the United States when the announcement was made in May, and that Haitians who subsequently tried to travel to the US would not be allowed to benefit from the new rule.

It is unclear how the United States is able to differentiate between Haitians who illegally entered the country before and after the TPS proclamation was made.

Meanwhile, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended his department Wednesday after images showing horse-mounted immigration officers chasing down Haitian migrants on the border with Mexico went viral.

The shocking photos showed border patrol riders appearing to swing their mounts' long reins like whips to threaten migrants and push them back to the Rio Grande river that marks the border.

A Border Patrol officer is swinging his reins while trying to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge Sunday

The images 'do not reflect who we are as a country, nor do they reflect who the United States Customs and Border Protection is,' Mayorkas told the House Homeland Security Committee.

'I have ordered an investigation to be conducted of the events that are captured in those images,' he said.

'The facts will drive the actions that we take, we ourselves will pull no punches,' he said, promising a result 'In days and not weeks.'

Democrats, meanwhile, are slamming Biden after he resumed deportation flights Sunday, sending people back to a nation that is unable to take them.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded the Biden administration stop the flights and cease using Title 42 on the Senate floor Tuesday saying it defies 'common decency'.

Last Thursday, a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from using Title 42 to expel migrant families but the order takes 14 days to take effect and the administration appealed the ruling the next day.
Tesco is warning customers to expect the return of panic buying in the run up to Christmas as bosses call on ministers to help end the lorry driver shortage.

The supermarket giant revealed it was currently suffering a shortfall of approximately 800 HGV drivers as it urged the Government to ease restrictions on foreign workers to help alleviate the supply chain crisis.

Despite being the UK's largest supermarket chain, and offering new employees a 1,000 bonus since July, Andrew Woolfenden, Tescos distribution and fulfilment director, warned they were still unable to make up the lost numbers.

Nationally, food supply chains have been placed under intense stress because of a shortage of around 100,000 HGV drivers - with empty shelves across most UK supermarkets as a result.

Slamming the problem as 'industry-wide', Mr Woolfenden compared companies desperately trying to recruit from a limited pool of expert drivers to 'moving deckchairs around'.

He warned ITV News: 'Our concern is that the pictures of empty shelves will get ten times worse by Christmas and then well get panic-buying.'

Nationally, food supply chains have been placed under intense stress because of a shortage of around 100,000 HGV drivers - with empty shelves across most UK supermarkets as a result

The UK's supply chain crisis has seen supermarket shelves across the country go empty as companies struggle to restock their products. Above: A Tesco store in Manchester

A shopping basket is discarded next to empty shelves of the soft drinks aisle, in a supermarket in Harpenden on Wednesday

A note on an empty shelf at a Tesco store in Northwich reveals that chicken is out of stock

Empty shelves are seen in the meat aisle of a supermarket in Harpenden on Wednesday

Empty shelves are seen in the soft drinks aisle of Co-Op supermarket in Harpenden

Despite gaps appearing on supermarket shelves across the country this summer, consumers are yet to see a return of full-scale panic buying that was endured at the start of the pandemic.

But concerns are continuing to grow should demand suddenly surge again - with replenishing empty shelves already an issue for most major UK retailers.

Trade association Logistics UK has called on ministers to provide up to 10,000 temporary work visas for trained EU drivers to paper over the cracks.

The Government has so far rejected these calls, instead insisting firms recruit from a pool of British workers.

It comes as shorter, fast-track HGV tests have been mooted as a potential solution to help plug the spiralling vacancies in the haulier industry.

Industry experts say better pay and improved working conditions are needed to help improve staffing levels - and put the shortage largely down to Brexit and the pandemic, which led to 14,000 European drivers going home and just 600 of those returning.

The Road Haulage Association said the total number of people in the UK with HGV licences this summer is 516,000. But the latest Department for Transport data shows 278,700 HGV drivers were employed in 2020, equivalent to 54 per cent of the total.

The crisis, which has also been made worse by Covid-related delays to testing new drivers, has seen supermarket shelves across the country go empty as companies struggle to restock their products.

But Tesco's chief Andrew Woolfenden issued the stark warning that consumers could see even more barren shelves by December - alongside a return of panic buying.

Shelves in a supermarket look sparse as supply chain issues continue in Northwich

Despite gaps appearing on supermarket shelves across the country this summer, consumers are yet to see a return of full-scale panic buying that was endured at the start of the pandemic

A shopper looks at produce and empty shelves of the meat aisle in Co-Op supermarket, Harpenden

A spokesperson for the supermarket said: 'We have good availability, with deliveries arriving at our stores and distribution centres across the UK every day.

'While the industry-wide shortage of HGV drivers has led to some distribution challenges, were working hard to address these and to plan for the months ahead, so that customers can get everything they need.'

Exacerbating the issue is a roaring debate over limited nationwide supplies of CO2, commonly used in the food and drink industry, and how the Government plans to ensure families don't have to choose between 'heating' and 'eating' this Christmas.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson triumphantly declared yesterday that 'Christmas is on', after the Government struck a short-term, taxpayer-funded deal with CO2 producers to avert food shortages.
Administrators in a Kansas City area school district were furious after a racist petition was circulated in a local high school calling for the reinstatement of slavery.

It is unclear how many students were involved and district officials have not offered details as to the precise language of the petition, but parents of kids who attend Park Hill South just northwest of Kansas City, Missouri were outraged.

The petition was posted online by students at a nearby high school in the same district - LEAD Innovation Studio.

Their ages are unclear, and the exact wording of the petition itself has not emerged.

A 15-year-old black student at LEAD Innovation heard an announcement over the public address system in the wake of its discovery and became really upset, her adoptive mother, Julie Stutterheim, said.

'She said, "You know, you're white, Mom. So you don't really know what this is like."

'And I said, "Yeah, youre right",' Stutterheim told The Kansas City Star.

Students at Park Hill South High School just outside of Kansas City, Missouri circulated a petition calling for the reinstatement of slavery, according to district officials

'And she just wanted to know that ... something was being done.'

Further details on that announcement have not been shared.

Stutterheim said that she attended a meeting on Monday at LEAD Innovation, where the principal, Ryan Staley, told parents it was his understanding that the petition called for reinstating slavery.

Park Hill High School has a student body that is 14.4 percent black and 63 percent white. As of last year, the school's student body numbered 1,906 pupils.

As of 2019, the population of the school district stood at 71,541 people. Its K-12 student enrollment stood at 11,617.

Of those, more than 67 percent are white while 12.3 percent are African-American.

Hispanics make up slightly more than 1 in 10 students, according to district data. Just 3.5 percent of students are Asian while 5.5 percent are multi-racial.

The petition was posted online by students at a nearby high school in the same district - LEAD Innovation Studio

Nicole Kirby, a spokesperson for Park Hill School District, told The Kansas City Star that the issue is considered a discipline incident which is why officials were not at liberty to share more details.

'We can't talk about specifics,' Kirby said.

'But we wanted to make sure that we responded and let people know that we don't tolerate discrimination or harassment.'

Ryan Staley, the principal at LEAD Innovation, told parents at a meeting on Monday it was his 'understanding' that the petition called for the reinstatement of slavery

The school principal, Kerrie Herren, told students on Friday that the racist statements included in the petition were unacceptable.

He said the impact of these statements are being felt heavily within our school.

'We are outraged, hurt and saddened that this occurred,' Herren said in a statement to students.

'This is not who we want to be at Park Hill South. Our differences make us stronger.

'We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment.'

Kirby said that the district is following its guidelines in terms of which punishments to mete out for cases of racial harassment.

She said that district administrators have been doing a lot of listening with parents and students.

'We've set up some opportunities for students and even parents to be able to share their feelings about this and to try to provide some support to them,' Kirby said.

'This is very much evidence that we have work to do. Because we have a commitment to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment where everyone feels like they belong.'

Administrators are planning to stage listening tours through the district schools so that students and faculty alike can heal from this and become better in the end.

'It is a very unfortunate situation, but we want to use this to become better, to become more inclusive, to become a more welcoming environment for our families and our students to all experience a true and genuine sense of belonging,' said Terri Daeyon, who heads the district's access, inclusion, and family engagement department.

'We cannot address things without knowing that they're there.

'And so sometimes unfortunately it takes situations like this where we have opportunities for growth and opportunities to become better.'
No date has been set for the removal of PCR testing for fully vaccinated travellers, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said today.

The Government last week announced its intention for people who have had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine to be able to use a cheaper lateral flow test instead of a PCR version for their day-two test.

Asked when the policy will be implemented, Mr Shapps told the Commons Transport Select Committee that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is 'aware' of the dates of October half-term, which is a popular period for families to go on holiday.

No date has been set for the removal of PCR testing for fully vaccinated travellers, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said today

He said: 'It's clear the range of measures I introduced this week and last week are going to make a big difference and people will be able to travel much more freely.

'Part of that is the removal of the PCR test on day two and replacing it with a much simpler lateral flow test.

'They (DHSC) are aware of half-term and are working closely with the private-sector providers to ensure we can do this as quickly as possible.'

It comes after Britons rushed to buy flights to the US earlier this week after Joe Biden finally said the fully-vaccinated will be allowed in from November.

Bookings surged by up to 700 per cent within an hour of the President's announcement on Monday and airlines' share prices rocketed.

People who were kept apart from their friends and family due to the restrictions shared their glee at the changes.

They said it 'feels like a dream' while noting how hard it had been to be separated for nearly two years.

The White House will lift the 18-month blanket ban on foreign travellers - introduced by Donald Trump - for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The Government last week announced its intention for people who have had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine to be able to use a cheaper lateral flow test instead of a PCR version for their day-two test

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was 'delighted' President Biden was 'reinstating transatlantic travel'.

He also said it will be 'great that family and friends on both sides of the pond can be reunited once again'.

Britain dropped restrictions on fully-vaccinated US visitors in July as a 'goodwill gesture'.

But, to the concern of ministers and anger of the travel industry, the US had not reciprocated.

Monday's decision was welcomed by the travel sector, as aviation chiefs said air links between the two countries are 'part of the bedrock of the global economy'.
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Members of The Druid Order celebrated the autumn equinox today with a service to mark the arrival of the harvest.

The group descended upon Primrose Hill, north west London, near Chalk Farm Tube station, to hold their traditional annual ceremony - which dates back to 1717.

Dressed in their traditional white robes, the procession of druids head towards the top of the hill before forming into a circle and performing the ancient ceremony.

The autumn equinox, which normally occurs between September 22 and 24, is a brief event when the sun appears to shine directly over the equator, and daytime and nighttime are nearly equal lengths all around the world.

Members of The Druid Order arrived to Primrose Hill, north west London, near Chalk Farm Tube station, earlier today to hold their traditional annual ceremony

The group, who were dressed in their traditional white robes, formed a procession line and walked towards the top of Primrose Hill

The autumn equinox is a brief event when the sun appears to shine directly over the equator, and daytime and nighttime are nearly equal lengths all around the world

The Earth is tilted on its axis, meaning that as the planet orbits the Sun, the Sun illuminates the northern or southern hemisphere more depending on where the Earth is along its orbit.

However, at two points in the year the Sun will illuminate the northern and southern hemispheres equally. These are known as the equinoxes.

Members of the Druid Order believe this time to be the 'start of the Druid year, when day and night are equal'.

On the day of the equinox the Earth's axis is perpendicular to the sun's rays.

After the autumn equinox, the Northern Hemisphere starts seeing fewer hours of daylight than darkness each day.

A statement on the group's website read: 'This is the start of the Druid year, when day and night are equal. The harvest festival, when the power of heaven is infused into the fruits of the earth, and you reap what you have sowed.

'You see the full reality, what you made of your dreams, projects and plans, the actual reality, the truth that gives understanding and wisdom.

'The start of the academic year, of inner work, of assimilation and unbiased reflection that will later be the proper basis for the choosing and sowing of seeds.

'The auto-tombing process of autumn, judgement day, Libra, sign of balance, cardinal air.'

Members of the group, who trace their origins back to ancient Wales, walked towards the top of the hill to mark the autumn equinox

The druids, who have also been known as The Ancient Druid Order, An Druidh Uileach Braithreachas and The British Circle of the Universal Bond, performed a service to mark the arrival of the harvest

During the ceremony, which dates back to 1717, the group, dress in white robes and form a circle, with key positions oriented to the cardinal points and the Sun

The group, who believe this time to be the 'start of the Druid year, when day and night are equal', performed their ceremony at the top of the hill

For more than a century, The Druid Order have held public ceremonies - one at the Autumn Equinox, one at the Spring Equinox, and one at Summer Solstice

Druids, who trace their origins to ancient Wales, were the priests of the early Celtic religion but they also performed the roles of judge, doctor, and scholar.

In 1166 the Oxford Grove of Druids were persecuted by order of the Bishop of Oxford of the Roman Church and their records were burnt.

The group, who have also been known as The Ancient Druid Order, An Druidh Uileach Braithreachas and The British Circle of the Universal Bond, continued to flourish however and for well over a century, the Order have held public ceremonies - one at the Autumn Equinox, one at the Spring Equinox, and one at Summer Solstice.

During the ceremonies the group, whose key activity is meditation, dress in white robes and form a circle, with key positions oriented to the cardinal points and the Sun.

The organisation owns a house in south London which hosts weekly classes where people discuss philosophy and religion.

There are more than 200 druid groups around the world and membership is open to followers of all faiths and none.
An extremely rare, surviving page of the original manuscript for Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles has emerged for sale in the US for 145,000.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle released the tale featuring the world famous Sherlock Holmes in 1902, reviving the fictional detective he killed off eight years earlier.

The page is one of the 185 pages in the original manuscript which were offered to dealers as part of the book's extensive publicity campaign.

However, since Doyle wrote on acidic paper, most have disintegrated over time and only 37 are known to exist today - including all of Chapter 11 which is preserved in the New York Public Library.

An extremely rare, surviving page (pictured) from Sherlock Holmes manuscript , The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is being sold for 145,000 in Dallas, Texas

The 8ins by 13ins handwritten page being sold, which is still in reasonablly good condition, is headed 'Chapter XIII, Fixing The Nets'.

It involves Holmes and Watson discussing a mysterious murder on the moor, and whether to arrest a suspect. It has a line crossed out where Sir Conan Doyle edited the piece.

In dialogue written on the page, Holmes says: 'My dear Watson, you were born to be a man of action. Your instinct is always to do something energetic.

'But supposing for argument's sake that we had him arrested tonight, what on earth the better off should we be for that? We could prove nothing against him.'

The manuscript is being sold by a private collector with Heritage Auctions, of Dallas, Texas for $200,000 and the sale takes place on November 6.

A Heritage spokesperson said: 'After killing off his popular character Sherlock Holmes in 1894, Doyle brought him back eight years later in The Hound of the Baskervilles, a book that has proved to be one of the more popular of the series.

The single handwritten page is one of 37 pages remaining from the original 185 pages in the original 1902 manuscript and is up for auction in Dallas, Texas on November 6

The dialogue on the page up for auction involves Sherlock Holmes and Watson discussing a mysterious murder on the moor, and whether to arrest a suspect

'To promote the book and the return of Holmes, the American publisher, McClure, Phillips & Company (New York) asked Doyle for the original manuscript, and mounted an elaborate publicity campaign for the book by breaking up the pages and offering them one by one to dealers who purchased copies.

'Unfortunately, due to the fact that this particular manuscript was written on highly acidic paper, and the individual pages were mounted with equally acidic backing material, most of the pages used in the promotion have not survived either their framing or their display conditions.

'Only a very small percentage exists today, and few are in as good condition as this particular leaf.'

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage, added: 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of the most beloved and important mystery writers of all time.

'He is known best as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, but most of that was in short stories - this leaf is from one of just four Sherlock Holmes crime novels.

'This is one of just 37 known to exist, but most are in libraries and private collections, which only increases this leaf's significance.'
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The hunt for missing Brian Laundrie took a twist just before noon Wednesday when police divers arrived at the vast swampland Carlton Reserve on the fourth day of the search.

A van from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, towing a small dingy, turned up about an hour after an airboat was seen for the first time at the 25,000-acre reserve.

When asked if divers were recovering anything significant, North Port Police information chief Josh Taylor said: 'We are looking. Nothing found. We have to work to rule it out though.'

'Area resources are looking at large bodies of water, including dive teams, boats, and sonar equipment. At this time, this does not mean anything has been found. It's a part of the overall search process,' Taylor said. 'Additionally, right now, NPPD is on scene of a possible self-inflicted death, roughly one mile from the Environmental Park. Nothing to do with this case.'

The sheriff's office also calls the dive team its SURF Unit. On its website it says: 'The SURF Unit is called upon to search for evidence of crimes and victims of drowning, water accidents an foul play.

'These highly trained underwater specialists have to work in some of the most difficult and challenging environments imaginable, as many of the waterways are full of silt and sediment deposits that affect underwater visibility.'

A van from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, towing a small dingy, turned up about an hour after an airboat was seen for the first time at the 25,000-acre reserve

Police divers joined the search for Brian Laundrie just before noon Wednesday with an airboat to join the manhunt for Brian Laundrie

Search teams from multiple law enforcement agencies gathered Wednesday for a briefing before heading out into the 25,000-acre swampland

Laundrie's whereabouts are still unknown, with the manhunt entering its fourth day at a nature reserve m Florida (pictured)

Police and FBI agents resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve early Wednesday, sharing photos of search dogs (above)

Brian Laundrie mowed the lawn and went on family bike rides 'like nothing bothered him' after returning from cross-country trip alone, says neighbor Brian Laundrie's neighbor has revealed that the 23-year-old mowed the lawn and went on family bike rides 'like nothing bothered him' after returning from the cross-country trip alone. Charlene Guthrie, who lives across the street from the Laundrie family in North Port, Florida, told Fox News she saw Laundrie return to 'normal life' - all the while his girlfriend Gabby Petito was missing, possibly already dead. 'He mowed the lawn. Him and his mother went for a bicycle ride around the block,' Guthrie said. 'I mean, everything was just normal life once he came back. 'And I just can't get over the fact that they  it seemed like nothing bothered him. How can you do that?' Laundrie returned to North Port without Petito in the couple's campervan on September 1. Authorities were then alerted to her disappearance on September 11. Guthrie said the discovery of Petito's body and Laundrie's disappearance look 'really, really bad for him' and that she believes he 'should be a suspect.' The neighbor also hit out at Laundrie's parents for not coming forward when their son went missing and that they 'let him go' in the first place. 'I have children, and I know that you do what you can to protect your child, but, you know, that can go so far, and you gotta do the right thing eventually. You have to,' Guthrie said. '[The Laundries] should have absolutely come forward now. I mean, I just can't believe they didn't do something. I'm really angry now that they let this go. 'And that everything was so natural and they remained so normal through the whole thing, you know, while they were here, till he went on the run.' Advertisement

FBI and other law enforcement officers are 'hungry' to find Laundrie, a top cop revealed in a new video of the search from North Port Police.

Local police Commander Joe Fussell, who is helping to coordinate the hunt, said: 'We are trying to cover every acre in this reserve.

'These guys, our law enforcement partners are motivated and they are hungry to find Brian Laundrie. It's rough out there, it's hot, it's wet.'

The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed a temporary flight restriction zone over the area being searched until 7pm. It is roughly a four-mile diameter.

This comes as Gabby Petito's family slammed the 'disgusting' law firm representing Brian Laundrie's family and said they will issue a statement on her death when her body is returned to them in New York.

Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney Steven Bertoloni in an Instagram post late Tuesday saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'.

Bertoloni had released a statement Tuesday after a preliminary autopsy confirmed the body found Sunday in a campsite near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming belongs to 22-year-old Petito and that her manner of death was homicide.

'May Gabby Rest In Peace,' the attorney said in the statement.

Laundrie's whereabouts are still unknown, with the manhunt entering its fourth day in Florida and law enforcement sources saying the 23-year-old boyfriend of Petito is the 'prime suspect' in her homicide.

Police and FBI agents resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve early Wednesday, sharing photos of search dogs heading out into the 25,000-acre swampland on social media.

Steve Petito wrote on social media that attempts by Laundrie's attorney to show 'compassion' are 'beyond disgusting'.

'As far as the law is concerned this law firm may be immune due to attorney/client privilege,' he wrote.

'But in the eyes of the public you are as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up and stalling tactic.'

He added: 'We don't require nor want you empathy. By you trying to show compassion here at this moment is beyond disgusting.'

Steve told Fox News Wednesday the Petito family will release a statement when her remains are returned to them from Wyoming.

The coroner is still carrying out tests on the 22-year-old's body to determine her cause of death.

Police named Laundrie a 'person of interest' in his girlfriend's disappearance last Wednesday.

At the time, the case was a missing person case with officials hopeful they would find the travel blogger alive.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ Laundrie is now their prime suspect in her death.

But prosecutors are said to be holding off from bringing charges or officially naming him a suspect until they can locate Laundrie.

Even then, this does not mean he will be charged with her murder.

The coroner ruled Petito's manner of death homicide but the cause of death is yet to be determined.

'Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999,' FBI Denver tweeted Tuesday.

'Coroner Blue's initial determination for the manner of death is homicide.

'The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.'

In Colorado, homicide includes varying degrees of murder and manslaughter.

It is also unclear if Laundrie is even alive to face any possible charges.

His parents told law enforcement Friday they last saw him over a week ago last Tuesday when he left their home with a backpack and told them he was heading to the Carlton Reserve.

Gabby Petito, 22, is pictured with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, in a YouTube video made to document their 'van life' trip

Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney Steven Bertoloni in an Instagram post late Tuesday saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'

A North Port police spokesman said early Wednesday that searchers have 'huddled up' and headed out again to look for Laundrie in the vast, alligator-infested reserve.

The terrain is particularly treacherous, with 80 miles of hiking trails and some sections nearly impassable to humans.

The Sarasota Police Department tweeted Wednesday that, despite rumors, Laundrie is not in custody and the search for him was continuing.

The search was called off for the night late Tuesday before agents from around eight different teams returned to continue with their efforts early Wednesday.

The search began on Saturday, starting at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park which is linked to the Carlton Reserve, a vast nature reserve about five miles from the North Port home Laundrie shared with his parents and Petito.

The search was then paused Monday when authorities said they had 'exhausted all avenues' before teams returned to the area Tuesday, where they focused their attention on the area closer to the city of Venice, along with adjoining lands.

On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered all state agencies to assist federal and local law enforcement in the search, saying 'we need justice for Gabby'.

More than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies led by the FBI used huge swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s and drones to comb through the snake and alligator-infested swampland.

A memorial cross of stones is arranged at the spot believed to be the final resting place of Petito at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campsite, close to Grand Teton National Park

The undeveloped campground is popular with tourists though it has no water or trash service. Above, a sign points to the area

The pair had been travelling on a cross-country trip together since July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11

The FBI is asking anyone who may have had contact with Petito or Laundrie, may have seen their vehicle or who visited the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest between August 27 and 30 to contact authorities.

Petito was last seen alive August 24 leaving a motel in Salt Lake City in Utah with Laundrie during the cross-country campervan trip that she and Laundrie had set out on back in early July.

She was then last heard from the next day when she called her mom Nicole Schmidt.

Laundrie arrived back in North Port alone on September 1 in their van and Petito was reported missing September 11 by her family.

Laundrie refused to cooperate with investigators or tell them when he had last seen his girlfriend and was named a person of interest in her disappearance last Wednesday - four days before a body was discovered.

Laundrie's parents then made the stunning revelation Friday that he too had vanished and that they had not seen him since September 14 - when he allegedly left their home with a backpack saying he was heading to the reserve.

Their attorney said the family went looking for Laundrie on Wednesday and found his silver Ford Mustang convertible at the reserve, which had a police note on it demanding that the vehicle be removed from the area.

The family initially left the car there so Laundrie could drive it back, but they returned on Thursday to retrieve it, he said.

On Monday, a dramatic FBI raid was executed on the Laundrie family home in North Port, Florida, and the Mustang was seized by authorities.

In seeking the search warrants, investigators cited an 'odd' text message sent from Petito's phone to her mom on August 27, which set off alarm bells.

The text read: 'Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls'.

'Stan' referred to Petito's grandfather but Petito's family insist she would not usually refer to him by his first name.
The mastermind behind a mock trial for school children in which pupils are 'brainwashed' into accusing politicians of 'messing up the world' is a human rights lawyer who once jumped to the defence of Guantanamo Bay terror suspects, it has been revealed.

Clive Stafford Smith and his campaign charity, the 3D Centre, came under fire for using students as young as 12 to bring fictional claims against Richard Drax.

They tried to pin slavery 'charges' against the former British Army officer over his relatives' role in the trade hundreds of years ago.

The fake prosecutor accused the MP for Dorset of 'benefitting from the proceeds of slavery'.

The brains behind the stunt, Mr Stafford Smith - who pretended to be a judge during the mock hearing - has represented more than 300 prisoners facing the death penalty in the United States, including some of the 'most despised', according to fellow not-for-profit, Reprieve.

The left-wing campaigner sued for access to suspected terrorists at the notorious US detention camp in 2001, believing the conditions were 'an affront to democracy and the rule of law', being labelled a 'traitor' at the time for defending the detainees.

The event was organised by human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith (pictured, smirking as he pretended to be a judge)

Teachers from All Saints School in Weymouth and The Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis were slammed for bringing fictional claims against Richard Drax

What is the 3DCentre? Non-for profit run left wing lawyers 3DCentre is a UK charity founded by Clive Stafford Smith. It campaigns against what it sees as injustice, fights cases and, on its website, claims to 'empower young people in rural areas'. These focus on jobs in human rights, climate action and economics. Also on the team is Dr Nick Hollely, who is operations and projects manager. He is a former consultant who focuses on climate action. 3DCentre also has a steering group, made up of a number of lawyers. Barrister Samantha Knights QC is one of them and has posted a number of left wing tweets in the past. She has railed against Priti Patel and the Home Office over the government's immigration policy.

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This week saw the launch of his first 'Generation on Trial', make believe court cases for politicians accused of crimes of 'messing up the world' for their generation.

It was claimed that Mr Stafford Smith's initiative only targets figures on the right of the political spectrum, with others who face fictional prosecution expected to include Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Priti Patel and Jeff Bezos.

Education experts slammed the events, saying they lack impartiality and risk 'brainwashing' schoolchildren.

However, Mr Stafford Smith told MailOnline: 'The students are the ones who choose who they want to 'prosecute'.

'In terms of those who are the focus of the students' challenges, they run the gamut.

Indeed, Tony Blair, who took the country into the Iraq War, and Nick Clegg, who broke his promise to young people with respect to student loans, might be surprised to be listed as members of the 'all-right-wing' clique who are allegedly the subjects of this.'

He added that he hoped the process helped under-pressure teachers and intends to continue to offer the opportunity to those who want to take part.

Forty pupils aged between 12 and 18 were involved in the case, taking on the roles of lawyers while others were split into three juries.

The three child juries found Mr Drax guilty, although they dismissed a second count that he 'had acted like his ancestors while performing his role as MP'.

Mr Drax, whose family established a sugar plantation in Barbados in the 1620s, declined an invitation to turn up to give a defence.

Instead an actor was drafted in to play the role of Mr Drax at the trial held at Bridport Town Hall in Dorset.

Chris McGovern, a retired head teacher and chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: 'I do not think school children should be putting anyone on trial.

'This is an example of out of control brainwashing and it should not be allowed as schools are duty bound to be impartial, not have an agenda.

'There is room for a balanced debate based on knowledge but this is a type of fanaticism.'

They tried to pin slavery 'charges' against the former British Army officer (pictured, an actor playing him in the dock) over his relatives' role in the trade hundreds of years ago

The fake prosecutor accused the MP for Dorset (pictured, the actual politician on another occasion) of 'benefitting from the proceeds of slavery'

An actor (pictured) was drafted in to play the role of Mr Drax at the trial held at Bridport Town Hall in Dorset

Clive Stafford Smith: Lawyer who fought against the death penalty in the US Clive Stafford Smith is a human rights lawyer who is best known for his work trying to abolish the death penalty in the US. Not all of his campaigns have been successful. He said in his book: 'Over the years, I have watched six of my clients die: two in the electric chair, two in the gas chamber and two on the lethal injection gurney... 'If I am forced to choose, I would probably say I hate the electric chair the most.' He defended terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay. He has represented more than 80 of them since 2002 but 40 are still locked up there. Stafford Smith was born in Cambridge and went to the prestigious Old Buckenham Hall School and Radley College before moving to the US to study journalism. He did another degree after this in law and practised in Louisiana. Advertisement

Actor Sir Philip Colfox was instructed to respond how he thought Mr Drax might do to questioning.

Prosecution witnesses included a supposed slavery expert while a wealth manager was brought in for the defence to explain it was 'legitimate' to inherit wealth.

Mr Stafford Smith, 62, said: 'We had some students from two schools doing a series called Generation on Trial where we are putting people from my generation on trial for how they have messed up the world for the young generation.

'We put the local MP Richard Drax on trial for benefitting from the proceeds of slavery because his family made all their money from that and we invited him to be the defendant but he didn't come.

'There were 40 pupils involved and they took on the roles of prosecution and defence lawyers, with the rest in three juries, and it was all filmed including their deliberations.

'There were opening statements, and the prosecution outlined its case.

'We had prosecution witnesses including a slavery expert and an expert on the medical consequences of the slave trade, while on the defence side there was a wealth manager who said it was legitimate to inherit wealth.

'Mr Drax was invited to come to give a defence but declined, so there was a stand-in who responded how he thought he might.

'The kids were actually very open-minded and poor Mr Drax got convicted on the charge of benefitting from the proceeds of slavery, but not on another charge.

'The idea of this and the 3DCentre is to give young people opportunities to have the experience of human rights and to therefore get them excited about it.'

He claimed: 'They really were, they were fabulous, They lasted eight hours without a yawn.'

A protest at the estate owned by Mr Drax in Winterborne Zelston in Dorset in July this year

BLM activists spray painted 'slaver' on walls of Grade-II listed pub named after Tory MP Richard Drax's slaveowner ancestors Black Lives Matter supporters in April graffitied a village pub named after a Tory MP's slaveowner ancestors. The Drax Arms in Bere Regis, Dorset, was targeted by vandals who sprayed the words 'slaver' and 'BLM' on to the walls. The Grade II-listed pub is named after the Drax family who own the nearby estate and whose forefathers ran plantations in Barbados and Jamaica in the 17th century. The Drax Arms in Bere Regis, Dorset, was targeted by vandals who sprayed the words 'slaver' and 'BLM' on to the walls But the family, including Tory MP for South Dorset Richard Drax, no longer have any ties to the pub, which has been owned by brewery Hall and Woodhouse for a century. Since 2017 it has been managed by tenant Kerry Davies and her family, who are gutted they have been vandalised ahead of their post-lockdown reopening in May. Advertisement

Mr Stafford Smith added: 'I think the younger generation should be angry because a lot of them don't understand how their chances in life have been diminished by my generation.'

Dan Watts, the headteacher The Woodroffe School, said: 'We are extremely proud of our students and their keen interest in the world beyond the school gates.

'Our students have a strong moral compass, are passionate about exploring and debating the key issues that interest them since they recognise they have an important part to play in our society in the future.

'A key role of all schools is, as stated by the Department for Education, that students should be encouraged to develop an interest in investigating moral and ethical issues and use this knowledge to support their own understanding, whilst respecting the views of others.

'Furthermore, it is expected that whilst at school, students build their understanding of and respect for democracy and the rule of law, as well as their ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong, in both simple and more complex situations.

'Clearly emphasised by the 3DCentre was the fact that this was an academic discussion and did not purport to be a real trial, but an educational process.

'However, care was taken by the organisers to ensure that the arguments heard by our students were balanced.

'The 3DCentre is planning future 'Generation on Trial' events on issues ranging from climate change, Brexit, student loans to UK immigration policy and we will continue to support our students in taking part in them.'

Mr Drax, 63, is believed to be the wealthiest landowner in the House of Commons, with 5,600 hectares of farmland and woodlands, and is worth about 150million.

He owns the Drax Hall sugar plantation in Barbados. His ancestors ran the same plantation about 400 years ago and used slave labour.

Mr Drax has previously described his ancestors links with the slave trade as 'deeply regrettable'.

But he said no one can be held responsible today for what happened hundreds of years ago.

Mr Drax declined to comment on the mock trial.

Mr Stafford Smith has been approached for further comment.
A group of Republican lawmakers led by Ohio Rep. Bob Gibbs want President Joe Biden out of office and filed articles of impeachment against him on Tuesday.

Gibbs claims the president violated his oath of office on three points, according to text obtained by DailyMail.com: the southern border crisis, the evictions moratorium and Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Brian Babin of Texas and Randy Weber of Texas are co-sponsors on the effort.

'Yesterday I filed three articles of impeachment against President Biden based on what I believe to be clear violations of his duties as president,' Gibbs told DailyMail.com on Wednesday.

'His willful negligence of the border crisis is a failure to maintain and defend American sovereignty. Bidens attempts to extend a federal eviction moratorium despite the Supreme Courts warning and his own admission that he has no power to do so is a blatant and intentional action that violates the separation of powers.'

Rep. Gibbs filed the impeachment articles against Biden on Tuesday, marking the second time House Republicans have tried to invoke the drastic measure

He continued, 'Finally, the withdrawal from Afghanistan was not just a disaster. By pulling military personnel out before the evacuation of American civilians, President Biden shamefully left our own citizens in danger.'

Gibbs said the crisis in Afghanistan pushed him to file articles of impeachment.

'I dont take this step lightly. Before the Afghanistan debacle, I urged my colleagues to consider a measured, thoughtful conversation on the merits of impeachment,' he said.

He added that the sweeping COVID vaccine order Biden introduced earlier this month could later be added as an additional article.

The Ohio Republican acknowledged that impeachment proceedings would be virtually impossible to get off the ground in the Democrat-controlled House and said it was 'a shot across the bow' intended to warn the administration.

Reps. Brian Babin (left), Randy Weber (center-right) and Andy Biggs (right) are co-sponsors on the impeachment articles

The impeachment articles outline accusations that Biden failed his oath of office and violated the separation of powers

'There are political dynamics in Congress I recognize will prevent this from ever being debated. But I could not stand by while President Biden commits what I believe to be flagrant and deliberate violations of his oath of office,' Gibbs said.

'When Republicans take back the House, we will take our commitment to the separation of powers, our role as a check and balance to the executive branch seriously. President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the entire administration is officially on notice.'

In the first article, Gibbs attacks Biden for failing to secure the US-Mexico border by halting construction of former President Donald Trump's border wall and 'leaving Border Patrol agents to fend for themselves in the effort to secure our borders.'

He also accused Biden of 'knowingly releas[ing] migrants having tested positive for COVID-19' into the United States after the White House rolled back enforcement of Title 42.

Gibbs accuses Biden of failing to protect the nation's borders amid a record surge in migrants during the first months of Biden's term

Title 42 was created during the COVID pandemic to allow the Trump administration to immediately expel asylum-seekers in the name of public health. While Biden is fighting to keep the policy in place, he did carve out exceptions for unaccompanied minors and families with young children.

Article II says Biden didn't 'faithfully execute the law' by extending a COVID-era stay on evictions across the country, despite the Supreme Court warning earlier that such a rule would need Congressional approval.

When he announced the extension in early August, the president even acknowledged he didn't know if it would 'pass constitutional muster.'

The final impeachment article contains the strongest condemnation of Biden's actions in office.

It says Biden 'aided and abetted the enemy by failing to secure or destroy American-donated military equipment as Taliban forces overtook territory in Afghanistan.'

'President Biden has executed a withdrawal policy that leaves Afghanistan in the hands of a terror-supporting regime and weakens Americas ability to prosecute the Global War on Terror,' it reads.

Gibbs accused Biden of having 'executed a withdrawal policy that leaves Afghanistan in the hands of a terror-supporting regime' (pictured: A young Taliban fighter aims his rifle in the direction of a photographer for fun as he stands guard outside a police station in Kabul on September 22)

In a heated Senate hearing earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted roughly '$80 billion' worth of equipment was given by the US military and would've been left behind

In a heated Senate hearing earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted roughly '$80 billion' worth of equipment was given by the US military and would've been left behind.

However he repeated earlier messages from Defense officials that the majority of it - including planes and vehicles left at Kabul airport - were rendered inoperable.

Tuesday's impeachment push, first reported by the Washington Examiner, is the second time Republicans tried to wield the drastic measure against the Democratic president.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed articles of impeachment against Biden on his first full day in office.

Green argued he is 'unfit' for office and 'will do whatever it takes to bail out Hunter'.

In a statement Greene indicated she is accusing Biden of abusing his power as Vice President when his son served on a Ukrainian energy company's board.

'President Joe Biden is unfit to hold the office of the presidency. His pattern of abuse of power as President Obama's Vice President is lengthy and disturbing,' she said on January 21.

'President Biden has demonstrated that he will do whatever it takes to bail out his son, Hunter, and line his family's pockets with cash from corrupt foreign energy companies.'

As of now no Republican leadership has indicated they'd support a move to push Biden out of office.

But days before the US completed its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy sent a clear warning to the president.

'Look, I'm extremely frustrated with this president,' McCarthy said in a press conference the day after a devastating attack on Kabul airport slaughtered at least 170 people and 13 US troops.

He said a president needs to have 'the faith, the trust, and the confidence' of Americans - which he said Biden lost.

'There will be a day of reckoning, and we have a constitutional right,' the Republican lawmaker threatened.

McCarthy said the main focus should be evacuating Americans still stranded in Afghanistan, but 'when that day passes, we can take up anything that - to hold accountable for the actions that have been taken, the lies that have been given, the mis-decisions that put Americans in harm's way, and the decision to leave Americans behind.'
Dozens of incidents of sexual abuse involving unaccompanied migrant children were reported at border shelters, according to Judicial Watch documents released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

At least 33 sexual abuse incidents occurred between January 21 and February 26 this year - just as President Joe Biden worked to dismantle Donald Trump's tough immigration policies.

Five of the reported sexual abuse allegations took place at Sunny Glen Children's Home New Day Resiliency Center.

But within hours of taking office, Biden sent a far reaching immigration bill to Congress to ease the path to US citizenship and end construction of Trump's wall.

Documents released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed 33 incidents of sexual abuse involving unaccompanied migrant children at the United State's southern border (pictured: UACs aged three to nine inside a playpen at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility in Donna, Texas)

In the roughly one month period, the watchdog group Judicial Watch also reported 12 cases of physical abuse involving unaccompanied alien children (pictured: UACs inside a pod at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility in Donna, Texas)

By the end of January he lifted restrictions on immigration visas and reversed Trump's travel bans on predominantly Muslim countries, telling reporters: 'I'm not making new law. I'm eliminating bad policy.'

He also voided the Trump administration's executive order that called for the immediate deportation of all undocumented immigrants living in the US.

The result has triggered a surge of immigrants arriving at the southern border despite repeated claims from administration officials that they inherited a broken system.

The HHS documents detail just how 'broken' the situation is.

In the roughly one month period, the HHS documents show that watchdog group Judicial Watch reported 12 cases of physical abuse involving unaccompanied alien children (UAC), and the incident reports are detailed in the document obtained by Fox News.

In January, one staff member reported that a fellow employee was allegedly mistreating a seven-year-old boy at the Texas border. While no injuries were reported the document noted that the incident had not been investigated and was not reported to local law enforcement.

The 'resolution' was cited as: 'Staff involved in incident was removed from supervision of child.'

A month later a 13-year-old girl from Honduras, who is currently a UAC in the Friends of Youth program in Renton, Washington, told her case manager that her foster parent hits her when she gets angry.

While most instances cited program staff members as perpetrators of the abuse, other cases involved physical fights between peers, such as when a 17-year-old UAC from Guatemala was punched in the ribcage by his roommate.

The 42-page document showed that all of the sexual abuse allegations took place between January 21, 2021 and February 26, 2021

In January of this year one staff member reported that a fellow employee was allegedly mistreating a seven-year-old boy at the Texas border. No injuries were reported but the incident had not been investigated and was not reported to local law enforcement

Other cases involved physical fights between peers, such as when a 17-year-old UAC from Guatemala was punched repeatedly in the ribcage while he was lying down at the Baptist Children and Family Services (BCFS) shelter (pictured) in Baytown, Texas

The boy's roommate reportedly punched him in the chest repeatedly while he was lying down at the Baptist Children and Family Services (BCFS) shelter in Baytown, Texas.

The attack was not reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) or local law enforcement, according to the documents.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told Fox: 'These documents show that not only are there shocking reports of sexual abuse occurring in shelters for unaccompanied children, but that there is violence among the UACs themselves.'

'It is no surprise that Biden administration's enabling of human trafficking has resulted in violence and the abuse of children,' he added.

Ten of the sexual abuse reports involved 'staff' and 'non-staff' abusing the underage children. Two of the reports were between an UAC and 'other'.

While many 'non-staff' adults were cited as foster parents in the physical abuse reports, it's unknown what the description meant for sexual abuse allegations.

The HHS withheld the identities of the attackers and the victims and all names were retracted from the Judicial Watch documents.

Haitian migrants are seen crossing the Rio Grande valley on Monday - some of them families with young children - as thousands more are camped out under a bridge near Del Rio, Texas

US Border Patrol officers cut the way of migrants asylum seekers as they are trying to return to the United States

News of the documents came just as Haitian migrants were seen carrying children and food as they tried to escape Border Patrol officers and cross the border into the United States.

Disturbing photos and videos have showed the American officers on horseback waiting on the US side of the Rio Grande as migrants - some of them families with young children - wade through chest-deep waters trying to cross.

Officers can be seen charging their horses toward migrants carrying food and supplies. Some of them are swinging what appears to be lariats.

Other officials can be seen reaching down to violently grab migrants by the sleeve or collar.

At one point, a Border Patrol officer appears to hit a man, sending him falling back into the water.

Many of those migrants were reportedly already camped out in a makeshift tent city under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas. They had crossed back to Mexico to purchase water, food and diapers in Ciudad Acuna.

Psaki was asked on Monday if there would be consequences against the officers involved.

She didn't say whether they'd lose their jobs but suggested 'they should never be able to do it again'.
A kind-hearted Oakland man gunned down while bringing food to the homeless is being mourned by his longtime girlfriend as police officials decry the city's runaway gun violence.

Robert Herron, 55, was delivering donations he'd amassed with girlfriend Lisa Chavez in East Oakland on August 20 around 9.30 am when a man he had never met shot him several times.

Herron is one of 100 people shot dead in Oakland this year, compared with 70 at the same time in 2020, FOX5 reported. In total, there were 109 killings for all of 2020 last year.

By this time in 2019, Oakland had recorded 52 murders and saw 74 total that year.

Robert Herron, 55, was delivering donations he'd amassed with girlfriend Lisa Chavez in East Oakland on August 20 around 9.30 am when a man he had never met shot him several times.

Gun violence is on the rise in Oakland - the city hit the grim milestone of 100 killings this year on September 20 - there had only been 66 murders at this time last year, and 52 by September 20 in 2019

'So much violence. So many guns. So many senseless lives lost. If this is not a calling to everybody in this community that there is a crisis, I dont know what is,' Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said at a Monday press conference.

'I say this every time we have a press conference. Im tired of appearing before you. Weve got to do the work. Ill be out in the community meeting with people, but I need people to step up and grab your loved ones and tell them, "Put the guns down.'''

Oakland, a city with a population of 425,000, has seen it's police department shrink to 694 sworn officers, according to The Guardian - the fewest since 2014.

On Tuesaday, the Oakland City Council voted to fund an additional police academy that will bring more officers to help fight crime, according to NBC Bay Area.

Robert Herron, 55 (pictured right), was delivering donations he'd amassed with girlfriend of 14 years Lisa Chavez (pictured left)

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has been advocating for the measure for a large portion of 2021.

'Good policing requires officers that are not just running from 911 call to 911 call or are exhausted because theyre working too much overtime,' said Schaaf on Tuesday. 'Oakland has the lowest per violent crime staffing of any department in America.'

Police said the fatal shooting of Herron was unprovoked, and have yet to establish a motive. Cops identified Jamal Taylor, 33, as the killer through CCTV footage but he fled the state.

On August 27, Taylor was shot dead by police at Chicago's Union Station after he opened fire on officers trying to apprehend him, according to the East Bay Times.

'Slim' Hoover, a man receiving food from Herron when he was shot, told FOX5, 'People out here are getting killed for nothing. You can get killed for blinking an eye wrong.'

'Slim' Hoover, a man receiving food from Herron when he was shot, told Fox5, 'People out here are getting killed for nothing. You can get killed for blinking an eye wrong'

Chavez told FOX5 that Herron, her boyfriend of 14 years, was passionate about helping those in need despite his own struggles. The pair had been living out of a van after they were evicted from their home in April, she said.

Regardless, he continued to collect donations of food, blankets and clothing to bring to the homeless each week, she told the outlet.

He was a 'success story with a sad ending,' she said.

Chavez told the FOX that Herron, her boyfriend of 14 years, was passionate about helping those in need despite his own struggles- since April, the pair had been living out of a van after they were evicted from their home.' Regardless, he continued to collect donations of food, blankets and clothing to bring to the homeless each week, she told the outlet - he was a 'success story with a sad ending'

'We were supposed to go to Disneyland - he was my Goofy. We were supposed to go and get married,' Chavez said. 'It's a fairy tale that almost happened, but it never will.'

On September 24 at 9 am, Chavez said she plans to resume their ritual of helping those in need.

She urged community members to bring food to donate to the intersection of International Boulevard and 89th Avenue in his memory.
An award winning composer who wrote the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? theme tune has died suddenly at his home aged 50.

Matthew Strachan wrote the theme tune for Who Wants to be a Millionaire? alongside father Keith in 1998 and went on to win 12 awards for his music, including 10 for the show's soundtrack.

The father-son duo wrote the song, and 94 other scores, in eight days in 1998 in what Strachan described to the BBC in 2014 as 'unusual circumstances'.

Strachan also created music for other programmes including Question Time.

His body was found by paramedics who were called to a residential address at Chudleigh Road, Twickenham, around 11:03am.

His death comes less than a month after he was handed a 10-month suspended sentence for setting fire to his own home in a suspected suicide attempt in March last year.

The term, suspended for two years, included alcohol and mental health requirements.

Award-winning composer Matthew Strachan who wrote the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? theme tune has died 'suddenly' at home aged 50

Strachan's body was found by paramedics who were called to a residential address at Chudleigh Road, Twickenham, around 11:03am. His death comes less than a month after he was handed a 10-month suspended sentence for setting fire to his own home in a suspected suicide attempt in March last year

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We sent an ambulance crew, two medics in cars, and a hazardous area response team. Sadly, a person died at the scene.'

Scotland Yard said Strachan was declared dead at the scene and that the sudden passing was not being treated as suspicious.

The West London Coroner said they had opened an investigation into the composer's death on September 8.

'A post mortem has taken place and we are awaiting toxicology and histology results.

'Once we have the results the pathologist will be able to finalise their report and hopefully ascertain the cause of death,' they said in a statement.

Strachan's father Keith told the BBC his son was 'loved by his family and he will be sadly missed. He was a warm, funny and talented human being'.

Strachan and his father, Keith, with the BAFTA for best programme of 1999 for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Keith described him as a 'warm, funny and talented human being'

Strachan's wife, Bernadette (pictured above), who has worked as an radio advertising producer and is now an author

Strachan's body was found by paramedics who were called to a residential address at Chudleigh Road, Twickenham, around 11:03am

Tributes flooded in for the British composer most famous for writing the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? theme tune.

Fellow composer Daniel Pemberton wrote on Twitter: 'Very sad news today. I learnt that Matthew Strachan has died. He will forever be known as the composer (along with his dad!) of the groundbreaking WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE.

'But for me he was always more than that. He was someone who chased a magical dream..'

Another composer and friend of Strachan, Dirk Marks, said: 'Goodbye dear friend and massive talent Matthew Strachan. A gentle, kind, talented and wickedly funny Prince.'

Meanwhile a friend told The Sun: 'Matthew was a troubled soul but an incredibly gifted man.

'He was gentle and kind but endured an ongoing struggle with his inner demons. It is tragic he couldn't be at peace.'

Strachan's iconic theme also appeared in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire directed by Danny Boyle.

And it features in the current edition of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, which was relaunched with new host Jeremy Clarkson in 2018 and hit headlines last year when contestant Donald Fear, from Telford, won the coveted 1 million prize.

Strachan's theme tune features in the current edition of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, which was relaunched with new host Jeremy Clarkson (pictured) in 2018 and hit headlines last year when contestant Donald Fear, from Telford, won the coveted 1 million prize

Strachan and his father were called in to a creative team meeting in a last ditch effort to make something of the quiz show after an initial non-broadcast pilot tanked.

He said after the meeting it was 'decided that there needed to be 95 pieces of music... to cover every eventuality of what happens in the show'.

'There's a piece of music for every event, there's a piece of music for when the lights go down, then there's an underscore for the questions', he said, describing the music as 'quite subliminal'.

The pair also included 'bright idea' of 'putting up the music a semi-tone every time there was a new question, to sort of raise the stakes a bit', adding to the drama of the show.

The decision saw the duo working '24 hours a day' to get the scores written ahead of ITV's deadline.

Strachan in 2014 said the programme was 'particularly good' because of the simple, intimate format and the 'inherent tension' as a result of the lighting and music.
United Airlines announced that 97% of the company's US-based employees are fully vaccinated with less than a week until the deadline for staff to receive the shot or be fired.

The airline released a memo to its employees on Wednesday which stated 'vaccine requirements work'. It said that the number does not include the 'small number' of staffers who were exempt for medical or religious reasons.

In August, United Airlines said that they would require their 67,000 US-based employees to be fully vaccinated by September 27 or be let go as soon as September 28.

Last month, they shared that up to 90% of pilots and nearly 80% of flight attendants were vaccinated, but did not report companywide figures. Only about 55% of the American population and 66% of American adults have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

United Airlines announced that 97% of the company's US-based employees are fully vaccinated

The airline said last month that they would require their 67,000 US-based employees to be fully vaccinated by September 27

About 55% of the American population and 66% of American adults have been fully vaccinated

COVID-19 deaths have averaged more than 1,900 a day for 1st time since March mostly effecting the 71 million unvaccinated Americans

Staff members whose application for an exemption is denied will have five weeks following their denial to be fully vaccinated or terminated.

The 'small number' of those who are exempted will be placed on leave beginning October 2 and have the possibility to return if they wear masks and adhere to weekly testing.

United Airlines has not announced how many employees have applied to excused from the vaccination requirement.

The airline announced their vaccine requirement before President Joe Biden signed an executive order on September 9 requiring employers with over 100 employees to enforce vaccine requirements or weekly testing.

Biden will require all of the roughly 2.1 million federal workers to be vaccinated as part of a series of new mandates he'll push in a major speech on the COVID pandemic he made earlier this month.

There will be limited exceptions but any federal employee who refuses the shot can be fired, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Federal employees and contractors will have 75 days to get vaccinated.

The executive order will not include an option of being regularly tested to opt out of the vaccine requirement. The orders will apply to workers in the executive branch but not the congressional or judicial.

'There will be limited exceptions for legally recognized reasons disability or religious objections,' Psaki said. Anyone who 'fails to comply, they will go through the standard HR process, which includes counseling and face disciplinary action,' she added.

She confirmed that action could include termination of employment. 'Hopefully it won't come to that,' she said.
A Texas school board has moved towards firing a principal over claims he pushed critical theory after he raised eyebrows over an intimate Facebook photoshoot with his wife.

On Monday, the Grapevine Colleyville Independent School District school board unanimously voted 7-0 for the non-renewal of Colleyville Heritage High School principal Dr. James Whitfield's contract.

It is the first step in a two-step process that could see Whitfield lose his job. He will now be forced to publicly defend his position before a final vote is held on whether he should remain as principal.

Whitfield was placed on paid administrative leave in August after a former school board candidate accused him of teaching and promoting critical race theory. Concerns were also raised from the district about a decade-old beachside photoshoot he took with his wife for a previous wedding anniversary.

They were snapped enjoying an intimate - but fully clothed - outdoor embrace for a shoot with a professional photographer and sparked concerns after they were uncovered on his Facebook profile.

Whitfield, (pictured) who has denied promoting Critical Race Theory, addressed the board on Monday to defend his record as a teacher

Whitfield said concerns were raised from the district about a beachside photoshoot he took with his wife for their anniversary a decade ago

At the meeting, district officials listed the reasons for their vote as performance concerns, attempting to hide public records from discovery, and failure to comply with official directives, CBS DFW reported.

District officials also said Whitfield failed to meet the district's standards of professional conduct by voicing his concerns on social media and to the media. And they said that he'd diminished his effectiveness 'by dividing large sections of the community by continuing to raise issues of Critical Race Theory.'

Whitfield, who has denied promoting CRT, addressed the board on Monday to defend himself.

'I believe every student regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, whatever bucket you want to put them in.. I believe they should have access to excellent equitable education,' Whitfield said. 'Yes, I said those words. Unfortunately, my unapologetic stance for those things has brought us here tonight which is disheartening.'

Prior to Monday's meeting Whitfield was seen hugging students who showed up him

Prior to Monday's meeting Whitfield was seen hugging students and supporters who showed up to back him.

'It's honestly so undeserved and unjust on the part of the school board,' Colleyville Heritage senior Grace Nguyen told CBS DFW.

'It's been an overall negative effect and a lot of people in this district have felt as if something has shifted and it's not for the better,' senior Sunehra Chowdhury said.

CRITICAL RACE THEORY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The fight over critical race theory in schools has escalated in the United States over the last year. The theory has sparked a fierce nationwide debate in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country over the last year and the introduction of the 1619 Project. The 1619 Project, which was published by the New York Times in 2019 to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on American shores, reframes American history by 'placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the center of the US narrative'. The debate surrounding critical race theory regards concerns that some children are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist. Those against critical race theory have argued it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color. Supporters, however, say the theory is vital to eliminating racism because it examines the ways in which race influence American politics, culture and the law. Advertisement

Whitfield was placed on leave three months after former school board candidate Stenson Clark accused him of having 'extreme views on race,' calling for him to be fired.

Clark said he was initially concerned about Whitfield's views last summer, after seeing a letter the principal sent to parents and students.

'In this letter he promotes the conspiracy theory of systemic racism...' Clark said. 'He is encouraging the disruption and destruction of our districts.'

Clark attacked Whitfield's social media posts, saying he promotes material that aligns with critical race theory.

In lengthy July 31 Facebook post, Whitfield denied Clark's accusations, writing that Clark had disobeyed district rules by addressing him by name at a school board meeting.

He wrote: 'At the last GCISD school board meeting, an individual was allowed to speak my name in a public open forum (against the rules) and I can no longer maintain my silence in the face of this hate, intolerance, racism, and bigotry. For the better part of the last year, I've been told repeatedly to just 'get around the fact that there are some racist people' and 'just deal with it and stay positive' each time the racist tropes reared their heads, but I will stay silent no longer.'

'I am not the CRT (Critical Race Theory) Boogeyman,' Whitefield added. 'I am the first African American to assume the role of Principal at my current school in its 25-year history, and I am keenly aware of how much fear this strikes in the hearts of a small minority who would much rather things go back to the way they used to be.'

Whitfield also said race was at the forefront of his bosses' decision to force him take down photos of him embracing and kissing his white wife from social media.

Whitfield said he received an email from the district about a beachside photoshoot he took with his wife, Kerrie, for their anniversary a decade ago.

'I look at the picture, and I look at the words above it, and it says, 'Is this the Dr. Whitfield we want leading our schools?' I showed it to my wife, who immediately begins to well up with tears,' Whitfield said.

He claims the photos received complaints back then because it featured an interracial couple.

Although he removed the pictures, Whitfield went public with the story last week after a heated meeting between Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District officials and parents over race on July 26, The New York Times reports.

Arguments over the teaching of critical race theory have rocked dozens of school boards across the United States this year.

Supporters argue that children are not being taught CRT - which argues that the US is inherently racist, and that white people should be made more aware of the everyday hardships black people suffer to try and dismantle them.

But opponents insist material inspired by and linked to CRT is being widely taught, as well as the actual theory itself.

They say the topic is overly divisive for school-age children, and that it teaches children to see themselves as an oppressor or victim.
Mark McCloskey, who is among several Republican candidates for U.S. Senate in 2022, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault

Missouri Chief Disciplinary Counsel Alan Pratzel argued that Mark and Patricia McCloskey showed 'indifference to public safety' and 'moral turpitude'

Mark McCloskey told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo Wednesday the effort to have his law license suspended is 'insane'

A St Louis attorney who, along with his lawyer wife, waved guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home last year, appeared on television on Wednesday to rail against a push to have their law licenses suspended, slamming the effort as 'totally insane' and something from 'the upside-down world.'

'What we did was we stood out there and defended ourselves, exercising our Second Amendment rights. Nobody got shot. Not a shot got fired,' Mark McCloskey told Fox Business presenter Maria Bartiromo.

Missouri Chief Disciplinary Counsel Alan Pratzel, in a court filing on Monday, cited Mark and Patricia McCloskey's guilty pleas to misdemeanors stemming from the June 2020 encounter in an attempt to temporarily prevent them from practicing law.

Pratzel's office is responsible for investigating ethical complaints against Missouri lawyers.

Beleaguered St Louis attorney Mark McCloskey appeared on Fox Business on Wednesday to rail against an effort to have his law license suspended over his gun-toting antics

McCloskey argued all he and his lawyer wife Patricia had done was defend themselves from hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters

The McCloskeys, standing in front their house, confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house on June 28, 2020

The couple, both lawyers in their 60s, said they felt threatened by the protesters, who were passing their home on their way to demonstrate in front of the mayor's house nearby in one of hundreds of similar demonstrations around the country after George Floyd's death

Mark, who is among several Republican candidates for U.S. Senate in 2022 in Missouri, pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was ordered to pay a $750 fine. His wife pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, pardoned the McCloskeys on July 30.

'Everybody from the president of the United States, Donald Trump, our governor, Mike Parson, our Attorney General, Eric Schmidt, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens, all said that not only didnt we do anything wrong, they were proud of us,' McCloskey said during the interview.

Pratzel wrote in his motion that the McCloskey couple's crimes showed 'indifference to public safety' and involved 'moral turpitude,' warranting discipline. He recommended that the Supreme Court indefinitely suspend the married attorneys' law licenses.

Speaking to Bartiromo, McCloskey bristled at Pratzel's argumentation.

'To say that we engaged in moral turpitude when all we did was defend ourselves is totally insane,' he said.

Pratzel's filing alleged that while a governor's pardon erases a person's conviction, 'the person's guilt remains.'

Speaking to Bartiromo on Wednesday, McCloskey also fired a shot across the Missouri Bar's bow, accusing the professional organization of engaging in 'woke brainwashing' by requiring bias and diversity trainings.

But McCloskey argued that the unintended consequence of his ongoing feud with the state Bar was that it has fired up the Republican base.

'It is one more example of how cancel culture has an effect on the right that they maybe didnt anticipate,' the Senate hopeful said. 'People are outraged. People are up in arms. People are more fired up. Our campaign is going great.'

Mark McCloskey previously said that if he faced the same situation again, he would have reacted in the same exact way.

The McCloskeys' lawyer, Joel Schwartz, said on Tuesday that Parson's pardon 'vindicates' Mark and Patricia's conduct.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey were admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1986 and 1987, respectively. Both were listed as attorneys in 'good standing' on the Bar's website as of Wednesday afternoon.

The couple's two-person law practice specializes in personal injury and medical malpractice.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey confront protesters in front of their home last year

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, pardoned the McCloskeys

The June 28, 2020, protests followed George Floyds death under a Minneapolis police officers knee.

The couple, both lawyers in their 60s, said they felt threatened by the protesters, who were passing their home on their way to demonstrate in front of the mayor's house nearby in one of hundreds of similar demonstrations around the country after George Floyd's death. The couple also said the group was trespassing on a private street.

Mark emerged from his home with an AR-15-style rifle, and Patricia waved a semiautomatic pistol, according to the indictment. Photos and cellphone video captured the confrontation, which drew widespread attention and made the couple heroes to some and villains to others. No shots were fired and no one was hurt.

Special prosecutor Richard Callahan said his investigation determined that the protesters were peaceful.

'There was no evidence that any of them had a weapon and no one I interviewed realized they had ventured onto a private enclave,' Callahan said in a news release after the McCloskeys pleaded guilty.

Patricia and Mark McCloskey leave a St. Louis court house in June after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges

Mark, who fast became the GOP's poster boy and spoke at August's Republican National Convention in support of Donald Trump, is now running for US Senate.

He was unapologetic after the plea hearing.

'I'd do it again,' he said from the courthouse steps in downtown St. Louis. 'Any time the mob approaches me, Ill do what I can to put them in imminent threat of physical injury because thats what kept them from destroying my house and my family.'

Because the charges were misdemeanors, the McCloskeys did not face the possibility of losing their law licenses or their rights to own firearms.

The McCloskeys were indicted by a grand jury in October on felony charges of the unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering. Callahan later amended the charges to give jurors the alternative of convictions of misdemeanor harassment instead of the weapons charge.

They agreed to give up the weapons used in the incident.

But shortly after the guilty plea, Mark McCloskey showed off his new rifle.

'Checking out my new AR, reads the caption on photos he posted to social media. McCloskey is seen in the photos wearing a curt smile and brandishing the weapon with a finger just above the trigger. One photo also includes his wife Patricia giving a thumbs up.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote critically of the kingdom's policies and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials say a 15-men team tortured, killed and dismembered the writer, while Saudi Arabia says he died in a 'fistfight.'

Here are some key moments in the slaying of the Washington Post columnist:

BEFORE HIS DISAPPEARANCE

September 2017: The Post publishes the first column by Khashoggi in its newspaper, in which the former royal court insider and longtime journalist writes about going into a self-imposed exile in the U.S. over the rise of Prince Mohammed. His following columns criticize the prince and the kingdom's direction.

September 28, 2018: Over a year after the Post published his first column, Khashoggi visits the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, seeking documents in order to get married. He's later told to return October 2, his fiancee Hatice Cengiz says. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says a plan or a 'road map' to kill Khashoggi was devised in Saudi Arabia during this time.

September 29: Khashoggi travels to London and speaks at a conference.

October 1: Khashoggi returns to Istanbul. At around 4.30pm, a three-person Saudi team arrives in Istanbul on a scheduled flight, checks in to their hotels then visits the consulate, according to Erdogan. The Turkish president says another group of officials from the consulate travel to a forest in Istanbul's outskirts and to the nearby city of Yalova on a 'reconnaissance' trip.

Jamal Khashoggi (right) arriving at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2

THE DAY OF HIS DISAPPEARANCE

3.28am, October 2: A private jet arrives at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport carrying some members of what Turkish media will refer to as a 15-member Saudi 'assassination squad.' Other members of the team arrive by two commercial flights in the afternoon. Erdogan says the team includes Saudi security and intelligence officials and a forensics expert. They meet at the Saudi Consulate. One of the first things they do is to dismantle a hard disk connected to the consulate's camera system, the president says.

11.50am: Khashoggi is called to confirm his appointment at the consulate later that day, Erdogan says.

1.14pm: Surveillance footage later leaked to Turkish media shows Khashoggi walking into the main entrance of the Saudi Consulate. No footage made public ever shows him leaving. His fiancee waits outside, pacing for hours.

3.07pm: Surveillance footage shows vehicles with diplomatic license plates leaving the Saudi Consulate for the consul general's home some 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away.

5.50pm: Khashoggi's fiancee alerts authorities, saying he may have been forcibly detained inside the consulate or that something bad may have happened to him, according to Erdogan.

7pm: A private plane from Saudi Arabia carries six members of the alleged Saudi squad from Istanbul to Cairo, the next day returning to Riyadh.

11pm: Seven members of the alleged Saudi squad leave on another private jet to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which the next day returns to Riyadh. Two others leave by commercial flights.

Erdogan confirms reports that a 'body double' - a man wearing Khashoggi's clothes, glasses and a beard - leaves the consulate building for Riyadh with another person on a scheduled flight later that day.

CCTV images showed a a private jet alleged to have been used by a group of Saudi men suspected of being involved in Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death

INITIAL REACTION

October 3: Khashoggi's fiancee and the Post go public with his disappearance. Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi visited the consulate and exited shortly thereafter. Turkish officials suggest Khashoggi might still be in the consulate. Prince Mohammed tells Bloomberg: 'We have nothing to hide.'

October 4: Saudi Arabia says on its state-run news agency that the consulate is carrying out 'follow-up procedures and coordination with the Turkish local authorities to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building.'

October 5: The Post prints a blank column in its newspaper in solidarity with Khashoggi, headlined: 'A missing voice.'

October 6: The Post, citing anonymous Turkish officials, reports Khashoggi may have been killed in the consulate in a 'preplanned murder' by a Saudi team.

October 7: A friend of Khashoggi tells the AP that officials told him the writer was killed at the consulate. The consulate rejects what it calls 'baseless allegations.'

October 8: Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Turkey is summoned over Khashoggi's disappearance and alleged killing.

LEAKED FOOTAGE

October 9: Turkey says it will search the Saudi Consulate as a picture of Khashoggi walking into the diplomatic post surfaces.

October 10: Surveillance footage is leaked of Khashoggi and the alleged Saudi squad that killed him. Khashoggi's fiancee asks President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for help.

October 11: Turkish media describes Saudi squad as including royal guards, intelligence officers, soldiers and an autopsy expert. Trump calls Khashoggi's disappearance a 'bad situation' and promises to get to the bottom of it.

October 12: Trump again pledges to find out what happened to Khashoggi.

October 13: A pro-government newspaper reports that Turkish officials have an audio recording of Khashoggi's alleged killing from his Apple Watch, but details in the report come into question.

INTERNATIONAL UPROAR

October 14: Trump says that 'we're going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment' if Saudi Arabia is involved. The kingdom responds with a blistering attack against those who threaten it, as the manager of a Saudi-owned satellite news channel suggests the country could retaliate through its oil exports. The Saudi stock exchange plunges as much as 7 percent at one point.

Khashoggi (pictured), went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul

October 15: A Turkish forensics team enters and searches the Saudi Consulate, an extraordinary development as such diplomatic posts are considered sovereign soil. Trump suggests after a call with Saudi King Salman that 'rogue killers' could be responsible for Khashoggi's alleged slaying. Trump says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to the Mideast over the case. Meanwhile, business leaders say they won't attend an economic summit in the kingdom that's the brainchild of Prince Mohammed.

October 16: A high-level Turkish official tells the AP that 'certain evidence' was found in the Saudi Consulate proving Khashoggi was killed there. Pompeo arrives for meetings in Saudi Arabia with King Salman and Prince Mohammed. Meanwhile, Trump compares the case to the appointment of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing, saying: 'Here we go again with you're guilty until proven innocent.'

October 17: Pompeo meets with Turkey's president and foreign minister in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Turkish police search the official residence of Saudi Arabia's consul general in Istanbul and conduct a second sweep of the consulate.

October 18: A leaked surveillance photograph shows a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage walked into the consulate just before Khashoggi vanished there.

October 20: Saudi Arabia for the first time acknowledges Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, claiming he was slain in a 'fistfight.' The claim draws immediate skepticism from the kingdom's Western allies, particularly in the U.S. Congress.

October 22: A report says a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage made four calls to the royal's office around the time Khashoggi was killed. Police search a vehicle belonging to the Saudi consulate parked at an underground garage in Istanbul.

CCTV emerges showing a Saudi intelligence officer dressed in a fake beard and Jamal Khashoggi's clothes and glasses on the day he went missing.

October 23: Erdogan says Saudi officials murdered Khashoggi after plotting his death for days, demanding that Saudi Arabia reveal the identities of all involved.

October 25: Changing their story again, Saudi prosecutors say Khashoggi's killing was a premeditated crime.

November 2: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government. Earlier the same day, Yasin Aktay, a ruling party adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he believed the body had to have been dissolved in acid.

November 4: Khashoggi's sons Salah and Abdullah Khashoggi issue appeal for his remains to be returned so that he may be buried in Saudi Arabia.

November 10: President Erdogan says Turkey gave the audio recordings linked to the murder to 'Saudi Arabia, to Washington, to the Germans, to the French, to the British'.

November 13: Turkish media reports that the luggage carried by the Saudi 'hit squad' included scissors, defibrillators and syringes that may have been used against Khashoggi.

November 15: Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor announces that he is seeking the death penalty for five out of 11 suspects charged in the murder. Shalaan al-Shalaan said the person who had ordered the killing was the head of the negotiating team sent to repatriate him, and exonerated Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. On the same day, the U.S. Treasury announces sanctions against 17 Saudi officials, including the Consul General in Turkey, Mohammed Alotaibi.

November 16: A CIA assessment reported in the Washington Post finds that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination.

November 18: Germany bans 18 Saudi nationals believed to be connected to the murder from entering Europe's border-free Schengen zone. Berlin also announces it has as halted previously approved arms exports to Saudi Arabia amid the fallout.
Brian Laundries parents lied to authorities when they said their son returned home to Florida last week after the disappearance of his fiancee, Gabby Petito, according to former Americas Most Wanted host John Walsh.

Walsh accused Christopher Laundrie; his wife, Roberta Laundrie; and their attorney, Steven Bertolino, of staging a ruse by refusing a police request to speak to Brian Laundrie last Tuesday when it was thought he had returned home.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Bertolino seeking comment on Walshs claims, which came hours after a body found in Wyoming was confirmed to be Gabby. An autopsy confirmed she'd died by homicide.

'Has anybody seen any confirmation that he was in that house?' Walsh asked during an appearance on Anderson Cooper's CNN primetime show on Tuesday.

John Walsh claims Brian Laundrie's family helped him get away #GabbyPetito pic.twitter.com/v5VSvD1ffJ  The Chat (@LiveOnTheChat) September 21, 2021

John Walsh, the citizen crimefighter and former America's Most Wanted host, thinks Brian Laundrie's parents and their attorney lied about his whereabouts to police in order to buy him time so that he could escape

Walsh accused Christopher Laundrie (left); his wife, Roberta Laundrie (right); and their attorney, Steven Bertolino, of staging a ruse by refusing a police request to speak to Brian Laundrie last Tuesday when it was thought he had returned home. The couple is seen above arriving at their North Port, Florida home last Wednesday

Brian Laundrie (left) is a person of interest in the disappearance and death of his fiancee, Gabby Petito (right), who was reported missing on September 11

Walsh says there is no confirmation that Brian Laundrie returned to the family home in North Port, Florida (seen above on Tuesday)

'All this time, the FBI and the North Port police have been going on the word' of Laundries parents and their lawyer 'that he's in the house,' according to Walsh.

'What if he came back with the van and was there for 10 days?' Walsh asked.

Petito was reported missing by her family on September 11. She and Brian Laundrie had set out for a cross-country 'van life' trip from her native Long Island on July 2.

The last time she communicated with her family was when she texted her mom 'No service in Yosemite' on August 30. They spoke to her over the phone for the final time on August 29.

Walsh accused the Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino (pictured), of helping to concoct a 'ruse' to help Brian Laundrie escape

On September 1, it is believed that Brian Laundrie returned to his home in North Port, Florida while driving the white Ford van registered to Petito. It was the same van that the couple traveled in during their trip.

Since Brian Laundrie was the last person to see Petito alive, he was declared a 'person of interest' in the investigation on September 15.

At the time, his lawyer advised Laundrie not to speak to authorities. On September 17, Laundrie's parents told police that they had not seen their son since three days earlier.

The next day, police start combing the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve just 13 miles from North Port.

Laundrie's parents told investigators they believe their son entered the area just days earlier.

Bertolino said the family went looking for Laundrie on Wednesday and found his silver Ford Mustang convertible at the reserve, which had a police note on it demanding that the vehicle be removed from the area.

The family initially left the car there so Laundrie could drive it back, but they returned on Thursday to retrieve it, he said.

Petito's remains were found in Grand Teton National Park on Sunday. A coroner confirmed her identity on Tuesday. The cause of death was homicide, according to the medical examiner.

Walsh told CNN that Brian Laundrie had a great amount of time to prepare for an escape and to have scrubbed the van before he became a focus of the investigation.

Bertolino's business page featured a photo of Petito on the page earlier Tuesday (seen above). It is not clear who posted them

Gabby Petito's family have sent a cease and desist letter to Brian Laundrie's lawyer after he used photos of their dead daughter on his business's Yelp page

A warning was also displayed on the Yelp page reading that it was now 'monitored by Yelp's Support team for content related to media reports' and that the site had 'temporarily disabled the posting of content' to the page

Brian Laundrie mowed the lawn and went on family bike rides 'like nothing bothered him' after returning from cross-country trip alone, says neighbor Brian Laundrie's neighbor has revealed that the 23-year-old mowed the lawn and went on family bike rides 'like nothing bothered him' after returning from the cross-country trip alone. Charlene Guthrie, who lives across the street from the Laundrie family in North Port, Florida, told Fox News she saw Laundrie return to 'normal life' - all the while his girlfriend Gabby Petito was missing, possibly already dead. 'He mowed the lawn. Him and his mother went for a bicycle ride around the block,' Guthrie said. 'I mean, everything was just normal life once he came back. 'And I just can't get over the fact that they  it seemed like nothing bothered him. How can you do that?' Laundrie returned to North Port without Petito in the couple's campervan on September 1. Authorities were then alerted to her disappearance on September 11. Guthrie said the discovery of Petito's body and Laundrie's disappearance look 'really, really bad for him' and that she believes he 'should be a suspect.' The neighbor also hit out at Laundrie's parents for not coming forward when their son went missing and that they 'let him go' in the first place. 'I have children, and I know that you do what you can to protect your child, but, you know, that can go so far, and you gotta do the right thing eventually. You have to,' Guthrie said. '[The Laundries] should have absolutely come forward now. I mean, I just can't believe they didn't do something. I'm really angry now that they let this go. 'And that everything was so natural and they remained so normal through the whole thing, you know, while they were here, till he went on the run.' Advertisement

He said that the assumption that Laundrie was missing in the reserve since September 14 - as his parents claim - was a red herring and a ruse.

'My philosophy is, he never went to the swamp,' Walsh said.

'His parents and the lawyer  bought him four days to get out in front of this.'

Walsh slammed the North Port police for failing to put Brian Laundrie under surveillance and allowing him to go missing even after it became clear that he was a person of interest.

'How the hell did this boy get out of the house? I think the FBI and the Northport police have gotten a lot of questions to answer,' he said.

'How did he get out of that house and get away?'

Walsh said that he will discuss the Petito case in depth on his new show In Pursuit With John Walsh, which will air Wednesday night on Investigation Discovery.

Its the public that will solve this case, and I believe the public will catch this guy, he said.

We need to see this creep brought in and pay for this.

Earlier on Wednesday, Petito's family sent a cease and desist letter to Bertolino after his business's Yelp page used photos of their dead daughter.

Richard Benson Stafford, the attorney for the Petito family, is demanding Bertolino take down the photos by 2pm on Wednesday or face 'further action.'

The family initially tried to remove the photos themselves but were informed that only the business owner can add or remove photos, Stafford wrote in the letter dated September 22.

Bertolino has denied having control of the Yelp page and said any suggestion he would 'use this case to drum up any business' is 'disgusting'.

In the letter, Petito's family also demands Bertolino 'cease and desist posting pictures of Gabby Petito to any and all of your social media pages, web pages, or advertisements in an effort to gain business.'

'I am sure this will be taken care of by 2pm or I will take further action on behalf of Gabby's family,' it read.

Yelp is an online directory advertising local businesses where people can leave reviews and ratings.

Bertolino's business page featured a photo of Petito on the page earlier Tuesday.

As of 1pm ET, the only two photos on the webpage was a montage of two pictures of Laundrie and a screengrab of a short bio page.

A warning was also displayed on the Yelp page reading that it was now 'monitored by Yelp's Support team for content related to media reports' and that the site had 'temporarily disabled the posting of content' to the page.

Further details of who runs the page have not been shared. DailyMail.com has contacted Yelp and Bertolino for further information.

Bertolino hit back at the allegations he was using Petito to drum up business, telling ABC7 the suggestion is 'disgusting' and that he has not 'advertised or sought business in over 20 years.'

Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney Steven Bertoloni in an Instagram post late Tuesday saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'

Police divers joined the search for Brian Laundrie just before noon Wednesday with an airboat to join the manhunt for Brian Laundrie

A van from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, towing a small dingy, turned up about an hour after an airboat was seen for the first time at the 25,000-acre reserve

Laundrie's whereabouts are still unknown, with the manhunt entering its fourth day at a nature reserve in Florida (pictured)

Police and FBI agents resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve early Wednesday, sharing photos of search dogs (above)

'That's disgusting. Just so you know, my website and any review sites that I do not control have been overrun by John Q. Public,' he said.

'Indeed yelp actually shut the site down due to the inordinate amount of fake commenting on it.

'I have not advertised or sought business in over 20 years and I would certainly not use this case to drum up any business.'

It is not clear who originally posted the photos on the Yelp page or who later removed them.

DailyMail.com has reached out to both Bertolino and Yelp for further information.

The legal action was taken hours after Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney in an Instagram post late Tuesday, saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and saying his attempt to show 'compassion' are 'beyond disgusting'.

Search teams from multiple law enforcement agencies gathered Wednesday for a briefing before heading out into the 25,000-acre swampland

Search teams fan out at Carlton Reserve park near North Port, Florida, Wednesday as the manhunt for Laundrie continued

Agents with K-9s are seen in Wednesday's search for the missing boyfriend of Gabby Petito - whose body was found Sunday

Buggies are being used in the search across the 25,000-acre swampland much of which is barely passable by humans

A memorial cross of stones is arranged at the spot believed to be the final resting place of Petito at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campsite, close to Grand Teton National Park

The undeveloped campground is popular with tourists though it has no water or trash service. Above, a sign points to the area

Gabby Petito, 22, is pictured with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, in a YouTube video made to document their 'van life' trip

The pair had been travelling on a cross-country trip together since July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11

Laundrie's whereabouts are still unknown, with the manhunt entering its fourth day in Florida and law enforcement sources saying the 23-year-old boyfriend of Petito is the 'prime suspect' in her homicide.

Police and FBI agents resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve early Wednesday, sharing photos of search dogs heading out into the 25,000-acre swampland on social media.

Dive teams were later spotted heading into the nature reserve around midday.

Bertoloni had released a statement Tuesday after a preliminary autopsy confirmed the body found Sunday in a campsite near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming belongs to the 22-year-old Petito and that her manner of death was homicide.

'May Gabby Rest In Peace,' the attorney said in the statement.

Steve Petito took to social media Tuesday to blast Laundrie's attorney accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'

'As far as the law is concerned this law firm may be immune due to attorney/client privilege,' he wrote.

'But in the eyes of the public you are as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up and stalling tactic.'

He added: 'We don't require nor want you empathy. By you trying to show compassion here at this moment is beyond disgusting.'

Steve told Fox News Wednesday the Petito family will release a statement when her remains are returned to them from Wyoming.

Police under fire from missing persons experts for alleged 'missteps' in Petito investigation Many experts argue that authorities let person-of-interest Brian Laundrie (pictured) 'slip through their fingers' because they didn't monitor him. Outside investigators are criticizing law enforcement officers working on the Petito case for their handling of the investigation. Many experts argue that authorities let person-of-interest Brian Laundrie 'slip through their fingers' because they didn't monitor him. 'They should've immediately placed him under surveillance. Immediately,' Ed Gavin, an expert in missing person cases argued. His claims were echoed by a retired New York City cop who stressed that while there was likely not enough evidence to bring Laundrie in for questioning or to obtain a search warrant, they could've surveilled him. 'You always have to try to build a case and if it means surveillance to see where he's going or what he's doing  then you do that. You don't need a search warrant to surveil somebody,' the officer said. North Port Police Department spokesman Josh Taylor responded to the criticism, saying their department 'has no authority to execute a possible federal search warrant on our own'. He also stressed that his department is looking for Laundrie under a missing persons investigation, not as a suspect in Petito's case. 'There is no information that a crime took place here in North Port. That is our jurisdiction,' said Taylor. Advertisement

The coroner is still carrying out tests on the 22-year-old's body to determine her cause of death.

Police named Laundrie a 'person of interest' in his girlfriend's disappearance last Wednesday.

At the time, the case was a missing person case with officials hopeful they would find the travel blogger alive.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ Laundrie is now their prime suspect in her death.

But prosecutors are said to be holding off from bringing charges or officially naming him a suspect until they can locate Laundrie.

Even then, this does not mean he will be charged with her murder.

The coroner ruled Petito's manner of death homicide but the cause of death is yet to be determined.

'Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999,' FBI Denver tweeted Tuesday.

'Coroner Blue's initial determination for the manner of death is homicide.

'The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.'

In Colorado, homicide includes varying degrees of murder and manslaughter.

It is also unclear if Laundrie is even alive to face any possible charges.

His parents told law enforcement on Friday they last saw him over a week ago last Tuesday when he left their home with a backpack and told them he was heading to the Carlton Reserve.

A North Port police spokesman said early Wednesday that searchers have 'huddled up' and headed out again to look for Laundrie in the vast, alligator-infested reserve.

A van from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, towing a small dingy, turned up about an hour after an airboat was seen for the first time at the 25,000-acre reserve.

When asked if police divers were recovering anything significant, North Port Police information chief Josh Taylor said: 'We are looking. Nothing found. We have to work to rule it out though.'

'Area resources are looking at large bodies of water, including dive teams, boats, and sonar equipment. At this time, this does not mean anything has been found. It's a part of the overall search process,' Taylor said.

'Additionally, right now, NPPD is on scene of a possible self-inflicted death, roughly one mile from the Environmental Park. Nothing to do with this case.'

The terrain is particularly treacherous, with 80 miles of hiking trails and some sections nearly impassable to humans.

The Sarasota Police Department tweeted Wednesday that, despite rumors, Laundrie is not in custody and the search for him was continuing.

The search was called off for the night late Tuesday before agents from around eight different teams returned to continue with their efforts early Wednesday.

The search began on Saturday, starting at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park which is linked to the Carlton Reserve, a vast nature reserve about five miles from the North Port home Laundrie shared with his parents and Petito.

The search was then paused Monday when authorities said they had 'exhausted all avenues' before teams returned to the area Tuesday, where they focused their attention on the area closer to the city of Venice, along with adjoining lands.

On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered all state agencies to assist federal and local law enforcement in the search, saying 'we need justice for Gabby'.

More than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies led by the FBI used huge swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s and drones to comb through the snake and alligator-infested swampland.

The FBI is asking anyone who may have had contact with Petito or Laundrie, may have seen their vehicle or who visited the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest between August 27 and 30 to contact authorities.

Several people have come forward with tips and to report seeing the couple's van or Laundrie during this timeframe.
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Vice President Kamala Harris told DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday to instruct agents to treat migrants with 'dignity, humanely and consistent with our laws and our values'

Kamala Harris demanded that Border Patrol agents treat the thousands of mostly Haitian migrants gathered in Del Rio, Texas with 'dignity' after images emerged of officers on horseback using what appeared to be a whip to wrangle the illegal border hoppers.

'Yesterday, Vice President Harris spoke to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to receive an update about his trip to Del Rio,' Harris' chief spokesperson Symone Sanders said in a statement on Wednesday.

'During that call, the Vice President raised her grave concerns about the mistreatment of Haitian migrants by border patrol agents on horses, and the need of all CBP agents to treat people with dignity, humanely and consistent with our laws and our values.'

However the VP failed to come up with a solution to the migrant crisis and simply heaped blame on overstretched Border Patrol agents.

It comes after Brandon Judd, a border agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council, revealed that the mounted men had swung their reins to keep the migrants from being trampled by their horses and had not struck anyone.

Sanders said that Mayorkas will update the vice president once the Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility concludes its probe.

According to the statement on the call, Harris did not discuss any ideas with Mayorkas on how best to address the crisis or how to make sure migrants are treated to her standards.

Mayorkas revealed Wednesday to the House Homeland Security Committee that border officials seen in photos rounding up migrants on horseback to push them back across the Mexico border have been reassigned to desk duty while the incidents are being investigated.

'Secretary Mayorkas also spoke with the Vice President about the efforts DHS has underway to address the humanitarian needs of people at our border in Del Rio through the provision of food, shelter, clothing, and medical care, as well as engagement with non-governmental and international organizations,' the statement concluded.

Sanders previewed that Mayorkas and Harris, who was put in charge of addressing 'root causes' of the migration crisis, will speak again in the coming days about the crisis at border Del Rio shares with Mexico.

Mayorkas, in his testimony before the Homeland Security Committee, said the images of Border Patrol agents on horseback appearing to be using their reins as whips, 'correctly and necessarily were met with our nation's horror.'

'They do not reflect who we are as a country nor do they reflect who the United States Custom and Border Protection is,' Mayorkas said.

The secretary said that his agency was investigating the footage 'with tremendous speed and with tremendous force,' and would get to the bottom of the matter in 'days, not weeks.'

'We have ensured that individuals, during the pendency of the investigation, are not conducting law enforcement duties to interact with migrants.'

In a video on Wednesday, Mayorkas said the agents on horseback with the ropes were reassigned to administrative duties during the ongoing investigation into their actions.

Mostly Haitian migrants wade across waist-deep water in the Rio Grande River on Wednesday leaving Del Rio, Texas for Mexico to avoid deportation by U.S. authorities back to Haiti

After crossing back into Mexico, migrants set up shelter at a camp in Ciudad Acuna

The migrants still left at the camps in Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna use the Rio Grande River to cross back and forth daily between the countries. DHS Secretary Mayorkas revealed Tuesday that around 5,000 migrants have already been removed from the encampment in Del Rio

Harris, put in charge of the border crisis earlier this year, spoke with Mayorkas on Tuesday regarding the growing crisis of Haitian migration. Here Mayorkas testifies before the Senate Homeland Security committee on Tuesday. He revealed Wednesday the agents seen on horseback using whip on migrants have been assigned to administrative duties

Harris and President Joe Biden on Tuesday finally addressed the growing crisis after days of silence as a makeshift encampment grew to 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants near an international bridge in Del Rio. On Sunday, deportation efforts ensued as Border Patrol agents rounded up migrants for removal flights to their homeland.

Harris, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, slammed the 'horrible' treatment of migrants and promised to provide more assistance to Haiti as hundreds of nationals have already been deported back to the island on removal flights.

'What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were, was horrible,' Harris said.

Biden said Tuesday that he will get the situation at the border 'under control', but did not specify any plans to mitigate the crisis.

'We will get it under control,' Biden said to reporters after speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday in New York City.

Some accused agents of whipping migrants, however, Border Patrol agents have defended the actions, saying that their colleagues were simply using their reins on their horses - not migrants.

Brandon Judd, a border agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council, slammed the Biden administration for condemning the images without understanding the situation.

'There are very few things that will boil my blood as bad as the White House directly coming out and condemning an action before they know what happened,' Judd said on the John Solomon Reports podcast.

'Jen Psaki came out yesterday, and she condemned these actions when in reality, it is a legitimate law enforcement action. This was meant to protect the illegal aliens.'

Judd claimed that officers swing around their reins to keep migrants from getting too close to the horse and getting trampled. 'The reins will be twirled to keep people away from the horses for their protection.'

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who sits on Homeland Security Committee, told DailyMail.com: 'Anyone who spent more than five seconds looking at those images can see that they were holding on to the reins of their horses. CBP agents do not carry whips or lassos.'

'Secretary Mayorkas and Vice President Harris need to address the serious issues causing this crisis,' she added.

The Fraternal Order of Police also tamped down accusations that agents had been whipping migrants.

For all you Twitter warriors out there: these are NOT whips. And no, Border Patrol agents are NOT "whipping" people.



They are REINS... Stay with us here, like a steering wheel is used to drive a car, the reins are used to drive the horse.



Thanks for coming to our TED talk. pic.twitter.com/r0n2kXHqvy  National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) September 21, 2021

'With basic knowledge and two brain cells, anyone knows those agents use split reins. They do use them as a whip, on their horses,' the agent said. 'This helps get a quicker response from the horse to move out when needed, especially when the horse may be hesitant with groups of people or other animals,' one Border Patrol agent told Fox News.

'Again it is clear that those 'in charge,' a term that is disgusting to use, have no clue about our operations and frankly operate by ignorance and unhinged emotions,' the agent said.

A Border Patrol officer is swinging what appears to be a lariat while trying to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge Sunday

The devastating images were captures as migrants were trying to return to their encampment from Mexico, where they were buying much-needed supplies

An agent is seen grabbing a migrant by the shirt in a photo taken near the border Sunday

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the footage 'horrible to watch' and said she 'can't imagine a context where that would be appropriate,' as other Democrats cried out against the treatment of Haitian migrants.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the 'inappropriate use of whips by Border Patrol officers' and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted 'images of inhumane treatment of Haitian migrants by Border Patrol - including the use of whips.'

Meanwhile, thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials.

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio - where a peak of around 14,600 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under a bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US from Mexico - said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time under the so-called 'catch and release' scheme.

Others have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed by Border Patrol agents there, they said.

The exact number released is unclear, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott saying that 8,600 migrants were still in Del Rio on Tuesday afternoon.

Deportation flights began on Sunday, and by Wednesday morning, over 1,000 migrants had been flown back to Haiti, a source with knowledge of the matter told DailyMail.com.

Thousands of migrants pictured Wednesday taking shelter along the Del Rio International Bridge as they await to be processed by Border Patrol

HAITIAN MIGRANT CRISIS IN NUMBERS: Number of migrants in Del Rio at peak of crisis: 14,600 Number of migrants as of Tuesday evening: 8,600 Number deported to Haiti Sunday: 327 Number deported Monday: 233 Number deported Tuesday: 523 Total deported since flights resumed Sunday: 1,083 Number of deportation flights scheduled for Wednesday: 7 Advertisement

Three flights deported 327 Haitian nationals from Del Rio back to the capital of Port-au-Prince Sunday, two flights deported 233 Monday and 523 were flown out on four flights Tuesday, the official said.

In total, 1083 migrants have been deported in the last three days, suggesting up to 5,000 may have been released into the United States.

Another seven deportation flights are expected to expel further Haitian migrants Wednesday.

This purported reality on the ground is drastically at odds with the public statements the Biden administration has made in recent days in an effort to get a handle on the ever-increasing migrant crisis at the US's southern border.

The official line is that Haitians are being expelled from the US back to the crisis-stricken Caribbean nation under a Donald Trump-era rule.

Under Title 42, migrants can be repatriated to their home nations without the possibility of requesting asylum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted Monday that migrants entering the US illegally will be sent back to their home countries.

'If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's life,' he said at a press conference.

Mayorkas then went one step further Tuesday, insisting that the border is now 'closed' to migrants.

Haitian migrants cross back into Mexico on Wednesday to get food and water before returning to their camp in the U.S.

Migrants rest at a shelter in Ciudad Acuna in Mexico on Wednesday

Haitians deported from the US recover their belongings scattered on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday

Migrants are guided by Border Patrol agents as they prepare to board a bus from the migrant camp in Del Rio to be taken to other parts of the US for processing

Many of the thousands of migrants who have gathered in Del Rio in recent days fled Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and have been living in South American countries including Brazil and Chile. But since these nations have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Haitians have traveled up through South America and Mexico to seek asylum in the US.

One US official, with direct knowledge of operations who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, told Associated Press thousands of Haitians had been freed on a 'very, very large scale' in recent days.

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, the official said.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said.

They are then processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

A second US official, also with direct knowledge and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday.

The official couldn't be more specific about how many.

US authorities scrambled in recent days for buses to Tucson but resorted to flights when they couldn't find enough transportation contractors, both officials said.

Coast Guard planes also took Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.

A third US official not authorized to discuss operations said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.

Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, head of Haiti's national migration office, said last week authorities expected that 14,000 Haitians will be deported from the US over the next three weeks.

Delva warned that Haiti cannot handle thousands of homeless deportees arriving into the country.

The criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the US was unclear.

But two US officials said single adults were the priority for expulsion flights.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday night.

Around 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under the bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said thousands of migrants have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time

Haitian migrants including young children are seen at a shelter in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico, Wednesday

Migrants lie on the ground and on cardboard boxes Wednesday at a makeshift shelter in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila state, Mexico

Why Haitians are fleeing to America: Thousands of Haitians have crossed the border into Texas in weeks and months to seek asylum in America. Data released by Border Patrol shows 28,000 Haitians have been arrested along the border this fiscal year, which began last October - dwarfing the 2020 number of 4,395 and 2,046 in 2019. Last month alone, 6,768 Haitians were detained by Border Patrol, up from 5,000 in July. Most Haitians who have traveled to the border in recent weeks are thought to have already been living in South America after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 2010 which killed over 200,000 people. Many have then traveled up through Mexico into the US recently - driven by the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on South America. Republicans have argued that the influx of people has also been driven by the pause on deportation flights to Haiti by the Biden administration. In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.' Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency. Then, in early July, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home of Port-au-Prince in a dramatic plot which authorities are yet to determine who the mastermind was. The murder threw the troubled nation into uncertainty with gun battles breaking out in the streets and a fight over who was the rightful successor as questions continued to mount about a possible inside job. This week, Haiti's chief prosecutor said there was evidence linking the country's Prime Minister Ariel Henry to the plot and banned him from leaving the country until he answers questions about his potential involvement. One month after the assassination, the island nation was dealt another blow as a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in August. More than 2,200 people were killed and 100,000 homes destroyed. In August, Biden extended and expanded the TPS further. While it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US, critics argue many have traveled there believing they can seek asylum. Advertisement

Joe Biden has come under fire from both sides of the political aisle over the situation in Del Rio.

In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.'

Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency.

Then, in August - following the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise in July and the earthquake which killed more than 2,000 people the next month - extended and expanded the TPS further.

A statement on the Department of Homeland Security's website stipulates that the TPS rule only applies to Haitians already in the United States when the announcement was made in May, and that Haitians who subsequently tried to travel to the US would not be allowed to benefit from the new rule.

It is unclear how the United States is able to differentiate between Haitians who illegally entered the country before and after the TPS proclamation was made.

Republicans blame this pause on deportation flights for the surge in Haitians crossing into the US, arguing that this led Haitians to believe they would get asylum in America - when in fact it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US.

Democrats, meanwhile, are slamming Biden after he resumed deportation flights Sunday, sending people back to a nation that is unable to take them.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded the Biden administration stop the flights and cease using Title 42 on the Senate floor Tuesday saying it defies 'common decency'.

Last Thursday, a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from using Title 42 to expel migrant families but the order takes 14 days to take effect and the administration appealed the ruling the next day.

This week, further outrage surfaced after images went viral of Border Patrol agents on horseback appearing to whip migrants with horse reins.

One video shows agents on horseback, waiting on the US side of the Rio Grande as migrants - some of them families with young children - wade through chest-deep waters trying to cross.

Officers appear to charge their horses toward the migrants carrying food and supplies, some swinging their reins, with one clip appearing to show a horse being used to push a migrant back into the water.

In one photo, a mounted agent appears to be grabbing a migrant by the shirt as he tries to flee.

Meanwhile, Mexico has begun busing and flying Haitian migrants away from the US border, authorities said Tuesday, signaling a new level of support for the US as the camp presented Biden with a humanitarian and increasingly political challenge.

Migrants - mostly from Haiti - have been camping out under the bridge after crossing from Mexico into the US

An aerial image shows the camp under Del Rio International Bride near the Rio Grande river in Texas, where the US connects to Mexico

Thousands of Haitian migrants are seen in the makeshift camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas Tuesday awaiting processing

Migrants are seen camped out under the bridge Tuesday where around 14,000 people were said to be staying at the weekend

Thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time

Migrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge near the Rio Grande Tuesday

One migrant crosses the river carrying a suitcase from Del Rio, Texas, to return to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, Monday

Texas border agents DENY whipping migrants and accuse Biden administration of deflecting from its failings Texas Border Patrol agents have denied whipping migrants and claimed anyone with 'two brain cells' knows they use split reins to control their horses, after images emerged of mounted officers appearing to whip Haitian border crossers. Disturbing photos and video surfaced Sunday appearing to show agents on horseback whipping Haitian migrants with horse reins at the Rio Grande river which connects Mexico and the US. Agents pushed back against the criticism and accused the Biden administration of trying to deflect from its own failings in tackling the migrant crisis. One unidentified agent told Fox News the outrage over the images shows officials lack 'basic knowledge' of handling horses and that the outrage 'just proves what absolute idiots they are.' They denied the images depict physical abuse, saying the reins are used as whips - but on horses, not humans. 'With basic knowledge and two brain cells, anyone knows those agents use split reins. They do use them as a whip, on their horses,' the agent said. 'This helps get a quicker response from the horse to move out when needed, especially when the horse may be hesitant with groups of people or other animals.' The agent voiced frustration that the officials 'in charge' do not understand their roles at the border. 'Again it is clear that those 'in charge,' a term that is disgusting to use, have no clue about our operations and frankly operate by ignorance and unhinged emotions,' they said. A second agent told Fox the situation is 'blowing up' and that the accusatory response from officials and lawmakers is fueling more anger toward the Biden administration. 'This whole situation is blowing up and even liberals are turning on this administration,' one agent told Fox News. '[Harris] is placing blame on agents to deflect because she and Biden are not going to change how they are handling this.' National Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto also pushed back against the theory the agents were whipping migrants and insisted they were using approved techniques designed to keep the agents, the horses, and the migrants on the ground safe. The National Border Patrol Council is the labor union that represents United States Border Patrol agents and support staff. 'They were not whipping anyone. They don't carry whips. They don't get assigned whips,' he told Fox. 'What they do is a training technique that has been shown to them to make sure that no one takes over their horse. It was to protect the horse, to protect the rider, and to protect the individual that was trying to cause chaos and knock down that rider from that horse.' Del Cueto described the process of 'twirl[ing] the reins to protect everything and make sure everything's done correctly.' He added: 'But nobody was getting whipped, but some members of the media are sure pushing that narrative and our agency and our administration isn't helping much by not saying something about it.' Advertisement

Mexico has helped at key moments before. It intensified patrols to stop unaccompanied Central American children from reaching the Texas border in 2014, allowed tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in US immigration courts in 2019 and, just last month, began deporting Central American migrants to Guatemala after the Biden administration flew them to southern Mexico.

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's foreign relations secretary, said Tuesday he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about the Haitians' situation.

Ebrard said most of the Haitians already had refugee status in Chile or Brazil, having fled to those countries in the wake of the 2010 earthquake, and weren't seeking it in Mexico.

'What they are asking for is to be allowed to pass freely through Mexico to the United States,' Ebrard said.

Two Mexican federal officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Mexico's actions.

One of the officials said three busloads of migrants left Acuna on Tuesday morning for Piedras Negras, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) down the border, where they boarded a flight to the southern city of Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco.

The other official said there was a flight Monday from the northern city of Monterrey to the southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border.

Tapachula is home to the largest immigrant detention center in Latin America.

The flight carried about 100 migrants who had been picked up around the bus station in Monterrey, a hub for various routes north to the U.S. border.

The second official said the plan was to move to Tapachula all Haitians who already solicited asylum in Mexico.

The Haitian migrants who are already in Mexico's detention centers and have not requested asylum will be the first to be flown directly to Haiti once Mexico begins those flights, according to the official.

Around Ciudad Acuna, Mexican authorities were stepping up efforts to move migrants away from the border. There were detentions overnight by immigration agents and raids on hotels known to house migrants.

'All of a sudden they knocked on the door and (yelled) 'immigration,' 'police,' as if they were looking for drug traffickers,' said Freddy Registre, a 37-year-old Venezuelan staying at one hotel with his Haitian wife, Vedette Dollard. The couple was surprised at midnight.

Authorities took four people plus others who were outside the hotel, he said. 'They took our telephones to investigate and took us to the immigration offices, took our photos,' Registre said.

They were held overnight but finally were given their phones back and released. Authorities gave them two options: leave Mexico or return to Tapachula.

On Tuesday afternoon, they decided to leave town. They bought tickets for a bus ride to the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, planning to continue to Tapachula where they had already applied for asylum.

Others left without being told.

Small groups arrived at Ciudad Acunas bus station to buy tickets to Veracruz, Monterrey and Mexico City.

The same bus lines prohibited from selling them tickets for rides north through Mexico, sold them tickets to head south without issue.

In Haiti, dozens of migrants upset about being deported from the US tried to rush back into a plane that landed Tuesday afternoon in Port-au-Prince as they yelled at authorities.

A security guard closed the plane door in time as some deportees began throwing rocks and shoes at the plane. Several of them lost their belongings in the scuffle as police arrived.

The group was disembarking from one of three flights scheduled for the day.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot says officials are using 'unprecedented' methods to prevent 8,600 Haitian migrants from entering US by creating a 'steel barrier' of hundreds of SUVs at the border

Texas Governor Greg Abbot says officials are using 'unprecedented' methods to prevent 8,600 Haitian migrants from entering U.S. by creating a 'steel barrier' of hundreds of vehicles at the border.

Abbott visited the U.S.-Mexican border on Tuesday and praised DPS and Texas National Guard for creating a 'steel barrier' made up of hundreds of state-owned vehicles, almost all of which appear to be SUVs.

They are lined up outside Del Rio in Texas, which has seen an influx of 14,600 migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the US.

'They have created a steel barrier preventing people from being able to cross the border,' Abbott said Tuesday. 'One day there were countless people coming across the border, then the DPS put up all these DPS vehicles, and suddenly, in an instant, people stopped crossing the border in this location. That strategy is working.'

This overhead photo shows some of the hundreds of Texas state SUVs used to form a de-facto steel barrier along the United States-Mexico border in Del Rio, Texas

A 'steel barrier' of vehicles is the latest method border officials are utilizing to deal with the surge of thousands of Haitian migrants crossing into the United States

A 'steel barrier' of state-owned vehicles have been lined up for miles that stretch along the border

The 'steel barrier' is the latest method border officials are utilizing to deal with the surge of thousands of Haitian migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico by walking over a dam in the Rio Grande river.

Abbott has also flooded Del Rio with law enforcement officials to stem the flow of migrants, with both he and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claiming Tuesday that the border area has been successfully sealed-off.

Abbott also took shots at the Biden administration for not doing enough to secure the border and said the state of Texas would step up and add $2 billion toward border security funding, the Washington Post reported.

'When you have an administration that is not enforcing the law in this country, when you have an administration that has abandoned any pretense of securing the border and securing our sovereignty, you see the onrush of people like what we saw walking across this dam that is right behind me,' Abbott said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday blamed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the chaos in the Oval Office the day before, saying they were not given a head's up he was going to call on members of his press corps.

'He called on individuals within his press corps without alerting us to that intention in advance,' she said in her daily press briefing.

Psaki was quizzed repeatedly on why British reporters were called on during the Oval Office meeting with President Joe Biden but American reporters were not. White House aides ushered reporters out of the room, shouting over the journalists, as they tried to ask Biden questions.

'I think the president has not spent a minute worrying about it,' Psaki said.

She defended Biden's availability to the media to answer questions about his agenda and events happening in the United States. Psaki pointed out that Biden answered questions from the press 135 times leading up to September and three times in the last week.

She wouldn't commit to the president holding a formal press conference - he's only held one as president - but called the media 'vitally important to democracy.'

'Certainly I'm sure we will have another one,' she said when asked if Biden would hold another presser but said it was 'not at the top of the list of American public's concern.'

White House press secretary Jen Psaki blamed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the chaos in the Oval Office the day before

PM Boris Johnson called on British reporters but President Biden did not call on any American ones during their Oval Office meeting, leading to outrage among the American press

On Tuesday Biden did not recognize any American reporters for questions during his meeting with Johnson and his aides cleared out journalists as they tried to query the president.

Biden did attempt to answer one shouted question from a CBS reporter about the crisis on the Southern border but his answer was unclear when White House staff shouted down reporters, covering the president's attempt to respond as they demanded journalists leave.

'Violence is not justified,' Biden appeared to say but the rest of his response was not decipherable.

White House staff even interrupted Johnson as they pushed to get reporters out of the room, shouting over the British prime minister as he and Biden sat in their chairs, watching the chaotic scene unfold as aides ushered journalists out of the Oval Office.

As reporters were ushered out, CBS White House reporter Ed O'Keefe shouted a question to Biden asked about the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration is facing backlash and criticism following images of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback using whips to round up migrants or prevent them from stepping onto American soil.

But White House aides yelled 'thank you' and 'let's go' to the press in the room, herding them out as Biden appeared to try and address the issue. Between the shouting of his aides and the president's wearing a face mask, it was impossible to make out the majority of what Biden said.

The president seemed to know what he and the prime minister where in for when he wished Johnson 'good luck' after the prime minister said the two leaders would take a few questions.

'I think we will take a couple of questions, just a couple of people,' Johnson said.

'Good luck,' Biden responded.

Johnson then took control, calling on two British reporters for questions that he and Biden answered. The president did not call on a single reporter.

With no American reporter called upon and, as White House staff said it was time to go, the U.S. journalists started shouting questions at Biden and Johnson. That is when aides shouted them down.

'I think that's it,' Johnson quipped as the aides shouted at reporters and journalists shouted questions.

After reporters were pulled from the Oval Office, a group of American reporters making up the 'pool' - the small group of journalists that follow the president to represent the entire press crops - went into Psaki's office to give her a formal complaint about the situation.

'The entire editorial component of the US pool went immediately into Jen Psaki's office to register a formal complaint that no American reporters were recognized for questions in the president's Oval Office,' noted CBS radio correspondent Steve Portnoy in his report. Portnoy is also president of the White House Correspondents Association. 'And that wranglers loudly shouted over the president as he seemed to give an answer to Ed O'Keefe's question about the situation at the Southern Border. Biden's answer could not be heard over the shouting.'

'Psaki was unaware that the incident has occurred and suggested that she was not in a position to offer an immediate solution,' Portnoy's report continued. 'Your pooler requested a press conference. Psaki suggested the president takes questions several times a week.'

President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday

President Biden had a notecard in hand - as he usually does for meetings - that he referred to during his remarks with Johnson

Press are seen gathered in the Oval Office as Biden and Boris Johnson hold a meeting

A close up of the notecard Biden used in his meeting with PM Johnson

At the beginning of their meeting on Tuesday, Biden and Johnson exchanged pleasantries and joked about their shared love of trains. The prime minister took the Amtrak train down from New York City, where he was at the annual UN General Assembly meeting, to meet with Biden at the White House.

'They love you,' Johnson told Biden of Amtrak. 'You are a living deity on Amtrak, I can tell you.'

The president bragged how he had ridden over 2 million miles on the nation's train system.

'Well, they should. I've traveled more on Amtrak,' he said. 'If I were conductor I'd be number one in seniority.'

Johnson thanked Biden for hosting his first White House meeting. The two men were both in New York on Tuesday for the UN meeting but each traveled separately to Washington so they could meet at the White House.

'I want to thank you very much for today. It's great to be with you,' Johnson said. 'And This is a very important trip for us in the UK and we've seen some great progress just in the last period.'

He thanked Biden for lifting the ban on British beef in the U.S. and for easing the travel ban, allowing those fully vaccinated to travel between the U.S. and UK.

Biden had a notecard in hand - as he usually does for meetings - that he referred to during his remarks with Johnson.

Johnson then called on a few British reporters to ask questions. The two leaders were quizzed on the Harry Dunn case, possible trade deals and the Irish protocols. Reporters when then escorted out as the American press shouted questions to Biden about the latest crisis at the border and the situation with the French.

Biden reassured Johnson that the case of Harry Dunn, who died in a road crash involving U.S. diplomat Anne Sacoolas, is 'being worked on' even as no details were released.

But there seemed little prospect of Johnson get his wish for a trade deal.

'We are going to talk about trade a little bit today and we're going to have to work that through,' Biden cautioned.

Johnson, in the wake of Brexit, wants a free trade deal.

President Biden's answer to a question about the situation on the border couldn't be heard as his staff shouted over him

Immigrants at the Rio Grande river on the U.S.-Mexico border

CBP Office of Professional Responsibility is launching a probe into Border Patrol agents using what appears to be a whip or lasso while trying to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson enters the West Wing of the White House

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson took control of the Oval Office meeting with President Biden, calling on British reporters for questions

Johnson was at the White House for his first in-person meeting as prime minister. He first met with Vice President Kamala Harris before he joined Biden in the Oval Office.

'It's a great honor and privilege for me to be here to meet you for the first time. I've heard a lot about you but it's fantastic to be here,' Johnson told Harris at their meeting.

He praised the new announcement on climate funding from the United States, which Biden announced during his speech at the UN General Assembly. Biden said he'd ask Congress to double the amount of money for public climate financing - to about $11 billion a year.

'I just want to say, Madame Vice President, Kamala, on climate change I think that today was a really good day for the world. And I thank the U.S. government and President Biden for the steps you've taken to reassure the world that America is committed to helping to tackle climate change,' Johnson said.

Harris welcomed the prime minister, talking about the 'shared priorities' of the two countries - including the COVID pandemic and climate change.

'And of course we must work and continue to work together to uphold and protect democratic principles and values around the globe. And we look forward to that continuing relationship, and our relationship as partners,' she said.

Johnson also praised the U.S. easing its travel ban, allowing fully vaccinated people from the UK to come visit the United States.

He and Harris met in the vice president's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, across the driveway from the White House.

After their remarks, Johnson and Harris walked outside to the balcony overlooking the West Wing of the White House. They posed for photos and waved to journalists below.

Johnson and Biden took separate trips from New York to Washington on Tuesday to meet at the White House amid rising tensions with the French.

The two leaders were in New York for the UN General Assembly meeting but didn't meet face to face there. Instead their sit down on Tuesday evening will be in the Oval Office of the White House, a symbol of power and more recognizable backdrop.

It's Johnson's first trip to the White House, a visit he never made during Donald Trump's presidency, partially due to the COVID pandemic.

The British prime minister took the train from New York City to Washington D.C. a move the president - who earned the nickname 'Amtrak Joe' when he commuted daily from Wilmington, Del., to the nation's Capitol as a senator - appreciated. Biden on Tuesday took Air Force One back to Washington.

The two men previously met in person in June at the G7 meeting in Cornwall.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Vice President Kamala Harris wave from a balcony of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks with Vice President Kamala Harris in her ceremonial office across the drive way from the White House

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at White House to meet Vice President Kamala at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building ahead of his meeting with President Biden

Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes a train from Penn Station in New York to Washington DC for his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with aide David Blair (left), prepares for the meeting during the train ride

Boris Johnson in New York City's Penn Station, preparing to board his Amtrak train

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrive in Washington DC - it's Johnson's first White House meeting as prime minister

Prime Minister Johnson boarding the train

Joe Biden will sit down with Johnson in the Oval Office amid tensions with France over new AUKUS alliance - Biden flew from New York to DC on Air Force One

Johnson gushed over Biden in an interview with NBC's Today Show, which aired Tuesday morning ahead of their meeting.

'What I will say about Joe Biden and dealing with the new American president, yes, it is a breath of fresh air in the sense of the some things on which we can really really work together, and you knew I was gonna bring it up  climate change  he's great on that,' he said.

His remarks were seen as a swipe at former President Donald Trump.

But Johnson said the UK would seek a good relationship with whoever was in the White House.

'It is the job of the prime minister of the UK to have a good relationship with the president of the United States,' he said. 'The US-UK relationship - we are doomed, we are fated to get along. That applies to Donald Trump, that applies to Joe Biden.'

On Wednesday morning, the British prime minister will be on Capitol Hill to meet with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The British and American leaders are touting their close special relationship amid French fury at the new US-UK-Australian alliance, dubbed AUKUS, that saw Paris lose a $90 billion sub contract.

French President Emmanuel Macron recalled France's ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia after the deal was announced.

Biden has yet to address the situation and is attempting to speak to Macron.

'We're still working on the scheduling of it  with President Macron in the coming days,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.

'And what I expect the President will do on that call is reaffirm our commitment to working with one of our oldest and closest partners on a range of challenges that the global community is facing,' she noted.

Johnson, meanwhile, will celebrate the new deal with a dinner Tuesday night at the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C. with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

President Joe Biden emphasized the partnership American democracy shares with the world as he sat down with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Boris Johnson sat down with NBC in New York City ahead of the United Nations General Assembly where he gushed over Biden in an interview

Meanwhile, Biden and Morrison met in New York City on Tuesday afternoon where they emphasized their partnership was in the best interest of the world. The AUKUS deal, as it has been dubbed, is part of American moves to counter China's growing power in the Pacific region.

'The issues we discussed and our partnership today really do reach out to so many others in terms of how we address the global challenges,' Morrison said as he met with Biden at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York

Biden agreed. 'It goes well beyond just our partnership. Our partnership is in line with all the other democracies in the world. And we got a lot of work to do,' he noted.
President Biden is 'disappointed' lawmakers have decided to give up on negotiating bipartisan police reform six months after they began, according to press secretary Jen Psaki.

Psaki told reporters Wednesday the president is now considering taking action into his own hands.

'In the coming weeks, were going to consult with congressional leaders ... and discuss potential paths forward, including executive actions.'

Sen. Corey Booker and Rep. Karen Bass on the Democratic side and Tim Scott on the Republican side had spent months going back and forth to come up with a compromise, and in a meeting Tuesday the Democrats gave Scott their final offer.

Scott, R-S.C., did not agree to the offer and Booker called him Wednesday morning to inform him talks were now dead.

'Unfortunately, even with this law enforcement support and further compromises we offered, there was still too wide a gulf with our negotiating partners and we faced significant obstacles to securing a bipartisan deal,' Booker, D-N.J. explained in a statement.

Scott blasted his Democratic colleagues for 'walking away from the table.'

'Democrats said no because they could not let go of their push to defund our law enforcement.'

'After months of making progress, I am deeply disappointed Democrats have once again squandered a crucial opportunity to implement meaningful reform to make our neighborhoods safer and mend the tenuous relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Crime will continue to increase while safety decreases, and more officers are going to walk away from the force because my negotiating partners walked away from the table.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday the president is now considering taking action into his own hands after bipartisan police reform talks failed

President Biden is 'disappointed' lawmakers have decided to give up on negotiating bipartisan police reform six months after they began

'Unfortunately, even with this law enforcement support and further compromises we offered, there was still too wide a gulf with our negotiating partners and we faced significant obstacles to securing a bipartisan deal,' Sen. Corey Booker, above, explained

Bass, D-Calif., in a statement blamed her Republican counterparts who she said were 'unwilling to come to a compromise,' and called on Biden to use executive powers to take action.

'We developed proposals that we crafted with law enforcement, proposals crafted with activists  we even made proposals based on executive orders from former Presidents.

'We accepted significant compromises, knowing that they would be a tough sell to our community, but still believing that we would be moving the needle forward on this issue. But every time, more was demanded to the point that there would be no progress made in the bill that we were left discussing,' the congresswoman said.

Police brutality protests racked the nation last summer after the death of George Floyd in police custody

New York City was hit with a wave of racial injustice protests last summer

'I now call on President Biden and the White House to use the full extent of their constitutionally-mandated power to bring about meaningful police reform.'

Scott said the negotiators had agreed on banning chokeholds, limiting the transfer of military equipment to police departments and increased mental health resources, but Democrats would not agree to a bill with only those areas of agreement.

'Once again, the Left let their misguided idea of perfect be the enemy of good, impactful legislation.'

The South Carolina Republican seemed unaware talks would crumble so soon on Wednesday morning.

'If we walk away now, we walk away on that finish line,' he said earlier on CNN.

After the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the spring of 2020 and the following protests that rocked the country, lawmakers promised to take up the matter of police reform.

The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act last spring and has since tried to square it with Scott's Justice Act. But a key sticking point has been qualified immunity, or the doctrine that shields police officers from civil liability in cases of misconduct.

Democrats had favored getting rid of or vastly drawing back qualified immunity, while Republicans largely support the measure.

'When it comes to issues like raising professional standards, we couldnt even agree to codify what Donald Trump did in his executive order,' Booker told reporters on the Capitol steps on Wednesday. President Trump last year issued an executive order creating federal incentives for law enforcement to boost training and create a database to track misconduct.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department has been enacting its own police reforms for the federal officers it oversees. Federal law enforcement can no longer deploy chokeholds or no-knock warrants without use of force authorization in a life-threatening situation.

The restrictions apply to federal agents who work under the DOJ and local police departments who work with the DOJ through a joint task force.

There are more than 130,000 members of federal law enforcement, according to Justice Department figures, and more than 460,000 on the state and local level.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the White House will finally release information on how many of the thousands of migrants camped out under the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas have been released into the United States.

At her daily press briefing on Wednesday, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy confronted Psaki on the numbers - which he said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas didn't know.

'So who else can we ask?' Doocy asked.

When the press secretary attempted to direct him back to DHS, an incredulous Doocy replied, 'He says he doesn't know.'

'I am confident that he wanted to have the most up-to-date numbers and we will venture to get you those -I promise, this afternoon,' Psaki replied.

In a follow-up question Doocy asked if the issue was not knowing or if 'a lot more people are being released into the US than are being sent out.'

'That is certainly not the issue,' Psaki said.

It's not clear when those figures will actually become public.

Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a Fox News reporter that he'll get updated numbers on the migrant crisis this afternoon

Peter Doocy grilled Psaki on the Biden administration's perceived inaction on immigration reform

Mayorkas meanwhile was at the Capitol today for his second day of back-to-back Congressional hearings.

Republican Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez asked Mayorkas today about how many of the migrants apprehended at the border this year were detained, returned or 'dispersed.'

'I would be pleased to provide you with specific data subsequent to this hearing, congressman,' Mayorkas answered.

Gimenez accused Mayorkas of being unprepared for the hearing, to which the DHS chief snapped about his long work hours.

'I work 18 hours a day, OK? So when I returned from yesterdays hearing, I actually focused on mission. We will get that data, both to the senator who posed it yesterday and to you, congressman, today,' he said.

It follows on from Tuesday's hearing before the Senate when Mayorkas still could not provide migrant data.

'I want some numbers here. Of the 1.3 million people that we've apprehended, how many people have been returned? How many people are being detained? How many people have been dispersed to all points around America?' Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin asked the secretary during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing.

DHS Secretary Mayorkas was grilled by lawmakers in back-to-back hearings yesterday and today

'Senator, I would be pleased to provide you with that data  ' Mayorkas said before he was cut off.

'I want them now,' Johnson demanded. 'Why don't you have that information now?'

'Senator, I do not have that data before me,' Mayorkas replied.

'Why not? Why don't you have that basic information?' the senator asked.

'Senator, I want to be accurate,' Mayorkas said.

The secretary revealed Tuesday that around 5,000 migrants have been removed from the encampment surrounding the Del Rio International Bridge as the Department of Homeland Security launches a probe into agents on horseback using what appeared to be whips against the mostly Haitian migrants.

'How many migrants have crossed into the United States in Del Rio over the past week?' Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley asked Mayorkas.

'So last week, I think the high point was 13,000-15,000  it is now well below 10,000. We continue to move individuals from Del Rio to other processing centers to facilitate their repatriation,' the DHS secretary responded.

'We have increased the number of repatriation flights to Haiti and to other countries,' Mayorkas added as it was revealed this week DHS is aiming to send out several deportation flights per day.

Migrants stand in line while awaiting transport out of a border makeshift camp along the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on September 22

A photo from September 22 shows migrants being routed out of a makeshift border camp after being processed by US officials. The White House has pledged to deport most of the migrants back to Haiti under Title 42, but reports indicate that's not the case for some being released

U.S. Border Patrol agents ride near a migrant camp in Del Rio, Texas on September 22

Mayorkas also refused to say whether he felt he and the Biden administration bear any responsibility for the influx of Haitian migrants over the last few weeks or the broader border crisis in general.

The DHS chief visited the border after increasing pressure to do so as images of mostly Haitian migrants in a tent city under the Del Rio bridge spurred accusations the Biden administration was enabling a humanitarian crisis.

The administration used the Trump-era Title 42 policy as a shield, claiming migrants would be sent back to the Caribbean country, which is still reeling from a deadly earthquake and political instability following the assassination of its president.

Under Title 42, migrants can be repatriated to their home nations without the possibility of requesting asylum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, officials told DailyMail.com that thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on the deportation flights.

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio - where a peak of around 14,600 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under a bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US from Mexico - said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time under the so-called 'catch and release' scheme.

Others have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed by Border Patrol agents there, they said.
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Horrific photos have emerged of the squalid and fetid migrant camp in Del Rio, Texas that is currently home to thousands of Haitian migrants who've flocked to the US in the latest border crisis to hit Joe Biden.

Desperate migrants, many of them families with young children, are being forced to sleep on the dirty ground or - if they're fortunate - cardboard boxes folded out flat.

Many of the 8,600 who remain there have resorted to fashioning makeshift tents using discarded clothing and tree branches in order to provide at least some shelter from the elements. Some have attempted to

The heat has been punishing over the last week with temperatures soaring into the high 90s. Families have resorted to bathing in the grimy water of the Rio Grande river to cool off.

The squalor is more reminiscent of a Third World country than the land of the American dream, which thousands of migrants have fled to in the hopes of claiming asylum and building a better life.

Women and young children are seen lying on the ground of the camp among plastic bottles, empty Oreo packets and food containers

A young girl stands in the place that she currently calls home in a makeshift camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas

A Haitian passport is seen in a pile of trash near the International Bridge between Mexico and the US Tuesday night

A migrant walks past a pile of garbage at the camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas on the US-Mexico border Tuesday night

An aerial photo shows the huge piles of garbage which lie just steps away from the places young children sleep

Thousands are forced to sleep on the bare ground or on rugs laid among the debris of trees cut down to be used as shelter

Shocking images have emerged of the squalid and fetid migrant camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas that is currently home to thousands of Haitian migrants

HAITIAN MIGRANT CRISIS IN NUMBERS: Number of migrants in Del Rio at peak of crisis: 14,600 Number of migrants as of Tuesday evening: 8,600 Number deported to Haiti Sunday: 327 Number deported Monday: 233 Number deported Tuesday: 523 Total deported since flights began Sunday: 1,083 Number of deportation flights scheduled for Wednesday: 7 Advertisement

Empty water bottles, food containers and other litter is strewn around while mountains of garbage tower up high into the air.

An aerial photo shows the huge piles of garbage from above, which are seen just steps away from the places young children call home.

In another image, women and young children are seen lying among plastic bottles and an empty Oreo packet, on the ground which is covered in the remnants of trees that have been used to fashion the shelters.

Another photo shows a Haitian passport in a pile of trash including empty aluminum cans, an old shoe and discarded clothing.

The cramped conditions have also fueled fears of a COVID-19 outbreak - especially given that the migrants crossing the border are not required to be vaccinated before entering the US.

Almost 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under the bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US from Mexico.

Many fled Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and have been living in South American countries including Brazil and Chile.

But since these nations have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Haitians have traveled up through South America and Mexico to seek asylum in the US.

President Biden has been blamed after a May proclamation that Haitians in the US would not be deported for 18 months because of instability in their home country, and could apply for documentation to work in the US.

That only applied to Haitians already in the US at the time, but thousands have since made the trip to the border in a bid to take advantage of it.

Most of them live in Chile and Brazil, having moved there after the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed 200,000.

Border Patrol agents struggling to process the vast numbers of people quickly enough set up the makeshift camp under the bridge as a temporary home.

Last week, concerns rose that there would not be enough food, water and basic supplies to provide for the thousands of migrants living at the site.

A woman and child try to shelter under a makeshift covering made from sticks and clothing as they wait to be processed

Desperate migrants, many of them families with young children, are being forced to sleep on the dirty ground or - if they're fortunate - cardboard boxes folded out flat

Empty water bottles, food containers and other litter is strewn around the makeshift camp site under the Texas bridge

Many have resorted to fashioning makeshift tents using discarded clothing and tree branches in order to provide at least some shelter from the elements

A child holds up a teddy bear as he prepares for another night camped out under the bridge in Del Rio, Texas, Tuesday

One of the more fortunate sleeps on an airbed surrounded while clothes are draped around and a little girl clutches a teddy

Why Haitians are fleeing to America: Thousands of Haitians have crossed the border into Texas in weeks and months to seek asylum in America. Data released by Border Patrol shows 28,000 Haitians have been arrested along the border this fiscal year, which began last October - dwarfing the 2020 number of 4,395 and 2,046 in 2019. Last month alone, 6,768 Haitians were detained by Border Patrol, up from 5,000 in July. Most Haitians who have traveled to the border in recent weeks are thought to have already been living in South America after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 2010 which killed over 200,000 people. Many have then traveled up through Mexico into the US recently - driven by the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on South America. Republicans have argued that the influx of people has also been driven by the pause on deportation flights to Haiti by the Biden administration. In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.' Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency. Then, in early July, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home of Port-au-Prince in a dramatic plot which authorities are yet to determine who the mastermind was. The murder threw the troubled nation into uncertainty with gun battles breaking out in the streets and a fight over who was the rightful successor as questions continue to circle about a possible inside job. One month after the assassination, the island nation was dealt another blow as a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in August. More than 2,200 people were killed and 100,000 homes destroyed. In August, Biden extended and expanded the TPS further. While it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US, critics argue many have traveled there believing they can seek asylum. Advertisement

Instead, families were seen trudging back across the Rio Grande into Mexico to find basic supplies there and bring them back to their families in the Texas camp.

Jon Anfinsen, the top Border Patrol union official in the Del Rio Sector, revealed Friday there were just 20 portable toilets at the site to be used by the thousands of people.

Officials said more help was on the way at the weekend but the numbers of people still far outpace the supplies.

Concerns have also been raised about the treatment of the migrants after disturbing images surfaced of border agents appearing to use horse reins as whips on people trying to cross the border.

One video from Sunday shows agents on horseback, waiting on the US side of the Rio Grande as migrants - some of them families with young children - wade through chest-deep waters trying to cross.

Officers appear to charge their horses toward the migrants carrying food and supplies.

Some of them are swinging their reins, with one clip appearing to show a horse being used to push a migrant back into the water.

In one photo, a mounted agent appears to be grabbing a migrant by the shirt as he tries to flee.

Several Democrats have spoken out against the images, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki condemning the actions of the agents as 'horrific.'

Vice President Kamala Harris has demanded that Border Patrol agents treat migrants with 'dignity'.

'Yesterday, Vice President Harris spoke to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to receive an update about his trip to Del Rio,' Harris' chief spokesperson Symone Sanders said in a statement on Wednesday.

'During that call, the Vice President raised her grave concerns about the mistreatment of Haitian migrants by border patrol agents on horses, and the need of all CBP agents to treat people with dignity, humanely and consistent with our laws and our values.'

Around 8,600 migrants were still living in the camp Tuesday night - when the last tally was done - according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

This is down from the 15,000 peak at the weekend and comes as around 1,000 migrants have been sent back to Haiti since Joe Biden resumed deportation flights to the Caribbean nation Sunday.

Three flights deported 327 Haitian nationals from Del Rio back to the capital of Port-au-Prince Sunday.

Two flights deported 233 migrants Monday and 523 were flown out on four flights Tuesday, a source with knowledge of the matter told DailyMail.com.

In total, 1083 migrants have been deported in the last three days, suggesting up to 5,000 may have been released into the United States.

Another seven deportation flights were expected to expel further Haitian migrants Wednesday.

The squalor is more reminiscent of a Third World country than the land of the American dream, which thousands of migrants have fled to in the hopes of claiming asylum and building a better life

Clothes are draped around the area while cramped conditions have also fueled fears of a COVID-19 outbreak

Temporary dwellings made from carrizo cane stand in the migrant camp next to the US-Mexico border Tuesday

Garbage is strewn around the camp where some have managed to get tents to stay in which at least provide some escape from the elements

Migrants crossing the border are not required to be vaccinated before entering the US and the cramped camp is cause for concern

Timeline of a border crisis that caught Biden by surprise May 22 2021: Department of Homeland Security announces Haitians in US will be granted Temporary Protection Status (TPS), meaning they can't be deported and can apply for documentation that allows them to work July 7: Haitian President Jovenel Moise is assassinated at his presidential palace in Port-au-Prince August 14: Haiti is hit by magnitude 7.2 earthquake, killing at least 2,000 September 17: An estimated 12,000 migrants suddenly arrive in Del Rio, Texas, after crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico. Many had been granted refugee status in Brazil and Chile after an earlier quake in 2010 September 18: Biden administration announces it will swiftly deport Haitians who cross into the US from Mexico September 19: The number of migrants in Del Rio swells to an estimated 14,600. Deportation flights to Haiti begin, with 327 people flown out of the US September 20: Border Patrol officials continue bussing Haitians away from Del Rio, with a further 233 deported. Photos of migrants being confronted by agents on horseback cracking their reigns emerge September 21: Another 523 people are deported via plane, with the number of Haitians remaining in Del Rio estimated at 8,600. Texas Governor Greg Abbott arranges for hundreds of state vehicles to form a makeshift border wall in Del Rio September 22: Unnamed sources tell AP thousands of Haitians apprehended in Del Rio have been released into the US rather than deported. Seven flights have been scheduled to continue the deportation effort. Advertisement

The deportation flights are being executed under the Donald Trump-era Title 42 rule, which means migrants can be repatriated to their home nations without the possibility of requesting asylum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the number deported is far smaller than the change in number in the camp and officials with knowledge of the matter have said thousands had been freed into the US in recent days.

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, one official told Associated Press.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said.

They are then processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

Joe Biden has come under fire from both sides of the political aisle over the situation in Del Rio and the deportation flights.

In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.'

Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency.

Then, in August - following the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise in July and the earthquake which killed more than 2,000 people the next month - extended and expanded the TPS further.

A statement on the Department of Homeland Security's website stipulates that the TPS rule only applies to Haitians already in the United States when the announcement was made in May, and that Haitians who subsequently tried to travel to the US would not be allowed to benefit from the new rule.

It is unclear how the United States is able to differentiate between Haitians who illegally entered the country before and after the TPS proclamation was made.

The camp is seen along the side and beneath the Del Rio bride in Texas where around 8,000 are still living in squalor

Almost 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under the bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US

Migrants are forced to wash in the Rio Grande river while they stay in the makeshift camp under the bridge in Texas

Haitian migrants are pictured on the banks of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas, after crossing from Mexico into the US

Republicans blame this pause on deportation flights for the surge in Haitians crossing into the US, arguing that this led Haitians to believe they would get asylum in America - when in fact it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US.

Democrats, meanwhile, are slamming Biden after he resumed deportation flights Sunday, sending people back to a nation that is unable to take them.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded the Biden administration stop the flights and cease using Title 42 on the Senate floor Tuesday saying it defies 'common decency'.

Last Thursday, a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from using Title 42 to expel migrant families but the order takes 14 days to take effect and the administration appealed the ruling the next day.

This week, further outrage surfaced after images went viral of Border Patrol agents on horseback appearing to whip migrants with horse reins.
Erik Sydow's loving obituary for his sister Karen (pictured) drew a massive response on social media, and was shared thousands of times

A California man's loving obituary for his sister, who was born with cerebral palsy, has touched the hearts of thousands on social media.

In the 189-word tribute, Erik Sydow, 64, noted that his sister, Karen, 61, could only say three words: 'Mom,' 'piano' and 'Donalds' a reference to McDonalds, which was her favorite place to eat, but that she 'never had wants or misgivings.'

He titled the piece A Special Sister, and placed it in the September 18 edition of the Los Angeles Times, roughly two weeks after her death from heart and respiratory failure.

He wrote that the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic made visiting her difficult, but that they had just been getting back into their routine when in August he took her on a bike outing to a lake.

'Karen said "mom, mom,"' Erik recounted. Their mother had died in May of this year.

'I held her and told her "mom is not here anymore". Karen totally out of the norm put her head on my shoulder and tears ran down her cheek. Yes she understood,' he wrote.

She died two weeks later. 'I think she really wanted to be with mom,' he noted, adding, 'I wish I could have made you laugh one more time. I needed you too.'

He concluded: 'Love, your brother Erik.'

Among the tens of thousands who shared the brief tribute included celebrities such as Today Show anchor Hoda Kotb

Erik Sydow's tribute to his 'Special Sister' In memory of my sister who never had wants or misgivings. She was born with Cerebral Palsy and could never speak more than three words. 1) Mom 2) Donalds (she loved McDonalds) 3) Piano (she love music) The past 2 years with Covid made seeing her beyond difficult, only recently were we getting back to normal. Our father passed in 2007 and our mother this year, May 2021. On my last outing with Karen, we took a sunny bike ride; she laughed and clapped her hands. When we stopped by the lake for picnic lunch, Karen said "Mom, mom". I held her and told her "mom is not here anymore". Karen totally out of the norm put her head on my shoulder and tears ran down her cheek. Yes she understood. Two weeks later she passed away; I think she really wanted to be with mom. Karen, I wish I could have made you laugh one more time. I needed you too. Love your brother Erik Thank you to all that helped in Karen's care for so many years at Valley Village and Tierra del Sol. Advertisement

Although brief, the weight of Sydow's tribute struck a chord. Touched when he read it Daniel Miller, an enterprise reporter for the LA Times, took a photo of the printed obituary and posted it on Twitter.

It has since been shared more than 30,000 times, and garnered more than 249,000 likes. It has been viewed millions of times.

'If the point of an obituary is to make you feel you knew the person and to share their loss then the fact her brother did so in so few words is astounding. What a beautiful tribute,' tweeted one user in response. 'Thank you for sharing your sister with us Erik. I'm so sorry for your loss.'

Many others replying and sharing told their stories of caring for loved ones with cerebral palsy.

'This is my son Alex,' wrote one user along with a photo of him. 'I cannot even bear to think about what it will be like for him when I'm gone.'

'Im taking care of Ken after mom passed last year. every morning is just like christmas for him,' replied another.

'This is my 25 yr old son who also has cerebral palsy,' replied another.

'Hes got three siblings: two human and one canine. Hes an amazing person and I dread the moment we depart from each other.'

Children's book author Jess Zafarris wrote: 'My nephew is the kindest, gentlest, most selfless and empathetic human I know. He has cerebral palsy too. He's also clever, deeply curious and has an exceptional memory. His favorite restaurants are the ones on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.'

'Karen sounds lovely, just like him,' she added.

The outpouring of love and sympathy from thousands including well known personalities such as the Today Show's Hoda Kotb, drove Miller to visit Sydow and ask him what he thought.

In his own piece for the LA Times, he noted that although he was touched by the reaction, Erik was still more interested in talking about his sister.

Karen was been born in New York, and signs of her condition did not emerge until she was 3, and their parents moved to West Hills Los Angeles to provide better medical care for her.

She loved listening to records on her father's photograph as a child, and Erik said that may have led to her love of the piano.

Many shared their own experiences caring for loved ones with cerebral palsy

Their father worked as a software engineer, and when he came home she would crawl on his back as he took naps after work.

It was a ritual they continued even when he became sick, and was in hospice care. He died in 2007.

'He would just not move and allow her to do that,' he told Miller.

Karen spent much of her life living at Valley Village, and receiving physical therapy and taking music lessons at Tierra Del Sol, a non profit center. Erik thanked the staff at both locations in her obituary.

He said he never understood people who didn't give extra attention to loved ones who need it.

'There are a lot of people who dont want to acknowledge it, or are embarrassed by it,' he told Miller. 'That doesnt sit well with me.'

The family used to vacation at a beach in Cambria together. It is there, he told Miller, where he plans to scatter the ashes of his sister, father and mother in a private ceremony.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has branded his publisher Simon & Schuster 'a cartoonish corporate censor' in the introduction to his own book.

Carlson took shots at Simon & Schuster in the opening pages of his new book 'The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism', and says he was moved to do so by the publisher's cancelation of a book deal with Conservative Senator Josh Hawley in the wake of the January 6 riots.

'I'd like to acknowledge Jonathan Karp of Simon & Schuster, whose descent from open-minded book editor to cartoonish corporate censor mirrors the decline of America itself,' he wrote. 'It's been a sad education watching it happen.'

In promo interviews for the book, Carlson was even tougher on the book giant, branding it 'a disgusting company run by disgusting people' and its executives 'awful' and 'stupid.'

Tucker Carlson's (pictured) distain for Simon and Shuster and its leadership stems from their decision to not publish one of his frequent guest's book

Carlson called Simon & Schuster president Jonathan Karp (pictured) a 'cartoonish corporate censor' in his new book

Following the January 6 Capitol riots the publishing company decided not to go ahead with publishing Hawley's book 'The Tyranny of Big Tech,' because of what they considered his contribution to 'what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom,' the Washington Post reported.

Hawley has been accused of inciting rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6.

In the introduction to his book, Carlson details a private Zoom conversation he had with Karp, and publisher Dana Canedy, after he learned of Hawley's cancelled book deal where he asked what what the senator did wrong.

'I switched tacks and once again asked what Josh Hawley had done wrong. What was his crime?' Carlson wrote.

To which Karp simply replied 'It's a business decision, Tucker,' the Fox news host wrote in his book.

Following the January 6 Capitol riots Simon & Schuster decided not to go ahead with publishing Hawley's (pictured) book 'The Tyranny of Big Tech'

Carlson took shots at Simon & Schuster in the opening pages of his new book 'The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism'

Carlson said he took great offence to the decision to cancel Hawley's book deal.

'A company I was working for was doing harm, not just to one person, Josh Hawley, but to our entire system, to the idea of a free country,' he told Foxnews.com in August.

According to Carlson, there is no love lost between the publisher and him.

'They hate me and they hate the book, probably more than they've ever hated any person or any book they've ever published. I mean, they really hate me,' Carlson told Foxnews.com

He said he was unable to avoid publishing his latest book with Simon & Schuster because he'd signed a two-book deal with them, which also saw the TV star publish Ship of Fools in 2019.

Simon & Schuster has not publicly commented on the feud though.

Carlson's book was published by the publisher's Threshold Edition imprint that caters to conservative audiences.

Literary agent Esther Newberg told the Washington Post that it was unusual for an author to attack their own publisher in their book.

But she said it was indicative of tensions in the publishing world, and claimed mainstream publishers will continue to run into similar issues while working with conservative authors who 'embrace denialism' about the fairness of the 2020 election.

'One of the problems, I think, is when a publisher decides that they're going to make money publishing things that they don't agree with but everybody agrees that they deserve to be published. You get into a situation like this,' Newberg said.

Publishing firms have also been hit by claims of censorship amid reports progressive staff members have objected to books they find offensive on issues such as transgenderism.
States throughout the US have experienced alcohol shortages after COVID lockdown restrictions lifted as consumer demand for booze spikes, supply chains dry up and shipping costs for pricey imports skyrocket.

Last week, the Pennsylvania state consumer liquor board made an announcement that limited two bottles of select alcohol brands a day per customer.

In Virginia, customers are only allowed to purchase one bottle of select liquors per day.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina customers frequenting liquor stores are being greeted with 'out of stock' signs as well, according to WTVD,

A patron stands in front of a shelf full of wine bottles at The Liquor Store.Com on March 20, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York

Last week, the Pennsylvania state consumer liquor board made an announcement that limited two bottles of select alcohol brands a day per customer

'I don't think anybody saw the kind of demand that we're seeing right now  particularly in those high-end and super-premium products  coming,' said David Ozgo, chief economist of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Ozgo said the inventory issues are affecting every aspect of the alcohol beverage supply chain, with some alcohol distilleries finding it difficult to source glass for bottle-making.

And in many states, restaurants and bars are dealing with a lack of truck drivers to deliver the alcohol.

Importing spirits from overseas has become a pricey endeavor as well due to increasing prices for international shipping, NPR reports.

To make matters worse, most liquors take time to age and distill, in many cases years or even decades.

'So all along the line, you almost have a compounding effect,' Ozgo added.

In Virginia, customers are only allowed to buy one bottle of liquor per day, with state officials claiming the shortage is the result of skyrocketing demand for alcohol during the pandemic

Inventory issues are affecting every aspect of the alcohol beverage supply chain, with some alcohol distilleries finding it difficult to source glass for bottle-making

Towards the beginning of the pandemic, NPR reported on an October 2020 study that found Americans over the age of 30 were drinking 14 percent more often during the pandemic than they were beforehand, which lead to liquor stores being light on inventory before closing altogether after lockdowns.

But nearly a year later, Vermont, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and more are still reporting alcohol shortages, and it's unclear when the supply will be able to meet demand, according to NPR.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said the purchase limit will include the likes of Buffalo Trace bourbon, Hennessy Cognac and Patron tequila, and will remain in place for the 'foreseeable future,' the outlet reports.

This most recent statewide policy change in Pennsylvania will affect millions of residents, as the state government controls the sale of alcohol and operates all of the commonwealth's retail liquor stores.

'[W]e believe the shortages are out of their control,' Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, said of the state's liquor retailers and distributors.

Moran added that most often, it's the small businesses that will suffer the most when the alcohol supply chain runs dry.

'Unfortunately, since taverns and licensed restaurants  as well as the general consumer who walks into a state liquor store  are at the tail end of the chain, it does have a negative impact.'
Former President Donald Trump has overtaken President Joe Biden in approval ratings for the first time since his loss at the 2020 presidential elections, according to a new Harvard/Harris poll.

While Biden enjoyed his highest approval rating of 57 per cent in May, support for the president dropped dramatically to 46 percent as of September following the nation's chaotic exit from Afghanistan, crisis at the southern border with Mexico, and deadlock in Congress over his infrastructure bills.

Meanwhile, Trump's approval ratings remained at about 46 per cent since 2020 and surpassed Biden after rising to 48 per cent in September.

'The mounting issues on all fronts have led to the surprise conclusion that Trump is now seen as being as good a president as Biden, suggesting the honeymoon is being replaced with buyer's remorse,' Mark Penn, co-director of the Harvard/Harris survey told The Times.

A new Harvard/Harris poll found that most people are regretting voting for President Biden as his approval ratings fell over the summer while Donald Trump's ratings saw a small uptick

President Joe Biden, left, saw his approval rating dip below former President Donald Trump's for the first time since the 2020 presidential election

The influx of thousands of immigrants crossing the border into Texas is one of the latest issues plaguing the Biden Administration as Americans continue to question his leadership

The poll comes as Biden held talks with feuding Democrats at the White House on Tuesday in an effort to reach an agreement on the $1.1 trillion infrastructure deal and the second $3.5 trillion bill containing new social spending.

It also stands in the wake of a new migrations crisis in Texas as thousands of migrants, mostly from Haiti, cross the Rio Grande and settle in camps outside of the city of Del Rio.

As well as revelations that the US mistakenly killed 10 people, including one aid worker and seven children, after a botched done strike meant to kill an ISIS-K terrorist.

The Harvard/Harris poll also found that 55 per cent of people believed former Vice-President Mike Pence was a better vice president than his successor, Kamala Harris, and that 63 per cent of people thought Mike Pompeo was a better secretary of state than Anthony Blinken.

Only about a third of independent voters approve of President Joe Biden's job in August, a new low as he trails his own vice president among the same group and across all voters nationwide, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.

Numbers released eight months into the 78-year-old's presidency weighed the opinions of Americans from September 1 to September 17, beginning just after the US wrapped Biden's chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan and amid a worsening crisis at the southern border.

Just 43 percent of Americans approve of his work in office while more than half - 53 percent - say they disapprove.

Vice President Kamala Harris is faring slightly better, with an approval rating of 49 percent. Her nationwide disapproval is also 49 percent.

It's a steep drop from Biden's 50 percent approval rating in July as most of the US struggled with a summer COVID surge fueled by the Delta variant. Biden's disapproval rating was only 45 percent at the time.

Both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are failing to charm American voters, according to a new Gallup poll

The drop is fueled largely by independent voters, who favored Biden by 61 percent at the highest point. Now only 37 percent of independents approve of the job he's doing. Fifty-six percent of independents disapprove of Biden.

His approval among those voters was more than 10 points higher in July, before the Afghanistan withdrawal and before a devastating ISIS-K suicide attack killed 170 Afghans and 13 US service members in Kabul in the US military's deadliest day in the region since 2011.

Harris's approval rating among independent voters is 46 percent, nearly 10 points higher than her boss. Her disapproval rating is also slightly lower, at 51 percent.

The overall negative feelings toward America's leaders is reflective of a wider dissatisfaction in government.

A whopping 69 percent of voters surveyed say they disapprove of how the country is being governed.

Joe Biden's approval rating has been on a consistent decline since June, when he was at 56%

Kamala Harris's approval and disapproval rating are tied at 49% - the same number Joe Biden was at when he was vice president under Obama at this point in 2009

Just 30 percent, or less than a third, are satisfied with it. The number hasn't exceeded 50 percent since 2003.

During the 17-day period the survey was taken, Biden issued a sweeping and controversial vaccine order covering two-thirds of the US workforce.

Several Republican-led states have already announced their plans to take legal action against the White House's announcement.

Meanwhile, he's also been dealing with a crisis at the southern border that's been getting worse since he took office.

More than 208,000 migrant encounters occurred at the southern border in August, according to data from Customs and Border Patrol.

Biden continues to please Democrats, who gave him a 90% approval rating in September

Kamala Harris's approval by party is similar to that of her boss, though independents and Democrats weigh her slightly higher

Nearly 1.5 million migrants were encountered by Border Patrol in Fiscal Year 2021 so far.

But Biden's own party appears unfazed by the crises gripping the country. A commanding majority of 90 percent of Democrats still approve of his job in office. That's just three points down from August and unchanged from July.

The president's job approval among Republicans hit a new low in Gallup's surveys at just 6 percent. The highest it's even been during his time in office was 12 percent in February and July.

Biden's approval rating is significantly lower than that of his ex-boss at this point in his term.

Former President Barack Obama held a 61 percent positive rating. Biden's approval rating as vice president at the time was tied with Harris's at 49 percent.
Fat cat energy firms profiteering from the gas price crisis could face a windfall tax, with ministers 'looking at all options' to help households facing rocketing bills.

Millions of families face paying more than 400 extra as the ongoing crisis causes further suppliers to collapse.

Two more energy firms with a combined 800,000 customers, Avro Energy and Green Supplier, went into administration yesterday.

Dozens of other companies are under threat including Bulb, which supplies 1.7million homes.

Customers on cheap tariffs with failed firms face being bumped up to the capped rate of 1,277  a rise of at least 400.

Energy watchdog Ofgem described the situation as unprecedented and confirmed bills would rise further, while Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng indicated the Government was considering a windfall tax to help fund the response.

The bleak warning came as food chiefs said supply problems caused by shortages of drivers and farm workers were deepening.

Our concern is that the pictures of empty shelves will get ten times worse by Christmas and then well get panic buying, said Andrew Woolfenden of Tesco.

Twelve industry groups, led by the National Farmers Union, predicted the situation would get worse without a new visa regime to draw in foreign workers.

Customers with failing energy firms will be switched to new suppliers charging much higher tariffs, which is likely to add at least 400 extra to the cost of heat and light.

Meat manufacturers have warned that shoppers are likely to face higher prices as a result of the surge in CO2 costs

Two more energy firms with a combined 800,000 customers, Avro Energy and Green Supplier, went into administration yesterday. Dozens of other companies are under threat including Bulb, which supplies 1.7million homes

Empty shelves ten times worse by Christmas, says Tesco The sight of empty shelves could get ten times worse before Christmas and trigger panic buying, bosses at Tesco have warned. Britains biggest retailer said a chronic shortage of delivery drivers will make it impossible to move goods to stores during the busy festive season. Gaps have been seen on shelves for months as a result of the delivery crisis, while big chains including McDonalds and Wetherspoons have apologised to customers for shortages. Poultry industry bosses have warned of a lack of fresh turkeys and others have suggested problems with deliveries of toys and many other goods. Now Tescos UK distribution chief Andrew Woolfenden has said the situation is set to escalate. Our concern is that the pictures of empty shelves will get ten times worse by Christmas and then well get panic buying, he added. The road haulage industry says there is a shortage of more than 90,000 skilled HGV drivers. Industry leaders say the only solution is to create an emergency visa to allow thousands of truck drivers from EU countries into Britain to make sure the economy does not grind to a halt. Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps have so far ruled this out, insisting firms need to recruit more drivers and pay them better. Tesco has been offering new driver recruits bonuses of 1,000 since July, while other supermarkets and businesses have taken similar action. But Mr Woolfenden said firms are fighting over a limited pool of drivers so this approach is moving deckchairs around. Tesco has warned ministers it has a shortfall of 800 HGV drivers and asked the Government to temporarily make it easier to bring in workers from abroad. Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, which speaks for all the large store chains, said: Retailers are helping train tens of thousands of new British drivers but while this takes place it is vital that Government provides temporary work visas to allow drivers from abroad to fill the gap and keep our supply chains moving. A task force has been set up by the Cabinet Office to address supply chain problems. Industry leaders say the driver shortage is a combined result of Covid-19 and Brexit. The pandemic led to the cancellation of tens of thousands of driving tests for people who would have replaced older drivers leaving the industry. Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics said 14,000 European drivers left the UK in the year to June 2020 and only 600 had returned by July this year. The Road Haulage Association puts the number who left at 20,000 and Logistics UK at 25,000. A Government spokesman said: We recognise business is facing a range of challenges and we are taking steps to support them, including streamlining the process for new HGV drivers and increasing the number of driving tests. Twelve food and farming industry organisations, led by the National Farmers Union, say a worker shortage of around 500,000 means tonnes of good food is being thrown away. They sent a letter to the Prime Minister last night warning that without a new Covid Recovery Visa regime for foreign workers more shelves will go empty and consumers will panic buy to try and get through the winter. British Steel has warned that soaring energy prices are making it impossible to manufacture profitably at busy times of day. The firm said it would normally expect to pay about 50 per megawatt hour but, with prices spiralling out of control, it has recently been quoted as much as 3,500 at peak periods. Advertisement

Firms are falling like dominoes as the result of the gas price shock. So far nine have gone bust this year, affecting around 1.9million homes.

Ofgem chief Jonathan Brearley told MPs yesterday: We have already seen hundreds of thousands of customers affected and it could go well above that. This is something we have war-gamed and thought about.

The gas price is almost six times the level it was last year and, indeed, it rose by 70 per cent in August. So, we are in unprecedented cost territory.

The energy sector has faced shocks... but it really is something we have not seen before at this pace.

Unfortunately, when you see costs like this change, ultimately that will feed through to bills. Equally it is true that there are many suppliers under huge pressure now because of that dramatic change in their cost base.

Adam Scorer, of the charity National Energy Action, said it was imperative to protect consumers and low-income households from the price rise. Damage limitation is the priority for most customers at the moment, he added.

Customers with the failing energy firms have typically been paying 800 to 900 a year. But the switch to a new supplier will see them moved to a price cap figure set by Ofgem, which will be 1,277 for an average household from October 1.

And there are warnings that this figure could climb again  by as much as 280 a year  from next April when the cap is next reviewed. Mr Scorer said many of the worst hit by price rises were reliant on Universal Credit.

He described as unconscionable the Governments decision to remove a 20 uplift in the benefit from the start of next month.

Ministers are under pressure to protect the most vulnerable against the spike in the cost of heat and light over the coming months. This could include increasing the number entitled to receive the Warm Homes Discount, which is worth 140 a year.

The surge in wholesale prices is delivering riches to energy companies that own and sell gas and electricity to retail firms, who in turn sell it to homes and businesses.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng indicated the Government was considering a windfall tax to help fund the response to the crisis.

Labour MP Darren Jones, chairman of the Commons business, energy and industrial strategy committee, said Spain had imposed a levy on the generators and traders who are making very significant profits to fund protections for consumers.

Asked if that was a possibility here, Mr Kwarteng said: We are looking at all options. What they are doing in Spain is recognising that its an entire system. I am in discussion with Ofgem and other officials, looking at all options.

The trade body which represents suppliers, Energy UK, said the Government and regulators were warned two years ago that the market was fragile.

Chief executive Emma Pinchbeck said: The point is, right now, we think that good, well-run companies will fail. And thats a function of both the pricing shock but also market design.

Her members say the cap on energy prices brought in by Theresa Mays government has played a part in the failure of some firms because they have to sell gas and electricity at a loss. But Mr Kwarteng insisted the cap must stay.

Chief executive of Citizens Advice, Dame Clare Moriarty, said the cut in Universal Credit was coming at the worst possible time. She added: The Government has shown in this pandemic that its willing to support people through hard times. With a cost of living crisis under way, it must reverse the disastrous decision to cut this lifeline.

At Prime Ministers Questions, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner challenged her opposite number, Dominic Raab, to guarantee no one would be pushed into fuel poverty this winter.

She accused the Government of hitting the pockets of working families by cutting the income of a worker on 18,000 a year by over 1,100 with tax rises.

Miss Rayner added: That is almost exactly the same as an average annual energy bill.
A former Navy Seal is missing after going on a trip to Yellowstone National Park with his half-brother, who was found dead next in the Wyoming part of the park.

A relative of 74-year-old 'hero' Kim Crumbo, from Utah, reported him and his half-brother Mark O'Neill, from Washington, missing on Sunday when they failed to return on time from their four-night camping trip to Shoshone Lake.

On Monday, rescuers found O'Neill's body in the eastern shore along with a canoe and paddle. The official cause of his death has not been disclosed yet. He was 67.

On the south side of the lake, rescuers also found a vacant campsite.

Ten search-and-recue personnel and crew from Grand Teton National Park are searching for Crumbo.

'Park search and rescue personnel continue to look for Crumbo by foot, helicopter and boat at Shoshone Lake and will continue for the next several days as conditions warrant,' read a Wednesday update from Yellowstone Park.

Seventy-four-year-old 'hero' Kim Crumbo is being searched by rescue crew at Yellowstone National Park after he went missing in a canoe trip with his half-brother Mark O'Neill, 67. O'Neill was found dead by the lake

Shoshone lake, the second largest lake in the park, presents strenuous conditions, with low temperatures, sudden high winds and storms. Crumbo and O'Neill were experienced campers

On Monday, rescuers found O'Neill's body in the eastern shore along with a canoe and paddle. On the south side of the lake, rescuers also found a vacant campsite

Conditions in the lake, the second largest in the park, are strenuous with low temperatures, sudden high winds and storms. Survival time in the lake's usual temperature of 48 degrees is just 20 to 30 minutes.

A friend and colleague of Crumbo told the New York Post that she remained hopeful he was alive.

'He's a monumental hero and legend of a man. We can't bring ourselves to believe he wouldn't emerge from this,' Kelly Burke told the outlet.

Crumbo and O'Neill were both expert boaters and retired National Park Service employees at the Arizona Grand Canyon.

Both Crumbo and O'Neill were experienced wildlife adventurers. They were retired National Park Service employees at the Arizona Grand Canyon

Yellowstone National Park said that ten search-and-recue personnel and crew from Grand Teton National Park are searching for Crumbo

Crumbo served two tours in Vietnam in his four years in the Navy and worked as a ranger and river guide for decades. Before his retirement in 1996, Crumbo founded a council to protect species and ecosystems.

He also contributed to The Salt Lake Tribune as a contributor on matters of wildlife.

John Davis, executive director of the Rewilding Institute, where Crumbo is a board member, told the Salt Lake: 'He is one of North America's strongest wilderness and wildlife advocates for decades.'

'He is a core part of our Rewilding team,' Davis said. 'We are hoping against hope that he defies the odds, again, and turns up alive.'

Authorities in the park have said that while they won't comment on the active search and investigation, they ask the public to maintain distance from any law enforcement personnel, equipment, vehicles and their related activity for the safety of the public in this remote area.

In his biography on Voices For America's Wildlife, Crumbo said that he acquired a love and curiosity for wildlife during his military years and that it was his grandfather, also a Navy veteran, who introduced him to the mountains of Utah.

In his biography on Voices For America's Wildlife, Crumbo said that he acquired a love and curiosity for wildlife during his military years
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An aggressive Brian Laundrie berated wait staff at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Wyoming during an argument over the bill, prompting girlfriend Gabby Petito to apologize for his behavior just days before she disappeared, witnesses say.

Nina Celie Angelo of New Orleans recalled the August 27 incident in Jackson Hole during an interview with Fox News.

Angelo, a photographer, was with her boyfriend, financial adviser Matthew England, when they stopped to have lunch at Merry Piglets sometime between 1 and 2pm.

'We have already talked to the authorities about the situation and we are not allowed to comment on it further,' a restaurant employee told DailyMail.com on Wednesday.

The couple was in Wyoming in late August to attend a wedding.

While dining at the restaurant, they overheard a loud conversation in which another customer was heard screaming at wait staff in what appeared to be an argument over the check.

Angelo said that the man involved in the dispute displayed aggressive body language.

The man left the restaurant and then returned around four times, she said. Afterward, a young woman who was with the man came into the restaurant and apologized to wait staff for his behavior.

Merry Piglets officials later posted on Instagram: 'Yes, we can confirm Gabby and Brian were in Merry Piglets.

'We have already notified the FBI and they are aware. We are letting them do their jobs and we are respecting Gabby's family and have nothing further to comment.'

Nina Celie Angelo (left) of New Orleans recalled the August 27 incident in Jackson Hole, Wyoming involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie (right)

Angelo, a photographer, was with her boyfriend, financial adviser Matthew England, when they stopped to have lunch at Merry Piglets sometime between 1 and 2pm. The couple was in Wyoming in late August to attend a wedding. While dining at the restaurant, they overheard a loud conversation in which another customer, Laundrie, was heard screaming at wait staff in what appeared to be an argument over the check

Angelo said she didnt think much of the incident. When she and her boyfriend returned to New Orleans, the region was ravaged by Hurricane Ida, and they had forgotten about the altercation at the restaurant.

Earlier this month, Petitos disappearance made headline news. Soon afterward, police body cam footage surfaced showing Petito and Laundrie being interviewed by an officer after a domestic incident in Moab, Utah.

As England watched the images of Petito and Laundrie in the body cam footage, it began to dawn on him early on Wednesday morning that they looked familiar.

'He goes, "Nina, that was the couple fighting at the restaurant", Angelo said.

'And it stopped me in my tracks. I felt like the blood left my body.

'I was like, "Oh my God, I completely forgot about that incident".'

The memory of the argument is particularly powerful in light of the news that Petito's body was found nearby at Grand Teton National Park on Sunday.

Laundrie, who is considered a person of interest as he was the last person to see Petito alive, has been missing for days as authorities comb a Florida swamp near his home.

'I have chills right now,' Angelo told Fox News.

'It's crazy because it wasn't just like we passed them on the street  it was a full blown incident.'

On Instagram, Angelo posted a story describing what she saw.

Excuse my French, but I am freaking the f*** out, Angelo said on her Instagram page.

Matt and I just realized - I dont know cause Im a dumb a** and I did not put two and two together - that we saw a blowout of a situation between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie in Wyoming when we were there.

How I did not put two and two together that this happened? I dont know.

Angelo said that she had contacted authorities about the incident.

She said that her boyfriend has an insane photographic memory.

England has told her for days that he knows this guy, Brian and that he had seen him before.

Angelo, a photographer, was with her boyfriend, financial adviser Matthew England, when they traveled to Wyoming for a wedding in late August

Angelo says England recognized Laundrie and Petito after seeing news reports that included police body cam footage of the couple during an August 12 incident in Moab, Utah (above)

Angelo said England told her: They were the couple fighting in the restaurant.

We were sitting right next to them, she said. They got kicked out of the restaurant and were fighting with the hostess.

Angelo says Petito was 'hysterically crying' and 'walked out.'

'She was crying as she was standing on the sidewalk and I was watching the whole thing unfold,' according to Angelo.

'And he walked back in the restaurant and he's fighting with the hostess.'

Laundrie walked in and out of the restaurant 'four more times' to 'talk to the manager' and 'tell the hostess off,' according to Angelo.

In another video, Angelo says she is 'freaking out' and 'having an out-of-body experience' knowing that she 'did not remember this situation.'

Jenn Bethune, who runs 'Red, White and Bethune' on YouTube, said she found footage of Petito's van when she parsed over her videos from Grand Teton National Park after she was tagged in a post urging anyone who had filmed or photographed the area to search for clues. This image was taken hours after the restaurant incident on August 27

Jenn Bethune (pictured left), who travels the country with her husband Kyle (pictured right) and her three children in a 1983 Silver Eagle bus that they call 'Blue Betty' (also pictured) said she remembered driving past the van because of its Florida plates - she and her travel partner, she said, are originally from the state.

Hours after the restaurant incident, a travel blogger drove by Petito's van. She turned over images she took that included the van to the FBI and her family said the discovery of the footage gave her 'chills.'

Jenn Bethune, who runs 'Red, White and Bethune' on YouTube, said she parsed over her footage from the national park after she was tagged in a post urging anyone who had filmed or photographed the area to search for clues.

The video was captured on August 27 at Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area near Grand Tetons National Park.

'I got chills all over my body and ran straight back to my laptop, got my GoPro footage, and lo and behold Gabby's van was on there,' she told host Ainsley Earhardt on Fox & Friends on Monday.

Petito, 22, was reported missing on September 11 after being last seen on August 24. Her fiance Brian Laundrie returned home to Florida on September 1 without her, and refused to cooperate with authorities and was reported missing himself on Friday.

On Sunday, FBI agents found the remains of the missing 22-year-old near the campground in Bethune's video.

Earlier on Wednesday, Petito's family sent a cease and desist letter to Brian Laundrie's lawyer after his business's Yelp page used photos of their dead daughter.

A Yelp page For Bertolino's law firm featured a photo of Petito on the page earlier Tuesday (seen above), but Yelp says the lawyer did not post the page

Gabby Petito's family have sent a cease and desist letter to Brian Laundrie's lawyer, although he denies knowledge of the Yelp page, and the review site itself has since confirmed that he had nothing to do with it

Richard Benson Stafford, the attorney for the Petito family, is demanding the Laundrie family lawyer Steven Bertolino take down the photos by 2pm Wednesday or face 'further action.'

The family initially tried to remove the photos themselves but were informed that only the business owner can add or remove photos, Stafford wrote in the letter dated September 22.

Bertolino has denied having control of the Yelp page and said any suggestion he would 'use this case to drum up any business' is 'disgusting'.

A Yelp spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com that the photo of Petito was uploaded by a user - not by Bertolino.

In the letter, Petito's family also demands Bertolino 'cease and desist posting pictures of Gabby Petito to any and all of your social media pages, web pages, or advertisements in an effort to gain business.'

'I am sure this will be taken care of by 2pm or I will take further action on behalf of Gabby's family,' it read.

Yelp is an online directory advertising local businesses where people can leave reviews and ratings.

Bertolino's business page featured a photo of Petito on the page earlier Tuesday.

As of 1pm ET, the only two photos on the webpage was a montage of two pictures of Laundrie and a screengrab of a short bio page.

Steven Bertolino (pictured) has denied having control of the Yelp page and said any suggestion he would 'use this case to drum up any business' is 'disgusting'

A warning was also displayed on the Yelp page reading that it was now 'monitored by Yelp's Support team for content related to media reports' and that the site had 'temporarily disabled the posting of content' to the page.

The Yelp spokesperson said the user who uploaded the photo had taken it down.

'We can confirm that the user who uploaded the photo removed it today. Yelp placed an Unusual Activity Alert, as part of our broader Consumer Alerts program, on the business's Yelp page on Tuesday,' they said.

'Businesses and consumers can always report reviews and photos for removal if they believe the content violates Yelp's Terms of Service or Content Guidelines.'

Both the business owner and website users can post photos onto a Yelp business page.

Under Yelp's policies, if a business owner uploads an image onto their Yelp page, it can only be removed by the business owner or by Yelp.

Similarly, if the photo is uploaded by a user, only that same user or Yelp can take it down.

Because the image was posted by a user, Bertolino was not able to remove it from the business page.

It is also unlikely that Bertolino either set up the Yelp page or had any connection to it as the page is listed as 'Unclaimed'.

Business listings can be created by Yelp following the posting of customer reviews and the business owner is then able to 'claim' the business to update business information and respond to reviews.

The 'unclaimed' tag reveals Bertolino has not done this.

Bertolino hit back at the allegations he was using Petito to drum up business, telling ABC7 the suggestion is 'disgusting' and that he has not 'advertised or sought business in over 20 years.'

'That's disgusting. Just so you know, my website and any review sites that I do not control have been overrun by John Q. Public,' he said.

'Indeed yelp actually shut the site down due to the inordinate amount of fake commenting on it.

'I have not advertised or sought business in over 20 years and I would certainly not use this case to drum up any business.'

DailyMail.com has contacted Bertolino for further information and comment.

A warning was also displayed on the Yelp page reading that it was now 'monitored by Yelp's Support team for content related to media reports' and that the site had 'temporarily disabled the posting of content' to the page

Brian Laundrie mowed the lawn and went on family bike rides 'like nothing bothered him' after returning from cross-country trip alone, says neighbor Brian Laundrie's neighbor has revealed that the 23-year-old mowed the lawn and went on family bike rides 'like nothing bothered him' after returning from the cross-country trip alone. Charlene Guthrie, who lives across the street from the Laundrie family in North Port, Florida, told Fox News she saw Laundrie return to 'normal life' - all the while his girlfriend Gabby Petito was missing, possibly already dead. 'He mowed the lawn. Him and his mother went for a bicycle ride around the block,' Guthrie said. 'I mean, everything was just normal life once he came back. 'And I just can't get over the fact that they  it seemed like nothing bothered him. How can you do that?' Laundrie returned to North Port without Petito in the couple's campervan on September 1. Authorities were then alerted to her disappearance on September 11. Guthrie said the discovery of Petito's body and Laundrie's disappearance look 'really, really bad for him' and that she believes he 'should be a suspect.' The neighbor also hit out at Laundrie's parents for not coming forward when their son went missing and that they 'let him go' in the first place. 'I have children, and I know that you do what you can to protect your child, but, you know, that can go so far, and you gotta do the right thing eventually. You have to,' Guthrie said. '[The Laundries] should have absolutely come forward now. I mean, I just can't believe they didn't do something. I'm really angry now that they let this go. 'And that everything was so natural and they remained so normal through the whole thing, you know, while they were here, till he went on the run.' Advertisement

The legal action was taken hours after Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney in an Instagram post late Tuesday, saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and saying his attempt to show 'compassion' are 'beyond disgusting'.

Laundrie's whereabouts are still unknown, with the manhunt entering its fourth day in Florida and law enforcement sources saying the 23-year-old boyfriend of Petito is the 'prime suspect' in her homicide.

Police and FBI agents resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve early Wednesday, sharing photos of search dogs heading out into the 25,000-acre swampland on social media. Dive teams were later spotted heading into the nature reserve around midday.

Bertoloni had released a statement Tuesday after a preliminary autopsy confirmed the body found Sunday in a campsite near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming belongs to 22-year-old Petito and that her manner of death was homicide.

'May Gabby Rest In Peace,' the attorney said in the statement.

Steve Petito took to social media Tuesday to blast Laundrie's attorney accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'

'As far as the law is concerned this law firm may be immune due to attorney/client privilege,' he wrote.

'But in the eyes of the public you are as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up and stalling tactic.'

He added: 'We don't require nor want you empathy. By you trying to show compassion here at this moment is beyond disgusting.'

Steve told Fox News Wednesday the Petito family will release a statement when her remains are returned to them from Wyoming.

The coroner is still carrying out tests on the 22-year-old's body to determine her cause of death.

Police named Laundrie a 'person of interest' in his girlfriend's disappearance last Wednesday.

At the time, the case was a missing person case with officials hopeful they would find the travel blogger alive.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ Laundrie is now their prime suspect in her death.

But prosecutors are said to be holding off from bringing charges or officially naming him a suspect until they can locate Laundrie.

Even then, this does not mean he will be charged with her murder.

The coroner ruled Petito's manner of death homicide but the cause of death is yet to be determined.

'Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999,' FBI Denver tweeted Tuesday.

'Coroner Blue's initial determination for the manner of death is homicide.

'The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.'

In Colorado, homicide includes varying degrees of murder and manslaughter.

It is also unclear if Laundrie is even alive to face any possible charges.

His parents told law enforcement Friday they last saw him over a week ago last Tuesday when he left their home with a backpack and told them he was heading to the Carlton Reserve.

A North Port police spokesman said early Wednesday that searchers have 'huddled up' and headed out again to look for Laundrie in the vast, alligator-infested reserve.

Petito's grieving uncle Steve Petito lashed out at Laundrie's attorney Steven Bertoloni in an Instagram post late Tuesday saying we 'don't require nor want you empathy' and accusing him of being 'as guilty and complicit with this massive cover-up'

A van from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, towing a small dingy, turned up about an hour after an airboat was seen for the first time at the 25,000-acre reserve.

When asked if police divers were recovering anything significant, North Port Police information chief Josh Taylor said: 'We are looking. Nothing found. We have to work to rule it out though.'

'Area resources are looking at large bodies of water, including dive teams, boats, and sonar equipment. At this time, this does not mean anything has been found. It's a part of the overall search process,' Taylor said.

'Additionally, right now, NPPD is on scene of a possible self-inflicted death, roughly one mile from the Environmental Park. Nothing to do with this case.'

The terrain is particularly treacherous, with 80 miles of hiking trails and some sections nearly impassable to humans.

The Sarasota Police Department tweeted Wednesday that, despite rumors, Laundrie is not in custody and the search for him was continuing.

Police divers joined the search for Brian Laundrie just before noon Wednesday with an airboat to join the manhunt for Brian Laundrie

A van from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force, towing a small dingy, turned up about an hour after an airboat was seen for the first time at the 25,000-acre reserve

Laundrie's whereabouts are still unknown, with the manhunt entering its fourth day at a nature reserve m Florida (pictured)

Police and FBI agents resumed their search of the Carlton Reserve early Wednesday, sharing photos of search dogs (above)

Search teams from multiple law enforcement agencies gathered Wednesday for a briefing before heading out into the 25,000-acre swampland

Search teams fan out at Carlton Reserve park near North Port, Florida, Wednesday as the manhunt for Laundrie continued

Agents with K-9s are seen in Wednesday's search for the missing boyfriend of Gabby Petito - whose body was found Sunday

Buggies are being used in the search across the 25,000-acre swampland much of which is barely passable by humans

The search was called off for the night late Tuesday before agents from around eight different teams returned to continue with their efforts early Wednesday.

The search began on Saturday, starting at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park which is linked to the Carlton Reserve, a vast nature reserve about five miles from the North Port home Laundrie shared with his parents and Petito.

The search was then paused Monday when authorities said they had 'exhausted all avenues' before teams returned to the area Tuesday, where they focused their attention on the area closer to the city of Venice, along with adjoining lands.

On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered all state agencies to assist federal and local law enforcement in the search, saying 'we need justice for Gabby'.

More than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies led by the FBI used huge swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s and drones to comb through the snake and alligator-infested swampland.

A memorial cross of stones is arranged at the spot believed to be the final resting place of Petito at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campsite, close to Grand Teton National Park

The undeveloped campground is popular with tourists though it has no water or trash service. Above, a sign points to the area

The pair had been travelling on a cross-country trip together since July 2, when they left New York. Petito was reported missing on September 11

The FBI is asking anyone who may have had contact with Petito or Laundrie, may have seen their vehicle or who visited the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest between August 27 and 30 to contact authorities.

Several people have come forward with tips and to report seeing the couple's van or Laundrie during this timeframe.

One witness said in a TikTok she believes she is the one that led the FBI to Petito's body.

Sarasota Police Department said Laundrie is not in custody

Jessica Schultz said she told the FBI on September 16 she had spotted Laundrie near the Spread Creek campsite in Wyoming on August 26, 27 and possibly 28.

She said she and a group of friends were camped at Spread Creek from August 22 to 29 and noticed the couple's campervan because it was trying to park, and blocking her way.

She said she very clearly recalled seeing a man alone - who she is '100 per cent certain' was Laundrie.

'It was just him, there was no Gabby,' she said.

Schultz said agents told her 'you guys are the ones that really tipped us off to the right place'.

Petito was last seen alive August 24 leaving a motel in Salt Lake City in Utah with Laundrie during the cross-country campervan trip that she and Laundrie had set out on back in early July.

She was then last heard from the next day when she called her mom Nicole Schmidt.

Laundrie arrived back in North Port alone on September 1 in their van and Petito was reported missing September 11 by her family.

Laundrie refused to cooperate with investigators or tell them when he had last seen his girlfriend and was named a person of interest in her disappearance last Wednesday - four days before a body was discovered.

Laundrie's parents then made the stunning revelation Friday that he too had vanished and that they had not seen him since September 14 - when he allegedly left their home with a backpack saying he was heading to the reserve.

Their attorney said the family went looking for Laundrie on Wednesday and found his silver Ford Mustang convertible at the reserve, which had a police note on it demanding that the vehicle be removed from the area.

The family initially left the car there so Laundrie could drive it back, but they returned on Thursday to retrieve it, he said.

A mural of Gabby Petito with wings was placed at Nicholls Road and Montauk Highway, in Blue Point, New York

Petito was originally from New York with her family saying they will release a statement when her body is returned there

A makeshift memorial for Gabby Petito is seen near North Port City Hall in North Port, Florida, where she used to live

On Monday, a dramatic FBI raid was executed on the Laundrie family home in North Port, Florida, and the Mustang was seized by authorities.

In seeking the search warrants, investigators cited an 'odd' text message sent from Petito's phone to her mom on August 27, which set off alarm bells.

The text read: 'Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls'.

'Stan' referred to Petito's grandfather but Petito's family insist she would not usually refer to him by his first name.

'The reference to 'Stan' was referring to Gabby's grandfather. But according to her mother, Gabby never calls him 'Stan'. The mother was concerned that something was wrong with her daughter,' the warrant states.

It added this was the 'last communication anyone has with the subject. Her cell phone was no longer operational, and she stopped posting anything on social media about their trip. Per her family, this was not normal behavior for the subject and they became more worried about her.'

A second text from her phone on August 30 has also been questioned by the Petito family.

'No service in Yosemite,' the message read.

Cops in ATVs were seen heading into the 25,000 acre Carlton Reserve in Florida to search for Laundrie on Tuesday

More than 50 searchers from at least eight law enforcement agencies led by the FBI used huge swamp-busting amphibious vehicles, ATVs, bloodhounds, other K9s and drones

North Port Police shared these images showing officers sending drones operated by remote controls up in the air

Four ATVs were seen heading to the swampy area in this photo, as part of the huge search operation to try and find Laundrie

Petito's computer was in her white Ford Transit campervan that the couple were traveling across the US in whenL Laundrie arrived back to Florida without her.

The vehicle was seized by North Port Police on September 11 - the day Petito was reported missing.

The couple are known to have gotten into a suspected 'domestic abuse incident' on August 12 - less than two weeks before Petito was last seen alive.

Police were called out to the incident involving the young couple in Moab, Utah.

Chilling 911 audio released Monday revealed how the caller reported seeing the 'gentleman was slapping the girl'.

In the audio, obtained by DailyMail.com, the male caller tells a Grant County sheriff that a 'gentleman' in a white van with a Florida license plate had slapped a girl in the vehicle before driving away.

'They just drove off. They're going towards Main Street. They made a right onto Main Street from Moonflower. We drove by him, a gentleman was slapping the girl,' the man continues.

A tearful Petito is seen in the back of the police car in Utah August 12 -13 days before she was last seen. Laundrie admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation and cops determine Petito was 'the primary aggressor'

Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'

'He was slapping her?' the sheriff asks.

'Yes. And then we stopped. They ran down an up the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off,' the man says.

Shortly after the call, Petito and Laundrie were filmed in police bodycam footage when they were stopped by Moab Police.

In the video, an emotional Petito with tears streaming down her face tells officers she 'was trying to get him [Laundrie] to stop telling [her] to calm down' and admitting the couple had 'been fighting all morning.'

In the bodycam footage from Moab officers, Petito says she suffers from OCD and anxiety, with both her and Laundrie saying she was stressed because of the YouTube blog they were working on to document the doomed cross-country trip.

Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face and arm which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'.

When an officer asks Petito if her boyfriend hit her, she replies 'I guess' and makes a grabbing motion on her chin. Laundrie admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation.

Officers say that Petito was the 'primary aggressor' in the incident and separate them for the night.
One of NSW's busiest hospitals has suffered another Covid-19 outbreak with dozens of staff and patients exposed.

Liverpool Hospital in Sydney's south-west has suffered its second major outbreak within two months after 24 people tested positive in the last week.

The exposures occurred across six wards.

They included 13 patients and two staff members in the orthopaedics ward, five patients in geriatrics, three patients and one staff member in neurology, two patients and one staff member in the renal ward, one patient in the cardiothoracic ward, and an intensive care nurse.

Liverpool Hospital (pictured) has suffered another Covid-19 outbreak after 12 patients lost their lives in late July

No other ICU staff have been identified as close contacts so far.

'All staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19 are fully vaccinated,' a spokesperson said.

'Ninety-seven per cent of Liverpool Hospital's staff have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine/are fully vaccinated.'

'Covid-19 positive patients are currently in isolation and receiving appropriate care'.

Liverpool is one of the state's busiest hospitals which treats up to 1,00 patients at any one time.

The previous outbreak, sparked when a nurse unknowingly worked while infectious in late July, left 12 patients dead.

There are currently 1232 cases in hospital across NSW, with 242 in intensive care and 122 on ventilators.

Government modelling suggests daily COVID-19 infections may have already hit a high in NSW, but hospitalisations will peak in October.

Another four NSW regions have emerged from lockdown after going days without further COVID-19 cases.

The outbreak emerged after NSW recorded 1,035 cases and five deaths on Wednesday

Lismore and Albury were released from stay-at-home orders at midnight after no new cases were reported in the regions since they were locked down on September 16.

Several local council areas in the state's west were freed overnight too, with Gilgandra and Brewarrina now at least 14 days virus-free.

Restrictions will also ease in Narromine from Saturday provided the town has no cases or sewage detections before then.

The announcement prompted the Queensland government to announce Lismore and Brewarrina would rejoin the border bubble from Thursday.

NSW reported 1035 new cases and five deaths on Wednesday.

It comes as NSW Health issues a call to arms to retired doctors, nurses, psychologists and dentists asked to help the state's health system.
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Maxine Waters said Wednesday that border patrol agents riding horses and apparently using whips on migrants is 'worse than slavery days' while Ayanna Pressley called it 'white supremacist behavior.'

'We're saying to the president and everybody else: You've got to stop this madness,' Waters said during a press conference.

'And I want to know, in the first place, who's paying these cowboys to do this work?' she continued. 'They've got to be gotten rid of. They've gotten to be stopped. It cannot go on.'

Waters, an 83-year-old Democratic representative for California's 43rd district, demanded that journalists: 'Write the story. Tell the story about what is going on.'

'Let people know that they're trying to take us back to slavery days  and worse than that,' she added.

Fellow progressive Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts said, according to Fox News, that the treatment of migrants at the southern border is 'egregious and white supremacist behavior.'

'Haitian lives are black lives,' Pressley said.

She told Vice on Tuesday: 'They're lives, and they're black lives. And if we really believe that black lives matter around the globe, this is the moment to stand up.'

Neither congresswoman provided any proposed solutions to dealing with the crisis in migration at the southern border, and appeared to focus their ire at the agents on the frontlines rather than the president or vice president  who was named 'border czar' early on in the Biden administration.

A group of nearly 15,000 mostly Haiitan set up an encampment near the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas over the last week. That number dropped at least 5,000 by Tuesday, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Removal flights began taking off from the U.S. on Sunday with planes full of Haitian migrants bound for Haiti.

In an effort to round up and prevent Haitians and other migrants from continuing to steam into the U.S. at the Del Rio crossing, Border Patrol agents and officers on horseback started rounding them up over the weekend.

Images quickly emerged of them using what appeared to be ropes, lassos or the reins of the horse as whips to deter migrants from remaining at the makeshift camp along and under the bridge, which was shut down due to the massive influx of migrants.

California Democratic Representative Maxine Waters said Wednesday that 'cowboy' Border Patrol agents on horse back using whips on mostly Haitian migrants is 'worse than slavery'

Waters tweeted Tuesday accused the Biden administration of 'following Trump [immigration] policies'

Fellow progressive Representative Ayanna Pressley said that the treatment of migrants at the southern border is 'egregious and white supremacist behavior.' She added: 'Haitian lives are black lives'

Thousands of mostly Haitian migrants at the border in Texas are being targeted by the administration for deportation back to their homeland after an encampment of around 15,000 migrants set up near the Del Rio International Bridge

Part of the removal efforts included agents and officers on horse-back wrangling migrants or trying to prevent them from coming back to the camp. Images emerged of some using what appears to be whips on the migrants, leading to immediate backlash

Waters on Tuesday tweeted from her official Twitter account: 'Haitians fleeing violence & the lack of a credible government in Haiti are being treated like animals. U.S. government cowboys on horses used whips on Haitians as they sought refuge. Why are we following the Trump policies? This horrendous treatment of Haitians must STOP NOW.'

Vice President Kamala Harris demanded in a call with Mayorkas on Tuesday that Border Patrol agents treat the migrants in Del Rio, Texas with 'dignity'.

'Yesterday, Vice President Harris spoke to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to receive an update about his trip to Del Rio,' Harris' chief spokesperson Symone Sanders said in a Wednesday statement.

Vice President Kamala Harris told DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to instruct agents to treat migrants with 'dignity, humanely and consistent with our laws and our values'

'During that call, the Vice President raised her grave concerns about the mistreatment of Haitian migrants by border patrol agents on horses, and the need of all CBP agents to treat people with dignity, humanely and consistent with our laws and our values.'

Sanders said that Mayorkas will update the vice president once the Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility concludes its probe into the use of a lariat-like instrument on migrants.

Mayorkas revealed Wednesday to the House Homeland Security Committee that border officials seen in photos rounding up migrants on horseback to push them back across the Mexico border have been reassigned to desk duty while the incidents are being investigated.

'Secretary Mayorkas also spoke with the Vice President about the efforts DHS has underway to address the humanitarian needs of people at our border in Del Rio through the provision of food, shelter, clothing, and medical care, as well as engagement with non-governmental and international organizations,' the statement concluded.

Sanders previewed that Mayorkas and Harris, who was put in charge of addressing 'root causes' of the migration crisis, will speak again in the coming days about the crisis at border Del Rio shares with Mexico.

Mayorkas, in his testimony before the Homeland Security Committee, said the images of Border Patrol agents on horseback appearing to be using their reins as whips, 'correctly and necessarily were met with our nation's horror.'

'They do not reflect who we are as a country nor do they reflect who the United States Custom and Border Protection is,' Mayorkas said.

The secretary said that his agency was investigating the footage 'with tremendous speed and with tremendous force,' and would get to the bottom of the matter in 'days, not weeks.'

'We have ensured that individuals, during the pendency of the investigation, are not conducting law enforcement duties to interact with migrants.'

In a video on Wednesday, Mayorkas said the agents on horseback with the ropes were reassigned to administrative duties during the ongoing investigation into their actions.

Mostly Haitian migrants wade across waist-deep water in the Rio Grande River on Wednesday leaving Del Rio, Texas for Mexico to avoid deportation by U.S. authorities back to Haiti

After crossing back into Mexico, migrants set up shelter at a camp in Ciudad Acuna

The migrants still left at the camps in Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna use the Rio Grande River to cross back and forth daily between the countries. DHS Secretary Mayorkas revealed Tuesday that around 5,000 migrants have already been removed from the encampment in Del Rio

Harris, put in charge of the border crisis earlier this year, spoke with Mayorkas on Tuesday regarding the growing crisis of Haitian migration. Here Mayorkas testifies before the Senate Homeland Security committee on Tuesday. He reavled Wednesday the agents seen on horseback using whip on migrants have been assigned to administrative duties

Harris and President Joe Biden on Tuesday finally addressed the growing crisis after days of silence as a makeshift encampment grew to 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants near an international bridge in Del Rio. On Sunday, deportation efforts ensued as Border Patrol agents rounded up migrants for removal flights to their homeland.

Harris, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, slammed the 'horrible' treatment of migrants and promised to provide more assistance to Haiti as hundreds of nationals have already been deported back to the island on removal flights.

'What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were, was horrible,' Harris said.

Biden said Tuesday that he will get the situation at the border 'under control', but did not specify any plans to mitigate the crisis.

'We will get it under control,' Biden said to reporters after speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday in New York City.

Some accused agents of whipping migrants, however, Border Patrol agents have defended the actions, saying that their colleagues were simply using their reins on their horses - not migrants.

Brandon Judd, a border agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council, slammed the Biden administration for condemning the images without understanding the situation.

'There are very few things that will boil my blood as bad as the White House directly coming out and condemning an action before they know what happened,' Judd said on the John Solomon Reports podcast.

'Jen Psaki came out yesterday, and she condemned these actions when in reality, it is a legitimate law enforcement action. This was meant to protect the illegal aliens.'

Judd claimed that officers swing around their reins to keep migrants from getting too close to the horse and getting trampled. 'The reins will be twirled to keep people away from the horses for their protection.'

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who sits on Homeland Security Committee, told DailyMail.com: 'Anyone who spent more than five seconds looking at those images can see that they were holding on to the reins of their horses. CBP agents do not carry whips or lassos.'

'Secretary Mayorkas and Vice President Harris need to address the serious issues causing this crisis,' she added.

The Fraternal Order of Police also tamped down accusations that agents had been whipping migrants.

For all you Twitter warriors out there: these are NOT whips. And no, Border Patrol agents are NOT "whipping" people.



They are REINS... Stay with us here, like a steering wheel is used to drive a car, the reins are used to drive the horse.



Thanks for coming to our TED talk. pic.twitter.com/r0n2kXHqvy  National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) September 21, 2021

'With basic knowledge and two brain cells, anyone knows those agents use split reins. They do use them as a whip, on their horses,' the agent said. 'This helps get a quicker response from the horse to move out when needed, especially when the horse may be hesitant with groups of people or other animals,' one Border Patrol agent told Fox News.

'Again it is clear that those 'in charge,' a term that is disgusting to use, have no clue about our operations and frankly operate by ignorance and unhinged emotions,' the agent said.

A Border Patrol officer is swinging what appears to be a lariat while trying to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge Sunday

The devastating images were captures as migrants were trying to return to their encampment from Mexico, where they were buying much-needed supplies

An agent is seen grabbing a migrant by the shirt in a photo taken near the border Sunday

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the footage 'horrible to watch' and said she 'can't imagine a context where that would be appropriate,' as other Democrats cried out against the treatment of Haitian migrants.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the 'inappropriate use of whips by Border Patrol officers' and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted 'images of inhumane treatment of Haitian migrants by Border Patrol - including the use of whips.'

Meanwhile, thousands of Haitian migrants are being freed into the US on a 'very, very large scale' rather than being flown out on deportation flights as the Biden administration promised, according to officials.

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio - where a peak of around 14,600 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under a bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US from Mexico - said thousands have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time under the so-called 'catch and release' scheme.

Others have been sent on buses and planes to other parts of the US to be processed by Border Patrol agents there, they said.

The exact number released is unclear, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott saying that 8,600 migrants were still in Del Rio on Tuesday afternoon.

Deportation flights began on Sunday, and by Wednesday morning, over 1,000 migrants had been flown back to Haiti, a source with knowledge of the matter told DailyMail.com.

Thousands of migrants pictured Wednesday taking shelter along the Del Rio International Bridge as they await to be processed by Border Patrol

HAITIAN MIGRANT CRISIS IN NUMBERS: Number of migrants in Del Rio at peak of crisis: 14,600 Number of migrants as of Tuesday evening: 8,600 Number deported to Haiti Sunday: 327 Number deported Monday: 233 Number deported Tuesday: 523 Total deported since flights resumed Sunday: 1,083 Number of deportation flights scheduled for Wednesday: 7 Advertisement

Three flights deported 327 Haitian nationals from Del Rio back to the capital of Port-au-Prince Sunday, two flights deported 233 Monday and 523 were flown out on four flights Tuesday, the official said.

In total, 1083 migrants have been deported in the last three days, suggesting up to 5,000 may have been released into the United States.

Another seven deportation flights are expected to expel further Haitian migrants Wednesday.

This purported reality on the ground is drastically at odds with the public statements the Biden administration has made in recent days in an effort to get a handle on the ever-increasing migrant crisis at the US's southern border.

The official line is that Haitians are being expelled from the US back to the crisis-stricken Caribbean nation under a Donald Trump-era rule.

Under Title 42, migrants can be repatriated to their home nations without the possibility of requesting asylum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted Monday that migrants entering the US illegally will be sent back to their home countries.

'If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your family's life,' he said at a press conference.

Mayorkas then went one step further Tuesday, insisting that the border is now 'closed' to migrants.

Haitian migrants cross back into Mexico on Wednesday to get food and water before returning to their camp in the U.S.

Migrants rest at a shelter in Ciudad Acuna in Mexico on Wednesday

Haitians deported from the US recover their belongings scattered on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday

Migrants are guided by Border Patrol agents as they prepare to board a bus from the migrant camp in Del Rio to be taken to other parts of the US for processing

Many of the thousands of migrants who have gathered in Del Rio in recent days fled Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and have been living in South American countries including Brazil and Chile. But since these nations have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Haitians have traveled up through South America and Mexico to seek asylum in the US.

One US official, with direct knowledge of operations who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, told Associated Press thousands of Haitians had been freed on a 'very, very large scale' in recent days.

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, the official said.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said.

They are then processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

A second US official, also with direct knowledge and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday.

The official couldn't be more specific about how many.

US authorities scrambled in recent days for buses to Tucson but resorted to flights when they couldn't find enough transportation contractors, both officials said.

Coast Guard planes also took Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.

A third US official not authorized to discuss operations said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.

Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, head of Haiti's national migration office, said last week authorities expected that 14,000 Haitians will be deported from the US over the next three weeks.

Delva warned that Haiti cannot handle thousands of homeless deportees arriving into the country.

The criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the US was unclear.

But two US officials said single adults were the priority for expulsion flights.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday night.

Around 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants were camped out under the bridge at the weekend after crossing into the US

Two US officials with knowledge of the situation in Del Rio said thousands of migrants have been released into the US with notices to appear at an immigration court in 60 days' time

Why Haitians are fleeing to America: Thousands of Haitians have crossed the border into Texas in weeks and months to seek asylum in America. Data released by Border Patrol shows 28,000 Haitians have been arrested along the border this fiscal year, which began last October - dwarfing the 2020 number of 4,395 and 2,046 in 2019. Last month alone, 6,768 Haitians were detained by Border Patrol, up from 5,000 in July. Most Haitians who have traveled to the border in recent weeks are thought to have already been living in South America after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 2010 which killed over 200,000 people. Many have then traveled up through Mexico into the US recently - driven by the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on South America. Republicans have argued that the influx of people has also been driven by the pause on deportation flights to Haiti by the Biden administration. In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.' Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency. Then, in early July, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home of Port-au-Prince in a dramatic plot which authorities are yet to determine who the mastermind was. The murder threw the troubled nation into uncertainty with gun battles breaking out in the streets and a fight over who was the rightful successor as questions continued to mount about a possible inside job. This week, Haiti's chief prosecutor said there was evidence linking the country's Prime Minister Ariel Henry to the plot and banned him from leaving the country until he answers questions about his potential involvement. One month after the assassination, the island nation was dealt another blow as a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in August. More than 2,200 people were killed and 100,000 homes destroyed. In August, Biden extended and expanded the TPS further. While it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US, critics argue many have traveled there believing they can seek asylum. Advertisement

Joe Biden has come under fire from both sides of the political aisle over the situation in Del Rio.

In May, the Biden administration's DHS designated Haiti for temporary protected status (TPS) as the nation was in the grips of 'human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.'

Under TPS, foreign nationals cannot be deported back to countries hit by natural or manmade disasters, enabling Haitians to live in the US without legal status to qualify for provisional residency.

Then, in August - following the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise in July and the earthquake which killed more than 2,000 people the next month - extended and expanded the TPS further.

A statement on the Department of Homeland Security's website stipulates that the TPS rule only applies to Haitians already in the United States when the announcement was made in May, and that Haitians who subsequently tried to travel to the US would not be allowed to benefit from the new rule.

It is unclear how the United States is able to differentiate between Haitians who illegally entered the country before and after the TPS proclamation was made.

Republicans blame this pause on deportation flights for the surge in Haitians crossing into the US, arguing that this led Haitians to believe they would get asylum in America - when in fact it only applies to Haitians already residing in the US.

Democrats, meanwhile, are slamming Biden after he resumed deportation flights Sunday, sending people back to a nation that is unable to take them.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded the Biden administration stop the flights and cease using Title 42 on the Senate floor Tuesday saying it defies 'common decency'.

Last Thursday, a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from using Title 42 to expel migrant families but the order takes 14 days to take effect and the administration appealed the ruling the next day.

This week, further outrage surfaced after images went viral of Border Patrol agents on horseback appearing to whip migrants with horse reins.

One video shows agents on horseback, waiting on the US side of the Rio Grande as migrants - some of them families with young children - wade through chest-deep waters trying to cross.

Officers appear to charge their horses toward the migrants carrying food and supplies, some swinging their reins, with one clip appearing to show a horse being used to push a migrant back into the water.

In one photo, a mounted agent appears to be grabbing a migrant by the shirt as he tries to flee.

Meanwhile, Mexico has begun busing and flying Haitian migrants away from the US border, authorities said Tuesday, signaling a new level of support for the US as the camp presented Biden with a humanitarian and increasingly political challenge.

Migrants - mostly from Haiti - have been camping out under the bridge after crossing from Mexico into the US

An aerial image shows the camp under Del Rio International Bride near the Rio Grande river in Texas, where the US connects to Mexico

Thousands of Haitian migrants are seen in the makeshift camp under the Del Rio bridge in Texas Tuesday awaiting processing

Migrants are seen camped out under the bridge Tuesday where around 14,000 people were said to be staying at the weekend

Migrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge near the Rio Grande Tuesday

One migrant crosses the river carrying a suitcase from Del Rio, Texas, to return to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, Monday

Texas border agents DENY whipping migrants and accuse Biden administration of deflecting from its failings Texas Border Patrol agents have denied whipping migrants and claimed anyone with 'two brain cells' knows they use split reins to control their horses, after images emerged of mounted officers appearing to whip Haitian border crossers. Disturbing photos and video surfaced Sunday appearing to show agents on horseback whipping Haitian migrants with horse reins at the Rio Grande river which connects Mexico and the US. Agents pushed back against the criticism and accused the Biden administration of trying to deflect from its own failings in tackling the migrant crisis. One unidentified agent told Fox News the outrage over the images shows officials lack 'basic knowledge' of handling horses and that the outrage 'just proves what absolute idiots they are.' They denied the images depict physical abuse, saying the reins are used as whips - but on horses, not humans. 'With basic knowledge and two brain cells, anyone knows those agents use split reins. They do use them as a whip, on their horses,' the agent said. 'This helps get a quicker response from the horse to move out when needed, especially when the horse may be hesitant with groups of people or other animals.' The agent voiced frustration that the officials 'in charge' do not understand their roles at the border. 'Again it is clear that those 'in charge,' a term that is disgusting to use, have no clue about our operations and frankly operate by ignorance and unhinged emotions,' they said. A second agent told Fox the situation is 'blowing up' and that the accusatory response from officials and lawmakers is fueling more anger toward the Biden administration. 'This whole situation is blowing up and even liberals are turning on this administration,' one agent told Fox News. '[Harris] is placing blame on agents to deflect because she and Biden are not going to change how they are handling this.' National Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto also pushed back against the theory the agents were whipping migrants and insisted they were using approved techniques designed to keep the agents, the horses, and the migrants on the ground safe. The National Border Patrol Council is the labor union that represents United States Border Patrol agents and support staff. 'They were not whipping anyone. They don't carry whips. They don't get assigned whips,' he told Fox. 'What they do is a training technique that has been shown to them to make sure that no one takes over their horse. It was to protect the horse, to protect the rider, and to protect the individual that was trying to cause chaos and knock down that rider from that horse.' Del Cueto described the process of 'twirl[ing] the reins to protect everything and make sure everything's done correctly.' He added: 'But nobody was getting whipped, but some members of the media are sure pushing that narrative and our agency and our administration isn't helping much by not saying something about it.' Advertisement

Mexico has helped at key moments before. It intensified patrols to stop unaccompanied Central American children from reaching the Texas border in 2014, allowed tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in US immigration courts in 2019 and, just last month, began deporting Central American migrants to Guatemala after the Biden administration flew them to southern Mexico.

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's foreign relations secretary, said Tuesday he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about the Haitians' situation.

Ebrard said most of the Haitians already had refugee status in Chile or Brazil, having fled to those countries in the wake of the 2010 earthquake, and weren't seeking it in Mexico.

'What they are asking for is to be allowed to pass freely through Mexico to the United States,' Ebrard said.

Two Mexican federal officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Mexico's actions.

One of the officials said three busloads of migrants left Acuna on Tuesday morning for Piedras Negras, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) down the border, where they boarded a flight to the southern city of Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco.

The other official said there was a flight Monday from the northern city of Monterrey to the southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border.

Tapachula is home to the largest immigrant detention center in Latin America.

The flight carried about 100 migrants who had been picked up around the bus station in Monterrey, a hub for various routes north to the U.S. border.

The second official said the plan was to move to Tapachula all Haitians who already solicited asylum in Mexico.

The Haitian migrants who are already in Mexico's detention centers and have not requested asylum will be the first to be flown directly to Haiti once Mexico begins those flights, according to the official.

Around Ciudad Acuna, Mexican authorities were stepping up efforts to move migrants away from the border. There were detentions overnight by immigration agents and raids on hotels known to house migrants.

'All of a sudden they knocked on the door and (yelled) 'immigration,' 'police,' as if they were looking for drug traffickers,' said Freddy Registre, a 37-year-old Venezuelan staying at one hotel with his Haitian wife, Vedette Dollard. The couple was surprised at midnight.

Authorities took four people plus others who were outside the hotel, he said. 'They took our telephones to investigate and took us to the immigration offices, took our photos,' Registre said.

They were held overnight but finally were given their phones back and released. Authorities gave them two options: leave Mexico or return to Tapachula.

On Tuesday afternoon, they decided to leave town. They bought tickets for a bus ride to the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, planning to continue to Tapachula where they had already applied for asylum.

Others left without being told.

Small groups arrived at Ciudad Acunas bus station to buy tickets to Veracruz, Monterrey and Mexico City.

The same bus lines prohibited from selling them tickets for rides north through Mexico, sold them tickets to head south without issue.

In Haiti, dozens of migrants upset about being deported from the US tried to rush back into a plane that landed Tuesday afternoon in Port-au-Prince as they yelled at authorities.

A security guard closed the plane door in time as some deportees began throwing rocks and shoes at the plane. Several of them lost their belongings in the scuffle as police arrived.

The group was disembarking from one of three flights scheduled for the day.
They were a royal love match known for their passion and devotion.

So its rather comforting to know that even Queen Victoria and her beloved Prince Albert were not immune from the odd marital spat.

Their rows were meticulously recorded by Albert and are among 22,000 papers and photos relating to his life and legacy made available online for the first time.

In one letter, in his native German, Albert angrily chides feisty Victoria that she has again lost her self-control and revealed how she followed him from room to room rowing and refusing to back down.

He says: You have again lost your self-control quite unnecessarily. I did not say a word which could wound you and I did not begin the conversation, but you have followed me about and continued it from room to room.

There is no need for me to promise to trust you for it was not a question of trust, but of your fidgety nature, which makes you insist on entering, with feverish eagerness, into details about orders and wishes which, in the case of a Queen, are commands to whomever they may be given.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's rows were meticulously recorded by Albert and are among 22,000 papers and photos relating to his life and legacy made available online for the first time

He adds angrily: I do my duty towards you even though it means that life is embittered by scenes when it should be governed by love and harmony.

I look upon this with patience as a test which has to be undergone, but you hurt me desperately and at the same time do not help yourself.

Experts from the Royal Collection Trust say Albert was a meticulously chronicler, who took pride in his neat and methodical writings.

But many of these letters  largely written between 1841 and 1861  to his passionate wife were barely legible, showing how agitated he was when he wrote them.

In the aftermath of marital rows, Albert often communicated his hurt and frustration through scribbled notes to his wife in German.

Many of these letters  largely written between 1841 and 1861  to his passionate wife were barely legible, showing how agitated he was when he wrote them

These were later destroyed by their youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, though not before an unknown person made photographic copies for the Royal Archives.

In one, Albert scolds Victoria for her selfishness.

He writes: We cannot, unhappily, bear your bodily sufferings for you  you must struggle with them alone. The moral ones are probably caused by them, but if you were rather less occupied with yourself (if that is possible) and your feelings (if that is possible) and took more interest in the outside world you would find that the greatest help of all.

Albert even lectures Victoria  who bore him nine children during their 21-year marriage  about motherhood and says it is a shame she does not relax and enjoy their company more.

It is indeed a pity that you find no consolation in the company of your children, he says.

The root of the difficulty lies in the mistaken notion that the function of a mother is to be always correcting, scolding, ordering them about and organising their activities...

'It is not possible to be on happy, friendly terms with people you have just been scolding, for it upsets scolder and scolded alike.

The couple, who were first cousins, were both born in 1819, but Albert died aged 42 after suffering typhoid fever while Victoria, who went into deep mourning, survived until 1901 when she died aged 81.

Prince Albert: His Life and Legacy can be found at albert.rct.uk
Jacqui Lambie has unleashed an explosive attack on protesters who stormed a war memorial and left a trail of destruction, accusing them of abusing the freedoms veterans fought for.

Melbourne is bracing for a fourth day of chaos, hours after 400 protesters stormed Victoria's Shrine of Remembrance to rally against vaccine mandates and the shutdown of the construction industry.

The mob chanted 'lest we forget' as they stood in front of the monument built to honour the state's men and women who served in World War I during in a tense stand off with police.

Protesters urged officers not to arrest them out of 'respect for the Anzacs' as others claimed they were 'fighting for the same thing as our forefathers'.

The ugly scenes sparked nationwide public outrage with Senator Lambie among the millions left disgusted.

The former Australian Army veteran launched into an angry tirade as she described the protesters as an embarrassment.

Protesters descended on Victoria's Shrine of Remembrance on Wednesday, sparking nationwide anger

'I can tell you now for those who have served, for those who have serving they are absolutely disgusted,' the outspoken senator fumed on the Today show on Thursday.

'To walk on that Shrine, to walk on that sacred ground and drop your cigarettes and your beer cans all over the place and to do what you did is absolutely a whole new low for you people and I can tell you now if you think this is giving you more support and you are building you've got to be kidding yourself because it is not just veterans that see what is going on.'

'I remind you people as well through blood, sweat and tears is the reason you have your freedoms because all these people have fought for this country to have that and to stand there and say, 'Lest we forget,'

'I tell you, we're not forgetting your performance yesterday.'

A former Australian Army veteran, Jacqui Lambie was furious with protesters and described them as an embarrassment

She added the scenes have not only angered veterans but the rest of Australia.

'They are seeing what is going on and have a very, very soft heart for veterans and those who have served so all you are doing is p****** everybody off,' her rant continued.

'You want to go out there and so this stuff that's fine but do it in peace.'

'I remind you people as well through blood, sweat and tears is the reason you have your freedoms because all these people have fought for this country to have that and to stand there and say, 'Lest we forget,' I tell you we're not forgetting your performance yesterday.'

Senator Lambie defended the actions of riot squad forced to fire tear gas, rubber bullets and other projectiles after protesters became hostile and refused to leave.

'Victoria has paid the price the last 18 months and I understand there are people who are angry but this is not the way to go around it,' she said.

'Our first responders, whether police, nurses, aged-care workers, whatever, they are at the point of exhaustion after going through Covid so to do this to our own police force, I have to ask them do they have no respect for anybody let alone themselves

'Honestly, it is enough. This is not the Australian way. We didn't lose people through wars, people didn't lose their husbands, their fathers through wars to give you these freedoms you have today and you're abusing them, absolutely abusing them.'

Around 400 protesters had a tense stand-off with police at Victoria's Shrine of Remembrance

Up to 400 protestors swarmed Melbourne's CBD on Wednesday for a third day running, despite repeated warnings from authorities to stay home.

The protests initially began in opposition to mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for the construction sector and the closure of building site tea rooms, but have since turned into wider unrest after the state government shut doen the industry for two weeks.

Chanting 'every day' from the Shrine of Remembrance, hundreds without masks - some still wearing high-visibility clothing - marched through the city to the war memorial.

Police made 215 arrests while two officers suffered head injuries after bottles were thrown at them.

'It was completely disrespectful that the crowd ended up at the shrine, which is such hallowed ground in this great city,' Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Ross Guenther.

'Our general observation from the people on the ground was that there weren't as many tradies involved,' Mr Guenther said.

'We will vary our tactics tomorrow. But, of course, my message is don't come into the city,' the deputy commissioner said.

Senator Lambie defended the actions of riot police (pictured) forced to fire tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who refused to leave

RSL Victoria said the mob had disrespected the sanctity of the sacred site, while Shrine of Remembrance chair Stephen Bowater called it 'disgraceful'.

Veterans' Affairs Minister Andrew Gee said the protesters should be condemned in the strongest possible terms and should apologise.

'To use it as a protest site violates this sanctity and denigrates and disrespects the memory of those who have served and sacrificed so much for our nation,' he said.

'There can be no justification for this outrage.'

Victoria recorded 628 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Wednesday, the highest daily tally of the state's current outbreak.

Jacqui Lambie described protesters at Victoria's Shrine of Remembrance as 'a whole new low'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said those involved should be ashamed of their 'disgraceful' behaviour.

'Those scenes were disgraceful and the conduct was disgraceful,' he told reporters in Washington.

'This is a sacred place, it is not a place of protest. It dishonoured those Australians who've made the ultimate sacrifice.

'I would hope all who engaged in that disgraceful behaviour would be ashamed.'
Workers at a major parcel delivery service are striking across the country, dealing another blow to Australia's overwhelmed postal system.

Up to 2000 StarTrack employees walked off the job at midnight, after crisis talks and a bid to have the strike action blocked both failed on Wednesday.

The Transport Workers Union says this makes up 70 per cent of the total workforce, but StarTrack says barely a third of the total workforce voted to strike.

The company petitioned the Fair Work Commission on Wednesday to block or delay the strike, claiming it would jeopardise lives and health by impacting vaccine supply.

But the TWU said they had promised to support any medical deliveries, and the FWC on Wednesday night ruled the strike could proceed.

Some 2000 StarTrack workers walked off the job at midnight Wednesday over a pay dispute

Meetings between StarTrack and the TWU on Wednesday also failed to secure a solution to a dispute over pay and conditions.

The workers want the company to guarantee labour hire workers will receive the same pay and conditions as regular employees and caps on the use of lower-paid external workers.

They also want to be offered work before the company contracts it out.

But a spokesperson for StarTrack said its final offer to the TWU - a nine per cent pay rise over three years - was the best among its competitors, and rejected union fears of job insecurity.

'We are disappointed that the TWU is doing this at a time when the delivery of essential items has never been more important, particularly those in vulnerable regional communities requiring essential supplies,' Michelle Skehan said.

'We have prepared and have contingencies in place including the reallocation of resources to ensure that any delivery impact is minimised.'

Australians are already facing unusual wait times for deliveries, as Australia Post - which owns StarTrack - struggles under the pressure of a lockdown-induced online shopping blitz.

The postal service earlier this month paused parcel collection services for online retailers for three days in NSW, Victoria and the ACT, which are all in lockdown.

Australia Post - which owns StarTrack - struggles under the pressure of a lockdown-induced online shopping blitz

Transport Workers' Union National Secretary Michael Kaine said its a time delivery services should be rewarding workers.

'We know the national community would be ashamed that this mistreatment of workers is going on at a government-owned company enjoying record revenues off the backs of its workforce,' he said.

'Demand is sky-high, but standards are at rock bottom.'

Thousands more workers at FedEx, Linfox and Bevchain have also voted to endorse strike action over the last week, he said.
Some 85 per cent believe they should be entitled to an 'in-person' appointment

The Daily Mail's campaign to win the right for all patients to have face-to-face care from their family doctor has received a tidal wave of public support.

Some 85 per cent of Britons believe they should be entitled to an 'in-person' appointment with their GP  and not be fobbed off with a remote consultation by phone or video.

More than half (53 per cent) say they struggle to obtain a face-to-face appointment, with nearly three in ten (27 per cent) who have asked to see their GP in person in the past year saying they have been told no.

More than four out of five (83 per cent) say they prefer traditional in-person consultations, and nearly two thirds (65 per cent) say illnesses are likely to get worse if they are treated remotely.

The findings of the J L Partners survey for this newspaper come after Britain's top GP sparked controversy by defending the huge rise in online consultations by GPs since the pandemic outbreak.

Some 85 per cent of Britons believe they should be entitled to an 'in-person' appointment with their GP  and not be fobbed off with a remote consultation by phone or video

Before the pandemic, four in five GP consultations were in person, but the latest figure for July is under six in ten.

Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said Covid safety curbs and high demand meant it was impossible for family doctors to offer all patients an in-person appointment just because they would 'like' one.

But the Mail survey reveals the public overwhelmingly rejects his argument. A massive 95 per cent say 'face-to-face' consultations result in a more accurate diagnosis  and 75 per cent say the success of the vaccine rollout means Covid is no longer a valid reason for GPs to decline to see people at local surgeries.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'I hope everyone from GPs to government will listen to this poll, as it shows what the public really want. They must act on it. There is no way that Covid can any longer be seen as an excuse to stop holding as many in-person appointments.'

The findings of the survey come after Britain's top GP Martin Marshall sparked controversy by defending the huge rise in online consultations by GPs since the pandemic outbreak.

Oncologist Professor Karol Sikora, former director of the World Health Organisation's cancer programme, also called on ministers to take action on the basis of the Mail's poll.

He said cancers will be missed if GPs did not get back to seeing more patients face to face, adding that doctors were using Covid was an 'excuse' not to go back to pre-pandemic levels of in- person appointments.

Professor Sikora said: 'The Government have got to listen to this poll and get GPs back to normal. They must insist that all patients with new symptoms must be seen in person. Remote appointments are okay for follow-ups but not for new patients.

'It's very difficult to assess people over Zoom and the telephone, and you will miss cancer diagnoses. If symptoms persist, the cancer will eventually be diagnosed  but it could happen after a delay of several months.

'Face-to-face appointments really do make a difference. If you can't see a patient properly, you can't see how ill they really are. You can't examine them, you can't feel their lymph nodes, you can't feel their tummy, you can't listen to their chest.'

In one of the survey's most damning findings, 40 per cent say the reduction in traditional face-to-face care by GPs is designed to 'make the lives of GPs easier'  only 11 per cent say it is designed to improve the health of patients.

The poll shows enormous support for every aspect of the Mail's five-point campaign to revive in-person care.

Professor Marshall said about 80 per cent of GP appointments were conducted face to face prior to the pandemic, dropping to 10 per cent in the first wave. Now this figure is around 56 per cent

Professor Marshall added that remote consultations continue to play a role in reducing the spread of coronavirus

Our manifesto includes making face-to-face appointments the default and that anyone who wants to see their family doctor in person should be able to do so, with incentives for surgeries if necessary.

There is huge backing for this newspaper's call for Boris Johnson to deliver on his election vow to recruit 6,000 more GPs and provide 50 million more appointments a year.

And the survey indicates it is not just GPs in the public's firing line: a total of 43 per cent say fewer face-to-face appointments are the result of the Government's failure to recruit enough doctors; 29 per cent blame doctors themselves.

In addition to the difficulties in getting to see a GP in person, the poll underlines how hard it is for patients to get through to their local surgery in the first place.

Barely one in four (28 per cent) got through the first time when they last called their surgery; 15 per cent said it took between six and 15 calls, and 8 per cent had to make more than 15 calls.

Twelve per cent said they had to wait two weeks for their appointment  or did not get one at all.

Alarmingly, 26 per cent said they had given up seeking treatment after trying  and failing  to get help from their GP in the past year. More than one in ten (11 per cent) turned to private health care instead.

The public is sceptical about the growing practice of GPs asking patients to send a photograph showing any sign of illness. A total of 50 per cent say this is unacceptable; 37 per cent have no objection.

The elderly are at most risk from the move towards more consultations conducted by phone or video, according to the survey. A total of 59 per cent say they fear the health of older people will be damaged.

More than half (52 per cent) say cancer is the condition most likely to go undiagnosed as a result of a remote consultation; 15 per cent say they fear those with dementia or other mental health problems are most vulnerable.

According to the survey, there is one popular, albeit controversial, way for the Government to reduce the strain on GPs: slap tough penalties on those who repeatedly fail to turn up for GP appointments for no good reason.

A total of 73 per cent say such people should be fined; astonishingly, a total of 44 per cent would fine them as much as 50; 15 per cent would ban them altogether from the local surgery  and 4 per cent would force them to carry out community service such as sweeping the streets.

Only 8 per cent of those surveyed opposed any sanction. J L Partners interviewed 1,060 adults online yesterday.

Family doctors now treat 200,000 fewer patients on Fridays - as rising number of part-time GPs enjoy long weekends off, figures suggest

ByShaun Wooller Health Correspondent For The Daily Mail

Family doctors are treating 200,000 fewer patients on Fridays as the surging number of part-time GPs enjoy long weekends off, figures suggest.

Surgeries conduct their highest number of appointments on a Monday  but availability gets progressively worse throughout the week.

Patient groups last night reacted with fury to the revelation, warning that people risk being left in agony over the weekend or forced to go to busy A&Es.

Family doctors are treating 200,000 fewer patients on Fridays as the surging number of part-time GPs enjoy long weekends off, figures suggest (stock photo)

It comes a day after Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, told MPs that the 'reality' is full-time GPs will soon be extinct.

GPs conducted an average of 1.29million consultations each Monday in July but just 1.09million on Fridays  a fall of 16 per cent.

And, over the past year, there were around 10million fewer appointments in total on Fridays than there were on Mondays, according to the latest data from NHS Digital.

Separate figures show three in four GPs work less than full-time, meaning fewer than 37.5 hours a week. And a more granular analysis reveals one in 12 GPs work only 15 hours a week or less.

Dennis Reed from Silver Voices, a campaign group for the over-60s, said: 'Doctors should be offering a full service and it is simply not good enough to be tapering off care at the end of the week.

'Patients don't stop getting sick just because it's Friday. This risks leaving people sick or in pain over the weekend or pushing them to A&E.'

Responding to the figures, Professor Marshall said that flexible working  which allows GPs to work less than full time  'enables highly-trained family doctors to remain in the workforce, delivering the care that our patients need and deserve'.

He added: 'It is down to individual practices to allocate their services in line with their team's capacity and their understanding of [patients'] needs.'
Australia is in talks to set up quarantine-free travel bubbles with the UK, US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Pacific islands such as Fiji for the fully vaccinated.

The Federal Government plans to open the international border for outbound travel once every state and territory has vaccinated 80 per cent of its residents, which is expected in early December.



The Covid-19 arrival caps for Australian citizens will also be removed and hotel quarantine will be scrapped in favour of home quarantine in states that sign up, with New South Wales and South Australia currently running trials.

Australian is in talks to set up quarantine-free travel bubbles with the UK, US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Pacific islands such as Fiji for the fully vaccinated. Pictured: London's Big Ben

Japan is one of the countries in discussions with Australia over a travel bubble. Pictured: Osaka

But there may be no quarantine at all for fully vaccinated people arriving from countries where a travel bubble has been agreed.

Such arrangements would mirror the New Zealand travel bubble that was in place between April and July before New South Wales suffered its Covid outbreak.

Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said discussions were ongoing with several countries with high vaccination rates to determine what kind of quarantine arrangements would be needed.

'Obviously with New Zealand we were able to do that quarantine-free. It would be great if we could get that up and running again,' he told Nine's Today show on Thursday morning.

'Then we're in discussion with the Pacific islands, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the US, the UK on what those travel arrangements will look like.

'Hopefully we'll be able to have home quarantine, we'll be able to limit the time of quarantine and, ultimately, quarantine-free travel. It could require some testing. All those discussions are in place,' he said.

A travel bubble could be set up with Fiji (pictured) so Australians can finally go on holiday

Trade Minister Dan Tehan wants a travel bubble with the US. Pictured: The Grand Canyon

Asked if the quarantine requirements could differ from state to state, Mr Tehan said: 'We'll work that through with the states and territories. We have a very important trial taking place in South Australia at the moment on home quarantine.

'NSW have indicated that they want to move to home quarantining as well. As we keep rolling out these trials, the hope is also we can look at, perhaps, seven days in home quarantine with testing either side because the more we can limit that time in quarantine, obviously the better, the better for bringing returning Australians home, the better for international students to be able to return.

'So all that will be worked through with the states and territories.'

Mr Tehan said Tourism Australia was 'sending those positive messages out there, that our borders are going to be open before Christmas and we want to make sure that we're welcoming people.'

Australians have been banned from going on overseas holidays since March 2020 when the government shut the border to keep out Covid-19.

Australia is projected to hit the 80 per cent vaccination rate in mid November but vaccine laggards Queensland and Western Australia are not expected to reach the mark until December 7 and December 6.

Under the national plan, the international border won't open until all states have hit the target.

On Friday NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced her state would start a four-week trial of seven-day home quarantine for returning Australians with the aim of stamping out hotel quarantine by the time the borders open late this year.

We can't live in a hermit kingdom, we have to rejoin the world NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet

Qantas is preparing to restart international flights on December 18 for the fully vaccinated.

In an interview with Daily Mail Australia on Friday, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said NSW residents will be able to fly to London and New York before Perth or Brisbane because Western Australia and Queensland are still pursuing a Covid elimination strategy and keeping their borders closed.

Asked if that was an absurd situation, he said: 'That's just the reality.

'We're talking about returning international students, we're talking about returning Australians. We're opening up businesses and the next step is opening up borders,' he said.

'If we can lead the way on international travel that's going to be a great thing for the state.

'And hopefully that will then lead to other states following us. It might be ironic that you can get to Bali before you can get to Broome but that's where we're heading.'

The Treasurer said premiers in other states who are nervous about opening up will be eventually pushed into action by their voters who will want to travel once more.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet with his budget papers

'What I want to see in the other states is that as we move through this period and as we rejoin the world, that other states and the Australian people will say well ''we want to have that too'' and that means living alongside the virus,' he said.

'There is no evidence of Covid going away and we can't hide from it indefinitely.

'We can't live in a hermit kingdom, we have to rejoin the world.

'I think it's pretty clear that NSW and Victoria will be the two states that move together on achieving that,' he added.

Mr Perrottet said international travel was crucial to Australia's success, with tourism bringing in $42billion a year to the NSW economy.

'Over time our role as a government is to lead our people into great opportunity and prosperity and it's not just for us, it's for our kids as well and that's our focus and I think overtime that's where Australians will want to be,' he said.

Mr Perrottet said hotel quarantine will be replaced by home isolation this year and then removed altogether for the fully vaccinated next year.

'My expectation is that we will get through this trial and if it's successful we will shift from hotel quarantine to home quarantine and the next step after that is just logical,' he said.

'If somebody is fully vaccinated, coming from overseas, they shouldn't be treated any differently from people who are vaccinated who are living here. As we rejoin the world, it will make no sense for people [to quarantine].

'And Australians as well, if we're going to be travelling overseas we don't want to do seven days or 14 days quarantine either. That's just not going to work.

'Ultimately we're going to end up in a situation where right across the world the majority of people have been vaccinated and we move on and enjoy the opportunities we had before this virus came to be.'

Australians will be allowed on overseas holidays even if some state borders are still closed when 80 per cent are vaccinated. Pictured: Sydney passengers before lockdown
Dozens more brave Afghans who helped the UK are facing fresh danger after a second data breach by bungling military officials.

In another shocking gaffe, it emerged that earlier this month the Ministry of Defence mistakenly copied 55 people into a message with their email addresses visible to all recipients.

It comes after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was forced to apologise on Tuesday after more than 250 interpreters hiding from the Taliban were affected by the same blunder.

In the latest breach, recipients  likely to include interpreters as well as at least one member of the Afghan National Army  were told UK relocation officials had been unable to contact them and were asked to update their details, it was reported.

Dozens more Afghans in danger after it emerged that there was a second data breach by military officials following Defence Secretary Ben Wallace apology on Tuesday (pictured) after more than 250 interpreters hiding from the Taliban were affected by the same blunder

The unnamed official failed to use blind copy  the email feature that stops recipients of a group email seeing who else it had been copied to.

Defence sources told the BBC that Mr Wallace did not know about this second breach when he spoke in the Commons on Tuesday.

It is understood the recipients were all eligible for the Afghan relocation programme which was established in April to help Afghans whose lives were at risk from the Taliban because they had worked for the British.

The Daily Mail has been at the forefront of calling for such loyal Afghans to be given sanctuary in the UK.

In the latest breach, recipients  likely to include interpreters (pictured) who helped the UK  were told UK relocation officials had been unable to contact them and were asked to update their details, it was reported

Mr Wallace told the Commons that the Government was working to provide security advice to those affected by the first breach.

Responding to an urgent question, he said: The Minister for the Armed Forces is in the region speaking to neighbouring countries to see what more we can do with both third countries and in-country applicants.

It is an unacceptable level of service that has let down the thousands of members of the armed forces and veterans. On behalf of the Ministry of Defence, I apologise.

An MoD spokesman said: We have been made aware of a data breach that occurred earlier this month by the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy team. Steps have now been taken to ensure this does not happen in the future.
Victorians have been warned there may be more aftershocks after the state suffered its largest earthquake that left a tradesman injured on a job site.

The magnitude 5.9 quake hit about 9.15am on Wednesday, with the epicentre between Mansfield and Rawson in the state's northeast.

The 10km deep earthquake - the biggest in the state since records began - was felt across Melbourne and as far away as Canberra, Sydney and Adelaide.

Initially, there were no reports of injuries, however, State Emergency Service chief officer Tim Wiebusch said on Thursday a man in Mount Eliza suffered minor injuries.

Victorians have been warned there may be more aftershocks after the state suffered its largest earthquake that left a tradesman injured on a job site (pictured in Melbourne)

Emergency workers are seen surveying damage from the earthquake in Melbourne

Two people crouch down after the earthquake forced with the evacuation of a Melbourne building on Wednesday morning

'A man that was working on a repair of a construction and that, in the shaking, moved and came on top of him,' he told Seven News.

At least eight aftershocks have been registered between 2.4 and 4.1 on the Richter scale, and further tremors are expected in the coming days, and possibly months.

'We are asking people to know what to do: drop, cover and hold is the key message,' Mr Wiebusch said on Wednesday.

There were more than 100 calls for assistance after the initial earthquake, with 55 of those in metropolitan Melbourne.

Most were for minor structural damage to chimneys, facades and older buildings.

Mr Wiebusch has urged anyone who discovers building damage to contact a licensed builder or technician, with emergency repairs still allowed under Covid-19 restrictions.

There were more than 100 calls for assistance after the initial earthquake, with 55 of those in metropolitan Melbourne

Popular burger restaurant Betty's Burgers was severely damaged in the quake but nobody was inside at the time

There were no serious injuries from the earthquake but dozens of buildings were damaged

Some building damage has emerged in metropolitan Melbourne and areas near Mansfield, with Beechworth hospital losing power and one of the crosses at St Patrick's Church in Wangaratta falling down.

Among the city structures damaged was the facade of a Brunswick Street building in Fitzroy and the exterior of Betty's Burgers on Chapel Street in Windsor.

No one was inside the restaurant when the earthquake hit, and managing director Troy McDonagh said he expects the business won't be able to reopen for months.

Locals are pictured examining debris from a damaged building along Chapel Street in Melbourne on Wednesday after the record-breaking earthquake

More than 35,000 homes in the state lost power from the quake as did the Beechworth hospital

Insurer Allianz had received 70 claims as of 3pm Wednesday, mostly for minor cracking but some for 'extensive damage'.

The earthquake was originally recorded as a magnitude six, but later revised to 5.8 and then 5.9 on the Richter scale.

More than 35,000 homes in the state lost power from the quake but most had regained theirs by the afternoon.

The quake was caused by a thrust fault where two sections of the earth's crust are pushed up against each other, causing friction and resulting in a quake.

Seismologist have predicted aftershocks of up to magnitude five.

Residents caught up in the quake shared shocking footage of walls shaking and pets disappearing as the shudder wreaked havoc around the state.

Zume Phim, 33, owner of Melbourne's Oppen cafe, said he rushed onto the street as the tremor hit.

'The whole building was shaking. All the windows, the glass, was shaking - like a wave of shaking,' he said.

'I have never experienced that before. It was a little bit scary.'

A homeowner near Leongatha, a town south-west of Melbourne, who was in the bathroom when the earthquake hit said the sound was like a 'jet engine' and the glass shower screen was shaking.

Residents caught up in the quake said the walls of their houses started shaking

Rubble is seen outside Betty's Burgers restaurant on the famous Chapel Street in Melbourne

'I grabbed my granddaughter and held her tight,' the woman said. 'It was very frightening.'

'The whole world just shook,' another Victorian said.

New Zealander Colin, who lives in Ferntree Gully in Melbourne, said the quake felt just as powerful as the magnitude 6.2 Christchurch earthquake in 2011 that caused widespread damage across the city and killed 185 people.

'About 30 seconds it lasted. I didn't know whether to run outside or upstairs,' he told Newstalk ZB.

'I'm in a solid concrete house, so it really shook. It shook as much as I've felt in Christchurch.'
The Government is facing embarrassing legal action after it rejected visa applications from 35 Afghan judges who are being hunted by the Taliban.

The judges, most of whom are women, are currently in hiding in safe houses  and many are being tracked by Taliban and Islamic State extremists they personally had sent to jail.

They did this as part of efforts by the military coalition  including Britain  to build a new Afghan state with a functioning judiciary.

UK Government is facing embarrassing legal action after it rejected visa applications from 35 Afghan judges who are currently being hunted by the Taliban. Pictured: Afghan people stand in line to receive visa in front of the Iranian Embassy in Kabul

But, farcically, the UK Government has refused multiple applications for visas which would allow them to flee to Britain.

Leading law firm Mishcon de Reya will apply for a judicial review of the Governments decision, with papers due to be lodged today.

Solicitor Maria Patsalos said the judges were fearing for their lives and described the delays as morally abhorrent.

But a Government spokesman said all relocation applications were being considered in line with the eligibility criteria.
Studying humanities, maths and foreign languages should be made compulsory for A-level pupils, a report claims.

The paper said widening the breadth of the curriculum could create more 'adaptable' employees in the workplace and improve their numeracy skills.

The Higher Education Policy Institute adds that modern humanities face 'real challenges' around enrolment, graduate employment and funding.

Report author Dr Gabriel Roberts said that post-16 qualifications should be overhauled to tackle the problem.

Currently, pupils take only three or four A-level subjects.

Studying humanities, maths and foreign languages should be made compulsory for A-level pupils, a report claims (stock image)

But Mr Roberts argued they should be required to study more subjects  much like the International Baccalaureate (IB) which requires pupils to take six including a language, a humanities subject and maths.

The paper added the move could boost the number of those applying for humanities courses at university.

Mr Roberts said: 'A-levels are strikingly narrow by international standards. The success of the IB and the Extended Project Qualification shows pupils can handle greater breadth than A-levels offer.

'The growing popularity of interdisciplinary degrees should also tell us something about the kind of education that many young people want. There is a strong case for change.'

On his proposal to require A-level students to study maths alongside a humanities subject until the end of compulsory schooling, report author Dr Roberts said it 'would improve the numerical abilities of humanities graduates which might have positive effects on their careers.'

The report highlights that the modern humanities at UK universities face real challenges relating to enrolment, graduate employment and funding.

Between 1961/62 and 2019/20, the proportion of UK students studying humanities subjects fell from around 28 per cent to approximately 8 per cent of all students, according to the paper.

It adds: 'The employment prospects of humanities graduates are weaker than those of graduates in some other areas, but the picture is mixed.'

Dr Roberts said: 'Requiring pupils to continue a foreign language until the end of school might stem the decline in applicants for Modern Languages courses at university and lessen the social exclusivity of Classics and Modern Languages courses at leading universities.

'It would also address the long-term shortage of linguistic skills identified by employers, have wider benefits for pupils' educational attainment and help compensate for the loss of international links likely to result from Brexit.'

The report highlights that the modern humanities at UK universities face real challenges relating to enrolment, graduate employment and funding (file photo, students receive their A Level results)

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), said: 'It is often said there is a 'crisis in the humanities' and there are certainly some big challenges for the humanities in relation to student numbers, funding and curricula. We must discuss, debate and deal with them.

'Nonetheless, the 'crisis' narrative is too simplistic and too pessimistic. The true picture is more nuanced, more interesting and more positive, whether we look at teaching, course design or research.

Eleanor Busby, PA Education Correspondent'Moreover, the lively current debates on issues like statues and decolonising the curriculum prove that most people know we can only fully understand our society when the humanities thrive.'
British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe reached her 2,000th day in Iranian captivity

Liz Truss said she was absolutely determined to secure the freedom of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe following a meeting with the Iranians yesterday.

The Foreign Secretary met her counterpart Amir Abdollahian to press for the release of the British-Iranian mother.

And as Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe reached her 2,000th day in captivity, her husband urged Boris Johnson to rethink his approach to Iran.

After the meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York, Miss Truss tweeted a picture and said: Im absolutely determined to secure the release of detained British nationals.

A source close to her said she had pressed hard for the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other detainees.

New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she was absolutely determined to secure Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release after meeting with her Iranian counterpart, Amir Abdollahian, in New York

Husband Richard Ratcliffe said: After 2,000 days of disappointments and let-downs, I do sometimes wonder what will get the Government to bring Nazanin and the others home?

What will end the years of drift, or get the Prime Minister to deliver on his word?
Victoria has broken two grim Covid records on the same day as it prepares for another violent protest and its outbreak to get even worse.

Melbourne shattered the world record for the most days in lockdown since the pandemic with 235, and recorded 766 new Covid cases and four deaths.

Victoria's 766 new cases is the highest number of daily infections the state has reported throughout the entire pandemic.

Argentinian capital Buenos Aires held the unfortunate record with 234 total days stuck in lockdown until today when it was surpassed.

Melbourne has suffered through six lockdowns, the longest being about five months last year during its second wave that killed more than 900 people.

Melbourne broke the world record for the most days in lockdown since the pandemic with 235, and recorded 766 new Covid cases (pictured, women exercise in Melbourne)

Melbourne has suffered through six lockdowns, the longest being about five months last year during its second wave that killed more than 900 people (pictured, a rapid Covid test)

That outbreak peaked at 723 new cases on July 29 last year, 43 fewer than today's total with warnings it will pass NSW's high watermark of 1,599 on September 11.

Daily cases could climb as high as 4,000 according to some modelling, in contrast to Premier Daniel Andrews' boast he would crush the outbreak with a one-week lockdown.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews prematurely declared victory - only to put the state back into lockdown a day later when more cases emerged

Instead, the lockdown is in its 11th week and included desperate measures including a curfew, and closing playgrounds and golf courses.

Melburnians are not due to leave lockdown until October 26, by which time it will have spent 267 days in lockdown, but only outdoor retail and hospitality will open.

Victoria's 766 new cases were diagnosed from 62,408 tests and 40,957 vaccine doses were administered on Wednesday.

To further boost this vaccination rate, which hit 45.2 per cent on Wednesday, teachers and early childhood workers must get the jab by November 29.

Education Minister James Merlino on Wednesday announced all staff at government and independent schools and all early childhood settings will need to have their first jab by October 18, or have a booking within a week of that date.

Education Minister James Merlino on Wednesday announced all Victorian staff at government and independent schools and all early childhood centres will need to be vaccinated (pictured, Keilor Views Primary School)

Poll SHOULD TEACHERS HAVE TO BE VACCINATED? Yes No SHOULD TEACHERS HAVE TO BE VACCINATED? Yes 461 votes

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The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria says it will also make the Covid-19 vaccine mandatory for teachers and staff in its 498 primary and secondary schools, sticking to the same timelines.

All government school staff will be entitled to half a day of paid time off to get vaccinated.

'Children under 12 do not have access to a vaccine, so we've got to protect our kids, both from contracting the virus and also transmitting the virus when they go home to their families,' Mr Merlino told reporters.

'The best way to do that is to ensure that people who work with our children in early childhood, in care settings, in our schools, that they are all required to be vaccinated.'

Victoria's 766 new cases were diagnosed form 62,408 tests and 40,957 vaccine doses were administered on Wednesday (pictured, a vaccination clinic in Broadmeadows in Melbourne)

All staff will have to have their first jab by October 18 or have a booking within a week of that date (pictured, a woman receives a Pfizer vaccine)

He said priority access would not be given to staff to receive a vaccine as there was 'plenty of capacity' at the state-run hubs, pharmacies and GPs, while a recent survey of 33,000 teachers found 75 per cent were already fully vaccinated.

The Australian Education Union and Independent Education Union as well as the Early Learning Association of Australia welcomed the announcement.

AEU Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said the union has taken 'every opportunity since vaccinations became available to encourage our members to get a Covid-19 vaccination as soon as they were eligible'.

'The union's position continues to be that our members and the community should follow the public health advice in relation to Covid-19 safety measures, vaccination requirements and the safe return to on-site learning,' she said in a statement.

IEU general secretary Deb James said the 'fastest, safest way out of the pandemic remains for us to get vaccinated'.

They will also need to be fully vaccinated before November 29, unless they have a medical exemption (pictured, Bentleigh Secondary College students)

'Overwhelmingly, our members support vaccination as the most important tool to get schools back to normal,' she said.

Mr Merlino also announced the government will spend $190 million to ensure schools are properly ventilated by the start of term four, in what he described as an 'Australian-first unprecedented, massive investment'.

This includes signing a contract with South Korean tech company Samsung to deliver 51,000 air purification devices to every government and low-fee independent school in the state.

Mr Merlino said the devices, which will begin arriving in the state from next week, will be placed in high-risk settings such as sick bays, canteens, staff rooms and music rooms.

As of Wednesday, 45.2 per cent of Victorians have received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine (pictured, a couple exercising in Melbourne)

The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria will also apply the mandate to their 498 primary and secondary education centres (pictured, a Melbourne vaccination centre)

Some $60 million will be spent on installing shade sails at 2149 schools to create more outdoor learning space, while a small trial of home antigen testing with students and their families will explore their feasibility.

A Ventilation Technical Advisory Panel will also be established to undertake further risk assessments of other environments including early childhood settings and youth justice facilities.

Year 12 students in Melbourne are going back to class on October 6 and a staggered return of other years will follow, starting with prep to Year 2s on October 18.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy supported the state government's plan.

'We just want our kids back in school,' he said.

Melbourne recorded four new deaths on Thursday (pictured, people exercise in the city)

Timeline of the Covid-19 pandemic in NSW and Victoria July 29, 2020: Victoria's deadly second wave hits its zenith with 723 new cases June 26, 2021: Lockdown is announced in Sydney. Extended to all NSW weeks later July 14: Fifth lockdown is announced for Victoria August 4: Victoria gets back to zero cases and Dan Andrews prematurely declares victory on Twitter August 5: Sixth lockdown is announced in Victoria after more cases detected September 11: NSW records Australia's highest daily tally of 1,599 new Covid cases September 23: Victoria records its highest daily tally of 766 new Covid cases Advertisement

The City of Melbourne will push to host a state-government run trial of vaccine passports in order for small businesses to be allowed to immediately reopen.

City councillors voted unanimously for the trial to be tested in the city's venues after an overwhelming positive response from businesses in the area.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the trial would come as a relief to small businesses that were 'terrified' of closing down before being permitted to trade properly.

'This trial will deliver hope and insight to businesses big and small and provide the perfect opportunity to start reopening safely,' Ms Capp told the Herald Sun.

Businesses will be given the choice to take part in the trial and open immediately or remain shut until they can reopen under the state government's roadmap.

Meanwhile, Ballarat residents were released from a seven-day lockdown at 11.59pm on Wednesday, as well as around 500 residents in parts of Point Lonsdale.

Mayor of the Central Highlands town Ross Ebbels said the easing of stay-at-home orders was 'sensible' given the high vaccination rates in the inland city.

Victoria has the nation's lowest vaccination rates for aged-care staff, and government-funded nursing homes were asked to provide records of workplace jab rates on Friday.

About 98.6 per cent of workers have received one dose of a Covid vaccine. In Tasmania 99.5 per cent of workers had their first shot.

Victorian aged-care workers who are yet to book an appointment for a vaccine have until October 1 to get their first jab, estimated to be about 3,100 people.

Victoria has recorded the lowest vaccination rates for aged-care staff with 98.6 per cent of workers having one dose of a Covid vaccine (pictured, people exercising in Melbourne)

The city of Melbourne is still reeling from the after-effects of three consecutive days of violent anti-vax protests (pictured) that erupted in scenes of chaos seen in the CBD

The City of Melbourne is still reeling from the after-effects of three consecutive days of violent anti-vax protests in the CBD.

The demonstrations initially began in opposition to mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations but have since spiralled into scenes of chaos after Mr Andrews announced a two-week shutdown of the construction industry on Monday night.

The protests hit an all-time low when about 400 attendees stormed the city's Shrine of Remembrance and chanted 'lest we forget' on Wednesday.

Shrine of Remembrance chief executive Dean Lee said he was 'appalled' after footage shared online showed police removing rubbish bags from the monument in the hours after the protesters decamped.

Victoria Police made 215 arrests on Wednesday while two officers suffered head injuries after rocks, bottles and other projectiles were thrown at authorities.
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Sea levels around the world are rising at an 'alarming rate' of 0.12 inches per year, according to a new European Commission-backed report.

This is the fifth Ocean State Report published by the Copernicus Marine Service, using a combination of satellite observations, measurements at different ocean locations around the world, and a series of computer models.

The report reveals ways in which the ocean is changing and the consequences of those changes, including rising sea levels, ocean warming, and sea ice loss.

They found that warming oceans and melting land ice had caused sea levels to rise by 0.12 inches (3.1mm) per year - higher than observed any time in the last century.

The report revealed that Arctic sea ice extent is decreasing, finding that from 1979 to 2020, it lost sea ice equivalent in area to about six times the size of Germany.

Dr Alex Arnall, environmental researcher at the University of Reading, not involved in the report, said level rises are no longer a 'future problem' and are already causing problems for coastal communities around the world, including the UK.

Sea ice extent in the Arctic is well below average and is rapidly declining. In fact, Arctic sea ice has shown a steady decline in extent and thickness over the last thirty years. Summer (September) sea ice has followed a decreasing trend of -12.89 per cent per decade, with record lows of sea ice extent in the last two years

The Blue Ocean describes the physical state of the ocean, including, for example, sea surface temperature, sea level, ocean currents, waves and sea winds, as well as ocean hear content, salinity and density

This is the fifth Ocean State Report published by the Copernicus Marine Service, using a combination of satellite observations, measurements at different ocean locations around the world, and a series of computer models

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE FIFTH OCEAN STATE REPORT Ocean warming and melting land ice is causing sea levels to rise by 3.1 mm per year

Arctic sea ice extent is steadily decreasing; between 1979 and 2020, it lost an equivalent in area of sea ice to about 6 times the size of Germany

Extreme variability from cold-spells and marine heatwaves in the North Sea are linked to changes in catches of sole, European lobster, sea bass, red mullet and edible crabs

Pollution from land-based activities such as farming and industry is causing ocean eutrophication, impacting delicate ecosystems

Ocean warming and salinity increases have intensified in the Mediterranean in the past decade

Arctic Ocean warming estimated to contribute nearly 4 % to global ocean warming Advertisement

The annual report includes contributions from 150 scientists from more than 30 renowned European institutions.

It is meant to act as a reference for the scientific community, national and international bodies, decision-makers and the general public.

They explore key ocean monitoring indicators to track how the oceans are changing and analyse the impact.

The ocean indicators are grouped into three sets: the ocean's physical state (Blue Ocean), the ocean's biological and biochemical state (Green Ocean) and the life cycle of floating ice in polar regions (White Ocean).

Other findings include evidence of extreme variability from cold-spells and marine heatwaves in the North Sea.

These are linked to changes in catches of sole, European lobster, sea bass, red mullet and edible crabs.

Pollution from land-based activities such as farming and industry is causing ocean eutrophication, impacting delicate ecosystems.

Eutrophication is where a body of water becomes enriched with minerals and nutrients, sometimes turning it green.

Ocean warming and salinity increases have intensified in the Mediterranean in the past decade, the report found.

The researchers also discovered that Arctic Ocean warming is now estimated to contribute nearly four per cent to global ocean warming.

Andrew Shepherd, Professor of Earth Observation at the University of Leeds, not involved in the report, said the world was now losing trillion tons of ice every year.

The Green Ocean describes the biological and biogeochemical state of the ocean, including, for example, chlorophyll-a concentrations and nutrients as well as ocean acidification and deoxygenation

The White Ocean refers to the lifecycle of floating ice within the polar regions, with indicators including the extent, volume and thickness of sea ice in the Baltic Sea, Arctic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean

'Even though the polar regions are remote we feel their losses because they disturb the oceans that surround us,' Prof Shepherd explained.

'Whether it's rising sea levels driving more frequent coastal flooding, or reduced sea ice cover altering global weather patterns, we are increasingly vulnerable to these changes.

'The good news is that there is no doubt that these changes are underway; the challenge is to act in order to avoid further disruption to our lives and livelihoods.'

To understand the scale of the changes, the report authors focused on different ocean monitoring indicators and tracked how the ocean is changing over time.

Nutrient pollution from land-based activities, such as farming and industry, deteriorates water quality and increases favourable conditions for eutrophication. Eutrophication is where a body of water becomes enriched with minerals and nutrients, sometimes turning it green. The reduction of ocean surface inorganic nutrients, however, can be linked to oligotrophication, which occurs when water is extremely low in nutrients and therefore cannot support much aquatic plant growth

The report reveals ways in which the ocean is changing and the consequences of those changes, including rising sea levels, ocean warming, and sea ice loss

Global warming 'danger limit' of 2.7F could be breached in just five YEARS Earth's global warming 'danger limit' of 2.7F (1.5) could be breached in just five years, a new report has warned. The pace of climate change has not been slowed by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the world remains behind in its battle to cut carbon emissions, the United Nations warned. The pandemic caused only a temporary downturn in CO2 emissions last year and it was not enough to reverse the rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said. Reduction targets are not being met and there is a rising likelihood the world will miss its Paris Agreement target of reducing global warming to 2.7F (1.5C) above pre-industrial levels, the WMO said in its United in Science 2021 Report. 'We have reached a tipping point on the need for climate action,' said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. 'The disruption to our climate and our planet is already worse than we thought, and it is moving faster than predicted. This report shows just how far off course we are.' Advertisement

'The physical ocean is undergoing unprecedented changes,' they found, which has a huge impact on both human well-being and marine environments.

These factors can sometimes combine to cause extreme events affecting vulnerable areas such as Venice, like the 'Acqua Alta event' that happened in November 2019.

This saw an unusually high average sea level, a strong spring tide and extreme local and regional weather conditions combine to cause exceptional tide peaks in the Italian city - with water rising by more than 6ft (1.89m).

This was the highest water level recorded since 1966 and more than half of the city was flooded.

The report didn't just focus on sea level rise and temperature changes - it also looked at the makeup of the ocean itself.

Nutrient pollution from land-based activities such as farming and industry have a devastating effect on the ocean's water quality.

Through eutrophication, increased plant growth can lead to reduced oxygen levels in seawater and even block natural sunlight, with potentially severe effects on coastal environments and marine biodiversity.

In addition, warming ocean waters have caused some marine life to migrate to cooler waters, prompting the introduction of non-native species.

An example occurred in 2019 when the venomous lionfish migrated from the Suez Canal to the Ionian Sea due to increased temperatures in the Mediterranean Basin.

The report also reveals that Arctic sea ice remains well below average and is declining at an alarming pace.

Over the past 30 years, Arctic sea ice has decreased steadily in extent and thickness, with the summer low reduced by 12.89 per cent per decade.

Warming ocean waters have caused many marine species to move towards cooler waters. This migration is prompting the introduction of non-native and invasive species to different marine ecosystems. In 2019, the lionfish, Pterois miles, saw a widespread introduction into the Mediterranean Sea - from the Suez Canal to the Ionian Sea - due to increasing temperatures in the eastern Mediterranean basin

To understand the scale of the changes, the report authors focused on different ocean monitoring indicators and tracked how the ocean is changing over time

Climate change could force 216 million people out of their homes Without immediate action to combat climate change, 216 million people could be forced to migrate to other parts of their country by 2050. A new report from the World Bank modeled the impact of rising sea levels, water scarcity and declining crop productivity on six regions, concluding that climate migration 'hotspots' will emerge as soon as 2030. The poorest parts of the world will be hit hardest, researchers said: Sub-Saharan Africa alone would account for 86 million of the internal migrants, with 19 million more in North Africa, the report showed, South Asia would be home to 40 million internal migrants, and another 49 million in East Asia and the Pacific. Such movements will put significant stress on both sending and receiving areas, straining cities and urban centers and jeopardizing development gains, the report said. Advertisement

Continued Arctic sea ice loss could contribute to further regional warming, erosion of Arctic coastlines and changes in global weather patterns.

Karina von Schuckmann, oceanographer at the Copernicus Marine Service said climate change, pollution and overexploitation had created unprecedented pressure on the ocean, which makes up 71 per cent of the Earth's surface.

'It is also responsible for regulating Earth's climate and sustaining life,' she said.

'Accurate and timely monitoring and reporting is crucial for understanding the ocean so we can adapt to its changes.

'The Ocean State Report highlights the necessity of governance to help us all work together to reduce harmful effects and adapt to protect this most precious resource and its ecosystems.'

Dr Sarah Wakelin, was one of co-authors of the Ocean State Report and research scientist at the National Oceanography Centre.

She said: 'Short-term variability in ocean temperatures in the form of heatwaves or cold spells, lasting from days to a few weeks, is an issue of increasing concern in the marine environment, which can affect many aspects of marine ecosystems.'

The Ocean State Report highlights just how extreme temperatures in the North Sea have resulted in a change in the fish being caught commercially.

'Wider aspects such as migration to warmer or cooler waters, changes to spawning and growth as well as behavioural changes and mortality mean that, in response to temperature extremes, landings of some species increase whilst landings of other species will be reduced,' Dr Wakelin explained.

The report didn't just focus on sea level rise and temperature changes, it also looked at the makeup of the ocean itself

Due to a combination of concurrent events  unusually high mean sea level, a high spring tide, and extreme local and regional weather conditions  an unprecedented series of exceptionally strong Acqua Alta events occurred in Venice in 2019. Water levels rose to 6ft (1.89m), the highest recorded level since 1966, flooding over 50 per cent of the city between 11 and 18 November, 2019

Dr Angela Hibbert, Head of Sea Level and Ocean Climate at the National Oceanography Centre, not involved in the report, said the new study backs up findings from the recent IPCC climate change report.

She said the sea level rise is higher than was observed in the 20th Century and suggests an acceleration in rates of sea level rise.

'When high tides and large storm surges coincide, they are more likely to result in more damaging coastal flooding, especially if mean sea level is also elevated.

'Increasing warming and ice mass loss from glaciers and ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica will also cause these rises to continue.

'Therefore, events such as the Venetian 'Acqua Alta' highlighted in this report are likely to become increasingly common as sea levels continue to rise.'

Dr Matt Palmer, Lead Scientist for Sea Level at the Met Office Hadley Centre, and Associate Professor at the University of Bristol, also not involved in the study, said ongoing monitoring is fundamental to understanding climate change.

'Sea levels are rising globally and throughout the European seas, contributing to more frequent coastal flooding, such as the 'Acqua Alta' events in Venice during 2019.

'Ocean observations are critical for improving climate modelling capability and understanding key processes in order to develop robust information for decision makers on future climate change.'
A new song has been written that can reduce the intensity of a painful headache, helping you tune out your suffering, according to its developers.

It uses instrumental, orchestral and vocal elements to create a sense of 'wonder,' according to its co-creator, Dr Claire Howlin, from University College Dublin.

Named All of US, it was tested on 286 people suffering from active acute pains including headache, backache and general muscle ache, the team explained.

Working with musician Anatole, they wanted to create something that would 'help people feel empowered so they could dissociate from their pain'.

Funded by Nurofen, the testing found that All Of Us helped to reduce feelings of pain intensity and unpleasantness in a way that was clinically and statically significant.

It works through both distraction from the pain, and by convincing the brain to release a dose of the happy chemical, dopamine.

A new song has been written that can reduce the intensity of a painful headache, helping you tune out your suffering, according to its developers. Stock image

Tuning out pain with music A survey of 2,000 people found 15 per cent identified music as a way to better tolerate acute pain. However, 80 per cent said they would if music was proven to help. Other key findings: Classical (32%), pop (31%) and rock (22%) were the top genres people would listen to if in pain

Women were more likely than men listen to Pop (37% vs 24%), R&B (21% vs 14%) and Hip Hop (13% vs 9%) to manage pain

Men were more likely than women to choose Classical (35% vs 29%), Rock (28% vs 16%) and Metal (10% vs 6%)

In England, there was a clear north-south divide in musical tastes to manage pain

Respondents from Greater London, the South East and South West were more likely to listen to classical

Pop was the first choice for people in the North East and North West as well as Yorkshire Advertisement

The new track is part of the Nurofen Tune Out Pain project that brings together experts from the worlds of science, pain management and music.

Anatole, is a conservatory-trained trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist, and was brought on board to compose the track, based on research by Dr Howlin.

During testing, participants with different types of acute pain such as headache, backache or period pain reported their levels of pain intensity decreasing while listening to the track.

Dr Howlin's research into music and pain allowed her to direct Anatole to include certain elements required to help properly distract from suffering.

This included making the track as engaging, interesting and enjoyable as possible so people would not focus on their pain.

This was achieved by applying instrumental and orchestral sounds, such as strings, pianos, bells, and minor vocal samples, to elicit a sense of wonder, empowerment and inspire mental strength to help dissociate from pain.

'Creating music that was driven by science was an exciting challenge for me as a music producer' commented Anatole.

'All Of Us is special because every note, beat and sound is designed to create a particular effect on the listener, based on insights provided by Dr Howlin.

'Music and pain is something all of us experience  this project shows how powerful music is and the potential benefit to our wellbeing.'

Dr Howlin said music has the ability to give people a big burst of dopamine in their neural reward network.

'This track reduced both pain intensity and unpleasantness and to achieve an effect of this size for a completely unfamiliar track, really underscores the potential of creating specific pieces of music for pain management,' she explained.

The full results of the Tune Out Pain study will be submitted to an academic journal for publication.

The research is intended to help further scientific understanding of how holistic pain management techniques, such as listening to music, can help people with acute pain.

Named All of US, it was tested on 286 people suffering from active acute pains including headache, backache and general muscle ache, the team explained. Stock image

WHAT IS DOPAMINE? Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is known to play a role in how our brains derives pleasure from activities such as gambling and sex, as well as addiction. These gratifying activities, and addictive drugs, increase the level of dopamine in the brain. When we have too little dopamine, we tend to feel bored, unmotivated, or depressed. Dopamine is produced in several parts of the brain, including in the hypothalamus. Its effects on the brain depend on a few different factors, such as the types of neurons that its combined with. Scientists originally thought that this substance was related to true pleasure. New research suggests that dopamine is more related to anticipatory pleasure and motivation. Advertisement

Additional research from Nurofen shows that only 15 per cent of people identified music as a good way to better tolerate acute pain.

This was when compared to other complimentary methods such as regular exercise, a good night's sleep, or breathing techniques.

However, 69 per cent of respondents said they were interested in more holistic pain-relieving methods to use alongside over-the-counter medication.

The survey of 2,000 people found that 71 per cent also agree music has a positive impact on their general wellbeing and 74 per cent believe it has the ability to make them feel different emotions.

Other findings include the fact classical and pop were the genres people were most likely to listen to if they were in pain, coming in at 32 and 31 per cent.

Women were more likely than men listen to pop, R&B and Hip Hop to manage pain, where men were more likely than women to choose classical and rock.

In England, there was a clear north-south divide in musical tastes to manage pain  respondents from Greater London, the South East and South West were more likely to listen to classical, but pop was the first choice in the North East and Yorkshire.

Sezi Unluturk, Category Manager at Nurofen UK said; 'At Nurofen, we believe that pain should never hold you back in life. That's why we are always searching for new ways to manage it.

'Tune Out Pain was developed to help further scientific knowledge of new holistic pain management techniques that can complement existing pain-relieving medications.'

The track is available on Spotify.
A team of cave divers have made what is thought to be the first descent to the bottom of Yemen's 'Well of Hell,' a 100-foot wide hole in the desert whose origins are unknown.

Officially known as the Well of Barhout, the massive hole is a natural wonder that many locals believe it is a prison for genies.

However, the divers from the Oman Cave Exploration Team (OCET) only found snakes, dead animals and cave pearls.

'There were snakes, but they won't bother you unless you bother them,' Mohammed al-Kindi, a geology professor at the German University of Technology in Oman, told AFP.

Kindi was among eight experienced cavers who rappelled down last week, while two colleagues remained at the surface.

The 100-foot wide hole is located in the desert floor of Yemen's eastern province of Al-Mahra.

It drops approximately 367 feet (112 meters) below the surface and, according to some accounts, gives off strange odors.

Yemen's Well of Barhout, a 112-metre deep sinkhole in the desert which locals call the 'Well of Hell', had been largely unexplored until a team of Omani cavers reached the bottom last week

Despite the sinkhole's reputation as a prison for genies, the cavers found no demons, only snakes, dead animals and cave pearls

Footage received by AFP showed cave formations and grey and lime-green cave pearls, formed by dripping water.

'Passion drove us to do this, and we felt that this is something that will reveal a new wonder and part of Yemeni history,' Kindi, who also owns a mining and petroleum consultancy firm, added.

'We collected samples of water, rocks, soil and some dead animals but have yet to have them analyzed,' he explained, adding that a report will soon be made public.

Footage showed cave formations and grey and lime-green cave pearls, formed by dripping water

'There were dead birds, which does create some bad odors, but there was no overwhelming bad smell.'

Yemeni officials told AFP in June that they did not know what lay in the depths of the pit, which they estimated to be 'millions and millions' of years old, adding that they had never reached the bottom.

'We have gone to visit the area and entered the well, reaching more than 50-60 meters down,' Salah Babhair, director general of Mahra's geological survey and mineral resources authority, said at the time.

'We noticed strange things inside. We also smelled something strange... It's a mysterious situation.'

Some have speculated that this well is a supervolcano that will eventually erupt, but there is no scientific evidence for that.

The Well of Barhout - also known as the Well of Hell - is closer to Oman's border than it is to Yemen's capital, Sanaa and is a giant hole in the desert of Al-Mahra

Closer to the border with Oman than to the capital Sanaa 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) away, local folklore says the giant hole in the desert of Al-Mahra province was created as a prison for the demons.

This reputation was bolstered by the foul and toxic odors rising from its depths, while others have called it 'the mouth of Hell.'

Over the centuries, stories have circulated of malign figures known as jinns or genies living in the well, which some regard as the gate of hell.

Some have wondered if this hole in Yemen is a pingo, a type of geological phenomenon that recently cropped up in the Yamal Peninsula in Russia last decade.

Keele University Professor of Glaciology and Palaeoclimatology Chris Fogwill suggested in 2014 the hole in the Yamal Peninsula was a collapsed pingo, which happens when an ancient ice formation collapses.

In an interview with DailyMail.com in June, Fogwill suggested the hole in Yemen was not a pingo, but rather a [load] cast feature or sink hole caused by the erosion of limestone or moving geological salts or brines.

'The erosion around the edge suggests it is not 'new,'' Fogwill added.

Many residents of the area are uneasy about visiting the vast pit or even talking about it, for fear of ill fortune.

The country has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014 that has triggered what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with two-thirds of its 30-million population dependent on some form of aid.
Babies have 10 times more microplastics in their stools than adults, a new study has warned.

Researchers from New York University found much higher levels of one type of microplastic, known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), when comparing the stools of adults and children.

They believe that the higher levels in babies could be down to exposure from baby products like dummies to crawling on carpets that contain the chemicals.

Worryingly, researchers are still unclear of the long-term health effects that exposure to microplastics could have.

However, previous research has linked microplastic exposure with cell death, inflammation, and metabolic disorders.

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Babies have 10 times more microplastics in their stools than adults, a new study has warned (stock image)

Where do microplastics come from? Microplastics come from a variety of sources, including from larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces. In addition, microbeads, a type of microplastic, are very tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants to health and beauty products, such as some cleansers and toothpastes. These tiny particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean and Great Lakes, posing a potential threat to aquatic life. Source: NOAA Advertisement

Microplastic debris can be less than five millimetres in size and are found in the deepest oceans to indoor dust, food, and even bottled water.

They were thought to pass through our bodies harmlessly, but recent studies have confirmed that the tiniest fibres can cross cell membranes and enter the body's circulation.

The study conducted at the New York University School of Medicine, was published in the American Chemical Society's Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

Professor Kurunthachalam Kannan, who led the study, said: 'Although average levels of faecal PC microplastics were similar between adults and infants, infant stool contained, on average, more than 10 times higher PET concentrations than that of adults.

'High concentrations of microplastics in the faeces of one-year-old infants can be attributed to extensive use of plastic products/articles such as baby feeding bottles, sippy cups, utensils such as spoons and bowls, plastic teethers, and toys, among others, during that growth stage.

'One-year-old infants are known to frequently mouth plastic products and clothing.

'In addition, studies have shown that infant formula prepared in bottles can release millions of microplastics and many processed baby foods are packaged in plastic containers that constitute another source of exposure in one-year-old infants.

'Furthermore, textiles are a source of PET MPs. Infants often chew and suck cloths, and therefore, exposure of this age group to MPs present in textiles is a greater concern.

'Carpets made of PET and PP can be another source of MP exposure, as infants crawl on the carpeted surfaces frequently.'

Professor Kannan and his colleagues started exploring the consequences of microplastics in humans by measuring levels in infant and adult faeces.

The researchers believe that the higher levels in babies could be down to exposure from baby products like dummies to crawling on carpets that contain the chemicals (stock image)

They were looking for two common microplastics - polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polycarbonate (PC).

The researchers used mass spectrometry to determine the concentrations of the two microplastics in six infant and 10 adult samples of faeces, including three samples of the first stool created by newborn babies.

In all samples, microplastic fibres were found lurking in the stool. PC levels were about the same in adults and babies but the PET levels were 10 times higher in babies.

Professor Kannan sounded a note of caution as the study was very small and called for more research to be carried out.

He added: 'We found that concentrations of PET in infant faeces were significantly higher than those in adult faeces.

'Our data provide baseline evidence for MP exposure doses in infants and adults and support the need for further studies with a larger sample size to corroborate and extend our findings.'
A microchip the size of a grain of sand is the smallest human-made flying structure ever created, according to its developers, who say it could track airborne disease.

Scientists say the 'microfliers' could also be used to monitor air pollution and environmental contamination at scales not previously possible.

There is no motor involved - the tiny device works like the propeller seeds of a maple tree, catching the wind to slow its fall as it glides towards the ground.

By studying wind-dispersed seeds, engineers from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, optimised the microflier's aerodynamics to ensure that when dropped from a height, it falls at a slow velocity in a controlled manner.

This allows for a dispersal over a broad area and increases time spent in the air, interacting with pollution and disease particles on the way down.

So far, versions of the tiny devices have been fitted with air pollution sensors, tools to study solar radiation at different wavelengths, and a PH sensor to monitor water quality.

Human-made 3D microfliers surround their nature-made inspiration, a propeller seed from a maple tree. These tiny chips catch the wind as they glide through the air

A photograph of a 3D microflier fitted with a circuit to measure fine dust pollution. Scientists say the 'microfliers' could also be used to monitor air pollution and environmental contamination at scales not previously possible

MICROFLIER: A NATURE BEATING DESIGN A maple leaf's whirling propeller seed spins through the air and gently lands on the pavement, guided by the wind. This is just one example of how nature has evolved clever, sophisticated methods to increase the survival of various plants. By ensuring that seeds are widely dispersed, sedentary plants and trees can propagate their species over vast distances to populate broad areas. These biological structures are designed to fall slowly and in a controlled manner, so they can interact with wind patterns for the longest-possible period of time. This feature maximises lateral distribution via purely passive, airborne mechanisms. To design the microfliers, the Northwestern team studied the aerodynamics of of plants seeds. Drawing its most direct inspiration from the tristellateia plant, a flowering vine with star-shaped seeds. Tristellateia seeds have bladed wings that catch the wind to fall with a slow, rotating spin. They designed and built many different types of microfliers, including one with three wings, optimised to similar shapes and angles as the wings on a tristellateia seed. The resulting structures can be formed across a wide variety of sizes and shapes, some with properties that can give nature a run for its money. 'We think that we beat nature,' lead engineer John Rogers said. 'At least in the narrow sense that we have been able to build structures that fall with more stable trajectories and at slower terminal velocities than equivalent seeds that you would see from plants or trees. 'We also were able to build these helicopter flying structures at sizes smaller than those found in nature. 'That's important because device miniaturization represents the dominating development trajectory in the electronics industry, where sensors, radios, batteries and other components can be constructed in ever smaller dimensions.' Advertisement

The US team said the microflier started life as a small-scale electronic system that could be packed with sensors, and then made to fly - or at least glide.

As well as sensors, it has power sources, antennas for wireless communication and embedded memory to store data, the team explained.

Bioelectronics pioneer Professor John Rogers, who led the development, said the goal was to use the devices to sense the environment for contamination monitoring, population surveillance or disease tracking.

The team took inspiration from the biological world, which Prof Rogers said has had billions of years to develop sophisticated aerodynamics.

'We borrowed those design concepts, adapted them and applied them to electronic circuit platforms,' explained Prof Rogers.

'These biological structures are designed to fall slowly and in a controlled manner, so they can interact with wind patterns for the longest-possible period of time.'

To design the microfliers, Prof Rogers and colleagues studied the aerodynamics of seeds of several plants, drawing its most direct inspiration from the tristellateia, a flowering vine with star-shaped seeds.

Tristellateia seeds have bladed wings that catch the wind to fall with a slow, rotating spin, they explained.

Part of the work involved the design and development of many types of microfliers, including one with three wings, optimised to the angles of the tristellateia.

To pinpoint the most ideal structure, Professor Yonggang Huang, who led the study's theoretical work, conducted computational modelling of how the air flows around the device to mimic the tristellateia seed's slow, controlled rotation.

Based on this, Prof Rogers' group then built and tested structures in the lab, using advanced methods for imaging and quantifying patterns of flow.

The resulting structures can be formed across a wide variety of sizes and shapes, some with properties that Prof Rogers says can give nature 'a run for its money.'

'We think that we beat nature,' the lead engineer proclaimed.

'At least in the narrow sense that we have been able to build structures that fall with more stable trajectories and at slower terminal velocities than equivalent seeds that you would see from plants or trees.

'We also were able to build these helicopter flying structures at sizes much smaller than those found in nature.

'That's important because device miniaturisation represents the dominating development trajectory in the electronics industry, where sensors, radios, batteries and other components can be constructed in ever smaller dimensions.'

A 3D microflier sits next to a common ant to show scale. There is no motor involved, the tiny device works like the propeller seeds of a maple tree, but catching the wind to slow its fall, as it glides towards the ground

To manufacture the devices, Rogers' team drew inspiration from a child's pop-up book, in the sense the wings 'pop-up' from the rubber substrate used to grow them.

His team first fabricated precursors to flying structures in flat geometries, then, they bonded the precursors onto a slightly stretched rubber substrate.

When the stretched substrate is relaxed, a controlled buckling process occurs that causes the wings to 'pop up' into precisely defined three-dimensional forms.

Prof Rogers said: 'This strategy of building 3D structures from 2D precursors is powerful because all existing semiconductor devices are built in planar layouts.

An artistic rendering of a 3D microflier. Versions of the tiny devices have been fitted with air pollution sensors, tools to study solar radiation at different wavelengths, and a PH sensor to monitor water quality

A 10 x 10 array of 3D microfliers. To manufacture the devices, Rogers' team drew inspiration from a child's pop-up book, in the sense th wings 'pop-up' from the rubber substrate used to grow them.

'We can thus exploit the most advanced materials and manufacturing methods used by the consumer electronics industry to make completely standard, flat, chip-like designs.

'Then, we just transform them into 3D flying shapes by principles that are similar to those of a pop-up book.'

He explained that the microfliers comprise two parts: millimetre-sized electronic functional components and their wings.

The weight of the electronics is distributed low in the centre of the microflier to prevent it from losing control and chaotically tumbling to the ground.

A close-up of a 3D microflier, outfitted with a coil antenna and UV sensors. Bioelectronics pioneer Professor John Rogers, who led the development, said the goal was to use the devices to sense the environment for contamination monitoring, population surveillance or disease tracking

THE MAKING OF MICROFLIERS To manufacture the devices, the team drew inspiration from another familiar novelty: a child's pop-up book. First they fabricated precursors to flying structures in flat geometries. Then bonded these precursors onto a slightly stretched rubber substrate. When the stretched substrate is relaxed, a controlled buckling process occurs that causes the wings to 'pop up' into precisely defined 3D forms. 'This strategy of building 3D structures from 2D precursors is powerful because all existing semiconductor devices are built in planar layouts,' said John Rogers 'We can thus exploit the most advanced materials and methods used by the consumer electronics industry to make completely standard, flat, chip-like designs. 'Then, we just transform them into 3D flying shapes by principles that are similar to those of a pop-up book.' Advertisement

Prof Rogers' team included sensors, a power source that can harvest ambient energy, memory storage and an antenna that can wirelessly transfer data to a smartphone, tablet or computer.

The team outfitted one device with all of the elements to detect particulates in the air, useful for monitoring pollution levels over a main road or in a very local region.

In another example, they incorporated acidity sensors that could be used to monitor water quality and photodetectors to measure sun exposure at different wavelengths.

Prof Rogers says that large numbers of devices could be dropped from an aircraft or building and broadly dispersed to monitor the air after a chemical spill or to track levels of air pollution at various altitudes.

He said: 'Most monitoring technologies involve bulk instrumentation designed to collect data locally at a small number of locations across a spatial area of interest.

'We envision a large multiplicity of miniaturised sensors that can be distributed at a high spatial density over large areas, to form a wireless network.'

He even has a plan to deal with any electronic litter. His team already develops transient electronics that can harmlessly dissolve in water after they are no longer needed - as shown in recent work on bioresorbable pacemakers.

Now his team is using the same materials and techniques to build microfliers that naturally degrade and disappear in ground water over time.

'We fabricate such physically transient electronics systems using degradable polymers, compostable conductors and dissolvable integrated circuit chips that naturally vanish into environmentally benign end products when exposed to water.

'We recognise that recovery of large collections of microfliers might be difficult. To address this concern, these environmentally resorbable versions dissolve naturally and harmlessly,' he said.

The findings have been published in the journal Nature.
An artificial intelligence program designed to scan social media chatter and warn law enforcement of potential threats is raising the alarm for civil-rights advocates.

SocialNet, from Wyoming-based outfit ShadowDragon, pores over data from 120 different platforms including Facebook and Instagram posts, dating app profiles, Amazon wishlists, Pornhub pages and the Dark Web  to help authorities 'identify persons of interest and map out their networks during investigations,' according to The Intercept.

Police in Michigan and Massachusetts are currently leasing the software, the site reports, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased a license for it twice since 2019.

ShadowDragon has not publicly released much information on how SocialNet works or which police departments have leased it.

The Michigan.gov website does not indicate which precincts, if any, are using the program, but the official State of Massachusetts site indicates SocialNet was licensed this year as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods to comb social data in six regionsBoston, Lawrence, Brockton, Worcester, New Bedford and Springfield.

Michigan police also purchased OIMonitor, another ShadowDragon tool, which sends alerts in response to data captured by SocialNet, potentially predicting a crime before it occurs, akin to the movie, Minority Report.

However, critics say social-media-scanning technology creates a surveillance state that targets minorities.

'People shouldn't be afraid to voice their political opinions or speak out against the police themselves because they fear the police are watching them,' Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty program at the ACLU of Massachusetts, told NBC 10 in Boston.

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SocialNet from Wyoming-based ShadowDragon scours datat on more than a hundred platforms  from Facebook and Instagram posts to Amazon wishlists and Pornhub pages  to help authorities ferret out bad actors

'Bad Guys share too much information online. Use it against them,' reads the ShadowDragon website.

'Like most of us, criminals enjoy the benefits of online activities and social networking. SocialNet captures these digital tracks, maps against their aliases, and explores their connections in near-real time to expedite your investigations and threat analysis.'

Nathaniel Mendell, acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, told NBC 10 in July that he expected the three-year, $147,870 license for SocialNet 'will be extremely valuable' to authorities in his state.

'Gangs use social media to talk about their disputes and to sort out their affiliations of who's in and who's out,' Mendell said.

Now police don't have to laboriously scan through individual accounts looking for clues.

'What used to take you a week or a month might now take you a day or a few hours,' Mendell added.

ShadowDragon founder Daniel Clemens told DailyMail.com that the company's software 'can only be used with publicly available data and can't be used to analyze private data obtained through other means.'

'We vet every license request and carefully consider how our tools might be used, denying access when we believe specific groups are being targeted,' Clemens added.

The ACLU's Crockford countered that its results can be too broad and target people based on casual connections or off-handed remarks.

Civil-rights groups argues software like SocialNet will monitor and target marginalized communities and people engaged in expression protected by the First Amendment

'Our concern is that will be done and is being done to monitor people who are engaged in political speech, First Amendment-protected speech,' Crockford said.

ShadowDragon isn't the only firm working with authorities to surveil social media.

In 2016, police in Baltimore used software from Chicago-based Geofeedia to monitor and respond to social chatter following protests over the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man who died in police custody, The New York Times reported.

According to a International Association of Chiefs of Police survey from 2017, 70 percent of police departments said they monitored social media to gather intelligence.

Some are leasing social-media surveillance software from Israeli data-analysis firm Zencity, Wired reported in July.

Zencity says it has built-in privacy safeguards, like only offering aggregate data not personal details, and it prevents authorities from tracking chatter about demonstrations and social justice movements.

ShadowDragon founder Daniel Clemens says SocialNet's crawlers only 'scrape information from public websites' looking for key terms and names. 'Nothing proprietary or private is provided to us by the platform companies.' Pictured: the SocialNet page on the ShadowDragon website

According to Zencity's website, it has clients in over 150 cities in the U.S. and Israel, including Los Angeles, Houston, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh.

It uses machine learning to scan chatter on social media, messaging boards, 311 calls and local news broadcasts and provides law enforcement with a tailored report about what is being said in the community.

'If they're going to meet at this location or that location, that's all publicly available information, and it's free for anyone to review,' Douglas County, Colorado, Sheriff Tony Spurlock, who uses ZenCity, told Wired.

Programs like the ones offered by ZenCity, ShadowDragon and other data-surveillance outfits disproportionately target communities of color and 'can lead to arrests of people on the basis of misinterpreted posts and associations,' the Brennan Center, a liberal public-policy institute, said in a statement.

'Very few police departments that use social media monitoring tools have made public the policies governing their use, heightening the danger of misuse and abuse.'

The Brennan Center's Rachel Levinson-Waldman and Angel Diaz say police should be subject to frequent audits to make sure people aren't being targeted based on 'race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, or a person's exercise of First Amendment freedoms.'

And police departments should be required to hold public hearings and receive approval from local government before implementing social-media surveillance, the pair said.

Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu is advocating for legislation that would do just that.

'We need to be ahead of it and not trying to deal with mishaps that happen or violations of rights after the fact,' Wu told NBC 10.

'We need to know when this would be deployed, what the protections are, who would be involved, and who would have the authority to push back.'
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James Bond is a different sort of traveller from the rest of us  and hes not exactly the type to bother with boring paperwork at borders when hes jet-setting around the world.

No stressing about Covid tests and Passenger Locator Forms for 007, just private planes and a martini or two while relaxing in (or out of) a tuxedo with one of his leading ladies.

In No Time to Die, the secret agents latest outing on the silver screen  which has its premiere at the Royal Albert Hall on September 28  its no different. Here we round up the films main locations...

Daniel Craig and Lea Seydoux in a scene from No Time to Die, which premieres in the UK on September 28

KINGSTON HARBOUR, JAMAICA

The Caribbean island has long been a favoured Bond filming location; scenes from Dr No were shot on the island and it even played the role of the fictitious San Monique in Live And Let Die. Kingston Harbour features in No Time To Die, too.

Stop for jerk chicken and a chocolate martini (perhaps not to 007s taste) at Tracks And Records, sprinting legend Usain Bolts bar and restaurant.

WHERE TO STAY: Head up into the Blue Mountains to stay at the sublime Strawberry Hill, opened in the 1990s by Chris Blackwell, the record producer who brought Bob Marley to the worlds attention; doubles from 224 B&B (strawberryhillhotel.com).

ATLANTIC OCEAN ROAD, NORWAY

The film sees Bond race down the five-mile Atlantic Ocean Road, above, in his classic Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Connecting the island of Averoy with the Norwegian mainland by way of a cluster of rugged islands spanned by eight bridges, the five-mile Atlantic Ocean Road makes a dramatic setting for a car chase involving 007 in his shiny, classic Aston Martin V8 Vantage. When the spume flies and the wind hollers, this is a wild setting.

WHERE TO STAY: On an island beside the Atlantic Coast Road, the Haholmen Havstuer hotel has a minimalist chic style and a good seafood restaurant; doubles from 208 B&B (classicnorway.no).

NITTEDAL FOREST, NORWAY

The film also features an epic chase across a frozen lake between villain Lyutsifer Safin (played by Rami Malek) and Madeleine Swann (first seen in Spectre, played by Lea Seydoux). This lake is in a forest outside the small, peaceful city of Nittedal, known for its match factory and logging industry  about an hours drive north of Oslo.

WHERE TO STAY: The Thief is a lovely boutique hotel in Oslo with a Bond-friendly cocktail bar; doubles from 247 B&B (thethief.com).

MATERA, ITALY

The formerly abandoned Italian city of Matera, pictured above, is one of the many filming locations scouted by the Bond team

A dramatic car chase thunders through the twisting streets of Matera, an intriguing ancient cave town. There's a raucous shoot-out, too (above)

Another high-energy car chase takes place through the narrow, labyrinthine streets of the southern Italian city of Matera, which comprises a cluster of higgledy-piggledy cave dwellings. Abandoned for decades, the old town is currently enjoying a revival (the city was European Capital of Culture in 2019) with chic hotels, restored palazzos and new restaurants.

WHERE TO STAY: Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita is an 18-room hotel within the city caves; doubles from 147 B&B (sextantio.it).

SAPRI, ITALY

The 'beach with the large arch' on the Italian coast that reportedly features in the new Bond flick

Filming for the new Bond took place on the beach of serene Sapri, near Salerno on Italys Amalfi coast. It is known as the Spiaggia dellArcomagno (meaning beach with the large arch). The vast erosion in the cliff face gives access to a semi- sheltered cove  a gorgeous area to loiter for a day.

WHERE TO STAY: Drive a couple of hours south along the coast road to Positano, where youll find the Hotel Poseidon, a gloriously retro slab of vintage Italia with an enormous terrace where you could so easily imagine Roger Moore sipping a martini; doubles from 245 (hotelposeidonpositano.it).

PORT ANTONIO, JAMAICA

Double-oh heaven: Port Antonio, Jamaica, where the audience meets 007 at the start of No Time To Die

Goldeneye, Bond creator Ian Flemings former home, now operates as a luxury resort

A tiny yacht. A remote waterside cabin. This is where we meet 007 at the start of No Time To Die, retired on the coast of Jamaica while a new 007 (played by Lashana Lynch) takes his place. We have to assume Bonds retirement doesnt last long but Port Antonio isnt a bad place for a secret agent to see out his days. This is a gorgeous old town full of ancient estates, drooping vines and faded glamour.

WHERE TO STAY: Where else to stay but Goldeneye, Bond creator Ian Flemings former home, also on the north coast of Jamaica, two hours drive from Port Antonio. You can stay in the house Fleming first built here in 1946; doubles from 668 B&B (goldeneye.com).

KALSOY, FAROE ISLANDS

Kalsoy's dramatic cliffs and lighthouse (pictured above) are believed to feature in the closing sequences of No Time To Die

One of the most remote locations ever used for a Bond movie, Kalsoy, one of the Faroe Islands, is home to barely 150 people. It is nicknamed the flute due to its thin shape, with 11 valleys and a warren of road tunnels hewn into the rock. Its dramatic cliffs and lighthouse are believed to feature in the closing sequences of No Time To Die.

WHERE TO STAY: There are no hotels on Kalsoy itself but the Gjaargardur Guesthouse on the nearby island of Gjogv offers a welcome retreat with simple, cosy rooms; doubles from 115 B&B (gjaargardur.fo).

ARDVERIKIE ESTATE, SCOTLAND

A 007 car chase takes place in Ardverikie Estate (pictured above), which is located deep in Kinloch Laggan in the Scottish Highlands

Yet another car chase, this one involving a car flipping over and Bond being pursued by baddies in Range Rovers, takes place in this estate, home to a classic example of Victorian hubris, located deep in Kinloch Laggan in the Scottish Highlands. The public has full roaming access over the estate. Spot ospreys soaring above and red deer roaming the landscape.

WHERE TO STAY: The Gatelodge is a comfortable cottage sleeping three with a wood-burning stove and blissful solitude; from 785 a week self-catering (ardverikie.com).

CAIRNGORMS, SCOTLAND

No Time To Die sequences were shot in the Cairngorms National Park, pictured above, in 2019

Way back in 2019, No Time To Die sequences were shot amid the Scots pines, rushing streams, remote bothy huts and eroded mountain peaks of Cairngorms National Park.

At almost 2,000 square miles, to scope out this territory thoroughly could defeat even 007.

WHERE TO STAY: Scot meets Scandi at Killiehuntly, a 17th-century farmhouse under Danish ownership with muted colour tones in its four stylish rooms; from 435 for dinner, B&B (killiehuntly.scot).

BUTTERSTEEP, BERKSHIRE

The woods at Swinley Forest Crown Estate were closed for nearly two weeks in 2019 for the Bond shoot

The forest here was closed for 12 days for shooting Bond, also in 2019, although it was so secretly done, no one is quite sure what went on. Buttersteep is part of the Swinley Forest Crown Estate near Bracknell in Berkshire. Amid the Scots pines here lie remnants of attempts to protect king and country long before 007s time  namely redoubts, earth fortifications used for training before the Napoleonic Wars.

WHERE TO STAY: With polo fields, a spa, cocktail bar and Michelin-starred restaurant, Coworth Park makes a great country escape; doubles from 505 B&B (dorchestercollection.com).

SALISBURY PLAIN, WILTSHIRE

Land Rovers with Russian number plates were seen on Salisbury Plain (above) during the filming of No Time To Die

Special effects explosions boomed and Land Rovers with Russian number plates were seen zooming about during filming on Salisbury Plain.

This land is mostly owned by the Ministry of Defence, a vast tract of rural Wiltshire that is also home to the ultra-top-secret Porton Down science and technology laboratory, where research on biological warfare takes place: its as close to a real-life version of SPECTRE as the UK gets.

WHERE TO STAY: Bradford-on-Avon is where the flat austerity of the plain gives way to the soft folds of the Cotswolds. Stay at Timbrells Yard, a comfortable modern hotel by the riverfront; doubles from 95 B&B (timbrellsyard.com).
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In 2019, renowned photographer Anouk Krantz produced an incredible photobook  West: The American Cowboy - documenting the time she spent with contemporary cowboys.

Luckily for fans of her work, she's admitted that she's only 'scratched the surface of this great western culture and their way of life' and has produced another beautiful coffee-table book full of brand-new pictures from the American West.

Titled American Cowboys, the book captures the pioneering spirit of modern cowboys and cowgirls, turning the camera on high-stakes rodeos, hard-working ranchers and horseback rides across stunning desert landscapes.

Anouk Krantz has produced another beautiful coffee-table book full of brand-new pictures from the American West

At times, symbols of the 21st century creep in  one picture shows a group of cowboys clustered inside a Starbucks as they await their orders.

Anouk says: 'In American Cowboys, I've taken my work further into their community to include men, women, children, college kids, rodeo and ranching communities from different backgrounds in the heartland of the great American West and well beyond. These communities are not isolated pockets but are found across America where we might least expect them.'

The book is a feat two years in the making.

After her last book was published, Anouk  who is originally from France - travelled from her home in New York to again spend weeks at a time in the American West.

The majority of photos in American Cowboys are from this return to the region's vast plains and scorched canyons.

Every night, she'd lay her head in hotels, motels, and bunkhouses. Sometimes she would even sleep in her car. Sometimes she'd accept the hospitality and generosity of the cowboy community.

After her last book was published, Anouk  who is originally from France - travelled from her home in New York to again spend weeks at a time in the American West

Anouk would lay her head in hotels, motels, and bunkhouses. Sometimes she would even sleep in her car. Sometimes she'd accept the hospitality and generosity of the cowboy community. She called this picture 'The Beast'

'I spent several nights on a cattle drive sleeping in a cowboy canvas tepee among other cowboys in the remote wilderness,' she recalls. 'Others have put me up in a guest bedroom and sometimes I even stayed in a first-class four-bedroom guest ranch house.'

In the introduction to American Cowboys, Anouk explains how she managed to earn the trust of the cowboys who invited her into their lives.

She writes: 'It was difficult at first. Many of these ranchers - private and sceptical of strangers - did not have time or interest to share their lives with me. What was I doing here and why could I possibly be interested in them? As they got to know me, they invited me into their world. Over early breakfasts in the dark, and surrounded by their close ones, I would get to know their families and learn of their own long histories as early pioneers, through hard times and good.'

Anouk writes: 'It was difficult at first. Many of these ranchers - private and sceptical of strangers - did not have time or interest to share their lives with me. What was I doing here and why could I possibly be interested in them? As they got to know me, they invited me into their world'

Cowboy culture is commonly associated with the gun-slinging Hollywood Westerns of the early 20th century. However, Anouk was repeatedly struck by the inaccuracy of these stereotypes

Anouk adds: 'Over time, we grew closer and they made me feel welcome. I was now a part of their lives, as interesting a discovery to them as they were to me. I was surprised to learn that although we came from such remarkably different backgrounds, we share many of the same values and principles.'

And, after discovering her previous work, many members of the community reached out to her independently, offering to share their stories in her new book.

Anouk treasured each of these chance encounters. She says: 'I constantly craved the next meeting or encounter since around every corner was an unimaginable new adventure that I could never have predicted.'

Cowboy culture is commonly associated with the gun-slinging Hollywood Westerns of the early 20th century. However, Anouk was repeatedly struck by the inaccuracy of these stereotypes.

She says: 'I'm an outsider and, as with most people around the world, knew next to nothing about this culture. I was surprised to find that many of the overarching stereotypes about the Wild West and its cowboys couldn't be further from the truth.'

A bartender at work in a quiet saloon, the counter coated in a layer of dust

Anouk says: 'I was surprised to learn that although we came from such remarkably different backgrounds, we share many of the same values and principles'

Anouk first photographed rodeos in 2004, but it wasn't until early 2018 that she set out on a mission to capture modern-day cowboys through her lens.

Initiating herself with the Wild West, she was impressed by the 'strong sense of belonging' amongst the community, admiring the cowboys' 'strength, independence, authenticity, integrity, and dignity'.

She says: 'Their word is their bond and they have remained unchanged. This builds a culture of us - all together - helping each other out in the community and at the same time serving the country.

'My work is a celebration of those values, the work ethic, the integrity, love for friends and family, community, and country, regardless of cultural background.'

In the new series, Anouk captured moments big and small. One shot shows a rancher and his horse wade through a river, as four dogs paddle to keep up behind them. Another sees a bartender at work in a quiet saloon, the counter coated in a layer of dust.

One of Anouk's favourite images, titled Corner Pocket, shows two men playing pool in a bar, their cowboy hats illuminated under a Budweiser sign.

The contemporary cowboy community continues to welcome new ranchers. While working on her latest book, Anouk witnessed first-hand the cross-generational devotion to the cowboy way of life.

She says: 'I have met first-generation ranchers who have decided to leave the American urban life for a new life in ranching all the way to ninth-generation ranchers whose grandchildren have returned to live on the family ranch after finishing college.

Anouk was impressed by the 'strong sense of belonging' amongst the community, admiring the cowboys' 'strength, independence, authenticity, integrity, and dignity'

This is one of Anouk's favourite images, titled Corner Pocket. It shows two men playing pool in a bar, their cowboy hats illuminated under a Budweiser sign

'Don't be fooled, it is a tough and a hard way of life where your paycheck will heavily depend on Mother Nature each year, but these people love this way of life and will rather make less than do anything else. These communities have been thriving in the shadows of this nation's consciousness, and most don't realize the strength and vibrancy of these people.'

One memory that stood out to her was a day spent with Derrick Begay, 'an American Cowboy and a modern-day Navajo Legend'.

After they were introduced to one another in Texas, he agreed to meet Anouk at his ranch in Arizona a week later.

She recalls: 'When I arrived at his AZ ranch the following week, I quickly learned that this was going to be quite out of the ordinary. When I arrived, Derrick had already outfitted three horses. We were going out to round up his cattle and I had little choice but to be excited about it.'

They spent the day together tending his cattle on horseback, traversing a river 'where the horses could just barely maneuver at a chest-high depth'. On the other side of the river, they raced through 30ft- (9.1m) high saguaros, which are a type of cactus.

'My work is a celebration of [cowboys'] work ethic, the integrity, love for friends and family, community, and country, regardless of cultural background,' writes Anouk

Cowboy communities have been thriving in the shadows of America's consciousness, Anouk says

Describing their race through the desert, she says: 'With a scream, Derrick suddenly took off in front of me and I dug my heels in and shot out from behind to try and catch up. This incredible race lasted about an hour at a full sprint - and yes, it was the greatest few hours right there as the sun was setting behind and endless desert of brush, saguaros, and dust. Saguaro spines layering my arms, which took me 10 days to remove.

'But here is the thing, by the time we were done rounding up his cattle together and crossing that deep river again in pitch black skies, I could only think that this was the only way I could have known who he really is. Same for him. Here is a lifelong connection. Two remarkably different people who may have not systemically connected, but when you roll up your sleeves together, well you most likely will.'

Anouk has stayed in contact with the many characters she met along the way.

'I continue to email, text and visit most of these new friends whenever I am close by,' she says. 'I hope to stay close to these wonderful people long into the future and only wish they lived closer to me.'

After discovering Anouk's previous work, many members of the community reached out to her independently, offering to share their stories in her new book

American West is Anouk's third fine art photobook. The first, Wild Horses of Cumberland Island, featured images of untamed horses living off the east coast of America.

What's next? More cowboys. Anouk has several projects in the works, one of which centres around one of the largest ranches in America.

She says: 'Among the mountains of Wyoming, this next series captures the daily lives of these cowboys over the course of two years.'

To find out more about Anouk and American Cowboys ($89/65), visit her website and Images Publishing.
Former NRL star Sam Burgess hasn't joined the cast of Russell Crowe's new film Poker Face, despite reports he's looking to 'kickstart his career in movies' by calling in a favour from his old boss at the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Woman's Day reported on Monday that Sam, 32, had set his sights on a Hollywood career post-retirement and was about to fly to Thailand to film scenes for the upcoming thriller, starring Elsa Pataky and Liam Hemsworth.

But a spokesperson for Russell denied this on Wednesday, telling Daily Mail Australia the rugby league great was involved in the production - but only as an on-set driver.

From rugby league to Hollywood? Former NRL star Sam Burgess (right) hasn't joined the cast of Russell Crowe's (left) new film Poker Face, despite reports he's looking to 'kickstart his career in movies' by calling in a favour from his old boss at the South Sydney Rabbitohs

Sam has a solid friendship with Oscar-winner Russell, who co-owns the Rabbitohs and was instrumental in bringing him over from the UK to play for the club.

Woman's Day claimed the move was part of an 'escape plan' for Sam - who is trying to rehabilitate his public image after a series of scandals and legal dramas - but it looks like he isn't making a bid for the silver screen just yet.

Fake news: Woman's Day reported on Monday that Sam (seen on SAS Australia) was about to fly to Thailand to film scenes for the upcoming thriller. But a spokesperson for Russell denied this, telling Daily Mail Australia he was involved in the production - but only as an on-set driver

He is already getting a glowing 'redemption edit' on SAS Australia, and last week broke down in tears as he apologised for cheating on his ex-wife Phoebe.

Sam also wept over his father's death from motor neurone disease when he was just a teenager, during an interrogation with the drill sergeants on Tuesday's episode.

It follows reports the SAS Australia recruits are furious over Sam's 'redemption story'.

Connections: Sam has a solid friendship with Oscar-winner Russell, who co-owns the Rabbitohs and was instrumental in bringing him over from the UK to play for the club. Pictured after the Rabbitohs' victory at the 2014 NRL Grand Final

Sam has been featured heavily on Seven's military-style reality show, while the other contestants are completing the same challenges almost unnoticed.

A production source told Daily Mail Australia this week several of the recruits were feeling 'frustrated' with their lack of airtime.

The stars are unhappy their efforts have been left on the cutting room floor, with the insider saying SAS Australia's second season is 'basically the Sam Burgess show'.

Making headlines: Sam is already getting a glowing 'redemption edit' on SAS Australia, and last week broke down in tears as he apologised for cheating on his ex-wife Phoebe (left)

'The talk right now amongst recruits is [the producers] are doing their best to make Sam Burgess look good doesn't take a genius to figure out why,' the source said.

'The best way to minimise any potential backlash was to make him likeable and to make everyone else look bad.'

'It's blatantly obvious to the recruits the network is terrified given Sam has ongoing legal issues still pending,' they added.

The insider sensationally claimed producers were instructed by executives at Seven to 'start conditioning the audience to like Sam'.

'The order came straight from the top... SAS is trying to pull the wool over audiences' eyes,' they alleged.
Tahlia Giumelli updated fans on her health on Wednesday, after fearing she had spondylitis, or inflammatory arthritis in her lower back.

The model and NRL WAG, 29, revealed her doctor had ruled out the condition, but said she may need surgery for her bulging disks and root nerve issues.

Tahlia shared a selfie on Instagram along with a lengthy caption about her health.

Update: WAG Tahlia Giumelli, 29, updated fans on her health on Wednesday, after fearing she had spondylitis, or inflammatory arthritis in her lower back. She revealed her doctor had ruled out the condition, but said she may need surgery for her bulging disks and root nerve issues

'My MRI results came in for my back. They have ruled out spondylitis but have bulging disks and L5 root nerve issues,' she wrote.

'Now off to see a spinal surgeon for my options re pain management and surgery.'

She added: 'I'm a little bit broken, the pain is excruciating some days.'

Ordeal: 'I'm a little bit broken, the pain is excruciating some days,' Tahlia said on Instagram

She said she was 'trying to avoid pain medication and short-term fixes' but had been using heat packs and hot baths to deal with the pain.

Earlier this week, Tahlia said on Instagram that she thought she had spondylitis, which could have been linked to her Crohn's disease.

Tahlia, who is engaged to rugby league player Tom Burgess, shared a picture of herself looking downcast on the couch and said she was suffering incredible pain.

'My GP is currently investigating spondylitis (inflammatory arthritis) in my lower back, which is also known to be associated with Crohn's disease,' she wrote.

Health fears: Earlier this week, Tahlia said on Instagram that she thought she had spondylitis, which could have been linked to her Crohn's disease

'Just because you can't see an injury or illness doesn't mean it's not there or that people aren't struggling daily,' she added.

Tahlia said she'd been going to the gym and doing Pilates to help with the pain, as well as taking regular baths.

'I have good days and bad and today is a bad one,' she wrote. 'People see a very small snippet of our lives so wanted to share one part of what we juggle.'

In the past, Tahlia has been open about her battle with Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease.

In March last year, she was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after an attack of the 'silent but painful' disease.

Coping: Tahlia said she'd been going to the gym and doing Pilates to help with the pain, as well as taking regular baths. 'I have good days and bad and today is a bad one,' she said

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract.

It can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea and anaemia, as well as life-threatening complications.

Speaking to Body + Soul in 2017, Tahlia described her battle with the disease.

'I'm pretty honest and this is something I wouldn't hide. Tom was really understanding,' she said.

'He's been a good support through and through from the beginning - he's always encouraging me. He's amazing.'

The Miss Universe Australia 2018 finalist also revealed she has to avoid certain foods to avoid flare-ups.
Bobby Brazier commanded attention as he arrived at the Poan bash during London Fashion Week on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old was on fine form at the Soho event while putting his modelling skills to use in a black bomber jacket and matching vinyl trousers.

Flashing his toned torso in the zipped-down number, the son of the late Jade Goody caught the eye of his fellow attendees as he posed up a storm at the bash.

Suave: Bobby Brazier, 18, flashed his toned torso in a black bomber jacket and vinyl trousers as he attended the Poan bash during London Fashion Week on Tuesday

Bobby's tousled walnut curls tumbled over his ears and into a messy mane, while he completed his funky ensemble with a pair of fluffy slippers.

It wasn't long before he joined his modelling pals Ikram Abdi Omar and Mason Smillie for a high-spirited group snap, which saw the trio flashing a peace sign.

Ikram looked sensational as she dazzled in an aztec-inspired gold maxi dress featuring a knee-high split.

She sported a jet black headscarf and enhanced her natural beauty with a minimal amount of make-up.

Looking good: His tousled walnut curls tumbled over his ears and into a messy mane, while he completed his funky ensemble with a pair of fluffy slippers

Squad goals: It wasn't long before he joined his modelling pals Ikram Abdi Omar and Mason Smillie for a high-spirited group snap, which saw the trio flashing a peace sign

Pals: Later on, Bobby tied his lengthy locks into a sleek ponytail as he was spotted chatting away with model Tayo

Meanwhile Mason beamed from ear-to-ear while donning an onyx vinyl shirt, matched with a pair of charcoal jeans.

He accessorised his impressive outfit with a trendy trilby hat while sweeping his way around the venue in a pair of leather shoes.

Later on, Bobby tied his lengthy locks into a sleek ponytail as he was spotted chatting away with model Tayo, who opted for a white T-shirt beneath a black leather jacket and Gucci man bag.

Bobby bears a striking resemblance to his late mother Jade, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 27 following a battle with cervical cancer.

Beauty: Bobby bears a striking resemblance to his late mother Jade, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 27 following a battle with cervical cancer (pictured in 2006)

The fashionista's brother Freddy has followed in his older brother's footsteps by securing a modelling contract with Unsigned Models.

Bobby signed to modelling agency, Unsigned Models, in 2019 and has since participated in campaigns across the globe.

He previously revealed that he followed an unusual route into modelling. He got into trouble at school which resulted in an unexpected encounter with Unsigned Group model scout, Cesar Perin.

During an Instagram Q&A session, the teen said it was a chance encounter while out with his dad that kickstarted his journey into couture.

One fan asked: 'How'd you get into modelling?' Bobby replied: 'Jokes story. I was in trouble at school and had to go in for a meeting.

'So before I go, I go Costa for a little pep talk with my dad and then when we leave @cesarpin is chasing me down the street asking me if I'm a model.'
She was one of just 15 celebrity guests at Australian model Jordan Barrett's recent wedding to Fernando Casablancas.

And Kate Moss, 46, enjoyed a glamorous reunion with her newlywed protege, 24, as they sat together in the front row at London Fashion Week on Tuesday.

Jordan, who is signed to Kate's modelling agency, looked thrilled as he posed with the supermodel at the Richard Quinn runway show, which featured Kate's own daughter Lila, 18, in its model line-up.

By her side: Kate Moss (centre) sat in the front row with her protege Jordan Barrett (right) at London Fashion Week on Tuesday. Pictured with British Vogue editor Edward Enninful (left)

Dressed to impress in a cream and khaki print jumper, Jordan smiled and chatted to his mentor as the models strutted down the runway at The Londoner Hotel in Leicester Square.

He completed his look with camel-coloured corduroy trousers, a plaid shirt wrapped around his waist and a pair of black slides.

Kate looked effortlessly chic in a blue velvet blazer, white shirt and flared jeans.

VIP treatment: Jordan, who is signed to Kate's modelling agency, looked thrilled as he posed with the supermodel at the Richard Quinn runway show, which featured Kate's own daughter Lila, 18, in its model line-up

Catching up: Dressed to impress in a cream and khaki print jumper, Jordan smiled and chatted to his mentor as the models strutted down the runway

Edgy: He completed his look with camel-coloured corduroy trousers, a plaid shirt wrapped around his waist and a pair of black slides

Joining Kate and Jordan in the front row was British Vogue editor Edward Enninful and UK pop sensation Boy George.

After the show, Jordan and Kate were spotted leaving the building together.

Kate, who is no stranger to the spectacle of London Fashion Week, came prepared with a pair of sunglasses to shield her eyes from the flash of paparazzi cameras.

Chic: Kate looked effortlessly chic in a blue velvet blazer, white shirt and flared jeans

Important people only! Joining Kate and Jordan in the front row was British Vogue editor Edward Enninful (left) and UK pop sensation Boy George (right)

Planning a collaboration? Jordan and Kate were seen chatting to Edward as the models marched down the runway

The outing came weeks after Kate attended Jordan's wedding to fellow male model Fernando Casablancas, 23, in Ibiza, Spain.

'It was very spontaneous, but his wedding planner Serena Cook was able to pull some strings to make sure it was very special since his Aussie family couldn't attend,' a source told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

'Champagne and cocktail drinks were flowing, it was very relaxed. Kate brought out the rings, and really made sure it was special for him,' they added.

Red hot! Kate's 18-year-old daughter Lila stunned on the catwalk in a bright red jumpsuit

Pouty: Jordan took the time to pose for solo photos in front of a blue and black curtain

On the move: After the show, Jordan and Kate were spotted leaving the building together

Shaded: Kate, who is no stranger to the spectacle of London Fashion Week, came prepared with a pair of sunglasses to shield her eyes from the flash of paparazzi cameras
Casting for the 2022 season of The Block has begun and Lucky Price is pushing for a change.

The casting director is calling for Australians from diverse backgrounds to apply to create a more representative line-up for the renovation show's eighteenth season.

'Its something that has been at the forefront of my mind with all the casting I do, not just for The Block. Im a trans man and I say that just to exemplify my experience. I dont see a lot of people like myself on television,' Price told TV Tonight.

On the lookout: Casting for the 2022 season of The Block has begun, and casting director Lucky Price (centre) is pushing for a more representative line-up

For Price, advocating for diversity is personal because it's important to 'see yourself reflected in the media'.

The Lucky Break Creative director has been casting for The Block since season three in 2010 and admits it can be sometimes difficult to get diverse applicants to apply.

'If I was trying to cast a trans man on the show, well, good luck. I havent seen one trans man apply for the show. The first and most important thing is I just want more people to put their hands up,' he said.

'I just want more people to put their hands up': The Lucky Break Creative director, who is a trans man, has been casting for The Block since the third season in 2010 and admits it can be sometimes difficult to get diverse applicants to apply

The show has attracted plenty of criticism for featuring mostly young, white, heterosexual couples, but that perception has changed gradually.

Since the introduction of a gay couple in the show's inaugural season there has been more male and female gay couples in The Block's casting.

There has also been a rise in the number of senior contestants as well as those with Indigenous, Asian and Lebanese backgrounds.

Representation: The show has attracted plenty of criticism for featuring mostly young, white, heterosexual couples. However, there has been senior contestants as well as those with Indigenous, Asian and Lebanese backgrounds on the show

Price explained that after Indigenous comedian Andy Saunders appeared on the 2019 season there was a 'substantial increase in the number of Indigenous people that applied for the show'.

'I think the television industry in Australia can be better. I think executives can be better. I think casting directors can be better. I think people in the community can be better at putting their hands up. Everyone bears a responsibility,' he added.

The Block applications are now open for anyone to apply via video submission, regardless of renovation experience.

Applications can be made here.
She may be an Australian icon, but in her personal life Bindi Irwin is a doting mum.

So much so, that she shared an adorable family selfie alongside husband Chandler Powell and baby daughter Grace Warrior on Tuesday.

The the 23-year-old captioned the cute image: 'Weve got those sunshine smiles.'

Sunshine smiles! Bindi Irwin shared an adorable family selfie alongside her husband Chandler Powell and baby daughter Grace Warrior on Tuesday

In the picture, which was taken as the family basked in the sun's rays under a tree, the couple are beaming, as is their five-month-old tot.

Bindi's post comes two short weeks after the proud wife shared a sweet tribute to Grace's dad on his first Father's Day.

The conservationist shared a photo to Instagram showing the former wakeboarder, 24, cuddling his little girl.

At the time, she wrote at length in the caption: 'Watching my husband become a dad has been extraordinary.'

Baby love: Earlier this month, Bindi Irwin shared a sweet tribute to her husband, Chandler Powell (pictured), on his first Father's Day

'Grace adores her Dadda, and I treasure every moment watching them laugh and play together. Chandler does a million things for us every day,' she added.

'I love that he takes Grace on daily dad ventures and watches the sunrise with her almost every morning. Your girls love you so much, sweetheart.'

Earlier this month, Bindi also shared another emotional tribute - to her late father Steve, on the 15th anniversary of his death.

She wrote in the caption: 'Watching my husband become a Dad has been extraordinary'

The Crocodile Hunter died on September 4, 2006 at the age of 44, after he was pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a documentary in Queensland.

A day before Father's Day - Bindi posted a photo of baby Grace alongside a poignant caption celebrating the life of her dad.

'This sweetheart has been watching her 'Grandpa Crocodile' on the projector at our camp here on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve,' Bindi began.

Love: Chandler also shared a picture with little Grace to celebrate his first Father's Day, writing: 'Being Grace's dad is the greatest gift of all. Love my girl!'

'She lights up when she sees him on screen. I wish with all my heart that Dad could hug my beautiful girl.

'It's been 15 years since he passed away. I hold on to the thought that he's her guardian angel now, watching over the most special part of my life, Grace Warrior.'

Alongside a cute picture of little Grace, Bindi also shared a photograph of her with her dad when she was just a toddler.

Memories: Bindi shared another emotional tribute - to her late father Steve, on the 15th anniversary of his death. The Crocodile Hunter died on September 4 2006 at the age of 44. Pictured with her father as a child

Bindi's husband Chandler Powell also shared a picture with little Grace to celebrate his first Father's Day, writing: 'Being Grace's dad is the greatest gift of all. Love my girl!'

She first met Chandler in 2013, when the American ex-wakeboarder went on a guided tour of Australia Zoo in Queensland.

The pair married in a makeshift ceremony at Australia Zoo in March last year.

They welcomed daughter Grace Warrior in March 2021.
Dr. Dre has been ordered to pay an 'extra $1.55million' in attorney fees to estranged wife Nicole Young.

A judge recently issued a 'temporary order' in the pair's ongoing divorce case laying out how much Dre is expected to pay Young, including spousal support and legal fees.

According to court docs obtained by The Blast, the judge cited the 'disparity' of assets between Dre and Young, as well as 'attorney's training and experience in family law,' as reasons for the uptick in fees.

Update: Dr. Dre has been ordered to pay an 'extra $1.55million' in attorney fees to estranged wife Nicole Young; the pair pictured in 2015

'Ms. Samantha F. Spector and Lisa Helfend Meyer, certified family law specialists, have significant years of experience in family law and have extensive practical experience in complex family law matters,' the judge writes.

'Considering the level of the case's complexity, and the issues involved, an attorney of their level and skill is reasonably necessary; and therefore, the various hourly rates of the primary and secondary attorneys participating in this litigation are reasonable and justifiable.

In regards to the heft nature of the fees, the judge continued: 'Considering what is just and reasonable and using the Courts own experience and knowledge that the payees reasonable fees are $3,000,000.00 and costs are $ 550,000.00.'

Dr.Dre is being ordered to 'pay all of the lawyer's fees based on the "disparity" that exists between the two parties' assets and income.

Order: A judge recently issued a 'temporary order' in the pair's ongoing divorce case laying out how much Dre is expected to pay Young, including spousal support and legal fees; Dre seen in 2018

'Nicole has assets totaling "approximately 39 million dollars" and Dr. Dre has approximately "243 million dollars,"' the court order states.

It is also noted that the payments Nicole is to receive are 'only good through July of 2021' and that she and her former spouse, who are now declared legally single, are 'being asked to meet and confer over what the costs might be to take the case to trial.'

There is also no budging on the already declared $300,000 a month in spousal support Dre is expected to pay Nicole, a decision that was reiterated in the judge's recent court order.

The Blast stated that Dre may not have to fret over the payout since much of his 'fees are being offset by living expenses and other payments for the couple's homes, security, and other expenses.'

Back in January, The 56-year-old rapper/producer agreed to pay Young $2million to 'cover all' of her bills, as well as an additional $500,000 for legal fees, as reported by TMZ.

Nicole had originally asked for $5million to pay her lawyers and $2million in monthly spousal support, neither of which were granted or agreed upon.

Disparity: According to court docs obtained by The Blast , the judge cited the 'disparity' of assets between Dre and Young, as well as 'attorney's training and experience in family law,' as reasons for the uptick in fees; the pair pictured in 2017

Reiterating: There is also no budging on the already declared $300,000 a month in spousal support Dre is expected to pay Nicole, a decision that was reiterated in the judge's recent court order; Dre seen in January

In court documents obtained by DailyMail.com in April, Dre was ordered by the judge to hand over another $500,000 to his former spouse's attorneys.

In July, it was ruled that Dre would pay nearly $300,000 per month to his ex in spousal support for the foreseeable future, instead of the proposed $5million she was seeking.

The recent order from the court comes just weeks after Dr. Dre filed a lawsuit accusing Nicole of 'embezzling' funds from his recording studio business.

He is suing her for allegedly taking money out of accounts for his Recording One music studio in Los Angeles' Sherman Oaks neighborhood, according to legal filings obtained by The Blast.

The legal filings indicate that Recording One was formed in 2015 to operate as a recording studio.

Both Dre (who was born Andre Young) and his then-wife were in charge of 'maintenance and control' of the studio assets, and Recording One claims that Young was in charge of writing charges and transferring money for the business.

The studio contends that she 'decimated' its bank accounts by withdrawing $353,571.85 in the early stages of her divorce from from Dre, which she filed for in June of 2020.

Amid the divorce proceedings, she was removed from the studio's trust.

Lawsuit: The recent order from the court comes just weeks after Dr. Dre filed a lawsuit accusing Nicole of 'embezzling' funds from his recording studio business; seen in 2015

In its filing, the studio argues that Young 'egregiously' failed to uphold her fiduciary interest by 'embezzling and stealing money from (the company's) bank account, and using the money for her own, personal obligations.'

Young could find herself in serious legal trouble if the studio's allegations are found to be true.

The business accuses her of violating Penal Code 496, which states: 'Every person who buys or receives any property that has been stolen or that has been obtained in any manner constituting theft or extortion, knowing the property to be stolen or obtained, or who conceals, sells, withholds, or aids in concealing, selling, or withholding any property from the owner shall be punished by imprisonment in county jail for not more than one year.'

Back in October, TMZ reported that the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating Young for the withdrawals, though she claims that she had a right to withdraw the funds because her name was on the account.

Sources claimed to The Blast that Young has already paid back the money, though that wouldn't necessarily absolve her of any potential legal wrongdoing.

Legal trouble? Young says she had a right to withdraw the funds, and sources say she already paid back the money, but the matter was referred to the LAPD in October; seen in 2015

In addition to the former NWA member's nearly $300,000 per month spousal support payments  which are almost as much as the amount Young is accused of embezzling  he will continue to pay for the couple's homes in Malibu and Pacific Palisades, as well as for her health insurance.

Young had initially requested $1.9 million per month, so he's only paying a fraction of that amount.

Young filed to divorce Dre in June 2020, citing irreconcilable differences.

She claimed in her filing that the musician and businessman threw her out of their home on April 2 of that year following 'a night of Andre's alcohol-induced, brutal rage, which included, but was not limited to, his screaming at her to 'get the f*** out.''

She also claimed that their marriage was 'earmarked by all types of abuse,' and she accused him of punching her and holding a gun to her head on multiple occassions.

Dre has denied all of the allegations of abuse, but he has been accused of abusing women multiple times throughout his career.

Contentious: Young filed for divorce in June 2020. She claimed that Dre threw her out of their house in April of that year and had previously abused her multiple times, which he denies despite having a documented history of abusing women; seen in 2014

In 1992, he pleased no contest to assaulting the rapper and journalist Dee Barnes.

She claimed that he assaulted her at a party by repeated slamming her head and body against a brick wall before attempting to throw her down a staircase and then kicking her in the ribs and hand.

She said he also grabbed her by the back of her hair and punched her in the back of her head.

While the assault went on, Dre's bodyguard allegedly pulled a gun on the crowd to prevent anyone from rescuing Barnes.
Fresh Off the Boat alum Constance Wu was spotted on the set of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile for the first time in Manhattan's Upper West Side on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old SAG Award nominee snacked on Popchips in between takes of the Sony Pictures feature film adaptation of Bernard Waber's 1965 children's book.

Constance wore a spiky-patterned sundress beneath a jean jacket and yellow platform espadrilles selected by costumer Kenya Ware.

Action! Fresh Off the Boat alum Constance Wu was spotted on the set of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile for the first time in Manhattan's Upper West Side on Tuesday

Craft services: The 39-year-old SAG Award nominee snacked on Popchips in between takes of the Sony Pictures feature film adaptation of Bernard Waber's 1965 children's book

Wu - who signed with CAA last month - wore her raven fringed locks down around her shoulders and let her natural beauty shine through for the day of filming.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile - hitting US theaters November 18, 2022 - centers on the titular reptile residing with the Primm family at their brownstone on East 88th Street in New York.

Last Friday, directing duo Will Speck and Josh Gordon started production on the live-action hybrid musical featuring original songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Summery: Constance wore a spiky-patterned sundress beneath a jean jacket and yellow platform espadrilles selected by costumer Kenya Ware.

In character: Wu - who signed with CAA last month - wore her raven fringed locks down around her shoulders and let her natural beauty shine through for the day of filming

Hitting US theaters November 18, 2022! Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile centers on the titular reptile residing with the Primm family at their brownstone on East 88th Street in New York

'Day One. Done!' Last Friday, directing duo Will Speck and Josh Gordon started production on the live-action hybrid musical featuring original songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

'New movie haircut!' Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile also stars Oscar winner Javier Bardem and Nightbooks star Winslow Fegley (pictured September 10)

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile also stars Oscar winner Javier Bardem and Nightbooks star Winslow Fegley.

The Virginia-born daughter of Taiwanese immigrants might be too busy on set to attend this Saturday's screening of her film I Was a Simple Man at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival.

In Christopher Makoto Yogi's critically-acclaimed family drama - hitting US theaters this fall - Constance plays Grace, the deceased wife of Masao Matsuyoshi (Steve Iwamoto).

Hawaiian lyrical ghost story: The Virginia-born daughter of Taiwanese immigrants (R) might be too busy on set to attend this Saturday's screening of her film I Was a Simple Man at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival

Hitting US theaters this fall! In Christopher Makoto Yogi's (2-R) critically-acclaimed family drama, Constance (L) plays Grace, the deceased wife of Masao Matsuyoshi (not pictured)

The lyrical ghost story was entirely filmed in Waialua on the North shore of Oahu back in 2019.

On the personal front, Wu has a 13-month-old daughter with Man Man frontman Ryan Kattner aka Honus Honus.

The Solos guest star - who made her social media 'defunct' last year - has never been publicly pictured with the 42-year-old musician.
Katy Perry's sixth studio album, Smile, recently surged in popularity more than one year after it was released thanks to a viral TikTok trend.

On Tuesday, the 36-year-old pop star celebrated her 2020 album reaching one billion streams on Spotify with an ecstatic Instagram post.

'1 BILLION TOTAL @SPOTIFY STREAMS ON #SMILE TIME TO BRING OUT THE BIG BALLOONS  thanks KCs!' Katy wrote in the caption.

Congrats! Katy Perry's sixth studio album, Smile, recently surged in popularity more than one year after it was released thanks to a viral TikTok trend

Perry held a bunch of shiny red balloons while posing in a pink latex strapless gown with a thigh-grazing slit.

She wore her long, amber-colored hair down and rocked a bold red lipstick to match the bundle of mylar balloons.

After surpassing one billion streams, Smile joined the Spotify ranks of Perry's other albums One Of The Boys, Teenage Dream, Prism and Witness.

Excited: On Tuesday, the 36-year-old pop star celebrated her 2020 album reaching one billion streams on Spotify with an ecstatic Instagram post

Major hit: After surpassing one billion streams, Smile joined the Spotify ranks of Perry's other albums One Of The Boys, Teenage Dream, Prism and Witness

The album's milestone comes after numerous TikTok users began using the hitmaker's 2019 single Harleys in Hawaii in their videos.

In the viral 'You and I' TikTok trend, users lip-sync to a slowed-down remix of the song before flipping their camera to the side to show a glammed-up version of themselves against a bright backdrop. The song has also been used as the soundtrack for various other TikTok videos.

Perry enthusiastically embraced the trend on Twitter, writing, 'You and iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.'

Thanks to the trend, Harleys in Hawaii is now Katy's number on song on Spotify after racking up more that 114 million plays. The song surpassed her previous hits including Dark Horse, Roar and Last Friday Night.

Going viral: Perry enthusiastically embraced the trend on Twitter, writing, 'You and iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'

Guest star: The music video featured Perry with her boyfriend Orlando Bloom enjoying a romantic vacation in Hawaii

Collaboration: Co-written by Charlie Puth, Harleys in Hawaii was first released as a standalone single in October 2019 and peaked at #110 in the United States

Co-written by Charlie Puth, Harleys in Hawaii was first released as a standalone single in October 2019 and peaked at #110 in the United States.

It was later included on the Smile album. The music video featured Perry with her boyfriend Orlando Bloom enjoying a romantic vacation in Hawaii.

The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 charts, becoming Katy's fifth top-10 album in the United States.

Funny: Charlie reacted to the song's renewed popularity on TikTok, posting a video of himself with a split-screen of a video set to the song

Charlie reacted to the song's renewed popularity on TikTok, posting a video of himself with a split-screen of a video set to the song.

He wrote, 'Why do all of these songs I made years ago keep blowing up all of the sudden?'

Puth captioned the post: #duet with wowkdrama.id I mean Ill take it!!'

According to Official Charts Company, streams and sales of the track were up significantly in the United Kingdom, with the song besting its sales performance during the Smile release week and having its biggest sales since December 2019.
She kickstarted her modelling career on Britain's Next Top Model in 2006.

And Abbey Clancy showcased her famous model pins in a selection of figure-hugging jeans from Tesco's latest denim range on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old put on a peachy display as she worked her angles for the camera in the F&F trousers.

Stunning: Abbey Clancy showcased her famous model pins in a selection of figure-hugging jeans from Tesco's latest denim range on Tuesday

Abbey smouldered as she posed up a storm in a pair of high-waisted flared jeans and a swimpy white singlet top.

The blonde beauty wore her caramel tresses loose in a beachy tousled style and accentuated her featured with a smokey eye makeup look.

The model showcased her toned physique in the skin-tight denim that accentuated her form.

Abbey forewent accessories for the shoot as she let the denim collection speak for itself.

Model behaviour: The 35-year-old put on a peachy display as she worked her angles for the camera in the F&F trousers

Gorgeous: Abbey smouldered as she posed up a storm in a pair of high-waisted flared jeans and a swimpy white singlet top

The model then underwent another wardrobe change as she swapped into an oversized white shirt and indigo skinny jeans.

Abbey accentuated her endless legs in a pair of white pointy-toed ankle boots and posed on one leg.

She then showcased her sensational abs as she stripped down into a white crop top and lay on the floor with her stomach on display.

Work it: Abbey accentuated her endless legs in a pair of white pointy-toed ankle boots and posed on one leg

Abbey's latest shoot comes after she recently posed with her six year old daughter Liberty for Tesco's Autumn campaign.

In one sweet photo, Abbey wrapped her arms around Liberty as they sat by the farmer's crop.

In another the model showed off her prowess as she shrugged the coat off her shoulders to show off her all black ensemble, while Liberty beamed for the camera.

F&F captioned the shot: '@abbeyclancy and her mini me making their countryside walks look like a catwalk'.

She then showcased her sensational abs as she stripped down into a white crop top and lay on the floor with her stomach on display

Just like mum: It comes after Abbey's daughter Liberty followed in her mother's footsteps as she starred alongside the 35-year-old in her last F&F campaign

Back in June Abbey celebrated her 10-year wedding anniversary with Peter Crouch.

Taking to Instagram, the model wrote: 'Happy anniversary to us. Ten years and counting. I love you.'

They are parents to Sophia, 10, Liberty, Johnny, three, and two-year-old Jack.
Kendall Long cried as she left Bachelor In Paradise on Tuesday as the relationship between her ex-boyfriend Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt blossomed in front of her.

But, there was looming trouble in paradise with a 'dangerous tropical storm' threatening the safety of the cast who was forced to evacuate their luxury resort for a night under the advice of production.

The show started with 'Grocery Store' Joe, 35, and Serena, 23, having a romantic date on the beach and admitting they were in love which proved too much for Joe's ex-girlfriend Kendall, 29, who walked off to the bar where she told bartender Wells Adams that she was upset.

Tears flowing: Kendall Long cried as she left Bachelor In Paradise on Tuesday before the cast had to be temporarily evacuated due to a 'dangerous tropical storm' threatening to pummel the area where they were filming

In a confessional, Kendall said she didn't want to give up but at the same time she didn't want to let Joe's relationship with Serena get in the way of her happiness.

'One thing that I know for sure is that I will always love Joe and I think he feels that same way that I do,' Kendall said.

Kendall told Joe that it had been hard. Joe said he could see that something was off. She told him that she still felt that he was her best friend. She said that she loved seeing him happy and thriving, but that it also reminded him about why she fell in love with him in the first place.

'You're not over us?' Joe asked.

Tough talk: Joe told Kendall that he came on the show because it was 'over' between them

Too much: Kendall earlier walked off to the bar where she told bartender Wells Adams, 37, that she was upset but didn't want to show it in front of everyone

Kendall told him to not ask her that right now.

'I've never stopped loving you,' she told him.

Joe reached over and grabbed her and the two of them hugged. Joe told Kendall he was there for her. She cried and Joe held her.

''It's fine,'' Joe told her.

Nice hug: ''It's fine,'' Joe told Kendall after she said that she never stopped loving him

'I just feel like I shouldn't have come here,' Kendall said.

Joe told her that he knew that she would be okay.

'Why did you come here?' Joe asked.

Great question: 'Why did you come here?' Joe asked

'I feel that I am always going to have love for you,' Kendall said. She then asked Joe why he came to Paradise. Joe told her the reason he came was because he knew it was over between them.

'If I didn't feel that I wouldn't have come,' said Joe. 'I was also under the impression that you felt the same way. '

Joe told Kendall that he would always care about her. Joe told her she would be alright. Kendall walked back to the group and said 'goodbye' and that she had made the decision to leave.

Forever love: 'I feel that I am always going to have love for you,' Kendall said

In a confessional, Joe said that it was hard, 'but if she truly wanted me back she should have told me before I got here and before I started this. Because I really, really loved her. I see how upset she is but I'm feeling things for Serena at this point.'

Joe told Serena about what happened. He told her it didn't take away what happened between them and Serena told him it was okay.

In the car while leaving Kendall said it was really devastating.

Too late: In a confessional, Joe said that it was hard, 'but if she truly wanted me back she should have told me before I got here and before I started this. Because I really, really loved her. I see how upset she is but I'm feeling things for Serena at this point'

'Joe's my person,' Kendall said while crying. 'I feel absolutely broken.'

Serena and Joe meanwhile made out on the beach.

Ivan Hall, 29, was upset that Kendall left. In a confessional, he said he didn't know where he would get a rose during the next ceremony.

Her person: 'Joe's my person,' Kendall said while crying. 'I feel absolutely broken'

The next morning, Serena and Joe told each other again that they were still falling in love with each other. Ivan said he felt that he had to scramble because the girls had the roses.

Paradise guest host Lil Jon gathered everyone on the beach. He told them that with Kendall leaving that meant one less rose 'for you dudes to fight over.' He told them he wanted to make Paradise a little more interesting and he was going to 'turn this place upside down.' He told them he was bringing two new people to the beach.

Two guys - Ed Waistbot, 37, and Demar Jackson, 27 - showed up on the beach with date cards. Demar took Maurissa Gunn, 25, to go talk and Riley Christian, 31, was not happy about it.

Guest host: Paradise guest host Lil Jon gathered everyone on the beach

Riley said in a confessional that he did not want Maurissa to go out on a date.

'If we could stop the dudes from coming in that would be nice,' Riley said. 'At the same time, I'm not going down without a fight.'

Ed asked Natasha Parker, 33, out on a date and she accepted.

New additions: Two guys - Ed Waistbot, 37, and Demar Jackson, 27 - showed up on the beach with date cards

Demar asked Chelsea Vaughn, 29, on a date. Aaron Clancy, 26, was not happy that Chelsea was going out on a date. He was worried he would get 'burned.'

Maurissa felt she needed to have a conversation with Riley to find out how serious he was.

She asked him how he would have felt if she went on a date. He told her that his family situation had never been so great so that scared him about relationships. He told her that he hadn't spoken to his father for 10 years.

Candid conversation: Maurissa felt she needed to have a conversation with Riley to find out how serious he was

Riley got upset just telling Maurissa about his strained relationship with his father. He started crying. He said he learned that he was so similar to his father and that scared him. He told her he wanted her to meet his mother and that she would love her. Riley told her that he was falling in love and that was so scary to him, but that he wanted to do it.

Maurissa told him that she loved waking up to him.

'I know that I am falling in love with you,' Maurissa told Riley before they kissed and hugged.

So scary: Riley told her that he was falling in love and that was so scary to him, but that he wanted to do it

For their date, Natasha and Chelsea painted Ed and Demar without any clothes and later an art teacher instructed them to paint the men's body.

Natasha said in a confessional that she had a fun date and that she was excited about Ed. The two kissed at the end of their date.

Back on the beach, Riley showed up with a date card that was for Kenny Braaschi, 40. He asked Mari Pepin-Solis, 25 if she would go on a date with him.

Date time: Back on the beach, Riley showed up with a date card that was for Kenny Braaschi, 40, and he asked Mari Pepin-Solis, 25 if she would go on a date with him

Their date turned out to consist of eating tacos off each other's naked bodies. Mari put tortilla's on top of Kenny and rubbed sour cream over his body, which he said was freezing. Mari then ate the tacos off of him.

Then it was Kenny's turn.

'I think Kenny is very excited to eat my tacos,' she said.

Taco time: Their date turned out to consist of eating tacos off each other's naked bodies

Body plate: Mari put tortilla's on top of Kenny and rubbed sour cream over his body, which he said was freezing

Very excited: 'I think Kenny is very excited to eat my tacos,' she said

Kenny said behind closed doors that Mari was a wild child. He then got up on the table and ate the tacos off of Mari's naked body.

'Good taco?,' asked the chef.

'Good taco,' Kenny replied.

Wild child: Kenny said behind closed doors that Mari was a wild child

Mari said in a confessional that she was falling in love with Kenny and that she planned to tell him. Mari and Kenny sat down after the tacos meal to talk. Kenny said in a confessional that he felt different about Mari than anyone else in his life.

'I was all about you immediately,' Kenny said. Kenny told her it doesn't scare him to talk with her about the future. He told her they might need to talk about engagement stuff soon. Mari told him she believed in what they had and thought they would be good after this.

'I am falling in love with you,' Kenny said.

Falling hard: 'I am falling in love with you,' Kenny said

'That's funny because I am falling in love with you, too,' Mari replied.

Kenny said in a confessional that they were falling in love with each other. He said he didn't know 'how it happened, but it happened.' They then went to the Boom Boom Room together.

On the beach, James Bonsall, 31, took Tia Booth, 29, aside to spend time with her. Tia said her heart was leading her to James, but that her vagina was leading her towards Blake Monar, 31.

Somewhat conflicted: Tia Booth, 29, said her heart was leading her to James Bonsall, 31, but that her vagina was leading her towards Blake Monar, 31

After breakfast, the producers came out and announced to the castmates that there was a dangerous tropical storm on the way and there would not be a cocktail and rose ceremony that night.

'There is a dangerous tropical storm rapidly approaching,' a producer said. 'As of an hour ago it is heading straight for us. So for the safety of all of you guys, our staff and our crew, we are recommending that we evacuate immediately. We actually believe that it is no longer safe for any of you guys to stay in paradise. I don't want any of you guys to panic.'

The producer told the contestants that they needed to pack up their bags right away. All the contestants got up and walked to their rooms.

Dangerous storm: After breakfast, the producers came out and announced to the castmates that there was a dangerous tropical storm on the way and there would not be a cocktail and rose ceremony that night

Becca Kurfin, 31, said they have never had anything happen like this before. Everyone quickly packed their bags and rushed to get off the beach. It started to rain and the crew started to secure items on the beach. All the cast got into vans and were driven off. No one knew what was going to happen.

After the storm passed, they returned to Paradise and Lil Jon was there to greet them. He told them that the cocktail party was in one hour. It was going to be a daytime cocktail party.

Lil Jon told them that four men would be going home.

Four leaving: Lil Jon told them that four men would be going home

Tia asked Blake if he had put any effort. Blake told her that there was nothing more that he wanted to do than to leave with her. Tia wanted him to show some initiative.

She said all she wanted for Blake was 'to act like you gave two s***s' about her. She told him 'this talk is not going really great.'

In a confessional, Blake said that she 'totally blindsided' him. Tia went off and talked to James and kissed him.

No effort: Tia asked Blake if he had put any effort

Leave together: Blake told her that there was nothing more that he wanted to do than to leave with her

Totally blindsided: In a confessional, Blake said that she 'totally blindsided' him

Aaron grabbed Chelsea and brought her down to the beach and created a runway for him to walk down for her because she was a runway model. Chelsea told him that she felt herself gravitating towards him. He told her she was a full package and thought that something great could come from it.

Ivan also pulled Chelsea aside to talk to her. Chelsea told him she felt really comfortable with him. Then all of a sudden the two started kissing. Aaron, who was watching, was stunned.

'He's rose hunting, bro,' James said to Aaron.

Runway model: Aaron Clancy grabbed Chelsea Vaughn and brought her down to the beach and created a runway for him to walk down for her because she was a runway mode

James told Aaron to go tell Ivan how he feels.

In a confessional, Aaron said that Ivan was 'a desperate little b**** boy.'

Aaron confronted Ivan and told it was a 'b**** move' and that he lied to his face.'

Desperate move: In a confessional, Aaron said that Ivan was 'a desperate little b**** boy.'

'What do you want to do about it?', Ivan asked.

Just when it appeared the two were going to fight, the show ended with a 'To Be Continued.

Bachelor in Paradise will return next Tuesday on ABC.
Outspoken Bachelor star Abbie Chatfield has hit back at the anti-vax 'freedom fighters' who attended the violent protest in Melbourne on Tuesday.

She shared a video on Instagram mocking the thousands of tradies and other agitators who rioted over mandatory Covid vaccines for construction workers.

'Thank you for your service. This is my next outfit I think I'm going to choose while you guys are doing freedom fighting,' the influencer, 26, said sarcastically.

'Oh, wait': The Bachelor's Abbie Chatfield has mocked anti-vax 'freedom fighters' who won't be able to travel when Australia opens up, following this week's violent tradie riot in Melbourne

'I know you are busy but I just want to go for a holiday with my friends to Byron Bay,' she added.

'I'm thinking, like, down at the Beach Hotel, me having a drink, f**king random people because I can. What do you guys think of me travelling regionally in this outfit unlike the unvaccinated people?' she said.

Abbie captioned the video: 'Just want to thank the freedom fighters for doing their part so everyone who is vaccinated can enjoy our existing freedoms in cute outfits! Thanks everyone, much appreciated. See you on a flight to... oh, wait. Haha.'

She was referencing the fact Covid-19 vaccines will almost certainly become mandatory for Australians wanting to travel domestically or internationally.

Response: She shared a video to Instagram mocking the thousands of tradies and other agitators who rioted over mandatory Covid vaccines for construction workers

It comes after anti-vax protesters ambushed riot cops and smashed up police squad cars as construction worker demonstrations on the streets of Melbourne descended into chaos on Tuesday.

Footage showed tradesmen in hi-vis clothing kicking police cars and attempting to tear off their side mirrors in Melbourne's CBD as thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Victoria's Parliament House.

Riot police were then seen advancing in formation on the rioters before firing tear gas, stinger grenades and rubber bullets.

Police chief Shane Patton said three officers were injured during the clashes and 44 protesters were arrested, but that number is expected to rise dramatically.

'See you on a flight to... oh, wait. Haha': She referenced the fact Covid vaccines will almost certainly become mandatory for Australians wanting to travel domestically or internationally

Although more than 500 police had been deployed with the assistance of police air wing helicopters, Mr Patton said it had been 'really challenging for us' because of 'spontaneity and tactics they employed throughout the day'.

The rudderless mob of about 2,000 demonstrators marched aimlessly around the CBD for hours, even scaling the West Gate Bridge in the afternoon shutting down traffic throughout the city.

The protest began outside the boarded-up head office of the construction union, the CFMEU, which was badly damaged by violent demonstrations just 24 hours earlier.
Love Island Australia star Grant Crapp has fired back at the Melbourne tradies who swarmed police during Tuesday's violent protest in Melbourne.

The electrician, who won the first season of Love Island in 2018, posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday of himself at work cutting into a wall with a power saw.

The tradesman shared his thoughts on the violent riot in the caption, writing: 'The protests happening in Melbourne don't reflect us all.'

Firing back: Love Island Australia star Grant Crapp, who is an electrician, has fired back at the Melbourne tradies who swarmed police during Tuesday's violent protest in Melbourne

'Please, when you think of the construction industry, don't think of us all as bad,' he continued.

Grant said he sympathised with the 'innocent people' caught up in the violence.

'Feel for all those innocent people who have been collateral due to the d**kheads creating violence,' the former reality star wrote.

Furious: Grant, who won the first season of Love Island in 2018, posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday of himself at work using a power saw. In the caption, he condemned the violence in Melbourne and expressed sympathy for the 'innocent people' caught up in the riot

About 2,000 tradesmen and anti-vaccination campaigners rampaged through Melbourne for ten hours on Tuesday to demonstrate against a two-week shutdown of the construction industry imposed due to rising Covid cases.

Police - who were caught short by the hastily organised protest - said at least 62 people had been arrested after footage showed violent thugs attacking riot cops by throwing cans or punching them in the street.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has slammed the protesters as police vowed to use new tactics to fight back with more carnage expected on Wednesday.

Shameful: About 2,000 tradesmen and anti-vaccination campaigners rampaged through Melbourne for ten hours on Tuesday to demonstrate against a two-week shutdown of the construction industry imposed due to rising Covid cases

It will be the third day in a row that violent protests have taken place in the city of Melbourne, with anti-vaxxer tradies furious over mandatory Covid vaccines for construction workers.

The Premier stated the actions of protestors were an 'insult' to law-abiding tradesman and warned that the numbers on Tuesday were also made up of far-right advocates.

The peak trade union for construction, the CFMEU, has since distanced itself from the riots, claiming they've been fuelled by 'far right' extremism.
Former NRL star Beau Ryan is set to appear on the new season of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

The Studio 10 guest host, 36, was spotted doing a publicity photo shoot at the Mantra on Salt Beach Kingscliff resort in northern NSW last week.

Beau was seen wearing khaki clothes as he made his way through the beachside resort, a source told Daily Mail Australia.

Heading for the jungle! Former NRL star Beau Ryan is set to appear on the new season of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! The Studio 10 guest host, 36, was spotted doing a publicity photo shoot at the Mantra on Salt Beach Kingscliff resort in northern NSW last week

Beau signed with Channel 10 in 2019 to host The Amazing Race Australia.

He is a regular fill-in presenter on the network's morning show, Studio 10, which he has coincidentally been absent from lately.

Since retiring as a rugby league player, the father of two has enjoyed an impressive career in television and radio.

Company man: Beau signed with Channel 10 in 2019 to host The Amazing Race Australia. He is a regular fill-in presenter on Studio 10, which he has coincidentally been absent from lately

Meanwhile, Beau isn't the only TV star rumoured to be heading into the jungle.

A well-placed insider claims 'an AFL legend' and 'a very controversial reality star from Big Brother or Married At First Sight' are set to appear on the show.

But despite Channel 10's best efforts to secure top local talent, the source told Daily Mail Australia viewers will likely be 'disappointed' by the line-up.

Will Ines be joining? Meanwhile, an insider claims 'an AFL legend' and 'a very controversial reality star from Big Brother or Married At First Sight' are set to appear on the show

'They're all scraps,' they said. 'It was a bunch of people I had never seen in my life.'

Filming has already been completed on the new season, which is set to air in January with viewers choosing the winner in a live finale.

It follows reports a Covid-infected crew member on I'm a Celebrity was responsible for the snap lockdown in the Byron, Tweed and Kempsey Shires.

Coming soon: Filming has already been completed on the new season, which is set to air in January with viewers choosing the winner in a live finale
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Sex And The City's Willie Garson has passed away at the age of 57.

Sources close to Garson told TMZ that the actor had 'been battling cancer' though it is not confirmed that the illness was the cause of his death.

His death was confirmed by his son, Nathen Garson, on his Instagram page and fans had been unaware of his illness. He penned: 'I love you so much papa. Rest in peace, and I'm so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. I'm so proud of you.

'I will always love you, but I think it's time for you to go on an adventure of your own,' Nathen continued. 'You'll always be with me. [I] love you more than you will ever know, and I'm glad you can be at peace now. You always were the toughest and funniest ad smartest person I've known.

RIP: Sex And The City's Willie Garson has passed away at the age of 57; pictured July 24, 2021 on the set of the SATCH reboot in NYC

'I'm glad you shared your love with me,' he concluded. 'I'll never forget it or lose it.'

An HBO spokesperson also confirmed Garson's passing to CNN, writing: 'Willie Garson was in life, s on screen, a devoted friend and a bright light for everyone in his universe.

'He created one of the most beloved characters in the HBO pantheon and was a member of our family for nearly 25 years,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing, and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.'

Garson is perhaps best known for his role as Carrie Bradshaw's close pal, Stanford Blatch. Though he was just a supporting character, he had several major storylines, including his courtship and eventual marriage to former rival Antony Marentino.

He reprised the role in the forthcoming Sex And The City reboot titled And Just Like That..., which began production in June.

Grateful for him: 'I love you so much papa. Rest In Peace and Im so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. Im so proud of you,' he began.

Garson was last pictured on set of the production on July 24 as he shot a scene alongside the series' central star Sarah Jessica Parker and comedian Mario Cantone in New York City.

Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda, was the first of the series' leading ladies to comment on Garson's sudden passing. 'So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @Willie.Garson,' the actress began. 'We all loved him and adored working with him.'

She went on to complement how 'endlessly funny on-screen and and in real life' he was, as well as being 'a source of light, friendship and show business lore.'

'He was a consummate professional always,' continued Nixon, before penning a note directly to Garson's 20-year-old son Nathen, who had announced the death of his father just moments earlier.

'My heart goes out to his son, @Nathen_Garson. Nathen, I hope you know how much he loved you and how proud he was to be your dad,' she concluded.

Sex And The City creator Darren Star also described Garson as 'sweet, soulful and hilariously funny.'

'Willie touched all of us with his big heart and generous spirit,' he told People. 'The man behind Stanford was a loving father, a mensch to his friends and radiated kindness to all.

'He is gone much too soon.'

And executive producer Michael Patrick King added that Garson's 'spirit' and 'dedication' were always present on the set.

'The Sex And The City family has lost one of its own, our amazing Willie Garson,' he said. 'His spirit and his dedication to his craft was preset every day filming And Just Like That.

'He was there - giving us his all - even while he was sick,' King continued. 'His multitude of gifts as an actor and person will be missed by everyone.

'In this sad, dark moment, we are comforted by our memory of his joy and light.'

Reboot: Garson was set to reprise his role as Carrie Bradshaw's close pal Stanford Blatch in the forthcoming Sex And The City reboot titled And Just Like That..., which began production in June; pictured with Sarah Jessica Parker on July 24 in NYC

Last sighting: He was last pictured on set of the production on July 24 as he shot a scene alongside the series' central star Sarah Jessica Parker and comedian Mario Cantone in New York City

'Deeply sad': Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda, was the first of the series' leading ladies to comment on Garson's sudden passing

Adored: 'So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @Willie.Garson,' the actress began. 'We all loved him and adored working with him'; the pair pictured in 2003

Brilliant partner: 'I couldnt have had a more brilliant TV partner,' began the 61-year-old actor, who included a sweet snapshot of him and Garson at the premiere of Sex And The City 2 in 2010

Tribute: Once news of Willie's passing became public, Cantone took to Instagram to express his 'devastation' over the loss of his longtime friend

Mario Cantone was the first of the SATC cast members to express 'devastation' over the loss of his longtime friend Willie.

'I couldnt have had a more brilliant TV partner,' began the 61-year-old actor, who included a sweet snapshot of him and Garson at the premiere of Sex And The City 2 in 2010.

He continued: 'Im devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods sweet Willie. Rest I love you.'

Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha, also sent her condolences, as other actors who have worked with Garson started posting their own tributes to him on social media.

Matt Bomer, who worked alongside Garson on White Collar, on which he had a recurring role as conman Moxie, tweeted a photo of the two of them, writing: 'I love you forever Willie Garson.'

He added on Instagram: 'I still haven't wrapped my hear around a world without you in it - where I can't call you when I need to laugh or be inspired.

'The last thing you did when we said goodbye was pull down your mask (I hate COVID), smile and wink at me,' Bomer wrote.

'I know that it wasn't reflective of the pain you were going through, but it was indicative of everything you were and are to me: Someone who lifted me up, who made me better and who always, always made me smile.

'You live on in our hearts and minds always, and your White Collar family is always here for Nathen.

'Save a place for me,' he concluded, 'because you know I want to be at your table up there.'

Losing a father: Willie's 20-year-old son Nathen published a heartfelt Instagram tribute in memory of his father; the pair pictured in 2019

Always there: 'I will always love you, but I think its time for you to go on an adventure of your own. Youll always be with me,' he continued

Precious moments: Nathen included some of his favorite shots of Willie, as well as a playful video of him playing the trombone

Modern Family's Julie Bowen, who said she had a close bond with Garson, wrote on Twitter and Instagram that the news of his passing 'breaks my heart.'

She continued: 'Willie Garson, a friend who loved me at my worst, (and always let me know it) is gone. Goodbye, Fatty. I love you always.'

Bowen revealed that Garson jokingly 'came to [her] wedding - begrudgingly' due to it being held on Emmy Awards weekend in 2004.

She included a sepia-toned snap of her planting a kiss on Willie's cheek during her wedding reception.

'Funniest and smartest person I've known': 'Love you more than you will ever know and Im glad you can be at peace now. You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person Ive known,' wrote Nathen of his father

Never forget: 'Im glad you shared [your] love with me. Ill never forget it or lose it,' he concluded

Sharing a tweet Willie posted on September 4 encouraging people to be 'kind' to one another, Kathy Griffin paid homage to the late actor by revealing how they met.

'[broken heart emoji] We met on the "best friend of lead character" tv audition circuit a million years ago. This was his last tweet to us,' the 60-year-old comedian wrote.

Jennifer Tilly said she 'always loved being around' Garson because he 'was so funny and amiable.'

She continued: 'If you were sitting next to him at a party or a Poker game you knew it would always be a good time.'

From 1998 until its series finale in 2004, Willie Garson famously appeared in 27 of Sex And The City's 98 episode run on HBO.

Defining role: From 1998 until its series finale in 2004, Willie (pictured with Sarah Jessica Parker in 1998) appeared as 'gay talent agent' Stanford Blatch in 27 of Sex And The City's 98 episode run on HBO

His character Stanford Blatch was a 'gay talent agent' and close friend of Carrie's who often struggled to overcome insecurities around dating in the big city.

Along with being apart of the beloved series, Garson also appeared in the first Sex And The City feature film in 2008 and its sequel, titled Sex and the City 2, in 2010.

With SATC soon making a return on HBO Max with the reboot And Just Like That..., Willie expressed excitement over 'stepping into the shoes again' in an interview with Us Weekly in June.

'It didnt hit me until I was in wardrobe yesterday and it was, like, literally stepping into the shoes again,' he told the outlet of his first day on set.

'It was great. I was just telling my friends  that I probably was wearing about $200,000 worth of clothing yesterday. And it was right away. Its like, "Oh, this is us, here we are."'

Memory: Modern Family's Julie Bowen revealed that Garson jokingly 'came to [her] wedding - begrudgingly' due to its being held on Emmy Awards weekend in 2004

Heartbreaking: Bowen, who had a close bond with Garson, wrote on Twitter and Instagram that the news of his passing 'breaks my heart.

Matt Bowen, who worked alongside Garson on White Collar, tweeted that he would 'love' him 'forever'

Loved being around him: Jennifer Tilly said she 'always loved being around' Garson because he 'was so funny and amiable'

Final tweet: Sharing a tweet Willie posted on September 4 encouraging people to be 'kind' to one another, Kathy Griffin paid homage to the late actor by revealing how they met

Garson was born and raised in New Jersey and, according to Variety, studied theater at Wesleyan University and received a Master of Fine Arts from Yale School of Drama.

He now boasts 170 acting credits, and has appeared in a plethora of other highly regarded television shows and films over the span of his impressive Hollywood career.

Following his graduation, Garson took on a number of small roles in popular 80s television shows like Cheers, Family Ties and LA Law.

He also graced television screens in 1993 on the crime-drama series NYPD Blue, which ran for 12 seasons on ABC, and famously starred in the USA series White Collar, which ran six seasons on the cable network from 2009 to 2014.

The following year, Garson joined CBS' reboot of Hawaii Five-O, which aired its final season last year, as the character Gerald Hirsch.

Most recently, he had a recurring role on the CW series Supergirl and lent his voice acting chops to Netflix's animated show Big Mouth.

Garson also had roles in a number of popular movies like 1998's There's Something About Mary, the Billy Murray-led feature Groundhog Day, and the multi Academy Award nominated film Being John Malkovich - just to name a few.
They have spent the past few weeks settling into their new home in Bondi.

And Bachelor couple Jimmy Nicholson and Holly Kingston reached another milestone on Tuesday.

Jimmy's father, Noel, formally welcomed Holly into the family by sharing a sweet tribute to the 27-year-old marketing manager on Instagram.

Dad's approval: Bachelor couple Jimmy Nicholson and Holly Kingston reached a relationship milestone on Tuesday when his father, Noel, formally welcomed Holly into the family

'Our new family member and most welcome to our tight clan,' Noel captioned a photo of Jimmy and Holly.

'Lucky lucky to have such an amazing girl join us.'

It comes after Jimmy shared a screenshot to Instagram of himself and Holly speaking to his parents via Facetime earlier this month.

The pilot joked in the caption: 'Mum and dad still learning their best angles for FaceTime... this is dad mid-rant about why he's not team Holly... #jks.'

Kind gesture: 'Our new family member and most welcome to our tight clan,' Noel captioned a photo of Jimmy and Holly. 'Lucky lucky to have such an amazing girl join us'

Staying in touch: It comes after Jimmy shared a screenshot to Instagram of himself and Holly speaking to his parents via Facetime earlier this month

When Jimmy was deciding between Holly and runner-up Brooke Cleal on The Bachelor, Noel was hesitant to back Holly because he thought she was too similar to his son's ex-girlfriends.

'My feeling is that she's a really really lovely girl. I don't think she's the right girl for Jimmy,' he said at the time.

But that's all water under the bridge as Holly recently said she'd won over Noel.

Concerns: When Jimmy was deciding between Holly and runner-up Brooke Cleal on The Bachelor, Noel was hesitant to back Holly because he thought she was too similar to his son's ex-girlfriends. But that's all water under the bridge as Holly recently said she'd won over Noel

'We had quite a few chats with his family. I've been Facetiming with them a lot and I was prepared that Noel was Team Brooke [laughs],' she told Who earlier this month.

'He's been grovelling a little bit since!' Holly added.

It comes after the newly minted Bachelor couple announced they'd just settled into their new apartment in North Bondi.

Lovebirds: It comes after the newly minted Bachelor couple announced they'd just settled into their new apartment in North Bondi. The Jetstar pilot, 32, paid $1.42million for the two-bedroom, one-bathroom flat

Details about the sale have since been revealed, with realestate.com.au reporting Jimmy paid $1.42million for the two-bedroom, one-bathroom flat.

However, the website claims Holly 'is not in on the deal', which suggests the pilot bought the home himself and she is simply living with him.

The couple documented moving in together earlier this month, with Jimmy sharing a photo of the pair outside the flat as he held a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne.
An American bikini label has been accused of heavily editing photos of its own catwalk models - including Australian stunner Lucciana Beynon.

Lucciana, 19, the daughter of tobacco magnate Travers 'The Candyman' Beynon and Venezuelan former beauty queen Ninibeth Leal, made her runway debut for OMG Swimwear at Miami Swim Week in July.

But photos from the event taken by a Getty Images photographer look very different to the images posted by OMG Swimwear on Instagram.

Controversy: Bikini brand OMG Swimwear has been accused of heavily editing photos of its own catwalk models. Left: model Lucciana Beynon is seen on the runway at Miami Swim Week on July 8; right: an edited image of Lucciana posted to Instagram by OMG Swimwear

Fans would struggle to recognise the up-and-coming model from the photos shared on social media, as her facial features were significantly altered.

The edited images attracted criticism on Wednesday, after popular Instagram account CelebFace compared the retouched versions posted by OMG Swimwear to the original photos from Getty's website.

In the edited images, Lucciana has noticeably slimmer features including a smoother jawline and raised eyebrows.

Spot the difference: In the altered images, Lucciana has noticeably slimmer features including a smoother jawline and raised eyebrows. One of the photos even shows evidence her body shape was edited, with her waistline pinched to appear smaller. Left: Lucciana in an unedited Getty Images photo; right: an airbrushed photo uploaded to Instagram by OMG Swimwear

One of the photos even shows evidence Lucciana's body shape was edited, with her waistline pinched to appear smaller.

Lucciana also looked more tanned in the edited version, while the natural texture of her skin was smoothed out with an airbrush filter.

Other models from the July 8 runway show also received the same airbrushing treatment from OMG Swimwear's social media team - including Karina Ramos, Aline Bernardes and Antje Utgaard.

Unrecognisable: Costa Rican model Karina Ramos was also edited for OMG Swimwear's Instagram page. Left: an unedited photo of Karina at the July 8 runway show; right: an altered photo of Karina with brighter skin, a smaller waist and a completely different face structure

Before and after: Model Gallienne Nabila is seen on the left in an unedited photo from the Miami Swim Week runway show. She is seen on the right with lighter skin and a smoother complexion in an image posted to Instagram by OMG Swimwear

Before and after: Model Paola Cospi is seen on the left in an unedited photo from the OMG Swimwear runway show. She is seen on the right with darker skin and a smoother complexion in an image posted to Instagram by the brand

Instagram users slammed the doctored images, calling the brand's decision to Photoshop these genetically blessed women 'an insult'.

'They already looked like an Instagram filter before the editing its like no one is ever good enough. Shame on them', one wrote.

'Gave them all the exact same face,' another added.

When Daily Mail Australia reached out for comment from OMG Swimwear in regards to this story, a spokesperson for the brand said: 'Well a photographer is who handed these final edited photos vs the Getty pictures who posts raw unedited photos.'

'We werent aware of the drastic editing, our social media just posts what they are given,' she added.

'They already looked like an Instagram filter before': Instagram users slammed the doctored images, calling the brand's decision to Photoshop these genetically blessed women 'an insult'
Uma Thurman has opened up about how her 'darkest secret' is having an abortion as a teenager after having sex with a 'much older man'.

The actress, 51, spoke about the experience in an op-ed for the The Washington Post where she opposed the new abortion law in Texas, which has banned abortions in the state past the six-week mark.

Uma criticized the controversial legal move while sharing aspects of her own past, as she divulged that she had herself had a termination when she was in her late teens.

During her open letter, Uma - who now has three children - admitted the 'hard' decision gave her the opportunity to 'grow up and become the mother she is today'.

Op-ed: Uma Thurman has opened up about how her 'darkest secret' is having an abortion as a teenager after having sex with a 'much older man'.

Uma said: 'The abortion I had as a teenager was the hardest decision of my life, one that caused me anguish then and that saddens me even now, but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced.

'Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be.'

Saying she sees the law 'with great sadness and something akin to horror' she penned the revealing piece 'in the hope of drawing the flames of controversy away from the vulnerable women on whom this law will have an immediate effect.'

Speaking out: The actress, 51, spoke about the experience in an op-ed for the The Washington Post where she opposed the new abortion law in Texas , which has banned abortions in the state past the six-week mark (pictured age 19 in 1989)

The Pulp Fiction star added, 'You might not be interested in the opinions of an actress, but given this new outrage, I feel it is my responsibility to stand up in their shoes.'

Uma noted her past as a teen actress 'working in an environment' in which she 'was often the only kid in the room;' and was living in Europe and working when she 'was accidentally impregnated by a much older man.'

She said she 'struggled to figure out what to do,' adding, 'I wanted to keep the baby, but how?'

Thurman shared aspects of her own past amid the controversial legal move in Texas, as protesters were seen at the Texas State Capitol earlier this month

She said she spoke with her parents about her options in a 'terrible' discussion in which they spoke about the details of the situation, and that her 'childish fantasy of motherhood' came into focus as she realized her lack of means 'to provide a stable home' for herself and a child.

She added, 'We decided as a family that I couldn't go through with the pregnancy, and agreed that termination was the right choice.'

Uma said that an older female friend in Germany helped her find a doctor, saying she was heartbroken and felt shame at the time of the procedure.

'There is so much pain in this story,' she said. 'It has been my darkest secret until now. I am 51 years old, and I am sharing it with you from the home where I have raised my three children, who are my pride and joy...

'I conceived my beautiful, magical children with men whom I loved and trusted enough to dare to bring a child into this world. I have no regrets for the path I have traveled. I applaud and support women who make a different choice.'

Uma said that in sharing the story she hopes to speak to 'women and girls who might feel a shame that they can't protect themselves from and have no agency over.'

At work: Uma was seen filming the show Suspicion in New York this past May

The law in Texas - which was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this month - is called a 'fetal heartbeat bill' and bans most abortions at the 'first detectable heartbeat'.

Uma noted that 'the Texas abortion law was allowed to take effect without argument by the Supreme Court, which, due in no small part to its lack of ideological diversity, is a staging ground for a human rights crisis for American women' and 'another discriminatory tool against those who are economically disadvantaged, and often, indeed, against their partners.'

She said she was 'grief-stricken' as she shared a parting message 'to women and girls of Texas, afraid of being traumatized and hounded by predatory bounty hunters.

'To all women outraged by having our bodies' rights taken by the state; and to all of you who are made vulnerable and subjected to shame because you have a uterus - I say: I see you. Have courage. You are beautiful.'

Details: The law in Texas - which was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this month - is called a 'fetal heartbeat bill' and bans most abortions at the 'first detectable heartbeat

Furious abortion rights groups have said many women at six weeks do not even know they are pregnant.

Attorney General Merrick Garland blasted the law at a press conference last week in the Justice Department's first legal action against the legislation.

'The statute deputizes all private citizens without any showing of personal connection or injury to serve as bounty hunters,' Garland added.

The DOJ action marked the second major lawsuit the Biden administration has filed this year trying to block a move by a Republican-controlled state government.

The Justice Department sued Georgia in June, challenging the state's sweeping new voting law.
Four in five visual artists earned less than $25,000 last financial year with half of those working in the field seeing their income fall, new research shows.

Survey results released on Wednesday by the National Association for the Visual Arts indicated artists saw sales slump by 72 per cent in 2020/21 amid COVID-19 lockdowns.

The poll of more than 1200 artists, arts workers and arts managers across Australia found that one-in-five artists was eligible for government assistance through the JobSeeker scheme.

Meanwhile, 44 per cent of arts organisation workers had their hours reduced and more than a third lost contracts.

Launching a new campaign to encourage vaccination take-up to support the country's creative recovery, the association's Penelope Benton said the virus and successive lockdowns had decimated the visual arts sector.

'Art making has dropped by nearly 40 per cent as artists have had to find work in other areas to survive, and over half of our sector is concerned about the future,' Benton said.

'The gap in the visual arts sector will be felt for years, and we fear a generation of artists may be lost.'

Governmental funding support has largely excluded the visual arts sector due to ineligibility, she added.

'We need to reopen so artists can get back to work and start on the slow road to recovery.'

Sit For An Artist comprises four short videos featuring artists Thea Perkins, Dean Cross, Wendy Sharpe and Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran preparing to get their vaccination.

The idea behind the campaign title is that rather than sitting for an artist for a portrait, sitting for a vaccine will accelerate the process by which artists can get back to work.

Perkins, an Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman who makes paintings and installations, believes that the greatest damage the pandemic has inflicted has been on mental health.

'It's tough and demoralising having uncertainty around projects that you have put your heart and soul into and seeing many cancelled,' said Perkins, who is currently working from home as her studio is closed.

'There will be a kind of invisible effect. We won't even know the ripple effect that the pandemic has had on the arts,' she said.

The survey bears this out, with 49 per cent of artists and 51 per cent of arts workers reporting significant or extreme mental health impacts.

Dean Cross, a multidisciplinary artist of Worimi descent, hasn't been able to access his studio either.

'My practice has had to close down,' Cross said.

'I've had to retreat like a hermit crab or a tortoise, pulling into my shell and waiting until I can re-emerge and start swimming around the river again,' he said.

'I draw personal strength from knowing that our culture, Aboriginal culture, has survived things like this and worse through community and through engaging in culture.'

Nithiyendran, a Sri Lankan-born, Sydney-based artist best known for his wonky, exuberantly decorated ceramic sculptures, feels lucky that he could still access his studio.

'But the actual rhythms and the flows of energy that are needed to create a work have been reduced because of this second wave,' he said.

'The connection, the energy, the positivity and the engagement have all been impacted.'

For Archibald Prize-winning figurative painter Wendy Sharpe, the first and second waves of the pandemic have been markedly different experiences.

'At the beginning of the pandemic, many commercial galleries found that with an increase of people spending time at home, more people were looking to fill their spaces with exciting, beautiful and thought-provoking art,' Sharpe said.

'But with the second wave, as lockdowns extend, there has been a clear shift in thinking, with people unsure of when things are going to end. This has led to more resistance when spending money.'

Sharpe is keen to disprove the notion that the arts are only for the elite.

'Almost everywhere you look, it's the arts that everyone has turned to even more during the pandemic,' she said.

'We all want to go to galleries. We want to go to concerts. We want to go to museums. We want to go to restaurants. We want to meet other people. We don't want to be locked up forever. So go get vaccinated.'

Mimi Crowe, also from the association, said the situation engulfing the visual arts sector was unprecedented in the organisation's 38-year history.

'Getting to 80 per cent vaccination rate and opening borders is an important first step for the visual arts,' Crowe said.

'We want to see artists travelling interstate and overseas again, making and exhibiting new work and showcasing the best of Australia's art.'

For more information, visit nava.net.au/sit-for-an-artist

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Their love story began before Instagram was even in existence.

And though Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's romance picked back up in the digital age, offline love may be the key to success as it was revealed they don't follow each other on social media.

Despite going Instagram official in July, a search for both names on the stars' respective pages renders a 'user not found.'

Love 'IRL': Despite their very loved up relationship in real life, fans of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were shocked to find out that neither follow each other on Instagram; pictured September 9

Ben's Instagram following count stands at 94 and includes his beloved Boston Red Sox, GQ, and he and Matt Damon's Pearl Street Films production company, to name a few.

Lopez on the other hand follows 1,315 accounts including 21 JLo fan pages, but Affleck's handle is noticeably absent.

A deeper dive into their digital footprint shows that the two have no online engagement with the exception of the Hustlers star liking a photo of Ben on a fan account in early July, per TMZ.

And though she made their romance Instagram official on her birthday (July 24 ) with a picture of them kissing on a superyacht in St. Tropez, she never even tagged the actor.

Her page: Lopez on the other hand follows 1,315 accounts including 21 fan pages, but Affleck's handle is noticeably absent

Keeping it offline: Ben follows a mere 94 accounts including his beloved Boston Red Sox and his production company Pearl Street Films

Though in this day and age many relationships between celebrities form via direct messages or even on dating apps  with Ben notoriously being seen on Raya pre JLo  the Gone Girl actor chose to shoot his shot via email back in February.

At the time she was still engaged to Alex Rodriguez but he wrote to tell her 'how beautiful she looked,' among other things, and by April she and A-Rod had called it quits.

Two weeks later Bennifer stepped out publicly and the two have been hot and heavy ever since.

As they've been virtually attached at the hip since that time, it's possible the pair have felt no need to keep up with each other digitally as the real thing is right there.

Secure: A deeper dive into their digital footprint shows that the two have no engagement with the exception of the Hustlers star liking a photo of Ben on a fan account in early July; pictured September 10

However the two have jam packed fall schedules that will take them in opposite directions, with Ben set to head to Texas this week for his film Hypnotic, and Lopez heading to Canada in October to start on her next movie.

A PEOPLE source said that as the two have 'months of working coming up' the couple 'plan on spending the holidays together,' while being mindful of keeping their kids the priority.

'They will both get a break. For Jennifer, Christmas is all about the kids. She makes it very special for them,' the insider said, adding that 'Ben wants to be with his kids too.'

It was added that balancing their children 'will take some more planning' and that they 'haven't made any specific holiday decisions yet and are still working it all out.'
The Mayor of Byron Shire has demanded Love Island Australia halt production after a crew member on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! tested positive to Covid-19, sending the entire region into a snap seven-day lockdown.

Michael Lyon accused production company ITV Studios - which produces both Love Island and I'm a Celebrity - of bringing 'Covid to the region' in a searing Facebook post on Wednesday, and said he was trying to 'rescind council approval'.

Lyon's statement began: 'I am looking into our options this morning to rescind council approval for the Love Island production, from the same studios that brought I'm a Celebrity - and Covid - to the region.'

Not happy: The Mayor of Byron Shire, Michael Lyon (pictured), has demanded Love Island Australia halt production after a crew member on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! tested positive to Covid-19, sending the entire region into a snap seven-day lockdown

'As part of that approval issued recently, which allows them to film for longer than 30 days in Federal, I insisted on a 14-day isolation period whereby any cast or crew coming from an area with cases would not come into contact with people from our region,' he continued.

'It is clear that this is not possible to implement given what has happened in the last few days. Council approval was only one part of the process, it hasn't yet had Ministerial approval so I'd say it is unlikely to proceed.'

'It is so devastating to be in lockdown again and it is clear the "honour" system relied on by the State Government is deeply flawed. It is worth noting that people coming here for work don't actually have to show a negative COVID test; this was thankfully part of the filming protocol that allowed this early detection. Perhaps our calls for a tightening of restrictions will now finally be heeded,' concluded the councillor.

Blistering statement: Mr Lyon accused production company ITV Studios - which produces both Love Island and I'm a Celebrity - of bringing 'Covid to the region' in a searing Facebook post (pictured) on Wednesday, and said he was trying to 'rescind council approval'

Demands: 'Perhaps our calls for a tightening of restrictions will now finally be heeded,' said the councillor. Pictured: the 'villa' where Love Island Australia will be filmed

Culprit: The Covid-infected person responsible for the Byron lockdown has been identified as a fully-vaccinated female I'm a Celebrity crew member. Pictured: the Love Island Australia set

The mayor's statement comes after a Liberal MP called for Health Minister Brad Hazzard to resign after allowing I'm a Celebrity to film in Byron Bay where a crew member later tested positive to Covid.

The Byron and Tweed shires were thrown into a snap lockdown on Tuesday afternoon after a case was recorded in the area.

The person was later identified as a fully-vaccinated female crew member on Channel 10's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

The crew member is now facing criminal charges for breaching conditions of her work permit and for failing to check into venues using QR codes.

The 31-year-old had a permit to travel to the area for work-related purposes only.

But police say she breached the conditions of her permit when she went to pubs and shops in Byron Bay and Kingscliff over the weekend.

Common link: Despite airing on rival networks, both Love Island Australia and the local version of I'm a Celebrity are produced by ITV Studios

Liberal MP Catherine Cusack said she was 'devastated' by the news the worker was allowed to fly in from Sydney and called for the resignation of Mr Hazzard, her colleague, for granting the exemption.

'I am calling on Brad Hazzard to resign because he has ignored the regions and I hold him personally accountable for the new lockdown and destruction of the progress we have made on the Queensland border arrangement,' Ms Cusack said on Tuesday.

'Sydney coming out of lockdown is going to be a disaster for the regions unless Sydney is prevented from travelling out of the city.'

Offence: The 31-year-old I'm a Celebrity crew member had a permit to travel to the area for work-related purposes only, but police say she breached the conditions of her permit

Fury: Liberal MP Catherine Cusack (right, with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian) called for the resignation of Brad Hazzard after the case was infectious in Byron and Tweed

Step down: 'I am calling on Brad Hazzard to resign because he has ignored the regions and I hold him personally accountable for the new lockdown,' Ms Cusack said

Byron Shire, Kempsey and Tweed Shire areas all went into a snap seven-day lockdown from 5pm on Tuesday.

The woman, who is fully-vaccinated, arrived on the Virgin Flight VA 1141 from Sydney to Ballina on Saturday morning and was infectious for two days while working in Byron, Ballina and Tweed.

Mr Hazzard said the lockdown would initially be for seven days, subject to a further review.

Ms Cusack slammed the NSW government and the health minister for putting the regions at risk.

'The regions are not ready because we have not had vaccine access. We haven't had the same rules to fast-track vaccination, and we are sitting ducks,' she said.

'Our health system is not going to cope and our Indigenous communities are at massive risk.'

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, an ITV Studios Australia spokesperson confirmed an I'm a Celebrity crew member had tested positive for Covid-19.

'ITV Studios Australia has been filming I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! in Northern NSW in accordance with Public Health Orders and restrictions, as well as its own comprehensive CovidSAFE plan, which is consistent with Screen NSW's guidelines for film and television production,' the spokesperson said.

'We take our CovidSAFE plan extremely seriously. The health, safety and welfare of the community, as well as our cast and crew, is our number one priority.

Crew: In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, an ITV Studios Australia spokesperson confirmed an I'm a Celebrity crew member had tested positive for Covid-19. Pictured: last year's cast

'We can confirm that one of our crew members has tested positive to COVID-19. This discovery was made through the rigorous testing regime implemented by our CovidSAFE plan. The crew member is fully vaccinated and was wearing PPE while at work.'

'The crew member is fully vaccinated and was wearing PPE while at work. All close contacts of the crew member from within the ITV production have been identified.

'They are being tested and will isolate in accordance with NSW Health's requirements. ITV is providing crew members with all the support and assistance possible.

'We are working with NSW Health to ensure all necessary steps are taken in relation to contact tracing, testing and further communication to anyone that needs to isolate.'

The crew member was PCR tested and returned a negative result prior to their departure from Sydney for northern NSW, and took a second test on the day of arrival, as is required, and that test was positive.

They have since returned to Sydney and entered isolation after their positive test.

The crew member was not on set or in studio, and the production of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! was not affected by the positive test.
She recently finished filming the reunion from an explosive season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

And Erika Jayne traveled lightly as she was spotted heading to the Burbank Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

Despite the soaring San Fernando Valley temperatures, the 50-year-old reality star bundled up in a heavy green sweat suit for the excursion with her assistant amid a contentious time in her public and private life.

Out and about: Erika Jayne traveled lightly as she was spotted heading to the Burbank Airport on Tuesday afternoon

Erika, who previously had a $40,000-per-month stipend on hair and makeup, dressed down in a Fiorucci woodland deer sweater.

Her matching bright green sweatpants featured an angelic print on one leg, with the entire set retailing for upwards of $300.

She carried a black leather Chanel bag in one hand and sipped on a Perrier while making her way through the terminal with freshly blown out hair.

Heading out: Despite the soaring San Fernando Valley temperatures, the 50-year-old reality star bundled up in a heavy green sweat suit for the excursion with her assistant amid a contentious time in her public and private life

Travel time: She carried a black leather Chanel bag in one hand and sipped on a Perrier while making her way through the terminal with freshly blown out hair

Erika recently wrapped filming the 11th season of RHOBH, which mainly focused on the fallout surrounding the end of her 21-year marriage to disgraced lawyer Tom Girardi.

She tweeted last week that it 'felt great watching this' as her friends, Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley, were caught in a fit of hysterics recalling the story Erika told Kyle about a time when Tom confronted burglars and needed eye surgery, only for her son to flip his car five times on the same day.

In a confessional, Kyle called the story 'unbelievable' and said: There seems to be a pattern. Well spend time with Erika and then find out later there was this big situation in her life going on that she didnt share with us. When Erika withholds information, she just makes it hard to be able to support her.'

She added: So, if Tom was burglarized, howd you find out? Tom confronted the burglars? Did they do anything to him? And what about your son? Was he hurt? His car flipped? Is he OK?

Yikes: Erika Jayne was left hurt after watching Wednesday's episode where Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley laughed about another 'unbelievable' tale

'This story obviously sounds unbelievable. Thats the only word I can think of. It sounds unbelievable,' she said. 'Does that mean I dont believe her? No. But its unbelievable'

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Erika is now only speaking to co-star Lisa Rinna after the explosive season.

Jayne was recently 'ordered to turn over financial records' from her accountant, lawyer and landlord in the ongoing embezzlement lawsuit with Girardi.

The order comes as a bankruptcy trustee continues to investigate Girardi's assets, amid claims that both Girardi and Jayne allegedly embezzled settlement funds that were meant to help the families of plane crash victims on Lion Air Flight 610.

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed Tom checked into a senior living home in Burbank last month following reports he was diagnosed with dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's disease earlier this year.

The Belmont Village Senior Living facility in Southern California costs upwards of $5,000 per month for a private suite with staff available 24/7, and boasts chef-prepared dining with 24 daily choices of meals.

Girardi was also recently placed under a conservatorship by his brother Robert where courts cited a 'major neurocognitive disorder' and has been federally disbarred by the California Federal Court.

Brand new The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is now streaming on hayu in Australia, plus relive every episode ever - only on hayu in Australia.
Vanessa Valladares split with Zac Efron in April following a whirlwind romance with the Hollywood A-lister.

But it appears the stylish 26-year-old is back on the prowl, with the model sharing a number of raunchy photos of herself on Tuesday.

Vanessa, who often focuses on health and fitness, showcased her stunning figure while soaking-up the sun in a bikini.

Leggy display: Zac Efron's ex Vanessa Valladares, 26, (pictured) showcased her svelte figure in a VERY raunchy post on Tuesday, months after her break-up with the A-list movie star

The social media star first shared a photo of her throwing a bikini over a chair, showing herself going topless.

She then shared a racy photo of herself sitting on a chair with just a pair of bikini bottoms on, which highlighted her toned and tanned figure.

It comes only days after Vanessa shared a quirky photo of herself in a bizarre photo doing the Vulcan hand salute, a gesture popularised by the Star Trek series.

Forgetting something? The social media star first shared a photo of her throwing a bikini over a chair, showing herself going topless

The post comes after the barista-turned-model split from Zac, 33, earlier this year. The pair have both been keeping fairly low profiles since the breakup.

According to various reports, Zac was introduced to Vanessa by her boss at Byron Bay's General Store cafe in June last year, and the pair hit it off straight away.

Two months later, in August, Daily Mail Australia revealed Zac had cancelled his scheduled return flight to Los Angeles because he 'didn't really want to go back'.

Within weeks, the genetically blessed couple had moved in together in Byron Bay.

Cryptic: While she's always maintained her silence on their break-up, Vanessa returned to social media by sharing a bizarre photo with four eyes while doing a Vulcan salute, a hand gesture popularised by the Star Trek series

Zac confirmed their relationship in September when they were spotted holding hands in public.

Vanessa would accompany her famous boyfriend as he travelled around Australia for various work projects from late 2020 to early 2021.

But it was confirmed in April they had called it quits, with Zac's friend Kyle Sandilands announcing on his KIIS FM radio show: 'I can confirm [the break-up], after speaking with him yesterday.'

He also stated Zac had been dating Vanessa for much longer than reported.

Over: The post comes after the barista-turned-model split from Zac Efron, 33, back in April

There was speculation at the time Zac and Vanessa had known each other three years before their 'official' first meeting at Byron Bay's General Store cafe last June.

Kyle, 49, who is good pals with Zac, revealed on live radio it wasn't just a rumour.

'They've been together for a lot longer than people realise,' the shock jock said.

'I don't know where they met, but it wasn't recent. It's been going for a little while, but I don't know exactly how long.'
House of Harlow 1960 creative director Nicole Richie's hair caught fire as she blew out the candles on her 40th birthday cake on Monday night.

The Making the Cut judge - who boasts 10M social media followers - joked: 'Well so far 40 is [fire emoji].'

It happened after Baby2Baby co-CEO Kelly Sawyer placed the confection, featuring a glamour shot of Nicole as a child, in front of her as the group sang happy birthday.

Wow! House of Harlow 1960 creative director Nicole Richie's hair caught fire as she blew out the candles on her 40th birthday cake on Monday night

The Making the Cut judge - who boasts 10M social media followers - joked: 'Well so far 40 is [fire emoji]'

When Richie (born Escovedo) leaned over to make a wish and blow out the candles, both sides of her dangling ombre curls became aflame.

Stylist Liat Baruch reached her hand over to put out the fire on the left side of the shocked Nikki Fre$h star's head as the right side continued to burn her locks.

Nicole's Instagram video received comments from Amber Valetta, Kelly Rowland, Antoni Porowski, Ellen Pompeo, Big Freedia, Zooey Deschanel, Chelsea Handler, Amy Schumer, brother-in-law Benji Madden, and her husband Joel Madden who quoted her Simple Life castmate Paris Hilton: 'That's hot.'

Richie and her hairstylist Gregory Russell have spent years trying to mend her damaged locks after decades of bleaching and dying them various shades of color.

Make a wish! It happened after Baby2Baby co-CEO Kelly Sawyer (L) placed the confection, featuring a glamour shot of Nicole as a child, in front of her as the group sang happy birthday

Oops! When Richie (born Escovedo) leaned over to make a wish and blow out the candles, both sides of her dangling ombre curls became aflame

Girrrrl! Stylist Liat Baruch (R) reached her hand over to put out the fire on the left side of the shocked Nikki Fre$h star's head as the right side continued to burn her locks

Russell hinted this was not the first time the Bless This Mess guest star had accidentally burned her hair, exclaiming: 'Stop!!! Again?!?!'

Nicole's accident might have had something to do with the plentiful pitchers of margaritas served at the party hosted by photographer Carlos Eric Lopez.

Lopez displayed picture frames full of memories over 25+ years of friendship and invited Richie's pals - stylist Jamie Mizrahi, stylist Simone Harouche, and Bragg Live Food Products consulting specialist Sophia Rossi.

Nicole's Instagram video received comments from Amber Valetta, Kelly Rowland, Antoni Porowski, Ellen Pompeo, Big Freedia, Zooey Deschanel, Chelsea Handler, Amy Schumer, brother-in-law Benji Madden, and her husband Joel Madden who quoted her Simple Life castmate Paris Hilton: 'That's hot'

Oh no! Richie and her hairstylist Gregory Russell (R) have spent years trying to mend her damaged locks after decades of bleaching and dying them various shades of color

Russell hinted this was not the first time the Bless This Mess guest star had accidentally burned her hair, exclaiming: 'Stop!!! Again?!?!'

The wisecracking socialite made sure to style her burnt hair into a tidy French braid when she officially turned the big 4-0 on Tuesday morning.

Nicole enjoyed birthday burritos and Veuve Clicquot mimosas with her pals Carlos and Aaron Paul's wife Lauren at what appeared to be Griffith Park.

Kicking off Richie's birthday tributes was the 42-year-old Good Charlotte frontman, who gushed: 'Happy Birthday Nicole! You've made love feel timeless I've forgotten how old we are.'

'Tipsy': Nicole's accident might have had something to do with the plentiful pitchers of margaritas served at the party hosted by photographer Carlos Eric Lopez

Guest list: Lopez displayed picture frames full of memories over 25+ years of friendship and invited Richie's pals - Jamie Mizrahi, Simone Harouche, and Sophia Rossi

Cheers! The wisecracking socialite made sure to style her burnt hair into a tidy French braid when she officially turned the big 4-0 on Tuesday morning

'Bubbly': Nicole enjoyed birthday burritos and Veuve Clicquot mimosas with her pals Carlos and Aaron Paul's wife Lauren at what appeared to be Griffith Park

The married couple of a decade - who began dating in December 2006 - are proud parents of 12-year-old son Sparrow and 13-year-old daughter Harlow.

Nicole's famous father - four-time Grammy winner Lionel Richie - wrote that she will always be his 'little girl, no matter how many birthdays we celebrate.'

And Richie's younger sister Sofia - who turns 24 this Friday - wrote that she was 'so lucky to call you my big sis' and she 'loves you beyond words.'

Kicking off Richie's birthday tributes was the 42-year-old Good Charlotte frontman, who gushed: 'Happy Birthday Nicole! You've made love feel timeless I've forgotten how old we are'

2020 family portrait: The married couple of a decade - who began dating in December 2006 - are proud parents of 12-year-old son Sparrow and 13-year-old daughter Harlow

'You have been rainbows and butterflies your whole life': Nicole's famous father - four-time Grammy winner Lionel Richie - wrote that she will always be his 'little girl, no matter how many birthdays we celebrate'
Sofia Vergara made a splash in an eye-catching floral jumpsuit as she joined stars at the grand opening of The Breakfast Club LA on Tuesday.

The Modern Family actress was in high spirits as she celebrated the launch of the influencer-centric social club that serves all day breakfast, created by Planet Hollywood mogul Robert Earl.

Others in attendance included Paula Abdul, Mario Lopez and his wife Courtney Laine Mazza as well as Jeremy Meeks, the 'hot felon' turned model.

Fun-filled outing: Sofia Vergara joined stars at the grand opening of Hollywood's newest social club, The Breakfast Club LA, from the mind of Planet Hollywood mogul Robert Earl

The Colombian-born stunner, 49, dressed to match the light hearted theme of the space as she walked the red carpet in a strapless black jumpsuit adorned with colorful flowers.

The always put together America's Got Talent Judge left her carmel locks down and wore makeup that accentuated her natural beauty.

Sofia was seen sharing a laugh with the club's founder Earl at the event which was sponsored in part by Gen-Z favorite app TikTok.

In good spirits: Sofia was seen sharing a laugh with the club's founder Earl at the event which was sponsored in part by Gen-Z favorite app TikTok

Flirty in floral: The Colombian-born stunner, 49, dressed to match the light hearted theme of the space as she walked the red carpet in a strapless black jumpsuit adorned with colorful flowers

OG: Abdul looked youthful in a pair of black shorts with an oversized star belt, and a flowing top with matching blazer

Despite the club being tailored to a younger generation of social media creators, the veteran actress was also joined by OG entertainer Abdul.

The 59-year-old superstar looked youthful in a pair of black shorts with an oversized star belt, and a flowing top with matching blazer.

And Lopez and his wife were seen in denim-accented outfits, as they too came out to check out the latest 'it' spot, while Meeks, 37, kept it monochromatic in all white.

Double denim: The TV host and his wife were seen wearing denim-accented outfits

Rising star: Meeks who rose to fame as the 'hot felon' in 2014 following his arrest during a gang sweep quickly became a household name for his looks which he parlayed into a modeling career

Destination: The Breakfast Club restaurant is currently open 7 days a week, from 8:00am-8:00pm and is also available to rent out for private parties

Showing skin: The stunning Instagram model wore a revealing bralette and pants

Looking good: Paula Abdul pictured at the event in a chic look

Jeremy rose to fame as the 'hot felon' in 2014 after his mugshot went viral following his arrest during a gang sweep.

After becoming a household name he became a model and even enjoyed a relationship with TopShop heiress Chloe Green with who he shares a three-year-old son named Jayden.

The 7,000 sq ft space off the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was designed to be a destination for vloggers and social media stars to 'encourage participation in the creator economy.'

Living up to its name The Breakfast Club LA will feature interactive food amenities such as a build your own cereal and ice cream bar, as well as breakfast items served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The spot: The 7,000 sq ft space off the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was designed to be a destination for vloggers and social media stars to 'encourage participation in the creator economy'

Items on the menu include Tomahawk Steak & Eggs, Whole chicken and waffles, Ricotta Pancake and meat-free options such as the Beyond Burger and Beyond Sausage Sandwich.

'Our goal was to construct a restaurant fit to be the center of digital culture, to inspire creativity while serving great food and drinks,' Earl and his son Robbie said in a press release.

The Breakfast Club restaurant is currently open 7 days a week, from 8:00am-8:00pm and is also available to rent out for private parties.

Latest venture: The Breakfast Club LA is the latest venture from Planet Hollywood mogul Robert Earl and his son Robbie (pictured)
They were forced apart for several weeks earlier this year due to Covid lockdowns wreaking havoc on the AFL season.

So it's no wonder Lance 'Buddy' Franklin, 34, is spending his off-season enjoying quality time with wife Jesinta, 29, and their two children, daughter Tullulah, one, and son Rocky, six months.

On Tuesday, the couple were spotted taking their kids to a leafy park near their home in Sydney's Rose Bay.

Family outing: AFL star Lance 'Buddy' Franklin, 34, spent quality time with his wife Jesinta, 29, and their two children in Sydney's Rose Bay on Tuesday

Model Jesinta wore a stylish yet practical ensemble comprising a Burberry trench coat worth $3,200, grey trackpants, and a pair of black and white Adidas sneakers.

The brunette accessorised with a pair of large sunglasses and covered her face with a leopard-print mask.

Rocky was strapped to his mother's chest in a houndstooth baby carrier by Artipoppe worth $1,000.

Fun: The couple took their daughter Tullulah, one, and son Rocky, six months, to a playground

The youngster appeared to be sound asleep, and was shielded from the breeze by a Sydney Swans beanie.

Buddy also had his hands full as he pushed Tullulah in her stroller while sipping from a take-away coffee cup.

The athlete wore a dark hoodie, shorts, sneakers and sunglasses.

Expensive taste! Model Jesinta wore a stylish yet practical ensemble comprising a Burberry trench coat worth $3,200, grey trackpants, and a pair of black and white Adidas sneakers

Shade: She accessorised with large sunglasses and covered her face with a leopard-print mask

He completed his look with a bright yellow beanie.

The Franklins had an emotional reunion last month after being separated by border closures for weeks on end.

Jesinta and her kids jetted into Victoria on August 5 to finally spend time with Buddy, after the Swans were relocated while she was stuck in quarantine on the Gold Coast.

Precious cargo! Rocky was strapped to his mother's chest in a houndstooth baby carrier

Multitasking mother: Jesinta was seen chatting on the phone as she arrived at the playground

After arriving to Melbourne, Jesinta shared a photo to Instagram of Buddy holding his daughter Tullulah's hand - confirming their reunion had finally taken place.

'We finally made it,' she captioned the photo, adding a love-heart emoji.

Jesinta told The Herald Sun earlier that day she and her family were about to hop on a flight to Melbourne, where the Swans were expected to stay all season following Queensland's Covid-19 outbreak.

'It's day by day and the whole thing has changed so many times, but we're hoping to get out,' she said.

'It's been tough but it's just the reality of the world we're living in at the moment. Not only me and what all the other Swans and GWS players' partners have to do, but thousands of Australians,' she added.

Hold my hand: The doting parents held Tullulah's hands as they walked down the footpath

Casually clad: Buddy dressed down in a black hoodie, shorts and sneakers
He's the Married At First Sight star who works as a fitness instructor for the over-50s.

And Nasser Sultan managed to squeeze in a workout of his own on Saturday as he went surfing at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

The former music promoter, 54, was seen chatting to locals before diving into the ocean to try to catch some waves.

Wet and wild! Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan, 54, went surfing at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Saturday

Nasser didn't have much luck, however, and soon became distracted while looking around to see if anyone was watching him.

He flopped into the ocean and emerged just minutes later carrying his surfboard.

Wary of police enforcing Covid rules, the controversial reality star soon returned to the water for some more exercise.

Man of the people: The former music promoter, 54, was seen chatting to locals before diving into the ocean to try to catch some waves

Happy: Nasser, 54, appeared to be in great spirits as he took his surfboard for a spin in Bondi

Need some help? Nasser didn't have much luck and soon became distracted while looking around to see if anyone was watching him

Wipeout! He flopped into the ocean and emerged from the water just minutes later

He swam further out and, much to his surprise, was able to pick up a wave.

Nasser leapt to his board and tried to balance himself, but was soon blindsided by another wave and fell head first into the water.

The socialite then returned to the beach looking exhausted.

Ready for round two! Wary of police enforcing Covid rules, Nasser returned to the ocean for some more exercise. He swam further out and, much to his surprise, was able to pick up a wave

Whoops! Nasser leapt to his board and he tried to balance himself, but was soon blindsided by another wave and fell head first into the water

Had enough? The socialite soon returned to the beach looking exhausted

The sighting comes after Nasser opened up about his infamous trolling of his Married At First Sight co-stars.

Nasser said in February he'd been 'playing the character' of a 'deluded reality star' for three years, ever since his MAFS debut in 2018.

However, in his defence he admitted it had been difficult to return to real life after becoming obsessed with fame.

Regrets: The sighting comes after Nasser opened up about his infamous trolling of his Married At First Sight co-stars

Deluded: Nasser said in February he'd been 'playing the character' of a 'deluded reality star' for three years, ever since his MAFS debut in 2018

'It's not easy, it's not like switching a light off. I am obsessed with it - why am I caring about these people?' he told the Not Another Reality TV Podcast.

His remarks came after he returned to Nine's social experiment for the two-part Grand Reunion special.

He angered his castmates by refusing to apologise for trolling them on social media.
Magda Szubanski has slammed fat shamers who sent her vile messages on Twitter after she had made a lighthearted quip aimed at 'tradie protesters'.

The messages came after the comedian had tweeted about her experience in her car on Wednesday morning when Victoria's recent earthquake took place.

'I was parked in the car and at first I thought it was the wind but it was SO strong I seriously thought someone (maybe a tradie protester, I dunno) was shoving the car from side to side,' the 60-year-old joked.

Not backing down: Magda Szubanski has hit back at fat shamers who responded to a joking tweet she made about the 'tradie protesters' from Tuesday's riot in Melbourne

It didn't take long for The Weakest Link host to be bombarded with nasty comments from a range of users for making the jest.

'You sure it wasn't just you shifting your enormous bulk from one side to the other,' said one in a crude message.

Another tweeted that there needed to be '10,000 tradies' to 'feel' her car move.

A third called her an 'entitled activist grub'.

Disgusting: It didn't take long for The Weakest Link host to be bombarded with nasty comments from a range of users for making the jest

'And right on cue, here are the professional protesters fat shaming again,' Madga tweeted later in response.

Several of the Kath and Kim star's followers came to her defence.

'Screw them Magda - you are an amazing, strong and beautiful woman! Love you to bits,' replied a fan.

'We could rate their IQ by the quality of the tweets,' added another.

Expected: Magda responded, ''And right on cue, here are the professional protesters fat shaming again'

'We could rate their IQ by the quality of the tweets': Several of the Kath and Kim star's followers came to her defence

Magda's tweets come as around 2,000 tradesmen, anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown campaigners stormed Melbourne's streets on Tuesday to demonstrate against a two-week shutdown of the construction industry due to rising Covid cases.

Police - who were caught short by the hastily organised riot - said at least 62 people had been arrested after footage showed violent thugs attacking cops by throwing cans or punching them in the street.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has slammed the protesters as police vowed to use new tactics to fight back.

A new protest has already begun on Melbourne's streets on Wednesday, which is the third consecutive day in a row the city has seen violent demonstrations.
Vanessa Marcil took to social media to root on ex Brian Austin Green amid his initial appearance on Dancing with the Stars Monday.

The 52-year-old actress, who shares son Kassius, 19, with the Beverly Hills, 90210 actor, 48, posted a shot of her son on Instagram as he was en route to watch Green's outing on the show.

She captioned the picture, 'Headed to see dad. #TeamGreen @dancingabc.'

The latest: Vanessa Marcil, 52, took to social media to show support for ex Brian Austin Green, 18, amid his appearance on Dancing with the Stars Monday

Marcil also posted shots of Green with his pro partner/girlfriend Sharna Burgess with the hashtag, #TeamGreen.'

Marcil and Green were in a relationship from 1999 thru 2003, first crossing paths on Beverly Hills, 90210.

They appear to be on good terms currently, amid past ups and downs co-parenting their son, as they had past custody battles.

Marcil, who's also been seen on Las Vegas, Lipstick Jungle and General Hospital, publicly showed support for Green's ex Megan Fox, 35, amid her breakup with the actor last year.

Marcil posted a shot of her son on Instagram as he was en route to watch Green's outing on the show

Funny: Marcil added a text exchange she had with her son as he went to watch his dad in action

She said on social media in September of 2020 that Green is a 'very angry/sad human being' adding that, 'Megan finally living her life for herself is in itself a gift to her children.'

Green mocked Marcil's comment in response on his podcast ... with Brian Austin Green, saying, 'Im angry and Im sad all the time.

'And I just dont know what to do about it. Im more angry today, I dont know why  if you check around the industry, Im known as the angry, sad guy.'

Things appeared to be moving in a positive direction after Green included Marcil in a series of social media posts this past March for International Women's Day, as well as Fox and Burgess.

Beaming: Green is paired with his girlfriend Sharna Burgess as his pro partner on the show

The actor said he was surprised about the pairing with his love interest

Throwback: Marcil and Green were in a relationship from 1999 thru 2003, first crossing paths on Beverly Hills, 90210. They were pictured in LA in 2000

The actor told US Weekly on Monday that he was surprised about the pairing with his love interest.

'We used to joke that this wasnt ever even a possibility and then when they called and asked about the show this season and they said we would be partnered together, it just seemed like it worked,' Green said. 'Everything was the perfect storm, everything had aligned.

'It felt like such a cool opportunity, this wouldnt have happened if we werent partnered.'

The show's 30th season is hosted by Tyra Banks with a judges' panel of Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.

Dancing with the Stars airs Monday on ABC at 8/7c.
Luke Toki is pushing to bring the medication Trikafta into Australia for people with cystic fibrosis.

The Australian Survivor star made a plea on Instagram to his followers on Wednesday to sign a petition and shared a picture of himself with his daughter Madeline, two, who has the genetic disorder.

'I need your help,' the 34-year-old wrote. 'If you get a chance today, can you please sign this petition and help get Trikafta to people with Cystic Fibrosis in Australia!'

'I need your help': Australian Survivor star Luke Toki has made a heartbreaking plea to help his daughter with cystic fibrosis by getting a 'life-saving' medication brought to Australia

'Friends and family. If you've been wondering how you can help, please sign, like this post, share this post far and wide,' the fan-favourite reality TV star continued.

Trikafta is a medication that combines different drugs to treat people with cystic fibrosis.

The combination was approved for medical use in the United States in 2019 and in Europe in 2020.

Support: The Australian Survivor star made a plea to his followers on Instagram to sign a petition to bring the medication to Australian shores, which helps treat people with cystic fibrosis

Luke states that his 'Federal Government petition' is requesting 'prompt access to Trikafta and future medications'.

'Trikafta is a life-saving medication that can change the lives of 90% of people with CF,' he commented.

Luke states that the medication has been withheld from Australian shores largely due to 'complex negotiations and red tape'.

'Nineteen other countries have found a way to make this happen. Were hopeful that 2021 will be the year that Australia is added to this list,' the Survivor alum continued.

A special cause: Luke states that the medication has been withheld from Australian shores largely due to 'complex negotiations and red tape' but affirms that signing the petition will 'prompt access to Trikafta and future medications'

'The petition is live until September 29. Following this it will be presented in Federal Parliament. Residents and citizens of Australia can sign. In order for your petition signature to be counted, you need to verify a link through your email'.

The reality TV star then thanked those who have supported his push and stressed that, collectively, they needed to have their 'voice heard at the highest level'.

Luke is best known for appearing on Australian Survivor in 2017 and Australian Survivor Champions vs Contenders in 2019.

He will be starring on the highly-anticipated Channel Seven series Big Brother VIP.

Luke's petition can be found here.
Willie Garson's son 21-year-old son Nathen - whose 2009 adoption at age seven was 'the honor' of his life - shared a touching tribute following his death at age 57 on Tuesday.

'I love you so much papa. Rest in peace and I'm so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much,' The College of Wooster junior wrote on Instagram.

'I'm so proud of you. I will always love you, but I think it's time for you to go on an adventure of your own. You'll always be with me. Love you more than you will ever know and I'm glad you can be at peace now.

Survived by: Most devastated about Garson (born Paszamant) was his 21-year-old son Nathen (R, pictured May 23), whose 2009 adoption at age seven was 'the honor' of his life

'You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person I've known. I'm glad you shared [your] love with me. I'll never forget it or lose it.'

TMZ reported that the New Jersey native had 'been battling cancer' and Chad Lowe tweeted that it was the cause of his death, replying to a fan: 'F- cancer.'

Willie also received heartfelt condolences from his Sex and the City castmate Cynthia Nixon.

'So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @Willie.Garson. We all loved him and adored working with him,' the 55-year-old Emmy winner - who plays attorney Miranda Hobbes - wrote.

The College of Wooster junior wrote on Instagram: 'I love you so much papa. Rest in peace and I'm so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. I'm so proud of you'

Nathen continued: 'I will always love you, but I think it's time for you to go on an adventure of your own. Youll always be with me'

Garson concluded: 'Love you more than you will ever know and I'm glad you can be at peace now. You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person I've known. I'm glad you shared you're love with me. I'll never forget it or lose it'

TMZ reported that the 25 Words or Less regular had 'been battling cancer' and Chad Lowe tweeted that it was the cause of his death, replying to a fan: 'F- cancer'

'He was endlessly funny on-screen and in real life. He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional - always. My heart goes out to his son, @Nathen_Garson. Nathen, I hope you know how much he loved you and how proud he was to be your dad.'

Kim Cattrall - who played PR exec Samantha Jones - tweeted a pic of the pair from season one captioned: 'Such sad news and a terribly sad loss to the SATC family. Our condolences and RIP dear Willie xo.'

SATC executive producer Michael Patrick King called Garson (born Paszamant) 'amazing' and said his 'spirit and his dedication to his craft was present every day filming And Just Like That.'

'He was there - giving us his all - even while he was sick,' the 67-year-old Emmy-winning director told Variety in a statement.

RIP: The celebrity tributes poured in Tuesday after news of Sex and the City alum Willie Garson's (2-L, pictured June 11) passing at age 57, including from his longtime castmate Cynthia Nixon (L)

The 55-year-old Emmy winner - who plays attorney Miranda Hobbes - wrote: 'So deeply, deeply sad we have lost @Willie.Garson. We all loved him and adored working with him. He was endlessly funny on-screen and in real life. He was a source of light, friendship and show business lore. He was a consummate professional - always'

Kim Cattrall - who played PR exec Samantha Jones - tweeted a pic of the pair from season one captioned: 'Such sad news and a terribly sad loss to the SATC family. Our condolences and RIP dear Willie xo'

'He was there - giving us his all - even while he was sick': SATC executive producer Michael Patrick King (pictured July 20) called the New Jersey native 'amazing' and said his 'spirit and his dedication to his craft was present every day filming And Just Like That'

SATC author Candace Bushnell tweeted: 'Rest in Peace #WillieGarson. Stanford Blatch is so beloved to me and Willie brought him to life so beautifully. What a gift to us all'

Chris Noth - who plays Mr. Big aka John James Preston - shared a pictured of his onscreen wife Sarah Jessica Parker (L) alongside Garson captioned with a heartbreak emoji: 'Willie'

'We've lost a consummate funny - and family - man, and they were in short enough supply already': Evan Handler - who plays attorney Harry Goldenblatt - posted a snap of him putting up the dukes with Willie, whom he dubbed 'The Mayor'

David Eigenberg - who plays bar owner Steve Brady - called the Yale School of Drama grad 'the kindest most beautiful beautiful man' and tweeted: 'Sleep well my friend. You will always be remembered'

'His multitude of gifts as an actor and person will be missed by everyone. In this sad, dark moment we are comforted by our memory of his joy and light.'

SATC author Candace Bushnell tweeted: 'Rest in Peace #WillieGarson. Stanford Blatch is so beloved to me and Willie brought him to life so beautifully. What a gift to us all.'

Chris Noth - who plays Mr. Big aka John James Preston - shared a pictured of his onscreen wife Sarah Jessica Parker alongside Garson captioned with a heartbreak emoji: 'Willie.'

Evan Handler - who plays attorney Harry Goldenblatt - posted a snap of him putting up the dukes with Willie, whom he dubbed 'The Mayor.'

'I'm devastated and overwhelmed with sadness': Garson's onscreen husband Mario Cantone - who plays event planner Anthony Marantino - called him the most 'brilliant TV partner'

'Taken away from all of us way soon': The Before I Go actor - who played talent agent Stanford Blatch - was last publicly seen August 1 on the Manhattan set of HBO Max's 10-episode continuation And Just Like That beside Mario

Devastated: Neither Kristin Davis (M, pictured Monday) nor Sarah Jessica Parker (R) have publicly acknowledged Willie's death, which must be especially hard for Parker since he played Carrie Bradshaw's GBF

Gay best friend: Carrie and 'Stanny' (pictured July 24) were so close that in one season one episode, she considered marrying him so he could inherit a fortune from his blue-blooded grandmother

'Invitee to the weddings of Sir Elton and Elvis Costello. Friend and/or acquaintance to... well, everyone,' the 60-year-old native New Yorker described.

'Of greatest significance, adoptive father to a foster child. My heart grieves for his son, for the entire #SATC and #AJLT universe, and for the world at large. We've lost a consummate funny - and family - man, and they were in short enough supply already.'

David Eigenberg - who plays bar owner Steve Brady - called the Yale School of Drama grad 'the kindest most beautiful beautiful man' and tweeted: 'Sleep well my friend. You will always be remembered.'

Garson's onscreen husband Mario Cantone - who plays event planner Anthony Marantino - called him the most 'brilliant TV partner.'

'Tonight's mazel': And while Sarah remained silenced by grief, her real-life GBF Andy Cohen signed off his talk show Watch What Happens Live on Tuesday with a condolence for Garson

'Fly with the angels': Outside of Sex and the City, Willie received heartfelt Instagram tributes from Julie Benz, Kevin McHale, Jennifer Tilly, Matt Bomer, Julie Bowen, and Camryn Manheim

'I'm devastated and just overwhelmed with sadness,' the 61-year-old comedian wrote on Instagram.

'Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods. Rest my sweet friend. I love you.'

The Before I Go actor - who played talent agent Stanford Blatch - was last publicly seen August 1 on the Manhattan set of HBO Max's 10-episode continuation And Just Like That beside Mario.

Neither Kristin Davis nor Sarah Jessica Parker have publicly acknowledged Willie's death, which must be especially hard for Parker since he played Carrie Bradshaw's GBF.

'Be kind to each other': Garson also got touching shout-outs from Kathy Griffin, Katie Couric, Ben Stiller, Kristen Chenoweth, Jason Alexander, Mia Farrow, Billy Eichner, and Norman Reedus

Carrie and 'Stanny' were so close that in one season one episode, she considered marrying him so he could inherit a fortune from his blue-blooded grandmother.

And while Sarah remained silenced by grief, her real-life GBF Andy Cohen signed off his Bravo talk show Watch What Happens Live on Tuesday with a condolence for Garson.

Outside of Sex and the City, Willie received heartfelt Instagram tributes from Julie Benz, Kevin McHale, Jennifer Tilly, Matt Bomer, Julie Bowen, and Camryn Manheim.

Garson also got touching shout-outs from Kathy Griffin, Katie Couric, Ben Stiller, Kristen Chenoweth, Jason Alexander, Mia Farrow, Billy Eichner, and Norman Reedus.

A year ago, the Big Mouth actor shot his role as Willie in Duke Van Patten's indie pilot Duke of the Valley, but it's unclear if that was ever picked up.

Willie was also known for his small-screen roles in White Collar, Twin Peaks, Hawaii Five-0, Stargate SG-1, NYPD Blue, and Supergirl.

And Garson acted in films like Little Manhattan, Untamed Heart, There's Something About Mary, Soapdish, Groundhog Day, Being John Malkovich, and Freaky Friday.
She's never been shy, and now Rebecca Lobie has shown off her ample cleavage in a busty photo posted to Instagram on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old 'hot niece' of late Wildlife Warrior Steve Irwin shared a very revealing photo of herself perched on a bar stool.

In the photo, Rebecca wore a fitted olive green singlet top with a zipper down the length of the front.

Letting it all hang out: She's never been shy, and now Rebecca Lobie has shown off her ample cleavage in a busty photo posted to Instagram on Wednesday

She wore the top unzipped all the way down to to her navel, with the open shirt barely containing her naked breasts.

Rebecca rounded out her revealing ensemble with a pair of tight white jeans and platform high heels.

The social media star appeared heavily made up as she peered down at the floor while clutching a fruity alcoholic beverage in one hand.

Eye-popping display: The 33-year-old 'hot niece' of late Wildlife Warrior Steve Irwin shared a very revealing photo of herself

Meanwhile, her long blonde hair was styled in loose waves, and she accessorised with a series of rings.

'Just getting started,' she captioned the post, adding a kissing lips emoji.

Last week, Rebecca revealed that one of her goals is to pose for Playboy during an Instagram Stories Q&A with fans.

Open to it: Last week, Rebecca revealed that one of her goals is to pose for Playboy during an Instagram Stories Q&A with fans

When asked whether she would 'ever pose' for the lads' magazine, Rebecca said it would be an 'amazing' opportunity should they ever ask her.

'If they asked me, that would be amazing to be published by them,' the mother-of-two revealed online.

Rebecca previously joined adult subscription service OnlyFans back in July, before launching her own site, beckylobie.com, where she charges a small fee for exclusive X-rated content.
Henry Winkler was taking no chances when he withdrew a wad of cash from an ATM in Brentwood, California on Tuesday.

Keen to get rid of any germs his cash might be carrying amid the pandemic, the Happy Days alum, 75, made sure to give his bank notes a good scrub with an antibacterial wipe after retrieving funds from a Bank of America.

Henry cut a low-key figure while running errands on the West Coast and wore a black face mask on his chin.

Caution: Henry Winkler, 75, was taking no chances when he withdrew a wad of cash from an ATM in Brentwood, California on Tuesday

Scrub: Keen to get rid of any germs his cash might be carrying amid the pandemic, the Happy Days alum made sure to give his bank notes a good scrub with an antibacterial wipe

The Arrested Development favourite donned a purple shirt and light blue slacks.

The actor opted for comfort in tan leather loafers and appeared focused while cleaning his money.

Making the most of the warm California weather, Henry slipped on his loafers sock-free.

It comes weeks after the star was caught in a Twitter controversy in July after expressing the controversial opinion that it would take a cataclysmic event to unite a country divided by politics and social issues.

Low-key: Henry cut a low-key figure while running errands on the West Coast and wore a black face mask on his chin

Fonzie! The American star is best known for playing iconic Arthur 'The Fonz' Fonzarelli on the long-running sitcom Happy Days

Henry tweeted: 'We are [so] divided as a country .. only a cataclysmic [event], that makes us depend on one another again, can bring us back together.'

The New York City native faced a hailstorm of criticism pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the September 11, 2001 attack, and other major events to rebut the Emmy-winning actor's point of view.

'There is a global plague and the ocean is on fire and infrastructure is collapsing and autocracy is rising and violent insurrectionists stormed the Capitol and none of those cataclysmic events united us so I'll just assume you know something new about the UFOs and call it a day,' author Sarah Kendzior said.

Oh dear: In July, Henry was caught in a Twitter controversy after expressing a controversial opinion, that it would take a cataclysmic event to unite a country divided by politics and other social issues

Some users pointed to the divisive political result of the pandemic.

'The ''leadership'' of our nation in 2020 had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to simply be decent and to appeal to our common humanity,' author John Pavlovitz wrote, referring to former President Donald Trump. 'He did the opposite.

'He weaponized the virus (and his supporters) against the rest of us. Just a tragedy.'

Response: Winkler later took to Twitter to clarify his previous statement on the matter, apologizing for his choice of words in the previous tweet

Reply: In response to one user, Winkler said that the coronavirus shutdown 'was not it,' as it 'pushed us inside .. away from each other'

In response to one user, Winkler said that the coronavirus shutdown 'was not it,' as it 'pushed us inside .. away from each other.'

Fox meteorologist Mike Iscovitz took to the defense of the beloved actor, writing, 'Henry Winkler is one of the nicest celebrities I've ever met.

'A genuinely good person. He means well with this tweet, so give him a break.'

Winkler later to Twitter to clarify his previous statement on the matter, apologizing for his choice of words in the previous tweet.

'To be clear .. I am not wishing for devastation,' the Barry actor said. 'My hope is for for our country to re unite again .. I 'm so sorry for not being clear.'

The New York City native faced a hailstorm of criticism pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the September 11, 2001 attack, and other major events to rebut the Emmy-winning actor's point of view
Her daughter Khai turned one over the weekend.

And Gigi Hadid was back to work after the celebrations as she was spotted arriving in Milan for Fashion Week on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old supermodel cut a casual figure in a white tracksuit and cream cardigan as she made her way through the airport.

Work: Gigi Hadid was back to work after the celebrations as she was spotted arriving in Milan for Fashion Week on Wednesday

The beauty also sported a cream bucket hat and matching face mask to keep in line with the Covid-19 regulations in the city.

Adding a pop of colour to her neutral outfit she donned bright yellow converse and a suitcase.

She carried her essentials in a black leather handbag and accessorised with a dark pair of sunglasses.

Casual: The 26-year-old supermodel cut a casual figure in a white tracksuit and cream cardigan as she made her way through the airport

Regulations: The beauty also sported a cream bucket hat and matching face mask to keep in line with the Covid-19 regulations in the city

Stylish: Adding a pop of colour to her neutral outfit she donned bright yellow converse and a suitcase

Waving! Despite having her face covered, she greeted fans with a warm wave

On Tuesday she gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at her baby's birthday extravaganza on her Instagram Stories.

The party was attended by Hadid's entire family, including sister Bella and mother Yolanda, and held at her luxury apartment in New York City.

The first slide in Gigi's post showed off the elaborate decorations setup on the patio of her apartment, including four large, gold balloons spelling out Khai's name.

Heading out: Gigi looked sensational in the off-duty look

Comfort: She carried her essentials in a black leather handbag and accessorised with a dark pair of sunglasses

Work: The beauty strutted through the airport wheeling her bright suitcase as she made her way to an awaiting car

The balloon creations came in the form of a panda bear from the popular children's animated show Word Party, which appeared to be the party's dominant theme.

Some less impressive balloon displays, including a large number one to signify Khai's first birthday, were scattered around the space.

Resting in the middle of the patio was a baby-safe enclosure that would allow the little one to hang out outdoors without getting into mischief.

Stunner: She clutched a mini bag in a complementary hue to the rest of her look

Chic: She was gearing up to work hard at fashion week

Career: Gigi is a regular at fashion weeks around the world

Beginnings: Gigi began her career as a model when she was only two years old after being discovered by Paul Marciano of Guess

Debut: She signed with IMG Models in 2013 and made her New York City Fashion Week debut in February 2014

Looking good: Gig sported a dark denim jacket and matching jeans during another outing in the city

Laid back: The model also wore a pair of white trainers and carried a black handbag

The enclosure featured a small pale pink slide, an adorable hippo figurine, and blocks for Khai to play with as her guests mingled.

There was also a mini inflatable jumper with an attached ball pit for Khai to play in.

'My baby turned one this weekend,' captioned the runway maven on one of her posts.

Behind-the-scenes: She gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at her daughter Khai's first birthday bash via Instagram Stories on Tuesday (Gigi and Khai pictured in 2020)

At-home: The party was attended by Hadid's entire family, including sister Bella and mother Yolanda, and held at her luxury apartment in New York City

Colorful decor: One slide in Gigi's post showed off the elaborate decorations setup on the patio of her apartment, while another gave fans a look at Khai's mini inflatable jumper with attached ball pit

Confectionary masterpiece: Making things extra special for her little girl, Gigi displayed a custom three-tier Word Party-themed cake covered in fondant recreations of the animated cast

Groovy: Taking things inside, Hadid captured a bundle of green, yellow, pink, and orange balloons resting on her quirky sectional couch

Hovering above the party space were hoards of bubbles, which appeared on Hadid's Instagram Story in the form of an artsy black and white shot.

Making things extra special for her little girl, Gigi displayed a custom three-tier Word Party themed cake covered in fondant recreations of the animated cast.

'The most amazing WORD PARTY cake we could have ever asked for...' wrote the Vogue covergirl, who credited Cake Boss' Buddy Valastro for crafting the confectionary masterpiece.

Magical: Hovering above the party space were hoards of bubbles, which appeared on Hadid's Instagram Story in the form of an artsy black and white shot

Silly: Adding to the festivities, Gigi asked party guests to show up in their silliest pants, with the model showing off some of her favourite pairs on Instagram

Taking things inside, Hadid captured a bundle of green, yellow, pink, and orange balloons resting on her quirky sectional couch.

Adding to the festivities, the star asked party guests to show up in their silliest pants, with the model showing off some of her favourite pairs on Instagram.

Her mother Yolanda showed up in jeans covered in sunflowers - which she has hinted is Khai's favourite in the past - and so did her hunky boyfriend Joseph Jingoli.

Sunflowers: Gigi's mother Yolanda showed up in jeans covered in sunflowers and so did her hunky boyfriend Joseph Jingoli

Gigi shares her now one-year-old daughter with on/off boyfriend Zayn Malik, 28, who was not featured in the model's party snaps.

Hadid delivered Khai during a home birth in Pennsylvania in mid-September 2020. It was attended my Malik, Gigi's sister Bella, mother Yolanda, a mid-wife, and the mid-wife's assistant.

Speaking to Vogue just 10 weeks after welcoming her daughter, Gigi revealed that she went without an epidural and 'had to dig deep' to get through the pain.

She also told the outlet that her goal is to raise Khai at her family's Pennsylvania home because of how much being surrounded by nature during her own youth 'centered' her.

Parenthood: Gigi shares her now one-year-old daughter with on/off boyfriend Zayn Malik, 28, who was not featured in the model's party snaps
They got married during a private ceremony in Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado, earlier this month.

And Lily Collins and her new husband Charlie McDowell looked loved-up as they attended the Clash de Cartier opening dinner at the Boros Bunker in Berlin on Tuesday night.

The Emily In Paris star and daughter of rocker Phil Collins, 32, looked great in a leggy black skirt and smart grey blazer as she posed with her handsome beau at the event.

Cute: Lily Collins and her husband Charlie McDowell looked loved-up as they attended the Clash de Cartier opening dinner at the Boros Bunker in Berlin on Tuesday night

She teamed the thigh-skimming skirt with black tights, heeled boots while her chic jacket was cinched in at the waist with a belt to show off her figure.

Lily accessorized with a black tassel bag and opted for a pop of dark red lip while wearing her tresses in a sleek straight style.

Meanwhile Charlie looked dapper in a navy suit, white T-shirt and light brown suede shoes as he put his arm around his new wife.

Style: The Emily In Paris star, and daughter of rocker Phil Collins, 32, looked great in a leggy black skirt and smart grey blazer as she posed with her handsome beau at the event

Looking good: She teamed the thigh-skimming skirt with black tights, heeled boots while her chic jacket was cinched in at the waist with a belt to show off her figure

Lily tied the knot with Charlie earlier this month, with the pair marrying in front of their famous parents in a private ceremony in Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado.

She shared the news on Instagram with a stunning snap from the big day, with the bride stunning in a vintage-inspired lace gown and cape as she wed Charlie, who is the son of actor Malcolm McDowell and actress Mary Steenburger.

Alongside the exquisite snaps, newlywed Lily penned: 'I've never wanted to be someone's someone more than I do yours, and now I get to be your wife. On September 4th, 2021 we officially became each other's forever. I love you beyond @charliemcdowell. Never been happier...'

Details: Lily accessorized with a black tassel bag and opted for a pop of dark red lip while wearing her tresses in a sleek straight style

In another post, she added: 'What started as a fairytale, is now my forever reality. I'll never be able to properly describe how otherworldly this past weekend was, but magical is a pretty good place to start'

Lily looked stunning in a traditional white lace gown and matching hooded cape, designed by Ralph Lauren, in snaps taken by Cedar & Pines Photography.

The dress featured a high neck and long sleeves, and she was seen standing with her tuxedo-clad husband under a magical-looking waterfall. In another snap they embraced under a rustic wooden structure.

Big day! Lily tied the knot with Charlie earlier this month, with the pair marrying in front of their famous parents in a private ceremony in Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado

Star-studded: German socialites Daniel Bruhl and Sibel Kekilli also looked great at the swanky event

Lily and Charlie both have famous parents in common; Lily is the daughter of British musician Phil and his ex-wife Jill Tavelman while Charlie is the son of actor Malcolm and actress Mary.

Following the ceremony, Stepbrothers star Mary, 68, penned a heartwarming message to her son and new daughter-in-law after they got married.

Alongside a photo of the newlyweds on their big day, she wrote on Instagram: 'Charlie, my son, and Lily, my daughter-in-law!!! Thank you for letting us all bask in the sheer beauty of your love for each other.

Fashion: Sibel looked great in a glitzy purple dress as she posed for the cameras

'My heart is overflowing and it almost feels like the last few days were some sort of beautiful dream. But it is all real, and I feel like the luckiest mother in the world.'

The star - who has also appeared in the likes of Elf and Back To The Future Part III - got teased by her son after posting screenshots of the wedding photos.

He joked: 'Mom, next time I get married just ask for the photo instead of posting a screenshot with the tags showing. Also I love you.'

Wedding: Lily looked stunning in a traditional white lace gown and matching hooded cape, designed by Ralph Lauren, in snaps taken by Cedar & Pines Photography on her big day

Last September, the couple became engaged in the stunning surrounds of Sedona, Arizona, with Lily showing off her ring on social media.

Her engagement came after just one year of dating the The One I Love filmmaker, 38.

Les Miserables star Lily, who confirmed her relationship with Charlie in August 2019 wrote: 'I've been waiting my lifetime for you and I can't wait to spend our lifetime together...'
Anna Kendrick joined a shaven-headed Tom Hanks at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures press night ahead of its opening in LA on Tuesday night.

The Pitch Perfect actress, 36, looked great in a satin silk skirt and white blouse as she spoke at the press conference alongside Hollywood legend Tom, 65.

He was sporting the new shaven hairstyle after having to recently dye his tresses for a role in Wes Anderson's new film which he has been shooting in Spain.

Pretty: Anna Kendrick (pictured) joined a shaven-headed Tom Hanks at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures press night ahead of its opening in LA on Tuesday night.

Anna looked great in her embroidered skirt white she teamed with the smart shirt and nude heels for the press night.

She wore her brunette tresses in loose waves and opted for a naturally pretty makeup look as she took to the stage.

Meanwhile Tom cut a dapper figure in dark suit and black shirt as he made a speech and posed for group pictures with the rest of the team.

Suave: Tom was sporting the new shaven hairstyle after having to recently dye his tresses for a role in Wes Anderson's new film which he has been shooting in Spain

Beauty: The Pitch Perfect actress, 36, looked great in a satin silk skirt and white blouse as she spoke at the press conference alongside Hollywood legend Tom, 65

Glowing: She wore her brunette tresses in loose waves and opted for a naturally pretty makeup look as she took to the stage

Icon: Meanwhile Tom cut a dapper figure in dark suit and black shirt as he made a speech and posed for group pictures with the rest of the team

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a museum in Los Angeles, California being constructed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

It will be devoted to the history, science, and cultural impact of the film industry and will be the first large-scale museum of its kind in the United States.

It opens on September 30 to the public.

Handsome-as-ever: Tom is known for his salt and pepper locks (pictured right in 2020)

Group: The two actors posed for a group picture with trustees of the project

Exciting: The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a museum in Los Angeles, California being constructed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Tom has been spending time in Spain this summer filming the new untitled Wes Anderson film in Chinchon, a South-Eastern town outside of Madrid.

While little is known about the project, Hollywood visionary Wes selected the heritage site as the home of his latest project, which is understood to have a 'romantic' theme.

With work expected to continue for several months in the historic municipality, other stars including Liev Schreiber, Rupert Friend and Anderson himself were seen familiarising themselves with its steep, winding streets.

Confident: Anna looked great as she took to the stage at the event ahead of the venue's opening

Animated: She gestured as she made her speech on stage

Busy: Tom has been spending time in Spain this summer filming the new untitled Wes Anderson film in Chinchon, a South-Eastern town outside of Madrid

Many of Anderson's regular collaborators are reuniting with him for his new project, including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton and Adrien Brody.

According to THR.com, principal photography for the film is scheduled to be completed by the end of September.

Meanwhile, Anderson's pandemic-delayed film The French Dispatch will be hitting screens in October after getting its debut in Venice.

Proud: The trustees all looked smart as they posed for the cameras
She was on the star-studded guest list at make-up artist Lottie Brooksbank's lavish wedding to Chris Gibson in Berkshire over the weekend.

And after celebrating the big day with her pal, Lisa Armstrong headed back to work on Wednesday, as she arrived for an appearance on Steph's Packed Lunch in Leeds.

The celebrity make-up artist, 44, cut a stylish figure in a pink leopard print mini dress, which she layered with a pink velvet jacket.

Stepping out: Lisa Armstrong headed back to work on Wednesday, as she arrived for an appearance on Steph's Packed Lunch in Leeds

The media personality kept the look casual with a pair of white trainers and brought her essentials along in a cross-body bag.

Lisa wore her blonde locks swept off her face in a chic fashion, while opting for a full face of make-up and accessorizing with a pair of square shades.

The former wife of Ant McPartlin brought along her beloved chocolate Labrador Hurley, who she shares with her ex-husband.

Pretty in pink! The celebrity make-up artist, 44, cut a stylish figure in a pink leopard print mini dress, which she layered with a pink velvet jacket

Hurrah! Stars including Denise Van Outen, Joanna Page and Lisa Armstrong attended

On Saturday, Lisa looked picture of happiness as she shared a rare Instagram snap with her boyfriend James Green at Lottie's nuptials.

Lisa, who has been dating the father-of-two, 37, since August 2020, cut a stylish figure in a white floral dress and a matching fascinator as she proudly watched her friends tie the knot.

Lottie and Chris' big day was held at St.Mary's Church in Streatley, where Alice In Wonderland author Lewis Carroll preached in 1864, while the party was hosted at nearby Lains Barn.

The celebrity guest list included Mollie King, Joanna Page, Denise Van Outen, Ruth Langsford and Karen Hauer.

Snap happy: Denise posed with Lisa and James in a stunning snap

A vision: Lottie looked nothing short of sensational in a dress with a structured top to the waist with a tiered frothy skirt and a veil with graduated layers

James is a senior electrical engineer for Doorgear Ltd, where he installs and maintains electric doors.

His friend previously insisted he has 'genuinely fallen for Lisa' and has no interest in the 31million she received in her divorce settlement with Ant, 44, who is now married partner of three years, Anne-Marie Corbett.

James met Lisa in a London bar at the turn of the year and the pair exchanged numbers at the end of the night when he confessed his five-year marriage was in trouble, telling her: 'I'm probably going to be single very soon.'

Happy: The couple went public with their relationship in August 2020, a few months after he separated from his wife Kirsty

The duo kept in contact during lockdown and James 'couldn't be happier' now they are spending more time together.

Earlier this month Lisa took a swipe at her ex-husband Ant and his team in a shocking Instagram comment.

When PR guru Simon Jones, who represents Ant and Dec, Little Mix, Louis Tomlinson among a host of megastars, shared a message of pride regarding the presenters' NTAs win, Lisa posted a bitter comment underneath.

In response to Simon gushing over Ant's 20 National Television Award wins, Lisa penned: 'And you don't care who you screw over in the process... well done', leading to a firm and dignified response from Simon about the jibe.

Lisa, who has found love again with boyfriend James Green, was married to Ant, who married the couple's former employee Anne-Marie Corbett last month, for 12 years and were a couple for 23 years.

They confirmed their split in 2018, following Ant's stint in rehab the previous year where he sought treatment for painkiller addiction.

There has been much mud-slinging over the years with Lisa often taking to Twitter to vent her fury over the split and she has now taken to Simon's Instagram, following Thursday night's National Television Awards.

His initial message read: '20 years! So so proud of my amazing friends @antanddec for winning Best TV Presenter at the #NTAs @officialntas for the 20th year in a row!..

Hitting out: When PR guru Simon Jones, who represents Ant and Dec, Little Mix, Louis Tomlinson among a host of megastars, shared a message of pride regarding the presenters' NTAs win, the make-up artist, 44, posted a bitter comment underneath

'And proud to say I have been with them at the awards every year of those 20 wins. Weve been on an brilliant journey so far and long may it continue.'

In response to her message, he then wrote: 'Lisa, please dont come on to my Instagram with your negativity and false accusations...

'It really is about time you moved on and got on with your life, and stopped unfairly blaming other people for your mistakes.'

Winners: In response to Simon gushing over Ant's 20 National Television Award wins, Lisa penned: 'And you don't care who you screw over in the process... well done'
Willie Garson may have played iconic Gay Best Friend Stanford Blatch in Sex and The City, but in real life, he was straight and enjoyed 'a very long flirtation' with co-star Sarah Jessica Parker.

The 57-year-old, who died this week following a secret battle with pancreatic cancer, even once went on a blind date with SJP - years before they appeared together on the hit HBO show.

Willie never married although he enjoyed a 'long relationship, off and on, for like 20 years' during the 90s and early 2000s.

After their final breakup, he admitted that he still hoped to 'meet a nice girl and have someone to grow old with', but said it would be 'fine if I never get married.'

He also adopted his son Nathen, now 20, in 2009 after the split, something he'd not been able to do with his ex as she never wanted children.

In an interview with Page Six last year, Willie said that fans of the show were often surprised to learn that he was straight.

Sad news: Sex and the City's Willie Garson's love life has been revealed after his death aged 57, following a secret battle with pancreatic cancer (pictured with Sarah Jessica Parker in 2007 who he once went on a blind date with)

'At the beginning, you would approach someone at a bar and realize, "Oh, they want to be Stanford's best friend,"' he said. 'They don't necessarily want to sleep with you.'

'When the question would come up [with interviewers], I would say, "When I was on White Collar no one ever asked me if I was a conman, and when I was on NYPD Blue, nobody ever asked me if I was a murderer. This is what we do for a living, portray people,' he said.

He added that he kept his heterosexuality a secret 'for years' over fears it would be 'offensive to gay people' if they thought he saw being gay as a 'bad thing' and felt the need to prove he wasn't.

Difficult: In an interview with Page Six last year Willie explained how fans of the show were often surprised that he was straight and how he kept it a secret 'for years' over fears it would be 'offensive to gay people' (pictured with on-screen husband Anthony Marentino played by Mario Cantone)

Family: Willie was also in a long-term relationship with a woman who did not want children and so opted to adopt his son Nathen, now 20, alone in 2009 (pictured in 2019)

'For years I didn't talk about it because I found it to be offensive to gay people,' he said.

'People playing gay characters jumping up and down screaming that theyre not gay, like that would somehow be a bad thing if they were,' he went on.

Willie, who also played the part of Mozzie in White Collar, actually dated his co-star Sarah Jessica years before they became on-screen buds in SATC.

'I've known Sarah for 15 years,' he told Out magazine in 2000. 'We were set up once, had a very long flirtation, and then just settled into being best friends, something I think really reads on the show.

'It's funny,' he added, 'She's said in interviews that every single one of her friends is gay, "except for Willie Garson."'

Fling: While his most famous role was playing Stanford, who was gay, Willie was heterosexual and was once set up on a blind date with the show's main character Sarah (pictured together this summer)

But his longest relationship was with an unidentified woman whom he dated on and off for two decades  but one of the final straws appears to have been that she didn't want a child as much as he did.

'I very much always wanted to have a child,' he told Page Six.

'I had a long relationship, off and on, for like 20 years and she never wanted to have a child, which is fine. And it was like my mid-life crisis, I really wanted a child more than anything else and I got one. Were partners, my kid and I.'

'We had a smooth transition because we both wanted this adoption,' he added to People. 'Fatherhood is what I always wanted it to be. I wanted it so badly and he wanted it so badly. I think often it can be difficult because its not that balanced.'

Last year, Willie opened up about his love of being a father, gushing of son Nathen: 'He's an adult and soon to be taking care of me which is really why I got him to be honest. He's lovely and a really special guy. He's wonderful and he's in college in Ohio.'

Willie also told People last year that Nathen is friends with James Wilkie, the son that Parker shares with her husband Matthew Broderick.

Revelations: He said of his brief dalliance with Carrie Bradshaw actress Sarah: 'I've known Sarah for 15 years  we were set up once, had a very long flirtation, and then just settled into being best friends, something I think really reads on the show' (pictured in 2008)

'Theyre buddies,' he said. 'We go out to the beach with them and have a great time.'

He added that Nathen had come from a 'rougher' background, and when Willie adopted him in 2009, James 'was just very welcoming.'

In 2011, two years after adopting Nathen, Willie admitted that he hadn't had a serious relationship in a while, and Nathen was enjoying them being a duo.

'I go on dates in New York but nothing serious right now. I haven't had a girlfriend in a long time,' he said.

'[Nathan]says, "You can never get married." He wants me all to himself - and I quite enjoy that,' he went on. 'I'd still like to meet a nice girl and have someone to grow old with.

However, he added to Grazia that it would be OK if he never married.

'My feeling has always been that it's fine if I never get married,' he said.

'I've got close to it, but I'm glad we didn't. I was in a relationship, she didn't want to have kids and it ended. Not because of that, but it was always an issue.'

Star: Along with being apart of the beloved series, Garson also appeared in the first Sex And The City feature film in 2008 and its sequel, titled Sex and the City 2, in 2010

Nathen announced his father's death yesterday on Instagram.

He wrote: 'I love you so much papa. Rest In Peace and I'm so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. I'm so proud of you.

'I will always love you, but I think it's time for you to go on an adventure of your own. You'll always be with me.

'Love you more than you will ever know and I'm glad you can be at peace now. You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person I've known. I'm glad you shared you[r] love with me. I'll never forget it or lose it'.

His passing comes amid filming for the revival series And Just Like That..., leaving the future of storylines uncertain. He was last seen visiting the set on 3 August.

To Dad: Willie's son Nathen took to Instagram to pen a letter to his now deceased father, who he deemed 'the toughest and funniest and smartest person I've known'

Favorites: The 20-year-old, along with his heartfelt words, included some of his favorite images of Willie
Married at First Sight star Michael Goonan has continued to fuel romance rumours with Dutch model Sylvia Geersen, after the pair were spotted getting cosy in Marbella this week.

On Wednesday, the 30-year-old reality star was spotted getting very touchy feely with the stunning influencer, as they enjoyed a bite to eat in the Spanish city.

At one point Michael was seen leaning over and planting a kiss on Sylvia's shoulder, before placing his arm around her waist as they conversed in the sunshine.

Romance? Married at First Sight star Michael Goonan has fuelled romance rumours with Dutch model Sylvia Geersen, after the pair were spotted getting cosy while enjoying drinks in Marbella

The giggly pair looked deep in conversation as they sipped on some cocktails, with Sylvia, 35, reaching over and brushing the hair out of Michael's eyes as they chatted.

Sylvia looked stunning in a flowing green maxi-dress, which she teamed with a pair of sandals.

She wore minimal makeup on her naturally striking visage, and accessorised with a pair of oversized sunglasses which rested on her head.

Michael, meanwhile, looked beach ready in a blue singlet and pink shorts.

Cute: At one point Michael was seen leaning over and planting a kiss on Sylvia's shoulder, before placing his arm around her waist as they conversed in the sunshine

Cosy: Sylvia then leaned over the table as Michael appeared to whisper something in her ear

Embrace: Michael couldn't seem to keep his hands off the pretty brunette as they enjoyed some drinks in the popular Spanish city

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Michael and Sylvia for further comment.

The MAFS star was recently granted special permission to fly to Colombia to appear on celebrity dating show Ex on the Beach.

It's unclear if he and Sylvia were friends before his trip to South America, or if they met while filming the upcoming dating series.

He had sparked rumours of a romance just a day earlier, after uploading several videos to Instagram Stories of the pair enjoying another meal out in Marbella.

'The problem when you're hanging out with Holland's Next Top Model, they just can't stop the job can they?' he laughed while filming the model pouting.

Sweet: The giggly pair looked deep in conversation as they sipped on some cocktails, with Sylvia, 35, reaching over and brushing the hair out of Michael's eyes as they chatted away

All smiles: The pair couldn't wipe the grins off their faces as they laughed at the table

Peck: Sylvia at one stage stood up to give Michael a sweet peck on the cheek

Awh! The pair looked incredibly cosy on the lunch date - and had been spotted spending time together the night before

Michael then shared a video of Sylvia speaking to her Instagram followers in another language, remarking: 'I don't understand a word you're saying but you're good to look at.'

Following their date night, Michael reposted a video of himself and Sylvia waiting for a rideshare.

'Gosh we've been downgraded babe,' he chuckled when a Mini Cooper showed up.

Relationship: It's unclear if he and Sylvia were friends before his trip to South America, or if they met while filming the upcoming dating series

Beauty: Sylvia looked stunning in a flowing green maxi-dress, which she teamed with a pair of sandals

Stunner: She wore minimal makeup on her naturally striking visage, and accessorised with a pair of oversized sunglasses which rested on her head

Rumours: Michael had sparked rumours of a romance just a day earlier, after uploading several videos to Instagram Stories of the pair enjoying another meal out in Marbella

Daily Mail Australia revealed last month that Michael was set to appear on the show, which sees celebrity contestants jet off overseas to live together in a luxury villa under the illusion they'll be finding love in the sun.

Upon their arrival, however, they're told their former flames will be rocking up to surprise them.

Fellow MAFS star KC Osborne - who dated Michael for several months after he and Stacey Hampton's 'marriage' fell apart on Nine's social experiment - is also set to appear on the series.

It's believed KC, 32, is still in Colombia, where the show is being filmed.
She's been busy shooting her new film Out Of The Blue in Rhode Island.

But Diane Kruger was back in NYC on Tuesday, seen walking around the city with her mother Maria-Theresa.

Though the German-American actress, 45, didn't have her nearly three-year-old daughter by her side, she had her little girl's stroller ready.

Pep in her step: Diane Kruger smiled while enjoying a stroll around NYC with her mom on Tuesday

Diane went for a casual but chic look as she donned a black tee-shirt tucked into wide-legged jeans.

She matched retro shades to her white sneakers as well as a pendant necklace and a black leather Dior bag.

Besides her walked mom Maria-Theresa, who looked bright in a pair of coral pants with a crisp white blouse.

Late last month it emerged that Kruger was engaged to long-time partner Norman Reedus, 52.

Strolling time: Though the German-American actress, 45, didn't have her nearly three-year-old daughter by her side, she had her little girl's stroller ready

Wedding bells! Late last month it emerged that Kruger was engaged to long-time partner Norman Reedus, 52. They're seen in 2018 above

The pair first met while filming the 2015 movie Sky and went public with their relationship in March 2017.

The couple tend to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, opting not to share their daughter's face or name with the public.

He has a 21-year-old son named Mingus with ex Helena Christensen, while his and Diane's daughter marks her first time as a mom.

Diane was previously married to French film star Guillaume Canet and was also in a ten-year-long relationship with actor Joshua Jackson.

Castmates: Kruger has been has been hard at work filming her steamy thriller Out Of The Blue with Ray Nicholson, above last week

Meanwhile, Kruger has been has been hard at work filming her steamy thriller Out Of The Blue.

The Neil Labute-directed project has been billed as a modern tale of passionate love, deceit and the perfect murder.

Opposite Kruger is Ray Nicholson, who stars as Connor, 'a man whose dull life is transformed into a thrilling fantasy world thanks to the seductive Marilyn (Kruger), ' according to Variety.

Last week she was captured smooching her co-star while cameras rolled.

The star was also seen filming on a yacht in Newport, Rhode Island for the movie, which should come out sometime in 2022
She didn't hold back from sharing content from her boozy getaway with fans on social media.

And Emily Atack took to Instagram to share another sizzling snap on Tuesday, however this time from her London home.

The Inbetweeners star, 31, looked incredible as she posed in a tiny vest top from bed.

She's back! Emily Atack took to Instagram to share another sizzling snap on Tuesday, however this time from London

Beaming, the star swept her blonde locks over one shoulder and she went makeup free for the snap.

Emily was straight back to work after her trip as she also took to her stories to share her stunning outfit.

The beauty stepped out in a white shirt with a red love heart pattern and a leather pinafore style dress.

The star oozed glamour in large dark sunglasses and knee-high leather boots.

She captioned the post: 'Today wearing shirt from my new edit with @Newlook- shop the collection now.'

Style: The beauty stepped out in a white shirt with a red love heart pattern and a leather pinafore style dress

''4 PERFECT days': Emily reflected on the champagne-fuelled girls' holiday as she wowed in a plunging black string bikini

It comes after she posted a sizzling snap with the caption: '4 PERFECT days, 6 bloated heads,'

Emily reflected on the champagne-fuelled girls' holiday as she wowed in a plunging black string bikini.

Emily looked jaw-dropping in the sizzling two-piece which boosted her ample cleavage thanks to its halterneck shape and string middle.

The star beamed as she chilled out on a sun bed in gold bedazzled sandals and glamorous black sunglasses.

She then headed to the toilet of the beach club to snap a sizzling mirror selfie with a pal and showcase her figure with a gold body chain.

Emily also shared some clubbing photos in the slew of throwback snaps as she pouted with her friends in very low cut LBDs.

Wow: Emily looked jaw-dropping in the sizzling two-piece which boosted her ample cleavage thanks to its halterneck shape and string middle

Loving life: The star beamed as she chilled out on a sun bed in glamorous black sunglasses

The holiday upload comes after Emily was spotted at Ocean Beach Club kissing 22-year-old Alex Dabner as they partied together in the sunshine.

Her holiday fling came weeks after she split from boyfriend Jude Taylor, who she dated for five months and was a guest at her sister Martha's recent wedding.

Alex, from Birkenhead, studied at Liverpool John Moores University and according to his LinkedIn profile, had a work placement in the Accounts Hub at finance firm BDO UK.

Night out: Emily also shared some clubbing photos in the slew of throwback snaps as she pouted with her friends in very low cut LBDs

A source told MailOnline: 'Emily is single and enjoying herself. She thought Alex was attractive and didn't care about any age gap.

'She's back in the UK now and has no plans to meet up with Alex, it really was just a bit of holiday fun.'

MailOnline has contacted Emily's representative for comment.

Single and ready to mingle: The post comes after Emily enjoyed a holiday romance with an accountancy graduate nine years her junior

'She thought he was attractive': The star was pictured kissing 22-year-old Alex Dabner during a sunshine break at Marbella's Ocean Club on Sunday

The former I'm A Celeb star previously joked she was 'soaking in all the Marbella culture' while sitting poolside sipping margaritas at Ocean Club.

She also shared a souvenir from her girls' holiday on Instagram stories, a penis shaped bottle opener.

Emily's four-day trip has already come to an end, with the comedic actor already landing back in the UK to torrential rain.

'Best gift I've received this year': Emily shared a souvenir from her girls' holiday on Instagram stories, a penis shaped bottle opener

In late August, Emily reunited with ex-boyfriend and former Strictly contestant Seann Walsh, 35, for a meal at Nando's in south London five years after they dated.

The pair reportedly met to discuss comedic material for the return of The Emily Atack Show, which is coming back to ITV2 for a second series this autumn.

She split from boyfriend Jude a few days later, with sources saying Emily struggled to see a long-term future with the fashion influencer.
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Rihanna is gearing up for the release of her hotly-anticipated new Fenty show - Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3.

And Irina Shayk appeared at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in Los Angeles, California to promote the special runway event.

The 35-year-old model stunned in black leather overalls and just a bra, running her hands through her hair as she stared at the camera seductively.

Ready to rock: Rihanna is gearing up for the release of her hotly-anticipated new Fenty show - Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3. And Irina Shayk appeared at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in Los Angeles, California to promote the special runway event

Nice move: The model ran her hands through her hair as she stared at the camera seductively

The Russian beauty flashed the sides of her toned, tanned midriff as she skipped a shirt under the chic dungarees.

The one-piece number boasted accents - zippers, buttons, and buckles - that were silver.

The look was kept simple with the fashionista adding a silver-toned necklace with a cross pendant and small dangling earrings.

The mother-of-one also donned two chain link bracelets on one of her wrists, and several sparkling rings throughout both hands, which displayed a set of long, manicured nails.

Making an appearance: The Russian beauty flashed the sides of her toned, tanned midriff as she skipped a shirt under the chic dungarees

Blackout: The 35-year-old stunned in black leather overalls and just a bra

Shayk's makeup look was toned down, as the trendsetter opted for a natural-looking color palette.

Her brunette locks were fuss-free  styled in a side part and tucked behind both ears.

The 5ft10in stunner let them fall down her back in loose waves.

The supermodel, who recently posed for Highsnobiety's debut print magazine, smiled for photos and gave interviews on the Savage x Fenty black carpet.

Less is more: Shayk's makeup look was toned down, as the trendsetter opted for a natural-looking color palette

Personable: The supermodel, who recently posed for Highsnobiety's debut print magazine, smiled for photos and gave interviews on the Savage x Fenty black carpet.

Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 will stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide beginning Friday, September 24.

Now in its third-consecutive year, the fashion experience is said to be aiming to 'challenge tradition and redefine sexy'.

Featuring an all-star line up of models, actors, performers, and more debuting the latest Savage X Fenty styles, the star-studded show promises to be 'visually stunning and epic.'

The boss: Rihanna is gearing up for the release of her hotly-anticipated new Fenty show - Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3

More A listers at the event: Emily Ratajkowski, left, attends Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show as did supermodel Gigi Hadid, right
Johnny Depp has claimed he has become a victim of cancel culture, warning that 'no one is safe' and urging those affected to 'stand up' for themselves.

Speaking in the Spanish city of San Sebastian, before accepting an honorary award at the film festival, Depp, 58, said the situation had become 'so out of hand.'

In July 2020 he lost a high-profile case at the High Court in London, after The Sun newspaper described him as a 'wife beater' and he sued. His ex-wife Amber Heard filed for divorce in 2016, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse, and she testified in London.

Depp lost his lucrative role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise in the aftermath of the case.

Back in the U.S., Depp has recently won the right to proceed with a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard.

Depp told the audience in Spain that he saw himself as a victim, and was concerned about the wider implications for society.

Johnny Depp, 58, claimed on Wednesday that he is a victim of cancel culture - speaking in Spain, ahead of accepting the prestigious Donostia Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival

Depp receiving his Donastia Award last night at the film festival in San Sebastian

Depp has won the right to sue Heard (pictured in November 2011) in a $50 million libel case after a Virginia judge threw out the actress's plea to dismiss the suit

Heard claimed that Depp had attacked her, and her legal team showed photos alleging abuse

Ahead of taking to the stage to accept his award, Depp offered his thoughts on cancel culture, and called on people to 'stand up' for those facing 'injustice.'

'It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgement based on what essentially amounts to polluted air,' he said, according to Deadline.

'It's so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe.

'It takes one sentence and there's no more ground, the carpet has been pulled.'

Depp said that his concern was not just for himself.

'It's not just me that this has happened to, it's happened to a lot of people,' he said.

'This type of thing has happened to women, men.'

He said: 'It doesn't matter if a judgement, per se, has taken some artistic license.

'When there's an injustice, whether it's against you or someone you love, or someone you believe in  stand up, don't sit down. Cause they need you.'

Actor Johnny Depp places his Donostia Award on the ground at the 69th San Sebastian International Film Festival, in San Sebastian, on Tuesday night

Actor Johnny Depp speaks after receiving the Donostia Award

Depp holds his award at the film festival in San Sebastian last night

Depp was reported by Deadline to be happy to answer questions about the recent state of his career, amid his ongoing lawsuit against Heard.

But when a reporter asked about Spain's Association of Female Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media, which released a statement saying the award 'transmits a terrible message to the public', a festival organizer stepped in and prevented him replying, insisting he would only speak about his career.

Depp later said that he was 'worried' that his presence at the festival would 'offend people,' and insisted he 'didn't want to offend anyone.'

He praised the event, its director Jose Luis Rebordinos, and the mayor of San Sebastian for their 'undying support'.

He thanked them for 'not buying what has been, for far too long, some notion of me that doesn't exist'.

Depp added: 'I haven't done anything, I just make movies.'

Depp said that he was dismayed by the current state of the film industry, in particular how streaming had taken off.

The actor vowed that 'no one is safe' from the movement because it has become 'so out of hand,' as he arrived for a photo call during the awards ceremony

Ahead of taking to the stage to accept his award, Depp offered his thoughts on cancel culture, and called on people to 'stand up' for those facing 'injustice'

Depp said: 'It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgement'

He said many people - him included - realized they were disposable.

'Hollywood is certainly not what it was,' he responded.

'The studio system, the grudge matches, the pandemonium and chaos of cinematic releases to streaming it is a case of, 'no matter what, I'm going to get mine'.

'That's where these people are coming from.

'They realize they're just a disposable as I am. Some more so.

'Large, large corporations take control of these things. As someone who takes part in the creation of cinema, how much more formula do we need from the likes of studios? How much more condescension do we need as audiences?

'I think that Hollywood has grotesquely underestimated the audience.'

Depp was asked about the future of his Pirates of the Caribbean role of Captain Jack Sparrow, and said that the character would never leave him, and that no one could ever take the character away from him.

Depp added: 'It's so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe'

The actor went onto say: 'It takes one sentence and there's no more ground, the carpet has been pulled,' and claimed it's happened to 'a lot of people'

He then delighted the crowd with an impromptu Captain Jack impression, Deadline reported.

Despite the mixed reception to his arrival at the festival, Depp was in high spirits as he headed to the photo call ahead of his acceptance of the award.

His appearance in Spain came a month after he was cleared by a court to proceed with the $50 million defamation suit against Heard.

In August, a Virginia judge ruled that he can proceed with the litigation, based on a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote saying she was a domestic violence survivor.

She did not mention Depp in the story, though she publicly accused him of abusing her in their 2016 split.

Depp and Heard are pictured at the premiere of The Rum Diary - the film on whose set they met in 2009. The pair married in February 2015, and divorced a year later

Depp later added that he was 'worried' that his presence at the festival would 'offend people,' and insisted he 'didn't want to offend anyone'

Despite the mixed reception to his arrival at the festival, Depp was in high spirits as he headed to the photocall ahead of his acceptance of the award

It comes after Depp was cleared by a court to proceed with a $50 million defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard

The actor is trying to clear his name after losing a defamation suit against The Sun.

His U.S. suit, filed in Fairfax County, Virginia, accuses Heard of creating a 'hoax' account of abuse.

Heard had requested the libel suit against her, filed in March 2019, be thrown out, claiming the ruling in the UK case should swing any new cases in her favor because they both relate to domestic abuse allegations against Depp.

But Judge Penny Azcarate ruled the statements made by The Sun and Heard were 'inherently different', and said the case should proceed.

The ruling stated: 'The Sun's interests were based on whether the statements the newspaper published were false.

'[Heard's] interests relate to whether the statements she published were false.'

The ruling also noted that Depp filed the defamation suit against The Sun before Heard's op-ed was published - and that she was not named in the case against the British paper.

In the December 2018 op-ed, the actress wrote: 'I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out.'

In August, a Virginia judge ruled that he can proceed with the litigation, based on a 2018 Washington Post op-ed Heard wrote

The actor is trying to clear his name after losing a defamation suit against The Sun after the paper branded him a 'wife-beater' amid allegations of domestic abuse

Depp is pictured on July 29, 2020, outside the High Court in London during the case

Amber Heard is seen outside court in London on July 28, 2020

The UK's High Court ruled against Depp following an explosive three-week trial last July, finding allegations the actor was a 'wife beater' were 'substantially true.'

Lawyers for The Pirates of the Caribbean star had asked two Court of Appeal judges to grant permission for him to challenge the ruling, with the aim of having its findings overturned and a second trial ordered.

They claimed the judge in Depp's initial libel trial had not 'factually' considered all the allegations of violence against him and that they had 'fresh evidence' Heard had 'lied' about giving her entire $7 million divorce settlement to charity.

They said that the charity claim influenced how her testimony was viewed, but the Court of Appeal ruled that it did not have an impact on the judge and that he would have reached the same conclusion on Heard being the victim of domestic violence.
Jada Pinkett Smith was left sobbing at her star-studded surprise 50th birthday bash on her show Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk.

Her co-hosts - her daughter Willow Smith and mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris - had pulled out the stops for her special day.

After she walked onto a set festooned with roses and jewels Jada was treated to a string of video tributes from such names as Mariah Carey and George Clooney.

Emotional: Jada Pinkett Smith was left sobbing at her star-studded surprise 50th birthday bash on her show Red Table Talk

Adrienne joked that 'I hate even saying' that her daughter is 50, and Jada quipped: 'I know, your baby's 50! How crazy is that?'

George vamped in his speech: 'Now they tell me that you're turning 50, which that's not possible because that would mean that I'm 60 and that's not possible. So you're 39 - happy 39th - and I'm 49. I like that a lot better.'

To roars of laughter from the hostesses George asked how Jada stands being married to her movie star husband Will Smith.

In a serious answer to his question Jada stressed the importance of 'friendship' with her husband, noting that 'really how do you put up with anybody?'

Wow: Her co-hosts - her daughter Willow Smith and mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris - arranged tributes from stars as prominent as Mariah Carey

Side by side: George vamped in his speech: 'Now they tell me that you're turning 50, which that's not possible because that would mean that I'm 60 and that's not possible'

She added: 'And once you learn how to put up with yourself you really learn how to put up with all others,' stressing taking 'the time to learn how to love myself.'

Kerry Washington was next to ask her a question: 'So I think of you as such a deeply, deeply courageous person, so my question for you is do you have any fears that you're looking to conquer in this next decade of your being on this planet?'

Jada cited the 'uncertain' position of 'the world' and raised the need to do away with her 'control issues,' adding that the 'greatest gift' of age was letting things go.

Gabrielle Union then asked: 'What is one place that you've traveled in your lifetime that changed your world perspective, that changed you somehow?'

'Courageous': Kerry Washington asked if 'you have any fears that you're looking to conquer in this next decade of your being on this planet?'

'Vietnam,' said Jada. 'I went there by myself. I got an opportunity to meet one of my mentors which is Thich Nhat Hanh' - a world-famous Buddhist activist monk.

'He was ill, you know, but I got to give him honor and be in his presence. It is a gorgeous place. The spiritual rejuvenation that I got there was - I didn't wanna leave. You can really feel that energy there. It was such a magical experience,' she said.

Angela Bassett shared her hopes for Jada to have 'a happy birthday and a happy forever,' then asked: 'What has been the most difficult thing for you to overcome?'

Her appearance marked the first time Jada found herself in tears as she said how much 'love' she has for Angela.

Globetrotter: Gabrielle Union then asked: 'What is one place that you've traveled in your lifetime that changed your world perspective, that changed you somehow?'

Willow said one of her 'favorites' of the tough obstacles her mother conquered was 'dealing with' her and her brother Jaden as youngsters.

'We were not easy children,' said Willow but Jada said: 'You actually were,' noting: 'Raising children, I don't care who they are, that's challenging.'

She said: 'Being a mother is challenging, you know, because you sacrifice a lot but I tell you what, sacrificing for you guys was sacred. There's a difference between sacrifices that actually empower your life versus sacrifice that steal life, that pull - that pull breath out of your life - and I had to learn the difference between the two.'

Although the experience of bringing up her children she said that her children had been 'the greatest gift of my life,' and broke down crying as Willow comforted her.

Mother: Although the experience of bringing up her children she said that her children had been 'the greatest gift of my life,' and broke down crying as Willow comforted her

'You and Trey and Jaden, all three of you see me,' she said - notably including Will's son Trey from his first wife Sheree Zampino.

'You really do, through the toughest times. I would say being a mother wasn't easy but it was worth it,' she said through tears.

She also acknowledged: 'I would say another challenge was smoothing out my thoughts around the relationship with Sheree and I. That was a real process.'

Although they sniped at one another in the beginning they now share 'a real sisterhood - but it took 20-some years.'

So many stars: Ciara then appeared to gush: 'You are timeless, you are ageless, you are classic, you are the epitome of the ultimate woman'

Mariah Carey materialized onscreen via video-call to wish Jada 'a happy birthday or as I call them happy anniversary!'

Ciara then appeared to gush: 'You are timeless, you are ageless, you are classic, you are the epitome of the ultimate woman.'

Jimmy Kimmel said: 'If there's one thing I've learned over my 53 years on this planet earth it's that when you eat yogurt, you know, the fruit's on the bottom but it really should be on the top. Happy birthday, Jada.'

Bethenny Frankel, who happens to also be 50 years old herself, video-called Jada to in Willow's words 'welcome you to the club.'

Grizzled: Jimmy Kimmel regaled Jada with a bit about how 'when you eat yogurt, you know, the fruit's on the bottom but it really should be on the top'

'Fifty feels liberating,' said Bethenny. 'You just value time differently. You just want to only really do the things the are important, that mean something to you.'

Jada concurred: 'I wasted too much time. I gots to get it poppin'. I'm just focusing on the relationships that are really important.'

Then her close friend Lauren London delivered a speech calling the birthday girl 'my spiritual, sacred sister' and 'a blessing in human form.'

Lauren asked Jada about her inspirations to which Jada told her daughter and mother about the 'healing' she and her friend underwent together.

One mother to another: Tia Mowry then asked her 'advice' on 'raising children in the industry'

She began crying again when discussing her bond with Lauren and then revealed her inspiration: 'The Great Supreme. My journey to find a relationship with the Great Divine has been long, you know.'

She added: 'And now that I've found it and really I found a gate that really works for me, that's where all my inspiration comes from and it's changed my life for the better, and it's just been a beautiful journey, through and through.'

Tia Mowry then asked her 'advice' on 'raising children in the industry,' to which Jada told Willow: 'I really tried to keep you guys in understanding that you're really privileged and that you gotta use your privilege to help people who are not.'

Jada told Adrienne: 'I would physically take them to the orphanage so they could see: "Not every child lives like you do."'

Wonderful: Beyonce's mother Tina Lawson called Red Table Talk 'something that was so critical, so badly needed and the most magnificent gift to the world'

She added to Willow: 'I wanted you guys to work early and I thought that was a good idea because you guys understood early the value of money and things, you know, and you understood that it didn't just come out the sky.'

Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer fawned over Jada as 'a rare black diamond, strong, beautiful and illuminating.'

Beyonce's mother Tina Lawson called Red Table Talk 'something that was so critical, so badly needed and the most magnificent gift to the world.'

Gloria Estefan, who hosts a spin-off of Red Table Talk with her daughter and niece, joined them for their own musical tribute to Jada.

Legend in his own time: Samuel L. Jackson sweetly asked the birthday girl: 'How can someone as diminutive as you fill up a room the way you do?'

Samuel L. Jackson sweetly asked the birthday girl: 'How can someone as diminutive as you fill up a room the way you do?'

Trevor Noah put his own inquiry: 'You talk about how you and Will had to learn about inspiring each other's happiness but not being each other's happiness. So how do you know when you're expecting Will to make you happiness and how do you know when Will is adding to your happiness that you've already created?'

Jada replied that 'you know when you're outta pocket when you are looking for someone to bring you a sense of joy. When you have your own happiness within, you have more understanding that A, nobody owes you anything, and B, that anything anyone decides to offer you is a gift.'

Missy Elliott's question for the birthday girl was 'what you gonna leave behind' and stop 'tolerating' after hitting the age of 50.

Icon: Missy Elliott's question for the birthday girl was 'what you gonna leave behind' and stop 'tolerating' after hitting the age of 50

'I'm just not tolerating nonsense from myself,' said Jada noting that 'I think I spent a lot of my life playing victim, right? And yeah, people do things to you, there's no doubt about that, but you have the power to make the decision on how you're going to move through what is happening to you.'

She went on: 'You wanna sit there and start pointing fingers at everybody all the time and staying victim, well now you're giving your power away.'

Jada 'had to look at every piece of pain' in her life and ask herself: 'What part did you play in that? Because at the end of the day pretty much everything you bring into your life, you invited it - except for people victimized when it comes to physical assault and physical abuse, you know, all that kinda stuff.'

Michael Strahan, who will be 50 in two months, said he was 'right there with ya' and asked what she wished 'you know when you were younger.'

Twinning: Michael Strahan, who will be 50 in two months, said he was 'right there with ya' and asked what she wished 'you know when you were younger'

'I'd tell younger Jada to be a little bit more nice,' she replied. 'I was very edgy. I really had a big chip on my shoulder. My attitude was like: "I'm not the one."'

'That edginess kept you safe, 'cause you didn't have people coming at you with the nonsense,' Adrienne insisted to her.

But Jada maintained that she was 'really mean,' remembering that Warren Beatty whom 'I love' once approached her to work with her and said: 'You know, Jada, it wouldn't hurt you just to be a tad more kind.'

Adrienne only recently realized to her astonishment that her daughter never really aspired to stardom in the way her husband did.

Glowing: Bethenny Frankel, who happens to also be 50 years old herself, video-called Jada to in Willow's words 'welcome you to the club'

Jada revealed that Will was similarly perplexed by her attitude and the fact she did not share his desire to be 'number one.'

Lena Waithe called Jada 'such an amazing spirit' and thanked her for 'making me want to live a happy and joyful life, not just a productive one.'

MC Lyte said: 'We have all been just rooting and waiting for you to get to the 50 club, so welcome, welcome, welcome!'

Duane Martin reflected on 30 birthdays they have spent together and wondered: 'What do get somebody that's got everything?' revealing he eventually decided to gift her a red, white and blue wig 'from the Wonder Woman collection.'

Marriage advice: Trevor Noah put his own inquiry about how: 'You talk about how you and Will had to learn about inspiring each other's happiness but not being each other's happiness'

Jada remembered that Duane 'was one of the first people I met when I came to LA, so he met me when I was 18. Yeah, that's my dude.'

Meagan Good asked: 'You said that everything changed when you turned 40, so what advice do you have for this woman who has just turned 40?'

Adrienne and Jada both agreed - having now experienced both birthdays - that 40 was a much more difficult milestone than 50.

'When you're turning 40 don't make any drastic changes,' Jada advised. 'Just sit with it for a minute. I just remember at 40 feeling like: "What the hell?" I hit a wall. I was like: "What do you want?" and I didn't know, I couldn't answer the question. Make sure you can answer the question. That's the first step.'

Gorgeous: Method Man looked dashing as ever as he arrived on the set in person and shared a warm hug with Jada before presenting her with her gift

'Jada, Will jumped out of a helicopter on his 50th,' said Arsenio Hall in his birthday message. 'What's on your bucket list?'

Jada said that 'I absolutely have a bucket list' but it is 'not physical' and it involves 'really understanding what love is.'

Method Man looked dashing as ever as he arrived on the set in person and shared a warm hug with Jada before presenting her with her gift.

Jada opened up the massive gold gift box to reveal a matching gold pair of roller blades that had her squealing with joy: 'You hooked a sister up!'

So sweet: Jada then wound up shrieking with happiness as Jaden and Trey arrived to wish her a happy birthday - accompanied by several cakes

Method Man revealed that he reached his stunning fitness in his 40s after embarking on a journey of self-improvement and asking what he could 'control,' arriving at the answer that his figure was up to him to fix 'so let's do that.'

He then saw a picture of Adrienne looking chiseled as a result of her own fitness regimen and concluded it was 'never to late' to get an incredible body.

Jada then wound up shrieking with happiness as Jaden and Trey arrived to wish her a happy birthday - accompanied by several cakes.

The birthday girl was shown to her thrown where Jaden gave a speech - following by an appearance from Toni Braxton who serenaded a tearful Jada.
Idris Elba's wife Sabrina looked effortlessly chic as she arrived at Alberta Ferretti's Spring/Summer 2022 show during Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday night.

The model, 32, exuded elegance in a camel-shaded boiler suit and black heels as she stepped out for the star-studded runway show.

Sabrina accessorised her look with chunky gold hoop earrings and kept her raven tresses slicked back into a sleek ponytail.

Wow: Idris Elba's wife Sabrina looked effortlessly chic as she arrived at Alberta Ferretti's Spring/Summer 2022 Milan Fashion Week show in a camel jumpsuit on Wednesday night

Sabrina looked flawless as she worked her angles for the cameras in the carefully tailored all-in-one ensemble.

She accentuated her figure by cinching in the jumpsuit at the waist with a subtle D-clasp belt feature.

The model accentuated her natural beauty with a slick of kohl liner and an understated smokey eyeshadow look.

Sabrina kept her complexion looking radiant with a sweep of cream bronzer and added a touch of peachy blush to her cheeks.

Stunning: The model exuded elegance in the plunging boiler suit and black heels as she stepped out for the star-studded runway show

Gorgeous: Sabrina accessorised her look with chunky gold hoop earrings and kept her raven tresses slicked back into a sleek ponytail

Sabrina was joined at the event by Princess Diana's nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer who piled on the glamour in sophisticated ensembles.

Amelia opted for a simple black three-piece trouser suit, while Eliza matched in a wine-coloured look as they cosied up to the designer Alberta himself.

The pair sported their matching blonde tresses in loose curls as they posed for snaps and kept their makeup minimal with rose-toned lipstick and lashings of mascara.

Company: Sabrina was joined at the even by Princess Diana's nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer who piled on the glamour in sophisticated ensembles

Meanwhile, Alberta cut a dapper figure in an all-black tailored ensemble and couldn't help but look chuffed as he posed with the three beauties after his hit Milan Fashion Week show.

Attendees were wowed by the designer's Spring /Summer 2022 collection as supermodel Gigi Hadid took to the runway to debut his designs.

The fashion favourite kept her brunette tresses swept into a sophisticated up-do as she strutted down the catwalk for the star-studded audience.

Many of the ensembles featured fringing details while long coats and sequined skirts also comprised much of the new line.
They began dating during the first lockdown last year.

And Jack Whitehall and his girlfriend Roxy Horner appeared to be happier than ever as they enjoyed a date night at the Elena Gual: AURA Private View at Grove Square Galleries in London on Wednesday.

The comedian, 32, cosied up to the model, 30, as she showcased her svelte physique in a black trouser suit to attend the swanky event.

Loved-up: Jack Whitehall and his girlfriend Roxy Horner were happier than ever as they enjoyed a date night at the Elena Gual: AURA Private View in London on Wednesday

Jack cut a casual figure in a striped top and a grey denim shirt as he joined Roxy and several other stars for the gallery event.

The comic beamed as he arrived for the viewing with Roxy, who oozed andrognous chic in a plunging black pinstriped suit teamed with a geometric bandeau.

The blonde beauty added a Noughties twist to her look by styling her hair into eye-catching corkscrew curls.

The pair were also joined by Countess Emma Weymouth, who oozed sophistication in a strapless floral maxi dress.

Cosy: The comedian, 32, cosied up to the model, 30, as she showcased her svelte physique in a black trouser suit to attend the swanky event (pictured with Emma Weymouth)

Fashion forward: Roxy oozed andrognous chic in a plunging black pinstriped suit teamed with a geometric bandeau

Baby Spice? The blonde beauty added a Noughties twist to her look by styling her hair into eye-catching corkscrew curls

Roxy has been dating comedian Jack since the first lockdown after the pair met during a trip to Australia, with the model moving into his London home after just a few weeks of dating.

Jack previously admitted although the decision 'accelerated' their relationship, they did miss out on doing ordinary things like restaurant and cinema dates.

Speaking on the Couples Quarantine podcast, he said: 'Weirdly that was quite nice because we spent a lot of time together and it accelerates the relationship in a way.

'Then when lockdown ended, there's a lot of things we realised. We'd never gone to see a film together. We'd never been to a restaurant in England because we met in Australia.'

Flawless: Roxy added a hint of sparkle to her outfit with her diamante-studded bandeau underneath the suit

Photo moment: During the event both Jack and Roxy, who began dating during the first Covid lockdown last year, posed for snaps with Emma and artist Elena Gual

It also comes after it was reported that a freak flood wreaked havoc in Jack's new home.

The house, which Roxy shares with the comedian, was reportedly swamped with floodwater and the pair have been forced to stay in a hotel due to the damage.

According to The Sun, water flooded the kitchen and dining area, damaging the parquet flooring.

Drama: It also comes after it was reported in July that a freak flood wreaked havoc in Jack's new home, forcing them to temporarily move into a hotel

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.'

The source added that all the damaged property will have to be replaced, likely leaving the couple with a hefty bill.
Kim Kardashian is set to host Saturday Night Live for the first time, hoping to attract audiences after the show marked record low ratings last season.

The reality star, 40, will try to flaunt her funny side when she takes the reins on October 9th with musical guest Halsey.

Kim poked fun at herself while announcing the news on social media, writing 'No turning back now!!!! LOL.'

SNL is probably hoping Kardashian will be a big draw for ratings, which slumped to their lowest point in a decade last March, according to Showbiz 411.

Leading lady: Kim Kardashian will host SNL for the very first time on October 9th 2021

Kardashian isn't the only first-time host slated for fall.

SNL will debut season 47 on October 2nd with host Owen Wilson and CMA-winner Kacey Musgraves as musical guest.

After Kim, newbie Rami Malek will host October 16 with Grammy winner Young Thug taking care of the songs.

And comic veteran Jason Sudeikis will have a homecoming of sorts when he hosts on October 23rd.

Hehe: Kim poked fun at herself while announcing the news on social media, writing 'No turning back now!!!! LOL'

Fellow newbies: Owen Wilson will kick off the 47th season on October 2nd while Rami Malik will follow Kim on October 16th

The Ted Lasso star wrote for/starred on the sketch show from 2003 to 2013.

Last month it was reported that Kim and momager Kris Jenner met up with SNL head honcho Lorne Michaels at the Beverly Hills Hotel's Polo Lounge.

'Lorne wants her to do the show,' an insider told KNEWZ last month, noting Michaels was hoping to get Kardashian to do the premiere.

Though the meet up sparked hosting rumors almost immediately, at the time a source bluffed and told The Hollywood Reporter that the momager, 65, and KKW Beauty founder's 'meal was not about any specific project, but rather a general catch-up.'

Back: Comic veteran Jason Sudeikis will have a homecoming of sorts when he hosts on October 23rd. He acted and/or wrote for the show from 2003 to 2013

Out West: She'll be the first Kardashian to host, although estranged husband Kanye West last controversially appeared on the show in 2018, going on a long rant about Donald Trump following the broadcast. It was his seventh time as musical guest

She'll be the first Kardashian to host, although estranged husband Kanye West last controversially appeared on the show in 2018, going on a long rant about Donald Trump following the broadcast. It was his seventh time as musical guest.

Meanwhile, Kim recently enjoyed some screen-time playing Dolores the poodle in the highly-anticipated PAW Patrol: The Movie.

Though her family's flagship reality show lasted 20 seasons, her scripted credits are a little less robust.

The mother-of-four previously appeared 2008's Disaster Movie, Deep in the Valley (2009) and Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013).

Woof: Kim recently enjoyed some screen-time playing Dolores the poodle in the highly-anticipated PAW Patrol: The Movie

Black out: The announcement comes after Kim caused quite the stir during last Monday's Met Gala in New York

The announcement comes after Kim caused quite the stir during last Monday's Met Gala in New York.

The star's hooded all-black Balenciaga ensemble was one of the evening's most divisive designs, with some calling it genius while others said she reminded them of a ghoulish Dementor from the Harry Potter series.

But she hit back at criticism as she reposted on fan account's take.

It read: 'For someone who is always criticized for being overly sexual, Kim showed she can cover every square inch of skin and still find a way to be criticized and ridiculed. THAT is American culture.'

Another positive message reposted by the star read: 'Kim Kardashian in Balenciaga Couture. When you're so famous you can literally make "anonymous" your new lewk.

Support: Taking to Instagram the reality shared a vehement message from a fan account, posted in response to the fallout from her outing on Wednesday night

Getting involved: Another supportive message reposted by the star praised her for not being boring by wearing the bizarre Balenciaga outfit at the annual event

'Whats more American than a T-shirt head to toe?!' Kim Kardashian was quite proud of her fashionable entrance at the Met Gala on Monday as she shared several snaps from the red carpet along with a message for those who said the look did not fit the 'In America' theme

'Say what you want about her new direction, but it's definitely not boring.'

Kim had previously clapping back at those who criticised her show-stopping look.

The mogul was quite proud of her fashionable entrance at The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City on Monday as she shared several snaps from the red carpet along with a message for those who said the look did not fit the 'In America' theme.

She captioned the gallery to her 253million followers: 'Whats more American than a T-shirt head to toe?!'
She never fails to turn heads when she steps out for evening events.

And Christine Quinn oozed glamour as she arrived at the launch party for her new range with Ciate in a thigh-split blue gown in London on Wednesday night alongside her millionaire husband Christian Richard.

The Selling Sunset star, 32, wowed in the stunning silk number as she flashed a glimpse of her endless pins that were accentuated by a pair of diamante stilettos.

Wow: Christine Quinn oozed glamour as she arrived at the launch party for her new range with Ciate in a thigh-split blue gown in London on Wednesday night alongside her millionaire husband Christian Richard

Christine channelled Hollywood elegance as she beamed for cameras in the floor-length dress that featured a racy cut out detail beneath her cleavage.

She appeared to go without underwear for the outing as she strode towards the party with her curves on full display through the sizzling dress.

The blonde bombshell styled her long tresses in gorgeous rippling waves and accentuated her features with a bold red lip and sultry winged-eyeliner.

Christine pulled out all the stops when it came to accessorising as she glittered in a pair of dangly diamond earrings and matching necklace.

Stunning: The Selling Sunset star, 32, wowed in the stunning silk number as she flashed a glimpse of her endless pins that were accentuated by a pair of diamante stilettos

Wow: She looked sensational in the racy gown

Turning heads: Christine channelled Hollywood elegance as she beamed for cameras in the floor-length dress that featured a racy cut out detail beneath her cleavage

Daring: She appeared to go without underwear for the outing as she strode towards the party with her curves on full display through the sizzling dress

Christine very nearly suffered a wardrobe malfunction as she posed in the daring gown that almost revealed a little too much.

The Selling Sunset star looked overjoyed as she was joined by her husband Christian at the party.

Christian and Christine packed on the PDA as the kissed each other on the cheek in front of the cameras at the glitzy event.

Brave: Christine very nearly suffered a wardrobe malfunction as she posed in the daring gown that almost revealed a little too much

Cute: The Selling Sunset star looked overjoyed as she was joined by her husband Richard at the party

Loved-up: Richard and Christine packed on the PDA as the kissed each other on the cheek in front of the cameras at the glitzy event

Christine was joined at her party by a whole host of stars, including Joanna Chimonides who flashed a glimpse of her taut abs in a mint cropped blazer.

Joanna showed off her phenomenal figure as she paired the tailored jacket with a thigh skimming nude skirt and a pair of towering stilettos.

The Love Island star was flanked by a pal who wowed in a glittering crop top and her co-star Kady McDermott in a very daring pair of see-through leggings.

Guest list: Christine was joined at her party by a whole host of stars, including Joanna Chimonides who flashed a glimpse of her taut abs in a mint cropped blazer

Girls night out: The Love Island star was flanked by her pal who wowed in a glittering crop top and her co-star Kady McDermott in a very daring pair of see-through leggings

Kady set pulses racing in a pair of sheer leggings with black stripes that barely concealed her modesty as she arrived at the event.

She flaunted her sensational figure in the barely-there ensemble and showcased her toned abs in the cropped A-symmetrical co-ord.

The reality star angled her pert posterior towards the cameras as she worked her angles at the party and revealed a risque thong detail at the back of her leggings.

Bombshell: Kady set pulses racing in a pair of sheer leggings with black stripes that barely concealed her modesty as she arrived at the event

Sizzling: She flaunted her sensational figure in the barely-there ensemble and showcased her toned abs in the cropped A-symmetrical co-ord

Racy: The reality star angled her pert posterior towards the cameras as she worked her angles at the party and revealed a risque thong detail at the back of her leggings

Also in attendance was Naomi Isted who put on a busty display in a gold cut-out dress.

She layered her thigh-skimming body-con number underneath a oversized blazer and heels and beamed at onlookers as she arrived at the party.

The TV personality looked upbeat as she arrived for the event alongside a pal in bedazzled trainers.

Stepping out: Also in attendance was Naomi Isted who put on a busty display in a gold cut-out dress and Terry de Havilland heels

Night out: The TV personality looked upbeat as she arrived for the event alongside a pal in bedazzled trainers

Olivia and Alex Bowen put on a loved-up display as they arrived at the bash.

They sweetly wrapped their arms around one another as Olivia exuded sophistication in a plunging floral thigh-split dress and knee-high boots.

Meanwhile, Alex opted for a laidback all-black look of a loose-fitting T-shirt and dark jeans.

Cute: Olivia and Alex Bowen put on a loved-up display as they arrived at the bash

Power couple: They sweetly wrapped their arms around one another as Olivia put on a stylish display in a plunging floral thigh-split dress

Pose: Olivia added height to her frame with a pair of knee-high boots

Wow: Olivia let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders at the bash

Christine looked more glamorous than ever as she headed home at the end of the night hand in hand with Richard.

The star shrugged on a cosy monochrome coat to keep off the evening chill as she put on a busty display in her cut-out gown.

The Selling Sunset star looked upbeat as she headed home with her beau after a successful night celebrating her new beauty range.

Flawless: Christine looked more glamorous than ever as she headed home at the end of the night hand in hand with Richard

Chilly: The star shrugged on a cosy monochrome coat to keep off the evening chill as she put on a busty display in her cut-out gown

Over the moon: The Selling Sunset star looked upbeat as she headed home with her beau after a successful night celebrating her new beauty range

Christine's party comes after she admitted on This Morning on Wednesday that she was afraid she and her son 'wouldn't make it' when she gave birth in May.

Christine explained of her emergency C-section: 'I was flatlining, I learnt to be grateful for life. Time is so precious.

'In the new season [of Selling Sunset] I am more vulnerable as I tell my story. I no longer interested in petty stuff in the office.'

Speaking about becoming a mother, Christine gushed: 'I never thought I could love anyone more than myself.

'He's the light of my life. the focus isn't on me anymore, I want to be a good mother and role model.'
If Melbourne midfielder Angus Brayshaw plays a blinder in Saturday's AFL grand final, don't be surprised if he gives a little shout-out to the world of corporate finance.

The intense hype surrounding Melbourne's chance of breaking its 57-year premiership drought has dominated headlines since the Demons pummelled Geelong in the preliminary final.

Melbourne players are well aware of what their date with destiny means to long-suffering Demons fans, and they are vowing to do everything they can to end the years of heartbreak.

But with intense hype can come extreme anxiety, and Brayshaw is doing his best to stay cool and calm.

Brayshaw was a picture of relaxation on Wednesday, lying on the grass and looking up to the sky while waiting for his turn to speak to the media.

The 25-year-old said that relaxed approach would prove crucial in what shapes as the biggest week in his life.

"Staying wound-up doesn't serve anyone," Brayshaw said ahead of the grand final against the Bulldogs.

"Being able to switch off and stay fresh is going to be really important for us.

"We've got a lot of young players and it's a big game, so if we can't stay balanced and level, then we're going to be in trouble."

Melbourne defender Jake Lever has spoken about how his use of meditation has helped keep him grounded leading up to the grand final.

For Brayshaw, it's a university course that hardly sets the heart racing.

"I mean, we could talk all day about the nuances of corporate finance and that stuff," Brayshaw said with a laugh.

"I don't think that's particularly interesting. It's taken up a lot of my time. I've got family over as well, so catching up with them has been good."

Brayshaw knows how much a Demons flag would mean to the fans, not only because of the 57-year drought, but also the COVID-19 situation in Victoria.

"We're acutely aware of where we sit and our situation of how long it's been between drinks for us," he said.

"We're a proud club, and this will mean a lot to a lot of people.

"We want to win the whole thing. It's a shame it's got to that point (of being 57 years), but it's pretty special to be able to make people happy in a really hard time like that. Hopefully we can go one more."
As per the data, pulses production is likely to increase to 9.45 million tonne in the 2021-22 kharif season. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: Amid normal monsoon rainfall across the country, India's foodgrain output is expected to touch a record 150 million tonne in the ongoing kharif season. Among all crops, record production is pegged for rice, sugarcane and cotton.

In the kharif season of 2020-21 crop year (July-June), the foodgrain output comprising rice, pulses and coarse cereals stood at a record 149.56 million tonne, said a government release on Tuesday.

"A record foodgrain production is estimated at 150.50 million tonne in kharif season," agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in a statement, while releasing the first advance foodgrain production estimate for the current kharif season.

As per the data, pulses production is likely to increase to 9.45 million tonne in the 2021-22 kharif season from 8.69 million tonne achieved in the previous year. "Production of tur, the main kharif pulse, is estimated to increase marginally to 4.43 million tonne from 4.28 million tonne. However, production of coarse cereals is estimated to decline to 34 million tonne from 36.46 million tonne," the release said.

Among coarse cereals, it said, maize output is estimated to fall to 21.24 million tonne from 21.44 mt. Similarly, production of oilseeds is projected to be lower at 23.39 mt from 24.03 mt. Among oilseeds, production of groundnut would be lower at 8.25 mt as against 8.55 mt while that of soyabean at 12.72 mt against 12.89 mt.

Sugarcane production is pegged at record 419.25 mt versus 399.25 mt.

Cotton production is seen at 36.22 million bales (170 kg each) against 35.38 million bales.
Bengaluru: K Kasturirangan on Wednesday said he is greatly honoured to head the panel to develop new curriculum for schools and looking forward to the task.

The Union Education Ministry on Tuesday formed a 12-member steering committee, headed by the former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, to develop new curriculums for school, early childhood, teacher and adult education.

"I am greatly honoured by what the Government has asked me to do", Kasturirangan, who had also chaired the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) drafting committee, told PTI.

The panel has been tasked with developing four national curriculum frameworks (NCFs).

The members of the panel include Chancellor of National Institute of Education Planning and Administration, Mahesh Chandra Pant; Chairman of National Book Trust, Govind Prasad Sharma; Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia Najma Akhtar; Vice Chancellor of Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh T V Kattimani; Chairperson of IIM Jammu Milind Kamble and guest professor at IIT Gandhinagar, Michel Danino.

Jagbir Singh, Chancellor of Central University of Punjab, Bathinda; Manjul Bhargava, American mathematician of Indian origin; M K Sridhar, trainer and social activist; Dhir Jhingran, founder director of Language and Learning Foundation (LLF); and Shankar Maruwada, co-founder and CEO at EkStep Foundation, are also on the panel.

"Members are all very erudite and well-versed with the aspects of education, training and creation of knowledge bases", Kasturirangan said.

"So, working with them will be a great privilege", he added. "I very much look forward to it".

According to the terms of reference of the committee, it will develop four NCFs for school education, early childhood care and education, teacher education and adult education, keeping in focus all the recommendations of NEP-2020 related to these four areas for proposing curriculum reforms.

The NCFs serve as a guideline for syllabus, textbook and teaching practices for schools in India.
Boat rides along the backwaters for the tourists to take in the charm of the 'Queen of Arabian Sea' were also arranged. (Representational: AP Photo)

Kochi: The newly-built cruise terminal in Cochin Port here on Wednesday received the first batch of tourists as luxury liner M V Empress from Mumbai called at the port city, marking a promising start to the revival of post-pandemic domestic tourism in Kerala.

The Lakshadweep-bound luxury cruise liner, carrying 1200 travellers, had a stop-over here with 300 of them de-boarding the ship for a day-long on-shore sightseeing.

The Kerala Tourism Department accorded a warm welcome to the guests with martial Velakali dancers and women in traditional off-white dress greeting them.

The snow-white vessel, owned by Cordelia Cruises, became the first luxury cruise liner to anchor at the state-of-the-art terminal, after the devastating COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world.

The Cochin Port wore a festive look, as Velakali performers holding swords and shields swayed with graceful vigour in two rows, showcasing the richness of the medieval cultural form.

"I am from Indore in Madhya Pradesh. This is a particularly exciting reception," said a middle-aged passenger walking past the Velakali dancers, besides more than a dozen women facing each other in a line-up and presenting bouquets to the guests.

"We plan to explore some of the heritage pockets of Kochi, the passenger said.

The day-long Kochi leg scheduled a round of Mattancherry and Fort Kochi, touching several points of historical importance.

Boat rides along the backwaters for the tourists to take in the charm of the 'Queen of Arabian Sea' were also arranged.

The Lakshadweep islands is the next destination of the liner, but passengers who have opted for just the Kochi package will be taken to other parts of the state, according to Voyages Kerala, the tour agent.

The guests were received by Kerala Tourism Joint Director K Radhakrishnan and Deputy Director Shri T G Abhilash, besides top officials at the port.

With this, Kerala Tourism signals a busy future following the waning of the pandemic even as the on-shore tour adheres to the strict COVID-19 protocols.
HYDERABAD: Officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at six locations in Hyderabad on Wednesday in connection with Karvy stock broking scam. Sources said searches were carried out at the residence of the incarcerated Karvy Stock Broking Limited (KSBL) chairman and managing director C. Parthasarathy and the offices of Karvy in Hyderabad.

The agency booked a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on the FIRs issued by the Hyderabad central crime station (CCS). "Searches were conducted at the offices and residential premises linked to KSBL, its CMD as well as other arrested people, sources said.

Officials had earlier recorded the statement of C. Parthasarathi in the case. The ED is reportedly verifying the destination and route of crime proceeds amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees in the scam.

The CCS police registered four cases so far against Karvy for cheating IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank and several clients. It is alleged that the accused suppressed the fact that the pledged securities belonged to the clients and was done without their consent, misusing power of attorney. In one of the cases, IndusInd Bank accused Karvy management of availing credit facilities of Rs 137 crore by pledging securities. Parthasarathi suppressed that the pledged securities belonged to the clients without their consent and misused power of attorney. The securities of clients were transferred into the Demat account of Karvy company and pledged to IndusInd Bank. Karvy turned into a defaulter and also diverted the funds into its own and sister companies, sources said.

The securities were transferred into the Demat account of Karvy and pledged for margin and short-term requirements said sources. "The accused became a defaulter by diverting the funds into their own accounts and those connected to business entities," they added. Similarly, HDFC Bank was also allegedly duped to the tune of Rs 359 crore. Two other people besides Parthasarathi were arrested by the CCS in connection with the case.
A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and T. Vinod Kumar made it clear that the state government did not have the title over the said land. (PTI)

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday issued stay orders against the notification for auction of land measuring 11 acres in survey number 301 of Puppalaguda village of Gandipet mandal in Ranga Reddy district.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and T. Vinod Kumar made it clear that the state government did not have the title over the said land. Without having the rights over the property or substantial records, the government cannot presume as it has rights over the land. It has no right to claim it, the bench said while dealing with a petition filed by a real estate company namely Lakshmi Engineering and Constructions, which stated that it had purchased that land in 2006 from the legal heirs of family members of Navalmal Rizwani, who were residents of Sindh Province of present Pakistan and were forced to migrate to India, at the time of partition. After the migration, the said land was given to them by the union ministry of rehabilitation through the Index S/SR - 2/993 in 1955, as compensation of the lands and properties left behind by Rizwani in Sindh.

A sanad was issued to them in the name of the President of India. All these lands were acquired by the Union government and notified as evacuee properties, before allotting to Navalmal Rizwani.
PM Modi will address the UN General Assembly and attend the Quad Summit as well. (Photo: Twitter/@PMOIndia)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a three-day visit to the United States on Wednesday where he will address the UN General Assembly and attend the Quad Summit as well as hold a bilateral meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

Biden will host PM Modi at the White House on September 24, this is going to be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Biden took over as the US President on January 20.

As per the statement issued by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, PM Modi and President Biden are expected to discuss ways to stem radicalisation and combat terrorism. They are also expected to discuss ways to bolster defence, trade ties, security collaborations and clean energy partnership among others,"

PM Modi and Biden will discuss the current regional security situation following the recent developments in Afghanistan.

PM Modi will also hold business interactions during his US visit from September 22-25.

Prime Minister Modi will attend the first in-person summit of the Quad hosted by the US President on Friday, which will be attended by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia.

PM Modi will address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of 76th Session of UN General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in New York.

The theme for this year's general debate is building resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people and revitalise the United Nations.

While addressing the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister will dwell on the important issues, including the regional situation, cross border terrorism, global efforts to combat COVID-19 and climate change and the need to reform multilateral institutions.

Another element of the Prime Minister's visit would be bilateral meetings with our close partners Japan and Australia where he will hold several bilateral meetings including with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

PM Modi is accompanied by a high-level delegation consisting of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and senior officials including Shringla.

This is Prime Minister Modi's first visit abroad beyond the neighbourhood since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
Based on a complaint by social welfare department assistant director Balachandra Sanganal, the case was registered on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

Koppal: Five people have been arrested for allegedly seeking to fine a Dalit family of Rs 25,000 for "purification" of the Hanuman temple in Miyapur village in the district after their two-year-old son entered it, police said on Wednesday.

"We have arrested five people in connection with the case," the superintendent of police T Sreedhara told PTI.

According to the official, the incident took place on September 4 and it came to light only on Monday following which a case was registered.

"The Dalit family was reluctant to lodge a complaint," Sreedhara added.

Chandrashekhar belonging to the Chennadasar community wished to seek the blessings of Lord Hanuman for his two-year-old son on his birthday on September four.

"Chandrashekhar and his family members were standing outside but the boy ran inside the temple, which irked the temple priest who sought to make it an issue," they added.

Some others from "upper castes" sided with the priest, and a meeting was held on September 11 where they demanded Rs 25,000 towards the expenditure for the "purification" of the temple.

However, other villagers from upper castes opposed the move terming it 'harsh.'

The episode sparked a debate in the village, and came to the notice of Kushtagi police.

The family was afraid to approach the police fearing backlash from sections upper caste.

Some members of the Koppal district Chennadasar Mahasabha too visited the village and held meetings, leading to tense atmosphere.

Based on a complaint by social welfare department assistant director Balachandra Sanganal, the case was registered on Tuesday.

In the past two days, the district administration conducted a series of public meetings to sensitise people of the village against the evil of casteism and its impact on society.

Further, a grand Pooja was organised where all the communities of the village took part including Chennadasars in the presence of police.
Tirupati: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday put a stay on the State Government's orders appointing 52 special invitees to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board, apart from 24 regular trustee members. The high court's order was in response to a batch of public interest litigation (PIL) filed on Monday, challenging the appointment of special invitees to the TTD trust board.

Imposing a stay on two government orders (G.O. Rt. No. 568,569), the High Court questioned the propriety of creating such a jumbo trust board. The counsel of State Government defended the move - stating that the appointment of special invitees was done only as per the norms and there was no violation of any rules. However, the High Court issued interim orders suspending the two GOs for a period of 4 weeks, pending completion of hearing and passage of final orders.

It may be recalled that three PILs have been filed in the High Court challenging the GOs issued by State to constitute the TTD trust board. BJP leader G. Bhanuprakash Reddy filed a petition challenging the GO. MS. 245 issued by the government to appoint 28 members to the trust board, GO. Rt. No. 568 appointing 2 members as ex-officio and special invitees and GO. Rt. No. 569 appointing 50 others as special invitees. Telugu Desam leader M. Umamaheswara Naidu and Hindu Jansakhati Samkshema Sangham founder K. Lalit Kumar also filed similar PILs before the High Court.

Seeking the cancellation of the said GOs, the petitioners appealed to the High Court to issue interim orders to this effect. They said that the above GOs were illegal, arbitrary and also contrary to the section 96 of Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Acts, 1987, and also violation of Article 25 of the constitution of India. The petitioners also said the constitution of such a jumbo trust board will be an additional burden on TTD and would cause hardships and hurdles to common pilgrims to have darshan at Tirumala temple.
The high court directed the girl's father to approach a government hospital with a copy of the order. (Photo: PTI/File)

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday came to the aid of another minor rape victim by paving the way for her to undergo medical termination of the pregnancy which was a result of the sexual assault committed on her.

This is the third such order passed by the high court in the last one week, with the first one being on September 14.

In the earlier two cases, the victims were more than 26 weeks pregnant and based on a medical board's recommendation, abortion was permitted.

In the latest case, the 16-year-old victim was 8 weeks pregnant and had to move the court as the private hospital she had approached for terminating the pregnancy refused to carry out the procedure as a crime had been committed.

The state government lawyer said that a permission of the court was not required in the instant case as under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, a pregnancy of less than 12 weeks can be aborted by a medical practitioner if he or she is of the opinion that continuing with it would be detrimental to mental and physical health of the victim.

Subsequently, the high court directed the girl's father to approach a government hospital with a copy of the order in the instant matter for carrying out medical termination of the pregnancy.

With the direction, the plea moved by the victim's father seeking permission for medical termination of pregnancy was disposed of.
Nani asked whether it was true, or not, the allegation that the previous TD government smuggled red sandalwood logs to Japan through Naidus Heritage firms vans.  PTI

VIJAYAWADA: Transport minister Perni Venkataramaiah on Tuesday flayed Telugu Desam and its friendly media for their attempt to defame Andhra Pradesh by linking the state to the Gujarat narcotics seizure case.

Speaking to the media here, the minister said a person residing in Chennai had used a Vijayawada address for his business and was caught transporting drugs via Gujarat to Delhi. Although the incident happened a week ago, TD leaders with their media channels, like the Andhra Talibans, are distorting facts and showcasing as if Vijayawada has turned into a hub for narcotics.

He said the Vijayawada police commissioner had already denied any connection for AP with the Gujarat drug case. Yet, a section of the media is spreading false stories to defame the state and the government.

Nani asked whether it was true, or not, the allegation that the previous TD government smuggled red sandalwood logs to Japan through Naidus Heritage firms vans. He said the opposition has been splurging money on social media posts to defame the government. But, no matter how many posts are put on social media, the people are with Chief Minister Jagan. The CM has facilitated a landslide victory for the party in the recent ZPTC and MPTC polls, he said.
MLA Maddisetty Venugopal requested Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to seek such a probe, saying there was a lot of irregularities in the tender process during the Telugu Desam government. (ANI)

Vijayawada: A CBI probe has been sought in the AP Fibernet scam. YSR Congress MLA Maddisetty Venugopal requested Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to seek such a probe, saying there was a lot of irregularities in the tender process during the Telugu Desam government.

The MLA said he had lodged complaints in the past, but in vain.

The contract was awarded to the consortium violating all set norms of bidding, he said.

Speaking to the media at the party central office here on Tuesday, the MLA who lost the bid gave a blow-by-blow account of how the bidding process was rigged in a predetermined manner.

He said the consortium comprising Tera Soft, Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd and Horizon Broadcast LLP was declared L1 (lowest bidder) while his company PACE Power Systems Private Limited was named L2.

Venugopal claimed that the Tera Soft consortium failed to meet the conditions on all counts as it failed in relation to the general conditions. Horizon, one of the three bidders in the consortium, was not a registered company but an LLP, he said.

He also alleged that the financial conditions were not met as its capital was way less than the prescribed amount and the technical terms were also breached as it had no experience of the cable optic work in India.

Topping it all, Tera Soft was blacklisted for a year by APTS and the ban was lifted after two months in violation of norms and the letter was issued by a non-competent authority.

The MLA said the documents of bidders related to tenders were not uploaded online till L1 and L2 were finalized. He had given a complaint to the APSFCL MD on these irregularities.

He said Tera Soft has given a fake experience certificate of Signum Digital Network regarding the supply and installation of digital head-end and added that they have also violated many other terms of the contract. The APSFCL has also called four tenders related to setup boxes, CC Cameras, Bharath Net Phase 2 of worth Rs 2,700 crore, he said, and urged the chief minister to investigate irregularities in these tenders also.

The MLA said Jagan Mohan Reddy as CM had brought in provisions for judicial preview and reverse tendering systems for transparent and corruption-free governance in contrast to the corrupt practices of the previous government.
A health worker prepares a dose of the Covishield vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus at a vaccination centre in Ahmedabad. (Photo: AFP)

London: The UK government on Wednesday added Covishield, the India-manufactured Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, to an updated international travel advisory, a day after the Indian government warned of reciprocal measures over discriminatory action against a UK-licensed product.

There was widespread condemnation of the Serum Institute of India manufactured vaccines not being included in a list of eligible COVID-19 vaccines recognised under Britain's reviewed international travel norms, effective from October 4.

The updated advisory means that Indians fully vaccinated with Covishield will no longer be required to undergo compulsory 10-day self-isolation at home or declared location on entry to England.

Formulations of the 4 listed vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as approved vaccines, reads the advisory from the UK's Department for Transport (DfT) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

You must have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England, it adds.

The move will also mean that a pre-departure PCR test is no longer required as long as vaccinated travellers pre-book a day two test post-arrival in England and complete the compulsory passenger locator form in advance.

From October 4, England's current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries based on levels of COVID-19 risk will be scrapped and replaced with one red list only. However, until this latest update, Indians vaccinated with any vaccines in India  including Covishield  were not recognised as vaccinated under the UK's eligibility criteria.

We have to see how it goes. But if we do not get satisfaction we would be within our rights to impose reciprocal measures, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said in response to a question on the issue on Tuesday in New Delhi.

The basic issue is that here is a vaccine, Covishield, which is a licensed product of the UK company, manufactured in India of which we have supplied five million doses to the UK at the request of the government of the UK. We understand that this is being used under the national health system, and, therefore, non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminatory policy and does impact those of our citizens travelling to the UK, he said.

The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK, whose patron Congress Party MP Shashi Tharoor cancelled his planned UK visit in retaliation of the "offensive" rules, was among the many organisations in the UK rallying against the policy that would impact thousands of Indian students.

Delighted that Covishield has now been recognised by the UK government, and that all the lobbying has worked, said NISAU chair Sanam Arora.

Though the vaccine is now approved, India is not yet in the list of approved countries making it apparent that the 10-day quarantine and all associated rules still apply for other Indian vaccines. We will continue to urge authorities to take this to its natural conclusion, she said.

From October 4, travellers from 17 additional countries with eligible vaccines, including Australia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, will fall under the UK's list of recognised jabs of Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines. The DHSC has said this list is reviewed fortnightly.

Under the new rules from October 4, unvaccinated Indian travellers or those not vaccinated with Covishield must take a COVID test three days before departure and book in advance for two COVID tests to be taken upon arrival in England.

On arrival in England, the passengers must self-isolate in the place they have confirmed on their passenger locator form for 10 days. A privately paid-for "Test to Release" option does exist at day five, which allows an early end to the 10-day quarantine with a negative PCR test.

The Indian government has said it is working with several countries to recognise India's vaccine certification on a mutual reciprocal basis.
Pakistan had asked SAARC chair Nepal to give it in writing that Ghulam M Isaczai, who was appointed as a permanent representative by the Ghani government, will not attend the meet (Representational image: PTI)

New Delhi: Pakistan wanted Taliban government nominee to represent Afghanistan in SAARC foreign ministers' meet later this week, but the idea was rejected by other member nations. No consensus was reached on the issue, sources said, and SAARC foreign ministers meeting scheduled for Saturday was cancelled.

It is learnt from reliable sources that Pakistan had asked SAARC chair Nepal to give it in writing that Ghulam M Isaczai, who was appointed as a permanent representative by the Ashraf Ghani government, will not attend the meet.

It is learnt Nepal refused to give the assurance in writing and argued that if Ghulam himself initiated to attend the meet "how can he be barred?"

This became a point of contention and contributed to the cancellation of the informal SAARC meeting of foreign ministers, sources added.

Taliban have not been officially recognised by any SAARC nation, other than Pakistan, which is making all-out efforts to get global legitimacy for the regime in Kabul. A majority of countries in the world believe the Taliban to be non-inclusive and lacking credibility.

According to reports, the Taliban have nominated their Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's UN ambassador after being asked to address world leaders at the United Nations in New York this week.

The SAARC is the regional intergovernmental organisation of eight countries of South Asia--Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
German luxury carmaker Audi on Wednesday launched two fully electric four-door coupes  the e-tron GT and the RS e-tron GT - in India, priced at Rs 1.79 crore and Rs 2.04 crore, respectively (ex-showroom).

The e-tron GT comes with a power of 390 kW and accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, while the 475 kW RS e-tron GT achieves the same feat in 3.3 seconds.

The automaker said that the e-tron GT can cover a distance of 401  481 km in a single charge while the RS e-tron GT can cover between 388 km and 500 km in a single charge.

The electric supercars could be charged from 5 per cent to 80 per cent in around 22 minutes, it noted.

"Today is a milestone day for us as we launch India's first electric supercars. This is our fourth and fifth electric vehicle launch since July 2021 and we couldn't be more excited for our customers,'' Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon said in a statement.

The Audi e-tron GT and the Audi RS e-tron GT are the ultimate brand shapers from Audi and are the manifestation of Audi's continuous evolution as a progressive premium brand, he added.

"These two four door coupes symbolise our DNA and our ambition to shape the future of premium mobility," Dhillon noted.

He added that the company has established the e-tron brand strongly in the country right from the very beginning.

Audi is already selling the e-tron 50 and 55 and the e-tron Sportback 55 in India.

"This is a testament to our robust product offerings backed by best-in-segment ownership plans. We are overjoyed with the pace with which progressive customers are going electric and we will strive to serve all types of buyers in the times to come," Dhillon said.

The company stated that the e-tron GT and the RS e-tron GT customers would get a complimentary wall box AC charger in addition to the 11kW charger that comes standard with the car  a segment-first offering.

Besides, key company dealerships would be equipped with a 50kW fast charger in a phased manner.

The automaker aims to have around 100 chargers across 75 key cities in the country.

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Battery power may be the frontrunner to become the car technology of the future, but don't rule out the underdog hydrogen.

That's the view of some major automakers, including BMW and Audi, which are developing hydrogen fuel-cell passenger vehicle prototypes alongside their fleets of battery cars as part of preparations to abandon fossil fuels.

They are hedging their bets, calculating that a change in political winds could shift the balance towards hydrogen in an industry shaped by early-mover Tesla's decision to take the battery-powered road to clean cars.

Also read: BMW, Daimler sued for refusing to tighten carbon emission targets

Global auto hub Germany is in sharp focus. It is already betting billions on hydrogen fuel in sectors like steel and chemicals to meet climate targets, and closely-fought elections this month could see the Greens enter the coalition government and further push the technology.

BMW is hydrogen's biggest proponent among Germany's carmakers, charting a path to a mass-market model around 2030. The company also has one eye on shifting hydrogen policies in Europe and in China, the world's largest car market.

The Munich-based premium player has developed a hydrogen prototype car based on its X5 SUV, in a project already partly funded by the German government.

Jurgen Guldner, the BMW vice president who heads up the hydrogen fuel-cell car programme, told Reuters the carmaker would build a test fleet of close to 100 cars in 2022.

"Whether this (technology) is driven by politics or demand, we will be ready with a product," he said, adding that his team is already working to develop the next generation vehicles.

"We're on the verge of getting there and we're really convinced we'll see a breakthrough in this decade," he said.

VW's premium Audi brand told Reuters it had assembled a team of more than 100 mechanics and engineers who were researching hydrogen fuel cells on behalf of the whole Volkswagen group, and had built a few prototype cars.

Hyrdogen too costy now

Hydrogen is viewed as a sure bet by the world's biggest truckmakers, such as Daimler AG unit Daimler Truck, Volvo Trucks and Hyundai, because batteries are too heavy for long-distance commercial vehicles.

Yet fuel cell technology - where hydrogen passes through a catalyst, producing electricity - is for now too costly for mass-market consumer cars. Cells are complex and contain expensive materials, and although refuelling is quicker than battery recharging, infrastructure is more scarce.

The fact that hydrogen is so far behind in the race to the affordable market also means even some champions of the technology, like Germany's Greens, favour prioritising battery-powered passenger cars because they see them as the fastest way to reach their main goal of decarbonising transport.

The Greens do, however, back the use of hydrogen fuel for ships and planes and want to invest heavily in "green" hydrogen produced solely from renewable sources.

"Hydrogen will play a highly important role in the transport industry," said Stefan Gelbhaar, the party's transport policy spokesperson in the Bundestag.

Politics can be unpredictable though - diesel went from saint to sinner following Volkswagen's Dieselgate emissions-cheating scandal, which came to light in 2015. Some carmakers view hydrogen technology as an insurance policy as the EU targets an effective ban on fossil-fuel cars from 2035.

Last year Daimler said it would wind down production of the Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL, a hydrogen fuel-cell SUV, but a source familiar with company plans said the project could easily be revived if the European Commission or a German government with Green participation decide to promote hydrogen cars.

"We're focusing on (battery) electric first, but we're in close cooperation with our truck guys," said Jorg Burzer, Daimler's head of production, when asked about that approach.

"The technology is always available."

180 Kph in hydrogen X5 180

For years Japanese carmakers Toyota, Nissan and Honda, and South Korea's Hyundai, were alone in developing and pushing hydrogen fuel-cell cars, but now they have company.

China is expanding its hydrogen fuelling infrastructure, with several carmakers now working on fuel-cell cars, including Great Wall Motor , which plans to develop hydrogen-powered SUVs.

Also read: Tiny chips cast big shadow over Munich car show

The EU wants to build more hydrogen fuelling stations for commercial vehicles. Fitch Solutions auto analyst Joshua Cobb said the bloc was only likely to start pushing hydrogen passengers cars in two to three years' time, given it was still figuring out how to pay for its battery-electric car push and how to obtain enough "green" hydrogen from renewable sources.

But he added: "It's not out of bounds to think if the (German) Greens come into power they could accelerate the push to adopt regulations favouring hydrogen fuel-cell cars."

BMW's Guldner acknowledged hydrogen technology was too expensive to be viable for the consumer market today, but said costs would come down as trucking companies invested in the technology to bring fuel-cell vehicles to market at scale.

To demonstrate BMW's hydrogen X5 prototype, Guldner took Reuters for a spin at 180 km (112 miles) per hour on the autobahn near the carmaker's Munich headquarters and in a few minutes gave it enough fuel to run 500 km using a hydrogen gas pump at a Total petrol station.

Guldner said BMW saw hydrogen fuel-cell cars as "complementary" to its future battery electric model range, providing an alternative for customers who cannot charge at home, want to travel far and refuel swiftly. The motor in the hydrogen X5 is the same as BMW's all-electric iX.

"When the future is zero emissions, we believe having two answers is better than one," he added.

A long and winding road

Yet Fitch Solutions' Cobb said that it would still take years before any European policy support for hydrogen-powered cars translated into significant sales.

Indeed, auto consultancy LMC forecasts that various uses of hydrogen - in commercial vehicles, aviation and energy storage - would spur its adoption in passenger cars, but over the longer term.

"We're just not going to get there any time soon," said LMC senior powertrain analyst Sam Adham. LMC estimates in 2030 hydrogen fuel-cell models will make up just 0.1% of sales in Europe, and sales will only take off after 2035.

There remain divisions about the technology's prospects in the global car industry, and even within auto groups.

VW's Audi unit might be researching fuel cells, for example, but Volkswagen group CEO Herbert Diess has been scathing about hydrogen-powered cars.

"The hydrogen car has proven NOT to be the solution to climate change," he said in a tweet this year. "Sham debates are a waste of time."

Stephan Herbst, general manager of Toyota in Europe, has a different view.

Speaking in his role as a member of the Hydrogen Council business group, which forecasts that hydrogen will power more than 400 million cars by 2050, Herbst said he was confident that now governments had set ambitious carbon-reduction targets, they would push hydrogen alongside battery electric cars.

"We strongly believe this is not a question of either or," he added. "We need both technologies."

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Netflix Inc has bought the works of Roald Dahl, including classics such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, in its latest content deal as the streaming service faces stiff competition from Disney+ and HBO Max.

The company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, which will give it full access to Dahl's works as well as animated and live action films.

The deal expands Netflix's existing licensing agreement with The Roald Dahl Story Co to create animated series based on the author's books. Struck in 2018, the agreement was reported to be among the biggest ever for kids programming at that time, worth between $500 million to $1 billion, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Read | Radhika Apte, Ali Fazal to host Netflix fan event 'TUDUM: India Spotlight'

As part of that deal, Academy Award-winning director Taika Waititi is already creating a series based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Netflix is also working on an adaptation of Matilda The Musical.

The British author, who died in 1990 aged 74, remains popular with young readers around the world and several of his books such as The BFG, Fantastic Mr Fox and most recently The Witches have been turned into movies and stage shows.

"As we bring these timeless tales to more audiences in new formats, we're committed to maintaining their unique spirit and their universal themes of surprise and kindness, while also sprinkling some fresh magic into the mix," Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Luke Kelly, Dahl's grandson and MD of the Roald Dahl Story Co, wrote in a blog post.

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IT services firm Mphasis on Wednesday announced the acquisition of US-based Blink for up to $94 million (about Rs 694.3 crore). Founded in 2000, Seattle-headquartered Blink provides design consultancy services around user experience (UX), user research-based software product design and strategy, and customer experience (CX) design for marquee brands.

With over 130 employees, Blink has additional studios in Austin, Boston, San Diego, and San Francisco.

"The acquisition closed on September 21, 2021 (PST) consequent to signing of the definitive agreement in nature of agreement for Plan of Merger between Mphasis Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company; a subsidiary of Mphasis Corporation; and Blink Interactive Inc," a regulatory filing said.

Total consideration of the transaction is up to $94 million, including earnouts, it added. The acquisition is expected to provide access marquee logos, strengthen experience business and is leadership and revenue growth accretive, it said.

Mphasis CEO and Executive Director Nitin Rakesh said customer centricity is foundational to Mphasis and is reflected in its Front2Back Transformation approach.

"The acquisition of Blink, consistent with our M&A focus, is in the forefront of providing well researched design and high impact digital experiences to our clients and their end customers, he added. The Total Addressable Market (TAM) for the upstream user research, strategy and design is growing 25-30 per cent per annum ie, 4-5x the overall IT services market, he noted.

"There is significantly increased focus on customer/ user centered design in the current environment. The synergy opportunity set will revolve around Product, Experience and Service design, as well as the end-to-end implementation services across the spectrum of clients and industries we service together, Rakesh said. Blink CEO Karen Clark Cole said designing products that people use, love and remember is always the company's mission.

"We are so thrilled to now have Mphasis' engineering skills as part of our core, providing end-to-end services for our clients and following our designs through to launch," Cole added.

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India is likely to allow a smaller gap between AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses for inoculations being carried out privately, in line with a court order, two sources told Reuters.

Private hospitals and clinics will give their paying patients the option to receive their second dose of the vaccine four weeks after the first, down from between 12 and 16 weeks currently, they said.

Earlier this month, the high court in the southern state of Kerala ordered changes in the health ministry's vaccine-booking platform to give people paying for vaccination this choice, which is already being offered to those flying abroad.

Also Read  UK revises travel advisory; Covishield gets clearance

"Since the high court has given a judgement, it will have to be done," said one of the sources. "For the government's programme, the ideal gap remains 12 weeks."

India doubled the gap between the AstraZeneca vaccine's two doses in May to make sure more people were inoculated with at least one dose when supplies were scarce at the height of the country's outbreak this year.

AstraZeneca recommends the second dose of its Covid-19 vaccine be taken four weeks after the first shot, but says on its website there is a "trend of increased efficacy with a longer than 4-week dosing interval". The World Health Organization recommends an interval of eight to 12 weeks.

Also Read  Centre considering reduction of gap between two doses of Covishield

The sources, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media, could not say when the changes will be implemented.

The Health Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

India's total vaccine output has trebled since May to 30 crore doses a month. Less than a quarter of the production is sold by private hospitals while the rest is provided by the government free of cost.

India has administered at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in 65 per cent of its 94.4 crore adults and two doses in 22 per cent of adults.
Representatives of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that are dependent on Ford India, which will cease operations in India next year, on Wednesday appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to provide assistance in the form of interest-free loans to offset the losses that they will incur due to the loss of business.

Some representatives said the government should intervene and hold talks with any prospective buyer to take over Fords Maraimalai Nagar plant to prevent loss of jobs for employees and loss of business for MSMEs. One entrepreneur suggested that the Tamil Nadu government should approach Mahindra to buy Fords factory and start manufacturing its vehicles.

Other concerns expressed related to raw materials that can be used only in products and the items that have been imported from other countries.

Representatives over 50 MSMEs that are based in and around Chennai voiced their concerns at a consultative meeting conducted by MSME minister T M Anbarasan and MSME secretary V Arun Roy. The minister had held talks with office-bearers of the Chennai Ford Employees Union last week.

Two companies said 80 per cent of their production catered to Ford and maintained that they will incur losses to the tune of crores of rupees if they dont find new customers in the next six months.

We can try other businesses. It is not a problem, but that will take a year. Until then, we need to pay our employees and we cannot fire them summarily. The government should arrange interest-free loans for us to run the show till then, an entrepreneur from Tirumudivakkam said.

After the meeting, Anbarasan said the department will collate all the information regarding demands made by the MSMEs to Chief Minister M K Stalin.

We will not leave them (MSMEs and employees in the lurch. We will extend every possible help to save the MSMEs. Only a few people said 80 per cent of their production is dependent on Ford, while a majority said only 30 to 50 per cent of their production capacity will be accepted. We are monitoring the situation closely, he said.

The minister said he has information that Ford has begun negotiations with its employees for a settlement after its announcement to exit India. We will intervene if the need arises, Anbarasan said in response to a question of whether the government will intervene in the issue.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, signed off last month on a new initiative code-named Project Amplify.

The effort, which was hatched at an internal meeting in January, had a specific purpose: to use Facebooks News Feed, the sites most important digital real estate, to show people positive stories about the social network.

The idea was that pushing pro-Facebook news items  some of them written by the company  would improve its image in the eyes of its users, three people with knowledge of the effort said. But the move was sensitive because Facebook had not previously positioned the News Feed as a place where it burnished its own reputation. Several executives at the meeting were shocked by the proposal, one attendee said.

Read | How Instagram has been bad for teenagers

Project Amplify punctuated a series of decisions that Facebook has made this year to aggressively reshape its image. Since that January meeting, the company has begun a multi-pronged effort to change its narrative by distancing Zuckerberg from scandals, reducing outsiders access to internal data, burying a potentially negative report about its content and increasing its own advertising to showcase its brand.

The moves amount to a broad shift in strategy. For years, Facebook confronted crisis after crisis over privacy, misinformation and hate speech on its platform by publicly apologising. Zuckerberg personally took responsibility for Russian interference on the site during the 2016 presidential election and has loudly stood up for free speech online. Facebook also promised transparency into the way that it operated.

But the drumbeat of criticism on issues as varied as racist speech and vaccine misinformation has not relented. Disgruntled Facebook employees have added to the furor by speaking out against their employer and leaking internal documents. Last week, The Wall Street Journal published articles based on such documents that showed Facebook knew about many of the harms it was causing.

So Facebook executives, concluding that their methods had done little to quell criticism or win supporters, decided early this year to go on the offensive, said six current and former employees, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisal.

Theyre realising that no one else is going to come to their defense, so they need to do it and say it themselves, said Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director.

Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson, denied that the company had changed its approach. People deserve to know the steps were taking to address the different issues facing our company  and were going to share those steps widely, he said in a statement.

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A woman has alleged that she was raped by a cab driver in Murugeshpalya of Jeevan Bima Nagar in East Bengaluru in the wee hours of Wednesday. The Jeevan Bima Nagar police nabbed the driver after the woman filed a complaint.

SD Sharanappa, deputy commissioner of police (East) formed three teams immediately after the complaint was registered. The accused was identified as Devarajulu, a native of Andhra Pradesh.

The woman, who lives in Murugeshpalya and works in a hotel in the city, said she had booked a cab from one of the taxi aggregators from HSR Layout to Murugeshpalya. The incident is said to have taken place right in front of her house.

Preliminary investigation by the police shows that there was an altercation between the victim and the driver. Devarajulu claims that he did not sexually abuse her. The cops also have some doubts about the incident like why no one heard the woman scream at the driver. They are trying to find out through investigation if issues regarding payment of the trip came up between the two.

S Murugan, additional commissioner of police (East) said, "The woman in her complaint said the incident happened between 3.30 am to 4 am in Murugeshpalya. She had booked a cab to return to her house from her friend's home. A case has been registered under IPC section 376 - Rape has been registered against accused, necessary action will be taken based on the investigation."

The accused works as a driver with a car owner who has attached the vehicle to the taxi aggregator. He has been in Bengaluru since the beginning of 2020. The woman has been taken to Bowring hospital for medical examination and the accused will also be subject to tests.

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The Ashrith Aspire apartment building, whose flat number 210 witnessed the tragic fire on Tuesday, has nearly 70 flats, inhabited by working professionals.

While most of the inhabitants are techies working at MNCs in Electronic City and the adjoining localities, a few flats are occupied by retired government officials and private company executives.

Most of the apartment dwellers, who had been working from home after the pandemic, had only recently begun to visit offices. And many were away at work when the fire broke out.

"The fire would have resulted in many more casualties but for the fact that many of the occupants had gone out for work, said a resident of the apartment.

Residents who gathered outside the apartment found themselves utterly helpless as Bhagya Rekha, 52, screamed for help and was burnt alive in the balcony of her flat. Her husband, Bheemsen Rao put himself in danger trying to rescue her and his mother-in-law Lakshmidevi but neighbours dragged him out. He suffered minor burn injuries in the process and was rushed to hospital.

Raos son-in-law Sandeep later filed a complaint about the incident at the Begur police station.

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Bhagya Rekha, 59, who died in the fire at her South Bengaluru flat on Tuesday, had returned from a US trip only on Monday.

Rekha and her husband Bheemsen Rao had spent six months with their daughter in the US before coming back home. They were still recovering from jet lag when the inferno engulfed their flats in the Ashrith Aspire apartment complex in SBI Colony, Devarachikkanahalli, around 4.15 pm, said Bommanahalli MLA, M Satish Reddy.

The family owns two flats  numbered 210 and 211  in the apartment, according to residents.

Read | Bengaluru fire: How work from office averted a tragedy

Rekha and her mother Lakshmidevi, 82  she also died in the fire accident  were busy cleaning the house as it had been unused for six months. Rekhas husband was resting at daughter Preeti Santoshs house located next door, the MLA said.

Reddy said Rekha rang up Preethi as soon as the fire broke out. Rao ran out and tried to enter his flat but the thick smoke and total darkness blocked his way.

Meanwhile, Rekha and Lakshmidev ran to the balcony in a desperate attempt to escape the raging flames. But the safety grille of the balcony trapped them, eventually snuffing out their lives, he added.

Its a tragedy. It was extremely disturbing to see the women struggling. No words can console the family, he said.

Reddy said he got the news during the assembly session and brought it to the chief ministers attention. The chief minister expressed shock and condolences. He was pained after seeing the video of the women struggling, Reddy said.

Five firefighting units from the Hulimavu fire station were dispatched to the apartment. It took more than two-and-a-half hours to douse the fire.

Bescom officials disconnected the power supply to the entire apartment and prevented further damage to life and property, said Karthik, a resident of the apartment.

Lakshmidevi and Rekhas charred bodies have been taken to St Johns hospital for post-mortem, which will be conducted on Wednesday.

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Streaming platform Netflix on Wednesday announced that south stars Venkatesh Daggubati and Rana Daggubati have signed on to feature in Rana Naidu, the Indian adaptation of acclaimed American TV series Ray Donovan.

The series will follow the life of Rana Naidu, the go-to guy for everyone in Bollywood when they have a problem.

Karan Anshuman of Inside Edge fame is the showrunner and the director for the show and Suparn Verma (The Family Man season two) will co-direct it.

The series, which will be in Hindi, will see the real-life uncle and nephew duo -- Venkatesh and Rana -- share the screen for the first time.

Rana, who has starred in Hindi films like Dum Maaro Dum and Baby, said he is thrilled to share screen space with his uncle Venkatesh.

"It's lots of special firsts for me. Working with my uncle Venkatesh and the first with Netflix in long-form storytelling that's completely different from what both of us have ever done in our careers. I'm extremely happy to be with a crew and a platform that knows this the best," the 36-year-old actor said in a statement.

It will be Venkatesh's first Hindi project since the 1995 film Taqdeerwala. The Telugu star made his Bollywood debut in 1993's Anari, opposite Karisma Kapoor.

Venkatesh said the series is the perfect project for him to collaborate with his nephew.

"I cannot wait to work with Rana, we are going to have a blast on-set and this show is the perfect project for us to work on. I am a huge fan of Ray Donovan myself and the entire team is pulling in all the stops to ensure we do justice to it," he said.

Monika Shergill, VP, Content, Netflix India said, they are excited to bring the powerhouse performers like Rana and Venkatesh for the first time.

"The series, Rana Naidu, will be a thrilling Indian adaptation of a record-breaking international show and will take the audience on a breathless ride with the dynamic duo," Shergill said.

The format rights are licensed by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

"We are thrilled to partner with Sunder Aaron of Locomotive Global Inc. and NETFLIX on this new version of 'Rana Naidu' (Ray Donovan) for the Indian market," said Roxanne Pompa, Vice President, Formats at ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

Sunder Aaron, Locomotive Global Inc, said this is going to be an extraordinary and thrilling show for the viewers.

"We are just getting rolling and cannot wait for the world to meet a new kind of Indian hero in Rana Naidu!," Aaron said.

It was announced in 2019 that Locomotive Global Inc had acquired the first scripted remake rights of Ray Donovan.

Featuring Liev Schrieber in the titular role, Ray Donovan debuted on Showtime in 2013 and ran for seven seasons. Schreiber is set to reprise his role of a professional fixer in the movie adaptation of the hit series.

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A Russian An-26 military transport aircraft with six people on board disappeared Wednesday near the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, the emergencies ministry said.

The ministry said that at 6:45 pm local time (0845 GMT) it learned that "an An-26 aircraft had disappeared from radar 38 kilometres (23 miles) from Khabarovsk airport".

"According to preliminary data, there are six people on board," the ministry added on its Telegram channel.

The ministry said that a helicopter had been dispatched to search for the aircraft.

The search, however, was complicated by the onset of darkness in Khabarovsk and "unfavourable weather conditions", the ministry said.

Once notorious for plane accidents, Russia has improved its air traffic safety record in recent years.

The country's major airlines have shifted from ageing Soviet aircraft to more modern planes.

But poor aircraft maintenance and lax safety standards still persist, and the country has seen several deadly air accidents in recent years.

In July, an An-26 aircraft flying over the Far Eastern Kamchatka peninsula with 28 people on board disappeared and crashed.

All 28 people on board -- 22 passengers, including two minors, and six crew -- died.

A month later, a Mi-8 helicopter carrying 16 tourists and crew on a sightseeing trip in Kamchatka crashed into a lake, killing eight people.

Antonov planes were manufactured during the Soviet era and are still used throughout the former USSR for civilian and military transport. They have been involved in a number of accidents in recent years.

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The annual conclave of the SAARC Foreign Ministers on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly in New York has been called off, as India and other members of the eight-nation bloc turned down Pakistans demand to allow an official of the Taliban government in Kabul to represent Afghanistan in the meeting.

The Foreign Ministers of the SAARC were expected to meet on the sideline of the 76th session of the UNGA in New York on September 25 next. But Nepal, which holds the presidency of the SAARC, informed the secretariat of the regional organisation that the meeting would not take place due to lack of concurrence among the members.

A source in New Delhi said that the meeting had to be called off as Pakistan had been insisting on allowing the Taliban government in Kabul to represent Afghanistan.

The Taliban returned to power in Kabul last month through a swift military campaign across Afghanistan, taking advantage of the withdrawal of troops by the US and its NATO allies. The militant organisation on September 8 announced an interim government in Afghanistan, with hardly any representation of the ethnic communities other than the Pashtun. It also had no representation of women or religious minorities of Afghanistan.

Read | India, France express 'grave concern' over Afghanistan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Friday said that the new regime in Afghanistan was not inclusive, had not been installed through negotiation and hence lacked legitimacy. He also urged the global community to tread cautiously on recognising the new regime in Afghanistan.

No other nation had so far recognised the government installed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Not only India, but all other SAARC nations too turned down Pakistans call for allowing an official of the Taliban government to attend the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the bloc in New York as a representative of Afghanistan.

The SAARC Foreign Ministers have been holding meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA sessions in the past, although the regional organisation remained caught in a stalemate since 2016.

Though a meeting was planned this year too, the differences emerged over representation of Afghanistan  one of the members of the organisation. The member nations had agreed that the chair of the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan would remain vacant during the meeting. But Pakistan of late started demanding that a Taliban government official must be allowed to represent Afghanistan. India and the other SAARC nations strongly rejected the demand of Pakistan, leading to the cancellation of the meeting.

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French officials said on Wednesday they had identified health workers suspected of leaking the vaccination status and personal details of President Emmanuel Macron.

The details of his "health pass", a QR code that acts as proof of vaccination or immunity and allows access to cafes and cultural life, has been shared on social media recently.

The health pass shared on social media also showed his full name and date of birth.

The data breach came after a similar mishap befell Prime Minister Jean Castex earlier this month, although his pass was snared using different means.

The national health insurance agency CNAM said the health professionals who had abused their access to Macron's details had been "identified" and they would now be referred to their oversight body for possible sanctions.

A presidential official who asked not to be named confirmed to AFP the authenticity of the health pass, saying health professionals had consulted the vaccine file of the president and circulated the data "either through negligence or malevolence".

All health professionals have access to the centralised computer system set up as part of the vaccination campaign, the official said.

Castex's QR code was shared on social media last week after internet users managed to scan it from a press photo where the premier was seen presenting his health pass.

Both Macron and Castex have since been given new QR codes.

The presidential spokesman said any citizen whose health pass had been leaked in this way could obtain a new one.

France in July made the health pass compulsory for access to cafes, restaurants and other services from July 21 on the orders of Macron.

Despite weeks of protests by opponents who consider it a violation of civil liberties, the pass is widely seen to have been a success, becoming an accepted part of daily routine and helping nudge the number of first-jabbed in France above 50 million.

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The United States plans to donate an additional 500 million Covid-19 vaccines made by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE to nations around the world, lifting the total the country is sharing to more than 1 billion doses, according to a source familiar with the plans.

President Joe Biden is hosting a virtual summit on Covid-19 on Wednesday and is likely to announce the new pledge then.

Earlier on Tuesday, Biden told United Nations General Assembly that the United States had put more than $15 billion toward the global response to Covid-19 in order to fund more than 160 million Covid-19 vaccines in other countries.

The US had already purchased 500 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and donated them through the global vaccine-sharing platform COVAX.

Vaccines had already landed in 100 countries, Biden said, adding he would announce additional commitments on Wednesday at a US-hosted global Covid-19 summit.

The United States is pushing global leaders to endorse its targets for ending the Covid-19 pandemic, including ensuring 70% of the world's population is vaccinated by the 2022, according to a draft US document viewed by Reuters.

US regulators could authorise a booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for older and some high-risk Americans this week, in time for the government to roll them out by Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to give the nod to the third shots for at least this group before advisers to the USc Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are due to meet on Wednesday.

As the gap widens between vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries, The World Health Organization has repeatedly implored the United States and other wealthy countries to hold off on plans to offer boosters and instead to use those doses to help inoculate the many people worldwide who have yet to receive their first doses.

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Dhurjoti Saha, the BJP candidate from Magrahat Poschim assembly seat in South 24 Parganas district who lost the April-May poll and was allegedly assaulted by TMC workers, died on Wednesday at a city hospital after being under treatment since the first week of May, the party and family members said.

Saha's wife and son have demanded CBI enquiry into the incident alleging that he had received serious head injuries in an assault by TMC workers on the day of the counting of votes on May 2.

Local TMC MLA Giasuddin Mollah when contacted said he does not know who assaulted Saha as he was inside the counting centre at that time. BJP MP Arjun Singh, who visited the hospital after Saha's death, said "He was beaten up by the henchmen of local TMC MLA after counting trends showed he (Saha) was trailing. He had to be admitted to the hospital the next day." Singh told newsmen that he was beaten up by the henchmen of the local TMC MLA after counting trends showed he was trailing and had to be rushed to hospital the next day.

Claiming that this was another instance of post-poll atrocities by TMC against its political opponents, Singh said BJP will soon take up the issue with National Human Rights Commission. Calcutta High Court had accepted the recommendations of an NHRC panel and on August 19 ordered a CBI probe into all alleged cases of heinous crimes like rape and murder that took place in West Bengal after the assembly poll.

Saha's wife alleged that he was assaulted outside the counting centre at Magrahat by three-four TMC activists close to the local Trinamool Congress MLA and police did not come to his rescue when he had sought their help. "He was taken home much later at the intervention of local BJP leadership and some residents of the area. He was rushed to the hospital when his condition deteriorated," she said.

Saha's son said the hospital had previously declared him fit and had even told the family to be ready for his discharge on Wednesday. But the family was suddenly informed in the morning that he had been shifted back to the intensive care unit and then informed them about his death. "We demand CBI probe into the incident and the arrest of those behind the attack," Saha's wife and son said.

The newly-appointed state BJP president, Sukanta Majumder said that Saha's death was "unfortunate". "We have information that he was attacked by TMC miscreants on the day votes were counted, which led to his death. This lowers the heads of the people of Bengal. A poll candidate had been attacked in Didi's (Mamata Banerjee's) Bengal. This shows how opposition BJP activists and leaders are being attacked since the day of counting," he said.

Hitting out at the ruling TMC, Majumder said the party is muzzling the people's voice in an "undemocratic manner". The people of the state are afraid to express their views openly in the TMC regime. The ruling party does not want people to exercise their franchise, he said. Referring to the September 30 by-poll in the state, Majumder, who was speaking to reporters, said "I will ask everyone to vote without fear, in a free manner. Vote for whoever you like and don't feel intimidated by any party."

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is among the contestants in the bypoll. She had lost to BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari, her former protege, in Nandigram and is seeking election from Bhabanipur seat in the city, from where she had won in 2011 and 2016, to continue in office as per rules. Continuing his criticism of Mamata Banerjee's party, Majumder said "TMC leaders are steeped in corruption everywhere, even in villages. They are demanding cut money for every project. "The Enforcement Directorate is sending invitation letters to some TMC leaders", the BJP leader said referring to the summons to TMC heavyweights by the central agency in recent times but did not elaborate.

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A court in Bihar's Madhubani district has levied a unique condition for granting bail to a man accused of attempted rape - to wash and iron the clothes of 2,000 women.

Additional Sessions Judge, Jhanjarpur, Avinash Kumar placed this condition for bail to Lalan Kumar, a native of village under Laukaha police station.

Defence lawyer Parshuram Mishra said: "Lalan tried to rape a woman of his village in the night of April 17. The victim had lodged an FIR against the accused a day later and he was arrested on April 19. Since then, he has been in jail."

"We filed a bail application in the ADJ court. During the hearing of the case, the judge, in view of his good behaviour in jail and apology in the court, has given bail to my client on the condition of washing the clothes of 2,000 women of the village, and pressing them, before handing them over to respective women," he added.

The court has also sent the copy of bail to village head Nasima Khatoon to keep a tab on his daily free service. Lalan Kumar will have to purchase detergent powder, soap, and irons."This was a great decision by the court. it will give a message to respect women and also create guilt in the mind of men having anti-female nature," Nasima Khatoon said.

"I will personally monitor the daily work of the accused to implement the court order. Our village has 425 women and every woman will give clothes in rotation until the 2,000 number is achieved," she added.

She will submit her report of Lalan's assigned service, which he has to complete in six months, and then obtain certificates from her and the local police station to submit in the court.

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Hilsa, the darling of fish lovers across West Bengal, could make it to more households this year, with neighbouring Bangladesh announcing higher export quantity of the silver crop.

The Bangladesh government will ship 30 per cent more Hilsa fish to India ahead of the festive season starting with Durga Puja, an official said.

Hilsa from the Padma river is a much sought-after delicacy for fish lovers and the neighboring country will export about 2,000 tonnes of the silver crop as against 1,400 tonnes last year, he said.

The first shipment of around 20 tonnes of the Padma-Meghna river variety is expected to be available in local markets by Thursday or Friday, an office bearer of the West Bengal Fish Importers Association said.

The size will likely be between 800 gm and 1,500 gm and the price upwards of Rs 1,500, traders said.

Hilsa, considered a nonpareil delicacy when fried, smoked or cooked in mustard sauce, typically travels up the rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Irrawaddy from the Bay of Bengal during the rainy season to spawn.

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Indian travellers vaccinated with two doses of Covishield will still have to undergo 10 days of quarantine in the UK even as the vaccine has been approved under the revised British guidelines for travel, according to UK officials.

They said the main issue is vaccine certification and not the Covishield vaccine and that both India and the UK are holding talks to mutually resolve the matter.

Referring to the latest guidelines issued by the UK government that will come into effect on October 4, the officials said on Wednesday that London does not have any problem with the Covishield vaccine but there are certain issues related to vaccine certification in India.

They said the UK is engaging with the government of India to explore how it could expand its recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India.

Read | Covishield added to UK travel advisory, but Indians to follow non-vaccinated rules

Quoting new guidelines, the officials said Indian travellers to the UK must follow the "non-vaccinated rules" set out by the authorities.

India had on Tuesday warned of "reciprocal measures" if the UK does not address its concerns over the new travel rules relating to Covid-19 vaccine certification with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla describing these norms as "discriminatory".

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also took up the issue of Covishield-vaccinated travellers being required to quarantine in the UK with newly-appointed British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss at a meeting in New York on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the UK government added Covishield, the Indian-manufactured Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, to an updated international travel advisory.

"The UK is committed to opening up international travel again as soon as is practicable and this announcement is a further step to enable people to travel more freely again, in a safe and sustainable way, while protecting public health," a spokesperson in the British High Commission said.

"We are engaging with the Government of India to explore how we could expand UK recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India," the official said.

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While five Chief Ministers have been dropped due to low popularity ratings as shown by the IANS CVoter tracker, data suggests that the chief ministers of Haryana and Rajasthan too are on a slippery ground.

The BJP recently changed the chief ministers in Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttarakhand.

In the case of Uttarakhand, the chief ministers were changed twice this year. The Congress too followed suit by recently replacing its chief minister in Punjab.Two other 'unpopular' chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were ousted after the Assembly elections held earlier this year.

Read | Rahul, Priyanka inexperienced; will field candidate against Sidhu in Assembly polls: Amarinder

Yashwant Deshmukh, Founder-Director, CVoter International, said, "The ratings of IANS CVoter tracker have been vindicated across the board. While two CMs of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were voted out by the people, the BJP had the wisdom to change its CMs in Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. The Congress has also gone for a change in Punjab."

"Next on the radar are the chief ministers of Haryana and Rajasthan -- Manohar Lal Khattar and Ashok Gehlot, respectively -- whose ratings have been consistently bad," Deshmukh added.

Deshmukh said it shows that scientific data and public pressure has meaning and trackers like IANS CVoter fill in the blanks in the perception battle. Earlier this year, IANS CVoter had shown that 7 out of the 10 least popular chief ministers were from the BJP.

In the case of Uttarakhand, the BJP is back in business after the appointment of Pushkar Singh Dhami as the Chief Minister.

The IANS CVoter tracker shows that after his appointment in July, the popularity ratings have improved and the BJP has good chances now in a three-cornered contest in Uttarakhand. While the BJP appointed Tirath Singh Rawat as the CM in March, his popularity had continued to plunge.

Therefore, in a course correction, BJP had to change two chief ministers in quick succession. In the case of Karnataka, the public are giving the benefit of doubt to new Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai. The only achievement as of now is that the public anger has been taken away by replacing B S Yeddyurappa.

The 'don't know' and 'can't say' category is dominating in Karnataka's perception battle as people are still getting to know the new CM.

The BJP changed Vijay Rupani with Bhupendra Patel as CM in Gujarat recently. There was a lot of anger during the Covid phase in April-May. Things started improving for Rupani from June as the BJP cadres lifted their spirits buoyed by the visits from the top leadership.

The damage control led to Rupani's ratings improving, but the BJP sensed that it had hit a plateau and the kind of lead it is used to in Gujarat would be an uphill task.

The BJP needs 15-20 per cent edge over the Congress in vote share in Gujarat. Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh of the Congress was in the bottom three among CMs for a long time. Data from the tracker suggests that he had to go and probably the Congress took too much time to make it happen.

Next on the radar, as per the data, could be Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, as the 'not at all satisfied' category of people is very high in the state and has been consistently so. Similar set of data show that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot may also be on the radar.

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Ahead of polls in six states including OBC-dominated Uttar Pradesh next year, RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday raised the pitch for caste census and asked for breaching the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations if the population of SCs, STs and OBCs was found to be more than half of the total.

Addressing a training camp of his party workers online, Prasad on Wednesday said he was the first one to raise the demand for caste census and had made the demand on the floor of the Parliament.

He said his demand is for the welfare of all, SCs and STs included.

Quotas have been decided taking into account a census conducted before Independence. We must have a fresh estimate of the population of different social segments. The existing quotas have been insufficient. And even these are rarely filled, resulting in huge backlogs. Let there be a fresh caste census and all get quotas in proportion to their population. If it needs breaking of the 50 per cent barrier, so be it, Prasad said.

Read | Cast(e) this idea away

The issue of caste census could resonate in Bihar, a state of social justice movement and caste politics.

A joint delegation of Bihar led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi a while ago, seeking a caste census. Prasads son Tejshwi Yadav was also part of the delegation.

At least three NDA allies  JDU, RPI(A) led by Ramdas Athavale and Apna Dal led by Anupriya Patel have also joined the caste census bandwagon.

The issue of caste census has created a huge buzz in the run-up to the polls. While the two national parties, BJP and Congress have been wary of taking a categorical stand on the issue, the regional parties like SP, BSP, RJD, INLD, BJD, NCP and some others have raised the pitch in favour.

On September 3, Congress set up a special group headed by senior party leader M Veerappa Moily to "study the matters related to caste census" with immediate effect.

Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah, an architect of AHINDA (loosely defining minority communities, backward classes and Dalits) politics, had already made a strong pitch for a nationwide caste-based census and demanded that it should be undertaken once every 10 years to ensure social justice.

Senior party leaders Salman Khurshid, Mohan Prakash, RPN Singh and P L Puniya (from Uttar Pradesh) and Kuldeep Bishnoi and party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi are members of the committee. In UP, where polls are expected in March next year, both Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have already backed caste census.

BJP is keen to not be seen opposing the OBC sentiment even as the government has said no to such a move while the Opposition parties from the socialist background in Hindi states like Bihar and UP are up to exploit this dilemma of the ruling party.
Tension erupted after AIMIM posters came up, calling Sambhal the land of the "ghazis", an apparent reference to Islamic warriors.

The BJP strongly objects to the posters, after which these were removed by workers of the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

The posters were spotted ahead of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisis meeting in Sirsi, where he took on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his "abba jaan" remark.

Adityanath had made the comment in an apparent reference to the Muslim community and the Samajwadi Party, asserting those who say "abba jaan" used to digest the ration earlier.

Also Read | 5 Hindu Sena members held for vandalising AIMIM chief Owaisi's residence in Delhi: Police

Owaisi said he was the "abba" (father) and "chacha" (uncle) of the poor and week.

Objecting to the posters terming Sambhal as "ghaziyon ki dharti", BJP vice-president (UP wester unit) Rajesh Singhal said the place has never been the land of the "ghazis".

"This is an election stunt of Owaisi and we will not allow them to succeed in their intentions. None of the cities in India belonged to the 'ghazis' and we will not allow them to become one."

He added that Sambhal is a place of mythological importance.

"In the Puranas, Sambhal finds mention in connection with the Kalki incarnation (of Lord Vishnu). If Sambhal is mentioned as the land of the 'ghazis' in the Quoran, then I will quit politics."

Meanwhile, Owaisi in Sirsi said people of Uttar Pradesh will not make Yogi Adityanath the chief minister of the state for the second time.

In an apparent reference to the Yogi Adityanaths "abba jaan" remark, the AIMIM leader said, "Owaisi is the father of the poor and weak in UP. Owaisi is the brother of women. I am your 'abba' (father) and 'chacha jaan' (uncle)."

The AIMIM chief further said the SP and the BSP fought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections together but were able to win only 15 seats while a majority of the seats were bagged by the NDA.

"In the Lok Sabha elections, we did not field a single candidate, yet we are blamed that they (SP-BSP) got only 15 seats. They should come on a stage and have a one-to-one debate on this," Owaisi said.

He also sought to know as to how many Muslims got a card under the Antyodaya scheme or of any other scheme in Uttar Pradesh.

"In Uttar Pradesh, 54 per cent of the Muslims are poor," he said.

The AIMIM had recently announced that it would contest 100 seats in the state Assembly polls next year by tying up with Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha.

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Jammu and Kashmir government headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Wednesday terminated service of six more government employees without holding any enquiry for their alleged involvement in anti-national activities.

They include two constables of J&K police, two teachers, a senior officer of the forest department, and an employee of Roads and Buildings department.

The dismissals were greenlit by a committee headed by Jammu and Kashmirs chief secretary Arun Kumar Mehta. The cases are referred to the committee by a Special Task Force (STF) chaired by J&Ks intelligence chief which was set up in April this year.

These employees were dismissed under Article 311 of the Constitution under which no inquiry is held and dismissed employees can only approach a high court for relief.

In April, the J&K government had announced the formation of a STF to bring under the scanner government employees allegedly involved in anti-national activity. The STF has been empowered to compile records of such employees and refer them to the committee constituted on July 30 last year.

So far on the recommendations of the committee, two dozen government employees, including two sons of Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahudin and tainted deputy superintendent of J&K police, Davinder Singh, who was chargesheeted by the NIA for providing support to the Hizbul, have been dismissed from the service.

A senior officer in J&K General Administration Department (GAD) said the termination of employees is an ongoing process.

For future appointments, the J&K government has already made the rules stricter wherein anybody joining the service will be subjected to CID verification which will unravel whether the fresh recruits have links in anti-national and anti-social activities.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said his visit to the United States would be an occasion to strengthen the Indo-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and consolidate ties with Japan and Australia.

In a statement just before leaving for the US, Modi said he will conclude his visit with an address at the United Nations General Assembly focusing on the pressing global challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, climate change and other important issues.

Read | PM Modi congratulates Canada PM Trudeau on election win

Modi emplaned for the United States this morning with his office tweeting a picture of him just before boarding the plane for the US where he will take part in a wide range of programmes.

"I will be visiting the USA from 22-25 September, 2021 at the invitation of His Excellency President Joe Biden of the United States of America. During my visit, I will review the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with President Biden and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the prime minister said.

"I am also looking forward to meeting Vice President Kamala Harris to explore opportunities for cooperation between our two nations particularly in the area of science and technology," he said.

At the invitation of @POTUS @JoeBiden, I am visiting USA to continue our dialogue, and exchange views on areas of mutual interest. Also looking forward to meet @VP @KamalaHarris to discuss global issues and explore ideas for cooperation between .  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2021

Modi said he will participate in the first in-person Quad Leaders' Summit along with President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Premier Yoshihide Suga

The Summit provides an opportunity to take stock of the outcomes of the Quad leaders' Virtual Summit in March this year and identify priorities for future engagements based on our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

Read | Modi-Biden bilateral meet will strengthen India-US relation, boost Quad, says White House official

"I will also meet Prime Minister Morrison of Australia and Prime Minister Suga of Japan to take stock of the strong bilateral relations with their respective countries and continue our useful exchanges on regional and global issues," Modi said.

"My visit to the US would be an occasion to strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the USA, consolidate relations with our strategic partners -- Japan and Australia -- and to take forward our collaboration on important global issues," he said in his departure statement.

The Afghan crisis and its implications, China's growing assertiveness, ways to stem radicalism and cross-border terrorism and further expansion of India-US global partnership are expected to be the central focus of the first in-person meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Biden in Washington on September 24.

At a media briefing on the prime minister's visit to the US, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday said the developments in Afghanistan will be extensively discussed in the bilateral talks between Modi and Biden and the Indian side will convey that Washington needs to continue focus on that country.

Shringla said Modi will also participate in the Covid-19 global summit being hosted by President Biden.

After concluding his engagements in Washington, Modi will travel to New York on the evening of September 24 and address the 76th session of the UN General Assembly the next day.

The prime minister is also scheduled to meet a number of top executives of major American companies.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave New Delhi on Wednesday for a visit to the United States.

The Prime Ministers visit to Washington DC and New York is going to be his second foreign tour after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had visited Bangladesh on March 26 and 27  almost a year after the pandemic forced him to suspend all overseas tours. He will return to New Delhi on Sunday.

Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington DC on Friday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla told journalists in New Delhi.

This is going to be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Biden took over as the US President on January 20. They, however, spoke to each other over the phone in February and April. Both the leaders also took part in several plurilateral video conferences over the past few months.

A senior official of the Biden Administration told journalists in Washington DC that the Prime Ministers meeting with the US President would be an opportunity for the two sides to further strengthen the global partnership between the two nations, which shared the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. They will discuss ways to step up bilateral cooperation to deal with Covid-19 and the climate crisis.

They will also discuss counterterrorism cooperation and the situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban returned to power last month through a military campaign taking advantage of the withdrawal of the US troops.

The Prime Minister will also attend the first in-person summit of the Quad on Friday. The summit will be hosted by the US President and attended by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia.

Modi will address the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the headquarters of the international organization in New York on Saturday.
A day after strongly condemning the 'narcotic and love jihad' statement of a bishop in Kerala, Chief Minster Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday further countered the bishop's contention by presenting figures and facts regarding the narcotic cases accused and Malayalis who joined extremist outfits.

Vijayan said that among those accused in the narcotic cases in 2020 in the state, 49 per cent were from Hindu community, 34 per cent from the Muslim community and 15 per cent from the Christian community. The involvement of members of Muslims in the narcotic cases in Kerala was only proportional to their population.

He also pointed out that a majority of the 100 odd Malayalis who joined ISIS were from the Muslim community. Among them, 72 were attracted to ISIS and other extremist outfits after going to other countries for jobs. Among the 28 Malayalis who crossed borders to join IS from Kerala, only five were non-Muslims. Two women among them were married to Christian youths. Probes into some specific allegations of Hindu women marrying Muslim youths were also found to be baseless.

Read | Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan condemns 'narcotic jihad' remark

Vijayan said that these facts disprove the remarks of the bishop that jihadis were trying to destroy non-Muslims through 'love jihad' and 'narcotic jihad'.

On questions whether the government would ask Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, bishop of Pala in Kottayam district, who made the controversial remark, to withdraw it, Vijayan said that the government would look into all such aspects. He also said that at present, there was no need for an all-party meeting as demanded by the opposition parties.

Muslim outfits in Kerala on Wednesday demanded that the bishop withdraw the remark. A meeting of representatives of Muslim outfits maintained that the government should have convened an all-party meeting to discuss the situation and sort out it. Religious leaders should keep off from making statements that hurt religious sentiments, the meeting observed.
Pariss tiff with Washington DC, Canberra and London over the AUKUS has now hit Indias plan to elevate the level of a trilateral coalition it launched with France and Australia for strategic convergence in the Indo-Pacific region.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has withdrawn from a proposed trilateral meeting, which he and his Indian and Australian counterparts, S Jaishankar and Marise Payne, were scheduled to hold in New York on Wednesday.

The meeting was cancelled, however, Jaishankar has already held separate bilateral meetings with both Le Drian and Payne.

The trilateral meeting was cancelled after Paris conveyed to New Delhi that French Foreign Minister would not hold any engagement with his counterpart from Australia.

France is upset over the recent move by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States to launch a new trilateral security alliance, AUKUS, to counter hegemonic and expansionist aspirations of China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The AUKUS is intended to focus on cooperation on development of joint military capabilities and defence technology sharing. It has been launched with the professed objective of creating a framework for the US and UK to support Australia in acquiring a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The launch of the AUKUS triggered sharp reaction from Macrons Government in Paris, as it scuttled a $37 billion deal inked in 2016 for France to provide Australia 12 conventional submarines.

Paris already recalled its envoys from Canberra and Washington D.C.

The senior diplomats of India, Australia and France in September 2020 had launched a new trilateral dialogue, signalling strategic convergence among the three nations in Indo-Pacific region amid growing belligerence of China. It had been elevated to the level of the Foreign Ministers during a meeting in London on May 4 this year. Tacitly sending out a message to China, they had agreed to work together with a range of partners to promote the rules-based maritime order based on respect for sovereignty and international law.

The Foreign Ministers of the three nations had also agreed to elevate the trilateral coalition further and take it to the level of the leaders.

The diplomats of the three nations were in touch over the past few months to discuss possibility of a meeting among Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and French President Emmanuel Macron.

But Pariss tiff with Canberra over the AUKUS however put the plan in jeopardy.

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In a bid to ensure equitable vaccination accessibility, Villoo Poonawalla Charitable Foundation and Kineer Services launched Parivartan Ka Teeka (literally translating to vaccination of change), to vaccinate members of the transgender community across India free of cost over the next six months.

Kineer will organise camps across 200 centres of Apollo Hospitals and NGOs as well as individuals can register themselves at vaccination camps in their vicinity. The initiative also hopes to raise awareness and seek to empower the community against Covid-19.

In a statement, Jaswinder Narang, CEO, Villoo Poonawalla Charitable Foundation said, The only way we will come out of the pandemic is by ensuring that each one of us is fully vaccinated and immunised. The initiative is a step towards making vaccination accessible and affordable, and fortifies our objective of inclusive healthcare for all.

Activist Laxmi Tripathi, Kineer Services said, We, at Kineer Services are overwhelmed by the support extended by Villoo Poonawalla Charitable Foundation to make vaccines equitable and accessible for the transgender community. The initiative is an effort to fight the pandemic and make sure that no one is left behind.

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The UK governments new Covid-related travel rules which consider travellers from India who have got both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine as "unvaccinated" lack reason and logic. Such travellers are required to undergo 10 days of quarantine on arrival in the UK. The restrictions have been criticised as discriminatory, even "racist". Under these rules, only those who have got both shots of specified double-dose vaccines, including the AstraZeneca vaccine, under an approved vaccination programme in select countries, will be deemed fully vaccinated. India has been left out of this list of countries for reasons that have not been made public fully. As a result, Indians who have received both doses of Covishield, the name given to the AstraZeneca vaccine in India, will be deemed unvaccinated.

After the rules became controversial and invited a warning from India of "reciprocal measures," UK officials have said that Britain does recognise the Covishield vaccine but has doubts over the vaccine certification in India. Double-vaccinated Indians have to quarantine because of "vaccination certification issues. This is difficult to understand because there is a standard procedure for vaccination in India using the official CoWin portal and no one can procure a certificate without going through this process. Indian officials have stated that the CoWin system is WHO-compliant and there are no issues with certification. Questioning the certification process amounts to questioning the integrity of Indias vaccination process. It should also be noted that only the UK has raised this issue. The European Union has left it to its member countries to take a decision on vaccination certificates from India. Accordingly, a number of countries, including France, have recognised Covishield and the Indian vaccination certificate, and travellers from India are cleared in these countries without hassle.

The UK restrictions will inconvenience large numbers of Indians, including students and professionals, who travel to the UK. India had taken up the matter with the British government at the highest levels. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla had raised the issue with the UK authorities. There has been continuous diplomatic engagement over it. The British High Commission had said that it was working with India on the recognition of Covid-19 vaccine certificates issued by Indian authorities, but there is as yet no sign of any change in Britains position. The UK position has the potential to adversely affect bilateral relations, and it should reconsider it immediately.
Delhi University enjoys the stature of an Institute of Eminence in the Indian educational set-up. In less than a year from now, the university, established in 1922 with just four colleges, will celebrate its 100th Foundation Day. Its motto is Nishta Dhriti Satyam, which translates to mean dedication, steadfastness and truth. With some 6.5 lakh students (conventional and distance-mode) enrolled across more than 500 programmes and over 90 colleges affiliated to it, DU stands out as a premier institute of higher learning.

It is this prestigious university with its rich history that has now decided to drop some inconvenient truths from its syllabus. Of those erased from the BA (Honours) syllabus is the late Dhaka-born author Mahashweta Devi, a winner of the Jnanpith award, the Padma Vibhushan, the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration, the Sahitya Akademi award for Bengali writers and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts.

The axe has fallen on Mahashweta Devis short story Draupadi, which is a raw, chilling and explicit story of a tribal woman brutalised by Indian security forces. The English translation from the Bengali original by post-colonial theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak has now been dropped from the BA (Honours) course, stirring a controversy after 15 Academic Council members protested, but a rival group endorsed the change. The changes were ordered by DUs Oversight Committee, which also dropped from the syllabus the works of two Dalit writers, Bama Faustina Soosairaj and Sukirtharani. The changes, and their enthusiastic endorsement by the DU administration, have led to new fears of political control on academia and what this might mean for an education system that is already under strain.

This is not the first time that political considerations are determining what the universities should teach, or which books should be banned. But the action this time is blatant, and worse, is explained away in equally blatant language on what these stories do to Indias image. Consider the DU registrar saying that the gruesome details in the sexual assault of Draupadi in the story are uncomfortable and also show the Indian forces in a very poor light. We dont want our students to hate them (Indian security forces) based on fictional stories, he has been quoted as saying.

Later, in a signed statement, the DU registrar Vikas Gupta said: The university subscribes to the idea that the literary content forming part of the text in a language course of study should contain materials which do not hurt the sentiments of any individual and is inclusive in nature to portray a true picture of our society(this) is important for young minds who imbibe the content

The university statement has come in for severe criticism. Three members of the Delhi University Academic Council and the Delhi University Teachers Association said the administration was complicit in the unethical and the unacademic chopping of authors.

Among other changes, two poems by the Dalit poet Sukirtharani and selections from Bamas Sangati were excluded from the syllabus. Some 1,500 writers, academics, artists and celebrities who petitioned DU against the step argued that these writings are essential readings, noting that Bama and Sukirtharani articulate the lived experience of being Dalit women in contemporary India. They illumine how caste oppression colludes with modes of patriarchy to produce gendered oppression and exploitation. The dropped writers were part of a core paper of the final year English (Honours) syllabus, titled Womens Writings that aims to explore past and contemporary lives of women in India and elsewhere.

Both Bama and Sukirtharani are Tamilian Dalit authors, and are therefore important for a central university, located in Delhi, to teach the regional diversity of contemporary India. They also bring out the complex, discriminatory socio-cultural realities of India, both past and present.

Another text that has been removed is a feminist reading of the Ramayana, which had been part of a DSE (Discipline Specific Elective) paper titled Pre-colonial Indian Literature. The universitys Oversight Committee has instructed the English department to replace Chandrabatis Ramayana with Tulsidas. Chandrabati, who lived in what is now Bangladesh, is believed to be the first Bengali woman poet. Chandrabati wrote a woman-centric version of the Ramayana, which has been translated into English by the noted academic Nabaneeta Dev Sen. Little is known about the author, except that her version of the Ramayana is believed to be sung even today by peasant women in Bangladesh. But Chandrabatis work is a unique example of looking at the Ramayana from Sitas point of view, and it also comes well before works that questioned the undisputed place of Lord Rama in India. Nineteenth century Bengali poet Michael Madhusudhan Dutt, who followed some 300 years after Chandrabati, challenged the position of Rama over Ravana. The Lankan monarch is the hero of Dutts works and not portrayed as a demon king. His Meghnad Badh Kavya about the killing of Ravanas son Meghnad, while he is unarmed and worshipping at a Lankan temple, is portrayed as an act of cowardice by Ramas brother Lakshmana.

Lionising Ravana is not new in India. While his effigies are burnt across the country on Dussehra, his devotees worship at the five temples dedicated to Ravana in India.

The village Ravangram in Vidisha has one of the most famous temples of Ravana, whose wife Mandodari is believed to be from the place. There is also a temple at Mandsaur, where they are believed to have been married. Both Vidisha and Mandsaur are in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

In her original introduction to the collection of stories, of which Draupadi is one, Mahashweta Devi wrote: Life is not mathematics, and the human being is not made for the sake of politics. I want a change in the present social system and do not believe in mere party politics. It is the misfortune of DU to have to show that the system isnt changing and politics will rule, more forcefully and blindly than ever before.

(The writer is the Managing Editor of The Billion Press) (Syndicate: The Billion Press)
The Karnataka government has adopted a secular policy towards all illegal religious structures in the state  whether they be temples, mosques, churches or gurudwaras, among others -- by granting them protection from demolition even if they are built on public land, including roads, junctions and parks. The stated objective of the Karnataka Religious Structures (Protection) Bill, which was passed by the Assembly, is to protect communal harmony and not to hurt the religious sentiments of the public. However, the real objective is to negate an order of the Supreme Court which had directed demolition of all unauthorised religious structures across the country. Karnataka had identified 6,300 such constructions. Though the demolition drive has been slow-paced over the years, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar had recently sent a reminder to deputy commissioners to hasten the process, following a nudge from the High Court. While structures belonging to different communities were being razed across the state, the demolition of a temple in Nanjangud led to a controversy, with BJP MP Pratap Simha communalising the issue. This also gave the opposition a stick to beat the BJP government with, considering that the demolitions occurred under the watch of the party that claims to be the custodian of Hindus.

While Simha threatened to launch a save temple agitation, some office-bearers of the Hindu Mahasabha declared that when even Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated for being anti-Hindu, it would not be difficult to mete out the same treatment to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The decision of the government gives rise to suspicion that it buckled under pressure and threats from such fringe elements. The Bill is self-defeating in many ways. For one, it could come in the way of infrastructure projects like roads, as clearing illegal religious structures will now be impossible. Besides, it also ties the governments hands with regard to encroachment of forest lands, lakes or civic amenity sites in the name of religion. The question also arises if the Bill will really save those religious structures that are currently lined up for demolition as one contradictory clause in the Bill states that no protection shall be granted to a structure if any case relating to its removal is pending in any court of law. In the instant case, the matter of demolition of most structures are pending before court.

While the Bill states that no protection will be granted to illegal structures in the future, the message it sends out is the opposite. The Bill sets a bad precedent and virtually gives a carte blanche to those who have encroached upon public land by building a religious structure.
For half a billion years or so, our ancestors sprouted tails. As fish, they used their tails to swim through the Cambrian seas. Much later, when they evolved into primates, their tails helped them stay balanced as they raced from branch to branch through Eocene jungles. But then, roughly 25 million years ago, the tails disappeared.

Charles Darwin first recognised this profound change in our ancient anatomy. But how and why it happened has remained a mystery.

Now a team of scientists in New York say they have pinpointed the genetic mutation that may have erased our tails. When the scientists made this genetic tweak in mice, the animals didnt grow tails, according to a new study that was posted online last week.

This dramatic anatomical change had a profound impact on our evolution. Our ancestors tail muscles evolved into a hammock-like mesh across the pelvis. When the ancestors of humans stood up and walked on two legs a few million years ago, that muscular hammock was ready to support the weight of upright organs.

Although its impossible to definitively prove that this mutation lopped off our ancestors tails, its as close to a smoking gun as one could hope for, said Cedric Feschotte, a geneticist at Cornell University who was not involved in the study.

Darwin shocked his Victorian audiences by claiming that we descended from primates with tails. He noted that while humans and apes lack a visible tail, they share a tiny set of vertebrae that extend beyond the pelvis  a structure known as the coccyx.

I cannot doubt that it is a rudimentary tail, he wrote.

Since then, paleoanthropologists have found fossils that shed some light on this transformation. The oldest known primates, dating back 66 million years, had full-fledged tails that they likely used to keep their balance in trees. Today most living primates, such as lemurs and almost all monkeys, still have tails. But when apes appeared in the fossil record, about 20 million years ago, they had no tail at all.

This question  wheres my tail?  has been in my head since I was a kid, said Bo Xia, a graduate student in stem cell biology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

A bad Uber ride in 2019, in which Xia injured his coccyx, brought it back to his mind with fresh urgency. It took me a year to recover, and that really stimulated me to think about the tailbone, he said.

To understand how apes and humans lost their tail, Xia looked at how the tail forms in other animals. In the early stages of an embryos development, a set of master genes switch on, orchestrating different parts of the spine to develop distinctive identities, such as the neck and the lumbar region. At the far end of the embryo, a tail bud emerges, inside of which a special chain of vertebrae, muscles and nerves develop.

Researchers have identified more than 30 genes involved in the development of tails in various species, from an iguanas long whip to the stub on a Manx cat. All of these genes are active in other parts of the developing embryo as well. Scientists are still learning how their unique activity at the end of an embryo gives rise to a tail.

Xia reasoned that our ancestors lost their tail when mutations altered one or more of these genes. To search for those mutations, he compared the DNA of six species of tailless apes to nine species of tailed monkeys. Eventually, he discovered a mutation shared by apes and humans  but missing in monkeys  in a gene called TBXT.

TBXT was one of the first genes uncovered by scientists more than a century ago. At the time, many researchers searched for genes by zapping animals, plants or microbes with X-rays, hoping that mutations would create a visible change.

In 1923, Russian geneticist Nadezhda Dobrovolskaya-Zavadskaya X-rayed male mice and then allowed them to breed. She found that a few of them gained a mutation that caused some of their descendants to grow kinked or shortened tails. Subsequent experiments revealed that the mutation was on the TBXT gene.

The mutation that Xia discovered had not been observed before. It consisted of 300 genetic letters in the middle of the TBXT gene. This stretch of DNA was virtually identical in humans and apes, and was inserted in precisely the same place in their genomes.

Xia brought the finding to his supervisors, Itai Yanai and Jef Boeke, to see what they thought. I nearly fell off my chair, because it is just a stunning result, Yanai recalled.

To test the idea that the mutation was involved in the disappearance of our tail, Xia and his colleagues genetically engineered mice with the TBXT mutation that is carried by humans. When these embryos developed, many of the animals failed to develop a tail. Others only grew a short one.

Xia and his colleagues propose that this mutation randomly struck an ape some 20 million years ago, causing it to grow just a stump of a tail, or none at all. Yet the tailless animal survived and even thrived, passing on the mutation to its offspring. Eventually, the mutant form of TBXT became the norm in living apes and humans.

The scientists said that the TBXT mutation is not the sole reason that we grow a coccyx instead of a tail. While the mice in their experiments produced a range of altered tails, our coccyx is almost always identical from person to person. There must be other genes that mutated later, helping to produce a uniform anatomy.

Even if geneticists are beginning to explain how our tail disappeared, the question of why still baffles scientists.

The first apes were bigger than monkeys, and their increased size would have made it easier for them to fall off branches, and more likely for those falls to be fatal. Its hard to explain why apes without tails to help them balance wouldnt have suffered a significant evolutionary disadvantage.

And losing a tail could have brought other dangers, too. Xia and his colleagues found that the TBXT mutation doesnt just shorten tails but also sometimes causes spinal cord defects. And yet, somehow, losing a tail proved a major evolutionary advantage.

Its very confusing why they lost their tail, said Gabrielle Russo, an evolutionary morphologist at Stony Brook University in New York who was not involved in the study. Thats the next outstanding question: What on earth would the advantage be?

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The number of illegal foreigners living in Karnataka is over twice as many as those whose visa has expired, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra has told the Legislative Assembly.

According to written replies tabled by Jnanendra in the Assembly, Karnataka has 683 illegal foreigners. However, foreigners with an expired visa living in Karnataka are just 260.

This either suggests Indias porous borders or poor data keeping on the part of the state government.

Of the 683 illegal foreigners or immigrants, only 53 have been identified as Bangladeshi nationals, Jnanendra said. A majority of these 683 foreigners are in Bengaluru (619). A total of 112 cases for various offences have been lodged against them.

Jnanendra said the government had filed 88 cases against foreigners whose visa has expired since 2019. Also, 103 such foreigners have been deported. Some are kept in a detention centre as directed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

To control the illegal stay of immigrants, a Special Task Force (SPF) has been constituted in every city and district. Personnel belonging to the SPF and the police are constantly working to identify illegal immigrants, Jnanendra said, adding that lookout circulars are issued against immigrants who are on the run.

The presence of foreigners is also linked with the drugs business, Jnanendras written replies suggest. In this connection, police stations have been asked to track information on foreigners and special operations are conducted to take strict action against those who are indulging in [drugs].

Ganja haul

The number of ganja addicts has risen since 2019, according to government data. Authorities arrested 1,217 ganja addicts in 2019, which rose to 2,943 in 2020 and 3,255 till August this year.

The government arrested 2,526 ganja sellers last year and 1,758 so far this year.

Of all the cases booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act last year, 2,751 are before the court and this figure is 2,065 this year.

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Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah was just minutes into his speech on the Mysuru gang-rape case in the Assembly when Karnataka Congress president walked up to him and whispered into his ears.

It was a confidential message.

"Oh, yeah?" Siddaramaiah blurted. And the secret was out. The Congress leader's dhoti had slipped down from his waist.

"My dhoti has slipped," Siddaramaiah announced, launching into an almost self-deprecating laughter. "I will continue my speech after I fix it."

This light-hearted episode lasted a little over two minutes, giving the Assembly a much-needed break from monotony. And, Siddaramaiah who is known for his humour, made full use of it.

With Siddaramaiah having gone back to his seat to tie his dhoti back up, former Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar could not hold back his thoughts. "Our party president DK Shivakumar tried to keep it discreet to save the party's honour, but Siddaramaiah told the whole world about it," Kumar quipped. "Shivakumar's efforts went in vain."

Also read: Govt will ensure death penalty in Mysuru rape case: Bommai

BJP MLA Kumar Bangarappa, officiating in the Speaker's chair, was uncontrollably laughing.

Kunigal MLA HD Ranganath, a back-bencher, pointed out that Siddaramaiah need not worry as the treasury benches were empty.

Siddaramaiah went on to explain that he had trouble with his clothes of late as he had put on some weight, especially after he tested positive for Covid-19 in August last year. "My dhoti never slipped before. But after Covid, I put on some 4-5 kg weight. My belly has really bulged. My dhoti just doesn't stay," he said.

Incidentally, it was on September 22, 1921, that Mahatma Gandhi made a vow to stick to dhoti and shawl as his attire, to connect with the masses of the country.

"Some people wear a single piece of cloth that stretches down till their toes," Siddaramaiah said. "They neither wear a lungi nor a pant." His long kurta saved the day. "I got it stitched expressly for protection when such things happen."

Meanwhile, jumping into the humourous banter, Rural Development Minister KS Eshwarappa asked Siddaramaiah if he needed help with his dhoti. Siddaramaiah's quick response was that he wouldn't take help from the ruling party and, if needed, he would rely on his own partymen.

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The University of Ulster's Magee campus in Derry marked an historic first for the North this week when it welcomed 40 students to the regions first ever Bachelor of Science (BSc) Honours Paramedic Sciences programme.

With funding support from the Department of Health, the new three-year course will be based within multi award-winning School of Nursing on the Magee campus.

The course is being offered by the university to support the development of the paramedic profession in the North and wider afield.

Until now, students here wishing to become paramedics have had to travel to the Republic or across the Irish Sea to complete a BSc Honours programme in paramedic science.

The first cohort of students ranges in age from school leavers to people in their 40s.

They come from a wide range of backgrounds from those embarking on a change of career from accountancy to insurance; to those working in similar fields: ambulance care assistant, lifeguard, emergency medical dispatcher and humanitarian.

A specially designed simulated ambulance - the only one of its kind in the region - has been custom- built on the Magee campus so that students have access to the best simulated learning experience in order to hone their skills and confidence to excel in their future role.

Through frequent experience and learning inside the exact replica of an ambulance, coupled with 60 weeks practice-based learning with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and a range of other hospital and community-based experience in the other health and social care trusts and independent sector partners, they will learn a wide range of skills - meaning that in emergency situations they will be able to provide the very best care to people in most need of it.

The students will also have access to a wealth of specially designed training spaces from a hospital ward, simulated bedrooms and living room recreated on campus, to clinical skills rooms and a wide range of the latest equipment, to set them up for success in their chosen field.
Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has welcomed the progress of the Autism Bill but warned that the Executive in Stormont must ensure that the money is there to support it should it be passed.

The amendment to the 2011 Autism Act was proposed in a Private Members' Bill from DUP MLA for South Antrim, Pam Cameron.

Should the Bill progress all the way to receiving Royal Assent, the amendment will bring in the creation of an Autism Reviewer post, whose role will include scrutinising the effectiveness of the autism strategy, funding and commissioning of independent research.

Other initiatives that the Bill, if passed, will put into place will be to see the development of new Autism training opportunities for Northern Ireland Departments and other public bodies.

An early intervention service is also within the Bill which would create an accessible autism information service for autistic people, their families, carers and professionals.

While Mr Durkan welcome the Bill passing its second stage in the Assembly he expressed concern that the finances needed to implement it across the north of Ireland had to be put in place the moment the amendment to the Autism Act of 2011 is fully in place.

The SDLP MLA said: This is a vital piece of work and I hope it will provide a springboard towards the creation of a more equal, supported and fulfilling environment for individuals with autism, their families and their carers.

I feel to crux of this legislation is the provision of early intervention services which is in dire need of transformation. Currently there are over 4,500 children waiting for an ASD diagnoses across the North.

Thats thousands of children and their families left without support, struggling in a class of their peers without the assistance they desperately need. Its clear the current system has failed each and every one of them.

And while early intervention is key, it needs to be backed up by an autism strategy which explicitly examines a new funding model.

So, while I agree with the sentiments of this Bill and the ambitious ideas set out on paper, to put those plans from paper into practice  to deliver real change and benefit peoples lives requires the provision of adequate funding from the Executive. The outworkings of the autism strategy cannot be left battling for financial support at every juncture.

No comprehensive conversation on autism can be had without acknowledging the toll the last 18 months has taken on people with autism and their families. Lockdown and its aftermath has undoubtedly impacted on all our lives but for those living with autism, this period has been wrought with unimaginable challenges.

A system which establishes the needs of autistic individuals and their families to cope with the repercussions of Covid-19 and beyond is vital.

As a society we have made leaps in improving support and developing our understanding of the needs of people with autism- yet we are nowhere near the finish line.

The envisaged future of an enlightened, inclusive society depends on the creation of communities where those with autism their families and carers can feel understood- whether thats in their education, access to supported housing or finding suitable employment.

I am under no illusion that this framework is a panacea but it is a start. As autism advocate Dr Stephen Shore succinctly puts it, 'If youve met one person with autism, youve meet one person with autism'.

As such, it is important that any autism strategy for the north takes into account of individualised needs. It must retain inbuilt flexibilities as we grow and learn as a society in our understanding of autism.

If we all show just a little more compassion and awareness of how autism can affect others, we can make great strides in making autistic people feel safe, secure and included in our communities.

This Bill is a step in the right direction and I look forward to its implementation.

Sinn Fein MLA for Foyle, Ciara Ferguson, also backed the Bill's progress adding: I welcome progress on the Autism amendment Bill in the Assembly.

This legislation will help improve services for children and adults with autism right across our society.

We are working to see delivery of a long-term autism strategy which is shaped by families, carers and people with autism to tackle waiting lists and ensure proper support is in place at all stages of life.

Sinn Fein will meet with the Department of Health to discuss efforts to deliver on that and to discuss the interim autism strategy that they launched earlier this year.
Fresh out of the Bigg Boss OTT house, winner Divya Agarwal bags a role in Prabhas starrer Salaar

After Divya Agarwals Bigg Boss OTT win, the actress seems to be ready for bigger milestones. News is that the actress has been roped in to be a part of Prabhas led pan Indian film Salaar being helmed by KGF fame filmmaker Prashanth Neel. While Shruti Hassan is the leading lady in the project, it has been reported that Divya will be seen in a key role in the project which is currently under production.

ALSO READ: Bigg Boss OTT: Divya learnt about Sidharth's demise moments before the finale; Neha recalls his visit on the show with Shehnaaz

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Prabhas (@actorprabhas)

Divya walked out of the Bigg Boss OTT house on Saturday with the winners trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 25 lakhs. She beat finalists Nishant Bhatt, Shamita Shetty, Raqesh Bapat and Pratik Sahejpal to win the title for the first even digital season of the reality show. She has been busy giving interviews and celebrating her win since and if the news of her casting in Salaar turns out to be true it will be another big reason for her fans to rejoice.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Divya AmarSanjay Agarwal (@divyaagarwal_official)

ALSO READ: Bigg Boss OTT: Varun Sood, Rannvijay pose with Divya Agarwals trophy; latter reveals plans for her prize money

At the very onset of the Bigg Boss OTT season, Divya had told Karan Johar how she was one of the background actors in his film Student of the Year and it has been quite a journey to success for her since. While the news of her casting in Salaar is big there has been no official confirmation from the makers of Divya regarding the same. There is however a lot of buzz about it on social media.
Raj Kundra pornography case: Court says element of inducement which is prime in cheating cases missing; read deets

A local court, while granting bail to businessman Raj Kundra, a key accused in a pornographic films case, noted that the element of inducement, which is the prime ingredient in cheating offences, appears to be missing from the case presented by the prosecution. Kundra (46) was granted bail on Monday and a detailed order of the court was made available on Tuesday.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S B Bhajipale, in the bail order, also said all servers, laptops and mobile phones of the accused persons and their companies were already in custody of the police and hence there was no possibility of tampering with evidence.

Kundra and his associate and co-accused Ryan Thorpe were granted bail by the court on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each. Kundra, the husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, and Thorpe were arrested by the Mumbai police's crime branch on July 19 in the case which relates to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through mobile apps. They were booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.

The magistrate said all other co-accused in the case are out on bail and hence the applicant (Kundra) cannot be kept behind bars till conclusion of the trial. If the statements of the witnesses are perused then the element of inducement, which is the prime ingredient of cheating, appears to be missing from the case of the prosecution, the court said in its order.

The police had claimed Kundra and the other accused had lured small-time and struggling actors with a promise of roles in small movies and had later forced them into acting in pornographic films and subsequently uploaded the adult content on mobile apps.

The court, in its bail order, noted that the offences under which Kundra has been booked are not punishable for more than seven years. It further said the police have already filed a charge-sheet in the case. The businessman and Thorpe were named in a supplementary charge-sheet filed by the police in the court last week.

It is better to mention here that the trial will take its own time and, in such circumstances, it will not be proper to keep the accused in custody, when they are ready to furnish surety for their appearance and to abide by the conditions imposed by the court, the order said.

The court, while granting bail to Kundra, directed him not to leave India without its prior permission and not to threaten any witness in the case. Kundra, lodged in the Arthur Road jail in central Mumbai under judicial custody, walked out of the prison shortly after 11.30 am on Tuesday after completing requisite formalities.
Shehnaaz Gill to resume shooting of Honsla Rakh opposite Diljit Dosanjh by the end of this month?

It is known to one and all that Shehnaaz Gill had been roped in for Diljit Dosanjh's next Punjabi film, titled Honsla Rakh. The shoot of the film is also complete and the makers had planned to film a promotional song on 15th September. But, little did they know that Shehnaaz will suffer a major personal loss. Actress' Bigg Boss 13 co-contestant and rumoured fiance, actor Sidharth Shukla passed away on 2nd September after suffering from a massive heart attack. Shehnaaz has been recovering from this irreplaceable loss. Now, it looks like she is ready to spring back.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shehnaaz Gill (@shehnaazgill)

According to a report in ETimes, the actress might shoot the promotional song by the end of the month itself. Producer Diljit Thind told the portal, We are waiting for her to recover and heal from the grave loss. We had originally planned to shoot the song on September 15 in London, but that couldnt happen because of obvious reasons. We will finalise a new date soon and would want Shehnaaz to be a part of it, too, as she is an integral part of the film. I am in touch with her manager and hoping that she will contact us in a few days.

Shehnaaz's condition wasn't too great after Sidharth's sudden demise, as reports had claimed. But it is also being said that with SIdharth's mother by her side, she is recovering from the loss.
Tiger Shroff starrer Heropanti 2 is about modern problems, reveals writer Rajat Arora

Earlier this week, Bollywoods handsome hunk Tiger Shroff jetted off to London with his beautiful co-star Tara Sutaria to shoot for their much awaited action entertainer Heropanti 2. The actor began his journey in the Hindi film industry with the first installment of this film, opposite Kriti Sanon, and is now ready to take the story forward. Well, according to latest reports, Heropanti 2 is going to be very different from any of the films Tiger has been a part of before.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tiger Shroff (@tigerjackieshroff)

In a chat with Bollywood Life, Heropanti 2s writer Rajat Arora revealed, It's a very modern, very up-to-date film, very different from what we have done so far. We have tried to make it about modern problems and give it modern solutions, whatever is happening around us today. It's not like some of Tiger Shroff's other popular films (which were mentioned off the record in the interview), it's very different from them.

Tiger and Tara will be reuniting on the big screen for the second time after the latters debut film Student of the Year 2. While fans are excited for Tara and Tigers reunion, they were initially bummed that Kriti is not a part of the project. Well, Tiger and Kriti later revealed that they will be joining forces for Ganapath. So no complaints there because we now have two exciting films to look forward to!
Kansas City Irish Festival 2021

News

The Consulate team was delighted to return to Kansas City Irish Festival this year, where we hosted a Pop-Up Consulate. Following last years Fest where you are, the Festival successfully moved entirely outdoors for Labor Day weekend, the first in-person festival in our region since 2019.

The festival, which began in 2003, is a major gathering for the Irish American community in the Midwestern region of the United States and celebrates Kansas Citys unique Irish heritage and culture. This year, the three-day festival included musical performances, Irish dance groups and some fantastic Irish comedy. The Government of Ireland proudly supported it again this year through the Emigrant Support Programme.

The Pop-Up Consulate was again set up in the Kansas City Irish Centers Cultural Cafe, where we answered attendees questions about visiting Ireland, Irish citizenship, the Irish passport service and much more.

The wonderful Kansas City Irish community and the Fest team did a brilliant job, working hard in such uncertain times to ensure a safe and successful celebration of all things Irish in Kansas City.



The Brownes family and the CG Austin team.

As always, we received a warm Irish welcome from Kerry Browne and her family at Brownes Irish Marketplace.

Brownes Irish Marketplace is the oldest Irish business in North America founded in 1887 and a central point within the Irish community. It is also our favourite place to stock up on all of our favourite Irish treats from home!

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Annual Robert Emmet Commemoration (Washington DC, September 2021)

Speech

I am happy to be here this morning to commemorate Robert Emmet and his legacy, part of which is the century-long independence of the sovereign republic I have the honour of representing in the United States. One of the highlights of my career in the Irish diplomatic service came in April 1998 when I was present in Belfast for the signing of the Good Friday Agreement which has bequeathed a generation of peace to the people of Northern Ireland. The preservation of peace and the promotion of reconciliation through the institutions of that agreement is front and centre in the Irish Governments approach to Northern Ireland. In recent years, our governments priority has been to protect the agreement from fallout from Britains decision to leave the European Union. The Good Friday Agreement provides for Irish unity by consent and there is provision for the holding of a referendum on the subject when the time is right for this. Both Governments are committed to accepting the outcome of such a referendum.

To return to the subject of this mornings commemoration, on account of the quick suppression of the rebellion organised by Robert Emmet, who was executed in Dublin 218 years ago tomorrow, he ought not to have a hold on our historical imagination, but he has. Why is that? It has to do with the power of words, which are especially important for politically-disadvantaged peoples like the 19th century Irish and their kin here in the United States.

Robert Emmets famous Speech from the Dock reverberated in this country almost as soon as its powerful words were uttered. This may have had something to do with Emmets evocation of George Washington  I wish to procure for my country the guarantee which Washington procured for America, but it was probably the out-and-out demand for independence that mattered most to the Irish community in this country. Irish American newspapers like Shamrock kept Emmets memory in the minds eye. It was not only Irish Americans who were familiar with Emmets powerful words: Abraham Lincoln knew his speech by heart.

There is a record of Emmets speech being performed by a Mrs Hamilton, an Irish immigrant in a New York theatre in 1806, just three years after Emmets death. It is said that some 20 writers produced plays with Emmets life as their subject, many of those works originating in America with titles like Robert Emmet: The Martyr for Irish Liberty and The Rebels: the Insurgent Chiefs of 1803. These were not dramatic writing of the highest order, but their emergence testifies to Emmets enduring appeal to Irish Americans.

There were Emmet societies across America, including in Savannah where a Robert Emmet Association was formed in 1877, where it brought together the upwardly mobile members of the Irish community. On a recent visit to Montana, I visited the cemetery in Butte which has an imposing monument to the leading members of the local Robert Emmet Literary Association, which was an affiliate with the Irish American Fenian organisation, Clan na Gael.

In the 1850s, two exiled members of the Young Ireland movement, Michael Doheny and John OMahony, formed the Emmet Monument Association, which was a precursor of the Fenian Brotherhood. As one historian has put it, the only monument the Association intended to erect was an independent Irish republic.

My point is that Irish America became a staunch source of support for political movements in Ireland and Robert Emmet was perhaps the most potent symbol of Irelands political aspirations that were shared and often shaped by Irish American influence.

A point to bear in mind is it was not just Fenianism that attracted Irish American support, although, more than any other Irish political movement, it was an Irish and American joint venture. Movements such as Repeal in the 1840s, the Land League in the 1880s, the Gaelic League and the Home Rule movement also enjoyed significant Irish American support.

Emmets nephew, also named Robert Emmet, a New York lawyer and political activist, was a leading figure in the American Repeal movement and later in the Irish Republican Union, set up in 1848 to promote revolutions for the establishment of republican governments throughout Europe. Much later, another Emmet, New York physician, Thomas Addis Emmet, Robert Emmets grandnephew was elected President of the Irish National Federation of America, a body dedicated to supporting Home Rule. And in 1917, Colonel Robert Temple Emmet, was part of a delegation that met British Foreign Secretary to urge Britain to offer Ireland a generous settlement. Irish American lawyer, John Quinn said at that time that the Irish question had in a sense become an American question and that Ireland was the one outstanding obstacle to complete and cordial relations between the US and Britain. In his report back to London Balfour stressed the capacity of Irish Americans in the absence of a settlement in Europe to cause dissension and mistrust between the United States and Great Britain.

It is clear to me from the late 19th century onwards, as US power in world affairs increased, the spectre of Irish America and its potential to complicate Britains relations with America weighed heavily on British Ministers, and not just during the period after 1916, but also during the Home Rule crises.

That 19th century tradition of Irish American concern for Irelands fortunes has continued to benefit independent Ireland this past century. From the 1970s onwards, Irish Americans were instrumental in breaking down official reticence in Washington about US involvement with Northern Ireland. That involvement turned out to be a critical ingredient in advancing the cause of peace and political agreement in Northern Ireland.

And in our day, Irish Americans have been influential in encouraging American support for an open border in Ireland. That was critical in securing agreement last year on the Northern Ireland protocol, an agreement that guarantees an open border in Ireland in perpetuity. Our focus now is on ensuring that the Protocol is properly implemented so as to ensure that the open border does not come under pressure in the future. In that respect, we will continue to look to Irish America to support the cause of peace and political progress in Ireland.

As the Irish writer, Shane Leslie, a supporter of Home Rule but not of outright independence, once wrote of Robert Emmet: His nation made his name their battle cry, his sorrow their sorrow, his glory their glory. Nowhere was that more apparent than in Irish America where, as Leslie also wrote during a visit to America, the Irish in America remembered Robert Emmet and knew where they stood. It is great to see that Irish Americans continue to remember Robert Emmet and, with the support of the National Parks Service and the Smithsonian Institution, he is fittingly commemorated here in the heart of Washington DC.

Daniel Mulhall is Ireland's Ambassador to the United States.

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Minister Byrne signs EU Transparency Pledge as part of Conference on the Future of Europe

Press release

The Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, T.D., has joined a number of his fellow EU Ministers and Members of the European Parliament in signing an EU Transparency Pledge. The pledge comes ahead of the launch of the 2nd European Citizens Panel of the Conference on the Future of Europe, taking place in Strasbourg this weekend.

Led by the Ministers for European Affairs of Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands, the pledge calls for a European Union that is accountable, effective and transparent and which engages and involves EU citizens. The pledge commits the signatories to take steps to ensure the EU decision-making process becomes more open so that citizens can better follow how decisions are made in the EU.

Speaking following the signing of the pledge, Minister Byrne said:

I am very pleased to sign this transparency pledge on behalf of Ireland. In recent years, the EU and its Institutions have shown an increased commitment to pursuing the principles of transparency and accountability. However, there is still more that can be done so that citizens can better follow the EUs democratic processes, and understand how decisions affecting their lives are made.

The EU should also set a strong example internationally as having an effective, inclusive and transparent decision-making process. I would encourage citizens taking part in the Conference on the Future of Europe to engage in the discussions on how the EU can foster a higher degree of transparency in its work.

Suggestions and ideas as to how the EU can become more transparent can be made on the Conference platform, www.futureu.europa.eu, which is open to all European citizens.

ENDS

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Everyone has fond memories of their indestructible Nokia phones. While the brand was the foremost phone manufacturer around the turn of the century, it lost most of its market to smartphones manufactured by the likes of Samsung, and Apple - and then newer brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and more. If you like classic underdog stories, youll be glad to know that Nokia is planning to launch its latest smartphone offering, the Nokia G50, along with a new tablet, the Nokia T20.

Nokia G50 specifications

While the official specifications havent been revealed, you can bet that theres already a lot of speculation on the same. If rumors are to be believed, the Nokia G50 will have a MediaTek Helio G80 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM. The smartphone will also feature a 6.8-inch HD+ display along with a 48MP primary shooter. It is also believed to have a 4,800 mAh battery. Leaks indicated that branded Nokia TWS headphones will be sold along with the smartphone.

Nokia T20 Specifications

The brand has not revealed much about the Nokia T20 tablet, apart from the fact that it will have a 10.3-inch screen, and will be priced at Rs 16,300 and Rs 17,800 for the Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + LTE models respectively. Now, based on these pricings, one can certainly compare similar tablets to speculate on the features the Nokia T20 will offer. Experts believe that the tablet may feature either a chipset from Unisoc or the Snapdragon 4xx SoC processor. Theyre also expecting 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

Will these new offerings from Nokia help the brand regain its lost smartphone market? Wait till our official reviews to find out!

Also Read: Nokia C20 Plus with Android 11 Go Edition launched in India: Price, specifications and availability
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Photo by Brian Miller [enlarge] Looking east on 47th, where The M has a KeyBank on the corner. (The crane peeking out is for a student housing project now replacing the former University Christian Church at 50th.)





The M, at 4700 Brooklyn Ave. N.E., has sold for a little over $137.7 million, according to King County records. The buyer was GEDR Brooklyn LLC, associated with Greystar, which already manages the 24-story student housing tower. Public records indicate a large loan from Fannie Mae, sourced though Capital One.





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Photo by Newmark [enlarge] Alexandria bought its SLU site before the Great Recession, and didnt begin construction for another nine years.





A 70% stake in the 400 Dexter Ave. N. building, mostly leased to Bristol-Myers Squibb, will trade for about $364 million, according to broker Newmark. King County hasn't yet recorded the pending deal.





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BOISE, Idaho (AP)  State officials on Tuesday rejected an investment firm's request to reconsider its massive land swap proposal involving state land in and around McCall for timberland in northern Idaho.

Republican Idaho Gov. Brad Little and other members of the Idaho Land Board voted 5-0 against the request by Trident Holdings to rescind an August rejection letter from the Idaho Department of Lands.





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The finalists for Blas na hEireann 2021 have been announced and the countdown is on for the awards weekend which will take place virtually again this year on October 2nd.

The awards seek to reward the very best, not just in their category but to highlight the best of local as well, including an award for Best in Louth which is supported by LEO Louth.

Now in their 14th year, the team at Blas na hEireann have worked harder than ever this year to make sure the awards went ahead, moving the blind-tasting judging system from the campus in UCC to Dingle to work within Government guidelines and the constraints of social distancing.

With the blueprint for this new system developed last year, the team were able to seamlessly ensure the judging was handled with the same care and attention as always.

Especially important in a year where we have seen a record entry level from producers right across the island.

The finalists shortlisted from Louth across a range of different categories are Alltech Beverage Division IRE Ltd., Carlingford Oysters, Coffee and Food equipment ltd., Drummond House Garlic, East Coast Bakehouse, Hilton Foods, McEntee's Tea, Merci Beaucoup cakes, Morgans Fine Fish, Natures Best and Pearse Lyons Brewing & Distilling.

We are delighted that once again County Louth will be represented at the Blas na hEireann awards by 11 local food businesses, following the announcement of this years finalists, says Thomas McEvoy, Head of Enterprise at Louth LEO.

Over the years, Louth food businesses have enjoyed great success at these prestigious Irish food awards along with the benefits of having their products associated with the Blas accreditation.

Were delighted to announce the finalists for 2021 and chuffed to see so many new products being entered into Blas na hEireann this year.

"Last year was new territory for us but the team here did tremendous work to make sure the awards went ahead and the sense of community that we experienced over the virtual awards event was just brilliant. says Chairperson, Artie Clifford.

We saw a large increase in entries this year and these new producers have really raised the bar across all categories and will allow us to introduce new producers to the buyers and press whom we work with which is really exciting.

The awards will be announced over the course of the day on October 2nd on the Blas website www.irishfooodawards.com and across social media channels and while the Blas family will miss welcoming everyone to Dingle, the team and the wider Blas community will gather virtually and make sure #Blas2021 trends all day!

The Blas team are also working on an exciting line up of online presentations and workshops as part of The Blas Backyard which is supported by Bank of Ireland and Taste4Success.
Bank of Ireland have announced that multiple community and arts projects in Louth and Meath will be supported by them under a new funding initiative.

Bank of Irelands Begin Together funds will see over 825,000 worth of funding placed into community and arts projects across Ireland, with suicide prevention and LGBTQ+ support receiving funding in Louth.

According to the bank, community projects who receive the funding will receive up to 20,000 for projects spanning literacy and wellbeing, alongside mental health, diversity and inclusion.

For arts projects, they can receive up to 10,000 in funding to support new works in music, theatre, dance, traditional art and visual arts.

Projects being supported by Bank of Ireland in Louth include:

Declan Gorman, Sharon McArdle, Luca Truffarelli and Cara Holmes, Prison Notebooks, Louth, which is a new solo performance play based primarily on the journals and writing of Dorothy Macardle while she was imprisoned during the Irish Civil War

Autism Support Louth & Meath runs a project called Fitness Friends which enables participants with autism to take part in a variety of different activities, each week, with the main goals of building fitness as well as developing social skills and self-confidence.

Outcomers Drogheda is an independent, support organisation providing a confidential drop-in space, information, integration and advocacy for LGBTQ+ adults in the Drogheda area.

SOSAD Ireland works to raise awareness and help prevent suicide in Ireland through six offices in Cavan, Louth, Meath, and Monaghan, and through their helpline.

The funding received will help the group to expand their online crisis messaging service and provide support for non-English speakers, including Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian and Polish people.
Now is our time to shine. Its time for women in business and enterprise across Louth to step into the limelight and shine exclaims Louths 2021 Leading Light Sarah McKenna.

Sarah, a ceramist from Dundalk, was selected by Louths Local Enterprise Office to be their Leading Light for National Womens Enterprise Day 2021.

Based in Bridge Street Studios, Sarahs pottery uses patterns and text to subtly say the little things that people want to tell each other.

They are designed to be meaningful and bring joy to others.

But look beyond the artist and youll see that Sarah is also a business woman, selling her own creations since 1999.

Whether youre in technology, finance or services, craft, food or manufacturing, getting the fundamentals of your business right really matters.

"Thats why Im inviting women all across Louth to attend National Womens Enterprise Day 2021" Sarah said.

Sarah Mallon from Louth County Councils Local Enterprise Office explains: This free event is open to women thinking of starting a business or already running one. Its also open to women who are working in senior roles in Irish business, whod like to know more about the supports available to help them grow their business.

Sarah McKenna said: The free online event, titled Build The Future, takes place on Thursday, 7th October.

"It features some of Irelands best known female entrepreneurs including Aimee Connolly of Sculpted by Aimee, Rachel Doyle of The Arboretum and Sharon Keegan of Peachy Lean, who was recently supported on Dragons Den UK.

She continues: The event will focus on how to build the future for your business. Topics include how to get started, driving efficiency in business, winning new clients, selling online, sustainability and innovation. There will be networking sessions and a host of one-to-one advice clinics. Its a really valuable experience for any woman in business so dont miss it.

Sarah Mallon concludes: Dont delay, visit www.localenterprise.ie/ nwed to book your place for National Womens Enterprise Day on Thursday, 7th October.
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Healthcare workers should get recognition for their contribution to the fight against Covid-19 through additional pay and annual leave, according to their unions.

Unions representing healthcare workers have called for immediate talks with the HSE on recognition for healthcare workers efforts during COVID, following a Labour Court recommendation today.

SIPTU, Forsa, and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation had raised the issue at the Labour Court, which today called on all parties to begin effective engagement to resolve the matter.

Unions are seeking some form of tangible recognition for healthcare workers contribution to the fight against COVID.

In other countries across Europe, this has taken the form of additional pay, annual leave, or a bonus.

Tony Fitzpatrick, Chair of the Staff Panel of trade unions in the health sector, said: We welcome the Labour Courts recommendation today. Unions have consistently sought meaningful meetings with the HSE on this issue.

"The Court recognised the 'extraordinary efforts of health workers throughout the pandemic'. They have called on all parties to 'make every effort possible' to begin 'effective engagement' to 'achieve clarityat the earliest possible opportunity.'

"Trade unions are available to meet immediately to do exactly that.

This is a simple matter of justice for our members. They have made incredible sacrifices and taken huge risks throughout the pandemic. It is time for the HSE and government to recognise their efforts meaningfully, as has been done in other countries across Europe," he said.

The national staff panel of health care workers unions represents members of the INMO, SIPTU, Forsa, IMO, MLSA, UNITE, CONNECT, and the craft group of unions.
ALBUQUERQUE  The identity of Billy the Kid is shrouded in some level of mystery, unless you ask the three towns in three states that claim to host the gunslingers grave.

A New Mexico filmmaker who has become one of the legends biggest fans is planning a different way to argue whos right. And Michael Giudicissi expects to get The Final Trial of Billy the Kid to cause some disagreements.

The story of Billy the Kid has been transformed and pulled and twisted for 140 years, Giudicissi said. If anybody comes away with a conclusion thats different from the film, thats their right. But they will be doing it in spite of the evidence and not because of it.

Filming begins next week on the dramatic portion of the Final Trial docudrama  courtroom scenes at the former federal courthouse on the campus of Albuquerques Amy Biehl charter school.

The documentary portion of the film features interviews filmed late last year with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Billy the Kid historian and TV personality Steve Sederwall, various law enforcement officers, authors, and politicians. Some believe the gunslinger is buried in Fort Sumner, while others believe The Kid was John Miller (buried in Prescott, Arizona) or Brushy Billy Roberts (who has two graves in Hamilton, Texas).

I didnt quite know how to approach it with COVID setting in, Giudicissi said. The initial concept was this was going to be a documentary as to why we have four graves in three cities. Past the worst part of COVID, it seemed reasonable we could film again and I wanted to show this trial aspect. I want to show what the evidence is.

The film, set for release in early 2022 on streaming platforms, is a joint production of Mankind Productions and Dyor Productions. Giudicissi helms the project as writer and director while Royd McCargish steps in as executive producer. The project employs around two dozen New Mexico cast and crew members.

The film stars Thomas Fears as Brushy Billy Roberts, Kelly Kidd as Sheriff Pat Garrett and Ryan Knudsen as attorney Carvin Aldine.

The trial will determine which story stands up, and Giudicissi said the court aspect certainly changes narratives.

You see how little supports, really, all of the stories, said Giudicissi, who has so far completed two films and authored three books on Billy the Kid. Theres evidence for all of them, but theres not a lot. Almost everything people call evidence is hearsay and handed-down stories, which cannot be relied upon in a court of law.

At first, the plan was to film the courtroom scenes at the Lincoln County Courthouse, but Giudicissi said a long permit process inspired location scouting in Albuquerque. Two locations were found  the old federal courthouse in the charter school, and the former Bernalillo County Courthouse. Better Call Saul has priority at the latter site, so the decision was made to film during the charter schools fall break.

Giudicissi said he knows the verdict, but that nobody else involved knows at this point.

It will be written and handed to the judge five minutes before we film the verdict scene of the trial, Giudicissi said.

Next month, Mankind Productions will release 30 Seconds in Hell, a ghost story retelling of the shootout at the OK Corral.

Giudicissi said he has two more ideas for films related to Billy the Kid in 2022, but which one he does depends on the seed money the upcoming two films generate.
By the Staff of The News

SANTA FE  A virtual hearing has been scheduled for next week regarding the August suspension of the Floyd school board.

Two separate Zoom meeting links have been issued to board members by the Public Education Department, with both the Sept. 29 and Sept. 30 sessions scheduled for 9 a.m. Each session is expected to run six to seven hours.

The hearing is afforded board members following their Aug. 4 suspension. The public notice of the hearing said since school board suspension is the topic, the hearing may be posted online at facebook.com/nmped.licensurehearings.

The board voted in its July 26 meeting to make PED-mandated COVID-19 mitigation practices  including face coverings and social distancing  optional at Floyd Schools. Then-Secretary of Education Ryan Stewart warned the board would be suspended if it did not rescind that vote.

The board chose not to do that in an Aug. 1 special meeting, instead putting Superintendent Damon Terry on administrative leave to shield him from fallout and sending a communication arguing the PED had no right to suspend board members.

Stewart suspended the board and reinstated Terry, and later appointed Stan Rounds to act on the school boards behalf during the suspension.

Damian L. Martinez of the Mynatt Martinez Springer law firm will act as the third-party hearing officer.
Pleas have been made to the HSE on behalf of the families of those at the Owenacurra mental health centre, as well as on behalf of people in the wider East Cork area, with concerns raised that some people will be left absolutely bereft should it close as planned.

HSE representatives appeared before the Oireachtas sub-committee on mental health yesterday afternoon to face questions on the planned closure of the centre in Midleton, which currently houses 19 residents.

In June, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare took the decision to close the centre, stating that the building is not fit for purpose. The centre is due to close on a phased basis by October 31.

Speaking at the meeting yesterday, Cork East Fine Gael TD David Stanton questioned if the deadline was set in stone.

In his response, Michael Fitzgerald, chief officer for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, said that the HSE is working still to October 31 to close the centre but appeared to indicate that this date was somewhat flexible.

If there is a position where a number of residents, if there arent placements suitable or if there arent placements available, or theres a placement to come up and that would be suitable for the person and it goes beyond October 31, we certainly will look at that, unquestionably, he continued.

Mr Stanton said it appeared as if October 31 was an arbitrary date and called for a pause on the closure.

There is a possibility of pausing this, going slowly, reassuring people and their families that their will and preferences will be taken into account and working with all of us together to come up with another solution here, he said.

Mr Stanton said he attended a public meeting organised by families of Owenacurra Centre residents as well as friends of the centre on Monday in Midleton Park Hotel to discuss their concerns about the planned closure of the centre.

In my 25 years in politics Ive never been at a sadder meeting, he said.

Speaking to Mr Fitzgerald, he said: You might take that away and with your excellent team there and your excellent team on the ground see what you can do to hasten slowly on this and really and truly listen to the families and the people and read the files and see whats going on. Calls to pause the closure of the centre were echoed by a number of other TDs at the meeting yesterday, including Cork East Labour TD Sean Sherlock.

What we dont want is a situation where people in the East Cork region, following this decision who will need access to mental health services, will be left absolutely bereft.

I am asking that the HSE please put some pause on this and reflect, he continued.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Fitzgerald reiterated that the HSEs decision to close the centre was a difficult one but that there was no other option due to the condition of the building.

We have reviewed all options for the centre, and every option involves a complete demolition of the existing building rather than a phased refurbishment, he continued.

He said that the HSE is working with each resident and their families individually to agree an appropriate alternative placement based on their assessed needs.

We understand that the Owenacurra Centre provided a very valuable service to residents in a unique location for many years.

The HSE however is committed to working closely with the residents to find appropriate alternatives as close to Midleton as possible over the coming period, he said.

Mr Fitzgerald also revealed that the HSE has no specific future plans for the site of the centre but said that it will look at the healthcare needs of the area to identify any particular needs that would be there which would be well served with some development on that site.

A mental health day service is also located within the building. Services in the day centre have been affected due to Covid.

Mr Fitzgerald said work is underway to identify an alternative location for this service, as close as possible to the current location and to recommence this service as soon as possible.
IF there are any concerns about a person who has a licence for a gun, that gun should be removed.

That is according to Fine Gael Cork North Central TD Colm Burke, who raised the issue of gun licences at this weeks meeting of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee.

He said six people have died in two firearms incidents in Cork and Kerry since last October.

And he added: We have had huge challenges in the Covid period.

He told The Echo: The use of a gun is just ten seconds and can be the difference of someone being alive or dead. Where there is any worry at all about an individual who has a licence for a gun, gardai should not hesitate to have it removed.

Chief Superintendent Barry McPolin told this week's meeting of the JPC that there are very strict conditions for the granting of a gun licence.

And he said: If there are any issues at all, that gun is taken into custody. Firearms are lethal weapons.

The Echo revealed last November that there were there are 19,402 firearms licenced in Cork  with Cork West accounting for the highest number of licenced firearms.

Garda sources point out that the highest number of licenced firearms is in rural areas because of being used on farms, and also being used for hunting.

They also indicated that a small number of such weapons have been seized in the past year in situations of domestic abuse, or where there were disputes between people.

Firearms licences are renewed every three years.

On the first application for a licence, an applicant is interviewed by gardai and his or her background is checked. A form must be filled in with medical information, character references, past criminal history check, and competence in relation to firearms.

To grant a licence, a garda superintendent must be satisfied that the applicant is not a danger to the public safety or peace; has a secure gun safe for storage of the weapon, and has a good and sufficient reason for owning a firearm.

A subsequent application for a firearms licence can be rejected if a person is deemed to have a criminal record that would make possession of a firearm dangerous for public safety.

In recent years, legally held firearms have been used in crimes as well as in suicides.

There have also been situations where legally held weapons have been stolen and used in crimes.
THERE is an impressive mural at the entrance to the former Cork-Crosshaven railway line tunnel in Monkstown of the legendary Captain Richard Roberts declaring that he would go to sea in a bathtub.

Revered as a local man in Cork Harbour, Roberts came from nearby Passage West, and made maritime history when he commanded the SS Sirius, which became the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic to the US.

The quotation reflects his love of the sea. The mural was commissioned by Cork County Council and completed by artists from The Walls Project.

Walking past it on Sunday, while watching boats sailing in the sunshine in Monkstown Bay, I thought of how his reference to a bathtub reminds me of the small craft in which many young people are introduced to sailing.

Optimist dinghies are often referred to as like bathubs.

Oppies are one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world. Designed in 1947, more than 150,000 are sailed in 120 countries. The fleet at Monkstown Bay Sailing Club has grown through increased interest in marine recreation. The oppies are also popular at the RCYC in Crosshaven. Cove Sailing Club has been building up a fleet.

The mural of Captain Roberts also brought to mind the debate about whether the Americas Cup should be held in Cork Harbour.

Since the event heightened its commercial profile, in 2007, there has been a list of cities that hoped to profit from holding it. This required investment, based on a best estimate of the return. For Valencia, in Spain, in 2007 and 2010; San Francisco, in the US, in 2013, and Auckland, in New Zealand, in 2021, the return failed to deliver on all expectations. Locations that staged it have benefited from infrastructure provision, but they are still paying off the cost. Valencia, one of Corks opponents, pulled out of the competition to hold the 2024 cup.

New Zealand is the leading sailing nation in the world. That its government refuses to give the countrys organisers of the Americas Cup the money they want to keep it in Auckland does raise questions. The core issue is not, initially, sailing, but how much money the organisers can obtain.

Competing to win the Americas Cup costs many millions of euros, which has been proving harder to raise. The number of entrants has dropped. To counteract this, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Club and Team New Zealand, the cup holders, have announced a Youth and Womens Series.

Media reporting of bids to host the cup have not detailed the attempts in New Zealand to remove its leading figure, Grant Dalton, a renowned world sailor, whom I once met while crewing aboard NCB Ireland during the round-the-world race. Mark Dunphy, the chief executive and chairman of Greymouth Petroleum there, which owns gas and oil fields, claims to have a consortium to fund the event in Auckland, but only if Dalton is not involved. The Amercas Cup organisers have, so far, rejected this.

Irelands widely experienced sailing commentator, WM Nixon, raised questions about Corks bid in an assessment piece, entitled, Have We Irish Become The Mugs Of The Auld Mugs Game?, on the national maritime website, AFLOAT.ie, this week. By its history, the Americas Cup is widely known as The Auld Mug.

Two of the countrys senior government ministers are involved in whether the event should be held in Cork, both political representatives for the area. Simon Coveney, the foreign affairs minister, has publicly led the campaign, while Michael McGrath, the public expenditure minister, has to decide whether the Government could fund the cost. This varies, according to reports and which side people are on, between 100m and 200m.

Irish governments do not have a strong record of appreciating the marine sphere, despite using a phrase I popularised on radio, This island nation. Hundreds of young people learned the comprehensive values of sail training through the Asgard programme, which government closed. It would not give the 3m insurance compensation money received for the sinking of the revered national tall ship to buy a replacement. It has not helped voluntary efforts to fund a new tall ship. Marine leisure facilities are not sufficiently financed around the coast and could provide big tourist benefits if they were.

The Americas Cup issue has divided public opinion. Sailing is again being labelled as elitist.

Questions raised about holding the Amercas Cup in Cork Harbour have been demeaned as begrudgery. There are issues of concern: If the Irish government has many millions to invest in the marine sphere, is putting it into a maritime event that the organisers want to move overseas because their own government wont support it to the level they want the best use of that money?

If the event left a financial burden behind, what impact would that have on sailing and developing the marine leisure sector?

Email:tommacsweeneymarine@gmail.com
By Dominic McGrath, PA

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has praised Joe Bidens speech to the UN General Assembly and cited him as a key ally on tackling climate change and Covid-19.

Mr Martin, speaking to reporters in New York, called Mr Biden a committed multilateralist at heart.

On Tuesday, the US president used his first address before the UN General Assembly to declare that the world stands at an inflection point in history and must move quickly to act on the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and human rights abuse.

Mr Martin praised Mr Biden, who has frequently cited his own love of Ireland and his own Irish ancestry.

The Taoiseach said that Mr Biden emphasised issues important to Ireland, such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the importance of safeguarding democracy and freedom of expression.

Really constructive meetings with almost a dozen world leaders at the opening of the #UNGA high-level week.



Held a bilateral with Colombia President @IvanDuque on the ongoing peace process there.



He praised Eamon Gilmore for his work as an EU envoy for peace in the country pic.twitter.com/tSEhClOLkn  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) September 21, 2021

The US president is scheduled to meet UK prime minister Boris Johnson at the White House.

Asked by reporters what message Mr Biden would have for the UK premier on Brexit, Mr Martin said: He has been very consistent in terms of the messaging he has given Boris Johnson and the UK in relation to the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU as a way to maintain a free-flowing land border on the island of Ireland after Brexit.

Unionists in Northern Ireland have been vehemently opposed to its terms, which see additional checks on goods arriving to the region from the rest of the UK.

Donaldson letter

On Tuesday, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson wrote to the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

In a letter, he said that the Northern Ireland Protocol had damaged Northern Ireland and was a threat to the Good Friday Agreement.

The political, economic and constitutional difficulties created by the Protocol threaten prosperity in Northern Ireland and the quality of our status within the United Kingdom, he wrote.

Mr Martin told reporters that he was sure Mr Biden would say to Mr Johnson that it is important to engage with the European Union.
Virtual Global Space School scholars presented with certificates

Three students from the Isle of Man were challenged to plan a mission to an asteroid as part of this summers Virtual Global Space School.

David Cowin, Anna Cregeen and Winona Reese Dalugdugan won scholarships from the ManSat Group to take part in this years Space School, which is run by the Foundation for International Space Education (FISE).

The students were this week presented with certificates marking their achievement by Education Minister Dr Alex Allinson.

ManSat has been awarding the scholarships for 21 years, and recipients would normally spend two weeks at the Space School in Houston, USA, working alongside peers from more than 20 countries, with support from NASA astronauts, engineers and scientists. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has meant the event has had to be held online for the last two years.
Red pandas get Manx names

Two red panda cubs born at Curraghs Wildlife Park have been named.

They've been called 'Millish' and 'Jinshar' which mean Sweet and Ginger in Manx.

The pair are the first to be born on the Island as part of a European breeding programme.

Curraghs has supported the Red Panda Network in the past to plant trees to grow Panda habitat in Nepal.
Arts Aid announces 2021 scholarship recipients

Arts Aid has announced its 2021 scholarship awards.

Now in its fourth year, the charity has made awards to nine exceptionally talented Isle of Man students in the arts.

Seven of the recipients will be attending arts education programmes at some of Britains most prestigious arts colleges, while two are completing their final year at high school.

From BTEC diplomas and A-levels to Bachelors degree and Level-6 diplomas the courses range from dance and drama to fine art.

Christian Cooper begins his second year of a BA in musical theatre at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. Amy Convery embarks on a 3-Year Diploma in musical theatre at Laine Theatre Arts (Epsom) while Alicia Schofield progresses to the second year of her Diploma in dance at SLP College (Leeds) and Alexandra Slater is well advanced in her Diploma course at the London School of Musical Theatre. International award-winning pianist Annabel King will be completing her A-Levels at Chethams School of Music in Manchester, Joshua Morrison begins a degree course at Rambert (London) and Gracel Delos Santos is taking a Foundation Course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. This year awards have also been made to Ballakermeen High School sixth formers, Alicia Kewley and Paulina Kudzydlow, to assist them in their fine arts degree applications.

The directors of Arts Aid are very grateful to their growing number of corporate, charity and individual sponsors. These include ILS World, Isle of Man Advertising, Ramsey Crookall and Zedra, together with the trustees of the WTC Brien, the Elizabeth Clucas and the J R Moore Trusts, as well as Shane Magee.

David Wertheim, chairman, said: Once again Arts Aid has been immensely fortunate to receive applications from an outstanding group of highly talented and ambitious young Isle of Man arts students. The directors are very pleased to be able to help them achieve their goals. The last eighteen months have been extremely challenging for everyone as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, but especially so for those in or aspiring to careers in the arts. Our award recipients remain undaunted and we wish them every success both in their forthcoming studies and beyond when they come to make their way in the creative arts world.
Some Bird users in the US may notice a new option if they search for vehicles in its app: Nearby public bike stations not operated by the company itself. Bird has launched public bikeshare integration for its application, which connects commuters with local providers. In addition the showing locations of nearby stations, the integration will also show the number of bikes currently available in each one and link users to the operators' own apps.

According to the company, this move is part of its Smart Bikeshare Program announced in June. Bird also said that this allows the company to "strategically meet the multimodal mobility needs of cities without monopolizing transportation options or competing with local businesses." At the moment, the integration is only live for iOS, though it will make its way to Android "in the near future." Also, it will only show bikeshares operated by the cities of Oslo (Oslo City Bike), Austin (Metrobike Austin), Los Angeles (Metro Bike), San Antonio (SA Bikeshare) and Milwaukee (Bublr Bikes Milwaukee) in Europe and the US right now.

Bird says they're only the "first" to implement the program, though, so more cities will probably be added in the future. Especially since the company offers public bikeshare integration at no cost to cities and local operators. While Bird is mostly known for its rental scooters, it also has products people who want their own bike can buy. It launched its first electric Bird Bike at the same time it introduced the Smart Bikeshare Program a few years ago, and just last month, it released another e-bike that costs US$2,299.
Have you ever seen an ad for an unfamiliar gadget or clothing label and wondered if it was above-board? You might get a more informed take soon. Google is introducing advertiser pages in the "about this ad" section that not only provide more details about a verified marketer, but show the ads that company ran in the past 30 days. If you're suspicious, it's easier to report an ad.

The pages and ad histories will reach the US in the "coming months," and should come to other countries in phases throughout 2022. Google also said it would "continue to explore" ways to share more data.

This could help you make more informed online shopping decisions, whether it's building trust in a new name or steering clear of a sketchy brand. What's here can only tell you so much, however  it won't help if you'd need in-depth research to make a wise choice. This will mainly help in situations where you only need a little clarification before tapping a link.
As we continue to wait for Microsoft to release the Surface Neo, the company is already unveiling the second generation of its dual-screen Android phone. The Surface Duo 2 is a $1,500 device thats slightly thinner than its predecessor and brings some serious camera improvements. Specifically, it now has three sensors instead of the lone 11-megapixel camera used in the last-gen setup. I had a chance to check out the Duo 2 briefly at a (COVID-safe) demo in New York, and Im so far cautiously impressed by its updates.

Microsofts demo area wasnt the best place to take memorable photos, but I did try out the Duo 2s triple lenses on an Xbox controller. I easily switched from the main camera to the ultrawide and telephoto options, and also gave Portrait mode a go. I cant judge the quality of these photos yet, since I could only view them on the Duo 2s screens, but I already feel like the bugginess I experienced with the original Surface Duo is mostly gone.

Thats not surprising, since one of the biggest issues plaguing the Duos camera software was that it only had one camera that sat above the screen. You had to flip the phone so that the correct side was facing you when you wanted to take a selfie, and have the camera side face out for other shots. This meant the device needed to know which screen to activate based on how you were holding it.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

With the triple cameras sitting on the Duo 2s back/outside and a 12-megapixel front-facing camera, theres no longer a need to figure that out. Its a shame, though: Theres also no longer a way to take photos without having the Duo 2 opened up; if youre shooting with the rear cameras, you must use the device with both screens facing you.

The bulky camera bump also prevents you from flipping one of the screens all the way over to have both displays lay evenly back to back. I never really cared to do that with the original Duo since it was too wide to use as a makeshift phone, but its still disappointing that with this change, the Duo 2 will really mostly be used in Book mode. Its no longer a phone-tablet hybrid.

Im surprised at this functional shift, since one of the refinements Microsoft made with the Duo 2 is narrowing the devices overall width. Each panel now measures 5.8 inches instead of 5.6 inches on the original, for a combined 8.3-inch screen as opposed to an 8.1-inch canvas. But theyre also taller, with resolutions of 1,344 x 1,892 instead of the older 1,350 x 1,800. This would have made the Duo 2 slightly more phone-like in shape, but in person I frankly couldnt tell that it had changed in size at all.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Speaking of, Microsoft claims that this is the thinnest 5G mobile device on the market. Indeed, at 5.5mm (or 0.21 inches) thick, the Duo 2 is certainly sleek. The company also introduced a slight curve on the inner edges of each screen  an effect thats reminiscent of pages in an open book. This could potentially make it easier to drag apps across screens, which I was able to do quickly during my demo.

Another new feature that makes the Duo 2 feel faster than the original is its higher refresh rate. Both panels now run at 90Hz and are supposed to be in sync, too. I loaded up Engadgets website and expanded it across the two displays, scrolling frenetically up and down on an article, and the two halves of the page did indeed keep pace with each other. Im used to a 90Hz screen by now, thanks to long-term use of the Pixel 5, but its certainly a nice feature to see.

Microsoft also added support for its new Slim Pen 2, which offers haptic feedback so doodlers or artists can feel a vibration when they put the stylus to the screen. It also tries to mimic the feel and resistance of pen on paper, and I spent more time with this on the new Surface Laptop Studio than on the Duo 2.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Frankly, the fact that I encountered so few hiccups with the Duo 2 surprised me. The original Duo was riddled with bugs, and even simple things like expanding an app to span both displays were difficult. During my preview, this went smoothly. Admittedly, I didnt spend much time with the Duo 2, so Im still cautious about the seemingly improved software, but Microsoft has indeed been working on fixing past issues.

That responsiveness could also be attributed to the beefy Snapdragon 888 processor that powers the Duo 2, though well have to perform real-world testing to be sure. Well also need to run our own battery test to see how long the Duo 2s 4,449mAh cell lasts, as well as how successful Microsoft was at fixing the flaws of the original. Im curious to see if the new triple camera system and the problems it introduces are a bane or boon to the Duo series, but for now Im cautiously optimistic about the second Duo. You can pre-order it now starting at $1,500, and itll be available on October 21st. That said, I suggest you wait until we can review one before spending any money on a device thats still so novel.

Follow all of the news from Microsoft's fall Surface event right here.
At its annual hardware event today, Microsoft unveiled a new family of Surface devices ahead of Windows 11s launch on October 5th. Refreshes of the Surface Pro and Surface Go arent surprising, and the company did show off the latest in both of those series. But the Surface Laptop Studio is the most intriguing. Its meant to replace the Surface Book, which was a detachable 2-in-1 laptop. The Laptop Studio, meanwhile, is more like Microsofts Surface Studio all-in-one desktop, in that it features a pull-forward screen that can lay flat on top of a table or be propped up at a slant. It also has a 120Hz display, as does the new Surface Pro 8, which got a sleek redesign.

I was able to check out the Laptop Studio, Surface Pro X and a slew of new Surface devices at a recent (COVID-safe) demo event in New York and I have to say, these Windows 11 PCs are looking very promising.

Surface Laptop Studio hands-on

Lets start with the Laptop Studio, which a Microsoft rep told me at the event will replace the Surface Book line. Like I mentioned, its new easel-style design is similar not only to its namesake Surface Studio, but also to notebooks from Acer and HP. I was very impressed with how thin the Laptop Studios 14.4-inch screen is, and it popped out of its frame without much force. The hinge connecting the display to the keyboard is sturdy, and kept the screen up at a variety of angles in laptop mode.

Gallery: Surface Laptop Studio hands-on | 14 Photos

























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When I flipped the screen to face outwards, though, I had trouble trying to push the lid away from me to get it to stand at a gentler angle as the panel popped out of the frame. But in every other configuration, such as a conventional laptop mode or laid down flat like a tablet (which Microsoft calls Studio mode), the Surface Laptop Studio behaved as expected.

When the screen is pulled forward and propped up in front of the keyboard in what the company calls Stage mode, its great for digital artists. Its easier to draw on, and you can use the new Slim Pen 2 to create your masterpieces. The new stylus offers haptic feedback with an onboard motor and also mimics the resistance youd get with pen on paper. I did feel a sort of drag across the Laptop Studios screen when I started doodling on it with the Slim Pen 2. It felt odd at first, as Im accustomed to other styli like Samsungs S Pen. But I got used to it quite quickly, and kind of liked feeling the mild vibrations that served as an indicator that something had been enabled.

The Laptop Studio has a magnetic strip under the keyboard that lets the Slim Pen 2 attach easily and remain flush with the rest of the machine. The magnets were strong enough that I only had to roughly place the stylus along the edge and it flipped into place. I dont feel like Id need to worry about losing the accessory with this setup, which is nice.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Microsoft also offers a 120Hz screen on the Laptop Studio, and a company representative told me at the demo that the touch sampling rate is 100Hz. This should make for a smooth drawing experience, but also make scrolling and animations look super buttery. Theres no adaptive refresh rate available in the system  youll just get the option to choose between 120Hz or 60Hz in settings.

For all the detailed specs on the Laptop Studio, like its new Full HD webcam, its screen resolution, dimensions, processor and memory configuration options, I encourage you to check out our news post. For this hands-on article, Id like to focus on my initial impressions of the devices I got to try out. On that note, the last thing Ill say about my experience with the Laptop Studio is that its keyboard and trackpad were spacious, and though its buttons were cushy and responsive, I prefer the keys on the Surface Laptop 4. For things like battery life, performance and other real-world observations, though, well need to wait till we can test out a review unit.

Surface Pro 8 hands-on

Another device that got a visual overhaul this year is the Surface Pro 8. Its not the only new Surface Pro unveiled today  theres also the Surface Pro 7 Plus, which received a typical minor processor upgrade and looks very similar to older Microsoft tablets. The Pro 8, meanwhile, looks a lot like the ARM-based Pro X. But it uses 11th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 chips and is therefore noticeably heavier. It also has a different ventilation design around its sides compared to the X, which was sealed.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Still, the Pro 8 is impressively thin, with a 0.37-inch profile, and its built-in kickstand is even sharper. Its 13-inch screen is surrounded by an attractively thin bezel as opposed to the approximately inch-wide border around the Pro 7 Plus. The Pro 8 also features the same 120Hz refresh rate as the Laptop Studio, running at a 2,880 x 1,920 resolution.

Out of the box, though, the Pro 8 runs at 60Hz, and you can go into settings to bump this up to the higher rate. Meanwhile, the Laptop Studio refreshes at 120Hz by default. This difference is because the Pro 8 is designed to be a more portable device, and Microsoft expects people to want more battery life on the go. If your priority is smooth scrolling and inking (Slim Pen 2 is also supported here), then by all means go faster. But if youre trying to squeeze every last minute out of the Pro 8, you might prefer to stick to the lower rate.

When youre out of juice, you can charge the Pro 8 back up with Microsofts own connector or through one of the pair of USB-C ports. These support USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4, and can stream out up to two 4K displays at once. We werent able to test this during the limited time at our preview, and I can only really tell you that in general the Surface Pro 8 felt very much like a heavier Pro X. They use the same Signature Type Cover with the same comfortable keys and responsive trackpad, as well as onboard slot that holds and charges the Slim Pen 2.

Gallery: Surface Pro 8 hands-on | 6 Photos









/6 Gallery: Surface Pro 8 hands-on | 6 Photos









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Of all the other Surfaces Microsoft announced today  the Go 3, the new Pro X, the Pro 7 Plus and the Duo 2, only the last one is different in a significant way. The rest of the systems basically got incremental updates while maintaining a similar look to their predecessors.

Surface Adaptive Kit

I did want to call out the new Surface Adaptive Kit, though. Its a set of labels and stickers that are designed to make Surfaces easier for people with different needs to use. There are translucent keycap labels to make buttons identifiable by touch, bump labels that add visual and tactile cues to keys or ports, as well as colorful indicators with matching cable wraps to make it more obvious which wires go into which sockets.

The colors I saw at the demo area were neon peach hued and Im not sure if theyll be appreciated by people with certain visual impairments (a pattern might be better for those who cant distinguish between colors). But at least the keycap labels I saw came in different shapes and overall I appreciate the effort here.

Gallery: Microsoft Surface Adaptive Kit hands-on | 4 Photos





/4 Gallery: Microsoft Surface Adaptive Kit hands-on | 4 Photos





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Microsoft led the way for accessibility tech in gaming with the Xbox Adaptive Controller years ago and though the Surface Adaptive Kit seems like a small product, it shows that the company is thinking in meaningful ways how to cater to people with different needs.

Though most of the new Surfaces that were unveiled today feel like incremental updates, the Laptop Studio, Duo 2 and Pro 8 at least bring a low-key level of excitement. Plus, these machines (Duo 2 aside) will all run Windows 11, which is already bringing new life to a stagnating PC industry. As always, well need to test all these devices out for ourselves to see if theyre worth spending your money on, but you can already pre-order all of them today.

Follow all of the news from Microsoft's fall Surface event right here.
Back in 2019, Boston's Piaggio Fast Forward company released the first iteration of an automated cargo hauler for pedestrians, dubbed the Gita (pronounced JEE-tah). Two years, and multiple design improvements later, PFF is set to release a smaller, more nimble version which they're calling the Gitamini this October.

With a cargo volume of up to nearly 2,000 cubic inches and capable of carrying up to 40 pounds of gear and traveling at a top speed of 6 mph, the original Gita was a startlingly large machine able to hold a shopping carts-worth of groceries and keep up with cyclists. However, the Gita's size made it a liability to other pedestrians when navigating on crowded sidewalks, especially the earlier versions that relied on a belt-mounted tracker to know where its owners were.

The Gitamini, on the other hand, is about the size of a Border Collie (990 cubic square inches of cargo space) and weighs just 28 pounds. It can carry up to 20 pounds of gear and thanks to external handles the mini can easily be hoisted over curbs, stairs and other obstacles even when fully loaded. The mini is rated for a maximum range of 21 miles or around six hours of use before needing a recharge. What's more, PFF has traded in the belt-based tracker for advanced optics and machine vision. With the push of an onboard button, the mini will autonomously find, recognize and follow its "leader" using only visual and radar cues like color and motion  the robot does not require a GPS, cell, or wireless network connection in order to do so.

Piaggio Fast Forward

The mini is also equipped with what the company is calling "pedestrian etiquette software." This trains the robot to follow its leader at a safe distance and speed while proactively anticipating the movements of the people around them. The mini's wheels are independently powered, enabling it to make Rivian-esque zero-radius tank turns, while a third motor is dedicated to maintaining the robot's balance when accelerating and braking.

"Seeing the initial consumer response to Gita proved to us what a pioneer the product was within the consumer robotics industry, said Greg Lynn, PFFs CEO, said in a prepared statement. The ask to ourselves then became, how do we take what we have heard from people and create something different for a new segment of consumers? Gitamini is the company's answer.

The Gitamini is slated to go on sale for $1,850 on October 15th while the original, larger Gita will see a price reduction to $2,950 at the same time.
A TikToker eyewitness recently told the FBI that she saw Brian Laundrie without Gabby Petito, and he was "awkward" and "confused" close to the area where the vlogger's remains were found.

Jessica Schultz recently spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle, saying she saw the couple's white Ford van at Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, where Petito's body was discovered.

At first, Schultz was not aware that Laundrie was the guy the FBI was looking for until her friend sent her a photo, and it made her realize that she indeed saw Petito's boyfriend, so she immediately reported it to authorities.

Schultz uploaded her story on TikTok, which garnered over 123k likes at the time of this writing. (watch the video below)

She recalled the situation and claimed that she first saw Laundrie on August 26 when driving behind their van with Florida plates.

Schultz mentioned that the van was driving slowly down a narrow road, and the driver appeared to be confused as he didn't know where he was going.

In addition, she stated that the van partially pulled off the road, seemingly asking her to overtake and drive off away from the area.

"You know, when you're out in the middle of nowhere, your hackles go up when you see something that's out of the ordinary." She said. (via The Independent UK)

READ NOW: Dog The Bounty Hunter's Wedding Interrupted By SHOCKING Threats-Daughters the Culprit? [REPORT]

Gabby Petito Dead, Manner of Death Determined As Homicide

An update regarding Gabby Petito's case has been released to the public, making her friends and family heartbroken.

According to NBC News, a coroner from Wyoming confirmed that the body they found belongs to Petito, and the manner of death was declared a homicide.

The cause of death was not yet released to the public, and it remains pending until the final results of the autopsy have been turned over to the FBI.

Investigators of the case said they are committed to holding people accountable.

At the time of this writing, Brian Laundrie is still considered a person of interest, but no formal charges have been filed against him.

Authorities are still searching for Laundrie's whereabouts.

In early reports, human remains believed to be Petito's were found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

The corpse was found after search teams with horses and investigators conducted a massive on-site search.

READ ALSO: Ariana Grande Almost Stabbed With A Knife? Singer Files Restraining Order Against LA Stalker [Full Details]
2021-09-21

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio chaired the ministerial event, organised by Italy, on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan. The Minister reiterated Italy's commitment to preserve, as necessary tools for the development of the country, the affirmation and protection of human rights and access to education for women.
2021-09-22

Maeci

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, will attend the high-level week of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, from 20 to 25 September.

The key focus of the high-level meeting, held within the framework of the UN, will be the international response to the pandemic and the numerous ongoing security and humanitarian crises, beginning with Afghanistan. The main events on Minister Di Maio's agenda, such as the EU Ministerial meeting and numerous bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly, will be devoted to this issue.

The Italian Foreign Ministry has also taken the initiative to hold two events dedicated to Afghanistan, with the first focusing on Afghan women and girls and the need to protect the progress made so far in the field of reaffirming and promoting their rights, and the second consisting of a Foreign Ministers' meeting on Afghanistan, chaired by Minister Di Maio ahead of the G20 Summit of Heads of State and Government on the same issue, within the context of Italy's G20 Presidency.

The Minister will also co-chair, with German Foreign Minister Maas and French Foreign Minister Le Drian, a meeting on Libya within the framework of the Berlin Process. He will then chair the ministerial meeting of the "Uniting for Consensus" group on the UN Security Council reform process and will participate in the Global Governance Group (3G) Summit, in his capacity as G20 Presidency.

During the high-level week, Minister Di Maio is also scheduled to hold talks with UN Secretary General Guterres and the General Assembly President Shahid.

Read the press release GER/FRA/ITA Co-Chairs Summary UN General Assembly Side Event on Libya, 22 September



Read the press release Transparency Pledge

Watch the video of the fourth and fifth days of the mission

Watch the video of the second and third days of the proceedings

Watch the video of the first two days of Mission to New York by Minister Luigi Di Maio for UNGA76






Internacional

Suecia suspende el uso de la vacuna de Moderna contra la COVID-19 para menores de 30 anos
Risk markets are recovering on Tuesday after heavy falls during Mondays session due to the Evergrande crisis.

However, the problem has not gone away. The Chinese government is expected to step in and help, but they have been very quiet on the matter.

Evergrande is due to make bond payments on Thursday. Commodities, stocks and the Australian Dollar could remain under pressure until the situation is resolved.

Markets are staging a solid comeback on Tuesday after Mondays steep declines that affected the majority of risk assets. Stocks, commodities and cryptocurrencies all plunged on fears of a collapse in the Chinese property developer Evergrande. These fears have faded somewhat as it is hoped the Chinese government steps in to help, but the risks are still high.

Tuesdays rally is being led by the Dax with a 1.5% gain, closely followed by the FTSE with a +1.2% move. Commodities such s copper and oil are around 1% higher while currencies are mostly flat. EURUSD is trading around 1.175 and barely moved at all on Monday despite the volatility. While the USD can be seen a s a risk off currency, the Euro is equally stable through moderate markets corrections. AUD, NZD and GBP, on the other hand, all fell against the greenback, with the Aussie showing relative weakness due to the softening on commodities.

Looking ahead, markets are still worried over Evergrandes ability to make payments due on Thursday and possible contagion should it fail. This is overshadowing other news, and even the FOMC meeting on Wednesday. The crisis could dominate the news and the market narrative for the remainder of the week or until Evergrande either sinks or swims.

Possible Solutions to the Evergrande Problem

The panic over Evergrande has dissipated, but perhaps only briefly as the worlds most indebted property developer could still default and collapse. This has been dubbed as Chinas Lehmans moment, which is perhaps premature as there is plenty scope for the problems to be resolved without too much market impact. The most likely solution is for the Chinese government to assist and even nationalize the company, although this will not be a straightforward or quick process given the complexities of Evergrandes debt structure. As ING note:

The central government has already sent a team to help Evergrande restructure. But this will not be a simple task. Evergrande is not a simple corporate...

The main problem for Evergrande currently is that it does not have enough money to complete the construction of existing residential property projects. That means it cannot sell these properties and so cannot get cash to repay its debts.

We expect that the government's restructuring team will help Evergrande at least get some capital, but it may have to sell some stakes to a third party, such as an SOE (state-owned enterprise). It could then continue to operate.

Time Running Out

Problems could arise if the government does not step in with liquidity, and so far, it has been very tight-lipped on any plans. The situation could get very tense if no help is forthcoming by Thursday. As per Reuters,

A major test for Evergrande comes this week, with the firm due to pay $83.5 million in interest relating to its March 2022 bond on Thursday. It has another $47.5 million payment due on Sept. 29 for March 2024 notes.

Both bonds would default if Evergrande fails to settle the interest within 30 days of the scheduled payment dates.

This in itself shouldnt be such a big deal for the markets, but the spill over could have far reaching effects. Bad debts could spread amongst the banks involved, and other Chinese propertyrelated companies are already under pressure. Commodities too are dropping with iron down heavily. This in turn is weighing on the Australian Dollar which relies on commodity exports and on trade with China. AUDUSD has held its August low but is approaching key support levels.
Raised in a dysfunctional family of alcoholism, abuse, and mental illness I found I inherited their genetic and behavioral predisposition, including a liver that did not digest alcohol or mind and mood altering medications like a normal person. With a new understanding of why my life seemed like a nightmare brought the realization that I had a death wish; each drink or prescription pill was another nail in my coffin. Surprisingly, I knew at a deep level, I wanted to live.

suffered and endured my adversity of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual maltreatment until I could leave for college. I met my husband at my first college dance. We married and raised a family. When my husband tried to kill me the last time, I had called out to my God, ""Please help me, I really do not want to die." Within days, I ended up in treatment hearing information about the disease of alcoholism. Through recovery, I found my husband and I had the same history of an abusive background, mental illness, and alcoholism. In treatment, I found my answers. I needed to persist into a sane and healthy life style. Religion never told me several important facts for my life. Replacing religion for a spiritual path saved my life. Finding love in my heart was my Creator always there for me mended my abandonment issues.

I never had any understanding about why my life was the way it was, but I was committed to get well. I needed a trusted person to share my fears, resentments, and difficulties. In stopping the old cycle, I chose to live and not carry on in my old ways that perpetuated alcoholism, mental illness, domestic violence, PTSD, and more. I wanted to release my side of the street. Now, I could send love and pray for him, which stopped the conflict. The details chapter by chapter of how to do this are in my book, "Paradigm Busters" at Amazon.

Later, I attended a weekend workshop for answers to help me find new answers about my predicament. I heard the facilitators read the information and I heard it from their understanding instead of my reading it through my fearful ego/brain. Others at the seminar decided to offer classes to share this solution with others. I taught his information for 27 years.

Discovering that my fears attract to me the very dread I held, was huge to me. The answer was to replace each fear into faith. I cannot have fear and faith at the same time. In helping others resolve their resentments, I found that anger/resentments are from the past because life or people did not go my way. The answer was to release the past, as it is history. Living in the "Now" releases my anger. Now, I could extend love to others instead of my past insanity. Learning what goes around comes around has brought a new perception of life. It is all good. "Perfect love casts out fear."

I found life is an adventure to move forward and out of past harms of abuse or future worries, trauma, and neediness. Love never fails. I finally had a design for living. I have a life today beyond my imagination feeling good. Becoming a whole person in joy, gratitude and the presence of love brings heaven to earth.

Check out my website, https://www.angelicasgifts.com /

Books: at https://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Redmond/e/B0069WIKDC

Barnes and Nobel https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Marilyn+Redmond?_requestid=16065424 176 videos on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/user/puyallup98372

Blog at http://marilynredmondbooks.blogspot.com./
Washington, D.C.Sanjay Prasad, MD, FACS, author of Resetting Healthcare Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: The Patient Handbook, was featured on the Tyler Wagner Radio Show. Just two-weeks ago, on September 9, Prasad participated in the Pittsburgh Business Group's Health 2021 Symposium, where he was part of an Expert Panel discussing Racial Disparities in Surgical Care. When creating his groundbreaking healthcare app, SurgiQuality, one of the goals was to minimize the racial disparity factors he discovered when researching surgical outcomes.

After getting introduced by the host, Prasad related his rather unique circumstance in coming to the U.S., in 1962 as a toddler, on a month's long ship journey from India through the Suez Canal. They traveled to America in search of a surgical solution for a family member. He became a surgeon, helped tens of thousands of patients and now created an informational solution to achieve more positive surgical results in a system that has morphed into a Byzantine bureaucratic nightmare.

Indeed, the Covid-19 Pandemic has made an already difficult situation infinitely more complex and terrifying.

"I want people to realize that we have a serious quality issue in medicine today," says Dr. Prasad. "The healthcare system must be held accountable. I firmly believe that SurgiQuality plays a key role in helping patients regain control of the healthcare process, empowering them with tools to make well-informed, health-positive decisions."

SurgiQuality assists patients by confidentially sending their medical records and imaging to various surgeons in their insurance networks. Today, the referral to surgeons is not being made based on cost or the surgeon's outcomes. The result is that depending on specialty, 15-25% of surgeries being performed today are unnecessary. Many times, pursuing alternative treatments to surgery, is a better option for patients.

Resetting Healthcare Book Trailer





Dr. Prasad has been a practicing surgeon for nearly thirty years in the super-specialized field of otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery, a subspecialty within otolaryngology head and neck surgery (ENT). Prasad is one of the few surgeons in his specialty to complete three fellowships in neurotology, advanced head and neck oncologic surgery, and cranial base surgery. He is an assistant clinical professor at George Washington University and the founder of SurgiQuality. His thirty years as a surgeon has given him deep insight into the flaws in the surgery referral process.

Resetting Healthcare Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: The Patient Handbook, ISBN-10: 1737199416 ISBN-13: 978-1737199410, Sanjay Prasad, MD, FACS, available at Amazon.

Sanjay Prasad, MD, FACS, has been a practicing surgeon for nearly thirty years in the super-specialized field of otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery, a subspecialty within otolaryngology head and neck surgery (ENT). Prasad is one of the few surgeons in his specialty to complete three fellowships in neurotology, advanced head and neck oncologic surgery, and cranial base surgery. He is an assistant professor at George Washington University.

As a medical director for an ambulatory surgery center, he was one of the first to start bundling surgical services for all-inclusive prices in 2014. In the same year, Prasad founded SurgiQuality, with a mission to help surgical patients connect to best-in-class surgeons who operate in a cost-efficient environment.

He is the author of Resetting Healthcare, which examines the lack of transparency in surgical care and offers SurgiQuality as a solution. Prasad practices and lives in the Washington, DC, area with his amazing wife, Deepika, and their four very accomplished adult children, Meghna, Kiran, Neha, and Dilan.

You can find more information on Dr. Sanjay Prasad and Resetting Healthcare at www.resettinghealthcare.com.

Media Contact: For a review copy of Resetting Healthcare or to arrange an interview with Dr. Sanjay Prasad, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on twitter @abookpublicist
Some 80 miles separate San Antonios Hotel Emma from The Emma apartments under construction in Austin  too close for comfort for the hotels owner.

Rio Perla Properties, owner of the Pearl complex thats home to Hotel Emma, says in a newly filed trademark infringement lawsuit that the apartment project bearing The Emma name creates a likelihood of confusion between the two properties.

So Rio Perla wants Austin developer Cumby Group to remove the name from the apartments.

The similarities dont end with the name, either, Rio Perla says.

Cumby Groups bad faith and intentional, willful and malicious conduct is evidenced at least by Cumby Group using Emma in a black and gold color scheme and capital letters, just like Rio Perlas use of EMMA, the San Antonio partnership says in its complaint, filed in federal court here.

The Emma even boasts 146 apartment units, exactly the same number of rooms in the hotel, Rio Perla adds.

The two properties, however, are the namesakes of two different women.

Cumby Group officials didnt respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The Hotel Emma opened in 2015 in the one-time brew house of the former Pearl Brewery. Within a month of the hotels debut, Rio Perla filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the name Emma.

The trademark was registered in 2017 under Class 43, which covers hotel services and related banquet, social function and meeting facilities.

On Sept. 1, nearly three weeks before filing suit, Rio Perla filed a trademark application for Emma in connection with apartments and multifamily units located within hotel developments, which fall under Class 36. A copy of the application was filed with the lawsuit.

Rio Perla says it has had common law rights in the Emma trademark based on its use of the mark for hotel and residential services since the hotels opening.

Cumby Group is violating those rights by using The Emma to promote residential services that are substantially similar to Rio Perlas hotel and residential services, the Pearl owner adds.

In a little oddity unrelated to the dispute, a San Antonio food safety firm also has filed a trademark application for Emma. Food Safety Net Services Ltd. wants to use the mark in connection with a software application for tracking pathogens and other food-safety risks in restaurants, manufacturing plants, processing plants and other facilities.

Hotel Emma is the only San Antonio hotel thats been awarded AAAs Five Diamond designation, a highly coveted prize in the hospitality industry thats been granted to only one other Texas hotel. The hotel received that distinction in 2018.

Hotel Emma is named for Emma Koehler, the wife of beer magnate Otto Koehler, one of the founders of the Pearl Brewery. After he was shot dead in 1914, Emma Koehler took over the brewery and guided it through Prohibition to one of its most successful periods. She died in 1943.

The Emma in Austin, scheduled to debut next year, is named for aviation pioneer Emma Browning, according to Cumby Groups website.

She and her husband managed Browning Aerial Services at Robert Mueller Municipal Airport in Austin. During the Great Depression, Emma was a piggy-back pilot for her barnstorming husband, and they earned a living doing passenger hops, air shows, parachute jumps, and dead-stick landings, the website adds. She was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005, three years after her death.

This isnt the first time Rio Perla, an affiliate of Pearl developer Silver Ventures, has filed trademark infringement suits.

In 2017, Rio Perla reached a settlement that blocked developer Terramark Urban Homes from calling a Government Hill townhouse project Pearl District Lofts.

The settlement came after Terramark was directed by court order to stop using the name and to destroy all related marketing materials promoting the project.

In 2016, Rio Perla sued to stop San Antonio Brewing Co., which was opening a microbrewery and pub in Southtown, from using the name to sell its suds.

Rio Perla argued the microbrewers name was confusingly similar to its San Antonio Brewing Association.

In its suit, Rio Perla said it used the San Antonio Brewing Association name in connection with the sale of its beer products and merchandise sold at restaurants in a one-time brew house that bears SAN ANTONIO BREWG ASSN signage near the top of the buildings exterior. The names San Antonio Brewing Association and San Antonio Brewing Co. date back to the late 1800s.

About two months after suit was filed, San Antonio Brewing Co. changed its name to Kunstler Brewing Co. as part of a settlement.

pdanner@express-news.net
San Antonio officials stress that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, but key indicators are heading in the right direction.

Theres a downward trend in the number of positive COVID-19 cases and new hospitalizations, according to data from the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

Your work is paying off, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told residents Tuesday night during a televised coronavirus briefing.

Nirenberg reported one new death, while a backlog of 110 deaths that occurred between Aug. 9 and Sept. 2 were added to Bexar Countys confirmed death toll. That number stands at 4,282.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio public health officials awaiting federal approval of COVID booster shots

Almost everyone in the community knows someone who has been lost because of this, and we want to keep them in our prayers and continue to do our part to protect our community, Nirenberg said.

This week, COVID-19 deaths in the United States reached at least 677,000  surpassing the number of people estimated to have died during the 1918 flu epidemic.

We just need to get everybody vaccinated, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said. It still perplexes me. If people would just get vaccinated, we would not be watching people die from the virus.

The number of new cases reported Tuesday declined to 344. On Sept. 7, 1,288 new cases were reported.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases has also dropped to 652, from a high of 1,646 cases on Aug. 16. A total of 305,272 cases have been reported by testing labs to the health department since the pandemic started.

Metro Health Director Claude Jacob said the positivity rate is 4.9 percent, down from 7.1 percent last week and substantially lower than it was this summer at over 21 percent.

On ExpressNews.com: COVID infections, hospitalizations trending downward, but many still in ICUs

Currently, there are 868 people being treated for COVID-19 in area hospitals, including 22 pediatric patients. On Aug. 23, 1,466 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized.

Of those hospitalized, officials said 314 are in intensive care units and 196 are on ventilators.

Jacob said people should continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and  most importantly  get the vaccine. Just over 71 percent of the countys eligible population, almost 1.2 million, has been fully vaccinated.

Just a reminder as we go into the holidays, people need to be extra careful and vigilant, he said.

laura.garcia@express-news.net
A lawyer defending the San Antonio Independent School Districts requirement that employees be vaccinated told a judge Wednesday that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has no authority to enforce Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order against it.

That argument was ludicrous and silly, an attorney representing Paxtons office replied, pressing for a quick decision in a hearing to decide whether Paxtons lawsuit against the school district can go forward.

State District Judge Angelica Jimenez said she will consider arguments from other cases and make a ruling on it Thursday morning.

The governors orders against school safety protocols are unconstitutional, and Paxton himself has admitted to other judges that he cant enforce them, said attorney Steve Chiscano, representing SAISD.

Ralph Molina, an attorney representing the AGs office, objected unsuccessfully in an attempt to end Chiscanos presentation, citing the need to move quickly to get to arguments over the states request for an injunction to stop the SAISD policy, so that no more SAISD faculty or staff would be forced to take a vaccine.

There is one question here, and it is whether or not the state of Texas has standing to bring this claim against these officials, he told the court.

Chiscano cited a recent Dallas County case in which both Abbott and Paxton were sued for banning face mask mandates in school districts across the state.

Hes (Paxton) admitted in multiple court filings that neither he nor the governor have the right to enforce orders under the Texas Disaster Act, Chiscano said. That is the act that controls all of the actions of the governor and controls the actions of the attorney general.

Molina called the arguments over jurisdiction a waste of time because the state files lawsuits to make sure its officials are following the laws all the time.

It is not about the AG, and its not about the governor, Molina said. It is about the state. There has to be a means to bring rogue officials back into compliance with law, because that is what has happened here. We have rogue public officials who have simply done the calculus and decided, You know what, we are just going to break it. Were just not going to follow the law.

Chiscano scoffed at that in a rebuttal that referred to Paxton as this bully in Austin.

Im sorry Mr. Molina thinks this is a complete waste of time. There are 47,000 kids and 7,000 employees, all which want to be protected from this virus that kills people, he said. If we have a rogue attorney general that wants to march into Bexar County and start filing lawsuits on behalf of the State of Texas with no statutory right, no authority, no ability to say the State of Texas has a claim, then Im sorry, we are going to stop that.

It was the first round in the states second lawsuit against the SAISD vaccination directive. It was filed Sept. 9, more than two weeks after Abbott expanded his ban on such mandates to include vaccines that had received final approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

The governors original order, issued in July, applied only to vaccines that didnt have final FDA approval. Vaccines had been administered since the start of the year under emergency FDA approval.

Paxtons office first sued the school district after Superintendent Pedro Martinez announced Aug. 17 that all SAISD employees had to be vaccinated by Oct. 5. Days later, the state moved to drop its lawsuit, saying Martinez had clarified that he wouldnt enforce the mandate until the FDA gave its final approval to a coronavirus vaccine  which came days after that, on Aug. 23.

Abbott issued his new executive order Aug. 25, which put the announced SAISD policy in violation of it.

Through it all, Martinez promised to ignore the legal consequences of both his vaccination requirement and the districts policy that all students and employees wear face coverings in school buildings. Just before announcing he was leaving to become the new CEO of Chicago Public Schools, the SAISD board voted 6-1 to reaffirm the vaccination requirement for employees.

As the coronavirus delta variant surged through the population in late summer, scores of Texas school districts defied Abbot on his July order that they make mask-wearing optional. The latest spike in the pandemic has filled hospitals and killed Texans in numbers not seen since its peak last winter  when the state required masks in schools.

The Texas Education Agency, after deferring to the courts for weeks, on Tuesday said it would enforce the ban on mask mandates but did not say how. Paxtons office had said enforcement was up to local district attorneys, but recently began sending warning letters to school districts that require masks, threatening them with lawsuits. At least one school system, the KIPP charter school network, said it had ended its mask mandate in response.

SAISD Board President Christina Martinez said she was prepared to testify on behalf of the district and the board, if necessary. Her main message, she said, is to continue placing safety at the center of their decisions.

Until we have an opportunity for all children in the district to get vaccinated and be safe from the harmful effects of COVID, until that happens, we are going to do everything we can to protect our children, including the mask mandate, including making sure all of the adults around them are vaccinated, Martinez said.

Our job is to make parents feel safe, because when they feel safe, their children show up to school and school is absolutely where kids need to be right now, Martinez said.

Staff writer Danya Perez contributed to this report. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
When artist Eva Marengo Sanchez was brainstorming for the first mural she did on her own, she weighed a few tummy-tempting possibilities.

I thought about doing barbacoa and Big Red or something a little bit more poppy and flashy, and ultimately I decided to paint something thats incredibly close to my heart, which is breakfast tacos and a coffee, said Sanchez, 31. Its very traditional and very true to my experience and the experience, I think, of my community.

The mouth-watering mural, titled The Morning After: Plan A, can be found on the side of Page Barteau Catering on the St. Marys Strip. It depicts two much-larger-than-life foil-wrapped tacos lying on a brown paper bag beside a cup of coffee, plastic cups of red and green salsa, salt and pepper packets and a stack of white napkins.

Fans of the mural have posted selfies with the image, which Sanchez painted in 2019 as part of the San Antonio Street Art Initiative. One admirer tweeted in response to a photo that the grease stains on the foil is (expletive) amazing.

In an Instagram post responding to many questions about the contents of those foil packets, Sanchez said she painted them that way so they can represent anybodys favorite order. Her own fave is a bean and cheese and potato or egg and chorizo.

Like the mural, many of Sanchezs carefully detailed oil paintings depict food, including fruit cups, bags of chicharones and H-E-B flour tortillas, paletas and roasted corn, most floating in a crisp, white background.

On ExpressNews.com: Hot tickets for fall in S.A. include David Sedaris, Judas Priest

I love that theres no human, that theres no figurative element to it, said Sanchez, an alumna of Holy Cross High School. Its feels like a historical document, like Im documenting my life and the life of people that can relate to my experience.

In addition to the breakfast taco mural, she also painted an enormous sun-like concha on the elevator doors on one level of long-term parking at the San Antonio International Airport.

William Luther /Staff

My work is very much about using food as a way of talking about cultural experiences, she said. My hope is that if you share the experience that I have, youll be able to identify with the scenes that Im painting or the dishes that Im painting.

People clearly connect with the work. They often seek her out to share stories about the cherished memories that they evoke, which is incredibly gratifying, she said.

Her recent work includes a series depicting conchas for The Art of SA Eats/Sabor a San Antonio, an exhibit of food-related works by San Antonio artists currently on display at the McNay Art Museum. The show was designed as a companion to this falls exhibit of works by Wayne Thiebaud, who is known for his lush images of sweet treats.

We wanted to have an opportunity for some San Antonio regional food to be represented, said Edward Hayes, exhibitions senior manager and registrar at the museum, who organized the show with Isabel Servantez. We thought that Eva and the other artists in the show brought something a little more home-cooked, and we could celebrate that, too. They bring just as much comfort as Boston creme pie and cupcakes.

The angle here was to work with imagery of real food sourced from family-owned businesses, mom and pop businesses and food trucks.

The other artists in the show are Ana Fernandez, Chuck Ramirez, Steven Cromwell and Ben Ortiz. It will be up through Jan. 23.

Sanchez has been on Hayes radar for a while.

Whats so cool about Eva is that she crosses all these lines  shell have something in a cutting-edge, contemporary art gallery, and shes selling her prints at Feliz Modern, he said. She has that great commission with the airport And theres the breakfast taco mural.

So it was just kind of inevitable that at some point, Eva was going to be involved in something with us.

On ExpressNews.com: SA photographer Ramin Samandari back at work after widow maker heart attack

Hayes said Sanchez painted the suite of six conchas expressly for the McNay show. She picked up pastries from several panaderias to serve as models for the works. The names of the bakeries  Marios, La Esmeralda, La Superior, La Poblanita, Las Palmas and Mayras  can be found on the side of each painting.

I had done desserts and a lot of sweet things and that felt like a nice match to honoring Wayne Thiebaud and his work, she said.

The invitation to take part in a show at the museum is validating, Sanchez said.

Honestly, it has been a huge step for me, she said. I had a lot of imposter syndrome, and a fear of claiming this as, this is going to be my future or at least foreseeable future.

But you dont fool the McNay.

Sanchez has always painted, and she was involved in a teen art program at the Southwest School of Art. But being an artist didnt seem like a do-able career choice, so she studied interdisciplinary anthropology at Earlham College in Indiana.

When she came back to home San Antonio, she took a series of day jobs  au pair, personal assistant  and painted all the while. Many of her jobs, including bartending on Second Saturdays and working in Andy and Yvette Benavides frame shop at their 1906 artists complex, were in the arts community.

I look back at that, and I think I intuitively was doing some of the right things, by just putting myself into situations where I would be around other working artists, she said.

She had her first show at 1906, something that happened partly because her sister challenged her to make exhibiting her work a New Years resolution for 2017. Yvette Benavides knew about her work and about the resolution and invited her to show in the space.

So I was pushed, Sanchez said. It was all luck and the people around me and in my life knowing that that was something I really wanted but was afraid to take that next step.

At the time, she also had some needed flexibility. She was working as a personal assistant for country musician Emily Strayer of the Chicks. Strayer and her family let Sanchez cut her hours to make more time for her art. And when she decided to take the leap into painting full time, they also let her know that if things went sideways, she could come back and earn money for gas or rent.

That gave me the safety net of, if the worst case scenario happens, youre not going to starve, she said.

Since then, shes stayed busy with commissions and other work.

I feel so incredibly lucky, she said. Theres so many things in my life  I couldnt have planned them to work out so perfectly, and they just worked out.

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
The creator of "The Wire" said his new upcoming HBO series will no longer film in the Dallas-Fort Worth area because of Texas' new restrictive abortion law.

In a tweet on Monday, David Simon said he can't ask his female cast and crew to "forgo civil liberties" by working in the state.

Senate Bill 8, which went into effect Sept. 1, bans abortions beyond six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio Vogue Nights mini-ball series aims to unite city's ballroom scene

Simon said the matter is "beyond politics" and that it's his responsibility to ensure his employees are guaranteed their rights.

Although there are limited details on the yet-to-be-named series, Simon said it's a non-fiction miniseries based on events in the Lone Star State and has asked for suggestions on locations that look like the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He listed Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a possible option.

In response to Simon's announcement, the Dallas Film and Creative Industries Office tweeted, "Not bringing a production to Dallas only serves to further disenfranchise those that live here."

Simon responded by saying the organization misunderstood his intention, noting his decision was based on maintaining the civil liberties of his employees.

One Twitter user said it's "condescending" for Simon to assume his entire female crew will need an abortion during filming to which he responded, "... if even one of our employees requires full control of her own body and choices  and if a law denies this or further criminalizes our attempt to help her exercise that control, we should have filmed elsewhere."

Malak.Silmi@express-news.net
Two months ago, Express-News Food Editor Emily Spicer and I tasted our way through two dozen red Mexican-style hot sauces to identify the ones worth your hard-earned money. Now, were back with a thorough survey of all the bottles of green hot sauces we could find at San Antonio-area grocery stores.

This type of sauce is defined by the verdant, vegetal flavor of green chiles as opposed to the mature, ripe, almost smoky taste of red chiles.

We tried green sauces made with jalapenos, serranos, habaneros and other types of chiles. Some included avocado for a creamy finish or a touch of tomatillo or lime instead of vinegar for a tangy bite. Others were just plain weird, with spinach, cucumber, carrots and egg yolks blended into the mix.

Several of the sauces we quickly eliminated were jarringly sweet. Others were all fire and no flavor. And the worst offenders were bland and lifeless, not even delivering on the promise to make the tongue tingle.

Of the 20 sauces we tried, the seven we recommend all have an excellent green chile flavor balanced with their supporting ingredients, be it vinegar, lime, salt, garlic or avocado. If youre ready to feel the burn, consider any of the following as worthy additions to your home hot sauce collection.

On ExpressNews.com: The 10 best Mexican-style hot sauces from grocery stores and what foods to use them with

Paul Stephen / Staff

Bravado Spice Co. Creamy Herb & Jalapeno Hot Sauce

This vegan and gluten-free sauce was an interesting outlier among our favorites. Its more of a vinaigrette than a hot sauce, with a high concentration of olive oil and red wine vinegar balanced by fairly mild jalapeno burn, garlic and a touch of oregano.

Its not a table sauce for sprinkling over a taco or plate of migas, but it would make an excellent marinade or finishing sauce for grilled or pan-fried fish or shrimp.

Paul Stephen / Staff

Cholula Green Pepper Hot Sauce

Much like Cholulas Original Hot Sauce, this fiery salsa is an all-around champion in our book and belongs on every table. It has a bold taste of bright green jalapeno and rich poblano chiles, and delivers the perfect level of heat punched up with plenty of salt and vinegar.

This sauce could easily stand in anywhere you might use an herby chimichurri  say, on a slab of grilled steak. This is also an ideal green sauce for eggy breakfast tacos.

On ExpressNews.com: Chamoy the salty candy vs. chamoy the sauce: How it evolved from Asian immigrants in Mexico to total S.A. condiment domination

Paul Stephen / Staff

De La Viuda Green Pepper Hot Sauce

If you want a green sauce with less salt and acidity than Cholula but the same sort of anytime, anywhere spirit, this is your bottle. The chile blend is a different, with more earthy poblano flavor coming through, and the heat is delivered by pungent habaneros instead of jalapenos, although the spice level isnt intense.

Of all the sauces we tried, this one has the most powerful vegetal taste and aroma of green chiles, thanks to its high concentration of poblanos.

Paul Stephen / Staff

Del Primo Green Sauce

Del Primos green sauce is much like its red sauce in that it walks the line between a bottled hot sauce and fresh salsa. This bottle is laced with chile seeds and flecks of cilantro and tomatillo that provide a likable bit of texture while remaining otherwise smooth. The flavor is somewhat mild, built exclusively around jalapeno chiles, with a more reserved saltiness and acidity.

This would make a perfect accompaniment to breakfast tacos or migas.

On ExpressNews.com: How to make enchiladas and enchilada sauces at home, with tips from Cappy Lawton, owner of La Fonda on Main

Paul Stephen / Staff

Herdez Avocado

Hot Sauce

This newcomer from Herdez, released in June, is similar to the brands famous Guacamole Salsa  and who doesnt have a bottle of that in the fridge? This has a smoother, creamier texture, courtesy of avocados punctuated with tomatillo tang, lime juice and cilantro.

Its rich and fatty on the tongue thanks to the avocados, and would make an ideal tablemate anytime for a touch of silky spice is desired. It also makes a great emergency dipping sauce for tortilla chips if you happen to be out of salsa or guacamole.

Paul Stephen / Staff

Mexico Lindo Green Habanero Hot Sauce

This is the chileheads choice. Green habaneros are the only peppers involved, and they show up to deliver a fiery kick in the teeth. Despite that intense blaze, this sauce remains a well-balanced amalgamation of heat, savory spices and acidic brightness.

This may be a little too fiery for most palates at the breakfast table, but it would make a nice addition to tacos or nachos, or as a swirl of spice in a stew.

Paul Stephen / Staff

Picamas Hot Sauce

This one has an unusually thick texture from the addition of a bit of flour and will cling nicely anywhere its applied. This sauce is a little less tangy than the others with a savory taste of onion and garlic.

Because of its extra-smooth texture, this would be a good choice with queso, over nachos or even to spice up a batch of mac and cheese.

pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen
A McCullough Avenue mainstay is poised to bring its San Antonio spin on Italian food to the citys Government Hill neighborhood near the Pearl next month. Guillermos restaurant owner Guillermo Garza said he plans to open a second location of his namesake eatery at 1216 Austin St. in mid-October.

Guillermos has fed downtown diners a unique mix of pizza, pasta burgers and more since 1995. Garza said the new location will serve the same menu as his existing property, but one significant change: hes adding a wood-burning oven to the new spot to bake the pizzas, sandwich bread and more currently featured on his menu.
A couple's journey to find their new home in San Antonio will be featured tonight on popular HGTV show "House Hunters."

In the episode titled "Legacy Starting Now," husband-and-wife duo Robert and Lisa Bartee from Ohio are relocating to the Alamo City to buy a home and start a family, the show notes say.
When Eddie and Chantal Rascon decided to update the tired kitchen in their newly purchased mid-90s Helotes home, they rejected the idea of a monochromatic kitchen, opting instead to boldly mix things up to create a fascinating space their designer calls Old World but modern.

This is my favorite style because you get to mix the different looks, said Monica Beyer from New Generation Kitchen and Bath. Here there are all these different textures and colors, but they work together in the end.

The couple looked at 68 homes while house-hunting in 2020, but the market was so hot, the homes they went to see often were already spoken for before theyd even arrived. By the time they got to their current home, there were already 13 offers on it.

I was taken aback when we looked inside because it was a real fixer-upper, said Eddie, an investment analyst who said they still had to offer 40 percent above asking to get it.

Though the four-bedroom, 2 -bathroom house would require a lot of work throughout, their first priority was the kitchen. The renovation, which began shortly after they moved into the house in October 2020, took roughly 3  months and cost approximately $68,000, with about $20,000 of that going toward new cabinets. The price would have been higher, but Eddie did some of the work himself, which he learned from his father who was in construction.

On ExpressNews.com: Historic Olmos Park home gets $60K kitchen renovation with loads of white marble and painted, faux redondo tile floors

The kitchen was small and cramped, with a partial wall on one side of the kitchen that hid much of the room as one approached the space and a peninsula on the other side that stymied the traffic flow. To update the look and feel of the room, they removed the partial wall and replaced the peninsula with an island.

That really opened things up, Beyer said.

But the wall was load-bearing and removing it revealed a support post they considered  and rejected  taking out.

Installing a stronger support beam across the ceiling would have cost thousands of dollars, Eddie said. Instead, they wrapped the post in wood so it would blend in with the other wood features in the room, such as the maple butcher block topping the island where their three young children often eat their meals.

Beyer said she liked several of the kitchen details that were already in the home, including the light, walnut-tone travertine floor tiles and especially the brick-faced, double-sided wood-burning fireplace in the wall between the kitchen and living room.

Chantal Rascon

You dont see that a lot in American homes, she said of the fireplace. It gives the space a luxurious, European feel.

The kitchen now is a room of contrasts and one of the most striking are the colors they selected for the cabinets: light gray for those along the wall and a darker blue for the island.

Monica put the colors together and its like an ensemble of things that really flow, Eddie said. And she helped us see that because she had a lot of examples in her portfolio that she was able to show us.

Another feature that really pops is the backsplash, which consists intricately patterned, custom tiles from Spain in a subtle gray. The high-sheen tiles start behind the sink but then continues until it fills the entire wall, including around the door leading to the backyard.

We wanted something unique, and its not too often you see a backsplash extend beyond the area under cabinets, explained Chantal, a financial planning consultant. Additionally, having so much tile allows everyone to appreciate the custom designs.

While such tiles would typically be laid out horizontally and randomly, the couple decided instead to arrange them vertically. And because the tiles were made in a half-dozen different patterns, they used the same pattern for each column  at least that was the plan.

Actually, the pattern breaks toward the end because we ran out of some of the tiles and had to make do, Eddie said.

The Old World look Beyer likes so much can be seen in the hand-hammered copper finish vent hood above the range. From Zline, it looks like it would fit comfortably in a French country kitchen.

On ExpressNews.com: Fredericksburg winery owners built a $650K hilltop house with million-dollar views

That was one of the items we had to wait for because of the pandemic, Eddie said. It took us 2  months to get it.

They also changed the style of the cabinets at the last minute, switching from a shaker style to raised panel, to retain the look. I think the raised panel is more luxurious, Beyer said. So it works better in this space than a simple shaker-style would have.

Another intentional contrast can be seen between the sink side of the kitchen, where the countertop is smooth, white quartz with handsome gray veining and the opposite wall, made with roughly stacked thin strips of stone in grays and browns.

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

My wife got to do her side and I got to do this side, Eddie said. I told Monica I wanted it to feel like Im in two different rooms at the same time.

The stone strips are stacked vertically from the ceiling to about 3 feet above the floor, and horizontally below that. Eddie, who designed and installed the wall, explained that he intended the horizontal section to follow the same line as the butcher block island top and for the vertical bricks to draw the eye upward, toward the ceiling, to make the room seem bigger.

At the center of the wall, an inset holds two-dozen dozen wine bottles. I enjoy drinking wine, and I wanted somewhere to store and display some of my collection, Eddie said. I had to convince Chantal to let me do it because she was, like, Thats too much wine. 

Yet another eye-catching feature is the ceiling, made from wooden slats stained to look like theyre in an old French farmhouse.

Because of COVID-19-related difficulties during construction, they were told theyd have to wait months to have the drywall ceiling installed. So, deciding to continue the wood look they were using elsewhere, including the doors to the nearby powder room and pantry, they asked the painters who were already on site to stain and install the boards.

And as an additional benefit, the pipes that run to the sink and things like that run above that ceiling, he said. If we need to fix something, we just need to take down a couple of planks instead of cutting through drywall.

When theyre not eating at the island, the family sits at the counter height dining table adjacent to the kitchen. Weve kind of gone away from a formal dining room, Eddie said. We had one in our former house, but wed only use it for Thanksgiving.

Now that its finished, the kitchen often serves as the center of gatherings for holidays, birthdays and family gatherings.

Chantal Rascon

We cook a lot, which is one reason it was important to have a kitchen that is not only functional, but is also of the times, Eddie said. Well have as many as 18 or 19 people in here and, with the pool out back, were very popular with family and friends.

Next on their project list is the master bath and theyll using Beyer as their designer. Because they like to mix things up  but not too much.

rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini
A San Antonio nurse practitioner accused of sexually assaulting a female patient was arrested Tuesday, an arrest affidavit said.

The 37-year-old woman filed a report at a San Antonio police substation that said Sergio Ricardo Rodriguez Jr., 40, touched her inappropriately and exposed himself during a breast exam, according to the affidavit.

San Antonio police said the assault happened at the CentroMed South Park Medical Clinic at 6315 S. Zarzamora.

On ExpressNews.com: Four men accused in trafficking, sexual assault of girl

Rodriguez is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and holds a master of science degree in nursing.

At one point during the exam, Rodriguez sexually assaulted the woman when she attempted to stand up after he exposed himself, the court documents said.

According to the affidavit, the woman correctly described the underwear Rodriguez was wearing.

Police said Rodriguez has denied the allegations. His bail has been set at $200,000.

In a statement, CentroMed officials said they are taking the allegations very seriously and have launched an internal investigation in conjunction with the criminal investigation.

"CentroMed is committed to seeing that all of our patients are treated with the utmost respect and dignity," the clinic's statement said.

San Antonio police believe Rodriguez may have assaulted other patients in San Antonio and Laredo. Anyone with information can call the SAPD Special Victims Unit at 210-207-2313 and reference case number SAPD2118714.
Nearly 9,000 youths in emergency situations have received help from San Antonio Threads this year.

Thats 1,000 more than last year, and there are still four months to go, said Cathy Hamilton, CEO and founder of the nonprofit. That tells you the need. There are so many families still hurting.

The agency provides new clothing, shoes and essential items to teens in foster care, homeless youths and families referred from battered womens shelters. Recently, Hamilton said, they were able to help 150 young people in two hours.

But as winter approaches, Hamilton said theyll need the communitys support to provide more coats and clothing to those who need it in San Antonio, Austin and Houston.

Hamiltons organization is one of more than 400 nonprofits in South Central Texas that depend on Big Give SA, a 24-hour virtual fundraiser hosted by the Nonprofit Council. The donated funds will help the agencies continue their missions, ranging from saving animals to fighting for social justice and serving San Antonios most vulnerable populations.

Scott McAninch, CEO of the Nonprofit Council, said the most important thing about Big Give SA this year is seeing the increasing needs for area nonprofits as the coronavirus continues to affect their operations.

It gives everyone an opportunity to explore the (online) site, find a new agency and potentially give to them, McAninch said, and maybe become an ongoing supporter of the nonprofit.

The 24-hour online event kicks off Thursday at midnight and continues to 11:59 p.m.

On ExpressNews.com: The Big Give SA raises more than expected for nonprofits in San Antonio area

McAninch said the pandemic caused the organization to postpone last years fundraiser from March to September. He said Mayor Ron Nirenberg also asked if they could re-purpose the site from a giving day to a two-month emergency relief fundraiser for all nonprofits.

The group turned the site around in four days. When it reopened, unregistered nonprofits joined registered charities and raised much-needed funds from March to May.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

Donations to The Big Give averaged around $4.7 million annually before the pandemic when outdoor celebrations of nonprofit work were the norm. McAninch said the Big Give helped more than 500 nonprofits in 2020 raise $5 million. More than 21,000 donors took part in the campaign.

This year, more than 430 charities in 17 counties in South Texas are participating.

McAninch said the Nonprofit Council also provides training, seminars and workshops on top of assisting nonprofits through virtual fundraising throughout the year. Training is free to nonprofits as part of the registration.

Were a vehicle to help and give them training from experts from across the country that help shore up fundraising efforts, McAninch said.

Want to help? Individuals can make donations via a mobile device at www.thebiggive.org. Donations made to the Big Give are tax deductible. See More Collapse

Mike Bennett, president and CEO of the Arc of San Antonio, said the Big Give opens the door to give people a glimpse of what charities do every day. The Arc offers children and adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities a range of programs at 13430 West Ave.

Its programs include support for families and adult life enrichment activities, such as SPIRIT Club Online Fitness. SPIRIT stands for Social, Physical, Interactive, Respectful, Integrated and Teamwork.

The Big Give brings new people to the table each year, Bennett said. You dont have to be a billionaire to do philanthropy. Its a nice way to get folks involved.

On ExpressNews.com: The Big Give 2020 is coming Thursday, when small-dollar donors can, well, give big to nonprofits in the San Antonio area

McAninch said another gift available to donors is the Match Minutes option. This year, 10 match minutes will be available as an opportunity to have online donations matched dollar for dollar. Their goal over the next three to five years is to have a match minute for all 24 hours.

He said the annual philanthropic campaign celebrates and highlights the nonprofit sectors work and serves as a testament to the support from communities in the region.

To us, the nonprofits and their stories are most compelling to donors, McAninch said. Marrying these stories with a nonprofits story really kind of hits home.

vtdavis@express-news.net
An area music tutor who thought he was planning to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex  and met a group that confronts suspected pedophiles instead  was arrested Monday by the Texas Rangers.

Jacob Andrew Kolodziej, 28, is charged with online solicitation of a minor under 14 years old. He posted a $50,000 bond and was released the same day.

On Aug. 27, Kolodziej went to a hotel in the 100 block of Villita Street, where he thought he was going to meet a girl.

Instead, he encountered a Denver-area nonprofit called Colorado Ped Patrol, whose volunteers pose online as minors to engage with and later confront child predators.

Ped Patrols activity, including posting a video of its team confronting Kolodziej, contributed to his arrest, according to an affidavit by a member of the Texas Rangers.

On ExpressNews.com: 'Like an intervention': Nonprofit visits San Antonio to confront suspected child predators

Ped Patrol was in San Antonio to meet a man in a separate case who had begun communicating with one of the groups decoys more than a month earlier.

Kolodziej used the applications Whisper and Snapchat to message an account named coffee_vagrant, which he thought belonged to a 13-year-old girl, according to the affidavit. Instead, he was communicating with Celeste Hilton, a 34-year-old mother from Colorado.

Hilton said Kolodziej was eager to meet in person soon after they started chatting online.

According to the affidavit, Kolodziej said he would teach her lots of things and touch literally each inch of your body. He also had a vibrator with him when he was confronted by Ped Patrol.

Kolodziej told the group he taught trumpet lessons.

Thomas Ray Fellows, who founded and runs Colorado Ped Patrol, offered Kolodziej options to get counseling. Fellows and his team also asked him to call his wife on speaker phone to tell her why he was downtown that day.

Kolodziej called her and said that he had gone to meet an underage girl.

Before leaving, Kolodziej also told Fellows that he had images of child pornography on his phone, according to the affidavit.

The Ped Patrol team videoed the confrontation and uploaded the recording to the nonprofits YouTube channel.

The day after the confrontation, Kolodziej, who held a Texas educator certificate, resigned from Floresville Independent School District, the affidavit states.

Floresville ISD spokeswoman Kim Cathey said Kolodziej was a self-employed contractor who occasionally instructed music students and that the school district cooperated with law enforcement after it learned of Ped Patrols video.

On ExpressNews.com: Four men accused in trafficking, sexual assault of girl

Fellows said Tuesday that he was happy to learn of Kolodziejs arrest and that the Texas Rangers worked with him on the case.

He had tried to leave information regarding Kolodziej with San Antonio police, but he was unable to connect with a detective.

On Sept. 14, an anonymous tip was sent to the Texas Rangers via the Safe2Tell line, directing them to Fellows Youtube video, which shows him interviewing Kolodziej.

Fellows does not know who sent the tip to the Texas Rangers, but he was happy that authorities, including a Bexar County prosecutor, were willing to work with him and collect Ped Patrols evidence.

This is why I do what I do, Fellows said, noting that it is the sixth time an arrest was made after someone watched one of his videos.

jbeltran@express-news.net
Best-selling author Leila Meacham didnt find success as a novelist until late in life, but her writing uplifted many in her final days as she detailed her fight with pancreatic cancer on social media.

Meacham, a retired San Antonio teacher, died Sunday at the age of 83.

In one of her last Facebook posts, Meacham wrote about resuming chemotherapy after a fall.

Alas, alas. Surely there is a divine plan behind this, a reason to smile again, she wrote. Regardless of mine, you all keep smiling, hold on to the faith, and prayer my stamina and strength.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio Roses author Leila Meacham battles pancreatic cancer but keeps writing with support and prayers from her fans

Her husband of 55 years, Richard Dick Meacham, broke the news to his late wifes thousands of Facebook followers Monday.

Shortly after her last post on September 8, Leila developed double pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. She fought valiantly for more than a week but the cumulative effects of the cancer, chemotherapy, stroke, pelvic fracture, and pneumonia left her severely weakened, he wrote, adding, Thank you for being there for her. Your responses to her posts gave her strength and kept her going.

Leila Meacham penned a series of sweeping historical romances that captivated audiences nationwide. Her breakout book, the New York Times bestseller Roses, was published in 2010 when she was 70. Set in a small East Texas town, Roses traced the far-reaching effects of a thwarted marriage between tycoons Mary Toliver and Percy Warwick in the early 20th century, earning comparisons to Gone With the Wind.

However, she felt her sophomore effort represented her best work, according to Dick Meacham.

If you asked her, I think her favorite was Tumbleweeds, he said. Spanning multiple decades, the novel traces the interwoven life trajectories of three orphans who eventually find themselves embroiled in a love triangle.

Over the next six years, Meacham published six more books, including Somerset, a prequel to Roses. Her most recent, the thriller Dragonfly, follows a motley crew of five American spies, including a fashion designer, a stunning fencer and an impoverished fly fisherman, tasked with infiltrating the Nazis inner circle in occupied Paris during World War II.

Meacham herself was born in Minden, Louisiana, in 1938, several years before the United States entered the fray in December 1941. She and Dick Meacham met when he was in the Air Force and married on July 2, 1966.

Meachams passion for writing and reading initially took the form of a career in education. Between the 1960s and the 1990s, she taught English at schools in multiple states, including Judson High School and Kitty Hawk Middle School in Texas.

She was so encouraging of her students  the students who struggled with their academics, social issues, family challenges. She loved helping students achieve success in reaching their goals. She took a lot of people that were not going anywhere, and she helped them make something of themselves, and she did it just because of her personality and the way she treated people, Dick Meacham said.

In a testament to her impact, he said, many of her former students have stayed in touch with her.

How many times have you run down your teachers from 20, 30 years ago and come and seen them? he said. I dont think youve probably done that. I havent.

On ExpressNews.com: Long before Roses, Leila Meacham wrote a few 80s romance novels

Leila Meacham was working on a ninth book, tentatively titled April Storm, around the same time she was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in August 2019 and began chemotherapy in September 2019. She was nearly finished with it  plodding through the final chapter  when she passed away, Dick Meacham said. He described April Storm as a contemporary mystery.

She basically touched everybody she talked to, Dick Meacham said.

Shes got so many friends. You dont have that many friends if youre not a special person.

A visitation will be held Friday, Oct. 1, and her funeral service is scheduled for Oct. 2.

caroline.tien@hearst.com
A San Antonio girl was among 500 people whose photos were featured across two Times Square billboards Saturday as a part of the National Down Syndrome Society's annual presentation.

Audrey Diaz, 8, attends Bulverde Creek Elementary School and was one of the many children, teenagers and adults with Down syndrome who were featured in the hourlong video. Her mom, Magaly Diaz, said they watched the video live from their home in San Antonio, and Audrey was so excited to see herself on the screen states away.

On Expressnews.com: Big Give SA helps Texas nonprofits meet increasing needs amid COVID-19 pandemic

"She was like, 'Oh my God, that's me. Wow, that's so cool,'" Magaly Diaz said.

This was the second time the organization chose her photo  the first being in 2014 when Audrey was 2 years old, her mother said.

NDSS said they chose 50 individuals from Texas. In the annual celebration, NDSS features individuals with Down syndrome from every state to highlight the diversity of the community and to promote acceptance and inclusion, according to their website.

Diaz, who works as an educational director at the Down Syndrome Association of South Texas, said she appreciates NDSS's mission to showcase her daughter and others with Down syndrome.

"I got really emotional watching, because she is my baby and she's beautiful," she said.

2 1 of 2 Courtesy of Magaly Diaz Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Courtesy of Magaly Diaz Show More Show Less



She said it was a "bittersweet" moment to watch the presentation from miles away and not from New York, due to the ongoing pandemic and the safety of Audrey and her family.

When she first showed Audrey the photo, she didn't think it was a big deal because she didn't realize where Times Square was. But then Diaz showed her footage of how Times Square looks and explained it's one of the busiest places in the world.

"If it had been a non-COVID world, I would've liked to be there, and she would have been besides herself to see her photo on such a huge screen."

Malak.Silmi@express-news.net
Trinity University and Texas State University joined the ranks of prestigious institutions like Princeton and Yale on a list of top colleges.

The San Antonio and San Marcos schools are among roughly a dozen places in the state to make the Princeton Reviews The Best 387 Colleges book. The schools are not ranked numerically from 1 to 387; they show up on the list in alphabetical order.

About 14 percent of the countrys four-year colleges are featured in the book each year, according to a Princeton Review fact sheet.

Baylor University, Rice University, Texas A&M University-College Station and the University of Texas at Austin also made the cut.

The Best Colleges list is determined by surveys from tens of thousands of college students on campuses across the country. About 154,000 students were surveyed for this edition. Because many of them were not on campus as often due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Princeton Review strayed from its usual ranking system.

Rather than coming up with about 60 top 20 ranking lists of colleges, the book features 26 Great Lists that highlight institutions that have stood out in past Princeton Review rankings for decades, according to a news release. A few of the 26 lists include great financial aid, great professors and great career services.

About 214, or 56 percent, of the 387 colleges in the book made one or more of the great lists, according to the Princeton Review release. Rice made 11 of those lists including most loved colleges and great health services.

In separate ranking systems, Northwest Vista College also climbed to the top. The San Antonio school is the No.1 community college in the city, second in the state and 34th in the nation on Niche.coms 2022 Best Colleges list. Niche, according to a Northwest Vista news release, relies on data from the U.S. Department of Education coupled with reviews from students and alumni to create its list.

Northwest Vista is also ranked 4th in the state on BestColleges.com for 2021. This list, according to the news release, is based on data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the College Navigator.

megan.rodriguez@express-news.net
Four of the five candidates vying for the District 118 House seat would do a fine job  but in todays red-meat Texas political climate, the mostly south Bexar County district would benefit from a representative with political experience, community relationships and policy vision.

We recommend Frank Ramirez, who left his job as zoning and planning director for District 7 San Antonio City Councilwoman Ana Sandoval to enter this race. The youngest of the candidates, Ramirez, 27, offers a refreshing mix of state and city leadership experience, and a promising policy platform.

Early voting began Monday at five polling sites and ends Friday. Election Day is Tuesday.

Ramirez is one of three Democrats and two Republicans campaigning to replace Leo Pacheco, 63, who resigned last month and has taken a San Antonio College faculty position.

Ramirez is a progressive who was born and raised on the South Side. His priorities include increasing access to quality public education, ensuring equitable health care, and retaining womens rights and voting rights. He could utilize his experience serving as a legislative director and then as chief of staff for House District 118.

Other Democrats seeking election for the district, which is 72 percent Hispanic, are Katie Farias, a trustee for the Southside Independent School District, and trial attorney Desi Martinez.

We also were impressed with Farias, who served four years as district director for state Sen. Roland Gutierrez when he served in the Texas House. She is a staunch advocate for working-class Texans, public schools, womens rights, seniors and veterans.

Martinezs legal expertise and familiarity with the issues in Bexar Countys South Side also make him a quality candidate.

With Martinez, we were impressed with his policy platform, especially his passionate stand against new Texas laws allowing permitless carry, restricting voting and banning abortions at six weeks. He told us the lack of a solution for the deadly electrical grid failure during Winter Storm Uri in February inspired him to run.

Republicans in the race are former state Rep. John Lujan, who held the District 118 House seat for less than a year in 2016, and Adam Salyer, a retired Army sergeant who lost to Pacheco in 2020. Salyer did not meet with us. We were unimpressed with his campaign Facebook page, particularly a post with photos promoting the lie that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election.

District 118 is a Democratic stronghold, but Lujan, a retired city firefighter, won the seat in a 2016 special election. He then lost to Pacheco, a Democrat, in the November 2016 general election.

Lujans experience in the House would be helpful, and he has undeniable political skills and charm.

Lujan told us he wants to expand Medicaid  a position the three Democratic candidates in this race support  and he described himself as middle-of-the-road on many issues. But his support of constitutional carry, banning mask mandates and the heartbeat bill struck us as pretty far right, especially for a traditionally Democratic district.

A much better fit is Ramirez, who could be a legislative star. For his political experience, policy understanding and community connections, Ramirez has earned our recommendation.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is under increasing pressure from civil rights groups and some Democrats to stop using a Trump-era public health order to expel migrants as his administration ramps up mass deportations of Haitian refugees in Del Rio.

Leaders from virtually every major civil rights group in the country signed a scathing letter to Biden on Wednesday accusing him of breaking campaign promises to build a more humane immigration system after the Trump administration.

We fear that commitments made on the campaign trail  to uphold the United States domestic and international legal obligation to asylum, to end privatized detention, and to disentangle federal immigration enforcement from local law enforcement  are being shredded before our eyes, leaders from groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, wrote.

The letter comes as even top Democratic officials have started urging Biden to drop the order, known as Title 42, which his administration has used to immediately expel many migrants at the southern border because of risks associated with the coronavirus.

IMAGES AT THE BORDER: 'Horrified' by photos of border agents allegedly whipping migrants, official promises investigation

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday slammed Biden for continuing hateful and xenophobic Trump policies that disregard our refugee laws.

We must allow asylum seekers to present their claims at our ports of entry and be afforded due process, the New York Democrat said.

Some Texas Democrats have also criticized Bidens use of Title 42. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio said its bad policy and sets bad precedent to leave it in place.

If we continue to do it, future presidents of both parties, I believe, will continue to use that as a way to basically say out of sight, out of mind, Castro said.

The pushback from the left complicates matters for the Biden administration, which has leaned on the public health order as a key part of its response to a six-month surge in migration at the southern border that Republicans have hammered the president with repeatedly.

The administration has said the order is still necessary because of COVID.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

We are expelling individuals based on Title 42, specifically because of COVID, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. Because we want to prevent a scenario where large numbers of people are gathering, posing a threat to the community, and also to the migrants themselves.

The administration used the order to immediately expel migrants in 93,414 encounters in August  44 percent of encounters with migrants that month  according to the latest data. Most of those, 76,895, were single adults.

Another 16,240 were members of migrant families, who a federal judge in Washington, D.C. earlier this month ordered the administration to stop expelling under the public health order. Judge Emmet G. Sullivan gave the administration two weeks to end the practice, siding with a group of migrant families who sued with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Texas Civil Rights Project. Sullivan wrote that order, known as Title 42, is likely unlawful and said he was not convinced that the transmission of COVID-19 during border processing cannot be significantly mitigated through other means.

The administration, however, has appealed the ruling and has since used the public health order to expel thousands of Haitians on flights back to Haiti that ramped up this week.

Critics say Biden is losing credibility on civil rights issues he campaigned on, including racial justice.

AT THE BORDER: Many Haitians who traveled from Chile will now pass through Houston

Your Administration has committed to advancing racial equity in all parts of government, the civil rights leaders wrote. This commitment is belied by the Department of Homeland Securitys actions on the southern border, where mass deportation and expulsion flights are returning Haitian migrants, without even a screening for asylum eligibility, to a country reeling from a devastating earthquake and presidential assassination.

U.S. Rep. Al Green of Houston, who chairs the Texas Democratic delegation, put out a statement Tuesday saying this is another pivotal moment that will test how much Black Lives Matter to our country after images of Border Patrol agents chasing Haitian refugees on horseback sparked outrage.

What the world has witnessed over the last few days at the Texas border is an inhumane disregard for Black lives, Green said. The images of Haitians being shamelessly charged by some U.S. Border Patrol officers using reigns as lashes is disturbingly reminiscent of some of the darkest chapters in history; of a time when runaway slaves were rounded up like cattle. Black Lives Matter in Haiti and at the southern border.

ben.wermund@chron.com
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  An Arizona man who allegedly told his father he snapped and shot a couple of people" was charged Tuesday with murder, about a week after four bodies were found in an abandoned SUV in western Wisconsin, according to a criminal complaint.

Antoine Suggs, 38, of Scottsdale, Arizona, faces four counts of second-degree intentional murder, without premeditation. Suggs turned himself in to Gilbert, Arizona, police last week after investigators announced he was wanted for questioning. Prosecutors said he remains jailed in Arizona, awaiting extradition to Minnesota.

Suggs' father, 56-year-old Darren McWright, who also goes by the last name Osborne, has been charged in Wisconsin with four counts of hiding a corpse. The Minnesota complaint against Suggs does not name McWright as Suggs' father, but comparing the details with the charges out of Wisconsin shows the two men are father and son. The Ramsey County Attorney's Office says it is reviewing the case against McWright.

The Gilbert Police Department said Suggs was taken to the Maricopa County jail on Friday. It was not immediately clear if he was still there on Tuesday night because the jail's online records showed an error. A message left with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office was not immediately returned. The Ramsey County jail's phone system has McWright listed as an inmate, but staff there do not take messages. It was not immediately clear if either man had an attorney to comment on his behalf.

The bodies of Matthew Pettus, 26, his half-sister Jasmine Sturm, 30, and Sturms boyfriend, 35-year-old Loyace Foreman III, all of St. Paul; and 30-year-old Nitosha Flug-Presley, of Stillwater, Minnesota, a close friend of Sturm, were found by a farmer in a cornfield on Sept. 12 just outside of the Town of Sheridan in Dunn County, Wisconsin, roughly 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of St. Paul.

Authorities said all four had gunshot wounds to the head. Nitosha Flug-Presley, who was in the front passenger seat, had been shot in the mouth, Pettus had two gunshot wounds to the back of his head, Foreman had a gunshot wound to the face and another gunshot wound to the top of the head, and Sturm had a gunshot wound to the left cheek, the complaint said.

Authorities said in court documents that Suggs was seen at a St. Paul bar with Flug-Presley, Sturm and Pettus on Sept. 12. The Wisconsin criminal complaint against McWright said Flug-Presleys aunt told authorities that her niece had a thing with Suggs and he would fly in from Arizona to see her.

According to the criminal complaint against Suggs, an employee at a bar saw a woman who looked like Flug-Presley arguing with a man, who the employee identified as Suggs from a photo lineup. The employee said Suggs said something about having six children and this happening every time he comes back to Minnesota, the complaint said.

Flug-Presley, Pettus and Sturm were then seen getting into a black SUV, the complaint said. The SUV and Suggs returned to the area shortly before 3 a.m. Investigators believe that Suggs killed the four victims in St. Paul, sometime between 3:30 a.m. and 3:48 a.m. Six spent shell casings and Suggs' bloody driver's license were found in the vehicle.

Suggs then called his father and showed up where his father was staying at about 5 a.m. Suggs' father told authorities that Suggs snapped and shot a couple of people. Suggs then drove the SUV from St. Paul to Wisconsin, and Suggs father followed him. They stopped at various gas stations  surveillance video from one St. Paul station shows Suggs driving the SUV, and Flug-Presley slumped over in the passenger seat, the complaint said.

Suggs' father told authorities that after leaving the SUV in a cornfield, he gave Suggs a ride back to Minnesota. Suggs father denied knowing the bodies were in the abandoned SUV, the complaint said.

But surveillance video from a gas station in Wheeler, Wisconsin  about 10 miles from the cornfield  shows that Suggs father handed something to the driver of the SUV. Suggs father also stood at the SUVs open passenger window while it was in the gas station parking lot, the complaint said.

Both vehicles then left the gas station in Wheeler and drove toward the direction of the cornfield where the SUV was discovered. Investigators found blood in the gas station parking lot where the SUV had stopped, the complaint said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Oh, the conversations that happen when powerful people meet.

Could the very special relationship between the U.S. and the United Kingdom become even more secure now that President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have bonded over their shared love of trains?

Biden famously rode Amtrak almost daily between his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and Washington during his 36 years as a U.S. senator. He rode the rails when he was vice president, too.

Johnson hopped aboard an Amtrak train in New York City on Tuesday, after addressing the U.N. General Assembly, to get to a White House meeting with Biden.

Amtrak Joe  a nickname the president earned for his regular commutes  took note as the leaders exchanged pleasantries while opening their meeting in the Oval Office.

You came down on Amtrak, is that right? Biden said.

Johnson replied that he, in fact, did. And you are a living deity on Amtrak, I can tell you, he replied.

Biden joked that he has traveled so many miles on Amtrak  millions, he says an Amtrak conductor once told him  that if I were a conductor I'd be No. 1 in seniority.

I thought they should name the railroad after me or something, the president added.

Johnson quickly noted: They named the station after you. It's big news.

Amtrak renamed its Wilmington station after Biden in 2011, when he was vice president. Johnson's train would have stopped there on the way to Washington.

Johnson told Biden that he shares his belief in transport infrastructure, particularly trains.

As part of his nearly $1 trillion infrastructure plan, Biden has proposed what the White House says would be the largest investment in U.S. passenger rail service since Amtrak was created 50 years ago.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The new rulers of Afghanistan have an uphill battle in their efforts to be recognized in time to address other world leaders at the United Nations this year.

The Taliban are challenging the credentials of the ambassador from Afghanistans former government and asking to speak at the General Assemblys high-level meeting of world leaders this week, according to a letter sent to the United Nations.

The decision now rests with a U.N. committee that generally meets in November and will issue a ruling in due course," the General Assembly's spokeswoman said Wednesday.

U.N. officials are confronting this dilemma just over a month after the Taliban, ejected from Afghanistan by the United States and its allies after 9/11, swept back into power by taking over territory with surprising speed as U.S. forces prepared to withdraw from the country at the end of August. The Western-backed government collapsed on Aug. 15.

In cases of disputes over seats at the United Nations, the General Assemblys nine-member credentials committee must meet to make a decision. Letters from Afghanistans currently recognized U.N. ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, who represents the former government, and from Taliban Foreign Minister Ameer Khan Muttaqi, are before the committee, assembly spokeswoman Monica Grayley said.

Only the committee can decide when to meet, Grayley said.

The committees members are the United States, Russia, China, Bahama, Bhutan, Chile, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Sweden.

Afghanistan is listed as the final speaker of the ministerial meeting on Monday, Sept. 27, and if there no decision by then, Isaczai, Afghanistans currently recognized U.N. ambassador, will give the address.

When the Taliban last ruled from 1996 to 2001, the U.N. refused to recognize their government and instead gave Afghanistans seat to the previous, warlord-dominated government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was killed by a suicide bomber in 2011. It was Rabbanis government that brought Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11, to Afghanistan from Sudan in 1996.

The Taliban have said they want international recognition and financial help to rebuild the war-battered country. But the makeup of the new Taliban government poses a dilemma for the United Nations. Several of the interim ministers -- including Muttaqi -- are on the U.N.s so-called blacklist of international terrorists and funders of terrorism.

Credentials committee members could also use Taliban recognition as leverage to press for a more inclusive government that guarantees human rights, especially for girls who were barred from going to school during their previous rule, and women who werent able to work.

The Taliban said they were nominating a new U.N. permanent representative, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, the U.N. spokesman said. He has been a spokesman for the Taliban during peace negotiations in Qatar.
FAIRFIELD  When Khaled H. Khaled was a child growing up in Egypt, he watched as his grandfather and father owned and operated their family business making authentic Egyptian desserts.

From those moments as a youngster, Khaled realized what his lifes dream would be: He wanted to continue the family business. This summer, Khaleds dream was finally realized as he opened his own store at 1555 Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield, bringing the family business to town and bringing the first Nutcracker to the U.S.

This has always been my dream, said Khaled, who also lives in town. This was my plan.

Khaled, who has an accounting degree, arrived in the states in 2012. He initially worked at a gas station as well as an Uber driver to make ends meet as he laid the ground work for expanding the family business. Khaled said it was difficult do that work, however, his plan all along was to expand a business that has been the source of desserts in Cairo since 1960.

I really like this business, he said.

Khaleds store brings together a combination of authentic desserts, all of which he makes himself.

The menu at Nutcracker includes various selections of baklava, mini Middle Eastern pastries, several different types of halvah, as well as all things nuts  from traditional pistachios, cashews and almonds to specific and unique flavors.

Khaled also serves fresh brewed Egyptian coffee and select Egyptian juices, such as Egyptian mango juice. The store has a unique selection of chocolates and Middle Eastern dried fruits.

He learned how to make all of these treats by working with his dad.

I make everything, Khaled said. I learned how to make it when I was younger, I worked with my dad in the store in Cairo. When I finished high school and when I finished college and every time there was a summer, I worked with my dad.

Khaled said since he opened his business a couple months ago, the Fairfield community has embraced him and welcomed him. He is working to build his regular clientele and introduce as many people as possible to his Egyptian culture.

It has been very good, Khaled said. The people have been really good. Everybody likes the store and everybody is friendly.

They have given me so much support, he added. This area is a good area. I live here and I know this area. I know the people here too and theyre very good people.

Nutcracker is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the store closing earlier at 8 p.m. on Sundays.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Wisconsin wildlife officials on Wednesday urged hunters to submit samples of the deer they kill to test them for chronic wasting disease, which is still spreading throughout the state after first being detected nearly 20 years ago.

With the archery hunting season just beginning and the nine-day gun hunting deer season starting Nov. 20, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials asked hunters to help them collect data to track the diseases spread.

Every hunter has a role and obviously an interest in our deer population in the state, said Amanda Kamps, the states wildlife health conservation specialist. And everyone has a role in protecting the overall health of the deer herd.

This years CWD monitoring program will complete a statewide sampling effort that began in 2018. This marks the second year in which 13 northeastern counties are the focus for collecting samples. Those counties are Brown, Calumet, Door, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago.

Chronic wasting disease is similar to mad cow disease. It attacks the deer's brain, causing the animal to grow thin, act abnormally and eventually die. The disease threatens the deer hunting industry throughout the Midwest.

The fatal, infectious disease was detected in five Wisconsin counties in 2002. Since then, it has affected 56 of the state's 72 counties, according to the DNR. The agency has conducted increased surveillance in recent years, with nearly 19,000 samples collected last year. Of those, nearly 1,600 from 23 counties tested positive.

The vast majority of CWD positives in the wild herd were in southern Wisconsin counties near Mount Horeb, located about 15 miles southwest of Madison, where the disease was first found in the state.

Kamps encouraged hunters to take advantage of the free CWD testing. There are self-service kiosks open around the clock where hunters can drop off the deer's head for testing. Tests are also conducted by meat processors, taxidermists and other businesses that have contracted with the state to collect samples, Kamps said. At-home testing kits are also available.

Test results take about 10 to 14 days to return and no delays are anticipated due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Jeff Pritzl, the DNR's deer program specialist, said Wisconsin has done an exemplary job of tracking the disease.

Were not only managing for the short term, but we need to be thinking about what the deer hunting experience is going to be for the next generation," he said.

The DNR initially tried to persuade hunters to kill as many deer as possible in the hopes of eradicating the disease. But hunters and landowners refused to accept that approach. The backlash was so fierce that former Republican Gov. Scott Walker adopted a largely hands-off approach to the disease, focusing on tracking its spread rather than trying to stop it.

The DNR under Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has emphasized the research and monitoring of CWD rather than additional regulation to combat its spread.

Pritzl said regulators have to weigh what can be gained through additional mandates against getting voluntary support from the hunting community. He didn't say what, if any, mandates might be under consideration.

With more efficient testing options and treatment for animals being developed, buying time is really important, Pritzl said.

Its always been a challenge," he said. "In the end, weve got to keep the hunting community engaged and not alienated.
Pine Grove Presbyterian Churchs Shoe Boxes 4 Soldiers has grown exponentially since 2005 when launched as a mission project for children.

The Greenback congregation began with 75 care packages. Now, more than 400 packages are assembled annually and sent to soldiers stationed overseas at forward operating bases and locations without access to common items like toothpaste and canned meat.

Packages that first year were sent to the Adopt a Soldier program through Fort Bragg, Melinda Brooks, church member and organizer, said at a fundraiser Saturday for Shoe Boxes 4 Soldiers.

The effort has resulted in thousands of Christmas care packages for deployed troops in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and South Korea.

Were shooting for 400 or more this year, Brooks said.

Church members collect items from the wish list through the year, and the church has a fundraiser every September to help with postage.

The carnival fundraiser Saturday included a silent auction, food, games, door prizes, cake walks, a dunking booth, K-9 officers and soldiers. The church feeds soldiers and first responders at the local event.

Shoe boxes sent to soldiers are filled with a long list of essentials that include hygiene items and food.

Stuff they would have a hard time getting, Will Bivens, a Greenback resident who attended the fundraiser, said.

Pictures and letters received from soldiers who have received care packages shows their appreciation, Bivens said.

The letters that we receive bring tears to your eyes, Brooks said.

Items shipped overseas to soldiers include toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, flip-flops for showers, wash rags, shampoo, conditioner, soap, beef jerky, canned meat, candy bags and snacks such as granola bars, trail mix and peanuts.

Our boxes are so full that they have to be taped shut, Brooks said.

She said soldiers who receive care packages are at locations that most likely put them in harms way.

They have access to very little, Brooks said.

In 2019, care packages were sent to the 5th Special Forces Group, while last year they were shipped to the 160th Night Stalker Unit, Brooks said.

A couple years ago, 57 soldiers hadnt eaten meat for four months and had been living on MREs, a meal ready to eat, Brooks said.

Items sold at the annual fundraisers are donated by businesses and individuals. On Saturday, there was a paddleboard donated by a retired Navy veteran who wanted to remain anonymous. Other items in the silent auction included water skis, paintings, picture frames, a portable gas grill, dinnerware set, sleeping bags, bicycles, a guitar and lamps. There were also gift certificates for services such as an oil change, campground stay, spa and salon and restaurants.

This years carnival collected $4,251.

For more information on donating, contact Brooks at lindy3269@gmail.com, 865-200-6129 or 865-986-9086. Individuals can also drop off items at a drive-through at the ARI Agency in Lenoir City.
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One of the largest growers in the UK was left unable to sell 320,000 worth of tomatoes to its retailer customers due to a lack of available workers.

A shortage of pickers and drivers had led East Kent-based Thanet Earth to redistribute its 'wasted' tomatoes to charities and compost production.

The grower, one of the largest glasshouse companies in the country, produces around 400 million tomatoes, 30 million cucumbers and 24 million peppers each year.

North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale highlighted the issue to parliament on Back British Farming Day, on 15 September.

Speaking at PMQs, he said: In three weeks Thanet Earth has had to trash 320,000 worth of produce because there are no pickers and no drivers, because of a lack of labour force.

"The crops are rotting in our fields and on our trees, the grower's local MP warned.

Thanet Earth, which requires over 800 pickers to work in its glasshouses, said it had been unable to send produce to its customers because of a shortage of labour in the horticultural sector.

Chris Butler, managing director said: "This loss comes because our crop, whilst in production all year round, has seasonal peaks in production.

"Additional workers are needed at peak times to ensure we can pick and pack the tomatoes and its this seasonal labour that is most needed at present."

He added that the current shortage of HGV drivers was also impacting its ability to get the packed product distributed in good time.

The wasted tomatoes have either been redistributed through local charities and the FareShare network or have been routed to compost production," Mr Butler said.

It comes as the food and farming sector recently called for a 12-month Covid-19 recovery visa to help alleviate the workforce shortages.

In their report, they highlighted the impact the pandemic and the UKs Brexit immigration policy was having on the sectors ability to recruit key workers.

The sector is currently seeing an average vacancy rate of 13 percent, with estimates pointing to more than 500,000 vacancies across food and drink businesses.
The government has agreed a deal with CF Industries for the US firm to restart CO2 production after high gas prices forced it to stop production, threatening food shortages.

The government's agreement with CF Fertilisers will allow the company to immediately restart operations and produce CO2 at its Billingham, Teeside plant.

As part of the deal, the government will provide financial support toward the firm's operating costs for three weeks 'whilst the CO2 market adapts to global gas prices'.

A sharp increase in gas prices had caused the fertiliser plant, along with the firm's other site in Cheshire, to close. The latter will remain shut.

The food and farming industry had warned that the public could start seeing gaps on retailer shelves within days if there was no intervention in its supply.

For example, the livestock sector uses the gas in the slaughter process, packaging, and chilling stages of meat production.

The British Poultry Council (BPC) had warned that if any of those stages were slowed or interrupted then the supply of meat would be put to a halt.

Illinois-based CF Fertilisers produces around 60 percent of UKs CO2, used primarily by the food sector, but also in other industries such as healthcare.

Announcing the multi-million pound deal, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: "This agreement will ensure the many critical industries that rely on a stable supply of CO2 have the resources they require to avoid disruption.

"The quick and decisive action we have taken to resolve the issue shows the seriousness with which we have approached it.

"In our ongoing response to manage the impact of global gas price rises, we will continue to protect businesses and consumers."

But the British Meat Processors Association said the crisis highlighted the fact that the British food supply chain was 'at the mercy of a small number of major fertiliser producers'.

"We rely on a by-product from their production process to keep Britains food chain moving," CEO Nick Allen said.

This time, weve had zero warning of the planned closure of the fertiliser plants in Ince and Stockton-on-Tees and, as a result, its plunged the industry into chaos."

Ranjit Singh Boparan, owner of Bernard Matthews and 2 Sisters Food Group, had warned that a shortage of both CO2 and workers would affect the supply of turkeys this Christmas.

"The supply of Bernard Matthews turkeys this Christmas was already compromised as I need to find 1,000 extra workers to process supplies. Now with no CO2 supply, Christmas will be cancelled," he said.

"The CO2 issue is a massive body blow and puts us at breaking point, it really does - that's poultry, beef, pork, as well as the wider food industry.

"Without CO2, the bottom line is there is less throughput and with our sector already compromised with lack of labour, this potentially tips us over the edge."
The United States will lift its ban on imports of British lamb, Boris Johnson has announced, a move the sheep sector says will help maximise trade opportunities for UK farmers.

A ban on both British lamb and beef imports to the US has been in place since 1989 due to concerns around BSE, commonly known as 'mad cow disease'.

Boris Johnson made the announcement following talks with President Joe Biden at the White House.

I can tell you today that what were going to get from the United States now is a lifting of the decades-old ban, totally unjustified, discriminating on British farmers and British lamb, the prime minister said.

Its about time too. And what were wanting to do is make solid incremental steps in trade."

The National Sheep Association (NSA) welcomed the announcement, saying it would increase demand for British sheepmeat within the US.

According to the trade body, the UK is the third largest exporter of sheepmeat globally, but American consumption of the meat is currently 'very low'.

However, it said the new deal could help stimulate interest in lamb and mutton through "exporting high quality British sheepmeat that reinspires interest".

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: "This creates another opportunity for our industry to maximise trade opportunities and we have always seen the US as being a potentially important market.

"After the domestic market, which takes 60  65% of UK production, the EU is still our largest export market and is on our doorstep.

"However, access is more difficult than it was when we were part of the EU. Its essential to maintain EU access but is also important to work on any market that gives us future potential.

Mr Stocker noted the wider opportunities presented by the lifting of the ban: We shouldnt expect to see any sudden surge in volumes going to the US, but we do know there is strong demand for UK sheep genetics  semen and embryos.

"Many British sheep breeds are in the US but are numerically too small to have a strong gene pool so the demand for our genetics is strong."

The US's ban on British beef was lifted in September last year in a deal thought to be worth 66 million over the next five years.
Wales' post-Brexit farm support scheme will open in January 2025, it has been announced, placing a heavy emphasis on public goods and the environment.

The Welsh government has set out a timeline for the Sustainable Farming Scheme, which is set to replace EU farm support.

The SFS will place a value on the environmental outcomes farmers deliver, such as improved soils, clean air, clean water and improved biodiversity, alongside sustainable food production.

More than 2,000 farmers and stakeholders have been consulted in the first phase of co-designing the new scheme, with the next phase set to take place in summer 2022.

A final consultation on the detail of scheme design, and transition to the new scheme, will take place in spring 2023.

Engagement with farmers through an outreach programme on the final scheme will take place the following year.

The Sustainable Farming Scheme is then set to officially open in January 2025, the Welsh government confirmed.

Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths said that tackling the climate and nature emergencies were a priority for the government.

The farming sector has faced many challenges over the past few years and we are firm in our intention to support farmers to adapt to future changes.

I have always been clear we will work closely with farmers to ensure their voices are heard as future support is designed."

The Minister said an outline of the Sustainable Farming Scheme will be published next year, including the actions which farmers are asked to undertake.

Analysis of the estimated cost to the farm business and wider sector of undertaking them and the resulting environmental benefits will be also be published.
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Image: ShutterstockFor many pet owners, hair shedding is a serious problem, since it undoubtedly makes a mess. As a pet owner, you have probably come to terms with the fact that regular house cleaning is the norm, especially during shedding season. While we all love our furry friends, it is important that we tackle the constant pet hair around our homes for the health and hygiene of everyone at home. And while we can see the hair our pets leave behind, theres more to fur and fluff than meets the eye.As we continue to spend more time indoors with pets,, shares tips on how to keep your home free of pet hair.Pet hair shares many similarities with human hair. But there are some key differences that make pet hair particularly difficult to clean. Animal hair stops growing as soon as it reaches a certain length and sheds to be replaced by new hair and this happens between seasons. For instance, dog breeds like German Shepherds, Collies and Samoyeds shed more in spring and autumn to make way for their summer pelts, which can explain why you find pet hair constantly at certain times of the year.Pet hair has a tendency to embed itself onto a carpeted surface or electrostatically stick to a hard floor surface. This is where vacuum cleaners come to the rescue. Beyond the pet hair and food, you can see, there is a host of microscopic life that pets bring in with them thats invisible to the naked eye. Pet dander is just one of those things. Composed of tiny, microscopic, skin particles shed by pets with fur or feathers. It can be shed onto surfaces or transported through the air in household dust.So how can we maintain a healthy home while still sharing it with mans best friend?shares his top cleaning tips, engineered for pet owners.Image: ShutterstockPets shed fur all the time as their hair reaches the catagen phase  the stage in a hairs life cycle that stops growing  more regularly than humans, so grooming your pet regularly will avoid hair being deposited all over your home. Groom your pet in the same area and spot clean this with slow vacuuming.Image: I nstagram Like dust, pet hair and dander can become airborne when disturbed and fall onto lower surfaces, so start cleaning up high and finish on your floors. Dont miss out on your sofa or armchairs if your pets spend time there. Soft furnishings can hold pet hair as well as pet dander, dust mites and other allergens.Image: ShutterstockVacuuming slowly gives the airflow and brush bar more time to agitate the pet hair and remove it from the surface. Pet hair is more likely to clump on carpets or form tumbleweed on hard floor surfaces than a human hair. Vacuuming little and often prevents excessive build-up of pet hair. If youre tight on time, using a robot cleaner to remove pet hair while youre out will keep pet hair under control between more thorough cleans.Go over the carpet a few times in alternating directions to pick up more pet hair and agitate some of those embedded ones loose. But dont forget, any more than two or three times gives a minimal increase.Image: ShutterstockSome vacuum cleaners are engineered with nylon and carbon fibre bristles on their cleaner head to disturb the hair and peel it off the surface on which its stuck electrostatically. Using a cleaner head with a lint picker strip will stick the pet hair to it  a lint roller can do the job in some cases, but it wont be able to remove the pet dander that causes allergies.Washing blankets, cushions and bedding  wherever your pets spend the most time  at a 60 temperature will help to break down allergens and reduce the amount of microscopic dander that dust mites feed on. At the end of the wash, make sure you remove any pet hair out of the drum
Hippos are indigenous to the continent of Africa, and theres an intriguing tale to their presence in Colombia





So, we learned in school that hippos come from Africa. It was all part of the geography lesson that either bored us silly or kept us fascinated. But did you know that there is a population of hippopotamuses (yes, that seems to be the preferred usage now, rather than the hippopotami we were taught in school) now living in the South American country of Colombia? Or that they are now a big (haha) problem.



There were no hippos in Colombia until 30 years ago. The semi aquatic mammals are in the South American nation due to drug lord Pablo Escobar. He decided that he wanted his own private zoo, and, to that end, he smuggled several species from countries across the world into Colombia. After his death in 1993, his zoo was dismantled. The different species were relocated to zoos and animal sanctuaries across the country  but four hippos were left behind. No one probably wanted them because they are known to be aggressive, and they can grow to be 8,000 pounds! Everyone thought they would die out.









Fast forward to 30 years later, and that number of four hippos is now about 80 to 120 hippos in Colombia across 13,500 square kilometers (8,300 miles). They are known as cocaine hippos due to their origins. Estimates startlingly show that there could be 1,400 of them living in Colombia by 2034 if nothing changes.



Intriguingly, hippos are otherwise considered endangered, but, in Colombia, they are thought of as an invasive species. While the population is kept in check by drought and natural predators in Africa, the moist climate in South American Colombia helps hippos to thrive, which has a tremendous impact on the environment. Native species are feared to be displaced, and the hippos waste is changing the waterways chemical composition, which is a threat to fisheries. On the pro side, illegal fishing has been halted because of the hippos.



Although scientists have suggested culling at least 30 hippos annually to keep numbers down, Colombians have become used to spotting them across their country, and, unlike in Africa, hippos in Colombia are largely non-aggressive, locals are fine with sharing their country with them, and eating their meat is not done. The option of sending them back to Africa, where they are endangered, is not feasible since they would probably not survive, and sterilisation is an expensive process, because keeping them sedated is difficult.



The result? Youll see hippos aplenty in Colombia when you visit.



Images: Shutterstock












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TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945

With over a century of investment experience in Asia, the firm's Asia ex-Japan and emerging markets assets total more than $90 billion

BOSTON, Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Manulife Investment Management, the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation, has announced the availability of two new Asia-focused funds in Europe: Manulife Global Fund Asian Small Cap Equity Fund and Manulife Global Fund China Total Return Bond Fund. The announcement reflects an increased demand from investors for Asia - Pacific investment strategies and Manulife Investment Management's goal to expand into the European market through its Manulife Global Fund offering.

With over a century of on-the-ground investment experience, teams in 10 developed and emerging Asian markets, and more than 160 Asia-based investment professionals, Manulife Investment Management has extensive investment capabilities in Asia. As of 30 June 2021, its Asia ex-Japan and Emerging Markets fixed income and equities assets totaled more than US$90 billion.

Endre Pedersen, chief investment officer, global emerging market fixed income, Manulife Investment Management said, "As a leading provider of Asian fixed-income strategies we recognise the ongoing structural, policy and demographic changes evident in the region and are well positioned to take full advantage, delivering results to our clients across the globe and now in Europe."

In addition, the firm has also made Manulife Global Fund Preferred Securities Income Fund available to European investors. The availability of these funds follows the offering of Manulife Sustainable Asia Bond, Manulife Dragon Growth and Manulife Asia Total Return Bond Funds to European investors earlier this year.

Andrew G. Arnott, head of wealth and asset management, Manulife Investment Management, United States and Europe said, "It's an interesting time for investors to look at Asia, and China, in particular. China bonds deliver attractive nominal and real yields in a low yielding world and investors may benefit from both lower volatility and diversification attributes. We are excited to bring these opportunities to clients who have an interest in the region as we work to increase the availability of our offering in Europe."

"Asia is increasingly important to investors and stakeholders looking to access high growth opportunities," added Todd Cassler, head of institutional distribution, United States and Europe, Manulife Investment Management. "The investment teams take an active approach and are able to tap into the extensive knowledge of the on-the-ground Asia research team. We are pleased to have a strong product range of Manulife Global Funds for European investors."

Manulife Asian Small Cap Equity Fund aims to provide long-term capital growth, with at least 70% of its net assets invested in equity or Small Cap companies in the Asia-Pacific region. Manulife China Total Return Bond Fund seeks to provide investors with broad exposure to China fixed income by investing in a combination of China offshore bonds (including USD-denominated bonds) and China onshore bonds to maximise returns. Manulife Preferred Securities Income Fund aims to provide income and potential capital appreciation by investing in one collective investment scheme with investment focused on global preferred securities.

The three funds are now available to professional investors across the UK, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Denmark, and Finland, supporting Manulife Investment Management's priority to deliver its broad range of specialized investment solutions to clients in Europe. Additionally, following the offering of Manulife Sustainable Asia Bond, Dragon Growth Fund and Asia Total Return Bond Funds in UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, earlier this year, Manulife Investment Management has now extended the availability of the funds to include Denmark and Finland. The funds are available in local currency share classes including GBP, EUR, and Swiss Franc.

For more information on Manulife Investment Management please visit manulifeim.com/institutional.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 18 geographies. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement.

As of June 30, 2021, Manulife Investment Management's assets under management and administration, including assets managed for Manulife's other segments, totaled CAD $1.0 trillion (US $834 billion). Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

Media contact: Elizabeth Bartlett, Manulife Investment Management, Elizabeth_Bartlett@Manulife.com
PayPal introduces new features and services, including the launch of the PayPal Generosity Network in the UK, and two-way messaging for peer-to-peer transactions

New personalised app provides PayPal customers with a single destination to easily and securely manage their daily financial lives and do more with their money

LONDON, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, PayPal announced the new PayPal app, a personalised app that offers customers the best place to manage their financial lives. The new PayPal app will introduce new features for customers in the UK, including the launch of the PayPal Generosity Network and the introduction of the Generosity Network for Charity enabling community and charity fundraising, as well as the introduction of two-way messaging between two PayPal users.

Additionally, the new app offers customers a single place to send and receive money to friends, family and businesses, pay with PayPal QR Codes, access and manage credit and 'Pay in 3' services, buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency, as well as support causes and charities they care about.

The new PayPal app includes a new dashboard providing a personalised view of a customer's PayPal account including an at-a-glance carousel providing a snapshot of PayPal balance and upcoming 'Pay in 3' installments; a Wallet tab to manage payment instruments and review payment and account activity; Finances which includes PayPal's buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrency product; and the Payment Hub, which includes the ability to pay with QR Codes, as well as PayPal's send and receive money features, international remittances, charitable and non-profit giving, and a two-way messaging feature to send notes of acknowledgment after peer-to-peer transactions.

"We're excited to introduce the first version of the new PayPal app, a one-stop destination for our customers to take charge of their everyday financial lives," said Dan Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal. "Our new app offers customers a simplified, secure and personalised experience that builds on our platform of trust and security and offers PayPal customers in the UK new ways to support the causes close to their heart, send and receive money, buy, hold and sell crypto, manage Pay in 3, pay with QR Codes and much more in one app."

Introducing the PayPal Generosity Network

PayPal is introducing the PayPal Generosity Network to customers in the UK to offer a way to create customised community fundraising campaigns for themselves or others in need. Inspired by the rising popularity of peer-to-peer crowdfunding accelerated by the global pandemic, PayPal introduced the Generosity Network to customers in the U.S. in November 2020. Since then, the Generosity Network has been successfully adopted by many, with customers raising funds for great causes since the launch.

Each campaign created on the Generosity Network is amplified to millions who can help others reach their fundraising goals. Each personal campaign can raise up to 20,000 over a 30-day period. Money donated is then deposited directly into the customer's account with PayPal, allowing customers to easily distribute the funds to the intended cause -- be it a local cause, a friend, or family member.

Customers can create a Generosity Network campaign directly within the app. Easy to navigate, the step-by-step flow allows customers to name their cause and set a target fundraising goal, provide a description and categorise the fundraiser, and add an image for their cause. Once published, the campaign is ready to be shared among their friends and family. The campaign is also published on the PayPal Generosity Network so millions can donate, view and share.

New Ways to Support Charities

Customers in the UK can now also seamlessly raise funds for their favorite charity with Generosity Network for Charity - a new function of the community-based Generosity Network. This makes it easy for customers to raise funds for their favorite charity, and ensures the funds are granted correctly. Instead of the donated funds being sent to the customer's PayPal account like it would with the Generosity Network, funds raised with Generosity Network for Charity will be donated to PayPal Giving Fund UK, a registered charity (No. 1110538), which grants the funds to charity in accordance with PayPal Donation Delivery Policy.

Introducing Two-Way Messaging in the PayPal App

The new PayPal app also introduces a new, private two-way messaging feature which will enable two users to communicate after they have conducted a peer-to-peer money transfer, whether to acknowledge receipt, send a note of thanks, confirm details of the transaction or more, directly within the app experience.

Two-way messaging enhances the peer-to-peer send and receive money functionality in the PayPal app, offering a new way for two PayPal customers to connect when sending money for Friends and Family as well as Goods and Services transactions. Two-way messaging is now available for PayPal customers in the UK.

The new PayPal app is an intelligent digital wallet powered by PayPal's artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a unique wallet experience that is enhanced and tailored for each customer. The new app, including the PayPal Generosity Network and other new features, is starting to roll out today.

About PayPal

PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering more than 400 million consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit paypal.com.

Media Contacts:

Lucy Meadmore

lmeadmore@paypal.com

Elle Chambre

echambr@paypal.com

Note to text/Note to editor: relating to the buy, sell and hold feature for cryptocurrencies, further information is available in the newsroom PayPal Newsroom - Home (paypal-corp.com) and/or our crypto page Crypto | Buy Sell & Hold | PayPal UK including the terms and conditions of use. Neither the Financial Conduct Authority nor the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur regulate cryptocurrencies. If something goes wrong related to cryptocurrencies, customers won't be able to use the Financial Ombudsman Service, the European Consumer Center, or any UK or Luxembourg financial services compensation scheme.

However, to make buying and selling cryptocurrencies possible on PayPal we also provide electronic money and payment services, which are regulated for details see the "Legal" tab on the PayPal UK website www.paypal.com/uk/home.

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CHENGDU, China, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 17, the 16th EU-China Business and Technology Cooperation Fair was held, and the Internationalization Index of Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone (2021) was officially released. Taking the nominal index 100 in 2018 as the base period, the internationalization index grew by 33 percentage points.

The Internationalization Index, jointly compiled by Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone and China High-tech Zone Research Center of Strategic Consulting Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the first internationalization index at the level of development zone in western China. The internationalization index system in the report includes five first-class indexes, namely, "global factor concentration, international organization leadership, world innovation competitiveness, economic development circulation, and support for an open environment," reflecting the level of international development of Chengdu High-tech Zone.

In particular, the world innovation competitiveness index saw the largest increase (73% increase over 2018), showing that Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone outstood in terms of trade level, industrial status and social responsibility; support for an open environment index steadily rose, reflecting that the high-tech zone has made steady progress in personnel and goods circulation, livable living and business, natural and cultural aspects.

With its construction starting in 1988, Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone is one of the first national high-tech zones in China, a pilot zone of "World-class High-tech Park" and the first National Innovation Demonstration Zone in western China. The comprehensive strength of Chengdu High-tech Zone tops among the 169 national high-tech zones in China.

As one of the regions with the highest degree of economic extroversion and internationalization in western China, Chengdu High-tech Zone is focusing on building three international cooperation parks (Singapore-Sichuan Hi-tech Innovation Park, Sino-Korean Innovation and Start-up Park, Sino--Japanese (Chengdu) Local Development Cooperation Demonstration Zone), Center for China-Europe Cooperation and other cooperation platforms, having gathered 130 Fortune 500 companies. In 2020, the Comprehensive Bonded Zone ranked first in China for three years with an import and export volume of RMB 549.17 billion.

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Lending and investment company recently named to Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing American Companies

BAHRAIN, GCC, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AVANA Companies (AVANA) , a comprehensive ESG lending and investment platform, which opened its headquarters in Bahrain in 2008, is pleased to announce its regional expansion into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). AVANA will provide financial services to businesses and individuals through its subsidiary Ezdaher to grow its $1.3B AUM globally.

Under the Ezdaher brand, AVANA will provide its new small business lending platform, LendThrive, as well as an alternative investment marketplace for individual investors called EqualSeat. AVANA Companies has had its GCC regional headquarters in Bahrain for the last 13 years with additional offices in India and the Philippines. The company recently added five new staff members and has leased additional office space in Bahrain with plans to hire at least 12 new people between Bahrain and KSA in the next 6-12 months.

"AVANA Companies is pleased to continue our global expansion with a mission to provide ESG lending and investment opportunities to those in the Middle East, as well as new market products and services," said Sundip Patel, CEO of AVANA Companies.

Patel spends half of his time in Bahrain and will oversee the expansion in the area along with Chief Commercial Officer, Andris Rozenbahs. Rozenbahs is based in Bahrain and brings a wealth of knowledge and more than 10 years of experience in the FinTech start-up environment, having previously founded several companies in the space.

"I am very excited to be a leader in the growth of AVANA Companies in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and look forward to helping launch Ezdaher's LendThrive and EqualSeat as a standout FinTech product with an underlying mission and commitment to build stronger communities in this region," says Rozenbahs.

Rozenbahs will oversee the two Ezdaher units, LendThrive and EqualSeat, to ensure they follow AVANA's mission to be ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) focused FinTech platforms that make positive contributions towards social and environmental impact.

LendThrive, a new online lending platform designed to help small businesses, that meet ESG standards, supports business owners through its Rate Reduction Rewards Program and helps them thrive while stimulating local economies. LendThrive focuses on underserved companies in industries such as hospitality, construction, and renewable energy.

EqualSeat, which began beta testing in 2021, is an investment marketplace with ESG investing opportunities that provides individual investors fractional access to institutional-quality commercial debt investments.

While other global financial companies may have struggled during the pandemic, AVANA was able to remain strong for its employees with no demotions, or salary reductions. They were able to hire additional manpower and continued to add more services, while other companies were forced to close. AVANA Companies recently completed two acquisitions - credit union focused Extensia Financial and a FDIC bank in Texas, USA.

About AVANA Companies

With $1.3B AUM globally, AVANA Family of Companies (AVANA) is dedicated to stimulating local economies and contributing to clean energy development on a global scale. Founded in 2002 by brothers Sundip and Sanat Patel, it is a family of ESG lending and investment platforms that serve entrepreneurs and investors. AVANA's ESG lending is done through AVANA Capital, LendThrive ,and Extensia Financial and ESG investments through AVANA Fund and EqualSeatTM . The company's goal is to empower small businesses by providing ESG focused loans and investment opportunities that are impactful, socially driven and preserve wealth. AVANA is headquartered in both Arizona and Kingdom of Bahrain and serves small business owners and investors across the United States and globally. AVANA invests in the communities it serves, creating jobs, stimulating economic growth, and contributing to sustainable projects. AVANA has recently been named to the 2021 Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies. AVANA Capital, LLC is licensed in California, USA under DBO license number 603K752 and in Arizona, USA under CBK license number 0921662. To learn more, visit www.avanacompanies.com or follow on AVANA Companies on LinkedIn .

For media inquiries, please contact:

Joanne Sgro-Killworth

10 to 1 Public Relations

480-363-0403

joanne@10to1pr.com

For business inquiries, please contact:

Andris Rozenbahs

www.avanacompanies.com

andris.rozenbahs@avanacompanies.com

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SAN DIEGO, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- Green Hygienics Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: GRYN) ("Green Hygienics" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the offering of a green bond exclusively in Europe (the "Offering") in the principal amount of US$100 million. The offering is issued for a five-year term with a yield of 7.25%, is not convertible, does not include warrants and is expected to close on or about Nov 30, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions.



Green Hygienics has engaged the firm of Dechert LLP(Luxembourg). Dechert is a leading global law firm with 22 offices around the world. They advise on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity, and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.

The Company intends to list the green bond on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE), a pioneer in green finance. In 2007, LuxSE listed the first green bond to ever enter the market: the European Investment Bank's "Climate Awareness Bond." Since then, the exchange has become the leading venue for this asset class. Today, more than 520 green bonds are listed. Issuers range from sovereigns, Public International Bodies, agencies and development banks to financial institutions and corporates.

The Offering is supported by both the recently announced publication of the Company's annual Environmental, Social and Governance Report") using the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, and securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

About Green Hygienics Holdings Inc.

"Hygienics" is the science of preserving and promoting the health of individuals, communities, and the planet; it's our core mission and at the heart of every decision we make as a company.

As more and more consumers prioritize their health and demand transparency and integrity from the companies that create their products, Green Hygienics will be recognized as the most reliable, safe and secure choice in the market for CBD and hemp products. To deliver on this promise, we maintain a constant commitment to sustainable farming practices, cutting-edge science and industry-leading certifiability.

Generating peak value from a plant of this caliber requires prioritizing innovative processing methods and impeccable attention to detail. Creating a secure supply chain and reliable long-term source for high-grade CBD is a corporate strategy for Green Hygienics, coupled with a mission to preserve and protect a valuable natural resource.

As Green Hygienics evolves and expands, its path is clear and uncompromised, creating pure, non-psychoactive, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, topical and industrial products from the highly sustainable hemp plant to benefit people and preserve the planet.

For more information visit the Company's website at www.greenhygienics.com.

Corporate Communications:

Heidi Thomasen

IR@GreenHygienics.com

Toll Free 1.855.802.0299

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This document contains forward-looking statements. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including our ability to change the direction of the Company, our ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs, and the competitive environment of our business. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded 84.7 million to establish a new research center to identify innovative solutions to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and technologies to recycle CO2. The Center will be based at Aarhus University in Denmark with six satellite institutions in the United States, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands.

CO2 in the atmosphere is one of the main causes of man-made climate change. Seriously curbing the rise in global temperature requires more than reducing emissions of CO2. It is also necessary to extract CO2 from the atmosphere and recycle it in products that are currently based on carbon extracted from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

A new research center brings together international researchers across disciplines and sectors in pursuing one common goal: finding solutions enabling CO2 to be captured, processed and recycled as raw materials in new products.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is awarding a grant of DKK 630 million (84.7 million) for establishing this center named Novo Nordisk Foundation CO2 Research Center. The Center will be based at Aarhus University in Denmark and also comprises six satellite institutions in the United States, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. The Center will also collaborate with a wide range of industry partners and other international academic institutions.

No research field can solve this challenge alone

The Center will create an interdisciplinary platform that combines various scientific fields such as chemistry, the life sciences and systems analysis. This research will pave the way for scalable technologies that can efficiently capture and recycle CO2. Currently, there is no research center in Denmark or internationally that operates in this way towards solving the CO2 problem. The Center will therefore be an absolute frontrunner in combatting rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

"The Center will bring together leading researchers across disciplines in pursuit of a common goal of finding methods that can reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. The fundamental research at the Center will be inspired by extensive interaction with relevant industry partners. This will enable us to rapidly implement new technologies for the benefit of society," says Alfred M. Spormann, who has been appointed the Director of the Center and is currently a professor at Stanford University in the United States.

CO2 replacing oil, gas and coal

One example of a solution the Center will investigate is producing precursors for plastic from water, CO2 and electrons created by processing the captured CO2 with bacteria and electrochemistry. This solution will provide an opportunity to replace fossil feedstocks such as oil and coal in producing plastic.

Another example of a technology the Center will study is developing a facility that uses microorganisms to convert CO2 into fuel. In this case, CO2 could also replace the use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.

The establishment of the Center will enable these developments to be accelerated so that technological solutions that currently look like scenarios from the distant future can become reality within a few years.

"The Novo Nordisk Foundation CO2 Research Center sets out to become a powerhouse in our struggle against the global climate crisis. We need to act quickly and develop solutions that can help not only to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere but also convert the harmful CO2 into valuable raw materials that can replace oil and coal, thereby creating negative CO2 emissions," says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, Chief Executive Officer of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

About The Novo Nordisk Foundation CO2 Research Center

The Novo Nordisk Foundation CO2 Research Center will be interdisciplinary, with a mission to mitigate climate change by exploring and developing innovative technologies that can be used to capture, store and recycle CO2. The Center will also collaborate with industry and relevant decision-makers to ensure that the solutions developed are scalable and implementable.

Initially, the Center will focus on solutions for capturing CO2 from point sources such as factories and power plants. To avoid perpetuating the emission of additional CO2 through fossil fuels, the Center will focus on capturing CO2 from point sources powered by renewable energy. In the longer term, the Center will also strive to develop methods for capturing and processing CO2 directly from the atmosphere.

The Center will be based at Aarhus University with six satellite institutions: University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark, Stanford University, University of Troms, University of Tubingen and Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research. In addition, the Center will collaborate with several industry partners and other universities in Denmark and elsewhere.

The Foundation has awarded the Center a grant totalling DKK 630 million (84.7 million) over the next 7 years. The Center will start in autumn 2021 and is expected to be operational in Aarhus from January 2022.

About the Novo Nordisk Foundation

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is an independent Danish foundation with corporate interests. It has two objectives: 1) to provide a stable basis for the commercial and research activities of the companies in the Novo Group; and 2) to support scientific, humanitarian and social causes.

The vision of the Foundation is to contribute significantly to research and development that improves the lives of people and the sustainability of society. Since 2010, the Foundation has donated more than DKK 30 billion (4 billion), primarily for research at public institutions and hospitals in Denmark and the other Nordic countries as well as research-based treatment and prevention of diabetes. Read more at

www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en
LONDON and MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindtree, a global technology services and digital transformation company, is expanding in Europe and Asia-Pacific. The company has made several key executive appointments to further accelerate growth in the two markets.

The company has appointed Klaus Seifert as Head of Strategy for Europe and Chief Business Officer for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH). Munich-based Seifert brings more than two decades of experience in sales, business development, and P&L management across diverse industry sectors. He was formerly the head of Global Technology Services for DACH at IBM.

Erik Julius Larsen has joined the company as Chief Business Officer for Nordics and Benelux. Larsen's experience of more than 25 years includes several executive positions in the IT industry across northern Europe. Prior to joining Mindtree, he worked at Cognizant as Country Manager and Head of Sales for Nordics.

Dominic Del Giudice has been appointed as Chief Business Officer for Asia-Pacific. Melbourne-based Del Giudice joins Mindtree with more than two decades of management consulting, business and digital transformation, and enterprise and technology solutions experience with large multinational companies. He joins Mindtree from IBM, where he was Vice President and Senior Partner at IBM Global Business Services across Asia-Pacific and Australia/New Zealand.

"We are making sustained investments in Europe and Asia-Pacific as part of our 4X4X4 strategy aimed at strengthening our leadership capabilities and strategic partnerships in these markets to drive superior growth," said Venu Lambu, Executive Director and President, Global Markets, Mindtree. "We are excited about the depth of industry and technology expertise that these leaders bring to our clients. With businesses in Europe and Asia-Pacific increasingly seeking strategic technology partnerships to maximize revenues and growth, strong leadership with a deep understanding of these markets is vital to our ability to help our clients unlock value from digital transformation."

About Mindtree

Mindtree (NSE: MINDTREE) is a global technology consulting and services company, helping enterprises marry scale with agility to achieve competitive advantage. "Born digital," in 1999 and now a Larsen & Toubro Group Company, Mindtree applies its deep domain knowledge to 260 enterprise client engagements to break down silos, make sense of digital complexity and bring new initiatives to market faster. We enable IT to move at the speed of business, leveraging emerging technologies and the efficiencies of Continuous Delivery to spur business innovation. Operating in 24 countries across the world, we're consistently regarded as one of the best places to work, embodied every day by our winning culture made up of over 27,000 entrepreneurial, collaborative and dedicated "Mindtree Minds."

To learn more about us, visit www.mindtree.com or follow us @Mindtree_Ltd

For more information, contact: media@mindtree.com

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PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Liberty Global (LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK), a video, broadband and communications company, announced Wednesday its agreement to sell UPC Poland, its operations in Poland, to iliad S.A.'s Polish mobile subsidiary Play. The sale to Play, a consumer-focused mobile network operator in Poland, is for total enterprise value of $1.8 billion, subject to customary debt and working capital adjustments at completion. Liberty Global said the cash proceeds, net of debt repayment, from the asset sale would be around $600 million. Closing of the sale is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of requisite regulatory approvals. The closing is currently expected to occur in the first half of 2022. As of June 30, the company's networks in Poland passed 3.7 million homes and served 1.5 million customers who subscribed to 1.3 million broadband, 1.4 million video, and over 600,000 telephony services. Play's modern and cost-efficient 4G LTE/5G telecommunications network covers 99% of the Polish population. In conjunction with the deal, Liberty Global has agreed to provide Play with certain transitional services for a period of up to four years. These services principally will be comprised of network and information technology-related functions. 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.
Signature of a 3-year extendable master agreement covering 60,000 homes passed per year

Fiberklaar, a fiber network company that was founded in 2021 by EQT Infrastructure and Proximus to design, build and maintain a Fiber-to-the-Home ("FTTH") network that is open and accessible to all operators in Flanders, has selected Solutions 30 as one of its key partners.

Over the next seven years, Fiberklaar has the ambition to connect 1.5 million houses to ultra-high speed Internet and to build 300,000 connections in the coming two years. In its process to select the long-term partners that will help build the largest broadband network in Flanders, Fiberklaar has selected Solutions 30 and has entrusted the Company with passing up to 60,000 homes per year. Both companies have signed a master agreement that will be effective starting on 21 September 2021.

Commenting on this agreement, Rik Missault, CEO of Fiberklaar said "We are very pleased to call Solutions 30 one of our key partners in our ambitious plan to build an open fibre network in Flanders. This long-term cooperation with an experienced company is vital for us to provide the inhabitants of Flanders with super-fast and stable internet. Solutions 30 has already started preparations for the roll out in Lokeren, and other towns will follow."

Luc Brusselaers, Chief Revenue Officer of Solutions 30, stated: "We would like to thank Fiberklaar for their trust. Over the past five years, Solutions 30 has developed great expertise in deploying fiber optics, especially in France, Poland and in Spain, which will help us support fast ramp-up in the FTTH deployments in Flanders. We are very proud to be part of such a large project and are fully committed in sustaining its success, while creating value and jobs opportunities in the country. This new contract for Solutions 30 in Belgium proves our ability to accelerate growth when we reach the critical size in a region and shows our continued commitment to the digital communications market, that is booming all across Europe."

About Fiberklaar

Fiberklaar is the fiber network company in Flanders and wants to bring its "Fiber To The Home" technology to many Flemish cities and towns. The company wants to make 1.5 million Flemish homes "fiber-ready" by 2028. This fiber technology brings fiber to the inside of the home and allows for super-fast and stable communication. Fiberklaar offers an open network for all operators. The headquarters are located in Ghent. The main shareholders are Proximus and the Swedish company EQT Infrastructure, which has extensive experience in building fiber networks in France, Scandinavia, Germany and the Netherlands. More information: www.fiberklaar.be

About Solutions 30 SE

The Solutions 30 group is the European leader in solutions for new technologies. Its mission is to make the technological developments that are transforming our daily lives accessible to everyone, individuals and businesses alike. Yesterday, it was computers and the Internet. Today, it's digital technology. Tomorrow, it will be technologies that make the world even more interconnected in real time. With more than 30 million call-outs carried out since it was founded and a network of more than 15,700 local technicians, Solutions 30 currently covers all of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Iberian Peninsula, the United Kingdom, and Poland. The share capital of Solutions 30 SE consists of 107,127,984 shares, equal to the number of theoretical votes that can be exercised.

Solutions 30 SE is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange

Contact

Individual Shareholders:

Investor Relations - Tel: +33 1 86 86 00 63 - shareholders@solutions30.com

Analysts/Investors:

Nathalie Boumendil - Tel: +33 6 85 82 41 95 - nathalie.boumendil@solutions30.com

Press - Image 7:

Leslie Jung - Tel: +44 7818 641803 - ljung@image7.fr

Flore Larger - Tel: +33 6 33 13 41 50 - flarger@image7.fr

Charlotte Le Barbier - Tel: +33 6 78 37 27 60 - clebarbier@image7.fr

Attachment
LinkieBuy and OuiTrust formally reached a strategic cooperation to help European stores in digital transformation and Chinese market exploration using their respective advantages.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921006198/en/

LinkieBuy, OuiTrust to Help European Stores Explore the Chinese Market (Graphic: Business Wire)

It's reported that both parties will cooperate closely in online store development and management, cross-border payment, international e-commerce services and other aspects to help European stores achieve digital transformation and enter China's e-commerce market in a legal, easy and fast way.

LinkieBuy and OuiTrust both agreed that in the era of post-epidemic, due to various travel restrictions, world consumer habits have already changed in an earth-shaking way. Cross-border e-commerce will play a vital role in global trading instead of former retailing that heavily rely on international traveling and hospitality. The huge consumption potential of China and numerous well-known brands of French appeal to the two parties and accelerated their cooperation.

According to the agreement, LinkieBuy will provide a one-stop e-commerce solution to China for European businesses, it will provide services including online store development, cross-border logistics services and digital transformation for businesses. OuiTrust will fully unleash its advantage in international finance settlement for Eurasian SMEs, providing European merchants with multi-currency accounts application, global payments and collection.

LinkieBuy is a cross-border e-commerce service brand of Xingyun Group, one of China's unicorn enterprises and top supply-chain companies. With the resources of Xingyun Group, LinkieBuy is committed to offering digital transformation services for retailers, providing multi-platform online store development, global warehousing, logistics solutions, international order management, and other one-stop e-commerce trade services to help multi-category merchants to enter China market quickly. Till September 2021, LinkieBuy's service has covered Asia, Australia, and Europe. LinkieBuy cumulatively served hundreds of renowned key accounts, including internationally well-known retailers such as Mitsukoshi Isetan and Daimaru Department Store.

OuiTrust is a trading brand of cross-border payment service provider EasyEuro and Kitakami Limited which are licensed by the United Kingdom and UAB Kitakami Europe respectively. OuiTrust has recently been authorized by the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority. It specializes in the financial services for SMEs, providing services such as account application, card issuance, global payments, exchange and collection (Visa/MasterCard/AliPay/WeChat Pay/UnionPay). Its payment service has covered 130 countries and regions around the world by far.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921006198/en/

Contacts:

Xingyun Group

Coretta Huang

huang.danying@xyb2b.com

http://www.linkiebuy.com/

+8618810731681
A consortium led by Cambridge-based quantum computing software company Riverlane and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has developed an open-source hardware abstraction layer (HAL) that makes software portable across different quantum computing hardware platforms.

The HAL is designed to be portable across four leading qubit technologies: superconducting qubits, trapped-ion qubits, photonic systems and silicon-based qubits. It will allow high-level quantum computer users, such as application developers, platform and system software engineers, and cross-platform software architects, to write programs for quantum computers portable to these four qubit technologies while maximising performance.

Devising the HAL required collaboration between a large number of players in the UK quantum ecosystem, which were brought together by a 7.6M project funded by the UK government's Industrial Challenge Strategy Fund. Alongside Riverlane and NPL, the consortium includes the UK's quantum hardware companies, SeeQC, Hitachi Europe, Universal Quantum, Duality Quantum Photonics, Oxford Ionics, and Oxford Quantum Circuits, as well as UK-based chip designer, ARM.

The aim is for quantum computer users to be able to implement applications that require the fastest classical/quantum interaction. Previous high-level HALs do not support these types of applications, particularly not across very different qubit types. The consortium's new, multi-level HAL goes deep into the quantum computing stack, allowing users to take advantage of advanced hardware capabilities for improved performance. This means a developer can focus on the algorithm, rather than the hardware specific implementation, and that the algorithm is portable across different quantum technologies. In the future, the HAL will also provide support for advanced features, such as compiler optimisations, measurement-based control, and error correction.

The HAL will form the backbone of Riverlane's highly innovative quantum operating system, Deltaflow.OS. Dr Leonie Mueck, Chief Product Officer of Riverlane, said: "There are many different evolving systems in the quantum ecosystem and we need an interface that is independent of the hardware to make programs portable. We are therefore delighted to have reached this important milestone. Our HAL effectively allows programmers to 'write once, run anywhere', ensuring the widest possible use of our consortium's technologies and opening up the ecosystem to new players, generating additional commercial opportunities."

Dr Ivan Rungger, Senior Research Scientist of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), said: "This is the first time that such a diverse group of hardware and software companies have come together to build an open HAL specification and release it publicly. Our aim is to reduce the barrier for non-experts to access quantum technology and to accelerate the pathway to quantum advantage."

This first specification of the HAL is 'version 0' and is freely accessible on Github. The consortium is seeking feedback from the quantum community, with the eventual aim of including the concepts into an international standard on which the community can build.

Abhishek Agarwal, Research Scientist of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), continued: "We encourage quantum computer users to try out the HAL. Anyone can implement the HAL and try out their algorithms on qubit emulators. We welcome input to improve the specification further."

The HAL represents an important next step in building a quantum ecosystem that is open to everyone. In this dynamic industry, APIs, backends and interfaces are most effective when they are defined with both hardware companies and users in mind to benefit everyone in the community. This is the philosophy that the HAL is based on. This breakthrough will also help accelerate the commercialisation of the UK quantum technology sector.

ENDS

Notes for editors

About Riverlane

Riverlane builds ground-breaking algorithms and software to unleash the predictive power of quantum computing. With a multidisciplinary team of world-leading researchers, our mission is to make quantum computers useful sooner. Backed by leading venture-capital funds and the University of Cambridge, Riverlane collaborates with leading quantum hardware providers, as well as visionary chemical, pharmaceutical and materials companies. For more information, visit https://riverlane.com.

National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

NPL is the UK's National Metrology Institute, providing the measurement capability that underpins the UK's prosperity and quality of life. From new antibiotics to tackle resistance and more effective cancer treatments, to secure quantum communications and superfast 5G, technological advances must be built on a foundation of reliable measurement to succeed. Building on over a century's worth of expertise, our science, engineering and technology provides this foundation. We save lives, protect the environment and enable citizens to feel safe and secure, as well as support international trade and commercial innovation. As a national laboratory, our advice is always impartial and independent, meaning consumers, investors, policymakers and entrepreneurs can always rely on the work we do.

Based in Teddington, south-west London, NPL employs over 600 scientists. NPL also has regional bases across the UK, including at the University of Surrey, the University of Strathclyde, the University of Cambridge and the University of Huddersfield's 3M Buckley Innovation Centre.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005101/en/

Contacts:

Media contact for Riverlane

Glenn Manoff, Chief Marketing Officer

glenn.manoff@riverlane.com

07739 088502

Media contact for NPL

Charlotte Blake, Public Relations Manager

charlotte.blake@npl.co.uk

07738 896 090
LifeWorks Mental Health Index indicates that nearly half of Britons do their job when feeling unwell at least one day per week

LifeWorks, a leading provider of digital total wellbeing solutions, today released its monthly Mental Health Index, revealing a negative mental-health score among Britons for the 17th consecutive month.

Key findings:

Overall mental-health score of -10.7 compared to the pre-pandemic benchmark, reaching its highest point since the launch of the index in April 2020.

In the latest survey, 71 per cent of respondents indicated that prior to the pandemic, they felt a sense of belonging and acceptance at work, but only 63 per cent felt the same during the past month.

Meanwhile, 28 per cent of respondents indicated that before the pandemic, they were unsure or did not feel a sense of belonging, compared to 37 per cent feeling the same during the past month.

This trend is seen across all age groups, however, the proportion of employees who report feeling a sense of belonging and acceptance at work increases with older age groups.

British employees who feel a sense of belonging and acceptance have higher mental-health scores:

The majority of employees (66 per cent) who are working at a jobsite feel a greater sense of belonging and acceptance at work than those who work from home or in hybrid workplace.

The 63 per cent of respondents who felt a sense of belonging and acceptance at work during the past month, had the highest mental-health score (-3.2) and the best isolation score (-2.6) compared to those who were unsure or did not feel the same way.

Comments from managing director, United Kingdom and Europe, Philip Mullen

"The virtual working environment that has become the reality for many Britons over the past year has pushed employees to be more proactive in seeking collaboration with colleagues. While many employees are eager to return to the physical workplace or adopt a hybrid model to regain in-person connections with colleagues, isolation will take on new meaning for others that aren't provided with the same opportunity due to location or balancing at-home responsibilities. To avoid a divide between those working remotely and those operating from the physical jobsite, employers should build an inclusive culture and sustain employee motivation by creating an accepting and collaborative environment for all."

British employees report working while unwell on weekly basis, contributing to productivity loss:

Nearly half of respondents (47 per cent) report doing their job when feeling unwell (physically or psychologically) at least one day per week. The mental-health scores among this group are significantly below those who report never working while feeling unwell.

Fifty-three per cent of respondents indicate that they never work while feeling unwell. This group has the most favourable mental-health score, at more than one point above the pre-2020 benchmark (+1.1).

Fifty-five per cent of parents report working when feeling unwell at least one day per week, compared to 42 per cent of non-parents.

Additionally, respondents who have a mental-health score of -40 or lower, are estimated to have a productivity loss of 27 per cent, compared to those with a mental-health score of +10 or more with a productivity loss of 11 per cent.

Comments from global leader and senior vice president, research and total wellbeing, Paula Allen

"Productivity has been one of the core focus areas for British employers throughout the pandemic. At the outset, many employers expressed concerns over employees' ability to remain productive while working in a remote setting. While this assumption has been ruled out in most workplaces, with employees demonstrating increased productivity while working remotely, our research demonstrates that a significant proportion of employees are sacrificing their own wellbeing in order to do so. This can have detrimental long-term physical and mental-health effects, and it's critical that employers build a positive culture that mitigates burnout and supports employee wellbeing."

The full British LifeWorks Mental Health Index report can be found here. This month, the report includes additional insights on the impact of remote work on mental strain, reasons for missed time from work due to illness, employees' ideal work situations and more.

About the Mental Health Index

The monthly survey by LifeWorks was conducted through an online survey from July 30 to August 5, 2021, with 2,000 respondents in the United Kingdom. All respondents reside in the United Kingdom and were employed within the last six months. The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional and gender composition of the sample reflect this population. The Mental Health Index is published monthly, beginning April 2020, and compares against benchmark data collected in 2017, 2018, 2019.

About LifeWorks

LifeWorks is a world leader in providing digital and in-person solutions that support the total wellbeing of individuals. We deliver a personalised continuum of care that helps our clients improve the lives of their people and by doing so, improve their business.

ID-CORP, ID-MH, ID-UK

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005110/en/

Contacts:

Heather MacDonald

LifeWorks

media@lifeworks.com

00-1-855-622-3327

Angela Pinzon

Kaiser Partners

angela.pinzon@kaiserpartners.com

00-1-647-295-0517
Research Analyzes Insights on Investment Trends, Exit Strategies, Funding Sources, Emerging Challenges and Middle Market Opportunities

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New York Life Investments Alternatives in partnership with Coalition Greenwich today released a new research report that analyzes how middle market private equity sponsors responded to the global pandemic. The report is titled, " Lessons Learned: Insights from the COVID-19 Crisis for Middle Market Private Equity Sponsors ," and features research results from more than 100 interviews with managing directors and partners at middle market private equity sponsors in the U.S.

"The pandemic pressure tested middle market private equity sponsors on every level, yet sponsors more than rose to the occasion as seen by the strong rebound in deal volume in the second half of 2020 and into this year. From sharpening their investment processes to rapidly adopting new technologies, sponsors quickly adapted to the new environment to best support their current portfolio companies while also continuing deployment of capital across new deals," said Christopher Taylor, Head of New York Life Investments Alternatives and CEO of Madison Capital Funding.

The research revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the middle market private equity industry and has triggered lasting changes across sponsors' core areas such as investing, deal sourcing, transaction financing, exit strategies and fundraising.

Key takeaways from the research data include:

New Deals Drove Deployment : For 60% of the middle market private equity sponsors participating in the study, new deals represented the most common driver of capital deployment in 2020, with add-on investments a distant second.

: For 60% of the middle market private equity sponsors participating in the study, new deals represented the most common driver of capital deployment in 2020, with add-on investments a distant second. Sponsors Sharpen Investment Processes: The global pandemic forced sponsors to sharpen their skills and tighten procedures, with almost 30% of sponsors surveyed reporting that the crisis and subsequent rebound prompted them to tighten their discipline on valuations.

The global pandemic forced sponsors to sharpen their skills and tighten procedures, with almost 30% of sponsors surveyed reporting that the crisis and subsequent rebound prompted them to tighten their discipline on valuations. Relationships Prove Their Worth, Especially in Deal Funding: Sponsors surveyed ranked relationship history and covenant flexibility as the attributes they see as most important in financing partners in uncertain market environments.

Sponsors surveyed ranked relationship history and covenant flexibility as the attributes they see as most important in financing partners in uncertain market environments. Pandemic Had Mixed Effect on Exits: More than a third of sponsors surveyed report the pandemic delayed exits and extended holding periods. Sponsors report delays ranging from a few months to two years to provide portfolio companies more time to meet growth expectations.

More than a third of sponsors surveyed report the pandemic delayed exits and extended holding periods. Sponsors report delays ranging from a few months to two years to provide portfolio companies more time to meet growth expectations. Optimism Remains Among LPs : More than half of study participants believe the LP community remains optimistic about the investment climate; however, about 30% of study participants say LPs are turning negative on the environment-often due to valuation concerns.

: More than half of study participants believe the LP community remains optimistic about the investment climate; however, about 30% of study participants say LPs are turning negative on the environment-often due to valuation concerns. ESG Adoption Continues: Three-quarters of specialist sponsors and half of generalists surveyed say they take ESG factors into account when making investments. However, most have yet to establish formal processes for assessing ESG or incorporating DEI factors and fewer than 5% of sponsors surveyed are UN PRI signatories.

"Looking ahead, sponsors remain poised to take advantage of favorable conditions in the middle market following their swift and decisive actions in 2020. Middle market deal flow continues to gain momentum as markets rapidly rebound and sponsors look to put record levels of dry powder to work ahead of potential tax changes," added Taylor. "The COVID-19 crisis combined with last year's economic and social upheavals not only had a lasting effect on business operations, investment decision making and portfolio management, but also shifted sponsors' focus from the 'E' to the 'S' in ESG, underscoring the incredible importance of diversity, equity and inclusion across investment processes and portfolios."

To read more about the survey results, download the complete research report here: Lessons Learned: Insights from the COVID-19 Crisis for Middle Market Private Equity Sponsors.

Methodology

Between February and April 2021, Coalition Greenwich, in partnership with New York Life Investments Alternatives, conducted a study to examine the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on middle market private equity sponsors. Coalition Greenwich interviewed 100 managing directors and partners at middle market private equity sponsors in the United States. These in-depth phone conversations centered on the impact of COVID on investment trends, exit strategies, funding sources, and emerging challenges and opportunities.

About New York Life Investments Alternatives

New York Life Investments Alternatives LLC ("NYLIA") is a registered investment adviser that provides comprehensive capital solutions and other alternative strategies to a broad range of institutional clients. NYLIA is comprised of three highly specialized alternative investing boutiques: GoldPoint Partners, Madison Capital Funding, and PA Capital, collectively managing over $35 billion in assets under management (AUM) as of 7/31/2021*.

For more information, visit: https://www.newyorklifeinvestments.com/nyl-alternatives

About Coalition Greenwich

Coalition Greenwich, a division of CRISIL, an S&P Global Company, is a leading global provider of strategic benchmarking, analytics and insights to the financial services industry. We specialize in providing unique high value data and actionable recommendations to help our clients improve their business results.

*Madison Capital Funding LLC's (MCF) Assets Under Management ("AUM") includes approximately $271 million of equity, mezzanine, fund and other subordinated investments and approximately $4.3 billion of third-party senior loan assets managed by MCF. These assets qualify as Regulatory Assets Under Management ("RAUM") as defined in SEC Form ADV. AUM does not include approximately $265 million of RAUM consisting primarily of unfunded capital commitments to certain private funds managed by MCF. The balance of the AUM, approximately $8.2 billion of senior loan commitments and $73 million of fund investments, are managed by MCF for its own account. These senior loan commitment assets and fund investments do not qualify as RAUM and, therefore, are not included in MCF's Form ADV RAUM calculation for regulatory purposes.
MADRID, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Voice Group (GVG), a leading regulatory technology developer and Big Data Analytics organisation, has today launched TransFin , its seamless payments interoperability solution. The solution, aimed at governments and central banks, provides a secure and efficient gateway for the integration of various online payment systems, in so doing enabling interoperability of domestic payments as well as the management and streamlining of payment processes.





"The cashless economy has grown immensely over the last 18 months, thus increasing the need for more efficient systems to manage cashless transactions. This is set to continue as more individuals and organisations shy away from the use of cash and therefore seamless interoperability of payments is becoming a stronger consideration for governments and central banks. The more frictionless the process of making and receiving payments is, the faster the cashless economy and rate of financial inclusion can grow" said James Claude, CEO at GVG.



TransFin is an API (Application Programming Interface) based solution which allows payments systems to dramatically save time and money with respect to input, authentication and authorisation processes, while enabling integration with multiple other systems. It additionally offers the level of security and technological development that is required to meet the growing payment needs of an open and internationally integrated economy, thus helping to lower the risk of fraud.



The solution also integrates the digitisation and streamlining of government payment systems, empowering the digital payment of salaries and other amounts via multiple channels, including mobile money. This will help to ensure accurate account settlements with real-time data and traceability for all transaction flows making the payment ecosystem easier to oversee, regulate, and therefore more financially inclusive. Additionally, this will help to limit instances of fraud as the system will allow for the elimination of duplicate and ghost payments, reducing the levels of revenue lost by governments.



Mr Claude added, "Financial inclusion is key to the growth of the economy, and we must strive to provide solutions that serve the underbanked. This globally-accepted principle has informed the development of the TransFin solution and the capabilities it has been equipped with. With citizens accessing more convenient and secure methods of payment, we can see improved collection of payments by both governments and individuals."



About Global Voice Group (GVG)

Founded in 1998 and present in 11 countries, Global Voice Group is a global provider of ICT and RegTech solutions for governments and regulatory bodies. GVG assists governments and authorities, through Big Data analytics, in their digital transformation and in the effective promotion of compliant and truly inclusive digital ecosystems. The company monitors, collects and analyses data from crucial economic sectors and turns it into actionable information. We promote data-driven decision-making.



Discover GVG's website: www.globalvoicegroup.com
Historic Mining Camp Greenwood, BC

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / Golden Dawn Minerals Inc., (TSXV:GOM)(FRA:3G8C)(OTC PINK:GDMRD), ("Golden Dawn" or the "Company"), announces that it is starting to mobilize crews and equipment for drilling the Lexington Property at the Greenwood Precious Metals project in southeastern BC.

Photo of drilling equipment being mobilized.

Golden Dawn is mobilizing crews and equipment to initiate diamond drilling at the Lexington property. Drilling is expected to commence within a few days. The first holes will be located close to the Lexington Mine permit area where there is potential to extend the mineralized zones northwest of the mine. Later drilling will be located southeast of the mine where historic drill intercepts indicate significant copper-gold mineralization along the No. 7 fault zone within which the Lexington deposit occurs.

Map of the Greenwood Precious Metal Project showing the Lexington property (bottom center).

Map showing the No. 7 fault trend of mines and historic intercepts around the Lexington mine.

Readers are cautioned that historical records referred to in this News Release have been examined but not verified by a Qualified Person. Further work is required to verify that historical records referred to in this News Release are accurate.

Technical disclosure in this news release has been approved by Dr. Mathew Ball, P.Geo., President of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101,

For more details, please see the most recent National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on the Company's website at www.goldendawnminerals.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:

GOLDEN DAWN MINERALS INC.

Per: "Christopher R. Anderson"

Christopher R. Anderson CEO

For further information, please contact:

Golden Dawn Minerals Inc. - Corporate Communications:

Tel: 604-221-8936

Email: Office@goldendawnminerals.com

Forward-Looking Statement Cautions: This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to, among other things, preliminary plans for a consolidation of the Company's Shares. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include the possibility that the TSX Venture Exchange will not approve the proposed share consolidation, and that the Company may not be able to raise sufficient additional capital to continue its business. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of securities of the Company in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The Company's securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

THIS PRESS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL, OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL PRIOR TO REGISTRATION OR QUALIFICATION UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Golden Dawn Minerals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665085/Golden-Dawn-Mobilizing-Diamond-Drill-to-Lexington-Property


Mr Hidehito Takahashi

TOKYO, Sept 22, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko (SDK; TSE:4004) announces that Kohei Morikawa will resign as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to become Representative Director and Chairman of the Board of SDK, and Hidehito Takahashi, Representative Director, Managing Corporate Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager, Preparation Office for Group Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of SDK will succeed Morikawa, effective January 4, 2022.Takahashi is currently in charge of Carbon and Ceramics divisions, Coating Materials Department, Yokohama and Shiojiri plants and Corporate Strategy Department of SDK.SDK also announces that at Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. (SDMC), which is a consolidated subsidiary of SDK, Hisashi Maruyama will resign as President and CEO to become Representative Director and Chairman of the Board of SDMC, and that Hidehito Takahashi, Director of SDMC, will succeed Maruyama, effective January 4, 2022.These changes in the presidencies have been decided at SDK's board of directors meeting today.Through unification of the presidencies and generational changes in top management, SDK and SDMC aim to accelerate integration of the two companies and foster speedy management of the Showa Denko Group as a whole.Hideo Ichikawa, who is currently Director, Chairman of the Board of SDK, will resign as Chairman of the Board on January 4, 2022. He will also resign as Director at the ordinary general meeting of shareholders in late March 2022, and assume the post of Advisor.Biographical information on the new President and CEO Hidehito TAKAHASHIDate of birth: July 21, 1962Education: Graduated from the Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo in March, 1986Professional CareerApr 1986 Joined The Mitsubishi Bank, Ltd. (current MUFG Bank, Ltd.)Feb 2002 General Manager, Business Development Department, GE Japan Holding CorporationOct 2004 Asia Pacific President, GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies, GE Japan Holding CorporationOct 2008 President and CEO, Silicones Business, Momentive Performance Materials Japan Inc.Jan 2013 President and CEO, GKN Driveline Japan plcOct 2015 Joined Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) as Senior Corporate FellowJan 2016 Corporate Officer and General Manager, Corporate Strategy DepartmentJan 2017 Managing Corporate OfficerMar 2017 Director and Managing Corporate OfficerJul 2017 Director and Managing Corporate Officer; General Manager, Carbon DivisionJan 2020 Director and Managing Corporate Officer; Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)Mar 2020 Representative Director; Managing Corporate Officer; CSOJun 2020 Representative Director; Managing Corporate Officer; CSOJun 2020 Director of Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. (SDMC)Jul 2021 Representative Director; Managing Corporate Officer in charge of Carbon Division, Ceramics Division, Coating Materials Department, Yokohama Plant, Shiojiri Plant, and Corporate Strategy Department; CSOJul 2021 Director of SDMCNumber of SDK shares held by Takahashi: 7,600 (as of September 22, 2021)About Showa Denko K.K.Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004, ADR:SHWDY) is a major manufacturer of chemical products serving from heavy industry to computers and electronics. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial, high-performance and high-purity gases and chemicals for semicon and other industries, the Inorganics Sector provides ceramic products, such as alumina, abrasives, refractory/graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. The Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high bright LEDs, and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.Contact:Showa Denko K.K., CSR & Corporate Communication Office, Tel: 81-3-5470-3235Source: Showa Denko K.K.Copyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LogPoint advances foundational cybersecurity capabilities by including SOAR in its core SIEM solution. Introducing automation, increased speed and precision in incident response, bringing SOAR to organizations of all sizes.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LogPoint, the global cybersecurity innovator, announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Tel Aviv-based SecBI. SecBI's universal SOAR and XDR technology will integrate natively with LogPoint to form an integrated, foundational Security Operations platform. SOAR will be released with LogPoint 7.0 in December 2021, and XDR will be introduced in Q2 2022.

"With the tidal wave of cyberattacks threatening businesses and societies across the globe, a disruption of the way organizations respond to cybersecurity incidents is required," said Jesper Zerlang, CEO LogPoint. "Building on LogPoint SIEM and UEBA to effectively detect threats, orchestration and automation of the response to incidents is key to advancing cybersecurity. Consequently, SOAR will be a capability included in LogPoint to advance foundational cybersecurity."

With the release of LogPoint 7.0, all present and future LogPoint customers will be immediately able to apply SOAR to their security operations at the click of a button, automating repetitive tasks, orchestrating threat remediation workflows, and enabling autonomous investigation, prioritization, and execution of playbooks that reduce human involvement and speed up incident response. Customers will receive SOAR capabilities within their LogPoint Core SIEM license.

"LogPoint SOAR has been in production with select customers over the past few months and we're thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive feedback that analysts have more confidence that incidents are dealt with appropriately thanks to the automatic playbooks," said Christian Have, CTO, LogPoint. "Our customers have reported a significant decrease in the time it takes to detect and respond to a phishing email - down from three hours with manual processes to 10 minutes with automated LogPoint SOAR playbooks."

In today's cybersecurity market, SOAR is employed mainly by larger enterprises and managed security service providers (MSSPs) handling a considerable number of incidents. Integrating native SOAR into LogPoint will dramatically increase the effectiveness and precision of incident response without the need for dedicated management resources, making it an attractive option for organizations of all sizes, including mid-market cybersecurity.

"SOAR is not only about coping with the increasing number of cybersecurity incidents. By including SOAR in the LogPoint SIEM solution, we will enable organizations of all sizes, especially companies that do not have a fully-staffed 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC), to establish proper and relevant incident-handling processes and dramatically increase quality and speed in their response capabilities," said Have. "It also helps those organizations assess the efficiency of new cybersecurity tools and measures."

The acquisition was first announced on September 1, 2021. Following finalization, SecBI will fully integrate into LogPoint's organization. The new team will make key contributions to LogPoint's continued development: SecBI founder and VP of Business Development Doron Davidson has been appointed LogPoint's VP of Global Services and will lead LogPoint Israel as the company expands its presence in Tel Aviv.

The LogPoint move to acquire SecBI and integrate its SOAR and XDR technology into the LogPoint solution is recognized by industry analysts. In a recently published research brief by Omdia headlined "LogPoint Adds SOAR via SecBI Acquisition, Builds Momentum as a Top-Tier SecOps Vendor," analyst Eric Parizo concludes:

"Already a strong SIEM player in Europe, LogPoint's new SOAR and XDR offerings, combined with its own notable TDIR advancements, position the vendor to compete globally for a growing share of enterprise customers."

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1630788/SOAR_Graphics_medres.jpg

For additional information, contact:

Mads Lindberg

VP Communications

+45 3031 714

mal@logpoint.com
PARIS, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Moet Hennessy, one of the world leaders in prestige Wines and Spirits, is pleased to announce the reopening of the boutique, "Les Caves Particulieres", located in the heart of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, with a bright new concept designed by Hubert de Malherbe. Created in 2014 in collaboration with Group ADP, Lagardere Travel Retail and SDA, Les Caves Particulieres, an avant-garde project, reinvents itself. The consumer remains at the heart of this space, which continues to "Bring a taste of French art de vivre back home" through new experiences.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8954451-moet-hennessy-inaugurates-new-contemporary-concept-for-les-caves-particulieres/

Bringing together emblematic Maisons from different regions of France, Moet Hennessy has been able to showcase the excellence of the group's brands since 2014 through a unique and innovative concept: Les Caves Particulieres. Designed to introduce travelers from around the world to the Moet Hennessy portfolio, the concept reveals the terroirs and craftsmanship of the group's wines and spirits Maisons.

In a quest for excellence, Les Caves Particulieres is undergoing a complete makeover this year. The new project was entrusted to iconoclastic architect, Hubert de Malherbe, a renowned expert in design and retail design. Playing with stone and wood, but also with the iconic shipping crates, one of the symbols of the group's spirit of conquest, he was able to modernize the space with a simple and pure design, putting the consumer at the heart of the project with a large central experience table. The olfactory signature of the boutique was created by Thierry Wasser, perfumer of Maison Guerlain.

Les Caves Particulieres is located in Terminal 2E of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. This area is a unique place to showcase the French luxury brands. An ambassador for the French art de vivre, the space will offer immersive experiences, while showcasing exceptional products available exclusively in Paris throughout the year, in particular a Hennessy Special Edition. Many exclusive services and products are available to travelers, including rarities Edition Particuliere Hennessy, the limited-edition Hennessy XO Paris, discovery and mixology workshops, personalization, as well as a series of food and wine pairing experiences developed in partnership with the gastronomic space, La Halle Gourmande. Les Caves Particulieres and its staff, dedicated to the curious and demanding travelers, is the destination of choice for hedonists.

MOET HENNESSY QUOTES

- Laurent Boidevezi, President Travel Retail & AFME LAC - Private Sales: "Les Caves Particulieres is an avant-garde project that paved the way for Moet Hennessy's retail access worldwide. Today, at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, our home airport, we offer an experience that is even closer to our customers, who will find the most exclusive products from our Maisons at Les Caves Particulieres."

- Donatienne de Fontaines-Guillaume, Managing Director Travel Retail EMEA & America - Moet Hennessy: "What drove this project was a strong desire for each traveler leaving France to take with him a part of the French Art de vivre, the most beautiful creations from our terroirs, with the generosity of Mother Nature; we had the treasures, we needed a treasure chest at the same level of excellence, an original space dedicated to this unique portfolio through which to share unique experiences with the traveler. We came up with the idea and created the ultimate experience of French de vivre in Paris."

- Hubert de Malherbe, CEO & Designer - Malherbe Paris: "I wanted Les Caves Particulieres to offer an immobile journey of sorts; a delightful blend of the spirit of conquest of the Maisons and the beauty of their terroirs and know-how. We have the soul of each Maison, from the banks of the Richonne to the brown combe stones of the Cognac region, passing through the chalk cellars where the champagnes are aged. The visitor can travel to the heart of the Maisons thanks to immersive screens, a unique physical experience coupled with a tasting of exceptional products around a central bar, testament to the importance of the conviviality in this space."

About Moet Hennessy

Moet Hennessy, the Wines and Spirits Division of LVMH, regroups twenty-five Maisons, many of which have been around for centuries, while others are just starting their journey. Its vision is to lead the future of luxury Wines and Spirits from nature to communities.

Located in the most prestigious terroirs around the world, Moet Hennessy has unique savoir-faire from winemaking to art de vivre, hospitality, and brick-and-clicks retail management to craft exceptional experiences for consumers.

For many years, with the ambition to pass on a better world to future generations, Moet Hennessy has been committed to the Living Soils Living Together program structured around four key commitments: Regenerating our Soils, Mitigating our Climate Impact, Engaging society, and Empowering our People. Moet Hennessy is proud to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive working environment for all.

Ao Yun, Ardbeg, Armand de Brignac, Belvedere, Cape Mentelle, Chandon, Chateau d'Esclans, Chateau Galoupet, Cheval des Andes, Clos19, Cloudy Bay, Dom Perignon, Eminente, Glenmorangie, Hennessy, Krug, Mercier, Moet & Chandon, Newton.

About Group ADP

The ADP Group owns and operates airports including Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget. In 2020, the group welcomed 33.1 million passengers at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, 1.8 million tons of freight and mail and nearly 96.3 million passengers through airports abroad under its Paris Airports brand. Benefiting from an exceptional geographical location and a large catchment area, the group is pursuing a strategy to expand its capacity and improve the quality of its services and will develop its retail and real-estate activities. In 2020, the Group's revenues amounted to 2,137 million euros and net income of 1,169 million euros.

About Hubert de Malherbe

An engineer from the Arts et Metiers, Hubert created his agency in 1993 with the support of a team of 190 specialists. Hubert oversees all of the agency's creative projects and is personally involved in the strategy of each (Dior, Place Vendome, Sogo...). He is at the heart of international projects, in Asia and in the rest of the world. He ensures that the agency's original dual skillset in Mass-Market and Luxury is cultivated. He is particularly involved in the agency's international development.

About Lagardere Travel Retail

One of the two branches of the Lagardere Group, Lagardere Travel Retail is a world leader in the Travel Retail sector. With 4,850 Travel Essentials, Duty-Free & Fashion and Foodservice outlets in airports, train stations and other concessions in 39 countries, Lagardere Travel Retail generated 2.3 billion in sales in 2020 (100% base). Through a unique holistic approach, Lagardere Travel Retail's ambition is to meet passengers' expectations throughout their journey, and to enhance the value of its customers' assets and those of its partner brands.

About Societe de Distribution Aeroportuaire

Societe de Distribution Aeroportuaire (SDA) is a joint-venture between Aeroports de Paris and Lagardere Travel Retail. SDA is represented by the Duty-Free Buy Paris brand, which offers passengers an exceptional shopping experience in a soothing and refined atmosphere, while giving them the feeling of being in the capital thanks to decoration and furniture that is truly Parisian.

Drink responsibly.

Contact :

Moet Hennessy

Jean-Christophe Laizeau

Director of External Relations

Courriel : jc.laizeau@moethennessy.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1628785/Moet_Hennessy.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1388256/Moet_Hennessy_Logo.jpg
NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A cultural exchange forum "Night of Guoyuan" was held at the Harvard Club of New York City on September 17, to celebrate the oncoming Chinese Mid-autumn Festival, as well as sharing bonds with China.

Nearly 100 dignitaries and business leaders attended the event, which was hosted by Jiangsu King's Luck Brewery Co., Ltd., and among them were the American, Russian, Japanese, and South Korean diplomats to the United Nations, as well as overseas Chinese leaders.

Abigail Posner, creative business strategy director at Google, discussed "Yuan" (bond) culture during the forum. Yuan means fate and bond in Chinese. Posner expressed appreciation for the creativity of Guoyuan brand baijiu, which holds Yuan as its core value. She also shared her understanding that Yuan culture is a bridge connecting the East and the West.

Zhou Suming, President of King's Luck, told the forum participants that humankind has become more interconnected and interdependent because of globalization. "Yuan culture promotes harmony and world peace, encourages cultural exchange, and builds a community with a shared future for humankind," said Zhou.

Teng Shaojun (Fred Teng), President of the America China Public Affairs Institute, said the relationship among countries is similar as Yuan. The connections China has had with the rest of the world could be traced back to a long and recorded history, in which Yuan has always played an important role.

Forum participants also shared their stories of Yuan with China. Georgy Tologray, a senior United Nations expert and former visiting professor at China'sJilin University, said spirits and Baijiu represent a unique way for Chinese people to express their emotions via a way of communication which is widely acknowledged by the world.

A photo exhibition on modern Chinese baijiu history and culture was held alongside with the forum. Guests also tasted and enjoyed "Guoyuan" baijiu at the following baijiu tasting reception, and they looked forward to more Chinese bajiu like "Guoyuan" embarking on the US market.
Today ComplyAdvantage, a global data technology company transforming financial crime detection announced that TransferMate Global Payments, a leading global B2B-payments technology solution provider, has selected the reg tech innovator's award-winning customer onboarding, transaction screening and monitoring solutions.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005398/en/

Charles Delingpole, CEO of ComplyAdvantage (Photo: Business Wire)

Headquartered out of Kilkenny, Ireland, TransferMate is a subsidiary of Clune Technology Group founded by Terry Clune and is a leading global B2B payments technology firm enabling companies to send and receive cross-border payments faster and easier. Now more than ever before, fast growing enterprises like TransferMate are implementing the best technologies and processes not only to reduce their risk profile as it relates to financial crimes but also to help accelerate service expansion with greater confidence.

With the ability to onboard clients in +54 countries around the world, and with a diverse client base, TransferMate needed a solution to support their hyper growth and to enable deployment of laser focused system rules to address the real risk of international payments, and to maximize the best use of internal resource allocation.

Simon McFeely, Chief Compliance Officer of TransferMate said "we selected ComplyAdvantage as they share the same vision as us to use 'compliance as a competitive advantage', and they support our mission to develop dynamic rules tuned to specific inherent vulnerability scenarios, ultimately providing a better customer service while keeping the bad guys out of our global payments infrastructure".

"It's great to know that we have a risk management solution designed to keep pace with our rapidly growing business demands."

ComplyAdvantage offers an intelligent hyperscale approach to AML and risk detection powered by the company's proprietary data graph called ComplyData. Consisting of hundreds of millions of data points that provide dynamic, real-time insights of people and businesses that are monitored against sanctions, watchlists, politically exposed persons, and negative news. This reduces dependence on manual review processes and legacy databases by up to 80% and vastly improves the efficacy in how companies screen and monitor clients and transactions.

"We are excited to be partnering with TransferMate, a powerhouse in the world of B2B cross border payments," said Charles Delingpole, Founder and CEO of ComplyAdvantage. Clearly, their team values the importance of rigorous risk management solutions which in our highly regulated environment is a strategic imperative. Now by working together, we can help reduce the risk of financial crime so that TransferMate can transact with trust and grow with confidence."

Already the preferred choice of some of the world's largest banks, enterprises and high-growth fintechs, ComplyAdvantage is the leader in hyperscale financial risk insights purpose built to help growing regulated organizations manage their risk obligations and prevent financial crime.

About ComplyAdvantage

ComplyAdvantage is the financial industry's leading source of AI-driven financial crime risk data and detection technology. ComplyAdvantage's mission is to neutralize the risk of money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, and other financial crime. More than 800 enterprises in 69 countries rely on ComplyAdvantage to understand the risk of who they're doing business with through the world's only global, real-time database of people and companies. The company actively identifies tens of thousands of risk events from millions of structured and unstructured data points every single day.

ComplyAdvantage has four global hubs located in New York, London, Singapore and Cluj-Napoca and is backed by Goldman Sachs Growth Equity Fund, Ontario Teachers', Index Ventures and Balderton Capital. Learn more at complyadvantage.com.

About TransferMate Global Payments

TransferMate a subsidiary of Clune Technology Group founded by Terry Clune is a global B2B payments technology firm, enabling companies to send and receive cross-border payments faster and easier. TransferMate, under the leadership of Clune and CEO Sinead Fitzmaurice, has built one of the largest portfolios of payments licences worldwide, including in 51 US states and territories, to support trading in 162 countries. Leading banks, fintechs and software providers partner with TransferMate to offer an enhanced user experience for their business customers.

The company has created bespoke integrations for banks like ING and AIB, who are also investors in the company, and Wells Fargo and software providers such as Coupa, SAP Concur, Tradeshift, Workday, etc. The TransferMate API solution allows partners to digitalise the payments flow within their software, enabling all businesses to achieve significant time and financial savings.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005398/en/

Contacts:

For ComplyAdvantage:

North America

Tim Donovan

+1.510.593.0064

Tim.Donovan@ComplyAdvantage.com

EMEA

Ben Goldsmith

+44.0.7788.295321

ben@goldsmithcomms.com
TORONTO, Sept. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jade Power Trust ("Jade Power" or the "Trust") (TSXV:JPWR.UN) is pleased to announce that the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") has accepted the Trust's application for its previously announced consolidation of the Trust's outstanding trust units on the basis of one new trust unit for every 10 existing trust units (the "Consolidation"). The Consolidation will be effective and the trading of the trust units reflecting the Consolidation will commence at the opening of markets on September 23, 2021.



As a result of the Consolidation, the 231,216,256 trust units issued and outstanding prior to the Consolidation will be reduced to approximately 23,121,625 trust units. Each unitholder's percentage ownership in the Trust and proportional voting power remains unchanged after the Consolidation, except for minor changes and adjustments resulting from the treatment of any fractional trust units.

The Trust will not be issuing fractional post-Consolidation trust units. Where the Consolidation would otherwise result in a unitholder being entitled to a fractional trust unit, the number of post-Consolidation trust units issued to such unitholder shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number of post-Consolidation trust units.

The board of directors of the Administrator of the Trust, Jade Power Administrator Inc., approved the Consolidation on August 27, 2021. In connection with the Consolidation, the Trust expects to send letters of transmittal to registered holders of its trust units for use in transmitting their existing unit certificates (the "Existing Certificates") to the Trust's register and transfer agent, TSX Trust Company, in exchange for new certificates (the "New Certificates") representing the post-Consolidation trust units to which such unitholder is entitled as a result of the Consolidation. No delivery of a New Certificate to a unitholder will be made until the unitholder has surrendered its Existing Certificates. Until surrendered, each Existing Certificate shall be deemed for all purposes to represent the number of post-Consolidation trust units to which the holder is entitled as a result of the Consolidation.

For further information please contact:

Ravi Sood

Chairman

+1 647-987-7663

rsood@jadepower.com J. Colter Eadie

Chief Executive Officer

+40 736-372-724

jceadie@jadepower.com Betty Soares

Chief Financial Officer

+1 416-803-6760

bsoares@jadepower.com

About Jade Power

The Trust, through its direct and indirect subsidiaries in Canada, the Netherlands and Romania, has been formed to acquire interests in renewable energy assets in Romania, other countries in Europe and abroad that can provide stable cash flow to the Trust and a suitable risk-adjusted return on investment. The Trust intends to qualify as a "mutual fund trust" under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act"). The Trust will not be a "SIFT trust" (as defined in the Tax Act), provided that the Trust complies at all times with its investment restriction which precludes the Trust from holding any "non-portfolio property" (as defined in the Tax Act). All material information about the Trust may be found under Jade Power's issuer profile at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release contain forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "anticipates", "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects", "believes", "may" and "will". The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Trust. Details of the risk factors relating to Jade Power and its business are discussed under the heading "Business Risks and Uncertainties" in the Trust's annual Management's Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2020, a copy of which is available on Jade Power's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Trust. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, Jade Power expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSXV nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
DiCaprio joins two innovation powerhouses, as an investor and advisor, in growing global movement to transform the way meat is produced

MAASTRICHT, Netherlands and REHOVOT, Israel, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Aleph Farms and Mosa Meat , two companies leading the emerging field of cultivated meat, announce an investment from environmental activist and Academy Award winning actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. Both companies have demonstrated the ability to grow beef directly from animal cells, with the unveiling of the first cultivated hamburger by Mosa Meat in 2013 and the first cultivated steak and ribeye by Aleph Farms in 2018 and 2021, respectively.

"One of the most impactful ways to combat the climate crisis is to transform our food system. Mosa Meat and Aleph Farms offer new ways to satisfy the world's demand for beef, while solving some of the most pressing issues of current industrial beef production. I'm very pleased to join them as an advisor and investor, as they prepare to introduce cultivated beef to consumers," said Leonardo DiCaprio.

With global meat consumption projected to grow 40-70% by 2050 , cultivated meat offers a solution to greatly reduce the current negative impacts of industrial beef production. Additionally, cultivated meat will enable diners to enjoy the qualities of the meat they love, eliminating the need for any major behavioral change. Analysts have projected the cultivated meat market could reach $25 billion by 2030 , as part of the broader protein transformation .

Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat said: "Leonardo DiCaprio's work to bring about positive change is closely aligned with our mission at Mosa Meat. We are thrilled to bring him on board as advisor and investor and work together to feed current and future generations sustainably."

Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms said: "As a committed environmentalist, we welcome Leonardo DiCaprio to our advisory board and family of top tier investors. Our team is committed to improving the sustainability of our global food systems and we're thrilled to have Leo share in our vision."

According to an independent Life Cycle Analysis study , cultivated beef production is projected to reduce climate impact by 92%, air pollution by 93%, use 95% less land and 78% less water when compared to industrial beef production. Cultivated beef production offers the opportunity to use the spare land for re-wilding habitats, which would naturally reduce emissions or for producing more food for people. Moreover, the automated process through which cultivated meat is produced, and the sterile environment of its manufacturing, will eliminate the use of antibiotics and greatly reduce the risk for pathogens, contaminants, and foodborne illnesses associated with concentrated and intensive animal farming.

About Aleph Farms

Aleph Farms grows beef steaks, from non-genetically engineered cells isolated from a living cow, without harming animals and with a significantly reduced impact to the environment. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Didier Toubia, The Kitchen Hub of the Strauss Group, and Professor Shulamit Levenberg from the Biomedical Engineering Faculty at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Headquartered in Israel, Aleph Farms' global network of top tier investors includes L. Catterton, DisruptAD (ADQ), BRF, Thai Union and Cargill. Aleph Farms released the world's first cultivated steak in December 2018 and the world's first cultivated ribeye steak in 2021. The company's vision is to provide unconditional nutrition for anyone, anytime, anywhere. For more information, please visit www.aleph-farms.com.

About Mosa Meat

Mosa Meat is a global food technology company pioneering a cleaner, kinder way of making real beef. Our founders introduced the world's first cultivated beef hamburger in 2013, by growing it directly from cow cells. Founded in 2016, Mosa Meat is now scaling up production of the same beef that people love, but in a way that is better for people, animals, and the planet. A diverse and growing team of food-loving problem-solvers, we are united in our mission to fundamentally reshape the global food system.

Headquartered in Maastricht, The Netherlands, Mosa Meat is a privately held company backed by Blue Horizon, M Ventures, Bell Food Group, Nutreco, Mitsubishi Corporation and others. Follow Mosa Meat on Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter and Instagram or visit mosameat.com to learn more about why people cravechange. Access the Mosa Meat press kit here .

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contacts:

Mercury Global Partners for Mosa Meat

Mindy M. Hull and Allie Gavan

+1 415 889 9977 (USA) / +1 415 987 7147 (USA)

+31 62 504 7680 (EU)

alephfarms@songuepr.com

mosameat@wearemgp.com

Songue PR for Aleph Farms

Natalee Gibson

+ 1 720 648 5784 (USA)

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EquityStory.RS, LLC-News: PJSC Mechel / Key word(s): Contract

PJSC Mechel: MECHEL TO SUPPLY COAL TO NERYUNGRINSKAYA POWER STATION



22.09.2021 / 12:00 MSK

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





MECHEL TO SUPPLY COAL TO NERYUNGRINSKAYA POWER STATION



Neryungri, Russia - September 22, 2021 - Mechel PAO (MOEX: MTLR, NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, reports signing a contract for coal supply with Far-Eastern Energy Company (part of RusHydro Group).

The contract stipulates supplies of thermal coal to Neryungrinskaya Power Station for uninterrupted generation during the heating season. From October 2021 to March 2022, Mechel will supply approximately 360,000 tonnes of coal. During the last winter season, Mechel has provided Neryungrinskaya Power Station with a similar amount.

"We have been working together with Far Eastern energy providers for decades, and this new contract only strengthens this longstanding partnership. Approximately 10-12% of thermal coal sold by Mechel's mining division goes to Far Eastern Energy Company. The company confirmed their interest in our coal, and we in our turn are ready to provide them with coal of requisite quality," Mechel PAO's Chief Executive Officer Oleg Korzhov noted.

***

Mechel PAO

Ekaterina Videman

Tel: + 7 495 221 88 88

ekaterina.videman@mechel.com

***

Mechel is an international mining and steel company. Its products are marketed in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa. Mechel unites producers of coal, iron ore concentrate, steel, rolled products, ferroalloys, heat and electric power. All of its enterprises work in a single production chain, from raw materials to high value-added products.

***

Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Mechel, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements. We refer you to the documents Mechel files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in our Form 20-F, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the achievement of anticipated levels of profitability, growth, cost and synergy of our recent acquisitions, the impact of competitive pricing, the ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and licenses, the impact of developments in the Russian economic, political and legal environment, volatility in stock markets or in the price of our shares or ADRs, financial risk management and the impact of general business and global economic conditions.

22.09.2021 MSK Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EquityStory.RS, LLC - a company of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EquityStory.RS, LLC Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

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LUXEMBOURG and LONDON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackRock, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Pictet Asset Management, and Robeco were the major category winners, while UBS Asset Managers and Candriam Investors Group are among the Fastest Risers of the 2021 Broadridge Distribution Achievement Awards. The awards were presented at the ALFI Global Distribution Conference taking place virtually on 21 and 22 September 2021.

The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and socially responsible investing (SRI) award saw Robeco named as leading group for the fourth year running, while Natixis, thanks in part to a number of its subsidiaries being particularly active in this space, was named as the Fastest Riser in this category.

Founded five years ago to recognise excellence in fund distribution, the Broadridge Distribution Achievement Awards celebrate the hard work and resourcefulness of marketing, sales, and client service teams in the European fund distribution market. The diversity of this year's winners reflects the talent and enterprise of asset manager teams working across the industry.

"The nominees and winners of this year's awards have all exhibited the focus and agility necessary to rise to the top in a fiercely competitive marketplace, while differentiating their value proposition to provide a meaningful, best-in-class service to their clients," said Lynn Pattinson, Senior Editor, Broadridge Global Insights.

"Over the past three decades, Luxembourg has played a crucial role in opening up markets for international fund distribution and facilitating access to investments globally. The past twelve months have been nothing short of extraordinary: an entire year's worth of decisions were influenced by the pandemic in one form or another. Today, we honour the asset managers who have contributed towards raising the standards of asset management in a post-pandemic world," said Camille Thommes, Director General of The Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI).

The awards are based on responses from over 800 of Europe's leading third-party fund selectors from Broadridge's Fund Buyer Focus interviews conducted in the 12-month period to June 2021.The interviews seek to pinpoint the changing demands of Europe's key fund distribution influencers, and to identify the fund providers that are delivering best-in-class standards. These fund selectors represent around 3trn of third-party client assets in Europe and provide a representative voice of investors in the ten markets they serve.

Award categories and winners:

Sales Services Award

Overall Winner: J.P. Morgan Asset Management

Fastest Riser: Candriam

As investors increasingly come to accept a wider definition of value, the sales-client relationship continues to evolve with today's fund selectors seeking a more nuanced relationship that spans deep technical expertise, responsiveness, and a clear understanding of individual business and client needs. J.P. Morgan Asset Management remained the leader in this category once again this year - continuing to set the standard when it comes to delivering the optimal service offering.

At the same time, Candriam Investors Group's win in the Fastest Riser Award category highlights the skill and ability of smaller managers to provide the outstanding, tailor-made service that clients value.

Innovation & Adaptation to Market Change Award

Overall Winner: Pictet Asset Management

Fastest Riser:UBS Asset Management

The world has never moved more quickly than it has in the last 18 months. That is why we have introduced the Innovation & Adaptation to Market Change Award. This new category recognises the outstanding achievement of organisations that have risen to new challenges and pioneered innovative solutions to an evolving marketplace. It's no surprise that a firm with Pictet Asset Management's track record of forward-thinking secured the top prize in this category.

The inventive work of UBS Asset Managers was also rewarded with the Fastest Riser Award in this category.

ESG/SRI Award

Overall Winner: Robeco

Fastest Riser:Natixis Investment Managers

The ESG/SRI space has grown exponentially over recent years, as a new breed of investors prioritise funds that will generate positive global impact. In the wake of growing concerns over so-called 'green-washing', managers and products face increased scrutiny, and must work harder than ever to exhibit their social credentials. Robeco demonstrated its authenticity, and the continuing role that its legacy as an early pioneer of ESG and thematic investing plays in its current strategy, as the firm held on to the top award for a record fourth consecutive year.

In recent years, smaller players have dominated this category while the large global houses, particularly from the US, have lagged. Natixis Investment Managers' stellar work in the ESG and socially responsible investment field carried the group to the Fastest Riser Award for this category.

Brand Award

Overall Winner: BlackRock

Fastest Riser:Morgan Stanley Investment Management

One of the key challenges shared by all firms, big and small, is that of rallying the multi-faceted components of a company's brand to convey a clear and cohesive mission. The nominees and winners in this year's awards displayed these characteristics. BlackRock held onto its spot at the top this year, as the firm's supermarket-style offering, augmented by its newer ESG products, helped it maintain its clear lead with European selectors.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley Investment Management's work promoted their expertise across public and private markets worldwide, in single-sector, multi-asset and custom solutions.

For Further Information:

Lynn Pattinson

Senior Editor, Global Insights

Broadridge

+44 (0) 7747 760263

Lynn.Pattinson@Broadridge.com

Anna Ferreri

Head of Communications

ALFI

Tel: +352 22 30 26 48

anna.ferreri@alfi.lu

Notes to editors:

Broadridge Distribution Achievement Awards

The Broadridge Distribution Achievement Awards are based on Broadridge's authoritative Fund Buyer Focus fund selector survey and the interview results collected during the period between 1 July 2020-30 June 2021. This regular survey, which has been running for more than a decade, is based on in-depth telephone interviews, in local language, with over 800 fund selectors from 10 European countries every year. These fund selectors account for 3trn of third-party assets - or an estimated 70% of accessible third-party assets in Europe. The focus of the interviews is to provide feedback to asset managers on which fund groups these selectors prefer to work with overall and to identify which firms offer superior support in the categories of marketing, sales and account management, product quality, brand, and pricing.

Fund selectors are asked to nominate their three preferred suppliers in each category on an unprompted basis. The top supplier is awarded three points; the second, two points; and the third, one point. This data is then aggregated to produce a ranking of named fund groups that can be compared from one time period to another. The awards are based on the latest rankings available - the period is the 12 months to June 2021.

Fastest Risers are calculated from a comparison between June 2021 data and the previous 12 months to June 2020.

The Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI) represents the face and voice of the Luxembourg asset management and investment fund community, championing mainstream, private assets and sustainable investing. ALFI seeks to promote Luxembourg's fund sector internationally, and to cultivate for the benefit of its members a collaborative, dynamic and innovative ecosystem underpinned by the most robust regulatory framework. ALFI's ambition is to empower investors to meet their life goals.

Created in 1988, the Association today represents over 1,500 Luxembourg domiciled investment funds, asset management companies and a wide range of business that serve the sector. These include depositary banks, fund administrators, transfer agents, distributors, legal firms, consultants, tax advisory firms, auditors and accountants, specialised IT and communication companies. Luxembourg is the largest fund domicile in Europe and a worldwide leader in cross-border distribution of funds. Luxembourg domiciled investment funds are distributed in more than 70 countries around the world.

For more information about ALFI, please visit www.alfi.lu.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions that drive business transformation for banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. Our technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of more than U.S. $9 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 13,000 associates in 21 countries.

For more information about us please visit broadridge.com.
COVIDsecure enables businesses to automate secure record keeping of employee's COVID-19 vaccination and test status

WITNEY, England, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ELMO Software (ASX: ELO), providers of Learning, Talent and HR solutions, announces their newest product, COVIDsecure. This digital tool can be used for recording and monitoring employees' COVID-19 vaccination and test status. It provides the ability to capture vaccination or test status for the entire or targeted areas of the business, drilling down into areas such as location, department and even role.

With COVIDsecure, employers can also configure periodic alerts to be notified when an employee is due to update their vaccination or test status. The alert functionality streamlines the process for workers who could be required by government regulation to submit for testing at regular intervals. Employees can submit their own records of their COVID-19 vaccination and/or test results in a single platform with strict secure access and control measures.

In addition, business leaders are armed with a full dashboard to provide a real-time view of critical information to assist with COVID-19 risk management. This provides teams with the tools to take prompt and proactive action and keep across compliance requirements. COVIDsecure provides employers with a library of COVID-19 HR policy templates which are customisable, assisting businesses looking for advice and material to operate in a COVIDsafe manner.

ELMO Software, spokesperson for UK, Adam Reynolds says:

"Businesses need to be able to keep running in a COVID-19 environment, but they need to be able to do it safely. They can't sustain reduced activity forever, nor can the community do without their services for an indefinite amount of time either.

"To be able to operate safely and in line with Government regulation it's crucial businesses have the right tools at their disposal.

"While the UK has done well with the vaccine roll-out, it's important that we look to the tools we will need in an ongoing environment to manage COVID-19 in the community and the workplace.

"Where businesses have announced they will be mandating vaccinations among their workforce, ELMO's COVIDsecure module makes it easier to keep records of the vaccination and testing status of that workforce. It also gives employers the tools to help keep their employees and community safe."

For more information on COVIDsecure visit: https://elmosoftware.co.uk/solutions/covidsecure/

Media Enquiries

Press Team

ELMO UK | marketing@elmosoftware.co.uk | 0800 711 7510

About ELMO Software

Established in 2002, ELMO is a cloud-based HR, expense management and rostering / time & attendance software provider. The company offers customers across the UK, Australia and New Zealand a unified platform to help organisations streamline their people and processes. ELMO operates on a software-as-a-service ("SaaS") business model based on recurrent subscription revenues. For more information, please visit www.elmosoftware.co.uk

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Aguila American Gold Limited (TSXV: AGL) (OTCQB: AGLAF) (WKN: A2DR6E) ("Aguila" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has secured through staking 100% ownership of the Lida copper project, located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The project was identified during an extensive and ongoing generative program targeting copper deposits within the most mining supportive jurisdictions of North America. Initial surface sampling and mapping has commenced to test this exciting new project.

Aguila is focused on copper and precious metal acquisition, exploration and development within the major mining belts of western North America. The Company continues to target under-explored areas, including the recently acquired Lida and Cora projects where post-mineralization cover masks areas of high geological prospectivity in the vicinity of major mines.

The Lida project lies in south-central Esmeralda County within the richly gold and copper endowed Walker Lane Mineral Belt. The project is secured by 33 granted BLM lode mining claims covering a total of 2.75 sq km, and is easily accessed by two wheel drive vehicles utilizing existing access.

The Walker Lane Mineral Belt is a broad northwest striking fault zone that trends for more than 500km through western Nevada and eastern California. It is famous as a host to numerous large copper, gold and silver deposits and mines including Round Mountain, Comstock Lode, Northumberland, Goldfield, Tonopah, Pumpkin Hollow, New York Canyon and Silicon. Almost all discoveries within the Walker Lane belt have been made in outcrop, providing an exceptional opportunity for new deposits to be discovered under shallow cover.

Key Points

The Lida copper project lies within the Walker Lane Mineral Belt of Nevada, one of the richest mining districts in North America for gold, copper and silver.

Nevada was ranked as the top mining jurisdiction globally for mining investment in the 2020 Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies.

Lida was prioritised as a target by Aguila due to the association of widespread surface copper mineralization with a discrete magnetic high. This signature is similar to most major mineralization systems within the Walker Lane belt.

Widespread copper oxide mineralization within shale and quartzite of the Campito Formation is reported in historical exploration records. The Campito Formation overlies the Deep Spring Formation and Reed Dolomite which are comprised of prospective limestone, dolomite and quartzite.

Recent site visits by Aguila have demonstrated that many of the 100's of prospecting pits across an area of 2km x 2km expose extensive oxide copper within fault structures and quartzite. The area of prospecting pits is constrained to the immediate north, south and east of Lida by shallow cover.

The most recent exploration documented at Lida was by Conoco Inc in the 1970s, who identified a large IP anomaly, covering 2km by 500m, underneath the copper mineralised area. Shallow drilling failed to test the target or penetrate the Campito Formation to more prospective carbonate host rocks.

The positive association between structurally controlled copper oxide mineralization, propylitic alteration, copper-mineralized breccia pipes, and the regional magnetic high with no modern exploration defines a high-priority copper target. The largely impermeable Campito Formation may overlie a pyrite rich (chargeable), shallow buried porphyry copper-molybdenum system.

Aguila will immediately commence field activities with mapping and sampling followed by a detailed magnetic survey.

Aguila continues to progress its project generation and acquisition strategy for copper and precious metals in highly prospective mineral belts. The rapidly growing demand for copper due to the accelerating uptake of electric vehicles and the supporting infrastructure, aligned with the growing uncertainty of sustainable ethical supply, makes North American targets a high priority.

"The newly staked Lida project represents another exciting step for Aguila into copper exploration in the Western US," said Mark Saxon, CEO of Aguila American Gold Limited. "Lida caught our eye immediately due to the abundance of surface copper oxide mineralization within a small area of outcrop surrounded by thin post-mineralization cover. The association with a magnetic high in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt is a consistent signature with major porphyry and epithermal systems. Major mining companies exploring north and south highlights the pedigree of the terrane.

The timing could not be better, as secure global copper supplies are tightening and price is rising, coinciding with strong demand growth as a result of a global infrastructure, electrification and renewable energy boom. We look forward to applying modern exploration techniques to this under explored district."





Figure 1: Location map for the Lida copper project in central western Nevada, USA

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7326/97277_image1.jpg

The Lida copper project lies in Esmeralda County, Nevada, approximately 28km southwest of Goldfield within the highly productive Walker Lane Mineral Belt. Walker Lane is a 500km long continental scale structural zone which is host to numerous world class gold and copper deposits and mining districts including Goldfield1 (4.7 Mt @ 28 g/t Au), Yerrington2 (162 Mt @ 0.54% Cu), Pumpkin Hollow3 (553 Mt @ 0.45% Cu), Comstock (16.3 Moz Au eq.) and Rio Tinto's New York Canyon (142 Mt @ 0.35% Cu).

Aguila's claims cover an area of low to moderate relief and sparse vegetation. The prospect is accessible by two-wheel drive vehicles and can be reached by US Highway 95. Up to several hundred prospecting pits, known locally as "dog holes" have been mapped over an area of 2km by 2km, with many exposing fracture-controlled copper within the quartzite and shales of the Campito Formation or located on gossans associated with intrusive breccia.

Small scale, historical mining activity was undertaken in the 18th and early 19th century focused on the No 1 shaft, which targeted structurally controlled primary copper mineralization comprising chalcopyrite, bornite and chalcocite. A structural zone adjacent to the No 1 shaft was reported to contain copper mineralization across a width of up to 30m.





Figure 2: Prospect Map showing historical exploration activity (shafts, exploration pits, IP anomaly)

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7326/97277_image2.jpg

The bedrock geology at Lida comprises northeast striking, northwest dipping Lower Cambrian limestones of the Poleta Formation overlying the quartzites/shales of the Campito Formation. Iron rich breccia bodies with a pipe-like geometry have been mapped and appear associated with copper mineralization. Hydrothermal alteration includes widespread propylitic-style with local skarn-hornfels alteration associated with intrusive dikes.

Previous documented exploration was primarily conducted by Conoco during the 1970's, which comprised of sampling, geophysics (induced polarisation) and shallow drilling. Conoco identified a large and strong IP anomaly, approximately 2km in length and 500m wide, which trends north-easterly across the prospect coincident with the widespread structurally controlled copper mineralization, small intrusions and widespread propylitic alteration. Drilling did not penetrate the quartzite. Minor pyrite identified in drilling by Conoco within the quartzite is unlikely to account for the strong IP anomaly and may be associated with a pyrite rich "phyllic" porphyry shell.

Aguila believes the Campito Formation formed a relatively impermeable "cap" though which hydrothermal fluids only vented along structures to form the widespread fracture and vein-controlled mineralization found at surface.

The Lida project was staked to test beneath the widespread propylitic alteration and structurally controlled copper oxide mineralization with coincident IP anomaly for a preserved porphyry copper or copper skarn system. Porphyry copper systems in Nevada consistently exhibit a higher degree of preservation than in neighboring Arizona.

Initial exploration will consist of detailed mapping and sampling in addition to a high-resolution magnetic survey. Results will be shared as they become available.





Figure 3: Site photographs from Lida Project during reconnaissance visit. Area shows an extensive mining history and regular copper oxide mineralization as per photo "d".

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7326/97277_image3.jpg

The Company has obtained and is continuing to review the historic exploration data. Although the historic exploration data was generated by reputable companies, Aguila cannot verify the data or determine the quality assurance and quality control measures applied in generating the data. Accordingly, the Company cautions that the exploration data reported in this news release may not be reliable. Readers are cautioned that a "qualified person" (as defined by National Instrument 43-101) has not yet completed sufficient work to be able to verify the historical information, and therefore the information should not be relied upon.

Production to 1986, Ruetz J W, 1987 - The Geology of the Goldfield district: in Johnson J L (Ed.), 1987 Bulk Mineable Precious Metal Deposits of the Western United States - Guidebook for Field Trips Geol. Soc. Nevada pp 114-119. Production to 1982, Harris N B, Einaudi M T 1982 - Skarn deposits in the Yerington District, Nevada: metasomatic skarn evolution near Ludwig: in Econ. Geol. v77 pp 877-898. Nevada Copper, NI 43-101 Technical Report was filed on SEDAR in April 16, 2019.

Technical Background

The Company has obtained historic exploration data for this press release from the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and other public archives. Although historic exploration data was generated by reputable companies applying practice of the day, Aguila cannot verify the data or determine the quality assurance and quality control measures applied in generating the data. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the exploration history is fully captured. Additional drilling may have been undertaken, however the Company has not been made aware of or obtained additional data. Accordingly, the Company cautions that the exploration data reported in this news release may not be reliable. Readers are cautioned that a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 has not completed sufficient work to be able to verify the historical information, and therefore the information should not be relied upon.

The qualified person for the Company's projects, Mr. Mark Saxon, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, has reviewed and verified the contents of this release.

About Aguila American Gold Ltd (TSXV: AGL) (OTCQB: AGLAF) (WKN: A2DR6E)

Aguila American Gold is an emerging copper and precious metal company enhancing shareholder value through exploration and discovery.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

"Mark Saxon"

Mark Saxon

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

aguila.gold

1305 - 1090 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7

info@aguila.gold

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set out in this news release constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based upon the opinions and expectations of management of the Company as at the effective date of such statements and, in certain cases, information provided or disseminated by third parties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, and that information obtained from third party sources is reliable, they can give no assurance that those expectations will prove to have been correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97277
Spirit AeroSystems (Europe) Limited (UK) ("Spirit Europe"), a subsidiary of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. [NYSE: SPR] ("Spirit AeroSystems"), has celebrated the official opening of its state-of-the-art Aerospace Innovation Centre (AIC) in Prestwick, Scotland today in the presence of Scotland's First Minister, government, customers, and our industrial and academic partners.

The AIC has been established as a centre of excellence for the research and development of advanced materials, digital manufacturing technologies and processes, where Spirit Europe will collaborate with industry and academic partners to innovate, train and develop skills for today and tomorrow.

"For true innovation to occur, we need a diverse range of ideas and collaboration from a number of areas across the spectrum of research and development. As one of the UK's leading Aerospace companies, Spirit Europe is proud to establish a collaborative space where we, with our partners in industry and education, will work together to develop new technologies that are competitive and sustainable for aerospace platforms of the future. Today, we are another step closer to achieving our ambition to become a diversified design and manufacturing champion," said Scott McLarty, Senior Vice-President and General Manager Airbus, Spirit AeroSystems.

The 90,000 square foot innovation centre on the Spirit Europe campus in Prestwick is capable of manufacturing components of up to 20 metres in length. It features 55,000 square feet of manufacturing space, a materials lab, and office and conference space to accommodate over 200 people. Spirit Europe's investment of circa 25m, together with almost 5m grant funding from Scottish Enterprise, will help advance technologies and capabilities to develop next-generation aerostructures.

"This investment from Spirit AeroSystems, at a time of considerable challenge for the aerospace sector globally, is an endorsement of Scotland's engineering and manufacturing capability and it will complement existing facilities, such as the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland (NMIS). As well as improving the efficiency of aircraft parts, and the way they are manufactured, this facility has the potential to enable growth for industry-leading aerospace innovations and create more high-value manufacturing jobs over the next decade. We are focused on building a stronger, sustainable and inclusive economy, with new, high quality, green jobs, and Scotland's aerospace sector, with the highly-skilled workforce it employs, is an integral part of that," said First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon.

"The AIC brings together all the key ingredients of innovation: world-class expertise and facilities in a collaborative, diverse and open environment. This is an exciting time for advanced manufacturing in Scotland and Scottish Enterprise looks forward to working closely with Spirit AeroSystems, their partners and manufacturers across the country to make the most of the opportunity this centre creates to develop new ideas, products and sustainable jobs," said Adrian Gillespie, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise.

The AIC is already facilitating more than 20 industry and academic collaborations, working to deliver Spirit Europe's and its partners' ambitions. Further enquiries regarding AIC opportunities are welcome at aicenquirie@spiritaero.com

On the web: www.spiritaero.com

On Twitter: @SpiritAero

About Spirit AeroSystems Inc.

Spirit AeroSystems is one of the world's largest manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial airplanes, defense platforms, and business/regional jets. With expertise in aluminum and advanced composite manufacturing solutions, the company's core products include fuselages, integrated wings and wing components, pylons, and nacelles. Also, Spirit serves the aftermarket for commercial and business/regional jets. Headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit has facilities in the U.S., U.K., France, Malaysia and Morocco. More information is available at www.spiritaero.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that may involve many risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "could," "continue," "estimate," "expect," "goal," "forecast," "intend," "may," "might," "objective," "outlook," "plan," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would," and other similar words, or phrases, or the negative thereof, unless the context requires otherwise. These statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown. Our actual results may vary materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such forward-looking statements and that should be considered in evaluating our outlook include, without limitation, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations; the timing and conditions surrounding the full worldwide return to service (including receiving the remaining regulatory approvals) of the B737 MAX, future demand for the aircraft, and any residual impacts of the B737 MAX grounding on production rates for the aircraft; our reliance on Boeing for a significant portion of our revenues; our ability to execute our growth strategy, including our ability to complete and integrate acquisitions; our ability to accurately estimate and manage performance, cost, and revenue under our contracts; demand for our products and services and the effect of economic or geopolitical conditions in the industries and markets in which we operate in the U.S. and globally; our ability to manage our liquidity, borrow additional funds or refinance debt; and other factors disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These factors are not exhaustive and it is not possible for us to predict all factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in our forward-looking statements. These factors speak only as of the date hereof, and new factors may emerge or changes to the foregoing factors may occur that could impact our business. Except to the extent required by law, we undertake no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any obligation to, publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005493/en/

Contacts:

Maria Ryan

+44 (0)28 9046 8545

maria.ryan@spiritaero.com
's-Hertogenbosch/Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 22 September 2021



On 22 September 2021, Van Lanschot Kempen's extraordinary general meeting (EGM) approved the appointment of Brigitte Boone as a member of its Supervisory Board. It was also officially advised of the intention to appoint Maarten Edixhoven as a member and Chair of the Management Board effective 1 October 2021.

Frans Blom, Chair of the Supervisory Board, said: "We're delighted with Brigitte's appointment and wish her lots of success as a member of our Supervisory Board. On 1 October 2021, we'll welcome Maarten as the company's new CEO, which is also when we'll bid farewell to our current Chair, Karl Guha.

"Van Lanschot Kempen's results and growth in the years under Karl's leadership tell their own story, but our people's engagement, entrepreneurialism and sheer drive are unparalleled. We'll miss Karl as a director and manager, as a colleague, and most of all as a highly inspiring leader. And we are so grateful to him for heading up our transformation from a general bank into the independent, leading integrated wealth manager we are today.

"We wish Maarten every success and have full confidence that we'll be able to further expand our current, successful, customer-centric growth strategy under his leadership."

For the full agenda and explanatory notes, see Shareholders' meetings.

FINANCIAL CALENDAR

4 October 2021 Ex-dividend date

12 October 2021 2019 dividend and remainder 2020 dividend payment date

29 October 2021 Publication of 2021 third-quarter trading update

24 February 2022 Publication of 2021 full-year results

Media Relations: +31 203544585; mediarelations@vanlanschotkempen.com

Investor Relations: +31 203544590; investorrelations@vanlanschotkempen.com



About Van Lanschot Kempen

Van Lanschot Kempen, a wealth manager operating under the Van Lanschot, Kempen and Evi brand names, is active in Private Banking, Asset Management and Merchant Banking, with the aim of preserving and creating wealth, in a sustainable way, for both its clients and the society of which it is part. Listed at Euronext Amsterdam, Van Lanschot Kempen is the Netherlands' oldest independent financial services company, with a history dating back to 1737.

For more information, please visit vanlanschotkempen.com

Attachment
Two fintech Unicorns join forces to shape the future of financial services and democratize access to banking in Europe

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 22, 2021, the world's leading cloud-based financial risk management platform, and Solarisbank AG , Europe's leading Banking-as-a-Service platform, announced today at Money20/20 Europe a multi-year partnership. The pioneering companies have joined forces to reshape banking, combining the trailblazing transformation that comes with Banking-as-a-Service with the risk management and security that is expected from financial institutions - all while preserving the customer experience. Importantly, the flexibility of Feedzai's risk management solution means they can scale as Solarisbank grows, helping the company to keep up with a regulatory and geo-political landscape that is in a constant state of flux as well as more comprehensively protect customers from threats.



Solarisbank enables any company to offer financial services via APIs while easing the technical and regulatory complexities of banking. With this new partnership, Solarisbank is leveraging Feedzai's proprietary technology which enables them to apply an effective risk management which is in line with respective law requirements.

"We were drawn to Feedzai's depth and breadth of experience in helping various banks fight financial crime," said Roland Folz, CEO of Solarisbank. "Using Feedzai's financial risk management platform we can bridge an important gap within the industry to deliver the best experience, both in terms of customer ease of use and protection from financial risk."

Solarisbank joins an elite list of customers that use the fully packaged Feedzai Solutions that can assess risk for single and cross-channel transactions in an agile and easy-to-deploy way.

"We are excited to be part of Solarisbank's growth journey by providing a best-in-class risk management tool that will be further protecting its tech-savvy customer base," said Nuno Sebastiao, CEO of Feedzai. "A growing number of financial institutions are looking for cutting edge financial risk management technologies wrapped around a digital-first evolution approach. Solarisbank is leading this new wave of financial institutions that are unlocking the full power of the cloud."

Solarisbank evaluated several solutions available in the market. Among the key differentiators that contributed to the decision of implementing Feedzai's technology are:

Flexibility in handling the financial risk of a growing heterogeneous customer base while being able to make changes in a self-service fashion





Configurable Risk Levels: the ability to apply an effective risk-based approach during transactions monitoring





Flexible SSR (self-service rules): the provision to work on rules independently



In addition to Feedzai's flexible technology, scalability played an important role in order to match Solaris growth projections for the years to come.

About Solarisbank

Solarisbank is Europe's leading Banking-as-a-Service platform. As a technology company with a full German banking license, Solarisbank enables other companies to offer their own financial services both rapidly and compliantly. Using our simple APIs, we enable partners to integrate Solarisbank's modular banking services directly into their own product offering at a much more efficient cost. The platform offers digital bank accounts and payment cards, identification and lending services, digital assets, including custody and brokerage, as well as services provided by integrated third-party providers. In 2021, Solarisbank launched in France, Italy, and Spain to offer local IBANs, providing access to local financial ecosystems in Europe's four largest markets. Headquartered in Berlin, over 450 Solarians representing over 60+ nationalities are working together to transform the financial services industry.

About Feedzai

Feedzai is the market leader in safeguarding global commerce with today's most advanced cloud-based risk management platform, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence. Feedzai is securing the transition to a cashless world while enabling digital trust in every transaction and payment type. The world's largest banks, processors, and retailers trust Feedzai to protect trillions of dollars and manage risk while improving the customer experience for everyday users, without compromising privacy. Feedzai is a Series D company and has raised $282M to date with a current valuation of well over $1.5B. Its technology protects 800 million people in 190 countries. For more information, visit feedzai.com .

Press Contact - Feedzai

Igor Carvalho

Head of Global Communications, Feedzai

igor.carvalho@feedzai.com
** Evolito was spun out by electric motor and controller company YASA before its acquisition by Mercedes Benz **

** Evolito provides ultra high-performance, low-weight electric motors and power electronics for electric flight applications **

** Lead investors are Waypoint Capital and Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE) **

Evolito, a new company developing and manufacturing electric motors and power electronics for aerospace applications, launched publicly today as a privately-owned business.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005519/en/

A concept image showing an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) powered by Evolito's electric propulsion unit. (Photo: Business Wire)

Evolito was spun out earlier this year by YASA (the world-leading pioneer of automotive axial-flux electric motors acquired by Mercedes-Benz in July 2021) to exclusively commercialise YASA's next-generation electric motor technology and IP for the rapidly-growing aerospace market.

The business's axial-flux motor technology has been proven in volume series production in the automotive industry and has even greater advantages in the aerospace market. As such, Evolito is uniquely positioned to drive forward the commercialisation and adoption of electric flight.

Evolito's ultra high-performance, low-weight axial-flux motors and power electronics are smaller, lighter and more robust than any other competing technology, opening up a range of new opportunities for Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL), Fixed Wing and distributed electric propulsion applications such as Urban Air Mobility (UAM).

The unique segmented topology of the Evolito motor is inherently more robust than other electric motor approaches, making it ideally suited to the demands of the aerospace market where safety is paramount.

Cyrus Jilla, Partner and Board Director, Waypoint Capital said, "At Waypoint, one of our thematic interests is in energy transition and sustainability, including electrification. We look to invest in businesses with unique disruptive technology led by outstanding teams. Evolito is a perfect fit for us and we look forward to backing the team as they develop their game-changing electrification solutions for the aerospace market, making emissions-free flight a reality."

Alexis Zervoglos, Senior Partner, OSE said, "The electrification of flight is one of the most exciting market opportunities of our time. Realising this potential will require innovative new technology and an ability to scale to meet the fast-emerging demand. OSE is delighted to be supporting Evolito on its mission to accelerate the adoption of electric flight."

Gareth Morris, Managing Director, Evolito said, "Electrification in aerospace is some ten years behind that of the automotive industry, but the market potential is huge. Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing, Electric Helicopter, Fixed-Wing and Urban Air Mobility aircraft need high power density, low weight electric powertrains with inherently high safety factors a combination of attributes that are unique to our axial-flux electric motor and power electronics. By leveraging YASA's unique IP in the aerospace market, Evolito will fast-track the commercialisation of electric flight and transform mobility as we know it."

EDITOR'S NOTES

Electric drive solutions for the Urban Air Mobility market are forecast to grow toUSD $90 billion and 160,000 vehicles by 2050. Source: Roland Berger "The high-flying industry: Urban Air Mobility takes off", Nov, 2020.

Evolito http://www.evolito.co.uk/

Evolito is making all-electric flight a commercial reality with world-leading direct-drive electric propulsion solutions. Spun out of YASA in 2021, Evolito leverages technology proven by OEMs in the EV industry. Evolito's axial-flux electric motors and power electronics offer the highest power and torque densities in class mission critical in eVTOL, Urban Air Mobility and fixed-wing applications and is inherently more robust than competing technologies. The privately-held company is based in Oxford. Evolito's investors include Waypoint Capital and Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE).

YASA http://www.yasa.com/

YASA, part of Mercedes-Benz AG, is a pioneer in next-generation electric drive technology. YASA's unique axial-flux electric motor technology offers the greatest efficiencies and highest power densities in class for the smallest size and weight. YASA is based in Oxford and Welshpool, UK.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005519/en/

Contacts:

Cat Lenheim, PR Strategy Director

ThoughtLDR

cat@thoughtldr.com

+44 (0)7511 117587
San Diego, California--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Tryp Therapeutics (CSE: TRYP) (OTCQB: TRYPF) ("Tryp"), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing psilocybin-based compounds for diseases with unmet medical needs, announced today that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug ("IND") application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") to evaluate its clinical candidate, TRP-8802, in a Phase 2a study for the treatment of patients with eating disorders.

The trial is being conducted with Jennifer Miller, M.D., from the University of Florida and will evaluate the Company's oral formulation of synthetic psilocybin, TRP-8802, in combination with psychotherapy. The IND application includes details regarding the safety of the drug product, the protocol for the study, the informed consent information for patients, and other information. Tryp expects to initiate the Phase 2a study in Q4 of this year subject to a favorable review of the IND by the FDA.

"The submission of this IND represents hundreds of hours of preparation, design, and coordination as we pursue a leading-edge treatment of psilocybin with psychotherapy," commented Dr. Miller. "I have been thoroughly impressed with the team at Tryp and enjoy our shared commitment to exploring new treatments for our patients who have so few existing therapies available to them."

The Phase 2a clinical trial is expected to enroll 10 patients with various overeating disorders including binge eating disorder, hypothalamic obesity, and Prader-Willi Syndrome. The administration of psilocybin is expected to increase neuroplasticity and help create healthy neural patterns related to hunger and eating. Patients will meet with psychotherapists who have been trained by Fluence for two sessions prior to the administration of TRP-8802, which will take place in two drug-dosing sessions. Integration sessions with the psychotherapists will be conducted after the administration of the drug.

"This IND submission marks the most important milestone the Company has achieved to date and will be critical in identifying patient responses to the active ingredient, consistent with that of our proprietary drug candidate, TRP-8803, that will be used in Phase 2b trials and beyond," commented Greg McKee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tryp. "This is the first of several IND filings we expect to make in the coming months in support of our work to address various chronic pain and eating disorder indications, and we are eager to begin enrolling our first patients in multiple Phase 2a trials later this year."

About Tryp Therapeutics

Tryp Therapeutics is a pharmaceutical company focused on developing psilocybin-based compounds for the treatment of diseases with unmet medical needs through accelerated regulatory pathways. Tryp's Psilocybin-For-Neuropsychiatric Disorders (PFN) program is focused on the development of synthetic psilocybin as a new class of drug for the treatment of chronic pain and other indications. The Company has announced upcoming Phase 2a clinical trials with the University of Michigan and the University of Florida to evaluate its drug products for fibromyalgia and overeating disorders, respectively. Tryp is also developing a proprietary psilocybin-based product, TRP-8803, that uses a novel formulation and method of delivery to improve the patient experience. For more information, please visit www.tryptherapeutics.com.

Investor Inquiries:

Joseph Green

Edison Group

investors@tryptherapeutics.com

Media Inquiries:

Joy Willis

Tryp Therapeutics

media@tryptherapeutics.com

1-833-811-8797

Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this news release constitutes 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 a number of opinions, assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Tryp 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 greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Tryp's final prospectus available at www.sedar.com. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Tryp; 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 Tryp 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.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPTED 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/97176
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Andean Precious Metals Corp. (TSXV: APM) (OTCQB: ANPMF) ("Andean" or the "Company"), a leading Latin-American silver producer, is pleased to announce the launch of a 20,000 metre, phase one exploration campaign focused on the Company's wholly-owned Rio Blanco and San Pablo projects in Bolivia.

"Investing in exploration is an important part of Andean's strategic plan to extend the life-of-mine at our flagship San Bartolome project to ten years," said Simon Griffiths, President and CEO. "Since becoming a public company in March, our focus has been on expanding our existing resource and reserve base along with the scope and profitability of our third party ore purchasing business. We have made significant progress on both fronts and are now well positioned to advance an aggressive exploration campaign." Mr. Griffiths went on to say, "our portfolio of exploration assets includes two highly prospective gold projects that are within the operating envelope of San Bartolome. We believe that the San Pablo and Rio Blanco Projects have the potential to create significant value for the shareholders of Andean, and we look forward to updating the market with drill results beginning in October."

Phase One Exploration Program Overview

Andean Precious Metals controls a portfolio of exploration assets in Bolivia, of which the San Pablo and Rio Blanco Projects ("San Pablo" and "Rio Blanco") are the most advanced. Both projects are located within the operating envelope of the San Bartolome Mine, which is currently producing precious metals from six different locations in Bolivia. Rio Blanco and San Pablo are both bulk-tonnage, potentially surface-mineable targets and are being evaluated as synergistic with San Bartolome.

The Company plans to drill 10,000 metres at Rio Blanco and 10,000 metres at San Pablo. Currently, three diamond drill rigs are contracted and active. Once all assays are received from the Phase One exploration program, the Company expects to launch a Phase Two exploration program of an additional 20,000 metres. Both phases are fully funded. Contracts have this week been signed with Quantec for Titan geophysical surveys at both properties.

About Rio Blanco

The 100% owned Rio Blanco Project comprises 13,462 hectares in the department of Potosi. Rio Blanco is located on an historic Au-Sb belt that hosts some of the most prolific mining districts in Bolivia, including Caracota, Chilcobija, Sucre, Candelaria, and Rosa de Oro.

Rio Blanco is an Orogenic gold deposit hosted in a folded Ordovician sedimentary sequence composed of shales and sandstones that were affected by a low-grade metamorphism. Extensive geological mapping has been completed and 1500 samples assayed at ALS in Lima. The Phase One diamond drill program covers an initial 7km of a 22km long structural corridor along the axial plane of Rio Blanco anticline. This structural system hosts ore mineralisation in formal veins, stockworks, saddle reefs and lenticular bodies. Rio Blanco has extensive historical workings, including several placer gold deposits. Similar Au-Sb occurrences are well known around the world, such as Bendigo in Australia.

Andean's phase one drill program has 22 diamond drill holes planned which follow an extensive program of geological mapping and trenching perpendicular to the axis of the target mineralisation.

Rio Blanco 2021 Trenching





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Highlights of Trench Assays

Trench Length (metres) Au (g/t) Includes 6 85.00 0.60 8.85m @ 2.27 g/t Au

4.00m @ 1.57 g/t Au 7 104.20 0.64 22.40m @ 1.03 g/t Au

10.00m @ 0.94 g/t Au 9 55.95 0.50 6.0m @ 1.95 g/t Au 10 59.60 0.88 14.10m @ 2.69 g/t Au 11 45.60 0.48 3.00m @ 1.06 g/t Au

3.10m @ 2.81 g/t Au 12 16.90 0.90 2.00m @ 3.06 g/t Au 13 14.40 0.53 1.00m @ 1.94 g/t Au 14 17.80 0.46 1.00m @ 1.80 g/t Au 19 53.00 1.07 22m @ 1.47 g/t Au 20 49.60 0.98 17.30m @ 2.12 g/t Au

About San Pablo

The 100% owned San Pablo Project comprises 650 hectares in the department of Potosi. San Pablo is located at the southern end of a prolific orogenic gold belt that hosts several of Bolivia's largest deposits including the Kori Kollo gold mine (Newmont) which produced more than 5 million ounces and the San Bernadino Gold mine which produced over 2 million ounces ounces. The Company has completed initial exploration works including geological mapping, surface sampling and an initial diamond drill programme comprising twelve holes into four discrete targets which are within close proximity of each other. DDH results are expected to be released during October.

Early work suggests gold-hosted mineralization occurs near surface in an intrusion-related gold system with narrow sheeted veins together with separate, more discrete veins. The presence of secondary biotite alteration may indicate the presence of porphyry-style mineralization on the property. The Company is planning to test for the presence of porphyry -style mineralization with its new exploration work. Quantec Geoscience's Titan 24 DCIP and magnetotelluric ("DCIP-MT") technology is being considered in a 17 line-kilometre survey. This programme is scheduled for the second half of October.

San Pablo Project Overview





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Qualified Person

The scientific and technical content disclosed in this press release was reviewed and approved by Donald J. Birak, A Qualified Person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, Registered Member, Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), Fellow, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM).

About Andean Precious Metals Corp.

Andean Precious Metals (TSXV: APM) (OTCQB: ANPMF) is a Canadian, growth-focused silver producer that owns and operates the San Bartolome project located in the department of Potosi, Bolivia. San Bartolome has been operating consistently since 2008, producing an average of over five million ounces of silver per year. The Company is also exploring its wholly-owned San Pablo and Rio Blanco gold projects and seeking other accretive opportunities in Bolivia and Latin America. Andean Precious Metals is committed to fostering safe, sustainable and responsible operations. For more information, please visit www.andeanpm.com.

Company Contact

Fraser Buchan

Corporate Development

ir@andeanpm.com

T: +1 647 480 1550 ext. 1550

Investor Contact N.A.

Daniel Weinerman

NATIONAL Capital Markets

dweinerman@national.ca

T: +1 416 848 1715

Media Contact Eur.

Oliver Lamb

Tavistock

andean@tavistock.co.uk

T: +44 20 7920 3150

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, Inc. 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.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of Andean with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions.

Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but instead reflect Andean'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 Andean believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of Andean. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements are the following: changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in applicable laws and regulations both locally and in foreign jurisdictions; compliance with extensive government regulation; the risks and uncertainties associated with foreign markets. These forward-looking statements may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of Andean and general market conditions, including COVID-19.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Andean 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 and such changes could be material. Andean does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update the forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97288
CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Bromine Market by Derivative (Organobromine, Clear Brine Fluids, Hydrogen Bromide), Application (Flame Retardants, Oil & Gas Drilling, PTA Synthesis, Water Treatment& Biocides, HBR Flow Batteries) & Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Bromine Market is projected to grow from USD 3.3 billion in 2021 to USD 4.1 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2021 to 2026. The market growth is driven by the increasing demand for bromine in flame retardants, PTA synthesis, water treatment & biocides, and oil & gas drilling.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=42782196

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On the basis of application, the flame retardants segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2021 to 2026

By application, the flame retardants segment accounted for the largest share of the bromine market in 2020. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are bromine containing compounds that are added to substances to inhibit or reduce their rate of combustion. BFRs are more widely used than other commercialized chemical flame retardants. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), Polybrominated Biphenyl (PBB), and Brominated Cyclo-hydrocarbons are some of the examples of BFRs. The growing demand from electronics and automotive industries (due to stringent fire safety regulations) and the expanding shipbuilding industries are driving the market for flame retardants across the globe.

On the basis of derivative, the organobromine segment accounted for the largest share of the bromine market in 2020

By derivative, the organobromine segment accounted for the largest share of the bromine market in 2020. Organobromine compounds, such as tetrabromobisphenol-A, hexabromocyclododecane, and the bromodiphenyl ethers, are used as flame retardants in many industries, mainly electronics, textile, and plastics. The major applications of organobromine are flame retardants and biocides. Some organobromine derivatives are also used in water treatment applications, such as the cleaning up of pools and spas. They are an important ingredient for making dyes. Organobromines are used as intermediates for preparing pharmaceuticals like nicergoline and brotizolam. and as an anticancer agent pipobroman. Bromoform and dibromodimethylhydantoinorganobromine are used in water treatment applications, to prevent the growth of algae, bacteria, and other microorganisms as well as for the prevention of foul odor in water. The flourishing electronics & telecommunication, textile, plastic, and construction industries are expected to drive the market for organobromine

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Asia Pacific is projected to register the fastest growth from 2021 to 2026

The Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest share of the bromine market in 2020. China, India, Japan, and South Korea are key countries contributing to the increased demand for bromine in this region. Substantial development in infrastructure and increasing demand for flame retardants in the automobile and building & construction end-use industry are expected to drive the Bromine Market in this region.

ICL Group Ltd. (Israel), Albemarle Corporation (US), LANXESS AG (Germany), Tosoh Corporation (Japan), Solaris Chemtech Industries Ltd. (India), Gulf Resources Inc. (China), TETRA Technologies, Inc. (US), TATA Chemicals Limited (India), Honeywell International Inc. (US), and Perekop Bromine (Russia) are some of the leading players operating in the bromine market.

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Flame Retardant Market by Type (ATH, Antimony Oxide, Brominated, Chlorinated, Phosphorous), Application (Epoxy, Polyolefins), and End-use Industry (Building & Construction, Electronics & Appliances, Wire & Cables, Automotive) - Global Forecast to 2021 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/flame-retardant-chemicals-market-686.html



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Step-Out Holes Continue to Intersect High-Grade Silver and Gold as Strike Lengths Expand and Veins Widen

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Summa Silver Corp. (TSXV: SSVR) (OTCQB: SSVRF) (FSE: 48X) ("Summa" or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional high-grade silver and gold intercepts from the ongoing drill program at the historically producing high-grade silver and gold Hughes Property at Tonopah, Nevada (see attached figures).

Rescue Veins of the Past Producing Belmont Mine:

1,699 g/t silver equivalent (913 g/t Ag and 7.86 g/t Au) over 4.3 m from 421.6 m including

9,989 g/t silver equivalent (4,338 g/t Ag and 56.5 g/t Au) over 0.6 m from 422.2 m in SUM21-31 which is an in-fill hole confirming high-grade mineralization at Rescue.

551 g/t silver equivalent (337 g/t Ag and 2.10 g/t Au) over 5.7 m from 338.7 m including

2,087 g/t silver equivalent (1,301 g/t Ag and 7.86 g/t Au) over 0.9 m from 342.1 m in SUM21-42 which is a 110 m step-out up-dip and to the southwest at Rescue.

Murray Target:

506 g/t silver equivalent (253 g/t Ag and 2.53 g/t Au) over 6.1 m from 437.8 m including

1,085 g/t silver equivalent (543 g/t Ag and 5.42 g/t Au) over 0.9 m from 440.9 m in SUM21-40 which is a 120 m step-out down-dip and to the northeast at Murray.

Note: silver equivalent (AgEq) based on 100(Ag):1(Au), true widths are unknown

Dimensions of Mineralization:

High-grade mineralization at Rescue has been intersected in several stacked structures over an area of 375 x 100 m where it remains open to expansion.

has been intersected in over an area of where it remains open to expansion. High-grade mineralization at Murray , has been intersected over an area of 300 x 200 m where it remains open to expansion.

, has been intersected over an area of where it remains open to expansion. Further mineralization is present in multiple additional areas over a length of 3.5 km, including the Ruby discovery, a 1.3 km step-out from the historic Belmont Mine and the current site of drilling.

Drill Program Update: Drilling remains ongoing on the Hughes property with results now pending for 7 additional holes, and drilling taking place at the Ruby Discovery. Most holes have intersected zones of quartz-adularia veins, stockworks, and breccias typically featuring visible Ag-sulfosalts.

Galen McNamara, CEO, stated: "Today's results mark significant and successful step-outs in both the Rescue Veins and at the Murray Target. In both areas, the footprints of high-grade mineralization continue to grow and remain open. We are encouraged not just by the high-grades present, but also with the wide intercepts of the veins. At Rescue, it is now clear that several stacked mineralized horizons are present. Substantial further drilling is required as we efficiently build high-grade ounces while pressing towards mineral resource estimates at both the Hughes and the Mogollon properties in 2022."





Drill Hole Locations



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Drill Hole Locations - Rescue Veins



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Cross Section - Rescue Vein System



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Rescue Vein System - Long Section



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Murray Vein - Long Section



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Table 1: Assay Results

Drill Hole From

(m) To (m) Length

(m) Au (g/t) Ag

(g/t) AgEq*

(g/t) Vein Set SUM21-0031 337.6 338.7 1.2 2.58 226 484 Rescue and 407.6 407.9 0.3 12.7 1,424 2,695 and 421.6 425.9 4.3 7.86 913 1,699 including 422.2 422.8 0.6 56.5 4,338 9,989 and 433.4 433.8 0.4 2.25 216 441 SUM21-0033 359 359.7 0.7 1.12 116 228 Rescue and 410.6 411.3 0.7 3.92 465 857 SUM21-0034 No significant values Halifax SUM21-0035 No significant values Halifax SUM21-0036 326.4 326.7 0.3 1.58 172 330 Murray and 343.8 347.9 4.1 1.33 131 264 including 345.5 347.3 1.8 2.12 192 404 and 356 356.3 0.3 1.46 109 255 SUM21-0038 No significant values Murray SUM21-0040 371.9 373 1.1 2.04 34 238 Murray and 437.8 443.9 6.1 2.53 253 506 inc 440.9 441.8 0.9 5.42 543 1,085 SUM21-0041 323.9 324.5 0.6 1.11 109 220 Murray and 421 421.5 0.5 1.22 136 258 and 422.8 423.3 0.5 1.19 104 223 SUM21-042 338.7 344.4 5.7 2.10 337 551 Rescue including 342.1 343 0.9 7.86 1,301 2,087 and 413.8 414.1 0.3 3.34 335 669 and

418.6 421.5 2.9 1.05 112 217 SUM21-0043 No significant values Halifax

*AgEq based on 100 (Ag):1 (Au), True widths are not yet known. Reported intervals are based on a 100 g/t AgEq cut-off grade. Metal recoveries are assumed to be 100%.

Belmont Mine Target - Rescue Veins

Nine holes in 2021 have so far tested the steeply-dipping, southwest-striking Rescue vein system hosted in the footwall of the Belmont vein, where extensive past production took place.

Hole SUM21-31 tested the continuity of mineralization up-dip from SUM21-20 and SUM21-30. It intersected 1,699 g/t AgEq over 4.3 m including 9,989 g/t AgEq over 0.6 m.

Hole SUM21-42 represents a 110 m step-out, up-dip along the vein from hole SUM20-06. It intersected 551 g/t AgEq over 5.7 m including 2,087 g/t AgEq over 0.9 m.

Hole SUM21-33 represents one of the largest step-outs along strike in the Rescue vein system. The hole intersected two zones of mineralization; an upper intercept of 228 g/t AgEq over 0.7 m and a lower intercept, 50 m downhole, of 857 g/t AgEq over 0.7 m. The pierce points along the modeled stacked-veins are approximately 280 m along strike from SUM20-06.

In all holes the high-grade intercepts comprised silver-sulfosalt bearing, banded to brecciated quartz  adularia veins with associated argillic alteration halos. The south-west striking, structurally-controlled veins are hosted in intermediate to felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Mizpah Formation. The newly reported intervals demonstrate the significant ounce potential of the high-grade Rescue vein system. Additional drilling is warranted to further investigate the extent and the plunge of the high-grade zones. Assays for 4 holes are reported in Table 1 and assays for 5 holes remain pending from the Rescue target.

Murray Target

Six holes in 2021 have so far tested the gently-dipping, southwest-striking Murray vein hosted along the regional-scale Tonopah fault at the Murray target.

Hole SUM21-040 tested the down-dip extension of mineralization hit in numerous holes in 2020. The hole hit the mineralized structure approximately 215 m down-dip from SUM20-17 and intersected 506 g/t AgEq over 6.1 m including 1,085 g/t AgEq over 0.9 m. This intercept supports the down-dip potential of the Murray vein.

Mineralization at the Murray Target is associated with broad intervals of strong argillic alteration cored by zones of quartz stockwork up to 30 m wide and local Ag-sulfosalt bearing, banded quartz veins. Assays for 3 holes are reported in Table 1 and assays for 2 holes remain pending from Murray.

Mizpah Extension Target

Three holes tested the gently-dipping, east-striking Halifax vein of the Mizpah Extension target that was first drilled in 2020. Holes SUM21-34, 35 and 43 hit broad intervals of anomalous silver and gold mineralization hosted in epithermal-related veins and stockworks, along strike from SUM20-09, suggesting further drilling is warranted.

Table 2: Drillhole Information

Target Area Drill Hole Easting Northing Azimuth Dip Final Depth

(Core) Belmont SUM21-0031 481054 4213620 152 -58 484 Belmont SUM21-0033 480849 4213459 148 -46 459 Halifax SUM21-0034 481657 4214016 173 -56 504 Halifax SUM21-0035 481657 4214016 181 -48 534 Murray SUM21-0036 479306 4214157 170 -67 449 Murray SUM21-0038 479306 4214157 178 -72 655 Murray SUM21-0040 479333 4214215 106 -73 522 Murray SUM21-0041 479333 4214215 259 -80 517 Belmont SUM21-0042 481054 4213620 174 -46 458 Halifax SUM21-0043 481414 4213794 155 -48 515

Analytical and QA/QC Procedures

All samples were sent to Paragon Geochemical Laboratories in Sparks, Nevada for preparation and analysis. Paragon meets all requirements of the International Accreditation Service AC89 and demonstrates compliance with ISO/IEC Standard 17025:2017 for analytical procedures. Samples were analyzed for gold via fire assay with an AA finish ("Au-AA30") and silver via atomic emission spectroscopy after four-acid digestion ("AgMA-AAS"). Samples that assayed over 5 ppm Au were re-run via fire assay with a gravimetric finish ("Au-GR30"). Samples that assayed over 200 ppm Ag were re-run via fire assay for Ag with a gravimetric finish ("Ag-GRAA30"). In addition to Paragon quality assurance / quality control ("QA/QC") protocols, Summa Silver implements an internal QA/QC program that includes the insertion of sample blanks, duplicates and certified reference materials at systematic and random points in the sample stream.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Galen McNamara, P. Geo., the CEO of the Company and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Summa Silver Corp

Summa Silver Corp is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company. The Company has options to earn 100% interests in the Hughes property located in central Nevada and the Mogollon property located in southwestern New Mexico. The Hughes property is host to the high-grade past-producing Belmont Mine, one of the most prolific silver producers in the United States between 1903 and 1929. The mine has remained inactive since commercial production ceased in 1929 due to heavily depressed metal prices and little to no modern exploration work has ever been completed.

Follow Summa Silver on Twitter: @summasilver

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/summa-silver-corp/

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Galen McNamara"

Galen McNamara, Chief Executive Officer

info@summasilver.com

www.summasilver.com

Investor Relations Contact:

Kin Communications

Giordy Belfiore

604-684-6730

SSVR@kincommunications.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.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This news release contains certain "forward looking statements" and certain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. The forward-looking information contained herein is provided for the purpose of assisting readers in understanding management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. These forward-looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the release of assays, and the exploration and development of the Company's mineral exploration projects.

Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual actions, events or results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: the requirement for regulatory approvals; enhanced uncertainty in global financial markets as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic; unquantifiable risks related to government actions and interventions; stock market volatility; regulatory restrictions; and other related risks and uncertainties.

Forward-looking information are based on management of the parties' reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on such management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97295
Vernon, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - True Leaf Brands Inc. (CSE: MJ) (OTC Pink: TRLFF) (FSE: TLAA) ("True Leaf" or the "Company") is executing on its strategy and vision as it prepares to launch an innovative plant-forward, people-centric brand which it believes can empower the entire craft industry to grow. Legacy market veteran Andrew Gordon has been appointed Vice President of Strategic Growth of the Company's True Leaf Cannabis Inc. ("True Leaf Cannabis") division. He will transition to Chief Executive Officer of the division upon security clearance and Health Canada approval.

True Leaf believes the division will benefit from Andrew's vast experience working with diverse stakeholders and regulators to build accountable, community-responsive, and financially sustainable business models in the cannabis industry. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Kiaro Brands Inc., a publicly traded omnichannel cannabis retailer with wholesale distribution and retail stores across Canada and e-commerce sales in North America and Australia. As Vice President and Co-Chair of the Membership Committee for the BC Craft Farmers Co-op, he led efforts to grow the membership base to more than 200 members and supporters from across Canada and the U.S. and has driven forward key community fundraisers promoting fair access and opportunities for medical cannabis patients and BIPOC communities.

"Andrew's wealth of industry experience, combined with his compassionate approach and advocacy for the destigmatization of cannabis, have made him a well-known and respected industry professional," said Darcy Bomford, CEO of True Leaf. "He is committed to ensuring True Leaf Cannabis continues to work towards making a meaningful economic impact within the local community and is inspired to drive sustainable growth and set strong revenue targets to increase shareholder value through an authentic working relationship with craft cannabis producers."

"I believe bringing True Leaf's innovative services model to life will alleviate key bottlenecks and inefficiencies within the regulated supply chain, especially here in British Columbia where so many producers are shipping their products out of province to be processed," said Andrew Gordon. "True Leaf intends to offer an innovative shared revenue model, along with integrated processing and market activation services."

Andrew will lead customer acquisition and, once he has obtained security clearance and approval from Health Canada, operations at the Company's craft cannabis hub facility in Lumby. Once Mr. Gordon transitions to the role, Darcy Bomford will step down as Chief Executive Officer of the division and continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer and director of the parent company, True Leaf Brands Inc.





Legacy market veteran Andrew Gordon will lead a new phase of growth at True Leaf Cannabis Inc.



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About the Company

True Leaf is a Licensed Producer of cannabis preparing to launch a program to provide path-to-market services for micro-cultivators. The program will operate from the Company's 19,500 square foot facility in Lumby, British Columbia, and offer a full suite of in-house processing services to the craft cannabis community.

To learn more, visit www.trueleafbrands.com.

Investor Contact:

Darcy Bomford

Chief Executive Officer

Darcy@trueleafbrands.com

1 (250) 275-6063

Media Inquiries: media@trueleafbrands.com

Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" including, among other things, statements relating to the completion and timing for the two-batch amendment from Health Canada, license to sell cannabis products in retail stores, and the expected market for craft cannabis products. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of True Leaf to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: whether or not Andrew Gordon will successfully complete the security clearance process and obtain Health Canada approval, whether or not the Company obtains a federal sales license from Health Canada, the impact of general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical, and social uncertainties; regulatory risks; and other risks related to the cannabis industry. Forward-looking statements in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97268
Highlights

Advance United engages geophysical company to begin work program starting in October.

Program focused on follow up to previously identified high potential anomaly which extends over 2,000 metres on the property, and

Previous drillhole encountered two zones of massive sulphide mineralization both in excess of four metres in thickness.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Advance United Holdings Inc. (CSE: AUHI) (FSE: 9I0) (the "Company" or "Advance United") is pleased to report the start of the 2021 work program on the Company's Buck Lake Property in the Batchawana Greenstone Belt in Northern Ontario, Canada.

The work is scheduled to commence the week of October 1st, 2021 and will include a detailed Very Low Frequency Electromagnetic (VLF EM) geophysical study, soil sampling, and detailed geological and structural mapping in preparation for future drill programs and target definition along the horizon.

The Buck Lake Property lies in the Batchawana Greenstone Belt within the Abitibi Subprovince of the Canadian Shield. The Abitibi Subprovince is known to host many VMS type of deposits including Glencore's Kid Creek Mine, the deepest base metal mine in the world.

Geologically the Buck Lake Property overlies the contact between mafic and felsic volcanics, a classic Volcanic Massive Sulphide (VMS) target. An Electromagnetic (EM) anomaly identified trending North-South across the property, appears to overlie the contact between felsic and mafic volcanic units.

Noranda Exploration drilled a hole in 1987 along the EM anomaly and intersected two (2) zones of massive sulphide mineralization of 4.88 m and 4.72 m in thickness (as reported in the MNDM Assessment Report).

Both massive sulphide zones were described as containing copper and zinc mineralization although assays were not included in the available Assessment Report. Rock sampling during a soil geochemical program completed in 2017 identified copper mineralization in the form of chalcopyrite in rocks adjacent to the EM anomaly. A reconnaissance soil sampling program 2017 identified a 2,000-metre-long copper and zinc anomaly associated with the contact and the EM anomaly.

Advance United CEO Jim Atkinson states, "We are highly optimistic as we continue to build on the excellent results from past work on the Buck Lake Property - a promising VMS style target. Past work has identified copper and zinc mineralization in one limited area, but the majority of the 2,000-metre-long anomaly has yet to have been explored by modern methods. Our field crew will obtain detailed results along the prospective horizon and allow us to prepare a follow-up work plan for 2022 which may include drilling to further delineate and understand the potential deposit. This further exemplifies the value of the Company's business model to re-work data to document potential, quantifiable resources and reserves using current standards and modern technology, thus increasing the value of the property."

Qualified Person

James Atkinson M.Sc., P. Geo., a Qualified Person ("QP") as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the geological information reported in this news release. The Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to verify the historic information on the Buck Lake Property, particularly with regards to historical sampling and regional government-mapped geology. However, the Qualified Person assumes that sampling and analytical results were completed to industry standard practices. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Buck Lake Property but may not be representative of expected results.

About Advance United

Advance United, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, is traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange in Canada under the symbol "AUHI" and the Borse Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany under the symbol "9I0".

We are a different kind of Canadian junior mining company, one designed to succeed where other junior mining companies fail. We are involved exclusively in the acquisition and advancement of past producing gold mines - with no intent to bring them back into production or to mine them ourselves. Our expertise is in identifying and acquiring undervalued gold properties with significant historical work, which were uneconomic at the time, but we believe have economic value at today's price of gold.

We fund the development of re-working historic data and applying modern technology to underwrite new qualified reports, document quantifiable resources and reserves to current standards, thereby recognizing the current value.

Our purpose is to bring immediate and long-term value to our partners and shareholders while seeking to eliminate exploration risk, so that we can all advance united in the shortest possible time frame.

For additional information about us, our projects, or to find out how you can get involved please visit www.advanceunited.ca.

Contact Information

James Atkinson P. Geo., CEO

Email: jim.atkinson@advanceunited.ca

Tel: (647) 278-7502

Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to trading on the CSE and the focus of the Company's business. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "contemplates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Company's ability to increase the value of its current and future mineral exploration properties and, in connection therewith, any long-term shareholder value, the Company's ability to mitigate or eliminate exploration risk, and the Company's intention to develop a portfolio of historic gold properties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the Company will continue its business as described above. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and other periodic filings made by the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances or actual results unless required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97291
MANILA, Philippines, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Underscoring the company's commitment to excellent customer experience, PLDT Inc. clinched the Most Outstanding Company in the Philippines award under the Telecommunications Services Sector category of Asiamoney's 2021 Outstanding Companies Poll.

Over 1,071 fund managers, analysts, bankers and ratings agencies took part in the voting. In total, over 5,787 votes were received for publicly listed companies across 13 markets in Asia.

The most diversified and fully integrated telecommunications company in the Philippines was lauded for excelling in financial performance, management team excellence, investor relations, and corporate social responsibility. Being recognized by Asiamoney for its commitment to excellence verifies the revitalized customer-centric push of PLDT and its wireless unit, Smart Communications Inc., with customers being the North Star for all group-wide efforts.

Guided by their core corporate value of malasakit (compassion), PLDT and Smart's laser focus on elevating customer experience traces its roots to the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

When lockdown restrictions forced Filipinos to stay at home to work, study, and stay in touch with loved ones, PLDT and Smart's passion and purpose for the customer drove the whole organization to step up, amid the increased need for connectivity and digital services.

Under the most difficult conditions, PLDT and Smart delivered excellent service to customers, which is key to ensuring resilience for every community.

Founded in 1989, Asiamoney is a leading financial magazine in the region, focused on investment and private banking, digitalization of banking, and fintech. The publication is an affiliate of other key capital markets publications from the Euromoney Institutional Investor Group.

Over the years, PLDT has topped Asiamoney's annual polls in multiple categories. The company has been named as the Philippines' Best Managed Company and recognized for being the Best in Investor Relations, Financial Management, Corporate Strategy, Stakeholder Value Focus, and Operational Efficiency.

About PLDT

PLDT is the Philippines' largest fully integrated telco company. Through its principal business groups - from fixed line to wireless - PLDT offers a wide range of telecommunications and digital services across the Philippines' most extensive fiber optic backbone, and fixed line and cellular networks.

PLDT is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE:TEL) and its American Depositary Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:PHI). PLDT has one of the largest market capitalizations among Philippine - listed companies.

Further information can be obtained by visiting www.pldt.com
Matters to be Considered include Changes to Reflect Amendments to the CPC Policy

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / GHP Noetic Science-Psychedelic Pharma Inc. (TSXV:PSYF.P) ("GHP" or the "Company"), a Capital Pool Company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"), announces that, pursuant to recent changes by the Exchange to its Capital Pool Company program and Exchange Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies, which became effective as of January 1, 2021 (the "New CPC Policy"), GHP intends to seek the requisite approvals of its shareholders (the "Shareholders") for certain matters to align the Company with the new CPC Policy at its upcoming annual general and special meeting of Shareholders, scheduled to be held on October 12, 2021 (the "Meeting").

Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined in this news release have the meaning given to them in the New CPC Policy or otherwise in the Exchange's Corporate Finance Manual of the Exchange.

At the Meeting, as required to give effect to the amendments reflected in the New CPC Policy, among other things, Shareholders will be asked to pass four ordinary resolutions, by the affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the votes cast by disinterested Shareholders at the Meeting ("Disinterested Approval"), to:

authorize the Company to approve certain amendments to its existing stock option plan (the "Option Plan"), pursuant to which, among other things, the total number of common shares of the Company (each, a "Share") reserved for issuance both before and after completion of a Qualifying Transaction will be 10% of the issued and outstanding Shares as at the date of grant, rather than at the closing date of the Company's IPO; approve the removal of the consequences associated with the Company not completing a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months of its date of listing on the Exchange (the "Listing Date") in accordance with the New CPC Policy; authorize the Company to make certain amendments to the Company's CPC escrow agreement to effect certain changes contemplated under the New CPC Policy; and authorize and permit the Company to pay any finder's fee or commission to a Non-Arm's Length Party to the Company upon completion of a Qualifying Transaction in accordance with the terms of the New CPC Policy, including payment of a finder's fee to Grey House Partners Inc., a company controlled by Michael Franks (CEO and director) and Sa'ad Shah (Corporate Secretary and director), comprised of $500,000 in cash and the issuance of 500,000 warrants of the Company, in connection with the Company's previously announced proposed Qualifying Transaction with Diamond Therapeutics Inc., if completed.

Additional details with respect to each of the above resolutions are included below and in the Company's management information circular for the Meeting, which will be filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Amendments to the Option Plan

GHP will seek Disinterested Approval to make certain amendments to the Option Plan, which was prepared in compliance with the previous iteration of Policy 2.4, to reflect certain amendments set out in the New CPC Policy. The principal amendment proposed is to change the Option Plan to a "10% rolling" plan, such that the total number of Shares that may be reserved for issuance pursuant to stock options granted under the Option Plan may not exceed 10% of the issued and outstanding Shares as at the date of grant, rather than at the closing date of GHP's IPO. If Disinterested Approval is obtained at the Meeting, the amended option plan will replace the current Option Plan. In seeking such Disinterested Approval, GHP will exclude all votes attached to the Shares held by Insiders to whom stock options may be granted under the Option Plan, as well as their Associates and Affiliates.

Consequences of Failing to Complete a QT within 24 Months of the Listing Date

Pursuant to the previous iteration of Policy 2.4, if GHP fails to complete a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months of the Listing Date, it faces the consequences of either (i) having its Shares delisted or suspended from the Exchange, or (ii) subject to the approval of a majority of Shareholders, transferring its Shares to list on the NEX board of the Exchange and cancelling certain Seed Shares issued to its founders. The New CPC Policy eliminates the requirement to complete a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months of the Listing Date, and eliminates the associated consequences of not completing such requirement.

As such, at the Meeting, GHP will seek Disinterested Approval to remove the requirement to complete a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months of the Listing Date, and the associated consequences of not completing such requirement. In seeking Disinterested Approval, GHP will exclude all votes attached to the Shares held by Non-Arm's Length Parties to the Company who own Seed Shares, as well as their Associates and Affiliates. The Company believes that the removal of this requirement and the associated consequences will put it in a better position to complete a Qualifying Transaction that will be beneficial to both Shareholders and the Company, by allowing increased flexibility to complete such a transaction. Further, this change will allow the Company to better withstand any potential volatility in the capital markets at a future date, such as that which arose in 2020 in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amendments to the Escrow Agreement

Under the New CPC Policy, securities subject to a CPC Escrow Agreement are subject to an 18-month escrow period, as opposed to the 36-month period previously required under Policy 2.4. At the Meeting, GHP will seek Disinterested Approval to amend the terms of its CPC Escrow Agreement to reduce the length of the term of any escrow provision to an 18-month escrow term, as permitted by the New CPC Policy. In seeking such Disinterested Approval, GHP will exclude all votes attached to the Shares held by Shareholders who are parties to the CPC Escrow Agreement, as well as their Associates and Affiliates.

Permission to Pay Finder's Fee or Commission to a Non-Arm's Length Party

The New CPC Policy permits the payment of a finder's fee or a commission to a Non-Arm's Length Party to the Company upon Completion of the Qualifying Transaction, which was not permitted under the previous iteration of Policy 2.4. At the Meeting, GHP will seek Disinterested Approval to permit the payment of any finder's fee or commission to a Non-Arm's Length Party to the Company upon Completion of the Qualifying Transaction, in accordance with the New CPC Policy. The total value of any finder's fee or commission paid by GHP in connection with its Qualifying Transaction will be in compliance with the limits set out in applicable Exchange policies, including Policy 5.1 - Loans, Loan Bonuses, Finder's Fees and Commissions, and any such fee or commission will be subject to the review and approval of the Exchange.

As announced in the Company's news release dated February 4, 2021, the Company has entered into a non-binding letter of intent with Diamond Therapeutics Inc. ("Diamond") in respect of a proposed business combination (the "Proposed Transaction") that would result in the reverse takeover of the Company by Diamond. The Company intends that the Proposed Transaction will constitute its Qualifying Transaction. Prior to the closing of the Proposed Transaction, and subject to Shareholder approval, the Company expects to effect a consolidation of the Shares on the basis of 1.137 pre-consolidation Shares for each post-consolidation Share (the "Consolidation"). If the Proposed Transaction is completed, it is anticipated that the Company may pay a finder's fee to Grey House Partners Inc., a company controlled by Michael Franks and Sa'ad Shah, comprised of $500,000 in cash and the issuance of 500,000 warrants (on a post-Consolidation basis), or such other fee as may be determined by the Company's board of directors and approved by the Exchange. Each warrant is expected to be exercisable into one post-Consolidation Share for five years following the date of closing of the Proposed Transaction at an exercise price equal to the higher of: (i) the Market Price of the Shares as at January 18, 2021, being the date trading in the Shares was halted in connection with the announcement of the Proposed Transaction, adjusted to give effect to the Consolidation, and (ii) the price of the concurrent financing undertaken in connection with the Proposed Transaction.

In seeking Disinterested Approval, GHP will exclude all votes attached to the Shares held by all Non-Arm's Length Parties to the Company, as well as their Associates and Affiliates, and pursuant to the New CPC Policy, such approval must constitute Majority of the Minority Approval.

Other Changes

Under the New CPC Policy, the Company is permitted to adopt other transition provisions without obtaining Shareholder approval. As a result, the Company also intends to adopt the changes under the New CPC Policy that do not require Shareholder approval, including:

increasing the maximum aggregate gross proceeds to the treasury that the Company can raise from the issuance of Shares under its IPO, Seed Shares and private placements to the new maximum of $10,000,000, rather than $5,000,000 (which was the limit under the previous iteration of Policy 2.4); removing the restriction providing that no more than the lesser of 30% of the gross proceeds from the sale of securities issued by the Company and $210,000 may be used for purposes other than identifying and evaluating assets or businesses and obtaining Shareholder approval for a proposed Qualifying Transaction, and implementing the restrictions on the permitted use of proceeds and prohibited payments under the New CPC Policy, under which reasonable general and administrative expenses not exceeding $3,000 per month are permitted; removing the restriction on the Company's ability to issue new agent's options in connection with a private placement; and providing that one person has the ability to act as the chief executive officer, chief financial officer and corporate secretary of the Company at the same time, which was not permitted under the previous iteration of Policy 2.4.

The Company believes that the implementing the amendments provided for in the New CPC Policy is in the best interest of the Company as it will allow the Company to have greater flexibility and mechanisms to increase Shareholder value. This will be especially important in the event the Company does not complete the Proposed Transaction.

The proposed amendments remain subject to the final approval of the Exchange.

About GHP

GHP is a Capital Pool Company led by Michael Franks and Sa'ad Shah of Grey House Partners GP Inc. Its principal business activity is to identify and evaluate opportunities to acquire assets or business. Incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario, GHP is a reporting issuer in the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Its Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbol PSYF.P.

For further information, please contact:

Michael Franks

Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 647.949.2663

Email: michael@greyhousepartners.ca

Neither the 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.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are statements other than statements of historical fact that can be identified by phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "aims", "plans" and "believes", and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the GHP's expectation as to receipt of the requisite Disinterested Approvals and its adoption of and alignment with certain matters under the New CPC Policy. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. GHP disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE: GHP Noetic Science-Psychedelic Pharma Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665123/GHP-Noetic-Science-Psychedelic-Pharma-Inc-Announces-Annual-General-And-Special-Meeting
AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IBC Advanced Technologies, Inc. ("IBC") has received an order to supply its MacroLig 209 ("BOBCalixC6") product to selectively extract cesium ("Cs"), a particularly dangerous radionuclide, present in the radioactive salt waste at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site ("SRS"). BOBCalixC6 is a predesigned molecule that is highly selective for Cs, which is present in trace quantities, over other elements in the salt solution. Cs is selectively removed and concentrated in the Salt Waste Processing Facility ("SWPF") and sent to the Defense Waste Processing Facility to be stabilized in glass (vitrified). The decontaminated bulk salt solution is sent to the Saltstone Production Facility for disposal in grout. Savannah River Remediation has transferred 1.87 million gallons of radioactive salt waste to SWPF this fiscal year through late August 2021:

OSR 24-82 SRNL Formal Letterhead (srs.gov)

The safe and efficient treatment of radioactive salt waste at SRS is a collaborative effort among several 'Partners in Success' including IBC, multiple National Laboratories and the U.S. Department of Energy; as well as commercial, contractor, university and other governmental agency partners:

srnl_is005_r_and_d_hedge.pdf (doe.gov)

IBC successfully scaled up production of BOBCalixC6 working closely with Oak Ridge National Laboratory ("ORNL") and other team members on the "Development and Implementation of High-Level Salt Waste Processing Technology at SRS" project, which received the Council for Chemical Research's 2011 Collaboration Research Award. IBC, in conjunction with ORNL and other collaborators, was also awarded the U.S. Department of Energy's 2013 Secretary's Honor Award.

IBC supplies proprietary MacroLig, SuperLig and AnaLig products worldwide to selectively extract, analyze and chelate radionuclides in a variety of different applications, including radioactive waste clean-up, laboratory and field analysis, target alpha therapy, brachytherapy and imaging.

Molecular Recognition Technology ("MRT") provides several key advantages over other, less selective, techniques:

Extremely high selectivities for individual target radionuclides, even in large excesses of competing species.

even in large excesses of competing species. Rapid flow rates, due to extremely fast kinetics.

due to extremely fast kinetics. Tolerance of difficult matrices, including a wide range of solute types, concentrations and pH.

including a wide range of solute types, concentrations and pH. Minimal waste production, resulting from efficient use of reagents in a simplified system.

Steven R. Izatt, President and CEO of IBC commented, "IBC has an extensive history of providing state-of-the-art selective separation products for radionuclides in many applications. Treatment of radioactive salt waste at the Savannah River Site is of utmost national urgency and we are especially proud to be part of the team engaged in this activity. The deployment of green, Molecular Recognition Technology allows for the efficient and safe treatment of radioactive waste and promises to ensure the safety and well-being of future generations of Americans."

Background of IBC

IBC is an award-winning provider of proprietary and innovative MRT products and processes, based on green chemistry and green engineering, to premier customers worldwide. IBC's SuperLig, AnaLig and MacroLig products and associated processes are used worldwide in manufacturing, analytical and laboratory applications.

For more information: Please contact Steven R. Izatt, President and CEO, at: sizatt@ibcmrt.com or visit: http://www.ibcmrt.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1631113/IBC_Advanced_Technologies_BOBCalixC6_Sequestering_a_Cesium_Ion.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1489049/IBC_Logo.jpg
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / NEWPORT GOLD INC. (OTC PINKS:NWPG) (the "company") is pleased to announce the following update on the company's business and corporate objectives for the remainder of 2021 and beyond. The company is focussed on advancing an exploration and drilling program on its wholly owned Manitou mining claim, located in the Burnt Basin property in the Greenwood Mining division in British Columbia. The company suspended planned exploration work in 2020 due to Covid-19 related concerns.

COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS

Filed updated financial and disclosure information with OTC Markets

Engages Apex Geoscience Ltd to carry out exploration work program

Filed application for Multi Year Drill permit with British Columbia

Examining various additional alternative financing options to fund drilling and exploration programs in future

Conducting due-diligence and investigations into acquiring additional exploration acreage

Reviewing green and eco-friendly mining related technology investments and partnerships

PLANNED EXPLORATION PROGRAM

GOLD KNOLL

The company has engaged Apex Geoscience to carry out a sampling and trenching program on the Gold Knoll showings which consist of two quartz veins which have previously assayed 43.07g/ton gold and 42.78 g/ton gold which is open in all directions. The Gold Knoll showing was first discovered late in 2007, in follow-up to a gold soil geochemical anomaly. Several small historic hand trenches and open cuts explore centimetre-scale quartz veins within Josh Creek micro diorite on the knoll, north east of the airborne conductors and northwest of the Upper Eva Bell showing. The former sample also carried 204g/t Ag and about 1%Pb with minor Zn while the latter sample carried 46g/t Ag and .38%Cu. Of all the samples taken in the past by the company this was the first time high gold values have been found with this amount of grade wise base metals. The company is also planning a 60 meter drill hole to test the showings and examine the potential of the Gold Knoll property.

Soil geochemistry map (Au-ppb):

AIRBORNE GEOPHYSICAL CONDUCTORS

As stated in our last press release dated Feb 7, 2020;

The company is also planning to test two flat lying conductors located at a depth of 50 and 300 feet below surface on its Manitou claim. The two flatish conductors were a result of conducting an airborne survey over the company's former property and retaining the only claim hosting the conductors.

An interpretation by Condor Consulting stated that the flat lying conductors were modeled at the depths stated above but they could not estimate the thickness of the conductors nor their lateral extent. Condor also stated that their interpretation was based on what was energized by the survey and not that was all that was there.

The two main targets are the horizontal anomalies which cover some if not all the mineralization described below in 1927 at a 60 foot depth, and another deeper zone at about 300 feet. The latter zone is presumed to be another mantos zone similar to what was found at the Gilman mine in Colorado which hosts many mantos zones.

In 1927 the Halifax claims were worked on at a depth of 60 feet and the mineralized area was said to occur entirely within limestone and to extend for a length of at least 500 feet. The upper zone is described as being galena, sphalerite and pyrite in a quartz gangue, while the lower zone is said to contain pyrite and chalcopyrite. Development work included open cuts and a tunnel located below the outcrop. A sample of the ore extracted assayed 20.5% zn, 17.7% pb and 10.8 oz/ton ag.

Dr. Donald kohls a former director of the company and formerly in charge of Goldfields Mining exploration program, which resulted in the discovery of several multi million ounce gold mines, felt strongly that the airborne anomalies represented manto deposits. The latter conclusion was partly due to the presence in several areas on surface of high grade values of both copper and silver which make up the pipe portion of these deposits, he had studied the 11.7 million ton Gilman deposit in Colorado, a classic mantos deposit. This interpretation explains not only the host rocks but the presence of the very high values of copper and silver in the immediate area.

Dr T. Hoy, a renowned expert in base metal deposits has visited the property and also considered it mantos style mineralization. He thought the presence of high grade values of copper and silver in the area east of Halifax mine was perhaps the keel zone of a mantos deposit.

Dr. Hoy thought the high grade gold system at the Molly Gibson, just south of the company's Manitou property represented the deeper part of the base metal system on the Manitou property and the Gold knoll showing would be proof of his geologic analysis. He thought that the gold would be present at depth with and/or below the base metal mineralization.

The company is actively monitoring the forest fires in BC to determine any potential impact on its planned exploration work.

About Newport Gold Inc.

Newport Gold is a Nevada chartered company (incorporated July 16, 2003) involved in mining exploration and potential development of mineral properties in Canada. Newport has also made investments in various mining processing technologies and continues to review the status of those investments and intends to provide an update in the near future.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Newport_Gold

Website: www.newportgoldinc.com

DISCLAIMER ON FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Statements contained herein that are not based upon current or historical fact are forward-looking in nature. Such forward looking statements reflect the company's expectations about its future operating results, performance and opportunities that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. When used herein, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "plan", "intend", and "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to Newport Gold Inc., or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the company and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the company's actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. The company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or for any other reason.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Newport Gold Inc.

Derek Bartlett, B.Sc. (Geology)

President, CEO and Director

905 542-4990

SOURCE: Newport Gold, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/664657/Newport-Gold-INC-Provides-Corporate-Update
FAIRFIELD, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / Bergio International, Inc. ("Bergio," or the "Company") (OTC PINK:BRGO), a global leader in jewelry design and manufacturing, has announced a partnership with growth marketing engine PDOCS Labs Ventures.

The partnership with PDOCS Labs Ventures comes after a big year for Bergio International. They announced the acquisition of the fast growth online jewelry retailer, Aphrodite's, earlier this year. They then acquired technology based ecommerce & print-on-demand pioneer "Gearbubble," which is known as one of the first platforms to sync into platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and others.

The plan: outmaneuver the entire jewelry industry through data science, new technologies, proprietary systems, and innovation that has not been seen before in the jewelry & accessories space.

BRGO has been looking for the right data & direct response team to take the digital side of their acquisitions to the next level. Through the new acquisitions, they were able to find "accelerator" PDOCS, which fit perfectly into the upcoming model and data needs.

The combined team behind PDOCS Labs Ventures has been responsible for an estimated $500m in revenue generated across ecommerce for the past 4 years. The 7 person team specializes in machine learning technology, direct-response copywriting, media buying, and most importantly for the deal: data-driven advertising & decision making.

Adam Lucerne and Jesse Gibson, Co-founders of PDOCS Labs Ventures, shared, "Our vision for this partnership is to create a roadmap for jewelry and ecom brands under the BRGO brand to go digital and adapt faster, leaner and more profitable than ever. The pandemic has created an equal playing field for the jewelry industry with many major outlets being forced to go digital... While other competitors are slowing down production, Bergio is ramping up at exponential speeds. BRGO is already projected to have an explosive 20X plus growth over last year."

Our plan is focused on lowering cost per acquisition, then becoming one of the first online retailers to leverage intent based-data to provide hyper-targeted remarketing across all major social channels - TikTok, Instagram, Google, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and more. This alone will allow us to hit conversion metrics that other brands did not know were possible, allowing us to very quickly become a leader in this industry, while also document a repeatable process to be used in every future acquisition made by BRGO".

The data-engineering Heads of PDOCS Labs, Josh Hamilton and Chase Gibson commented on the opportunity of taking a major outlet digital stating:

"Brands have two options:

The first is to spend money to build audiences and rely on ad platforms for insight on performance. You spend money to rent anatomized data. The second is to leverage things like machine learning and live customer databases to build product-to-person specific audiences before spending a dollar. You own and control your data.

Bergio International is now leveraging the second option through our in-house tech. When you can map the market ahead of time, sales and profit become a predictable metric, VS a speculative one."

Bergio International has now found a rhythm into the technology & ecommerce industries with the help of the 2 leaders from its new acquisitions of Aphrodite's & Gearbubble. Jonathan Foltz & Don Wilson are now leveraging their network, know-how, & influence to set the company with all the newest technologies & partners under the BRGO holding company.

BRGO is pursuing & investing the newest data softwares & technologies to leverage the new digitally conscious world.

Berge Abajian, CEO of Bergio International, Inc., stated: "We hope to create a proven and repeatable digital growth framework which can be used across every jewelry & ecommerce brand that we acquire & scale up."

Berge also added: "This partnership is essential for the ecommerce launch of the Bergio Fine Jewelry & Bridal collection. Which will now compete with every fine jewelry ecommerce brand out there."

CEO Berge Abajian will be presenting at the Emerging Growth Conference on October 13, 2021, to discuss growth, acquisitions, and vision. All investors are encouraged to attend and ask questions directly to the CEO. For more information and to sign up, visit https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1487781&tp_key=e2bca7d62c&sti=brgo.

About Bergio International, Inc.

The Bergio brand, the primary portfolio asset, is associated with high-quality, handcrafted, and individually designed pieces with a European sensibility, Italian craftsmanship, and a bold flair for the unexpected. Established in 1995, Bergio's signature innovative design, coupled with extraordinary diamonds and precious stones, earned the company recognition as a highly sought-after purveyor of rare and exquisite treasures from around the globe. With family jewelry roots reaching back to the 1930s, founder, CEO, and designer Berge Abajian is a third-generation jeweler, blending superior knowledge in design and manufacturing to create unparalleled collections in craftsmanship and style. The Bergio brand features fine jewelry, silver fashion jewelry, bridal, couture, and leather accessories, ranging in price from $50 to $250,000. For further information, please visit www.bergio.com.

About PDOCS Labs Ventures

PDOCS Labs is a full service growth marketing agency focused on reverse engineering 8-9 figure companies and exits using "the PDOCS Method"; a research & development strategy.

PDOCS Labs has launched a four-front strategy within Bergio International:

Adam Lucerne and Jon Reyes have launched creative testing systems to reverse engineer person-perfect ads and messaging. Josh Hamilton and Chase Gibson of iiiintent.io have injected 500 million points of in-house data to re-model and identify customers to reduce advertising costs in the wake of iOS14 and predict conversion rates across market segments. Daniel Kurtz and Michael Kaleikini are focused on installing their proprietary technology used to Google rank ecommerce products and digital assets 300% faster than industry standard. Jesse Gibson, rounds out the quadrant by orchestrating sales and acquisition partnership opportunities for Bergio International on a global scale.

This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding our business strategy and plans as well as expectations of future growth, all of which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are not historical in nature and include those related to future financial and operating results, benefits, and synergies of the combined companies, statements concerning the Company's outlook, pricing trends, and forces within the industry, the completion dates of capital projects, expected sales growth, cost reduction strategies, and their results, long-term goals of the Company and other statements of expectations, beliefs, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends, and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors, including changes in the general economy; changes in demand for the Company's products or in the cost and availability of its raw materials; the actions of its competitors; the success of our customers; technological changes; changes in employee relations; government regulations; litigation, including its inherent uncertainty; difficulties in plant operations and materials; transportation, environmental matters; and other unforeseen circumstances. A number of these factors are discussed in the Company's previous filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including those detailed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act") protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.

Media Contact

Alina Keo

(952) 681-0406

Investor Relations

John Guercio

(845) 216-3100

SOURCE: Bergio International, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665083/How-Bergio-International-Plans-to-Dominate-the-Jewelry-Industry--Faster-Leaner-and-More-Profitable-Than-Ever
Latest Boxwood transaction continues its status as a premier M&A advisor for leading franchise brands

JUPITER, FL / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / Boxwood Partners is pleased to announce the sale of Sir Grout to Threshold Brands, a portfolio company of The Riverside Company.

Boxwood Partners, a leading boutique middle-market investment bank based in Jupiter, FL, acted as the exclusive sell-side advisor to Sir Grout on the transaction. The transaction was led by J. Patrick Galleher (Managing Partner), Brian Alas (Managing Director) and Kurtis Brown (Analyst). The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This marks Boxwood's 8th deal of 2021 and its 6th franchisor transaction of the year. The sale is the latest in a string of high-profile transactions in which Boxwood Partners advised.

"Threshold Brands was the ideal fit for Sir Grout," said Brian Alas, Managing Director of Boxwood Partners. "Their multi-concept strategy with a centralized franchisor infrastructure is a playbook for success - one Riverside knows well after having been invested in Neighborly (formerly known as The Dwyer Group). With additional resources available, the Sir Grout network should continue to flourish within their sector. It was a pleasure to work with Tom and Jeff on this transaction and grateful for the opportunity to help them."

Sir Grout is one of the nation's leading grout, tile, stone, and wood specialists. The franchise is leading innovator in hard surface restoration, and provides superior tile cleaning, stone and marble honing and polishing, grout recoloring. Sir Grout operates throughout 19 states and the District of Columbia.

"We are thrilled to have Sir Grout join the Threshold Brands family. We quickly recognized Threshold Brands as the ideal company to allows Sir Grout's great franchise owners the opportunity to see their investment reach new heights. This is just the beginning," said Jeff Gill, Co-President/Founder of Sir Grout. Tom Lindberg, Co-President/Founder of Sir Grout added, "Boxwood's knowledge of the home services sector was a tremendous sell side resource to us and their guidance into achieving what was best for all parties was simply flawless."

Threshold Brands is a holding company of seven franchised service brands -- Sir Grout, MaidPro, FlyFoe, Men In Kilts, Pestmaster Services, USA Insulation, and Plumbing Heating Paramedics. Threshold Brands is owned by The Riverside Company, a global private investor focused on the smaller end of the middle market.

About Boxwood Partners

Boxwood Partners, LLC, is a boutique investment bank based in Jupiter, Florida with offices in Richmond, Virginia. Boxwood Partners combines a unique blend of senior-level transaction advisory, business operating experience, and proven process execution skills to give its clients a distinct advantage in the market. The firm's extensive relationships within the global capital and buyer communities (including U.S. and international private equity groups, corporations, and lenders) and other important transaction-related service providers such as consultants, attorneys, and accountants, ensure that the firm's clients receive the attention, service, and results they deserve.

For more information about Boxwood Partners, please visit www.boxwoodpartners.com.

About Sir Grout

Sir Grout is a leading innovator in the "hard surface" care industry that recognizes the special needs of homeowners and businesses. With the knowledge that customers want convenient, cost effective and quick results, the company has developed unique products and processes that transform rooms with tired and old looking grout and tile back to looking like new in less than a day. Sir Grout's proprietary cleaning methods and renowned ColorSeal process have set them apart from all companies in the floor restoration sector.

For more information, please visit https://www.sirgrout.com/.

About Threshold Brands

Threshold Brands is home to a variety of franchise service companies. Their mission is simple, to open the door to a better lifestyle. Whether someone is looking to repair, maintain or enhance their home or property, or if they would like to own a business that helps people do so, Threshold Brands has what they are looking for.

Their family of brands is dedicated to being environmentally conscious, franchisee and consumer-friendly, with a strong focus on being "a best place to work." Threshold's network of franchise owners across seven brands is ready to serve. The seven brands include: Sir Grout, MaidPro, Men In Kilts, FlyFoe, Pestmaster Services, USA Insulation, and Plumbing Heating Paramedics.

For more information, please visit https://www.thresholdbrands.com/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Kevin Behan

kbehan@919marketing.com

919-459-3595

SOURCE: Boxwood Partners, LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665070/Boxwood-Partners-Advises-Sir-Grout-on-Its-Acquisition-by-Threshold-Brands
Company to Host Webinar Today at 9:00 am PDT / 12:00 pm EDT

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / Canagold Resources Ltd. (TSX:CCM)(OTCQB:CRCUF)(FRA:CANA) announces high-grade gold assays for four more drill holes from the ongoing 24,000 meter (m), 47-hole drill program at its 100% owned New Polaris Gold project in northwestern British Columbia, located 100 kilometers (km) south of Atlin and 60 km northeast of Juneau, Alaska.

The focus of the drill program is infill and step-out drilling in the C West Main ("CWM") vein system which hosts a major part of the gold resources at New Polaris. The intercepts reported below include results for two holes that also intercepted significant mineralization in a parallel vein ("C10") located in the hanging-wall of the CWM vein.

Highlights:

Hole 21-1890E1 intersected 17.1 gpt Au over 8.4 m from 343.0 m in the C10 Vein and 8.58 gpt Au over 2.1 m from 442.5 m in the CWM Vein

from 343.0 m in the C10 Vein and from 442.5 m in the CWM Vein Hole 21-1890E2 intersected 7.25 gpt Au over 4.3 m from 368.0 m in the C10 Vein and 25.7 gpt Au over 2.1 m from 481.7 m in the CWM Vein

from 368.0 m in the C10 Vein and from 481.7 m in the CWM Vein Hole 21-1859E1 intersected 4.84 gpt Au over 2.2 m from 393.3 m in the CWM Vein

from 393.3 m in the CWM Vein Hole 21-1800E1 intersected 8.60 gpt Au over 2.5 m from 534.6 m in the CWM Vein

Scott Eldridge, CEO and Director, said, "Intercepting high-grade gold over robust widths in the C10 vein parallel to the CWM vein was an unexpected bonus. The C10 vein has returned high-grade gold results in the past, but we have not previously estimated any resources for it. With these new drill results and further drilling, there is an opportunity for the C10 vein to add additional resources at New Polaris.

"Additionally, we continue to intercept high-grade gold results in every infill drill hole intersecting the CWM vein. These drill results fall within the PEA mine plan and increase the density of drilling in the deposit so that we can upgrade inferred resources to indicated resources. We anticipate further assays from both the C10 and W West veins in the coming weeks."

The Company will host a webinar today at 9:00 am PDT / 12:00 pm EDT where management will be available to answer questions following the presentation. Online registration and participation details may be found at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VuzUgp0RQkuquTYTFaI6hQ

The infill drill holes continue to intercept good gold grades over mineable widths throughout the CWM vein system and they support the current resource at depth as predicted by the geological model. An additional vein, the C10 vein, has been intersected in the CWM hanging-wall about 90 to 100 meters above the CWM vein and has returned high grade gold over mineable widths in two of the holes (21-1890E1 and 21-1890E2) of the infill program so far (Cross Section). Three holes from previous drill campaigns by Canagold had also intersected this zone of mineralization:

13.7 gpt Au over 3.8 m from 318.6 m in hole P95C42

15.1 gpt Au over 2.5 m from 354.5 m in hole P95C43

14.9 gpt Au over 1.6 m from 297.5 m in hole 06-1859E2

These previous drill intercepts were never incorporated into the geological model. More holes of the infill drill program are expected to intercept this parallel vein and an updated geological model incorporating all of these intercepts will be made at the end of the drill program.

Out of the planned 47-hole, 24,000 m program, 26 holes have now been completed, of which assay results have been received for 12 holes. All the samples collected from the mineralized zone in these holes have been submitted to the ALS Geochemistry lab in Whitehorse, YT for gold analysis. Detailed information for the two drill holes and the sample assay results and mineralized intercepts are provided in Table 1 and Table 2 below. The collar locations of the four holes in relation to other drill holes of the infill program are shown on the Drill Hole Location Map and the mineralized intercepts relative to previous drilling on the Long Section. Additional drill results are anticipated approximately every two weeks or so.

Infill Holes to Upgrade Inferred Resources to Indicated Resources

The program is designed primarily to in-fill drill the Inferred Resources of the CWM vein system within the currently defined resources in the PEA*. The infill drill holes range in depth from 300 to 650 m and are designed to provide greater density of drill intercepts (20 - 25 m spacing) in areas of Inferred Resources between 150 and 600 m below surface. The improved drill density will be used to upgrade parts of the Inferred Resources to Indicated Resources for inclusion in a future feasibility study.

*The New Polaris resource is contained within a preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") report which was prepared by Moose Mountain Technical Services in the format prescribed by NI43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and filed on Sedar April 18, 2019.

Exploration Holes to Test Down Plunge Potential and Expand Mineralized Zone

Two deeper exploration holes of approximately 1,000 m in length are being drilled to test between 200 to 250 m down plunge of the modeled extent to the gold mineralization. These will be the deepest holes drilled on the project to date and the results will serve to guide the design of future drill programs. Typically, mesothermal gold systems continue to depths far exceeding the current 600 m depth of the New Polaris Resources. Similar high grade mesothermal gold mineralization at Red Lake, Ontario for example has been mined to depths of more than 2,200 m.

New Polaris Overview

Canagold's flagship asset is the 100% owned New Polaris Gold Mine project located in northwestern British Columbia about 100 kilometers south of Atlin, BC and 60 kilometers northeast of Juneau, Alaska. The property consists of 61 contiguous Crown-granted mineral claims and one modified grid claim covering 850 hectares. New Polaris lies within the Taku River Tlingit First Nations traditional territory. Canagold is committed to providing employment and business opportunities that help support the local economies in the vicinity of its exploration projects.

The New Polaris gold deposit is an early Tertiary, mesothermal gold-bearing vein system occupying shear zones cross-cutting late Paleozoic andesitic volcanic rocks. It was mined by underground methods from 1938 to 1942, and again from 1946 to early 1951, producing approximately 245,000 oz gold from 740,000 tonnes of ore at an average grade of 10.3 gpt gold. Three main veins ("AB, C and Y") were mined to a maximum depth of 150 m and have been traced by drilling for up to 1,000 m along strike and up to 800 m down dip, still open for expansion. The gold occurs dominantly in finely disseminated arsenopyrite within quartz-carbonate stock-work veins and altered wall-rocks. Individual mineralized zones extend up to 250 meters in length and 14 meters in width. Average widths more commonly range from 2 to 5 meters.

Qualified Person

Garry Biles, P.Eng, President & COO for Canagold Resources Ltd, is the Qualified Person who reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.

Drill Core Sampling and Quality Assurance - Quality Control Program

Drill core is geologically logged to identify the gold mineralized zones that are allocated unique sample number tickets and marked for cutting using a purpose-built diamond blade rock saw. Half core samples are collected in labelled bags and the other half remains in the original core box stored on site. Quality control (QC) samples including certified reference material standards, blanks and duplicates are inserted into the sample sequence at intervals of one in ten on a rotating basis to monitor laboratory performance and provide quality assurance (QA) of the assay results. Several sample bags are transported together in rice bags with unique numbered security tags attached and labelled with Company and lab contact information to ensure sample security and chain of custody during shipment to the lab.

The samples are submitted to the ALS Geochemistry lab in Whitehorse, YT for preparation and assaying. The entire sample is crushed to 70% passing -2 millimeters and a 250 gram aliquot is split and pulverized to 85% passing -75 microns. Analysis for gold is by 30 gram fire assay and gravimetric finish. A suite of 30 other elements including arsenic, antimony, sulfur and iron are analyzed by aqua-regia digestion Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). ALS Canada Ltd. is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and is an ISO/IEC 9001:2015 and 17025:2017 certified analytical laboratory in North America.

"Scott Eldridge"

Scott Eldridge, Chief Executive Officer

CANAGOLD RESOURCES LTD.

About Canagold - Canagold Resources Ltd. is a growth-oriented gold exploration company focused on generating superior shareholder returns by discovering, exploring and developing strategic gold deposits in North America. Canagold shares trade on the TSX: CCM and the OTCQB: CRCUF.

For More Information - Please contact:

Knox Henderson, VP Corporate Development

Toll Free: 1-877-684-9700 Tel: (604) 604-416-0337 Cell: (604) 551-2360

Email: knox@canagoldresources.com

Website: www.canagoldresources.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information that involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the future performance of Canagold, and the Company's plans and exploration programs for its mineral properties, including the timing of such plans and programs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "has proven", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "potential", "appears", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "at least", "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", "should", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved".

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others risks related to the uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources; commodity prices; changes in general economic conditions; market sentiment; currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to raise funds through equity financings; risks inherent in mineral exploration; risks related to operations in foreign countries; future prices of metals; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; title disputes or claims; limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, do not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.

Table 1: Drill Hole Collar Information

Hole ID Mine East Mine North Elevation Dip Azimuth Final Depth 21-1800E1 1802.0m 518.5m 19.4m -74 346 560m 21-1859E1 1859.9m 637.7m 19.6m -72 355 425m 21-1890E1 1882.3m 590.3m 19.7m -69 348 491m 21-1890E2 1881.4m 585.2m 19.7m -78 350 500m

Table 2: Drill Core Sample Results Details

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) [True Width] Au (gpt) 21-1800E1 534.6 535.6 1.0 8.07 21-1800E1 535.6 537.1 1.5 8.97 21-1800E1 534.6 537.1 2.5 [2.0] 8.60 21-1859E1 393.3 393.7 0.4 18.1 21-1859E1 393.7 394.7 1.0 0.025 21-1859E1 394.7 395.5 0.8 4.21 21-1859E1 393.3 395.5 2.2 [1.7] 4.84 21-1890E1 343.0 344.0 1.0 13.3 21-1890E1 344.0 345.0 1.0 26.4 21-1890E1 345.0 345.8 0.8 6.60 21-1890E1 345.8 347.0 1.2 15.0 21-1890E1 347.0 348.0 1.0 23.9 21-1890E1 348.0 349.2 1.2 30.4 21-1890E1 349.2 350.3 1.1 13.1 21-1890E1 350.3 351.4 1.1 6.06 21-1890E1 343.0 351.4 8.4 [6.8] 17.1 21-1890E1 442.5 443.5 1 9.77 21-1890E1 443.5 444.6 1.1 7.50 21-1890E1 442.5 444.6 2.1 [1.7] 8.58 21-1890E2 368.0 368.8 0.8 7.18 21-1890E2 368.8 370.5 1.7 0.025 21-1890E2 370.5 371.3 0.8 12.9 21-1890E2 371.3 372.3 1.0 15.4 21-1890E2 368.0 372.3 4.3 [3.4] 7.25 21-1890E2 481.7 483.0 1.3 30.5 21-1890E2 483.0 483.8 0.8 18.0 21-1890E2 481.7 483.8 2.1 [1.7] 25.7

Composites were calculated from length weighted Au sample interval results. Grade capping and cut-off have not been applied.

SOURCE: Canagold Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665078/Canagold-Intersects-171-gpt-Au-Over-84-m-in-Hanging-Wall-C10-Vein-and-257-gpt-Au-Over-21-m-in-C-West-Main-Vein-at-New-Polaris-BC
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Ready Set Gold Corp. (CSE: RDY) ( FSE: 0MZ) (OTC Pink: RDYFF) ("Ready Set Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce today the appointment of Robert S. Middleton, P.Eng., as its Vice-President of Exploration. Mr. Middleton is a "qualified person" pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

Chief Executive Officer and Director, Christian Scovenna, commented: "Mr. Middleton's technical skills and experience are highly recognized in the global mining industry, and he is credited with being directly involved in major discoveries in Ontario (Hemlo and Bell Creek), which have similar geologic characteristics to the mineral rights held by Ready Set Gold. We are excited to have him join us, and we look forward to benefitting from his contributions as we embark on our plans to further explore the Company's 100% consolidated interest in the Northshore Gold Project, located in the western section of the Schreiber-Hemlo Greenstone Belt in Ontario, Canada."

Mr. Middleton has over 40 years of experience in the mining industry, which includes the formation of seven junior mining companies (including one which was purchased by a major). He is a pioneer in geology-geophysics, petrochemistry, petrology, remote sensing, airborne resistivity and gravity program sciences. His technical firsts include: being the first geophysicist for the Ontario Department of Mines; introducing the gravity mapping program for Ontario; completing the first airborne resistivity survey and map of the sand and gravel deposits in Whitechurch; completing the first airborne geophysical surveys and airborne geochemistry surveys in Sturgeon Lake area; and, subsequently, becoming the first to complete such surveys in other regions of the world.

Mr Middleton's mineral resource discoveries include the Bell Creek mine and the Golden Giant (Hemlo) mine, which he co-discovered. He has completed acquisition-focused economic reviews of numerous gold mines in North and Central America, and he has completed more than 25 feasibility studies. Mr. Middleton was instrumental in putting the Penhorwood Talc mine into production for Steetley Minerals Canada Ltd., and he has played important roles in putting seven other mines into production. He has extensive experience working with project stakeholders.

Mr. Middleton is the recipient of the 2008 Prospector of the Year Award (Ontario), the 2001 and 2004 Discovery of the Year Award, the Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association (NWOPA), and the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award, NWOPA. He is a member of the Ontario Association of Professional Engineers and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and a former Member of the Association of Exploration Geochemists, the Society of Economic Geologists, the Society of Geology Applied to Ore Deposits and the Geological Association of Canada. Bob is a graduate of the Provincial Institute of Mining (Haileybury School of Mines) and Michigan Technological University (B.S. and M.S. Applied Geophysics), and he attended the University of Toronto's PhD program in Geology.

Mr. Middleton will be assisted in orienting to his new role by the Company's former Vice President of Exploration, Mr. Brad Lazich, who has been providing services to the Company in a consulting capacity, and will continue to do so during a brief transitionary period. The Company welcomes Mr. Middleton to the team, and is grateful to Mr. Lazich for his contributions to the Company.

Mailing of Proxy Materials for Upcoming AGM

The Company also announces that it has mailed and filed on SEDAR its management proxy materials for the upcoming annual general and special meeting of shareholders currently scheduled to be held on October 12, 2021 (the "AGM"), at which normal-course meeting matters will be discussed as well as matters raised in a purported dissident requisition.

The Company urges shareholders to carefully read the proxy materials for the AGM provided by the Company, and encourages shareholders to vote the GOLD Proxy or GOLD VIF enclosed within the proxy materials in favour of the election or re-election of management's nominees to the Company's board of directors, as well as in respect of the other meeting matters to be considered, as recommended by management.

Proxies in respect of the AGM must be received by the Company's transfer agent, Alliance Trust Company, in advance of the proxy voting deadline, which is October 7, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver time). If shareholders are in need of assistance with voting, please contact the Company's transfer agent, Alliance Trust Company, at (403) 237-6111 or toll free at 1-877-537-6111 or by email at inquiries@alliancetrust.ca.

About Ready Set Gold Corporation

Ready Set Gold Corp. is a precious metals exploration company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under symbol RDY and the Boerse Frankfurt Exchange as 0MZ. The Company has consolidated and now owns a 100% interest in the Northshore Gold Project, located in the Schreiber-Hemlo Greenstone Belt near Thunder Bay, Ontario which is prospective for gold and silver mineralization. The Company also owns a 100% interest in two separate claim blocks totaling 4,453 hectares known as the Hemlo Eastern Flanks Project. The Company also holds an option to acquire a 100% undivided interest in a continuous claim block totaling 1,634 hectares comprising the Emmons Peak Project located 50 km south of Dryden, Ontario that is near the Treasury Metals Goliath and Goldlund advanced gold development projects.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

READY SET GOLD Corp.

"Christian Scovenna"

Chief Executive Officer & Director

Email: info@readysetgoldcorp.com

CEO Direct Line: +1 (416) 453-4708

For further information please contact:

Investor Relations

Sean Kingsley - Vice President, Corporate Communications

Email: skingsley@readysetgoldcorp.com

Tel: +1 (604) 440-8474

www.readysetgoldcorp.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release may contain certain "forward-looking information". Forward-looking information included in this news release include statements regarding the AGM and matters to be acted upon thereat. Forward-looking information is based upon the assumptions and estimates considered reasonable by management of the Company, in light of its experience and knowledge of current trends and opportunities. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Risks that may cause the forward looking information contained herein to be materially different from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein include, but are not limited to, risks that the AGM may result in a change of management, risks that the AGM may be delayed, adjourned or postponed by reason of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, and other risks attendant to contested meetings of shareholders, including potentially litigation risks. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Any statement containing forward looking information speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97306
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: PEX) (OTCQB: PEXZF) ("Pacific Ridge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its maiden diamond drill ("DDH") program at the Kliyul copper-gold porphyry project ("Kliyul" or "Project"), located in the prolific Quesnel Trough in Northwest British Columbia.

Highlights:

All of the drill holes encountered classic copper-gold porphyry-style mineralization consisting of sulphides pyrite, chalcopyrite and lesser bornite in veins and as disseminations.

Mineralization at the Kliyul Main Zone ("KMZ") was successfully extended to the west and to depth.

A new copper skarn prospect was identified approximately 800 m to the southeast of the KMZ.

Description of DDH intercepts

All three holes encountered porphyry-style mineralization consisting of pyrite, chalcopyrite and lesser bornite in veins and as disseminations. Early magnetite-chlorite alteration and veining is cross cut by later-stage banded quartz-magnetite veins as well as later generations of quartz+magnetite+chalcopyrite veining. Later stage veining brings in chalcopyrite+bornite with quartz as well as epidote and/or anhydrite+magnetite. Early magnetite and quartz-magnetite veins are interpreted to represent the higher temperature part of the porphyry system at KMZ. The presence of bornite is also an indication of proximity to the higher temperature core of a porphyry system and is a positive vector towards the core of KMZ.

DDH KLI-21-036: This hole was targeted to test for extensions of mineralized zones encountered at depth during 2006 drilling. The hole ended in a late-mineral intrusion at 449 m but had to be terminated due to the drill pad failing.





Figure 1: Chalcopyrite+pyrite mineralization in KLI-21-036 at 294.50 m

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

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DDH KLI-21-037: Targeted to infill and test for extensions of mineralization to the west of KMZ and was terminated at a depth of 579 m. This DDH was successful in extending mineralization to the west and at depth. Porphyry-style veining was observed throughout the entire length of the hole.





Figure 2: Chalcopyrite+pyrite mineralization in KLI-21-037 at 121 m

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

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DDH KLI-21-038: This DDH targeted the interpreted centre of the porphyry system and was designed to test for mineralization at depth. The hole ended in mineralization at 516 m but was terminated due to difficult ground conditions.





Figure 3: Chalcopyrite+bornite mineralization at 345.05 m in KLI-21-038

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

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Due to delays caused by forest fires at the beginning of the exploration season and a shortage of experienced drillers, Pacific Ridge was only able to complete 1,544 m of the planned 2,500 m before winter conditions set in. With a shortened season and suboptimal drilling rates, Pacific Ridge focused on the KMZ target and opted to defer testing the Kliyul East and Kliyul West targets (see Figures 4, 5, and 6). Pacific Ridge plans to test these and other targets in 2022. Assay results from the 2021 drill program will be released as soon as they are available.

"Although we weren't able to achieve 2,500 metres of drilling due to wildfires and a lack of experienced drillers, we are very pleased with the drilling that we did complete," said Blaine Monaghan, President & CEO of Pacific Ridge. "Based upon the mineralization styles observed in the 2021 diamond drill cores, we are confident that we will equal or better the historic drilling results from the Kliyul Main Zone. In addition to the Kliyul Main Zone, significant targets remain insufficiently tested at Kliyul. The findings from our maiden 2021 drill campaign will be used to build an expanded drilling program in 2022."





Figure 4: Plan view of 2021 drill holes and significant, historic drill intercepts (see Table 1)

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Figure 5: Plan view of 2021 drill holes, significant, historic drill intercepts (see Table 1), and colour-contoured IP chargeability inversion

To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5460/97296_40d5379414b00b2d_005full.jpg





Figure 6: Cross-section of 2021 drill holes and significant, historic drill intercepts (see Table 1)

To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit:

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Table 1

Significant, historic drill intercepts

Ref Hole From (m) To (m) Width (m) Cu (%) Au (gpt) CuEQ (%)* AuEQ (gpt)* A KL-5 10.8 68.3 57.5 0.32 0.99 1.38 1.29 B KL-6 30.1 78.9 48.8 0.31 1.33 1.73 1.62 C KL-7 20 71 51 0.17 1.19 1.44 1.35 D KL-93-4 46 102 56 0.34 0.89 1.29 1.21 E KL-93-5 16 76 60 0.26 1.34 1.69 1.58 F KL06-30 22 239.8 217.8 0.23 0.52 0.79 0.74 G KL06-31 346 378 32 0.21 0.62 0.87 0.82 H KLI-15-34 37.5 90 52.5 0.24 0.17 0.42 0.39 I KLI-15-34 123 368 245 0.18 0.53 0.75 0.70 J Including 280.6 301 20.4 0.39 2.55 3.11 2.91 K KLI-15-34 426 465.7 39.7 0.2 0.66 0.91 0.85 L KLI-15-35 331 380 49 0.16 0.22 0.40 0.37 M KLI-15-35 399.5 462.8 63.3 0.26 0.28 0.56 0.52 N Including 414 433.5 19.5 0.43 0.56 1.03 0.96 O KLI-15-35 474.7 502 27.3 0.11 0.18 0.30 0.28 P KLI-15-33 32.5 194.9 162.4 0.2 0.26 0.48 0.45

*CuEQ = ((Cu(%) x $2.25 x 22.0642) + (Au(gpt) x $1,650 x 0.032151)) / ($2.25 x 22.0642)

*AuEQ = ((Cu(%) x $2.25 x 22.0642) + (Au(gpt) x $1,650 x 0.032151)) / ($1,650 x 0.032515)

New copper skarn prospect

The 2021 property-scale mapping program discovered a previously unmapped copper skarn prospect, located approximately 800 m southeast of mineralization encountered in drilling at KMZ, which presents as chalcopyrite+bornite mineralized garnet-porphyroblastic marble within a carbonate sedimentary package. Outcropping mineralization is located at a break in the slope and extends over an approximate 20 m strike-length and has a minimum mapped thickness of approximately 1 m. True thickness is unknown due to talus cover. This prospect is located along a northwest trend of porphyry targets and favourable alteration, as further described in the section below. Numerous copper-gold porphyry systems worldwide are associated with skarn and carbonate-replacement deposits both distal and proximal to porphyry mineralization, thus this carbonate-hosted prospect represents an attractive target.

About the Kliyul Project

Over 60 km2 in size, Kliyul is located 50 km southeast of Centerra Gold Inc's Kemess mine and 5 km from the Omineca mining road (see Figure 7) in one of the most geochemically anomalous areas for copper and gold in the Quesnel Terrane. The Project contains five main target areas: KMZ, Bap Ridge, Ginger, M39, and Paprika (see Figure 8), each representing an interpreted porphyry centre within a 4 km northwest-trending strike length. KMZ is the most intensely explored with 33 drill holes (5,524 m) drilled since 1974, most of which targeted a near-surface copper-gold magnetite zone (drill holes KL-5 to KL-93-5). Deeper drilling during 2006 and 2015 encountered a porphyry copper-gold system (drill holes KL06-30 to KL-15-35).

The Project displays classic copper-gold porphyry patterns of alteration and mineralization. Geological interpretation, supported by geophysical surveys (IP, ground and aeromagnetics and magnetotellurics), suggests there is significant potential to expand the known dimensions of the Kliyul mineralized system.





Figure 7: Kliyul copper-gold porphyry project location

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Figure 8: Kliyul target areas

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Kliyul option agreement

Pacific Ridge has the right to earn a 51% interest in the Kliyul and Redton projects from Aurico Metals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc., by making cash payments totaling $100,000, issuing 2.0 million shares and spending $3.5 million on exploration by December 31, 2023. The Company then has the right to increase its interest in the properties to 75% by making additional payments totaling $60,000, issuing 1.5 million shares and completing an additional $3.5 million in exploration by December 31, 2025.

About Pacific Ridge

Our goal is to become one of the leading copper-gold exploration companies in British Columbia. Pacific Ridge's flagship project is the Kliyul copper-gold project, located in the Quesnel Trough, approximately 50 km southeast of Centerra Gold's Kemess mine. In addition to Kliyul, the Company's project portfolio includes the RDP copper-gold project and the Redton copper-gold project, both located in British Columbia. Pacific Ridge will continue to search for projects that offer discovery opportunity in our regions of expertise.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Blaine Monaghan"

Blaine Monaghan

President & CEO

Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd.

Corporate Contact:

Blaine Monaghan

President & CEO

Tel: (604) 687-4951

www.pacificridgeexploration.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-ridge-exploration-ltd-pex-

https://twitter.com/PacRidge_PEX

Investor Contact:

G2 Consultants Corp.

Telephone: +1 778-678-9050

Email: ir@pacificridgeexploration.com

1Copper equivalent (CuEQ) is equal to ((Cu (per cent) multiplied by $2.25 multiplied by 22.0642) plus (Au (g/t) multiplied by $1,650 multiplied by 0.032151)) divided by ($2.25 multiplied by 22.0642).

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The technical information contained within this News Release has been reviewed and approved by Gerald G. Carlson, Ph.D., P.Eng., Executive Chairman of Pacific Ridge and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 policy.

Forward-Looking Information: This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling and other activities and events or developments that Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. ("Pacific Ridge") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding testing Kliyul East and Kliyul West in 2022, an expanded drill program in 2022, confidence that the drill results from the 2021 drill program will equal or better historical drill results, and the potential to significantly expand the size of the Kliyul mineralized system, including the main porphyry mineralizer. Although Pacific Ridge believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, that one of the options will be exercised, the ability of Pacific Ridge and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Pacific Ridge's proposed programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Pacific Ridge does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97296
The information contained in this release was correct as at 31 August 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 SUSTAINABLE AMERICAN INCOME TRUST PLC (LEI:549300WWOCXSC241W468)

All information is at 31 August 2021 and unaudited.

Performance at month end with net income reinvested





One

Month Three

Months Six

Months One

Year Three

Years Five

Years Net asset value 3.0% 2.1% 13.9% 27.5% 24.6% 62.4% Share price 4.9% 2.7% 16.5% 30.5% 21.6% 67.1% Russell 1000 Value Index 3.0% 5.0% 16.3% 32.7% 30.7% 65.3%

At month end

Net asset value - capital only: 198.07p Net asset value - cum income: 198.21p Share price: 190.50p Discount to cum income NAV: 3.9% Net yield1: 4.2% Total assets including current year revenue: 159.0m Gearing: Nil Ordinary shares in issue2: 80,229,044 Ongoing charges3: 1.1%

1 Based on four quarterly interim dividends of 2.00p per share declared on 4 November 2020 for the year ended 31 October 2020, and on 23 March 2021, 5 May 2021 and 5 August 2021 for the year ending 31 October 2021, and based on the share price as at close of business on 31 August 2021.

 Excluding 20,132,261 ordinary shares held in treasury.

 Ongoing charges represent the management fee and all other operating expenses excluding interest as a % of average shareholders' funds for the year ended 31 October 2020.

Sector Analysis Total Assets (%) Financials 24.4 Health Care 16.9 Information Technology 15.6 Consumer Discretionary 10.3 Communication Services 7.2 Utilities 6.2 Industrials 6.0 Consumer Staples 5.3 Materials 4.6 Energy 3.7 Real Estate 0.9 Net Current Liabilities -1.1 ---- 100.0 =====

Country Analysis Total Assets (%) United States 75.5 Canada 5.4 France 5.2 Japan 4.4 United Kingdom 3.4 Switzerland 2.3 Australia 2.1 Norway 1.6 Denmark 1.2 Net Current Liabilities -1.1 ----- 100.0 =====

Top 10 Holdings Country % Total Assets Cisco Systems United States 5.0 AstraZeneca United Kingdom 3.4 Cognizant Technology Solutions United States 3.2 Danone France 3.2 Zimmer Biomet United States 3.2 Comerica United States 3.1 Wells Fargo United States 3.0 Komatsu Japan 2.9 Morgan Stanley United States 2.9 American International Group United States 2.8

Tony DeSpirito, David Zhao and Lisa Yang, representing the Investment Manager, noted:

For the one-month period ended 31 August 2021, the Company's NAV increased by 3.0% and the share price by 4.9% (all in sterling). The Company's reference index, the Russell 1000 Value Index, returned +3.0% for the period.

The largest contributor to relative performance was security selection in the financial sector. Specifically, selection decisions within insurance and capital markets helped relative returns, as well as our overweight exposure to the insurance industry overall. Within information technology (IT), our overweight exposure to communications equipment benefited returns as did an underweight exposure to technology hardware, storage and peripherals. Finally, stock selection within consumer discretionary also contributed to relative performance with our choices within textile and apparel and specialty retail proving accretive.

The largest detractor from relative performance were our allocation decisions within health care. Specifically, our selection decisions in the health care equipment and supplies industries, as well as underweight exposure to biotechnology, proved costly. In industrials, stock selection within machinery also weighed on relative returns, as did our selection in road and rail. Lastly, consumer staples also detracted from relative returns as allocation decisions within food and staples retailing and food products hindered performance.

Transactions

There were no new purchases or sales in the portfolio this month.

Positioning

As of the period end, the Company's largest overweight positions relative to the benchmark were in the IT, consumer discretionary and financials sectors. The Company's largest underweight positions relative to the benchmark were in the industrials, real estate and consumer staples sectors.

Source: BlackRock. Data as of 31 August 2021.

22 September 2021

Latest information is available by typing blackrock.com/uk/brsa 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 the Manager's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.
The information contained in this release was correct as at 31 August 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 LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC (LEI - UK9OG5Q0CYUDFGRX4151 )

All information is at 31 August 2021 and unaudited.



Performance at month end with net income reinvested



One

month

% Three

months

% One

year

% Three

years

% Five

years

% Sterling: Net asset value^ 1.9 1.5 25.6 7.0 15.0 Share price -1.3 0.7 26.2 12.4 18.9 MSCI EM Latin America

(Net Return)^^ 1.9 2.6 31.1 5.8 15.4 US Dollars: Net asset value^ 0.9 -1.4 29.7 13.4 20.8 Share price -2.3 -2.3 30.3 19.1 24.8 MSCI EM Latin America

(Net Return)^^ 0.8 -0.6 34.7 12.1 21.2

^cum income

^^The Company's performance benchmark (the MSCI EM Latin America Index) may be calculated on either a Gross or a Net return basis. Net return (NR) indices calculate the reinvestment of dividends net of withholding taxes using the tax rates applicable to non-resident institutional investors, and hence give a lower total return than indices where calculations are on a Gross basis (which assumes that no withholding tax is suffered). As the Company is subject to withholding tax rates for the majority of countries in which it invests, the NR basis is felt to be the most accurate, appropriate, consistent and fair comparison for the Company.

Sources: BlackRock, Standard & Poor's Micropal

At month end

Net asset value - capital only: 423.80p Net asset value - including income: 426.03p Share price: 372.00p Total assets#: 185.2m Discount (share price to cum income NAV): 12.7% Average discount* over the month - cum income: 13.8% Net gearing at month end**: 11.1% Gearing range (as a % of net assets): 0-25% Net yield##: 5.4% Ordinary shares in issue(excluding 2,181,662 shares held in treasury): 39,259,620 Ongoing charges***: 1.1%

Total assets include current year revenue.

#The yield of 5.4% is calculated based on total dividends declared in the last 12 months as at the date of this announcement as set out below (totalling 27.69 cents per share) and using a share price of 511.97 US cents per share (equivalent to the sterling price of 372.00 pence per share translated in to US cents at the rate prevailing at 31 August 2021 of $1.3763 dollars to 1.00).

2020 Q3 interim dividend of 5.45 cents per share (paid 09 November 2020).

2020 Q4 Final dividend of 7.45 cents per share (paid on 08 February 2021).

2021 Q1 interim dividend of 6.97 cents per share (paid on 10 May 2021).

2021 Q2 interim dividend of 7.82 cents per share (paid on 6 August 2021).

*The discount is calculated using the cum income NAV (expressed in sterling terms).

**Net cash/net gearing is calculated using debt at par, less cash and cash equivalents and fixed interest investments as a percentage of net assets.

*** Calculated as a percentage of average net assets and using expenses, excluding interest costs for the year ended 31 December 2020.

Geographic

Exposure % of

Total Assets % of Equity Portfolio * MSCI EM Latin America Index Brazil 59.4 59.2 63.0 Mexico 27.8 27.7 24.8 Chile 7.7 7.7 5.7 Argentina 2.4 2.4 2.3 Peru 1.6 1.6 2.2 Panama 1.4 1.4 0.0 Colombia 0.0 0.0 2.0 Net current liabilities (inc. fixed interest) -0.3 0.0 0.0 ----- ----- ----- Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 ===== ===== =====

^Total assets for the purposes of these calculations exclude bank overdrafts, and the net current assets figure shown in the table above therefore excludes bank overdrafts equivalent to 10.7% of the Company's net asset value.

Sector % of Equity Portfolio* % of Benchmark* Materials 23.6 23.7 Financials 22.1 23.1 Consumer Staples 9.9 15.2 Industrials 8.3 5.8 Communication Services 8.3 7.5 Consumer Discretionary 7.0 5.3 Energy 5.8 9.3 Health Care 5.7 2.6 Information Technology 4.0 2.6 Real Estate 3.1 0.6 Utilities 2.2 4.3 ----- ----- Total 100.0 100.0 ===== =====

* excluding net current assets & fixed interest



Company Country of Risk % of

Equity Portfolio % of

Benchmark Vale - ADS Brazil 9.0 11.8 Banco Bradesco - ADR Brazil 6.8 4.3 America Movil - ADR Mexico 6.3 5.2 Petrobras - ADR: Brazil Equity 3.3 3.1 Preference Shares 2.5 3.9 B3 Brazil 3.9 2.6 Grupo Financiero Banorte Mexico 3.8 2.7 Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica Mexico 3.6 2.8 Grupo Mexico Mexico 3.2 2.2 Cemex - ADR Mexico 3.2 1.9 Notre Dame Intermedica Participacoes Brazil 3.0 1.2

Commenting on the markets, Ed Kuczma and Sam Vecht, representing the Investment Manager noted:

For the month of August 2021, the Company's NAV returned 1.9%1 with the share price moving -1.3%1. The Company's benchmark, the MSCI EM Latin America Index, returned 1.9%1 on a net basis (all performance figures are in sterling terms with dividends reinvested).

Latin American (LatAm) equities posted a positive performance over the month with Argentina and Colombia leading the rise.

Allocation in Argentina contributed the most to relative performance over the period while stock selection in Brazil detracted most from relative returns. Our overweight in Mexican telecommunications company, America Movil, was the top contributor on a relative basis as the stock has performed well on the back of better than expected results and deleveraging leading to greater return of capital to shareholders. Our lack of position in Brazilian steel manufacturing company, Companhia Siderurgica, also benefitted the portfolio. Companhia Sidergica underperformed in the period on the back of lower iron ore prices. Iron ore prices have declined as China has seen a significant slow down in steel production following general economic weakness, exacerbated by tightening pollution controls and relatively low steel mill profitability. An overweight position in Via Varejo, a Brazilian retail company, detracted most from relative performance. We remain encouraged by the digital transformation cycle spurred on by Via Varejo's management and ownership changes and our belief is that it will remain a relevant store and online player in its key categories of electronics, appliances and furniture; however, breaking into the top 3 of online marketplaces will be challenging given increasing competition and heavy investment in logistics from its peers announced during the month. For example, recently Amazon Brazil announced the start of offering one day delivery in 50 states for Amazon Prime members for free, raising concerns on competition in Brazil. Off-benchmark holding in Brazilian car rental company, Movida Participacoes, also weighed on relative returns following recent outperformance. Our investment thesis for the company remains on track as it is executing a ramp-up of growth projects with attractive returns.

Over the month we added to B3, the Brazilian stock exchange, on the back of strong outlook for growth as we do not expect volatility in Brazil to remain depressed for an extended period. We reduced our exposure to Brazilian petroleum company, Petrobras, given increasing noise on market unfriendly pricing policies and view of oil price correction given the impact of the Delta variant China growth/oil demand. We sold our holding of Argentinian flat and long steel manufacturing company, Ternium, following a strong run; regional steel prices are at a peak and we expect stock to follow the steel price down. The portfolio ended the period being overweight to Mexico and Chile, whilst being underweight to Colombia and Peru. At the sector level, we are overweight consumer discretionary and industrials, and underweight consumer staples and energy.

It has been a tough period for Latin America, with many countries hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis. However, we see a strong case for better times ahead for the region as the world rebuilds after the pandemic, and Latin America may be one of the most important beneficiaries of recovery in the global economy. As the region rebuilds, it will have some important tailwinds. Perhaps the most significant is rising commodity prices. Vast stimulus in the US and economic recovery across the world has pushed up demand for commodities after a period of tight supply. Global governments have ambitious, commodity-heavy infrastructure plans, particularly for green energy development. Latin America is also one of the most abundant regions in the world for lithium, iron ore and copper with some of the longest-life reserves at a low cost in Brazil, Chile and Peru.

There are also broader factors that should support economic growth. Across Latin America, a growing middle class is fueling domestic consumption and after a brief hiatus from the pandemic, this spending appears to be resuming. As businesses in the US look to diversify their supply chains opportunities are being created in Mexico, particularly along the northern border, in the manufacturing sector. Importantly, a rich seam of new companies listing on the stock market is creating more opportunities all the time. The buoyancy of the Brazilian IPO (Initial Public Offering) market is perhaps the best example. 2020 was a bumper year for Brazilian IPOs. 28 companies listed on the main exchange, raising BRL$43.7 billion (US$8.3 billion) in spite of the pandemic. This was almost four times the previous year's figure and the highest level since the giddy pre-crash optimism of 2007. This year looks set to be even more promising; over 40 companies have already said they want to list on Sao Paulo's B3 exchange this year. There are sound reasons for this, with excess global liquidity, favourable macroeconomic conditions, and increased financial awareness among Brazilian investors, all supporting new issuance in Brazil. This is bringing new sectors and more choice for investors in the region.

Within our portfolio, we have exposure to structural growth themes in the region including healthcare, e-commerce and convenience stores. Against this positive backdrop, we see anecdotal evidence that investors are moving away from China - which has a lot of technology names - to more cyclical markets. Latin American markets, with their focus on materials, energy and financials, are a key beneficiary. Latin America is lightly represented in emerging market benchmarks and has generally been under-owned, so it only takes a small change in sentiment to have a significant impact. We expect more and more investors to rediscover the huge opportunities in this fascinating region.

1Source: BlackRock, as of 31 August 2021.

22 September 2021

ENDS

Latest information is available by typing www.blackrock.com/uk/brla 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 the Manager's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / Trigon Metals Inc. (TSXV:TM) ("Trigon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Tulela Mining & Construction CC ("Tulela"), the open pit mining contractor for its Kombat Mine in Namibia, has commenced with mining establishment at site.

Tulela has established an operational base at the Kombat site, including the refurbishment of offices and workshops, and has commenced with the delivery of mining equipment to site, including a dozer and a drill rig. In the upcoming weeks, initial work will include clearing of topsoil and training of employees, with open pit mining on track to commence by October 2021.

Tulela is a Namibian owned and operated company with extensive open pit operating experience in sub-Saharan Africa, and a strong knowledge of the area in which the Kombat Mine is situated.

Jed Richardson, President and CEO of Trigon, commented, "Activities at site continue to ramp up on a daily basis. We are excited to get started with the mining side of the operations now that the plant is already well on track to meet production timelines."

About Kombat Mine

The Kombat Copper Project is the flagship project of Trigon Metals Inc., with the Company's mining and prospecting licence areas covering an area of more than 7,500 ha in the Otavi Mountainlands in Namibia. The Kombat Project is comprised of three mining licences, which produced approximately 12.46 million tonnes of copper between 1962 and 2008, at a grade of 2.62%. The other two mining licences are within close proximity to Kombat at Gross Otavi and Harasib, which are believed to be highly prospective for lead and zinc. In addition, the Company also holds an interest in two exclusive prospecting licences, which represent a potential strike extension of Kombat.

About Tulela

Tulela Mining & Construction CC is a multidisciplinary Namibian solutions provider offering unrestrictive access to all business entities within the group including engineering, processing and mining. The members offer a combined mining industry related experience exceeding 85 years from which a solid foundation is formed to service the mining and private sectors. Although specifically focused on processing, engineering, projects and maintenance services, this collective experience ensures personal access to a specialized network of industry specific professionals while realizing industry leading solutions.

Trigon Metals Inc.

Trigon is a publicly traded Canadian exploration and development company with its core business focused on copper and silver holdings in mine-friendly African jurisdictions. Currently the company has operations in Namibia and Morocco. In Namibia, the Company holds an 80% interest in five mining licences in the Otavi Mountainlands, an area of Namibia widely recognized for its high-grade copper deposits, where the Company is focused on exploration and re-development of the previously producing Kombat mine. In Morocco, the Company is the holder of the Silver Hill project, a highly prospective copper and silver exploration project.

Cautionary Notes

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding the restart of the Kombat Mine, the commencement of open pit mining, the Company's strategies and the Company's abilities to execute such strategies, the Company's expectations for the Kombat Project, and the Company's future plans and objectives. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statements or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, contact:

Jed Richardson

+1 647 276 0002

jed.richardson@trigonmetals.com

Website: www.trigonmetals.com

SOURCE: Trigon Metals, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665135/Trigon-Metals-Commences-Mining-Establishment-at-Kombat-Open-Pit-in-Namibia
Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Raffles Financial Group Limited (CSE: RICH) (FSE: 4VO) (OTCQX: RAFFF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Canadian Mr. David Wong as independent director of RFG. David will also be a member of the Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees.

David has over 20 years of experience in various facets of the financial services arena. He is currently the head of AMG private wealth and investment advisory with eleven successive years of winning the top Wealth Management Award in Hong Kong. He oversees more than USD 1.5 billion of asset under management. He has hands on corporate banking experience in Asia and Canada.

"David's expertise, experience and exposure can contribute significantly to RFG and look forward to his guidance," said Dr Charlie In, Chairman, RFG.

To avoid an oversized board, Mr. Chan Chun Kit has agreed to relinquish his RFG directorship and assume the new role as corporate consultant. RFG deeply appreciate Kit's contribution and look forward to working closely with him in the various advisory assignments.

About Raffles Financial Group Limited

Raffles Financial Group is listed on the Canadian Securities Purchase under the stock symbol (CSE: RICH), the Frankfurt Stock Purchase under the stock symbol (FSE: 4VO) and the OTC Markets under the stock symbol (OTCQX: RAFFF).

Raffles Financial Pte Ltd is the operating subsidiary of Raffles Financial Group Limited.

Please visit www.rafflesfinancial.co for more information.

Raffles Financial Private Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Raffles Financial Group Limited) is an exempt corporate finance advisory firm, registered with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, which provides public listing advisory and arrangement services. RFP serves as advisor for family trusts, family offices and investment funds.

For more information, please contact:

Dong Shim

CFO

604-283-9853

Monica Kwok, Investor Relations

Phone: +65 6909 8765

Email: monica@rafflesfinancial.co

Neither the Canadian Securities Purchase nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Purchase) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward-looking information") as those terms are used in Canadian securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "anticipates" 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97290
Increases Size of Bluffy Lake Project in the Red Lake Gold District

Bluffy Lake Project Contiguous to Barrick Gold's Newly-Optioned South Uchi Project

Airborne Geophysics Phase One Exploration Program

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Prime Meridian Resources Corp. (TSXV: PMR) ("PMR' or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has acquired, through staking, an additional 2,920 hectares east of its Camping Lake Project in the Red Lake District of Northwestern Ontario. The newly-named Bluffy Lake Project is directly contiguous with Barrick Gold Corporation's South Ushi Project and Trillium Gold Mines' Karas Lake property.

Interest in this region continues to grow, as demonstrated by the September 20, 2021 news release that Barrick Gold Corporation has entered into a property option agreement under which ABX can earn a 70-per-cent interest in the South Uchi Project from Kenorland Minerals Ltd. by incurring an aggregate of $6-million in mineral exploration expenditures.

https://kenorlandminerals.com/news/kenorland-minerals-options-south-uchi-project-to-barrick-gold-corporation/

PMR further announces that the Company has retained Simcoe Geoscience Limited to complete high-resolution Triaxial Airborne Magnetic and Helicopter Time Domain EM surveys on its Camping Lake and Bruce Lake Projects. The Camping Lake and Bruce Lake Projects were optioned and acquired by the Company based on their coverage and proximity to the Pakwash Lake Fault Zone (PLFZ) and the Sydney Lake Fault Zone (SLFZ) in the Red Lake District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada.

The Camping Lake Project covers 7,850 hectares and straddles 8.5 kilometres of the PLFZ and 18.0 kilometres of the SLFZ along the boundary between the volcanic-dominated Uchi subprovince to the north and the metasedimentary-dominated English River subprovince to the south.

The majority of gold deposits in the Red Lake District (Red Lake, Madsen, Hasaga, and others) are located on the northern margin of the Confederation Assemblage, however, recent discoveries such as the LP Fault Zone on the Dixie Project by Great Bear Resources highlight the prospectivity of the entire Confederation Assemblage along the southern margin of the Uchi subprovince. In addition to gold prospectivity, the area also holds potential for lithium-bearing pegmatite intrusions.





Figure 1. Regional Map

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5386/97267_f2ac17e1e436e9ae_001full.jpg

Airborne Geophysical Survey

The entirety of the Bruce Lake and Camping Lake Projects will be subjected to an airborne magnetic survey, while the D-Nut Tail Zone of the Camping Lake Project will be additionally covered by an HTDEM survey (Figure 2).

The northern claims of the Camping Lake Project (D-Nut Tail Zone) cover the interpreted extent of the PLFZ extending east from the so-called "D-Nut' feature of GBR's Pakwash Property. The D-Nut comprises a circular magnetic anomaly coincident with gold lake sediment anomalies and gold-in soil anomalies, which have been subject to minimal historical exploration.

The southern segment of the Camping Lake Project straddles the interpreted extent of the SLFZ, extending from the eastern boundary of Trillium Gold Mines' Leo Property, to the western boundary of TGM's Karas Lake Property:

https://trilliumgold.com/trillium-gold-further-consolidates-confederation-lake-greenstone-belt-increases-larder-lake-land-holdings-and-adds-quebec-assets/

The Bruce Lake Project covers an area directly to the north of the PLFZ, and is transected roughly north-south by the Keelson Fault, which intersects the PLFZ. This fault zone has been targeted by historical drilling which intersected pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite at depth. The airborne magnetic survey carried out over this property will be used to more clearly define the structural targets in this area. (1)





Figure 2. Airborne Geophysical Survey Plan

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5386/97267_f2ac17e1e436e9ae_002full.jpg

Deep Fault Interpretation

The source of gold mineralization at the main mine trend at Red Lake and the LP Zone of Great Bear Resources' Dixie Project are believed to be related to a similar deep crustal source. A 2006 geophysical survey suggests that the same structure associated with GBR's LP Zone is associated with the Pakwash Lake Fault Zone (PLFZ) and Sydney Lake Fault Zone (SLFZ), which underlie a large extent of Prime Meridian's newly-expanded land position (Figure 3).

A 3D seismic traveltime tomography cross-sectional interpretation from Zeng and Calvert (2006) identifies two major crustal-scale structures underlying the Red Lake district. One structure is associated with the main mine trend at Red Lake (right, north along cross-section), while the second structure is believed to be associated with the LP Fault Zone of Great Bear Resources' Dixie Project (left, south along cross-section). (2)





Figure 3. Deep Fault Model

(modified from Zeng & Calvert, 2006)

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5386/97267_f2ac17e1e436e9ae_003full.jpg

Qualified Person

The technical contents of this release were approved by Case Lewis, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

References

(1) Render, M., Meade, S.R., Lengyel, J.W.P., 2011. Goldpines North Property Drilling Report, prepared for Laurentian Goldfields.

(2) Zeng, F. & Calvert, A.J., 2006. "Imaging the upper part of the Red Lake greenstone belt, northwestern Ontario, with 3-D traveltime tomography". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

Prime Meridian Resources Corp.

"Brian Leeners"

Brian Leeners, CEO & Director

The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved or disapproved the contents of this press release.

Suite 920 - 1112 WEST PENDER STREET

VANCOUVER, BC, V6E 2S1

ir@primemeridianresources.com

http://primemeridianresources.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97267
Fieldwork is designed to generate follow up drill targets

Victoria, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - GoldON Resources Ltd. (TSXV: GLD) ("GoldON" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the start of follow-up fieldwork on its 100% owned West Madsen gold project adjoining the new Pure Gold Red Lake Mine.

The 2020-2021 drill program returned consistently anomalous gold values and highly prospective geology. The contact that separates the Balmer and Confederation assemblages has been confidently identified within an 8-kilometre corridor of disrupted regional magnetics that trends onto the property from the Pure Gold Red Lake Mine property. This contact is highly prospective and strongly associated with gold mineralization at the Pure Gold Mine and historical Starrett Olsen Mine. Further advancement in other regional Red Lake exploration projects has continued to identify gold potential of the intermediate to felsic stratigraphy interpreted to be associated with the Confederation Assemblage.

Newly identified quartz-phyric felsic-intermediate volcanic rocks, within the Confederation Assemblage, were intersected in our drill program and are highly strained and strongly silicified. The samples returned slightly elevated gold values and elevated pathfinder elements (arsenic, lead, zinc). Minerals containing these pathfinder elements are reported to be associated with gold mineralization in the porphyritic felsic-intermediate volcanic rocks of Great Bear's Dixie Project (Technical Report on the Dixie Property, 2020). The potential surface exposures of this unit are within several soil-gas-hydrocarbon (SGH) identified gold zones which have not been investigated. This will be the focus of the upcoming prospecting program designed to identify additional drill targets.

The planned fieldwork includes prospecting, mapping, and outcrop sampling within underexplored areas of the Confederation Assemblage. The SGH survey conducted in 2019 generated six target areas that were interpreted to be prospective for gold mineralization by ActLabs. These newly identified prospective Redox zones generated a higher confidence for gold mineralization. (see Figure 1). These areas overlie the felsic-intermediate volcanic rocks of the Confederation Assemblage and recent forestry logging programs have increased the accessibility to this area.





Figure 1: West Madsen, Block A compilation map showing soil gas hydrocarbon redox targets with anomalous Au from diamond drilling and surface grab samples.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

goldonresources.com/images/westmadsen/WM_Blk-A-Compilation-092221.jpg.

We look forward to getting back out in the field to define follow-up drill targets," said Mike Romanik president of GoldON. "We are still in the early days of exploration at West Madsen."

Ian Russell, P.Geo., an independent Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release on behalf of the Company.

About GoldON Resources Ltd.

GoldON is an exploration company focused on discovery-stage properties located in the prolific gold mining belts of northwestern Ontario, Canada. Our current project portfolio includes six properties in the Red Lake Mining Division (West Madsen, Red Lake North, Pipestone Bay, Pakwash North, McInnes Lake, and McDonough) and a seventh property in the Patricia Mining Division (Slate Falls).

For additional information: please visit our website at goldonresources.com, you can download our latest investor presentation by clicking here and you can follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GoldONResources.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Signed "Michael Romanik"

Michael Romanik, President

GoldON Resources Ltd.

Direct line: (204) 724-0613

Email: info@goldonresources.com

179 - 2945 Jacklin Road, Suite 416

Victoria, BC, V9B 6J9

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97162.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) said in a filing with the U.S. SEC on Wednesday that the antitrust complaint filed by the U.S Department of Justice (DoJ) and Attorneys General from six states and the District of Columbia is without merit and will defend itself vigorously. The complaint was filed against American Airlines and JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU), alleging violation of U.S. antitrust laws in connection with the previously disclosed Northeast Alliance (NEA) arrangement. American noted that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published a Clarification Notice relating to the agreement that had been reached between the DOT, American, and JetBlue in January 2021, at the conclusion of DoT's review of the NEA. The DOT Clarification Notice stated, among other things, that the NEA remains in force during the pendency of the DoJ action and, while the DOT retains independent statutory authority to prohibit unfair methods of competition in air transportation, the DOT intends to defer to DoJ to resolve the antitrust concerns that DoJ has identified with respect to the NEA. DOT simultaneously published a Notice Staying Proceeding in relation to a complaint by Spirit Airlines, Inc. regarding the NEA, pending resolution of the DoJ action. 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.
pHOXBIO Announces Breakthrough Clinical Trial Results Concluding Prophylactic Nasal Spray Prevents Infection from SARS-CoV-2

- pHOXWELL significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection by 63% with tolerability comparable to placebo in high-risk population of healthcare workers

- Novel self-administered nasal spray designed to augment existing preventive measures for SARS-CoV-2, including PPE and vaccines

- Regulatory filing initiated in India for SARS-CoV-2 prevention claim

- Company exploring strategic alternatives to make product accessible in India and markets worldwide to help combat ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and future disease outbreaks

LONDON and NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- pHOXBIO Ltd. today announced results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial which demonstrate that pHOXWELL, its novel prophylactic nasal spray, prevented infection from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In a pivotal Phase 2/3 clinical study, there were 63% fewer SARS-CoV-2 infections in high-risk healthcare workers given pHOXWELL compared to placebo (p=<0.0001).

pHOXWELL is a self-administered prophylactic nasal spray designed to offer a variant-agnostic mechanism of action that provides a robust defence to inhibit the infection processes of SARS-CoV-2. It is designed to be effective against other airborne respiratory viruses. The product offers 6-8 hours of protection with just two sprays per nostril, per application, and can be applied whether in the workplace, at home or on-the-go.

Company Chairman, Professor Rakesh Uppal, Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at Queen Mary University of London and Director of Barts Life Sciences, says "pHOXWELL presents a significant breakthrough. We now have an effective tool, previously missing, to fight this pandemic. Vaccination, while absolutely essential, is not 100% effective and it is still possible to become infected by, and transmit, the virus that causes COVID-19. pHOXWELL is designed to offer extra protection to vaccines and PPE, as the spray inhibits SARS-CoV-2 from infecting the nasal mucosa, which is the primary entry point into the body. pHOXWELL's efficacy is likely to be maintained with future mutations in the virus".

Study Design and Results

The study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of pHOXWELL nasal spray in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in high-risk healthcare professionals in India. The trial was carried out during the peak surge of the highly infectious Delta variant in India in April to July 2021. The study was designed following approval by the appropriate regulator. The primary endpoint was the percentage of subjects who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 on IgGS (spike protein specific) testing over the 45 days of the study. Secondary endpoints included efficacy, safety and tolerability measures.

The primary endpoint showed that 13.1% of subjects were IgGS positive in the pHOXWELL arm versus 34.5% in the placebo arm (p= <0.0001). This result shows that pHOXWELL has a significant prophylactic effect versus SARS-CoV-2 infection when compared to placebo. These highly statistically significant results were consistent across the two sites which recruited subjects (Site 1 17.4% vs 54.6%, p= <0.0001; Site 2 11.1% vs 23.9%, p=0.0015) and sex (male 13.6% vs 36.6%, p= <0.0001; female 12.1% vs 31.2%, p=0.0013).

The secondary endpoint looking at subjects experiencing clinical symptoms, also shows significant results in favour of pHOXWELL, with only 17.6% of subjects who experienced infection in the pHOXWELL arm having clinical symptoms versus 34.6% in the placebo arm (p= <0.0001). These results were consistent across sex (male 15.3% vs 31.8%, p= 0.0001; female 21.7% vs 39%, p= 0.0048) and age groups (18-35 26.5% vs 43.6%, p= 0.0091; 36-65 19.4% vs 36.9% p= 0.0018; 65+ 6.9% vs 33.3%, p= 0.0407).

User acceptability end points were positive, with an overall positive experience maintained across the study. pHOXWELL also exhibited an excellent safety profile.

648 subjects completed the study. The mean age was 40.8 years. 63.3% of subjects were male and 36.7% female. All subjects were over 18, unvaccinated, demonstrated not to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 at the time of entry (RT-PCR), and not to have had any previous infections (IgG Spike protein negative). They were treated three times a day with active or placebo prior to any possible exposure situation to SARS-CoV-2 over 45 days. Subjects were regularly tested by RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 infection, 556 had IgGS testing at the last visit and potential symptoms and adverse events were recorded. A technical issue during the study caused RT-PCR testing not to work for the infection end point for all subjects, hence the use of IgGS testing.

Company Seeking To Deliver Benefits to Society

pHOXBIO and its parent company, Raphael Labs, will now initiate a regulatory filing to support a SARS-CoV-2 prevention claim with the appropriate regulator, based on the clinical trial data. This will allow for production and distribution of pHOXWELL in India initially, with further territories intended to follow as a prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Professor Uppal, said "there is a pressing need globally for a prophylactic nasal spray to help prevent infection in areas where vaccination rollout remains inadequate in the face of the tragic human toll of this pandemic. We are confident that our anti-COVID-19 nasal spray, pHOXWELL, will become a vital part of the global armoury to provide an extra defensive shield to tackle the pandemic, and we welcome forming partnerships with governments, NGOs and manufacturers to deliver the preventative benefits of pHOXWELL".

pHOXWELL is low cost, easy to manufacture, shown to have prolonged stability at room temperature and can be transported globally. We anticipate its use will be applicable to many populations where vaccination rates remain low and PPE is scarce, particularly for frontline health workers. pHOXBIO is seeking to evaluate opportunities that can help accelerate the delivery of its products' benefits to society. Interested parties can contact the company at https://phoxbio.com/.

About pHOXWELL

pHOXWELL is a combination of natural virucides and Vita Raphael, a proprietary solution, which work in concert to prevent viral infection. pHOXWELL is designed to provide additional protection that complements current standards of care in inhibiting the spread of airborne respiratory viruses, including PPE and vaccines. pHOXWELL is virucidal and has been designed to inhibit the infection of other airborne respiratory viruses including common and new strains of coronaviruses, influenzas and rhinoviruses. In vitro testing confirmed that pHOXWELL killed 90% of H1N1 (Influenza) in under 60 seconds.

pHOXWELL offers 6-8 hours of protection with just two sprays per application and can be applied whether at home, at work or "on the go". pHOXWELL can be used by most people, whether vaccinated or not, and is aimed at adults ages 18 and over.

Airborne Respiratory Viruses & Current Gaps

Viruses are amongst the most infectious and debilitating airborne respiratory pathogens. Even without SARS-CoV-2's devastating impact, airborne respiratory pathogen spread contributes to respiratory infection and cause around 4 million preventable deaths each year. The ability of vaccines alone to control the spread of airborne respiratory viruses is limited by significant challenges including variable efficacy and challenges faced by emerging variants, global supply demands and shortages in developing countries, and vaccine hesitancy and unsuitability for some.

PPE use can be insufficient, used incorrectly or malfunction and in some areas is poorly available. There is a significant need for an effective and safe prophylactic that compliments vaccines and PPE.

About pHOXBIO and Raphael Labs

pHOXBIO is a privately held biopharmaceutical company that is a division of Raphael Labs. The company is developing pHOXWELL and pHOXGEN, two unique solutions targeting prophylaxis of airborne respiratory viruses such as coronaviruses and influenza viruses that cause some of the world's deadliest communicable diseases. pHOXBIO products represent a scientific breakthrough with the potential to impact public health and strengthen pandemic preparedness by addressing substantial gaps in current control measures.

Raphael Labs is a Dublin-based privately held biopharmaceutical company with a significant UK operation, managing a diverse portfolio of subsidiaries with specific interests in the development and commercialization of Raphael Labs' proprietary formulation Vita Raphael. Company subsidiaries include pHOXBIO, which addresses respiratory diseases; pHOXMETICS, which addresses cosmeceutical interests; pHOXHEAL, which is focused on wound care; and a research and development arm called pHOXWORX.

Raphael Labs' scientific leadership team includes Professor Dame Kay Davies, Doctor Lee's Professor of Anatomy, Emeritus at Oxford University; Professor Steve Davies, Waynflete Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Oxford University; Alan Dunton M.D., based in Boston; Mr. Goutham K Gorti, FRCS, based in New Jersey; Professor Aine McKnight, Professor of Viral Pathology at the Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London; Professor Angela Russell, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at Oxford University; Dr Jim Swales, pHOXWELL's clinical trial lead; Professor Mauro Teixeira, Professor of Immunology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, and Professor Rakesh Uppal, Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery, William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University London, Barts Heart Centre and Director of Barts Life Sciences.

Raphael Labs is supported by Mark Timney, Graeme Bell, and Michael Blash in the United States.

- News release ends -

Media Enquiries

Nicola Burdett (UK/ India)

nb@raphlabs.com

Matt Arrowsmith (US)

ma@raphlabs.com

Business Enquiries

Robert Beenstock

rb@raphlabs.com

partnerships@raphlabs.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1631530/pHOXBIO_grey_Logo.jpg
ATLANTISJAPAN GROWTH FUND LIMITED

("AJGF" or the "Company")

(A closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernsey with registration number 30709)

LEI 54930041W0LDG00PGL69

Unclaimed dividends and additions to the investor servicing team

22 September 2021

The Board of Atlantis Japan Growth Fund would like to draw shareholders' attention to the fact that a number of dividend payments previously declared by the fund remain unclaimed. Shareholders are therefore requested to check that they have received all dividends to which they are entitled (the fund commenced paying dividends in December 2019) and to note that the Board of the fund have made an ongoing commitment to paying quarterly dividends.

Shareholders should contact Computershare for assistance with the dividend payments:

By phone: +44 (0)370 707 4040, lines are open from 8:30 to 17:30, Monday to Friday

By post: Computershare Investor Services PLC, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol, BS99 6ZZ, United Kingdom

The Board is also pleased to announce the hiring by the fund's Investment Manager, Quaero Capital LLP, of Tim Shanagher and Henry Pollard as part of the initiative to grow the fund. Tim Shanagher, with over 30 years of experience in the Japanese Equity market and most recently as Head of Japanese Equity Research at Credit Suisse in Tokyo will be responsible for producing regular investor communications and thought pieces to explain and illustrate the strategy of the investment team. Henry Pollard, with over 30 years of UK Wholesale and Investment Trust sales experience, will lead the initiatives to build the fund's shareholder base.

Noel Lamb, the Chairman of Atlantis Japan Growth Fund, has said 'We are delighted to have Tim Shanagher and Henry Pollard - two high quality and experienced investment professionals - joining the team to help with the ongoing process of promoting the fund and broadening the investor base'.

For further information please contact: enquiries.uk@quaerocapital.com
The TUV Digital Currency is a Globally Valid and Multicurrency CBDC -equivalent, available to and for all countries

ST PETER PORT, Guernsey and NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The TUV Digital Currency released by Global Telephony Company Webtel.mobi ("WM") not only renders all current Cryptocurrencies redundant, it also fulfills the role of a Global Multicurrency Wholesale and Retail CBDC-equivalent for all countries. An overview of some of its characteristics is as follows:



REQUIRED CHARACTERISTIC TUV Accessible to any person with a Mobile Phone Yes Is Freely Accepted and Valid Worldwide Yes Is a Fully Digitized Currency-equivalent Yes Is Internationally Transferrable Yes Is internationally Redeemable Yes Is fully Convertible between Currencies Yes Is an Online and Offline Payment Mechanism Yes Functions within a Global Exchange Yes Does not Disintermediate Banks Yes Has 100% Reserves of Funds on a 1:1 Basis Yes Functions PP2P with No Intermediaries Yes Can be Transferred Globally Instantly Yes Is operational 24/7/365 Yes Is Compliant with Applicable Regulatory Regime Yes Can also be Accessed and Used by Unbanked Yes Avoids Disintermediation of Banks Yes Avoids interference with Monetary Policy Yes Avoids interference with Currency Sovereignty Yes Is Free to Acquire and Use Yes

In the recent year-long review of the WM System and TUV by Professor Jan Kregel of the Levy Economics Institute, the WM System was compared by Professor Kregel to the "International Clearing Union" previously proposed by the English Economist John Maynard Keynes.

Similarly, Professor Kregel compared the TUV Digital Currency to the "Bancor" - the Instrument proposed by Keynes as a form of Global Currency between countries.

Whereas Keynes's proposals were for an International Clearing Union and Bancor that were managed by organizations, WM's System (a de-facto International Clearing Union) and TUV (a de-facto "Bancor") are directly available to ordinary people worldwide.

TUVs can be created from any Smart Phone or Pre-Smart Mobile Phone, and then used for transfers, payments or other transactions worldwide between Members on the WM System. Their value can also be converted to and among any of the world's Reserve Currencies.

In concluding his review of the WM System and the TUV Digital Currency, Professor Kregel concluded that the WM and TUV had the capacity to reform aspects of the current Global Financial System.

With the advent of the TUV, countries and entities seeking to produce their own CBDCs have a fully operational and real-world blueprint of how to proceed - unless they start to use the TUV themselves.

Media Contact:

Nick Lambert: wm@thoburns.com

More information on the TUV:

https://tinyurl.com/TUVdata

Research Reports by Professor Kregel on WM and the TUV:

https://tinyurl.com/TUVresearch

WM's urls

https://webtel.mobi/pc(Pre-Smart Mobile Phone)

Professor Kregel's Background and Biography

https://www.levyinstitute.org/scholars/jan-kregel

https://inctpped.ie.ufrj.br/internationalconference2018/Jan_Kregel_cv.pdf




22 September 2021

KR1 plc

("KR1" or the "Company")

Investment: Basilisk

KR1 plc (KR1:AQSE), a leading digital asset investment company, is pleased to announce the Company's participation in the Basilisk crowdloan and Kusama ("KSM") parachain auction. KR1 contributed a total of 11,111.1 KSM to the Basilisk crowdloan campaign.

Basilisk is a liquidity bootstrapping protocol built for Kusama, enabling frictionless liquidity for the long tail of crypto assets through a modular design. Basilisk's first release offers an implementation of a liquidity bootstrapping pool as well as pools with order matching transactions. Future releases will bring more advanced price discovery mechanisms to Basilisk, such as auctions and bonding curves.

The contributed KSM will be time-locked on the Kusama blockchain for 48 weeks and will be returned to the Company following the completion of the respective Basilisk parachain lease. Following the successful Basilisk parachain auction bid, KR1 is going to receive a to-be-determined amount of Basilisk ("BSX") tokens in return for supporting the Basilisk crowdloan campaign. In addition, the Company will also receive a yet-to-be-determined amount of BSX tokens in line with KR1's previous backing of HydraDX's seed funding round, which will be confirmed in a future announcement.

This method of token distribution involves no direct investment of capital. Instead, it is an indirect investment with the opportunity costs being the inaccessibility of the locked KSM funds as well as foregoing any staking yields on the contributed KSM for the time period.

Keld van Schreven, Managing Director and Co-Founder of KR1, commented:

"Basilisk is an exciting community focused project run by an exceptional team of crypto thinkers. As a permanent deployment on Kusama, Basilisk has strong synergies with Polkadot-facing HydraDX, which, together, will cater to the varying liquidity needs of crypto assets throughout their life cycles. Projects can bootstrap liquidity in the early stages using a Basilisk pool, then later move to the HydraDX omnipool to unlock unprecedented cross-chain liquidity in an 'ocean of assets'."

The Directors of KR1 plc accept responsibility for this announcement.

--ENDS--

For further information please contact:

KR1 PLC

George McDonaugh

Keld van Schreven

Simon Nicol

+44 (0)16 2467 6716



simon@KR1.io Peterhouse Capital Limited

Mark Anwyl (AQSE Corporate Adviser)

+44 (0)20 7469 0930 Nominis Advisory Ltd

Angus Campbell (PR Adviser)

pr@KR1.io

About KR1 plc

KR1 is a leading digital asset investment company supporting early-stage decentralised and open source blockchain and DeFi projects. Founded in 2016 and publicly traded in London on the Apex segment of the AQSE Growth Market (KR1: AQSE), KR1 has built a notable reputation for generating significant returns by investing in many key projects that are designed to power the decentralised platforms and protocols that are emerging to form new internet infrastructures.

www.KR1.io

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation EU 596/2014 as it forms part of retained EU law (as defined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018).
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Bam Bam Resources Corp. (CSE: BBR) (OTC PINK: NPEZF) (FSE: 4NPB) ("Bam Bam" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a Company update to the shareholders.

Since the Company acquired the Majuba Hill Porphyry Copper Project (the "Project" or "Majuba Hill") in March of 2019, it was believed that Majuba Hill could be a district size project. This impression holds true and, as of today, the Company has expanded its land position by more than 300% to a total size of 15.1 square miles (39.2 sq km) / 9,678 acres (3,917 ha). Private surface and mineral claims comprise approximately 26% of the total land position (2,586 acres/1,048 Ha).





Figure 1

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_001full.jpg

Bam Bam was able to attract a world class team of geologists and Technical Advisory Board members, led by E.L. "Buster" Hunsaker. Bam Bam welcomed Dr. Mike Ressel to the Technical Advisory Board in May 2020 and in February 2021, Larry Segerstrom came aboard. The Company gained the support of the Center for Research in Economic Geology at University of Nevada Reno (CREG).

The involvement and interest of the CREG program provided strong academic and economic support for Bam Bam. Dr. Matthieu Harlaux has placed a graduate student at Majuba Hill to complete a M.S. Thesis.

The porphyry copper experience and knowledge of the Company's Technical Advisory Board was critical since Majuba Hill has a long history of exploration and production activities.



Since 1941, there have been seven historic drill campaigns that drilled 73 holes at Majuba Hill. Six were mining exploration companies and the seventh the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Prior to 1970, 16 holes (1,061 m/3482 feet) were drilled by Freeport Sulfur Company (1942) and the U.S. Bureau of Mines (1948). Since 1970, 13,906 meters (45,622 feet) in 58 core and RC holes were completed at Majuba Hill.

Historic Production Results on Majuba Hill:





Figure 2

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_002full.jpg

This long history of exploration and production activities at Majuba Hill left Bam Bam with a mountain of data to analyze and interpret. The Company constructed a detailed geologic model using all the drill data. This 3D GIS model provided a solid spatial platform to visualize the Known Oxide Zone and expand it into the much larger Majuba Oxide Extension Area.

Historic surface drilling has delineated an outcropping copper and silver oxide zone. Historic core holes drilled by Max Resources and described in the Technical Report prepared for Galileo Exploration Ltd. in May 2017 (NI 43-101 Technical Report, Majuba Hill Project, Pershing County, Nevada, A.J. Morris CPG QP) indicated good oxide copper in a discrete area around the historic underground workings. The historic drilling suggested that Majuba Hill potential is at least 350-500 million tons of oxide mineralization at grades estimated to be 0.3 to 0.4% Copper (Cu), 9 to 14 ppm Silver (Ag), and 0.175 to 0.25 ppm Gold (Au)





Figure 3

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_003full.jpg

This data allowed Bam Bam to develop and execute on an initial drill program that protected its shareholders by first confirming the interpretations of the historic data.

The results of this program were encouraging and so the Company created and completed a staged exploration program that has greatly increased the potential size of the target at Majuba Hill using:

Drilling;

Surface rock and soil sampling; and

Drone Magnetic and Induced Polarization Geophysics.

The comprehensive exploration program by Bam Bam was two-fold:

Define, expand, and quantify the near-surface, open-pittable, oxide copper-silver mineralization; and

Identify and expand the footprint of the underlying copper-porphyry, sulfide mineralization.





Figure 4

To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_004full.jpg

Early drilling by Bam Bam at Majuba Hill was focused on confirming the historical data and to expand the near-surface oxide zone. The Company drilled nine holes for a total of 8706 feet (2653.5 meters) in 5 core and 4 reverse-circulation holes. Significant oxide/enriched results released in July 2020 included:

 MHB-1: 74 ft (22.6 m) of 0.35% Copper (Cu) and 10.2 g/t Silver (Ag) from 210 to 284 ft (64-86.6 m)

 MHB-2: 146 ft (44.5 m) of 1.41% Copper (Cu) and 97.6 g/t Silver (Ag) from 0 to 146 ft (0-44.5 m)

By converting length weighted silver values to copper using US$17/ounce silver

and US$2.50/lb. copper, this interval is 2.36% Copper Equivalent (CuEq).





Figure 5

To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_005full.jpg

 MHB-4: 45 feet (13.7 m) of 0.45% Copper (Cu) and 8.2 g/t Silver (AG) from 775-820 feet (13.7m/236.2-249.9m)

 MHB-5: 310 feet (94.5 m) of 0.29% Copper (Cu) and 10 g/t Silver (Ag) from 445 to 755 feet (135.6-230.1m)

 MHB-6: 50 feet (15.2 m) of 0.72% Copper (Cu) and 19.8 g/t Silver (Ag) from 750 to 800 feet (228.6-243.8m)

MHB-6 also contained chalcocite enriched sulfides and the hole ended in 20 feet of 1.31 % Copper (Cu) from 780-800 feet (6.1m/237.74-243.84m).

Very positive results from each phase of the exploration program confirmed the next step: In late November 2020, Bam Bam completed 4920 feet (1499.6 m) in deep core holes MHB-7, MHB-8, and MHB-9 to explore for an underlying deep sulfide mineralization expected to occur directly below the widespread oxide and enriched oxide copper mineralization. MHB-7 and MHB-9 intersected strong, well-developed porphyry copper sulfides and phyllic alteration. Both holes also showed variable supergene leaching enrichment features that will be important for quantifying the higher-grade, enriched zones within the known deposit.

Drill hole MHB-8 stepped out 1700 feet (518 meters) south from the oxide/enrichment zone to test a deep Induced Polarization (IP) chargeability high. The 1635 foot (498.3 m) long hole intersected over 1200 feet (366 m) of chalcopyrite in veins, stockworks, and disseminated with tourmaline, below the zone of oxidation and enrichment.

Copper and silver in this chalcopyrite-sulfide zone included:

MHB-8: 65 feet (19.8 m) of 0.35% Copper (Cu) and 13.9 g/t Silver (Ag) from 865 to 930 feet (263.7-283.5m)

Copper Equivalent (CuEq) of 0.49%.

The broader interval of copper and silver in MHB-8 returned:

MHB-8: 470 feet (143.2m) of 0.1% Copper (Cu) and 4.04 g/t Silver (Ag) from 830 to 1300 feet (253.0-396.2 m)

Copper Equivalent (CuEq) of 0.14%.





Figure 6

To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_007full.jpg

The exciting news is that sulfide mineralization was discovered on every drill hole, including the step out extensions. All three of these deeper holes hit viable mineralization indicating an underlying sulfide deposit.

Based on these encouraging results, there are additional deep historic drill holes that now need offset drilling. These include:





To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_008full.jpg

From management's perspective, it is believed that the Company has a deep-seated sulfide deposit underneath the viable oxide cap.





Figure 7

To view an enhanced version of Figure 7, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_009full.jpg

The team of geologists and Technical Advisors all agreed that the best and most cost-effective approach forward was to extend the soil sampling, Mag survey and deep IP analysis into areas that haven't been examined before. The team wanted to review and extend all the soil sampling, extend the mag surveys that have been completed, and review and extend the IP surveys over the land position Bam Bam owns.

This turned out to be an excellent strategy. The Company has now defined the potential for an oxide deposit that appears to be over 250% greater than the size originally anticipated.

In May 2021, a property-wide, 322 line-km drone magnetic survey was completed by Zonge International, Inc. The magnetic survey shows that the Tertiary Intrusive Assemblage at Majuba Hill is at least 2.5 times larger than the geologic mapping indicated. The much larger extent shown by the positive magnetic response matched the encouraging 2020 drilling and exploration results.

Zonge International was also engaged to complete an extensive Induced Polarization/Resistivity (IP) program to expand and extend the existing deep IP coverage. A 2007 survey using 300 meter dipole spacing and a 2018 in-fill program has proven remarkably successful in defining high-chargeability and resistivity anomalies that correlate to porphyry copper related phyllic alteration and sulfide zones with chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, and arsenopyrite.



The very direct correlation between the high chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, & arsenopyrite content in core hole MHB-8 and the high-chargeability anomalies outlined by the previous surveys is a good indication of the importance of the IP geophysics for identifying drill targets and outlining the potential scale for mineralization at Majuba Hill.

The expanded IP survey was completed in late May 2021 and the results are very encouraging. James Wright, a highly respected consulting geophysicist in Nevada, provided the Company's technical oversight and interpretation. The survey identified a large, oval-shaped resistivity response on lines L7 to L9 northeast of the previously known oxide mineralization. This "789 Zone" has a 1500 m diameter and the eastern side of the 789 Zone is coincident with the north trending granodiorite/remanent magnetic zone.

Wright commented: "The resistivity annulus suggests some form of intrusive with a surrounding resistivity alteration rim. Deep chargeability anomalies coincident with the rim indicate an increased sulfide association relative to the center."

He concluded: "Associated with this feature are both shallow and deep resistivity/chargeability anomalies consistent with a variant of the classic Guilbert and Lowell (1974) porphyry model."





Figure 8

To view an enhanced version of Figure 8, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_011full.jpg

In mid-October 2020, 399 soil samples were collected from the eastern side of the intrusive complex at the Majuba Hill. Anomalous copper, silver, molybdenum, zinc, and gold correlate with the intrusive centers identified from the 2020 exploration program.





Figure 9

To view an enhanced version of Figure 9, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6332/97299_c632659fd4634884_013full.jpg

The 2021 soil sampling program started on June 1. New sample coverage is laid out to expand the large copper, silver, zinc, molybdenum, and gold anomalies outlined from the earlier work. The sampling was completed in late July and all assay results are expected by the end of September.

All of the work completed to date led the Company to realize that Majuba Hill is a much more significant porphyry copper deposit than had previously been recognized.

When Bam Bam commenced work on Majuba Hill, a 500 million ton potential was expected. The results now suggest that it is a district with over 1 billion ton potential. The ability to integrate a large amount of historic data and expand the potential of the copper mineralization has been very timely since the demand for copper is sky-rocketing.

Based on the exciting results and data received from previously completed work at Majuba Hill, Bam Bam planned out the drill program for 2021. The focus is now on extending the tonnage of the oxide cap and to drill deep holes to continue to define the boundaries of the sulfide deposit.

This work will provide a better understanding of the size, tonnage and grade of the oxide deposit and will allow Bam Bam to plan its 2022 exploration program, to in-fill drill, and to provide the data needed for a NI 43-101 Technical Report.

The Company is fully funded for the 2021 exploration program (including part of next year's drill program as well) and expects that the warrants expiring this year will provide the Company with additional funding once exercised.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this letter has been reviewed by E.L. "Buster" Hunsaker III, CPG 8137, a non-independent consulting geologist who is a "Qualified Person" as such term is defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43- 101").

On Behalf of the Board of Bam Bam Resources Corp.

" David Greenway"

David C. Greenway

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Joel Warawa

VP of Corporate Communications

E: jw@bambamresources.com

P: 1 (855) 475-0745

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking" statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Bam Bam Resources Corp. believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Bam Bam Resources Corp. management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Bam Bam Resources Corp. undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97299


CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Boeing expects Europe's commercial aviation fleet to need 8,705 new airplanes through 2040 to cater to the growing leisure travel market in the region and fleet replacements with more fuel-efficient models, according to the Boeing's 2021 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), an annual forecast of long-term demand for commercial airplanes and services. This requirement is valued at 1.25 trillion euros or 1.1 trillion British pounds.



The total demand is expected to be for 7,100 single-aisle airplanes to meet the continued growth in the low-cost carrier segment, which now accounts for more than 50 percent of intra-Europe capacity. Further, there will be demand for 1,545 new widebodies, including passenger and freighter models, to serve long-haul networks.



The aircraft maker anticipates steady growth and greater sustainability for Europe's commercial aviation fleet over the next 20 years as health and travel restrictions ease, followed by long-haul travel's return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023 to 2024.



Passenger traffic is projected to grow by 3.1 percent annually, with fleet growth of 2.7 percent, through 2040. The global freighter fleet is expected to grow by 70 percent in the 20-year forecast period, including demand for 85 new freighters in Europe.



The European region is also estimated to require more than 405,000 new aviation personnel by 2040, including pilots, technicians and cabin crews, to support the growth in the region.



As reducing aviation's carbon footprint remains a top priority for Boeing and for carriers in the European market, the CMO forecasts 90 percent of Europe's current fleet to be replaced with more fuel-efficient models, outpacing the global replacement share of 80 percent.



The CMO also projects European airlines to further invest in new, higher-capacity single-aisle models that reduce fuel use and emissions for their short-haul routes. Meanwhile, they will use new-generation widebodies, such as the 787 and 777X, for long-haul fleets to replace older, less efficient aircraft with more versatile twin-engine models that reduce fuel use, CO2 emissions and noise.



Boeing said it will be focused on a multi-faceted approach to decarbonising aviation by designing and delivering more fuel-efficient airplanes as well as actively enabling the industry's transition to renewable energies with a focus on sustainable aviation fuels and advanced technologies.



Meanwhile, the total global commercial fleet is expected to return to its growth trend, generating demand for more than 43,500 new airplanes over the next 20 years, with the global commercial fleet surpassing 49,000 airplanes by 2040, according to the 2021 CMO.



China, Europe, North America and other Asia-Pacific countries each will account for about 20 percent of new airplane deliveries, with the remaining 20 percent going to other emerging markets. Global passenger traffic is projected to grow by 4.0 percent annually, with fleet growth of 3.1 percent, through 2040.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

BOEING-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
The New Software Release Allows for Greater Integration with Leading Learning Management Systems, Improved UI and Virtual Rooms

MONTREAL, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- X2O Media announces the latest release of its award-winning X2O Platform, which powers the innovative hybrid learning solution X2O OneRoom. Part of the STRATACACHE family of companies, X2O Media is a global provider of virtual collaboration technology for education and organizations.

X2O OneRoom v2.4 addresses the increasing demand for hybrid collaboration and training for enterprise and learning institutions. The comprehensive release introduces essential integration with leading Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) systems, and features an enhanced experience for remote participants, virtual room capability, language localization, additional analytics and in-room camera tracking.

OneRoom is designed to create an immersive real-time meeting, collaboration, and learning environment. OneRoom offers many distinguishing features to help organizations improve teamwork, training of their hybrid workforce and, for learning institutions to remove geographic limitations and improve access to education for their student body. With its breadth of applications, the next generation X2O OneRoom offers the flexibility to apply the technology for use as a meeting room, classroom, training room, executive room or other unique collaborative use cases.

"Global events of the past year and a half have accelerated the demand for OneRoom collaboration technology. This release amplifies X2O Media's commitment to enhance the OneRoom experience for corporate and higher education customers. Compared to traditional videoconferencing, OneRoom offers many distinguishing features, and we continue to align the technology to offer a location-agnostic, human, immersive approach to learning, meeting, training, and decision making. Early adopting sectors such as aviation, higher education, food manufacturing, private equity and health care have quickly found value and greatly improved the learning experiences for their employees, executives and students," said Mansour Brek, President of X2O Media.

"Travel these days, especially international travel, is an ordeal, and companies globally are looking for solutions that ease this pain and optimize their employees' valuable time," said Chris Riegel, CEO of the STRATACACHE family of companies. "We've seen with our clients as well as our own use, that the OneRoom solution reduces risk, downtime, cost and disruption of travel while increasing efficiency. In short, it's making the new way of business and remote learning easier."

X2O Media will be showcasing OneRoom as well as innovative visual communications solutions in booth Q64 at UC Expo 2021, being held October 6-7 in London, UK.

For more information about the new X2O OneRoom features in version 2.4 click here.

About X2O Media

X2O Media provides unified visual communication and collaboration solutions for higher education and corporations across the globe. The award-winning X2O Platform represents a new category of communication tools that improves how enterprises and learning institutions engage with their employees and students. X2O OneRoom collaboration technology has been installed worldwide at many learning institutions and corporations. X2O Media is part of the STRATACACHE family of digital media/marketing technology companies and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. For information, contact X2O Media at sales@x2omedia.com and follow X2O Media updates on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About STRATACACHE

STRATACACHE provides scalable customer experiences, empowering retailers to learn deeply about their customers' shopping preferences and behaviors, allowing for personalized shopper interaction. Our solutions deliver consumer activation at the point-of-decision, generating new sales opportunities and enhanced retail profitability. With 3.3 million+ software activations globally, we power the biggest digital networks for the world's largest brands. Across the STRATACACHE family of complementary digital media/ad tech solution companies, we have the technology, expertise and track record to bring retail innovation that delivers results. Learn more about the STRATACACHE family at https://www.stratacache.com/en/ on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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DUBLIN, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- INVADE , a provider of an industry-leading predictive dialer solution for the market research industry, has teamed up with DIDWW , a global telecoms operator that offers premium quality VoIP communications and SIP trunking services. INVADE's innovative dialer system will be supported by DIDWW, thereby enabling its customers to efficiently and cost-effectively conduct large-scale outbound phone surveys.

As a popular solution for outbound call centers, predictive dialer software increases the productivity of interviewers by raising the call connect rate while also boosting customer engagement. INVADE has extensive experience in working with market research software and, due to their product's modular design, they are able to create the best-in-class predictive dialer that meets unique business needs.

DIDWW and INVADE's partnership will ensure that global market research clients can benefit from secure, uninterrupted service, premium call quality and the ability to access local routes with guaranteed CLI. DIDWW powerful SIP trunking solution, delivered over a private, global IP network, offers virtually unlimited call capacity and flexible SIP trunk settings. This service delivers premium audio quality coupled with sophisticated VoIP trunk configuration options and the highest service reliability.

Linda Elisha, CEO of INVADE's Commercial Partner Emertec, noted, "INVADE's relationship with DIDWW has effectively removed two of the pinch points we encountered with rapid worldwide deployment. Now we can provision SIP trunks in nearly any country, same day - dramatically cutting deployment times, and DIDWW has worked hard to understand our business and technical needs, so its support is truly competent - which is a massive benefit to us and our clients."

Mark Baker, CEO of INVADE International, added, "DIDWW has helped to facilitate our migration to the INVADE 'Dialler as a Service' model by making it simple and cost effective for us to manage all of our client's SIP requirements in-house. They share our vision and we value their partnership."

Laura Pakamaniene, Business Development Manager at DIDWW, said, "We are proud to have a partnership with INVADE and to be able to meet their unique business requirements. Our goal is not just to provide a top-notch SIP trunking solution, but to create long term partnerships and to generate value for our customers."

About DIDWW

DIDWW is a platform for telecommunication professionals with full self-service access and real-time provisioning, APIs and all the necessary building blocks for achieving the ultimate control over voice and SMS services.

The company offers the largest fully compliant international coverage of local, national, mobile, toll-free voice and SMS-enabled virtual phone numbers, two-way local and global SIP trunks, access to local emergency services, flexible capacity options, free global number portability, a number selection tool, and more.

DIDWW delivers premium quality services to thousands of operators worldwide through a private and fully geo-redundant network with mission-critical reliability and guaranteed SLAs. Their customers enjoy advanced solutions coupled with a unique service experience and superior value, all driven by a highly motivated team of professionals.

To learn more about DIDWW, please visit https://www.didww.com/ .

About INVADE

The INVADE team with its commercial partner Emertec support Market Research operations ranging in size from 5 to 1000 interviewers in more than 50 countries, helping them to make their outgoing interviewing operations as efficient as possible. It provides rapid deployment of its fully managed and flexible Dialer as a Service software, and other productivity modules for outbound or blended call centers, together with cost-effective SIP provision. A full API is available to facilitate integration with third party products.

Find out more at http://www.invade.net or contact elisha@emertec.co.uk

Press Contact:

Vilija Simkiene

Marketing Department

vilija.s@didww.com

+1 (212) 461 1854

www.didww.com

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LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / Golden Matrix Group Inc. (OTCQX:GMGI), a developer and licensor of online gaming platforms, systems and gaming content, today reported that the company has qualified to upgrade from the Pink market to the OTCQX Best Market, the top tier of the OTC Markets, and will begin trading today on the OTCQX under its existing symbol, GMGI.

In qualifying for inclusion on OTCQX, Golden Matrix was obligated to meet OTC Markets' stringent financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for Golden Matrix on www.otcmarkets.com.

"This upgrade to the OTCQX Market is a testament to our continuing progress in elevating Golden Matrix into a thriving provider of diverse, top-shelf gaming content and gaming systems to gaming operators and players across the globe," said Chief Executive Officer Brian Goodman, who continued, "It also demonstrates our company's financial strength and our commitment to delivering the highest standard of compliance, disclosure and corporate governance.

"At this juncture, when we believe we are on the cusp of bringing our top-quality aggregated gaming platform to international markets, we anticipate that this upgrade to OTCQX will provide us with expanded access to a wide array of new potential gaming operator customers, increase our exposure within the U.S. investment community, and provide greater opportunity to shareholders seeking to take part in our future growth."

Mr. Goodman also said he expected to be announcing positive news stemming from the upgrade "in the near future."

About Golden Matrix

Golden Matrix Group, based in Las Vegas NV, is an established gaming technology company that develops and owns online gaming IP and builds configurable and scalable white-label gaming platforms for its international customers, currently located primarily in the Asia Pacific region. The gaming IP includes tools for marketing, acquisition, retention and monetization of users. The Company's platform can be accessed through both desktop and mobile applications. Our sophisticated software automatically declines any gaming or redemption requests from within the United States, in strict compliance with current US law.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements represent the Company's current expectations or beliefs concerning future events and can generally be identified using statements that include words such as "estimate," "expects," "project," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "foresee," "forecast," "likely," "will," "target" or similar words or phrases. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of the Company's control which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company; the need for additional financing, the terms of such financing and the availability of such financing; the ability of the Company to manage growth; disruptions caused by acquisitions; the Company's reliance on its management; the fact that the Company's chief executive officer has voting control over the Company; related party relationships; the potential effect of economic downturns and market conditions on the Company's operations and prospects; the Company's ability to protect proprietary information; the ability of the Company to compete in its market; the Company's lack of effective internal controls; dilution caused by efforts to obtain additional financing; the effect of future regulation, the Company's ability to comply with regulations and potential penalties in the event it fails to comply with such regulations; the risks associated with gaming fraud, user cheating and cyber-attacks; risks associated with systems failures and failures of technology and infrastructure on which the Company's programs rely; foreign exchange and currency risks; the outcome of contingencies, including legal proceedings in the normal course of business; the ability to compete against existing and new competitors; the ability to manage expenses associated with sales and marketing and necessary general and administrative and technology investments; and general consumer sentiment and economic conditions that may affect levels of discretionary customer purchases of the Company's products, among others. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any of the forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, made in this release or in any of its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise that occur after that date, except as otherwise provided by law. Consequently, you should not consider any such list to be a complete set of all potential risks and uncertainties. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results is included from time to time in the "Forward-Looking Statements," "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's periodic and current filings with the SEC, including the Form 10-Qs and Form 10-Ks, filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov.

Connect with us:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/GMGI_Group

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Golden Matrix Group

Contact: Scott Yan

info@goldenmatrix.com

www.goldenmatrix.com

SOURCE: Golden Matrix Group Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665060/Golden-Matrix-Upgrades-to-OTCQX-Market
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / Klondike Gold Corp. (TSXV:KG)(FRA:LBDP)(OTC PINK:KDKGF) ("Klondike Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to report results of 2021 Phase 2b diamond drilling at the Lone Star Zone on the Company's wholly owned 586 square kilometer Klondike District Project near Dawson City, Yukon Territory.

Highlights from Phase 2b Lone Star Drilling:

0.35 g/t Au over 150.0 meters from 7.0 meters to 157.0 meters in LS21-397 including

0.74 g/t Au over 38.0 meters from 93.0 meters to 131.0 meters

0.62 g/t Au over 58.0 meters from 156.0 meters to 214.0 meters in LS21-402

0.84 g/t Au over 29.0 meters from 4.0 meters to 33.0 meters in LS21-399

Peter Tallman, Klondike Gold's CEO comments, "At ~200 meters vertical depth, these latest Phase 2b drill results from the Lone Star Zone intersected the deepest gold mineralization yet. In addition, the Lone Star Zone gold mineralization has demonstrated continuity along the downhill slope dip length over 350 meters distance. This is a substantial increase from 200 meters previously. All dimensions remain open, and we will soon be reporting the results of drill testing to the east. All these results will be incorporated into the forthcoming independent Technical Report as we work towards a maiden mineral resource."

PHASE 2 DRILLING

Phase 2 drilling at the Lone Star Zone is complete. Results from the Lone Star area (Phase 2b) tested the downslope and potential down-dip extension of the Lone Star Zone with 13 holes totalling 2,661 meters are reported here. Results from the Lone Star 'East' area (Phase 2a) tested the potential eastern extension of the Lone Star Zone with 12 holes totalling 1,222 meters, are still pending and due shortly. See Figure 1 for drill targets and Table 1 for assay results on the Phase 2b Drilling on the Lone Star Zone.

See Figure 2 for a simplified cross section across the Lone Star Zone showing continuity of mineralization subparallel to the slope which includes deep hole LS21-397.

Figure 1: Lone Star Zone Target Areas and 2021 Phase 2 Drill Holes.

Figure 2: Cross section with LS21-397 gold intersection from surface to 150 meters vertical depth.

Table 1: Significant Lone Star Zone Drill Phase 2b Mineralization

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Au (g/t) Length (m) LS21-391 189.00 198.00 0.48 9.00 LS21-391 189.00 218.00 0.27 29.00 LS21-391 232.00 252.00 0.49 20.00 LS21-396 5.00 10.00 0.72 5.00 LS21-397 7.00 157.00 0.35 150.00 LS21-397 7.00 17.00 0.94 10.00 LS21-397 64.00 82.00 0.53 18.00 LS21-397 93.00 131.00 0.74 38.00 LS21-398 93.83 107.00 0.58 13.17 LS21-399 4.00 33.00 0.84 29.00 LS21-400 117.00 130.00 0.52 13.00 LS21-401 14.00 55.00 0.20 31.00 LS21-402 105.00 124.36 0.60 19.36 LS21-402 156.00 214.00 0.62 58.00 LS21-403 1.52 46.00 0.37 44.48 LS21-403 65.00 80.77 0.47 15.77 LS21-404 139.00 146.00 0.82 7.00 LS21-405 235.00 239.27 0.43 4.27 LS21-406 18.00 34.00 0.41 16.00 LS21-407 22.00 42.00 0.51 20.00 LS21-407 134.00 139.00 0.49 5.00 LS21-407 134.00 172.20 0.24 38.20 LS21-407 158.00 172.20 0.43 14.20

All holes are drilled at 200 azimuth and 55 degree dip. Oriented core data shows sheeted gold quartz veining is structurally uniform at 310 azimuth and 35 degree northeast dip. From this data, drill hole intersections are approximately >90% of true width. Offsets of mineralization within section occur as a result of (oblique to section) offset faults with 30m to 100m approximate displacement.

GEOLOGY UPDATE

A significant deep crustal fault has been identified by mapping comprised of graphitic melange with large pyroxenite blocks or 'knockers' derived from crustal terranes deep beneath the obducted Klondike Schist. The Lone Star Zone mineralization comprised of gold-bearing sheeted vein zones with locally disseminated gold is developed between this deep crustal fault below and a secondary fault (the Rabbit Creek fault in earlier news releases) more than 1,000 meters away uphill.

PHASE 4 DRILLING AND EXPLORATION UPDATE

A Phase 4 addition to the 2021 drilling program consisting of approximately 12 to 15 holes totalling up to 1,500 meters is underway with holes planned to include testing a new target area located by recent prospecting (see News Release August 24, 2021).

Klondike Gold contracted GeoCloud Analytics of Melbourne, Australia to complete a detailed re-interpretation of the 2019 LIDAR survey data. A detailed interpretation of 10% of the Company's land holdings covering the core Bonanza and Eldorado Creek area has been received. Based upon the identification of abundant new targets, including over 1,200 previously unknown pits or workings as example, the re-interpretation work has been expanded to include the entire district flown with this survey. This work is intended to substantially increase the overall resolution of the original survey and to identify and systematically map key features that will help the Company target additional areas of potential mineralization throughout the Klondike District Project. The work is in progress.

Klondike Gold also contracted LiDAR Services International Inc. to complete a high resolution orthophoto survey over key areas of the Klondike District Project. The survey has been flown with results received and validated. This photo survey is now the base reference datum for ongoing drill work.

SRK Consulting of Toronto have been contracted to prepare a Technical (NI43-101) Report summarizing geology and exploration on the Company's Klondike District Project. Site visit field review has been completed. The report is in progress and is anticipated to be completed for filing by 4Q2021.

2021 ASSAY PROTOCOLS

All 2021 drill holes referenced in this release produced NTW (5.71cm dia.) drill core. Assay samples from drill core are cut using a diamond saw. Half the core sample interval is bagged, tagged, and sealed; the other half is returned to the core box with a corresponding tag and retained for reference. Two gold reference standards, two blank samples (a coarse and a fine), and a coarse sample duplicate per 100 samples, are routinely inserted as part of Klondike Gold's quality assurance / quality control ("QA/QC") program, independent of and additional to the laboratory QA/QC program.

Sample bags are aggregated into rice bags, sealed, and submitted by Klondike Gold personnel to Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories ("BV Labs") preparation facility in Whitehorse, YT with chemical analysis of sample pulps completed in Vancouver, British Columbia. Bureau Veritas Labs is an accredited ISO 9001:2008 full-service commercial laboratory.

At BV Labs each drill core sample is crushed to 70% passing 2 mm size. A 500 g subsample is pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns size (200 mesh)(Code PRP70-500). All samples of 500 g were sieved to 106 microns (140 mesh) for "metallic screen" assaying. The +140 mesh fraction is weighed and assayed for gold by fire assay ("FA") fusion with a gravimetric finish (Code FS631). A 30 g subsample of the -140 mesh fraction is assayed for gold by fire assay ("FA") fusion with an atomic absorption ("AA") finish (Code FA430). All over-limit results in excess of 10 ppm (10 g/t) for both silver and gold are re-assayed using a 30 g subsample and assayed by FA with a gravimetric finish (Code FA530-Au/Ag). Total gold grade is then calculated using a weighted average of the plus and minus fraction assay results.

QUALIFIED PERSONS REVIEW

The technical and scientific information contained within this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ian Perry, P.Geo., Vice-President Exploration of Klondike Gold Corp. and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 policy. Detailed technical information, specifications, analytical information and procedures can be found on the Company's website.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Klondike Gold continues to take proactive measures to protect the health and safety of our local host community, our contractors and our employees from COVID 19. Exploration activities in 2021 continue to have additional safety measures in place, following and exceeding all the recommendations made by the Yukon's Chief Medical Officer.

ABOUT KLONDIKE GOLD CORP.

Klondike Gold Corp. is a Vancouver based gold exploration company advancing its 100%-owned Klondike District Gold Project located at Dawson City, Yukon Territory, one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world. The Klondike District Gold Project targets gold associated with district scale orogenic faults along the 55-kilometer length of the famous Klondike Goldfields placer district. To date, multi-kilometer gold mineralization has been identified at both the Lone Star Zone and Stander Zone, among other targets. The Company is focused on exploration and development of its 586 square kilometer property accessible by scheduled airline and government-maintained roads located on the outskirts of Dawson City, YT within the Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation traditional territory.

ON BEHALF OF KLONDIKE GOLD CORP.

"Peter Tallman"

President and CEO

(604) 609-6138

E-mail: info@klondikegoldcorp.com

Website: www.klondikegoldcorp.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.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

"This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This information and statements address future activities, events, plans, developments and projections. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information and statements are frequently identified by words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and similar terminology, and reflect assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management of Klondike in light of its experience, current conditions, expectations of future developments and other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking information and statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Klondike's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information and statements and accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed thereon.

Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary include but are not limited to the availability of financing; fluctuations in commodity prices; changes to and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including environmental laws and obtaining requisite permits; political, economic and other risks; as well as other risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in our annual and quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other filings made by us with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Klondike disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements except as may be required."

SOURCE: Klondike Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665110/Klondike-Gold-Drills-from-Surface-084-gt-Au-over-290-meters-and-Deepest-Intersection-to-Date-Of-062-gt-Au-over-580-meters-to-214-meters-at-Lone-Star-Zone
Surge in demand for luxury tourism, rise in disposable income, and shift toward alternative sources of energy drive the growth of the global spinnaker pole market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Spinnaker Pole Market by Material (Aluminum, and Carbon), Boat Length (Small boat, Midrange boat, and Big boat), Distribution Channel (Online, and Offline) and Application (Professional Sports, and Cruising): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030". According to the report, the global spinnaker pole industry generated $450.1 million in 2020, and is anticipated to generate $1.25 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 10.6% from 2021 to 2030.

Prime determinants of growth

Surge in demand for luxury tourism, rise in disposable income, and shift toward alternative sources of energy drive the growth of the global spinnaker pole market. However, high costs associated with yacht charter hinder the market growth. On the other hand, change in sailboat and yacht infrastructure present new opportunities in the coming years.

Download Sample PDF (280 Pages with More Insight):https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/8623

Covid-19 Scenario

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic led to strict lockdowns, which have forced almost all sectors to shut down their operations. This has hampered manufacturing and production activities of spinnaker pole.

The demand for spinnaker poles from various end-use industries has declined drastically during the initial stage of the pandemic.

However, the market rapidly recovered after the manufacturing facilities were back with full production and operation capacity.

The aluminum segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on material, the aluminum segment held the highest market share in 2020, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global spinnaker pole market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This is due to surge in demand for sailing across the world. However, the carbon segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 11.1% from 2021 to 2030, owing to rise in sailing activities.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Spinnaker Pole Market:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/8623

The online segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on distribution channel, the online segment accounted for the largest share in 2020, contributing to nearly two-thirds of the global spinnaker pole market, and is projected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. This is due to huge offers and discounts on e-commerce sites. Moreover, this segment is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 11.0% from 2021 to 2030. The report includes analysis of the offline segment.

Europe, followed by North America, to maintain its dominance by 2030

Based on region, Europe, followed by North America, held the highest market share in terms of revenue 2020, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global spinnaker pole market. This is because Europe produces the most spinnaker poles and exports them to other countries. Moreover, this region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 11.4% during the forecast period.

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Leading Market Players:-

AG+Spars

Allen Brother LTD

Axxon Composites

Competition Composites Inc.

CST composites

Hoel Composites

Offshore Spars Co.

Selden Mast AB

Sparcraft

Z Spars UK.

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Germany ranks in the Top 5 M&A destinations for Indian companies globally and is the third most active European acquirer in India, as a report on Indo-German deals states.

A business report tracking merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in the Indo-German trade corridor in the past decade, has revealed that 171 M&A deals valued at USD 4.5 billion took place in that period.

The report has further stated that Germany is also the third most active European acquirer of businesses in India, hence, solidifying its presence in both inbound and outbound acquisitions. The Nexdigm-Ebner Stolz report titled 'Enabling Collaborative Development Indo-German deals in a decade' was released to commemorate 70 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and India.

Acquisitions from Indian companies in Germany:

As per the report, Germany is the most popular M&A destination for Indian auto companies as the country is the global hub for auto innovation and the second-largest export market for Indian auto component manufacturers.

Indian investments in software companies have also been following an increasing trend. Given the rapidly evolving nature of the industry, cash-rich Indian IT companies have been making global acquisitions to enhance their technology portfolio and tap into experienced talent, along with expanding their customer base.

Speaking of these observations, Dr. Christoph Eppinger, Partner at Ebner Stolz, said, "While the UK has been the leading investment destination in Europe for Indian companies in the past, Brexit may propel Germany's popularity as a foothold for Indian companies in the EU, as they need an alternative to consolidate and manage their EU operations."

The report stated that 70% of all acquisitions by Indian companies in Germany have been complete buyouts, on the back of a more organized and mature economy.

Acquisitions from German companies in India

German acquisitions in India are fueled by the country's large captive consumption market and its positioning as a value-efficient base to cater to the world. With India's improving R&D competencies, German companies are also viewing the country as an R&D hub. M&A trends emphasize the strengths of the two countries as sectors such as automotive, pharmaceuticals, and software, lead deal activity, highlighting the synergistic opportunities.

Considering the complex and distinct business environments of India and Germany, the corridor has been ripe with collaborations, with over 600 Indo-German joint ventures in India.

The report found that less than 30% of all acquisitions by German companies in India were complete buyouts, suggesting German companies' preference to retain Indian promoters to counter challenges of operating in the subcontinent with their local know-how and on-ground management.

M&A trends post-pandemic

According to Tanwir Shirolkar, Senior Director at Nexdigm, "The transactional trend in the next few years is geared towards digitalization. E-health, ed-tech, and e-retail are among the sectors which have observed a flurry of deals in the past year and a half, and this interest is only expected to pique further. The report suggests that post-pandemic, artificial intelligence, cloud adoption, data security, health-tech and green energy are some of the key areas that will drive deal activity".

Further, with the increasing interests from mid-market companies on both sides, cross-border M&A, strategic collaborations, and technology tie-ups will be crucial to drive business growth and expansion in the Indo-German corridor. In addition to acquisitions and JVs, companies would also look to contract research and manufacturing arrangements.

The report may be accessed by clicking the link.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005651/en/

Contacts:

Rosilian Raja

Email: rosilian@carmine.co.in

Carmine Communications LLP

Mumbai, India
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - Commander Resources Ltd. (TSXV: CMD) ("Commander") is pleased to provide an update of its 2021 exploration program on its 100% owned projects in British Columbia and Ontario.

Highlights

Property wide till sampling program underway at First Loon gold project in Pickle Lake Ontario

Mapping and sampling program underway at the Sabin VMS and intrusion-hosted gold project in northwestern Ontario. An induced polarization survey is planned for October.

Mapping and sampling program completed at the Omineca porphyry copper-gold project in north central British Columbia. Airborne magnetic survey planned for November.

Mapping and sampling program completed at he October Dome gold skarn project in central British Columbia. Airborne magnetic survey planned for November.

4 active joint ventures in Canada and Mexico with anticipated work programs.

First Loon Gold Project, Ontario

In January Commander completed an initial geological and structural interpretation of its recent 800 line-kilometre airborne Magnetic and EM survey on its First Loon Project in the Pickle Lake Gold Belt of Ontario. The interpretation successfully identified three principal target areas based on magnetic and resistivity features and similarities extrapolated from nearby gold mining operations. Key conclusions from the survey indicated that the main Pickle Crow mine trend crosses onto the property east of First Loon Lake, wraps around a prominent fold closure, continues southwest through the length of the project, and wraps around another fold closure. Major structures are inferred from obvious breaks and truncations in the geophysical patterns.

The 2021 summer field program is nearing completion and comprises ground mapping and prospecting of key target areas and a property-wide till sampling program. Gold grain counts will be determined by IOS Services Geoscientifiques Inc. using their automated grain count technology. Composition of separated gold grains will be confirmed using a Scanning Electron Microscope.

Sabin Zinc Copper Silver Gold Project Ontario

Sabin zinc-copper-silver-gold volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) project is in northwest Ontario, within the Sturgeon Lake greenstone belt. The project is primarily centered on extensive VMS-style alteration and mineralization and the newly identified Quarry Zone bulk tonnage-style gold target within the Patterson Lake Stock where sampling in 2020 returned gold values up to 1.4 g/t from grab samples. Work is underway on a first pass mapping and sampling program at the Quarry Zone in preparation for a 20 line-kilometre induced polarization survey planned for the coming months.

The Quarry showing is exposed in the bottom of a gravel pit and only about 10-15 m of strike is exposed with a minimum width of 25-35 m. The target is coincident with a single VTEM conductor within a broader area of low resistivity. The IP survey will allow a larger footprint to be outlined beneath the extensive cover. The showing, hosted within a granodiorite, comprises sheeted intensely altered (quartz-sericite-pyrite-iron carbonate) shear zones with extension quartz veins emanating from the shears.

Omineca Copper-Gold Project British Columbia

In August the company completed a mapping and sampling program at Omineca designed to expand the large copper and gold soil anomaly and associated porphyry mineralization by extending the coverage of the historical soil grids to the west and north as well as verifying historical mapping.

Previous work by Commander on the Omineca project has included reconnaissance prospecting, mapping, and geochemical sampling, which identified high copper and gold soil geochemistry within the property in a porphyry copper-gold setting. An overlapping anomalous zone of >1,000 ppm Cu (0.1%) in soils and up to 250 ppb Au in soils (0.25 g/t Au) covers over 1.8 km in extent. Anomalous gold values (>50 ppb) extend a further 1.5 km beyond this zone. A close spaced airborne magnetic survey is planned in October.

October Dome Gold Project, British Columbia

The 2021 work programme on the October Dome property consisted of mapping, soil, and rock sampling along the steep slopes along the Quesnel River designed to identify the key skarn horizon originally encountered in historical drill hole OD-06. The geology of October Dome is like that which hosts the mineralization mined at the past producing QR gold mine located 6 kilometres to the northwest. An airborne magnetic survey is planned for the property in October.

Hole OD-6 encountered a 15-metre core length of massive magnetite skarn with semi-massive pyrite layers accompanied by chalcopyrite, epidote, and garnet at the sediment/basalt contact. A nine-metre section of this skarn assayed 0.7 gram per tonne gold, including a three-metre length that returned 1.3 g/t Au. For full details of the drill program reference should be made to Bearing Resources news release dated December 3, 2013.

Robert Cameron, P. Geo. is a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 and has read and takes responsibility for the technical aspects of this release.

About Commander Resources:

Commander Resources is a Canadian focused exploration company that has leveraged its success in exploration through partnerships and sale of properties, while retaining equity and royalty interests. Commander has a portfolio of base and precious metal projects across Canada. Commander also retains royalties from properties that have been partnered, optioned or sold.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Robert Cameron, P. Geo.

President and CEO

For further information, please call:

Robert Cameron, President and CEO

Toll Free: 1-800-667-7866

info@commanderresources.com

www.commanderresources.com





Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97300
The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) the specialist provider of transfusion medicine in Scotland will implement the biolog-id blood inventory devices to optimize the management of its blood products across the country. Through this deployment, biolog-id's cutting-edge technology will streamline the complex inventory and distribution processes of the red blood cells to distant sites, enhancing the visibility and management of those lifesaving products between the Scottish blood centre and each remote blood bank.

Designed for healthcare professionals specialized in the transfusion field, the Biolog Transfusion Solution combines RFID enabled devices powered by a proprietary IT engine and electronic labels. Biolog-id's contactless devices are integrated into SNBTS' IT transfusion management solution (MAK-SYSTEM e-TRACELINE), offering real-time visibility of each component at each step of the supply chain. The corner-stone devices of this solution are the RFID Smart Storage kits (SST-R) retrofitting the existing blood bank cabinets, enabling transfusion personnel to manage more precisely red blood cells units locally and at distance, and particularly to provide accurately the positioning of the blood bags within the cabinets.

"We are very honoured that, through our partnership with MAK-SYTEM, our technology has been positively evaluated by SNBTS to respond to the nation's Hospital Blood Bank sustainability project", states Philippe Jacquet, Executive Director of Sales EMEA/LATAM at biolog-id. "These implementations demonstrate the value of our Transfusion Solution that, despite distance challenges, ensures a full traceability and security to SNBTS in their crucial mission.

"We were looking for a long time for a technology that would improve service provision within the national blood service and blood banks, whatever the distances", said Sarah McCubbin, Operational Lead at SNBTS. "By implementing the biolog-id solution not only saves time for the medical staff, but it also ensures full optimization of the blood components' lifecycle".

Serving a total of 27 hospitals over Scotland, the SNBTS plays an active and crucial role in the delivery of effective healthcare to patients. This long-term project is already up and running with two sites using biolog-id SST-R kits (Dr Grays' District General Hospital Elgin, Western Isles). Another deployment is expected to start in the coming weeks at Stracathro Community Hospital with plans to implement further kits on four of the five SNBTS within the next year.

About biolog-id:

Biolog-id develops and implements innovative solutions, that digitally transform routine processes into actionable data supporting better operational and strategic decisions for sensitive therapeutic products.

The information generated by biolog-id solutions is available to Healthcare Professionals at any time, enhancing their processes efficiency, work conditions and ultimately the safety of the therapeutics administered to patients.

Biolog-id's patented platform is utilized in North America, Europe, Middle East, India, and Asia Pacific. Biolog-id is owned by its founder, managers, and Xerys Invest. Xerys Invest is a French investment company primarily positioned on trending sectors that include healthcare Life Sciences, renewable energy/GreenTech and new digital technologies.

Company URL: www.biolog-id.com

About the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS):

SNBTS is the specialist provider of transfusion medicine in Scotland, supplying high quality blood, tissues, cells and services. It works with communities, hospitals and professionals to ensure that the donor's gift is used wisely and effectively for the benefit of patients.

SNBTS key priority is to ensure that NHS Scotland has enough blood to meet the transfusion needs of patients in Scotland. It is our responsibility to make sure that blood, tissues and cells are available when patients need them.

Company URL: https://www.scotblood.co.uk/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005666/en/

Contacts:

Astrid Billard, astrid.billard@biolog-id.com
Acquisition of live commerce software pioneer Go Instore will give B2C brands faster connection-to-conversion experiences in-store and online

Emplifi, a leading unified customer experience platform, today announced the acquisition of Go Instore, a UK-based video powered retail platform. Go Instore enables live commerce by connecting online customers with in-store product experts using immersive HD live video. Their leading-edge video technology provides brands with a new channel via which they can engage with and serve their customers, strengthening Emplifi's omnichannel approach meeting customers, wherever they are.

With the addition of Go Instore, Emplifi Social Commerce Cloud is leading the way in the commerce market as the platform of choice for customer experience-focused brands. Today more than ever, brands need the ability to deliver livestream shopping experiences, as well as provide stand-alone livestream solutions to enable them to build faster connection-to-conversion experiences for their audiences. Live video can be used to provide customers with a number of personalized services, including sessions ??virtual stylists, fashion consultants, product experts or sales people -- or use it to host one-to-many streamed video events from your own website or via social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram for product launches, seasonal campaigns or influencer marketing promotions.

"We are thrilled to welcome Go Instore into the Emplifi family with their outstanding people, platform, culture and fantastic customers," said Emplifi CEO Mark Zablan. "This acquisition marks another important milestone on our journey towards being the CX platform of choice for brands who want to give their customers great experiences at every touchpoint on their journey. We're excited to start helping brands connect and convert consumers more quickly and directly through the power of livestream video and social media."

"We are incredibly excited to join forces with Emplifi to deliver even more powerful shopping experiences across our client's websites and social channels," said Andre Hordagoda, Co-Founder, Go Instore. "Emplifi's vision, innovation, and speed-to-market align perfectly with Go Instore. Together we will accelerate retail transformation with social commerce." added Aman Khurana, Co-Founder, Go Instore.

Go Instore, which is headquartered in London, has 60+ employees and more than 100 global clients, including Currys, Marks Spencer, Pandora, Signet Jewelers, Samsung, HP and many more.

With the addition of live commerce technology, Emplifi continues its fast-paced go-to-market strategy. Coming off the recent rebranding and fusion of Astute Solutions and Socialbakers companies, Emplifi's acquisition of Go Instore helps strengthen its position as a CX leader and provides brands with an end-to-end platform for social marketing, social commerce and omnichannel service and care.

About Emplifi:

Emplifi is a leading unified CX platform that brings marketing, commerce and care together to help businesses close the customer experience gap. More than 7,000 brands, including Delta Air Lines, Ford Motor Company and McDonalds, rely on Emplifi to provide their customers with outstanding experiences at every touchpoint. For more information, visit www.emplifi.io.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005562/en/

Contacts:

Amlika Lal

Global PR Director, Emplifi

amlika.lal@emplifi.io
22 September 2021

Marechale Capital plc

("Marechale" or the "Company")

Notice of AGM

Marechale Capital Plc (AIM: MAC) announces that a Notice of Annual General Meeting has been posted to shareholders of the Company convening a meeting to be held on 14 October 2021 at 11.00 a.m. at 46 New Broad St., London EC2M 1JH. A copy of the Notice of AGM will shortly be available on the Company's website, www.marechalecapital.com.

Given the current circumstances in relation to Covid-19, the Board has made the decision that the AGM will be held as a closed meeting in accordance with the provisions of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020. This means that the AGM will be convened with the minimum quorum of shareholders (facilitated by the Company) to conduct the formal business of the AGM. As such, for the safety and security of all involved, shareholders and their proxies are unable to attend the AGM in person this year. However, shareholders will be able to attend the AGM virtually via Zoom. Shareholders are invited to email the Company at mail@marechalecapital.com by 12.00pm on Tuesday 12 October 2021 in order to be provided with the relevant Zoom invite. Shareholders wishing to attend by Zoom will be required to supply verifiable contact details which will be accepted at the Company's absolute discretion and to evidence their shareholding (i.e. how many shares they hold and the nominee name in which they are held, if not held in their personal name).

In light of this, you are strongly advised to appoint the Chairman of the meeting as your proxy to ensure that your vote is counted. Shareholders are invited to submit any questions that they have on the business of the AGM by email to mail@marechalecapital.com. Where questions are received by 12.00pm on Monday11 October 2021, direct responses will be provided in advance of the AGM. If they are received after this time, direct responses will be provided subsequently.

For further information please contact:
BANGALORE, India, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hydraulic Equipment Market is Segmented by Application (Mobile and Industrial), End User (Mining & Construction, Agriculture & Forestry, Packaging, Material Handling, and Others), and Product (Pumps, Motors, Valves, and Cylinders): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027. This report is published in Valuates Reports under Heavy Machinery Category.

The global hydraulic equipment market size is expected to reach USD 51,653.1 Million in 2027, from USD 40,518.6 Million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 3.8% from 2020 to 2027.

Machines that use liquid fluid power for their operations are referred to as hydraulic machines.

Major factors driving the growth of the hydraulic equipment market are:

Increasing application in various end-user industries is expected to drive the growth of the hydraulic equipment market. Hydraulic machinery is both mobile and industrial in nature. Mobile hydraulic equipment is used in machines that move, such as cranes, loaders, dumpers, bulldozers, and other similar devices, whereas industrial hydraulic equipment is utilized in industries such as packing, paper, plastic, and printing.

Development in construction & mining industries, automation in agriculture, and expansion of new manufacturing facilities have boosted the demand for hydraulic equipment.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE HYDRAULIC EQUIPMENT MARKET

An increase in the number of construction activities around the world is expected to drive the growth of the hydraulic equipment market. The rapidly rising population has resulted in the increasing demand for housing, which has boosted the procurement of hydraulic equipment in emerging economies. Hydraulics are used in various construction equipment such as cranes, loaders, dumpers, bulldozers, and similar other machines. Furthermore, an increase in underwater exploration activities is propelling the hydraulic equipment market.

Hydraulics equipment is also used in the agriculture and forestry sector in the form of tractors, harvesters, harrows, chippers, and shredders. Furthermore, pumps, valves, cylinders, and motors are used as components of various machines to perform a variety of operations in industries such as paper, packaging, printing, and plastic. Valves, for example, are used in filling machines to fill various types of containers, such as cans, bottles, or tetra packs. Hence, application in a wide range of end-user industries is expected to further boost the hydraulic equipment market growth.

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HYDRAULIC EQUIPMENT MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

Based on application. The mobile segment is projected to grow at a significant 4.1% CAGR. Mobile hydraulic equipment is used in moving objects such as cranes, loaders, dumpers, bulldozers, and similar machines

Based on end-user, the Packaging is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period.

Based on region, Asia-Pacific holds a dominant position in 2019, and LAMEA is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period.

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HYDRAULIC EQUIPMENT MARKET SEGMENTATION

By Application

Mobile

Industries.

By End User

Mining & Construction

Agriculture & Mining

Packaging

Material Handling

Other (petrochemical, machine tools, automotive, paper, plastic, rubber and printing).

By Product

Pumps

Motors

Valves

Cylinders.

Key Companies

Daikin Industries Ltd.

Danfoss A/S

Eaton

Emerson Electric Co.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.

Komatsu Ltd.

Parker-Hannifin Corp.

Robert Bosch GmbH

Siemens AG

Wipro Limited.

By Region

North America

U.S.



Canada



Mexico

Europe

Germany



UK



Denmark



Italy



Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China



Japan



South Korea



India



Rest of Asia-Pacific

LAMEA

Latin America



Middle East



Africa

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SIMILAR REPORTS

- Mobile Hydraulic Equipment market size is projected to reach USD 27010 Million by 2027, from USD 19500 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 4.8% during 2021-2027.

- Global Industrial Hydraulic Equipment Market Outlook 2021

- Global Hydraulic Equipment for Mobile Applications Industry Research Report, Growth Trends and Competitive Analysis 2021-2027

- Construction equipment rental market size was valued at USD 90,997.4 Million in 2019, and is expected to reach USD 106,422.0 Million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 4.2% from 2020 to 2027.

- Global Hydraulic Gear Pumps and Control Valves Market Research Report 2021

- Global Hydraulic Power Unit Market Insights and Forecast to 2027

- Global Hydraulic Auxiliary Equipment Sales Market Report 2021

- Global Heavy Equipment Maintenance Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021-2027

- Global and Japan Heavy Equipment Tracking, Monitoring and Control Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021-2027

Click here to see related reports on Hydraulic equipment market

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Biological Separation of Chiral Chemicals is Becoming Prevalent by the Day; Fact.MR Projects Demand to Increase by 13% CAGR

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The chiral chemicals market study by Fact.MR offers compelling insights into growth drivers and restraints impacting the market through 2030. The survey offers chiral chemicals demand outlook and studies opportunities existing in key segments in terms of end user, separation technologies, and region. It also highlights strategies adopted by market players to increase chiral chemicals sales

As per the insights by Fact.MR, the global market for chiral chemicals is anticipated to rise at a CAGR of nearly 16% over the forecast period 2020-2030.

Spurred by expansion of the pharmaceutical sector, the demand for chiral chemicals is forecast to increase considerably over the forthcoming years. In line with this, pharmaceutical manufacturers are creating strategies to produce enantiomerically pure chemicals, which in turn creating a conducive environment for growth. As a result, use of chiral chemicals in pharmaceutical applications is anticipated to account for over 3/4th of the overall market share.

The market will continue gaining from improving investments in chemical sectors especially in the emerging economies. Meanwhile, governments are charting out strategies to encourage the production of biochemicals, which is turn creating lucrative opportunities for chiral manufacturers.

For more insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=5397

Besides these, increasing demand from agrochemical sector will cater to the market growth. This can also be attributed to shifting focus on producing eco-friendly agricultural chemicals. Key players are expected capitalize on opportunities created by the rising production of eco-friendly herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, plant growth regulators.

Leading manufacturers are increasing their investments in research and development capabilities to examine modern processes of biological separation. Fact.MR has estimated that the demand for biological separation method will grow at an impressive CAGR of 13% over the forecast period.

Regionally, North America is anticipated to demonstrate a rapid growth in the chiral chemicals market. Growth in the region is driven by presence of leading manufacturers coupled with government policies encouraging biocatalysts production.

"Leading manufacturers are expected to focus on increasing the production of enantiomerically pure chemicals. Besides this, they are capitalizing on opportunities existing in fast growing end-use segments such as pharmaceutical and agrochemicals industries," said a Fact.MR analyst.

Key Takeaways from Chiral Chemicals Market Survey

Asia Pacific market is likely to register the fastest growth on account of increasing demand for chiral chemicals from pharmaceutical and agriculture industries.

market is likely to register the fastest growth on account of increasing demand for chiral chemicals from pharmaceutical and agriculture industries. Driven by rapid expansion of pharmaceutical industry, demand outlook for China market remains positive.

market remains positive. North America is emerging as a highly lucrative market due to increasing demand for chiral chemicals across the U.S., Canada , and Mexico .

is emerging as a highly lucrative market due to increasing demand for chiral chemicals across the U.S., , and . Europe market for chiral chemicals is projected to grow at a rapid pace due to the presence of key players in the region.

market for chiral chemicals is projected to grow at a rapid pace due to the presence of key players in the region. Based on separation techniques, the demand for traditional separation techniques is forecast to surge at a steady pace over the forthcoming years.

Key Drivers

Increasing demand for chiral chemicals in pharmaceutical applications is spurring sales prospects.

Growing investments towards manufacturing eco-friendly agrochemicals in emerging economies is driving the growth of the chiral chemicals market.

To learn more about Chiral Chemicals Market, you can get in touch with our Analyst at

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=5397

Competitive Landscape

Chiral chemicals manufacturers are focusing on developing innovative technologies through research and development to boost production of enantiomerically pure chemicals. Also, they are investing in acquisitions and partnerships to gain a competitive edge in the market.

For instance, in 2020, Ascensus Specialties LLC, a global leader in high-purity specialty chemicals announced the completion of acquisition of Strem Chemicals Inc. This integrated business will offer capabilities ranging from lab to large scale commercial production.

Some of the leading players operating in the chiral chemicals market profiled by Fact.MR are:

BASF SE

Chiracon GmbH

Chiral Technologies Inc. (Daicel Corporation)

Codexis Inc.

Johnson Matthey

PerkinElmer Inc.

Solvias AG

Strem Chemicals

Toray Industries Inc.

W.R. Grace & Co.

More Valuable Insights on Chiral Chemicals Market

Fact.MR, in its new report, offers an unbiased analysis of the global chiral chemicals market, analyzing forecast statistics through 2020 and beyond. the survey reveals growth projections on chiral chemicals market with detailed segmentation:

End-User

Pharmaceuticals

Agrochemicals

Fine/Specialty Chemicals

Food Ingredients

Others

Separation Technologies

HPLC

UHPLC

SFC

SMB

Others

Region

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia and ASEAN

and ASEAN Oceania

Middle East & Africa

Key Questions Covered in the Chiral Chemicals Market Report

The market survey also highlights projected sales growth for chiral chemicals market between 2020 and 2030

The report offers insight into chiral chemicals demand outlook for forecast period 2020-2030

Chiral chemicals market share analysis of the key companies within the industry and coverage of strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, collaborations or partnerships, and others

Chiral chemicals market analysis identifies key growth drivers, restraints, and other forces impacting prevailing trends and evaluation of current market size and forecast and technological advancements within the industry

Explore Fact.MR's Coverage on the Chemical & Materials Domain -

Bio-based Platform Chemicals Market- Bio-based platform chemicals are a class of chemical building blocks that can be made from sugar using a biological conversion method. One of the primary drivers driving the market's favourable outlook is significant expansion in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Growing need for environment-friendly and bio-based chemicals, as well as rising demand for bio-based levulinic acid and bio-based glucaric acid, are all driving market expansion. Other growth-inducing elements include numerous product developments, such as the invention of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs).

Pre-emergent Herbicide Market- Pre-emergent herbicides are widely used in agricultural lands, lawns, and other locations where weed development is a major concern. Pre-emergent herbicides are used to prevent undesirable weed development that threatens land fertility in the future. Acid and salt are the two major formulation kinds. Pre-emergent herbicide market, salt pre-emergent herbicide market captures the majority of the market due to its extensive application in crops such as cereals & grains, oilseeds, pulses, pastures & forage crops, and other crops, which has tremendously thrived the market.

Bio rational Fungicides Market- Bio rational fungicides are fungicides that have no or minimal harmful effects on the human body or the environment. They are suitable for use in organic greenhouses and indoor agricultural facilities due to their low toxicity. The industry is expected to benefit from the growing trend of using organic fertilisers, insecticides, and fungicides instead of chemicals. Growing global knowledge of the benefits of using organic farm products is driving demand for organic agricultural ingredients, which will eventually increase demand for organic pesticides, particularly bio rational fungicides.

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NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Genially , a leading interactive content creation platform, has raised $20M with its latest round of funding. Their Series B financing was led by the U.S. venture capital firms 645 Ventures and Owl Ventures and aims to accelerate the company's goal to set a global standard in content creation. They were joined by the European venture capitalists DN Capital and Brighteye Ventures and successful entrepreneurs like s16VC and Kahoot founders.

Previous backers JME Ventures, GP Bullhound, FJLab, Market One Capital and Athos Capital are investing in the startup again, reaffirming their commitment to the company.

This capital injection advances Genially's place as a leader in interactive content. Its priorities include the growth and loyalty of its community along with the constant evolution of its product.

Genially was founded in Spain in 2015, and over the last year, the company has opened an office in New York and tripled its user base and revenue.

Juan Rubio, co-founder and CEO celebrates this milestone: "Genially is ready for the next stage of growth. Making Genially a global and iconic company has always been part of our vision; we want to create a new standard in communication with interactive content at its core. We believe that this round is an important step towards realizing this vision, not so much for the capital received but rather because of the value offered by our new partners."

The ease of use and the visual appeal of the resulting interactive and animated creations have pushed Genially forward to make a name for itself among learning, marketing, graphic design, and communication professionals. Genially has over 10 million creators, and its "geniallys" have billions of views. Its community is present in over 190 countries and boasts especially heavy use in countries such as France, Spain, Mexico, and Colombia, and rapid growth in 2021 in countries such as the United States, Brazil, and Italy.

645 Ventures , headquartered in New York, has ample experience in software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure and consumer technology. Aaron Holiday, Co-founder & Managing Partner shared: "While we were first impressed by the rapid growth of millions of users of Genially's software, we were most impressed by the founders' purity of motivation to build a creative software that users love to use at home, work, and school. The team is also building an outstanding culture where team members are happy and motivated by the company's goal to create a new standard in content creation."

Owl Ventures , based in Silicon Valley, is known for its investments in the EdTech sector. Amit A. Patel, Managing Director added: "We were impressed by the diversity of Genially's user base. The product's popularity among designers, marketing personnel, teachers, and college students was unique. The multinational corporations, universities, and governments Genially counts as customers make it clear that Genially is a communication tool flexible enough to be used in any department within any organization."

Large organizations such as the Red Cross, Volkswagen, University of Columbia, Michelin and Louis Vuitton (LVMH), as well as millions of educators, students, graphic designers, and startups form Genially's community.

About Genially

Launched in 2015, Genially is an online tool for creating interactive and animated content. With Genially, anyone can create incredible communication experiences easily, quickly, and for free. The creation types available include presentations, infographics, interactive images, maps, quizzes, resumes and calendars. Given its versatility, the tool excels in both corporate and educational contexts.

Genially's founders are available for interviews. For more information please contact press@genially.com and visit Genially press kit

About Owl Ventures

Owl Ventures is the largest venture capital fund in the world focused on the education technology market with over $1.3 billion in assets under management. The Silicon Valley based firm invests in the world's leading education technology companies across the education spectrum encompassing PreK-12, higher education and future of work (career mobility/professional learning). Owl Ventures has deep domain expertise and leverages a global network of Limited Partners, investors, and strategic partners to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses into transformative category-leading companies.

Press Contact: Info@OwlVC.com

About 645 Ventures

645 Ventures invests in early-stage startups in SaaS, infrastructure software, and consumer technologies, partnering with founders to build growth-stage businesses that reach massive scale. 645 champions outbound value creation by combining operational expertise with an elite network that actively influences portfolio outcomes.

645 is backed by premier institutional LPs such as Princeton University, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Spelman College, as well as influential business and technology leaders who serve on the boards of companies such as Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Walmart, and American Express.



Press Contact: lquirk@645ventures.com

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Chicago, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - September 22, 2021) - According to a new market research report "Secure Access Service Edge Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis, by Offering (Network as a Service and Security as a Service), Organization Size (SMEs and Large Enterprises), Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026" published by MarketsandMarkets, in the post-COVID-19 scenario, the global Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Market size is projected to grow from USD 1.2 Billion in 2021 to USD 4.1 Billion by 2026, recording a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 26.4% from 2021 to 2026. Key factors that are driving the market growth include the growing preference for remote working in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the rising need for a unified network security architecture with the capabilities of SD-WAN, FWaaS, SWG, CASB, and ZTNA solutions.

Browse 144 Market Data Tables and 43 Figures spread through 192 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Market @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=220384224.

By offering, Security As a Service Segment Is Expected to Grow at a Higher CAGR Than the Network as a Service (NaaS) Segment During the Forecast Period.

According to Zscaler, Security as a service is a way to deliver security technologies, which are traditionally found in enterprise data centers or regional gateways, as a cloud service. Security as a service has become an important enabler of business in the world because it provides secure access to applications and services, no matter where they are hosted or where users connect. NaaS services can range from managed software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) and network access, including wireless to security, unified communications services, and more, either in a public cloud or on virtualized customer premise equipment (vCPE).

Based on Vertical, BFSI Segment Is Estimated to Lead the Market in 2021.

The BFSI vertical has been at the forefront in adopting SD-WAN, as it enables the banking institutions to provide a broad spectrum of services to customers at sustainable costs. The BFSI vertical is facing bandwidth and security issues while connecting regional offices such as branch offices and data centers. The SASE platforms have built-in security features that secure hybrid networks for widespread use.

Request a Sample Pages @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=220384224.

By region, North America Is Expected to Account for the Largest Market Share During the Forecast Period.

The North American region has the presence of several prominent market players delivering advanced solutions to all the industry verticals in the regions. Apart from the geographical presence, strategic investments, partnerships, and significant R&D activities are thereby contributing to the hefty deployments of SASE solutions. North America is considered the most mature market in terms of adopting SASE solutions, due to factors such as the rise in cloud security measures and authentication frauds.

Market Players

Major players, namely, include Cisco Systems Inc. (US), VMware Inc. (US), Fortinet, Inc (US), Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (US), Akamai Technologies, Inc. (US), Zscaler, Inc. (US), Cloudflare, Inc. (US), Cato Networks (Israel), Versa Networks, Inc. (US), Forcepoint (US), Broadcom, Inc. (US), Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Israel), McAfee, LLC (US), Citrix Systems, Inc. (US), Netskope (US), Perimeter 81 Ltd. (Israel), Open Systems (Switzerland), Aryaka Networks, Inc. (US), Proofpoint, Inc. (US), Secucloud Network GmbH (Deutschland), Aruba Networks (US), Juniper Networks, Inc. (US), Verizon Communications, Inc. (US), SonicWall (US), Barracuda Networks, Inc. (US), and Twingate (US).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Information Security Market Research Reports & Consulting

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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Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/secure-access-service-edge.asp

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97165
SLIPS Dolphin marine paint is now available across Europe through a partnership with Par-Ky Italia srl Milano Italy

Adaptive Surface Technologies, Inc. (AST), a world leader in repellent surfaces, today announced it has entered into a new distribution partnership with Green Sailor by Par-Ky Italia srl to offer its SLIPS Dolphin marine paint to new customers in Europe.

SLIPS Dolphin is a distinctive biocide-free marine bottom paint developed for recreational and commercial boats of all sizes and solves persistent biofouling issues that can lead to boat drag and high fuel costs. When submerged in water, SLIPS Dolphin creates an ultra-smooth, slippery surface that fouling organisms such as barnacles and mussels have difficulty attaching to. Unlike many existing products on the market today, such as traditional copper paint, SLIPS Dolphin does not contain any biocides that deplete over time, ensuring that it is environmentally friendly and offers more longevity for users.

Green Sailor, a division of Par-Ky Italia srl, is dedicated to the defense of the marine environment and will supply SLIPS Dolphin to new recreational boating customers across Europe.

"Green Sailor is committed to supporting a more environmentally-friendly community on the water through the products they sell, making SLIPS Dolphin a natural fit," said David Ward, CEO of AST. "We are excited to partner with them to significantly expand our global reach and increase availability of our ocean-friendly, high performance anti-fouling product."

To ensure that SLIPS Dolphin performs in all types of waters and environments, the AST team field tested the product over a number of years in multiple locations around the globe, including in the tropical waters of Singapore and Florida. From this extensive testing, customers who use SLIPS Dolphin can expect an 8% increase in fuel savings over traditional anti-fouling solutions.

"Our primary mission is to protect the marine environment, which influences every product that we choose to sell to our community," said Paolo Nosenzo, CEO of Par-Ky Italia srl. "SLIPS Dolphin is a strong addition to our product lineup and we are excited about the opportunity to educate more boaters about the environmental and financial benefits of this paint, so we can protect our boats and oceans at the same time."

For more information on AST's full suite of products, including SLIPS Dolphin please visit https://adaptivesurface.tech/.

About Adaptive Surface Technologies

A world leader in repellent surfaces, Adaptive Surface Technologies, Inc. is a Cambridge, MA-based industrial technology company that produces additives and coatings used for a wide range of industrial, marine, and packaging applications. Our surface-active polymers and SLIPS coating systems create novel surfaces that repel fluids, contaminants, ice, and biological fouling agents. For more information, visit https://adaptivesurface.tech.

About Green Sailor

Green Sailor is a division of Par-Ky Italia srl, dedicated to the defense of the marine environment. For more information on the company or to purchase SLIPS Dolphin in Europe, please visit https://greensailor.it/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005706/en/

Contacts:

Media

Kalyn Schieffer for AST

kos@anzupartners.com
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / RYAH Group, Inc. (CSE:RYAH) ("RYAH" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Gregory Wagner, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, will be presenting at Wall Street Reporter's "Next Super Stock" livestream conference on Thursday, September 23, 2021.

The upcoming interactive online event is expected to give the investment community, as well as the existing shareholders of the Company, an opportunity to interact in real time with Mr. Wagner and learn about the Company and its operations.

RYAH is scheduled to present at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) for 20 minutes. During the presentation, Mr. Wagner is expected to highlight the Company's experience and mission, and, time permitting, open the floor for questions. Participants will be able to send their questions during the livestream conference.

Please use the direct link here to ensure you are able to attend the livestream conference and receive any updates that are released.

If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will be made available after the event.

About RYAH Group, Inc.

RYAH is a connected device and big data and technology company focused on valuable predictive analysis in the global medical plant and nutraceutical intake industry. Its robust artificial intelligence platform aggregates and correlates Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant patient data, which is intended to help doctors and patients personalize plant-based treatments to better predict treatment outcomes. The data collection is relevant for clinics, doctors, dispensaries and pharmaceutical companies and licensed processors (LPs) to monitor and manage formulation effects on patient and demographics. With a strong intellectual property portfolio, RYAH gathers deep and insightful data on the complete patient session and formulation lifecycle.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). All statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Specifically, forward-looking statements in this press release include but are not limited to, statements related to the "Next Super Stock" livestream conference, including the timing thereof and the scope and content(s) of Mr. Wagner's presentation. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views and intentions with respect to future events based on current information available to the Company, and are necessarily subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with or inherent in the general business, technological, and economic conditions which may affect the scheduled "Next Super Stock" livestream conference, and such other applicable factors set out in the Company's public disclosure documents available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are further cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such forward-looking statements (including, but not limited to, the assumption that Mr. Wagner will be able to virtually attend and present at the "Next Super Stock" livestream conference as contemplated herein, and that there will not be any factor (whether technological or otherwise) that may delay or impede the conduct of the said livestream conference. Should any such risk factor affect the Company in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Accordingly. readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur.

The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For additional information, please contact:

Sofiya Kleshchuk

Client Relations

+1 917 210 0543

Invest@ryahgroup.com

Gregory Wagner

Chief Executive Officer|

+1 917 210 0543

Info@ryah.com

PRESS INQUIRIES

Joshua Greenwald

KCSA Strategic Communications

+1 646 379 7971

jgreenwald@kcsa.com

SOURCE: RYAH Group, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665146/RYAH-Group-Inc-To-Present-At-Wall-Street-Reporters-Next-Super-Stock-Livestream-Conference-on-September-23rd


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Joe Biden has vowed not to pursue 'a new Cold War, or a world divided into rigid blocks'.



Addressing the general debate of the UN General Assembly, he declared that the United States was moving into a 'new era of relentless diplomacy' as it tackles emerging technological threats and the expansion of autocratic nations.



Biden used the highest UN platform to present the paradigm shift in Washington's approach towards global issues: 'Instead of continuing to fight the wars of the past, we are fixing our eyes on devoting our resources to the challenges that hold the keys to our collective future: ending this pandemic; addressing the climate crisis; managing the shifts in global power dynamics; shaping the rules of the world on vital issues like trade, cyber, and emerging technologies; and facing the threat of terrorism as it stands today.'



President Biden defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, driving home a message that this has opened a new chapter of intensive American diplomacy.



The use of force should be 'our tool of last resort, not our first,' he said, arguing in favor of recalibrating priorities away from two decades of wars toward newly emerging threats.



He underscored that the world must choose between democracy and autocracy, indicating the stark difference since the Taliban again took control of Kabul and reversed 20 years of democratic gains.



In his inaugural address to the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN, the U.S. President called for a new era of global unity against the compounding crises of COVID-19, climate change and insecurity.



'Simply put, we stand.at an inflection point in history', he said. 'We must work together as never before.'



Biden assured leaders attending the UN General Assembly that Washington intends to partner with allies to 'help lead the world toward a more peaceful, prosperous future for all people'.



'Today, many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed by the force of arms', he stated, reminding that 'bombs and bullets cannot defend against COVID-19 or its future variants.'



He noted that US planes carrying vaccines have landed in more than 100 countries, offering a 'dose of hope', and said that he would be announcing additional vaccine commitments soon.



Biden also called for a new global health mechanism to 'finance global health security' and mooted the creation of a Global Health Threat Council to stay ahead of emerging pandemics.



Without naming his predecessor, Biden stressed that his Administration has shifted away from President Donald Trump's 'America first style of diplomacy towards one of multilateralism.



'We're back at the table in international forums, especially the United Nations, to focus attention and to spur global action on shared challenges', he said, pointing to the U.S. government's re-engagement with the World Health Organization; participation in the COVAX vaccine initiative 'to deliver life-saving vaccines around the world'; re-joining the Paris climate agreement; and preparing to run for a seat on the Human Rights Council next year.



He also elaborated on a new US goal under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gases to 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and talked about investments under discussion with Congress, including for 'green infrastructure and electric vehicles.'



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Nickel 28 Capital Corp. ("Nickel 28" or the "Company") (TSXV: NKL) (FSE: 3JC) is pleased to announce today the voting results for the election of its board of directors, which took place at the Company's Annual General and Special Meeting held on September 16, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The number of directors was set at four and all of the nominees listed in the management proxy circular dated August 19, 2021 (the "Circular") were elected as directors of Nickel 28 at the meeting. Detailed results of the votes are set out below:

Election of Directors Outcome of the Vote Votes for Votes for Votes

withheld (#) Votes

withheld

Justin Cochrane Elected 12,189,245 94.914% 653,132 5.086% Anthony Milewski Elected 12,756,226 99.329% 86,151 0.671% Maurice Swan Elected 12,383,203 96.425% 459,174 3.575% Philip Williams Elected 12,807,826 99.371% 34,551 0.269%

At the Annual General and Special Meeting, the shareholders of the Company also approved: (i) the re-appointment of Baker Tilly WM LLP as auditor and authorized the directors to fix their remuneration; and (ii) on a disinterested basis, authorized the omnibus long-term incentive plan of the Company, all as more particularly described in the Circular. The voting results on each resolution are set out below:

Set Number of Directors at 4 Outcome of the Vote Votes for Votes against Carried 12,773,897 68,480 99.467% 0.533%

Appointment of Auditor Outcome of the Vote Votes for Votes withheld Carried 20,992,447 4,816 99.977% 0.023%

Approval of Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan Outcome of the Vote Votes for Votes against Carried 9,386,049 714,488 92.926% 7.074%

* Excluding an aggregate of 2,740,040 common shares voted at the Meeting that are beneficially owned by insiders of the Company in accordance with the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan Amendments

In connection with the Meeting, the Company also adopted certain clarifying amendments to the Company's omnibus long-term incentive plan (the "LTIP") approved by the board of directors in accordance with the terms of the LTIP and the authorizing resolution of shareholders approved at the Meeting. Specifically, the Company has amended the LTIP to clarify that: (a) any awards granted prior to becoming an insider of the Company are included in the calculation of the insider limitations under the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") contained in the LTIP; (b) the extension of the expiration of any awards that would otherwise expire or settle during a blackout period is for a maximum of 10 days following the lifting of the blackout; (c) in the event of a participant ceasing to be eligible under the LTIP due to resignation, the maximum allowable extension of expiration of any award by the board of directors is one (1) year; (d) awards under the LTIP are both non-assignable and non-transferable other than in case of death (and that the LTIP cannot be amended in this regard while the Company is listed on the TSXV); and (e) any amendment to add or amend provisions relating to the granting of cash-settled awards, provision of financial assistance or clawbacks and any amendment to a cash-settled award, financial assistance or clawbacks provisions would require shareholder approval.

A copy of the amended LTIP will be made available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.nickel28.com.

About Nickel 28

Nickel 28 Capital Corp. is a nickel-cobalt producer through its 8.56% joint-venture interest in the producing, long-life and world-class Ramu Nickel-Cobalt Operation located in Papua New Guinea. Ramu provides Nickel 28 with significant attributable nickel and cobalt production thereby offering our shareholders direct exposure to two metals which are critical to the adoption of electric vehicles. In addition, Nickel 28 manages a portfolio of 13 nickel and cobalt royalties on development and exploration projects in Canada, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain information which constitutes 'forward-looking statements' and 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements and figures with respect to the operational and financial results; statements with respect to the prospects of nickel and cobalt in the global electrification of vehicles; statements related to the repayment of the Company's Ramu operating debt; statements related to the production impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic; and statements with respect to the business and assets of the Company and its strategy going forward. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the Company's control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties underlying these forward-looking statements materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005779/en/

Contacts:

Investor Contact:

Nickel 28 Investor Relations

Justin Cochrane

Tel: 647.846.7765

Email: info@nickel28.com
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
EQS Group-News: Dufry International AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

Hudson Celebrates Return To New York City's Historic Grand Central Terminal



22.09.2021 / 17:41





Iconic Hudson Travel Convenience Store Officially Reopens, Signaling Company's Commitment To Long-Standing Partnership And Rebuilding Its Hometown Community

East Rutherford, N.J., September 22, 2021 - Hudson, a Dufry company and travel experience leader with more than 1,000 stores in airports, commuter hubs, landmarks and tourist destinations across North America, today celebrated the reopening of its flagship Hudson News store at New York City's world-famous Grand Central Terminal in partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Metro-North Railroad.

A mainstay of Grand Central Terminal since 1990, Hudson News has served as a symbol of nostalgia and familiarity for all New Yorkers and those who visited daily. Today, the newly-reopened travel convenience store continues to pay homage to the heritage of the building, saved by Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1978, while looking towards the future to meet the needs of the ever-evolving city as business travel and tourism return.

'We thank the MTA and Metro-North for recognizing Hudson's history here, and we look forward to working together once again to preserve the building's legacy and now assist in the collective 'return to normal' efforts,' said Brian Quinn, EVP and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Hudson. 'Not only has our location at Grand Central Terminal held significant importance to me personally, as I began my career in travel retail here, but it's also been a highly-recognized landmark in the local community for over three decades.'

Located in the Main Concourse under the east staircase and opposite Grand Central Market, Hudson News makes the highly-anticipated return to its former high-profile location - complete with a new, reimagined look for the 2,500-square-foot space.

The store's exterior preserves the past, with sprawling archways and an inviting, wide-open storefront that is reminiscent of the store's original architectural design. Inside, the new layout creates a more modern shopping experience, with the choice of traditional checkout or the new option to stop at one of three contactless self-checkout kiosks for those traveling at the speed of a 'New York minute.'

Clearly-defined primary categories - the cornerstones of any Hudson travel convenience store - provide visitors an assortment of essentials across food and beverage, electronics, health and beauty, and per the store's namesake, books, magazines, and newspapers. For those looking to take a piece of the Big Apple home with them, the store offers authentic branded merchandise, must-read regional titles, and other local offerings that are affirmatively New York.

New York has always been at the heart of Hudson's operations. With a significant presence in the greater New York City area, including John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK); LaGuardia Airport (LGA); Port Authority Bus Terminal; New York Penn Station; Jacob K. Javits Convention Center; the Empire State Building; and the United Nations, Hudson's re-entry into Grand Central Terminal continues to celebrate and strengthen Hudson's roots in the local community.

About Hudson

Hudson, a Dufry Company, is a travel experience company turning the world of travel into a world of opportunity by being the Traveler's Best Friend in more than 1,000 stores in airports, commuter hubs, landmarks, and tourist locations. Our team members care for travelers as friends at our travel convenience, specialty retail, duty free and food and beverage destinations. At the intersection of travel and retail, we partner with landlords and vendors, and take innovative, commercial approaches to deliver exceptional value. To learn more about how we can make your location a travel destination, please visit us at hudsongroup.com or follow our journey on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

For further information, please contact:

Media Contact

Cindi Buckwalter

communications@hudsongroup.com

End of Media Release


Regulatory News:

TheraVet (ISIN: BE0974387194 ticker: ALVET), a pioneering company in the management of osteoarticular diseases in pets, today announces its financial results ended June 30 2021 and provides an update on the development of its activities.

Recent operational highlights

Positive results for VISCO-VET in its two target indications: canine osteoarthritis and anterior cruciate ligament deficiency;

Commercial launch of BIOCERA-VET in bone surgery;

Positive results for BIOCERA-VET in bone surgery for canine arthrodesis;

Use of BIOCERA-VET as part of a global multidisciplinary approach to treating canine osteosarcoma.

2021 half-year financial results

Financial information at June 30, 2021  (Belgian GAAP)(1) June 30 21 June 30 20 Revenue 1,943 0 Other operating income 1,065,438 363,572 Total operating income 1,067,381 363,572 Purchases and expenses -1,708,898 -502,208 IPO exceptional expenses -170,491 0 EBITDA -641,517 -138,636 Depreciation and amortization -336,472 -3,299 EBIT -977,989 -141,935 Taxes -468 -150 Operating income -978,457 -142,085 Financial income 208,176 -6,208 Net income/loss -770,281 -148,292 Net Cash 7,247,645 2,315,136

(1) The accounts presented have not been reviewed by the Statutory Auditors

In the first half of 2021, TheraVet generated its first revenue, in line with expectations following the launch of BIOCERA-VET in Belgium only on April 1st. The Company also generated 0.91 million of "Other operating income" as a result of the activation of research and development expenses related to the BIOCERA-VET and VISCO-VET programs. In accordance with the roadmap presented at the time of the IPO, the increase in "Purchases and expenses" reflects the development of clinical programs and the increase in personnel expenses corresponds to the structuring of the Company, including the recruitment of employees and a Sales Director who will oversee commercial launches. Finally, the initial amortization of development expenses related to the BIOCERA-VET Bone Surgery and VISCO-VET programs result in an operating loss of 0.98 million and a net loss of 0.77 million.

The Company's cash and cash equivalents at June 30, 2021 amounted at 7.25 million following the successful IPO.

Post-closing events as of June 30, 2021

Positive safety and efficacy results from the clinical proof-of-concept (PoC) study assessing VISCO-VET in canine osteoarthritis

On September 8, 2021, the Company announced positive safety and efficacy results from its clinical proof-of-concept study assessing VISCO-VET in canine osteoarthritis. VISCO-VET, TheraVet's visco-regenerative gel, was assessed in a PoC prospective noncontrolled clinical study in client-owned dogs. Dogs were treated by a unique intra-articular injection and followed up monthly for 3 months. Twenty (20) dogs were included and sixteen (16) completed the study composing the Intention-to-treat (ITT) population.

The results of this PoC study demonstrate the long lasting and statistically significant effects of VISCO-VET in improving mobility and in reducing pain in dogs with osteoarthritis for up to 3 months after a single intra-articular injection.

Launch of the pivotal European multicentric clinical study assessing VISCO-VET in canine osteoarthritis

On September 10, 2021, the Company announced the launch of the pivotal European multicentric clinical study assessing VISCO-VET in canine osteoarthritis.

VISCO-VET, TheraVet's visco-regenerative gel, will be assessed in a prospective, multicentric, controlled, double-blinded, randomized, pivotal field study in client-owned dogs. The study will evaluate the potential of a unique intra-articular injection of VISCO-VET in stifle or elblow to improve dog's mobility and reduce pain compared to a non-treated control group. Patients will be followed for 3 months.

In the study, 154 client-owned dogs with osteoarthritis will be enrolled. The study will be conducted in 20 centers in four (4) countries including France, Netherlands, Portugal and Poland. The Company has received the approval in France and Netherlands and has just started the initiation of the investigating sites in these countries. The approval in the remaining territories is expected to be obtained in the following weeks. First patient treated is expected in October 2021.

An update on patients recruitment will be provided in the second quarter of 2022, following by top-line interim analyses results.

TheraVet moves into the Biopark Charleroi Brussels South

Biopark Charleroi Brussels South is a cutting-edge campus for technology and industry, and represents the ideal ecosystem for supporting the development of TheraVet's activities in treating osteoarticular disease in companion animals. The Company will benefit from being able to form relationships and interact with numerous entities involved in biotech innovation and will have access to the fundamental research and infrastructure of the ULB and UMONS laboratories. TheraVet will also receive support provided to companies from units specialising in research, hosting solutions and training for new technologies.

Upcoming operational milestones for the second half of 2021

Results of the clinical trial for BIOCERA-VET as an alternative treatment of canine osteosarcoma;

Launch of BIOCERA-VET Bone Surgery in France and the Netherlands.

About TheraVet SA

TheraVet is a veterinary biotechnology company specialising in osteoarticular treatments for animals. The Company develops targeted, safe and effective treatments to improve the quality of life of pets suffering from osteoarticular diseases. For pet owners, the health of their pets is a major concern and TheraVet's mission is to address the need for innovative and curative treatments. TheraVet works closely with international opinion leaders in order to provide a more effective response to ever-growing needs in the field of veterinary medicine. TheraVet is listed on Euronext Growth Paris et Brussels, its head office is in Gosselies, Belgium, and it has a subsidiary in the US.

For more information, visit the TheraVet website

Or follow us on LinkedIn Facebook Twitter

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005792/en/

Contacts:

TheraVet

Sabrina Ena

Chief Operating Officer

Sabrina.ena@thera.vet

Julie Winand

Chief Corporate Officer

julie.winand@thera.vet

NewCap

Investor Relations and Financial Communications

Louis Tilquin Olivier Bricaud

theravet@newcap.eu

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Press Relations

Arthur Rouille Ambre Delval

theravet@newcap.eu

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15
Brand teams up with Tommy's Cafe to bring Nathan's Hot Dogs to France for the first time; will attend Franchise Shows in Paris, London, and the Anuga show in Cologne

Nathan's Famous, Inc., the American tradition serving New York favorites for more than 100 years, announces a new collaboration with Tommy's Diner, a 50's throwback American diner based in France, to offer its hot dogs in all locations across the country, making it the first time Nathan's Famous is served in France. This relationship continues Nathan's Famous growth in Europe and beyond.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005823/en/

Nathan's Famous Menu. (Photo: Business Wire)

"Nathan's Famous is known the world over, which is why we've had such great success in recent years growing in the Middle East, Asia, and Great Britain," states James Walker, Senior Vice President, Restaurants. "This new relationship with Tommy's is a big step for us as we look to see that growth spread throughout Europe, and we're excited that they are our first French outpost and will be one of the first internationally to have our foot-long hot dog."

The brand will attend Anuga, the leading global trade fair for the food and beverage industry, for the first time. Visitors of the show can find Nathan's Famous in Hall 9.1 at Stand B021, October 9 -13. Prior to Anuga, Nathan's Famous will also attend Franchise Expo Paris from September 26-29 (Stand: V85) and the International Franchise Show London, October 1-2 (Stand: US09).

"We're excited to head to Cologne for the Anuga show as it's one of the largest trade fairs for the international food industry," continues Walker. "With so many vendors across a variety of product segments, we know it's the perfect fit for Nathan's Famous."

To learn more about Nathan's Famous, visit www.nathansfamous.com and for franchising information, visit https://franchise.nathansfamous.com/.

About Nathan's Famous

Nathan's is a Russell 2000 Company that currently distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and 18 foreign countries through its restaurant system, foodservice sales programs and product licensing activities. Last year, over 700 million Nathan's Famous hot dogs were sold. For additional information about Nathan's, please visit our website at www.nathansfamous.com.

Except for historical information contained in this news release, the matters discussed are forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that involve risks and uncertainties. Words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which are based on the current belief of the Company's management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company's management. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include but are not limited to: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the status of our licensing and supply agreements, including the impact of our supply agreement for hot dogs with John Morrell Co.; the impact of our indebtedness, including the effect on our ability to fund working capital, operations and make new investments; economic; weather (including the impact on the supply of cattle and the impact on sales at our restaurants particularly during the summer months), and change in the price of beef trimmings; our ability to pass on the cost of any price increases in beef and beef trimmings; legislative and business conditions; the collectability of receivables; changes in consumer tastes; the ability to attract franchisees; the impact of the minimum wage legislation on labor costs in New York State or other changes in labor laws, including regulations which could render a franchisor as a "joint employee" or the impact of our new union contracts; our ability to attract competent restaurant and managerial personnel; the enforceability of international franchising agreements; the future effects of any food borne illness, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, BSE and e coli; and the risk factors reported from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005823/en/

Contacts:

Kate Laird

Trevelino/Keller

404.214.0722 x.125

klaird@trevelinokeller.com
Regulatory News:

Press release 22 September 2021

Pernod Ricard (Paris:RI) filed its 2020/21 Universal Registration Document with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) on 22 September 2021 under number D.21-0806.

This document is available on the Company's website www.pernod-ricard.com and on the AMF website www.amf-france.org. It is also available at the Company's registered office 5, cours Paul Ricard CS 50180 75380 Paris cedex 08.

The Universal Registration Document includes, in particular:

The 2020/21 consolidated financial statements of the Group;

The 2020/21 statutory financial statements of Pernod Ricard S.A.;

The related auditors' reports on the consolidated and the statutory financial statements;

-The 2020/21management report including notably social, societal and environmental information;

The Board of Directors' report on corporate governance;

Information regarding internal control and risk management;

The presentation of the resolutions as well as the draft resolutions submitted to the Combined Shareholders' Meeting of 10 November 2021; and

Information concerning fees paid to the Statutory Auditors.

Shareholders' agenda:

Q1 2021/22 sales Thursday 21 October 2021

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of 8,824 million in FY21. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes, as well Jacob's Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard's brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its own salesforce in 73 markets. The Group's decentralised organisation empowers its 18,500 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of "Createurs de Convivialite." As reaffirmed by the Group's strategic plan, "Transform and Accelerate," deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard's strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics, as illustrated by the 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Good times from a good place." In recognition of Pernod Ricard's strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nation's Global Compact LEAD company. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005826/en/

Contacts:

Pernod Ricard Contacts

Julia Massies VP, Financial Communications Investor Relations

+33 (0) 1 70 93 17 03

Charly Montet Investor Relations Manager

+33 (0) 1 70 93 17 13

Emmanuel Vouin Head of External Engagement

+33 (0) 1 70 93 16 34
The report, based on a survey of 1,300 executives from six nations and 11 industries, identifies key traits and investments that leaders use to drive bottom-line impact.

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today released a report indicating that leaders in cloud adoption approach their cloud journey differently than beginners, enabling them to achieve a 10x greater annualized return on investment. Wipro's report, "Making Business Thrive: A Cloud Leader Roadmap for Achieving 10x ROI," outlines these best practices for enterprises beginning their cloud journey or seeking to accelerate their results. The report also identifies dozens of key cloud-adoption metrics for multiple industries and countries.

Wipro FullStride Cloud Services developed the report based on a survey of 1,300 global C-level executives and key decision-makers from 11 industries and six countries (see "Methodology" below). Wipro considered leaders to be the top 19% of respondents based on cloud maturity, while beginners represented the lowest 32%; this was not based on revenue. This broad scope makes the report the first of its kind to analyze cloud maturity among businesses, identify business transformation opportunities and define a seven-step roadmap for cloud leadership.

"Cloud is no longer just for cost savings or building agility. Our new report demonstrates that cloud drives high-impact transformation and benefits at every level of the business, including the bottom line," said Rajan Kohli, President and Managing Partner, Integrated Digital, Engineering and Application Services, Wipro Limited. "As enterprise leaders look to grow their business and respond to shifting markets, cloud capabilities fueled by a well-orchestrated partner ecosystem are an ideal choice to accelerate growth. Wipro stands ready to partner with clients to help them take a full stride toward cloud leadership and leverage hyperscalers and other partners for maximizing impact to their businesses."

Cloud Adoption Drives Profitability

According to Wipro's research, the primary benefit of cloud adoption has shifted from increasing efficiency to driving profitability and revenue. This trend that will continue as the cloud becomes more intelligent, hyperconnected and pervasive. Participants said their use of the cloud provides a range of financial, operational and strategic benefits, most of which will increase substantially during the next two years. Wipro FullStride Cloud Services found that within two years, survey respondents expect that cloud will help:

Increase revenue for 59% of firms

Improve profitability for 54%

Decrease costs for 49%

What Cloud Leaders Do Differently: Three Key Traits

Wipro's report describes ways in which cloud leaders approach their journey differently than beginners. Those best practices include:

Investing beyond the data center and cloud infrastructure in areas that set the stage for better returns

Engaging senior executives, including the CEO, to sponsor cloud initiatives

Developing capabilities and aligning metrics for success

Combing Cloud with Advanced Technologies Delivers Better Outcomes

Leaders augment their investment in cloud services with additional technologies, helping 21% of leaders achieve an ROI "significantly above expectations" compared with 10% of non-leaders. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most frequently used complementary technology, though others will emerge in two years.

78% of cloud leaders combine AI with cloud, compared with 49% of non-leaders

By 2023, cloud leaders expect their biggest increases in usage of complementary technologies to be in 5G (53% increase in companies using), edge computing (31% increase) and grid computing (29% increase)

50% of leaders expect to boost their cloud investments for cybersecurity and risk-management in two years

Non-Leading Companies Risk Losing the Benefits of Cloud

By 2023, eight out of 10 leading firms will have advanced or fully optimized cloud environments in place, positioning them to reap the benefits of a robust cloud infrastructure. In contrast, 19% of non-leaders will still be in their planning or early phases of implementation, risking their future growth and business.

Wipro's "Making Business Thrive: A Cloud Leader Roadmap for Achieving 10x ROI" report provides actionable intelligence and encourages companies to identify and prioritize the most effective cloud use cases for their specific industry over the next two years. The comprehensive analysis demonstrates that cloud empowers companies to increase revenue while saving costs and transforming their business, solidifying the case for broad cloud adoption across the enterprise.

To review the full Wipro FullStride Cloud Services "Making Business Thrive: A Cloud Leader Roadmap for Achieving 10x ROI" report, visit https://www.wipro.com/cloud/leader-roadmap/

Wipro earlier this year announced its commitment to invest $1 billion in cloud technologies, capabilities, acquisitions and partnerships over the next three years. The company today employs more than 79,000 cloud professionals and has more than 10,000 people certified by the leading cloud service providers. Wipro FullStride Cloud Services, the unit responsible for this report, brings together the full portfolio of Wipro's cloud-related capabilities, offerings and talent to help clients better align business and IT with the cloud imperative, create significant business value and increase competitive differentiation.

Methodology

Insights shared in this report are based on a survey conducted for Wipro in June and July 2021 by ThoughtLab to analyze current and future patterns of enterprise-level cloud adoption. Respondents included 1,300 executives at organizations with annual revenue from $500 million to $20 billion or more. They are located in six countries (Australia, France, Germany, Switzerland, UK and US) and come from 11 industries (banking, capital markets, consumer packaged goods, healthcare providers, insurance, life sciences, manufacturing, oil and gas, retail, transportation, and utilities). All respondents are responsible for or play a key role in their organization's cloud computing strategy and implementation. Additional insights come from responses to open-ended questions.

To calculate cloud maturity, we analyzed: (1) a company's progress implementing cloud-based data centers, migrating and modernizing core processes, and adopting cloud-native applications; (2) the percentage of total applications operating in the cloud; and (3) the number of advanced technologies used in conjunction with the cloud. Based on those criteria, we classified the top 19% of respondents as cloud "leaders," the middle 49% as "intermediate users," and the other 32% as "beginners."

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/20210922005853/en/

Contacts:

Wipro Media

Purnima Burman

Wipro Limited

purnima.burman@wipro.com
BOISE, Idaho, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Clenera and SRP today announced a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between SRP and Clenera's affiliate, CO Bar Solar LLC. This PPA represents the utility's largest standalone solar power plant currently under development northwest of Flagstaff, Arizona. CO Bar Solar is scheduled to be commercially operational in 2024 and will deliver between 440 and 480 megawatts (MWDC) of renewable energy to SRP customers. Clenera, a developer of large-scale solar and storage projects, and a subsidiary of Enlight Renewable Energy LTD (TASE: ENLT), will construct and operate CO Bar Solar.

This project is one of many that support SRP in its long-term decarbonization goals. It will also help SRP meet its expanded commitment to add 2,025 MWAC of new utility-scale solar resources by 2025.

"SRP is pleased to partner with Clenera to add this substantial solar resource as part of our 'all of the above' strategy to meet near-term power generation needs," said Mike Hummel. "The CO Bar Solar power plant is an incredible clean energy resource that will support SRP customers and help us take a significant step towards our decarbonization goals."

CO Bar Solar will occupy up to 2,400 acres of private land in Coconino County and construction is expected to begin in 2023. Over the course of the 18-month construction timeline, it is expected that approximately 550 construction jobs will created, with many being local. Once complete, CO Bar Solar will generate enough power to meet the needs of 80,000 homes, while offsetting 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

Clenera's Vice President of Business Development, Jared McKee, said of the partnership: "We are excited to be working with SRP to develop one of the largest solar projects in Arizona. Clenera has historically paved the way for renewable energy in the state, and CO Bar Solar is yet another example of progress being made in Arizona's clean energy sector. We thank SRP for their partnership to make this opportunity possible."

Including this addition and others, SRP expects that nearly 50 percent of the retail energy it delivers to its customers will come from carbon free resources by 2025. These new renewable energy resources contribute to SRP's 2035 goals to reduce carbon intensity by 65 percent in 2035 and by 90 percent in 2050 from 2005 levels.

About SRP

SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest provider of electricity in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving more than 1 million customers. SRP is also the metropolitan area's largest supplier of water, delivering about 750,000 acre-feet annually to municipal, urban and agricultural water users.

About Clenera

Clenera, LLC ("Clenera"), a subsidiary of Enlight Renewable Energy, LTD (TLV: ENLT), acquires, develops, builds and manages utility-scale solar farms and energy storage facilities throughout the United States. Combining breakthrough technology with a deeply integrated team approach, Clenera provides reliable, affordable energy systems and helps its utility partners become clean energy leaders in their communities. Clenera has developed and constructed over 1.6 GWDC of solar projects and provides long-term management of those projects on behalf of third-party owners. The company is developing approximately 50 large-scale solar projects in various stages of development with an approximate capacity of 12 GWDC, plus 5.5 GWh of energy storage projects. Learn more at www.clenera.com.

About Enlight Renewable Energy

Traded on the Tel Aviv stock exchange (TASE: ENLT), Enlight is a leading renewable energy company which focuses on initiation, development, financing, construction and operation of renewable energy generation projects. The company operates in Israel, Europe and the United States, with a diversified portfolio of operating projects and projects under construction and pre-construction, with a total generation capacity of 2.2 GWDC and total energy storage capacity of 0.5 GWh. In addition, the company owns an additional 14.8 GWDC pipeline of generation capacity and 6.9 GWh of energy storage pipeline in various stages of development. For more information, visit https://enlightenergy.co.il.

Forward Looking Statements

The information detailed in this press release in connection with anticipated project construction and completion, construction timelines, commercial operation dates and energy output, as detailed above is "forward-looking" as defined in Section 32A of the Israel Securities Law, 5728-1968, and is only an assessment based on the information, estimates, forecasts and data available to Clenera's management at the time of the press release, and current management assessments. This information is conditional and subject to the existence of various factors, including the data of the project under development and the general risk factors that characterize the Company's activities. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, it is possible that projects under development may not be completed profitably or at all. Accordingly, the aforementioned information may not come to realization or actual results may differ from the information described above.

Contact:

Erica Sturwold

Erica.Sturwold@srpnet.com

847.571.0326

Twitter: @SRPErica

Lauren Sigler

lauren.sigler@clenera.com

208.639.3232 ext. 330
Firm is first and only to give investors access to 10 crypto listings in Germany

September 22, 2021 - 21Shares AG ("21Shares"), the world's largest issuer of cryptocurrency ETPs, today announced the listing of six additional cryptocurrency ETPs for a total of 10 on Deutsche Boerse XETRA, Germany's top trading venue for exchange traded funds. The new crypto ETPs include Solana ETP (Ticker: 21XL GY), Polkadot ETP (Ticker: PDOT GY), Cardano ETP (Ticker: DADA GY), Stellar Lumens ETP (Ticker: XLME GY), Tezos (Ticker: 21XZ GY), and the Crypto Basket Index ETP (Ticker:21XH GY).

Hany Rashwan, Co-Founder and CEO of 21Shares said, "We are pleased to expand crypto investment opportunities in Germany, as one of our key markets, where we are the first and only firm providing such a comprehensive product suite. This development underscores our commitment to helping investors safely access crypto assets, now and in the future."

The six Xetra-listed crypto ETPs emphasize 21Shares' leadership in crypto ETP innovation and its research-driven product development approach:

Crypto Basket Index ETP (HODL) is the world's first and only crypto index tracker listed in Europe HODL. It tracks the investment results of the Messari Index and is comprised of the top five cryptocurrencies.

Solana ETP (SOL) was the fastest ETP in 21Shares' history to reach $100 million assets under management as of September 13. The SOL token utilizes the highly functional open-source project to provide additional yield by validating transactions on the Solana blockchain.

Tezos ETP (XTZ) is Europe's only traded Tezos ETP and provides additional yield for investors through staking rewards. XTZ token enables peer-to-peer transactions and smart contract deployments.

Polkadot ETP (DOT) is the first, largest and most traded ETP in Europe. The DOT token leverages the connector of blockchains to remove barriers to entry for newcomers to the cryptocurrency industry.

Cardano ETP (ADA) is Europe's only traded Cardano ETP. The ADA token maximizes the open source blockchain to provide a platform for implementing smart contracts and other decentralized protocols.

Stellar Lumens ETP (XLM) is Europe's only traded Stellar Lumens ETP. XLM token provides investment access to this blockchain protocol that makes it easy to send digital currency to fiat money domestically and across borders.

More data-driven insights about these crypto assets and many others are available on 21Shares website: 21shares.com/research

As of September 1, 2021, 21Shares manages more than $1.8 billion in 15 cryptocurrency ETPs and 75 listings, including the world's only ETPs tracking Binance, the Crypto Index Basket and two ETPs with investor staking rewards (Tezos and Cardano). Its crypto ETP products are listed on eight regulated European and Swiss trading exchanges.

Press Contact

Paulo Germann, press@21shares.com

About 21Shares

21Shares takes innovation to the next level with the largest suite of cryptocurrency exchange-traded products.



Disclaimer?

This document and the information contained herein are not for distribution in or into. The approval of the 2019 Base Prospectus (EU) should not be understood as an endorsement by the SFSA of the securities offered or admitted to trading on a regulated market. Eligible potential investors should read the 2019 Base Prospectus (EU) and the relevant Final Terms before making an investment decision to understand the potential risks associated with the decision to invest in the securities. You are about to purchase a product that is not simple and may be difficult to understand. This document is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for securities of 21Shares AG. Neither this document nor anything contained herein shall form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any offer or commitment whatsoever in any jurisdiction. This document constitutes advertisement within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (the "FinSA") and not a prospectus. In accordance with article 109 of the Swiss Financial Services Ordinance, the Base Prospectus dated 13 November 2019, as supplemented from time to time (the "Base Prospectus") and the final terms for SBTC dated 22 January 2020 (the "Final Terms", and together with the Base Prospectus, the "Prospectus") have been prepared in compliance with articles 652a and 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, as such? articles were in effect immediately prior to the entry into effect of the FinSA, and the Listing Rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange in their version in force as of January 1, 2020. Consequently, the Prospectus has not been and will not be reviewed or approved by a Swiss review body pursuant to article 51 of the FinSA and does not comply with the disclosure requirements applicable to a prospectus approved by such a review body under the FinSA. Copies of the Prospectus are available free of charge from the website of the Issuer. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Base Prospectus and the final terms of any product mentioned herein can be obtained from 21Shares AG on the website. Copies of this document may not be sent to jurisdictions, or distributed in or sent from jurisdictions, in which this is barred or prohibited by law. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any jurisdiction.

# # #



Firm has 10 total crypto ETPs trading on top German exchange and 75 in Europe.

September 22, 2021 - 21Shares AG ("21Shares"), the world's largest issuer of cryptocurrency ETPs, today announced the listing of six additional cryptocurrency ETPs for a total of 10 on Deutsche Boerse XETRA, Germany's top trading venue for exchange traded funds. The new crypto ETPs include Solana ETP (Ticker: 21XL GY), Polkadot ETP (Ticker: PDOT GY), Cardano ETP (Ticker: DADA GY), Stellar Lumens ETP (Ticker: XLME GY), Tezos (Ticker: 21XZ GY) and the Crypto Basket Index ETP (Ticker:21XH GY).

Hany Rashwan, Co-Founder and CEO of 21Shares said, "We are pleased to expand crypto investment opportunities in Germany, as one of our key markets. This development underscores our commitment to providing investors with the easiest and safest way to invest in the largest digital crypto assets, now and in the future."

The six on Xetra listed crypto ETPs underline our leading position in crypto ETP innovation and the research-driven product development approach.

Crypto Basket Index ETP (HODL) is the first in World and the only crypto Index tracker listed in Europe HODL tracks the investment results of the Messari index composed of the top five cryptocurrencies.

Solana ETP (SOL) was the fastest ETP in our history to reach $100m AUM (September 13). The Solana ETP provides additional yield for investor through staking rewards. The SOL token utilizes the highly functional open-source project to provide additional yield by validating transactions on the Solana blockchain.

Tezos ETP (XTZ) is first and only Tezos ETP in Europe and provides additional yield for investor through staking rewards. XTZ token offers peer-to-peer transactions and smart contract deployments

Polkadot ETP (DOT) is the first, the biggest and most traded ETP in Europe. The DOT token leverages the connector of blockchains to remove barriers to entry for newcomers to the cryptocurrency industry.

Cardano ETP (ADA) is the only in Europe traded Cardano ETP. The ADA token maximizes the open source blockchain to provide a platform for implementing smart contracts and other decentralized protocols.

Stellar Lumens ETP (XLM) is the only in Europe traded Cardano ETP. XLM token provides investment access to this blockchain protocol that makes it easy to send digital currency to fiat money domestically and across borders.

More data-driven insights about these crypto assets and many others are available on 21Shares website: 21shares.com/research

As of September 1, 2021, 21Shares manages more than $1.8 billion in 75 cryptocurrency ETPs, including the world's only ETPs tracking Binance, the Crypto Index Basket and two ETPs with investor staking rewards (Tezos and Cardano). Its products are listed on eight regulated European and Swiss trading exchanges.

Press Contact

Paulo Germann, press@21shares.com

About 21Shares

21Shares takes innovation to the next level with the largest suite of cryptocurrency exchange-traded products.



Disclaimer?

This document and the information contained herein are not for distribution in or into. The approval of the 2019 Base Prospectus (EU) should not be understood as an endorsement by the SFSA of the securities offered or admitted to trading on a regulated market. Eligible potential investors should read the 2019 Base Prospectus (EU) and the relevant Final Terms before making an investment decision in order to understand the potential risks associated with the decision to invest in the securities. You are about to purchase a product that is not simple and may be difficult to understand. This document is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for securities of 21Shares AG. Neither this document nor anything contained herein shall form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any offer or commitment whatsoever in any jurisdiction. This document constitutes advertisement within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (the "FinSA") and not a prospectus. In accordance with article 109 of the Swiss Financial Services Ordinance, the Base Prospectus dated 13 November 2019, as supplemented from time to time (the "Base Prospectus") and the final terms for SBTC dated 22 January 2020 (the "Final Terms", and together with the Base Prospectus, the "Prospectus") have been prepared in compliance with articles 652a and 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, as such? articles were in effect immediately prior to the entry into effect of the FinSA, and the Listing Rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange in their version in force as of January 1, 2020. Consequently, the Prospectus has not been and will not be reviewed or approved by a Swiss review body pursuant to article 51 of the FinSA, and does not comply with the disclosure requirements applicable to a prospectus approved by such a review body under the FinSA. Copies of the Prospectus are available free of charge from the website of the Issuer. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Base Prospectus and the final terms of any product mentioned herein can be obtained from 21Shares AG on the website. Copies of this document may not be sent to jurisdictions, or distributed in or sent from jurisdictions, in which this is barred or prohibited by law. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any jurisdiction.

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BURBANK (dpa-AFX) - Walt Disney Co. (DIS) has announced that it will release first looks, new trailers, and fresh content on Disney+ Day, Friday, November 12. The streaming premiere of Marvel Studios' most recent blockbuster Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings will also be on the inaugural Disney+ Day. 'Subscribers to Disney+ will be treated to new content releases across the service's iconic brands, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Star in international markets, along with a special presentation on Disney+ for fans with sneak peeks into what's to come,' the company announced in press statement. Other major offerings to hit the streaming service in autumn include the new Disney+ Original movie Home Sweet Home Alone, a reimagining of the popular holiday franchise; an all-new original series of shorts from Walt Disney Animation Studios called Olaf Presents, which sees Frozen's beloved snowman retelling several classic Disney tales as only he can; an animated short film Ciao Alberto from Pixar, featuring characters from this summer's animated hit breakout film Luca. 'The inaugural Disney+ Day will be a grand-scale celebration of our subscribers across the entire company,' said CEO Bob Chapek. 'This day of appreciation brings to life our mission to entertain, inform, and inspire fans and families around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, and will become an annual tentpole event to be amplified across our global businesses.' Disney+ will also make its debut in South Korea and Taiwan on November 12, and in Hong Kong on November 16. 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.
Head of Cellular Genetics at Wellcome Sanger Institute

Director of Research at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge

Co-Founder of the international Human Cell Atlas consortium (HCA)

World leader in computational applications to single cell genomics and human health

Transition Bio, Inc., (the Company) announced today that Dr. Sarah Teichmann FmedSci FRS, has joined the Company as a Scientific Co-Founder.

Dr. Teichmann is Head of Cellular Genetics and Senior Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, with additional roles as Director of Research at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, and Senior Research Fellow at Churchill College.

Dr. Teichmann joins fellow founding scientists of the Company: Professor David Weitz, the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard University, Professor Tuomas Knowles, Professor of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics at the Department of Chemistry and Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, and Professor Peter St George-Hyslop, OC, FRS, FRSC, FRCP, a member of the University of Toronto's Department of Medicine as well as Experimental Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Samuel Cohen, a former research fellow in Biophysical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and visiting fellow at Harvard University, is also a Founder of the Company.

"The addition of Sarah as a Scientific Co-Founder will further accelerate our existing groundbreaking work in the field of Condensomics and the build out of our capabilities," said Kelly Martin, Executive Chairman and a Founder of the Company. "As a world-renowned thought leader and pioneer in deep data and machine learning, including computational applications to human health, Sarah's contribution to our efforts will be immediate."

Martin commented further, "From a scientific leadership and breakthrough innovation standpoint, the combination of our scientific team of doctors Weitz, Knowles, Hyslop, and now Teichmann is as good as it could possibly get. Each of these individuals is the best in their respective fields and, through the integration of their work, will align to create the leading technology and data company in the rapidly emerging field of condensates cell biology."

Dr. Teichmann is co-founder and co-leader of the global Human Cell Atlas initiative, which uses single cell genomics and spatial methods to create a highly detailed map of the human body, like a human 'Google map' that researchers can zoom into to understand every human cell type. With more than 2000 members from over 75 countries, this consortium is transforming the current understanding of human health and disease. Her work focuses on the development of computational methods to explore genomics and biology to deliver novel insights into disease and influence the development of new therapeutics.

Dr. Teichmann is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology.

A Fellow of the Royal Society, Dr. Teichmann is also an EMBO member and fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and her work has been recognized by several prizes, including the Lister Prize, Biochemical Society Colworth Medal, Royal Society Crick Lecture, and EMBO Gold Medal.

ABOUT TRANSITION BIO

Transition Bio is developing one-of-a-kind technologies for biomolecular condensate analysis. Through our CondensomicsTM platform, our goal is to build a drug discovery engine based on the latest advancements in biophysics and artificial intelligence. We harness droplet microfluidic approaches and cellular platforms to characterize condensates with unprecedented scale and precision, resulting in the mapping of condensates and their modulation, in molecular detail. Our proprietary datasets feed in to algorithms that we use for target discovery, target validation and drug design.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005981/en/

Contacts:

Transition Bio Contact:

Stephanie Torruella

storruella@transitionbio.com
SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 22, 2021 / Brixton Capital and The Shidler Group (together, the TC Acquisition Group) seek to acquire 100% of the outstanding capital stock of Transcontinental Realty Investors for $44.40 per share in cash.

For the last two months TC Acquisition Group has attempted to engage in constructive conversations with the TCI's Board of Directors (TCI Board) to discuss how the transaction would benefit all the shareholders of TCI.

TC Acquisition Group's efforts have been largely ignored or dismissed by TCI's Board without any apparent effort to understand the value behind TC Acquisition Group's proposal or why a transaction with the TC Acquisition Group would be in the best interest of TCI's shareholders. TC Acquisition Group reached out again September 21, 2021 to TCI's Board to further communicate the terms of its offer and further detail its proposal.

TC Acquisition Group is sharing this information publicly to ensure that all of the shareholders are informed and aware of its offer and the potential to realize meaningful value in the near term.

TC Acquisition Group hopes to facilitate a productive discussion and ultimately negotiate a mutually agreeable transaction that is in the best interest of all TCI shareholders. TC Acquisition Group is eager to engage on a friendly basis with the board and management of TCI, however TC Acquisition Group is concerned about the lack of substantive response to the prior four private letters it sent to the TCI Board outlining (or relating to) the proposal.

TC Acquisition Group believes its proposal would deliver a meaningful premium to TCI's shareholders that also represents an attractive opportunity for shareholders to obtain immediate liquidity at what TC Acquisition Group believes is a full and fair valuation based on its extensive review of TCI's publicly available information. The $44.40 offer price represents a 48% premium to TCI's year-to-date volume-weighted average stock price (VWAP) of $30.00 and a 28% premium to TCI's last closing stock price of $34.77 as of September 20, 2021.

TC Acquisition Group has a strong business interest in TCI and believes that the company is a good strategic fit with its extensive real estate operational and development capabilities. TC Acquisition Group has been following the TCI story and is impressed with the fundamentals underlying the assets in the portfolio. However, TC Acquisition Group believes TCI's ongoing liquidity constraints, near-term cash obligations, complex ownership structure and thinly traded public currency have presented meaningful challenges for management to operate the portfolio to its maximum potential.

While TCI's recent sale of 600 Las Colinas in Irving, Texas afforded some highly needed liquidity for the company's ongoing capital obligations, TC Acquisition Group believes further opportunities of this nature are severely limited and would continue to be at the expense of future growth. Under the ownership and management of its investor group, TC Acquisition Group believes it is well positioned to provide meaningful value to all TCI shareholders.

Brixton Capital is a preeminent private real estate investment firm that seeks to generate superior risk-adjusted returns by unlocking embedded value in commercial real estate transactions spanning all property types. Headquartered in Solana Beach, CA, Brixton is led by a team of seasoned real commercial real estate experts with an average of more than 25 years of experience. With a track record of successful real estate investing spanning four decades and over 900 properties representing $10 billon of asset value, Brixton and its principals have consistently achieved above average returns across multiple real estate cycles. Today Brixton owns and manages a diverse array of real estate assets representing over 10 million square feet of retail, multi-family, office, industrial and land investments across the United States and Europe.

Since its founding by Jay Shidler in 1972, The Shidler Group has become one of the nation's most innovative commercial real estate investment organizations. Through its affiliates, The Shidler Group has made debt and/or equity investments in over 2,000 properties located across the country. The Shidler Group has also founded five NYSE-listed public corporations - many of which were groundbreaking in terms of the nature of assets they facilitated for public REIT investment - which collectively have issued in excess of $40 billion of debt and equity securities. These companies include: First Industrial Realty Trust, the first REIT to give investors the opportunity to invest in a national portfolio of industrial facilities; Corporate Office Properties Trust, one of the first REITs to give investors the opportunity to invest in "essential need" U.S. government-related facilities, currently a major owner of office buildings leased to companies in the defense industry; and TriNet Corporate Realty Trust, the first REIT to give investors the opportunity to invest in commercial properties triple-net-leased to major corporations.

TC Acquisition Group has assembled a team of experienced advisors and counsel, including engaging UBS Investment Bank as its financial advisors and Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP as its legal advisors to assist in moving quickly and efficiently toward consummating a transaction. TC Acquisition Group is highly confident that it can arrange all necessary financing to complete the transaction, including refinancing or replacement of TCI's existing debt. Accordingly, any definitive agreement providing for the proposed transaction will not contain any financing contingencies.

TC Acquisition Group is prepared to move forward with confirmatory diligence immediately and anticipates that its due diligence review could be completed in approximately six weeks from the time that information is made available. TC Acquisition Group has committed the full internal resources of the investor group and its advisors to take this initiative forward to completion on an expedited basis, with the minimum amount of disruption to TCI's business.

This proposal represents a non-binding indication of interest, and the proposed transaction would be subject to the execution of mutually acceptable, negotiated, definitive transaction agreements containing representations, covenants, conditions and other terms that are customary for a transaction of this nature.

TC Acquisition Group believes the next step would be a meeting to discuss this opportunity, and TC Acquisition Group proposes to arrange a meeting during the week of September 27, 2021.

TC Acquisition Group is excited about the opportunity to work closely with the TCI Board and management team with respect to a potential transaction with TCI. TC Acquisition Group believes that its proposal represents an excellent opportunity for all of TCI's shareholders and is prepared to move expeditiously to complete the transaction.

CONTACT:

Jennifer Whitelaw

TW2 Marketing

619-733-5944

jwhitelaw@tw2marketing.com

SOURCE: Brixton Capital

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/665205/Brixton-Capital-and-The-Shidler-Group-Make-Offer-to-Acquire-Transcontinental-Realty-Investors
Jones Takes On Chairperson Role as Harris Steps Up to Lead Global Strategic Group Evolution

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FCB today announced the elevation of its top two global strategic leaders: Nigel Jones & Vita Harris. Jones moves up from day-to-day operations to take on the Chairperson role for FCB, where he will partner with FCB's global leadership team on special projects. For Harris, the network is elevating the role and responsibilities of Global Chief Strategy Officer, which will now include FCB's evolving strategic offering for clients across all disciplines, focusing on innovation and continuing the Agency's ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). Both will report to FCB Worldwide Chief Executive Officer Carter Murray and will partner closely with him, Global CCO Susan Credle and FCB's recently appointed Global Head of Data Science & Connections, Tina Allan, to lead greater alignment of FCB's deep strategic capabilities with its robust performance and data offerings, including its rapidly expanding and award-winning creative data agency, FCB/SIX.



With Harris's leadership, FCB has continued in meaningful ways to build on its proud legacy of commitment to equality and inclusion and deliver strategic excellence across our global offices, which is why our creative product is stronger than it's ever been. From our work for Walmart to the City of Chicago's "Boards of Change," and Michelob Ultra's "Courtside," to our partnership with Google for the Canadian Down Syndrome Society, our inclusive approach throughout the process isn't something that sits on one side of the company - it is a core part of who we are and how we make work.

Harris has also been instrumental in evolving FCB's DE&I framework and led the introduction of the network's Disrupting Thought Patterns workshops, while also helping lead the expansion of cultural competency and workplace inclusion initiatives to all its offices. In 2019, Harris helped develop FCB's proprietary process to disrupt biases from seeping into the work - across strategy, planning and creative - which has been deployed globally and embraced internally by many of the agency's clients. Harris will continue leading these initiatives while also expanding FCB's strategic offering with data-driven performance capabilities enabled by FCB's ongoing investment in innovation.

With an impressive career built on a foundation of performance marketing firsts, Harris is the perfect fit to lead FCB's next strategic chapter. She pioneered the fusion of strategic planning, research and database marketing that created groundbreaking approaches to mining consumer insights and fueled fresh marketing communications programs that delivered big results. In her many leadership roles over the years, Harris has led the strategic vision for transformative strategies and high-ROI campaigns for global brands like American Express, Bank of America, Verizon and, most recently, Walmart.

"We are so fortunate to have a legendary leader like Vita who is not only integral to creating groundbreaking campaigns that move the needle for our clients but is also passionate about shaping the advertising industry of tomorrow, and evolving FCB's journey and commitment to equality and inclusion in all that we do," said FCB Worldwide Chief Executive Officer Carter Murray. "Her impact on our people, our clients and this industry are already profound, and with her continued leadership, we will make even greater contributions in achieving a more engaged and dynamic culture, in uncovering new data-driven insight and in delivering high-quality and culturally competent creative that will fuel new progress in our ongoing dedication to DE&I."

"I'm gifted the unique opportunity to strategically solve clients' problems, drive positive transformation and ensure diverse and equal representation in everything we do. I am so hopeful for a more inclusive industry, and FCB continues to innovate how different perspectives and modern analytics can be used to put out valuable, respectful and forward-thinking work," said Harris.

Committed to giving back to help advance the industry, Harris also serves on the boards of the 4As, ANA Educational Foundation and NYWICI, and on the Ad Council's Campaign Review Committee, which appraises the direction of campaigns designed to promote social change. Among other accolades, Harris has been recognized as one of Adweek's 2020 "Women Trailblazers" and 4As' "100 People Who Make Advertising Great," honored with an ADCOLOR Legend Award, and received the Missouri Honor Medal from the globally acclaimed Missouri School of Journalism in 2018.

About FCB

FCB?or follow @FCBglobal on Instagram and Twitter and FCB Global on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Melanie Mitchem

+1

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/871cb2b7-02ec-4f43-af68-8d3a3391aa98
858 Therapeutics, a San Diego CA-based biotechnology and drug discovery company, raised $60M in Series A funding.

The round was led by Versant Ventures, with participation from NEA, Cormorant Asset Management and Logos Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to enter the clinic with its lead candidates that have potential to treat cancers that are resistant to current therapies and to expand its team to about 40 people within the next 18 months.

Led by CEO Jeffrey Stafford, 858 Therapeutics is developing a portfolio of small molecules directed against novel therapeutic targets in oncology, including proteins that regulate RNA and the innate immune response. The company has built a platform to assess the impact of RNA-modifying proteins on disease biology and has generated a pipeline of small molecules against priority targets.

858s founding team includes CEO Jeffrey Stafford, Ph.D., CSO James Veal, Ph.D., and VP of Biology Gretchen Bain, Ph.D. They previously held leadership roles at three other San Diego-based discovery companies co-founded by Versant including Jecure Therapeutics, Quanticel Pharmaceuticals and Amira Pharmaceuticals. Jecure developed therapies against innate immunity targets to treat serious inflammatory diseases and was acquired by Genentech in 2018. Quanticel developed DNA-modulating drug candidates and was acquired by Celgene in 2015. Amira developed anti-fibrotic small molecules and was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2011.

The management team has been responsible for the discovery of over 20 drug candidates that have advanced into clinical trials, including the approved drugs VotrientTM (pazopanib) and NesinaTM (alogliptin).

858 is headquartered in San Diego and will maintain lab operations both in San Diego and New York City.

FinSMEs

22/09/2021
Fauna Bio, an Emeryville, Calif.-based biotechnology company leveraging animal genomics to improve human health, raised $9m in Seed funding.

The round was led by LifeForce Capital, with participation from True Ventures, Boom Capital, Pacific 8 Ventures, BioMed Ventures, Vibe Capital and Arcadia Science.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its drug discovery platform Convergence while accelerating the discovery of new therapeutic targets for human diseases across a broad range of indications.

Led by Ashley Zehnder, DVM, Ph.D., CEO, Fauna Bio harnesses the power of comparative and functional genomics to find better therapies for human disease, including neurologic, metabolic, fibrotic, and cardiovascular disorders. The initial version of Convergence uses gene expression data from hibernating mammals due to their extreme biology and their remarkable ability to reverse disease-causing traits. The platform has so far identified two compounds and four novel genetic targets currently undergoing evaluation for heart disease and related disorders. The company also collaborates with Novo Nordisk on a target discovery program for obesity. Additionally, Fauna Bio has identified seven novel genetic targets to reduce fibrosis, which is a core component of many chronic and debilitating diseases, including NASH and cardiovascular disease secondary to chronic kidney disease and diabetic cardiomyopathy.

As the company advances its internal pipeline towards clinical testing, Bryan Burkey, Ph.D., has joined Fauna Bio as Head of Therapeutics Discovery. Dr. Burkey is an experienced drug discovery and development professional who has led and contributed, to efforts ranging from target discovery to NDA filing. He led biology and translational pharmacology efforts for 23 years at Novartis Research, in addition to five years at Zafgen, Inc., and most recently was the Head of Systems Biology at Walden Biosciences. Over his career, he developed expertise in metabolic and cardiovascular pharmacology as well as safety assessment.

FinSMEs

22/09/2021
Steward, a Portland, Oregon-based funding platform working to accelerate the growth of regenerative farms and food producers, raised $8.8m in Series A funding.

The round was led by Neglected Climate Opportunities LLC, The Grantham Environmental Trusts venture capital vehicle, Tripple, an Australian private investment firm, and Ponderosa Ventures, an impact firm backing seed-stage companies in the food, agriculture, and ocean sectors.

The funding, which also included other mission-aligned angels, high net-worth individuals, and investors, will allow the company to ramp up its staff, customer support, technology, and marketing. Along with their investments, Eric Smith, Bec Milgrom, and Evi Steyer will join the Steward Board of Directors.

Founded in 2017 by Daniel Miller, CEO, Steward partners with sustainably-run farms, ranches, fisheries, and food producers to access the capital they need to sustain and expand their businesses. Through its online lending platform, users can participate in secured, interest-bearing loans that accelerate growth of regenerative agriculture. To date, Steward has provided over $7m in farm loans to fund 50 agricultural projects, backed by more than 1,200 participating lenders.

FinSMEs

22/09/2021
Paxton, IL (60957)

Today

Thunderstorms. High 72F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms mainly during the evening. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Joseph Duclos de Bouillas was born in Toulouse in 1719.

He came from a prosperous and respected merchant family and, along with his brother, inherited three tanneries in Lectoure. This entrepreneur at heart decided to combine them into a single manufacture. He asked the architect Pierre Racine to construct a majestic building with room for one hundred craftsmen. These artisans would be encouraged to develop the best leatherworking innovations with respect for the environment, while guaranteeing a unique finish.

In 1754, Louis XV recognized the quality of Duclos' work. To encourage him to take his expertise even further and develop a deluxe leather without equal in Europe, he signed his Letters Patent. This marked the opening of the Royal Leather Manufacture in Lectoure, which gathered the best workers in France, handling this fine material with an expertise that remains unequalled in Europe.

In the absence of successors, the activity came to a halt in 1850. The magnificent Lectoure factory, classified as a historical monument in 2018 , remained an important monument in the town until its revival in 2021.

French brand Joseph Duclos was launched at 54, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore Paris on September 23, 2021. Its four collections of leather bags, clutches, small leather goods and jewelry are accompanied with four eponymous perfume, bearing names of Lectoure, the commune of Occitane region, famous for its natural water springs and thermal baths, where pilgrims of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle have been stopping by for more than a thousand years. These four Joseph Duclos olfactory signatures, created by famous perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer, will accompany both men and women in underlining their strong characters.

Joseph Duclos is a new fragrance brand. Designer Joseph Duclos has 4 perfumes in our fragrance base all launched in 2021. The nose who worked on the fragrances is Nathalie Feisthauer.

more...
Yolande Makolo, a spokesperson for the government of Rwanda, said: "Johnston Busingye, Rwanda's high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom, has served with distinction as justice minister and

By James Landale

Diplomatic correspondent

14 September 2021



Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood movie about Rwanda"s 1994 genocide, is escorted in handcuffs into a courtroom, in Kigali

Dominic Raab has been urged to block the appointment of a Rwandan diplomat in London for his alleged role in detaining a government critic.

Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed in the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda, used his Kigali hotel to save hundreds of ethnic Tutsis during the 1994 genocide.

Last year he was tricked into flying to Rwanda to face terrorism offences.

Rwanda's proposed new high commissioner has insisted his role in getting Mr Rusesabagina to the country was legal.

Johnston Busingye was, until recently, Rwanda's justice minister.

A spokesman for the Rwandan government said Mr Busingye had "served with distinction" in his former roles" and added that Mr Rusesabagina's arrest for terrorism offences "complied with all domestic and international law".

In August 2020, Mr Rusesabagina - who had been living in exile in the United States - got on a private jet in Dubai thinking it was heading for Burundi.

Instead the flight actually landed in Rwanda - something his supporters have described as a kidnapping.

In an interview with Al Jazeera in February 2021, Mr Busingye said "the government paid" for the flight taking Mr Rusesabagina to Kigali and paid for the individual who tricked him onto the plane:

"The payment was to facilitate the transportation of that man to facilitate the plan of this man to transport Rusesabagina to Rwanda," he said.

Asked if this was legal, Mr Busingye replied: "Yes."

After spending eight years at the Justice ministry, Mr Busingye was abruptly removed from his post earlier this month by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, only weeks before a court in Rwanda is expected to rule on the charges against Mr Rusesabagina.

US President George Bush awarded Mr Rusesabagina for his role in sheltering people during the Rwandan genocide

Mr Rusesabagina, a Belgian citizen now but with US residency, has been a vocal critic of Rwanda's authoritarian president.

The 66-year-old former hotel manager, who is reportedly in ill health, faces various charges of terrorism and founding an armed group responsible for terror attacks in Rwanda.

Prosecutors have asked for a life sentence, but Mr Rusesabagina supporters dismiss the proceedings as a "sham trial".

The Lantos Foundation, a prominent human rights organisation in the US, has already urged the US authorities to impose so-called Magnitsky sanctions against Mr Busingye for the "significant role" they claim he played in "grave human rights violations".

But now the foundation - set up by the late Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to become a US Congressman - has also written to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urging him to reject the credentials presented by Mr Busingye and impose UK sanctions on the former minister.

'Shameful'

Dr Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the foundation, said: "President Paul Kagame may believe that by sending Johnston Busingye to London, he can divert the focus from the former justice minister's shameful actions and the way he brazenly violated the basic human rights of a humanitarian hero.

"But nations who respect human rights cannot allow Kagame to try and sweep these violations under the rug by simply assigning Mr Busingye elsewhere."

She said the foundation called on Mr Raab to refuse to accept Mr Busingye as Rwandan ambassador.

"Furthermore, the British government should seriously and thoroughly investigate the circumstances of Mr. Rusesabagina's kidnapping and Mr Busingye's involvement in these events," she added.

Under the Vienna Convention, ambassadors and high commissioners can take up their posts at the Court of St James only if the Foreign Office formally gives what is called its "agrement".

Only then can the appointment be approved by the Queen.

All applications are considered on a case-by-case basis and a number of factors are taken into account before a decision is made.

The Foreign Office refused to comment but it is understood that it has yet to grant its agrement to Mr Busingye.

Yolande Makolo, a spokesperson for the government of Rwanda, said: "Johnston Busingye, Rwanda's high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom, has served with distinction as justice minister and attorney-general since 2013, and previously as a president/judge of the high court and principal judge of the East African Court of Justice.

"Paul Rusesabagina's arrest on an outstanding warrant for terrorism and related offences complied with all domestic and international laws, and he has since received a fair and transparent trial along with 20 co-accused of the FLN armed group which he led."
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nabis Holdings Inc. (CSE: NAB) (OTC: NABIF) (FRA: A2PL) (Nabis or the Company) announces that it is seeking court permission to issue a notice of application on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) (the Application) against Caravel CAD Fund Ltd (Caravel).



In the Application, Nabis will seek an order enforcing the support agreement between Caravel and the Company dated July 2, 2021 (Support Agreement) in which Caravel agreed to vote in favour of the proposed plan of arrangement (Arrangement). In the alternative, Nabis will seek damages in the amount of approximately $12 million, being the approximate estimated net losses that will flow from Caravels breach of the Support Agreement if the Arrangement is not consummated. Nabis alleges that Caravel is seeking to avoid its contractual obligations to Nabis and is not acting in good faith or in a commercially reasonable manner, as required by the Support Agreement.

Nabis will also seek a stay of a lawsuit issued by Caravel on September 17, 2021 in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (and served on Nabis on September 20, 2021), in which Caravel alleges that the Company acted in bad faith in obtaining an interim order issued by the Supreme Court of British Columbia on September 14, 2021 (Interim Order). Caravel seeks the following orders, among others: (a) a declaration that the Support Agreement is repudiated, (b) a declaration that Caravel is not obliged to vote in favour of the Arrangement, (c) a declaration that Caravel is not obliged to complete the purchase from the Company of 892,638 Class A Subordinate Voting Shares of Verano Holdings Corp. pursuant to the Support Agreement and a share purchase agreement between Caravel and the Company dated August 23, 2021 (SPA); and damages in the amount of $5,500,000.

The Company strongly disputes all of the claims made by Caravel.

The Company maintains that it has acted in good faith and has taken, and will continue to take, the required actions to complete the Arrangement on the terms previously announced and with a view to the best interests of the Company and its stakeholders.

The Company is proceeding with the Noteholders Meeting, as scheduled, and in accordance with the Interim Order. The Company also intends to take such other steps as may be necessary and advisable (in addition to the issuance of the Application) to compel Caravel to fulfill its contractual obligations under all agreements relevant to the Arrangement.

Your vote is important regardless of the number of securities you own

Nabis encourages holders of the 5.3% Senior Unsecured Notes due January 25, 2023 (the Noteholders) to review the meeting materials for the meeting of Noteholders to be held virtually on September 27, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. PST and holders of and its common shares (Shareholders) to review the meeting materials for the meeting of Shareholders to be held virtually on September 28, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. PST available on the SEDAR profile of the Company at www.sedar.com and will be uploaded on the Companys website.

Voting Deadlines

The deadline for Noteholders to submit their proxies or voting instructions in order to vote is 8:00 a.m. (Vancouver time), on September 23, 2021.

The deadline for Shareholders to submit their proxies or voting instructions in order to vote is 11:00 a.m. on September 24, 2021.

Banks, brokers or other intermediaries that hold the Notes or Common Shares on a securityholders behalf may have internal deadlines that require securityholders to submit their votes by an earlier date. Securityholders are encouraged to contact their intermediaries directly to confirm any such internal deadline.

About Nabis Holdings Inc.

Nabis Holdings is a Canadian investment issuer that invests in assets across multiple industries, including real property and the U.S. and international cannabis sector. For more information, please visit https://www.nabisholdings.com/.

Cautionary Statements

Certain statements included herein are forward-looking statements. 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. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: anticipate, intend, plan, goal, seek, believe, expect, future, likely, may, should, will and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the approvals sought at the Noteholder Meeting and Shareholder Meeting and the closing of the Asset Sale. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ, materially from the Companys expectations are disclosed in the Companys documents filed from time to time with the CSE, the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and the Alberta Securities Commission. The Company has no obligation to update such forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Atlanta, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Free2Move is a leader in mobility, and offers a complete ecosystem for private and professional customers, with tailor-made solutions that offer multiple vehicle access options through a single web-based and mobile app. The group is accelerating the deployment of its Mobility Hub services globally, as the needs of B2B and B2C customer needs begin to converge.

"Free2Move reaffirms its unique positioning and international leadership in the mobility market. We have all the talent, cutting-edge technology, a strong brand and a sustainable business model that will allow us to continue our deployment pace and achieve our goals, explains Brigitte Courtehoux, Free2Move CEO.

"Habits are changing and the mobility needs of individuals and companies are merging," continues Brigitte Courtehoux. "Drivers are now "consuming" mobility. We support our customers in their freedom of movement and facilitate their travel with a 360 mobility offer. We are proud to have created and marketed our mobility hub which covers all needs and all use-cases ranging from a few minutes, days, months or years. We are now positioned as the international leader in all the forms of mobility.

Cities, companies, and individuals have all come to recognize that equitable access to mobility promotes well-being, improves employee productivity and limits the environmental impact of commutes. Free2Move brings all customer groups a fresh approach to optimizing mobility with turnkey solutions.

Individual and corporate Free2Move clients simply use the app to access a complete mobility hub that empowers them to rent a vehicle for a few minutes, to several months in major cities and more than 170 countries worldwide:

Car-sharing: In Washington D.C., Portland, Madrid, Paris, and soon other cities, it is possible to locate more than 2,400 cars in an instant.

In Washington D.C., Portland, Madrid, Paris, and soon other cities, it is possible to locate more than 2,400 cars in an instant. Rent: In more than 170 countries, relying on its network of franchisees, dealers and partners, Free2Move provides daily rental access to more than 400,000 vehicles.

In more than 170 countries, relying on its network of franchisees, dealers and partners, Free2Move provides daily rental access to more than 400,000 vehicles. Car On Demand: For even more flexibility, Free2Move offers its customers a subscription service that allows them to rent vehicles of any brand on a monthly basis and without any time commitment.

For its corporate customers, Free2Move has developed a complete range of fleet management services enabling them to reduce the total cost of ownership and tools to improve the carbon footprint of their fleet:

Connect Fleet : This is an online management platform to manage the fleet. Thanks to on-board electronics, data from all vehicles is transmitted in real time for optimized fleet monitoring.

: This is an online management platform to manage the fleet. Thanks to on-board electronics, data from all vehicles is transmitted in real time for optimized fleet monitoring. PHEV Connect : To optimize and control the use of Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV) within a fleet, Free2Move offers an adapted monitoring software.

: To optimize and control the use of Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV) within a fleet, Free2Move offers an adapted monitoring software. Lease: This full-service lease option is perfect for longer term vehicle access.

Finally, to assist the customers in their transition to the use of electric vehicles, Free2Move has integrated a range of solutions to remove the main current obstacles:

Charge my Car: This solution provides access to more than 250,000 charging points in Europe, and allows customers to plan their journey accordingly.

This solution provides access to more than 250,000 charging points in Europe, and allows customers to plan their journey accordingly. All-E: This subscription offers the customer a complete package including a charging station with home installation, access to a green energy package and a public charging package.

The events that have shaped the brand's history in 5 years:

Birth of Free2Move in 2016

Launch of the Connect Fleet / Fleet Sharing offers in 2016

Madrid Carsharing opened in 2016

Launch of the Lease offer in 2017

Opening of Paris and WDC Carsharing in 2018

Launch of the Rent 2019 offer

Launch of Car On Demand subscription in 2019

Launch of the E-Mobility Advisor and PHEV Connect tools in 2020

Creation of a single application bringing together all the Free2Move services available throughout the world in 2020

Creation of Free2Move eSolutions in 2021

Opening of Portland Carsharing in 2021

Free2Moves 2021 figures:

2 million users

2,400 car-sharing cars

500,000 parking spaces

170 countries

600,000 business contracts

A fleet of 400,000 vehicles for rental

A fleet of 420,000 vehicles for leasing

250,000 charging points for electric vehicles

*********************************

About Free2Move:

Free2Move is a global mobility brand offering a complete and unique ecosystem for its private and professional customers around the world. Relying on data and technology, Free2Move puts the customer experience at the heart of the business to reinvent mobility and facilitate the transition to e-mobility. As a real marketplace for mobility, the company offers a range of products and services ranging from car-sharing to short, medium or long-term rental, including the reservation of VTC drivers, parking spaces and charging stations via the app, as well as support solutions towards the energy transition or even fleet management for professionals. Finally, Free2Move designs, develops, produces and distributes electric mobility products and services ranging from charging infrastructure, monthly subscriptions, battery life cycle management to the integration of Vehicle-to-Grid technology (V2G). Free2Move in figures is: 2 millions users, 400,000 rental vehicles, 500,000 parking spaces, 250,000 charging points, 600,000 business contracts and a presence in 170 countries. For further information: https://www.free2move.com/
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- Green Hygienics Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: GRYN) (Green Hygienics or the Company) is pleased to announce the offering of a green bond exclusively in Europe (the Offering) in the principal amount of US$100 million. The offering is issued for a five-year term with a yield of 7.25%, is not convertible, does not include warrants and is expected to close on or about Nov 30, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions.



Green Hygienics has engaged the firm of Dechert LLP (Luxembourg). Dechert is a leading global law firm with 22 offices around the world. They advise on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity, and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.

The Company intends to list the green bond on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE), a pioneer in green finance. In 2007, LuxSE listed the first green bond to ever enter the market: the European Investment Banks Climate Awareness Bond. Since then, the exchange has become the leading venue for this asset class. Today, more than 520 green bonds are listed. Issuers range from sovereigns, Public International Bodies, agencies and development banks to financial institutions and corporates.

The Offering is supported by both the recently announced publication of the Companys annual Environmental, Social and Governance Report (ESG Report) using the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) framework and the completion of an accredited ongoing business valuation.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, and securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

About Green Hygienics Holdings Inc.

"Hygienics is the science of preserving and promoting the health of individuals, communities, and the planet; its our core mission and at the heart of every decision we make as a company.

As more and more consumers prioritize their health and demand transparency and integrity from the companies that create their products, Green Hygienics will be recognized as the most reliable, safe and secure choice in the market for CBD and hemp products. To deliver on this promise, we maintain a constant commitment to sustainable farming practices, cutting-edge science and industry-leading certifiability.

Generating peak value from a plant of this caliber requires prioritizing innovative processing methods and impeccable attention to detail. Creating a secure supply chain and reliable long-term source for high-grade CBD is a corporate strategy for Green Hygienics, coupled with a mission to preserve and protect a valuable natural resource.

As Green Hygienics evolves and expands, its path is clear and uncompromised, creating pure, non-psychoactive, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, topical and industrial products from the highly sustainable hemp plant to benefit people and preserve the planet.

For more information visit the Companys website at www.greenhygienics.com.

Corporate Communications:

Heidi Thomasen

IR@GreenHygienics.com

Toll Free 1.855.802.0299

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This document contains forward-looking statements. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including our ability to change the direction of the Company, our ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs, and the competitive environment of our business. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement.
Drilling focused on expanding the 2.47Moz gold inferred mineral resource at the Florin Project

Seven out of 18 planned 2021 campaign coring holes drilled so far

Logging shows potential mineralization comparable to logs from previous campaigns

Field team locates two historic high-grade adit workings on the property

Vancouver, British Columbia, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- St. James Gold Corp. (the Company) (TSXV: LORD) (OTCQB: LRDJF) (FSE: BVU3) is pleased to announce that the 2021 campaign has been directed towards drilling further mineralization in order to increase the overall 2.47Moz gold inferred resource (2.47-million-ounce inferred gold resource (170,993,000 tonnes grading 0.45g/t Au with a 0.30g/t Au cut-off) at the Florin Project in the Yukon.



The program has focused on areas adjacent to the existing inferred resource in areas where anomalous gold results have been returned from soil sampling in previous seasons.

In spite of only having a week in which to mobilize, late in the field season, the team at Florin have managed to drill 1,275m in seven holes so far, with platforms prepared for another 11 holes in the immediate area of the inferred resource.

Assay results are not expected for several weeks. The summary logs from all these holes describe intervals of fine-grained sulphides hosted in intrusive and meta-sedimentary rocks, typical of the known, mineralized lithologies in the project. Any holes that remain undrilled this season will be prioritized when the field season re-opens in Q2, next year.

In parallel, a prospecting drive has started to map sites of historic artisanal mining identified next to dumps that have yielded gold-bearing grab samples. These areas are under investigation to better understand the mechanisms that concentrate higher grades of mineralization in and around the Florin intrusive.

In the meantime, satellite imagery has been ordered to guide prospecting, mapping and sampling in order to better understand the distribution of mineralization in and around the Florin intrusion.

CEO George Drazenovic, commented: We are pleased with the start-up progress on the Q3 2021 core drilling campaign at the Florin Project which is targeting areas adjacent to known gold mineralization with the intention of adding ounces to the existing inferred Resource figure of 2.47Moz Au. The prospecting campaign being undertaken in tandem aims to identify new areas of mineralization which will be the target of future drill campaigns along with the West and Treadwell Zones. In the background, we welcome the ongoing support of Resource Geologist Trevor Rabb at Equity Exploration Consultants Ltd. who is consolidating the existing database, ready to include upcoming assay results from this seasons drill campaign.

The technical information included in this news release has been prepared, supervised, and approved by Dr. Stewart A Jackson, a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, and technical advisor to the Company.

For more corporate information please visit: http://stjamesgold.com /

For further information, please contact:

George Drazenovic, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 1 (800) 278-2152

Email: info@stjamesgold.com

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (collectively, forward-looking statements). Forward looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things: completion of the Offering; the timing and size of the Offering; the timing and receipt of approval from the TSXV for the Offering; the expected use of the net proceeds of the Offering and all other statements that are not historical facts, particularly statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance of the Company. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified through the use of words or phrases such as will likely result, are expected to, expects, will continue, is anticipated, anticipates, believes, estimated, intends, plans, forecast, projection, strategy, objective and outlook. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made based on reasonable estimates and assumptions made by management of the Company at the relevant time in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that are believed to be appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will not update any such forward-looking statements as a result of new information or if managements beliefs, estimates, assumptions or opinions change, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the Companys control, which could cause actual results, performance, achievements, and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact and progression of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors outlined in the Companys Annual Information Form dated July 26, 2021 (the AIF) filed under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . The Company cautions that the list of risk factors and uncertainties described in its AIF on SEDAR are not exhaustive and other factors could materially affect its results.

New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to consider all of them or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

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.

Attachments
TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- African Gold Group, Inc. (TSX-V: AGG, OTC: AGGFF, FRA: 3A61) (AGG or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Company has been granted an extension of its Faraba exploration permit for three years to 2024. The current mineral resource for the Project area is hosted in a portion of the main Kobada shear, which has been interpreted to extend into the Faraba permit north of Kobada, representing an opportunity to expand resources through further exploration.



Highlights:

The government of Mali has renewed Faraba exploration permit until August 2024  a further three years

Initial soil sampling and termite mound sampling indicate strong extensions of the Foroko and Diaban shear zones

Potential to increase the 55 km of identified shear zones further based upon initial results

Historical artisanal workings indicate strong SW-NE trend along known shear zones into the Faraba exploration permit

Danny Callow, CEO of African Gold Group, commented:

The renewal of the Faraba permit is a key step forward in opening up the opportunity in our Faraba deposit, which shows significant potential in extending our 55 km shear zones even further. The extension of this permit for three years to 2024 will allow us to move into a more rigorous exploration programme to exploit the Foroko and Diaban shear zones to the north-east. Yet again the results we have seen at Faraba, although at a very early stage, show a highly prospective exploration permit enabling extensions to two key shear zones that already exhibit historical artisanal workings and gold mineralisation.

The Faraba permit is a part of a group of permits located on the western flank of the Bougouni basin covering an area of 11,119 acres. The shear zones discovered in the Faraba concession form a part of the combined 55 km shear strikes, identified across the three concessions from previous geophysics and soil geochemistry.

The extension of the exploration permit will allow the Company to proceed with the development of new and extended open pit opportunities at Faraba. Successful exploration of these potential shear zones may lead to the extension of Kobada Gold Project`s mine life (the Project or Kobada).

The Company continues to seek out additional opportunities through organic growth and exploration. Development of the Faraba exploration permit and expansion of the existing resource at Kobada permit are among several organic growth projects in Company's pipeline. The Company believes that progressing organic growth is key to delivering shareholder value over the long-term, and the receipt of consents at Faraba is another step along a critical path to achieving this goal.

Faraba shows highly prospective future drill targets

The upside potential for the Kobada, over and above the current mineral resource of the Project set out in the NI 43-101 technical report of the Company titled NI 43-101 Technical Report on Kobada Gold Project in Mali with an effective date of June 17, 2020 (the 2020 DFS), lies within the various target shear zones, an estimated 55 km strike, that have been identified by the previous exploration activities. The current mineral resource for the Project area is limited to a portion of the main Kobada shear which has been interpreted to extend into the Faraba permit north of Kobada, as the Foroko North shear, as shown in the figure below. The two main shears interpreted to extend into Faraba permit area are the Foroko North and Diaban targets.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/236e2d7d-1c0d-4774-822c-4325ad2d84da

To date however, limited exploration has been completed on the Faraba permit area as the focus has been on upgrading and increasing the Kobada mineral resource and exploratory drilling at the Gosso target.

In January 2021, AGG commenced a soil sampling programme at the Faraba permit and it was completed in February 2021. A total of 459 soil samples were collected on a grid spacing of 100 m x 100 m to test for additional drilling targets. The samples were analysed for gold at SGS Laboratory in Bamako by fire assay. As part of QAQC, blanks, duplicates and certified reference material were inserted in the sampling to monitor the accuracy and precision at the laboratory. Elevated gold levels were detected in the soil geochem samples as shown in the figure below. A good proportion of the elevated gold grades are along the strike of the interpreted Kobada / North Foroko shear and the Diaban shear. These areas will be followed up with trenching and if successful with drilling.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8abcddd-28d0-4fb9-add4-51e114492b18

An additional sampling programme was undertaken at Faraba permit. A total of 87 samples were collected at the Faraba permit of which 52 samples were grab samples and 35 samples were termite mound samples. The samples were again analysed for gold at the SGS Laboratory in Bamako with similar QAQC protocols. This sampling has identified another potential target area in the northwestern corner of the permit.

Initial fieldwork strongly supports the idea that the shear zones do extend into the Faraba permit area.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bc8e62c7-dec7-4d66-88ac-5a0dcdf40aa0

As part of its ongoing, and dynamic exploration programme, additional work will be carried out in 2022 to improve the understanding of the shear zone extensions into the Faraba deposit.

About African Gold Group

African Gold Group is a TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: AGG) listed exploration and development company with a focus on building Africas next mid-tier gold producer. The Company has a highly experienced board and management team with a proven track record in the African mining sector operating mines from development through to production. AGGs principal asset is the Kobada Project in southern Mali, which is in an advanced stage of development having completed the 2020 definitive feasibility study and is targeting gold production of 100,000 oz per annum. As well as the initial Kobada Gold Project, other exploration locations have been identified on the Kobada, Farada and Kobada Est concessions, offering potential for an increase in resource. For more information regarding African Gold Group visit our website at www.africangoldgroup.com.

For more information: Danny Callow

President and Chief Executive Officer

+ (27) 76 411 3803

Danny.Callow@africangoldgroup.com Daniyal Baizak

Vice President, Corporate Development

+1 (647) 835 9617

Daniyal.Baizak@africangoldgroup.com Scott Eldridge

Non-Executive Chairman of the Board

+1 (604) 722 5381

Scott.Eldridge@africangoldgroup.com Camarco (Financial PR)

Gordon Poole / Nick Hennis

+44 (0) 20 3757 4997

AfricanGoldGroup@camarco.co.uk

Cautionary statements

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding, the renewal of the Faraba permit and the exploration plans of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of AGG to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: receipt of necessary approvals; impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of the mining industry. Although AGG has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. AGG does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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.
Singapore, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Waggle Network, a cross-chain protocol that unlocks liquidity for post-IDO tokens, has announced a $3 million seed raise by leading investors including (but not limited to) GBV, SVC, Genesis Block Capital, Basics Capital, Bixin Ventures, NGC, AU21, Gate.io labs, MEXC, HG Ventures and Spark Digital.







Waggle has also announced the addition of strategic partners such as Solanium, Occam, and Poolz.finance to help foster the companys multichain approach, as well as media partners Minted Labs, ODaily, CrryptoTimes, Bitcoin Addict, and Bigcoin Vietnam. With each investor and partner, Waggle unlocks the potential to tap into thousands of portfolio projects and deep industry expertise from top Web3 investors and builders.

Waggles founding team brings heavy experience in DeFi along with first-hand experience with some of the major pain points that inspired Waggles creation. Conventionally, projects have limited alternatives to raise funds after their IDO. Most projects will raise funds via OTC deals with institutional partners, which sometimes present them with less-than-favourable sales terms due to the illiquidity of such deals.

Waggle saw these pain points and noticed the fervour of the communities of these projects. Waggle was therefore born to bridge this market inefficiency and facilitate fundraising through the project's very own community. Not only is Waggle unlocking liquidity for projects to further their innovation, but the company will also bring deals, previously exclusive to institutional investors, to the community.

A representative at VC fund AU21 says, "As the crypto market booms, and technological innovation within the sector reaches new heights, we feel that it is patently important for locked and restricted tokens to be valued in public markets. The Waggle Network introduces much-needed liquidity to assets held by project teams while keeping a close eye on project quality for prospective investors."

A representative at Genblock Capital adds, The inability to unlock value from vested tokens is a challenge shared by many project founders and early supporters. Genblock are excited to be supporting the team at Waggle, who are building the protocols and tools that will enable project founders to access capital from their illiquid vested tokens. This will provide a new source of funding for early stage projects, as well as widen access to exclusive private sales for the retail community."

Waggle will be announcing more details soon around upcoming challenges, airdrops, IDOs, and liquidity mining programs designed to provide a strong go-to-market launch for the company.

Media Contact: hello@waggle.network

Website: https://waggle.network

Telegram: https://t.me/wagglenetwork

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wagglenetwork




SELBYVILLE, Del., Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to latest report "Aircraft Evacuation Market by Product (Life Vest, Escape Slide, Evacuation Raft, Ejection Seat, Inflatable Floatation), By Platform (Fixed-wing [Narrow-body, Wide-body, Regional Aircraft, Fighter Jet], Rotary Wing [Civil Helicopter, Military Helicopter]), By Distribution Channel (OEM, Aftermarket), Regional Outlook, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2027", by Global Market Insights Inc., the market valuation of aircraft evacuation will cross $1.5 billion by 2027.

The globalization of business operations and growing international & domestic tourism have significantly increased business jets and commercial aircraft demand. According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, in 2017, the European fleet consisted of around 136,000 aircraft. Additionally, in 2017, Europe was ranked as the second-largest market for business jets after North America. Around 17% of the business jet deliveries were made to the European region. These growing trends in the market are anticipated to strongly complement the overall market growth during the forecast period.

Request a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3092

COVID-19 disrupted the overall aviation industry; hence, the aircraft evacuation took a major hit in 2020. The enforcement of lockdowns across the globe has resulted in a major dip in revenue of the aviation sector, in turn, negatively impacting the overall market value.

The evacuation seat held more than 15% of the aircraft evacuation market share in 2020. The increasing acquisition of fighter aircraft by countries including China, the UK, France, and Germany due to security threats and to meet the demand of defense budget is poised to drive the ejection seat market during the forecast period.

The rotatory wing military helicopter in the aircraft evacuation market will witness a 4% growth rate through 2027. Military helicopters are basis of various evacuation and defense activities in terms of transportation of goods as well as evacuation of injured civilians. These helicopters can transport personnel and cargo quickly without requiring a runway for takeoff and landings; hence, military helicopters are forming an integral part of defense forces worldwide.

The Asia Pacific aircraft evacuation market captured 15% of revenue share in 2020 and is estimated to attain a CAGR of 8% till 2027. This is attributed to key factors, including robust economic growth and infrastructure development to fill the demand and supply gap in air transportation. According to the International Air Transport Association, in 2017, the international passenger traffic growth in the region increased by 9.4% compared to 2016. Improving intra and inter region route connectivity has led to a higher commercial aircraft demand, boosting the industry share during the forecast timeline.

The growing aircraft deliveries in the APAC region generated large life vests, evacuation rafts, and escape slide demand. Each aircraft consists of life vests with equal number of passengers and crew members on board. Furthermore, every door of an aircraft is equipped with escape slides. The timely maintenance of these evacuation products will further support the industry growth over the forecast timeframe.

Request a customization of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/roc/3092

The major companies operating in the aircraft evacuation market include UTC Aerospace, Zodiac Aerospace, NPP Zvezda, EAM Worldwide, DART Aerospace, Switlik, Trelleborg, Survitec Group, and Martin Baker.

Table of Contents (ToC) of the report:

Chapter 3 Aircraft Evacuation Market Insights

3.1 Industry segmentation

3.2 Industry landscape, 2017 - 2027

3.2.1 Impact analysis of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

3.3 Industry ecosystem analysis

3.3.1 Supplier

3.3.2 Manufacturer

3.3.3 Profit margin analysis

3.3.4 Distribution channel analysis

3.3.5 Value chain disruption analysis

3.3.6 Vendor matrix

3.4 Technology landscape

3.5 Pricing trends

3.6 Regulatory landscape

3.7 Industry impact forces

3.7.1 Growth drivers

3.7.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges

3.8 Innovation & sustainability

3.9 Growth potential analysis, 2020

3.10 Porter's analysis

3.11 Competitive landscape, 2020

3.12 PESTLE analysis

3.13 Product lifecycle analysis

Browse the Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/aircraft-evacuation-market

About Global Market Insights Inc.

Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision-making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.

Contact Us:

Arun Hegde

Corporate Sales, USA

Global Market Insights Inc.

Phone: 1-302-846-7766

Toll-Free: 1-888-689-0688

Email: sales@gminsights.com

Related Images











Image 1: Aircraft Evacuation Market Growth Predicted at 6.2% Through 2027: GMI





Asia Pacific aircraft evacuation market is expected to show a reasonable growth of 8% through 2027.









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
Dublin, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "PreK-12 Enrollment & Demographics, 2021-2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

PreK-12 Enrollment & Demographics, 2021-2022 provides data about the PreK-12 student population in the U.S., including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on where students are being educated.

COVID-19 has upended the U.S. educational system, including the number of children enrolled in school and where and how those children are learning.

"Disenrollment, where children are missing from school whether it is in-person or virtual, is a pandemic phenomenon with implications for children, families, school systems and society," said Kathy Mickey, managing editor and senior analyst. "As traditional education broke down, we are seeing growing interest in charter schools, virtual schools and homeschooling."

Looking forward, another challenge to public schools and the funding they receive will be birthrates, which were declining in the U.S. prior to COVID-19, with the pandemic projected to contribute to a further dip.

Most children will return to in-person education at some location this fall. They will bring with them more technology devices distributed during the pandemic, possibly more facility with technology-based learning, but also learning gaps for educators to address.

For companies looking to serve the PreK-12 market in these changing times, the PreK-12 Enrollment & Demographics, 2021-2022 provides information on public and private school enrollment trends, data on subgroups like English-language learners, students with disabilities and children in poverty, and updates on topics that include preschool enrollment, high school graduation rates and dual enrollment interest.

Information in the report includes:

Current and projected public-school enrollment;

Private school enrollment trends, including for Catholic schools;

Charter school growth;

Virtual school expansion;

Surge for homeschooling;

Trends in high school graduation rates and dual enrollment;

English-language learner statistics;

Numbers for students living in poverty, experiencing homelessness;

Data by state.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Introduction & Methodology

Disenrollment Disrupts Education

Why and Who

California Illustrates Pandemic Trends

Other Examples: Louisiana and Idaho

Districts: Large and Small

Where Students Went & Departure Impact

Public Schools: Numbers & Students

Public School Enrollment Growth Slows

Enrollment Patterns Vary Across the States

Birth Rates Will Impact Future Enrollment

Impacts on Private School Enrollment

Private Schools Face Challenges, See Opportunity

Catholic School Enrollment Declines Continue

Support for School Choice Grows

Increasing Interest in Charter Schools

Characteristics of Charter Schools

Pandemic Leads to Homeschooling Surge

Virtual Schools See Bright Future

Graduation Rates Inch Up

Dual Enrollment Offers Opportunities

Decline for Students in Poverty

Students Experiencing Homelessness

ELL Population Continues to Grow

Special Needs Students Get Services

PreK Progress Stalls

Pandemic Impacts PreK

More Connected Students; Needs Expand

Conclusion

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dx4qi1
AMSTERDAM, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Feedzai , the worlds leading cloud-based financial risk management platform, and Solarisbank AG , Europe's leading Banking-as-a-Service platform, announced today at Money20/20 Europe a multi-year partnership. The pioneering companies have joined forces to reshape banking, combining the trailblazing transformation that comes with Banking-as-a-Service with the risk management and security that is expected from financial institutions - all while preserving the customer experience. Importantly, the flexibility of Feedzais risk management solution means they can scale as Solarisbank grows, helping the company to keep up with a regulatory and geo-political landscape that is in a constant state of flux as well as more comprehensively protect customers from threats.



Solarisbank enables any company to offer financial services via APIs while easing the technical and regulatory complexities of banking. With this new partnership, Solarisbank is leveraging Feedzais proprietary technology which enables them to apply an effective risk management which is in line with respective law requirements.

We were drawn to Feedzais depth and breadth of experience in helping various banks fight financial crime, said Roland Folz, CEO of Solarisbank. Using Feedzais financial risk management platform we can bridge an important gap within the industry to deliver the best experience, both in terms of customer ease of use and protection from financial risk.

Solarisbank joins an elite list of customers that use the fully packaged Feedzai Solutions that can assess risk for single and cross-channel transactions in an agile and easy-to-deploy way.

We are excited to be part of Solarisbanks growth journey by providing a best-in-class risk management tool that will be further protecting its tech-savvy customer base, said Nuno Sebastiao, CEO of Feedzai. A growing number of financial institutions are looking for cutting edge financial risk management technologies wrapped around a digital-first evolution approach. Solarisbank is leading this new wave of financial institutions that are unlocking the full power of the cloud.

Solarisbank evaluated several solutions available in the market. Among the key differentiators that contributed to the decision of implementing Feedzais technology are:

Flexibility in handling the financial risk of a growing heterogeneous customer base while being able to make changes in a self-service fashion





Configurable Risk Levels: the ability to apply an effective risk-based approach during transactions monitoring





Flexible SSR (self-service rules): the provision to work on rules independently



In addition to Feedzais flexible technology, scalability played an important role in order to match Solaris growth projections for the years to come.

About Solarisbank

Solarisbank is Europe's leading Banking-as-a-Service platform. As a technology company with a full German banking license, Solarisbank enables other companies to offer their own financial services both rapidly and compliantly. Using our simple APIs, we enable partners to integrate Solarisbank's modular banking services directly into their own product offering at a much more efficient cost. The platform offers digital bank accounts and payment cards, identification and lending services, digital assets, including custody and brokerage, as well as services provided by integrated third-party providers. In 2021, Solarisbank launched in France, Italy, and Spain to offer local IBANs, providing access to local financial ecosystems in Europes four largest markets. Headquartered in Berlin, over 450 Solarians representing over 60+ nationalities are working together to transform the financial services industry.

About Feedzai

Feedzai is the market leader in safeguarding global commerce with todays most advanced cloud-based risk management platform, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence. Feedzai is securing the transition to a cashless world while enabling digital trust in every transaction and payment type. The worlds largest banks, processors, and retailers trust Feedzai to protect trillions of dollars and manage risk while improving the customer experience for everyday users, without compromising privacy. Feedzai is a Series D company and has raised $282M to date with a current valuation of well over $1.5B. Its technology protects 800 million people in 190 countries. For more information, visit feedzai.com .

Press Contact - Feedzai

Igor Carvalho

Head of Global Communications, Feedzai

igor.carvalho@feedzai.com
New York, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the statistical report Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, it has been estimated that close to 3.5 Billion people around the world are affected by oral diseases. Moreover, around 2.3 Billion people were estimated to suffer from caries of permanent teeth. Furthermore, it has also been estimated that over 530 Million children suffer from caries of primary teeth. On the other hand, according to the statistics by the World Health Organization (WHO), the incidence of lip and oral cavity cancer around the globe is expected to be close to 4 cases per 100,000 people.

Research Nester has recently released a report titled  Glycerin Market: Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2019-2028  which encompasses a detailed analysis of the industry growth indicators, along with the supply & demand risks, and the restraints that might be associated with the growth of the market for the forecast period 2021-2028.

The oral health diseases around the world are increasing at a rapid pace. Glycerin, which is a colorless, syrupy liquid, and has the properties of sweetness, is widely used in oral health products so as to retain moisture, and to maintain the creamy texture of the toothpaste. Glycerin is also used widely in cosmetics, food products, medications, and household items among others. According to the statistical data shared by the U.S. FDA Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program (VCRP), in the year 2019, glycerin was reported to be used in 23,366 products. Moreover, in cosmetics, it is the third most frequently used ingredient after water and fragrance. Backed by the growing cosmetic industry, which grew by around 5.5% in the year 2019, the demand for glycerin is expected to surge massively in the coming years, and in turn, drive the growth of the global glycerin market. The market is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 4.72% during the forecast period and further attain revenue of USD 4506.6 Million by the end of 2028, up from a revenue of USD 3040.2 Million in 2019. The market is also expected to grow on account of the growing demand for glycerin from the pharmaceutical industry, owing to the increase in the production of generic and prescription drugs. According to the statistics by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), the value of production of pharmaceutical products in Europe grew from around USD 118642 Million in 2000 and was estimated to reach close to USD 297700 Million in 2018. In the year 2021, the market is expected to attain a market revenue of USD 3263.7 Million.

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Based on geography, the global glycerin market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Amongst the market in the regions, the market in the Asia Pacific is anticipated to hold the largest market share and attain revenue of USD 27411.9 Million by the end of 2028 by growing with a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period. Growing adoption of biodiesel in the region, along with the emerging number of organizations across different industry verticals where the application of glycerin is huge, are some of the major factors anticipated to drive the market growth. According to the statistics by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), production of biodiesel in the Asia & Oceania region increased from 97 Mb/d in 2015 to 244 MB/d in 2019. Amongst the countries in the region, the market in China is expected to hold the leading market share throughout the forecast period and further attain a market revenue of USD 456.79 Million by the end of 2028, up from a revenue of USD 285.54 Million in 2019. Alternatively, the market in India is projected to hold the second-leading share and further attain revenue of USD 245.68 Million in 2021.

On the other hand, the market in Europe is expected to hold the second-leading share and attain revenue of USD 12956.8 Million by the end of 2021. The rise in demand for personal care products amongst consumers, increasing consumption of biodiesel in the region, and the presence of a strong pharmaceutical industry in the region are some of the factors anticipated to drive the growth of the Europe glycerin market. According to EIA, the consumption of biodiesel in Europe grew from 239 Mb/d in 2015 to 311 Mb/d in 2018. Amongst the countries in Europe, the market in the UK is anticipated to garner the largest market revenue of USD 221.88 Million by the end of 2021. Alternatively, the market in Germany is expected to hold the second-leading share and further gain a market revenue of USD 231.07 Million by the end of 2028.

Get a Sample PDF of Glycerin Market Report

The study further incorporates Y-O-Y growth, demand & supply and forecast future opportunity in North America (U.S., Canada), Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg, NORDIC [Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark], Poland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Rest of Latin America), Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Middle East and Africa (Israel, GCC [Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman], North Africa, South Africa, Rest of Middle East and Africa).

The global glycerin market is segmented by product type into refined glycerin and crude glycerin, out of which, the refined glycerin segment is anticipated to hold the largest market revenue and further grow with the highest CAGR of 4.78% during the forecast period. The growth of the segment can primarily be attributed to the increasing demand for refined glycerin from the end-user industries, such as pharmaceuticals, oral care product manufacturers, and others. The segment in the United Kingdom is expected to register a revenue of USD 198.37 Million by the end of 2028 and also grow with the highest CAGR of 4.73% during the forecast period.

In the Asia Pacific, the segment is expected to grow with the highest CAGR of 5.50% during the forecast period, whereas in China, the segment is expected to attain a market revenue of USD 262.65 Million by the end of 2021.

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On the basis of source, the market is segmented into biodiesel, fatty acids & esters, vegetable oils, animal fats, and others. Out of these, the biodiesel segment is expected to hold the largest market share and grab a revenue of USD 2988.41 Million by the end of 2028, up from a value of USD 1981.66 Million in 2019. The segment is also anticipated to grow with the highest CAGR of 4.92% during the forecast period. In North America, the biodiesel segment is expected to garner the largest market revenue of USD 440.44 Million by the end of 2021, whereas, the vegetable oils segment is expected to grow with the highest CAGR of 5.77% during the forecast period. In Germany, the biodiesel segment garnered the largest market revenue of USD 100.56 Million in 2019 and is further anticipated to hold the position and reach a revenue of USD 149.62 Million by the end of 2028. In China, the segment is expected to attain the largest market revenue of USD 323.50 Million by the end of 2028.

The global glycerin market is also segmented on the basis of grade, and by application.

Global Glycerin Market, Segmentation by Grade

USP

Technical

Global Glycerin Market, Segmentation by Application

Chemical Intermediates Propylene Glycol Epichlorohydrin 1,3-Propanediol Acrolein Glycerol Carbonate Glycol Substitutes Others

Industrial Applications Cosmetics & Personal Care Food & Beverage Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Tobacco Polyether Polyols Alkyd Resins Paper & Printing Lubrication Others



Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Expert

Some of the major industry leaders mentioned in our report that are associated with the global glycerin market are Emery Oleochemicals, Wilmar International Ltd., IOI Oleo GmbH, Kao Corporation, Croda International Plc, KLK OLEO, Cargill, Incorporated, Procter & Gamble, Godrej Industries Limited, CREMER OLEO GmbH & Co. KG, and others.

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Denver, Colorado, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- YES Communities team members donate hundreds of hours of time to serve their communities and assist resident homeowners when they need it most. The Hug-A-Home program is part of the YES We Care program, which has invested over $370,000 in assistance to residents, team members and local organizations since 2018. YES is committed to continuing to grow the program this year and increasing participation and dollars invested into the program in 2022.

The YES We Care program is an integral part of the YES Communities culture. We are vested in ensuring that our residents, our number one asset, are taken care of when they need it most, said Steven Schaub, CEO of YES Communities.

This week, Grand Blanc Crossing, located in Grand Blanc, MI owned and operated by YES Communities, completed a 100% volunteer-led, Hug-A-Home renovation project for a long-term resident in the community.

Thank you for all you guys did, you have truly changed my life, said Mr. Williams, a disabled veteran and resident since 2010. Mr. Williams' home renovation was made possible by YES team members, including community managers, maintenance technicians and office team members. YES Communities provided the homeowner with a multitude of home improvements including paint, new window screens, a deck and much more.

As part of the Hug-A-Home program, local vendors and partners helped complete the project. The following local vendors came out to support and contribute to the Hug-A-Home; Turning Point Construction, T & F, Diamond Maintenance, Capital Supply and Service, AMHS, Dr. Drain Plumbing, Wash on Wheels and Franklin Landscaping.

The YES We Care program also includes a paid time off program for all YES team members. YES donates over 11,000 hours annually to team members to volunteer in their communities. Helping Hands, another part of YES We Care has nominated over 60 residents and team members experiencing hardship to assist with financial aid.

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Washington, D.C., Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Organic Trade Association and the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University (ASU) announced today an important partnership to chart organics pathway for the future. The new partnership is launching a series of workshops bringing together a diverse coalition of stakeholders to take a no-holds-barred look at organic, and what has worked and not worked since the federal organic program began. The Organic Farmers Association is co-hosting one of the workshops, which will be geared exclusively for organic farmers and farmer organizations.



It has been 30 years since the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) was signed into law, and organic has made significant advancements during that time. Organic is the fastest-growing segment of U.S. agriculture, growing to a $62 billion market. Consumers are eating more organic food and using more organic products than ever before, and the accessibility and affordability of organic are increasingly within the reach of all. But there is still much to be done to ensure the continued success of the organic movement and truly achieve the gold standard in food systems.

The unique private-public partnership that is the backbone of organic has generally served the sector well, but over the past several years the federal regulatory apparatus has stifled innovation and stalled continuous improvement within the industry, said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association. Our partnership with ASU has been created to gather ideas from all corners on ways to reverse this trend and to make organic the best it can be.

It was a diversity of minds that created the novel scheme that became the 1990 OFPA. It is time to reengage that original coalition of organic, consumer, and environmental organizations, and bolster it with many new stakeholders. We need everyone seated at the table to successfully plot the next 30 years of organic. Our partnership with the Organic Trade Association will enable us to solicit input on the future of organic from all communities, and our work will be stronger for it, said Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of the ASU Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems. The Swette Center is a unit of ASUs Global Futures Laboratory and the School of Sustainability.



The workshops will look at the changing needs of organic, explore ways to improve organic, and discuss how to build upon organics successes.



The Organic Farmers Association is co-hosting one of the workshops with the Organic Trade Association, which will be exclusively for farmers and farming organizations, with the goal to get extensive farmer input and help pave the way for farmers to help shape the next farm bill priorities and the future of organic.



Farmers were critical in creating the U.S. organic market and label, and they must be an active part of determining the future of organic. Organic Farmers Association is excited to partner with the Organic Trade Association in co-hosting a national conversation with organic farmers on these topics, says Kate Mendenhall, Executive Director of Organic Farmers Association.



The workshops will encourage frank discussions on organic. Participants are invited to bring their radical and innovative ideas to the table. The outcomes will culminate in the release of a report outlining tangible improvements to the law and regulatory process within USDA. It will help shape strategies on how to update the Organic Foods Production Act in the next farm bill. Congress has already kick-started the conversation by introducing the bipartisan Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act, the first major assessment of USDAs National Organic Program since the organic standards came into effect.



A no-holds-barred look at organic

The partnership will convene workshops that include small group breakouts to explore the scope of regulations and issues impacting todays organic sector. The workshops will go deep on the most critical topics in food and farming, engaging diverse perspectives of all stakeholders: non-profits, farmers, marketers, and consumers. No topics will be off limits.



Central themes will include the structure of the public-private partnership where the current federal regulatory process and its impact on the voluntary organic program will be examined. The role and future of the National Organic Standards Board will be looked at. How to restructure and realign the public-private partnership to create a transparent regulatory framework providing accountability and transparency between government and stakeholders and allowing organic standards to keep pace with consumer and environmental demands will be explored.



Continuous improvement is the bedrock of organic. The workshops will explore how continuous improvement should be defined in the law and regulations, and discuss how the organic standards can be modernized to include important labor, social and emerging environmental challenges to position organic as the most sustainable, transparent and socially conscious food system. How USDA can collaborate with accredited certifiers to advance the outcomes on farms, ranches, and facilities certified to the USDA National Organic Program will be addressed



A fresh look will be taken at the accreditation, certification and enforcement of the organic standards by discussing how to improve the organic system plan, the critical document for all certified organic farms and businesses, and exploring innovative new approaches to certification and strategies to strengthen oversight through the accreditation system.



The future of marketing claims and their relationship to organic will be discussed. The questions of whether or not the USDA Organic label is still breaking through to consumers in a crowded marketplace and if the Organic seal should be updated and modernized to capture innovations and claims that are appealing to consumers will be addressed.



Workshop dates:

Oct. 27 , 1-5 p.m. EST, virtual, co-hosted by the Accredited Certifiers Association for *certifiers only

, 1-5 p.m. EST, virtual, co-hosted by the Accredited Certifiers Association for *certifiers only Nov. 10 , 1-5 p.m. EST, virtual

, 1-5 p.m. EST, virtual Dec. 13 , 1-5 p.m. EST, virtual, co-hosted by the Organic Farmers Association and the Organic Trade Association's Farmers Advisory Council for *farmers and farming organizations only

, 1-5 p.m. EST, virtual, co-hosted by the Organic Farmers Association and the Organic Trade Association's Farmers Advisory Council for *farmers and farming organizations only Dec. 15, 10-3 p.m. EST, in-person, Washington, D.C., *for coalition partners and national stakeholders

Space is limited in the workshops, so individuals interested in participating are encouraged to register early. Apply for registration.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Organic Trade Association

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA's Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.



About ASU Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems

ASU is one of the largest and most innovative universities in the world, ranking top in the U.S. and 5th globally among universities in the pursuit of UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Swette Center food system experts come from every corner of the university, including from the pool of more than 550 sustainability scientists and scholars who are dedicated to pursuing solutions, engagement, education, and research for a sustainable future. Under the leadership of Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, former U.S. Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of USDA and internationally renowned expert on food systems and sustainability, the Swette Center team works on cutting edge science and policy.



About the Organic Farmers Association

The Organic Farmers Association (OFA) is a membership-based agricultural association for domestic certified organic farmers and their supporters. The mission of the Organic Farmers Association is to provide a strong and unified national voice for domestic certified organic producers. OFAs purpose is to build and support a farmer-led national organic farmer movement and national policy platform by: developing and advocating policies that benefit organic farmers, strengthening and supporting the capacity of organic farmers and farm organizations, supporting collaboration and leadership among state, regional and national organic farmer organizations, and welcoming support and cooperation with like-minded individuals and organizations.

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EL PASO, Texas, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colorectal cancer runs in Jose Gaytan's family, so preventing the disease was a priority for the 51-year-old. However, he wasn't able to afford regular cancer screenings.

That was the case until last year, when his mother saw a flyer for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso's Southwest Coalition for Colorectal Cancer Screening (SuCCCeS) program. Gaytan signed up at once for a free screening.

"I'd never been screened because I didn't have the money or insurance," Gaytan said. "My aunt and uncle passed away from colon cancer, so it was frequently on my mind."

TTUHSC El Paso's SuCCCeS and the Breast Cancer Education, Screening and Navigation (BEST) programs screen for cancer and provide cancer-prevention education for uninsured or underinsured residents. The programs have helped save lives throughout dozens of West Texas counties for nearly a decade.

BEST and SuCCCeS are funded by a state agency, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The agency provides funding for public and private institutions of higher education and recently renewed its funding for TTUHSC El Paso's two screening programs for a total of $5 million.

Since 2011, more than 32,500 uninsured or underinsured patients from El Paso and West Texas have enrolled in the programs. The result has been the discovery of 39 cases of breast cancer and 30 colorectal cancers, including the condition in Gaytan in January 2020.

"When they told me I had cancer, I felt like my world fell apart, and I was depressed," Gaytan said. "Luckily, the SuCCCeS program helped me by attending all my appointments until my surgery was done. After surgery, they checked on me to make sure I was OK."

Gaytan's last treatment was in late 2020, and he's currently in remission. He said he never expected to receive this kind of help in El Paso until he came across the SuCCCeS program. Several of his family members followed suit and were screened as well.

Screenings provided by the programs are vital in the Hispanic-majority Borderland. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Hispanic women in the U.S., and colorectal cancer mortality rates among Hispanics are higher in El Paso County than the rest of Texas.

"We've made an enormous difference in our community and others in West Texas. Over the past several years, we've reached over 30,000 people with educational outreach and have provided 9,000 individual screenings," said Jennifer Molokwu, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Division in TTUHSC El Paso's Center of Emphasis in Cancer. "Uninsured or underinsured people tend to avoid getting screened because they're concerned about the cost. We want them to know that we're here to help them."

Dr. Molokwu is also an associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and a family medicine specialist at Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso. Earlier this year, she took over as director for the Cancer Prevention and Control Division, which oversees all cancer screening programs.

"They see our success in El Paso and West Texas, which is a main reason why CPRIT continues funding our programs," Dr. Molokwu said. "El Paso is underserved when it comes to health care services and physicians. It's worse when it comes to cancers: rectal, breast and cervical."

BEST has helped residents from El Paso County to Pecos County, while SuCCCeS reaches the Texas Panhandle to Floyd County. In total, both programs cover 37 West Texas counties, many of which lack specialists and are not covered by similar programs in Central and South Texas.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Berenice Zubia at 915-253-9399 or news.ep@ttuhsc.edu

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Image 1: TTUHSC El Paso team - Love Your Colon event









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NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FCB today announced the elevation of its top two global strategic leaders: Nigel Jones & Vita Harris. Jones moves up from day-to-day operations to take on the Chairperson role for FCB, where he will partner with FCBs global leadership team on special projects. For Harris, the network is elevating the role and responsibilities of Global Chief Strategy Officer, which will now include FCBs evolving strategic offering for clients across all disciplines, focusing on innovation and continuing the Agencys ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). Both will report to FCB Worldwide Chief Executive Officer Carter Murray and will partner closely with him, Global CCO Susan Credle and FCBs recently appointed Global Head of Data Science & Connections, Tina Allan, to lead greater alignment of FCBs deep strategic capabilities with its robust performance and data offerings, including its rapidly expanding and award-winning creative data agency, FCB/SIX.



With Harriss leadership, FCB has continued in meaningful ways to build on its proud legacy of commitment to equality and inclusion and deliver strategic excellence across our global offices, which is why our creative product is stronger than its ever been. From our work for Walmart to the City of Chicagos Boards of Change, and Michelob Ultras Courtside, to our partnership with Google for the Canadian Down Syndrome Society, our inclusive approach throughout the process isnt something that sits on one side of the company  it is a core part of who we are and how we make work.

Harris has also been instrumental in evolving FCBs DE&I framework and led the introduction of the networks Disrupting Thought Patterns workshops, while also helping lead the expansion of cultural competency and workplace inclusion initiatives to all its offices. In 2019, Harris helped develop FCBs proprietary process to disrupt biases from seeping into the work  across strategy, planning and creative  which has been deployed globally and embraced internally by many of the agencys clients. Harris will continue leading these initiatives while also expanding FCBs strategic offering with data-driven performance capabilities enabled by FCBs ongoing investment in innovation.

With an impressive career built on a foundation of performance marketing firsts, Harris is the perfect fit to lead FCBs next strategic chapter. She pioneered the fusion of strategic planning, research and database marketing that created groundbreaking approaches to mining consumer insights and fueled fresh marketing communications programs that delivered big results. In her many leadership roles over the years, Harris has led the strategic vision for transformative strategies and high-ROI campaigns for global brands like American Express, Bank of America, Verizon and, most recently, Walmart.

We are so fortunate to have a legendary leader like Vita who is not only integral to creating groundbreaking campaigns that move the needle for our clients but is also passionate about shaping the advertising industry of tomorrow, and evolving FCBs journey and commitment to equality and inclusion in all that we do, said FCB Worldwide Chief Executive Officer Carter Murray. Her impact on our people, our clients and this industry are already profound, and with her continued leadership, we will make even greater contributions in achieving a more engaged and dynamic culture, in uncovering new data-driven insight and in delivering high-quality and culturally competent creative that will fuel new progress in our ongoing dedication to DE&I.

Im gifted the unique opportunity to strategically solve clients problems, drive positive transformation and ensure diverse and equal representation in everything we do. I am so hopeful for a more inclusive industry, and FCB continues to innovate how different perspectives and modern analytics can be used to put out valuable, respectful and forward-thinking work, said Harris.

Committed to giving back to help advance the industry, Harris also serves on the boards of the 4As, ANA Educational Foundation and NYWICI, and on the Ad Councils Campaign Review Committee, which appraises the direction of campaigns designed to promote social change. Among other accolades, Harris has been recognized as one of Adweeks 2020 Women Trailblazers and 4As 100 People Who Make Advertising Great, honored with an ADCOLOR Legend Award, and received the Missouri Honor Medal from the globally acclaimed Missouri School of Journalism in 2018.

About FCB

FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) is a global, award-winning and integrated marketing communications company with a heritage of creativity and success dating from 1873. Named Cannes Lions 2020/2021 Network of the Year, Adweek 2020 Global Agency of the Year, 2020 Ad Age A-List Agency Standout and the #1 Global Network on The Good Report 2020, FCB focuses on creating Never Finished campaign ideas that have the power to transform brands, businesses and communities. With more than 8,000 people in 109 operations in 80 countries, the company is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). Visit fcb.com or follow @FCBglobal on Instagram and Twitter and FCB Global on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Melanie Mitchem

+1 (917) 902-0998

melanie.mitchem@fcb.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/871cb2b7-02ec-4f43-af68-8d3a3391aa98
MIAMI, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProChile USA is currently partnering with The Food Institute to put together an education and matchmaking program designed to highlight some of Chile's most innovative food companies and products, Chile Connected Food Innovation.

Why a Food Innovation Program? Chile has one of the most sustainable wine industries in the world, with nearly all of the wines it produces falling under some category of environmental or social responsibility. Producers of 80% of the total Chilean wines on the shelves honor the Wines of Chile Sustainability Code. More than 60% of Chilean bottled wine exports, have joined the initiative to measure the carbon footprint aligned with the objectives of the Science-Based Targets Organization.

One of Wines of Chile 2021's highlights is Vitata, the initiative of Valle Itata winemakers to export small yet fantastic productions of Cinsault, Moscatel, Pais and many other 'underground' wine varities. "Itata is a wine region that deserves more attention at the moment, and this area is shining because it has the fundamental elements for wine. I tell my clients to try the wines of the Itata Valley. These are vineyards that are more than 200 years old and that if they were in Europe, many people would be paying a lot of money for these bottles. These Chilean wines have received little attention. That is why it is the responsibility of these producers to tell their story. The uniqueness of this region will shine brightly on the planet of wine", Paul Grieco, Ph.D. in Terroir.

From the Atacama Desert, through the Central Valley and up to the Austral region, Chile's variety of landscapes and geographical features make it an ideal environment for food production. As a result, the country is one of the main exporters in the world for fresh and dry fruits, salmon and seafoods, superfoods such as algae, maqui berries and more. The Magellan Region is internationally known for its extraordinary sheep and lamb meat production and can be currently found in stores such as Whole Foods USA.

As Chilean startups grow internationally, many have attracted private capital and generated employment. This is reflected in investments including those made by Jeff Bezos in NotCo, Uber in Cornershop, and Fintual's participation in the renowned accelerator YCombinator. These achievements are largely due to Chiles mature technology ecosystem of highly innovative solutions that have been rapidly positioned with key players at the international level. Artificial Intelligence is too a thing for Chilean food startups, developing new ingredients and flavors such as chia spaghetti, chia milk, Betasal (table salt based on beet stalks), seaweed snacks and fungi-based products.

Follow or contact ProChile USA here.



Media Trends Group PR Team

usa@mediatrendsgroup.com

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EDMONTON, Alberta, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- YMCA of Northern Alberta is partnering with the Marketplace at Callingwood to raise money for the Edmonton Food Bank.



All are welcome at the Marketplace at Callingwood Safeway this Sunday, September 26, 2021, for Cardio for the Cause from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm.

YMCA of Northern Alberta will be onsite to lead a YMCA Zumba class from 11:00 am to 11:45 am. The cost is just $5 per person with all proceeds going to the Edmonton Food Bank. Participants can register in-person at the event or now by visiting https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/callingwood-cardio-for-a-cause-tickets-167127730541.

About YMCA of Northern Alberta

YMCA of Northern Alberta is a registered charity dedicated to building healthy communities since 1907. From providing quality child care and supporting people in their health and wellness, to providing important community outreach programs, the YMCA of Northern Alberta works to strengthen communities in the Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Wood Buffalo and Red Deer regions. For more information, visit northernalberta.ymca.ca.

Michelle Hynes-Dawson

Vice President, Community & Digital Engagement

YMCA of Northern Alberta

780-901-4408

Michelle.HynesDawson@northernalberta.ymca.ca
English French

TORONTO and MONTREAL, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nexus Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: NXR.UN) (Nexus or the REIT) announced today that it intends to release its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021 before the opening of the TSX on Monday November 15, 2021.



Management of the REIT will host a conference call at 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Monday November 15, 2021 to review the financial results and operations.

To participate in the conference call, please dial 416-915-3239 or 1-800-319-4610 (toll free in Canada and the US) at least five minutes prior to the start time and ask to join the Nexus REIT conference call.

A recording of the conference call will be available until December 15, 2021. To access the recording, please dial 604-674-8052 or 1-855-669-9658 (toll free in Canada and the US) and enter access code 7785.

September 2021 Distribution

The REIT will make a cash distribution in the amount of $0.05333 per unit, representing $0.64 per unit on an annualized basis, payable October 15, 2021 to unitholders of record as of September 30, 2021.

The REITs distribution reinvestment plan (DRIP) entitles eligible unitholders to elect to receive all, or a portion of the cash distributions of the REIT reinvested in units of the REIT. Eligible unitholders who so elect will receive a bonus distribution of units equal to 4% of each distribution that was reinvested by them under the DRIP.

About Nexus REIT

Nexus is a growth-oriented real estate investment trust focused on increasing unitholder value through the acquisition of industrial properties located in primary and secondary markets in Canada and potentially including the United States, and the ownership and management of its portfolio of properties. The REIT currently owns a portfolio of 90 properties comprising approximately 6.8 million square feet of gross leasable area. The REIT has approximately 43,795,000 Units issued and outstanding. Additionally, there are Class B LP Units of subsidiary limited partnerships of Nexus issued and outstanding, which are convertible into approximately 16,400,000 Units.

For further information please contact:

Kelly Hanczyk, CEO at (416) 906-2379; or

Rob Chiasson, CFO at (416) 613-1262.
The tight labor market is evident as signs advertising open positions and wages offered are displayed outside the entrance to Helgesen Industries Inc. in the City of Hartford on Sunday, June 27, 2021.
Governor Northam Announces More Than $2.5 Million in Appalachian Regional Commission Grants for Virginia Communities

New grants will support entrepreneurship, workforce development, and infrastructure

RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam today announced that Virginia will receive more than $2.5 million in grants from the Appalachian Regional Commissions (ARC) Partnership for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative. The funding will support broadband infrastructure expansion, workforce development, and job growth efforts through economic development initiatives.

As our economy recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, it is critical to invest in Appalachia, said Governor Northam, ARC Co-Chair. ARCs POWER initiative will continue to build on the regions strengths and address its challenges, driving growth and opportunity throughout Appalachia. These projects demonstrate how regional collaboration can spur innovation, encourage entrepreneurs, diversify our economy, and support the critical infrastructure needed to bridge the digital divide, all of which strengthen Appalachian communities.

In February, Governor Northam was elected by Appalachias 13 governors to serve as the Appalachian Regional Commissions states co-chair for 2021.

The ARC POWER Initiative is a congressionally funded program that helps communities and regions affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of Americas energy production. $46.4 million in funding for 57 projects across 184 counties was made possible by the POWER initiative as part of the efforts to support economic diversification in the Appalachian region.

Ensuring Appalachian residents and businesses have resources to create thriving and robust communities has been a top priority for this administration, said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. This funding will foster employment opportunities, critical infrastructure improvements, and broadband expansion, helping to build a stronger and more resilient economy in the Appalachian region.

The downturn of the coal industry has impacted economies across Appalachia. Thats why ARCs POWER initiative helps to leverage regional partnerships and collaborations to support efforts to create a more vibrant economic future for coal-impacted communities, said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. Many of the projects we announced today will invest in educating and training the Appalachian workforce, nurturing entrepreneurship, and supporting infrastructureincluding broadband access. These investments in our Appalachian coal-impacted communities are critical in leveling the economic playing field so our communities can thrive.

2021 ARC POWER Virginia Awardees:

Buchanan/Tazewell Wireless Communication Job Growth Corridor | Virginia Coalfield Coalition | $1,000,000

The Virginia Coalfield Coalition will build six new, fiber-lit cell towers along a 20-mile stretch off U.S. Route 460. A public-private partnership with a national wireless service ensures the coverage provided by these new cell towers will fill the current service gaps. The project is expected to serve 25 existing businesses and facilitate business retention and recruitment at industrial parks in the region.

Central Appalachian CDC: Bringing Community Development Investment to Coal-Impacted Communities | Appalachian Community Capital | $1,500,000

Appalachian Community Capital and its partners will create high-quality community development and entrepreneurial opportunities by helping communities and businesses access new sources of capital. Serving five central Appalachian states (North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia), the project will provide 40 coal-impacted communities with technical assistance, guidance, and outreach support. This will lead to a portfolio of investments that provide sufficient financial and social returns. Financial support for the project will be provided by the CDFI Fund at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Dogwood Health Trust, Goldman Sachs, and OhioSE Economic Development Financial. The project is expected to create 15 businesses and 3,000 jobs, while also leveraging $400 million in private investment.

Project Trace | LENOWISCO Planning District | $49,875

The LENOWISCO Planning District, in partnership with Invest SWVA, will determine the feasibility of adapting or creating an ag-tech tool to track and report food miles of specialty grains grown in Southwest Virginia. This tool will help capture the value that Southwest Virginia grains add to the industry, increasing grain market opportunities for area farmers and driving additional revenue.

Established in 1965, ARC is a federal agency focused on economic development in the Appalachian region. Grants administered by ARC support initiatives that build a strong and sustainable asset-based economy in Appalachia. The funding for these projects serve as catalysts for bringing jobs and prosperity to the regions communities.

# # #
Yuki Tsunoda himself was surprised to get a new contract from AlphaTauri. He had crashed a lot according to him but Franz Tost thinks that crashing is part of the learning curve of a young driver. The Austrian never doubted his pupil.

In 2021 Tsunoda will make his debut in Formula 1. After a stellar first performance in Bahrain with points in his first race, a lesser period follows with many crashes. Tost finds it logical that this happens to the Japanese driver. He has to find the limit.

Mistakes from the rookie

''I personally didn't have any doubts about it. Nowadays you have to give a rookie some time when you put him in Formula 1. The sport is so complex, it's so tricky that you can't expect a young driver to immediately show the experienced guys the way. So far Yuki has done reasonably well. He's fast, finished sixth in Hungary and finished ninth in his very first race in Bahrain,'' says Tost to Motorsport.com.

''Of course, he has had some crashes, but I always say that the crash period is part of the learning process. How can someone find the limit if he is not allowed to crash? I do hope that crash period is over now.''

Tsunoda in unknown territory

This will not be easy for Tsunoda as he will be racing on tracks that are completely new to him. In Bahrain and Hungary he was able to find his way around, but in America, Mexico, Brazil and Turkey he will be racing on new tracks where all his competitors already know the circuit.

''All those young drivers don't know America, Mexico or Sao Paulo. The same goes for Turkey, while Saudi Arabia is new for everyone. So we have a lot of work to do to get him up to speed. But he can learn a lot from Pierre, who is one of the fastest drivers on the grid these days. He can compare the data and with his talent, I think he should be able to close the gap pretty quickly,'' concludes the AlpaTauri team boss.
Formula 1 is busy shaping the 2022 calendar that will be presented on October 15 during the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris. It is already clear that there will be 23 races on the calendar, but it is not yet clear exactly which countries will be included.

South Africa back on the calendar

One of the countries rumoured to want on the calendar is South Africa. "We have received interest from Kyalami to return to the calendar," Domenicali said in an interview with CNN. Kyalami was the scene of the South African Grand Prix between 1967 and 1985 and in 1992 and 1993.

"Of course we have talked to them to see if they are ready from the technical and financial perspective to be included in the calendar," the F1 boss confirmed the talks. However, he is keeping an open mind. "We have also received other requests from other countries in Africa. At the moment I have to keep it confidential."

First Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

In December, Formula 1 will travel to Saudi Arabia for the first time, a controversial destination due to human rights abuses. However, Domenicali thinks it is a good thing when Formula 1 visits the country. "We believe that with Formula 1 in the country, there is no room to not think the truth. We are going to facilitate, to anticipate the change that in a different situation might have taken longer."

However, Domenicali does understand that those changes will not come overnight. "We can't expect to change thousands of years of culture into something in the blink of an eye. I don't want to be political, but I think that's the beauty of the sport to make sure they can really prove that they [Saudi Arabia] really want to change," Domenicali concludes.
NEW YORK (AP)  An inmate on a New York City jail barge died Wednesday after a medical emergency, the citys Department of Correction said. It is at least the 12th death of a city inmate this year and the second this week amid what some elected officials and advocates have deemed a humanitarian crisis in the city's lockups.

The Department of Correction said in a statement that the inmate at the Vernon C. Bain Center, a floating Bronx jail across the East River from the Rikers Island jail complex, appeared to be in medical distress and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 10:50 a.m.

Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi said he was devastated to see that we have yet another death in custody, and determined to stop this heartbreaking trend."

We are doing all we can to remedy the unprecedented crisis we are experiencing in our jails. My thoughts and prayers are with the individuals loved ones, Schiraldi said.

The Department of Correction identified the inmate as Stephen Khadu, who had been held on a second-degree murder charge since December 2019. The cause of death is under investigation by the city medical examiners office. City officials had conflicting information on Khadu's age, but placed him at being in either his 20s or 30s.

The Bain Center, a five-story jail stacked on a 625-foot (190-meter) barge, opened in 1992 as temporary relief for crowded citys jails. Since then, its been criticized for overcrowding.

The citys jail system, troubled by years of neglect, has spiraled into turmoil during the coronavirus pandemic with a spike in inmate deaths, violence, self-harm and staff absences.

More city jail inmates have died this year than in any of the past three years. There were seven deaths in 2020, three in 2019 and eight in 2018, according to the Department of Correction.

Most of the trouble has been concentrated on Rikers Island.

On Sunday, Rikers inmate Isaabdul Karim, 42, died at a jail infirmary after reporting he was not feeling well, officials said. He was given CPR but later pronounced dead.

At least five Rikers inmates have died this year by suicide, the most since 2005.

The chaos has led to growing calls to overhaul or immediately close Rikers Island, which the city has said will be shuttered by 2027.

On Tuesday, Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jerry Nadler, Jamaal Bowman and Nydia Velazquez sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio, demanding the release of inmates and closure of the complex.

They called conditions at the jail deplorable and nothing short of a humanitarian crisis.

Last week, de Blasio announced reform plans including requiring a doctors note if a jail guard is out more than a day and suspending guards 30 days without pay if they dont show up to work. Hochul signed a bill largely eliminating jail for technical parole violations.

Also Wednesday, the city withdrew a lawsuit filed Monday that accused the union for jail guards of condoning or encouraging employee absences in what the city said was an illegal strike.

The lawsuit was dropped after the union's lawyer agreed to make a statement in court declaring that officers who are fit for duty should show up to work and that the union has never instructed anyone to not show up for work or call out sick when they're not ill.

Benny Boscio Jr., the union's president, called the lawsuit frivolous and demanded the mayor visit Rikers Island. The city's lawyers credited the lawsuit with forcing the union to encourage officers to show up to work.

Meanwhile, the union continues to balk at de Blasios plan to send private security guards to Rikers so that 150 correctional officers who currently guard the complex's perimeter could be moved inside the jails.

The union says such a move would violate a union-backed state law that prohibits the city from replacing public jail employees with private guards. De Blasio said it would be only a temporary, emergency fix.

This is an emergency dynamic, de Blasio told reporters Wednesday. Until this moment has passed, were going to use whatever tool it takes to keep people safe."

___

Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak and Michelle L. Price at twitter.com/michellelprice
SEATTLE (AP)  A Northwest immigrant rights activist who had been facing deportation said Tuesday she can now remain in the U.S., after the Department of Homeland Security agreed to drop her case.

Maru Mora Villalpando, a Mexico City native, has been in the U.S. since overstaying a visa in 1996. An immigration judge last week approved the decision to drop deportation proceedings against her and granted her legal permanent resident status, amid the Biden administration's re-evaluation of immigration enforcement priorities.

Mora Villalpando argued that the Trump administration targeted her for deportation in 2017 because she advocates on behalf of detained immigrants at the privately run Northwest detention center in Tacoma.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement documents showed that she first came to the attention of officials when she discussed her unlawful immigration status in a news interview  and that officials were aware of her extensive involvement with anti-ICE protests and Latino advocacy programs.

ICE denied targeting her or any other immigrant for political reasons, and immigration judge Brett Parchert rejected her arguments on those grounds.

But in June, the Department of Homeland Security issued new guidance in line with President Joe Biden's effort to dismantle former President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies. The guidance stressed that DHS should focus its deportation efforts on noncitizens who present risks to national security, border security or public safety.

Immigration judges should be prepared to inquire, on the record, of the parties appearing before them at scheduled hearings as to whether the case remains a removal priority for ICE and whether ICE intends to exercise some form of prosecutorial discretion, the department said.

Texas sued to block the guidance from taking effect, but a federal appeals court last week said the new policy could remain in force.

Mora Villalpando had no criminal record and her case posed no such security issues. She and her attorney, Devin Theriot-Orr, requested that the agency use its prosecutorial discretion to drop her case, and the agency agreed, she said.

ICE representatives did not immediately return emails seeking comment.

I can't get used to it  I'm not undocumented any more, Mora Villalpando said Tuesday. I can actually get a green card now.

Her daughter, a U.S. citizen, had already petitioned for legal permanent resident status on Mora Villalpando's behalf. It was only the deportation proceedings pending against her that had blocked her from receiving it, she said.

Mora Villalpando continues to advocate for the detainees, such as by promoting those engaging in hunger strikes to protest conditions at the facility, including recent COVID-19 cases inside.

The organization she founded, La Resistencia, has sought to shut down the Northwest detention center. The group's advocacy helped lead to the passage this year of a law that would ban for-profit detention centers in Washington state by 2025.

The GEO Group, which runs the immigration jail, has sued to block the law.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  An organization run by rapper Jay-Z has filed a petition seeking records from the Kansas City, Kansas, police department related to what it calls a history of officer misconduct within the department.

The request was filed Monday in Wyandotte County District Court by Team Roc, which is the criminal justice division of Jay-Z's entertainment organization, Roc Nation.

The filling said the department has failed for decades to hold officers accountable for misconduct, including planting evidence, fabricating witnesses and soliciting sex from victims and witnesses, The Kansas City Star reported.

And, thanks to the blue veil of silence and apparent failure to investigate serious allegations, little of it has come to light, according to the petition.

The petition alleges that department officials refused to provide Team Roc with complaints filed against the department's investigative division, reports or internal investigations against an officer who has a history of abuse allegations and policies relating to supervising detectives.

The department responded in a statement that it has given hundreds of pages of documents to Team Roc but the Kansas Open Records Act does not require the release of personnel records and criminal investigation files.

In response, Roc Nation has filed a 28-page petition stating there is a special interest in disclosing all records so the public can seek justice. Once the petition has been thoroughly reviewed, the Unified Government will follow-up by filing a response, the statement said.

Roc Nation alleges the city has refused on three separate occasions to release documents. It is asking the court to override the state's public records law and make the documents public.

The state law includes a provision that allows a plaintiff to file a motion asking a judge to review a request for records and require that they be released.

The petition names several officers who face criminal charges for allegations of misconduct, particularly former detective Roger Golubski, who has been accused of sexually abusing mostly minority and poor women and framing people for crimes they did not commit.

Last year, a coalition of Kansas lawmakers, religious leaders and racial justice advocates requested an investigation into Golubski and other members of the department who were involved in allegation of misconduct and abuse.

Golubski and others have been sued by Lamonte McIntyre, who was freed from prison when his sentence was vacated in 2017 after he had served 23 years in prison. McIntyre alleged Golubski targeted him for arrest after his mother refused the detectives sexual demands.

Cheryl Pilate and Lindsay Runnels, the attorneys who represented McIntyre and his mother Rose McIntyre said, in a written statement they were pleased that legal action has been filed.

Their lawsuit seeking public records and information is in the publics interest and should help bring much-needed transparency and accountability," according to the statement.

Attorneys for the ROC Nation said releasing the documents is a public interest and would not interfere with any ongoing investigation, reveal the identity of confidential sources or undercover officers or expose any confidential investigative techniques or procedures.
HARTFORD  Calling the General Assembly into special session next week, Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday asked legislative leaders to extend his emergency public health and and civil preparedness powers for nearly five months, until Feb. 15.

In particular, the governor wants to continue a dozen emergency orders, including allowing towns and cities to set their own mask requirements; mandating COVID-19 vaccination requirements for school and health care workers and continue the requirement of mask use in schools; and to continue the program for temporary nurses aides.

Lamont, in a proclamation calling the legislature to a limited session, said that the emergence of the delta variant of the coronavirus, with a prolonged surge in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from this new and more contagious variant is the impetus for the request. If approved, it would be the sixth extension of the governors emergency powers since March 2020.

The state Department of Public Health on Wednesday said there were 490 newly reported COVID cases out of 22,743 tests, for a low, one-day positivity rate of 2.15 percent. There was a net reduction of 25 patients in state hospitals, which held a total of 269 patients. Over the seven-day period, there were 4,940 positive tests out of 176,911, for a positivity rate of 2.79 percent.

The governors order for the special session came after conferring with top Democrats, who have a 23-13 majority in the Senate and a 97-54 edge in the House. The proclamation came on a day when a conservative faction of the House of Representatives held a session in the Legislative Office Building for people opposed to mask and vaccine mandates.

Many participants in the public hearing held by the Conservative Caucus disobeyed General Assembly rules requiring masks inside the Capitol complex.

I dont come to the table here today being anti-vax or anti-mask, said state Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, vice chair of the caucus. I come pro-choice. Fishbein and state Rep. Doug Dubitsky of Chaplin, another member of the caucus, have sued the governor multiple times over his pandemic-related orders.

A group of unionized school bus drivers from Bristol were among the 40-plus people who signed up to speak in-person during the afternoon forum.

Ashley Madore, a bus driver in Bristol who works for First Student, a private company that provides bus service for Bristol Public Schools and other districts throughout the state, said she and other drivers were threatened with disciplinary action if they spoke out.

For taking time off to come here I was told that I could possibly lose my job. I could be suspended without pay, Madore said. Pretty much its up to my boss what disciplinary action she wants to take.

Madore said she planned to claim a religious exemption. All of the mandates issued by Lamont allow workers to claim a medical exemption as authorized by a health professional, or a sincerely held religious objection.

Its my right to freedom of choice and my choice is between God and me and its against God to put anything into my body, she said. Lamont is requiring teachers and school staff, including bus drivers, to get vaccinated by Sept. 27 or undergo weekly testing.

Madore said her employer told her if her health insurance doesnt cover the cost of getting tested weekly, the company will look into paying for it. First Student has also provided a list of free testing locations, she said, and is offering to pay drivers for an hour of their time to get tested.

A request for comment from First Student was not immediately returned.

Masks are required inside the Capitol complex but few people, including lawmakers at Wednesdays forum wore them  prompting backlash from Democrats.

Republicans today ignored the Capitol complexs health guidelines and unmasked en masse  putting Capitol Police, members of the public, staff and elected officials at risk, House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said in a statement.

Speaker Ritters hyperbolic statement about todays hearing conducted in a nearly-empty building is not only predictable, its inaccurate given the guidance legislators received from Capitol Police today, said House Minority Leader Vincetn Candelora in response to Ritter.

The governors director of communications, Max Reiss, highlighted the effectiveness of vaccines in an afternoon statement.

The importance of getting as many people vaccinated as possible cannot be overstated. The COVID-19 vaccines decrease the likelihood of death and severe illness from the virus, Reiss said. Every action Gov. Lamont has taken in response to the pandemic has been aimed at reducing the spread of the virus, and the administration myriad steps to encourage and broaden access to vaccination.

Lamont acknowledged that COVID case rates in Connecticut have increased to levels not seen since early spring.

Still, without our ongoing vaccination campaign, the damage from this highly contagious strain of the disease would have been much worse, and further increasing vaccination rates, along with continued use of masks and other protective measures, holds the best hope of preventing or reducing the effects of another surge of the delta variant or even more dangerous and harmful variants, Lamont wrote.

Candelora, R-North Branford, said Wednesday afternoon that one of the new orders, to reduce the cost of unemployment insurance for employers, seems laudable, but is unexplained. We are concerned about the liability for employers, but what does that have to do with the governors managing the vaccine rollout? I suggest nothing, and the legislature should be involved in that.

Both Candelora and state Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, criticized the narrow scope of the special session, stressing that a rise in criminal activity requires a legislative response.

Our government is not wired for one-person rule, Kelly said in a statement. Nearly every other state in the Northeast has already ended their states of emergency. There is no reason why the legislature cannot act in equal partnership with the executive branch to codify any policy needed to continue administering vaccines, to oversee public health issues, or to keep our communities safe.

We have a problem in Connecticut, Candelora said. There are collateral issues to COVID, like car theft and teachers who cant handle the bad behavior in the classroom, which led to the closure of a school in New Britain. Candelora said he has not had recent discussions with Democrats about a potential special session on crime later in the year.
DALLAS (AP)  United Airlines says more than 97% of its U.S.-based employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 now that there is less than a week before a deadline to get the shots or get fired.

The airline said Wednesday that the new figure does not include a small number of employees who are seeking a medical or religious exemption from vaccination.

Vaccine requirements work, United said in a memo to employees.

Six United employees sued United this week claiming that the airline is discriminating against employees who get exemptions from the vaccine mandate by placing them on unpaid leave.

Uniteds actions have left Plaintiffs with the impossible choice of either taking the COVID-19 vaccine, at the expense of their religious beliefs and their health, or losing their livelihoods, lawyers for the employees say in their lawsuit, which was filed in federal district court in Fort Worth, Texas.

Four of the six employees said they sought religious exemptions based on their belief that the vaccines were developed using aborted fetal tissue, one said she is allergic to eggs and penicillin, and another said he has multiple sclerosis and his neurologist recommended against vaccination. All were granted exemptions but told they would be put on unpaid leave, according to the lawsuit.

United Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott said the company was "reviewing this complaint in greater detail, but at this point we think its without merit.

The airline said last month that up to 90% of pilots and nearly 80% of flight attendants were vaccinated, but it did not give a figure for all U.S. employees at the time.

United said it will start termination proceedings as soon as next Tuesday against employees who are unvaccinated and have not received an exemption.

The airline is among a small group of companies that announced they would require vaccinations even before Sept. 9, when President Joe Biden issued an executive order directing employers with more than 100 workers to require vaccinations or weekly testing for the virus.

Last month, United set a deadline of Sept. 27  next Monday -- for its 67,000 U.S.-based employees to get vaccinated or face termination. However, employees who apply unsuccessfully for an exemption could get more time. They will have five weeks after their denial to get vaccinated.

Chicago-based United declined to give a precise figure for how many workers have asked for an exemption and how many requests have been granted.

Employees who win an exemption will be placed on leave beginning Oct. 2. Some could come back if they wear masks and are tested weekly, although the timing of their return is uncertain.

___

David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
Private schools occupied all 10 spots on Niche's 2022 K-12 School & District Rankings for Connecticut high schools.

The education website released its annual rankings on the best schools in each state, as well as on a national level.

The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville was named as the number one best high school in Connecticut with an A+ overall rating. The school was also named as the second best private high school and second best boarding high school nationally.

Niche gathers data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Census Bureau and FBI in order to put together its yearly report. After Niche's data team processes all the data, all schools are then ranked using six categories: academics, teachers, clubs and activities, diversity, college prep and sports. Each category is given an alphabetical grading.

Scroll below to see which schools made the list.




Haiti - FLASH : Haitians attack American pilots and injure three ICE agents





Tuesday, September 21, 2021, on the tarmac of Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Haitians expelled from the United States assaulted the pilots of one of the repatriation flights that arrived in Port-au-Prince and injured three officers of the Service de Immigration and Customs (ICE)



These troubles erupted shortly after the arrival of a flight carrying adult Haitians, when it was handed over to the Haitian authorities on the tarmac, while several improvised a protest movement against the deportation conditions, other Haitians rushed to another recently arrived flight and boarded the plane as Haitian families deported had yet to disembark. They assaulted the pilots and three ICE officers were also slightly injured.



In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) DHS said : "On Tuesday, Sept. 21, some adult migrants caused two separate disruptions on the tarmac after deplaning in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Haitian crowd control officers responded to both incidents and resolved the situations [...] "



Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, said that same day during a hearing in the United States Senate that the migrant crowd in Del Rio https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34786-haiti-flash-joe-biden-orders-the-deportation-of-thousands-of-illegal-haitian-migrants.html would be dispelled in the next few days saying "Expect to see dramatic results within the next 48 to 96 hours."



However, after Tuesday's assaults, some officials within DHS fear they will not have enough security at airports to safely land deportation flights.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34799-haiti-usa-democrat-nancy-pelosi-in-defense-of-haitians-stranded-at-the-mexican-border.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34797-haiti-migration-crisis-the-government-calls-for-solidarity-with-our-compatriots-in-difficulty.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34786-haiti-flash-joe-biden-orders-the-deportation-of-thousands-of-illegal-haitian-migrants.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34770-haiti-flash-thousands-of-haitian-migrants-detained-in-the-usa-in-a-makeshift-camp.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34734-haiti-politic-200-illegal-haitian-migrants-intercepted-in-mexico-returned-to-guatemala.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34669-icihaiti-chiapas-a-caravan-of-haitians-marches-towards-the-usa.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34658-haiti-mexico-muscular-interception-of-migrants-dozens-of-haitians-arrested-video.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34626-haiti-politic-more-expulsions-of-haitians-under-joe-biden.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34268-haiti-mexico-more-than-2-000-illegal-haitian-migrants-arrive-in-tapachula.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33352-haiti-flash-joe-biden-expels-more-haitians-than-donald-trump.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33039-haiti-usa-500-haitians-repatriated-to-haiti-trump-or-biden-nothing-changes.html



S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Justice : Two UN agencies concerned about the American deportation of migrants to Haiti





Tuesday, September 21, 2021, during a joint press briefing, two UN agencies : the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said they were concerned about the US deportation of migrants to Haiti. They feel that those sent home may not have received the necessary protection they need.



Marta Hurtado UNHCR spokesperson questioned on the action of the American authorities to expel some 15,000 mainly Haitian people who live in a makeshift camp under the international highway bridge that connects Del Rio (South Texas) to Acuna (Mexico) replied "We are disturbed by the images that we have seen [...] It appears that there has not been any individual assessment on the case [...] Some migrants may have genuine fears of being deported back to their countries, such as Haiti, which is in a state of political turmoil" adding "regardless of a person's migration status, everyone has the same rights and has the right to the same protection [...]"



Recall that the United States expels migrants by invoking Title 42 a health law that entered into force in March 2020 after the "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" declared that it was necessary to limit the spread of Covid-19 .



Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the United Nations Refugee Agency said some of the migrants living under the bridge "may have well-founded grounds to request international protection" adding "While some people arriving at the border may not be refugees, anyone who does have a claim or claims to have a well-founded fear of being persecuted in their country of origin should have access to asylum and to have their claim assessed before being subjected to expulsion or deportation."



Recall that US law states that if a migrant is arrested within 100 miles of a border in the United States, as part of the procedure "expedited removal" is entitled to meet with an officer of the asylum service which will determine whether or not the individual can return to his country or not.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34799-haiti-usa-democrat-nancy-pelosi-in-defense-of-haitians-stranded-at-the-mexican-border.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34797-haiti-migration-crisis-the-government-calls-for-solidarity-with-our-compatriots-in-difficulty.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34786-haiti-flash-joe-biden-orders-the-deportation-of-thousands-of-illegal-haitian-migrants.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34770-haiti-flash-thousands-of-haitian-migrants-detained-in-the-usa-in-a-makeshift-camp.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34734-haiti-politic-200-illegal-haitian-migrants-intercepted-in-mexico-returned-to-guatemala.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34669-icihaiti-chiapas-a-caravan-of-haitians-marches-towards-the-usa.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34658-haiti-mexico-muscular-interception-of-migrants-dozens-of-haitians-arrested-video.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34626-haiti-politic-more-expulsions-of-haitians-under-joe-biden.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34268-haiti-mexico-more-than-2-000-illegal-haitian-migrants-arrive-in-tapachula.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33352-haiti-flash-joe-biden-expels-more-haitians-than-donald-trump.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33039-haiti-usa-500-haitians-repatriated-to-haiti-trump-or-biden-nothing-changes.html



S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politic : DHS does not tolerate abuses against migrants





Following the revolting scenes showing the Border Patrols on horseback unceremoniously pursuing Haitian migrants, the DHS Department of Internal Security after viewing the footage https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34799-haiti-usa-democrat-nancy-pelosi-in-defense-of-haitians-stranded-at-the-mexican-border.html made the following statement :



DHS statement :



"DHS does not tolerate the abuse of migrants in our custody and we take these allegations very seriously.



Customs and Border Patrols Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating the matter and has alerted the DHS Office of Inspector General.



In addition, Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas has directed that personnel from the Office of Professional Responsibility be on site full-time to ensure that the responsibilities of DHS personnel are executed consistent with applicable policies and training and the Departments values.



Secretary Mayorkas visited Del Rio today and witnessed the extraordinary work of DHS personnel. The footage is extremely troubling and the facts learned from the full investigation, which will be conducted swiftly, will define the appropriate disciplinary actions to be taken.



We are committed to processing migrants in a safe, orderly, and humane way. We can and must do this in a way that ensures the safety and dignity of migrants."



For his part, the Ambassador of Haiti in Washington Bocchit Edmond sent a correspondence, faced these deplorable events to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of DHS in order to ensure that all Haitian nationals arriving at the border benefit from care and from an accelerated legal procedure.



Correspondence from Bocchit Edmond :



"Mr. Secretary,



I have the honor to write to you in order to draw your attention on the current situation regarding hundreds of Haitian migrants arriving at the U.S. border and stranded under a bridge in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.



While my Government appreciates the efforts of the United States' Administration to extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian citizens and suspending the F-1 visa rules for Haitian students currently studying in the U.S., I wish to express my grave concerns regarding the living conditions as I want to ensure that our nationals are treated with dignity and in accordance with the rule of law.



For decades, the Government of Haiti has worked with DHS on immigration and border security issues and is eager to continue this long-standing cooperation. Therefore, on behalf of the Haitian Government I would request your assistance in ensuring that all Haitian nationals arriving at the border are afforded care and expedited legal process.



I respectfully request a meeting with you in order to discuss this issue and other matters of mutual interest.



I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to you, Mr. Secretary, the assurances of my highst consideration."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34799-haiti-usa-democrat-nancy-pelosi-in-defense-of-haitians-stranded-at-the-mexican-border.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34718-haiti-flash-usa-tps-extended-for-haiti-until-december-2022.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34786-haiti-flash-joe-biden-orders-the-deportation-of-thousands-of-illegal-haitian-migrants.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34656-haiti-flash-usa-new-conditions-to-obtain-a-work-permit-for-students.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Cardinal Chibly Langlois calls for help

Tuesday September 21 during a virtual meeting organized by "Caritas Internationalis" Cardinal Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes, following the earthquake of August 14, 2021 launched an appeal for help, "I appeal to all Caritas and to all Sister Churches as well as men and women of good will to help us out of this catastrophic situation we are living through. Poverty is raging and this catastrophe only adds drama. We need urgent and substantial help."



USA : Acceleration of expulsions of Haitians

According to the coordinator of the National Migration Office (ONM), Jean Negot Bonheur Delva, the American expulsions of Haitians should accelerate from this Wednesday, September 22, 2021 with 6 flights per day to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien.



Croix-des-bouquets in panic mode

Tuesday "lanmo 100 jou" the powerful Chief of "400 Mawozo" and his men, operating in Croix-des-bouquets, put his threats into execution. The gang torched at least four vehicles and fired gunshots and heavy guns all over the place, causing panic. All activities were paralyzed in the town. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34790-haiti-flash-the-gangs-retreat-in-front-of-the-pnh.html



Evictions : Blinken thanks the Haitian Government

US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken thanked the Government of Ariel Henry for the welcome given to repatriated Haitian citizens which took place in a safe climate...



The PM is free to travel again

On Tuesday, the Dean of the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince, Bernard Sainvil, acting as summary judge, ordered the lifting of the ban on departure taken against Prime Minister Ariel Henry by the ex-government commissioner dismissed Bed-Ford Claude, declaring this decision arbitrary.



USA migration crisis : Bocchit Edmond thanks Nancy Pelosi

"I would like to thank President Nancy Pelosi for her response to these alarming reports https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34799-haiti-usa-democrat-nancy-pelosi-in-defense-of-haitians-stranded-at-the-mexican-border.html . All migrants must be treated in accordance with the law (due process) and basic human dignity," Haitian Ambassador to Washington Bocchit Edmond



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2021/09/21 | Source

As a result of big data analysis in September 2021, the brand reputation of drama actors was analyzed in the order of No. 1 Kim Seon-ho, No. 2 Cho Jung-seok, and No. 3 Shin Min-a.

The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute indexed 99,640,608 brand big data of 50 actors appearing in dramas aired from August 20th, 2021 to September 20th, 2021 by measuring consumers' brand participation, media, communication and communication. Compared to the big data of the drama actors in August 2021, it increased by 21.00%.

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The results came in the order of Kim Seon-ho, Cho Jung-seok, Shin Min-a, Kim So-yeon, Jeon Mi-do, Song Kang, Han So-hee, Lee Ji-ah, Ahn Hyo-seop, Jung Kyung-ho, Kim Dae-myung, Yoo Yeon-seok, Park Joo-mi, Kim Yoo-jung, Uhm Ki-joon, Eugene, Yoon Jong-hoon, Jinyoung, Jeon Do-yeon, Namgoong Min, Ryu Jun-yeol, Park Ha-sun, Lee Min-young, Lee Sang-yi, Gong Myung, Jeon Hye-bin, Ji Sung, Seo Hyun-jin, Hong Eun-hee and Sung Hoon.

Koo Chang-hwan, director of the Korea Institute for Corporate Reputation, said, "As a result of the brand reputation analysis of drama actors in September 2021, Kim Seon-ho who is showing romantic acting in the drama "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha", was analyzed as the No. 1 brand. Kim Seon-ho's brand showed high response in the words, 'romantic, kissing, and sleeping together' in the big data link analysis, while '"Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha", Shin Min-a and Lee Sang-yi' showed high response in keyword analysis. In the positive negative ratio analysis, the positive ratio was 78.10%", he said.

In addition, "When analyzing the brand big data of the drama actor brand category in September 2021, it increased by 21.00% compared to the 82,348,411 drama actor brand big data in August 2021. According to a detailed analysis, brand consumption rose by 10.75%, brand issues rose by 4.57%, brand communication rose by 20.38%, and brand spread rose by 59.06%".
Published on 2021/09/21

"High Class" recovers back to the 3% range.

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According to Nielsen Korea, a ratings research company, tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama "High Class" which aired on the 21st, recorded a rating of 3.856% (Ep.6).

This is an increase from 2.953% (Ep.5) recorded in the previous episode.

Meanwhile, SBS' "Lovers of the Red Sky" and KBS2's "Police University" skipped broadcast for the Chuseok celebrations and will continue broadcasting on the 27th.
Press release

Steve Mulonet and Brenda Evans, Service Officers for the Montana Veterans Affairs will be visiting the following locations and times to meet with veterans who are interested in applying for benefits. People who are interested in applying for benefits need to bring a copy of their discharge paperwork, DD214, with them.

Wednesday, Oct. 6:

Shelby  Courthouse  9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Cut Bank  Glacier County Courthouse Annex Room 19  1:30-4 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 7:

Cut Bank  Glacier County Courthouse Annex Room 19  8:30-11 a.m.

Heart Butte  Heart Butte High School 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 20:

Glasgow  Glasgow VA Clinic  1-4 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 21:

Malta  Malta City Hall  9:30-11:30 a.m.

Friday, Oct. 22:

Rocky Boy  Rocky Boy Vet Center 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Browning veterans can meet in Cut Bank due to COVID-19.

If bad weather exists on days of travel, people can stay tuned to local radio stations for updated information regarding the outreach schedule.
Several meetings are being held between the officials of the Syrian and Turkish intelligence, in which the Turkish state seeks to establish relationships with Damascus Government to hurdle any solution or dialogue inside Syria.

Adding" the meetings with National Council has not resumed yet, and National Council must give up the hostile approach for the resumption the negotiations.

On the counter propaganda of the Kurdish National Council against the Autonomous Administration and the attempt to organize the peoples of the region to return to the occupied territories, Khalil said: "They receive their orders directly from Turkish intelligence, they are operating in Rojava as part of MIT."

ANHA held an interview with member of Chairmanship Committee of the Democratic Union Party, PYD, Ildar Khalil, who talked about bilateral meetings between Syrian and Turkish state intelligence, assassinations' crimes and the National Council movements and others issues.

Now, meetings are being held between the Turkish and Syrian intelligence, in your opinion, do you have any information about these meetings, and what are the common denominators that push the two sides to hold negotiations?

With the onset of the people's spring, particularly in 2010, directly that Turkish state announced that the Damascus Government lost its legitimacy, is not allowed to stay in the power, not to communicate with it, many statements had been released against Damascus Government, therefore, Turkish state exploited what the so-called of the Syrian revolution for its benefit by gathering the Syrian opponents in Turkey for overthrowing Damascus Government, in which contributed to deteriorate the situation in Syria by occupying many areas, in the reality, Turkish state had changed the purpose of the Syrian revolution, Now, they seek to hold new relationships with Damascus, what is reason? Turkish state did not expect to steadfast the Syrian regime in the power for long time, Turkey's goal was for its affiliated forces to seize power, led by forces such as the Muslim Brotherhood and some mercenary gangs, they did not expect that the development the Democratic project inside Syria, and that the representatives of this project, despite all obstacles and hurdles, be able to establish a democratic system and turn into a role model for Syria and the Middle East.

Turkish state felt in hazard in developing of the democratic system in north and east Syria, in particular in Syria that became a model for world, in which the security and stability are guaranteed, on the one hand its armed factions had frustrated, on the other hand Geneva talks did not reach any result and did not succeed in drafting new constitution, and whenever the Turkish state escalated its attacks against the democratic system in north and east Syria, this system was developing and progressing. Therefore, they have now resorted to the third option, which is restoring relations with the Damascus Government.

Purpose of resuming the relationships again: Reduction of the dialogue

By developing these relationships, they want to limit the evolution and progress of the democratic project. Turkish state says to the Damascus Government, "Yes, we have problems, but we also have a common danger is related of the AANES, women's freedom and the democratic nation project." The Turkish state has reached a level where pressure is being put on the Damascus Government not to negotiate with AANES. When the Damascus Government wants to take specific action on its internal problems or accept a solution, as you can see, Hakan Fidan had been sent by Erdogan to Damascus, He says to Damascus, "Do whatever you like, but don't agree with them." If you agree with them, I will repeat what I did in 2011. We will intervene again as we did in that period. It threatens the Damascus

Why are they making these threats in this period?



In 2018, during the Afrin case, an agreement was reached between Russia and Turkey in which the Turkish state promised to protect Damascus, Aleppo and the Damascus Government. At the expense of Afrin, they allied with the Damascus Government, they are now seeking the continuation and development of that alliance, which began essentially in 2017 and was unravelled in 2018.

After occupying Afrin canton, they were expecting of collapsing the democratic system, but the experience was new, as Afrin city has an important place in NE, Syria, they reached that the regime did not affected, so they launched brutal attacks on Tal Abyed and Ras al-Ain, once again the regime did not effected, so they have no choice, these occupying attacks also put them in trouble, and they face many difficulties. The resistance against its escalates. The economic, political and social crises in Turkey are worsening, their alliance with the Governments of Damascus and Russia is also in jeopardy. So now it wants to make a deal with the Damascus Government through intelligence, various contacts and other papers.

* Are there meetings between you and the Kurdish National Council?



Our meetings have been suspended since the 10th month of last year. We have not held meetings since that time. Some meetings were held by us and the National Council with guarantor parties, both Syrian Democratic Forces and America, they were also asking "what's going to happen," but there were no direct meetings between us and the National Council.

* If the talks are held, on what basis will they take place and what are the main points?

Above all, the National Council must emerge from the hostile approach. If he went and allied with the enemy, how could we agree? Either we go to the enemy's side or it has to give up the enemy. It has a committee that meets with international parties against AANES, it has some parties that promote counter - propaganda among the people, and it has some offices that have all been opened, but they create discord and serve enemies. It does not recognize the AANES system and demands that it be given half of the administration. How can you claim half when you don't even admit it? The National Council must therefore reconsider its status, in short, move out of the hostile approach. Then we can discuss the rest of the details.

* Important meetings take place outside the country. There is also a movement of intensive meetings and talks by America, Russia, Turkey, the Syrian Democratic Council and the Damascus Government. So what's the impact of all these meetings on the region?

Ten years have passed since the Syrian crisis, and it remains unresolved. Looks like it'll last longer. But every country that has entered this file wants to protect its interests and direct the results to its advantage. Some want to reintroduce Geneva and engage in direct dialogue. Everyone wants to strengthen their influence on earth before any conversations, what concerns us is how to defend our revolution, what responsibilities we have, how to strengthen our organization and how to defend ourselves from attacks. What matters is what the Syrian people say about their destiny. Diplomatic work on our regions is continuing, and this is part of this revolution, various activities are carried out with Russia, the United States, Europe and some Arab States, which is normal.

T/S

ANHA
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The world was made a little less joyful with the passing of Susan Berkowitz in her home, on 
Now Open

22 September 2021

Alsace LA, a 48-room boutique hotel nestled in the historic West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, offers a richly authentic, unbuttoned experience where artistic, free-spirited energy is embodied and interpreted through design. The hotel is anchored around a lush interior courtyard and a secluded in-ground pool retreat embellished with dreamy desert landscaping that adds to the hotel's oasis-like charm. Central to the hotel's ethos, Alsace LA was envisaged with the West Adams community in mindseeking to serve locals and business owners as an amenity, partner, and supporter.

The diverse and creative West Adams area is rich with stunning historical architecture, standing as one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. In addition to its iconic homes, today's West Adams boasts a thriving restaurant scene, unique retail storefronts, bountiful street art, and a variety of cultural and nonprofit organizations.

Alsace LA's design highlights the power of visual storytelling, riffing on charming elements like Bauhaus-inspired curves, white oak ceilings and floors, and site-specific art. With an emphasis on the unexpected, the hotel is truly a one-of-a-kind space, made culturally relevant with contemporary art, photography, and playful design details. Developed by CIM Group with architectural design by NMDA Architects and interiors by Brooklyn-based Home Studios, Alsace LA's layered exterior and interior design details include the eclectic use of vintage and custom furnishings and lighting. Fluted textures, terracotta plaster, and warm wood materials subtly reference California's diverse vegetation and natural environment to create the ambiance of home, one that is of the neighborhood and distinctly Los Angeles.

Upon entering the Alsace LA, guests are greeted in an intimate, tucked away lobby, which mimics a Mediterranean-style portico (or porch). Residential in feel, the hotel's central courtyard filters light through each of the hotel's three stories. The serene and inviting rooms provide guests with congenial amenities as if staying in a well-curated residence. While each guest room features handcrafted details, larger suites also feature a balcony or terrace, a custom dining table, and a bespoke pull-out sofa.

Alsace LA's guests will be treated to daily complimentary coffee and pastries, and the hotel will be partnering with nearby Hi-Lo Liquor Market, who will curate boxes of bespoke local LA wine, beer, spirits, and snacks for guests to order on demand and have delivered directly to their room. The hotel will also welcome a to-be-announced new restaurant concept this winter, featuring indoor and outdoor dining options off the hotel courtyard.

Guests have access to a state-of-the-art, 24-hour fitness center featuring all the gym essentials including a treadmill, bike, rower, dual pulley system, kettlebells and free weights. As the hotel boasts ample bike racks at the property, it will offer complimentary guest bikes and monthly historical neighborhood bike tours with local realtor Jose Prats, founder of West Adams Bike Tour and Adopt A Bike, which refurbishes and encourages re-use of bicycles. And enhancing guests' sonic experience, legendary music shop High-Fidelity Records will curate the lobby's ambient sounds, as well as in-room playlists.

For those looking to squeeze in some work while they play, Alsace LA's 409-square-foot private meeting room features a 12-seat boardroom-style table, flat screen HDTV, and conference room AV. Additionally, the hotel will be partnering with fellow neighbor, drop-in coworking space YOUBE, to offer guests credits and access to a workspace during their stay.
Appointment

22 September 2021

Commonwealth Hotels announced today that Samuel King has been appointed the General Manager of the soon to open Radisson Hotel Jackson Downtown Capitol in Mississippi. Mr. King brings over 10 years of hospitality experience to his new role as General Manager having previously served as the General Manager for the Crown Plaza Denver Airport and Convention Center.

As general manager, King is responsible for overseeing and executing hotel and property operations, including staff management, guest satisfaction and community relations.

Prior to joining the Radisson, King also worked with the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Normal, Illinois as well as the Country Inn and Suites in Springfield, Illinois. In addition to his strong operations, communication, and customer service skills, he also holds multiple hospitality certifications. Samuel holds a Bachelor of Business Management from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
Appointment

22 September 2021

The Five-Star Mandarin Oriental, Boston is delighted to announce the appointment of Alexander von Susskind to the position of Hotel Manager; he will oversee all aspects of the day-to-day hotel operation, including rooms, food and beverage, the Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Boston, and security.

With over 20 years of global hospitality experience, von Susskind joins Mandarin Oriental, Boston, from Stanton House in El Paso, Texas, where he served as General Manager. He has gained significant managerial experience in a variety of esteemed luxury hotel brands: Kempinski Hotels at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Munich; The Ritz Carlton Hotels Co. in Cancun, San Francisco, and Dubai; a variety of Capella Hotels throughout Germany and the United States; and The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park in El Paso, Texas.

Originally from Hamburg, Germany, von Susskind graduated with a degree in Hotel Management from the International School for Hotel and Catering Business in Germany, and is fluent in English, Spanish and German. He recently moved from Texas to Boston for his new role, joined by his wife Neda and their three children; they reside in Brookline, Mass.
Appointment

22 September 2021

Stonebridge Companies, a Denver-based, privately owned, innovative hotel owner, operator and developer, has announced that chief investment officer Jim Luchars will transition to the role of senior advisor.

The planned transition to senior advisor allows Luchars to remain closely involved in the strategic direction of the company. Alongside founder, CEO and chairman Navin C. Dimond, Luchars is helping to lead the search for a new chief investment officer and will remain in the role until it is filled.

When Luchars joined Stonebridge Companies as chief investment officer, he began overseeing all acquisition and development growth initiatives for the company.

Prior to joining Stonebridge Companies, Luchars served as a principal with AEW Capital Management and senior consultant with the Ernst & Young Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group in New York City.

During his time at AEW Capital Management, Luchars led the firm's hospitality group, and was responsible for investment origination and asset management for all hotel investments in North America. Along with this, Luchars was involved in more than $3 billion in hotel and commercial real estate transactions in the United States and Europe. He also oversaw office, retail, residential and industrial acquisitions in Chicago, Boston and Florida.
Appointment

22 September 2021

As a wellness leader in the city of Boston, Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston announces new leadership with the appointment of Lana Labrecque as the new Spa Manager for The Wellness Floor at One Dalton.

In her new role, Lana oversees the operation of The Wellness Floor at One Dalton, an entire floor dedicated to holistic and innovative experiences. Comprised of a Spa featuring five treatment suites including a couple's suite, a boutique hair salon, massage, facial and body-work treatments, steam rooms, rainfall showers and a relaxation room overlooking the city; a state-of-the-art fitness centre with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of Back Bay featuring Precor equipment and designed by celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak; and a stunning 64 foot (20 metre) curved swimming pool featuring an underwater sound system and stylish poolside lounge, The Wellness Floor at One Dalton is the ultimate in luxury pampering.

With a long history in the wellness industry, Lana previously held the position of spa director at Bella Sante Spas, a well-known New England wellness brand with locations in Boston, Wellesley and Lexington. Prior to Bella Sante Spas, Lana was the spa director at The Essex, Vermont's Culinary Resort & Spa. Key projects that she oversaw in this role included planning and executing different community events, creating a new membership program, introducing new product lines and overseeing a spa renovation.

As one of her first initiatives in the role of Spa Manager, Lana has collaborated with Nicole Hernandez, also known as The Traveling Hypnotist, on a limited event series called The Time Traveler Experience. Designed for anyone who has ever experienced deja vu or met someone and instantly felt a deep bond, this special treatment delves into the possibility of past lives with a past life regression experience that incorporates elegantly delivered healing rituals to transport beyond. The Time Traveler is a powerfully cathartic tool for helping to create a more meaningful and fulfilling life in the present.
Event

Skift Global Forum 2021 - the flagship global conference on the business of travel - is back in person. It will take place as a three-day hybrid conference at the iconic TWA Hotel next to JFK in New York City, with both online and in-person speakers and attendees.

Now in its eighth year, Skift Global Forum 2021 is where industry leaders and executives will come together to discuss travel's great comeback, making this Forum the most consequential in its history.

Join us in 2021 as we together reignite the global travel industry's return!

THEMES

Reigniting Travel's New Economy: Travel has a renewed purpose and importance as the world reopens. It won't be taken for granted again. How will the industry seize new economic opportunities, and also rebuild with a broader responsibility in mind?

Travel has a renewed purpose and importance as the world reopens. It won't be taken for granted again. How will the industry seize new economic opportunities, and also rebuild with a broader responsibility in mind? A World On The Move: For many, how we live and work has dramatically changed through the pandemic, and there are still even bigger shifts in mobility and who has access to travel ahead. How can travel plan ahead to be a geopolitical force for good?

For many, how we live and work has dramatically changed through the pandemic, and there are still even bigger shifts in mobility and who has access to travel ahead. How can travel plan ahead to be a geopolitical force for good? Regional Tourism is Here to Stay: Travel has found new strength in its own backyard. But will destinations and hotels preserve this local focus and open arms as the International jet-set return.

Travel has found new strength in its own backyard. But will destinations and hotels preserve this local focus and open arms as the International jet-set return. Hospitality's Uncertain Rebound: As leisure travel sees a strong return, hotels are facing a tale of multiple cities, with some brands and regions faring very well, and other still closed. How long can this last given the lack of group, business, and urban travel?

As leisure travel sees a strong return, hotels are facing a tale of multiple cities, with some brands and regions faring very well, and other still closed. How long can this last given the lack of group, business, and urban travel? Aviation's Imminent Inflection Point: As government aid comes to an end, how will airlines evolve with the delayed and sluggish return of business travel and international routes? Is the real test still ahead?

As government aid comes to an end, how will airlines evolve with the delayed and sluggish return of business travel and international routes? Is the real test still ahead? Overcoming Travel's Recency Bias: Travel's bounce back seems to be moving far faster than people imagined. What lessons can we learn from this return and how travel can adapt to counter future hurdles?

Travel's bounce back seems to be moving far faster than people imagined. What lessons can we learn from this return and how travel can adapt to counter future hurdles? A Return to Experience: After an extended period of living life online, how will the consumers and the industry return to a focus on experiences, local, and the senses, along with balancing heightened expectations of convenience?

After an extended period of living life online, how will the consumers and the industry return to a focus on experiences, local, and the senses, along with balancing heightened expectations of convenience? Unlearning Travel's Old Habits: Will the industry go back to the old status quo and forget lessons of the pandemic? How can travel look beyond attracting travelers at any cost, and instead find a better way to rebuild?

Skift Global Forum 2021 is organized by skift Inc.
Supplier News

22 September 2021

Franklin, Tenn. - Quore, a leading hospitality-technology company, today announced the promotions of three senior leaders within the organization - Scott Barber, Richard Bradbury, and Flip Lukens. This is part of Quores growth strategy to cultivate internal talent and strengthen the long-term flexibility of their product.

Scott Schaedle, Quore Founder and CEO commented, Quore recognizes talent and hard work. Scott, Richard and Flip have all made significant contributions to the organization, so its a natural evolution to put them in positions where they can have the greatest impact on both our company and the evolving needs of our customers.

Scott Barber, former Director of Technology, was promoted to Chief Technology Officer, a new role to Quore. Barber joined Quore in 2020 and brought with him a proven track record of technical accomplishments and extensive management experience. In his new role, Barber will continue to manage Quores technology stack and development teams, and will also assume the lead in all development and technology functions.

Richard Bradbury joined Quore in 2019 as Vice President of Strategy and Alliances and will now transition to become Quores Vice President of Product. Richard has worked in the hospitality industry for 40+ years, a decade of which was dedicated to product management. As the VP of Product, Richard will work closely with Scott Barber to create and execute upon the product roadmap.

Formerly Sr. Director of Customer Experience, Flip Lukens was promoted to VP of Operations in support of COO, David Fox. Lukens came to Quore in 2018 and transformed the customer support and training teams and strategy into what it is today. In addition to managing Quores Customer Success Team, Lukens new role will include administrative, operational and procedural projects including shared services, policies and procedures and general office administration.

Schaedle adds, Quore has made many advancements over the last few months in building the foundation to grow and create a more flexible product. In their new roles, Richard, Scott, and Flip will maintain that momentum to help us build a world-class solution for our customers.

Quore will be exhibiting at HITEC Booth #2522 in Dallas September 27-30, 2021.

About Quore

Quore is an award-winning, cloud-based hotel quality optimization solution, providing the right tools to empower hotels of any size to make operations more efficient and improve guest experiences. Founded in 2012, it is the first solution ever to combine state-of-the-art technology and intuitive design to better manage all aspects of the guest experience, including preventative maintenance, guest requests and complaints, work orders, housekeeping and workforce/shift communication. Quores software is used by more than 4,400 hotels in the U.S., and it supports hotels from the industrys largest brands, including IHG, Marriott, Hilton and Choice. The Franklin, Tennessee-based company is privately owned and was named one of Americas Best Startup Employers by Forbes.
Press Release

22 September 2021

Toronto, Ontario  Today, the Global Business Travel Association Canada (GBTA Canada) congratulated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on forming Canadas new Federal government. GBTA Canada also commended the other party leaders, candidates and volunteers for their effort in this historic election.

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GBTA Canada congratulates Prime Minister Trudeau on forming Canadas new Federal government and looks forward to working with all parliamentarians to support business travel and capture all the benefits that this activity brings to Canadians, said Nancy Tudorache, Regional Vice President, Canada of GBTA. Advancing policies that facilitate business travel not only drives commerce and trade, it also contributes to our national prosperity and that is something everyone can support as we climb out of this pandemic.

According to GBTA Canada data, the pandemic and associated travel restrictions at the height of the pandemic, resulted in nearly a 90%, decrease in business travel that negatively impacted 600,000 jobs and reduced spending in Canada by $2.9 billion (CAD) per month. GBTA Canada encourages the new government to focus on the challenges the sector continues to face as a result of the pandemic. Some examples of the challenges the sector is currently facing include the lack of a clear and simple vaccination certification program, one that is interoperable provincially and internationally, as already in place in many countries around the world. In addition, the lack of resources at borders making entry into Canada at some Canadian airports a multi-hour process. Ongoing border restrictions at US-Canadian land crossings also represent serious challenges to the resumption of cross-border business opportunities.

Business travel is about making and strengthening connections, growing careers, doing deals, fostering client relationships, engaging employees, growing businesses, and stimulating economies. Whether it be a corporate meeting in Toronto, visiting an oil site Alberta or meeting with retail locations across the country, these missed opportunities represent a significant loss to the national economy in terms of tax revenue. Tudorache added, Our mission is to help restore and improve these interactions by reducing the obstacles to business travel.

The Global Business Travel Association Canada recognizes that the pandemic is not over and is aware that the Delta variant is a serious concern to public health across the country. GBTA Canada is committed to working with public leaders to develop safe policies that will simplify domestic and international business travel in order to fulfill its role as an economic enabler for Canadian individuals and businesses.
Press Release

22 September 2021

Today, Airbnb is announcing a new three-year commitment in South Africa to address barriers to becoming a tourism entrepreneur, and to help rebuild a more inclusive and resilient domestic tourism economy. The commitment, focused on infrastructure, training and investment, builds on Airbnbs 2017 USD $1 million commitment in Africa to boost community-led tourism projects, and the Africa Academy, which has trained more than 300 Hosts who earned more than R2.8 million in 18 months*.

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Building a stronger and more sustainable tourism industry in South Africa will take collaboration from all stakeholders, including Airbnb, and will require balanced and evidence-based regulation. In June, Airbnb set out its support for a simple, online and proportionate national registration system in South Africa as part of a five-point plan to re-boost tourism in the wake of the pandemic, and promote an inclusive and sustainable future for tourism.

Three new commitments will widen and support inclusion in the tourism economy by supporting existing tourism entrepreneurs, helping remove barriers to entry, and enabling a new generation of South Africans to benefit from the tourism economy, as travel returns following the pandemic.

1. Infrastructure  Tackling digital and financial accessibility

With less than half of South Africas rural population connected to the internet**, digital exclusion poses a significant barrier to entry for many potential tourism entrepreneurs.

To tackle the digital divide, Airbnb has partnered with Ikeja, a company focused on providing fast, affordable wifi to townships. Over the next two years we will work together with Ikeja to provide at least 100 Airbnb Academy Hosts and their communities with free wifi. Each of these 100 Hosts will become a wifi hotspot within their community, giving 100s of others access, resulting in a powerful network effect.

2. Training  Empowering a new generation of tourism entrepreneurs

Since Airbnb launched the Africa Academy in 2017, it has trained more than 300 entrepreneurs in Townships and rural areas, who earned more than R2.8 million in 18 months*. Today Airbnb is partnering with the University of Johannesburg School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH) to expand the Airbnb Academy program to at least 1000 students over the next three years. In addition, we will work with partners to take the Academy to more communities in South Africa, including working with the Public Private Growth Initiative and the Waterberg municipality to run the Academy in the District Development Model pilot.

3. Investment  boosting the Africa Academy Fund

While COVID-19 devastated the entire travel industry, entrepreneurs from township and rural communities are particularly at risk.

Building on our work in 2020 where we invested R1 million to launch an Africa Academy Fund, we are announcing an additional contribution of R1.5 million to support Africa Academy graduates from township and rural communities who have been hardest hit.

Travel has fundamentally changed as a result of the pandemic. Together with Government and stakeholders, we need to rebalance travel to be truly sustainable, domestic, diverse and inclusive, and reimagine it for what it can be  a travel economy for all.

The Airbnb platform is helping to lead the global travel recovery by enabling anyone to become a tourism entrepreneur. To advance this vision of inclusive tourism, we are supercharging the Africa Academy by investing in infrastructure that will allow people to connect to our global network, creating our first-ever entrepreneurial education program and re-investing in the next generation of tourism entrepreneurs. Chris Lehane, Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Communications at Airbnb

This commitment follows an independent report commissioned by Airbnb to better understand the platforms contribution to inclusive tourism growth in South Africa, and how the platform can work to further reduce barriers to entry going forward.

It highlighted digital access as a significant barrier for would-be tourism entrepreneurs, concluded that people in townships and rural communities were likely to be most affected by the lack of international tourism, and pointed to initiatives like the Africa Academy as a meaningful way to empower new entrepreneurs and promote inclusivity.

According to Genesis Analytics analysis of Airbnb data, in 2020, a crisis year for tourism in South Africa, travel on Airbnb contributed more than R8 billion to the economy, equal to around 22,000 jobs. The analysis also showed a trending increase in domestic travel on the platform, growing almost six-fold from 2016 to 2019, with township and rural areas seeing positive year-on-year growth in both local visitors and Hosts  In both Soweto and Tembisa, the number of Hosts on Airbnb grew by more than 200 percent from 2016 to 2019.

Matthew Symonds, Co-Founder of ikeja, said, By the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy partnering with ikeja as their chosen connectivity provider, Hosts will now have unlimited internet for their guests, as well as providing hotspot coverage in their areas  empowering them beyond their walls. ikeja prides itself in creating opportunity and being part of the fabric of the communities it operates in  from hiring, to leasing, to partnering with local stakeholders like these Hosts on Airbnb. We look forward to this partnership further empowering Ekasi.

Professor Diane Abrahams, Director of the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at the University of Johannesburg, said, We are excited to be collaborating with Airbnb to expand the Airbnb Academy as this presents wonderful opportunities for our students in the entrepreneurial space and broadens their exposure to tourism and hospitality. At STH we value our partnerships with industry and look forward to working together with Airbnb to educate our future entrepreneurs.

Mr. Preciousstone Raputsoa, Municipal Manager for the Waterberg District, said, with respect to Airbnbs involvement in the District Development Model: Were excited to bring on board Airbnb to run the Academy in the Waterberg district. Airbnbs efforts will contribute to a district based pilot that brings together business, government and communities to entrench our focus on an inclusive, transformational and job creating approach to development. We believe that Airbnb has an important role to play in equipping people in our communities (especially women and youth) to benefit directly from our districts incredible tourism offerings. Were particularly excited that Airbnbs model lowers the barriers to entry and allows the informal sector to flourish.

*Total Host earnings from Africa Academy graduates, August 2018  Feb 2020.

**After Access (2018) A demand-side view of mobile Internet from 10 African countries. Available: https://researchictafrica.net/2019_after-access_africa-comparative-report/
External Article

22 September 2021

Pragmatism will drive the hotel industry forward, according to hotel executives who spoke during the International Hotel Investment Forum.

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Now is not the time to throw out traditional operations or business models, but there is room to shift positions somewhat.

Speaking at the Is It Time To Rewrite the Rule Book? session, panelists said COVID-19 has in itself rewritten the rule book, and if this is not a time to further rewrite the rules, then when is?

Yotel is one company that is adapting. CEO Hubert Viriot said the micro-hotel company is moving into the franchise game.

We realized we had to be far more agile, he said. Our owners were asking for the new model, and we said, No, no, no, we are not ready, but we are now. We opened a hotel in London right in the middle of the pandemic, and London has been hit hard, but we saw we can break even with super-low [revenue per available room] and generate cash flow.

We are starting the franchising program in the U.S., but were looking after the staff, as not everyone wants exposure to labor, he said.
Humana says it fired Dr. Sandra Guerra, the chief medical officer at a company subsidiary at the time, after she sent sexually suggestive texts to a subordinate.

The Louisville, Ky., health insurer made the allegation in a court filing after Guerra, whos now with San Antonios Metropolitan Health District, sued the company for employment discrimination.

Guerra has alleged that she was terminated in February 2020 after the subordinate accused her of harassment. She says that was just a pretext for her firing and that the real reason had to do with her color, gender and national origin. She is a U.S. citizen of Mexican-American descent.

The subordinate, a white male, had made an internal complaint to Humana Government Business Inc., a subsidiary where Guerra worked as chief medical officer and vice president for eight years.

In one exchange included in Humanas court filing, the subordinate texted Guerra, I went to bed early. She allegedly replied, Alone?

Humana cited a few other texts between the two.

Dr. Guerra admitted to her behavior and comments, and HGB terminated her for them, said Ricky D. Edwards, a Humana human resources executive, in a court filing attached to its response to the lawsuit.

IN HOUSTON: Doctor cleared of vaccine theft charge sues Harris County for racial discrimination

Humana terminated Guerras employment for a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason unrelated to her gender, color, or national origin, namely, her admitted violation of Humanas Harassment and Critical Offenses policy, the company says in its response.

Humana has asked the court to toss Guerras lawsuit and award it costs and attorneys fees. The suit was originally filed in state District Court in Bexar County but Humana moved it to U.S. District Court in San Antonio.

Mauro F. Ruiz, Guerras lawyer, declined to comment on Humanas response Tuesday. A Humana spokeswoman didnt immediately respond to request for comment, but she previously has said it doesnt comment on pending litigation.

In her complaint, Guerra seeks damages ranging from $250,000 to $1 million and unspecified punitive damages from Humana.

Guerra says the false allegations lodged against her by the subordinate were retaliatory, made just days after she had reprimanded him.

Humana says Guerra took disciplinary action against the subordinate Feb. 4, 2020, and that he made an internal complaint Feb. 7, 2020, but denies that his complaint was retaliatory. Guerra was terminated Feb. 18, 2020.

The company also denies Guerras assertions that she had no negative human resources complaints or violations and that supervisors had given her excellent performance evaluations.

TEXAS MED CENTER: This dual-branded hotel is now open and will help serve veterans

Guerra filed a complaint in July 2020 with the Texas Workforce Commissions Civil Rights Division.

I was the only Hispanic female vice president, and progressive discipline was not afforded me in violation of the Humana policy, Guerra wrote in the complaint.

She joined Metro Health as assistant medical director in June 2020, about four months after her exit from Humana. She provided leadership and consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to her LinkedIn profile.

In October, Guerra was named Metro Healths interim deputy public health director, overseeing its day-to-day operations. She relinquished that role in December but remains employed with Metro Health as a contractor working part-time as assistant medical director, an agency spokesman said.

Guerra also serves as chief medical officer with WellCare of Kentucky, which is part of Centene Corp. She was hired in January, according to her LinkedIn profile.

pdanner@express-news.net
On my morning walk through Houstons EaDo neighborhood last week, I watched a freight train pass carrying thousands of sections of well pipe, something I hadnt seen in a long time.

Seven years ago, commuters on Interstate-10 couldnt drive five minutes without seeing a truckload of pipe on its way to the Permian Basin. Crude prices were high, the drilling rig count was higher, and fracking was king.

Oil and natural gas prices plummeted, though, as U.S. drillers flooded the market, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries refused to cut production. Then COVID-19 came, and demand for fossil fuels shrank. The rig count dropped from 1,400 to 250, and demand for pipe evaporated.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Race is on to see who can produce the cleanest fossil fuels

The oil and gas supply also dwindled and today fossil fuel prices are jumping. West Texas Intermediate crude is above $70 a barrel, about double the price from October last year. Natural gas was $1.63 per million British Thermal Units in June 2020 and is now above $4.

Even coal is seeing a revival. The dirtiest, most climate-damaging fossil fuel was $49 a metric ton this time last year, but today sells for $177.

Two factors are driving prices. First, demand for energy of all types is growing again as we learn to live with COVID-19 and economic activity returns to normal. Supply, meanwhile, is low because companies have not been producing due to low prices.

We are in a perfect setup for another fossil fuel boom. It will probably be the industrys last.

The Baker Hughes Rig Count reports that 512 rigs were operating in the United States last week, up from 255 last year. The Texas Oil and Gas Association says that the industry added 2,800 new jobs statewide in August and 19,700 workers in the past year.

This is good news for oil and gas workers because they make their money finding oil, designing wells to reach it, and putting steel in the ground. Once a well is flowing, most of the work is done; the investors collect the revenues.

The same is true for coal miners in Wyoming and West Virginia. When prices rise, managers start calling up workers to come meet the new demand.

The multi-billion-dollar question, though, is how far will corporate executives and their investors go in the competition to meet demand?

Fossil fuel booms have not gone well for late arrivals. Early-movers who deploy rigs and produce energy the quickest capture the highest prices. By the time the dumb money shows up, supply has matched demand, and prices are dropping.

On recent conference calls with investors and analysts, oil and gas executives have promised to practice capital discipline in their spending on new wells.

Chief executives say they are focused on paying down debt and raising shareholder dividends instead of boosting production. They have sworn off the old days of Drill, Baby, Drill! Instead, they promise to hold their fire until they see the whites of the eyes of sustained higher prices.

The goal is to produce a sustainable return that investors can rely on. But the train-loads of drill pipe belie that in a competitive market, capital discipline can make you late to the party. The rapid addition of headcount in the Permian demonstrates the brave are on the move.

Higher energy prices may be great for the fossil fuels industry, but they are also good for clean energy. Electricity from wind and solar has been cheaper than fossil fuel generation for years, so the higher prices for coal, oil and natural gas only make renewable sources more attractive.

Drillers may be putting in more natural gas wells across the country to feed power plants. But wind and solar developers are constructing more facilities and signing long-term deals with major customers, like Google and Facebook, that need power for their data farms.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Hydrogen is key to Texas role in clean energy

Gasoline may rise above $3 a gallon, generating work in oil fields and refineries. But the price of electric vehicles will soon equal those of internal combustion engines. At $1.16 a gallon equivalent for electricity, more families will quickly consider cutting their transportation costs in half.

Lastly, higher fossil fuel usage generates higher carbon dioxide emissions, which have already risen above 2019 levels. Hopes that our new work-from-home policies might help mitigate climate change proved optimistic.

Most national leaders are agreed that we must cut carbon emissions, and the easiest method is reducing fossil fuel use. But while individual and corporate initiatives help, government restrictions are necessary to limit warming to less than 2 degrees Centigrade.

Fossil fuels are making a comeback, but more than likely, its the last stand.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
Hines

Hines and Ivanhoe Cambridge, the developers of downtown's Texas Tower, will offer the Square, Hines' brand of flexible office space with hospitality elements it is rolling out worldwide

The Square at Texas Tower will occupy 18,000 square feet on the mezzanine level overlooking the lobby of Texas Tower. The Square will offer a range of flexible space solutions and hospitality amenities to its tenant customers upon opening in early 2022.
Nothing satisfies the fall appetite like fideo. Just the smell of noodles toasting in oil can trigger powerful memories of family meals  even if everyones grandmother had a slightly different version of the dish. And that warm hug of hearty Mexican pasta soup is exactly what we want to help you master this week.

The first thing to know about fideo, which has become an iconic comfort-food staple in many Texas homes, is that its the result of centuries of migration. The word fideo comes from the Arabic term fidaws, which refers specifically to the thin noodles we know today and not any particular preparation of them. Fidaws was part of the diet in Al-Andalus, the part of modern-day Spain that was under Muslim rule till the end of the 15th century.

A signature fideo cooking technique  browning the noodles in some type of fat before adding liquid  likely originated in the Middle East, where pasta and rice are often toasted together before simmering.

Once fideo arrived in the New World (likely during the Spanish colonial era), it began evolving into the dish we now associate with Mexican cuisine. And that evolution led to two of the most common and distinct preparations: sopa de fideo, which typically features the noodles swimming in a thin soup of tomato and chicken broth, and the much thicker fideo seco, in which the noodles are cooked in a bright-red tomato sauce thats almost completely absorbed by the pasta.

Both preparations have roots in Spain. The soupy version has been common comfort food there for centuries and has traveled the world with Spaniards. Its become a particularly beloved staple in the Philippines.

Sopa seca (or dry) de fideo is more closely related to the Valencian dish fideua, a seafood dish similar to paella made with fideo instead of rice, in which the cooking liquid is almost completely absorbed by the pasta. That technique led to the thick version we know here with the addition of New World ingredients such as tomatoes and chiles.

I tested several brands of fideo pasta to see what the strengths and weaknesses of each were. Ive used Q&Q extensively in the past, and never have been particularly fond of the way it tends to fragment while toasting. Its also thicker than other brands, resulting in a cooked noodle closer to the size of spaghetti.

I like the Hill Country Fare version, which I found to have better integrity while toasting, and I like that its thinner. La Modernas fideo performed similarly well in my kitchen.

I found both Faraon and Tierra Linda brands of fideo to be too short and thin, with both burning in the pan quicker than expected.

However you prepare it, nows the perfect time to start making steaming batches of the stuff.

Recipe: Sopa de Fideo

Recipe: Fideo Seco

pstephen@express-news.net
Last week I had the opportunity to talk champagne with one of the young lions from the famous French countryside who has provided the world with its most celebrated bubbles for nearly four centuries.

The 35-year-old Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger  yes, he has family ties, if not business ones, with those Taittingers  was in town to market the artisanal Frerejean Freres champagnes he and his two older brothers, Guillaume and Richard, began releasing about a decade ago.

Frerejean-Taittinger was able to visit stateside because his wife of five years, Maggie, is from the Chicago area.

The Texas market  if it were a country, it would be the worlds ninth-largest economy  is hugely important for Frerejean Freres, representing half of all its sales in the U.S. And Houston is the big dog in Texas, in no small part because Frerejean Freres importer, BCI, is owned by a French couple, Jean-Francois and Nathalie Bonnete, who settled here a number of years ago.

The Bonnetes love Texas because Texans are so open to trying different things, Bonnete said. Theyre always open to trying, to tasting new things. They arent stuck on brands. Frerejean-Taittinger couldnt agree more. He was able to hand-sell seven of his bottles to a customer he randomly met on the floor at Specs, and more than 100 curious folks turned out for a tasting he hosted at the Vault & Vino storage venue in Montrose.

The Frerejean-Taittinger siblings had no legal right to ride the coattails of the famous family name, and they had zero interest in doing so either. Although Rodolphe said he has great respect for what his relations built starting in the 1930s and for the quality of their current wines, the Frerejean Freres sparklers represent a dramatically different approach to champagne production.

For starters, only 120,000 bottles are made annually, a tiny fraction of what the brand names  such as Taittinger  flood the market with every year. And their wines are also made quite differently, most significantly in how much time lapses from bottling to release.

Five to eight years, he said, even for the nonvintages. We started Maison Frerejean Freres in 2005 but didnt release our first wines until 2012. In the beginning, our wine was purely for us.

Indeed, it all started as a hobby.

If you have Taittinger in your name and youre from Champagne, its hard not to want to try your hand at champagne making. The magical bubbles played a prominent role in his baptism ceremony, and he took his first sip at the age of 8.

Still, Rodolphes day job was supposed to be in high finance, a career his father had encouraged him to pursue. In fact, he had just started his first real job about the same time as the Frerejean Freres wines were being bottled when he up and dropped everything to woo Maggie. Today, that investment is paying off.

But, he said with a smile, my father didnt speak to me for about a year.

His dad had also taken issue with his sons decision to age the bubbles for so long. He feared it would be a ruinous decision vis-a-vis the bottom line. But the company is thriving at every level, earning critical and financial success. In fact, it has even forged a partnership with Frances prestigious Michelin guide.

But were fortunate in Houston to have ready access to the companys wines on retail shelves. Artisans restaurant and Etoile in Uptown Park feature the wines, too. The Specs store in Midtown stocks these six:

Premier Cru Brut NV: A 50-50 blend of chardonnay and pinot noir from multiple vineyards in the Cote de Blancs countryside near the winerys home base in Avize, Frerejean Freres signature wine is aged for a minimum of five years. Winemaker Didier Pierson describes the wine: Honey, dried fruit and almonds on the nose, with flavors of apples and pears, candied fruits and brioche. $64.99

Brut Rose NV: The blend is 60 percent chardonnay and 26 percent pinot noir plus a 14 percent component of vinified still red wine from Premier and Grand Cru vineyards. Pierson says this wine blends notes of red fruits freshly harvested to aromas of a freshly baked brioche. $99.99

Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs: All chardonnay, from both Premier and Grand Cru vineyards in the Cote de Blancs, it includes reserve wines. An enticing melange of passion fruit, mango, citrus and papaya on the nose, Pierson says, followed by a balanced (palate) of minerality and acidity that makes for an elegant whole. $99.99

VV26 Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs: Aged for eight years and sealed with a traditional agrafe, which functions like a staple, the equal parts creamy and minerally wine is made from Grand Cru vines that date to 1926. A blend of the best grapes from the 2008 and 2009 harvests from Avize, Cramant and Oger, it initially spent seven months in oak. $124.99

2012 Cuvee des Hussards Premier Cru Vieilles Vignes Extra Brut: Named for Napoleons light cavalry, an elite fighting force that is said to have invented the art of sabering champagne bottles to celebrate victories, its a blend of 85 percent chardonnay and 15 percent pinot noir from Premier and Grand Cru plots whose vines are at least 40 years old. The vintage is considered one of the best, if not the best, thus far in the 21st century. $164.99

2006 Extra Brut Premier Cru: The winerys inaugural vintage release, its a 50-50 blend of the very best chardonnay and pinot noir fruit. Pierson describes it as a fresh and aromatic champagne with saline notes and a revivifying acidity  Well-structured with a long finish leading to an elegant honeyed touch. $189.99

sportywineguy@outlook.com
A friendly game of tug of war at a park may not strike an observer as all that remarkable, but the ones planned at Tom Wussow Park next month just might turn some heads.

The Houston Police Department will take on the Harris County Sheriffs Office, while U.S. Airforce recruits face U.S. Marine recruits, in a test of strength and endurance on Tuesday, Oct. 5, in north Houston.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Organizing a National Night Out gathering? Here's ideas from the Pasadena police

This tug of war competition is one of several entertaining activities planned for a National Night Out event being hosted by the North Houston District  a management district encompassing 12 square miles at the intersection of I-45 N and the North Sam Houston Parkway.

We advocate for the area to promote quality growth and services that enhance our property values and our appeal as a place to live, work, visit and invest, states the districts website.

National Night Out events are held annually in communities nationwide to foster positive relationships between residents and local law enforcement. Texas observes National Night Out in October each year, explains a North Houston District press release.

Remembering 9/11: Cypress firefighters recount experiences while honoring legacies of heroes past

The event in the Aldine-Greenspoint area is open to the public and free to attend.

Public safety is one of the North Houston Districts priorities, which is why it hosts one of the largest National Night Out events in town, states the release.

Activities are scheduled to last from 5 to 8 p.m. and will include a petting zoo, dunk tank, face painting and food stations. There will also be opportunities to see HPD police horses and K9 officers; a HCSO helicopter, high water rescue boat and motorcycle unit; and a U.S. Marines combat simulation trailer.

In addition to first responders and military service members, the event will feature a variety of local businesses and community partners.

Tom Wussow Park is located at 500 Greens Rd.

For more information about the NNO event that the North Houston Districts Facebook states will be its biggest and best yet, visit www.facebook.com/events/1170536756793020?ref=newsfeed.

mfeuk@hcnonline.com
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  A federal appeals court on Wednesday threw out a ruling that found a law banning licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 is unconstitutional.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled that the case is now moot because the woman who sued to challenge the constitutionality of the federal law has now turned 21 and is of age to legally purchase a handgun from a dealer.

The same panel of judges had ruled 2-1 in July that the 1968 federal law banning people ages 18 to 20 from purchasing a handgun from a licensed dealer was unconstitutional. It found that the law violated the Second Amendment right to bear arms, which the panel called a cherished constitutional right that vests at age 18. But in a unanimous ruling Wednesday, the judges said that because plaintiff Natalia Marshall is now 21, she no longer has a legally recognized interest in the outcome of the case.

Once she turned 21, nothing prohibited her from buying the handgun she desired from a dealer of her choice. So her original claims are now moot, Judge Julius Richardson wrote for the panel.

Marshall was an 18-year-old student at the University of Virginia when she filed the lawsuit, saying she wanted a handgun as protection from an abusive ex-boyfriend. Another plaintiff joined the suit but he has also turned 21.

Marshalls attorney, Elliott Harding, said the plaintiffs are disappointed that the system continues to deny their equal access to fundamental liberties simply because of their youth.

It is unfortunate that the Government will evade the repercussions of the Court's (earlier) thorough ruling simply because the nature of the laws at issue allow them to escape final review through our lengthy litigation process, Harding said.

He said the plaintiffs are considering all of their options for additional review, which include asking the U.S. Supreme Court or the full 4th Circuit to hear the case.

Regardless of how these immediate issues may be resolved, these laws will continue to be challenged one way or another until liberty is ultimately restored, Harding said.

The Justice Department had asked the 4th Circuit to rehear the case after the first panel ruling in July found the law unconstitutional.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, who supported the government's request that the 4th Circuit reconsider its first ruling, said he and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh believed that the finding that the law was unconstitutional was legally incorrect.

"From the outset, we believed that the panel had gotten this one wrong," Herring said in a statement. Handguns are too often the weapon of choice for dangerous individuals who may want to harm themselves, an intimate partner, or even commit a crime. With this decision, this constitutional, longstanding gun safety law that has kept Virginians and our communities safe for decades will remain on the books.

Although the 1968 law bars federally licensed dealers from selling handguns to people under age 21, those 18 and over are still permitted under federal law to purchase handguns from a private party. They also are allowed to buy long guns from a dealer.
WHITTEMORE, Mich. (AP)  A northern Michigan man said he placed pipe bombs outside two phone stores because he was upset with immoral content on phones and cable TV, according to the FBI.

Authorities filed charges Tuesday against John D. Allen of Whittemore, less than a week after explosives and notes threatening Verizon and AT&T were found at phone stores in Sault Ste. Marie and Cheboygan.

The boxes also contained handcuffs. HJ and Handcuff Johnny were written on the boxes, apparently references to Allen, the FBI said. No one was hurt.

Allen, 75, was confronted by agents Monday and said he acted alone.

Allen stated that he created and placed the letters and bombs because he became dissatisfied with all of the immoral content, including pornography, on phones and cable television, the FBI said in a court filing.

Allen also is accused of writing letters found last month at communication towers across Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The letters made threats and claimed to be from the Coalition for Moral Telecommunications.

Allen appeared in court on charges of extortion and attempted destruction of buildings. A message seeking comment was left for his attorney.

Photos from the Mackinac Bridge and video from the phone stores greatly helped agents.

Allen used a California license plate at one point but said he realized that he had made a mistake when he noticed the emblem for the auto dealership on the rear of the vehicle could not be removed, according to the FBI.

Indeed, agents got information about Allen, the owner of the 2006 Chevrolet Uplander, after visiting a dealer in Standish.
Theyre baaaack!

Did you miss the Texas Legislature during that brief window between the end of this years second special session, on Sept. 1, and the beginning of yet another one, this past Monday?

Probably not, in part because politicians didnt actually leave us alone during those fleeting few weeks. On Sept. 1, 666 new state laws went into effect, leaving Texans to deal with the consequences of the permit-less carry of handguns and a de facto abortion ban that comes bundled with a bizarre bounty-hunting scheme.

And now, legislators are back for the decennial redistricting process  the process that allows politicians to pick their voters, rather than the other way around. The highly partisan process effectively enables them to pass such wildly unpopular laws in the first place, without fear of consequences at the next general election.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas Senate releases new political maps in first round of redistricting fight

Texans  all Texans, regardless of their political views  are the regular and predictable losers. Realistically, we shouldnt expect legislators to acknowledge as much, much less to voluntarily cede any of their own power in lieu of a more equitable system. Still, we should at least know what theyre up to, before they foist a new set of political district maps on us.

The basic state of play is as follows: Texas is getting two new seats in Congress as a result of the statewide population growth documented in the 2020 Census. We therefore need new congressional maps, dividing the state into 38 U.S. House districts rather than the current 36. We also need new maps for legislative and State Board of Education districts, all with roughly the same amount of people. Since the states major cities are growing, but rural Texas is losing population, those districts need to be adjusted.

In theory, this is a task for the math nerds of Texas, who are both numerous and talented, to produce maps that are compact, contiguous, and fair. In practice, its an opportunity for politicians to try to game the system  to improve the odds of the GOP retaining control of the Legislature, our congressional delegation, and the SBOE for another decade, even though the Texas electorate has clearly turned purple.

We can see that intent clearly enough in the proposed Texas Senate map released by Republicans this weekend, which would redraw the states 31 Senate districts to give Republicans an advantage in 20 seats, leaving just 11 to Democrats. Currently, the GOP holds an 18-13 edge in the chamber.

The proposed State Senate map is a direct assault on the voting rights of minority citizens in Senate District 10 and, if adopted, it would be an act of intentional discrimination, says state Sen. Beverly Powell, a Democrat from Fort Worth. She noted that, as it stands, Senate District 10 is nearly ideal in terms of providing a fair shake for Black, Latino, and Asian voters  perhaps because it was drawn by the federal courts, after judges concluded that the Republican majority had drawn an intentionally discriminatory district after the 2010 Census.

Its almost inevitable that the maps that emerge from this third special session will end up in court, too. And all of this is not, it should be noted, a farce specific to Texas, nor is it solely perpetrated by Republicans. Democrats drew districts to their advantage when they held power in the Lone Star State decades ago; Democrats in blue states are likely to be especially aggressive in their approach to redistricting this cycle, given how narrow their current majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is.

Still, partisan redistricting ultimately benefits politicians at the expense of voters. We should all be against it. And there are better ways to approach this process. Ten states  some red, some blue  have created independent redistricting commissions, with various structures. A number of Texas Democrats have called on their Republican colleagues to consider such an idea, but thats as far as the idea is likely to go in the short term. Remember, these are the Republicans who rammed through gratuitous voting restrictions statewide after Harris County came up with novel ways to boost turnout while protecting public health in the Democratic-leaning county last year.

With that in mind, lets highlight another item on the agenda for this years third, very-special session: an item that points to the possibility that Texans can still be heard by their government. Gov. Greg Abbott has tasked legislators with passing an anti-animal cruelty bill  a measure that legislators did pass, on a bipartisan basis, earlier this year, only to have Abbott veto it.

RARE SECOND CHANCE: Advocates hopeful lifesaving dog legislation will pass after statewide outcry over Abbott's veto

Why the change of heart, one wonders? The explanation is apparently quite simple: most Texans are against animal cruelty, and now the governor realizes that.

Theres a sleeping giant of people on this issue who have been upset about it for years, said former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, who killed a previous version of the anti-animal cruelty bill during his years as a member of the House Freedom Caucus. When he killed an earlier version of the measure over narrow concerns about the language, the backlash he received was horrible, he said, for obvious reasons.

People love their freaking dogs! Stickland said.

Still, Abbotts decision to revive the anti-animal-cruelty bill marks an interesting about-face from a generally obstinate governor. And it raises the prospect, however faint, that Texans can still insist our leaders listen to us.

Thats a message we should take to heart, as legislators embark on another protracted, fractious, and ultimately self-serving redistricting process.

erica.grieder@chron.com
Jay Jordan

A person died in a crash Wednesday morning after their vehicle overturned in the Waller area, according to the Harris County Sheriff.

Officials are investigating the incident in the area of 31200 Old Washington Road by Stokes and Texas 290, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet.
2 1 of 2 Harris County District Attorney's Office Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Harris County District Attorney's Office Show More Show Less



A Houston man this week was sentenced to 80 years in prison for fatally shooting a father who confronted him about speeding in the Third Ward.

Harris County jurors on Tuesday convicted Joe Roy Cockerham III, 27, in the 2017 murder of Alfred James. Witnesses said Cockerham gunned him down around noon while they argued in the middle of the street over how fast Cockerham was driving through a neighborhood filled with kids, according to the Harris County District Attorneys Office.
When Dr. Hasan Gokal was fired by Harris County Public Health a week after he drove around his Sugar Land community to administer 10 leftover doses of the Moderna COVID vaccine, he was stunned by the termination.

Gokal, who oversaw a Humble vaccination site on Dec. 29, said the county had not yet established wait lists or protocols for leftover doses. After staff on site declined the shots, he took the vial home and called his phone contacts, hoping to line up 10 elderly or immunocompromised people before the doses expired at midnight.

Shortly before midnight, Gokal gave the last dose to his wife after a patient canceled. He entered the vaccinations into the county records the next day, he said. On Jan. 7, he was fired.

SHOTS NOT TAKEN: Texas wasted 60K COVID vaccine doses between December and May, state data shows

County prosecutors soon filed a misdemeanor charge of theft by a public servant, which Gokal said he found out about on Jan. 21 from a TV news crew outside his house. District Attorney Kim Ogg released a statement accusing the doctor of stealing the vial and placing his friends and family in line before the public.

After a county court judge dismissed the charge in late January, Ogg said prosecutors would bring the case before a grand jury. On June 30, 160 days after the charges were filed, the jury declined to indict Gokal, whose case had attracted international attention.

In a racial discrimination lawsuit filed Tuesday against Harris County Public Health, Gokal, who is South Asian, alleged he was let go for giving the leftover doses to too many patients with Indian sounding names. The agency then engaged in a misinformation campaign about Gokals actions that led to the criminal charge, according to the lawsuit.

On the day he was fired, his superiors didnt try to understand his side of the story, Gokal said. Instead, in a surprise meeting, they accused him of giving the vaccines to his friends and family. When Gokal said that wasnt the case, the agencys human resources director clarified that he had not given the doses equitably.

Gokal said he asked if it was because there were too many Indian names among the recipients. Exactly, he said the director told him.

Harris County Public Health and the district attorneys office declined to comment Tuesday afternoon. The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million in damages from the county for lost wages and career opportunities, and emotional distress.

After the charges were filed, Gokal said public health jobs recruiting him passed him up. Hospitals where he worked shifts as an emergency physician told him not to come back until the case was resolved, he said.

But it was the reputational damage, both for himself and the local South Asian community, that reverberated most widely, Gokal said. The story of a Houston doctor accused of stealing vaccines quickly made international news, even reaching his family in Pakistan, Gokal said.

My father, who is approaching 80 now, a childhood friend of his called and said, hey, did you hear about that one doctor out in Houston whos been stealing vaccines? he said. Only for my dad to have to tell him, yeah, thats my son and its not the story you heard.

The lawsuit also alleged Gokal, who coordinated the countys emergency COVID services such as testing and vaccinations, had been repeatedly sidelined by superiors in the agency when he proposed plans to address disproportionate rates of COVID-19 in minority and immigrant populations. While most of the agency was diverse, Gokal said he believes he was the only person of color in the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response.

REPORT: COVID-19 disparities in communities of color could cost Texas $2.7 billion in excess medical spending

Gokal said he now picks up emergency room shifts at Houston Methodist and Memorial Hermann to support his family. But public health is what he hopes to work on, if his reputation can be restored, he said.

At the end of the day, I hope to be treated fairly, he said.

charlie.zong@chron.com
Investigators recovered two firearms  including an AR-style long gun  from the Harris County apartment where a wanted man shot two Houston police officers, wounding one and killing another.

Ballistics testing is pending to determine which of those weapons, the other is a handgun, was used to open fire Monday on Houston Police Department officers William Jeffrey and Michael Vance  members of a Major Offenders operation tasked with arresting the accused shooter, Harris County Sheriffs Office spokesman Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland said.

The deadly clash as residents prepared for work and school left two people dead, including Jeffrey and suspected gunman Deon Ledet. The second officer, Vance, remains hospitalized in stable but critical condition.

Multiple officers managed to return fire and hit Ledet, killing him, Chief Troy Finner said at a news conference after the shooting. Ledet was shot in the apartment and residents in the 5300 block of Aeropark Drive later saw his body brought outside.

The lawmen were trying to arrest Ledet on an outstanding warrant from January for a bond forfeiture on two drug possession charges. The warrant was reissued in March after a grand jury indicted Ledet on the charges. Officers notified the sheriffs watch command of their presence in the county ahead of the arrest attempt, Gilliland said.

Both officers, although in plainclothes, were wearing police-labeled items and body-worn cameras, he continued.

City and county officials were unable to elaborate on how many officers were at the apartment complex during the arrest attempt and who fired their duty weapons. The sheriffs office is investigating the shooting, while HPD is handling an internal review of their officers actions.

A woman inside Ledets apartment Tuesday declined to comment. Outside, damage from more than a dozen rounds was visible on Ledets door and the apartment buildings brick facade. Two surveillance cameras were posted above the door.

Defense lawyer Maverick Ray, whom Ledet hired in the days following the January warrant, did not return repeated calls.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
2 1 of 2 Hillory Broussard Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less



Humble ISD School Board president Martina Lemond Dixon announced Wednesday she is running for Harris County Judge as a Republican candidate in the 2022 election.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was one of the youngest candidates and first Latina ever elected to office after she beat out Republican incumbent Ed Emmett in 2018 to become judge of the third-largest county in the country.
Scores of Houston police officers lined the entrance to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences Wednesday to honor their slain comrade, William "Bill" Jeffrey.

Jeffrey, 54, was killed earlier Monday morning attempting to arrest a man wanted for drug charges.

A member of the Houston Police Department's Major Offenders Division, Jeffrey and several fellow officers had been tasked with arresting 31-year-old Deon Ledet.

The squad arrived at the apartment where they believed Ledet was staying and knocked at the door. At that point, police previously said, a woman answered the door, at which point Ledet emerged from the apartment and shot at the officers. At least one of the officers with Jeffrey returned fire, striking and killing him. Jeffrey was flown to Memorial Hermann, where he was pronounced dead. Another officer, Sgt. Michael Vance, was also wounded in the exchange of gunfire and taken to the hospital but is now recovering.

Days later, many of Jeffrey's friends and other officers gathered at the Harris County IFS to honor Jeffrey and escort his body to the Klein Funeral Home in Tomball.

About 10:35 a.m., they snapped to attention.

Chief Troy Finner and another officer marched down the morgue's driveway as a hearse carrying Jeffrey's casket followed behind. A police helicopter flew overhead.

Slowly, the contingent of officers saluted, before their superiors gave the order to disperse.

Shortly before officers began the 40-mile drive to Tomball, Finner told reporters "we're standing together" as a department and city.

"Can you imagine going through this? A daughter, a wife, an extended family," he said. "and they got smiles. And its just strength and hugs. They have some anger, and we will deal with that a little bit later, but they're just exhibiting love and support to us when they are in such pain, and I think that is just a beautiful thing."
Rice University has received $100 million from the Moody Foundation to build a new student center on campus and to create endowments that support student opportunity and success.

The planned Moody Center for Student Life and Opportunity is intended to become a focal point for the private university and will be designed by Sir David Adjaye of Adjaye Associates, the same architect who designed the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of African American History and Culture.

With Rices plans to increase the undergraduate student body by 20 percent by fall 2025, the 80,000-square-foot center is expected to have three levels, with ample space for a range of student programming. It will replace the existing Rice Memorial Center, which was built more than 60 years ago to accommodate a fifth of the student population expected over the next four years.

The facility will include a multicultural center, a rooftop auditorium, a variety of gathering and event spaces, and a memorial to 10 Navy ROTC students from Rice who died in 1953 when their plane crashed en route to a training mission in Virginia.

Some elements of the existing center, including its chapel and the cloisters, will remain. Construction is expected to begin in early 2022 and finish in late 2023.

Rice President David Leebron, who plans to step down in June, envisions the center to be a place where students will broaden their engagements and experiences in ways that will empower their success throughout their lives.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Rice announces major expansion of student body and campus

It will also enable us to both connect more deeply with Houston and with the world, Leebron said in a written statement. This will be the epitome of what an inclusive and outward-looking student center should be. It will serve the 21st-century understanding of the essential elements of student education, which go far beyond the classroom experience.

The charitable foundations gift will also establish the Moody Fund for Student Opportunity, which will support student programs hosted in the student center, including an international office, and the Center for Civic Leadership, which engages with the city of Houston, according to Leebron. The center, which will be a central focus of the campus, is also slated to offer support services to students from less privileged backgrounds.

Elle Moody, a Rice alumna and a trustee of both the university and the Galveston-based Moody Foundation, said she believes the gift will have a profound and lasting effect on the campus and its students.

The foundations $100 million gift is one of two of the largest single donations the university has received, matching the $100 million grant from the Robert A. Welch Foundation last September to create Rices Welch Institute.

brittany.britto@chron.com
The states highest criminal court smacked down a last-ditch request from Harris County prosecutors to withhold documents and evidence long requested by former Houston police narcotics officers charged with overtime theft and other crimes.

The charges stem from an investigation into the officers prompted by the January 2019 Harding Street drug raid, which erupted in gunfire and ended in the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, and with four officers from Squad 15 injured by gunfire.

Police investigators soon discovered the lead narcotics officer behind the raid had lied about buying drugs at the home. The officer, Gerald Goines, retired amid the investigation but was later charged with civil rights violations in federal court, as well as felony murder, records tampering, and other crimes in state court. Local prosecutors subsequently accused numerous other narcotics officers of tampering with government records, overtime theft and other crimes.

Court fight: Harris County prosecutors continue fight to keep evidence from accused Harding Street cops

Defense attorneys for the accused officers then sought certain evidence and reports from District Attorney Kim Ogg, including the documents that were used as the basis for the criminal charges.

Oggs prosecutors refused, fighting orders from multiple judges as they sought to withhold the documents. The fight, which lasted more then a year, appeared to have ended last week, when, in a split opinion, a panel of judges in the Court of Criminal Appeals ordered prosecutors to turn over the documents.

On Friday, however, prosecutors said they were going to ask the appellate court to reconsider the case. Just days later, the appellate court has rejected that request.

In a terse, two-sentence filing, the appellate courts judges informed Ogg that her prosecutors request had been denied.

Appellate ruling: Texas judges order DA Kim Ogg to stop withholding Harding Street raid evidence  yet again

After the court ruling was handed down, Ogg spokesman Dane Schiller said prosecutors have notified defense lawyers the material theyve been seeking was ready to be picked up Wednesday.

Civil Rights Division prosecutors remain focused on delivering justice for Dennis Tuttle, Rhogena Nicholas and the entire community, he said, and we look forward to presenting all the evidence to Harris County jurors.

Attorneys for the accused men, meanwhile, cheered the ruling.

Their desperate attempt to hide exculpatory evidence has been thwarted, said Paul Doyle, who represents former narcotics officer Hodgie Armstrong.

Ed McClees, representing former Sgt. Thomas Wood, said he looked forward to reviewing the material.

st.john.smith@chron.com
Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday named a new housing director one day after firing his predecessor, who publicly accused the mayor of steering affordable housing funds to a specific developer and project.

Keith Bynam will be interim director of the Housing and Community Development Department. He was elevated from his position as deputy director for the compliance division and operations. Personnel records show he was hired by the city in December 1991.

He has an extensive housing background and over 30 years experience faithfully serving the city of Houston, said Mary Benton, the mayors communications director.

Tom McCasland, who had led the department since 2016, told City Council members Tuesday that the mayor and his administration manufactured a charade of a competitive process to distribute Hurricane Harvey affordable housing money to a select developer. The decision, which overrode staff recommendations, meant the city would get 274 fewer units of affordable housing for about the same amount of money.

McCasland provided a dense packet of emails and memos to council members as evidence of his assertions. They showed staff had recommended four projects that would use $16.2 million in Harvey relief funds to help finance 362 affordable units. Turner scrapped those recommendations in favor of one project in Clear Lake, which will use $15 million in relief money and produce 88 affordable units.

A co-partner on the Clear Lake deal, Harbor Venture Group, is run by the mayors longtime law partner, Barry Barnes, and another partner at the firm, Jermaine Thomas. Turner left the firm when he was elected mayor in 2015.

McCasland, who did not mention Barnes or Thomas by name, accused the administration of bankrolling a certain developer to the detriment of working families who need affordable homes, and said its action on the matter was emblematic of a broader management style that creates a culture for corruption. He said the administration previously had pressured housing staff to OK deals from that developer over more qualified projects.

Turner denied wrongdoing and called McCaslands comments puzzling. He said he did not know about Barnes participation in the deal until Tuesday, after the $15 million allotment was announced, and did not see any conflict in his former law partner benefiting from city business.

The mayor said he prioritized the project because it was in a relatively wealthy City Council district that had not seen an affordable development in six years.

Turner fired McCasland Tuesday afternoon, saying he had lost confidence in him, a few hours after the now-former department head made his accusations publicly in a City Council housing committee meeting.

As the compliance director, Bynam was tasked with tracking the departments projects and programs after implementation to ensure they met the requirements of their funding sources, often the federal government.

The mayor announced Bynams selection after presiding over a council meeting in the morning. Neither he nor any council member mentioned McCaslands comments at the meeting.

In an email to staff, Bynam said the mayor called him Tuesday night to discuss the events of the day, along with next steps for the department, before Turner offered him the job. He also said in the memo that McCaslands comments would invite more scrutiny of the departments work.

Yesterday was a day like no other and our HCD lives will be considerably different, Bynam wrote. Due to some statements made yesterday, more eyes will now be focused on the work we do. It will feel like we are under a microscope, and we will be; every governing agency will want to review our procedures, and everyone who has had an issue with the department will become more critical and more vocal. We cannot let any of that deter us from our goal of continuing to provide the very best service to the citizens of this great city. I feel confident that we have good policies and procedures  that have been approved by the (Texas General Land Office) and others  that are being followed.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
Most parents dont take kindly to disapproving glares or unsolicited parenting advice from other parents, knowing that no family is immune to occasional tantrums, injuries and sassy disobedience.

But few moms and dads would take advice from a parent whose toddler is dirty with matted hair, protruding ribs, pocked with infected sores and is running loose in traffic after having been left unattended at a public park.

When it comes to child welfare, Texas is that neglectful parent at the park. But despite all its shameful failures in protecting, insuring and educating its children, Texas is that hypocritical guardian whos still trying to tell other people how to parent, and whether to parent at all.

Given Texas recent enactment of the harshest abortion law in the nation, essentially banning the procedure after six weeks, before most women know theyre pregnant, youd think the Lone Star State would be the most pro-life place in America. Thats certainly what champions of Senate Bill 8 such as Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick were crowing when the law took effect.

Texas will always defend the right to life, Abbott tweeted earlier this month.

News flash: Life doesnt end with birth.

Texas has plenty of living, breathing, walking, talking kids who are struggling, suffering and even dying because of the states callous disregard.

In the nations supposed No. 1 pro-life state, consider how well Texas ranks on other stats recently researched by Politifact: 49th for prenatal care; 50th for insured women; tied for 40th for child hunger and 44th for per-pupil public school spending.

Reasonable people can disagree on abortion, and we often do. But dont Republican leaders ever wince at their own hypocrisy? How do they expect us to accept their politically advantageous concern for a six-week embryo no bigger than a grain of rice as sufficient service to the cause of life when Texas has allowed tens of thousands of foster children to languish in dangerous, abusive conditions for more than a decade?

Children are dying, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack said a year ago at a hearing in which she highlighted the death of a teenage girl in a slipshod for-profit facility in Wallis, west of Houston. The state was slow to remove other children from the place and even when they did, the judge lamented how the owner and executive director were still being entrusted with CPS kids at another facility in Corpus Christi.

Since 2019, at least 23 children have died in Texas long-term foster care system, at least six from neglect or abuse by caregivers, court monitors reported in May.

Jack, who has been toiling endlessly to bring safety to the system, recently described some of the foster placements as Dickensian, the Dallas Morning News Robert Garrett reported, and she described beatings, harsh physical restraint, sexual abuse and even deaths of children in the states care. It doesnt sound that much different than in 2015, when Jack initially found Texas was violating the rights of foster care children by subjecting them to unreasonable risk of harm.

Throughout the litigation, Texas has at various times dragged its feet in making the changes and Attorney General Ken Paxton has spent taxpayer money to aggressively fight compliance on other issues.

Lawmakers, meanwhile, have improved funding somewhat, including a small bump in caseworker pay, but never enough to ensure that the kids in state care, now numbering 28,000, are safe. And caseworkers are getting overwhelmed again as some protective rules on staffing minimums and caseload maximums are relaxed with variances and exceptions. Meanwhile, the well-publicized problem of kids sleeping in state offices has continued to fester, in part because the state, at Jacks urging, has canceled contracts with organizations that maintained shoddy, dangerous organizations for years and never should have been approved caregivers in the first place.

This year, the number of older children who are forced to live in unlicensed facilities such as offices because the state cant find another placement for them nearly quintupled from January to June to 106 per night. There are reports of these long-term foster children running away and even prostituting themselves.

Last year, Jack went so far as to find two state agencies in contempt of court, even threatening fines, for not following more than a dozen of her orders. Abbott has since ordered the agencies to fully comply but that only means so much when they lack resources that lawmakers havent seen fit to provide.

Abbott has failed to communicate loudly the urgency of the situation and the lives at stake.

When House Democrats fled to Washington, D.C., in July to block voting legislation, Abbott ridiculed them for leaving undone issues that can help their districts and our state, listing among them money for children in foster care.

But in the current special session, where lawmakers will divvy out a whopping $16 billion in pandemic response funds, neither the governor nor the lieutenant governor saw fit to include foster kids in their list of priorities for lawmakers.

What did make the list? Redistricting. More harassment of trans athletes. And a popular, bipartisan dog safety bill that Abbott foolishly vetoed in an earlier session.

Yes, in Texas, dogs are on the agenda, but not foster kids.

Texas has time to pass red meat for the Republican primary. Texas has $2 billion to build a wall and enhance border security to keep out migrants fleeing for their lives. Texas has time to ban a legal medical procedure that women have accessed safely for nearly half a century.

Sure, Texas has time to protect life when its good for politics  but not when its good for kids and families. And for the cruel guardians in Austin, the states own kids dont make the cut.
Despite billions of federal dollars on the table, strong statewide public support and the ravages of COVID-19, Texas legislators have refused to expand Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program that covers Americans with limited incomes.

Theyre not alone. Texas is one of 12 states that have said no to Medicaid expansion. By opting out, these states have left approximately 2.2 million people  predominantly people of color  without any pathway to basic, life-saving health care coverage. They dont qualify for traditional Medicaid programs, which cover only a small number of parents and exclude those without dependent kids entirely (Texas rules are the most stringent), but also earn too little to receive marketplace insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

Millions of people with low income remain uninsured simply because of where they live. Meanwhile, evidence shows that state expansions of Medicaid have provided health insurance for millions and improved their health while boosting state economies.

But the reality remains that these states  including Texas  are unlikely to expand coverage without federal action.

Now, however, Congress has a historic opportunity to enact a comprehensive and permanent solution to the Medicaid coverage gap. All Texans should keep a close eye on this debate.

Congress is considering two broad options as part of the budget reconciliation bill: Create a federalized Medicaid program for people in non-expansion states, or allow people currently excluded from Medicaid and ACA coverage to enroll in fully subsidized marketplace coverage.

A third, more specific proposal, the COVER Now Act, filed by Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett, would allow counties and groups of counties to set up local or regional Medicaid expansion programs directly with the federal government, bypassing state approval. The counties and groups would apply for special Medicaid waivers that would grant them the same kind of federal funding available to states that have already expanded Medicaid.

Each of these approaches has its limitations and challenges. But each would be superior to the moral failure and structural racism represented by the status quo.

Texas holds the distinction of leading the country in the rate of uninsured  18.4 percent in 2019 compared to nine percent nationally. In our majority-minority state, 75 percent of uninsured Texans who would have gained coverage from Medicaid expansion are people of color; more than 70 percent live below the poverty line.

These are the same folks who, throughout the pandemic, have rung up our groceries, prepared our food, delivered our packages, cared for our elderly and more. They kept our economy running, even though their jobs are disproportionately less likely to offer health insurance and have placed them at higher risk of getting COVID-19.

The critical need for health care coverage in communities of color has exacerbated during the pandemic. Not only did COVID-19 hit these communities harder, but they lost jobs at higher rates than white communities did and have economically recovered more slowly.

Similar patterns of racial disparities and hardship can be seen among the 11 other non-expansion states as well.

High rates of uninsurance affect more than those who are uninsured. In Texas, they pose a serious threat to our economy. Increased absenteeism and fewer skilled workers are bad for business, especially in the midst of a national labor shortage.

Congress can and should debate the specifics of the proposals available for closing the coverage gap, striving for the quickest and most cost-effective approach that covers the most people. Texans are watching how this debate plays out.

Opponents argue that covering the uninsured costs money. But members of Congress should be more concerned about the cost of inaction.

Its entirely possible that Congress, like our own state legislature, will fail to do whats needed. That said, this is a moment for leadership, and Congress should not allow this moment to pass.

Bono is the CEO of Every Texan, a nonprofit organization that researches, analyzes and advocates for public policies to expand equitable access to quality health care, food security, education and good jobs.
Two out of state attorneys have sued a San Antonio doctor who became the first provider to publicly reveal he performed an illegal abortion in violation of the new state ban. But do these cases stand a chance in court?

The Chronicle spoke to Texas Southern University law professor, Martin Levy, who said the new law has been a hot topic of discussion in his classes. He explains how a lawsuit like the two against Dr. Alan Braid could fare in federal and state court.

If filed in federal court, it likely wouldn't stand a chance, he said, as there are limitations to the type of controversies that can be filed. But it could have legs in state court, he said.

The biggest reason for the difference comes down to the case or controversy requirement of Article III of the Constitution.

"Conceivably a state court could hear the case, decide it in favor of the statute, and the Supreme Court can hold it not a case of controversy," Levy said.



"The type of controversy that's required in federal court is a controversy where someones personally harmed and affected by the statute."

In this circumstance, believing a statute to be unconstitutional is not enough, he said.

"(The law allows) private parties to sue and their only harm would be they dont like the statute. And that has a problem being litigated. If you were dealing with your doctor, you can personalize that harm, not just general grievances. As part of that principle, the court wont hear a controversy where theres collusion."

Levy and other experts say the doctor's admission is likely a test of whether the law can stand after the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect.

Being sued puts him in a position  that he will be able to defend the action against him by saying the law is unconstitutional, Carol Sanger, a law professor at Columbia University in New York City, told the Associated Press.

And Levy said that's exactly how he would defend it.

Defining viability

"When Roe v. Wade was decided, the court kind of stayed away from viability like the plague," he said. "In the last trimester, they held that when a fetus was viable and could survive outside the womb, the state had a vested interest in protecting life. And really what that did was encourage regulations aimed politically at overruling the principles of Roe."

Now Texas' new statute aims to change the definition of when a fetus is considered viable.

"The central issue with this statute is theyre arguing viability is when you can hear a heartbeat. And at 6 weeks there's no beat, but theres a rhythm to the cells. Is that viability? No. We arent capable of extracting those cells at that point of a womb in sustaining life. And there isnt any science. We dont even have a fetus at 6 weeks, we have cells."

FACT CHECK: Why Gov. Abbott is wrong about the pregnancy and abortion timeline

How will the court handle that?

That all depends on the judge, Levy said.

"Denying that right is unconstitutional and could result in a womans death," he said. "Thats a question for the state. The criteria for a temporary injunction says you cant enforce this yet until we reach a decision. The criteria is there at least a reasonable likelihood that youll be successful and if we dont issue a stay could people be harmed? Couldnt a pregnant woman die over this? Thats pretty irrefutable if it was determined to be unconstitutional."

Why perform an illegal abortion?

That's the reason Braid, the subject of both lawsuits, took the risk at defying the law, he said in a weekend Washington Post opinion column.

I understand that by providing an abortion beyond the new legal limit, I am taking a personal risk, but its something I believe in strongly, he said in the op-ed. I have daughters, granddaughters and nieces. I believe abortion is an essential part of health care. . . . I cant just sit back and watch us return to 1972.

FEDERAL INTERVENTION: Justice Department seeks to stop enforcement of Texas abortion ban

The law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, which is usually around six weeks and before some women even know they are pregnant. The law explicitly forbids prosecutors from taking criminal action against people like Braid who aide, abet, abet or perform an abortion, but private citizens can enforce the law and are entitled to claim at least $10,000 in damages if successful.

Braid practically dared supporters of the state's near-total ban on the procedure to try making an early example of him by filing a lawsuit.

Who are the out-of-state ex-lawyers?

The two former attorneys who people obliged filed separate lawsuits in Arkansas and Illinois. Oscar Stilley of Arkansas, described himself in court paperwork as a disgraced former lawyer who lost his law license after being convicted of tax fraud in 2010. Felipe N. Gomez, of Chicago just thinks it's a form of government overreach.

Neither said they were anti-abortion. Both just think the courts should weigh in and their lawsuits serve as a way to force a court review of Texas anti-abortion law.
Two tech trade groups filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Texas new law regulating how social media companies can moderate content, arguing that the policy violates the online platforms right to free speech.

The law, known as House Bill 20, prohibits social media companies with more than 50 million monthly active users from banning or suspending users based on their viewpoint. They also cannot remove or deny equal access or visibility to content based on a users viewpoint.

Lawmakers passed the bill earlier this month mostly along party lines, with the support of Republicans who say Facebook, Twitter and other platforms are censoring or silencing conservatives  including former president Donald Trump.

It is now law that conservative viewpoints in Texas cannot be banned on social media, Gov. Greg Abbott said after signing the bill into law on Sept. 9.

In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the industry groups  NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association  argued that the law violates the First and 14th amendments to the Constitution by requiring private companies to host content they would otherwise remove or restrict.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

They said that while the Constitution prohibits federal and state governments from restricting peoples speech, or freedom of expression, that clause does not apply to private actors such as the large social media companies targeted in Texas law.

It was essentially the same argument they used in a lawsuit filed earlier this year over a similar measure in Florida. A federal judge temporarily struck down the law in June, calling it riddled with imprecision and ambiguity.

Matt Schruers, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said Texas social media law would put Nazi party political speech and extremist messages from Taliban sympathizers on equal footing with God Bless America by forcing (online) companies to give equal treatment to all viewpoints.

It is not the place of the government to enact those laws, and that couldn't be further from what the founders intended when they drafted the First Amendment, Schruers said.

As in their Florida lawsuit, the groups also contend that the law conflicts with Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law passed in 1996 that protects online companies from lawsuits over content posted by their users  such as tweets or comments on news articles. It preempts conflicting state laws.

In his ruling on the Florida lawsuit, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle cited Section 230, which shields online companies from any action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to or availability of material that the provider or user considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected.

The Republican authors of the Texas bill, state Sen. Bryan Hughes of Mineola and state Rep. Briscoe Cain of Deer Park, have argued that large social media sites carry major influence over the public flow of information and should therefore be classified as so-called common carriers  entities such as telecommunications and utility providers that cannot discriminate against customers.

The tech trade groups say that argument doesnt stand because there are many ways for information to be distributed online aside from social media platforms, precluding the companies from being considered common carriers.

Under the Texas law, social media companies are also required to publicly disclose their content moderation policies and create a complaint system for users to appeal a platforms decision to remove their content.

They also must publish a transparency report every six months detailing the number of times they removed content or suspended a user, along with a tally of user appeals over content removal and the percentage of appeals that led to the content being restored.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Trump ally and frequent critic of social media companies, last week led a coalition of 10 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting the Florida law.

In the brief, which may offer a preview of Paxtons defense in the Texas lawsuit, the AGs argued that Floridas social media law does not regulate speech, but rather conduct that is unprotected by the First Amendment: social media platforms arbitrary application of their content moderation policies.

Social media companies, meanwhile, have defended their approach, arguing that they have tried to clamp down on misinformation  particularly about the 2020 election  and incendiary posts that may provoke violence.

The companies have also come under fire from liberals who say they have let misinformation spread unchecked and are still not doing enough to address the issue.

During debate over the social media bill, Republican legislators noted that the measure allows social media platforms to remove content that directly incites criminal activity or consists of specific threats of violence targeting a person or group based on their race, color, disability, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, or status as a peace officer or judge.

Companies may also remove content that meets the standards of unlawful expression in the U.S. and Texas Constitution or under federal or state law.

The Texas social media law is set to take effect in early December.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
With the blessing of Gov. Greg Abbott, lawyers for the state and the plaintiffs in a class-action case alleging unsafe conditions in Texas foster care system are planning a meeting for next week to hash out policy solutions.

The summit marks a new phase in six years of legal proceedings since federal Judge Janis Jack ruled that the Texas foster care system placed children in jeopardy and violated their constitutional rights.

The state fought back and appealed, but Jacks ruling stood and she ordered a number of changes to the states system, threatened fines and upbraided state officials in hearings.

But the time has ended for holding feet to the fire, Jack said in a hearing last week, calling for immediate solutions as up to 400 Texas children each month are stuck in unsafe, temporary placements in motels or state office buildings. She called on Abbott to decide whether he would support changes.

LAST WEEK: Blistered by judge, Texas foster care chief says she feels like shes failing children

Abbott agreed to good faith negotiations to discuss possible solutions to the problems described in a recent report from court-appointed monitors describing children who are staying in unlicensed facilities.

Weve seen a change in attitudes, said Paul Yetter, lead attorney for the class-action suit against the state.This is a time for working together to protect the children, not for fighting against each other. And were very heartened to see the governor support that attitude.

The summit is expected to be held in the next week or so, Yetter said, and he and his team will push for more trained staff, more licensed and safe facilities and clear, decisive leadership to implement solutions.

This is a crisis, and we have to move as quickly as we can, he said. I dont think were going to rush into any solutions, but something has to be done quickly. Every day these children are out there in facilities that are putting them at risk, and children are getting hurt.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

In a court filing Tuesday, Abbott also sided with the plaintiffs suing Texas over staff for his own Department of Family and Protective Services on a significant legal question.

Last weeks hearing centered around the children who are staying in unlicensed facilities. In August, there were 395 such children. Monitors appointed by Jack found instances of child-on-child sexual abuse, overmedication, not receiving prescribed medication and unnecessary physical restraints. There was also a report of a foster girl arranging to meet a sex trafficker and being taken away from a state building where she was staying temporarily.

Lawyers for the family and protective services department, one of the agencies that administers the foster care system, had argued that Jacks restrictions on where the state can board foster children only applied to licensed facilities, leaving out the temporary placements.

I think weve got a clear record that you dont think these children youre stuffing into hotels and offices should be placed in a position where theyre free from increased risk of harm. I think were all clear on that, Jack told the states lawyers at last weeks hearing, going on to ask Abbott to intervene.

Abbott on Tuesday backed down from the DFPS position, saying instead that the children without placement will receive the same protections as other children in the foster care system.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
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Nerve: the first neobank for musicians

Introducing Nerve, the first neobank created specifically for musicians, providing a tool to help them build stronger communities and cultivate more sustainable careers.

Guest post from A2IM

The music business deserves music banking. Enter Nerve: the first neobank created specifically for the musician. The revolutionary mobile banking app merges user experience and financial technologies to help artists build stronger communities and sustainable careers. Available in the US, Nerve offers a multitude of custom-built banking tools designed to help artists manage their business income and expenses and plan for the future.

Nerve has a no account fees, no overdraft fees business banking service that is available for both English and Spanish speakers. Other features:

Free, easy to open FDIC-insured* business debit and savings accounts (open in minutes in the app  no paperwork or monthly fees)

Data aggregation: Users can access fully integrated streaming and social data

Free instant payments to anyone with a Nerve account

Private networking feature to help professional musicians connect and collaborate

Access to an established network of 55,000 free ATMs (perfect for the touring musician)

Direct deposit for royalties and other earnings

Automated tax and savings statements

Preview Nerve here and below, and download the app today to enjoy all these services and more at nerve.

Nerve was co-founded by John Waupsh (CEO) and Ben Morrison (CTO), who drew upon their fifteen-plus years as consumer banking and fintech innovators to create a streamlined solution to the unique banking challenges of the music business. Waupsh is also the founder and CEO of Preservation Project, a boutique label dedicated to releasing previously unreleased funk and soul music. It was in that role that he first identified the need for a modern, sophisticated banking service catering to independent musicians.

*Banking products and services are offered by Piermont Bank, Member FDIC. https://www.piermontbank.com Learn More

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The Curtis in downtown Lenox is a former landmark hotel transformed into 54 units of subsidized housing. A proposal to put a tower and antennas on top of the building has been tabled for the moment.

Citizens Group Protests Cell Antennas on Lenox's Curtis Building

LENOX, Mass.  A demonstration hosted by the Lenox Citizens for Safe Cell Siting Group highlighted its concerns this past weekend with placing a cell antennas on top of the Housing Authority's subsidized housing facility, the Curtis.

Member Courtney Gilardi, a Pittsfield resident who has been demanding action on cell tower in that city, said there are many issues within this proposal that include health risks for residents in the former hotel, equity concerns with placing technology on elderly and handicapped housing, and the allowance of a cell tower on residential property, opening the flood gates for other similar placements.

"Really what it becomes is not just an environmental health issue, it becomes a social justice issue because often these towers are placed in low socio-economic areas, and the Curtis is the only elderly disabled in low-income housing option for people in Lenox,'' she said.



"And these are the people who then have to rally their time, energy resources, and often money in order to hire an attorney to push back, whereas in wealthier neighborhoods, people don't put toxic infrastructure in wealthier neighborhoods, they get to have the benefit of it, but they don't have to have it living right next to them.''



She said 25 to 30 people came out to support the demonstration on Saturday and that group tried to share information with others.



"Some people were like, 'Well, I don't live at the Curtis, so why should I care?''' Gilardi said.



"And it was really interesting that citizens were educating people. 'Well, you know, this opens up the wireless zoning bylaws to placing small cells outside people's houses, or having infrastructure closest close to home.' And then they went, 'Oh, well, I wouldn't want it in my back yard or front yard,' and then they took the info sheet.''



Gilardi is currently residing in Lenox after leaving her Pittsfield home because of the cell tower at 877 South St. She says the tower has caused her family and neighbors to become ill.



She has been advocating for proper cell tower notifications, setbacks, and the removal of the tower in her neighborhood for over a year and is expanding her efforts to Lenox in the wake of this proposal.



Director of Lenox Housing Authority Barbara Heaphy told iBerkshires that the proposal is currently tabled by the town and that there is "really nothing to report right now.''



Evolution Site Services of Pittsfield was awarded the project through the Housing Authority. It is a local service provider company that contracts with Verizon.



In July, the Williamstown Zoning Board of Appeals approved a special permit for Evolution Site Services to build a 153-foot cell tower on land leased from Phelps Farm.



This is the third time that a cell tower has been proposed on the Curtis. In 2002, the Housing Authority voted to reject a proposal with AT&T and another fell through in 2017.



The current proposal at the Curtis has been in discussion since 2020.

Gilardi said she and others found a problem with attorney Anthony Lepore of Cityscape Consultants being hired to represent the town and citizens of Lenox in a potential contract, claiming the company also represents the telecommunication industries.

The firm represents municipalities and local government in dealing with wireless infrastructure.

"So it's such a conflict of interest and people have been so upset by this," Gilardi said. "They've been speaking up at the select board meetings, they've been speaking up at the Planning Board meetings.''

Heaphy had no comment on this but Lepore confirmed to iBerkshires on Sept. 27 that Cityscape Consultants does not represent wireless carriers but rather provides expertise to local governments in dealing with them.

Lepore said Gilardi and others in Lenox were conflating the consultants' representation of Lenox citizens to that of the wireless industry, calling it "patently false."

Lenox currently has a Wireless Telecommunications Overlay District that limits the facilities to three locations on Junction Routes 7 and 20 and Route 7.



"Lenox has very protective wireless zoning bylaws,'' Gilardi said. "So protective that it limits cell antenna placement to essentially three areas. Now, are those the right three areas? Who knows?''



Gilardi also found an issue in the lack of publication for meetings that have the cell tower proposal on the agenda. She and other residents reportedly felt left in the dark, specifically when a South County television station was not able to film a Planning Board meeting at the housing complex even though it was listed as a public meeting.



If approved, this proposal will likely have to go through the Historical Commission because of the old hotel's significance in the town.

The Curtis was built in 1829 as a hotel and got its name in 1853 when it was purchased by William O. Curtis and became known as the Curtis Hotel.



By the 1970s, the hotel was in rough shape and was purchased by the town of Lenox in 1979 to be converted into subsidized housing units that was completed in 1982.

Clarification: the original version of this article gave the appearance that Courtney Gilardi's opinion of Cityscape Consultants might be factual. Cityscape represents local government in dealing with wireless structures and this should have been made clear. This section has been updated to include a statement to that effect and comment from the town's Cityscape representative.
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Journalists and news crews were targeted by protestors and police during a series of protests in Melbourne on September 21. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Australian affiliate the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) condemn the aggressive and intimidatory harassment against media workers.

While covering a second day of protests against mandatory vaccinations in Melbourne, Channel 7 reporter Paul Dowsley and news crew were abused by protestors. Ive been grabbed around the neck today, Ive had urine tipped on me, now Ive had a can of energy drink thrown on me, Dowsley said. He said that members of the media were being targeted deliberately by the protestors.

The rallies, which have grown increasingly violent, are in opposition to mandatory Covid-19 vaccines for construction workers in the state of Victoria. The marches were ostensibly organised by the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), though it is reported that the union communications were infiltrated and distorted by far-right extremists and anti-vax proponents.

In its statement, MEAA suggests that police as well as protestors pursued media workers reporting the event and said it had filed a complaint to Victoria Police regarding the treatment of journalists covering earlier protests on September 18. The complaint details at least four instances where media workers were manhandled, capsicum sprayed and detained during the course of their reporting. On September 18, photographer for The Age, Luis Ascui was pepper sprayed directly in the eyes by police. Ascui had repeatedly identified himself as a member of the media.

MEAAs media section federal vice-president, Karen Percy, said: Police and protesters must accept that the media provides an essential service, particularly during the pandemic, in keeping our community informed. Journalists are neutral observers, simply doing a job. An attack on one journalist, is an attack on us all.

The IFJ said: We condemn the aggressive and degrading acts against media workers by members of the public and police. We call on Victoria Police to respond to the complaints to ensure that Australias journalists are able to work without fear of undue harassment.
After the successful pre-order of the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Z Flip3 5G, the much-awaited foldable devices have finally arrived in limited quantities in the Philippines today.

Due to the overwhelming global demand for the devices, Samsung has enabled a stock alert system on its website in case stocks are not available. Simply visit samsung.com/ph, search for Z Fold3 5G or Z Flip3 5G, click on Get Stock Alert and register.

Another option is for customers to find the nearest Samsung store through samsung.com/ph/storelocator, and call using the contact numbers provided to check stock availability. Walk-ins at Samsung Experience Stores are also allowed, provided customers strictly follow health and safety protocols. In-store waitlisting has been activated to notify customers about stock availability in their preferred retail stores.

Unfold new smartphone experiences

Both devices are crafted to unfold new ways to stay connected with the world. The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G works like a smartphone when closed, and reveals a large tablet-like screen when opened. The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is a compact and stylish device that can fit in the smallest pockets. When flipped open, it displays a full-screen smartphone.

The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G retails at Php87,990 SRP for 256GB (Phantom Black, Phantom Silver and online-exclusive Phantom Green) and Php95,990 for the 512GB variant (Phantom Black, Phantom Green and online-exclusive Phantom Silver). The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, on the other hand, will be available at Php52,990 SRP for the 128GB variant and Php56,990 SRP for the 256GB variant, all available in Cream, Green, Lavender, and Phantom Black colorways.

These smartphones are accompanied by a series of wearables that enhance the Galaxy experience. The Galaxy Watch4 is the companion to the journey to a healthier lifestyle. It is the first Galaxy smartwatch that measures body composition, including body fat percentage, skeletal muscle, body water, and more. The Galaxy Watch4 Classic offers the same features, with a stainless steel design that evokes sophistication and elegance.

The Galaxy Watch4 40mm is price at Php12,990 SRP, available in Black, Silver and online-exclusive Pink Gold. The 44mm variant will be price at Php14,990 SRP and will be offered in Black, Silver and online-exclusive Green. On the other hand, Galaxy Watch4 Classic 42mm will retail at Php17,990 SRP, while the 46mm will be priced at Php19,990 SRP, all available in Black and Silver hues.

Galaxy Buds2 family with black background

These devices can further be enjoyed with the new Galaxy Buds2, Samsungs lightest earbuds yet. Active Noise Canceling blocks unwanted sound and highlights powerful, deep bass, and clear treble through its two-way dynamic speakers.

The Galaxy Buds2 is priced at Php6,990 SRP and comes in stunning Olive Green, Graphite, White, and online-exclusive Lavender.

Complete the Galaxy ecosystem and make life more awesome with these exciting promos:

Get freebies and discounts with the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

Each purchase of the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G comes with deals worth up to Php19,400. Customers who claim their pre-order units from September 14 to 26, 2021 will receive an additional Php5,000 token that can be used on any Samsung mobile product. This also comes with a FREE Flip Cover with S Pen worth Php3,999, 1 year FREE Samsung Care+ valued at Php9,499, and a 25W Travel Adapter priced at Php949.

Customers who purchase the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, meanwhile, are entitled to gifts worth up to Php13,400. A token worth Php3,000, which can be used on any Samsung mobile product, awaits those who claim their pre-order units from September 14 to 26. Additional freebies include 1 year FREE Samsung Care+ and a 25W Travel Adapter.

Trade-in a smartphone to get bigger discounts

Trade-in an old device to get additional Php 10,000 worth of tokens for the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Php8,000 for the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G on top of the traded-in device.

Starting November 1, customers will also have the option to trade in their device to get discounts worth up to Php15,900, which includes a 1 year FREE Samsung Care+ worth Php9,499, plus tokens worth up to Php6,500 on top of the traded-in device.

Telco-exclusive deals

Globe subscribers can avail of the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G for Plan 3,499/mo (256GB) or Plan 3,699/mo (512GB). They can also trade-in their Galaxy smartphone to get discounts starting at Php14,400 on top of the traded-in device and additional freebies worth up to Php14,400, including a FREE Flip Cover with S Pen, 1 year FREE Samsung Care+, and a 25W Travel Adapter.

They may also avail of the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G for Plan 2,399/mo (128GB) or Plan 2,599/mo (256GB). Trade-ins are offered with discounts starting at Php12,000 and freebies worth up to Php10,400. These include a 1 year FREE Samsung Care+ and a 25W Travel Adapter.

Smart subscribers, on the other hand, can apply for the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G with Plan 3,899/mo (256GB) or Plan 4,099/mo (512GB) and enjoy discounts and freebies up to Php19,200. Freebies include a FREE Flip Cover with S Pen, 1 year FREE Samsung Care+, and a 25W Travel Adapter.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is available to Smart subscribers for Plan 2,699/mo (128GB) or Plan 2,899/mo (256GB). This includes discounts and freebies up to Php15,200, comprising 1 year FREE Samsung Care+ and a 25W Travel Adapter.

Unfold the benefits of the Galaxy ecosystem with Samsungs latest devices. For more information about these premium devices, visit samsung.com/ph.

Safe Samsung Shopping

Health and safety protocols are strictly followed in Samsung Experience Stores to keep consumers and employees safe. Adhering to the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Samsung has limited the number of its customers to 50% capacity, implemented the mandatory use of face masks and face shields, and performs frequent sanitation in all stores.

Samsung Experience Stores also has unique QR health declaration codes to promote a safe and contactless contact tracing process. Product demonstrations are done side-by-side instead of face-to-face while keeping the required safe distance of one (1) meter to make sure everyone is socially distanced.

To find the nearest Samsung Experience Store, visit samsung.com/ph/samsung-experience-store/locations.
Do you think you have what it takes to be the next big online content creator from the Philippines? Its time to show everything you've got as leading mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has teamed up with YouTube for NextUp, a search and training program for the next generation of Filipino content creators!

Be among the 12 Filipino content creators who will be given a chance to participate in an online creator camp that brings together NextUp alumni, production mentors, and current YouTube content creators to impart valuable tips, the latest techniques, and strategies to elevate your channel to the next level and go beyond your limits by growing your content creation skills.

As part of the NextUp program, each of the 12 finalists will also take-home equipment vouchers worth Php100,000 and data offers, among others. From the 12 winners, at least three creators will bag a 12-month endorsement contract with Smart to work on the brands exciting productions and campaigns.

Supporting the community of Filipino creators

NextUp is a demonstration of Smart and YouTubes collective goal of supporting the Filipino creator community by providing the tools and opportunities that can help them discover and cultivate their passions through unlimited opportunities.

We believe that we have a wealth of passionate and creative young Filipinos who are just waiting to be discovered and given the opportunity to hone their craft. With NextUp, we are giving them a platform to let their creativity shine and learn from today's top creators so they can take their passion to a whole new level, said Jane J. Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.

YouTube is all about the content creators and were committed to supporting their discovery and growth. We hope to enable not just the finalists but all the NextUp participants, so more creators can benefit from this amazing initiative. Together with Smart, we will hone their skills and help them seize the economic opportunities that come with having a growing YouTube channel, said Marc Lefkowitz, Director of YouTube Partner Development and Management, APAC.

To join NextUp, go to goo.gle/nextup-ph for more details on the submission process and eligibility requirements.

The applicants who wont be part of the 12 finalists can still elevate their YouTube skills through NextUps series of online workshops that will cover a wide array of topics such as video production and audience development, among others.

Filipino content creators who want to take their passion to the next level can rely on Smart Prepaid's Unli GIGA Video, which offers unlimited access to YouTube and other streaming apps, as well as 2 GB open-access data for seven days for only Php149.

Stay updated on NextUp by visiting fb.me/e/5zC4YSgYJ and by following Smart's official account on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
One of the year's biggest reports on entrepreneurship is out--and emerging technologies such as robotics and blockchain were the big winners.

According to the 2021 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) from Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), the four fastest-growing industries globally are blockchain; advanced manufacturing and robotics; A.I. and big data; and agtech and new food.

The report measured growth by tracking early-stage funding deals from 2014 to 2020, in addition to other methods. Agtech and new food, which covers any type of technology that increases the efficiency of agriculture-related practices, had a 128 percent increase in early-stage deals over that period, the highest of the group. Blockchain was a close second with an increase of 121 percent.

The report detailed research on 280 geographic areas (termed "entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems") and three million startups from 2020 and 2021.

In 2020, "it became glaringly obvious that founders would be critical to global resilience and recovery," wrote JF Gauthier, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Startup Genome, a research, advocacy, and consulting firm for entrepreneurship, in a letter accompanying the study. He also celebrated the exodus of founders and companies from Silicon Valley to other hotspots in the U.S., spurred by remote work.

Still, Silicon Valley topped several lists in the report. The region ranked No.1 for "performance success factor," which comprises a number of metrics related to funding, exits, and valuations of startups in the ecosystem. It also topped all ecosystems in "Funding Success," which measures the number and experience levels of investors in a given location, and the availability of early-stage funding.

North America led global funding, accounting for 50 percent of the top 30 ecosystems. Silicon Valley, New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles together made up 70 percent of North America's "ecosystem value," a measure of startup valuations and the value of exits in 2018, 2019, and the first half of 2020.
Millions of American workers are quitting their jobs amid the Great Resignation, but you can can avoid that fate--and possibly without raising wages.

It won't be easy. Four million people quit their jobs in July alone, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Companies that want to stem those losses and trim their recruiting costs while they're at it have work to do, says Johnny C. Taylor, president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a global membership organization for advancing workplace standards. And, according to Taylor, this work starts with HR.

In his newly released book, Reset: A Leader's Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, Taylor shares strategies for how leaders can effectively recruit, manage, and retain employees, especially during times of immense stress. Here, he shares five key takeaways for you.

1. Clarify your values.

The right candidates for a job are those who are compatible with a company's culture, Taylor says. But to find those candidates, businesses need to be realistic about the statements they're making during recruitment. "Many organizations' cultural statements are aspirational, not actual," says Taylor. So do avoid the hype, he suggests. Staying on message is also important for retaining employees, as changing it midstream can ruffle feathers. "Imagine you're dating someone and they present themselves in a certain way, but when you marry them, a different person shows up," he says.

In the Great Resignation, more and more employees have experienced what Taylor calls "Covid clarity"--a moment of realization that they don't actually align with their company's culture. Resignations from these workers may be inevitable, but establishing a company culture that you will uphold will help both attract and retain employees.

2. Be prepared to change.

As the leader of the company, you are the "keeper of culture," Taylor says. Senior leaders need to deliver on cultural promises and avoid committing to things that aren't possible. If you have an unlimited vacation policy, for instance, you can't also squash every employee's request for time off. If these promises can't be kept, you need to work with senior leaders to redefine them.

3. Conduct quarterly check-ins.

Of course, company culture can change and businesses can fall short of the principles that leadership initially established. This is why, Taylor says, your company should consider quarterly cultural check-ins with workers: "We identify our five key values and ask, are we delivering on this?" Employees answer yes or no; if they say no, they are prompted to share an example why.

With the results of these check-ins, you can develop an action plan so you can make changes to better align with your cultural statements--or you can revise your company's principles. You should be prepared for some employees to quit, Taylor says, but ultimately, being honest will result in a more compatible workforce.

4. Use data to your advantage.

Analyze data and trends in employee behavior, says Taylor, who suggests following email and Slack traffic and looking for indications of employee dissatisfaction. "I'm not an advocate of knowing [employee behaviors] on an individualized level--that can feel creepy," he says. "But I do like aggregate data that shows us if employee turnover may increase." If you're able to predict an increase in resignations, you can consider ways to mitigate that before it happens.

Taylor also recommends looking at data from exit interviews. Typically, these are conducted by HR before an employee finishes a job, but he also suggests using an independent company to conduct a follow-up 30 days after the employee has left his or her job. With the extra time to reflect, he says, former employees may be able to offer a different perspective that can be used to shape your strategy.

5. Dive into deeper issues.

If the data trend lines show employee dissatisfaction, one-on-one meetings between managers and their direct reports, facilitated with the help of HR--or you, if you don't have an HR staff--may be in order. You'll want to find out if you have a bigger problem on your hands than just one upset employee or bad manager.
Vacation Friends is an outrageous, R-rated comedy about a pair of couples who forge a tequila-fuelled friendship at a holiday resort in Mexico. If you think that sounds like the perfect escape from all the current misery, youre not alone. When the film premiered on Hulu at the tail end of last month, it pulled in the biggest opening weekend audience in the history of the streaming service. Soon afterwards, Hulu announced that its already given the green light to a sequel: Honeymoon Friends. And just like that, a franchise is born.

It may be a runaway hit now, but the raucous comedys journey to the screen has been far from smooth sailing. Vacation Friends was first announced back in 2014, with then-real-life-couple Chris Pratt and Anna Faris set to star as a pair of hedonists wreaking havoc on another couples time in the sun. Theyd left the project by 2016 when Clay Tarver, a former writer and showrunner on sitcom Silicon Valley, was brought in to do rewrites on the script while a new cast was assembled. There was a minute where it was going to be made with Ice Cube and Marky Mark Wahlberg, recalls Tarver, speaking over video call from his home in Los Angeles. Then that fell apart, too.

A couple of years later, having all but forgotten about the film, Tarver was approached again by an executive at 20th Century Studios, who asked whether hed like to direct the film. He suggested we could do it with new faces  people you havent seen before, says Tarver. Or at least a smaller level of superstardom. The first to join the new cast was comedian Lil Rel Howery, probably best known to British audiences as TSA officer Rod Williams in Jordan Peeles Get Out. In Vacation Friends, hes hilarious even as he frequently ends up being the butt of the joke as the relatively buttoned-up Marcus. He really embraced the humiliation of being on the spot all the time, says Tarver with a grin. He really goes deep into that.

Tarver adds that he and Howery quickly bonded over a deceptively straight-forward shared goal. We agreed pretty early that we just wanted to make a really funny movie, he explains. I think we both loved how contained it was, and how simple the premise was: you meet people on vacation, and then they come back into your life. That premise could have been made in the Forties, and in the Seventies they made movies like that all the time.

With a central idea that simple, a movie like Vacation Friends lives or dies on the chemistry between the main cast. When former wrestler John Cena, who Tarver calls a much bigger star than Id planned on, signed on to play hedonistic wildman Ron, the director went back to check out his previous work in comedies such as 2018s underrated prom night caper Blockers. I loved that movie, says Tarver, And I loved John in it. I wanted to get to know a little bit about him, because hes a very large person, so I called [his Blockers co-star] Ike Barinholtz. Ike just went: John Cena might be the nicest person Ive ever met. If you get a chance to work with him, you have to. Hes so good. It turned out to be totally true. Hes the sweetest guy and just an insane pro. Hes very much a natural at this.

Next to join the cast was Insecures Yvonne Orji, who plays Marcuss well-to-do fiancee Emily. Orji manages to wring plenty of laughs out of the straightest role of the four, helped immensely by her sharp timing and easy chemistry with Howery. Rel and Yvonne have known each other for ever, so I never had to say a word, says Tarver. They just seemed like a couple. Tarver adds that the trickiest part to cast was Kyla, the free-spirited partner of Cenas Ron. In the end the role went to Search Partys Meredith Hagner  an expert at leading an audience one way and then going another  who steals every scene shes in. I think shes a bit of a killer, nods Tarver approvingly. I think she has a big, big future because she does something that no one else is really doing right now.

With a full cast finally assembled, production on the film was due to start in mid-March 2020 at a resort in Puerto Rico, which doubles for Mexico, until Cena asked for filming to be moved forward by two weeks so that he could meet promotional commitments to blockbuster Fast 9. What seemed like a major headache at the time probably saved the film; theyd already wrapped the logistically difficult location shoot by the time the pandemic shut down production on 13 March. We realised later that had John not asked for those two weeks, the movie would probably have fallen apart, points out Tarver. We would have been shut down the Friday before the Monday we were due to start.

Clearly the stars were aligned, and even Covid couldnt stop Vacation Friends finally making it to the screen. Filming resumed in Atlanta in August last year, with Tarver working hard to make sure the finished project doesnt feel for a second like a film made under pandemic restrictions. He pulled that off from behind a mask and plastic visor, ending up with a comedy that feels like an escape from the doom and gloom of the current moment. Thats exactly what Tarver was hoping it would be. When I referenced earlier that its an evergreen premise, I said that not only to be pretentious but also to make the point that those are the movies most dear to my heart, says Tarver, before reeling off a list of timeless comedy favourites that includes The Bad News Bears, Meet the Parents, Election and Office Space. Theyre these sort of mid-level movies where everyones invited to them, and I love that, he adds. I worried a lot that people were just not going to make them much anymore, but I think good, sneaky-smart comedies have a real future in streaming.

Meredith Hagner and Clay Tarver on location for Vacation Friends' (Hulu)

While hes obviously thrilled to have the chance to reassemble his crack team of Howery, Cena, Orji and Hagner for the forthcoming Honeymoon Friends, which he first has to sit down and write, Tarver adds that he hopes the success of Vacation Friends helps prove how much demand there is out there for comedies that allow an audience to forget their troubles for an hour and forty-five minutes. A vacation with friends, if you will. When I played this film to test audiences, there was this kind of relief that it was just a movie like that, he says. To me, thats a good sign that maybe since this did well, more films like this can be made.

Vacation Friends is streaming now on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in the UK
Drew Barrymore has filmed a spoof version of the famous When Harry Met Sally diner orgasm scene.

In a new promo for season two of her CBS talk show, the actor recreated some of the most iconic movie moments.

She channelled Meg Ryan to recreate the Katzs deli scene from the 1989 classic When Harry Met Sally, in which Ryans character loudly fakes an orgasm while eating a sandwich.

Wearing a grey cardigan over a white shirt, with her hair styled in a blonde perm, Barrymore can be seen biting into a sandwich and throwing her head back, crying out: Mmmm, this sandwich is so good. Its so good! Its the best sandwich I have ever had.

Last year, Good Morning Britains Susanna Reid surprised viewers with a re-enactment of the same scene.

Reid did the impression in response to a Radio 4 interview with Oxford professor John Bell, which made headlines when he responded yes, yes, yes to the question of whether a new coronavirus vaccine could mean normal life will resume this spring.

Other films Barrymore recreated in the skit include Working Girl, Sleepless in Seattle and Sex and the City.

The Drew Barrymore Show debuted last year, launching with a Charlies Angels reunion featuring guests Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. Filmed at CBSs studios in New York, it earned three Daytime Emmy nominations for its first season.
Uma Thurman is receiving praise for hitting out against Texas abortion laws, in a new op-ed column for The Washington Post that shared her own personal experience.

The 51-year-old star said that she has followed with great sadness and something akin to horror the implementation of the law that bans abortions when fetal cardiac activity is detected  long before many women are even aware that theyre pregnant.

The Pulp Fiction star revealed how she was impregnated by a much older man as a teenager while away from home and acting in Europe.

I was living out of a suitcase in Europe, far from my family, and about to start a job. I struggled to figure out what to do. I wanted to keep the baby, but how? she wrote.

Thurman said it was decided as a family that she could not go through with the pregnancy, and that termination was the right choice.

My heart was broken nonetheless, she said. The abortion I had as a teenager was the hardest decision of my life, one that caused me anguish then and that saddens me even now, but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced.

Many fans, including reproductive justice activist Renee Bracey Sherman, praised Thurman for sharing her story.

Thank you for speaking out, Uma Thurman, Sherman wrote on Twitter.

Another fan wrote: I adore you with my whole heart Ms Uma, I applaud your strength and kindness.

In Texas, abortion providers are now prohibited from performing a procedure if they can detect foetal heart tones, something the ban describes as cardiac activity or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart within the gestational sac.

The law allows no exceptions for rape or incest. It is now in effect but is being challenged in court.
James Corden is facing backlash from BTS fans after the talk show host referred to the K-Pop bands fanbase as 15-year-old girls.

On Monday nights episode (20 September) of The Late Late Show with James Corden, the comedian made a series of jokes about the bands recent appearance at the United Nations General Assembly.

The UN general debate opened with a pre-recorded performance from the band who then delivered a speech in which they encouraged the use of sustainable development.

Corden said that BTS were pretty unusual visitors for the UN and also referred to the bands fanbase as 15-year-old girls.

Historic moment. It actually marks the first time that 15-year-old girls everywhere found themselves wishing that they were Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said the British comedian.

Following the episode, BTS fans took to social media to criticise the talk show host for his comments.

James corden really just came and called us all 15 year old girls unprovoked, wrote one user.

Another added: As a teenage girl myself I just want to take a moment to say leave us alone. Stop using my gender and age as a way of mocking other people and what they do.

Others added that Corden is now in their black book following his remarks, and accused the actor of using BTS and their fanbase for clout.

One user pointed out that in the wake of Cordens comments, the Google ratings for his talk show had dropped from 4.2 to 2.6, suggesting that the BTS fandom were responsible for the decrease.

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The Twitter page for The Late Late Show has since taken down a video featuring Cordens comments. The clip, however, has been archived by BTS fans on social media.

A livestream of the groups recent performance on the UNs YouTube channel has received more than 12 million views.

It is not the first time that the band  who have been made Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture by South Koreas president Moon Jae-In  have appeared at the United Nations.

In 2018, BTS visited the UN to help UNICEF promote Generation Unlimited, a campaign dedicated to educating young people.
Insulate Britain member Liam Norton stormed off theGood Morning Britain set this morning (22 September) after clashing with hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley over activists blocking the M25.

The interview started off awkwardly when Reid told the campaigner to stop patronising her.

Youre an intelligent journalist, Norton had said to Reid. And you havent understood what I said last week about what we do in the next three to four years will determine the future of humanity.

To which Reid responded: Liam, try not to be so patronising when youre talking to me.

Madeley then pointed out that blocking the motorways puts peoples lives at risk, referring to the mother who was left partially paralysed from a stroke as her son was stuck in traffic for six hours while trying to get her to hospital.

Youre not accepting the responsibility of your actions, he said. If you say something stupid, Ill cut you off. The way youre putting your argument is fatal, it has fatal consequences.

Norton then launched into a lengthy speech, saying: Weve been writing letters for 30 years. Weve been writing petitions for 30 years. Weve been pleading with our government for 30 years and what were saying to the government is this: This is our line in the sand. We are demanding the government makes a meaningful statement to save the future of this country and if they refuse to do it then they can put us in prison.

He shouted: Ive had enough of talking to people in this country about what were doing. This is the state of things. Norton then stormed off the show as Madeley yelled: Bye!

Earlier this month, Madeley came under fire after calling Norton a fascist on GMB.

On Tuesday morning (21 September), police made 23 arrests and dragged Insulate Britain protesters from the M25 after members of the group stormed onto the motorway.

The climate activists moved into lanes of traffic, forcing cars to come to a stop.

It was the fifth time the group, which is calling on the government to help insulate homes to reduce emissions, has blocked the M25 since last week.
Season 41 of hit reality show Survivor is here.

After not airing in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic, the new season premiered on 22 September 2021.

Travel restrictions initially prevented the cast and crew from going to Fiji to film, but it is now returning to its longstanding home for the upcoming season.

Season 41 started filming back in April, longtime host, Jeff Probst, announced on social media.

He said: Hey, Survivor fans, I have some exciting news to share. Survivor is going back into production. Fiji has invited us back to their beautiful country to shoot Season 41.

Probst also detailed how the series would shoot in the pandemic: We have all of our Covid protocols in place so that everybody in Fiji will remain safe, all of our crew will be safe, and of course our players will be safe.

I cant remember a time Ive been this pumped to shoot Survivor and Ill tell you why. The past year has reminded me, and I hope its reminded you, that you gotta live your life like its one big, great adventure, and Survivor fulfills that.

Survivor first started in 2000 and during its over two decades on air, has been one of the most popular shows in the US. The winner of each series receives $1m (730,000).

There will be 18 new contestants for the new season: Brad Reese, Danny McCray, David Voce, Deshawn Radden, Eric Abraham, Erika Casupanan, Evvie Jagoda, Genie Chen, Heather Aldret, Jairus Robinson, Liana Wallace, Naseer, Muttalif, Ricard Foye, Sara Wilson, Shantel Smith, Sydney Segal, Tiffany Seely and Xander Hastings.

The second episode of Survivor is on tonight (29 September) on CBS from 8pm EST.
According to her majestys new secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, Nadine Mad Nad Dorries, the BBC favour strident, very left-wing, often hypocritical and frequently patronising views that turn people away. Oh yes? I wonder why, in that case, this nest of wokery came to make a show so adoring of the monarchy as Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers. Apart from Prince Harry, there isnt a properly woke voice anywhere to be heard in the whole show, which is unsurprising given what we know about the old boys predilections  slitty eyes and all that. The Queen might be a bit woke, by all accounts, but her husband was, we can agree, a bit more on the reactionary side.

The crowned talking heads in the programme range freely around familiar territory, as if driving a Land Rover across the Balmoral estate. The eccentric Prince of Wales, who grows more like The Fast Shows red-faced mumbling armchair fruitcake Rowley Birkin every day, tells us the admittedly funny story about Prince Philip saying on his death bed that, yes, hed attend the reception for his 100th birthday provided he was alive. Little Harry remembers how his grandad told him to come back alive from Afghanistan, and we hear a great deal about how much he liked barbecuing, sailing, tearing around in horse-drawn carriages and saving endangered species.

A lady (or possibly Lady) from his private office takes us on a guided tour of Philips grand desk, showing us his cleverly designed stationery tray. Princess Anne says he was no-nonsense (just like her), and Camilla recalls that he didnt suffer fools (just like her). Zara and Peter Phillips demonstrate the Duke of Edinburghs favourite practical joke, featuring a tube of mustard, and a German princeling in a very comfortable-looking lounge tells us about Philips rough childhood as a refugee (who thus would be turned back by Priti Patel and her Border Force these days).

Its all backed up by the usual archive footage and some charming clips from the Windsors home video collection. Obviously, words such as Diana, Meghan, Fergie, Epstein, income tax, and last will and testament sealed for 90 years, dont appear in the script, and everything is kept nicely respectful and trivial. The biggest surprise is a very brief contribution from Prince Andrew, who I could swear keeps glancing sideways, as if looking out for some unwelcome delivery of legal paperwork.

Perhaps Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers is the BBC trying to impress their new Toryish bosses, but I rather think they are just doing what they always do, which is to produce quality telly that caters for every taste and view, and rightly so. For a dedicated monarchist, the sight of Commander Tim Lawrence talking about life in the royal navy and Prince Edwards daughter on a horse should be worth the licence fee alone. In due course therell be plenty of spiteful revelations about the Duke of Edinburghs life, no doubt, but, as we say in journalism, now is too soon. Its a moment for affectionate memorialising, and, indeed, a spot of light fawning, and the woke BBC do it better than anyone else can.
A Kyrgyz woman and her 13-month-old son were found dead in a south Delhi house on Tuesday morning.

The body of 28-year-old Myskal Zhumabaeva, who was five months pregnant, had multiple stab wounds, the police said. She and her toddler Manas were found at their friends house in Kalkaji in the southeastern part of the city.

Ms Zhumabaeva lived in an apartment in nearby Greater Kailash with her child and husband Vinay Chauhan. On Monday, the couple reportedly got into an argument, following which Mr Chauhan left the house to meet a friend.

The woman complained of stomach ache and called up a friend for help. Her friends Avinash and Matluba Madusmonova, an Uzbek national who lives in Kalkaji, took her to a hospital. After treatment, Ms Madusmonova took all of them back to her apartment, where Ms Zhumabaeva and her son were found dead the next morning.

The police said the Uzbek nationals flatmate was present at the apartment at the time. Two other common friends also briefly visited the house during this period.

RP Meena, deputy commissioner of police (southeast), said in a statement: We received a call about a murder of a woman and her child at Kalkaji. On reaching the spot, we found bodies of the Kyrgyzstan woman and her son lying on the bed with stab injuries.

Mr Chauhan received a call from Ms Madusmonova about the stabbings on Tuesday morning, after which he alerted the police. Ms Madusmonova and Avinash alleged that they found Ms Zhumabaevas room locked from the inside and had to force it open.

The police suspect that the mother and son were stabbed with a kitchen knife between 8am and 9am on Tuesday.

Mr Meena said the police have registered a case of murder and are conducting an investigation. He added that they do not suspect any outsider involvement.

We are verifying the statements of the four people who were present in the flat. None of them has been given a clean chit, Mr Meena said, according to the Hindustan Times. As Chauhan was not present at the crime scene, his involvement is unlikely at least according to the circumstances of the case. However, we are also investigating him.

According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Delhi accounted for the most crimes against foreigners in India in 2019, followed by Maharashtra.
Clutching his newborn son, the Afghan police officer paid smugglers more than 500  almost two months salary  to sneak his family past the Taliban and the Pakistan border guards in the middle of the night.

Wahed, 29, a father-of-four, forked out an additional 50 to separately sneak his police IDs over the Pakistani border too: paperwork that if found could get him killed, but he knew would be the only hope of securing asylum.

A week before in early August, as the Taliban made lightning advances across Afghanistan, Waheds commanding officer had told his unit to abandon their positions and run for their lives.

Wahed, a two-time refugee, was doubly at risk of death because he is Hazara, a persecuted Persian-speaking Shia ethnic group. There is also a Taliban arrest warrant out against his wife because of her womens rights work. Neighbours told him rifle-wielding foot soldiers had turned up at their home in Kabul just days after they escaped.

The Taliban are lying about the general amnesty. It is a total lie. If that was the case, then why did they come to my home looking for me and my wife? he asks, sitting on the floor of an unfurnished building near the Pakistani capital that has become an unofficial secret refugee camp for fleeing Hazara families.

This is the second time Ive been a refugee. My father smuggled me out to Pakistan in 1996 when the Taliban first took over, and I was just four years old.

Twenty-five years later, and now my children are refugees too.

This apartment block in a neighbourhood outside of Islamabad is now the temporary home of 80 members of the Hazara community. Whole families sleep on the floor of single empty rooms.

Everyone here only met after they made it to Pakistan and so are among the lucky few who managed to flee when the Pakistani border was laxer in the immediate chaotic aftermath of the Taliban takeover and the withdrawal of US-led Nato troops.

Thousands more Afghans have also poured into Iran, where border security has tightened considerably over the last month. Afghan and Iranian smugglers openly peddle their services in Facebook pages sent to The Independent. Many who make it into Iran have taken the treacherous route to Turkey, hoping to be welcome there.

The Hazara families near Islamabad lack money, proper legal papers and a clear future: a painful reminder of the nightmarish consequences of the drastic collapse of Afghanistan.

They all hold scraps of paper from a local partner of the United Nations saying they have logged their asylum claims with the Pakistani authorities. This does not give them refugee status but does at least prevent them from being arrested for now.

Pakistans foreign minister has told The Independent the country wont take in any more refugees (AP)

But their future is unclear.

Qaiser Afridi, a spokesperson for UNHCR in Pakistan, says the families with this paperwork can live in Pakistan as asylum seekers.

However, The Independent repeatedly pressed local and national authorities in Pakistan for clarity on what that means in practice and got no clear reply.

Afridi says, meanwhile, there was no dedicated Afghan refugee resettlement programme, adding to the confusion.

While some western countries  including the UK  have issued special visas for at-risk Afghans who worked for the British forces, or embassies or organisations, this is not a refugee resettlement programme per se.

And there are still thousands trapped within Afghanistan who want to leave but cant.

This is why the UN is advocating neighbouring countries to keep their borders open for those seeking safety, Afridi says.

There must be burden and responsibility sharing.

And so while much attention was given to the scenes at Kabul airport, to foreigners or dual nationals needing to get out, to those who worked directly with western countries that intervened in Afghanistan, little focus has been on those at-risk groups who have been left behind and have no such claims.

Triple blasts outside a school in Kabul killed more than 80 children in May in a Shia Hazara neighbourhood (AFP via Getty Images)

Among the most vulnerable are the Hazaras, Afghanistans third-largest ethnic group, who have been repeatedly attacked by the Taliban since 1996 when the militant group first took control of the conflict-riddled country. In 1998, Human Rights Watch said the Taliban likely murdered as many as 2,000 people in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif when its fighters systematically hunted down Hazara men.

Amnesty International has now said it has found evidence that Afghan Hazaras are being targeted again: nine Hazara men in Ghazni province were killed by Taliban fighters in July, according to a recent report.

Isis-K, the Isis offshoot in Afghanistan, has also repeatedly targeted the community and is believed to be responsible for the horrific bombing of a Hazara girls school that killed more than 80 school children in May.

So all the Hazara families that The Independent interviewed at the border, in unofficial refugee camps in Pakistan and via encrypted messaging apps in Afghanistan said they fear death if they cannot seek asylum abroad.

But Pakistani officials, from provincial governors to the countrys foreign minister, have made it clear in interviews with The Independent that Pakistan is already home to nearly 4 million Afghan refugees from previous conflicts and will not accept any more.

Rumours of Pakistan hosting United Nations-supported refugee camps or asylum-claim processing facilities were firmly denied in every interview The Independent conducted. Foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi repeatedly said that any camps had to be built on the Afghan side: borders have been fortified, security tightened.

A Pakistani soldier holds a gate as Afghan and Pakistani people wait to enter Afghanistan through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman (AFP via Getty Images)

Liaquat Shahwani, a spokesperson for the provincial government in Balochistan  where the Chaman border is located  told The Independent a few dozen families who crossed illegally had even been sent back.

Local reporters from the area told The Independent as many as 700 people have been forced to return to Afghanistan, and their fate is unknown.

All the officials defended their actions claiming that todays Taliban is different to the Taliban of the 1990s as it has offered amnesty to all groups in Afghanistan, so there was nothing to fear.

At Torkham border crossing, 560km north of Chaman, the Taliban border security told The Independent that everyone who stayed in Afghanistan was safe and no one would be prevented from crossing.

We have brought peace to Afghanistan, all are welcome, says Farid ulHaq, the deputy chief of the border patrol, while nursing a rifle.

Were not trying to stop anyone. Whoever wants to leave Afghanistan can. But the Pakistani officials are being strict here; its not us, he claims.

But that is not what the Hazara families say.

I was so scared the Taliban might arrest and rape me and kill my brother. We couldnt find the family so we agreed to cross Habiba, 23 years old

Many of the families in the informal refugee safehouses in Islamabad say they have been separated from other family members who were abducted or were in hiding, too fearful to make the long journey to the crossings and brave the barbed-wire snarled border. Most are presumed dead.

We dont know where our mother or father is, says Sima, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, as she recounts the story of how she and her sisters escaped via Chaman crossing. She crumples into tears. Usually the boldest of the group, her sudden breakdown alarms her youngest sisters, who are ushered out of the room by the eldest sibling before they start crying too.

The four girls aged between 13 and 23 years old managed to sneak by the Taliban and Pakistani border guards by donning burqas, or full-face veils, to hide their appearance, which would instantly identify them as Hazara.

Sima, a Dari speaker, says she also repeated: Kaka Janu, meaning uncle John, a polite way of addressing older men in Pashto, the language most commonly spoken by members of the Taliban.

My father disappeared the night the Taliban took over our village in August, so our mother sent us away, she continues after a break. Her mothers legs are covered in burns from a previous attack on the family by pro-Taliban groups, who the girls say repeatedly harassed the family because of their religious beliefs and because their father used to work for western rights groups.

We last spoke to our mother as we crossed into Pakistan but now her mobile is off. We dont know if both parents are dead. We are alone. What should we do? Sima, 16 years old

Fearing they would be hunted down if the entire family left at the same time, Simas mother decided to stay behind and sent the girls on ahead. They had to cross 800km of country on their own.

After crossing, the four girls then travelled a further 650km to get to Islamabad after a Hazara businessman who lived in Pakistan took pity on them, paying their way to the capital city.

We last spoke to our mother as we crossed into Pakistan, but now her mobile is off. We dont know if both parents are dead. We are alone. What should we do?

And this is the question that echoes across the building.

One floor up, Habiba, 23, says she has not been able to get through to her father since they were separated at the border a month ago when she was also trying to cross at Chaman.

Taliban and Pakistani security keep guard at Torkham border crossing as Afghans wait for the reopening of the border gate to enter Pakistan (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Hazara young woman fled Kabul with her family when, three days after the Taliban seized control, fighters turned up at her shop, a womens tailor and fashion store in Kabul, and shot in the air, ordering her to close. (Her uncle was killed by the Taliban several years before).

In the huge crowds, she and her 14-year-old brother were separated from the rest of their family. Eventually, they were approached by a smuggler who saw they were Hazara and offered to get them across the border for a fee.

I was so scared the Taliban might arrest and rape me and kill my brother. We couldnt find the family, so we agreed to cross, she says, also crying.

Since then, they managed to get through to neighbours who checked on the family home in Kabul only to find it empty.

Please help us, we didnt want to leave Afghanistan. I had a good job, we were happy but if we go back we will be slaughtered Wahed, 29 years old

I cant sleep at night thinking about my father and the rest of the family. Did they make it out alive?

Wahed says the international community cannot turn a blind eye to those at risk of death and must make resettlement programmes dedicated to the most vulnerable, like the Hazara.

Please help us, we didnt want to leave Afghanistan. I had a good job, we were happy, but if we go back, we will be slaughtered, he says, holding his new baby.

I have been a refugee twice, and now my children are.

I dont want my sons sons to be a refugee like me.
Joe Biden downplayed prospects of brokering a post-Brexit trade deal with Boris Johnson as ministers resorted to considering downgrading their efforts to join an existing pact.

Meeting the Prime Minister in the White House the US President issued a fresh warning for the UK not to damage the peace process in Northern Ireland over the EU departure.

Mr Biden did not counter the assertion from his predecessor Barack Obamas that Britain would be at the back of the queue for a post-Brexit free trade agreement.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the White House (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

Sitting next to Mr Johnson in the Oval Office the US President told reporters: Were going to talk a little bit about trade today and were going to have to work that through.

The Prime Ministers first White House meeting with Mr Biden since he succeeded Donald Trump came as the Governments hopes for securing a comprehensive free trade deal with the US faded.

Ministers were understood to be instead considering whether to join an existing pact with the US, Mexico and Canada to boost trans-Atlantic trade in a major departure from their prior ambitions.

The pair in the Oval Office of the White House (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

Downing Street said brokering a comprehensive deal with the White House remains the priority but did not rule out joining other pacts as a backup.

Our focus is on the US stand-alone deal and thats what were working towards, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said.

Earlier in the day, Mr Johnson was unable to commit to securing the deal  touted as a prize of Brexit by Leave supporters during the EU referendum  before the next election.

Mr Johnson updated the president on the developments on the Northern Ireland Protocol since their meeting in Cornwall in June.

On that point, Joe, we're completely at one, nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement Boris Johnson

Vocally proud of his Irish heritage, Mr Biden said he feels very strongly about the issues surrounding the peace process, as problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol persisted.

And I would not at all like to see, nor I might add would many of my Republican colleagues like to see, a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland, he said.

Mr Johnson said thats absolutely right, adding: On that point, Joe, were completely at one, nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

But in one possible boost to trans-Atlantic trade, Mr Biden said they are going to be working on lamb  with imports currently banned from Britain.

The US president said he was anxious to attend the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow with bells on, and said they would continue talks on how to co-operate on Afghanistan.

The pair discussed preventing a humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of allied troops and agreed any international recognition of the Taliban must be coordinated and contingent on the group respecting human rights.

Mr Biden presented the Prime Minister with a framed photo of their first meeting in Carbis Bay during the G7 Summit and a White House-branded watch, Downing Street said.

And Mr Johnson gave the president a signed copy of astronaut Tim Peakes book Hello, Is This Planet Earth?, with an inscription expressing hopes the book provides a reminder of what were fighting to save as our countries tackle climate change together.

The Prime Minister first held talks with vice president Kamala Harris after arriving in Washington DC by train from New York, where he has been attending a UN summit.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Vice President Kamala Harris (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

Mr Johnson told reporters in Manhattan there were plenty of reason to be optimistic about getting the free trade agreement (FTA) with the US.

But the Vote Leave figurehead downplayed the prospects of brokering a trade deal by the next election, raising the possibility that he could leave Downing Street without achieving a key ambition for the post-Brexit era.

His concession came after suggesting trade negotiations are not a priority for the US president, who he accepted has a lot of fish to fry.

Asked if he would get the deal by 2024, the Prime Minister told Sky News: We will keep going with free trade deals around the world including in the United States.

I have plenty of reason to be optimistic about that. But the Americans do negotiate very hard.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Vice President Kamala Harris (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

The Prime Minister conceded Britain and the US could have possibly taken a different course over the withdrawal of troops of Afghanistan.

America has been there for 20 years and its a respectable argument to say that enough is enough. Look, I mean, could we have done it a bit differently? Maybe we could, the Prime Minister told American broadcaster NBC.

Mr Johnson had pleaded with the president to push back his deadline for drawing down all US troops after the Taliban marched back to power.

But Mr Biden rejected the request, meaning potentially thousands of vulnerable Afghans who worked for the UK and their families were left behind.

Travelling on an Amtrak train to DC, Mr Johnson had been buoyed by the announcement the US will drop the blanket ban on travellers arriving from the UK due to the coronavirus crisis.

However, No 10 appeared blindsided by Mondays announcement, raising questions over the state of communications between the White House and Downing Street.

Just one day before the end of the ban was announced, Mr Johnson was downplaying to reporters any expectations that he could crack the issue this week.

Aboard the RAF Voyager on the flight to New York, Mr Johnson also seemed negative about the prospect of getting a trade deal in place any time soon.

On the FTA, the reality is that Joe has a lot of fish to fry, Mr Johnson told reporters.

In the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016, then-president Barack Obama warned Britons they would be at the back of the queue for any trade deal if they voted for Brexit.

After leaving the White House, Mr Johnson was to have dinner with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison amid a major diplomatic row with France.

The stoush broke out over a new military pact between the UK, US and Australia because it scuppered a multibillion-dollar contract for France to provide submarines to Australia.

France took the extraordinary step of recalling its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra, but declined to do the same from London, accusing the UK of being Americas lapdog.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has said the alarm over climate change is now ringing at a fever pitch during a speech to world leaders gathered in New York.

We see warning signs in every continent and region, scorching temperatures, shocking biodiversity loss, polluted air, water and natural spaces, climate related disasters at every turn, Mr Guterres said.

The Portuguese official added that emissions would have to be cut by 45 per cent by 2030 to keep temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels - the pledge made by over 190 nations in the Paris Agreement.

Mr Guterres said, however, that the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report by the UN made clear that with present national climate commitments emissions will go up 16 per cent by 2030.

That would commit us to a hellscape of temperature rises of 2.7C above pre-industrial levels: a catastrophe, he added.

The Cop26 in Glasgow is only weeks away, but the world is light-years away from reaching our targets, Mr Guterres said.

He urged leaders not to wait for others to make the first move but to do their part, and called for action to cut emissions, provide finance for poorer countries and efforts to help people adapt to inevitable climate change.
Every societal issue is now gendered and that includes the biggest crisis of our time: the climate crisis.

This #Wednesday4Women, a day of action for climate campaigners to call for gender justice alongside climate justice, I am drawing attention to the women in my region, and millions of others across sub-Saharan Africa, who are bearing the brunt of a crisis they did nothing to cause. We need to break free from traditional, social and cultural norms, which directly or indirectly affect our equal rights. For us to tackle the climate crisis its vital that we have a gender smart approach.

On a recent trip to a farming community in Checheyi, Kawaii Area Council, Abuja, the women there told me that more than 99 per cent of them have no land of their own. As experienced farmers, the majority of them can tell how much they have been impacted by the climate crisis. Through this, we were able to provide access to organic fertiliser to more than 30 women in that community, which enabled those women to realise greater productivity.

On average it now takes 20 hours a week for women to gather biomass and drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa. They have to trek long distances and in the process can be kidnapped, raped or violated and have no time to contribute towards protecting the environment. Likewise, girls may have to drop out of school because of the time needed to collect water. Without access to education, they are disempowered.

In the Sahel region, we have more than 20 million child brides  early marriage is their and their families survival strategy against environmental instability.

Two thirds of those displaced by the climate crisis in my native Lake Chad region are women and, globally, they make up 80 per cent of those displaced by environmental degradation. Displacement further increases the burden women and their children bear, making them totally dependent on aid for survival. This also affects womens contribution towards conservation activities.

Migration that should be a strategy to advance empowerment is failing. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), women and adolescent girls are the most vulnerable refugees, as they face a greater risk of being trafficked for sex while moving to a foreign land and of experiencing gender-based violence while in the refugee camps. In the camps, women risk assault when they venture out in search of water and firewood. The climate crisis as a powerful weapon against gender inequality is a global reality.

Assisting women and girls to develop and manage greener technologies and renewable energy sources will contribute to national mitigation and adaptation strategies. It will help create new and greener job opportunities to promote women and girls economic empowerment. Access to modern energy services would help alleviate the burdens of the less privileged, especially women and girls.

Fostering climate action through a gender lens implies that developed economies, donor institutions, and policymakers can substantially decrease the vulnerability of people in the frontline of the impact of climate crises, secure developmental gains, and advance gender equality. Womens empowerment must include a transition to an all-round female accessibility to finance. We need to make the financial sector gender sensitive, by for instance including a gender lens in climate related projects.

Research shows that when women are in decision making and leadership roles, there is a positive impact on sustainable natural resource management and climate crisis adaptation activities. Ensuring womens participation at all levels of the climate decision-making processes is a solution-driven approach to climate adaptation and mitigation.

This decade of ecosystem restoration must identify that women have to be given the right to own land because energy poverty, resource poverty, land poverty and lack of education are leaving women and girls behind on issues that really matter. By providing security in these forms, women and girls will be enabled to contribute to ecosystem restoration.

To me there is no doubt that the climate crisis is contributing towards increasing gender inequality. And likewise that improved gender equality will help us be more resilient to the climate crisis. If we want to make any real and sustained progress for the lives of millions its essential that we address these twin issues together.

Thats why Im calling on the UK government, as presidents of Cop26, to do everything in their power not only to secure global commitment to a 1.5 per cent cap on global warming, but to ensure women and girls are centre-stage at the summit. That means increasing financial support for climate action that supports gender equality and that reaches women-led organisations responding to climate crises in our communities.

We are on the front lines of the climate struggle  world leaders must not leave us high and dry.

Adenike Oladosu is a Nigerian climate activist, eco-reporter, eco-feminist and the founder of the I Lead Climate initiative in Nigeria. She specialises in equality, security and peace building across Africa, especially in her native Lake Chad region where 90 per cent of the regions water has disappeared in the last 50 years
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres at the General Assembly on Tuesday tore into billionaires for joyriding to space while millions go hungry on Earth.

Mr Guterres highlighted the gap between the rich and the poor in his opening speech and said a "malady of mistrust" is spreading across the globe as people strive to bring food to the table.

"I am here to sound the alarm. The world must wake up. We are on the edge of an abyss and moving in the wrong direction. Our world has never been more threatened or more divided," he said.

Billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson flew into outer space in July for a very brief period on their private rockets built by their respective companies, as Covid-19 ravaged people on Earth.

Although their expedition lasted only a few minutes, the trip to space in itself had cost billions of dollars. Both businessmen are eyeing to make big profits from expanding "space tourism."

During the time of rocket launches, they faced flak from critics who demanded a higher tax rate for billionaires. It was also reported that Mr Bezos, the founder of Amazon and presently the richest man on Earth, did not pay any federal income tax in 2007 and 2011.

Another billionaire Jared Isaacman led the first all-private orbital mission that returned on Saturday after three days in orbit. His flight was reportedly on a Dragon capsule and the rocket was built by Space X, the company run by fourth space-obsessed billionaire Elon Musk.

However, his ride raised more than $200mn for St Jude Childrens Research Hospital through a fundraiser where Mr Isaacman contributed $100mn and Mr Musk donated $50mn.

Looking at rising inequality, Mr Guterres added: When parents see a future for their children that looks even bleaker than the struggles of today.

The United Nations has pushed for space sustainability through a resolution passed last December to develop norms of behaviour in outer space.

Resolution 75/36 encouraged countries to submit their views on threats to the space system and their ideas of norms and responsible behaviours for space operations. At least 30 countries, giants in space research Russia and United States have submitted their report.
Quality Street has introduced a new flavour to its popular selection tin in time for Christmas, and it is the brands first ever white chocolate sweet.

The latest addition  the Creme Caramel Crisp chocolate  is the brands 12th flavour, following the discontinuation of one of its toffee flavours last year.

Packaged in a silver and gold wrapper, the domed sweet was created to taste like a creme caramel dessert with pieces of crunchy biscuit, encased in milk and white chocolate.

It will only be available at 17 John Lewis stores which have teamed up with Quality Street to offer custom pick-n-mix stations this winter. Last year, the stores were unable to offer the pick-n-mix tins due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cat Mews, brand manager for Quality Street, said: We know how much people missed our pick and mix stations and John Lewis last year, so we are delighted to announce that they are back for 2021.

Its a landmark year for Quality Street as the brand turns 85, and were celebrating our return to John Lewis with an exclusive new sweet and a beautifully designed collectors tin that shoppers can personalise with a name of their choice.

Best of all, you can tailor the contents exactly to your liking, whether that means nothing but purple ones, a tin full of toffees or a feast of fruit cremes.

Quality Streets new Creme Caramel Crisp chocolate (Nestle)

Lisa Cherry, Christmas buyer for John Lewis, added: Launching the first ever Quality Street sweet featuring white chocolate is so exciting and we cant wait to hear what our customers think of this new and exclusive flavour.

The participating John Lewis stores include Oxford Street, Trafford Centre Manchester, Peter Jones London, Cribbs Causeway Bristol, Brent Cross, Cheadle, Nottingham, High Wycombe, Bluewater, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Cambridge, Newcastle, Stratford, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

John Lewis flagship store on Oxford Street will be the first to open the pick-n-mix stations on 21 September, with the other stores following suit from the end of the month.
Dozens of cargo ships are stuck outside two of the USs biggest ports as supply chain problems continue to bite the global economy.

More than 65 vessels are queuing in San Pedro Bay outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together handle 40 per cent of all cargo containers entering the nation.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was rare for more than one to wait to dock at the ports. At the weekend it was a record 73 ships, double the number seen in August.

As the US economy has rebounded and businesses have reopened, surging demand for imports has led to massive delays on the supply side as the worlds logistics and shipping industry struggle to return to pre-pandemic norms.

While US consumers have not fully resumed their previous spending on restaurants and travel, Reuters reports, they continue to splurge on physical goods ranging from appliances and home exercise equipment to sweatpants and toys. The vast majority of which is imported  usually by ship from Asia.

Backlogs in shipping have resulted in shortages of everything from raw materials to finished goods, and consumer prices are rising as a result.

The fundamental driver to this resurgence of inflation is the response to the Covid crisis and the lockdown of the economy by governments around the world, Michael Ashton, who runs a boutique investment management consultancy focused on inflation and is known on Twitter as  Inflation Guy , told The Independent in an interview. Central banks created liquidity for additional spending to keep the economy moving and this put a lot of money into consumers hands.

When economies reopened and pent-up demand came roaring back from consumers, the supply side could not come back as quickly as long, often intricate, global supply chains were still snarled up from the pandemic lockdown. Normally when coming out of a recession demand and supply grow gradually in tandem, but the latter could not meet the demand for physical goods.

This was an unforced error in a sense by central banks and governments, in that they overspent and over-financed the recovery, says Mr Ashton.

Add to this dramatically increased shipping costs, and multiple supply chain problems at all levels from raw materials  such as polypropylene, lumber, and steel or raw iron  all the way up to finished goods, and you have a situation where the lead times for some products are so long that people are being told to order Christmas gifts now.

There is a concerted effort to try and ease the backlog on the US side, even as supply chain snarls are reported across the world. In late August the White House announced John Porcari as port envoy to the Biden-Harris administrations Supply Chain Task Force.

For their part, the two Californian ports have agreed to expand the hours during which trucks can collect and return containers, and some ships are being diverted to other points of entry  though they are also struggling with capacity issues.

For the full year were now estimating 10.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units, and if achieved, that would be a 14 per cent increase over 2018  which was our best calendar year performance in the course of the 114-year history, Port of Los Angeles executive director Gene Seroka told The Los Angeles Business Journal .

In Long Beach, imports were up 11.7 per cent last month, the best August on record. Its peak season now, but were likely to see continued cargo growth well into 2022, executive director Mario Cordero told the outlet.

While the southern Californian ports deal mostly with imports from China and other parts of Asia, it is a similar story on the east coast, with congestion reported in Savannah and Miami.

In New York, which ranks second as the busiest cargo entry point, the main problem caused by the record amount of cargo is congestion in moving goods beyond the port by truck and freight rail.

Similarly, once off the ships in Los Angeles, containers are waiting on the docks as long as six days for truck pickup, Mr Seroka told Reuters. Containers on chassis are waiting 8.5 days on the street for warehouse space or to be returned empty to the port.

Container ships are anchored by the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles as they wait to offload on 20 September, 2021 (Getty Images)

There are nearly 8,000 containers ready to be taken away by train, with the wait clocking in at 11.7 days, he added.

Companies such as Walmart are investing heavily to improve their operations in and around ports to try and keep their shelves stocked. There is particular concern about ensuring an adequate supply of goods for the holiday season.

Ports predict that bottlenecks will last well into 2022 while kinks are worked out around the world.

Supply chains are still reeling from temporary pandemic closures of ports and factories in Asia; and shortages of shipping containers  many of which were stuck empty in ports for months  and key products such as resin and computer chips.

Severe weather this summer has not helped matters at ports such as New Orleans, Houston, and Miami.

Transportation costs are also spiking, exacerbating delays, and further fuelling product shortages.
Two energy suppliers collapsed on Wednesday as the deepening gas supply crisis has now impacted 1.5 million customers.

Avro Energy and Green became the latest casualties of a more than three-fold spike in the wholesale cost of natural gas, with regulators warning that more firms are likely to go bust over the winter. Seven suppliers have already gone under in a matter of weeks.

Another medium-sized supplier, Igloo, is reportedly on the verge of collapse, with administrators said to be assessing the options for insolvency.

The latest corporate failures will add to households worries at a time when the rate of inflation is rising sharply and incomes are set to be squeezed by a hike in national insurance contributions next year.

Millions of the least well-off households will also see their income slashed next month when universal credit payments are reduced by 20 a week, while economists have warned of a rise in unemployment when the furlough scheme ends next week.

The rapidly expanding scale of problems in the energy industry will test to the limit the arrangements that are in place to ensure customers of failed businesses are switched over to new suppliers with no interruption to their gas and electricity.

With 580,000 customers, Avro Energy is by far the largest company to go out of business so far, prompting questions over whether the supplier of last resort system can cope.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has said the government will not bail out energy businesses that are in financial trouble, but ministers are considering state-backed loans for companies that take on additional customers from failed suppliers.

Director of retail at energy regulator Ofgem, Neil Lawrence, sought to reassure affected customers that they would not lose out as a result of their supplier going out of business.

Ofgem will choose a new supplier for you and while we are doing this our advice is to wait until we appoint a new supplier and do not switch in the meantime, he said. You can rely on your energy supply as normal.

However, people who are switched to a new supplier under the scheme could see their bills rise.

Labour accused the government of complacency in its approach. Shadow energy minster, Ed Miliband, called for his opposite number to come clean about the severity of the threat to suppliers and recognise the economic hardship facing working people.

Its becoming increasingly clear that the impact of soaring global gas prices on UK businesses and families is going to be stark, because key government failures mean our energy system is not resilient enough.

Mr Kwarteng faced a grilling in parliament on Wednesday, including questions over why the government allowed the 2017 closure of the Rough gas storage facility to go ahead. The site accounted for 70 per cent of the countrys storage capacity.

The business secretary claimed that the issue was a slight red herring because having more storage capacity does not change the global price of gas.

He also said preparations were being made for gas prices to remain high for some time, despite Boris Johnson describing the problem as temporary.

Announcing that it would cease trading, Green issued a combative statement that was highly critical of the government. The company blamed its collapse on unprecedented market conditions and regulatory failings which it said had left smaller energy suppliers behind.

Green had been a vocal critic of the energy price cap, calling on ministers to review the policy which has left suppliers selling power at a loss because they are unable to pass on rising costs to customers.

The firm was among 15 small energy suppliers that wrote to Ofgem and government ministers this week demanding a review of outdated energy price cap rules and calling for an immediate package of financial support.

Those calls were rebuffed by Mr Kwarteng who said the government would not bail out what he characterised as badly managed companies.

Green hit back at that characterisation, saying it feared smaller energy suppliers had been left behind by the government, with rescue packages being put in place for larger firms given privileged access to private discussions with the minister.

Moments after Greens announcement, Avro Energy became the seventh supplier to cease trading in recent weeks as wholesale gas prices have jumped to 250 per cent of their January level.

Sharply rising demand as the world emerges from the pandemic has combined with a host of factors restricting supply.

An unusually cold winter in Europe left stocks low, while demand has been strong in Asia. A lack of wind has meant the UK relied more on gas than in previous years.

Meanwhile, Russia has provided less gas to Europe in a move that many believe is designed to exert its power over EU countries blocking the opening of the long-awaited Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

The latest energy supplier failures will add to consumers worries at what is an extremely unsettling time, said Gillian Cooper, head of energy policy for Citizens Advice.

Supplier collapses and rocketing energy prices, combined with the looming cut to Universal Credit, are creating huge amounts of uncertainty for millions of people.

There are protections for energy customers in place. They wont lose their supply; their credit balances are protected; and the price cap limits the cost of bills, Ms Cooper said.

The government and Ofgem must also guarantee no one will lose access to the Warm Home Discount when they are moved to a different supplier. And customers in debt to failed suppliers should continue to have access to affordable repayment plans.

News that both Green and Avro Energy had collapsed came shortly after the boss of Ofgem warned that more energy suppliers were likely to be forced out of business.

Have a look at the change in the gas price  it really is something that we dont think weve seen before at this pace, Jonathan Brearley told MPs on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee.

He declined to give an estimate on numbers of firms that might go bust but said: We do expect more [suppliers] not to be able to face the circumstances were in.

He added: We expect a large number of customers to be affected, weve already seen hundreds of thousands of customers affected, that may well go well above that.

Its very hard for me to put a figure on it.
The UK has distanced itself from an unprofessional and frankly embarrassing plan to try and join a North American trade pact, just 24 hours after mooting the idea.

Canadian and Mexican officials were left upset after the UK briefed that it wants to join the tripartite deal between the US and the two countries (USMCA), blindsiding them just as they prepare for fresh bilateral talks with London.

The briefing from a senior UK government figure on Tuesday, during a trip to the US, caught officials off guard amid sensitive preparations for renegotiating bilateral deals, according to people familiar with the talks on all sides of the table.

Its just unprofessional, if I were to say it straight, according to one person familiar with the efforts of Canadian officials preparing for fresh talks with the UK in order to improve on rollover deals that were hurried through ahead of Brexit deadlines.

On one side, its laughable that the UK would try and join USMCA, on another, of course we have to weigh such statements in light of serious talks with Britain and work out if theres anything behind it.

After the confusion over UK plans to join USMCA, No 10 tried to pour cold water on the idea on Wednesday, and instead reiterated interest in a bilateral deal.

The prime ministers official spokesperson said: What we are focused on is the US deal, said the spokesperson. There are no plans to go beyond that at this stage. That is the priority for us.

A different person familiar with the Mexican and UK trade negotiations said, that while it is not a realistic prospect for the UK to join the North American trade bloc, it was still an extremely unhelpful statement.

On one side, its laughable that the UK would try and join USMCA, on another, of course we have to weigh such statements in light of serious talks with Britain and work out if theres anything behind it Source close to Canadian trade talks

We had not heard anything about this. They added: It would be well to remember that there are three members of this trade group, not just the US.

Bilateral ties with Canada and Mexico are especially sensitive for the trade department, as they are also members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade bloc in the Asia Pacific region which the UK has officially asked to join.

Meanwhile, a person familiar with UK trade negotiations said that while opposite numbers are very generous at seeing the funny side of things, the UK cannot afford to seem rude. They added that it was frankly embarrassing and not practical for the UK to join USMCA, citing strict rules on where goods can come from in order to avoid tariffs under the deal.

The diplomatic upset comes as foreign secretary, Liz Truss, is expected to visit Mexico on Thursday in an effort to boost Britains economic and diplomatic ties with the country and region.

The USMCA is obviously not just a deal with the United States, said Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former senior economist for international trade at the White House.

Its also a deal with Canada and Mexico and they would have to be willing to allow the UK to join. They would have demanding terms as well. If youre already in the process of negotiating an agreement with them you can imagine this would upset the applecart, Mr Bown said.

Headlines regarding the USs reluctance to pursue a trade deal with the UK dogged Boris Johnsons trip to the country.

A trade deal with the US was considered a key prize of a post-Brexit independent trade policy, but Mr Johnson said prior to his meeting with US president Joe Biden that his opposite number has a lot of fish to fry.

Tension over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a tenet of the Brexit divorce agreement between the UK and EU, is a key roadblock to any bilateral deal with the UK, a US official told The Independent. Any deal was therefore unlikely to be considered until after a consent vote on the Northern Ireland Protocol in 2024, and the US midterm elections in 2022.

There are also host of tough political challenges facing the Biden administrations domestic agenda.

Theyve got masses of legislation theyre trying to get through Congress, where they have a razor-thin margin, said Mr Bown. Trade in the United States right now is just incredibly politically risky. Its a heavy lift to ask any president to commit political capital to trade, theres no appetite at the moment.

Some trade experts welcomed suggestions from Mr Johnson that he would seek the right kind of deal with the US rather than rush to an agreement  in the event it were possible. It marks a change in the prime ministers stance compared to when a deal looked more likely under the Trump administration.

The USTR (US trade department) are formidable. They just have decades of experience of negotiating far and wide across the world, said Dr Silke Trommer, a senior lecturer in politics at the University of Manchester. We have many brilliant people in this country, some people with very good experience, but its just not at the same level.

UK officials drew a parallel between the briefing and another UK media report which suggested Australian trade minister Dan Tehan would be placed in an uncomfortable chair in the Foreign Office, and that he lacked experience in negotiations. Mr Tehan has experience of trade policy dating back to 1995.

After the report about trade negotiations with Australia, one senior British diplomat said they had been given a cushion by an Australian opposite number. This followed a spate of British diplomats being sent jam, after then trade secretary Liam Fox suggested on social media that France needed high quality, innovative British jam.

The Canadian high commission and the Mexican embassy did not offer comment ahead of publication.
A Portsmouth GP has been told he could spend time behind bars after he admitted to defrauding a healthcare group out of 1.1m in just two months.

Rumi Chhapia, 45, is accused of taking advantage of the Portsmouth Primary Care Alliance (PPCA) groups finances after his colleague went off sick and handed him access to crucial business accounts, prosecutors say.

The doctor appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, charged with fraud, where he pleaded guilty to the single offence.

Lucy Linington, prosecuting, told the court that in a 41-day period, this defendant embezzled 1,133,704.50.

He has since repaid 233,000, magistrates were told.

Ms Linington also revealed that Dr Chhapia, of Lennox Road South, Southsea, was an appointed director of PPCA when he moved money from its account into his own, between 20 August and 30 September 2020.

The abuse of trust involved in the offence was especially significant due to his position and the amount of money involved, Ms Linington said.

The PPCA group is a collection of GP practices working together in and around Portsmouth.

Its role in the city included tendering an out-of-hours GP service to the NHS, the court heard.

At the time of this offence a director was signed off sick and therefore gave [Dr] Chhapia the freedom and the permission at that stage to have access to the business accounts of the PPCA, Ms Linington added.

The GP, who appeared in the dock wearing a pink shirt, tie and a face mask, will be sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on 22 October after being told his offences were too serious for the magistrates to deal with.

Until then, he has been released on bail.
A candlelight vigil is to be held in memory of primary school teacher Sabina Nessa who was found murdered in a south London park.

The 28-year-olds body was found hidden under a pile of leaves by a dog walker in Cator Park, Kidbrooke, on Saturday.

She is believed to have been attacked at about 8.30pm on Friday but was not discovered until 5.30pm the following day near the One Space community centre.

The Metropolitan Police is treating Ms Nessas death as a murder, however a post-mortem examination carried out at Greenwich Mortuary was inconclusive.

A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of murder but has since been released pending further investigation.

Ms Nessa was a Year One teacher at Rushney Green Primary School in Catford, where she had worked for more than a year.

She lived with her father, a chef at an Indian restaurant, in Lewisham.

A vigil organised by the Kidbrooke community in memory of Ms Nessa will be held at Pegler Square, Kidbrooke, at 7pm on Friday, while St James Church Kidbrooke will open its doors the same day to offer prayer to those affected by the tragic incident.

Anyone unable to attend the vigil in person is encouraged to light a candle on their doorstep at the same time.

Annie Gibbs, one of the organisers, wrote on Twitter: As a community of residents in Kidbrooke Village we wish to stand in solidarity against violence & acknowledge #SabinaNessa life with respect.

Reclaim These Streets, an organisation campaigning for the safety of women and girls which planned a vigil for Sarah Everard in March, said: We are angry and heartbroken to hear about the loss of yet another woman. This is an epidemic of violence against women. Enough with reports, what is the actual plan to keep us safe and alive?

Lisa Williams, headteacher at the school where Ms Nessa worked, described her as a brilliant teacher who had so much life ahead of her and so much more to give.

She was kind, caring and absolutely dedicated to her pupils, said Ms Williams, adding: We are devastated by Sabinas tragic death.

Police have launched fresh appeals for information following Ms Nessas murder and a police presence remains in place across open spaces in Lewisham and Greenwich.

Detectives are requesting anyone who saw any suspicious behaviour in the park on the evening of Friday 17 September to come forward.

Anyone with information or any witnesses are being asked to call police on 101, reference 5747/18. To remain anonymous please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Police are continuing to appeal for information following the murder of 28-year-old school teacher Sabina Nessa.

Ms Nessas death left staff and pupils at her school devastated after her body was discovered near a community centre in southeast London.

Detective Inspector Joe Garrity said the investigation is making good progress, but continued to urge witnesses to come forward as specialist officers and staff remain at the scene in Kidbrooke.

What happened?

Police were called just after 5.30pm on Saturday, 18 September, after a body was found in Cator Park near OneSpace community centre on Kidbrooke Park Road in southeast London.

A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of murder but was later released pending further investigation.

On Monday, 20 September, police formally identified the body as 28-year-old primary school teacher Sabina Nessa. A post-mortem examination carried out at Greenwich Mortuary was inconclusive.

The Metropolitan Police revealed on Tuesday that Ms Nessas body wasnt found until hours after her death.

Detective Superintendent Luke Marks said there was a short delay in finding her body because it was not in the main walkway of the park. A member of the public found the body the morning after the attack, he said.

It wasnt on the main walkway in the park, so that was the reason for the small delay in Sabina being found.

The Met said on Thursday, 23 September, Ms Nessa was walking from her home address on Astell Road in southeast London to meet a friend at a local pub when she was murdered.

Officers believe she was heading through Cator Park on her way to The Depot bar  which she never reached  on Pegler Square, Kidbrooke Village. The Depot is just over a five-minute walk from Ms Nessas home address, they added.

A friend later told LBC Radio the teacher was on her way to a date with someone that she had known for some time.

It is thought the attack happened at around 8.30pm on Friday, 17 September, when the park was likely being used by many people.

Police said Ms Nessa was not reported missing between the time she was attacked and the time her body was found.

Who was Sabina Nessa?

Ms Nessa was a 28-year-old Year One teacher at Rushney Green Primary School in Catford where she worked for over a year.

The headteacher of her primary school described her as a brilliant teacher.

We are devastated by Sabinas tragic death, said Lisa Williams, adding: She was kind, caring and absolutely dedicated to her pupils. She had so much life ahead of her and so much more to give.

Ms Nessa, who police say was unmarried and did not have any children, lived in Lewisham. Her father, who worked as a chef in an Indian restaurant, was described as being a broken man following the news, the Evening Standard reported.

Meanwhile, Ms Nessas sister, who goes by the Twitter handle @jaxjn02, paid tribute to her inspiration on social media.

My beautiful talented & caring sister, my inspiration to always put myself first & never let anybody put me down never in my life did I or my sisters or my mum or dad think this could happen to us, she wrote in a post.

3 sisters down to 2, she said, before adding no mother or father should have to go through this, may Allah grant my parents ease.

What happens next?

Police have launched fresh appeals for information following Ms Nessas murder and a police presence remains in place across open spaces in Lewisham and Greenwich.

Detectives are requesting anyone who saw any suspicious behaviour in the park on the evening of Friday, 17 September, to come forward. They are also working very closely with local authorities and communities to keep people safe while investigations continue.

Officers said on Thursday, 23 September, they were keeping a completely open mind on the attackers motive  including that it could well have been a stranger who is still at large.

Speaking at the park where flowers had been laid beside a police cordon, Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry said his team were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry at the moment. He also told reporters the force is not currently linking the attack to any others and that the streets are safe for women.

Asked whether he believes a stranger was behind the attack, DCS Lawry said: Thats definitely a line of inquiry that were looking at.

A vigil has been organised in the Kidbrooke community in memory of Ms Nessa on Friday, 24 September, while St James Church Kidbrooke will open its doors on Friday to offer prayer to those affected by the tragic incident.

Anyone with information or any witnesses are being asked to call police on 101, reference 5747/18. To remain anonymous please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Harry Dunns parents are confident a criminal case will go ahead against the teenage motorcyclists alleged killer after reaching a resolution in a civil claim for damages.

The Dunn familys spokesperson, Radd Seiger, said they were very confident the criminal case is going to be brought soon after both parties successfully reached an agreement.

He told BBC Breakfast: Boris Johnson made it clear at the G7 summit in June in Cornwall that the path to justice had been cleared.

Both Charlotte and I were honoured to meet the new foreign secretary Liz Truss yesterday over the phone and she made it clear that there was nothing now standing in the way of that happening.

We are just in the hands of the CPS waiting to hear how theyre going to do this.

Newly-appointed foreign secretary Liz Truss insisted the civil claim resolution was absolutely not the end of the matter as she vowed on Tuesday to continue the fight to get the teenagers alleged killer, Anne Sacoolas, to return to the UK to face justice.

Nineteen-year-old Harry died after his motorbike was involved in a collision with a car driven by Ms Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat, near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on 27 August 2019.

She was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in connection with the incident, however the US government rejected the UKs extradition request the following month.

Harry Dunn, 19, died after his motorbike was involved in a collision with a car driven by American Anne Sacoolas near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in 2019 (Family handout/PA)

Mr Dunns parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, have spent the last two years campaigning for Ms Sacoolas to face the UK justice system after diplomatic immunity was asserted on her behalf shortly after the collision.

The damages claim unearthed a great deal of previously unheard material, such as the State Department roles held by the 43-year-old and her husband at the time of the crash.

Boris Johnson, who met Joe Biden in the White House on Tuesday, said the US president was personally trying to move things along in the case.

However Mr Biden gave no indication he was ready to reverse the refusal to extradite Ms Sacoolas when challenged over the case by reporters.

Asked whether the State Department employee would be sent to the UK to face justice in a criminal court, he said only that the case was being worked on and he was not aware of its current status.

He defended Ms Sacoolas, saying the crash was not an intentional act, based on what he had been told.
The Home Office has refused to disclose the legal basis on which it plans to use pushbacks in the English Channel to turn small boats around.

It emerged last week that home secretary Priti Patel had ordered officials to rewrite the UKs interpretation of maritime laws to allow Border Force to carry out the controversial practice, with members being given special training to turn around small boats.

The plans were met with criticism from lawyers, cross-party MPs and charities, who warned that the policy would likely be unworkable and questioning the legal basis on which the practice could be carried out.

The French interior minister said his country would not cooperate with the plan, saying it would not accept any practices that are contrary to maritime law.

During a parliamentary evidence session on Wednesday, permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft confirmed that Border Force officers had been preparing and trialling the new maritime tactic, but that it had not been deployed yet.

When asked by Conservative MP Tim Loughton whether the policy was legal, Mr Rycroft replied that there was a legal basis for it to be used in certain circumstances.

Asked what this legal basis was, Mr Rycroft said that it was the advice from law officers to the government which he must not disclose.

Pressed by Mr Loughton to refer to the international maritime legal basis on which they think it would be legal for the Home Office to use pushbacks, Mr Rycroft said: There is a legal basis to operate this policy in certain circumstances. The legality depends on the circumstances.

Second permanent secondary secretary Patricia Hayes, who was also being questioned, said the Home Office did not want to provide detail on operations publicly so as not to give people smugglers arranging the boat crossings an advantage on tactics.

In response, Mr Loughton said: If you bring this into operation and a boat sinks as a result, youll be in front of this committee and various other committees having to explain exactly that.

Mr Rycroft also confirmed that the practice would only lead to a small proportion of small boats being turned back to France, later conceding it would be closer to 1 per cent than 49 per cent.

Responding to the committee hearing, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UKs refugee and migrant rights director, said Mr Rycrofts answers gave the impression that the government announced the pushback policy for its publicity value rather than to do anything useful to address the needs of those making these perilous crossings.

Home Office officials have been put in the hopeless position of having to defend a ministerial policy which is life-threateningly dangerous and almost certainly unlawful, he added.

It comes after the Home Offices assessment of proposed immigration and asylum reforms found there was limited evidence this would reduce the number of people trying to cross the Channel.

The equality impact assessment for the Nationality and Borders Bill, published last week, states: Deploying these measures does advance the legitimate aim of encouraging asylum seekers to claim in the first safe country they reach and not undertaking dangerous journeys facilitated by smugglers to get to the UK, though evidence supporting the effectiveness of this approach is limited.

The document also repeatedly states that any discrimination would be objectively justified as a proportionate means of achieving the policy objectives of the plans, namely to deter illegal entry into the UK.
The UK is considering joining a trade partnership between the US, Canada and Mexico or an Asia-Pacific free trade group after Boris Johnson gave up on his dream of a bilateral deal with Washington.

The prime minister accepted a direct free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK was not high on US president Joe Bidens list of priorities after meeting with his American counterpart in the White House on Tuesday.

The UK will instead look to improve trade links with the US by exploring other avenues such as inserting itself as the fourth member of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) or joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Independent understands.

Weve taken a look at the two trade pacts and what they could mean for the UK.

CPTPP

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a major free trade area including Australia, Canada, Japan and Singapore.

The CPTPP was born out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a group promoted by then-US president Barack Obama as part of Washingtons increased emphasis on relations with Asia.

Obamas successor, Donald Trump, pulled out in 2017 and Biden has not rejoined the group.

The UK revealed it was formally applying in January 2021 and negotiations began in June.

The CPTPP, which took effect in 2018, includes agreements on market access, movement of labour and government procurement.

The Department for International Trade said joining the trade group would cut tariffs on food, drink and cars and improve access to the markets of its members, such as Mexico, New Zealand and Vietnam.

Other benefits are said to include easier travel between partnership countries and cheaper visas.

If accepted, the UK would become the first European member, joining Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

China has also applied in an effort to increase its influence over international policies, while Taiwan is hoping to join.

If China joined, it would quadruple the total population within the group to some 2 billion people.

USMCA

Britain may also bid to join the trade partnership between the US, Canada and Mexico as a fourth member in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

USMCA came into effect in July 2020 as a replacement for the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), which was torn up by Donald Trump.

Covering areas ranging from motor vehicles and steel to agricultural produce and data transfers, Washington said the deal should boost US GDP by $68bn and generate 176,000 jobs.

Britain already has trade agreements with Canada and Mexico. therefore the main benefits of joining would be linked to the US element of the deal.

There has previously been no talk of extending the three-nation arrangement beyond the continent.
Boris Johnson has told Emmanuel Macron to get a grip in the row over Britains new defence partnership with the US and Australia, telling reporters he was taken aback by the vitriolic reaction from Paris.

US president Joe Biden sought to soothe French anger today with a phone call in which he assured Macron that France would get better consultation on future initiatives.

But Mr Johnson insisted that the Aukus pact had never been intended to crowd out the French, and said that he and Biden want the partnership to form part of a wider democratic counterweight to Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

In their White House meeting on Tuesday, the pair discussed how to build on the new arrangement to bring like-minded nations on board with technological and political initiatives to recapture the Western lead in what is increasingly becoming a theatre of contest between different ideologies.

Mollified by the Biden call, Mr Macron agreed to send his ambassador back to Washington, days after withdrawing him for the first time in US history in what was a remarkable expression of hostility between such close allies.

But Mr Johnson risked restarting the row by telling the French president to donnez-moi un break after a week of invective directed at the Anglophone trio from Paris, which characterised the new trilateral partnership as a stab in the back.

Biden and Johnson expressed astonishment in their Oval Office chat at the furious tone of the French response, which saw ministers accuse Australia of betrayal and brand the UK a vassal of Washington.

Both were assured by Australian prime minister Scott Morrison that he had warned Paris in advance of his decision to ditch a 56bn (48bn) deal for French diesel-electric submarines, in favour of nuclear-powered vessels from the US which he believes are better suited to Canberras needs.

There are suspicions in London that French ire was fuelled by embarrassment at their intelligence and diplomats having failed to pick up on signals of a change of heart in Australia, as well as by considerations of what compensation may be payable.

The loss of the contract is thought to have been particularly keenly felt by foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian because the diesel subs were due to be built in his constituency, supporting large numbers of jobs.

Mr Johnson suggested that Mr Morrison may have left it late to inform Paris of his intentions, comparing the Aussie PM to a lover putting off telling his partner that she is being dumped.

Its just one of those things, said the PM. There are no easy ways of having these conversations. Its a very human thing to delay the conversation until the last possible moment. I dont know if anyones been in that situation in their emotional life, but its very human to put it off.

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In their Oval Office talks, Johnson and Biden slammed the door shut on further countries joining the Aukus defence pact, with the most obvious candidates ruled out because New Zealand has a no-nukes policy and Canada is not seeking access to the technology.

Aukus has its own logic, said Johnson. This is the right group.

But the pair spent much of the 90-minute meeting discussing methods of building up democratic influence in the region, talking through the advantages of offering greater involvement for countries like Australia, India and South Korea in the activities of the G7 group of leading economies or establishing a more formal D10 group of democracies.

Mr Johnson said a key factor would be building up technological capability in areas like cyber and artificial intelligence so democratic nations never again find themselves dependent on Chinese hardware as the UK was when it was forced to tear out Huawei 4G telecommunications kit. Other areas for deepening the strategic relationship would include mutual support for open markets and human rights.

The conversation reflected growing conviction that the West must not cede any more ground to China and Russia and should counter the attractions of their authoritarian models to smaller countries seeking powerful mentors.

Speaking after talks with leading Democrat and Republican Congressmen, Mr Johnson said the Aukus concept had been given a universal thumbs-up, adding: What I found on Capitol Hill was they want to populate the agenda with all sorts of other things which matter.

What we need Is a Western technology on which we can rely and the fact is the Chinese are ahead on some of these things. We want to try and recapture the western lead on some of these things  on cyber, on AI.

We want to reach out to other partners, this is not an exclusive thing. Joe is keen to look at the formula and the detail on D10, the G7-plus, the other Indo-Pacific democracies, Japan, India, Australia and try to bring everyone in that way. In that group, you couldnt do the full sharing of the technology which underpins Aukus.

Mr Johnson said the row over Australias contract for French subs was a matter for Paris and Canberra, but that the UK remained massively invested in its relationship with its cross-Channel neighbour. We love France, he told reporters.

But in a TV interview earlier in the day, the PM betrayed his irritation at a week of invective from Paris, saying: I just think its time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break.

Because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security. Its three very like-minded allies standing shoulder to shoulder creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology. Its not exclusive. Its not trying to shoulder anybody out. Its not adversarial towards China for instance.

His foray into Franglais won a scathing response from former ambassador to France and national security adviser Peter Ricketts, who said they were likely to antagonise Paris further.

Words fail me, said Lord Ricketts. How is mocking the French going to help anything?
Boris Johnson has told Emmanuel Macron to get a grip and donnez-moi un break after Frances furious reaction to the UKs defence pact with the US and Australia.

His confrontational language came as Paris and Washington made efforts to mend relations, with Macron agreeing to return Frances ambassador to the US following a phone call with president Joe Biden.

In a joint statement, Macron and Biden said that they agreed the situation would have benefitted from open consultations between the Aukus trio and France ahead of the announcement of the new partnership on 15 September.

Paris branded last weeks Aukus agreement a stab in the back because it involved Canberra ditching a 56bn euro deal for French diesel-electric submarines, in favour of nuclear-powered vessels from the US.

French ambassadors were recalled from Washington and Canberra, and a senior minister in the Macron administration said that the same response was not meted out to London only because Britain was a junior partner in the deal.

Mr Johnson earlier this week tried to soothe French anger by insisting that Macron had no reason to worry about the Aukus deal and declaring his ineradicable love and admiration for Britains cross-Channel neighbour.

But speaking in Washington today, he took a more confrontational line, expressing irritation with the French stance.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters 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. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. 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

Breaking into Franglais in a way which might have calculated to offend Gallic pride, the prime minister said: I just think its time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break.

Because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security. Its three very like-minded allies standing shoulder to shoulder creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology. Its not exclusive. Its not trying to shoulder anybody out. Its not adversarial towards China for instance.

His comments won a scathing response from former ambassador to France and national security adviser Peter Ricketts, who said they were likely to antagonise Paris further.

Words fail me, said Lord Ricketts. How is mocking the French going to help anything?

Ahead of todays phone call, Elysee spokesman Gabriel Attal said France was expecting clarifications about the American decision to keep a European ally outside fundamental talks about cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

He added: We expect our allies to acknowledge that the exchanges and consultations that should have taken place did not, and that this poses a question about confidence, which all of us need to draw conclusions about now.

Macron and Biden later announced they had agreed to open a process of in-depth consultations aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence and proposing concrete measures toward common objectives. Mr Biden acknowledged the strategic importance of French and EU engagement in the Indo-Pacific and the value of a stronger and more capable European defence.

The call marked an easing of tensions in what has been the deepest rift in years between France and its three Anglophone allies.

Paris was given virtually no notice of the trilateral announcement on 15 September, which dealt a heavy blow to Frances security strategy for the Indo-Pacific region, where it has territories in New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the Wallis & Futuna islands.

Mr Macron was reported in the French press to be furious, and foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian characterised the Australian contract breach as a betrayal.

And he explained Frances first ever withdrawal of its ambassador to the US by saying: This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements

The snap cancellation of the submarine contract constituted unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners, said Le Drian.

Meanwhile, Macrons Europe minister Clement Beaune said that the new alliance reflected the UK accepting the role of US lapdog following Brexit.

As you can see, it is a return to the American fold and accepting a form of vassal status, he said in a TV interview.

Global Britain seems to be more about [being] a junior partner of the US than working with different allies.

On Monday, Mr Johnson attempted to calm troubled waters in response.

We are very, very proud of our relationship with France and it is of huge importance to this country, he told reporters travelling with him to the United Nations in New York.

It is a very friendly relationship - an entente cordiale - that goes back a century or more and is absolutely vital for us.

Mr Johnson said the UK works shoulder to shoulder with France in Natos mission to the Baltic states, as well as in operations in the west African state of Mali and in joint simulations of nuclear weapons tests.

British troops and French troops are side by side, he said. There are no two sets of armed forces that are more capable of integration together and working side by side.

This is something that goes very, very deep. Our love of France, our admiration of France is ineradicable.
British lamb exports to the US will soon resume after a ban stretching back more than 20 years to the mad cow disease epidemic, Boris Johnson has said.

But haggis will not be included in the removal of restrictions, as offal products are treated separately from red meat.

Washington last year lifted a ban on beef from the UK, and US president Joe Biden indicated in talks with the prime minister at the White House on Tuesday that lamb was also likely to benefit from the relaxation.

Downing Street said that the final details remain to be worked through, but that a formal agreement should be reached soon.

The move would be some consolation for Mr Johnson, who was forced to accept that his long-cherished dream of a comprehensive post-Brexit free trade agreement with the US was firmly on the back burner.

The UK government is considering the alternative of joining the North American free trade area (USMCA) with the US, Mexico and Canada.

But Mr Johnsons official spokesperson made clear that this initiative was still at no more than its embryonic stage and was not a current priority.

What we are focused on is the US deal, said the spokesperson. There are no plans to go beyond that at this stage. That is the priority for us.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters 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. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA

Speaking outside the Capitol building in Washington, where he was due to meet leading Democrats and Republicans, Mr Johnson welcomed the expected lifting of the 1996 ban on lamb.

He insisted there was a great deal to be made on trade with the US, but accepted that without White House focus on the issue the UK could hope for no more than incremental progress.

I can tell you today that what were going to get from the United States now is a lifting of the decades-old ban, totally unjustified, discriminating on British farmers and British lamb, said the prime minister.

Its about time too. And what were wanting to do is make solid incremental steps in trade.

The Biden administration is not doing free trade deals around the world right now, but Ive got absolutely every confidence that a great deal is there to be done.

And there are plenty of people in that building behind me who certainly want a deal.

Mr Biden appeared to catch the PM by surprise at Tuesdays meeting when he mentioned the potential for the lamb ban to be scrapped.

As Mr Johnson expressed his appreciation for the resumption of beef sales, Mr Biden interrupted to say: Were going to be working on lamb too.
The energy regulator has rejected Boris Johnsons claim that the gas shortage is a short-term problem, refusing to predict how long the crisis will last.

The prime minister raised eyebrows when he rejected warnings of a cost-of-living crisis this winter, insisting spikes in gas prices  like food supply problems  will soon be over.

But Jonathan Brearley, Ofgems chief executive, refused to echo the prediction, telling MPs. Its extremely difficult to predict the future of the gas price.

He pointed to unprecedented changes over the last few months  which had seen the wholesale price leap by almost 6 times over the last year  warning: We are in unprecedented territory Im afraid.

There were many, many factors that were outside the UKs control, such as rising international demand and supply restrictions, an emergency inquiry by the Commons business committee was told.

Its very, very hard to predict how long that will last, Mr Brearley said, warning an end to the supply squeeze was not something that we at Ofgem would rely on.

But the chief executive played down fears of the UK running out of gas, saying: You cant rule anything out, but we have a resilient system that customers can rely on.

Meanwhile, the boss of the Energy UK industry body revealed it warned the government and Ofgem that the sector was fragile at least two years ago.

Chief executive Emma Pinchbeck said she had warned that even well-run suppliers might go bust, because of fault lines in the UK energy market.

I took this job a year ago. When I was hired, the chairman of Energy UK said that your biggest challenge is going to be the vulnerability of the retail market, she told the committee.

And I know that, for a year or more before that, my team had been making the case to the regulator and the government that the sector is fragile.

Theres a short-term crisis here, which is in some ways out of our control  its to do with the gas prices  but its been exacerbated and arguably caused by our regulatory design.

Ms Pinchbeck called for regulators and politicians to stop dismissing suppliers when they say the way the market is designed is flawed.

Mr Brearley declined to put a number on how many customers are with a supplier now at risk of collapse.

We do expect a large number of customers to be affected. Weve already seen hundreds of thousands of customers affected, that may well go well above that, the Ofgem chief said.

Its very hard for me to put a figure on it. Its not unusual for suppliers to go out of the market. I think what is different this time is that dramatic change in the costs that those suppliers are facing.
Seeking to demonstrate his eco-credentials and in a nod to Joe Bidens affection for trains, Boris Johnson chose a sleek silver Amtrak train to travel between New York and Washington DC last night  a move that was rewarded by a rambling train anecdote from the US president. The good-will of the so-called special relationship, however, did not seem to extend as far as welcoming words on a post-Brexit trading relationship between the old partners.

Inside the bubble

Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today

With Boris Johnson on his travels, prime ministers questions will see a tussle between a man with three jobs - Dominic Raab (deputy PM, lord chancellor and justice secretary) and a woman with four - Angela Rayner (deputy Labour leader, shadow first secretary of state, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and shadow secretary of state for the future of work). There wont be much time for questions if the Speaker reads out all their titles.

On the select committee corridor, Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, will be quizzed about covid vaccines for children; Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, about foreign travel and the shortage of lorry drivers and Matthew Rycroft, permanent secretary at the Home Office, about the Windrush scandal, migrants crossing the Channel and arrivals from Afghanistan.

BACK OF THE QUEUE Despite the exchange of pleasantries at the White House last night with Joe Biden, the prime ministers hope of delivering the long-promised post-Brexit Britain prize of a US-UK free trading agreement appears to be evaporating.Mr Johnson admitted yesterday that his special relationship partner had a lot of other fish to fry while the US president himself gave no cause for optimism about a swift agreement, saying only that the pair would talk a little bit about trade. Pouring cold water on the prospect while sitting next to the PM in the Oval Office, Mr Biden added: Were going to have work that through. Perhaps former president Barack Obama wasnt bluffing when he visited the UK during the referendum, warning that Brexit would put the country at the back of the queue in any trade deal with the US. Instead, the UK is mulling a bid to join a trade partnership between the US, Canada and Mexico, my colleague Andrew Woodcock reports from Washington. There are a variety of different ways to do this, a UK government source said. The question is whether the US administration is ready. The ball is in the USs court. It takes two to tango. Today, the prime minister will also issue a call for the world to grow up and address the threat of climate change in his speech to the United Nations.

TOXIC COCKTAIL On the domestic front, the prime minister has dismissed growing fears of a cost of living crisis this winter  despite one of his cabinet colleagues, Kwasi Kwarteng, admitting some families may face a very difficult winter with energy bills rising and an imminent cut to the 20-per-week uplift in universal credit  introduced at the onset of the pandemic. Asked if people are really going to struggle, Mr Johnson told reporters: No, because I think this is a short-term problem. This claim has been rejected by the anti-poverty think tank, the Resolution Foundation, which warned of a cost of living crunch, even if the immediate gas supply problems ease. Director of policy at the fuel poverty charity the National Energy Action added: This cocktail of challenges will leave millions of households struggling to cope with less income and higher costs. For many, it will be an impossible task. Labour are again seeking to highlight what they have described as the cost of living triple whammy facing families. Elsewhere, the government is reported to have a struck a deal with CF Industries to restart carbon dioxide production at its UK plants, after they were closed last week due to spike in global natural gas prices.

CIVIL WAR Given the Labour Party actually votes on issues at its annual conference  in stark contrast to the Conservatives selection of speeches  it is perhaps no surprise theres usually an internal battle over the partys rulebook, despite repeated vows to stop navel gazing. On the eve of the last in-person Labour conference in 2019 there was an extraordinary attempt to abolish the position of deputy leader. This year, Sir Keir Starmer eyes changing the way leaders of the party are elected  reverting to the old electoral college system last used in 2010. Under the new (or rather old) proposed system, the vote for the leader would be split one third between MPs, one third between unions, and one third between members  in contrast to now where all party members get a single vote. The partys governing body  the National Executive Committee  is expected to hear the plans on Friday, but they have already triggered an almighty row on the eve of conference. Left-wing group Momentum said the rule change would mark the start of a civil war in the party.

GUERRILLA CRACKDOWN Police made 38 arrests and dragged Insulate Britain protesters from the M25 after members of the group stormed onto the countrys busiest motorway once again. Footage taken at the scene by LBC showed the climate activists walking on to the motorway and sitting down  forcing traffic to stop. Writing in the Daily Mail, the home secretary, Priti Patel, alongside her cabinet colleague, Grant Shapps, said the protestors had broken the law, undermined the cause they believe in, alienated the public, and created extra pollution, in one of the most self-defeating environmental protests this country has ever seen. The duo also insisted the government was giving the police powers to better manage such guerrilla tactics in future. According to the reports, the cabinet ministers are seeking a court injection to prevent protestors causing gridlock and is likely to be sought by National Highways at the High Court on Thursday. One protester told BBC Radio 4s Today programme they were consulting lawyers.

KERCHING An investigation has found that Whitehall departments spent at least 500,000 since 2016 attempting to block the release of information under transparency laws, with government legal staffers challenging rulings by the Information Commissioner. Three cheers for transparency. The greatest one-off spend award goes to the Department of Health and Social Care, which raked up legal bills exceeding 129,000 fighting a single case to prevent the release of ministerial diaries. The judge in this particularly case eventually ruled against the wishes of the government. At the same time when the public are concerned about government secrecy it is deeply ironic that government departments are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money to hide information from the public, said the editor-in-chief on the investigative outfit openDemocracy. A government spokesperson defended the approach saying they were committed to being as transparent as possible but added: When considering FOI requests we have to balance the need to make information available with our duty to protect sensitive information.

From the Twitterati

Moving to an electoral college for Labour leadership elections  ending one member one vote and hoarding power in the hands of MPs in Westminster  would be a shameful attack on democracy

Labour MP Zarah Sultana on Sir Keir Starmers proposed changes to leadership elections

Essential reading

Gloria de Piero, The Independent: Why is a lefty like me working at GB News?

Tom Peck, The Independent: What a surprise that the UK is, yet again, overly exposed to a global crisis

Vince Cable, The Independent: A terminal crisis is looming for Boris Johnson's doctrine of 'cakeism'

Polly Toynbee, The Guardian: Labour should be approaching its party conference with hope, not despair

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US president Joe Biden has poured cold water on the prospect of a free trade agreement with the UK as he met Boris Johnson for talks in the White House.

Sitting alongside the prime minister, Mr Biden said that the pair would talk about trade a little bit and said that the issue would have to be worked through.

And he again cautioned Mr Johnson not to allow rows with Brussels over the implementation of Brexit to put at risk peace in Northern Ireland by closing the border with the Republic.

His comments came shortly after Mr Johnson was forced to accept that his long-cherished dream of a swift post-Brexit trade deal with the US was dead.

Speaking ahead of the Oval Office meeting, Mr Johnson admitted the deal was low on the presidents list of priorities, telling reporters: Joe has a lot of fish to fry.

Asked by UK reporters about the potential for an FTA, Mr Biden said: On a Brexit free trade... Were going to talk a little bit about trade today and were going to have to work that through.

Mr Biden said he feels very strongly that he does not want a change to the Irish accords resulting in a closed border.

Asked about a UK-US trade deal, the US President told reporters in the Oval Office: To do with the UK, thats continuing to be discussed.

But on the protocols I feel very strongly on those. We spent an enormous amount of time and effort, the United States, it was a major bipartisan effort made.

And I would not at all like to see, nor I might add would many of my Republican colleagues like to see, a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland.

Mr Johnson responded: On that point, Joe, we are completely at one. Nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

In more welcome comments for Mr Johnson, Biden repeated his assurance that he will attend the UN COP26 climate change summit being hosted by the PM in Glasgow in November, saying the US would be there with bells on.

The US president said: As we look ahead to the UK hosting Cop26, which Im really anxious to attend in Glasgow in November.

Were going to be there with bells on, as they say.
Boris Johnson has said he was caught by surprise by the scale of US president Joe Bidens new commitment to a climate finance fund for developing countries.

Speaking during his visit to Washington, Mr Johnson said he could now upgrade his six out of 10 assessment of the chances of success at the COP26 climate emergency summit he is hosting in Glasgow in November.

The prime minister was delighted by Mr Bidens announcement at the United Nations on Tuesday that he would double the USAs $5.6bn annual contribution to helping poorer nations develop low-carbon energy sources and adapt to rising temperatures.

The move left Mr Johnson $15bn short of hitting the funds $100bn-a-year (73bn) target by the time of the crucial COP summit, when he hopes to build on the Paris Accord of 2015 with emission-cutting commitments which could hold global warming to 1.5 degrees above industrial levels.

But it raised UK hopes that Mr Bidens action will shame other world leaders into following suit and getting the funding pledge - first agreed at Copenhagen in 2009 and due to be met by 2020 - over the line.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters 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. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA

Mr Johnson told reporters in Washington: Yesterday the president came through with something that really exceeded our expectations.

I said on the plane out that we had a six in 10 chance of success on that.

Maybe I undercooked it. They really surprised us all on the upside.
Beginning next year, Amazons 750,000 hourly wage workers can have their entire future college tuition costs covered  debt-free. That includes textbooks and fees, as well as costs for high school diploma or equivalent programmes and language certification courses.

Walmart, the nations largest retailer, removed its $1-a-day fee to participate in its Live Better U programme and will now cover all tuition fees and textbook costs for 1.5 million employees.

Within a week of Targets announcement of its debt-free college programme last month, more than 10,000 people from its 340,000-strong front-line workforce signed up for information, a company spokesperson told The Independent.

The retail giants join mega-brands like Starbucks and McDonalds offering similar tuition plans, as big-box stores and fast-food companies attempt to lure  and retain  part-time and hourly wage retail and food service workers with a potentially life-changing benefit that costs companies relatively little, can be a tax write-off, and commits employees to working for them as long as the degree requires.

Many large employers now are extending debt-free college benefits  formerly seen as a white-collar perk  as an incentive for low-wage work during the ongoing public health crisis.

The pandemic has also seen one of the largest union organising efforts in modern US history, as labour organisers pushed for higher wages and stronger health protections, which have turned into bargaining chips that later keep unions out of the workplace.

While workers are in demand and companies struggle to fill positions, Amazon has seen a turnover rate of 3 per cent a week, or 150 per cent a year, despite its massive hiring campaign, according to The New York Times.

Offering up no-strings-attached tuition could help alleviate some of that drain.

They might be able to get enough productive months or years out of somebody to make it worth the investment, Chris OLeary, a senior economist at the WE Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, told The Wall Street Journal.

Higher education degrees are often requisite for entering the so-called skilled workforce, though a majority of Americans dont have any.

But the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout have forced employers to confront workplace realities for their low-wage hourly workers  staff are leaving after managing and enforcing public safety guidelines in front-facing jobs, potentially exposing them to Covid-19, while juggling unpredictable school closures without reliable childcare.

Despite some gains in employment figures in recent months, there were still 5.3 million fewer jobs in August 2021 than in February 2020, according to Labor Department data analysed by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

The majority of jobs lost over the last 18 months have been in low-wage industries, accounting for 30 per cent of all jobs in the US but 53 per cent of all jobs lost during the pandemic.

Last month, more than 24 million Americans met the definition of unemployed  meaning they were actively looking for work or had been temporarily laid off  or lived with unemployed family members, including 6.4 million children, according to the Census Bureau.

But the pandemic has also frozen employment prospects for millions of Americans.

More than 3 million people were not employed because of health concerns or fears of inadequate or inconsistent safety measures against Covid-19, while 5.5 million others were caring for children who are not in school or enrolled in daycare, according to a recent survey from the US Census Bureau.

Most US employers see the expansion of voluntary benefits packages  from additional healthcare to financial planning and tuition assistance  as an important part of their organisation, surging to 94 per cent of employers from only 36 per cent just a few years ago, according to advisory and brokerage company Willis Towers Watson

The companys May 2021 survey found that 88 per cent of employers who responded currently offer or plan to offer within the next two years some form of tuition reimbursement programme.

Lydia Jilek, senior director of Voluntary Benefits Solutions at Willis Towers Watson, said new benefits  from healthcare coverage to education  are a cost-effective way to both attract workers and meet current worker demands.

The pandemic has given rise to an increase in benefits that protect employees against big hospital bills and loss of income, and provide personal protection, she said.

Supplemental benefits beyond traditional benefits packages provide additional ways to support their employees overall wellbeing and enhance the perceived value of their benefit offerings, she said.

What also makes tuition assistance attractive benefits for employers: relatively few workers end up taking them.

Starbucks has roughly 19,000 of its 228,000 US workers in its programme, and roughly 1.7 per cent of Walmarts 1.5m employees were enrolled in its Live Better U as of mid-2021.

Five per cent of companies that responded to the Willis Towers Watson survey said that many or most of their employees were enrolled in some kind of tuition programme, while 58 per cent said very few or few employees are.

But the number of employers who said that their workforce was enrolled in programmes to relieve their existing student debt from degrees theyve already earned was at 17 per cent.

The trend in higher education benefits also follows a growing student debt crisis, which has ballooned to 45 million Americans holding more than $1.8 trillion in debt for their degrees.

A bulk of that debt surged over the last decade as private university enrolment grew and federal and state governments made steep cuts to higher-education funding against a backdrop of widening income inequality.

One McDonalds worker and nursing school student, the first in her family to go to college, told The Balance that she stayed on with the company for part-time work solely for the scholarship through its Archways to Opportunity programme, which covers up to $2,500 of tuition assistance each year.

It would have definitely been more difficult to pay off my loans without it, she said. It took a nice chunk out of that total at the end.

Financial analysts have also cast some doubt on the weight of degrees earned from online universities compared to traditional in-person courses at more prestigious institutions.

Wealth adviser Ryan Cullen of Cullen Investment Group told Forbes that online degrees may help workers climb to higher wages at their current job but may not necessarily translate to higher-paying jobs at other companies.

A Starbucks employee who put down $5,000 to enrol in classes, an amount that was later reimbursed through his paycheck, told Vox that he could only find similarly low-paying jobs after graduating, but the risk of carrying massive debt after college was too great.

Starbucks has one of the longest-running tuition programmes, starting in 2014, with online courses for dozens of degree programmes offered through Arizona State University. Internal newsletters showcase graduates and success stories. In 2021, the company offered to pay the full cost of tuition up front instead of reimbursing it.

Nearly 7,000 people have graduated through the programme, a company spokesperson told The Independent. Nearly 80 per cent of its stores have at least one person enrolled in courses, and the companys goal is to reach 25,000 graduates by 2025.

Amazons Career Choice plan allows any hourly employee who has been with the company for at least 90 days to enrol; that plan will extend to the 400,000 new workers who were hired during the companys pandemic hiring surge.

Previously, Amazons plan covered up to 95 per cent of tuition costs and did not include bachelors degrees, and eligible employees had to work for Amazon for at least a year. More than 50,000 workers have participated in the programme, according to Amazon.

Several companies  including Disney, Target and Chipotle  have partnered with Guild Education, which offers preselected online degrees from a select group of universities with online courses.

Targets plan offers 250 business-aligned programs from over 40 schools, colleges and universities.

Employees have no personal financial obligations if they stop taking courses, according to Target. Target will cover the cost of the tuition for the term the team member is enrolled in.

For workers who want to enter a different undergraduate or masters degree programme, Target will pay tuition up to $5,250 for non-masters degrees and up to $10,000 for masters degrees.

That $5,250 figure hits a magic number before tax liability  employers can deduct the expense, and the benefit is not taxable for employees, unless they drop out of the programme or quit their job.

Many of the brands offering these benefits  from Amazon to McDonalds and Starbucks  have also faced high-profile campaigns among workers for union representation, which the companies have rejected.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters  one of the largest labour unions in the country  includes tuition discounts and free college courses as part of its benefits package.

The union pledged all resources necessary to unionise Amazon workers after warehouse employees in Alabama voted down the prospect of membership in the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union after workers pushed for better and safer working conditions.

The union has accused the e-commerce giant of obstructing the vote, and the National Labor Relations Board also is considering whether to call a new vote.

The vote even prompted then-CEO Jeff Bezos to call for a better vision for how we create value for employees.

Amazon, in return, announced in September its expansive tuition plan, along with starting wages of $18 an hour and the hiring of 125,000 warehouse and transportation workers.

Amazon is now the largest job creator in the US, said Amazons Dave Clark. We know that investing in free skills training for our teams can have a huge impact for hundreds of thousands of families across the country.
Ice cream company Ben & Jerrys, described by some as the face of woke capitalism, has revealed a new flavour in support of Democratic Representative Cori Bushs Peoples Response Act, which calls for a health-centered approach to policing.

The Change Is Brewing flavour  comprising cold brew coffee ice cream with marshmallows and fudge brownies  aims to help transform the nations approach to public safety, the company said in support of the legislation.

Its time to divest from systems that criminalise black communities & invest in a vision of public safety that allows everyone to breathe free, Ben & Jerrys said.

Ben & Jerrys stood out among American corporations last year for its vocal support of racial justice in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At the time, the company posted a lengthy and pointed message on its website blaming Floyds killing on inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy.

On Monday, the Vermont-based brand said the new flavour was part of the companys ongoing work to advance racial justice and hailed Ms Bushs legislation for being written to transform a system that disproportionately criminalises black and brown people.

The company also called for the United States to divest from a broken criminal legal system and invest in services that help communities thrive, like mental health treatment, counseling, substance use treatment, and healthcare.

At a launch event on Monday, Ms Bush welcomed the new ice cream flavor and support for her bill.

Where Im from, were sick and tired of dying, the congresswoman from St Louis said. Our communities have been hurting, we face gun violence on a daily basis, she added. We know that this goes back to systems that were not mean to lift us.

Ms Bush called for better funding for housing, education and green spaces and said that black Americans had traditionally not received a just response from police forces nationwide  which she said her legislation aimed to fix.

Our current approach to public safety, its not working, Ms Bush said. The Peoples Response Act writes a new future, this bill makes it clear that public safety is a public health issue, she added.

The ice cream flavour is just one example of the momentum behind people seeking change, she said.

Ms Bush, 45, a registered nurse, got involved in politics in 2014, when she became a leader in protests over the police killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in Ferguson, Missouri.

She has faced criticism for bringing her activist background and style to the legislative realm, most recently when she garnered national attention by sleeping outside on theCapitol steps as she protested the Biden administrations decision to allow a coronavirus pandemic-era eviction moratorium to expire, putting pressure on the White House.

Ben & Jerrys said that it had teamed up with a number of black entrepreneurs and artists to produce the limited flavor. The company has been viewed as progressive for championing LGBT+ rights and climate justice.

The company is, however, no stranger to making waves.

In July, it announced that it would no longer be selling ice cream in the West Bank, after stating that it would be inconsistent with our values for the products to be sold in Palestinian territory that was occupied by Israel. The move led to calls for boycotts of the brand and provoked rancor from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who said the decision was a moral and business mistake.

Ben & Jerrys was founded in 1978 by two Jewish Americans, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield and bought in 2000 by British company Unilever, though Ben and Jerrys maintains an unusual amount of freedom under the terms of the deal.

The Change Is Brewing ice cream has received a mixed response so far.

Thank you!!! Definitely going to try this!! wrote one Twitter user on Monday. Another said: Stick to making ice cream and stay out of politics, its far from your forte!

The Washington Post
A seemingly flustered Bill Gates stammered his way through a televised interview after the mega-billionaire philanthropist was asked about his meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Microsoft co-founder appeared on the PBS Newshour show on Tuesday to answer a range of questions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the United Nations General Assembly in progress, and his meetings with controversial American financier Epstein.

You know, I had dinners with him... I regret doing that, Mr Gates said in his interview with Judy Woodruff.

He had relationships with people he said would give to global health, which is an interest I have. Not nearly enough philanthropy goes in that direction. Those meetings were a mistake. They didnt result in what he purported. And I cut them off. That goes back a long time ago now. Theres  so theres nothing new on that.

On being asked what he found out about Epstein and his background after meeting him a number of times, Mr Gates struggled to give a direct answer. He said: Well, I have said I regretted having those dinners. And theres nothing, absolutely nothing new on that.

Another awkward moment cropped up for Mr Gates after Ms Woodruff asked him if there was a lesson to take from this experience. The multi-billionaire said in response: Well, hes dead. So, in general, you always have to be careful.

And the  Im very proud of what we have done in philanthropy, very proud of the work of the foundation. Thats what I get up every day and focus on, Mr Gates added, while looking uncomfortable.

Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking, and died in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial. The medical examiner ruled the death a suicide. The controversial figure, who had attracted a pool of rich and affluent people, had pleaded guilty to charges of prostitution and solicitation.

In October 2019, reports emerged that Mr Gates had met Epstein on several occasions. The two had reportedly met at least three times since 2011 at Epsteins Manhattan townhouse, and that too for long durations.

Mr Gates had initially played down ties with the controversial sex offender. I didnt have any business relationship or friendship with him, he told The Wall Street Journal in 2019.
A 12-year-old boy from New Jersey has been vaccinated against Covid after asking for the jab as a present in the aftermath of his fathers death from the virus last year.

Gavin Roberts, who celebrated his 12th birthday on Sunday, had repeatedly asked his mother, Alice Roberts, for the vaccine after the death of his father Charles Roberts from Covid.

Mr Roberts, who was 45 years-old at the time of his death, had been a police officer with the Glen Ridge Police Department when he caught the virus and died. There were no vaccines available at the time.

Ms Roberts said her husband had been healthy and took the pandemic very seriously before collapsing and being taken to hospital, where he died on 11 May 2020.

She said of their son, Gavinn: "I kept asking him what he wanted for his birthday, [and] He was always saying it's the vaccine, we're going to get that."

The school teacher also told NBC New York that when vaccines did become available for herself and Gavins two older sisters, all of her family all got jabs because it was the only way out of the pandemic.

"Throughout this whole experience, weve felt that if we can turn a really sad, horrible moment in our lives into something that can help people we want to do that," Ms Roberts said.

Gavin told the network that he hoped people just learn that its very hard to go through, when you lose a family member from Covid, and that he hoped people saw that it was preventable with the vaccine.

By seeing us, hopefully it personalises it for people and its a real thing and it really happened to us. Were not paid actors. It really happened and it can happen to anyone, Ms Roberts added.

In a opinion piece for NJ.com, she criticised some first responders and law enforcement who were most at risk from Covid, but who were not vaccinated and are against the mandates.

It comes after US President Joe Biden announced a mandate for employers with more than 100 staff to ask workers for proof of vaccination against Covid.

Children aged below 12, meanwhile, will soon be approved for a vaccine, manufacturer Pfizer said on Monday.
A former FBI agent has said its possible that Brian Laundrie  the missing fiance of van-life blogger Gabby Petito, whose death has been ruled a homicide  is receiving help to stay on the run.

Bryanna Fox, a former FBI special agent and professor of criminology at the University of South Florida, speculated that either a fan or someone in Mr Laundries inner circle could be helping him find food and shelter.

Police have called Mr Laundrie a person of interest in the of Ms Petito. While police ruled her death a homicide after remains were found in Wyoming over the weekend, Mr Laundrie has not been accused of a crime. Mr Laundrie returned home without Ms Petito after the pair had been on a cross-country road trip together. He disappeared from his parents home and has been missing since 14 September. A major manhunt is underway in Floridas Carlton Reserve to try and find him.

Appearing on Today, Ms Fox was asked what she would do to track Mr Laundrie down.

Theres so much we can do as an investigator, including trying to preserve any kind of digital evidence that may help us understand where Brians going. People that he may be trying to stay with, visit, or may even be a fan of his Instagram account that may be trying to provide help to him.

Ms Fox said it was likely there would be digital evidence that could help trace Mr Laundries whereabouts, given that he had been missing for more than a week.

Obviously for food and shelter you need to have credit cards or at least support through cash assistance from somebody, all of that leaves these digital trails.

She added: Being able to pull those financials or pull the digital communications either between Brian and a fan, or Brian and somebody who is willing to support him... this could probably be somebody in his inner circle. Not a lot of people would be willing to do this for someone who is a known fugitive at this point, without being [...] in their inner circle.

It seems like there's only a few possibilities, Ms Fox continued. One is that he's still in hiding and there's a lot of area to search, so that is a possibility, but another is that unfortunately both Gabby and Brian passed in this incident. If that is the case we will never know perhaps what exactly happened to Gabby. So there are a lot of reasons why we are hoping to find Brian.

The police search for Mr Laundrie continues at the 25,000-acre Carlton Reserve near his family home. Law enforcement investigated a possible sighting of him, captured on a deer camera in the Florida Panhandle, but determined there was no connection. In a statement on Tuesday, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said the agency was determined to ensure anyone responsible for, or complicit in her death would he held accountable for their actions.

The FBIs commitment to justice is at the forefront of each and every investigation, he added.

The Independent has reached out to the lawyer of Mr Laundries family for comment.
A new variant of the coronavirus which originated in Japan has now been detected at a nursing home in Kentucky, where it infected 45 residents and healthcare workers.

The R.1 variant of the virus is related to the original coronavirus strain and contains "many unique mutations" that can lead to increased resistance to antibodies in convalescent sera and to neutralising monoclonal antibodies."

The evolved variant was successful in affecting multiple vaccinated people by circumventing antibodies. The variant was detected in April in an outbreak at a Kentucky nursing facility where nearly all residents were vaccinated.

An investigation by the Kentucky Department of Public Health revealed an unvaccinated, infected staffer initiated the outbreak in early March.

Former Harvard Medical School professor and infectious disease expert Dr William A Haseltine, in an article published in Forbes, suggested that the "R.1 is a variant to watch" as it has already "established a foothold in both Japan and the United States".

According to the GISAID SARS-CoV-2 database, the variant has infected over 10,000 people globally. The variant shares the highly infectious D614G mutation that is present in other variants of concern such as the Delta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma.

The mutation in the spike protein  called E484K  conveys increased resistance to antibodies. The E484K substitutes the negatively charged residue glutamic acid for the positively charged lysine and is present in the Beta, Gamma, Eta, Iota, and Mu variants.

An identical mutation at position 152 is present in one of the minor variants of the Delta strain that originated in India, Dr Haseltine wrote. The highly contagious Delta variant first plagued India and the Asian subcontinent this summer then rapidly spread westwards to infect the American population.

Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, Kentucky has reported over 661,580 cases and 8,339 Covid-19 related deaths. The state in August 2021 had recorded the highest number of cases, Governor Andy Beshear said during a briefing on Monday.

So far at least 70 per cent of eligible Kentucky residents have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, the governor added.

With everything were going through right now, were focused on not enough people being vaccinated. And thats the power of this delta variant. Getting 70 per cent of a commonwealth vaccinated against a brand new virus is a big feat. And its taken a whole lot of work," he told reporters.
A newly uncovered social media account believed to belong to missing person of interest Brian Laundrie is being pored over by an army of internet sleuths seeking clues to his whereabouts.

The Pinterest page suspected of being Mr Laundries is also offering new clues into his state of mind in the weeks before his girlfriend Gabby Petito went missing on or about 25 August.

Authorities confirmed Ms Petitos death was a homicide on Tuesday, but have not identified Mr Laundrie as a suspect, and he has not been charged with a crime in relation to her disappearance.

The Pinterest account, listed under the name @ blaundrie1197 , is linked to a profile under the name of Gabs Petito, and another in the name of his mother Roberta Laundrie.

One image being shared widely shows a sketch of ghostly figures, a gravestone, and text scattered throughout which reads let her go, let her go, God bless her, wherever she may be.

If yall havent already, I would highly recommend looking at #BrianLaundries Pinterest.this is just an example I took from his page, but go read some of the stuff on there. pic.twitter.com/WvttNWzniF  Kayla (@kjmcjunkins) September 21, 2021

The quotes appear to come from St James Infirmary Blues, a 1943 song from Cab Calloway.

In a separate post, text at the bottom of an image reads: Dont try to find me, and I have finally escaped my masters wicked clutches. To the others I say: JOIN ME. Bite the hand that feeds you. Vive La Liberte.

The quote is attributed to a Pierre, and the image reportedly comes from a 2006 missing dog poster seen in Oregon, according to The Sun .

Another folder titled Life Goals and shared by Mr Laundrie, his mother, and Ms Petito were making plans for their wedding.

Its sickening to me that Roberta was a collaborator on Gabbys Life Goals (wedding, baby) board on Pinterest. They were obviously close.  #justiceforgabbypetito #GabbyPetito #BrianLaundrie #BrianLaundrieMissing pic.twitter.com/ZdBRDCzKhe  dylan (@deffonotdylan) September 20, 2021

The couple got engaged sometime in 2020, but Ms Petitos parents have since said they had no immediate plans to marry.

Another page titled Oh Baby contains ideas for baby outfits and bedroom decorations, and sparked unsubstantiated rumours that Ms Petito may have been pregnant.

The latest post shows the cover of a book titled Burnt Out, how to cope with autistic burnout.

The last image posted to Mr Laundries Pinterest account hows the cover of a book on how to cope with autism burnout (Pinterest)

While its unknown whether Mr Laundrie was on the autism spectrum, he and Ms Petito told officers attending a domestic disturbance in Utah on August 12 they were suffering from a mental health breakdown.

According to a 911 call, Mr Laundrie hit and slapped his girlfriend in Moab, Utah, on 12 August.

When spoken to by police, she claimed to have instigated the fight and said she had been suffering from anxiety. Attending officer Daniel Robbins said the couple appeared to have been going through a mental health crisis, according to a police incident report obtained by The Independent.

Criminologists have pointed out that Mr Laundrie and Ms Petitos picture perfect presentation of their van-life tour of the United States was a long way from reality.

The substantial digital footprint left behind by Mr Laundrie has provided a wealth of material for the online community that has sprung up on social media and on internet messageboards such as the Gabby Petito subreddit, which has more than 110,000 members. They have been obsessively tracking and sharing every development in the case,searching for clues and flooding an FBI tipline with information.

Mr Laundrie presented himself as a committed environmentalist and outdoorsman on his Instagram page (Instagram)

An infestation of humans

On Instagram, Brian Laundrie presents himself as an outdoorsman, a devoted boyfriend, and an artist with conspiratorial leanings.

He rails against being brainwashed by the media, about how governments are evil and are trying to destroy the planet, and his fondness for pop culture icons like Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk and the creator of the Hellboy comics, Mike Mignola.

The posts are sprinkled with references to nature and leaving behind dark themes; of his admiration for film characters like Joaquin Phoenixs The Joker, violent video games like Hotline Miami, and a reference to the book Lullaby by Mr Palahniuk, in which a man investigates the death of his wife and child.

This July 2020 post from Mr Petitos Instagram account was captioned: Who Watches the Watchmen? He shared dozens of his own sketches to social media (Instagram)

On the account named Bizarre Design, Mr Laundrie posted dozens of sketches, travel photos, and references his girlfriend Ms Petito as his side kick.

Mr Laundrie wrote often of his disdain for the human impact on the natural world, and of an infestation of humans ruining nature on a visit to Zion National Park in August.

He twice references death or dying when posting about his relationship with Ms Petito.

Mr Laundrie sold his artwork on a website called Depop, a fashion marketplace app of a global community buying, selling and connecting. Most pieces sold for $4 or $5.

He invites people to contact him with any specific requests/color/size.

Til death do us part

A photo from the couples first roadtrip in 2020 (Instagram)

His first posts on 2 July 2020 appear to be a photo dump of recent travels with Ms Petito. Bearded, bald, and tanned, the pictures appear to show the couples first roadtrip across the US last year.

2 July 2020 - Its been an incredible year, by far the best of my life. Ive been to so many beautiful places, had so many amazing experiences and all with the best side kick in the world!

Mr Laundries Til death do us part comment has attracted significant interest from online followers of the case (Instagram)

3 July - My biggest fear is that one day Ill wake up and it will have all been a dream, because that is what every second has felt like since the moment we found each other. Till death do us part or until I wake up, Im so happy the answer was yes, Love you hunny.

15 July - Charta Malum (Latin for evil charter). Our mistake has been placing our faith in government rather than put our efforts into sustainable farming. Our forests paved over for shopping malls opposed to everyone living amongst nature and living off of the land rather than pillaging it.

22 July - Loved the new #joker wanted to make a minimal stamp of the new prince of crime #dccomics #linocut 

Mr Laundrie posted dozens of his own drawings to Instagram (Instrgram)

29 July - When I pondered whether I should do a luci stamp all I could hear in the deep recesses of my mind was do it #linocutprint #linocut #disenchantment 

Mr Laundrie was a fan of Chuck Palahniuk books, including Lullaby which is about a man who investigates the death of his wife and child (Instagram)

26 August - Reading is different than any other consumption of media, it takes more effort that staring at a screen half alive, it allows you to use your brain rather than melt it, and there is no author more stimulation to me than @chuckpalahniuk 

Mr Laundrie frequently posted pictures from his trips to national parks (Instagram)

18 July 2021 - Zion is proof that mankind can ruin anything even in an effort to preserve it. Beautiful park just with an unfortunate infestation of human beings.

13 August - Mr Laundries final post, the day after he was spoken to by police after a domestic dispute with his girlfriend.

Humans are primates, great apes in fact but I dont know all how great we are as a species. Chimpanzees share 98.8% of there DNA with humans, our closest living relative, but as I see it every living creature is in some way our relative even trees. Only 800 million years ago animal cells started appearing on earth comprised of mainly the same parts and following the same functions as plant cells. Requiring oxygen, solar energy, minerals, nutrients and water. This tree(Juniperus osteosperma)was surviving in only inches of soil, in an area of extreme heat and drought. I think our culture, our society has put itself above all living creatures, creating needs purely to support destructive economic practices. This tree doesnt require an Apple Watch, it doesnt stream its favorite shows, or have a microwave oven, pay health insurance or drink grande iced caramel macchiatos. It is just a tree but you rarely see geese riding jet skis or wearing designer clothing either. I think if we all want breathable air and drinkable water we all need to learn how to live with less
A witness has come forward to describe a stand-up argument between Brian Laundrie and a waitress at a restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, around the time Gabby Petito is believed to have sent her final text to her mother.

Nina Celie Angelo told Fox News she saw Mr Laundrie arguing with several female staff at Tex-Mex restaurant Merry Piglets between 1pm and 2pm on 27 August.

Mr Laundrie reportedly left and returned the restaurant approximately four times during the row, and Ms Angelo described his body language as aggressive. Ms Petito apologised to staff about his behaviour, the witness said.

If confirmed, it would be one of the last sightings of Ms Petito alive.

Jackson Hole is approximately 40 miles south of Spread Creek, in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, where the couples van was captured parked on the side of a dirt road by a YouTuber later that evening.

Ms Petitos remains were located by an FBI-led search team in the vicinity of Spread Creek on Sunday.

Ms Angelo said she couldnt overhear what the argument was about, but it appeared to be over money.

Its crazy because it wasnt just like we passed them on the street. It was a full blown incident, Ms Angelo told Fox News .

Staff at the restaurant told Fox they couldnt remember the incident, saying summer was an especially busy time of year.

Local law enforcement in Wyoming referred media inquiries to the FBI, who declined to comment.

Ms Angelo, a photographer from New Orleans, was in town to attend a wedding with her boyfriend Matthew England.

They returned home as Hurricane Ida made landfall in the city.

Images released by the FBI of Gabby Petito (AP)

It was only after seeing police bodycam of a 12 August domestic dispute between Mr Laundrie and Ms Petito in Moab, Utah, that Mr England realised it was the same person they had seen arguing with waitstaff.

I would bet $10 million, Im 1,000 per cent sure that was him and that was her, Mr England, a financial adviser told Fox.

Ms Angelo described feeling the blood drain from her body as she made the connection to the angry restaurant scene she had witnessed.

They produced a bill from the restaurant trip to Fox to confirm the incident, and said they had notified the FBI.

Ms Petitos mother Nichole Schmidt received a final text from her daughter on 27 August, a police search warrant revealed.

Ms Schmidt said the text was odd because Ms Petito mentioned her grandfather by his first name Stan.

Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls, the text said, according to the warrant.

The text exchange formed part of a warrant obtained by North Port Police to search the Laundrie family home on Monday.

The Independent has approached Ms Angelo for comment.
The body of a retired Los Angeles detective was discovered inside the freezer at her home in California.

Police made the grim discovery after being asked to carry out a welfare check on Miriam Travis, 87, after an out-of-state family member became concerned she had not heard from her in two months.

Authorities in Riverside, California, say they were met at the house by her daughter who lives at the property and they started noticing inconsistent statements with her story as to moms whereabouts, Officer Javier Cabrera told NBC News.

There were just a lot of flags, added Officer Cabrera.

Officers were able to go inside the residence, which was disheveled, almost hoard-like conditions. They go inside, go through the garage and in the freezer they locate the mother deceased inside the freezer.

The 64-year-old daughter was briefly detained by police but not arrested, and investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy.

Its a tragedy as you can imagine. I dont think any of us could imagine having our mom in a freezer right? said neighbour Randy Hayes.

Ms Travis worked for the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department from 1963 until her retirement in 1990.

Our hearts are broken by this news and the entire LASD family mourns her loss, said Sheriff Alex Villanueva in a statement.

Her husband died in 1992, after which she changed the locks on the house, which is around 60 miles east of Los Angeles, and cut off contact with her extended family, said a relative, Kerri Nickell of Oklahoma.

It was like this is my grandmother one day, and then we never heard from her again, Ms Nickell told the Press-Enterprise.

She also described Ms Travis and her daughter as kind of hermits.
The family of a young geologist missing in Arizona since June after leaving a work site have hired their own private investigator and believe his car - recovered in July with his phone, wallet and keys intact - was dumped in an effort to stage the scene.

South Carolina native Daniel Robinson, 24, graduated from the College of Charleston two years ago with a major in archaeology and moved to Arizona after landing a job with Matrix New World Engineering. He was with a coworker at a well site near Buckeye, Arizona on 23 June and heading to what the other man thought was the main road.

Mr Robinson, however, eventually headed farther west into the desert and has not been heard from since. His family back in South Carolina quickly became concerned because the recent college graduate regularly checked in with his parents and siblings.

Relatives began constantly calling, pleading with him to call us back, his father, David Robinson, told The Independent. We didnt know what was going on; we know Dan does not ignore his phone calls.

He added: I can imagine his phone ringing, ringing, ringing for I think almost a day  and then finally I guess the phone died or somebody cut it off. After that point, it goes straight to the voicemail.

The geologist is described as a 58 Black man weighing 165 pounds with black hair, brown eyes and a distinctive characteristic; he is missing part of his right forearm, including his hand.

The 24-year-old was reported missing to Buckeye Police Department on the same day he was last seen  and his vehicle was discovered by a rancher in a ravine on 19 July, around the same time his father decide to retain his own PI.

When police first called about the vehicles discovery, Mr Robinson told The Independent, my initial thought was that I was going to hear something horrible.

Police showed him photos and explained the condition of the 2017 Jeep Renegade, which seemed to have landed on its side. The geologists clothes were also bafflingly found at the scene.

That was a bittersweet thing, Mr Robinson told The Independent. I was feeling great that I didnt find out my son was deceased or something. At the same time, I ended up not having my son at all.

He shared details of the vehicles recovery and the black box GPS data retrieved with his private investigator, former police officer Jeff McGrath, introduced to him through an attorney acquaintance.

According to Mr Robinson, the data shows that his sons vehicle got into multiple accidents after the young mans disappearance.

My sons first initial crash is four hours after he went missing, he told The Independent. Something happened. Also theres some paint transfer from the vehicle. I feel like something happened there ... that we just dont know yet. We just cant get a full answer  and from there we dont know where the vehicle was taken.

He said the car was found around two miles from the work site his son had visited  but insisted the area had been searched to no avail before the vehicle was discovered on 19 July.

It was returned to an area near where we were searching  my theory would be maybe to ty to throw us off, he told The Independent.

Buckeye Police Department, they did a search, they didnt find a vehicle  and also my search team had been out there; they hadnt seen the vehicle, said Mr Robinson, who is former military.

He added: The vehicle wasnt there and all of a sudden appeared there ... I feel like it was dumped. My family and I, we all feel the same way.

There was no blood found in the car, and a police spokeswoman told The Independent that no indications of foul play had yet been uncovered.

Carissa Planalp, Buckeye PDs public information officer, said experts were continuing to analyse the evidence and data taken from the geologists vehicle  emphasising that solving his disappearance remained a priority for the department and wider community.

The police department has not only used all of its resources to try to find Daniel, but weve also leaned on other partner agencies like the Phoenix Firebird helicopters, civil air patrol, cadaver dogs ... we flew a drone over the area. Hours and hours of manpower, boots on the ground searching for Daniel, Planalp told The Independent.

The search did yield a human skull, she said, which had been ruled out as belonging neither to the missing geologist nor another local whod vanished.

She said: At this point, we are still analysing data that was pulled from Daniels Jeep that was recovered  so were still analysing that and were reaching out to some outside experts to take another look.

We know the family is desperate for answers. So are we  and were super committed to finding him.

The 24-year-olds disappearance, she said, is a conversation every day.

This case is such a priority, and theres so much importance on it ... Were looking for any information from the public  and the public has really come out in a big way through searches and through providing information thats been so helpful. But we need more. We need more information.

The missing mans father told The Independent that he felt authorities could have begun more extensive searches earlier  and he was upset at how the case had been handled so far, particularly in the wake of other high-profile missing persons cases in the West and Southwest this summer.

I started researching Arizona, and I realized ... theres a lot of missing cases here, he told The Independent. Because of the way the Buckeye Police Department was handling my sons case, I kind of understand why. Time is of the essence  and if you dont move fast enough, you may not ever find the person.

He said the personal theory he is sticking to steadfastly is that, somehow, Gods going to bring my son back alive.
It was the news nobody wanted to hear, but which most most had probably been expecting.

The FBI announced that the remains found at the weekend at a campsite north of Jackson, Wyoming, were indeed those of Gabby Petito, and that the coroner believed her death was a homicide - namely that she had been killed by another person.

After an autopsy lasting several hours, and in which a forensic pathologist assisted the examination led by Teton County coroner Brent Blue, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said further tests could be continued to try and determine the precise cause of death of the missing 22-year-old.

The announcement immediately heightened expectations that police or the FBI may now announce charges.

Ms Petitos boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, currently being searched for by police in Florida, has been described as a person of interest.

And in its announcement about Ms Petito on Tuesday, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said the agency was determined to ensure anyone responsible for, or complicit in her death would he held accountable for their actions.

 Officials Believe They've Found Gabby Petito's Remains; Fiance Missing

The FBIs commitment to justice is at the forefront of each and every investigation, he added.

Richard Stafford, a lawyer for the family of Ms Petito, thanked the media for giving the Petito and Schmidt family time to grieve

We will be making a statement when Gabby is home, said Mr Stafford.

Ms Petito, originally from Long Island, New York, was reported missing by her family ten days ago, after she failed to return from a a cross country trip with Mr Laundrie, visiting some of the nations national parks.

On Sunday, when authorities announced they believed the remains found at the spread creek campsite were those of the young woman, her father, Joseph Petito wrote on Twitter: #GABBYPETITO she touched the world.

The story of the search for the missing young woman, who had posted updates of her travels on a YouTube channel gripped the nation, and dominated much media coverage.

Some commentators pointed out, correctly, that stories of missing Black, Latino or Indigenous women never receive such coverage.

Alongside that, the simple question of what had happened to her, was one that many wanted to try and help answer.

Indeed, the FBI thanked members of the public, including other campers, who had passed on tips or information. And they urged the public to continue to do so.

Among those who posted such information was Miranda Baker, who said she and her boyfriend gave a ride to Mr Laundrie, who at that point was traveling by himself on August 29.

He approached us asking us for a ride because he needed to go to Jackson, [and] we were going to Jackson that night, Ms Baker said on a series of TikTok videos.

So I said You know, hop in, and he hopped in the back of my Jeep, we then proceeded to make small talk, but before he came in the car he offered to pay us like $200, to give him a ride, like 10 miles, she said.

She added: So that was kind of weird. He then told us hes been camping for multiple days without his fiance, he did say he had a fiance, and that she was working on their social media page back at their van.

Another couple, Brian and Jenn and Bethune, who transformed a 1983 sliver eagle bus, and post video updates at their page Red White & Bethune, posted video showing that the white Ford Transit van used by Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie was parked in the spread creek campsite on 27 August.

Mr Bethune, who comes from Tampa, said the van appeared abandoned, when the couple posted the video on Saturday night.

We figured maybe they were out hiking or they were just chilling inside there was no doors open, you know. You know, a Florida plate, on the other side of the country, is not something we see all the time, he said.

On Sunday, when he announced that remains had been found at the campsite and were believed to be those of the missing young woman, FBI senior advisory agent Charles Jones was asked how important information from the public had been. He said: It was vital.

The effort to try and locate her played out against the massive, dramatic backdrop of the Grand Teton National Park, filled with snow covered mountains, and heather and brush that fills a full 480-square miles.

Ben Cole, has been coming to the park for 30 years, and on Saturday he was sitting close to the public showers at Colter Bay Village, from where Mr Laundrie is believed to have hitch-hiked a ride on August 29, told The Independent: Out here, its a vast land.

On Tuesday, police in North Port, Florida, said investigators had returned to the Carlton Reserve to look for the 23-year-old Mr Laundrie.

A cross is now located close to where Gabby Petitos remains were found (Andrew Buncombe)

The Associated Press said teams searched the 24,000-acre Florida nature preserve over the weekend without success. They focused on the area after Mr Laundries parents told police he may have gone there.

The FBI has not said what led them to the spread creek dispersed camp site in Wyoming with dozens of agents, park rangers and dogs to start their search at 6.30am on Saturday, several hours before the Bethunes posted their video.

There has been speculation that they received information, either in the form of a note left by Mr Laundrie or information passed on to his parents, when officers visited the parents home last Friday evening, 12 hours before the search got underway.

Spread creek campsite was one of several campsites Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie had used. Her remains were found at a location, perhaps four miles from the nearest highway, US Route 191, on Sunday morning.

On Tuesday, the campsite was reopened and journalists stumbled across a makeshift cross made of pebbles, in a river bed close to where Ms Petitos remains were found.

It it not known whether it was created by a member of the search team, or a member of the public.

There has also been speculation it could have been left by Mr Laundrie.
Gabby Petito and her fiance Brian Laundrie fought aggressively over her cellphone during an argument in Utah last month, a new witness has alleged.

According to a witness identified as Chris, 22-year-old Ms Petito was said to have asked Mr Laundrie why he had to be so mean to her after a fight outside of a store in Moab, Utah, on 12 August.

As the New York Post reported on Tuesday night, Chris told investigators that the pair were fighting aggressively in front of the store, and that he witnessed 23-year-old Mr Laundrie take Ms Petios phone, which police have so far been unable to find.

The incident on 12 August led to a separate 911 call and Moab police pulling over Ms Petito, and Mr Laundrie, who went missing last week and has been named a person of interest in the homicide death of his fiancee, whose body was found in Wyoming on Sunday.

The fight occurred almost a month into a road trip that would finish in Wyoming, and with Mr Laundries return to North Port, Florida, without the aspiring blogger.

Moab police were reportedly told that something seemed off between Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie, who appeared to take her phone, and that the argument appeared to be about the phone.

She was thought to have feared that he would drive off without her, and in body camera footage from Moab police, Mr Laundrie said he had the keys to their van during the argument.

He added that Ms Petito had a phone and said I didnt have my phone, I dont have a phone. The pair then allegedly walked off in separate directions.

They were talking aggressively at each other and something seemed off, the witness, Chris, reportedly told police. I think the male took the females (sic) phone. It appeared that he didnt want her in the white van.

The argument, which occurred outside the Moonflower Community Cooperative, follows reports that Ms Petitos mother was last messaged by her daughter on 27 August  but refused to believe that it was Ms Petito on the end end.

The new witness also appeared to differ to that of a 911 caller who said that Ms Petito had hit Mr Laundrie outside the store. After they were pulled over by police, the couple spent the night alone before continuing their road trip across the West.

FBI investigators said on Tuesday that Ms Petito had died by a homicide after her body was found in Wyoming. The search for Mr Laundrie, meanwhile, will resume on Wednesday in Florida.
A 16-year-old boy has pleaded guilty in the 2019 death of 18-year-old college freshman Tessa Majors in a New York City park in what he says was a mugging that went wrong.

Ms Majors, a student at Barnard College, was found stabbed to death in Morningside Park in northern Manhattan in December 2019.

Luchiano Lewis, 16, pleaded guilty to the killing on Tuesday and will be sentenced on 16 October after being charged as an adult with second-degree murder and first-degree robbery.

The murder charge carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of a life term.

Judge Robert Mandelbaum asked Luchiano if he was guilty. He said yes following a pause.

Prosecutors have said that Luchiano entered the park that night along with Rashaun Weaver and a middle school classmate looking for someone to rob. The middle schooler pleaded guilty to robbery as a minor while Rashaun pleaded not guilty in February 2020. His trial date is expected to be set during a court appearance on 18 October.

Rashauns lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman noted to reporters on Tuesday that both his client and Luchiano had been 14 years old when Ms Majors was killed.

This was not a premeditated murder, he said, according to The New York Times.

Family members of Ms Majors were in the courtroom on Tuesday.

We remain resolute in our belief that all parties who bear responsibility for Tess senseless death will be held accountable, and we are deeply grateful to the many people who continue to pursue that goal, the family said in a statement.

Prosecutors said the boys considered several targets before deciding to rob Ms Majors. She was a first-year student from Virginia who had just managed to book her first gig as a punk rock musician in the city.

Luchiano said that one man they had settled on robbing was too fast and that the boys stopped chasing him, leading them to try to mug Ms Majors.

The 16-year-old said Rashaun kicked Ms Majors in the back and yelled that she should give them her phone and money. He said Rashaun had wrestled with Ms Majors in two locations before Luchiano had seen a witness and told his classmates to flee the scene. He said he didnt know where he was when Rashaun stabbed Ms Majors.

Luchiano said that using a knife had not been part of the plan, adding that he didnt know that she had been stabbed or that she had been killed until the next day when he saw her death reported in the media.

Prosecutors have said that Ms Majors fought back and bit one of the teenagers hands, leading Luchiano to restrain her as Rashaun stabbed her several times.

As Luchiano spoke, he didnt mention any physical contact between himself and Ms Majors.

A witness heard Ms Majors screaming for help. She broke free from her attackers and collapsed on a corner outside the park after climbing some stairs. She was found facedown after having lost a lot of blood. She died at a nearby hospital.

A medical examiner found that she had been stabbed several times in the chest, including once in the heart.

Police interviewed a classmate of Luchiano and Rashaun the next day. They told him that they had video footage of the crime as well as other evidence. The boy confessed and was sentenced to 18 months in juvenile detention.

Ms Majors family issued a statement criticising the sentence.

There are no minor actors in the murder of Tess Majors, they said.

Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr said the defendants' rights would be protected.

Luchiano was arrested two months after the murder took place. He was accused of having restrained Ms Majors to stop her from fleeing. At first, he pleaded not guilty and was subsequently ordered to be held without bail in juvenile detention.
An Arizona woman testified against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on Tuesday alleging that the company's blood test almost drove her to terminate her pregnancy after it falsely showed she was suffering a miscarriage.

Brittany Gould, the first person to testify against the wire fraud case against Ms Holmes, said that she took the Theranos test at a Walgreens store in Arizona after learning about her pregnancy in September 2014.

Hailed as a disruption in the medicine industry, the concept device named "Edison" can run several tests only from few drops of blood.

Ms Gould had already suffered three consecutive miscarriages and wanted to ensure everything was alright with her fourth pregnancy. Given the high risk, her nurse practitioner Audra Zachman advised her to conduct an hCG test, which measures pregnancy hormone, CNBC reported.

The value doubles every 48 to 72 hours in a normal pregnancy, Ms Zachman said. Ms Gould first took a test on 30 September with a value of 1,005, and later on 2 October, the levels had jumped to 12,558.

On 4 October, another Theranos test showed those values had plummeted to 125.58 indicating she was suffering a miscarriage.

She told me your numbers are falling, unfortunately, and that I was miscarrying, Ms Gould said. However, tests conducted after few days through a different lab confirmed that she was still pregnant. Eventually, eight months later she delivered a healthy girl.

I remember communicating to Brittany that it was looking as though this was a non-viable pregnancy which would make it her fourth loss, Ms Zachman testified. She added, "there isnt a medical explanation in a pregnancy loss for the value to go from 100 way back into the thousands or to go up at all really."

Following the incident, Ms Zachman filed a complaint with Theranos.

She told jurors that she began sending patients to Theranos in 2014 after learning about their new technology, but stopped after the false report. I felt very uncertain of the validity of the results and felt uncomfortable as a provider continuing to have my patients use it, she said.

An emotional Ms Gould added that after giving birth, she never used a Theranos product again. She said: "You cant provide accurate patient care with inaccurate results."

According to prosecutors, Ms Holmes and her former partner and the company's former president Ramesh Sunny Balwani, duped patients and investors claiming their "revolutionary" device could run multiple tests through a finger-prickle system.

In reality, the device often fell short and malfunctioned. The loss of all these babies and pregnancies, and going through the experience of thinking Im losing another one, is a lot, Ms Gould told The Wall Street Journal.

The accused have been charged with nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection to the scheme that pulled in $700mn from investors. All the accused have pleaded not guilty.

Ms Holmes has maintained her innocence since the US government pressed charges against her in 2018. Her trial began on 31 August after being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and then a pregnancy.

If convicted she could face a 20-year prison sentence and a reversal of fortune for an entrepreneur whose wealth once was pegged at $4.5 billion.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergs response to a bombshell New York Times report focused on his rebuttal of a line in the story stating that his surfboard was electric.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Facebook manipulated the newsfeeds of users to show positive stories about the company. But in his response to the article, Mr Zuckerberg went to great lengths to clarify that a surfboard he was seen using in a 4 July video was not, in fact, electric, but that he was instead simply pumping it with his legs to propel himself across the water.

Look, its one thing for the media to say false things about my work, but its crossing the line to say Im riding an electric surfboard when that video clearly shows a hydrofoil that Im pumping with my own legs, Mr Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

Some hydrofoil surfboards do have electric motors, but manual ones are powered by the leg movements of the surfer. Lift Foils is a company that manufactures electric hydrofoil surfboards. They told Insider in 2020 that Mr Zuckerberg owned one of its electric surfboards priced at $12,000 after he was photographed using one in Hawaii.

Mr Zuckerberg didnt say what in the report by The New York Times was false, but Facebook spokesperson Joe Osborne blasted the story on Twitter. There is zero change in the News Feed ranking, he said in a statement, according to Insider. This is a test for an informational unit clearly marked as coming from Facebook. Its not the first of its kind, and is similar to corporate responsibility initiatives people see in other technology and consumer products.

According to The New York Times, Facebooks newsfeed initiative was called Project Amplify and was initially pitched at a January meeting. The paper cited a source present at that meeting and a total of six current and former company staffers in the story.

But Mr Osborne said on Twitter that the meeting never took place. The New York Times cited three sources as saying that Mr Zuckerberg approved Project Amplify, and reported that two sources said the project was tested in three cities in the US in August after the CEOs green light.

The paper also reported that the companys communications team put forward a less apologetic media strategy, outlined in a document. The Wall Street Journal had previously cited internal Facebook documents in their reporting of issues at the social media giant such as the spread of misinformation and the mental health impacts of Instagram on teenage girls.

Nick Clegg, Facebooks Vice President of Global Affairs and former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, said in an 18 September statement that The Wall Street Journals reporting contained deliberate mischaracterisations of what we are trying to do, and conferred egregiously false motives to Facebooks leadership and employees.
Photographs and videos of the thousands of Haitian migrants who have come to a small Texas border town of Del Rio, offer a glimpse into the chaos that has been unfolding at the US-Mexico border since last week.

In the past week, US authorities have moved to expel nearly 12,000 asylum seekers from Haiti who were fleeing their home country to escape corruption, disaster and poverty.

With their toddlers on their shoulder and home packed in a few bags, many were also forced to cross Mexicos Rio Grande into the US following the devastating earthquake in August that killed over 2,200 people and destroyed thousands of homes, and the assassination of their president Jovenel Moise in July.

According to US media reports, nearly 15,000 Haitians are sleeping under a highway bridge in rapidly deteriorating sanitary conditions, offering an overwhelming challenge to both the local and federal authorities.

Some migrants waded back through the river to buy food in Mexico that they carried in boxes on their heads before returning to the encampment in Texas. Others crossed the Acandi river to arrive in Columbia before beginning an arduous journey to Mexico.

Haitian migrants are pictured in a makeshift encampment where more than 12,000 people hoping to enter the United States await under the international bridge in Del Rio, Texas on 21 September 2021 (AFP via Getty Images)

A father and daughter pass the evening inside a migrant camp at the US-Mexico border on 21 September 2021 in Del Rio, Texas (Getty Images)

A Haitian migrant uses the Rio Grande to take a bath after crossing a dam from Mexico to the United States, Friday, 17 September 2021, in Del Rio, Texas (AP)

Migrants, many from Haiti, wade across the Rio Grande from Del Rio, Texas, to return to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, Tuesday, 21 September 2021, to avoid deportation from the U.S (AP)

Migrants, many from Haiti, wade across the Rio Grande from Del Rio, Texas, to return to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, Tuesday, 21 September 2021, to avoid deportation from the US (AP)

Images of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents on Horseback apparently attempting to corral migrants in specific areas also emerged belying President Joe Bidens promise of restoring an asylum programme for vulnerable families fleeing persecution.

A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on 19 September 2021 (AFP via Getty Images)

In at least one video, a CBP agent is heard berating a migrant using xenophobic and racist language, exclaiming to one man as he and his wife crossed a river: This is why your countrys sh*t, because you use your women for this!

A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on 19 September 2021 (AFP via Getty Images)

Among those condemning the images coming out of Del Rio was Vice President Kamala Harris. What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback, treating human beings the way they were was horrible, she told reporters on Tuesday. I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into what is going on there, but human beings should never be treated that way, and Im deeply troubled about it.

Men lift a baby over the waters of the Rio Grande river as migrants, many from Haiti, wade across the from Del Rio, Texas, to return to Ciudad AcuAa, Mexico, Monday, 20 September 2021, to avoid deportation from the US (AP)

Migrants continue on their trek north, near Acandi, Colombia, Wednesday, 15 September 2021. The migrants, mostly Haitians, are on their way to crossing the Darien Gap from Colombia into Panama dreaming of reaching the US (AP)

She added that she would be in touch with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Despite the condemnation, the Biden administration has continued deporting the more than 12,000 Haitians assembled at the border en masse under Title 42, a Trump-era immigration rule that largely shut down the border to asylum seekers.

Migrants, many from Haiti, board a bus after they were processed and released after spending time at a makeshift camp near the International Bridge, Monday, 20 September 2021, in Del Rio, Texas (AP)

Haitians deported from the United States recover their belongings on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Tuesday, 21 September 2021 (AP)

It has also ramped up flights to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, while bussing some of the migrants away from the capital. The asylum seekers with young children are especially worried about the spike in violence in their homelands capital, where the gangs control roughly one-third of the territory.
When a coronavirus vaccine site in Humble, Texas, shut down at 7pm on 29 December, Hasan Gokal began a race with the clock to distribute 10 leftover Moderna doses before the vial expired.

The doctor, with permission from his supervisor, phoned elderly and at-risk patients who were eligible to receive the shot in the earliest phases of the nationwide vaccine rollout. He found 10 people with underlying health conditions who said they would take the vaccine doses. Over the next five hours, Dr Gokal drove around the Houston area to distribute the vaccine to nine people. He couldnt reach the 10th person before the vaccine vial would expire, so Dr Gokal gave the last dose to his wife, who has a lung disease that affects her breathing.

The doctor believed he was doing the right thing after Jennifer Shuford, chief epidemiologist with the Texas Department of State Health Services, warned physicians not to waste the shots and said it was even acceptable to give leftover doses to ineligible people if the vaccines would otherwise expire.

But on 7 January, Harris County Public Health fired Dr Gokal for doling out the shots. Officials within the county health department then shared false information with the local district attorneys office, the lawsuit said, spurring prosecutors to bring criminal charges against Dr Gokal for allegedly stealing vaccine vials and giving shots to friends and family. That month, he was charged with theft by a public servant, a misdemeanor that was ultimately dismissed.

On Tuesday, Dr Gokal sued Harris County Public Health for wrongfully firing him, orchestrating a misinformation campaign aimed at stripping him of his medical license, and discriminating against the doctor based on his race and national origin. Harris County Public Health did not immediately return a request for comment from The Washington Post early Wednesday.

The termination and subsequent efforts to pursue criminal charges against Dr Gokal left him struggling to find a new job in public health, he said.

If you Google my name, youll see doctor theft, doctor theft, so on and so forth, Dr Gokal told KTRK on Tuesday.

According to the lawsuit, a human resources director allegedly told the doctor that he did not equitably distribute the vaccine and gave the vaccine to too many individuals with Indian sounding names. Dr Gokals attorney told KTRK that the 10 individuals Dr Gokal was able to reach before the vaccine expired happen to be South Asian. Dr Gokal, who is from Pakistan, sought out at-risk patients without race in mind, according to the suit. Instead, it adds, he tried to ensure that the extra doses went to people who were particularly vulnerable to the novel coronavirus because of underlying health conditions.

The lawsuit said that Harris County Public Health failed to properly investigate the allegations made against Dr Gokal. The department never interviewed Dr Gokal, never took his statement, never asked for his side of the story, conducted no internal investigation of the matter, and never sought to get the facts straight, the lawsuit states.

Dr Gokal has flatly denied accusations made against him, including the claim that he gave the leftover doses to people close to himself.

The only individual that qualifies as a friend or family that received the vaccine is his wife, who Dr Gokal did not give the vaccine to until time had nearly run out and with no one else available to receive the last vaccine dose, the lawsuit said.

The suit also alleges that individuals within the public health department sought to malign Dr Gokals reputation and pursued a revenge campaign rooted in discriminatory-based disdain. The suit claims that members of the department sought to further punish Dr Gokal by allegedly sharing false allegations with prosecutors and attempting to persuade the Texas Medical Board to revoke the doctors medical license.

Upon receiving Dr Gokals side of the story and the evidence he submitted, the Texas Medical Board immediately dismissed the complaint on 9 March 2021, the lawsuit said. The Texas Medical Board stated that Dr Gokal administered doses of the coronavirus vaccine to patients that were properly consented, in the eligible patient category, and they were given doses that would have otherwise been wasted.

A judge similarly dismissed a criminal charge leveled against Dr Gokal on 25 January, stating that the prosecutions affidavit was riddled with sloppiness and errors. Prosecutors continued to pursue charges for several months, but a Harris County grand jury declined to indict Dr Gokal in June.

Although Dr Gokal was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing by the courts and the medical board, the lawsuit said he struggled to find work after his termination.

While the medical board reviewed the complaints and the courts considered the criminal charge lodged against Dr Gokal, the doctor could not work because employers were reluctant to hire him given the publicity of the allegations made against him, the lawsuit said.  . . . Dr Gokal went through a tortured six-month criminal investigation during which time his reputation was tarnished, his confidence was shattered, and he and his family were subjected to emotional distress.

The Washington Post
Two Los Angeles residents have said that they can solve the mystery of a woman found wrapped in a sheet on a Croatian beach asking for help in perfect English but who said she couldnt remember her own name or how she got there.

The woman was spotted by an unnamed couple on 12 September on Krk Island, who said she couldnt possibly have made it onto the rocky shoreline on her own.

Nina Smidt told The Daily Beast on Tuesday that the woman she saw in numerous media reports was Daniela Adamcova  an artisan at a company where Ms Smidt worked as a manager in 2015. Ms Smidt told the outlet that Ms Adamcova had been got the position via a nonprofit that helps the homeless.

The company was located at a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles called Second Space. The landlord, Tyler Madsen, let her live there for free in order for her to save money to eventually move to Ireland and leave Skid Row behind.

Some years previously, a paper in her home country of Slovakia had written about her, describing her as a successful jewellery designer, with some of her items having been worn by Brigitte Bardot and Diana Ross.

I recognised the woman in the photo immediately, Ms Smidt told The Daily Beast. The second I saw her picture, I sent it to Tyler to confirm that it was her, which he confirmed.

Mr Madsen said the woman left to move to Ireland in 2015, but that he was certain it was her that he was seeing across the news.

One hundred per cent  there is no doubt in my mind its her, he told The Daily Beast.

My Trencin, a Slovakian news outlet, ran a story about Ms Adamcova in 2008 entitled Brigitte Bardot Wore My Jewelry, in which its revealed that she left Slovakia for the US in 1984 when she was 19, hoping to work in jewellery design.

That would make her 56 today, only a little bit younger than the estimation made by Croatian authorities.

Ms Adamcova told My Trencin that the US was a land of unlimited possibilities.

I decided to study at the Fashion Institute of Design and Trade in Santa Monica in the field of Fashion Design and Art Painting, specialising in handmade jewellery, she told the outlet. Then I got a job at a jewellery store, where my interest in jewellery began.

Gradually, as I began to gain more practice, I bought real pearls and better quality material than gold, silver, precious and semi-precious stones, she added, also noting that she was dating a film producer at the time.

Through him, I got into film studios and lent jewellery to make movies and series, she said. A necklace of small stones in the shape of flowers appeared on the neck of the actress in the series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She also actually owns the jewellery.

She said she went back to Slovakia in 2000, mainly because of the desire for a family. But she said she wanted to return to the US in the 2008 interview, but its not known when she made the journey.

Ms Smidt told The Daily Beast that she saw a photo of the woman on Monday, called Croatian police, who got in touch with the Slovakian embassy, who then confirmed the womans identity with members of her family. Police reported back to Ms Smidt on Tuesday.

Neither Croatian nor Slovakian officials have formally identified her  Croatian police said they would not do so until a DNA test has been done.

The Times of London was the first outlet to name Ms Adamcova.

Ms Smidt said Ms Adamcova had run into hard times and bad luck. But she was a really good worker, smart, and she has a wonderful heart.

Tyler and I are concerned about her well-being and are hopeful that now that her identity has been confirmed by the embassy, her family will be able to help find out what happened to her, she added.

Our interactions were always good. She was a hard worker and was always trying to save up money, the landlord said. I think it was Ireland she was trying to go to and she had friends over there and was really determined to save up and get to her people.

Tourists told a local outlet that they met Ms Adamcova on 9 September in Drvenik in southern Croatia. She told the tourists that she had come by train from Slovakia and was going to go home after exploring the country.

She told us about how she travels and that she is retired and her friends are still working, the Czech tourists told TN.CZ. She went on the trip alone. And because she feared a 14-day quarantine after arriving back in Slovakia, she turned off her phone and discarded her SIM card. We talked about vaccinations, that the lady did not want one and was afraid that she would have to quarantine when she returned, which she also did not want.

Ms Adamcova was spotted on the island of Krk on 12 September by a fishing couple who called for aid. The dispatched rescue team used off-road vehicles and walked more than two miles to get to Ms Adamcova. Police discovered a backpack 500 yards away from her, but no ID or money was found.

Croatian police told The Daily Beast she appeared to be Eastern European by that she spoke the Queens English.

Police added that she was very confused when she was found. But that was not the case when she encountered the tourists from the Czech Republic.

She was very intelligent, she told us that she spent some time in England, so she spoke good English, they said. She spoke to them in Slovak and didnt have the scratches she could later be seen with. She was just bitten by mosquitoes, she complained a lot about them and said that if she knew about them, she would not have travelled to Croatia.

A woman was found with no memory and cuts and bruises on her face on the Croatian island of Krk (Croatian Police/AP)

When she was found, she was dehydrated, emaciated, and had scabs from deep cuts to her face, but she had no scarring on her feet, which would be expected of someone who would have got onto the island across its rugged shoreline.

It remains unclear how she ended up on the island, why no one had reported her missing, or how she survived in an area with dangerous animals.
The case of missing van life blogger Gabby Petito has whipped up an unprecedented frenzy of online sleuthing, with social media platform TikTok arguably leading the charge.

Many TikTokers have been actively trying to solve the case of the 22-year-old, who went missing in late August while on a road-trip with her fiance Brian Laundrie. The last confirmed sighting of Ms Petitot was in a video call with her mother on 25 August.

The FBI announced on Sunday that a body matching the description of Ms Petito had been discovered in the Grand Teton National Park area. And on Monday afternoon, the FBI confirmed that Ms Petitos body had been discovered, adding that the death had been ruled a homicide while an official cause of death is to be released.

Mr Laundrie remains missing and as a person of interest in Ms Petitos case, a major manhunt is still underway to find him.

As of Tuesday, the #GabbyPetito hashtag on TikTok had more than half a billion views, with users sharing tips, poring over footage and developing theories about when and how the van life blogger went missing.

TikTok has thrown an intense spotlight on the case, and tip-offs from its users have helped investigators to swiftly narrow down both the time frame and the geographical area  both of which were initially vast  in which Ms Petito went missing.

On 17 September, TikToker Miranda Baker posted a series of videos saying that she and her boyfriend had picked up Mr Laundrie, who was hitchhiking, on 29 August at Grand Teton National Park. Ms Baker said she found the encounter weird as Mr Laundrie offered her $200 for a 10-mile ride, and urgently asked to get out when she mentioned she was on her way to Jackson Hole.

Once I said Jackson Hole he became agitated, she said in her post. He seemed like he needed to get out, he was kind of antsy. And thats when things got weird.

He kind of hurried out of the car, and then was like Im going to find someone else to hitchhike, and were like, okay. It was a weird situation.

Ms Baker said she had notified the police. The North Port Police Department in Florida confirmed to The Independent that officers had spoken with the social media user.

We have talked to her, police spokesperson Joshua Taylor said in an email. That is all I can confirm.

Another TikToker, Jessica Shultz, also a van-lifer, provided potentially key information about the case too. She told the FBI she had seen a white van she believed to be driven by Mr Laundrie near Grand Teton National Park on 26 August. She also described his behaviour as strange and said Ms Petito was nowhere to be seen. This was just a day after Ms Petitos last call to her mother.

He was very awkward and confused and it was just him, there was no Gabby, Ms Schultz said on TikTok in a series of videos she posted before the body believed to be Ms Petitos was found.

I called the FBI (on Thursday) and said, Guys, look at Spread Creek, she told the San Franciso Chronicle. The body in question was indeed found near the creek on Sunday.

Ms Shultz said the FBI agent she spoke to said: Ive talked to hundreds of people, but you guys are the ones that really tipped us off to the right place, so thank you.

The other key social media tip-off in the investigation came from a family of YouTubers. Jenn and Kyle Bethune post video updates of their travels at their page Red White & Bethune, and when re-watching old footage, realised theyd seen the van on 27 August at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area, where Ms Petito was eventually discovered.

We came across a white van that had Florida plates, a small white van. We were going to stop and say hi because were from Florida too, but the van was completely dark, there was nobody there so we decided to continue on our way, said Ms Bethune, while Mr Bethune added that the van appeared abandoned.

An extensive search for Mr Laundrie continues in the sprawling Carlton Reserve near North Port, Florida, and while video released by police on Tuesday showed officers using search dogs, drones and all-terrain vehicles to cover the 25,000-acre preserve, its yet possible that a social media-generated tip-off might again be key in helping police unlock the mystery of what happened to Ms Petito.
Alabamas Secretary of State says there have been zero altered votes in his states 2020 presidential election results. Its a sharp rebuke to recent claims from MyPillow CEO and Trump backer Mike Lindell that hackers may have flipped 100,000 votes in the state using Bluetooth technology.

That did not happen, Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican, told The Independent on Wednesday. I know that there were no inconsistencies, no irregularities, there were no probes that occurred that resulted in any of our systems being violated that wouldve resulted in the manipulation of numbers in our system. Im confident in that.

On Sunday, Mr Lindell, a key Trump ally and one of the countrys most vocal boosters of unfounded election conspiracies, posted a video which praised Alabama as a role model in election security, but nonetheless alleged its systems had been hacked  just like every other state.

This was the one time were going to have to do a little bit of a deeper dive here. On the surface you cant see where it happened, Mr Lindell said in the video. What I guarantee theyve had to do in Alabama is the bad people  went deeper into the well. Very deep into the well of how they did the flips.

Last week, Mr Lindell visited top Alabama officials including governor Kay Ivey and Secretary Merrill, saying he hoped to test the states voter registry.

It affected every county in Alabama, it affected every county in the country, Mr Lindell told The Independent in an interview.

He claimed that in every county in the country, the percentages of voters in certain age groups matches their share of the population in the 2010 census, which he believes proves some kind of fraud occurred, in his estimate likely at the hands of the Chinese government.

Mr Lindell said his team has checked perceived irregularities in the totals in 22 states, and validated them by door-to-door canvasing, though he hasnt done such on-the-ground work in Alabama. This isnt about a Donald Trump or Joe Biden, this is about our country being lost, he added. Mr Lindell plans to submit a report to the Secretary of States office next week. According to Alabamas election chief, however, the design of the states voting machine doesnt even allow for digital tampering. And the only part of the process that uses Bluetooth is a system for checking in voters at their polling place, before voting occurs, and names cant be added or subtracted to the list.

 I think that if somebody is making claims, and they dont have any evidence to substantiate their position, its always best to have a conversation with that individual and make sure you do what you can to educated them with facts, Mr Merill added. He said he would be happy to review any materials sent to him by the MyPillow CEO, but insisted hes seen nothing to back up claims of election fraud in Alabama.

MAGA backers have challenged election results across the country  with numerous courts and recounts finding that virtually all of their claims to impactful voter fraud were false  but so far they havent gone after places where Donald Trump won as decisively as Alabama in 2020. The ex-president recaptured the state with a more than 26 per cent lead over Joe Biden , snagging more than 500,000 more votes than his rival.

Whats more, Alabama has been a leader in the kind of restrictive voting rules the GOP has been pushing for around the country in recent years, following the demise of key parts of the Voting Rights Act.

That hasnt stopped Mr Lindell from charging ahead anyway.

The controversial CEO is facing a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems for his often unfounded comments about the companys role in the election, to which he has counter-sued and claimed they violated racketeering laws. (Independent analyses have found that Dominion machines did not flip votes or contribute fraudulent election returns.)

In August, Mr Lindell, who has no cybersecurity experience, hosted a cyber symposium about the 2020 election and claimed without verifiable proof that China committed election fraud.

Copies of widely used voter software by Dominion Voting Systems leaked to attendees of the event, potentially compromising the voting systems used in roughly 30 states, according to experts.

Its a game-changer in that the environment we have talked about existing now is a reality, Matt Masterson, a former top election security official in the Trump administration, told the Associated Press at the time. We told election officials, essentially, that you should assume this information is already out there. Now we know it is, and we dont know what they are going to do with it.
Democratic members of Congress criticised the treatment of Haitian migrants at the US-Mexico border by border patrol agents chasing them on horseback.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Caribbean Caucus, the Haiti Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus all spoke in front of the Capitol during a rainstorm and universally denounced shocking images of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents riding on horseback, with some showing agents holding horse reins the way a whip would be held.

Rep Joyce Beatty of Ohio, chairwoman of the CBC, said eight members of the caucus met with the White House to confront the administration about the treatment of migrants and the fact that as many as 12,000 to 14,000 Haitian migrants are gathered at the US-Mexico border.

Ms Beatty said that she and the caucus asked that all officers seen riding horses and using their reins to chase Haitians to be suspended and terminated and asked for a halt to the procedure.

While we respect using horses along the border for safety, for patrolling, we have never witnessed people who look like me to be treated the way those Haitians were, she said, asking for a full investigation into the matter.

Rep Maxine Waters of California said that the reason why Haitian migrants were being mistreated was because of their race.

We must express our outrage, we must demand that whatever that unit is, it has to be suspended, she said. Ms Waters said she has not communicated with the White House but said she planned to be very tough on the Biden administration.

Ms Waters also questioned why the Biden administration was continuing the use of a policy that the Trump administration implemented to restrict migration.

This is a Trump policy that does not allow them to apply for their citizenship, she said. Why are we continuing that policy? Why are we doing deportations like that.

She also contrasted it with the way aid workers who helped the United States during its military campaign in Afghanistan who are now migrating to the United States are being treated.

We now that even now that trying to honour the work the Afghans did in helping the United States, that theyre bringing them in by the hundreds and theyre giving them places to stay, and Im not opposed to that, she said. But I am opposed to the way the Haitians are being treated and not allowed to apply for, you know, their citizenship.

Rep Veronica Escobar of Texas, who represents a district on the US-Mexico border called for Congress to pass legislation she supported to increase transparency within the Department of Homeland Security as well as legislation that would reform the processing of migrants.

We do not have to surrender our humanity at any point, anytime, anywhere, she said.
The second-in-command at a union for US Border Patrol has tried to defend the use of horse reins around migrants in Del Rio, Texas, where tens of thousands have arrived from Haiti.

Recent images from Del Rio have hown migrants fleeing Border Patrol agents on horseback who are wielding their reins like whips, with a Reuters witness catching an agent unfurl and swing one in front of migrants.

Footage has also shown a Border Patrol agent appear to threaten migrants with a horse rein brandished like a whip, which has been condemned by both Biden administration figures and critics of the Democrat.

The vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, Art Del Cueto, has however defended the Border Patrol agents for trying to control the flow of migrants into Texas.

He told Fox News on Tuesday that agents were not whipping anyone and were [not] assigned whips, and referred to the horse reins as a form of protection for the agents, horses and Haitians.

What they do is a training technique that has been shown to them to make sure that no one takes over their horse, Mr Del Cueto told the right-wing network.

It was to protect the horse, to protect the rider, and to protect the individual that was trying to cause chaos and knock down that rider from that horse.

Mr Del Cueto went on to allege that agents twirl the horse reins to ensure everything was done correctly, and that concerns about Border Patrol agents in Del Rio were falsified.

The union vice president also accused the Biden administration of failing to adequately respond to the crisis, after Biden administration figures appeared to hit out at images of migrants threatened with whips.

An agent for US Border Patrol tries to stop a migrant entering the US (AFP via Getty Images)

Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, has said he would investigate the facts of what had happened in Del Rio in recent days. As has vice president Kamala Harris said she is as "deeply troubled and would speak with Mr Mayorkas.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki also waded-in, and said on Tuesday that she cant imagine what context would make that appropriate, and that footage of migrants getting rounded-up was horrible to watch.

More than 10,000 Haitians have assembled underneath the International Bridge since the start of last week, and some 6,000 are still at a temporary camp.

Migrants interact with Border Patrol agents (Getty Images)

Texas governor Greg Abbott has said the numbers could have reached as high as 16,000, before the White House began to repatriate a number of Haitians back to the country, beset by an earthquake and the assassination of a president within two months.

This article was amended on 23 September 2021 to clarify that the images appeared to show the agents brandishing their reins as whips. It had previously referred to whips. The article also previously stated that recent images appeared to show migrants being whipped but, while that was claimed by some, the Independent has been unable to verify this. A reference to the use of horse reins on migrants has been changed to the use of horse reins around migrants.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Israels Iron Dome missile defence system will be stripped of $1bn in US funding after Democrats capitulated to the Squad to avoid a government shutdown.

While the funding is expected to be reinstated in a later vote, the far-left wing of the Democratic party leveraged the urgency of raising the debt limit to nudge forward its agenda on withholding military aid to Israel.

The move drew bipartisan criticism from both moderate Democrats and Republicans, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy calling it a capitulation to the antisemitic influence of their radical members.

As the House prepared to consider its short-term government funding bill on Wednesday, representative Ilhan Omar said the US should not sell weapons to human rights abusers.

We sold $175 billion in weapons last year  more than anyone in the world  to some of the worst human right abusers in the world, she said on Twitter.

Heres an idea: dont sell arms to anyone who violates human rights.

Ms Omar and fellow Squad members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib were leading the charge to defund military aid from the Iron Dome, which defends Israeli civilians from rocket attacks, according to Politico.

A diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post that the White House began reversing the decision almost immediately after it was announced, illustrating the divide between the progressive members of Congress and president Joe Biden.

Mr Biden committed to replenishing Israels Iron Dome batteries after clashes between the terrorist group Hamas and Israel in May, while Democrats introduced a resolution over the summer to block a weapons sale to the country.

Democratic representative Elissa Slotkin, from Michigan, took aim at her own partys objection to the purely defencive Iron Dome, calling it an opportunistic attack on the State of Israel.

Whatever your views on the Israeli-Pal conflict, using a system that just saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives as a political chit is problematic, she said in a tweet.

To target Iron Dome now means the issue isnt a genuine concern over the system, but rather the desire to attack something - anything - related to the State of Israel; its devoid of substance and irresponsible, she added.

The Democrats House majority leader Steny Hoyer spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to stress the holdup was technical, and convey the partys commitment to passing the Iron Dome funding soon, according to Axios.

The behind-the-scenes assurances come as the Embassy of Israel was forced to deny that its ambassador was being withdrawn as a result of the funding cut.

While the Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the time of publication, spokesman Elad Strohmayer said on Twitter the reported claims were false.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has appointed Dr Joseph Ladapo, a graduate from Harvard Medical School and UCLA researcher whose pandemic positions align with the governor, as the states next surgeon general.

The new surgeon generals views on vaccines and mask mandates fall in line with Mr DeSantis approach  that government mandates impede on freedom of choice by the individual.

The new surgeon general emphasised his approach as he spoke during a press conference on Tuesday, saying, Florida will completely reject fear. Fear is done.

Dr Ladapo replaces Dr Scott Rivkees, who stepped down from the position on 20 September. Dr Ladapo began his new post on Tuesday.

According to one report, Dr Ladapo has already done away with some of the states remaining Covid restrictions, ending a quarantine requirement for children exposed to the virus.

Dr Ladapo has said , This idea that people dont get to make their own decisions on issues of health is wrong, and its not something that were going to be about. The statement echoes sentiments held by Mr DeSantis on the importance of personal freedom on the matter of mask wearing and Covid-19 vaccination.

Dr Ladapo has questioned the safety and efficacy of Covid vaccinations in the past. He wrote a piece for The Wall Street Journal that cast doubt on the safety of the vaccines, musing that they may be responsible for an uptick in death in countries such as Norway.

Dr Ladapo also wrote against vaccine mandates and their effectiveness in thwarting Covid, again for the Journal. Furthermore, Dr Ladapo wrote for the Journal that the pandemic was overblown , despite hundreds of thousands of deaths nationwide . He also disavowed mask wearing as a distraction from the reality of the pandemic.

In addition to the Wall Street Journal pieces, Dr Ladapo has written an opinion piece for the New York Daily News highlighting coronavirus treatment with hydroxychloroquine. The anti-malarial medication has become popular among some on the right as former president Donald Trump touted it as a potential Covid cure .

Dr Ladapo has previously expressed favour for something known as the Great Barrington Declaration , and, according to the Tampa Bay Times, he also signed a petition to back it. The belief states that the pandemic should ripple through communities, unabated, in order to reach herd immunity through natural infection. As reported by MSNBC , The Great Barrington Declaration has been met with concern by many medical experts.

Dr Ladapo was born in Nigeria and immigrated to the United States at the age of five, according to the Tampa Bay Times . His father was a microbiologist, and Dr Ladapo is married and has three children.
Former president George W Bush will host a fundraiser for embattled Rep Liz Cheney as she faces a robust Republican primary challenger, both Politico and The Wall Street Journal reported.

Mr Bush will host a fundraiser for the Wyoming Republican, whose father Dick Cheney served as Mr Bushs vice president, on 18 October, the Journal reported. The ex-presidents former adviser Karl Rove, and former Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will co-host the event in Dallas, Politicos Olivia Beavers reported.

The fundraising push comes as Ms Cheney is fighting for her political life. Former president Donald Trump, a longtime critic of the Bush family, endorsed primary challenger Harriet Hageman.

The feud largely began after Ms Cheney voted to impeach Mr Trump for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol on 6 January. Similarly, House Republicans ousted Ms Cheney as chairwoman of the House Republican conference.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also selected Ms Cheney to serve on the Houses select committee to investigate the riot on 6 January. She and Rep Adam Kinzinger of Illinois are the only two Republicans to serve on the committee after Senate Republicans blocked the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the riot. Earlier this month, Ms Cheney was named the ranking Republican on the committee.

Ms Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans to vote for impeachment. Since then, another of them, Rep Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, has opted to not seek re-election.
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has taken a drastic new step to block the arrival of more Haitian migrants in Del Rio: assembling scores of parked cars to create a physical barrier at the border crossing.

The move comes as the fate of thousands of Haitians gathered at the border becomes a major national issue  and after images of migrant people being whipped by border agents on horseback drew furious condemnation, including from Vice President Kamala Harris.

Pictures from the area show massed government vehicles parked side-by-side, effectively creating a border wall across miles of territory where people have crossed from Mexico.

In a statement celebrating the strategy, Mr Abbott said that one day there were countless people coming across the border, then the DPS put up all these vehicles, and suddenly, in an instant, people stopped crossing the border in this location. That strategy is working.

Thousands of Haitians have arrived at the US border in recent weeks, driven from their home country by poverty, a major political crisis and devastating natural disasters. Many have effectively been stranded at the border as enforcement agencies restrict their movements and try to drive them back.

And while the White House has called for better treatment, the administration is not changing its policy of deporting people back to Haiti, where overstretched authorities say they expect some 14,000 people to arrive back from the US without homes to go to.

Conditions at the Del Rio camp on the US-Mexico border, meanwhile, remain grim, and word is reportedly spreading among those encamped there that deportation flights are underway, leading many to move back to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande for fear of being taken back to Haiti without any say in the matter.

Mr Abbott, who is thought to be mulling a presidential campaign in 2024 if Donald Trump does not or cannot run himself, has made deterring and obstructing immigrants a signature issue of his governorship. This summer he announced that he would seek private donations to fund the construction of unbuilt sections of Mr Trumps border wall, funding for which was withdrawn by Joe Biden shortly after the president took office.
US diplomats who have suffered from the mysterious Havana Syndrome tore into Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a recent meeting, arguing that the government hasnt done enough to help victims and has brushed off their concerns as a vague unexplained health incidents (UHIs),

Its those sorts of sickening statements that perpetuate this disbelief, a diplomat told NBC News, which first reported the 10 September meeting. We get it, its classified information. But if youre seeing stuff, dont act like its nothing. Dont call it freaking UHIs. Dont talk about our stress levels.

The State Department told The Independent it is focused on on ensuring the safety and security of the workforce and their families. In coordination with our partners across the U.S. Government, we are vigorously investigating reports of possible unexplained health incidents wherever they are reported, a State Department spokesperson said in a statement, adding an interagency group is actively examining a range of hypotheses, but has made no determination about the cause of these incidents or whether they can be attributed to a foreign actor.

Since 2016, at least 200 US diplomats, on every continent except for Antarctica, have reported symptoms of Havana Syndrome. Victims of this mysterious ailment report hearing strangely pitched sounds, feeling like theyre in an energy beam, and suffering neurological symptoms like vertigo, nausea, and even traumatic brain injury. Doctors from the University of Pennsylvania, who were sent to study some of those affected, have called it  a concussion without a concussion .

Those afflicted with the condition, which first appeared at the US Embassy in Cuba, have said the State Departments Bureau of Medical Services has downplayed their symptoms as those of stress or ageing, and that its been difficult to secure medical benefits.

The Trump administration referred to Havana Syndrome as targeted attacks, while the Biden administration has pulled back and called them incidents. Officials have suggested they could be coming from Russian intelligence services using advanced microwave or electromagnetic wave technology to steal data from US devices, but havent reached any firm conclusions.

In August, the Director of National Intelligences office put out a statement detailing the multi-agency effort to investigate the condition, writing it is a top priority to identify the cause of [Havana Syndrome], provide the highest level of care to those affected, and prevent such incidents from continuing.

The government has still not ruled conclusively about what caused the symptoms. An FBI team visited Havana multiple times to investigate, but concluded without interviewing victims that the diplomats were suffering from a sort of mass hysteria, infuriating those who had Havana Syndrome, some of whom had to take leave or retire because of their symptoms. (The bureau is reportedly reconsidering its findings).

On Tuesday, Congress passed a bipartisan bill that would provide more compensation and support to State Department and CIA employees affected by Havana Syndrome.

Far too many Havana Syndrome victims have had to battle the bureaucracy to receive care for their debilitating injuries, said Senator Susan Collins in a statement.I have spoken personally with some of the victims of these heinous attacks who were harmed while representing our interests. For those victims, the HAVANA Act will ensure that they receive the financial and medical support that they deserve. It also affirms our commitment to making sure that our government finds out who is responsible.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has denied that President Joe Biden felt upstaged by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in an Oval Office meeting.

Mr Johnson took questions from two British reporters during the meeting on Tuesday, something Ms Psaki said he hadnt told the Americans that he was planning on doing.

Mr Biden ignored US reporters as they tried to ask questions. Asked by a reporter if Mr Biden felt upstaged by Mr Johnson, Ms Psaki said on Wednesday: I think the president has not spent a moment worrying about it.

After Mr Johnson had answered questions from British reporters, Mr Biden signalled that it was time for the press corps to leave.

Mr Johnson was speaking about the Good Friday Agreement and ensuring that nothing the United Kingdom does interrupt the accords with Northern Ireland.

On that point, Joe, we are completely at one. And I think nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or un-balances the Belfast Good Friday, Mr Johnson said before being cut off.

 Biden ignores US reporters as media pushed out of Johnson meeting mid-sentence

Mr Bidens team began to shepherd out reporters before members of the US media could ask the president any questions and while Mr Johnson was still speaking.

Seung Min Kim, a reporter for The Washington Post, tweeted that the episode was not good, folks.

Andrew Restuccia of The Wall Street Journal tweeted that it was a chaotic scene as Boris Johnson unexpectedly took questions from British reporters, and White House aides shouted over American reporters as we tried to ask Biden questions.

I think our relationship with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Johnson is so strong and abiding and we will be able to move forward beyond this, but he called on individuals from his press corps without alerting us to that intention in advance, Ms Psaki told reporters during a briefing on Wednesday.
A new poll has found that nearly 80% of Palestinians want President Mahmoud Abbas to resign, reflecting widespread anger over the death of an activist in security forces' custody and a crackdown on protests over the summer.

The survey released Tuesday found support for Abbas' Hamas rivals remained high months after the 11-day Gaza war in May, when the Islamic militant group was widely seen by Palestinians as having scored a victory against a far more powerful Israel while the Western-backed Abbas was sidelined.

The latest poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that 45% of Palestinians believe Hamas should lead and represent them, while only 19% said Abbas' secular Fatah deserved that role, showing only a slight shift in favor of Fatah over the last three months.

This is the worst polling weve ever seen for the president," said Khalil Shikaki, the head of the center, who has been surveying Palestinian public opinion for more than two decades. "He has never been in as bad a position as today.

Despite his plummeting popularity and refusal to hold elections, the international community still views the 85-year-old Abbas as the leader of the Palestinian cause and a crucial partner in the peace process with Israel, which ground to a halt more than a decade ago.

His Palestinian Authority administers parts of the occupied West Bank under interim agreements signed with Israel at the height of the peace process in the 1990s. Hamas drove Abbas' forces out of Gaza when it seized power there in 2007, a year after winning parliamentary elections.

Abbas' latest woes began in April, when he called off the first Palestinian elections in 15 years as Fatah appeared to be headed for another embarrassing loss. Hamas' popularity soared the following month amid protests in Jerusalem and the Gaza war, as many Palestinians accused the PA of doing nothing to aid their struggle against Israeli occupation.

The death of Nizar Banat, a harsh critic of the PA who died after being beaten by Palestinian security forces during a late-night arrest in June, ignited protests in the occupied West Bank calling on Abbas to resign. His security forces launched a crackdown in response, beating and arresting several demonstrators.

The poll found that 78% of Palestinians want Abbas to resign and just 19% think he should remain in office.

It found that 63% of Palestinians think Banat was killed on the orders of PA political or security leaders, with only 22% believing it was a mistake. The PA recently announced that 14 security officials who took part in the arrest will stand trial. Sixty-nine percent of those polled felt that was an insufficient response.

Sixty-three percent of Palestinians support the demonstrations that broke out after Banat's death, and 74% believe the PA's arrest of demonstrators was a violation of liberties and civil rights, the poll found.

The PCPSR says it surveyed 1,270 Palestinians face-to-face in the West Bank and Gaza, with a margin of error of three percentage points.
A new statue commemorating the end of slavery has been erected in Richmond, Virginia  two weeks after the removal of the statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee.

The new statue is called the Emancipation and Freedom Monument and it was designed by an Oregon sculptor named Thomas Jay Warren. The statue is made of bronze and stands at 12-feet tall. The scene in the statue depicts a man and a woman carrying an infant as they are emancipated from slavery.

The monument has been built less than two miles from the previous location of the Robert E Lee statue that stood there for more than 100 years, which became a flashpoint for racial justice protesters.

According to NPR , the new memorial was originally meant to be revealed in 2019 to honour the victims of slavery on the 400th anniversary of when African people were first taken to Virginia and forced into slavery in 1619.

Virginia state senator Jennifer McClellan, who is head of the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Commission, told NPR on Wednesday that she sees the new unveiling date of the statue as poetic justice and that the monument is historic in its own right as it is the first state-funded statue that celebrates the emancipation of slavery in the United States.

Having that happen after COVID, after the George Floyd murder and the reckoning with racial inequity and after the monuments started coming down, its much more healing than it would have been in 2019, said Sen McClellan.

Crews work to remove one of the country's largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy, a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E Lee on Monument Avenue, in Richmond, Virginia. (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Statues such as the formerly standing ode to general Lee in Richmond  which was the Confederacys capital  as well as numerous other statues that honour the leaders of the Confederacy (the pro-slavery Southern states that seceeded from the US and fought in the American Civil War to remain independent of the rest of the nation) have been targeted by anti-racism protests.

Some proponents of keeping the Lee statue standing cited its artistic significance and the vital role the Commonwealth of Virginia played in the Civil War. The opponents to the statues removal, including several Virginia government officials, also argued that removing the statue would be an erasure of history.

However, Virginia governor Ralph Northam, who ordered the statues removal back in June 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, was proud to have the statue taken down.

Mr Northam stated at a ceremony for the new statue on Wednesday, Just a couple of weeks ago, one of my proudest days, we took down a statue of a man who led an army to stop the emancipation and freedom these figures symbolize.

The new statues pedestal features names and biographies of 10 black people from Virginia who fought for liberty and emancipation. The commonwealths project to honour the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamationwhich abolished slavery in the U.S.began a decade ago and is continued to be celebrated as through the Emancipation and Freedom Monument.
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell has attempted to sensationalise the tragic death last year of a young political staffer by claiming he was blown up in a bizarre effort to stop a state audit of election results.

Ms Powell, 66, alleged this week on the podcast of pastor Andrew Wommack that what we are dealing with here is pervasive and very, very dark. Its organised, its well-funded, its pure evil.

They are willing to kill people a la Kelly Loefflers aide in Georgia, who was suddenly blown up in his car on the way to a rally for her. He happened to be dating Governor Kemps daughter. Governor Kemp was considering, I think, at that point a signature audit," Ms Powell said.

She was referring to the death of Harrison Deal, a 20-year-old who was killed in a three-car accident on 4 December while on his way to a campaign event featuring his boss, then-Senator Kelly Loeffler, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Vice President Mike Pence.

"We are talking about trillions of dollars of global wealth at issue here," Ms Powell said, alleging a widespread conspiracy to keep Georgia from recounting votes. The former prosecutor and provocateur has been vocally insistent since President Joe Biden won the election that his victory stemmed from fraud, despite .

Her wild theory, however, varies drastically from the official account and that of Mr Deals grieving family.

They wrote in his obituary that the college student had been killed in a tragic motor vehicle accident on I-16 in Chatham County.

A 44-year-old Atlanta man was charged earlier this year with second-degree homicide in connection with the crash.

Ms Loeffler and Gov Kemp, both Republicans, cancelled their appearances at the December event following the crash.

While Ms Powell alleged that Mr Deal had been dating the governors daughter, Lucy Kemp is described in his obituary as his very special friend.

The governor said in a statement following Mr Deals death that we lost a member of our Kemp Strong family and words cannot express how much Harrison Deals life, love and support meant to us.

Harrison was the Kemp son and brother we never had.

The Independent has contacted Gov Kemps office and the Deal family for comment about Ms Powells claims.
Without any public ceremony, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has signed a bill into law that further limits access to abortion in the state.

The law, Senate Bill 4, bans doctors from providing abortion-inducing medication to women who are seven or more weeks pregnant. The bill passed through Texas state legislature in August, and Mr Abbott quietly signed it on Friday, state records show.

The new law comes on the heels of Senate Bill 8 , a highly restrictive abortion law that Mr Abbott signed with much more fanfare in May. The United States Supreme Court declined to block that law earlier this month, triggering a wave of outrage among pro-choice groups and a lawsuit from the US Justice Department.

SB 4 has so far avoided that kind of backlash. Mr Abbott held no signing ceremony, issued no press release, and posted no announcement on Twitter that hed signed the bill. Many news sources did not appear to notice hed done so until this week.

It is perhaps a fitting beginning for a law that womens rights groups have called a back-door ban on abortion.

Anti-choice politicians in Texas are launching their attacks on abortion access from every angle imaginable, Adrienne Kimmel, head of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said in a statement . This law blatantly tramples on Texans fundamental freedoms and pushes access to care further out of reach.

The Independent has reached out to Governor Abbotts office for comment, but has not yet heard back.

SB 4 is set to take effect in December, at which point its violators can be fined up to $10,000 or imprisoned for up to two years.

According to its official summary , the new law prohibits a manufacturer, supplier, physician, or any other person from providing a patient with any abortion-inducing drug by courier, delivery, or mail service and requires a physician, before providing an abortion-inducing drug, to take certain actions.

Texas Republicans have hailed SB 4 as a step toward protecting life, as one of the bills co-sponsors put it.
Thousands of riot gear-clad police officers have scrambled to contain violent protests in Australia against mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for construction workers.

Chaos reigned in Melbourne on Tuesday as a group of some 2,000 protesters, many wearing hi-vis jackets, defied stay-at-home orders to roam the city in rolling confrontations with police, injuring officers and damaging cars and property as they shut down parts of the city, including a major road bridge.

More than 5,000 police officers were called in to respond on the second consecutive day of unrest, firing rubber pellets, smoke bombs and stinger grenades into the crowds. Sixty-two protesters were arrested and three officers were injured, police said.

Melbourne entered its sixth lockdown in August, joining Sydney and Canberra in imposing fresh restrictions to curb an unwieldy outbreak of the Delta variant. Australias shutdowns are set to end only when 70 to 80 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

However, the state governments move in Victoria to make vaccination compulsory for construction workers sparked protests on Monday, with construction workers gathering outside the local headquarters of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).

The growing crowd went on to clash with union officials, threw projectiles at the building and damaged its front door, chanting f*** the jab.

John Setka, the CFMEUs Victoria secretary who was forced to retreat inside after trying to calm the crowds, suggested the protest had been hijacked by extreme groups, while Sally McManus, the Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary, told ABC News that it had been called for, led and promoted by far-right groups and anti-vax groups.

Following the protest on Monday outside the headquarters of the union  which opposes mandatory vaccines for workers  the Victorian state government announced the closure of construction sites for a fortnight.

We put the industry on notice just a week ago, said industrial relations minister Tim Pallas. We have seen appalling behaviour on-site and on our streets, and now we're acting decisively and without hesitation.

State health minister Martin Foley added: The public health team was left with no choice but to hit the pause button and continue to work with the sector over the next two weeks to improve compliance.

Eight hours of protests ensued on Tuesday, during which demonstrators threw projectiles at police vehicles, blocked traffic in both directions on the West Gate Bridge, and assaulted 7News reporter Paul Dowsley  grabbing him by the neck and reportedly throwing urine on him.

Tuesdays protests again began outside the CFMEU headquarters before moving through the central business district to parliament, following warnings from riot police and officers on horseback. According to SBS News, the crowd circled the city centre for hours before making their way to the bridge, singing and lighting a flare before returning to the centre and again clashing with riot police.

The demonstrations included not only construction workers, but vocal opponents of Victorias extended lockdown, who cursed the jab, fake news, and state premier Dan Andrews, who condemned the terrible behaviour, saying: Acts of violence and disruption won't result in one less case of Covid  in fact it only helps the virus to spread.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 29 September 2021 Pope Francis meets a group of seminarians during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican AP World news in pictures 28 September 2021 People camp overnight to receive a dose of Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a government run district hospital at midnight in Siliguri AFP via Getty Images World news in pictures 27 September 2021 People ride a motorcycle past burning tires during protests against the deteriorating economic situation and the devaluation of the local currency, in Taiz, Yemen Reuters World news in pictures 26 September 2021 Absentee ballots for the German general election are counted at the Frankfurt Messe hall Frankfurt am Main EPA World news in pictures 25 September 2021 Thai anti-government protesters have their eyes flushed out after being teargassed by police during a rally in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images World news in pictures 24 September 2021 German Chancellor Angela Merkel feeds Australian lorikeets at Marlow Bird Park in Marlow, Germany AP World news in pictures 23 September 2021 Workers sing and dance as a South African Airways airplane prepares to take off after a year-long hiatus triggered by the national airline running out of funds, at O R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg Reuters World news in pictures 22 September 2021 Seized rhino horns burn on a furnace in an anti-poaching drive to mark World Rhino Day near the Kaziranga National Park in Bokakhat AFP/Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2021 The full moon sets behind the hills of the Taunus region near Wehrheim, Germany AP World news in pictures 20 September 2021 A house burns due to lava from the eruption of a volcano in the Cumbre Vieja national park at Los Llanos de Aridane, on the Canary Island of La Palma Reuters World news in pictures 19 September 2021 Smoke and magma rise to the sky from the volcanic eruption in El Paso, La Palma, Canary Islands EPA World news in pictures 18 September 2021 The fully wrapped Arc de Triomphe monument, as part of an art installation entitled 'L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped' conceived by the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, is pictured on the Champs Elysees avenue in Pari Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2021 An Indonesian activist from ECOTON (ecological observation and wetland conservation) prepares an installation made with used plastic, including 4,444 bottles, collected from the river in Gresik to raise public awareness of plastic waste in rivers and oceans AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 September 2021 An activist places photos of German politicians outside the Bundestag in protest against human rights violations at Europe's borders EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2021 A zebra family at Alipore Zoo in Kolkata EPA World news in pictures 14 September 2021 A woman walks past a fruits and vegetables stall in a flooded street in Codognan, in the Occitanie region of southern France, following heavy rains AFP/Getty World news in pictures 13 September 2021 People hold umbrellas amid rainfall as Typhoon Chanthu approaches, in Shanghai, China Reuters World news in pictures 12 September 2021 US rapper Lil Nas X performs on stage during the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York AFP/Getty World news in pictures 11 September 2021 George Bush wells up at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown, Pennsylvania Reuters World news in pictures 10 September 2021 A Taliban fighter lays his AK-47 rifle down during Friday prayers at a Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 9 September 2021 Paramilitary and public security forces take part in a parade to celebrate the 73rd founding anniversary of North Korea at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang KCNA via KNS/AFP/Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2021 A vendor pushes a cart of sugarcane juice past a fire at a demonstration in Bangkok as activists call for the resignation of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha over the government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis AFP/Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2021 People take part in a religious procession on the occasion of the 417th anniversary of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib, at the Gurudwara Ramsar in Amritsar AFP/Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2021 A dog sits on the doorway as a shopkeeper clears muddy water from his shop after heavy rainfall flooded the banks of Bishnumati river in Kathmandu, Nepal AP World news in pictures 5 September 2021 apan athletes wave as Thank you' in Japanese is displayed in the stadium during the closing ceremony of 2020 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony Reuters World news in pictures 4 September 2021 People demonstrate at the Zurich Pride parade with the slogan 'Dare. Marriage for all, now!', for the rights of the LGBTIQ community in Zurich, Switzerland. EPA World news in pictures 3 September 2021 China's Dong Lu competes in the Women's 200m individual medley final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Getty World news in pictures 2 September 2021 People look at cars abandoned on the flooded Major Deegan Expressway following a night of extremely heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, in the Bronx borough of New York City Getty World news in pictures 1 September 2021 A one-legged stork rescued by an animal sanctuary eats fish with a new 3D-printed leg inside its enclosure near Frantiskovy Lazne, Czech Republic Reuters World news in pictures 31 August 2021 Women hold umbrellas to cover from rain as they wait to receive a dose of COVISHIELD vaccine in Kolkata, India Reuters World news in pictures 30 August 2021 Taliban fighters investigate a damaged car after multiple rockets were fired in Kabul AFP/Getty World news in pictures 29 August 2021 A Taliban fighter stands guard as Talibans acting Higher Education Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani (not pictured) addresses a gathering during a consultative meeting on Taliban's general higher education policies at the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabu AFP/Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2021 A child that was evacuated from Afghanistan looks on at the U.S. airbase in Ramstein, Germany Reuters World news in pictures 27 August 2021 Soldiers take a selfie before a military parade in Chisinau, Moldova EPA World news in pictures 26 August 2021 Smoke rises from the site of a suspected suicide bombing outside Kabul airport in Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 25 August 2021 Egypts Ibrahim Elhusseiny Hamadtou in action during his Mens Singles Class 6 Group E Table Tennis match at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA World news in pictures 24 August 2021 People take pictures of fireworks outside the stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 23 August 2021 Staff members spraying disinfectant at a school ahead of the new semester in Bozhou, Chinas eastern Anhui province AFP/Getty World news in pictures 22 August 2021 A Taliban fighter stands guard at a checkpoint in the Wazir Akbar Khan area in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 21 August 2021 Mexican firefighters known as "Topos" work in the early morning hours in a search and rescue mission, amid the rubble from last week's 7.2 magnitude earthquake, in Les Cayes, Haiti AP World news in pictures 20 August 2021 Bangladeshi vendor sells a religious item during a Muharram event at the premises of Hussaini Dalan in Dhaka, Bangladesh EPA World news in pictures 19 August 2021 Law enforcement officers with rifles take position near the US Capitol building in Washington DC as police investigate a possible explosive device in a truck near the heart of American government AP World news in pictures 18 August 2021 A Taliban fighter patrols in Wazir Akbar Khan in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 17 August 2021 Art students paint messages of solidarity with people at risk in Afghanistans crisis outside an art school in Mumbai AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2021 Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport AFP via Getty World news in pictures 15 August 2021 Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Kandahar province in southwest Afghanistan AP World news in pictures 14 August 2021 A collapsed building is seen in Les Cayes, Haiti following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake which left at least 29 people dead Reuters World news in pictures 13 August 2021 Perseids are seen next to Milky Way during the annual Perseid meteor shower at Tres Mares peak, in Cantabria, northern Spain EPA World news in pictures 12 August 2021 A woman sits along the broken steps of a partially-collapsed building destroyed by bombardment during the May 2021 conflict between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City AFP via Getty World news in pictures 11 August 2021 People stranded at the Pakistani-Afghan border wait for its reopening after it was closed by the Talibans, who have taken over the control of the Afghan side of the border at Chaman, Pakistan EPA

Victoria Polices chief commissioner Shane Patton said the force had intelligence of another protest planned for Wednesday, warning that officers would be out in force and that protesters would be met with different tactics.

Crowds like this, theyre for cowards, Mr Patton said. Cowards who seek to hide their identity and conduct other activities, to do other things, that if they were by themselves they wouldnt have the courage to do.

The forced closures of building sites will worsen Australia's economic woes, with some economists forecasting the extended lockdowns could push the countrys economy into a second recession in as many years.

Tuesday's 603 new infections in Victoria  which has now spent more than 230 days under stay-at-home orders  were the highest daily figure this year, with one new death recorded. Just 44 per cent of people in Victoria are fully vaccinated.

Despite the Delta outbreaks, Australias Covid statistics remain lower than many comparable nations, with 88,700 cases and 1,178 deaths since the pandemic began.
New Zealand may never go back to having zero active Covid cases, the countrys top health officials have said, as the Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread in spite of tough government restrictions.

New Zealand had largely eliminated Covid last year and had remained virus-free for months. It reported its first case since February on 17 August, prompting prime minister Jacinda Ardern to impose a strict lockdown. Yet there have been more than 1,000 cases including community spread since then.

We may not get back to zero but the important thing is we are going to keep finding any infections and basically continue to contact trace, test and isolate people so that we stop the virus circulating in the community... thats the aim, Ashley Bloomfield, the director general of health told Radio New Zealand on Wednesday.

Mr Bloomfield added that the government also aims to ramp up vaccinations. Get that vaccination rate up over 90 per cent...thats absolutely our new means whereby we will be able to get back to the freedoms we had, he said.

However, at a press conference later in the day, Chris Hipkins, the Covid response minister, qualified Mr Bloomfields assessment. We are not giving up on getting back down to zero. That is absolutely what we are striving for, Mr Hipkins said.

On Wednesday, New Zealand reported 23 community cases and one border case, taking the total number of infections in the current outbreak to 1,108. Overall, since the pandemic began, there have been 3,763 cases of the coronavirus in New Zealand. The country has seen just 27 Covid deaths.

All the latest community cases were reported in New Zealands largest city Auckland. The city, which has reported around 20 cases a day for several days now, has been locked down for a month. Restrictions were slightly eased on Tuesday.

Though New Zealand was praised for reining in the spread of Covid, experts have expressed doubts about its zero-Covid strategy. The strategy involves imposing strict lockdowns and travel bans, and shutting down its borders. New Zealand nationals stuck abroad must apply to return through a scheme with severely limited numbers and undergo weeks of hotel quarantine.

Owing to its strategy of strict isolation, the nation has been more or less cut off from the rest of the world since March 2020. Last month, Ms Ardern announced that the country will allow quarantine-free entry to vaccinated travellers from low-risk nations only in early 2022.

The prime minister has also been criticised for a slow vaccination rollout. So far, 32 per cent of New Zealands 5 million population have had two shots of the coronavirus vaccine, according to The Guardian. Around 60 per cent have received one shot.
A key aide to Ukraines president escaped an assassination attempt near Kiev on Wednesday  an attack that is already being interpreted as a warning to Volodymyr Zelensky from internal or external foes.

An estimated 18 bullets were fired in the direction of Serhiy Shefirs Audi as it travelled along a secluded strech of highway at 10am, 12 miles south of Kiev. The 57-year-old escaped unhurt, but his driver was hospitalised with three bullet wounds. The gunman remains at large.

At a briefing following the attack, Mr Shefir said his driver acted heroically by accelerating away from the gunman. That likely saved both their lives. It was horrible, the aide recalled. He speculated the attack was an attempt to scare the presidential team.

In a video recorded from New York, President Zelensky described Mr Shefir as a close friend and comrade. He said he did not know who stood behind the attack, but was determined to find out.

Sending greetings to me in the form of bullets into the car of my friend is an act of weakness, but the response will be strong, Mr Zelensky said.

The two men go back a long way. They are both from Kryvyi Rih, a gritty industrial town in the east of the country, and Mr Shefir helped set up the television production company from which the Ukrainian president would later launch his political career. They wrote comedy together, sharing a flat in Moscow as they tried to make it on Russian television in the early 2000s. They remain neighbours.

Serhiy Shefir (left) with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during his inauguration (EPA)

Mr Zelensky has previously said Mr Shefir is one of the few people in life, besides his wife, that he trusted completely.

In a 2019 interview with the Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon, Mr Shefir said he had been drafted into government to stay close [to Zelensky] and make sure he stays human. In practice, that has meant him taking a central role in all the presidents business  from liaising with oligarchs and state industry to other financial dealings.

But Mr Shefir was never on the civil service payroll, and remained a business player in his own right, with control of Mr Zelenskys television production company. That exposed him to large transactions, several sources told The Independent.

Sources described Mr Sherif as a fixer within the government who made himself useful by resolving conflicts. But other reports suggested growing tensions in Ukraines top triangle  the president, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Mr Shefir. In August, the independent Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda said that Mr Shefir even walked out in anger, only to return.

The aide, on his part, has rejected reports of serious internal conflicts as idiotic.

Vladimir Fesenko, a political expert based in Kiev, said he understood there had been a cooling of relationships at the top table  but that this was clearly not to the extent someone in Mr Zelenskys team would have taken such a radical step.

There are other far less risky ways of achieving promotions and demotions, he said.

Instead, the political expert points to the probable destabilising effect an assassination would have on Zelenskys presidency. The motive to try to kill Shefir himself is far from clear, he said. But he is Zelenskys friend, and what better way to attack the president emotionally?

That line of thinking meant that authorities would be looking into the possibility of a Russian-led operation, he said  alongside domestic enemies of the Zelensky administration.

David Arakhamia, the head of Mr Zelesnkys parliamentary party, also said Moscow could be behind the attack. But he added the two other lines of inquiry would be focussed on criminal authorities and oligarchs, both threatened by reform efforts.

The Kremlin derided claims of its involvement. This has nothing to do with the real state of affairs, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, but is rather a sign of an overly exalted emotional state.

Ukraine has witnessed an uptick in violence since the start of its seven-year, undeclared war with Russia. Assassination attempts have targeted scores of military and political officers, often far away from the conflict zone. Over one year alone between 2016 and 2017, there were seven deaths.

Ukrainian law enforcement has generally been quick to attribute the deaths to Russian agents  sometimes at the expense of a more thorough investigation.
Diplomatic relations between France and the United States are on the mend after presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron spoke for the first time since the trilateral AUKUS alliance was announced.

The deal between the US, the UK and Australia sank Frances $60bn submarine contract, leading to the unprecedented recall of its ambassador from Washington.

In a joint statement following the call on Wednesday, Mr Macron said the ambassador will return in the next week after Mr Biden reaffirmed his on-going commitment to France and Europe.

The pair agreed to meet in person at the end of October, likely around the Group of 20 Summit in Europe, to reach a shared understanding.

The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefited from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners, the statement said.

The two leaders have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence and proposing concrete measures toward common objectives.

France says it received little notice before its contract to build submarines for Australia was publicly scuttled by the AUKUS pact, announced by Mr Biden and prime ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison on 15 September.

It led to a furious reaction from France, which recalled its ambassadors from Australia and the US, and cancelled an event to mark the 240-year US-French relationship dating to the Battle of the Capes.

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told Franceinfo radio that it was a unilateral, brutal, unpredictable decision.

A knife in the back, he said, noting that it killed the French submarine deal with Australia that involved a lot of technological transfers and a contract for a 50-year period.

Despite the escalating rhetoric, the call between Mr Macron and Mr Biden was described by the White House a friendly.

Press secretary Jen Psaki said the 30-minute call was extensive, and that they would continue their next steps in repairing the relationship once the French ambassador returns to the US.

Acknowledging there can be closer coordination and consultation I dont think is going to be the height of concern for most of the American people, but anyone who is concerned about our relationship with France can rest assured that they had a friendly phone call and we had a path forward, Ms Psaki said.

It was friendly, it was one where were hopeful and the president is hopeful this is a step in returning to normal in a long important abiding relationship that the United States has with France, she added.

While the tone of the conversation was framed as congenial from within the Biden administration, the office of Mr Macron was less cordial when describing its intentions for the call.

The French president planned on discussing the crisis of trust between the two countries and expected clarifications and clear commitments from Mr Biden on why he kept a European ally in the dark.

Mr Macrons office said he wanted acknowledgement the deal should have been discussed, and that it raised a matter of trust about which we need to draw together all the consequences, according to the Associated Press.

The joint statement put out by the two leaders reflected the USs concession to France that the deal should have been discussed ahead of time, while acknowledging Frances presence in the Pacific.

President Biden reaffirms the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the framework of the European Unions recently published strategy for the Indo-Pacific, the statement said.

The United States also recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defence, that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO.

The White Houses conciliatory response was in stark contrast to the UK, whose prime minister said France should get a grip and give him a break.

Fundamentally a great step forward for global security. Its three very like-minded allies standing shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology, Mr Johnson said.

Its not exclusive. Its not trying to shoulder anybody out. Its not adversarial towards China, for instance.

The White House refused to be pulled into the interactions between the UK and France, while adding that Mr Biden takes responsibility for his part in the frayed diplomatic tensions.

I cant speak to [Mr Johnsons] comments and whether theyre constructive or not from other countries, Ms Psaki said.
Switzerland will vote on Sunday in a referendum on whether to allow same-sex couples to get married and adopt children following intense campaigns from gay rights activists.

The country is one of the last Western European countries to still ban gay marriage, with same-sex couples only being allowed to enter civil partnerships in 2007.

The government and Parliament approved opening civil marriage to same-sex couples last December but was forced into a referendum by opponents, which will take place on Sunday.

Under Switzerlands system of direct democracy, members of the public can veto parliamentary decisions via a referendum if they manage to collect 50,000 valid signatures within 100 days of the official publication of the act. Earlier this year, the countrys federal chancellery announced the laws critics had gather 61. 0247 signatures, surpassing the key threshold for a vote which was scheduled for this weekend.

Some 63 per cent of Switzerland are in favour of same-sex marriage, while 35 per cent said it planned to vote against it, according to recent polls.

Support was highest in the French-speaking part of the country (66 per cent), followed by the German-speaking region (64 per cent), and Italian-speaking regions (58 per cent), according to another survey.

Same-sex couple in Switzerland were finally allowed to enter civil partnerships in 2007, after a federal law was passed in 2005, and the right to adopt their partners children in 2018.

Under the new legislation, both male and female same-sex couples would be allowed to adopt children unrelated to them in the same way as heterosexual couples.

Married lesbian couples would also be allowed to have children through sperm donation, which is currently legal only for married heterosexual couples.

Both women would be recognised as the childs official parents from birth.

Committee Marriage for Alls Antonia Hauswirth said the current adoption procedure could take three years.

"If something happens to the biological mother during this time, the child is considered an orphan."

The proposed scheme would give children born from a sperm donation two parents from birth and thus better legal protection, she said.

However, opponents argue the changes would deprive children of a father.

Olivier Dehaudt, member of a referendum committee objecting to the proposal, said: "Tomorrow, a child in Switzerland will still have a mother, but just an other parent instead of a father.

The father just gets deleted from the civil code, thats not acceptable to me.
Lionel Messi has been left out of the Paris St Germain squad for Wednesday evenings Ligue 1 trip to Metz as he battles a knee injury.

The 34-year-old Argentina superstar underwent a scan on Tuesday after being substituted 14 minutes from time in Sundays 2-1 victory over Lyon and is due to be assessed once again on Thursday.

In the meantime, manager Mauricio Pochettino who insisted during his pre-match press conference that there is no rift between he and the former Barcelona man after he appeared puzzled by his withdrawal, has left him out of the 22-man travelling party.

Messis exclusion will not have gone unnoticed at Manchester City, who are due at the Parc des Princes in the Champions League next Tuesday night.

The much-decorated Argentina international joined PSG during the summer after his 21-year stay at the Nou Camp came to an end.

He made his debut as a substitute in a 2-0 win at Reims on August 29, but is yet to score for his new club in three appearances.
When the country replaced President Trump with President Biden, many of us swore we remain vigilant and hold Biden just as accountable as his openly bigoted predecessor. When Trump was president, the countrys liberals and leftists constantly decried his oppressive policies, especially when it came to immigration. They  correctly  identified that the immigration holding facilities were, in fact, concentration camps and they frequently protested against kids in cages.

But on Monday, as I saw images of a border patrol officer seemingly whipping Black Haitian refugees at the US-Mexico border, it became apparent that we have failed to do what we said we would do. For Trumps opponents, everything was in his power to change. He was the face of American cruelty. For Bidens enablers, hes simply a figurehead and admonishments are vaguely directed at the government or the administration, rather than Biden himself, who is the head of state.

Today, the US will get up in front of the UN General Assembly. Eloquent words will be spoken about how President Biden is attempting  and according to him, succeeding  at healing the country from the damage of a would-be dictator. They will speak about how justice and righteousness have returned to the US and how all who live here are now on the path to better lives. These will all be lies, and the evidence is splashed all over Twitter. There can be no justice in a country where Haitian refugees are subjected to the whip. And if there can be no justice, then we should not allow there to be any peace. Where is the collective rage that stoked the fires against Trump? We need it now, more than ever, with the world watching.

As a Black person whose family has endured the horrors of enslavement, colonization, and mass incarceration, this image was my nightmares come to life. It makes me weep with rage to know Black people are still being control with whip-like weapons just as our enslaved ancestors were; and it makes me furious that a few of us are given creature comforts and professional success to detract from the fact that little, as a whole, has changed.

If our present day holds uncanny similarities to the antebellum South, then it definitely holds uncanny similarities to the Trump era, which we only emerged from in January of this year. Instead of boorish bigotry, were being given politeness. But it feels like the same evil.

Asked about the whipping of Haitians at the border, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the footage was horrible to watch and that she cant imagine what the scenario is where that would be appropriate. According to Politico, she said if it was the case that whips were used as a coercive mechanism, of course they should never be able to do it again. This stops just short of full-throated condemnation. While it may be enough for many, it personally only enrages me further. Immigrants and Black people deserve better than this.

While she was busy musing as to what may or may not be appropriate, Psaki did not address whether the Biden administration was going to continue deporting Haitians or offer them the refuge they deserve as human beings. We are constantly assessing circumstances on the ground, she said. Obviously our objective here is not just to work to address the circumstances  which are very difficult  in Del Rio, but also to continue to work with the officials in Haiti to improve the conditions [and] to provide assistance. Were doing all these pieces at the same time.

Reading this, its impossible not to hear echoes of Vice President Kamala Harris callous statement back in June 2021. Do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our borders. If you come to our border, you will be turned back, she told would-be Guatemalan asylum-seekers then.

We switched administrations in January, and yet the US has not become any more hospitable towards those seeking safety from danger and a better life for their families. Of course, the words are kinder. The cages for kids have brightly-painted walls now. But the resounding message being sent  whether its delivered by whip-bearing Border Patrol officers, White House press secretaries, or elegant Vice Presidents  is Do not come.
We explain the withholding tax regime in India, including threshold levels, tax rates, and DTA treaty rates on payments to resident and non-resident firms.

Withholding tax (WHT), also called retention tax, is an obligation on the individual (either resident or non-resident) to withhold tax when making payments of a specified nature, such as rent, commission, salary, for professional services, to satisfy contract provisions, etc.  at rates specified in Indias tax regime.

The applicable tax rate is the rate prescribed in the Income Tax Act, 1961 or relevant Double Taxation Avoidance (DTA) Agreement, whichever is lower. Non-residents are liable to pay taxes in India on source income, including:

Interest, royalties, and fees for technical services paid by a resident

Salary paid for services rendered in India

Income arising from a business connection or property in India

What are the withholding tax thresholds and rates on payments to Indian resident companies?

Payments to Resident Companies and WHT Threshold Nature of payment Payment threshold for WHT (INR) WHT rate (%) Specified type of interest None 10 Non-specified type of interest 5,000 10 Professional service 30,000 10 Technical service 30,000 2 Royalty or FTS 30,000 10 Royalty for sale, distribution, or exhibition of cinematographic films 30,000 2 Commission and brokerage 5,000 5 Rent of plant, machinery, or equipment 180,000 2 Rent of land, building, or furniture 180,000 10 Contractual payment (except for individual/HUF) 30,000 (single payment); 100,000 (aggregate payment) 2 Contractual payment to individual/HUF 30,000 (single payment); 100,000 (aggregate payment) 1 Payments by individual/HUF not covered under sections 194C/194H/194J 5 million 5 Dividend income on shares 5,000 10 Dividends for units of mutual fund 5,000 10 Purchase of immovable property 5 million 1 Cash withdrawal from bank or banking company 10 million 2 Payments to an e-commerce participant, in relation to sale of goods or services facilitated by e-commerce operator through digital platform  1

Notes:

As a part of relief measures due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian government has provided for a reduced WHT rate by 25 percent in case of payments to residents between May 14, 2020 to March 31, 2021. Hence, existing rates were reduced by 25 percent (i.e. if WHT rate is 10 percent as per the section, it would be read as 7.5 percent in case payment was made between May 14, 2020 to March 31, 2021).

Payments have different threshold limits. The payer is only required to withhold tax if the total payment within a tax year to a single person (except where specified otherwise) is above the limits specified above.

The threshold limit for WHT for non-specified type of interest is INR 5,000, except in the case of interest received from a bank or deposit with post office, for which it is INR 10,000. This threshold limit is increased to INR 50,000 in case of interest provided by a co-operative society, and INR 40,000 if the recipient of interest is a senior citizen (i.e., aged above 60 years).

Where the cash has been withdrawn by any person who has not filed return of income for three immediately preceding financial years, the threshold of INR 10 million will be read as INR 2 million and tax shall be deducted at 2 percent on amount exceeding INR 2 million but not exceeding INR 10 million and 5 percent on amount above INR 10 million.

WHT obligations will not arise in case of individual or Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) where transaction value does not exceed INR 0.5 million, provided such individual or HUF furnishes its PAN/Aadhar. This provision is applicable with effect from October 1, 2020. Further, payments covered under this provision shall not be doubly taxed under any other provision of the tax law.

5 percent in case PAN/Aadhar is not available.

Interest under Government of India saving (taxable) bonds, 2018 is allowed as a deduction at the time of making payment of interest on such bonds to residents. The threshold limit is less than or equal to INR 10,000.

The definition of royalty also includes consideration for use of, or right to use, computer software. Transfer of all or any rights in respect of any right, property, or information includes transfer of all or any right to use computer software (including granting of a licence), irrespective of the medium through which such a right is transferred and irrespective of whether any right or property is located in India. Hence, while applying WHT on such payments in the nature of royalty, one needs to consider the definition of royalty as amended by the Finance Act, 2012 with retrospective effect from June 1, 1976. Further amendment in the definition of royalty is brought in by the Finance Act, 2020 to include consideration for sale, distribution, or exhibition of cinematographic films within its ambit.

2 percent in case the company is engaged in business of operation of call centers.

What is the permanent account number?

Every person (not being an individual) who enters into a financial transaction of an amount aggregating to INR 250,000 or more shall be required to apply to a tax officer for a permanent account number or PAN.

If the PAN of the deductee is not quoted, the rate of WHT will be the rate specified in relevant provisions of the Income-tax Act, the rates in force, or the rate of 20 percent, whichever is higher.

Indias withholding tax regime and the Finance Act, 2021

Finance Act 2021 has prescribed a levy of higher tax deducted at source (TDS) and tax collected at source (TCS) on non-filers of income-tax return.

Accordingly, higher TDS will be applicable to those having interest income, dividend income, annuity pensions, income from capital gains.

However, this higher TDS will only apply to a specified category of non-filers of return.

Further, this new section shall not apply where the tax is required to be deducted in case of salaries, provident fund, winning from lottery etc., winning from horse rates, income received from a securitization trust or cash withdrawal exceeding INR 2 million.

As per the provisions under the Indian Income-tax Act, 1961, the higher TDS rate applied will be the higher of anyone of the following:

Twice the rate specified in the relevant provision of the Indian Income-tax Act; or

Twice the rate or rates in force; or

The rate of five percent.

What are Indias WHT rates on payments to non-resident companies?

Payments to Non-Resident Companies and WHT Threshold Nature of payment WHT rate (%) Interest on foreign currency (subject to conditions) 5 Interest on money borrowed in foreign currency under a loan agreement or by way of long-term infrastructure bonds (or rupee denominated bonds) 5 Interest on investment in long-term infrastructure bonds issued by Indian company (rupee denominated bonds or government security) 5 Interest payable on long-term bonds listed on IFSC 4 Non-specified type of interest 20 Royalty and technical fees 10 Dividend income 20 Long-term capital gains other than equity shares of a company or units of equity oriented fund/business trust on which STT is paid 20 Long-term capital gains on equity shares of a company or units of equity-oriented fund/business trust on which STT is paid 10 Income by way of winning from horse races 30 Other income 40

Notes:

Percentage to be increased by a surcharge and health and education cess to compute the effective rate of tax withholding.

Income from units of specified mutual funds received on or after April 1, 2020, is now taxable in the hands of the unit-holders.

Dividends received from Indian companies prior to April 1, 2020, are tax-free in the hands of the shareholder. Any dividends received post April 1, 2020, are chargeable in the hands of the non-resident shareholder at the rate of 20 percent or treaty rate, whichever is beneficial.

Short-term capital gains on transfer of shares of a company or units of an equity-oriented fund would be taxable at 15 percent if they have been subjected to STT.

There is no threshold for payment to non-resident companies up to which no tax is required to be withheld.

If the PAN of the deductee is not quoted, the rate of WHT will be the rate specified in relevant provisions of the Act, the rates in force, or the rate of 20 percent, whichever is higher. The government has notified rules that do not mandate quoting of PAN, subject to certain conditions.

The payer is obligated to report specific information in the prescribed form (whether or not such payment is chargeable to tax).

Where taxes are withheld as per the rates provided above with respect to dividend, interest, royalty, or FTS and there is no other income chargeable to tax in the hands of the non-resident, then compliance obligations relating to filing of return of income by such non-resident in India are not required.

Rates for Withholding Tax on Payments to Non-Residents Nature of income WHT (%) Interest 20% Dividends paid by domestic companies Nil Royalties 10% Technical services 10% Any other services: Individuals 30% of income Any other services: Companies 40% of the net income

A look at Indias DTA tax treaty rates

Some tax treaties provide for lower WHT rates from certain types of income, as follows. Note that this table is to be read along with the subsequent notes on qualifying conditions.

DTA Tax Treaty Rates

Recipient WHT (%) Dividend Interest Royalty Fee for technical services Non-treaty 10 20 10 10 Treaty: Albania 10 10 10 10 Armenia 10 10 10 10 Australia 15 15 10 (2)/15 10 (2)/15 Austria 10 10 10 10 Bangladesh 10 (3)/15 10 10 N/A (4) Belarus 10 (7)/15 10 15 15 Belgium 15 10 (9)/15 10 10 Bhutan 10 10 (19) 10 10 Botswana 7.5 (7)/10 10 10 10 Brazil 15 15 (19) 25 (13)/15 15 Bulgaria 15 15 (19) 15 (6)/20 20 Canada 15 (3)/25 15 (19) 10 (2)/15 10 (2)/15 China (Peoples Republic of China) 10 10 (19) 10 10 Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) 12.5 10 10 10 Colombia 5 10 10 10 Croatia 5 (15)/15 10 10 10 Cyprus 10 10 (19) 10 10 Czech Republic 10 10 (19) 10 10 Denmark 15 (7)/25 10 (9)/15 20 20 Egypt N/A (4) N/A (4) N/A (4) N/A (4) Estonia 10 10 10 10 Ethiopia 7.5 10 10 10 Fiji 5 10 (19) 10 10 Finland 10 10 10 10 France 10 (5) 10/15 (5) 20 (5) 10 (5) Georgia 10 10 10 10 Germany 10 10 (19) 10 10 Greece N/A (12) N/A (12) N/A (12) N/A (4) Hong Kong (entered into force) 5 10 10 10 Hungary 10 (5) 10 (5, 19) 10 (5) 10 (5) Iceland 10 10 10 10 Indonesia 10 10 (19) 10 N/A (4) Ireland 10 10 (19) 10 10 Israel 10 10 10 10 Italy 15 (3)/25 15 (19) 20 20 Japan 10 10 10 10 Jordan 10 10 20 20 Kazakhstan 10 10 (19) 10 10 Kenya 10 10 (19) 10 10 Korea, Republic of 15 10 10 15 Kuwait 10 10 10 10 Kyrgyz Republic 10 10 15 15 Latvia 10 10 10 10 Libya N/A (12) N/A (12) N/A (12) N/A (4) Lithuania 5 (3)/15 10 10 10 Luxembourg 10 10 10 10 Macedonia 10 10 10 10 Malaysia 5 10 10 10 Malta 10 10 (19) 10 10 Mauritius 5 (3)/15 7.5 (12) 15 N/A (4) Mexico 10 10 10 10 Mongolia 15 15 15 15 Montenegro 5 (7)/15 10 10 10 Morocco 10 10 (19) 10 10 Mozambique 7.5 10 10 N/A (4) Myanmar 5 10 10 N/A (4) Namibia 10 10 10 10 Nepal 5 (3)/10 10 15 N/A (4) Netherlands 10 (5) 10 10 10 New Zealand 15 10 (19) 10 10 Norway 10 10 10 10 Oman 10 (3)/12.5 10 (19) 15 15 Philippines 15 (3)/20 10 (11)/15 15 (20) N/A (4) Poland 10 10 15 15 Portugal 10 (7)/15 10 10 10 Qatar 5 (3)/10 10 10 10 Romania 10 10 10 10 Russian Federation 10 10 (19) 10 10 Saudi Arabia 5 10 10 N/A (4) Serbia 5 (7)/15 10 10 10 Singapore 10 (7)/15 10 (9)/15 10 10 Slovenia 5 (3)/15 10 10 10 South Africa 10 10 10 10 Spain 15 15 (19) 10 (5)/20 20 (5) Sri Lanka 7.5 10 10 10 (5) Sudan 10 10 10 10 Sweden 10 (5) 10 (5, 19) 10 (5) 10 (5) Switzerland 10 10 10 10 Syria 5 (3)/10 10 10 N/A (4) Tajikistan 5 (3)/10 10 10 N/A (4) Tanzania 5 (3)/10 10 10 N/A (14) Thailand 10 10 (19) 10 N/A (4) Trinidad & Tobago 10 10 10 10 Turkey 15 10 (9)/15 15 15 Turkmenistan 10 10 10 10 Uganda 10 10 10 10 Ukraine 10 (7)/15 10 10 10 United Arab Emirates 10 5 (9)/12.5 10 N/A (4) United Kingdom 10/15 (16) 10 (11)/15 10 (2)/15 10 (2)/15 United States 15 (3)/25 10 (17)/15 10 (18)/15 10 (18)/15 Uruguay 5 10 10 10 Uzbekistan 10 10 10 10 Vietnam 10 10 (19) 10 10 Zambia 5 (8)/15 10 10 N/A (4)

Notes: Qualifying conditions  the numbers in brackets in the table refer to the following conditions:

(1) The treaty tax rates on dividends are not relevant for dividends received up to March 31, 2020 since under the earlier Indian tax legislation, most dividend income from Indian companies that is subject to DDT is exempt from income tax in the hands of the recipient. However, this scenario has changed since DDT is abolished and tax is now levied in hands of recipient of dividend income with effect from April 1, 2020 .

(2) 10 percent for the use of or right to use any industrial, commercial, or scientific equipment; and in other cases:

(3) During the first five years of the agreement:

(4) 15 percent if the payer is the government or specified organisation.

(5) 20 percent in any other case.

(6) Subsequent years: 15 percent in all cases.

(7) If at least 10 percent of capital is owned by the beneficial owner (company) of the company paying the dividend or interest.

(8) In absence of specific provision, it may be treated as business profits or independent personal services under respective treaties, whichever is applicable.

(9) The most favored nation clause is applicable. The protocol to the treaty limits the scope and rate of taxation to that specified in similar articles in treaties signed by India with an OECD-member country or another country.

(10) If royalty relates to copyrights of literary, artistic, or scientific work.

(11) If at least 25 percent of capital is owned by the beneficial owner (company) of the company paying the dividend.

(12) If at least 25 percent of capital is owned by the company during at least six months before date of payment.

(13) If paid on a loan granted by a bank/financial institution.

(14) The tax rate for royalties and fees for technical services, under the domestic tax laws, is 10 percent. This rate is to be increased by a surcharge at 2/5 percent on the income tax (based on taxable income) and health and education cess of 4 percent on the income tax including surcharge. As a consequence, the effective tax rate is 10.608/10.92 percent. This rate applies for payments made under an agreement entered into on or after 1 June 2005. Accordingly, a tax resident can either use the treaty rate or domestic tax rate, whichever is more beneficial.

(15) If interest is received by a financial institution.

(16) Taxable in the country of source as per domestic tax rates.

(17) If royalty payments arise from the use or right to use trademarks.

(18) Tax treaties of certain countries do not have a separate clause specifying the WHT rate for fees for technical services and fees for included services.

(19) 5 percent if the beneficial owner is a company holding at least 10 percent of share capital; 15 percent in other cases.

(20) 15 percent of gross amount of dividend in case such dividend is paid out of income derived from immovable property and such income is exempt from tax. 10 percent in all other cases.

(21) 10 percent if such interest is paid on a loan granted by a bank carrying on a bona fide banking business or by a similar financial institution (including an insurance company).

(22) 10 percent if payments of any kind received as consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any industrial, commercial, or scientific equipment and fee for included services that are ancillary and subsidiary to the enjoyment of the property for which payment is received.

(23) Dividend/interest earned by the government and certain institutions, like the Reserve Bank of India, is exempt from taxation in the country of source.

(24) If its payable in pursuance of any collaboration agreement approved by the Government of India.
Zeel board approves merger proposal with SPNI There was speculation that the investor action against the promoter family at Zee Entertainment Enterprises would force the board to take some action. And it has: early this morning Zeel announced that the board has approved a merger proposal between Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) and India's largest troubled media entity............ Read More... Neilsen announces 'Impressions-First Initiative' for cross-platform measurement Nielsen has announced that it will take the lead on an "Impressions First Initiative" to support an industry-wide move to impression-based buying and selling in local markets across the US. The move to impressions will occur in conjunction with the integration of broadband-only (BBO) homes into Nielsen's local measurement metrics in January 2022........... Read More... I&B minister Anurag Thakur meets Netflix chief Reed Hastings Minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur met with Netflix co-founder and chief executive officer Reed Hastings for a discussion on Tuesday. Thakur presented Hastings with a copy of the holy book Bhagvad Gita during the meeting.......... Read More...
In a shocking incident, a Dalit family in Karnataka was ordered to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 after their 2-year-old son entered a Hanuman temple.

The incident took place on September 4, when the family took the toddler to the Hanuman temple in Miyapura village near Hanumasagar in Koppal district of Karnataka, on his birthday to seek blessings.

AFP

According to reports, Dalits were traditionally not allowed to enter the temple in the area and they used to pray standing outside.

But the toddler reportedly ran inside the temple while his father was praying outside.

However, this became a huge issue in the village after some people from the upper caste, including the priests, saw the boy inside the temple.

Most of the villagers belong to Ganiga Lingayat, while the Dalit family are from the Chennadasa community.

Alleging that the temple has been desecrated as a Dalit boy had entered they held a meeting on September 11 and asked the parents to pay Rs 25,000 as a fine which is going to be used to carry out purification rituals in the temple.

Didn't inform police

The family which was unable to pay the fine approached community leaders for help, but did not inform the police about it.

Facebook

However, the district administration which came to know about the development has sent police, revenue and social welfare department officials to the village.

Though no case has been registered so far, officers have conducted an awareness programme with regard to untouchability for all villagers.

The officers took members of the upper caste to task for imposing a fine on the Dalit boy's parents and let them off after warning that legal action will be initiated if they repeat this.

Culprits apologised

According to the police, the culprits were admonished and they apologized to the father of the boy. Though the police went to the house of the victim to convince him to lodge a complaint, the community elders decided not to do so as it will breed animosity.

"The people from upper caste themselves opposed the action of the members of their own community and apologized to the Dalit boy's family," T Sridhar, Superintendent of Police, Koppal told IANS.

"Elders at the village apologized and said it happened due to misunderstanding," Tehsildar Siddesh told ANI.

Though it might sound shocking to outsiders, this is not the first time Dalits in Karnataka have faced such discrimination.

In September 2019, upper-caste villagers in Tumakuru district had stopped Bharatiya Janata Party MP A Narayanaswamy from entering their village because he is Dalit.

The Chitradurga MP who went there to discuss the issue of drinking water supply was allegedly stopped from entering the village as "dalits are traditionally not allowed entry there".
Surrounded in coniferous forests with deodar trees and located along the Line of Control (LoC), Kazinag National Park in the Limber area of north Kashmirs Boniyar sector is the home to the Markhors (screw-horned goat).



Being a national animal of Pakistan, there are no borders for Markhors either to come to this part of LoC or to cross over to the other side.



Due to its geographical distribution and the landscape, the animal can be found in Pir Panchal range and Kazinag National Park too. There are no borders for them. They keep coming to this side and going to the other side for breeding, says Dr Reyaz Ahmad, Coordinator Wildlife Trust of India for Kashmir.



Idrees Bukhtiyar

However, Dr Reyaz believes that movement of Markhors may have gone down due to the change in the situation along the LoC. Since there has been fencing and strong vigil on borders, it may have affected free movement of Markhors, he says.



The breeding season of Markhors begins from 1st November till mid January while offspring start producing from May. It is also the right time to sight the Markhors who come down from the higher altitudes then, he says.



Number Has Increased Too

Reyaz said that with a curb on the poaching of the animal, the number of the Markhors have also increased in the park in the last few years. In the survey conducted two years back the number was 200 and some eight years back the number was 150. It is a huge difference, says Reyaz, who has been conducting research on the Markhors in the valley.



Idrees Bukhtiyar

He credits the local Wildlife Department for the frequent checks to stop the poaching of the animal. Back in 2008, when I started the research on the topic, I found that people used to hunt them during snow as they would believe that no one is going to come to the place as the area lacked road connectivity. I have myself seen the blood on the snow, he said.



A Wildlife Department official posted in the area said that checks have been increased in the forest area. In 2009, we arrested a man in Lachipora forests who had poached a Markhor and a case was registered against him later. Nothing such happens now, he said.



Idrees Bukhtiyar

Regional Wildlife Warden Kashmir Rashid Naqash said that this is one richest park in the valley. It is being visited by nature lovers, travellers, trekkers, school kids and NGOs, he said adding, We always facilitate them.



Aimed At Saving Markhors

Dr Reyaz said that he only wants to save the animal through his research. I believe that the Wildlife Department needs to employ more people who can go to these forest areas on a routine basis for the intensified checks so as to save the Markhors before they become extinct animals, he says.



Other Species Found in The Park

Range Officer Wildlife Department Baramulla Altaf Koul said that various species of mammals and birds are found in this national park. Around 20 species of mammals, including some rare, threatened, endangered are found in the park and key animal species sighted are Himaliyan Musk Deer (Moschus Crysogater), Himaliyan Brown Bear (Ursus artos), Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and common leopard (Panthera pardus), Yellow Throated Martin (Martes flavigula), Himaliyan Marmot (Marmota caudate) and Small Kashmir Flying Squirrel (Eoglaucomys fimbriatus), he said.



Idrees Bukhtiyar

He said, The park is home to about 120 species of birds representing about 36 families which include Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Impeyan or Monal Pheasant (Lophophorus impejanus), Koklas Pheasant (Catreus wallichii), Sparow Hawk (Accipiter nisus melaschistos), Snow Pigeon (Columba leuconota), The Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), Himaliyan pied kingfisher (Ceryle lugubris), Lesser pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), Nutcracker (Nucifraga Caryocatactes), Jackdaw (Corvus monedula), Long tailed Minvet (Pericrocotus flammeus) Sooty Flycatcher (Muscicapa lineatus), Kashmir Red breasted Flycatcher (Muscicapa Superciliari), he said adding that it also have seventeen species of butterflies which includes which include Regal Apollo (Parnassius charltonius), Common BlueApollo (Parnassius hardvricket), Common red Apollo (Parnassius epaphus), Brown Argus (Dallacha hyagriva), Mountain Argus (Callerebia hyagriva), Meadow Brown (Maniola pulchara), Narrowbandede satyr (Aulocera brhamnius), Large Tortoise shell (Nympalis xanthomelas) etc.



Peace Pact To Save Markhors

Reyaz said that they were mulling to hold a peace pact between two nations so as to save them. We are planning to do a peace pact with Pakistan so as to save the animal either it gets injured or killed due to the cross-border shelling, he said.



About Kazinag National Park

Idrees Bukhtiyar

It is located some 70 kilometers from Srinagar. The park came into existence after three wildlife sanctuaries- Limber, Lachipora and Naganari were clubbed with the support of Wildlife Trust of India in 2007. This park has potential to become one of the biggest national parks in the country as it is spread over more than 160 sq km.



The sighting of Markhors is done at Kandi Nallah, Dragan, Kothnal and Hokhian areas in the upper reaches of Baba Gayil, Fayaz Ahmad Dar, a local guide told Indiatimes.
Lithuanias defence ministry has highlighted that Xiaomis smartphones have built-in features to detect and censor terms (like Taiwanese independence, freeing Tibet) and activate the censorship remotely.

Reuters

Also Read: Xiaomi Has A New Logo, And People Are Trolling It Online

Reported first by Reuters, the smartphone in question here is Mis newest Mi 10T 5G. Even though the censorship capability turned off in the European Union region, could be enabled remotely at any time, revealed the defence ministrys National Cyber Security Centre. Authorities have now asked the users of Xiaomi phones in the nation to throw them away.



As per the report, the list of terms that could be censored by the Xiaomi smartphones system apps, including the default internet browser, as of now includes 449 terms in Chinese and is constantly updated. The National Cyber Centres report also highlighted that the Xiaomi phone was sending an encrypted message to a server-based in Singapore.

Surprisingly, another smartphone maker was found to have a security flaw -- Huaweis p40 5G. The phones app gallery directed users to third-party app repositories if one couldnt find the desired app installed while stating that many of these third-party app stores are also home to malicious apps.

Also Read: Xiaomi Overtakes Apple As Second Largest Smartphone Seller In The World

Reuters

Xiaomi hasnt really responded to a statement requested by Reuters. This comes at a time when relations between Lithuania and China arent the best. China demanded Lithuanian last month to withdraw its ambassador residing in Beijing.

Also Read: Xiaomi Beats Apple, As Samsung Tops Global Smartphone Market: Report

It also announced that it would recall its envoy to Vilnius after Taiwan announced its mission in Lithuania to be named the Taiwanese Representative Office.

In case you thought this wasnt a big deal, Taiwan often uses the name of the city Taipei in its missions in Europe and the US, but naming its newest mission on the islands name -- a territory that China claims its own -- has ruffled some feathers.

What do you think about these surveillance claims on Chinese smartphones? Let us know in the comments section below, and keep reading Indiatimes.com for the latest science and technology news and updates.
News of people smuggling cash, jewellery and even drugs has been pretty common. But have you heard of people smuggling fried chicken? Well, that happened in Auckland.

Unsplash

Under Aucklands Alert Level 4 lockdown measures  the strictest in the country  restaurants, including takeout services, have been closed and residents have been urged to stay indoors with only essential services open.

However, when the police were patrolling back roads near the citys southern boundary, officers noticed a suspicious-looking vehicle travelling on a gravel road.



After which, two New Zealand men were arrested on Sunday after attempting to cross the Auckland border with a car full of Kentucky Fried Chicken, french fries, and 10 tubs of coleslaw, local police said.



The police identified the pair as "gang associates" and found over 100,000 New Zealand dollars ($70,000) in cash and empty ounce bags alongside large amount of fast food, authorities said.



"The vehicle did a U-turn and sped off trying to evade police" after they noticed the car driving down a gravel road near the border, police said.

BBC reported that the two men, aged 23 and 30, had travelled all the way from Hamilton, about 75 miles (121km) south of Auckland. It is unclear whether the men intended to sell the food or if they hoped to use it as a distraction if they were to be pulled over, the report added.



Unsplash

Auckland officials are enforcing strict travel restrictions amid a citywide lockdown after a surge in COVID-19 cases. With restaurants closed, residents who break travel rules to purchase fast food outside the city risk fines up to $8,400 or six months of jail time.

A police spokesperson told 1News that while the KFC orders were discarded, the duo was summoned to appear in court at a later date for breaching the health order and further charges are likely.

Honestly, we sort of feel for these guys for smuggling the fast food. Definitely not the cash.
Ajay Banga, executive chairman of Mastercard, listens as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the start of a meeting with Banga and other business leaders from companies making commitments to support inclusive economic development in the Northern Triangle, at the Vice Presidents Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus on May 27, 2021. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
A memorial page had been set up on Facebook to pay homage to Indian American psychiatrist Achutha Reddy (top, 2nd from right, in photo with family), who was fatally stabbed in his Wichita, Kansas clinic. (Facebook memorial page photo)
Tirth Modi, 17, of Orange, Calif., breaks his fast at the Jain Center of Southern California in Buena Park. Jains congratulated the Indian American teen and fed him food during the end of Paryushan, a holy holiday. During Paryushan, Jains embrace their main principals of non-violence toward every living being tolerance of other philosophies and non-possessiveness. (Mindy Schauer/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
Building cloud-native applications at scale requires choosing your stack carefully. One popular tool is Apaches Cassandra project, a NoSQL database designed to scale rapidly without affecting application performance. Its an ideal platform for working with big data, with built-in map-reduce tools based on Hadoop, as well as its own query language. Originally developed at Facebook, its since been used at CERN, Netflix, and Uber.

Azure initially offered Cassandra support through DataStaxs offerings in the Azure Marketplace before adding Cassandra API support to its own distributed Cosmos DB, as well as providing guidance for users who wanted to build and deploy their own Cassandra systems on Azure VMs. Its now developing its own Cassandra implementation, with a public preview of a set of managed instances of Cassandra, designed to work alongside Cosmos DB.

Apache Cassandra on Azure

Cassandra is a distributed database, with each node connected to each other via the gossip protocol. Nodes run on multiple machines, organized as a data center and deployed as rings of nodes. All nodes are peers, so if any one node is lost, the system can keep operating while a replacement starts. Rings can peer with other rings, too, allowing you to have on-premises systems work with cloud-hosted systems, or one region with others for global resilience. Nodes can be added or removed from a ring as necessary, offering linear scaling. To double performance or capacity, all you need to do is double the number of nodes.

Microsofts Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra is perhaps best thought of as a way of extending on-premises data into Cosmos DB. Theres been demand for on-premises Cosmos DB since shortly after launch, but its deep integration with the Azure platform makes it hard for Microsoft to separate it. By offering integration between its Azure implementation and Cosmos DB, its now possible to set up an Azure-hosted Cassandra ring and peer it with on premises and with Cosmos DB. You can now replicate data between on premises and the cloud, taking advantage of Cosmos DBs capabilities to run global-scale distributed applications while working with local Cassandra instances to handle regulated data operations in your own data center.

There are other advantages to using Managed Instances, as you can hand over much of the day-to-day operations of a Cassandra ring to Azure. It will automatically deliver upgrades and updates, handling patching so your database always runs the most secure version of the software. With less management overhead, you can concentrate on building applications rather than maintaining your stack.

Getting started with Managed Instances

Theres not much difference between setting up and running Azures Apache and any of its other managed open source databases. Start by logging in to the Azure Portal, then search for Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra to create a cluster.

Youll need to follow most of the steps for adding an Azure service to a subscription, from adding it to a resource group and choosing a location. At the same time, choose a name and pick a host VM type. In the current preview, youre limited to DS14_v2 servers, attached to four P30 disks. These are quite powerful Xeon-based systems, with 16 vCPUs, 112GB of memory, and a 224GB SSD. Theres support for as many as 64 data disks and 8 network cards, with 12,000 Mbps of bandwidth. Expect to pay at least $2.11 an hour per server, depending on where you are provisioning the service. P30 disks offer 1TB of storage per disk and cost at least $122.88 a month (with additional charges for mounts).

Running Casandra in Azure wont be cheap, but then its not for small applications. Youre going to be shifting a lot of data around your application even if youre only using it as a gateway to Cosmos DB.

The next step links your instance to either a new or existing Azure virtual network. Any VNet needs to have internet access, as it needs to link to several different Azure services. These include support for virtual machine scaling, managing encryption keys and certificates, as well as integrating with Azures security and authentication services. If youre connecting to an existing VNet, you must add appropriate permissions from the Azure CLI, otherwise your deployment will fail.

Youre now ready to create your cluster. Once its deployed, your next step is to create a management virtual machine with support for the Cassandra libraries. This will allow you to use the Cassandra query tools to manage your database, using the admin password you set up when you created the cluster. You can now start to work with Cassandra.

Building hybrid clusters in hybrid clouds

If youre thinking of using Cassandra in Azure as a bridge to Cosmos DB, you need to configure your Azure resources as a hybrid cluster. As before, create and deploy a Cassandra cluster in Azure, setting its name and connecting it to an Azure VNet. You will need to configure Cassandra for node-to-node encryption, so if your on-premises install isnt using it, enable it. Export your encryption certificates and use the Azure CLI to install them in your Azure-hosted cluster. These will enable your two sites to communicate over encrypted gossip connections.

The VNet will need to connect to your local network, either over dedicated Express Route connections or using a site-to-site VPN. What you use will depend on how much data you intend to ship to Azure, although experimental clusters are likely to use a VPN to avoid the cost of setting up a dedicated multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) connection.

You will need to create a new data center in your managed cluster, using the Azure CLI to get details of its seed nodes. These are added to the configuration details of your on-premises system, along with defining your site-to-site replication strategy. This process is surprisingly simple, just needing a couple of lines in Cassandras query language.

Using Managed Cassandra with other Azure services

One interesting aspect of the service is support for Azures Apache Sparkbased analytics tool, Databricks. If you install Databricks in the same VNet as your Managed Cassandra service and then use the Apache Spark Cassandra connector to link to your endpoints, you can then use Spark and Databricks notebooks to run analytics on your Cassandra-hosted data.

Its interesting to see how Microsofts commitment to hybrid cloud operations translates to working with data. By offering a managed route to running Cassandra, the company provides a natural bridge for NoSQL data between your on-premises tools and the cloud. Its a two-way connection, enabling local processing of sensitive data while taking advantage of cloud scale for your applications (and eventually expanding into the global scale of Cosmos DB).

Cassandras own replication protocols provide the bridge, while Azure ensures that its up to date and secure. The result is an effective set of tools that solve many of the problems associated with linking cloud and data center, one that can take advantage of tools like Apache Spark to deliver that data to other Azure services that rely on big data.
A proposed $16 billion billion plan to address back bay flooding, one of the major sources of storm damage at the Jersey Shore, is raising concerns about where water would go during storms, whether barriers proposed as part of it would hinder navigation and the impact it would have on the environment.

During an online hearing Monday night on the project, officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it could prevent $1.8 billion worth of storm damage a year when fully constructed.

It doesnt eliminate all damage, but it will greatly reduce damages, said Robert Hampson, a hydraulic engineer with the Army Corps.

But officials did not yet have detailed answers on some concerns, particularly environmental ones, noting that the project, which is one of the most ambitious and expensive flood control efforts any U.S. state has yet taken to address back bay flooding, is still in the planning stages.

The proposal calls for construction of huge gates across the mouths of three inlets in New Jersey that could be slammed shut when major storms approach, closable barriers that would cut parts of two bays in half and the elevation of nearly 19,000 homes.

Back bay flooding refers to floods that are not primarily caused by waves crashing over ocean barriers, but by stealthily rising water levels in bays along inland shorelines.

Although ocean waves caused severe damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, back bay flooding also caused extensive damage in that storm. In numerous places, it was the primary source of property damage during Sandy.

It also would change the way several iconic spots at the Jersey Shore would look and operate.

When someone asked where all the water diverted by the gates and barriers would go during storms, Hampson said the barriers may cause a temporary increase in water levels near the structures of 6 inches to 1 foot when they are closed.

Brian Williams, who did not identify his hometown in the online meeting, expressed concern about the projects impact on marine life.

Can you guys inform the native residents of this area youre going to do this: whales, dolphins, fish, birds, crabs? he asked. Im pretty sure they didnt get a notification on their shell phone. And Im pretty sure they wouldnt approve of this project.

It calls for large storm gates across the Manasquan, Barnegat and Great Egg Harbor inlets. In addition, so-called cross-bay barriers would be erected in Absecon Bay near Atlantic City and along a former railroad right of way that would extend along 52nd Street in Ocean City.

These bay barriers would have a swing gate in the middle that could be shut during major storms, and slat-like gates spanning about a third of a mile that would be lowered down into the water to block surges of water during storms.

Similar barriers have been proposed for waterways in Texas and New York like those already in place along the Mississippi River, the Providence River in Rhode Island, and in Holland, England and Venice, Italy. But other places, including Boston, considered the idea but decided the cost outweighs the benefits.

The plans announced last month by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection are just that: plans. There is no guarantee of funding for the massive project, which would run from Neptune in Monmouth County all the way to the states southern tip in Cape May.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood New Jersey
WELLINGTON  New Zealand on Friday [Sept. 17] announced higher fines of up to NZ$12,000 ($8,400) for individuals breaching coronavirus restrictions amid concerns that the current outbreak may spread beyond Auckland to other regions due to people breaking rules.

Our success has been really based on the fact that people by and large have been compliant, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference.

However, there has been the odd person that has broken the rules and put others at risk, she said.

A person who intentionally fails to comply with a COVID-19 order, such as traveling without permission, will have committed a criminal offense and is now liable on conviction for a fine of up to NZ$12,000, up from NZ$4,000, or six months imprisonment.

Fines for companies can go up to NZ$15,000 [$10,500].

On-the-spot fines for infringement offenses like failing to wear a mask where it is mandatory will be increased to NZ$4,000 for individuals from NZ$300 previously. If the matter goes to court, the court can impose a fine of up to NZ$12,000.

The changes will take effect in November, subject to the passing of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill.

New Zealand reported 14 new cases on COVID-19 on Tuesday, which compares with an earlier daily case peak of more than 80 cases in August. The number of cases in the current outbreak now totals 1,085.

The country was largely virus-free this year until Augusts Delta variant outbreak in Auckland led to a full lockdown. Auckland, New Zealands biggest city, remains in lockdown although restrictions have been eased in the rest of the country.

Arderns tough lockdowns and international border closures helped rein in COVID-19, but her government has been criticized for a slow vaccination rollout. The government has made efforts to ramp up its vaccine drive with purchases of additional vaccine doses from Spain and Denmark.

($1 = 1.4233 New Zealand dollars) (Reporting by Praveen Menon; editing by Edwina Gibbs)

Topics COVID-19
Swiss Re is partnering with Claim Genius, an insurtech that provides artificial intelligence (AI) insurance claims solutions, to enhance motor claims efficiencies with real-time damage assessment and estimation.

Swiss Re Solutions aims to deliver world leading claims management capabilities to its cedent clients, helping them lower settlement time and costs, while making the post-accident process fast, fair and frictionless for consumers, commented Swiss Res Global P&C Head Pranav Pasricha.

Not Every Insurtech Is a Startup: How Swiss Re Delivers Tech Solutions Swiss Re Builds Risk Scoring System, Aiming to Reward Safe Cars with Lower Premiums

Our partnership with Claims Genius helps unlock our global data and tech assets to deliver world leading accuracy and speed in auto-claims damage assessments, Pasricha added.

Insurers will be able to use our Smart Claims platform to transform their claims process into a 100% automated photo-based damage assessment, delivering reliable loss estimations in a matter of minutes with improved FNOL intake, triage, assessor productivity and settlement variability, he said. (Editors note: FNOL is first notification of loss.)

By adopting Computer Vision and AI technology, the insurance industry is seeing huge upside in efficiency and cost savings, said Raj Pofale, founder & CEO of Iselin, N.J.-based Claim Genius.

Pofale said Claim Genius image and video base analysis enables end-to-end automation for the motor claims.

On its website, Claim Genius said it aims to provide touchless claims for carriers, which can provide instant damage estimates and rapid claims processing. The company aims to reduce claims processing time, increase carrier profitability, and revolutionize the claims experience.

Our vision is to make touchless claims a reality and our customers across the globe are very happy to see that our technology is enabling  100% digitization of their claims process, Pofale said. I am excited to see that Swiss Re believes in our technology and [is] taking it to all their European customers.

About Claim Genius

Claim Genius Inc.s patent-pending artificial intelligence image analysis and predictive analytics provides an instant damage assessment, condition, and damage estimate from uploaded videos or photos through its easy-to-use mobile app technology. Claim Geniuss mission is to reduce claims processing time, increase companies profitability, and revolutionize the claims experience for customers worldwide. In addition to its headquarters in Iselin, N.J., the company also has development centers in Nagpur and Hyderabad, India, and an office in the UK.

Source: Claim Genius

Topics Mergers Claims InsurTech Tech Swiss Re Data Driven
This edition of International People Moves details promotions and appointments at three insurers: Beazley, Everest Insurance and MGA Pen Underwriting.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Beazley Promotes Turk as Group Head of Strategy

Beazley, the London-based insurer, has announced that Rachel Turk has been appointed group head of Strategy. She will also join the executive committee with immediate effect.

Previously, Turk held the role of head of Corporate Development.

Turk joined Beazley in 2009 as a D&O underwriter in Specialty Lines, becoming Focus Group leader in 2015, and was appointed head of Corporate Development in 2019. Prior to joining Beazley, Turk held equity and finance analyst roles and she is a qualified chartered accountant.

In addition to her role at Beazley, Turk also sits on the board of the Lloyds Market Association (LMA).

This is a very well-deserved promotion. Since 2019, Rachel has been working with the executive helping us to develop and refine our corporate strategy, as well as developing plans to ensure that we deliver on our corporate objectives, commented Adrian Cox, Beazley CEO.

Over the past couple of years Rachel has driven a number of key development activities, including identifying growth opportunities in existing markets via mergers and acquisitions. She has also been instrumental in the creation and success of our incubation underwriting team, which is at the forefront of exploring new products and services, Cox added.

***

Everest Insurance Names Former Chubb Exec McBride as Global Head of Claims

Everest Insurance, the primary insurance division of Everest Re Group Ltd, announced that Andrew McBride has been named senior vice president, global head of Claims.

In his role, McBride will be responsible for leading the strategic oversight and holistic management of all aspects of commercial insurance claims operations globally. As part of the divisions senior leadership team, he will work to further streamline and drive efficiencies in the claims processes, with continued investment in advanced data and analytics.

Based in London, McBride will report directly to Mike Karmilowicz, President and CEO, Everest Insurance.

McBride brings Everest deep experience with a demonstrated track record of industry success spanning four decades. Most recently, he served as executive vice president of Claims at Chubb, where he was responsible for the management of all aspects of claims across Chubbs international businesses. Prior to that, McBride led the management of all claims and related issues as director of Claims at QBEs European Operations. Earlier in his career, he served in various roles managing claims at Aon and AXA Group overseas. McBride graduated from Leicester University with a degree in law.

***

MGA Pen Appoints Hiscoxs Dixon to Newly Created Role of Head of Technology

Pen Underwriting has appointed Tom Dixon has been appointed to the newly created role of head of Technology. Dixon joins Pen on Sept. 23 to drive the development of innovative new insurance solutions that support the rapid growth of the technology sector in the UK.

He will report into Adrian Scott, managing director of International & Financial Lines at Pen Underwriting.

Highly respected and exceptionally well-connected in the tech insurance sector, Dixon joins from Hiscox where, as head of Technology, he has led its UK & Ireland technology practice since the beginning of 2018. Prior to that he held a range of underwriting, business development and leadership roles focused on professional indemnity (PI) and the wider field of specialist commercial insurance since joining the company in 2009.

At Pen, Dixon will build and develop a comprehensive PI-led portfolio of risk solutions tailored to meet the complex and fast-evolving needs of a broad spectrum of technology companies ranging from software developers, internet service providers and GDPR consultants, to specialists in blockchain, artificial intelligence and data analytics.

No sector will be as pivotal to the future success of the UK economy as technology. The pandemic has only hastened the extent of its influence in what was already one of our fastest growing industries, with the UKs technology sector securing one-third of all European tech investments back in 2019, commented Scott.

The fact that 10% of current UK job vacancies are for tech jobs also speaks volumes about the strength, resilience and upward projection of the digital economy, he added.

Yet compared to the size of the opportunity, there are relatively few insurance providers specialising in this sector, creating untapped demand. Brokers are looking for greater choice, empowered underwriters, cutting-edge wordings and a problem-solving approach that will give them a competitive advantage.

Scott said that Pen intends to build Pen into a top tier tech insurer in the UK.

A subsidiary of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Pen Underwriting is a multi-class, multi-territory MGA that operates as a virtual insurer, meaning it can fulfil all the typical functions of an insurance company  from sales, distribution, pricing and product innovation through to claims, analytics and governance  except carry risk. Pen Underwriting has five divisions: International & Financial Lines, Specialty Lines, Public Sector, Delegated Solutions and eSME.

Topics Claims InsurTech Tech Chubb
A weekend fire destroyed a historic church in Chicagos far southern suburbs that had appeared in the 2002 film Road to Perdition.

Officials said nearly a dozen fire departments responded to the Sept. 19 fire in the Will County village of Beecher, but by the time the flames were doused St. Pauls Lutheran Church was in ruins.

No one was injured and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Flames swept the church in the afternoon as members of the congregation were enjoying an Oktoberfest celebration in the parking lot. The building dates to 1865.

Yeah, it is devastating: the 150 years of the weddings and the funerals and the baptisms and all of that are gone. But the church still stands, the people, we still have our folk and our faith, said the Rev. Michael Stein.

The closest fire hydrant was approximately one mile (1.6 kilometer) away, prompting an effort to shuttle roughly 91,000 gallons (344,472 liters) of water to the rural location to extinguish the flames, officials said.

The church, which is more than 150 years old, appeared in Tom Hankss 2002 film Road to Perdition, WGN-TV reported.

My grandparents are buried there. Its really sad seeing the church like this, Beecher resident Zachery Wehling told the station.

Stein said its an opportunity to rebuild.

It is a dark chapter, and a sad one, and we mourn it and we grieve it  but we still look to Christ and we find that hope to go on, he said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Church
The Biden administration plans a fresh campaign against ransomware attacks through sanctions to cut off criminals cryptocurrency pipelines, and it urged companies to report extortion attempts and better protect themselves from them.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told reporters that the sanctions would be imposed on Suex, a cryptocurrency transferring service thats registered in the Czech Republic. He said Suex had facilitated transactions involving illicit proceeds for at least eight ransomware variants.

Biden Administration Plans More Ransom Payment Tracing in Fight Against Attacks U.S. Launches Stop Ransomware Website; Offers Reward Up to $10M

He said exchanges like Suex are critical to attackers ability to extract profits, pointing out that this was the first such action by the Office of Foreign Assets Control against a virtual currency exchange.

Both Adeyemo and Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger, who also briefed reporters in a conference call on Monday evening, underscored the importance of ransomware victims coming forward and vulnerable businesses and organizations taking steps to bolster their security.

Adeyemo announced new Treasury Department guidance that makes an express statement that the U.S. government strongly discourages the payment of cyber ransoms or extortion demands.

Neuberger likened companies armoring themselves against cybercrime to motorists and homeowners buying insurance.

Read more: U.S. Goes on Offense to Fight Growing Threat of Cyber Attacks

It incentivizes us to drive more safely, she said. You get a number of moving violations, your insurance goes up. Get into accidents, it goes up. Similarly, when you look at our home insurance, in order to get home insurance you have to have a smoke detector or have an alarm system.

When we look at cybersecurity, what were grappling with is what seems to be the lack of incentives for companies to make the investment to modernize their defenses to meet this threat, Neuberger said.

The actions amount to another foray by the administration after ransomware attacks earlier this year disabled the meat giant JBS SA, which eventually paid an $11 million ransom, paralyzed Colonial Pipeline Co.s flow of gasoline on the U.S. East Coast and imperiled health care providers in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since its inception in 2018 as a venue for transferring digital currency and turning it into cash, Suex has moved hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit digital coins, including more than $160 million in Bitcoin alone, according to the cryptocurrency research firm, Chainalysis.

Suexs addition to the Treasury Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List prohibits Americans from doing business with it.

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts a victims data. Cybercriminals often steal the data, too. The hackers then ask for a payment to unlock the files and promise not to leak the stolen data. In recent years, hackers have been targeting victims with cyber insurance policies and huge volumes of sensitive consumer data that make them more likely to pay a ransom, according to cybersecurity experts.

A task force established by the Institute for Security and Technology said cyberattacks became a $350 million criminal industry in 2020  a 311% increase over 2019. The task force recommended 48 actions that the Biden administration and private sector could take to mitigate such attacks, including better regulation of the digital currency market used to make ransom payments.

The Biden administration has determined that ransomware is no longer limited to independent cartels seeking to simply make a profit from extortion. Instead, nation-states may be using the attacks as a tool to disrupt government or private operations.

For instance, in April the Treasury Department sanctioned Russian entities for helping to facilitate cyberattacks and tied a Russian intelligence agency to a ransomware group known as Evil Corp. Then in July, western intelligence accused the Chinese Ministry of State Security of conspiring with hackers to execute a series of malicious ransomware, data theft and cyber-espionage attacks against public and private entities, including the sprawling Microsoft Exchange hack earlier this year.

Related:

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Cyber
About 13,000 homes in Louisianas Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes were destroyed by Hurricane Ida and displaced parish residents have been sleeping in tents and using the rubble to build their own sort of makeshift structure, Speaker Pro Tempore Tanner Magee said during a legislative hearing on Sept. 20.

And when I say tent, Im not talking about like some army tent, Im talking the Walmart variety tent that you had in your house, said Magee, a Republican who represents Terrebonne and Lafourche. Thats what theyre living in.

About 13,000 homes in Louisianas Bayou region have been destroyed, including 60 percent of homes in south Terrebonne Parish, he said.

Were hearing from Lake Charles that they spent a year (after Hurricanes Laura and Delta) without temporary housing, I dont know how thats anything less than a humanitarian crisis, Magee said.

The Legislatures Joint Commerce Committee met to discuss updates on Hurricane Ida damage in Southeast Louisiana as well as the ongoing issues such as housing, power and phone service.

Hundreds of renters in Houma were told without warning that theyre being evicted from their apartments due to storm damage after Ida. One resident said her apartment complex told their residents that they had less than two weeks to move out or all your stuff will be thrown out.

Magee said those apartment complexes were bad actors.

There are no hotels. New Orleans is booked. St. Mary Parish is booked, he said. So, when these people get kicked out, theres literally no place to go.

Tammy Esponge, with the Apartment Association of Louisiana, said they offered guidance to apartment complexes that are severely damaged or uninhabitable after the storm to give residents a reasonable amount of time to allow those residents to find a place to go.

What these owners are doing, aside from not following guidance, its unfortunate, Esponge said.

This is something that has to be corrected, Magee said. I cannot continue to drive down to Terrebonne Parish and see firemen living in tents where the fire station is because they have no roof or only have three walls.

Legislators threaten to end contract with AT&T following service failures after Ida.

Just 60% of AT&Ts network in Louisiana was working the day after Ida pummeled the state. The down phone network made it difficult for residents and hundreds of government officials to communicate with each other in the aftermath of the storm.

The Louisiana state government contracted with AT&T to provide phone service for its 911 communications and first responders, so many state emergency services couldnt be reached when many of these numbers were needed most, Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R-New Orleans, said.

Joe Mapes, a lobbyist for AT&T, was sent to testify for the telecommunications company at the hearing, but couldnt respond to many of the lawmakers questions.

Sen. Karen Carter Peterson (D-New Orleans) told Mapes that its very disrespectful for AT&T to be in avoidance mode when they have a contract with the state to provide for a basic service.

Were talking about something fundamental, life and death, Peterson said, Thats not fair. Why do you still have the contract?

Peterson told Mapes that if no one from AT&T got back to them today, My recommendation is going to be for the Division of Administration to cancel the FirstNet contract with AT&T, and do an emergency contract in the next 48 hours.

We are still in the middle of hurricane season, she said.

Entergy wants to pass its $2.1 billion hurricane costs onto customers.

Damages from Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta in 2020 combined cost Entergy Louisiana $2.1 billion  a bill that the company wants to pass along to their customers in additional charges.

To the extent that Southwest Louisiana was hit very hard last year, our entire customer base will be picking that up, Mark Kleehammer, the vice president of regulatory and public affairs for Entergy Louisiana, said.

Entergy is looking to get approval from the Public Service Commission on a $5 additional charge on customers monthly bills statewide for the next 15 years to pay for the companys hurricane damages last year. That doesnt even include damage from Hurricane Ida, which hit in August.

Rep. Bryan Fontenot, R-Thibodaux, said Entergys shareholders should use a percentage of their profits to shoulder the burden of damages instead of just passing the costs along to customers.

Its easy to be in business when you can just pass the costs off and not absorb the damages, he said.

This story originally ran in The Louisiana Illuminator, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization.

Topics Legislation Louisiana
Officials with a North Carolina agency have accused a mother and son of falsely telling an insurance company that her car and truck had been struck multiple times by deer and other animals.

A news release from state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey on Thursday says Martha Jeffries Inman, 68, and her son, Cecil Dwayne Roberson, 43, of Stoneville were charged with insurance fraud.

Special agents with the department say Inman secured more than $10,000 from an insurance company by making the false claims about animal collisions. According to the department, the offenses occurred between October 2019 and January 2021.

Inman was also charged with obtaining property by false pretense. Roberson was also charged with aiding and abetting Inman in obtaining property by false pretense. All charges are felonies, the news release said.

In addition, Roberson is accused of presenting a statement supporting his mothers comprehensive insurance claim.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud Abuse Molestation North Carolina
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The Government will need to do more to encourage employers to hire or keep staff with disabilities if the uneven pattern of employment is not once again to be repeated.

The message comes from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which is concerned that people with disabilities will again disproportionately bear the brunt of the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, as happened during the last economic crisis 10 years ago.

Its major study, "Disability, Work and Inclusion in Ireland", found that Ireland is performing worse than many European countries in that a small share of its disabled population are employed compared with people with no disabilities.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is having a severe impact on job creation in Ireland and there is a considerable risk that the crisis will deteriorate the labour market situation for persons with disabilities further  as was the case after the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-09," the OECD said in the report.

It urges the Government to introduce a range of incentives and policies to encourage employers to hire staff with disabilities and sets out its criticism of policy initiatives taken in recent years.

"Under the direction of several broad policy strategies, including most recently the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-24, significant disability policy changes have taken place in Ireland in the past decade," according to the report.

Limited reforms

"The impact of those reforms, however, has been limited. Persons with disabilities in Ireland continue to face significant gaps in employment and unemployment compared with persons without disabilities," it said, citing census figures showing "the employment rate of persons with disabilities was about half of the rate for persons without disabilities".

The OECD said that lower skills and education levels are hampering recruitment by employers of persons with disabilities.

Very few of those on disability payments in Ireland work, yet, data indicate that a significant share of them would be able to take up work if the right incentives and support measures were in place.

Its recommendations include that the Government extend its employment services, improve incentives for employers, and to change the Partial Capacity Benefit "to make it mandatory for those fulfilling the entitlement criteria and available to more persons with sickness or disability, and by turning it into an in-work payment".

The OECD is concerned that the fallout from the Covid crisis will affect persons with disabilities because a large number are employed in sectors that were most affected by the pandemic.

The latest figures from the Department of Social Protection figures this week showed a fall of around 3,845 in the number of people requiring the pandemic unemployment payment to 110,770. However, large numbers on the PUP are still from sectors that had been shut or restricted by the health restrictions. At 19,504, accommodation and food service accounts for the largest group of people on the PUP.
American pig farmers have been put on alert against African Swine Fever (ASF) after the disease jumped across the Atlantic Ocean and cropped up in the Dominican Republic, a Caribbean country only 700 miles from the United States.

There has never been any finding of ASF in the United States or Canada, and it has been absent for nearly 40 years from the Western Hemisphere, until the Dominican Republic outbreak.

It poses no threat to humans but can cause up to 100% mortality in pigs. In the past three years, outbreaks have required the destruction of millions of pigs in 90 countries in Africa, Europe, and Asia, as governments tried to halt its spread.

Theres no vaccine or treatment for ASF, which spreads when pigs come into contact with infected pigs, pork, and pork by-products.

Since an ASF panzootic emerged in China (the worlds biggest pork producer and consumer) in 2018, ASF has greatly disrupted the global protein market and threatens the sustainability of pig farming globally. It spread from China throughout Asia.

ASF was notified in domestic pigs in the Dominican Republic in July, and half of the nations provinces have the disease. The Caribbean nation shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and is a tourist destination, which adds to the danger of ASF spreading in the Americas.

However, ASF has been kept under control in the EU since 2014, when it spread from Russia and Belarus. As a result, most of the EU member states can continue exporting pork worldwide without restrictions.

It has been found in thousands of wild boars across continental Europe over the past three years.

From Russia and Belarus, the disease spread to the EU in January 2014, cropping up in Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, and Estonia later in the year. By the end of 2019, it was present in nine EU Member States, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. In 2020, it was found in Greece (only one case) and Germany (a major pig producer, which has lost valuable export markets due to ASF).

Estonia had only a single outbreak in 2021. Hungary has ASF only in wild boar. The Czech Republic has been free from ASF since early in 2019, and Belgium, where it was found only in wild boar, has been ASF-free since last November.

Already found in more than 2,000 wild boars in Germany, it was found last July in domestic pigs on three small German farms near Poland. Restriction zones were set up, and it did not spread to other farms.

Germany's strategy to tackle the disease includes building fences along the Polish border to stop wild boar, increasing hunting of wild boars, and stricter hygiene measures on farms.

In contrast, ASF has continued to spread in Poland, in domestic pigs and wild boar, with farm cases cropping up last July in new areas of central Poland.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has said it is now focused on the urgent action needed to curb the spread of African Swine Fever in the Americas. OIE has called on the US and Canada to strengthen their surveillance efforts.

The USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has hosted an ASF action week of webinars to help farmers protect the US pig herd.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, This disease does not affect people, and it cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans, and its not a food safety issue. However, ASF is incredibly destructive, and we need you to be informed.

ASF outbreaks have ravaged hog populations in parts of Europe and Asia, especially China, over the last three years, and the disease was recently detected in captive hogs in Germany and confirmed less than a thousand miles away from our shores in the Dominican Republic in July. African swine fever has never been detected in the United States, and we are committed to keeping it out and protecting our vital swine industry.
The Taoiseach says that anyone who thinks US President Joe Biden doesn't understand Northern Ireland "is wrong".

Speaking in New York on Wednesday, Micheal Martin said that concerns from members of the UK Government about President Biden's intervention on the Northern Protocol during a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were misplaced.

"Anybody who suggests that President Biden doesn't get Northern Ireland, or understand it is wrong. He understands it very well. And our team in Washington has consistently used every opportunity to appraise the American administration of the importance of the UK-EU trade agreement and the role the protocol has within that agreement, and also that the European Union is in solution mode in respect of this and wants to resolve this."

Mr Martin said he believes the ongoing issues with the protocol could be resolved if the political will exists in the North.

Speaking at a Washington DC meeting between the two, President Biden urged Mr Johnson not to let the Northern Protocol threaten peace on the island of Ireland.

"We spent an enormous amount of time and effort in the United States. It was a major partisan effort, and I would not like to see  nor would many of my Republican colleagues  a change in the Irish accord, the end result having a closed border in Ireland."

Afterwards, Mr Johnson said that the two hadn't discussed the workings of the protocol, but his Environment Secretary George Eustice told Sky News that Mr Biden's understanding of the North was based on "reading the headlines".

The Taoiseach said he was not concerned that Northern Ireland is not discussed at the top level by the UK Government. He said that the Biden Administration takes the issue seriously and the peace process was a "success story" for successive American governments.

Asked if he was concerned that alleged poor treatment of staff by Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) management and lack of adequate cover caused by roster changes could hamper the recovery of the aviation sector as travel to the US reopens, Mr Martin said that ministers will engage and review a letter sent by controllers.

"Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughton will engage with air traffic controllers. Anything that pertains to safety, the Government takes very seriously and we will examine the issues which have been put forward."

On rents, Mr Martin said that increasing supply is key, but offered no immediate commitments to solve the student accommodation crisis. He said that a number of issues would be considered in next month's Budget.

"This is a real crisis for young people. But we can't solve it overnight. The whole country needs to be focused on getting it sorted. I'm not going to go into the specifics of the budget this week but we'll be looking at a range of issues that are putting pressure on people and work out how we can solve that.

"Right now, it is a very serious issue and the Minister for Housing is working with the Minister for Higher Education on what we can do in the short-term. It is challenging and we acknowledge that there are limits to what we can do, but we will try to do everything we can."

The Taoiseach also confirmed that Ireland will increase its aid contributions in next month's Budget above the 0.3% of GDP it is currently at.
As of this month, all four public opinion polling companies place Sinn Fein as the most popular political party in the state. Further emphasising the partys newfound dominance, Marc MacSharrys resignation makes Sinn Fein the largest political party in Dail Eireann.

Having increased their vote share in each of the last eight general elections the obvious question is: How has a political party so connected to some of the biggest atrocities on this island become so popular?

Has fervent nationalism gripped the nation? Or are younger voters naively unaware of the Troubles? Or is there some malevolent campaign machine or social media strategy behind this development?

None of these common explanations is satisfactory: Firstly, support for a united Ireland is relatively unchanged in 20 years; Secondly, the 2020 general election exit poll revealed that Sinn Fein was the most popular party even among those aged 45 to 54 and 55 to 64; and thirdly there is no evidence in political science that campaign machines can have such a radical impact on voting behaviour.

There are two ways of responding to the rise of Sinn Fein  one is to infantilise their supporters with the array of excuses above, and the other is to attempt to understand the motivations of what now amounts to one in three voters.

In support of the latter, polling data points to three key drivers in support for Sinn Fein, which I will explain in turn.

Changing demographics

Firstly, the changing demographics of Ireland. From the 1950s to 1980s in every other European country, left-wing parties enjoyed 30% to 55% of the vote. In Ireland however, the left could only muster 15% of the vote.

As the collective support for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael declined, their beneficiaries have changed over time: Labour, the Progressive Democrats, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and the Social Democrats, in each case representing a more secular Ireland.

The lack of industrialisation or the presence of Fianna Fail has often been used to explain the poor support for left-wing parties. An extensive academic literature (e.g. Stegmueller) suggests that religion plays a key role.

It shows that typical working-class voters with a strong religious identity are often not in favour of redistributive economic policies and tend to support right wing parties. 1980s Ireland and 2020s Ireland couldnt be more different in this regard.

Chart courtesy of Dr Kevin Cunningham

In 1983 when the 8th amendment was introduced, eight of 10 people attended church on a weekly basis. By 2018 this fell to two out of 10. As religion, party loyalty and to some extent homeownership has declined, the share of the population open to voting for an overtly left-wing political party has dramatically increased.

In 1980 just 16% of the population placed themselves on the left. This compares sharply with today where 38% place themselves on the left. Sinn Fein has certainly benefitted from this as their supporters overwhelmingly place themselves on the left.

This fact is sometimes met with significant surprise. Indeed, for many years the typical Sinn Fein voter was viewed as a young, disaffected male and the type of voter that in another jurisdiction might be attracted to a far-right political party.

Populism

Although that caricature is no longer true the second and strongest driver of Sinn Fein support remains their proclivity towards populism.

And by populism I do not mean that the party advocates for popular policies, rather what political science means by the term is a proclivity towards distrusting political institutions. A sentiment that distrusts politicians and often the media, perceiving there to be relatively higher levels of corruption.

Chart courtesy of Dr Kevin Cunningham

At the last general election voters were asked whether they agreed with the idea that most politicians are trustworthy. Among those that strongly disagreed with this Sinn Fein won over half of the vote.

Similarly, when asked about levels of corruption in politics Sinn Fein won over half of those that believed corruption to be very widespread. While we tend to associate populist views with right wing views on immigration, Sinn Fein supporters are relatively evenly balanced on this issue. Though it is worth noting still that they dont align with traditional left wing views on the topic.

Income

The obvious question is then  how left-wing are these voters if theyre not particularly liberal when it comes to social issues such as immigration. And the answer to this and the third driver of Sinn Fein support is that Sinn Feins left-wing ideology is rooted in the economic circumstances of their supporters.

Hidden within the aggregated economic statistics of Irelands relatively successful economic model is the fact that some are not doing as well as others and it is these voters that are supporting Sinn Fein in their droves.

At the last general election four out of 10 voters stated that they were financially worse off compared to the previous year. Of these voters 39% supported Sinn Fein while 8% supported Fine Gael. Sinn Fein support is thus concentrated among working-class voters and those on middle and lower incomes.

Chart courtesy of Dr Kevin Cunningham

Those earning over 60k per annum are very unlikely to support the party. In this context we also observe that when asked about the redistribution of income, Sinn Fein voters are the most supportive of all obvious left-wing issues.

While our taxation system is highly effective at reducing inequality it also conceals a chasm between lower and higher incomes. With the third-highest rate of low-paid workers in the European Union and levels of social mobility indistinguishable from those of the UK there is undoubtedly a relatively rigid class-system emerging in Ireland.

So, the Sinn Fein voter may be characterised as displaying the three features of: left-wing, populist, and economically disaffected and with significant overlap between these features. It is however too early to assume with certainty that Sinn Fein will win the next general election.

It is true that the party holds two distinct advantages as the largest opposition party and representing what might constitute as change. However, there are also limitations, as there are few indications that supporters of Sinn Fein are particularly loyal to the party or its leadership team.

When asked why people supported Sinn Fein in open-ended text responses, most cited either an opposition to Fianna Fail-and-Fine Gael or a desire to see change. Very few cited any particularly positive attribute one might associate with Sinn Fein.

Read More Terry Prone: Take a look behind you in the polls before you go demonising your opposition

In this vein, with wavering loyalties populism can be a double-edged sword. The only other successful left-wing populist party that recently came to prominence was Unidos Podemos in Spain which after winning 24.5% in the 2015 Spanish general election and eventually going into government is today polling a distant fourth on 10%.

Of course, Sinn Fein is a completely different political party to Podemos, and Irish politics is sufficiently unique but much like the last election until the election itself is officially called all bets are off.
Students are sleeping in fields, in cars, packed into hostels, paying up to 400 a week to stay in a hotel, couch-surfing, or commuting up to five hours daily to attend lectures.

Some have not been able to take up their first-preference course, others have deferred, and even dropped out. This is the worst student accommodation crisis we have ever seen in this country.

Despite warnings from myself and others that this crisis was coming, the Government largely ignored it. As a lecturer, I see in my courses the personal toll of the accommodation crisis. Students are stressed, anxious, and exhausted.

Crisis heaped on crisis

But how did we get here? Like the wider housing crisis, the student accommodation crisis is not some accident or force of nature. It didnt just appear like wild mushrooms popping up overnight. It happened because students have been left to the whims of the market and investor funds. And this is what happens when you leave housing to the vagaries of the private market  you get crisis heaped upon crisis.

Launched in July 2017, the Governments National Student Accommodation Strategy was based on incentivising private sector (and mainly global real estate investors) to deliver purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA).

Standard unit sizes were reduced and there was no obligation to provide 10% of the units as social housing, a major subsidy for investors. The real estate funds could also minimise their tax bill through the Real Estate Investment Fund tax break.

The strategy had little funding for publicly provided student accommodation via the Higher Education Institutes. And so, of the 8,229 PBSA units completed since 2016, an overwhelming majority  84%  are privately delivered, and just one in six are student accommodation via public third-level colleges.

The problem is private investor PBSA is very expensive and no average students can afford it. Rooms are up to a 1,000 per month. What student can afford that?

Also they are increasingly being converted into short-term tourist accommodation. Up to a third of the private PSBA built in the last five years has been taken away from students and used for tourists. Why has the Department of Higher Education and Department of Housing not taken action on this?

Some students have not been able to take up their first-preference course, others have deferred, and even dropped out.

Student accommodation has always been an afterthought in housing policy. The National Student Accommodation Strategy committed to produce a quarterly report to monitor progress.

Yet its last progress report was in the third quarter of 2019, two full years ago. Incredible. The strategy also set up an inter-departmental steering group for all stakeholders. Yet that group only met once over the last year, and made no input into the recent Housing for All plan.

Indeed, students get just a couple of paragraphs amongst its vast 150 pages, and theres no assessment of student accommodation need or targets for State-funded student accommodation delivery. Given this lack of evidenced informed policy, we shouldnt wonder why we have such a crisis.

Access impacts

Unfortunately, the crisis also detrimentally affects access to education for students from disadvantaged and non-traditional backgrounds. Education is empowering and life-changing. I see it in my students, who gain a new confidence in themselves as their resilience, knowledge and skills grow.

The accommodation crisis is a real risk to increasing the access of disadvantaged students to third level, and even if they can access it, it reduces their ability to fulfil their potential, reducing their ability to study and engage in college life.

Despite statements to the contrary, there are immediate measures that can be taken. The Minister for Higher Education could hold an emergency meeting of the key stakeholders, and the Housing Minister could introduce legislation to stop private PSBA being changed into tourism accommodation.

Theres a factory in Carlow that can build a modular home in 11 days. With funding, it could deliver 2,000 units a year, it says. Thats more units than universities built over the last five years. Why couldnt it build student accommodation for next September?

The jarring juxtaposition of students forced into paying for hotels, while old hotels are left abandoned adjacent to third-level colleges, as their owners watch land values rise, captured the ire of many in the last few days.

I highlighted the former Corrib Hotel, lying derelict for over a decade, located right beside GMIT in Galway. Former hotels also lie derelict overlooking Waterford City, and in Limerick. The owners of these buildings should be issued with compulsory purchase orders by the local authorities, bought by the State and refurbished or rebuilt for student accommodation.

Developers of private PSBA should also be made comply with Part V obligations. Allocating 10% of these developments as affordable student accommodation is logical.

Many higher level institutes can borrow to build student accommodation. We should set targets and plans in place to deliver this, with a specific capital grant in the coming October budget. The State agency Nama could also transfer land to the colleges at very low cost, and finance rapid building of student accommodation on it.

The problem is that policy thinking is dominated by what will stimulate the investors and the market and an obstinate refusal to revamp and reimagine the States role in directly providing affordable housing of all kinds, including student accommodation.

As campaigns officer for the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) in 2004 at the height of the Celtic Tiger, I organised a sleep out protest at the student accommodation.

On Wednesday, USI is holding another sleep out, No Keys No Degrees  at the Dail. Fifteen years on, we are back stuck in another housing bubble, another housing crisis. When will we see the right action to get out us out of this housing emergency groundhog day?
A body found in a US national park in Wyoming has been identified as Gabby Petito, the young woman who went missing during a road trip with her fiance and that her death was a homicide, the FBI said on Tuesday.

The confirmation is the latest turn in a story that has gripped Americans since Petito's family reported the 22-year-old missing on September 11 - 10 days after the fiance, Brian Laundrie, returned home from the cross-country trip without her.

"Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999. Coroner Blue's initial determination for the manner of death is homicide," the FBI's Denver office said on Twitter.

The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.

Investigators have called Laundrie, 23, a "person of interest" in the case. Laundrie has not been seen since leaving his family's home in North Port, Florida, last Tuesday.

Before disappearing, Laundrie refused to speak with investigators and retained a lawyer.

Police and FBI agents on Sunday said they found a body that was "consistent" with the 5'5, 110-pound Petito in a remote area of Bridger-Teton National Forest, less than 1,000 feet (300 meters) from where a pair of travel bloggers filmed the couple's white van parked along a dirt road near Spread Creek on the evening of August 27.

Petito's father, Joseph Petito, posted a photograph of his daughter on Twitter on Sunday.

The photo, which shows her standing between two painted wings, was captioned with a broken heart and the words: "She touched the world."

Laundrie's parents told FBI agents they last saw him a week ago, when he told them he was planning to hike alone in the nearby 24,000-acre Carlton Reserve wilderness area. North Port police said they learned from Laundrie's family only on Friday that he had been missing for three days.

North Port police said Tuesday that they had resumed their search of the swampy reserve.

The police previously called off the search after "exhausting all avenues" to find Laundrie.

Laundrie's family said they believed he entered the area last week, according to police.

On Monday, FBI agents searched the home of Laundrie's parents, executing a search warrant at the residence, taking away cardboard boxes and towing away a silver Ford Mustang.

The Laundrie family's attorney, Steven Bertolino, has canceled a news conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, multiple media outlets reported.

Petito and Laundrie left her home state of New York in late June or early July, heading west in the van with plans to visit national parks along the way and documenting their "van life" trip on social media.

Petito was last seen leaving a Salt Lake City hotel on August 24 and posted her last photo to social media the following day.

Her family believes she was headed to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming when they last heard from her.

In seeking search warrants, investigators have cited an August 27 text purportedly sent by Petito to her mother, Nicole Schmidt, which describes getting repeated calls and voice messages from "Stan," Petito's grandfather.

Schmidt told investigators that message was odd because the young woman would not usually refer to her grandfather by his first name. Petito's family has said a second text message also seemed suspicious.

Last week, police in Moab, Utah, released body camera footage of an August 12 encounter two of their officers had with the couple during a traffic stop.

In the video, Petito is sobbing as she describes a quarrel with Laundrie that she says became physical at times.

The officers did not detain the couple but insisted they spend that night separately, Petito in the van and Laundrie at a hotel.
Burma Former UN Under-Secretary-General Tipped as Next Special Envoy to Myanmar

Noeleen Heyzer, in her capacity as special adviser to the UN secretary-general for Timor-Leste (left), and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2014. / UN Photo / Eskinder Debeb

A former under-secretary-general of the United Nations who had warm relations with Myanmars previous regime and their proxy government is tipped to be the next UN special envoy for the country after the incumbents term expires next month.

Though her appointment has yet to be officially confirmed by the UN, diplomatic sources close to the matter said Noeleen Heyzer would be the new envoy for the country, which she became familiar with as head of the UNs regional economic commission in the early 2000s. Trained as a social scientist, Heyzer has also served as the UN secretary-generals adviser for Timor-Leste to support peace-building and sustainable development.

The post of UN Secretary Generals Special Envoy to Myanmar was first created in 2018, mainly to tackle the Rohingya Muslim issue in Rakhine State in western Myanmar, in partnership with the countrys government.

If appointed, the 73-year-old Singaporean would not only take over duties from current envoy Christine Schraner Burgener but would also be likely to inherit her predecessors failed mission of persuading Myanmar junta leaders to engage in dialogue to settle the ongoing political and social turmoil caused by the coup in February.

As a former head of the UNs Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Heyzer is no stranger to Myanmar. She visited the country several times under the previous military regime that ruled the country until March 2011 and knows well the poverty endured by many in the Southeast Asian country. She was also a supporter of the countrys transition to democracy, which was halted by the coup.

When the then regime was reluctant to allow international relief assistance in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which wreaked havoc in the countrys Irrawaddy Delta area in 2008, killing more than 130,000 people, the then head of ESCAP was also involved in getting aid delivered to those in need by organizing a post-Nargis recovery conference in Bangkok. The juntas Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu, who was coordinating international assistance at the time, was a main speaker there. Finally, ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, was able to fly the aid in.

Noeleen Heyzer thought that the key was to see things from the Burmese (Myanmar) juntas perspective, to talk in a language they understood, and thereby break the impasse, writes Thant Myint-U in his latest book The Hidden History of Burma.

After the then junta released Myanmars popular democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in late 2010, the UN official stepped up her dialogue with the generals for the sake of the countrys development, telling them, We can bring the best minds here to work with you, according to the book.

Then she invited Nobel Prize-winning US economist Joseph Stiglitz to Myanmar. In Naypyitaws Myanmar Convention Center, before an audience packed with civil society representatives and government officials, including then Prime Minister U Thein Sein, who would become the countrys president a few months later in the regimes proxy government, Stiglitz stressed the need to increase spending on health and education, invest in rural development and use revenues from oil and gas wisely.

When community strife between Rakhine and Rohingya people deteriorated in Rakhine State in 2012, the Thein Sein government asked Heyzer to help devise an economic development strategy that would be good for both communities.

Heyzer passed this request on to the UN headquarters in New York. Nothing happened, Thant Myint-U writes.

She also has good relations with Daw Aung Sun Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD). When the news of her would-be appointment as the special envoy circulated, some elected lawmakerssince ousted by the coupwelcomed it, hoping that she would break the political impasse.

The current military regime leaders in Naypyitaw would likely feel more comfortable talking to Heyzer than some other international diplomats, as she is one of the few to have earned the trust of their predecessors. But Heyzer shouldnt take the significance of her old friendship with the former regime for granted, as current junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is unpredictable. Basically, like its predecessor, the current regime is interested only in maintaining power, not in compromising with its adversaries. It will show up at the table only when it has no choice or sees potential benefits in talking.



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Burma Myanmar Juntas Internet Blackout Violates Residents Rights

Hpakant residents take to the streets in September in protest against military rule.

The Myanmar juntas continuous blocking of the internet in Kachin States Hpakant Township and townships in Sagaing Region is increasing security concerns and violating the socio-economic rights of residents, say locals.

The junta cut off internet access in Hpakant, Myanmars jade hub, on August 20 and in some of Sagaing Regions townships on September 14, in an effort to restrict anti-regime communications. Both areas are strongholds of armed resistance against the military regime.

Myanmars military and the ethnic armed group the Kachin Independence Army have been fighting since March in northern Myanmars Kachin State. In Sagaing Region, civilian resistance fighters have inflicted heavy casualties on junta forces over the past few months.

Mobile and wifi internet services from Myanmars three main telecom operators  MPT, Telenor and Ooredoo  were blocked on the afternoon of September 14 in in Kani, Mingin, Yinmabin, Pale, Shwebo and Budalin townships in Sagaing, and in Mogoke and Myingyan townships in Mandalay Region. Access to mobile networks was restored, however.

Over 1.7 million people live in the above townships, according to General Administration Department statistics from 2019. More than 133,000 people live in Hpakant Township.

Without internet access, rumors about fighting are causing fear among the public, local residents told The Irrawaddy.

We dont know what the military situation is outside of our areas or what could happen to us. We are on alert all the time in case we need to flee, said Ko Aung, a Hpakant resident.

The internet blackout also hampers residents access to information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as vocational learning, and disrupts local businesses as online money transfer services cannot be used.

Ko Aung said that there are many hurdles due to the internet blackout in his town. The internet is part of his daily activity and, by missing that, he believes Myanmar is reverting to the past.

The lack of information about the security situation is the biggest worry, said residents.

We live in constant fear and hear rumors of fighting every day, said Ko Saw, a resident of Kani Township in Sagaing Region.

Daw May, who asked to be identified by a pseudonym, lives in Yinmabin Township, Sagaing Region and said that security is the top concern for locals.

She said that the junta has cut off the internet to blind civilians and to torture its own people. On a personal level, she has lost contact with her friends in other parts of the country as social media platforms such as Facebook cannot be accessed.

We use the internet to share information, especially about security. Many people cannot afford to pay for credit for phone calls, she said.

The military regime appears to believe that cutting internet access is a way of curbing the activities of local Peoples Defense Forces (PDF). However, it is affecting the livelihoods of locals and their survival, Daw May added.

People who support the local PDFs have been sharing information online about junta troop movements in their areas, but were now unable to do so.

Online education and money transfer services, vital for sending money to families and displaced people, are now limited because of the internet blackout.

Digital money transfer services such as K-pay or Wave money cant be used now, said residents of the townships affected by the blackout.

The blackouts dont just impact the PDFs, but also people studying online, including English and arts classes and handicrafts training. Whatever the reason for the internet blackout, the right to education for young people is being violated, said Daw May.

Tens of thousands of villagers in Kani and Yinmabin townships have been frequently displaced, due to fighting between PDFs and junta forces. Without access to internet money transfer services, supplies of food and other items for the displaced are being delayed or not arriving.

The military regime has periodically blocked internet access since their February 1 coup in an effort to prevent the spread of the anti-regime movement. The internet was shut down on the first day of the coup and then the following weekend.

For over 70 days between February and April, the junta imposed partial night-time internet blackouts.



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Burma Myanmar Regime Forces Kill Family of Four in Mandalay Region

The entrance to Natogyi Township, Mandalay Region.

A family of four were killed on Monday night and two other relatives, including a two-year-old child, seriously injured after their house in Natogyi Township, Mandalay Region was hit by random junta gunfire.

U Bo Khin, 76, Daw Than, 75, their son U Maung Tun, 48, and daughter-in-law Daw Maw Htay, 30, died after regime forces deployed at a school in Shaw Phyu Village opened fire randomly at 11pm on Monday night, according to villagers.

The familys house in the north of the village was hit and damaged by explosions. The two-year-old son of U Maung Tun and Daw Maw Htay was seriously injured, as well as a 53-year-old daughter of U Bo Khin and Daw Than, a family member told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

The toddler lost two fingers, while the woman suffered severe facial injuries. Both are now being treated at a Mandalay hospital.

Junta forces sealed off the damaged house on Tuesday and no one has dared to visit the house, villagers said.

Residents of Shaw Phyu Village said that the junta troops opened fire for no reason after they had been drinking alcohol and playing guitar. Villagers said dozens of shots were fired and that there were numerous explosions.

They opened fire without any reason. There are no Peoples Defense Forces here. The villagers live here peacefully, said one resident.

Military regime forces have escalated their arrests, attacks, arbitrary killings and raids across the country since the parallel National Unity Government declared a nationwide defensive war against the junta on September 7.

At the same time, civilian resistance fighters have stepped up their operations targeting junta troops and military-owned infrastructure such as Mytel telecom masts.

As of Tuesday, 1,114 people have been slain by junta forces, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which is compiling lists of deaths and arrests since the militarys February 1 coup.

Another 6,666 people including elected government leaders have been detained by the junta and over 1,900 people are the subject of arrest warrants.

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Burma Thai Security Forces on Alert for Myanmar Border Arms Smuggling

A Thai soldier stands guard at the border with Myanmar in Mae Sot district of Tak Province. / Nutthawat Wicheanbut / Bangkok Post

Thai security agencies have been instructed to step up vigilance along the border with Myanmar, The Bangkok Post reported. But this time the Thai army is looking to prevent weapons smuggling from Thailand into conflict-ridden Myanmar.

Thai Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Kongcheep Tantrawanich said on Tuesday the instruction came from Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and followed recent reports of arms dealers smuggling military-grade weapons to Myanmar, where fighting between the ruling junta and rebels has intensified.

Lt-Gen Kongcheep said Prawit had instructed that security intelligence agencies concentrate on obtaining information on the sources of weapons, transport routes and financial transaction channels used by the smugglers, the Post reported.

In late March, Thai Police in the northern Thai border town of Mae Sai seized thousands of rounds of ammunition and over 100 grenades thought to be headed for Tachileik, the Myanmar town opposite Mae Sai.

Thai newspapers reported that the total seizure amounted to 6,000 rounds of ammunition for M16 and M4 series assault rifles and 112 K75 anti-personnel grenades.

In June last year, a joint task force, including the Thai military and police, seized a large cache of Chinese-made weapons, which were believed to be destined for Myanmar.

AK47 assault rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines, grenades and ammunition were among the items seized in a joint raid on a house in Mae Tao in Mae Sot District on the Thai side of the border.

This time Thai security forces are concerned about a recent increase in fighting in Kayah State opposite Mae Hong Song province in northern Thailand and in areas controlled by Karen insurgents to the south. Moreover, loosely formed Peoples Defense Forces in Myanmar have been engaged in battles against the military junta, which staged a coup on Feb. 1.

Two weeks ago, Myanmars shadow National Unity Government declared a defensive war on the junta. Fighting has intensified, with bombings and killings taking place in Myanmar almost daily.

Ethnic insurgents along the border with Thailand have purchased arms and ammunition from overseas black markets and in Thailand.

Lt-Gen Kongcheep quoted Prawit as saying that Thailand does not support the use of violence in any form in Myanmar.



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News Myanmar Junta Offers COVID-19 Vaccines to Arakan Army

An AA fighter in Chin States Paletwa Township. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars military regime has offered Chinese-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to the Arakan Army (AA), the ethnic armed group based in Rakhine State in western Myanmar.

We were told that [Myanmars military] will provide us with 40,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through intermediaries, AA information officer Khaing Thukha told The Irrawaddy.

The ethnic armed group is still negotiating with the regime via intermediaries about the detailed vaccine roll-out plan, he added.

U Hla Thein, the juntas Rakhine State Administration Council spokesperson, said that Rakhine would receive 226,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses in the second phase of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program under the junta, and that ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) would be prioritized at this time.

There are 16 priority groups for the second phase of vaccination and the EAOs are among them. As the AA is an EAO in Rakhine, they are also included in the list. But the Union-level authorities have not yet given guidelines about the vaccination plan, U Hla Thein, who is also the junta-appointed Advocate General of Rakhine State, told The Irrawaddy.

The vaccination rollout for the AA comes after coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that his regime would provide jabs for all EAOs in the country. It is not clear yet how other EAOs have responded to the offer. But EAOs based along the Myanmar-China border in eastern and northeastern Myanmar have already started vaccination programs in the areas under their control, using vaccines either supplied for free by China or which they have ordered from China.

Myanmars military and the AA have observed an unofficial ceasefire since November last year, following almost three years of fierce fighting in Rakhine State. Since then, the AA has expanded its influence in Rakhine, installing its own administrative and judicial systems in the state.



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Guest Column Diplomacy Is Wasted on Myanmars Junta

An anti-regime protester holds a placard featuring US President Joe Biden in front of the US Embassy in Yangon, calling on the US to save Myanmar in February. / The Irrawaddy

Cutting a finger from a corpse to steal a wedding ring is an act of absolute savagery. Its just one of the recent atrocities Myanmar junta troops have committed. In this case the victim was a 30-year-old pastor, the father of two kids and an unborn baby still in his wifes womb.

The shocking incident occurred in the aftermath of an attack on the beautiful hill town of Thantlang, Chin State in western Myanmar on Saturday, in which military troops launched artillery shells at a residential neighborhood amid clashes with civilian resistance fighters who have taken up arms against the military regime. The shelling torched a score of houses.

When Chin Christian pastor Cung Biak Hum went out to help put out the fires, junta soldiers fired several shots at him, killing him. They then cut off his finger and stole his gold wedding ring.

The shelling of the town, followed by junta soldiers random shooting into homes, and the killing of the pastor and the defilement of his corpse, left Thantlang terrorized. Immediately, almost the entire population of the devastated townnearly 10,000 peoplefled their houses. The pastors family is among those on the run.

This story is beyond deplorable.

Since the military coup on Feb. 1, however, the world has seen countless appalling incidents like the one involving Cung Biak Hum, as the coup-makers have unleashed their soldiers and police to kill, torture and arrest innocent citizens across the country who oppose the military dictatorship.

Such tragic stories are so numerous they become statistics after a while. Pastor Cung Biak Hum was just one among 1,114 people who have been killed since the coup, according to most recent list, updated on Sept. 20, from rights group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).

Some other victims appear to have suffered an even worse fate than the pastor, based on reports and pictures showing lifeless bodies with internal organs extracted, or with deadly bruises and cuts, and bullet wounds to the head. These documents provide incontrovertible evidence that the junta led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has committed many crimes, including war crimes.

Those people did not deserve such horrendous deaths. Not at all. But all were killed for their good and brave deeds. They are war heroes.

Certainly, its an unjust war that the generalswith about 400,000 troops at their disposalhave been waging against their own people, a nation of 54 million, across the country since their latest coup in February.

In the end, the people have been left with no choice but to defend themselves, their families, their communities and their country.

Toothless diplomacy

Myanmars history shows that political means, international economic sanctions or pressure, dialogue and diplomacy have never had the slightest effect on the bloodthirsty mindset of the coup-makers or curbed their lust for power.

None of these means applied by the international community or domestic opposition groups have ever convinced or swayed the generals in control of the military regimes that have staged coups over the past 59 years to compromise or restrain their political violence in any way.

The first dictator, General Ne Win, ruled the country for 26 years from 1962 to 1988; his successor generals, Saw Maung and later Than Shwe, ruled the country for 23 years from 1988 to 2011.

Throughout the second stint of military rule, various opposition groups, the National League for Democracywhich won a landslide victory in the 1990 electionand ethnic groups demanded the junta engage in dialogue to end the countrys political deadlock. In an attempt to make it happen, the international community led by Western countries imposed diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions on the ruling generals, while the United Nations condemned them and sent various envoys to try and deal with them on countless missions.

Nothing happened.

Instead, for more than two decades, the regime led by Snr-Gen Than Shwe, who was consistently ranked among the worlds most notorious dictators, simply toyed with them to buy time to achieve its goals.

The regimes political transformation in 2011 came about not because of international pressure but because the generals had accomplished what they set out to do; promulgate the military-favoring 2008 constitution and organize non-inclusive elections in 2010, which it assumed would guarantee the militarys dominant role in the countrys politics.

The international community, world leaders and observers have long asked why the stubborn generals suddenly changed their political course back then. Perhaps most of them still dont get the point even now. The point is that the generals were implementing their road-map in order to continue their rule disguised in civilian outfits.

Now in 2021, with the new breed of generals led by Min Aung Hlaing having seized power again from the elected civilian government, history is repeating itself and the same cycle is playing outa new coup detat; nationwide peaceful protests against it; violent crackdowns and political persecution by the juntas troops; international sanctions on the generals; international diplomacy; continuous calls for dialogue by the international community; new special envoys appointed by the United Nations and ASEAN, and so on.

It is the same old routine in the eyes of Myanmars people, who have experienced it many times over the past few decades. In the past, it brought no result at all.

In the early months of the anti-coup protests after the February takeover, protesters, including many young people, gathered in front of many embassies and the UN office in Yangon, calling for international intervention, citing the principle of R2Pthe responsibility to protectto end the coup in its early stage and return the country to democracy.

But they quickly realized this was a hopeless effort, and faced the reality of more violent crackdowns from the regimes troops across the country. That was around March.

It was a trigger for all protesters, especially young ones, to take up arms to continue to fight against the military regime. The whole situation forced them to defend themselves with makeshift shields, slingshots (some regular, some makeshift giant ones) and air guns.

They were not stupid enough to think that they, using only these weapons, could beat the juntas ruthless troops equipped with heavy automatic weapons. But they felt they had no choicejust as their ancestors felt when the British Empires troops waged wars on Myanmar throughout the 19th century. They, too, had nothing but traditional weapons like swords, spears and arrows but chose to fight back against a modern army.

Today, for young protesters, especially those from Gen Z or Generation Z, who before the coup were mostly interested in playing online games, and all others who oppose the coupthe entire population of this countrytheres no question that they would prefer to see a peaceful political means to end the military dictatorship and a return to democracy. But based on their experience over the decades of stubborn generals and the failures of various diplomatic means, the people have come to view diplomacy as a stupid pursuit, and to believe that the international community is useless.

Then, the new wave of armed uprising, or the peoples defensive war, began. Of course, civilian resistance fighters ultimate ambition is to root out the military dictatorship, but their immediate goal is to subvert the military regime so that it cannot rule the country totally. Thats the position the regime is in now, due to this resistance, as well as the various methods of civil disobedience adopted by the people since the coup.

The civilian armed resistance against the regime is supported by Myanmars popular shadow National Unity Governments call for nationwide revolt. But while the majority of Myanmar people were elated by the call, the international community was not impressed.

The UK said it supports peaceful efforts to restore democracy in Myanmar, and the US urged all sides to be peaceful. Since the UK and US calls for peaceful efforts, more civiliansincluding Pastor Cung Biak Humhave been slain by the regimes soldiers, not to mention the many villages and towns torched by them during their raids. The NUG, formed by elected lawmakers of the NLD and ethnic representatives, said their declaration of war against the regime was the result of the diplomatic failure to find a just solution for Myanmar since the coup.

For the time being, civilian armed resistance will only escalate in Myanmar, as the people have no choice. They all seem determined to die fighting rather than waiting to be killed by soldiers. Some practical souls may ridicule the idea, wondering how loosely organized civilian forces, collectively known as the Peoples Defensive Force, equipped with rudimentary weapons, could compete with a regime whose soldiers are armed to the teeth. Yes, it is quite impossible and the prospect of victory farfetched.

It looks like a fight between David and Goliatha small shepherd with a sling facing his giant foe. In the past in Myanmar, Goliath always beat David.

This time, however, many Myanmar people are putting their faith in Davidwho may be the underdog but is a confident fighterand his simple weapon, rather than the worlds loud but ineffective diplomacy. Enough is enough.

Naing Khit is a commentator on political affairs.



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GUEST INTERVIEW: Just as security is now built into products, services and businesses from the ground up, so too should important legal issues be considered when starting a business, employing staff, dealing with data, IP, working form home, data breaches, staff who leave and much, much more, as lawyer Nicholas Stewart explains.

Dowson Turco Lawyers. Based in the Sydney suburb of Newtown in NSW, Dowson Turco not only support the LGBTI community, but are a firm of experienced and problem-solving practitioners servicing all of its communities.

As you'd expect, the team comprises highly competent lawyers practising in all states and territories in property law, commercial law and litigation, criminal law, family law, and estates and probate.

The Dowson Turco team is led by Stacey Dowson, Mary Turco, and Nicholas Stewart.

Nicholas heads up the criminal and commercial law teams at Dowson Turco and takes carriage of various matters including cybercrime, corporate and serious personal crime, and commercial disputes.

So, Nicholas is well versed in legal matters concerning the IT, tech and business worlds, and he joined iTWireTV to explain why legal guidance for modern businesses in a whole range of areas, including the work from home reality that so many of us have been plunged right back into.

Here's my full video interview with Nicholas, after which is a great example he has provided of why one of his clients needed Dowson Turco's legal services, followed by a summary of the topics we spoke about - please watch and read on!

Nicholas provided an example of a client that is a family support service in regional NSW. The client contacted Dowson Turco Lawyers after a data breach originating in either the client's email system or its accountants email system. The client was unable to determine the exact source of the breach.

However, it was able to be determined that hackers gained access to the client's file system and database with potential access to the tax file numbers, financial information and medical information of the client's customers.

The organisation contacted Nicholas, as it was unsure whether the matter was a reportable breach, and the steps it should take.

Nicholas and his team provided urgent legal advice on the organisations reporting requirements and contacted the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) on its behalf!

Dowson Turco recommended an IT investigation firm assist in the investigation of the breach and spoke to IDCare about ongoing assistance with security for the clients employees. Dowson Turco also assisted with drafting communications to those affected.

No penalties were issued and the client was grateful for Dowson Turco's problem-solving and management of what was a very stressful situation, which could have also been costly.

Dowson Turco also assisted with a review of the client's notification letter sent to all of its customers and employees potentially affected by the breach.

The client worked with its IT support and the OAIC to contact all parties affected and resolve the issue in accordance with OAIC guidelines.

The work was carried out urgently over a 2 day period. The client was extremely grateful as they had no knowledge of how to approach the issue and, being in a rural city, had no local expertise. With Dowson Turco's assistance, the client was able to comply with all requirements and successfully close the issue with the OAIC.

That's just one example of many that Dowson Turco has helped companies with, so if in doubt, seek legal advice!

Here's a summary of what we spoke with Nicholas Stewart about:

I started by introducing Nicholas and asked him to tell us about Dowson Turco Lawyers and the areas of law that it specialises in.

We then moved onto the services offered to tech companies, tech workers and the IT industry, especially in the age of COVID where so many of us are working from home.

Nicholas elaborated on the some of the legal issues arising from lockdown, from privacy and workplace conduct, which even includes the types of equipment a workplace should be ensuring its workers have available, such as ergonomic chairs or IT equipment powerful enough to allow workers to do the job.

I enquired to the geographic areas where Dowson Turco Lawyers represents clients, which is across Australia and internationally.

We discussed where to find reliable legal resources online, as we as when individuals and businesses should contact Dowson Turco, and Nicholas shared some of the other things workers and employers should know that I hadn't asked about.

Nicholas shared his memory of his first computer, the first legal incident he worked on involving technology, how we thinks laws in this area will evolve over the next few years, great advice he has received in life, and his final message to viewers and readers, and to his current and future customers and parters.

So, please watch the video interview above, and if you need legal advice, be sure to seek it out, as there are many areas as discussed where it is vitally important to do so.
GUEST OPINION: While the rapid advance of 5G communications delivers comprehensive benefits for communication service providers (CSPs), the new technology also presents challenges in security and cost.

CSPs are entering a new phase of network cloudification to transform their network infrastructure. This technology transformation will capitalise on network function virtualisation, software defined networking and artificial intelligence.

Their strategy to capture new growth is shifting as well. Future growth is being driven by the move to virtualise mobile core networks in response to growth of user data, the increasing adoption of IoT devices, new 5G business and complex networks.

Business benefits

Network cloudification offers CSPs several major business benefits:

 Capital expenditure benefits from better aggregation and utilisation of solutions and services on general purpose hardware.

 Operating expenditure benefits from reduced labour and operational efficiencies gained through cloud automation, agility and scalability, which indirectly impact customer experience.

 Value-added services leverage cloud platforms to enable new services and revenue streams.

Business challenges

The original goals for cloud were to decouple growth from cost and rapidly deliver new services. CSPs did this in 4G environments by transitioning the network elements into big virtual network functions.

These functions were too big and not cost effective. In addition, their use of legacy operations made networks unwieldy to deploy, scale and maintain. These challenges will multiply in the 5G environment.

CSPs understand today they need to derive more from the cloud, which must be rebuilt as cloud-native to deliver business agility in rapidly onboarding new apps and deploying and operating new services. The scale of 5G opens the door to more devices and a diverse mix of services, making it difficult for legacy operations to keep up.

Cloud native benefits

We see more and more CSPs partnering with cloud providers in order to accelerate the 5G transformation journey, which offers benefits such as fully automated deployments, ease of management and orchestration of workload in the hybrid cloud. Essentially, the transformation delivers deployment flexibility and automated scaling of network functions for demand-driven network growth, reducing manual monitoring and operational complexity.

High profile cloud partnerships demonstrate some of the benefits of 5G. These include:

 Microsoft Azure  Microsoft acquired Affirmed Networks (network virtualisation provider specialising in vEPC and v5GC). The partnership allowed Microsoft to produce Azure for Operators, a suite of products with Azure networking and cloud infrastructure, network virtualisation and cloud applications, as well as Azure AI and an analytics engine.

 AT&T  At the end of June, AT&T announced that it is moving its 5G mobile network to Microsoft cloud. This strategic alliance provides a path for all AT&T mobile network traffic to be managed using Microsoft Azure technologies. Both companies will start with AT&Ts 5G core, which connects mobiles users and IoT devices to the Internet and other services.

 Nokia and Google  In January, Google Cloud and Nokia announced they would jointly develop cloud native 5G core solutions for CSPs and enterprise customers. The new partnership will deliver cloud capabilities to the network edge.

 Cisco and Altiostar  They partnered to create blueprints to accelerate deployments of 4G/5G OpenRAN solutions to service provider networks.

 Vodafone and Verizon  They partnered with AWS to explore edge computing opportunities.

 VMware has been moving into the telco sector with more updates to its telco cloud platform, including support for Open RAN.

Security challenges

Because of its distributed nature, the deployment of 5G networking infrastructure differs dramatically from previous generations of mobile networks. CSPs face new challenges in moving from a component-based topology to a service-based network.

For example, prior to 5G, mobile radio access and the core networks consisted of isolatable network elements with specific tasks. In 4G networks, a virtual evolved packet core (EPC) in the network emerged.

5G takes this a step further by transforming all network components into virtual, microservice elements that are software based, disaggregated and deployed in various locations.

The software-based microservices architecture enables network slicing. This includes the ability to isolate different services, each with its own parameters, setup and security policies - all on one hardware element.

The 5G network must be designed to support multiple security policies, segregated by slice on individual network components. The more slices, the more microservices and interface points in the network that are in turn exposed to the Internet.

Traditional security methods with predefined rules, thresholds and manual setup will not work in a 5G environment. Service providers need to automate operations and have a scalable infrastructure to manage policies, which requires DevOps capabilities. All security tools need to be automated for onboarding and deployment.

5G networks introduce new traffic patterns that run east/west towards applications. Therefore, there is a need to inspect egress traffic. The number of inspection points increases dramatically not only from peering points, but also from traffic at edge computing points.

CSPs need to consider the following unique security threats when planning protection for 5G networks:

 In network edge protection, multiple edge (breakouts) and mesh types significantly increase exposure.

 Outbound attacks include IoT botnets and attacks on the network edge.

 Inbound attacks, include floods from public cloud and from the Internet, and attacks on core network services.

 Network gateway attacks are based on burst attacks, IoT, BOT, API, DNS and SSL, raising complexity and impact on the infrastructure, application servers/telecommunication cloud and API gateways.

 Network slicing occurs when each slice has its own threat risk that requires per-slice security policies and a coherent defensive strategy across all slices. Mobile edge core security infrastructure and 5G availability assurance also require protection.

 Attacks on multi-access edge computing components include targeting service capability and mobility management entities. Defences need to prevent network resource failure.

 Outgoing attacks to external servers from IoT devices are also a risk. IT needs to prevent network reputation risk, while infections targeted towards narrow band IoT devices also require protection to prevent IoT device infection with botnets.

 The public/private cloud edge needs protection. The shift in some areas of workload to the public cloud introduces new security concerns to service provider networks with additional shifts in microservice environment and cloud-native network function.

To counter the many, varied and ever-evolving attacks by cyber criminals, it is essential that organisations include in their defensive armoury WAF/API protection for their cloud-native environments.
With Samsung set to supply 51,000 AX90T air purifying units into Victorian public school classrooms, not even Melbourne's earthquake can stop Victoria's safe return-to-school plan from becoming a COVID-safe reality.

A whopping 51,000 AX90T7080WD (AX7500) Samsung Air Purifiers has been purchased by the Victorian Government Department of Education and Training to be installed over the next four months, as Victoria seeks to exit its lockdowns and get kids safely back to school.

Given the critical timing, Samsung informs us it has chartered a flight from its manufacturing hub in Korea to deliver the air purifier units in a timely manner.

Jeremy Senior, the Vice President of Consumer Electronics at Samsung Electronics Australia, noted Samsung's commendation of the Victorian Education and Training Department for looking at different types of technology as a way to protect and bring confidence back to the community.

Senior stated: Its tremendous to see that the Department of Education and Training Victoria has reviewed a multitude of options to keep Victorian students safe as they return to school in a post-COVID environment and we are thrilled to be a part of their plan.

Research has shown air purifiers can help minimise the spread of harmful airborne contaminates. We believe that the addition of air purifiers with HEPA filters into classrooms will also bring confidence that the right precautious are being taken as we get into the rhythm of our new normal.

Minister for Education in Victoria, Hon. James Merlino MP, said I know Victorian families cant wait to see their kids back in the classroom  but we need to keep them safe once theyre there, and were delivering ventilation devices to prevent as much transmission on school sites as possible.

With a roadmap in place to get all students back to school safely, well make sure every single Victorian child is supported when theyre back in the classroom  whether thats with their schoolwork or their wellbeing.

So, how useful are portable air purifiers?

We're told the efficacy of portable air purifiers has been independently verified by University of Melbourne research, since published in The Journal of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

The research was conducted using Samsungs AX60T5080WD (AX5500) Air Purifier, the research found "portable air cleaning devices that have HEPA filtration helped increase the clearance of aerosols."

Samsung reminds us its technology "allows the remote operation of its air purifier en masse. The SmartThings and B.IoT (Business IoT) software allow for remote management of these devices at scale in schools, hospitals, quarantine hotels, offices and other indoor environments.

"Managing these units at scale and remotely is far more efficient, effective and safer than manual and individual device management in locations where it is not always possible or safe to enter a space or room (e.g. COVID quarantine).

"In addition to education environments, Samsungs air purifiers are already being used in a variety of settings within the Australian public and private sectors to help reduce the risk of airborne transmission of COVID-19, including hotel quarantine programs in Victoria and Queensland, and major hospitals."

Samsung Air Purifier range - key model information from Samsung:

Samsung AX90T7080WD (AX7500) - RRP: $999 - Ships 25 October, 2021

The AX90T7080WD (AX7500) offers fast and wide coverage that consumers need from an air purifier, with the ability to reach from corner to corner in the room thanks to its front air Inflow designed to draw air in easily, while the dual power fan discharges the air following the purification process using its three-way air flow. This enables the airflow to reach a wider area more quickly, achieving a particle clean air delivery rate (CADR) of 701 cubic meters per hour.

The AX90T7080WD (AX7500) also features a numeric air quality display and a Laser PM 1.0 sensor, which monitors air quality in real-time, displaying the air quality level with a four-colour Indicator. Wi-Fi connectivity. Recognised by the Australian Asthma Councils Sensitive Choice program and awarded Overall Best Performer as recommended by CHOICE experts.

Samsung AX60T5080WD (AX5500) - RRP: $799 - Available now

The AX60T5080WD (AX5500) offers fast and wide coverage that consumers need from an air purifier. The front air inflow is designed to draw air in easily. After going through the purification process, a power fan then quickly distributes the clean air in multiple directions using its three-way air flow. This enables the airflow to reach a wider area more quickly, achieving a particle clean air delivery rate (CADR) of 455 cubic meters per hour.

The AX60T5080WD (AX5500) also features a numeric air quality display and a Laser PM 1.0 sensor. The sensor monitors air quality in real-time, displaying the air quality level with a four-colour indicator. The unit features hidden wheels that let users easily move the unit where they need it most. Wi-Fi connectivity. Recognised by the Australian Asthma Councils Sensitive Choice program and as recommended by CHOICE experts.
The 148-page State of IoT report researched by IoT Analytics highlighted recent IoT-related news stories, 100 largest IoT-related funding rounds of the last nine months, major acquisitions, the companys input on 36 current trends, and a view of the IoT vendor landscape.

IoT Analytics says the success of an entire technology business can depend on understanding which market segments remain attractive and which ones are limiting their budgets.

Markets can change radically in a matter of months, and technology vendors need to be aware of these changes and be ready to pivot, IoT Analytics says.

The IoT Analytics report also included its views of the growth prospects and general sentiment in 20 industry verticals, the four main global regions, and 10 elements of the IoT stack.

Here are the highlights:

Overall state of IoT: Clearly accelerating, hampered by the chip shortage

Digital technology markets in general have seen steady and pervasive momentum in 2021.

As Accenture CEO Julie Sweet puts it in her conference call last 24 June: The dynamics in the market we are seeing are not only of recovery from the lower spending pattern at the onset of the pandemic but a more sustained growth in demand as companies race to modernize and accelerate their digital initiatives.

Nordic Semiconductor CEO Svenn-Tore Larsen says that this digital acceleration has clearly reached IoT markets.

IoT Analytics CEO Knud Lasse Lueth agrees, but adds there are two main concerns: the shortage of IoT semiconductor chips and the ongoing regional impacts of COVID-19 in APAC, Latin America, and Africa.

Regional view: North America and Europe leading out of the pandemic

Tech budgets in 2021 and going into 2022 differ greatly by region. These budgets are still strongly correlated to regional COVID-19 impacts, with North America and Europe increasing IoT tech spending, while most places in APAC and the rest of the world are cautious when it comes to innovation and tech investments.

Overall business sentiment across all companies in North America has surpassed pre-COVID-19 levels. In North America in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021, business sentiment indexed at 107, compared to an index of 100 in Q2 2019. Europe is also strong at 104, according to the report.

Technology view: Opportunities across the entire stack

Addressing some of the current demand trends in the market will help them strengthen their solutions and win customers. Here are eight important technology topics that customers are increasingly willing to pay for (the State of IoT report covers many additional and more technology-specific trends):

1. Cloud migration and modernisation services

The migration of software workloads and entire software applications to private and public cloud environments accelerated in 2021. Growth rates for both Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure climbed back above 50% (year on year) in Q2 2021.

For IoT vendors in general, there is a large opportunity in helping clients move their IoT assets and existing IoT-based applications to the cloud.

However, IoT software providers also face a growing need to modernise their existing software technology in the cloud. Containers have become the de facto standard in modern software design. Firms are modernising their applications with serverless architectures (at least partially) while some lagging software companies still have their applications optimised for on-premises installations (often with the option to host the software in the cloud but without any of todays cloud-native functionalities). Consistent data structures and state-of-the-art data warehouses are also a large area of investment.

2. Low-code/No-code development interfaces

Given the current shortage of global tech talent, companies should allow non-techy users to easily use applications and develop solutions. Offerings such as C3.ais Ex Machina platform (announced for general availability in January 2021) are popping up in response to that need.

No-code (or at least low-code) interfaces are becoming a customer expectation in IoT software, much like they are in other software categories (e.g., low-code website builders that let a user design an entire website with no or little coding knowledge).

3. State-of-the-art cybersecurity setups or features

Cyberattacks have increased in the last two years, driven by the remote work trend and IT integrations with multiple (supplier) systems alongside poor cybersecurity practices in many firms.

The study reported that several IoT companies were subject to large cyberattacks in recent months, including Sierra Wireless, and Ubiquiti. As a result, enterprise spending for cyber tools has increased.

In 2021, many IoT companies introduced IoT security tools or features. u-blox launched a new IoT security as a service, Ericsson launched a new threat monitoring and mitigation service, and Microsoft announced its new firmware vulnerability detection tool.

4. End-to-end solutions that are easy to configure

IoT practitioners remain thankful for solutions that allow a portion of the overall architecture to be seamlessly connected. Zero touch is a gamechanger in IoT connectivity (i.e., onboarding new devices and connecting them to a network instantly).

Easy onboarding of devices to the cloud has become a general expectation of users. Ready-to-use software solutions are also increasingly common. Several system integrators, for example, have developed typical IoT applications that are available on IoT platforms marketplaces (e.g., Infosys asset efficiency solution in the PTC marketplace or HCLs real-time manufacturing insight solution in the Microsoft Azure marketplace).

5. Solutions supporting open application programming interfaces (APIs) and data ecosystems

There is an increasing focus on clean data and/or semantic data structures for contextualising, synthesising, and solving IoT data issues.

The OPC Foundation, in collaboration with CESMII, for example, announced the launch of the OPC Unified Architecture (UA) cloud library joint working group (JWG) in October 2020.

The goal of the JWG is to specify how OPC UA information models of machines, supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) and manufacturing execution systems will be stored in and accessed from a cloud-based database.

New data marketplaces are displacing old data-sharing models, and unify governance, big data, and security tools in a common, seamless data supply chain.

In May 2021, for example, Nokia launched a blockchain-powered data marketplace for secure data trading and artificial intelligence (AI) models. Vehicle industry companies joined forces in March 2021 to form Catena-X, a data marketplace that aims to enable a secure and cross-company-wide data exchange for all participants in the automotive value chain.

6. Intelligent and connected edge solutions

At their annual Ignite 2021 conference, Microsoft announced Azure Percept, which streamlines AI model deployment for low-power edge devices.

IoT Analytics classifies six different types of edges. In June 2021, Cisco revealed a series of new routers and IoT gateways designed for cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity in industrial environments, aiming to simplify enterprise requirements for IoT connectivity.

Few startups are receiving funding for intelligent edge initiatives. Zededa in March 2021 closed a $12.5 million strategic investment round to develop secure distributed edge computing.

IoT analytics has discussed the migration of control away from traditional programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in manufacturing environments. Several industrial automation vendors recently introduced products that decouple industrial control software from the underlying hardware, enabling more flexible and interoperable control systems.

In March 2021, for example, Wago announced two devices, Edge Controller and Edge Computer, that provide advantages over traditional PLCs and industrial personal computers (IPCs).

They can take over data mining from controllers that need low latency and high determinism, perform control tasks that IPCs cannot, and deliver close to real-time analytics and displays that would otherwise have to come from remote servers or the cloud.

7. Offerings that support sustainability initiatives

IoT plays an important role for a sustainable planet, as also highlighted in IoT Analytics previous research.

There are few examples of how IoT sustainability plays at work.

TCS IoT solutions, which help organisations become energy efficient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and meet financial and sustainability goals; Orbcomms satellite IoT technology, which supports African wildlife conservation; and Kerlinks partnership with wireless, real-time water-management systems provider WEGoT to address serious water shortages in India.

8. AI-infused software applications

Artificial intelligence is becoming ingrained in many legacy software applications, giving rise to new themes, such as machine learning model monitoring (MLOps or autoML), which automates the task of data integration and model creation.

Vertical view: Pharma has woken up, automotive more muted

Moderna has shown the pharma industry what it means to put digital first. Therefore, it is not surprising that pharmaceuticals are embracing digital much more than it was before COVID-19 hit.

Other industries embracing IoT as we move into 2022 are the energy/utilities industry, the chemicals industry, and food and beverage. The automotive industry is suffering from chip shortage and battling with other structural issues related to the switch to electric vehicles.

The oil and gas industry is battling with the same issue, veering away from fossil fuels. The building industry is plagued with uncertainty associated with future occupancy levels as more workers opt to work from home.
Trend Micro has announced the launch of its Trend Micro Cloud One regional data centre in Sydney, supporting data sovereignty for Australian customers and enabling enterprises to adopt a SaaS-based security framework.

The data centre follows local customer demand as organisations across Australia increase their adoption of SaaS-based solutions but are required to comply with regulatory or policy-based requirements where data is housed.

The move comes as a part of Trend Micro's global rollout of Trend Micro Cloud One data centres, supporting the organisations flagship cloud security services platform for protecting servers, resources, and applications in the cloud.

The move also positions Trend Micro as one of the first security vendors to provide the broadest set of services around cloud security delivered from Australia.

As Australia leads in rapid cloud adoption, its critical that we support this growth through improved compliance, reduced friction, and upheld data sovereignty  all at a local level, said Ashley Watkins, vice president, Trend Micro ANZ. The launch of the Trend Micro Cloud One data centre in Sydney will provide simplified cloud security to Australian customers, especially highly regulated industries such as the public sector, and banking and financial services.

Trend Micro Cloud One enables customers to gain full visibility into their hybrid or multi-cloud environment, and ensure that the cloud services are configured correctly and are compliant to industry standards, Watkins said. It also addresses the most fundamental cloud security requirements of customers, protecting a number of the most used cloud services, such as compute, file storage, containers, serverless functions, virtual private network, and more.

The data centre also enables Trend Micro's local partner ecosystem to provide greater choice to customers as they look to bolster their hybrid and multi-cloud security.
Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High near 90F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 71F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Cloudy with gusty winds developing during the afternoon. High 82F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph.
DAVID PHELPS CELEBRATES GRAND OLE OPRY DEBUT

September 22, 2021

NASHVILLE, Tenn.Platinum-selling StowTown recording artist David Phelps marked another milestone in an acclaimed career with his recent debut on the iconic Grand Ole Opry. The award-winning vocalist received a standing ovation at the close of his set, which included Hello Beautiful, the debut single from his latest release, GameChanger; the bluegrass-tinged Come To Jesus; and the concert favorite No More Night.



The evenings star-studded lineup also featured Grand Ole Opry member and the Queen of Bluegrass Rhonda Vincent; country chart-topper Chris Janson; multi-GRAMMY-winning instrumentalist Bela Fleck; and Grand Ole Opry member Jeannie Seely, among other performers.





For further information, visit

A childhood musical prodigy from Tomball, Texas, David Phelps is now a Platinum-selling vocalist with three #1 releases on Billboards Music Video chart, 14 solo albums and a PBS television special to his credit. A member of the GRAMMY and Dove Award-winning Gaither Vocal Band from 1997 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2017, Phelps has performed at numerous prestigious venues around the globe, including the White House, Carnegie Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. With a vocal range spanning more than three octaves, Phelps artistry crosses generational and stylistic barriers, making him one of the most beloved voices in American music today.For further information, visit davidphelps.com stowtownrecords.com or turningpointpr.com







David Phelps and Rhonda Vincent are pictured backstage at the Grand Ole Opry.

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For more info on David Phelps, visit the JFH Artists Database.


A rebel leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo was jailed for life on Wednesday, convicted of war crimes in the troubled east of the country and environmental destruction in the nature reserve where he was based.

A military tribunal set up on the edge of the sprawling Kahuzi-Biega National Park in South Kivu province convicted Chance Mihonya, a former army captain who deserted in July 2019, late on Tuesday.

The park, a haven for critically endangered gorillas, marked its 50th anniversary last month.

Mihonya was convicted on all counts including for the kidnapping and torture in 2019 and 2020 of dozens of people living in villages within the park, which covers about 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 square miles).

He was also charged with recruiting children into his armed group, members of which have been accused of raping at least 13 women and killing a man.

The other convictions concerned the destruction of protected areas as Miyona set up his headquarters in the park, brought in weapons, cut down trees and looted mineral resources.

The tribunal acquitted a defendant accused of supplying arms and ammunition to Mihonyas group, citing insufficient evidence.

Mihonya was arrested in May last year during joint operations by the army and park rangers.

The park also faces an emerging threat from a conflict between rangers and local Pygmies, who claim they were robbed of ancestral lands when the park was extended in the 1970s.

The park is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in danger because of the presence of armed groups and settlers, poaching and deforestation.
NEW IBERIA, La. - The Bayou Teche Museum, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution and Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and funded by BHP, will present Water/Ways, a six-week travelling exhibit, Oct. 16-Nov. 27, 2021.

With compelling text, imagery, interactives and videos, the Water/Ways exhibit reveals the central nature of water in our lives and takes a deep look at this essential component of life on our planet, which powers the environments engine, impacts climate and helps shape and sculpt the landscape.

But, waters impact on humans is much more than just biological and environmental. Water is an important element in American culture. The Bayou Teche Museum will also host, either virtually or in-person, weekly programming that will include both an adult and childrens book club, Water in Artistry featuring area artists, Water in Religion, a screening of the movie Deepwater Horizon, Water in Poetry featuring two Louisiana Poet Laureates and other local poets, as well as presentations by the Port of Delcambre and the Teche Project.

The exhibit and all weekly programs presented are all free to the public.

Details about the exhibit and weekly events can be found on Bayou Teche Museum's website and Facebook page. For more information, contact Marcia Patout at (337) 606-5977, bayoutechemuseum@gmail.com, or Stephanie Baudot at btmssb61@gmail.com.
After receiving overwhelming praises from the public, the top rating tvN drama returns with Stranger 2, starring Bae Doona, Cho Seung Woo with a whole lot of new cast.

The beloved duo is back to uncover mysteries and find the truth behind every case; unfortunately, this time, it's a battle between the prosecutor and the police.

Released in August 2020, Cho Seung Woo and Bae Doona reprised their roles as the emotionless Prosecutor Hwang Shi Mok, and warm-hearted Detective Han Yeo Jin alongside Prosecutor Seo Dong Jae played by Lee Joon Hyuk.

In season 2, the plot thickens as new cast members chimed in, led by elite prosecutor Woo Tae Ha portrayed by Prison Playbook star Choi Moo Sung and his nemesis Choi Bit, the Chief of the Intelligence Bureau and former head of Namyangju Police Station, played by Jeon Hye Jin.

The crime drama delivered a mind-boggling and intense storyline making the viewers look forward to every episode.

With almost a year since its release, the public is hopeful for the possibility of Kdrama Stranger to return for another season.

As we lie in wait, here's a rundown of Stranger 2 cast updates and their soon-to-be-released projects in the coming years.

Cho Seung Woo (Hwang Si Mok)

After the success of the drama's second sequel, Cho Seung Woo appeared in "Sisyphus: The Myth" as CEO and genius engineer named Han Tae Sul.

The award-winning actor appeared alongside Hallyu star Park Shin Hye as Kang Seo Hae, who lives in the future.

Now, he is currently busy with his musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" together with "Youth of May" villain Oh Man Seok, Go Eun Sung, Lee Kyu Hyung, and NU'EST's Ren.

Bae Doona (Detective Han Yeo Jin)

The former model turned actress confirmed her appearance in the much-awaited sci-fi Kdrama "The Silent Sea," where she took the character of astrobiologist Dr. Song Ji Ahn.

Apart from Bae Doona, she will be working together with Gong Yoo, Lee Joon, "Squid Game" actor Heo Sung Tae and more.

As for movies, the versatile actress has two upcoming films; mystery romance "Virus" and a movie with "Parasite" star Song Kang Ho titled "Broker."

Choi Moo Sung (Prosecutor Head Woo Tae Ha)

Widely known for his character in "Prison Playbook," Choi Moo Sung recently starred in "Joseon Exorcist" but was canceled due to a major controversy.

However, he has a slew of upcoming movies, including the soon-to-be-released thriller film "Too Many Villains 2: Missing in Jeju."

His forthcoming films "Hot Blood" and "Wonderland" have no official release date yet as of this writing.

Jeon Hye Jin (Chief of Police Choi Bit)

After "Stranger 2," she is set to appear in the Korean remake of the BBC sitcom titled "Uncle," playing the role of divorcee Wang Joon Hee.

In addition, fans would get to see Jeon Hye Jin transforming as an agent in the new movie "The Hunt."

Lee Joon Hyuk (Prosecutor Seo Dong Jae)

The 37-year-old actor's latest appearance in Kdrama was the action series "Dark Hole" with Kim Ok Bin.

Lee Joon Hyuk played Yoo Tae Han, a Mujishi native and a former police officer in the OCN special.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Apart from the great storyline and acting performances from its actors, "Hometown Cha-cha-cha" steals the interests of its viewers with its beautiful and new aesthetics.

From its breathtaking sceneries to ethereal moments between its characters, to the characters' dapper and iconic fashion statements-the drama has it all!

Most fans and viewers would agree that the city woman Yoon Hye Jin, played by Shin Min Ah, has the strongest and knowledgeable sense of style when it comes to clothing.

The dentist doesn't wear many striking colors and prints. Hye Jin is more into simpler and casual outfits. Unsurprisingly, she is always dressed in designer clothes.

Did you know that her "laundry outfit" in the previous episode costs approximately a whopping $20,000 USD? Check out the pieces!

Yoon Hye Jin's Diamond-Embedded Watch

Most commonly, a person would first remove her accessories, especially when doing household chores. But Hye Jin, the ever-expensive Seoulite, didn't bother taking her luxurious wristwatch off before doing the laundry.

She was wearing the Chaumet Josephine Aigrette, which is also loved by "Descendants of the Sun" actress Song Hye Kyo who is also the brand's global ambassador.

The said watch is embedded with 62 glistening diamonds, which will certainly take anyone's breath away with its material and great price of $16,800.

Not to mention, it wouldn't get damaged even if you do your laundry all day-the beautifully curated watch is waterproof.

Yoon Hye Jin's Expensive Combination of Blouse and Jeans

Hye Jin always wears dainty clothes when going to work, and this pinstripe baby blue blouse with an adorable collar is one of them.

This top has unique sleeves, a takeaway that the item is from the Italian brand Miu Miu. The appealing blouse is, undoubtedly, coupled with a whopping price of approximately $1,500.

What's the best pair for a nice top? Jeans, of course! Hye Jin's jeans are from a Californian brand RE/DONE that remasters vintage jeans from everybody's favorite brands.

Hye Jin's reworked pair, which was originally from Levi's, cost almost $400. Without a doubt, it's a wardrobe must-have, plus you can partner it up with anything!

Bags are a Girl's Best Friend

How do you complete a look? Finishing it up with a nice, elegant bag, no?

[]       pic.twitter.com/BMNi7XILKL   (@SH__ily) September 18, 2021

The dentist always carries a bag with her when she's off to work. Doo Sik (Kim Seon Ho), her friend and potential love interest, indeed carries a bag for his convenience.

However, Hye Jin picks out a bag that perfectly jives with her #OOTD. They say that the bags are the first thing that people see, and bags say a lot about your personality.

Then what does Yoon Hye Jin's bag say about her? One thing is for sure, classy.

Hye Jin's muted blue handbag with a chain strap and crystal hardware is from Miu Miu, and it is made of matelasse nappa leather which gives off a classy and elegant feel to anyone who carries it. This classic only costs $1,300.

What do you think about Yoon Hye Jin's style? What is your favorite fashion item from the look? 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.
By Jason Hanna, Madeline Holcombe and Leyla Santiago, CNN

(CNN) -- Autopsy results have confirmed that the remains found Sunday in the Bridger-Teton National Forest are those of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman who disappeared while on a trip exploring national parks with her fiance, according to the FBI in Denver.

The FBI tweeted that Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue ruled the death a homicide in his preliminary findings.

"The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results," the FBI said, while saying Petito's fiance, Brian Laundrie, is a person of interest.

"Anyone with information concerning Mr. Laundrie's role in this matter or his current whereabouts should contact the FBI," Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said.

Before Petito disappeared while on a cross-country van trip with her fiance, her conversations with her mother appeared to reveal Petito had "more and more tension" with Laundrie, a police affidavit for a search warrant indicates.

The affidavit, filed by Florida police last week, offers new insight into what investigators have gleaned as they try to determine not only what happened to Petito but also the current whereabouts of the fiance who returned to Florida this month without her.

Human remains that officials said are consistent with Petito's description were found Sunday in an undeveloped camping area in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest on the eastern edge of Grand Teton National Park. Blue told CNN.

Her family said through an attorney that they need time to grieve.

"We will be making a statement when Gabby is home," attorney Richard Benson Stafford said in a statement obtained by CNN affiliate KSL.

And a police search for the fiance, Brian Laundrie, resumed Tuesday at a Florida nature reserve where his parents reportedly said he indicated he was going last week.

"A weekend ground search and aerial search Monday of the 25-thousand-acre preserve has yet to yield any answers, but we must press on," North Port Police said on Facebook. Police indicated the search picked up Tuesday in a different part of the reserve.

Petito, 22, and Laundrie, 23, had been road-tripping in a white van from New York through the US West over the summer, regularly posting photos and stories to their social media pages with the hashtag #vanlife.

Those posts abruptly stopped in late August, and Laundrie returned to his North Port, Florida, home on September 1 in their van without Petito, whose family reported her missing September 11. Authorities are looking for Laundrie, whose parents told investigators he left home with a backpack September 14, and have searched his home, including on Monday.

The case has become an obsession for many, spurring digital detectives to comb through the couple's online trail. The story has also further highlighted the tens of thousands of unsolved missing persons stories.

Before she vanished, Petito sent multiple text messages and had many talks with her mother via cell phone during her trip, Florida police wrote in an application filed last week for a search warrant for an external hard drive found in the couple's van.

In those conversations, there "appeared to be more and more tension between her and Laundrie," the affidavit reads. On August 27, Petito's mother received one last communication from her daughter, which she called an "odd text," the affidavit says.

The message read: "Can you help Stan, I just keep getting his voicemails and missed calls." Because the text message referred to Petito's grandfather as Stan, her mother was concerned that something was wrong, the warrant states.

Following that text message, Petito's phone was no longer operational and she stopped posting anything on social media about their trip, the warrant says.

One more text came on August 30 that read, "No service in Yosemite," but her family doubts she wrote it, Richard Stafford, an attorney representing Joseph Petito and her mother, Nichole Schmidt, said.

Other evidence of tension between Petito and Laundrie also has emerged. A 911 audio recording in Utah sheds new light on a now-well-publicized incident in which police confronted the pair on August 12.

In the 911 recording from the Grand County Sheriff's Office in Moab, Utah, a caller reports what he called a "domestic dispute" between a couple.

"We drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl," the caller says. "Then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off."

Police later stopped the couple, and previously released police documents and body-camera video reveal what followed that day.

Although the Petito and Laundrie are described in a police report as getting into a physical fight following an argument, "both the male and female reported they are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn't wish to see anyone charged with a crime," Officer Eric Pratt wrote in the report.

At the suggestion by police, the couple separated for the night, the report said, which described Petito as "confused and emotional."

A National Park Service ranger who also responded to the call interacted with Petito for about 90 minutes, and warned her that her relationship with Laundrie had markings of a "toxic" one, the ranger told the Deseret News of Utah.

"I was imploring with her to reevaluate the relationship, asking her if she was happy in the relationship with him, and basically saying this was an opportunity for her to find another path, to make a change in her life," ranger Melissa Hulls told the Deseret News.

CNN has sought comment from Hulls.

Woman says she picked up Laundrie hitchhiking last month in Wyoming

A woman has said she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride on August 29 in Wyoming -- and that Laundrie claimed he'd been camping by himself for multiple days while Petitio was back at their van working on social media posts.

In a series of videos posted on TikTok, Miranda Baker said she and her boyfriend picked up Laundrie that evening while he was hitchhiking in Colter Bay, Wyoming. That's not far from where human remains consistent with Petito's description were found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on Sunday.

Laundrie offered to pay $200 for the ride before he even got into the vehicle, Baker said.

Laundrie, who was wearing a backpack, pants and hiking boots, "looked clean and didn't smell bad," and was very polite, Baker said. Laundrie told them he had been camping "basically in the middle of nowhere" at a site outside the Grand Teton National Park, near the Snake River, she said.

Laundrie claimed to have hiked for days along that river, and that all he had was a tarp to sleep on, she said.

Once Laundrie found out Baker and her boyfriend were going to Jackson Hole instead of Jackson, he got agitated, asked that the vehicle stop, and got out near the Jackson Dam, according to Baker. She said they dropped him off less than 30 minutes after picking him up.

Baker said she has spoken to law enforcement about their reported interaction with Laundrie.

North Port police confirmed to CNN that Baker spoke with the department before posting the videos on TikTok.

"Her account is plausible, it appears," North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor said.

CNN has not been able to independently verify Baker's claims. The FBI has not returned CNN requests for comment.

FBI searches Laundrie's home

The FBI on Monday searched the North Port home of Laundrie and his parents, removing many items over several hours.

Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta, were escorted from their home Monday morning so agents could execute a search warrant, North Port police spokesman Joshua Taylor told CNN. They were later taken back inside for questioning.

His parents had previously told police that they had not seen Laundrie since September 14, when he told them he was going to the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000-acre nature reserve near Venice, Florida, according to authorities.

Investigators resumed their search there at 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

North Port police on Tuesday announced they were resuming their search on the Venice side of the reserve after saying Monday they'd shifted their search away from the reserve, having "exhausted all avenues" there. Agents from the fish and wildlife commission were requested Monday afternoon, commission spokesperson Adam Brown said.

An attorney for Laundrie's family, Steven P. Bertolino, said he would hold a news conference Tuesday, but later canceled the event. He said the FBI requested he not hold the conference.

Agents removed a number of items from the home Monday, and a Ford Mustang convertible was also towed away.

Before his parents told police Laundrie left the home September 14, he had refused to talk to investigators, and the family had directed them to their attorney, police said. Laundrie has not been charged in the case.

'She touched the world,' father says

Pathologists will conduct a full forensic examination of the remains found Sunday to confirm the identity, said Charles Jones, FBI Denver's supervisory senior resident agent in Wyoming. Authorities also must identify the cause of death, he said.

Petito's family has been notified of the discovery.

Her father, Joseph Petito, tweeted a picture of his daughter Sunday evening, saying, "She touched the world." Richard Stafford, an attorney representing Joseph Petito and her mother, Schmidt, asked that the family be given space, per a statement obtained by CNN affiliate WABC.

Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino called the news "heartbreaking," adding, "The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family."

Laundrie's sister praised Petito for her relationship with Laundrie's nephews, according to a statement to ABC News.

"Gabby was a fun and loving influence to 'the boys' as she always referred to them. We will cherish the time we spent with her," Cassie Laundrie said.
SALEM, Ore.  Members of the Oregon Democratic caucus on Wednesday issued a statement condemning the Newberg School District staff member who reportedly showed up to work on Friday in blackface, pointing to a series of concerning incidents in the community just southwest of Portland.

Prior to the blackface incident, Newberg School District was already a hotbed of contention. In August, the school board narrowly voted to ban "political symbols," including Black Lives Matter and Pride flags, which received condemnation from the Oregon State Board of Education.

Just hours before the Newberg school board was to meet and discuss its ban on political symbols this month, the news broke that at least one student of Newberg High School was participating in a Snapchat group called "Slave Trade," where students ostensibly joked about how much they would pay for their Black classmates in a slave auction, among other racist topics.

More than two dozen state senators and representatives signed onto a statement Wednesday decrying the recent incidents and calling on the Newberg School Board to rescind its ban on Black Lives Matter and Pride symbols:

Blackface is not about putting on a costume, it is racist, anti-Black, and evokes a deeply racist and painful history of othering and denigrating Black communities. This harmful and irresponsible behavior has no place in Newberg or anywhere. Newbergs BIPOC students, staff, and families deserve better than this.

"This deeply traumatizing incident and the 'slave trade' Snapchat group that Newberg High School students participated in are further examples of the pervasive racism and discrimination in the Newberg community and the state of Oregon as a whole. At a time like this, leaders from all corners of the community and state must come together to condemn this behavior and prioritize student safety and wellbeing. We hold the students, families, and staff of the Newberg School District in our hearts today.

"Once again, we call on the Newberg School Board to change course. We urge the School Board majority to rescind the ban on Black Lives Matter signs and Pride flags and back down from repealing the Every Student Belongs Act. Anti-racist and equity practices should start from the top. The Newberg School Board must prioritize creating a safe, affirming learning environment for all students and employees.
ASHLAND, Ore. -- Jackson County Library Services teamed up with Wellness 2000 to distribute Covid-19 vaccines and flu shots following the mandate for Covid-19 vaccination, or weekly testing, for all staff during the JCLS Board of Directors meeting on August 18, 2021.

On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, JCLS hosted a flu & Covid-19 vaccine clinic at the Ashland Library and Rogue River Library.

Other Jackson County vaccine clinics this week will be at Medford Library on Friday, September 24 from 11:301:00 p.m and Eagle Point Library on Friday, September 24 from 2:303:30 p.m.

Upon patients' arrival to the vaccine clinic in Ashland on Tuesday, there was some confusion as to whether or not the flu shot was free.

On the JCLS website, it is explained that free flu shots are available with Regence BlueCross BlueShield, PacificSource, Kaiser, Medicare, and Medicaid/Oregon Health Plan (OHP).

Those with other medical insurers will pay a fee of about $35. However, the Covid-19 vaccine is free regardless on health insurance status.

When Newswatch 12 asked the JCLS Human Resources Specialist, Marlena Fajardo about the difference between getting vaccinated at a library and a normal medical clinic, she said it was a matter of comfort.

"There are a lot of great clinics made available in our community, but many of our patrons are at home service individuals, or just have an easier time going to the library. It's a highlight of their day. They feel close to the staff and feel comfortable, something that, for a lot of folks, is kind of scary. It's a personal decision."

Fajardo said, "We just kind of wanted to remove that barrier of access and increase turn out for the shot."

Newswatch 12 also discussed flu season with the Medical Director of Jackson County Public Health, Dr. Jim Shames.

He said, "In general flu season is from about now, kind of early fall, until about the middle of spring. But the average flu season, when it's really intense, when it comes in and effects a lot of people at the same time in your community, usually is around late November, December."

Shames says that time frame would be considered the peak, but he explains to Newswatch 12, like Covid, the flu can mutate, allowing the flu to be spread at any time.

"The flu vaccine is not as effective, for example as the Covid vaccine, which is remarkably effective, but the beauty of the flu shot is that if you can get enough people to get it, it will reduce the possibility of influenza spreading for the entire community."

He says Jackson County will continue to make flu shots readily available as they receive the dosages, whether they are at clinics or your regular doctor's office.

When we asked Dr. Shames about his thoughts on quarantining while sick with the flu, he said last year the county had remarkable success with people staying healthy since they stayed home, wore masks, and socially distanced.

"It really reduced lots of other diseases at the same time. Last year, we had almost no flu season."

Shames said, the lesson for everyone is that the mitigation strategies used for Covid-19 are effective for other transmissible diseases and asks people to apply that understanding to the flu.

Those unable to attend JCLS vaccine clinics this week can visit https://jacksoncountyor.org/hhs/Environmental-Public-Health/Welcome for other vaccine options.
Wildfire smoke hangs in the air as a mountain goat and kid walk across a road in Walhachin, B.C., Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. A mountain goat is responsible for the death of a grizzly bear found slumped near a trail in Yoho National Park in eastern British Columbia earlier this month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The face of Toronto Police officer Jeffrey Northrup is seen on a plasma screen at his his funeral service, in Toronto on Monday July 12, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix look on as Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry speaks about the COVID-19 vaccine card set to arrive in mid-September as they discuss details about the process during a press conference at provincial legislature in Victoria, B.C., on August 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Killer whale L47, right, is shown with her youngest son L115 in this 2011 handout photo. Scientists are reporting another challenge to the population of critically endangered southern resident killer whales in the waters off British Columbia, Washington state and Oregon. A statement from the Center for Whale Research in Washington state says a 47-year-old female identified as L47 has not been seen for nearly seven months and is likely dead. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - The Center for Whale Research
Government

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Two more seeking to fill Forster's seat

Rebman Lopez Allen

Two more Upper Keys residents have confirmed applying to fill the Monroe County Commission District 5 seat left vacant by the death of Mike Forster, who succumbed to COVID-19 earlier this month.

Former District 120 state Rep. Holly Raschein, a Key Largo Republican, announced Monday, Sept. 13, that she had filed an application with Gov. Ron DeSantis Office of Appointments to fill Forsters seat until the 2022 election.

Since then, Republicans Anthony Tony Allen, a local business owner and chairman of the Key Largo Fire Rescue and Emergency Medical Services District, and Rhonda Rebman Lopez, a small-business owner and former state District 120 candidate, said they have also applied for the position.

Emails and phone calls to DeSantis office for information on other applicants remained unanswered at press time.

Republican Robby Majeska, a business owner, former Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District board member and former county District 5 candidate, said he is not seeking an appointment.

The District 5 seats jurisdiction runs from Tavernier north through the Ocean Reef Club.

Allen said hed been contemplating running for the District 5 seat for the last six years.

I had been thinking about it when I ran for my second term on the fire board, he said.

Allen is serving his third term on the special taxing district board that provides emergency services between Tavernier and Ocean Reef.

I was trying to wait to tell people until after Mikes celebration of life, Allen said after Raschein confirmed her application. Mike and I didnt always see eye to eye, but I knew hed be a great commissioner. I saw him following through on his campaign promises. I considered him a friend and I can only hope to continue the progress that he started in being a voice for the Upper Keys.

We need a fair share and our voices heard. The Upper Keys need a voice. Im going to put in the time and do hard work like Mike was doing, even if I only get to do it for one year.

Forsters term does not end until 2024, but because he was less than 28 months into the term when he died, the seat is now up for election in November 2022. The winner will complete the remainder of the term.

Public beach access at Sunset Park and at Harry Harris is something that continues to need focus, Allen said. We need to get Rowells Waterfront where it needs to be. That park has great potential. At the same time, I can see Sunset Park being in a neighborhood as a hazard and health issue. Ive been there. There are a lot of day trippers there and we need to make sure our residents can enjoy it.

Allen said hed work to address traffic and lighting along U.S. 1, not just in the Upper Keys, but along the entire corridor.

There needs to be a crosswalk or street lights along Mile Marker 104 so people can cross the street safely to get to the businesses there, he said. We need to make sure that we have access to COVID testing in the Upper Keys, vaccines and the most up-to-date technology for these offerings. We need to have QR codes on the vaccine cards and the latest available technology that makes us current with the rest of the world.

If appointed, Allen plans to run for the 2022 election.

I know this is going to be hard for me. Im not well known throughout the county. Ive never sought the limelight. I just want a fair shot at it, he said. This is something Ive been interested in doing for a long time now. Im level-headed. Im good at being transparent in public meetings and with finances. If Im lucky to be appointed, I will start right away. I will want to stay and finish the job. I will make it a priority to finish what Mike started. I would be honored.

Allen served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1998 to 2001 and moved to the Keys in 2010.

Hes involved with the American Legion, the University of Florida Gator Club, Mariners Hospital Charitable Foundation, Young Philanthropists of Baptist Health, the Elks Club, The Sons and Daughters of Italy and Light Up Key Largo, among others.

Rebman Lopez said she filed her application last Tuesday.

Our county is hurting due to the loss of Mike. He hit the ground running. He helped with Harry Harris Park and the other pocket park in Key Largo. From what I hear, he was very fiscally responsible and he started to address some of our traffic and congestion problems throughout the Keys, she said.

Even though Ive never held office in the Keys before, I want to continue what he started for him. I want to make sure everyone in this county has a voice. I want to be a voice for the voiceless. Its important to be careful and transparent especially during this pandemic. There are many people here who arent able to get out of the house for some reason or another and I would like to represent them as well.

Rebman Lopez has lived at the Ocean Reef Club since 2018 and her family has had a home in Sugarloaf Key since 1971.

Im seeking this appointment to help my community thrive through honest and ethical decision-making. We need a leader to navigate budgets, taxes, appropriations, ordinances with integrity and skill. I bring a broader outlook and a fresh perspective outside the status quo, long-term politician, she said.

Im high energy and accessible to all the constituents of the Keys. Our environment and quality of life is so important to me.

Rebman Lopez has supported Reef Relief, ORCAT, Ocean Reef Community Association, Wesley House Services, Dolphin Plus MMR, Islamorada Moose Lodge and Habitat for Humanity of the Upper Keys.

I have supported many other wonderful organizations to give back in return for the privilege of living in Monroe County, the most beautiful and wonderful county in Florida, she said.

Rebman Lopez lost a 2020 Republican primary bid for Rascheins House seat to Jim Mooney of Islamorada by 1.1% of the vote, but was the only candidate on the ballot by petition with 1,013 verified signatures. Mooney went on the win the seat during the general election.

Whether appointed or not, Rebman Lopez said she intends to run for the 2022-24 term.

Im going to first take one day at a time and hope that I can serve this year and stick with the seat. I will always be interested in serving my community, she said.

Upon announcing her application, Raschein said she hoped to continue Forsters legacy by leveraging my two decades of service to the Florida Keys. I know our people, our issues, our past and our potential.

Raschein served as the legislative aide to Republican state House Rep. Ken Sorensen of Key Largo and Democratic state House Rep. Ron Saunders of Key West. Raschein then successfully ran for the position and served until she reached her term limit in 2020.

Raschein said she has an understanding of inner workings of Tallahassee and relationships with state officials, lobbyists and high-ranking Republican lawmakers. She was instrumental in the passage of one of the Keys largest annual appropriations, the Florida Keys Stewardship Act, which brings in as much as $20 million a year for environmental and water quality protection projects.

tjava@keysnews.com
In August 2020, Beirut was devastated by one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in human history.

Still in shock, I was one of the young Lebanese who took to the streets in the days following the blast to clean up the capital city. Block by block, we pushed the rubble aside with our bare hands.

I found two Lego blocks trampled in the dust that I still keep on my desk -- in part because they remind me of our stolen childhoods, but also because a Lego is famously hard to destroy. The resilience of this small toy has for me become a symbol of the determination of Lebanon's next generation.

I was just 11 years old when the MV Rhosus, the ship that brought the explosive cargo to Beirut, arrived at our port in 2013 with its ownership hidden behind a network of shell companies. Over the next seven years, the ship slowly rotted while I grew up in a society still traumatized by memories of its own civil war and battered by a wave of regional crises.

When conflict forced more than 1 million Syrians to move to Lebanon, hundreds of schools had to open for a second shift. Our school system, already struggling to educate Lebanese children, also welcomed young Palestinian and Iraqi students as Lebanon became home to the largest number of refugees per citizen on Earth.

Our economy has struggled ever since our country's civil war, which lasted from 1975 until 1990. Even before the pandemic, the World Bank predicted in 2019 that the poverty rate in Lebanon would rise from 30% to 50% -- with some analysts believing the situation could be even worse. Amid rampant corruption and the failure of successive governments, young people took to the streets that year in 2019's October Revolution. We'd had enough. We also believed that things couldn't get worse.

We were wrong. Day after day, Lebanon pushes toward a new rock bottom. The pandemic. Then the explosion. And all the while, a vicious financial and political crisis is unfolding.

Nothing can prepare you for what it is like when a currency collapses. We are experiencing one of the worst depressions to hit a modern society. Our money is almost worthless. The United Nations estimates that 82% of the country lives in "multidimensional poverty" -- meaning aside from income they're also deprived of health care, education, employment, housing, power, and/or other services needed to support minimum levels of well-being. Even in Beirut, I have no electricity for 16 hours a day, and we cannot find fuel for transport. In the middle of a deadly pandemic, our hospitals are running out of medicines and can barely keep the lights on.

The impact on our education system has been catastrophic. Lebanese children are estimated to have received no more than 11 weeks of schooling last year, and Syrian children did much worse. As their salaries collapsed, many teachers left the profession -- and even the country.

The ongoing fuel crisis means that students and teachers must wait in long queues for multiple hours to fill their tanks, sometimes parking at gas stations overnight to secure their spot in the line for the next day. Private schools have raised their fees, just when parents cannot afford to pay them, leaving thousands of children trying to find places in the small public sector system. The cost of books, stationery and uniforms make education an increasingly unaffordable luxury.

The most bitter pill? It is the young who will pay for this lost learning. The World Bank believes that the global lockdown generation will lose more than $10 trillion in earnings over their lifetimes. The damage will inevitably be concentrated in countries like mine. How can students use distance learning to keep up when the internet is yet another victim of our energy crisis?

The world has condemned the failures of our political class, saying that we are suffering a deliberate depression. Young people in Lebanon are also furious at the behavior of our political leaders. But their failures do not provide the rest of the world with an excuse to abandon us. As Save the Children has warned, our education system is passing the point of no return. We need help not out of charity, but because the world has failed to keep promises to help Lebanon's next generation.

Lebanon is a bellwether for a global learning crisis that will only worsen as countries cut education budgets and do little to help students regain education that was lost during the pandemic. As a Next Generation Fellow, I was asked by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to help shape Our Common Agenda -- a plan for how the world can recover from Covid-19. We asked him to back an emergency program to catch up on the learning that has been missed during the pandemic and reach children who are furthest behind.

As a minimum, we believe all governments should provide a 10% booster fund over the next two years to fund education recovery from Covid-19. Countries like Lebanon will need external support to finance this new investment.

The Secretary-General has also promised to host a Transforming Education Summit next year, where he will aim to draw an end to the education emergency. At the invitation of the Secretary-General, Our Future Agenda proposes a blueprint to transform education systems. We hope the summit will start a drive to make sure every young person can read and write, while changing the way we learn so that we have what we need to thrive in a world that is changing at breakneck speed.

I think about these ambitions when I look at the Lego blocks that I rescued from a ruined street. This is why I have submitted them to a digital time capsule created by youth activists around the world. We need to search for the building blocks of renewal during a period of unprecedented crisis. The first step is to reset our education systems and to invest in the future of a generation that has suffered so much.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
In his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Joe Biden committed America to eschewing a new cold war, pledging instead to lead with its allies in a spirit of unity and resolve to tackle and overcome two of the world's greatest challenges: climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic. The address was as transformative and expansive as any president has laid out in recent years.

If only words could actually walk and get things done.

Beneath the high-sounding aspirational rhetoric of the internationalist Biden is, however, lay some harsher truths. Biden's overriding priority is domestic. And right now, he is an embattled president with dropping approval ratings and a hugely ambitious domestic social and economic agenda hanging in the balance.

Abroad, recent actions -- including a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan conflict, an errant deadly drone strike in Kabul and his French-fried diplomatic row with Emmanuel Macron over the sale of submarines to Australia from which France is now excluded -- have raised questions among allies and adversaries alike about America's competency, reliability and commitment to play the role Biden outlined in his speech Tuesday.

The challenge for the President is now to deliver and to close the widening gap between his words and deeds. If he can't, American credibility will fall into the gap he himself helped to create.

Biden isn't Trump

Judging by the applause at the UN following Biden's speech, his reception might be described as courteous but not overwhelmingly effusive. But it's a far cry from any of the appearances of his predecessor Donald Trump, who in 2018 was openly mocked by delegates' laughter -- and not with him. Unlike Trump who viewed the UN as somewhere between irrelevant and hostile, Biden has a long history of supporting the institution, and that was on display again Tuesday.

Some analysts have suggested too many of Biden's foreign policies follow Trump's. But anyone listening to the President lay out his actions, from rejoining the Paris climate accord to returning to negotiations with Iran to recommitting to the World Health Organization and NATO, could hardly confuse the two.

Moreover, Biden's words regarding leading together -- multilaterally -- and his focus on assisting and supporting poorer countries, human rights and democracies, were the antipode from Trump's "America first" approach. Indeed, whatever problems US allies have with the Biden Administration, they clearly prefer him over Trump. And American allies and adversaries cannot simply afford to ignore US power and influence. With neither Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping attending in person and Macron unwilling to speak even virtually, Biden's address likely dominated the day.

Biden's real priority

As important as Biden's maiden UN speech may have been to the first year of his presidency, especially in the wake of the recent missteps on Afghanistan and with the French, Biden's overriding goal is to be a transformative president at home. He would never articulate this publicly, but there is little doubt there is no foreign policy issue in his mind that poses a greater danger to the US and to his presidency than managing Covid-19, expanding the social and economic safety net, growing the economy, maintaining the integrity of voting rights and countering the extreme political and racial polarization in the country nowadays.

Clearly, two of those issues -- Covid-19 and climate -- are foreign policy issues too. But his party's success or failure in keeping control of Congress in 2022 and the results of the 2024 presidential election won't turn on his ties with France, or even China, in contrast to the bread and butter as well as health issues.

Indeed, Biden promised "relentless diplomacy" in the wake of Afghanistan, which represented "relentless war." But it's hard to imagine the administration has the political bandwidth or the currency -- let alone opportunities --to deal with conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Ukraine or Israel and Palestine. Despite his high-sounding commitments to build back a better world at the UN session, for Biden, to paraphrase the late Tip O'Neill, his politics are primarily local.

From the frying pan into the fire

Biden's dilemma is obvious. To regain and recapture the confidence of allies and adversaries alike and to make good on his high-sounding rhetoric, he needs to deliver. And not on issues that have traditionally defined a foreign policy agenda such as Israeli-Palestinian peace, the ongoing civil war and terrorist threat in Syria or Russian encroachment and influence in Ukraine, but on two of the galactically difficult transnational issues he prioritized in his speech: climate and Covid-19.

Granted, he's wrapped himself in the mantle of multilateralism and partners, thereby realistically sharing the responsibility for addressing them with others. But Covid-19 is the greatest world-altering event since the Second World War, and the international community isn't rising to the challenge. Climate change represents the gravest planet-altering event now and in the future. And there's little reason to believe that the UN nor the vaunted international community can do enough to address the challenges.

As for Biden, without passage of the climate component of his infrastructure bill -- especially the clean electricity performance program that seeks to promote renewable energy and which is now threatened by West Virginia moderate Sen. Joe Manchin who's protecting his state's coal and natural gas interests -- it's hard to see how the US makes good on its climate commitments.

Add to that tensions with China, the world's largest carbon emitter, which diminish the chances of a US-Chinese accord before the Glasgow climate summit, and the US climate initiative is further handicapped.

Biden's speech at the UN seemed like a blueprint for a world transformed. Sadly, he'll be lucky if -- in cooperation with allies and partners -- he can find a way to manage some of its myriad challenges and complexities.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
MCKENZIE BRIDGE, Ore. -- It's been nine days of tree sitting for Cascadia Forest Defenders who are hoping to stop the proposed Flat Country Timber Sale.

Up to 10 members of the group have hoisted themselves 113 feet up into the trees. They say they have no intentions of coming down unless the sale is called off.

According to the organization, the sale would threaten thousands of acres of old growth and mature forest in the McKenzie watershed.

The project area is located approximately eight miles east of McKenzie Bridge.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, treatments include commercial thinning, shelterwood with reserves, fuels reduction treatments, meadow enhancement, and early seral creation through gaps. This will require temporary roads, road maintenance and road decommissioning.

Officials told KEZI logging is still a year or more away. But Cascadia Forest Defenders member Sara James said they went up early to launch the movement.

"The tree sit is to spread the word about old growth logging that is happening in the state of Oregon and to also call on decision makers such as the Biden administration," James said.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the project covers about 74,000 acres east of Highway 126. They said the purpose is to provide a sustainable supply of timber for years to come, along with other benefits.

The defenders said they are not one of those benefits.

"We would like to send a message to the companies that potentially will buy this sale that if you buy this sale, you are buying us as well," said a protester.

The forest defenders said logging old growth forests is harmful.

"It's a shame because old growth forests like this -- especially in the Pacific Northwest -- are our last and best defense against climate change," another protester said.
EUGENE, Ore. -- Lane Countys homeless population has grown every year for the past five years, and the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce says businesses are reaching a breaking point.

Over the past several months, the chamber took the unusual step of conducting its own study into the homeless crisis and just released the results.

The report says despite millions of dollars and countless hours of service, the homeless crisis continues. There were more than 3,100 people without homes living in Lane County in August, and just 42 moved into housing during the same period.

The report found a number of factors have led the crisis, including not enough low barrier shelter spaces and a lack of political will and community justice resources to address criminal behavior in the community. The report found that to shift from our current state of managing the crisis to making homelessness a rare issue, we need to move away from a government-driven and funded model.

The report also has eight recommendations to help, including getting leaders together from all sectors to come up with solutions, prioritizing emergency shelter capacity, effective wrap-around services like mental health and substance abuse support. It says also we need to send the message that anyone - homeless or not - should not break the law.

Brittany Quick-Warner, president and CEO of the chamber, said the study was the result of continued frustration and a ballooning homeless population during the pandemic. She said businesses reached out to the chamber in large numbers asking for help.

They didnt know what to do. There was a lot of crime and vandalism and theft. You know, a lot of staff who were being accosted and assaulted as they were trying to enter their companies, Quick-Warner said.

Quick-Warner said the chamber set out to understand the problem so that they could begin to address it.

We knew that after years and years of investment and millions of dollars of investment, if we're not making a dent in the problem that we see here in this community, there must be something kind of deeper in the systematic kind of ways that we're addressing it that are broken and things that need to be fixed, Quick-Warner said.

The study was conducted over several months and interviewed more than 150 people in the community including homeless nonprofits, city and county staff, businesses and community leaders and the members of the unhoused community and residents.

Among the eight recommendations includes a request to elected leaders for a full-throated condemnation of crime.

I believe our elected officials have to make that statement publicly to say, look, we're here to care for you. We're here to help you get well. We're not okay with you continuing with criminal activity on our streets. And we're drawing the line. We're not a community that is welcome to criminals coming here, Quick-Warner said.

She emphasized not all homeless are criminals. She also said the solution isnt just to throw money at the problem, but believes businesses could also pitch in more to help out non-profits and lend resources.

We are nowhere close to claiming that the chamber is the expert on this issuebut we do think that there's a role for the business community in holding those leaders accountable and saying, look, we recognize that we're failing as a community to solve this homeless crisis, and we've got to figure out how to do that differently, Quick-Warner said.

You can read the full report here.
EUGENE, Ore.  An arrest has been made after a Black man was targeted for his race in Eugene, police say.

The incident happened in the area of West 11th Avenue and Grant Street on Aug. 31. Police said Marcus Crowe, 36, of Eugene and a woman were yelling racially offensive terms in the area when the victim, a man in his late 20s, asked them to stop.

Crowe then assaulted the man, throwing a sharpened metal pole or spear-like object at him, police said. The victim suffered a severe, penetrating wound. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Police said Crowe faces charges of second-degree assault and second-degree bias crime.

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at 541-682-5292.
WALTON, Ore. -- After a devastating and deadly crash involving a logging truck on Highway 126 on Monday, 25-year-old Sarah Susman is being remembered as a bright light in so many lives.

RELATED: WESTERN LANE AMBULANCE DISTRICT EMPLOYEE KILLED IN HIGHWAY 126 CRASH



Family, friends and coworkers describe her as intelligent with a compassionate heart.

She was a part-time medic with Western Lane Ambulance District, MidValley Ambulance and a volunteer resident for Lowell Fire District.

KEZI 9 News talked to Michael Schick, the Fire and EMS Chief of Western Lane Ambulance District.

She had a bright future, Schick said. I had heard that she wanted to go to medical school, and she had a lot of aptitude for medicine. Its very sad.

Schick said Susman was on her way to work for Western Lane Ambulance District, driving on Highway 126. Just a couple minutes behind her was one the districts paramedics. His trip to work was delayed due to the accident but he was not aware that his coworker -- Susman -- was involved. He offered his help and then continued his drive to work.

At that point, everyone was saying Sarah hasnt arrived yet, Schick said. He asked what kind of car she drives, and it matched the car he saw in the accident.

OSP said Shane McVay, 64, of Eugene was driving a Kenworth log truck east when the loaded trailer tipped over. The trailer struck Susman's Toyota Prius, which had been headed west, and a Dodge Ram towing a boat that was driven by a 70-year-old Eugene man. The Dodge then hit an eastbound Ford Mustang driven by a 20-year-old Coquille resident.

Susman was killed in the crash.

On Tuesday KEZI learned that Oregon State Police suspect McVay was driving under the influence of alcohol. OSP also confirmed that the logging truck was owned by Wolf Creek Timber Services of Veneta.

RELATED: ALCOHOL MAY HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN FATAL LOG TRUCK CRASH ON HIGHWAY 126



Schick said his team was shocked to hear the tragic news, as Susman has made a large impact on everyone there.

Im glad she was in our lives for at least a short time, Schick said.

Florence resident Karin Guy used to drive to Eugene along Highway 126 several times a week.

It's not the first tragedy on 126, Guy said. How many more? A young woman -- 25-- starting her life and innocently driving to work has to lose her life over people going too fast and cutting corners.

Guy said she rarely sees OSP patrolling the highway and believes that needs to change before even more lives are lost.

People really need to slow it down, Guy said.

Guy said ODOT has done a good job of adding passing lanes but people often pass when its unsafe.

Its so common along 126, Schick said. There's a lot of turns. There's people going high rates of speed. We hate to see our loved ones drive along that road. We urge people to be careful, drive cautiously, don't drive angry and just make sure you get there safely.

Michael Dorman of Lilly Pad Towing shared what hes noticed on Highway 126 over the years. He said hes unfortunately not surprised that another tragedy took place, as just months ago a fatal crash occurred right across from his shop.

Really impatient drivers passing in no-passing areas and speeding -- a lot of it, Dorman said.

KEZI reached out to Wolf Creek Timber Services of Veneta for comment but has not heard back.

The highway was closed for most of the day while authorities investigated.
Institute of Technology Carlow has been ranked in the top five performing third-level institutions in Ireland, according to an international ranking of higher education institutions.

U-Multirank (https://www.umultirank.org/) is the largest and most inclusive global university ranking, highlighting the diversity in higher education around the world.

Now in its eighth edition, it compares university performance across teaching and learning, research, knowledge transfer, international orientation and regional engagement.

Notably, IT Carlow is the only Institute of Technology to make the top five.

Among the indicators graded by U-Multirank were Bachelor graduation rate, graduating on time (bachelors), interdisciplinary publications, co-publications with industrial partners, publications cited in patents, international academic staff, bachelor graduates working in the region and master graduates working in the region.

Institute of Technology Carlow also received an 'A' grade for the gender balance indicator.

President of Institute of Technology Carlow, Dr Patricia Mulcahy welcomed the report's findings.

"This is a significant international vote of confidence for Institute of Technology Carlow and a great endorsement of the incredible work undertaken across our campuses  from the introduction of new programmes of study to our international research and publications, from facilities to gender equality and graduation rates," she said.

"It is heartening, for this institute and for the region, as we enter a new era and take our next steps towards university designation in 2022."
The pace of people getting first doses of Covid-19 vaccines is the slowest it has been since July 23, according to data released Wednesday from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The data comes as flu season is around the corner, which could increase death tolls and put more strain on hospitals already struggling with an influx of patients and depleted resources.

More than 312,000 people have initiated the vaccination process -- gotten their first shot -- over the last week, CDC data shows. That's a 7% drop from last week and a 35% drop from the previous month.

The average number of all doses given each day, including second doses, was 742,703 over the past week -- 19% below where it was at the start of this month but still higher than the end of July.

About 182 million people, or 54.9%, of the US population, are fully vaccinated, the data shows. That leaves 71 million people, or 25.1% of the eligible population, who are not vaccinated.

"We are bracing ourselves for an awfully busy winter ahead," Dr. Megan Ranney, associate dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, told CNN on Tuesday.

The country is once again at a point where an average of more than 2,000 people are dying of Covid-19 every day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

And hospitals are straining to keep up with the number of patients coming in. Staff shortages and employee fatigue in Pennsylvania hospitals have reached a point where some health systems are offering signing bonuses, loan forgiveness and other incentives to staff. In Wyoming, nearly 100 members of the state's National Guard were activated Tuesday to assist hospitals dealing with the surge.

And though it isn't clear yet what this year's flu season has in store, it could add additional stress to an already pressed health care system.

"Flu is still a killer, not as much as Covid-19, but between 12,000 and 50,000 Americans lose their lives every year from flu," said Dr. Peter Hotez, vaccinologist and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Flu numbers were actually relatively low last year, but experts said that doesn't necessarily foreshadow how this year will turn out.

"Let's be clear on why flu cases were so low last year, it's because we were all masked and we were all distancing," Ranney said. "Those things are not being done anymore in the vast majority of the country."

Vaccines are the surest way to get the pandemic under control, experts have said, but rates are still lower than they need to be. Health officials are now asking the public to get both their Covid-19 vaccines and flu shot.

Pediatricians recommend that both adults and children 6 months and older receive their flu vaccinations by Halloween, Dr. Flor Munoz, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Texas Children's Hospital, told CNN.

Some vaccine clinics around the country are offering both shots -- and encouraging people who come in for one to make sure they have the other.

"If somebody comes in wanting the flu vaccine and they haven't had a Covid vaccine then we can encourage them to get both, or vice-versa," said Dr. Robert Hopkins, chief of general internal medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and chair of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee.

If health care providers can encourage people to do both, "We potentially are going to have a greater impact on both disease prevention efforts," Hopkins said.

Two-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine 94% effective, company says

Pfizer has suggested a third dose of its vaccine will boost protection for those already vaccinated, and now Johnson & Johnson has announced an extra dose of its vaccine is helpful as well.

A two-dose version of the vaccine provides 94% protection against symptomatic infection, the company said Tuesday -- making a two-dose regimen of J&J's Janssen vaccine comparable to a two-dose regimen of Moderna's or Pfizer's.

Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine was given emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration on February 27. It has been given to about 14.8 million Americans, according to the CDC.

The company released some details of three studies looking at various aspects of its Janssen vaccine, and said that, taken together, they showed the vaccine provided long-lasting protection that could be boosted with an extra shot.

"Our single-shot vaccine generates strong immune responses and long-lasting immune memory. And, when a booster of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is given, the strength of protection against COVID-19 further increases," Dr. Mathai Mammen, global head of Janssen Research & Development, said in a statement.

The company's ongoing Phase 2 trial of a two-dose regimen showed giving two doses 56 days apart provided 100% protection against severe Covid-19 and 94% protection against moderate to severe Covid-19 in the US.

A second study showed people given a booster shot six months or longer after their first dose had a 12-fold increase in antibodies -- compared to a four-fold increase for people who got a second dose at two months. So, protection should be stronger if people get boosters later, Dr. Dan Barouch, head of Beth Israel Deaconess' Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, told CNN.

The protection provided by Covid-19 vaccines appears to wane over time, especially for people 65 and older, a CDC expert said Wednesday.

"For individuals 65 plus, we saw significant declines in VE (vaccine effectiveness) against infection during Delta for the mRNA products," said Ruth Link-Gelles, who helps lead the CDC's Vaccine Effectiveness Team.

Link-Gelles reviewed a series of studies looking at the overall effectiveness of vaccines in various groups between February and August and found similar patterns for Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines, both made using mRNA.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting to discuss the potential need for booster doses of vaccines, and is discussing vaccine effectiveness and safety in general.

The committee will be back at 12 p.m. Thursday now that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would grant emergency use authorization for a booster dose of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine in people 65 and older, people at high risk of severe disease and people whose jobs put them at risk of infection.

Death rate four times higher in least vaccinated states

The average rate of Covid-19 deaths in the 10 least vaccinated states was more than four times higher over the past week than the rate in the 10 most vaccinated states, according to a CNN analysis.

In the least vaccinated states, roughly eight people out of every 100,000 residents died of Covid-19 over the past week, compared with only about two out of every 100,000 people in the 10 most vaccinated states.

CNN used data from Johns Hopkins University and the CDC for the analysis.

Less vaccinated states tend to have higher hospitalization rates, too.

The latest data from the US Department of Health and Human Services shows an average of 39 Covid-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people in the 10 least vaccinated states, nearly three times higher than the average rate of 14 per 100,000 people in the 10 most vaccinated states.

The states with the lowest vaccination rates have fully vaccinated less than 45% of their residents. They are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The 10 states with the highest vaccination rates have fully vaccinated more than 62% of their residents. They are Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

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Here is a look at Columbus Day, also known as Indigenous Peoples' Day in some places. In 2020, it will be celebrated on October 12.

Facts

Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Before it became a legal federal holiday in 1971, many states celebrated Columbus Day on October 12.

It marks Christopher Columbus' first voyage to America. He landed on the island of Guanahani in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492.

Columbus and a crew of 90 people set sail about 10 weeks earlier aboard their ships - Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.

Timeline

1792 - The first Columbus Day celebration is organized by The Society of St. Tammany and held in New York City (300th anniversary of Columbus' landing).

1892 - President Benjamin Harrison issues a proclamation establishing a celebration of Columbus Day on the 400th anniversary of Columbus' landing.

April 7, 1907 - Colorado becomes the first state to declare Columbus Day a legal holiday.

1920 - Columbus Day begins being celebrated annually.

October 12, 1937 - First federal observance of Columbus Day, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1971 - Columbus Day becomes a legal federal holiday in the United States. Presidential Proclamation (PL90-363) states that the observance of Columbus Day is always on the second Monday in October.

Indigenous Peoples' Day

Many historians agree that Columbus was not the first person, nor the first European, to discover the Americas. Indigenous people had been living in the Americas for centuries before Columbus' arrival.

More than 100 cities, such as Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco, and also entire states, including Minnesota, Alaska, Vermont and Oregon, have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day.

The movement attempts to bring awareness to Columbus' treatment of indigenous people and to respect and celebrate indigenous culture.

Berkeley, California was the first city to adopt Indigenous Peoples' Day, in 1992.

Instead of Indigenous Peoples' Day, Hawaii celebrates Discoverers' Day on the second Monday of October, and South Dakota celebrates Native American Day.

Many statues of Christopher Columbus around the world are being removed or replaced.

International - Columbus Day & Columbus

The Republic of Colombia in South America and the District of Columbia in the United States are named after Christopher Columbus.

Several towns, rivers, streets and public buildings in the United States also bear his name.

Some Latin American countries celebrate October 12 as the Dia de la Raza (Day of the Race).

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DEL RIO, Texas (AP)  Many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, two U.S. officials said, undercutting the Biden administration's public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion.

Haitians have been freed on a very, very large scale in recent days, according to one U.S. official who put the figure in the thousands. The official, who has direct knowledge of operations, was not authorized to discuss the matter Tuesday and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, the official said.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said. They are processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

A second U.S. official, also with direct knowledge and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday. The official couldn't be more specific about how many.

For Haitians hoping to get to the United States, the administration's decision to release many people is a welcome relief.

Three hours after leaving the makeshift camp under the International Bridge with his pregnant wife, Mackenson Veillard stood outside a gas station in Del Rio, Texas waiting on a Greyhound Bus to take the couple to a cousin who is living in San Antonio.

Veillard was one of many to be processed and released on Monday, possibly because his wife is expecting their first child in two months.

I felt so stressed, Veillard said. But now, I feel better. Its like Im starting a new life.

However, the decision to release many Haitians, particularly without a clearly stated criteria for who stays and who gets returned to Haiti, will likely add to criticism of the White House, which is already facing bipartisan condemnation. Republicans say Biden administration policies led Haitians to believe they would get asylum. Democrats are expressing outrage after images went viral this week of Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics against the migrants.

Attorneys and advocates say they have so far been denied access to the migrant camp underneath the international bridge in Del Rio and have been given very little information by officials on what is happening with the immigrants.

Everybody in this country and around the world should be up in arms about the fact that we have an immigration system that operates as such a black box. Right now, we have no official access to understand what processes are under way, what protections are being provided for the migrants, said Wade McMullen, an attorney with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit human rights advocacy organization. McMullen had traveled to Del Rio to assist other advocacy groups helping the immigrants at the camp.

Advocates also dont know how many of the immigrants have been deported so far and how many have been released into the U.S., he said.

What information attorneys and advocates have been able to find out has come from interviews they have conducted in Del Rio with dozens of immigrants who have been released into the U.S.

U.S. authorities scrambled in recent days for buses to Tucson but resorted to flights when they couldnt find enough transportation contractors, both officials said. Coast Guard planes took Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.

The releases in the U.S. were occurring despite the signaling of a massive effort to expel Haitians on flights to Haiti under pandemic-related authority that denies migrants an opportunity to seek asylum. A third U.S. official not authorized to discuss operations said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.

Accounts of wide-scale releases  some observed at the Del Rio bus station by Associated Press journalists  are at odds with statements a day earlier by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who traveled to Del Rio to promise swift action.

If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your familys life, he said at a Monday news conference.

The releases come amid a quick effort to empty the camp under a bridge that, according to some estimates, held more than 14,000 people over the weekend in a town of 35,000 people. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, during a visit Tuesday to Del Rio, said the countys top official told him the most recent tally at the camp was about 8,600 migrants.

The criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the U.S. was unclear, but two U.S. officials said single adults were the priority for expulsion flights.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Mexico has begun busing and flying Haitian migrants away from the U.S. border, authorities said Tuesday, signaling a new level of support for the United States as the camp presented President Joe Biden with a humanitarian and increasingly political challenge.

Mexico has helped at key moments before. It intensified patrols to stop unaccompanied Central American children from reaching the Texas border in 2014, allowed tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration courts in 2019 and, just last month, began deporting Central American migrants to Guatemala after the Biden administration flew them to southern Mexico.

Haitians have been migrating to the U.S. in large numbers from South America for several years, many having left their Caribbean nation after a devastating 2010 earthquake. Haiti also is struggling to recover from the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise and a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in mid-August.

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexicos foreign relations secretary, said Tuesday he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about the Haitians situation. Ebrard said most of the Haitians already had refugee status in Chile or Brazil and werent seeking it in Mexico.

What they are asking for is to be allowed to pass freely through Mexico to the United States, Ebrard said.

Two Mexican federal officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Mexico's actions.

One of the officials said three busloads of migrants left Acuna on Tuesday morning for Piedras Negras, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) down the border, where they boarded a flight to the southern city of Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco.

The other official said there was a flight Monday from the northern city of Monterrey to the southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border. Tapachula is home to the largest immigrant detention center in Latin America. The flight carried about 100 migrants who had been picked up around the bus station in Monterrey, a hub for various routes north to the U.S. border.

The second official said the plan was to move to Tapachula all Haitians who already solicited asylum in Mexico.

The Haitian migrants who are already in Mexicos detention centers and have not requested asylum will be the first to be flown directly to Haiti once Mexico begins those flights, according to the official.

Around Ciudad Acuna, Mexican authorities were stepping up efforts to move migrants away from the border. There were detentions overnight by immigration agents and raids on hotels known to house migrants.

All of a sudden they knocked on the door and (yelled) immigration, police, as if they were looking for drug traffickers, said Freddy Registre, a 37-year-old Venezuelan staying at one hotel with his Haitian wife, Vedette Dollard. The couple was surprised at midnight.

Authorities took four people plus others who were outside the hotel, he said. They took our telephones to investigate and took us to the immigration offices, took our photos, Registre said. They were held overnight but finally were given their phones back and released. Authorities gave them two options: leave Mexico or return to Tapachula.

On Tuesday afternoon, they decided to leave town. They bought tickets for a bus ride to the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, planning to continue to Tapachula where they had already applied for asylum.

Others left without being told. Small groups arrived at Ciudad Acunas bus station to buy tickets to Veracruz, Monterrey and Mexico City. The same bus lines prohibited from selling them tickets for rides north through Mexico, sold them tickets to head south without issue.

In Haiti, dozens of migrants upset about being deported from the U.S. tried to rush back into a plane that landed Tuesday afternoon in Port-au-Prince as they yelled at authorities. A security guard closed the plane door in time as some deportees began throwing rocks and shoes at the plane. Several of them lost their belongings in the scuffle as police arrived. The group was disembarking from one of three flights scheduled for the day.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO)  Antoine Suggs was charged Tuesday in connection with the deaths of four Minnesotans, who were all found in an abandoned SUV in a western Wisconsin cornfield.

The Ramsey County Sheriffs Office says 38-year-old Suggs, from Scottsdale, Arizona, faces four counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of St. Paul residents Nitosha Flug-Presley, 30, Loyace Foreman III, 35, Matthew Pettus, 26, and Jasmine Sturm, 30. Investigators say all four were fatally shot in the head in St. Paul on Sept. 12.

The bodies were found later that afternoon in a black Mercedes-Benz SUV in a field near Sheridan Township, Wisconsin. Six shell casings were found inside, as well as Suggss blood-covered Arizona photo ID.

According to the criminal complaint, witnesses said Flug-Presley and a man believed to be Suggs were seen together at the White Squirrel bar in St. Paul on the evening of Sept. 11 and the early morning of Sept. 12. Foreman, Pettus, and Sturm were at Shamrocks Grill and Pub down the block, and met up with Flug-Presley at the White Squirrel after 1 a.m.

A witness said Flug-Presley, Sturm and Pettus got into a black SUV with an unknown man just after 2 a.m. Investigators say no one had any contact with the victims after that point.

Investigators believe Suggs killed his victims between 3:30 a.m. and 3:48 a.m. on West Seventh Street in St. Paul. He then contacted his father, Darren Osborne, about an hour later, according to cellphone data. Three hours later, the Mercedes-Benz SUV was seen in a surveillance video in St. Paul being closely followed by a Nissan Rogue, which was later determined to be Suggss mothers vehicle.

More than two hours later, the Mercedes-Benz and the Nissan were seen at a St. Paul gas station. Surveillance footage clearly shows Flug-Presley slumped over in the front passenger seat, which investigators say was the same way she was found in the vehicle in Wisconsin. Police were able to identify Suggs in surveillance video because he wasnt wearing a mask.

Surveillance video also showed a Nissan and a Mercedes-Benz pulling up together at a gas station 10 miles away from where the bodies were found in Wisconsin. Osborne is seen in the video going into the store to buy some items. Investigators later found apparent blood stains on the ground near where the Mercedes-Benz was parked.

Osborne later told investigators that Suggs showed up where he had spent the night at 5 a.m. on Sept. 12, with Suggss mother tow, which Osborne said was odd. He said Suggs urged his parents to get along with each other, and to watch after his children. After Suggss mother left, Osborne said Suggs asked him to follow him in his mothers car, later revealing that he had snapped and shot a couple people.

Osborne said he then went with his son to drop off the SUV with the bodies in tow in Wisconsin, and later dropped Suggs off in Minneapolis. Osborne denied knowing any of the victims. He was later charged with four counts of hiding a corpse with intent to conceal a crime, and is being held in the Ramsey County Jail.

Police say Suggs had an airline ticket to return to Arizona on the night of Sept. 12, but he never got on that flight. Suggs was charged with four counts of hiding a corpse in Dunn County three days later. On Sept. 17, he turned himself in to authorities in Arizona, where he is awaiting extradition back to Minnesota. If convicted, Suggs could face up to 160 years in prison.

County Attorney John Choi said in a statement Tuesday that his heart goes out to the families and friends of the victims, and he applauded the work of St. Paul police.

My greatest appreciation for the diligent work on this case by the Saint Paul Police Department and other law enforcement agencies who worked tirelessly to find the truth, Choi said.

Nitosha Flug-Presleys father, Damone Presley, told WCCO Tuesday that hes so grateful for the charges against Suggs.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - President Joe Biden recently announced his plan to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by requiring a vaccine mandate for certain employers. And if workers don't comply, they could face serious consequences.

We spoke with an employment law attorney and author, Karen Michael, who said there are several workers across the nation requesting exemptions for both medical and religious reasons. On the business side of things, she argues that if the company has been able to keep transmission inside the workplace at a minimum, then it should be up to the employer to decide what's best suited for them. "There seems to be this notion that there's a one size fits all that every employer must require a vaccine mandate in order to continue functioning. I disagree with that," explained Michael. "I think every employer needs to look at its own organization and decide what do we need right here and why? Why are we requiring this vaccine mandate?"

The requirement receiving the most backlash is employers with 100 or more workers must have all employees fully vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis. If a worker has an approved exemption, due to either medical or religious reasons, then it's up to the employer to put other safety procedures in place. Michael said if employees still don't follow the rules, the employer can legally terminate them. "Many employees wrongly think they're going to go out and get unemployment after that and that's not the case. If you violate a workplace rule, you're probably not going to be entitled to unemployment after that," she explained. "So, employees really need to consider why they're unable or unwilling to comply with the workplace rule and frankly, do what they can to make sure that they're in compliance and they're also helping to mitigate the spread of this delta variant."

OSHA has not yet announced a timeline for when President Biden's vaccine rules will be published.
EAGLE GROVE, Iowa  Crews responded to a fire at an Eagle Grove business Wednesday morning.

The Eagle Grove Fire Department says it was called to LeWright Meats & Deli in the 100 block of North Iowa Avenue around 9:23 am. Firefighters were on the scene for four hours getting the blaze extinguished.

No one was injured but officials say extensive damage was done to the building and its contents.

The Eagle Grove Fire Department says the fire appears to have started in the area of the stores smoker.

The Goldfield Fire Department assisted with this incident.
AUSTIN, Minn.  The Hormel Foods plant in Austin has donated $10,000 to Hot Meals on Wheels.

As a food company, fighting hunger is near and dear to the hearts of our entire team, says plant manager Kari Pollak. Our inspired and dedicated team members make it possible for us to help those in need. We are proud to join Hot Meals on Wheels in fighting hunger in our community.

Hot Meals on Wheels has received a donation from the Hormel Foods plant in Austin every year since 2012.

As a leading corporate citizen, Hormel Foods remains committed to fighting hunger around the world and in the communities where our team members work and live, says Wendy Watkins, vice president of corporate communications at Hormel Foods. By working with organizations at a local level, our locations have found great success in helping meet the needs of their community.

Hormel Foods says it donated $350,000 to 40 local hunger-relief organizations in 2020.
ELDORA, Iowa  A central Iowa man has been charged with murder for the 2021 death of his six-month-old son.

Nicholas Edward Cox, 22 of Waukee, was arrested Tuesday for first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death. Hes been booked into the Hardin County Jail on $1 million bond.

Iowa Falls police and emergency services say they got a 911 call on March 2, 2021, asking for help at an apartment in the 500 block of Washington Avenue where Cox was then living with his infant son and his sons mother. Officers say they arrived to find an unresponsive six-month-old boy. The baby was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The State Office of the Iowa Medical Examiner says an autopsy of the baby determined his death was a homicide due to asphyxiation and blunt force trauma to the neck and spinal column.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation assisted with this case.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Through funding from the Southeastern Regional Sustainability and Development Partnerships, county government and other organizations completed the Olmsted County 2021 Food Security Assessment.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased food insecurity in Olmsted County, which was previously at a historic low in the county and nationwide pre-pandemic. In 2019, 7% of Olmsted County residents were food insecure. That number jumped to 9% in 2020. The numbers are even higher for children.

The assessment looked at a variety of factors to assess hunger in the county and possible solutions. Food insecurity in the county is tied to economic segregation, historic redlining, race, and lack of transportation.

From the assessment, partners involved in the project learned that food insecurity is a public health issue that requires holistic solutions. It's not as simple as adding a new grocery store.

"People really want a hand-up, not a hand-out when they come to a food program. They want to be made to feel normal," says Jennifer Belisle from Channel One Regional Food Bank.

The assessment found strategies similar communities are using, such as establishing a food security coalition, creating a full-time county food systems coordinator position, and having more frequent and direct bus routes to food pantries and grocery stores.
OSAGE, Iowa  A man is accused of stealing from the same Osage laundromat three times in the same day.

Dale William McFarland, 46 of Osage, has been arrested on three counts of third-degree burglary. Authorities say he entered the Wash Tub Laundromat at 3:50 am, 5:28 am, and 6:43 am on September 6, opened up at least 18 washing machines, and stole several hundred dollars in quarters.

Court documents state McFarland is recorded on the laundromats security video, wearing similar clothing during each burglary.
MASON CITY, Iowa - Beginning next Monday, Mason City students may need to bring a face mask to school, as part of a new indoor mask mandate that was unanimously approved by board members at Monday night's meeting.

The mandate, which takes effect September 27, will be done on a per building basis, and would go into effect if the daily sick rate among students and faculty reaches 7% or above, and would be dropped if the rate dips below 5%.

The issue has had mixed opinions. Before the decision was made, the district gathered over 120 pages comments from residents both for and against such a mandate. During Monday's meeting, there was a group of protestors in attendance, hoping that the board would vote 'No.'

Connie Dianda believes masks do more harm than good, and feels it should be best left to parents to decide on what's best for their children.

"If you want to really feel like you have protection, you need to have an N95 mask. What school is going to provide an N95 mask for all those children, and how many children, especially elementary children, are going to keep that mask on?

"If they're going to go by percentages, they ought to identify what are the Covid illnesses and go by those percentages only."

JoAnn Hardy, who has grandchildren in school, supports masking, saying they make sense.

"I think it would be simpler to mask all the time, but that would make some people really angry. Hopefully, people will cooperate with this and see if we can keep our kids healthy. It's worth a try, that's for sure."

"I would've been happier with lower percentages, but I think we should give this a shot."

The decision to issue a mask mandate followed a federal judge overruling Governor Kim Reynolds' statewide ban on school districts implementing their own mask mandates. In addition to Mason City, the Ames, Davenport and Johnston districts have also reinstated their own respective mandates.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - As coronavirus cases grow across the Med City's public schools, RPS is sharing vaccination rates for students and staff.

According to data obtained by the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection, 58% of eligible RPS students have received one vaccine dose, with 53% having received two doses.

While the information is anonymized, RPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel says the district school or program with the lowest student vaccination rate has 39% of learners immunized. The highest student vaccination rate among RPS schools and programs is 75%.

As far as RPS staff, 90% have received one vaccine dose, and 88% have received both. The lowest staff vaccination rate among district schools, programs, and departments sits between 70% and 75%. The highest comes in at 95%.

Though the data is preliminary, Dr. Pekel says it will play an important role in shaping the ever-evolving coronavirus response at RPS.

"The reason that we felt this data was so important is that making decisions based upon, not the perceived or assumed vaccine status of our students and our staff, but the actual or as close to actual data as we can get is really critical in having a smart strategy going forward," the interim superintendent said.

Dr. Pekel also believes the information could be key in weighing emerging issues on the minds of community members.

"Vaccination requirements have come up. Before we might require people to do something like that, which obviously would come before the board, we want to know what our actual rates are."

The district's vaccination rates are higher than Olmsted County's overall vaccination rates, which top most communities in the country, Dr. Pekel points out. RPS says a detailed breakdown of the data will be released Thursday.
OSAGE, Iowa  A suspended sentence is handed out over an attempted stabbing in Mitchell County.

Rodney Clyde Devore, 55 of Osage, pleaded guilty to assault while displaying a dangerous weapon for an incident on July 17. Authorities say he tried to stab someone with a pocket knife after giving them a ride home from a bar.

Court documents state Devores girlfriend grabbed his arm to prevent the stabbing.

Devore has been given a two-year suspended sentenced.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Two Rivers Habitat for Humanity is looking for more land to build homes on.

If you or someone you know has residential land they no longer need in the Rochester and Olmsted County area, the organization would like to talk with you.

Two Rivers Habitat for Humanity builds affordable homes for families and securing land is the first step in that process. Contact Kevin Worden at 507-361-4011 or kworden@tworivershabitat.org if you're interested.
MASON CITY, Iowa  An Austin woman is sentenced for changing bar codes at the Mason City Walmart.

Tonya Jean Turvey, 40, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree theft. She was arrested for going into the Walmart and changing bar codes to reduce the price of items. Authorities say it happened on at least three occasions and Turvey fled every time when confronted by store employees.

Shes been given 20 days in jail and ordered to pay a $430 fine and $568.76 in restitution.
COLUMBIA  Presiding Judge Brouck Jacobs will hear motions for the first hearing in the state's lawsuit against Columbia Public Schools' mask mandate Tuesday morning.

According to online records, the first hearing will begin at 9 a.m.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed the lawsuit on Aug. 24. The lawsuit name CPS, its Board of Education and its board members and Superintendent Brian Yearwood as its sole defendants.

The lawsuit incorporates three counts, including that "mandates are unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious and that the mask mandate is unlawful as to school children." It also says the mandate was not approved by the Missouri Board of Education.

We filed this suit today because we fundamentally dont believe in forced masking, rather that parents and families should have the power to make decisions on masks, based on science and facts, Schmitt said in a news release.

Forcing children to wear masks in school all day long flies in the face of science and could hinder crucial development by eliminating facial cues and expressions, Schmitt continued.

On Sept. 17, Schmitt filed for class certification and a preliminary injunction in the lawsuits against CPS.

If the class certification is granted, it would apply to all public school districts in the state that have a mask policy. According to Schmitt's office, it would cover at least 50 school districts and "hundreds of school officials" across the state.

If the injunction is granted, mask mandates would be halted at all public schools that require them.

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CPS extended its COVID-19 plan on Sept. 12. The district has said it intends to "aggressively defend its decision to keep its community and its scholars safe."

Parents from other school districts also asked to join the defense of CPS's mask mandate last Wednesday. Parents from Blue Springs district, Park Hill district and St. Louis district who have immunocompromised children expressed concerns about banning mask mandates.

CPS also has three Columbia families who joined the defense.

The motion, which was filed with the help of the ACLU of Missouri Foundation, says the removal of a mask mandate would exclude their children from public education because of the increased risk to their health.

"At a minimum, they and their parents will have to choose between risking their physical health and their lives by attending in-person school, or their education, mental health, and development by finding a remote learning option," the motion states.

The CPS statement also said the district is "extremely disappointed to learn Schmitt has chosen to pursue litigation."

"Numerous school districts across Missouri and across our country made the same safety decision based on what is needed in their communities during this period of time. The decisions made are based on guidance and recommendations from local, state and national experts, including the CDC," the statement said.

It also said the lawsuit will "waste taxpayer dollars and resources which are better spent investing in our students."
A drive-by shooting at a bus stop in Louisville, Kentucky, left one teen dead and two other children injured, police said in a series of tweets on Sept. 22.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sept. 21 said he was "horrified" by images that appear to show US Border Patrol agents on horseback confronting Haitian refugees at the US border.




Hanjin KAL Chairman Cho Won-tae / Courtesy of Korean Air





By Kim Hyun-bin







Flag carrier Korean Air's plan to absorb rival Asiana Airlines could be delayed as key approvals are taking longer than expected.







Korean Air initially planned to complete the merger by next year after injecting 1.5 trillion won into Asiana Airlines in late June to acquire a 63.7 percent stake.







"The KFTC's review of the Korean Air-Asiana Airlines merger is being delayed. It is unfortunate," KDB Chairman Lee Dong-gull said at a press conference last week. "Competing countries are waiting for the KFTC's response on the issue to make their decisions."







Both Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have been hit hard by a decline in passenger traffic due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and are managing to stay afloat by handling more cargo transport volume.







Unionized workers at Asiana are calling for a thorough review of the merger procedures to ensure that they keep their jobs. The merger would make Korean Air rank among the world's top 10 airlines.







"Eighty-five percent of the routes operated by Korean Air and Asiana Airlines overlap, so we cannot have full confidence in their promise," the labor union at Asiana said. "The company (Korean Air) needs to negotiate with the union to establish employment guarantee measures."







State-run Korea Development Bank says the jobs of Asiana workers will be guaranteed under the investment agreement and a violation will force Korean Air to cough up 500 billion won for breach of contract.







Korean Air needs to have its Asiana acquisition plan approved by nine different aviation authorities. In January, Korean Air submitted requests for the approval and so far received the green light from Turkey, Thailand and Taiwan, but awaits approval from the United States, EU, China, Japan, Vietnam and the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC).







In June, KDB approved the Post Merger Integration (PMI) plan submitted by Korean Air. The PMI said Korean Air's absorption of Asiana along with the mergers of three low-cost carriers  Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul. Korean Air also vowed not to lay off workers at Asiana Airlines and its affiliated carriers.







However, the KFTC extended the review and analysis of the merger from June to late October. Industry watchers expect the decision to be announced by the end of the year. But the process could be delayed if the airline fails to receive approval from the KFTC and the remaining six countries. As a result, the launch of the merged carrier, which has been scheduled for late 2023, could also face delays.







In past cases involving airline mergers, most countries often waited for the host government to decide on deal and made decisions in line with other competing countries. As a result, it is imperative for the KFTC to arrive at a speedy decision.







The KFTC has been conducting its review focusing on a fair market competition assessment, including the possibility of saving Asiana and anti-trust issues surrounding the merger before making its final decision.






In this Sept. 14 file photo, Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi gestures as he speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan in Kabul. AFP-Yonhap



The Taliban's new foreign minister has asked to address world leaders at this week's United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, a U.N. spokesman said Tuesday.



The ambassador of the Afghan government ousted by the Taliban last month has also requested to speak, with the U.N. yet to decide who will represent the country at the world body.



A nine-member credentials committee will now rule on the dueling requests, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told AFP, but it is unclear whether the committee will meet before the end of the convocation on Monday.



U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a letter from Taliban-appointed Amir Khan Muttaqi "requesting to participate" in the high-level debate, Dujarric said.



It was dated Monday September 20  the day before the session got underway  and listed Muttaqi as "Minister of Foreign Affairs," he added.



The letter did not specify whether Muttaqi wanted to travel to New York to speak or whether the Taliban would submit a recorded video message, as many leaders are doing this year due to COVID-19.



The letter also indicated that Ghulam Isaczai "no longer represents" Afghanistan at the United Nations.



He was the ambassador to the UN of the Afghan government ousted from power in August as US military troops exited the country, ending their 20-year war.



The letter said that the Taliban had nominated their Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's permanent representative to the U.N.



The note, which had the letterhead "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said that former president Ashraf Ghani was "ousted" on August 15, the day he fled the country.



"Countries across the world no longer recognize him as president," the letter said, according to the UN.



The UN spokesman also said that Secretary-General Guterres had received a separate letter from Isaczai, dated September 15, containing the list of Afghanistan's delegation for the session.



That letter listed Isaczai as Afghanistan's permanent representative, Dujarric said.



"These two communications have been sent by the secretariat, after consultation with the office of the president of the General Assembly, to the members of the credentials committee of the 76th session of the General Assembly," he said.



The committee is made up of Russia, China, the United States, Sweden, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Chile, Bhutan and the Bahamas.



The committee has in the past refrained from making a decision and instead referred it to the General Assembly for a vote, a diplomatic source told AFP.



No government has yet recognized the Taliban government, first demanding that it meet commitments on human rights, but some have made positive noises.



"The pragmatic, political view is that there is a new reality. And if you want to ignore that, that's your choice," Shah Mahmood Qureshi, foreign minister of the Taliban's historic backer Pakistan told reporters Monday, stopping short of calling for legal recognition. (AFP)


French minister for European affairs, Clement Beaune, speaks after arriving for a General Affairs ministers council (GAC) at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Sept. 21. AFP-Yonhap



France on Tuesday urged its European Union partners to consider whether to delay negotiations on the bloc's future trade agreement with Australia over what Paris says is a lack of trust sparked by a major defense deal between the U.S., Australia and Britain.



French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said he would raise the trade pact and the security implications of the deal, known as AUKUS, at a meeting with his counterparts in Brussels, and that France would ensure that it is discussed at EU summits and ministerial meetings next month.



The Indo-Pacific security pact will see Australia cancel a multi-billion-dollar contract to buy diesel-electric French submarines and acquire U.S. nuclear-powered vessels instead. The French government is suggesting it was betrayed by the deal, which comes in the run-up to elections in France in April.



''It's a matter of trust,'' Beaune told reporters. ''When you have your word, it has some value between allies, between democracies, between partners and in this case this word was not respected... so of course it creates a breach of trust.''



''We have to be firm, not as French but as Europeans, because it's a matter of the way we work together as allies,'' he said.



Asked whether France would call a halt to the trade talks with Australia, which have been underway since 2018, Beaune said ''that is among the points that we must discuss together.''



The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, conducts trade talks based on a mandate it receives from the 27 member countries. The commission routinely informs the countries about progress, but they are not directly involved even though they can delay progress.



However, any trade pact must be endorsed unanimously, so individual countries have a veto.



The Europeans see the previously unannounced security deal as the second time in weeks that President Joe Biden has focused on an ''America First'' policy, similar in substance if not in tone to his predecessor Donald Trump, following the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan late last month.



It's raised questions about Europe's ability to provide for its own security outside of the U.S.-led NATO and resulted in appeals for the EU to develop a ''strategic autonomy'' from the military alliance that breaks with the dependence on American military and logistical muscle.





Germany's European Affairs Minister Michael Roth, right, speaks with his French counterpart Clement Beaune during a meeting of EU General Affairs ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Sept. 21. AP-Yonhap
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ROME, SEP 22 - Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said Wednesday that he was not aware of hostility towards Pope Francis among senior members of the Catholic Church after the Argentine pontiff reportedly joked that some clergymen would like to see him dead. Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolica on Tuesday quoted the pope as telling a group of religious during his recent visit to Slovakia that he was "still alive, even though some people wanted me dead" when asked about his health following colon surgery in July. "There were even meetings between prelates who thought the pope's condition was more serious than was being said," the pope added, according to the magazine. "They were preparing for the conclave". When asked about the comments, Parolin said that "the pope probably has information that I don't have. "I honestly had not sensed this climate. "Not having evidence to hand, I think perhaps it was a thing that concerned few people, that a few people had got this thing in their heads. "The pope probably made these statements because he has knowledge that I have not received". (ANSA).
ROME, SEP 22 - Italy on Wednesday stepped up its fight to stop the European Union recognising Croatian Prosek wine after the application for the alleged inferior clone to Italy's famed prosecco was published in the EU's Official Gazette. Farm Minister Stefano Patuanelli told the Senate that a task force had already been set up to combat the registration of Prosek was a recognised denomination. "It seems indubitable to me that the term Prosek would evoke in the average European consumer Italian Prosecco due to its phonetic resemblance," he said. Patunaelli said he did not think "the conditions exist" for the EU to put Prosek on a par with prosecco. Italy has two months from Wednesday's publication of the application to file its objections to the Croatian wine becoming one of the EU's protected products. Patuanelli stressed that "no definitive decision has yet been taken on the registration". But farm group Coldiretti said that "the EU's green light to the publication of the application for Croatian Prosek ruins the historic record for world prosecco exports, which rose 35% in the first six months of 2021." The group said the publication also "blatantly contradicts the recent sentence of the European Court of Justice that declared illegitimate all the fraudulent Italian sounding names which deceptively evoke products recognised and protected by the European Union like the star of Italian bubbly which this year should reach a record of 700 million bottles produced, the biggest wine brand in the world". (ANSA).
TURIN, SEP 22 - A Turin appeals court on Wednesday acquitted a 50-something Italian woman of murdering her 50-something abusive partner saying she had acted in self defence. The court rejected a petition by prosecutors against the first-instance acquittal who argued she was guilty of culpable excessive use of force. The appeals court thus upheld the lower court's verdict. Silvia Rossetto killed Giuseppe Marcon on September 2, 2018 during the umpteenth episode of domestic violence against her. During the row Marcon held a knife to her throat and she took another one out of the kitchen cupboard and stabbed him to death. The incident happened at Nichelino near Turin. Domestic violence rose in Italy during the COVID emergency and its attendant lockdowns, according to the latest figures. Italy recently passed measures to combat femicide and protect women from homicidal partners and exes. (ANSA).
VATICAN CITY, SEP 22 - Pope Francis on Wednesday decried what he called a 'plague' of violence against women in today's global society. "Violence against women is an open sore, everywhere," the pontiff said at his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square. Francis recalled his recent trip to Hungary and Slovakia, highlighting "the testimony of Blessed Anna Kolesarova, a Slovakian girl who defended her dignity against violence at the cost of her life". He said the 16-year-old, whose life was cut short in 1944 when a Soviet soldier killed her after she resisted his rape attempt, was an "ever more relevant witness, unfortunately". (ANSA).
ROME, SEP 22 - Italian police on Wednesday arrested 13 men across Italy in a child porn probe, judicial sources said. The massive police operation, using undercover agents, also resulted in the citation of another 21 men. Those implicated have been charged with the possession, dissemination and sale of child pornographic material. Police said they had seized over 250,000 computer files. The persons allegedly involved are of varying age and social extraction, police said, and include young men, older ones, self-employed workers and graduates. The probe, which took a year and a half to complete, was led by Palermo police. In October 2019 Palermo prosecutors authorised the use of undercover officers in the case. One of those arrested is a 29-year-old Sardinian man who was allegedly caught red-handed downloading child pornography from the Web on September 9. He was found with some 20,000 videos featuring children under the age of 10, police said. He is being held in Bancali Prison, at Sassari. (ANSA).
ROME, SEP 22 - Climate science, sustainable development and ocean exploration are set to animate the Italy Pavilion at EXPO 2020 Dubai thanks to the contribution of the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC). The CMCC will show oceanographic modelling, marine applications and real-time weather-marine data at the Universal Exposition, which kicks off on October 1. It will also take its experts to the World Fair in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and hold talks on key issues. "Today more than ever it is essential to focus on observation and prevention of climate change and environmental shocks, which are among the most damaging factors to the global economy, ecology, and health, not least of which in the region that will host Expo Dubai", said Paolo Glisenti, the Commissioner for the Italian participation at Expo 2020 Dubai. "In the Italy Pavilion we will offer a point of observation, constantly updated by the CMCC's data, that will give the visitor a real time and overall vision of climate change that is occurring on a global scale, starting from the Mediterranean whose fragile and unique ecosystem is particularly vulnerable to these themes." The Italian-based CMCC institute is dedicated to international research on climate change. "The CMCC's contribution will offer visitors an immersive experience obtained through the applications that we produce with our scientific research and our Supercomputing Centre, which is one the most advanced in the world among those dedicated to climate change", explained CMCC president Antonio Navarra. "The ocean will be the main character in the CMCC's contribution to the Italy Pavilion, where visitors will be able to see ocean forecasting in real time, updated daily and obtained through a unique system of simulations and numerical models that allow for the representation of sea conditions on different scales - from global oceans to coastal areas, with extremely high-resolution data. "The advanced research and technology that form the backbone of these predictions carry a strong message that connects visitors from the local - through the forecasts of the port of Dubai - to the global dimension of the Ocean". (ANSA).
ROME, SEP 22 - The uncle of Saman Abbas, an 18-year-old Italian-Pakistani woman who went missing after refusing an arranged marriage and is suspected to have been murdered, was arrested in Paris on Wednesday on homicide charges. The uncle, Danish Hasnain, is one five members of the woman's family who are under investigation over the alleged honour killing. The Pakistani man was detained on the outskirts of Paris under a European arrest warrant. He was tracked down with the help of Carabinieri police investigators based in Reggio Emilia. Saman Abbas disappeared at the end of April from Novellara, near Reggio Emilia, after rebelling against her family's demand she have an arranged marriage in Pakistan. The woman's parents and one of her cousins fled from Italy after she went missing. Another cousin has been arrested in relation to the case and is in jail in Italy. The Italian Union of Islamic Communities (UCOII) has expressed horror at the case and banned Muslims in Italy from forcing their children into having arranged marriages. (ANSA).
ROME, SEP 22 - A family of 12 wild boar strolled through Rome traffic on Tuesday spurring a video that went viral on the Web. Rangers said the animals were completely urbanised and were in no way afraid of pedestrians or the heavy traffic in the Italian capital. Such sightings have become quite common in the northern part of Rome. The boar were found roaming on the Via Trionfale, one of Rome's biggest streets. On September 1 Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi filed a criminal suit against the Lazio regional government over "the massive and uncontrolled" presence of wild boar in the Italian capital's urban areas. The boar invasion, said the 5-Star Movement (M5S) politician, was due to a failure by the regional government, which is led by Democratic Party (PD) former leader Nicola Zingaretti, to implement effective management plans for the animals. Raggi cited a 1992 law which says regions must "provide for the control of species of wild fauna even in areas where hunting is forbidden". It was up to the regional government to capture the boar and let them back into the wild, she said. Another family of wild boar were caught on CCTV cameras roaming a central Rome street in search of food recently. The animals, which appeared to be unfazed by passing cars and wary pedestrians, were filmed in the central Via Fani, site of late Christian Democrat statesman Aldo Moro's kidnapping in 1978. The mother and her piglets appeared to be very hungry as they rummaged through refuse, passersby said. Italian farmers took to the street in front of parliament and across the country in early July to protest what they say is an "invasion" by wild boars into farmland and cities all over Italy. Farm group Coldiretti said that during the COVID year the number of wild boar straying onto farms and roving the outskirts of Italian cities had risen by 15% to a record total of 2.3 million animals. Coldiretti published what it called a "tragic" toll of one incident caused by the boar every 48 hours in a year of COVID. There have been 16 victims of wild boar incidents in the past year, and 215 people injured, Coldiretti said. The number of car crashes cause by animals on Italian provincial roads has risen by 81% over the past 10 years, the farmers association said. Farmers, animal breeders and shepherds from all over Italy gathered in all of Italy's 20 regional capitals starting in Rome where they rallied outside the parliament building, Montecitorio. They said they want to "stop a calamity that destroys crops, attacks animals, besieges stables and causes road accidents, with concrete dangers for farmers and citizens". A group of young farmers dressed up in boar costumes stopped MPs and explained to them the "emergency situation" they have to face each day. Other farmers brought fruit, salad ingredients and cereal crops that had been completely destroyed by boar. The protesters also held up life-size cut-outs of boar to show politicians how scary an encounter with the animals can be. They also waved banners reading "After COVID, the plague of boar", "We sow, the boar reap", "Let's defend our land" and "Town and country united against wild boar". Many city mayors came to Montecitorio, as well as ordinary citizens worried about what they called "a full-blown emergency". (ANSA).
CHIETI, SEP 22 - An Italian head teacher on Wednesday got three and a half years in jail for sexually abusing an underage boy at the school and his home at Lanciano near Chieti between September 2017 and April 2018, judicial sources said. Separately a 60-year-old man from Oristano in Sardinia was arrested for allegedly raping a girl from the age of 12 to 16. And a man was arrested in Padua for abusing his daughter and a friend of hers since the age of 10. (ANSA).
ROME, SEP 22 - The Senate on Wednesday passed a confidence vote on the first article of the government's reform of the criminal justice system by 208 votes to 28. The reform was approved by the Lower House last month and moved to the Senate after parliament's summer recess. The package, aimed at speeding up the system, caused considerable tension within Premier Mario Draghi's coalition before a compromise was reached at the end of July. The reform, drafted by Justice Minister Marta Cartabia, sets limits on the time it can take to rule on first appeals and on cases at the supreme court. It effectively waters down a reform passed by Alfonso Bonafede, a 5-Star Movement (M5S) lawmaker who was the justice minister in ex-premier Giuseppe Conte's two coalition governments from June 2018 until the start of this year. Bonafede's reform puts the statue of limitations on hold after the first-instance ruling in order to stop criminals getting off because their cases get timed out due to the slowness of the legal system. The judiciary's self-governing body, the CSM, said a huge number of cases would end up being shelved if the Cartabia reform had been approved in its original form. The M5S demanded changes to the reform to stop this happening, which led to a compromise in which crimes regarding the mafia, terrorism, sexual violence and criminal association are handled under a different regime. Speeding up Italy's notoriously slow judicial system is necessary, among other things, because the granting of EU COVID Recovery Plan funds is conditional upon it. (ANSA).
World Rhino Day 2021 is being celebrated to raise awareness about rhinoceros and how one can contribute to the conservation of what is left of these remarkable creatures. The day is observed on September 22 every year to honour the five species of rhinos present around the world. As the year marks the 10th anniversary of World Rhino Day, people celebrate by spreading awareness about the five species of rhinos that are - Black, White, the Greater One-horned, Sumatra and Javan. Check out how netizens took to the micro-blogging site to recognise the existence of rhinos and their means of survival.

It's World Rhino Day!

See What the Ex-CM of Assam Has To Say About World Rhino Day:

September 22 is #WorldRhinoDay . These gentle giants are India's treasure and a species that must be protected and celebrated. The success story of Assam in conservation of the Greater One-Horned Rhino is a global example and a matter of great pride for all of us. pic.twitter.com/3xJevFauT5  Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) September 22, 2021

Save the Species!

#WorldRhinoDay reliving memories with this curious , intelligent animal. Rhino horns are now being proactively culled to ensure their safety! May their numbers increase pic.twitter.com/5jVjo4qu8Q  Deepa (@dcitis) September 22, 2021

Join to Celebrate World Rhino Day

RT @Tourism_gov_za: #WorldRhinoDay Today is World Rhino Day! The populations of these majestic creatures are under severe threat of poaching and illegal trade. Join us as we celebrate all five species on World Rhino Day and raise awareness to save and p pic.twitter.com/j3eISyZjkW  IG: The Jax Blog (@thejaxblog) September 22, 2021

Fact.

Greetings to all on World Rhino day. India is proud to have the largest population of Greater One Horned Rhino in the world!#WorldRhinoDay2021 #WorldRhinoDay pic.twitter.com/nFCVG40lZG  Central Zoo Authority (@CZA_Delhi) September 22, 2021

Keep The Five Alive!

10th World Rhino Day

#WorldRhinoDay - 22nd day of September celebrates all 5 rhinos: Black, White, Greater One-horned, Sumatran and the Javan rhinos. This day was first announced by WWF-South Africa in 2010. It brings together NGOs, zoos, rhino sanctuaries, and concerned citizens to raise awareness. pic.twitter.com/yhPmJXi7G6  Wild Nirmalya (@wildnirmalya) September 22, 2021

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
San Francisco, September 21: Tech billionaire Elon Musk took to Twitter to mock US President Joe Biden for failing to congratulate his company SpaceX's historic space flight.

One of Musk's followers on Twitter asked him, "The President of the United States has refused to even acknowledge the 4 newest American astronauts who helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for St. Jude. What's your theory on why that is?"

Musk replied, "He's still sleeping." The tweet drew sharp reactions from social media users. "Dude is busy running a nation during a pandemic. Post-war intelligence briefings. Cybersecurity threats. SCOTUS shenanigans and human rights. Budget and tax legislation," wrote one user. SpaceX Launches Spaceship with First-ever Fully Civilian Crew on Board.

"You're awake, you may be better than the sleeper. Why don't you nominate yourself to be the next president of America instead of the sleeper" wrote another user. After spending three days on-orbit, the world's first civilian mission of SpaceX's Inspiration4 returned to Earth on Sunday.

The crew, onboard the Dragon spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere for a soft water landing off the coast of Florida at 7.06 p.m. EDT (4.36 a.m. Sunday India time). The mission lifted off to orbit aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on last Wednesday (India time Thursday).

It was commanded by tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and joined by Medical Officer Haley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St Jude Children's Research Hospital and pediatric cancer survivor; Mission Specialist Chris Sembroski, an Air Force veteran and aerospace data engineer; and Mission Pilot Dr Sian Proctor, a geoscientist, entrepreneur, and trained pilot.

The fully automated Dragon capsule reached an unusually high altitude of 585 kilometres, surpassing the International Space Station by 160 kilometres. The Dragon's dome window, inspired by the Cupola on the ISSl provided the crew with incredible views of Earth.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 21, 2021 05:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
On Feb. 22, 1999, 4-year-old Luke Burgie hopped up from the couch and announced: My tummy doesnt hurt anymore, Mommy.

The terrible sickness that had ravaged his body for six months had vanished. His doctors were as baffled by the sudden and complete recovery as they had been about what had caused his illness in the first place.

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His mother, Jan Burgie, called it a miracle.

Sister Margaret Mary Preister, one of two nuns at a local convent who had been praying for Lukes recovery, was less sure.

Even though people like to toss the word around, she knew her church finds true miracles extraordinarily rare. At age 70, she had never seen one  never even been close. Still, she mentioned what happened to her convents provisional president in Colorado, who told the leadership of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Germany, who in turn told Rome.

Fourteen years later, Pope Francis sided with Lukes mom.

Just before Easter this year  after more than a decade of investigation by the Catholic Church  the Vatican proclaimed that the cure of Luke Burgie was indeed a miracle.

We were just stunned. Were not some ultra-holy zealots, said Jan Burgie, a mom of three and yoga instructor. Were just average folk. You could run into me at the checkout at Wal-Mart.

But there is more to this tale than just a little boy who suddenly got well. There could be a potential sainthood at stake.

In fall 1998, Luke fell mysteriously ill. He would suffer as many as 10 bouts of diarrhea a day and scream in pain after eating. His pediatrician and specialists at Childrens Hospital Colorado in Denver were stumped. And worried.

By January 1999, Luke was wasting away. Burgie and her husband, Mike, both lifelong Catholics, were frantic. They turned to nuns they had previously met for help. I was at the end of my rope, she said.

For nine days, Sister Margaret Mary and Sister Evangeline Spenner prayed for Luke.

I believed it would help, said Sister Margaret Mary. I didnt know how that help would come.

The nuns asked for Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel  who has been dead for more than century  to intercede. Bonzel founded the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Olpe, Germany, in 1863 and devoted her life to educating and giving healthcare to needy children.

The doctors had scheduled a colonoscopy for Luke in February, suspecting a tumor. But by the time the appointment arrived, Luke showed no traces of ever having been sick. To this day, Burgie said, doctors cannot explain it.

Thats when, 5,000 miles away in Rome, the wheels of miracle investigation began to slowly turn.

We certainly knew it was a miracle, but proving it was a whole different story, said Mike Burgie. There was skepticism from the church at first because Luke never had a clear diagnosis. Sometimes parents will make their children sick for the attention, the Burgies were told.

Over the next two years, church investigators were dispatched to their suburban neighborhood. Lukes parents were grilled separately. Medical records were pored over both by church officials and independent medical experts. The nuns were questioned. Even neighbors were interviewed to make sure the Burgies werent crazy.

Then came silence. Occasionally there would be an email or phone call asking a follow-up question, but the process mostly receded into secrecy.

Years passed and the family went on with their lives. Luke grew into a healthy, 6-foot teenager with a passion for BMX racing. He has no memory of being sick and no toleration for the attention his cure brought. He refuses to talk about it.

Then this year, right before Easter, Jan Burgie got an email from the nuns: Francis had proclaimed the miracle, crediting Lukes mysterious recovery to Bonzel.

It gave me shivers, Burgie said.

It is not known how often miracles are declared each year or even each decade, said Jeannine Marino, associate director of evangelization and catechesis for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington. She said typically more miracles are denied than granted.

The investigation can be grueling. Fourteen years is pretty typical, she said.

With the declaration that Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel had interceded in Lukes cure, she crossed another hurdle toward sainthood. She will be beatified in November. But before she can be named a saint she will need two proven miracles attributed to her, said Marino.

These days the Burgies try to keep a low profile. Not everyone was overjoyed with their news, and they were the target of anti-Catholic remarks on the Internet as word spread.

Burgie said the experience, while at times trying, had not really changed them. Were still the same normal, everyday people. I had strong faith before, and I have strong faith now. She said she remained in awe of the power of prayer.

I always thought it was a miracle. It didnt really matter to me what the Vatican said, she said.

nation@latimes.com
The Taliban has requested their own representative at this week's United Nations General Assembly, with Afghanistan currently being represented at the UN by Ghulam Isaczai.

UN's credentials committee is currently reviewing the rival requests of the Taliban and Isaczai, according to an ABC 17 News report. The Taliban had directed the UN on Monday to replace Isaczai with their own representative.

UN Secretary General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the Secretary-General had received a letter with a letterhead "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

The letter was dated Sept. 20, 2021, and was signed by Ameer Khan Muttaqi as "Minister of Foreign Affairs." Muttaqi was requesting to participate in the UN General Assembly's 76th session on Sept. 21-27,2021.

The UN Secretary General's spokesman noted that Muttaqi cited in the letter that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was ousted and that countries across the world do not recognize him as a president.

Mutaqqi was reported to say that therefore Isaczai no longer represents Afghanistan, according to an Associated Press News report.

Dujarric said that the General Assembly's nine-member Credentials Committee would have to make a decision when it comes to disputes over seats at the UN.

READ NEXT: Taliban Replaces Afghanistan's Women's Ministry With Ministry of Virtue and Vice, Bringing Back Religious Police

Taliban Nominating a Representative

The Taliban have asked to address world leaders at the UN session in New York City while also nominating Doha-based spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, as the Afghanistan's representative, according to a BBC News report.

UN rules that Isczai will remain Afghanistan's ambassador to the global organization until the session begins next Monday.

Meanwhile, Qatar had urged world leaders to stay engaged with the Taliban during the UN meeting on Tuesday.

Qatar's leader, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said that snubbing the militant group would only lead to polarization and reactions. He added that dialogue with the Taliban can be fruitful.

The Taliban are still under UN economic sanctions, with many countries saying that any Taliban request to replace Afghanistan's envoy would need to go through careful review.

Volkan Bozkir, a Turkish statesman and the departing president of the General Assembly, said that usually, a country has the right to nominate somebody, according to The New York Times report.

Meanwhile, Qatar has become the main player in Afghanistan after it hosted talks between the Taliban and U.S., which led to the 2020 agreement to withdraw U.S. troops from the country.

It has also helped Afghans and foreign nationals to leave the country since the takeover of Taliban.

Taliban Leadership

The group has vowed to respect women's rights, media freedom, and amnesty for government officials after taking charge of the country's capital, Kabul.

Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that the rights of women will be protected within the framework of Islam, according to an Aljazeera report.

Mujahid also said that the group wished for peaceful relations with other countries and no group will be allowed to use Afghan territory for attacks against any nation.

He said that nobody will be harmed, including the United States. Mujahid added that they do not want any enemies, internal or external.

However, recently, the Taliban had issued a ban on women working. Female teachers and girls were also barred from secondary school education, according to a CBS News report.

The announcement came after the education ministry ordered male teachers and students to be back to secondary school, but did not mention women, educators and young girls.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden's Administration Praises Taliban Days Before 9/11 Anniversary, Says Militant Group Is a "Professional" in Dealings

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Taliban takeover: How do neighboring countries react? - from DW News






Officials on Tuesday confirmed the remains that were found in the Bridger Teton National Forest in Wyoming were of Gabby Petito.

The confirmation of Petito's remains comes days after the body was discovered on Sunday, as authorities combed a remote campsite on the border of the said national forest and Grand Teton National Park.

"Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito [Gabby Petito], date of birth March 19, 1999," said a statement posted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Denver Division.

Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999. Coroner Blues initial determination for the manner of death is homicide. The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results. pic.twitter.com/JoHenMZ9UU  FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 21, 2021

READ NEXT: Missing Gabby Petito's Family Accuses Fiance Brian Laundrie of 'Hiding' After His Parents Say He Vanished From Florida Home

Gabby Petito's Cause of Death Pending Until Autopsy Report Finalized

The FBI also mentioned that the coroner's initial determination of the YouTube star's manner of death was a homicide.

Meanwhile, Petito's cause of death remains pending until the final results of the autopsy come in. The new details on Gabby Petito's case came to light as the influencer's remains were transported to Blue's office for an autopsy, which was performed on Tuesday.

Despite confirming that the remains found in Wyoming belonged to Gabby Petito, Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider on Tuesday assured that their investigators would make sure anyone involved in Petito's death will be held accountable for their actions. The special agent in charge also urged "anyone with information" about Brian Laundrie's role in the incident or of his whereabouts to reach out to their agency.

The confirmation and initial determination of homicide as Petito's manner of death also came after a 911 call revealed and narrated a domestic abuse involving a couple who would later be confirmed as the YouTuber and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. It can be recalled that a man from the recording claimed that Laundrie slapped Petito before the two hopped back in a van and drove off to Main Street to Moonflower. Shortly after the call, the couple was filmed from a police bodycam when Moab Police intercepted them. Before her death, Petito was reported missing by her family on September 11, weeks after she last spoke with her mom in late August.

Manhunt for Gabby Petito's Boyfriend Brian Laundrie Continues

On Tuesday, Laundrie's legal team canceled the press conference that was scheduled to address the sudden disappearance of Gabby Petito's boyfriend, New York Post reported.

The outlet furthered that Laundrie's residence was declared a crime scene, and Brian's parents, Roberta and Chris Laundrie, were seen out of the residence while the officials work to collect evidence that might give clues that would explain the sudden disappearance of the incident's person of interest.

It can be recalled that Laundrie vanished on September 14, as his family claimed that Laundrie hiked in Carlton Reserve and never returned. As of Tuesday evening, North Port Police said that their search from Carlton and nearby lands concluded for the day. The department added that they would return on Wednesday "with a similar operation."

Search of the Carlton & nearby lands concluded for the evening. Nothing of note. The current plan is to return Wednesday with a similar operation. We join the FBI in asking for continued public assistance by sharing any info 1-800-CALL FBI or https://t.co/vlIagGIoHc pic.twitter.com/5DWopahBI8  North Port Police (@NorthPortPolice) September 21, 2021

North Port Police also sought the help of the public and urged them to give them any information concerning Gabby Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie.

READ NEXT: Missing Gabby Petito Likely Dead as FBI Says Human Remains Found in Wyoming Matched With Her Body Description

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Autopsy confirms: Gabby Petito's body found in Wyoming - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay
White House reporters had filed a formal complaint against U.S. President Joe Biden for not answering questions about the issues during his leadership and his meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

CBS News reporter Ed O'Keefe tweeted that Johnson had answered three questions from reporters, while White House aides had rejected attempts to ask questions, according to The Daily Wire report.

O'Keefe went on to say that he asked Biden about the southern border and couldn't understand what the president said.

White House Correspondents' Association President Steven Portnoy released a statement and said that he filed a formal complaint about the incident to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

Portnoy said that the entire editorial pool of the U.S. went immediately into Psaki's office to register a formal complaint that no American reporters were acknowledged for questions.

He added that Biden's answer could not be heard over the shouting.

Biden occasionally takes questions from the press at the end of his speeches or public appearances.

However, he has not held a press conference in several weeks, according to The Hill report.

READ NEXT: U.S. President Joe Biden Supports Afghanistan Investigation Over the Airstrike Error Killing Civilians

White House Press During Biden Administration

Meanwhile, an Australian reporter was reportedly "startled" how aggressively the White House communications team handled the press pool.

An Australian reporter asked Frances24's Washington correspondent Kethevane Gorjestani if the White House team was always so strict about ushering the pool without questions.

Biden and his White House press team have been scrutinized for their approach in questions, according to The National Review report.

The administration has taken the approach recently after the crisis in Afghanistan. Biden's last major public addresses were on August 16, August 18, August 31, and September 9.

Biden has also frequently mentioned his staff's reluctance to see him speak aside from the prepared remarks.

Psaki said that is not something we recommend during a podcast appearance. She added that a lot of times they said "don't take questions."

Biden took questions regarding Afghanistan on August 26, wherein he noted that his staff gave him a list and that the first person he was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell of NBC.

Biden During UN Assembly

The president delivered his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, citing that the global community stands at an "inflection point in history" during the COVID pandemic and climate change, among others.

Biden said that the U.S. intends to work with partners and allies to answer questions regarding the aforementioned concerns, according to a CBS News report.

Biden also highlighted that the United States is ready to reengage in international partnerships, noting the U.S.'s partnership with COVAX through the World Health Organization.

He also highlighted rejoining the Paris climate change and running to retake a seat on the Human Rights Council next year at the UN.

Biden said that the United States is not seeking a new Cold War when UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres prompted a criticism, saying that U.S. is waging a "Cold War" with China.

READ MORE: Sen. Mitch McConnell Says Pres. Joe Biden Won't Be Impeached Over Afghanistan, Says Hold Him Accountable at 'Ballot Box'

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WATCH: Watch: Biden Delivers Full Remarks To U.N General Assembly - from NBC News






At least 33 major U.S. companies have promised to offer Afghan refugees employment in their companies after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Around 60,000 people have arrived in the U.S., with little to no resources after leaving their homeland, prompting several companies to help them find work through partnership with the Tent Coalition for Refugees, according to a Washington Examiner report.

Included in the list of companies offering jobs are Amazon, UPS, Facebook, and Pfizer, among others.

Other companies in the U.S. such as Airbnb and Walmart had earlier lent a hand to Afghanis. Airbnb had said last month that it would provide temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees worldwide.

READ NEXT: Afghan Soldiers Who Received Training From U.S. And British Forces Now Fighting for the Taliban, U.K. Army Sources Say

U.S. Companies Offering Employment

Pfizer said it plans to hire an unspecified number of Afghan refugees, while Amazon said that it would offer jobs in the company's warehouses or transportation hubs in tech and corporate roles.

CEO and founder of Chobani, Hamdi Ulukaya, said that the moment refugee gets a job is a moment they stop being a refugee.

Ulukaya had founded the Tent Coalition for Afghan refugees, according to a Fortune report.

He added that it is the moment they can stand on their own feet, make new friends, and start a new life.

Amazon noted that the company will also pay for training and education programs, according to an Axios report.

Aside from Amazon, technology companies have also vowed to provide job opportunities and training to Afghan refugees, such as Accenture, HP Inc., Jacobs, ServiceNow, and Sitel Group, according to a CRN report.

Beth Galetti, Amazon's senior vice president of people experience and technology, said that hiring immigrants and refugees has always been part of their effort to have a diverse workplace.

Galetti added that they are proud to partner with the coalition to extend their reach.

Assistance to Afghan Refugees

Other companies have earlier provided aid to refugees amid the U.S. withdrawal efforts from the war-torn country, including Verizon, Walmart, and Airbnb.

The company is in direct line with the refugees discussing their needs and length of stay in the temporary housing, according to an Airbnb spokeswoman.

Airbnb has placed 165 refugees through its partners in safe housing upon landing in the U.S., according to an Aljazeera report

Meanwhile, Verizon said that it plans to waive charges for calls from its consumers and business consumers to Afghanistan.

The New Jersey-based company said that it includes calls from landlines.

Around $1 million were allotted to three nonprofits by Walmart to help Afghan refugees in the U.S.

Commercial airlines have also been tapped by the federal government to help transport people after their evacuation from Afghanistan.

Eighteen civilian aircraft from United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Airlines, among others, were asked to carry people from temporary locations, according to the Pentagon.

More than 123,000 civilians were evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 14.

However, it has not been accounted how many of those were Afghan nationals.

READ MORE: Taliban Got Hold of a U.S.-Made Super-Surveillance System

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: US still has mission to process refugees after withdrawal from Afghanistan - from South China Morning Post






A group of Haitian migrants on their way to be deported back to their county on Monday revolted as they seize control of the bus, and briefly escaped the route to San Antonio where they will board deportation flights.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that the incident happened on Monday afternoon during a two-and-a-half-hour trip from the makeshift migrant encampment under the international bridge in Del Rio, Texas, The Washington Examiner reported.

READ NEXT: Probe Underway for Border Agents Riding Horses While Chasing Haitian Migrants - DHS Says

Haitian Migrants Briefly Escapes Bus en Route to Deportation

According to a senior federal law enforcement official on Tuesday, the Haitian migrants "did break out of the bus and they did escape."

Despite trying to escape and being deported back to Haiti, the Haitian migrants were reported to be recaptured by the authorities.

Details regarding the number of escapees from the said bus were still unclear. It was also not clear whether the federal agency, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), supervised the transport of the said migrants to be deported.

It can be recalled that CBP is responsible for the apprehension, transportation, and processing of illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, ICE is tasked with the longer detention of and removal of illegal migrants in the United States.

As Haitian migrants escaped the vehicle that will bring them to the point of their deportation, an ICE spokesperson confirmed in an interview that there were no reported injuries in the said incident.

Haitian Deportees Assault Pilots, Immigration Officers

Escaping and hijacking a bus is not the only retaliation of migrants, as Haitian deportees were reported to assault pilots and U.S. Immigration Officers when they arrive in Port au Prince, also on Tuesday.

The assault broke out after a flight carrying single adult Haitians arrived and were released on Haiti's authorities on the Tarmac. Several deportees then stormed another flight carrying Haitian families.

The pilots of the second flight were reported to be attacked while the Haitian families were still on board the flight. Meanwhile, at least three ICE officers sustained non-fatal injuries during the unrest.

A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) emphasized that Haitian crowd control officers responded to both incidents and resolved the situations.

"ICE fully respects the rights of all people to peacefully express their opinions, while continuing to perform its immigration enforcement mission," the DHS spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Haitian Migrants Deportation

The string of incidents on Tuesday stemmed out as the U.S. and Mexican governments were set to ramp up the number of deportation flights to Haiti after nearly 15,000 migrants gathered under a bridge connecting Del Rio, Texas, and Acuna, Mexico.

As of Tuesday, over 1,000 Haitian Migrants were deported to Haiti. Meanwhile, a total of 4,000 of the crowd were either deported or moved to other processing centers across the U.S. borders.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Senate hearing on Tuesday that the public will see a difference in the crowd of Haitian Migrants in the next 48 to 96 hours.

READ NEXT: Kevin McCarthy Calls on Pres. Joe Biden to Deploy National Guard in Texas as 13,000 Haitian Migrants Gather Under Del Rio Bridge

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Written By: Joshua Summers
Mexico has launched a new lawsuit in Miami, Florida against its former security chief Genaro Garcia Luna for his alleged alliances with the Sinaloa cartel.

Aside from Garcia Luna, a network of companies operated by him and his associates were also facing lawsuits, according to a Reuters report.

Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit said on Tuesday that the lawsuit was part of their efforts to recover illegally obtained assets.

Garcia Luna was already connected to a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme reportedly designed to boost the Sinaloa cartel, which was formerly led by drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

The UIF said that the lawsuit covers 39 companies and trusts belonging to the ex-security chief, his associates, or family members.

The UIF said in a statement that the lawsuit accuses the defendants and members of companies created and used by Garcia Luna to hide resources from acts of corruption.

Garcia Luna had been living in Florida before his December 2019 arrest in Dallas.

UIF noted that the case was presented in a Florida court because that is where the properties associated with the case were located.

READ NEXT: Homes of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, Fellow Drug Lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes in Mexico Are Now Owned by Lottery Winners

Garcia Luna Pleads Not Guilty in 2020

Garcia Luna had denied engaging in a criminal enterprise case presented in a New York court, wherein prosecutors had alleged him of allowing Sinaloa cartel to operate freely in Mexico in exchange of millions of dollars in bribes, according to a BBC News report.

The allegations also include that Garcia Luna was involved in offenses of importation and distribution of huge amounts of dangerous drugs in the U.S.

Prosecutors claimed that years between 2001 and 2012, Garcia Luna had been given millions of dollars of bribes from the Sinaloa cartel for protection of its drug trafficking activities.

They also noted that the former security chief had given the Mexican drug cartel drug shipments safe passage, as well as warning on planned law enforcement operations.

In addition, Garcia Luna had reportedly placed corrupt officials in power in areas the Sinaloa cartel was active, while also handing out information about its rivals.

Garcia Luna was part of the cabinet of former President Felipe Calderon and was the country's top security chief from 2006 to 2012.

He also presided over the International Drug Enforcement Conference in 2011, which was held in Mexico.

Former Sinaloa cartel member, Jesus "El Rey" Zambada, testified against El Chapo. Zambada also retold delivering suitcases containing two million dollars to Garcia Luna as a bribe.

Last December, Mexico had asked the U.S. to extradite the former security chief. However, the Foreign Relations Department did not say any additional details, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Mexico's Attorney General's Office had released an arrest warrant for the ex-security chief last November on grounds of illegal enrichment.

Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard earlier said that Mexico wants any trials of alleged corruption of public officials to take place in their country rather than abroad.

READ MORE: Sinaloa Cartel Founder 'El Guero' Is Still in Custody of Mexican Authorities

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Mexico's former top security chief accused of accepting bribes from cartel - from WFAA






Due to the recent surge of cargo ships entering the U.S. ports, a record-high backlog of cargo ships was witnessed at California ports.

A record 70 cargo ships are stuck outside Los Angeles and Long Beach ports in California, which handle 40 percent of all cargo containers entering the U.S.

Problems at California Ports

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unusual for more than one ship to wait to dock and unload. But recently, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California experienced a pile-up of cargo ships.

According to Business Insider, 97 hulking cargo ships were waiting at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports on Monday. The Marine Exchange of Southern California noted that 70 out of the 97 containers were at anchor or in drift areas at the time, waiting for space to open up in the port.

The backlog in California ports was linked to the surging demand for imports as the U.S. economy has reopened.

The retailers and manufacturers have rushed to place orders and restock their inventories as the economy rises. However, the global shipping system is still struggling to keep up with the surge in demands.

Last week, Port of Los Angeles head Gene Seroka warned that a "significant volume" of cargo was heading their way "throughout this year and into 2022."

"We continue to monitor a host of variables; disruptions continue at every node in the supply chain," Seroka said.

Together, Los Angeles and Long Beach are the main seaborne gateway to the U.S., especially for imports from China.

READ NEXT: California Ski Resort Opts to Change Name to Remove Offensive Word in Business' Revival

Record-High Backlog of Cargo Ships in California Ports

Last Saturday, a record 73 ships were stuck outside Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, a number that's almost twice as many at the same time in August. Reports noted that a shortage of trucks to transport the goods from the ports adds to the concern.

On Sunday, Director Of Operations at Village Global Sam Kirschner snapped a photo from his plane window above the shore of Southern California ports.

It captures the seriousness of the situation that turned the coast like into a parking lot for vessels weighing over 200,000 tonnes and can be worth over $100 million as ships wait over a week to dock and unload.

The ports recently had hit a new ship-backlog record every day, queueing lengthened by 10 ships.

Due to the record-high backlog, some cargo ships have been diverted to other ports to prevent thousands of containers from being unloaded. However, nearby ports like Oakland do not have the capacity to deal with the volume of trade.

The Los Angeles port alone handled a 30 percent higher cargo amount this year compared with last year.

Kip Louttit, the executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the ports usually had zero to one ship waiting to dock.

Early this year, Louttit told Insider that the sheer enormity of the ships has also made the issue worse.

"Part of the problem is the ships are double or triple the size of the ships we were seeing 10 or 15 years ago. They take longer to unload. You need more trucks, more trains, more warehouses to put the cargo," Louttit noted.

Several social media users have also shared photos of the recent congestion from nearby beaches.

READ MORE: First Cruise Ship Departs From California to Mexico After 17-Month Pause Due to COVID Pandemic

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Holiday Shoppers Urged To Start New Due To Ongoing Backup At Port Of Los Angeles - From CBS Los Angeles
Former President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against his niece Mary Trump and The New York Times over their reporting on his tax affairs.

Trump had accused Mary and the paper of "an insidious plot" to get their hands on confidential tax documents. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Dutchess County, New York also seeks at least $200 million in damages or not less than $100 million each from Mary and the paper, Daily Mail reported.

The former president accused the New York Times of convincing Mary Trump to pull out records from her attorney's office despite signing a confidentiality agreement.

Mary had earlier signed a confidentiality agreement in 2001 after settling a legal battle over the will of Frederick Trump, who was Donald Trump's father and Mary's grandfather.

Mary Trump has laughed off the lawsuit, saying that Donald Trump is a "f------ loser." She added that her uncle would throw anything against the wall.

She also noted that Trump will try and change the subject, "as is always the case with Donald."

A spokesperson for The Times told the Daily Beast that the paper's coverage of Trump's taxes had helped inform citizens through meticulous reporting on a subject overriding public interest.

The spokesperson further noted that the lawsuit is an attempt to silence independent news organizations, adding that they plan to "vigorously defend against it."

READ NEXT: "Persecuted Unfairly": Former Pres. Donald Trump Expresses Support for Arrested Capitol Rioters

Mary Trump's Book

Mary Trump, the daughter of Donald Trump's late brother Frederick Trump Jr., has sued his uncle shortly after her book was published.

She also sued Donald Trump's sister, retired federal appeals court Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, and the executor of his late brother Robert Trump's estate.

Mary had accused them of stealing millions of dollars from her after the 1981 death of her father. According to BBC, Donald Trump nor his siblings has yet to address the issue publicly.

Mary's memoir, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man," has described the former president as a "narcissist."

The White House at the time of the Trump administration has rejected the claims made in the book, and the Trump family unsuccessfully sued to block it.

Mary Trump claimed that the former president had inherited valuable minority interests in the family business after her father's death.

Donald Trump's Tax Records

According to The New York Times, Donald Trump reportedly received more money from foreign sources and U.S. interest groups than previously known during his term as the president of the U.S.

It was also reported that the former president has reduced his tax bill with "questionable measures," which includes a $72.9 million tax refund that's under the audit of the Internal Revenue Service.

Donald Trump was also found not paying federal income taxes for much of the past two decades. He also reportedly paid only $750 each in both 2016 and 2017.

Reports said that Donald Trump has often paid less in taxes as compared to other presidents. Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush each regularly paid more than $100,000 a year, sometimes much more, in federal income taxes while in office.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Says He Does Not Care if People Think He's 'Satan Reincarnate' After Expressing Support On Bipartisan Probe of Capitol Riot

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Mary Trump Describes Family as 'Malignantly Dysfunctional' - From GMA






Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday commented on the videos and images showing horse-mounted border patrol agents chasing Haitian migrants along the Rio Grande in Texas.

Harris said: "What I saw depicted, those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were, was horrible." The vice president noted that human beings should never be treated that way, and "I'm deeply troubled about it."

Aside from the vice president, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also voiced his concerns. The Democratic senator said the behavior of the horse-mounted border agents must be addressed.

He noted that the images of Haitian migrants being "hit with whips and other forms of physical violence" are "completely unacceptable." Schumer said the images "turn your stomach," adding that this kind of violence must be stopped.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also expressed his concerns, saying that the photos troubled him "profoundly."

A DHS spokesperson earlier confirmed that the Customs and Border Protection's Office of Professional Responsibility has launched a formal investigation into the matter.

The DHS has also dispatched additional personnel to oversee future border patrol operations in the makeshift encampment of Haitians in Del Rio, Texas.

READ NEXT: President Biden to Increase Refugee Cap to 125K Amid Border Surge

Photographer Says Haitian Migrants Were 'Scared' of Border Agents on Horses

As Harris, Schumer, and Mayorkas gave their viewpoints on the images that showed border agents on horses, the photographer of the said images also expressed his perspective on the issue.

Photographer Paul Ratje told NPR that he thought the migrants "were quite scared," and there was "probably some panic" that made the Haitians ran around the horses.

"The [border] agents tried to block them, and one agent grabbed a man by his shirt and kind of swung them around," Ratje said. Despite sharing what he witnessed, Ratje pointed out that he had no idea what prompted the border agent to mistreat the said migrant.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki also called the images "horrific." Representative Veronica Escobar also said that nothing would justify the violence against the migrants in Del Rio.

Absolutely unacceptable.



No matter how challenging the situation in Del Rio is right now, nothing justifies violence against migrants attempting to seek asylum in our country.



: @PaulRatje pic.twitter.com/vjdIe6PkzS  Rep. Veronica Escobar (@RepEscobar) September 20, 2021

Kamala Harris and Chuck Schumer on Ramped Up Deportations of Haitian Migrants

Kamala Harris and Chuck Schumer also voiced their opinions on deporting the Haitian migrants back to their country.

Kamala Harris said the U.S. must support "some very basic needs that the people of Haiti have" as a "member of the western hemisphere."

The vice president went on to say that Haiti experienced "so much tragedy" like natural disasters and the assassination of its president.

Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer urged President Joe Biden and Mayorkas to immediately stop mass deportations and end Title 42 policy at the southern border, arguing that such a decision defies "common sense" and "common decency."

"We cannot continue these hateful and xenophobic Trump policies that disregard our refugee laws. We must allow asylum seekers to present their claims at our ports of entry, and be afforded due process [in the U.S]," Schumer noted.

READ MORE: Federal Judge Bars Biden Administration from Using a Trump-Era Policy in Expelling Migrant Families

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Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Migrants Continue to Cross into U.S. as Kamala Harris Criticizes Treatment by Border Patrol - From Guardian News
California scientists are now working on edible vaccines via edible plants with the same technology used to develop the Pfizer and Moderna COVID shots.

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) are behind the said medical breakthrough. They are attempting to grow vegetables that can deliver vaccines with the same messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology used for Pfizer and Moderna shots.

The mRNA technology in the Pfizer and Moderna COVID shots is known to work by delivering instructions to the body on how to form spike proteins that fuel COVID infection.

The immune system will fight the proteins once it detects them on one's body and forms immunity to the proteins if they appear again in one's body via exposure to the virus.

The National Science Foundation backed the scientists from the said university. They received at least a $500,000 grant from the organization to pursue the study on edible vaccines, Fox 31 reported.

READ NEXT: Dr. Anthony Fauci Says Moderna, Johnson and Johnson Booster Shots Data Could Soon be Reviewed by FDA

Vaccine Salad: COVID Vaccine Through Edible Plants

To be successful in the said medical breakthrough, the team of researchers needs to accomplish three goals. First, researchers need to successfully deliver DNA with mRNA vaccine into plant cells to replicate.

Second, scientists need to provide evidence that the plants have enough mRNA to replace vaccinations. Lastly, they need to determine the correct dosage people will need to eat to properly replace vaccination.

Lead researcher Juan Pablo Giraldo from UCR's Department of Botany said a single plant "ideally" produces enough mRNA to inoculate an individual.

Researchers are also focusing on how to deploy mRNA material into the plant's chloroplasts that can carry genes that are not part of the plant.

According to Giraldo, their team is testing the said approach in different leafy vegetables such as spinach and lettuce.

Benefits of Edible Vaccines

Apart from having the goal of the COVID vaccines delivered orally through edible plants, Giraldo noted that people growing their edible vaccines is one of their long-term goals.

"Farmers could also eventually grow entire fields of it [edible vaccines]," Giraldo said.

Aside from growing their edible vaccines, the Daily Mail reported that vaccines via edible plants could be easier to distribute and could be helpful for lower-income countries.

The current mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna require a temperature lower than -130 degrees Fahrenheit and require the use of dry ice to maintain their efficacy.

COVID-19: Cases and Vaccine Rates

California researchers looking for other avenues such as edible vaccines to protect more people against COVID came as the U.S. continues to roll out the vaccinations among Americans.

The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 weekly review revealed the current seven-day average of COVID cases at 146,182, a 6.1 percent increase compared with the previous average of 137,783.

The current seven-day average of hospitalizations due to COVID was recorded at 11,165, a 5.7 percent decrease from the previous average of 11,836.

The CDC further noted that at least 54.2 percent of the American population were fully vaccinated, while 63.5 percent of the U.S. population received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine.

READ MORE: Nicki Minaj Says White House Invited Her to Answer Vaccine Queries; Claims to be in Twitter Jail Over Inoculation Claims

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Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Staying Healthy During COVID-19 - From University Hospitals
People who allegedly breached Covid-19 travel restrictions earlier this year and then failed to turn up in court for the resulting prosecutions are now facing arrest.

Last Wednesday alone Judge Catherine Staines issued bench warrants for seven people who were summonsed to appear before Tullamore District Court but did not do so.

The previous Monday there were nine summonses before the court for similar alleged offences.

I think it's important in these cases that the people would actually be in court. That's why I'm issuing warrants, said Judge Staines.

Sergeant James O'Sullivan said when a summons was served on a man with a Mullingar address for an alleged breach of the restrictions on the Arden Road in Tullamore, he wrote a comment on the document saying he wouldn't be here.

A warrant was issued for him by Judge Staines.

Warrants were also issued for a man from Brosna, Birr, who was stopped by Garda Pat McGee on the Kinnitty Road in Kilcormac on January 29 last.

Another driver with an address in Roscrea did not appear in court either, having been summonsed for an alleged breach at the same location on the same date.

A motorist with an address in Derrinturn, Carbury, Co Kildare is accused of a similar offence at Fr Kearns Street in Edenderry on February 13, and three others, with addresses in Knocklyon, Dublin 16, are alleged to have breached the travel restrictions on the Arden Road in Tullamore on March 6.

Angel Iocuta, 41, Pound Street, Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, appeared in court having been summonsed for a breach of the regulations on the N52 at Arden Road on March 6.

Garda Niamh Conroy said Mr Iocuta was stopped at a checkpoint and said he was travelling from Roscommon to Thurles but could offer no relevant reason for the journey.

After he entered a guilty plea, Judge Staines asked Mr Iocuta why he had committed the offence.

The accused said he had to go and pick up his brother but could not remember anything further.

Judge Staines imposed a 100 penalty and said it would have to be paid within four months.

You'll get a fine in the post, she told Mr Iocuta.
Flood hit households in Mountmellick face a repeat of the damage done because they are not connected to the towns sewerage system, warns a local councillor who is also demanding that Laois Government TDs step in to find money to help them.

Cllr Paddy Bracken, Fianna Fail, said it is a scandal that the people living in the Manor Road area are among up to 145 households in the town relying on septic tanks while money is being thrown left right and centre on Green Party driven projects.

He wants all the homes connected to the town's sewerage system. He says that if there is plenty of Government money for Green projects, then money must also be found for investment for the Mountmellick homes and environment.

He warned that septic tanks are leaking into the ground and water courses because residents cant afford to replace them.

The Fianna Fail man went as far as saying that even if homeowners could spend money on new tanks, they should not do so because it is up to the Government and Irish Water to pay up.

Cllr Bracken also warned about the repercussions for residents in the Manor Road area which was badly by flooding in 2017. He said one of the sewage systems were hit by the flood causing more damage.

He warned of a repeat of this because the upgrade of the sewage system has not been factored into a new flood defence scheme being designed for the town.

Cllr Bracken raised the issue in a motion to the latest Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District meeting with Laois County Council officials.

He tabled a motion calling on the local authority and Irish Water to address the lack of mains sewage in the following areas: Manor Road / Lane, Wolfe Town St, Garoon, Townsparks, Pond Lane, Salthouse Lane.

Donal Brennan, Director of Services, replied in writing.

The responsibility for new foul water sewerage schemes lies with Irish Water subject to the normal planning considerations. Other Avenues for new sewers include developer led sewers and group sewerage schemes, both of which are subject to Irish Water connection processes, he said.

Mr Brennan added that he had received an update from the utility which said that it intended to carry out a drainage area concept plan for Mountmellick and Portarlington. He added that this would look at the medium to long term needs and commence in 2021 or early 2022.

However, Cllr Bracken insisted that Irish Waters reply did not answer the question.

Its a disgrace what is happening in Mountmellick. This is going on for over 50 years, he said.

Cllr Bracken said he lives in one of the areas he listed but has been bypassed for funding.

The Greens are announcing greenways, highways, walkways, byways and we are without the basic facility of a proper sewerage system, he said.

While money is going to some Green initiatives, Cllr Bracken believes the environment of Mountmellick is being damaged by a lack of investment.

The consequence of that is there is pollution in the river courses, he said.

He then raised the flag over the risk to residents hit by the deluge in November 2017 particularly in the Manor Road area.

The flood defence scheme that is planned is not taking those residents into consideration at all. They were severely flooded in 2017 and a lot of it came from sewerage, he said.

He warned that if the flood scheme goes ahead the residents face a repeat of the 2017 incident.

He said some tanks have been replaced but other residents cannot afford upgrades.

I would say to those people do nothing and get Irish Water and the Government to fund the programme. It is a disgrace in this day and age, he said.

Cllr Bracken said it is up to Laois politicians in Government who represent the local people to get involved and push it politically because of the dire situation faced.

Im saying loud and clear that Minister (Sean) Fleming and Deputy (Charlie) Flangan, who are part of the Government, need to get behind this, he said.

Cllr Bracken won support from other councillors.

Cllr Seamus McDonald said the days of the septic tank in towns are gone and called on the council to seek funding.

Cllr Conor Bergin also supported but asked if a specific meeting could be held with Irish Water to discuss the problems.

Cllr Ollie Clooney said there is a wider implication for communities around Laois in villages which do not have sewerage systems which meant the chances of building houses is nil.
A new study examining nationwide employment rates among those with disabilities shows that Ireland had the fourth lowest rate in 2018.

The findings come from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), and the report was commissioned by the National Disability Authority.

It showed that employment rates among those with disabilities did not benefit from the economic recovery following the financial crash to the same extent as other workers.

The report added that there was considerable variation in the percentages of employment by disability type in 2016.

Social Democrats TD Deputy Holly Cairns, who is a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters, referred to the report as "shocking but sadly not surprising."

Deputy Cairns said: "The stark findings of this report reveal the scale of the barriers that are faced by people with disabilities in this country."

"Many of the problems documented in this report, experienced by people with disabilities, are not an inevitability. They are directly related to the ways in which our society, and public services, are designed and operate."

Deputy Cairns continued: "This is evident from the report. For instance, unlike other EU countries, the severity of disability is not strongly associated with working status in Ireland. This suggests that it is external barriers, rather than peoples particular disability, that limits employment prospects.



Another deeply concerning finding is that a lack of support prevents many people with disabilities from moving from secondary school to third level education. This failure to make education, at every level, accessible is utterly unacceptable.



Routine lack of access to reliable public transport in rural areas - as well as regular impediments to accessing existing public transport like the Dart  is a further indictment of the manner in which people with disabilities are treated."

She concluded: "The government must now do more than issue a mealy-mouthed statement; it must outline how it will remove barriers, faced by people with disabilities which severely limit their ability to participate in society."

The findings noted that 34 per cent of those with a disability that year had 'blindness or a serious vision impairment.'

It also noted that 15 per cent of individuals with an intellectual disability were employed in 2016, compared to 45 per cent of people that reported having 'deafness or a serious hearing impairment'.

Arguably the most concerning part of the ESRI report is how it highlighted how people with disabilities are more than twice as likely to experience poverty and deprivation as those without disabilities.

In 2019, the at-risk of poverty rate for people without disabilities of working age was 11 per compared to 23 per cent for people with disabilities.

It said that even people with a disability working full-time experience a higher rate of poverty (16 per cent) than people without a disability (11 per cent), while a much smaller percentage of people with disabilities have a third-level qualification.

According to the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), a person with a disability is just over half as likely to be employed as a non-disabled peer, with Irelands rate of employment for people with disabilities being half the European average.

IBEC also claimed that, despite legislation on equality in the workplace, people with disabilities do not experience the same access to employment opportunities as their counterparts without disabilities, for various reasons.

It added that for every 1 spent on direct income supports for people with disabilities (disability allowance, invalidity pension and blind pension), the State is spending only 2.4c on employment supports (such as the employability service, partial capacity benefit and disability activation, and employment supports).

Earlier this year, Catherine's Law was passed by Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys, which outlined that people would no longer lose their Disability Allowance for accepting stipends association with PhD scholarships.

Shortly after the law's implementation, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar suggested that remote working would allow people with disabilities to participate in the workforce at a higher rate than in the past.

Resources and further information about work supports for those with disabilities can be viewed here.
Banking and the arts may seem like an unusual combination, but a prominent bank has agreed to ally itself with a number of Arts projects in Kildare.

Various projects will be supported by Bank of Irelands Begin Together programme, which will provide 825,000 in funding support for grassroots community groups, social enterprises and artists across the island of Ireland.

In addition, Community Fund grantees will receive up to 20,000 for projects spanning financial literacy and wellbeing, mental health, disability, inclusion and diversity, and social isolation.

Arts Fund grantees will receive up to 10,000 to support new works in music, theatre, dance, traditional arts, the visual arts, film and craft.

Social isolation prevention, groups that work with migrants, financial literacy for young people, and multi-sensory arts experiences are among the projects being supported this year by the initiative.

Francesca McDonagh, Group Chief Executive of Bank of Ireland, said about Begin Together: "We're immensely proud to support a wide range of community groups, charities, and social enterprises working in every part of Ireland."

"What they do unites, supports and protects local communities and some of the most vulnerable in our society. While the road ahead looks much more positive, communities across Ireland still face many challenges."

She continued: "Its our hope that this support will help them face those challenges, and overcome them.

The arts enrich our lives, but this sector has been one of the most seriously impacted during the pandemic."

Ms McDonagh concluded: "The Begin Together Arts Fund has helped sustain the development of new work and artistic practice during the pandemic and the new projects announced today will continue to enrich our lives and communities into the future."

So far, Begin Together has provided support for two ambitious Kildare projects:

Emmet Kane: Since Covid-19, St. Conleths Community College has had to adjust the building on the campus to accommodate social distancing and has encouraged the students and staff to use the outside spaces more during breaks and lunches to enjoy the fresh air and let them have a mask break. The funding will be used to create a seating area which will be carved from large tree trunks and an oak tree planted in memory of all those who have died from Covid in the school community over the last 15 months.

Memory Lane with Affiniti (Emer Barry, Aisling Ennis, Mary McCague). An outdoor performance in the grounds of Castletown House, aimed at people suffering from dementia and their carers, and a special concert in The Long Gallery at Castletown. The concert will focus on a programme of requests by carers of special songs for their loved ones. It will be streamed with a link provided to carers, as a symbol of gratitude for the sacrifices they have made, particularly during Covid.

The Begin Together Community Fund is held in partnership with The Community Foundation for Ireland and Business to Arts.

More information about all the projects supported by Begin Together is available here: http://www.bankofireland.com/ begintogether.
A Sinn Fein TD from Kildare praised her party's latest Bill, which sets out to end the Voluntary Contribution in schools.

Reada Cronin, who represents Kildare North, explained her stance: "The Voluntary Contribution, too often far from voluntary, has to go. It is bad for schools to have to look for it and bad for parents to have to pay it."

"There are too many families in North Kildare scrimping to pay hundreds of euros in the Voluntary Contribution, mortified for their children if they dont."

She continued: "Schools are critical to our children and our future; schools need proper funding from the State, not contributions from hard-pressed parents to keep the heat and light on. Depending on the Voluntary Contribution is no way for education to be run in the 21st century."

"Its degrading for schools, children and parents. Public money going into schools is not spending, its investing in our children. Our schools have the right to proper funding: they shouldnt be depending on favour."

Ms Cronin added that her party's Bill sets out clearly how Voluntary Contributions must end: "The Bill obliges schools to make clear to parents that these contributions are, in fact, voluntary in practice as well as name."

"Schools must not contact parents more than once a year seeking the contribution, with no reminders sent home during the terms. Children must not be stigmatised or miss out on activities due to non-payment."

She elaborated: "The Bill will place an obligation on schools and the Department of Education to publish, online, the total amount collected in voluntary contributions and how this has been spent in each school."

Ms Cronin further said that she hopes that the next government will get its priorities right: "Its no good having a seat on the UN Security Council if our children with special needs - 732 of them - have no seats in our school."

"Some of them in our own constituency here in N Kildare. Equally, there is no sense priding ourselves on our education when our schools are chronically underfunded and depend on hard-pressed families to keep the lights on. Its an absolute farce for our schools, teachers, children and families."

"In ending the Voluntary Contribution Sinn Fein is standing up for ordinary families."

She concluded: "Its madness that our schools are still depending on it and that families are sick to their stomachs trying to get the money together for it."

Reada Cronin recently made headlines when she criticised the presence of 10 vacant homes in Prosperous, while also claiming that the county's housing crisis is deepening.
A Kildare Senator has thanked the nine rangers who rescued Irish citizens in Afghanistan last month following the takeover of the Taliban.

Senator Fiona O' Loughlin took to her official Facebook account to thank the rangers: "Today was my first opportunity on to thank the 9 local rangers who put themselves in harms way to rescue Irish citizens who were trapped in Kabul on the record of the Seanad."

The Fianna Fail politician added: "The work carried out by our defence organisations is vital, and we are lucky to be home to some of the countries top personnel."

However, Senator O' Loughlin also took time out to push for the government to deal with pay rates within the Defence Forces (IDF), saying: "The issue of pay and conditions is still a pertinent one, and it needs to be dealt with."

Senator O' Loughlin yesterday attended the Seanad with Senator Lisa Chambers to discuss alleged cases of bullying and sexual harassment and abuse in the IDF.

Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs gave the green light to the nine rangers last month to aid Irish citizens wishing to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Independent Cllr for Newbridge and Portarlington Cathal Berry recently credited this move as one of the reasons why he voted in confidence of Minister Coveney.

Cllr Berry, who is also a former member of the IDF, told the Dail at the time that he had "no hesitation" in voting in confidence for Minister Coveney, adding that he "has proven that he can act decisively when required."
A Fine Gael TD in Kildare has been criticised following his announcement of a live exports deal between Ireland and China.

Martin Heydon, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, first announced the deal on his social media accounts on Saturday.

He said: "As Minister of State with responsibility for new market development, I welcome today's significant announcement on access to the Chinese market for Irish sheepmeat and breeding pigs."

"My Department, in collaboration with the embassy of Ireland in Beijing, has pursued market access for sheep meat with the Chinese authorities over a number of years."

Minister Heydon continued: "The agreement follows on from a successful inspection of Irish plants by Chinese auditors in August/September 2019 and Bord Bia has already conducted market insight research.

China is a substantial importer of sheepmeat and last year it imported 1.47bn worth of sheepmeat."

Heydon was thanked by Fianna Fail's Charlie McConalogue, who is also Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine publicly on Twitter following the announcement.

Since then, while some praised Heydon's announcement, it still attracted a substantial number of vocal critics.

One notable critic was Dail Deputy and Senator Dan Boyle, who is also the EU Climate Pact Ambassador for Ireland.

Senator Boyle quote-tweeted McConalogue's post thanking Heydon and captioned it: "I don't see exporting live pigs to China as something to celebrate."

I don't see exporting live pigs to China as something to celebrate. https://t.co/pdROWobDj0  Cllr. Dan Boyle (@sendboyle) September 19, 2021

Others in the comments section pointed to China's controversial animal welfare record as the main reason for their disapproval of the recent announcement:

It is completely laughable that standards of welfare and hygiene in Ireland need to be inspected by the Chinese. Anyone who has ever been there knows how low their standards are. Clearly the Chinese have squeezed some political or diplomatic concession from Ireland  PaulMilne (@PaulCXBI) September 19, 2021

Appalling. The UN is trying to end factory farming as the entire world is aware of its contribution to green house gas emissions. Some farms in China have 7 million pigs.What planet are you on that you think this is a good thing??  joan burgess (@joanburgess1) September 19, 2021

You should be ashamed of yourself. How can this be good news. Ireland is advocating for animals to travel on long hellish journeys to be slaughtered in a Chinese slaughterhouse which standards would never meet EU animal welfare regulations. I am appalled.  Martina Coogan (@Tinathumblina) September 18, 2021

While live exports are currently legal in Ireland, many countries have banned them, citing ethical reasons.

Earlier this year, government officials in England and Wales said that it would become the first EU countries to ban live exports of animals, with the exception of poultry.

These planned changes are part of a post-Brexit welfare plan.

In related news, Minister McConalogue recently launched a major investment of 10 million into a pilot Soil Sampling and Analysis Programme.
Kildare County Council in collaboration with County Kildare LEADER Partnership (CKLP) and Kildare Integration Network are preparing to launch the 2020  2026 County Kildare Integration Strategy.

It has also been confirmed that Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth Roderic OGorman will officially launch the new County Kildare Integration Strategy at the event, which will be held online.



The 2020  2026 Kildare Integration Strategy is the result of a lengthy consultation process comprising key agency stakeholders, local representatives and member groups from the diverse migrant population in Kildare.

The Strategy aims to support the inclusion of people from ethnic minorities and new communities living, working, or studying in County Kildare.



This new Strategy is in fact Kildares second integration strategy; the first covered the period 2014  2019 and was developed in recognition that society has changed.

Population changes:



According to the 2016 Census, within Kildare, 23,333 people described themselves as non-Irish nationals, 10.6 per cent of the countys population.

In the same census, the total population of Kildare was recorded as 220,693: a 64.8 per cent increase from 1996  2016.

The population growth and societal changes in Kildare highlight the importance of a comprehensive integration strategy to support and facilitate an inclusive and integrated society.



Minister O' Gorman will be joined at the event by a number of speakers  these include:

Marian Higgins, Interim Director of Services, Economic, Community & Cultural Development at Kildare County Council (KCC)

Cllr Naoise O Cearuil, Cathaoirleach and Mayor of Kildare

Sonya Kavanagh, Interim Chief Executive of KCC

Cllr. Aoife Breslin, Chairperson of Kildare Interagency Integration Committee

Oluwabunmi Olaniran, Consultation Partner

Music will also be provided by Beth Kinyua of the CKLP.



Copies of the strategy will be available following the event.

The launch will take place on Thursday September 30 at 11am.



Anyone who is interested can register to join the online event here: https://tinyurl.com/Kildare-Integration-Launch.
President Michael D Higgins has thrown his support behind a review into the Irish Defence Forces (IDF) following multiple accusations of bullying and sexual abuse levelled against the organisation.

The Limerick native used his speech at the Defence Forces Values Awards yesterday to highlight the issue.

He discussed his concern for the retired female members of the organisation who featured in the recent RTE documentary Women of Honour, which detailed allegations of sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault and bullying over at least thirty years within the IDF.

President Higgins said: "My concern is, I know, shared by those who have responsibility for the safety and welfare of our Defence Forces personnel."

"I welcome the fact that a review will now take place of the contents of the programme and of any issues surrounding bullying, harassment, sexual harassment or discrimination within the Defence Forces."

He added: "I hope the review is wide, thorough, independent and inclusive of all issues irrespective of gender."

Mr Higgins concluded by saying that it is important that the IDF provides an inclusive workplace, and "that false barriers are not erected on the basis of gender, religion, sexual orientation or ethnic background."

The President paid tribute to the seven recipients of this years values awards, where military members were recognised for risking their life to save another, donating an organ and/or offering support to colleagues undergoing a difficult time.

Last week, Former Army captain and whistleblower Tom Clonan claimed that more allegations would soon further shake the IDF, while another former IDF member named Anthony O' Brien reiterated his campaign calling for the organisation to be reformed.

Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has since said that he is "committed" to meeting those who detailed their alleged experiences in the Women of Honour programme, and similarly commended their bravery in going public with their stories.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call Samaritans Ireland at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie.

In addition, you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre by visiting drcc.ie or calling 1 800 77 8888.

Help is always at hand and there is always someone available to listen.
A Carrick-On-Shannon resident, whose step-daughter went missing in Spain more than a decade ago, has appeared in court charged with assaulting another man.

David Mahon, 51, Breffni Crescent, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim is charged with assault causing harm to Jim Fahy at Breffni Crescent in the town on August 26.

His step-daughter, Amy Fitzpatrick, vanished as she walked home on New Years night in 2008, on the Costa Del Sol.

Mahon was accompanied in the district court yesterday for the brief hearing by Amys mother, Audrey Fitzpatrick, with whom he is living in Carrick-on-Shannon.

Sergeant Michael Gallagher told the court that the DPP had directed trial by indictment at the circuit court.

The DPP was consenting for the defendant to be returned for trial to the next sitting of the circuit court.

The case was adjourned until October 22 for service of the book of evidence.

Defence counsel Reg Garrett sought and was granted disclosure in advance of the serving of the book of evidence.

The disclosure was to be made to Tony Collier, solicitor of Ferrys solicitors.

The defendants bail was varied on condition that he keep a curfew between 12am and 4am as he worked a night shift.

He was also told to tell the gardai when he went to Dublin for medical treatment and when he went to visit his elderly father.

The defendant was told to notify the gardai if he was staying overnight in Dublin.

Legal aid was granted to Tony Collier of Ferrys solicitors.

The case was put back to October 22 for service of the book of evidence.
To mark Mental Health Week, North West STOP, the charity which provides a range of mental health services for all age groups, including children and adolescents, invites you to three events.

The aim is to get the important message out into the public arena that: it's OK not to be OK and it's absolutely OK to ask for help.

This year Mental Health Week Ireland takes place from October 7-13.

The events organised by STOP are as follows:

Odd Socks Day

This fundraiser takes place on October 7 (or between 3-10). Last year this event raised over 10,500 and paid for Free Counselling Services during Oct, Nov and early Dec. Join in and share with friends / colleagues to make it a success in 2021.

Schools, businesses, colleges and organisations are invited to participate by wearing an Odd pair of socks for one day and donate 2 to North West STOP.

Post your pictures online and use the hashtag: #oddsocksforSTOP

For a fundraising pack: email: oddsocks4stop@ gmail.com or phone. 071 985 6070.

Annual General Meeting

The AGM takes place on October 14, 7.30pm, in The Glens Centre, New Line, Manorhamilton. Please confirm your attendance by October 7 if you wish to be included in the minutes. Phone 071 985 6070.



Memorial Walk

This event takes place on October 15, 7pm at the Castle Carpark, Manorhamilton. All are welcome to join in remembering members of our community whom we have cherished and lost. Please dress up warm and wear comfortable shoes.

Prevailing Covid-19 guidelines will apply to all in-person events.

Free counselling available: phone / text 086 777 2009.
A POPULAR Limerick restaurant is embracing the future as it welcomes its first robot employee to the team, much to the amusement of staff and customers.

Bellabot or Bella is the newest member of the team at Jasmine Palace on O Connell Street in Limerick City Centre.

Now in her third week of employment, Bella is tasked with lightening the load of staff members, performing duties like transporting up to 30 water bottles, trays full of cutlery, buffet food and celebration items to customers on special occasions.

General Manager Jeff Tse told The Limerick Leader that a surprise visit from a friend in Synobotics Ireland led to the decision to put Bella on the books.

Some customers were excited when they saw the walking robot. Some younger customers wanted to take photos with Bella. Some were shocked initially when they saw a robot roaming around the restaurant."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jasmine Palace (@jasminepalacelimerick)

Bella is like the new mascot of Jasmine Palace where people are now seeing her on social media, and they are expecting Bella when they arrive. Some Customers are demanding Bella bring out their birthday cake for their child's birthday, he added.

A multimodal interaction function, including AI voice, light interaction, touch interaction and smart expressions have bemused all who have come to see so far.

Like any new member of staff, the trusty robot is currently serving a probationary period, where management will observe if she can perform the tasks at hand.

We do not doubt that more robots like Bella could be introduced in the future. Right now, we are trying to integrate new innovative technology into our restaurants to create a better overall experience for our customers and staff, said Jeff.

Would you like to see more robots introduced in restaurants in Limerick? Let us know.
A LIMERICK homeowner who was targeted as part of an elaborate scam narrowly avoided having his personal information hacked.

The man, who lives in the Adare area, was targeted recently after he ordered a new router from his broadband provider.

"He was given an expected delivery date and on that date he received a call from a man claiming to be a broadband operative

and he had specific knowledge of the order for the router. As the homeowner was at work, he asked the caller to call him on the following day," said divisional crime prevention officer Sergeant Ber Leetch.

The caller made contact the following day, as requested, using what appeared to be a Belgian phone number.

"The caller explained this by saying he was using an internet line. The man accepted the legitimacy of this caller and believed him to be from the broadband company because of the specific detail the caller had on his initial order. The man was asked to run a speed test on the phone line via the computer and following this he was asked to install a program on his computer called 'Anydesk' to help with the setup of the new router," explained Sgt leetch.

At this point, the intended target became suspicious and he hung up before completing the installation. He then contacted his broadband company which confirmed the caller had nothing to do with it.

"There was a point during the process whereby the man would have granted the caller access to his computer and online banking had he clicked the next button," said Sgt Leetch who said the homeowner was 'bombarded' with more than 100 phone calls over the next three hours.

"I think this scam shows how clever these fraudsters can be but we must remember that we are still in control because we still have to let them in so dont click on a link within an email, dont give any personal details over the phone and dont follow instructions unless you have verified that you are connected to a legitimate company," warned Sgt Leetch.
TWO well-known Limerick boxers have paid a special tribute to young Fionn Barry, who died aged only seven, following their fights at the weekend.

Moyross's Lee Reeves and Graham McCormack of Garryowen both headed to Britain over the weekend, and won their respective bouts.

Lee beat MJ Hall in Sheffield, while Graham defeated Jordan Latimer in Glasgow.

And upon their victories, both men then unfurled a tricolour flag emblazoned with the words Fight for Fionn, in a move which left the youngster's parents Trevor and Brenda overcome with emotion.

Young Fionn, who died just a week after his seventh birthday, was remembered with a Mass of the Angels last week.

He had spent most of his short life in-and-out of hospital, after being diagnosed with cerebral palsy, as well as a rare type of epilepsy, and reflux.

Croom man Johnny Barry, who is Fionn's nephew and godfather, had reached out to the pair ahead of their fixtures.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader, Lee said: "For someone of that age to die, it's horrible to see. It was my pleasure, it was the least I could do. Johnny got me a flag the day before I took off, and I just made sure it was on the top of my mind before I took off. I had someone carry it out. It's nice for his parents to be able to see it. It's seen all over the world that people care."

The southpaw hopes this will ensure a bit of awareness around cerebal palsy, which he described as a "horrible, horrible disease".

"It needs as much light shed on the subject as possible to get the funding and to get the resources that it needs. A young man being born given a chance of just two years, thank God lived until he was seven, and his parents had time to spend with him. But definitely I'd like to help that try to be avoided and someone's life to be prolonged into the future," he added.

Johnny said there was a lot of emotion around the flag unfurling.

Lee added: "It's nice to be nice. In the last couple of weeks, there has been a lot of loss in the city. I gave a shout out to that in an interview I have done after the fight. It's the least you can do. I'm fighting for city, I'm trying to get my city behind me, I'm trying to put Limerick on the map in a sense. I cannot to that completely alone, and I'll help when I can."

Johnny said: "It was absolutely amazing. To see Fionn's name carried all over the world. You could see on Facebook there are seven or eight thousand views on that. These are people who have never met us in our life, and they are still putting such touching comments below on Facebook and private messages. I'll tell you 95% of the people in this world are brilliant. With donations and help, people are genuinely lovely to help good causes."
A LIMERICK man who bravely saved a teenager from the sea last summer has been honoured by President Michael D Higgins.

In August 2020, Commandant Liam Halpin, who is originally from Woodview Park in the city, came to the rescue of the teenage girl who had gotten into difficulty after she was taken out by the tide near Doonbeg in County Clare.

Only for the quick-thinking and fast action of Mr Halpin, who was walking with his family, the outcome most certainly would have been very different.

Having been alerted, he grabbed a body board and made his way out to the area where he thought the girl was only to discover that she had been swept out even further.

When he eventually got to her, he offered the board and they both held on and kicked back to shore where the emergency services took over.

The girl made a full recovery and Comdt Halpin's actions on the day undoubtedly prevented a tragic event and he showed tremendous amount of bravery and physical courage.

Last year, the Limerick native received a Limerick Person of the Month Award and yesterday he was invited to Aras an Uachtaran where he was presented with a Defence Forces Value Award for Physical Courage.

Speaking at the Awards Ceremony, President Michael D Higgins said: "It goes, perhaps, without saying that Oglaigh na hEireann make a profoundly important and positive contribution to the lives of people across the globe, constantly displaying the bravery and professionalism which makes us so deeply proud of our Defence Forces."

Paying tribute to each of those who received awards, President Higgins added: "It takes a remarkable person to stand out as an exceptional member of an Organisation so deeply rooted in a spirit of active participation and human solidarity. I am delighted that one of our first gatherings, following Covid restrictions, here in Aras an Uachtarain is one in which we pay tribute to seven such people, whose actions have exemplified the qualities of moral courage, respect, integrity, physical courage, selflessness and loyalty which guide and define the work of the Irish Defence Forces."

The seven recipients of awards at the low-key ceremony were Comdt Liam Halpin, Able Mechanic Kieran Moynihan, Company Quarter Master Sergeant Pat Jordan, Sergeant Leona Houlihan, Able Seaman Eoghan Keegan, Chief Petty Officer John Fenton and Private Damien Greene.
SERIOUS concerns have been raised for jobs and the welfare of children as Limerick Youth Service prepares to pull out of a well-known community space on the southside of Limerick city.

Two years ago, workers at the The Factory Southside Youth Space in Galvone Industrial Estate wrote to Cllr Catherine Slattery to inform her that the facility was due to close as the Council was disposing of the premises to a private company.

Following intense deliberation, it was agreed that the essential community services provided by LYS at the Factory could remain in the premises until December 2021, while an alternative premises was identified.

However, to date, no premises has been found, the Fianna Fail councillor told a special council meeting on regeneration.

There has been no communication to date. Limerick Youth Service has lost funding and now remains in limbo. There are eight workers there, with families and mortgages to pay. This is simply not acceptable. We need this facility in the southside as there is nothing else like it," she said.

On Tuesday, the Board of LYS confirmed the organisation will exit management of the Factory Southside Youth Space at the end of 2021, in line with the previous agreement.

Whilst no longer managing the facility, existing youth work supports will still be available within the community including via a youth and family support project, youth mental health project and youth work programmes.

The decision to end the management was due to the facility being sold to a private entity and planning permission sought for the demolition of the section occupied by LYS as well as LCCCs commitment to funding the facility under the Social Intervention Fund extending to December 2021.

No commitment exists after this period, added the board in statement.

Cllr Slattery, cathaoirleach of the Limerick Metropolitan District, stressed the vital nature of the community space and the services it provides.

The Factory Youth Space included a hangout area for teenagers, a dance studio, recording studio, an after school Tusla youth group meeting each evening as well as weekend sports, mental health and autism groups that avail of the space.

Following last week's special council meeting, she told the Limerick Leader that meetings were ongoing to ensure that a future premises is secured. She stated that council officials have informed her that a youth facility will be included in the implementation framework for the southside.

It may not be like the current one, but there will be one included, she said.

In a statement Limerick Youth Service said. The closure of The Factory Southside Youth Space will have implications for the staff employed by LYS on the Community Services Programme. LYS is consulting with all staff concerned to mitigate the consequences of the closure. LYS wishes to thank the young people, community, volunteers and staff for their support and commitment to The Factory Southside Youth Space in the years since it opened its doors in 2010.
This week, Housing Development Finance Corp. joined State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Bank of Baroda in cutting home loan rates. These rate cuts are being offered to both salaried and non-salaried borrowers. Mint takes a look:

Should you buy a home because rates are low?

Home loan interest rates are just one of the several factors to be taken into consideration while buying a house. Financial advisors generally advise buying a house if you are buying it to live in and not as an investment. This is because a home purchase for most individuals is a large, illiquid, and undiversified investment. In other words, you cannot sell a house quickly if you need the money, and you cannot easily sell just a part of it if you need a small amount of money. This is different from investing in equities and mutual funds, which can be sold more quickly and in parts.

Should you buy house if you are renting one?

In todays economy, people often change jobs and change the cities of their residence. Buying a home in one city makes this process more difficult and reduces your ability to move. The covid-19 pandemic has also brought with it the trend of people in different fields working from home. This has reduced the need to buy expensive homes in big cities. On the flip side, buying a home helps save on rent and this can be a financial net positive in the long run. Compare the costs of buying a house with the annual rental cost, before making a decision.

View Full Image A tough call

What are the costs that home buying entails?

Buying a house involves making a down payment from your own savings. Then there is the equated monthly instalments (EMIs) to be paid on a home loan, if one is taken. Other costs include stamp duty, brokerage and registration fee, as well as the cost of regular maintenance, parking slot charges, property tax, and the cost of repairs.

What about the tax savings?

You get a deduction up to 1.5 lakh under Section 80 C for principal repayment of a home loan and a deduction up to 2 lakh on interest payments under Section 24B. If you account for these deductions, the effective rate of interest on your home loan falls. However, Section 80 C can also be used for other kinds of investments such as equity linked savings schemes (ELSS), or public provident fund (PPF). Money used on home loan interest could also be used to get tax deductions elsewhere such as National Pension System contributions.

Can you lock in the low rates?

The short answer is no. In most home loans, the interest rate is variable in nature. It moves up and down in sync with overall rates in the economy. Most banks have linked their home loan rates to an external benchmark, usually the repo rate of the Reserve Bank of India. The home loan rate of banks is set at a certain premium to the repo rate based on the creditworthiness of the borrower and moves in tandem with the repo rate. If the repo rate goes up, your EMI will also go up.

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Canada has announced the extension of the flight ban from India on Wednesday. However, the restrictions to all direct commercial and private passenger flights to Canada from India will remain in force until September 26. According to Transport Canada, once the restriction on direct flights expires, travellers eligible to enter Canada will be able to board direct flights from India to Canada .

Indian passengers must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test from the approved laboratory at the Delhi airport. The report should be taken not more than 18 hours before departure, it said.

"Prior to boarding, air operators will be checking the travellers test results ensuring they are eligible to come to Canada," Transport Canada said in a statement.

Fully vaccinated Indian travellers need to upload their information into the ArriveCAN mobile app or website. "Travellers who are unable to meet these requirements will be denied boarding," Canada Transport added.

Delhi-Toronto flight

Meanwhile, on September 22, three direct flights from India will arrive in Canada. With this, the direct connectivity would be resumed between the two countries after almost five months.

Air Canada has restarted Delhi-Toronto nonstop flights with new Covid-19 protocols. As per the new SOPs, WHO-approved vaccinated passengers must undergo an RT-PCR test within 18 hours of boarding their flight from the Covid testing centre and Lounge at Delhi Airport's Terminal 3. A passenger has to undergo either of these tests. The airline said no other test from any other clinic within India will be accepted, even if someone is connecting from a different city.

Indian travellers taking indirect routes to Canada

After the resumption of direct flights, travellers who are eligible to enter Canada via an indirect route will continue to be required to obtain, within 72 hours of departure, a valid negative Covid-19 test from a third country  other than India  before continuing their journey to Canada.

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NEW DELHI: India is likely to allow a smaller gap between AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses for inoculations being carried out privately, in line with a court order, two sources told Reuters.

Private hospitals and clinics will give their paying patients the option to receive their second dose of the vaccine four weeks after the first, down from between 12 and 16 weeks currently, they said.

Earlier this month, the high court in the southern state of Kerala ordered changes in the health ministry's vaccine-booking platform to give people paying for vaccination this choice, which is already being offered to those flying abroad.

"Since the high court has given a judgement, it will have to be done," said one of the sources. "For the government's programme, the ideal gap remains 12 weeks."

India doubled the gap between the AstraZeneca vaccine's two doses in May to make sure more people were inoculated with at least one dose when supplies were scarce at the height of the country's outbreak this year.

AstraZeneca recommends the second dose of its COVID-19 vaccine be taken four weeks after the first shot, but says on its website there is a "trend of increased efficacy with a longer than 4 week dosing interval". The World Health Organization recommends an interval of eight to 12 weeks.

The sources, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media, could not say when the changes will be implemented.

The health ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

India's total vaccine output has trebled since May to 300 million doses a month. Less than a quarter of the production is sold by private hospitals while the rest is provided by the government free of cost.

India has administered at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in 65% of its 944 million adults and two doses in 22% of adults.

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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there is little direct US exposure to debt of the Chinese company Evergrande but said it could impact global financial conditions.

The Evergrande situation seems very particular to China, which has very high debt for an emerging economy," he told reporters Wednesday during a press conference following a meeting of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee.

Fears of default by real estate developer China Evergrande Group have rattled global financial markets this week and raised concerns about the potential fallout for Chinas economic outlook.

Corporate defaults in the U.S. are very low right now," Powell said. You would worry that it would affect global financial conditions through confidence channels."

The Fed pursues stable prices and maximum employment in the U.S., but the central bank also takes the outlook for global growth into account as it sets policy because it can affect the domestic economy -- including by altering demand for U.S. exports or the value of the dollar.

Billionaire Hui Ka Yans developer is widely seen as headed toward one of Chinas largest-ever debt restructurings, though the company and Communist Party leaders have so far given few indications of how they plan to resolve its liquidity crisis.

Evergrande missed loan interest payments due Monday to at least two of its largest bank creditors, according to people familiar with the matter. Earlier on Wednesday, the company issued a vaguely worded statement on a bond interest payment that left analysts grasping for details. The developer, Asias largest issuer of junk bonds, also has an interest payment due Thursday on a March 2022 dollar bond.

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US President Joe Biden told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday that the United States would return to the Iranian nuclear deal in "full" if Tehran does the same.

He said the United States was "working" with China, France, Russia, Britain and Germany to "engage Iran diplomatically and to seek a return to" the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which America left in 2018.

"We're prepared to return to full compliance if Iran does the same," he added.

Meanwhile, Iran said on Tuesday that talks with world powers over reviving its 2015 nuclear deal would resume in a few weeks, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

"Every meeting requires prior coordination and the preparation of an agenda. As previously emphasised, the Vienna talks will resume soon and over the next few weeks," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, according to IRNA.

The world powers held six rounds of indirect talks between the United States and Iran in Vienna to try and work out how both can return to compliance with the nuclear pact, which was abandoned by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018. The talks stopped in June, pending the start of Iran's new government.

Addressing the UNGA for the first time as president, Biden promised to work to advance democracy and alliances, despite friction with Europe over France's loss of a mega-contract.

The Biden administration has identified a rising and authoritarian China as the paramount challenge of the 21st century, but in his United Nations debut he made clear he was not trying to sow divisions.

"We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs," Biden said.

"The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to share challenges even if we have intense disagreement in other areas."

Biden did not mention China by name, other than voicing alarm about human rights in Xinjiang, where experts say more than one million people from the Uyghur and other mostly Muslim populations are incarcerated.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to address the General Assembly later Tuesday but by video in light of Covid-19 precautions.

Biden declared himself to be the first US president in 20 years not to be running a war after his controversial pullout of troops from Afghanistan, where the Taliban swiftly took over.

Instead, America is "opening a new era of relentless diplomacy" in which military power must be the "tool of last resort."

"The mission must be clear and achievable, undertaken with informed consent of the American people and whenever possible in partnership with our allies," Biden said from the UN rostrum where previous US presidents, notably including George W. Bush, have pushed for military action.

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Even as anticipation was rising in New Delhi around the first in-person meeting this Friday of Quad leaders after the covid outbreak, with the US, Australia, Japan and India expected to turn the contours of this four-nation grouping into the foreshadow of an alliance for mutual security in the face of Chinas rise, it has been upstaged in Indo-Pacific geopolitics by Aukus. This acronym of Australia, UK and US that also sounds as if its short for an Aussie caucus is a trilateral defence pact that now looks set to serve as the military lynchpin of Washingtons strategysuch as it isto secure the region from Beijings dominance and shield the post-1945 global order. If this has spelt some disappointment in Indias capital, our diplomats have not shown it, pointing out that the Quad has an agenda of its own which suits our common interests. But it is hard to deny that Tokyo and New Delhi suddenly seem relatively peripheral to US President Joe Bidens plan of a power-projection pivot from West to East Asia. We need to decode these signals with due care and adjust our approach accordingly.

While the Quad does count a free and open Indo-Pacific" as part of its shared vision, and has conducted joint naval exercises, its thunder was stolen this week by the prospect of a transfer by the US to Australia of closely-guarded technologies for artificial intelligence and the manufacture of nuclear-powered submarines under Aukus. Nuclear-sub know-how plays a key role in modern-day deterrence of adversaries. Since these need not resurface to refuel over prolonged periods, their ability to escape detection is enviable, and the very fact that they could be armed with nuclear weapons too can deter hostility. This arming of Canberra, combined with Americas readiness to court the ire of its EU allies, points to the significance of this three-way deal. France was so furious about losing a multi-billion dollar Australian order for French diesel-subs that it called it a back-stab and recalled its envoys from Canberra and Washington. Observers in other European capitals bristled at what they saw as an Anglophone assumption of authority over this centurys geo-strategic trajectory. A few even wondered if the West, as they knew it, was coming apart.

The Quads role may or may not get diminished in the US scheme of things, but the diversification of its agenda to non-military issues such as climate change, trade facilitation and the pandemic could be taken as a signpost. The exertion of soft-power, no doubt, holds value in its own right. Last week, we showed an ability to inject almost 25 million doses in a single day, which exceeded our production rate, but if we ramp up volumes and anchor Quad efforts, we could forge useful ties and strengthen an outreach that began to weaken after we opted out of an Asia-wide trade agreement. We could also benefit from closer cooperation on matters of climate and trade, which pose challenges that require consensus-creation. In the past, Indian diplomacy sought to position India as a reconciler of divergent pulls in a bipolar world. The Cold War has long ended and our embrace of Washington has consigned non-alignment to history. Yet, that function retains relevance in North-versus-South divisions. After Aukus, however, we must ask ourselves a hard-nosed question: To what extent can Indian membership of the Quad deter Chinese aggression? All considered, we must maximize its gains, but not count on it for too much. Not any longer. Ultimately, we must watch out for ourselves

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What do these three people have in common: a disbarred Arkansas attorney under federal house arrest for tax evasion; another disbarred attorney, this one from Illinois, who lost his license for harassing and threatening other lawyers; and an attempted fire bomber from Kansas who served time in federal prison for conspiracy? Heres the answer: All three of them have heeded Texass call for legal anarchy and filed complaints against a San Antonio abortion provider for violating SB8, the states ban on post-6 week abortions.

This is a circus of Texass own making. To briefly recap, earlier this year Texas passed a one-of-a-kind law that bans abortions after 6 weeks and allows anyone anywhere to sue an abortion provider who violates the law. The 6-week ban isnt novel. Other states have passed similar bans, and they have all been stopped by courts because they are blatantly unconstitutional. The original part of the Texas law is the provision that bars the state from enforcing the law and instead allows anyone to sue for a violation of the law. It is this unique aspect of the law that has so far made it very difficult to stop in court.

But what this provision also does is allow anyone anywhere to make a mockery of Texass legal system, and thats precisely what started Monday. As anyone familiar with our legal system knows, in almost every other context, in order to sue, you need to have some direct stake in the outcome of the case. If my neighbor gets into a car crash, my neighbor can sue the offending driver, but I cant, no matter how much I am upset that my neighbor is injured. This is the stuff of Law 101 courses.

Texass law throws out this requirement and allows complete strangers to sue abortion providers (and those who aid and abet them) for $10,000 or more for each unlawful abortion. It was long apparent that this part of the law completely upends the legal system, but Mondays filings brought into sharp focus just how disruptive this scheme will be. Consider the three complaints filed Monday after San Antonio doctor Alan Braid admitted over the weekend to violating SB8 because of his ethical commitment to his patients:

Oscar Stilley filed the first complaint. Stilley is a self-described disbarred and disgraced former Arkansas lawyer who is in the 12th year of a 15-year federal sentence for tax evasion and conspiracy. His SB8 lawsuit relitigates his federal criminal conviction (the final judgment and commitment order was based upon false testimony) and does what any good internet troll does  promotes his own blog (where he chronicles his efforts to get total exoneration). Only after recounting his own legal struggles does he get to abortion. Stilley correctly notes that the statute does not require any injury to the plaintiff, so he argues he can properly bring this suit for the doctors unlawful abortion.

But wait, theres more! After going through the basics of SB8, Stilley goes off the rails. He claims that the doctor is kind and patient and helpful toward bastards and has some understanding of the cruelty and abuse heaped upon bastards and social misfits, in Texas prisons. Stilley then writes that the doctors god is entirely capable of giving a new body to replace a defective fetus, in the hear and now, and not only when you die bye and bye. (If youre not fully understanding, dont worry, its not you, its him.) Stilley concludes by claiming that he called the doctors clinic to get the doctor to repent and then asks the court to stop the doctor from performing future abortions and to order the doctor to pay Stilley $100,000.

Interestingly, in an interview with CNN, Stilley said that he opposes SB8 and filed the lawsuit as a way to get a judge to rule on its constitutionality. It would normally be an odd thing for someone opposing a law to sue under the law, but this is exactly what SB8 allows since there are no limits on who can sue. And Stilley wants his money.

Felipe N. Gomez filed the next complaint yesterday, and compared to Stilleys its much less entertaining. It barely reaches a second page and contains just four sentences. Beyond setting forth the basic allegation that the doctor violated SB8, Gomez, an apparent abortion rights supporter, asks the court to declare SB8 unconstitutional and in violation of Roe v. Wade.

Gomez is explicit in his lawsuit about what Stilley said only to the media  he wants the Texas law overturned as unconstitutional. Because the law allows any person to sue under SB8, this Chicago resident felt moved to file his own lawsuit and was allowed to. Also unlike Stilley, Gomez leaves out his history as a disbarred attorney. The federal court that covers Chicago disbarred Gomez because he sent multiple other attorneys harassing and threatening communications. Gomez appealed this discipline to federal court, which affirmed his disbarment based on the courts authority to control abusive conduct.

Cheryl Sullenger filed the third complaint, and this one is a bit different. Rather than file a lawsuit in court, Sullenger filed a complaint with the Texas Medical Board attempting to revoke the doctors license for violating SB8. Sullenger wrote that instead of providing the civil lawsuit he apparently craves, she was trying to take away his license.

Sullengers complaint is interesting for two reasons. First, hers is the only one from an anti-abortion activist. Sullenger is the Senior Vice President of Operation Rescue and has served time in jail for conspiring to bomb an abortion clinic and is alleged to have been an associate of the extremist who assassinated Dr. George Tiller in Wichita because of his abortion practice. Second, as a legal matter, because Sullenger filed with the licensing board rather than in court, her complaint could inadvertently give SB8 challengers an avenue to strike down the law. It has proven challenging to stop SB8s private lawsuits in state court before they happen, but because the medical board is not a court, it could potentially be easier to sue to stop the board from taking actions that violate Roe v. Wade.

Dr. Braid now has these (and any other future) lawsuits to defend against, giving him his sought-after opportunity to make his case about the unconstitutionality of SB8 in state court and to the state licensing board. As long as Roe is the law of the land, he will certainly win these cases. But as long as SB8 is the law in Texas, crazy litigants and lawsuits like these will fill and possibly overwhelm the court system. And Texas has no one to blame but itself.
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In the Icelandic musical adventure 12 Hours to Destruction, writer-director Nanna Kristin Magnusdottir revels in a wholeheartedly youthful story of a school band battling nasties to save their dance.

The film, part of the Finnish Film Affairs Nordic Selection of works in progress being held this week in Helsinki, is an ambitious project, produced by one of Icelands leading players, The Icelandic Film Company/Kisi Production, founded in 1991 by Julius Kemp and Ingvar Thordarson.

With a strong rep for both critical successes at festivals and for wider audience films, the company seems well suited to creating the whimsical project.

Kemp says the idea originated in his mind a few years back when, while doing parent duty, he encountered a musical called Abbababb!, created by Icelandic punk musician, rocker, TV host and childrens book writer Gunnar Larus Hjalmarsson (a.k.a. Dr. Gunni).

Hjalmarsson composed the record album in 1998 for children, a surprising project for one of the key figures of the Icelandic underground music scene since the 1980s, but it was a hit. Hjalmarsson was a member of the band Bless, which featured an early-career Bjork doing backing vocals on one album. He is also a leading figure in the Icelandic debate over disco vs. punk, a subject that has been explored in major national cultural venues.

Kemp found himself unexpectedly charmed  something he says is all too rare when watching productions aimed at kids. He knew the story of juveniles fighting bad guys to save their school dance would work on screen, he says, adding, I thought of directing it myself.

But instead, he opted to bring in Magnusdottir, who he says, said yes in five minutes.

Though the director jokes that her dedication to the films upbeat story is a little cheesy, its clear Magnusdottir knows what shes doing.

Aside from being a well-known Icelandic actor (Heartstone, Paris of the North) Magnusdottir is the owner of Cubs Productions and studied screenwriting for film and television at The Vancouver Film School.

As she describes the story of 12 Hours, it transpires in the summer of 1980 as 11-year-old Hanna and the rest of her childhood band aim to bring criminals to justice when a threat to destroy the last school dance comes their way.

The fearless kids soon find themselves immersed in trouble, of course, as the stakes grow and their quest pits good vs. evil and disco vs. punk. It also wraps up with love and unity conquering all.

Filming with a youthful cast was not the only challenge, says Kemp, adding he was told last year, Its not a good time for a childrens movie by culture officials. But the producers found ways to ensure COVID safety protocols while shooting both in a studio and in the fresh air.

In the end, the cast thoroughly enjoyed their musical adventure and managed impressive choreography  though Kemp insisted kids be free to interpret some of the dances not quite in lockstep. That and the heightened colors and 1980s-style costumes and sets make for appealing visuals, he adds.

Kemp and Magnusdottir, who is also producer on the 2.3 million-euro film alongside Kemp, Thordarson, Markus Selin and Jukka Helle, is pitching the film at Finnish Film Affair, seeking a sales agent, distribution and festival deals.

Its one of five titles being pitched at the industry event, which runs alongside the Helsinki International Film Festival. For the second year, Finnish Film Affair spotlights emerging talent from neighboring Nordic countries with fiction works by first- or second-time feature directors presented. The projects are competing for the best Nordic project award, a 3,000-euro package from Konstsamfundet, a Finnish association supporting the culture of the countrys Swedish-speaking minority, to be used in the winners international marketing.

Magnusdottir, who confesses a lifelong love of adventures and musicals starting from childhood, says shes thrilled to be taking on both forms in 12 Hours to Destruction.

Im very excited and proud that my first feature will be for a family audience and in the musical genre, she says.

And while the film sits comfortably within the young audience sector, it departs from predictability, skipping over the most common crises storylines. The protagonists here do not wrestle with drug addiction, early teen sex or lousy divorced parents, the director says. Rather, says Magnusdottir, I want to show the opportunities kids have today.

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Telugu-language cinema stars Venkatesh Daggubati (Narappa) and his nephew Rana Daggubati (Baahubali) will star in Netflix India crime drama series Rana Naidu, an adaptation of Showtime series Ray Donovan.

Produced by Locomotive Global Inc., the action drama will follow the life of Rana Naidu, the go-to person for everyone in Bollywood when they have a problem.

The format rights are licensed by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. Karan Anshuman (Inside Edge) is the showrunner and the director and Suparn Verma (The Family Man) will co-direct.

Rana Daggubati said: Its lots of special firsts for me. Working with my uncle Venkatesh and the first with Netflix in long form storytelling thats completely different from what both of us have ever done in our careers. Im extremely happy to be with a crew and a platform that knows this the best. It will be challenging and new and definitely going to be fun. Looking forward to filming soon.

I cannot wait to work with Rana (Daggubati), we are going to have a blast on-set and this show is the perfect project for us to work on, said Venkatesh Daggubati. I am a huge fan of Ray Donovan myself and the entire team is pulling in all the stops to ensure we do justice to it.

Monika Shergill, VP, content, Netflix India said, The series Rana Naidu will be a thrilling Indian adaptation of a record breaking international show and will take the audience on a breathless ride with the dynamic duo.

We are thrilled to partner with Sunder Aaron of Locomotive Global Inc. and NETFLIX on this new version of Rana Naidu (Ray Donovan) for the Indian market, said Roxanne Pompa, vice president, formats at ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. It is remarkable to see the adaptation of the storylines and the transformation of the characters and how well they fit into the local landscape and culture.

Sunder Aaron of Locomotive Global Inc. said: Mounting a series of this magnitude for Netflix and with our top quality cast, showrunner, directors and production team is both a real privilege and an enormous responsibility for LGI. We are just getting rolling and cannot wait for the world to meet a new kind of Indian hero in Rana Naidu'

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There is an eerie, otherworldly beauty to the opening shot of Kavich Neangs White Building. Accompanied by the pressure-cooker whine that introduces the more uncanny sections of Jean-Charles Bastions score, a drone camera, steady as though it were mounted on tracks in the sky, drifts over the eponymous structure, looking down. Even just the rooftop of this vast, scabbed Phnom Penh .

Seen from this angle, the building  Neangs childhood home, which recurred in his shorts and documentaries, and of which he amassed quite a bit of footage before it was demolished in 2017  looks like an intricately scruffy map of an abandoned continent. Its crazy-paved in cracked concrete and crisscrossed with electrical wires, with drifts of sooty trash gathering in its corners and dirty vents staring into dangerously haphazard fuse boxes, and it is not immediately clear if anyone still lives inside. But as soon as we see it from the side, the laundry flapping cheerfully from the railings, incongruously brightly painted doors standing out against the crumbling brickwork and fissured cement, its plain that the building is teeming with life and, at least in the case of Nang (Horizons best actor winner Piseth Chhun), with dreams.

Down one of its long corridors, in one of its hundreds of apartments, Nang prays at a homemade altar and vows that if he wins the flashy dance competition hes training for with his troupe (really just his two best friends delivering bouncy, boy band-ish routines), he will offer up a chicken and seven types of fruit. In its lively, engaging first third, Neangs film trails Nang around Phnom Penhs neon nighttime, chasing girls and earning a little money dancing with his squad mates Tol (Sovann Tho) and Kanha (Jany Min).

But at home with his resigned mother (Sokha Uk) and diabetic father (Sithan Hout), the prospects are not so upbeat. The residents of the building  a mixture of low-income casual workers, artists and ex-civil servants  have been informed that the structure is to be torn down. According to the size of their units, they have been offered a meager sum per square meter as compensation. Nangs dad, the spokesman for an unofficial residents association, chairs meetings that get increasingly fractious, divided between those who want to hold out for a better offer and those who want to take the money and run  meetings held outside on the rooftop, with a view across the urban skyline and its many cranes.

Meanwhile, the dilapidated building is rotting around their ears. As Nangs dreams of dance fame start to recede  Tol leaves the country and Kanha couples up  leaks spring from the stained ceilings and patches of mold flourish in the unkempt plasterwork. At the same time, in a somewhat obvious parallel, Nangs fathers toe begins to blacken with gangrene that threatens to creep up his leg. He refuses to go to the hospital, preferring instead to trust in folk remedies made of honey and household spices.

Its a shame that as the demolition clock ticks louder, the pace of the film  never exactly breakneck  slows paradoxically down. The action slackens, and even Douglas Seoks reliably handsome camerawork can only do so much to keep us invested in such passive protagonists. Both Nang and his father, though often on opposite sides of an argument, seem paralyzed by the oncoming disruption to their lives. One brooding composition silhouettes them against the tatty textures of an old mosquito net that glows orange in the evening light  it makes them seem trapped in amber. Nangs dreams of being Cambodias Next Superstar! dissipate, replaced by vaguely sinister visions of his father, uncharacteristically wearing a suit, walking down the ruined, deserted hallways of the White Building. A sense of inevitability pervades the drama, making it heavy and drowsy.

Its clear what attracted Chinese powerhouse Jia Zhangke to come aboard Neangs promising, sympathetic but underpowered debut as a co-producer. In dealing with gentrification in an Asian metropolis that is undergoing rapid development no matter the human cost, the film speaks to many of Jias prevailing concerns. But despite how close the subject evidently is to Neangs heart, his film is most compelling when it shifts up a gear, when we watch Nang rehearse with Tol and Kanha, or see the three of them weaving through the nighttime traffic piled onto a scooter, batting flirtatious repartee with three girls perched on a chugging moped. White Building is a slow-cinema eulogy for Phnom Penhs recent past, but its in its livelier moments that Neang lays claim to the Cambodian art-house future.

Reviewed in Venice Film Festival (Horizons), Sept. 8, 2021. Running Time: 90 MIN. (Original title: Bodeng Sar)

Running Time: Running Time: 90 MIN

Production

(Cambodia-France-China,) An Anti-Archive and Apsara Films production in co-production with Xstream Pictures and Kongchak Pictures. (World sales: Les Films du Losange, Paris). Producers: Davy Chou, Marine Arrighi de Casanova. Co-producers: Jia Zhangke, Loy Te, Rotha Moeng, Brandon Hashimoto.

Crew

Director: Kavich Neang. Screenplay: Kavich Neang, Daniel Mattes. Camera: Douglas Seok. Editor: Felix Rehm. Music: Jean-Charles Bastion.

With

Piseth Chhun, Sithan Hout, Sokha Uk, Chinnaro Soem, Sovann Tho, Jany Min, Chandalin Y. (Khmer dialogue)

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have arrested a man who was wanted in Dallas for sexually assaulting a child.

CBP Field Operations is always ready to assist our law enforcement partners in locating those wanted persons with outstanding warrants, especially those allegedly involved in heinous crimes of a sexual nature with children, said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry.
The month of September 2021 was proclaimed Gold Star Families Month on Tuesday in honor of Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza and all of the servicemen who died in the line of duty and their families.

READ MORE: Man hit by vehicle over weekend in Laredo dies

This is a compounding recognition as the last Sunday of September is Gold Star Mothers and Familys Day.

It is important to me to honor the families of fallen service members to let them know they are in our thoughts and in our prayers, and to extend our most sincere gratitude for the sacrifices their servicemembers, Commissioner Cindy Liendo stated. They as a family have endured to protect the sacred freedoms we enjoy in this country.

The ceremony was held at the Webb County Commissioners Courthouse, where a large flag displaying the gold star waved over the podium and attendees. Liendo explained that the Webb County community is home to a large number of veterans and gold star families, and the proclamation was a recognition in honor of them.

The proclamation was also to bring more awareness to Gold Star families and the support they may need from their surrounding neighbors, friends and family.

According to the U.S. Army, the country began observing Gold Star Mother's Day on the last Sunday of September in 1936. The Gold Star Wives were formed before the end of World War II, and the Gold Star Lapel Button was established in August 1947.

The strength of our nation is our Army. The strength of our Army is our Soldiers. The strength of our Soldiers is our families. The Army recognizes that no one has given more for the nation than the families of the fallen, the U.S. Army wrote.

David Garza, Webb County Veterans Officer, emotionally explained that the recognition is a complex affair that involves multiple servicemembers working in tandem to retrieve and deliver the fallen soldiers to the families. From the initial pickup to the preparations, deceased servicemembers are taken care of before the families are notified.

The Golden Star mothers, fathers and spouses are notified about the loss at the exact same time, Garza said. This is also the case in divorces where three service members are deployed to ensure that all immediate loved ones are notified.

The servicemembers in charge of notification  casualty assistance officers  have the difficult task of informing families and take the initial wave of emotions from the family. Garza said that they are trained to expect a slap to the face, a hug or a cry, all while maintaining their military bearings.

I personally never had that detail and Im glad I never did, to be honest with you, because its a very hard detail, he said.

According to a conversation between Garza and the CAO involved in Laredo, often times a familys reaction is one of denial. Garza, emotionally flustered after the explanation, stated that the entire process results in a new Gold Star family.

Victor Salazar, Veterans Programs Coordinator for the Texas Veterans Network, said that as an Army combat veteran who has lost many brothers in combat, at no point did he ever think about the families impacted.

It was always, we lost a brother, we are going to mourn for a brother, we will take vengeance for a brother, we are going to make a brother proud, he said. Until now, as the proclamation was made to have recognition of the families throughout the September.

In the wake of Espinozas death, a number of tributes throughout the city honored him and his family. He was buried at the Laredo Cemetery, in the military section alongside other local fallen service members over time.

Days ago, a U.S. Marine fell, and today his body was blessed and will be buried, Saenz said at the ceremony. There will be memories of him through his legacy, and they will ring true for generations to come as his soul was released to the ages till the mysteries of heaven. He was a son, a brother, a friend, but more importantly, he was a proud U.S. Marine. He served and died true to the motto of Semper Fidelis.

READ MORE: City of Laredo agrees to new tax rate

Prior to the conclusion, Liendo reminded the community about the Saturday DFW Post 9194 and the Webb County Veterans Service Officer Golden Star Mother and Families event. The event will honor those families and also include the unveiling of a new monument at Jarvis Plaza.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
LONDON (AP)  Police in Northern Ireland arrested two more men Wednesday over the murder of Lyra McKee, a journalist shot dead while covering a riot in Londonderry in 2019.

The Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the men, aged 24 and 29, were arrested in the city earlier and have been detained under the Terrorism Act.

Three men have already been charged with McKees murder on April 18, 2019, two of them last Friday. A further two men have been charged with rioting and additional offenses.

McKee, 29, was killed while standing near a police officer while observing an anti-police riot in the city, also known as Derry, when she was hit by a bullet by a masked gunman.

The self-claimed New IRA group, a small paramilitary group that opposes Northern Irelands peace process, has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its members shot the journalist by accident while firing at police.

McKee was an increasingly influential journalist who had written powerfully about social issues in Northern Ireland. Her death helped spur a successful effort to get feuding politicians to revive Northern Irelands power-sharing government, which had collapsed in 2017.

Both men charged last week for McKees murder were granted bail and have been ordered to return to court on Oct. 7. The two men, Gearoid Cavanaugh, 33, and Jordan Devine, 21, were also charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life. A prosecuting lawyer said the police case was that the two men were with the gunman who fired the shot that killed McKee.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  The last person seen with Kristin Smart before she vanished from a college campus 25 years ago on the Central California coast will stand trial on a murder charge in her suspected death and his father faces trial as an accomplice for allegedly helping bury her body, a judge ruled Wednesday.

San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen said there was probable cause Paul Flores, 44, killed Smart and that Ruben Flores, 80, helped dispose of her body, which has never been found.

The ruling was met with gasps from the gallery where Smarts parents sat with other family members and supporters, The Tribune reported.

Paul Flores was the last person seen with a very intoxicated Smart on May 25, 1996, as he helped walk her to her dorm at California Polytechnic State University after a party, witnesses said. Prosecutors said he killed Smart while trying to rape her in his dorm room.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Smart's body was once buried under a deck shielded by lattice behind Ruben Flores's home. Prosecutors said the body had been moved from that location and it's never been located.

Traces of human blood found were found under the deck along with stains in the soil and a disturbance in the earth the size of a human body, according to witnesses.

With a lack of DNA, nothing links it definitively to Ms. Smart, van Rooyen said, but it leads to a strong suspicion it was Ms. Smarts remains.

Defense attorneys said prosecutors did not present enough evidence during a 22-day preliminary hearing to support the criminal charges. But van Rooyen said there was probable cause, a lesser standard of proof than beyond a reasonable doubt, which prosecutors will have to prove at trial.

Both men have pleaded not guilty.

During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors also presented evidence that four cadaver dogs stopped at Flores room and alerted to the scent of death near his bed.

Van Rooyen prevented prosecutors from presenting evidence alleging Paul Flores drugged and raped four women and engaged in dozens of acts including stalking, unwanted touching and aggressive sexual behavior.

Some women told police that Flores was referred to as Chester the molester and psycho Paul, according to a court document filed by prosecutors.

The judge said the evidence had limited relevance to the murder case and risked creating greater prejudice against Flores.

When Flores first spoke with police, he downplayed his interactions with Smart at the party and on the walk home. He said she walked to her dorm under her own power, though other witnesses said Flores was helping hold her up and that she had passed out earlier in the night.

Three days after Smart disappeared, Flores had a black eye that he told police he got playing basketball. Friends disputed that account and Flores later changed his story to say it happened while working on his car.

Van Rooyen said Flores' comments about the black eye showed a consciousness of guilt.

William Hanley, head of the district attorneys investigative bureau in 1996, said Flores eventually stopped cooperating with authorities.

When Hanley asked Flores what he thought happened to Smart, he said she probably left with somebody and he thinks shes dead, Hanley said.
A new anti crime body set up to address community safety issues countywide could see a further three sub committees being rolled out in order to address issues locally.

They were the soundings to come from the inaugural meeting of Longford's Community Safety Partnership on Monday.

In excess of 30 committee members were in attendance as Department of Justice officials held a watching brief in front of chairperson and former Galway and Louth County Council chief executive Martina Maloney.

The calls for additional sub committees came on foot of Ms Maloney's own suggestions for a training or workshop style event to be held in the wake of Monday's meeting.

This, she said, could prove beneficial in addressing the body's public consultation obligations which constituted a specific requirement of its terms of reference.

Former Joint Policing Committee chairperson Cllr Seamus Butler was the first to raise the possibility of sub groups being formed with the Fianna Fail local politician recommending a garda and community liaison committees be set up.

His party colleague Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi said she was in favour of at least three sub committees as the meeting heard appeals for the new partnership project to be calculated in setting out its targets over the next two years of its expected lifespan.

I totally support three committees with ten people on each, said Fine Gael Cllr Peggy Nolan.

If we bite off more than we can chew, we are going nowhere.

Cllr Nolan said it was imperative the new organisation was given an equal resource based footing as that of its two sister pilot projects in Waterford and inner city Dublin.

We need to go down the road of a small number of strategic objectives over our two year term if we want to achieve our works programme, added Cllr Gerry Warnock.
A former county council employee was convicted of engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour at Longford District Court last week after he shouted at gardai during the course of a drink fuelled incident in Longford earlier this year.

Forty-two-year-old Paul Owens, 27 Oakvale, Longford, was handed down a 250 fine for breaching Section 6 of the Public Order Act arising out of an incident on July 2, 2021.

Sgt Mark Mahon, for the State, said gardai were called to the defendant's home address shortly after midnight.

He said upon entering the house, officers spoke to Mr Owens who, the court heard, had been in a dispute and was asked to leave.

Moments later, and as he prepared to make his departure, Mr Owens yelled: 'F*** you, you f****** scumbags' to gardai.

Details surrounding the alleged incident were read out after Mr Owens' solicitor Brid Mimnagh said her client was seeking an adjournment owing to the accused man's inability to arrange a consultation with his legal team.

Judge Seamus Hughes refused to consider those suggestions, however, saying Mr Owens had ample opportunity since the date of the alleged offence to consider his position.

You had all that time in which to talk to solicitors, he told him.

Now, we can have a chat.

In continuing to press Mr Owens as to whether he was acceptive of his alleged culpability on the night of the incident, Mr Owens indicated he would be pleading guilty.

Asked by Judge Hughes about any previous convictions, Sgt Mahon said Mr Owens had no prior indiscretions for public order offences but did have a number for road traffic offences.

In defence, Ms Mimnagh said her client was someone who had previously worked for close to two decades with Dublin County Council, but had regrettably lost his job and moved to Longford in the recent past.

She added Mr Owens was very much intent on staying out of trouble and anxious to re-enter the workforce.

Judge Hughes fined Mr Owens 250 for the Section 6 Public Order offence while striking out a second Section 4 offence of being drunk in a public place.
The signing of a new international twinning agreement between Granard and East Rouen in Normandy has been the result of two years painstaking behind the scenes work.

Chairperson of Granard's Town Twinning Group, Moira Mahon expressed her delight at last week's historic signing in the presence of French Ambassador to Ireland, Vincent Guerend in Dublin.

It is certainly a momentous time for Granard and wonderful to see the enthusiasm of all the community groups for our Town Twinning adventure, she said.

Our Town Twinning Group has emerged from a desire to develop a relationship with the region of Normandy and build on our shared heritage.

Ms Mahon alluded to Granard's rich Norman heritage and in particular Richard De Tuite, the founder of Granard who was a former resident of La Huite in Normandy, France.

It has taken two years to build the bridge and welcome our visitors from East Rouen and whilst Longford has a long tradition of twinning, we in Granard are in the infancy stage.

The former Cnoc Mhuire principal described the events of last week as a new adventure for the town of Granard and one which its twinning committee and public at large are looking forward to with enthusiasm.

Local Parish Priest Fr Simon Cadam followed suit and cited how the new alliance between both communities would help further underpin Granard's all-round tourism appeal for decades to come.
23rd September 2021

Runtime 29:21

We were delighted to welcome Tom Reynolds, the Scirocco Energy (SCIR) CEO to our September Investor Webinar, held on the evening of 21 September 2021. Tom explained the Scirocco strategy and then took questions live from the audience. He confirmed the gas asset Ruvuma was up for sale, that negotiations were taking place with interested parties, and indicated that these things take their time in Tanzania.

By way of background, Scirocco Energy is an AIM-listed investing company targeting assets within the European energy market. It has recently taken a 50% interest in Energy Acquisitions Group, or EAG, a specialist operating vehicle which gives Scirocco access to a pipeline of already identified acquisition opportunities within the rapidly growing UK anaerobic digestion and biogas market. The Company also has legacy assets including 25% of the Ruvuma Licence in Tanzania and a 1% holding in AIM listed Helium One.

We were also delighted to welcome PrimaryBid, who are sponsoring our Autumn webinars. As you probably already know, PrimaryBids raison detre is to give individuals access to one-off public company fundraisings and IPOs on the same terms as institutional investors. The best way to hear about their offers is to register for their website - primarybid.com.
23rd September 2021

Runtime 30:46

We were delighted to have Colin Harrington, CEO at Zephyr Energy (ZPHR) speak at our London South East September Investor Webinar 21.09.2021. Colin was terrific and gave a very detailed update and subsequent Q&A in which he gave us lots of detail about how they asses each near-term non-operated deal and indeed what deals they may potentially do in the future. Likewise he gave lots of detail about exploration and development work ongoing in the Paradox Basin, Utah.

As you may know, AIM-listed Zephyr Energy are an ESG-focused oil and gas business with operated assets in the Rocky Mountains, and they have also been buying distressed non-operated assets in the Willmington Basin in North Dakota. The plan is that revenue streams from the new assets should pay for exploration and future production in the Paradox Basin, Utah. The Zepyhr share price reflected the excitement with Zephyr the top performing share on AIM from January to June 2021. As of 21.09.2021 the market cap is around 71 million pounds.

Furthermore, we were delighted to welcome PrimaryBid who are sponsoring our Autumn webinars  PrimaryBids raison detre is to give individuals access to one-off public company fundraisings and IPO's on the same terms as institutional investors. The best way to hear about their offers is to register for their website at primarybid.com.
Angle PLC - Guildford, England-based liquid biopsy company - Says new study, from Health Research Institute of Santiago in Spain, demonstrates use of company's Parsortix to assess PD-L1 circulating tumor cells in patients with cancer.

Chief Executive Andrew Newland says: "Angle is pleased to see continued efforts being made to better identify patients who will respond well to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Whilst ICIs have revolutionised metastatic non-small cell lung cancer patient care, they are costly and associated with significant side effects.

"We have made substantial progress in the development of our Parsortix-based PD-L1 assay and are offering this to our pharma services customers. In addition, we are planning to investigate its utility in guiding immunotherapy treatments with the aim of offering the assay as a laboratory developed test from our clinical laboratories for patient management."

Current stock price: 118.00 pence

Year-to-date change: up from 47.75p

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserve.
Kazera Global PLC - diamonds and rare earths explorer in South Africa and Namibia - On Monday forms joint venture with MV Five (Pty) Ltd, which will take control of the Muisvlak diamond processing plant in South Africa in a five-year contract. Kazera currently uses Muisvlak for its diamond mining activities. Throughput is expected to increase sixfold to 35,000 tons of gravel per month because of the deal. Kazera will get 70% of the profit from the plant, and MV Five will get the rest. The plant is expected to become operational by October 1.

"Kazera expects the change in plant ownership to significantly increase the profitability of its diamond mining operations."

Current stock price: 1.27 pence

Year-to-date change: down 11%

By Ivan Edwards; ivanedwards@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







Clinigen Group PLC - Staffordshire-based pharmaceuticals and services provider - Signs exclusive agreement with Secura Bio Inc for the supply and distribution of Copiktra in most of Europe. Copiktra was granted marketing authorization by the European Medicines Agency in May 2021 as monotherapy for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia in patients who have received at least two prior therapies and for the treatment of follicular lymphoma that is refractory to at least two prior systemic therapies. Under the terms of the agreement Clinigen will market, supply and distribute Copiktra into 39 countries across Europe.







Tufton Oceanic Assets Ltd - London-based maritime assets investor - Company's investment manager commits to align its funds to the Paris Agreement by fully transitioning them to zero carbon energy sources by 2050 and investing in zero carbon capable vessels before 2030. "These new commitments are significantly ahead of current industry targets and aligned with those of other industry leaders who have also been members of the Getting to Zero Coalition alongside the Investment Manager since September 2019," company says.







SDI Group PLC - Cambridge-based medical technology firm - Makes good start to new financial year, saying it has been "modestly" above internal expectations. "Board remains confident that results for the full year will be delivered at least in line with market expectations," company adds. Says aits average forecast for sales in financial 2022 will be GBP42.1 million with adjusted pretax profit of GBP8.5 million. In year ended April 30, 2021 revenue was GBP35.1 million with pretax profit at GBP5.6 million.







Agronomics Ltd - Isle of Man-based alternative proteins company - Investee Mosa Meats BV secures funding from actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who will now act as an advisor to Mosa Meat. Agro has roughly 1.6% stake in Mosa. Mosa Chief Executive Maarten Bosch says: "Leonardo DiCaprio's work to bring about positive change is closely aligned with our mission at Mosa Meat. We are thrilled to bring him on board as advisor and investor and work together to feed current and future generations sustainably." Mosa grows beef directly from animal cells.







Helios Underwriting PLC - London-based investment vehicle which acquires and consolidates underwriting capacity at Lloyd's - Buys North Breache Underwriting Ltd, a limited liability member of Lloyd's of London. Total deal worth GBP3.9 million, with GBP3.4 million paid in cash and the rest settled in issue of 304,878 new shares at 164 pence each. The 2021 underwriting capacity of North Breache is GBP3.9 million. "In addition to the North Breache transaction, Helios is continuing to pursue a number of further Lloyd's LLV acquisitions in line with its strategy. Terms have been agreed in principle and contractual documentation is being finalised for a further 21 limited liability vehicles which in aggregate have capacity of GBP22.7 million," company adds.







Kanabo Group PLC - medical cannabis research and development - CBD products are now available for sale on UK eCommerce site dedicated to CBD, HandpickedCBD.com. "HandpickedCBD is one of the largest online CBD marketplaces in the UK listing 50 brands and more than 500 products from oils, edibles, drinks, topicals, vapes and capsules. HandpickedCBD is a wholly owned by Materia," company explains. Chief Executive Avihu Tamir adds: "Consumers now have access to the most potent yet non-intoxicating CBD formulas with only the highest quality of ingredients. Kanabo's R&D team has created these fast-acting formulas with the health and wellness of consumers in mind. We believe this agreement clearly demonstrates how closely the companies are already working together to bring Kanabo's proprietary products to market and accelerate the path to commercial sales volumes."







IXICO PLC - neuroimaging and digital biomarker analytics firm - Wins new contract with a value of more than USD750,000 over 2 years for advanced neuroimaging by an unnamed "top 5 global Clinical Research Organization" to support its sponsor's Phase II Alzheimer's disease clinical trial. "Conducted across 41 investigator sites within the US and Europe, the clinical trial will enrol patients with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a subcutaneously administered investigational product," company says. Chief Executive Giulio Cerroni adds: "One of the core elements of our commercial growth strategy has been to establish strong relationships with select therapeutically aligned partner CROs. This enables greater access to new biopharmaceutical clients and accelerates the adoption of our proprietary neuroimaging technology solutions, at scale."







Xtract Resources PLC - copper-gold projects in Australia, Mozambique and Zambia - Finds "particularly interesting" drill results from hole BRDD-21-017 from the Phase 2 diamond drilling programme at the Racecourse copper-gold deposit on the Bushranger project, located in the Lachlan Fold Belt of New South Wales, Australia. Hole completed at a total depth of 621.6 metres and tested the eastern contact of the porphyry, which has been little drill tested to date, company says, and intersected a 607 metres interval of visible chalcopyrite mineralisation from a shallow downhole depth of 11 metres. Executive Chair Colin Bird adds: "BRDD-21-017 is particularly interesting as it is the first drill hole in this drilling campaign to test for mineralisation on the eastern contact of the porphyry and two extensive mineralised zones were intersected which provide the potential for near surface ore to add to the conceptual open pit."







Rambler Metals & Mining PLC - Canada-focused copper and gold producer, explorer and developer - Notes Newfoundland & Labrador provincial government in Canada ups its Covid Alert to level 3, out of 5, in the Baie Verte area, where it has a project. "Rambler will adhere to all guidance and directives issued by the health authority. We are deemed to be an essential service by the province and will implement any and all measures to protect the health and well being of our workforce," company says.







Alien Metals Ltd - minerals exploration and development company - Maiden inferred iron ore reserves at Hancock Iron Ore Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia in excess of 10 million tonnes at 60.4% iron. Chief Executive Bill Good says: "We are really pleased to have delineated in excess of 10 million tonnes of direct shipping ore iron ore with our initial mineral resource statement at Hancock. With only a quarter of the Western Ridges targets tested to date, we believe there is considerable scope to grow the DSO resource over the next 6 months. Having a sizeable maiden resource is encouraging; having DSO material with low impurities is even more pleasing and we are pushing ahead on the scoping study work with Mining Plus and continued planning for the Phase 3 drilling programme."







Kavango Resources PLC - mineral exploration company with operations in Botswana - Appoints new senior commercial and exploration personnel to help Botswana exploration. Hires Tiyapo Ngwisanyi as managing director of Kavango Minerals; and John Lauderdale and Jeremy Brett as senior consulting geologists. Chief Executive Ben Turney says: "I am delighted to welcome Tipps, John and Jeremy on board. Each brings valuable skills, expertise and experience to Kavango. These senior appointments are the culmination of months of hard work and reflect the significant progress we have made as a business over the course of 2021. We still have a lot to do to make our first discovery, but it feels like the pieces are falling into place."







Advance Energy PLC - upstream oil and gas company - Says Buffalo-10 well, at the Buffalo project offshore Timor-Leste, on schedule to spud in early November 2021. Notes mid-case recoverable volume estimate is 34 million barrels in the Buffalo field. Advance holds a 50% working interest in Buffalo. Chief Executive Leslie Peterkin says: "The joint venture has been working hard to ensure everything is lined up to enable the safe drilling of this material well for the company. The joint venture is confident of Buffalo-10 being both a geological and economic success, and is therefore laying the groundwork to bring the field into production on an accelerated timeline. We look forward to providing a further update to confirm that the rig is in transit to location in due course."







Caerus Mineral Resources PLC - exploration & resource development company focussed on Europe - Diamond drill rig heading for Troulli project now to arrive one month ahead of schedule. Chief Executive Martyn Churchouse says: "The preliminary work undertaken over the past few months is starting to deliver results and the benefits of having two drill rigs available to us on a full-time basis is becoming evident. We have a well-defined drill programme prepared for Troulli and depending on the results of the scout drilling we expect to be able to roll out the diamond programme to include the prospective structure linking the Troulli and Kokkinapetra deposits and potentially increasing resource tonnes well beyond our projected estimates."







IQ-AI Ltd - Jersey-based medical services firm - Wins European patent for "Multiparameter Perfusion Imaging with Leakage Correction". "Already patented in the USA, this technology, also referred to loosely as 'dual-echo', is a combined magnetic resonance imaging acquisition and post-processing technology. IQ-AI subsidiary, Imaging Biometrics LLC, already possesses the post-processing technology made available in IB Neuro," company explains.







Path Investments PLC - energy and natural resources investment company - Enters conditional sale and purchase agreement to buy entire issued share capital of DG Innovate Ltd. As part of the deal, Path provided a secured loan facility to DG Innovate of up to GBP600,000.







Prospex Energy PLC - investor in onshore and shallow offshore European gas and power projects - Joint venture Tarba Energia SL approves budget for well intervention work at its gas to power project at El Romeral in southern Spain. Tarba is the operator of the plant. "Upon success, the well workover has the potential to increase gas production by up to 15,000 cubic metres per day and allow the subsequent start-up of a second generator to double electrical output," company says. Company has a 49.9% interest in the El Romeral gas to power plant through its interest in Tarba, which is the operator of the plant. The gross budget for the well intervention work is EUR89,000, comprising EUR65,000 for the well intervention and EUR24,000 for data acquisition.







By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserve
(Alliance News) - Warpaint London PLC on Wednesday said its due to launch in Boots stores as the cosmetics supplier swings to interim profit on higher sales.

Shares in Warpaint were trading down 2.7% at 211.25 pence each in London on Wednesday.

The budget cosmetics company swung to a pretax profit of GBP166,000 in the first half ended June 30, from a GBP1.5 million loss last year. Before the pandemic, Warpaint posted a GBP210,000 pretax loss in the first half of 2019 and interim profit of GBP1.3 million in 2018.

Revenue returned to pre-pandemic levels for the owner of the W7 and Technic brands, jumping 36% to GBP18.4 million in the first half from GBP13.5 million the year prior. In comparison, the company noted interim revenue of GBP18.9 million and GBP18.4 million in 2019 and 2018 respectively.

Nottingham, England-based health and beauty retailer Boots have agreed to stock W7 brand at an initial 84 stores from February 2022 onwards, the company said.

Sales of Warpaint's lead brand, W7, grew 59% year-on-year to GBP10.5 million from GBP6.6 million. At the half year point, W7 sales accounted for 57% of overall revenue.

W7 products can now be found in 1,300 Tesco stores, compared to only 56 stores in June 2020. Tesco held a UK market share of 27% as of August 8.

Affordable colour cosmetics remain its priority the company said. Cosmetics sales accounted for 88% of revenue in the first half compared to 82% last year.

In the US, W7 branded products are now stocked in over 1,000 branches of discount store Five Below. The company hopes to expand its overseas sales with the launch of W7 products on the popular Chinese e-commerce platforms Taobao Mall and Xiaohongshu.

Chief Executive Sam Bazini said: "We have seen particularly strong growth in the UK, with sales increasing beyond the level achieved in the first half of 2019, aided by the growing sales of our W7 brand through Tesco and of our Technic and Body Collection brands through wilko, with a further expansion of the W7 range in Tesco planned for later this year. Additionally, the planned launch of W7 into Boots provides a further significant opportunity. We have also seen a much improved performance in the US, strong growth elsewhere internationally and are seeing a rapid increase in online sales."

Warpaint reported an interim dividend of 2.5p, compared to 1.5p in 2020. However, the company noted that it did issue an additional 1.3p payout last year to compensate for a lack final dividend in 2019.

Full-year results are expected to be weighted towards the second half, the company noted, due to income from gifting. As of June 30, Warpaint said it has secured a Christmas order book worth GBP8.7 million.

By Scarlett Butler; scarlettbutler@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
The megayacht 'Infinity' has anchored off Cala Fornells in Peguera next to her mothership, Intrepid.

The luxurious private yacht underwent maintenance at Astilleros de Mallorca at the beginning of the summer and has just returned from the French Riviera.

Infinity was built at the specialist Oceanco shipyard in the Netherlands in 2015 for the American telecommunications magnate J. M. Nelson and her highly sophisticated interior was created by the prestigious naval designer, Espen Oeino. She is now listed under the ownership of the Superyacht Market Intelligence System SYT iQ.

She is 88.5 metres long, weighs 2946 tonnes, has a top speed of 18.5 knots and a crew of 27.

Infinity has a Master suite, 2 VIP suites, 4 guest suites, a cinema and a swimming pool with a large solarium and is accompanied by Intrepid on all her voyages.

The 69 metre long Intrepid weighs 1128 tonnes and was built by Damen in the Netherlands in 2016.

She has 3 decks, a helicopter flight deck and a large garage for small boats and water toys.
Kareena Kapoor Khan might be a product of nepotism but she has certainly carved her own niche in Bollywood with her choice of films. From making her debut in Refugee to playing the role of a prostitute in Chameli, she has picked up bold themes.

We cant deny the fact that it was one of the first path-breaking roles. She was lauded for her unconventional choice and role in the film. She was roped in for the role as a second preference, however, it turned out to be a career-defining film for the actress.





It was after Chameli that Kareena started taking up bolder roles. The actor was unsure of taking up the project initially as she was apprehensive of how her parents would react to her playing a prostitute on the screen and also smoking for her part. I had a talk with my parents and they backed me saying it was a bold theme and would do wonders to my career. And that, if I didnt take the plunge now I could run the risk of getting stuck in the glossy image thats been built around me, the actor had stated in an interview.

Talking about the preparation, she added, To get into the skin of the character I visited most of Mumbais red-light areas at night and would observe these sex workers from a distance from inside my car. I was keen to study their mannerisms, the kind of clothes they wore, and how they talked to clients.

She went on to add, Filmon me zaroor dekha hoga. Leki waha to hum Umrao Jaan aur Chandramukhi hote hain. Sachchai kuch aur hai (You must have seen them in movies. But there we appear as Umrao Jaan and Chandramukhi. The truth is very different).

We are glad that she picked up Chameli as it redefined how actresses from filmy backgrounds can pick such strong roles and prove their acting mettle.
When it comes to studying abroad or away, there are literally hundreds of programs to choose from at Miami. As a result, Global Initiatives has offered both a fall and spring Study Abroad Fair for several years in order to round up as many resources as possible in one place. Usually that place is a large, crowded room, as the photo above indicates.

Along came COVID-19, and both the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 study abroad fairs moved online, a new experience for everyone involved. With a theme of #FindYourPlace, students were encouraged to plan ahead for the time when study abroad programs would safely resume.

And this fall, you can #FindYourPlace at the study abroad fair in yet another new location: the great outdoors.

New Location, New Offerings

Scheduled for Monday, September 27 from 4-7 pm, the 2021 Study Abroad Fair will be held outdoors at MacCracken quad. As in past years, the fair will include information tables with representatives for Education Abroad scholarships and global internships, plus more than a dozen Miami faculty-led program directors. Third-party program providers in attendance include AIFS, Arcadia, CEA, DIS, IES, ISA-TEAN,SAI, and the University of Nicosia.

Director of Education Abroad Ryan Dye explained that the original plan was to resume holding the 2021 study fair indoors. In fact, he wanted to expand it into more of a professional conference, with opportunites to attend panel discussions conducted by program providers.

When COVID restrictions were announced by the university during the summer, he and his team decided to move the fair outside, but to also offer indoor panel sessions as originally planned. (See the schedule at right.)

And although Dye is confident that sunny skies will prevail on September 27, the Shriver Center Dolibois Rooms are on reserve in case of inclement weather.

Peer Advising Available

Education Abroad advisors can meet with students in-person or virtually, offering both drop-in hours and scheduled appointments. But sometimes connecting with a student who has already completed a study abroad experience can lend additional perspective. This fall, seven Study Abroad Ambassadors will expand their outreach to serve as peer advisors. Their first big event will be the study abroad fair.
AG Nessel Joins Bipartisan Coalition Supporting Federal Legislation to Modernize Antitrust Enforcement, Protect Consumers

AG Nessel Joins Bipartisan Coalition Supporting Federal Legislation to Modernize Antitrust Enforcement, Protect Consumers

September 21, 2021 LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Nessel joined a bipartisan coalition of 31 other attorneys general in applauding legislative proposals to modernize federal antitrust laws.

In a letter sent to House and Senate leaders, the attorneys general urged them to continue making improvements to several antitrust laws via a range of bills moving through Congress, including the continued consideration of Ending Platform Monopolies Act, the American Choice and Innovation Online Act, the Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, the Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching ("ACCESS") Act, the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, and the State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act.

The attorneys general recommend the addition of provisions that would further protect consumers from unlawful and irresponsible mergers and business practices, and to facilitate competition and innovation.

"As efforts to modernize federal antitrust laws continue, it remains imperative that priority is given to consumer protections and ensuring continued competition and innovation," Nessel said. "I join my colleagues in recognizing the importance of the pending legislation and stand ready to offer input as the bills go before our federal lawmakers."

The letter notes that updated legislation is required to respond to changes in technology, decreased competition in important sectors, and undue judicial skepticism towards robust antitrust enforcement, commending the antitrust bills as steps in the right direction.

Along with these updates to Federal law, the coalition also urges Congress to include in the proposed legislation provisions confirming that the states are sovereigns that stand on equal footing with federal enforcers under federal antitrust law, including with regard to the timing of challenging anticompetitive mergers and other practices.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in sending this letter are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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Lynsey Mukomel agpress@michigan.gov Attorney General
AG Nessel, SOS Benson Back Commonsense Approach to Concealed Carry Laws

AG Nessel, SOS Benson Back Commonsense Approach to Concealed Carry Laws

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622

September 22, 2021

LANSING - Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 19 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court defending New York's law regulating when individuals may obtain a license to carry firearms in public.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson also affirmed support for the regulation given her stance on preventing open carry at election polling locations.

The coalition of attorneys general argue that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does not provide Americans with an unrestricted right to carry loaded firearms in virtually all public places, but instead, in keeping with centuries of tradition, allows states to enact policies regulating public carry that are tailored to local public safety concerns and needs.

"We must not conflate commonsense safety regulations with infringing on the Second Amendment," Nessel said. "As this brief correctly points out, our country has long relied on state discretion to regulate the public carry of firearms and backtracking would be nothing short of federal overreach. I am proud to join this coalition and appreciate support from Secretary Benson."

In addition to joining the coalition brief, Attorney General Nessel and Secretary Benson fully support an amicus brief filed by the League of Women Voters. Upholding commonsense regulations like New York's will help ensure states maintain the right to provide voters with safe access to polling locations, free from the unnecessary threat of firearms. The amicus brief filed by the League persuasively and powerfully details why the Second Amendment should not be interpreted to bar regulations like New York's from protecting voters in exercising their First Amendment right to vote.

"Fair, free and secure elections are the foundation of our democracy, and I continue to stand for the right of all eligible Michigan citizens to vote without fear of threats, intimidation or harassment," Benson said. "Prohibiting the open carry of firearms in areas where citizens cast their ballots is necessary to ensure every voter is protected, which is why a Michigan court made clear last year that it is illegal to brandish a firearm anywhere people are voting and why I am proud to support the League of Women Voters amicus brief submitted today that reaffirms this truth."

A one-size-fits-all approach to regulating public carry would take away the ability of officials, democratically elected by the people of their states, to address the unique public safety needs of their residents, the coalition points out. In this case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, the petitioners are asking the Supreme Court to grant Americans the right to carry loaded firearms anytime, in virtually any public place - disregarding the established practice that States and local governments may regulate the public carry of firearms in their jurisdictions.

In its brief, the coalition argues that throughout the history of this country, public carry regulations have varied from region to region, and that tradition actually goes back more than 700 hundred years in England and pre-dates the founding of the United States. Regulations today and centuries ago "varied substantially between and within the States-the result of accountable policymakers enacting regulatory schemes tailored to local needs and conditions."

Joining Attorney General Nessel in the filing are attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
Sept. 21, 2021

A planned seed orchard on two parcels of land near Brighton eventually could grow into a parklike setting with well-spaced, healthy trees and grassy areas. But first, the hilly land owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources between Brighton Road and Cunningham Lake Road in Genoa Township, in southeast Livingston County, needs to be leveled to accommodate the orchard. The most cost-effective route to that is a short-term lease of the rights to mine sand and gravel on the properties. "We're not offering this lease to make money," said Jason Hartman, silviculturist for the DNR. "It's one step in a series of steps toward getting to our goal for state forest planning and for this land. It's good for the state and good to have more green space in the community."

Public information meeting in October

The DNR will schedule a public meeting in October to discuss the steps in the multiyear process and answer residents' questions.

The properties, which are near several residential subdivisions, include a 50-acre parcel and a 77-acre parcel. Both were listed as surplus properties by the state and destined for auction. But they're also near the DNR's Tree Improvement Center, where seedlings are grown to help maintain healthy landscapes among more than 3.9 million acres of state forests.

The DNR has managed seed orchards to procure jack pine and red pine seeds at the Tree Improvement Center for about 50 years. Red pine seeds are especially difficult to collect in a natural setting, so orchards are used to provide large volumes of pine cones to help in DNR reforestation efforts. Seeds are extracted and nurtured under controlled conditions, then transplanted to forest land. Using seed orchards helps guarantee the health and success of future forests.

Hartman said it makes sense to use the additional property to help grow trees, as space has become a limiting factor at the Tree Improvement Center.

Timber sale underway to clear land for new planting

A timber sale to remove existing trees on the properties is in progress.

Current plans are to lease sand and gravel mining rights for a limited time to reshape the land before seed trees are planted.

"It's going to reclaim the site," Hartman said. "The land was in bad shape, which is the primary reason that the state had identified it as surplus. It has old gravel pits on it. It has invasive plant species all over the place. It's not in a good state for conservation."

One of the sites also contains an underground plume of chloride. The pollution has been monitored by the state's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Eric Chatterson, geology specialist with EGLE's Water Resources Division, said the plume has been evaluated in regard to the proposed sand and gravel mining activity.

"The data indicates that no adverse impacts to the plume will be caused by the proposed activities," he said. "Any groundwater withdrawal or discharge at the site would have to comply with all current EGLE regulations and oversight."

Hartman also said that contractors completing work at the site will be expected to take steps to keep noise, dust and the visual impact of their work at a minimum.

"My hope is that we can work together to mitigate these issues," he said. "That is something that our partners can help us determine throughout the permitting process."

Goal: a parklike setting, open to the public

Hartman said he hopes the community can keep the long-term objective in mind.

"A lot of people are expressing concerns about the environment and conservation," he said. "The DNR wants to prioritize those values as well, both for this site and for forests across the state."

If the seed orchard project falls through, the land in question would likely be auctioned and developed for housing. A housing project also would require significant earth-moving and construction and would result in a loss of green space.

Hartman said the DNR plans to prioritize the pace of reclamation in the leasing process. Proposals that include a shorter timeline to complete the project, while still meeting all conservation and safety criteria, would be scored higher.

Once reclamation work is complete, people would be encouraged to walk in and enjoy these lands. Seed orchards are grown at low density to produce bushy trees for easier harvesting of cones. They also are mowed to reduce competition and disease. This translates into an open setting with healthy, full trees and lots of green space.

Steps in the process

Steps needed to make two DNR-owned parcels of land in Genoa Township into a tree orchard include:
2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools Include 13 From Michigan

2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools Include 13 From Michigan

Martin Ackley, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs 517-241-4395 Education

September 22, 2021

LANSING - Thirteen public schools in Michigan are being recognized as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools for their exemplary academic successes, according to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).

The 13 schools are among 325 recognized nationwide for the prestigious annual honor, bestowed by the U.S. Department of Education (USED), for overall academic performance and progress in closing the achievement gap among student groups.

"We congratulate these schools, their educators and students on their accomplishments," State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice said. "They deserve our praise for their work in a difficult time."

Michigan's 2021 honorees are:

School District Martin Luther King Elementary School Ann Arbor Public School District Avoca Elementary School Yale Public School District Conant Elementary School Bloomfield Hills School District Dutton Elementary School Caledonia Community School District Haigh Elementary School Dearborn City School District Henry Ford Early College Dearborn City School District Douglas Elementary School Saugatuck Public Schools Lakeshore Elementary School West Ottawa Public Schools Webber Elementary School Lake Orion Community School District Graveraet Elementary School Marquette Area Public School District Alaiedon Elementary School Mason Public School District (Ingham) Barnard Elementary School Troy School District Leonard Elementary School Troy School District

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced this year's 325 National Blue Ribbon Schools during his Return to School Road Trip that included Michigan stops attended by Dr. Rice.

"I commend all our Blue Ribbon honorees for working to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs," Secretary Cardona said. "In the face of unprecedented circumstances, you found creative ways to engage, care for, protect, and teach our children."

USED recognizes all schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, student group scores and graduation rates:

Exemplary High-Performing Schools are among their state's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.

are among their state's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools are among their state's highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school's student groups and all students.

Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. USED invites National Blue Ribbon Schools nominations from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.

In its 39th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools program has bestowed almost 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools, with some schools winning multiple awards.

USED is honoring this year's Blue Ribbon schools at a recognition ceremony Nov. 4-5 near Washington, D.C. Each school receives a plaque and flag.

For more information on the National Blue Ribbon School program, visit:

http://www.ed.gov/nationalblueribbonschools.

To contact the USED press office, call (202) 401-1576 or email press@ed.gov.
Gov. Whitmer Secures Grants to Empower Women

Gov. Whitmer Secures Grants to Empower Women

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 20, 2021

Contact: Press@Michigan.gov

Gov. Whitmer Secures Grants to Empower Women

Fostering Access Rights and Equity Grant will help women workers understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace

LANSING, Mich. - Governor Whitmer today announced that the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau awarded the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) $350,000 in a Fostering Access Rights and Equity (FARE) grant to help women workers understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace.

"Women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is crucial that we step up to empower women at the workplace," said Governor Whitmer. "I am grateful to Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and the Biden Administration for their work in supporting women's economic recovery by increasing access to resources. This FARE grant will help our community organizations connect women to affordable childcare and provide them with the tools that the they need to succeed."

The Michigan Women's Commission, housed within LEO, will administer the grant and work with community-based organizations in southeast Michigan to connect women to eligible benefits under the American Rescue Plan, prioritizing available child care subsidies and eligibility for additional benefits.

"With continued investments in programs and services that remove barriers that prevent women from full and continuous participation in the workforce, we will ensure Michigan women are fully accessing these opportunities," said Susan Corbin, LEO director. "The Michigan Women's Commission is uniquely positioned to help connect women to these resources, paving a path for more Michigan women, children and families to succeed.

The Michigan Women's Commission will receive funding in the form of a grant to help women workers understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace by doing the following:

Providing outreach to low-income and marginalized women workers;

Disseminating educational materials through varied platforms, including social media, in-person or virtual events, brochures and leaflets, one-on-one consultations, and other outreach;

Assisting women workers with navigating and calculating benefits;

Connecting and referring women workers to additional services, benefits, and/or legal assistance as needed, reasonable, and/or available; and

Helping women to become focal points for rights, benefits, and assistance in their own communities (i.e., a train-the-trainer model for navigation).

"As our nation continues its recovery, we must include targeted programming for women workers who are affected by the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately," said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su. "Fostering Access, Rights and Equity grants fund vital partnerships to help inform women about their rights and benefits and ensure that women workers share in the prosperity of the nation's economic recovery."

"The Women's Bureau is determined to overcome the systemic discrimination, racism and gender inequality that women have historically faced," said Women's Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon. "The grants we've awarded today support organizations working on behalf of underserved and marginalized low-income women to ensure their rights to employment are protected and that they have access to all of the benefits available to them."

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Governor Whitmer Launches Two Initiatives to Advance Michigan's EV Infrastructure and Workforce Landscape

Governor Whitmer Launches Two Initiatives to Advance Michigan's EV Infrastructure and Workforce Landscape

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 22, 2021

Contact: Press@Michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer Launches Two Initiatives to Advance Michigan's EV Infrastructure and Workforce Landscape

Lake Michigan EV Circuit to expand EV infrastructure network along Lake Michigan, support region's tourism industry.

MiREV RFP issued to help prepare Michigan's workforce for automotive mobility and electrification jobs and career pathways.

Michigan remains center of high-tech vehicle production and job creation

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. - At the Mackinac Policy Conference, Governor Gretchen Whitmer today announced two new initiatives to continue advancing Michigan's electric vehicle (EV) and mobility landscape by building out critical charging infrastructure in the state and ensuring the strong pipeline of talent needed for automotive mobility and electrification career pathways. The Lake Michigan EV Circuit and the Michigan Revolution for the Electrification of Vehicles (MiREV) build on yesterday's launch of Governor Whitmer's MI New Economy plan that focuses on growing the middle class, supporting small businesses and investing in our communities.

"I am laser focused on growing our economy, creating good-paying jobs and building the future of mobility and electrification right here in Michigan," said Governor Whitmer. "Today's announcements build on our rich Pure Michigan tradition of exploration and bring together communities and small businesses to ensure that we honor our past as the place that put the world on wheels and continue to invest in our workforce as we lead the transition to electric vehicles."

The Lake Michigan EV Circuit: Expanding Michigan's EV Infrastructure

The Lake Michigan EV Circuit delivers on the Governor's 2019 vision for an electric vehicle route with reliable charging options along Lake Michigan and key tourism clusters, creating the best new road-trip for EV owners in America. The Lake Michigan EV Circuit will tie together key coastal and rural communities, state and national parks and tourism attractions into a wider EV infrastructure network, installing EV infrastructure along sites where chargers are needed to fill the route's demands of high summer utilization and challenging winter weather battery performance constraints.

The charging sites along the Lake Michigan EV Circuit will include either DC fast charging or level 2 chargers depending on the electrical infrastructure at the host site. Grants to install the charging infrastructure will be provided through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Charge Up MI program with $1.25 million in funding initially available and eligibility limited to site hosts that meet the geographical and user-experience designs of the Lake Michigan EV Circuit's route.

"Michigan put the world on wheels. Now we are making those wheels more sustainable, less polluting, and part of the push to decarbonize Michigan's economy by 2050 through the state's Mi Healthy Climate Plan," said Liesl Clark, EGLE Director. "Building muscle onto Michigan's EV charging infrastructure is a cornerstone of moving away from climate pollution."

EGLE will work in partnership with the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification and Michigan Department of Transportation on the initiative to support a more environmentally conscious transportation infrastructure here in the state that benefits businesses and consumers alike.

"The Lake Michigan EV Circuit fits nicely with MDOT's goal of enhancing connectivity," said MDOT Director Paul C. Ajegba. "I am very pleased we can work with our partners in government and the private sector and help fund an initiative that supports our state's major job providers and our shared goal to reduce emissions that harm the planet."

Michigan's tourism industry contributes more than $26 billion to the state's economy, supporting more than 350,000 jobs. One of the industries hardest hit by the impacts of COVID-19, the Lake Michigan EV Circuit builds on the continued success of the state's Pure Michigan campaign to help the industry recover by offering an exciting ecotourism attraction and reducing range anxiety for out-of-state visitors from population centers along Lake Michigan, such as Chicago and Milwaukee.

MiREV to Further Enable Michigan's Mobility and EV Workforce

The Whitmer Administration has remained laser-focused on making sure Michigan workers can access the training and education they need to stay competitive in this new economy. The Michigan Revolution for Electrification of Vehicles Academy/Academies (MiREV) will help position Michigan at the center of that growth by proactively preparing the talent needed for automotive mobility and electrification current, emerging, future jobs and career pathways. LEO is looking to partner with three to five organizations for this effort for a total investment of up to $5 million through a competitive RFP process.

"By using an employer-led collaborative approach, we can effectively respond to the specific knowledge and skill demands of the automotive mobility and electrification industry," said Susan Corbin, Director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). "MiREV will deliver a measurable return on investment for both employers and learners."

MiREV will work directly with employers to ensure Michigan has the right kinds of programs and resources to fill both current and future talent gaps for in-demand and emerging jobs in the mobility and electrification industry. This will include determining projected job openings, identifying competencies, credentials and other hiring requirements, reskilling and upskilling incumbent workers, identifying training opportunities for job seekers interested in industry and conducting career awareness and promotion of EV-related industries and its occupations with Michigan's future workforce.

"The outcomes of this RFP will ensure employers are able to address their most critical workforce needs while job seekers have access to better employment outcomes and career pathway opportunities in the mobility and electrification industry," said Stephanie Beckhorn, Director of LEO's Office of Employment and Training. "As this industry continues to expand, investments like MiREV will support the growth opportunities for companies, investors and workers."

Beginning today, September 22, LEO's Office of Employment and Training and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification have released a Request for Proposals that seeks to identify one or more conveners who can lead this statewide initiative, with applications due November 8. For details on eligibility and to access the RFP visit Michigan.gov/MICA.

MiREV will further support Michigan's efforts to create a clean energy future through electrification while continuing to prepare the state's workforce to secure the new jobs that are being developed in Michigan's automotive and mobility sector and keep Michigan on track to meet Governor Whitmer's goal of having 60% of the working-age population with postsecondary education or skills training by 2030.

Michigan remains the center of high-tech electric vehicle production in the U.S.

More than 15,000 mobility and automotive manufacturing jobs have been created since 2019 - many supporting increased electric vehicle manufacturing here in Michigan.

Last week, Ford announced a new $250 million investment and 450 direct jobs across three southeast Michigan facilities - Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, Rawsonville Components Plant, and Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center - to support F-150 Lightning production capacity increase.

GM located its first fully dedicated electric vehicle assembly plant in Hamtramck, with a commitment of 2,200 jobs.

Stellantis is building JEEP plug in hybrid models at the first new assembly plant in Detroit in three decades as part of investment creating 6,433 jobs in Michigan, including for more than 4,100 Detroit residents.

Manufacturers, suppliers and R&D facilities are also choosing Michigan with XL Fleet opening its new Fleet Electrification Technology Center in Wixom and Magna International building a state-of-the-art facility in St. Clair to support GM's new GMC Hummer EV.

Just as Michigan put the world on wheels, with the MI New Economy plan as its foundation, the state is once again where the future is being built - as the epicenter of high-tech electric vehicle production in the U.S. as well as the premier location for young companies to start, scale, commercialize and grow technologies redefining the movement of people and goods.

"By working collaboratively across both the public and private sector we can continue to encourage EV adoption, enable our workforce and build our manufacturing core all while working to meet our goals to be carbon neutral in Michigan by 2025," said Trevor Pawl, Chief Mobility Officer at the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. "From charging stations spanning the Lake Michigan shoreline to building the pipeline to fill critical jobs in EV-related industries today and in the future, we are building a stronger state economy through safer, more equitable and environmentally conscious transportation for all Michigan residents"

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My current situation, I feel, can be illustrated by my bookshelf.

The top shelf currently only has two pegs keeping it in the frame. Most of the time, its fine, but if you put too much weight on the back or front of the plank, it will tip and spill half the contents. So yeah, thats currently my situation: a precarious balancing act that, if not handled correctly, occasionally turns into an avalanche of DVDs and Xbox 360 games.

Though, that could just be what its like, moving into your first (second for me, but I dont count the first time) apartment in your mid-20s. A week in, half my stuff still looks unpacked, Ive eaten more canned soup than I have in the last 24 years combined, and I dont even have a bed yet. Its like those memes that say, You know youre in your mid-20s when, and just going off appearances, I check every box. The only thing missing is a bottle of antidepressants and thats just because mine got lost in the move.

Im not sure when adulthood went from confidence in ones own ability to manage at least some parts of life to trying to make the best of a constantly hot mess. Surely adulthood is supposed to be about moving forward with life; but if the anecdotal evidence Ive gathered is anything to go by, my generations perspective on adulthood is more like a ship constantly sprouting holes. You cant actually fire up the engine and go anywhere because you need to plug up the three new holes that punctured the hull while you were fixing the one in the bathroom.

Just keeping it above water seems to be a perfectly acceptable baseline for most people my age. And to hear my parents tell it, adulthood is nothing but having no idea what youre doing. But if my parents and their generation experienced the same drug-sustained, anxious, fundamentally disorganized existence that most Zoomers and Cuspers have experienced their first few weeks of living on their own, Ill eat my overused AirPods.

The start of adulthood, at some point, implied you were ready for it; you at least needed to know how to use a planner by the age of 20. Now it just implies you consume a lot of toaster waffles, coffee, and Diazepam. And any potential love of planners was beaten out of you by every high school guidance counselor that recommended the stupid things.

Connor Veenstra is a staff writer for the Huron Daily Tribune. He can be reached at connor.veenstra@hearstnp.com.
This past weekend was Kindes Polish festival, the only festival of ethnic pride in this area. It seemed fun from the photos I was able to see of it, but for this time of year, I was looking forward to going to Oktoberfest in Frankenmuth.

This festival was someplace else I have been meaning to do to for a while. Frankenmuth is one of those day-trip destination places I find myself coming back to time and time again, that when I go there I always find something new. Even if you find the German architecture present tacky or desperate for tourists, it at least stands out from the constant farmhouses.

The main festival grounds were in the citys Heritage Park, behind the Bavarian Inn Lodge, underneath a large tent and inside a large hall with the typical Bavarian blue and white on the outside. It took me a while to get there since I parked near the Frankenmuth River Place Shops and thought what turned out to be a circus tent was where people were meant to go.

The hall, once inside, was pretty much where everyone attending, even the kids, wanted to be. Long rows of communal tables, a space for dancing, a stage for the German music bands to perform for some reason having a drum set for each band, banners with the Hofbrauhaus logo and the German flag, and multiple beer stations. Sadly, not all the beer served was German, but the crowd did give a shout every time a new keg was opened.

Outside of the makeshift beer hall, the tent area had more tables for sitting, long lines for the pretzel and food stands, and stands with Alpine yodeling hats, lederhosen, and checkerboard shirts. A stand gave people the chance to look up German ancestral names, then get a medieval font sheet of paper framed explaining the origins of the name and the family crest. I would have gotten one for my mom, whose maiden name is Franke and her ancestors came from the Frankfurt region of Germany, but the stand was backed up for two hours.

This Oktoberfest obviously does not completely stand to the original in Munich. The weekend I spent there while studying abroad just happened to be during the spring version of the festival, with plenty of other tourists there looking to get in the fun. There is even an amusement park somewhere downtown, though it happened to be closed the morning I walked by there. Even if it was not the main occasion, this celebration in April brought out the particular Oktoberfest spirit.

As I drove away from the grounds back through the downtown, plenty of other guests filled the city streets, going in and out of stores and restaurants as full as I have ever seen them. It would not surprise me if this was the busiest time of year for them.

Robert Creenan is a staff writer for the Huron Daily Tribune. He can be reached at robert.creenan@hearst.com.
MANISTEE -- A unanimous approval for a contract for dock replacement for the city marina, a presentation from the tree commission and discussion about pedestrian safety were the main activities at tonight's Manistee City Council meeting.

The city council approved a contract for Great Lakes Docks & Materials to replace a marina dock.
Looking for something to do? Heres a list of local community and nonprofit events. Please check with your club or organization to be certain of meetings, outings and classes, as they may be canceled because of bad weather or other reason. If any listing is inaccurate or to submit an event, contact Julie Norwood at 231-592-8358 or julie.norwood@pioneergroup.com.

 Cub Scout Pack 174 Registration Night: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, 223 E. 5th Ave., Reed City. Reed City Cub Scout Pack 174 will kick off its 2021-22 season with a Pack Meeting. All new and returning Scouts are invited to attend, and new Scouts can register to join the Pack during the meeting. Open to boys in grades 1-5.

 Wolfy Memorial Tournament: Friday, Sept. 24, and Saturday, Sept. 25. Contact: Cody Wyman at cwyman@cityofbr.org, 231-349-2060. For more information or to register a team, visit wolfymemorialtournament.com.

 Mosaic Mirror: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, at Artworks 106 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. Cost: $80 for Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 sessions; $60 for Sept. 25 session only. Contact: 231-796-2420

 Family Tailgate Party: 12:30-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 at Big Rapids First United Methodist Church, 304 Elm St., Big Rapids. Play some games, enjoy game day grub. Rain date is Oct. 2. RSVP at https://fb.me/e/4ALlYaYEx. Contact: Jeremy Wicks at (231) 796-7771.

 Tuba Bach Festival: 4 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 11-Oct. 17, outside at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 726 Fuller Ave., Big Rapids. A separate concert will be livestreamed online only, as well as on Sunny 97.3 FM at 4 p.m. Sundays. Visit www.tubabach.org. for links.

 Little Women: 7 p.m. Sept. 24, Sept. 25, Oct. 8, Oct. 9; and 2 p.m. Sept. 26, Oct. 2, Oct. 3 and Oct. 10; at CrossRoads Theatre, 249 W. Upton Ave., Reed City. Tickets are $10 each and can be reserved by calling 231-465-4044.

 Swiss Steak Dinner: 4-6:30 p.m. the last Friday of every month, April-October, at the Barryton Senior Center, 71 Northern Ave., Barryton. Includes dinner and dessert. Everyones welcome.

 Tai Chi: Noon on Wednesdays at Hemlock Park. Improve muscle tone, flexibility, balance and coordination. Newcomers welcome. brpr.org.

 Mecosta Co. Genealogical Society: Open 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every second Saturday, at 424 N. Fourth Ave., Big Rapids, next to Recycle. Thousands of obits and hundreds of books with history and genealogy for the Mecosta Co. area. Stop by or call Maureen Nelson at 231-250-5555 to set up an appointment.

 Mecosta County Sheriff Posse: 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Mecosta County Jail basement training room, 225 S. Stewart Ave., Big Rapids. This volunteer group is always looking for more members. For more info call 231-250-9241

 Lords Table Food Pantry: 3-5 p.m. Wednesdays at Faith Community Church, 610 Green St., Big Rapids. Everyone is welcome.

 Reed City Food Pantry: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, beginning Sept. 7, at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 831 S. Chestnut St., Reed City.

 Morley Community Center: The center, at 151 7th St., Morley, hosts weekly pickleball, open gym, indoor garage sales and outdoor market, in addition to monthly ancestry class, craft night and blood drive. For a list of activities, visit morleycenter.org/events or call 231-856-4496.

ARTWORKS ONGOING CLASSES, EXHIBITS

106 N. Michigan Ave. in Big Rapids / 231-796-2420 / artworksinbigrapids.org

 After School Arts: 3:45-5:15 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 1-29. Drop-ins welcome on a first come, first serve basis, but registration recommended. Register at Artworks gift shop or by calling 231-796-2420 the Monday before each session.

 Open Pottery: 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Cost: $10 per session, $60 for an eight-session punch card. (Additional firing fees apply. Clay may be purchased in bulk for $20 per 25 lbs.) Call 231-796-2420 to schedule your session.

 Hand Built Pottery Fall Session: 6-8 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 13, 20, 27, and Oct. 4, 18, 25. Cost: $150. Register by calling 231-796-2420 or online at www.artworksinbigrapids.org/pottery.

 Beginning Wheel Fall Session: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 15, 22, 29, and Oct. 5, 12, 26. Cost: $150. Register by calling 231-796-2420 or online at www.artworksinbigrapids.org/pottery.

 Fundamentals of Photography Beginner Course: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 15-Oct. 19. Cost: $75. Register by calling 231-796-2420 or online at www.artworksinbigrapids.org/photography.

 Forged in Fire for Beginners: 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 5-Nov. 9, at The Forge, 5710 18 Mile Road, Barryton. Learn the basics of bladesmithing by doing. Everything will be provided. Closed toe shoes are required. Cost: $150. Register at artworksinbigrapids.org/specialty-workshops.

 Exhibit  Joyful Journey: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, Aug. 30-Oct. 3. Exhibit features artwork Hope Network and MOISD students.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Six female lawmakers from Afghanistan have arrived in Greece as part of the wider evacuation effort and are expected to travel to the United States after a short stay, authorities said Wednesday.

Afghanistans twin-chamber parliament was effectively dissolved after the Taliban takeover of the country last month. The future of the national assembly and whether women will be allowed to hold any positions of authority remain uncertain.
BEIRUT (AP)  A former Lebanese government minister on Wednesday asked the countrys top court to remove the lead judge investigating last years massive explosion in Beirut's port because of allegedly legitimate suspicion over his handling of the case, state media reported.

The development is the latest in a year-long saga surrounding the investigation into the explosion, which plunged Lebanon into another political crisis and accelerated an already unprecedented economic meltdown.

The country's government resigned after the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion and bickering political parties only this month agreed on a new government. Also, months into the probe, the lead judge running the investigation was removed by the Court of Cassation after similar charges were filed against him by senior government officials.

The petition Wednesday by the former public works minister, Youssef Fenianos, came a week after Judge Tarek Bitar issued an arrest warrant for him after he failed to appear in court for questioning. It's not clear whether the Court of Cassation will take up Fenianos' lawsuit and if it does, it will have to examine the case and then decide whether to dismiss or accept the request

The judge has accused Fenianos and three other former senior government officials with intentional killing and negligence that led to the deaths of more than 200 people in the explosion. Over 6,000 were injured in the massive blast that also devastated a large section of Beirut.

Fenianos is a senior official with the Christian Marada Movement, a close ally of Lebanon's powerful militant Hezbollah group. He said in a statement, carried by the state-run Lebanese News Agency, that his petition was motivated by concern for justice" and accused an unnamed party of wanting to blame me as a former minister of public works for the blast.

However, the petition was harshly criticized by human rights activists and angered the families of the victims, which claimed it was another ploy to prevent the truth.

It is outrageous that Lebanese politicians think they can just replace a judge every time he tries to hold them accountable until one is appointed that is to their liking, said Aya Majzoub, a Lebanon researcher from Human Rights Watch.

The warrant against Fenianos was the first in the year-old probe that has hit many snags, particularly in implicating senior officials. Fenianos is one of a number of former government officials who have declined to appear before Bitar. The judge has also summoned the former and current security chiefs; the former chief has also refused to appear in court.

More than a year later, there are still no answers to what triggered the explosion, and no one has been held accountable. Rights groups and local media revealed that most state officials knew of the presence in the port of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers, that had been improperly stored there for years.

___

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP)  Lithuanian cybersecurity experts are urging the country's government agencies to abandon the use of Chinese smartphone brands after an investigation identified security vulnerabilities and censorship concerns with certain devices.

Lithuanias National Cyber Security Center said it found four major cybersecurity risks for devices made by Huawei and Xiaomi, including two relating to pre-installed apps and one involving personal data leakage, and warned against using these two brands.

Xiaomi phones, which contain a content-filtering feature for 449 keywords or groups of keywords in Chinese characters, also carry the risk of possible restrictions on freedom of expression, according to the Lithuanian investigation.

The cybersecurity center warned the function could be activated at any time and said it did not rule out the possibility that words written in Latin characters could be added. According to the Lithuanian report, apps receive updated lists of censored words and phrases and are capable of blocking them.

The phrases include Free Tibet, Voice of America, Democratic Movement" and Long Live Taiwan Independence. Although the content-filtering feature was disabled and no censorship was performed on the phones the Lithuanian center inspected, the center warned the function could be activated at any time.

A Huawei spokesperson in Lithuania denied the allegations.

Xiaomi denied its phones could be used to censor or posed privacy risks, saying they complied with the European Union's stringent privacy regulations.

Xiaomis devices do not censor communications to or from its users," the company said in a statement. Xiaomi has never and will never restrict or block any personal behaviors of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, web browsing or the use of third-party communication software. Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users."

The cybersecurity center, which is a Defense Ministry agency, also investigated phones made by another Chinese company, OnePlus, but found no problems.

We strongly recommend that state and public institutions not use those devices and plan to initiate legislation which regulates acquiring certain devices for the ministries and various state agencies, Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevicius said Wednesday.

More than 200 public authorities have purchased such phones, and over 4,500 phones are in use, "which, in our opinion, increases the risks, Abukevicius said. He didn't specify the makes of all the phones.

The centers investigation, released Tuesday, was done to ensure the safe use of 5G mobile devices sold in our country and the software they contain, he said.

Also, ordinary people should also know whats inside these phones, about the certain software and consider safety before making their decisions, the minister said.

Beijing-based Xiaomi, known for its value-for-money devices, became the worlds No. 2 smartphone maker by sales this year, trailing only Samsung. The company was put on a U.S. Defense Department blacklist in the last few days of the Trump administration, which accused it of links to Chinas military. It was later removed after suing the U.S. government and denies having any links with Chinas Peoples Liberation Army.

The move comes amid tensions between Lithuania and China.

Earlier this month, Lithuania recalled its ambassador to China following the Baltic countrys decision in July to allow Taiwan to open an office in its capital under its own name. In August, China recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and told the Baltic nation to immediately rectify its wrong decision."

China says Taiwan is part of its territory and doesnt have the right to diplomatic recognition, although the island maintains informal ties with all major nations through trade offices, including in the United States and Japan. Chinese pressure has reduced Taiwans formal diplomatic allies to just 15.

Taiwan and Lithuania agreed in July that the office in the capital, Vilnius, set to open this fall, will bear the name Taiwan rather than Chinese Taipei  a term often used in other countries in order not to offend Beijing. On Wednesday, Lithuania said it was sending another 236,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan.

___ Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)  A magnitude 5.9 earthquake caused slight damage in suburban Melbourne on Wednesday in an unusually powerful temblor for Australia.

The quake hit about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Australias second-most populous city near the town of Mansfield at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), Geoscience Australia said.

Minor structural damage to chimneys, facades and older buildings was reported around the Melbourne metropolitan area. A hospital near the epicenter lost power, and fallen bricks littered some city streets.

Seismology Research Centre Chief Scientist Adam Pascale said it was the largest onshore quake in Victoria's recorded history.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there were no reports of serious injury.

The earthquake was the largest to rattle Australia since a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 210 kilometers (130 miles) off the northwest coastal town of Broome in 2019.
BOSTON (AP)  Anyone hoping to attend an event at the TD Garden  including Bruins or Celtics games and concerts  will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result.

The rules apply to players, referees, coaches, musicians, vendors, ushers and everyone else entering the arena.

Amy Latimer, president of TD Garden, said the goal is to keep everyone safe.

Proof of vaccination requires a paper record. A photo of the card on a phone will be accepted but it will be checked against IDs for fans 18 and older.

Full vaccination is required. That means 14 days must have passed since the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot.

For the unvaccinated, a printout or digital copy of a negative antigen test or a negative molecular/PCR test will be accepted. At-home rapid antigen tests wont be accepted.

Those under 12 dont have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test but must wear a mask -- as will everyone else as part of a city mandate.

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STATE POLICE-VACCINE MANDATE

The union that represents about 1,800 Massachusetts State Police troopers went before a judge Wednesday to ask for a delay in the implementation of Gov. Charlie Baker's state employee coronavirus vaccine mandate.

The union's lawsuit filed last week asks for the delay so the union can negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment.

An attorney for the State Police Association of Massachusetts told the judge that Baker's Oct. 17 deadline is arbitrary and made bargaining impossible. He said that because of the timing required between shots, unvaccinated troopers would need to schedule their first of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine by Sunday in order to comply.

He said about 20% of troopers are not yet vaccinated.

At attorney for the state said the administration has to have the ability to set a deadline and argued that troopers can still get the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be in compliance.

The judge did not rule.

Baker, at a separate news conference Wednesday, said the mandate is intended to protect the public and he expects the suit to be resolved amicably.

The union also asks that troopers who choose not to get vaccinated, or who have already had COVID-19, be allowed to instead wear a mask on the job and undergo weekly coronavirus testing.

The union is also asking for presumptive protection for troopers who get sick from COVID-19 or the vaccine. The union wants any coronavirus-related injury or death automatically be considered a line-of-duty injury, which would come with additional benefits for members.

Baker announced last month that 42,000 state workers and contractors in the executive branch are required to be vaccinated, or be granted a legitimate exemption, or face disciplinary action up to and including termination.

___

VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS

The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 increased by more than 1,800 Wednesday while the number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts rose by 24.

The new numbers pushed the states confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 18,118 since the start of the pandemic, while its confirmed caseload rose to nearly 746,000.

There were more than 600 people reported hospitalized Wednesday because of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 170 in intensive care units.

The average age of those who have died from COVID-19 was 73.

The true number of cases is likely higher because studies suggest some people can be infected and not feel sick.

Nearly 4.6 million people in Massachusetts have been fully immunized against COVID-19.

___ TOPSFIELD FAIR

Another major Massachusetts agricultural fair will require guests to wear face coverings indoors.

Organizers of the more than 200-year-old Topsfield Fair said Wednesday that the mandate is in line with a Topsfield Board of Health directive issued Monday.

Our goal is to always provide a safe and enjoyable atmosphere at the Topsfield Fair, General Manager James OBrien said in a statement.

The fair is also encouraging fairgoers to make use of hundreds of hand-washing and hand-sanitizing stations throughout the fairgrounds and is asking anyone feeling unwell to stay home.

The fair, first held in 1818, runs from Oct. 1-11 this year. It was canceled last year because of the pandemic but in a typical year draws up to 500,000 visitors.

The Big E announced last week that it would require masks indoors in line with town of West Springfield rules.

___

ZOO VACCINATIONS

The operator of the Boston area's two major zoos said Wednesday is has started vaccinating some animals that are susceptible to contracting COVID-19.

The vaccination effort at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and the Stone Zoo in Stoneham will focus first on primates and large cats, as well as ferrets and river otters.

While we have not had any cases of COVID-19 with the animals at Zoo New Englands Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo, this vaccine is an important preventative health measure to protect species that are susceptible to contracting the virus, senior veterinarian Chris Bonar said in a statement.

The Zoetis vaccine, developed especially for animals, is administered in two doses. It is expected to take three to four months to fully vaccinate all at-risk species at the zoos.
MIDDLETOWN  Sex and the City actor Willie Garson, who studied theater at Wesleyan University in Middletown in the mid-1980s, died Tuesday at 57.

The actor, director and producers death was confirmed by his son, Nathen Garson, on Instagram. Willie Garson had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to his obituary.

Garson graduated with a bachelor of arts in theater and psychology in 1986, according to Wesleyan.

He adopted his son in Los Angeles in 2010, and has twice served as the national spokesman for National Adoption Day, Wesleyan has said.

I love you so much papa, his son wrote on social media. Im so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much.

I will always love you, but I think its time for you to go on an adventure of your own, Nathen Garson wrote Tuesday. You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person Ive known.

John Carr, professor emeritus of theater at Wesleyan, had Garson (whose last name was Paszamant at the time) during his senior year. He recalls going bowling with Garson and now-actor Jon Turtletaub.

Garson was part of a group of students who went on to find success in television and film, Carr said, including playwright and screenwriter Craig Pospisil and producer Al Septien. They were all extremely active in theater and also had many other interests, he said.

Maybe it was because they were my first students [that] I remember them all fondly, Carr said.

Garson appeared in more than 350 episodes of television and more than 70 films, the university said.

Born in New Jersey, he began training at The Actors Institute in New York at 13, according to the college.

He was also known as a world-class poker player, Wesleyan said.

Members of the theater department communicated with Garson in 2020 for the colleges first digital alumni reunion, according to Assistant Professor of Theater Maria-Christina Oliveras.

His willingness to share and connect with our newest class of WesTheater graduates, especially given the tumultuous time they were entering the field, was genuinely enthusiastic, she said.

He showed so much fondness for his Wesleyan background. It was a joy to hear him talk about his work in the TV/film industry. He is a bright star for us that will be missed, Oliveras said.

Sex and the City co-star Mario Cantone called Willie Garson a brilliant TV partner on Twitter. Im devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way (too) soon. You were a gift from the gods, he said.
O&G Industries / Contributed photo

MIDDLETOWN  O&G Industries recently completed the construction of the new Beman Middle School (formerly Woodrow Wilson Middle School) at 1 Wildermans Way, where 650 students in sixth through eighth grade now attend.

The project included the construction of a new 190,000-square-foot facility, with abatement and demolition of the existing facilities administrative and classroom space, according to the Torrington-based firm. The existing middle school pool and gymnasium were not demolished. They are being renovated, and will eventually be turned over to the Middletown Parks and Recreation Department as a standalone structure.
NEW HAVEN  With 10 days to go before the Sept. 30 deadline, a hair over 700 Yale New Haven Health employees have yet to receive a mandated COVID-19 vaccine, according to Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief clinical officer for the health system.

During an online press briefing Tuesday, Balcezak said Yale New Haven is offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires just one dose.

The health system announced June 30 that all its nearly 30,000 employees, including casual staff, must be fully vaccinated or have a medical or religious exemption before Oct. 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year, or leave the health system.

CEO Marna Borgstrom said, Most people of whom I am aware are making the decision that they will resign at the end of this month if they have chosen not to be vaccinated. She said at least two employees are close to retirement.

Borgstrom said she expects many of those who have yet to receive a vaccine will do so by the deadline.

Weve done everything possible in my opinion to do this the right way and as humanely as possible, not only for our patients and their loved ones but also for our valued colleagues, and I think the number of people who end up exiting the organization is going to be relatively small, Borgstrom said.

This is an organization, a health system, that has done everything in its power in the entire time that I have been with this organization  has avoided layoffs and terminating people, except for performance issues, she said.

We believe strongly that the greatest asset we have in the system is our workforce.  So this is a really painful thing to do, and we didnt arrive at this decision to mandate the vaccine lightly or easily because we respect and know that there are some people whose minds we wont change regardless of what we view as the facts and the right thing to do, she said. But I think in this case our view is that the safety of our patients and their loved ones is paramount.

Borgstrom said that as of Tuesday there were 74 patients with COVID in the health system, which is a decrease of 45 percent in the last two weeks. Of those, 26 are in intensive care and 22 are on ventilators. She said two-thirds of the COVID patients are unvaccinated.

Balcezak said many of the breakthrough cases are asymptomatic people who were admitted to the hospital for other reasons  car accidents, surgeries, other illnesses, but who tested positive. Its more like about 10 percent of the patients that are admitted for COVID represent the breakthrough cases, he said.

As of Tuesday, there were 41 COVID-positive patients at Yale New Haven Hospital, 21 at Bridgeport Hospital, three at Greenwich Hospital, six at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London and three at Westerly Hospital in Rhode Island, Borgstrom said.

Balcezak said the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation was a site in the clinical trial for Pfizers vaccine ages 5 and older, which has been submitted for approval.

He also said the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will review the authorization for Pfizer vaccine boosters for those 65 and up later this week. The committee recommends what rules the CDC will create. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration will take up its recommending committees approval of those boosters.

Theres two important yet distinct approvals that need to take place, by the FDA and the CDC, Balcezak said. If both of those things happen, and they could happen by Friday, then we will be facing very rapid rollout for those over 65, for Pfizer only. He said Moderna has submitted its data to the FDA, and Johnson & Johnson plans to, as well.

We should see some resolution, clarity, on whats going to happen with regard to boosters, at least for Pfizer, by the end of this week, he said. Should there be a green light in order to provide boosters  well be ready to do that.

Balcezak said third doses for those who are immunocompromised are being offered as part of a modified emergency use authorization granted by the FDA. He said only about 20,000 people in Connecticut have received those third doses of about 100,000 people that probably are eligible.

Balcezak said because of breakthrough cases, just being vaccinated simply is not enough and wearing masks is still appropriate, especially indoors. He said appointments for vaccinations and testing are readily available, neither of which comes with out-of-pocket expenses.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
EAST HAMPTON  The family of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. E6 Arron McLaughlin recently surprised him with a party celebrating his retirement in his hometown.

He is the son of Donna McLaughlin of East Hampton.

Arron McLaughlin joined the Army between his junior and senior years of high school, completing his basic training at Fort Sill, Okla., then returning to complete his senior year. He graduated from East Hampton High School, according to a press release from Ann McLaughlin.

While being trained as an infantry motorman, Arron McLaughlin was sent on his first tour of duty to Iraq.

His second tour was in Afghanistan, and, while conducting operations in Nuristan Province, his unit came under fire, and he was injured, the news release said. He was eventually awarded a Purple Heart for his efforts.

After receiving a Purple Heart, Arron McLaughlin was assigned to the 1-102 Infantry Regiment Air National Guard.

Upon returning home after a difficult tour of duty, Arron McLaughlin was a number of awards, including the Army Commendation Medal (for the second time), Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Army Achievement Medal, and the Combat Infantry and Action Badges.

He lives in the Moodus section of East Haddam with his wife, and children, Callie and Camden.
Contributed Photo / Hartford Police Department

HARTFORD - A 35-year-old man from Hartford pleaded guilty Tuesday to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to federal prosecutors.

Hartford police stopped a car in October of last year with Allen Evans as a passenger. Police searched Evans, finding a loaded Taurus Model 85 .38 special handgun, along with ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.
WETUMPKA, Ala. (AP)  A former Alabama prison worker is free on bail after being charged with sex crimes involving two minors.

WSFA-TV reported that Daniel Sexton, 23, of Millbrook was charged with rape, two counts of sodomy and facilitating the travel of a child for a sex act. Arrested on Friday, he was released on bonds totaling $240,000 on Sunday and ordered to stay away from the alleged victims.
With Saw, Insidious and the Conjuring franchise, James Wan has delivered a steady stream of horror films. Now, teaming with screenwriter Akela Cooper and his wife, actress Ingrid Bisu, hes concocted a far-fetched yet stylishly schlocky tale.

Set in Seattle, the plot revolves around a vulnerable young woman, Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis), who has suffered multiple miscarriages and is now pregnant again when her abusive husband, Derek (Jake Abel), beats her, smashing her head against a bedroom wall so severely that the back of her head is bloodied.

Hes then killed by an intruder, and distraught Madison wakes up in a hospital, having lost her baby. Soon after returning to their two-story Victorian home, Madison begins experiencing horrific visions of other people being brutally killed by the same unrecognizable intruder wielding a golden dagger.

Comforted by her devoted sister Sydney (Maddie Hasson), confused Madison tries to explain what shes experiencing to a pair of doubting homicide detectives (George Young, Michole Briana White).

Meanwhile, Madison is receiving mysterious psychic messages from a creepy entity calling himself Gabriel, which was the name of her childhood imaginary friend. Shadowy Gabriels emergence then unlocks memories of a psychiatric hospital that shes suppressed for years.

While much of the cringy, campy action borders on the ridiculous, filmmaker James Wan delivers a weird, totally surprising twist, a payoff thats punctuated by Joseph Bisharas ominous score.

In publicity blurbs, Wan refers to this as his take on the intriguing sub-genre Giallo films by Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, and Sergio Martino, which were popular in Italy during the 60s and 70s. They always involve a female protagonist who sees a grisly, gruesome murder and is then subject to paranoia and hallucinations.

FYI: The Seattle Underground is a real tour thats open to the public.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, Malignant is a spooky, sinister, supernatural 6, playing in theaters and streaming on HBOMax.

Susan Granger has been an on-air television and radio commentator and entertainment critic for more than 25 years. Raised in Hollywood, Granger appeared as a child actress in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, and Lassie. She currently resides in Westport.
GLEN JEAN, W.Va. (AP)  Hidden history will be explored this weekend at free programs in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and the West Virginia State Parks of Babcock and Pipestem Resort.

Offerings include auto tours and self-guided walking tours throughout the National Coal Heritage Area, online videos about the region's history and a hidden history photo challenge.
DITTMER, Mo. (AP)  Authorities in eastern Missouri are investigating the death of a 40-year-old theft suspect killed by an arrow shot by a juvenile, who said the man came at him menacingly.

Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak on Tuesday announced details of the incident that happened Friday near the town of Dittmer. The man killed was identified as Michael Stotts of Dittmer.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  As the South Carolina Supreme Court mulls the legality of a state rule that effectively bans masks in most schools, health care workers and educators are renewing calls for state lawmakers to repeal the provision altogether.

Pediatricians and school nurses joined state education groups at a news conference Tuesday to warn that lawmakers' inaction will only continue to impede in-person learning as more than 88,000 students and staff have been forced to quarantine and dozens of schools have reverted to online lessons since the start of the school year.

The Republican-controlled Legislature put the one-year provision, which prevents school districts from using state money to enforce a rule requiring masks, into the state budget earlier this year. The state was averaging 150 COVID-19 cases a day at the time.

But in the following months, a new surge driven by the highly contagious delta variant triggered thousands of new cases. Schools have recorded more than 21,000 student cases this fall so far, almost 7,000 more than they counted for all of the previous academic year.

We want to be sure that the policymakers are no longer using yesterdays information to make todays decisions, said Dr. Robert Saul, the South Carolina chapter president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The state's Republican education superintendent, bipartisan groups of lawmakers, doctors and nurses, the state parent-teacher association, and multiple teachers groups have all opposed the state mask provision, saying it prevents locally elected school boards from deploying a critical tool in limiting the spread of the virus.

In addition to the state Supreme Court case, disability rights groups and parents of children with disabilities have also mounted a challenge to the law in federal court.

But every day the courts take to consider the cases is another day of disrupted learning for students and extra work for school staff, said Sherry East, president of the South Carolina Education Association.

We really cant take another day to decide this, East said. Were waiting on the Supreme Court to make a decision when we could handle this in Columbia.

Top lawmakers have so far resisted calls to address the mask topic. Senators will return to Columbia next month for a special session on spending federal COVID-19 relief money and redistricting. House leaders have not said whether they plan to have a special session this fall.

A recent survey of nearly 13,000 households in Lexington County School District One found almost 70% of parents agreed that the school board should consider temporary mask requirements when there is high community spread, Superintendent Gregory Little said Tuesday.

Little said that although the surge in cases is starting to decline, it's not yet clear what the district's baseline cases will look like throughout the year.

The superintendent described the revolving door of students in quarantine over the weeks as incredibly taxing and frustrating on teachers.

Some districts that defied the state law to pass their own mask requirements are now facing lawsuits of their own. Last week, a group of parents sued the Charleston County School District over its mask rule in state court, news outlets reported. Richland One School District faces a similar suit.

As of Tuesday, 30 children were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the South Carolina Children's Hospital Collaborative. Nine of those patients were in critical care, and five were on ventilators.

Some children are so ill they have required ECMO, a machine that takes over the lungs to add oxygen to blood, doctors said. Three South Carolina students have died from the virus this school year.

In a time when misinformation about COVID is more contagious than COVID, our childrens hospitals are being swamped, said pediatrician Dr. Deborah Greenhouse.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP)  A top Southern Baptist Convention committee agreed Tuesday to fund a third-party investigation into its handling of sexual abuse allegations but held off on waiving its attorney-client privilege for the probe, delaying for the future a decision seen as a key demand of the thousands of Southern Baptists who set the review in motion.

The Executive Committee allocated $1.6 million for Guidepost Solutions, the firm conducting the investigation into allegations it mishandled abuse cases, resisted reforms and intimidated survivors and advocates. They also agreed to taking more time to negotiate the contract and other legal questions related to the investigation.

I think its a good step and I think that it shows our unity on the urgency of the matter, Executive Committee Chair Rolland Slade said.

The decision, the latest action taken in the denominations ongoing public reckoning with the scandal, came at the end of the Executive Committees two-day business meeting in Nashville. The investigation, including the question of whether the Executive Committee would waive its attorney-client privilege, dominated discussion. The rule protects the confidentiality of communications on legal advice and some Executive Committee members raised concerns waiving it could impact litigation and insurance policies.

Delegates, also known as messengers, voted overwhelmingly at their national gathering in June to create a task force charged with overseeing the third-party investigation.

They also directed the task force to agree to the investigators recommended standards and best practices, including but not limited to the Executive Committee staff and members waiving attorney-client privilege in order to ensure full access to information and accuracy in the review. In August, the task force formally asked the Executive Committee to waive it, saying it is the will of the messengers and critical to the investigation.

On Monday and Tuesday, Executive Committee members heard from key stakeholders about the investigation, asked questions about the risks of waiving privilege and disagreed over how much of this weeks discussions should happen behind closed doors.

Julie Myers Wood, the CEO of Guidepost Solutions, told the Executive Committee waiving privilege is the only way to ensure that the investigation is viewed as fully credible, transparent and thorough and to show that the EC has and the Southern Baptist Convention has nothing to hide.

On Tuesday, the members took hours to hash out what they ultimately approved, which also included asking the task force and Executive Committee officers to come up with a contract in seven days that did not waive attorney-client privilege.

After the vote, Executive Committee member Joe Knott from North Carolina said they have a legal responsibility to be good stewards of the institution.

Anyone who does harm to anyone else should be exposed and full courts of law brought down upon them. No one wants to cover up any crime, Knott said. However, there are also laws that govern fiduciary responsibility and we don't want to break those laws either."

SBC President Ed Litton said in a statement that Tuesdays decision by the Executive Committee fell short of the mandate the delegates gave in June.

Im disappointed that several known issues are only now being addressed with appropriate seriousness, but Im grateful the investigation will begin," Litton said.

The investigation into the Executive Committee is expected to take several months. A written report of the findings is due to the task force before Southern Baptists meet in June for their annual denominational meeting.

The report is expected to be made public along with recommendations from the task force about the next steps the convention should take.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  The head of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is asking a federal agency overseeing the environmental review of the Dakota Access oil pipeline to cut ties with a contractor conducting the analysis, citing a conflict of interest.

Chairman Mike Faith and other tribal leaders fighting the pipeline sent a letter Wednesday to a top U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official, taking issue with Environmental Resources Management, the company that's doing the review, and its ties to the oil industry, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

One of the tribes concerns is that the London-based company is a member of the American Petroleum Institute, a trade group that lobbies for the oil industry and has submitted court briefs supporting Dakota Access.

The tribes also cite testimony from an Environmental Resources Management employee to South Dakota regulators in 2015. After reviewing the proposed pipeline, the employee concluded that it is not likely to pose a threat of serious injury to the environment.

In essence, ERM is an agent of DAPL, rather than a neutral party, reads the tribes letter sent to Jaime Pinkham, acting assistant secretary of the Army for civil works.

The tribes say the Corps selection of the company compromises the integrity of the environmental review process and they want it to start over.

The Corps of Engineers and Environmental Resources Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The pipeline underwent a less-stringent environmental review overseen by the Corps before the agency first issued a permit for it in 2017. Pipeline operator Energy Transfer maintains that review was sufficient.

Dakota Access has the capacity to carry as much as two-thirds of North Dakotas daily oil output from the Bakken oil fields to Illinois.

The pipeline has been in operation since June 2017.
Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW LONDON  A city man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a narcotics trafficking offense stemming from his role in a conspiracy in which authorities say cocaine was mailed from Puerto Rico to southeastern Connecticut.

Raul Robles, 38, pleaded guilty before Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, prosecutors said.
Now that the Space Force is here, the fledgling service must figure out how to manage, attract and promote its uniformed Guardians.

But the culture the Space Force ends up with might look very different from other branches of the military -- more like a digital-heavy startup than its decades- or centuries-old sister services.

That means less emphasis on deployments and a greater emphasis on diversity and digital skills. And it could mean a greater willingness to accept recruits with pre-existing conditions, such as Type 1 diabetes.

"If our objective is that we need to be able to grow and develop leaders and warfighters to secure space ... it's going to take a special approach for us in managing our talent," Space Force Chief Human Capital Officer Patricia Mulcahy said at a roundtable discussion with reporters at the Air Force Association's Air Space & Cyber conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

Read Next: Air Force Secretary Taps Watchdog to Weigh Accountability in Botched Kabul Airstrike

Mulcahy and other Space Force officials repeatedly stressed the service's unique character among the military branches, and their desire to do things differently.

For one, the Space Force is far smaller than other branches of the military, with just 6,490 Guardians and a little more than 6,200 civilian employees. And with the service's heavy emphasis on science and technology, it's going to need to attract skilled young people with highly in-demand skills.

But, Mulcahy said, the Space Force is not where it needs to be. Only 18% of its force is female, she said, and the service wants to do more to attract talented women.

"We're trying to see where we can get in different places where women are, and generate that interest, and let them know that the Space Force is real, and here's how you can join," Mulcahy said.

Jason Lamb, a talent strategist for the Space Force, said the service must be diverse to bring in the kinds of talent it will need to accomplish its missions.

"Is it because we're looking for certain visuals, we want to look a certain way?" Lamb said. "The answer's no. It is a strategic imperative. Diverse teams outperform, consistently, homogeneous teams. They simply do."

Lamb is a retired Air Force colonel who went viral with a series of columns, written under the pseudonym Col. Ned Stark, that called the Air Force out for its outdated ways of developing and managing officers.

In his keynote address to AFA, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond highlighted a Space Force Guardian who had been able to join despite having Type 1 diabetes. That had never before happened in the military due to deployment requirements, Raymond said.

But because the Space Force almost always operates on bases, not deployed to rough territory, Mulcahy said it can look at things differently and be more willing to use accession waivers for health conditions that might otherwise have barred people from serving.

"We're small, and we're mission-focused," Mulcahy said. "So we don't have quite the challenges that our sister services have, that have many, many other broader missions and are typically deployed to austere environments."

Fitness will continue to be important in the Space Force, she said -- but the service could approach it differently. That might include wearable devices that tell Guardians how their fitness or sleep patterns are going.

"Fitness needs to be an everyday thing," Mulcahy said. "So we are looking at ways to potentially get away from the one-and-done, once-a-year fitness evaluation that you go, 'OK, I don't have to worry about that anymore,' to one that complements a daily regimen of fitness."

The Space Force also is preparing to take major steps forward to set up its own systems for performance appraisals and boards to decide promotions and other career advancements. The service will be relying on legacy systems it inherited from the Air Force until 2022, with yet-to-be-determined systems of its own ideally in place in 2023.

"All services have different values, and we'll need to assess differently," Mulcahy said.

And, she said, the Space Force hopes to take some cues from how other space-focused organizations such as NASA and SpaceX evaluate their employees.

"There are different ways that talent is assessed in industry, and we really want to learn about that," Mulcahy said.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: Space Force Was Set to Announce Its New Rank Structure. Then, Congress Stepped In
STUTTGART, Germany -- The U.S. Army is facing a potential class-action lawsuit on behalf of soldiers who say they were wrongfully indebted because of a housing allowance policy that a military board recently determined broke federal law.

A complaint filed earlier this month in federal claims court contends that Army finance officials in Europe have unlawfully denied mobilized Army reservists the right to both an allowance for their American residence and an overseas allowance when the Army cannot provide on-post accommodations.

Retired Col. Richard Gulley and Maj. Jennifer Walters are the named plaintiffs in the complaint. The case also was filed on behalf of "all others similarly situated," opening the door to hundreds if not thousands of other troops who also were similarly wronged, attorney Patrick Hughes said.

"The fact that this unlawful interpretation has been allowed to perpetuate for over five years now demonstrates the need for continued court intervention to hold the Army accountable and to recover the monies improperly denied to all these soldiers," said Hughes, a former Air Force attorney now with the Patriots Law Group.

For years, reservists received dual allowances when mobilized without their household goods and forced to maintain two residences when the Army was unable to provide base housing.

The Army's "gross negligence to deny this entitlement" was confirmed by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which is responsible for paying service members, and the Army's highest level of administrative review, the court complaint states.

On Aug. 27, the Army Board for the Correction of Military Records issued a decision that said the Army was guilty of "unjust actions" because of its incorrect interpretation of the federal Joint Travel Regulation.

The service's mistakes "gave rise to the investigative and disciplinary actions" that "were erroneously executed and erroneously implemented," the decision said.

The Army board was ordered to hear the case by a federal court in connection with a separate lawsuit filed in 2018 on behalf of seven reservists.

Those soldiers, some of whom have since retired or had their careers cut short because of the Army's actions against them, must now be paid what they were denied, according to the board ruling, which also directed the Army to convene a special selection board to determine if they were wrongly denied promotions.

Meanwhile, the Army on Monday refused to comment on whether going forward it intends to offer dual allowances to eligible reservists on assignments overseas, citing pending litigation.

The Army also declined to say whether it has or intends to hold accountable finance officials responsible for the false interpretation of a regulation, which resulted in six-figure debts being imposed on some reservists.

"Who is going to hold these people accountable?" said Gulley, who served as a deputy chief of staff at U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart before retiring in 2017.

The Army ordered Gulley to repay $135,500 of his housing allowance. Over a five-year span, Gulley said he faced repeated investigations, harassment and even arrest by Army criminal investigators as a result of errors by service finance officials.

Hughes said the Army continues to break the law by forcing reservists on assignments overseas to choose between either an allowance for their American residence or for off-post housing.

"We will be submitting affidavits to the court from multiple soldiers who are currently on orders as of today who were forced to make that choice themselves or know of others they are presently serving with who were," Hughes said.
The Navy didn't know how to deal with an escalating pandemic and conflicting information hampered the response to the COVID-19 outbreak on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, a newly published study by researchers at a Washington, D.C.-based think tank says.

"The chain of command was as bewildered as the captain was," Bradley Martin, one of the authors of the Rand Corp.-produced study, told Military.com in an interview. "There was not a procedure in place to deal with what amounted to a mass casualty."

The Roosevelt and its crew deployed in January 2020, only to have the cruise derailed by an outbreak of COVID-19. The ship ended up spending about one-third of that deployment docked in Guam with many crew members moved into hotels and other facilities as the vessel was disinfected. However, the coronavirus spread rampantly among its personnel, eventually infecting about one-quarter of the sailors on the ship.

The Roosevelt eventually returned home in July but without two crew members, one of whom died from COVID-19; it also lost its original commanding officer. Capt. Brett Crozier was relieved of command over his handling of an emailed warning about the carrier's growing health crisis as COVID-19 cases began to spread rapidly.

Read Next: Pentagon Stays Mum on Troop Housing Allowance Boost to Offset Pandemic Pinch

"If this had been some other major medical event on the ship, which was potentially more deadly, it's not clear from the record that the Navy really knew how to deal with that," Martin said.

One of the major factors that drove the muddled response was an "inability to get clear guidance to the ship" from higher up in the Navy about how best to tackle the outbreak, Martin explained.

In fact, "there was a systemic breakdown in which the theater response appeared inadequate to the ship's commanding officer, who felt the need to request assistance across many different commands," the authors described.

The report highlights competing interests on the ship, as the "medical chain of command was focused on how best to treat an outbreak, with maximum emphasis on minimizing risk to patients, while the operational chain of command was focusing on how best to mitigate risk to mission."

Lacking a clear answer from either, the result was the ship's officers reaching out to almost anyone they could inside and outside their chain of command for help. The ship's doctors sent their concerns all the way to the Surgeon General of the Navy and "to over 160 additional email addresses."

Crozier's famously leaked email, in which he implored Navy officials that "sailors do not need to die," was another, and the most public, example of this behavior.

"The Navy's response to the COVID-19 outbreak was characterized by chaos and drama," and "the outcome does not suggest strategic resilience," the report explained.

The study, released Tuesday, noted that while the Navy did have plans to mitigate the spread of diseases such as the flu, a Department of Defense watchdog report found that the vast majority of naval commanders did not conduct the required biennial training on those methods.

Going forward, Martin and his co-author, Trupti Brahmbhatt, suggest the Navy ask harder questions about how critical a ship's mission is when responding to an outbreak.

"You've got to see what is in balance," Brahmbhatt told Military.com in an interview. "What is in balance is the demoralizing situation for sailors who you may not be able to retain."

Both authors noted that the Navy's current approach to controlling COVID-19 -- strict isolation -- while effective, is not sustainable.

"They isolate the crew before the crew gets on, they isolate the crew when it's on, and they isolate the crew when it comes back," Martin said. "That's effective, but it's also horribly demoralizing."

The report recommends that the Navy give more training on infectious disease to its medical staff; engineer ships with better ventilation; and improve how medical and operational commanders communicate with one another.

Brahmbhatt, who is an epidemiologist, stressed that it is key the Navy tackle these issues now because the threat of new viruses or diseases is not going away with COVID-19.

"When we send our ships to South Asia, we know that somebody may get the Nipah virus, may get a Hantavirus, may get one of the novel viruses that we haven't seen in human beings," she explained.

"For the unknown threats that are out there -- we have to be ready to deal with them somehow, somewhere," Brahmbhatt said.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Sailors and Marines Have 90 Days to Get Vaccinated or Face Punishment
WASHINGTON  Four Marines injured in the attack by an Islamic State suicide bomber at the Kabul airport are still being treated for their wounds at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center nearly a month later, Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Johnny Henderson said Tuesday.

One of the Marines is in very serious but stable condition, while three others are in serious but stable condition, Henderson said. The service did not provide further details on their injuries or the names of those injured, which is Marine Corps policy to protect their privacy.

The numbers are down from Sept. 7 when 15 wounded Marines were being treated at Walter Reed, one of whom was in critical condition, three were in serious condition and 11 were in stable condition, Henderson said at the time.

The injured Marines are among the survivors of the ISIS-K attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26 during the final days of the U.S. militarys withdrawal from Afghanistan. Thirteen troops were killed and more than 20 others were injured when an ISIS-K terrorist detonated an explosive vest and gunmen fired into the crowds near the airports Abbey gate.

ISIS-K, an abbreviation for ISIS-Khorasan, is the Afghanistan branch of the Islamic State terrorist group.

Seventeen Marines were wounded in the attack, and all the troops killed were awarded Purple Hearts and approved this month for combat action ribbons, according to the Marine Corps.

The service members were screening hopeful evacuees at the airports entrance when the attack happened after nearly two weeks of an evacuation mission to remove Americans and allies, including Afghans, from the country after it fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15.

More than 124,000 people were evacuated from Afghanistan before the last U.S. troops left Kabul on Aug. 30.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  A bipartisan group of lawmakers is renewing a push to expand a U.S. compensation program for people who were exposed to radiation following uranium mining and nuclear testing carried out during the Cold War.

Advocates have been trying for years to bring awareness to the lingering effects of nuclear fallout surrounding the Trinity Site in southern New Mexico, where the U.S. military detonated the first atomic bomb, and on the Navajo Nation, where more than 30 million tons of uranium ore were extracted over decades to support U.S. nuclear activities.

Under legislation introduced Wednesday by U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat from New Mexico, and Mike Crapo, a Republican from Idaho, other sites across the American West would be added to the list of places affected by fallout and radiation exposure. Eligibility also would be expanded to include certain workers in the industry after 1971, such as miners.

The legislation also would increase the amount of compensation someone can receive to $150,000 and provide coverage for additional forms of cancer.

A multibillion-dollar defense spending package approved last year included an apology to New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and other states affected by radiation from nuclear testing, but no action was taken on legislation that sought to change and broaden the compensation program.

Advocates, including those who testified before Congress earlier this year, say its time to do so, especially because the existing provisions are set to expire next July. The legislation would extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, another 19 years.

Tina Cordova, a cancer survivor and co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, said she has been working on the legislation for months with other residents of places affected by radiation, from Indigenous communities in New Mexico to Gaum.

We put forth language to make certain the bill went far enough to help as many people as possible, she said. This is a make-or-break time for all the downwinders and post-71 uranium workers that have been left out of the original RECA bill.

While efforts to expand the program have been years in the making, advocates say there is broader interest now because more people would stand to lose access to compensation funds if the law expires. They also acknowledge that some members of Congress might argue that there's not enough money to bankroll the proposal.

We wont settle for that answer any longer. Imagine the insult added to our injury of such a statement, Cordova said. There is always money when theres political will. This is a social, environmental and restorative justice issue that we, as a nation, can no longer look away from.

On the Navajo Nation, uranium mining has left a legacy of death, disease and environmental contamination. That includes the largest spill of radioactive material in the United States, when 94 million gallons of radioactive tailings and wastewater spewed onto tribal lands in the Church Rock area in western New Mexico in 1979. It happened just three months after the partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, which got far more attention at the time.

With hundreds of abandoned uranium mines and radioactive waste still to be cleaned up, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said residents of the nation's largest Indigenous reservation have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation for years and have endured a wide range of illnesses as a result, with some dying prematurely.

Nez called an expansion of the program and extension of the trust fund a matter of justice.

"We look forward to advocating for the advancement of this legislation and to encourage consideration of additional provisions that would advance the objectives of justice and fairness represented by this bill, he said.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico is helping lead the push in the House. House Republicans who are co-sponsoring include Reps. Yvette Herrell of New Mexico and Burgess Owens of Utah.

For Sen. Lujan, the fight for compensation started in 2010 when he was a congressman.

While there can never be a price placed on ones health or the life of a loved one, Congress has an opportunity to do right by all of those who sacrificed in service of our national security by strengthening RECA, he said in a statement.
The military was working Wednesday to arrange contracted commercial flights to move migrants surging at the Texas-Mexico border to immigration processing sites in the U.S., Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

No flights had yet been chartered by U.S. Transportation Command, but the assistance requested by the Department of Homeland Security is aimed at aiding U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, as a new crisis of mass migration has unfolded in recent days.

Thousands of mostly Haitian migrants arrived at the border town of Del Rio and have been crowded beneath a bridge as the Biden administration, Texas, and local authorities struggle to cope. The migrants crossed the Rio Grande River and gathered in a makeshift camp outside the border town, awaiting either deportation or an opportunity to claim asylum in the U.S.

The Pentagon and Transportation Command will provide the flights to move the migrants to CBP on a reimbursable basis, and the mission has a deadline of Oct. 20, Kirby said. The work will not interfere with other DoD missions, he added.

The request for contracted planes was verbally approved by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.

Read Next: 'Chaos and Drama:' A New Report Sheds Light on What Went Wrong Aboard the Navy's COVID-Stricken Carrier

Amid the surge at Del Rio, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott claimed that state National Guard troops and border agents had effectively "sealed" that area of the border this week with a massive deployment of vehicles and personnel, including more than 1,000 Texas National Guard soldiers, pushing migrants elsewhere.

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"We see migrants now trying to penetrate other areas; as a result, our strategies are shifting also," Abbott said at a press briefing Tuesday. "We will continue moving law enforcement and National Guard officials to whatever location."

About 3,500 National Guard troops are deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border, including in Texas and other states, assisting law enforcement with illegal immigration. The latest mission began under former President Donald Trump in 2018, but has existed in some capacity under multiple administrations.

Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey penned a letter to other state leaders in June urging them to send their National Guard troops to the border on state orders, a technique that bypasses the Pentagon. It spurred a controversial deployment of South Dakota troops that was funded by a Republican billionaire megadonor.

However, on state orders, Guardsmen are effectively state employees and earn significantly less pay than troops on federal orders performing the same job. They also don't earn critical benefits such as the GI Bill and cannot claim disability through the Department of Veterans Affairs if injured.

A spokesperson for Abbott did not reply to emailed questions from Military.com as to whether more troops may be deployed on state orders or if the governor might request more military assets from other states again, instead emailing a link to a tweet from the governor's office.

-- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: House Moves to Bar Private Funding of National Guard Missions
Confronting drops in interest in joining the military among Black men, Hispanic men, and women in the past few years, Air Force leadership is trying to combat hesitancy with an aggressive push to show that the service has opportunities for all.

That starts with developing more diversity in its leadership, as well as the ranks of pilots and airmen in the operational career fields that often produce the service's top brass.

If the Air Force is going to grow a cadre of leaders that looks more like America, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown said Wednesday, it's first going to have to show young airmen from racial minorities and female airmen that these jobs can be open to them -- before they even put on a uniform.

"Young people only aspire to be what they can see," Brown said in a roundtable with reporters at the Air Force Association's Air Space & Cyber conference in National Harbor, Maryland. "If they don't see someone that looks like them in a higher position, or they have not had an opportunity to experience it, then they're less inclined to do so."

Brown, who is the first Black service chief in U.S. military history, pointed to his own background as an example. He said he planned to become an engineer when he joined the Air Force. That changed the day he got to fly in a T-37 training airplane. His career goals quickly shifted, and he went on to become an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot.

Read Next: 'Chaos and Drama:' A New Report Sheds Light on What Went Wrong Aboard the Navy's COVID-Stricken Carrier

But the racial turmoil of recent years -- particularly the military's involvement in responding to protests following the death of George Floyd -- has dealt a blow to the Air Force's ability to recruit people of color, Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service, said at an earlier roundtable discussion Wednesday.

"There's no doubt," he said. "The data shows us that the racial division in our nation has done damage to our recruiting efforts."

In a particularly concerning sign, Thomas said, Defense Department research has shown that the biggest drops in interest in serving in the military have come from the populations of Black men, Hispanic men, and women.

But Thomas hopes that things will improve in the future. Floyd's death pushed the Air Force to renew its focus on addressing racial issues and reaching out to underserved populations, he said.

"While it has done damage in the short term, I'm optimistic that in the long term, we will end up being better for it," he said. "But it's only going to be with a lot of hard work to get us there."

One area of increasing concern in recent years has been the differences in the way women and airmen who are from racial minorities are treated in promotions, leadership opportunities and chances for career advancement compared to their white and male counterparts. The Air Force's inspector general has released two reports since last December outlining the ways in which disparities have emerged.

The service is looking for ways to adjust its systems to correct those imbalances. A recent change to the Air Force's promotion system has helped increase promotion rates for diverse groups of officers, Brown said.

The service, in 2019, broke up its massive Line of the Air Force promotion group -- which at one point represented about 87% of active-duty officers, including pilots -- into six smaller, more specialized career field categories.

Pilots tended to do better under the old system, because the criteria for promotion often favored their operational, leadership and career development experience. And because pilots historically are more likely to be white and male, that contributed to the racial differences in promotions highlighted in that pair of recent inspector general reports.

Under the new system, officers compete for promotions against others in similar jobs. For example, pilots now go up for promotion in the air operations and special warfare group. And maintenance, logistics and security forces officers are evaluated as part of the combat support group.

That's an important step forward, Brown said, but he added that the Air Force still needs to do more to open up operational opportunities for all airmen.

He highlighted the Flight Academy Scholarship Program, which allows Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets to attend accredited private pilot license training programs, as a potential way to further diversify the ranks of pilots over time.

These 230 scholarships, which were valued at about $22,500 apiece this year, cover the cost of cadets' transportation, room and board, academics and flight hours to help them earn their private pilot's licenses during an eight-week summer program.

The Flight Academy program aims to help give young people who might not otherwise have the opportunity a chance to fly. In a January news release about the program, the Air Force said that 43% of its JROTC cadets are women and 57% are members of racial minority groups. Roughly half of Air Force JROTC programs are also in inner city, rural or other socioeconomically challenged areas.

And if a cadet who attends one of these aviation programs decides to continue into the Air Force, those flight hours will give them a boost in the pilot selection process.

The Air Force is looking at other ways to increase diversity in the ranks.

Thomas also said that having female and minority recruiters will be important to help fill diversity gaps in pilot and operational career fields.

"We promote pilots," he said. "We promote navigators. We promote folks who are in the operations ranks. And to help counsel those minorities, females, others, that these are real opportunities, we want them to be able to see themselves in these roles."

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: Air Force Watchdog Finds Career Disparities for Hispanic, Asian, Female Service Members
What do companies like Johnson & Johnson, Prudential and Bank of America have in common? They are all so dedicated to hiring and retaining veteran talent that theyre part of an upcoming summit to help small and medium-sized companies develop military affairs programs.

Its part of a summit from Americas Warrior Partnership (AWP) and JPMorgan Chase called the Corporate Veteran Initiative (CVI) Workshop. The CVI Workshop will kick off AWPs eighth annual Warrior Community Integration Symposium, a three-day virtual event that includes guest speakers, roundtable discussions and panels of guests on a range of topics from veteran reintegration to suicide prevention.

The CVI Workshop is for smaller companies to take lessons from large corporations to learn the best practices developed by their military affairs offices. The goal of these military affairs programs within a company is to increase veteran employee retention and recruitment, because the companies involved appreciate what vets bring to their organizations.

A recent study from the Rand Corporation finds that veterans in civilian organizations not only bring their technical skills and experience to the job, but also a number of other desirable soft skills that may be hard to find in civilian employees of a comparable age. These include leadership, decision-making, dependability and attention to detail, just to name a few.

But veterans also need an environment where those skills can be applied and challenged. They need room to grow, the opportunity to use those skills and a place where they feel their contribution to the organizational mission is necessary and where they are working toward attainable, challenging goals as a community, either among other vets or with a new civilian unit.

Thats where a military affairs office comes in. These offices within civilian employers create and foster those environments, provide a sense of community among veterans within an organization and more.

Corporations like USAA, JPMorgan Chase and UBS, an investment banking company, always are looking for ways to improve their military affairs programs. Symposia like the Americas Warrior Partnerships CVI provide an opportunity for departments within those companies to share ideas, best practices and success stories while helping smaller businesses develop similar programs to create their own  so they can benefit from the same kind of veteran talent.

AWPs eighth annual Warrior Community Integration Symposium begins on Oct. 25, 2021, and runs through Oct. 27. The Corporate Veteran Initiative Workshop is the first event and will be held from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 25.

Registration for the event is free. To learn more about AWPs Warrior Community Integration Symposium or to register for the event (even if you just want to sit in on the Corporate Veteran Initiative Workshop), visit the symposium page on the AWP website.

-- 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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Danger (apparently) meant nothing to Bruce Meyers. Given his extraordinary life, one might theorize that death couldnt catch up to the dune-buggy racing legend. He was a southern California beach-goer, through and through. Meyers was a lifeguard, a surfer, a car enthusiast and, first, a sailor.

Meyers dropped out of high school and joined the Merchant Marine during World War II, one of the most treacherous jobs of the war. For every 26 men who joined the service, one would die before the wars end. In comparison, one in 34 men who joined the Marine Corps died in the war. It was a dangerous job, but someone had to do it.

After that stint ended in 1944, Meyers joined the Navy. He headed out to the Pacific Theater aboard the USS Bunker Hill, an Essex-class aircraft carrier in time to join the fight for Okinawa. During the battle, the Bunker Hill was struck twice by kamikaze attacks, which set the ship ablaze.

Although the carrier didnt sink, 352 crewmen were killed and 41 were missing after the attack. Meyers was one of many sailors who abandoned ship. While in the water, he saw a fellow sailor in distress, struggling to stay above water. Meyers went into lifeguard mode and swam over to the man to give him his life jacket. He then swam to a wounded pilot who also was struggling, swam him through burning oil slicks and stayed with him until they all could be rescued.

They were in the water for five hours.

The aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill sinks after being hit by two kamikazes off the coast of Kyushu, Japan, May 11, 1945. (Department of Defense)

When the war ended, Meyers service was far from over. He went back to serving in the Merchant Marine. Eventually he returned to his home in southern California, where he became a pioneer of surfing. He mentored surf legends Greg Noll and Bing Copeland on hollow wooden boards.

But Meyers was a sailor first, and he came to produce boats using a relatively new material at the time, fiberglass. His boats were so successful and popular that he began adapting fiberglass in his other activities, including surfboards and, eventually, his car.

In 1964, Meyers wanted to create a vehicle that would work well in the sands of Baja California and be cheap to drive. So he went to his garage and built a vehicle around a fiberglass tub using a Volkswagen parts bin and a Beetle chassis on wide tires.

He had just created the Meyers Manx, the first dune buggy. It is now known as the most replicated car in history, with thousands of copies being made.

The Meyers-Manx was never intended to become known as a dune buggy, but it was copied so often and popularized in film and television after Meyers created thousands of kits for people to make their own. It really took off after Meyers and a buddy drove 1,000 miles through the desert in record time.

In the years before Meyers built the Manx, he and his friends were trying to beat the record of driving from Tijuana to La Paz, which stood at 39 hours, 46 minutes. Meyers and his friend, Ted Mangels, took off from Tijuana with 65 gallons of fuel in his newly made vehicle.

They beat the record by five full hours, and the race is now known as the Baja 1000.

Meyers service in World War II was just the beginning of his gifts to the U.S. military. The Meyers Manx later was replicated by the U.S. and other armed forces, who gave birth first to desert patrol vehicles (DPV) and now are known as light strike vehicles (LSV), used by U.S. Navy SEALs and the U.S. Border Patrol.

The U.S. military's Light Strike Vehicle was inspired by the Meyers Manx, a fiberglass dune buggy. (Department of Defense)

Although Meyers lost his copyright in a disputed legal battle with a copycat dune-buggy manufacturer, he is known to history as the creator of the original fiberglass version, his Meyers Manx.

Meyers died at age 94 in 2021, but his legacy lives on. You can still buy a Meyers Manx kit and zoom around your own stretch of desert, grassland or suburban street in one you built yourself.

-- 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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If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular.

Controls - Video

Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key.

Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation)

Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys.

The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types.

The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control.

Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images

If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways:

- without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method

- with stereoscope

- with anaglyph glasses.

- on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system)

For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D

To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them.

Controls - photo comparison mode

If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu.

Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder.

Summary of all keyboard shortcuts
Sept. 22: The Giants have formally announced the selection of Kazmirs contract. Righty Jay Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento to open a spot on the active roster.

Sept. 21: The Giants are planning to bring southpaw Scott Kazmir back to start tomorrow nights game against the Padres, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Kazmir is not on the 40-man roster, but San Francisco opened a spot by passing reliever Reyes Moronta through outright waivers this afternoon.

Kazmir returns for his second big league try this season. The veteran signed a minor league deal with San Francisco over the offseason and completed a remarkable comeback effort by earning a big league call in late May. He picked up his first big league action in five years this spring, but Kazmir made just three appearances (including two starts) before being designated for assignment. He worked seven innings over those three games, allowing five runs on eight hits (including three homers) and a walk while striking out seven.

After being outrighted off the 40-man roster, Kazmir joined the U.S. National Team at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. He made just one start there, tossing five scoreless innings in a win over the Dominican Republic. He returned to the Giants top affiliate in Sacramento after the conclusion of international competition and has made six starts for the River Cats over the past month. Hes worked 52 2/3 frames in Triple-A this season altogether, posting a 4.61 ERA with strikeout and walk rates (22.1% and 8.3%, respectively) not far off the league average.

Johnny Cueto remains on the injured list, leaving the Giants a man short in the rotation behind Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Logan Webb and Alex Wood. Kazmir will get another opportunity to step into that role. San Francisco entered play tonight up one game on the Dodgers in the NL West. Theyll close out the week with road series against the Padres and Rockies before returning home to host the D-Backs and Padres to end the regular season.
Depositors of 21 banks, including Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank, will receive up to Rs5 lakh from the deposit insurance & credit guarantee corporation (DICGC) within 90 days or by 29 December 2021 under the all-inclusive directions (AID).

The DICGC (Amendment) Act, 2021 (30 of 2021), notified in the Gazette of India on 27 August 2021 vide Notification F. No. 8/3/2019-BO.II of that date has been deemed to come into force from 1 September 2021 for banks insured under the DICGC Act.

Accordingly, DICGC says it will pay the depositors of the insured banks placed under AID with restrictions on withdrawal of deposits, an amount equivalent to the deposits outstanding of up to a maximum of Rs5 lakh only within a period not exceeding 90 days.

"These banks shall submit a claim list by 15th October and update the position as on 29 November 2021 with principal and interest, in a final updated (second) list, to enable DICGC to settle the claim and discharge its insurance liability in full as per norms. Unpaid (updated willingness list) / difference in the amount of deposits up to the eligible amount (as per the final updated list submitted by 29 November 2021) will be paid within 30 days or by 29 December 2021," DICGC says in a release.

However, the Corporation clarified that only those depositors who have given willingness to the insured bank would be paid as per Section 18 A of the Act. "...the depositors may contact the said banks and submit the declaration of willingness and also update any other documents or information, if needed by the bank, so that the bank can include their claims in the list by 15 October 2021," it added.

The list of banks under the AID includes 11 cooperative banks from Maharashtra, such as PMC Bank, Rupee Cooperative Bank, City Cooperative Bank Ltd, Kapol Cooperative Bank Ltd and Maratha Sahakari Bank Ltd among others.

There are five banks from Karnataka, including Bidar Mahila Urban Co-Op. Bank Ltd, Millath Cooperative Bank Ltd, Sri Gururaghvendra Sahakara Bank Niyamitha, The Mudhol Cooperative Bank Ltd and Deccan Urban Cooperative Bank Ltd.

Five states have one bank each in the AID list of DICGC such as Kerala (Adoor Cooperative Urban Bank Ltd), Punjab (Hindu Co-Op. Bank Ltd, Pathankot), Uttar Pradesh (People's Cooperative Bank Ltd), Rajasthan (Sikar Urban Co-Op. Bank Ltd) and Madhya Pradesh (Garha Cooperative Bank Ltd).





When the PMC Bank crisis started in 2019, Union finance minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman had said that the Rs1 lakh deposit insurance could be invoked only when one treats the matter of PMC Bank as a closed case and not as a going concern.

I appeal to you not to mention/speak/write of such extreme things. Multi state cooperative institutions do not come under Ministry of Finance, even if they are called banks. @RBI is their regulator and they are taking action.  Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) September 30, 2019 Speaking with media on 14 October 2019, the FM had said, "If the attempt is to keep it as a going concern, then you cannot invoke it (deposit insurance) and not give that Rs1 lakh. This is a hard technical fact. The attempt by RBI is to see if it can be kept going, and everybody's payment is made."



However, while tabling the Bill in Lok Sabha, the minister had said, "(The) DICGC Bill is effective from now, but PMC Bank, and Guru Raghavendra Bank that are already under stress but which are not under moratorium, which may have administrator sitting and sorting the business out, even their depositors will benefit and get Rs5 lakh within 90 days." Interestingly, the inclusion of PMC Bank and Gururaghvendra Sahakara Bank Niyamitha in the AID list has been done as an exception. This is because these are not liquidated as per the requirement of the DICGC Act.When the PMC Bank crisis started in 2019, Union finance minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman had said that the Rs1 lakh deposit insurance could be invoked only when one treats the matter of PMC Bank as a closed case and not as a going concern.Speaking with media on 14 October 2019, the FM had said, "If the attempt is to keep it as a going concern, then you cannot invoke it (deposit insurance) and not give that Rs1 lakh. This is a hard technical fact. The attempt by RBI is to see if it can be kept going, and everybody's payment is made."However, while tabling the Bill in Lok Sabha, the minister had said, "(The) DICGC Bill is effective from now, but PMC Bank, and Guru Raghavendra Bank that are already under stress but which are not under moratorium, which may have administrator sitting and sorting the business out, even their depositors will benefit and get Rs5 lakh within 90 days."



The extent of bank deposits insured per depositor shot up from Rs30,000 (since 1980) to Rs1 lakh (in 1993) after the securities scam took down two small banks, roiled the entire banking system, and targeted RBI's failed supervision. It was increased to Rs5 lakh last year after the amendment in the DICGC Act.



Here is the notification, list of banks under AID and form to be submitted by depositors...
The government has again extended the term of Uday Kotak as non-executive chairman of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) to maintain continuity in the resolution plan being operatives for the indebted group.

As per a notification by the department of financial services, Kotak, who is also the managing director and chief executive officer of Kotak Mahindra Bank would continue being the non-executive chairman on the board of IL&FS for another period of six months until April 2, 2022.

Kotak's tenure at IL&FS has already been given several extensions (about three since 2018) as the government believes that he will guide the company out of the current mess by completing the successful resolution of all stressed assets.

The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 prohibits a banking company to be managed by an individual who is a director of any other company. However, the provision does not apply for a temporary period not exceeding three months or such further period not exceeding nine months if allowed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The fresh six month extension for Kotak comes on the recommendations of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The apex bank had earlier also given the recommendation to continue with Kotak at the helm of IL&FS during its restructuring. Already, the IL&FS management under Kotak has resolved a substantial portion of the Rs 90,000 crore debt. The resolution strategy also involves selling several assets of IL&FS.

C.S. Rajan, MD, IL&FS said : "The IL&FS is privileged to enjoy the continued leadership of Mr Kotak for another 6 months. I am confident that under his guidance the IL&FS would accomplish the resolution targets set."

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
In a rare action, Rahul Singh, information commissioner (IC) of Madhya Pradesh (MP) has issued an arrest warrant on 20th September against Dr Vikram Singh Verma, chief medical and health officer (CMHO) of Burhanpur district, who is also the public information officer (PIO). Mr Singh was irked by the four continuous years of defiance and non-compliance with orders of the state information commission (SIC). Dr Verma had earlier been issued a show-cause notice asking why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him. In 2009, the information commissioner from Arunachal Pradesh had issued the first such arrest warrant against a PIO.

Dr Vikram Singh Verma and Akash Tripathi, commissioner of the directorate of health services of MP, are charged with disregarding their duties as PIO and showing blatant disregard to the orders of SIC.

This historic action emanates from an RTI (Right to Information) application filed by Sadashiv Sonwane on 10 August 2017, seeking information on posting and appointment of drivers with the health department in Burhanpur district.

When Dr Verma did not reply within the stipulated 30 days, Mr Sonwane filed a first appeal. On 7 October 2017, the first appellate authority (FAA) ordered Dr Verma to disclose the information; but the PIO refused to comply.

Then on 22 March 2018, Mr Sonwane filed his second appeal with the SIC.

Information commissioner Mr Singh says, The SIC, while hearing the case, issued numerous summons dated 18 October 2019, 29 November 2019, 21 September 2020, 2 November 2020, 16 December 2020 and 10 February 2021. However, the PIO failed to attend any proceedings or produce any document in compliance with the summons without providing any justifiable reasons or lawful excuse.

Mr Singhs order also observes, (The) SIC had also directed the commissioner of health services on these dates to ensure the appearance of the PIO but having not ensured the compliance, the commissioner violated the rule 8 (4) of MP RTI Appeal and Fees Rule 2005.

Finally, on 16 December 2020, SIC imposed a penalty of Rs25,000 on Dr Verma and asked the commissioner of health services in MP to recover the penalty amount from the CPIO if he fails to deposit the amount with the SIC within a month. The SIC had again, on consecutive dates, on 7th April, 7th June and 7 August 2021, asked the commissioner to deduct the penalty amount from the salary of the PIO and deposit it with the SIC. The commissioner did not do so.

In what can be termed as scathing remarks on the defiant bureaucracy, Mr Singh in his order, stated, conduct and demeanour of the PIO and the commissioner clearly reflects apathetic disregard of the law passed by the Parliament for creating transparent and accountable governance.

It is disheartening and disappointing to see officers, who are responsible and obligated to citizens under the RTI Act, are actively neglecting, violating, and obstructing the operation of the RTI Act, which is part of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1) of the Constitution of India, Mr Singh further stated.

Calling for strict action in this appeal, Mr Singh says, The SIC, as a statutory body established to promote and uphold the letter and spirit of the RTI Act, cannot remain a mute spectator to such blatant repeated violations of the RTI Act. If such violations are not addressed properly, it will create a mockery of the law and institutions established to uphold the law.

Can the SIC actually arrest a PIO for non-compliance? Probably anticipating this question, Mr Singhs order cites specific rules from the Central RTI Act and Madhya Pradeshs rules to back his action. They are:

 Once the PIO violates Section 7 (1) of RTI Act 2005, by not providing information within 30 days of the RTI application, a penalty of Rs250 per day, not exceeding the maximum penalty of Rs25,000 shall be imposed guilty PIO under Section 20 of the Act. The PIO is expected to deposit the amount with the SIC within one month.

 As per Rule 8 (6)(3)(i) of MP RTI (Fees & Appeal) Rules, 2005, the PIO has been mandated to deposit the imposed penalty with the SIC within one month of the receipt of penalty order issued by the SIC.

 As per Rule 8 (6)(iii) of the MP RTI (Fees & Appeal) Rules, if the PIO fails to deposit the imposed penalty amount within the prescribed time limit, SIC shall report to the concerned disciplinary authority to take disciplinary action and ensure recovery of imposed penalty amount against the PIO.

 Section 19 (8)(a) of RTI Act says the commission has the power required by a public authority to take any such steps as may be necessary to secure compliance with the provisions of this Act. Rule 8 (4) and Section 19 (7) of RTI Act state that the order of the SIC shall be binding on the concerned officer.

State IC Rahul Singh thus issued an arrest warrant under order XVI Rule 16 of Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) and Section 18(3) of RTI Act. He directed the deputy inspector general (DIG) of Indore division to execute the warrant to secure the personal attendance of Dr Vikram Singh before the SIC at 12noon on 5 October 2021 in court room No4.

The warrant reads: Dr Vikram Singh shall give bail himself in the sum of Rs5,000 to attend before me on 11 October 2021, at 12noon; he may be released.

Mr Singh has also directed the commissioner of the directorate of health services to ensure recovery of the penalty and initiate disciplinary action against Dr Verma within 15 days of the receipt of SIC order.
SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain (AP)  Taking center stage in a prestigious Spanish film festival to receive a top career award, actor Johnny Depp presented himself as a victim of the "cancel culture" that, he said, has spread across the cinema industry.

Depp was addressing questions on Wednesday by reporters at the San Sebastian International Film Festival about the loss of Hollywood's favor for new roles ever since his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, went public with allegations of domestic violence against him.

A British judge last year found the allegations to be substantially correct.

Its a very complex situation, this cancel-culture, or this instant rush to judgment based on essentially what amounts to polluted air, the 58-year-old actor responded.

Its got so far out of hand that I can assure you, no one is safe. Not one of you, so long as someone is willing to say one thing."

Female filmmakers and other groups had criticized the organizer's decision to distinguish Depp with the Donostia Award, the festival's highest honor, saying it tarnished the event's image and delivered the wrong message to victims of gender violence.

Last year, Depp lost a libel case against a British newspaper that accused him of domestic violence, with the judge on the case ruling the allegations were substantially correct. In March, a British court refused Depp permission to appeal the ruling that he assaulted his former wife, Amber Heard, saying his attempt to overturn the decision had no real prospect of success.

Depp is also suing Heard for $50 million in Virginia over a Washington Post op-ed essay that she wrote about domestic violence. The trial in that case was recently delayed until April 2022.

Spains Association of Female Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media, which has close links to the festival, said that awards should not be granted based only on professional or artistic achievements.

What is the message that remains when men denounced for sexist violence are applauded, photographed on red carpets, surrounded by unconditional fans?" the association, known as CIMA, wrote in a Twitter thread in which it acknowledged the "complexity" of the issue.

The actor, who played the famous Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean and leading roles in Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow, spoke to reporters hours before the awards gala. The controversy emerged despite the festival's request for media questions to be constrained to Depps career. A press conference moderator blocked a question from a reporter about the CIMA's criticism.

It takes one sentence, then theres no more ground, the carpet has been pulled," Depp said without mentioning Heard or the libel cases.

Its not just me that its happened to. Its happened to a lot of people: women, men, children have suffered from various types of unpleasantries that sadly at a certain point they begin to think its normal, that its them. Its not," he said.

The actor also talked about how the coronavirus pandemic has brought more people to watch movies on screens at homes rather than going to cinemas, which closed during lockdowns.

The majority of the world went, You know, this aint bad. We can sit and watch this thing at home. We can cook some popcorn, as opposed to the idea of a guy who makes $700 a week and wants to take his wife and kids out to dinner and a movie on the weekend, which is a $200 deal. I think the Hollywood movie machine has a few design flaws they are just realizing."

"Im glad I saw it coming, personally, he added.

Asked about his views of the industry's health, particularly in the U.S., Depp said that Hollywood is certainly not what it was.

The grudge matches, the pandemonium and chaos of cinematic release to streaming... It is a case of, No matter what, Im going to get mine." the actor said. "Thats where these people are coming from. They realize they are just as disposable as I am. Some even more.

The San Sebastian International Film Festival, held in northern Spain, takes place Sept. 17-25 this year. Depp was scheduled to receive the award late on Wednesday in what is the actors third appearance at the event.

French actress Marion Cotillard also received a Donostia Award last Friday, on the festival's opening day.

__

Aritz Parra in Madrid contributed to this report.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  State troopers have arrested three suspects in an armed robbery at a Best Buy in Carson City.

The troopers stopped the suspects' car in Reno near U.S. Interstate 580 on Monday just eight minutes after the robbery was reported in Carson City, the Nevada Highway Patrol said Tuesday.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  The authors of Mississippi's 1890 constitution had racist intent when they stripped voting rights from people convicted of some felonies because they chose crimes they thought were more likely to be committed by Black people, an attorney argued Wednesday in a federal appeals court.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should overturn most of Mississippi's felon disenfranchisement plan, attorney Donald B. Verrilli Jr. argued on behalf of people with felony convictions. The case could affect thousands who have lost voting rights.

Because the 1890 provisions were unconstitutional, they were invalid from the moment that theyre enacted, Verrilli said.

Attorneys representing the state said Mississippi dropped burglary from the list of disenfranchising crimes in 1950 and added murder and rape to the list in 1968. They said in written arguments that those changes cured any discriminatory taint on the original provision.

The ultimate question for this court is whether the Mississippi Constitution's felon disenfranchisement provision comports with the equal protection clause. It does," Mississippis deputy solicitor general, Justin Matheny, told the appeals court judges.

The Mississippi Constitution strips voting rights from people convicted of 10 felonies, including forgery, arson and bigamy. The state attorney general issued an opinion in 2009 that expanded the list to 22 crimes, including timber larceny, carjacking, felony-level shoplifting and felony-level bad check writing.

In the case heard Wednesday, the plaintiffs did not challenge disenfranchisement of people convicted of murder or rape.

To regain voting rights in Mississippi now, a person convicted of a disenfranchising crime must receive a governor's pardon or must win permission from two-thirds of the state House and Senate. Legislators in recent years have passed a small number of bills to restore voting rights. Bills to restore suffrage to 28 people were filed this year. Two of those passed, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves let both become law without his signature.

Federal lawsuits were filed in Mississippi in 2017 and 2018 seeking automatic restoration of voting rights for people who had finished serving sentences for disenfranchising crimes.

The case heard Wednesday is from the lawsuit filed in 2017. Judges asked several questions during the hourlong hearing but did not indicate how or when they might rule.

A panel of 5th Circuit judges heard arguments in December 2019 from the other case, which makes different arguments. That panel has not issued a ruling.

The Sentencing Project, a national advocacy group that seeks to eliminate racial disparities in the criminal justice system, said in a 2020 report that more than 5 million people in the United States are disenfranchised because of criminal convictions. It said that includes more than 8% of adults in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. The report also said Mississippi is one of seven states where more than one in seven Black people is disenfranchised, or twice the national average.

In November 2018, Florida voters adopted a state constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights to most convicted felons once they complete their sentences, with the exception of those convicted of murder or sex offenses. It was estimated to affect more than 1 million people, although many voting rights advocates were outraged by a court ruling that later found that a Floridians right could not be restored until all fines, restitution and legal fees were paid.

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Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus.
Midland ISD is looking to take care of its Young Womens Leadership Academy problem.

The district has an entire all-girls school being run out of portables, and the schools staff, students and some board members are not happy about it.

The problem is great enough that two board members  John Trischitti III and Katie Joyner  wanted to close down Jones Elementary in March and hand over the facility over to the charter operator that is a partner with the district. Other board members stated that it was not fair to push those students out without providing parents any notice and that the district should do its due diligence about options.

That is where the district is now, and according to Kellie Spencer, the districts chief of Administrative Services, the Davis Demographics study presented to the council on Monday might help identify slower growing areas in Midland and maybe help present a possible campus to turn over to YWLA, if needed.

Spencer told the Reporter-Telegram that school officials expect to present a solution to the board by the end of the calendar year.

If we are going to move (YWLA) into an existing facility, we need growth data to make sure the move is possible, said Spencer, who added that the district cant just displace other students just to give YWLA students a building.

At Mondays meeting, three people representing YWLA spoke during the public comment period of the board meeting. They talked about how YWLA had grown, the inconveniences of sharing land with a neighboring elementary school, defects in the portable facilities on the campus in southwest Midland. They said YWLA cant compete with other programs because of the lack of facilities, they commented how the district broke promises of a Hockaday like experience (Hockaday is an all-girls private school in north Dallas with an annual tuition between $28,950 and $34,350). They talked about how YWLA is one of the top performing schools in the district and that the facilities provided should match that performance.

YWLA opened in the fall of 2019 with the sixth and seventh grades. It currently is home to girls in grades 6-9. It is run by the Dallas-based Young Womens Preparatory Network.

Some may remember that YWLA was part of the last bond issue presented by the district in 2019. School officials had hoped Young Womens Preparatory Network could run the in-district charter out of the building that is now home to San Jacinto Junior High. Had the bond passed, SJ would have eventually moved into the buildings where Midland High currently exists, and then YWLA would have moved into the central Midland campus.

Spencer said the district has to be innovative and offer academic choices that the community is wanting and that there needs to be a long-range facilities plan to support that offering. She said YWLAs existence in portables was never meant to be permanent and that the goal is to put YWLA students in facilities that any student in the district would deserve.
The pet-boarding center was engulfed in smoke and flames by the time firefighters arrived late Saturday. They heard no barks or yelps.

"They were met with conditions that are worst possible scenario," John Sullivan, the Georgetown, Texas, fire chief, said at a Sunday news conference.

Seventy-five dogs were inside Ponderosa Pet Resort, about 30 miles north of Austin. All of them died, Sullivan said.

"I've been doing this for 29 years and this is the first incident that I've had where we've lost so many pets," he added.

The dogs probably died of smoke inhalation, the fire department said in a news release. While the investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, Sullivan said, the incident has led to a newfound push to amend local fire codes, which do not require sprinkler systems in facilities like the pet hotel.

The blaze in Georgetown, a city with a population of about 80,000, is the latest fire this year that resulted in dozens of animal deaths. In April, 54 dogs died in a fire at a kennel in Bardstown, Ky. Fire officials determined it was an accident. A home in Sparta, Wis., caught on fire in May, killing 14 adult dogs, 12 puppies and two cats. Thirteen dogs and a feral cat died in August from a fire in a Chandler, Ariz., home that functioned as an animal shelter. It is unclear what caused the Wisconsin and Arizona incidents.

The Georgetown Fire Department began receiving several 911 calls just before 11 p.m. Saturday, Sullivan said. First responders arrived at Ponderosa Pet Resort within five minutes. Twenty-five firefighters worked to stop the blaze. They gained access to the building and opened up doors and windows for ventilation.

After consulting with the owner, the department learned that 75 dogs were inside the facility. No humans were present when the building went up in flames.

"It is extremely heart wrenching for us as first responders," Sullivan said Sunday. "My heart just dropped when I got the address and knew exactly what location we were going to because, quite frankly, I view my personal pet as my closest confidant, friend and one that doesn't judge. My heart just breaks for the people today."

Authorities said 59 families lost pets in the fire. As of Monday afternoon, the department was working with the animal hotel's owner to reunite families with their dogs' remains.

"This is an emotionally wrought experience, and we're here to support them," Sullivan said in a video statement released Monday.

Phillip Paris, the owner of Ponderosa Pet Resort, said in a statement to KXAN that he is "emotionally overwhelmed" by the fire.

"Fifty-nine families are affected, and their best friends won't be coming home. As a dog owner, I feel their heartbreak intensely," he said. "We are working through the fog of our own grief, but we know each family is pained more than we are. It is soul-wrenching to lose a friend suddenly and without warning. I realize this, and grieve for each life lost, and the families disrupted by this tragedy."

Don and Pam Richard boarded their two puppies, Bunny and Clyde, last week in preparation for their wedding on Friday. They were supposed to pick up the dogs on Sunday.

"Yeah, we never thought this would happen," Don Richard told KXAN.

"Hopefully they were already asleep so they didn't panic," Pam Richard added.

Ponderosa Pet Resort did not have employees working overnight, a fact noted on the business's website. It is unclear if there was a sprinkler system, which is not required by local fire codes.

But the incident has instigated a push among community members and fire department leaders to update those rules. Sullivan noted the city follows state and federal codes, which "itself is silent when it talks to animal occupancies," he said in a video statement released Monday.

"We're looking at ways that we can try to encourage change, not only here locally, but across the country," Sullivan said. "We will be reviewing some amendments with our counsel later this fall."

Carl Wren, Georgetown's fire protection engineer, said the International Code Council, which drafts fire code guidelines every three years, happens to be meeting this week to vote on the 2024 edition. He plans to attend the meeting and advocate for updated rules involving animals.

"The codes have not historically dealt much with animals other than as business occupancies or agricultural animals," Wren said in the fire department's video statement. "This is, I think, is a very needed reexamination of that position."

The department, with the help of fire marshals, is investigating the blaze by going through a list of possible causes.

"We want answers and we want answers now, but we need to go through a process of identifying clearly what caused this fire so we can better learn from this and help prevent a future tragedy from occurring," Sullivan said.

The fire chief noted that he has been greatly impacted by the incident.

"I just wish I could go back in time and make it better," Sullivan said Sunday.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday tossed a capital murder conviction and granted a new trial for Clinton Lee Young, the death row inmate who was convicted by a Midland County jury in 2003.

Young was sentenced to death for killing Doyle Douglas, 41, and Samuel Petrey, 52, for the use of their vehicles during a 48-hour crime spree. Petrey was kidnapped in his hometown of Eastland and killed in an oilfield near Midland.

The appeals court overturned Youngs conviction because of a revelation that then-assistant district attorney Ralph Petty, who helped prosecute Young, was also moonlighting as a judicial clerk for the same trial, according to an opinion filed Wednesday.

From 2002 until he retired in 2019, Petty was paid at least $132,900 by multiple district judges to work as a clerk on cases that he was also helping to prosecute, according to court documents.

The evidence presented in this case supports only one legal conclusion: that Applicant was deprived of his due process rights to a fair trial and an impartial judge, the court wrote.

Evidence that was shown during a Zoom hearing demonstrated that Petty worked as a judicial clerk on habeas corpus cases while he was working full-time for the district attorneys office. Former Midland County District Attorneys Al Schorre and Teresa Clingman allegedly knew of Pettys dual role.

Although Petty did not serve as a primary prosecutor during Youngs trial, he was an active member of the prosecution team, drafting motions, appearing in court and acting as a legal advisor for the prosecution, the court documents state.

Current Midland County District Attorney Laura Nodolf, who was elected in 2016, discovered in 2019 that Petty had worked as a judicial clerk when she was reviewing department invoices. The District Attorneys Office then recused itself from Youngs case and sent notices to about 300 defendants to inform them of the ethical conflict.

Youngs lawyers filed to overturn his conviction in 2020 with the new information about Petty; it was the fourth time his lawyers submitted writs of habeas corpus.

Petty was paid $16,700 for his work as a judicial clerk in Youngs case through 2003, in addition to his salary with the District Attorneys Office, according to the court documents. He represented the state of Texas during Youngs first appeal hearing while he was also being paid to do clerk work for the judge presiding over the trial.

This combined evidence demonstrates that, in his role as prosecutor, Petty opposed habeas relief at the writ hearings while at the same time, in his role as judicial clerk to Judge [John] Hyde, he drafted the order recommending the denial of [Youngs] initial  writ application, the appeals court wrote.

The court concluded that Judicial and prosecutorial misconduct  in the form of an undisclosed employment relationship between the trial judge and the prosecutor appearing before him  tainted [Youngs] entire proceeding from the outset. As a result, little confidence can be placed in the fairness of the proceedings or the outcome of [Youngs] trial. The taint, the record shows, continued through [Youngs] postconviction proceedings and persisted until the revelation in 2019 of Perrys judicial employment upon inadvertent discovery by District Attorney Nodolf.

Petty did not testify at the appeals hearing after invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. He surrendered his law license in April in lieu of disciplinary action.

Young will be transported to the custody of the Midland County Sheriffs Office to await a new trial.
Gov. J.B. Pritzkers COVID-19 vaccine mandate now is in effect for college students, educators and most health care workers.

Those who dont follow the mandate could be kept from work.

But a state lawmaker critical of the mandate said it penalizes unvaccinated people with weekly testing that could come with an extra cost.

Pritzkers COVID-19 vaccine mandate for educators, college students and most health care workers went into effect Sunday.

His office announced an agreement Monday with a labor union representing workers in congregate settings like the Illinois Department of Corrections, that employees must have their first COVID-19 vaccine by Oct. 14, and the second shot by Nov. 18.

Therefore, if employees do not receive the vaccine or an exemption by the dates identified, progressive disciplinary measures will be implemented, which may ultimately lead to discharge, Pritzkers office said in a statement. The agreement includes a process whereby employees can seek an exemption based on medical contraindications or sincerely held religious beliefs.

Similar exemptions for kindergarten through high school staff also were announced by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Negotiations continue with other labor unions representing health care workers run by other state agencies, Pritzkers office said.

The governor was asked if hes worried the mandate could create a labor shortage elsewhere in the health care industry.

We dont want to cause any shortages, but we do want to keep everybody safe, Pritzker said. We do have these alternatives available.

The alternative to the mandated vaccine for most in health care is weekly COVID-19 tests, but that could come with an extra cost to the employer or the employee. Pritzker recognized some of the issues are unresolved.

There are health care workers, no doubt, that are working with their health care providers, Pritzker said. It will work itself out. We certainly are attempting to be as helpful as we can to those institutions that are having trouble putting their testing together.

For schools not participating in the University of Illinois covidSHIELD program, staff taking the required test must pay. But its at no cost to districts taking part or for college staff and students.

State Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, said concerns about cost are legitimate because some people, even those with medical or religious exemptions, cant afford $35 to $100 a week to test.

They already have the pile of cash from the federal government to pay for as many tests, as long as they want, Chesney said of the hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars set aside for COVID-19 testing.

Chesney filed House Bill 4106 back in July to prohibit vaccine requirements at universities, but the bill has not advanced to a substantive committee.

What the governor is doing is saying were going to start really, really ratcheting it up on the unvaccinated to make it not only uncomfortable, but also a financial penalty, Chesney said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health says the mandate does not require employers to pay for their employees who are not vaccinated, but encourages employers to make it as easy as possible.
Sally Arnett-Hartwick of Carrollton has been inducted into the Illinois State University College of Applied Science and Technology Hall of Fame.

She was selected based on performance and leadership in her profession, service to the institution, and statewide, national or international recognition.
A pre-trial conference has been set for a South Jacksonville man charged in the death of a woman who was found unresponsive on the grounds of Prairie Land Heritage Museum in the early morning hours of Sept. 5.

Michael O. Bailey, 48, of South Jacksonville pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of reckless homicide, concealment of a homicidal death, and failure to report an accident involving death in the death of Edwina Kris Teubner, 58, of Jacksonville.

Bailey has requested a jury trial. He waived his right to a pre-trial hearing, which means trial could begin Dec. 14.

Circuit Judge Chris Reif asked Tuesday if Bailey understood the charges against him. Accompanied by attorney W. Scott Hanken of Springfield, Bailey acknowledged he was aware of the charges.

Pre-trial conference was scheduled for Dec. 8.

South Jacksonville and Jacksonville police, Morgan County deputies and crews from South Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and Lifestar Ambulance were called to the Prairie Land Heritage Museum grounds on West Michigan Avenue about 3:20 a.m. Sept. 5 after receiving calls about a woman being found unresponsive and not breathing. Residents who were on the scene started CPR, but Teubner died.

Bailey was arrested shortly after South Jacksonville police began investigating with assistance from Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services. He was released from jail Sept. 8 after posting $75,000 bond.

Witnesses have been interviewed, but South Jacksonville Police Chief Eric Hansell said specifics of the case have not been made public because the investigation is ongoing.

Teubner worked as a dog groomer at Canine Clipper for more than 30 years and also as a hairdresser. She was an avid bowler who took part in local and national tournaments, according to her obituary, and enjoyed boating and being at the lake with friends. She leaves behind two children, two brothers, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
RABAT, Morocco (AP)  Moroccos prime minister-designate announced Wednesday that a three-party coalition will form the country's next government.

King Mohammed VI appointed billionaire Aziz Akhanouch as prime minister earlier this month after his party placed first in a legislative election, netting 102 out of the 395 seats in the lower house of parliament.

The coalition includes Akhanouch's liberal National Rally of Independents Party, or RNI, the Authenticity and Modernity party (PAM) and the conservative Istiqlal (IP).

Formed in 2008 by Fouad Ali El Hima, a personal friend of the king and one of his close advisers, PAM has never before been part of a Moroccan government.

The Istiqlal Party is Morocco's oldest party and has participated in several governments since the kingdom gained independence from France in 1956.

The three parties together won 270 seats in the House of Representatives, giving the coalition government a comfortable majority to pass laws.

We will work together to form an effective and coherent majority before presenting the government lineup to King Mohammed VI, Akhanouch said during a press conference. We share many historical backgrounds and we intersect in a number of priorities.

A former agriculture minister, Akhanouch is one of Moroccos richest men.

He replaces Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani, whose Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) suffered a stinging a defeat in the Sept. 8 election. The party, which has been in power since 2011, secured only 13 parliament seats, down from 125 in the 2016 election.

The PJD's leadership resigned en masse after this month's elections and said the party would join the opposition ranks.

In a statement, the moderate Islamist party alleged many violations and imbalances witnessed" during the elections, adding that the results do not reflect the reality of the political map and the free will of the voters.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP)  Prosecutors in Virginia dropped all charges against a man charged with hiring a hitman to kill his ex-wife after the accused hitman withdrew his guilty pleas and refused to cooperate with the investigation into the 2004 double slayings that also left the woman's 7-year-old son dead.

Christopher Schmidt, 49, had been held in jail without bond on murder charges for the last three years. He was released Tuesday after prosecutors asked a judge to withdraw the charges against him, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

The case against Schmidt was thrown into disarray last week when a judge allowed accused hitman Richard Stoner to withdraw his guilty pleas for the slayings of 29-year-old Lois Schmidt and Jonathan Vetrano, her son from another marriage.

In 2019, Stoner pleaded guilty to murder charges and agreed to testify against Schmidt after prosecutors promised not to seek the death penalty against him. But when capital punishment was abolished in Virginia this summer, Stoner asked to withdraw his guilty pleas. A judge agreed with Stoner's lawyer that the change in the law invalidated the plea deal.

Prosecutors said that without Stoner's testimony, they don't believe they have enough evidence to win a conviction against Schmidt.

At this point, the commonwealth sees no other option, Commonwealths Attorney Colin Stolle said during a brief court hearing Tuesday.

Macie Allen, a spokesperson for prosecutors, said they still hope to persuade Stoner to work with them. If they do, they'll reinstate charges against Schmidt, Allen said.

Lois Schmidt and her son were killed in June 2004 at a Virginia Beach home Lois Schmidt shared with her parents. Lois Schmidt's brother was also shot but survived.

The case remained cold until 2018, when investigators said theyd obtained a confession from Stoner. He testified during a preliminary hearing in 2019 that Schmidt hired him to kill his ex-wife, but he ended up killing her son, too.

Stoner, an Indiana Army veteran, still faces trial in the case. No date has been set, Allen said.
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Alexis M. Crafton, 21, of 14 Morningside Drive was booked into the Morgan County jail at 2:55 p.m. Monday on a burglary charge.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 A flag was stolen from a porch in the 900 block of South Clay Avenue, according to a report filed at 7:58 a.m. Tuesday.



Cass County

Beardstown Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Lincoln A. Morrell, 27, of 402 W. Beardstown St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 10:28 a.m. Monday on charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated battery and unlawful use of weapons.



Pike County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Brady L. Engle, 26, of Hannibal, Missouri, was arrested at 5:31 p.m. Sept. 13 on a domestic battery charge.

 Roy Lee Irick, 68, of Hull was arrested at 4:19 p.m. Sept. 14 on a violation of sex offender registration.

 Jason K. Sprague, 43, of Roodhouse was arrested at 4:28 p.m. Sept. 14 on a warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court for a hearing on a petition to revoke.

 Casey L. Dossett, 30, of White Hall was arrested at 12:40 a.m. Sept. 15 on a petition to revoke.

Pittsfield Police

 Thomas A. Wellman, 28, of Pittsfield was arrested at 1:14 p.m. Thursday on a warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court for sentencing on charges of possession of methamphetamine and obstruction of justice.

State police

 Emanuel Pratt, 56, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was arrested at 1:27 a.m. Thursday on charges of aiding/abetting/or possessing a stolen vehicle, possession of a lost or mislaid credit or debit card, having no valid drivers license and illegal possession or transportation of liquor by a driver.

 Christopher A. Donkor Ware, 20, of Laurel, Maryland, was arrested at 7:05 p.m. Saturday on charges of possession of cannabis, manufacture or delivery of cannabis, unlawful use of medical cannabis, driving while license is revoked or suspended and speeding.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands constitutional court announced another recess Wednesday in a key case over whether Polish or European Union law has primacy in the EU member country.

The ruling of the Constitutional Tribunal, when it eventually comes, is expected to define Poland's future relationship with the 27-member bloc.

After a session of some two hours Wednesday, the court announced a recess till Sept. 30, to gain time to prepare detailed questions for the sides. The proceedings started in July but have been repeatedly postponed.

The court opened the case on a motion earlier this year from Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. He asked for the review after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that EU law takes precedence over Polands Constitution.

The EU court's decision came amid a larger dispute over deep changes the ruling Law and Justice party initiated to the Polish court system; the EU views the changes as an erosion of democratic checks and balances.

During the proceedings Wednesday, representatives of Poland's human rights ombudsman argued that the case is unnecessary because EU regulations are in line with Polands Constitution, and Poland accepted the EUs legal order when it became a member in 2004.

The prime ministers motion is aimed at obtaining a sort of safe-conduct permission to avoid applying EU rulings" when they are inconvenient for the government, said Miroslaw Wroblewski, of the ombudsmans office.

Representatives of the president, the Foreign Ministry, parliament and the Prosecutor Generals Office all supported the prime ministers doubts as to EU laws supremacy.

The Constitutional Tribunal itself is seen by the EU as illegitimate due to the political influence of Polands conservative ruling party on the appointment of some of its judges. Many of them are government loyalists  including the court's president, Judge Julia Przylebska, who is heading the panel in the current case.

Poland's government insists that the justice system and the judiciary are the sole purview of EU member nations and not the EU.

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This story has been corrected to show the court's president's first name is Julia, not Lidia.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi sheriff's department said Tuesday that it has identified the skeletal remains of a woman found nearly 44 years ago, and investigators believe she was a victim of the now-deceased Samuel Little, the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history.

Hunters found the woman's remains in December 1977 in the small community of Escatawpa in coastal Jackson County, Mississippi, and investigators had referred to her since then as Escatawpa Jane Doe. An autopsy determined that the woman, who had a distinctive gold tooth, had been dead about three or four months before her remains were found.
I recently filled in hosting a talk show, which gave me the opportunity to interview Lt. Col. Jonathan P. Meyers, a retired Marine whod recently written a memoir about his almost three decades in service called, American to the Corps.

During his years of active service, Meyers had been involved in a number of memorable events. But perhaps the most exceptional thing hes done in his life came after retirement when, as a private citizen, he joined with two other former Marines and worked to get U.S. citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies out of Afghanistan before the doors closed and the likelihood of success evaporated like smoke in a Kandahar opium den.

Tragically, as Meyers explained, he was ultimately unable to get everyone on his manifest out. Hes still trying, even as the Taliban consolidate their power and take their victory laps by beating women and whipping journalists who try and bear witness to their brutality.

The State Department really put themselves in this position, by not completing the job before taking the last troops out, Meyers said, criticizing the administration for claiming the Taliban were acting in a businesslike and professional manner. He said he knows of an Afghan mother and her American toddler who was injured after slashing her foot on some razor wire after being pushed into a sewage canal by the Taliban.

Then the Taliban showed up two days ago and executed her brothers, Meyers said. So, theyre not being very business-like and professional, but this information is not getting out to the public.

When I heard him say this, I wasnt surprised. I know firsthand the extent to which some in the media have been complicit in helping the White House spin the conditions on the ground in Afghanistan. Perhaps they, like the president, wanted to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with an almost triumphant attitude as in the war is over, our troops are home.

To some extent, they were successful, primarily because we dont want to believe that we actually lost. We dont want to accept the fact that young men and women died for nothing, that others came home with only half of their bodies or minds intact and it made absolutely no difference. The hasty and disorganized withdrawal allowed us to wipe the slate clean like some geopolitical Etch-A-Sketch, and leave the battlefields that swallowed up two generations of Americans in the rear view mirror.

I cannot look at 9/11 and feel relief that we are no longer in the maelstrom. The optics of the forever war being over might make President Biden feel as if hes accomplished something, as if hes written the eulogy and epitaph for the earth-shaking violence that consumed our troops for two decades. But every time I get a phone call or a text from someone asking for help to get their family members out, Im reminded that the story isnt over just because weve stopped reading the book.

Interviewing Colonel Meyers was a sobering experience. He deliberately tried to avoid making partisan attacks, even though you could tell in his voice and in his carefully chosen words that he was filled with rage over the hubris of a president and his advisors, reckless and driven to a particular goal regardless of the devastating consequences.

This is what he said when I asked him if he thought that there was any legitimate reason for the State Department to have provided the Taliban with a manifest of names so they could confirm who was trying to get out:

Thats strike three against us in terms of providing lists of people, and I understand that they provided the manifest that was put together for these airplanes, which again is unbelievable, and what it really demonstrates to me is the political naivete of the people in the National Security apparatus. Its obvious that you couldnt be a qualified national security expert and make a decision like that, so that has to be the reason that this is happening.

Meyers reminded me that Americans are often at our best when we stop being Republicans and Democrats, dissidents or sycophants, and we simply follow our better angels. Sometimes, that means ignoring our flawed and self-interested leaders, and putting faith in ourselves. I trust the people like Colonel Meyers much more than anyone who considers the terrorists who stole our sons and daughters, who are beating women and kidnapping young boys as being professional and business like.

President Biden wanted to be able to say that we were out of Afghanistan. He wanted that sound bite.

And now, he has it. But at what cost?

Christine Flowers is an attorney and columnist. She can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
Library devoted to Japan novelist Murakami to open in Tokyo View Photo

TOKYO (AP)  A library devoted to Japanese novelist Haruki Murakamis writings, scrapbooks and record collection opens next week in Tokyo as a spot for literary research, cultural exchange and a gathering spot for his fans.

The Haruki Murakami library, which opens Oct. 1 at Waseda University, his alma mater, features a replica of his study with a simple desk, rows of bookshelves and a record player, as well as a cafe run by students that serves his favorite dark roast coffee.

I hope this will be a place where students can freely exchange and materialize ideas  a free, unique and fresh spot on the university campus., Murakami, 72, said Wednesday at news conference announcing the librarys opening.

Visitors enter through a tunnel-like passageway in the five-story building designed and renovated by architect Kengo Kuma, one of Murakamis many fans and the designer of the Tokyo Olympics stadium. Kuma said tunnels are his image of Murakamis stories, in which protagonists often travel between the real and the surreal.

The library, officially called the Waseda International House of Literature, currently houses about 3,000 of Murakamis books, manuscripts and other materials, including translations of his work in dozens of languages, and part of his massive collection of records. At a lounge next to the library, there is an audio room where records are on display, some stamped Petercat, the name of the jazz bar he ran after graduating from Waseda.

They include records by Billie Holiday, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

I wish a place like this had been built after my death, so I can rest in peace and have someone take care of it, Murakami joked. I feel a bit nervous seeing it while Im still alive.

Murakami said he will contribute as much as possible to the library. It currently focuses on his works, but he said he hopes it will be expanded to include those of other novelists so it becomes a wide-ranging and fluid research space.

After his 1979 debut novel, Hear the Wind Sing, the 1987 romance Norwegian Wood became his first bestseller, establishing him as a young literary star. He is also known for bestsellers such as A Wild Sheep Chase, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, and 1Q84, and is a perennial candidate for the Nobel Literature Prize.

Murakami is an avid listener and collector of music ranging from classical to jazz and rock, and it serves as an important motif in many of his stories. He also has written books on music.

Beginning in 2018, Murakami has hosted a Murakami Radio show on Tokyo FM on which he plays his favorite music and sometimes takes requests and questions from listeners.

The archive project emerged in 2018 when Murakami offered to donate his collection of materials, which had grown so much over the past 40 years that he was running out of storage space at his home and office.

Tadashi Yanai, the founder of the parent company of Uniqlo and a Waseda alumnus, donated 1.2 billion yen ($11 million) for the cost of the library.

By MARI YAMAGUCHI

Associated Press
Kosovo calls on Serbia to lower tensions, start dialogue View Photo

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP)  Ethnic Serbs blocked the Kosovo-Serbia border for a third straight day Wednesday to protest a decision by Kosovo authorities to start removing Serbian license plates from cars entering the country.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti called on Serbs to move vehicles away because they are blocking themselves. Small groups of Serbs spent the night in tents and they have blocked the roads to the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings with trucks.

The recent incident has raised fears that it may unleash much deeper tensions between the two Balkan neighbors.

Serbia, which doesnt recognize its former province of Kosovo as a separate nation, has for years been taking off registration plates from Kosovo-registered cars entering Serbia. Drivers need to pay five euros (nearly $6) for a 60-day temporary license plate.

Serbia considers its border with Kosovo as an administrative and temporary boundary.

Tensions soared Monday when Kosovo special police with armored vehicles were sent to the border to impose the same rule of temporarily replacing Serb license plates from cars while they drive in Kosovo.

Kosovo authorities said a 2016 deal with Serbia reached in European Union-mediated talks had expired and now only official Kosovo symbols are valid.

Our offer is very practical, lets lift the temporary plates, in Serbia and in Kosovo, Kurti said at the government meeting.

Neither our state or citizens nor Kosovar Serbs or Serbia are interested in incidents and escalation (of tension), said Kurti, blaming Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as the only one individualinterested in that. We are for dialogue.

Vucic said Wednesday that there would be no European Union-mediated talks with Kosovo officials on the latest crisis until Kosovos special police units pull back from the border.

They can organize whatever they want, I will not accept anything, Vucic said in Budapest, Hungary, where hes to attend a summit of right-wing European leaders.

The EU has facilitated a dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia since 2011 and helped to broker more than 30 agreements, but few of them have been applied.

The EU and U.S. urged Kosovo and Serbia to immediately, without any delay exercise restraint and refrain from unilateral actions.

In a tweet on Wednesday, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi urged both Kosovo and Serbia to exercise restraint and deescalate the tensions, return to dialogue and ensure freedom of movement without delay. Unilateral actions are never a solution. They only lead to unnecessary tensions and should be withdrawn.

Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani met with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in New York and urged the bloc that efforts on tensioning and destabilization from illegal structures supported by Serbia should be judged from the EU.

After the 1998-1999 bloody crackdown by Serbian troops against Kosovo Albanian separatists ended after NATO intervention, Kosovo declared independence in 2008. It has been recognized by the U.S. and other Western nations, but not by Serbia and its allies Russia and China.

Thousands of NATO-led peacekeepers, including U.S. troops, are still deployed in Kosovo, trying to stave off lingering ethnic tensions between majority Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs.

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Llazar Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.

By ZENEL ZHINIPOTOKU and LLAZAR SEMINI

Associated Press
German official slams online incitement after mask killing View Photo

BERLIN (AP)  Germanys health minister on Wednesday partly blamed incitement against the governments pandemic rules on social media for the killing of a gas station clerk by a man who refused to wear a face mask.

A 49-year-old German man was arrested Sunday over the the fatal shooting a day earlier in the western town of Idar-Oberstein. Authorities said the suspect told officers he rejected the measures against the coronavirus.

It was a cold-blooded murder, Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters in Berlin, noting that the suspect had initially gone home after being refused service for failing to wear a mask, only to return later and shoot the clerk in the head.

The question is, what is the environment, what are the circumstances in which such a crime can occur? he asked. This has a lot to do with the incitement, the hatred, that is posted on social media.

A Twitter account linked to the suspect followed several prominent far-right politicians, including senior members of the Alternative for Germany party. Posts from the account, which was last used in October 2019, reflect a dislike for immigrants, climate activists and the government.

Chants of Traitors! heard at anti-lockdown protests during the pandemic could be seen by some as legitimizing violence, Spahn said.

Words eventually always become deeds, he said.

The health minister called on Germans to speak up if friends, relatives or neighbors start spreading conspiracy theories about the pandemic.

We must clearly and decisively say no to any form of pandemic extremism, he said.

Spahns center-right Christian Democratic Union party has come under fire for an election ad featuring a prominent member of Germanys Querdenken movement, which opposes the pandemic restrictions. Germany has a federal election scheduled for Sunday.

The general secretary of the center-left Social Democratic Party, Lars Klingbeil, told German media group RND that it was time the Christian Democrats pulled the ad off the airwaves and apologize to the victims family.

Tributes were paid Wednesday to the gas station clerk, a 20-year-old student identified on condolence cards only by his first name, Alex.

By FRANK JORDANS

Associated Press
Rep. Tom McClintock spoke last week about the Democrats $3.5 trillion budget bill that, according to McClintock, puts illegal immigrants before taxpaying citizens.

McClintock was Wednesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. McClintock stated the following:

How will this money be spent? To provide amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants who have already defied our nations laws, thumbed their noses at our nations sovereignty, and are expecting American taxpayers to continue to support them.

This is insane and it has to stop.

This is a mass migration on a scale that no nation has ever survived, at a time when real family earnings are declining, crime is increasing, homelessness is rampant, and mounting debt is killing the American dream of a better future for our children.

What do you think is driving this illegal mass migration? Well just ask the migrants themselves. Joe Bidens promise of admission, amnesty, and a fast track to citizenship that the measure before us today fulfills. Thats why were seeing this tragic and shocking trafficking of young children and its going to continue until we secure our border and start enforcing our immigration laws which are already among the most liberal in the world.

Were told we need to legalize those who defied our nations immigration and employment laws and illegally took Americans jobs as essential workers. The fact is, 45% of the entire workforce is considered essential by the government  hardly an exclusive group. What the Democrats are really saying is that if you are part of the 55% of Americans they dont consider essential  and lost your job during the leftist lockdowns  you will be pushed aside for those who violated our laws, broke the rules, and will now compete in the job market youre trying to get back into  all using YOUR money to do it.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Allen Wesley Johnson View Photos

Sonora, CA  After announcing last week the passing of one of its former firefighters and Groveland resident to COVID last month, Stanislaus National Forest officials are releasing memorial service details for this weekend.

68-year-old Allen Wesley Johnson passed away on Aug. 31 while working on the French Fire near Kernville, as detailed here. At that time, plans for his memorial service were still being worked out for this Sunday, Sept. 26th. Forest officials now relay that the service will be at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds located at 220 Southgate Drive in Sonora, beginning at 3:30 p.m. They advise that masks, social distancing, and check-in will be required at the service. Additionally, parking is limited at the fairgrounds, so they recommend off-site parking for those who plan to attend.

There is also going to be a procession starting at around 1:30 p.m. at the Columbia Airport and ending at the fairgrounds. In a written release by the forest officials it stated, If you would like to show support for Allens family, friends, and all first responders, the procession will be downtown along Washington Street at approximately 1:45 pm. The memorial will be live-streamed on Allens Facebook page  search Allen Johnson Memorial to watch the memorial live and express your condolences. We would like to thank the community for their support during this difficult time.
US COVID Transmission View Photo

Sacramento, CA  The CDC reports that 49 states are currently experiencing high Covid-19 transmission in part due to the spread of the Delta Variant.

Those 49 are in the highest tier on the CDCs color-coded grading system. California is the lone state that is in the second tier, substantial, transmission. The California Department of Public Health argues that an estimated 70-percent of eligible Californians are now fully vaccinated, which has helped better fend off the arrival of the Delta Variant. An additional 8-percent are partially vaccinated. Vaccination rates in the more rural areas, like the Mother Lode, are lagging behind the state average. Breaking the numbers down further, the CDC lists Tuolumne and Calaveras counties as high, while many of the more populated areas of the state are substantial, allowing for an overall better state ranking. 54-percent of those eligible in Tuolumne County are fully vaccinated and 49-percent are in Calaveras County.

Also of related note, Monday a new state mandate took effect that requires anyone attending an indoor event with more than 1,000 people to show proof of vaccination. Earlier, people could attend large indoor gatherings by self-attesting they are fully vaccinated.
Sonora City Council Chambers View Photo

Sonora, CA  The Sonora City Council endorsed the idea of bringing back the traditional downtown Christmas Parade held on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

The Council voted 4-0 approve bringing back the parade, after taking a year off due to COVID-19, and the related street closures on that day. Councilmember Mark Plummer was absent and did not vote. Mayor Matt Hawkins noted that Plummer couldnt attend the meeting because was out on a work assignment helping to fight a fire.

Despite the council vote, it was noted that moving forward with the parade is pending approval of the local Public Health Department, and the city has not received indication about whether it will be allowed to proceed forward. The city is hoping to hear back soon because Caltrans needs to issue a permit to close Highway 49 for the event. It was noted that Caltrans will only consider the request if it has the ok from public health.

Community Development Directed Rachelle Kellogg added, It takes 6-8 weeks to receive an encroachment permit from Caltrans, so we are pushing up against the deadline.

Also related to Christmas, city officials stated that about $50,000 worth of decorations, like the wreaths hung downtown, were destroyed in the Washington Fire. The previous supplier has gone out of business, so it is unlikely the city will be able to replace the specialized decorations that adorn poles prior to the coming holiday. However, there will likely be special banners hung downtown this season.

The city council was also prepared to vote on a request by Sonora High to hold its traditional downtown homecoming parade, but city staff noted that it was pulled from the agenda by Sonora High ahead of the meeting, as they are no longer planning a parade.

In other business, the council delayed taking action on filling two open Vision Sonora seats. A two-week postponement was granted at the request of Mayor Hawkins. He was pressed by other council members as to why he was not prepared to vote. He stated that one of the four applicants has since moved out of the city, and another has done some anti-business things, and he would like to speak to the person. He did not mention any names. A vote to fill the seats will now likely come during the first meeting next month.
The Latest: Australian cities move closer to ending lockdown View Photo

SYDNEY  Australias two largest cities are moving closer to ending lockdowns as vaccination rates climb, but leaders are warning that people should remain cautious with their newfound freedoms and that coronavirus case numbers will inevitably rise.

In New South Wales state, where an outbreak continues to grow in Sydney, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has set a target of reopening on Oct. 11 once vaccination milestones are reached.

But she said Friday it would need to be done with a degree of caution and responsibility because otherwise too many people would end up in hospitals. Meanwhile in Victoria State, where there is an outbreak in Melbourne,

Health Minister Martin Foley said there had been a tremendous increase in vaccinations and there was no shortage of enthusiasm among people wanting to get jabs.

Health officials in New South Wales reported 1,043 new cases and 11 deaths on Friday, while officials in Victoria reported 733 new cases and one death.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Vaccine apartheid: Africans tells UN they need vaccines

 New York state health commissioner resigns, backed Cuomo

 CDC advisers try to work out details on booster shots

 Some Argentines turn to unusual pandemic pets for comfort

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See all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea has reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as people returned from the countrys biggest holiday of the year.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said more than 1,750 of the 2,434 new cases reported Friday were from the greater capital area, where officials have raised concern over an erosion in citizen vigilance despite the enforcement of the strongest social distancing rules short of a lockdown since July.

It was expected that transmissions would worsen beyond the capital region during the Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving which began on the weekend and continued through Wednesday, a period when millions usually travel across the country to meet relatives.

It will be crucial to maintain the effectiveness of our anti-virus campaign throughout next week, when the effect of increased travel during the holidays will manifest more clearly, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said during a virus briefing.

The restrictions in the Seoul metropolitan area prevents gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. unless the participants are fully vaccinated. Officials have said peoples exhaustion and frustration with social distancing are becoming an increasing challenge in the countrys fight against COVID-19.

The country has now reported a daily increase of more than 1,000 for 80 straight days. Its previous one-day record was 2,221 reported on Aug. 11.

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind.  Indiana State University will require that all students and staff show proof of vaccination by Jan. 1 or be tested each week for COVID-19, the schools president said Thursday.

The announcement by Deborah Curtis is a shift in policy. The university has been encouraging vaccinations this fall but has not made them mandatory. Masks are required indoors.

Some students whose school work takes them off campus must be regularly tested or get the vaccine, starting Oct. 1.

As the pandemic has evolved locally, statewide and across the country, we have remained committed to making decisions based upon guidance from federal, state and local health officials, Curtis said.

More details about the vaccination plan will be released before the end of fall term, she said.

Indiana State has 9,400 students.

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SEATTLE  Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday the states eviction protections will remain in place through the end of October because counties arent getting federal and state COVID-19 relief funds intended for rental assistance out fast enough ahead of the current moratorium that was set to expire Sept. 30.

Under an eviction moratorium bridge that Inslee announced in June, landlords were prevented from evicting tenants for any past-due rent owed from Feb. 29, 2020 through July 31, 2021.

Since Aug. 1, renters have been expected to pay full rent unless they negotiate a lesser amount with their landlord or are actively seek rental assistance. Tenants must also be provided in writing what services and support are available to them and landlords must offer them a reasonable repayment plan before starting the eviction process.

Those protections will now remain in place until Oct. 31.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla.  A Florida school district has received cash from President Joe Bidens administration to make up for state pay cuts imposed over a boards vote for a student anti-coronavirus mask mandate.

Alachua County school Superintendent Carlee Simon said in a news release Thursday the district has received $148,000 through a U.S. Department of Education program.

Simon says Alachua, where Gainesville and the University of Florida are located, is the first district in the nation to receive such a grant.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state education officials have begun cutting salaries paid to school board members in Florida who voted to require masks for students. DeSantis favors allowing parents to decide whether their children wear face coverings and is in the midst of court battles over this broader issue.

About a dozen school boards in Florida, representing more than half the states students, have voted to defy the state ban on mask mandates despite Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to withhold some of their funding.

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RALEIGH, N.C.  More than one-third of the 56,000 North Carolina government employees included in Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers executive order compelling them to get a COVID-19 shot or face weekly testing have not been fully vaccinated, according to new state data.

Law enforcement officials are getting vaccinated at the lowest rates, though the state said it is still processing a large set of data from the Department of Public Safety. Less than 53% of the 21,804 employees within that department who are subject to Coopers directive have been fully vaccinated.

This is substantially lower than the 63% of North Carolina adults who have gotten one Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two Pfizer or Moderna shots, as of Thursday.

Cooper said in a news conference Tuesday that he is particularly concerned by the number of prison officials who have thus far refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Its probably the most concerning because we know theres close quarters and congregated populations there, so we really want to work on those percentages, Cooper said. Right now, were setting up discipline procedures for people who do not do the vaccination or the testing, and there are some employees who are beginning to fall in that category.

The Department of Public Safety is the largest agency covered under Coopers order, followed by the state Department of Health and Human Services, which has three-fourths of its more than 15,000 employees subject to Coopers directive fully vaccinated.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala.  Alabama has averaged more than 100 deaths a day from COVID-19 over the last week, statistics showed Thursday, giving it the nations highest death rate over the period even as hospitalizations linked to the coronavirus pandemic continue to decline.

Statistics from Johns Hopkins University show 106 deaths were reported statewide daily over the last seven days, although some of those could have occurred earlier because of a lag in reporting. Alabamas rate of 18 deaths for every 100,000 people over the last week is far above second-place West Virginia, which had 10 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The increase in deaths come as hospitalizations in the state fell below 1,800 patients for the first time in a month, a change health officials said likely was due to both people getting well and dying.

While more people are getting vaccinated than before the highly contagious delta strain took hold, the state still has one of the nations lowest vaccination rates, and its chief health officer said still more people need to get shots because the risk of getting infected remains high.

Increasing vaccine rates remains critical to reduce cases of COVID-19, Dr. Scott Harris, head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, said in a statement Thursday.

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NEW YORK  The inequity of COVID-19 vaccine distribution is coming into sharper focus as many of the African countries whose populations have little to no access to the life-saving shots stepped to the podium to speak at the U.N.s annual meeting of world leaders.

South Africas president Cyril Ramaphosa pointed to vaccines as the greatest defense that humanity has against the ravages of this pandemic.

Ramaphosa, speaking by video link, urged U.N. member states to support a proposal to temporarily waive certain intellectual property rights established by the World Trade Organization to allow more countries, particularly low- and middle-income countries, to produce COVID-19 vaccines.

It is an indictment on humanity that more than 82% of the worlds vaccine doses have been acquired by wealthy countries, while less than 1% has gone to low-income countries, he says.

Angola president Joao Lourenco says: These disparities allow for third doses to be given, in some cases. While in other cases, as in Africa, the vast majority of the population has not even received the first dose.

The U.S., Britain, France, Germany and Israel are among the countries administering boosters or have announced plans to do so. Namibia president Hage Geingob called it vaccine apartheid.

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OAKLAND, Calif.  The Oakland Board of Education has voted to require students 12 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend in-person school.

The move late Wednesday makes Oakland Unified the first school district in Northern California to adopt a vaccine requirement. The vote comes after Los Angeles Unified, the states largest school district, and the smaller Southern California district of Culver City imposed similar policies for their students this month.

Several other school boards in the San Francisco Bay Area are considering similar measures as schools try to navigate in-person instruction during the pandemic.

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ISTANBUL  A Turkish school official is using traditional shadow puppet shows to teach children how to follow COVID-19 restrictions in class, the state-run news agency reported Thursday.

Mehmet Saylan, based in the central Anatolian city of Kirsehir, has been staging Karagoz plays to educate kindergarten and primary school pupils. Karagoz was popularized during the Ottoman period and often contains a moral message.

I cover the issues of masks, distance and hygiene, Saylan, 39, told Anadolu Agency. The children do what they see and hear in the play with more enjoyment and willingness. The feedback we get from schools is also very positive. The children learn the rules of the pandemic while having fun.

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NEW YORK  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker has submitted his resignation. Hochul said Thursday that Zucker has agreed to stay on until the state names a new commissioner.

Zucker was appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as state health commissioner in 2015. He has faced heated criticism over the states COVID-19 response, particularly in nursing homes.

Data released by the state earlier this year show 15,800 people living in nursing homes and other long-term care homes in New York have died of COVID-19.

Zucker has defended a since-rescinded March 2020 directive that said nursing homes couldnt refuse to admit patients solely because they had COVID-19.

Zucker also faced criticism from health care workers who said the state failed to ensure hospitals and nursing homes had adequate personal protective gear and staffing during the peak of the pandemic in New York.

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FOND DU LAC, Wis.  A 26-year-old Fond du Lac police officer has died of COVID-19 complications, according to his department.

The death of Officer Joseph Kurer on Wednesday came a day after his second child was born, according to a statement from Chief Aaron Goldstein.

Kurer joined the Fond du Lac Police Department in August 2018 and was a member of the Tactical Field Force Team, the Honor Guard Unit, Domestic Violence Intervention Team and was certified as a field training officer.

Kurer also was a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, according to his department.

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HELENA, Mont.  Medical providers and Montana residents with compromised immune systems are challenging a state law that prevents employers from mandating vaccines for employees.

They argue the law passed by the 2021 Legislature violates federal requirements for safe workplaces and reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and want a federal judge to rule it doesnt apply to hospitals and other medical providers.

The Montana Medical Association, private physician groups, a Missoula hospital and seven individuals filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Missoula on Wednesday. The complaint names Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Commissioner of Labor and Industry Laurie Esau as defendants.

Montanas Republican-controlled Legislature passed a law that said requiring vaccines as a condition of employment is discriminatory and violates the states human rights laws. Montana is the only state with such a law.

Knudsens office says hell defend the law, and is committed to protecting Montanans right to privacy and their ability to make their own healthcare decisions.

The complaint argues the new law prevents medical providers from taking steps to protect employees and patients who have compromised immune systems and violates Occupational Safety and Health Act provisions that require employers to provide workplaces free from hazards.

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LISBON, Portugal  Portugal is scrapping many of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, after becoming the world leader in the vaccination rollout.

Portugal has fully vaccinated nearly 85% of the population, according to Our World in Data.

The government says starting Oct. 1, it will remove limits on how many people can be in cafes and restaurants, weddings and baptisms, shopping malls, concerts and cinemas. Bars and discos will reopen, although only for vaccinated people and people with negative coronavirus tests.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa said some restrictions need to stay in place. The wearing of face masks will still be mandatory on public transportation, in hospitals and care homes, and shopping malls. People arriving from abroad by air or sea must still show a vaccine certificate or a negative virus test.

The pandemic isnt over, he said. The risk is still there.

Naval Rear Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo, with his team from the three branches of the armed forces, took charge of the vaccine rollout in February.

Tiago Correia, an associate professor in international public health at Lisbons New University Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, credits the traditional consenting attitude in Portugal toward national vaccination programs. Its vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella is 95% one of the EUs highest  and theres no significant anti-vaccination movement.

By The Associated Press
DENVER (AP)  Three assisted living facility workers are being prosecuted in the death of an 86-year-old woman with Alzheimers disease who authorities alleged was left outside in sweltering weather for six hours, officials said.

Jamie Johnston, 30, Jenny Logan, 50, and Letticia Martinez, 27, were charged with negligent death of an at risk person and criminally negligent homicide, both felonies, in the death of Hazel Place at Cappella Assisted Living and Memory in Grand Junction on June 14, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Tuesday.

Johnston and Martinez were also charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly forging patient records, according to court documents describing the charges.

Weisers office, which investigated Places death through its Medicaid fraud unit in conjunction with Grand Junction police, did not provide details about how Place died. National Weather Service data shows that the high temperature in Grand Junction that day was 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 Celsius).

Johnstons lawyer, Havilah Lilly, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that Johnston is presumed innocent. Lilly also said Johnston was concerned that the assisted living center has not been held accountable but declined further comment since she has not yet received evidence in the case.

Court records did not list a lawyer representing Logan and Martinez is represented by a lawyer from the public defenders office, which does not comment on cases.

When asked if the facilitys operators could also possibly face charges, Weisers spokesman, Lawrence Pacheco, said he could not comment beyond what the office has released because the case is active. The court documents detailing the evidence gathered against the workers have been sealed, he said.

Place could walk and did so frequently in a routine that was familiar to caregivers, but was supposed to be checked on every hour because she was at risk of falling, her daughter, Donna Golden, told The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction.

What it boils down to, as the caregivers that day and probably on other days, none of them were doing their job. Not a one of them checked her, she said.

Cappella Assisted Living and Memory said in a statement that it reported the circumstances surrounding Places death to regulators and conducted an internal investigation which led to the dismissal of two of the workers. The third worker was placed on investigatory leave, the statement said.

We are very saddened by the passing of this beloved resident, and we continue to send our sincerest sympathy to this residents family and friends, the statement said.

By COLLEEN SLEVIN

Associated Press
Indian court allows women to apply to defense academy View Photo

NEW DELHI (AP)  Indias Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that women will be able to take the entrance examination for the national defense academy in November for the first time, opening the way for them to become full-time officers.

The court turned down a government request that it be given until May to prepare curricula, infrastructure, fitness training and accommodations for women.

The court had earlier rejected a government plea that women were not suitable for commanding posts in the army because male troops were still not prepared to accept female officers.

Training at the academy will allow women to enter long-term careers in the army, navy or air force. Previously, female officers could serve only up to 10-14 years.

In February last year, the Supreme Court ordered the government to grant permanent commissions and non-combat command positions to female officers in the army on par with men.

Women can now extend their short service roles in non-combat support units such as education, law and logistics until they want to retire and rise to the rank of colonel, based on merit.

The government also argued that male and female officers could not be treated equally when it came to postings because the physical capacity of women officers remains a challenge for command of units.

The Supreme Court said in its order that such arguments were against the concept of equality.

By ASHOK SHARMA

Associated Press
BUTTE, Mont. (AP)  A California man who, along with his son, went on a suicide mission involving law enforcement officers, has been convicted for his role in the death of a Montana sheriffs deputy and for shots fired at two other officers during a pursuit.

Jurors deliberated for two hours before returning the verdict against Lloyd Barrus on Tuesday evening, The Montana Standard reported.

Barrus, 65, was found accountable to deliberate homicide in the death of Broadwater County Deputy Mason Moore in May 2017 near Three Forks and accountable to two counts of attempted deliberate homicide for shots fired by his son, Marshall Barrus, at other law enforcement officers during the pursuit.

Marshall Barrus, 38, was fatally injured in a shootout with officers after the pursuit that ended east of Missoula.

During the three-week trial in Butte, prosecutors said Lloyd and Marshall Barrus had talked about going on a suicide mission before passing Moores vehicle traveling 100 mph (161 mph) south of Townsend early on May 16, 2017, with the intention of drawing a pursuit.

Prosecutors argued Lloyd Barrus was driving and Marshall Barrus fired a shot that struck Moore, 42, in the face. His car stopped and his in-car camera captured sounds of him struggling to breathe when a vehicle drove up and the occupants fired more shots, prosecutors said.

As Mason is suffering, youll hear these 19 rounds, said Daniel Guzynski, lead prosecutor and assistant attorney general.

Butte-Silver Bow officers spotted the Barrus sport utility vehicle about an hour later and began a 90-mile (145-kilometer) pursuit that ended east of Missoula. Prosecutors said Marshall Barrus fired shots at pursuing officers from several agencies.

Lloyd Barrus attorneys argued he had no control of, and thus no responsibility for, his sons actions.

However, jurors heard a recording of a phone call Barrus made to his mother from jail two days after the shooting in which he said: This is what Marshall and I have lived for. I was born to do this, mother.

The trial was delayed as prosecutors initially sought the death penalty against Lloyd Barrus before he was found unfit to stand trial. District Judge Kathy Seeley ordered that Barrus begin given antipsychotic medications via injection because he refused to take medication to treat his delusional disorder. The Montana Supreme Court upheld the forced medication order in January 2020.

Barrus, whose last known address before his arrest was Bakersfield, California, was involved in a shootout with law enforcement officers in Nevada and California in March 2000.

Barrus, his son Jeffrey Barrus and a woman were arrested in California after fleeing from a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper and shooting at officers during a 70-mile (113 kilometer) chase. Their vehicle broke down in the Furnace Creek area and they hid in a gully, starting an 18-hour standoff in Death Valley.

They reportedly shot and damaged a California Highway Patrol helicopter to the point it was forced to land. No one was injured.

Deputy Missoula County Attorney Brian Lowney said Barrus mentioned the California standoff while he was being questioned after his arrest, the Missoulian reported at the time.

He portrayed that in such a way as if he was bragging about it, Lowney said.

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This story has been corrected to show Deputy Mason Moore died on May 16, 2017, not May 17, 2017.
What began as a school science lesson has evolved into a legal battle as a student's parents say a small water pistol was used to assault their son, not teach him.

Maria Ripke, who has taught for 10 years in Baytown's Goose Creek school district, pleaded innocent Thursday to an assault charge in municipal court. If convicted of the Class C misdemeanor, she could be fined up to $500. Ripke's status remains unchanged.

"This whole thing is frivolous harassment," her attorney, Frank Knight III of Baytown, told the Houston Chronicle in Friday's editions.

Knight contends that the charge never would have been filed if the boy's parents _ Bryan and Dana Adkins _ didn't work for the Baytown police and for the school system.

The charge arose from a Feb. 1 incident in Ripke's sixth-grade science class. She said she has used the plastic squirt gun for several years to demonstrate kinetic energy _ the energy that results from motion.

In a complaint filed Feb. 11, Dana Adkins _ who teaches math at the school _ told police that Ripke had surprised her son by shooting him in the chest with the water pistol during class. After the boy objected, Adkins reported, the teacher laughed and squirted water into his face.

Knight disputes the mother's account of the second shot from the water gun. Ripke said the boy had asked to be "squirted again," the attorney said.

The parents have since had their son transferred to another science class.

A pretrial hearing on the case is set for May 16.
BEIRUT (AP)  Coronavirus cases are surging to the worst levels of the pandemic in a rebel stronghold in Syria  a particularly devastating development in a region where scores of hospitals have been bombed and that doctors and nurses have fled in droves during a decade of war.

The total number of cases seen in Idlib province  an overcrowded enclave with a population of 4 million, many of them internally displaced  has more than doubled since the beginning of August to more than 61,000. In recent weeks, daily new infections have repeatedly shot past 1,500, and authorities reported 34 deaths on Sunday alone  figures that are still believed to be undercounts because many infected people dont report to authorities.

The situation has become so dire in the northwestern province that rescue workers known as the White Helmets who became famous for digging through the rubble of bombings to find victims now mostly ferry coronavirus patients to the hospital or the dead to burials.

"What is happening is a medical catastrophe, the Idlib Doctors Syndicate said this week as it issued a plea for support from international aid groups.

Idlib faces all the challenges that places the world over have during the pandemic: Its intensive care units are largely full, there are severe shortages of oxygen and tests, and the vaccination rollout has been slow.

But extreme poverty and the ravages of Syria's civil war have made the situation in Idlib uniquely terrible. Half of its hospitals and health centers have been damaged by bombing, and the health system was close to collapse even before the pandemic. A large number of medical personnel have fled the country seeking safety and opportunities abroad. Tens of thousands of its residents live in crowded tent settlements, where social distancing and even regular hand-washing are all but impossible. And increasing violence in the region is now threatening to make matters worse.

Large parts of Idlib and neighboring Aleppo province remain in the hands of Syria's armed opposition, dominated by radical groups including al-Qaida-affiliated militants who have struggled to respond to the outbreak, which intensified in August, apparently driven by the more contagious delta variant and gatherings for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

Cases and deaths have also been increasing in recent weeks in government-held areas and those under the control of U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the east, but the situation appears to be worse in Idlib, though it's hard to measure the true toll anywhere.

In response, the political arm of the insurgent group that runs Idlib has closed some markets, forced restaurants to serve outdoor meals only, and delayed the opening of schools by a week.

But most residents are daily laborers who could not survive if they stopped working, making full lockdowns impossible.

If they dont work, they cannot eat, said Idlib resident Ahmad Said, who added that most people cannot even afford to buy masks.

What's more, a population that has suffered through so much already is often too weary to follow restrictions that have tested people even in easier circumstances.

It is as if people have gotten used to death," said Salwa Abdul-Rahman, an opposition activist who reports on events in Idlib. "Those who were not killed by regime and Russian airstrikes are being killed now by coronavirus.

The vaccination campaign meanwhile, has been slow, though the arrival of some 350,000 doses of a Chinese vaccine earlier this month could help. According to the World Health Organization, only about 2.5% of Idlib's population has received at least one shot.

The new virus outbreak also comes amid the most serious increase in violence in Idlib, 18 months after a truce reached between Turkey and Russia who support rival sides in Syria's conflict brought relative calm. In recent weeks, airstrikes and artillery shelling by government forces have left scores of people dead or wounded.

At al-Ziraa hospital, Dr. Muhammad Abdullah says there is no sign that the outbreak has reached its peak yet.

But for some Idlib residents, getting infected is the least of their worries.

We have gone through more difficult situations than coronavirus, said resident Ali Dalati, walking through a market without wearing a mask. We are not afraid of coronavirus.
CVS Health announced on Monday that the company is planning a majoring hiring initiative that will provide 3,2000 job opportunities across the state of Texas.

The job recruitment will include filling 25,000 clinical and retail jobs during a one-day national career event that is scheduled for Friday.
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Willie Garson, an actor best known for playing Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City and Mozzie on White Collar, has died. He was 57.

A family member of Garsons confirmed his death to Variety. The cause was not immediately disclosed.

In HBOs wildly popular Sex and the City series, Garson portrayed talent agent Stanford, the witty and stylish best male friend of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). Garson reprised the role in the franchises films, Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2, and had recently been filming HBO Maxs upcoming revival series, And Just Like That.

The Sex and the City family has lost one of its own. Our amazing Willie Garson, Michael Patrick King, the executive producer of SATC and And Just Like That, said in a statement. His spirit and his dedication to his craft was present every day filming And Just Like That. He was there  giving us his all  even while he was sick. His multitude of gifts as an actor and person will be missed by everyone. In this sad, dark moment we are comforted by our memory of his joy and light.

Mario Cantone, Garsons on-screen partner on Sex and the City, paid tribute to his friend on Twitter.

I couldnt have had a more brilliant TV partner, he tweeted. Im devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods. Rest my sweet friend. I love you.

I couldnt have had a more brilliant TV partner. Im devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods. Rest my sweet friend. I love you. pic.twitter.com/Ia4tg1VK1Y  Mario Cantone (@macantone) September 22, 2021

Willie Garson was in life, as on screen, a devoted friend and a bright light for everyone in his universe, reads a statement from HBO/HBO Max. He created one of the most beloved characters from the HBO pantheon and was a member of our family for nearly twenty-five years. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.

Beyond Sex and the City, Garson co-starred as cunning conman Mozzie on USA Networks White Collar from 2009 to 2014. Garson was also known for playing the friendly doorman Ralph in the 2005 rom-com Little Manhattan, Gerald Hirsch in the Hawaii Five-0 reboot from 2015 to 2020, and Henry Coffield on NYPD Blue in 1993.

Born William Garson Paszamant in Highland Park, N.J., Garson studied theater at Wesleyan University and received a Master of Fine Arts from Yale School of Drama. After graduating, Garson began to book small roles on some of the most popular television series of the day, including Cheers (1982), Family Ties (1982) and L.A. Law (1986). His other early television appearances included Boy Meets World, The X-Files, Friends, Twin Peaks, Melrose Place, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ally McBeal. More recently, Garson has held roles on Two and a Half Men, Hot in Cleveland, Stargate SG-1 and Pushing Daisies. He also dipped his toes in directing, having helmed episodes of White Collar and Girl Meets World for Disney Channel, in which he also guest starred.

Garson was also a persistent force in film, having worked with directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly on KingPin (1996), Theres Something About Mary (1998) and Fever Pitch (2005). His other film credits included Soapdish (1991), Groundhog Day (1993), Being John Malkovich (1999) and Freaky Friday (2003).

Most recently, Garson lent his voice to Big Mouth and had a recurring role on Supergirl from 2019 to 2020. Garsons upcoming projects included And Just Like That and the series Duke of the Valley.

Garson adopted a son, Nathen, in 2009. He remained an active voice in the adoption community, having served twice as a spokesperson for National Adoption Day.

Nathen paid tribute to Garson on Instagram, writing: I love you so much papa. Rest In Peace and Im so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. Im so proud of you. I will always love you, but I think its time for you to go on an adventure of your own. Youll always be with me. Love you more than you will ever know and Im glad you can be at peace now. You always were the toughest and funniest and smartest person Ive known. Im glad you shared youre love with me. Ill never forget it or lose it.

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The St. Mary's Strip area has a new tenant but the flavor and history behind the restaurant isn't a rookie on the scene.

Cullum's Attaboy is reemerging with a brick and mortar location at 111 Kings Court. The cozy spot previously housed NOLA Brunch and Beignets, which moved into new digs at 720 East Mistletoe in February.

Owner Chris Cullum tells MySA the city may recognize the name for his popular burger concept. Prior to acquiring the Kings Court space, Cullum would serve juicy smash-style burgers from an airstream trailer sometimes parked outside Cullum's Attagirl, Attaboy's sister restaurant. Cullum says having a dedicated space and kitchen gives Attaboy room to add more menu items.

Courtesy, Chris Cullum

Cullum doesn't have an opening date set, but shares a taste of what customers can expect from Cullum's Attaboy. The burgers that made the name aren't going anywhere. Cullum says what he loves about burgers is that everyone can enjoy a good burger equally. That no-frills food concept will translate to the rest of the menu, he says.

Cullum's Attaboy will offer brunch, which he's dubbed "Champagne Breakfast," an in-house bread program, and plates like steak and eggs.

"It'll be a menu that brings back old San Antonio tradition. The whole concept is geared towards an older version of San Antonio, things that used to exist that no longer do," the owner says. "In a way we'll be celebrating old San Antonio, as far as the art is concerned and the music that will be played."

Cullum plans on taking a sheet out of his father's book. His dad is the late and legendary cornetist Jim Cullum. The elder Cullum, who is also the face of the Attaboy logo, brought jazz music to the Riverwalk at his business, The Landing Nightclub. His son affectionately calls him "Mr. San Antonio."

He says the Attaboy menu will feature items inspired by old Landing recipes and pre-war jazz sounds will fill the space. He'll also decorate the walls with a collection of San Antonio-centric art from his more than 30-year-old collection as a way to celebrate the city's past while feeding and entertaining the city's current generation.

"We're just offering something a little bit different that hasn't really been done. We hope to be a nice addition to the neighborhood; simple, clean plating and nothing too over the top or intense," Chris Cullum says. "We're just going to do our best to cook with love and respect for San Antonio."
If Chef Nicola Blaque ever needed some reassurance on how much locals love her business, The Jerk Shack, a weekend Instagram post might key her in to how much San Antonians need her Caribbean-style food.

The Friday post said the following day would mark the final day of service at 117 Matyear. Blaque would be serving, just as she did on the first day of business on May 11, 2018 as a sort of ceremonial aspect to say "goodbye" to the spot that started it all  an extension to the Hemisfair, a new concept at Pearl, and numerous local and national nods.
NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP)  Gabby Petito was killed by another person, a coroner concluded while also confirming that the human remains found recently at a Wyoming national park were those of the 22-year-old woman who disappeared months after she set out on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, the FBI said Tuesday.

Teton County Coroner Brent Blue determined Petito was a homicide victim, but did not disclose a cause of death pending final autopsy results, officials said. Her body was found Sunday near an undeveloped camping area in remote northern Wyoming along the border of Grand Teton National Park.

Meanwhile, authorities continued to search a swampy Florida preserve area near the home of Petito's boyfriend. Police in North Port, Florida, said investigators returned Tuesday to the Carlton Reserve to look for Brian Laundrie, 23. Nothing of note was found, and the search was expected to continue Wednesday. Investigators began searching the 24,000-acre (9,700-hectare) Florida nature preserve over the weekend, focusing on the area after Laundries parents told police he may have gone there.

Authorities are using helicopters, drones, dogs and officers in all-terrain vehicles in their search for Laundrie. About 75% of the search area is underwater.

On Monday, the FBI went to Laundrie's parents' home in North Port and removed several boxes and towed away a car neighbors said Laundrie's mother typically used.

Laundrie and Petito had been living with his parents at the North Port home before the road trip on which she died.

The young couple had set out in July in a converted van to visit national parks in the West. They got into a fight along the way, and Laundrie was alone when he returned in the van to his parents home Sept. 1, police said.

Laundrie has been named a person of interest in the case, but his whereabouts in recent days were unknown.

Petitos father, Joseph, posted on social media an image of a broken heart above a picture of his daughter, with the message: She touched the world.

In an interview broadcast Monday on TVs Dr. Phil show, Joseph Petito said Laundrie and his daughter had dated for 2 1/2 years, and Laundrie was always respectful. During the interview, which was recorded before his daughters body was found, Petito said the couple had taken a previous road trip to California in her car and there were no problems.

Joseph Petito said the family began worrying after several days without hearing from their daughter.

We called Brian, we called the mom, we called the dad, we called the sister, we called every number that we could find, Joseph Petito said. No phone calls were picked up, no text messages were returned.

Joseph Petito said he wants Laundrie to be held accountable for whatever part he played in his daughter's disappearance, along with his family for protecting him.

I hope they get whats coming, and that includes his folks, Joseph Petito said. Because Ill tell you, right now, they are just as complicit, in my book.

The FBI said investigators are seeking information from anyone who may have seen the couple around Grand Teton.

Gabby Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on New Yorks Long Island. His parents later moved to North Port, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Sarasota.

A man who saw Petito and Laundrie fighting in Moab, Utah, on Aug. 12 called 911 to report a domestic violence incident, according to a recording of the call obtained from the Grand County Sheriffs Office. The man said he saw Laundrie slap Petito while walking through the town and proceeded to hit her before the two got in their van and drove off.

Video released by the Moab police showed that an officer pulled the couples van over on the same day after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near Arches National Park. The body-camera footage showed an upset Petito.

Laundrie said on the video that the couple had gotten into a scuffle after he climbed into the van with dirty feet. He said he did not want to pursue a domestic violence charge against Petito, who officers decided was the aggressor.

Moab police separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the van.

In the footage, Gabby Petito cried as she told the officer she and Laundrie had been arguing over her excessive cleaning of the van. She told the officer she has OCD  obsessive compulsive disorder.

On Dr. Phil, her father said that was not literally true. She just likes to keep her living area orderly and was using slang, he said.

___

AP writer Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.
PARIS (AP)  The most significant rift in decades between the United States and France seemed on the mend Wednesday after French President Emmanuel Macron and President Joe Biden got on the phone Wednesday to smooth things over.

In a half-hour call that the White House described as friendly, the two leaders agreed to meet next month to discuss the way forward after the French fiercely objected when the U.S., Australia and Britain announced a new Indo-Pacific defense deal last week that cost the French a submarine contract worth billions. France also agreed to send its ambassador back to Washington.

The White House made a point of releasing a photograph of Biden smiling during his call with Macron.

In a carefully crafted joint statement, the two governments said Biden and Macron have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence.

So did Biden apologize?

White House press secretary Jen Psaki sidestepped the question repeatedly, allowing that Biden did acknowledge "there could have been greater consultation.

The president is hopeful this is a step in returning to normal in a long, important, abiding relationship that the United States has with France, she said.

The call suggested a cooling of tempers after days of outrage from Paris directed at the Biden administration.

In an unprecedented move, France last week recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia to protest what the French said amounted to a stab in the back by allies. As part of the defense pact, Australia will cancel a multibillion-dollar contract to buy diesel-electric French submarines and acquire U.S. nuclear-powered vessels instead.

It was clear there is still repair work to be done.

The joint statement said the French ambassador will have intensive work with senior U.S. officials upon his return to the United States.

Biden and Macron agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners," the statement said.

Biden reaffirmed in the statement the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during a visit to Washington, didn't mince words in suggesting it was time for France to move past its anger over the submarine deal, saying French officials should get a grip. Using both French and English words, he added they should give him a break.

Johnson said the deal was fundamentally a great step forward for global security. Its three very like-minded allies standing shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology.

Its not exclusive. Its not trying to shoulder anybody out. Its not adversarial towards China, for instance.

Psaki declined to weigh in on whether Johnsons comments were constructive at a moment when the U.S. was trying to mend relations with France.

The European Union last week unveiled its own new strategy for boosting economic, political and defense ties in the vast area stretching from India and China through Japan to Southeast Asia and eastward past New Zealand to the Pacific.

The United States also recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense, that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO, the statement said.

No decision has been made about the French ambassador to Australia, the Elysee said, adding that no phone call with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was scheduled.

Earlier Wednesday, Macron's office had said the French president was expecting clarifications and clear commitments from Biden, who had requested the call.

French officials described last week's U.S.-U.K.-Australia announcement as creating a crisis of trust, with Macron being formally notified only a few hours beforehand. The move had prompted fury in Paris, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian calling it a stab in the back.

Frances European Union partners agreed Tuesday to put the dispute at the top of the blocs political agenda, including at an EU summit next month.

Following the Macron-Biden call, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in New York with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell as the administration worked to repair the damage done to broader EU-U.S. relations by the deal.

Blinken spoke of the need for trans-Atlantic cooperation on any number issues quite literally around the world, to include of course Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific and Europe and beyond.

Borrell, taking note of the phone call, said he hoped to be able to build a stronger confidence among us following the conversation that had been taking place this morning between President Biden and President Macron. Im sure well be working together.

The French presidency categorically denied a report by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper published on Wednesday saying Macron could offer the countrys permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council to the European Union if the bloc backs his plans on EU defense.

Psaki echoed Johnson's point that the creation of the new security alliance  which has been dubbed AUKUS  wasn't meant to freeze out other allies on Indo-Pacific strategy.

"During the conversation, the president reaffirmed the strategic importance of France  French and European nations I should say  in the Indo-Pacific region," Psaki said.

The deal has widely been seen as part of American efforts to counter a more assertive China in the Indo-Pacific region.

____

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Matthew Lee in New York City and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed reporting.
DALLAS  At first glance, the latest iteration of the states COVID-19 case tracker for Texas public schools might be cause for alarm.

Case counts at a dozen of the areas largest districts  including Lewisville, Frisco, Birdville, Richardson and Denton ISDs  climbed by over 100 student cases last week, according to Fridays update.

In isolation, that rise would be significant. Thats not the whole story, though.

School closures on Labor Day coincided with the states deadline for weekly reporting. As a result, 83% of the areas 205 public school districts and charter operators did not report any staff or student cases for the week ending on Sept. 5.

Any unreported cases from that period were to be included into this weeks report, according to Chris Van Deusen, the director of media relations for the Department of State Health Services.

Those types of quirks, combined with the weeklong reporting lag of the DSHS dashboard, highlight the difference in utility between the states data and local COVID-19 trackers updated regularly by school districts.

For example, Frisco ISD backdates each case in its local tracker to the first onset of symptoms, then provides a seven-day rolling average of the total count.

It helps us keep a better idea of whats happening, as opposed to the state data, Frisco ISD spokeswoman Meghan Cone said.

State officials stress that DSHSs data should be used as a historical reference to provide broad trends, not as a current snapshot of conditions at local schools.

If parents are going to be looking for something that tells them whats happening in real time, thats not where they should be looking, Frank Ward, a spokesman for the Texas Education Agency, said of the DSHS data. Invariably, were going to have a bit of a delay when the cases are recorded and reflected.

That said, some of the data that schools believe they are reporting to the state are not showing up in DSHSs official count.

As of Friday, Dallas ISD  the areas largest school district, with 143,000 students reported 1,274 cases of COVID-19 among staff and students so far this September on its district dashboard.

But over the past two reporting periods, its hard to see those numbers reflected completely in the state data.

The states tally of Dallas new cases shows only 22 COVID-19 infections over those two weeklong periods. Its overall total for the district, however, does seem to be taking the cases into account, going up 1,076 cases over that time span.

Therefore, Dallas cases are being reflected in the states cumulative totals -- which topped 150,000 last week  but not in the weekly count, which was already skewed by the Labor Day holiday.

DISDs Director of Health Services Jennifer Finley said that the district routinely double and triple checks everything from the districts public-facing dashboard. She added that the district submits the same data that it puts on its tracker to the state.

Not sure why the states data isnt matching up, she said. The states dashboard, to me, is a little bit confusing.

Lara Anton, a spokeswoman at DSHS, said that issue is likely related to timing. If districts miss the deadline for reporting data from a seven-day period, it would be added to cumulative counts for that district, she said.

Weve heard that some school districts are struggling to do the data entry in a timely manner due to the large number (of) cases in their district, Anton said. Weve recommended that they submit reports daily instead of waiting until the Monday deadline.



The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Labs journalism.


LONDON (AP)  Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday that a booster of its one-shot coronavirus vaccine provides a stronger immune response months after people receive a first dose.

J&J said in statement that an extra dose  given either two months or six months after the initial shot  revved up protection. The results haven't yet been published or vetted by other scientists.

The J&J vaccine was considered an important tool in fighting the pandemic because it requires only one shot. But even as rollout began in the U.S. and elsewhere, the company already was running a global test of whether a two-dose course might be more effective  the second dose given 56 days after the first.

That two-dose approach was 75% effective globally at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, and 95% effective in the U.S. alone, the company reported  a difference likely due to which variants were circulating in different countries during the monthslong study.

Examined a different way, the company said when people got a second J&J shot two months after the first, levels of virus-fighting antibodies rose four to six times higher. But giving a booster dose six months after the first J&J shot yielded a 12-fold increase.

While the single-dose vaccine remains strongly effective, a booster shot further increases protection against COVID-19 and is expected to extend the duration of protection significantly, Dr. Paul Stoffels, J&J's chief scientific officer, said in a statement.

The company previously published data showing its one-shot dose provided protection for up to eight months after immunization. It also pointed to recent real-world data showing 79% protection against coronavirus infection and 81% protection against COVID-19 hospitalization in the U.S. even as the extra-contagious delta variant began spreading.

J&J said it has provided the data to regulators including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency and others to inform decisions about boosters.

J&Js one-dose vaccine is approved for use in the U.S. and across Europe, and there are plans for at least 200 million doses to be shared with the U.N.-backed COVAX effort aimed at distributing vaccines to poor countries. But the company has been plagued by production problems and millions of doses made at a troubled factory in Baltimore had to be thrown out.

As the delta variant spread worldwide, numerous governments have considered the use of booster shots for many of the COVID-19 vaccine options.

Last week, advisers to the FDA recommended people 65 and older get a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech. A final decision is pending.

Britain previously authorized booster shots for people 50 and over and to priority groups like health workers and those with other health conditions. Countries including Israel, France and Germany have also begun offering third vaccine doses to some people.

The World Health Organization has urged rich countries to stop giving booster doses until at least the end of the year, saying vaccines should immediately be redirected to Africa, where fewer than 4% of the population is fully vaccinated.

Last week in the journal Lancet, top scientists from the WHO and FDA argued that the average person doesn't need a booster shot and that the authorized vaccines to date provide strong protection against severe COVID-19, hospitalization and death.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP)  The Kosovo-Serbia border was blocked again Tuesday by ethnic Kosovo Serbs protesting a decision by Kosovo authorities to start removing Serbian license plates from cars entering the country. The traffic chaos raised fears that it may unleash much deeper tensions between the two Balkan neighbors.

Serbia doesnt recognize its former province of Kosovo as a separate nation and considers their mutual border only as an administrative and temporary boundary.

Trucks have blocked the road to the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossing where small groups of Serbs spent the night in tents. An Associated Press photographer wasn't let onto the road by car but other people crossed the border on foot.

Tensions soared Monday when Kosovo special police with armored vehicles were sent to the border to impose a rule on temporarily replacing Serb license plates from cars while they drive in Kosovo. It's a minor annoyance for drivers with a big symbolic impact. Kosovo authorities say they are only copying a program by Serbian police, who have for years been taking off registration plates from Kosovo-registered cars entering Serbia. Drivers then need to pay 5 euros for a temporary license plate.

Kosovo authorities said a 2016 deal with Serbia reached in European Union-mediated talks had expired and now only proper Kosovo symbols are valid.

Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla told The Associated Press that Serb citizens in Kosovo should not fear state institutions, police. He said many Serbs in Kosovo were being "manipulated' by authorities in Serbia.

Hundreds of Kosovo Serbs drove to the border in their cars and trucks, blocking roads leading to the crossing points. Kosovo police on Monday fired tear gas at the protesters, but they remained.

Igor Simic, a Kosovo Serb official, said this is a democratic protest" by Kosovo's Serbs.

They are just trying to save their human rights of free movement, he said.

Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti held a meeting with Western ambassadors from United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union, telling them that yesterdays decision was not a provocation or discrimination against anyone.

On this reciprocity of the temporary number plates for the cars, either both Kosovo and Serbia are right or they are wrong. Thus they will either keep number plates of both countries or take them away, Kurti said.

The Kosovar prime minister talked with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday on the issue.

Thousands of people were killed and more than 1 million were left homeless after a 1998-1999 bloody crackdown by Serbian troops against Kosovo Albanian separatists. The war ended only after NATO intervened. Kosovo then declared independence in 2008. It has been recognized by the U.S. and other Western nations, but not by Serbia and its allies Russia and China.

Thousands of NATO-led peacekeepers, including U.S. troops, are still deployed in Kosovo, trying to stave off lingering ethnic tensions between majority Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs.

The EU and U.S. urged Kosovo and Serbia to immediately, without any delay exercise restraint and refrain from unilateral actions.

Its important to reduce tensions, restore a peaceful atmosphere & allow for freedom of movement. We stand ready to facilitate talks on all open issues," tweeted Miroslav Lajcak, EUs special envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

Serbias populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, described Kosovos car license plates decision as a criminal action after a meeting Tuesday of the top Serbian state security body and insisted that Kosovo's special police withdraw from the Serb-dominated north.

We consider as inappropriate any statements equaling the blame of Belgrade and Pristina, Vucic said referring to the EU and U.S. urging both sides to ease the tensions. The only solution is the withdrawal of all troops, then we can go to Brussels and discuss everything and possibly reach an agreement.

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Llazar Semini reported from Tirana, Albania, Jovana Gec from Belgrade, Serbia.
LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson conceded Wednesday that a post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S. was not imminent as he voiced confidence that the decades-long U.S. ban on imports of British lamb would be lifted.

A day after President Joe Biden downplayed the prospect of a trade deal by not pushing back on a suggestion that Britain was at the back of the line, Johnson said British farmers, notably those in Wales, would soon be able to export lamb to the U.S. once again.

I can tell you today that what were going to get from the United States now is a lifting of the decades old ban, totally unjustified, discriminating on British farmers and British lamb, he told reporters outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Its about time too. And what were wanting to do is make solid incremental steps in trade.

Despite Johnsons claims the U.S. would be lifting the ban on British lamb, his office at Downing Street later said the details still needed to be worked out.

The U.S. has banned the import of British beef and lamb since 1989, as a result of BSE ((bovine spongiform encephalopathy), which is widely known as mad cow disease. The ban on beef has already been lifted.

Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association, said farmers were delighted by the announcement. He said the domestic lamb market accounts for between 60-65% of production, with the European Union the biggest export market.

However, access is more difficult than it was when we were part of the EU, Stocker said. "Its essential to maintain EU access but it is also important to work on any market that gives us future potential.

These modest piecemeal trading arrangements are a far cry to what Johnson and other Brexit backers were pushing for when campaigning for Britain's departure from the EU back in 2016. They argued that one of the great prizes of leaving the bloc would be an overarching trade deal with the U.S. that would see tariffs and quotas eliminated on a wide array of goods. Although the U.S. alone is the U.K.'s biggest trading partner, the EU countries as a whole account for around half of the U.K.'s trade in goods and services.

The Biden administration is not doing free trade deals around the world right now but Ive got absolutely every confidence that a great deal is there to be done, Johnson said.

Unlike his predecessor Donald Trump, Biden has shown little interest in negotiating a trade deal with Britain, partly because of his concerns about Northern Ireland.

Ahead of his talks Tuesday with Johnson at the White House, Biden voiced worries about Northern Ireland following recent talk that the British government wants to renegotiate the post-Brexit deal with the EU that it signed at the end of last year.

Biden said he felt very strongly about issues surrounding Northern Ireland's peace process. Under the Northern Ireland Protocol for Brexit, customs and border checks have been imposed on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. in order to prevent a physical border once again being put up between Ireland, which is part of the 27-nation EU, and Northern Ireland. That's angered Northern Irelands unionist community, who say the checks amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken Northern Irelands ties with the rest of the U.K.

One of the significant achievements of Northern Ireland's peace process was its nearly invisible border with Ireland.

I would not at all like to see, nor, I might add, would many of my Republican colleagues like to see, a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland, said Biden, who has consistently shown pride in his Irish roots.

Since Britain formally left the economic structures of the EU at the start of this year, the country has sought to re-orientate its trade profile away from Europe. It is pushing to join the 11-country Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is home to around half a billion people in and around the Pacific.

There's even talk that Britain may look to join the trade partnership between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

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Follow all AP stories on Brexit at https://apnews.com/hub/Brexit
Josie Norris, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

Bird is opening up more ways for people to get around downtown San Antonio.

The California-based electric scooter company is partnering with SA Bikeshare, allowing people to find and rent a bike directly through the Bird app as part of its Smart Bikeshare Program, according to a news release.
Yves here. Please welcome Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young, who delineate some of the implementations of computer and spyware-enabled Taylorism that they call algorithmic management. Its been distressing to see the tacit acceptance of management using technology to monitor workers and enforce relentless and generally unreasonable performance demands. Given how tight labor markets have become, one can hope to see some employers marketing a traditional (as in free of tech-enabled harassment) workplace to attract staffers.

By Thomas Klikauer, who has 700 publications and writes regularly for BraveNewEurope (Western Europe), the Barricades (Eastern Europe), Buzzflash (USA), Counterpunch (USA), Countercurrents (India), Tikkun (USA), and ZNet (USA). His next book is on Media Capitalism (Palgrave) and Meg Young (GCA and GCPA, University of New England at Armidale), a Sydney Financial Accountant and HR Manager who likes good literature and proof reading

Increasingly,algorithmic management is used to control workers using software technology the technology of mathematical algorithms. Managements algorithms that control workers can best be understood as opinions expressed in a mathematical formula.

In the realm of management, these become managerial operations formulated as equations put into a computer-coded program for management. These formulas are based on management and they operate for management. They do exactly what management tells them to do. Algorithms are not neutral technologies. Instead, they are tools that serve management.

Algorithmic management that controls workers is mostly used in the vicinity of line management. Primarily, algorithmic management is a technique to remotely manage, discipline, and punish workers. Essentially, it relies on two things: data collection (e.g. big data) and the remote but ultra-tight surveillance of workers. Put into a formula, an algorithm allows management to run automated or semi-automated decision-making processes and surveillance operations.

Unsurprisingly, big data collection and mathematical algorithms are central to algorithmic management as they allow for the functioning of digital labour and other online platforms. In turn, digital labour platforms are ideal for the harvesting of data on workers to be used against them.

Online work and platform work are linked to the so-called gig economy which has roughly two parts: in the first part, workers offer online services on a platform like cleaning, data entry, or even selling products; in the second, and more common part, workers are employed by an online platform like Uber.

The second form is entering ever more areas of work such as, for example, one of the most commonly used, is that of warehouses (Amazon). But algorithmic management is also found in retail, food delivery, manufacturing, marketing, consultancy, banking, hotels, call centres, and even among journalists, lawyers and the private police, security where online platforms like life eye surveillance offer management ever more control.

In these jobs, algorithmic management means the automatic allocating of work tasks to workers through handheld or wearable devicelike smartphones and computers. For example, the so-called ride-hail-driver are forced to turn on their smartphone app to receive the next work task. On it, workers receive algorithmically organised trip and delivery requests from management.

Workers are given a 15 second time window to accept or reject the next so-called gig  a work task. If they accept the request, which they mostly have to do in order not to be punished and disciplined or lose their jobs  workers are then given a delivery or passengers location via the management apps map display.

Algorithmic management automatically withholds key work information such as for example, fare and destination. Yet, management platforms also restrict the ability of workers to decline trips allocated to them algorithmically. Not surprisingly, 80% of all workers accept managements tasks allocated to them automatically. They tend to do so mostly likely out of fear to be disciplined. As one worker said, you do what the App tells you.

All this also means that algorithmic management does not fully replace real management. Instead, there is a continued relevance of real managers and line supervision. This comes not despite but because of the managerial use of algorithmic management. Essentially, algorithmic management delivers new tools to control workers but the controlling is still overseen by management. For one, managers are needed to oversee and supervise dispatchers and to monitor the monitors that control individual riders and delivery drivers, as in the case of Uber, for example.

In warehouses, algorithmic management runs control largely through the so-called handheld devices, also known as scan guns.These link barcode scanners, motion detectors and location tracking devices while establishing near total control over workers. And as if this is not enough, the Coronavirus pandemic has given management an even more ammunition. In some cases, management has installed cameras in warehouses that operate machine learning systems. These notify management when a worker violates social distancing rules introduced, overseen, and enforced by management.

For example, a Driveri is an AI equipped camera used in warehouses and delivery vehicles of some so-called outsourced delivery service partners. It is a form of faked employment based on the hallucination of workers as independent contractors. In any case, such spy-on-workers cameras capture not just the road ahead, the workers, and both sides of the vehicle, it also instruct and control workers.

It can force workers to take almost any managerially requested actions in response to what management deems to be a violation of its rules. This can mean not to engage in unplanned stops such as for example, a toilet break, a sandwich on the way, etc. it may also mean to take a managerially requested break if the AI spy camera has captured a worker yawning.

A so-called optimising software call Percolatallows algorithmic management to ensure the most profitable mix of workers for maximising sales in every 15 minute slot of the day. Meanwhile, Genome enables algorithmic management to calculate the average time it takes for a worker to complete a work task. It can also alert team leaders and bosses when work is deemed to be behind schedule. Similarly, with software like RescueTime, algorithmic management can reduce work distractions that management deems to impact negatively on workers productivity and, hence on corporate profits.

Worse, behind all this lurk platforms that use customer ratings, rating and ranking acceptance rates and evaluate workers algorithmically. This turbo-charges service capitalisms prime ideology of the customer is king to almost semi-dictatorial levels  every customer becomes a kind of a boss.

In hospitality, online ratings are often issued on the whim of customers making highly subjective reviews. Yet, management gains those from powerful websites like TripAdvisor.Worse, they are incorporated into workers individual performance reviews. They also inform managerial team meetings in which decisions on workers are made. As a consequence, workers understand quickly that they are under constant surveillance from customers and their impulses. Meanwhile, call centres programmes such as Cogitocontrol workers in pretty much the same way. A worker noted,

Talking too fast? The program flashes an icon of a speedometer, indicating that he should slow down. Sound sleepy? The software displays an energy cue, with a picture of a coffee cup. Not empathetic enough? A heart icon pops up.

At Amazon, data collected from workers hand-held devices are analysed to automatically rank workers from highest to lowest under what management knows as rank & yank.Donald Trump calls it, you are fired!It is also known as, my way or the highway. If workers are lucky, the lowest 10% are told to speed. This can still be done by real managers.

The evilness of the managerial system was perfected by Jack Welchs maxim, fire the bottom 10%. Shortly before that, a line supervisor may walk by showing a worker a print-out making clear that he is below 90% while telling the worker, you have to work a bit harder. The next step is the my-way-highwayprinciple.

Of course, algorithms are a great tool for management not only when dishing out disciplining actions against workers. Almost self-evidently, line managers and supervisors make great use of an automated metric as well as an automated ranking algorithm. They even prefer them when applying their own discretion because unbiased-looking algorithms powerfully support what they do.

Algorithms aid the appearance of neutrality  it is all in an algorithm, a technique, a machine, a mathematical formula. This makes it easy to justify management decisions and it makes it easy to convince workers, these algorithms  not management  made the decision. The perfect smokescreen for managers.

It remains imperative to understand that algorithmic management reshapes organisational control. Algorithmic management does not eliminate control. Instead, algorithmic management enhances control. While algorithmic management takes out some managers, it does not eliminate management altogether. Instead, it gives management new tools to control worker ever more tightly and rigidly.

Of course, algorithmic management is used by management to intensify work, to increase monitoring and to enhance surveillance, to raise work paces, to minimise even the tiniest gaps in workflows, and to extend work activity well beyond the conventional workplace and working day.

In some cases, management requires workers to work at frantic pace. At Amazon, workers often have to run in order to keep up with the speed. In a well-known case, a worker was forced to pee into a bottle, as Amazon boss Jeff Bezoadmitted.

Overall, the level of algorithmic management differs from company to company with bottle-peeing Amazon on the lower end. Yet, the Society of Automotive Engineers (2014) introduced a useful categorisation of automation that can be applied to algorithmic management (AM). It has six levels:

No AM : standard management prevails  no algorithms;

: standard management prevails  no algorithms; Assistant AM : algorithmic management is used to support management;

: algorithmic management is used to support management; Partial AM: parts of management are done by to algorithms, real managers are decision-makers;

parts of management are done by to algorithms, real managers are decision-makers; Conditional AM: most management decision are handed over to algorithms;

most management decision are handed over to algorithms; High AM: most of performance management, control, and worker discipline is handed over to algorithms;

most of performance management, control, and worker discipline is handed over to algorithms; Full AM: algorithms define performance, evaluation and control without the involvement of real managers.

Whatever the form algorithmic management takes, it is likely to enhance management control over workers. Ever since Richard Edwards, we know that there are three forms of management control:

Simple control is based on direct control by a visible and present authority figure like a supervisor or line manager strictly enforcing the top-down supervisor-subordinate hierarchy.

is based on direct control by a visible and present authority figure like a supervisor or line manager strictly enforcing the top-down supervisor-subordinate hierarchy. Technical control relies on some physical devices like machines, an assembly line, computer software, algorithms, etc. It moves from face-to-face control onto technical control by machines.

relies on some physical devices like machines, an assembly line, computer software, algorithms, etc. It moves from face-to-face control onto technical control by machines. Bureaucratic control uses rules such as HR-policies to control and manipulate workers often laid out in handbooks, training programmes, policies, performance management, etc.

In this framework, algorithmic management may well fall into the second group of technical control because algorithmic management relies on a technical apparatus  an algorithm  to control workers even though real managers are not totally removed as the list of the automotive engineers shows.

Set against this is the fact that algorithmic platforms can not only be used to control workers. Online platforms can also be used by workers to eliminate management control. Unions and union-based organizations such as, for example, the CWU, the Tech Work Coalition, Coworker, Unionbase, the widely known Change.Org, ADCU, etc. call this platform organizing.

Platform organizing uses three forms of union organizing: a) labour and solidarity organizing by a highly-skilled and core workforces mostly of tech companies; b) resistance by workers at gig companies that apply algorithmic management to control their labour forces using digital platforms; and the c) unions develop counter-platforms for workers dedicated to facilitating communication among workers for the purposes of labour organizing.Overall trade unions recommend ten demands when management introduces algorithmic management:

workers need to have a right to be informed about algorithmic management and its potentially harmful effects on workers;

the rule that a human manager always overrides an algorithm remains the overarching principle;

algorithms have to support human managers and not replace them;

transparency by management about algorithms remains essential;

unions need to be informed about the program management is buying and its algorithms need to be assessed on potential health risks (e.g. work stress, etc.), bias, and discrimination;

management needs to clarify and justify which data on workers are collection and which surveillance regimes are planned;

workers and union representatives are to be given access to all data collected by management about them and about the forms of algorithmic performance assessments that are conducted;

benefits from algorithmic management (e.g. productivity, greater flexibility, etc.) need to be shared with the workforce on equitable terms;

whenever management plans to introduce algorithmic tools, it should have a people planoutlining parallel investment into the workforce (e.g. training); and finally and perhaps most importantly,

before introducing algorithmic management, employers should justify why it is actually needed at all.

In the end, algorithmic management is not going away any time soon. Instead, the very opposite is the case, algorithmic management is spreading. With this come rafts of pathologies that turn workplace increasing into dystopian places to be avoided. Yet, trade unionscan play an active role in shaping even those workplacein which algorithmic managementhas been introduced.
Dear patient readers,

Please give a big round of applause to Lambert, Jerri, and Nick for manning the site while I took some time off in Maine. The weather and seafood were great, but I was hampered by my progress with my new hips going into reverse at week 6 and my surgeon not having any suggestions as to what to do (I am getting a second opinion down here but the lead time for new patient appointments is long). So I missed out on one of my favorite activities, walking around and enjoying the ocean and nature views.

The cat is back: Wild Amur tigers rebound in China, thanks to govt policies Mongabay (furzy)

Living orbs of light aeon. Fireflies!

Under New Zealands Dark Skies, Insects Recover and Humans Reconnect with a Lost View Atlas Obscura (Chuck L)

Melbourne earthquake: Tremor rattles southeast Australia BBC

Hubble Has Captured The Startling Eye of a Massive Stellar Explosion Science Alert (David L)

Texas Offers 4 Lessons For Staying Safe In Flash Floods NPR (David L)

How proteins help yeast adapt to changing conditions eLife (UserFriendly)

More people are eating bugs, but is it ethical to farm insects for food? The Conversation (Robert M)

7 Revealing Ways AIs Fail SpectrumIEEE (David L)

Brave or reckless? Thrill-seekers brains can tell you New Scientist (Dr. Kevin)

Study Finds First 72 Hours Crucial To Determining Whether Missing Person Case Goes Viral The Onion

The future of weight loss Works in Progress (UserFriendly)

#COVID-19

From a few days back, doubt the situation has changed (guurst):

Alberta is on 

ICUs are full. Surgeries cancelled. Triage is days away

Vax passports were too late, cant halt infections fast enough

 pts to ON/QC not a real solution. Military lack clinical capacity

We NEED a fire-breaker to stop the inferno https://t.co/EKT5nlcX3M  Ilan Schwartz MD PhD (@GermHunterMD) September 19, 2021

China?

AUKUS

From Politicos European newsletter: EU MULLS CANCELING TRANSATLANTIC SUMMIT: Brussels is taking Washingtons move to outflank France on a submarine deal seriously  and the European Commission is now considering whether to delay the EU-U.S. Trade and Tech Council (TTC), two officials told Playbook. The summit, scheduled for September 29 in Pittsburgh, was meant to agree joint standards on things such as semiconductors and AI. The U.S. also wanted the EU to ease transatlantic data sharing. Top EU leader rebukes Scott Morrison during awkward New York encounter Sydney Morning Herald

Brexit

Syraqistan

Ethiopia

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Trump

Donald Trump Sues New York Times and His Niece Mary Trump Over Tax Story Daily Beast (furzy)

Biden

Debt-Limit Suspension Passes House, Faces Standoff in Senate Wall Street Journal

Democrats to remove $1B for Israels Iron Dome from bill to avert shutdown The Hill

Sinema Threat Followed Boost From Pharma Group Daily Poster (Chuck L)

Del Rio migrant crisis: How did so many Haitians end up at the southern US border? El Paso Times (furzy)

Whos paying for your Uber? PhysOrg (Robert M)

Elon Musk said SpaceXs first-ever civilian crew had challenges with the toilet, and promised an upgrade for the next flight Business Insider (Kevin W)

Uncovering The Real History Of The Women Who Pioneered Video Games Kotaku (Kevin W)

EU Plans To Legislate for Common Phone Charger Despite Apple Grumbles Reuters

PayPal Launches Its Super App Combining Payments, Savings, Bill Pay, Crypto, Shopping and More TechCrunch

How Will Methane Regulations Impact Americas Oil And Gas Industry? OilPrice

Billionaire Leon Black accused of raping woman in Jeffrey Epsteins mansion in 2002, according to court documents Business Insider. Kevin W: She may be a woman now, but how old was she back in 2002?

Second woman accuses Leon Black of rape; Blacks rep calls claim complete fiction Reuters

The Elizabeth Holmes Line Rafia Zakaria, The Baffler (Anthony L). No inhibition about taking up a new con.

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour (Chet G):

And a bonus:

Small cats.. Sometimes small things can make a cat happy.. pic.twitter.com/xo6hty6Oai  Independence (@Indenpendence0) September 9, 2021

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
AMLOs proposal: to build an alliance of states within Latin American and the Caribbean, and then pursue economic integration with the United States and Canada.

Over the past weekend Mexico hosted the sixth summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). A total of 16 heads of state, two vice presidents and 13 foreign ministers attended the event, which was held behind closed doors at Mexicos National Palace. They included Cubas leader Miguel Diaz Canel, Perus recently elected president Pedro Castillo and Venezuelas president Nicolas Maduro, who arrived as a surprise late addition on Friday afternoon. It was Maduros first foreign trip since the US Justice Department made him a wanted man, in March 2020, by putting a $15 million reward on his head for his alleged role in drug trafficking offences.

Provocative Moves

Also present, though not in person, was Chinas premier Xi Jinping, who delivered a three-and-a-half minute video address to attendees. In other words, as Javier Tejado Donde writes in El Universal, a newspaper that was closely tied to the former Pena Nieto government, the seat of the Mexican government played host this weekend to the heads of state of three countries that Mexicos most important trading partner and direct neighbour to the north, the United States, considers among its biggest geopolitical foes: Venezuela, Cuba and, of course, China.

Its not the only provocative move Mexicos President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO for short) made last week. To mark the celebration of Mexicos Independence Day, on September 15, he invited the Cuban leader Miguel Diaz Canel to be guest of honour for the military parade. In his speech AMLO asked the US, respectfully, to put an end to its 59-year economic blockade of Cuba:

Hopefully President (Joe) Biden, who is politically attuned, acts with greatness and puts a permanent end to the (US) policy of aggression towards Cuba. He should also help the Cuban-American community by putting aside electoral or partisan interests; its time to leave resentment behind, understand the new circumstances and seek reconciliation.

The US Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, was quick to respond to AMLOs request, by stressing that the US will stay firm to its commitment to continue fighting for the democracy of Cuba, of the people of Cuba. He also issued what could be construed as a veiled warning to AMLO: the important thing is that the United States and Mexico are more focused on the things we can do, we cannot be distracted from what we have to do now.

AMLOs Dream

The CELAC summit was supposed to serve as a springboard for Mexican president Andres Manuel Loprez Obradors vision of a united Latin America, as AMLO himself explained in his inaugural speech:

In these times, CELAC can become the main instrument to consolidate relations between our Latin American and Caribbean nations, and achieve the goal of economic integration with the United States and Canada, within a framework of respect for our sovereignty.

This is the second first time AMLO has proposed the creation of a Latin American union; the first was at the fifth CELAC summit, held on July 24, the birthday of Simon Bolivar, the Caracas-born revolutionary leader who liberated a large chunk of South America from the Spanish in the early nineteenth century.

Since neither the US nor Canada are members of CELAC, there was no immediate response to AMLOs invitation. But in all likelihood, it will be negative. Its virtually impossible to even imagine senior representatives of the US and Canadian governments sitting around the same table as leaders of countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, let alone debating regional policy with them. As previously mentioned, Maduro has a price on his head. One of the last actions of the Trump Administration was to designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, for its malign influence in Venezuela and the rest of the Western hemisphere.

AMLO, who is currently interim president of CELAC, called for the creation in Latin America of something similar to the European Economic Community, the six-member economic association formed in 1957 that would eventually evolve into todays 27-member European Union. But he emphasised the need to respect national sovereignty and adhere to non-interventionist and pro-development policies. In a previous statement he also underscored that it must be in accordance with our history, our reality, and our identities.

It is easy to understand the potent draw of AMLOs dream, writes Kurt Hackbarth in Jacobin:

A union of Latin America and the Caribbean would bring together some 660 million people  8 percent of the worlds population, and also 8 percent of its GDP. All of this is spread out over a surface area of some 7.8 million square miles, an area larger than the United States and Canada combined. Despite centuries of colonial plunder, it remains a region of abundant natural resources, arable land, a head-spinning diversity of peoples and traditions, and a culture of contestation that has produced some of the most transcendent political movements of the last century.

Hackbart sketches out what a Latin American Union should include, starting with a public development bank to liberate itself from international financial institutions, as well as from the United States, EU, and, more recently, China:

It should also establish a common green agricultural and energy policy to counter the effects of climate change and achieve genuine regional independence. It would need to lay emphasis on workers rights, including full freedom of movement, the right to collective bargaining, and a living wage. Such a union would need a comprehensive regulatory policy to prevent foreign multinationals from pitting one country against another; a joint diplomatic and defense framework to resolve regional conflicts and stymie attempts at foreign intervention; and integration of education, transport, scientific investigation, and health infrastructure, the lack of which has become glaringly evident during the pandemic. It would seek to promote sustainable, local development, including culture, sports, and the arts, instead of a reliance on resource extraction and development for tourism, and form a region-wide media body to counter the effects of corporate press oligarchies, both foreign and domestic.

Gargantuan Task

But bringing the continent together is not going to be a gargantuan task. Since the Bolivarian wars of independence in the early eighteen hundreds Latin Americas disparate nation states have been wracked by division, due to political ideology, territorial disputes and, most of all, colonial interference. Recent attempts at integration, such as the Pink Tide-inspired initiatives of the early 2000s  ALBA and UNASUR  ended up achieving little, while the US-backed proposals of the 2010s, such as the Pacific Alliance, the Lima Group, and PROSUR, have fallen flat.

At last weekends summit consensus proved largely elusive on many vital points, as was no doubt expected given the broad diversity of political ideologies and geopolitical allegiances among the attendees. As Reuters reports, sparks flew at times.

We are worried and look gravely at whats happening in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, he said, ticking off what he described as repressive actions including jailing of political opponents.

Cubas Diaz-Canel fired back by attacking neo-liberal policies that he said have retarded social progress. He also criticized Lacalles leadership, noting the large response from a recent petition drive by his domestic political opposition.

The Uruguayan responded by criticizing Cubas communist government, noting it does not tolerate opposition or allow its people to elect their own leaders.

Despite bitter exchanges like these, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard was still able to announce 44 points of agreement in the summits political declaration, each of which required weeks of prior negotiation. They included an agreement to set up a fund to counteract the effects of climate change, whose impact is already being felt in parts of the region as well as an agency to regulate new medicines and vaccines at the regional level.

There was also unanimous agreement that the US should put an end to its trade, economic and financial embargo of Cuba, especially in light of the ongoing pandemic. In the summits statement attendees reaffirmed their rejection of coercive economic measures not supported by international law, including unilateral actions applied against sovereign countries that affect the well-being of their peoples and which are designed to prevent them from exercising their right to decide, by virtue of their own sovereign will, their own political, economic and social systems.

Countering US Influence

CELAC was first proposed at the Rio GroupCaribbean Community Unity Summit, in February, 2010, and was later founded on December 3, 2011, in Caracas, with the implicit goal of deepening Latin American integration. The organization currently has a membership list of 32 countries. They do not include the United States, Canada or the overseas territories in the Americas of France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Founding members such as Venezuelas Hugo Chavez, Brazils Lula de Silva, Bolivias Evo Morales and Ecuadors Rafael Correa saw CELACs creation as a means to reduce the influence of the United States on the politics and economics of Latin America. In his speech at the summit AMLO reiterated his hopes that CELAC would eventually supplant the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS) as the main institution for intra-regional relations.

Founded in 1948 by the United States and 21 other Latin American nations, the OAS was supposed to be a multilateral forum that furthered peace, security, democracy and the peaceful resolution of conflict between member stated. But given the dominance of the US, which provided most of the organizations funding, it ended up being largely used as a countermeasure against potential Soviet influence in the region. The OAS continues to wield influence to this day. And that influence is not always welcome. For example, Mexicos Foreign Minister Manuel Ebrard recently accused the organization of practically facilitating the recent coup detat in Bolivia. He also described OAS current secretary general, the former Uruguayan diplomat Luis Almagro, as one of the worst in its history.

The governments of Peru, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba fully support AMLOs proposal of sidelining OAS. But not everyone is on board. The governments of Uruguay, Ecuador, Chile and Colombia, all closely aligned with Washington, oppose the move. Further complicating matters, says Hackbarth, is the fact that any new union would have to contend with a morass of existing commitments.

The ink is barely dry on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the sequel to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) tying Mexico to the United States and Canada (and which was supported by AMLO himself). But that is far from all. Of the twenty countries with which the United States has free-trade agreements, over half are with Latin America, including virtually all of Central America, as well as Colombia, Chile, and Peru. Several more, including Mercosur, have agreements in force or in process with the European Union.

Brazil: A Vital Clog

Conspicuously absent from the CELAC summit was Brazils far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who pulled out from CELAC last year after criticising it for promoting undemocratic countries. Which is a little rich given Bolsonaros well-documented contempt for democratic processes and institutions as well as his recent threats of staging a military coup if he doesnt win next years election against Lula. AMLOs dream of creating a regional alliance of left-leaning states in Latin America will depend massively on the outcome of those elections.

If Lula beats Bolsonaro comfortably, as recent polls suggest he will, and Bolsonaro doesnt try to cling onto power, as his recent actions and statements suggest he will, AMLO should be able to count on Brazil as a key ally in his plan to create a Latin America Union. Between them, Brazil and Mexico account for around 60% of total GDP of Latin America and the Caribbean. To put that into context, it is significantly more than France and Germanys combined economic clout in the EU (approx. 43% of GDP).

Someone who did take part in the event, albeit remotely and extremely briefly, is Chinese President Xi Jinping, who delivered a three-minute video speech to the attendees. In his address Xi underscored the importance for China of developing close relations with CELAC:

In July 2014, the leaders of regional countries and I jointly announced the establishment of the Forum of China and CELAC, which has developed a new way for the comprehensive cooperation between China and Latin America China will continue to provide support to Latin American and Caribbean countries to the best of its capability, and help the regional countries overcome the pandemic at an early date and resume economic and social development.

Chinese vaccine developers have already provided over 230 million vaccine doses to 18 countries in Latin America, including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Peru, mostly through exports. Chinas vaccine diplomacy has helped to bolster its economic and geopolitical influence in the region, which had been steadily rising since the turn of this century, as NC previously reported.

Chinas trade with the region grew 26-fold between 2000 and 2020, from $12 billion to $315 billion, and is expected to more than double by 2035, to more than $700 billion. In the last 20 years China has moved from an almost negligible position as a source of imports and destination of exports within the region to become its second trade partner, at the expense not just of the US but also Europe and certain Latin American countries such as Brazil whose share of inter-regional trade has fallen.

Xi Jinpings participation in the CELAC summit will certainly not have gone unnoticed in Washington DC. Xis words confirm that Chinas interest in developing economic and geo-strategic partnerships in Latin America has not dimmed. That he was able to say those words at the invitation of Mexico, one of the US largest economic partners, whose president is determined to reduce his countrys economic and energy dependence on the US, will also have not gone unnoticed.
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) Todays electric vehicles are far from perfect, and one of their biggest weak points are their batteries. Newer solid state batteries are expected to play a big role in EV technology moving forward, and now two major car makers are moving forward with tests of these batteries.

In addition to lower costs and higher energy densities, one of the biggest draws of solid state batteries is the fact that they are not prone to setting on fire the way that traditional EV batteries do.

Solid Power plans to have prototype solid state batteries ready for tests next year by investors Ford and BMW. The firms CEO, Doug Campbell, told TechCrunch that his firm is aiming to become a leader in solid state electrolytes that can replace the semi-liquid paste currently seen in most lithium-ion batteries. Solid Power is expanding its Colorado factory to accommodate a new production line that will be dedicated to producing commercial-grade, 100-ampere solid state batteries, and BMW and Ford will be the first carmakers to place them in electric vehicles next year.

In addition, the new Solid Power production facilities will have the capacity to produce 25 times more of the sulfide-based solid electrolyte material than its existing facility can accommodate. It is being reported that the pouch cells will be tested by the Ford and BMW early next year with a view to placing them in driver-ready vehicles toward the end of the decade.

Campbell said his company is focused on producing the electrolyte material, which will be licensed to battery manufacturers and OEMs. He emphasized that they are chiefly a materials company, and they expect the demand for these batteries to grow. He added that they could help eliminate the battery fires some car makers have been dealing with.

We believe very strongly that these issues (battery fires) that both Hyundai and GM are now facing would be addressed with a solid state battery, he stated.

The company is also looking into developing a low-cost cathode material without nickel or cobalt. Their alternative will be significantly cheaper  as much as 1/20th or 1/30th of the cost of a typical nickel manganese cobalt cathode.

Meanwhile, Redwood Materials is taking a different approach, deriving materials by recapturing them from existing batteries. They say they can recover as much as 98 percent of the cobalt, nickel and lithium in old batteries so that new ones can be made without extracting more minerals from the earth.

Electric vehicle fires plaguing major car makers

Its easy to see why Ford and BMW are so drawn to Solid Powers batteries given the growing list of fires linked to electric vehicles throughout the country.

Most of the major EV makers have made headlines for battery fires, including Tesla, Kia, Hyundai and Chevrolet. General Motors recently announced a recall of 142,000 of its Bolt models sold since 2017 because of their propensity to catch on fire. They are now waiting for new battery packs to be developed that can resolve manufacturing defects. Earlier this year, a callback by Hyundai affected 90,000 Kona EVs, while Ford recalled 20,000-plus plug-in hybrids in Europe due to their risk of overheating and catching on fire. Teslas electric vehicles have also been linked to fires.

Its an expensive problem to fix, with the Chevrolet Bolt recall estimated to cost the manufacturer $1.8 billion and the Kona recall costing Hyundai around $900 million. Perhaps most damaging, however, are the public relations effects of these fires and recalls, which could have a lasting impact on the reputation of electric vehicles in the car market.

Sources for this article include:

CleanTechnica.com

Forbes.com
(Natural News) The U.S. Census Bureau (USCB) says in a recent report that more Americans have become poor compared to a record low the year earlier. Its Sept. 14 report also shows significant declines in median income and available jobs. According to the USCB, Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions have wiped out ten years of economic gains within a short period.

According to the report, 37.2 million Americans  an estimated 11.4 percent of the population  live in poverty in 2020. This equates to approximately 3.3 million more Americans joining the ranks of the poor compared to the previous year. In 2019, the USCB records 10.5 percent of the population living below the poverty line. This is the first increase in poverty after five consecutive annual declines, the USCB report notes.

Furthermore, the USCB report also notes that more Americans under the age of 64 say they live below the poverty line. Poverty rates for those 18 and younger in 2020 have risen to 16.1 percent, compared to only 14.4 in 2019. Meanwhile, poverty rates for Americans between 18 and 64 years old have also risen to 10.4 percent in 2020 compared to 9.4 percent the previous year. Those aged 65 and up report a 9 percent poverty rate, which is not statistically different from 2019.

Poverty levels in the U.S. have been on a downward trend from 2015 to 2019, reaching their lowest level in six decades during the latter year. The period encompasses the first three years of former President Donald Trumps term. However, the downward trend goes full stop and spikes once more as the COVID-19 pandemic causes businesses to shut down.

The report also indicates that median household income in the U.S. in 2020 experienced a decline. From the previous total of $69,560 in 2019, median household income in 2020 drops 2.9 percent to $67,521. The report mentions that this is the first statistically significant decline in median household income since 2011.

Federal unemployment benefits only make matters worse

The USCB reports that about 26 million Americans have lost their jobs in March and April 2020 for a four-week period. This is approximately twice the 13.7 million full-time workers who lost their jobs for the whole of 2019  the largest decline recorded. This also exceeds the 22 million jobs created since the economic collapse of 2007 to 2009. (Related: Coronavirus cost nearly ONE IN FOUR Americans their jobs as the economic damage from the pandemic continues to mount.)

However, the USCB notes that fewer Americans are actually living in poverty when government assistance is factored in. These include COVID-19 stimulus checks and supplemental unemployment benefits. In fact, the bureaus Sept. 14 report notes that 2020 is the first time in history that the supplemental poverty measure (SPM) is lower than the official poverty rate.

According to the report, the overall SPM rate for 2020 is at 9.1 percent  2.6 points lower than the 2019s 11.7 percent SPM rate. The current rate is also 2.3 points lower than the official 11.4 percent poverty rate.

The USCB report also points out that expanded unemployment insurance benefits in 2020 have prevented 5.5 million Americans from falling into poverty. Furthermore, the report adds that stimulus payments have moved 11.7 million people out of poverty.

However, these benefits come at a great price of the national debt increasing. The U.S.s national debt has increased to $19.6 trillion following a years worth of stimulus payments. The federal government pays millions of Americans to stay home instead of work, adding another $2.8 trillion within the span of one year. In comparison, the U.S.s pre-pandemic debt of $16.8 trillion dates from the countrys founding in 1776 until 2019.

But now, the extra unemployment benefits and stimulus checks have come to an end. Many states also announce that they will no longer opt into the extra $300 federal unemployment benefits program. Thus, the U.S. economy is still 5.3 million jobs short of its original state before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

States now resorting to back-to-work bonuses

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has announced in May 2021 a $2,000 back-to-work bonus for eligible individuals returning to full-time work, alongside a $1,000 bonus for part-time workers. To qualify for the bonus, individuals must leave the unemployment insurance program and complete at least 10 weeks or work with an employer.

In Arizona, were going to use federal money to encourage people to work instead of paying people not to, Ducey says. He continues: We cannot let unemployment benefits be a barrier to getting people back to work. [Former President] Ronald Reagan said the best social program is a job, [and] I agree with that. (Related: States ending pandemic unemployment benefits see increase in jobs as more people decide to work.)

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced in the same month that the state would immediately stop unemployment benefits. He instead replaces this with a one-time $1,200 incentive to aid those returning to the workforce. Oklahomans who want to receive this bonus must leave an unemployment insurance program and submit pay stubs from their respective employers for a consecutive six-week employment period.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte also announced a one-time $1,200 bonus payment for residents who want to resume working. To qualify, Montanans must discontinue receiving unemployment benefits and accept a job offer in any industry within the state. The state then pays the bonus when qualified Montanans complete four full weeks of work.

Pandemic.news has more articles about poverty and welfare amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources include:

Infowars.com

Census.gov

AZGovernor.gov

SOS.OK.gov [PDF]

DLI.MT.gov [PDF]
(Natural News) Back in June, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published a bogus study claiming that Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines are perfectly safe and effective for pregnant women to take. A few months later, the NEJM was forced to issue a correction.

Entitled, mRNA Covid-19 Vaccines in Pregnant Women, the original study by Dr. Laura E. Riley, MD, made the claim that pregnant women should take Fauci Flu shots because developmental and reproductive animal data from Moderna showed no safety concerns.

Riley further contended that there is no biologically plausible reason that the mRNA technology would be harmful in pregnancy, even though the jabs have never been safety tested on expectant mothers  not even once.

This ridiculous fake science study was crafted in such a way as to sound as science-y as possible. The goal, of course, was to convince as many people as possible who read it to accept its false claims without even a second thought simply because it was published in the reputable NEJM.

It was later discovered, though, that Rileys claims were based on lies, and that there is actually no evidence, according to a recent correction, that any of Donald father of the vaccine Trumps Operation Warp Speed injections are either safe or effective in pregnant women.

At the time of publication of preliminary findings in the Original Article related to this editorial, the number of spontaneous abortions was 104 and there was 1 stillbirth, the correction reads.

However, no proportion could be determined for the risk of spontaneous abortion among participants vaccinated before 20 weeks of gestation because follow-up information was not yet available for the majority of those persons.

Covid vaccination is genocide

As it turns out, Riley did not even present the data she included correctly. In the fifth paragraph of page 2342 of the editorial, Riley misreported the number of registry participants who reported a completed pregnancy as well as the number of spontaneous abortions and stillbirths that occurred post-vaccination.

This is the type of thing we have come to expect from the conventional medical establishment, which has proven over the past several years that it will stop at nothing to force its plandemic agenda on the masses.

The apparent assumption is that so few people will actually look into the false claims made that the Branch Covidians will be able to advance their agenda with minimal pushback.

Steve Kirsch, founder of the Covid-19 Early Treatment Fund (CETF), tweeted about the correction, noting that it is too little, too late now that potentially thousands of pregnant women already got jabbed based on Rileys false data or some other propaganda.

Whoops, Kirsh joked about Rileys study falsely claiming that Covid-19 shots are safe and effective for pregnant women. Took them months to respond to our group.

In short, the CDC has no basis to recommend the vaccine to pregnant women. Will lack of evidence make a difference in the CDC recommendation? Of course not. Well experiment on the public, Kirsh added.

Kirsh also pointed out that another admission was made in the correction about how a relatively small number of completed pregnancies were included in the data, making it incomplete.

Shimabukuro et al. acknowledge the limitations in their ability to draw conclusions about spontaneous abortions, congenital anomalies, and other potential rare neonatal outcomes, he further quoted.

Another Twitter user added to the conversation by pointing out that not only were pregnant women excluded from the mRNA trials, but so were those with autoimmune disease or a compromised immune system.

That was so wrong considering they said it was safe for all of us, this person wrote.

Another noted that a 30-year-old pregnant woman who took the jab experienced a large blood clot in between her uterus and amniotic sack just three days later. That clot was not present prior to the injection, suggesting it caused the clot.

Another thing worth noting is that Riley has glaring conflicts of interest in that she has accepted personal fees from drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Riley lists these as consult (consultation) fees for the Moderna CMV (cytomegalovirus) vaccine.

Riley also takes in royalties for parvovirus, rubella, herpes and varicella in pregnancy, as well as UTI, according to the relevant financial activities outside the submitted work section of her ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest.

Riley currently sits on the editorial board of the NEJM, by the way. This means that she holds sway over the other things that get published in the journal, calling into question its credibility as a reliable source for learning about the latest science.

Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) deception is everywhere, including in the medical journals. To keep up with the latest, visit Deception.news.

Sources for this article include:

NEJM.org

NEJM.org

Independent.co.uk

Twitter.com

NaturalNews.com

NEJM.org
(Natural News) While according to Dr. Anthony Faust-i earlier in September, it may take many, many more vaccine mandates to end the coronvirus pandemic, with Faust hinting at an endless series of mandatory vaxxes (for delta, mu, omega, zeta and all of the other variants that will be rolled out over the next few years) being necessary for Americans to one day be free once again, weve got to take a look at the latest data coming to us from the VAERS website, with the one chart posted above dropping a nuclear bomb on the globalists argument that these vaxxes are safe and effective.

(Article by Stefan Stanford republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

With the FDA recently voting 16 to 2 against the booster shots that both Biden and Faust-i wanted to start rolling out upon Americans, we hear why in the 1st video that weve embedded at the bottom of this story, an 8 hour+ long FDA hearing in which one bombshell after another about the dangers of these shots being rolled out for everybody are dropped upon them.

With this Open Vaers website compiling into one place all of the tragedies now happening across America due to these unsafe jabs, well be taking a look within this story at numerous scenarios unfolding across America and the world, including here at ANP, where it appears this 2011 story over at The Guardian warning us the US Militarys social media manipulation programs had been created, programs which use sock puppet software technology to create fake online identities, used to spread pro-America, or pro-vax propaganda. Meaning that some of the comments you read here, and many at other online websites, may very well be comments created by bots to push the biden/fausti get vaxxed/masks prevent covid spread agenda.

From that 2011 story before we continue.:

The US military is developing software that will let it secretly manipulate social media sites by using fake online personas to influence internet conversations and spread pro-American propaganda.

A Californian corporation has been awarded a contract with United States Central Command (Centcom), which oversees US armed operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, to develop what is described as an online persona management service that will allow one US serviceman or woman to control up to 10 separate identities based all over the world.

The project has been likened by web experts to Chinas attempts to control and restrict free speech on the internet. Critics are likely to complain that it will allow the US military to create a false consensus in online conversations, crowd out unwelcome opinions and smother commentaries or reports that do not correspond with its own objectives.

The discovery that the US military is developing false online personalities  known to users of social media as sock puppets  could also encourage other governments, private companies and non-government organizations to do the same.

So while out and about online, you come across a storys comment section and suddenly see a huge number of pro-vax, pro-tyranny comments that seem to go against the flow, those comments could very well have been made by one propaganda expert, with the full intent of such comments being to persuade other people to go take the vax, it works; yeah, works real great to put people 6 under.

So while Joe Bidens pro-vax sock-puppets unleashed upon the internet have absolutely altered the perceptions of reality held by others, one ABC News station in Detroit recently got way more than they bargained for when asking their users on Facebook to share stories of the unvaxxed who passed away from Covid, only to be flooded with stories of death and injury as a result of the shots themselves.

After the vaccines were available to everyone, did you lose an unvaccinated loved one to COVID-19? If youre willing to share your familys story, please DM us your contact information. We may reach out for a story were working on, wrote WXYZ-TV Channel 7 on Friday.

An overwhelming number of people responded with stories not of death of the unvaccinated but of death and injury soon after the COVID-19 shot.

I dont know anyone who died from covid but I do know a 37 year old who got the vaccine and died of brain aneurysm 8 days later, wrote a Facebook user under the name Maximilien Robespierre.

Immediately below, Richard Smother shared, My coworkers daughter (12 years old) had to be rushed to the ER after she collapsed an hour after her second shot.

Krista Evans shared, I know 3 people personally that died shortly after being fully vaxxed. All the people I know that have had the China virus, had very mild flu-like symptoms so why the hell would anyone get poked with this poison???

Becky Burch commented, An Aunt died a week after the shot. The family never thought much about it until visiting with another cousin who had family die after the shot with the same strange issuenot sure of the details. Now, they think it was the shot.

Besides deaths, the testimonies of side effects from the jab cover a wide range of injuries and symptoms, from heart attacks and blood clots to digestive issues to loss of sight and movement.

My mother had a heart attack 4 days after receiving her first vaccine. She now has a blood clot in her lung, Jessica Mauldin commented.

Juli Smith wrote, My neighbor died from the vax, the funeral is next week. My mom cant feel her arms and legs. My BFF has been in ER several times with debilitating headaches. My mom and BFF doctors dont correlate the two but the timing makes it suspect. My hubbys doctor refused to let him test for covid antibodies. These doctors are complicit.

The stories go on and on, prompting many social media users to openly marvel at how the Facebook testimonies almost entirely contradict the intended direction of the thread and the mainstream media COVID-19 narrative.

So, the comments section isnt going the way you planned, wrote Nicole Boucher Sargent. This backfired on you rotten SOBs in the media, said Scott McCarty.

Yet as Mike Adams had pointed out in this recent story over at Natural News, the bigger question probably should be, How did the globalists convince BILLIONS of people to exterminate themselves with biological weapons presented as vaccines, what he calls vaxssassinations?

Warning within his story that its all now incredibly clear. Everything weve been watching over the last 20 months has been a globalist-led effort to convince billions of people to exterminate themselves without them knowing it, weve reported time and time again on ANP that the globalists have long had a very real depopulation agenda, seeking to get the worlds population down to the incredibly low number of 500 million seen on the Georgia Guidestones, meaning over 7 billion people will have to go.

With Adams warning in that story that an out in the open, kinetic war upon humanity would meet instant resistance, with 100s of millions of people sure to fight back when theyre being openly attacked and slaughtered with bullets and bombs, the globalists instead figured out a way to carry out mass slaughter on a planetary scale without alerting the masses to what they were doing. Welcome to 2021 America.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
(Natural News) It has long been known that one element of the fake Trump-Russia collusion narrative involved the 2016 campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

The financing and farming out of the phony Steele Dossier was handled by a law firm, Perkins Coie, that was in bed with both the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign as well.

Some of the sources for the dossier included Russian operatives who fed former MI6 agent Christopher Steele unsubstantiated garbage  like then-civilian Donald Trump having hookers pee on a hotel bed in Moscow once used by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. So really, you could say with credibility that there was Russian collusion during the 2016 presidential campaign, but Trump wasnt engaged in it; Hillary Clinton was.

Now there is new information that Clinton may have worked with a top executive from Google to create the false collusion narrative and, according to The National File, the proof may be in an indictment of a Perkins Coie attorney by special counsel John Durham last week  an attorney who also used to be a federal prosecutor (because of course):

In the bombshell felony indictment made public this week, Special Prosecutor John Durham alleged that agents of the 2016 Clinton campaign knowingly concocted false allegations that President Donald Trump was receiving secret hi-tech communications from the Kremlin-linked Alfa Bank. The Durham indictment further alleged that Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann intentionally spread that hoax to the FBI, Democrat-friendly media and another undisclosed federal agency under false pretenses.

Moreover, the Durham indictment identifies the mastermind of the operation to create and spread the Alfa Bank Hoax as a Big Tech executive, who allegedly exploited privately-held data of several large tech companies to create a false narrative about Trump-Russia collusion. This person may be Eric Schmidt, the former Executive Chairman of Alphabet, the parent company of Google.

For years, Trumps enemies have claimed that his 2016 campaign was communicating secretly with Russian-located Alfa Bank via a private server, even though that fake narrative has long been debunked by the very corrupt FBI as well as the investigation by Robert Mueller.

Proponents still insist that, despite being repeatedly found baseless, federal authorities have simply failed to muster the technical expertise to expose the dastardly Russian plot, The National File adds.

But Durhams indictment noted that those who drafted the analysis detailing the Alfa Bank conspiracy knew that it was garbage but sent it out anyway because the objective was to create the false narrative so that a federal probe of Trump would be launched and thus undermine his presidency (which happened).

Not long after Durhams felony indictment of Sussman for making false statements to the FBI went public, his firm, Perkins Coie, noted in a statement: In light of the Special Counsels action today, Michael Sussmann, who has been on leave from the firm, offered his resignation from the firm in order to focus on his legal defense, and the firm accepted it.

The analysis was allegedly the creation of a Clinton campaign confidant whom the Durham indictment referred to as Tech Executive-1. That person claimed to have been previously offered a position in government in the event Hillary Clinton won the Presidency and exploited his access to non-public data at multiple Internet companies to conduct opposition research concerning Trump  By virtue of his position at Internet Company-1 and other companies, Tech Executive-1 maintained direct or indirect access to, and the ability to provide others access to, large amounts of internet and cybersecurity data, including DNS data, the indictment reads.

According to The National File, it is unclear who the executive is, but Eric Schmidt seems to fit the description. At the time, he was Executive Chairman of Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google, and an unofficial advisor to the Clinton campaign.

Does this surprise you? Because it shouldnt; big tech is in bed with the Democrat Party, Americas Marxists and the objective is complete control over our society.

Sources include:

NationalFile.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A German professor is calling on humanity to look into attempts to weaponize the planet. Sociologist and political scientist Claudia von Werlhof of the University of Innsbruck in Austria urged people to talk about military geoengineering, which most dismiss as a conspiracy theory. She claims that patriarchal forces are behind the plot to artificially reshape the Earth.

Werlhof says human father figures are responsible for shaping the current world by means of violence that spans thousands of years. This violence has become trauma over time, yet this fact is considered forbidden knowledge that needs concealment from humanity. As long as this patriarchal civilization has not totally succeeded in transforming life, nature, humans, the whole world and the planet itself into a completely man-made world, violence will continuously be applied as a necessary means of achieving its dangerous end goals, she adds.

According to the professor, the patriarchal narrative insists that there is no violence involved in the transformation process. It also insists that the end result of transforming the natural to the artificial will be far superior. However, destruction is the true end product of this artificial manipulation  a process Werlhof calls alchemical.

She also cites the work of scientist and environmental activist Dr. Rosalie Bertell, specifically her book Planet Earth: The Latest Weapon of War. According to Bertell, the patriarchy is moving to destroy the planet and its living conditions. Thus, Bertell calls on people to address patriarchy and its systemic, direct and structural violence to favor what she calls planetary consciousness.

However, Werlhof notes that Bertells work on geoengineering has not been properly debated in public. People often dismiss the activists concepts of military geoengineering as uneasy truths and conspiracy theories, she adds. Werlhof notes that the end goal of the patriarchys geoengineering efforts is to change all of life, nature and humanity  into a man-made, artificial one.

Humanity is seeing both overt and covert methods of geoengineering

Werlhof says: If we look around, we see always more weaponry  threatening the Earth, [its] climate, the ozone later, [its] cycles and all life. She cites examples of these  which include nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, artificial intelligence, mind control and 5G radiation. Geoengineering belongs to the fourth Industrial Revolution that has been proclaimed to build our future  or our no-future  in the 21st century, Werlhof continues.

These technologies are already producing lockdowns from above  as well as from below. They are meant to use our bodies and brains, and I dont think all of us are supposed to survive this process of becoming the bio part of what I call the mega-machine  the new global form of totalitarianism, the professor warns.

True enough, the town of Gateshead in northeast England experiences firsthand the negative effects of 5G radiation from their towns street lights. Gateshead resident Mark Steele shares stories of three women who suffered miscarriages after the 5G street lights installation in 2016. One of them even gives birth to a deformed child who survives for just three hours.

Aside from the three women, the Daily Mail also notes other residents who suffer due to the street lights. Local resident Shirley Forster claims the street lights cause her to experience nosebleeds, an illness teenager Shaun Drummond also experiences. Meanwhile, 55-year-old Debbie Chisholm says she suffers sleepless nights due to the lights. (Related: 5G is the gateway to brain damage and manipulations of your health and mind.)

Werlhof also mentions the vaccines against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) as another form of this geoengineering. The vaccines against COVID-19, intending to turn us into genetically modified zombies with implanted chips and nanobots, are in the process of application right now, she says.

The COVID-19 vaccines contain ingredients such as polyethylene glycol and graphene oxide that harm the human body. The mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna contain these toxic compounds, yet governments around the world mandate that people take these dangerous chemical cocktails.

True enough, researchers discover that Pfizers Comirnaty vaccine contains more than 90 percent graphene oxide. Scientists from the University of Almeria in Spain have scrutinized Comirnaty doses. They reveal that each dose of Comirnaty contains around 747 nanograms of graphene oxide  meaning that more than 99 percent of the vaccine is composed entirely of the toxic compound. (Related: Graphene oxide used in coronavirus vaccines linked to adverse events, even death.)

The laissez-faire attitude toward the question of technology being welcomed as progress has to stop. There is a need to really look at  the intentional destruction of the world, including us humans. They are intended to lead us toward transhumanism  and the end of humanity, Werlhof concludes.

GeoEngineering.news has more articles about the use of technology to artificially remake the Earth.

Sources include:

GlobalResearch.ca

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalHealth365.com
(Natural News) Project Veritas has done it again with a new expose that blows the lid on the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine scam.

Jodi OMalley, RN, an employee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and nurse at Phoenix Indian Medical Center in Arizona, recently came forward as a whistleblower to tell of the horrors taking place at her hospital. Not only are people getting sick and dying from Donald father of the vaccine Trumps Operation Warp Speed injections, but the government is trying to cover it all up while depriving patients of medicines that could actually help them.

In the video below from Brighteon.com, OMalley talks to Project Veritas founder James OKeefe about the situation at Phoenix Indian Medical Center. The two discuss footage that was captured of other doctors at the government-run facility admitting that Fauci Flu shots are full of s***.

One physician, Dr. Maria Gonzales, who works in the emergency room at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, is seen expressing upset and concern about the continued use of Chinese Virus injections, which are not backed by any real science.

The problem in here is that they are not doing the studies, Dr. Gonzales says. People that had [covid] and the people that have been vaccinated  theyre not doing any antibody testing.

Everybody is quiet with that. Why?

In that particular clip, OMalley was having a conversation with Dr. Gonzales and agreeing with her. OMalley then addressed a patient who immediately after getting his second dose of the injection suffered serious adverse reactions.

Now, youve got this guy in Room Four who got his second dose of the [covid] vaccine on Tuesday and has been short of breath. Okay? Now his BNP is elevated. D dimer, ALT, all his liver enzymes are elevated. His PTPTINR is elevated.

Dr. Gonzales then responds about the patient, Hes probably got myocarditis! All of this is bulls***. Now, probably myocarditis due to the vaccine. But now, they [the government] are not going to blame the vaccine.

OMalley then responds that the government has a legal duty to report the complications, to which Dr. Gonzales admits that this reporting is not happening because they want to shove it under the mat.

Hospital worker who didnt want to take covid jab but was threatened dies following injection

The case the two were speaking about involved a thirty-something-year-old patient who ended up being diagnosed with congestive heart failure. It was not reported and neither were any of the dozens of other similar cases that were observed at the facility in recent days.

So, what the responsibility on everyone is  is to gather that data and report on it, OMalley then said to Dr. Gonzales. If were not gathering [covid vaccine] data and reporting it, then how are we going to say that this is safe and approved for use?

As it turns out, there has not been any reporting going on for the past nearly two years, which OMalley and Dr. Gonzales both admit is super fishy.

At much risk to herself, OMalley decided to finally come forward after a coworker of hers who did not want to get jabbed was coerced into doing so, even though it went directly against her sincerely held religious beliefs.

This individual fell seriously ill about two weeks after getting jabbed, and had never gotten sick once in the 18 months prior working as an unvaccinated person in the ICU. It was only after this person took the injection under duress that she got sick and ultimately died.

She didnt want to take [the covid vaccine] because of her religious beliefs and she was coerced into taking it, OMalley revealed to OKeefe, breaking down into tears.

Its like nobody  nobody should have to decide between their livelihood, being a part of the team in the hospital, or take the [covid] vaccine.

In OMalleys view, she has a duty to come forward and tell the truth. Before her family and before God, she says, it is the right thing to do, and she is trusting that God will take care of her despite any earthly consequences that might come her way.

This is evil at the highest level, OMalley says. You have the FDA, you have the CDC, that are both supposed to be protecting us, but they are under the government. And everything that we have done so far is unscientific.

Hospital workers threatened with termination for administering ivermectin to patients

OMalley and others at Phoenix Indian Medical Center recognize that many of the sick and dying patients they see every single day could be helped with ivermectin. The problem is that they have all been threatened with termination for administering it.

Part of the above footage shows another employee arguing with OMalley about ivermectin, explaining that she does not want to risk her job by giving it to patients even if doing so could help them live.

And to think that nobody would be dying if ivermectin was being administered the same as it is in India, where only a single-digit percentage of the population has gotten the vaccine and ivermectin is handed out for free by the government.

Will there ever come a day when Americans finally wake up to the plandemic scam and demand access to ivermectin and other simple, easy remedies like hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and green tea (EGCG)?

I wouldnt necessarily say I am afraid because my faith lies in God and not man, OMalley told OKeefe. So, I have two older kids that are on their own, and I have a twelve-year-old at home that I care for on my own, but you know, what kind of person would I be if I knew all of this  this is evil.

At the end of the day, its about your health, and you can never get that back  and about your freedom, and about living in a peaceful society, and Im like, No, no, this is the hill that I will die on.'

To keep up with the latest news about Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injection tyranny, visit Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

ProjectVeritas.com

Independent.co.uk

Brighteon.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Japan is genetically modifying sea bream fish to gain 50 percent more muscle, and it is expected to gain government approvals soon. However, many are raising their concerns about the effects of this GMO fish, and what it will do to consumers.

To make sea bream grow more muscle, scientists will have to incapacitate its myostatin gene, which is responsible for muscle growth restriction. By turning this off, the fish could grow more muscular and thus, meatier.

Raising fish with more meat on their bones could boost commercial farming operations for red seabream, which struggle with narrow profit margins because of the high costs of supplying feed and restocking waters with young fish, reports said.

With Japans struggling fishing industry, genetically modified fish, which are able to grow meatier without the need for additional feed input, can result in a competitive advantage that can help improve outcomes in the aquaculture industry.

GM fish may adversely affect human health

Genetic engineering may sound promising, but it is also perilous to human health. In some tests, animals that have been fed genetically modified crops have died or have been seriously harmed. Some concerns included complications in early deliveries, abortions and infertility. With these outcomes, there are concerns about species that have been genetically modified as well.

Frederik Sundstrom from the Department of Zoology of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden said that the ability of transgenic fish to be more resistant to environmental toxins could be a problem as they could accumulate more and ultimately transfer those toxins to consumers. He also said that there are misgivings about the dangers of higher levels of growth hormones in the fish, which may negatively affect people.

CRISPR-based gene modification

According to researchers, the attempt to modify fish has so far been successful, and they are shown to have the same bodyweight as non-modified fish during experiments. Researchers also noticed that genetically modified fish have shorter body lengths.

Upon tasting the modified fish, the only difference the researchers noticed was that it has a softer meat texture. (Related: CRISPR gene editing found to cause hundreds of unintended mutations, warn scientists.)

The genome modification tool used on the red sea bream is called the CRISPR-Cas9, which knocks out the myostatin gene in red sea bream. It is used to modify the genes of animals selectively by cutting out or adding in new DNA segments.

Changing the genetic code of animals begins with the egg, and the CRISPR technique is performed on these eggs soon after fertilization, before the first DNA replication happens. Editing the DNA at this point means that the change should be present in all cells as the animal develops. However, this wont always be the case, so when the CRISPR-modified fish were about 6 months old, they sequenced DNA to determine the level of mutation. They then bred the fish with high mutation levels with wide sea bream to see what percentage of the offspring would inherit the mutation, and then mated the highly mutated fish that survived sexual maturity. CRISPR editing and DNA sequencing managed to achieve the desired mutation in three generations.

There are three main applications for CRISPR, according to biotech expert Dr. Greg Licholai. The first is in manipulating genes to turn them on or off. Second is to create medications that can be infused, such as taking blood and certain cells out of the body and manipulating them with CRISPR, then putting them back in. Third, which is often overlooked, is used in farming.

As for the dangers, he pointed to gene drive applications, which manipulates genes and incorporates them into the genome that sits in the cells, and which will be transferred to organisms. Once they are transferred, they become part of the cycle, therefore making the genes a part of the environment.

To address these concerns, the researchers say that safety measures have been put in place: Each fish is tagged for individual identification and is cultivated in tanks on land to avoid cross-breeding in the wild.

The CRISPR modified sea bream is only the beginning of the commercialization of the tool in food supplies. However, the question remains whether or not the general public is ready for this level of genetic manipulation.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

FoodNavigator.com

SciWorthy.com
(Natural News) Not only has the Marxist deep state ruling America used the COVID-19 pandemic to suppress and oppress, they have also based some of the most hypocritical policies on the virus, including policies that relate to immigration.

Anyone who has been paying attention to the Biden regime knows that the situation along the southwestern border is worse than chaotic.

Nearly 1.3 million migrants have crossed illegally into the U.S. since Biden was installed in the Oval Office and signed away all of President Donald Trumps border enforcement policies.

But that was intentional because nothing the Marxist Democrat left does is unintentional; when the deep state had Biden reverse Trumps policies, they knew that our borders would be inundated and our country flooded with hundreds of thousands of future citizens (and Democrat voters).

So while some people have been turned away and sent back to where they came from, hundreds of thousands of these law breakers have been resettled inside the U.S. with family to await their asylum hearings which will never come or are years away because of the backlog.

At the same time the regime is allowing these unvaccinated migrants into the country, Democrat Marxist adherents in blue states and cities are requiring their citizens to prove they have been vaccinated before they are allowed to fully participate in society, and even then, their participation is limited.

Not so much for the illegal alien.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki was asked about this monumental hypocrisy in recent days, and the answer she gave Fox News Peter Doocy is not just laughable, it is a straight-up lie (and from an administration that promised us so much honesty), according to a report in Newsweek:

White House press secretary Jen Psaki is facing criticism over her latest comments on why migrants arent required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

During Mondays press briefing, Fox News correspondent Pete Doocy asked Psaki if officials are asking the people crossing the southern borderspecifically the thousands of migrants setting up camp in Del Rio, Texasfor proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

As individuals come across the border, they are both assessed for whether they have any symptoms, Psaki told Doocy. If they have symptoms, the intention is for them to be quarantined. That is our process.

Theyre not intending to stay here for a lengthy period of time. I dont think its the same thing. Its not the same thing.We are expelling individuals based on Title 42 specifically because of COVID, because we want to prevent a scenario where large numbers of people are gathering posing threats to the community and to the migrants themselves, she added.

First of all, this is BS; the majority of people whose first act in America is to break a law are being processed and then moved to the interior of the country. The regime is under a Supreme Court order to reinstate a Trump-era policy, Remain in Mexico, but so far there have been no reports that the regime is complying, which is typical.

And where are the Republicans on this?

Some have called out Psaki, including freshman Colorado Rep. Laura Boebert, who declared Psakis rationale to be bull crap.

Psaki has been getting hammered on the letting unvaccinated immigrants in while requiring vaccines for everything else issue for weeks. How does she not have a better answer than this nonsense?! Matt Whitlock, a Republican commentator, added.

Jen Psaki says illegal immigrants don't need proof of vaccination because they are not intending to stay here. come again?  Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 20, 2021

Jen Psaki says illegal immigrants dont need proof of vaccination because they are not intending to stay here. come again? Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., added.

One Twitter user also asked, She actually said illegal immigrants plan to be here for less time than vacationers or business travelers?

Another commented, Apparently, Covid cannot be transmitted if your intentions are short term.

Sources include:

Newsweek.com

InvasionUSA.news
(Natural News) A 57-year-old West Virginia woman is dead after one of the strangest turn of events weve covered on this blog.

(Article republished from TheCOVIDBlog.com)

Mrs. Kim Jarvis declared on August 29, I am vaccinated. She did not clarify which injections she received, nor did she specify when she received the injections. A search through her Facebook posts from May 1 to August 29 revealed no further information. It frankly doesnt matter which injection she received as all of them are equally lethal. But its the rest of her lengthy post that day that makes this story so bizarre.

She admitted that she doesnt know what [was] in the injections. Mrs. Jarvis continued, saying she also doesnt know whats in a Big Mac or hot dogs, but suggested she eats them anyway. Of course nobody really knows (beyond broad, ambiguous generalizations) whats in the mRNA and viral vector DNA injections because all of the package inserts that are supposed to contain that information are blank. There are numerous videos of pharmacists opening the boxes of vials and revealing the blank inserts.

Mrs. Jarvis continued, saying she doesnt know whats in Tylenol, shampoo or tattoo ink. But she said she wants to travel and protect us. Mrs. Jarvis said she trusted the science for all other vaccines and trusted [her] doctor when he recommended the COVID-19 injections. Ironically she also said life is very short. Note: were told this post is copypasta and is apparently making the rounds on Facebook with many vaccine zealots.

Less than 24 hours later

Mrs. Jarvis, as she normally and frequently did, posted several bulletins about missing dogs in West Virginia on August 30. Her last post was at 7:17 p.m. local time. She apparently went to her daughter Heathers house that night. Mrs. Jarvis told Heather I love you and Im so glad youre home safe. The next day, Heather posted an update. She said her mother passed away unexpectedly in her sleep that night, hours after she saw her.

Mrs. Jarvis was a die-hard supporter of the injections. She falsely compared the polio and smallpox vaccines to the current mRNA and viral vector DNA injections.

It took, at minimum, 16 years to develop a polio vaccine from the time President Franklin Roosevelt funded the research in 1938 until the first vaccines were administered in 1954 trials. The smallpox vaccine took at minimum 28 years from the time Dr. John Fewster theorized it and Dr. Edward Jenner administered the first shot in the United States. A vaccine is not developed in six months, as these current injections were.

Mrs. Jarvis took many subtle jabs (no pun intended) at the non-vaccinated. She was also a Christian. Yet she wondered why non-Christians mocked her faith.

Her daughter also mocked the non-vaccinated quite a bit.

Mrs. Jarvis was a paralegal by trade. But she was looking for work at the time of her death, according to her LinkedIn page. She is survived by her husband, daughter, son and at least one grandchild.

Unnecessary risks

Mrs. Jarvis was right about one thing. Life is full of risks. At least 102 Americans die everyday in car accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But most people need to drive not only to make a living, but also for their overall livelihoods. There are specific measures to minimize your risk of dying in a car accident  wear a seat belt, dont drink alcohol, dont text, etc.

There are also many things you can do to increase your already 99.99% chance of surviving COVID-19. Lose weight, increase vitamin D intake and eating green vegetables are just a few ways to be almost 100% immune from a so-called COVID-19 death. Regardless, the risk is minimal. There is simply no rational reason to inject yourself with synthetic mRNA or viral vector DNA. The only reason people do it is because of employer and government coercion, peer pressure and/or genuine ignorance.

Do you. Take your injections, be happy and be quiet. To all others, stay vigilant and protect your friends and loved ones.

Read more at: TheCOVIDBlog.com and VaccineDeaths.com.
(Natural News) Sarah Palin recently revealed that she has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 because of her belief in science.

In an appearance on Fox News Gutfeld, the former governor of Alaska explained why she feels that her previous COVID-19 infection provides sufficient protection.

The Fauci-ism of the day, back then, was if youve had COVID  Ive had COVID  well, then, Mother Nature was creating an immunity, she said. And even today they say youre 27 percent more immune

She added: I believe in the science, and I have not taken the shot.

Another guest, Dr. Drew Pinsky, a doctor of internal medicine, backed up Palins stance, clarifying that a recent Israeli study showed that people with a previous infection were 27 times  rather than 27 percent  less likely than those who have been vaccinated to contract the Delta variant.

Palin ran alongside John McCain in the 2008 presidential election as the Republican vice-presidential nominee and would have become the nations first female vice president had he won the election. She announced this spring that she and some members of her family had tested positive for COVID-19.

At the time, she encouraged people to wear masks, saying: Through it all, I view wearing that cumbersome mask indoors in a crowd as not only allowing the newfound luxury of being incognito, but trust its better than doing nothing to slow the spread.

She also encouraged people to adopt a healthy lifestyle to boost their immunity against COVID-19 and other diseases, stating: But please be vigilant, dont be frightened, and I advise reprioritizing some personal time and resources to ensure as healthy a lifestyle as you can create so when viruses do hit, you have at least some armor to fight it.

Israeli studies illustrate the immense reach of natural immunity

The studies cited by Palin and Pinsky on Gutfeld showed that natural immunity acquired by contracting a coronavirus infection gave Israelis longer-lasting protection against the viruss Delta variant than the two doses of the Pfizer vaccine that was administered to the Israeli population earlier in the year.

A study carried out by Maccabi Healthcare Service compared 46,000-plus individuals who caught the virus at some point in the pandemic to a similar number of people who were fully vaccinated. They discovered that people who had two doses of the vaccine had a sixfold higher chance of becoming infected with the Delta variant than patients who had not been vaccinated but had previously been infected.

In the two groups, 748 breakthrough infections were found, with 640 of these noted in the vaccinated group, while the previously infected group that depended on natural immunity only saw 108 infections. The people who were relying solely on the vaccine for protection not only had a sevenfold higher chance of symptomatic infection, but they also experienced a 6.7-fold greater chance of being hospitalized.

In addition, a sample of more than 16,000 Israelis who were infected during the viruss third wave in the country this January and February was compared to a group of the same number of people who had been vaccinated during that time frame. The contrast between peoples outcomes in these two groups was even stronger, with Delta having a 27-fold higher chance of breaking through the protection from the vaccine and causing symptoms than breaking through the natural immunity some people had acquired during the same period and causing symptoms.

The wide time frame and a large data sample gives the results a lot of credibility, and Israel has long been viewed by the rest of the world as an indicator of how the virus and vaccine protection work given the significant vaccination campaign that took place in the country well ahead of most other places.

Sources for this article include:

NewsPunch.com

NBCNews.com
(Natural News) Beginning on October 1, anyone wishing to work at or visit the Vatican will need to get vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

According to reports, all visitors and personnel at the Catholic mecca will be required to show proof of injection or a negative test for the Chinese Virus. Those who refuse will either be fired if they are an employee or denied entry to the premises if they are a visitor.

An ordinance issued by the independent state on September 20 explains that in order to enter the Vatican territory moving forward, tourists, employees, Roman Catholic Church officials and other visitors will need to receive the injections.

At the order of Pope Francis, Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, the current president of the Vatican City State, announced that the mandate is necessary to take all appropriate measures to prevent, control and combat the ongoing public health emergency in the Vatican City State.

Only Catholics attending liturgical celebrations at the Vatican will be issued an exemption to the new rule. Unvaccinated individuals who qualify will only be allowed to access a liturgy for the time strictly necessary for the conduct of the rite, and will also be required to wear a mask and stay distanced from other worshippers at all times.

Pope Francis says that everyone will need to take a vaccine mark in order to buy and sell

The move comes as Italy is in the process of unveiling its so-called Green Pass, a vaccine passport of sorts that proves a person has received one of Donald father of the vaccine Trumps Operation Warp Speed needles.

Those who choose to forego the injections also have the option to show proof that they recently tested negative for the Chinese Disease, or show proof that they recovered from a confirmed Fauci Flu infection within the past six months.

Pope Francis promised this would happen earlier in the year when he called for a new world order and a system of universal vaccines.

In order to buy and sell in the new normal, everyone will need to get injected with a Fauci Flu shot, Pope Francis declared at the time. Requiring this, he added, is the only way to eliminate Chinese Germs and stop global warming.

Since August 1, Italy has required that anyone going indoors to eat at a restaurant, for instance, or to visit a museum show proof of injection. On September 17, the Italian government expanded this requirement to include all employees at both public and private workplaces.

Violators could be fined up to $1,800 for each incident of non-compliance.

On September 18, the Vatican City State imposed the same requirements on clergy and everyone else who works at or visits the territory. According to Pope Francis, the move affirmed that it is necessary to ensure the health and wellness of the work community in respect of the dignity, rights, and fundamental liberty of every member.

Starting on October 1, all entrants to St. Peters Basilica will need to show proof that they received the vaccine mark. Many other historic Catholic cathedrals in the area are following suit, including the Duomo in Florence and St. Marks Basilica in Venice.

Among the hundreds of churches in Rome, only the Pantheon has required the Green Pass for tourists, reported the Catholic News Agency.

And the Pantheon, which was transformed into the Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres in the 7th century, does not require the pass for entrance to its Masses.

The latest news stories about the global push to require everyone everywhere to take a Chinese Virus needle can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

CatholicNewsAgency.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Sharri Markson of Sky News in Australia has dropped a major bomb on Tony Fauci and his contrived Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic narrative.

In a recent segment, Markson called out Fauci point-blank for funneling American taxpayer dollars to Wuhan, China, to conduct illegal gain-of-function research on coronaviruses.

Markson says that Fauci is up to his neck in crime, which just shows how incredibly stupid he is. Markson has been probing Faucis criminal activity for a while now, having uncovered that Fauci had funded 60 projects at the Wuhan laboratory.

Then he wrote a paper where he said gain of function research was worth the risk of a pandemic, and that he had even funded coronavirus research in conjunction with the Chinese military, Markson added.

Since the beginning of his tenure at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) back in 1984, Fauci has been complicit in funding risky research in China, including at the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), Chinas only known level-four biosafety laboratory.

He never mentioned that his agency was funding this, and he actually knew a whole lot about it, Markson says about Faucis work over the past nearly 40 years that he has been employed in the federal government.

Markson put all of this together in a documentary called, What Really Happened in Wuhan that exposes Fauci for the criminal that he is. The documentary features interviews with both Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump.

You can watch the segment with Markson below:

Fauci is guilty of committing crimes against humanity

When even a mainstream news outlet like Sky News is talking about Faucis treasonous criminal activity over the years, you know the guy is in some deep doo-doo. And it is only a matter of time before his chickens come home to roost.

They say that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. And many people that Fauci has a whole lot more falling to do before he gets what is coming to him, and what he deserves, for unleashing mass genocide all across the world with his coronavirus experiments.

There is simply no more denying that Fauci committed many crimes over the years by funneling American taxpayer dollars to China to develop deadly bioweapons. This is no longer a conspiracy theory: it is now conspiracy fact.

The sooner the mainstream media here in the United States admits to this, the sooner we can be done with this nightmare. It all starts with telling the truth, though. After that, we can start dealing with Fauci and the other criminals who have perpetrated these crimes against humanity time and time again throughout history.

Fauci should be charged with developing a Biological Weapon of Mass Destruction, wrote one commenter at Citizen Free Press. This should qualify him for the death penalty. Dont worry. Hell defect to China before they charge him.

Another noted that we should not forget about Bill Gates and George Soros, who are also complicit in unleashing bioweapons for the purpose of achieving depopulation while raking in obscene profits.

Demonic psychopaths and powerful elitists are always only one step away from crimes against humanity, but what is particularly disturbing is that the once-respectable field of medical science has capitulated to the political whims of demonic psychos with ambitions and visions of political destiny: a Marxist and globalist utopia,' wrote another.

Can you say Agenda 2030?

Yet another commenter called the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic Faucis very own globalist pandemic, asking why the guy is still allowed to be running around wreaking havoc instead of occupying a maximum security prison, which is where he belongs.

To keep up with the latest news about Fauci and the other Branch Covidian criminals, visit Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Four students of the Jesuit-run Creighton University in Nebraska sue the institution for refusing to allow their exemption from vaccination based on religious grounds. The plaintiffs allege in their Sept. 8 lawsuit that they received arbitrary and disparate treatment from Creighton due to their objection. They refuse the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine due to its use of fetal cell lines from aborted babies  which goes against their beliefs.

Attorney Robert M. Sullivan represents the group of four students filing the lawsuit. Lauren Ramaekers, the president of campus group Creighton Students for Life, is among the suits plaintiffs. Three others  Patrice Quadrel, Sarah Sinsel and an anonymous female student  join her.

Ramaekers, a senior in the university, defends her refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine. She tells The Epoch Times: The use of fetal tissue, fetal cells or any product of abortion in the development or testing of a vaccine or any medical treatment, is abhorrent to me. This is a sincerely held religious belief, which impacts my moral and ethical views of the world.

Meanwhile, both Sinsel and Quadrel also cite the links between abortion and the vaccine industry in defense of their refusal to get the COVID-19 shot. Quadrel says she is scheduled to graduate from Creighton University School of Dentistry if not for her expulsion.

Ramaekers adds that on Sept. 9, she is informed of her expulsion from enrolled classes in the fall semester. She is also made aware of her being banned from the campus and being prohibited from registering for future courses. Thus, she and the other three students seek a court order overturning their expulsion from Creighton.

Sullivan has sent a letter to Creighton President Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ on Sept. 2. His letter says: I must express the hope that instead of a summary denial, you can help these students continue their education at your institution, without forcing them to violate their consciences. The lawyer later adds that he has not received a reply.

According to Sullivan, the Jesuit universitys rigid and intolerant approach toward unvaccinated students comes as a great surprise to many. He adds: Many students and parents are disturbed that a religious institution is not allowing religious exemptions. Nevertheless, Sullivan says his clients remain confident that justice will prevail despite their experience with the university. (Related: Rutherford Institute issues guidance on how to request a religious exemption for COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the workplace.)

Pope says vaccination an act of love

A spokesperson for Creighton says the university is aware of the lawsuit by the four students, but adds that they cannot comment on legal action or pending litigation. The university has mandated back in July 2021 all students attending classes in its Phoenix and Omaha campuses to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to their arrival on campus. It adds that students joining on-campus programs who do not show proof of COVID-19 vaccination may be subject to unenrollment.

Alongside this, the university has permitted medical and religious exemptions  albeit on a temporary basis while the vaccines still have emergency use authorization. Ramaekers obtained a temporary exemption to the vaccine, but this expired on Aug. 23 when the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine. Creighton has not issued any religious exemptions to students as of writing.

The Sept. 8 lawsuit against Creighton cites a December 2020 document by the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), which states that vaccination is not  a moral obligation and that  it must be voluntary. It also calls on those who completely refuse the vaccine to do their utmost to avoid  becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent. However, the same CDF document states that getting COVID-19 vaccines with cells from aborted fetuses is morally acceptable when ethically irreproachable COVID-19 vaccines are not available.

The lawsuit by the four students against the Jesuit university comes weeks after Pope Francis issues a public service announcement calling on people to get vaccinated. NBC Connecticut reports that cardinals and archbishops from North, Central and South America join the pontiff in urging people. Thanks to Gods grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19. They bring hope to end the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we collaborate with one another, the Jesuit pope says.

Francis continues: Getting the vaccines that are authorized by the respective authorities is an act of love. [Vaccination] is a simple yet profound way to care for one another. I pray to God that each one of us can make his or her own small gesture of love. (Related: SATANS PUPPET: Pope Francis calls getting the abortion-tainted COVID-19 vaccine an act of love.)

Cardinal Claudio Hummes of Brazil concurs with the popes remarks in the video, saying that getting vaccinated is an act of love for all, especially for the most vulnerable. Meanwhile, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez of El Salvador defends vaccination as a moral responsibility and an act of love for the whole community.

MedicalTyranny.com has more articles about schools mandating COVID-19 vaccination for students.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

CatholicWorldReport.com

StudentLife.Creighton.edu

Vatican.va

NBCConnecticut.com
(Natural News) We are finally seeing some pushback here in the United States in response to fake president Joe Bidens unconstitutional Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine mandates.

Thousands of freedom lovers took to the streets of New York City over the weekend to protest the New World Order, which appears to be getting ushered in at warp speed under the guise of fighting a pandemic.

In the following video, you will see thousands of patriots marching through a busy street waving flags and holding up signs in protest of medical fascism:

1000s take over Time Square in NYC for the protest against the mandatory shot. At the world Freedom rally #NYC #Corona #freedomrally pic.twitter.com/l1OY43nVTc  Leeroy Johnson (@LeeroyPress) September 18, 2021

There are apparently many Americans out there who do not want to live under the heavy boot of covid tyranny, which is accelerating the impending economic collapse and subsequent great reset in which nobody will own anything but they will all be happy.

We will not comply! protesters were heard chanting through what appears to be Times Square, one of the busiest tourist areas of New York City. Others held up demographic-specific signage that said things like Latinos against forced vaccines, showing that it is not just people of European descent who prefer freedom over fascism.

Some of the protesters held up more vulgar signs, which is to be expected whenever rallies like this take place. Hunters dad was directly called out by many for his complicity in the scamdemic, which is losing steam by the day.

My body, my choice! yelled others about how the government does not have a right to medically rape people with Big Pharma injections. Every race, color and creed could be seen in solidarity at the event, proving that the love of freedom is not skin color-specific.

Biden unleashes covid booster shots despite FDA voting against it

Against the advice of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Pedophile-in-Chief has also launched his new booster shot program, which officially commenced on September 20.

Even though the FDA voted against any more injections, Beijing Biden thinks he knows better than doctors and scientists and has given the green-light to begin injecting the elderly with Biden Boosters starting immediately.

That fake television doctor Tony Fauci told CNNs Jake Tapper the other day that Biden did not make a mistake in going forward with his booster shot plan, despite the FDAs disapproval.

The president was very clear, as was the medical group when we said we are planning to do this, and it was always said, in his official statement, in the official written statement from all of us, including the FDA and the CDC, that was pending, and on the condition of the examination of all of the data by the FDA, Fauci is quoted as saying.

Its understandable how there could have been some confusion, but what was said was pretty clear, Jake.

As we reported, the Republican National Committee (RNC) is moving forward with a lawsuit against the Biden regime that seeks to undo the mandates and free Americans from Chinese Virus injection tyranny as soon as possible.

If something is not done, and soon, America will likely see many more protests like the one that took place in New York City. Americans must make their voices heard before things get any worse than they already are.

This is not about politics: it is about good versus evil, wrote one commenter at Newspunch. Everyone in the world needs to stand together and fight.

But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22, wrote another, drawing a parallel from the Bible about how actions speak louder than words.

The latest news coverage about the growing resistance against Biden Vaccines can be found at Collapse.news.

Sources for this article include:

Newspunch.com

Newspunch.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Dr. Anthony Fauci recently defended the Biden Administrations recommendation to get COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, saying that three doses of an mRNA vaccine could be the standard for a full vaccination.

I would not at all be surprised that the adequate, full regimen for vaccination will likely be three doses, he said during a briefing of the White House coronavirus response team. However, he did say that regulators will have to make that determination.

Fauci presented Israeli data showing the waning immunity to the virus after about eight months. This, he said, supported the rationale for the necessity of getting booster shots.

After more delta variant cases surged in Israel in early summer, the number of positive cases and severe COVID-related illnesses rose among vaccinated individuals. By then, many Israelis had been vaccinated for more than half a year.

The unexpected delta surge forced Israel to begin administering booster shots using the Pfizer vaccine beginning July 30 to older individuals who are most likely to become ill of the disease. Less than two weeks later, Israel saw a positive impact that Fauci said has a greater-than-tenfold diminution in the relative risk of both confirmed infection and severe disease.

Fauci also said that the protection provided by a third shot was dramatic and durable, considering that the risk of infection dropped by as much as 84 percent three weeks after a third shot, compared to the two-shot regimen.

Initially, two doses of mRNA technology vaccine (manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna) were considered sufficient, but virologists now believe immunity needs to be enhanced, thus recommending the third shot. Health experts also say that it is not uncommon for vaccines to require more than two doses: for instance, vaccinations for hepatitis B as well as HPV require third doses, with the third dose administered several months after the second.

Biden administration faces hurdles over booster shot rollout

The administration called to begin dispensing booster shots on September 20. Vulnerable individuals such as seniors in long-term care, immunocompromised individuals and health care workers are prioritized, while the rest of the population are advised to receive their third shot eight months after receiving their second. (Related: Scientists increasingly question the necessity of booster shots; no data show they will help at all.)

There are still many Americans who have not been vaccinated at all: as of September 1, only about 53 percent have been vaccinated. This number is not high enough to stop the spread of the coronavirus to build herd immunity.

Expert review of scientific evidence has also concluded that the COVID-19 booster shot is not needed at this time for the general public. They indicated that there are risks to distributing boosters too soon, such as myocarditis, which is an adverse effect that is more common after the second dose of mRNA vaccines.

If unnecessary boosting causes significant adverse reactions, there could be implications for vaccine acceptance that go beyond COVID-19 vaccines, the health officials wrote.

They also argued that a more targeted vaccine against specific variants of the COVID-19 virus may be more effective than another dose of the existing vaccine.

The Biden administration may, however, face hurdles as it prepares to roll out the third dose of vaccines. Some sources are saying that booster shots could only be available for those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

This is in contrast with the presidents initial plan of administering booster shots for those who had either Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccinations.

Because of this, sources said that regulators want more data regarding booster vaccinations to safely recommend them to the broader population.

About 75 percent of Americans are said to be enthusiastic about booster vaccinations, however, the World Health Organization and others have pushed back on the rollout due to other countries struggling with vaccine inequity. They have called on countries to share their vaccine doses with the developing world instead of using them as booster doses for their own populations.

Fauci said, I would hope that the countries that are boosting their populations similar to what we understand are the importance of the global necessity to essentially suppress this at the global level.

He also said that the United States already donated 130 million doses to 90 countries  a contribution that far exceeded that of any other developed nation.

Get more news and updates at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

News.Yahoo.com

CNBC.com 1

CNBC.com 2

Time.com

TheHill.com
(Natural News) The World Health Organization (WHO) recently claimed that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) will never be eradicated in an attempt to get people to accept the inevitability of taking coronavirus vaccines every few months.

On Tuesday, Sept. 7, WHO officials spoke at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHOs Health Emergencies Program, said that the COVID-19 virus will continue to mutate like the flu, diminishing hopes of it being eliminated anytime soon.

I think this virus is here to stay with us and it will evolve like influenza pandemic viruses, it will evolve to become one of the other viruses that affect us, said Ryan. He also told reporters that forced vaccinations and booster shots wont make the virus disappear.

People have said were going to eliminate or eradicate the virus. No, were not. Very, very unlikely.

WHO officials also claimed that things could have been different if the world had taken early steps to prevent the spread of the virus.

We had a chance in the beginning of this pandemic, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHOs technical lead on COVID-19. This pandemic did not need to be this bad.

Other influential public health figures and big pharma executives have made similar statements about the COVID-19 virus. White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel have said that the coronavirus, much like influenza, is something the world has to learn to live with.

WHO, governments preparing people for booster doses

The WHOs statement about the COVID-19 virus came out after reports emerged showing vaccine-induced immunity wanes over time. This finding, along with the rapid spread of the delta variant, has prompted the move toward booster shots.

The U.S. is slated to begin distributing booster doses by Sept. 20. The only vaccine that may be administered as a booster dose is the one developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. According to recent reports, public health agencies may need more time to approve a third dose of the Moderna vaccine and a second dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Meanwhile, other reports suggest that federal regulators do not have enough data on the health impacts of booster doses to properly justify approving their distribution. (Related: Scientists warn push for COVID-19 booster shots not based on scientific data; politics and profits now driving vaccine policies.)

The WHO currently opposes the distribution of booster shots in countries with high vaccination rates, such as Israel and the United States. The WHO wants more people all over the world, particularly in underdeveloped nations, to get fully vaccinated first before booster doses become available.

I have called for a moratorium on boosters, at least until the end of this month to allow those countries that are furthest behind to catch up, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

It should be noted that this is not a dismissal of the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and why many people refuse to get them at VaccineWars.com.

Sources include:

SHTFPlan.com

CNBC.com

TheHill.com
(Natural News) Alabama has just joined nine other states that are fighting against Big Tech and supporting Floridas free speech law.

Under Florida SB 7072, Floridians are allowed to sue Big Tech companies if they have been unfairly censored by them. It also allows Floridas attorney general to file suits on these grounds. Floridas governor, Ron DeSantis, signed the bill into law back in May.

Unfortunately, a federal judge has temporarily prevented the law from being enforced on the grounds that some parts of it may violate the First Amendment after legal action was brought against the law by trade associations representing social media firms.

Now, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined Florida as well as Arizona, Montana, Texas, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alaska, Arkansas and Missouri in fighting efforts by Big Tech to launch illegal opposition to the Florida law.

Marshall said: For daring to protect her citizens freedom of speech, Florida is being demonized by the giants of Big Tech, which have the gall to claim that invalidating the Sunshine States anti-censorship law is necessary to protect Florida consumers, small businesses, and free speech.

The court brief by the attorneys general in support of the Florida law praised it for aiming to stop arbitrariness, censorship and editorial abuse by tech companies when deciding to remove posts, limit users ability to share content and suspend users.

Marshall denounced efforts to block the law in a press release, saying that it promotes fairness through its requirement that social media companies use consistent policies when making decisions about suspensions and blocking users. According to the law, these companies need to make their standards clear and notify people whose content has been blocked or restricted.

In the announcement, he also drew attention to the joint effort between Alabama and Louisiana to launch their Social Media Censorship Complaint Form enabling members of the public to file complaints if social media platforms have censored them.

Both states have set up portals on their state office websites to collect complaints from social media users who have been suspended, have had their content blocked or have been restricted in other ways.

Conservative politicians often on the receiving end of Big Tech censorship

Last week, Governor Kay Ivey discussed how her reelection campaign fought back and won against Facebook after the platform temporarily removed their page. She believed they were trying to silence her after she criticized the controversial vaccine mandates that were recently issued by President Joe Biden. Ivey, who is currently running for reelection, said that although she encouraged Alabamians to get vaccinated, she would never mandate it.

She said: If Big Tech thinks they can silence us and that I wont fight back, then honey, they havent met me. They have another thing coming. Im not backing down. I never will. Were fighting Washington. Well fight Big Tech, too.

The campaign reported receiving a message that their page had been unpublished for violating community standards. For its part, however, Facebook claims that Iveys campaign page was restricted for a short period of time accidentally after being incorrectly flagged as an impostor account.

Facebook also issued former President Donald Trump a two-year suspension after he called people who participated in a riot at the U.S. Capitol great patriots. In addition, Trumps account was permanently suspended by Twitter, who claimed that his tweets were likely to lead to more violence. Trump filed a lawsuit against Twitter, Google and Facebook in July claiming that the platforms wrongly censored him.

Sources for this article include:

NewsBusters.org

AL.com

AL.com
(Natural News) An Australian nurse is warning about a potential national health crisis as understaffed and overworked healthcare workers are struggling to cope with the countrys surge in Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

Australia has become infamous in recent weeks because of its extreme coronavirus lockdown restrictions. The statements from nurses, doctors and other health practitioners in the country prove that none of the restrictions have worked to curb COVID-19 cases. (Related: Australian state launches new check-in system to track quarantined residents, those who fail to respond get a visit from cops.)

Lucy Murnane, a nurse working in Melbourne in the southeastern state of Victoria, spoke to the Australian television program Today on Monday about how hospitals are dealing with COVID-19 in the state. In her hospital, she said the nurses are spent. She had just finished a 10-hour night shift when she spoke with the breakfast television program.

We are struggling, to put it frankly, she said. Weve been struggling for a long time now. The start of the year saw the highest volume of presentations that weve ever had, and that was in a time where we werent seeing really any COVID [cases].

Were very stressed. But were just trying our best to look after each other, she added.

Murnane explained that the situation has been made worse in the state because many nurses have either left the healthcare industry entirely or resigned to assist the states mass vaccination drive, which is offering higher pay than hospitals.

Other nurses have also resigned to seek employment in quarantine hotels and COVID-19 testing clinics.

Were already at capacity, said Murnane. We simply just dont have any beds and we dont have any nurses for those beds at the moment.

Were feeling it already, and its only going to get worse from here.

To compensate for the lack of nurses, Murnane explained that her hospital is preparing to use a team nursing model. This will involve calling up physical therapists, social workers and even using students to join Murnane and the other trained nurses.

Because we simply dont have enough nurses to probably cover the huge surge thats coming.

The current situation in Victoria is terrible, and experts modeling the state of the pandemic believe the situation will only get worse. Daily infections are expected to peak at the end of October, and then skyrocket again sometime in December.

Murnane leading petition demanding better pay for nurses

Murnane has petitioned Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews of the left-wing Labor Party to introduce a specialized COVID-19 disaster payment for nurses, believing this will help draw people back into hospitals.

We need some kind of incentives, otherwise we wont get nurses back to the hospitals to help us with whats coming, she said.

Were just, unfortunately, not going to get nurses back to hospitals based on the love of it anymore, added Murnane. No nurse ever got into the healthcare system because of money. We all knew that  nursing isnt a well-paid job. But the love of it is just not there anymore because we are just exhausted. Victorian nurses are just spent.

In a previous interview, Murnane explained that she felt very frustrated because were constantly told that were heroes and were told that were the backbone of the community, but we dont get treated like were heroes. It feels like were the forgotten ones.

Murnane has also rejected the possibility of a one-off special payment. She has instead called for the pay of nurses to correspond with the amount of work they are expected to do.

Our wages do not equate to the work that we do, she said. We are, I guess, as everyone has described, the backbones of hospitals, and we just do not get the pay that equates to what we do.

Murnanes petition received more than 4,000 signatures in less than a day. As of press time, it has nearly 50,000 signatures.

Learn more about the state of the coronavirus pandemic in Australia by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

9Now.Nine.com.au

ABC.net.au

SkyNews.com.au
(Natural News) The administration of President Joe Biden is reportedly processing thousands of Haitian illegal immigrant family units and releasing them into the United States.

A crisis has developed on the southern border in recent weeks due to the sudden surge of thousands of mostly Haitian illegal immigrants. According to Acting Chief Raul Ortiz of the U.S. Border Patrol, as of Monday, there were nearly 13,000 illegal immigrants camped out in Del Rio, Texas. (Related: Over 11,000 illegal immigrants are camped out under a bridge in Texas  and theyre growing by the day.)

Ortiz added that some of the single adult men who crossed the border will be expelled via Title 42 of the United States Code. This allows the federal government to expel persons who have recently been in a country where a communicable disease is present, such as the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

But Title 42 expulsions do not cover unaccompanied minors and family units who seek asylum. Family units that arent driven away immediately are processed and then released into the country with notices to appear before an immigration judge sometime in the future.

It is commonly known that most migrants who are processed this way rarely show up to their appointed hearings. For a vast majority of cases, these migrants experience zero repercussions for breaking the law.

Despite this well-known fact, Bidens federal government is continuing to process the family units and others exempted from Title 42 expulsions and sending them through into the U.S.

This current wave of Haitian migrants began coming to the U.S. after the assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moise back in July. The assassination sparked off a wave of civil unrest in the country. This situation was made worse after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit, destroying nearly 140,000 buildings and homes and killing more than 2,000 people.

Thousands of Haitian migrants continue to stream into the US

In the past two years, the number of Haitian illegal immigrants apprehended attempting to cross the border was in the low thousands. This year alone, nearly 30,000 Haitians have already been caught. The number of migrants who enter the U.S. is expected to rise significantly before the year ends.

The vast majority of the migrants are camping in Del Rio, a small city of fewer than 35,000 people. There is some debate over how many migrants are within the boundaries of Del Rio. Ortiz said it was nearly 13,000, but a source who spoke with Fox News reporter Bill Melugin believes there are more than 14,000 migrants.

NEW: Video courtesy of @TxDPS shows the current situation under the international bridge in Del Rio, TX, where more than 14,000 migrants have gathered after crossing illegally into the United States. Law enforcement says conditions are like third world refugee camps. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/oLUg50YM9L  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 18, 2021

The situation in Del Rio has gotten so bad that the citys mayor, Bruno Lozano, has declared a local state of disaster and said he has no choice but to close the toll booths on the International Bridge  a border crossing connecting the city to Mexico. The closure was done as a security measure to halt traffic across the bridge.

This ban on border crossings does not apply to international traffic, which the city in a statement said would continue as normal.

Lozano said he had earlier requested assistance from the state to help deter the arrival of even more migrants. He added that the city expects an additional 8,000 illegal immigrants to arrive in the coming days.

Dire circumstances require dire responses, said Lozano. theres people having babies down there, theres people collapsing out of the heat. Theyre pretty aggressive, rightly so  theyve been in the heat day after day after day.

This move forced Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to announce that the port of entry from Mexico into Del Rio would be temporarily closed.

This temporary closure and shift is necessary in order for CBP to respond to urgent safety and security needs presented by an influx of migrants into Del Rio and is effective immediately, said the agency in its statement announcing the closure of the International Bridge.

It will advance and protect national interests and help ensure the safety of the traveling public, commercial traffic and CBP employees and facilities.

Learn more about how the Biden administration is not doing enough to protect Americans against illegal immigrants at BorderSecurity.news.

Sources include:

InfoWars.com

NYPost.com

TexasTribune.org
(Natural News) President Joe Bidens vaccine mandate on the healthcare industry is proving to be a disaster so far.

Jerry Jasper, CEO of Brownfield Regional Medical Center in Texas, tells local news station KCBD that Bidens requirement that all hospital staff get vaccinated could lead to the facility being shut down. Probably 20 to 25 percent of my staff will have to go away if thats the case, says Jasper.

As a hospital that services low-income and elderly people, Brownfield Regional Medical Center is dependent on Medicare and Medicaid. Bidens vaccine mandate covers all employees of hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.

According to the White House, the mandate applies to nursing home staff as well as staff in hospitals and other CMS-regulated settings, including clinical staff, individuals providing services under arrangements, volunteers and staff who are not involved in direct patient, resident or client care. CMS refers to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Its huge in our rural community as all the other rural communities, says Jasper, speaking of the Medicaid funding stream. We all have high poverty levels and stuff like that, so a lot of Medicaid usage in our communities and stuff like that.

Another Texas hospital CEO has said that the jab mandate could hurt his organization too, which is 70 percent vaccinated. (Related: Maine healthcare facilities losing workers as state imposes vaccine mandate.)

Well, it would be devastating for the community, Seminole Hospital District CEO Larry Gray tells KCBD. We have a large percentage of our revenue that comes from Medicare, Medicaid and those kinds of products.

The Seminole Hospital District operates an assisted living home, a healthcare center and a hospital.

What happens to individual choice and medical decisions between the patient and their doctor, which is all of the things that were trying to support? asks Gray.

The Texas hospitals are not the only ones that could face a worker shortage because of a vaccine mandate. In New York, where former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has mandated that all healthcare workers in the state get a vaccine, employees at hospitals and long-term care facilities need to get their first dose by Sep. 27.

Hospital to close maternity ward due to staffing shortage caused by vaccine mandate

Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville, New York has announced that it is pausing maternity services later this month because dozens of staff members quit rather than get COVID-19 vaccines. CEO Gerald Cayer has predicted an unsafe staffing shortage at the hospital by Sept. 24. The hospitals maternity ward will be temporarily shut down starting Sept. 25.

According to Cayer, 165 out of the hospitals 464 employees have not been jabbed, and 30 formally resigned over the vaccine mandate. The maternity ward alone has had six resignations. An additional seven nurses in the unit remain undecided on whether they will comply with the vaccine mandate.

If we can pause the service and now focus on recruiting nurses who are vaccinated, we will be able to reengage in delivering babies here in Lewis County, says Cayer.

Healthcare facilities face mass resignations

Many other facilities in the area are also facing mass resignations and worker shortages following Cuomos vaccine mandate.

We are not alone. There are thousands of positions that are open [in the northern part of the state] and now we have a challenge to work through, you know, with the vaccination mandate, says Cayer.

Our hope is as we get closer [to the deadline], the numbers will increase of individuals who are vaccinated, fewer individuals will leave and maybe, with a little luck, some of those who have resigned will reconsider.

A nursing home executive has also warned about staffing shortages due to the New York vaccine requirement.

We want the state to make sure they understand that there could be emergencies where you have buildings full of elderly people who need care, without enough workers, LeadingAge New York CEO Jim Clyne tells Newsday.

LeadingAge New York represents nonprofit nursing homes, adult care facilities and retirement communities.

Federal judge blocks enforcement of New York vaccine requirement

Theres also a pending federal lawsuit against the state for refusing to grant religious exemptions to healthcare workers. A federal judge has blocked the New York State Department of Health from enforcing the vaccine requirement. (Related: New York abolishes religious exemption for covid vaccine mandate.)

The vaccine mandate is suspended in operation to the extent that the DOH is barred from enforcing any requirement that employers deny religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination or that they revoke any exemptions employers already granted before the vaccine mandate issued, Judge David Hurd wrote on Sept. 14.

The temporary restraining order will remain in effect until at least Sept. 28, when there will be another hearing.

Nebraska welcomes unvaccinated healthcare workers

In Nebraska, Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska has approved job ads that highlight COVID-19 vaccines as optional. At a press conference, Ricketts says the ads provide an extra recruiting push to shore up the states long-standing nursing shortage and are not meant to target unvaccinated nurses specifically.

We have a number of positions open at the state of Nebraska. We need nurses just like everybody else does, Ricketts says. We want to recruit them. We also heard from a lot of people when the hospitals made that announcement that they were very unhappy with their employers interfering with their personal health decisions. We want nurses to not leave the workforce, because we need them all.

The governor says he is open to further measures to shore up staffing at hospitals, but will not approve a mandate for either face coverings or vaccines.

If you go look at our advertisement, for example, we say, while vaccines are encouraged, theyre not required,' says the governor. We need people to do this because its part of personal responsibility for themselves.

Ricketts is one of the most vocal critics of Bidens vaccine mandates. He criticizes Biden for lack of communication with states, noting that since taking office, Biden has not participated in any of the weekly phone calls the White House has with the nations governors.

The president should look at the data, and maybe the president should attend one of the weekly calls his administration has with all the governors  hes not been on one yet since hes been president  and maybe talk to some of the governors and ask them about whats going on in their states because he appears to be pretty ignorant of whats going on in places like Nebraska, says Ricketts.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to coronavirus vaccines and vaccine mandates.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NPR.org

FoxNews.com
(Natural News) The CIA is well-known for getting in bed with terrorists and tyrannical regimes if those particular governments align with U.S. national security and foreign policy interests at the time.

Those scenarios have come back to bite us in the past, and in a big way.

Once upon a time, America was aligned with the late, not-so-great Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein when he was at war with Iran in the 1980s; eventually, we had to go to war against Saddam Hussein after he invaded an ally.

Around the same time, our government was aligned with a Middle East militant named Osama bin Laden  yes, that Osama bin Laden  when he was fighting the Soviet Unions forces in Afghanistan. Within a decade we were at war with bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist group after they attacked and destroyed the then-twin World Trade Center towers and struck the Pentagon.

After 20 years we finally left Afghanistan, but now it appears as though American tax dollars will be going to support the terrorist regime that took over the country again after we deposed it: The Taliban.

And for good measure, one of our countrys richest people, Bill Gates, is also getting in on the action, because you cant have too many Americans funding terrorists, apparently.

Daniel Greenfield, writing at FrontPage Magazine, has more:

When the Taliban set up their political operation in Doha, under the aegis of the Islamist state of Qatar, it wasnt just the Americans and the Europeans who came to negotiate with the terrorists.

Last winter, UNICEF, the United Nations Childrens Fund, conducted its own negotiations with the Taliban. The UN agency, like many other non-profits, wanted to operate in Taliban territory and the representatives of the Islamist killers were willing to listen. What the Jihadist organization wanted from the UN was the same deal that Hamas got from UNRWA.

UNICEF would enable an ad-hoc school system that would operate under Taliban control.

Greenfield went on to say that often we, as a society, express concerns that terrorist groups are indoctrinating kids, but few realize that our tax dollars and our non-profit organizations fund educational systems that are under the control of terrorists.

The UN and its myriad of aid agencies frequently enable terrorist organizations in their quest to indoctrinate children in their charge to grow up to be murderous thugs who kill with impunity, most notoriously in Gaza, where Palestinian children are brought up to hate Jews because its an Arab thing. There, UNRWA education centers are not only staffed by Hamas members, but have been used as bases for rocket attacks against Israel, Greenfield notes, adding that this is typical for the UN and its Palestinian allies.

The arrangement with the terrorist Taliban organization, however, is both new and deeper than many realize.

The Helmand Sangin Workplan deal between the Taliban and UNICEF was said to have created 4,000 classes while reaching 140,000 Afghan children. Theres no way to know how true these numbers are, but the most significant part of the agreement was also the least reported part, he writes.

Enter Bill Gates.

Its not clear if USAID was providing any funding to the Talibans educational system, but some American non-profits appeared to be doing so, Greenfield wrote, adding: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was reported to be picking up some of the cost.

Voice of America added in December 2020: The cost of operating the informal schools is to be shared among several groups, including the Global Partnership for Education, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others.

Then, it wasnt such a big deal that the UN and the Gates Foundation were involved in financing schools in Afghanistan because the Taliban were not in charge; now, however, they are again, but apparently, the financing via American tax dollars through a UN agency, is continuing.

Sources include:

VOANews.com

FrontPageMag.com

Uprising.news
(Natural News) Physician Dr. Sherri Tenpenny shares ways of addressing Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in a manner that respects the sanctity of the human body in an interview with pastor David Scarlett on the Sept. 17 edition of His Glory on Brighteon.TV.

Tenpenny also denounces COVID-19 vaccines as methods to destroy the God-given genetic makeup of human beings.

Scarlett begins his program by acknowledging the many things currently going on in the world. There is a ton going on in the world. Everything is increasing in the spiritual and physical realm as we speak, he says. Some of these include the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, public and private entities mandating that people get injected with the vaccine and Americans standing up to these mandates.

He then mentions his interview with Tenpenny at BardsFest in St. Louis, Missouri in late August 2021. According to the pastor, Tenpenny is not the only doctor who has appeared in His Glory. Dr. Vladimir Zelenko has been a guest in Scarletts program, which the pastor describes as very powerful. Scarlett says: We need to get the truth [out] and its doctors like them that will do it.

Scarlett and his co-host Amanda Grace of Ark of Grace Ministries talk to Tenpenny at BardsFest. Grace describes the Colorado physician as someone on the front lines fighting against this evil [that is] going on. She then asks about the topics Tenpenny tackled during her talk a day before the interview.

Tenpenny replies: [I talk about] the things I always speak on  [such as] the problems associated with the [COVID-19] shots [and] why people should avoid these  at all costs because [they disrupt and change] your God-given genetics.

She also talks about the message in the Apostle Pauls second letter to Timothy about persecution. According to the letter: Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12). Tenpenny continues: Not that we might be, [but] we are going to be [and] we will be persecuted.

Tenpenny: Once you inject, you cant un-inject

The Colorado physician acknowledges COVID-19 vaccine mandates put in place by both public and private entities. She says the whole specter of mandates is becoming harder and harder for people. While people are set to face really difficult decisions on the matter of vaccination, Tenpenny says that it is a matter of holding the line for her.

You have to understand that once you get injected, you cant un-inject. Once youre vaccinated, you cant un-vaccinate. Once it goes in, the genetic-altering technology  changes your God-given fingerprint. [Its] like when you burn your finger on your stove, you wouldnt have a fingerprint anymore. If youve been injected with these COVID shots, you have changed your God-given, unique fingerprint  and I havent seen anything yet where people can just undo that, Tenpenny says.

Despite the massive numbers of people falling ill and dying from the COVID-19 vaccine, Tenpenny believes plenty of people still remain unvaccinated. More than ever, I [want to] give people the courage to stand up and say no. (Related: More than half of U.S. states vow to fight Bidens vaccine mandate.)

She also touches on the subject of employees being terminated for refusing the get injected with the COVID-19 vaccine. Tenpenny calls on people to look at it as God making a way for them. If it means you lose your job, well, trust God for another one. Maybe God has been trying to get you out of that stagnant job your whole life and this is your escape, a way to get out, the physician says.

Treatments suppressed by Big Pharma better in addressing COVID-19

Tenpenny emphasizes the importance of strengthening the body through nutrition. She recommends ensuring that vitamin D levels in the body fall between 80 and 100 and supplementing it if need be. She also recommends taking at least 3,000 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C every day alongside at least 25 mg of zinc.

Aside from these, Tenpenny also mentions hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and ivermectin (IVM) as cures for COVID-19. Scarlett then asks how those with COVID-19 can obtain these life-saving treatments. According to Tenpenny, IVM can be obtained from the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC). Meanwhile, a prescription for HCQ can be obtained from Americas Frontline Doctors (AFLDS).

The Colorado physician tells Grace and Scarlett that IVM and HCQ treatments are done on an alternating protocol on a weekly basis. She explains that both medicines work through different mechanisms of action  by blocking the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and protecting the ACE-2 receptors in the human cells where the virus latches on to. Any combination of that is better than nothing, Tenpenny continues. (Related: Dr. Stella Immanuel reveals the stunning truth about COVID cures and how hospitals are KILLING patients  Brighteon.TV.)

Most importantly, Tenpenny to have faith in the Lord and be not afraid  given that the Bible says fear not more than 360 times. She adds that [if] God bothers to repeat Himself that many times, its probably important.

Tenpenny shares insight about Jesus Christs power through His healing of the 10 lepers. Leprosy back in Jesuss day was an incurable, horrible infection. [People] had to be in camps, stay away and declare themselves unclean, she says.

The physician continues: If Jesus could heal the lepers, certainly put your trust of your health in His hands. Do not assuage your fear with one of those shots. Just dont do it.

Watch the full Sept. 17 episode of His Glory with pastor David Scarlett here.

Catch full episodes of His Glory live, every Friday from 5-6 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

MedicalViolence.com has more articles about the push for vaccines to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

BibleGateway.com 1

BibleGateway.com 2
(Natural News) Headline News: The Resistance Chicks talks about the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denying the use of booster shots, Bidens Afghanistan strikes and more.

Real-life sisters Michelle and Leah Svensson talk about the FDA panel rejecting Pfizer booster shots for the general public. The panel pared back the plans and recommended the third shots to people aged 65 years and older and other vulnerable populations.

Dr. Ofer Levy, a vaccine and infectious disease specialist at Boston Childrens Hospital, said: Its likely beneficial, in my opinion, for the elderly, and may eventually be indicated for the general population. I just dont think were there yet in terms of the data.

The panel voted 16-2 against distributing booster vaccines to Americans 16 years and older. It eventually unanimously voted for an alternate plan to give boosters to older Americans and those at risk of suffering from severe illnesses, which included people with diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and other comorbidities.

This decision by the FDAs Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee comes just days before the Biden administration is set to begin offering booster shots to the general public, pending authorization from U.S. health regulators. (Related: Even the WHO says booster shots are unnecessary, but Bidens White House prefers to listen to Big Pharma: BOOSTER covid shots coming to the USA.)

Committee members also previously said that they were concerned that there wasnt enough data to make recommendations, while others said that third shots should be limited to certain groups. Another concern is the possibility of myocarditis in younger people.

Phil Krause, an FDA vaccine regulator, was critical of the findings presented to the FDA, saying that much of the data had not been reviewed by the agency, nor were they peer-reviewed. He shared that models used in the research were complex, and scientists have to ensure that it is giving the correct results. Thats part of the difficulty at looking at this kind of data without having the chance for FDA to review it, he said.

Pentagon drone attack kills 10 civilians

The sisters also discuss how the Biden Administration mistakenly killed 10 civilians  seven of which are children, during Afghanistan exists in the last month.

On August 29, a U.S. missile blew up a car that the Pentagon had been following as the evacuations neared their end. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called it a righteous strike. Biden, meanwhile, mentioned these drone strikes as evidence that the U.S. was hitting back against ISIS-K for its suicide bomber killing 13 Americans.

But reports suggest that the attack on the white Toyota Corolla may have been a terrible mistake. Instead, it killed Zemari Ahmadi, a longtime employee of the U.S. nonprofit Nutrition and Education International. Ahmadi had wanted to emigrate to the U.S.

Media accounts are also compelling in their detail that Ahmadi wasnt collecting explosives. Instead, he was seen loading water into the car to bring home because the water in his neighborhood stopped since the Taliban takeover. He also stopped at the nonprofits office, and not at an ISIS safe house. The missile that killed him exploded in a crowded neighborhood that killed others  including seven children who approached the car when it backed into a courtyard.

What makes the attack troubling is that the Biden administration says it wanted to show that it was taking action to protect Americans after the airport deaths. Biden promised revenge, and the Pentagon followed with a strike on two ISIS plotters outside Kabul, whose names still havent been released.

It is also unusual that the Pentagon is maintaining that it is still investigating the botched execution of the attacks. Unfortunately, this mistake has added to the sense of incompetence of the Biden administration and its lack of concern for Afghan allies.

Watch the entire episode below.

Listen to more commentaries on current events at Headline News: The Resistance Chicks every Friday at 7 p.m. on Brighteon.TV

Follow Pandemic.news for more news and updates regarding COVID-19.

Sources include:

Brighteon.TV

CNBC.com

WSJ.com
(Natural News) Veronica Wolski, a prominent health freedom advocate, was murdered by Catholic AMITA Health Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago after being admitted there recently for an illness.

Instead of giving Wolski ivermectin like she requested, the hospital forced her into its covid protocols. After realizing that these protocols would likely kill her, Wolski begged her friends and loved ones to get her out of there but that, too, was denied.

AMITA forced Wolski to stay admitted as a patient until she eventually died. Wolski probably would have lived had AMITA followed the law and granted her wishes via her power of attorney.

Wolski was perhaps best known for hanging banners from a bridge over the Kennedy expressway in Chicago encouraging people to reject mask mandates and dangerous gene therapy vaccines from the government.

Her hospital stay, along with her death, inspired tremendous support by medical freedom advocates, who called for her to be given suitable treatments for recovery, but also mockery by those who charged her with anti-vaccine disinformation,' reported LifeSiteNews.

At some point around August 24 following her admission to the AMITA emergency room, Wolski was diagnosed with covid pneumonia even though an x-ray suggested that she had possible chest congestion.

Since hospitals receive large financial kickbacks for labeling patient illnesses as covid, AMITA clearly took advantage of this at Wolskis expense. And after being declared a covid patient, Wolski essentially lost all of her health rights.

Get me out, get me oxygen, get me medical transport, get security here if you have to, get me out, Wolski began frantically texting Nancy Ross, her power of attorney, after realizing where things were headed at AMITA.

After Wolskis power of attorney secured her an ivermectin prescription, AMITAs ethics committee overruled it

Wolski was denied anything and everything by AMITA that could have realistically helped her live. Wolski was denied both ivermectin and IV vitamins, which greatly decreased her chances of survival.

While Ross was successful in securing an ivermectin prescription for Wolski, AMITAs ethics committee ultimately overruled that prescription, leaving Wolski without the remedy she needed.

We demanded a conference with the ethics committee, Ross laments. They met without us. They did not give us a chance to present what we felt was some solid case study on ivermectin and other medicines.

Even though AMITAs own admission documents recognize the fact that all patients have the right to refuse or request the medical treatments of their choice, Wolski was effectively denied hers by the hospital.

We understand if we had informed consent on their position, we could refuse kindly, and say Ok, but we still demand to try this. This is what she wants, but this right was somehow not recognized, Ross says.

I left the hospital and they called to tell me I was not to come back in, that they would deal directly with Veronica, that she was of sound mind and could make her own decisions, and that they would talk to me on the phone. After that, I was not allowed back in the hospital.

It was not just ivermectin that was withheld from Wolski, though. A review by the entire medical team that looked into the matter after Wolskis death found that she was denied so many options that could have improved her clinical condition.

Sadly, this type of thing is not exclusive to AMITA. All across the country, patients are reporting similar refusal by medical staff to provide their remedies of choice, including ivermectin. Many of these patients end up dead after being placed on a ventilator, which is basically a death sentence.

To keep up with the latest news about patients who are being murdered by hospitals that refuse to administer ivermectin, be sure to check out Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A veteran weatherman for a television station in Michigan who was very well-loved by his community has been fired for refusing to be vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Karl Bohnak has served as the weatherman for WLUC-TV for over 33 years, bringing up-to-date weather reports to people all over Michigans central and western regions as well as the Upper Peninsula. WLUCs parent company, Gray Television, had instituted a vaccine mandate for all of its employees.

Today, it is with a heavy heart, I announce after over 33 years, I am no longer employed at TV6, wrote Bohnak in a long Facebook post detailing his firing.

I am sad, but, to borrow a quote from a famous ballplayer, Im the luckiest man on the face of the earth because I had a dream as a kid to be a weatherman, he continued, quoting Lou Gehrigs famous farewell speech. That dream came true and to top it off, I got to broadcast weather for one of the most challenging, beautiful spots in the United States. As an added bonus, the people I broadcast to all across Upper Michigan were so kind and encouraging. Thank you for watching.

Gray Televisions vaccine mandate requires everyone attempting to enter the property of any of its television stations to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This rule applies to both employees and visitors. Bohnak explained that this is why he was fired.

Many of you have taken one of these injections, and that is absolutely your right, wrote Bohnak. It is also my right to choose the medical options I feel are right for me. I have authority over my body.

Bohnak explained that he did not want to get vaccinated because the big pharmaceutical corporations that created the vaccines cannot be held liable for any injury or death that occurs after a persons vaccination.

I asked myself, would I buy brakes for my vehicle if the brake company had no liability if the brakes failed? No! So, I will certainly not allow a medicine in my body from a company that does not stand behind its product, he wrote.

Bohnak added that he is more likely to get vaccinated if his risk of dying from COVID-19 was significant. But he explained that he is a healthy adult with no comorbidities. This means his chances of surviving a bout of COVID-19 is over 99 percent.

I will take the chance and go without a shot, he wrote. I choose not to risk serious side effects.

The veteran weatherman ended his statement by talking about how peoples liberties should never be sacrificed, not even during times of emergencies such as global pandemics.

I just wanted to go about my business, live and let live, and keep my mouth shut. But this act by the federal government through corporate America has brought me to a crossroads. Our way of life, our freedom and liberty, is collapsing before our eyes, he said.

One last thought  a distillation of a portion of Jeffersons masterpiece, the Declaration of Independence: When tyranny becomes law, resistance becomes duty. Those who love America and the freedom and liberty it stands for, must speak up. Hopefully, its not too late.

Anti-vaccine mandate protesters hold rally to honor Bohnak

Hundreds of people held a rally to support Bohnak and protest WLUCs vaccine mandate. The rally occurred in Negaunee Township in Michigans Upper Peninsula, right outside WLUCs headquarters.

The rally was organized by the Marquette County chapter of Stand Up Michigan, a political organization dedicated to protecting the constitutional freedoms and liberties of Michiganders. This includes the freedom to make decisions regarding personal health and the freedom from being coerced into getting vaccinated with the threat of unemployment.

We grew up watching Karl, we love Karl, we think what was done to him was wrong, said Marquette County Chapter President Danielle Walin. Karl is a local icon, we all grew up watching him, and we all want to stand up for him and voice our opinions.

Were all for choice, Walin added. Were just against mandates, you know. Its your choice. If you want to do that, as far as getting a vaccine, thats your choice. But we dont feel the mandates should be used.

Nobody should be mandated to have a vaccine if they dont choose to do so, said Chapter Vice President Alyssa LePage. We feel very strongly about this. If people want to get vaccinated, that is their choice. If they do not want to, that is also their choice, and that is very important that we stand up for these freedoms, and if we dont, who else will?

Stand Up Michigans rally drew in hundreds of people from all over the Upper Peninsula, and even some people who traveled there from the Lower Peninsula.

Learn more about the detrimental effect of vaccine mandates on communities by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

BlacklistedNews.com

NYDailyNews.com

MiningJournal.net
(Natural News) Nicki Minaj is facing a true reality check after speaking out about wanting to be fully informed before she took the rushed Covid-19 vaccine. Now, she is dealing with a constant stream of backlash from the establishment, including big tech who locked her out of her Twitter account for a few hours yesterday for her dissent.

(Article by Julian Conradson republished from TheGatewayPundit.com)

The White House even offered to give her a call to educate her about what is acceptable to say and think under their tyrannical regime, but she declined.

The censorship of free-thinking individuals who question any part of the approved narrative is nothing new, and now thanks to Minajs platform with millions of followers  over 150 million on Instagram alone  more people are waking up to whats going on.

Naturally, the woke warriors in the media mafia kicked it into overdrive to suppress this especially concerning problem.

After Minaj mentioned that her cousins adverse reaction to the vaccine had played a major part in her hesitancy, a journalist from Guardian media messaged her family member in Trinidad and Tobago and threatened him to try and get an interview.

Minaj wasnt having any of it, she posted the screenshots of the direct messages between the reporter and her family member to Instagram, and explained that her family has been forced to hideout because she spoke against the science.

Theyre forcing my family to have to hide out. This is what speaking up looks like. Millions of poor people are treated this way by the ppl you think are the good guys. This is unconscionable.

Threatening my family in Trinidad wont bode well for you.

The Guardian Media journalist from Trinidad  Sharlene Rampersad  reached out to Minajs cousin, who she refers to as Mr. Daniel, in a private chat on WhatsApp. She explained that CNN was also in the country looking for him and they would not hesitate to dox him and his girlfriend if they found them.

The reporter then shamelessly tries to claim that the mans identity, and where his loved ones lived, would be safe if he completed an interview with Guardian Media.

Minajs cousin never responded to the intimidation.

From the messages posted by Minaj to her Instagram:

My name is Sharlene Rampersad, I am a reporter with Guardian Media. I was hoping to speak to you for an article. Would that be possible?  I am also hoping I have a conversation with your friend. know you are hesitant to speak with us. But just letting you know, CNN is in the country looking for you  And when they find you, they wont hesitate to reveal where you live or where your gf[girlfriend] liveanything and anyone who is tied to you. If you speak to me, we wont reveal those details. So, what do you say?

Take a look at the entire post here:

Miss Minaj is exposing how the media operates pic.twitter.com/YjPZni2gUf  Dr. Benjamin Braddock (@GraduatedBen) September 17, 2021

The establishments meltdown over Nicki Minaj making a few comments about informed choice completely exposes how weak their entire narrative is. It completely crumbles without overwhelming mindless compliance.

Someone as prominent as Minaj speaking out and influencing her massive platform could become a massive awakening for young people. Its no wonder the radicals are trying to silence her.

UPDATE: The Guardian Media has issued a statement regarding the controversy of one of its journalists.

Read more at: TheGatewayPundit.com and MediaFactWatch.com.
(Natural News) Jeffrey Prather has accused the Biden administration of orchestrating one of the largest international weapons transfers in history.

In this latest episode of Prather Point on Brighteon.TV, he tells viewers that what happened in Afghanistan is an international gunrunning operation, with the Taliban fighters on the receiving end of the largest international weapons transfer in years.

Benghazi was an international gunrunning operation, Syria was an international gunrunning operation that Trump stopped, says Prather. And now, Afghanistan is an international gunrunning operation as well.

He emphasizes that the deep state controlled by former President Barack Obama runs not on legitimate products and work, but on weapons, drugs and slavery. (Related: Obama admin deliberately put firearms into the hands of drug dealers who killed more people than died in Las Vegas.)

Biden administration erases records of military equipment given by the U.S. to Afghanistan

Prather states that not-so-discreet weapons transfer is perhaps the reason why the Biden administration has directed federal agencies to scrub their websites of official reports detailing the $82.9 billion in military equipment and training provided to the Afghan security forces since 2001.

Between 2003 and 2016, the U.S. supplied 208 aircraft, almost 76,000 vehicles and 600,000 weapons, according to a 2017 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The vehicles included 22 Humvees, 50,000 tactical vehicles and nearly 1,000 mine-resistant vehicles, while the weapons included 350,000 M4 and M16 rifles, 60,000 machine guns and 25,000 grenade launchers.

The scrubbed audits and reports included a detailed accounting of what the U.S. had provided to Afghan forces, down to the number of night vision devices, hand grenades, Black Hawk helicopters and armored vehicles. Reports and documents have been pulled from a string of websites detailing U.S. spending in Afghanistan.

The move came as Taliban fighters took what was left of what the U.S. supplied the Afghan government into their possession. They stood aboard captured Humvees and armored SUVs as they paraded through Kandahar, where propaganda video has circulated of a Black Hawk flying overhead.

According to reports, Taliban chiefs have ordered their troops to hunt down pilots from the disbanded Afghan Air Force. Those pilots received expensive training from the U.S. and its allies to fly high-tech warplanes and choppers.

In all, they are believed to have seized an air force worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Before the fall of Kabul in the middle of August, planes and helicopters were disabled by U.S. troops, while others were flown overseas.

The Taliban fighters have captured 10 major airfields from Bagram to Mazar-i-Sharif. On August 31, Taliban fighters were seen clambering into the cockpit of a $14 million Hercules transport jet after taking control of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

According to the June 30 tally by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the Afghan Air Force had 43 MD-530 helicopters, 33 Black Hawks, 32 Mi-17s, 33 C-208 propeller planes, 23 A-19 turboprop light attack planes and three C-130 Hercules cargo planes.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. evacuation mission, has said that his troops disabled 73 aircraft before leaving Afghanistan. Uzbekistan has also confirmed that 46 Afghan aircraft, including 24 helicopters, arrived in the country to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Taliban.

That leaves as many as 48 aircraft seized by the Taliban fighters, giving them more air power than 10 of the 30 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), namely: Albania, Bosnia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Slovenia.

Biden knows Afghanistans fall at the hands of the Taliban is going to happen

President Joe Biden knew all along the fall of Afghanistan at the hands of the Taliban fighters was going to happen.

On July 23, Biden instructed then-President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan to create the impression that his government was capable of holding off the Taliban. In their last phone call, Biden told Ghani that they needed to change the perception of the Talibans rapid advance whether it is true or not.

Biden told Ghani that if Afghanistans prominent political figures were to give a press conference together backing a new military strategy, that will change perception, and that will change an awful lot I think.

In the call, Biden offered aid if Ghani could publicly project he had a plan to control the spiraling situation in Afghanistan. He also advised Ghani to put a warrior in charge of the effort  a reference to Defense Minister General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi.

Since that call, Biden has repeatedly said that his team was caught off guard by the rapid Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. (Related: Diplomats warned Biden administration of imminent Kabul collapse, says classified document.)

The assumption was that more than 300,000 Afghan national security forces that we had trained over the past two decades, and equipped, would be a strong adversary in their civil wars with the Taliban, Biden told the nation in a televised speech from the White House on Aug. 31.

In July, Biden said that a collapse of the government and a Taliban takeover was highly unlikely, pointing to the large number of Afghan troops, their U.S. training and modern equipment.

Watch the Sept. 17 episode of the Prather Point here:

You can catch the Prather Point with Jeffrey Prather live every Friday at 10-11 a.m. on Brighteon.TV.

Follow MilitaryTechnology.news for more news and information related to military weapons.

Sources include:

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(Natural News) In the latest episode of The Dr. Ardis Show on Brighteon.TV, Dr. Bryan Ardis speaks with Dr. Ryan Cole about the ongoing treatments for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) in ICUs in the United States.

During the discussion, Cole speaks about the importance of early treatment or prevention of COVID-19 by taking ivermectin and vitamin D before the infection becomes worse.

Vitamin D and ivermectin against COVID

Cole explains that there are about two thousand genes in the human body that are controlled by vitamin D. This makes it the master key to the immune system and anyone with at least a mid-range level of vitamin D in their system cannot develop a cytokine storm, which is what kills people in the first place.

He believes that it is not just a viral pandemic, but an international vitamin D-deficiency pandemic where 70 percent of the world is immune-suppressed because of vitamin D deficiency. He also shared that ninety-six percent of people in the ICU due to COVID-19 are actually vitamin D deficient and are susceptible to coronaviruses of any sort.

This deficiency is one of the reasons he does not believe in keeping on masks or social distancing among the population.

Cole discusses how vitamin D is not really a vitamin, but an essential hormone that forms in the skin of humans and animals that are exposed to sunlight.

In humans, the vitamin D hormone is critically important in the development, growth and maintenance of healthy bodily functions. A little bit of vitamin D has a major effect on people.

Cole also touches on the effective use of ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug that has become quite popular in preventing COVID-19.

Cole says that ivermectin is not only for dogs, cats or horses. In August of last year, ivermectin was found to kill 99.9 percent of coronavirus in Petri dishes.

Four billion people have taken ivermectin since the 1980s, and it has been deemed safe for human use. Some doctors in Texas, Florida and Wisconsin have been using ivermectin in their hospitals and have effectively decreased their death rates by 70 to 90 percent.

Ivermectin, according to Cole, is effective against many viruses, including dengue, and partially against Ebola as well. Most importantly, it is effective against all coronaviruses.

Approval of vaccines disallowed if there is alternative treatment?

Cole also mentions that the federal government cannot legally approve a vaccine if there is an alternative treatment of a disease. With the National Institutes of Health (NIH) being in bed with a private company, there is a conflict of interest in the matter. (Related: Vitamin D deficiency is the primary cause of covid hospitalizations and deaths.)

While he says he is not anti-vaccination, he clearly states that what is being presented today is not a vaccine, but an experimental biological gene therapy.

The mRNA trials in mammals have previously been linked with cancer and autoimmune diseases, and there has been no long-term proven safety. There is a reason healthcare providers do not want to get the vaccines themselves, and its because they dont trust the data presented.

Cole admits that the shots decrease the severity of the disease in hospitalizations, but they dont fall under the definition of creating pure immunity that can help prevent transmission  if that were the case, masks and social distancing should no longer be necessary.

Listen to more of Dr. Coles discussion about vitamin D, ivermectin and the problems with vaccines, masking and social distancing mandates as he speaks with Dr. Bryan Ardis on The Dr. Ardis Show, Wednesdays at 10 a.m. on Brighteon.TV.

Go to Pandemic.news to learn more about the COVID-19 virus and how different treatments are blocked by the government in favor of vaccines.

Sources include:

VitaminDWiki.com

ColePainTherapyGroup.com
According to an upcoming UN assessment, after a dramatic fall in wildlife trafficking during the epidemic, authorities in Southeast Asia must work quickly to prevent traffickers from resuming operations once border controls are loosened.

When the coronavirus struck last year, governments blocked their borders and intensified surveillance, disrupting traffickers' networks.

Zoonotic Disease Awareness

As people became more aware of zoonotic diseases, demand for animal items such as pangolin scales, bear bile, and rhino horn plummeted dramatically due to the prevalent belief that the virus first emerged in a Chinese market where wildlife was sold.

However, these adjustments are only temporary, and Southeast Asia is likely to experience a long-term surge in wildlife trade and trafficking, according to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) internal assessment reviewed by Reuters.

Related Article: 8 Members of Organized Crime Found Guilty of Trafficking Rhino Horn and Ivory



Seizing Animal Traffickers

The pandemic has allowed authorities to do more to deter users and tighten down on traffickers' supply lines, according to Jeremy Douglas, UNODC's representative for Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific.

However, as the smugglers return, official seizures of illegal animal products have begun to rise, emphasizing the importance of maintaining tighter border controls.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Douglas told Reuters.

Southeast Asia has long been a hotbed for wildlife trafficking, despite being one of the world's most species-rich regions. Rhinos are slaughtered for their horns, crocodiles are bred for their skin, otters and songbirds are kept pets, and rosewood is illegally harvested.

Southeast Asian countries "serve as source, consumer, and entrepots for wildlife arriving from inside the area as well as the rest of the world," according to wildlife NGO Traffic.

Illicit animal products are in considerable demand in nations like China, Myanmar, and Thailand, employed in traditional medicine or simply ingested.

Enacting Wildlife Bans

Some governments have taken advantage of the pandemic to enact much-needed wildlife trading bans. For example, in early 2020, as the coronavirus swept the globe, China passed an instant ban on the consumption of wild meat and some wildlife commerce, while Vietnam stepped up enforcement of its anti-trafficking legislation in July of that year.

According to the research, such policies have been effective in dramatically reducing demand.

According to Douglas, traffickers have started smuggling pangolin scales across borders this year, as evidenced by recent law enforcement operations in China and Vietnam.

During the epidemic, wildlife hunting and the extraction of illegal animal products did not wholly cease.

The UNODC discovered evidence of hoarding animal items until prices and demand recover through interviews with wildlife traders and traffickers in difficult-to-police parts of nations along the Mekong River, such as Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and China.

Increase in Hunting Activities

According to park rangers in this and other regions of the world, subsistence hunting has also increased, as pandemic-related economic and job losses prompted people to turn to forests for survival.

"Some constraints on major (trafficking) networks have yet to be lifted so that they can resume transporting larger volumes," Douglas added.





Also Read: Pigs Cut While Still Alive: Hidden Cam Showed Extreme Animal Cruelty in Slaughterhouse

For more animal news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
The sight of the new, disastrous La Palma volcanic eruption in the Canary Islands is capturing the attention of viewers from all over the world, while this is going on, a volcano closer to the residential area in the U.S. is erupting with new activity, forcing officials to raise a RED alert level.

Volcanic Eruption

As per the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), ash emanating from the eruption at Semisopochnoi which is still in progress has boosted in both frequency and intensity.

Also, satellite imagery reveals an ash cloud at an altitude of approximately 15,000 feet above sea level stretching about 60 miles to the southeast through 05:00.

The AVO warns: "Explosions have been observed throughout the day and increased sulfur dioxide gas emissions have been observed in satellite data this afternoon. These observations represent an increase in eruptive activity and Aviation Color Code and Volcano Alert level are being increased to RED/WARNING."

On the basis of its position on the globe at 17946 East, Semisopochnoi is the land location that is more to the east in North America and the United States, situated about 9.7 miles west of Alaska's 180th Meridian.

Semisopochnoi is among the Aleutian Islands, a connection of about 14 great volcanic islands and smaller islands which is about 55 in number. These islands together with their 57 volcanoes form the northernmost portion of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Also Read: Even Minor Volcanic Eruptions Could 'Lead to Global Catastrophe,' New Research Says

Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO)

An area around the rim of the Pacific Ocean where most volcanic eruptions and earthquakes take place is referred to as the Ring of Fire.

This occurrence is usually prompted by plate tectonics. Lithospheric plates below and the surrounding of Pacific Ocean propels, collide, and are damaged, bringing about the seismic activity which the Ring of Fire is known for.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors volcanoes in this parts of the Ring of Fire. AVO is a joint program of the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAFGI), the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The AVO is almost the same as the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) who is responsible for monitoring the three active volcanoes in Hawaii: Mauna Loa, Kilauea, and Hualalai.

Aviation Codes

It is also the responsibility of AVO to issue Volcanic Activity Alert Levels and Aviation Codes. Yellow, orange, green, and red are the Aviation Codes.

It is simply "unassigned" anytime ground-based instrumentation is not sufficient to decide that a volcano is at a normal background level of activity. While green means normal activity connected with a non-eruptive state, when a volcano is showing signs of increased unrest above known background levels the code becomes yellow.

When a volcano shows heightened or rapidly increasing unrest with high possibility of an eruption, it jumps to orange.

Lastly, the code becomes red when an eruption is imminent with a remarkable discharge of volcanic ash anticipated in the atmosphere or an eruption is in progress with a significant release of volcanic ash into the atmosphere.

Related Article: Experts Warn of 'Explosions and Toxic Gases' if Lava From Volcanic Eruption in Canary Islands Reach Atlantic Ocean

For more news, updates about volcanic eruptions and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!


Vacancy for Clerk to the Trustees of Carters Trust

Norwich-based charity Carters Trust is looking to employ a Clerk to the Trustees to assist in the administration of the Trust, the maintenance of financial records, compliance with Charities Acts and other legal obligations, and correspondence with potential beneficiaries.

Carters Trust dates from 1696, when John Carter made provision in his will for the benefit of his poor kindred. The poor kindred were to take a share in the income from the letting of a farm in the parishes of Ormesby, Scratby, and Caister. In the last century, some of the land was taken for a bypass, and the farmhouse was sold. More recently, land was sold for a housing development, and the proceeds invested. The Trusts income has increased substantially. This together with the effect of the pandemic has changed the nature of the management of the Trust, its record keeping, and the scope of its activities.



The Roll of Kindred stands at a little over 150, with members in Australia and Canada. Grants are currently given to about thirty beneficiaries.



The Trustees, currently four in number, although new Trustees are being sought, come from a variety of backgrounds, and receive only a token payment for their work.



The role of the clerk, which is a new position, will be to assist the Trustees in the administration of the Trust, the maintenance of financial records, compliance with Charities Acts and other legal obligations, and correspondence with potential beneficiaries.



Hours are flexible and by negotiation. Initially, there will be time required to bring the records of the Trust up to date. Financial accounting uses Excel, and there is a simple Access database of beneficiaries, which is in need of improvement to simplify communications with the kindred. We are looking to set up a website to aid communication with members of the kindred.



The job should be capable of being carried out through home working, and during the pandemic meetings have mostly been via Zoom. However, when possible, the Trustees would like to resume face to face meetings. Our administrative office is at Community Action Norwich, on Martineau Lane, Norwich, where storage would be provided. The clerk would be expected to attend meetings.



Salary will be agreed by discussion, and based on past experience and abilities.



The successful candidate should meet the following criteria:

To possess the ability to organise their work and to liaise with Trustees with respect to meetings and record keeping.

To have the necessary skills for communicating effectively with the members of the kindred and with trustees, to take minutes and record decisions.

To have confidence in using IT, particularly Microsoft Office applications, and the ability to assist the Trustees in developing the use of IT by the Trust.

To have experience in financial management and record keeping, and to be able to prepare draft accounts for the Independent Examiners.
/ Jo Ann Jaacks

On a recent early morning, I awoke as usual to darkness. Walking into the kitchen, I thought Who turned the lights on? A wide streak of bright orange played across the windows. It took a few minutes to realize this was a most unusual rainbow. When I made a morning stop up the road, a neighbor asked me, Did you see the Orange Rainbow? The remarkable part of this was the lack of rain the night before, or that morning.

When I returned home and prepared to throw down corn chips to my family of black birds, for the first time I noticed a small hawk standing on the wires. The hawk was paying no attention to the six black birds that appeared and flew off with chips in their beaks. The hawk was steadfastly watching me in the window.
WETHERSFIELD  Connecticut State Police continue to seek information on the driver allegedly involved in a double fatal hit-and-run over the weekend that killed to Massachusetts residents.

On Monday, state police identified those killed in Sundays fatal crash as Alberto Gonzalez Jr., 47, of Conrad Road in Marlborough, Mass., and Kariel Marie Torres, 25, of Oak Street in Clinton, Mass.

A 27-year-old Worcester, Mass., woman and a 22-year-old Webster, Mass., woman suffered what state police referred to as suspected minor injuries.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, troopers responded to Interstate 91 north near Exit 27 in Wethersfield for a report of a collision.

A vehicle, which was being driven by an unknown individual, was in the left of four lanes when they hit the four Massachusetts residents standing outside their vehicle in the area of the left lane. State police said the four individuals were outside their vehicle because of a previous crash.

State police described the vehicle that fled the crash scene as a 2002 to 2004 blue Honda CR-V with a spare tire on its rear trunk door. The vehicle sustained damage on its left side, including to the front left headlight and the front left wheel well. The left side lower rocker panel also saw damage.

The crash remains under investigation. Police urged any witnesses, or anyone with possible dashboard camera footage of the incident, to come forward to investigating troopers immediately.

Anyone with information is asked to call Trooper First Class John Wilson at Troop H at 860-534-1098.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. High 74F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms developing late. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are revealing the many devastating consequences that patients can face both during and after hospitalization.

A new study of nearly 150 patients hospitalized for COVID at the beginning of the pandemic found that 73% had delirium, a serious disturbance in mental state wherein a patient is confused, agitated and unable to think clearly.

Patients with delirium tended to be sicker, with more comorbidities like hypertension and diabetes, and appeared to have more severe COVID-related illness as well, said study author Phillip Vlisides, M.D., of the Department of Anesthesiology at Michigan Medicine.

COVID is also associated with a number of other adverse outcomes that tend to prolong hospitalization and make recovery difficult." Phillip Vlisides, M.D., Study Author

Using patient medical records and telephone surveys following hospital discharge for a group of patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit between March and May 2020, the study team attempted to identify common threads amongst patients who developed delirium. Several factors are at play, said Vlisides.

The disease itself can lead to reduced oxygen to the brain as well as the development of blood clots and stroke, resulting in cognitive impairment. In addition, inflammatory markers were greatly increased in patients with delirium. Confusion and agitation could be a result of inflammation of the brain.

Adding insult to injury, care teams often were unable to perform standard delirium reduction techniques, such as exercises designed to get a patient moving or allowing visitors or objects from home to orient patients while in the hospital.

Said Vlisides, "Early on in the pandemic, we weren't performing standard delirium prevention protocols like we usually do. A big reason for that is early on in the pandemic in the pre-vaccine era, we had limited personal protective equipment and were trying to limit COVID exposure and disease transmission."

Furthermore, there was a correlation between the use of sedatives and delirium-;patients with delirium were sedated more often and frequently at higher doses. "It is common to use IV sedatives in the ICU, particular for patients on a ventilator. However, from talking to nurses, we found that patients with severe COVID were inherently more delirious and agitated at baseline, perhaps prompting more sedative use."

The study also found that cognitive impairment can persist even after discharge. Almost a third of patients did not have their delirium marked as resolved in their chart upon leaving the hospital and 40% of these patients required skilled nursing care. Almost a quarter of patients screened positive for delirium based on assessment by their caretaker. For some patients, these symptoms lasted for months. This can make managing the recovery process after hospitalization that much more difficult.

"A family member who is confused has limited ability to care for themselves and will require additional caretaking support, which is certainly a big challenge."

Vlisides acknowledges that care teams are doing the best they can with the resources they have, especially as hospitals continue to fill with patients with COVID.

"Whatever creative ways we can implement delirium prevention protocols is likely to be very helpful," he said. "That includes consistent communication with family members, bringing in pictures and objects from home, and video visits if family cannot safely visit."

And for family and other caregivers struggling to care for loved ones, he urges they get help from their primary care physician as soon as possible.

The take-home message is that for patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19, cognitive impairment-;including depression and delirium-;is highly likely, he added.

"Overall, this study highlights another reason why getting vaccinated and preventing severe illness is so important. There can be long term neurological complications that perhaps we don't talk about as much as we should."
Graduate students suffer high rates of depression, anxiety and mental stress, studies showa situation made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. But as campuses reopen and students return to their labs, now is the time to implement changes that can turn this around, say researchers at the University of Michigan.

In a study published online Sept. 21 in the journal Neuron, the researchers say four kinds of changes can be made to reduce mental health stress and potentially boost productivity in academic scientists.

The changes include creating structure in the lab with deadlines, well-defined work hours and short-term goals. Students should be encouraged to set personal boundaries, such as creating time to exercise or care for their needs. Mentoring and developing strong relationships is also important and must be nurtured. And it is important to cultivate a safe and collaborative lab culture, the researchers say.

Every person in a lab environment can be doing something to support graduate student mental health. You do not have to be a mental health professional to improve things. Meghan Duffy, study lead author, professor, U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Duffy is a disease ecologist who runs a 16-person lab that includes a lab manager, a technician, four postdoctoral scientists, four graduate students and six undergraduates.

She led U-Ms Task Force on Graduate Student Mental Health, which was charged with finding ways to improve students mental health in the summer of 2019. The task forces work became all the more timely when COVID-19 struck.

About 24% of doctoral students have significant depression symptoms, and 17% have significant symptoms of anxietylevels similar to that of medical students and resident physicians and higher than the general population, recent studies have shown. Then when the pandemic struck, like so many parts of society, graduate students saw these rates of mental health stress grow even higher.

This is one reason why it is important that good systems of communication and structure are put in place now as labs reopen, says co-author Natalie Tronson, associate professor in U-Ms Department of Psychology.

Tronson, who has a long-held interest in the effect of stress-induced depression on the brain, says sometimes when students move from a very structured undergraduate life to the independence and self-structure of graduate research, the adjustment is hard.

People need structure, and they need to know: What should I be doing? What needs to be done? What are my deadlines? she said. But on the other hand, lab-based work does not fit in a tight structure. Science is not a 9-to-5 job, so mentors and students need to find that balance.

Matching students with mentors, sometimes more than one mentor, and communicating are important, Duffy and Tronson say: Students need to know it is OK if an experiment fails. They need to know when they have gathered enough information. And they need to get feedback and set small deadlines to help them meet the larger ones.
Scientists from the University of Oxford and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research are building on the success of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 to develop a vaccine to treat cancer.

Researchers have designed a two-dose therapeutic cancer vaccine using Oxford's viral vector vaccine technology. When tested in mouse tumor models, the cancer vaccine increased the levels of anti-tumor T cells infiltrating the tumors and improved the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Compared to immunotherapy alone, the combination with the vaccine showed a greater reduction in tumor size and improved the survival of the mice.

The study, which was done by Professor Benoit Van den Eynde's group at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford in collaboration with co-authors Professor Adrian Hill and Dr Irina Redchenko at the University's Jenner Institute, has today been published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

Cancer immunotherapy - turning a patient's own immune system against a tumor - has resulted in remarkable improvements in outcomes for some cancer patients. Anti-PD-1 immunotherapy works by taking the brakes off anti-tumor T cells to allow them to kill cancer cells. However, despite this success, anti-PD-1 therapy is ineffective in the majority of cancer patients.

One reason for the poor efficacy of anti-PD-1 cancer therapy is that some patients have low levels of anti-tumor T cells. Oxford's vaccine technology, used in the creation of the world-famous Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, generates strong CD8+ T cell responses, which are required for good anti-tumor effects.

The team developed a two-dose therapeutic cancer vaccine with different prime and boost viral vectors, one of which is the same as the vector in the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. In order to create a vaccine treatment that specifically targets cancer cells, the vaccine was designed to target two MAGE-type proteins that are present on the surface of many types of cancer cells. Called MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1, these two targets were previously validated by the Ludwig Institute.

Preclinical experiments in mouse tumor models demonstrated that the cancer vaccine increased the levels of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and enhanced the response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. The combined vaccine and anti-PD-1 treatment resulted in a greater reduction in tumor size and improved the survival of the mice compared to anti-PD-1 therapy alone.

Benoit Van den Eynde, Professor of Tumour Immunology at the University of Oxford, Member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Director of the de Duve Institute, Belgium, says: 'We knew from our previous research that MAGE-type proteins act like red flags on the surface of cancer cells to attract immune cells that destroy tumors.

'MAGE proteins have an advantage over other cancer antigens as vaccine targets since they are present on a wide range of tumor types. This broadens the potential benefit of this approach to people with many different types of cancer.

'Importantly for target specificity, MAGE-type antigens are not present on the surface of normal tissues, which reduces the risk of side-effects caused by the immune system attacking healthy cells.'

A Phase 1/2a clinical trial of the cancer vaccine in combination with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in 80 patients with non-small cell lung cancer will be launched later this year as a collaboration between Vaccitech Oncology Limited (VOLT) and Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development.

This new vaccine platform has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment. The forthcoming trial in non-small cell lung cancer follows a Phase 2a trial of a similar cancer vaccine in prostate cancer undertaken by the University of Oxford that is showing promising results. Our cancer vaccines elicit strong CD8+ T cell responses that infiltrate tumors and show great potential in enhancing the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy and improving outcomes for patients with cancer." Adrian Hill, Lakshmi Mittal and Family Professorship of Vaccinology and Director of the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford

Tim Elliott, Kidani Professor of Immuno-oncology at the University of Oxford and co-Director of Oxford Cancer, says: 'In Oxford, we are combining our fundamental scientific expertise in immunology and antigen discovery with translational research on vaccine platforms.

'By bringing these teams together we can continue to address the significant challenge of broadening the positive impact of immunotherapy to benefit more patients.'

This vaccination approach using different prime and boost viral vectors was licensed by Jenner Institute scientists to Vaccitech Ltd, founded in 2016. The new therapeutic cancer vaccine is being developed by Vaccitech Oncology Limited (VOLT), a strategic collaboration between the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Vaccitech Plc.
In 2019, nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid overdoses, bringing the total of number of deaths from the opioid crisis to half a million over the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Michael J. Moore, a professor of biomedical engineering at Tulane University School of Science and Engineering, is part of a national study that aims to turn those statistics around by creating a living bioengineered nerve circuit that mimics the pain transmission pathway in the spinal cord. The circuit of living cells, which is designed to help scientists test the effectiveness of non-addictive alternatives to opioid painkillers, is highlighted in the prestigious journal Science Advances.

We show that this model system behaves physiologically similar to the circuit that carries the pain signal, and we show that it responds to pain drugs, like morphine and lidocaine, in ways that are reproducible and measurable and distinct for each type of drug. What we hope is that we will be able to use this model system to more quickly identify possible new candidates for new pain killers, which right now can only be done through an arduous series of behavioral studies with animals." Michael J. Moore, professor of biomedical engineering, Tulane University School of Science and Engineering

The study is his first paper under the HEAL Initiative, or Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, a $945 million, multi-university funding endeavor sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

Moore's work is among dozens of research projects taking place across the United States as part of HEAL, which was launched in April 2018 to provide scientific solutions to the national opioid overdose crisis, including improved treatment strategies for pain as well as opioid use disorders (OUDs). Funded by Congress, the initiative involves numerous universities and almost every NIH institute and center in order to approach the crisis from all angles and disciplines.

Moore's co-authors on the paper are Kevin J. Pollard, a post-doc in Moore's lab; Devon A. Bowser, a PhD student who graduated from the Bioinnovation program in 2019; Wesley A. Anderson, a scientist at AxoSim, a Tulane spinout where the research initially began; and Mostafa Meselhe, a biomedical engineering student who graduated from Tulane in 2020.

He is continuing to work with Randolph Ashton, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, and Swaminathan Rajaraman, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Central Florida. Ashton is developing human stem-cell derived spinal neurons, and Rajaraman is developing specially-made microelectrodes for taking electrical measurements from the cells.

Moore's Tulane collaborators include Jeffrey Tasker, the Catherine and Hunter Pierson Chair in Neuroscience, and James Zadina, director of the Neuroscience Laboratory at the Veterans Administration Medical Center and an adjunct professor of medicine at the Tulane School of Medicine.

"We expect to receive three more years of funding any day now," Moore said. "In this next phase of the project, we will seek to better characterize the physiology of our model system, improve its physiological relevance, and determine whether we can mimic some of the biological processes associated with drug tolerance."
The main goal of the study, named "The Mozart Effect and memory in patients with cognitive impairment (MEM-COG)", is to investigate whether music can be used to facilitate or enhance learning in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). It will also look at which aspects of music are key in establishing a cognitive benefit. In other words, which kinds of music  relaxing or vitalizing  and what times are most useful: for example, in the phase in which we learn new information or in that in which we retrieve information we have previously learned.

As Calabria, researcher at the Cognitive Neurolab of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya who has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Padua, said, "it's important to differentiate between these two aspects, as they involve different memory processes, and this study will determine at which phase music can be most advantageous.

"It should be noted that there are already studies indicating that exposure to music can increase performance in memory-, learning- and attention-related tasks, but, as the UOC researcher points out, "the majority of these studies were on healthy people andwe don't know if music could be a complementary tool for cognitively stimulating those with memory deficits. These neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by difficulties in forming new memories, andmusic could be one way of helping to consolidate new learning."

Classical music is most effective kind for memory

The study will involve patients from both Barcelona's Hospital de Sant Pau and from Musica y Alzheimer, a centre in Barcelona specializing in the rehabilitation and cognitive stimulation of people with Alzheimer's through music. In the study's first phase, participants will carry out memory-related tasks with classical music in the background. They will have to memorize unknown faces and remember them afterwards. Calabria explains that classical music is being used because "it's a kind of music that is characterized by being both relaxing and vitalizing, and has proven to be the most effective in giving memory a boost. What's more, the fact that it has no lyrics means there is less of the interference that verbal information can cause with regard to the content that participants will have to learn in the memory tasks." The aim is also to use the same methodology as previous studies on the issue with healthy subjects.

In phase two, researchers will use music familiar to participants (popular and folk music) to see "whether the fact that they like it more could boost their emotional facets and thereby bring about more memory-related benefits".

Music, given the lack of pharmacological treatments

Given that, currently, available pharmacological treatments have a very limited effect on cognition, making other kinds of therapies available  such as music  that may improve affected people's cognitive state is of crucial importance. With the results of this research, Calabria and the rest of the research team hope to provide specific guidelines to help restore part of the memory lost by these sufferers: what kind of people can benefit most from music, what kind of music to use and at which point of the learning process it should be played to obtain the greatest therapeutic benefits.

"The Mozart Effect and memory in patients with cognitive impairment (MEM-COG) is one of the nine UOC projects funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation's R&I programmes in its latest call.
In a recent modeling study, scientists at Technische Universitat Dresden have examined the impact of increasing taxes on alcoholic beverages on alcohol-attributable cancers in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. The results show that doubling current excise duties could have prevented more than 10,700 new cancers as well as 4,850 deaths in 2019 alone.

Europe is the region with the highest per capita consumption of alcohol in the world. To reduce alcohol consumption and the associated health burden, increasing taxes on alcoholic beverages is a promising policy option. Alongside other measures, such as marketing bans for alcoholic beverages or reduced availability of alcohol, higher alcohol taxes are among the so-called "best buys" of the WHO. The "best buys" are health policy measures that are particularly cost-effective in reducing the disease burden caused by lifestyle risk factors, such as alcohol.

However, in the European Region, and particularly the European Union, alcohol taxes are often very low. Therefore, in a modeling study, scientists from the Technische Universitat Dresden, together with the WHO European Office, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada, investigated the impact of increased alcohol excise duties on alcohol-attributable cancers in the WHO European Region.

Using statistical modeling, the researchers estimated the impact of three different tax-increase scenarios (20%, 50%, and 100%) on per capita alcohol consumption in 50 Member States in the WHO European Region.

Assuming an average lag time of 10 years between alcohol consumption and cancer development or fatality, the team estimated the number of avoidable new cancer cases and deaths in 2019. The team considered seven different cancer sites caused by alcohol: lip and oral cavity cancer, pharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and female breast cancer.

The results show that more than 10,700 new cancer cases and 4,850 deaths could have been avoided if current alcohol excise duties were doubled. This equates to nearly 6% of new alcohol-attributable cancers in the Region.

In Germany, more than 1,200 cancers and 525 deaths could have been avoided if current alcohol taxes were doubled, according to the study. At more than two-thirds, most of these avoidable causes of the disease are breast and colorectal cancers.

In Germany, excise duties on alcoholic beverages, especially for beer and wine, are very low. While a large bottle of beer is taxed at around five cents, wine is not subject to any alcohol taxation at all. In view of the high number of preventable alcohol-attributable cancers, it would be highly recommendable to increase current alcohol excise duties, especially in Germany." Carolin Kilian, Psychologist, Technische Universitat Dresden
Researchers in the United States and Israel have conducted a study demonstrating the safety of administering a third (booster) dose of Pfizer-BioNTechs BNT162b2 vaccine to protect against infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 )  the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Study: Self-reported and physiological reactions to the third BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 (booster) vaccine dose. Image Credit: guteksk7/ Shutterstock

Findings from the study of more than 1,500 individuals who had received at least one dose of the vaccine showed that local and systemic reactions following a third dose were very similar to those observed following the second dose, which has already been shown to be safe in clinical trials.

Furthermore, the changes observed following a third dose, including self-reported reactions and objective physiological indicators, returned to their baseline levels within three days, says the team from Tel Aviv University, Stanford University in California, and Maccabi Healthcare Services in Tel Aviv.

Our work further supports the safety of a third COVID-19 BNT162b2 (booster) vaccine dose from both a subjective and an objective perspective, writes Erez Shmueli and colleagues.

A pre-print version of the research paper is available on the medRxiv* server while the article undergoes peer review.

Israeli government initiated a booster shot campaign

Although the BNT162b2 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech has exhibited high efficacy (93.7%) against the B.1.1.7 (alpha) variant of SARS-CoV-2, recent studies have shown a reduced efficacy (88%) against the more recently emerged delta (B.1.617.2) variant of concern.

On July 30th, 2021, the Israeli government initiated an unparalleled, pro-active, national campaign, offering a third (booster) vaccine shot of BNT162b2 to all individuals aged over 60 years.

On August 13th, the campaign was expanded to include those aged over 50 years. By August 29th, it was extended to anyone in the general population who had received a second dose more than five months previously.

However, limited information is available on the safety of a BNT162b2 third dose, with such a booster vaccine yet to be authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration for the general population, say the researchers.

While recent evidence shows that a third BNT162b2 dose in immunocompromised individuals has a favorable safety profile, a formal clinical trial for assessing the safety of a third (booster) dose in the general population has not yet been fully established.

What did the researchers do?

Erez Shmueli and colleagues set out to evaluate the self-reported and physiological reactions to a third dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine.

The team followed a large cohort of 2,848 prospective study participants, among whom 1,503 participants (aged 19 to 88 years) had received at least one dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine between December 20th, 2020 September 6th, 2021.

Of these 1,503 participants, 1,231 had received a third vaccine dose.

Each participant received a dedicated mobile application that collected daily self-reported questionnaires on local and systemic reactions and well-being indicators over 21 days, starting seven days before vaccination (baseline levels).

Participants were also equipped with a fitness tracker (smartwatch) that continuously monitored several physiological measures, including heart rate and heart rate variability.

What did the study find?

Self-reported local and systemic changes following a booster vaccine dose were similar to those reported following the second dose.

The types of reactions that were most frequently reported (fatigue, muscle pain, headache, fever, and chills) returned to baseline levels among nearly all participants within three days.

Notably, these trends are consistent with those reported in the first and second dose BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine clinical trial, says the team.

According to the self-reported well-being indicators, participants experienced a significant reduction in mood levels, sleep quality, sport duration, and a notable increase in stress levels, compared with baseline levels, during the first two days following the booster vaccine.

Again, these changes faded within three days, and a similar trend was observed following the second dose.

Analysis of the objective physiological measurements collected by the smartwatch revealed a considerable increase in both heart rate and heart rate variability in the first two days following receipt of the third dose. These measurements also returned to baseline levels within three days.

All trends observed were consistent irrespective of age, gender, or any underlying medical conditions.

What did the team conclude?

The team says the study supports the short-term safety of a third BNT162b2 booster vaccine dose and mitigates, in part, the concerns regarding its short-term effects.

Our analysis of the comprehensive data on each participant examines the safety of a third (booster) vaccine dose from both a subjective perspective (patient questionnaire) and an objective perspective (smartwatch data), writes Shmueli and colleagues.

The researchers also say the medical and scientific communities may benefit significantly from the largely unbiased data generated by wearable digital health technologies.

Our findings could also be of interest to public health officials and other stakeholders, as it is important that objective measures are given attention in the critical evaluation of clinical trials, concludes the team.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
In the face of a global pandemic, with more than 200 million global infections and 4 million deaths, and despite unprecedented efforts by public health officials, celebrities and influencers to convince everyone to wear masks and get vaccinated as soon possible, the results are mixed.

Now, two Princeton researchers have discovered an approach that they found successfully motivated people to make appointments for vaccinations and to consistently follow measures such as social distancing and mask wearing.

We think we're onto something unique that hasn't been tried yet in the COVID context. I kept thinking, there's a group of people that public service announcements are never going to reach, because they already agree. Oh, they may not be the most enthusiastic, but they already agree that vaccines are good, and people should take them. But they are the ones who find excuses. 'Oh, it's too difficult.' 'I couldn't do it now.' Those are the people who aren't going to be reached by the other methods going on, but who can be reached with our method." Joel Cooper, Professor, Psychology, Princeton University

Rather than targeting the very vocal minority of people who insist they will never get vaccinated, Cooper and his graduate student Logan Pearce focused on individuals whose actions don't consistently align with their stated beliefs. In total they studied 101 participants.

"Persuading the remaining doubters is extremely important, but the data highlight a more perplexing and alarming story," Cooper said. "In a recent study, between 80 and 90% of adults agreed that wearing a mask is an effective method to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but only 50% of the respondents said that they 'always' or even 'mostly' wore a mask when in close contact with other people. It is critical to get people to behave in accordance with the CDC guidelines, not just believe that they are the right things to do."

"I'd love to convince the anti-vaxxers, but I honestly don't know what can convince them at this point," said Pearce, a graduate student in psychology and the first author on their paper in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology. "I thought, 'It's easier to convince people who already think it's the right thing to do, but they're still not doing it."

Finding what works: Advocacy plus mindfulness

Previous research had found that inducing cognitive dissonance -; asking people to hold two contradictory things in mind at the same time -; can be an effective tool to encourage shifts in behavior. Pearce and Cooper created cognitive dissonance in their research participants by first encouraging them to advocate for a public health position -; such as "It is important to wear masks" or "Vaccinations will help us end the pandemic" -; and then asking them to remember occasions when they did not act in accord with that attitude. Humans feel uncomfortable with cognitive dissonance, and the easiest way to ease that discomfort is to change behaviors to become consistent with attitudes.

Some studies have found that the mindfulness piece alone -; encouraging people to remember when their actions didn't match their beliefs -; can shift behaviors, but Cooper hasn't found evidence of that in his own work. The advocacy piece, strenuously arguing for the belief or behavior, is vital, he said. Without it, he said, the mindfulness work can tilt the scale in a counterproductive way.

"People form views of themselves, based on their behavior," he said. "If you tell people, 'Well, remember when you didn't do this,' whether it's going to the gym or mask-wearing, it shouldn't be surprising that they say, 'Yeah, I guess I'm the kind of person who doesn't do this. I guess I don't exercise, I don't put a mask on, I do go to the store without bringing one. I didn't really mean to, but this must be who I am.' So to me, the idea of just reminding yourself of, if you will, 'bad behavior,' or behavior contrary to your attitudes, it's not surprising to me that it doesn't work."

Their research was conducted in two waves, with data collected a week apart. During the first session, participants in the cognitive dissonance test group first advocated for consistent adherence to safety protocols and then were asked to recall times where they had acted unsafely or avoided getting vaccinated when they had the opportunity. Other volunteers were assigned to one of three control groups: advocacy only, mindfulness only, or neither. Participants in all three groups watched a short video encouraging mask-wearing and other anti-COVID-19 measures.

A week later, the researchers assessed their participants' reported behaviors. Members of the cognitive dissonance group were much more likely during the intervening week to have complied with guidelines and sought out vaccination appointments than participants in one of the control groups.

Pearce found the 101 participants via the online tool Prolific, while working remotely at her home near Atlanta. The participants ranged in age from 18 to 67 and came from 18 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland and Portugal.

Much of this research was conducted before vaccines were widely available, so Cooper and Pearce largely focused on mask wearing and social distancing. As they were launching the study, they decided to add a few questions about whether the participants had made or intended to make an appointment to get the shots.

Bringing it home: Contests and church groups

Pearce and Cooper are looking for ways to implement their findings widely, by inducing dissonance on a greater scale. "I want this project to reach beyond academia, to really make a difference," Pearce said.

She suggested holding contests in which people compete by writing or recording compelling arguments to become vaccinated, whether via video, essay, poem or drawing. Similar efforts have included the "Wear a Mask New York Ad Contest" and the "Mask Up Alabama Video Contest."

What sets her contest apart is the second step: including mindfulness. Rules would require contestants to include recollections of times they did not actually follow COVID-19 guidelines, such as choosing to forego a vaccination when one was available. Admitting this will both make it more likely that the contest participant will shift their own behaviors, and it will encourage others to make better choices.

For community leaders who don't want to host a contest, Pearce and Cooper have other ideas. A church group might suggest its members go through the exercise as an act of public service, for example.

But whatever approach is taken, the combination of the two is key, Pearce said. "I can use cognitive dissonance in my life to change my own behavior, and I want to help other people do that, too."
PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE: PKI) a global leader committed to innovating for a healthier world, today announced it has completed its acquisition of BioLegend, a leading, worldwide provider of life science antibodies and reagents for a total consideration of approximately $5.25 billion .

The acquisition, the largest in PerkinElmers history, further expands the Companys life science franchise into high-growth areas such as cytometry, proteogenomics, multiplex assays, recombinant proteins, magnetic cell separation, and bioprocessing.

BioLegends stellar leaders, teams and technologies will play a critical role in our combined companies ability to provide new, innovative solutions to scientists -- helping drive novel therapeutic discovery and development. We also look forward to BioLegend significantly enhancing our leading reagents portfolio as we partner together to innovate and advance science for our customers. Prahlad Singh, President, and Chief Executive Officer of PerkinElmer

Gene Lay , founder, president and chief executive officer of BioLegend , added We are very excited to roll up our sleeves and work together with our new PerkinElmer colleagues to mutually leverage our portfolios, people and shared passion for innovation and science to accelerate the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. PerkinElmers broad life science platform and strong global infrastructure will help BioLegend continue to extend our mission of enabling our customers to do legendary discovery.

Additional Details

As previously communicated, it is expected that BioLegend will contribute an incremental $380 million of revenue and $0.30 of adjusted earnings per share accretion to PerkinElmer in fiscal year 2022. Additional commentary regarding its expected financial contribution to the remainder of the current fiscal year will be provided on the Companys upcoming third-quarter 2021 earnings call.

PerkinElmers expectations for incremental adjusted earnings per share accretion for fiscal year 2022 attributable to BioLegend is provided on a non-GAAP basis and cannot be reconciled to the closest GAAP measure without unreasonable effort due to the unpredictability of the amounts and timing of events affecting the items PerkinElmer excludes from this non-GAAP measure. The timing and amounts of such events and items could be material to PerkinElmers results prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Factors Affecting Future Performance

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements relating to estimates and projections of future earnings per share, cash flow and revenue growth and other financial results, developments relating to our customers and end-markets, and plans concerning business development opportunities, acquisitions, and divestitures.

Words such as "believes," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "projects," "forecasts," "will" and similar expressions, and references to guidance, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current assumptions and expectations and no assurances can be given that our assumptions or expectations will prove to be correct.

A number of important risk factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described, implied or projected in any forward-looking statements.

These factors include, without limitation: (1) markets into which we sell our products declining or not growing as anticipated; (2) the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on our sales and operations; (3) fluctuations in the global economic and political environments; (4) our failure to introduce new products in a timely manner; (5) our ability to execute acquisitions and license technologies, or to successfully integrate acquired businesses, such as BioLegend , and licensed technologies into our existing business or to make them profitable, or successfully divest businesses; (6) our ability to compete effectively; (7) fluctuation in our quarterly operating results and our ability to adjust our operations to address unexpected changes; (8) significant disruption in third-party package delivery and import/export services or significant increases in prices for those services; (9) disruptions in the supply of raw materials and supplies; (10) our ability to retain key personnel; (11) significant disruption in our information technology systems, or cybercrime; (12) our ability to realize the full value of our intangible assets; (13) our failure to adequately protect our intellectual property; (14) the loss of any of our licenses or licensed rights; (15) the manufacture and sale of products exposing us to product liability claims; (16) our failure to maintain compliance with applicable government regulations; (17) regulatory changes; (18) our failure to comply with healthcare industry regulations; (19) economic, political and other risks associated with foreign operations; (20) the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union ; (21) our ability to obtain future financing; (22) restrictions in our credit agreements; (23) discontinuation or replacement of LIBOR; (24) significant fluctuations in our stock price; (25) reduction or elimination of dividends on our common stock; and (26) other factors which we describe under the caption "Risk Factors" in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission .

We disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

About PerkinElmer

PerkinElmer enables scientists, researchers, and clinicians to address their most critical challenges across science and healthcare. With a mission focused on innovating for a healthier world, we deliver unique solutions to serve the diagnostics, life science, food, and applied markets. We strategically partner with customers to enable earlier and more accurate insights supported by deep market knowledge and technical expertise.

Our dedicated team of about 15,000 employees worldwide is passionate about helping customers work to create healthier families, improve the quality of life, and sustain the well-being and longevity of people globally. The Company reported revenue of approximately $3.8 billion in 2020, serves customers in 190 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Additional information is available through 1-877-PKI-NYSE, or at www.perkinelmer.com.
Pittcon is honored to announce Professor Albert J. R. Heck as the 2022 Wallace H. Coulter Lecturer. The 2022 Coulter Lecture is entitled New Horizons in Mass Spectrometry: Sizing and Counting Particles by Native Mass Spectrometry. The topic illustrates the broad impact of native mass spectrometry on various disciplines within the life sciences  a general theme of increased relevance in this age of epidemiologic concern.

Pittcon 2022 Wallace H. Coulter Keynote Lecturer. Utrecht University Distinguished Faculty Professor Albert J. R. Heck. Image Credit: Pittcon

Albert J. R. Heck is a Distinguished Faculty Professor at the Science Faculty of Utrecht University (the Netherlands). His research focuses on the development and applications of mass spectrometry-based proteomics and structural biology. Heck introduced innovative proteomics technologies for phospho-enrichment, the use of stable-isotope-labeling, the use of alternative proteases, and hybrid peptide- and protein-centric fragmentation techniques. Heck is also known for his expertise in structural biology and glycoproteomics, and is considered a pioneer in native- and cross-linking mass spectrometry.

Heck has been coordinating several national and European Union-funded large-scale proteomics facilities, such as the Netherlands Proteomics Center and Prime-XS. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Field and Franklin Award (ACS), The Thomson Medal (IMSF), the Krebs Medal (FEBS), and Spinoza Award (NWO). He is a member of EMBO and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences and Arts.

A distinct facet of Pittcons annual conference, the Wallace H. Coulter Lectureship Award recognizes an outstanding scientist who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to science, having made important contributions with a significant impact on scientific education, practice, and/or research within the field of laboratory science.

The 2022 Wallace H. Coulter Lecture is scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM on Monday, March 7, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, taking place at the Sidney Marcus Auditorium in the Georgia World Congress Center during the annual installment of the Pittcon conference and exposition. Details may be found at pittcon.org/technical-program/wallace-coulter-lecture.

Pittcon is a dynamic, transnational exposition and comprehensive technical conference, a venue for presenting the latest advances in research and scientific instrumentation, and a platform for continuing education and science-enhancing opportunity. Our aim is to advance scientific endeavor through collaboration, bringing together a world of knowledge to impact, enrich, and inspire the future of science.

Pittcon is a catalyst for the exchange of information, a showcase of the latest advances in laboratory science, and a venue for international connectivity. Over 90% of Pittcons annual net profit funds scientific grants, education, laboratory improvements, and outreach.
Thought Leader Gordon Burns Technical Director and Co-founder ETS Laboratories

Gordon Burns is the technical director and co-founder of ETS Laboratories, which runs specialist wine analysis labs based in the Napa Valley in California. The North American wine industry has quite a different story to tell than honey that was discussed in another interview when it comes to authenticity issues.

Can you introduce yourself and your business, and talk about the background of ETS Labs?

ETS Laboratories is a family-owned business that my wife and I opened 42 years ago in St. Helena. We still have our roots here in the middle of the Napa Valley in California, the heart of one of the premium wine-growing regions of the United States.

We are an independent laboratory, unaffiliated with other branches of government labs or supported by trade associations. Our income is entirely what our clients decide is worthwhile to them and they choose to come back to us again and again.

We have clients that have been with us for 42 years, since the very beginning. Today, our clients include quite a global contingent because we offer some analyses that are not available anywhere else in the world.

We do everything for wineries starting with the grapes in the vineyard, from harvest through to the fermentation process, and up until the wine has been in the bottle for as many as 50 years.

Over the years, we have watched the demands from our clients evolve a lot. In the early days, it began with simple inquiries about acidity, sugar and what was in the berries making wine.

Now, it has evolved to a point where we have quite a considerable staff to help address the needs of our clients here in our main St. Helena laboratory. On any given day, you will find more than 30 people working and doing the analysis plus another 20 that exist to help support that function.

Up and down the West Coast of the United States, we have a remote laboratories called satellite labs that range from Eastern Washington, the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where they grow a lot of burgundy style varieties, to the Sonoma Valley, and down South to the Central Coast in Paso Robles, a phenomenal wine-growing region with increasing demands.

In each of these locations, we have smaller laboratories that exist on our same quality system and using the same methodologies but having a shorter scope of work.

In St. Helena, we have almost every type of sophisticated analytical technology that can come to play in the analysis of wine. That ranges from things such as titrations for titratable acidity, pH and sulfur dioxide.

We have highly automated equipment or adapted clinical equipment that does routine analysis, such as the organic acids in wine and sugars through a whole range of other functions, including chromatographic techniques such as LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS and accurate mass.

Everything exists for its own purpose, so we are ready to serve clients' needs.

You have spoken before about winemaking being a combination of science and art. Can you speak about how your role ETS Laboratories plays into that process and how more scientific methods and technology have been welcomed in the industry?

One can make wine with all art and no science. One can make wine with all science and no art. However, the best wine involves a combination of those two things. We hope that we satisfy the science side of that equation by delivering the data that clients need to help support their artistic efforts on the winemaking side.

I like the word craft better. Winemaking is a craft, whether it is done on a very small scale or on an enormous scale. People are doing magic by taking those grapes from the vineyard and turning them into something that can endure and even improve in the bottle over a period of decades.

Image Credit: Natalia Davydenko/Shutterstock.com

You have also been a champion for newer techniques, like NMR, when compared to the more traditional and straightforward chemical analyses. What does NMR technology bring to your winemaking toolkit that you do not get from the other techniques?

We have to be careful in selecting new techniques. We try to investigate what benefit it brings to our clients. As we embrace new technologies, we are on what folks call the bleeding edge, which means that we are the people who have to take the technology and adapt it to the winemaking field.

It has been interesting over the years to watch brilliant folks with new technologies coming to us and saying, "Well, I have something very special and I'm sure it will be useful in the winemaking field," only to be defeated once they understand the complexity of winemaking and of the wine itself.

Wine is an extraordinarily complex foodstuff with thousands of components that can be analyzed from any given wine using a combination of techniques.

Our adoption of NMR has been somewhat different in that we have partnered with Bruker, the world's largest producer of NMR, to take work they have done over the past decade in the field of winemaking and extended it to the United States.

Bruker has built a software platform on top of the NMR hardware technology that is called Wine Screener, and it uses the NMR spectrum that is obtained.

Then, a very sophisticated adaptation of chemometrics answers questions such as: What variety is the predominant variety in this bottle? What is the likely origin of this wine geographically? In some cases, what vintage is this wine?

This can only be done with a database of authentic samples that are known to be authentic as to those attributes I just talked about. Once again, what variety is it? Where did it come from? And when was it grown? This database does not yet exist for the United States.

Our side of the partnership with Bruker involves working diligently to obtain those authentic samples and the spectra that relate to them in that high level metadata so Bruker can then incorporate them into their chemometric models.

Once this collaborative effort is completed over a gradual period of some years, then we will be able to answer those same questions about wines that are grown here in the United States.

For your clients who are winemakers, what demands do they see from their consumers? Is this something that has changed in recent years, or is it something that is fairly consistent?

We hear consistently and increasingly from our clients that the consumers that they are working with are demanding to know more about the provenance of the wine in the bottle they are selling to them. Consumers are demanding to know more about proof of where it was grown and what the varietals are.

This is happening right across the food supply chain. For this reason, people are coming to us and saying, "Well, I need to establish just what techniques do you have in place that can help me with that?"

We have many techniques that we have applied over the years to help answer these questions. NMR is an additional technique that brings huge value to the table.

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Why does NMR bring such value to addressing demands about the quality of wine purchases?

NMR in this application has the unique analytical ability to look at a very broad range of compounds that are within the wine simultaneously in one analytical run. NMR does not care whether the compound that it is looking at is an acid or a base, a phenolic compound or something else, an alcohol or a phenolic.

We can obtain a very broad spectrum of NMR responses that looks at the entire composition of the wine in one go.

This is fantastic because to do something similar using other analytical techniques, we might need to employ HPLC with various kinds of detection with multiple runs, coupled with gas chromatography, and various kinds of detection in multiple runs along with all of the basic chemistries.

With that one run, the NMR spectra get a very large selection of the major wine constituents. It has been established that it is adequate with proper chemometrics and a proper database underlying it to help predict the origin, the varietals, and even in some cases, the vintage.

This is not the be-all and end-all. As a first step, and in some cases the only step, this NMR prediction will allow us to find wines that might have some questions as to whether they meet the standard that they are asked to adhere to. We might use other analytical techniques mentioned earlier to help verify and further establish the conclusions.

Image Credit: aerogondo2/Shutterstock.com

Is the pressure to adhere to those standards coming entirely from consumers, or do regulatory bodies play into that as well? Are there increasing demands from a legal or legislative standpoint for the product to meet?

To date, in the United States, we do not have that regulatory pressure. That is something that will come down the road, and it will be very good to be in advance of such requirements by having the technology and the database in place.

When I say consumer pressure, the pressure is coming more so from producers themselves who believe it is their duty to establish these basic facts regarding the wines they are providing to consumers.

They say, It is my duty to have this proof in place and by having it in place, I strengthened my brand. I strengthened my brand; I strengthen my validity in the eyes of the consumers.

I believe the main factor driving this is the producers themselves wanting to establish the authenticity and the origin and being able to demonstrate that as underlying the value of their product.

How do trade associations play into that? Are there associations between producers or the players in the industry, and does that vary from region to region?

Here in the United States, there is one major trade association and two or three others that are also important that represent wineries and wine growers throughout the country. These associations also see it as part of their duty and mandate to strengthen the brand that is, for example, Wine California or Wine Oregon.

In that vein, they are exhibiting a very strong desire to incorporate this kind of technology that we have been discussing for those same reasons that I just discussed. To establish the authenticity, the provenance, and secure that chain of the authenticity right from the vineyard to the consumer.

The North American honey industry faces obstacles in trying to enforce standards with better technologies and testing. Do you think the wine industry is setting a better example?

Honey is not my field, but if I could predict having spoken to a number of people in that field, I think that situation will change. It simply has to change once trade associations recognize the importance of authenticity.

Once they recognize that securing the supply chain is not optional and is mandatory in this day and age, things will change. Being able to demonstrate an unbroken link right through to the consumer is not going to be optional, it is going to be something that they will be asked to establish.

Do consumers need to worry about the adulteration of wine? How common is that in practice?

Within the United States, there is very little adulteration that goes on. It does not make for a sustainable business to engage in those practices.

The producers that we deal with and have dealt with now for over 42 years are upstanding, honorable people and I truly do not believe that the issue of adulteration is something that consumers need to worry about.

Having said that, in the global trade of wine, when wines start being shipped from one country to another and go through multiple hands through broker and intermediaries, to the hands of people handling the shipment, there is always the possibility of something going awry, not because of intentional misdeeds but from honest errors and things that can happen out there in the real world.

Is there no adulteration in the wine industry worldwide? No, I could not say that with a straight face and certainly, it has happened and no doubt it will happen again. But whether or not this is widespread does not change the basic fact that the duty to establish that continuous chain and be able to prove the authenticity is not lessened.

ETS plays a role at various points throughout the winemaking process. When buying Californian wines in countries where there are longer supply chains, how can other applications of NMR provide solutions to re-verify that this particular vintage and variety is correct, and provide reassurance to customers?

Other applications of NMR beyond the Wine Screener application are very useful. The next one in that chain that is extremely important is the use of NMR to answer the question of whether wine A is the same as wine B.

Even today, we have had multiple instances of wine producers saying, "Look, there is this product in the marketplace that is claiming to be our product in a foreign country. We almost certainly know it is not the same product we shipped out of our winery. Can you establish that for us with objective analytical data in addition to what we know?" NMR is a perfect tool for that.

We have other tools that are in our repertoire that we could use to help do this. However, NMR has the ability to look at hundreds of constituents of the wine in one go, and then look at that spectrum comparative to a second wine and answer, with a very high assurance, whether this wine is the same wine as the other.

NMR is often thought of as a qualitative analytical tool. However, it has another fantastic feature unrelated to assessing wine authenticity, securing the supply chain, or comparing wine identities.

It also has the ability to perform quantitative analysis of compounds. This quantitation can be done on compounds for which an authentic reference standard is not available. No other technique that I know of can make that claim.

We have requests for some unique analytical measurement where we simply were not able to procure or synthesize the analytical standard but were able to build a quantitative analytical measurement using NMR for the compound to the delight of our winemaking clients.

I anticipate that NMR will increasingly be used in this application as a quantitative analytical instrument out in the laboratories.

Image Credit: Radu Cadar/Shutterstock.com

Both applications that you talked about benefit from not requiring a database to compare against. If you are comparing two wines at the beginning and end of a distribution chain, you just need those two samples. Could this make the scaling of the application easier?

That is right. Clients have come to us after visiting a vineyard overseas and buying thousands of gallons of product, but when a tanker then shows up at their winery for bottling or blending, out comes the wine and, in some cases, that wine does not reflect what they think they bought in the first place.

Once again, I will emphasize it does not mean that fraud needed to have been committed. Any number of things could have happened along that chain.

Now, people can take samples at the point of buying the wine and have one of those samples sent directly to ETS so we can obtain NMR spectra of that wine and save them away as a signature of that wine.

Then, additional samples can be taken as it is loaded into the tanker and then you could get as granular as you wish as it is offloaded from the ship because of the uncertainty of what may happen on the high seas and in multiple ports, then another sample as it is received at the winery.

Either they send us each of those samples for comparison along the chain, or we look at the front end and the back end of that process. When and if there were to be a mismatch, then they are able to drill back into that collection of samples and see where something might have gone astray.

This is an obvious application of a technique like this for not very much money, certainly relative to the typical value of a wine transaction. This is in play today and I see that as being one of the major applications of the technique.

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Can you talk about that process, and some of the achievements and challenges of building up the database of U.S. wines for the Wine Screener as you have been involved with?

First, we need to have a good view of the wines that represent wine in commerce within the United States.

For that reason, we are working hand in hand with others who have access to that detailed information to give us the hit list of which varieties from which regions and how many of those we need to have in order to truly represent well the thing that is wine in commerce within the United States.

That is in place. The next step is to then obtain all those wines that are 100% authentic of the variety we are talking about from a known, well-characterized region. They need to be single year and not blended.

Some planning is required on the part of producers because wines are not always kept as single varietals. They are in the state that we need them for the analysis. We were doing pretty well with hundreds of samples into this database, but we need to be thousands of samples in it for it to be fully usable.

We have lost a year from the terrible virus issues that simply disrupt the normal operations of everything and the ability for wineries to practically go pull these samples.

We just experienced, on top of COVID, some horrendous wildfires this year. These wildfires came down, both sides of the Valley to within literally hundreds of yards of the town of St. Helena, where our main laboratory is located.

Many people lost their homes, and it has been devastating for the region as a whole. The collection of these samples and the database building has been on hold. We are now re-engaging in that process.

We hope that 2021 will be a smoother year than 2020 from the COVID perspective. We are also going to have to live with moving forward and we hope the wildfires will not be as widespread and devastating as they were in 2020.

The challenges, in short, are having access to the list of what we actually need to obtain for the database to be meaningful. The next one is the logistics of obtaining those in the form that we need as single varietals and the actual analysis of the wines and the generation of the chemometrics pose less of an issue.

Image Credit: stockatto/Shutterstock.com

Where do you see the future of the wine industry and ETS in the coming years, and are there any changes from the impacts of COVID or from climate and wildfires?

I see the wine industry continuing to grow globally. There have been global challenges that many in the wine industry have had to face. At the same time, wine consumption globally is remaining steady and even climbing in many market segments.

I see the future of the California wine industry to be especially bright. There is a lot of innovation occurring in the California industry. New varietals are being planted in locations that were not planted previously in response to issues of climate change.

Varietals that were not previously viable in regions up and down the West Coast of the United States have now become viable. Consumer trends favor premium wines which are a significant part of what we do. That is positive for the industry as a whole and for ETS.

What do you see for the future with the growing use of NMR technology in addressing wine authenticity?

We will continue to see innovations in analytical technology. I believe many of those will be on the chromatography side, leading to more rapid analysis and hopefully more rugged instrumentation.

NMR is going to have an important role to play in all of that. Reasons for this include the important use of the Bruker implementation of Wine Screener for variety, origin, and even in some cases, vintage.

It is going to become important in the wine industry increasingly for that question of Is wine A the same as wine B? which extends to securing the supply chain by saying, How have we protected the authenticity of this wine right through the chain?

I believe that the application of NMR as a quantitative tool is going to explode. We will see many more applications of the technique for that.

There are limitations to NMR. Does it replace the LC triple quad MS or GC triple quad MS or Accurate Mass, Mass Spec? No, it does not replace them. The way we use the instrumentation is a technique for part per million analysis on the lower end.

It is not a technique for part per trillion analysis, which we do a lot of for other reasons using other analytical techniques.

We must consider the right technique for the right job. However, in its role, NMR has filled a gap, and I think it is going to be solidly important for the future of analytical techniques in winemaking.

In this interview, Gordon Burns explains the power of NMR spectroscopy and how he uses it in his lab. If you think FoodScreener might be able to help you ensure and verify the authenticity of your food products, do reach out to Bruker's experts at bruker.com/foodscreener.

They will be very happy to talk with you and there are also plenty of resources available there if you just want to learn more about this technology. For more material about the FoodScreener, visit Bruker's website to learn more about it. You can reach out to Bruker's experts as well at bruker.com/foodscreener.

About Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging

Bruker BioSpin offers the world's most comprehensive range of NMR and EPR spectroscopy and preclinical research tools. Bruker BioSpin develops, manufactures and supplies technology to research establishments, commercial enterprises and multi-national corporations across countless industries and fields of expertise.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
Beckman Coulter announced the results of a prospective study carried out across two European hospitals, which found that Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW), in combination with White Blood Cell Count with Differential (WBC), has the diagnostic accuracy to detect the risk of sepsis and severe infection upon patient presentation in A&E, particularly when assessed in patients with a lower likelihood of sepsis. The study analyzed 1,517 adult patients in the accident and emergency departments of France's largest hospital, the Pitie-Salpetriere APHP-Sorbonne Universite hospital in Paris, and the Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona, in Spain, the results of which were recently published in medical journal Critical Care.

Image Credit: Beckman Coulter

System Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) and Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) risk scores are routinely used to assess the risk of sepsis based on the standard physiologic parameters, including body temperature, respiration rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and altered mental status, among others. Both scores were initially derived for use in the critical care environment and may lack sensitivity and specificity, falsely leading to over or under suspicion of sepsis in emergency department patients.

The study found that that abnormal MDW values, when considered along with the standard physiologic parameters at the time of patient presentation in the emergency department, increased the odds of Sepsis-2 by factor of 5.5 and Sepsis-3 by 7.6 Additionally, MDW was found to increase incrementally with progression from milder forms of infection to sepsis and is highest in those with septic shock. These results are in accordance with two recent North American studies, confirming the robustness and reproducibility of MDW performance in different patient populations.

Early detection of sepsis is warranted to initiate specific goal-directed therapy bundles, said Pierre Hausfater, MD, PhD, professor of Emergency Medicine at Sorbonne Universite and principal investigator in the study. Emergency Departments are one of the main places where septic patients may be diagnosed and enter the hospital. Unlike Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive Protein (CRP), which are usually ordered only in patients with a clinical suspicion for infection or sepsis, MDW and WBC are available early as a part of routine CBC-DIFF. Because of this, MDW may have a role of enhancing the routinely used CBC-DIFF to identify and reclassify the patients at risk, without changes to the current workflow of early clinical evaluation. This is the power of the novel MDW biomarker.

Study researchers also proposed the clinical role of MDW as a systematic screening test for sepsis where an abnormal MDW can trigger commonly ordered sepsis workup tests for inflammatory biomarkers PCT or CRP.

The results of the study support the implementation of MDW in emergency labs as an initial test used to identify patients at risk of infection or sepsis, which may then prompt additional tests, thus providing a better care process. Dr Cristian Morales Indiano, MD of Laboratory Medicine Department at Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona, Spain

Testing and screening for the novel MDW hematologic biomarker is available on the Beckman Coulter DxH 900 and DxH 690T Hematology Analyzers as a part of a CBC-DIFF. To read the full study, visit Critical Care.
The emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China, in 2019. Subsequently, the global outbreak of the novel virus was announced to be a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. The pandemic is popularly known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 is extremely virulent with a high rate of transmission. To date, it has claimed more than 4.71 million lives worldwide.

Study: Applications of nanomaterials in COVID-19 pandemic. Image Credit: Billion Photos/ Shutterstock

Nanotechnology has been widely applied in biomedicine, especially for controlled drug delivery, diagnosis, and treatment of various diseases. In response to the current pandemic, many laboratories around the world applied this technology. The applications include developing facemasks bearing filters coated with nanomaterials, vaccines with nanometer adjuvants, affordable and rapid COVID-19 diagnostic kits.

A new review published in Rare Metals has focused on the applications of nanomaterials to fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This article revealed that nanomaterials help to prevent, diagnose, and provide treatment to SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals.

Nanomaterials and virus prevention

Scientists revealed that typically SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted via droplets of an infected person when they cough or sneeze. Sometimes, these droplets adhere to surrounding surfaces like doorknobs and onto healthcare workers' protective gear. A study reported that SARS-CoV-2 remains active for seven days on a facemask worn by an infected person. When healthy individuals touch these contaminated spots, they are at a high risk of COVID-19 infection.

Nanotechnology has helped develop facemasks with dual functions, i.e., protection against SARS-CoV-2 virus and excellent self-disinfection properties. Also, the use of nanomaterials in the development of surface disinfectants with self-disinfection properties has been immensely beneficial for hospital and healthcare settings.

Previous studies have revealed metals such as silver and copper have excellent antiviral properties. As expected, silver and copper nanomaterials showed high surface-to-volume ratios and improved biological functions. Similarly, gold nanoparticles can deactivate viruses and bacteria by catalyzing specific reactions to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under light irradiation with a specific wavelength.

Scientists have also developed non-metallic nanomaterials, e.g., hydrophobic graphene nanomaterial, for facemasks with self-disinfection properties. Additionally, nanoscale TiO 2 fiber coating enhances the filtering property of facemasks. Inorganic nanoclusters (NCs) possess intrinsic bactericidal and antiviral activity to minimize the accumulation of harmful pathogens in the nanofiber pores.

Nanomaterials and COVID-19 diagnosis

Nanomaterials, especially nanobiosensors, can augment the quality and efficiency of the detection process. The rapid detection and immediate response characteristics make these sensors ideal for medical applications. Currently, the detection of COVID-19 is critical for major preventative applications.

Scientists have developed a COVID-19 biosensor system based on nanomaterials combined with one-step reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification. This biosensor can successfully diagnose COVID-19. Another biosensor device, based on a field-effect transistor (FET), can efficiently detect the COVID-19 virus in medical samples. The latter class of biosensors has been synthesized from graphene nanosheets, modified with the COVID-19 spike antibody, and can efficiently identify the COVID-19 spike protein.

Recently, scientists developed a novel biosensor by coating graphene sheets of FET with an antibody to the COVID-19 spike protein. The limit of detection for the COVID-19 target antigenic protein is 1 fgml1. As this is significantly lower than traditional detection concentrations, the difficulty of sampling is immensely reduced. Another group of researchers developed a bioassay based on gold nanoparticles coated with thiol-modified antisense oligonucleotides. This can accurately diagnose COVID-19 in a few minutes.

Nanoparticles in COVID-19 Vaccines

Vaccines trigger the immune system via the introduction of antigens. Conventional vaccines possess many challenges, such as low blood flow stability and the inability to elicit a sustained and adequate immune response. Vaccines that produce higher levels of antibodies are regarded as effective, but in most cases, these vaccines also have higher side effects.

Recently, nanoparticle vaccines have been regarded to be good alternatives to traditional vaccines. The main advantages of nanomaterial-based vaccines are controllable drug kinetics, high payloads, and high stability. Also, in the DNA- and RNA-based vaccines, an additional vector is required. Scientists revealed that vaccine adjuvants derived from nanoparticles possess many advantageous properties, including slow-release, robust humoral and cellular responses induction and improved vaccine efficacy.

Sinopharm, a Pharmaceutical Group in China, in collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, used aluminum salts, graphene, silica nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, liposomes, and polymerized nanoparticles as vaccine adjuvants. Moderna used lipid encapsulation for the development of their COVID-19 vaccine. Based on immunogenicity, several studies have indicated that gold nanoparticles, spike protein nanoparticles, and hollow polymeric nanoparticles could effectively induce a human immune response against coronaviruses.

Nanomaterials and antiviral drugs

Nanomaterials, e.g., liposomes and PLGA nanoparticles, can be used to encapsulate antiviral drugs, which promote long-term circulation and sustained release of the drugs. This technology improves the therapeutic effect. Researchers believe that nanomaterials could be used to deliver angiogenic factors in combination with antiviral drugs to treat COVID-19 disease. Nanocarriers could significantly transport drugs with greater efficiency than conventional methods.
(Newser)  The Canadian Union of Public Employees has a new group under its wings, in a big first for labor rights in the nation. Vice reports that the Toronto-based Maggie's, the nation's oldest sex-workers organization, has unionized under CUPE, the first such push by sex workers to stand up for their rights on everything from wage docking and underemployment to transphobia and racism in the workplace. The new union is for Maggie's employees only, but sex workers are hoping such a move inspires other sex workers throughout Canada to also unionize.

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"This is such big news for the sex worker rights movement on a national level," says a peer outreach worker at Maggies, founded by a sex worker and a gay activist in 1986, notes NOW Magazine. "It brings us a step closer to recognizing the legitimacy of our labor and the absolute need to decriminalize sex work." Sex workers who've unionized in other countriesincluding Spain, the Netherlands, and the UKare working toward that very end, in the hopes of reducing stigma and bring more safety to the industry.

Sex workers who talked to Vice detail long shifts without breaks, a lack of time off, pay docking by clubs, fatphobia, ageism, and shoddy treatment by agents"the same as being a woman in any workplace!" one stripper told the outlet in 2019. Discrimination is an issue, too: One Black stripper, for example, says she's been told to wear her hair straight, not in braids, all as club managers insist: "We're not racist; we hired you."

In fact, a statement from Maggie's staff, cited in a release, notes that this "historic moment" is particularly important for "queer and trans, Black, Indigenous, and sex workers of color at our organization who have not had the same privileges, access to employment, fair working conditions, or labor rights." One Maggie's outreach worker, Jassie Justice, tells Vice that although the group's "incredible" and diverse staff works hard to offer support and services to sex workers, the industry has been historically white, and issues remain. "Even the most progressive organization can benefit from a union," Justice notes. (Read more sex workers stories.)
(Newser)  Police say aspiring adult film star Karissa Rajpaul posted video on social media of herself receiving a buttocks augmentation procedure. It's now evidence in a murder investigation. The 26-year-old South African woman died in a hospital on Oct. 15, 2019, the day of the unlicensed procedure, and mother and daughter Libby Adame, 51, and Alicia Galaz, 23, have now been charged with murder, CBS Los Angeles reports. Police say the pair claimed to be specialists and advertised cut-price plastic surgery procedures on social media. Investigators believe they have been carrying out the procedures in Los Angeles-area homes since 2012.

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"These individuals have no medical training," LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton tells ABC7. "They're not experienced and they're putting people's lives at risk." He says investigators believe the women injected Rajpaul with a liquid silicon mix that included "chemicals and other substances that clearly are not appropriate for any medical procedure that would be performed on a human." He says investigators have spoken to other women who suffered long-term health effects after procedures carried out by Adame and Galaz. Police believe there could be many more victims and have urged them to come forward.

The coroner listed Rajpaul's cause of death as "homicide due to acute cardiopulmonary dysfunction and intramuscular/intravascular silicone injections," per CBSLA. LAPD Valley Bureau Homicide Detective Bob Dinlocker says the two women called 911 after the procedure went wrong but they fled the home as soon as paramedics arrived.

Dinlocker says the women charged between $3,500 and $4,500 for the so-called "back alley butt lifts," which cost up to $15,000 when performed by licensed professionals, NBC Los Angeles reports. "The internet is filled with stories where they cut the medical-grade silicon with the stuff you would caulk your windows with," he says. "It hits the blood stream, attacks the heart, the brain, and the kidneys." (Read more plastic surgery stories.)
(Newser)  Paul Murdaugh's legal troubles ended permanently when the 22-year-old was shot to death along with his mother in Junebut father Alex Murdaugh's troubles are only getting deeper. A new lawsuit accuses the prominent South Carolina attorney of trying to frame another teen in a fatal boat crash involving Paul Murdaugh in 2019, NBC reports. The suit from 21-year-old Connor Cook alleges the senior Murdaugh organized a "whisper campaign" to have him held "criminally and civilly responsible" for the crash. It accuses him "misdirecting law enforcement" toward Cook to protect his son.

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Paul Murdaugh was allegedly driving a boat that belonged to his father on Feb. 24, 2019 when it hit a bridge piling at around 2:20am. Passenger Mallory Beach, 19, was flung from the boat and killed. Her family is also suing the Murdaugh family. In Cook's lawsuit, he says he suffered "severe injuries and damages for which he sought medical treatment and continues to suffer today." According to a police report, Paul Murdaugh, then 19, was seen on surveillance footage buying alcohol at a gas station hours before the crash, reports WTOC. A nurse said was "grossly intoxicated and belligerent" when he was taken to a hospital.

According to Cook's lawsuit, Alex Murdaugh told him to "keep his mouth shut" after the crash and not tell law enforcement who was driving, WIS reports. The suit also names Buster Murdaugh, Paul's older brother, for allegedly giving Paul his driver's license to buy alcohol. Cook's suit says Murdaugh told his family to retain Cory Fleming as his attorney, without disclosing that he was a close Murdaugh family friend. Paul Murdaugh pleaded not guilty to felony charges of boating under the influence and was out on bail when he was killed. Nobody has been charged in the deaths of Paul Murdaugh and his mother.

Cook is seeking unspecified compensation in the suit. Alex Murdaugh surrendered to authorities last week on charges including insurance fraud. The 53-year-old was shot in the head earlier this month in what his attorney says was a plan to have himself killed so Buster Murdaugh could collect $10 million in insurance money. Bond was set at $20,000 and he was allowed to return to a drug rehab center for his opioid addiction. (Authorities are now looking at another death with a possible Paul Murdaugh connection.)
(Newser)  A college professor in Illinois has been charged with a hate crime in connection with a confrontation outside a grocery store in a Chicago suburb earlier this month. Alberto Friedmann, 53, allegedly spat on a Black woman and yelled racial slurs at the woman and her 7-year-old daughter in a dispute in the parking lot of the Oak Park store, NBC reports. Prosecutors say the woman was parked outside the store but not blocking traffic when she heard Friedmann "honking and yelling" in a Jaguar behind her, per CBS Chicago. He allegedly yelled slurs when she motioned for him to drive around her. He then allegedly got out of his car and spat in the woman's face when she tried to leave her vehicle.

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The woman had been waiting for her mother, who witnessed the confrontation after leaving the store. According to court records, the professor told the woman he spat on her because he "doesn't like Black people." Friedmann has also been charged with aggravated assault. Prosecutors say that when the woman got out of her car to try to get his license plate number, he accelerated toward her, narrowly missing her and deliberately hitting her vehicle, causing damage on the driver's side, reports the Chicago Tribune. Witnesses intervened when he got out of his car a second time.

Prosecutors say that when police took him into custody, Friedmann admitted spitting on the woman and hitting her car. At a court hearing Sunday, Friedmann's lawyer says his client denies using racial slurs. "Hes a minority himself. Hes a child of immigrants," the attorney said. Friedmann teaches neurokinesiology at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, another Chicago suburb. The institution says he has been suspended pending an investigation. (Read more Illinois stories.)
(Newser)  The House rushed headlong Tuesday into a vote on legislation to fund the government, suspend the federal debt limit, and provide disaster and refugee aid, forcing a showdown with Republicans who oppose the package despite the risk of a fiscal crisis. The federal government faces a shutdown if funding stops at the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year, midnight next Thursday. At the same time, the US risks defaulting on its accumulated debt load if its borrowing limits are not waived or adjusted. The package unveiled Tuesday would provide stopgap money to keep the government funded to Dec. 3 and extend borrowing authority through the end of 2022, the AP reports.

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It includes $28.6 billion in disaster relief for the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and other extreme weather events, and $6.3 billion to support Afghanistan evacuees in the fallout from the end of the 20-year war. "It is critical that Congress swiftly pass this legislation, said Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro, chair of the Appropriations Committee. The vote was expected Tuesday evening. DeLauro was forced to introduce another version of the bill Tuesday after some within the Democratic caucus objected to the inclusion of $1 billion for Israels Iron Dome missile defense system

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he was not about to help pay off past debts when Biden was about to pile on more with a "reckless" tax and spending package. He said since Democrats control the White House and Congress, it's their problem to pay for past debt. "The debt ceiling will be raised as it always should be, but it will be raised by the Democrats, McConnell said.

Even if Tuesday's vote is approved by the House, which Democrats control, it is expected to languish in the 50-50 Senate where Democrats will be hard-pressed to find 10 Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster. The Treasury Department warned that it will soon run out of cash on hand, and have to rely on incoming receipts to pay its obligations, now at $28.4 trillion. That could force the Treasury to delay or miss payments. Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, warned if lawmakers allow a federal debt default, "this economic scenario is cataclysmic."

(Read more spending bill stories.)
(Newser)  Texas' latest move to deter the unprecedented number of migrants surging into the state: a "steel barrier" that stretches for miles. No, it's not an actual wall; as CNN explains, Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles are parked along the border, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday. "They have created a steel barrier preventing people from being able to cross the border," he said, per KHOU. "One day there were countless people coming across the border, then that very same day the Texas Department of Public Safety put up all these DPS vehicles, and suddenly, in an instant, people stopped crossing the border in this location."

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Thousands of migrants, most Haitian, remain under the Del Rio International Bridge seeking asylum and waiting to be processed by federal authorities. (Estimates on Tuesday ranged from 7,700 to 9,600.) The Biden administration started flying the migrants back to Haiti, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the administration expects "dramatic results in the next 48 to 96 hours" and all the migrants cleared out within 10 days, but Abbott has accused the administration of not doing enough. Abbott said Tuesday that any migrants who cross from underneath the bridge onto private property or public land are arrested and jailed, though he didn't say how many had been so far, NBC DFW reports.

The reported use of whips and horses against the migrants has sparked an outcry, with Vice President Kamala Harris recently promising an investigation. Tens of thousands more Haitians are expected to try to travel north this year. The legal director of an advocacy group for Haitian migrants decries the administration's plan: "People still have yet to get drinking water and medical care. So what needs to happen is to stop the deportation flights to Haiti effective immediately and instead welcome Haitians to screen them for asylum ... so they don't have to return to where they fled." (Read more Texas stories.)
(Newser)  One of two teens charged as adults in the fatal stabbing of a college student in a New York City park pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder and robbery charges, the AP reports. Luchiano Lewis was accused of holding Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors in a headlock and preventing her from escaping while another 14-year-old knifed her in Manhattans Morningside Park in December 2019. Lewis, now 16, downplayed his role in the attack in court Tuesday, saying he didnt know Majors had been stabbed, let alone killed until the next day, when he heard someone was killed in the park and read a news story about it. Lewis and the suspected stabber, Rashaun Weaver, were charged as adults.

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A boy who was 13 at the time was tried as a juvenile and sentenced last year to 18 months in a juvenile detention center. Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14 before Judge Robert Mandelbaum. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Weaver, who has pleaded not guilty to murder and robbery charges, is due back in court on Oct. 18. Weavers lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, said he heard Lewis give his statement in court and said it "was obviously written out for him. Having previously read press reports today that he is now cooperating with the state, I wasnt surprised that he minimized his involvement and blamed nearly everything on Rashaun and his other codefendant, Lichtman said.

In a statement, Majors' family said, We remain resolute in our belief that all parties who bear responsibility for Tesss senseless death will be held accountable, and we are deeply grateful to the many people who continue to pursue that goal. Majors, 18, was stabbed during an attempted robbery as she walked in the early evening through the park near Barnards campus. She staggered up a flight of stairs to street level and collapsed. Lewis said in court that the plan was to rob Majors of her cell phone and run to a bus stop, but that Weaver ran up to her, kicked her hard in the back and screamed give me your money, run your pockets, Im not playing.

(Read more Tessa Majors stories.)
(Newser)  The Trump campaign knew claims that Dominion used its voting machines to rig the 2020 presidential election were baseless within days of the election, before lawsuits were filed to that effect and lawyers touted the claims as fact in a Nov. 19 televised press conference, the New York Times reports. Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell accused Dominion of scheming with election software company Smartmatic, financier George Soros, and Venezuela to steal the election from then-President Trump. They also suggested it had ties to antifa.

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But a Nov. 14 memo from the Trump campaign, filed in Dominion employee Eric Coomer's defamation lawsuit and obtained by the Times, notes Dominion didn't use Smartmatic voting technology, had no direct ties to Soros or Venezuela, and had no known connection to antifa. It shows "at least internally, the Trump campaign found there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories regarding Dominion," but "continued to allow its agents ... to advance debunked conspiracy theories and defame" Coomer, his attorneys write in court filings, per the Times.

It's unclear whether Trump was aware of the memo, which appeared to be based on news articles and public fact-checking services, the Times notes. In a deposition, Giuliani said he wasn't aware of it before the press conference and suggested the staffers who prepared it at the request of the campaign's deputy director of communications "wanted Trump to lose because they could raise more money." In a court filing last month, Giuliani's lawyer said at least some of his election fraud claims were "substantially true."

Powell, dismissed from the campaign days after the presser, has also kept up the baseless claims, telling ABC Australia last month that the election was "essentially a bloodless coup where they took over the presidency of the United States without a single shot being fired," per Forbes. Dominion has filed defamation lawsuits against Powell, Giuliani, Fox News, One America News, Newsmax, and others. Coomer has already settled with Newsmax, which put out an apology and retraction. (Read more Dominion Voting Systems stories.)
(Newser)  Citizens in Lithuania may want to double-check what country their smartphones were made in, as there's now a new warning out from the defense ministry telling them to dump devices manufactured in one particular country. "Our recommendation is to not buy new Chinese phones, and to get rid of those already purchased as fast as reasonably possible," Defense Deputy Minister Margiris Abukevicius told reporters on Tuesday, per Reuters. Abukevicius made this announcement as his lead-in to a report by the government's National Cyber Security Centre, which found phones from Huawei and other Chinese companies were vulnerable to censoring issues and cyberattacks.

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The report found that Mi 10T 5G phones from Chinese tech giant Xiaomi Corp. have a built-in feature that finds then censors such phrases as "Long live Taiwan independence," "Free Tibet," and "democracy movement." Although this feature is switched off for phones in Europe, it's able to be turned back on remotely, the report warns. Insider notes that pro-independence and pro-democracy conversations about Taiwan, Tibet, and Hong Kong are "highly sensitive" topics in China that often get censored on social media, and punished.

Meanwhile, the report dinged Huawei's P40 5G phone for being vulnerable to cyberattacks, warning that the company's app store "directs users to third-party e-stores where some of the applications have been assessed by anti-virus programs as malicious or infected with viruses." No security flaws were found in a 5G phone made by Chinese consumer electronics company OnePlus, per the report.

Huawei is scoffing at Lithuania's claims, with a spokesperson telling the BBC that "data is never processed outside the Huawei device," and that its app store "only collects and processes the data necessary to allow its customers to search, install, and manage third-party apps, in the same way as other app stores." Xiaomi, meanwhile, didn't respond to requests for comment from either the BBC or Reuters. (Read more Lithuania stories.)
(Newser)  An Arizona man who allegedly told his father he "snapped and shot a couple of people" was charged Tuesday with murder, about a week after four bodies were found in an abandoned SUV in a cornfield in western Wisconsin, according to a criminal complaint. Antoine Suggs, 38, of Scottsdale, Ariz., faces four counts of second-degree intentional murder, without premeditation, after turning himself in to police in Gilbert, Ariz., last week. Suggs' father, 56-year-old Darren McWright, has been charged in Wisconsin with four counts of hiding a corpse; the two men are father and son, reports the AP.

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Authorities said Matthew Pettus, 26; his half-sister Jasmine Sturm, 30; Sturms boyfriend, 35-year-old Loyace Foreman III; and 30-year-old Nitosha Flug-Presley had gunshot wounds to the head. Authorities said in court documents that Suggs was seen at a St. Paul bar with Flug-Presley, Sturm, and Pettus on Sept. 12, and that Flug-Presley's aunt told authorities that her niece had a "thing" with Suggs and he would fly in from Arizona to see her.

Per the criminal complaint, an employee at a bar saw a woman who looked like Flug-Presley arguing with a man, whom the employee identified as Suggs from a photo lineup. The employee said Suggs said something about "having six children and this happening every time he comes back to Minnesota," the complaint said. Flug-Presley, Pettus, and Sturm were then seen getting into a black SUV just before 3am, and investigators believe that Suggs killed the four victims in St. Paul, sometime between 3:30am and 3:48am. Suggs' bloody driver's license was found in the vehicle.

Suggs then called Wright and showed up where his father was staying at about 5am. He then drove the SUV from St. Paul to Wisconsin, and Wright followed him. They stopped at various gas stationssurveillance video from one St. Paul station shows Flug-Presley slumped over in the passenger seat, the complaint said. Wright told authorities that after leaving the SUV in a cornfield, he gave Suggs a ride back to Minnesota. Suggs' father denied knowing the bodies were in the abandoned SUV, but surveillance video shows him standing at the SUV's open passenger window at one point.

(Read more murder stories.)
(Newser)  Netflix has acquired the rights to the estate of Roald Dahl, the late British novelist who brought us some of the most beloved children's books of all time, with plans to create a "unique universe" of offerings based on those works. The company has purchased the Roald Dahl Story Company from the author's family and will now control titles including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Matilda, in publishing, TV, and film, reports the BBC. The Guardian reports this is Netflix's largest content deal to date. No financial details were provided.

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In a statement, Dahl's grandson Luke Kelly, who previously ran RDSC, and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said they were "joining forces to bring some of the world's most loved stories to current and future fans in creative new ways." The parties signed a 2018 deal allowing Netflix to license 16 titles (excluding Fantastic Mr. Fox and James and the Giant Peach), and "these projects opened our eyes to a much more ambitious venturethe creation of a unique universe," the statement adds, per CNN.

This universe is to include TV, animated and live action film, published works, "games, immersive experiences, live theater, consumer products and more," according to the statement. Kelly noted a portion of proceeds from the deal would be used to create a charitable trust to support children's health, and anti-hate and anti-racism causes, per the Guardian. The family publicly apologized last year for anti-Semitic comments Dahl made during his life, which ended in 1990 at the age of 74. (More on that here.)
(Newser)  Another US woman afraid to get vaccinated against COVID-19 for fear that it would affect her fertility has died of the disease. Samantha Wendell, a 29-year-old surgical technician from Grand Rivers, Ky., was laid to rest earlier this month in a ceremony at an Illinois church where she'd planned to marry her fiance in late August, before falling ill, reports the Louisville Courier Journal. Family members tells NBC News that Wendell delayed getting the vaccine because she and her fiance wanted to start a family and she'd heard baseless claims that the vaccine would cause fertility issues.

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"She was worried about her fertility. Misinformation killed her," Maria Vibandor Hayes wrote on Facebook on Sept. 11, describing how she'd had to say goodbye to her cousin over FaceTime. The CDC says "there is currently no evidence" that vaccine ingredients or antibodies produced as a result of the vaccine "cause any problems with becoming pregnant now or in the future" and recommends all eligible people get it, including those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant. It notes some women even became pregnant after taking part in vaccine trials.

Wendell ultimately had a change of heart and scheduled vaccine appointments for herself and fiance Austin Eskew at the end of July, in anticipation of a honeymoon in Mexico, per the Washington Post. But before the appointments came, Wendell traveled to Nashville, Tenn., for her bachelorette party. Back home, she developed a persistent cough. She was hospitalized within a week of testing positive for COVID-19, then placed on a ventilator on Aug. 16, five days before she'd hoped to wed her partner of 10 years in the same church where her parents tied the knot.

Her mother tells NBC that Wendell asked for a vaccine before being put on the ventilator, but "it wasn't going to do any good at that point, obviously." "Please consider getting vaccinated for I would never want any family or friends to endure what is happening to my niece right now and to her family and friends," Denise Picicci, Wendells aunt, wrote on Facebook on Aug. 31, per the Post. "No one can visit, no one to hold her hand and talk to her and give her encouragement to fight this." She never regained the ability to breathe on her own and died Sept. 10. (Read more COVID-19 stories.)
(Newser)  Texas' abortion law banning the procedure after six or so weeks of pregnancy "has officially made its impact on the local film scene," with The Wire creator David Simon announcing he won't film an upcoming HBO project in the state, the Houston Chronicle reports. The Baltimore-based TV writer tweeted Monday that he's "turning in scripts next month on an HBO non-fiction miniseries based on events in Texas, but I can't and won't ask female cast/crew to forgo civil liberties to film there." He added he was searching for a shoot location that could be taken for Dallas-Fort Worth.

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"We stage production where women risk nothing and endure nothing to control their own bodies. Those places exist with adequate facilities to film," Simon went on. He got a lot of pushback, including from the Dallas Film Commission, which replied that "not bringing a production to Dallas (a big "D") only serves to further disenfranchise those that live here. We need talent/crew/creatives to stay & vote, not get driven out by inability to make a living," per Deadline. Simon wasn't deterred, however. "My singular responsibility is to securing and maintaining the civil liberties of all those we employ," he responded.

He went on to hit out at Texas' "square-headed, all-hat-no-cattle s---posters trying to use hack politicians to crawl into every last womb they can" and, in response to one user who claimed the law protected life, added that "life, innocent or no, is not viable at far longer than six weeks." More than 100 actors have also spoken out against the Texas law, per Deadline, with some vowing to boycott the state. Filmmakers added more than $1.6 billion to Texas' economy from 2007 to 2020, per the Hill. (Production companies refused to film in Georgia after it passed a similar law in 2019.)
(Newser)  In the 25 years since Kristin Smart disappeared, the last person seen with her has been described as a person of interest, then a suspect, then a prime suspect, per the Los Angeles Times. Now, Paul Flores will be a defendant in a murder trial. San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen ruled Wednesday that there is enough evidence to put Flores on trial for murder and to try his father, 80-year-old Ruben Flores, as an accessory to the crime, the AP reports. Both men have pleaded not guilty.

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Flores, 44, and his father were arrested in April. Prosecutors say Flores killed Smart as he raped or tried to rape her in his dorm room at the California Polytechnic State University campus. Her body was allegedly buried under the deck at Ruben Flores' home. In a court document filed last month, prosecutors said an excavation had uncovered "damning evidence that a body had been buried in that location and then recently moved." Smart's body was never found but she was declared legally dead in 2002. Witnesses say they last saw Smart, 19, with Flores on May 25, 1996. They say she was extremely drunk after an off-campus party and Flores had offered to walk her back to her dorm room.

At the hearing, which began Aug. 2 and ran for 22 days, prosecutors described Flores as a predator who "has raped so many women, it's hard to keep track," the Times reports. They said detectives had found possible date rape drugs in his home, along with videos of Flores having sex with women who appeared to be intoxicated. The judge, however, did not allow testimony about the rape allegations and rape charges against Flores from 2011 and 2017, saying it had limited relevance to the murder case. Prosecutors said Flores also stalked women.

A witness testified Monday that Flores told her in 1996 that he had "taken care" of Smart, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports. Jennifer Hudson, who was 17 at the time, said Flores laughed when he spoke to her. She said she didn't tell anybody about his remarks until six years later because she was afraid she would "end up missing or buried someplace." (A podcaster helped draw attention to overlooked witnesses in the case.)
(Newser)  The US and France moved toward making up Wednesday, after Presidents Biden and Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone, but the nations suggested they have a lot of work ahead to rebuild shattered trust. It was the first time the two had spoken since Biden announced a new security alliance with the UK and Australia and France expressed its anger at being surprised by the news and left out of the deal. In the language of diplomacy, ABC reports, the US and France issued a joint statement after the phone call saying, "The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefited from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners."

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The statement added, "President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard." France had pointed out last week that that sort of consultation is supposed to be routine among allies. French officials had also warned that their anger would not be fleeting, and all indications are that the rift is not yet healed. Biden and Macron plan to meet in Europe at the end of next month, possibly around the G20 summit in Italy. But they might also meet somewhere else, per the New York Times, to show they're working on this. France has recalled its ambassador to the US but said Wednesday that Philippe Etienne will return to Washington next week.

He'll be busy, officials from both administrations said, starting "intensive work with senior U.S, officials." The presidents will lead the way themselves through "a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence." The official record shows no mention of an apology, but a French official said "consultations that should have taken place did not," which he said "poses a question of confidence whose consequences must be reviewed together." The chastening seems to indicate both sides consider the matter important, per CNN. Macron is up for reelection in about six months.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, France's foreign minister, has said the Biden administration's move reminded him of something former President Trump might do, and he wasn't alone on that point. A Le Monde editorial said, "For any who still doubted it, the Biden administration is no different from the Trump administration on this point: The United States comes first." Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Tuesday that he planned to avoid Macron at the UN this week, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson mocked France's concern in two languages. "I just think it's time for some of my dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip about this and donnez moi un break," Johnson said in Washington. (France declared the party over last week.)
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has reiterated its supportive and firm position on the Palestinian cause and the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and on the basis of the two-state solution and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.

This came as Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani met his Palestinian counterpart Dr Riyadh Al Maliki yesterday at the headquarters of the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York, on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly.

During the meeting, Dr Al Zayani affirmed the strong brotherly relations between Bahrain and the State of Palestine, which is based on solid foundations of mutual respect.

The Minister also expressed his pride in the development that the relations have reached in light of the two countrys keenness to advance cooperation in order to meet common aspirations.

Dr Al Maliki commended Bahrains supportive stances for the Palestinian cause, praising the support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, for the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state.

He expressed his appreciation for the close bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, and their keenness to develop bilateral cooperation to serve their common interests, wishing Bahrain continued progress and prosperity. The meeting also discussed political situation developments in the region, the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, in addition to a number of issues of common interest.

The Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Jamal Faris Al Ruwaie and the Ministers accompanying delegation attended the meeting.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

French archaeological mission head Dr Pierre Lombard has stressed the importance of the Abu Saiba site in understanding the history of the Tylos civilisation in Bahrain.

Dr Lombard said that the Tylos civilisation witnessed exceptional prosperity on the land of the Kingdom, thus forming an important cultural centre in the region and an extension of the previous Dilmun civilisation.

This came during his presentation on the topic as part of a series of lectures being held at the Bahrain National Museum.

The lecture was about excavation efforts in the Kingdom, organised by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA).

It dealt with the recent archaeological discoveries in the Tylos tomb in the Abu Saiba area between 2017 and 2021.

Dr Lombard pointed out that the Tylos civilisation can be identified in general through the burials, explaining that the research project in Abu Saiba Mound 1 in the north of the Kingdom reveals important aspects of the history and story of that civilisation.

He noted that the hill appears in the form of a small circular shape with a maximum diameter of 70 metres, and its current height ranging between 4 metres and 4.5 metres.

Dr Lombard indicated that about 70 tombs built on the site have already been identified, and about 40 of them have been fully excavated and studied by a team that includes a scientist specialising in biological archaeology.

A sand mound covered with flat stones  a traditional sign of high social status  was found on many of these tombs, indicating the importance of the people buried at the site.

Dr Lombard said that these tombs were subjected to frequent, but not systematic, looting.

However, the burial offerings (pots, glass, jewellery and ornaments used in rituals) that remained intact indicate that the history of the site dates back to the period between the first centuries BC and the first century AD.

It confirms the peculiarity of customs and burial rituals during the Hellenistic period in Bahrain.

Dr Lombard added that the presence of a large number of Bronze Age pottery shards among the tombs is puzzling, and it is likely that it indicates the presence of a cemetery or a more ancient settlement under the site dating back to the late Dilmun period.

Dr Lombard added that the presence of a large number of Bronze Age pottery shards among the tombs is puzzling
Cincinnati, OH (45221)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 74F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
BERLIN (AP)  Ana-Maria Trasnea was 13 when she emigrated from Romania because her single, working mother believed she would have a better future in Germany. Now 27, she is running for a seat in parliament.

It was hard in Germany in the beginning, Trasnea said in an interview with The Associated Press. But I was ambitious and realized that this was an opportunity for me, so I decided to do whatever I can to get respect and integrate.

Trasnea, who is running for the center-left Social Democrats in Sunday's election, is one of hundreds of candidates with immigrant roots who are seeking a seat in Germany's lower house of parliament, or Bundestag. While the number in office still doesn't reflect their overall percentage of the population, the country's growing ethnic diversity is increasingly visible in politics.

A lot has changed in Germany in the last few decades. The population has become much more diverse, says Julius Lagodny, a Cornell University political scientist who has researched migration and political representation in Germany. Young immigrants are not only striving for political offices across almost all parties in Germany, they are demanding them. There's a whole new sense of assertiveness now.

There are about 21.3 million people with migrant backgrounds in Germany, or about 26% of the population of 83 million.

The current parliament has 8.2%, or 58 of 709 lawmakers with immigrant roots. The 2013-17 parliament had only 5.9%, or 37 out of 631 lawmakers, according to Mediendienst Integration, an organization tracking migrant issues in Germany.

Of the 6,227 candidates running for parliament, 537 have immigrant roots, said Julia Schulte-Cloos, a political scientist from Munichs Ludwig Maximilian University specializing in political behavior and discrimination of minorities in Germany and Europe.

Schulte-Cloos said the share of Bundestag candidates with immigrant roots has risen continuously since 2005.

Even though the number elected to parliament is expected to rise again this time, it will still fall short of 26% of Germany's population with what is officially termed a migrant background  defined as a person either born abroad or with at least one parent who was.

In Berlin, where about 35% of residents have foreign roots, immigrant candidates for Bundestag can be found in many parties.

Joe Chialo, 51, whose parents are from Tanzania, is competing for a seat for outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats in Berlin's Spandau neighborhood. Hakan Demir, 31, whose grandfather emigrated from Turkey 50 years ago, is trying to become the Social Democrats' new lawmaker in the Neukoelln neighborhood, one of the most diverse in Germany.

Outside the capital, Ezgi Guyildar, the 35-year-old daughter of Kurdish refugees from Turkey, is running with the progressive Left Party in the western city of Essen.

Their motivations include concern over global warming, seeking more rights for women and families, raising the minimum wage and improving the status of immigrants.

All four candidates, who are seeking a seat in parliament for the first time, told AP they sometimes experienced discrimination and racism, especially as children. But they also stressed their gratitude for coming to Germany and said they appreciated the education they received, leading to opportunities they might not have had otherwise.

Chialo, a music industry manager tapped by Merkel's would-be successor, Armin Laschet, as one of his advisers, is the son of Tanzanian diplomats. He was born in Bonn and raised in boarding schools after his parents went on to other diplomatic duties abroad.

"In the beginning, my brother and I were the only two Black kids at a school with 1,000 students," Chialo said. The sentence, 'Oh look, there's a Negro,' tells you how unusual we and also many other Black people of my age were at the time in Germany.

Trasnea, who works for Berlin's education department and is running in the citys Koepenick-Treptow district, can't forget how other teenagers in high school threw stones at her and accused her of coming to Germany only to collect welfare.

Guyildar remembers how kids had snitched on her and other children for speaking Turkish in the schoolyard, which was not allowed. Demir is still embarrassed when he remembers lying to classmates from academic families that his father was a chemical technician, ashamed of his real job as an unskilled worker at a chemical company.

As an adult living in the ethnically diverse Berlin neighborhood of Neukoelln, Demir sees political advantages in his background.

People from more than 150 nations live in this district  it's a great mix and very diverse, said Demir, who previously worked for another immigrant lawmaker, Karamba Diaby. Of course, when I notice somebody wants to speak Turkish, I do that and that right away creates a kind of intimacy which is important during the election campaign. It makes people feel involved.

More than 60 years ago, West Germany recruited guest workers from Turkey, Italy, Greece and later Morocco to help the country advance economically. They were employed in coal mining, steel production and the auto industry. Many who initially came as temporary workers decided to stay and bring their families, giving Berlin and other cities in western and southwestern Germany large immigrant communities.

Others followed in subsequent decades: people from Russia or Kazakhstan who could claim German ancestry; refugees from Lebanon's civil war; Jews from the former Soviet Union; and Eastern Europeans who took advantage of the free movement within the European Union. From 2005-2016, another wave of more than 1 million arrived, fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

About 7.4 million migrant adults have German passports and are eligible to vote Sunday, according to 2019 figures from the Federal Statistical Office. Many often don't vote, however, and therefore are underrepresented in parliament. Another 8.7 million adults living permanently in Germany can't vote because they don't have German citizenship.

Germany doesn't allow dual citizenship, except for nationals of other EU countries and Switzerland. That's a dilemma for many first generation immigrants who still have close ties to their home countries and don't want to give up their old passport  either for emotional reasons or out of fear they could lose inheritance rights or property in the countries of their birth.

Allowing dual citizenship is one issue Guyildar wants to fight for, if elected.

I can feel close to Turkey, have my grandmother living there, and still consider Germany my homeland," she said. There's nothing wrong about dual citizenship  on the contrary."

Sometimes, however, not having a German passport isn't the only barrier to running for office or even voting. First-generation immigrants, in particular, often are more focused on politics in their former countries.

There's sometimes this barrier caused by discrimination or also by closed migrant societies here, in which the parents or grandparents are more interested in what's happening in the home countries than in the current politics here," says Canan Bayram, 55, a German-Kurdish lawyer who was elected to the Bundestag in 2017 for the Green party.

Bayram believes, however, that will change as more immigrants run for office.

I think it is only another small step, and in 10 years we won't even talk about these topics that intensively any more because the new generation now is clearly forward looking and has found their center of life in Germany, she said.

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Follow APs coverage of Germanys election at https://apnews.com/hub/germany-election
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Former colleagues of the late Senate leader Marc Basnight gathered Tuesday to remember his lasting contributions to North Carolina and to view a portrait of the Outer Banks Democrat that will hang in the chamber.

Gov. Roy Cooper, former Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and at least 30 other ex-senators who served with Basnight sat on the floor while the current Senate passed a formal resolution honoring his life. Basnight, whose service as Senate president pro tempore made him the longest-serving head of a legislative body in North Carolina history, died in December at age 73.

Basnight influenced nearly every major legislative achievement of the 1990s and 2000s, including passage of a state lottery, a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, and funding improvements for higher education, the environment and cancer treatment. Colleagues who spoke remembered Basnight for his knack for listening to people, often during his weekly road trips between Manteo and Raleigh, and understanding their needs and aspirations.

Marc came from humble beginnings to become one of the most influential political figures in our states history, said Sen. Don Davis, a Democrat and one of three current senators who served in the legislature alongside Basnight. All three spoke Tuesday. His life was about people  the people of North Carolina.

Basnight joined the Senate in 1985 and within eight years was the chambers leader, keeping the post through 2010, when Republicans took over the chamber for the first time in 140 years.

He resigned his Senate seat in early 2011, announcing his decision weeks before GOP Sen. Phil Berger was elected by the chamber to succeed him as Senate leader. Basnight told reporters at the time that he was already struggling with a degenerative nerve disease later diagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Although just a high school graduate, Basnight was among the legislature's top boosters of the University of North Carolina system, seeing it as a tool to help the state transition from textiles and tobacco to a high-tech economy.

Marc was instrument al in leading our state into the 21st century, said Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, who was also House speaker in the early 1990s.

Cooper was the Senate majority leader under Basnight in the late 1990s. Others who gained leadership experience during Basnight's tenure included Gov. Beverly Perdue and the late U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan. Former State Treasurer Janet Cowell and 2020 U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham also attended Tuesday as ex-senators.

Berger said while he and others suffered political defeats at the hands of Basnight, they weren't personal. That's one reason why Tuesday's gathering had the feel of a class reunion, as senators from both parties and former Basnight aides shook hands and hugged.

We dont often get an opportunity to come together like this, Berger said during a speech. You see, thats one of things that Marc always had an ability to do, and that is bring people together. And I will say that hes doing it again today with this ceremony and this resolution.

Basnights two daughters were escorted to the well of the Senate for the unveiling of the portrait, which was painted by a Berger aide.

It is fitting that his portrait hang in this chamber, so that people now and in to the future will have the opportunity to ask, 'Who was that? What did he do?' Berger said.

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The story has been corrected to show that the last time the GOP had taken control of the Senate was 140 years earlier, not 130 years earlier.
Sudanese authorities reported a coup attempt Tuesday by a group of soldiers but said the attempt failed and the country's ruling council and military remain in control.

The development underscored the fragility of Sudans path to democracy, more than two years after the military's overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir amid a public uprising against his three-decade rule.

Sudans state-run television called on the public to counter" the coup attempt but did not provide further details.

All is under control. The revolution is victorious, Mohammed al-Fiky Suliman, a member of the ruling military-civilian council, wrote on Facebook. He also called on the Sudanese to protect the transition.

A senior military official said an unspecified number of troops from the armored corps were behind the attempt and that they tried to take over several government institutions but were stopped.

He said the attempt began at dawn and that a group of soldiers had tried to seize the military headquarters and the state television station in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman to read a statement to citizens. The content of the statement was not immediately clear.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media, said over three dozen troops, including high-ranking officers, were arrested.

Brig. Al-Tahir Abu Haja, a media consultant for the militarys chief, said in a televised statement that at least 21 suspected officers and some troops were arrested and that authorities were searching for other suspects in the failed attempt.

Footage circulated online showing troops and armored vehicles deployed to main roads and intersections in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Security was also boosted at the military headquarters and other government buildings in the city.

Mohammed Hassan al-Taishi, a member of the sovereign council, called the attempt a foolish and bad choice.

The option of military coups has left us only a failed and weak country, he wrote on Twitter. The path towards democratic transition and securing the countrys political future and unity remains one option.

Later, in a statement read on the state-run TV, Culture and Information Minister Hamza Baloul said security forces have arrested civilian and military leaders behind the coup attempt, and that they have been interrogated after the military managed to get the armored corps' camp south of Khartoum under control.

Baloul, who is also the government spokesman, said authorities were chasing others from the remnants of al-Bashirs regime who were suspects in orchestrated the attempted coup. He did not give further details.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok blamed remnants of al-Bashirs government for the coup attempt, describing it as an effort to undermine Sudan's democratic transition.

What happened is an orchestrated coup by factions inside and outside the armed forces, he said.

Hamdok, the civilian face of the Sudanese government, spoke during an emergency Cabinet meeting that was broadcast on state-run TV, saying the attempt underscored the need for a complete, clear and transparent review of the transition."

Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the Sovereign Council, and his deputy Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the powerful Rapid Support Forces, visited the armored corps camp Tuesday, according to video footage circulated by the council.

The coup attempt, had it succeeded, would have had devastating consequences to the unity of the military, and the country as well, Burhan said.

Volker Perthes, the U.N. political envoy to Sudan, condemned the attempt. The United Nations condemns any attempt  whether a coup or otherwise  to undermine the democratic political transition process and the pluralistic nature of the state as stipulated in the constitutional declaration, he said.

Sudan has been on a fragile path to democratic rule since the military's ouster of al-Bashir in April 2019, following four months of mass protests. For decades, al-Bashirs government, which was allied with the Islamists, had worked to impede ideologues within the military and other security agencies. Al-Bashir himself had come to power in an Islamist-backed military coup in 1989.

The country is now ruled by a joint civilian and military government. The transitional government has been under increasing pressure to end wars with rebel groups as it seeks to rehabilitate the countrys battered economy, attract much-needed foreign aid and deliver the democracy it promised.

The U.S. government condemned the coup attempt in a statement from Samantha Powers, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development who recently visited Sudan.

The United States remains committed  alongside allies in the region and around the world  to supporting the continuation of Sudans historic transition toward democracy, and to working with actors across Sudan to advance critically needed progress on economic, judicial, governance, human rights, and security reforms, Power said.
HELSINKI, Finland (AP)  The top American military officer held talks Wednesday with his Russian counterpart as the United States struggles to secure basing rights and other counterterrorism support in countries bordering Afghanistan  an effort Moscow has opposed.

The six-hour meeting in Finland's capital between Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, came at a crucial time after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Without troops on the ground, the U.S. needs to reach more basing, intelligence sharing and other agreements to help monitor al-Qaida and Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.

Russias deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, had said in July that Moscow warned the U.S. that any deployment of American troops in countries neighboring Afghanistan is unacceptable." He said Russia told the U.S. in a direct and straightforward way that it would change a lot of things not only in our perceptions of whats going on in that important region, but also in our relations with the United States.

Ryabkov also said that Russia had a frank talk with the Central Asian countries to warn them not to allow U.S. troops within their borders.

Both sides agreed not to disclose details of the talks, as has been the practice in previous meetings and calls. Afterward, Milley said: It was a productive meeting. When military leaders of great powers communicate, the world is a safer place."

He recently made clear that the basing issue was a key topic on his European trip, saying he discussed it with NATO counterparts when they met in Greece over the weekend.

Milley, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and American intelligence officials have warned that al-Qaida or IS could regenerate and pose a threat to the United States in one year to two years.

U.S. military leaders have said they can conduct counterterrorism surveillance and, if necessary, strikes in Afghanistan from military assets based in other countries. But they acknowledge that surveillance flights from bases in the Persian Gulf are long and provide limited time in the air over Afghanistan. So the U.S. and allies want basing agreements, overflight rights and increased intelligence-sharing with nations closer to Afghanistan, such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan.

So far there are no indications of any progress. Moscow maintains a tight grip on the Central Asian nations and opposes a Western presence there.

The U.S. used the Transit Center at Manas, in Krygyzstan, for a large part of the Afghanistan war, moving troops in and out of the war zone through that base. Under pressure from Russia and its allies, however, Krygyzstan insisted the U.S. vacate the base in 2014.

The U.S. also leased Karshi-Khanabad, known as K2, as a base in Uzbekistan for several years after the Afghanistan war began. Uzbekistan ordered the base closed in 2005 amid tensions with Washington, and the Defense Ministry reaffirmed in May that the countrys constitution and military doctrine rule out the presence of foreign troops there.

It's unclear whether there is any potential for negotiations with the Russians to encourage them to lessen their objections to U.S. or allied presence in the region. But Russian officials also have expressed concern that the Taliban takeover could destabilize Central Asia, and they worry about a growing threat from IS.

Milley's meeting with Gerasimov, and broader discussions about counterterrorism this week, come on the heels of a deadly U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan in the final days of the chaotic evacuation of Americans, Afghans and others. The U.S. initially claimed the drone strike killed an Islamic extremist looking to attack the Kabul airport, but now says it was a mistake that killed 10 civilians, including seven children.

The incident triggered questions about the future use of drone strikes to target terrorists in Afghanistan from beyond the country. But Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said that while that airstrike was a tragic mistake it was not comparable to future counterterror strikes.

Future strikes on insurgents deemed to pose a threat to America, McKenzie said, would be done under different rules of engagement and there would be more time to study the target.
Kendra Baker / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

NEWTOWN  State police are looking for a Massachusetts man who they say evaded the scene of a Monday afternoon crash on westbound Interstate 84.

Warren Peltier, 53, of Haverhill, Mass., was driving a 2004 Lexus GS when he rear-ended a Danbury mans 2018 Subaru WRX near Exit 9 around 1:20 p.m., according to police.
Lakshay Jindal, Director & CMO, Jindal Mechno Bricks recently joined NewsX for an exclusive conversation as part of NewsX India A-List. In the exclusive conversation, Lakshay spoke about his company Jindal Mechno Bricks in great detail. Read excerpts:

Speaking about his company Jindal Mechno Bricks, especially his role in it, Lakshay said, I oversee marketing and awareness campaigns run by the company. I also help setup distributions across the country. Jindal Mechno Bricks, or more popularly, Jindal Bricks is a machine-made brick and tile manufacturing company. We started in 1972 with hand-made brick manufacturing and in 1996 we shifted to machine-made brick manufacturing. We have a plant, highly advanced plant, in Delhi NCR. We are currently one of the largest manufacturers of machine-made brick and tile with production capacity of over 200 tons per day.

When asked about the strength of his company, Lakshay shared, We have a state of the art facility at Jindal Bricks with machines imported from various parts of Europe Italy, Spain and Germany. What is does is, we are able run production 365 days of a year unlike our counterparts. Another very important thing that we boost at Jindal Bricks, is our ability to innovate throughout past few decades. We have been launching new product categories at Jindal Bricks. We have increased the variety product one offer, each category and improve the product itself. We dont stop there. We welcome customized requests from manufactures of other material need, designers, architects and real estate developers. All in all, we are trying to adapt new trends and advance our self technologically.

Talking about cost-selling aspects of the bricks used in related products, Lakshay said, It is not an ordinary brick by any means or standard. In fact, it is the ultra-light brick with doubled the compressive strength than an ordinary brick. Buyers gets 10% saving in steel and concrete. On top of that, these are face bricks. These are not suppose to be painted or plastered. This means you save both- your time and money, by not using the materials and again and the recurring costs that comes along. One of the main features of our production, in fact, all product category is that we have brick and loop tile. We offer multiple colours in it and all natural-no chemicals or pigments added, so the products are completely eco-friendly. In fact these colours are achieved by mixing various clays procure from different parts of the country and exposing them to the right temperature. Another thing is the thermal and sound-insulation that it has, so our products are engineered to have excellent thermal and sound-insulation, which means lower air-conditioning business somewhere and lower heating in winters. All in all, i mean at Jindal Bricks, we are able to deliver highly durable product with zero maintenance, that is saving you money until the rebuilding task.
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) leaders will make announcements relating to COVID-19, clean energy and climate change following their meeting on Friday, a senior US administration official has said. President Joe Biden has made the Quad a priority, as we all saw through the first Quad leaders-level engagement in March, which was virtual, and now this summit, which will be in person, a US administration official said in a statement.

The official also said that there will be announcements on COVID-19 as well in the following Quad leaders meeting. So the main areas where you will see both consultations and then some announcements will be on COVID-19. And, you know, in March, there was a commitment to producing a billion vaccines through the Quad, by the end of 2022. And therell be some announcements about moving that forward, as well as other forms of COVID-19 assistance, the official said.

In addressing the climate crisis  and there will be clean energy and climate-related announcements coming out of the Quad, the official said. President Joe Biden will be hosting the first in-person Quad leaders summit comprising Australia, India, Japan and the US.

Hosting the leaders of the Quad fundamentally is a demonstration of the priority of engaging in the Indo-Pacific, including through new multilateral configurations designed to focus on 21st-century challenges, the official said. Partnering on emerging technologies in cyberspace, promoting high-standards infrastructure, and, of course, an overarching commitment at the core of the Quad to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, the official added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to travel United States to attend the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit and address the UN general debate. During the significant visit to the US, PM Modi would on September 24 participate in the Leaders Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework in Washington along with his US, Japanese and Australian counterparts.

The bilateral meeting with the US President is also scheduled for the day. Moreover, this is PM Modis first visit to the US since Joe Biden became the President. He will address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in New York.
Xi's comments came hours after US President Joe Biden said he didn't have any intention of starting a "new Cold War" -- itself a response to criticism from the UN chief Antonio Guterres.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday (local time) that disputes among countries need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation. One countrys success does not have to mean another countrys failure, Xi said in a prerecorded speech. The world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries.

Xis comments came hours after US President Joe Biden said he didnt have any intention of starting a new Cold War  itself a response to criticism from the UN chief Antonio Guterres. Neither President Biden nor Chinese President Jinping gave reference to one anothers country directly in high-profile remarks at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, some say its an apparent indication of both leaders desire to find areas of cooperation.

Without mentioning the United States directly, he said military intervention from the outside and so-called democratic transformation entail nothing but harm. The Chinese President also declared that China will stop funding coal projects overseas.

China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low carbon energy and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad. China will also increase financial support for green and low-carbon energy projects in other developing countries, he said.

China currently produces the largest share of emissions. It is by far the biggest producer of coal domestically, and by far the largest financier of coal-fired power plants abroad, with an enormous 40 gigawatts of coal power planned. China still has work to do on climate at home, Xi Jinping acknowledged, reiterating a prior pledge to strive to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

This requires tremendous hard work and we will make every effort, the Chinese leader said. He also reiterated that China aims to provide two billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world by the end of the year, and stressed Chinas peaceful intentions in international relations, saying that China would never invade or bully others, or seek hegemony.
At their bilateral meeting on September 24, the Prime Minister and President Biden will review the robust and multifaceted India-US bilateral relationship. They will also discuss how the Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership between our two countries can be enriched further.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a three-day visit to the United States on Wednesday where he will address the UN General Assembly and attend the Quad Summit as well as hold a bilateral meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

Biden will host PM Modi at the White House on September 24, this is going to be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Biden took over as the US President on January 20.

As per the statement issued by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, PM Modi and President Biden are expected to discuss ways to stem radicalisation and combat terrorism. They are also expected to discuss ways to bolster defence, trade ties, security collaborations and clean energy partnership among others,

PM Modi and Biden will discuss the current regional security situation following the recent developments in Afghanistan. PM Modi will also hold business interactions during his US visit from September 22-25.

Prime Minister Modi will attend the first in-person summit of the Quad hosted by the US President on Friday, which will be attended by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia. PM Modi will address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of 76th Session of UN General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in New York.

The theme for this years general debate is building resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people and revitalise the United Nations. While addressing the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister will dwell on the important issues, including the regional situation, cross border terrorism, global efforts to combat COVID-19 and climate change and the need to reform multilateral institutions.

Another element of the Prime Ministers visit would be bilateral meetings with our close partners Japan and Australia where he will hold several bilateral meetings including with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. PM Modi is accompanied by a high-level delegation consisting of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and senior officials including Shringla.

This is Prime Minister Modis first visit abroad beyond the neighbourhood since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
It is learnt that the majority of members in SAARC agreed that empty chair can be kept for Afghanistan during the meet. However, Pakistan did not agree and the meet was called off.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) foreign ministers meet slated to be held on Saturday in New York has been cancelled. It is learnt from reliable sources that Pakistan wanted the Taliban to represent Afghanistan in the SAARC meet. India along with some other members objected to the proposal and due to lack of consensus or concurrence meet has been cancelled.

Nepal was the host of the meet, which is annually held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Taliban has not been recognised by India to date. The new regime in Kabul is still not recognised by the world and top cabinet ministers are blacklisted by the UN.

Amir Khan Muttaqi is the acting foreign minister of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan and he is unlikely to attend any UN and affiliated meetings. In fact, last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meet said that the Taliban is a non-inclusive government, the world must think before accepting or recognising the regime in Afghanistan. He also pointed out that women, minorities have no representation in the government in Kabul.

The SAARC is the regional intergovernmental organization of eight countries of South AsiaBangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It is learnt that the majority of members in SAARC agreed that empty chair can be kept for Afghanistan during the meet. However, Pakistan did not agree and the meet was called off. SAARC Secretariat told ANI that the meeting was cancelled due to the lack of concurrence from all member states as of today.
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has urged world leaders not to boycott the Taliban. The ruling emir of Qatar urged world leaders gathered at the United Nations against turning their backs on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers.

The Taliban on Tuesday nominated their Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistans UN ambassador. This comes after the Taliban said that they wanted to address world leaders at United Nations, reported a UK-based media.

Meanwhile, Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani urged world leaders not to boycott the Taliban, reported Al Jazeera.

The ruling emir of Qatar urged world leaders gathered at the United Nations against turning their backs on Afghanistans Taliban rulers. Al Thani stressed, the necessity of continuing dialogue with Taliban because boycott only leads to polarisation and reactions, whereas dialogue could bring in positive results.

Meanwhile, The waving of sanctions on the Taliban is not on the UN Security Council agenda but the issue should be given careful consideration, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia told Sputnik on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The topic of lifting the sanctions imposed on the Taliban via the Security Council is not on the agenda right now. Of course, this is an important issue, and sooner or later it will still have to be solved, Nebenzia said. However, this issue should not be rushed as the situation must be carefully considered, according to the Russian official

I [can] say that practically all members of the Council, and not just the five members of its permanent members, have repeatedly, during their speeches on the topic of Afghanistan, talked about the cautious approach toward the new Afghan authorities, he added.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Idaho should adopt a health policy that would make vaccine status a private medical record that employees could refuse to make available to employers as a way to thwart President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate, an attorney told lawmakers Wednesday.

Christ Troupis told the Committee on Federalism that such a law would insulate employers from potential federal penalties involving COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

An employee cannot be forced by his employer on condition of losing his job or her job to waive his or her right not to disclose their vaccination status, Troupis said. How could employers be fined for having unvaccinated employees if they can't ask whether they're vaccinated or not?

That was one of the ideas the committee that deals with state sovereignty issues heard during the full-day hearing that included public testimony, with most speakers testifying against the mandates. The committee took no action, but plans to meet again Tuesday.

The committee is looking for potential legislation that could draw enough support among lawmakers to reconvene the Legislature before it meets for its regular session in January. The committee had been scheduled to meet next week but bumped up the meeting after Biden announced the vaccine mandates earlier this month.

Many Idaho Republican lawmakers are angry with the requirements, and some want the Idaho House and Senate to reconvene immediately to outlaw such mandates.

But so far, lawmakers havent been able to coalesce around a specific piece of legislation that House and Senate leaders say is needed to call lawmakers back to Boise.

The sweeping vaccine mandates affect 100 million Americans, requiring that employers with more than 100 workers require employees to be vaccinated or tested weekly for the virus.

Workers at health facilities who receive federal Medicare or Medicaid will have to be fully vaccinated, affecting more than 17 million health care workers, the White House said.

The committee on Wednesday looked at potentially sidestepping that requirement by rejecting money the state receives from the federal government, roughly $2.3 billion involving Medicaid, according to state officials.

Under Biden's requirements, employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government are also required to be vaccinated with no option to test out. That covers several million more workers.

The requirement for large companies to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing for employees will be enacted through a forthcoming rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that carries penalties of $14,000 per violation.

However, that rule has not yet been announced, something Idaho Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane told lawmakers made legal action premature. Gov. Brad Little, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, House Speaker Scott Bedke and Senate Pro Tempore Chuck Winder, all Republicans, in a letter last week to Biden threatened legal action if Biden follows through with a rule.

The committee heard a fair amount of testimony that didn't appear to be accurate, including from Republican Rep. Ron Mendive. He's not a committee member but testified as a member of the public.

If you look at the mortality rate from 2019 and then 2020, it was down in 2020 from what it was in 2019, he said, talking about worldwide deaths. We've been told that this virus was so dangerous, so fatal, and yet less people died than died the year before. So that leads me to think that maybe it's not what we were told it was, which is really disturbing."

He didn't cite any sources, and it's not clear what information he was using. In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a report earlier this year, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed total U.S. deaths last year beyond 3.3 million, the nations highest annual death toll.

The coronavirus caused approximately 375,000 deaths, and was the third leading cause of death in 2020, after heart disease and cancer. COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now top 680,000 since the start of the pandemic, with more than 1,900 new deaths a day currently.

All of Idaho is currently under crisis standards of care because of mainly unvaccinated COVID-19 patients filling hospitals as a result of the states low vaccination rate combined with the more contagious delta variant. The crisis standards allow healthcare workers to ration who gets care in order to save the most lives.

According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, more than 245,000 Idaho residents have been sickened with COVID-19, and more than 2,600 have died.
STAMFORD  Gov. Ned Lamont thanked early childhood education staff for working through the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday following a tour of the Childrens Learning Centers of Fairfield Countys facility on Palmer Hill Road.

I was reminded this last couple of years how important daycare and early childhood (education) is, and I dont think any of you had to be reminded, Lamont said.

Lamont said during the worst days of COVID when everything was shutting down, including daycare and childcare centers, we realized really quickly that we wouldnt be able to get essential workers to work if it werent for essential workers like you.

Greenwich billionaire Ray Dalio, his spouse Barbara and their foundation Dalio Philanthropies directed $3 million toward supporting childcare services for hospital workers at centers across the state last year, including CLC.

You guys kept going, and each and every one of you showed up every day and made a difference for these kids and allowed our economy to keep going in the safest way possible, Lamont said.

Today, the states infection rate is under 3 percent and about 2.75 million people have gotten at least one vaccine shot.

But were not out of the woods, Lamont said. We still need you.

CLC has received $1.4 million in federal COVID relief funding through the states Office of Early Childhood. CLC chief executive Marc Jaffe said the money is going toward increases in staff wages, additional contributions to retirement plans and playgrounds.

Jaffe said CLC serves almost 1,000 children between 6 weeks and 5 years old. In addition to educational programs, the centers provide nearly 500,000 meals to children per year.

Were very concerned as well that there is a mental health epidemic descending upon our state and community  a public health crisis, Jaffe said. We address our childrens social and emotional development as well.

Jaffe said CLC is currently at about 75 percent capacity but he expects enrollment to grow in the coming months. About 85 percent of CLCs staff are fully vaccinated, he said.

Another speaker at Tuesdays press conference was Andres Soto, a CLC alumnus who is now a software engineer at Google.

I entered the doors of CLC at 3 years old, unable to speak a word, Soto said.

He received speech therapy through CLC and left at the age of 5 speaking just fine.

Doctors had told my parents I would not be able to master one language, and now I speak three: English, Spanish, and Ive been studying Mandarin for 12 years of my life, he said.

Mayor David Martin said his late wife, Judy, once worked at CLC. When she was later a teacher at Northeast Elementary School, she noticed that the children who came from CLC were well prepared for kindergarten.

I appreciate the leadership of CLC, what they do to basically not just provide a place for kids to learn but to fundamentally try to address the issues of equity in our society, our belief in the American dream and making certain that children have the right start, Martin said.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  The Talibans newly appointed envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday urged quick world recognition of Afghanistans new rulers even as the World Health Organization raised the alarm of an impending health care disaster in the war-wracked country.

The humanitarian crisis is one of the many challenges the Taliban face since their takeover of Afghanistan last month, including renewed threats from the militant Islamic State group, which recently stepped up its attacks, targeting members of the Taliban in its stronghold in the country's east.

In an emergency measure, the U.N. aid coordinator Martin Griffiths released $45 million in life-saving support Wednesday for Afghanistan from the world bodys emergency fund.

The World Health Organization said Afghanistans health system is on the brink of collapse and that urgent action is needed. The statement followed a recent visit to Kabul by a WHO team led by the agencys director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who also met with Taliban leaders and others.

The country faces an imminent humanitarian catastrophe, WHO said, adding that thousands of health facilities are without funding for medical supplies and salaries for health staff.

Many of these facilities have now reduced operations or shut down, forcing health providers to make hard decisions on who to save and who to let die, WHO said and also emphasized the need for women to maintain access to education, health care, and to the health workforce.

Griffiths warned that allowing Afghanistans health-care delivery system to fall apart would be disastrous. People across Afghanistan, he added, would be denied access to primary health care such as emergency caesarian sections and trauma care.

Earlier, the Taliban had written to the United Nations announcing that Suhail Shaheen, a former peace negotiator and spokesman for the Taliban political office, is their new U.N. representative . They requested that Shaheen be allowed to address the U.N. General Assembly underway in New York.

We have all the requirements needed for recognition of a government. So we hope the U.N . as an neutral world body recognize the current government of Afghanistan, Shaheen told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Afghanistan is listed as the final speaker of the ministerial meeting on Monday, and if no world recognition of the Taliban comes by then, Afghan Ambassador Ghulam Isaczai will give the address.

Isaczai is currently recognized as his country's U.N. ambassador but the Taliban, who overran most of Afghanistan last month as the U.S. and NATO forces were in the final stages of their chaotic withdrawal from the country, argue that they are now in charge and have the right to appoint ambassadors.

Since they swept to power and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, the Taliban have appointed an all-male Cabinet made up mostly of hard-liners from when they previously ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s, including several people on the U.N. sanctions list.

Among those on the so called U.N. black list is Amir Khan Mutaqqi, the Taliban foreign minister and the author of the letter to the U.N. requesting Shaheen address the General Assembly.

The decision rests with a U.N. committee that generally meets in November and will issue a ruling in due course, the General Assemblys spokeswoman Monica Grayley said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, attackers hit vehicles with Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, witnesses said, killing at least two fighters and three civilians. In one attack, gunmen opened fire on a Taliban vehicle at a local gas station in the provincial capital of Jalalabad, killing two fighters, a gas station attendant and a child.

A second child was killed and two Taliban fighters were wounded in a bombing of another Taliban vehicle. A third attack, also a bombing of Taliban vehicle in Jalalabad, wounded a person nearby but it was unclear if that person was a Taliban member or a civilian, the witnesses added, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of Taliban retribution.

No one claimed immediate responsibility for Wednesdays attacks, although the Islamic State group, which is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan, has said it was behind similar attacks in Jalalabad last week that killed eight people.

The Taliban and IS are enemies, and the attacks have raised the specter of a wider conflict between the long-time rivals.
KINGSTON, N.H. (AP)  A retired New Hampshire police sergeant was struck and killed by a motorist while on her bike training for an event to honor fallen law enforcement officers.

Donna Briggs, 59, of Derry, was found dead Tuesday night down an embankment off Route 125 in Kingston, police said. They said it appears Briggs was out riding her bike when she was struck from behind by a southbound vehicle.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  The coronavirus claimed 52 more lives in Kentucky as the governor warned Wednesday that the virus is hitting younger people harder than at any other time during the public health crisis.

The latest virus-related deaths in the Bluegrass State included people as young as 34, 38 and 39, Gov. Andy Beshear said. The statewide death toll reached at least 8,422 since the pandemic began.

In eastern Kentucky, a 29-year-old teacher who was fully vaccinated, died on Monday after battling COVID-19, the district's superintendent said. Joannie Bartley, a middle school math teacher in the Jenkins Independent district, died at Pikeville Medical Center.

Across Kentucky, 4,418 new COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday, including 1,273 Kentuckians ages 18 and under who are newly infected, the state reported.

Folks, this is hitting people far younger than we ever saw previously in the pandemic, Beshear said in a social media video.

More than 2,250 virus patients were hospitalized in Kentucky, including 651 in intensive care units and 453 on ventilators. Statewide, 90.5% of ICU beds were occupied, the state said Wednesday.

This virus will come for any of us," the governor said. "Please get vaccinated. It gives you the best protection out of anything out there to make sure that we dont lose you or your loved ones.

Beshear continued urging people to mask up when indoors in public, away from home.

Meanwhile, the Jenkins Independent school system was mourning a death in the small, close-knit district. Superintendent Damian Johnson said Wednesday that Bartley was a wonderful person who was dedicated to teaching and her students.

"She was a role model to her students," he said in a phone interview. "She was a positive influence. And everyone who came in contact with her was better for having her a part of their life.

Bartley was meticulous about wearing a mask, Johnson said. The district requires universal mask-wearing in school.

At least 44 Kentucky K-12 schools personnel have died as a result of the coronavirus since 2020, according to the educators group Kentucky 120 United. Three staff members at Lee County Elementary in eastern Kentucky have died from the virus since the school term began.

With a few exceptions, school boards across Kentucky voted to keep masks on students and staff while at school as the delta variant drives up COVID-19 infections and deaths. The Republican-led legislature recently shifted masking decisions to local school leaders.

___

Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
BEIJING (AP)  Global investors are watching nervously as one of Chinas biggest real estate developers struggles to avoid defaulting on tens of billions of dollars of debt, fueling fears of possible wider shock waves for the financial system.

Chinese regulators have yet to say what they might do about Evergrande Group. Economists expect them to intervene if Evergrande and lenders cant agree on how to handle its debts. But any official resolution is expected to involve losses for banks and bondholders.

The government doesnt want to be seen as engineering a bail out but is likely to organize a debt restructuring to reduce systemic risk and contain economic disruption, Tommy Wu of Oxford Economics said in a report.

Evergrande is the biggest casualty yet from the ruling Communist Partys effort to rein in surging debt levels.

Investors are watching how the developer headquartered in the southern city of Shenzhen near Hong Kong handles an interest payment due Thursday on one of its bonds.

A look at Evergrande and anxiety about its debt troubles:

WHAT IS EVERGRANDE?

Evergrande Group, founded in 1996, is one of Chinas biggest builders of apartments, office towers and shopping malls.

The company says it has more than 200,000 employees and supports 3.8 million jobs in construction and other industries. Evergrande says it has 1,300 projects in 280 cities and assets worth 2.3 trillion yuan ($350 billion).

Evergrandes founder, Xu Jiayin, was Chinas richest entrepreneur in 2017 with a net worth of $43 billion, according to the Hurun Report, which follows Chinas wealthy. He has tumbled down the list as internet industries boomed but still ranked as Chinas richest real estate developer last year. He also topped Huruns 2020 list of philanthropists, giving away an estimated 2.8 billion yuan ($420 million).

Evergrande has branched out into electric vehicles, theme park development, health clinics, mineral water and other businesses.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT SO FAR?

Evergrandes Hong Kong-traded shares have fallen 85% since early 2021. Its bonds are trading at an equally deep discount.

Xu built Evergrande on borrowed money. As of June 30, Evergrande reported 2 trillion yuan ($310 billion) of outstanding debts to bondholders, banks, construction contractors and other creditors.

Of that debt, 240 billion yuan ($37.3 billion) was due within a year, nearly triple Evergrande's 86.8 billion yuan ($13.5 billion) in cash holdings, according to a company financial report.

In early 2021, Evergrande forecast its total annual transaction volume would surpass 2 trillion yuan ($310 billion). It reported a $1.4 billion first-half profit but says sales are weakening because news of its cash crunch is making would-be buyers nervous.

WHY NOW?

Evergrande has been squeezed by new limits regulators imposed on real estate-related borrowing as part of the Communist Party's campaign to reduce reliance on debt.

Economists have been warning Chinas rising debt is a potential threat for more than a decade. The ruling party has made reducing such financial risks a priority since 2018. But total corporate, government and household borrowing rose to nearly 300% of economic output last year from 270% in 2018. That's unusually high for a middle-income country.

News reports indicate Evergrande borrowed everywhere it could, including by requiring employees of its construction contractors to buy its debt.

In 2017, state-owned China Citic Bank in Shenzhen agreed to lend 40 billion yuan ($6.2 billion) for an Evergrande project only after its executives agreed to invest at least 3 million yuan ($465,000) each, according to the business news magazine Caixin.

HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO THE PARTYS PLANS TO REMAKE THE CHINESE ECONOMY?

The Communist Party is trying to reduce the economy's reliance on debt as it tries to nurture more self-sustaining economic growth based on domestic consumption

It allowed China's first corporate debt default since the 1949 revolution in 2014 as part of efforts to force borrowers and lenders to be more disciplined. Until then, the government had intervened to bail out insolvent borrowers to avoid spooking financial markets. Beijing has gradually allowed more defaults, but none by a debtor as big as Evergrande.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS?

Other major developers such as Vanke Co., state-owned Poly Group and Wanda Group have not reported similar problems. But hundreds of smaller developers have shut down since regulators in 2017 started tightening control over fundraising tactics such as selling apartments before construction begins.

Chinese residential real estate is regarded as posing little risk to the financial system, however, because most apartments are paid for with cash, not mortgages. That makes a wave of home foreclosures and defaults on complicated financial derivatives like those in the United States after the 2008 crisis unlikely and easier for banks to manage.

Given how bloated Chinas property developers are, there could be a whole wave of defaults around the corner, but Beijing has resources to prevent a full-blown Chinese credit crunch, Simon MacAdam of Capital Economics said in a report. For all its flaws, this is one advantage of having a tightly controlled financial system versus a more free-market system.

IS THERE RISK OUTSIDE CHINA?

Some commentators suggest Evergrande might become Chinas Lehman moment, referring to the failure of Wall Street bank Lehman Brothers, a forerunner to the 2008 crisis. But economists say the risk of wider financial market contagion is low.

A managed default or even messy collapse of Evergrande would have little global impact beyond some market turbulence, said MacAdam of Capital Economics.

Evergrande has $18 billion of outstanding foreign-currency bonds, but much of that is held by Chinese banks and other institutions. Unlike Lehman, whose assets were financial instruments whose prices can swing wildly, Evergrande has 1.4 trillion yuan ($215 billion) of land and partially completed projects with relatively stable prices.

In the unlikely event of an outright default, Chinas banking system has an annual profit of 1.9 trillion yuan and reserves of 5.4 trillion yuan against bad loans, which could easily absorb the loss, Larry Hu and Xinyu Ji of Macquarie Group said in a report.

WHAT NEXT?

Investors are waiting to see what Chinese regulators might do, but analysts say they appear to be focused on protecting home buyers by ensuring apartments already paid for are completed.

The government has injected money into other insolvent Chinese companies, but economists say Beijing appears determined to avoid doing that with Evergrande.

In August, Huarong Asset Management Co., Ltd., the biggest of a group of companies created to help resolve bad loans held by state banks, was bailed out by a capital injection from state-owned companies after it lost 102.9 billion yuan ($15.9 billion) last year.

In a letter Tuesday to employees, Xu expressed confidence the company will survive.

Evergrande will surely get out of the darkest moment as soon as possible, Xu said in the letter marking the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  Ben & Jerry's latest ice cream flavor is supporting a new approach to policing, a proposal sponsored by Democratic U.S. Rep. Cori Bush of St. Louis.

The Vermont-based company on Monday launched the flavor Change is Brewing." The limited-batch offering features the flavor of cold brew coffee ice cream with swirls of marshmallow and fudge brownies. The company, at a news conference, also announced support for Bush's legislation, the People's Response Act.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Louisiana's oyster farmers, crabbers, shrimpers and anglers are nothing if not adaptable, producing millions of pounds of seafood annually, often in water that was dry land a generation ago. They've fought off a devastating oil spill, floods, changing markets and endless hurricanes just to stay in business.

After Hurricane Ida, though, some wonder about their ability to continue in a seemingly endless cycle of recovery and readjustment.

The Category 4 hurricane that struck Louisiana late last month fractured some parts of the industry even worse than 2005's Katrina, which cost seafood businesses more than $1 billion. No one yet knows how many boats, docks and processors were lost because of Ida's relentless, 150-mph winds. Vessels that made it to the safest harbors fared the best, yet even some of them were destroyed by the storm's fury.

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, whose office oversees seafood promotion, said some areas, like Lafitte, were all but wiped out. The damage is a devastating blow to people whose entire lives are intertwined with fishing and the Gulf Coast.

This thing just seemed to beat and beat and beat, kind of mixing it up like a washing machine, Nungesser said. I think that slow-moving storm beating these boats against the docks, against each other, caused a lot more vessels to sink and have major damage.

The story of Ida's impact on Louisiana's $2.4 billion seafood industry, which employs more than 23,000 at last count, is unfolding across places that outsiders struggle to even pronounce: Parishes like Plaquemines, Lafourche, and Terrebonne, cities and hamlets including Pointe-aux-Chenes, Des Allemandes and Houma. There, seafood families go back generations.

The people who make their living off the Gulf bounty are pledging to come back again this time provided another hurricane doesn't wipe them out first. But there are other challenges ahead as Louisiana tries to save a vanishing coastline, an industry and a way of life, all at the same time.

RAINING INSIDE

The ferocious wind from Hurricane Ida tore off so much of the roof of Motivatit Seafoods that it rained inside the oyster plant in Houma when squalls from Hurricane Nicholas blew through two weeks later, ruining expensive processing equipment. Across a parking lot, Ida reduced the company's maintenance shop to a crumpled heap of metal.

This is at least 20 times worse than we've ever had, said Steven Voisin, who runs the 50-year-old family business founded by his late brother and father. It could have been worse, but it doesn't matter. The buildings are to the extent of not really being able to be reused.

Oyster production already was down in Louisiana because of hurricanes and the BP oil spill of 2010, and several years of bad flooding virtually wiped out some areas where the shellfish grew, partly because a major spillway had to be opened in 2019, Voisin said.

Where this state was out-producing all other states combined in the past, now were just another state with a few oysters, he said.

Then, the coronavirus pandemic forced restaurants around the U.S. to close last year, killing demand for a product that's best served fresh. While Motivatit Seafoods employed as many as 100 people in the past, Voisin said, the current payroll is around 20 people, at least some of whom will help determine how to move forward after Ida.

We're going to have to consolidate things, become smaller, use what we can and hope to get up and running, he said.

Voisin said he has yet to compute a dollar estimate for damage to the company, which also operates boats that harvest oysters, but it's substantial.

We hope that we're able to have the vision and the wisdom to continue. It's going to be a battle, he said.

FRACTURED SHRIMPERS

Unable to speak for a decade since cancer surgery, Dale Williams gets by on disability payments of $1,300 a month. Living in a mobile home at Port Sulphur on the west bank of the Mississippi River, he supplements his income by catching shrimp with a little boat he parked in his front yard for Hurricane Ida.

Idas Category 4 winds flipped Williams trawler on its side, bending the frame and tearing nets, but it should be ready to go after about $1,500 in repairs, he said in an interview conducted by written notes. The goal is to get back on the water by October, he said, either with the damaged boat or another one that fared better.

I miss it, he wrote.

Still, Williams felt fortunate after seeing what happened a few miles down Highway 23, toward the tip of Louisianas boot. There, dozens of shrimp boats were sunk or damaged at a commercial marina off Bay Lanaux; workers tried to salvage one at dockside the day before Hurricane Nicholas followed Ida.

About half the shrimping fleet was destroyed by Ida in some coastal parishes, Acy Cooper, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, said. That amounts to hundreds of boats.

Its going to be devastating for the industry, Cooper said. Every (boat) is a small business youre losing.

Even shrimp boats that werent damaged couldnt fish for days after Ida because of the lack of power and clean water needed to make ice, which is vital to storing the catch, he said. A day at the dock means a day without income, which hurts in an industry already buffeted by years of foreign imports, high fuel prices, shifting demand and more.

The industry is going to take a big hit here, said Cooper.

COMMUNITY ON THE EDGE

The fate of a handful of rental houses could help determine whether an isolated fishing community on Louisiana's southern coast lives or dies after Hurricane Ida.

Anglers from all over visit Pointe-aux-Chenes, which bills itself as having some of the very best fishing and crabbing in a state proclaimed on car license plates as a "Sportsman's Paradise." Many of the community's 3,600 or so residents are Native American or speak Cajun French, and the marina at the end of the main road helps bring cash into the modest local economy.

They come from Illinois. They come from Michigan, Ohio. All kind of people come down," said Patti Dardar, who works at the marina and lives just a few miles up the road in a badly damaged home that hasn't had water or power since Ida.

The problem for Pointe-aux-Chenes is that Ida heavily damaged a group of rental houses that stand on stilts near the marina's docks, about 80 miles southwest of New Orleans. Without housing, the visitors who normally buy tackle, fuel, food and beer won't be around for awhile to contribute to the community's economy, which needs every penny it can get.

Even before Ida, the shrinking community was fighting to prevent its elementary school from being merged with one in nearby Montegut. Members of the Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe were among those who protested the proposal at a demonstration in April, before hurricane season began.

For now, though, cleaning up the wreckage from Ida is the main job for an isolated community that, like others in the far reaches of the state, plays a sometimes-forgotten role in the state's seafood industry. Sunken or damaged commercial fishing boats, broken docks and splintered homes line the bayou that runs through town.

Dardar doesn't know when the marina might reopen, but she knows it will. It must, she said, for the town.

We gotta rebuild and start over, said Dardar.

OYSTERS ON THE HOMESTEAD

Mitch Jurisich's grandparents immigrated to the United States from Croatia in the early 1900s, settling at Bayou LaChute and living in a house surrounded by peach trees, chickens and, just off the shore, oyster beds. Today, the entire homestead is covered by more than 4 feet of water, and all that remains visible of the old camp are wooden pilings around where Jurisich farms oysters near Empire, Louisiana.

This was a high hill, he said, pointing out over submerged beds where big, succulent oysters grow to maturity quickly in the warm waters of Plaquemines Parish about 60 miles southeast of New Orleans.

Ida's heavy rains caused freshwater and sediment to flood coastal estuaries, killing the shellfish, said Jurisich, chair of the Louisiana Oyster Task Force, an industry group. While farmers are still assessing their losses, he said, the final numbers will be bad.

Overall, its pretty dismal, he said.

Many in the seafood industry fear more trouble could come from a method officials are debating to save Louisiana's coastline, which is disappearing similarly to the way the old Jurisich property vanished. Coastal land has been sinking in the region for years in a process that's linked in part to oil and gas extraction. Rising waters associated with climate change are only making matters worse.

To help regain land, some are advocating a multi-billion dollar plan to divert Mississippi River water in a way that would cause sediment to build new acreage where land was lost in decades past. Opponents fear the project would upset the freshwater-saltwater balance and kill an industry that's already teetering; an initial federal review found the benefit would outweigh harm to the seafood industry.

Combine that uncertainty with demand that's still off sharply because of the pandemic, and Jurisich said the future of he and his brother's company, Jurisich Oysters LLC, is far from guaranteed.

As long as Mother Nature leaves us something out there to work with, we're going to bounce back, he said. Natural disasters have been around since the dawn of time. Man-made disasters are so much harder to recover from.
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

MILFORD  Police are warning residents of an increased police presence as detectives work to investigate an unspecified incident from Tuesday night.

Around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, police said detectives were on scene in the area of Railroad Avenue between High Street and Beardsley Avenue.
MILFORD  A series of proposed changes to zoning regulations at the Connecticut Post Mall are expected to be back on the Planning and Zoning Boards agenda next month, after the board closed public comment on the plans Tuesday.

The board did not vote on the proposed regulation changes made by Centennial Real Estate, the malls owners, at the meeting. Board Chairman Jim Quish ended the public hearing portion after no members of the public spoke.

John Knuff, representing Centennial, said he wanted to make the proposed regulation change clear to everyone in attendance. It was in the best interest of Centennial and the city for the mall to thrive since neither side wanted the property to be vacant.

While this application is a very modest first step, it opens the next step in taking the next bigger step together, he said. We want to do something (that makes) the center productive, makes the city proud, adds vitality to the center.

The current plan for the mall incorporates some changes based on feedback from P&Z, Knuff said. The proposal calls for mixed use buildings with incorporated residences in multi-family buildings with a plaza, plus sustainability measures incorporated into the design.

All of these are in response to working with and listening to you, he told the board.

Another change in the proposal is making 5 percent (15 units) of the total 300 planned units Section 8-30g (affordable housing) compliant. Although the project is not an affordable housing project, which would require 30 percent of the units be 8-30g compliant, the 15 units planned as affordable would count toward allowing Milford to enact an affordable housing project moratorium, Knuff said.

Robert Satti questioned if the board approved the zoning change, would the city receive more applications to build multi-family buildings. Knuff said it would not.

We are limiting to 300 units to the zone, not our property, he said. That includes our property, the Walmart parcel and the Stop & Shop.

Other proposed changes to the zone include expanding the types of schools permitted in the zone, and explicitly allowing outdoor dining in the zone for all types of food service establishments. Knuff also told the board he would like to see medical offices specifically permitted.

Right now, your regulation says professional office. We thought that was probably already included, but we want to be very specific that medical offices are included, he said.

For the residential areas, the proposed changes to the regulations include reducing the height of apartment buildings.

These are exceedingly modest tweaks to the regulation, and yes, it will have a very significant impact at the mall whether you approve or deny this application, said Knuff. But in terms of the application itself, in the overall scale and context of the existing shopping center design and regulations, it is a very modest request we are making.

Knuff added that the proposed changes are a first step in Centennial doing something really terrific in Milford.

This is a baby step, we think there is going to be some great steps in the future, but we cant get to those next great steps without taking this first baby step, he said.

Alderman March Zahariades said still was worried about the proposed regulation changes because he feels like it would be opening Pandoras Box to allowing more multi-family apartment buildings in areas where they are not currently found in Milford.

I personally feel that the mall is not a place to put 300 apartments, and its going to look kind of funny, to me, to have 300 apartments sitting in the mall parking lot right next to the mall, he said.

Steven Levin, Centennials CEO, said the project would be done in phases, starting with the Sears end of the mall, which is vacant.

As we generate interest other uses like medical, like university, like lab sciences, corporate campuses, these are the things we want to generate to create this type of campus environment, he said. Its the plan we want to embark upon, but right now, we have the Sears lot, which is vacant, which allows the opportunity to go to step one.

The mall has been expanded six times since it opened, and Levin said that with businesses like Target, Boscovs, Macys and Dicks Sporting Goods at the mall, the company has no intention of abandoning retail.

Our vision is not to remove the mall, he said. At this point, the mall is still one million square feet, but it allows us to add uses to the campus that makes it more mixed-use, that it will invigorate the mall and shrink it to a size that will be much more productive from a retail standpoint than it is today.
NEW HAVEN  City officials urged people not to come to New Haven for the upcoming East Coastin motorcycle event Wednesday, saying the gathering was not properly permitted and police would be out in force to ward off the chaos that characterized last years iteration.

Organizers, though, said the ball already was in motion; they said they would do what they could to keep the annual event contained and people safe.

Mayor Justin Elicker and Interim Chief Renee Dominguez, speaking at the Woodward Avenue police substation, said the city had sought to work with the organization as it sought a permit, then, after that failed, they told organizers repeatedly the event would not be tolerated this year.

New Haven is a place where people deserve to feel safe; they deserve to have a high quality of life. And we are telling people: do not come to this event. Do not come to this event. Do not come to this event if you care about New Havens public safety, said Elicker. Do not come to this event if you respect our city. If you do decide to come to this event, we are prepared, and we will hold you accountable.

Dominguez said the department was putting together a special detail to monitor the situation Saturday. Parking laws will be enforced, she said; those who break the law may be arrested.

The department also was in contact with state troopers and police from East Haven and West Haven, who will watch over the highways for large groups, she said.

About 10,000 people came to the city for last years event, causing disruption and chaos in the city, Dominguez said.

It required police resources all over the city, taking away from resources that we needed for regular calls for service and 911 responses, said Dominguez.

The city had strived to help the East Coastin organization complete the required documentation to receive a permit from the city, but the group ultimately did not fill out an application, Dominguez said.

This is a non-permitted event. This is not sanctioned by the city, said Dominguez. If individuals are coming to the city ... they need to follow the rules we have set forth. ... We are asking that individuals who come respect the city, respect the neighbors and the residents.

Elicker said the city had warned organizers against holding the event in 2020 as well, but they did so anyway. With that track record, it was hard for the city to work with them, he said.

Whats wrong with you? We have so many challenges in this time, said Elicker, noting the coronavirus pandemic, violence and economic stresses, among others.

The situation this year is particularly stressful for the department, given the recent passing of Officer Joshua Castellano, Dominguez said.

Its extremely frustrating. We had a conversation with the organizers on Monday, and we said our officers are grieving, our officers are hurting, our officers are dealing with a wake and a funeral Thursday and Friday  have some compassion, said Dominguez. Even trying to speak to the emotion has not worked.

Gabe Canestri and Sal Fusco of East Coastin, which they stressed was an affiliation of friends and not a formal motorcycle club, also attended the press gathering Wednesday. They said it was too late to keep people from coming to New Haven.

Prospective attendees already had booked hotel rooms, they said; even if they formally canceled the event, there would be some kind of gathering. They had warned people that they would bear risk if they came, they said.

Canestri and Fusco said they had been willing to jump through whatever hoops were necessary to get a permit for the event, but were unable to do so. Canestri blamed the bureaucratic process, saying they had been shushed along in their various efforts by the city, although the department had sought to work with them.

I said Im willing to go down whatever avenue you guys need me to go down  whatever the permits cost, lets do this the right way, said Canestri. We want to make this a legitimate event.

We dont want to make this chaos; we want to make this a good time. We want people to come down, have one day, we clean up, we do as much as we can to make the event go as smoothly as possible, and go home the next day, said Fusco. We tried to pull all the strings we can to do things the right way, and it just wont happen. ... Its just an unfortunate situation.

It is what it is at this point, said Canestri. The people that we deal with this are pretty true to this, so theyre coming to New Haven (whether) its high risk or not.

The event had been unexpectedly large in 2020, Canestri and Fusco said. It was one of the first gatherings after the height of the coronavirus pandemic, they noted. Several thousand fewer people are expected this year, they said.

Dominguez also noted the pandemic as a potential factor in the size of the event, but noted it had grown in each of the past several years, prompting concern.

Canestri and Fusco said they would strive to keep the event to the organizations property on Forbes Avenue this year, limiting the impact on the rest of the city. The event features motorcycle stunt riders, they said; people usually come to watch and hang out.

Businesses in the area had agreed to close during the gathering, they said, allowing for people to park off the street.

Were going to have it contained. Weve had this event for five years; weve never really had an issue, said Fusco. People come, we have a good time, do motorcycle stunts in the back roads ... just come, have a good time, go home.

Alder Carmen Rodriguez, D-6, expressed her displeasure after Canestri and Ferruci had finished offering remarks.

Were going to have citizens of New Haven worried about their safety on Saturday, said Rodriguez. Shame on these two young men.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN  Lincoln-Bassett School was put into lockdown late Wednesday morning after shots were fired outside the building, according to a district spokesman.

No injuries were reported, spokesman Justin Harmon said.

All students are safe. Police were on the scene, Harmon said in an email.

Mayor Justin Elicker, who went to the school following the incident, said, It is deeply concerning that people would shoot, especially midday near a school.

The gunshots were fired from a passing vehicle, Harmon said. This incident occurred while students were outdoors playing at recess.

Harmon said the security officer and school personnel got the children inside rapidly.

Police responded immediately, he said in the email. The school was reopened just after noon when the police deemed it safe.

Police spokesman Officer Scott Shumway said while the shots fired did cause a lockdown at the school, the lockdown was brief and it was determined that the school was not the target.

At this time, this is believed to be an isolated incident with no further danger to the school, Shumway said. Out of an abundance of caution, we will have an extra presence in the area.

Harmon said in a telephone interview that he did not yet know how many shots were fired or where they landed or whether any bullets hit the school.

When the shots started, the teachers and security who were out there ran to make sure the children got inside very quickly, which they were able to do, Harmon said.

Harmon said students have regular drills for fire, lockdown and shelter in place scenarios, and all schools are asked to file crisis plans for use in an emergency.

Harmon said the teachers soothed the children and used all efforts to calm them down and communicate what happened.

The district has crisis counselors who work on scene with school social workers and staff after an incident such as this, he said. They are working with the affected students right now.

Elicker, commenting just after he left the school, said the shots appear to have come from two vehicles that were near the school and the corner of Shelton Avenue and Ivy Street who quickly left the area.

The incident was unrelated to the school, he said. Teachers acted quickly to bring kids inside the school and put the school on lockdown until it was determined there was no threat.

Elicker said staff from Clifford Beers, which provides mental health care, was on site to talk with students. Police said Yale Child Study Center staff also were on site.

We are working hard to respond to the increase in violence in the city, Elicker said.

A nearby resident said she heard the gunfire.

It was bad. It was a whole lot of shots, she said.  ...They were just shooting.

The woman, who did not want her name used, said neighbors are told the street is full of cameras mounted on top of stoplights, so she expects the police should be able to find out what happened.

The woman said that by the time she looked out her window, the children already were inside the building.

I feel terrible. Its just ridiculous, she said of the incident.

The magnet school on Bassett Street serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
BRIDGEPORT  The pastor of an East End church under foreclosure urged city officials Tuesday to take his properties by eminent domain.

Im putting out a public request, the Rev. Kenneth Moales Jr. told Mayor Joe Ganim, state Sen. Marilyn Moore, D-Bridgeport, and City Council members during a Zoom session Tuesday afternoon. Without your support we are done.

Ganim told Moales he was concerned about the situation but was noncommittal to his proposal. Moore said she would commit to sending a letter to the state attorney general regarding the loan situation.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Meyer recently granted a temporary stay to Moales of the judges eviction order pending an appeal of the eviction to the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

Moales, a former chairman of the citys Board of Education, is senior pastor of Prayer Tabernacle Church of Love, Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and chief executive of CREAM Enterprises, a construction and management company. Through his church he owns 15 parcels of land in the East End.

In September 2017, according to court documents, after a more than four-year legal battle that initially began in state court, Meyer issued a foreclosure order against Moales for failure to pay a debt of $12,630,230. That amount has since increased to more than $15 million.

Following numerous court hearings, the judge on May 29, 2020, ordered the eviction of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Union Avenue along with the Kingdoms Little Ones daycare, a summer camp, a private school, Love Christian Academy  all at the Union Avenue address  and other operations owned by Moales on Stratford Avenue.

Moales subsequently filed for bankruptcy to block the foreclosure but federal bankruptcy court dismissed the case and allowed the foreclosure to proceed.

Moales did not return calls and emails for comment. Thomas Bucci, whose law firm is representing Moales, declined comment.

Moales said they want an opportunity to buy back the properties, valued at a total of $5 million, and claimed they have a developer who is willing to fund a project on the properties for $7 million. He did not name the developer.

In 2007, Moales and his father, the late Bishop Kenneth Moales, had a vision to construct a grand 41,000-square-foot cathedral of glass and marble on Union Avenue to accommodate its growing congregation. Moales Sr. died in 2010.

That December, according to court documents, the Moales family borrowed $6.1 million from Foundation Capital Resources, securing the loan with the churchs properties. A year later, the records show they borrowed another $1.17 million from Foundation.

But in 2013, Foundation Capital filed a foreclosure lawsuit against Moales for unpaid mortgage payments.

Our church will not lose a mailbox  never mind a piece of property in Bridgeport, Moales said at the time.

Kristin B. Mayhew, the attorney for the foundation, said in an emailed response to a request for comment, My client, Foundation Capital Resources, Inc., has no comment on the pending litigation.
Canines in the courtroom? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says yes  under certain conditions.

A trial witness may be accompanied by a comfort dog if the animal will help yield reliable, complete and truthful testimony, the justices ruled Wednesday in a precedent-setting opinion that established a balancing test for Pennsylvania judges confronted with such a request.

Ruling unanimously in a murder case, the Supreme Court pointed to other states that allow witnesses to testify with the help of emotional support dogs. The justices said it's permissible, as long as steps are taken to minimize any potential harm to a defendant.

"Trial courts have the discretion to permit a witness to testify with the assistance of a comfort dog," Chief Justice Max Baer wrote for the court. In exercising that discretion, courts should balance the degree to which the accommodation will assist the witness in testifying in a truthful manner against any possible prejudice to the defendants right to a fair trial."

The defendant, Sheron Purnell, was convicted of third-degree murder in the 2016 shooting death of a man in Coatesville and was given a prison sentence of up to 47 years.

Purnell's lawyers argued that a Chester County judge abused his discretion by allowing a comfort dog to accompany a teenage witness who testified against Purnell at trial. The defense argued the dog, part of the sheriff's K-9 unit, would generate sympathy among jurors for the girl.

Prosecutors argued the dog was trained to accompany witnesses in court and would help allay the girls fear of testifying.

The judge allowed it but said the dog, a black Lab named Melody, had to remain under the witness stand throughout the teenager's testimony. He also instructed jurors to ignore the dog for purposes of assessing the witness's credibility and said they should not view her more sympathetically.

The Supreme Court said the judge had acted reasonably.

We note that there is nothing in the record to suggest that the comfort dog was in any way disruptive to the trial," the court said.

The justices adopted rules established by Connecticut's high court and said they would apply to Pennsylvania state court cases. Judges can limit any potential prejudice to a defendant by blocking jurors' view of the dog and giving appropriate jury instructions, the court said.

Justice Christine Donohue endorsed the majoritys adoption of a balancing test but said that in the Purnell case, prosecutors presented no evidence to demonstrate that the presence of the sheriffs dog would enable the witness to testify more reliably and completely.

She said Purnell's lawyers had failed to argue the point at trial, preventing them from raising it on appeal.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A drive-by shooting at a school bus stop in Kentucky left a 16-year-old student dead and another hospitalized Wednesday morning, police said.

A third child was injured as the youths waited at the bus stop just west of downtown Louisville, authorities said without elaborating on what caused those injuries.

A person in a car drove by the bus stop around 6:30 a.m. and shot at the waiting students, some of whom were not harmed, Louisville Metro Police Maj. Shannon Lauder said at a news conference. No suspects were in custody as of Wednesday afternoon.

Police released a photo of a dark gray Jeep SUV on social media and sought the public's help in finding it. The vehicle had Illinois license tags, with the plate number BD91644.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the shooting violated a sacred space."

And a teen that should be at school today will not be there, and will never be there again, he said.

Fischer said the fatal shooting was the citys 145th homicide this year.

Police were working with the FBI and other agencies in investigating the shooting, Chief Erika Shields said. She suggested the shooting could be gang-related.

The reality of it is, we are dealing with very difficult gang issues in this city, Shields said. Many of our gang members go to these schools. She said she did not believe the victim was involved with gangs.

The bus stop, not far from the city's downtown, was for students of Eastern High School.

Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio called the incident one of the most difficult mornings of my career. He said support is being provided to students and teachers at the school.

The bus arrived shortly after the shooting, school officials said.

Maj. Lauder said Louisville Police is going to throw all of our resources at finding out who did this.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP)  In their first public opportunity to voice concerns on a proposal to let tech companies that meet certain requirements create semi-autonomous jurisdictions called Innovation Zones, officials from Storey County dressed down the idea in a line-by-line fashion.

They called into question the motives of the company that wants to break away from its control.

While Im sure many would prefer to have no independent government oversight, we dont make laws based on what is convenient for just one party, Storey County Commissioner Clay Mitchell told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Mitchell and other county representatives oppose a proposal backed by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak that would allow companies that promise a $1.25 billion investment and possess at least 78 square miles (202 square kilometers) of land to apply to form the Innovation Zones.

On Tuesday, they framed Storey County as among the most development-friendly jurisdictions in the United States. They made clear that they supported a proposal from Blockchains  the primary backer of the Innovation Zones proposal that's also the county's largest landholder  to develop parts of the empty desert within their borders. But they didn't understand the company's claims it couldn't do so without forming its own jurisdiction.

For almost a year, Blockchains and lobbyists from one of Nevada's most well-connected firms have advocated for the Innovation Zones. The zones would be governed by three county commission-like board members  two of whom would at first be nominated by the company. They would operate outside the jurisdiction of pre-existing local government and eventually could create court systems, impose taxes and make zoning decisions.

The company's proposal has been met with opposition from skeptics of overly powerful tech companies, environmentalists and local officials. The resistance led Sisolak and legislative leaders to water the proposal down to a study last spring. The Legislature's study committee convened for its second meeting on Tuesday and has until the end of the year to submit a report on whether to keep the idea under consideration.

Blockchains and its lobbyists argued Tuesday that the company had the transformative potential to become the internet of the 21st century. The company says it wants to make Nevada a global leader in advancing new applications of its technology. It has yet to introduce a product, but blockchain is a digital ledger that can record nearly any transaction and is best known for facilitating cryptocurrency transactions.

Standing in the way, company representatives said, is that local officials from Nevada's third least-populous county don't have the expertise to oversee their plans and couldn't do so without retrofitting their systems in place.

On Tuesday, Storey County rebutted that claim and pointed to their experience approving successful developments including Tesla's northern Nevada battery factory and a 1.3 million square-foot (121,000 square-meter) data center owned by Switch, a global technology company. They said they had repeatedly told Blockchains they were capable and willing to approve new development and wouldn't need new processes to do so.

Storey County lobbyist Mary Walker repeatedly called the idea The Berns Innovation Zone legislation on Tuesday, in a reference to Blockchains CEO Jeff Berns. She honed in on the company's claim that it needed Innovation Zones to attract the investment required to build their smart city and told lawmakers it wasn't the government's job to help a business find investors.

Walker also addressed the company comparing its proposal to the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which was established to create Disneyworld. Disney at one point told Florida lawmakers it planned to build a city, but it ultimately scrapped its plans.

Virginia Township Justice of the Peace Eileen Herrington told lawmakers that she had qualms about the proposal's plan to let the new zones create courts because she didn't think the public could be confident in their ability to administer justice.

While the zone's eventual takeover may be acceptable for many facets of a persons life, its a completely different matter when it comes to the administration of justice, which is a essential part of the just society. An effective legal process not only protects suspects and defendants, it gives victims the confidence that justice will be done, she said.

___

Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a state law preventing anyone from moving a Confederate monument or changing the historical name of a street or building without the Legislature's permission is legal.

But in the same ruling, the justices struck down a requirement that two-thirds of the General Assembly must approve a move or name change.

The unanimous decision keeps intact South Carolina's Heritage Act, which has stopped colleges and local governments from removing statues honoring Civil War soldiers or segregationists even as other areas of the South took them down after protests sparked by the killing of African American George Floyd last year by white police officers in Minnesota.

The law was passed in 2000 as part of a compromise to remove the Confederate flag from atop the South Carolina Statehouse dome. The rebel banner was moved to a pole on the capitol lawn, where it flew until 2015 when lawmakers removed it after nine Black church members were killed in a racist massacre at a Charleston church.

One of the people who sued lawmakers over the Heritage Act is the widow of state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor at Emanuel AME church in Charleston who died in the attack.

The law specifically protects monuments from 10 wars  from the Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War. It also protects monuments honoring African Americans and Native Americans as well as a catchall phrase of any historic figure or historic event.

Jennifer Pinkney has pointed out that means she couldn't make changes to a monument to her late husband unveiled this year without asking lawmakers for permission.

Her lawyer, state Sen. Gerald Malloy, called the ruling a victory since monuments to racists are no longer protected by a two-thirds vote.

The voice of the majority can now be heard about which statues and names best reflect our values and heritage. The road to justice is a long one that takes constant care. Todays decision gets us further on our journey, the Democrat from Hartsville said.

Days after the Confederate flag was removed in 2015, South Carolina legislative leaders vowed they would not approve the removal of any other statues or renaming of buildings under the Heritage Act and have kept their word.

South Carolina Senate President Harvey Peeler said in the summer of 2020 that changing the name of a stack of bricks and mortar is at the bottom of my to-do list.

He issued another statement Wednesday: The protections over all of our states monuments and statues were ruled constitutional and they will remain in place.

House Speaker Jay Lucas said in 2015 that no other changes would be considered while he was the chamber's leader. After Wednesday's ruling he again repeated that promise.

Lawmakers in 2021 refused to even take the first step toward requests to remove monuments like Orangeburg asking to remove a Confederate statue or change names like Clemson University asking to rename a building that currently honors the late U.S. Sen. Pitchfork Ben Tillman, who led violent racist mobs to stop Blacks from voting.

Left undecided after Wednesday's ruling is what might happen if a local government ignores the law. The act included no specific punishment for breaking it. Some Republicans have suggested taking away a local government or school's state funding, but that idea hasn't gained traction in the Legislature.

Charleston did remove a statue of former U.S. Vice President John Calhoun from a downtown park in 2020, arguing the city owned the statue and it was on private land so it didnt fall under the law. Calhoun was a fierce defender of slavery with a racist view that Blacks were better off owned by other people.

Much of Wednesday's 22-page ruling traced the history of the 2000 compromise, praising it for soothing racial tensions in the state. It was signed by all justices, including Chief Justice Don Beatty, who is just the second African American to lead the high court.

As individual citizens  even Justices  we might look back on these events and wish the negotiations had been handled differently. The reality, however, is the Heritage Act brought the Confederate flag down from atop the seat of South Carolina sovereignty," Associate Justice John Cannon Few wrote in the ruling.

The justices also rejected an argument that the Heritage Act broke what is called home rule in South Carolina and illegally let the General Assembly mettle in local affairs.

They contend local governments are in a better position to act with regard to this subject because they can be more responsive' to the thoughts of the community. This may be true, but Home Rule is not about who holds the better wisdom," Few wrote.

Even though the justices found the two-thirds requirement to remove or move a monument illegal, they upheld a clause in the law that said if any part was ruled unconstitutional, the rest would stand.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.
NEW HAVEN  A crowd strode through Fair Haven Tuesday night, led by young people, calling for violence to give way to peace in the neighborhood and the city beyond.

The rally and march, organized by youth anti-violence group Ice the Beef, was held after a recent spate of shootings in Fair Haven, which prompted a community meeting last Friday, and an increase in gun violence across New Haven, which has seen 22 homicides so far this year, more than in all of 2020.

Before those in attendance set off from the John S. Martinez School on James Street, Catherine Wicks, youth vice president of Ice the Beef, offered a spoken word poem, speaking to the commonality and impact of the gunfire in her life and those of her peers.

She raised the image of going to the grocery store, to school, to the library, and ending up facing a gun.

Get down on the ground; lay on your stomach! Dont move! I went to the store for groceries; I forgot the paper towels. Will I see my family again? My Mom is calling. What are you doing? Please dont shoot  bang! Wicks intoned as part of the poem. America, youve got the bullet in the chamber. Are you pointing the gun at me? Im only 17... America, you may have been the land of freedom, but now youre just the land of guns.

The crowd gathered shoulder to shoulder before setting off down Wolcott Street. It featured local politicians  state Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven; Alder Jose Crespo, D-16; and Alder Ron Hurt, D-3, spoke during the proceedings  members of Black Lives Matter New Haven, residents and youths, among others.

As they walked, the marchers raised chants, claiming ownership of the streets of the city, calling for justice, demanding peace without delay. People watched from their stoops, alert to the commotion; some raised phones to record the parade; a group of young children, playing in the Murray Place housing development, stopped and stared.

The crowd turned onto Blatchley Avenue; New Haven police slipped in ahead of the crowd, blocking traffic to allow the procession to continue unimpeded.

The calls for peace continued; the crowd broke into song briefly, singing we want our streets back / we want our streets back / hey, hey, hey / we want them now to the tune of Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Good Bye by Steam; they stopped to pray over intersections in the neighborhood. Crespos voice grew hoarse as he led the call and response.

As the march reached its conclusion, Manuel Camacho, the youth president of Ice the Beef and lead organizer of the rally, likened the work against gun violence to water wearing away a rock.

The rock would not break immediately, he said, but over time, it will crack  all that water is stronger than the rock will ever be.

When community comes together, things happen. That is the only way we can bring the change we want. But it depends on each and every single one of you here today, and the ones who are not here, said Camacho. Understand, when were united together, that shows... strength, more than anything else in this world.

Remidy Shareef, director of outreach with Ice the Beef, urged those in attendance to transcend the limitations of our base selves and come together in the name of love, including for the young people of the city.

Life in America has included oppression and trauma, bloodshed and war, he said. Young people, raised in that tradition, needed to be shown something beyond that destructive pattern, he said.

All of us have got a date in the graveyard. What is it going to take for us to shut this (expletive) down for real? Shareef said. Lets stop playing. Lets unite under freedom, love and equality.

At the end of the evening, Camacho went around to each member of the crowd. One after another, he said he loved them.

I am simply your neighbor, said Camacho. So I am going to love you.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
BRANFORD  A proposed Amazon facility in the town will serve as a final hub in the companys vast delivery network, according to town officials briefed on the plans.

At 98,000-square-feet, the proposed distribution warehouse off Interstate 95 will also be a fraction of the size of Amazons massive and heavily-automated fulfillment centers, which can employ more than 1,000 workers who receive, package and ship millions of products.

The center in Branford is expected to employ around 100 people, officials said.

Its been described to us as a last-mile facility, said First Selectman James Cosgrove, who said the proposed warehouse would be a launching point for a fleet of Amazon vans that deliver packages directly to customers homes.

Amazon declined to answer questions about the companys existing footprint in Connecticut or its plans for a new facility in Branford.

An attorney who presented a preliminary draft of the plan to the Economic Development Commission last week did not respond to requests for comment.

As a company, we are always looking to grow in communities and recruit and support talented people to join our team, Amazon spokesperson Verena Gross said in an email.

While I cannot comment on any prospective plans in Branford, I can say we are proud of the investments weve made in the state and look forward to continued growth and prosperity to best serve our customers, Gross said.

Amazon operates large-scale fulfillment centers in Windsor and North Haven, according to the website Seller Essentials. Smaller sorting centers are also located in Wallingford and Meriden.

The Windsor facility, which tops 820,000-square-feet, opened last year after receiving a three-year property tax abatement and a reduction in permit fees, the Hartford Business Journal reported.

Perry Maresca, chairman of the Branford Economic Development Commission, said Amazon representatives have not requested a reduction in taxes or fees during early discussions with town leaders. The company has also not provided salary or wage information for the workers it plans to hire, he added.

The proposed site of the project, an abandoned shopping center long ago destroyed by fire, is an attractive area for development, local officials said.

Maresca said that previous discussions to build a Home Depot or Costco on the property have all fallen through over the years.

The property is almost entirely covered with impervious concrete and asphalt that contributes to local stormwater runoff problems, Cosgrove said, adding that tall weeds growing through cracks in the pavement have turned the site into an eyesore.

Cosgrove said Amazons plans include addressing the problem with a new system to handle runoff, and that the company will time its deployment of delivery vans to avoid contributing to rush-hour traffic.

This is an opportunity for [the property] to be put back into use as a productive site, that would create jobs and bring in tax revenue, Cosgrove said.

Both officials said that Amazon indicated to them that it plans to formally submit plans to the town next month.

Branford Town Planner Harry Smith said the project will need approvals from both the Inland Wetlands Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance allowing the developers to build over 40 feet high.
The Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has berated Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kadu...





The Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has berated Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State for his attack on governors within the southern region.

Akeredolu described the attack on Southern governors by his Kaduna State counterpart as devious and a hysteric ploy to externalise banditry.

El-Rufai had mocked the southern governors over their position to pass the Anti-Open Grazing Law.

Akeredolu in a statement issued by his Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, said anyone making such a statement made by the Kaduna State Governor should be classified as unenviable ilk masquerading as leaders.

He added that El-Rufai statement was capable of encouraging anarchy under the guise of resentment of a Law by affected stakeholders.

While emphasizing that the Anti-open Grazing Law has come to stay in the state, Akeredolu maintained that those without evil plots have nothing to be worried about.

The statement partly read From all indications, Governor Nasir el-Rufai, if he was properly quoted and his views not misrepresented, is struggling hard to export banditry to the South under an expressed opinion that is laced with mischief.

Perhaps, it is apt to state clearly that the likes of Governor El-Rufai are already in a hysteric mode of escalating and indeed, externalising banditry, especially as the military onslaught against criminal elements and other terror variants suffices in the North.
The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has said that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has refused to help him clear some ...

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has said that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has refused to help him clear some of the states financial issues simply because he speaks the truth.

Ortom also said that he has been approached by some people from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, who said that help could only come to Benue State if he (Ortom) returns to the party.

The Governor, however, said he was not willing to sell his people out like other governors are doing today, adding that he remains committed to them.

Ortom said this in an interview with Dailypost, on how he has been able to achieve so much with the little resources available to his administration.

According to the Governor, About this again, I appreciate God, otherwise, I have been intimidated, I have been vilified, blackmailed and several other things. I mean well for our country Nigeria.

I believe in Nigeria and that is why you see me carrying the colours of Nigeria and the colours of major ethnic nationalities in Benue State; the Tiv, Idoma, Egede and then the Nigerian flag.

So I believe in Nigeria. United we stand and divided we fall. Our strength is in our unity in diversity. And I believe that our people should work together.

But one thing that behoves on us is that I took the oath of office holding the bible, the president took the oath of office holding the Quran and so my understanding about the symbol of holding the bible or the Quran is that we will always say the truth.

We will always protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is what I stand for. We will always fight for equity, fairness and justice.

This is what we should stand for and so Im surprised that when I say things that can add value, things that can transform this country and make it better, people take offence against me and vilify me, they insult me, they say all kinds of things against me.

The federal government has refused to help me in terms of ensuring that we clear the arrears of pension and gratuity which I inherited. It wasnt my fault. Aper Aku had arrears of salaries and gratuity, Akume had, Adasu had, Suswan had and I also have. I also inherited it. 70 billion arrears of pensions, salaries and gratuity. It is not a new thing.

The Federal Government gave me N28 billion and I appropriated it and unfortunately, it was not enough. Other people have been given more, but the Federal government, because of my stance in telling the truth, has refused to give me support.

People came to me and said if you move to APC, we will support you and I said I cannot sell my people out like others are doing today, I cant sell my people, I remain committed with the people.

They elected me, their pain should be my pains and for whatever reasons with the number of people we have here, if you send them away from their ancestral land and take over, where do you want them to go?

Governor Ortom, who won his first tenure under the umbrella of the APC, left the party prior to the 2019 general elections and won his second term as a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
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Last week in this space, we looked at O. Henry, the influential short-story writer who worked briefly for local newspapers and who  as legend has it  borrowed his pen name from a New Orleans bartender who slung drinks at a press hangout.

But now that weve established where he worked and where he played, a question arises: Where did O. Henry live during his time in New Orleans?

Its a good question. First, because that period in his life was fairly short. William Sidney Porter  O. Henrys real name  arrived in New Orleans in early July 1896 as a fugitive from justice for embezzlement from a Texas bank where he once worked.

Several weeks later, after earning enough money, he left again on a banana boat to Honduras, hoping to stay one step ahead of the law. By January 1897  just six months after his arrival in New Orleans  he had returned to Austin to face justice.

+3 This New Orleans building, on Gravier Street, that gave the world writer O. Henry If the writer O. Henry is known for one thing, its for the masterfully constructed twist endings he conjured for his iconic short stories.

During a subsequent three-year prison stint, he would publish his first story under the name O. Henry, the New Orleans-set Whistling Dicks Christmas Stocking.

So, although the city would figure frequently in his works, he didnt live here very long  months at most.

Consequently, little is known about Will Porters life in New Orleans, E. Hudson Long wrote in O. Henry: The Man and His Work, a 1949 biography.

But little isnt the same thing as nothing.

Going to work as a newspaper reporter, he quickly became intimate with a group of newspapermen who had rented an old rookery down in the French Quarter and employed one of the best Creole cooks in the city, Long continued. Here Porter lived for a time, and less fortunate reporters considered it a rare treat to receive an invitation, because of the company and the food.

In a letter to his first wife during this time, Porter wrote that he was rooming in a building near Madam Begues famous restaurant  often credited with inventing brunch  which at the time was located at Madison and Decatur streets, a half-block off Jackson Square.

Alas, the exact address of said rookery isnt mentioned.

A hint, though, might be found in one of O. Henrys later stories, published in 1908 and titled Helping the Other Fellow. The story is fictional, but theres reason to believe there are autobiographical elements in it. For starters, the story begins with the main character awaiting a fruit steamer to take him abroad  something Porter/O. Henry would have done on his flight from New Orleans to Honduras.

Then comes the storys penultimate paragraph, which reads:

When I arrived at the Crescent City I hurried away  far away from the St. Charles (Hotel) to a dim chambre garnie in Bienville Street. And there, looking down from my attic window from time to time at the old, yellow, absinthe house across the street, I wrote this story to buy my bread and butter.

Flash forward to 1922, fully 12 years after Porters death, and the publication of a feature story in The Times-Picayune by reporter William Robertson, who accompanied Porters widow  Sara Coleman Porter  on an impromptu pilgrimage of places O. Henry visited during his time in the city.

Among them: the building at 239-241 Bourbon St., at its intersection with Bienville, where Porter roomed, according to Robertsons story.

Built around 1843, its one of three buildings that are so identical as to appear as one contiguous building from street level. Standing three stories tall, the complex includes a traditional New Orleans wrought-iron railing encircling the second-floor balcony of all three buildings. Combined, they boast 18 windows on their Bourbon Street side, nine each on the second and third floors.

All overlook the Old Absinthe House, which is today painted gray, not yellow.

If Mr. Porter ever roomed there, it was because he could not have afforded a better place, Sara Porter told The Picayune. He was not in the least Bohemian, although many people think he was. Why, Sidney was never comfortable until he had everything just the way he wanted it. Every morning he had to have a shave and a shower if he had to walk a mile for them. When he lived here in this room it was a case of necessity, and I fancy he didnt stay here long.

Given that he was on the run from the law, the necessity of his stay is kind of implied. And, as weve established, he didnt stay long  just long enough to earn passage to Honduras.

In O. Henrys day, the address would have also housed a costume rental shop operated by C.F. Snell  which one imagines would have appealed to his writers sensibilities. (A fine assortment of theatrical, tableaux, parade and Santa Claus costumes to hire; wigs, beards, masks, read an 1896 ad in The Daily Picayune.)

At the time of Sarah Porters 1922 visit, the buildings ground floor would have housed the Vieux Carre Restaurant. At least two of what are today entrances on its Bourbon Street side would then have been windows, photos show.

Today, the building is home to the Bourbon Cowboy, a self-proclaimed high energy honky-tonk featuring a mechanical bull.

Its anybodys guess what O. Henry would have thought of that  although, to hear Sara Porter describe to the Picayune his affection for the city, one suspects he probably would have liked it:

I have heard Mr. Porter say so many times: There are only two cities in the world  New York and New Orleans.

Know of a New Orleans building worth profiling in this column, or just curious about one? Contact Mike Scott at moviegoermike@gmail.com.

Sources: The Times-Picayune archive; O. Henry: The Man and His Work, E. Hudson Long; the Historic New Orleans Collections Collins C. Diboll Vieux Carre Digital Survey

Downed by Ida, the Karnofsky building on S. Rampart Street held a spot in New Orleans jazz history Even before Hurricane Ida turned much of south Louisiana into something resembling a set for The Walking Dead, the stretch of South Rampart 

+3 On Canal Street in 1928, the Jung Hotels flagpole became a stage for Shipwreck Kelly When the daredevil photographer known to his online followers as Drifter posted footage of himself in late August scaling the spire atop the
Patrons conducting genealogy research should check out several free resources available through the librarys website.

The resources  Americas GenealogyBank, HeritageHub and Americas Historical Newspapers  are available through NewsBank, which can be found by going to the Databases tab on the librarys home page. Scroll down the left-hand side of the page.

Americas GenealogyBank: Explore genealogical records from 1690 to the present, including obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements, casualty lists, military and government documents and more. Features the Social Security Death Index, historical newspapers, books and documents. It is available remotely 24/7 on any device.

HeritageHub: Explore your family history with a collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 to today. HeritageHub helps patrons identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. It includes coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid-1900s and original obituary images. HeritageHub can be accessed 24/7.

Americas Historical Newspapers: Explore early American history to support genealogical and local history research, school homework assignments and more. It features more than 1,100 historical newspapers from all 50 states. Its available remotely 24/7 on any device.

AUTHOR TALK: Paul Heingarten, author of numerous sci-fi books, discusses "Quantum of Destiny: An Interstellar War Story," the fourth in his "Essence Wars" series. Hell discuss his methods of writing, writing a female character and self-publishing.

The talk will be at noon Oct. 5, via video conference online. Visit www.jplibrary.net/adults for more details, including how to join the discussion.

Heingartens novel "Cataclysm Epoch" was selected as a semifinalist in the 2017 William Faulkner  William Wisdom Writing Competition. He is an IT professional and a musician.

'MURDER' RESCHEDULED: Tom Aswell, journalist and author, will discuss his latest book, "Murder on the Teche, A True Story of Money and a Flawed Investigation," at noon Oct. 12, via video conference online. Visit www.jplibrary.net/adults for more details, including how to join the discussion. The book focuses on the murder of Dr. Robert Chastant, a successful orthodontist in New Iberia. By all outward appearances, he was happy and successful. But cracks had begun appearing in his third marriage and his practice was feeling the effects of a dramatic downturn in south Louisianas petroleum-reliant economy, leaving him encumbered with debt.

WWII TALK: The World War II Discussion Group meets at 7 p.m. at the River Ridge Library, 8825 Jefferson Highway. The speaker is WWII submarine expert Pat Doyle. He will discuss "Stolen Technology: How German Submarine Design Affected Post-War U.S. Submarine Construction."

MYSTERY BOOK CLUB: The Old Metairie Mystery Book Club meets at 2 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Old Metairie Library, 2350 Metairie Road. The book up for discussion is "A Midsummers Equation" by Kigo Higashino, one of Japans most popular writers. The book is available in hard copy, eBook and audiobook formats from the library.

BOATING SAFETY: The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will conduct a boating safety class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9 at the North Kenner Library, 630 W. Esplanade, Kenner. The class lasts between six and eight hours and is completed in a day.

Preregistration is recommended by going to the department's website. The course includes information on choosing a boat, classification, hulls, motors, legal requirements and equipment requirements, many navigation rules and related subjects that include canoeing, personal watercraft and more. Students who complete the course will be issued a vessel operator certification card.
Drew Brees delivered the bad news.

Brees owns a stake in GBX Group, a Cleveland-based firm that specializes in redeveloping historic properties. He sent GBX chief executive officer Drew Sparacia a video of Hurricane Ida destroying the old Karnofsky tailor shop.

Frequented by Louis Armstrong as a boy, the Karnofsky building was one of New Orleans most significant jazz landmarks. It was also a key component of GBXs long-gestating plan to redevelop the 400 block of South Rampart Street and celebrate its history as an early hotbed of jazz.

And here it was being reduced to rubble.

Sparacias reaction to the video, he recalled recently, was goosebumps in a bad way. It was very upsetting, especially when we were so close to starting the blocks transformation.

Ida also damaged the Little Gem Saloon, another GBX acquisition on the same block. An exterior wall crumbled, taking with it Brandan B-mike Odums vibrant two-story mural of jazz pioneer Buddy Boldens band.

But GBX is still moving ahead with its ambitious plan to transform South Ramparts 400 block. Renderings depict new buildings in the style of surviving historic structures, backed by a hotel fronting Loyola Avenue. Construction should commence by the end of the year, Sparacia said.

Im originally from New York. If I get punched in the face, I want to punch back harder. If anything, Im more committed than I was before (because) now Im ticked off.

GBX first zeroed in on South Rampart Street a decade ago, then later started buying up parcels. The company or its partners now control most of the 400 block, much of which consists of parking lots.

The long-vacant Karnofsky building was in bad shape when GBX bought it in late 2018. The company installed supports and braces after consulting with an engineering firm.

We did everything they suggested to do to secure the building, Sparacia said.

But without any surrounding structures to blunt Idas gusts, the Karnofsky building collapsed during the hurricane.

Soon after the storm, GBX secured the site and salvaged the fallen bricks. But rebuilding the Karnofsky shop would be extremely difficult and expensive, Sparacia said, in part because many of the original bricks are damaged.

Wed like to use all the original bricks, but thats not as easy as youd think, and its not going to be cheap. Lots of people, including us, want to rebuild. But its still a maybe. Its going to take a while to get the stakeholders together to see what to do with these bricks.

Elsewhere on the block, GBX owns and intends to restore the Iroquois Theater, which dates to the dawn of jazz. Company officials have also explored partnering with the nonprofit board that owns yet another early jazz landmark, the Eagle Saloon; proposals include developing a bar or restaurant on the ground floor, with educational and performance spaces on the upper floors.

GBX wants to partner with us and help us get it going, said Deacon John Moore, a member of the Eagle Saloons board. Theyve got the same vision as we do: the restoration of the building and putting it back into commerce.

The whole South Rampart street project isnt complete unless that site is rehabilitated, Sparacia said of the Eagle Saloon.

Gaps on the block will be filled with new construction that resembles long-gone historic structures in scale and design, so that passersby cant tell the difference between what was there 80 or 100 years ago, and what wasnt, Sparacia said.

The anchor for the whole block will be a jazz-themed hotel/convention venue along Loyola Avenue. According to Sparacia, it will integrate perfectly into the rebirth of jazz on South Rampart.

Unlike most GBX projects across the country, this one is not just about architecture and preservation. The concept involves celebrating the blocks prominent role in the early development of jazz.

The emphasis is far more on the history, heritage and culture, Sparacia said. The joke about this project is, What do a bunch of people from Cleveland know about jazz in New Orleans? The answer is, Not a heck of a lot.

Thus, they have consulted with the likes of jazz clarinetist and educator Dr. Michael White and Troy Trombone Shorty Andrews on how to represent the blocks musical history and make its redevelopment conducive to perpetuating music.

Downed by Ida, the Karnofsky building on S. Rampart Street held a spot in New Orleans jazz history Even before Hurricane Ida turned much of south Louisiana into something resembling a set for The Walking Dead, the stretch of South Rampart 

We want to make sure this is done correctly from a jazz perspective, not just a bunch of folks from Cleveland determining what jazz is and should be, Sparacia said.

The hope is that the block will one day be brimming with music-related activity.

Were a big believer in not just preserving for preservations sake. We design in a way where the building is repurposed into the economics of society and becomes self-sustaining. It has to be part of a full economic ecosystem.

Instead of being a place a visitor might go once in a blue moon, it should be places you go back to for multiple reasons.

Thats the best way to ensure historic structures are properly maintained and you dont have to go through the process again 10 years from now.

Restoring a structure can cost 150% more than tearing it down and starting from scratch. GBX will far exceed that with the South Rampart street restoration, Sparacia said.

To make the numbers work, GBX is using the federal historic preservation easement program. By granting easements on its historic properties to an approved nonprofit, GBX can recoup millions of dollars in expenses.

You couldnt do it without that program, Sparacia said.

GBX has partnered with the local nonprofit Preservation Resource Center. Easements on the Karnofsky property and the Iroquois give the PRC a share of the titles and input on how they are restored.

The preservation easement program is one of the best tools we have to preserve and protect historic structures, PRC executive director Danielle Del Sol said.

Except for the hotel, the new structures GBX plans to build on South Rampart will be limited to two or three stories, in keeping with the historic character of the block.

We couldnt have asked for a more conscientious partner than GBX, Del Sol said. Theyre not required to play nice with every lot on that block. With any other developer, there would have been variances galore to build sky-high.

After various delays, including the coronavirus pandemic and Ida, GBX is finalizing terms with a lending institution for start-up capital. Construction should start by the end of the year.

This is one of our biggest, and most important, projects, Sparacia said. Planning something like this takes a lot of time and effort and educating. You dont see that.

But now were at the point where youll start seeing the work.
Twenty-nine Orleans Parish School Board buildings received some damage from Hurricane Ida or the prolonged power outage caused in its wake, NOLA Public Schools district officials have told the School Board this week.

The powerful Category 4 storm roared ashore Aug. 29, tearing up houses and buildings throughout southeast Louisiana and leaving about a million electric customers without power. Many schools in the city and surrounding area remain closed as they assess and remediate damage. New Orleans public schools have been slowly opening over the last week. Some have reopened virtually, rather than in-person, due to damage and uncertain repair schedules.

Of the 29 damaged schools, 20 will need environmental clearance before students can return, Jeanie Decuers, the districts executive director of capital improvement, told board members Tuesday.

As of Sept. 16, four schools had been cleared and the majority of the rest are scheduled for this week, she said.

The most severely damaged school was Frederick Douglass High School on St. Claude Avenue, which is run by the KIPP New Orleans Schools charter group.

There was an ongoing project to replace courtyard windows, Decuers said. The temporary closures on those windows failed during the storm.

That led to water intrusion on several floors of the school and the prolonged power outage after a citywide blackout further complicated problems.

Decuers said the building cannot be used.

We are looking at an alternative site for the fall semester, she said. Potentially old Karr [High School], as well as looking at using the undamaged space in the Douglass facility.

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Board member Carlos Zervigon asked whether the state would allow schools to forgo the minimum required instructional minutes each year or make other allowances for students to attend school virtually.

To see if theres some flexibility there in allowing our schools to operate. Ill be very interested to hear what youre hearing from the state, Zervigon said.

At this time, those minutes will need to be made up, NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said, noting hes keeping in close touch with other district superintendents.

In neighboring Jefferson Parish, the school board approved a new calendar on Monday that will trim some holidays and push back the end of the school year for some students in order to make up those minutes.

The board committee also forwarded two disaster related contracts to the full board, which will vote on them at a regular board meeting Thursday night.

The committee approved a recommendation to increase its contract with Guarantee Restoration Services  which repairs buildings damaged by fire, water and other hazards  from $500,000 to $15 million in the wake of the hurricane.

The district doesn't have concrete numbers yet on damage to its buildings.

The committee also sent a contract for CSRS, Inc. to manage disaster recovery grants to the full board. They amended the roughly $200,000 contract to allow for another $150,000 in spending.
Canadian airline Air Transat said Tuesday it will restart flying nonstop twice weekly between Montreal and New Orleans on Nov. 4.

The announcement came one day after President Joe Biden administration's lifted a series of complicated COVID-19 rules that had aimed to restrict non-citizens from flying into the United States. Now foreign visitors must prove vaccination before boarding and provide a negative result on a COVID-19 taken at most three days before the flight. Foreign children ineligible for vaccination will be admitted, with their testing requirements yet to be announced.

U.S. citizens returning from a foreign country must be vaccinated and show proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of departure. Non-vaccinated U.S. citizens must show results of a negative test within one day before their flight and after they arrive home. However, the federal government has not yet explained how they will test upon return.

The Biden administration's changes to travel procedures come amidst sweeping vaccine mandates for U.S. citizens. Barely 50% of Louisiana's population has received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The state ranks 38th in the country for percentage of vaccines administered.

Air Transat's initial schedule shows one flight in each direction between New Orleans and Montreal on Thursdays and Sundays.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Louis Armstrong International Airport announced its excitement to receive flights from the Canadian "City of Saints:"

#NewOrleans is a rich and vibrant cultural blend that colors the architecture, the exquisite Creole-inspired cuisine, the street music and famous #jazz clubs. 



Montreal  New Orleans starting November 4th 2 times a week. https://t.co/AdTOhLKr9V pic.twitter.com/Q0Yc14aCGu  Air Transat (@airtransat) September 21, 2021 We can't wait to have Air Transat flying  from #MSY again! November can't come soon enough.  New Orleans Airport (@flyneworleans) September 21, 2021

Air Transat suspended flights from New Orleans in March 2020.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden is set to announce that the United States is doubling its purchase of Pfizer's COVID-19 shots to share with the world to 1 billion doses as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year.

The stepped-up U.S. commitment is to be the cornerstone of the global vaccination summit Biden is convening virtually Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where he plans to push well-off nations to do more to get the coronavirus under control.

World leaders, aid groups and global health organizations are growing increasingly vocal about the slow pace of global vaccinations and the inequity of access to shots between residents of wealthier and poorer nations.

The U.S. purchase, according to two senior Biden administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview Biden's remarks, will bring the total U.S. vaccination commitment to more than 1.1 billion doses through 2022. At least 160 million shots supplied by the U.S. have been distributed to more than 100 countries, representing more donations than the rest of the world combined.

Pfizer says its COVID vaccine works in kids ages 5 to 11, will seek FDA approval soon Pfizer said Monday its COVID-19 vaccine works for children ages 5 to 11 and that it will seek U.S. authorization for this age group soon -- a 

The latest purchase reflects only a fraction of what will be necessary to meet a goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population  and 70% of the citizens of each nation  by next September's U.N. meeting. It's a target pushed by global aid groups that Biden will throw his weight behind.

The White House said Biden will use the summit to press other countries to "commit to a higher level of ambition" in their vaccine sharing plans, including specific challenges for them to meet. The officials said the White House will publicly release the targets for well-off nations and nonprofits after the summit concludes.

The American response has come under criticism for being too modest, particularly as the administration advocates for providing booster shots to tens of millions of Americans before vulnerable people in poorer nations have received even a first dose.

"We have observed failures of multilateralism to respond in an equitable, coordinated way to the most acute moments. The existing gaps between nations with regard to the vaccination process are unheard of," Colombian President Ivan Duque said Tuesday at the United Nations.

More than 5.9 billion COVID-19 doses have been administered globally over the past year, representing about 43% of the global population. But there are vast disparities in distribution, with many lower-income nations struggling to vaccinate even the most vulnerable share of their populations, and some yet to exceed 2% to 3% vaccination rates.

In remarks at the U.N., Biden took credit on Tuesday for sharing more than 160 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with other countries, including 130 million surplus doses and the first installments of more than 500 million shots the U.S. is purchasing for the rest of the world.

Other leaders made clear in advance it was not enough.

+2 FDA advisory panel rejects widespread Pfizer booster shots; here's why, what's next An influential federal advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan Friday to offer Pfizer booster shots against COVID-19 to most Americans, 

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Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said the "triumph" of speedy vaccine development was offset by political "failure" that produced inequitable distribution. "In science, cooperation prevailed; in politics, individualism. In science, shared information reigned; in politics, reserve. In science, teamwork predominated; in politics, isolated effort," Pinera said.

The World Health Organization says only 15% of promised donations of vaccines  from rich countries that have access to large quantities of them  have been delivered. The U.N. health agency has said it wants countries to fulfill their dose-sharing pledges "immediately" and make shots available for programs that benefit poor countries and Africa in particular.

COVAX, the U.N.-backed program to ship vaccines to all countries has struggled with production issues, supply shortages and a near-cornering of the market for vaccines by wealthy nations.

The WHO has urged companies that produce vaccines to prioritize COVAX and make public their supply schedules. It also has appealed to wealthy countries to avoid broad rollouts of booster shots so doses can be made available to health care workers and vulnerable people in the developing world. Such calls have largely gone ignored.

COVAX has missed nearly all of its vaccine-sharing targets. Its managers also have lowered their ambitions to ship vaccines by the end of this year, from an original target of some 2 billion doses worldwide to hopes for 1.4 billion now. Even that mark could be missed.

As of Tuesday, COVAX had shipped more than 296 million doses to 141 countries.

The 70% global target is ambitious, not least because of the U.S. experience.

Biden had set a goal of vaccinating 70% of the U.S. adult population by July 4, but persistent vaccine hesitance contributed to the nation not meeting that target until a month later. Nearly 64% of the entire U.S. population has received at least one dose and less than 55% is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

U.S. officials hope to increase those figures in the coming months, both through encouraging the use of vaccination mandates and by vaccinating children once regulators clear the shots for the under-12 population.

Aid groups have warned that the persistent inequities risk extending the global pandemic, and that could lead to new and more dangerous variants. The delta variant raging across the U.S. has proved to be more transmissible than the original strain, though the existing vaccines have been effective at preventing nearly all serious illness and death.

___

Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Josh Boak at the United Nations and David Biller in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.
A man used his car to intentionally hit a woman in New Orleans East and is facing a count of attempted murder after he was arrested Wednesday, according to police.

Leslie Williams, 38, allegedly ran over a 36-year-old woman while she was in the driveway outside of a home in the 7800 block of Vanderkloot Avenue in Little Woods and sped off.

Paramedics took the woman to the trauma unit at University Medical Center.

Officers later arrested Williams and booked him on counts of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, domestic abuse battery, simple criminal damage to property, violation of protective orders and hit-and-run driving, jail records show.

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Attempted murder is the most serious accusation against Williams. Under Louisiana law, that crime can carry up to 50 years in prison upon conviction.

Wednesday marked at least the second time in less than two months that Williams had been arrested on allegations of domestic violence.

Authorities booked him with domestic abuse battery on July 28, according to Criminal District Court records. He posted a $100 bond for his release from jail before prosecutors refused to press a case against him on Aug. 2.
The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office has released the name of the man shot dead Uptown on Monday afternoon.

Torrin Girard, a 20-year-old man, suffered a gunshot wound at a car repair shop in the 4300 block of Tchoupitoulas Street. He died there from his wounds, according to police.

No further information was immediately available, including whether any suspects or a motive had been identified.

Staff writer Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed to this report.
Samsung's new foldable smartphone has become very popular despite its high MSRP of $1,799 for the base version (256GB). However, Amazon is currently running a discount on it, and you can get it for $200 off and get it shipped right away.

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The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G left us impressed in our review. Samsung has succeeded in creating a foldable that has managed to overcome many of the minor teething troubles found in its predecessors. Its stability in particular has been improved even further, and the Fold3 is now also water-resistant according to the IPX8 standard.

The Samsung smartphone has a 7.6-inch foldable display and an additional 6.2-inch panel on the outside. Both are extremely bright, color accurate, and offers refresh rates of up to 120 Hz. The Fold3 is powered by a fast Snapdragon 888 that is joined by a generous 12 GB of RAM; however, the device had to face some criticism in the test as well.

The camera setup is very similar to the predecessor's, and it takes good photos most of the time. Only the ultra wide-angle camera fails to be compelling at all times. Samsung tries something new with a camera under the main display (UDC: Under Display Camera), aiming to provide an uninterrupted view of the entire screen content. This works better than in some older rivals, but it still doesn't look fully refined.

Nonetheless, Samsung offers a strong piece of technology, which is available at an MSRP of $1,799.99. At the time of writing, tough, you can find the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G on Amazon at a discounted price of $1,599.99 ($200 off). This discount applies to the base prices of both storage versions of the Phantom Black model (256GB and 512GB), for example, which are both in stock and ready to ship. The Phantom Silver version is currently only available with 256 GB of storage, but it retains the same discounted price of $1,599.99.

On the other hand, when buying directly from Samsung's online store, you'll have to wait a couple of days more for the item to ship, but you get the option to try it for free for 21 days as well as to pay for it on a monthly basis.

If you're interested in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, you should definitely check out our in-depth review where you'll find more detailed information as well as comparisons and benchmark results.
The president is on the cusp of achieving a major expansion in public education, one of the largest expansions of the social safety net, the largest investment in climate change mitigation and overhauls in labor law and drug pricing, said Patrick Gaspard, a former Obama administration official who is now the president of the liberal Center for American Progress in Washington.

Each one of these things is significant in its individual constituent parts, he said, but taken as a whole, it, I think, speaks to the remarkable opportunity that we have  these once-in-a-generation opportunities to set a course that creates growth for all, including and especially those who have been most vulnerable in this economy.

If the effort succeeds, Mr. Biden will have accomplished much of what he campaigned on in one fell swoop. Observers say he will carry a strengthened hand into global summits in October and November that are meant to galvanize the world around transitioning from planet-warming fossil fuels and ending the use of offshore havens that companies have long used to avoid taxation.

White House officials say that the breadth of programs in the package form a unified vision for the United States domestic economy and its place in the world, and that the planks serve as a sort of coalition glue  a something-for-everyone approach that makes it difficult to jettison pieces of the plan in negotiations, even if they prove contentious.

But the sheer scope of its contents has opened divisions among Democrats on multiple fronts, when Mr. Biden cannot afford to lose a single vote in the Senate and no more than three votes in the House.

Centrists and progressives have clashed over the size of the spending in the legislation and the scale and details of the tax increases that Mr. Biden wants to use to help offset its cost. They are divided over prescription drug pricing, the generosity of tax credits for the poor, the aggressiveness of key measures to speed the transition to a lower-emission energy sector and much more.

Even items that are not top priorities for Mr. Biden have opened rifts. On Friday, one of the partys most outspoken progressives, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, took aim at a crucial priority of several top Democrats, including Senator Chuck Schumer, saying she would resist attempts to fully repeal a cap on deductions for state and local property taxes that would aid high earners in high-tax areas.
Those surprise winnings kick-started the development of the site, which quickly morphed into a platform specifically for lonesome Jews and their desperate-to-help parents. With the novel coronavirus in full swing, it launched to the public in October 2020 as JustKibbitz with the tagline Help someone you love meet someone theyll love.

Unlike more cutting-edge dating services, Mr. Kaplan said that JustKibbitz was specifically designed to resemble 2005 Facebook in order to get Baby Boomer moms to shoulder the mental and fiscal costs of finding their childs everlasting companion comfortably (grandparents or fathers are welcome as well, he noted.)

As such, there is no 2021-era app version for scrolling aimlessly on the subway, only the website. The companys advertisements are loaded with antique Yiddish terminology and inside jokes; and, perhaps most distinctively, every new customer is subject to a rigid policy of not sending any inappropriate pictures.

As of June 2021, memberships offer access to a database of about 1,000 parents nationwide (90 percent of which are mothers, the other 10 percent a medley of dads, friends and siblings), and start at $6 for six months.

Of course, cultivating a network of exclusively Jewish mothers risks furthering some of the cartoonish archetypes of nosiness and over involvement associated with the group at a time of rising violence against American Jews.

Mr. Kaplan acknowledged that his company might perpetuate such stereotypes, but argued that it was not just Jewish mothers who embodied them. Parents meeting other parents and setting their kids up on dates is how civilization began, he said. Its what we did when we left caves.
Its hardly surprising that France would be furious over losing a multibillion-dollar arms deal with Australia, all the more so because it believes it was blindsided as Canberra, Washington and London secretly worked to get a different deal for themselves.

But recalling ambassadors, as France did from Washington and Canberra, a step just short of breaking relations, is not normal behavior among allies, no matter how miffed they may be. The lost sale of a dozen submarines is painful, but not fatal to the French arms industry, especially as the hulls and engines were to be built in Australia and the electronics and armaments were to come from Lockheed Martin, an American company. And, as the Australians argue, France should have seen it coming: The diesel-powered submarines France offered were no longer what confronting a rising China required.

What really got the French seeing red was something else. It was being callously shunted aside by the United States and its Anglophone allies  les Anglo-Saxons, as Gen. Charles de Gaulle somewhat disparagingly referred to them  and being excluded from a role in what is shaping up to be the central geopolitical action for decades to come.

The imperious general, whose place in French history and national identity is reflected in the innumerable streets, boulevards and squares bearing his name, left a legacy very much in the background of the furor over the submarine deal, according to Serge Berstein, a noted historian of the de Gaulle era. The common thread, he said, arises from de Gaulles conviction that France, even if not a superpower, retains an important international role by virtue of its presence in all parts of the globe. In Asia, that includes a long colonial history and control over several islands in the Pacific.
NATIONAL

An article on Tuesday about a bill introduced in the House to impose checks on executive authority misstated the number of days presidential campaigns would wait before starting transitions into office as part of proposed legislation. If the General Services Administration makes no determination of the president-elect, the campaigns can start transitions five days after the election, not 10.

An article on Monday about the removal of racist language from the Alabama Constitution described incorrectly the documents text. Language banning interracial marriage was removed after a statewide vote in 2000. It is not in the states current Constitution.

BUSINESS

An article on Tuesday about the expansion of The Washington Posts newsroom misstated the timing of The Posts plan to add breaking news hubs in London and Seoul. The plan was announced in December, not June.

SCIENCE TIMES

An article on Sept. 7 about the bend and twist of scorpions tails misstated the location of a fictional movie scene. The character Elle Woods in Legally Blonde introduced the bend and snap, a foolproof method of catching someones attention, to a nail technician named Paulette in the Boston area, not Los Angeles.
Key Biden allies express outrage over Border Patrols treatment of Haitian migrants. Image U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback try to stop Haitian migrants from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas, on Sunday. Credit... Paul Ratje/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images Annie Karni and Democrats and civil rights leaders expressed outrage on Tuesday toward the Biden administrations treatment of Haitian migrants in response to images and video of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback chasing down and blocking migrants. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, speaking from the Senate floor, said that the images were completely unacceptable. He said that the administration could not continue these hateful and xenophobic Trump policies that disregard our refugee laws, adding that asylum seekers must be afforded due process. Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, echoed those comments, calling the images horrific and disturbing. And in a statement, Derrick Johnson, the president of the N.A.A.C.P., also compared the practices of the Border Patrol agents to the inhumane immigration policies of the Trump administration. The humanitarian crisis happening under this administration on the southern border disgustingly mirrors some of the darkest moments in Americas history, Mr. Johnson said. If we were to close our eyes and this was occurring under the Trump administration, what would we do? The inhumane treatment of the Haitian refugees seeking help is utterly sickening. The Homeland Security Department, which includes the Border Patrol, said on Monday it was investigating what was shown in the footage. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment but Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday described the images as horrible. She said she planned to discuss the matter with Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary. What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were, was horrible. And I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into exactly what is going on there, she said. The criticism from a leading civil rights organization was the latest sign that the crisis at the border is alarming some outside groups whose counsel Mr. Biden has turned to and whose support he has courted since the campaign. On Tuesday, Mr. Johnson demanded a meeting at the White House to discuss the refugee crisis. In the words of William Clay, We have no permanent enemies and no permanent friends, only permanent interests, Mr. Johnson said. The N.A.A.C.P. only has permanent interests. We look forward to our meeting with the President. Mr. Biden, a lifelong member of the organization, has met with Mr. Johnson multiple times since his election. Their last meeting was on July 8, when they discussed strategy to pass legislation on voting rights. The rise in Haitian migration began in the months after Mr. Biden took office and as the administration began reversing Trump-era immigration policies. That was interpreted by many as a sign that the United States would be more welcoming to migrants. In May, the administration extended temporary protected status for the 150,000 Haitians already living in the country and that was extended again over the summer for Haitians living in the U.S. before July 29. But thousands started crossing the border into the town of Del Rio, Texas, last week, in what Mr. Mayorkas on Tuesday called an unprecendented increase of migrants crossing one part of the southern border. Read more

The House approves a spending bill that would raise the debt ceiling, setting up a clash with Republicans. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:40 - 0:00 transcript House Approves Spending Bill and Debt Limit Increase A divided House passed legislation to fund the government through early December, raise the federal debt limit, and provide emergency money for Afghan refugees and natural disaster recovery. Republicans have warned they would block the measure in the Senate. We continue to work with the Senate to finish that work. It is imperative that we adopt this continuing resolution to keep the government open and serving the American people during this challenging times. The continuing resolution also includes  this also includes much-needed emergency funding for disaster relief. Communities along the Gulf Coast were hard hit by Hurricane Ida, and Western states are continuing to deal with the devastating wildfires. At the same time, its to speak of this legislation also includes additional funding to facilitate the resettlement of our Afghan allies and their families. Its also essential that we suspend the debt limit to prevent a default that would trigger an economic catastrophe, not only here but around the world. And this continuing resolution includes such a suspension. This is not a Democratic debt. Its not a Republican debt. It is our debt. It is the debt of the United States of America. We dont welch on our debts. We pay our debts. This is nothing short of big government socialism, suffocating free market capitalism. While this bill works its way through Congress, Democrats are asking Republicans to sign a blank check for their reckless spending. The Democrats are asking us to suspend the debt ceiling for the remainder of their time in the majority to finance reckless spending while we stand on the sidelines, which were not going to do. On this vote, the yeas are 220 and the nays are 211, with zero answering present. The bill is passed. A divided House passed legislation to fund the government through early December, raise the federal debt limit, and provide emergency money for Afghan refugees and natural disaster recovery. Republicans have warned they would block the measure in the Senate. Credit Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times The House on Tuesday approved legislation to keep the government funded through early December, lift the limit on federal borrowing through the end of 2022 and provide emergency money for Afghan refugees and natural disaster recovery, setting up a fiscal showdown as Republicans warn they will block the measure in the Senate. The bill is urgently needed to avert both a government shutdown next week, and a first-ever debt default next month, whenever the Treasury Department reaches the limit of its borrowing authority. But it has become ensnared in partisan politics, with Republicans refusing to allow a debt ceiling increase at a time when Democrats control Congress and the White House. In pairing the debt limit raise with the spending package, Democrats had hoped to pressure Republicans into dropping their opposition to raising the debt ceiling, a routine step that allows the government to meet its obligations. But even with crucial funding for some of their states on the line, no Republicans voted for the legislation. The bill passed with only Democratic votes in the closely divided House, 220 to 211. And the prospects for passage in the 50-50 Senate appeared dim, as Republicans vowed they would neither vote for the legislation nor allow it to advance in the chamber, where 60 votes are needed to move it forward. The legislation would extend government funding through Dec. 3, buying more time for lawmakers to negotiate the dozen annual spending bills, which are otherwise on track to lapse when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. The package would also provide $6.3 billion to help Afghan refugees resettle in the United States and $28.6 billion to help communities rebuild from hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters. It is critical that Congress swiftly pass this legislation to support critical education, health, housing and public safety programs and provide emergency help for disaster survivors and Afghan evacuees, said Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee. But the decision by Democratic leaders to attach it to legislation lifting the federal debt limit through Dec. 16, 2022 could ultimately jeopardize a typically routine effort to stave off a government shutdown, heightening the threat of fiscal calamity. Led by Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, Republicans have warned for weeks that they had no intention of helping Democrats raise the limit on the Treasury Departments ability to borrow. While the debt has been incurred with the approval of both parties, Mr. McConnell has repeatedly pointed to Democrats efforts to push multi-trillion-dollar legislation into law over Republican opposition. Republicans have said that they would support the package absent the debt ceiling provision. As soon as the House vote gaveled shut, Mr. McConnell and Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, unveiled their own funding legislation, without the debt ceiling increase included. Democrats, who joined with Republicans during the Trump administration to raise the debt ceiling, have argued that the G.O.P. is setting a double standard that threatens to sabotage the economy. Should the government default on its debt for the first time, it would prompt a financial crisis, shaking faith in American credit and cratering the stock market. Democrats, who have narrow majorities in each chamber, cannot afford to lose many votes. That narrow margin in part led Democratic leaders to remove a provision providing $1 billion to the Israeli government for its Iron Dome air defense system against short-range rockets, according to a person briefed on the decision, citing opposition from some liberal Democrats. The decision to jettison it for now infuriated some moderates in their ranks and sparked a flurry of Republican criticism. But Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader, said on Tuesday he would bring up a bill later in the week to provide that funding, under a suspension of the House rules. I was for that, Im still for it  we ought to do it, Mr. Hoyer said on the House floor, adding that he had spoken to Yair Lapid, the Israeli foreign minister, earlier in the day and offered his commitment to ensuring that it would clear the House. Senate Republicans included the provision in their own version of the spending package, which was released late Tuesday. Read more

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Court documents say the Trump campaign knew its lawyers voting machine claims were false. Image Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani at a news conference in Washington on Nov. 19. Credit... Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Days before lawyers allied with President Donald J. Trump held a news conference in November promoting election conspiracy theories, his campaign had determined that many of those claims were false, according to court filings released Monday evening. At the news conference on Nov. 19, Mr. Trumps lawyers laid out a bizarre conspiracy theory claiming that a voting machine company, Dominion Voting Systems, had worked with an election software firm, the financier George Soros and Venezuela to steal the presidential election. But by that point, Mr. Trumps campaign had already prepared an internal memo determining that those allegations were untrue. The court papers  which were filed late last week in a defamation lawsuit brought against the Trump campaign and others by a former Dominion employee, Eric Coomer  suggest that the campaign sat on its findings even as Sidney Powell and other lawyers publicly attacked the company and filed four federal lawsuits accusing Dominion of a vast conspiracy to rig the election against Mr. Trump. The false theories they spread quickly gained currency in the conservative media and endure nearly a year later.

Two new lawsuits may test Texas restrictive abortion law. Image The Texas abortion laws unique enforcement mechanism was intended to circumvent judicial review. Credit... Kenny Holston for The New York Times When the United States most restrictive abortion law went into effect in Texas on Sept. 1, it worked exactly as intended: It essentially stopped all abortions in the second-most populous state. But its very ingenuity  that ordinary citizens, and not state officials, enforce it  has begun to unleash lawsuits that are out of the control of the anti-abortion movement that fought for the law. On Monday, a man in Arkansas and another in Illinois, both disbarred lawyers with no apparent association with anti-abortion activists, filed separate suits in state court against a San Antonio doctor who publicly wrote about performing an abortion. The suits appear to be the first legal actions taken under the law, known as Senate Bill 8, which deputizes private citizens  no matter where they live  to sue doctors or anyone else who aids and abets an abortion performed after an embryo or fetuss cardiac activity is detected. Legal experts said these lawsuits might be the most likely way to resolve the constitutionality of the Texas law, which has withstood legal tests so far. Two more sweeping challenges filed in federal court by abortion providers and the Justice Department raise difficult procedural questions. The laws unique enforcement mechanism, designed to circumvent judicial review, invites private individuals to sue anyone involved with the procedure other than the pregnant woman. Should plaintiffs win, they would receive $10,000 and have their legal fees covered. From the anti-abortion movements perspective, neither of the two men who sued this week is an ideal plaintiff. The Arkansas man, Oscar Stilley, who described himself in his suit as a disbarred and disgraced lawyer, said he was not pro-life and merely wanted to vindicate the law. The Illinois man, Felipe N. Gomez, described himself in his complaint as a pro-choice plaintiff. These out-of-state suits are not what the bill is intended for, said Chelsey Youman, the Texas state director and national legislative adviser for Human Coalition, an anti-abortion group that said it had no plans to file a lawsuit against the physician, Dr. Alan Braid, or to encourage others to do so. Read more

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The House passes a bill to provide care for U.S. officials suffering from Havana syndrome. Image More than 200 government officials may have been injured in mysterious incidents that were first reported at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Credit... Meridith Kohut for The New York Times WASHINGTON  The House unanimously passed a bill Tuesday authorizing additional support for U.S. officials who were injured in a series of mysterious episodes that caused traumatic brain injuries. The Senate first passed the legislation, pushed by Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, on June 7. Because the House voted on that version of the bill, it will now go to President Biden to sign. Passage comes as the number of incidents continues to grow. A C.I.A. officer traveling in India with William J. Burns, the agency director, was injured earlier this month, exhibiting symptoms consistent with the so-called Havana syndrome. The incidents could be attacks by hostile intelligence services, but the United States has not drawn a conclusion about what the precise cause is and who is responsible. Officials believe that more than 200 people could have been injured in episodes. While microwave devices or other directed-energy equipment are a possible cause, administration and congressional officials have not determined the source of the injuries, which were first observed in Cuba and have come to be known as Havana syndrome. Since then, U.S. diplomats and C.I.A. officers have been injured in China, Central Asian countries and Europe, including Vienna. At least two possible episodes in the United States are being investigated, but officials are even more unsure about the circumstances. The number is going up all the time, said Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, in an interview this summer. The bill was originally expected to be passed by the House in July, but partisan procedural battles delayed the vote. Mr. Biden supports the bill and congressional efforts to provide additional support to victims, a senior administration official said. In a July address to intelligence officers, Mr. Biden said his administration was making sure that people affected in the incidents have the best possible care. Some officials have pointed to Russia as the most likely culprit, which Moscow has repeatedly denied. Other officials believe multiple adversaries could be responsible. From the descriptions that Ive heard firsthand from some of the victims, they seemed quite purposeful, quite deliberate and very specific, Mr. Schiff said. And thats suggestive of a foreign bad actor. But, he added, there is still much more we dont know about this than we do. The bill will ensure that the Biden administration keeps Congress informed about its investigation and will compensate victims for their injuries, Ms. Collins said. Far too many Havana syndrome victims have had to battle the bureaucracy to receive care for their debilitating injuries, she said in a statement. For those victims, the Havana Act will ensure that they receive the financial and medical support that they deserve. It also affirms our commitment to making sure that our government finds out who is responsible. Some victims of the attacks said they have struggled to get the government to cover medical costs for themselves and family members. Several praised the congressional action, including Mark Lenzi, a State Department security engineering officer who was injured in China, from what some officials believe was a pulsed microwave attack. This legislation is crucial for those of us at the State Department injured in the line of duty who, like myself, have thousands of dollars of medical bills that the State Department has refused to pay, Mr. Lenzi said. Mr. Burns, the C.I.A. director, has spoken publicly about the importance of discovering the cause of the episodes and has made a priority of improving health care for affected agency officers, including increasing access to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which has expertise in treating brain injuries. But some victims groups said the State Department had been slower to improve how it had handled cases. Mr. Schiff said the legislation established criteria for treatment and compensation. It should also prod the government to standardize the reporting and classification of the episodes. While some officials have said they are worried that people experiencing symptoms unrelated to the Havana syndrome could seek compensation or treatment, Mr. Schiff said he was more worried about giving care to people who need treatment, and the bill errs on the side of providing assistance. We want to make sure that everybody thats been impacted by these anomalous incidents gets the health care that they need, he said. So we want it to be broadly interpreted. Read more

In his U.N. debut, Biden calls for global unity against common threats. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 2:10 - 0:00 transcript Biden Urges Unity Against Common Threats in an Interconnected World President Biden called for an era of international cooperation in tackling global threats in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly as president. We stand, in my view, at an inflection point in history. And Im here today to share with you how the United States intends to work with partners and allies to answer these questions, and the commitment of my new administration help lead the world toward a more peaceful, prosperous future for all people. Instead of continuing to fight the wars of the past, we are fixing our eyes on devoting our resources to the challenges that hold the keys to our collective future. Ending this pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, managing the shifts in global power dynamics, shaping the rules of the world on vital issues like trade, cyber and emerging technologies, and facing the threat of terrorism as it stands today. Weve ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan. And as we close this period of relentless war, were opening a new era of relentless diplomacy, of using the power of our development aid, to invest in new ways of lifting people up around the world, of renewing and defending democracy, of proving that no matter how challenging or how complex the problems youre going to face government by and for the people is still the best way to deliver for all of our people. And as the United States turns our focus to the priorities and the regions of the world like the Indo-Pacific that are most consequential today and tomorrow, well do so with our allies and partners through cooperation and multilateral institutions like the United Nations to amplify our collective strength and speed, our progress toward dealing with these global challenges. Our security, our prosperity and our very freedoms are interconnected, in my view, as never before, and so I believe we must work together as never before. President Biden called for an era of international cooperation in tackling global threats in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly as president. Credit Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Michael D. Shear, David E. Sanger and President Biden delivered his debut address to the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations on Tuesday amid strong new doubts about his ability to vault the United States back into a position of global leadership after his predecessors promotion of America First isolationism. Speaking to a smaller than usual audience of his peers because of the still-raging Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Biden called for a new era of global unity against the coronavirus, climate change, emerging technological threats and the expanding influence of autocratic nations such as China and Russia. No matter how challenging or how complex the problems were going to face, government by and for the people is still the best way to deliver for all of our people, he said, insisting that the United States and its Western allies would remain vital partners. Our security, our prosperity and our very freedoms are interconnected, in my view as never before, Mr. Biden said. Calling for the world to make the use of force our tool of last resort, not our first, he defended his decision to end the U.S. war in Afghanistan, a chaotic withdrawal of American troops that left allies blindsided. Today, many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed by the force of arms, he said. Bombs and bullets cannot defend against Covid-19 or its future variants. But Mr. Bidens efforts to move America past President Donald J. Trumps more confrontational policies come amid growing frustration among allies with his administrations diplomatic approach. His familiar refrain that the world must choose between democracy and autocracy looks different now that the Taliban are once again in control of Kabul, reversing many of the democratic gains of the past 20 years. Covid is resurging in much of the world. And the French just recalled their ambassador in outrage  not just over losing a $60 billion-plus submarine contract, but because it was made clear they are not in the inner circle of allies. Image Listening to Mr. Biden. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Mr. Biden and other leaders are gathering against a backdrop of disastrous climate change, polarized superpower relations and a devastating pandemic that has worsened the global rich-poor divide. The event is a major test of credibility for Mr. Biden, who was among the first to address the 193-member General Assembly. The last to speak in the morning session was President Xi Jinping of China, via prerecorded video, bookending with the competing views of the two most powerful countries in the world. Both leaders announced potentially significant steps to address climate change, a rare moment of common purpose: Mr. Biden said he intended to double the American financial contribution to developing countries efforts to tackle the climate crisis, and Mr. Xi said China would stop financing coal-fired power projects abroad, a major source of heat-trapping gases. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who has openly fretted about the bitter rivalry between China and the United States, said he was encouraged by the leaders of the worlds two largest economies regarding their commitment to climate action. Still, a dominant theme of Mr. Bidens speech was what he described as the choice faced by the world between the democratic values espoused by the West and the disregard for them by China and other authoritarian governments. The future belongs to those who give their people the ability to breathe free, not those who seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand authoritarianism, he said. The authoritarians of the world, they seek to proclaim the end of the age of democracy, but theyre wrong. But the president vowed not to pursue a new era of sustained conflict with countries like China, saying that the United States would compete vigorously and lead with our values and our strength to stand up for our allies and our friends. Were not seeking  say it again, we are not seeking  a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs, he said. Climate change and the pandemic are also expected to dominate the week, and Mr. Biden planned to host a Covid summit on the sidelines to push other countries to increase capacity to manufacture vaccines for poor countries. This year has also brought widespread death and devastation from the borderless climate crisis, Mr. Biden said. Extreme weather events that weve seen in every part of the world  and you all know it and feel it  represent what the secretary general has rightly called Code Red for humanity. On Covid, Mr. Biden urged leaders to move more quickly to rein in a pandemic that has killed millions. We need a collective act of science and political will, he said. We need to act now to get shots in arms as fast as possible, and expand access to oxygen, tests, treatments, to save lives around the world. Read more

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The fate of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill remains unclear as Biden prepares to meet with Democrats. Image Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington told Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday that most progressive Democrats would oppose a bipartisan bill until a larger package is passed. Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times Emily Cochrane and The fate of a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package remained in limbo on Tuesday, as the liberal and moderate wings of the House Democratic caucus continued to argue over whether that measure should pass while a sweeping, $3.5 trillion economic package was unfinished. Moderate Democrats were adamant that the Senate-passed infrastructure package receive a floor vote next week. They previously secured a promise from party leaders that it would be sent to the House floor on Sept. 27, even if the larger bill, which some of them oppose, was not done. But Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus, emerged on Tuesday from a lengthy meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California to say that a majority of liberal lawmakers would oppose the bill until the Senate passed the second, far larger package, which is expected to carry the climate, child care and health care provisions they have championed. I wanted to make sure she understood exactly where we were, Ms. Jayapal said, adding that she had requested the meeting. Over half of our caucus has committed that we are planning to move both bills at the same time, but we cant move one without the other. Asked what she would say to moderates who believed progressives were bluffing, Ms. Jayapal replied, Try us. As the two groups of Democrats jockeyed for leverage, President Bidens entire agenda hung in the balance. Democratic leaders spent much of Tuesday urging unity among their members and racing to iron out the intraparty differences that have delayed the release of a final version of the $3.5 trillion legislation. Because Democrats plan to use an arcane budget process to pass that bill without the support of any Republicans, they can afford to lose the support of only three Democrats in the House and none in the Senate. I think both will pass, Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader, said on Tuesday. I said that in this mornings caucus, that I thought, based upon my conversation with members, various different perspectives in the caucus, that both bills will have the majority of support of the members of the House of Representatives on the Democratic side of the aisle. Amid the standoff, Mr. Biden is expected to meet with Ms. Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the plans. He is also expected to host a series of meetings with other lawmakers from across the ideological spectrum, a second person confirmed on the condition of anonymity, to hear their perspectives and make the case for his agenda. Read more

The Biden administration is combating ransomware with a crackdown on cryptocurrency payments. Image Ransomware and cyberattacks are a direct threat to our economy, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement. Credit... Erin Scott for The New York Times Alan Rappeport, Andrew E. Kramer and The Biden administration took action on Tuesday to crack down on the growing problem of ransomware attacks, expanding its use of sanctions to cut off digital payment systems that have allowed such criminal activity to flourish and threaten national security. The Treasury Department said it was imposing sanctions on a virtual currency exchange called Suex, in the administrations most pointed response to a scourge that has disrupted U.S. fuel and meat supplies this year, when foreign hackers locked down corporate computer systems and demanded large sums of money to free them. The illicit financial transactions underpinning ransomware attacks have been taking place with digital money known as cryptocurrencies, which the U.S. government is still determining how to regulate. The Treasury Department said Suex had facilitated transactions involving illegal proceeds from at least eight ransomware episodes. More than 40 percent of the exchanges transactions had been linked to criminal actors, the department said. Ransomware and cyberattacks are victimizing businesses large and small across America and are a direct threat to our economy, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement. The department offered few details about Suex, declining to say where the company was based or what kinds of transactions it dealt with, though a Russian computer executive confirmed on Tuesday that he was the founder. Treasury officials did say that while some virtual currency exchanges are exploited by criminals, Suex was facilitating illegal activities for its own gain. Cybersecurity experts see exchanges as a weak point for ransomware gangs that otherwise operate wholly in the ether of the internet, all but untouchable by law enforcement. But the exchanges are an interface with the real world used to cash out cryptocurrency and public-facing companies that are vulnerable to financial sanctions. Vasily Zhabykin, a graduate of a prestigious Russian university that trains diplomats, said by telephone on Tuesday that he had founded Suex to develop software for the financial industry. He denied any illegal activity and said it was possible that the Treasury Department had mistakenly targeted his company. I dont understand how I got mixed up in this, he said in a brief interview. Suex, which is registered in the Czech Republic, was mostly a failure and had conducted only a half dozen or so transactions since 2019, Mr. Zhabykin said, adding that he had three employees. Russia is believed to be home to the most sophisticated ransomware groups, where they seem to operate with impunity. Other countries such as Iran and North Korea host the groups, cybersecurity experts say. Over the past decade or so, key technologies came together in a tool kit for the ransomware industry: malware to scramble victims computers, routers that render communication anonymous and digital currencies for payments. A weak point, according to a study of ransomware published in 2019 in The Journal of Cybersecurity, is exchanges: the businesses that convert digital currency into cash, where criminals lurking in the digital world eventually have to make an appearance to be paid. Many exchanges have popped up in Russia in recent years, often leasing office space in Moscows financial district alongside banks. Russia pivoted from trying to ban digital currencies outright to enacting regulation this year allowing ownership. The Treasury Departments action came three months after President Biden, meeting in Geneva with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, demanded a crackdown on ransomware operators suspected of working from Russian territory. Mr. Putin made no promises. Before the meeting, one attack had taken out Colonial Pipeline, which provides much of the East Coasts gasoline and jet fuel; another had penetrated JBS, a major U.S. meat supplier. Attacks seemed to abate for a few months, and a major ransomware operator, DarkSide, appeared to have shut down. But late this summer, attacks began to rise again. Paul M. Abbate, the F.B.I.s deputy director, who specializes in cybercrimes, said at a conference last week that there is no indication that the Russian government has taken action to crack down on ransomware actors that are operating in the permissive environment that theyve created there. He added that few actions had taken against those in Russia facing indictments in the United States. Intelligence officials report the same, and they say they believe that some Russian military and intelligence services make use of the ransomware operators to hide actions that may be conducted on behalf of the state, or at least with its acquiescence. An attack against another food supplier was playing out on Monday, even as the Treasury Department was preparing its action. New Cooperative, a grain cooperative in Iowa, said it was part of critical infrastructure and noted that BlackMatter, a relatively new ransomware group, had promised not to attack such groups. But in responses that appeared in screenshots on Twitter, BlackMatter said it did not consider New Cooperative to be critical infrastructure. The two were in an open dispute over the definition of the category. We dont see any critical areas of activity, the ransomware group responded. BlackMatter demanded just shy of $6 million to decrypt the companys files. That figure declined drastically over time. The Treasury Department said that in 2020, ransomware payments topped $400 million, four times as high as they were in the previous year. The economic damage, it said, was far greater. Read more

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Progressives worry their priorities will be left behind, despite Bidens bold words. Image A voting rights rally in Washington last month. Privately, White House officials have been trying to assure activists that they plan to turn their attention to the issue after their push on infrastructure. Credit... Kenny Holston for The New York Times President Bidens passionate language on reducing gun violence, safeguarding access to abortion and protecting voting rights has lifted the hopes of progressives who were once wary of electing a traditionalist who champions compromise. But now, as they look past the final push on a $3.5 trillion spending bill that the White House has made its policy priority, they are growing more concerned that Mr. Bidens actions will not be as bold as his tone  at least when it comes to some of their key issues. The spending plan that Democrats are trying to get through Congress would be transformative, affecting almost every American at every stage of life, from free universal prekindergarten to coverage of elder care. It includes money not only for social programs and an expansion of the social safety net, but also to address climate change. But in order to take up some of the other issues Mr. Biden has framed as threats to the foundations of American democracy, he will have to confront arcane rules that guide the institution of the Senate that he reveres  and that so far he has made clear he does not want to pressure senators to change. Privately, White House officials have been trying to assure activists that they will turn their attention in earnest to voting rights after their push on infrastructure is over at the end of the month. But that has done little to ease anxiety. Im guardedly concerned, said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said he was nervous that Mr. Biden would not follow up his lofty statements and speeches with action. Theres a difference between passion and marriage. Mr. Sharpton said he wanted the White House to pressure senators to support a carve-out in the filibuster to allow voting rights legislation to pass with a simple majority. They have not said theyre going to do that, Mr. Sharpton said. Read more

House Democrats introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:22 - 0:00 transcript House Democrats Unveil Protecting Our Democracy Act Democrats aimed to use the legislation to strengthen checks on the presidency, making it harder for presidents to take certain actions related to pardons, oversight and potential conflicts of interest. When we talk about this legislation, were talking about restoring ethics and the rule of law. Were talking about establishing key safeguards. Our founders, our founders, in their wisdom, had a system of checks and balances and separation of powers, and they had guardrails for the president, and one of them was the Congress of the United States. The Protecting Our Democracy Act will ensure that no president can abuse their power and weaponize their office for political or personal gain. It will bar our elected leaders from placing their own personal and financial needs above the needs of the American people. It will do so through a variety of means, including the expedition of congressional subpoenas; the protection of whistle-blowers and inspector generals; it will provide an enforcement mechanism for the emoluments clause; itll stiffen penalties under the Hatch Act. It will strengthen the independence of the Justice Department and ensure that no president can violate the law with impunity by tolling the statute of limitations for violations of law either before office or during office by a president of the United States. It will better protect Congresss power of the purse and put limits on presidential declarations of emergency meant to circumvent the Congresss power of the purse. Democrats aimed to use the legislation to strengthen checks on the presidency, making it harder for presidents to take certain actions related to pardons, oversight and potential conflicts of interest. Credit Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times House Democratic leaders introduced on Tuesday a much-anticipated package of proposed new limits on executive power, launching a post-Trump push to strengthen checks on the presidency that they hope will compare to the overhauls that followed the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. Democratic lawmakers have been negotiating with the Biden White House to refine their broad set of proposals, which amount to a point-by-point rebuke of the ways that President Donald J. Trump flouted norms. The legislation, called the Protecting Our Democracy Act, would make it harder for presidents to take a series of actions, including offering or bestowing pardons in situations that raise suspicion of corruption; refusing to respond to oversight subpoenas; spending or secretly freezing funds contrary to congressional appropriations; firing inspectors general or retaliating against whistle-blowers; and taking emoluments or payments while in office, including from commercial transactions. At a news conference on Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said executive power had been gradually growing for years but that threats to the system of separation of powers seriously picked up steam during the Trump administration. She portrayed the bill as an inoculation against future abuses of presidential authority. Ms. Pelosi had directed Democrats to compile various bills containing ideas for curbs into the package, which is chiefly sponsored by Representative Adam Schiff, Democrat of California. The two appeared at an event with lawmakers who chair several committees that contributed pieces, including two New York representatives, Jerrold Nadler of the Judiciary Committee and Carolyn Maloney of the oversight committee, and Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky, the chairman of the Budget Committee. Ms. Pelosi has not announced any timeline for when the bill might come to the floor, though Mr. Schiff has said he hopes the House will pass the package this fall. It is expected to face headwinds in the Senate, where it would need the support of at least 10 Republicans to bring it to a vote. There, supporters say, the package is likely to be broken into pieces that will be attached to other bills. Read more
Theyre really good to observe in brush, Mr. Kerlikowske said, referring to the horses, but out in the open, especially with a lot of people, is probably not the best place for them to be.

Of the Border Patrol, he added, I think theyre really trying to send a strong deterrence message.

Despite initially suggesting that his administration would end the public health rule and revert to allowing migrants to go through the usual asylum process, Mr. Biden has turned to deterrence measures, insisting that the border is not open and using repatriation flights to convey that now is not the time for migrants to try to come to the United States. Border crossings in recent months have reached their highest level in decades.

Even so, there has been inconsistency at various points along the border about who will be prevented from entering the United States under the public health rule. Some say that has led to confusion among migrants about what the situation is on the border and how they can best seek protection, said Robyn Barnard, the senior advocacy counsel for refugee protection at Human Rights First.

Immigration advocates have also suggested that the administration is ignoring its own assessment of living conditions in Haiti, which it deemed so extreme that it extended authorization in late July for any Haitian who was in the country to live temporarily in the United States.

It is reprehensible that Haitian families seeking safety amidst political violence and a devastating earthquake at home are met with anti-Black violence and no real opportunity to seek protection, said Katharina Obser, a director at the Womens Refugee Commission.

Many of the migrants who recently arrived in Del Rio have not lived in Haiti for years; instead they have been residing in South America after fleeing the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti in 2010. This has made the swift deportations even harder for people who are repatriated to a country they know little about anymore.
From the descriptions that Ive heard firsthand from some of the victims, they seemed quite purposeful, quite deliberate and very specific, Mr. Schiff said. And thats suggestive of a foreign bad actor.

But, he added, there is still much more we dont know about this than we do.

The bill will ensure that the Biden administration keeps Congress informed about its investigation and will compensate victims for their injuries, Ms. Collins said.

Far too many Havana syndrome victims have had to battle the bureaucracy to receive care for their debilitating injuries, she said in a statement. For those victims, the Havana Act will ensure that they receive the financial and medical support that they deserve. It also affirms our commitment to making sure that our government finds out who is responsible.

Some victims of the attacks said they have struggled to get the government to cover medical costs for themselves and family members. Several praised the congressional action, including Mark Lenzi, a State Department security engineering officer who was injured in China, from what some officials believe was a pulsed microwave attack.

This legislation is crucial for those of us at the State Department injured in the line of duty who, like myself, have thousands of dollars of medical bills that the State Department has refused to pay, Mr. Lenzi said.

Mr. Burns, the C.I.A. director, has spoken publicly about the importance of discovering the cause of the episodes and has made a priority of improving health care for affected agency officers, including increasing access to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which has expertise in treating brain injuries. But some victims groups said the State Department had been slower to improve how it had handled cases.

Mr. Schiff said the legislation established criteria for treatment and compensation. It should also prod the government to standardize the reporting and classification of the episodes.
The fate of a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package remained in limbo on Tuesday, as the liberal and moderate wings of the House Democratic caucus continued to argue over whether that measure should pass while a sweeping, $3.5 trillion economic package was unfinished.

Moderate Democrats were adamant that the Senate-passed infrastructure package receive a floor vote next week. They previously secured a promise from party leaders that it would be sent to the House floor on Sept. 27, even if the larger bill, which some of them oppose, was not done.

But Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus, emerged on Tuesday from a lengthy meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California to say that a majority of liberal lawmakers would oppose the bill until the Senate passed the second, far larger package, which is expected to carry the climate, child care and health care provisions they have championed.

I wanted to make sure she understood exactly where we were, Ms. Jayapal said, adding that she had requested the meeting. Over half of our caucus has committed that we are planning to move both bills at the same time, but we cant move one without the other.
WASHINGTON  The House on Tuesday approved legislation to keep the government funded through early December, lift the limit on federal borrowing through the end of 2022 and provide emergency money for Afghan refugees and natural disaster recovery, setting up a fiscal showdown as Republicans warn they will block the measure in the Senate.

The bill is urgently needed to avert a government shutdown when funding lapses next week, and a first-ever debt default when the Treasury Department reaches the limit of its borrowing authority within weeks. But it has become ensnared in partisan politics, with Republicans refusing to allow a debt ceiling increase at a time when Democrats control Congress and the White House.

In pairing the debt limit raise with the spending package, Democrats had hoped to pressure Republicans into dropping their opposition to raising the debt ceiling, a routine step that allows the government to meet its obligations. But even with crucial funding for their states on the line, no Republicans voted for the legislation.

The bill passed with only Democratic votes in the closely divided House, 220 to 211.

And the prospects for passage in the 50-50 Senate appeared dim, as Republicans vowed they would neither vote for the legislation nor allow it to advance in the chamber, where 60 votes are needed to move forward.
British counterterrorism police announced criminal charges against a senior Russian military intelligence officer on Tuesday for the attempted assassination of a former Russian spy who was poisoned in England in 2018 with a deadly nerve agent.

Breaking with past practice, the police identified the officer by his real name, Denis Sergeev, instead of the alias he used to enter the United Kingdom on March 2, 2018. That was two days before the former Russian spy, Sergei V. Skripal, and his daughter Yulia collapsed on a park bench in the English town of Salisbury.

Mr. Sergeev is the third officer to be charged in the poisoning of Mr. Skripal. Months after the poisoning, British authorities charged two officers, identified by the aliases Ruslan Boshirov and Aleksandr Petrov, with carrying out the attack by applying the nerve agent, known as Novichok, to the doorknob at Mr. Skripals home in Salisbury. All three are members of Unit 29155, a division within Russias military intelligence agency, known as the G.R.U., that specializes in sabotage and assassination.

We will not let this go, Priti Patel, the British home secretary, said in a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, describing the poisoning as an appalling event that shook the entire country and united our allies in condemnation.
Ry Russo-Young was 9 years old the first time she told this story, for an audience of one: the psychiatrist appointed to her case. Russo-Young is the younger daughter of Sandy Russo and Robin Young. In 1991, Thomas Steel, the man who had donated the sperm for Russo-Youngs conception, sued her mothers for standing as her father and for immediate visitation.

In the room with the psychiatrist, Russo-Young had to tell the story of her family and the story to herself. The story had to be clear, it had to be credible. It is a story she has been trying to tell  through multimedia projects, through independent films, through mainstream teen movies  ever since.

She tells it again in Nuclear Family, a three-part documentary that premieres on HBO on Sunday, with subsequent episodes airing weekly. Russo-Young excavates her family history with the help of home movies, archived photos and extensive interviews with her mothers and her sister, Cade Russo-Young. Though Steel died in 1998, she speaks to his friends and to the son of his partner in an attempt to understand his version.

It feels like this is my first film, Russo-Young said during a recent video call. Or all the films Ive been making in my whole life have led up to this film.
Guys, its a very busy time in New York City because the U.N. General Assembly is officially underway. Yeah, more than 100 foreign leaders are in town to address the assembly, while some are just here to pick up a fiance for 90 days.  JIMMY FALLON

But all the big names have shown up. President Biden gave a speech, Brazils Bolsonaro gave a speech, and BTS gave a speech and filmed a music video from inside U.N. headquarters. Completely real. Yeah. Old people were probably watching this, like, What the hell is a BTS? And young people were watching it, like, What the hell is the U.N.?  TREVOR NOAH

But it makes sense for BTS to show up at the U.N. I mean, out of all the countries there, they probably have the most powerful army.  TREVOR NOAH

I love when the U.N. General Assembly is in session. Theres no greater joy than watching the president of Romania walk into the M&M store.  JIMMY FALLON

Seriously, when else are you going to spot the president of Latvia holding one of those restaurant buzzers outside Bubba Gump Shrimp? Its like, [imitating Latvia accent] Our table is ready; lets go.  JIMMY FALLON
The first woman at Harvard to rise through the ranks from assistant professor to a full tenured position in 1978, Tatar, trained as a German literature specialist, fell into the study of childrens books and fairy tales almost by accident. As a mother in the 1980s reading these stories to her own children, and discovering their strangeness and violence, she came upon the idea of writing about and eventually teaching them. The first course where she tried it out was a hit, and she had her new specialization. She has since annotated many volumes of folklore, including ones by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen.

When the #MeToo movement arrived, it made her look back at all the stories she had been teaching and see, as she hadnt quite before, the need to elevate womens voices  to find the heroines. The silencing part was only half of it, because women did find ways to express themselves, she said. You just had to recognize the instruments they used.

Her Harvard colleague, Henry Louis Gates Jr., who worked with her on the 2017 book, The Annotated African American Folktales, praised Tatar for rounding out Campbell on gender in the same way the cultural critic Albert Murray began to fill in Campbell on race (Murrays 1973 book, The Hero and the Blues, was part of that effort).

Shes not a demolition expert, Gates said of Tatar. It would never occur to her to undertake a revision of Campbell in a hostile way. For her its an elaboration. But that elaboration is a major revision of our understanding of the representation of women in mythology and storytelling more broadly.

Tatar started off by looking at the classic myths at the center of Western civilization. Standing in the background of the heros journey were women without much agency, like Penelope waiting for Odysseus. What would it mean to see these stories from their perspectives, as writers like Margaret Atwood in The Penelopiad are now doing? Suddenly the mortal women who were seduced by gods, like Leda or Europa, appear as victims of sexual violence and not women who choose dalliances with swans and bulls.
At the U.N., Biden calls for diplomacy

In his debut address at the U.N. yesterday, President Biden called for relentless diplomacy on climate change, the pandemic and efforts to blunt the expanding influence of autocratic nations like China and Russia. Our security, our prosperity and our very freedoms are interconnected, in my view, as never before, he said.

Biden made only brief mention of the global discord his own actions had stirred, including Americas chaotic retreat from Afghanistan and the secretive submarine deal with Australia that has created tensions with France  crises that have led some to question his commitment to empowering traditional U.S. alliances.

Speaking in a prerecorded interview, Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, chastised the U.S., saying democracy is not a special right reserved to an individual country. Neither China nor the U.S. named their rival directly. Irans new president also rebuked the U.S. and showed little sign of flexibility on nuclear talks.

Cooperation: The U.N. secretary general, Antonio Guterres, warned that nations needed to work together on war, climate change and the pandemic, the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes. Although he did not refer to the countries by name, he expressed fears about competition between China and the U.S., calling it far less predictable than the Cold War.
I was sitting at a stoplight in Beijing when I first noticed the young men who would walk in between cars and hand out brochures to drivers. I rolled down the window and took one. To my surprise, it was a for-sale advertisement for apartments in a newly constructed building.

This was in 2010, when the American economy was still enduring the aftereffects of its burst housing bubble. I had covered the rise of that bubble, and the fliers in Beijing reminded me of Florida during its frothiest days: The Chinese real-estate market had grown so hot that the people were marketing apartments at red lights, as if buying one were as common as buying a soda.

There were many other signs of a property bubble during that trip. On sidewalks in Shanghai, I walked past real-estate agencies that had set up outdoor tables, to accommodate all of the demand. During my first night staying at a new hotel in the small city of Wuqi, I didnt see a single other guest  in the lobby, restaurant or elevators. Around this same time, Jim Chanos, a prominent American investor, warned that Chinas real-estate excesses had placed it on a treadmill to hell and that the bubble might burst at any point.

But the bubble did not burst in 2010. It did not burst in 2011, nor has it burst in the decade since  unless, that is, its starting to do so this week.
We asked six never-remote workers about their experiences and they shared their stories below.

Just 35 percent of Americans  fewer than 50 million people out of 137 million  worked from home at some point in May 2020 because of the pandemic, when remote work was at its peak, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Those who could not work from home were employed in a wide array of industries, including health care, agriculture, leisure and hospitality, retail, transportation, construction and manufacturing. Many were considered part of the army of frontline and essential workers, with jobs that were considered so critical that they could not be put on hold even during a public health crisis. They were typically lower-wage, less educated and disproportionately people of color.

During a time when millions of Americans lost their jobs, a portion of these workers  those who worked throughout the pandemic or who were only unable to work in the early days of the virus  could be considered relatively lucky.

At the same time, many of these never-remote workers could not afford, or did not have the necessary skills, to find other jobs despite the fear of contagion. And a large share also lost their jobs completely, in part because they were unable to work remotely when their businesses temporarily or permanently closed during the pandemic. Many of these workers had jobs in the service industry.
Volkswagens truck unit is facing severe difficulties in buying semiconductors that are weighing on sales at a time when demand is rising, the company warned on Wednesday, offering the latest sign of how a global chip shortage is holding back economic growth.

Traton, the maker of Scania, MAN and Navistar trucks, said it was also suffering from shortages of other critical components.

The shortages come as the global economy is slowly rebounding as new coronavirus cases decline and consumers spend money saved during pandemic lockdowns. To meet demand, the company is cannibalizing parts from finished but unsold vehicles and installing them in trucks for which there are firm orders.

As a result, sales from July through September will be significantly lower than planned even though customers are clamoring for trucks, Traton said. Supply chain difficulties will have a stronger impact than expected. Volkswagen owns 90 percent of the truck maker, which has a separate listing on the stock market.
Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has reached its minimum extent following the summer melt season, and coverage is not as low as it has been in recent years, scientists said Wednesday.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center, at the University of Colorado, said that the minimum had most likely been reached on Thursday and estimated this years total ice extent at 1.82 million square miles, or 4.72 million square kilometers.

That is the 12th-lowest total since satellite sensing of the Arctic began in 1979 and about 25 percent higher than last year.

In a statement, Mark Serreze, the director of the center, described this year as a reprieve for Arctic sea ice, as colder and stormier conditions led to less melting. In particular, a persistent zone of colder, low pressure air over the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska slowed the rate of melting there.
Climate action dominated the diplomatic showdown at the United Nations General Assembly session this week.

On Day 1, Tuesday, came significant new pledges from the United States and China, rivals on the world stage and also the two biggest economies and two biggest emitters of planet-warming gases who, in many ways, hold the keys to reining in global warming.

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, said his country would stop building coal-fired power plants abroad. Thats key because China is the largest funder of coal projects in the world. President Biden said he would seek Congressional support to increase climate aid for developing nations, to $11.4 billion a year by 2024. Thats key because of mounting anger at the failure of the rich world to meet its commitment to provide $100 billion a year to help poorer countries address climate change.

Both pledges are important in the run-up to the United Nations-led climate negotiations in Scotland in November. The United States is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in history. China currently produces the largest share of emissions.
When President Biden announced in June that the United States would buy 500 million Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine doses for poorer nations, there was a gaping hole in his plan: To fund it, the administration quietly diverted hundreds of millions of dollars that had already been promised to countries for helping to get shots into peoples arms.

Mr. Biden did not make the same mistake a second time.

His announcement on Wednesday that the United States was donating an additional 500 million Pfizer doses came paired with a promise of an additional $750 million for vaccine distribution, roughly half of it through a nonprofit involved in global vaccinations. That reflected a growing awareness on the part of global leaders that turning vaccines into actual vaccinations represents one of the most significant challenges of this phase of the pandemic.

Even so, the Biden administrations schedule for shipping the newly announced Pfizer doses frustrated activists: Of the 1.1 billion doses that the United States has committed to donations, only 300 million are expected to be shipped this year. The longer the virus circulates around the world, the more dangerous it can become, even for vaccinated people in wealthy countries, scientists have warned.

Purchasing doses for donation sometime next year is helpful, but it does not meaningfully expand the global supply, and it is not justice, said Peter Maybarduk, the director of the Access to Medicines program at Public Citizen, an advocacy organization.
Scientific advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met on Wednesday to begin to decide which Americans should get booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine  and when.

The committees discussions followed a dramatic exchange at the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, when advisers overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to offer Pfizer booster shots to all Americans over age 16, but then voted unanimously in favor of third doses for some high-risk people and those older than age 65.

On Thursday, advisers to the C.D.C. will try to be more specific about who qualifies. Depending on the verdict, booster shots could be offered to most Americans, or only to a select few.

The C.D.C. committees recommendations are influential but not binding, and state officials sometimes implement their own criteria. In any event, the advice will come too late for the Biden administration, which had planned to begin offering third doses this week to most fully vaccinated adults in the United States.
Its not appropriate for people who took Pfizer to be freaking out that they got an inferior vaccine.

Even in the original clinical trials of the three vaccines eventually authorized in the United States  made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson  it was clear that the J.&J. vaccine had a lower efficacy than the other two. Research since then has borne out that trend, although J.&J. announced this week that a second dose of its vaccine boosts its efficacy to levels comparable to the others.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines rely on the same mRNA platform, and in the initial clinical trials, they had remarkably similar efficacy against symptomatic infection: 95 percent for Pfizer-BioNTech and 94 percent for Moderna. This was in part why they were described as more or less equivalent.

The subtleties emerged over time. The vaccines have never been directly compared in a carefully designed study, so the data indicating that effects vary are based mostly on observations.

Results from those studies can be skewed by any number of factors, including the location, the age of the population vaccinated, when they were immunized and the timing between the doses, Dr. Dean said.

For example, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was rolled out weeks before Modernas to priority groups  older adults and health care workers. Immunity wanes more quickly in older adults, so a decline observed in a group consisting mostly of older adults may give the false impression that the protection from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine falls off quickly.

Given those caveats, Im not convinced that there truly is a difference, said Dr. Bill Gruber, a senior vice president at Pfizer. I dont think theres sufficient data out there to make that claim.
Melvin Van Peebles, the filmmaker praised as the godfather of modern Black cinema and a trailblazer in American independent movies, died on Tuesday at his home in Manhattan. He was 89.

His death was announced by his son Mario Van Peebles, the actor and director.

A Renaissance man whose work spanned books, theater and music, Mr. Van Peebles is best known for his third feature film, Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song, which drew mixed reviews when it was released in 1971, ignited intense debate and became a national hit. The hero, Sweetback, starred in a sex show at a brothel, and the movie sizzled with explosive violence, explicit sex and righteous antagonism toward the white power structure. It was dedicated to all the Black brothers and sisters who have had enough of The Man.

Mr. Van Peebless fiercely independent legacy can be seen in some of the most notable Black films of the past half-century, from Spike Lees Shes Gotta Have It (1986) to Barry Jenkinss Moonlight (2016). His death arrives at a moment when Black storytelling has belatedly become ascendant in Hollywood.

I didnt even know I had a legacy, he told The New York Times in 2010, when asked about his reputation and influence. I do what I want to do.
Despite their being from different generations, the 45-year-old Bernthal said he was surprised at how easy he found it to bond with Gandolfini as a peer and a friend.

His dad was my favorite actor and I think hes striving enormously to be the kind of artist his dad was, Bernthal said. Similarly, so am I. We hold each other accountable to that. Its remarkable that I can go to this man, whos half my age, for advice just as much as he goes to me. Hes wise beyond his years and a committed and gifted actor.

Though Gandolfini has also worked with the directors Anthony and Joe Russo (on Cherry) and Ari Aster (on the upcoming Disappointment Blvd.), he is hardly a star and has enjoyed his low profile up to this point. But whatever reception greets The Many Saints of Newark, he knows his inconspicuousness wont last long after its release.

I love my anonymity, he said. I get recognized from time to time and it gives me definite anxiety. He said he still had a few remaining safeguards, though: My beard helps.

As he steps into a world beyond Tony Soprano and the shadow of his father, Gandolfini also has a personal philosophy that is neatly distilled into a tattoo on his left arm: the word faith underlined above the word fear.

Gandolfini explained, You can live your life in fear and I mostly do, he said, rattling off the self-criticism that runs constantly through his mind: Im not right for this. Dont hire me. This is a bad idea.
What was found, and what we see, in mesmeric images transferred from celluloid that was steeped in mud, was the Soviet movie from 1969, Derevensky Detektiv, savaged by critics but a huge popular hit  so much so that Zharov continued to play Aniskin in sequels for the last decade of his career. He died in 1981 at the age of 82.

As Morrison demonstrates through exhaustively selected clips, the actors story is also a, if not the, story of Soviet cinema. His film debut, as an extra, was in 1915, in a pre-Soviet film about Ivan the Terrible. He appeared in movies by important Soviet directors such as Boris Barnet and V.I. Pudovkin  and by many less important filmmakers. As he grew a bit stout in his thirties, he began to resemble the players of friendly-but-hapless supporting roles in American studio films. Hes got a touch of Alan Hale Sr., you could say.

He did some of his best work in Sergei Eisensteins Ivan the Terrible, Part II, which got its director in hot water with Stalin. And when Zharovs in-laws were imprisoned as part of the so-called doctors plot to assassinate Stalin (no such plot existed; the whole affair was an antisemitic fraud), Zharov was ostracized for not denouncing them.

Morrison weaves this history into a treatment of Zharovs 1969 star turn that renders its stodgy corniness poetic. (The accordion-centered score, by David Lang, is essential to this near-alchemical process.) The movie ends on a droll semi-cosmic joke that one expects its dedicatee, Johannsson, who died in 2018, might have appreciated.

The Village Detective: A Song Cycle

Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 21 minutes. In English, with some Russian and Icelandic, subtitled. In theaters.
Former President Donald J. Trump filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing Mary L. Trump, The New York Times and three of its reporters of conspiring in an insidious plot to improperly obtain his confidential tax records and exploit their use in news articles and a book.

The lawsuit claims that the Times reporters, as part of an effort to obtain the tax records, relentlessly sought out Ms. Trump, the former presidents niece, and persuaded her to smuggle the records out of her attorneys office and turn them over to The Times.

That action, according to the lawsuit, breached a confidentiality agreement that was part of the settlement of litigation involving the will of the former presidents father, Fred C. Trump, who died in 1999.

Mr. Trumps lawsuit, filed in State Supreme Court in Dutchess County, N.Y., accuses the newspaper, its reporters and Ms. Trump of being motivated by a personal vendetta and their desire to gain fame, notoriety, acclaim and a financial windfall and were further intended to advance their political agenda.
After Weeks of Testimony and Decades of Accusations, R. Kellys Trial Nears Its End Jurors are expected to begin deliberating on Friday, after closing arguments in which lawyers painting dramatically different portraits of Mr. Kelly. Jurors reach verdict in trial of R. Kelly. Follow our live coverage.

Jurors in R. Kellys sex-trafficking trial will soon get the case. Image The final phase of Mr. Kellys closely watched trial in Brooklyn will begin on Friday. Credit... Stephanie Keith for The New York Times R. Kellys long-awaited federal trial in New York is barreling toward its ultimate conclusion, after one of the singers defense lawyers said in his closing statement on Thursday that the accusations at the center of the racketeering and sex-trafficking trial were fabricated. The jury was expected to receive the case on Friday, after a final rebuttal from a federal prosecutor. The trial is widely viewed as a significant milestone in the MeToo movement: It is the first high-profile trial in which a powerful mans accusers are largely Black women. And over six weeks, 50 witnesses took the stand, some of whom had never spoken publicly about their accusations before. Their testimony served to portray Mr. Kelly as the ringleader of a criminal scheme to recruit women and girls for sex. Even after a verdict is reached in Mr. Kellys case, he will remain in deep legal jeopardy. The attention will shift to Chicago, where he will face his third criminal trial on child pornography and obstruction charges, and he faces additional state charges in Minnesota and Illinois. During his summation on Thursday, Mr. Kellys lead lawyer, Deveraux Cannick, argued that the singers behavior was not out of the ordinary. Mr. Kelly was an international R&B superstar who enjoyed his sex life, the defense lawyer said. So he became a sex symbol, he became a playboy. Wheres the crime in that? he asked jurors. Some people just like kinky sex  not a crime. And while Mr. Kelly is charged with inducing women and girls to travel across state lines for the purpose of committing sex crimes, Mr. Cannick said the accusations were absurd. They are in relationships, he said. This is just like you taking your girlfriend, your wife, your husband on business. He offered jurors a simple message to consider during their deliberations: They might not be the couple, the type of relationship that you endorse, but they all bought into it and theyre all consenting adults, he said. In the governments rebuttal, Nadia Shihata, an assistant U.S. attorney, suggested that some of Mr. Cannicks arguments, including that the women around Mr. Kelly had dressed scantily when they met or visited him, were out of touch. Its as if we took a time machine and went back to a courthouse in the 1950s, she told jurors. What theyre basically insinuating is that all of these women and girls were asking for it and they deserved what they got. After the closing arguments, U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly will instruct the jury in how they are to deliberate on the nine counts Mr. Kelly is charged with  one racketeering count and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, an anti-sex-trafficking statute. Not much is known about the seven men and five women on the panel, who have not been identified, but several said during jury selection they knew little about the singer or his career. Their identities have remained anonymous to both federal prosecutors and defense lawyers throughout the trial. Troy Closson and

Forget all the fluff, R. Kellys lawyer says in disputing the accusations against the singer. Image Thomas Farinella and Nicole Blank Becker, part of R. Kellys defense team, arrived at federal court in Brooklyn on Thursday. Credit... Angus Mordant/Reuters As R. Kellys lawyer, Deveraux Cannick, continued his closing argument Thursday afternoon, he attacked the credibility of his clients accusers, describing them as opportunists, liars, and obsessive fans. One witness fabricated her account of rape and imprisonment, he argued. Another witness, in Mr. Cannicks words, is a stalker, and a groupie extraordinaire. He said lawyers who represent the alleged victims were out to monetize the case, and the government was criminalizing relationships between consenting adults. A lot of people watched Surviving R. Kelly, Mr. Cannick said, referring to a 2019 Lifetime documentary that brought increased attention to decades of accusations against Mr. Kelly. And now a lot of people are surviving off of R. Kelly. Mr. Cannick joked that Gloria Allred, the lawyer who represented some of Mr. Kellys accusers, had been at the trial for days. You think that was just a visit? To Brooklyn? Of allegations related to Mr. Kellys dealings with Aaliyah, the singer he married illegally when she was 15 years old, Mr. Cannick said: Forget all of the fluff. The relevant allegation in Mr. Kellys trial does not relate to the marriage, nor the annulment, nor to concerns that Aaliyah was pregnant, he argued. The only relevant question, he argued, was whether Mr. Kelly tried to bribe an Illinois employee for a fake identification. Robert knew nothing about it, Mr. Cannick said, referring to Mr. Kelly. One of Mr. Kellys accusers, Sonja, had testified that she was trapped in a room and assaulted by Mr. Kelly in her sleep when she traveled to his home to interview him for a radio program. But Mr. Cannick suggested that the accusations were far-fetched, because Mr. Kelly financed the trip. The kidnapper paid her way to get there? The kidnapper paid her way to come? he asked. I mean, come on. He said the room couldnt be locked from the outside, and questioned her statement that she woke up in her nightgown with her underwear off. She never told a single soul that R. Kelly sexually assaulted her, Mr. Cannick said, because it didnt happen. Mr. Cannick dismissed another accuser, Jerhonda Pace, as a stalker and a groupie extraordinaire, who carried around a picture of Mr. Kelly that she had printed off the internet. He said her allegations that Mr. Kelly had slapped and choked her were not supported by the evidence. Mr. Cannick repeatedly accused federal prosecutors of criminalizing legal activity like kinky sex, sex between people of different ages, and the use of romantic nicknames like Daddy, which accusers said Mr. Kelly forced them to call him. Its almost a crime to call a man a Daddy, Mr. Cannick said. Emily Palmer contributed reporting. Rebecca Davis OBrien and

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Who is Deveraux Cannick, the lawyer giving the closing argument for R. Kelly? Image Deveraux Cannick, a seasoned trial lawyer, arrived at federal court in Brooklyn on Thursday to deliver R. Kellys closing argument. Credit... Angus Mordant/Reuters Deveraux Cannick, the defense lawyer delivering the closing argument at R. Kellys trial in Brooklyn on Thursday, joined Mr. Kellys legal team not long before the trial began. Mr. Cannick, a trial attorney and a partner at Aiello & Cannick, a firm based in New York City that focuses on criminal defense, white-collar crime and civil rights law, defended a prominent gang member in a high-profile racketeering case against the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods in 2019. In that case, rapper Tekashi 69, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez and who is a former member of Nine Trey, appeared as the governments star witness, describing a criminal enterprise of robberies, assaults, drugs in testimony that in part helped lead to guilty verdicts against Mr. Cannicks client and another co-defendant in the trial. Mr. Cannicks past clients have included names from other notable New York cases, including Saikou Diallo, the father of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed Black man who was killed by four white police officers in the Bronx, whom he represented in a civil suit against New York City; and a man charged in what was the first potential death penalty case in Manhattan after capital punishment was briefly reinstated in New York, according to his website. Mr. Cannicks biography on his law firms website illustrates a career largely built on criminal defense and criminal law at the federal and state levels. Before co-founding his firm with two other lawyers, Mr. Cannick worked at the Bronx district attorneys office for about seven years. He graduated from Fordham University and later from its law school. In addition to giving the defenses closing argument, Mr. Cannick has been the lead attorney cross-examining a majority of the prosecutions 45 witnesses in the trial. Sheelagh McNeill contributed research. Alexandra E. Petri and

R. Kellys lawyer invokes Dr. King in urging jurors to be courageous and acquit the singer. Image Deveraux Cannick, center, who delivered the closing argument for his client, R. Kelly, shook hands with Carey Kelly, Mr. Kellys brother, outside the courthouse on Wednesday. Credit... Stephanie Keith for The New York Times R. Kelly was the victim of extensive fabricated tales and embellished accounts of abuse, one of his defense lawyers said at the start of their closing arguments in Mr. Kellys racketeering and sex trafficking trial in New York. The case is not about the accusations against one man, Mr. Kellys lawyer, Deveraux Cannick, told jurors, but about the historical balance between liberty and injustice in the United States, and the decisions that everyday people made to shift the balance to either side. This is a great country. Our constitution is most sacred, Mr. Cannick said. However, without people of good will, of a sense of fairness and courage, our constitution would be nothing but hollow words. He invoked Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the backlash he and other activists in the civil rights movement faced, suggesting that the jurors were facing a similar fight. See, unlike Dr. King and those who were like-minded, you dont have to worry about atrocities. You just have to be courageous and fair, he said, adding that a heroic and unflinching jury would clear Mr. Kelly of all the charges against him. The reference to Dr. King came at the end of Mr. Kellys criminal trial in Brooklyn, after five weeks of testimony from nearly a dozen accusers who often said that the singer inflicted disturbing physical, sexual and emotional abuses on them during encounters that in many cases began while they were underage. But Mr. Cannick sought to cast doubt on their veracity. He urged jurors to recall several instances in which the testimony of Mr. Kellys accusers broke from their prior interviews with the government. One of two things happened: Either theyre lying or the agents are incompetent, Mr. Cannick said. Im going to side with the agents. And he suggested that the lengthy preparation of accusers before they took the stand, which he said spanned 50 or 60 hours at times, suggested that their accounts could not be true. You really dont have to practice the truth, he told jurors. The truth will ring out and endure forever  if its the truth.

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R. Kellys prosecutors end a 6-hour closing argument with a simple message: Convict him. Image Members of the prosecution team arrived at R. Kellys trial on Thursday. Credit... Angus Mordant/Reuters Prosecutors finished their closing argument in R. Kellys racketeering trial at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, having laid out the case against him in painstaking detail over two days. The R&B singers defense lawyers were expected to deliver their closing arguments after a break. The governments closing began Wednesday, as an assistant U.S. attorney, Elizabeth Geddes, walked the jury through the charges against Mr. Kelly. The racketeering count against him contains 14 individual acts, and Ms. Geddes went through each one, drawing on victim and witness testimony and cross-referencing their statements against phone records, travel records, and other evidence. It took Ms. Geddes six hours to finish her argument, a measure of the expansive breadth of the governments case. For decades, the defendant recruited and groomed women, girls and boys for his own sexual gratification, Ms. Geddes said. With the help of his inner circle, he slowly isolated his victims, set rules and exacted punishment. She continued: It is time to hold the defendant responsible for the pain he inflicted on each of his victims: Aaliyah, Stephanie, Sonja, Jerhonda, Jane and Faith. It is now time for the defendant to pay for his crimes. Convict him. Mr. Kelly has shown little emotion during the trial. But on Thursday, toward the end of Ms. Geddes closing  as she described in lurid detail the sex acts prosecutors say Mr. Kelly forced his victims to perform, and how he knowingly exposed them to herpes  Mr. Kelly could be seen on the courtroom video feed repeatedly shaking his head. Rebecca Davis OBrien and

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A key witness against R. Kelly was once his vocal defender. Image Observers and some supporters have visited the federal court in Brooklyn where R. Kelly is on trial. But one woman who once backed Mr. Kelly is a key part of the case against him. Credit... Eduardo Munoz/Reuters Even as new accusers began to speak out against Mr. Kelly at the height of the MeToo movement, several women continued to stand alongside him. But one who publicly defended Mr. Kelly in a widely viewed 2019 television interview has since joined the case against him. On Thursday, Elizabeth Geddes, an assistant U.S. attorney delivering the governments closing argument at Mr. Kellys trial, told jurors that the womans earlier defense of Mr. Kelly demonstrated the dominance he held over her life. The defendant started to indoctrinate her when she was just 17, Ms. Geddes said. She said Mr. Kelly used several methods to control the woman, who testified under a pseudonym: physical abuse; threats of long term confinement; and brainwashing her into following his strict rules. Ms. Geddes recalled the womans testimony that she was underage and an aspiring singer when Mr. Kelly began sexually abusing her. The womans testimony included some of the most graphic accounts of any accusers and lasted longer than any witness, including that she was once instructed to eat feces as discipline for not following his commands. The defendants way in his world is the right way  and the only way, Ms. Geddes said. She added that Mr. Kelly cut off the woman from other people in her personal life, telling her to delete social media and email accounts. He was trying to isolate her and so many others, Ms. Geddes said, making it less likely that they would have the strength to walk away. The womans testimony is likely to be among the most crucial to the cases outcome. Four counts of violations of the Mann Act, an anti-sex-trafficking law that the singer faces, center on her, and several of the underlying accusations in the racketeering charge also involve her. But jurors will have to reconcile the womans disturbing testimony with the extensive cross-examination she faced from Mr. Kellys lawyers. The singers defense team homed in on several discrepancies between her testimony and interviews she gave to federal officials beginning in January 2020, including that she named two different California cities as where she and the singer first had sexual intercourse. The defense lawyers tried to cast her involvement with Mr. Kelly as an elaborate plot by her parents to lure the singer into sex with an underage girl and then blackmail and exploit him.

Inside the online world that has sprung up around the trial. Image Mr. Kellys case is the first high-profile #MeToo trial in which the accusers are mostly Black women. Credit... Kamil Krzaczynski/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images The trial of the R&B superstar R. Kelly has featured some 50 witnesses across more than a month of testimony  a blizzard of sordid and sometimes grotesque accusations and counterclaims. For help making sense of it all, hundreds of thousands of viewers have turned to YouTube, where a host who posts videos as thePLAINESTjane offers near-daily recaps that sometimes stretch 90 minutes long and include the same images and documents seen in the courtroom. Come on in, have a seat on my bus, the presenter said at the outset of one recent video, sitting next to a house plant, a collage featuring a courtroom sketch of Mr. Kelly superimposed over her shoulder. Im going to pick you up and give you the rundown. The channel is just one cog in an expansive online ecosystem that has grown around Mr. Kelly as the accusations against him gained intense public attention in recent years. Now, his criminal trial in Brooklyn is at the center of a swirling social media world centered in Black communities where fierce critics of Mr. Kelly squabble with steadfast supporters, digging into details from the courtroom. Thousand-member Facebook groups dissect PDF transcriptions of each individual witnesss testimony; accounts on Instagram post updates on the court day against colorful backgrounds; TikTok users break down the legal underpinnings of the racketeering charge against Mr. Kelly. The online interest in Mr. Kellys trial stands apart from earlier high-profile cases involving rich and famous men accused of sexual misconduct and underscores the unique racial and generational dynamics at the center of the case. The singers smooth melodies and charismatic persona captivated many Black households from the mid-1990s to early 2000s. And the majority of Mr. Kellys accusers are Black women  many of whom were adolescents or young adults when they say Mr. Kelly abused them. R. Kelly had a particular talent to make songs that resonated with Black audiences, said Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of Black popular culture at Duke University. When you think about a song like Step in the Name of Love, thats something you were apt to hear at a 5-year-olds birthday party and also a 50th wedding anniversary party. He added: Many Black folks grew up in a context where R. Kelly was literally the soundtrack of their lives.

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Closing arguments delve into a culture of fear and control. Image Jerhonda Pace, left, arrived at a Chicago courthouse in 2019. In August, she became the first of Mr. Kellys accusers to testify at a criminal trial. Credit... Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times, via Associated Press R. Kelly inspired intense fear in many of his accusers, including a woman who said he abused her after she broke one of his strict rules, Elizabeth Geddes, an assistant U.S. attorney, told jurors during her closing arguments on Thursday. Ms. Geddes revisited the testimony of the woman, Jerhonda Pace, who said Mr. Kelly physically and sexually assaulted her as a teenager after she once failed to acknowledge him when he entered a room. The defendant was livid, Ms. Geddes said. He attacked her. He slapped her. He choked her until she passed out. She added: Jerhonda violated one of the defendants cardinal rules  and he reminded her of everything he was capable of doing. The descriptions came on the second day of Ms. Geddess closing arguments at the end of Mr. Kellys five-week trial in New York. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. Ms. Pace had told jurors that Mr. Kelly forced her to perform a sex act on him, after spitting in her and directing her to bow her head in shame. Ms. Geddes said there was no possible way for jurors to determine her behavior was not coerced, and that Ms. Pace understood exactly what would happen if she broke Mr. Kellys instructions again. Ms. Pace said Mr. Kelly had begun having sex with her in 2009, when she was 16. She said that she initially told him she was 19 and that when she revealed her true age, it did not lessen Mr. Kellys interest in her. Mr. Kellys lawyers have tried to portray Ms. Pace as a jealous superfan who concocted lies about him as he lost interest in her. You were, in fact, stalking him, werent you? Deveraux L. Cannick, one of the singers lawyers, said during cross-examination. Ms. Pace said she was not. Ms. Geddes drew attention to Ms. Paces composure throughout her time on the stand  and the emotion that was evident when she described Mr. Kelly slapping and beating her  to argue her accounts were truthful. For the first time during all of her testimony, she choked up, Ms. Geddes said. She broke down because it was painful for her to relive what happened to her that day. Troy Closson and

R. Kelly used lies, manipulation, threats and physical abuse, prosecutors say. Image Closing arguments in R. Kellys trial in New York resumed on Thursday. Credit... Pool photo by E. Jason Wambsgans R. Kelly was a predator who destroyed the lives of the people around him and capitalized on his fame to prey on underage girls and boys and on women, a federal prosector said on Wednesday, as Mr. Kellys long-awaited criminal trial in Brooklyn neared its conclusion. The prosecutions closing argument, delivered by Elizabeth Geddes, will continue Thursday as the government seeks to convince the jury that Mr. Kelly was not only sexually and physically abusive, but used an extensive system of control and a network of associates to entrap people for sex and keep them from speaking out or going public with their accusations. Mr. Kelly, once one of the brightest stars in R&B music, used lies, manipulation, threats and physical abuse to dominate his victims, Ms. Geddes said, adding that his immense wealth and fame allowed him to hide in plain sight. Ms. Geddess closing arguments on Wednesday spanned three hours and illustrated the expansive breadth of the prosecutions case against the singer  and the steep challenge his defense team has faced in the trial. Mr. Kelly faces one count of racketeering, a charge that is built around 14 underlying crimes that prosecutors say he committed as part of the criminal scheme he led for decades. But the charge itself only requires that two of those crimes be proven. In addition to the racketeering charge, Mr. Kelly is accused of eight violations of the Mann Act, a law barring sex trafficking across state lines. Mr. Kelly, 54, has pleaded not guilty and has long denied the accusations against him. Armed with a large blackboard that showed Mr. Kelly near the center, surrounded by a network of associates, Ms. Geddes said that the singers inner circle and employees served as enablers for his criminal conduct. She portrayed the people behind the music business that propelled Mr. Kelly to multiplatinum international stardom as the same group that offered condoms to his visitors and concocted a plot to marry Mr. Kelly to the singer Aaliyah when she was 15 and he feared she was pregnant. When someone commits a crime as part of a group, hes more powerful  more dangerous, Ms. Geddes said. Without his inner circle, the defendant could not have carried out the crimes he carried out for as long as he did. Mr. Kellys trial has been years in the making. Allegations of sexual misconduct trailed the singer for years, even at the peak of his stardom. After he was finally arrested in 2019, the pandemic delayed his trial for more than a year. During that time, some of the singers allies were accused of using arson, bribery and other intimidation tactics to silence potential witnesses. During the first portion of her closing arguments, Ms. Geddes walked through allegations related to three of the six women at the center of the case. Many of Mr. Kellys accusers over the years have been aspiring singers, lured by his fame and the promise of career boosts, but then exploited by the superstar, she said. They included one woman who worked at a radio station and testified that she was thrilled when she was offered the opportunity to interview Mr. Kelly. But Ms. Geddes revisited her accounts with jurors, recalling that she said she was imprisoned at his Chicago home and raped in her sleep. When she arrived in Chicago, it wasnt at all like she imagined, Ms. Geddes told jurors. Her big break had turned into her nightmare.

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Even if he is acquitted in New York, R. Kelly will face more charges elsewhere. Image R. Kelly left a courthouse in Chicago in 2019. The singer faces state and federal charges in Illinois, and a child prostitution charge in Minneapolis. Credit... Amr Alfiky/Associated Press No matter the outcome of his federal trial in Brooklyn, R. Kelly still faces state and federal indictments in two other states, all stemming from what prosecutors describe as the R&B stars sexual abuse of women and underage girls. Federal prosecutors in Chicago hit Mr. Kelly in July 2019 with child pornography and obstruction charges. That trial has been pushed back several times because of the pandemic, and to allow Mr. Kellys Brooklyn trial to go first. In February 2019, months before federal charges were announced, the Cook County states attorney indicted Mr. Kelly on aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges involving four victims, three of whom were underage at the time. Mr. Kelly has denied the allegations. The state trial, a date for which has not been set, would be Mr. Kellys second criminal trial in Cook County  in 2008, he was acquitted on 14 counts of child pornography charges. In Minnesota, Mr. Kelly was charged in August 2019 with engaging in prostitution with a minor. The following month, a Minneapolis judge issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Kelly after he failed to show up for a court hearing there. Prosecutors there said at the time that they werent likely to get access to Mr. Kelly until the Chicago charges were resolved, according to local news reports.

When will there be a verdict in the R. Kelly trial? Image Closing arguments in the R. Kelly trial began on Wednesday. But when jurors will reach a verdict is anybodys guess. Credit... Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images R. Kellys defense team rested its case Wednesday morning, but it remains unknown when a verdict might be reached in the singers long-awaited sex-trafficking and racketeering trial. Closing arguments began Wednesday afternoon, starting with the prosecution team from the U.S. attorneys office in Brooklyn, but it could be at least another day before the jury begins deliberations. Closing arguments in federal trials can run long; neither side has offered a ballpark estimate of how much time they need, but each could take hours, followed by rebuttals. For prosecutors, closings are a chance to pull together weeks of witness testimony into a coherent narrative, and to argue that the evidence they have presented points in only one logical direction: guilt. Mr. Kellys lawyers, in turn, will present their own narrative, revisiting apparent holes and inconsistencies in witness testimony, casting doubt on Mr. Kellys accusers motives, and trying to undermine the governments case. After the closings, U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly will instruct the jury in how they are to deliberate on the nine counts Mr. Kelly is charged with  one racketeering count and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, an anti-sex trafficking statute. Jury instructions may seem dry, but the judges words to the jury as she gives them the case are important, and they are often carefully litigated. For example, in recent days, R. Kellys lawyers and federal prosecutors have gone back and forth in court filings about how they would like Judge Donnelly to explain the nuances of the racketeering charge, and possible defenses to claims of Mr. Kellys abuse of underage girls. Judge Donnelly has said she expects the jury to have the case by the end of the week. After that, it is anybodys guess. Old courthouse wisdom sometimes holds that long trials lead to long jury deliberations, but in at least one recent case in Brooklyn federal court, that did not happen: The 2019 racketeering and sex-trafficking trial of Keith Raniere, founder of the Nxivm sex cult, lasted six weeks  and the jury found him guilty in less than a day. Courthouse gadflies also like to say that the longer deliberations stretch out, the better the outlook for defendants.

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Anyone worried about inflation covertly taxing household income  an idea developed by Keynes, incidentally  should be looking for ways to reduce the cost of major items in family budgets. Americans pay far more for prescription drugs than people in many other developed nations, and a key plank of Mr. Bidens program would allow Medicare to negotiate lower costs with pharmaceutical companies.

And yet last week, Democratic Representatives Kurt Schrader, Scott Peters and Kathleen Rice teamed up with Republicans to scuttle that plan. (House leadership can reintroduce the prescription drug overhaul later in the legislative process, but every Democratic senator will eventually have to approve the deal for it to be enacted.) In a letter explaining her vote, Ms. Rice claimed to have concerns about the fiscal responsibility of Build Back Better  but allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies reduces the governments costs.

Other than a few temporary spikes in the price of used cars and travel, housing has been the single largest contributor to inflation this year. The $327 billion housing proposal that the House Financial Services Committee approved last week eases both the cause and the effect of rising rents by expanding the public and private housing stock and extending rent relief. Crucially, some centrists recognize the merits of that approach  Senator Mark Warner of Virginia is currently threatening to vote against Build Back Better because he wants to see more federal money devoted to housing support  but it may not survive the barrage of friendly fire from other quarters.

For most families, the heart of Mr. Bidens bill will be a set of proposals designed to ease the financial pressures of raising children and managing the complications of old age. Child care is a huge budget item for American households. Married parents spend 10 percent of their budgets on child care, while single parents devote roughly a third of their budget to it. Build Back Better not only provides direct relief for those costs but also helps lower other prices across the board.

Inflation emerges when the demand for products outpaces their supply. And a key constraint on supply  particularly during the pandemic  is the availability of workers. Establishing a serious national policy for child care and elder care would help parents, particularly women, rejoin the work force and would prevent millions of new parents from dropping out of it.

But the paid family leave proposal drafted by Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the centrist chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is an infuriating mess. Instead of a straightforward cash benefit, Mr. Neal envisions a nightmarish arrangement between private insurers, state regulators and federal agencies, all rigorously pushing paper to ensure that new parents dont get too much money.

John Kenneth Galbraith, the great liberal economist, once referred to his hero Keynes as an avatar of enlightened conservatism. In Galbraiths telling, Keynes so revered the institutions around him  the British Empire, the Bank of England, the opera  that he was willing to break with economic orthodoxy to defend them. Mr. Bidens agenda does represent a break with the policy agenda of the past 30 years, just as Keyness and Roosevelts did nearly 90 years ago. But it ultimately demands very little from those in power. They need only act according to their own best interests, supporting a program that already conforms to their ideological predilections. Trimming Mr. Bidens agenda for the sake of trimming it is neither enlightened nor conservative; its just a waste of time and democracy.
Is there a whole class of men who no longer fit into the social order?

A decade ago, Marianne Bertrand and Jessica Pan, economists at the University of Chicago and the National University of Singapore, concluded in their paper The Trouble With Boys: Social Influences and the Gender Gap in Disruptive Behavior:

Family structure is an important correlate of boys behavioral deficit. Boys that are raised outside of a traditional family (with two biological parents present) fare especially poorly. For example, the gender gap in externalizing problems when the children are in fifth grade is nearly twice as large for children raised by single mothers compared to children raised in traditional families. By eighth grade, the gender gap in school suspension is close to 25 percentage points among children raised by single mothers, while only 10 percentage points among children in intact families. Boys raised by teenage mothers also appear to be much more likely to act out.

Bertrand and Pan focus on the crucial role of noncognitive skills, on how factors such as study habits, industriousness and perseverance matter as much as cognitive skills in explaining occupational achievement. Noncognitive skills, they write, are not fixed but are in fact quite malleable, and can be shaped by early intervention programs.

The effects on boys of being raised in a single-parent household are particularly acute in the development of noncognitive skills, according to Bertrand and Pan:

Most striking are our findings regarding gender differences in the noncognitive returns to parental inputs. Across all family structures, we observe that boys likelihood to act out is sharply reduced when faced with larger and better parental inputs. For girls, the relationship between parental inputs and behavioral outcomes appear to be much weaker. As these parental inputs are typically higher and of better quality in intact families, this largely contributes to why boys with single mothers are so much more disruptive and eventually face school suspension.

There are a number of research projects that illuminate the ongoing controversy on the subject of men and their role in contemporary America.

First, an excerpt from a 2016 paper by David Autor, an economist at M.I.T., and four colleagues:

In the United States in 2016, the female high school graduation rate exceeded the male rate by five percentage points, and the female college graduation rate exceeded the male rate by seven percentage points. What explains these gender gaps in educational attainment? Recent evidence indicates that boys and girls are differently affected by the quantity and quality of inputs received in childhood.

Second, part of a 2015 paper by Francesca Gino, Caroline Ashley Wilmuth and Alison Wood Brooks, who were all at the Harvard Business School at the time of writing:

We find that, compared to men, women have a higher number of life goals, place less importance on power-related goals, associate more negative outcomes (e.g., time constraints and trade-offs) with high-power positions, perceive power as less desirable, and are less likely to take advantage of opportunities for professional advancement.

Third, a passage from an article by Colleen Flaherty, a reporter at Inside Higher Ed:

The study suggests that men are overrepresented in elite Ph.D. programs, especially in those fields heavy on math skills, making for segregation by discipline and prestige.

And fourth, a quote from a 2013 paper, Wayward Sons: The Emerging Gender Gap in Labor Markets and Education, by Autor and Melanie Wasserman, an economist at U.C.L.A.:

Although a significant minority of males continues to reach the highest echelons of achievement in education and labor markets, the median male is moving in the opposite direction. Over the last three decades, the labor market trajectory of males in the U.S. has turned downward along four dimensions: skills acquisition; employment rates; occupational stature; and real wage levels.

I sent the four references above to Arlie Hochschild, a professor of sociology at Berkeley and the author of Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, for her views. She emailed back:

Since the 1970s offshoring and automation have hit blue collar men especially hard. Oil, coal  automating, manufacturing, offshoring, and truck-driving about to go down. Non-B.A. males are in an especially vulnerable place. I saw it in Louisiana, and again where Im interviewing in Appalachia. Its become increasingly hard for them to feel good about themselves.

In a 2018 essay in The New York Review of Books, Male Trouble, Hochschild described the predicament of less well educated men:

Compared to women, a shrinking proportion of men are earning B.A.s, even though more jobs than ever require a college degree, including many entry-level positions that used to require only a high school diploma. Among men between twenty-five and thirty-four, 30 percent now have a B.A. or more, while 38 percent of women in that age range do. The cost of this disadvantage has only grown with time: of the new jobs created between the end of the recession and 2016, 73 percent went to candidates with a B.A. or more. A shrinking proportion of men are even counted as part of the labor force; between 1970 and 2010, the percentage of adult men in a job or looking for work dropped from 80 to 70 while that of adult women rose from 43 to 58. Most of the men slipping out lack B.A.s.

While many of the men Hochschild writes about see a future of diminished, if not disappearing, prospects, men in elite professions continue to dominate the ranks of chief executives, top politicians and the highest-paying professorships.

Frances E. Jensen, chair of the department of neurology at the University of Pennsylvanias Perelman School of Medicine, taking a different tack, argues that boys brains mature more slowly than girls brains do, a difference that is particularly striking in the adolescent years. In a 2017 interview with the School Superintendents Association, Jensen stressed the crucial role the still maturing brain plays in the lives of teenagers:

Teens go through a period of increased emotional fluctuation and are like a Ferrari with weak brakes. The emotional center of the brain, the limbic system, which controls emotions, is fully connected, but the frontal lobe that sharpens critical thinking isnt well-connected. That means the part of the brain that makes them pause and say to themselves, Bad idea. Dont post that on Facebook because it might hurt my chances of getting a job in the future or Dont jump in the lake, there may be a rock, isnt mature.

The brain also becomes more efficient, Jensen said,

during a process called myelination. This is when a fatty substance called myelin grows slowly and wraps itself around miles of brain cells to better insulate them. Insulation makes the brain more efficient at sending and receiving signals. Myelination is a slow process that finishes in the mid-20s. Our brains have thousands of miles of networks and to insulate all of them with myelin takes over two and a half decades to finish.

Using M.R.I. images, Jensen continued,

you can actually see the brain is laying down a layer of myelin over time when looked at year over year. You can measure those layers and see a dynamic process where the insulation is sharpening the rapidity of our signaling from one part of our brain to another.

And then she added a crucial point:

In adolescence, on average girls are more developed by about two to three years in terms of the peak of their synapses and in their connectivity processes.

A major 2015 study, The Emergence of Sex Differences in Personality Traits in Early Adolescence: A Cross-Sectional, Cross-Cultural Study, on which Marleen De Bolle, then of Ghent University, was the lead author  with contributions from 48 additional scholars  described some of the consequences of differing rates of maturity and development:

Our findings demonstrate that adolescent girls consistently score higher than boys on personality traits that are found to facilitate academic achievement, at least within the current school climate. Stated differently, the current school environment or climate might be in general more attuned to feminine-typed personalities, which make it  in general  easier for girls to achieve better grades at school.

What are some of the other factors contributing to the differing academic performance of boys and girls?
PARIS  Make no mistake. This is a crisis, not a spat.

The new partnership announced last week between the United States, Britain and Australia, in which Australia would be endowed with nuclear-powered submarines, has left the French angry and in shock. And not just because of the loss of their own deal, signed in 2016, to provide Australia with submarines.

French officials say they have been stonewalled and duped by close allies, who negotiated behind their backs. The sense of betrayal is so acute that President Emmanuel Macron has uncharacteristically opted to keep silent on the issue, delegating the expression of a very public rage to his otherwise quiet foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian. Asked on public television whether President Bidens behavior was reminiscent of his predecessors, Mr. Le Drian replied, Without the tweets.

The fallout is about much more than a scrapped business deal, Gallic pride and bruised egos. This diplomatic bombshell has crudely exposed the unwritten rules of great-power competition, in which France cannot be a player unless it carries the weight of the European Union behind it. The past week has been about 21st-century geopolitics and the brutal adjustment of old alliances to new realities.

France considers itself a resident power in the Indo-Pacific region, a crucial battleground for the rivalry between America and China, because it possesses several islands and maintains four naval bases there. It developed its own strategy for the region in 2018 and has been pushing since then for the European Union to come up with a similar project. Ironically, the European Unions Indo-Pacific strategy was presented on the very day the deal, known as AUKUS, became public. The plan was, of course, drowned out by the uproar.
To the Editor:

Re Our Foster Care System Is Broken, by Sixto Cancel (Opinion guest essay, Sept. 17):

Mr. Cancels heartbreaking account of his childhood as he traveled among group homes and foster homes is too familiar. It is a tragedy that U.S. policies and services are not designed to adequately support the 2.7 million children growing up in the care of relatives or close family friends.

For each child with relatives in the foster care system, about 20 are with kin, like grandparents, outside the foster care system. Decades of research prove that being raised by loving, supported kin, children have better outcomes than those who live with unrelated foster parents.

Without kin stepping forward to raise these kids, the foster care system would be overwhelmed. So why arent we designing a system that supports kin?

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Cancel. We must do everything we can to keep families together. We must work with kinship families to create programs that are responsive to their needs, and increase services and funding for these programs. We must not fail more children, and instead rethink a system that should better serve us.
As the national conversation about disability rights and accessibility has grown, some of those companies  including Google, Apple and Amazon  have finally begun to re-engineer existing products to try to make them work for people like me.

Apple has collected more than 28,000 audio clips of stutterers in hopes of improving Siris voice recognition systems. Amazon has collaborated with Voiceitt, an app that learns individual speech patterns, to make Alexa more accessible. Microsoft has put $25 million toward inclusive technology. And Google has worked with speech engineers, speech language pathologists and a pair of A.L.S. organizations to start a project to train its existing software to recognize diverse speech patterns.

Julie Cattiau, a product manager in Googles artificial intelligence team, told me that ultimately, the company hopes to equip Google Assistant to tailor itself to an individuals speech. For example, people who have A.L.S. often have speech impairments and mobility impairments as the disease progresses, she said. So it would be helpful for them to be able to use the technology to turn the lights on and off or change the temperature without having to move around the house.

Muratcan Cicek, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Santa Cruz, with cerebral palsy, has a severe speech disorder, cannot walk and has limited control of his arms and hands. He said he tried for years to use Microsoft Cortana and Google Assistant, but they couldnt understand his speech. After joining Googles project, he said he was able to use a prototype of the improved Google Assistant.

Despite Mr. Ciceks success, Ms. Cattiau said that Googles improved voice technology still has a long way to go until it is ready to be released to the public.

These unfinished efforts  announced in 2019, three years after Google Assistant debuted  demonstrate voice technologys most pressing problem: Accessibility is rarely part of its original design.

Mr. Rudzicz said that its more difficult to alter software after its creation than to develop it with differing abilities in mind in the first place. When companies dont prioritize accessibility from the outset, they neglect possible customers and undermine the potential of their diversity efforts.
Tina Leung swanned at the entrance to the Jason Wu show wearing the designers bronze-tone jumpsuit and a gem-encrusted Bulgari choker. Pandemic or no, she was looking forward to the fashion week show and, not incidentally, to plugging her personal brand, one she summed up in a meme-worthy phrase: I style, I influence, Im fabulous.

She was one in a crowd scattered like confetti as people made their way to Mr. Wus spring 2022 show, held on Sept. 10. Dripping statement jewelry and plenty of attitude, most were poised to make a statement. They trotted out the fashion equivalent of their Sunday best, showing off violently colorful florals, flanged shoulders and fringe and, among the men, a striking profusion of pearls.

Ive definitely been determined to wear my clothes, said Charlese Antoinette, the costume designer for Judas and the Black Messiah.
This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. Here is a collection of past columns.

Many of the delivery businesses that have sprung up in the last few years make no financial sense and may be turning us into monsters.

Im talking about app-based companies including Uber, DoorDash, Gopuff and many others around the world. They aim to bring us groceries, cooked meals, a home cleaner, cases of beer or a trip across town  all better, faster and cheaper than how weve always done things.

Ive tried to be open minded about these app companies. They are the logical next step in our consumer culture, and they create new types of jobs. Deliveries of anything under the sun might also put the power of Amazon into the hands of local businesses and preserve what we like about Main Street with handy, 21st-century twists.

But any shred of optimism I had is fading. These app delivery services are at best an economic mirage and at worst expanding misery by making it too easy to ignore their true cost  financial, human and community  in the name of convenience.
The beginnings of a problem

Forty years ago, Barcelona wasnt high on most tourists lists of must-see cities in Europe. But that changed after the city hosted the Summer Olympics in 1992: An enormous public investment in beautifying the city coincided with a prime spot on the global stage. A new destination was born.

Attracted by the citys museums, restaurants, architecture and Mediterranean coastline, tourists arrived from across Europe and around the world. By 2019, Barcelona  a city of about 1.6 million  registered over 21.3 million overnight stays, more than double the figure from 2005. And thats not even counting the more than three million cruise ship passengers who passed through the citys port that year.

When Airbnb arrived in 2009, Barcelona had no specific regulations governing private rentals to tourists, but interest in the service was evident: By the middle of 2016, there were some 20,000 listings of both private rooms and entire apartments in Airbnbs Barcelona section, according to data from Inside Airbnb, which tracks listings in cities around the world. The hosts in Barcelona were operating in a kind of gray market in those early years of growth: It wasnt explicitly legal, nor was it clearly forbidden.

But as tourist numbers grew, so, too, did the sense among many in Barcelona that the city was nearing its capacity for visitors. In the summer of 2014, anti-tourism protests erupted in the Barceloneta neighborhood, where locals had grown frustrated with the noise and raucous behavior of visitors who had come to party. Anti-tourism graffiti sprouted up, sometimes in popular tourist spots, and in 2017, a group of left-wing activists vandalized an open-top bus filled with tourists. Many residents  as well as some at City Hall  pointed the finger at Airbnb.

For a long time, tourism was seen as nothing but a positive thing for the city, but now were starting to feel all of the impacts, said Mar Santamaria Varas, a Barcelona-based architect and co-founder of 300.000 Km/s, an urban planning agency. With regard to tourist accommodation, she added that her analysis has revealed three main problems: gentrification, crowding in public spaces, and the disappearance of corner stores and other retailers that are essential for residents.

Airbnb maintains that private room rentals have little to no impact on the availability of local housing, as people who rent out private rooms live in the same property. But a study published last year in the Journal of Urban Economics found that Airbnb activity in Barcelona has increased rents by 7 percent and housing prices by 17 percent in the neighborhoods that have the highest levels of activity on the platform. In the average neighborhood, the effects were a 1.9 percent increase in rent and a 4.6 percent increase in housing price.

A new era

The 2015 election of Ada Colau as Barcelonas mayor marked a turning point in the citys relationship with tourism, ushering in the first real efforts to regulate short-term rentals. Already famous in Spain for her work fighting housing evictions, the left-wing Ms. Colau took a much harder line on tourism than her predecessor. Under her leadership, City Hall enacted a moratorium on new tourist licenses for entire-apartment rentals; launched a major crackdown on illegal apartment listings; banned the construction of new hotels in the city center; and introduced neighborhood-specific rules to regulate the establishment of souvenir shops and other businesses that cater to tourists.
What does fully vaccinated mean? Which vaccines will be accepted?

A spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that the agency is still in the regulatory process, but said that people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Vaccines listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization, such as AstraZeneca and Oxford, will also be valid, the C.D.C. said.

How do the new rules affect people from countries that were not on the banned list?

The new policy applies to everyone who is not a U.S. citizen, including individuals from Japan, Singapore, Mexico and many other countries whose citizens have been able to fly to the United States throughout the pandemic. Though vaccination status does not currently affect whether or not these individuals can enter the United States, in November only fully vaccinated travelers will be permitted.

Already these individuals have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken within three days of boarding a flight. This requirement will remain.

The policy applies to all foreign nationals, meaning that long-term residents of the United States who are not American citizens would not be able to leave the country and then re-enter unless they are fully vaccinated.

What about U.S. citizens?

The vaccination stipulation does not apply to U.S. citizens. But the new policy does require unvaccinated Americans to provide proof of a negative result from a test taken within one day of their return flight to the United States, and to test again after they land.

What about children and others who cant get vaccinated for medical reasons?

Most countries that currently require vaccination for entry make exceptions for children too young to be vaccinated. It seems likely that the United States will do the same, but the White House declined to comment on specifics of this policy. It is not yet clear what other exceptions will be made.

What about people coming from Canada and Mexico? If travelers go through the land border, do they have to be vaccinated?

People flying from Canada and Mexico will face the same restrictions as people flying in from other countries: They must be fully vaccinated, obtain a negative coronavirus test and provide personal information for contact tracing. Currently, the land borders with Canada and Mexico are closed for all but essential travel, a policy that is expected to remain in place until at least Oct. 21.
The reasons for the rise may never be fully sorted out, but analysts have pointed to many possible contributing factors, including various pandemic stresses; increased distrust between the police and the public after the murder of George Floyd, including a pullback by the police in response to criticism; and increased firearm carrying.

About 77 percent of reported murders in 2020 were committed with a firearm, the highest share ever reported, up from 67 percent a decade ago.

The change in murder was widespread  a national phenomenon and not a regional one. Murder rose over 35 percent in cities with populations over 250,000 that reported full data.

It also rose over 40 percent in cities 100,000 to 250,000, and around 25 percent in cities under 25,000.

No geographic area was spared. The F.B.I. reported in March that murder was up at least 20 percent in every region of the country, including around a 30 percent increase in the Midwest. Overall, murder was up at least 20 percent in counties carried by Joseph R. Biden Jr. as well as by Donald J. Trump in 2020.

One regional factor stayed consistent: Louisiana had the highest murder rate for the 32nd straight year.

Murders were already elevated in the first few months of 2020, then increased significantly in June and stayed high through the remainder of the year.
Pfizer vs. Moderna

In the early days of the vaccine rollout in the U.S., Pfizer somehow became the status vaccine  the subject of memes and funny jokes about the hot people in the Pfizer Gang.

These tongue-in-cheek references emerged after the results of initial clinical trials showed that Pfizer had a 95 percent efficacy against symptomatic infection, compared with Modernas 94 percent.

Health officials, meanwhile, were adamant: Doses from Pfizer and Moderna are equally effective, they said.

But as my colleague Apoorva Mandavilli reports, that has turned out not to be true.

Over the past few weeks, a half-dozen studies have demonstrated that Modernas vaccine appears to be more protective over the long term than Pfizers.
All visitors and workers in temples operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should wear face masks at all times while in the temple, according to a letter sent by the churchs top leaders to local church leaders around the world on Wednesday.

We want to do everything possible to allow temples to remain open, wrote the churchs president, Russell M. Nelson, and his two top counselors, Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring. These safety protocols are temporary, based on Covid-19 conditions, and will be rescinded as soon as circumstances permit.

Mr. Nelson, 97, is a retired heart surgeon and is revered as a prophet by Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons. He has repeatedly urged the churchs 16.6 million members around the world to wear masks and get vaccinated. In an August letter, he wrote that the approved vaccines were safe and effective and added: We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders.

There are 167 temples around the world, according to the church, with dozens more under construction or planned. The church closed them all in March 2020 to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, and began reopening them in phases in May of that year.
Covid and Climate Crisis Divide Nations as U.N. General Assembly Resumes In a second day of addresses at the General Assembly, leaders including the presidents of Venezuela and Ukraine were scheduled to speak. The gathering opened with grim warnings about the state of global cooperation.

The U.N. General Assembly reconvenes, with global divisions as stark as ever. Image Abdulla Shahid, the General Assembly president, left, and the United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, at the gathering on Wednesday. Credit... Justin Lane/EPA, via Shutterstock After a day of somber warnings and fiery denunciations that illustrated a world divided, the United Nations General Assembly reconvened on Wednesday with the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and fault lines between democracy and authoritarianism dominating a second day of speeches by global leaders. Among those scheduled to speak is President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, a democracy weakened by long-running conflict with an increasingly autocratic Russia. Mr. Zelensky said he would return to Ukraine immediately after his address, following an assassination attempt on Wednesday against one of his top advisers. Ukraine Also in the days lineup is President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, whose repressive government has been implicated in human rights abuses and economic suffering. The address offers him another opportunity to thumb his nose at critics, including the United States. The chaotic situations in those countries present a stark counterpoint to President Bidens attempt, in his debut address before the assembly on Tuesday, to cast democratic institutions as the best way to deliver for all of our people. The future belongs to those who give their people the ability to breathe free, not those who seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand authoritarianism, he said. The authoritarians of the world, they seek to proclaim the end of the age of democracy, but theyre wrong. Mr. Biden spoke to a smaller than usual audience in the Assembly Hall because of the pandemic. Although he pledged to guide the United States back into a position of global leadership, Mr. Bidens calls for international unity against the the expanding influence of autocratic nations  including China and Russia  were opposed by some of his peers who spoke from the podium and virtually. In a prerecorded speech, President Xi Jinping of China rejected the American portrayal of his government as authoritarian, asserting that democracy is not a special right reserved to an individual country. Although his language was restrained, Mr. Xis remarks underlined Chinas rivalry with the United States, a contentious relationship that the United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, has warned could devolve into a new Cold War. Mr. Xi also used his address to make the unexpected announcement that his country would stop building new coal-fired power projects overseas. The United States has repeatedly called out China for helping to build electricity plants abroad that are powered by the dirtiest fossil fuel, and Mr. Xis announcement  hours after Mr. Biden pledged to double U.S. funding for developing countries efforts to tackle the climate crisis  appeared designed to lift his countrys standing in the fight against climate change. Irans new hard-line president, Ebrahim Raisi, delivered an angrier denunciation of the United States, describing American power in the world as both evil and irrelevant. In a prerecorded speech, his first to the world body, Mr. Raisi cast the United States as a scourge that had unsuccessfully sought to use economic sanctions to pressure its foes. On the eve of a summit that Mr. Biden had called at the White House to speed the delivery of coronavirus vaccines to developing nations, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines railed against the worlds affluent countries. There is a man-made drought of vaccines ravaging poor countries, Mr. Duterte said in prerecorded remarks. Rich countries hoard lifesaving vaccines while poor nations wait for trickles. They now talk of booster shots while developing countries consider half-doses just to get by.

Ukraines president says hell leave the Assembly early after his adviser is nearly killed in Kyiv. Image The police examined the black Audi in which Serhiy Shefir, a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, was shot at near Kyiv on Wednesday. Credit... Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images Ukraines president said he would cut short his trip to New York to address the General Assembly, after one of his top advisers survived an apparent assassination attempt on Wednesday. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would deliver his speech on Wednesday and then return immediately to Kyiv, the capital. He had said that he planned to use the address to speak out against Russias military intervention in eastern Ukraine and to rally diplomatic backing for his country. His adviser, Serhiy Shefir, was shot at on Wednesday while being driven in his car outside Kyiv, in what the authorities said was an assassination attempt. Mr. Shefir was not injured in the attack, but the driver of the car was wounded and hospitalized, Ukraines prosecutor general said in a statement that included a picture of the drivers side of Mr. Shefirs black Audi riddled with bullets. This is serious, the deputy interior minister, Anton Gerashchenko, said in a brief interview. It was a real assassination attempt. Mr. Zelensky said in a video message from New York that he considered the attack to be a message to him personally, but insisted that no matter who was behind it, he would not be deterred from efforts to modernize Ukraines economy and tackle criminality. Saying hello to me by shooting from the woods at the car of my friend is weakness, Mr. Zelensky said. Mr. Shefir, 57, is a longtime adviser to the Ukrainian president and is considered Mr. Zelenskys closest confidant. Together with his brother and Mr. Zelensky in 2003, they founded Kvartal 95, a television production company that produced numerous popular shows and propelled Mr. Zelensky, a former comedian, to nationwide fame. In 2019, Mr. Zelensky used his popularity to win the presidency. Ivan Nechepurenko, Michael Schwirtz and

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Jordans king brings up a sore subject with Israel: Jerusalem. Image King Abdullah II of Jordan delivering a prerecorded message during the General Assembly on Wednesday. Credit... Pool photo by John Angelillo King Abdullah II of Jordan used his General Assembly address on Wednesday to remind Israel of a longstanding arrangement that gives his country custodial authority over a sacred area in the Old City of Jerusalem, a chronic flash point in the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict that exploded into war this past spring. For our part, Jordan will continue working to preserve the historic and legal status quo of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, under Hashemite custodianship, the Jordanian monarch said, referring to his familys Hashemite heritage, meaning that it has common ancestry with the Prophet Muhammad. Since Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967, it has maintained a fragile religious balance at the Temple Mount, the most divisive site in Jerusalem. Only Muslims can worship in the area atop the mount, the site of Al Aqsa Mosque, while Jews can pray at the Western Wall below, a remnant of the Second Jewish Temple complex that was destroyed by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago. Under the arrangement, the Jordanian government has retained administrative oversight of the Temple Mount, known to Arabs as the Noble Sanctuary or the Aqsa compound. Israel has overall security authority over the compound and maintains a small police station there. But the Israeli government has quietly allowed increasing numbers of Jews to pray in the compound recently, a shift that could aggravate the instability in East Jerusalem and potentially fuel religious conflict. When the Israeli police raided the Temple Mount compound several times last spring, it contributed to tensions that burst into an 11-day war with Hamas, the militant Islamist group that rules in the Gaza Strip, as well as days of unrest within Israel. Jordans king, who supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, alluded to those events in his General Assembly speech. The bitter war on Gaza this past year, he said, was a reminder that the current situation is simply unsustainable.

Brazils health minister tests positive for the coronavirus at the U.N. General Assembly. Image The Brazilian health minister, Marcelo Queiroga, in August. He tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday in New York. Credit... Adriano Machado/Reuters Brazils health minister said that he had tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday in New York, where he was attending the United Nations General Assembly along with the countrys unvaccinated president, Jair Bolsonaro. The health minister, Marcelo Queiroga, tweeted that he would quarantine in the United States and was following all health safety protocols. Dr. Queiroga, who is a cardiologist, received the CoronaVac vaccine, made by Beijing-based Sinovac, early this year. The entire Brazilian delegation has decided to self-quarantine for 14 days, said Stephane Dujarric, a U.N. spokesman. Dr. Queiroga had accompanied Mr. Bolsonaro during his visit to New York for the U.N. meeting. Before testing positive, he was seen on video shaking hands with Britains prime minister, Boris Johnson, when Mr. Johnson met Mr. Bolsonaro on Monday. Contrary to earlier reports, Dr. Queiroga did not meet this week with Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Mr. Dujarric said. We have looked into the potential exposure to U.N. staff in the General Assembly hall, and contact tracing is being finalized, Mr. Dujarric said. At present, no close contacts amongst U.N. staff have been identified. On Monday night, Dr. Queiroga made headlines in Brazil after he was filmed giving anti-Bolsonaro demonstrators the middle finger as he and other members of the government delegation left a dinner at the residence of the countrys ambassador to the United Nations. The presidents office said in a statement issued late Tuesday that Dr. Queiroga would remain in the United States while he recovers and said he was doing well. We also inform that the other members of the delegation tested negative for the virus, the statement said. Dr. Queiroga had a busy agenda in New York. He had breakfast with a group of investors; participated in a meeting with Brazils first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro; paid tribute at the Sept. 11 memorial; and participated in a virtual meeting with senior officials at the World Health Organization. In March, he became Mr. Bolsonaros fourth health minister in less than a year; the first two were forced out after disagreeing with the president on handling the pandemic. Dr. Queirogas tenure has been marred by allegations that senior ministry officials sought kickbacks as they negotiated the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines. Mr. Bolsonaros handling of the pandemic in South Americas largest country has been widely criticized. On Tuesday, he used his speech at the General Assembly to defend the use of ineffective drugs to treat the coronavirus and argued that doctors should have had more leeway in administering untested medications for Covid-19. Mr. Bolsonaro, who had a mild case of Covid-19 in July of last year, has said he was in no hurry to get vaccinated, which made for an awkward exchange during his meeting with Mr. Johnson, who hailed the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was developed in Britain at Oxford University. Get AstraZeneca vaccines, said Mr. Johnson, who survived a serious case of Covid last year. Ive had it twice. Mr. Bolsonaro pointed to himself and said: Not yet. Ernesto Londono and

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Why is Chinas vow not to build new coal-powered plants abroad significant? Image Near a coal-fired power plant in Heilongjiang Province, China, in 2019. Xi Jinping vowed that China would stop building new such plants abroad, but he did not address domestic production. Credit... Jason Lee/Reuters Experts on global warming have cautiously welcomed the announcement by Xi Jinping, Chinas top leader, to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that his country would stop building coal-burning power plants abroad. China is by far the biggest domestic producer of coal and the largest financier of coal-fired power plants around the world  a major producer of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. And the news came amid a broad international effort to reduce coal use and to keep global temperatures from rising at their current pace, which scientists have warned could be disastrous. How many countries have coal-fired power plants funded by China? Currently more than a dozen countries, mostly in Asia. Chinas main vehicles for financing their construction, the China Development Bank and Export-Import Bank of China, have poured $51.6 billion dollars into coal power plants around the globe, according to a Boston University tracker. Indonesia is the country where China has invested in the largest number of coal-powered projects, according to the tracker. China has financed 21 projects in Indonesia, followed by 13 in Vietnam and seven in Pakistan. Is China abandoning coal? Not just yet. Domestically, China produces about 1,200 gigawatts of energy from coal, according to Greenpeace China, and Mr. Xis announcement did not address domestic production. The countrys latest five-year development plan, approved this year, allows for expanded coal-power construction at home for years to come. Is China currently developing any coal power plants abroad? Yes. New coal power plant projects across 20 countries are in varying stages of development, according to Li Shuo, a policy adviser with Greenpeace China. For some host countries, partnering with China is the only way to draw energy from their own supplies of coal, he said. China has an abundance of money, the steel mills that are needed to make coal power plants and the engineering expertise that many other countries dont have.

Biden calls on global partners to bolster the worlds Covid response: We need to go big. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:32 - 0:00 transcript Biden Presses Global Partners to Amplify Pandemic Response President Biden called for a heightened, unified global response to the pandemic as he convened a virtual Covid-19 summit in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. Nothing is more urgent than all of us working together to defeat Covid-19, and that world is going to be much better prepared for future pandemics  we have to do both. This summit is about supercharging our efforts in three key areas: vaccinating the world by dramatically ramping up vaccine production, donations, delivery and administering the vaccine, which is a logistical  its a logistical challenge. Addressing the oxygen crisis in many hospitals around the world, making other treatments more accessible and increasing the availability of public health tools like masks and tests, and building back better so that our global health security infrastructure is more resilient than it is today. Weve all suffered. The United States has lost more than 670,000 of our fellow Americans, worldwide, the death toll is above 4.5 million people  4.5 million people. And this is a global tragedy, and were not going to solve this crisis with half measures or middle of the road ambitions. We need to go big and we need to do our part, governments, the private sector, civil society leaders, philanthropists. This is an all hands on deck crisis. And the good news is we know how to beat this pandemic  Vaccines, public health measures and collective action. President Biden called for a heightened, unified global response to the pandemic as he convened a virtual Covid-19 summit in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. Credit Credit... Dedi Sinuhaji/EPA, via Shutterstock Declaring we need to go big, President Biden on Wednesday called on other world leaders, pharmaceutical executives, philanthropists and civil society organizations to band together to forge a global consensus around a plan to fight the coronavirus crisis. Speaking at the opening of a virtual Covid-19 summit he is convening during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr. Biden cited two urgent challenges: vaccinating the world against Covid-19, and solving a global oxygen crisis, which is leading to unnecessary deaths among Covid-19 patients who might survive if oxygen were available. Were not going to solve this crisis with half measures or middle of the road ambitions  we need to go big, the president said, adding, Its an all hands on deck crisis. But it may be hard to turn Mr. Bidens words into reality. Less than 10 percent of the population of poor nations  and less than 4 percent of the African population  has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Seventy-nine percent of shots that have been administered have been in high- and upper-middle-income countries, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford. Covax, the W.H.O.-backed international vaccine initiative, is behind schedule in delivering shots to the low- and middle-income nations that need them the most. Around the world, more than 4.5 million people have died of Covid-19  a global tragedy, Mr. Biden said. On Wednesday, the president announced a new partnership with the European Union aimed at expanding access to vaccines. And Vice President Kamala Harris said that the United States would contribute $250 million to start a new global fund that the administration hopes will raise $10 billion to fight future pandemics. Still, some activists say that Mr. Bidens new plan for donating doses is not fast enough to meet the World Health Organizations vaccination targets in poorer nations. Of the 1.1 billion doses that the United States has committed to donating, only 300 million are expected to be shipped this year. Mr. Bidens speech came on the same day the Food and Drug Administration authorized booster shots for people over 65 who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, as well as for others at high risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19. The decision opened the way for possibly tens of millions of vaccinated people to get the extra doses. Asked about the United States move to provide booster doses to some already inoculated people while much of the world lacks vaccines, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, reiterated the administrations position that we can do both, and its a false choice. The summit began with Mr. Biden and other world leaders, including Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, gathering virtually for a small panel discussion entitled Call the World to Account and Vaccinate the World. Participants included other presidents and prime ministers, including President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, according to an agenda obtained by The New York Times. Drug company executives, philanthropists and leaders of nonprofit organizations were also invited. Earlier Wednesday, Pfizer-BioNTech announced that it had struck a deal with the Biden administration to sell the United States an additional 500 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine, to be donated to nations that need them. Mr. Biden said in his speech the deal would bring to 1.1 billion the total number of doses his administration has purchased for donation. Put another way, for every one shot weve administered to pay in America, we have now committed to do three shots to the rest of the world, he said. Mr. Biden has been under intense pressure from global health experts to do more to address the vaccine shortage  and in particular expand manufacturing around the world. Mr. Biden said the U.S. is doing so, through a partnership with India, Japan and Australia. The director general of the W.H.O., Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, pointed out in his remarks at the summit that less than 15 percent of the billion doses high-income countries have pledged to poorer countries have been delivered. We need an ironclad global commitment today to support the vaccination of at least 40 percent of the population of every country by the end of this year, and 70 percent by mid-2022, Dr. Tedros said. Drug manufacturers have also been under pressure to do more. The Biden administration has urged both Pfizer and Moderna to enter into joint ventures where they would license their technology to contract manufacturers with the aim of providing vaccines to low- and middle-income countries, according to a senior administration official. Those talks led to the Pfizer donation, but the talks with Moderna have not borne fruit, the official said. Some critics of the Biden administration had low expectations for the summit. As important as the summit is to corral further commitments, it will not produce the transformative response needed to end the pandemic, Peter Maybarduk, access to medicines director for Public Citizen, the consumer advocacy organization, said. Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reporting.

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Even as more than 1,000 Haitian migrants were deported between Sunday and Tuesday, thousands of others are being allowed into the United States, sometimes to request asylum  and are being released with instructions to report to immigration officials at a future date.

Faced with an unusually high number of Haitians who began crossing the border into Del Rio, Texas, late last week, the Biden administration responded with high-profile repatriation flights, which officials hope will deter others from making the trip here. There are five flights planned for Wednesday, according to an official familiar with the plans, who was not authorized to discuss the matter and thus spoke on condition of anonymity.

The sudden appearance of thousands of Haitian migrants overwhelmed Border Patrol agents in Del Rio last week. At one point, some 15,000 crammed under and around a bridge in squalid conditions while they waited to be briefly interviewed by border officials. To relieve the overcrowding, the administration has flown many of the migrants to less crowded spots on the southern border; most are being released from Border Patrol custody with a Notice to Appear order, which formally enters them into the immigration court system for a deportation hearing  often years away.

The response to the latest sharp increase in migrants crossing the border illegally has appeared chaotic and raised questions about the administrations immigration enforcement policies.
But their frustration with Mr. Biden runs deeper than the current situation. Many said they had begun to doubt whether he had the will or the desire to make good on any of his immigration promises.

The question thats being asked now is: How are you actually different than Trump? said Marisa Franco, the executive director of Mijente, a Latino civil rights organization, who consulted the Biden campaign as a representative for Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. You campaigned that immigration was one of the places where Trump was inhumane and failed. And last time I checked, Trump is not the president.

Biden administration officials bristle at that suggestion, saying the president moved within hours of taking office to undo many of Mr. Trumps anti-immigrant policies. And they say advisers are united behind a strategy that includes building a new, robust asylum system while also cracking down on illegal immigration.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, on Wednesday reiterated Mr. Bidens hopes for an immigration system that is more open to those seeking refuge, even as she acknowledged the administrations determination to keep the border secure.

The president remains committed to putting in place a humane and orderly immigration system that includes an established and efficient process for applying for asylum, she told reporters.

Mr. Bidens allies blame Republicans for standing in the way of needed changes because they view the border chaos on his watch as a good political issue.
U.S. officials were belatedly searching for special projects they could announce to reaffirm the relationship with France, including new initiatives in the Indo-Pacific. But some senior officials said they were concerned that anything they put together might look like a transparent, face-saving effort, especially when compared with the scope of the Australian, U.S. and British partnership.

The core of the announcement last week was a plan to build nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines, to be operated by the Australian navy, that are clearly intended to counter Chinas growing influence in the Pacific. The submarines would have a far larger range than the diesel-electric models that France was planning to build under a deal announced in 2019.

But the true import of the new arrangement was far larger: It firmly tied Australia to the Western defense camp in challenging China, after years in which Australian leaders tried to carefully balance their most important defense and intelligence ally in Washington and their biggest customer for natural resources in Beijing. Now, after the Chinese government overplayed its hand with political bullying and major disinformation campaigns in Australia, the country has declared itself a full partner in the Western effort to counter China.

Still, if the move strengthened a new alliance, it weakened an old one: NATO. The decision came as a shock to French leaders, who knew the submarine deal was in trouble but were kept in the dark about the one that replaced it. No decision has been made on the return to Canberra of the French ambassador to Australia, who was also recalled.

The statement before the meeting from the Elysee Palace said that Mr. Macron expected clarifications on the American decision to keep an ally out of exchanges establishing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

That statement, reflecting Mr. Macrons anger over what is seen in France as a betrayal, added that the United States should fully recognize the necessity of reinforcing European sovereignty, as well as the importance of the growing European engagement in their defense and their security.

The French president did not succeed in securing a reference to European sovereignty  a delicate term for the United States as well as several of Frances partners in the European Union  but he did seem to gain U.S. agreement for much of what he sought.
WASHINGTON  President Biden declared to the United Nations on Tuesday that for the first time in 20 years, the United States is not at war. Weve turned the page.

One day earlier, a missile fired from an American drone incinerated a car driving along a remote road in northwestern Syria, a strike aimed against a suspected Qaeda operative. Three weeks before that, the military launched an airstrike in Somalia targeting members of the Shabab militant group, part of an American air campaign in that country that has intensified in recent months.

There are no longer American troops in Afghanistan, but Americas wars go on.

Mr. Bidens assertion at the United Nations was intended to show he had made good on his pledge to end Americas longest war, and his speech came on the same day that the last soldier to die before the American withdrawal from Afghanistan was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

But it was just the latest attempt by an American president in the two decades since the Sept. 11 attacks to massage the language of warfare to mask a sometimes inconvenient reality: that America is still engaged in armed conflict throughout the world.
WASHINGTON  After weeks of internal strife at the Food and Drug Administration, the agency on Wednesday authorized people over 65 who had received Pfizer-BioNTechs coronavirus vaccine to get a booster shot at least six months after their second injection.

The F.D.A. also authorized booster shots for adult Pfizer-BioNTech recipients who are at high risk of becoming severely ill with Covid-19 or are at risk of serious complications from the disease due to frequent exposure to the coronavirus at their jobs.

The authorization sets up what is likely to be a staggered campaign to deliver the shots, starting with the most vulnerable Americans. It opens the way for possibly tens of millions of vaccinated people to receive boosters at pharmacies, health clinics, doctors offices and elsewhere.

Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting F.D.A. commissioner, said that the authorization would allow for booster doses in certain populations such as health care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons, among others. Her statement suggested that agency leaders took a permissive view of the subgroups it deemed eligible for an extra injection.
The political reality is clear, given Democrats have no margin for error in the Senate and a limited margin in the House, he wrote. We will not secure the full $3.5 trillion investment. Its time for Democrats to unite in finding the path forward.

But Mr. Podesta also had harsh words for moderates who have resisted the social safety net package, pushing instead for the passage of a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that has passed the Senate, and is due for a House vote next week.

You are either getting both bills or neither  and the prospect of neither is unconscionable, he wrote. It would signal a complete and utter failure of our democratic duty, and a reckless abdication of our responsibility. It would define our generations history and show that, when our time came, we failed, both for Americans now and in the years to come.

A large group of Democratic lawmakers is heading to the White House on Wednesday to strategize with Mr. Biden about the fate of both bills, which is likely to be determined in the next few weeks. Mr. Podestas warnings reflect a growing fear among some Democrats on and off Capitol Hill that the entire effort could collapse, leaving the party with little to run on in midterm elections and no chance for years to enact ambitious legislation.

The historical trend makes it clear that Democrats will face severe headwinds next November, Mr. Podesta wrote, but nothing will guarantee a political reckoning faster than if the Democrats fail to pass anything.
WASHINGTON  Lawmakers attempting to strike a bipartisan compromise on a national policing overhaul declared on Wednesday that their efforts had failed, formally ending the latest round of negotiations amid the same disagreements that had bedeviled them for more than a year.

The announcement by Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Democrats lead emissary on the issue, acknowledged what had been apparent for months, as talks had fizzled with no sign of a breakthrough. It all but closed off the possibility that Congress would act on an issue that President Biden had promised to tackle, amid a groundswell of public support for addressing systemic racism in law enforcement.

A group of Republicans and Democrats began negotiating in April following the guilty verdict of a police officer in the George Floyd murder trial, hoping the ruling would provide momentum to break an impasse that had persisted since Mr. Floyds death in 2020. But for months preceding Wednesdays announcement, negotiators had been unable to come to an agreement on a slew of issues, including whether to change criminal and civil penalties to make it easier to punish police officers for misconduct.

We werent making any more meaningful progress on establishing really substantive reform for Americans policing, Mr. Booker said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Brazils health minister said that he had tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday in New York, where he was attending the United Nations General Assembly along with the countrys unvaccinated president, Jair Bolsonaro.

The health minister, Marcelo Queiroga, tweeted that he would quarantine in the United States and was following all health safety protocols. Dr. Queiroga, who is a cardiologist, received the CoronaVac vaccine, made by Beijing-based Sinovac, early this year.

The entire Brazilian delegation has decided to self-quarantine for 14 days, said Stephane Dujarric, a U.N. spokesman.

Dr. Queiroga had accompanied Mr. Bolsonaro during his visit to New York for the U.N. meeting. Before testing positive, he was seen on video shaking hands with Britains prime minister, Boris Johnson, when Mr. Johnson met Mr. Bolsonaro on Monday.
Nearly one-quarter of the hospitals treating Covid-19 in Afghanistan have closed in recent weeks, and the countrys efforts to respond to the pandemic have declined, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday.

The W.H.O. issued an urgent warning on Wednesday, saying that Afghanistan is on the brink of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe.

The notice followed a recent visit to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, where W.H.O. leaders met with the leadership of the Taliban, which is now in control of the country. The W.H.O. officials also met with United Nations partners, health care workers and patients.

Cuts in donor support to the countrys largest health project, Sehatmandi, has left thousands of health facilities without funding for medical supplies and salaries for health staff, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the W.H.O., and Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, the organizations regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The largest portion of it, more than $34.4 billion, is in Asia, according to the tracker.

Indonesia is Chinas largest coal mining partner, with 21 projects and about $9.3 billion in investments, followed by Vietnam, which has 13 projects and $8.8 billion in investments, according to the tracker.

Pakistan has seven coal power plants funded by China, with $4.5 billion. Other countries with coal power plants funded by China include South Africa, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Russia and Turkey, just to name a few.

Is China abandoning coal? Not just yet.

Domestically, China produces about 1,200 gigawatts of energy from coal, according to Greenpeace China. The coal power plants it has helped build abroad produce less than 100 gigawatts, the group said.

Mr. Xis announcement did not address domestic production. And the countrys latest five-year development plan, approved earlier this year, allows for expanded coal-power construction at home for years to come.

Is China currently developing any coal power plants abroad? Yes.

There are about 40 gigawatts of new coal power plant projects across 20 different countries that are in varying stages of development, according to Li Shuo, a policy adviser with Greenpeace China.

For some host countries, partnering with China is the only way to draw energy from their own supply of coal, he said. That is because China has an abundance of money, the steel mills that are needed to make coal power plants and the engineering expertise that many other countries dont have.
NEW DELHI  Indias Supreme Court on Wednesday opened the door for women to pursue military careers at the highest levels, a major milestone in a country where gender inequality is rife and where women have been leaving the work force in droves.

The court ordered the government to allow women in November, for the first time, to take the entrance exam to Indias premier defense academy, the pipeline for the countrys top army, navy and air force commanders. While the court allowed the government to continue to exclude women from most combat roles, the ruling could encourage more women to pursue careers in the military.

It gives a sense of victory, said Anju Bala, a former major in the Indian army.

They have got one more window open to compete equally with men, she said.

Women make up a tiny fraction of the more than 1.3 million people serving in Indias armed forces, among the worlds largest. They are able to serve as officers, but their upside was limited because they could not attend the elite military academy. Similar schools in the United States, like the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy, began to admit women in 1976.
Lava from a volcanic eruption on La Palma, one of the Spanish Canary Islands, spread a path of havoc on Wednesday, destroying hundreds of homes, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people and prompting warnings of toxic explosions.

The eruption on La Palma  the first major one there in 50 years  began Sunday, and some experts warned that lava might continue to spew for weeks.

About 320 houses on the island off northwestern Africa had been engulfed by fire and lava by Wednesday morning, some 6,000 residents have been evacuated, and a few hundred other homes remain at risk, according to the local authorities. Despite the widespread destruction, there have been no reports of deaths or injuries so far.

We have always lived here fearing an eruption, said Antonio Rodriguez Acosta, a retired schoolteacher who lives close to the village of Todoque and was evacuated on Sunday.
KYIV, Ukraine  A top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was shot at on Wednesday while being driven in his car outside Kyiv, in what the authorities said was an assassination attempt.

The adviser, Serhiy Shefir, was not injured in the attack, but the driver of the car was wounded and hospitalized, Irina Venediktova, Ukraines prosecutor general, said in a statement that included a picture of the drivers side of Mr. Shefirs black Audi riddled with bullets.

This is serious, the deputy interior minister, Anton Gerashchenko, said in a brief interview. It was a real assassination attempt.

The attack occurred while Mr. Zelensky was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting. He used his speech to denounce the attack, speak out against Russias military intervention in eastern Ukraine and rally diplomatic backing for Kyiv.
My father, who is Swiss, was working for a couple of years in West Africa when he met the woman who would become my mother in her homeland of Guinea. They ended up settling in Switzerland, which is where I lived until I turned 27. Since then, as a photographer, Ive spent years exploring my mixed-race background, in projects focusing mainly on Africa  Guinea, but also South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Benin, the Ivory Coast and elsewhere.

Now I live in the Bordeaux region of France, but during the pandemic, with international travel made difficult, I found myself with a nostalgic desire to reclaim who I am. This summer, when I finally had the opportunity, I chose to explore Switzerland  not the Swiss culture in which I grew up but the original sensations with which I built myself. I celebrated the national holiday and saw the fireworks in Iseltwald, on Lake Brienz. I took a train up to the Jungfraujoch. I went hiking all over the country. And I spent days visiting my fathers cousins, most of whom live in the French region, in Neuchatel and La Grande Beroche.

It all brought back buried memories  both good and bad. I tried to document this journey within myself, showing the complexity of how we constantly modify our representations and experience of the past. I wanted to rediscover the being I was yesterday, as well as the sensations that made me who I am today and who I will be tomorrow.
Following the release of Edelman's Trust Barometer special report, The Belief-Driven Employee, Jonathan Jordan, general manager of Edelman's Los Angeles office, talks with Doug Simon about how to build trust among employees on the latest "PR's Top Pros Talk" video interview.

"Back in the '80s and in some of the '90s, shareholder value was the most important thing. And as a stakeholder, it was all about that investor," Jordan says. "I feel like the pendulum has swung back, where today the employee is the number one stakeholder."

He tells Simon that the new Edelman report found several "eye-opening" issues. "There's this continued distrust," Jordan says, and also a "heightened expectation" of what employees expct from employers.

"When those expectations are not met, we're seeing employee activism like we've never seen before," he says. In addition, he notes that "societal issues have become extremely important." And employees are expecting genuine engagement. He discusses "trust that's earned versus trust that's lost when an organization stands up and just says something about what's happening in the world."

Another major issue that's addressed is employee burnout. "In those cases where organizations are doing things to proactively manage burnout, you're seeing massive gains in trust," while "organizations that kind of ignore this or just expect productivity like normal" are seeing massive attrition issues.

Jordan outlines a few ways in which companies can effectively handle burnout. "One is just acknowledging that it's really tough," he says. He also stresses the importance of listening as opposed to teling.

The importance of diversity is another topic of discussion. "A part of my own personal passion has been 'How do we diversify?'" he tells Simon. "I know this is a top conversation for a lot of folks, but we've got to do better. There are some key challenges that have been talked about, but I think I'm happy that in this role I can take action."

With a background that includes stints as a management consultant, a creative and an employee at a record label, Jordan is a big believer in bringing people with non-traditional backgrounds into PR.

"On paper, I'm sure they would have passed on me," he says about coming to Edelman. "I think that makes me look at resumes differently. And I hope that everyone in our industry can look at it as a resume and not hold a background that might look different on paper" against a potential employee.

View all of the interviews in the PR's Top Pros Talk series. Subscribe to get notified when new episodes are available.

Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at dougs@dssimonmedia.com

D S Simon Media helps clients get their stories on television through satellite media tours and by producing and distributing content to the media. The company also produces live social media events.
Qorvis has picked up a $70K monthly retainer pact for strategic communications and media relations services for Cambodia.

The DC-based firm also will work to promote public awareness of Cambodia along with the opportunities for travel and tourism.

The contract went into effect Sept 1. It is an open-ended pact that may be terminated by either party with 30 days written notice. Under the agreement, Cambodia is responsible for the accuracy, completeness and propriety of information that it supplies to Qorvis.

It notes that Qorvis can guarantee neither that the media will use the PR material nor report it in a way that Cambodia intended. The Publicis Groupe unit also retains the right to reject any material that it considers untrue, indecent, libelous, unlawful, or otherwise prejudicial to its interests of that of the client.

Chum Sounry, Cambodias ambassador to the US, Qorvis president Michael Petruzzello and VP-finance Jonathan Nicholas signed the PR contract.
Allyson Schwartz

Former Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz has signed on as senior advisor at FTI Consulting's strategic communications unit. She will counsel clients on healthcare policy and how to navigate the regulatory thicket.

The Pennsylvania Democrat served on the Ways and Means and Budget Committees during her 10-year stint on Capitol Hill.

Schwartz, who was commissioner of Philadelphia's Dept. of Health, led the Congressional push to reform the doctor payment system and promoted primary care and integrated care delivery.

Most recently, she was CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance lobbying group.

Charlene MacDonald, America's healthcare & life sciences head in the stratcomm unit, said Schwartz's decades of experiences in local, state and federal government will prove invaluable to FTI's clients.
THE death has taken place of the founding Editor of the Tullamore Tribune, Geoff Oakley in his 93rd year.

Geoff, who was predeceased last year by his beloved wife, Dorothy, was a skilled local journalist whose career spanned almost half a century.

A native of Birr, Geoff began his career with the now-defunct Offaly Chronicle in the mid-1940s. When the Midland Tribune, under proprietor the late J.I. Fanning, purchased the Chronicle Geoff transferred over to the Tribune where he spent the remainder of his career.

Initially he covered the north Tipperary area but later transferred to Tullamore and he was an obvious choice as the founding Editor of the Tullamore Tribune when it was launched in 1978.

Geoff made a singular contribution to the saving of the hospital in Tullamore in the mid-1970s with the help of the Offaly Committee to save the hospital. Week after week the articles poured out and the pressure that was piled on secured the hospital and paved the way for the new hospital from the late 1990s.

Geoff saw in groups such as Junior Chamber all that was good about civic life and reported its doings and that of so many other voluntary bodies.

A lover of music he was a strong member of the Tullamore Gramophone Society and often gave the recital. He and Dorothy were keen travellers across the globe as backpackers. They were both pivotal members of OSPCA and many animals found good homes as a result of their work.

Ger Scully, who succeeded as Editor of the Tullamore Tribune in September 1994 on Geoff's retirement, in a tribute, said the deceased had been a pioneer of local journalism and his dedication and hard work ensured the Tullamore Tribune quickly became firmly established as the biggest selling weekly newspaper in north and mid Offaly.

Michael Byrne, Secretary of Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society said: Geoffs work as a newspaper man will stand to him well into the future. All the more so in this digital age when his articles can be so easily accessed. Those in the Tullamore Musical Society have reason to thank him for his fine published history and all his reviews of their annual show. Now Offaly History can get to do a short review of GVO, but it can only be paltry beside that of the quiet sincere man who made such a great impact in County Offaly and all of it was for good. Geoff was also a national figure in amateur musical circles as an adjudicator for AIMS and editor of the AIMS newsletter. His reviews of local plays were awaited with terror one expects. While never harsh he did not confuse journalism with parochialism.

Denis Doherty, former CEO of the Midland Health Board and PRO of Tullamore Lions club, said: At our club meeting last evening, the members were saddened to learn of the passing of Geoff Oakey. From its foundation, Geoff saw the value of having a Lions Club in our community and was always supportive of our endeavours to serve our community. In his retirement, he continued his support of the club and contributed a number of fine articles to the Tullamore Annual. Geoff and his late wife, Dorothy, contributed so much over the years in ways that helped Tullamore achieve the status it now enjoys as one of Irelands best places to live. They will be sadly missed: may they rest in peace.

Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists who worked alongside Geoff as a journalist in the Tullamore Tribune in the 1980s, penned the following appreciation.

Geoff Oakley was something of an enigma. In a distinguished career he was passionate about news: cultured, wise and opinionated his integrity and sense of honour defined Geoff in his public role as Editor of the Tullamore Tribune.

Yet Geoff was in many ways a shy man who shunned the limelight, seldom speaking in public or giving interviews to the national media on issues of local interest.

"For many years Geoff was the Tullamore Tribune and his vision and commitment were key ingredients in the success of the paper. J I Fanning, proprietor and editor of the Midland Tribune, was nominally editor when the sister newspaper was founded in 1978 but from the beginning, Geoff was the guiding spirit - his formal appointment as editor merely confirmed his status.

"From a dark pokey two desk newsroom in Church Street, Geoff churned out reams of copy on a noisy, battered manual typewriter which, like the office itself, had seen better days.

"David Pate had never been in Tullamore before Fanning offered him the job of reporter on the fledgling title. A young Scot reared in Dublin and educated at TCD, Dave was an unlikely recruit but Pate, who took early retirement as as a senior producer with CBC Nova Scotia last year, and Oakley made a formidable team. Mary T Bracken made up the office triumvirate for much of his rein.

"When David moved to pursue a successful career in the national media I succeeded him in the Tribune having worked during breaks from college. Geoff was a mentor to me and to many young journalists, insisting on the highest standards of accuracy.

"He had flawless shorthand and placed a premium on attention to detail. His report on the inquest into the death of Fr Niall Molloy is an outstanding example of his reporting while his profile of Thomas MacDonagh in the Midland Tribune's supplement to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising, "A noble life and a proud death" serves as a reminder of his elegant writing style.

"A young journalism student on placement in Tullamore was once severely chided for failing to ask the name of a family dog who featured in a Richard May photograph which accompanied a well , written human interest story.

Are you joking he declared as Geoff instructed him to ring the family, thats just crazy.

"Geoff firmly but patiently explained that the dog was a family member and must be named. Years later I met the now matured journalist in a Dublin pub. Then working in London he said the dog episode had taught him a valuable life lesson!

"Social historians have reason to appreciate Geoff's obsession with fully captioned pictures, something which sometimes challenged the patience of Richard May, Joe O'Sullivan and Mary Dunne but he always appreciated their professionalism.

"As an editor, Geoff showed leadership in challenging the consensus. He was a champion of constitutional politics and abhorred violence, often courageously challenging the IRA.

"While supportive of the campaign to save the then Tullamore General hospital he incurred the wrath of some activists by his refusal to oppose every proposal for redevelopment of specialist facilities at regional level, preferring a more nuanced and strategic analysis.

"His editorial stance on social issues, such as the divorce and 8th amendment referendums, was equally courageous while his absolute commitment to fairness meant that all sides were accorded coverage.

"All who knew him, including his readers, knew of his love for and devotion to Dorothy. Despite his natural reserve their holidays were the subject of endless quirky features, always written with style and humour. Geoff and Dorothy made a wonderful couple and enriched the lives of so many, humans and animals through the OSPCA.

"As an editor Geoff Oakley's greatest contribution was to develop a paper which, despite limited resources, reflected the diversity of life in the community. For him, local news mattered. It still does!

Geoff's remains will repose at O'Reilly's Funeral Home, Harbour Street, Tullamore, on Thursday evening from 6pm until Funeral prayers at 7pm. Funeral Service on Friday afternoon in St. Catherine's Church of Ireland, Hop Hill, Tullamore at 2.30pm. Interment afterwards in St. Catherine's Cemetery, Clonminch, Tullamore. Please adhere to Government guidelines during Reposing and Funeral Service times. Funeral Service can be viewed live of St. Catherine's Church of Ireland Webcam.
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CM Sarma arrived in Dimapur on Tuesday to meet the leaders of NSCN-IM, Naga national political groups and his Nagaland counterpart, Neiphiu Rio to resume fresh round of talks between NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and the former top Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer AK Mishra.

Guwahati: The deadlocked Naga peace talks between the Union government in New Delhi and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isaac-Muivah faction), which has been resumed lately after two years, seems to get a catalyst in Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the convenor of BJP floated north-east democratic alliance (NEDA).

The senior saffron leader has arrived in Dimapur on Tuesday (September 21) to meet the leaders of NSCN-IM, Naga national political groups and his Nagaland counterpart, Neiphiu Rio. The initiative is understood as a supplementary to the resumed fresh round of talks between NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and the former top Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer AK Mishra.

Mishra, along with IB director Arvind Kumar, arrived in Nagaland on Sunday. R N Ravi, the former governor of Nagaland, was replaced by Mishra as the interlocutor of Naga peace talks. Ravi was transferred as Tamil Nadu Governor, whereas Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has been given an additional charge of Nagaland.

NSCN-IM has already clarified that the peace talks, suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic, have been resumed to find an amicable solution to Naga issues. It asserted that everything would be initiated based on the Framework Agreement, signed in New Delhi (2015) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSCN-IM chief negotiator Muivah. NSCN-IM is seemingly determined for a separate Naga flag and constitution.

Northeasts popular English daily newspaper The Sentinel editorialized the pertinent issue of separate flag and constitution for Naga people, saying that the appointment of a new interlocutor may help break the ice, but complexities of ground realities cannot be wished away.

The Centre is understood to have agreed to Pan Naga Hoho as a statutory body through an act of Parliament with an advisory role for meeting the cultural aspirations of Nagas, but with no political role or executive authority, stated the editorial, adding that however the NSCN-IM is learnt to have been insisting on Pan Naga Hoho having executive authority with powers to make laws applicable in Naga-inhabited areas.

The government seems to have realized that solution to the vexed Naga political problem must include Nagas beyond the territorial boundaries of Nagaland, but it is aware of ground realities that any arrangement with implications on existing territories and powers of neighbouring states will be met with strong oppositions.

Indian Constitution has adequate space for articulating new models of power-sharing and governance. It requires imagination to articulate the one to address the political aspirations of the Nagas, said the editorial adding, Talks must resume ending the deadlock.
As per the SAARC charter, if any member states refuse to participate, the summit cannot be held.

New Delhi: Pakistan's Taliban friendly overtures led to the cancellation of an informal meeting of SAARC Foreign Ministers in New York on September 25.

Sources said, "Due to the lack of concurrence from all member states the informal meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers' proposed to be held in person on September 25 on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York will not take place."

SAARC comprises eight Member States: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, which joined the regional body only in 2007. The observer status of SAARC includes Australia, China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius, Myanmar, South Korea, and the United States.

The Pakistan government demanded the member states to 'allow' the existing Taliban regime in Afghanistan to send a representative at the foreign ministers' meeting. This was opposed, and in the absence of consensus, the meeting was cancelled. Governments across the globe have not yet recognised the new Taliban regime. Pakistan reportedly was also against the participation of representatives from the previous Ashraf Ghani regime.

Established in 1985, SAARC has not held its 19th summit since it was called off in November 2016, following India's refusal to participate. India had declined to participate to register its protest over Pakistan's involvement in the attack on a military camp in Uri. As per the SAARC charter, if any member states refuse to participate, the summit cannot be held.

Nepal became SAARC chair after it hosted the 18th summit in Kathmandu. Last year, the SAARC meeting of foreign ministers in New York was held virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, Nepal, as SAARC chair, wanted to conduct an in-person meeting.

In 2019, Pak foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi gave a miss to Indian Minister Dr S Jaishankar' s speech at the SAARC Foreign Ministers meet convened every year on the sidelines of UNGA in New York.

It is worth mentioning that Islamabad has been keen to open dialogue with India, but New Delhi has made it clear that it is 'not shying away' from the same and said Islamabad will have to take concrete actions against terrorists taking shelter in its territory.

In 2018, the then External Affairs Minister, Late Sushma Swaraj, had snubbed Pakistan at the same SAARC Ministers meet as she had immediately left the venue after her speech and did not have any exchange of words with the Pakistani minister. The Late Minister had also told the meeting that terrorism was the single largest threat to peace and stability in South Asia.
In a major boost to export prospects of agricultural produce, India has achieved significant growth of 21.8 per cent in the export of agricultural and processed food products in April-August 2021-22 over the corresponding period of 2020-21.

Quick estimates released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) showed that total exports of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) products increased from $6,485 million in April-August 2020 to $7,902 million in April-August 2021.

The huge jump in exports of agricultural and processed food products during the first five months of the current financial year is in continuation of the growth in exports witnessed in the financial year 2020-21. According to the WTO trade map, India is ranked 9th in the world ranking with the total agri-exports of $37 billion in the year 2019, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Earlier in July, the Jammu & Kashmir administration had sacked 11 of its employees, including sons of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and two from the police department over allegations of similar nature

In a big move, Jammu & Kashmir Government has sacked six employees over their alleged terror links, including working as overground workers for the terrorist groups, on September 22.

According to sources, two constables, two teachers, a senior officer of the Forest Department and an employee in the R&B Department, are among those given the marching orders.

Following are the details of the sacked employees: Hamid Wani R/O Bijbehara, Anantnag ( Teacher), Jaffer Hussain Butt R/O Kishtwar (Constable), Mohd Rafi Butt R/O Kishtwar, (Junion Assistant) Road & Building Dept, Liyaqat Ali Kakroo R/O Baramulla (Teacher), Tariq Mehmood Kohli R/O Poonch (Range Officer) Forest Department, Showkat Ahmad Khan R/O Budgam (Constable).

The Government issued the order after a designated committee in Jammu & Kashmir was set up to scrutinise and recommend cases under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution of India. It recommended their removal from Government service over their terrorist links.

Earlier in July, the Jammu & Kashmir administration had sacked 11 of its employees, including sons of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and two from the police department over allegations of similar nature. Prior to this, DSP Devendra Singh was also dismissed from the service.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency is also investigating a case of narco-terrorism where employees of a cooperative bank were arrested for terror funding.

In an important move on September 16, it was decided that the Government of J&K headed by Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha will undertake discrete verification of the character and antecedents of its employees in the wake of the reports of direct or indirect involvement of some of the Government employees in terror activities.

Copy of dismissal order of Mohd Rafi Butt R-O Kishtwar (Junior Assistant) Road and Building Department

In the order issued by the General Administration Department under the signature of Manoj Kumar Dwivedi (Commissioner/ Secretary of the Government), the administration has once again asserted that it is mandatorily required for employees to maintain absolute integrity, honesty and allegiance to the Union of India and its Constitution and do nothing unbecoming of a Government servant.

The Government order further notes that employees are bound by the J&K Government Employees Conduct Rules, 1971.

The administration has categorically defined parameters of discrete verification under seven broad categories. This includes involvement in any act of sabotage, espionage, treason, terrorism, subversion, sedition, secession, facilitating foreign interference, incitement to violence or any other unconstitutional act. Employees must not keep any association or have sympathy with those attempting to commit any of the above acts or involved in aiding or abetting, or advocating the above acts.

In July 2020, the Jammu & Kashmir Government had introduced amendments in the service rules of employees to spot and quick dismissal of employees who are a threat to the security of the newly formed Union Territory. The amendments were made to terminate anti-national employees without facing judicial scrutiny if the evidence is concrete.
Sirsas failure to 'read' and 'write' Gurumukhi leads to his outstr from Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee

Narinder Singh, the director of Delhi Gurudwara polls, has objected to outgoing Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee president and Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa being chosen as a co-opted member of the DSGMC as a nominee of the SGPC.

Narinder Singh, on September 21, held that Manjinder Singh Sirsa is not well versed with Writing and reading of Gurmukhi. Therefore he does not qualify the conditions laid down under the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Act, 1971.

Narinder Singh had tested Akali Dal Leader Sirsas proficiency in Gurmukhi after the Delhi High Court in order of September 15 asked the director of Delhi Gurudwara polls to take a decision upon representation of the petitioners dated September 9, 2021, insofar as it relates to the qualifications for the membership prescribed under Section 10 of the Act.

Sirsa said he would challenge the orders in the high court. The director is working against the interest of my party and me, he added, adding that he has done BA (Honours) in Punjabi.

The petition in the high court was filed by SAD- Delhi and DSGMC member Harvinder Singh Sarna, who had defeated Sirsa in the DSGMC election, but the latter was immediately nominated to the body by the SGPC.

Harvinder Singh Sarna then filed an objection with the director of Gurudwara polls about Sirsas co-option. Sirsa produced certificates from a school and a college, both run by DSGMC in Delhi, that he studied Punjabi there as a subject.

However, Narinder Singh decided to test his proficiency through a test of reading and writing. When asked to recite Gurmukhi from Ang (page) 1358 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Manjinder Singh Sirsa was not able to properly recite the same, with proficiency and accuracy, and when Sirsa was given a dictation from Sri Guru Granth Sahib, he flatly refused to write Gurmukhi, stating that the language was too difficult, according to the order.

Sirsa then, on the spot, wrote an application in Gurmukhi without anyone dictating any language. He said that he was willing to write Gurmukhi from any source other than Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Ironically, the said letter written by Sirsa in Gurmukhi in his own choice of words has as many as 27 errors out of 46 words which are indicative of his little knowledge of Gurmukhi. Sirsa may be able to write a few words in Punjabi but the spirit of the Act places great reliance on a recitation from Sri Guru Granth Sahib and writing of Gurmukhi, where he has failed miserably, Narinder Singh, the director of Gurudwara elections, wrote in his order.
During his upcoming US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden will discuss the current regional security situation following the recent developments in Afghanistan in a bilateral meeting on September 24.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be leaving for his three-day visit to the US on Wednesday (September 22) to participate in Quad Leaders' Summit, address the high-level meeting of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly and a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

The main elements of the programme are bilateral meetings with the US leadership, participation in the Quad Leaders' Summit, address at the UN General Assembly and business interactions.

PM Modi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

During his upcoming US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden will discuss the current regional security situation following the recent developments in Afghanistan in a bilateral meeting on September 24, said Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla, adding that the two leaders would discuss the need to "stem radicalism, extremism, cross-border terrorism and dismantling of global terrorist network".

Later on that day, Biden will host the first-ever in-person Quad Leaders' Summit, which will be joined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Quad is a partnership among four like-minded countries (India, US, Japan and Australia) in the pursuit of common interests in striving for a free open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

The four leaders will share views and perspectives on the regional situation and the emerging challenges including in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, on how to work together to contain COVID-19, evolve a common approach to emerging technologies and a means of addressing climate change.

The leaders will take stock of progress made since the March summit, especially in the COVID-19 vaccine partnership. They will identify new areas of cooperation that will reinforce the positive and constructive agenda of the port, including contemporary areas that will benefit the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

On September 25, PM Modi will address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its 76th session as the first head of state of government to do so.



The theme for this year's general debate is "Building resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19," "Rebuild sustainability," "Respond to the needs of the planet," "Respect the rights of people", and "Revitalise the United Nations."

While addressing the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister will dwell on the important issues, including the regional situation, cross border terrorism, global efforts to combat COVID-19 and climate change and the need to reform multilateral institutions.

The fourth element of the Prime Minister's visit would be bilateral meetings with his Australian and Japanese counterparts, Scott Morrison and Yoshihide Suga.

This will be the Prime Minister's first visit abroad, beyond the neighbourhood. He had made a brief visit to Bangladesh in March this year, and this is his first visit since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the highlights of PM Modi's visit is the meeting with US President Joe Biden in the White House. This would be his first in-person meeting with President Biden.

Both leaders have been in regular contact in recent months. It was in November that PM Modi called to congratulate President Biden on his electoral victory. Since then, they have spoken in February and April this year.

PM Modi has also participated in three major conferences and summits with President Biden as a participant. These were the Quad Leaders' Summit, which was virtually held in March last year, this year.

This is also the Climate Leaders' Summit, which President Biden has hosted. President Biden hosts both these summits. But they also participated in the G7 summit, which the Prime Minister attended virtually in Cornwall in the UK.

He will also participate in the COVID-19 Global summit hosted by President Biden.

On September 24, the Prime Minister and President Biden will review the robust and multifaceted India-US bilateral relationship at their bilateral meeting. They will also discuss how the Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership between our two countries can be enriched further.

The two leaders are expected to discuss how to bolster bilateral trade and investment ties, strengthen defence and security collaboration, boost the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership, explore new avenues and emerging technologies, including R&D, innovation and industry linkages.

The bilateral meeting will also feature the current regional security situation following recent developments in Afghanistan, India's stakes as a neighbour and a long-standing and preferred development partner of the people of Afghanistan.

The meeting will also discuss the need to stem radicalism, extremism, cross border terrorism, and the dismantling of global terrorist networks. They will also discuss the reform of the multilateral system, including the UN Security Council.

The Indian diaspora in the United States, which consists of about 4.2 million people, is a very important factor in the relationship. They play a major role and have been a pillar of support in strengthening the relationship.

It is expected that the Prime Minister will highlight the importance of people to people ties between the two nations and the potential of enhancing these ties further, especially through higher education, linkages and mobility.

Earlier, India had appreciated the facilitation that the United States has provided in helping Indian students travel to the US for the beginning of their term. The importance of smooth post-COVID travel, especially for students, is also an important factor and is expected to be discussed.

PM Modi's bilateral engagements will include a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris. This will be the Prime Minister's first formal interaction with the Vice President.

PM Modi and Vice President Harris had earlier spoke on the telephone in June this year. The Vice President had offered to prioritise India in making US vaccines available in the wake of the COVID situation at that time in India.

At their meeting at the White House, the Prime Minister and Vice President Harris are expected to exchange views on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

He will also be having some business level interactions with the objective of strengthening two-way trade and investments. The US is a very large investor in India. There are a lot of companies that have not only invested significantly in India but also have the potential to invest either in terms of new investments or expand their existing investments in India.

In that context, PM Modi will have few meetings with select CEOs of leading US companies.

The Prime Minister's visit with the compact programme will bolster India's key strategic bilateral partnership with the United States and close partners Australia and Japan.

It will also consolidate the Quad as a force for global good and will give the Prime Minister an opportunity to share his vision at the multilateral arena.

Courtesy: ANI




The Pakistan army is going through a huge internal crisis, fissures are visible through the rank and file of the organisation. While discontent at the lower level is quite apparent, it is the power play within the senior leadership that is more significant; it is the result of a succession battle that is now raging with the second, and possibly final, term of Pakistan Army Chief, General Qamar Bajwa, coming to an end in November 2021 and also due to different perceptions with regard to the Afghanistan policy of the Army.

In June 2021, there were reports of an assassination attempt on General Bajwa which led to the arrest of 14 officers, 22 SSG commandos and 30 soldiers. The assassination was to be carried out while the General was on tour in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK), possibly with the intention of putting the blame on India.

The initial report was given by Dr. Amjad Ayub Mirza, a human rights activist of POJK who is active on social media and is a keen Pakistan army watcher. Mirza made a video which went viral.

The incident was not reported by the Pakistan media at all, which shows the kind of control that "The Establishment" has over the fourth estate of the country. However, the dissension did not die down and now it is coming more to the fore with the retirement date of the General coming closer. General Bajwa has already put his cards on the table by appointing a Shia officer, Lt. General Azhar Abbas, as Chief of General Staff (CGS). This puts General Abbas well into the succession battle with the support of the outgoing chief.

The development does not bode well for the Shia haters and militant supporters within "The Establishment." The other two contenders are Lt. General Faiz Hameed, chief of the notorious spy agency Inter services Intelligence (ISI) and the Rawalpindi Corps Commander, Lt. General Sahir Shamshad.

The second big issue of contention is the formation of the Government in Afghanistan in which the Pakistan Army wished to play a major role. There was, however, a differing perception in this too. Those with an Islamist and fundamentalist mindset like the ISI chief Lt General Faiz Hameed wanted to place extremist elements of the Taliban in key posts. It is now reported that, at the behest of General Hameed, two top two leaders of the Taliban, Mullah Baradar and Haibatullah Akhunzada, have been sidelined by the Haqqani's and are now under detention.

Thus, the ISI chief has engineered the ascendency of the Haqqani network that is partial to both ISI as well as the militant warlords of terrorist organisations like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) which operate in Kashmir. It is something that India needs to be concerned about.

All of this has been done by General Hameed without keeping General Bajwa in the loop. He has, as such, unilaterally and without state authority created a situation that the Government of Pakistan and the Bajwa faction of the Pakistan Army have reservations about. Many who are now ministers in the Government are on the terrorist wanted list of the US, other western nations and the United Nations with huge prices on their heads. The move has made it difficult to project the moderate face that the Taliban wishes to adopt to gain international acceptability; it further, does it help in pushing Pakistani aspirations of building bridges with the US and other western nations.

Those of the Taliban who are negotiating with the US and other countries at Doha are quite upset with the manner in which things are shaping up due to interference of the ISI. They feel, and rightly so, that the Taliban is increasingly getting isolated instead of gaining the acceptability that it requires. The emerging situation is perceived as the harbinger of doom for the already beleaguered and isolated country. General Hameed has been hauled up for having engineered this set up but now it is too late, those occupying the chair will not let go in a hurry.

While the Afghanistan policy of the Government of Pakistan (read Pakistan army) continues to be in a state of flux there is a civil war like situation developing internally. There are constant clashes of the army with the people. The local police in Provinces like Sindh and Balochistan is restive due to interference in law and order by the Pakistan army and the many atrocities being committed by Army soldiers.

The Pakistan Army has got its fingers in too many pies including Afghanistan, India (Kashmir) and a host of fundamentalist organisations. On one side it is training terrorists and so-called Mujahedeen and on the other, it is trying to establish a moderate face. The resultant confusion has divided the organisation into a number of distinct categories and pressure groups. The fact that General Bajwa is now no more than a rubber stamp since his retirement date is coming closer has led to a leadership vacuum. As a result, each is doing as he desires with no checks and balances in place. The tenuous internal security situation with militant warlords calling the shots in many areas is not helping; internal dissent is gaining alarming proportions; the meddling of the ISI chief in the affairs of Afghanistan and that too in a manner that is extra-constitutional is a matter of concern.

The problems being faced by the Government of Pakistan in controlling the rogue elements of its Army cannot remain isolated from the overall dynamics of the South Asian region and the world at large. While the QUAD meeting is scheduled to discuss only the Indo-Pacific issues, the power play in Afghanistan and Pakistan cannot be ignored since it has global repercussions. It is better to control the situation now than to wait for another 9/11 to happen.



(Jaibans Singh is a geostrategic analyst and columnist)
The Foreign Secretary was briefing journalists on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, where he will attend the first Quad Summit in-person to be hosted by US President Joe Biden and will also be participated by Prime Ministers of Japan and Australia.

New Delhi: India on Tuesday (September 21) asserted that the four-nation QUAD that includes India as well and the AUKUS, the trilateral security alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the US, are not similar.

Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla told reporters here that the Quad has a group of countries with a "shared vision" of their attributes and values. "This also has a shared vision of the Indo Pacific as a free, open transparent and inclusive region," he said, adding the Quad has also adopted a "positive and proactive agenda" with a wide range of initiatives at the global level.

On the other hand, he said AUKUS is only a security alliance between three countries.

"We are not party to this alliance. From our perspective, this is neither relevant to the Quad nor will it have any impact on its functioning," Shringla said.

He dismissed as 'hypothetical' a question on whether India would join AUKUS if invited. The Foreign Secretary was briefing journalists on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, where he will attend the first Quad Summit in-person to be hosted by US President Joe Biden and will also be participated by Prime Ministers of Japan and Australia.

"PM Modi will participate in the COVID-19 Global Summit hosted by US President Biden. PM Modi,-US President bilateral meeting will also feature current regional security situation following developments in Afghanistan. We would discuss the need to stem radicalisation, extremism, cross-border terrorism and dismantling of global terror networks," the Foreign Secretary said.

He said the Quad caters to a wide range of issues, including maritime security, education, climate change and even the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 15, the heads of government of Australia, the UK and the US announced a trilateral security pact called AUKUS. It apparently aimed at dealing with rapidly evolving threats. This was largely seen referring to China, and hence Foreign Secretary's statement has a significance of its own.

On the bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Biden on September 24, he said both the leaders would review the India-US relations.

"They are expected to discuss how to bolster trade and investment ties, strengthen defence and security collaborations boost clean energy partnership among others," he said.

To a question, he said in his address to the UN General Assembly on September 25 in New York, Prime Minister Modi will mention the need for UN reforms. He pointed out that while India celebrates Amrit Mahotsav, the UN also coincidentally completes 75 years of its existence.

A high-level delegation will accompany the Prime Minister, including External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

The Foreign Secretary said the bilateral trade between India and the US has grown $ 149 billion in 2019.

"There is scope to take that even higher," he remarked, adding in the defence sector too, both the countries had several exchanges.

"We are now preparing for Army-Naval exercises," he said and pointed out that the Malabar exercise is already on, wherein even Australia is a participant.

Mr Shringla said the Prime Minister's US visit is "expected to give momentum and provide directions to some of the important bilateral mechanisms."
In his virtual address to the joint meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi rightly cautioned the international community against the current scenario in Afghanistan. He warned if " instability and fundamentalism continued in Afghanistan, terrorist and extremist ideologies would  be encouraged across the world." Prime Minister Modi suggested developing a code of conduct on zero tolerance' towards terrorism in the region.

Well-meaning analysts say it is high time the international community, especially major world powers, heeded the Modi message and tamed the Taliban, the chief villain of peace and stability in Afghanistan. Regrettably, the approach of the major powers towards the Taliban has so far been discouraging. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the United States launched its mission Operation Enduring Freedom to overthrow the then Taliban regime and dismantle all its jihadist assets, human and material, in the region. This demanded that before the United States and allies withdrew their troops from Afghanistan, the very objective of the war on terror in Afghanistan was accomplished and a people-friendly political system installed in the country. But this did not happen.

The previous Ashraf Ghani government in Kabul and its foreign backers left Afghanistan without caring for their moral obligation to humanity, especially Afghan women and minorities. The successive administrations in Washington had been in a hurry to quit Afghanistan. On February 29, 2020, the then Donald J Trump administration in Washington rushed to Doha to sign an agreement with the Taliban setting a timetable for the withdrawal of the United States and its allies from the region. Later, President Trump signed a military order to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by January 15, 2021. The current Joseph R. Biden Jr. administration in Washington has followed the Trump plan and withdrawn from Afghanistan.

The chain of the disturbing events that have reportedly occurred since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is very much along the expected lines. The Afghan scenario is likely to get worse in the coming days. In Kabul today, there is an interim government headed by its Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund. Akhund is aided by his Deputy Abdul Ghani Baradar, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and Foreign Minister Amir Khan. This government has little respect for the rights of women and minorities in the country.

The analysts suggest the United States and other leading democracies in the world would do well to take to self-introspection and rein in the new Taliban regime in Kabul. The regime is a threat to world peace and the cherished values of all modern civilized states. Historically linked with the violent radical Islamist forces based in the Middle East, this predominantly Pashtun group aims at complete control over Afghanistan to establish its version of Islamic rule across the country and act as a base for global jihadist groups.

Dealing with the Taliban sternly is a must to eliminate al-Qaeda, an arch-enemy of modern, civilized values. The Talibans linkage with al Qaeda is well documented. It has throughout facilitated al Qaedas presence in the region. Today a significant part of al-Qaedas leadership remains based in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Qaeda has an active presence in at least 15 of Afghanistans 34 provinces. The Haqqani Network, an integral part of the Taliban, has been al-Qaedas closest ally since the 1980s. On their part, al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, such as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have been very helpful to the Taliban in toppling the previous government in Kabul.

Most importantly, Washington needs to act as a leader of the free world and be tough with Islamabad to rein in the Taliban. Islamabad has long been a partner of radical Islamist forces the world over. During 1980-89, Pakistans Inter-Service Intelligence acted as the coordinating centre for the Muslim Brotherhood, al Qaeda, the so-called charities-- such as the Muslim World League, the International Relief Organization, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth and the Red Crescent-- and radical Wahhabis from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

After the Soviet Union left Afghanistan, the ISI helped Egyptian terrorists Ayman al Zawahiri and Omar Abdel Rahman, al Qaeda supremo Osama bin Laden and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to establish small operating bases. After 9/11, Islamabad allowed al Qaeda to move across the border into its remote Pakistan Frontier. It allowed al Qaeda and other jihadist groups to plan new terror attacks. Islamabad also allowed the Talibans Shura Council to locate itself in Quetta. Presently, ISI chief Faiz Hameed is said to be very friendly with Taliban leader Baradar.

( The author is a Delhi-based journalist )
Ahead of leaving for the US to participate in Quad Leaders' Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said his visit will be an occasion to strengthen the strategic partnership with the United States, Japan and Australia.



"I will be visiting the USA from September 22 to September 25, 2021, at the invitation of His Excellency President Joe Biden of the United States of America. During my visit, I will review the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with President Biden and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," Prime Minister said in his Departure Statement ahead of his visit to the US.

"I am also looking forward to meeting Vice President Kamala Harris to explore opportunities for cooperation between our two nations particularly in the area of science and technology," he added.



Prime Minister Modi also said he will participate in the first in-person Quad Leaders' Summit along with President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.



"I will also meet Prime Minister Morrison of Australia and Prime Minister Suga of Japan to take stock of the strong bilateral relations with their respective countries and continue our useful exchanges on regional and global issues," said the PM.



The Prime Minister will conclude his visit with an Address at the United Nations General Assembly focusing on the pressing global challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, climate change and other important issues.



PM Modi said the summit provides an opportunity to take stock of the outcomes of the virtual summit in March this year and identify priorities for future engagements based on the shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region.



"My visit to the US would be an occasion to strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the USA, consolidate relations with our strategic partners - Japan and Australia - and to take forward our collaboration on important global issues," he emphasised.



Prime Minister Modi will be leaving for his three-day visit to the US on Wednesday. The main elements of his visit are bilateral meetings with the US leadership, participation in the Quad Leaders' Summit, address at the UN General Assembly and business interactions.



PM Modi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.



Quad is a partnership among four like-minded countries (India, US, Japan and Australia), in the pursuit of common interests in striving for a free open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.



Notably, this will be the Prime Minister's first visit abroad, beyond the neighbourhood, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had made a brief visit to Bangladesh in March this year. (ANI)






Taliban has achieved victory through military means, but the path ahead is full of big challenges Which need to be sorted out in time. otherwise, Talibs will witness a mass uprising against them sooner than later

The Taliban, after much wait, has finally announced its 33-member interim Cabinet. This new Government is exclusively Taliban, and almost all the Ministers are of Pashtun ethnicity. Women have no positions in this new set up. The Ministry of Womens Affairs has been abolished, and the sinister Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has been re-established. This clearly illustrates that the Taliban will carry on with its medieval conservative interpretation of Islam. More than a dozen members of the new Cabinet are on the UN Security Councils sanctions list. Sirajuddin Haqqani, deputy leader of the Taliban and now the Interior Minister of the country, heads the Haqqani network and is responsible for some of the most gruesome attacks on Afghan civilians as well as Government and military targets throughout the war. He is on the FBIs most wanted men list with a $10 million bounty on his head. It tells that the Taliban is nothing more than an extremist group that has grabbed power as it tightens its hold on the country and dictates policy matters. The road ahead for them looks tough. So let's look at some of the major challenges which Taliban has to face in the coming days.

Stretched too thin

The Afghan Government used to have security forces numbering around 3,00,000 to maintain law and order, fight insurgency, and control borders. With almost all of Afghanistan under their control and only around 80,000 to 90,000 active fighters, the Taliban is stretched thin. The Taliban found it easy to seize a large number of districts and provincial capitals with its size of the force. But holding on to major cities is another proposition that requires significant manpower and resources, which the group surely doesn't have.

Growing Resistance

As the Taliban failed to form an inclusive Government, resentment among other ethnic groups grew with each passing day. Former Vice-President Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, son of legendary Mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, is leading the resistance against the Taliban, but other leaders are also voicing their support for them. Most notably, Ismail Khan, a Tajik leader backed by Iran, announced his support for Ahmad Massodled National Resistance Front (NRF). As of now, it looks that the Taliban doesn't have any considerable opposition, but there is an undercurrent that has a full-fledged potential of developing into a major threat for the Taliban regime.

Lack of Governance

Efficiently and effectively governing 38 million people will be a major challenge for the new regime. The Taliban has been good at one thing, i.e. fighting. But governing such a diverse country with many ethnicities will be a mammoth task. Talibs have yet to demonstrate their capability to deliver good governance. They did not do so when they ruled Afghanistan for the first time during 1996-2001. The Taliban, at times, has been given credit for being good at maintaining security through very heavy-handed means and providing efficient forms of traditional justice. But they have little to no technocratic and administrative understanding of how to perform the other Government functions. The group is bound to struggle to deliver effective governance to the common people. The Government does not have sufficient funds to spend on public services like-healthcare, sanitation, and drinking water. There are the issues of retaining enough manpower, bureaucracy, and civil servants to run the affairs of the Government. With an exodus of people, one vulnerability could be an insufficient number of professionals and people in the technocratic cadres to run state institutions, said Omar Samad, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Keeping Own House United

Taliban itself is engulfed with factionalism. The different factions in the Taliban are fighting among themselves for greater share and say in the new power dynamics. The Taliban is currently divided into three main camps. The first one is the political wing that negotiated a peace deal with the United States and is led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The second group is the military wing led by Molavi Yakoob, son of Taliban founder Mulla Omar. The last one is the Haqqani Network, headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani. The Taliban's success as an insurgent outfit rested on its ability to remain cohesive despite NATO pressure and efforts to fragment the group. But the group's challenge of maintaining cohesiveness among its many different factions of varied ideological intensity and material interests is difficult now that it is in power.

Taliban is currently divided into three main camps. The first one is the political wing that negotiated a peace deal with the United States led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The second group is the military wing led by Molavi Yakoob, son of Taliban founder Mulla Omar. The last one is the Haqqani Network, headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani

Flattered Economy

Afghanistan is one of the world's poorest countries, and more than 20% of its gross income comes from foreign aid. The United States froze $9.5 billion of Afghan Central Banks assets in the wake of the Taliban takeover, while the international Monetary Fund (IMF) suspended access to its funds. In addition to this, more than 5 million Afghans are estimated to be internally displaced. The United Nations says nearly 400,000 people have been displaced this year alone due to the ongoing violence. For rehabilitating these people, urgent aid is required from humanitarian agencies. Even if these agencies agree to deliver the aid, the Taliban currently have institutional structures to receive the funds.

Diplomatic Isolation

Taliban's first regime in 1996 was more or less a pariah globally. But this time, they appear keen on wide international acceptance, even as most nations have suspended or closed their diplomatic missions in Kabul. Also, none of the countries has recognised them yet, and the United States has said any legitimacy will have to be earned. Hence for any kind of acceptance by the international community Taliban has to pass the tough scrutiny of their actions. Taliban has achieved victory through military means, and they have a firm grip over the power, but the path ahead is full of big challenges. Which needs to be sorted out in time; otherwise, Talibs will witness a mass uprising against them sooner than later.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House voted late Tuesday to keep the government funded, suspend the federal debt limit and provide disaster and refugee aid, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Republicans who oppose the package despite the risk of triggering a fiscal crisis.

The federal government faces a shutdown if funding stops on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year  midnight next Thursday. Additionally, at some point in October the U.S. risks defaulting on its accumulated debt load if its borrowing limits are not waived or adjusted.

Rushing to prevent that dire outcome, the Democratic-led House passed the measure by a party-line vote of 220-211. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is likely to falter because of overwhelming GOP opposition.

Our country will suffer greatly if we do not act now to stave off this unnecessary and preventable crisis, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said shortly before the vote.

Backed by the White House, the Democratic leaders pushed the package to approval at a time of great uncertainty in Congress. With lawmakers already chiseling away at the $3.5 trillion price tag of President Joe Bidens broad build back better agenda, immediate attention focused on the upcoming deadlines to avert deeper problems if votes to shore up government funding fail.

The package approved Tuesday would provide stopgap money to keep the government funded to Dec. 3 and extend borrowing authority through the end of 2022. It includes $28.6 billion in disaster relief for the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and other extreme weather events, and $6.3 billion to support Afghanistan evacuees in the fallout from the end of the 20-year war.

While suspending the debt ceiling allows the government to meet financial obligations already incurred, Republicans argued it would also facilitate a spending binge in the months ahead.

I will not support signing a blank check as this majority is advancing the most reckless expansion of government in generations," said Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., during the debate.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said since Democrats control the White House and Congress, it's their problem to find the votes  even though he had relied on bipartisan cooperation to approve the debt limits when Republicans were in charge.

The debt ceiling will be raised as it always should be, but it will be raised by the Democrats, McConnell said.

In the 50-50 Senate, Democrats will be hard-pressed to find 10 Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.

This is playing with fire," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The Treasury Department has been using extraordinary measures to fund the government since the last debt limit suspension expired July 31, and projects that at some point next month will run out cash reserves. Then, it will have to rely on incoming receipts to pay its obligations, now at $28.4 trillion. That could force the Treasury to delay or miss payments, a devastating situation.

Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, warned if lawmakers allow a federal debt default this economic scenario is cataclysmic.

In a report being circulated by Democrats, Zandi warned that a potential downturn from government funding cutbacks would cost 6 million jobs and stock market losses would wipe out $15 trillion of household wealth.

Once a routine matter, raising the debt ceiling has become a political weapon of choice for Republicans in Washington ever since the 2011 arrival of tea party lawmakers who refused to allow the increase. At the time, they argued against more spending and the standoff triggered a fiscal crisis.

Echoing that strategy, McConnell is setting the tone for his party, but some GOP senators might have a tough time voting no.

Republican John Kennedy of Louisiana, whose state was battered by the hurricane and who is up for election next year, said he will likely vote for the increase. My people desperately need the help, he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that in our view, this should not be a controversial vote. Psaki said Congress has raised the debt ceiling numerous times on a bipartisan basis, including three times under President Donald Trump.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Democratic chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, was forced to introduce another version of the bill Tuesday after some within the Democratic caucus objected to the inclusion of $1 billion for Israels Iron Dome defense system, which uses missiles to intercept short-range rockets fired into the country.

The Israel defense issue splits Democrats, but DeLauro assured colleagues that money for the weapons system would be included in the annual defense spending bill. Hoyer went a step further and said he would bring a bill to the floor this week to replenish the Iron Dome system.

Republicans were highly critical of the change and vowed to stand as allies with Israel.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Democrats were negotiating over Biden's big build back better package as the price tag likely slips to win over skeptical centrist lawmakers who view it as too much.

Publicly, the White House has remained confident the legislation will pass soon, despite sharp differences among progressives and moderates in the party over the eventual size of the package and a companion $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

There has been a flurry of outreach from the White House to Democrats on Capitol Hill, and Biden himself was given a call sheet of lawmakers to cajole. The president has been talking to a wide number of lawmakers beyond his recent meetings with key centrist Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., according to a White House official familiar with the calls and granted anonymity to discuss them.

Biden's big initiative touches almost all aspects of Americans' lives. It would impose tax hikes on corporations and wealthy Americans earning beyond $400,000 a year and plow that money back into federal programs for young and old, including government health, education and family support and environmental efforts to fight climate change.

With Republicans opposed to Biden's vision, Democrats have no votes to spare in the Senate, and just a few votes' margin in the House.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised a Sept. 27 vote on the companion $1 trillion bill of public works projects that has already passed the Senate.

Even though that bipartisan bill should be an easy legislative lift, it too faces a political obstacle course. Dozens of lawmakers in the Congressional Progressive Caucus are expected to vote against it if it comes ahead of the broader Biden package. And centrists wont vote for the broader package unless they are assured the bipartisan bill will also be included.

___

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan will make more kids eligible for child care subsidies, equip state troopers with body cameras and make permanent a pandemic wage hike for nursing home workers and other caregivers under the next state budget, poised for initial approval Tuesday.

The bipartisan $53 billion spending plan, which includes billions in federal COVID-19 funding, also will boost payments for child care providers and enable them to give $1,000 bonuses to new or existing staff. The state's savings account will grow by $500 million.

As part of the deal, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer agreed to a Republican-written provision to prevent the state and local governments from issuing coronavirus vaccine requirements that go further than plans outlined by President Joe Biden. He recently said the federal government would mandate shots for many health care workers and require that employers with at least 100 employees force them to get vaccinated or be tested weekly.

We negotiated together in good faith, the governor said at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island. This budget makes bold investments in Michigan's families, in our communities and in our small businesses.

The GOP-led Legislature is expected to pass the plan this week so she can sign it before Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year begins. The Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved one of two bills, which also includes $2 billion in supplemental spending this budget year. The $17 billion school aid budget was enacted in July.

Michigan will spend funding allotted for child care under the past two federal COVID-19 rescue laws. Much of it will help stabilize facilities hurt by the pandemic. Other funds will expand eligibility for child care subsidies to 185% of the federal poverty level instead of 150% for two years, raise payments to providers that serve lower-income children and waive families out-of-pocket copays.

Of the roughly 416,000 kids eligible for payment assistance through the state Child Care and Development program, about 25,000 are getting subsidized child care. The state estimates the expansion will make 105,000 additional children eligible, with roughly 6,000 new recipients enrolling.

As businesses emerge from the pandemic, they need workers, said state budget director Dave Massaron.

Child care is a huge part of that, particularly when you look at the data for working mothers. This investment is something we all are incredibly proud of, he said.

Infrastructure is another priority.

Michigan will spend about $200 million to replace or fix local bridges. Nearly $20 million will be set aside to repair or remove dams in the wake of disastrous Midland-area flooding in 2020. An additional $10 million will be used to replace lead pipes in Benton Harbor, where the drinking water has exceeded federal limits for the toxic metal that can disrupt childrens brain development.

The budget includes $460 million to fund a $2.35 hourly wage increase for direct care workers, such as home health aides. They have been paid $2 or $2.25 more an hour since last year due to the pandemic. The plan will cover the pay with base funding, a signal the hike will be permanent for future years.

We're approving a sustainable budget that supports vital services today and greatly reduces the potential need for cuts if the economy worsens tomorrow, said House Appropriations Committee Thomas Albert, a Lowell Republican who highlighted a $150 million deposit into the depleted unemployment benefits fund and spending on tourism, workforce development and infrastructure.

The budget also addresses police transparency by outfitting all enlisted state police personnel with body cameras. About 200 troopers, motor carrier officers and state property security officials currently have them because their work may not be captured by in-car cameras. But many do not.

The agency will buy 1,200 cameras for all troopers and sergeants assigned to uniform patrol.

Universities and community colleges will get a small, one-time 1% funding increase next fiscal year year along with a one-time 4% boost this year to partly offset a past pandemic-related reduction.

Several universities, including Michigan and Michigan State, have COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Republican-backed budget language bans the state and municipalities from requiring coronavirus vaccinations except as provided by federal law or as a condition of receiving federal Medicare or Medicaid funding.

Whitmer, who has repeatedly said she does not plan to mandate the vaccine, is generally OK with the restrictions. But she could declare the language unenforceable on public universities because they are independent schools.

The spending legislation says if government officials do establish a vaccine policy because of the pending federal requirement, they must offer exemptions if a doctor certifies it is detrimental to someone's health or is not appropriate. Those who cite religious convictions or another consistently held objection to immunization also must get waivers.

The governor is expected strike a GOP-written provision that would prohibit the state health director or local officials from requiring masks for kids. At least 16 of 83 counties, including many of the most populated ones, mandate indoor masking at schools.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
MANISTEE  The following calls were made to the City of Manistee Police Department from Sept. 9-18. All calls may not be reported and it is compiled by assistant editor Arielle Breen.

Sept. 9

 Criminal sexual conduct was reported at 4:54 p.m. on the 500 block of 12th Street.

Sept. 10

 Fraudulent activity was reported at 2:49 p.m. on the 300 block of River Street.

Sept. 11

 An operating while intoxicated and domestic assault incident were reported at 12:21 a.m. on the 100 block of Quincy Street.

 A two-vehicle property damage crash was reported at 1:45 p.m. on Arthur Street near Lakeshore Road.

Sept. 12

 A juvenile was reported as being missing and was returned home at 11:16 a.m. on the 200 block of Third Street.

 A juvenile was reported as being missing and was returned home at 11:54 a.m. on the 1000 block of Main Street.

Sept. 13

 A vehicle-pedestrian personal injury crash was reported at 2:52 p.m.on 12th Street near Oak Street.

RELATED: Manistee police release update on student struck by truck

Sept. 14

 A domestic incident and unlawful driving away of an automobile was reported at 12:15 a.m. on the 300 block of Sycamore.

 Larceny from a residence was reported at 3 p.m. on the 100 block of McKee Street.

 An incident with incorrigible youth and a probation violation was reported at 9:41 p.m. on the 1000 block of Main Street.

Sept. 15

 Warrants and a report of a person harboring a fugitive was made at 12:43 a.m. on the 900 block of Kosciusko Street.

 Joy riding of a vehicle was reported at 5:32 p.m. on the 1700 block of Vine Street.

 A person was reported to have been driving while license suspended and with an improper license plate at 11:06 p.m. on U.S. 31 near Monroe Street.

 Larceny was reported at 11:52 p.m. on the 200 block of Sixth Avenue.

Sept. 17

 A person was reported to have been driving without a license at 4:53 p.m. on Washington Street near Maple Street.

 A domestic incident was reported at 8:59 p.m. on the 400 block of Spruce Street.

 A domestic incident was reported at 10:57 p.m. on the 1000 block of Ramsdell Street.

 Larceny of a navigation light was reported at 9 a.m. on River Street near Maple Street.

Sept. 18

 A domestic incident was reported at 9:30 a.m. on the 400 block of Spruce Street.
This week is the inaugural Telehealth Awareness Week and the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) has recognized Congressman John Moolenaar as a "Telehealth Policy Champion."

Over the last year and a half, telehealth became an indispensable part of our health care system, and Michigan seniors were able to use it to meet with their doctors and access critical resources while staying safe," stated U.S. Rep. Moolenaar, R-Midland. Telehealth is a useful tool in modern medicine that helps increase access to care for Michigan families, while saving time for doctors and patients."
There is a critical need for blood right now and certain blood types are down to less than a one-day supply. Versiti Blood Center of Michigan is trying to get 100 donors to come out to four upcoming blood drives.

"I have no doubt the amazing community of Midland can help make this happen," stated Versiti's Lindsey Chesebro in an email to the Daily News.
TODOQUE, Canary Islands (AP)  A wall of lava up to 12 meters (40 feet) high bore down on a Spanish village Wednesday as islanders scrambled to save what they could before the molten rock swallowed up their homes following a volcanic eruption.

The lava, which was still spewing from Sundays eruption in the Canary Islands archipelago off northwest Africa, advanced slowly down hillsides of La Palma to the coast, where Todoque was the last village between it and the Atlantic Ocean. Residents hoping to save some belongings queued up so they could be escorted briefly into the village.

In the distance, the lava grew thicker and slowed down to 4 meters (13 feet) per hour after reaching a plain. Smoke poured out of its leading edge as it destroyed everything it touched.

Experts said the lava could either take several days to cover the remaining 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) to the sea or it could instead spread more widely on land, burying more residential areas and farmland.

Javier Lopez said his house for the past three decades appeared to be in the lavas path. He and his relatives had been staying at a friends house with the few documents, photos and basic belongings they had grabbed Monday as they were evacuated.

Ive put my whole life in a van, Lopez told The Associated Press, waiting for his turn to try to recover a vehicle and other valuables he had left behind.

This is probably going to be the last time I see my home, he said. Or, in the best-case scenario, the house will remain isolated by the lava and inaccessible for who knows how long.

Firefighting crews trying to save as many houses as possible worked nonstop to try to open a trench to divert the lava flow.

Melisa Rodriguez, another Todoque resident, was trying to stay positive and calm.

Its hard to think straight about what you want to save, but we are only allowed in for one hour and you dont want to take longer because that would be taking time away from others, she said.

The eruption was following an expected pattern but there were still many uncertainties, said Vicente Soler, a volcanologist with Spains top scientific body, CSIC.

It is difficult to say if the lava will reach the sea, he told the BTC broadcaster. If the source remains active and with a steady flow, it will be easy for it to arrive at the ocean. But if there are new lava diversions, that will slow down the flows head.

But authorities and locals were taking no chances. As the lava headed toward the islands more densely populated coast, 1,000 people were evacuated late Tuesday from Todoque, bringing the total number of evacuated on the island of La Palma to over 6,800.

The few evacuees not staying with relatives or friends were being relocated Wednesday from a military barrack to a hotel, with the most vulnerable being moved to a nursing home. Island officials announced a plan to purchase unused housing to accommodate those who lost homes due to the eruption.

Speaking in New York after attending the U.N. General Assembly, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was confident that local, national and European authorities would contribute to the response to the eruption and the area's reconstruction.

Authorities say more dangers lie ahead for residents, including more earthquakes, possible new lava flows, toxic gases, volcanic ash and acid rain. The lava, whose temperature exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 F), could cause explosions, trigger landslides and produce clouds of toxic gas when it hits the ocean.

As volcanic ash fell over a wide area, authorities advised people to keep children inside as much as possible due to possible breathing difficulties.

The volcanic eruption and its aftermath could last for up to 84 days, the Canary Island Volcanology Institute said, basing its calculation on previous eruptions in the archipelago that were also followed by heavy lava flows and lasting seismic activity.

Tuesday night saw a sharp increase in the number of smaller volcanic eruptions that hurl rocks and cinders high into the air, it said.

The lava has swallowed up around 320 buildings so far and now covers 154 hectares (380 acres), the institute said. It has also ruined banana groves, vineyards and other crops. Prompt evacuations have helped avoid any casualties.

The volcano has also been spewing out up to 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide a day, which also affects the lungs, it said.

Life on the rest of La Palma, which is roughly 35 kilometers (22 miles) long and 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide at its broadest point, has been largely unaffected, with undeterred tourists landing for previously scheduled holidays. Air traffic remained normal.

The Canary Islands are a popular destination for European tourists due to their mild year-round climate.

___

Barry Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal.
LONDON (AP)  A coroner presiding over an inquest into the death of British woman who was poisoned by a Soviet-developed nerve agent after an attack targeting a Russian ex-spy said Wednesday that she wants the probe to be turned into a public inquiry so she can examine Russia's possible involvement.

Unlike an inquest, British law allows a public inquiry to consider sensitive intelligence material during partly closed hearings. The inquiry coroner Heather Hallett requested to consider any role played by the Russian government in the 2018 death of Dawn Sturgess would be unlikely to start before 2023.

Sturgess, 44, and her partner collapsed in the southwest England town of Amesbury after coming into contact with a small perfume bottle containing Novichok, a military grade nerve agent.

The pair were exposed three months after Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were sickened in a Novichok attack in the nearby city of Salisbury.

Adam Straw, a lawyer representing Sturgess' family and her partner, Charlie Rowley, said the overriding concern is to ensure the truth of how Ms. Sturgess died is established.

No family should wait 5 1/2 years to find out how someone died," he said.

Britains government on Tuesday named and charged a third Russian suspect in the Novichok poisonings. It alleges that three men working for Russias military intelligence service traveled to the U.K. for a mission targeting the Skripals before flying back to Moscow. Russia vehemently denies the allegations.

Rowley told authorities he found the perfume bottle containing traces of the nerve agent in a trash bin.

Britain has acknowledged that extradition requests for the three suspects would be futile and they cannot be brought to trial as long as they remain in Russia. While there is almost no chance of a criminal trial, lawyers believe a public inquiry is the best way to find out what happened.

The Skripals were left seriously ill after Novichok was smeared on Sergei Skripal's door handle in March 2018. The father and daughter survived. Sturgess died in July that year after she and Rowley came into contact with the discarded perfume bottle the month before. Rowley later recovered.

Police said they could not account for the whereabouts of the perfume bottle between the attack on the Skripals and when Rowley said he found it three months later.

Cathryn McGahey, a lawyer representing the British government, said she hoped authorities will make a decision about the public hearing by the end of the year.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin.

Thursday, Sept. 16

10:49 p.m.  Deputies were sent to a Lee Township home for a report of a verbal argument between friends. The male left the scene and there was a be on the lookout of a possible drunk driver prior to deputies arrival. The area was checked but the be on the lookout vehicle was not located. The complainant was advised to seek a personal protection order and there was no assault. The male was later contacted and told to leave the complainant alone and the male agreed.

10:36 p.m.  A deputy checked a Mills Township neighborhood for a report of two people riding bicycles at night with duffle bags. The deputy checked the area and was unable to locate the suspicious bicyclists.

10:01 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Geneva Township location reference a verbal dispute. A 33-year-old Jerome Township male and a 29-year-old Beaverton female had a verbal argument during a child exchange. No assaults occurred.

7:59 p.m.  A 39-year-old Porter Township female reported third party information that her 18-year-old stepdaughter was sending text messages advising she was hit in the face by her boyfriend. This incident is under investigation.

6:57 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Pfeiffer Court.

5:54 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Homer Township business reference an upset customer. The customer, a 36-year-old Homer Township man, was stating there was damage done to his motorcycle while the business had possession of it. The employee, a 45-year-old man, advised no damage was done to the motorcycle while it was in their possession. The deputy advised the 36-year-old that he could handle the matter through civil court.

5:49 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Midland Township residence reference a domestic assault between a 35-year-old female and her 31-year-old sister. Both claimed being assaulted by the other. Both suffered injuries. The parties were separated for the night and child protective services was contacted due to there being children in the home at the time of the altercation. A report is being sent to the prosecutor's office for review.

5:38 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of Jefferson Avenue and East Wheeler Street.

5:30 p.m.  Geneva Township deputies executed a mental health pick-up order at a Geneva Township residence. A 66-year-old Geneva Township male was transported to the MidMichigan Medical Center without incident.

2:54 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on East Ashman Street.

2:49 p.m.  A 32-year-old Homer Township female reported a 16-year-old female whom she has legal guardianship over ran away from her residence. She advised the female was over in Saginaw County and her husband was out searching for her. The deputy called over to Saginaw County Central Dispatch and they sent officers to the area where the female was last seen. The 16-year-old was found and returned to her guardians.

12:12 p.m.  A 40-year-old male reported an unknown female called claiming to be from his credit union. He verified his information and she told him his pin was compromised and needed to be changed. The male gave her his old pin and new pin and the phone call quickly ended. The male didn't feel safe about what happened and called his credit union. They were able to freeze the accounts before any money was taken and the male was advised on how to protect himself better from these types of scams.

11:59 a.m.  A man reported that approximately $50 worth of property was stolen from a shed at a residence he watches over.

11:19 a.m.  A 33-year-old male approached a deputy in the City of Midland and advised he had been reported missing. The male said his ex-girlfriend reported him and he wanted to get it taken care of. The deputy confirmed the male was missing and called Oakland County Sheriff's Office to advised them he was safe.

10:50 a.m.  Deputies assisted a 59-year-old property owner with evicting a 23-year-old woman. The woman was cooperative and left without incident.

12:07 a.m.  Officers responded to a death investigation on Kuipers Drive.
When I first started writing Coffee Shop Talk, I set out to share many of the great stories people have told me as I prepare their coffee at Espresso Milano. This remains one of my favorite parts of working as a barista here.

With this column I also wanted to share other stories on occasion, perhaps from high school or working on Mackinac Island. Some of those are already in the works.

But today I celebrate another group of people  these are my co-workers at Espresso Milano.

As a freelance writer, I have also met some of the most incredible people at the Midland Daily News and I hope to someday share about them as well.

But today I will talk about our current staff at Milano, which is a wonderful team. They follow in the footsteps of many others, over these many years, who have offered coffee and tasty treats within a great space to hang out. And I feel fortunate to know them.

Doug Glazier, of Midland, had been a customer at Milano for 20 years before he started working here.

It was the only real coffee shop I knew of when I first came here, he said. I immediately liked it as soon as I came in; it was like home.

As long as Ive known him, he has enjoyed a breve latte, at 130 degrees.

He has also enjoyed bringing his grandson, Miles Evans, to Milano.

He started out with French sodas, Italian sodas and steamers, Glazier said. And he loved the girls on staff. He was very shy, but the staff would stop and talk to him.

Evans is a seventh grade student at Jefferson Middle school and Glazier has told me many times about how they go places wearing their matching Milano shirts.

I started working here in the middle of May this year, Glazier said. Coffee culture as a whole is my thing; I have coffee bags as sound panels in my music studio ... I love coffee and I love this place.

Glazier served as director of facility services at Midland Kings Daughters before retiring in March. He had worked there for 20 years.

Jesse Hupfer, of Midland, has been visiting Milano for as long as he can remember.

I started coming to Milano as soon as I was old enough to walk around, he said.

Hupfer would come to Milano with his parents.

Teressa Hupfer, Jesses mother, is a financial advisor with Edward Jones. His father, Victor Hupfer, owns Freeland Bean and Grain, Inc.

Over the years, the White Rabbit was one drink he liked.

Due to its sweetness and coffee taste; but Im also a huge fan of the Mudslide, he said. I also like plain, black iced coffee.

Jesse graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2017 with a bachelor of arts in English language and literature. In 2018, he married Adrian Hupfer, who works at Pet Smart in Midland.

Jesse and Adrian said they used to come here and spend time as friends in high school.

It was our hangout, Jesse said.

There are a few things he likes about working at Milano, including experimenting with drinks.

One of my favorite parts of working here is how relaxed the environment is  theres not a lot of pressure, he said. Its easy to be able to stop and make connections with customers and staff  It really feels like a family.

Ali Francisco, of Midland, has been coming to Milano for some time.

I used to pop by to get a coffee when I was in college, she said.

She started working at Milano around the time that she accepted a part-time substitute job at Midland High School in 2017.

At that time I thought, this looks like a fun place, Ill apply, she said. I love making coffee and I love coffee. I also like the art and the vibe here.

Eventually, Francisco became the part-time film study teacher at Midland High. The following year, she became the full-time tenth and eleventh grade English teacher.

She still works both jobs.

Since then Ive been working weekends, summers and breaks (at Milano), she said. My favorite part about working here is that Milano is unique. Youll never find a place like it; its a vibrant but relaxed coffee shop. There are good vibes ... just look at the plants  they are thriving! Its a good place to be.

Francisco is also an artist who has illustrated one childrens book and made designs for the windows at LaLondes Market. She also designed the cat logo for one of the Milano T-shirts.

Her favorite drink, like Glaziers, is the breve latte. She also likes the Chai Scream, which is a fall treat.

Francisco graduated from Saginaw Valley State University in 2015 with a bachelor of arts in English and a secondary education certification.

Hannah Hall started coming to Milano with her father, Daniel Hall, when she was around 10-years-old.

My dad would bring me and my older brother, Devin, here and after we would play over at the playground at St. Brigid Church, she said. That was fun.

Sometimes, her parents would meet their friends, so she and her brother would visit at those times as well.

She said she first tried coffee at Milano, though she might have been too young when she tried a latte for the first time.

I didnt really like it back then, but I tried a mudslide and really liked that, she said.

Since then, the iced White Rabbit or a hot cafe mocha have made it into her rotation.

Hall is a 2020 graduate of Bullock Creek High School. She is studying early childhood education at Delta College and hopes to transfer to Saginaw Valley State University, or Central Michigan University.

I like meeting all different kinds of people, she said. I was super shy before working here, but its nice to be able to talk to people, to remember their name and they remember your name.

Owner Bret Cousineau opened the store with four others in May of 1993: Mark Anderson, Pat Green, Jim Kehrer and the late Keith Taylor. Cousineau and Taylor were the remaining partners after a start-up period.

Working at Milano has provided me with the opportunity to meet many wonderful people, customers and staff alike. It has also provided the opportunity to serve up some coffee or a treat that usually brings on a smile, which makes me smile, too. I dont mind that.

Niky House, a barista at Espresso Milano in Midland, and local freelance writer, pens this Coffee Shop Talk column series for the Midland Daily News.
Good Evening to an Out and Proud Elvira and Only Elvira

By Mike Redmond | Pajiba Love | September 21, 2021 |

Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, has revealed that shes been in a relationship with a woman for the past 19 years. We accept this ray of sunshine upon our nightmare trash monster world, Mistress of the Dark. (Advocate)

Jennifer Lopez calls herself the scarce asset in Adweek cover story and with or without Ben Affleck, shes proved it. (Lainey Gossip)

Britney Spears is back on Instagram, but her fans arent buying it. (Dlisted)

Jake Gyllenhaal swears hes bathing. (Celebitchy)

I think we all need a feel-good story this week



God bless the kids at Pa's Central York HS. When mush-minded parents rammed through a ban on books about MLK, Rosa Parks, Malala and others, these students fought back. Monday night, they won



My new column https://t.co/ia6oJkaYSn  Will Bunch (@Will_Bunch) September 21, 2021

Roxana wrote about the anniversary of Stanley Tuccis Big Night, the impossibility of artistic integrity, and how we should have known to expect those thirsty cocktail-preparation videos. (Crooked Marquee)

From Claude: This is pretty big. Like dwarfing the writers strike big. (Variety)

From Steven: Well, damn, thats a hell of a job covering a legend. (YouTube)

From Petr:

'70s Pacino, pure fucking chaos pic.twitter.com/7X8MDEoHdt  John Frankensteiner (@JFrankensteiner) September 18, 2021

Kathryn Hahn will play Joan Rivers in a new Showtime series. (HuffPost)

David Simon pulls his latest HBO project out of Texas to protest the states horsesh*t abortion ban. (Deadline)

Daniel Craig doesnt think James Bond should ever be a woman. OK (Radio Times)

Ardaigle reviewed her friend (and occasional Cannonballer) T.J. Condons account of her husbands liver transplant, Some Assembly Required. "This is a no-holds-barred glimpse behind the curtain of a painful experience and she is sharing it with us both for laughs, and just in case it might help someone else." What book would you write to help someone else? (Cannonball Read 13)

 5 Shows After Dark: 'Our Kind of People' Premiere Fox, 'FBI: International' Premiere CBS | Ugh, I Can't With This Kurt Warner Movie 

Mike is a Staff Contributor living in Pennsyltucky. You can follow him on Twitter.

Header Image Source: Getty
Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) - Botswanas counterintelligence and internal security, Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), has dismissed claims that the agency seeks to harass and harm former President Ian Khama
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Mayors of 66 cities out of 116 across Libya on have rejected Tuesday's vote of no confidence in the Government of National Unity (GNU), describing it as "ridiculous" and of no legal or constitutional basis
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - United States President Joe Bidens proposal to raise the target for refugee resettlement there in the coming fiscal year to 125,000 people, has been welcomed by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR)
Washington, DC, US (PANA) - The United States has condemned Tuesday's failed attempt by rogue military and civilian actors to seize power from Sudans Civilian Led Transitional Government (CLTG)
Washington, DC, US (PANA) - The United States on Wednesday congratulated the people of Mali on the 61st anniversary of their independence and pledged that it will continue to support them in their efforts to achieve democracy, peace, and stability
Photo: (Photo : Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

American Airlines has responded to a viral video shared by a mother whose family had to be kicked off a flight allegedly because her two-year-old son would not keep his mask on.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the airline company confirmed that the viral video was legitimate, and they did ask a family to step out of the plane at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. The spokesperson said that the crew of AA Flight 1284 had to return to the gate so that Amanda Pendarvis and her family could deplane.

However, the spokesperson described the incident as more complicated than what the viral story has let on. The family had to be asked out of the plane because they did not comply with the crew's orders to remain seated as the aircraft was on the taxiway. They also did not keep their face mask secure.

Read Also: Las Vegas Mom Calls for the Resignation of Teacher Who Allegedly Taped Face Mask on Her Son's Face

The toddler was not in his seat, which was against the safety protocols. While they did remind passengers about the face mask rule, the spokesperson said that no one from the airline crew personally addressed the family's "failure to comply with face-covering requirements" as they were more focused on reinforcing the seatbelt requirement during takeoff. They were also not informed that the toddler was having trouble breathing or experiencing an asthma attack.

'Contain Your Child, Pull Up Your Mask'

Pendarvis, however, wrote her version of the story on social media. She confirmed that her toddler was walking between the aisle during takeoff since he wanted to get to his grandmother. The mother also said that his son kept pulling down her face mask and refused to wear his own since he has asthma.

A male crew member, identified only as Carl, apparently told Pendarvis that her son would need to be masked at all times during the flight. Carl also allegedly told her to contain her child and pull up her face mask.

The mom said she tried to explain their situation to the flight attendant while attempting to put a face mask on her toddler.

Hello, maybe we get flight attendant fired from @AmericanAir today?



My sweet friends 2 year old son was having an asthma attack and wouldnt keep mask on (because he couldnt breathe) - and they turned plane around and had police waiting to escort them off. A 2 year old. pic.twitter.com/Ks2VbnNASW  Tiger Lily (@yogarespecter) September 14, 2021

Pendarvis said she was not refusing to mask up, but her son has never worn the face-covering before. She also informed the crew that her baby would likely fight off the mask, disturbing the rest of the passengers.

The mom believed that Carl had zero understanding and empathy and judged her despite showing their negative COVID-19 tests. Carl reported her to the pilot, who decided to turn the plane around and ask the family to leave.

Netizens on Twitter picked up on the story and sided with the mom, who said that three police officers were waiting for them as they deplaned as if expecting to see a "hysterical anti-masker."

Airline's Face Mask Guidelines

American Airlines reiterated that they follow the directives from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which requires all airline passengers above two years old to wear a face mask inside the plane. Exceptions may be made for people with disabilities, who are required to get in touch with the special assistance team of the airline company within three days before the flight.

People who can't wear a face mask are expected to have proper documentation of their exemption, as verified by a health care provider. They also need to present proof of their negative COVID-19 test.

Related Article: Parents of Iowa Students With Disabilities Challenge School Mask Ban in Court
Photo: (Photo : JASPER JACOBS/AFP via Getty Images)

A New York woman has discovered that her gynecologist for the last nine years is her biological father, who also happened to be her mother's doctor.

Morgan Hellquist, 35, has filed a lawsuit against Rochester gynecologist Dr. Morris Wortman for his deceitful act. In early 2021, Hellquist learned that her doctor used his sperm for her mother's artificial insemination procedure in the 1980s.

Hellquist has known since she was a little girl that she was conceived with the help of fertility treatments. However, she started to suspect that something was off when she discovered she had nine other half-siblings through a DNA test in 2016.

Read Also: DNA Test Reveals New York Woman, Adopted as a Baby, Has Long-Lost Siblings Living Blocks From Her

Her mother, Jo Ann Levey, thought that her sperm donor was a medical student because this was what Wortman told her. For years, Hellsquist tried to look for this medical student but had no luck tracing his identity. Hellquist's DNA discovery eventually proved that she and her half-siblings had the same sperm donor.

Morgan Hellquist's Birth History

A car accident has left Gary Levey; the father Hellquist has known all her life, paralyzed from the waist down so he could not conceive a baby naturally with his wife. Since he was highly recommended, Gary and Jo Ann went to Wortman, who has his clinic at The Center for Menstrual Disorders.

The couple had specific requirements for the sperm donor, who should have a healthy medical profile and a northern European heritage, Levey's background. The Levey couple revered that Wortman helped them conceive their only child after trying for over a year to have a baby through artificial insemination.

In 2012, Hellquist sought Wortman's expertise for her own reproductive health issues as she suffered from irregular menstrual bleeding. As her gynecologist, he performed transvaginal ultrasounds, pelvic examinations, and IUD placement while sedating Hellquist. The woman alleged that she would not have consented to the procedures had she known that her gynecologist was her birth father.

Raised Suspicion

On her visit to Wortman's clinic for another ultrasound in April 2021, Hellquist was surprised when her gynecologist asked her to remove her face mask since she "looks better" without one. She was also equally surprised when Wortman called in his wife to the examination room to introduce Hellquist.

In her lawsuit, the young woman claimed that Wortman's wife wanted to see if there were a discerning physical resemblance between her husband and his patient. That's when Hellquist realized that the doctor was her mother's sperm donor. Further probing proved that her DNA matched Wortman, which left her in shock and disbelief.

Hellquist has sued Wortman for fraud, medical malpractice, emotional distress, lack of informed consent, negligence, and battery. She claimed in the lawsuit that Wortman was a serial sperm donor and might have likely fathered more children. The woman also found it inconceivable that her gynecologist would "knowingly treat his biological daughter" as no woman in their right mind would consent to such an arrangement.

Related Article: Adoptive Parents Appeal Reinstatement of Birth Dad's Rights to 3-Year-Old Adopted Child
Photo: (Photo : FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images)

The Ohio mayor has called for the mass resignation of the Board of Education for giving senior high school students a racy writing assignment based on the book "642 Things To Write About."

During the board meeting, Mayor Craig Shubert said the assignment for the senior Liberal Arts class at Hudson High School was "essentially child pornography" since it required students to write suggestive scenes. Scenes such as an explicit scenario they won't likely show to their parents or a sexy Disney scenario. The writing assignment also prodded the minors to drink beer, describe its taste and effects, or pretend that they are serial killers and detail their murderous plans in writing.

Some parents complained about the assignment, and the students were surprised about the topics suggested in the book. The mayor addressed the school board and said that he would file charges if they won't resign after speaking to a judge. Those are the only options he gave to the school officials.

Read Also: Father Sues School for Assault and Battery After Teacher Cuts Daughter's Hair Without Consent

No Intentions of Leaving

The mayor also said that he expects the boards' resignation by the end of September. However, David Zuro, the school board president, told NBC News no one among the officials expressed their intention to vacate their posts.

"While we respect the mayor's position within the City of Hudson, in accordance with the State laws of Ohio, the supervision of the public schools of this District is the responsibility of the Board of Education," Zuro said.

The mayor has not clarified what charges will be filed against the school board as there has never been a precedent for this scenario, per Ralph Lusher, the Ohio School Boards Association lawyer. Lusher said that the school board conducts a process of reviewing the school curriculum and has likely not anticipated that this particular assignment would trigger a "moral turpitude" that would end in a criminal lawsuit.

Superintendent Phil Herman said that there would be an independent investigation into how these materials were approved. The book was part of the College Credit Plus classes under the collaborative plan of the Ohio Departments of Education and Higher Education.

Books Pulled Out

Hudson High School principal Brian Wilch said they found out about the writing prompts around the same time as the students. The principal acknowledged they did not exercise due diligence in reviewing the material before its distribution.

Wilch said that they felt terrible about the oversight and issued an apology to the parents. The school has also asked the students to return the controversial book.

"642 Things To Write About" was released in 2012 by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto as a "fun and playful journal" for writing exercises that will "get the creative juices flowing." Reviews about the book cited that the material is not meant for kids but it would be perfect for mature writers. According to the authors' group, which has been around for more than two decades and has over 100 members, they developed the writing prompt for aspiring writers in the ages of 18 years old and above but some stores market the book as a crafts and hobbies tool for children.

Related Article: Missouri Teacher Quits, Files for Discrimination After Being Told to Remove LGBTQ Flag in the Classroom
Photo: (Photo : FRED DUFOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

According to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), infants born with congenital syphilis increased at such an alarming rate in 2020 despite active ways to prevent the infection.

Almost 2,100 babies in the United States were born with syphilis during the pandemic year, a five-fold increase since the reported cases in 2012. The CDC stated that only 29 states had babies with congenital syphilis in the last decade. Today, however, 47 states, including the District of Columbia, have at least one baby with congenital syphilis each year, reflecting a looming syphilis epidemic.

Read Also: Pregnancy Exercises Boost Baby's Lungs and May Help Prevent Asthma, Study Shows

Breaking Down the Numbers

Lead author Virginia Bowen told the New England Journal of Medicine that the latest number is the highest in 25 years and is attributed to the rising number of sexually transmitted infections and drug use among adults.

The CDC cited that more than 100,000 cases of syphilis were logged for 2020, with a small percentage of babies with congenital syphilis. Of the over 2,000 cases among infants, 139 were stillbirths or infant deaths.

In Los Angeles, babies with the sexually transmitted infection in the womb surged to 113 in 2020 compared to only six cases nine years ago. The state's Department of Public Health said that cases have been rising even before the pandemic. However, the COVID-19 crisis has worsened the problem since fewer people are getting a screening for sexually transmitted infections.

An L.A. mom with STD, whose baby was stillborn, admitted that she didn't seek medical treatments despite developing painful sores for fear of being arrested for drug use. She belongs to the emerging demographic of women of reproductive age who have become vulnerable to the infection. According to the CDC, this demographic has had a 300 percent rise since 2012.

Urging Action to Prevent Infant Deaths

For years, health experts have urged action against this preventable infection since congenital syphilis in babies may be cured with antibiotics if the mother's infection is detected and caught in time. Mothers usually pass the infection to the baby in the womb, leading to devastating consequences, such as a miscarriage, low birth weight, premature birth, or stillbirth. Babies who survive the infection may develop body deformities, loss of hearing, or blindness.

The CDC said that pregnant moms at risk of sexually transmitted diseases should be screened during their first prenatal visits and in the third trimester as a preventive measure. However, in most cases, moms, especially in vulnerable communities, skip prenatal care most likely because they don't know how to discuss their condition with healthcare experts. Bowen said that pregnant moms should not fear asking direct questions, especially about prevention and testing, since healthcare workers are trained to handle such sensitive cases.

Meanwhile, the health agency also recommended improvements in the public health policy of each state. Lawmakers must start to familiarize themselves with the data and address the barriers that make access to testing, treatment, and preventive care easier for their constituents.

Related Article: A Mom's Voice Reduces Pain in Premature Babies in Intensive Care: Study
Photo: (Photo : Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels)

Over 50 million migrants now live and work in the United States. Figures compiled by Migration Data Portal show that this number is only increasing. Many of these migrants arrive as family units or, if not, start to settle down in the USA and make real ties to the country. Unfortunately, migrant families are not always supported to the fullest extent, as the recent reversal of a policy regarding the detention of pregnant women and children has shown. Americans can, and should, do more to support migrant families arriving and settling in the USA - and there are a number of ways to easily achieve this.

Legal help

Migrants are not always provided with the same application of human rights as families already in-place across the USA do. This can be hugely detrimental. As immigration law experts Farmer Law PC assert, the American immigration system can be very confusing and opaque to navigate. Access to legal services helps migrants to counter this issue and ensure they are on a proper legal footing. The American Friends Service Committee noted how Trump-era policies restricted access to legal assistance for many migrant families. The majority of the 500,000 asylum seekers currently held on the US-Mexico border are experiencing this phenomenon right now, and changes have not been implemented universally. Providing proper access to good quality legal help is a crucial first step.

Providing support

While the perception that immigrants are illiterate or poorly-educated is an unfair one, according to research conducted by the Literacy Foundation, it is a fact that many migrants do not have English skills up to the level required to navigate the intricacies of modern society. This is especially true as more services become digitized, and families are left without the technology or means to do this. Communities must be encouraged to provide one-on-one support to migrants to help them obtain the skills they need and to function within society at all levels.

Building roots

As a country, the USA can do two things to help migrants gain a sense of security. The first concerns in-country changes. More must be done to help migrants feel welcome in existing communities, and especially families involving single mothers - often, these women are vulnerable and need greater levels of community protection and interest. Secondly, the country must do more abroad to ensure that origin countries for migrants are more hospitable and safe places. As the Brookings Institute outlines, there is a moral imperative for improving the quality of life in countries outside of the USA. Citizens can, and should, lobby their representatives to help more to be done, while still providing the classic American welcome that these people deserve.

Whether asylum seekers or migrating for work, immigrant families are stepping into an uncertain time of their life. Across the USA, more can be done to help them feel welcome. This will improve communities across the country and build a better future for all.
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In June Apple legal commissioned a law firm and sent out warning letters to a series of known leakers on Weibo to stop disclosing information about unreleased products. Jon Prosser's 3D artist received one of Apple's letters warning him not to published renderings of Apple products. Jermaine has complied (6:30 minute mark of this video). Prosser also posted a detailed report on this subject matter in late July wherein he notes that "employees from Foxconn and other suppliers smuggle devices out of factories in an effort to sell them," which at times become raw sources for leaks.

While employees at Foxconn and other Apple suppliers of the finished product are tempted to reveal new iPhone models and specifications for a price, there are leakers at a higher level, starting at the chip level.

The news today is that Apple supplier TSMC has reportedly "fired seven employees for improper behavior that violates the company's core values."

What improper behavior was that specifically? TSMC doesn't want to be specific. Sources told Taiwan's UDN that it may be related to the leakage of customer orders/products and the status of equipment installations at TSMC that could assist TSMC's competition like Samsung.

Although TSMC has set strict policies and built a complete protection mechanism, there are still employees who are tempted to commit inappropriate behaviors that violate the company's core values.

TSMC today emphasizing that the company has always adhered to integrity and integrity. This is not only the companys most basic and most important philosophy, but also a core value that all TSMC employees must abide by when performing their business. TSMC will continue to uphold this in the future. Principles, and strive to all employees to comply with the relevant company regulations.

With Twitter and various "Rumor" platforms becoming popular and enriched for airing rumors and leaks, there will always be a market for leakers willing to take the chance to steal product information. Unless the penalties have more teeth and arrests made public more often, this behavior cycle won't be ending anytime soon.

At the chip level with TSMC, it's a little more nefarious. Motherboard published an in-depth report in 2019 titled "The Prototype iPhones That Hackers Use to Research Apples Most Sensitive Code." Very few people have heard of them, but "dev-fused" iPhones sold on the grey market are one of the most important tools for the best iOS hackers in the world.







To be more technical, and unlike the iPhones you can buy at the Apple store, called prod or production fused, these devices allow their owners to boot into Switchboard. This software allows researchers to hack and reverse engineer different components of iOS. These would be usually off limits without hard-to-get vulnerabilities and a jailbreak, which is worth millions of dollars in todays zero-day market.

the underground market for dev-fused iPhones is now flourishing. And, for now, Apple doesnt seem able to stop the flood, despite the fact that these leaks are fueling a growing industry of iPhone hacking companies.

Viktor Oreshkin, an iOS security researcher, told Motherboard in an online chat: "To be honest everyone benefits from Apples lousy supply chain management. Except Apple, obviously."

No matter how you slice it, TSMC's leaks on customer information is likely bad news for Apple.
Izwe Savings and Loans Plc has acknowledged 6 loyal customers, 13 members of staff and 10 Independent sales agents who have been with the company since its inception 10 years ago at a virtual cake-cutting ceremony as part of its 10th-anniversary celebrations.



The cake-cutting ceremony was held virtually with management, customers and a handful of staff present. All 12 branches of the company across Ghana joined via video links with their own identically branded cakes to mark this special anniversary.



Management presented shopping vouchers to long-serving staff for their dedication to the institution while the loyal customers were each given a 42-inch television set to thank them for their loyalty over the years.



Addressing the staff, Chief Executive Officer of Izwe Savings and Loans, Raymond Kwakye Bismarck, urged increased commitment to the needs of customers.



It is very important to note that the customers we have onboard are customers who have the same focus and vision that we have for them. As an entity, we want to be a major player in this market, supporting small and medium enterprises to build and grow their businesses, he said.



Mr Bismarck said that Izwe Savings and Loans would continue to work to improve the experiences of customers, adding, his hard-working staff will be at the centre of this drive.



We assure customers and employees that this business will continue to be managed in a very sustainable way to provide job security for staff and better services for our customers, he said.



The cake-cutting ceremony comes after customers were hosted at a special appreciation dinner for key customers of the company in early August.



Izwe Savings & Loans Plc is a subsidiary of Izwe Africa, a company founded in South Africa in 2004 and expanding into the rest of Africa, with the intent to purposely shape Africas future with innovative life-changing financial solutions.



With a number of financially astute shareholders who have financial interests in diverse sectors of the economy, Izwe is a well-established and secure financial institution.



In the last decade, Izwe has followed a steady upward progression. By weaving responsible lending principles into every level of its business, the company ensures that it has a solid foundation on which to build strong, lasting relationships, increase customer retention and reduce financial risk.







Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Hollard Ghanas Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) Patience Akyianu has achieved continent-wide recognition as the African Female Business Leader of the Year at the just-ended 6th Invest in Africa Summit2021 (virtual) organized by the prestigious African Leadership Magazine.



The award ceremony was held as a highlight of the 6th Invest in Africa Summit which was organized under the theme: Africa 4.0: Redefining Growth, Sustainability, and Innovation.



African Business Leadership Awards seeks to acknowledge and commend top-performing individuals for their selfless services to nation-building. This meritorious awardrecognizesleading lights on the continent, contributing towards changing the African narrative.



The selection process ethics entails three steps, involving nomination, subsequent voting, and final screening by the editorial team of the African Leadership Magazine.



Patience Akyianu emerged winner of theAfrican Female Business Leader of the Year category. Patience was recognized as an exceptional female leader, with fantastic managerial skills who despite stiff competition in a male-dominated world, has shown resilience, courage, and sagacity in building a worthy brand.



Receiving the award, Patience Akyianu in her acceptance speech expressed profound gratitude to God, the advisory council, the editorial team,and Dr Giami of the African Business Leadership Awards.



I am so delighted to be honoured as the African Female Business Leader of the Year and I give all the glory to God from whom all blessings flow. I am completelystunned by the massive support I have received from across Africa, especially from Ghana during the voting process and I thank everyone for this overwhelming vote of confidence. It is clear to me that, I could not have emerged the winner of this prestigious award without the help and support of my family, friends, my church community, colleagues at Hollard Ghana, and the various networks Im part of.



I, therefore,dedicate this award to my entire network and all the people who have contributed to making me who I am today. Im very encouraged by this recognition and will continue to contribute my best to the financial services sector and the development of our continent. Together through hard work, we will create and secure a better future for all. Thank you for thisinternational honour, she added.



According to Dr Giami, the Publisher of the African Leaders Magazine, the 2021 Africa Business Leadership Award (ABLA) celebrates grit, purpose, and impact in Africas business environment, especially in what continues to be a difficult period for most people due to the impact of coronavirus. He further added that the leaders who have emerged winners in the various categories have exhibited these celebrated attributes in admirable capacities and are deserving of great accolades.



About Hollard Ghana

The countrys favourite insurance group is Hollard Ghana, with subsidiaries Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance. The group combines its deep local knowledge of the market having previously operated in Ghana for 25 years as Metropolitan Insurance with the world-class expertise of an international insurance brand in 18 countries across the world. With feet firmly planted on Ghanaian soil but headquartered in South Africa, Hollard delivers innovative insurance solutions customized to the unique risks Ghanaians face. Hollard offers various life and general insurance products including funeral, personal accident, motor, business, travel, home, and more; and can be reached via the following means: 0501603967 (Hollard Insurance) and 0501533698 (Hollard Life).



Beyond various nationwide office branches and Hollard 2U franchise shops, Ghanaians can find Hollard at Shell Fuel Station Welcome Shops, Melcom stores and online at www.hollard.com.gh and www.jumia.com.gh for all their insurance needs.







Source: Peacefmonline.com









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As the world marks International Peace Day, the Ashanti Regional Peace Council (ARPC) is urging Ghanaians to share love, kindness, compassion and live peacefully with all humans.



The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has declared September 21, each year as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire across the globe.



The theme for the 2021 celebration is, Recovering Better for an Equitable and Sustainable World.



According to the UN, this years theme is focusing on how to help everyone recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic, build resilience, and how to transform the world into one that is more equal, just, equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and healthier.



A statement issued by the ARPC to mark the day in Kumasi said the day offered the opportunity for us as Ghanaians to reflect on the roles we play in ensuring and sustaining peace in our homes, workplaces, communities, and the nation as a whole.



The statement signed by Rt. Rev. Christopher Nyarko Andam, the Regional Chairman, said peace was indivisible and it behooved on all of us to be mindful of our actions and utterances that were likely to stoke the fires of conflict.



It said no one would be immune from persecution, in times of conflict and that was why we needed to work collectively as individuals to ensure that peace prevailed at all times in our societies.



Let us remember that a peaceful society is one where there is justice, fairness, transparency, honesty, equality, low-level of corruption, equitable distribution of resources, good relationship with neighbours, well-functioning of institutions, and acceptance of rights of others in a dignified manner, part of the statement read.







Source: GNA









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The 28-year-old pregnant woman who went missing in Takoradi on Thursday, September 16, has been found around Axim in the Western Region.



Josephine Panyin Mensah who was said to be nursing a near-term pregnancy, was without the pregnancy when she was discovered near a church building in Axim.



She had been reported missing after going for a routine dawn walk on Thursday, September 16, 2021.



A senior brother of Josephine, Alex Essien, told Graphic Online her sister was unable to speak when she was discovered. All she could do was to motion for a piece of paper and pen on which she scribbled her brother's contact number.



According to Essien, Josephine was said to be crying upon her discovery but was unable to tell what had transpired or where she had been.



The police are yet to confirm the incident but Josephine is being attended to at the Axim Government Hospital.



The Police Public Relations Officer, Olivia Adiku has said the police were investigating to trace the whereabouts of Josephine.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Ghanas High Commissioner to Malta, Ms. Barbara Akuokor Benisa, has expressed the commitment of the government and people of Ghana to a continued cooperation and collaboration with Malta on issues of mutual concern and benefit.

She said Ghana and Malta, which shared long-standing historical ties, had signed Permanent Joint Commission for Co-operation (PJCC) agreement and other memoranda of understanding (MoUs) which governed their relationship and pursuits.



Speaking ahead of the 57th Independence Day of Malta tomorrow, which also coincides with the Kwame Nkrumah Day, Ms. Benisa also expressed the hope that the Bilateral Air Agreement between the two countries would come into fruition during her tour of duty.



I wish to assure you of the commitment of the government and people of Ghana to a continued co-operation and collaboration on issues of mutual concern and benefit to both states, she stated.



Context



Describing the occasion as a great day for both nations, the High Commissioner said it was on September 21, 1909, that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanas first President, Prime Minister, Pan Africanist, and the leader at independence from British rule in 1957, was born for which the day had been set aside to remember him.



Similarly on September 21, 1964, the Republic of Malta, gained independence from British colonial rule, hence today marks 57 years of peace, stability and continuous economic growth.



Therefore, we join each other today, in celebration of this momentous day in the history of both our countries, Ms. Benisa said.

Ghana and Malta have enjoyed years of cordial relations, which have further been enhanced in recent years.



The Ghana Mission located in Valletta, Malta, known as the Valletta Mission, was relocated to Malta from Libya at the height of the Libyan war, under the leadership of Mr. Kenneth Enos Kofi Tachie, who became the founder High Commissioner.



He was succeeded by Mrs. Mercy Bampo Addo on August 28, 2017 and succeeded by the current High Commissioner.



Ms. Benisa presented her letters of credence and letters of the formers recall on Thursday, June 24, this year.



Feats



The High Commissioner said many feats had been chalked up under her predecessors, including the exchange of the highest form of diplomacy from both sides in 2017 and 2019.



She said during those state visits, several agreements and MoUs were signed by both sides.



Unfortunately, Ms. Benisa said due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the momentum at which bilateral engagements were going between both countries came to a halt.



It was on that note that the High Commissioner pledged her commitment to work towards deepening the ties and also ensure that the bilateral air agreement between both countries was consummated.



On that note, I wish to congratulate you on the celebration of the 57th Independence Day of Malta and wish Ghanaians well as we remember our first President. Long live Ghana-Malta relations, Ms. Benisa stated.











Source: graphiconline.com









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The Government of Ghana will be signing an agreement with the W.E.B Du Bois Museum Foundation to transform the current Du Bois Memorial Centre and burial site in Accra, Ghana, into a state-of-art museum complex.



The complex will serve as a historic memorial site where visitors can honour his life and legacy, connect to their cultural and ancestral roots.



This was contained in a press release sighted by the Ghana News Agency.



The release said the agreement would build on the governments Year of Return and Beyond the Return campaigns that encouraged the return of African Diaspora from around the world.



The Du Bois Museum Complex will usher in a renewed commitment to building an international treasure and historic memorial honouring the legacy of Dr. Du Bois, and fostering unity among the African Diaspora through a vibrant cultural and research centre, it added.



The Du Bois Memorial Center in Accra where Dr. Du Bois and his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois, are buried, in recent years, has required additional upkeep and maintenance.



The Du Bois Museum Complex aims to transform the Center and create a living museum that revives the transformative spirit and vision of Dr. Du Bois for a unified ancestral home for Africans in the diaspora around the world.



Dr. Du Bois was a civil rights pioneer and one of the worlds leading black intellectuals and thinkers, who became a citizen of Ghana and resided in the country until his death in 1963.

Source: GNA









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The seven NPP Constituency Chairmen who secured nominations for the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives positions have expressed a great deal of gratitude to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi, for the pivotal role he played in securing the slots for them.



According to the seven constituency chairmen, Chairman Wontumi has truly kept his word and lived up to his promise of working hard to reward them for their hard work, loyalty and dedication.



A total of seven constituency chairmen who applied for the vacant positions were nominated by the President and would subsequently assume their positions as MMDCEs once they are approved by their assemblies.



They include Isaac Kofi Marfo of Atwima Mponua, Samuel Oduro Frimpong of Ejisu, Alex K . Sarfo-Kantanka of Juaben, Hamidu Sulemana of Sekyere Afram Plains and Abraham Kwame Antwi of Oforikrom.



The rest are Osei Adiyiah of Effiduase Asokore and Opoku Agyeman of Kwabre East.



The spokesperson for the seven constituency chairmen, Mr. Alex K. Sarfo Kantanka, said they are fully aware of the immense role Chairman Wontumi played in securing the slots for them, stressing that they would forever be indebted to the Regional Chairman.



"Chairman Wontumi has truly demonstrated that the NPP as a party recognises and rewards individuals for hard work and loyalty; we are aware of the crusade he led to get some to be nominated and we are very pleased with him for his efforts, " He said.



Mr Sarfo Kantanka therefore on behalf of this colleague nominees once they secure approval from their assembly members, they would work hard to justify their selection and bring honour to the Regional Chairman and the entire Ashanti Regional NPP hierarchy.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Nkrumah never dies, Forward ever, backwards never and Freedom were some of the chants that reverberated when the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) marked the 112th birthday of the countrys first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, yesterday.



The event was reminiscent of the good old days of the CPP regime as many Nkrumahists and admirers of the man who led Ghana to independence in 1957 recounted his deeds, vision, philosophy and the impact he had on the country, the African continent and the world at large.



The party marked the birthday with a symposium to drum home the relevance of Dr Nkrumahs ideals to the socio-economic development of the country.



Symposium



The symposium was on the theme: Relevance of Nkrumahism in addressing the socio-economic challenges of Ghana today.



It attracted members of the CPP fraternity, including its National Chairman, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong-Kumankumah; the General Secretary, Nana Yaa Jantuah, and a former acting National Chairman, Hajia Hamdatu Ibrahim Haruna.



Also in attendance were representatives of the biggest opposition party  the National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by the Election 2020 Campaign Manager of the party, Professor Joshua Alabi; the Deputy Campaign Manager, Mr Alex Segbefia, and a leading member of the party, Ms Sherry Ayittey.



Speakers at the symposium were the Chairman of the Research Committee of the CPP, Mr Kosi Dedey; a leading member of the party, Mr Ekow Duncan, and a former Chairman of the PNC, Mr Bernard Mornah.



Nkrumah-like



Nana Sarpong-Kumankumah said it was time for people not only to celebrate the good works of Dr Nkrumah but also embrace his ideals which propelled the country to greater heights.



She said the celebration of Dr Nkrumahs legacy without putting his ideals into practice would not help the development of the country.



The legacy will not put food on the table of the hungry youth or give them jobs. We need to readjust and ensure that the ideals that Nkrumah stood for are still being put to use, she said.



According to her, just like Dr Nkrumah did, leaders must stand up and fight systems which inhibited the growth of the country.



The spirit that was in Dr Nkrumah is within all of us. Let all of us, especially the leaders, ignite that spirit for the benefit of the country, she said.



Questions to the CPP



Mr Dedey wondered if the CPP was ready to capture political power or just interested in riding on the back of Dr Nkrumahs fame.



Is the CPP a political party, a Kwame Nkrumah fan club or a ruse? Is the CPP ready for political power? Does the CPP of today understand the social and economic challenges of Ghana? he queried.



He said in order to become a strong political force, it was imperative for the CPP to uphold discipline and integrity, as well as to be well organised.



According to him, the last elections in 2020 showed that members of the CPP ought to be more committed to the cause of the party.



In the last elections, we had over 30,000 polling stations. Even if only the executives at the polling stations voted for the CPP, that should give us not less than 300,000 votes for the CPP; but let us ask ourselves the number of votes that we garnered, he said.



Nkrumahs legacy



Nana Jantuah described Dr Nkrumah as the most important personality in the countrys independence agenda.



There is no doubt that he was the one who made sure that the road to independence was made shorter and faster, as he always advocated self-government now, she said.



Mr Mornah said Dr Nkrumahs policies were even more relevant to the countrys socio-economic development now than they were to his regime in the 1960s.



Describing him as a visionary leader, he said Dr Nkrumah understood the problems of the country, what was needed to fix those problems and even how to ensure that those problems did not rear their heads in the future.



For Mr Duncan, the country must adopt Dr Nkrumahs economic principles and reject what he described as the policies of the Western world which colonised the country.



The country will not develop on the whims of structural adjustment, liberalisation and privatisation, he said.



Profile of Kwame Nkrumah



Former President John Evans Atta Millss government initiated legislation in Parliament to declare September 21 a holiday in memory of Dr Nkrumah.



Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah was born at Nkroful in the Western Region on September 21, 1909.



He attended Achimota School and also trained as a teacher. He went to the United States in 1935 for advanced studies, receiving a B.A. degree from the Lincoln University in 1939.



He was invited into the then Gold Coast to become the General Secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), but on June 12, 1949, Dr Nkrumah broke away and led the formation of the CPP at Arena in Accra before a crowd of some 60,000.



Dr Nkrumah was arrested on January 21, 1950, tried for inciting an illegal strike and sedition for an article in the Cape Coast Daily Mail and sentenced to three years imprisonment.



While in prison, Dr Nkrumah led the CPP to achieve a stunning victory in the February 1951 elections.



He was freed to form a government, and he led the colony to independence in 1957.



A firm believer in African liberation, Nkrumah pursued a radical pan-African policy, playing a key role in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963.



At home, he led massive socio-economic development that saw the springing up of infrastructure across the country.



As time passed, he was accused of being a dictator and also forming a one-party state in 1964, with himself as President for life, as well as actively promoting a cult of his own personality.



Overthrown by the military in 1966 with the help of Western backing, he spent his last years in exile, dying in Bucharest, Romania, on April 27, 1972.



His legacy and dream of a "United States of Africa" still remains a goal among many.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Taliban have asked to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York City.



A United Nations committee will rule on the request but it is very unlikely to happen during the current session of the body.



Before making their request, the Taliban who are still seeking international legitimacy, nominated their Doha-based spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, as Afghanistan's UN ambassador.



The Taliban, which seized control of Afghanistan last month, said the envoy for the ousted government no longer represented the country.



The request to participate in the high-level debate is being considered by a credentials committee which includes the US, China and Russia, UK, France etc according to a UN spokesperson.



But the credentials committee is unlikely to meet before the end of the General Assembly session next Monday, 28 September. Until then, under UN rules, Ghulam Isaczai will remain Afghanistan's ambassador to the global body.



He is expected to make a speech on the final day. However the Taliban said his mission "no longer represents Afghanistan".



No government in the world has formally recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan's new government although Pakistan and China have moved to normalize relations.



If the UN agrees for the Taliban's nominee for ambassador to speak it will be an important step towards international acceptance.



In the Taliban's request to the UN, the Taliban also said that several countries no longer recognised former President Ashraf Ghani as leader.



Ghani fled Afghanistan as Taliban militants advanced on the capital, Kabul, on 15 August. He has since taken refuge in the United Arab Emirates.



At the UN meeting on Tuesday, September 21, Qatar urged world leaders to stay engaged with the Taliban. "Boycotting them would only lead to polarisation and reactions, whereas dialogue could be fruitful," said Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar hosted talks between the Taliban and US which culminated in a 2020 agreement to withdraw US-led Nato forces.









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Photos of the grandaughter of Ghanas first President Osagyefo Doctor Kwame Nkrumah, Princess Fathia, has hit the web. Yesterday, 21st September 2021, happened to be a holiday in Ghana.



The holiday, dubbed Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, was to celebrate the birthday of Ghanas first President and leader of the independence struggle, Dr Nkrumah.



Nkrumah fought the colonial government of the United Kingdom and never rested until they were kicked out and Ghana become an independent constitutional republic.



Initially, the holiday was called Founders Day, but the NPP government had it changed to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.



A granddaughter of Nkrumah popped up online to celebrate her grandfather. Princess Fathia Nkrumah, named after her grandmother, flooded social media with her photos.



Princess Fathia is a beauty and a perfect representative of the Nkrumah genes.



Check them below



































View this post on Instagram







A post shared by Princess Fathia Nkrumah (@princessnkrumah)





Source: instagram/GC









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Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel have announced a Fugees reunion tour to celebrate 25 years of the classic album The Score.



Their first shows together in 15 years will take them across the United States, through London and Paris, and into Nigeria and Ghana this November and December.



Fugees broke out with The Score in 1996, a wildly successful second album that made them household names with singles such as Ready or Not and Killing Me Softly.



Over the next decade, the group hung together despite internal rifts, legal trouble, and solo sidelinesincluding Hills landmark, Grammy-sweeping Miseducation albumbefore conclusively splitting in 2006, at least in part due to romantic complications between Jean and Hill, according to Jeans memoir.



According to Pitchfork.com Hill has said in a press release that, The Fugees have a complex but impactful history. I decided to honor this significant project, its anniversary, and the fans who appreciated the music by creating a peaceful platform where we could unite, perform the music we loved, and set an example of reconciliation for the world.



Jean added: As I celebrate 25 years with the Fugees, my first memory was that we vowed, from the gate, we would not just do music we would be a movement. We would be a voice for the un-heard, and in these challenging times, I am grateful once again, that God has brought us together.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Tucker Jessip has just been given an amazing opportunity.

Hes been elected to the national Student Advisory Council for Enactus USA  a prestigious position that will allow him to gain experience on a much bigger scale. And, hes been invited to participate in the Enactus Entrepreneurial Exchange Program with Morocco.

Jessip, a sophmore from Frontenac, Kansas, hopes to one day work in the renewable energy business.

To get there, he enrolled as a student in the Kelce College of Business at Pittsburg State, where he is working toward a degree in business administration and a sustainability certificate. He joined Enactus, an entrepreneurial organization that creates sustainability projects that help the university and community, and rose through the ranks to President.

Enactus stands for EN- entrepreneurial, ACT- action, US- Us, he said. We apply business principles to innovative project ideas that really make a positive impact for people.

Sustainability is the root of the organization.

Our projects aim to help the environment, create better lives for people, and support our economy, he said. The UN, back in 2015, established 17 sustainability goals that we want to achieve by the year 2030. Any project that we pursue has to be related to one of the sustainability goals. Once we develop good projects, we will go and compete against other Enactus organizations to challenge each other and exchange ideas.

Being elected to the national council will give him an opportunity to work with Enactus representatives and students from across the nation.

Working with all of these people gives me the knowledge and experience to better run my Enactus team as their president, Jessip said.

And, it is another step toward that dream career.

I have a keen interest in solar energy, and managing and working with a group of people would be right up my alley, he said. Maybe with enough entrepreneurial experience, I may one day start my own solar energy company.

Learn more:

Pitt State Enactus

Business Management degree

Sustainability certificate




The Aiken Sertoma Club celebrated five decades of local and statewide outreach at its Sept. 20 meeting, celebrating a variety of highlights and recognizing a pair of local residents for excellence relating to the organization's theme of "service to mankind."

The meeting, held at South on Whiskey, included a salute to Tom Johnson, a Millbrook Baptist Church deacon largely known as the owner and operator of Aiken's Chick-fil-A. He received the local Service to Mankind Award, in recognition of his decades of community involvement.

Johnson's local associations have been with such organizations as Tri-Development Center of Aiken County, Aiken Chamber of Commerce and the USC Aiken Alumni Association. His Chick-fil-A roles included owning and operating the restaurant in the Aiken Mall, establishing it in 1991, and expanding in 2000 with the advent of the free-standing restaurant that is now a fixture on Whiskey Road. The past 18 months, with COVID-19 precautions forcing businesses to adapt in order to survive, saw the Chick-fil-A go into high gear, enhancing its drive-through facilities and services.

Accolades also went to longtime club member Dennis Saylor. He received the Club Sertoman of the Year Award. Saylor, a 43-year employee with Crane Merchandising Systems, in Williston, is his employer's inside support team lead ("troubleshooter," as he offered for clarification) and the local Sertoma organization's vice president of membership.

His community roles have included service as the Aiken County Republican Party's chairman and also as chairman of the Aiken County Parks and Recreation Commission.

Saylor's local Sertoma roles have included club president and chairman of the board. Serving farther afield in Sertoma, he has been been the Midlands District governor (covering "the central portion of South Carolina"), and in June, he completed a three-year term as the Atlantic Coast Region's director (covering Augusta, the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland).

Saylor's group was founded in March 1971, having been sponsored by the Columbia Sertoma Club, which dates back to 1950. The Aiken group, in turn, sponsored the North Augusta Sertoma Club, which was established in August 1971. The national organization is based in Kansas City, Missouri.

An estimate from the Aiken club's treasurer had the club's giving level, over the past 25 years, at $850,000; and about $1.2 million over the entire 50-year course of the club's existence. High-profile moments in the club's history included having Don Bartelmay, the current vice president of programs, serve as the national Sertoma president for the 2016-17 term, followed by a 2017-18 term as president of Hearing Charities of America, a subsidiary of Sertoma.

Among the high-profile guests in attendance were two state legislators: Sens. Tom Young (R-Aiken) and Shane Massey (R-Edgefield). They presented a proclamation expressing thanks and honoring the club, acknowledging its "substantial support and commitment to serving greater Aiken and the Central Savannah River Area" and its enriching impact on the community.

It also noted the group "has provided assistance to individuals with speech and hearing loss, awarded scholarships, sponsored Camp Sertoma for disadvantaged children, assisted for years with the Aiken Steeplechase Association's events and supported countless causes."

The late Skipper Perry, largely remembered for his years in the state legislature and on Aiken City Council, was one of the club's presidents. Perry, who died in 2017, was reportedly the last of the club's surviving charter members.

The national organization's website includes a statement of Sertoma's purpose ("to meet the needs of communities through volunteer service), vision ("to create communities of change under common leadership and with a common voice that will serve the many in need") and mission ("to improve the quality of life today for those at risk or impacted by hearing loss through education and support").
Goose Creek police say the median added to about a mile of St. James Avenue near the intersection of Highway 52 has caused a decrease in serious traffic accidents by ending left turns.
NORTH CHARLESTON  The State Ports Authority will pay $4.75 million to the Charleston County School District to settle a lengthy legal dispute over property where the maritime agency plans to build a rail yard for its new Leatherman Terminal.

The payment, approved Sept. 21 by the SPA's board of directors, reimburses the district for its interest in a 3.74-acre parcel where the Academic Magnet High School once operated. The property is part of a larger tract that state-owned Palmetto Railways acquired in 2010 through condemnation for the rail project.

Although the school district did not own the land, an arbitrator ruled it had an "equitable interest" in the site because of a long-term lease agreement that dated to early redevelopment efforts at the former Navy base, which closed in 1996. The case has been tied up in court since the condemnation because Palmetto Railways wanted a judge to determine the property's value while the school district asked for a jury trial.

Most recently, the school district asked the S.C. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court's ruling in Palmetto Railways' favor.

The SPA and district struck the $4.75 million deal during a mediation hearing in late August.

"They had a lease and then there were some questions about the validity of the lease going forward," said Randy Lowell, a lawyer for the SPA. "The only way to resolve that is you sue somebody, so that's how we wound up where we did."

The maritime agency said it will need at least a portion of the 3.74 acres for the rail yard  a project it took on after Palmetto Railways had trouble raising money. Palmetto Railways, which is part of the S.C. Commerce Department, will operate the rail yard once it is completed in 2023.

In the meantime, the ports authority is trying to settle lawsuits that have been lingering for years as the project struggled to find its footing. In July, the agency's board agreed to pay $730,000 to a homeowner who claimed rail construction had devalued his property. Two other property owners have filed complaints with similar claims. Another lawsuit, in which a property owner was awarded $3.75 million for a Meeting Street business that was taken, is pending before the S.C. Court of Appeals.

The SPA also is working to complete design and permitting documents started by Palmetto Railways so construction can begin. The agency's board this week approved a nearly $1 million payment to TranSystems Corp. for that work, which is expected to be finished in January.

"TranSystems did the initial design for Palmetto Rail. Now those contractors will complete the design and get the documents ready for bid," said Walter Lagarenne, the SPA's senior director of engineering and facilities.

State legislators included $200 million in this year's budget for the rail yard, where Norfolk Southern and CSX Corp. rail cars will move cargo containers between the nearby Leatherman Terminal and inland distribution sites. The rail yard, officially known as the Navy Base Intermodal Facility, will be linked to the new terminal by a private road, which will keep cargo moving between the two sites off public streets.

The rail yard has already received approval from the Federal Railroad Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers and would round out roughly $2 billion in improvements at the port, including the new terminal, cranes and other equipment, and the deepening of the Charleston Harbor shipping channel.
A drive-thru grocery store is ready for its debut along a main artery in Mount Pleasant.

Opie will open to the public at 10 a.m. on Sept. 28 at 1735 U.S. Highway 17, according to co-founder Tyler Sones.

The shop is just south of Mount Pleasant Towne Centre.

The 2,900-square-foot retail concept has been in the works at least since the fall of 2019, when plans were first presented to the town.

After being under construction for more than a year, the store was a beehive of activity earlier this week, with workers stocking shelves and handling deliveries to prepare for the upcoming launch.

Customers can call ahead and pick up orders made on the stores app or drive up and place an order and be served in 5-10 minutes, according to Sones. The shop, employing about 50 workers, will be open around the clock seven days a week.

Sones said the name of the new store was selected because it is short, rare and retro modern.

A brief grand opening ceremony with a ribbon-cutting is planned for 11:30 a.m. Oct. 5.

What's cooking?

Three new dining spots are in the works for the Charleston metro area where former restaurants operated.

Cabana Burgers & Shakes plans to open a new location in Mount Pleasant where Eggs Up Grill served breakfast items until recently at 2664 U.S. Highway 17. Cabana has another location on Maybank Highway on Johns Island.

A sign on the door of the former Eggs Up says the restaurant chain is looking for a new location in East Cooper.

Across town, Indian restaurant Spice Palette is coming to 1220 Ben Sawyer Blvd. where Bistro Toulouse operated in Sea Island Shopping Center before the owners decided to retire.

In Goose Creek, Thai and sushi restaurant Ti-ney Bangkok II plans to open where St. James Place served meals until last spring at 216 St. James Ave.

All three restaurants plan to open in about three months or so, according to Jim Moring with restaurantbrokers.info. His associate, Mike Santos, handled all three transactions.

Going dark

Duke's BBQ at 4428 Spruill Ave. in North Charleston will close Sept. 24.

The restaurant, operated by Lisa Warner, will close after 67 years in business.

It has been open on Fridays only for carry-out, according to its Facebook page.

A Mount Pleasant firm bought the building in 2019 for $185,000, according to Charleston County land records.

Other restaurants operate under the Duke's BBQ name in South Carolina, including one on Folly Road on James Island, but all are independently owned.

On the way

A Cajun-style fast-food chicken restaurant plans to set up shop in the upper reaches of Dorchester County.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen will soon add a 2,338-square-foot venue with 40 seats at 116 Interstate Drive near Interstate 95 in St. George, according to construction documents.

The nearest Popeyes to that site is about 19 miles away in Walterboro, also off I-95.

Bigger space

Scandinavian-inspired housewares shop Hausful has officially opened in the former Pier 1 Imports building at 1909 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. in West Ashley.

The family-owned home furnishings and decor store moved into the renovated 8,000-square-foot space after relocating from a 2,000-square-foot shop across the street at 1890 Sam Rittenberg, where it operated for the past five years.
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COLUMBIA  Following advocacy from citizens and GOP lawmakers to increase access to COVID-19 antibody treatments, hospital systems told a panel of S.C. senators on Sept. 22 that they would give more if they could.

But a surge in demand and depletion of national supply has led to federal rationing of the doses.

The allocation now has public health workers driving doses from one treatment site to another trying to spread out supply, similar to measures taken with COVID-19 vaccines earlier in the pandemic that has now taken the lives of more than 11,000 South Carolinians.

The testimony from health care officials before a special Senate committee comes a week after the same lawmakers heard from residents and an Upstate lawmaker who had struggled to get access to the antibody treatment, alongside calling for wider use of several other drugs, some of which are discouraged by top health officials.

Medical professionals stood to address issues raised and to reiterate that the vaccine, along with social distancing and masking, are the best options for combating the deadly disease.

Panel Chairman Shane Martin, R-Spartanburg, said he wanted to make sure people were being heard from all sides. The special committee will decide in the coming weeks if there are any legislative remedies to be taken when the Legislature returns in 2022, but he said there are no plans for action at this time.

When it comes to infusions of monoclonal antibodies, which public health officials also have said are effective in reducing hospitalization among those infected with the deadly disease, supply has kept up with demand until recently.

Late last week, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Director Edward Simmer informed state leaders that South Carolina would only receive a third of the 13,000 doses physicians were ordering for the week.

Orders for the drugs nationwide have climbed 20-fold since mid-July, with seven states  Alabama, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Louisiana  making up 70 percent of demand in recent weeks, the federal Department of Health and Human Services has reported.

"The problem is, at this point, we don't anticipate an increase in supply for at least a few more weeks," Simmer said

MUSC Health expects it will have given out a total of 2,500 doses of the treatment by the end of the week, CEO Pat Cawley told lawmakers.

Earlier in the year, he said, the hospital system's struggle was educating citizens and physicians statewide on the efficiency of the antibodies. Now the issue is there is not enough to go around.

"I could get triple the amount I get today and I could use it all up," Cawley said. "We don't have a lot, so we try to get it to the people who need it the most."

Jenna Swindler, a pharmacist with McLeod Health, said the change in allocation is frustrating to health professionals.

She said when the treatment was authorized for prophylactic use, issued to high-risk individuals who were exposed but who may not have tested positive for the disease, is when supply issues escalated. At McLeod, doctors have seen a 20 percent decrease in their supply.

Swindler, too, noted the paradigm shift from resistance to the treatments early on. Fast forward to the current surge in cases across the state: McLeod has been providing antibodies to more than 100 patients a day.

The committee also heard from two doctors referenced by Rep. Stewart Jones, R-Laurens, last week who wished to prescribe drugs, such as ivermectin.

Public health officials from the top down have said ivermectin, which treats parasites in animals, is not approved for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 and reports have emerged nationwide from patients experiencing life-threatening complications after self-medicating with larger doses used for livestock.

Those doctors said they are using those drugs to treat patients but have been pressured by hospitals and medical licensing boards not to do so.

Simmer, the DHEC director, responded by saying his agency does not license or punish physicians, nor does it tell them what drugs they can prescribe or how to treat patients. And members of the medical and pharmacist licensing boards said they have not received any complaints or initiated any proceedings against doctors or pharmacists in relation to COVID treatments.

The state hospital association echoed those boards, saying that hospitals' treatment guidelines are developed by boards made up of physicians practicing in the hospitals and doctors can seek to deviate from those guidelines.

"We don't restrict what our doctors can do," Cawley said of MUSC.

Simmer said what DHEC and others do is issue recommendations based on published research. And when it comes to ivermectin, any benefit is still unproven based on the larger body of evidence to date. He said there are two large studies that are ongoing, which when complete, could provide clarity.

Cawley said MUSC is running ivermectin trials of its own, trying to answer remaining questions.

And Dr. Anne Cook, president of the state Medical Board and a practicing physician, said she takes no issue with doctors choosing to prescribe ivermectin. But the vaccine is 70 percent effective at preventing COVID and will almost always prevent death from the disease.

My problem is that I have patients who say, I just want to do this. I don't want to take that shot," she said. "They're self-treating. They just want me to write the prescription. But uses of these medications that are unproven get used in place of the vaccine with some sort of false security and I think we're treading on dangerous ground.

"We have never eradicated a virus in the world with a medication," Cook added. "It's only ever been done with vaccines."
Charleston is talking about building a sea wall around the peninsula, and we have questions.

So many, in fact, that the Historic Charleston Foundation hosted a Zoom meeting Tuesday to answer them  following a weekend story from The Post and Couriers Chloe Johnson responding to reader queries about plans for the wall.

No doubt we have a real problem here. Sea levels are rising as temperatures go up and glaciers melt (see Tony Bartelmes and Lauren Petraccas report from Greenland). Theres so much water around that, nowadays, the city floods pretty much anytime some spills a Big Gulp from 7-11 on King Street.

The Army Corps of Engineers has proposed building a $1.1 billion, 8-mile seawall around the peninsula to keep our extensive new drainage system from becoming overwhelmed. But that sounds a tad dramatic  and a little too much like change for many Charleston residents.

Hence, questions. Well try to answer some of them here.

Q. Is this sea wall even necessary? Im tired of this hooey about climate change. Some scientists say its just normal cyclical changes in the Earths environment.

A. Yes, to some extent climate change is cyclical, and indeed sea level has changed throughout history. For instance, a young girl in Summerville once found a Megalodon tooth buried in her backyard, where it had been since the Atlantic Ocean lapped ashore somewhere near what is now Interstate 95.

So, the sea wall probably isnt necessary  for anyone who lives west of St. George.

Q. Can we trust the Army Corps of Engineers to tell the truth about this? After all, theyre part of the same federal government trying to force all Americans to take a vaccine.

A. Alas, the federal government has a pesky habit of overreach  always blowing money to protect people and property. Were with you: The Constitution guarantees Charleston the freedom to sink into the ocean!

Q. Im really concerned we havent seen any renderings of what the sea wall would look like. What are the plans for this monstrosity?

A. Well, design comes later. But were not talking Pink Floyd here. Think more High Battery, less Berlin Wall.

Q. Sure, it floods often in downtown Charleston. But some residents are simply raising their homes. Wouldnt that be more a cost-effective alternative?

A. Thats certainly one option. Some homeowners South of Broad are spending more than $500,000 to raise their historic homes above current flood levels. Unfortunately, the streets will not rise commensurately.

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So if the city opts for that route, wed recommend trading in your Grand Cherokee for a gondola.

Q. If Charleston builds a sea wall, will I still be able to see Fort Sumter?

A. Yes, of course  just bring a step ladder. Only kidding! The sea wall wont be so high as to impede the citys iconic view sheds. Unfortunately, it also wont protect the city next time yahoos take over the fort and decide to bomb us again.

Q. Wouldnt it be better to just save all that money and let nature take its course?

A. That would save a tremendous amount of money. Of course, wed blow through most of it paying Two Guys and a Truck to move everyone out of downtown.

Q. One of Charlestons greatest assets is its historical integrity. Wont the wall destroy that?

A. Well, when Charles Town moved to the peninsula, the first thing they did was build a wall. Of course, if historical integrity is your thing, perhaps we should return the aptly named Water Street to its historic state  as a creek. Same with Market Street and the Crosstown, etc.

Seeing as how that sort of environmental engineering contributed to our current woes.

Q. The Dutch say we have to learn to live with water. Why dont we just do that?

A. We could, if youd quit calling to complain every time Lockwood Boulevard gets a little wet.

Q. Do we really need to deal with this right now? I mean, how imminent is this sea level rise anyway?

A. We dont know for sure, as the Atlantic Ocean has not released its upcoming schedule. But before Wine+Food announced its move to North Charleston, we heard one option was to simply change its name to Wine+Food+Water Wings.

Q. How much is this gonna cost me?

A. Charlestons share of the sea wall is expected to be $384.5 million. Thats a little less than $3,000 per resident (roughly what SCE&G stole from each of us to not build two nuclear reactors).

Or, we could just hit up every tourist for $10 for five years  if the state Legislature allowed cities to impose such fees.

Hint, hint.
The Charleston County School District is requiring teachers to simultaneously instruct classes in person and online, and has increased the amount of security in its schools.

This decision comes after the district held a press conference Sept. 16 where it announced that any student who refused to wear a mask would be forced to learn remotely. The new mask mandate went into effect Sept. 20. Teachers now must use a hybrid class model so that students who refuse to wear a mask or are in quarantine receive a proper education.

This new requirement goes against what Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait told teachers earlier this year when she said they would not have to participate in dual instruction. Having to monitor students physically in their classrooms as well as those online through Zoom last year left teachers exhausted and destroyed morale.

"That was highly stressful for them, they had to prepare two different lesson plans, they were trying to attend to the needs of students in class and online at the same time," Postlewait said in an Aug. 17 interview with The Post and Courier before the start of school.

But as cases started to rise due to the delta variant, more students were put in quarantine. The board decided a mask requirement was necessary to quell the spread of COVID-19.

The district used the first few days of the new requirement to warn students about not wearing masks. Students who repeatedly refused to put a mask on were placed in rooms away from masked students and participated in their classes through Zoom. Starting on Sept. 22, school officials will start sending students who refuse to wear masks home.

The situation increases the preparation teachers do prior to class by requiring them to upload their lessons' content and create Zoom links. The district is giving every teacher a $1,000 stipend to compensate for the added work. On April 23, Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill into law requiring all districts to provide additional pay to teachers if "dual-modality instruction" is necessary.

Even with the added money, teachers are worried about what this will do to their workday.

Leanna Rossi-Potter, president of the Charleston County Education Association and a teacher at Wando High School, described dual instruction as a "juggling act."

"It's been stressful because we were told that this would not happen again," she said.

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She spent Sept. 21 bouncing between in-person and online students. When she greeted the students in her physical classroom she also had to make sure the virtual students had their cameras on. She had to pay attention to the in-person students raising their hands in class while monitoring the online students who put their questions in a chat.

Rossi-Potter said virtual education requires teachers to know every little detail about what's going on in the classroom and in their students' homes. The hybrid model almost always ends up with one of the groups falling behind, she said.

So far, Rossi-Potter has not had any students participate in virtual learning because they refused to wear a mask. On Sept. 21, the four students she had in virtual learning were all home because they were in quarantine. Before the new mask mandate, they were sent home with packets of schoolwork to complete and did not have to attend classes via Zoom.

While the extra compensation is sure to soften the blow, many would rather not be in this position at all. Rossi-Potter does not blame the district. She said all teachers are feeling safer with the mask requirement being enforced.

Since it started Sept. 20, the mask requirement has presented a number of logistical problems.

A proviso to the South Carolina 2021-22 budget says that school districts cannot use public funds appropriated for that year to pay for the mask requirement. To get around that rule, Charleston County School District is using funds from its savings to cover the salaries of those who enforce the requirement.

Each school has a cohort of non-teaching staff designated as "compliance officers," whose salaries are being paid from the reserves. Only those officers can tell students to put masks on. Teachers can merely remind students who are already wearing masks to wear them correctly, according to Andy Pruitt, a spokesman for the school district.

The district has increased security presence at schools because they are aware the mask requirement is a hot-button issue. Pruitt told The Post and Courier that parents may notice more red-shirt security officers when they drop students off at school.

Rossi-Potter has observed the added security presence both at Wando and at her daughter's school. Though she has not noticed any fights break out because of the new mask requirement, she said that the added security makes her feel safer as a teacher.

On Sept. 21, the Palmetto State Teachers Association, the South Carolina Education Association, the S.C. chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Association of School Nurses urged state legislators to call a special session and repeal the law prohibiting districts from using public funds to require masks.

Meantime, teachers hope that parents and community members will listen to public health advice and wear masks and get vaccinated to minimize disruptions to school.
GEORGETOWN  The city of Georgetown has a draft plan to spend its more than $4.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds over the next five years, but many residents were unhappy to see the city's West End left out of it.

The federal government allows COVID relief funds to be used for public health and the pandemic's economic impacts, premium pay for employees, government service revenue loss and water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.

With this in mind, Georgetown has proposed the majority of its funding to go toward city water infrastructure improvements, specifically through a project in Maryville.

The project would use $2.4 million in total to replace water lines, add fire hydrants, restore street and driveway asphalt, and replace aged equipment in raw water station and the Maryville lift station.

The current lift station, which is as an underground wastewater collection point, has been in place since the 1960s, and is in desperate need of replacement, the city said.

Several residents told city administrator Sandra Yudice during a public meeting about the drafted allocations Sept. 21 that they believed some of this funding should go towards water infrastructure improvements on the West End rather than Maryville.

"We have voiced our opinions on being included, what I do not understand is why is it that everyone treats the West End as if it is not a part of Georgetown city?" community activist Jackie Williams said during the meeting.

Yudice countered by saying the $540,000 West End District Water Main Upgrade project, included in this year's fiscal budget, would take care of those issues.

But about 10 residents still argued some federal funds should go to the neighborhood, with some suggesting shifting the $200,000 for Wi-Fi in city parks to the West End.

Some residents also called for investments in affordable housing, streetscaping and and nonprofits across the city, but the COVID funds cannot be used for projects outside of federal government restrictions. Funds spent outside those requirements must be returned to the federal government, Yudice repeated to residents several times.

Georgetown City Council will have a workshop Sept. 23 to adjust the drafted allocations based on public input, and a public hearing about the adjusted allocations will occur before the Nov. 18 council meeting. The procurement process for the projects will begin once the plan is given final approval by council during that same meeting.

The $4.3 million will be split into two equal parts, one to go into next year's fiscal budget and the other into the 2023 budget. Georgetown's other proposed allocations include:

Adding Wi-Fi in several local parks  $200,000

Premium pay for city employees  $350,000

Improved indoor air quality at future city hall and other city owned public buildings  $200,000

Economic recovery micro-grants to small businesses to address negative impacts from COVID-19  $100,000

City revenue loss  $994,866

A contract with the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments to administer the funds  $100,000
GEORGETOWN  Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke was dedicated to excellence in all aspects of life, her sister Lucy J. Reuben said.

And even during a time when Black people were barred from opportunities, including attending some colleges that their White counterparts could enjoy without much thought, Reuben said her sister persevered.

So it is only fitting, Reuben said, that the first building on Duke University's campus to be named after a Black woman is for Reuben-Cooke, a Georgetown native and one of the university's "First Five" Black graduates in 1967.

On Sept. 24, Duke will formally rename its sociology-psychology building on west campus as the Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke Building. Reuben-Cooke died in October 2019 due to an unexpected illness. She was 72.

Reuben, who holds a Ph.D. in economics and is professor of the practice of business administration at Dukes Fuqua School of Business, said many family members will attend the ceremony, including some from Texas and Michigan, as well as former classmates and friends from across the country.

Reuben-Cooke came to Duke in 1963 as one of the first Black undergraduates during a time when the university had no Black faculty, administrators or trustees.

Reuben-Cooke was the oldest of six siblings, and though she was raised in Sumter, she was born in Georgetown. Her mother also was from Georgetown, so the family traveled annually to the coastal city to celebrate holidays with their grandfather, the Rev. G. Goings Daniels.

Family ties to Georgetown run even deeper than just holiday celebrations though, Reuben said, as her grandfather also helped take care of her and her siblings when their mother and father pursued their master's and doctorate degrees.

That pursuance of higher education is what led Reuben-Cooke to Duke, Reuben said. Their father, the Rev. Odell Reuben, was the first Black person to earn a doctorate from the university's divinity school.

After graduating from Duke in 1967, Reuben-Cooke graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1973. She also taught at Syracuse Universitys College of Law and the University of the District of Columbias David A. Clarke School of Law while also serving as that schools provost and vice president for academic affairs.

While she was associate director of Georgetown University Law Center's Institute for Public Representation, Reuben-Cooke supervised litigation before the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Supreme Court.

Remaining connected to Duke, Reuben-Cooke served two terms on the Duke University Board of Trustees and earned the Duke University Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor granted by the Duke Alumni Association, in 2011.

A $1 million scholarship fund was established to honor Reuben-Cooke and the four other first black undergraduates at Duke.

In a 2013 interview, Reuben-Cooke said she felt an obligation to help open Dukes doors and that her place in the civil rights movement was fighting for them on campus. She also said while there were many moments of loneliness, they were balanced out with significant opportunities for leadership.

Reuben-Cooke had a life goal of helping people, Reuben said, and she hopes when students walk in to her sister's building, they know her story.

"I hope (students) realize the importance of history, the importance of struggle and the importance that once person can make a difference," Reuben said. "Excellence can be encompassing, excellence can be empowering and excellence can and should be a route to service."

Duke President Vincent Price said in announcing the naming of the Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke Building that it was a fitting tribute for a building that, when it first opened, Reuben-Cooke herself would not have been able to enter as a student.

This iconic building  which predates our campuss integration by three decades  has stood on Davison Quad as our university has evolved to more fully realize its inclusive values, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke and her classmates, Price said.
State health officials are urging South Carolinians to get a flu shot this fall as the third surge of the COVID-19 pandemic rages on.

The flu vaccine is the "absolute best way" to protect yourself from the flu, said Dr. Jane Kelly with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Flu shots are readily available and will protect against the four strains of flu that are expected to circulate this fall, she said. Flu season typically picks up in October and runs through the spring months.

Even if you end up with the flu, those who are vaccinated will be less likely to experience severe symptoms, Kelly said, which is particularly important to consider at a time when the state's hospitals are still very much overwhelmed by COVID-19. A man with a heart condition in Alabama recently died, she said, because there were no available ICU beds in a three-state radius.

"It remains incredibly important for everyone to get their flu shot this year," she said.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 1,599 confirmed, 728 probable

Total cases in S.C.: 672,143 confirmed, 162,737 probable.

Percent positive: 13.8 percent.

New deaths reported: 69 confirmed, 16 probable

Total deaths in S.C.: 10,347 confirmed, 1,566 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled (with COVID-19 and other patients): 83.10 percent.

S.C. residents vaccinated

In South Carolina, 59.6 percent of people who are eligible for the vaccine have received one shot, and 50.9 percent of eligible residents are considered fully vaccinated.

Hardest-hit areas

As of Sept. 22, Greenville (265), Spartanburg (137) and Horry (103) counties saw the highest totals of newly confirmed cases.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had 58 new cases on Sept. 22, while Dorchester had 56 and Berkeley had 38.

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 Sept. 21, at least 399 people in South Carolina died from the virus Sept. 12-18, and their ages ranged from pediatric (17 and younger) to elderly (65 and older). Horry County recorded 30 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 2,390 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Sept. 22, 579 were in the ICU and 411 were using ventilators.

Student, teacher and faculty cases

DHEC's weekly school report shows 38,107 staff and students have been isolated since the start of the school year, meaning they tested positive for COVID-19. An estimated 166,198 have been quarantined since the start of the school year. These estimates are likely low because some schools did not provide data for the report.

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 Sept. 15, 2,731 samples have been identified as variants of concern over the course of the pandemic. Of those, 1,485 have been identified as the delta variant, which health officials say is now the dominant strain in South Carolina.

What do experts say?

Because COVID-19 is spread through respiratory droplets, it is possible that runners in a tight group could spread the virus if they coughed or sneezed, even though outdoor transmission is less likely than indoor transmission.

That's why, in an effort to keep the Cooper River Bridge Run on Sept. 25 as safe as possible, race organizers are requiring competitors to present evidence of a negative COVID-19 test.

TourHealth COVID-19 testing sites have been set up at Seacoast Church, 750 Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant, and at Tanger Outlets, 4840 Tanger Outlet Blvd. in North Charleston, to accommodate the 25,000 participants who are expected to run on Saturday.

The COVID-19 tests offered through TourHealth are free. According to a press release issued by the company, out-of-town runners can also get tested at TourHealth sites in Anderson, Cayce, Columbia, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Graniteville, Greenville, Hilton Head Island, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lexington, Myrtle Beach, Pickens, Seneca and Sumter before the race.

For more information, visit tourhealth.com.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
CONWAY  Two developments along U.S. 701 were unanimously approved Sept. 21 by the Horry County Council, despite months long outcry from residents, farmers and activists.

Horry County Council gave final approval for the projects  farmer Bobby Andersons request to rezone land to build 80 single-family homes just past the intersection of U.S 701 and S.C. 410 and G3 Engineerings request to build 93 single-family homes along U.S. 701 just past S.C. 22  setting a precedent for development in the rural areas of Horry County.

Development has taken a stronghold in the county, and as more people move to Horry County, western areas like Aynor and Loris might have to take in the rising population of the states fourth-largest county.

Farmers Matthew and Amanda Brown, whose fields will be encompassed by the potential developments, sparked rural residents outrage over overdevelopment back in July when they spoke to Planning and Zoning commission regarding the projects. Browns Farms sits 12 miles northwest of the Horry County seat of Conway along U.S. 701.

Matthew Brown has said a subdivision could add more traffic to U.S. 701, once a back road that has become a popular cut-through for people on their way to Myrtle Beach. The family has used the road for years to move farm equipment from one patch of land to another.

Since July, rural residents have held community meetings, created a Facebook page with over 1,000 members and caused a hand full of residents to become citizen advocates against further development in rural Horry County.

When you put these subdivisions that close together in an area that does not have subdivisions, what youre going to do is youre going to change the area, Amanda Brown said to Horry County Council Sept. 7 during the projects second reading. Its a rural area, right now.

During the Sept. 7 council meeting close to 50 rural residents showed up against the project  typically more residents come to the second reading for public comment  but the council still voted to push the project forward.

Myrtle Beach ran out of land a long time ago  (development is) growing west and that is where you are, Councilman Bill Howard said during the Sept. 7 meeting. I heard someone say about this property that infrastructure is not there, well its not anywhere up to date. Were 20 years behind.
A newly discovered court order shows that the sons of a housekeeper for the well-known Murdaugh family were entitled to a more than $2.7 million payout in a settlement reached after their mother's unexplained death in 2018, according to an attorney.

Once attorney fees were factored in, the final settlement came in at $4.3 million. That figure was detailed in a May 2019 order that was never filed in court, and none of that money made its way to Gloria Satterfield's sons, their attorney, Ronnie Richter said.

The unfiled order appears to bear the signature of Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen, Richter said.

A month before the order was signed, the judge had recused herself from another wrongful death case involving prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh and his family. That stemmed from a high-profile, fatal boat crash in Beaufort that year in which Murdaugh's son Paul later faced criminal charges.

Mullen did not respond to a voicemail requesting comment on Sept. 21, nor did she respond to a call and email sent to her office on Sept. 17 asking about her possible involvement in the Satterfield case. The order's discovery was first reported by The State newspaper. Richter and his law partner Eric Bland declined to immediately provide a copy of the order to The Post and Courier or discuss how they obtained it.

Satterfields mysterious 2018 death, and the handling of her estate, is the subject of one of six recent state criminal investigations that have links to the Murdaugh family. Those include probes related to the June killings of Murdaughs wife and son Paul, along with allegations that Murdaugh embezzled funds from his familys law firm. Alex Murdaugh, 53, also was arrested Sept. 16 on insurance fraud charges after he was accused of staging a failed suicide plot to collect on a $10 million insurance policy.

The investigation related to Satterfield came in response to a request from Hampton County Coroner Angela Topper. The coroner said her office was never notified of the death of the Murdaugh family's longtime housekeeper and that no autopsy was conducted. Satterfields death certificate indicates she succumbed to natural causes, which was inconsistent with the trip-and-fall injuries she reportedly sustained, Topper said.

Paperwork filed with the court in the case references a proposed $505,000 partial settlement to be paid by Alex Murdaugh's insurer, Lloyd's of London. It was filed in December 2018. The newly discovered order, signed five months later, concerns an additional payout reached with a separate insurance company, Richter said.

"Were unclear how a petition filed in December, thats actually filed, and that tells the world that there is $505,000, becomes a secret unfiled petition just months later," he said.

A recent lawsuit filed on behalf of Satterfield's sons alleges that Alex Murdaugh introduced one of the sons to attorney Cory Fleming and encouraged him to ask Fleming to represent him and his brother in a lawsuit against Murdaugh. The brothers were unaware that Fleming was a former college roommate of Murdaugh and the godfather to one of his sons, the lawsuit said. It accuses Murdaugh and Fleming of conspiring against the sons.

Richter said more than $1.4 million was set aside for attorney's fees. He said it was not clear who was supposed to receive that money. Fleming did not respond to an email requesting comment. Neither did Chad Westendorf, a banker who was appointed the personal representative of Satterfield's estate.

Richter said one of Satterfield's sons, Tony, was originally the personal representative for the estate but he was replaced by Westendorf before the December 2018 court filing announcing the proposed $505,000 partial settlement.

The judge listed on the case in the court docket is Circuit Judge Perry Buckner, who has not returned calls from The Post and Courier. His wife hung up on a reporter on Sept. 17. It remains unclear how Mullen would have come to preside over the settlement negotiations in May 2019.

Mullen, a Hilton Head resident, has been a judge since 2006 in the 14th Judicial Circuit, which includes Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties. She gained prominence in recent years presiding over several high-profile cases stemming from the long-running Statehouse corruption probe, which focused on stopping legislators from improperly benefiting from their positions while working on behalf of major companies and agencies.

In April 2019, she recused herself from a lawsuit that held Alex Murdaugh, in part, financially responsible for the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach after the boat crash in Beaufort. Eight days after her recusal paperwork was filed, Paul Murdaugh was charged with three counts of felony boating under the influence in connection with the crash.

Mullen has not publicly explained why she felt she could not be involved in the wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the crash.

Thad Moore and Glenn Smith contributed from Charleston.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott's signature effort  bipartisan police reform  appears to have died for good, falling apart on Capitol Hill after a string of missed deadlines and messages of optimism that both sides could strike a deal.

Scott, R-S.C., spent months working on a legislative fix along with Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, but their tone of optimism faded when Booker abruptly issued a statement Sept. 22 saying the talks were finished.

"Unfortunately, even with this law enforcement support and further compromises we offered, there was still too wide a gulf with our negotiating partners and we faced significant obstacles to securing a bipartisan deal," he said.

Scott blamed Democrats for the collapse.

"After months of making progress, I am deeply disappointed that Democrats have once again squandered a crucial opportunity to implement meaningful reform to make our neighborhoods safer and mend the tenuous relationship between law enforcement and communities of color," he said. "Crime will continue to increase while safety decreases, and more officers are going to walk away from the force because my negotiating partners walked away from the table."

A key sticking point identified early on in their talks was the issue of qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that shields police officers from being sued. Democrats want to do away with it and Republicans want to keep it in place. Lawmakers targeted reforming the nations law enforcement systems after a series of police-involved deaths sparked widespread protests and a nationwide dialogue on social justice.

As the lone Black Republican in the Senate, Scott was seen as the GOP point man for any bipartisan effort on the federal response and a necessary voice to break the gridlock in Washington and pass reforms.

President Joe Biden originally wanted to be able to announce a deal on widespread police reform legislation by May 25, the one-year anniversary of George Floyds murder in Minnesota. Scott has previously told reporters it was June or bust to get the bill across the finish line. That didn't happen, but by July, Scott continued to express optimism that progress was being made.

Unlike fine wine, this does not get better with time, Scott told The Post and Courier at the time. We have to have an agreement in place (by the August recess) or I do think this is over.

In early August, The Post and Courier reached out to Scott's office to ask about the looming deadline ahead of the recess and did not receive a response about what progress was being made.

Booker's Sept. 22 declaration that reforms couldn't be reached is a stark contrast to what the New Jersey Democrat told The Post and Courier in July. The two African American lawmakers had partnered in the past on issues like opportunity zone tax incentives, criminal justice reform, and boosting funding for sickle cell research and historically Black colleges and universities.

In general, Tim Scott and I have gotten a lot of good things done for America together, Booker said. Right now, were locked in very important negotiations. I cant tell you what the outcome will be. But I have to just point to our record of accomplishing difficult things in an environment in Washington thats known for not getting things done.

Booker's Sept. 22 statement said he has not exhausted other avenues to pass policing reforms.

The time has come to explore all other options to achieve meaningful and common sense policing reform," Booker said in a statement. "I will not stop fighting until we achieve change that keeps our communities and police officers safe.

Scott's message concentrated on what could have been.

"The areas where we agreed  banning chokeholds, limiting the transfer of military equipment, increased mental health resources, and more  would have brought justice to these families," he said. "Ive also heard from police and sheriffs groups who supported the work we were doing to provide more resources to implement better training, standards, and accountability for departments."

He added, "Despite having plenty of agreement, Democrats said no because they could not let go of their push to defund our law enforcement. Once again, the Left let their misguided idea of perfect be the enemy of good, impactful legislation."

Scott's profile has been rising, and after several national TV appearances he has raised $9.6 million in the second quarter of 2021, putting him at the front of the financial pack among senators across the country facing re-election next year.

He faces two Democratic challengers in 2022: state Rep. Krystle Matthews of Ladson and Spartanburg County Democratic Party Chairwoman Angela Geter.

Matthews said compromise on some issues in police reform wouldn't have give the bill any teeth. She took aim at Scott for trying to debate some of the Democrats' main points.

Any so-called Justice Reform bill that doesnt address qualified immunity, ignores the militarization of our police and fails to ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants, is just dodging the tough questions," Matthews said. "Its like trying to make an apple pie without the apples and then pretending we dont know the difference."

Geter did not immediately return a request for comment.
North Augusta, SC (29841)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Weve known for more than a year that despite some smart efforts, the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice still hadnt turned the corner since Freddie Pough was hired in 2017 following a string of gang-related riots that involved sexual assault, attempted murder, setting fires and destroying property.

For anyone who didnt want to believe the claims in a 2020 lawsuit that conditions inside the agency's secure facility were endangering the safety of the juveniles, a Legislative Audit Council review released in April documented the ugly details: dangerously inadequate security staffing, a rise in violence and continued struggles of the kind that had forced out the previous director.

Mr. Poughs response to the audit hardly inspired confidence: In a series of legislative hearings, he displayed a disturbing lack of urgency. Inside the agency, tensions continued to rise, culminating in June when two dozen employees walked off the job. They complained that low pay and deteriorating working conditions had increased turnover, forcing guards to work 24- and even 48-hour shifts without breaks and feeding a vicious cycle that leaves both youth and employees unsafe. A growing number of youth were attacking staff who in turn were taking time off for injuries, only compounding the problem.

As a result, the main conversation for months has been about senators demands that Mr. Pough resign, and his refusal  backed by his boss, Gov. Henry McMaster  to do so.

His announcement Tuesday that hes leaving next month gives everybody an opportunity to pull back from a standoff that had become far too personal, and refocus. That should start with recognizing that nobody considers the situation at DJJ acceptable.

At its core, the impasse has been over how much of the problem is the result of bad leadership and how much bad laws or inadequate resources, particularly pay for DJJ employees. Its almost certainly some combination, so the next director is unlikely to do better unless our Legislature and our governor work together to make policy and procedural changes to turn the Department of Juvenile Justice into an agency that salvages young people who have gone astray  sometimes in extremely violent ways.

That is, after all, the purpose of a juvenile justice institution: not merely to punish (although punishment is not an inappropriate part of the goal), not to warehouse, but to rehabilitate, to transform, to reclaim lives of people still learning who they are, and far too young for us to give up on forever.

We are even coming to recognize that rehabilitation needs to be the primary focus of adult prisons, since most prisoners there will eventually return to our community, either to resume their criminal ways or else to become productive citizens. How much more important should that rehabilitation focus be for teenagers?

After the June walkout, DJJ contracted with a private security company to supplement its officer ranks, but thats not a permanent solution. The staff shortages and increasing violence have to be dealt with; the Legislature has to provide the resources to make that happen, and Mr. McMaster has to ensure that those resources are used appropriately toward that end  something the audit suggests hasnt been happening.

Less immediately but quickly, our Legislature needs to commit to ensuring that the Department of Juvenile Justice is a place where young people can get their lives turned around  a place where they receive the appropriate psychiatric and psychological care, education, direction and support while remaining safe from other youths who could harm them.

Legislators also need to enact reforms designed to keep more young people out of detention centers to begin with, and to ensure their safety and rehabilitation once theyre in there.

And as the governor selects the next director, he needs to take important lessons from his own appointment of Mr. Pough and then-Gov. Nikki Haleys appointment of Sylvia Murray.

We appreciate Mr. McMasters pledge to bring in stakeholders to advise him on the next director; its a process that has sometimes worked well for him. But its essential to understand that righting and then running a juvenile justice agency is an extremely difficult job that requires a certain set of skills that most people simply do not possess. Being a respected law enforcement officer  even a respected law enforcement officer who was able to get a bad security situation under control, as Mr. Pough did before being appointed to run DJJ  doesnt mean you have the necessary set of skills. Nor does simply being a good administrator whos familiar with the agency, as seems to have been the case with Ms. Murray.

South Carolina was been blessed to have a truly outstanding juvenile justice director in Bill Byars, a retired Family Court judge who ran the Children's Law Center at USC before being tapped to lead DJJ. In him, then-Gov. Mark Sanford found a man of indisputable integrity and wisdom who understood and appreciated the mores of juvenile justice  which is a separate animal from the adult criminal justice system.

We need someone with Judge Byars' missionary zeal for saving children and the ability to instill that zeal in the staff, leavened with a toughmindedness to apply discipline and order. Someone able to win the trust of the staff, young people in the system and lawmakers, who ultimately need to help make the necessary changes to ensure DJJ achieves success.

Mr. McMaster might not find another Judge Byars  but that's the model he needs to keep in mind. We can't take another four years of not turning the corner.
Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations.
COLUMBIA  The South Carolina Legislature continues to have sole authority over any changes to war memorials on public property, but it will no longer take a supermajority vote to alter or remove them, the state Supreme Court ruled Sept. 22.

The unanimous ruling keeps intact the portion of state law commonly called the Heritage Act that says only the Legislature can decide whether to remove or change the name of any building or memorial on public property that commemorates American wars, as well as Native American or African American history.

But it struck down as unconstitutional the requirement that any change get two-thirds approval of the Legislature.

The justices praised the broader 2000 law that included the monument protections as "one of the greatest achievements in the political history of South Carolina  the removal of the Confederate flag from the dome of our Capitol, the seat of government for all our people."

The compromise they're referencing took the Confederate flag off the Statehouse dome and put a smaller, square version beside a monument on the Capitol's front lawn. It made both Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Confederate Memorial Day state holidays. And it required the installation of a monument to Black history on Statehouse grounds, which was dedicated in 2001.

The move followed decades of debate over the Confederate flag since its hoisting on the dome in 1962 to not only remember the Civil War a century later but also as a show of resistance to the civil rights movement. It stayed on the dome, flying underneath the U.S. and state flags, as opposing sides dug in on whether the flag represented the oppression of Black people or recognition of ancestors who fought and died in what the law officially calls the War Between the States.

By 2000, the controversy had reached a "fevered pitch" in the Legislature, with one senator likening the debate to a "war" that made enemies out of former friends, the justices noted in the 22-page ruling.

"After decades of controversy, members who opposed removing the flag from the dome of the Capitol became willing to compromise if given the assurance that doing so would not 'open the floodgates,' and if the renaming and removal of other historic items could be prevented," they wrote.

Since the so-called Heritage Act  a title that's actually nowhere in state law  was needed to accomplish such a grand achievement, it would not be "proper" of the court to deem it unreasonable now, the justices concluded.

However, they called the supermajority requirement an unconstitutional overreach. The legislators of 2000 had no authority to restrict the ability of future legislators to vote by a simple majority, according to the ruling.

The Heritage Act The following is the 2000 challenged law, commonly called the Heritage Act: No Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, War Between the States, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Native American, or African-American History monuments or memorials erected on public property of the state or any of its political subdivisions may be relocated, removed, disturbed, or altered. No street, bridge, structure, park, preserve, reserve, or other public area of the state or any of its political subdivisions dedicated in memory of or named for any historic figure or historic event may be renamed or rededicated. No person may prevent the public body responsible for the monument or memorial from taking proper measures and exercising proper means for the protection, preservation, and care of these monuments, memorials, or nameplates. The provisions of this section may only be amended or repealed upon passage of an act which has received a two-thirds vote on the third reading of the bill in each branch of the General Assembly. Source: S.C. Code of Laws

The ruling aligns with a non-binding opinion last year from the state's Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson, who thanked the justices "for a very scholarly, well-considered, and well-documented opinion," noting it confirmed his office's analysis.

The two-thirds majority rule has stymied attempts to change memorials.

The last successful attempt was in 2015, when the Legislature voted to remove the Confederate battle flag from Statehouse grounds entirely. The vote came after a white supremacist, seen in photos brandishing the flag, gunned down nine Black people at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church following a Bible study.

A week later, House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Hartsville, made clear the House would not, as long as he's speaker, revisit amending the Heritage Act to allow any other changes for any reason. He has not wavered from that stance in the years since.

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No legislation advocating any change has budged. This year that's included a bill sponsored by an Aiken Republican allowing Aiken County to move a Vietnam War Memorial to the county's Veterans Memorial Park.

After the ruling, Lucas said his position remains the same.

While he's disappointed the court overturned the two-thirds rule, he said, "the opinion makes clear that the General Assembly is the sole authority. I reiterate what I have consistently said since 2015: The South Carolina House of Representatives will not engage in or debate the specifics of public monuments, memorials, state buildings, road names or any other historical markers during my time as speaker."

Senate President Harvey Peeler said he accepts the court's ruling.

"The protections over all of our states monuments and statues were ruled constitutional and they will remain in place," the Gaffney Republican said.

Last year, the statue of John C. Calhoun was removed from his perch in Charleston's Marion Square. But it wasn't covered by the Heritage Act, as the monument honoring the former U.S. congressman, secretary of war and vice president was on private property, according to the opinion issued by Wilson's office. And, while Calhoun was a staunch defender of slavery, he died 11 years before the Civil War broke out in his home state.

Jennifer Pinckney, the widow of slain senator and Emanuel AME Pastor Clementa Pinckney, filed the lawsuit, along with Columbia Councilman Howard Duvall, and former Democratic state Sen. Kay Patterson of Columbia, who retired in 2008 after 34 years in the Legislature.

House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, who's long criticized the supermajority rule as unconstitutional, said he's disappointed legislators didn't have the court's confirmation of that back in 2015, when it took a lot of wrangling to reach the two-thirds threshold and bring the flag down for good.

The Columbia Democrat said he hopes the ruling leads to cities and colleges having the gumption to pursue changes to buildings and street names.

Last year, the boards of several public colleges voted to ask the Legislature's permission to rename buildings, including Tillman Hall at Clemson and Winthrop universities, named after post-Reconstruction governor and U.S. senator Ben Tillman. While he helped found both colleges, he was also a fervent white supremacist who advocated for the killing of Black people to prevent them from voting.

The boards' requests went nowhere.

Sen. Gerald Malloy, an attorney for the plaintiffs, called the ruling a victory that "sets the blueprint toward fairness and justice.

"While preserving history, the court also ensured change is possible by removing a heightened barrier," the Hartsville Democrat said of the two-thirds requirement. Whether the 2000 law was a great achievement is up for historical debate, he added.

As for Lucas' refusal to take up any changes, Malloy said the ruling answers a legal question, not a political one.

"Now we can go start working on the political issues," he said. "The road to justice is a long one that takes constant care and attention. ... This decision gets us further on our journey."
How far gone is Joe Biden, mentally? I dont know, but his aides do. And the frenzy they display whenever it appears that Biden might have to talk without a script tells us that they think he is incompetent.

The latest instance occurred yesterday when Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson did a joint appearance at the White House. They chatted for a few minutes and then Johnson took a couple of questions from British reporters. White House aides were so concerned that someone might ask Biden about the Southern border or another unacceptable topic that they interrupted the Prime Minister in mid-sentence and loudly hustled the reporters out of the room. This is the Telegraphs account:

President Joe Biden refused to take questions from American reporters before his aides chivvied them away from a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday. Members of the press were said to be startled by the aggressiveness of the White House communications team during the Oval Office talks. Mr Johnson was still speaking on the Good Friday Agreement, reaffirming a commitment to the accords with Northern Ireland, when the presidents media team began herding reporters out of the room. On that point, Joe, we are completely at one. And I think nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or un-balances the Belfast Good Friday, Mr Johnson was saying before aides began shouting over him. They shut down the only query from a US reporter about the current migrant crisis on the US-Mexico border, preventing Mr Bidens response from being audible.

This video is from the Hill. If you skip to near the end you can see the conference being broken up by White House staffers:

The Telegraphs video is better; it goes longer and gives you a reporters-eye perspective. It is not readily downloadable, but you can watch it at the link above.

Reporters complained to Jen Psaki, who professed to know nothing about the incident. But really, no comment is necessary. The White House thinks it is better to interrupt the British Prime Minister in mid-answer and suffer the humiliation of herding reporters out of the room, rather than allow Joe Biden to answer a question. Enough said.
Over the weekend the Biden administration leaked the story that it was commencing deportations of Haitians under the bridge in Del Rio. This may be true as to individual adult men and women. However, as they say in the fact-checking business, it is mostly untrue.

As I note in the adjacent post, the lead story in the APs Morning Wire email news roundup is this one, datelined Del Rio: Officials: Many Haitian migrants are being released in US. The intensely reported AP story is nevertheless buried among the Top Stories on its News page.

The AP reports:

Many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, two U.S. officials said, undercutting the Biden administrations public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion. Haitians have been freed on a very, very large scale in recent days, according to one U.S. official who put the figure in the thousands. The official, with direct knowledge of operations who was not authorized to discuss the matter Tuesday and thus spoke on condition of anonymity. Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, the official said. The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said. They are processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

Team Biden is running a con game: A second U.S. official, also with direct knowledge and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday. The official couldnt be more specific about how many.

The position of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party is precisely as stated by Cher 25 years ago (video below). No RSVP required! What once was satire is now the party platform as life imitates Clueless.
The House of Representatives is taking up a continuing resolution to fund the government and increase the federal debt limit pending new permanent spending bills. Far-left Democrats led by Ilhan Omars Squad took advantage of the opportunity to deny Israel funding for the Iron Dome program that protects Israeli civilians against terrorist attacks. Per Politico:

NEWS: House Democrats are removing the Iron Dome provision from the CR amid pushback from progressives  Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) September 21, 2021



If you follow this thread to the end, you see that House Democratic leadership says they will reinstate the Iron Dome funding in the final legislative appropriation later this year:

MORE: The Iron Dome funding has been REMOVED from the CR/Debt Limit bill. https://t.co/45MLAomo6P  Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) September 21, 2021

McGovern reiterated that the Iron Dome funding will be in the final Appropriations pkg. @rosadelauro reiterated the Dem Commitment to funding the Iron Dome in the next fiscal year.  Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) September 21, 2021



If they dont have the votes now, I am not sure why they will have the votes then. In any event, if this is an ineffective fit of pique by House progressives, their desire to strip Israel of the ability to defend itself against terrorist attacks from Islamic states tells you all you need to know about whose side they are on in the Middle East.
The left has found a scenario it thinks it can retail to defuse the invasion of the United States by Haitians and hundreds of thousands of others via our former southern border. They want us to believe that overwhelmed immigration enforcement authorities on horseback are whipping Haitians.

We went from whip, to whip-like chord, to horse reins. pic.twitter.com/KMNJ9S14YP  Brandon Darby (@brandondarby) September 21, 2021

Kamala Harris emerged from seclusion to advertise the story. I think that means we can doubt its veracity. Cackling Kamala is a contemptible hack. However, the story may serve the purpose of drawing attention to the dissolution of our border.

Let me help you be more accurate. First photo appears to show Border Patrol using whip-like cord on migrant. Second photo of same event shows its just the horse reins slinging around and agent is not whipping migrant. pic.twitter.com/wfFB2Dgweg  Brandon Darby (@brandondarby) September 21, 2021

Whip it! Whip it up is more like it. The Haitians, incidentally, are revolting. A group escaped from a bus removing them from Del Rio to San Antonio yesterday. The Washington Examiner has the story here.

Media Amplifies Fake CBP Whip Story, but Not the Troubling, New Hijacking Story https://t.co/7cvry4xDqN  RedState (@RedState) September 21, 2021

Authorities rounded them up. Where are they now? That is not clear to me.

Haitian migrants hijack bus, briefly escape en route to deportation flight: report https://t.co/yvdtYQYIcs pic.twitter.com/Ziq09npzFP  New York Post (@nypost) September 22, 2021

This is the lead story in the APs Morning Wire email today. It is linked in the tweet below. If the AP has pierced the fog, perhaps the truth can escape.
CMHA Swift Current Executive Director Todd Vallee digs into a chunk of sod during the sod-turning ceremony, Sept. 13. Standing in the background, from left to right, Rebbeca Rackow and Dave Nelson (both CMHA Saskatchewan Division), Don Robinson (CMHA Swift Current Board Chair), Al Bridal (Swift Current Mayor), Everett Hindley (Swift Current MLA), and Patti Dekowny (Saskatchewan Health Authority).
Nigeria has raised $4 billion through the issuance of Eurobonds, an amount that is $1 billion more than what the government planned, the Debt Management Office (DMO) has announced.

The government plans to use the proceeds of the borrowing from foreign investors to finance a part of the 2021 budget deficit.

The DMO had announced on Thursday that the federal government planned to issue fresh Eurobonds to raise $3 billion and not more than $6.2 billion (N2.6 trillion) for the financing of the 2021 budget.

The budget has a deficit of N5.6 trillion, and the Eurobonds are part of the governments plan to raise N2.3 trillion in external financing to close the gap.

The DMO had arranged a two-day virtual call with investors last week, and investors from America, Europe and Asia demanded more than four times the bond amount on offer, with demand peaking at $12.2 billion, the debt office said in a statement.

The statement said that the performance has been described as one of the biggest financial trades to come out of Africa in 2021 and an excellent outcome.

The size of the Order Book and the quality of investors demonstrates confidence in Nigeria, it says.

The debt office had earlier said it would work with JPMorgan, Citigroup, Standard Chartered and Goldman Sachs as international bookrunners, and the Nigeria-based Chapel Hill Denham on the bonds issue.

The bonds were issued in three tranches: $1.25 billion at 6.125 per cent rate and maturity of seven years; $1.5 billion at 7.375 per cent with a 12-year maturity, and $1.25 billion at 8.25 per cent per annum with 30 years maturity.

The long tenors of the Eurobonds and the spread across different maturities are well aligned with Nigerias Debt Management Strategy, 2020  2023, the DMO said.

Governments use Eurobonds, a foreign currency denominated debt instrument, to borrow from the international market.

The Nigeria bonds will be listed on the Nigerian and London Stock Exchanges.
The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) on Wednesday said it took over the palatial mansion of Abdulfatah Ahmed, the former two-time governor of Kwara State, over an alleged staggering indebtedness of nearly 5 billion.

AMCON said in a statement Wednesday that the action followed the order of Justice A.M. Liman of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division.

Hon. Liman also ordered the freezing of the Bank Accounts of the former governor and his two companies including Trans Properties and Investment Limited and Trans It Consulting Limited in Suit No: FHC/L/AMC/01/2021, the statement said.

The former governor who is one of the founders of the newly established third force in Nigerian politics known as the Rescue Nigeria Project (RNP) is one of the high-profile obligors of AMCON.

Despite holding one of the highly exalted political offices in the land, he remained recalcitrant over the repayment of his obligation.

AMCON said that in compliance with the court order, the corporation through the Law firm of Robert Ohuoba of Robert Ohuoba & Co, one of the leading Asset Management Partners (AMPs) of AMCON who also received protective orders from the court, took possession of the mansion belonging to the former governor.

The mansion is situated at Abdulfatah Street, GRA, Ilorin, Kwara State, it said.

Jude Nwauzor, Head, Corporate Communications Department of the government debt recovery agency, described the enforcement as successful.

AMCON had taken over the Non-Performing Loans of the former governor and his companies, Trans Properties and Investment Limited and Trans It Consulting Limited, from the former Intercontinental Bank, FinBank and Bank PHB during the first phase of EBA purchases, in line with its mandate under the AMCON Act, Mr Nwauzor added.

All efforts to peacefully resolve the loan had been frustrated by the former Governor who remained recalcitrant, which left AMCON no other choice than to seek justice in court.

AMCON had to commence asset tracing through its appointed law firm of Robert Ohuoba & Co. on Abdulfatah Ahmed, an exercise, which further revealed nine (9) properties of the obligor situate in Kwara, Lagos State and the Federal Capital territory (FCT), Abuja, which the Corporation has plans to enforce upon.

This action is in line with Section 49 (1) of the AMCON Act 2019 (As Amended), which states that: 49 (1)Where the Corporation has reasonable cause to believe that a debtor or debtor company is the bona fide owner of any movable or immovable property, it may apply to the Court, before or at the time of filing of action for debt recovery or other like action or at any time after the filing of action, and before or after the service of the originating process by which such action is commenced on the debtor or debtor company, by motion ex-parte for an interlocutory order granting possession of the property to the Corporation pending the hearing and determination of the debt recovery or other action to abide the decision in such action.

AMCON added that other assets of the former governor, which the court granted AMCON possession over include: No 13, Alhaji Masha Road, Surulere; No. 9 Wharf, Apapa, Lagos; Plot 3632, Cadastral Zone E27 of Apo, Abuja; Plot 4115, Cadastral Zone F14 of Bazango, Abuja; Plot 8502, Cadastral Zone E31 of Carraway Dallas, Abuja; Plot 494, Cadastral Zone E31 of Carraway Dallas, Abuja; Plot 719, Cadastral Zone E23 of Kyami, Abuja; and any other landed property in any place that may be found within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Ita Enang, has asked the Southern Governors Forum (SGF) and members of the National Assembly to take advantage of the proposed amendment to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to change the Act on controversial issues of host communities development fund and the frontier basins exploration trust fund.

Mr Enang, a former senator, said members could propose amendments that could be consolidated with those proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He stated this while appearing on Politics Today a programme on Channels TV, on Tuesday.

Mr Buhari had written the National Assembly on Tuesday seeking an amendment to the PIA on the administrative part of the law.

The letter dated September 16 was read by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives during plenary sessions on Tuesday.

The PIA, which was assented to by the president on August 16, was passed by the National Assembly under controversial circumstances in both chambers of the National Assembly in July.

The issues of the host community development fund and the frontier basins exploration trust fund almost derailed the passage of the bill.

The amendment sought by the president seeks to increase the number of non-executive board members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority and the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory commission from two to six, to ensure representation of all geopolitical zones.

The Nigerian Governors Forum had in a communique after its 35th teleconference meeting in July expressed dissatisfaction with the ownership of the NNPC Limited and the issues of host communities and the frontier exploration trust fund.

The NGF recommended that given that the corporation is owned by the three tiers of government, the newly incorporated entity (NNPC Limited) should be owned by a vehicle that holds the interest of the three tiers of government  the institution that is currently positioned to carry out this mandate is the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

The governors, in the communique, said they will address the issues using appropriate channels including the National Economic Council and the National Assembly.

However, despite the concerns, the executive has commenced the implementation of the Act.

Mr Buhari on Sunday directed the incorporation of the NNPC Limited and appointed Ifeanyi Ararume, a former senator, as chairman of the Board.

The president also nominated the executive board of the Commission and the Authority for confirmation by the Senate.

Mr Enang said people dissatisfied with the Act could seek the amendment using the window provided by the amendment proposed by the president.

There may be issues that members or some sections of the public may have about the fiscal, may have about theother areas, they can also through their members introduce it and (get it) consolidated and taken together, the presidential aide said.

There have been contentious issues on the fiscal component, particularly the matter relating to host communities, particularly the 5 per cent to 3 per cent, and the other is 30 per cent oil profit for the frontier exploration.

I am glad that the governors forumthe governors have raised issues, that if you use 30 per cent of the profit of the NNPC frontier exploration, how much of it remains, will go to the federation account. These are issues that I believe that members that are concerned about may raise amendments on the floor.

Mr President has not asked for amendment into those sections, but legislators have a right on their own, by themselves to independently or jointly sponsor amendment on these issues. It is at the discretion of the speaker or president of the senate

If the entire governors forum has concerns about the 30 per cent profit oil and profit gas of NNPC and southern governors met last week, and they are also saying look they may take a position, they will discuss with their members, and coordinated amendments on other areas of concerns can be brought and addressed once and for all.

Blame National Assembly, not Buhari

Mr Enang however said the National Assembly should be blamed for the controversial frontier basin exploration fund, not the president.

According to him, the president proposed 10 per cent of mining licence and mining lease for the frontier basin exploration funds but the National Assembly members decided to use the oil profit of the NNPC Limited.

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Any blame or issues arising out of the public dissatisfaction on the 30 per cent should not at all be visited on the desk of Mr President or the executive, but it should rather.it is the legislators who were all present, he said.

Mr Enang, while appealing to members of the National Assembly to expeditiously pass the bill, claimed that the nominations into the authority and commission by Mr Buhari were done in anticipation of the amendment by the lawmakers.

However, the president nominated executive board members, while the amendment bill before the National Assembly is for the non-executive board members.

Let me say this, I will urge the National Assembly to expeditiously consider and pass this amendment. Because if they dont expeditiously pass it, we are going to have some legal issues. The legal issue is that the six persons appointed were appointed in anticipation that the Act will be passed, because when you look at the Act, what the Act has provided, the appointments have now exceeded it.

It is anticipated that it will be quickly passed so that these persons will be inaugurated, and if inaugurated, their actions will be legal, he said.
The federal government has identified at least 2 billion stolen funds to be recovered from different countries of the world, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has said.

Mr Malami, who doubles as the Minister of Justice, said the money which amounts to about N1.12 trillion (at the official exchange rate of 1 to N560), is only a part of Nigerias looted assets being pursued in different countries, including the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Ireland.

We are looking to recover further about 2 billion among others, but then, that does not mean to say that no other associated assets are being pursued in other countries of the world, including Ireland and other countries.

We are pursuing a lot of assets across the globe and we are coordinating further meetings relating to the new recovery in the U.K associated with certain personalities, Mr Malami said.

Mr Malamis spokesperson, Umar Gwandu, shared the video clips of the minister speaking with journalists on the sideline of the ongoing 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States, on Tuesday.

The minister disclosed that the federal government had recovered about $700 million (about N287 billion at exchange rate of $1 to N410) in stolen funds stashed in foreign countries in the past four years.

He said the federal government was building consensus in an effort to ensure the repatriation of the 2 billion and Nigerias other stolen funds in different parts of the country. He did not give details.

But then I would not like to give further disclosure taking into consideration the need not to be preemptive as far as our strategy is concerned, he said.

We are building consensus in terms of driving resolutions and processes associated with assets recovery; so when we are pursuing the assets in their own right, we are equally trying as much as possible on what we can do in building consensus around making the process of recovery (easier) locally and internationally.

President Muhammadu Buhari and his delegation arived at the JF Kennedy International Airport in New York ahead of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, ahead of the meeting of world leaders which commenced on Tuesday.

Terrorism sponsors

Mr Malami also said he would not release the names of those indicted for sponsoring terrorism.

He said naming them would be preemptive in ongoing investigations.

He highlighted some of the steps the government had taken to block the funding of terrorism activities since investigations on the matter started earlier in the year.

He said, As far as terrorism financing is concerned, we have identified those responsible for the funding.

Secondly, we have blocked the leakages associated with the funding, and we are embarking on an aggressive investigation in terms of the fight against terrorism.

But then, the truth of the matter is that investigations are ongoing; and the purpose of these investigations, I would not want to be preemptive in terms of making disclosures as far as investigation is concerned.

He also assured that the arrest and detention of suspects were based on court orders.

But one thing I can tell you for sure is that whatever we (government) do in terms of detention and arrest we have indeed obtained court orders taking into consideration where the court exercised its discretion in terms of granting the order that we can have them in custody pending the conclusion of the investigation.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government recently placed six Nigerians on its terror list.

The six Nigerians were among 38 other individuals whom the UAE government listed to be financiers of terrorism.

This came barely a year after the Gulf country convicted six other Nigerians indicted for funding Boko Haram, a dreaded terror group in Nigeria, last November.

PREMIUM TIMES had on Monday reported Femi Adesina, a presidential spokesperson, saying the federal government is not interested in naming and shaming sponsors of terrorism.

Mr Adeshina said the government is more interested in ensuring that those found guilty will be brought to book.
The federal government is looking to get about N2.26 trillion from the Value Added Tax federation account in 2022.

It is also expecting another N10.5 trillion from the main federation account.

These are contained in the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

This is despite the clamour by some state governments to collect VAT in their states.

Some states in the South have been at loggerheads with the federal government over their bid to become the sole collectors of VAT in their domains.

Rivers and Lagos states have since signed into law bills authorising the state governments to collect VAT, a move being resisted by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) while others are in the process of doing so.

Governors of the southern states under the aegis of Southern Governors Forum (SGF) in their recent meeting in Enugu, expressed support for the collection of VAT by state governments.

The governors affirmed the position that the collection of VAT fell within the powers of state governments.

There are, however, moves by the FIRS to legally empower the federal government to collect VAT across the country through an amendment to the Constitution.

FGs plan

The approval of the 2022-2024 MTEF was sequel to the consideration of the report of the Senate Joint Committee on Finance.

The MTEF shows that of the N2.26 trillion that the federal government is projected to receive in 2022, the states are expected to receive N1.13 billion, local governments N791.73 billion and federal government, N339.3 billion.

Based on the key parameters driving the fiscal framework, the net amounts accruable to the Main Pool and VAT Pool Federation Account are projected at N10.52 trillion and N2.26 trillion respectively in 2022. The share of oil revenue is about 51.1% of total Federation Account receipts.

Other components of the Federation Account revenues include revenues from Corporate Tax N1.87 trillion, Customs Revenue N1.72 trillion, Special Levies N148.40 billion, Solid Minerals N6.01 billion and Electronic Money Transfer Levy of N209.77 billion. The share of the Federal Government from the Main Federation Account Pool is N5.51 trillion while the States and Local governments are projected to get N2.80 trillion and N2.16 billion, respectively in 2022. From the VAT Pool, the Federal Government is projected to receive N339.31 billion, the States N1.13 trillion, and the local governments N791.73 billion, chairman of the committee, Adeola Olamilekan, said in his presentation.

The VAT, he said, was estimated using projected aggregate nominal consumption, taking into account vatable items and collection efficiency.

He explained that aggregate consumption is estimated at N149.35 trillion in 2022 from the revised N136.57 trillion estimated for 2021 (the initial estimate from NBS was 118.89 trillion).

Like the CIT, more VAT payers are expected to be brought into the tax net with the effective implementation of the provisions of the Finance Act 2020 and improving collection efficiency. The VAT projections over the medium-term are based on holding the rate at 7.5 per cent. In the medium term, efforts to further improve the coverage and VAT collection efficiency will be accelerated.

The aggregate revenue available to fund the 2022 Budget is projected at N7.26 trillion (nine per cent more than the 2021 budget). Of this, N3.16 trillion (49.1 per cent) is projected to come from oil related sources while the balance is to be earned from non-oil sources, he said.

The lawmaker said in the medium term, GDP growth rate is projected to rise to 4.2 per cent in 2022 before moderating to 2.3 per cent in 2023 and picking up to 3.3 per cent in 2024.

Growth drivers, he said, are expected to remain telecommunications, agriculture, cement, and broadcasting and overall pre-election expenditure towards 2023 General Elections may also contribute to the growth-drive. Therefore, overall growth still likely to be muted in 2021.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Senate approved the MTEF pegging the crude oil benchmark price ar $57 per barrel and a total estimated expenditure of N13.98 trillion which includes the expenditures of N1.44 trillion for Government Owned Enterprises and donor funded projects amounting to N62.24 billion.

The lawmakers also approved N15.46 trillion and N16.77 trillion projected to be spent by the federal government in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

The exchange rate of N410/$ proposed by the executive was also approved.
The Kwara State chapter of the Nigerian Association of Hydrogeologists has called on the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to comprehensively overhaul and revive the states water supply agency towards addressing the challenges of water scarcity, poor sanitation and hygiene in the state.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the group said the efforts would help reclaim the agencys old glory by bringing its performance to the level of its past competence.

The chairman of the chapter, Lateef Kolawole, said to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), there is a need for water providers in the state to adopt the concept of community management of all water schemes.

The strategy, Mr Kolawole noted, will ensure functionality and enable communities to take up challenges of protection and maintenance of all provided facilities as specified by government policy.

Mr Kolawole advised the governor to review the states water resources law to be in tune with modern realities, saying doing so will pave the way for donors support.

WASH in Nigeria

Nigeria is ranked low in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as only nine per cent of the population have access to complete basic WASH services while those living in rural areas are two times more disadvantaged than those in urban areas, a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown.

The data by NBS indicate that there are 2.04 million water facilities in Nigeria with 70 per cent self-supplied, and that only one out of five have provisions for persons living with disabilities.

The report noted that two-thirds of the water facilities are boreholes, adding that 28 out of 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have urban water utilities that produce water, and that 16 states have fully functional urban water utilities.

It added that eight per cent of urban utilities consumers are metered and 41 per cent of all that are fed by urban utility supply are contaminated by Escherichia coli.

Meanwhile, NBS ranks Kwara State the least among Nigerias 36 states of the federation, in terms of access to basic sanitation.

Mr Kolawole, therefore, reiterated the commitment of the hydrogeologists in ensuring an improved WASH sector, saying that the association is available to provide pro bono technical assistance to the general public through the experience and expertise gathered over the years.
Ahead of the 2023, some Nigerians have formed a non-partisan political group to address leadership problem in the country.

The group, known as Rescue Nigeria Project (RNP) is an initiative of accomplished Nigerians of diverse ethnic, religious and partisan background, committed to charting the course to building a better Nigeria.

RNP National Coordinator, Usman Bugaje, speaking at the groups inaugural national caucus meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, said the group was founded on the premise that the problems of Nigeria all emanate from poor leadership.

He said that Nigeria was unable to exit the leadership conundrum precisely because the leadership recruitment mechanism in its political parties was so flawed.

It is so flawed that except for accidents, they are incapable of producing competent leaders with the requisite knowledge, discipline and commitment to make a difference.

We are living with, or better still, groaning under the consequences of this folly.

What this means is that any attempt to rescue this country from its troubles must first rescue it from the current leadership recruitment mechanism that seems to leverage on money and connection or ethnic sentiments and no premium on knowledge or competence.

The challenge is how to introduce a set of criteria or better still re-calibrate the recruitment mechanism in our political parties to prioritize knowledge, competence and character.

The deepening crisis in the political parties is all the more reason why this re-calibration is necessary, Mr Bugaje said.

The national coordinator said that RNP core values, rightly started with ethical leadership which speaks to the character of leaders, the key features of competence, capacity and the courage to do the right thing.

These, according to him, were motivated by patriotism, selflessness and service, conscious of inclusiveness, fairness, equity, mutual respect and accommodation.

We intend to renew the spirit of leadership and create new standards to speak to the role this great country is expected to play in the great continent of Africa.

By 2030, Nigerias population is expected to rise to 300 million and by 2050, it is expected to be about 450 million, when it will be the third largest country in the world after India and China.

Thus we must seek to change the conversation about leadership.

The first thing we should want to know about our president is not which part of country he or she comes from, rather how competent is he or she?

Mr Bugaje stressed the need to prioritise knowledge among leaders, saying in the 21st century, knowledge is the greatest capital.

On his part, the former governor of Kwara State, Abdullahi Ahmed, making a presentation on RNP, said the mission of the group is to reconcile and re-unite Nigeria.

Mr Ahmed added that it was also to win and deploy political power for the purpose of nation building and national development, achieving prosperity for all, and the protection of life and dignity of every Nigerian citizen.

He listed the groups four cardinal principles to be ethical leadership; competence, capacity and courage; patriotism, selflessness and service; inclusiveness; fairness and equity; as well as mutual respect and accommodation.

He said that RNP areas of engagement with Nigerians would be on restructuring and nation building; security; economy; human capital development, and good governance.

Mr Ahmed said that the group was expected to form a strong coalition to stimulate a new leadership selection process with expectations from the leaders.

We want to see this as a platform that for once we genuinely and sincerely bear our minds on the critical issues that are facing us in terms of insecurity, economy, infrastructure and most importantly on this social dislodgement that we are faced with, he said.

Asked if the group was all about 2023 general elections, Mr Ahmed said there was a need to look toward the general elections to get true leaders that would change the direction the country was going.

A former Minister of Education Minister, Tunde Adeniran, and a member of RNP national caucus, said Nigeria must be rescued.

Mr Adeniran said that the values upheld by Nigeria founding fathers to keep the country together were in tatters and not much had been done to restore them to ensure justice, equity, unity and focus.

Also, a national caucus member of the group, Aisha Dankanmi, stressed the need to elect leaders that would serve the people not the citizens serving leaders.

Mrs Dankanmi stressed the need for Nigeria to build an egalitarian society.

Another national caucus member of the group, Rose Danladi , urged Nigerians to discover where they could contribute positively to transform the situation of the country.

Nurudeen Mohammed, also a leader, said the task for the present generation in Nigeria was to make sure that nation did not fall apart.

Mr Mohammed said that some people sacrificed their lives for Nigeria to have democracy some people now enjoyed.

(NAN)
The Osun State government on Wednesday in Osogbo began the sensitisation of herders on the recently-passed anti-open grazing law.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sensitisation, which had heads of herders groups in the state in attendance, was organised by the States Civic Centre.

The House of Assembly passed the Bill entitled: Bill to Regulate Animal Grazing and Establishment of Cattle Ranches and other Related Matters on August 12.

Governor Gboyega Oyetola, thereafter, signed the bill into law on September 15.

Speaking at the sensitisation, Special Adviser to Governor Oyetola on Civic Engagement, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, said the programme was put in place to sensitise herders on the content of the law.

Mr Oyintiloye said the programme was to let the herders understand that the law was not meant to witch-hunt or segregate them in the state.

There is need for us to sensitise and enlighten them on the content of the law so that they will not run afoul of it and also to tell them that the law is not to witch-hunt them in form of segregation.

The programme is also to educate them to operate within the ambit of the law and not to claim ignorance of it, he said.

Mr Oyintiloye, who appreciated the herders on the peaceful coexistence with their host communities, appealed to them to try as much as possible to operate within the law.

He said Mr Oyetola would continue to provide enabling environment for them to operate and transact their businesses.

In her marks, Abiodun Ige, Special Adviser to the governor on Security, said farmers and herders should continue to live peacefully in the state.

Mrs Ige said that the law would take its course on anyone that ran afoul of it.

What concerns security in this matter is that anybody that runs afoul of the law, the law will take its course.

If farmers and herdsmen have been working together peacefully without a problem, we will still advise they work together without any problem.

But we do not want any breakdown of law and order. If there is anything like that, the law will take its course.

We have advised that if there is an issue, they should report promptly to security agencies, she said.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Dayo Adewole, said that the law was not to fight herders but to sustain the peaceful coexistence between them and farmers.

In his remarks, Mudashiru Toogun, Chairman, committee on peaceful coexistence between herders and farmers, also urged herders to continue to coexist with the host communities peacefully.

Mr Toogun said that with the law in place, anyone caught practising open grazing would face the law.

In his remarks, the Seriki Fulani in the state, Ibrahim Babatunde, said herders believed that the law would be of benefit to them.

Mr Babatunde said that herders would educate one another on the law, adding that they would also continue to live peacefully with their host communities.

He appreciated the governor for providing a peaceful environment for herders to operate in the state. (NAN)
The House of Representatives has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure all monies lost as a result of Card/ ATM and web-based fraud are refunded to the affected victims.

The resolution followed the adoption of the report of the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Sim/Swap Fraud by the Committee of the Whole on Wednesday.

The ad hoc committee was mandated in July 2019 to investigate the alleged subscriber identification module swap by service providers in the telecommunications, and banking sector.

The resolution was a sequel to a motion moved by Ifeanyichukwu Ibezi (APGA, Anambra)

Mr Ibezi is no longer a member of the House of Representatives following his sack from the House by the Court of Appeal.

While giving the synopsis of the report, Abubakar Fulata (APC, Jigawa), informed the House that Globacom Nigeria, a major mobile network operator in Nigeria, had refused to accept the letter sent to its headquarters.

The committee, therefore, recommended the sanction of the company for disregarding the summon of the lawmakers.

The House Committee on Telecommunications was asked to ensure that GloMobile is sanctioned by NCC for total disregard to the call of the House of Representatives; having deliberately refused to receive an invitation letter from the House; deliberately refused to submit and also refused to attend the investigative hearing on a subject matter in which Glomobile is one of the major Stakeholders.

Resolutions on preventing fraud

The lawmakers adopted 22 recommendations of the committee and most of them were directed at the CBN and the NCC.

The House directed the NCC to sanction all mobile network operators whose agents are involved in aiding and abetting SIM swap fraud in Nigeria and compel them to adhere strictly to guidelines and to serve as a deterrent to future offenders.

The House also resolved that National Identification Number (NIN) as required by section 27 of the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007, be adopted as a requirement by MNOs for SIM registration  by linking National ID to a SIM card number, and validation/verification of a customers identification credentials against the central government identity database.

The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy had started implementation before now.

The federal government had in December 2019 directed mobile telecommunications operators to suspend sales and registration of new SIM cards.

The ban was lifted on the 19 April, 2021 though the government extended the deadline for linking NIN and SIM cards.

The lawmakers, in another recommendation, urged banks to stop using SMS as a primary method of communication but should rather use encrypted messaging apps that are not prone to snooping.
Following last minute approval of its request for payment of uniform allowance for its members by the governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the leadership of the states chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has rescinded its decision to down tools.

PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported on Monday the decision by the union, which has the largest number of healthcare workers in the state, to withdraw its services over what it described as disparity in the payment of the uniform allowance among the nurses in the employ of the states ministry of health, primary healthcare board, health service commission and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

The union also identified many other challenges including stagnation of its members, acute shortage of workforce, high attrition rate and the need for retention allowance, retrospective approval and regularisation for nurses, among others.

Approval

At a briefing held at its secretariat in Ikeja on Tuesday, the union expressed appreciation to the governor for the last-minute approval for the payment of the allowance.

According to the chairman of the union in the state, Olurotimi Awojide, the governor has given express approval for the payment of the allowances for the excluded category of nurses and that the payment would reflect in the workers September salaries.

You would recall that the association issued a 21-day ultimatum over the payment of a statutory uniform allowance to the government which elapsed today. It is for us a litmus test to draw our final conclusions on the readiness and responsiveness of the Lagos State Government to the issues of nurses and the healthcare system. But the government has promised to pay the allowance with the September 2021 salary which is due in a few days. he said.

He, however, noted that the union would still embark on industrial action should the government fail to attend to other issues of concern that have been highlighted in many of its correspondences to the government.

No cause for celebration

Despite the governments pledge, the union has said nurses in the state have nothing to celebrate yet.

This was part of the position of the union during its annual scientific conference to mark this years international nurses week.

Mr Awojide said: Todays programme should ordinarily be an extension of the annual international nurses week which is held globally to celebrate the landmark contributions of Florence Nightingale to modern day nursing science and to spotlight and appreciate the important work of nurses and midwives who are the nucleus of the healthcare system.

But as it stands today, there is virtually nothing that calls for celebration by nurses in Lagos and by extension, Nigeria, except the appreciation of our relentless and patriotic commitment to the health and wellbeing of our clients and patients.

The union also noted that a good pointer to the state of affairs of nurses and midwives and their condition of work is the rate at which members are leaving the system out of frustration.
The authorities at the Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Osogbo, have suspended the selection process for the appointment of its fourth substantive vice-chancellor pending the determination of a pending legal case on the matter.

This was announced by the institutions pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council, Yusuf Ali, during the 10th convocation ceremony of the multi-campus university at its main campus in Osogbo on Tuesday.

Mr Ali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the process has been put on hold in the last one month following the decision of some concerned parties to approach the court for intervention.

He said as a law abiding institution, the ideal thing was to await the final decision of the court before the process could proceed.

I must point out that I am aware that some members of staff felt that they have not been dealt with justly after seeing the advertisement that was placed for VC position and they have gone to court. And as a law abiding institution and as people who believe in justice, in the last one month, the process for the appointment of a new VC has been suspended until the court speaks because we are law abiding, Mr Ali said.

The five-year single tenure of the universitys incumbent vice-chancellor, Labode Popoola, is expected to end on 4 November .

Controversy

As part of the selection processes, the university in July advertised the vacancy for the position of the vice-chancellor in the dailies.

The advertisement set the criteria to be met by willing applicants which include, among others, possession of PhD certificate, having a research gate score of 15.0 and 800 citations, publication of, at least, 50 research articles, 20 of which must have been published in what is called high impact journals as defined by Thomson Reuters ISI and Web of Science.

The criteria added that a minimum of 10 of the research articles in the high impact journals must have been published in the past three years, and that they must have ability to attract local and international research grants with evidence of having won and led, at least, 10 local and internationally funded researches.

But some concerned stakeholders have accused the selection committee of a predetermined agenda, saying the set criteria are alien to the institutions extant laws and regulations.

For instance, on 17 August , 2021, the Osun State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) held a media briefing in the state capital and announced its rejection of what it described as the dichotomy between PhD certificate and medical fellowship.

Similarly, other groups such as the the Joint Action Committee of the staff unions on the campus and others under the banner of Concerned and Committed UNIOSUN Professors kicked against several other contents of the said advertisement, especially the request for submission of copies of applications to the office of the outgoing vice-chancellor.

It is almost certain that the curriculum vitae of certain favoured candidates have been used in crafting the advertisement that appeared to have deliberately excluded candidates from Law, Management and Social Sciences, Education, Arts, Humanities and Medicine from the race, the concerned professors wrote in a letter addressed to the governor of the state and visitor to the university, Adegboyega Oyetola.

Appeal for autonomy

Meanwhile, the governing council chairman has said his team has no hidden agenda but to achieve the best for the 14-year-old ivory tower.

Mr Ali in his address at the convocation pleaded with the governor to ensure the autonomy of the universitys governing council in the selection of a new vice-chancellor, saying the progress recorded within the last few years shouldnt be allowed to be overshadowed by political interference.

He said: The only commitment the governing council under my watch has is to ensure excellence, through a fair and firm process comparable to best practises everywhere in the world. We assure all stakeholders that we have no personal interest to serve other than the best for our university.

Milestone

Both the pro-chancellor and the vice-chancellor listed the successes recorded by the university within the last five years in the university, even as they thanked the governor, Mr Oyetola, and the universitys chancellor, Modupe Alakija, and others they described as pillars of support.

Mr Ali, who titled his speech; End of a Chapter, said the 10th convocation ceremony was very unique and significant in more ways than one.

It marks a milestone being the 10th convocation and it marks the end of Popoolas tenure as the vice-chancellor of this university.

The Vice Chancellors un-renewable tenure will come to an end on the 4th November 2021. On behalf of the visitor, chancellor, and council, I congratulate Professor Popoola for his achievements in this university in the last five years, he said.

He also congratulated the graduands, their parents and well-wishers for making successes out of their academic sojourn in the university. The attainment of degrees is not an end in itself but a means towards other ends.

He said gone are the days when possession of a university certificate is seen as a meal ticket and advised the graduands to see the attainment as a pedestal to harnes entrepreneurial skills that they can deploy profitably.

The universitys vice-chancellor said the evidence of the growth and development in the university could be seen in the number of capital projects inaugurated as part of the activities marking the convocation.

He said the university ranks the first institution to defeat the lockdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, saying it organised the first online matriculation and convocation ceremonies.

Mr Popoola said the university migrated easily to the online mode of study and has continued to enjoy the beauty of technology for both cost effectiveness and ease of operation.

A new Nigeria possible

The convocation lecturer and immediate past vice-chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, spoke on the need for intergenerational exchanges of ideas among the old and the young on how to reclaim Nigerias lost glory.

Mr Fagbohun, who spoke on the theme; Harnessing Intergenerational Opportunities for Inclusive Growth and Development, said the current exodus of young Nigerians abroad is not the solution to the nations multifarious challenges.

He emphasised reorientation among Nigerians about the value system, saying since crises are societal, Nigerians must resolve to build a nation of their dreams through hard work, patriotism, and respect for merit and excellence.

Award

Meanwhile, three prominent Nigerians including a retired army chief and pro-democracy activist, Alani Akinrinade, were honoured with degrees.

The two others are businessmen whom the university said have contributed significantly to the national economy through job creation and youth empowerment. They are the chief executive officer of KAM Holding Limited, Kamorudeen Ibitoye, and that of the Starlink Global and Ideal Limited, Adeniji Adeyemi.
A witness at the ongoing war crimes trial of ex-Sierra Leonean rebel leader, Gibril Massaquoi, has told the Finnish court hearing the case that then Liberian President Charles Taylor heard that Massaquoi was a spy and ordered his arrest.

Massaquoi was given warning and escaped Liberia hours before he could be caught.

In an unexpected twist in the trial, which has been running since February, the witness, who claimed he was an ex Major General of Strike Force Marine of Taylors forces, alleged that Massaquoi was feeding information about Taylor to leaders of the LURD rebel faction.

The prosecution alleges this happened in Liberia at the time Massaquoi was in a safehouse in Freetown informing on Taylor to prosecutors in the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

I told Taylor that Massaquoi was spying on him for LURD but he did not believe me but he kept an eye on us, until he found out Massaquoi was a spy, said the witness codenamed X3 to protect him from retaliation.

The witness said he was not the only one who told Taylor about the alleged act.

Even the late Sam Bokari, [the Revolutionary United Front commander know as General Mosquito] also told Taylor that Massaquoi was not a good man, X3 told the four-judge panel.

Taylor sent out an arrest warrant for Massaquoi, for being a spy but before the arrest warrant came, I was already looking for Massaquoi for killing the civilians. But what blessed that man that day, I did not see him, because if I had seen him, we wont be discussing this issue. He had a girlfriend called [name withheld for her protection] at Taylors White Flower residence, and she was the person who told Massaquoi to escape because Taylor was looking for him to kill him.

The witness said the girl who told Massaquoi to leave the country was then arrested and that she told them Massaquoi had fled.

This war we were fighting in this country, civilians suffered too much because they did not know about gun and you kill them because they went to look for food, was very bad, X3 said.

Because, if you as a soldier fighting under the umbrella of government, why would you kill civilians? That alone made Taylor vexed, because it was civilians who gave Taylor power. So, I saw three Sierra Leonean fighters who were also looting, but killed seven civilians for looting, so I killed them on the spot. The reason I killed them was because I saw my Aunts son among the murdered civilians.

Sounding authoritative and fearless, X3 accused RUF fighters of doing wickedness in Sierra Leone. He said he was disappointed that they had not returned the love Liberians had shown them but were feeding LURD with information.

The witness also accused Massaquoi of killing about 65 civilians at Waterside after one of his top commanders (Salome) had been killed by LURD rebels.

People who did wickedness in my country I want them to face justice, even if it is me, I should face justice, he said.

X3 said he came to know Massaquoi when President Taylor sent for Massaquoi to come to Liberia. Massaquoi did not go back to Sierra Leone but was given an assignment.

The witness said the first time he met Massaquoi was when he went to pick him up from Bo Waterside in Monrovia. He could not remember the day or time but was sure it happened when LURD was threatening the city, which was June to August 2003.

The second time I met him was when they sent me to pick him up from his home opposite YWCA, and the third time I saw him, was when he did the execution of the civilians and we were already looking for him because Taylor had given the mandate to arrest him, X3 said.

That was the last time I saw him. I dont even know where he is now.

The witness had promised to bring to the court some crucial pieces of evidence  photos he claimed to have taken along with Massaquoi, Bokari and another commander known as Superman.

Under defense cross examination X3 claimed his little sister took the album and it was spoiled by rain. For that reason he had not brought them.

Defence lawyer Kaarle Gummerus seized on witness inconsistencies to discredit the prosecution case as he has done throughout the trial.

X3 told the court the photo was taken on Randall Street before reaching the overhead bridge at Front Street in Monrovia. But according in interviews with Finnish police investigators X3 had said they took photo in Vai Town, another part of the city.

The witness responded that they had taken many photos together and that they took the one in Vai town, because it was the time they pushed LURD forces back and they took the photo to celebrate.

The second witness appearing before the court was one of Taylors trusted generals.

He was called by the prosecution team. The court ordered witness identities concealed for their protection.

The witness said he joined Taylors revolution at the age of 12 and he was a soldier from 1990 to 2003. In 2003 he said he was controlling a unit called Wild Geese and was assigned to Chocolate City and the Stockton Creek bridge in Monrovia.

He also claimed to have brought Angel Gabriel from Bo Waterside border area to Monrovia. He said Massaquoi became a general when he took Sam Bokaris place after he died. Like previous witnesses he said Massaquoi had ordered the killing of over a hundred civilians in three stores in Waterside in 2003.

Gibril gave the order to shoot in the store, on June 9, 2003 and LURD was trying to cross the bridge to enter Monrovia, he said. Civilians were not given a chance. They were always looting, so he warned them three times not to cross the road when the BZT pickup was coming. But they all crossed and jumped into the store. The RUF, who we call Aggbah Boys, started shooting and killing the civilians in the store.

The witness said he was not on the scene when it happened but received a call to hurry to Waterside when the killing started.

When I got there, they said the Aggbah boys had killed over 100 persons in the store. I asked for the commander who was Massaquoi but by then Gibril had already left and gone back to E.J. Roye Building, he said. When I arrived at the E J Roye Building, I went up, and the first person I met was [Taylor general Benjamin] Yeaten, and when I saw Massaquoi, I jumped on him to fight and Yeaten stopped us.

He said the first store was near the old housing bank, and it was a biscuit store, the second store was on front street, near Family Bakery, and the third one was on Water Street.

My intention was to stop and attack the Sierra Leonean also, but my deputy called long range, told me to not attack the Aggbah because they were helping us, he said. After me and Massaquoi nearly fought, it was a month before the war stopped. After that I did not see Massaquoi again.

The trial continues on Wednesday.

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. We have permission to republish content.
The Emir of Katsina, Abdulmuminu Usman, has said bandits killing people in the north-west deserve nothing but death.

The emir was speaking during a security stakeholders meeting on Tuesday in Katsina.

Present at the meeting were Governor Aminu Masari, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, the Emir of Daura, Umar Faruk Umar, and a host of others.

The emir said since the bandits have decided to go after peoples lives, they also dont deserve to live.

Mr Usman similarly lamented the delay in prosecution and punishment of offenders, saying this is not good in serving as deterrent to other criminals.

According to the monarch, governments at all level must rise and punish the bandits accordingly, stressing that no one should resort to banditry in the name of settling scores.

Bandits have turned states in the Nigerian North-west into hell, kidnapping for ransom, killing people and burning down rural communities.

The governments in some of the states like Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto have cut telecommunications services, banned the sale of petrol in containers and suspended weekly markets among other measures taken to support a military operation against the bandits.

The emirs comment is a rebuke of people like controversial Islamic cleric, Abubakar Gumi, who has been leading a campaign for dialogue with the bandits towards granting them amnesty from punishment for their criminal activities.
Africas immunisation drive against COVID-19 is gaining momentum in almost all countries. This follows a prolonged struggle to get vaccines for various reasons, including hoarding by richer countries and a lack of finances to procure large doses. There was also the failure of the voluntary COVAX programme coupled with Indias decision to halt vaccine exports from the Serum Institute of India in response to its own COVID-19 crisis.

Vaccine shipments to Africa have however ramped up in the past two months. Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have the highest number of vaccine doses on the continent (Chart 1). Eritrea is still closed off to the idea of a vaccine rollout, and Burundi only started accepting vaccines recently.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says a meagre 144.5 million doses had been supplied across Africa by August 9 and about 111.3 million had been administered. In the last week of August, the continent dispensed 13 million jabs, three times more than in the previous week  a factor attributable to increased vaccine supply.

Although this is an improvement, only about 3 per cent of Africas population of 1.3 billion have been fully vaccinated, and only six countries have inoculated 30 per cent of their population with at least one dose (Chart 2). This is in a stark contrast to the 62 per cent to 91 per cent in most developed countries.

Despite this progress, the vaccination gap is not narrowing fast enough to prevent new variants from emerging and enable economic recovery from the pandemics crippling effects. In fact, at the current rate, it is unlikely that Africa will meet the goal set by the World Health Organisation of fully vaccinating 30 per cent of people by the end of the year.

A worldwide consensus is needed about how to meet the vaccine requirements of the global south  and Africa is taking an increasingly proactive stance to achieve this.

The African Union (AU), under the auspices of the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and member countries, came together in August 2020 to pool resources and buy vaccines with financing from African Export-Import Bank. As part of the March 2021 procurement agreement to purchase 400 million units of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen (J&J) vaccine, monthly shipments have accelerated to African countries.

Another achievement is the partial production of the J&J vaccine by South Africas Aspen Pharmacare. Using the fill and finish process, the vaccine substance from Europe is now bottled in South Africa and shipped to other African destinations. This is already improving access and shortening the vaccine distribution chain. And it is probably a better alternative to campaigning for richer countries to support a waiver on the World Trade Organizations Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

In addition to the AVAT agreement, many African nations are also acquiring doses bilaterally from wealthier countries through direct purchase or donations, sometimes channelled through the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme.

African countries are  as a collective and individually  working hard to gain greater access to vaccines. However, equitable vaccine sharing and distribution should be a priority for all nations. Continued stockpiling and vaccine nationalism could negatively impact the trajectory of COVID-19 globally, but especially for Africa and the many developing countries that cannot access vaccines for their citizenry.

Apart from the likelihood of novel variants emerging, this scenario does not bode well for the economic recovery of African countries  many of which are facing subdued economic prospects in the wake of COVID-19. Vaccine supply and distribution to Africa and the global south must be accelerated.

The first step is creating a global framework to mitigate unfair competition in purchasing and accessing vaccines. Second, COVAX should be restructured with African countries at the forefront in championing funding pledges and commitments from more affluent countries. This would change the current voluntary system and reduce Africas dependence on richer nations.

There are enough vaccine doses to go around. The United States will have a surplus of about 500 million to one billion vaccine doses by the end of the year, and Canada has vaccines for 2022 and 2023 with options to extend to 2024. Countries have a right to protect their citizens, but stockpiling doses when most of the worlds population has not been inoculated is counterproductive. No one is safe from COVID-19 until everyone is safe.

Third, global policies around vaccines must be coherent. The European Union (EU) does not recognise the Indian-made version of AstraZeneca (Covishield) for travel (although some EU countries now do)  but has approved the UK version. Such inconsistency undermines vaccine confidence in developing countries. It impedes the uptake of AstraZeneca, especially for those planning future travel, even though other vaccines still are not readily available in much of Africa and other developing regions.

Fourth, greater financial support from global institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund will enable African countries to purchase and roll out COVID-19 vaccines independently. Finally, the continent needs more vaccination centres and awareness campaigns that distinguish vaccine facts from myths. This would help reach the goal of fully vaccinating 30 per cent of Africas population by the end of 2021.

A more coherent global framework is needed to tackle the pandemic effectively. Despite the challenges, Africa is showing resilience and cooperation by pooling resources and joining forces to increase vaccine supply and distribution. But it should not be this difficult for the continent or any region to acquire life-saving vaccines during a pandemic that affects us all.

Stellah Kwasi, Researcher, African Futures and Innovation, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Pretoria

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has cited the long years it takes investments in health, education and other relevant human capital development projects, to materialise as one of the reasons many contemporary Nigerian politicians dont like to invest in such sectors.

Mr El-Rufai said this in his goodwill message during the Human Capital Development (HCD) communications strategy validation meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday.

The meeting was organised by the National Economic Councils HCD Core Working Group (CWG) in order to unveil a robust countrywide monitoring and evaluation framework meant to track progress on HCD across the 36 states in the country.

The governor described investments in both education and health as generational, saying it takes not less than 30 years for their results to show, but that politicians only have a four-year term in office with a maximum of eight years if returned for another term.

Politicians tend to ignore education and healthcare for the reason that when you educate a child the results show long after you leave office, and for healthcare if you dont invest in peoples health and they die, they will say its an act of God.

But road constructions, building of secretariats are clear evidence for politicians to show, the governor said.

He added that it is not that people do not want good education and good healthcare facilities but because we as political leaders run away from difficult strategic decisions and tend to focus on populist fire fighting actions.

He appealed to his colleagues to imbibe the right culture and do the right thing.

If we all agree that human capital is so important, why are we so backward? Why are state governments not budgeting at least 25-26 per cent for education and at least 15 per cent for healthcare as recommended by the UN agencies? And when these monies are budgeted why are they not spent in the right ways?

HCD strategy

Nigerias HCD programme was launched in March 2018 by the National Economic Council (NEC) at a special meeting convened for the purpose.

The NEC, which is led by the countrys vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, and made up of the 36 states governors of the federation and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN), Godwin Emefiele, conceptualised the initiative as part of efforts to demonstrate the significance of human capital development in addressing addressing poverty and ensuring participatory and sustainable economic growth.

The programme is also proposed to increase investments in the Nigerian people and improve the human development indices of the country.

In her remarks, Yosola Akinbi, coordinator, The Core Working Group of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), said Nigeria needs to do much more in terms of HCD, and that the initiative is not about the federal or state governments alone, but for the benefit of all.

Objectives

She said the unveiling of the strategy is to ensure that HCD indices of Nigeria moves forward, so that the country can be where it is supposed to be in the global pecking order in terms of health and nutrition, education and labour force.

Miss Akinbi said the key targets of the programme is to improve nutrition and to reduce childhood stunting by half from 44 to 22 per cent by 2030.

Among other targets also include doubling primary school enrollment rates from 46 to 90 per cent and as well double youth participation in the labour force from 23 to 46 per cent by 2030 respectively, she said.

Ade Ipaye, deputy chief of staff to the President, who represented Mr Osinbajo, said the meeting was convened to validate the communication strategy of the HCD in Nigeria.

He said the objectives of the strategy are clear and that it must be properly implemented.

It is not a strategy designed for the north, west, south or the east, all the nuances must be properly represented, Mr Ipaye said.

Mr El-Rufai further noted that the most important targets of the strategy are the political leaders.

The strategy is clear, communication can be improved, we can work on the demand side of human capital development and even the supply side. But until and unless our political leaders realise the imperative of taking very difficult decisions for today, so that generations to come will benefit, we will not make any progress, he added.
Youth allegedly angered by the absence of Sokoto States commissioner for security and career service, Garba Moyi, at a meeting over incessant killings and abductions in their area have burnt down his house.

The incident occurred on Monday evening in Isa, Mr Moyis village.

The mob also vandalised the house of the village head. Sources said the commissioner was in the state capital at the time of the incident.

Isa, Sabon Birni, Gwaranyo, Rabah, Gada, Tangaza are the worst-hit areas in the state by banditry.

The state government recently banned mobile telecommunications network in 14 of its 23 local government areas to complement the efforts of security agents in fighting the bandits.

The police spokesperson in the state, Sanusi Abubakar, confirmed the burning down of the house of the commissioner to PREMIUM TIMES.

He said arrests had been made by the police in connection with the incident.

Angry mob

Abubakar Isa, a resident of Sokoto, said the youth were angry with the commissioner and other political office holders.

Some of them even believe that the commissioner has abandoned his own people. The attacks are becoming rampant these days, despite the efforts they said they are making to address it. There is no day that a person is not kidnapped or killed in Isa or Sabon Birni, Mr Isa said.

He said the mob stormed the venue of a security meeting convened by leaders in the local government area.

According to him, the mob went on rampage when they discovered that the commissioner was not at the meeting.

They went to the residence of the commissioner and set it on fire before proceeding to the residence of the district head and smashed the windscreens of his vehicles, Mr Isa said.

He, however, added that no one was wounded at the district heads house.

They smashed some vehicle at the palace of the district head but no one was wounded, he said.

Sokoto, like other states in the north, has witnessed an upsurge in banditry in recent months leading to a renewed onslaught by the military to rout the bandits.
The Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, has cancelled the appointment of a new Emir of Kontagora, following a petition by 46 others contestants alleging irregularities in the selection process.

The governor also redeployed the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, who was accused of perpetrating the irregularities.

Earlier on Sunday, a Kaduna-based businessman, Mohammadu Barau-Muazu, was announced as the 7th Emir of Kontagora after he polled the majority votes from the electoral college and was reportedly selected by five kingmakers.

However, the announcement was greeted by protests from the other contestants who claimed that the exercise handled by Mr Sarkin-Daji, was shrouded in secrecy.

They said they were not given fair representation in the election/selection processes because the commissioner has a preferred candite.

Mika Anache, a lawyer, wrote a petition on behalf of the 46 contestants to the governor, copying security agencies and others officials.

The petitioners rejected the so-called selection process leading to the alleged election of whoever was said to have emerged as the winner of the said election as the 7th Sarkin Sudan of Kontagora allegedly held on 19th September, 2021.

We write to reiterate the fact that failure on the part of the Electoral College, Government to afford contestants those opportunities has portrayed the whole exercise as a sham exercise and lacking legitimacy thereby making the whole exercise illegal and fraudulent, the petitioners wrote.

Following the petition, the Secretary to the State Government, Ahmad Matane, said on Tuesday that the aftermath of the election was followed by petition and misgivings.

Therefore, to reinforce the State Governments neutrality in the election process, a review of the process has been directed by Mr Governor.

In this regard, the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry for Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji has been temporarily moved to Ministry of Youth Development.

Similarly, Mr. Emmanuel Umar, Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Youth Development has been temporarily redeployed to Ministry for Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs.

The redeployments took immediate effect, the official statement said.

The late Emir of Kontagora , Saidu Namaska, died last week Thursday at 84 years of age following years of illness,

Mr Namaska was turbaned in 1974 and reigned for 47 years as Emir of Kontagora.
The immediate past governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, on Wednesday said that the takeover of his Ilorin property by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) was unnecessary and overzealous.

Mr Ahmed explained that the action was needless because there are ongoing talks to resolve previous transactions with two defunct banks.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) on Wednesday said it took over the palatial mansion of Mr Ahmed over an alleged staggering indebtedness of nearly 5 billion.

AMCON said the action followed the order of Justice A.M. Liman of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division.

But in a statement by his media aide, Wahab Oba, the former governor explained that the dispute was based on a margin loan he secured from Intercontinental Bank and Finbank in 2009 for the purchase of shares which was then lumped with unrelated loans obtained by others.

Reacting to a viral video depicting the takeover of his residence, Mr Ahmed explained that the banks held the shares as collateral to sell and recover the loans in the event of a default.

Instead, he said, the banks passed the loans to AMCON instead of selling the shares to recover the loan amount.

Alhaji Ahmed said he was in talks with AMCON to separate the liabilities before the lawyers overzealous conduct despite knowing the loan amount was in dispute and that reconciliation talks were ongoing, the statement said.

The former governor gave a firm commitment to meet any outstanding obligations once the loans were disaggregated.
Spokesperson of the Nigerian Senate, Ajibola Basiru, has said the National Assembly will make available the new Electoral Bill for President Muhammadu Buhari for assent in two weeks time.

Mr Basiru stated this on Wednesday when he appeared as a guest on Channels TV programme, Politics Today.

He said the Senate had already set up its conference committee which will interface with the House of Representatives to come out with a clean bill.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the lawmakers passed the legislation amid chaos and disagreement in the chambers in July before proceeding on recess.

The bill seeks to resolve issues concerning INECs introduction of modern technologies into the electoral process, particularly accreditation of voters, electronic voting, and electronic transmission of results from polling units.

A controversial provision in the bill is Section 52, which deals with electronic transmission of results of elections  a major recommendation from Nigerians including INEC.

In the bill passed by the Senate, the Section was changed from; The Commission may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable to The Commission may consider electronic transmission provided the national network coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure by the Nigerian Communications Commission and approved by the National Assembly.

The House, however, retained the former.

It is one of a few disparities in the versions passed by the Senate and the House.

The Senate had on Wednesday set up its conference committee to work with that of the House.

What to expect from joint committee

Speaking during the show, Mr Basiru, who represents Osun Central, stated that the two chambers will set up an equal member committee that will sit and adopt which report to carry before taking it to the plenary for another adoption by their colleagues.

He said whatever is agreed by the committee will be binding on the two chambers, adding that they now await the House to set up its own committee.

I think the essence of the commitee is to have consensus on areas where certain clauses passed in the bill at the House of Representatives and in the Senate there were differences.

There were about 17 or 18 items that there were differences in the clauses that were passed.

Because we practice a bicameral legislature, you have situations whereby fashions of bulls passed in certain clauses differ. A conference committee of equal numbers will be appointed and whatever is agreed by the two committees will be deemed to be what have been passed when it is adopted by the two chambers then it will be forwarded to the president.

Setting up the committee at the Senate and we expect that the House of Representatives will also set up their own committee and then when we meet, item by item, each of those areas where we have had different versions of clauses adopted, we will either adopt what has been agreed to by the House or we adopt that of the Senate and eventually we will come up with the final bill that will be sent to the President for assent.

I think similar experience also occurred in relation to the PIA, a conference committee of similar nature was set up and the agreement reached was adopted at the plenary and then forwarded to the president for assent.

We are confident that in a matter of two weeks, the new Electoral Bill will come to light by the grace of God, the senator stated.

Some groups have recently called on the harmonisation committee to be set up by National Assembly to adopt the version of the House.
Andrew Yakubu, a former Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has denied that part of the recovered money in his Kaduna residence was given to him by a businesswoman, Bola Shagaya.

Mr Yakubu also refuted the allegations that some of the money was given to him by Kola Aluko and Jide Omokore, both of who. are into oil and gas business.

The ex-GMD of NNPC denied the allegations during a cross-examination by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC)s prosecuting lawyer, G. Ofulue, before the trial judge, Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the anti-graft agency had, during a raid on a property in Kaduna belonging to Mr Yakubu, recovered $9.7 million and 74, 000 from a safe.

He wad arraigned on 16 March, 2017 on six counts.

The trial court, however, struck out two of the counts in a ruling on the no-case submission filed by the defendant after the prosecution closed its case.

The Court of Appeal, ruling on an appeal against Mr Mohammeds decision, further reduced the number of counts to two which bordered on failure to make full disclosure of his assets during interrogation by EFCC official and receiving cash without going through financial institution.

NAN reports that Mr Yakubu had, on 8 July, 2020, told the court that a substantial part of the money found at his Kaduna residence by EFCC was given to him as gift after leaving office.

Mr Yakubu, under cross-examination as the first defence witness (DW1) in the case, said on Wednesday, that though he knew Ms Shagaya, who is said to be the chief executive officer of Voyage Oil and Gas Limited, he was unaware that her company was awarded an exploration licence in 2012 when he was the NNPC GMD.

Will I be correct to say that the company was awarded an exploration license in 2012 when you were GMD of NNPC? The EFCC prosecution lawyer, Mr Ofulue, asked.

I am not aware because NNPC does not issue oil licenses but DPR, the defendant responded.

He was further asked, Will I be correct to say some of the money recovered from your house in Kaduna was given to you by Bola Shagaya?

Mr Yakubu gave a negative response.

The EFCC counsel asked further if some of the money was given to him by Messrs Aluko and Omokore, and the former NNPC boss said the allegation was incorrect.

Mr Yakubus counsel, Anone Usman, opted not to reexamine the defendant, who was subsequently discharged from the witness box.

Application to recall prosecution witness

Meanwhile, the anti-graft agency informed the judge that the commission had a pending motion dated 18 June and filed 25 June seeking an order of the court for a recall of third prosecution witness, Ahmed Yahaya, and sixth prosecution witness, Suleiman Mohammed, for further examination-in-chief and possible further cross-examination in respect to the remaining counts three and four of the charge.

The EFCC said it sought the order on the grounds that the witnesses were led in evidence by former prosecuting counsel and that the lawyer did not make maximum use of the witnesses being sought to be recalled in extracting relevant evidence from the said witnesses to prove the two counts.

The commission argued further that the witnesses being sought to be recalled were very material in proving counts three and four, among other grounds.

However, Mr Usman, who acknowledged that a counter-affidavit was filed by June 28 in opposition to the EFCCs motion, urged the court to dismiss the application for being unmeritorious and highly vexatious.

After the parties in the suit adopted their processes adjourned till 18 November for ruling. (NAN)
The first sign of trouble was that my email to Dante lab was not replied and the contact number on their web address was switched off! There was no office address for the laboratory. An alarm bell rang in my head and I told my host I should have a plan B, so as not to miss my flight. I needed the result unfailingly on Saturday, without which I could not fill the Nigerian form.

I am compelled to relay my recent travel experience for other intending travellers to learn from and be guided against, so that they do not get stranded, especially those transiting through another country to their final destinations. This is not the best of times to embark on an international trip, except it is highly necessary. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed so many travel protocols, such that many international travellers, especially those transiting, have been stranded because they were not fully aware of the rules or they just took things for granted.

While it is good to impose stringent conditions to stop the spread of the coronavirus from one country to another, the various governments and all concerned with imposing and implementing the COVID-19 protocols, especially the accredited laboratories, should be effective in rendering services to travellers. There are some documents or certificates which are issued after COVID-19 tests by an intending traveller, without which he or she cannot travel.

I travelled to the U.K. on August 30, transiting through Schiphol airport, Amsterdam to Heathrow, London. I had the option of traveling directly to the UK but I choose to be adventurous by stopping over at Amsterdam on my departure to London and passing through Paris on my return trip to Lagos. I had never been to the two countries before, and even though I was to only pass through their airports in transit, I craved for the experience and I enjoyed it, especially when the transit time was not that long. My adventure nearly put me in trouble because of COVID-19 protocols, especially the test results which are time bound.

What every intending traveller out of Nigeria and to Nigeria should know is that there are a series of COVID-19 tests to be conducted both before they leave and their return to Nigeria. There is one test to be done 72 or 48 hours to the departure, depending on the country being visited and the rules change from time to time, as such travellers are advised to be up to date on the rules.

In the case of the U.K., I must conduct a COVID-19 test with a negative result not more than 72 hours before my departure. I am also required to pay for a test online in the U.K. before my departure and evidence of this must be presented at the airport before I will be allowed to board. For passengers transiting through another country, they should be mindful of the timing of their tests so that it doesnt lapse before arriving their final destinations while transiting.

I did all the tests required before my trip and I had no problem boarding at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. The laboratory where I did my test (Sahel Laboratories) was one of the accredited ones and it was very effective and professional, and the result was released in a timely fashion. I was also required to pay for two tests on my arrival at the U.K. (day two and day eight). There is the option of a day five test (to release) which attracted an extra fee but I preferred to take the day two and eight tests and isolate for 10 days. It should be noted that Nigerias COVID-19 vaccine is not recognised in the U.K., even if you have been vaccinated twice. My green card showing that I have been vaccinated twice was never requested at any of the airports that I travelled through.

I arrived the U.K. on August Tuesday 31 and isolated for 10 days. The test kits I paid for in Nigeria arrived at the address I gave online on Wednesday, September 1, on the second day of my arrival. I did the swab myself and sent it back to them as instructed. I was expecting the result within 24 hours but I was wrong, as it did not arrive until day eight, when I did the second test. The result of the second test arrived on Sunday September 12, when I was already back in Nigeria!

The result was out by 3.29 p.m. on Saturday. It was negative, meaning I was fit-to-fly. As I was about heaving a sigh of relief, another problem started. I needed to upload the certificate of the test, as required by the Nigerian online form. I started filling the form and it was smooth up to the point where I was required to upload the certificate. The column kept rejecting the upload and we were on this for more than six hours.

The day two and eight tests are to ascertain my status while I was in isolation for 10 days and the result was expected to be released within 24 hours, but the result of Day two test came on day eight, while that of day 8 came when I was already in Nigeria on September 12, as mentioned, which already defeated its purpose. If I had tested positive, I must continue to isolate but if negative, I was free to go out after day 10. The U.K. health officials came to look for me five days into my isolation to know if was observing the isolation and they met me at home. They asked how I was feeling and I told them I was okay. I complained that I had not received my day two COVID-19 result and the officer told me I should keep expecting it. He checked my passport and left. Violators of the isolation rule are to be fined 10,000.

My travails started when I was preparing to embark on my return trip to Nigeria.

I was booked to travel to Lagos via Air France and transit through Charles De Gaulle Airport. To travel to Nigeria from the U.K., I was required to do another test called fit-to-fly back to Nigeria. Nigerias requirement is that the test must be carried out 72 hours to departure, while the European rule is 48 hours to departure, if a passenger is either transiting or landing in any European country.

The result of this last test must be out at least 48 hours to departure to my final destination from my last transit airport, which is France. It is this result which must be negative that I will need to fill the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) form online, without which no airline will allow me to board! Due to the experience I had with the 10-10 laboratory that did my day two and eight tests, I decided not to patronise them for my fit-to-fly test.

I reviewed the situation with my host in the U.K., whose friend recently travelled to Nigeria. His friend recommended a laboratory called Dante for the test, whose result was to be out 48 hours to my departure. I paid 48 online on Wednesday, September 6. The kit was sent to me on Thursday, September 7 and I did the swab and sent it back the same day, as instructed. I calculated that the swab would be received the following day, Friday, and expected the results to be ready on Saturday, as my return flight was at 9 a.m., from London to Paris, while my final flight to Lagos from Paris was 3.30 p.m., which I had explained to them via email. This means the fit-to-fly result must be out by 2 p.m. on Saturday to be on the safer side, because by the time I arrive in France, the 48 hours should not have expired! Otherwise, I would not be allowed to board! I later met some passengers in Paris who were stranded because their fit-to-fly tests had expired by the time they got to Paris and they were not allowed to board until they repeated the test with 200 and paid another 300 fine for a rescheduled flight the following day. Some slept at the airport! My test result from Dante Labs did not come until I had boarded in Paris around 3.09 p.m. on September 12! I would have missed my flight if I didnt have a plan B.

The first sign of trouble was that my email to Dante lab was not replied and the contact number on their web address was switched off! There was no office address for the laboratory. An alarm bell rang in my head and I told my host I should have a plan B, so as not to miss my flight. I needed the result unfailingly on Saturday, without which I could not fill the Nigerian form. So, he called another friend who also recently travelled to Nigeria from the U.K. and who transited through Paris. He was my saviour! He advised that I should forget about the test with Dante and go to Test Express, a walk-through laboratory somewhere in the Westfield Mall. So, I paid another 80 online and got a 7.30 p.m. appointment for Friday. They were so professional and effective. They constantly communicated through the SMS and email, constantly reminding me of my appointment. I went there and did the test and they assured me that my result would be out before 10 p.m. on Saturday which was okay by me.

The COVID-19 test result was out by 3.29 p.m. on Saturday. It was negative, meaning I was fit-to-fly. As I was about heaving a sigh of relief, another problem started. I needed to upload the certificate of the test, as required by the Nigerian online form. I started filling the form and it was smooth up to the point where I was required to upload the certificate. The column kept rejecting the upload and we were on this for more than six hours. We kept calling people for help but there was no solution. One of those we called informed us that someone had also called to complain about the same problem. I then contacted my travel agent, who said I should by-pass the column and go ahead to the column where I would pay. I tried that and paid (N39,500) with my Nigerian bank card. The money was deducted but no message came from NCDC that I have paid, and without a certificate showing PAID, I would not be allowed to board!

I got to Paris around 11.25 a.m. and as we started boarding around 3 p.m., my phone glitched and suddenly went blank! I almost fainted! It came on about two minutes after and I showed the airline officials my NCDC certificate and was allowed to board. It is always better to have a printed copy! Some passengers with the UNPAID NCDC certificate were not allowed to board!

My agent took over the filling of the form and informed me that the money I paid did not reflect, but my form had been received as completed. A certificate was sent but UNPAID was written on it, meaning I could not board with it. The time was around 9 p.m. on Saturday and my flight was 9 a.m. on Sunday, meaning I had to be at the airport by 7 a.m. latest. My travel agent had to pay another amount of N39,500 from her end, using another bank credit card. It was after the second payment that the certificate showing PAID was sent to my email around 10 p.m.

I could not print the certificates at that time of the day but I had them on my phone, which is allowed. I heaved a sigh of relief that at last, I was going back home. I checked in at Heathrow without any problem, having shown the two certificates  the COVID-19 test in London and the NCDC fit-to-fly form with PAID written on it. Later that night, the NCDC issued a circular to all airlines to allow passengers without the PAID certificate board because there was a problem with their portal! I was further relieved but I was wrong because the airlines were either not aware of the circular or chose to ignore it all the same, because while London did not ask for it, Paris insisted and without it, I would have been prevented from boarding!

I got to Paris around 11.25 a.m. and as we started boarding around 3 p.m., my phone glitched and suddenly went blank! I almost fainted! It came on about two minutes after and I showed the airline officials my NCDC certificate and was allowed to board. It is always better to have a printed copy! Some passengers with the UNPAID NCDC certificate were not allowed to board!

On arrival at Lagos airport, the NCDC form was again requested before any passenger was allowed to go through the immigrations formality. I finally left the airport about one hour after landing.

My experience showed that while the Nigerian government is trying to control the spread of COVID-19, a strict adherence to the online form should have been made easier and whenever the portal had a problem, the airlines should have been informed earlier and ensured that they complied with the circular, allowing them to board passengers who could not pay for the Nigerian test. Many passengers suffered untold hardships as a result of this laxity and a number paid the testing fee twice. I paid twice and I am yet to be refunded.

In the U.K., many of the accredited laboratories are not serious about releasing test results on time and many dont care if a passenger misses his or her flight! Passengers whose fit-to-fly tests expired due to flight delays at transit countries should not be made to suffer due to no fault of theirs. In spite of the hitches in filling the NCDC form, it is my opinion that Nigeria still manages the spread of COVID better than many countries and this may be the reason why the U.K. has recently moved Nigeria from the amber list to the Green list. This means that Nigeria passengers to the U.K. who have been fully vaccinated may not need to isolate on arrival in the U.K. The authorities concerned should rectify all the lapses mentioned and make traveling pleasant for passengers, despite COVID-19 protocols!

Hakeem Jamiu, the Deputy Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly (EKHA), writes via hakeematus@gmail.com
The Gombe State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an oil and gas company, Rift Oil and Petroleum Company, for the exploration of petroleum products in the state.

Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who chaired the signing ceremony on Tuesday, said more than ever before, the need to extract the discovered oil and gas in the Kolmani oil field, had become necessary.

He said with the signing of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the clamour by some states to collect and retain the Value Added Tax (VAT) the new arrangement would go a long way in the IGR drive of his administration.

The move by the state comes amidst disagreements between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and some governors from the southern part of the country over the right to collect VAT.

Mr Yahaya, who said there is commercial discovery of hydrocarbon in Kolmani site and other energy sources, expressed bitterness that some elements consider the north as a parasite despite the abundant minerals in the region.

He blamed the lack of political will to explore the abundant mineral resources in the state for the benefit of the people on the part of previous administrations, saying it was reponsible for its current economic predicament.

The governor also disclosed that his administration, having actualised its vision on developmental policies and programmes, has been taking delibrate steps to open the state for industrial advancement through colloboration with genuine investors aimed at harnessing the its God-given endowments for the benefit of the people.

He explained that he had on several occassions engaged President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to put pressure on NNPC and other relevant agencies and organisations to expedite action on the exploration of oil in the state.

He expressed confidence in the ability of Rift Oil and Petroleum Company to deliver on the terms because of its track record in the oil and gas industry.

The need for us to explore and get maximum benefit from our God-given natural endowments is imperative now having realised how much ground we have lost in that direction, Mr Yahaya said.

The governor further explained that benefits from such huge investment to Gombe State and the country cannot be quantified, citing the signing of MoU with NNPC on development of biofuels in the state.

He also said the N16.4 billion Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park and the proposal by Madugu cement to establish a cement factory in Kembu and Kwali in Akko and Yamaltu Debe LGAs as indications of Gombe States vision and readiness in investment drive.

Mr Yahaya therefore appealed to the host communities of these Industries to cooperate and support goverment and the Investors for their smooth take off and operations, adding that steps are being taken to avoid the negative experiences associated with oil and gas.

Aldo speaking at the event, the Chairman of Rift Oil and Petroleum Company, Rabiu Suleiman, who briefed the governor and made elaborate presentation on history and politics of oil exploration in the northern part of Nigeria, assured that the hydrocarbon deposit discovered in the Kolmani site is of large commercial quantity.

He said Gombe State stands to benefit tremendously in terms of jobs and wealth creation as well as infrastructural development in addittion to enhanced commercial activities.

He also explained that the MoU signed and other engagements on the projects will fully capture the interest of the host communities and government to avoid the experience of the Niger Delta people.
A Nigerian senator has vowed to support whoever his state governor brings up as his successor, even if the person is impaired.

Even if you bring a cripple, we will support you to have a good governor for Akwa Ibom State come 2023, the senator, Chris Ekpenyong, said to the Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, on Wednesday.

Mr Emmanuel was in Obot Akara Local Government Area, where the senator hails from, to inaugurate some projects, including roads constructed by his administration, to mark the 34th anniversary of the state.

Mr Ekpenyong, who is representing Akwa Ibom North West District, assured Mr Emmanuel of political support from the people.

The senator accused the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, of ignoring Obot Akara when he (Akpabio) was the governor of Akwa Ibom.

Before you, there was a governor who is an indigene of this senatorial district, Mr Ekpenyong said to the governor.

I cried to him for eight years, eight good years. I even begged him to forgive me if I had wronged him. He could not do this road.

Because this local government (area) is an erosion-prone area, that bridge collapsed and children did not see where to pass to school.

Mr Ekpenyong was the deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State under Victor Attah but later resigned from office under controversial circumstances.

Apparently with the support from Governor Emmanuel, he surprisingly defeated Mr Akpabio in the 2019 senate election, and stopped the former minority leader from returning to the Senate.

There is an intense politicking in Akwa Ibom over who succeeds Governor Emmanuel in 2023.
Commercial motorcyclists in Ogun state have rejected the government directive to register at one of the states designated registration points across the state within ten days or risk arrest.

The motorcyclists said the N5,000 registration fee imposed by the government is outrageous.

This is an insensitive move by the government, said Raji Adekanbi, a commercial motorcyclist who plies the Panseke route.

Dont they know that most of us doing this job are doing it because we have no option? I finished my National Diploma at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic and my father died, I couldnt go further and I had no other option than to pick up a bike.

Ultimatum

The Ogun State government had on Monday issued a 10-day ultimatum to the commercial motorcyclists  popularly known as Okada riders  to register their operations at any of the about 5,000 registration points set up across the 20 Local government areas of the state.

According to Juwon Adebanjo, the official in charge of the Commercial Motorcycle Riders Identification Scheme (COMORIS) in the state, there are over 40,000 commercial motorcyclists in Ogun State.

PREMIUM TIMES is yet to ascertain this figure.

But the motorcyclists say they are ready to defy the governments October 1 deadline.

Mr Adekanbi said the governments decision was hasty.

Any day I am unable to remit N4,000 to the owner of this bike, it will be taken away from me and given to someone else, he said.

How then does the government want me to get N5,000 to register in ten days? Wont I feed myself? Government has done more harm than good. They should be ready to make arrest (sic) of many of us because the money is unrealistic. Where do they want me to get it from?

Kunle Adelaja, another commercial motorcyclist, said the government should pay more attention to building the deplorable roads in the state before enforcing the N5,000 registration fee.

I was working around Sango Ota before I came to Abeokuta after I was involved in road accidents twice in the same week, said Mr Adelaja.

The government should be compassionate now, we are suffering and because they and their family members are not feeling what we are feeling, the only thing they can do is to make our sufferings stiffer, but I know that there is God. I am ready to let them arrest me; possibly Ill die there.

There is money in Sango but I cant continue to endanger my life so I came here (Abeokuta). Even this Abeokuta roads are getting damaged gradually too.

Appeal for calm

An official of the motorcyclists union in the state, Olalekan Sonaola, however, appealed to the riders not to take laws into their hands but to engage with their secretariat when they are facing challenges.

We have told them to come to us anytime they have any issue just like they are coming to report to you journalists; let them come to us too. Help us enlighten them, Mr Sonaola said.

Our secretariat is open for their complaints. If they have complained, maybe we would have known what to do as regards the price. But for now, I dont know what to say.

We are not the ones helping the government in the collection of the money or in the registration of the riders. Government has its own body set up to oversee that already and we have discussed it together with the commissioner of police.

He explained that the government will make riders permits and reflective jackets available to the riders from the same money paid.

According to him, the colour of the jackets would indicate the senatorial district in the state a rider belongs to.

We will continue to engage with our riders and to enlighten them on the reasons for the registration, Mr Sonaola added.

The Commissioner for Transport in the state, Gbenga Dairo, could not be reached for comments.

Phone calls and a text message to his phone were not answered.

Influx from Lagos

Meanwhile, at a meeting in Abeokuta on Monday, the police spokesperson in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the ban of commercial motorcyclists in the neighbouring Lagos State had led to the influx of the riders into Ogun.

This, he said, necessitated the need for the registration of the riders with a view to creating a database for motorcyclists operating in Ogun State.

He added that this would help the police tackle any form of criminality that would arise due to the influx.

Mr Oyeyemi explained that the leadership of all okada riders unions have been communicated over the government decision to enforce the registration.

As a mark of identification, Mr Oyeyemi said the reflective jackets given to the riders would be inscribed with numbers.

If anybody commits any crime using Okada in any part of the state, we will be able to quickly pinpoint who is actually responsible for such crime, he said.
Suspected kidnappers, who abducted three persons, including a pregnant woman, in Ogun State have demanded a 30 million ransom.

The kidnappers abducted their victims along the Igbo-Ora-Sokoto road on Sunday.

A source close to two of the three families of the victims, who preferred not to be named for security reasons, said the kidnappers reached out to the families on Tuesday demanding 10 million for each of their victims.

The victims went to greet someone at Karigo Bus-stop at Rounda, the source said.

The road was bad and so they parked their vehicle somewhere in the area and were heading to their destination on foot, they were five inside the vehicle, two people escaped since Sunday.

The families have gone to report at the police station. One man and two women, one of them is pregnant.

One of them is a thrift collector in the market here (Itoku market), one is a civil servant but we dont know where the other one works. The only man among them is the one that we know, they call him Baba Sandra.

The two persons that escaped said the kidnappers are Fulani herdsmen known as Bororos, the husband of the pregnant woman escaped.

Stop prayer mountains

Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the incident, adding that the victims had gone to pray in the forest.

Mr Oyeyemi had, on Sunday, issued a statement warning again organising prayer sessions around forests in the state.

Since that very day (on Sunday), our people have been on their trail, he said.

In fact, while I was discussing with the O C (Officer in-charge) they were still in the bush in that area trying to get all those people.

So, the command is aware of it and they are investigating it.

So, our tactical team has been trying to get in-touch and rescue those victims.

But, our people should also be careful, they should stop organising prayer mountain inside the forest.

This is not the best time to be doing that and also want to warn our people that if they are coming from a journey and their car breaks down in an isolated area, they should leave that place and go to nearest police station in that area to inform them, so that police will come and stay with them pending the time that they will finish repairing the vehicle.

The police spokesperson also warned against people standing by a faulty car in an isolated place or forest.

So, if a vehicle breaks down in an isolated area and you are standing by that vehicle, you are making your self an easy prey in the hands of kidnappers.

Especially all those areas where we have thick forests.

So, when such things happen, we will not ask them to abandon their vehicle but they should go and inform the security agents that might be around that place.

So that they will come to their rescue and stay with them or they help them to push away the vehicle from that scene.
Distinguished Mr. Secretary General,

Distinguished Mr. President,

Excellencies, Distinguished Heads of States and Nations,

Esteemed Delegates,

I congratulate His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid on his election to the honorable function of the President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. I would like to express Poland`s full support for his mission and wish every success in its execution. I also want to thank His Excellency Mr. Volkan Bozkr for his active presidency over the works of the General Assembly in the previous session.

Furthermore, I am grateful to Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres for developing the report entitled "Our Common Agenda, which provides a comprehensive response to the most pressing challenges faced by the world today. Just like Mr. Secretary General I see the need for international solidarity in the Covid-19 vaccination process, just like him I can see the need for action on the climate crisis and the protection of biodiversity.

As participant of numerous debates, I can also see an increasing consciousness of mainly young people who realize that the decisions taken today will have an immense impact on our lives. It is particularly heartening to me to see this trend, to see that young people realize the challenge.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am standing before you as a leader of a 38-million-strong Nation who, just like all our states, has been facing up to an unprecedented pandemic and all its consequences for almost two years now. Over the period of 20 months, we have lost 75 thousand lives while almost 3 out of 38 million people in our country have contracted the virus. Although our robust economy bravely resisted the crisis and has managed to come back to an exceptionally dynamic growth today, during the first year of the pandemic it failed, for the first time in 30 years, to record such growth. I do not need to explain to you, the leaders of states, what it means for millions of families since you know the situation first-hand.

I am standing before you as one of more than 200 million people who have recovered from Covid-19, the ones who contracted the virus and have managed to recover. Like surely many of you present here I went through the illness which befalls people irrespective of their function, status, religion, convictions, orientation, and world views.

The past 20 months of fight against the pandemic reminded us of a word which we in Poland know since the cradle. That word is "solidarity". Many of you know what I am talking about. This name refers in our history to a large independent trade union established in 1980 by workers in the plants who went on strike against the communist regime, and who in the 1980`s and 1990`s inspired millions of people across the globe in their fight for the democratic or labor rights. This word has come to be a symbolic guiding principle of our policy, its ideal.

Speaking about solidarity I am also thinking about solidarity in the context of COVID-19. And this reflection is by no means an easy one. Especially in reference to us, the leaders of the rich world, of the affluent North, as it is sometimes termed.

Did we show enough solidarity? Did the mankind behave in the right manner throughout its fight against the virus? Did we offer help to each other as we should be doing according to our basic moral instinct as humans? Well, one could have serious doubts on that count.

Did we, the rich North (since my country despite all its daily problems belongs to the limited group of affluent states) demonstrate the necessary solidarity with the countries of the South? Did we have an equal access to vaccines and other measures preventing the spread of the disease?

When the threat came, it was our first instinct to isolate ourselves from each other. Borders reemerged in Europe. Those were justified actions as none of us knew back then how serious the danger would really be. The situation was further exacerbated by the reports about tens of thousands of those infected and deceased. Every one of us remembers the horror of the first months of 2020, the huge hopes we attached to the development of a vaccine which would protect us from the disease. However, it is today, almost 2 years on with over 4.5 million casualties, that we should answer the question how well we passed the solidarity test.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Distinguished Leaders,

Esteemed Delegates,

I salute those who won the vaccine battle in laboratories and those who, risking their own health and lives, vaccinated hundreds of millions of the co-habitants of our planet! But was the access to vaccines fair? Did we not forget that in a pandemic situation a vaccine is more of a human right than a commodity regulated by market principles?

I wanted Poland to be, right from the start, a country of solidarity, a country not guided by the rule: the weaker has to die. Therefore, we tried to protect each and every life with the same commitment. Therefore, whenever we could, we tried to show solidarity with other nations who needed assistance at a given time. I am not able to say whether we did everything possible but still we tried for instance by sending our medical doctors to our friends in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan as well as the USA and I Europe to the suffering Italy. I am convinced that some of the countries of the rich North behaved the same way as Poland, who donated 6 million doses of vaccines to inter alia our partners from the South. But was that enough to close the obvious gap in the access to vaccines which got wasted in some states and were inaccessible in others? It seems to me that our part of humanity still has many reasons to be dissatisfied with itself.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Honorable Delegates,

The word "solidarity" does not refer exclusively to the pandemic, whereas the pandemic did not make other global problems disappear.

We are discussing the rights of nations in this forum. Let me ask you then: what is the first right of every nation? It is the right to self-determination and the right to democratic governance set out in detail in the science of democratization and enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the UN. I am absolutely sure that most of us agree on the fact that each of our nations, the United Nations, has to right to protect its borders, to their inviolability, to choose its system of government and to govern with the consent of the nation, and never against it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, do we really agree with that?

Since I have an impression, and it is not only my impression, that Covid-19 allowed us to easily forget about multiple misfortunes plaguing different parts of our globe, often in the vicinity of our homes.

During the pandemic reports of the tragedy in Syria, where an externally supported civil war has inflicted unimaginable suffering on the population and turned millions of people into refugees and fugitives, vanished from the headlines.

The tragedies in Libya, Ethiopia and Yemen are barely noticed by many people from the rich North. During Covid-19 we did not move any closer to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which requires, as we probably all know, a two-state, peaceful solution.

Unfortunately, tragic developments are unfolding also close to the Polish border and I have the impression that humanity seems to have forgotten about them.

And yet, the pandemic has not stopped the war in Ukraine where over 13 thousand people died since the beginning of the Russian aggression with one state seizing the territory of another. In Europe after World War 2, in the 21st century, Ukraine has been assaulted.

What was the response of the rich North to the drama of the Ukrainian nation fighting for its independence? The response was the construction of a large Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline which will carry Russian gas to Western Europe bringing further billions in revenue to the aggressor, and complete helplessness or even indifference to the fact that from that moment on Ukraine will find itself in an even bigger danger.

Recently I have attended the Crimea Platform Summit in Kiev being one of few leaders representing the rich North. I searched with my eyes for those who have constructed and approved the construction of Nord Stream 2. I did not find them.

Covid-19 also obscures to many people the events in neighboring Belarus, where since August 2020 hundreds of thousands of people have come out daily for peaceful protests demanding just one thing: respect for the election result. In response they encountered police batons, tear gas and, often times, bullets used by the regime to defend itself against its own people.

As I speak, 650 persons are in prisons in Belarus, the majority of them young women and men, patriots, who simply wanted to choose their leader in fair elections. They suffer imprisonment for political reasons. A kangaroo court has lately sentenced two of them  Marya Kalesnikava and Maxim Znak - to 10 and 11 years in prison respectively. Along with them the leaders of the Polish minority in Belarus  Andzelika Borys and Andrzej Poczobut  are either detained or imprisoned for their democratic activity. These are just a few names from among hundreds of those persecuted. We demand release of them all and expect greater solidarity from the international community with the people of Belarus who simply call for a fair state and fair democracy.

What have these people done that was so wrong? Nothing. They wanted to claim the same right to elect their government that the French, the Poles, the Americans, the Koreans, the Australians, or the people of Argentina or of the United States have. The wanted free elections, in which many of us run, the Presidents of the free world and the importance of which the UN General Assembly so emphatically expressed in a series of historic resolutions: Enhancing the effectiveness of the principle of periodic and genuine elections. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, they paved the way for the realization that the right to form one's own government is not some Western whim but a universal human right. What the people of Belarus want to insist to their authorities that this very fundamental right be respected. The price they pay for this demand is suffering, and imprisonment.

I am saying all of this as a leader of a country where almost 150 thousand Belarusians have found shelter and employment, including thousands of protesters. I have recently told our Belarusian brothers that they are welcome here and that Poland will be their home for as long as they deem it appropriate and necessary. I firmly uphold these words.

But solidarity comes at a price. Because regimes tend to defend themselves not only against their own citizens but also against democratic states.

The response of the authoritarian regime in Belarus has taken the shape of an unprecedented hybrid attack on the borders of Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, the three countries on the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union. For many weeks, the regime of Alexander Lukashenko has been bringing tens of thousands of desperate inhabitants of the Middle East into its country, forcing them under police batons to cross our borders in an attempt to create an artificial "humanitarian crisis." These people then camp out at the border, and the regime is deaf to our offers to provide them with humanitarian aid. The regime treats these people: the immigrants as pawns in a political game, and their dignity and fundamental rights are offended.

In this crisis, we will not succumb because on our part, there is no agreement to instrumental treatment of migrants, no agreement to the abuse of their vulnerable situation pitched against the security of our borders; the borders we have a duty to protect, also as a member state of the European Community guarding its border.

I am saying this also as a leader of a country that knows very well how to tell the difference between a humanitarian crisis and hybrid activities; the country which, together with its allies, participated in the refugee rescue operation in Kabul airport just a few weeks ago. Initially, our intention was to evacuate dozens of military and diplomatic staff who cooperated with us. We ended up evacuating over one thousand people. We helped other countries to exfil their own people, but we also benefited from the solidarity shown by others, particularly by the Republic of Uzbekistan, for which we are profoundly grateful.

I am saying this to remind you once again that the world did not come to a standstill during the pandemic. The pandemic has not deprived nations of their democratic aspirations, nor has it stifled people's desire to live in freedom. Nor has it suppressed the craving for dignity and respect across large swathes of the globe. I recently saw myself the enthusiasm among the Moldovan voters, who took power away from the oligarchs plundering the country and voted in favor of reforms, democracy, and normality. I assured them of Poland's support for any initiative of the kind in our region, wherever we can have influence.

Because these are moments that restore faith in the most fundamental values of humanity and inspire the spirit of profound solidarity in other countries, my own included.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Esteemed Delegates, Dear Friends,

Trivial as it may sound, we all realize that the mankind is not homogeneous and each of us has his or her own world of values, beliefs, and things that are important, sacrosanct to us. But the experience of sharing the same planet and the knowledge that we have no other, teach us coexistence and prompt us to define the framework thereof.

International law is such a framework: it is one of the greatest achievements of modern times. We can debate at length about reforming the UN system, but each of such debates comes down to one thing: how to promote the United Nations role in securing the primacy of international law. Because we want to live in a world founded on force of law, not on law of the force.

Securing respect for international law was one of Poland's priorities as a member of the Security Council in 2018-2019. Today we continue in the same vein, in support of international law, by serving in the Human Rights Council.

Our priority is to protect particularly vulnerable groups: civilians in armed conflicts or religious minorities.

The same purpose will be pursued by the Polish chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in 2022, where we want to work for the resolution of regional and frozen conflicts. We want to tap OSCE potential to improve the conditions of the weakest and most vulnerable people. We will also strive to make human rights the main point of reference for OSCE activities, perceiving that solidarity is the fundamental value underlying human rights, the rights enjoyed by every human being.

Dear Delegates, Esteemed Fellow Leaders of the World,

The pandemic has nearly removed from the headlines another major topic - the fight against climate change, the fight for a secure future for all of us, for our children and grandchildren.

We, the leaders, must realize what it takes to protect people and the planet from climate change. This problem will not disappear together with the pandemic. It is, it must also be part of international solidarity.

Let me pose this question once again: do we, the rich North, pass the test of solidarity, or do we merely cater to our own statistics by relocating production to the poorer countries of the South where least environment friendly technologies are applied. And then those countries are blamed for contaminating the planet.

I am saying this as a leader of a country that overthrew the communist dictatorship in 1989 and inherited a very difficult ecological situation in the aftermath. Over the last thirty years we have made tremendous progress on that count. Between 1988 and 2016 Poland reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30%, our rivers and air have become cleaner and the country greener and with more forests. All in all, being a country of primeval forests, woods, great lakes and rivers, every year Poland attracts many lovers of nature from all over Europe.

I could also add that the share of hard coal in our energy mix is systematically decreasing, with biofuels and renewable energy sources gaining ground, but at this point, let me humbly admit that this is only the beginning of the road, the long road ahead of us. I do believe that we will make it. In this context. We are very ambitions and we do realize the challenges of the future.

Indeed, during our presidency of COP24 we managed to finalize negotiations of the Katowice Rulebook, an agreement that streamlines the implementation of the Paris Agreement so as to make it transparent and fair to all parties. It is also fair to say that we supported the transformation of our energy sector with due respect to the socio-economic context. But at the same time, we realize that more effort will be needed. Therefore, in February this year, the Polish government gave a seal of approval to the "Energy Policy of Poland until 2040", which maps out the directions of energy transformation. The document is an important step towards low- and zero-emission transition in Polish economy. It is my firm belief that in the name of solidarity the strategy will be further implemented by the government of my successor-in-office. And that will be done in due respect of the central tenet of just transition: transition that considers social needs, capabilities, the need to secure peoples dignified life, to secure employment and means to raise children in dignified conditions. A transition that respects the interests of the family.

Honorable Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Solidarity has not ceased to exist in the face of a pandemic. It should continue to be our motto and our central tenet together with others: not to compromise on human rights and the rights of entire nations, to secure the development of the UN, always in due respect of the primacy of international law, and to be ready to set and pursue ambitious goals in the struggle for our planet.

In the last 20 months when the pandemic weighed so heavily on us, we have often asked ourselves: what will the post-pandemic world be like? Will it be the world of solidarity? Or shall we resume business as usual and consider that these months have been nothing more than an interruption in our routine, after which we can go on repeating our old mistakes?

Personally, I believe that the mankind shares the same aspirations: security and prosperity, living in dignified conditions, democracy and human rights, a world without wars and violations of borders, nations respecting each other's territories, languages and identities, a world without discrimination, without offence of inherent dignity of human beings, a world that consistently endorses the principles invoked by the authors of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A world based on solidarity among people and states.

I believe that Poland will be always striving for such a world, no matter who holds the office of its president, myself or my successor in office, a woman, or a man.

Thank you for your attention!
DURBAN, South Africa, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian company Globe-Cann Inc. (Globe-Cann) announces the inauguration of a new point of presence in the Durban Region in South Africa. With multiple business relationships in Colombia, Thailand and Mexico, Globe-Cann continues its global expansion by exporting its expertise in the cannabis industry to South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Globe-Cann is taking the lead in the industry, recognizing the exponential growth of the cannabis market worldwide. For the company, it was a logical business development step to extend its services to this region of the globe. This market represents a multibillion-dollar industry and Globe-Cann's unparalleled Canadian and global expertise has the potential to meet the needs of this market and contribute to the economic development of the continent while leveraging local expertise and workforce resulting in upliftment and employment. "Globe-Cann wants to continue to be a key player in this growth while enabling global producers to operate with refined expertise and innovative methods," said Daniel Fontaine, President and Co-Founder of Globe-Cann.

The news is accompanied by the appointment of Travis Griffiths as head of Globe-Cann SA, its African branch. "South Africa's government unveiled a master plan aimed at harnessing a 28-billion-rand or $1.9 billion US Dollars cannabis industry that could potentially create as many as 25,000 jobs in this country alone. I am proud to be part of this new industry and to help investors and promoters to maximize their investment", says Mr. Griffiths.

As Globe-Cann strengthens its global presence, the company will continue to provide impeccable consulting services by assisting in the design and construction of cannabis production facilities, the development of business plans and site operation, team and staff recruitment and training, as well as general guidance for medium and large-scale cannabis production facilities. Globe-Cann's expertise enables its clients to produce the highest quality cannabis in a very efficient manner, meeting GMP or EU-GMP Standards.

About Globe-Cann Inc.

Globe-Cann is a Canadian multinational company comprised of Canadian and internationally renowned cannabis experts, ranging from regulatory experts to licensing, plant construction and design, operations, human resources, processing, and medical sales. Globe-Cann has designed, built, licenced, consulted and operated over 150 industrial-scale cannabis projects and has excelled in the field since the legalization of cannabis in Canada.

Media Inquiries: Daniel Fontaine, CEO and co-founder of Globe-Cann Inc., dfontaine@globe-cann.com, +1 647-965-7500

SOURCE Globe-Cann Inc.
Surge in demand for luxury tourism, rise in disposable income, and shift toward alternative sources of energy drive the growth of the global spinnaker pole market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Spinnaker Pole Market by Material (Aluminum, and Carbon), Boat Length (Small boat, Midrange boat, and Big boat), Distribution Channel (Online, and Offline) and Application (Professional Sports, and Cruising): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030". According to the report, the global spinnaker pole industry generated $450.1 million in 2020, and is anticipated to generate $1.25 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 10.6% from 2021 to 2030.

Prime determinants of growth

Surge in demand for luxury tourism, rise in disposable income, and shift toward alternative sources of energy drive the growth of the global spinnaker pole market. However, high costs associated with yacht charter hinder the market growth. On the other hand, change in sailboat and yacht infrastructure present new opportunities in the coming years.

Download Sample PDF (280 Pages with More Insight): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/8623

Covid-19 Scenario

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic led to strict lockdowns, which have forced almost all sectors to shut down their operations. This has hampered manufacturing and production activities of spinnaker pole.

The demand for spinnaker poles from various end-use industries has declined drastically during the initial stage of the pandemic.

However, the market rapidly recovered after the manufacturing facilities were back with full production and operation capacity.

The aluminum segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on material, the aluminum segment held the highest market share in 2020, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global spinnaker pole market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This is due to surge in demand for sailing across the world. However, the carbon segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 11.1% from 2021 to 2030, owing to rise in sailing activities.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Spinnaker Pole Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/8623

The online segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on distribution channel, the online segment accounted for the largest share in 2020, contributing to nearly two-thirds of the global spinnaker pole market, and is projected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. This is due to huge offers and discounts on e-commerce sites. Moreover, this segment is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 11.0% from 2021 to 2030. The report includes analysis of the offline segment.

Europe, followed by North America, to maintain its dominance by 2030

Based on region, Europe, followed by North America, held the highest market share in terms of revenue 2020, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global spinnaker pole market. This is because Europe produces the most spinnaker poles and exports them to other countries. Moreover, this region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 11.4% during the forecast period.

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Leading Market Players:-

AG+Spars

Allen Brother LTD

Axxon Composites

Competition Composites Inc.

CST composites

Hoel Composites

Offshore Spars Co.

Selden Mast AB

Sparcraft

Z Spars UK.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
CHICAGO, Sept. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this Saudi Arabia data center market report.

Saudi Arabia data center market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 7.85% during the period 20202026. Saudi Arabia data center market research report includes market size in terms of area, investment, power capacity, and colocation revenues. Get insights on 19 Existing data centers and 8 upcoming facilities spread across 7 cities, including Riyadh, Jeddah, and other cities.

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

The Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) is working with local players to develop a network of hyperscale colocation data centers in Saudi Arabia , with a strategy to attract USD 18 billion from investors by 2030. Global colocation service providers are expected to enter the Saudi Arabia data center market via strategic partnerships with local enterprises, MoUs with the government and telecom service providers are likely to grow during the forecast period. There is also increased investment in the country by cloud service providers such as Google and Oracle. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the prominent locations in the Middle East for data center development, contributing to around 25% of the overall data center investment, and around 20% of the revenue share. Riyadh is the leading data center market in Saudi Arabia , with 9 unique third-party data center facilities accounting for over 35% of the existing power capacity, followed by Jeddah . Telecommunication Service providers such as Mobily, Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Salam (Integrated Telecom Company), and other companies such as Gulf Data Hub, NashirNet, and NourNet dominate the colocation market in Saudi Arabia . The National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) has been initiated under the Vision 2030 and the King Salman Renewable Energy Initiative, designed to maximize the renewable energy potential in Saudi Arabia .

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Area, Power Capacity, Investment, and Colocation Revenue | 2020-2026

Impact of COVID-19 on Data Center Market

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in Saudi Arabia

Facilities Covered (Existing): 19



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 8



Coverage: 7 Cities



Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Datacenter colocation market in Saudi Arabia

Market Revenue & Forecast (2020-2026)



Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Market Dynamics  Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standard

Key Market Participants  List of 10 IT infrastructure providers, 14 construction service providers, 14 support infrastructure providers, and 6 data center investors

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/saudi-arabia-data-center-market-investment-analysis

Saudi Arabia Data Center Market  Segmentation

As the price of SSDs is declining, the adoption of all-flash and hybrid arrays will grow with cloud data center deployments in Saudi Arabia . HDD vendors also innovated their portfolios with high-capacity and high-performance ( 10k and 15k RPM) drives to reduce the adoption of flash drives, as they are cheaper than flash storage devices.

. HDD vendors also innovated their portfolios with high-capacity and high-performance ( and RPM) drives to reduce the adoption of flash drives, as they are cheaper than flash storage devices. Although basic PDUs have a presence in the market, intelligent PDUs expect to lead the PDU market as the demand to consume low power is growing in the market. Data center deployments will include the installation of 2N redundant PDUs at higher capacity.

Greenfield construction dominates the market. The market in Saudi Arabia will witness an increase in modular data center construction with the rise in investments in coming years. Huawei Technologies has a strong presence in the market and provides modular data center solutions for enterprise and government agencies.

Market Segmentation by IT Infrastructure

Servers

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer, Switches & Switchgears

Rack PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by General Construction

Building Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Building Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Market Segmentation by Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

Market Segmentation by Geography

Riyadh

Other Cities

Saudi Arabia Data Center Market  Dynamics

The revenue from the public cloud market expects over USD 850 million in 2021, which is likely to reach over USD 2.5 billion by 2026, with the SaaS segment emerging as the leading revenue generator and accounting for over USD 340 million in 2021. Scope Technologies, DesertClouds, Waja Media Solutions, Alfuzail, and BrighteningTech are some of the local cloud service providers in Saudi Arabia.

Global cloud providers such as IBM, SAP, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure have a strong presence in the Saudi Arabia market. For instance, Oracle opened a new cloud data center in Jeddah in 2020 that is available in the Oracle Cloud Console. In December 2020, Google, a cloud service provider, announced a partnership with Aramco to build a cloud region in Saudi Arabia and offer cloud services to customers that are currently under development.

Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:

Surge in Big Data and IoT fueling Data Centers Demand

Increased Adoption of Renewable Energy Sources

COVID-19 Pandemic boosting the Data Center Market

Migration From On-premises Infrastructure to Colocation & Managed Services

Saudi Arabia Data Center Market - Existing Vs. Upcoming Data Centers

Existing Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

Riyadh



Jeddah



Other Cities

List of Upcoming Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/saudi-arabia-data-center-market-investment-analysis

Key Market Participants:

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Atos

Broadcom

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Lenovo

NetApp

Construction Constructors & Sub-Contractors

Ashi & Bushnag

Al-Latifia Trading and Contracting Company

Atkins

Capitoline

DC PRO

Edarat Group

EGEC

HATCO

ICS Nett

INT'LTEC Group

Juffali Airconditioning, Mechanical, and Electrical Company (JAMED)

Linesight

RED

SANA Creative Systems

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Canovate

Caterpillar

Conteg

Cummins

Eaton

Grundfos

HITEC-Power Protection

Legrand

Rittal

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Vertiv Group

Data Center Investors

Gulf Data Hub

Salam (Integrated Telecom Company)

Etihad Etisalat (Mobily)

NashirNet

NourNet

Saudi Telecom Company (STC)

Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry.

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About Arizton:

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.

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SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence
Once again, the Advisor Allies named to this year's list were selected based on votes cast by several thousand advisors from a list of more than 700 wholesalers nominated by NAPA Firm Partner recordkeepers and DCIOs.

"I am proud that our wholesalers were so well-represented on NAPA's list again this year," said Gary Tankersley, head of sales and distribution, John Hancock Retirement. "Our ability to maintain our relationships  in spite of the disruption that everyone has experienced in 2021- is an incredible example of our dedicated team and shows how much strong partnership matters. We truly appreciate the work these advisors are doing to build and grow their businesses and are committed to adding value to their practices."

"Thanks to NAPA and all of the advisors for recognizing our wholesalers as allies. Our DCIO team is dedicated to helping retirement plan fiduciaries with investment exposure and diversification needs," added Todd Cassler, head of institutional distribution, John Hancock Investment Management. "Our goal is to help make their retirement plans work using our global resources, asset manager network and wide range of investment strategies."

John Hancock wholesalers listed among NAPA's 2021 Top 100 Advisor Allies:

Derrick Amey , DCIO, John Hancock Investment Management

, DCIO, John Hancock Investment Management Dennis Beaudet , John Hancock Retirement

, John Hancock Retirement Bradford Boney , John Hancock Retirement

, John Hancock Retirement Ryan Fay , DCIO, John Hancock Investment Management *

, DCIO, John Hancock Investment Management * Dan Fratalia , John Hancock Retirement

, John Hancock Retirement Jerry Giovinazzo , John Hancock Retirement

, John Hancock Retirement Adam Johnson , John Hancock Retirement

, John Hancock Retirement Aylmer Magill , DCIO, John Hancock Investment Management

, DCIO, John Hancock Investment Management Chris McDavid , John Hancock Retirement *

, John Hancock Retirement * Mark Needham , John Hancock Retirement

, John Hancock Retirement Steven Person , John Hancock Retirement

, John Hancock Retirement Brandon Radach , DCIO, John Hancock Investment Management

, DCIO, John Hancock Investment Management Scott Ward , John Hancock Retirement *

, John Hancock Retirement * Jason Yepko , John Hancock Retirement *

, John Hancock Retirement * Dan Zibaitis , John Hancock Retirement *

* Ranked in the Top 10 in their respective category

For more information on John Hancock Retirement, please click here. For more information on John Hancock Investment Management's DCIO offering, please click here.

About John Hancock Retirement

John Hancock Retirement is the U.S. retirement business of Manulife Investment Management. For nearly 50 years, we've helped people plan and invest for retirement; today, we're one of the largest full-service providers in the United States.1 We take a hands-on consultative approach based on the idea that no two plans - and no two plan participants - are exactly alike. We partner with plan sponsors, financial professionals, and third-party administrators to ensure that every plan is personal to the participant and delivers results.

As of June 30, 2021, John Hancock serviced over 52,000 retirement plans with over 3.1 million participants* and over $218 billion in AUMA.2

*Participant Counts reflect all active participants with a balance.

1. "2020 Defined Contribution Recordkeeper Survey," PLANSPONSOR, 2020.

2. As of June 30, 2021, John Hancock Life Insurance Company (USA) supported 47,995 plans, 1,606,720 participants, and $ 108,283,261,827.19 in AUMA. John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York supported 2,549 plans, 80,027 participants, and $ 6,434,822,673.87 in AUMA. John Hancock Retirement Plan Services, LLC supported 2,207 plans, 1,428,948 participants, and $103,680,838,816.18 in AUMA. Participant Counts reflect all active participants with a balance. Approximate unaudited figures for John Hancock, provided on a U.S. statutory basis.

About John Hancock Investment Management

A company of Manulife Investment Management, we serve investors through a unique multimanager approach, complementing our extensive in-house capabilities with an unrivaled network of specialized asset managers, backed by some of the most rigorous investment oversight in the industry. The result is a diverse lineup of time-tested investments from a premier asset manager with a heritage of financial stewardship.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 18 geographies. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement.

As of June 30, 2021, Manulife Investment Management's assets under management and administration, including assets managed for Manulife's other segments, totaled CAD$1.0 trillion (US$834 billion). Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC is the principal underwriter and wholesale distribution broker dealer for the John Hancock mutual funds. Member FINRA, SIPC.

John Hancock Retirement Plan Services LLC offers administrative or recordkeeping services to sponsors and administrators of retirement plans. John Hancock Trust Company LLC provides trust and custodial services to such plans. Group annuity contracts and recordkeeping agreements are issued by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA (not licensed in New York) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, New York. Product features and availability may differ by state. Securities offered through John Hancock Distributors LLC. Member FINRA, SIPC.

NOT FDIC INSURED. MAY LOSE VALUE. NOT BANK GUARANTEED.

 2021 John Hancock. All rights reserved.

MGR0921211843924

SOURCE John Hancock Retirement
EIGHTY FOUR, Pa., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 84 Lumber, the nation's largest privately held building materials supplier, is launching a recruitment effort to fill immediate openings at stores throughout New Jersey. The company will host a Hiring Event on September 28th from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 84 Lumber Pleasantville location (6738 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234).

At the event, job seekers will learn more about the company culture and get the opportunity to be interviewed for open positions in the area that include manager trainees (MT), warehouse and forklift associates, door shop manufacturers, and non-CDL truck drivers. Qualified job seekers may receive an offer of employment during the event and will be able to participate in a pre-employment drug screening at the location.

"84 Lumber is seeking to fill 10 open positions at our New Jersey locations to add to our team of more than 85 employees in the area," said John Hay, divisional vice president at 84 Lumber. "We're growing along with the growth in the construction industry  here in New Jersey and across the nation. We're looking for people seeking a fresh start."

Hay went on to detail the openings in the region:

Manager trainees (MTs) hired by 84 Lumber enter an intensive, one-on-one, on-the-job training program that teaches them about the company's business and puts them on a path to become a future leader within the enterprise. Starting compensation for manager trainees is $43,000 per year.

hired by 84 Lumber enter an intensive, one-on-one, on-the-job training program that teaches them about the company's business and puts them on a path to become a future leader within the enterprise. Starting compensation for manager trainees is per year. Warehouse and forklift associates need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes  from the management of supply shipments to the operation of forklifts and other equipment. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to $14 per hour.

need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes  from the management of supply shipments to the operation of forklifts and other equipment. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to per hour. Door shop manufacturers need no prior experience and are involved in the manufacturing of doors. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to $14 per hour.

need no prior experience and are involved in the manufacturing of doors. These associates can expect a starting pay of up to per hour. Non-CDL truck drivers load trucks and deliver materials to customer job sites. These associates are also responsible for building loads for deliveries; maintaining a safe, clean, and well-organized lumber yard; and loading and unloading lumber and building supplies. Hourly pay for drivers is up to $14 per hour.

Hay added that 84 Lumber expects it might find the right fit from all types of candidates  an individual with no construction experience, military veterans ready to embark on their next career challenge, or people with some previous work experience who seek to redirect their career.

"We are hosting our recruitment events at our retail locations, because it gives candidates a better sense of our company culture and how we operate," said Hay. "We are proud to be a family-owned company, and we are committed to helping our employees build and cultivate a career with us. In fact, 95% of our store managers started in our manager trainee program."

Candidates interested in participating in the Hiring Event are asked to pre-register. To sign up, go to 84 Lumber's Hiring Page and complete the form. Once you are registered, you will receive an email from 84 Lumber with the link to apply for the desired position. To save time, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for positions online before they attend the event.

NOTE: 84 Lumber continues to follow CDC safety guidelines with regard to COVID-19. We ask that those attendees who are not yet fully vaccinated wear a mask and maintain social distancing.

To learn more about 84 Lumber, follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

ABOUT 84 LUMBER

Founded in 1956 and headquartered in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, 84 Lumber Company is the nation's largest privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components and industry-leading services for single- and multi-family residences and commercial buildings. The company operates nearly 250 stores, component manufacturing plants, custom door shops, custom millwork shops and engineered wood product centers in more than 30 states. 84 Lumber also offers turnkey installation services for a variety of products, including framing, insulation, siding, windows, roofing, decking and drywall. A certified national women's business enterprise owned by Maggie Hardy Knox, 84 Lumber was named by Forbes as one of America's Largest Private Companies in 2018 and one of America's Best Large Employers in 2019. For more information, visit 84lumber.com or join us at Facebook.com/84lumber and linkedin.com/company/84-lumber .

Contact: Jeff Donaldson, BLD Marketing

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (412) 347-8039

Photos: https://www.bldpressroom.com/84lumber/new-jersey-hiring-event

SOURCE 84 Lumber

Related Links

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ATLANTA, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE: CRY), a leading cardiac and vascular surgery company focused on aortic disease, announced today the appointment of Anthony "Tony" Semedo to its Board of Directors effective October 1, 2021.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tony, a leader in the aortic space, to our board of directors," commented Pat Mackin, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. "Tony's demonstrated ability to lead, grow, and integrate diversified global divisions in the medical device space as well as his experience managing robust R&D, quality, and regulatory functions will be instrumental as we advance on our growth trajectory."

Mr. Semedo stated, "I am very excited to join CryoLife as the company continues to grow as a dominant force within the aortic space. I look forward to working with the entire team to support the company's enduring commitment to enabling positive patient outcomes while providing a diversified portfolio to surgeons across the globe."

Mr. Semedo has over 40 years of U.S and international experience in the medical device industry, serving most recently as Senior Vice President & President of Japan Operations at Medtronic, where he led multiple business units and functions. Through his tenure at Medtronic, Mr. Semedo held several executive management positions including Senior Vice President & President of the company's Aortic, Peripheral and Venous (APV) Division and Senior Vice President & President of Endovascular Innovations. He previously served as Vice President of Medtronic's Japan Cardiovascular Business and as Global Vice President of Vascular Research and Development. Earlier in his career he spent time at Alaris Medical Systems, Eli Lilly & Co., and Abbott Laboratories. Mr. Semedo received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Massachusetts.

About CryoLife, Inc.

Headquartered in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, CryoLife is a leader in the manufacturing, processing, and distribution of medical devices and implantable tissues used in cardiac and vascular surgical procedures focused on aortic repair. CryoLife markets and sells products in more than 100 countries worldwide. For additional information about CryoLife, visit our website, www.cryolife.com.

Contacts:





CryoLife D. Ashley Lee Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Phone: 770-419-3355 Gilmartin Group LLC Brian Johnston / Lynn Lewis Phone: 631-807-1986 [email protected]

SOURCE CryoLife, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cryolife.com


LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Arnouse Digital Devices Corp. (ADDC), a leader in micro form-factor computing, is proud to announce the release of its breakthrough Zero Client hardware system, the SR20-FDD and zRex. This Zero Client system was designed and manufactured in the USA by ADDC for the U.S. Department of Defense to provide the highest grade of security for data in motion over fiber optic cable connections up to distances of 40 kilometers (25 miles). For the first time, this state-of-the-art solution, built entirely in the U.S., is available for corporations to protect the use of its data - ideal for industries such as banking, healthcare, utilities, life sciences, legal services, TMT, and other vertical markets requiring the most secure computing hardware available.

The SR20-FDD is a standard 19" x 24" x 3.5" 2U rack drawer incorporating a bare metal remote desktop system that holds up 20 BioDigitalPC cards, an ADDC proprietary-design x86, pluggable computer supporting any operating system. The BioDigitalPC cards include the latest Intel i7 quad core (eight threads) CPU, up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, 1TB NVMe storage, and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0. In addition, the BioDigitalPC was validated for FIPS 140-2, Level 3, the highest hardware rating available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The total power consumption of the environmentally friendly SR20-FDD, including 20 computers, is less than 400W.

The ADDC zRex desktop client is a fanless, six-ounce unit (5"L x 0.8"H x 3"W) with four high speed USB ports and one HDMI that supports 4K video. When connected to the SR20-FDD server via a single string of fiber to each computer, a Zero Client environment is created to guarantee security with data interception impossible, unlike traditional networked VDI.

"With security risks being a paramount concern for governments and corporations, ADDC is proud to be able to address these concerns with its groundbreaking Zero Client solution," said Michael Arnouse, Founder and President of Arnouse Digital Devices Corp. "We were called on again to solve a problem and now we're able to share the solution with not only the U.S. government and military, but to help protect sensitive data in the broader market."

For complete technical specs, visit www.addc.net/FDD.

About Arnouse Digital Devices Corp.

Arnouse Digital Devices Corporation (ADDC) is the inventor and manufacturer of the X86 micro form factor computer - part of a revolutionary and environmentally friendly compute platform. Its interchangeability gives users an unprecedented level of flexibility, compute power, small size, ultra-high security, and low power-usage. ADDC has been granted 26 utility patents, with several pending in the areas of pluggable computing and the surrounding ecosystem. ADDC is fully committed to provide the world's best computing solutions for traditional and harsh uses cases including on-premises edge computing, Zero Client environments, smart city edge computing infrastructure, multi-access edge computing (MEC), AI/ML applications, machine integration, Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT), and edge data centers. ADDC's technology enables people, governments, and businesses to excel in productivity with minimal harmful e-waste and a smaller carbon footprint. All ADDC products are proudly designed and Made in the USA. More information can be found at www.addc.net.

Contact:

William Gibbons

Phone: +1.516.673.4444

[email protected]

# # #

SOURCE Arnouse Digital Devices Corp

Related Links

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OSLO, Norway, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Asetek today provides an update on the company's full year 2021 expectations, triggered by the effects of new and ongoing Covid-19 shut-downs in China disrupting Asetek'supply chain. The update also reflects wider supply chain challenges and non-recurring costs related to a sharpening of Asetek's Data center segment to improve profitability.

Asetek's operations have been affected by shut down in the Tongan District in China, hindering sub-suppliers' deliveries of components, and a challenging Covid-19 situation in Xiamen, hindering deliveries of components to Asetek's contract manufacturers and consequently their shipments to Asetek.

In addition to the new Covid-19 effects in China, continued components shortages and increasing logistics costs are affecting both Asetek and the company's customers and partners, leading to increased uncertainty related to sales and costs for the remainder of the year.

Coinciding with the Covid-19 effects in China and the wider supply chain challenges, Asetek has decided to sharpen its Data center business segment and exit the High Performing Computing (HPC) niche. The decision was taken to protect Asetek's future profitability from increasing HPC investment needs, lacking revenue from the HPC area and an upcoming milestone with an external HPC partner involving binding commitments. Asetek will prioritize the general data center market and support legislation increasing adoption of the company's sustainable data center solutions, capitalizing on the company's liquid cooling technology and long-term investments in the Data center business segment.

On August 12, Asetek announced its second quarter report with full year 2021 expectations including revenue growth of 20-30% compared with 2020 and an operating income of $8-12 million.

Based on the current situation and outlook, Asetek's updated full year 2021 expectations are:

*Group revenue growth of 10-20% compared with 2020

*Operating income between $0-2 million compared with $11 million in 2020

The reduced operating income expectation is explained by reduced sales due to China lock-downs, increased shipping and component costs, as well as non-recurring costs of $2.5 million associated with the sharpening of the Data center segment by exiting the HPC niche.

"The shut-downs, component shortages and shipping bottle necks are challenging the supply chains of both Asetek and our customers. This impacts our revenue and cost expectations. We have highlighted the risk related to Covid-19 and component shortages over time. As the situation now unfolds, we will adapt to the current environment, reduce spending and focus on delivering on the strong underlying demand we have experienced over time" Andre Sloth Eriksen, the CEO of Asetek says.

"Asetek has a clear strategy of profitable growth. Since our HPC area continue to burn cash and don't materialize meaningful returns, we decided to exit HPC. We maintain our long-term dedication and exposure to sustainable data centers with a focused approach, while improving our shorter-term profitability. The time was right to make a decision since we were facing a milestone with an external HPC partner involving binding commitments" Andre Sloth Eriksen adds.

Asetek will hold an investor conference call later today and will provide additional comments then and not before that. The company will report its third quarter results on October 28, 2021. Today's update is based on new and currently available information, and the company will provide further updates on its business and outlook via interim reporting and other disclosure when relevant.

Investor conference call today Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 4:30 PM CEST

CEO Andre Sloth Eriksen, COO John Hamill and CFO Peter Dam Madsen will hold a conference call and Q&A related to the updated full year 2021 expectations at 4:30 PM CEST today.

The conference call and Q&A session can be accessed by using the following link: https://streams.eventcdn.net/asetek/fy2021

CONTACT:

Peter Dam Madsen

Chief Financial Officer

Asetek

Assensvej 2, 9220 Aalborg East, Denmark

Mobile: +45 20 80 72 00

About Asetek

Asetek, the creator of the all-in-one liquid cooler, is the global leader for liquid cooling solutions for high performance gaming and enthusiast PCs, and environmentally aware data centers. Founded in 2000, Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in China, Taiwan and the United States. Asetek is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ASTK.OL).

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock exchange release was published by Peter Dam Madsen, CFO at Asetek A/S, on September 22, 2021 at 12:45 CEST

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/asetek/r/asetek---update-to-full-year-2021-guidance,c3419588

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Asetek
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America today announced findings from its 11th annual Workplace Benefits Report, which revealed 95% of employers feel a sense of responsibility for the financial wellness of their employees, up from 81% in 2015 1 , and more than half (56%) feel extremely responsible. The report also found that over the last year, more employers are offering financial wellness programs (46%, up from 40% in 2020 2 ) and expanding several types of financial wellness support. More than two-in-five employers now offer access to financial advisors (47%), support for developing good financial habits (45%), and access to financial products or services (42%), up from 40%, 39% and 33% in 2020 2 , respectively.

The survey also found that, as the workforce becomes increasingly diverse, employers are taking a more holistic approach to programs that address their employees overall wellness. In fact, 72% of employers offer diversity and inclusion programs or plan to in the next one-to-two years, and 55% are taking steps to support an intergenerational workforce. And the approach is paying off, with 57% of employers saying that providing resources to help employees manage their overall well-being has driven increased productivity.

"The role of workplace benefits and wellness programs in improving employees' quality of life is more important than ever, and it's encouraging to see higher reported well-being among employees amid the pandemic," said Lorna Sabbia, Head of Retirement and Personal Wealth Solutions for Bank of America. "While we should celebrate the increasing prevalence and expansion of these programs, more can still be done to empower and support employees' throughout their often complex financial journeys."

Based on a nationwide survey of 1,363 employees and 834 employers, the Workplace Benefits Report examines trends related to workplace financial benefits and wellness programs. Other key findings include:

Employee feelings of financial wellness are rebounding . As employers continue their efforts to improve wellness initiatives, half (51%) of employees rate their financial wellness as good or excellent, up from 49% in 2020 2 , and making progress toward pre-pandemic levels in 2019 3 (55%).

. As employers continue their efforts to improve wellness initiatives, half (51%) of employees rate their financial wellness as good or excellent, up from 49% in 2020 , and making progress toward pre-pandemic levels in 2019 (55%). Younger employee populations have more gender and ethnic diversity. Women make up 69% of Generation Z and Millennial (ages 18-44) employee groups vs. 51% of Baby Boomer and Silent Generation employee groups (ages 55+). Younger employee populations are significantly more ethnically diverse as well.

Women make up 69% of Generation Z and Millennial (ages 18-44) employee groups vs. 51% of Baby Boomer and Silent Generation employee groups (ages 55+). Younger employee populations are significantly more ethnically diverse as well. Workplace benefits programs must go beyond financial topics. Employees say their mental (60%), physical (54%) and financial (46%) health significantly impacts their overall well-being, yet only one-third of employers communicate about mental and physical health more than twice a year.

Employees say their mental (60%), physical (54%) and financial (46%) health significantly impacts their overall well-being, yet only one-third of employers communicate about mental and physical health more than twice a year. Healthcare is an area for improvement . Only 35% of employers offer a high-deductible health plan which would give employees access to a Health Savings Account (HSA). Among eligible employees, the use of HSAs is significant, with 68% of Gen Z and Millennial employee groups contributing to their HSA, 84% of Generation Xers (ages 45-54), and 74% of Baby Boomer and Silent Generation employee groups.

. Only 35% of employers offer a high-deductible health plan which would give employees access to a Health Savings Account (HSA). Among eligible employees, the use of HSAs is significant, with 68% of Gen Z and Millennial employee groups contributing to their HSA, 84% of Generation Xers (ages 45-54), and 74% of Baby Boomer and Silent Generation employee groups. Debt remains a challenge. 88% of Black/African American employees, 87% of Hispanic/Latino employees, 81% of White/Caucasian and 60% of Asian employees currently hold some type of debt. Employers are responding to this challenge, as 53% now offer help with debt as a part of their financial wellness program, up from 15% in 2013 4 .

88% of Black/African American employees, 87% of Hispanic/Latino employees, 81% of White/Caucasian and 60% of Asian employees currently hold some type of debt. Employers are responding to this challenge, as 53% now offer help with debt as a part of their financial wellness program, up from 15% in 2013 . Employees crave professional advice and guidance. Employees listed access to a financial advisor, information on retirement plans and help developing financial skills and good financial habits as the top three areas where they desire greater support from employers.

Financial wellness and stress levels vary based on employees' ethnicity and generation

According to the report, younger generations entering the workforce are more ethnically diverse  and both age and ethnicity play a critical role in employees' sense of financial stress and wellness:

Employees across various ethnicities reported fairly consistent levels of overall financial well-being, however 40% of Black/African American, 38% of Hispanic/Latino, 26% of Asian and 22% of Caucasian employees say financial stress negatively impacts their productivity at work.

Younger generations are lagging their older counterparts when it comes to financial wellness. Less than half of Gen Z/Millennials (48%) and Gen X (48%) rank themselves as financially well, compared to 58% of Baby Boomers/Silent Generation.

Gen Z/ Millennials (93%) and Gen X (94%) were also more likely to say they feel stress when thinking about their financial situation, when compared with Baby Boomers/Silent Generation (84%).

Women continue to lag men in financial wellness

Women continue to trail their male counterparts in their feelings about financial wellness and preparedness. Forty-seven percent of women rate their financial wellness as good or excellent, compared to more than half of men (57%). Additional differences between men and women include:

92% of women feel some level of stress about their financial situation, compared to 88% of men. Women are also twice as likely to be kept up at night by financial stress (11% vs. 5%).

Women are more likely than men to have credit card debt (53% vs. 43%) and to have student loans (25% vs. 17%). They're also more likely to be adversely affected by this debt. Fifty-nine percent don't have control over their debt (compared to 50% of men); and 32% say debt impacts their ability to achieve their goals, compared to 23% of men.

Saving for retirement is the top financial priority for men and women alike, however a smaller percentage of women are prioritizing saving (34% vs. 46% of men).

"As the age, gender and ethnicity of workforces becomes more diverse, the variations of support needed by employees will continue to expand," said Kevin Crain, Head of Workplace Solutions Integration at Bank of America. "We believe a more diverse workforce will look to employers to provide tailored solutions for help in achieving their goals. Through programs such as our Financial Life Benefits offering, Bank of America is committed to partnering with employers to embrace diversity and provide wellness programs catering to the unique needs of all employees."

Bank of America's Retirement & Personal Wealth Solutions organization serves more than 26,000 companies of all sizes and more than 5.7 million employees as of December 31, 2020 5 . Bank of America offers institutional client employees a range of financial benefit programs to help them pursue their financial future.

More findings, including action steps for employers, are available in the Bank of America 2021 Workplace Benefits Report.

Workplace Benefits Report Methodology

Escalent surveyed a national sample of 1,363 employees who are working full-time and participate in 401(k) plans, and 834 employers who offer both a 401(k) plan and have sole or shared responsibility for decisions made in the plan. The survey was conducted between December 28, 2020 and February 8, 2021. To qualify for the survey, employees had to be current participants of a 401(k) plan and employers had to offer a 401(k) plan option. Neither was required to work with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Bank of America Merrill Lynch was not identified as the sponsor of the study. Bank of America Retirement & Benefit Plan Services empower employers and employees to take action and work toward their financial goals today and into retirement.

Financial Wellness at Bank of America

At Bank of America, we know that supporting the physical, financial and emotional wellbeing of our employees in their personal life also supports them in their work life  so they can be the best at work and at home. When it comes to financial wellness, we believe that the more informed people are about their money, the clearer their financial outlook can be. This applies not just to our clients, but to our employees, as well. This is why we offer robust financial offerings to our employees that focus on driving better behaviors across life priorities and the financial spectrum  budgeting, planning, saving, investing and more. Our competitive financial benefits  including 401(k) plans that include a company match, retirement advice 6 , health savings accounts 7 , banking 8 and investing 9 programs, educational resources and financial wellness tools  help employees address money issues in the here-and-now, prepare for retirement and help protect their family over the long term.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 66 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,300 retail financial centers, approximately 17,000 ATMs, and award-winning digital banking with approximately 41 million active users, including approximately 32 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts.

www.bankofamerica.com

Bank of America is a marketing name for the Retirement Services business of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp."). Banking activities may be performed by wholly owned banking affiliates of BofA Corp., including Bank of America, N.A., member FDIC. Brokerage and Investment advisory services are provided by wholly owned non-bank affiliates of BofA Corp., including Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as "MLPF&S" or "Merrill"), a dually registered broker-dealer and investment adviser and member SIPC.

Investment products:

Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value

 2021 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. MAP3742720

Reporters may contact:

Don Vecchiarello, Bank of America

Phone: 1.980.387.4899

[email protected]

1 2015 Workplace Benefits Report

2 2020 Workplace Benefits Report

3 2019 Workplace Benefits Report

4 2013 Workplace Benefits Report

5 Source: Global Wealth and Investment Management Finance.

6 Investment advice on 401(k) assets is only provided to plan participants through certain investment advisory programs as directed by plan sponsors.

7 Made available through Bank of America, N.A.

8 Bank products are available from Bank of America, N.A., and affiliated banks.

9 Investment products are available from Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated.

SOURCE Bank of America Corporation

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BASF wins 2021 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award for third consecutive time. Focus is sustainable performance. Tweet this

"Post-pandemic, sustainability has returned as a major focus for consumers at an even greater level than before," said Marcelo Lu, Senior Vice President, Care Chemicals, BASF North America. "The focus now is on sustainable performance, and the Safer Choice standards symbolize the type of products brands and suppliers wish to develop. At BASF we are proud to have a growing portfolio of ingredients that are listed on CleanGredients and the EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List. These ingredients are effective and offer a strong biodegradability and sustainability profile."

To qualify for the Safer Choice label, a product must meet EPA's Safer Choice Standard, which includes stringent human and environmental health criteria. Approximately 400 formulators and manufacturers engage in the program and produce about 2,000 certified products for both retail and institutional customers. An ingredient qualifies only after it has been reviewed and approved by the Safer Choice program. EPA's Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL) and CleanGredients are resources that can be used to help formulators make products that meet EPA's Safer Choice criteria.

BASF's portfolio of ingredients that meet Safer Choice criteria includes chelating agents, processing aids and additives, surfactants, polymers, plasticizers and solvents that are used across applications for home care as well as industrial and institutional cleaning solutions.

More information on the 2021 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners, and summaries of their accomplishments are available at: http://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-choice-partner-year-awards.

About the Care Chemicals division at BASF

The BASF division Care Chemicals offers a broad range of ingredients for personal care, home care, industrial & institutional cleaning, and technical applications. We are a globally leading supplier for the cosmetics industry as well as the detergents and cleaning industry, and support our customers with innovative and sustainable products, solutions and concepts. The division's high-performance product portfolio includes surfactants, emulsifiers, polymers, emollients, chelating agents, cosmetic active ingredients, UV filters and enzymes. We have production and development sites in all regions and are expanding our presence in emerging markets. Further information is available online at www.care-chemicals.basf.com.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 17,000 employees in North America and had sales of $18.7 billion in 2020. For more information about BASF's North American operations, visit www.basf.com/us .

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 110,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of 59 billion in 2020. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at http://www.basf.com .

Media Relations contact

Ido Kadman

+1-201-787-1042

[email protected]

BASF Corporation

100 Park Avenue

Florham Park, NJ 07932

United States of America

www.basf.com

SOURCE BASF Corporation

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MIAMI, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ask anyone who attended the Asian Sky Group's recently-completed conference and exhibition and they will confirm: The metaverse is for real. Between September 14 and 16, the Miami-based startup Mytaverse hosted a business aviation trade show. What's unique about a trade show you ask? When it's the first one to be fully experienced in hybrid-reality , a lot.

Mytaverse and ASG teams do group photo in Mytaverse after 3-day aviation trade show ASG attendees meeting for an interview in Mytaverse

Featuring over 50 exhibitors, including Dassault Aviation, Leonardo Helicopters, Textron Aviation, Embraer Executive Jets and many other recognized names in business jet support and services like NetJets, JSSI, Sino Jet Group and Metrojet, the Mytvarse platform enabled visitors to free themselves "physically" from the restrictions of the past 18 months. A common sentiment among the attendees was that they had actually traveled to a conference and been "away on business for 3 days."

One attendee shared: "Congratulations to the team on a truly remarkable event. My daughter saw the screen and said 'Wow! That's amazing, ' which I think sums it up very well."

Another added: "This is a first in aviation. From what I know, a first in conference and trade shows. A first in the Metaverse."

Supported by the Epic Games Unreal Engine 4 and PureWeb pixel-streaming, the Mytaverse experience enabled the nearly 1300 unique visitors to walk around, or "teleport," from hall to hall. There were 4 exhibition halls in total filled with stands of varying sizes. Over 10 hours of panels with industry experts discussing the future of business aviation in Asia could be heard in the auditorium.

Demand for the platform was so high from literally the first hour that organizers had to temporarily pause entry into Mytaverse.

Mytaverse Co-founder & CTO Jaime Lopez commented,"I think this is truly evolutionary technology changing not only how we conduct business but how humans interact. Mytaverse connects people from different parts of the world, different cultures, and immerses them into a digital reality that allows them to feel and sense the experience of being 'there' without moving from the comfort of their homes or workplace. What we witnessed this week is like seeing the first flight of the Wright Brothers. From here on, our technology will evolve into making that connection between the user and the digital world as seamless as possible."

Jeffrey Lowe, CEO of Asian Sky Group and Asian Sky Media, echoed Lopez's comments, adding, "I want to thank Mytaverse for successfully orchestrating a complex, hybrid-reality event. Attendees were able to participate and navigate much as they would have at traditional trade shows while being able to do so without goggles or complex machines required."

Mytaverse started building its platform slightly over one year ago. The company currently employs 25 people. Mytaverse CEO, Kenneth Landau, added, "our vision is for exhibitors to have a 24/7 online showroom where their teams can meet and interact with customers. It is much more intimate than staring at a video in a 2-D world."

Ranging from museums to medical associations, from movie theaters to upskilling for employees, Mytaverse is already crafting winning solutions for many companies like Pepsico and Grupo Phoenix.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Founded in 2020, GathR Virtual Studios, Inc., created Mytaverse to meet demand for hybrid and augmented reality meetings and workspaces. As a fully immersive platform using Epic Games Unreal Engine 4 and PurWeb pixel streaming, Mytaverse offers dynamic experiences for business, job simulations, education and more. The hardware-agnostic approach enables users from anywhere to enter through only a browser on their PC or Mac. Next up is the mobile version further strengthening the commitment to from anywhere, anytime.

Media Contact

Brian Kean

305-336-0548

[email protected]

SOURCE Mytaverse
Revenue exceeds expectations and Company adds deep cybersecurity industry experience to drive growth

- Total company revenue of $175 million.

- IoT revenue of $40 million.

- Cyber Security revenue of $120 million.

- Licensing & Other revenue of $15 million.

- Positive operating cash flow of $12 million.

- Non-GAAP loss per basic and diluted share of $0.06; GAAP loss per basic and diluted share of $0.25. A non-cash accounting adjustment to the fair value of the convertible debentures, as a result of market and trading conditions, accounts for approximately $0.12 of GAAP loss per share.

WATERLOO, ON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today reported financial results for the three months ended August 31, 2021 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).

"Revenue for all businesses beat expectations this quarter. The Cyber Security business unit delivered robust sequential billings and revenue growth and the IoT business unit performed well in the face of global chip shortage pressures," said John Chen, Executive Chairman & CEO, BlackBerry. "We are already seeing benefits from establishing the two key business units and are delighted to appoint John Giamatteo as President of Cyber Security. Giamatteo, who was previously President and Chief Revenue Officer at McAfee, adds leading industry expertise. In IoT, design activity for our QNX products remains very strong, demonstrating both our industry leadership position and secular trends, such as ECU consolidation. In Cyber Security we received strong third-party validation of the effectiveness of our AI-driven, prevention-first suite of products, illustrating progress made with recent product launches."

Second Quarter Fiscal 2022 Financial Highlights

Total company revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 was $175 million .

. Total company non-GAAP gross margin was 65% and GAAP gross margin was 64%.

IoT revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 was $40 million , with gross margin of 83% and ARR of $89 million .

, with gross margin of 83% and ARR of . Cyber Security revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 was $120 million , with gross margin of 59% and ARR of $364 million .

, with gross margin of 59% and ARR of . Licensing and Other revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 was $15 million as negotiations for the sale of a portion of the patent portfolio continue. Gross margin was 60%.

as negotiations for the sale of a portion of the patent portfolio continue. Gross margin was 60%. Non-GAAP operating loss was $30 million . GAAP operating loss was $141 million , primarily due to a non-cash accounting adjustment to the fair value of the convertible debentures, resulting from market and trading conditions, of $67 million .

. GAAP operating loss was , primarily due to a non-cash accounting adjustment to the fair value of the convertible debentures, resulting from market and trading conditions, of . Non-GAAP loss per share was $0.06 (basic and diluted). GAAP loss per share was $0.25 (basic and diluted).

(basic and diluted). GAAP loss per share was (basic and diluted). Total cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments were $772 million .

. Net cash generated from operating activities was $12 million .

Business Highlights & Strategic Announcements

BlackBerry has design wins with 24 of the world's leading 25 Electric Vehicle (EV) automakers. This has increased from 23 of the top 25 last quarter following an EV win with Daimler.

BlackBerry IVY to deliver highly secure vehicle-based payments, leveraging direct access to vehicle sensor data and edge processing to create a "digital fingerprint". Delivered through a partnership with Car IQ.

Nobo Technologies selects BlackBerry QNX Neutrino as foundation for new Digital Cockpit Controller for Great Wall Motors' Haval G6S SUV. Great Wall Motors is China's largest producer of SUV vehicles.

largest producer of SUV vehicles. sTraffic, Korea's leading solution developer for transportation infrastructure systems, selects QNX OS for Safety as the foundation for their train traffic management system that includes unmanned train operations.

BlackBerry launches BlackBerry Jarvis 2.0 composition analysis tool. Delivered as a more user-friendly SaaS offering, Jarvis 2.0 empowers OEMs to validate and ensure the quality of their multi-tiered software bill of materials.

BlackBerry awarded highest AAA rating by SE Labs in breach test of BlackBerry Protect (EPP) and BlackBerry Optics (EDR). The breach test adopted a range of real-world hacker tactics and BlackBerry's AI-driven products delivered complete prevention and detection with zero false positives.

BlackBerry UEM integrates with Microsoft 365, delivering BlackBerry's industry-leading security to Microsoft's productivity products.

BlackBerry AtHoc critical event management platform used as foundation for autonomous flood risk and clean water monitoring solution.

BlackBerry updates SecuSUITE capabilities to protect group phone calls and messages for governments and businesses from high risk eavesdropping.

Appointment of New Cyber Security Business Unit President

BlackBerry has appointed John Giamatteo as President of the Cyber Security business unit. With this strategic hire the company adds significant industry experience. Giamatteo will join the company on October 4th and report to Executive Chairman and CEO John Chen. He will be responsible for business unit strategy, engineering, and go-to-market.

Giamatteo brings to BlackBerry over 30 years of experience with technology companies. Most recently he served as President and Chief Revenue Officer of McAfee, where he was responsible for sales, marketing, and customer success. During his time with McAfee, he delivered strong double-digit growth across its Enterprise, SMB and Consumer businesses as well as significant margin expansion across the portfolio. Prior to that he served as Chief Operating Officer at AVG Technologies, a leading provider of Internet and mobile security. Giamatteo also held leadership positions with Solera Holdings, RealNetworks, Inc. and Nortel Network Corporation.

"I'm excited to be joining BlackBerry and to be leading the Cyber Security business unit. Never has the threat of cyberattacks been higher, nor more in the minds of management," said Giamatteo. "BlackBerry's AI-driven, prevention-first technology is well placed to scale to meet the constantly evolving cybersecurity needs of companies everywhere. I'm very positive about the opportunities that we have as a company."

Tom Eacobacci, BlackBerry's President and COO, has decided to pursue other opportunities and will leave the Company on October 29th. BlackBerry thanks Tom for his hard work and contributions in his time at the Company.

Outlook

BlackBerry will provide fiscal year 2022 outlook in connection with the quarterly earnings announcement on its earnings conference call. The earnings call transcript will be made available on our website and on SEDAR.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The tables at the end of this press release include a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures used by the company to comparable U.S. GAAP measures and an explanation of why the company uses them.

Conference Call and Webcast

A conference call and live webcast will be held today beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET, which can be accessed by dialing +1 (877) 682-6267 or by logging on at BlackBerry.com/Investors.

A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET by dialing +1 (800) 585-8367 and entering Conference ID #6149337 and at the link above.

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including more than 195M vehicles. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security, endpoint management, encryption, and embedded systems. BlackBerry's vision is clear - to secure a connected future you can trust.

BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere.

For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.

Investor Contact:

BlackBerry Investor Relations

+1 (519) 888-7465

[email protected]

Media Contact:

BlackBerry Media Relations

+1 (519) 597-7273

[email protected]

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, including under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding BlackBerry's plans, strategies and objectives including its expectations with respect to increasing and enhancing its product and service offerings.

The words "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "could", "intend", "believe", "target", "plan" and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by BlackBerry in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that BlackBerry believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including but not limited to, BlackBerry's expectations regarding its business, strategy, opportunities and prospects, the launch of new products and services, general economic conditions, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, competition, and BlackBerry's expectations regarding its financial performance. Many factors could cause BlackBerry's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, risks related to the following factors: BlackBerry's ability to enhance, develop, introduce or monetize products and services for the enterprise market in a timely manner with competitive pricing, features and performance; BlackBerry's ability to maintain or expand its customer base for its software and services offerings to grow revenue or achieve sustained profitability; the intense competition faced by BlackBerry; the occurrence or perception of a breach of BlackBerry's network cybersecurity measures, or an inappropriate disclosure of confidential or personal information; the failure or perceived failure of BlackBerry's solutions to detect or prevent security vulnerabilities; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; BlackBerry's continuing ability to attract new personnel, retain existing key personnel and manage its staffing effectively; BlackBerry's dependence on its relationships with resellers and channel partners; litigation against BlackBerry; network disruptions or other business interruptions; BlackBerry's ability to foster an ecosystem of third-party application developers; BlackBerry's products and services being dependent upon interoperability with rapidly changing systems provided by third parties; BlackBerry's ability to obtain rights to use third-party software and its use of open source software; failure to protect BlackBerry's intellectual property and to earn expected revenues from intellectual property rights; BlackBerry being found to have infringed on the intellectual property rights of others; the substantial asset risk faced by BlackBerry, including the potential for charges related to its long-lived assets and goodwill; BlackBerry's indebtedness; tax provision changes, the adoption of new tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities; the use and management of user data and personal information; government regulations applicable to BlackBerry's products and services, including products containing encryption capabilities; the failure of BlackBerry's suppliers, subcontractors, channel partners and representatives to use acceptable ethical business practices or comply with applicable laws; regulations regarding health and safety, hazardous materials usage and conflict minerals; acquisitions, divestitures and other business initiatives; foreign operations, including fluctuations in foreign currencies; the fluctuation of BlackBerry's quarterly revenue and operating results; the volatility of the market price of BlackBerry's common shares; adverse economic, geopolitical and environmental conditions.

These risk factors and others relating to BlackBerry are discussed in greater detail in BlackBerry's Annual Report on Form 10-K and the "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" section of BlackBerry's MD&A (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). All of these factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on BlackBerry's forward-looking statements. Any statements that are forward-looking statements are intended to enable BlackBerry's shareholders to view the anticipated performance and prospects of BlackBerry from management's perspective at the time such statements are made, and they are subject to the risks that are inherent in all forward-looking statements, as described above, as well as difficulties in forecasting BlackBerry's financial results and performance for future periods, particularly over longer periods, given changes in technology and BlackBerry's business strategy, evolving industry standards, intense competition and short product life cycles that characterize the industries in which BlackBerry operates. BlackBerry has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

BlackBerry Limited Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario (United States dollars, in millions except share and per share amounts) (unaudited)

Consolidated Statements of Operations



Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

August 31,

2021

May 31,

2021

August 31,

2020

August 31,

2021

August 31,

2020 Revenue $ 175



$ 174



$ 259



$ 349



$ 465

Cost of sales 63



60



60



123



123

Gross margin 112



114



199



226



342

Gross margin % 64.0 %

65.5 %

76.8 %

64.8 %

73.5 % Operating expenses

















Research and development 58



57



57



115



114

Selling, marketing and administration 83



73



79



156



169

Amortization 45



46



46



91



92

Impairment of goodwill 















594

Impairment of long-lived assets 







21







21

Debentures fair value adjustment 67



(4)



18



63



19



253



172



221



425



1,009

Operating loss (141)



(58)



(22)



(199)



(667)

Investment loss, net (1)



(2)



(5)



(3)



(5)

Loss before income taxes (142)



(60)



(27)



(202)



(672)

Provision for (recovery of) income taxes 2



2



(4)



4



(13)

Net loss $ (144)



$ (62)



$ (23)



$ (206)



$ (659)

Loss per share

















Basic $ (0.25)



$ (0.11)



$ (0.04)



$ (0.36)



$ (1.18)

Diluted $ (0.25)



$ (0.11)



$ (0.04)



$ (0.36)



$ (1.18)





















Weighted-average number of common shares

outstanding (000s)

















Basic 568,082



567,358



558,882



567,724



558,365

Diluted 568,082



567,358



558,882



567,724



558,365

Total common shares outstanding (000s) 566,995



566,248



556,468



566,995



556,468



BlackBerry Limited Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario (United States dollars, in millions) (unaudited)

Consolidated Balance Sheets





As at



August 31, 2021

February 28, 2021 Assets







Current







Cash and cash equivalents

$ 291



$ 214

Short-term investments

416



525

Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $9 and $10, respectively

121



182

Other receivables

23



25

Income taxes receivable

9



10

Other current assets

50



50





910



1,006

Restricted cash equivalents and restricted short-term investments

27



28

Long-term investments

38



37

Other long-term assets

13



16

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

57



63

Property, plant and equipment, net

44



48

Goodwill

848



849

Intangible assets, net

695



771





$ 2,632



$ 2,818

Liabilities







Current







Accounts payable

$ 22



$ 20

Accrued liabilities

174



178

Income taxes payable

9



6

Deferred revenue, current

198



225





403



429

Deferred revenue, non-current

46



69

Operating lease liabilities

79



90

Other long-term liabilities

4



6

Long-term debentures

782



720





1,314



1,314

Shareholders' equity







Capital stock and additional paid-in capital

2,845



2,823

Deficit

(1,512)



(1,306)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(15)



(13)





1,318



1,504





$ 2,632



$ 2,818



BlackBerry Limited Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario (United States dollars, in millions) (unaudited)

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows



Six Months Ended

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020 Cash flows from operating activities





Net loss $ (206)



$ (659)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:





Amortization 97



100

Stock-based compensation 17



22

Impairment of goodwill 



594

Impairment of long-lived assets 



21

Debentures fair value adjustment 63



19

Operating leases (8)



(2)

Other (2)



(3)

Net changes in working capital items





Accounts receivable, net of allowance 61



(29)

Other receivables 2



(11)

Income taxes receivable 1



(3)

Other assets 4



43

Accounts payable 2



(2)

Accrued liabilities (2)



(21)

Income taxes payable 3



(12)

Deferred revenue (50)



(57)

Net cash used in operating activities (18)





Cash flows from investing activities





Acquisition of long-term investments (1)



(1)

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment (4)



(3)

Acquisition of intangible assets (14)



(16)

Acquisition of short-term investments (429)



(320)

Proceeds on sale or maturity of restricted short-term investments 24





Proceeds on sale or maturity of short-term investments 537



794

Net cash provided by investing activities 113



454

Cash flows from financing activities





Issuance of common shares 5



6

Payment of finance lease liability 



(1)

Net cash provided by financing activities 5



5

Effect of foreign exchange gain on cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash

equivalents 



1

Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents during the

period 100



460

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents, beginning of period 218



426

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents, end of period $ 318



$ 886





As at August 31, 2021

February 28, 2021 Cash and cash equivalents $ 291



$ 214

Restricted cash equivalents and restricted short-term investments 27



28

Short-term investments 416



525

Long-term investments 38



37



$ 772



$ 804



Reconciliations of the Company's Segment Results to the Consolidated Results

The following table shows information by operating segment for the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020. The Company reports segment information in accordance with U.S. GAAP Accounting Standards Codification Section 280 based on the "management" approach. The management approach designates the internal reporting used by the Chief Operating Decision Maker for making decisions and assessing performance of the Company's reportable operating segments.



For the Three Months Ended (in millions) (unaudited)

Cyber Security

IoT

Licensing and Other

Segment Totals

August 31,

2021

August 31,

2020

August 31,

2021

August 31,

2020

August 31,

2021

August 31,

2020

August 31,

2021

August 31,

2020 Segment revenue $ 120



$ 120



$ 40



$ 31



$ 15



$ 108



$ 175



$ 259

Segment cost of sales 49



46



7



6



6



7



62



59

Segment gross margin $ 71



$ 74



$ 33



$ 25



$ 9



$ 101



$ 113



$ 200

Segment gross margin % 59 %

62 %

83 %

81 %

60 %

94 %

65 %

77 %

































































The following table reconciles the Company's segment results for the three months ended August 31, 2021 to consolidated U.S. GAAP results:



For the Three Months Ended August 31, 2021

(in millions) (unaudited)

Cyber Security

IoT Licensing and

Other Segment Totals

Reconciling

Items

Consolidated

U.S. GAAP Revenue $ 120



$ 40



$ 15



$ 175



$ 



$ 175

Cost of sales (1) 49



7



6



62



1



63

Gross margin $ 71



$ 33



$ 9



$ 113



$ (1)



$ 112

Operating expenses















253



253

Investment loss, net















1



1

Loss before income taxes



















$ (142)





______________________________ (1) See "Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures with the Nearest Comparable U.S. GAAP Measures" for a reconciliation of selected U.S. GAAP-based measures to adjusted measures for the three months ended August 31, 2021.

The following table reconciles the Company's segment results for the three months ended August 31, 2020 to consolidated U.S. GAAP results:



For the Three Months Ended August 31, 2020

(in millions) (unaudited)

Cyber Security

IoT Licensing and

Other Segment Totals

Reconciling

Items

Consolidated

U.S. GAAP Revenue $ 120



$ 31



$ 108



$ 259



$ 



$ 259

Cost of sales (1) 46



6



7



59



1



60

Gross margin $ 74



$ 25



$ 101



$ 200



$ (1)



$ 199

Operating expenses















221



221

Investment loss, net















5



5

Loss before income taxes



















$ (27)





______________________________ (1) See "Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures with the Nearest Comparable U.S. GAAP Measures" for a reconciliation of selected U.S. GAAP-based measures to adjusted measures for the three months ended August 31, 2020.

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures with the Nearest Comparable U.S. GAAP Measures

In the Company's internal reports, management evaluates the performance of the Company's business on a non-GAAP basis by excluding the impact of certain items below from the Company's U.S. GAAP financial results. The Company believes that these non-GAAP measures provide management, as well as readers of the Company's financial statements, with a consistent basis for comparison across accounting periods and is useful in helping management and readers understand the Company's operating results and underlying operational trends. In the first quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company discontinued its use of software deferred revenue acquired and software deferred commission acquired adjustments in its non-GAAP financial measures due to the quantitative decline in the adjustments over time. For purposes of comparability, the Company's non-GAAP financial measures for the three and six months ended August 31, 2020 have been updated to conform to the current year's presentation.

Readers are cautioned that adjusted gross margin, adjusted gross margin percentage, adjusted operating expense, adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted EBITDA, adjusted operating income (loss) margin percentage, adjusted EBITDA margin percentage, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted income (loss) per share, adjusted research and development expense, adjusted selling, marketing and administrative expense and adjusted amortization expense and similar measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in the context of the U.S. GAAP results.

Reconciliation of non-GAAP based measures with most directly comparable U.S. GAAP based measures for the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020

A reconciliation of the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures for the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020 to adjusted financial measures is reflected in the table below:

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020 Gross margin

$ 112



$ 199

Stock compensation expense

1



1

Adjusted gross margin

$ 113



$ 200











Gross margin %

64.0 %

76.8 % Stock compensation expense

0.6 %

0.4 % Adjusted gross margin %

64.6 %

77.2 %

Reconciliation of operating expense for the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020 to adjusted operating expense is reflected in the table below:

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020 Operating expense

$ 253



$ 221

Restructuring charges





1

Stock compensation expense

11



8

Debentures fair value adjustment

67



18

Acquired intangibles amortization

32



32

LLA impairment charge





21

Adjusted operating expense

$ 143



$ 141



Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP net loss and U.S. GAAP basic loss per share for the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020 to adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted basic earnings (loss) per share is reflected in the table below:

For the Three Months Ended (in millions, except per share amounts)

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020







Basic loss

per share





Basic

earnings

(loss) per

share Net loss

$ (144)



$(0.25)

$ (23)



$(0.04) Restructuring charges









1





Stock compensation expense

12







9





Debentures fair value adjustment

67







18





Acquired intangibles amortization

32







32





LLA impairment charge









21





Adjusted net income (loss)

$ (33)



$(0.06)

$ 58



$0.10

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP research and development, selling, marketing and administration, and amortization expense for the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020 to adjusted research and development, selling, marketing and administration, and amortization expense is reflected in the table below:

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020 Research and development

$ 58



$ 57

Stock compensation expense

2



2

Adjusted research and development

$ 56



$ 55











Selling, marketing and administration

$ 83



$ 79

Restructuring charges





1

Stock compensation expense

9



6

Adjusted selling, marketing and administration

$ 74



$ 72











Amortization

$ 45



$ 46

Acquired intangibles amortization

32



32

Adjusted amortization

$ 13



$ 14



Adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted EBITDA, adjusted operating income (loss) margin percentage and adjusted EBITDA margin percentage for the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020 are reflected in the table below.

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020 Operating loss

$ (141)



$ (22)

Non-GAAP adjustments to operating loss







Restructuring charges





1

Stock compensation expense

12



9

Debentures fair value adjustment

67



18

Acquired intangibles amortization

32



32

LLA impairment charge





21

Total non-GAAP adjustments to operating loss

111



81

Adjusted operating income (loss)

(30)



59

Amortization

48



50

Acquired intangibles amortization

(32)



(32)

Adjusted EBITDA

$ (14)



$ 77











Revenue

$ 175



$ 259

Adjusted operating income (loss) margin % (1)

(17) %

23 % Adjusted EBITDA margin % (2)

(8) %

30 %



______________________________ (1) Adjusted operating income (loss) margin % is calculated by dividing adjusted operating income (loss) by revenue (2) Adjusted EBITDA margin % is calculated by dividing adjusted EBITDA by revenue

Reconciliation of non-GAAP based measures with most directly comparable U.S. GAAP based measures for the six months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020

A reconciliation of the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures for the six months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020 to adjusted financial measures is reflected in the table below:

For the Six Months Ended (in millions)

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020 Gross margin

$ 226



$ 342

Stock compensation expense

2



3

Adjusted gross margin

$ 228



$ 345











Gross margin %

64.8 %

73.5 % Stock compensation expense

0.5 %

0.7 % Adjusted gross margin %

65.3 %

74.2 %









Operating expense

$ 425



$ 1,009

Restructuring charges





2

Stock compensation expense

17



20

Debentures fair value adjustment

63



19

Acquired intangibles amortization

64



65

Goodwill impairment charge





594

LLA impairment charge





21

Adjusted operating expense

$ 281



$ 288



Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP net loss and U.S. GAAP basic loss per share for the six months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020 to adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted basic earnings (loss) per share is reflected in the table below:

For the Six Months Ended (in millions, except per share amounts)

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020







Basic loss

per share





Basic

earnings

(loss) per

share Net loss

$ (206)



$ (0.36)

$ (659)



$ (1.18) Restructuring charges









2





Stock compensation expense

19







23





Debentures fair value adjustment

63







19





Acquired intangibles amortization

64







65





Goodwill impairment charge









594





LLA impairment charge









21





Adjusted net income (loss)

$ (60)



$(0.11)

$ 65



$0.12



































Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP research and development, selling, marketing and administration, and amortization expense for the six months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020 to adjusted research and development, selling, marketing and administration, and amortization expense is reflected in the table below:

For the Six Months Ended (in millions)

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020 Research and development

$ 115



$ 114

Stock compensation expense

4



5

Adjusted research and development

$ 111



$ 109











Selling, marketing and administration

$ 156



$ 169

Restructuring charges





2

Stock compensation expense

13



15

Adjusted selling, marketing and administration

$ 143



$ 152











Amortization

$ 91



$ 92

Acquired intangibles amortization

64



65

Adjusted amortization

$ 27



$ 27



Adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted EBITDA, adjusted operating income (loss) margin percentage and adjusted EBITDA margin percentage for the six months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020 are reflected in the table below.

For the Six Months Ended (in millions)

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2020 Operating loss

$ (199)



$ (667)

Non-GAAP adjustments to operating loss







Restructuring charges





2

Stock compensation expense

19



23

Debentures fair value adjustment

63



19

Acquired intangibles amortization

64



65

Goodwill impairment charge





594

LLA impairment charge





21

Total non-GAAP adjustments to operating loss

146



724

Adjusted operating income (loss)

(53)



57

Amortization

97



100

Acquired intangibles amortization

(64)



(65)

Adjusted EBITDA

$ (20)



$ 92











Revenue

$ 349



$ 465

Adjusted operating income (loss) margin % (1)

(15) %

12 % Adjusted EBITDA margin % (2)

(6) %

20 %



______________________________ (1) Adjusted operating income (loss) margin % is calculated by dividing adjusted operating income (loss) by revenue (2) Adjusted EBITDA margin % is calculated by dividing adjusted EBITDA by revenue

Key Metrics

The Company regularly monitors a number of financial and operating metrics, including the following key metrics, in order to measure the Company's current performance and estimate future performance. Readers are cautioned that annual recurring revenue ("ARR"), dollar-based net retention rate ("DBNRR"), and recurring revenue percentage do not have any standardized meaning and are unlikely to be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

August 31, 2021 Annual Recurring Revenue



Cyber Security

$ 364

IoT

$ 89

Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate



Cyber Security

95 % Recurring Software Product Revenue

~ 80 %

SOURCE BlackBerry Limited

Related Links

https://www.blackberry.com


MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Five BIPOC entrepreneurs have won in Meda's fourth annual Million Dollar Challenge, the largest BIPOC entrepreneurial competition in the country, on Sept. 21, 2021, after 12 finalists from across the nation competed in the final pitch event. The following five companies were awarded $1.2 million in financing:

Bon AppeSweet - $350,000

Slick Chicks - $250,000

HercLeon - $200,000

FitnesCity - $200,000

Seraph 7 Studios - $200,000

"We had an incredible number of remarkable companies participate in the Meda Million Dollar Challenge this year, leaving all of us impressed and inspired," said Alfredo Martel, CEO of Meda. "As we continue to navigate past the pandemic into the new economy, the innovation and dedication from these entrepreneurs leaves me hopeful for the impact they will have on the economy and their community."

Nearly 200 businesses across the country applied to participate, and 12 finalists from six states participated in the Bootcamp for Successful Pitches and competed in front of 40 judges today. The past three years of the Million Dollar Challenge resulted in 18 BIPOC businesses from nine states receiving financial awards, totaling nearly $4 million. Four of this year's five winning businesses are women-owned.

Access to capital is one of the main challenges BIPOC entrepreneurs face. Research has shown that lack of capital, as well as racial discrimination, are largely responsible for disparities between non-BIPOC and BIPOC businesses. As part of their mission to break down barriers to wealth and self-sufficiency that entrepreneurs of color face, Meda provides business consulting, financing solutions, corporate and government opportunities, and events like the Million Dollar Challenge to bring awareness to these issues and provide solutions.

About the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (Meda):

Meda was founded by a group of Minnesota business leaders who saw BIPOC business ownership as a positive, long-term response to rising economic inequity within minority communities in our state. Meda provides business development services, access to capital and corporate and governmental market support for BIPOC entrepreneurs. Over the years, Meda has helped launch more than 500 BIPOC businesses and assisted more than 23,000 Minnesota BIPOC entrepreneurs. Meda operates a growing Community Development Fund Institution (CDFI) that provides needed capital for BIPOC businesses to become sustainable. Meda is also the host organization for the Minneapolis Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center, which has been recognized by the MBDA as the top performing center four of the last five years. For more information, visit www.MedaVision2025.net.

CONTACT:

Carol Schuler

[email protected]

612-281-7030



SOURCE Metropolitan Economic Development Association
This move secures the long-term stewardship of Change.org as a digital public utility committed to the public interest. Tweet this

Today's announcement caps an 18-month process to explore the ownership and governance structure that would best enable the organization to scale its global impact. In an unprecedented action, dozens of the company's investors will donate their equity stakes to the Change.org Foundation, including many leaders in technology and business such as Jerry Yang, Co-Founder of Yahoo!, Evan Williams, Co-Founder of Twitter and Medium, Sam Altman, Co-Founder of OpenAI, Anne Wojcicki, Co-Founder of 23andMe, Xavier Neil, Founder of Iliad, Jeff Weiner, Executive Chairman of LinkedIn, Barry Sternlicht, Chairman of Starwood Capital, Ashton Kutcher, and Blake Mycoskie, Founder of TOMS.

"We are deeply grateful for the support we've received from an extraordinary group of investors," said Rattray. "We could not have built Change.org without their support and advice, and would not be able to make this historic ownership and governance transition without their generosity."

As part of this transition, Change.org's former Chief Product Officer Nick Allardice has been appointed as the new CEO of Change.org. Allardice brings a rare combination of skills to the role as a seasoned technology executive, successful entrepreneur, and lifelong social movement campaigner.

Allardice has held leadership roles at Change.org for 10 years, and prior to his role as Chief Product Officer he spearheaded Change.org's global expansion and its campaigns teams. Before Change.org, Allardice co-founded Live Below the Line, an international digital fundraising platform that raised tens of millions of dollars for fighting poverty, and was part of the team responsible for some of the largest and most successful anti-extreme poverty protests in Australia's history.

"I'm inspired every day by the people that use Change.org to stand up for what they believe in, and the Change.org team that equips them with the tools and support they need to be heard," said Allardice. "I couldn't be more excited for our next phase, as we expand beyond petitions into a true civic infrastructure platform that empowers billions of people to use their voice, their money and their time to build a healthier, more participatory and responsive society."

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Change.org has become an essential public service enabling people to raise their voice at a time when governments and corporations were failing to meet the needs of the public. Across dozens of countries, more than 250,000 campaigns have been launched related to the pandemic and joined by more than 125 million people -- from national campaigns like the largest universal basic income campaign in US history, which has become central to the ongoing effort to provide regular financial support to struggling Americans, to thousands of local campaigns around the world to address school and essential worker safety, to personal campaigns like the successful efforts to preserve the right of birthing mothers to be accompanied by their partners in the hospital.

Today's transition ensures the essential service that Change.org provides is secured as an independent digital public utility in perpetuity.

Change.org was founded in 2007 and became one of the first tech companies to incorporate as a Public Benefit Corporation. Change.org will continue to operate as a Public Benefit Corporation wholly owned by the nonprofit Change.org Foundation, establishing an innovative, hybrid model that combines the ambition and growth trajectory of a tech company with the public interest stewardship and mission-focus of a nonprofit.

About Change.org

Change.org is the world's home for people-powered change. More than 450 million people across more than 196 countries use our petition and campaign tools to speak up on issues they're passionate about. More than 70,000 petitions are created and supported on our platform every month, with more than 1.5 million new people joining our global network of users every week.

Every day, our users collaborate to organize on local, national and global issues; hold corporations to account; and demand action from decision makers at the highest levels of government and business. Our platform is free to use, open to all, and completely independent because it's funded by the people who use it. This independence also makes Change.org a trusted resource for decision makers, who turn to the platform to hear from and respond to the communities they represent. People on Change.org have powered tens of thousands of campaign victories worldwide, and more are winning every week.

As an organization, Change.org is committed to providing the tools, resources and support needed to help democratize activism, so that anyone, anywhere has the power to create the change they want to see in the world.

CONTACT: Nicholas Puleo, [email protected]

SOURCE Change.org
BASEL, Switzerland, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BaseLaunch, the Basel Area-based biotech venture accelerator and incubator, today announces that China Medical System Holdings Limited ("CMS"), an innovation-driven specialty pharma with a focus on sales and marketing in China, has become a partner to further strengthen BaseLaunch`s industry ties fueling its company building activities.

CMS joins world class pharma, venture fund and biotechnology partners - Roche, BB Pureos Bioventures, Roivant Sciences, Bridge Biotherapeutics, CSL Behring and Johnson & Johnson Innovation - in supporting BaseLaunch's mission to build the next generation of exceptional biotech companies.

CMS, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, was founded nearly 30 years ago and has a successful track record of developing products and introducing globally innovative products into Greater China and Asia. CMS has a long history of successful partnership with a range of companies from biotechnology companies to global pharma, and has collaborations with AstraZeneca and a venture arm based in Cambridge UK. With its efficient clinical execution, commercialization capability and capital strength, CMS has initiated a new industrial investment model this year and is dedicated to building a professional and efficient incubation platform of innovative medicines with the objective of strengthening the pipeline of opportunities in biotech and life sciences.

Stephan Emmerth, Director Business Development & Operations at BaseLaunch, added: "We are very excited to be further expanding our partnership into Asia Pacific with CMS. This is the first Chinese company to partner with BaseLaunch and CMS's first partnership with an accelerator. It broadens BaseLaunch's partner diversity with pharma, venture funds and biotechnology companies and once again highlights the level of interest from leading and highly innovative corporate partners in the global biopharma community."

BaseLaunch serves as an accelerator and incubator for early-stage ventures developing cutting-edge therapeutics. It helps build companies from inception through to Series A funding, providing financing and supporting all aspects of business development. Since 2018, BaseLaunch has supported 13 early therapeutic ventures which have raised a total of more than USD 270 million in equity capital from US and European venture funds. To date, one of the early therapeutic companies, Tepthera, has been sold and several others have signed collaborations. Recently, BaseLaunch has added two more companies to its portfolio with several more deals expected to close in the coming months. Furthermore, BaseLaunch has been instrumental in the development of several more ventures. These activities have made a significant contribution to the vibrant life sciences ecosystem of the Basel Area.

BaseLaunch is operated by Basel Area Business & Innovation, the investment and innovation promotion agency of the Basel Area. BaseLaunch has partnered with a diverse group of international life sciences organisations, with the aim of harnessing the Basel Area's unique position as a global life sciences hub, as well as its rising popularity among investors, to attract the next generation of breakthrough companies.

About BaseLaunch

BaseLaunch is the Basel Area-based incubator and accelerator that helps scientists and entrepreneurs launch exceptional biotech companies. BaseLaunch serves as a growth platform for early stage ventures developing cutting-edge therapeutics. BaseLaunch helps build companies from inception through to Series A funding, providing financing and supporting all aspects of business development. Operationally run and financed by Basel Area Business & Innovation, the investment and innovation promotion agency of the Basel Area, BaseLaunch partners with leading global pharma companies and venture funds - Roche, BB Pureos Bioventures, Roivant Sciences, Bridge Bioventures, CSL Behring, Johnson & Johnson and CMS - which also feed into the pool out of which BaseLaunch funds ventures. Regional and domain partners include the cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt, KPMG, SpiroChem, Vossius & Partner, Walder Wyss attorneys at law, WuXi AppTec, Alloy Therapeutics as well as the Technology Park Basel and the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area. Since 2018, BaseLaunch supported ventures have raised in total over USD 270 million. Harnessing Basel Area's unique position as a global life sciences hub, as well as its rising popularity among investors, BaseLaunch is looking to attract the next generation of breakthrough companies and is now open for applications. Interested groups can find more information at www.baselaunch.ch

About Basel Area Business & Innovation

Basel Area Business & Innovation is the investment and innovation promotion agency dedicated to helping companies, institutions and startups find business success in the Basel Area. The organization targets and attracts companies to settle, supports founders of innovative ventures, and drives high growth initiatives in order to establish the region as the Swiss business and innovation hub of the future. The non-profit agency focuses on growing the area's cutting-edge industries life sciences, healthcare and production technologies and manages the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area which houses the organization's accelerator programs. The agency serves the cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt and Jura. www.baselarea.swiss

About China Medical System Holdings Limited

CMS is a well-established, innovation-driven specialty pharma with a focus on sales and marketing in China, dedicated to offering competitive products and services to meet China's unmet needs for health and beauty. CMS focuses on deploying innovative products that are global first-in-class, or with the best efficacy, safety or cost-effectiveness in the class due to their innovative formulations or drug delivery systems, and has deployed more than 20 innovative products with relatively high innovation level, good market potential and competitive differentiation advantages. CMS covers extensive hospital networks and expert resources in various therapeutic fields, which can accelerate the clinical development of innovative medicines in China. CMS has strong commercialization capability and has created leading market positions for a number of medicines. Jointly driven by the strong product competence, the powerful commercialization capability and the refined management system, it has become one of the pharmaceutical companies with the highest operation efficiency in China. CMS has formed a business layout with core business in pharmaceuticals, together with development of the dermatology and medical aesthetic business and the healthcare business, building a solid foundation for the rising of "new CMS". www.en.cms.net.cn

SOURCE BaseLaunch
THUNDER BAY, ON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Clean Air Metals Inc. ("Clean Air Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV: AIR) (FRA: CKU) (OTCQB: CLRMF) announces that it has filed its condensed consolidated interim financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the six-month period ended July 31, 2021, available for viewing on www.sedar.com .

Q2 Financial Highlights

Total assets as at July 31, 2021 of $37,696,643

of Total cash as at July 31, 2021 of $9,164,586

of Working capital as at July 31, 2021 of $5,927,070

of Shareholder's equity as at July 31, 2021 of $31,135,289

During the six-month period ended July 31, 2021 as previously reported, the Company,

Closed a bought deal private placement for total proceeds of approximately $11.5-million , consisting of: (i) 11,904,800 flow-through shares at a price of $0.42 per flow-through share; and (ii) 12,745,100 flow-through units at a price of $0.51 per flow-through unit, including the exercise of the underwriters' option.

, consisting of: (i) 11,904,800 flow-through shares at a price of per flow-through share; and (ii) 12,745,100 flow-through units at a price of per flow-through unit, including the exercise of the underwriters' option. Commenced a 30,000 meter diamond drill program with two drills at the Thunder Bay North project, with a focus on systematic step-outs between resource centers within the Escape Lake Deposit to add to the 505,369 oz palladium equivalent (PdEq) indicated mineral resource at 3.67g/t PdEq in 4,286,220 tonnes, published on January 20, 2021 .

. Conducted additional resource delineation drilling at the adjacent Current Lake deposit, building on the indicated mineral resource of 1,328,789 oz PdEq at an average grade of 3.44 g/t PdEq in 11,999,177 tonnes, defined in the mineral resource update dated January 20, 2020 .

. Mineral resource estimates for both deposits are reported pursuant to the January 20, 2021 NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Thunder Bay North Project, Thunder Bay, Ontario , prepared by Nordmin Engineering Ltd. with QP Glen Kuntz, P.Geo, as posted to SEDAR on March 4, 2021 .

NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Thunder Bay North Project, , prepared by Nordmin Engineering Ltd. with QP Glen Kuntz, P.Geo, as posted to SEDAR on . Commenced metallurgical studies as a precursor to smelter offtake analysis and underground mine modelling as key inputs into a Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Current Lake Deposit scheduled for completion and disclosure in Q4/2021.

Financial Summary













For the three months ended For the six months ended

July 31,

2021 July 31,

2020 July 31,

2021 July 31,

2020









Operating Expenses $ 1,241,739 $ 1,886,854 $ 1,988,873 $ 2,524,098









Net Income (Loss) and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (794,601) 350,425 (842,342) (289,901)









Earnings (Loss) per share 







Basic and Diluted $ (0.00) $ 0.00 $ (0.00) $ (0.00)





















July 31, 2021 January 31, 2021













Total Assets $ 37,696,643 $ 27,146,884













Total Liabilities 6,561,354 3,923,352













Total Shareholders' Equity $ 31,135,289 $ 23,223,532





Full details of the financial reports and operating results for the six-month period ended July 31, 2021 are described in the Company's condensed consolidated interim financial statements with accompanying notes and related Management's Discussion and Analysis, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

COVID Policy

Clean Air Metals continued to apply COVID-19 avoidance and personal protection measures for its geological staff, drilling contractor and service suppliers during the third quarter. Personnel are required to maintain physical distance, use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), self-monitor and self-isolate or elect to work from home. Management had previously eliminated plans for a camp setup to service a planned diamond drill campaign on the Escape Lake Project. The Company is aware of Thunder Bay Health Unit guidelines that provide for "mandatory" self-isolation for returning overseas and inter-provincial travel. The guidelines also "strongly recommended" self-isolation after travel into the Northwest region from other areas of the Province. Mineral Exploration and Development has been deemed an essential service in the Province of Ontario (http://www.netnewsledger.com/2020/03/23/ontario-covid-19-business-allowed-to-remain-open-list-march-23-2020/). The Company has procured the services of a locally staffed and serviced diamond drilling contractor to complete the diamond drilling programs.

Qualified Person

Mr. Allan MacTavish, P.Geo. a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 and VP, Project Manager of the Company, has reviewed and approved all technical information in this press release.

Social Engagement

Clean Air Metals Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Panoramic PGMs (Canada) Ltd. acknowledge that the Thunder Bay North Project is on the traditional territories of the Fort William First Nation, Red Rock First Nation and Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishinabek. The parties together are the Cooperating Participants in a Memorandum of Agreement dated January 9, 2021.

The Company is also in discussions with Red Sky Metis Independent Nation and the Metis Nation of Ontario and other non-proximate First Nation communities. Woodland Heritage Northwest, a Metis-owned consultancy has been retained to conduct archaeological studies on the Thunder Bay North Project and surrounding areas.

About Clean Air Metals Inc.

Clean Air Metals' flagship asset is the 100% owned, high grade Thunder Bay North Project, a platinum, palladium, copper, nickel project located near the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario and the Lac des Iles Mine owned by Impala Platinum. The Clean Air Metals project hosts the Current Lake Deposit and magma conduit and the Company is actively exploring the Escape Lake Deposit, a twin structure to the Current Lake Deposit. Executive Chairman Jim Gallagher and CEO Abraham Drost lead an experienced team of geologists and engineers who are using the Norilsk magma conduit stratigraphic and mineral deposit model to guide ongoing exploration and development studies. As the former CEO of North American Palladium Ltd. which owned the Lac des Iles Mine prior to the sale to Impala Platinum in December 2019, Jim Gallagher and team are credited with the mine turnaround and creation of significant value for shareholders.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Abraham Drost"

Abraham Drost, Chief Executive Officer of Clean Air Metals Inc.

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.

Cautionary Note

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of technical studies, benchmark reports, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

SOURCE Clean Air Metals Inc.

Related Links

https://www.cleanairmetals.ca/


VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Darwin Labs Inc. today announced its entry into the US market with Clear360, its flagship Workplace Safety Compliance SaaS solution for businesses. Clear360 helps organizations comply with COVID-19 workplace safety regulations from OSHA and the US Department of Labor. With the recent announcement of President Biden's COVID-19 Action Plan , employers will be required to collect proof of vaccination and test unvaccinated employees weekly for COVID-19.

Clear360 is a complete compliance toolkit for employers. It includes vaccination & testing management software, FDA-approved PCR & Antigen test kits and certified proctors for on-site employee testing.

Ashish Anand, CEO Darwin Labs stated "We recognize how hard the past 18 months have been for business leaders. Without the right software and support components, business leaders will be challenged to stay in compliance with new workplace safety regulations. With Clear360, our goal was to make compliance easy, effortless and automatic. We also wanted to give HR & Safety leaders control and visibility over health risks in their organizations. We'll be bringing more exciting innovations to market in the near future."

Clear360 can be deployed across organizations of all sizes in a matter of days. It speeds up a safe return to the workplace by automating dozens of manual workflows, including screening, testing management, collecting proof of vaccination, case management, contact tracing and much more.

With the Clear360 Web Dashboard, HR can create cohorts, screen users and manage those who present a higher risk based on symptoms, exposure, or test results. It even gathers informed consent from employees, giving employers the necessary rights to collect & store health data. Employees can download the Clear360 mobile app, onboard themselves and easily submit their vaccination records & test results. HR can verify vaccination records, track test results and triage employees based on their vaccination status. Once verified, employee vaccination records automatically transform into a mobile health pass. It is compliant with all regulations, including: HIPAA, PIPEDA, NIST and others.

Businesses looking for a HIPAA-compliant turnkey solution which helps them easily implement vaccination and testing mandates can learn more at www.clear360.com

About Darwin Labs Inc.

Darwin Labs is a SaaS provider of health, safety and wellness software for enterprises and educational institutions. It operates Clear360, a workplace safety solution which uses advanced automation to help businesses reduce health risks, comply with regulations and ensure operational continuity.

SOURCE Darwin Labs Inc.
DENVER, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Real Trends + Tom Ferry 2021 announced "The Thousand" real estate ranking, based on 2020 sales volume and transaction sides for agents and brokerages nationwide. Alexa Elliot and Colorado HomeFront were recognized as one of the Top 30 Real Estate Agents in Denver Colorado out of 40,000 Agents and Alexa is number 255 of more than 1.4 million licensed Agents nationwide.

Alexa Elliot

"It's an honor to be named as a Top Agent in the '2021 Real Trends +Tom Ferry National Rankings,'" said Alexa Elliot, Owner of Colorado HomeFront. "At Colorado HomeFront, we are dedicated bringing our clients the best services and cutting edge technology to save them money and time. We are one of the Top Digital Real Estate firms in the Country with advanced strategies and techniques. I have worked hard the last 22 years to be in the Top 300 of all Agents in the Country and Top 30 in Colorado year after year. This recognition continues to prove that hard work pays off and I appreciate RealTrends + Tom Ferry for recognizing me and my Company."

About Alexa Elliot and Colorado Homefront

Alexa Elliot is a proud Native American Business Women who has won several national awards in business and Real Estate. Her Team at Colorado HomeFront is bringing cutting edge technology to the industry helping clients, investors, and builders. Our Website and Home Selling Systems allow you to sell a Home completely online with Agent assistance cutting costs and improving profits. The brokerage helped move 1,500 first time Home buyers in the Denver Metro Area and is #1 in its division within the State of Colorado.

To View Rankings: https://www1.realtrends.com/best-real-estate-agents-colorado

Colorado Home Front Information:

To learn more about Alexa Elliot and Colorado Home Front Achievements, visit https://www.coloradohomefront.com/alexa-elliot/

https://www.coloradohomefront.com

Press Contact:

Alexa Elliot, 303-990-5111, [email protected]

Brokerage: www.AmericanHomeAgents.com

SOURCE Colorado HomeFront
"I'm proud to be associated with this project, with this school, and with the people from Midland who are making it all happen," Betters told the crowd of approximately 100 gathered for the event.

Set to open in the fall of 2022, MITCS will provide students in grades 9 through 12 the chance to pursue areas of personal interest and tackle real-life projects to prepare them for a world of opportunity. MITCS will allow students to fulfill state requirements for a high school diploma while also earning certifications, licensing, apprenticeships, and even associates degrees in trades, technology, and other fields of endeavor. Students will graduate prepared to enter the workforce or continue on through post-secondary education or training. As a public charter school, MITCS will provide its services and programming tuition-free to Pennsylvania students.

"Reimagining how we provide current and future generations a transformational education that is every bit as innovative, inspiring, and impactful as the revitalization now reshaping our physical landscape is crucial to effectively addressing a range of public concerns," said Stephen Catanzarite, chairman of the school's founders group. "That's a role MITCS will seek to fulfill."

Courses of study at MITCS will include: Petrochemical Studies, Gaming and Simulations, Safety Engineering, Transportation and Logistics, American Enterprise and Global Studies, Aviation Technology, Sustainable Water, and Healthcare Innovations. MITCS will be organized through four interconnected and collaborative academies which were introduced at the groundbreaking ceremony. Included are the PGT Trucking Transportation + Logistics Academy funded by a $500,000 gift from PGT Trucking CEO and Founder Pat Gallagher who, along with Mr. Betters, were leaders on the MITCS Organizing Committee.

"I believe in this school, and PGT is supporting it, because I believe in Chuck Betters and the folks here in Midland who are leading the effort," Gallagher said.



Another academy is the Dr. Cyril H. Wecht Forensic Science + Justice Academy, named for the fabled Pittsburgh-based forensic scientist who gifted his college-level curriculum to the new charter high school.



"I am deeply honored that this academy dedicated to the study of forensic science will bear my name, and I promise you all that I will be involved and work hard in the coming years to make sure its curriculum and instruction are of the highest quality," Wecht said.



"This is a great day for Midland, for Beaver County, and for the students of our region," said Beaver County Board Commissioners Chairman, Daniel Camp. "On behalf of my fellow commissioners, we are happy to be able to support it, and we know it will be a great success."



Two yet-to-be-named academies are the MITCS Community Development + Sustainability Academy and the Skilled Trades + Technical Careers Academy.



Research demonstrated a need for a modern full-day CTE high school for girls and boys in grades 9 through 12 especially with the region's first reindustrialization in more than a century. Over the next decade, there is a projected growth of over 4.5 million skilled manufacturing jobs. Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute estimate that over 2 million of these jobs may go unfilled due a shortage of skilled workers. MITCS is being developed as a response in our region.



For information, contact Chris Shovlin via e-mail a [email protected] or by phone at 412-952-1933.



Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School (MITCS) is a new public high school set to open in September of 2022. Located in Midland, PA (Beaver County) MITCS will provide students with the opportunity to earn their high school diploma while also pursuing certifications, licensing, and associate degrees in high-tech fields and the skilled trades. As a tuition- free public school, MITCS is open for enrollment to any student residing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information visit www.mitcharterschool.org.

Contact: Chris Shovlin

MITCS Organizing Committee Spokesperson Phone: (412) 952-1933

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School
TSXV: CYP |OTCQB: CYDVF

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Cypress Development Corp. (TSXV: CYP) (OTCQB: CYDVF) (Frankfurt: C1Z1) ("Cypress" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has acquired through a Purchase Agreement ("Agreement") 24 unpatented mining claims in Clayton Valley, Nevada, bringing the Company's land holdings to 6558 acres in total. The newly acquired claims, which total 480 contiguous acres, are proximal to the Company's Clayton Valley Lithium Project. The claims were acquired for their exploration potential for lithium-bearing claystone and brine.

Terms of the Agreement

The purchase price for 100% interest in the claims, acquired from a private party vendor, is to be paid through the issuance of 49,000 Cypress shares, due upon closing. The claims have no retained or underlying royalties. The Agreement is subject to terms and conditions customary for a transaction of this nature, including TSX Venture Exchange approval of the Share Issuance.

About Cypress Development Corp:

Cypress Development Corp. is a Canadian advanced stage lithium exploration company, focused on developing its 100%-owned Clayton Valley Lithium Project in Nevada, USA. Work completed by Cypress led to the discovery of a world-class resource of lithium-bearing claystone adjacent to the Albemarle Silver Peak mine, North America's only lithium brine operation. The results of a positive Pre-Feasibility Study for the Clayton Valley Lithium Project were announced by Cypress Development in August 2020. Cypress Development trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol CYP, and on the OTCQB under the symbol CYDVF.

ON BEHALF OF CYPRESS DEVELOPMENT CORP.

WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, PhD., PE

Chief Executive Officer

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration, and development successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information.

SOURCE Cypress Development Corp.

Related Links

http://www.cypressdevelopmentcorp.com


JACKSON, Miss., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EastGroup Properties (NYSE: EGP) announced today that it will hold its Third Quarter Earnings Conference Call and Webcast on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time. On the call, Marshall Loeb, CEO, and Brent Wood, CFO, will review the third quarter results and discuss EastGroup's current operations.

EastGroup plans to release financial results for the quarter after the market closes on October 26, 2021. The earnings release and supplemental information package will be posted on the Company's website, www.eastgroup.net, at that time.

A live broadcast of the conference call is available by dialing 1-888-346-0688 (conference ID EastGroup) or by webcast through a link on the Company's website at www.eastgroup.net. If you are unable to listen to the live conference call, a telephone and webcast replay will be available on Wednesday, October 27, 2021. The telephone replay will be available until Wednesday, November 3, 2021, and can be accessed by dialing 1-877-344-7529 (access code 10160392). The replay of the webcast can be accessed through a link on the Company's website at www.eastgroup.net and will be available until Wednesday, November 3, 2021.

EastGroup Properties, Inc. (NYSE: EGP), an S&P MidCap 400 company, is a self-administered equity real estate investment trust focused on the development, acquisition and operation of industrial properties in major Sunbelt markets throughout the United States with an emphasis in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina. The Company's goal is to maximize shareholder value by being a leading provider in its markets of functional, flexible and quality business distribution space for location sensitive customers (primarily in the 15,000 to 70,000 square foot range). The Company's strategy for growth is based on ownership of premier distribution facilities generally clustered near major transportation features in supply-constrained submarkets. EastGroup's portfolio, including development projects and value-add acquisitions in lease-up and under construction, currently includes approximately 50 million square feet.

EastGroup Properties, Inc. press releases are available at www.eastgroup.net .

SOURCE EastGroup Properties

Related Links

http://www.eastgroup.net


"When you look at the powerful community attributes of The District and its support for today's lifestyle that residents are looking for, we are pleased to be launching our second project there," said Jimmy McCloskey, Executive Vice President of Development for Embrey. "Embrey's focus on luxury amenities and premium living matches perfectly with the concept of The District."

The site is adjacent to the RTD Dry Creek light rail station and near I-25, creating easy access to the Denver metro area.

The first units and clubhouse are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2024 with project completion later that year.

Amenities will include a clubhouse with gameroom and business center that includes micro offices and a conference room. Outdoor grilling areas, multiple fireplaces and a landscaped courtyard complement a resort-style pool. The property will feature an aqua lounge, a leading-edge fitness studio with on-demand technology, and a dog spa. A package room, rideshare lounge and structured parking garage will be available for the convenience of residents.

Interior finishes will feature 9- to 14-foot ceilings depending on unit selected. High-end kitchens will feature quartz countertops, side-by-side counter-depth refrigerators, custom cabinetry with designer pulls, stainless steel appliances, undercabinet lighting and upgraded undermount sinks. The baths will feature upgraded undermount sinks, soaking tubs, and walk-in showers in select units. Throughout, there is wood-style flooring and plush carpet, linen closets and walk-in closets with built-in shelving, and designer vanity mirrors.

About Embrey Partners

San Antonio-based Embrey Partners, LLC is a diversified real estate investment company that owns, develops, builds, acquires and manages multifamily and commercial assets in targeted markets across the United States. Since 1974, Embrey has developed more than 44,000 apartments and over 6 million square feet of commercial property. Embrey is a leading developer in the multifamily sector, with more than 6,000 units under construction or in development. www.embreydc.com

About Brue Baukol Capital Partners

Brue Baukol Capital Partners is Colorado-based private equity real estate investment firm. Founded in 2011 by Chad Brue and Geoff Baukol, the firm has acquired and developed more than $1.1 billion in real estate assets. Investments and expertise include multifamily, office, industrial, for-sale residential, land and large mixed-use projects. For more information, please visit bruebaukol.com .

SOURCE Embrey

Related Links

http://www.embreydc.com


"Squarespace has always supported a diverse array of entrepreneurs on our platform. Today, we are excited to announce a number of new releases and upgrades that help our creators share their stories and sell in a myriad of ways. With Squarespace's platform, in addition to selling physical products, you can sell access to gated content, manage reservations, take to-go orders, manage an event, take appointments and more. No other online hosting platform provides both the breadth and depth of the services Squarespace offers," said Squarespace Founder and CEO Anthony Casalena.

As small businesses have more intent to sell services and digital products in the future, these new releases and features were designed to help customers sell more, easily add new revenue streams and earn passive income. With video becoming one of the best means of audience engagement, among the biggest product innovations to be released is Squarespace Video Studio, an app that makes it incredibly simple for businesses to produce professional-quality videos to engage their audiences and help sell their ideas, products and services.

Highlights across Squarespace's product suite include:

Tools for selling products. Sell anything online with expertly-designed templates that can be populated with products, services, or content, enabling anyone to start taking payments and managing orders instantly.

Introducing the Squarespace Video Studio App  An app that helps anyone create professional-level videos that promote their business and tell their story effortlessly. Intuitive templates seamlessly pull in Squarespace product images and brand styles, and smart voiceovers powered by AI or your own recordings can be added to narrate. Videos can be easily shared anywhere, including social media, to drive traffic and sales.

 An app that helps anyone create professional-level videos that promote their business and tell their story effortlessly. Intuitive templates seamlessly pull in Squarespace product images and brand styles, and smart voiceovers powered by AI or your own recordings can be added to narrate. Videos can be easily shared anywhere, including social media, to drive traffic and sales. New Marketplace Tools  New tools for marketplace sellers to build their brand and grow their business with integrations to their Etsy shop products and reviews, making it easy for any Etsy user to create their own online store while also continuing to manage their Etsy shop efficiently.

Tools for hospitality, events, and appointment-based businesses. Manage reservations, schedules and more through Squarespace's existing Tock and Scheduling products, enabling you to spend less time booking and more time serving your customers.

Take Reservations & Orders  Earlier this year, Squarespace joined forces with Tock, the only fully integrated, end-to-end hospitality management system. Tock provides a seamless experience for time-slotted businesses like restaurants, wineries or bars to manage their reservations, events, and to-go orders from one convenient location.

 Earlier this year, Squarespace joined forces with Tock, the only fully integrated, end-to-end hospitality management system. Tock provides a seamless experience for time-slotted businesses like restaurants, wineries or bars to manage their reservations, events, and to-go orders from one convenient location. Book & Manage Appointments + Classes  Squarespace Scheduling allows businesses to share their availability on their website, social channels, and through email or text for easy management of any kind of appointment or class.

Tools for selling access to exclusive content. Squarespace provides powerful membership subscription tools that let you create your own private community via Member Areas. Create subscriber areas that give your customers access to private blogs, newsletters and more.

New Tools for Video Classes  Coming this Fall, expanded ways for educators, content creators, and community leaders to monetize their expertise by allowing them to sell video classes in Member Areas, a Squarespace product designed to help customers sell access to content through memberships. These new tools help businesses to organize, categorize and curate their video content, enabling flexible subscription models and showcasing their videos in beautiful class libraries that fit their brand.

Tools for creators. Make your brand stand out with features powered by Squarespace's award-winning design tools, which help you drive sales and maintain consistent branding across your entire digital presence.

New Web Design Tools  Multiple dynamic new features to help businesses customize the design of their site to stand out and establish credibility. Background Art that enables customers to choose from a wide variety of eye-catching gradients, shapes, repeating patterns, and other animations to use as a background for their website. Auto Layouts that simplify managing sets of related content, while also providing new layout options. Customers can easily turn lists of content such as product reviews, customer testimonials, product features, and more, into interactive carousels and banner slideshows with a single click. Stylized Headers that help customers personalize their top navigation bar with gradients, borders, transparency and moreplus Image Masks, which offer more creative freedom for presenting photos with new shapes and modern cropping options. New templates with updated expressibility features and built-in tools that are designed to help customers across a variety of industries stand outwhether they're offering memberships, scheduling appointments, or hosting a podcast.

 Multiple dynamic new features to help businesses customize the design of their site to stand out and establish credibility. Unfold Updates  The Unfold app offers everything for anyone to be successful on social media. With these new updates, Unfold users will be able to schedule their social posts weeks in advance across multiple Instagram accounts, and better optimize their "link in bio" pages with one of Unfold's beautiful, animated Bio Site templates, enabling them to share their website and social pages, embed videos, and start monetizingall in one place.

 The Unfold app offers everything for anyone to be successful on social media. With these new updates, Unfold users will be able to schedule their social posts weeks in advance across multiple Instagram accounts, and better optimize their "link in bio" pages with one of Unfold's beautiful, animated Bio Site templates, enabling them to share their website and social pages, embed videos, and start monetizingall in one place. Updated Brand Consistency Tools  The ability to automatically apply brand elementslike colors and logosfrom Squarespace websites to Email Campaigns, Squarespace Video Studio and Unfold Bio Sites to easily achieve brand consistency across multiple customer touchpoints.

These updates were inspired by the trends of the evolving small business landscape and the flourishing creator economy, with services-based businesses poised for increasing levels of online success as the way businesses transact online broadens.

In a 2021 survey of online sellers, Squarespace found that:

More businesses have the intent to sell services and digital products rather than just physical products. Nearly half of online sellers surveyed are selling in a multi-modal fashion, and an additional 30% that arent currently multi-modal intend to be in the next 12 months.

According to a survey Squarespace conducted with The Harris Poll in 2021, when asked what type of business they would start if they were to start their own, Americans' #1 response was a service (e.g. teaching a class, offering advice, tutoring) over selling a physical product.

In addition, Squarespace is releasing a brand campaign, "Everything to Sell Anything," which brings to life the company's platform vision. The spot features examples of what can be sold or monetized on Squarespacefrom ceramics and podcasts, to tarot card readings and voiceover servicesand will run across television and digital media, with out-of-home assets on display in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Toronto.

More information on the new products, including a keynote video that features product demos, can be found at https://www.squarespace.com/sell-anything .



Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Squarespace's future product launches. The words "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "potential," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "could," "would," "project," "plan," "target," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations, assumptions, and projections based on information available at the time the statements were made. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including risks and uncertainties related to: the Company's ability to attract and retain customers and expand their use of the Company's platform; the Company's ability to improve and enhance the functionality, performance, reliability, design, security and scalability of its solutions; the Company's ability to compete successfully against current and future competitors; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company; the Company's ability to protect or promote its brand; the Company's ability to generate new customers through its marketing and selling activities; the Company's ability to hire, integrate and retain its personnel; the reliability, security and performance of the Company's software; the Company's ability to adapt to changes to technologies used in its platform or new versions or upgrades of operating systems and internet browsers; the Company's compliance with privacy and data protection laws and regulations as well as contractual privacy and data protection obligations; and risks associated with international sales and the use of the Company's platform in various countries. It is not possible for the Company's management to predict all risks, nor can it assess the impact of all factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements the Company may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the Company's actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Further information on risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from forecasted results are included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

About Squarespace

Squarespace is the all-in-one platform with everything to sell anything, providing customers in approximately 200 countries and territories with all the tools they need to sell physical products, digital content, classes, appointments, reservations and more. Powered by best-in-class design for a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints, our suite of fully integrated products enables anyone to manage their projects and businesses through websites, domains, ecommerce, marketing tools, and scheduling, along with tools for managing a social media presence with Unfold and hospitality business management via Tock. Squarespace's team of more than 1,400 is headquartered in downtown New York City, with offices in Dublin, Ireland, Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, California and Chicago, Illinois. For more information, visit www.squarespace.com.

Media Contact

[email protected]

SOURCE Squarespace, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.squarespace.com


WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Family Research Council and FRC Action today announced the inaugural Pray Vote Stand Summit, replacing FRC Action's previous flagship event, the Values Voter Summit. For the past 15 years, FRC and FRCA held the annual Values Voter Summit which served as a forum to help inform and mobilize citizens across America to preserve our nation's bedrock values.

The Pray Vote Stand Summit builds on the groundwork laid by the Values Voter Summit and will address issues such as protecting the unborn, the importance of the nuclear family, domestic and international religious liberty, developments in our nation's education system, and others. The summit will be held at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia from October 6-8.

Family Research Council and FRC Action president Tony Perkins commented:

"Pray. Vote. Stand. These three verbs serve as both points of action and reflection for Christians in our time. The challenges in our culture make clear the need for us to pray for our nation, to consistently vote our biblical values and to stand uncompromisingly for the truth. Toward this end, Family Research Council and FRC Action are holding the first-ever Pray Vote Stand Summit in 2021.

"The assaults on faith, family, and freedom have never been more pronounced and severe. From pronoun police, to indoctrination in our classrooms, to the lockdowns of our churches, to the vaccine mandate in the workplace, the core values and ideals that birthed America are at risk of being overrun by political and cultural Leftists.

"We recognize that while we contend for these ideals in the political arena, the hope for America is not going to be found in political elections. Politics is downstream from the culture and the culture is downstream from the church. The PVS Summit is focused on equipping and encouraging Christians to live out their faith with boldness and courage in such a way that it impacts EVERY aspect of our society," concluded Perkins.

WHAT: Inaugural Pray Vote Stand Summit

WHEN: October 6-8, 2021

WHO: Confirmed speakers updated daily at prayvotestand.org/speakers

WHERE: In-person at Cornerstone Chapel (650 Battlefield Parkway SE, Leesburg, VA 20175) and online at prayvotestand.org/summit.

To obtain media credentials for this event, please email [email protected].

SOURCE Family Research Council

Related Links

http://www.frc.org


PITTSBURGH, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB) announced it has delivered an initial payment of nearly $7.2 million to the Greater Hill District Reinvestment Fund to support community investment and development.

The funds are part of a forward-thinking financing solution provided by FNB, in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Penguins, The Buccini/Pollin Group and Clay Cove Capital. This strategy enabled the partnership to monetize and make immediately available the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) revenue generated by the FNB Financial Center project, which otherwise would have been paid out over a 10-year period. Delivering the proceeds up front results in direct benefit for the Hill District, aligning with the development team's extensive commitment to ensure that the construction of FNB's new corporate headquarters fosters overall development and success in the community.

"Our close partnership with the Penguins and the entire development team made it possible for us to propose an innovative financial solution that had a greater and more immediate impact in the community," said Vincent J. Delie, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of F.N.B. Corporation and First National Bank. "It took creativity, dedication and a joint effort to get these funds back into the Hill District more quickly, where they can be put to work in resources and initiatives that will foster success for residents and businesses that require the funding."

FNB Financial Center is at the core of one of the largest, most socially responsible urban development initiatives in the U.S., with a commitment for substantial participation by minority- and women-owned businesses. The project is expected to be a catalyst for hundreds of millions of dollars in overall economic expansion, the creation of more than 1,000 jobs and significant neighborhood reinvestment.

With a long history of service to the community, FNB's total investment in the Hill District is in excess of $200 million in loans, investments and grants. In addition to the LERTA funds, highlights include:

A substantial equity investment to make FNB Financial Center possible.

More than $20 million in investments and loans to foster affordable housing, revitalization and economic development, with high profile commitments including construction financing for Big Tom's Barbershop for rehabilitation and the addition of affordable housing units at an iconic site on Centre Avenue.

in investments and loans to foster affordable housing, revitalization and economic development, with high profile commitments including construction financing for Big Tom's Barbershop for rehabilitation and the addition of affordable housing units at an iconic site on Centre Avenue. Investments in economic and workforce development, including through FNB's commitment to create 160 new, full-time jobs.

A pledge of nearly $9 million to grants and programs supporting neighborhood improvement and small business development, such as: $5 million toward a proprietary real estate gap lending program; A $1 million contribution to Invest PGH, a certified Community Development Financial Institution; A $1 million contribution to an Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh program that provides working capital for minority contractors; and Significant support for the renovation of the Centre Avenue YMCA.

to grants and programs supporting neighborhood improvement and small business development, such as: A proposal to facilitate the advance of $3 million of the Parking Tax Diversion for Parcel E (adjacent music venue and parking garage), to be deposited into the Housing Opportunity Fund so that roofs across the Hill District can be fixed and that residents can access funds to afford down payments on new homes.

of the Parking Tax Diversion for Parcel E (adjacent music venue and parking garage), to be deposited into the Housing Opportunity Fund so that roofs across the Hill District can be fixed and that residents can access funds to afford down payments on new homes. Extensive support for local community groups and organizations that has featured: A $100,000 capital contribution to the Hill District Federal Credit Union to bolster its deposit base, building on a long-standing relationship. Partnering with the Pittsburgh Penguins to contribute $100,000 to the Ammon Community Recreation Center in the Hill District for the creation of a transformational Rec2Tech computer lab and maker space that will help reduce the "digital divide" for students and families.

The roll-out of specialized products and services to empower vulnerable families, including the availability of up to $2,500 in closing cost assistance to encourage homeownership in the Hill District and other urban markets throughout FNB's footprint.

FNB's significant investments in the Hill District are part of its larger commitment to strengthen vulnerable communities throughout its multi-state footprint. The Company will continue to deepen its support in the Hill District and Pittsburgh region overall as the FNB Financial Center development progresses, with completion anticipated in 2023.

About F.N.B. Corporation

F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a diversified financial services company operating in seven states and the District of Columbia. FNB's market coverage spans several major metropolitan areas including: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; and Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and the Piedmont Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point) in North Carolina. The Company has total assets of more than $38 billion and nearly 340 banking offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

FNB provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking and wealth management solutions through its subsidiary network which is led by its largest affiliate, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, founded in 1864. Commercial banking solutions include corporate banking, small business banking, investment real estate financing, government banking, business credit, capital markets and lease financing. The consumer banking segment provides a full line of consumer banking products and services, including deposit products, mortgage lending, consumer lending and a complete suite of mobile and online banking services. FNB's wealth management services include asset management, private banking and insurance.

The common stock of F.N.B. Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FNB" and is included in Standard & Poor's MidCap 400 Index with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) Regional Banks Sub-Industry Index. Customers, shareholders and investors can learn more about this regional financial institution by visiting the F.N.B. Corporation website at www.fnbcorporation.com .

SOURCE F.N.B. Corporation

Related Links

http://www.fnbcorporation.com


ATLANTA, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UC Asset LP (OTCQX: UCASU) announces that former US Congressman Kwanza Hall has joined UC Asset's management team. Mr. Hall will lead, among other initiatives, UC Asset's historic landmark program.

Hall was elected to complete civil rights icon John Lewis' term in the 116th Congress to represent Georgia's 5th district. He previously served as a member of the Atlanta City Council from 2006-2017, representing the Central Business District, Atlantic Station, Midtown, Home ,Park, Candler Park, Castleberry Hill, Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward and the Martin Luther King Historic District. Prior to his election to City Council, he served on the Atlanta Board of Education for two years. Before starting public service, Hall worked as vice president of technology for GoodWorks International, a human rights and public service consulting firm co-chaired by Ambassador Andrew Young. He later became the director of business development for MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. Hall attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied political science.

"We are more than excited to welcome Mr. Hall on board," says Larry Wu, founder of UC Asset. "UC Asset is founded on the belief that the best real estate investment is to invest into community growth. Mr. Hall has devoted his life to the service of citizens of Atlanta, and one of his major contributions has been through the revitalization of communities via real estate development. As our business is currently concentrated in Atlanta, I cannot think of any person more suitable than Mr. Hall to lead our historic landmark program and other programs in this city."

Hall joined UC Asset shortly after it announced a 20% gain of net equity over 12-month period by the year's end. The 20% net equity gain translated into an increase of BVPS (book value per share) from $1.29 to $1.54. The company is committed to a number of innovative investment strategies to continue this growth.

In July, UC Asset acquired an infamous historic site, the Rufus Rose House located in downtown Atlanta. Hall will lead this historic landmark program. "I look forward to working with UC Asset as I share their vision of investment in the revitalization of one of Atlanta's most precious historic assets," says Hall. "I am grateful to lead this campaign to renovate the Rufus Rose House. This historic landmark, sitting in the heart of the city, has special meaning to me because it was one project that we did not complete while I was elected. My goal is to use my influence to rally support for this effort, from the immediate neighbors to the broader city, state and national partners."

UC Asset is partnering with a third-party who will issue NFTs (non-fungible tokens) to represent the art value of Rufus Rose House. The company expects to receive a considerable amount of fees from licensing the art value of Rufus Rose House to this third party.

About UC Asset LP

UC Asset LP is a limited partnership formed for the purpose of investing in real estate with innovative strategies, concentrating in metropolitan areas of Atlanta, GA. For more information about UC Asset, please visit: www.ucasset.com

Disclaimer:

This News Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from any these statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any those forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this news release. None of such forward-looking statements should be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the objectives and plans set forth in this News Release will be achieved or be executed.

For More Information Contact:

Christal Jordan | Executive Director, UC Asset LP [email protected] | 678-499-0297

SOURCE UC Asset LP
NASSAU, Bahamas, Sept. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FTX Trading Limited ("FTX'' or "the Company"), owner and operator of leading global cryptocurrency exchange FTX.COM, today announced that its Bahamian subsidiary, FTX Digital Markets, has been registered by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas as a digital assets business under the Digital Asset Registered Exchanges Bill or the "DARE Act." The modernized DARE Act, which establishes a full regulatory framework for digital asset activities, provides greater opportunities for digital asset businesses and will allow FTX to expand its platform in a compliant manner.

Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO & Founder of FTX, commented on the news, "With this expansion through the DARE Act we are further committing to providing all our clients with a safe, trustworthy, and compliant exchange. We are committed to maintaining a close working relationship with local regulators so that together we can navigate putting a comprehensive regulatory framework in place to help promote the growth of this nascent asset class."

FTX Digital Markets expects to establish a substantial presence in The Bahamas as FTX continues to expand its global presence. Ryan Salame, former Head of OTC at Alameda Research has been appointed as the CEO of FTX Digital Markets and will be responsible for leading their local initiatives. Ahead of establishing headquarters in Nassau, Bahamas, a team of Bahamian and international partners worked closely with the Securities Commission of the Bahamas to secure this regulatory approval. Already, plans are in place to hire Bahamians to serve in key roles in the areas of finance, marketing, and software development. This will also provide local talent with the opportunity to join one of the fastest growing exchanges in the rapidly growing cryptocurrency industry.

Ryan Salame, CEO of FTX Digital Markets, concluded, "I'm excited to plant the flag for FTX in The Bahamas. The relationship we have fostered with local regulators culminating with us being authorized under the framework offered through the DARE Act, gives me confidence that we'll be able to work closely with regulators to make sure our offerings are compliant in multiple jurisdictions."

About FTX Digital Markets

FTX Digital Markets is the Bahamian subsidiary of FTX Trading Ltd., owner and operator of FTX, a leading cryptocurrency exchange built by traders for traders. FTX Digital Markets offers users regulated access to FTX's industry-leading derivatives, options, volatility products, and other FTX products and services.

About FTX

FTX is a crypto-trading exchange built by traders, for traders. We offer innovative products including industry-leading derivatives, options, volatility products, tokenized stocks, prediction markets, leveraged tokens and an OTC desk. We strive to be an intuitive yet powerful platform for all kinds of users. FTX strives to be the most innovative exchange in the industry and has grown quickly since its founding, becoming one of the most respected crypto exchanges in the world in less than 2 years.

To learn more about FTX, please visit: https://ftx.com/

FTX is not available to US residents or residents of other prohibited jurisdictions, as set out in its Terms of Service.

Media Contact

Jay Morakis

M Group Strategic Communications (for FTX)

+1 646-859-5951

[email protected]

SOURCE FTX Trading Ltd.

Related Links

https://ftx.com/


Edition: 6; Released: April 2021

Executive Pool: 843

Companies: 34 - Players covered include Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc; Beltran Technologies Inc.; Elex AG; Feida Group Company Limited; FLSmidth & Co. A/S; Fujian Long king Co., Ltd.; Hamon; John Wood Group Plc; KC Cottrell Co., Ltd.; Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.; Mutares AG; Siemens AG; Southern Erectors, Inc.; Thermax Global; Tianjie Group Co., Ltd. and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Product (Scrubbers, Thermal Oxidizers, Catalytic Converters, Electrostatic Precipitators, Other Products); Application (Chemical, Iron & Steel, Power Generation, Cement, Other Applications)

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 Air Pollution Control Systems Market to Reach $98.2 Billion by 2026

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Air Pollution Control Systems estimated at US$74 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$98.2 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 4.8% over the analysis period. Scrubbers, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 5.2% CAGR and reach US$21.7 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 Thermal Oxidizers segment is readjusted to a revised 4.9% CAGR for the next 7-year period.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $20.6 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $20.1 Billion by 2026

The Air Pollution Control Systems market in the U.S. is estimated at US$20.6 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$20.1 Billion by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 7.8% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 2.7% and 3.8% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 3.4% CAGR.

Catalytic Converters Segment to Reach US$15.2 Billion by the year 2026

In the global Catalytic Converters segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 5.1% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$8.4 Billion in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$11.8 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. More

MarketGlass Platform

Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide.

Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.

CONTACTS:

Zak Ali

Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]

LINKS

Join Our Expert Panel

https://www.strategyr.com/Panelist.asp

Connect With Us on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-industry-analysts-inc./

Follow Us on Twitter

https://twitter.com/marketbytes

Journalists & Media

[email protected]

SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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HMA Acquires Wilson Strategic, State of Reform to Continue Independent Convening of Healthcare, Health Policy Leaders Tweet this

"As a neutral party, State of Reform has proven to be a successful vehicle for bringing local, regional and state healthcare and policy decision makers to the table, facilitating honest, open, and important conversations," Rosen said. "These types of exchanges foster the trust and fuel the ingenuity required to solve complex problems and achieve common goals that will ultimately benefit us all. We look forward to supporting State of Reform's mission to bridge the gap between healthcare and health policy."

"With State of Reform we have created safe spaces for diverse stakeholders to build relationships, have difficult but constructive conversations, and ignite the innovations that will transform challenges into success stories  something our country needs now more than ever," DJ Wilson said. "Joining with HMA and Leavitt Partners, which became part of HMA earlier this year, helps us expand our footprint across the country while maintaining our independence and unwavering commitment to serving as an objective facilitator for the worlds of medicine and policy to come together in meaningful ways."

State of Reform currently convenes over 8,000 event attendees a year and publishes more than 3,000 independent stories, analyses, and other informational items per year about state level healthcare. State of Reform successfully transitioned to an online platform during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to leverage these capabilities for participants.

Wilson Strategic will operate as State of Reform. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1985, HMA is an independent, national research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation. Clients include government, public and private providers, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, institutional investors, foundations, and associations. With more than 20 offices and over 300 multidisciplinary consultants coast to coast, HMA's expertise, services, and team are always within client reach.

HMA: https://www.healthmanagement.com/

State of Reform: https://stateofreform.com/

SOURCE Health Management Associates

Related Links

http://www.healthmanagement.com


DETROIT, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- City planners across the country are responding to the increase in demand for electric vehicles with the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. In addition to more municipal EV chargers now open to the public, auto dealerships and other environmentally friendly businesses are also helping the U.S. strengthen its green transportation infrastructure. As more EV charging stations come online, the cost and personal impact of purchasing an electric vehicle continues to decrease for U.S. consumers. But that's not the only change. Real estate professionals also report that U.S. property values for homes with EV charging stations and those with public stations nearby are increasing.

EV Chargers in Cities

"In my area of Grosse Pointe, Michigan we are seeing more and more electric vehicle chargers installed in homes," said Michael R. De Fauw, Sine & Monaghan Realtors. "As more city residents purchase electric vehicles and more homeowners and home buyers see EV chargers as an essential addition to their own home, we're seeing property values increase as a result. EV charging stations truly add value to homes here in Michigan."

In addition to EV chargers installed in residential homes, closer proximity to an electric vehicle charging station is becoming an important ask for homeowners and EV drivers across the U.S. Realtor.com reports that home listings in electric vehicle-friendly housing markets sell at a premium rate. Cities looking to increase property values for residents are identifying municipal EV charging stations as a key benefit that new and existing homeowners are looking for across the U.S. In Grosse Pointe, the woman-owned Detroit-based business Current Dealers is working with city officials to widen the cities' EV charging grid, adding new charging stations throughout the U.S.

"In addition to helping auto dealers respond to an increase in consumer demand for electric vehicles, we've also been helping cities from Michigan to Maryland prepare for an all-electric future," said William McCoy, founder and CEO, Current Dealers. "To accelerate the adoption of green transit options in the U.S., like electric vehicles, we must build up the infrastructure drivers need to feel confident in purchasing a personal electric vehicle. Right now, cities, businesses, and homeowners are all playing an important role in that infrastructure build, and we couldn't be prouder to help."

McCoy just drove the company's newest EV fleet vehicle, a 2022 Chevrolet Volt EUV, from Michigan to Washington, D.C. to better understand how EV range, charging locations, and vehicle charging times affect consumers. Current Dealer is helping cities, auto retailers, and other businesses select and install the EV charger that best meets their needs. The startup has secured funding through grants and investors install EV chargers throughout North America. The availability of public charging stations in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Data from the Department of Energy, shows there are nearly 43,000 charging stations in the U.S.

Most of the U.S. cities with the highest number of stations are located in California. The state also leads the U.S. in the number of electric vehicles sold. In Michigan, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy provided $1.7M in grant funding to help increase the number of direct current fast chargers available along well-traveled routes. The goal of the EGLE Charge Up Michigan Program was to fund 36 new fast charging stations, with both public and private organizations applying for grant funding of up to $70,000 per charger. Other states adding large numbers of EV charging stations include Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada, New York, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

www.currentdealers.com

Contact:

William McCoy

3139983033

[email protected]

SOURCE Current Dealers
"Our program is a debit card-based product designed for individuals who have received an insurance claim settlement and need to follow Medicare Set-aside regulations," explained InsurCard Founder and CEO Robert Mendte. "The MSA program is a set of automated tools that give the advantages of professional administration to those who choose to self-administer their settlement."

While professional MSA Administration companies are available, more than 90% of MSA recipients choose to self-manage their insurance settlements. However, the regulations established by the Center for Medicare Services (CSM) can be complicated, and MSA self-management requires meticulous record keeping and comes with steep penalties for errors. This is one of many reasons why InsurCard's MSA solution is an ideal option.

Here are additional noteworthy features:

Discount programs for pharmacies, medical providers, drugs and durable medical equipment

Reduced pricing for hospital and medical bills based on State Workers Compensation schedules

Automated record keeping and CMS reporting assistance

Payment tracking

Programmed Merchant Category Codes (MCC)

Debit cards that avoid inappropriate purchases based on CMS guidelines

Fund exhaustion mitigation through low balance notifications

Website access to all account transactions and balances

A HIPAA compliant 24-hour Call Center

In the InsurCard program, a debit card doubles as a pharmacy card and payment card. The debit card will only work on purchases allowed under CMS guidelines. All purchases are tracked and recorded for CMS annual reporting. If appropriate, money can be withdrawn from the account, but must be tracked by the individual.

Congress established the MSA legislation and subsequent regulations to protect the interests of Medicare and the U.S. taxpayer. Failure to properly administer an MSA account carries potentially severe consequences, including the denial of Medicare coverage when needed, which potentially leaves the beneficiary responsible for all medical claims and mismanaged funds.

Enrollment in the InsurCard MSA program is free of charge. Settlement recipients should always consult with their legal representative about the program.

About InsurCard

Headquartered outside of Philadelphia, InsurCard has been the leader in electronic payments for the insurance industry for more than a decade  processing over $4 billion in payments annually. InsurCard is a wholly owned subsidiary of Service Network Design, LLC. The InsurCard Prepaid Card programs are specifically designed to meet the stringent requirements of both the insurance and prepaid card industries. To learn more, please visit https://insurcardmsa.com/.

Contact:

Claire Roth

InsurCard MSA Administrator

215-855-1112

[email protected]

SOURCE InsurCard

Related Links

https://insurcardmsa.com/


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ironclad , the leading digital contracting company, today announced record growth over the past year as businesses look to rethink their approach to contracting. The company also announced the addition of two key executive hires: Leyla Seka, formerly a partner at Operator Collective venture capital fund and an Executive Vice President at Salesforce, has joined as Ironclad's Chief Operations Officer (COO). Helen Wang, formerly the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for eBay's Global Payments business, has joined as CFO.

Preparing for expansion with new leaders

Seka joins Ironclad after two years as a venture capital partner and twelve as a top Salesforce executive. In multiple senior management roles at Salesforce, she built and scaled iconic products including the AppExchange, Desk.com, and Salesforce Mobile. Seka also pioneered Salesforce's equal pay initiative, which led to raises for more than 10% of the women at the company. She is co-founder of Black Venture Institute and she is on the board of directors of Girls Who Code .

"I've followed Ironclad closely for several years now as a VC; in fact, I invested in them. I'm wildly impressed with everything I've seen, from the mission to the team, but it's really the product that just blows me away," says Seka. "Ironclad doesn't just improve contracting  it unlocks all the data inside contracts. Across the board, we're seeing customers from Enterprise to SMB using Ironclad to improve their day-to-day operations, grow, and compete."

Helen Wang is a strategic finance leader who brings more than 16 years of experience, most recently serving as CFO for eBay Global Payments where she helped scale eBay's Managed Payments platform. She has deep expertise in M&A, leading corporate development teams at both eBay and Rothschild & Co., where she was a Vice President. She graduated from Harvard Business School as a George F. Baker Scholar, a distinction awarded to the top 5% of students.

"I joined Ironclad because I've personally felt the pain of broken contracting from my time working in M&A and negotiating partnerships," says Wang. "We have an incredible opportunity to solve the problem of contracting on a massive scale. Ironclad has a product that can make an impact on an area of business that touches every company, regardless of size or industry. It's not just the huge addressable market that is exciting; it's the opportunity to change the way the world does business."

"Leyla and Helen are peerless in their respective domains. They round out the team that's going to take us through the next stage of growth  which will be our most ambitious and exciting yet," says Jason Boehmig , Ironclad's CEO and co-founder.

Digital contracting goes mainstream

Seka and Wang join Ironclad at an exciting time, as Ironclad has seen tremendous growth over the past year, including:

+170% new customers

+200% active users

2x employee headcount

5 executive hires

4 major product updates

1 corporate acquisition

In addition to achieving record commercial momentum, Ironclad celebrated being recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Contract Lifecycle Management for All Contracts , Q1 2021.

Ironclad's rapid ascension in the CLM space is due to its novel approach to contracting, called digital contracting . Whereas traditional approaches rely on business process automation, digital contracting transforms documents into data and dynamically adjusting workflows, to enable easier, faster, and better collaboration across the entire connected enterprise.

"One of the reasons Sequoia invested in Ironclad was their uncommon commitment to community, for a B2B SaaS company," says Jess Lee, Sequoia partner and Ironclad board member. "Over the years, it's been incredible to see the community-led groundswell that's built up around digital contracting. It's not just technology; it's a movement."

The quarterly State of Digital Contracting summit showcases community members and visionary innovations in the field, such as Clickwrap-enabled Contract Lifecycle Management . Ironclad's new customers include Snap, Zapier, and Novotech. The company's growth over the past year was fueled, in part, by a $100M Series D funding round led by Mary Meeker's venture capital firm, BOND .

About Ironclad

Ironclad is the leading digital contracting company. L'Oreal, Staples, Mastercard, and other leading innovators use Ironclad to collaborate and negotiate on contracts, accelerate contracting while maintaining compliance, and turn contracts into critical carriers of operational business intelligence. It's the only platform flexible enough to handle every type of contract workflow, whether a sales agreement, an HR agreement or a complex NDA. The company was named one of the 20 Rising Stars on the Forbes Cloud 100 list, and is backed by leading investors like Accel, Y Combinator, Sequoia, and BOND.

To learn more, visit www.ironcladapp.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter .

Media Relations

Patrick Murphy

BLASTmedia on behalf of Ironclad

[email protected]

SOURCE Ironclad Inc.

Related Links

https://www.ironcladapp.com


The Lyten 3D Graphene-based Li-S architecture has the potential to reach a gravimetric energy density of 900 Wh/kg, which will significantly outperform both conventional lithium-ion and solid state batteries. Lyten Sulfur Caging is the technology used in LytCell batteries to unlock the performance potential of sulfur by arresting the 'poly-sulfide shuttle,' a cycle-life compromising factor that has up to now prevented practical Li-S use in battery electric vehicles. Under Department of Defense (DoD) test protocols, a LytCell prototype design has demonstrated greater than 1,400 cycles.

"We have begun a generational transformation from internal combustion engines to BEVs. We're confident that Lyten's breakthrough battery platform will accelerate the mass consumer adoption of electric vehicle ownership due to the performance, range, and safety improvements of our LytCell EV batteries," said Dan Cook, CEO and a Co-Founder of Lyten. "By also delivering the most environmentally responsible battery with a USMCA-compliant supply chain, we believe Lyten will enable automakers to more confidently execute their announced electrification roadmaps."

Advanced Materials

Critical to Lyten's battery breakthrough was the development of Lyten 3D Graphene, a novel three-dimensional graphene material platform that took years to refine. This unique material can be engineered and tuned at the molecular level to specific battery application requirements. The Lyten 3D Graphene platform enables Lyten's advanced lithium-sulfur battery chemistry to realize exceptional levels of energy density, better temperature performance, faster charging, and greatly improved safety.

Safer EV Battery

Lyten's batteries will be safer in vehicles than conventional Li-ion batteries because Li-S does not contain oxygen from metallic oxides, which is what drives thermal runaway events that have plagued many EVs.

Additional Benefits

The Lyten battery platform will offer other advantages to automakers and their end users:

Below internal combustion engine (ICE) cost parity

Safe and effective operation in environments as cold as -30 degrees Celsius to as high as 60 degrees Celsius enabling reduced system-level costs

Flexible and scalable pack sizing, enabling Lyten to accommodate the unique needs of a wide range of automotive platforms

Can be produced in cylindrical, pouch, and prismatic formats

On-shore cell manufacturing facilities proximate to OEM's

Extended range and/or increased payloads

Faster charge times of less than 20 minutes

Better for the environment with the lowest carbon footprint of any EV battery

No conflict minerals

"Lyten battery technology will offer an enormous leap forward for the automotive industry at a pivotal time when it is aiming to rapidly reinvent the future of electrified mobility," said Greg Deveson, President of Automotive at Lyten. "We see our LytCell EV batteries as a key enabler to improve EV performance and affordability."

Lyten expects full production and market availability for '25-'26 model year vehicles.

Beyond BEVs, LytCell battery technology is an attractive solution for commercial vehicle, electric flight, commercial aerospace, and other applications. Lyten 3D Graphene technology has also been embedded in advanced sensors in addition to thermoplastic composites for vehicle light-weighting and strengthening applications.

Lyten was on-site at Motor Bella's AutoMobili-D this week exhibiting the innovative battery technology.

About Lyten

Lyten is an advanced materials company developing a revolutionary lithium-sulfur battery technology for use in a variety of applications in automotive, aerospace, defense, and many other markets. Lyten 3D Graphene is the advanced material that enables lithium-sulfur batteries to improve the range and safety of electric vehicles, while also achieving a lower carbon footprint than other EV batteries. Lyten holds more than 260 issued or pending patents on covering technologies. Founded in 2015, the privately held company is based in San Jose, California. Visit www.lyten.com for more information.

MEDIA CONTACT

Brittney Popa

MBE Group on behalf of Lyten

[email protected]

+1.248.554.3507

SOURCE Lyten

Related Links

http://www.lyten.com


CAMBRIDGE, England, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Cambridge Healthcare Research (CHR) and its market research division Vox.Bio has appointed co-founder and director, Matteo Perucchini, as CEO.

Having won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2020, the appointment comes on the back of the company's exceptional performance over the course of the pandemic, with momentum continuing to grow.

"Since co-founding CHR in 2013, Matteo has been a visionary and trusted leader whose acumen has built a brand that has redefined excellence in our sector, in the way we inform and empower our clients to meet their challenges of today and tomorrow," said Edward Cartwright, one of the founding directors. "This past eighteen months has been an important period in our company's development, with our team doubling in size. No one is better positioned than Matteo, to continue to guide the firm through this new phase of growth, where meeting the demand for our services is a constant challenge. The pandemic has reignited interest and investment in healthcare, wellness and the life sciences. As the trusted partner to decision-makers across our sector, CHR is well-positioned to capitalize on this reenergised global drive for better health."

"I am thrilled to be taking on the role of CEO at such an exciting time for the company and for our clients." said Matteo. " Despite the challenges of the pandemic and thanks to the dedication and passion of the team, we have continued to excel in support of our customers, and to evolve as a business during unprecedented times. CHR has a world-class team, what we do is world-class and key to our success is our people, and our mission to create a thriving environment for them to excel. We have some ambitious and innovative plans for the future and I am genuinely excited to be surrounded by such a group of talented and inspiring individuals. Together we will deliver on our strategy and the next chapter in the success story of CHR."

In his recent role as Board Director, Matteo has been integral to driving CHR's strategy, supporting growth and ensuring the company's commitment to quality throughout the pandemic. A passionate advocate for sustainability and corporate responsibility, Matteo has championed the CSR committee from inception to Board level: CHR for Society is a socially conscious initiative, created to enable the entire workforce to make an impact beyond our everyday work, driving positive social and environmental change.

About Cambridge Healthcare Research

Cambridge Healthcare Research is a management consultancy providing strategic decision support to the pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer healthcare industries. Working closely with clients on asset commercialisation, product strategy and future opportunities, CHR enables its partners to navigate difficult commercial decisions, mapping their position in complex markets, and outlining the impact of competitor activities, intent and capabilities on their success. Vox.Bio is CHR's dynamic healthcare market research agency, re-thinking healthcare market research to delivering meaningful insights to clients in pharmaceutical, consumer health and medical device industries.

The team is passionate about healthcare and medical innovation, and its evaluation of market dynamics  combined with a targeted understanding of key trends in the prescriber, regulator and payer environments  equips their clients to make the right decisions from an optimally informed position.

In 2020, CHR won The Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade. The team spans global healthcare markets, with offices in Cambridge and London as well as consultants located across Europe, Asia and North America.

For further information please contact:

Edward Cartwright

[email protected]

Twitter, LinkedIn, Queen's Award, Queen's Award Video

+44-1223-900-191

Related Links

http://www.camhcr.com

https://vox.bio/

SOURCE Cambridge Healthcare Research

Related Links

None


MIAMI, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport from July 2020 through July 2021, Miami International Airport was ranked the best mega airport in North America for passenger satisfaction by the J.D. Power 2021 North America Airport Satisfaction Study SM, released on September 22.

The annual J.D. Power study measures overall traveler satisfaction with mega, large, and medium North American airports by examining six factors (in order of importance): terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage, and retail. This year, MIA ranked highest among mega airports in the bag claim and food, beverage, and retail categories.

"We can all be proud that Miami-Dade County is home to the best mega airport for customer satisfaction in North America!" said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. "MIA's top priorities are maintaining the safety and security of our travelers and providing excellent customer satisfaction. Just last week, MIA was reaccredited by the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Health Accreditation program for its efforts to protect travelers and employees from COVID-19, and now it has been ranked best in class by J.D. Power for its customer satisfaction. Congratulations to the MIA team for scoring these big wins for our County and our residents."

On a 1,000-point scale, MIA achieved an overall score of 828, for a 27-point increase over 2020, when it ranked second among the busiest airports in the study. MIA improved from second to first place in the study while also becoming the busiest U.S. airport for international passengers in 2021 year to date, at 6.4 million total international travelers through July.

"Our #1 ranking by J.D. Power is an encouraging sign that recent improvements at MIA are making a positive impression on our passengers," said Ralph Cutie, MIA Director and CEO. "Our new state- of-the-art baggage handling system, which was fully integrated last year, now doubles the speed and efficiency of baggage screening and delivery for flights in our Central and South terminals, and our dining and retail concessions continue to score high marks. This recognition would not be possible without the teamwork of our airline and concession partners and federal agencies, who are all worthy of congratulations."

The J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study SM, now in its 16th year, covers both departure and arrival experiences (including connecting airports), and includes travelers' evaluations from either a departing or arriving airport from their round-trip experience.

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Greg Chin

786.251.0588

[email protected]

www.iflymia.com

SOURCE Miami International Airport

Related Links

http://www.iflymia.com


HOUSTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Molecule, the leader in cloud-native ETRM/CTRM software, and Fidectus, a Swiss SaaS company revolutionizing post-trading in over-the-counter energy and commodity markets, have announced a technical partnership. This partnership will include an integration to allow straight-through processing of deals in Molecule, to the Fidectus platform.

Molecule and Fidectus are developing the integration between the two software platforms. It will be available in the first half of 2022.

Molecule, launched in 2012, is the leading next-generation multitenant ETRM/CTRM, offering world-class usability, cross-commodity support, and integrations to next-generation best-of-breed software.

Fidectus commercially launched in 2019 and offers a cloud platform for confirming trades between companies and reconciling and financing settlements and broker fees between companies. Based in Europe, they are expanding into the North American market.

Sameer Soleja, CEO of Molecule, said, "Our two software platforms represent market leading technology. It is crucial that the best vendors in the industry work together to continue making our customers' lives easier."

"We are excited to announce this partnership," said Jens Bartenschlager, CEO and co-founder of Fidectus. "Both of our companies share a vision for modernizing energy trading and for creating software our customers love."

About Molecule

Molecule is the leader in cloud-native ETRM/CTRM. We make reliable, easy-to-use SaaS software for commodity traders, risk managers, and operations teams at hedge funds, marketers, hedge advisors, IPPs, and world-scale energy and PE firms  in power, gas, crude, refined products, chemicals, and agricultural products. Molecule automates routine tasks and complex position, P&L, and risk calculations. Learn more about Molecule at https://www.molecule.io.

About Fidectus

Fidectus is a Swiss-based company revolutionizing post-trade processing for the over-the-counter energy and commodity markets. Our Global Energy Network (GEN) connects market participants and enables them to significantly reduce cost, risk, and illiquid capital through intelligent tools for confirmation, settlement, financing, and payment. Traders, brokers, and industrial consumers can now better manage their working capital, putting them at a competitive advantage. Learn more at https://www.fidectus.com.

Media Contacts:

Chris Sass

Fidectus AG

Phone: +41 32 512 98 36

Email: [email protected]

Melanie Bell

Phone: +1 281.900.5287

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Molecule Software

Related Links

http://www.molecule.io


New findings from study bring researchers closer to understanding why some people are more likely to lose money. Tweet this

Specifically, researchers propose that mental frames governing compliance, opportunity, intelligence, and order may have affected the way that interviewees interpreted what scammers told them. Individuals were more likely to lose money if they believed that:

Authority should not be challenged.

Financial opportunities are a zero-sum game with clear winners and losers.

The world is organized in a way that rewards good people.

Asking too many questions can make a person seem ignorant.

"This research gives us new ways to understand who is at risk for losing money to financial scams and opens novel possibilities for protecting people against different forms of fraud," said FINRA Foundation President Gerri Walsh. "We hope these insights into the role that beliefs and attitudes play in fraud victimization will stimulate additional research and the development of effective strategies to reduce consumer losses."

Study participants were identified from a pool of people who filed reports with BBB Scam Tracker, an online fraud reporting tool offered by the Better Business Bureau. Researchers from Metro Tribal, LLC, an ethnographic-based social insight firm, conducted in-depth interviews that yielded key insights.

The researchers spoke with 17 people who were targeted by scammers. In recorded interviews, some participants explained how scammers reached out with promises of easy money or lucrative investments. Others described receiving phone calls from fraudsters posing as IRS agents and demanding payment of back taxes.

Researchers also interviewed two young men who worked from an overseas call center to defraud hundreds of people using the IRS scam. Details of their activities and tactics, described in their own words, are included in the report.

A related quantitative study, Exposed to Scams: What Separates Victims from Non-Victims?, was released in September 2019. These studies offer vital insights for policymakers, financial institutions, law enforcement officials, and others who seek to protect investors and the public from financial scams.

About the FINRA Investor Education Foundation

The FINRA Investor Education Foundation supports innovative research and educational projects that give underserved Americans the knowledge, skills, and tools to make sound financial decisions throughout life. For more information about FINRA Foundation initiatives, visit FINRAFoundation.org.

About the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust

The BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust is the educational foundation of the Better Business Bureau (BBB). BBB Institute's mission is to educate and protect consumers, promote best practices for businesses, and solve complex marketplace problems. The organization's consumer educational programs are delivered by BBBs serving communities across North America. Learn more at BBBMarketplaceTrust.org.

About the University of Minnesota

The flagship of the University of Minnesota System, the Twin Cities campus is Minnesota's only land-grant university and one of the most prestigious public research universities in the nation. The University of Minnesota prepares students to meet the great challenges facing the state of Minnesota, our nation, and our world. Faculty and students seek new knowledge that can change how we all work and live.

About Metro Tribal, LLC

Metro Tribal is a social insight and advisory firm that helps mission-driven, public-facing organizations succeed by connecting them with the lived experience of their stakeholders. The company is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Learn more at metrotribal.com.

SOURCE BBB
CLAYTON, Mo., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Olin Corporation (NYSE: OLN) announced today that on Friday, October 22, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time, Olin's senior management team will review the company's third quarter 2021 financial results. Prepared remarks will be followed by a question and answer period.

A press release, including financial statements and segment information, will be distributed after the market closes on Thursday, October 21, 2021, together with the associated slides.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

Interested participants may access the conference call by dialing (877) 883-0383 (Canadian callers, please dial (877) 885-0477; International callers, please dial (412) 902-6506), using the pass code 7662616. The call will also be webcast live on the company's website at www.olin.com, accessible under the third quarter conference call icons. Participants should log on to the website 15 minutes prior to the start of the call.

Following the event, the webcast will remain available for replay on the company's website for one year. A telephonic replay of this conference call will be available beginning at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time for 14 days by dialing (877) 344-7529 (Canadian callers, please dial (855) 669-9658; International callers, please dial (412) 317-0088), using the pass code of 10160372.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Olin Corporation is a leading vertically-integrated global manufacturer and distributor of chemical products and a leading U.S. manufacturer of ammunition. The chemical products produced include chlorine and caustic soda, vinyls, epoxies, chlorinated organics, bleach and hydrochloric acid. Winchester's principal manufacturing facilities produce and distribute sporting ammunition, law enforcement ammunition, reloading components, small caliber military ammunition and components, and industrial cartridges.

Visit www.olin.com for more information on Olin.

2021-20

SOURCE Olin Corporation

Related Links

http://www.olin.com


IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sidewinders LLC and PTS Advance are pleased to announce a joint ventureSidewinders Advance. Marrying Sidewinders decades of experience as rotating equipment repair specialists in the power generation industry with PTS Advance's deep expertise in staffing skilled trades to become the leading provider of technical staff to the power generation industry.

Sidewinders LLC

Glen Peterkin, Co-Owner & President of Sidewinders LLC, with his 30 years' experience as a Winder and Generator Specialist, will continue to identify, train, and develop talented generator winders. JanEllen M. Peterkin, PE, Sidewinders' majority owner & CEO, and Kleyton Nascimento, Sidewinders' Vice President, will offer business acumen and operational expertise as Managing Partners of Sidewinders Advance.

Additional Managing Partners in the Sidewinders Advance venture are staffing industry giants Dustin House and Paul Blues, President and Executive Vice President of PTS Advance. For over 25 years, PTS Advance has supported various clients in the Energy & Infrastructure space, including major Owner-Operators, OEMs, EPCs, maintenance contractors, and morewith well-qualified staff across the various skilled trades disciplines.

Sidewinders Advance's new Director of Skilled Trades, Trevin Melton, has expertise in managing teams with experience recruiting technicians across a range of skilled tradesbladers, precision millwrights, machinists, AC/DC motor mechanics, welders, pipefitters, certified welding inspectors, and electricians. Drawing on this experience and his knowledge of the compliance landscape around the skilled trades, Trevin will help extend Sidewinders Advance's reach to support our growing client base.

Sidewinders Advance will expand Sidewinders' current service offering while continuing to provide service with the same technical competence their customers know and trust. Because of the partnership with PTS Advance, Sidewinders Advance is actively developing more robust databases across all skilled trades disciplines, which will now include bladers, welders, machinists, and mechanics. Sidewinders Advance will be able to improve compliance and training protocols while providing a more robust internal team to drive better efficiencies from mobilization to demobilization. A client can send one request for resources on a given project, and Sidewinders Advance will have EHS-trained, background-checked, highly qualified technicians in a variety of disciplines ready to staff that project.

According to Sidewinders' CEO, JanEllen M. Peterkin, "We have been working as competitors in the same space, and what kept bringing us back to the table on this joint venture was our desire to combine our respective strengths and revolutionize the skilled trades staffing industry."

PTS Advance President, Dustin House, commented "We couldn't be more excited to join forces as Sidewinders Advance. Our teams' combined experience, capabilities, and deep network of talent will no doubt make us the Center of Excellence for skilled trades staffing solutions across the power industry."

At Sidewinders Advance, we're better together through the combination of Sidewinders' technical abilities and PTS Advance's ability to staff more people more efficiently and with an enhanced focus on compliance.

Visit Sidewinders Advance at https://www.SWAdvance.com to learn more.

About PTS Advance

PTS Advance is the largest specialist provider of technical talent to the United States' petrochemical industry with a growing service offering in Power & Renewables, Life Sciences, Construction & Infrastructure, and Manufacturing industries. PTS Advance helps businesses source qualified candidates so they can spend more time focusing on completing successful projects  and less time worrying about their staffing needs. With 70 years combined experience, PTS Advance provides a full range of staffing solutions, including Contract, Direct, and Project Hire; Payroll & Transition Services; and innovative solutions (Hiring Manager Portal & Private Talent Pool).

About Sidewinders

Sidewinders is trusted in the power generation industry for its knowledge of generator equipment maintenance and repair.

Sidewinders provides swift and effective service to our customers in power plants and utilities across the country and around the world. In addition, we are committed to serving the power generation industry with outstanding safety, quality, and performancein that orderon every project, without exception.

Contact:

Dustin House

407-590-3037

[email protected]

https://www.PTSAdvance.com

SOURCE PTS Advance

Related Links

http://www.PTSAdvance.com


BRENTWOOD, Tenn., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- QHR Health, a leading shared service solutions provider strengthening independent community healthcare, proudly announces Dennis Shelby, the CEO of Wilson Medical Center (WMC) has been honored with the Donald A. Wilson Visionary Award for outstanding, innovative contributions to improve the health and clinical outcomes of their community. Shelby joined WMC in 2011, and during a decade as its leader, grew net revenues 62 percent, from $10.1 million to $16.4 million.

Among Shelby's significant list of accomplishments are:

Three rural health clinics,

A behavioral health program that will soon be a service in the rural health clinics,

A community health wellness program,

A 340B program,

program, A quick response to the COVID-19 pandemic that included telemedicine, curbside visits and a curbside lab which received national recognition by the American Hospital Association,

A health maximization/virus resistance program for Wilson County ,

, The only wound care center in southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma with a hyperbaric chamber,

and northeast with a hyperbaric chamber, BioTE hormone replacement program,

Cancer therapy infusion center, and

The addition of digital mammography.

WMC is a hospital managed by QHR Health. QHR Health strengthens independent community hospitals like WMC with leadership, finance, strategy, workforce productivity and clinical resource management expertise. QHR hospitals perform better and more efficiently, on average, than comparable independent hospitals. QHR hospitals, on average, have 5.3 percent more net patient revenue and 64 additional days cash on hand.

"Dennis Shelby has earned a well-deserved honor as the recipient of the Kansas Hospital Association's Donald A. Wilson Visionary Award," said Dr. Dwayne Gunter, CEO of QHR Health. "His success and long list of accomplishments as the CEO of Wilson Medical Center are emblematic of QHR's hospital management service."

To learn more, visit: https://qhr.com/solutions/hospital-management/.

ABOUT QHR HEALTH

QHR Health strengthens independent community healthcare as the industry's leading health solutions provider serving independent, critical access and rural hospitals and health systems across the U.S. For more than 40 years, QHR Health has collaborated with clients to ensure that people in communities ranging from small rural towns to larger population centers, have local access to quality healthcare services. To learn more, visit QHR.com (https://qhr.com) or connect with us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE QHR Health

Related Links

https://www.qhr.com


PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Reckitt, the maker of Lysol, and Kinsa , a public health company on a mission to help curb the spread of illness, today announced the launch of the New York City FLUency school health program. Born out of a first-of-its-kind private-public partnership between the New York City Department of Health and Mayor's Office, Lysol, and Kinsa, the new program lays the groundwork for the city's first effective early warning system for preventable illness. Through funding from Reckitt, more than 80,000 families and teachers at participating public elementary school across all five boroughs will receive free Kinsa smart thermometers along with more than 100,000 canisters of Lysol  Disinfecting Wipes, which are approved by the EPA to be effective in protecting against the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

"After the tragedy and devastation that COVID-19 brought to our city in the last two years, it's more clear than ever that New York City needs early warning systems to predict and detect the spread of illnesses. I'm excited to see this partnership between Kinsa and Lysol that will help protect our children and all New Yorkers," said Corey Johnson, Speaker of the New York City Council.

Beyond simply taking temperature, Kinsa smart thermometers  used with a companion mobile application  guide users to appropriate care and treatment to get healthier faster, while also aggregating anonymous indicators of spreading illness. While completely protecting individual privacy, school leaders, doctors and city public health officials in New York City will be able to monitor school illness trends through a private dashboard. Schools can then use this data on where symptoms are starting and spreading to inform health and safety policies like social distancing, increased disinfection or remote learning, and can encourage preventative behaviors to reduce community transmission.

"Just as we have advanced warning systems for hurricanes or tornadoes, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us just how important it is to have an early warning system for preventable illness," said Kinsa founder and CEO Inder Singh. "By growing the network of Kinsa thermometers in New York City, we're creating an illness early warning system that will help the city stop outbreaks early and ultimately save lives and livelihoods, while advancing public health across the city."

In addition to funding the distribution of Kinsa smart thermometers and donating Lysol disinfection solutions, Reckitt will also provide Lysol Welcome Back Packs to all participating schools. Co-created with the CDC Foundation, Lysol Welcome Back Packs  also available digitally for teachers nationwide to download and print  are filled with fun and educational materials, posters, floor decals, and more to educate students on healthy habits. Materials include supplies to be used in hallways, teacher lounges, and other common areas around the school, as well as materials for teachers to use in their individual classrooms. The assets included in the packs all focus on healthy habits such as proper social distancing, cough and sneeze etiquette, handwashing, mask-wearing, and making sure to alert parents and teachers if you feel sick.

"Returning to in-person learning is a top priority, second only to ensuring all New Yorkers stay healthy," said Jay Varma, recently senior adviser for public health at City Hall. "We are grateful to Kinsa and Lysol for making it possible for our city schools to be part of a program helping to protect our students and administrators, while strengthening the infrastructure that will enable our school and city leaders to make informed, data-driven decisions to help stop the spread of illness."

Lysol's support of FLUency is part of its larger HERE for Healthy Schools initiative, launched to help curb the spread of preventable illnesses in schools. Through education, funding research, and working with partners, Lysol is helping kids miss less school days so they are able to learn, grow and thrive.

"We are excited to work with Kinsa, the NYC Department of Health, and the Mayor's Office in a way that so closely aligns with our mission of helping to curb the spread of illness in schools," said E. Yuri Hermida, EVP North America Hygiene at Reckitt. "Education is a crucial part of a child's development, and we are proud to support education during these unprecedented times. As schools continue to navigate the return to in-person learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lysol wants to help ensure that educators, administrators and public health officials have access to the supplies and resources they need to continue the fight against the spread of the virus."

In 2020, Lysol announced plans to invest more than $20 million over three years to expand HERE for Healthy Schools into every Title I school in the U.S., reaching 15 million children by 2022. Through education, research funding, and strategic partnerships, the program aims to minimize the spread of germs in the classroom. Lysol Disinfecting Wipes and Lysol Disinfectant Spray are approved by the U.S. EPA to kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. For a full list of U.S. EPA approved Lysol products that are effective against SARS-CoV-2 please visit www.lysol.com .

HERE for Healthy Schools is part of Reckitt's Fight for Access efforts to improve access to health, hygiene and nutrition for all. To learn more about HERE for Healthy Schools, visit: www.hereforhealthyschools.lysol.com .

ABOUT HERE FOR HEALTHY SCHOOLS

In 2012 Lysol created the Healthy Habits Program in partnership with the National Education Association (NEA), National PTA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Healthy Habits Program includes downloadable activities for teachers and parents of children grades K-5 to help them build illness prevention habits. As a part of Lysol's mission to curb the spread of illness in classrooms, Lysol expanded the program and created the HERE for Healthy Schools initiative. Every year 60 million school days are missed by children nationwide due to preventable illnesses like cold and flu, taking away the lasting experiences and learning they gain in the classroom. By educating on healthy habits, funding research, and working with partners, Lysol is sharing its mission to help kids miss less school so they are able to learn and grow and thrive. For more information visit: Lysol.com/HERE .

ABOUT RECKITT

Reckitt** is driven by its purpose to protect, heal and nurture in a relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We fight to make access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right, not a privilege, for everyone. Reckitt is proud to have a stable of trusted household brands found in households in more than 190 countries. These include Enfamil, Nutramigen, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Cillit Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Woolite, Air Wick and more. 20 million Reckitt products a day are bought by consumers globally.

Reckitt's passion to put consumers and people first, to seek out new opportunities, to strive for excellence in all that we do, and to build shared success with all our partners, while doing the right thing, always is what guides the work of our 40,000+ diverse and talented colleagues worldwide. For more information visit reckitt.com/us .

**Reckitt is the trading name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies

ABOUT KINSA

Kinsa's mission is to help individuals and communities stop the spread of infectious illness through early detection and early response. To achieve this mission, Kinsa has built a communication network that connects more than two million users with a free app, email alerts, and the first device used when illness is suspected -- a thermometer. Kinsa studies the unique features of an illness and incorporates what's circulating nearby to offer personalized guidance from symptom onset through recovery. By analyzing geographic illness trends, Kinsa quickly identifies at-risk areas and mobilizes the organizations that can help stop the spread. Learn more: www.kinsahealth.com .

SOURCE Lysol

Related Links

http://www.lysol.com


The Reese's team decided to engage in a friendly competition. What's a more ideal spot for a pumpkin show down than at Krochmal Farms, a pumpkin picking paradise, located outside of Salem, MA - one of America's favorite Halloween cities? Hence, the Reese's Pumpkin Patch was born, and now pumpkin picking will never be the same. You're welcome.

"While we love our farm pumpkins, we can't deny that we have a sweet spot for Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins," said The Cave family, Krochmal Farms owners. "When the brand came to us to asking to see how Krochmal Farms' pumpkins stacked up against Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins, we were all ears."

With the help of the Krochmal Farm's visitors to validate their claims, the brand set out to settle the score. The results? To no one's (or at least not Reese's) surprise, Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins reigned supreme. Cue the orange confetti!

The brand wants to keep testing their claim that Reese's Pumpkins are the official pumpkins of Halloween, so they are posing another important question... where should they go next? Have the perfect location for the next Reese's Pumpkin Patch? Tell us where on Instagram by tagging @Reeses and using #ReesesPumpkinPatch

Fans can also visit www.hersheyland.com for more on how to make your own Reese's Pumpkin Patch in your very own backyard.

For more information check out Reeses.com and follow:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reeses/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reeses

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reeses/?hl=en

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/reeses/

For more information on Krochmal Farms visit:

https://www.krochmalfarms.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krochmalfarms/

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company is headquartered in Hershey, Pa., and is an industry-leading snacks company known for bringing goodness to the world through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to help children succeed. Hershey has approximately 17,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 90 brands around the world that drive more than $8 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop, and Pirate's Booty.

For more than 125 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on helping children succeed.

To learn more visit www.thehersheycompany.com

Follow:

http://www.twitter.com/hersheycompany

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-hershey-company?trk=top_nav_home

http://www.facebook.com/hersheycompany

http://www.youtube.com/hersheycompany

http://www.instagram.com/hersheycompany

SOURCE The Hershey Company

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NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of SelectQuote, Inc. (NYSE: SLQT) between February 8, 2021 and May 11, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important October 15, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline.

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 aever 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, SelectQuote's financial results would be adversely impacted; and (3) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about SelectQuote'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.

Related Links

www.rosenlegal.com


PLEASANTON, Calif., Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tabulera (www.tabulera.com), a platform for automating the connection, reconciliation and payments of employee benefit programs, announced today that it has named Josh Beckett as a Vice President of Operations. Josh will lead Tabulera's next stage of customer growth and succeeds Lisa Crosby who is retiring.

"I could not be more thrilled at handing over the reins of client implementations and ongoing product support to Josh with his deep domain expertise, can-do attitude and excellent customer service leadership skills", said Lisa Crosby.

"With more than 15 years in the insurance industry, customer support and product development in the employer and carrier markets, I know the difficulty employers face when it comes to back office benefits administration. Disparate systems, broken processes, and big write-offs that could be avoided with the right tools. Seeing the Tabulera platform and the management team assembled convinced me of their software and vision" said Josh Beckett.

Most recently, Josh was a Director at Benefitfocus, where he was responsible for overseeing service relationships with employers, health plans, brokers and vendors on the Benefitfocus platform.

"We thank Lisa for her contributions and incredible efforts in helping launch Tabulera and providing a solid foundation for Josh. We are fortunate to have an experienced professional of Josh's caliber on Tabulera's team," said Doug Devlin, CEO. "He brings a high level of operational experience and industry background to challenge the status quo and help grow Tabulera. Tabulera is committed to transforming the industry that remains primarily dominated by manual operations in spreadsheets for billing, reconciliation and payments of benefit plans."

About Tabulera

Employer benefits administration is overly complicated and gets in the way of growing your business. Thousands of employees, dozens of plans and carriers, all on disparate systems. No wonder bad data, headaches, and millions in leakage are the status quo. You need to go beyond the daily details. Get the freedom to focus on your business with Tabulera, a platform that automates and aggregates benefits administration so you don't have to.

Finally, all your billing, reconciliation and payments in one place, and see your benefits costs clearly  down to the penny.

Headquartered in Pleasanton, California, Tabulera is online at tabulera.com.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Tabulera, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.tabulera.com


BEAUMONT, Texas, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine Provost Umphrey Law Firm attorneys are being recognized by Texas Super Lawyers as among the leading trial lawyers in the state for representing clients injured by negligence, dangerous products, and environmental hazards.

Their listing in the 2021 Texas guide by the respected Super Lawyers peer-review rating service is only the latest honor for the Provost Umphrey team, which is widely known for expertise in personal injury law.

This year's listing celebrates equity partner Bryan O. Blevins Jr. for his representation of plaintiffs injured by consumer products. Mr. Blevins has been recognized by Thomson Reuters-owned Super Lawyers since 2003 when the annual Texas guide launched. Equity partners Edward D. Fisher, Joe J. Fisher II, James E. Payne, and Matthew C. Matheny are also honored for their work achieving justice for plaintiffs in personal injury claims.

Also recognized for their plaintiffs' personal injury work are firm attorneys Darren L. Brown, David P. Wilson and Of Counsel D'Juana Parks. Attorney J. Keith Hyde earned honors for his environmental litigation work.

To learn more about the individual honorees, visit: http://www.provostumphrey.com/attorneys.

With a national reputation for successfully representing victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death or unfair business practices, Provost Umphrey often represents people who have suffered catastrophic injuries from dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical products, unsafe working conditions, motor vehicle and aviation accidents, or those who have been the victims of unfair payment schemes.

Super Lawyers selects honorees through peer nominations and feedback and review by a blue-ribbon panel of lawyers in the same practice areas and regional locations. No more than 5 percent of lawyers in each state are selected.

The 2021 guide will be published in the October issue of Texas Monthly and in the Texas edition of Super Lawyers magazine. The complete list is available at http://www.superlawyers.com.

About Provost Umphrey Law Firm, LLP

For over 50 years, our firm's mission has remained to seek justice for those most in need  those who have suffered harm or loss due to the wrongful conduct of others. Our attorneys fight for our clients nationwide with offices in Beaumont, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee. We continue to be one of the most successful trial law firms in the nation by remaining Hard-Working Lawyers for Hard-Working People. To learn more, visit http://www.provostumphrey.com.

Media Contact:

Sophia Reza

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Provost Umphrey Law Firm

Related Links

http://www.provostumphrey.com


SEATTLE, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tommy Bahama has been named to Newsweek's list of "America's Best Customer Service 2022," ranking #1 in the apparel category. Tommy Bahama has always communicated the importance of quality, craftmanship and exceptional customer service through a distinctive brand experience and a 'Live the Island Life' message.

Tommy Bahama

This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. "America's Best Customer Service" brands were selected based on an independent survey from a vast sample of more than 25,000 U.S. customers who have either made purchases, used services, or gathered information about products or services in the past three years. Customers were asked whether they would recommend brands to friends or family, as well as to assess brands in the following areas: quality of communication, professional competence, range of services, customer focus and accessibility. A total of 160,000 customer evaluations were collected. The results provided information about brick & mortar, online retailers, and service providers from 161 categories.

"For Tommy Bahama, this is the highest honor we could receive. We strive everday to exceed our guests expecations in all facets of the brand but especially in customer service," said Doug Wood, CEO of Tommy Bahama. "I really want to thank our store and restaurant teams as well as our team in guest services who made this award happen. We talk about it everyday, the importance of delighting our guests, but it's our people in the field who make it happen. I also want to thank our guests who voted for us and promise to continue to not just meet, but exceed your expectations."

The Newsweek list of "America's Best Customer Service 2022" was announced in September 2021 and can currently be viewed at Newsweek.com.

ABOUT TOMMY BAHAMA

Tommy Bahama is part of Tommy Bahama Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford Industries, Inc. Established in August 1992, with corporate headquarters in Seattle, Tommy Bahama is the iconic island lifestyle brand that defines relaxed, sophisticated style in men's and women's sportswear, swimwear, accessories and a complete home furnishings collection. The company owns and operates over 160 Tommy Bahama retail locations worldwide, 21 of which offer a Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar or a Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar. The Tommy Bahama collection is available on TommyBahama.com and at the finest U.S. retailers. For more information, please visit www.tommybahama.com.

Media Contact

Dyann Hawkins

323-719-6474

[email protected]

SOURCE Tommy Bahama
DUBLIN, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), the global leader in medical technology, today announced that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has affirmed an additional three patents in a dispute with Axonics over intellectual property for its sacral neuromodulation (SNM) device family, the InterStim systems. Today's decisions complete the review process initiated by Axonics to challenge the validity of the seven total patents involved in the IP infringement case brought by Medtronic. Cumulatively, the PTAB has now affirmed claims in all seven of the Medtronic patents.

The PTAB's latest decisions today affirmed all claims at issue in Medtronic's U.S. Patent Nos. 8,457,758 ('758) and 8,738,148 ('148); and affirmed claims 1-7, 16-18 and 22 of Medtronic's U.S. Patent No. 9,821,112 ('112), while invalidating claims 9-13 and 20. These patents relate to recharging technology. Medtronic is weighing its legal options with regard to the handful of invalidated patent claims in the '112 patent. The '758 patent and the '148 patent expire in April 2025, the '112 patent expires in April 2024.

Now that the IPR is complete  including the PTAB's decision in September 2020 to reject without hearing the challenge to Medtronic U.S. patent No. 9,463,324 ('324)  Medtronic will request that the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California lift the stay on the IP infringement case and resume proceedings. The decision on the '324 patent is final and not appealable. The '324 patent expires in April 2024.

All Medtronic patents affirmed by the PTAB have been in force for every sale Axonics has made to-date.

"Medtronic appreciates the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's efforts in this matter," said Brett Wall, executive vice president and president of the Neuroscience Portfolio at Medtronic. "We are pleased with the outcome of the review process and look forward to our day in court to protect the proprietary technology that brings SNM therapy to patients around the world."

About the IP Infringement Case Against Axonics

Medtronic filed suit against Axonics in November 2019, asserting claims for infringement of seven patents related to Medtronic's minimally invasive sacral neuromodulation lead placement procedure and implant recharging technologies. In response, Axonics filed Inter Partes Review (IPR) in March 2020 on all seven patents and the litigation was stayed pending the outcome at the PTAB.

In September 2020, the PTAB rejected without hearing the challenge to Medtronic's U.S. Patent No. 9,463,324 and found that Axonics' arguments lacked merit. That decision by the PTAB is final and not appealable.

Last week, the PTAB affirmed the additional Medtronic U.S. Patent Nos. 8,036,756 and 8,626,314, which protects technology related to its tined leads; and it upheld claim 7 in Medtronic's U.S. Patent No. 7,774,069 ('069 patent), which protects technology related to its recharge power control. The PTAB's decision on the '069 patent also found claims 5, 6, 8 and 9 invalid, while claims 1-4 and 10-13 were not challenged by Axonics. These decisions are subject to appeal, and Medtronic is weighing its legal options in regard to the invalidated claims of the '069 patent.

About Medtronic InterStim Systems

Medtronic has the world's smallest rechargeable bladder/bowel control system and the fastest battery recharge available and is the only company that offers patients the choice of a rechargeable or recharge-free sacral neuromodulation device. With 25-years' experience of innovation, investment and pioneering therapy, Medtronic is the only company with five-year data demonstrating the safety and efficacy of its sacral neuromodulation systems.

About Medtronic

Medtronic plc ( www.medtronic.com ), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies  alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Contacts:





Katie Genereux Ryan Weispfenning Public Relations Investor Relations +1-763-514-0162 +1-763-505-4626

SOURCE Medtronic plc

Related Links

http://www.medtronic.com


ST. LOUIS, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Urban Strategies, Inc., (USI) is pleased to announce the expansion of its Choice Neighborhoods initiative (CNI) Community of Practice. The initiative will support more than 100 participating cities develop and implement comprehensive, locally-driven plans to revitalize housing in their communities. Through the federal Choice Neighborhoods program under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, USI has leveraged more than $14 billion in public and private dollars as well as philanthropic funds to support redeveloping distressed public or assisted housing and spur comprehensive neighborhood revitalization  particularly in communities of color.

The initiative will target current CNI grantee cities (99 planning and 40 implementation grantees) while working with local leaders, community stakeholders such as city governments and public housing authorities, and residents, to create and implement plans to revitalize housing. USI seeks to contribute to developing the knowledge base of best practices and processes for community revitalization and provide data-driven strategies to improve outcomes for low-wealth families and communities of color and done through a racial equity lens. As part of this work, USI is expanding its "community of practice" among grantees in which they interact regularly through peer learning exchanges, evidence-to-action labs, and direct resources. Through this peer network, grantees can collaborate on local innovations, discuss persistent challenges, create shared priorities, and influence policies that address inequities at local, regional, and national levels.
DENVER, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The White House's COVID-19 Action Plan is putting tremendous pressure on employers to rapidly implement policies and procedures to document vaccine and testing compliance. To help employers verify adherence to vaccination and weekly testing requirements, Welltok, the consumer activation solutions company, today announced the availability of its new AI-powered vaccine management solution, Welltok Verify.

Now available to existing and new clients, Welltok Verify can be implemented as a standalone program or integrated into an existing wellbeing platform. Built on Welltok's history of secure health data collection and management, the company rapidly developed a self-service reporting tool that employers can implement once the forthcoming OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard is effective. OSHA will require employers with 100 or more employees to mandate that all employees get the COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly testing.

Welltok Verify is a three-step process to automate employee reminders and capture test results, exemption requests and proof of vaccination with AI validation of uploaded records. HR teams will have a clear, consolidated view of critical stats and detailed rosters for reporting purposes. Real-time insights include how much of the employee population is fully vaccinated, how many positive tests have been reported in a specified time period, and how many individuals are out of compliance.

"HR teams have been tirelessly navigating the ups and downs of this pandemic and have now been thrown another curve ball with the new mandate," said Jeff Yoshimura, vice president of product for Welltok. "We created this turnkey solution to take the work off their backs and provide an easy way to automate verification and help keep their employees healthy and safe. Maxed out HR teams need to be focused on their people, not managing spreadsheets, which is why we focused as much on the user-friendly interface as we did on the backend reporting process."

To support employee awareness and participation with Welltok Verify, the solution includes an adoption and engagement campaign powered by the company's multi-channel outreach and engagement technology. Existing clients may also reward employees for compliance with the CafeWell platform.

To learn more about Welltok's vaccine compliance solution, email [email protected]

About Welltok

Welltok drives consumer actions that matter. Only Welltok can predict with up to 90% accuracy people's needs and their likelihood to engage, and activate them with integrated multi-channel outreach to maximize results. By delivering personalized content and resources, Welltok ensures more individuals take critical actions like scheduling an annual check-up, selecting insurance coverage or refilling medications. As the award-winning consumer activation company, healthcare organizations and others trust Welltok to connect with their populations in meaningful ways. Watch this 90-second video to learn more .

Media Contact

Erica Sniad Morgenstern

415.697.3496

[email protected]

SOURCE Welltok, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.welltok.com


WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The White House Historical Association in partnership with the National Park Service, today unveiled the addition of a recorded audio component to the historic Wayside Exhibit installed earlier this summer in Lafayette Square in front of the White House. The Exhibit includes three markers that tell the story of the involvement of enslaved labor in the construction of the White House, the preservation and commemoration of the White House and Lafayette Square  including First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's actions to save the neighborhood from development  and the history of Lafayette Square as a site for demonstrations and protests.

The audio recordings were voiced by Royce L. Dickerson, member of the National Black MBA Association and current MBA candidate at Manderson Graduate School of Business at the University of Alabama, and Hilary West, the Executive Director for Federal Government Relations at JPMorgan Chase and Co.

See images of the Wayside Exhibit with Stewart McLaurin, Royce Dickerson, Hilary West.

About The White House Historical Association

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy envisioned a restored White House that conveyed a sense of history through its decorative and fine arts. In 1961, the White House Historical Association was established to support her vision to preserve and share the Executive Mansion's legacy for generations to come. Supported entirely by private resources, the Association's mission is to assist in the preservation of the state and public rooms, fund acquisitions for the White House permanent collection, and educate the public on the history of the White House. Since its founding, the White House Historical Association has contributed more than $50 million in fulfillment of its mission. To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit www.whitehousehistory.org .

About Royce L. Dickerson

Royce L. Dickerson serves as the Executive Vice President of the Graduate Student Association. A graduate of The University of Alabama, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and received the UA National Alumni Association's Alumni Student Award.

About Hilary West

Hilary West is Executive Director for Federal Government Relations at JPMorgan Chase and Co. where she articulates the Company's position on a broad spectrum of corporate and industry issues to a range of stakeholders including the White House, Congress, regulatory agencies, trade associations and consumer advocacy organizations. Hilary is a native of Washington, D.C.

SOURCE White House Historical Association

Related Links

http://www.whitehousehistory.org


WASHINGTON and CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- America's vulnerable LGBTQ+-owned restaurants and bars serving food will find a vital lifeline this fall stemming from the partnership formed by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and Grubhub. These small business owners have been among hardest hit by Covid impact with loss of jobs and income over the past two years.

Grubhub , a leading U.S. food-ordering and delivery marketplace, and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBTQ+ community and certifying body for LGBTQ+-owned businesses nationwide, have opened applications for their NGLCC/Grubhub Community Impact Grant Program. The grants are expected to range from $5,000 to $100,000.

"We often say at NGLCC that 'If you can buy it, an LGBTQ+-owned business can supply it.' That is especially true of the LGBTQ+-owned restaurants across America who kept our communities and first responders fed throughout the pandemic. We're proud to partner with Grubhub in offering these grants to support these businesses throughout the nation. America's 1.4 million LGBTQ+-owned business owners have shown incredible resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now, in turn, we can help them recover stronger than ever," said NGLCC Co-Founder and President Justin Nelson.

Throughout June, NGLCC was named the official partner of Grubhub's Donate the Change program, which has raised tens of millions of dollars for organizations in need since launching in late 2018. The partnership welcomed Grubhub and Seamless diners to opt-in, round up their order total, and donate the difference, with the company matching eligible donations from Grubhub+ members. The proceeds raised will now be made available through NGLCC to support the LGBTQ+ community and LGBTQ+-owned restaurants.

"As the world starts to return to a new normal, we know many businesses are rebuilding and reopening, especially LGBTQ+-owned restaurants that are often the pillars of their communities," said Kevin Kearns, senior vice president of restaurants at Grubhub. "We're thrilled to partner with NGLCC and give back to the LGBTQ+ community - one that has shown incredible strength and support for those in need throughout the pandemic."

Under the innovative grant program, the NGLCC has set a goal to allocate 30 percent of the funds to businesses owned by people of color and transgender/gender non-conforming individuals.

Restaurants wishing to apply for grants should visit www.nglcc.org/ghgrant

NGLCC and its partners will expertly evaluate applications after the October 12, 2021 closing date. Major grantees will be awarded onstage during the NGLCC Back To Business (B2B) Summit in Hollywood, Florida this November, as well as in local communities.

The NGLCC's network of more than fifty Affiliate Chambers across America will help amplify this grant opportunity to support local restaurants. Those local chambers will also benefit from this initiative's newly established "Affiliate Chamber Fund." This fund will enable any establishment that receives a Community Impact Grant Program that is not currently a member of an NGLCC local affiliate chamber to have one year of membership paid. Additionally, many of NGLCC's more than 300 corporate partners enhanced their Pride 2021 programming with food orders from Grubhub during their programming with Employee Resource Groups and community partners - a best practice expected to continue throughout future Pride celebrations.

For more information on the Community Impact Grant Program regarding restaurant eligibility requirements, timelines, how to apply, and more, please visit www.nglcc.org/ghgrant .

Contact: [email protected]

About NGLCC

The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the largest global advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people. NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT-owned businesses, known as Certified LGBT Business Enterprise (Certified LGBTBE) suppliers.

www.nglcc.org @nglcc

About Grubhub

Grubhub is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com (LSE: JET, AMS: TKWY,NASDAQ: GRUB), a leading global online food delivery marketplace. Dedicated to connecting more than 33 million diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features more than 300,000 restaurant partners in over 4,000 U.S. cities.





SOURCE National LGBT Chamber of Commerce
The Internationalization Index , jointly compiled by Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone and China High-tech Zone Research Center of Strategic Consulting Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the first internationalization index at the level of development zone in western China. The internationalization index system in the report includes five first-class indexes, namely, "global factor concentration, international organization leadership, world innovation competitiveness, economic development circulation, and support for an open environment," reflecting the level of international development of Chengdu High-tech Zone.

In particular, the world innovation competitiveness index saw the largest increase (73% increase over 2018), showing that Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone outstood in terms of trade level, industrial status and social responsibility; support for an open environment index steadily rose, reflecting that the high-tech zone has made steady progress in personnel and goods circulation, livable living and business, natural and cultural aspects.

With its construction starting in 1988, Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone is one of the first national high-tech zones in China, a pilot zone of "World-class High-tech Park" and the first National Innovation Demonstration Zone in western China. The comprehensive strength of Chengdu High-tech Zone tops among the 169 national high-tech zones in China.

As one of the regions with the highest degree of economic extroversion and internationalization in western China, Chengdu High-tech Zone is focusing on building three international cooperation parks (Singapore-Sichuan Hi-tech Innovation Park, Sino-Korean Innovation and Start-up Park, Sino--Japanese (Chengdu) Local Development Cooperation Demonstration Zone), Center for China-Europe Cooperation and other cooperation platforms, having gathered 130 Fortune 500 companies. In 2020, the Comprehensive Bonded Zone ranked first in China for three years with an import and export volume of RMB 549.17 billion.

SOURCE Chengdu Hi-tech Zone
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Cowen of Cowen Rodriguez Peacock recently settled a case for his client whose mother was tragically killed by an 18-wheeler truck. The plaintiff chose to focus first on holding the trucking company accountable and preventing similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The plaintiff's 71-year-old mother was killed when the tire came off the rim of an 18-wheeler truck and bounced into her windshield, and forced her to drive into the guardrail. The accident occurred because the truck driver was not properly inflating and checking the tire pressure on pre-trip inspections.

Cowen's client wanted something positive to come from her mother's death, so they told the defendant they would not discuss money until they agreed to implement change and train drivers on tire safety.

In a recent video interview with Michael J. Swanson, CEO, and Chairman of Advocate Capital, Inc., Cowen explained that plaintiff attorneys like himself look for opportunities to impact change through their cases.

Cowen stated, "one of the things that's so frustrating with what we do is we come in after a tragedy and families need helpwe get them the compensation that helps them get on with their lives, but it would really be nice to try and do something to stop this from happening in the first place. I see people suffering. I can't cure them. I can't make it not happen, but is there a way that we can go and prevent the next crash from happening?"

Cowen is a part of the American Association for Justice Trucking Litigation Group and the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys who lobby congress, the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, and other consumer advocacy groups to implement safety requirements for trucking companies like emergency breaking and strengthened underride guard railings.

Advocate Capital, Inc. is the premier provider of strategic financial products and accounting services for successful trial law firms like Cowen Rodriguez Peacock. It has served the plaintiff bar for 22 years from its headquarters in Nashville, TN, and enjoys a client base that extends nationwide. For more information, visit www.advocatecapital.com or call 1.877.894.9724.

CONTACT:

Rachel Minyard

Advocate Capital, Inc.,

advocatecapital.com/rachel-minyard.html

SOURCE Advocate Capital, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.advocatecapital.com


MEXICO CITY, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. ("Aeromexico" or the "Company") (BMV: AEROMEX) informs that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, presiding over Aeromexico's Chapter 11 voluntary financial restructuring process, granted the Company's request for extensions of the plan exclusivity periods. The exclusive period for filing a chapter 11 plan now expires on October 8, 2021, subject to further extension as ordered by the Court.

As reported earlier, on September 10, 2021, the Company delivered to its DIP Lenders the Final Valuation Materials and the Refinancing Qualification Certificate in accordance with the DIP Credit Agreement. Under the DIP Credit Agreement, and as agreed in mediation, the Tranche 2 DIP Lenders were required to provide notice to the Company no later than 10 days following the delivery of Final Valuation Materials (i.e., on or before September 20, 2021) of their election whether to convert their loans into equity of the reorganized Company at the value set forth in the Final Valuation Materials (the "Election Subscription Notice").

Apollo, one of the DIP Lenders, filed a reservation of rights on the Court's docket in which it took the position that the Final Valuation Materials delivered by the Company did not comply with the requirements of the DIP Credit Agreement, and, accordingly, the delivery of Final Valuation Materials, in their opinion, has not occurred. As set forth in the reservation of rights, Apollo's view is that it is not yet obligated to send the Election Subscription Notice.

The Company maintains its position that Final Valuation Materials have been delivered as required under the DIP Credit Agreement. That position is supported by the Unsecured Creditors Committee, organized groups of Aeromexico's creditors and other DIP lenders. Aeromexico intends to file a Plan of Reorganization consistent with the delivered Final Valuation Materials on or around September 30, 2021 but in any event no later than October 8, 2021.

Aeromexico will continue pursuing, in an orderly manner, its voluntary financial restructuring through Chapter 11, while continuing to operate and offer services to its customers and contracting from its suppliers the goods and services required for operations. The Company will continue to strengthen its financial position and liquidity, protect and preserve its operations and assets, and implement necessary adjustments to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of the Company and its management with respect to its performance, business and future events. We use words such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect,", "intend," "target," "estimate," "project," "predict," "forecast," "guideline," "should" and other similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, but they are not the only way we identify such statements. Such statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in this release. The Company is under no obligation and 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.

About Grupo Aeromexico: Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, has its main operations center in Terminal 2 of the Mexico City International Airport. Its destination network has reach in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Central America, South America, Asia and Europe. The Group's current operating fleet includes Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, as well as the latest generation Embraer 190. Aeromexico is a founding partner of SkyTeam, an alliance that celebrates 20 years and offers connectivity in more than 170 countries, through the 19 partner airlines. Aeromexico created and implemented a Health and Hygiene Management System (SGSH) to protect its clients and collaborators at all stages of its operation.

www.aeromexico.com www.skyteam.com

SOURCE Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V.

Related Links

http://www.aeromexico.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent Electrical Contractors of Greater Cincinnati (IECGC) today announced that Agora Systems has become an official partner to offer materials procurement software to IECGC members. Using Agora, IECGC members can manage and automate their materials procurement process by bringing their field, office, warehouse, and suppliers onto one collaborative platform.

"At IECGC, we pride ourselves on enabling our contractor members with the best practices, resources, and technology to help them grow their businesses and succeed," said Sommer Andriot, Head of Memberships and Chapter Relations at IECGC. "When we were introduced to the Agora platform and their team it was immediately apparent that Agora's solution was best-in-class technology for streamlining electrical contractor's procurement processes. We're excited to have them as an official preferred partner of IECGC."

Agora's platform allows field teams to create and submit requisitions from their mobile devices using an Amazon-like ordering application with a catalog of 300,000+ electrical materials. Requisitions are delivered digitally and instantaneously to office teams who can convert the requests into purchase orders and submit them to their supplier of choice within a minute. Purchase order information automatically syncs with accounting systems keeping records accurate and up-to-date. IEC contractors using Agora across the country have on average reduced the time their field teams spend on managing materials by 38% and reduced the time their office teams spend processing POs by 75%.

"We're honored to become a preferred partner of IECGC and bring the Agora solution to their electrical contractors," said Maria Rioumine, Agora's CEO and Co-Founder. "Our platform is helping IEC members across the country save money on their jobs by removing inefficiencies in the office and by increasing productivity in the field. We're excited to offer these same benefits to IECGC's members."

IEC Greater Cincinnati members can learn more about Agora's materials procurement platform at www.helloagora.com.

About Agora Systems:

Agora is a materials procurement platform built for electrical contractors to reduce overhead costs and increase labor productivity. The platform brings the field, office, warehouse, accounting teams, and suppliers, onto one collaborative platform, allowing electrical contractors to create requisitions, issue purchase orders, and track invoices and deliveries instantaneously. Contractors using Agora reduce the time spent managing materials in their office by 75% and in the field by 38%.

About Independent Electrical Contractors of Greater Cincinnati:

IEC of Greater Cincinnati provides training and education for electricians. We are part of the IEC National merit shop trade association with over 50 chapters across the country. With 48 contractor members employing more than 1070 field workers and 39 industry associate members, IEC of Greater Cincinnati is a leader in the electrical industry providing electricians with a pathway to a great career.

Contact:

Ken Wohl

Agora Systems

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (248) 755-1105

SOURCE Agora Systems, Inc

Related Links

https://www.helloagora.com/


CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is proud to announce that the sorority set a new record and raised more than $2.1 million in one day to benefit our nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Alpha Kappa Alpha's annual HBCU Impact Day on September 20 far exceeded the goal, as the country's first Black sorority received online donations and checks from local AKA chapters, private donors, and corporate matching dollars from across the globe.

"In the fourth and final year of our HBCU Impact Day Initiative, I am pleased, honored, and excited to report that we have doubled our giving, exceeding the $2 million mark, an historic moment for Alpha Kappa Alpha, our members, other donors, and the institutions that will benefit from these funds," says Dr. Glenda Glover, AKA international president and chief executive officer. "This means even more support for them  our HBCUs!"

"We started this journey in 2018 with a goal of raising $1 million in one day. Certainly, unchartered territory," explains Dr. Glover, who is also president of her alma mater Tennessee State University. "We had the audacity to believe we could raise $1 million in one day. We did it then, as well as in 2019 and 2020, in fact, exceeding our million-dollar goal! And, in 2021, to raise more than $2.1 million is simply phenomenal."

HBCU Impact Day is one part of a four-year $10 million fundraising goal set by Dr. Glover under the HBCU for Life: A Call to Action initiative. Glover implemented the program when she took over leadership of the sorority in 2018. Aimed at promoting HBCUs by encouraging students to attend and matriculate through these institutions, members were asked to lead the charge in helping to secure fiscal sustainability and success for accredited HBCUs around the country. The sorority has successfully reached and surpassed the $1 million goal each year of its million dollar in one day fundraising initiative.

At its recent virtual international convention in July, the AKA Educational Advancement Foundation presented $1.6 million in unrestricted endowment funds in the amount of $50,000 to the following HBCUs: Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Clinton College, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Interdenominational Theological Center, Jackson State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Meharry Medical College, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Morgan State University, Morris College, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, Simmons College of Kentucky, Southwestern Christian College, Spelman College, Texas Southern University, Tuskegee University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of the District of Columbia, University of the Virgin Islands, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, Winston-Salem State University, and Xavier University of Louisiana. Receiving endowments of $12,500 were Bishop State Community College, Coahoma Community College, and Shorter College.

In the past two years, all other four-year, accredited HBCUs received from $50,000 to $100,000 in endowment contributions. The first check was provided to Bennett College to support its fundraising efforts associated with accreditation.

"Most people are unaware of the significant contributions these legacy institutions continue to make in our cities and throughout the country, including graduating 22% of all African Americans with bachelor's degrees, nearly 80% of all African-American judges, and 50% of all Black lawyers," adds Dr. Glover.

"It's gratifying to know that funds raised will support endowments, providing sustainability to our historically black colleges and universities. I am especially appreciative to everyone who contributed to the success of this year's HBCU Impact Day."

The more than $2.1 million raised online does not include mail-in donations or pledges and contributions that are still pending. It's not too late to make an impact. Individuals or organizations interested in supporting the effort can still make contributions by texting AKAHBCU to 44321, giving by mail or online at http://donate.akaeaf.org. For more information on the sorority's commitment to HBCUs, visit www.AKA1908.com.

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.

SOURCE Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Artemis Consulting, a D.C.-metro area-based IT Services and Management Consulting firm, became Great Place to Work (GPTW)-Certified again in August 2021. GPTW administered an employee experience survey measuring Artemis employees on several key focus areascredibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie. The award is a notable accomplishment for the federal government prime contractor because the certification is based entirely on what current employees anonymously say about working for the company.

Artemis Consulting

GPTW research shows that employee retention and happiness is far less about incentives and more about creating a caring company culture. It is essentially about creating a sense of "belonging" because it provides "trust, human connection, and wellness." Amee Shah, Artemis CEO explained, "At Artemis Consulting, we pride ourselves in creating an atmosphere where employees are free to express themselves and have a sense of community. Moreover, being a racially diverse and inclusive company, our staff is able to offer different perspectives given their diverse backgrounds."

Overall, 88% of Artemis employees surveyed say the company is a great place to work compared to only 59% of employees at typical U.S.-based companies. As shown in the graph, the large majority of Artemis employees surveyed rate the company highly on a number of key attributes.

Having earned this designation, Artemis Consulting is in good company. Well-known companies that have earned the Great Place to Work certification include Cisco, Hilton, SalesForce, Adobe Systems, Red Hat, and many others. "Great Place to Work Certification isn't something that comes easilyit takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience," said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, Vice President of Global Recognition at Great Place to Work.

About Artemis Consulting, Inc.

Artemis Consulting is a woman-owned small business (WOSB) and IT Services and Management Consulting firm in the Washington D.C. metro area. Artemis has earned several awards for consecutive years, including the Virginia's Fantastic 50 Fastest Growing Companies and the Entrepreneur 360's List of Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America. Since 1999, they have been designing and developing software and integrating systems that help drive digital transformation efforts for clients. They utilize DevSecOps, along with microservices, for scalability, security and reliability. Artemis Consulting performs Agile Scrum, KanBan and SAFe development for its clients and is skilled in the modernization of legacy systems by creating open source and COTS applications and running them natively in the cloud. In the public sector, they have a variety of IDIQ and Government-wide contracts as a Prime Contractor.

Media Contact:

Priya Dewsbury

703-286-7997

[email protected]

SOURCE Artemis Consulting
YARDLEY, Pa., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Astarte Medical, a clinical intelligence company leveraging data and digital tools to improve health outcomes in the first 1000 days, today announced it has secured $7.6 million in Series A-1 financing. Investors in the round include Viking Global Investors LP, Lunsford Capital, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, OCA Ventures, Next Act Fund, Capita3, Leatherneck Ventures, and Social Venture Circle. The Company will use the funds to scale the sales of NICUtrition, its EMR-integrated, clinical decision support platform addressing critical, unmet needs in the NICU like malnutrition, suboptimal growth, and racial disparities in care.

Every year, 1 in 10 babies are born prematurely - more than 380,000 in the United States. Thanks to advancements in medical care, babies born very prematurely  even before 25 weeks of pregnancy - are more likely to survive today than ever before. The third trimester of pregnancy is the most critical period for a baby's growth and brain development, and many preterm infants spend this entire critical period of growth in the NICU. However, feeding these tiny babies is complex and wrought with challenges for the NICU team.

"As seed stage investors focused on technology's ability to put more in the hands of clinicians for the betterment of patients, we can hardly imagine a more lasting impact than that of the lives of babies in the NICU," said Jennifer Hartt, Managing Director, Healthcare Investment Group, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA. "As an investor who is also a mother who once had a preterm infant in the NICU, I understand what it means to have a fragile baby who we hope grows up to have a meal just be a meal. For these babies, however, every feeding and its composition and timing is of critical importance and they are handling feedings often months before their bodies were designed to do. Astarte Medical is tackling these exact issues with real time tools and analysis. The impacts can be life-long to get this right, with these babies. That is the kind of impact we care about and that we know hospitals and their NICUs will care about as well."

In connection with the financing round, Wendy Slatery, a seasoned sales executive and recognized commercial leader in healthcare with extensive experience in existing and market entry solutions, will join Astarte Medical's Board of Directors. Ms. Slatery currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Aspect Imaging. Throughout her career, she led improvements in financial performance, expanded industry presence, and created new markets for existing portfolios within the NICU and other areas of care.

"NICUtrition can reduce the complexity and variability in preterm infant feeding and, with this round of capital, we're focusing our efforts on expanding our customer base and improving the impact we can have for infants and their families," said Tracy Warren, CEO and Co-founder, Astarte Medical. "Having signed contracts and implementions underway at our initial NICU sites, we are excited to announce the addition of Wendy Slatery to our Board to help provide strategic direction and insight to these efforts."

About Astarte Medical

Astarte Medical is a clinical intelligence company using software and predictive analytics to improve outcomes in the first 1,000 days of life, from conception to age two, with an initial focus on preterm infants. NICUtrition by Astarte Medical supports feeding protocols, practice and decision-making in the neonatal ICU with a suite of digital tools designed to standardize feeding, optimize nutrition and assess the provision of equitable care. Learn more at www.AstarteMedical.com.

This project is supported by the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA, an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority.

Media Contact

Sarah Block

[email protected]

SOURCE Astarte Medical

Related Links

http://www.AstarteMedical.com


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Common announced it has been selected to manage The Wayland, a newly renovated multifamily property in the heart of Downtown St. Petersburg, owned by Atlas Real Estate Partners ("Atlas") and Skylight Real Estate Partners ("Skylight"). Common, the fastest growing real estate brand that designs, manages and leases apartments across the US will now manage all 481 units of the property. The newly upgraded building consists primarily of studios and one-bedrooms and features Class A-quality amenities. Common's unique renter-first property management style and Atlas Real Estate Partners' industry expertise will bring a new way of living to St. Petersburg, defined by increased value and a focus on community.

Acquired in 2017, Atlas and Skylight saw an opportunity to redefine living in St. Petersburg, Florida with a building that allowed residents to get the most sought-after amenities at attainable price points. With an increased need for quality rental housing in the bustling Downtown neighborhood, The Wayland acts as the ultimate living destination for young professionals and service workers alike. The building features an expansive co-working space available to residents in addition to a resident lounge and game room. The space also offers room for residents to host friends with a resident kitchen, resort-style pool, sundeck, turf lawn, fire pits and a barbecue area.

"We're thrilled to partner with a forward-thinking management company like Common who understands the demands of today's renter," Director of Investments at Atlas Real Estate Partners, Joe Stampone said. "Common's focus on the resident experience aligns perfectly with our long-term ownership approach and goal of creating a product and experience tailored to our residents."

Having entered the real estate world in 2015 with coliving properties, traditional apartments now make up over 50% of Common's current 7,000 managed unit portfolio. The Wayland is Common's first building in the Tampa Bay area and a flagship for its traditional multifamily management. A new kind of property manager, Common focuses on designing, leasing and managing the type of apartment buildings people really want to live in. Through an in-house technology stack and ultra-convenient services, Common is able to provide its members with a seamless moving and living experience in a world where renting is increasingly stressful.

"As we continue to expand our property management brand across Florida, I am thrilled that Common has been selected to operate The Wayland," said Amalia Paliobeis, Common's Senior Managing Director of Real Estate. " The teams at Atlas Real Estate and Skylight Real Estate Partners have built a portfolio of communities perfectly suited for the Tampa Bay resident. Adding our marketing and management expertise will surely make The Wayland a positive and connected place to live in St Petersburg."

Rents at Wayland are starting at $1,250 per month and include newly renovated apartments, community events, discounts to local and national brands, and access to all of the building's thoughtful amenities. Common has over 22,000 signed units under development in 22 cities across the globe, and continues to disrupt the property management space. This past year, Common acquired management agreements from its biggest competitor Starcity, announced major expansions in Philadelphia and LA, added former Deputy Mayor of New York City Alicia Glen to its Board of Directors and raised $50 million in its Series D venture capital funding round from Kinnevik.

About Common

Common is a residential brand creating a better kind of multifamily property manager through innovations in technology, design, and operations. Common delivers exceptional experiences for renters across twelve cities and nearly 7,000 units in coliving, microunit, and traditional apartments. They are the preferred choice for both residents looking for a stress-free and all-inclusive living environment from a trusted brand, and for real estate owners seeking reliable, above-market returns. The Common platform also includes workforce housing management brand Noah and family-first operator Mily. With over 22,000 units signed and under development and over $110 million in venture capital investment, Common is expanding into 22 cities across the world. To work with us, visit our partners page or follow us on instagram at @ common.living .

About Atlas

Atlas Real Estate Partners is a privately-held real estate investment firm with offices in New York, NY and Miami, FL.

Since its formation in 2009, Atlas has closed over 50 acquisitions and development projects with a total capitalization of $1.5B spread over ~10,000 residential units and ~1.4 MM square feet of commercial space in numerous markets throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Atlas is focused on growing its multifamily and housing portfolio through value-add acquisitions and its Opportunity Zone Platform which includes over $200M in ground-up multifamily development. Learn more at https://www.atlasrep.com/ .

About Skylight

Skylight Real Estate Partners is a privately held real estate investment firm with deep experience acquiring, developing and managing residential and commercial assets in the prime US markets of New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Central and South Florida.

The team's management platform is focused on three complementary investment strategies: distressed, value-add and development opportunities. Since 1998, the founding partners have collectively invested $5.5 billion of equity in assets totaling over $15 billion of gross asset value. This experience comprises over 9,000 residential units and 20 million square feet of office and retail assets.

Skylight offers its investors, tenants and partners extensive market knowledge, long-standing relationships and institutional thinking fueled by a motivated and deeply experienced leadership team with a proven record of consistent success. Learn more at www.Skylightrep.com .

CONTACT: Phoebe Dinner, [email protected]

SOURCE Common
STOCKHOLM, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Production in volume design of Azelio's long-duration energy storage TES.POD has started according to plan. To ensure high quality in both the product and the supply chain, consisting of around seventy European suppliers, production will begin at a low pace before scaling up to high volumes in 2022.

Azelio continues its commercialisation as planned and has now reached another important milestone by commencing production of its long-duration energy storage TES.POD in volume design. The production chain consists of the assembly of cylinder kits in the company's facilities in Amal (Sweden), followed by the final assembly of a complete Stirling engine in its factory in Uddevalla (Sweden). The thermal storage unit is assembled by AQ Systems in Vaggeryd (Sweden), and the complete product is then married at each project site.

To secure high quality in the product and supply chain, the initial production pace is low to ensure maintained quality also in high volumes, which are planned for in 2022.

Azelio has so far secured orders for two TES.POD units in Sweden and one unit in Dubai, as well as a conditional order from Egypt for twenty TES.POD units, corresponding to 260 kW of electrical output and 3.3 MWh of storage capacity. The company's goal for 2021 is to sign and begin delivery of one or two projects in the size of 100 kW or larger.

"Starting production of our TES.POD in volume design has been one of our goals for 2021. It is a big and challenging task to secure a supply chain for a complex system product that is completely new to the market. I am very proud and impressed with the entire organisation's work," says Jonas Eklind, CEO of Azelio.

For further information, please contact:



Jonas Eklind  CEO

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +46 709 40 35 80

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/azelio/r/azelio-has-started-the-production-of-its-energy-storage-tes-pod,c3419217

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/16031/3419217/1471320.pdf Azelio_production_EN https://news.cision.com/azelio/i/azelio-s-thermal-energy-storage,c2957707 Azelio's Thermal Energy Storage

SOURCE Azelio
LINDON, Utah, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BambooHR , the industry's leading cloud-hosted software provider dedicated to powering the strategic evolution of human resources, today announced new product features designed to streamline hiring and onboarding new employees. BambooHR customers can now leverage integrations with two more of the most popular job boards, further easing promotion and increasing the visibility of job openings. Customers can also now create and manage candidate talent pools and further tailor the onboarding process for new employees.

BambooHR's recent study of more than 1,000 remote workers examined how the shift in the workplace over the past year has affected employees. Nearly one-third of respondents indicated they plan to switch careers or look for a new job in the next six months.

"Without BambooHR, we wouldn't be in a position to effectively handle the spikes in recruiting," said Jane Jaxon, VP of People Operations at Wistia. "Having a central record to ensure data integrity, and the ability to automate, has helped us manage onboarding and provided a seamless candidate experience during one of our biggest hiring years."

The following features are now available:

ZipRecruiter Job Board Integration

Customers can now automatically share job openings to the ZipRecruiter job board. Over 110 million job seekers have used ZipRecruiter, and 4 out of 5 employers who post a job on the site get a quality candidate within the first day, providing a natural extension of potential candidates for recruiters.

Candidate Talent Pools

The new candidate talent pools feature gives customers the ability to move the candidates they don't hire into talent pools for future consideration. There's no limit to the number of talent pools customers can create, and candidates can appear in multiple talent pools if desired. This feature allows HR and hiring managers to keep tabs on promising candidates who might fit a future role, giving the organization a head start on hiring as they open new positions.

Onboarding Enhancements

These updates add more visibility and flexibility when creating New Hire Packets. When configuring a packet, admins can now add, delete, or edit all onboarding tasks related to the employee (not just those the new hire must complete) and change when task notifications are sent. This gives admins the ability to fine-tune an individual onboarding process as needed, rather than having to anticipate and save changes in the system beforehand.

"With record numbers of employees considering post-pandemic job changes, and with hiring returning full-force, HR leaders are exploring how technology can help them manage today's tight labor market," said Amy Frampton, head of marketing at BambooHR. "These latest enhancements will help hiring managers, HR pros, and recruiters cast a wider net while adding reassurance that new employees are being onboarded efficiently and effectively."

About BambooHR

Serving more than 23,000 organizations and almost two million employees worldwide, BambooHR is the only HR software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. BambooHR makes it easy for growing companies to manage essential employee information in a personalized, cloud-based, and secure system. BambooHR customers include innovators like Asana, SoundCloud, Foursquare, Freshbooks, Stance, Reddit, and Magnolia Homes. With customers in 100 countries, BambooHR's goal is to set HR professionals and organizations free to do great work. BambooHR also hosts more than 30,000 HR professionals at its annual HR Virtual Summit . To find out more, visit bamboohr.com or follow @bamboohr on social media.

SOURCE Bamboo HR LLC

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JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced that financial institutions across Africa have selected hybrid cloud and AI capabilities from IBM to unlock digital innovation and continue their work to develop digital-first solutions, ultimately aiming to broaden access to financial services on the continent.

COVID-19 continues to accelerate the already rapid changes that were happening across the financial services sector in Africa, fast-tracking the adoption of digital technologies to boost financial inclusion. As banks focus their efforts on open innovation, security and high-value services, hybrid cloud solutions have become increasingly important to deliver seamless and secured digital banking experiences.

"Enterprises face unique challenges when it comes to balancing innovation and regulatory compliance, especially those in highly regulated industries like financial services," says Alan Peacock, General Manager, IBM Cloud. "For decades, IBM has been fuelling the transformation of the financial services industry, bringing IBM's industry experience and leadership in security and data privacy to help banks address those challenges and modernize, transform their operations and offer innovation to their customers."

"In the past year we have seen banks navigate changes brought on by a growing preference for digital and mobile solutions, increasing smartphone penetration and the demand for convenience, innovation, and simplicity from today's modern consumer," says Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh, Regional, General Manager for IBM North, East and West Africa. "As banks across the continent take advantage of the opportunity to provide digital financial services which can boost financial inclusion, IBM is working with Africa's financial groups to deliver intelligent, cloud-based, digital-first innovation through IBM's hybrid cloud and AI capabilities."

Ecobank, the pan-African banking conglomerate with banking operations in 33 African countries, has adopted a hybrid cloud approach to extend its reach to millions across Africa. Using IBM Cloud, Ecobank migrated their flagship mobile banking application to leverage the on-demand capacity of resources that can support sudden spikes in traffic on its mobile banking services. Ecobank also has access to other IBM cloud services that can be used to develop more innovative, digital-first solutions to enhance their own client experience.

With over 12 million customers on its flagship mobile application, Ecobank is on an accelerated digital banking transformation journey and is set out to expand its digital offerings and grow the 30 million digital transactions it already processes on its platforms. As part of this journey, the Pan-African banking conglomerate has built scalable business solutions which allow for ease of integration with third-party providers using their open digital banking platform for a growing customer base.

Attijariwafa bank, the Pan African Banking and Financial Group, has adopted IBM hybrid cloud solutions to help advance the digitisation of its banking operations, and more quickly bring new digital services to its customers, all in a security-rich and flexible environment. Using IBM Cloud Paks that are built on Red Hat OpenShift, the bank can streamline and integrate front-and back-office processes to modernise business and IT operations.

By deploying IBM Cloud Paks, Attijariwafa bank aims to modernise and manage its core banking applications like its corporate banking application, in a secured, integrated and scalable environment. This can create richer and simpler customer interactions while helping decrease the time to bring new offerings to market. It can also enable the banks' employees to focus their effort and time on serving their customers better.

This collaboration with IBM supports the digital transformation strategy of the bank and is designed to facilitate a full modernisation of the bank's operations in an open, hybrid cloud environment.

United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), Africa's global bank operating in 23 countries and with headquarters in Nigeria, has set a goal to grow its transaction volume significantly over the next few years and to deepen retail market penetration. To achieve this, they would be required to attract the unbanked, acquire new customers through digital banking and retain existing customers by adopting a "No Transaction Must Fail (NTMF)" initiative.

Using IBM POWER9-based servers, Flash system storage and IBM PowerVC (Power system virtualization & cloud management), UBA set up a scalable, private cloud environment that is designed to be cost-effective as the bank takes its first step towards embracing a hybrid cloud model.

Customers' needs are evolving as they seek banking services across channels and expect personalization. Co-operative Bank of Kenya turned to IBM to modernize their core banking platform and reach their customers on different channels including mobile and online while offering customized services driven by insights. For this, they required a technology that would also empower their employees who work across teams to simplify processes and optimize customer data, while also achieving goals like reducing infrastructure and maintenance costs. With IBM Power and FlashStorage solutions, they now have an infrastructure designed to improve insights on customer data, speed query resolutions and time-to-market on new services across channels  all backed by highly available, scalable, cloud-and AI-ready technology.

Banco Mais, a bank in Mozambique, turned to IBM to help streamline its business processes and reduce turnaround times for customer-facing services. In the face of a growing competitive market locally, Banco Mais aimed to develop financial service products faster to retain and gain market share. Banco Mais implemented IBM Business Process Manager on Cloud service and was able to start projects faster and deploy process application solutions without the need to build the IT infrastructure. By turning to this IBM Cloud solution, they developed, tested, ran and monitored their business processes at a fraction of the time it would otherwise have taken. As a result, Banco Mais reports that they reduced turnaround time for loans by 60% and decreased the time it took to implement services that took 3 to 4 months by 85% to improve customer experiences.

Pan-African bank Nedbank aims to deliver superior digital experiences to its customers. To achieve this, the bank is modernizing its core banking applications with a hybrid cloud strategy and has turned to IBM to help bring digital products and services to market. To take advantage of the flexibility and agility offered by modern cloud technologies on this digitalization journey, Nedbank explored a hybrid, multicloud approach, using the IBM Garage methodology to implement IBM Cloud Pak for Integration in order to integrate legacy systems. Through IBM Garage, the bank was able to deep dive and explore fresh solutions and in a matter of weeks achieved what would have taken them months. This has enabled Nedbank to shift their legacy applications into the cloud and integrate with other cloud-based applications as they modernize and position for future innovation.

Earlier this year, IBM announced the general availability of the industry's first financial services-ready cloud platform, IBM Cloud for Financial Services, as well IBM Cloud Satellite. First revealed in 2019 , the IBM Cloud for Financial Services is designed to help reduce risk for financial institutions, their partners and FinTechs, and innovate quickly with built-in controls that are adhered to by the entire ecosystem. IBM Cloud Satellite brings a secured, unifying layer of cloud services for clients across environments, regardless of where their data resides. As workloads shift to the edge, IBM Cloud Satellite helps clients deliver low latency, while still enabling them to have the same levels of security, data privacy, interoperability and open standards found in hybrid cloud environments.

To learn more about IBM's insights and solutions for banks, insurers and other financial services providers, please visit: www.ibm.com/industries/financial-services

About Ecobank: https://ecobank.com/

About Attijariwafa Bank: www.attijariwafabank.com

About UBA: www.ubagroup.com

About Co-operative Bank of Kenya: https://www.co-opbank.co.ke/

About Banco Mais: www.bancomais.co.mz

About Nedbank: www.nedbank.co.za

Contact:

Suzanne Cross

IBM Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE IBM

Related Links

www.ibm.com


CHARLES TOWN, W.Va., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- (OTC:PTBS) -- BCT-Bank of Charles Town, also known as The Community's Bank, today announced through its BCTCares Foundation the results of the recent "Pack the 'Pack" fundraising campaign in association with four local backpack program charities. With the support of BCT customers, employees, vendors, and local community patrons, a total of $43,000 was raised that will be used to fill 8,600 take-home backpacks with food for local food-insecure school children. The campaign ran July through August, 2021.

"To say we are pleased with the results of our Pack the 'Pack campaign is an understatement," said Alice Frazier, President and CEO of BCT. "This effort was initiated at the last minute due to the emergency need of food-insecure children in our markets. Their need resonated so loudly with our employees and customers that the campaign grew well beyond our hopes. I am very proud of our customers, employees, and local communities for rallying together to raise over two times our original goal. Thousands of local children will be fed because we joined together as neighbors in a fight to end food-insecurity in our local communities."

BCTCares partnered with local backpack program charities for this campaign. These partners will purchase and distribute food to local school children using the funds donated, filling over 8,600 backpacks with food. The local backpack program partners are:

Berkeley County Backpack Program ( Berkeley County, WV ) - http://feedbcwvkids.org/

) - http://feedbcwvkids.org/ Community Combined Ministries  Kidz Power Pacs ( Jefferson County, WV ) - https://communitycombined.org/

) - https://communitycombined.org/ HARC/Micah's Backpack ( Washington County, MD ) - https://harccoalition.org/programs/micahs-backpack/

) - https://harccoalition.org/programs/micahs-backpack/ Loudoun Backpack Coalition (Loudoun County, VA) - https://loudouneducationfoundation.org/backpack-coalition/

To learn more about the BCTCares Foundation and its BCTCares For The Hungry initiatives, visit www.mybct.bank/about/bctcares.

About the Company

Founded in 1871 and celebrating their 150th year of service, BCT - Bank of Charles Town, also known as The Community's Bank, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Potomac Bancshares, Inc. (OTC:PTBS). With approximately $672 million in assets as of June 30, 2021, the Company conducts operations through its main office, an additional eight branch offices, and two loan production offices. BCT's offices are located in Jefferson and Berkeley Counties (WV), Washington County (MD), and Loudoun and Stafford Counties (VA). The Bank provides various banking products and services including free access to over 55,000 ATMs through the Allpoint network plus online and mobile banking for individuals, businesses, and local governments. The Bank also offers commercial lines and term loans, residential and commercial construction, commercial real estate loans and agricultural loans. The Residential Lending division offers secondary market and portfolio mortgage loans, one-time close construction to perm loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit. For over 60 years, BCT Wealth Advisors has provided financial management, investment, trust, and estate services to its clients. In 2019 and 2020, the Bank was named a "Best Bank To Work For" by American Banker. In 2018, Forbes named BCT a "Best In State Bank" for Maryland.

The Company's shares are quoted on the OTC Pink Sheet marketplace under the symbol "PTBS." For more information about Potomac Bancshares, Inc., and the Bank, please visit our website at www.mybct.bank.

SOURCE BCT - Bank of Charles Town

Related Links

http://www.mybct.bank


SMITHFIELD, N.C., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Line Aviation, the fastest-growing Accelerated Aviation Training entity in the country, is nearing completion on its new headquarters building, professional pilot training center, maintenance facility, and restaurant at the JNX Airport. Since construction began, Blue Line's growth has exceeded expectations, and the flight school has already outgrown the space currently under construction. Blue Line is eager to start operations in the new facility beginning in November of this year.

Monday night, September 20, 2021, Blue Line Aviation CEO Trey Walters and President Rich Laviano presented a proposal to the JNX Airport Authority to begin work on additional offices, maintenance facilities, student dormitory facilities, and vehicle parking valued at over $20M. Airlines are offering hiring and retention bonuses higher than ever before, and Blue Line seeks to change lives by providing the necessary training. These additional facilities are essential to support Blue Line's flight training and maintenance operations  training students from around the country to fill the hundreds of thousands of open pilot jobs.

The proposal includes proposed ground lease payments up to 5x the current ground lease rates for the same space, which on its own would nearly cover the existing cash shortfall the JNX Airport has been experiencing.

At the meeting, the Authority approved the concept of modular office facilities but did not yet accept the entire proposal. Mr. Walters says, "We are optimistic that the Authority will define and complete an efficient path forward for these projects. Blue Line stands ready to continue to invest at the Johnston Regional Airport and looks forward to doing so."

The new proposed $20M investment is on top of the current $16M investment the company is in the process of completing. The current project is the largest private investment in the airport's history.

Mr. Walters continues, "We trust that the legislature will quickly pass appropriation legislation to fund the vital expansion of the air transportation infrastructure in Johnston County. There is a lot of work to be done to return the airport to full operational capability and to increase its capacity."

Blue Line Aviation previously announced an aircraft order of over 100 aircraft over a 5 year period, has already begun exercising options for additional aircraft, and will start taking deliveries of these aircraft in the 4th quarter. The additional investment presented to the Authority would not only have closed its financial gap, but the investment would bring many more good-paying jobs to the region.

About Blue Line Aviation

Blue Line Aviation is located at 2200 Gateway Centre Blvd #208, in Morrisville, North Carolina and was established in 1995. As one of only a few flight schools in the world to provide quality flight training programs at an accelerated pace. In less than six months, students can go from no experience to fully confident and certified pilots, fully prepared for a career in aviation. For more inquiries and additional information, please visit our website (http://bluelineaviation.com), find us on social media, or contact Ashley Darling, our Sales and Marketing Director, at (919) 578-3713 ext. 305.

Press Contact: Ashley Darling, 919-578-3713 ext. 305, https://www.bluelineaviationllc.com/

SOURCE Blue Line Aviation
RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Ridge Bank, N.A. (the "Bank"), the national bank subsidiary of Blue Ridge Bankshares, Inc. (NYSE American: BRBS), announces the installation of its first branch electric vehicle charging station, located at 11450 Robious Road, North Chesterfield, Virginia, 23235. Drivers can use the charging station to power up their electric vehicles, free of charge, while they do their banking or visit other local businesses.

"Blue Ridge Bank supports our local communities while embracing innovation," said Brian K. Plum, President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Ridge Bank. "The new charging station at our Robious branch is not only an investment to help improve the quality of life in the community, but it also supports our desire to improve our environment in the communities we serve."

Blue Ridge Bank partnered with ChargePoint, the world's largest electric vehicle charging network, to install the ChargePoint dual output CT4021 charger. The bank is also participating in ChargePoint's Smart Charging Infrastructure Pilot Program (SCIP), which supports electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Virginia.

"Stewardship and sustainability are values we believe in," added Plum. "This announcement is the first small step of additional actions we will be taking around our efforts to be a catalyst for positive change while continuing to grow and enhance the way we improve the financial lives of our customers and communities."

"We are so excited about the leadership in building a cleaner world from Blue Ridge Bank and look forward to their success." Alleyn Harned, Director of Virginia Clean Cities said. "Transportation is 48% of Virginia's greenhouse gases, at 20 pounds a gallon of gasoline, and electric vehicles reduce emissions by 75% on today's grid and tailpipe emissions to zero. This is a major step forward for the region and adds meaningfully to charging locations in the Commonwealth."

Blue Ridge Bank is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Bank's Robious Road branch beginning at 12:00 P.M. on September 28, 2021, to celebrate the installation of the charger and the Bank's commitment to clean energy. Virginia Clean Cities, a nonprofit organization that promotes air quality improvement, and the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce will be in attendance along with other county representatives. The public is invited to attend.

About Blue Ridge Bank:

Blue Ridge Bank, N.A., is the wholly owned banking subsidiary of Blue Ridge Bankshares, Inc. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, Blue Ridge Bank provides a wide range of financial services including retail and commercial banking, payroll, insurance, card payments, wholesale and retail mortgage lending, and government-guaranteed lending. Visit mybrb.bank to learn more.

About Virginia Clean Cities:

Virginia Clean Cities advances air quality improvement, economic opportunity, and energy security through deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure, education programs, and other petroleum reduction activities. More information at www.vacleancities.org and www.driveelectricva.org.

SOURCE Blue Ridge Bank, N.A.
OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California today announced a $1 million community investment to help the California Department of Education expand much-needed support for youth mental and behavioral health services within the state's school system.

Blue Shield is contributing the funds to the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation, the philanthropy arm of the California Department of Education. This community investment is part of Blue Shield of California's BlueSky initiative, the nonprofit health plan's multi-year effort to support youth mental health, and builds on existing work with the state Department of Education to train educators to recognize and address mental health concerns in youth.

The California Department of Education oversees the education of 6 million youth at more than 10,000 schools with 300,000 teachers. Through this investment, Blue Shield and the state's education leaders will increase access, awareness, and advocacy for youth mental health.

Building on current efforts, this latest contribution will support:

Designing a new, statewide system to help increase access to mental and behavioral health services and to help school districts expand access to preventative programming and other innovative treatment models.

Scaling youth mental health training for more educators with flexibility in trainings.

Enhancing content such as evolving programming to be more trauma-informed and culturally affirming, particularly for BIPOC youth (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

Creating a statewide Medi-Cal technical assistance guide that Local Education Agencies can use to help more families access mental and behavioral health benefits.

Since launching in 2019, Blue Shield of California's BlueSky initiative has collaborated with the California Department of Education to support similar mental health initiatives. These include scaling the department's Youth Mental Health First Aid program, which in the last two years has trained nearly 3,500 educators and caring adults to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental distress in youth. In addition, BlueSky is supporting the launch of the Angst: Building Resilience statewide initiative, which aims to raise awareness around anxiety through the 2017 documentary "Angst." The film will be free for schools to screen throughout the year beginning in October 2021.

"Our goal is to build a healthier future for all Californians, and that includes addressing the mental health needs of our state's youth," said Paul Markovich, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California. "We're excited to expand our collaboration with the California Department of Education, making sure youth have equitable access to care. Communities of color have not only faced a disproportionate impact of the pandemic on their health but also bore witness to traumatic social injustices on a national scale. These funds will help equip educators with the tools to continue breaking down barriers to access and helping support the mental health needs of youth who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color."

"I'm incredibly pleased and thankful for the contribution from Blue Shield because we can't help our students academically until we take into account their mental health and social-emotional needs," said Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction. "Students are still returning to the classroom, and we're continuing to reconfigure and centralize supports and resources. In time, California schools will see robust and historic levels of mental health programming, which I believe will provide critical support to students and families. Partnerships, like this one, between public and private entities, are essential in implementing this vision."

Addressing an Urgent Need

California youth are facing a mental health crisis. According to a 2019 UCLA Center for Health Policy Research study, almost half of California teens have recently struggled with mental health issues  with nearly a third reporting serious psychological distress that could interfere with academic and social functioning. Additionally, the 2020 California Children's Report Card cites that mental illness is the top reason California youth are hospitalized.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made this year's return to school especially stressful for youth and their families. According to a recent Blue Shield of California BlueSky survey, three in four California youth are nervous about catching COVID in school, eight in 10 are worried about academic achievement, and six in 10 are worried about socializing with their friends.

"Across the state, youth are grappling with an unprecedented number of stressors," said David Bond, LCSW, director of Behavioral Health for Blue Shield. "When educators are trained to identify signs of mental distress in their students, they can create an encouraging environment that promotes healthy dialogue."

According to the Blue Shield of California BlueSky survey, 20% of teens surveyed discussed their mental health with a teacher over the past year. However, BIPOC teens were less likely (13%) to reach out to an educator than their white classmates (29%), highlighting the critical need to build the capacity of school-based professionals to engage with students in culturally responsive and equitable ways.

"With the investment from Blue Shield, the California Department of Education is positioned to be a key partner as we build capacity within schools to reduce stigma and increase access for families and youth, especially from the BIPOC communities to engage in mental health services," said Dr. Daniel Lee, the state's deputy superintendent. "Blue Shield has positioned the state Department of Education to build the necessary infrastructure to leverage the current state investment in mental health into an opportunity for lasting change that provides all students with access to healthy school environments and positive learning communities, with the ultimate goal of improving student outcomes."

For more information about the Blue Shield of California BlueSky program and resources for youth, parents, and educators, please visit: blueshieldca.com/bluesky

About Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.5 million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $21 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid, and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $150 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last four years to have an impact on California communities.

For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com .

Or follow us on LinkedIn , Twitter , or Facebook .

CONTACT: Mark Seelig

Blue Shield of California

510-607-2359

[email protected]

SOURCE Blue Shield of California

Related Links

www.bcbs.com


In 2021, BoardEx has added to the more than 3 million profiles and 1 billion connections within its global dataset. Tweet this

Over the course of 2021, BoardEx has added to the more than 3 million profiles and 1 billion connections in its global dataset including:

Profiles and Connections Tied to Corporate Transactions

5,100 new M&A deals

1,680 IPOs, including over 600 SPACs

75 million new first-degree connections

Employment and Wealth Intelligence Enhancements

Updated more than 147,000 employment roles

74k of these were in the US

of these were in the US

50% of newly identified employment changes were outside of the US including 24% in Europe (including UK) and 14% in Asia

(including UK) and 14% in More than 200,000 individual profiles have been updated with wealth intelligence from Wealth-X including 2,500 billionaires and 61K Ultra High Net Worth individuals

C-Suite, Diversity and Private Equity Network Growth

The BoardEx Diversity Network now boasts more than 19,000 board members, C-suite leaders and decision makers

Nearly 80,000 new individual profiles were added, including 12,000 C-suite leaders

Over 30,000 new C-suite roles globally including more than 10,000 CEOs, 5,000 CFOs and 5,000 GCs

Over 4,000 new private equity portfolio companies have been added along with the profiles of their board and leadership teams

More than 140,000 additional organizations, primarily in the US and Asia as well as other regions that are a priority to our clients

"This expansion provides our clients with more ways to identify actionable connections to the people and companies they need to reach," says Florian Pixner, Chief Data Officer of Euromoney Institutional Investor's People Intelligence Pillar which includes BoardEx. "This adds to BoardEx's ability to enhance business development efforts, and strengthens the user's ability to connect with future business leaders."

Click here to learn more about these updates, and BoardEx's suite of products and services.

About BoardEx

BoardEx is the leading provider of executive intelligence and relationship mapping solutions. Organizations trust BoardEx to identify, qualify and map connection paths to 2 million organizations and the 1.5 million people who lead them. BoardEx is a part of Euromoney People Intelligence, a division of Euromoney PLC which provides organizations with unique data intelligence that connects them with the individuals who will have the greatest impact on their goals. Euromoney People Intelligence is comprised of three unique brands: BoardEx, RelSci, WealthEngine, and Wealth-X. We empower our clients to build greater relationships, obtain and manage their best talent and reduce commercial risk.

Learn more at boardex.com

SOURCE BoardEx

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PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CARISMA Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, announced today that that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to CT-0508, a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) targeted chimeric antigen receptor macrophage (CAR-M) for the treatment of patients with solid tumors.

"The FDA's decision to grant Fast Track designation to CT-0508 is another important milestone in gene-based cell therapy development," said Steven Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of CARISMA. "This designation further demonstrates the critical need to expedite the development and review of new therapies that can potentially address the unmet needs of patients, whose cancer may have not responded to existing methods of treatment."

CT-0508 was originally developed by Saar Gill, MD, PhD, Scientific Co-founder of CARISMA Therapeutics, and an Associate Professor of Hematology-Oncology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Michael Klichinsky, PharmD, PhD, Scientific Co-founder, and Senior Vice President of Discovery at CARISMA Therapeutics. It is currently being evaluated in a first-in-human Phase 1 multi-center clinical trial that focuses on patients with recurrent or metastatic HER2-overexpressing solid tumors whose cancers do not have any approved HER2-targeted therapies or who do not respond to treatment. Preclinical findings for CT-0508 indicated that CAR-M therapy may have the potential to overcome challenges that T-cell therapies have encountered in the solid tumor setting.

The FDA's Fast Track program is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of investigational treatments that demonstrate a potential to address unmet medical needs in serious conditions. Programs with Fast Track designation can benefit from early and frequent communication with the FDA in addition to a rolling submission of the marketing application.

CARISMA will continue to treat and evaluate patients at three clinical trial sites, including the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, and City of Hope in Duarte, California.

About CARISMA Therapeutics Inc.

CARISMA Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing a differentiated and proprietary cell therapy platform focused on engineered macrophages, cells that play a crucial role in both the innate and adaptive immune response. The first applications of the platform, developed in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, are autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-macrophages for the treatment of solid tumors. CARISMA Therapeutics is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA.

For more information, please visit www.carismatx.com

Editor's Note: Dr. Gill and Penn are both co-founders of CARISMA and hold equity in the company. CARISMA has licensed certain Penn-owned intellectual property from the University, and Penn's Perelman School of Medicine receives sponsored research funding from the company in support of Dr. Gill's laboratory and clinical trials at Penn. Penn and Dr. Gill may also be entitled to receive future financial benefits from technologies licensed and optioned to CARISMA.

Media Contact:

Christina Khoury-Folkens

(929) 299-5962

[email protected]

SOURCE CARISMA Therapeutics Inc.

Related Links

http://www.carismatx.com


China has set some major goals for making the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation come true. Top on the list are the two centennial goals: to "build a moderately prosperous society in all respects" by 2021 at the CPC's celebration of its centenary; to "build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious" by 2049, the centenary of the People's Republic of China.

"We have realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects," declared President Xi at the grand ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of CPC in Beijing on July 1, 2021.



President Xi was first to raise the concept "Chinese dream" when he visited "The Road Toward Renewal" exhibition in Beijing on Nov. 29, 2012.



"A great dream does not come true by waiting or shouting slogans; it is realized by hard work and perseverance." This is what President Xi said at the grand gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the country's reform and opening-up in Beijing on Dec. 18, 2018.



"The history of China is a history of the Chinese nation's struggle against poverty. Ending poverty is the long-cherished dream of the Chinese people." This is what President Xi said at a grand gathering in Beijing to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters on February 25, 2021.



"Looking back on the path we have traveled and forward to the journey that lies ahead, it is certain that with the firm leadership of the Party and the great unity of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, we will achieve the goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects and fulfill the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation." This is what President Xi said at the ceremony marking the CPC centenary.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiHJ63Qs6EM

SOURCE CCTV+
Customers get a chance to instantly win when they use the Dutch Bros app to make a purchase or redeem a reward at the window (limit one chance per day). Winners will receive a free drink every day for a whole year!

"Our customers are the absolute best and we're so stoked to give them a chance to get their daily fix for free," said Ashley Smith, lead broista. "Make sure to show your broista your Dutch Pass the next time you roll through!"

Customers can order and enjoy specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, exclusive Dutch Bros Blue Rebel energy drinks and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. All drinks are handcrafted for each customer and guaranteed to satisfy.

"The best part of the Dutch Bros app is that we really tried to insert our culture," said Kristen Flemington, Senior Director of Digital Marketing. "We don't want to take away from the Dutch Bros experience so we built in features that would enhance it."

The app allows members to pay contact-free, earn points and score rewards! The Dutch for a Year promotion lasts through October 31 or until 100 winners have been selected, whichever comes first. See official rules here . The Dutch Bros app is available on the App Store and Google Play.

About Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros Coffee is a drive-thru coffee company dedicated to making a massive difference one cup at a time. Headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma, it's now sharing the "Dutch Luv" with more than 500 locations in 11 states. Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, an exclusive Dutch Bros' Blue Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Its rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish.

In addition to its mission of speed, quality and service, Dutch Bros is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Through its Dutch Bros Foundation and local franchisees, the company donates several million dollars to causes across the country each year.

To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit www.dutchbros.com , follow Dutch Bros Coffee on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , & TikTok , and download the Dutch Bros app to earn points and score rewards!

SOURCE Dutch Bros Coffee

Related Links

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This is not surprising but of great significance, as China has previously cooperated with several countries along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) towards "greening" the initiative.

Global development initiative

Phasing out coal investments would be promising to reduce carbon emissions, which pose a threat to the United Nations' (UN) Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, especially Goal 13 on climate action.

Besides decreasing coal-fired power projects, China has pledged an additional $3 billion of international assistance in the next three years to support developing countries in responding to COVID-19 and promoting economic and social recovery.

"Development holds the key to people's well-being," Xi said, adding that countries need to work together to steer global development towards a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive growth.

Beijing has highlighted its willingness to work with the international community, including the United States, to jointly advance global environmental governance.

For instance, through joint partnership, China has established the Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition, which serves as a platform for BRI cooperation on green development. Under the platform, China has provided more than 2,000 training opportunities for environmental protection officials, experts and technicians from over 120 participating countries.

Adhering to green development is engraved in the Chinese government through the Constitution and the master blueprint of national development as an ecological civilization to be observed in all socioeconomic developments and political agendas.

Beating COVID-19 remains a major task

Undoubtedly, though many countries are busy trying to rebuild their economies amid the pandemic, COVID-19 is still raging in the world, with the number of new cases rising every day globally.

Under such circumstances, President Xi called for putting people and their lives first, taking a science-based approach to origins tracing, enhancing the coordinated global COVID-19 response and minimizing the risk of cross-border virus transmission.

Noting that vaccination is a powerful weapon against COVID-19, he stressed the pressing priority is to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally.

China has promised to provide a total of two billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the world by the end of this year and has donated 100 million doses of the vaccine to other developing countries in the course of this year in addition to $100 million to COVAX.

Practicing true multilateralism is critical

Whether it is improving global environmental governance or beating COVID-19, multilateralism is paramount, which is another key point of Xi's statement at the UNGA.

"The UN should hold high the banner of true multilateralism and serve as the central platform for countries to jointly safeguard universal security, share development achievements and chart the course for the future of the world," Xi said.

The Chinese president called on the UN to increase the representation and say of developing countries in international affairs and take the lead in advancing democracy and the rule of law in international relations.

China, a staunch supporter of multilateralism

President Xi also called for building a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation, stressing that the practice of forming small circles or zero-sum games should be rejected.

"One country's success does not have to mean another country's failure, and the world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries," he said, adding that differences and problems among countries need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

As the largest developing country, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the second-largest contributor to the UN's regular budget and peacekeeping assessments, China has always actively supported the work of the United Nations, firmly safeguarded the international system and upheld multilateralism with concrete actions.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has hosted a series of major international events, including the G20 Hangzhou Summit, the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the China International Import Expo, and the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-09-22/China-leads-green-development-with-another-practical-step-13KX5J87auI/index.html

SOURCE CGTN

Related Links

www.cgtn.com


DOVER, Del., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK) announced today that it is the recipient of Ethical Boardroom magazine's 2021 award for Best Corporate Governance in the Utilities Sector in North America. Ethical Boardroom's prestigious awards recognize outstanding leadership worldwide for companies that have raised the bar to ensure that strong corporate governance contributes daily to enhancing long-term value for all stakeholders.

"The Best in Governance Award recognizes the leadership of our board of directors, the active engagement of our people and the capabilities and professionalism of our governance team to continue to adapt and perform at the highest levels in these challenging times," said Jeff Householder, president and chief executive officer of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. "We are truly honored to receive this recognition and will continue doing all we can to contribute to greater sustainability and societal advancement."

"Our success is the direct result of our employee-centric culture that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion and supports our strong commitment to our customers, communities and each other," said Jim Moriarty, executive vice president, general counsel, chief policy and risk officer and corporate secretary of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. "Congratulations to Stacie Roberts, assistant vice president of corporate governance, and the entire team for their unwavering commitment to integrity and responsibility and their tireless and extraordinary efforts that make a positive difference throughout our Company and in the communities where we live and work."

Ethical Boardroom reviewed the governance practices for each nominee in several categories, including board composition, board committees, shareholder rights and transparency. Other award winners for their relevant sectors included Royal Bank of Canada, The Walt Disney Co., Microsoft Corporation and 3M Company. Ethical Boardroom is a leading journal for global governance issues. The magazine addresses the interests of general counsels, company secretaries and C-suite executives worldwide on a broad range of business topics.

About Chesapeake Utilities Corporation

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is a diversified energy delivery company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, which is engaged in natural gas transmission and distribution; electricity generation and distribution; propane gas distribution; mobile compressed natural gas (CNG) utility services and solutions; and other businesses. Information about Chesapeake Utilities Corporation's businesses is available at www.chpk.com and on the Annual Report Microsite at cpkannualreport.com.

Please note that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is not affiliated with Chesapeake Energy, an oil and natural gas exploration company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

For more information, contact:

Brianna Patterson

Manager, Public Relations and Strategic Communications

302-217-7050

[email protected]

SOURCE Chesapeake Utilities Corporation

Related Links

http://www.chpk.com/


PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Chromatography Market by Type (Liquid Chromatography, Gas Chromatography, Thin-Layer Chromatography, and Others), Product (Instruments, Consumables, and Accessories), and End User (Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies, Food & Beverage Companies, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030.". According to the report, the global chromatography industry generated $8.7 billion in 2020, and is anticipated to generate $15.33 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 5.8% from 2021 to 2030.

For Right Perspective and Competitive Insights, Get Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/13464

Prime determinants of growth

Surge in applications of chromatography in various fields, rise in adoption of chromatography in drug discovery process, and growth in popularity of hyphenated chromatography techniques drives the growth of the global chromatography market. However, High cost of chromatography equipment, Lack of adequate skilled professionals and Presence of alternative technologies to chromatography hinder the market growth. On the other hand, advancement in gas chromatography columns for petrochemical applications and adoption of chromatography in R&D in cancer present new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic have had a positive impact on the global chromatography market.

Chromatography is a powerful laboratory-based analytical method that has been employed by researchers as the scientific community strives to understand the Sars-CoV-2 virus and to develop better therapies, vaccines, and diagnostic tools to aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This in turn, boosted the global chromatography market.

The liquid chromatography segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on type, the liquid chromatography segment held the highest market share in 2020, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the global chromatography market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This is due to rise in various applications of liquid chromatography to the fields of pharmaceutical chemistry, bioanalysis, antibiotics, metabolomics, proteomics, drug analysis, medical sciences, and plant, agricultural, environmental and food chemistry. However, thin layer chromatography segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 6.7% from 2021 to 2030, owing to increase in application of thin layer chromatography (TLC) in various areas such as qualitative testing of various medicines such as sedatives, local anesthetics, anticonvulsant tranquilizers, analgesics, antihistamines, steroids, hypnotics.

Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Industry Expert: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/13464

The consumables segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on product, the consumables segment accounted for the largest share in 2020, contributing more than two-fifths of the global chromatography market, and is projected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. This is due to growing adoption of consumables to separate, identify, and analyze various compounds such as vitamins, preservatives, additives, proteins, and amino acids in the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, this segment is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 6.2% from 2021 to 2030, while the accessories segment projected to have CAGR of 5.6% from 2021 to 2030.

North America to maintain its dominance by 2030

Based on region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue 2020, accounting for more than one-third of the global chromatography market. This is due to presence of giant biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical firms in the countries such as the U.S. In addition, increase in adoption of chromatographic techniques for drug discoveries and drug approvals by this biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical firms. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period.

Leading Market Players:-

Agilent Technologies

Bio-Rad Laboratories

Danaher Corporation

Hitachi Ltd.

Merck KGAA

PerkinElmer, Inc.

Restek Corporatio

Shimadzu Corporation

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

Waters Corporation.

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Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
DALLAS, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica Bank's Texas Economic Activity Index increased in July to 125.6. July's index reading was 26.6 percent above the recent low of 99.2 set in June 2020. The index averaged 112.1 points for all of 2020, 13.5 points below the average for 2019. June's index reading was revised to 125.3.

Our Texas Economic Activity Index increased by a modest 0.2 percent in July after a strong 1.9 percent gain in June. The level of the index in July, at 125.6, is slightly below the pre-COVID reading of 126.2 from February 2020. The index is now up for the fifth consecutive month, and for the twelfth month out of the last thirteen. In July, seven out of nine sub-components saw gains. They were nonfarm employment, unemployment insurance claims (inverted), housing starts, house prices, drilling rig count, total state trade and hotel occupancy. Industrial electricity demand and state sales tax revenues were down in July. Weak auto sales, held back by lack of dealer inventory, are weighing on sales tax revenues for Texas and likely all other states. New COVID cases in Texas have declined noticeably after peaking in early September. We expect businesses in the state to continue to operate unrestricted through the remainder of this year. Crude oil prices have trended up slightly since late August, pushed in part by back-to-back storms which impacted coastal Texas and Louisiana. However, supply side threats are matched against a cooling Chinese economy and the potential drag on global oil demand. The state's drilling rig count has improved through mid-September. Higher natural gas prices through the third quarter are helping profitability for the state's energy sector.

The Texas Economic Activity Index consists of nine variables, as follows: nonfarm payroll employment, continuing claims for unemployment insurance, housing starts, house price index, industrial electricity sales, Texas rotary rig count, total trade, hotel occupancy and sales tax revenue. All data are seasonally adjusted. Nominal values have been converted to constant dollar values. Total index levels are expressed in terms of three-month moving averages.

Comerica Bank is a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $88.4 billion at June 30, 2021.

To subscribe to our publications or for questions, contact us at [email protected]. Archives are available at http://www.comerica.com/insights. Follow us on Twitter: @Comerica_Econ.

SOURCE Comerica Bank

Related Links

http://www.comerica.com


AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Brands UK, a leading provider of cloud-based software and payments solutions for schools in the UK, today announced its acquisition of Parentapps, an award-winning education technology company.

Based in Liverpool, Parentapps complements the Community Brands suite of tools that help UK schools effectively and efficiently connect with parents. With digital communication, parent evening bookings, website development, and payment processing, Parentapps offers a complete solution to streamline tasks and processes critical to educational operations.

"The addition of Parentapps bolsters our leadership position in the industry and further illustrates our commitment to schools and their parents and students," said Richard Grazier, President and Managing Director of Community Brands UK. "This strategic partnership aligns with our mission to modernize the way schools use technology, and in turn, frees up valuable time and resources so that school staff and teachers can do what they do best: create a better future for our community."

Community Brands UK specializes in software and services for the education sector, providing tools that create greater efficiencies, cost savings, and improve communication and engagement. Combining Parentapps with its Teachers2Parents and Groupcall Messenger communications platforms, as well as the SchoolMoney payments tool, the company will now serve more than 20,000 UK schools, partners, multi-academy trusts and local authorities.

Parentapps Founder and Managing Director Kevin Clayton added: "The COVID-19 pandemic only hastened the digital transformation for many schools, especially in light of the need to stay connected and to deliver learning materials and instruction remotely. Both Parentapps and Community Brands have played important roles in this ongoing process and are perfect partners in providing the most comprehensive, turnkey solutions for helping schools increase efficiency and engagement."

In addition to schools, Parentapps serves nursery schools, community groups, clubs, and nonprofit organizations through its purpose-built website, portal, and mobile app.

This acquisition underscores the Community Brands commitment to serving schools, families, and students with powerful and future-focused digital technology tools. The Community Brands family also includes a portfolio of solutions for private and independent K-12 schools in the United States with brands including Ravenna, SSS, TADS, Diamond Mind and Educate.

About Community Brands UK

Community Brands UK leads the way in assisting schools in handling complex and time-consuming processes through tools, data and structure to help them operate more efficiently. Home to some of the UK's most innovative and loved education brands including Assembly, Teachers2Parents, Behaviour Watch, School Money, Groupcall and Wisepay, the organization supports more than 20,000 schools every day. First to market with a parental engagement solution and MIS integration platform, Community Brands UK has grown into the largest supplier in both product functions, as well as the fastest-growing payments provider to schools in the UK. Through 16 core products and 60 years of experience, the company delivers services for school payments, communications and engagement, data and analytics. Community Brands UK is a proud recipient of four prestigious BETT awards. To learn more, visit CommunityBrands.uk.

About Parentapps

Parentapps is an award-winning education technology company. Founded by 2 parents we are passionate about helping schools and nurseries improve their parental engagement, reduce costs and save time.

We understand the challenges faced with communicating with parents in this modern age, so we have made it really SIMPLE. Many schools and nurseries are using ineffective, time-consuming and expensive systems and we are dedicated to helping change that. We work with clients across the UK and abroad, in helping them streamline their communication, reduce costs and build meaningful relationships with parents.

Our simple to use platform and mobile app enables schools and nurseries to easily invite parents to activate their account. Once registered, parents can receive all of their information directly to their smart phone. No more searching for information online or crumpled up letters in the bottom of their children's bag. To learn more, visit School Apps and Websites - Parentapps - Improve parental engagement

Media contacts:

For Community Brands

Steven Bailey

[email protected]

SOURCE Community Brands

Related Links

http://CommunityBrands.uk


Coors Banquet and Brixton are kicking off the partnership with a benefit show on Wednesday, September 29 to raise funds for the WFF and debut exclusive merch. The show will feature prominent indie rock band, Cold War Kids, for an exclusive two-man acoustic set that fans can't get from their current tour. While in-person tickets to the show will be invite only for the WFF community, Banquet lovers and music enthusiasts, those looking to support the cause can tune in starting at 7:30 PST to the livestream on Coors Banquet's Facebook page .

The WFF provides help to the families of wildland firefighters who have lost their lives or are injured in the line of duty. Since the partnership started in 2014, Coors Banquet has donated more than $1.75 million, staying true to their commitment as a brand to protect the land, wildlife, and communities of the western United States.

"We are all aware of the devastation that wildfires have wrought on the western United States, especially over the past few years," says Stephanie Clanfield, Coors Banquet Marketing Manager. "While our work to support the WFF to-date has proven to be impactful, there's an urgent need to do more outside of a simple donation. This partnership and benefit show will spread awareness for the foundation, raise additional funds for the cause and ideally lift the spirits of the community."

The livestreamed show is free, but viewers will be able to donate through the feed and tune in for the exclusive set from the comfort of their own home.

The work to raise awareness and funds for the WFF doesn't end there. Brixton and Coors Banquet will be dropping a 'Protect Our West' capsule collection on November 1, 2021, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Foundation. The collection focuses on premium cut and sew apparel, headwear, and accessories that draw from the rich heritage of Coors with designs that pay homage to the brave men and women who risk their lives battling wildfires across the West Coast. Additionally, beer drinkers can feel good about their Coors Banquet purchases, because $0.25 from every case of Banquet sold in November will be donated to the WFF amounting in up to $250,000.

"As a brand with deep roots in California, Brixton is honored to be a part of this collaboration with Coors Banquet in helping such a worthy cause in the WFF. We're excited to bring this exclusive experience to our audiences to help raise awareness and support through exclusive products," said Brixton VP of Brand Marketing Davide Mattucci.

Even once the forest fires in the Western States subside, work to rebuild communities and help first responders is only the beginning. Coors Banquet's partnership with the WFF helps ensure that efforts continue being made to acknowledge our country's wildland firefighters.

"On top of the monetary assistance from Coors, one of my favorite parts of this partnership is to see the smile on the faces of the boots on the ground and in the air when they know that such a great brand is supporting them and in turn, them supporting Coors back," said WFF Executive Director Burk Minor.

To learn more about Coors Banquet's relationship with the WFF and the 'Protect Our West' program you can visit www.coors.com/content/protect-our-west.

About Molson Coors

For more than two centuries, Molson Coors has been brewing beverages that unite people to celebrate all life's moments. From Coors Light, Miller Lite, Molson Canadian, Carling, and Staropramen to Coors Banquet, Blue Moon Belgian White, Blue Moon LightSky, Vizzy Hard Seltzer, Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, Creemore Springs, Hop Valley and more, Molson Coors produces many beloved and iconic beer brands. While the company's history is rooted in beer, Molson Coors offers a modern portfolio that expands beyond the beer aisle as well. Our Environmental, Social and Governance strategy is focused on People and Planet with a strong commitment to raising industry standards and leaving a positive imprint on our employees, consumers, communities, and the environment. Learn more about Molson Coors Beverage Company, visit molsoncoors.com, MolsonCoorsOurImprint.com or on Twitter through @MolsonCoors.

About Brixton

Brixton is a premium lifestyle brand that delivers style inspired by the past, built to live in the present. The company designs and builds a full line of men's and women's headwear, apparel and accessories that is distributed in over 30 countries. Brixton's clean, classic designs have a modern, yet timeless feel, and each piece is constructed with a commitment to delivering quality product customers will want to wear forever. For more information, please visit www.Brixton.com and follow @Brixton.

About Wildland Firefighter Foundation

Wildland Firefighter Foundation's main focus is to help families of firefighters killed in the line of duty and to assist injured firefighters and their families. We honor and acknowledge past, present, and future members of the wildland firefighting community, and partner with private and interagency organizations to bring recognition to wildland firefighters.

Wildland firefighters represent the diversity of the land they protect. They are federal, state and local firefighters, contract firefighters, and volunteers from rural communities and towns across the United States. Many are long-time career professionals, some much newer to the job. They're ordinary people doing an extraordinary job, a community of committed individuals who work and train to protect our private and public lands.

SOURCE Molson Coors
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (TSX: CMMC) (ASX:C6C) (the "Company" or "Copper Mountain") is pleased to announce that it has successfully installed and commenced commissioning of the third ball mill at its Copper Mountain Mine, which is located in southern British Columbia, Canada, near the town of Princeton. The installation of the third ball mill completes the Ball Mill 3 Expansion Project which will increase plant milling capacity to 45,000 tonnes per day from 40,000 tonnes per day.

"We are pleased to announce the start of commissioning of the new ball mill on schedule," stated Gil Clausen, Copper Mountain's President and CEO. "With electrical commissioning kicked off, we plan to introduce slurry to the mill next month with ramp up to full production expected this year."

Mr. Clausen added, "This is the first step in our multi-phase growth plans to achieve our vision to triple our annual production rate from 2020 levels in the next five years. Our development plan of our low cost and high ROIC projects includes continuing to expand the Copper Mountain Mine, advancing our Eva Copper Project in Australia and continued exploration on all of our properties."

About Copper Mountain Mining Corporation

Copper Mountain's flagship asset is the 75% owned Copper Mountain Mine located in southern British Columbia near the town of Princeton. The Copper Mountain Mine currently produces approximately 100 million pounds of copper equivalent per year, with average annual production expected to increase to approximately 140 million pounds of copper equivalent. Copper Mountain also has the development-stage Eva Copper Project in Queensland, Australia and an extensive 2,100 km2 highly prospective land package in the Mount Isa area. Copper Mountain trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CMMC" and Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol "C6C".

Additional information is available on the Company's web page at www.CuMtn.com.

On behalf of the Board of

COPPER MOUNTAIN MINING CORPORATION

"Gil Clausen"

Gil Clausen, P.Eng.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Website: www.CuMtn.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements concerning, among other things: the increase in plant milling capacity at the Copper Mountain Mine; the timing for the introduction of slurry to the mill and ramp up to full production; the timing of studies, announcements, and analysis; the potential to achieve the Company's vision to triple its annual production rate in the next five years and to add the expected increase in the Company's average annual production; the Company's intentions regarding its objectives, goals or future plans; and all other timing, exploration, development, operational, financial, budgetary, economic, legal, social, environmental, regulatory, and political matters that may influence or be influenced by future events or conditions. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include the successful exploration of the Company's properties in Canada and Australia, the reliability of the historical data referenced in this press release and risks set out in Copper Mountain's public documents, including in each management discussion and analysis, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Copper Mountain believes that the information and assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, Copper Mountain disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Copper Mountain Mining Corporation

Related Links

http://cumtn.com/


BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CP Group, a full-service commercial real estate investment firm, announced today that they have appointed Sheryl Blake as the company's first Senior Designer.

In her new role, Blake will aid tenants in custom-designing their office space across the firm's 14-million-square-foot portfolio to accommodate their business objectives and suit their evolving needs. While managing these relationships, she will create custom design packages for current and prospective tenants, play a lead project management role to ensure all design and construction concepts are implemented, and support CP Group's leasing team as they collaborate with prospective tenants in creating space plans at the company's buildings.

Blake will also be instrumental in procuring furniture and fixtures packages and collaborating with outside architecture firms for developing CP Group's worCPlaces flexible workspace offerings across the firm's portfolio.

CP Group decided to create the position of Senior Designer in response to the evolving needs of its tenant base following the COVID-19 pandemic, as many explore a wide range of approaches to their return to the office, including varied remote work models, office density levels and other health and wellness-oriented initiatives.

"As more companies plan on asking their employees to return to the office, they realize that more than ever they need a first-class, highly flexible environment to cater to the modern worker," said Managing Partner Angelo Bianco. "The addition of an experienced and skilled design specialist like Sheryl offers our tenants an efficient way to create a comfortable and productive workplace for their employees, and, more importantly, one that can be adapted to their fast-evolving needs. We look forward to Sheryl applying her talents across our portfolio."

Blake joins the firm with over two decades of experience in design, construction and project management for large real estate and construction projects. Prior to joining CP Group, she served as Design Director for ID & Design International. Earlier in her career, she held senior designer and project manager roles with prominent design firms across the globe.

She will report directly to the firm's Director of Construction and Development, Jon Wainwright.

"I am extremely excited to grow this newly created position within CP Group," Blake said. "The office sector is continuing to rebound following the pandemic, but companies are still taking stock of the many components needed to accommodate the changes in their business and workforce. I look forward to collaborating with our tenants as they enter a new chapter at our buildings and ensuring they have access to top-of-the-line office space and innovative solutions that will contribute to flexibility and create a safe, healthy, and productive environment for their colleagues."

ABOUT CP GROUP

Active in the commercial real estate business for over 35 years, CP Group, formerly Crocker Partners, has established a reputation as a premier owner, operator, and developer of office and mixed-use projects throughout the Southeast and Southwest United States. Since 1986, CP Group has acquired and managed over 163 properties, totaling over 52 million square feet and representing over $6 billion invested. They are currently Florida's largest and Atlanta's second-largest office landlord and rank 27th largest in the United States. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the firm has regional offices in Atlanta, Miami, Jacksonville, Dallas, and Washington DC. To learn more about the company, visit CPGcre.com.

SOURCE CP Group

Related Links

http://CPGcre.com


ROSELAND, N.J., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CREST, a not-for-profit accreditation and certification body representing the technical information security industry, today announced it has appointed Rowland Johnson as President for an initial term of one year. As a former member of the CREST Great Britain (GB) Executive Board, serving between 2014 and 2020, he is ideally placed to take over from Ian Glover, who announced his retirement in June.

A dedicated supporter of CREST for many years, Johnson was instrumental in CREST's international growth, playing a key role in the creation of CREST in Singapore and the United States. He was also a founding director of cybersecurity company Nettitude and oversaw its acquisition by Lloyd's Register in 2018.

Johnson's appointment was unanimously approved by the CREST GB Executive Board and CREST's regional Advisory Boards in the U.S., Australia and Southeast Asia.

"I feel privileged by the support from CREST's elected members and regional chairs for my appointment to this prestigious role," commented Johnson. "I will be working closely with Ian and the whole of the CREST team to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible for CREST members and for everyone we work with across the industry, governments, regulators and academia. It is important that members are always right at the heart of everything CREST does and we will be focusing on providing greater support and encouraging closer collaboration, as we progress forward and build on Ian's legacy. He leaves CREST in a very strong position."

Ian Glover retired as President of CREST on September 1 after almost 13 years in the role. He will continue supporting CREST projects internationally until December 1, 2021.

"Having worked closely with Rowland for six years while he was a member of the CREST GB Executive, I am delighted that he is taking up the President's role," said Glover. "During my time with CREST I hope I have helped organizations to mature and grow while encouraging individuals to enter and thrive in an increasingly professional industry. I am confident it will also be Rowland's mission to carry on this work."

"On behalf of CREST USA I would like to welcome Rowland back to CREST and to his position as President," commented Tom Brennan, Chairman, CREST USA. "I know the passion he has for CREST and its importance to the global cybersecurity ecosystem. This, along with his significant industry experience, make him ideal for the role and I very much look forward to working with him, alongside the CREST team."

Johnson will be supported during the transition period by a CREST senior management team comprising Elaine Luck, Operations Manager; Samantha Alexander, Principal Accreditor; and Richard Beddow, CREST's Financial Controller.

About CREST

CREST is a not-for-profit accreditation and certification body representing the technical information security industry. CREST provides internationally recognized accreditations for organizations providing technical security services and professional level certifications for individuals providing vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, cyber incident response, threat intelligence and security operations centre (SOC) services. CREST Member companies undergo regular and stringent assessment, whilst CREST certified individuals undertake rigorous examinations to demonstrate the highest levels of knowledge, skill and competence. To ensure currency of knowledge in fast changing technical security environments the certification process is repeated every three years.

CREST is governed by an elected Executive of experienced security professionals who also promote and develop awareness, ethics and standards within the cyber security industry. CREST supports its members and the wider information security industry by creating collaborative research material. This provides a strong voice for the industry, opportunities to share knowledge and delivers good practice guidance to the wider community. For more information on CREST: www.crest-approved.org

For more information please contact:

Erin Jones

Avista PR for CREST

[email protected]

704.664.2170

SOURCE CREST

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TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cybersixgill , a leader in threat intelligence enablement and enrichment, announced today its extended offering to the thousands of users of Maltego, a software used for open-source intelligence and forensics. The Cybersixgill Maltego Transforms allow Maltego users to gain unparalleled context by harnessing the most extensive intelligence collection from the deep and dark web. This will enable Maltego users to get better results and broader context - faster than before.

"Leveraging the broadest and deepest collection of real-time threat intelligence from deep and dark web is especially crucial in crime investigations," said Ron Shamir, VP product and tech alliances at Cybersixgill. "Cybersixgill Transforms allow Maltego users to employ a 'zoom-out, zero-in' approach at unprecedented speed and accuracy: zoom-out on a small lead, gain more context, expand the intelligence picture to finally zero-in on a suspect."

In addition to providing an extra layer of contextual enrichment for every investigation, the Cybersixgill Transforms enhance the effectiveness of other Maltego Transforms, thereby unlocking dead-ends, uncovering intel items and connections for accelerated investigations. Validating sources, connecting the dots, and finding links between seemingly unrelated investigations - are now done easily through Maltego's visual analysis.

"One of Maltego's key benefits is the ability to create a clear visualization of any threat intelligence investigation," said Dr. Rebecca Kohler, head of data integrations and partnerships at Maltego. "Cybersixgill Transforms help deliver clarity and concision to any evolving investigation. Maltego's data bundle offering and free allowances for enterprise customers make it easy to leverage deep and dark web threat intelligence to fuel other sources and accelerate investigations-all in a single interface."

Reflecting the Cybersixgill and Maltego joint commitment to unleash the potential of real-time, automated threat intelligence, Maltego users also have the ability to further expand their investigations by pivoting to the Cybersixgill Investigative Portal via a secure API, gaining even more knowledge as to threat actors' experience, motivations, history, and more.

To learn more, please visit www.maltego.com/transform-hub/cybersixgill

About Cybersixgill

Cybersixgill 's fully automated threat intelligence solutions help organizations fight cyber crime, detect phishing, data leaks, fraud and vulnerabilities as well as amplify incident response  in real-time. The Cybersixgill Investigative Portal empowers security teams with contextual and actionable insights as well as the ability to conduct real-time investigations. Rich data feeds such as Darkfeed and CVE insights from DVE Score harness Cybersixgill's unmatched intelligence collection capabilities and deliver real-time intel into organizations' existing security systems. Most recently, Cybersixgill introduced agility to threat intel with their CI/CP methodology (Continuous Investigation/Continuous Protection). Current customers include enterprises, financial services, MSSPs, government and law enforcement entities.

About Maltego

Maltego empowers investigators worldwide to speed up and increase the precision of their investigations through easy data integration in a single interface, aided by powerful visualization and collaborative capabilities to quickly zero in on relevant information. Maltego is a proven tool that has empowered over one million investigations worldwide since its first launch in 2008. Due to its wide range of possible use cases ranging from threat intelligence to fraud investigations, Maltego is used by a broad audience, from security professionals and pen testers to forensic investigators, investigative journalists, and market researchers.

Learn more about how we can empower your investigations at www.maltego.com

Media Contacts

Laurie Ben-Haim

Cybersixgill

+1-646-300-9549

+972-52-7831911

[email protected]

Bhavna Kochar-Aderhold

Maltego

+49-89-24418490

[email protected]

SOURCE Cybersixgill

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DALLAS, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dalfen Industrial announced the acquisition 146 acres of land in Austin. Dalfen plans to develop the land into a 6-building industrial park totaling over 1,000,000 square feet.

The land is well-positioned in the northeast industrial submarket of Austin, at the site of a former horse racetrack, Manor Downs. The area benefits from high demand and low vacancy rates. Manor Downs is only 8 miles from downtown Austin, 10 miles from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and has excellent access to I-35, I-183, US-130 and US-290. The industrial park will be within a 30-minute drive of over 1.5 million people. Other notable tenants in the area include Amazon, Fedex, Samsung, Home Depot, and the new Tesla Giga Texas.

"This development is strategically located at the US-130 and US-290 intersection which provides direct access in and out of Austin," said Tyler McElroy, Director of Development and Construction at Dalfen Industrial. "With the continued population growth and strong demand drivers of Austin, we are excited to deliver another class A development to the area."

"The purchase of the Manor Downs land provides Dalfen with a prime location in the rapidly-growing Austin market," said Sean Dalfen, President and Chief Investment Officer. "The proximity to downtown, the airport, a large workforce and customer base, and close proximity to major MSA thoroughfares will create high demand for this property."

Including this project, Dalfen Industrial is in the process of developing 2,200,000 square feet industrial properties in the Austin market.

About Us

Dalfen Industrial LLC is one of the nation's largest buyers and developers of industrial real estate and is a leader in the last-mile property sector. Their investment focus is on strategically located urban infill warehouses and distribution buildings. Dalfen currently owns and operates 30 million square feet of premier industrial properties throughout the United States.

Media Contact :

[email protected]

SOURCE Dalfen Industrial

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Burwell was most recently CFO of Willis Towers Watson, traded on NASDAQ. He will bring to this new role his experience managing finance organizations and working with capital markets on behalf of publicly traded companies. Prior to Willis Towers Watson, Mike spent 32 years at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers). There, he served in senior leadership roles for the past decade, including Head of Global Transformation, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Transaction Services in the United States. A trained CPA with a degree in business administration from Michigan State University, he has 11 years of audit experience and 12 years of transaction services advisory experience  including helping companies with mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, valuation and integration.

"We are at a critical moment in Datavant's ambition to build the infrastructure for the health data economy, and we're thrilled for Mike to join our leadership team," said Pete McCabe, CEO of Datavant. "Mike's experience will help accelerate the adoption of the Datavant Switchboard to power every exchange of health data in the U.S."

''I am honored to have this opportunity to join Datavant," said Mike Burwell. "In all of my interactions with the company and its people, I have been impressed with the strength of leadership, commitment to clients and collaborative and inclusive culture. I look forward to contributing to the success of the company as we further our mission of connecting the world's health data."

About Datavant

Datavant's mission is to connect the world's health data to improve patient outcomes. The company works to reduce the friction of data sharing across the healthcare industry by building neutral, trusted and ubiquitous technology that protects the privacy of patients while supporting the exchange of identified and de-identified health data across tens of thousands of healthcare institutions.

Datavant's investors include New Mountain Capital, Roivant Sciences, Transformation Capital, Labcorp, Cigna Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Innovation  JJDC, Inc, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Flex Capital, Sixth Street, Goldman Sachs Asset Management's West Street Strategic Solutions fund, and Mubadala Investment Company.

Contact:

Datavant:

Doug Haslam

KNB Communications

[email protected]

(617) 862-9073

SOURCE Datavant
BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Hotels by Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoy's extraordinary portfolio of 30 hotel brands, announced today the opening of the Delta Hotels by Marriott Santa Clara Silicon Valley, debuting the brand's refreshed guest room design inspired by the its commitment to a seamless travel experience, focusing on the details that really matter. This is Delta Hotels' first property in the Northern California area and second in the Golden State, providing travelers with more opportunities to explore and experience the destination.

Delta Hotels by Marriott Santa Clara Silicon Valley

"We are delighted to welcome this new hotel into the Delta Hotels family," said Jennifer Connell, Vice President and Global Brand Leader, Delta Hotels by Marriott. "Silicon Valley is the perfect destination to showcase our new approach to the guest room, delivering a meaningful design together with premium details for quality, bright optimism, and a sense of home. We know our guests are seasoned travelers looking for a seamless experience and through our design principles, their desire for a cozy, versatile, and natural design is realized."

The Delta Hotels by Marriott brand is rooted in simplicity and focused on perfecting the small details that make all the difference during travel. Thoughtful design, complimentary water, a fully-stocked Delta Pantry for Marriott Bonvoy Elite members, and efficient service are just a few of the elements that bring this brand promise to life.

Focusing on details that matter, modern agility, and bright optimism, Delta Hotels' newly refreshed guest rooms are inspired by true craftsmanship, featuring a premium aesthetic coupled with comfortable materials for a straightforward yet purposeful design. Design touches include a bright, neutral palette with rich yet unobtrusive accents of color; a headboard wall featuring large format artwork, playing with softened shapes and linework that reinforces the brand's design concept of simplified forms; and premium finishes across the platform bed, lounge area, and bathroom.

Delta Hotels Santa Clara Silicon Valley is located in the heart of Silicon Valley close to the Santa Clara Convention Center, Levi Stadium, and many major high-tech companies. The hotel is three miles from Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), making it an ideal destination to fly in and enjoy day trips to other Bay Area destinations such as Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Napa Valley.

The pet-friendly hotel has 263 spacious guest rooms and suites featuring the brand's modern approach to design, a heated swimming pool, and a 24-hour fitness center. In addition to these amenities, the property will also include Lucas Lounge, a full-service restaurant and bar serving signature cocktails, local wines, and craft beer alongside a specially curated menu; Zin Cafe, an all-American breakfast restaurant; Grab & Go, a full-service stand-alone specialty coffee shop serving Starbucks beverages, premium baked goods and snacks as well as prepared hot and cold items; and Delta Pantry offering premium beverages and snacks available to Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador Elite Members. The more than 8,000 square feet of technologically advanced meeting and conference space is across seven flexible meeting areas  available indoor and outdoor.

"We are thrilled to open the first Delta Hotels by Marriott property in Northern California," said Sean Steenson, General Manager. "Our guests can expect modern, purposeful design, along with streamlined service and attention to detail, making our hotel an ideal destination for business trips, weekend getaways, and everything in between."

Delta Hotels is a member of Marriott Bonvoy, the award-winning travel program from Marriott International. Guests can gain exclusive access to digital features through the Marriott Bonvoy Mobile app when they book direct, including mobile check-in and checkout, keyless entry, and mobile requests to make their travel experience seamless. Marriott Bonvoy members will also earn points for their stay at Delta Hotels and can redeem for hotel stays across Marriott Bonvoy's extraordinary portfolio of brands.

To learn more and reserve, please visit www.deltahotels.com.

About Delta Hotels by Marriott

One of North America's leading four-star brands, Delta Hotels by Marriott, with more than 85 locations in gateway cities across the U.S., Canada, China, the Middle East and Europe, and Caribbean and Latin America, was acquired by Marriott International in 2015. Delta Hotels focuses on the details that truly matter, making the guest's experience streamlined and flawless every time. The brand's invitingly familiar rooms, free Wi-Fi, and convenient dining options offer travelers a comfortable and stylish place to stay. For more information or reservations, visit www.deltahotels.com. Stay connected to Delta Hotels on Facebook and @deltahotels on Instagram. Delta Hotels is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including free nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit MarriottBonvoy.marriott.com.

SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.

Related Links

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TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Denison Mines Corp. ("Denison" or the "Company") (TSX: DML) (NYSE American: DNN) is pleased to announce that the Wheeler River Joint Venture ("WRJV") has approved the initiation of an independent Feasibility Study ("FS" or the "Study") for the In-Situ Recovery ("ISR") mining operation proposed for the Phoenix uranium deposit ("Phoenix" or the "Project"). The Company is also pleased to announce the selection of leading global consulting and engineering firm Wood PLC ("Wood") to lead and author the FS in accordance with Canadian Securities National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). View PDF version

David Cates, Denison's President & CEO, commented, "The ISR de-risking activities we've completed since the publication of the Pre-Feasibility Study ('PFS') for Wheeler River in 2018 have been designed to support the completion of a future Feasibility Study, and the results to date have further confirmed the technical viability of the Project  leading to the decision to advance the Project and initiate the formal Feasibility Study process.

During this de-risking phase, we have been able to verify ore-body permeability and the leachability of high-grade uranium in conditions representative of an ISR mining setting. We've also engineered an improved containment design using a more conventional ground freezing approach. Based on the results of field programs and metallurgical lab testing completed over the last three years, we are confident that the Project is ready to advance into a full Feasibility Study. Taken together with the selection of globally recognized engineering firm Wood, the decision to launch the formal Feasibility Study process for Phoenix represents another important step towards achieving our objective of bringing low-cost ISR mining to the high-grade uranium deposits of the

Athabasca Basin."

Feasibility Study

The completion of the FS is a critical step in the progression of the Project and is intended to advance de-risking efforts to the point where the Company and the WRJV will be able to make a definitive development decision. Key objectives of the Study are expected to include:

Environmental Stewardship: Extensive planning and technical work undertaken as part of the ongoing Environmental Assessment ("EA"), including applicable feedback from consultation efforts with various interested parties, is expected to be incorporated into the FS project designs to support our aspiration of achieving a superior standard of environmental stewardship that meets and exceeds the anticipated environmental expectations of regulators and aligns with the interests of local Indigenous communities;

Extensive planning and technical work undertaken as part of the ongoing Environmental Assessment ("EA"), including applicable feedback from consultation efforts with various interested parties, is expected to be incorporated into the FS project designs to support our aspiration of achieving a superior standard of environmental stewardship that meets and exceeds the anticipated environmental expectations of regulators and aligns with the interests of local Indigenous communities; Updated Estimate of Mineral Resources: Mineral resources for Phoenix were last estimated in 2018. Since then, additional drilling has been completed in and around the Phoenix deposit as part of various ISR field tests, including drill hole GWR-045 (22.0% eU 3 O 8 over 8.6 metres, see news release dated July 29, 2021 ), and exploration drilling. The updated mineral resource estimate will form the basis for mine planning in the FS;

Mineral resources for were last estimated in 2018. Since then, additional drilling has been completed in and around the deposit as part of various ISR field tests, including drill hole GWR-045 (22.0% eU O over 8.6 metres, see news release dated ), and exploration drilling. The updated mineral resource estimate will form the basis for mine planning in the FS; Mine Design Optimization : FS mine design is expected to reflect the decision to adopt a freeze wall configuration for containment of the ISR well field (see news release dated December 1, 2020 ), as well as the results from multiple field test programs and extensive hydrogeological modelling exercises, which have provided various opportunities to optimize other elements of the Project  including well pattern designs, permeability enhancement strategies, and both construction and production schedules;

: FS mine design is expected to reflect the decision to adopt a freeze wall configuration for containment of the ISR well field (see news release dated ), as well as the results from multiple field test programs and extensive hydrogeological modelling exercises, which have provided various opportunities to optimize other elements of the Project  including well pattern designs, permeability enhancement strategies, and both construction and production schedules; Processing Plant Optimization: FS process plant design is expected to reflect the decision to increase the ISR mining uranium head-grade to 15 g/L (see news release dated August 4, 2021 ), as well as the results from extensive metallurgical laboratory studies designed to optimize the mineral processing aspects of the Project; and

FS process plant design is expected to reflect the decision to increase the ISR mining uranium head-grade to 15 g/L (see news release dated ), as well as the results from extensive metallurgical laboratory studies designed to optimize the mineral processing aspects of the Project; and Class 3 Capital Cost Estimate: The FS is also intended to provide the level of engineering design necessary to support a Class 3 capital cost estimate (AACE international standard with an accuracy of -15% /+25%), which is expected to provide a basis to confirm the economic potential of the Project highlighted in the PFS completed in 2018 (see news release dated September 24, 2018 ).

Wood PLC

Wood is a global leader in consulting and engineering across energy and the built environment, helping to unlock solutions to some of the world's most critical challenges. Wood provides consulting, project and operational solutions in more than 60 countries and employs around 40,000 people. Importantly, Wood's Saskatchewan-based team has significant experience in ISR mining projects as well as large-scale uranium, potash and solution mining projects. For more information about Wood, please visit www.woodplc.com.

About Wheeler River

Wheeler River is the largest undeveloped uranium project in the infrastructure rich eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region, in northern Saskatchewan  including combined Indicated Mineral Resources of 132.1 million pounds U 3 O 8 (1,809,000 tonnes at an average grade of 3.3% U 3 O 8 ), plus combined Inferred Mineral Resources of 3.0 million pounds U 3 O 8 (82,000 tonnes at an average grade of 1.7% U 3 O 8 ). The project is host to the high-grade Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits, discovered by Denison in 2008 and 2014, respectively, and is a joint venture between Denison (operator) and JCU (Canada) Exploration Company Limited. Denison has an effective 95% ownership interest in Wheeler River (90% directly, and 5% indirectly through a 50% ownership in JCU).

A PFS was completed for Wheeler River in 2018, considering the potential economic merit of developing the Phoenix deposit as an ISR operation and the Gryphon deposit as a conventional underground mining operation. Taken together, the project is estimated to have mine production of 109.4 million pounds U 3 O 8 over a 14-year mine life, with a base case pre-tax NPV of $1.31 billion (8% discount rate), Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 38.7%, and initial pre-production capital expenditures of $322.5 million. The Phoenix ISR operation is estimated to have a stand-alone base case pre-tax NPV of $930.4 million (8% discount rate), IRR of 43.3%, initial pre-production capital expenditures of $322.5 million, and industry leading average operating costs of US$3.33/lb U 3 O 8 . The PFS is prepared on a project (100% ownership) and pre-tax basis, as each of the partners to the Wheeler River Joint Venture are subject to different tax and other obligations.

Further details regarding the PFS, including additional scientific and technical information, as well as after-tax results attributable to Denison's ownership interest, are described in greater detail in the NI 43-101 Technical Report titled "Pre-feasibility Study for the Wheeler River Uranium Project, Saskatchewan, Canada" dated October 30, 2018 with an effective date of September 24, 2018. A copy of this report is available on Denison's website and under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.

Denison suspended certain activities at Wheeler River during 2020, including the EA process, which is on the critical path to achieving the project development schedule outlined in the PFS. While the EA process has resumed, the Company is not currently able to estimate the impact to the project development schedule outlined in the PFS, and users are cautioned against relying on the estimates provided therein regarding the start of pre-production activities in 2021 and first production in 2024.

About Denison

Denison is a uranium exploration and development company with interests focused in the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. In addition to its effective 95% interest in the Wheeler River project, Denison's interests in the Athabasca Basin include a 22.5% ownership interest in the McClean Lake joint venture, which includes several uranium deposits and the McClean Lake uranium mill that is contracted to process the ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement, plus a 25.17% interest in the Midwest Main and Midwest A deposits, and a 66.90% interest in the Tthe Heldeth Tue ("THT," formerly J Zone) and Huskie deposits on the Waterbury Lake property. The Midwest Main, Midwest A, THT and Huskie deposits are each located within 20 kilometres of the McClean Lake mill.

Through its 50% ownership of JCU, Denison holds additional interests in various uranium project joint ventures in Canada, including the Millennium project (JCU 30.099%), the Kiggavik project (JCU 33.8123%) and Christie Lake (JCU 34.4508%).

Denison is also engaged in mine decommissioning and environmental services through its Closed Mines group (formerly Denison Environmental Services), which manages Denison's Elliot Lake reclamation projects and provides post-closure mine care and maintenance services to a variety of industry and government clients.

Follow Denison on Twitter @DenisonMinesCo

Qualified Persons

The technical information contained in this release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. David Bronkhorst, P.Eng, Denison's Vice President, Operations and Mr. Andrew Yackulic, P. Geo., Denison's Director, Exploration, who are Qualified Persons in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this news release constitutes 'forward-looking information', within the meaning of the applicable United States and Canadian legislation, concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Denison.

Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'plans', 'expects', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'intends', 'anticipates', or 'believes', or the negatives and/or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will be taken', 'occur', 'be achieved' or 'has the potential to'.

In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the following: initiation of the FS; the selection and appointment of Wood to author the FS; the planned scope, elements, and objectives of the FS, including the plans for an updated mineral resource estimate, mine design optimization processing plant optimization and Class 3 capital cost estimate; other evaluation activities, objectives and expectations, including the ongoing EA and related processes; the results of the PFS and expectations with respect thereto, including the designs disclosed to-date and the ability to maintain or build upon such designs;; other development and expansion plans and objectives; and expectations regarding its joint venture ownership interests and the continuity of its agreements with its partners and third parties.

Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Denison to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For example, the modelling and assumptions upon which the work plans are based may not be maintained after further testing or be representative of actual conditions within the Phoenix deposit. In addition, Denison may decide or otherwise be required to discontinue its field test activities or other testing, evaluation and development work at Wheeler River if it is unable to maintain or otherwise secure the necessary resources (such as testing facilities, capital funding, regulatory approvals, etc.) or operations are otherwise affected by COVID-19 and its potentially far-reaching impacts. Denison believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be accurate and results may differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information. For a discussion in respect of risks and other factors that could influence forward-looking events, please refer to the factors discussed in Denison's Annual Information Form dated March 26, 2021 or subsequent quarterly financial reports under the heading 'Risk Factors'. These factors are not, and should not be construed as being exhaustive.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speaks only as of the date of this news release. Denison does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in Denison's expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves: This press release may use terms such as "measured", "indicated" and/or "inferred" mineral resources and "proven" or "probable" mineral reserves, which are terms defined with reference to the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves ("CIM Standards"). The Company's descriptions of its projects using CIM Standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements under the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. . United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of measured or indicated mineral resources will ever be converted into mineral reserves. United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable.

SOURCE Denison Mines Corp.

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) released a report by Health Management Associates (HMA) detailing the costs associated with the passage of the Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act (H.R. 1676), which would require insurers to make Medigap plans available to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients under the age of 65.

Under current federal law, insurers are not required to offer Medicare Supplemental Insurance (also called Medigap) plans to patients under 65 years of age. While Medicare pays for 80 percent of an individual's healthcare costs, patients are required to cover the remaining 20 percent out-of-pocket. As a result, Medicare beneficiaries who live in states without added patient protections for individuals under the age of 65 often struggle to cover their health care costs. The lack of supplemental insurance also remains a significant barrier for many dialysis patients trying to secure a kidney transplant, as they are often required to demonstrate they possess the remaining funds to cover a potentially life-saving transplant surgery in order to remain "active" on the transplant waiting list.

Health policy experts often criticize Medigap's relief from cost sharing as adding to Medicare expenditures. However, using Medicare cost data from 2017-2019, HMA estimated that extending Medigap coverage to all ESRD patients under the age of 65 would only add about $50 million in federal expenditures over the next 10 years. HMA actuaries compared the utilization of services by dual eligible dialysis patients vs. Medicare-only dialysis beneficiaries, and found that the one relevant increase in cost was in drug spend. HMA suspects that by expanding access to Medigap coverage, more dialysis patients will have the money to pay for all of their prescribed medications, as their supplemental insurance would now cover their other health care related expenses. Therefore, HMA projected a de minimis cost increase to Medicare due to increased utilization under Part D following the expansion of Medigap access to patients under 65 years of age. At the same time, the potential increase in medication adherence could lead to better health outcomes and reduced complications. The full report by HMA is available at: https://www.dialysispatients.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DPC-Est-Impact-Jack-Reynolds-Memory-Medigap-Exp-Act.pdf.

"For states that don't have protections for ESRD patients under 65, like my home state of Alabama, many patients don't have anywhere to turn," said DPC Board President Andrew Conkling. "In many cases where insurers do offer Medigap coverage for ESRD patients under 65, the plans are still not affordable. Without that coverage, the costs can be overwhelming, and it can be more difficult to receive a kidney transplant."

DPC is calling on Congress to enact the Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act, which was introduced earlier this year by Representatives Cindy Axne (D-IA) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), to help provide ESRD patients with the supplemental insurance they need to remain financially secure. DPC recently released an interactive State Report Card on Medigap Access and Affordability for ESRD patients under 65 available at: www.DialysisPatients.org/Medigap

"Currently, it's up to each state to determine whether Medigap plans are sold to people younger than 65 years old who could qualify because of their kidney illnesses," Rep. Axne said. "The issue that bothered Jack Reynolds  for whom this bill is named  and what bothers me is that these Medigap plans have an unnecessary age cap despite only being open to those with serious illnesses. Kidney issues can happen at any age. For Jack, he was only four years old when he was injured, and 22 when his kidneys began to fail. The bipartisan legislation I'm leading with Congresswoman Herrera Beutler would make this commonsense fix to enable patients of all ages to get the coverage and care they need."

"Folks living with end stage renal disease should have access to life-saving medications, dialysis, and kidney transplants needed to treat their illness," Rep. Herrera Beutler said. "Unfortunately, thousands of Americans under the age of 65 living with ESRD are barred from obtaining a Medigap plan that could help cover the cost of these treatments. I'm proud to partner with my colleague, Congresswoman Axne, on this important legislation to put Medigap plans within reach and thereby ensure patients  regardless of their age  can access the care they need."

ABOUT DPC:

With more than 30,000 patient members, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) is a patient-led, non-profit organization working to improve the quality of life for all dialysis patients through education and advocacy. Learn more here: https://www.dialysispatients.org/

CONTACT: Hannah Bracamonte, [email protected]

SOURCE Dialysis Patient Citizens

Related Links

http://www.dialysispatients.org


Dr. Osterholm is Regents Professor, McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, a professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, all at the University of Minnesota.

"I am excited Dr. Osterholm is joining the BGS team at such a critical time," said Andrew Shapiro, Partner and Managing Director at Beacon. "As the ongoing pandemic has demonstrated, the intersection of global health and national security has never been stronger. Dr. Osterholm's expertise and breadth of experience will be a tremendous asset for BGS and our clients."

In November 2020, Dr. Osterholm was appointed to President-elect Joe Biden's 13-member Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. From June 2018 through May 2019, he served as a Science Envoy for Health Security on behalf of the US Department of State. He is also on the Board of Regents at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

He is the author of the New York Times best-selling 2017 book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, in which he not only details the most pressing infectious disease threats of our day but lays out a nine-point strategy on how to address them, with preventing a global flu pandemic at the top of the list.

In addition, Dr. Osterholm is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the Council of Foreign Relations. In June 2005 Dr. Osterholm was appointed by Michael Leavitt, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to the newly established National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity. In July 2008, he was named to the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center's Academy of Excellence in Health Research. In October 2008, he was appointed to the World Economic Forum Working Group on Pandemics.

From 2001 through early 2005, Dr. Osterholm, in addition to his role at CIDRAP, served as a Special Advisor to thenHHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson on issues related to bioterrorism and public health preparedness. He was also appointed to the Secretary's Advisory Council on Public Health Preparedness. On April 1, 2002, Dr. Osterholm was appointed by Thompson to be his representative on the interim management team to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With the appointment of Dr. Julie Gerberding as director of the CDC on July 3, 2002, Dr. Osterholm was asked by Thompson to assist Dr. Gerberding on his behalf during the transition period. He filled that role through January 2003.

Previously, Dr. Osterholm served for 24 years (1975-1999) in various roles at the Minnesota Department of Health, the last 15 as state epidemiologist. He has led numerous investigations of outbreaks of international importance, including foodborne diseases, the association of tampons and toxic shock syndrome, and hepatitis B and HIV in healthcare settings.

The author of more than 315 papers and abstracts, including 21 book chapters, Dr. Osterholm is a frequently invited guest lecturer on the topic of epidemiology of infectious diseases. He serves on the editorial boards of nine journals, including Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology and Microbial Drug Resistance: Mechanisms, Epidemiology and Disease, and he is a reviewer for 24 additional journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the AmericanMedical Association, and Science. He is a frequent consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Defense, and the CDC. He is a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Dr. Osterholm has received numerous honors for his work, including an honorary doctorate from Luther College; the Pump Handle Award, CSTE; the Charles C. Shepard Science Award, CDC; the Harvey W. Wiley Medal, FDA; the Squibb Award, IDSA; Distinguished University Teaching Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, UMN; and the Wade Hampton Frost Leadership Award, American Public Health Association. He also has been the recipient of six major research awards from the NIH and the CDC.

About Beacon Global Strategies

Founded in 2013, Beacon Global Strategies is a bipartisan strategic advisory firm that provides clients an in-depth understanding of national security decision-making to advance objectives and solve problems in Washington and abroad. The Beacon team brings experience informed by their years of service in the White House, State Department, Defense Department, CIA, Justice Department, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector.

SOURCE Beacon Global Strategies

Related Links

bgsdc.com


SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MDM Wound Ventures Inc., the manufacturer of EZ Debride, is announcing Dr. Thomas Serena has agreed to the position of Clinical and Research Director at MDM Wound Ventures, Inc. Dr. Thomas E. Serena MD FACS FACHM MAPWCA, Founder and Medical Director of The SerenaGroup, a family of wound, hyperbaric and research companies.

To date he has opened and operates wound care centers across the United Sates and globally. Dr. Serena has been the lead or Principal investigator in over 100 clinical trials, including gene therapy for critical limb ischemia, antimicrobial dressings, growth factors, topical and parenteral antibiotics and CTP therapy. He holds numerous patents on wound care devices and dressings.

He is recognized internationally as an expert in the field of wound healing: He has more than 250 published papers and has given more than 2000 invited lectures throughout the world. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Wound Healing Society and served two terms on the board of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) and is now Past-President. He has also been Vice-President of the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine and President of the American Professional Wound Care Association.

MDM Wound Ventures, Inc., develops and manufactures innovative and disruptive products for diabetic limb salvage and advanced wound care clinicians and providers, globally.

ABOUT EZ DEBRIDE

For more information about EZ Debride or MDM Wound Ventures Inc., or to book a clinical visit and demonstration please contact:

Derek T. Denton, CEO

EZ Debride / MDM Wound Ventures Inc

17305 IH35 North, Suite 130, Schertz, TX 78154

888 884 7515

[email protected]

SOURCE MDM Wound Ventures, Inc.
COPPELL, Texas, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to ensure that eyecare providers are able to provide a new standard of care when addressing the growing prevalence of eye misalignment, Neurolens and Digital Vision, Inc. (DVI) have worked together to expand the prism field from 1/8th prism diopter to 1/100th prism diopter for all Neurolens designs. This enhancement will cross all DVI platforms, including VISION Lab Management System, RxWizard, Web-based RxWizard and the SEER mobile app.

"This development is yet another exciting signal that the vision industry recognizes the important role that prism will play in the future of eye care," says Pierre Bertrand, Chief Executive Officer of Neurolens. "At least two out of three patients experience the symptoms of eye misalignment, and this number is growing. Neurolenses provide proven relief for these patients, and we are exicted that DVI recognizes the opportunity to drive even more positive patient outcomes."

This expanded prism range will allow Neurolens providers to take advantage of the highly accurate measurements from the Neurolens Measurement Device, Gen 2 (NMD2) and prescribe precise prism measurements for their patients. Neurolens designs are currently the only lens designs that can be ordered and manufactured to the 1/100th prism diopter on DVI platforms.

"We are learning more every day about how small amounts of prism can create tremendous symptom relief for patients," says Vivek Labhishetty BSc Optometry, MSc, PhD, Director of Clinical Research for Neurolens. "This creates an imperative to ensure prism measurements can be entered with a high degree of specificity to maximize the number of patients that can be helped by this technology."

Bill Ball from DVI says, "For almost 40 years, DVI has been a recognized innovator and industry leader in Lab Management Software. This relationship with Neurolens demonstrates our continued commitment to be on the forefront of emerging trends in the vision industry, and in patient care."

To learn more about Digital Vision, Inc., please visit their website at http://www.thedvi.com/. To learn more about Neurolens, please visit our website at https://www.neurolenses.com/.

About Neurolens

Inspired by a breakthrough discovery linking optometry and neurology, Neurolens is unlocking a new dimension of vision care. With patented Contoured Prism technology, Neurolenses are the first and only prescription lenses that go beyond visual acuity to provide visual comfort for the nearly 65% of US adults who complain of headaches, neck/shoulder pain and eyestrain when using digital devices, reading or doing detail work. The Neurolens Contoured Prism design helps the eyes work together comfortably, bringing the eyes into alignment to relieve painful symptoms. Technology from Neurolens is only available to Independent Eye Care Providers.

Media Contact

Deb Holliday

[email protected]

212.791.1440

SOURCE Neurolens

Related Links

https://www.neurolenses.com


Kaplan joins Echelon after a notable career managing and scaling some of the world's largest sports media and direct-to-consumer businesses. As a key member of the Discovery Inc. leadership team, Kaplan served as President of Discovery Golf and GOLFTV, where he built and launched Discovery's foray into the global golf business leading innovative partnerships with the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods, and the purchase of Golf Digest. Previously, Kaplan grew Discovery's Eurosport Digital business to more than 1 million paid subscriptions. Before Discovery, Kaplan held executive positions at the NBA where he led the global direct-to-consumer strategy. He also spent ten years at DIRECTV where he oversaw the NFL Sunday Ticket, Paid Premiums, and PPV businesses driving more than $4.5B in annual revenue.

Kaplan's appointment follows a series of investments, including a $65M round led by Goldman Sachs in addition to other investments from North Castle Partners and United Talent Agency. These investments have helped Echelon expand an already dominant footprint in the connected fitness membership space.

"We are investing in a leadership team with a proven track record of growing highly-scaled businesses in related industries," says Jon Canarick of North Castle Partners. "Alex is the perfect leader to spearhead the next phase of our business strategy and guide the executive team through plans for continued growth."

With rich experience in managing complex global content programs and building scalable digital businesses, Kaplan will help accelerate Echelon's growth by building out the company's growing membership, content, and digital offerings.

"I couldn't be more excited to work with our Founder and CEO Lou Lentine and the Board to help continue Echelon's incredible growth trajectory," said Kaplan. "Connected Fitness is a dynamic, massive market, and I believe Echelon is uniquely positioned to take more market share."

The connected fitness industry has a global TAM projected to reach $115B by 2025. Echelon's distribution footprint includes more than 25 retail partners worldwide with exclusive products designed for Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Costco, and Sam's Club. With accessible price points and world-class content, Echelon is poised to maximize growth over the coming years. Echelon will continue providing consumers with compelling fitness offerings that drive engagement and customer loyalty, with studios in Miami, Chattanooga, France, Germany, Columbia, the UK, and soon Japan (2022), as well as a significant investment in building out a robust variety of live and on-demand content.

"As our company continues to innovate, we have fine-tuned our leadership team to propel and solidify Echelon's future," said Lou Lentine, CEO of Echelon Fitness. "Alex Kaplan has the exact experience, capability, and mindset for the job ahead. We have already shown our keen ability in meeting consumer demand. Now, we're focused on what's next."

Echelon: A Successful Ride and a Bright Future

A projected revenue surge of 25% in 2021 over 2020

The brand will approach 10X growth over the past 24 months

Echelon recently opened a 70,000-square-foot warehouse in Chattanooga, TN with additional facilities in both California , Nevada , and Miami , as well as studios in the UK, France , Germany , Columbia and Japan (coming in 2022)

with additional facilities in both , , and , as well as studios in the UK, , , and (coming in 2022) In 2021, Echelon will be among the most widely distributed connected fitness brands worldwide

Continuing their upward trajectory of cutting-edge yet affordable product development, the company will soon launch an entry level subscription tier allowing for better retail customer retention and growth of a digital-only customer base

ABOUT ECHELON

Echelon has revolutionized at-home fitness since 2017 with a range of smart exercise equipment and an immersive membership experience. What began as a mission to make healthy living accessible to all has evolved into a thriving, global brand. Echelon empowers everyone to experience the feeling of elation and accomplishment after achieving their fitness goals. Members connect their Echelon smart bikes, rowers, treadmills or fitness mirrors to the Echelon Fit app for access to live and on-demand workout classes filmed at Echelon studios around the world and led by professional instructors. Through the app, members track performance and progress in real-time, compete on the interactive Leaderboard and explore more than 2,000 off-equipment workouts to keep them motivated and inspired. For more information, visit echelonfit.com .

SOURCE Echelon Fit
LONDON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A significant 23 million American households acquired a pet during the COVID-19 pandemic*. As government restrictions ease and travel starts up again, eDreams provides insight into travel habits and tastes in the lead up to International Animal Day on 4th October**.

Traveling with pets

The pandemic has led to a significant increase in staycations in the last 18 months - meaning travelers could holiday with their pets virtually hassle-free. However, as travel begins to open up, leading online travel agent eDreams' latest poll confirms that 42% of American respondents find traveling with a pet appealing, compared to 35% who don't. The majority of those who don't want to travel with their pets are men (38%), compared with women (33%), implying that women are more sensitive towards their pets.

Which nationalities want to travel with their pets?

Out of 10,000 respondents, the Italians are the most likely to travel with their pets, whereas the Swedish are least likely.

Italians 56% Spanish 51% Americans 42% Portuguese 39% French 35% Germans 29% English 24% Swedes 21%

Vacationing with pets

Overall, 28% of US travelers find animal owners more fun than other people, 44% like meeting other people's pets abroad and 39% feel strongly that animals need holidays too, reflecting that Americans consider their pets equal to the rest of the family. Nevertheless, 19% of American respondents would rather choose a hotel where animals are forbidden.

Dog-friendly destinations

When traveling to Europe, animals can enjoy dog-friendly swimming pools in Amsterdam, Italy's first dog-friendly beach in Rome and can be pampered in Paris' dog hotel where pets are offered fine-dining and bespoke exercise regimes.

Visit the eDreams website for more information on flying with pets - see here

*Source: https://www.aspca.org/about-us/press-releases/new-aspca-survey-shows-overwhelming-majority-dogs-and-cats-acquired-during

**Research conducted 6th-14th July 2021 by One Poll for eDreams ODIGEO. 10,000 adults who have been on holiday abroad in the last five years were polled in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, USA and UK. 2,000 of these respondents were based in the USA.

SOURCE eDreams
NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- eSCRIBE Software Ltd., the leading provider of cloud-based meeting and board management solutions, has joined the National League of Cities (NLC) Strategic Partners Program to bring the company's electronic meeting management expertise to local governments across the United States. Through the new partnership, eSCRIBE will offer best practices, educational resources, and software solutions to help NLC members efficiently manage their board, committee, and council meetings while addressing evolving inclusion and transparency demands.

eSCRIBE's cloud-based meeting management platform provides tools and workflows that save time, lower costs, and increase citizen engagement before, during, and after municipal meetings. eSCRIBE goes far beyond agenda and minutes management by supporting digital transformation across the entire meeting lifecycle, from collecting and managing public comments prior to meetings; to in-meeting processes such as request-to-speak queues and electronic voting; to live streaming and video recording for stakeholders unable to attend in person.

eSCRIBE's partnership with OnBoard, the leading provider of board management, allows it to offer board portal and intelligence solutions that empower municipalities to easily manage their boards' membership, vacancies, and appointments online.

Offering solutions and pricing that scale from small municipalities to large metropolitan cities, the eSCRIBE platform is used by local governments of all sizes across North America. Committed to delivering a superior customer experience for everything from the software itself to technical support, eSCRIBE is proud to have a near-perfect customer retention rate.

"The pandemic has highlighted the need for municipalities to accelerate their ongoing digital transformation," said Robert Treumann, President and CEO of eSCRIBE. "Electronic meeting management offers cities and towns the flexibility to move quickly and easily between in-office and remote working models, while enabling them to seamlessly conduct in-person, virtual, and hybrid civic meetings. At the same time, citizens are demanding greater transparency and access to information in real time, all of which eSCRIBE can enable. We look forward to working with NLC to share insights that will help their members achieve their efficiency, inclusion, and transparency goals."

With more than 90 years of dedication to the strength, health, and advancement of local governments, NLC has gained the trust and support of more than 2,500 cities across the United States. Together with its members, the organization's mission is to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy, and drive innovative solutions. NLC's strategic partnerships promote the exchange of ideas between commercial industry leaders and the leaders of America's cities, towns and villages.

NLC members wishing to learn more about eSCRIBE are invited to visit https://www.escribemeetings.com/nlc.

About the National League of Cities (NLC)  The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America's cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About eSCRIBE Software Ltd.  eSCRIBE is a leading provider of cloud-based meeting management solutions, and the go-to-choice for public sector boards, committees and councils. eSCRIBE supports the entire meeting lifecycle with comprehensive tools and workflows to improve efficiency and transparency, and is compliant with accessibility standards including American and Canadian disabilities acts and WCAG 2.0. eSCRIBE helps organizations ensure continuity, efficiency, and effectiveness in hybrid public meetings by seamlessly integrating both virtual and physical meeting environments into a single, unified experience.

Learn more at escribemeetings.com.

Contact:

Fiona Tsang

[email protected]

SOURCE eSCRIBE
"We urge President Biden to rethink and recalculate the US approach in Ethiopia before it becomes a political failure." Tweet this

"The TPLF is a designated terrorist group. We urge President Biden to rethink and recalculate the US approach in Ethiopia before it becomes a political failure," said Yoseph Tafari, EACC Chairman. "The Executive Order will further fracture the two nations' bilateral relationship and diminish any hope for peace and stability in the Horn of Africa."

Sworn in as the Prime Minister in 2018 of Africa's second most populous nation, Abiy worked to negotiate political settlements with the TPLF leadership based on the TPLF's past years of oppressive rule. He also worked to foster a sense of national unity when ethnic divisions had defined Ethiopian politics. However, once no longer in power, the TPLF attempted to overthrow Abiy's government. The result is today's conflict in Tigray.

"We urge the Biden administration to understand that PM Abiy does not have the authority to negotiate with the TPLF, which has been deemed a terrorist organization by Ethiopia's House of People's Representatives. This is similar to the US policy not to negotiate with terrorists," said Tafari. "We ask the Biden Administration to rescind its Executive Order now."

The EACC also believes Biden's Executive Order oversteps Ethiopia's sovereign power to govern its internal affairs. Ethiopia is a sovereign nation with full rights as a member of the United Nations to manage its internal affairs in compliance with international law.

PM Abiy issued a ceasefire in June of this year. The TPLF seized the opportunity to regroup and attack civilians and civilian infrastructures in the Amhara and Afar regions. The TPLF-led war has resulted in the massacre of thousands of civilians including in Maikadra, Chena, Galicoma, and Agamsa, creating internal displacement and severe food shortages.

Ethiopian American Civic Council: One the largest and most diverse Ethiopian American diaspora communities in the United States with approximately 750,000 supporters in all 50 states. The EACC represents all of the nearly 90 Ethiopian ethnic groups. The EACC is a US-based, 501(c) 4, nonprofit organization.

SOURCE Ethiopian American Civic Council (EACC)

Related Links

http://sr168.org/


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ExtendaTouch, the innovative digital platform for caregivers to connect with each other, today announced a partnership with the Autism Society of America. Under the terms of the agreement, the Autism Society of America will reach out to their 73 affiliates providing their members a free caregiver account at ExtendaTouch. The agreement will provide a critical service of bringing caregivers together to support one another, widely disseminate information, and provide access to local non-profits to help simplify and improve the caregiving process. Learn more about ExtendaTouch here.

"The Autism Society is pleased to collaborate with ExtendaTouch to assist caregivers from across the country and in communities throughout the nation to connect with each other. Through ExtendaTouch, caregivers within the autism community can communicate online with others who have similar experiences. We want all our affiliates and their members to have access to this much-needed service," said Christopher Banks, President, and CEO of the Autism Society of America.

ExtendaTouch solves the problem of inefficiencies in an ad-hoc support system in the marketplace for caregivers. The Company specializes in matching the needs of caregivers with peer-to-peer support. Family and professional caregivers have enormous amounts of knowledge and experience. ExtendaTouch is the go-to organization for caregivers who are often overwhelmed, isolated, and lonely.

"We are creating a unifying caregiver community that provides a broad sense of protection, support, and belonging. It's the reason why we created ExtendaTouch. Caregivers and their loved ones within the autism spectrum face daily challenges from outright rejection to unfair stigmatizing myths. Our mission is to help those caregivers connect with each other to safely share information that will make their journey more productive and help create ways to gain acceptance and respect for those they love," said Andy Cramer, Founder of ExtendaTouch.

ExtendaTouch is a caregiver support network with a platform that enables fast, private, personal connections between caregivers. Contact is opt-in, and profiles are anonymous, allowing the caregivers to discuss sensitive topics, including self-care, without fear of stigma. ExtendaTouch understands the difficulties for caregivers to openly discuss their personal issues. Because of that, ExtendaTouch is the only platform that connects caregivers anonymously to further enable equality, diversity, and inclusion.

About ExtendaTouch

ExtendaTouch is a tech company that has developed a unique platform for relevantly matching caregivers. Their vision is to relieve overwhelmed family and paid caregivers worldwide and produce better outcomes for those needing chronic or occasional care. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, ExtendaTouch is free and can be accessed at www.extendatouch.com. For press inquiries, contact [email protected]

About the Autism Society of America

The Autism Society of America has been improving the lives of all affected by autism for over 50 years and envisions a world where individuals and families living with autism can maximize their quality of life, are treated with the highest level of dignity, and live in a society in which their talents and skills are appreciated and valued. The Autism Society of America can be accessed at https://www.autism-society.org. For press inquiries, contact Carissa Joyce at [email protected].

Contact: Andy Cramer, ExtendaTouch Phone: 415 847-4988 Email: [email protected]

SOURCE ExtendaTouch

Related Links

https://extendatouch.com


FLO | AddEnergie: We have sold more than 50,000 EV chargers. Tweet this

"This is also an opportunity for us to thank our customers, especially Hydro-Quebec which, along with the Circuit electrique, has deployed thousands of our charging stations in Quebec alone," added Tremblay. "When we first started and the market was in its infancy, we set out to build a vertically integrated company that would let us manage all facets of the EV charging experience so that we could quickly react and innovate to meet the needs of our customers and, ultimately, the EV driver. 50,000 charging stations later, I'm confident that we chose the right approach, and I cannot wait to see how quickly we can reach 100,000 stations."

Looking to the future

This significant milestone in its development provides FLO | AddEnergie with a timely opportunity to launch a brand-new corporate video outlining the company's vision for its evolution.

"Although the adoption of electric vehicles continues to grow, the EV charging industry is still in its early stages. As we increase our production rate, we have a duty to keep making new and innovative strides. The video unveiled today presents our ambition to continue to enhance the EV charging experience by offering FLO users the same reliability, innovation and convenience EV users have come to associate with the FLO | AddEnergie brand. More than ever, the future of EV charging and of our company is bright and exciting  and we are keen to seize the moment and continue to lead the way," concluded Louis Tremblay.

About FLO

FLO is a leading North American electric vehicle charging network operator and a major provider of smart charging software and equipment. Every month, FLO enables hundreds of thousands charging events thanks to over 50,000 high-quality stations deployed on public networks, commercial and residential installations. FLO's headquarters and network operations centre are based in Quebec City, and its assembly plant is located in Shawinigan (Quebec). The company also has an office in Montreal and regional teams located in Ontario, British Columbia, California, New York, and Texas. For more information, visit flo.com.

SOURCE FLO

Related Links

https://www.flo.com/

https://www.addenergietechnologies.com/


SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinllectibles, a metaverse blockchain company and a fully owned subsidiary of Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. (OTC: COSG), is pleased to announce the collaboration with French contemporary artist Auguste to create a unique, and one-of-a-kind "Auguste x Coinllectibles Crossover Fusion NFT".



Born in 1977, Alex Auguste is a French contemporary artist based in Bordeaux. Though he studied disciplines other than fine arts, Auguste always felt compelled and drawn to the art world. Eventually, he followed his passion for the visual arts, finding his unique artistic vision and is now known for his colourful contemporary Pop Art works that inspire and evoke nostalgia.

Working with a variety of materials, Auguste's art style is to use an unusual medium of aluminium with digital collage and acrylic paint, and tops it off with automotive varnish to give his works a modern glossy finish. He places importance on form and shape to create the puzzle piece contours and embraces the use of colour to create exciting pieces that captivate not only the content but fascinating aesthetics. All of Auguste's works are signed and titled on the back with the name "Auguste" where it makes reference to the Roman Emperor.

Commenting on the crossover collaboration, Auguste said, "We are in exciting times. With the rise of NFTs in the art scene, it has opened many doors for artists to build their collectors base. I'm happy to work with Coinllectibles because I find that their Fusion NFTs benefit both the collectors and the artists, where the Fusion NFTs allow collectors to collect both the digital asset, as well as the physical piece while having the authentication and ownership title minted onto the NFT."

Echoing the same sentiments, Nancy Wong, Chief Assets Officer at Coinllectibles said, "We love Auguste's unusual visual art forms and can't wait to promote them to a greater community. With this crossover opportunity, we are thrilled to be able to mint his pieces into our proprietary Fusion NFTs, while the collectors get to enjoy owning the "Gold Standard" NFTs."

Auguste has exhibited his works all over the world  in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami, Puerto Rico, Johannesburg, Dubai, Venice, Palma de Mallorca, Verbier, Gstaad, Hamm, Konstanz, Moscow, Singapore, Tokyo, London, Saint Barth, Saint-Tropez, Paris, Kuwait and more. For pre-registration of interest for Auguste's Fusion NFT, please visit www.Coinllectibles.Art or join the CoinllectiblesTM Telegram Channel at https://t.me/Coinllectibles .

About Cosmos Group Holdings Inc

Cosmos is a business group that operates in two business segments:

Arts and Collectibles

Finan cing

Through CoinllectiblesTM, the group provides authentication, valuation and certification (AVC) services, sale and purchase, hire purchase, financing, and custody, security and exhibition (CSE) services to art buyers through traditional channels, as well as through leveraging blockchain technology through the creation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

With subsidiaries licensed under Hong Kong's Money Lenders Ordinance, the group currently primarily provides unsecured personal loan to private individuals, with a small portfolio of mortgage loans.

The group is integrating the two business segments by offering secured financing services to prospective arts and collectibles purchasers to provide a one-stop shop for arts and collectibles purchasing and financing experience.

About the Artist  Alex Auguste

Born in France in 1977, Auguste hails from the famed Bordeaux region of France. Though he studied disciplines other than fine arts, Auguste always felt compelled and drawn to the art world. Ultimately he followed his passion for the visual arts, finding his unique artistic vision and voice and is now known for his colourful contemporary Pop Art -inspired and nostalgia-evoking works.

Auguste is the name chosen to sign his artworks, and it is a reference to the Roman Emperor.

Auguste exhibits all over the world: New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami, Singapore, Tokyo, London, Saint Barth, Paris, Kuwait.

Website: www.augusteartist.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/augusteartiste

About the Company  Coinllectibles

"Coinllectibles" is an ACT (Arts and Collectibles Technology) company, which is redefining how the world thinks about art and collectible ownership in the digital age.

Their minted curated Fusion NFTs, capture all the rights and independent valuation and ownership of physical arts and collectibles securely underpinned by smart contracts stored on the blockchain.

Coinllectibles Fusion NFTs bridge the physical and virtual dimensions of the arts and collectibles market, providing a pleasurable, transparent, and frictionless experience to customers from all walks of life.

Website: www.coinllectibles.art

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Coinllectibles

Instagram: www.instagram.com/coinllectibles/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/coinllectibles

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/coinllectibles

Telegram: www.t.me/Coinllectibles

Coinllectibles Fusion NFT - stick with the Gold Standard

Coinllectibles prides the Fusion NFT as the industry "Gold Standard". Being a Gold Standard, a Fusion NFT contains the following on the Inter Planetary File System (IPFS)  (1) a sale and purchase agreement reflecting the purchase, by the person minting the Fusion NFT, of the underlying asset at a fair value with all rights and restrictions clearly detailed, (2) bailment terms governing the rights to possession whilst the underlying asset remains with Coinllectibles, (3) a transfer deed reflecting the transfer of the ownership of the underlying asset (together with all rights and restrictions) by the transferor to the holder of the Fusion NFT, (4) ownership title deed written into the description of the Fusion NFT and (5) the unequivocal identification file of the underlying asset, whose ownership is reflected in the title deed represented by the Fusion NFT.

Contact: Ms Rachel Lim, Director of Sales and Marketing, +852-28398100, [email protected]

SOURCE Cosmos Group Holdings Inc.
VICTORIA, B.C., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FullHost announces the availability of its Elastic Hosting, Managed WordPress Hosting, and Managed Virtual Server Hosting products on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud. Used by the majority of global enterprises, AWS delivers a consistently-reliable and secure infrastructure.

FullHost Logo

Previously, FullHost offered hosting services exclusively out of its datacenters in Vancouver and Toronto, Canada, where the company owns and operates its own equipment and network. The provider acknowledges that many clients prefer to store their data on Canadian soil, with the support of a Canadian company.

A number of businesses, have expressed an interest in hosting web applications like WordPress, WooCommerce, and ecommerce stores directly on AWSwhere the setup and maintenance are rather complex. Additionally, large businesses looking to host their applications in a readily-available, redundant, secure AWS environment often lack the in-house expertise and staffing to set up, maintain, and monitor their solution.

Many international clientsas well as Canadian customers with a global audiencehave also shared a desire for data center locations outside of Canada, in Europe or Asia, so they can host web applications closer to their visitors.

With that, FullHost clients can now select AWS in Montreal, Canada in addition to their Vancouver and Toronto data center locations. The choice will remain entirely up to the client, who can select their preferred data center location before committing to a solution. By 2022, the provider will be offering other AWS locations across the globe.

New FullHost AWS solutions include the following:

Elastic Hosting starts at $7 /month and provides a flexible managed hosting solution that grows with the client in Canada . The client pays only for what they need and can use any web platform.

starts at /month and provides a flexible managed hosting solution that grows with the client in . The client pays only for what they need and can use any web platform. Managed WordPress Hosting starts at $30 /monthbringing the client peace of mind with continual support of their WordPress applications.

starts at /monthbringing the client peace of mind with continual support of their WordPress applications. Managed Virtual Server Hosting starts at $85 /month and gives the client their own virtual server (VPS), with greater flexibility to customize for their own requirements and meet regulatory compliance requirements.

Managed cloud services offer a high-quality hosting experience, even to those who lack the internal resources to manage their own servers. And while FullHost has been offering AWS hosting solutions to select clients for nearly a decade, the provider is now making these services available to everyone.

With new and innovative managed AWS hosting solutions, FullHost clients can rest assured their provider is monitoring their hosting environment at all timesbacked by FullHost's 24/7/365 expert support.

About FullHost

Since 2004, FullHost, a premiere web-hosting provider turned managed cloud company, has offered comprehensive solutions to small, medium, and large organizations across Canada and beyond. From their headquarters in Victoria, British Columbia and their data centers in Vancouver and Toronto, FullHost is trusted by Canadians from coast and coast to deliver a best-in-class experience.

To learn more about FullHost, please visit https://www.fullhost.com

Contact:

Chris Tilden

250-999-8989

[email protected]

SOURCE FullHost
QICDRC CEO Faisal Al-Sahouti said: "Our expansion to support the Qatar Free Zones Authority will build on Qatar's role as a global business destination and highlights QICDRC's contribution to the international legal community and international justice. Our support for the free zone adds to the benefits of the free zones ensuring further investments with the security of a functioning legal dispute resolution mechanism."

QICDRC (also known as the Civil and Commercial Court of the Qatar Financial Centre), was established by Qatar to support the development of a world-class international financial centre backed by a court renowned for its independence, impartiality, integrity, and proprietary.

In addition to being the dispute resolution forum for all QFC related disputes, the QICDRC will now have full jurisdiction to decide all civil and commercial suits pertaining to the Free Zones. In addition, the Regulatory Tribunal will act as an appeals body in respect to decisions of the QFZA pertaining to the revocation or suspension of licenses of Free Zones companies.

Upholding international standards in dispute resolution, QICDRC is part of the State of Qatar's strategy to attract international business and financial services to Qatar.

The QICDRC also offers mediation services, which can be initiated by the Court or the Regulatory Tribunal, by virtue of a contractual provision, or through a voluntary request of one or more parties to a dispute. Mediation Services can be requested by all individuals and businesses in Qatar, including in relation to cross-country business disputes.

Rooted in its mission to provide and enhance access to justice, the QICDRC launched its Pro Bono Service in May 2020. The purpose of this service is to extend support to eligible individuals and provide them, through the medium of volunteer lawyers, with access to free legal advice and representation.

About the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre

The Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC) (also known as the Civil and Commercial Court of the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC)), was established by QFC Law No. 2 of 2009 (Amending Certain Provisions of QFC) to be the final piece of the State of Qatar's initiative to build a world-class international financial centre. Upholding international standards in dispute resolution, QICDRC is part of the strategy of the State of Qatar to attract international business and financial services to Qatar. QICDRC provides a modern, specialist Civil and Commercial Court designed to hear cases quickly, economically and in front of internationally renowned, independent, judges.

Led by the President of the Court, The Rt. Hon Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, the judges of the Court are renowned for their independence, impartiality, integrity, and propriety. The judges hail from a variety of jurisdictions including Qatar, the United Kingdom, Cyprus, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Kuwait, and South Africa making the Court a truly international one.

In addition to the Court, the Regulatory Tribunal of Qatar Financial Centre has the jurisdiction to hear Appeals raised by individuals and corporate bodies against decisions of the QFC Authority, the Regulatory Authority, and other QFC institutions, as well as certain license related appeals from decisions of the QFZA.

Led by its Chairman, Sir William Blair, the Regulatory Tribunal comprises judges from Qatar, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, India, and the United States of America, all of whom specialise in the resolution of regulatory disputes. Find out more by visiting our website or contacting us at: [email protected]

About the Qatar Free Zones Authority

Founded in 2018 as an independent entity, Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA) aims to support economic development and establish a cluster of world-class free zones in Qatar. We are responsible for setting the strategic direction and policy of the free zones, as well as securing anchor investments.

The free zones will be fundamental pillars in enhancing economic development and attracting both foreign and domestic investment in Qatar. We want to stimulate the national economy through a vibrant and self-sustaining business ecosystem, based on transparency and the rule of law.

Qatar Free Zones current cluster consist of Ras Boufantas (airport free zone) and Umm AlHoul (port free zone). Find out more by visiting our website or contacting us at: [email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1632126/QICDRC_1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1632127/QICDRC_2.jpg

SOURCE Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre
In response to this powerful cultural discourse, Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky today released a landmark study, conducted with If-Then Company, that uncovers a jarring illusion permeating American society: individuals' personal definitions of professional success  and how those same individuals believe most people in society define professional success  are fundamentally misaligned.

The study, titled "Professional Success in America: Personal Priorities and Social Misunderstanding," suggests that Americans at large believe society holds a definition of professional success that devalues what truly matters most to them, such as relationships, community and well-being. This results in a troubling cycle where professional goals are unduly influenced by a mistaken perception of what society glamorizes, rather than what individuals find fulfilling on a personal level.

See the executive summary of "Professional Success in America: Personal Priorities and Social Misunderstanding" here .

The study has instigated an exploratory mission at Glenfiddich into contemporary ideas of wealth, beginning with the introduction of the inaugural Glenfiddich #Richest25: a bold new body of work that challenges the collective idea of what it means to be rich. Curated in partnership with Brittany Packnett Cunningham, one of the most sought-after voices in the world of social change and empowerment, the Glenfiddich #Richest25 breaks from the conventions of a traditional rich list, spotlighting 20 individuals from across the United States who broaden the definition of wealth by reimagining its true meaning. Glenfiddich and Packnett Cunningham have opened up the final five spots for nominations by anyone via Glenfiddich.com/richest25.

"I've dedicated my life to advancing social change, which has afforded me the tremendous pleasure of meeting diverse people who embody a broader and more inclusive vision of the world," says Brittany Packnett Cunningham. "Glenfiddich is taking an innovative step in helping to change the perspective of what a wealthy life looks like and I'm excited to work hand in hand with them as we embolden others to define richness for themselves."

The inaugural list of honorees have earned a range of riches that reimagines wealth's true meaning, whether it's through impact on their community, staying true to a set of personal values or finding a career that is personally fulfilling.

"Glenfiddich believes a full, rich life is also about family, community, values and fulfilling work  these are the values that led a 135 year old family-owned brand to become one of the world's leading single malt Scotch whisky," says Michael Giardina, Brand Marketing Director for Glenfiddich. "We acknowledge Scotch Whisky, as a category, has long perpetuated wealth as the primary status symbol, which is a cycle we intend on breaking. The findings of the study could not be ignored and propelled us to begin a mission to explore and redefine what it means to lead a life of riches and fulfilment. The #Richest25 is the first step of a longer Glenfiddich journey."

The full lineup of honorees is available on Glenfiddich.com/richest25 , where Glenfiddich and Brittany Packnett Cunningham also invite those across the country to visit the site and nominate a friend, family member, colleague or any person of inspiration to be named on the list. Entries close on October 20, 2021 at 11:59PM EST and the final lineup will be featured by Forbes later this year. For terms and conditions, click here.

The Glenfiddich #Richest25 will be supported through an integrated digital campaign through 2021, headlined by a cross-platform content partnership with Forbes. Upon the release of the Forbes 400 in October, select #Richest25 honorees will be featured as an alternate perspective on what it means to be 'rich'.

The Glenfiddich #Richest25 is the first action the brand is taking as part of a larger mission to reassess how we look at value, wealth and 'riches' through a societal and personal lens. In Fall 2021, Glenfiddich will introduce a series of fashion collaborations that uniquely reimagine antiquated symbols of wealth and status, with all proceeds going to GoFundMe.org, benefiting a variety of funds that are focused on entrepreneurial pursuits and innovation.

SKILLFULLY CRAFTED, ENJOY RESPONSIBLY. GLENFIDDICH SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY, 2021 IMPORTED BY WILLIAM GRANT & SONS. NEW YORK, NY.



ABOUT GLENFIDDICH SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Glenfiddich is run by the fifth generation of the Grant-Gordon family and today is one of the few remaining family-owned and operated distillers. From dream to dram, the Glenfiddich journey began in 1886 when founder, William Grant, realized his dream of creating the 'best dram in the valley' in Dufftown, Scotland. Equipped with distilling expertise, gained after working 20 years at the Mortlach distillery, Grant purchased the necessary tools for the job and he found his premises in the beautiful nearby field of Glenfiddich, Gaelic for 'valley of the deer' that also included a water source provided by the Robbie Dhu Spring, a vital ingredient in the production of quality whisky. The Glenfiddich distillery was born on Christmas Day 1887, when spirit first flowed from the Glenfiddich stills. The combination of crystal-clear water from the spring, home-grown barley, Highland air and the unusually small size of the stills, produced an unrivalled single malt Scotch whisky.

Today Glenfiddich continues to be a progressive spirit in challenging malt whisky conventions while also staying true to legacy, by keeping traditional production techniques established by founder, William Grant. The Glenfiddich core ranges includes: Glenfiddich 12-Year-Old (SRP: $39.99), Glenfiddich 14-Year-Old (SRP: $49.99), Glenfiddich 15-Year-Old (SRP: $59.99), Glenfiddich 18-Year-Old (SRP: $109.99), Glenfiddich 21-Year-Old (SRP: $189.99) and Glenfiddich 26-Year-Old (SRP: $ 599.99). Glenfiddich also produces limited edition bottles, such as Glenfiddich The Original (launched 2014), and a range of some of the oldest and finest vintage cask and private vintage marques in the world. For further information visit www.glenfiddich.com .

SOURCE Glenfiddich Whisky: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
DUBLIN, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Immunoglobulins Market - Global Outlook & Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global immunoglobulins market was valued at USD 13.59 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 21.58 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 8.01% during the forecast period.

The study considers the immunoglobulins market present scenario and it's market dynamics for the period 2020-2026. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market.

The pandemic has had and continues to have a major impact on the plasma derivatives industry. It contributed to the increase in the cost/liter of collected plasma due to the increased donor fees and increased incidence of a fixed cost of centers with respect to the lower volumes collected. The recent developments and the increasing scope of immunoglobulin products in treating numerous rare and autoimmune diseases have increased the growth rate for the immunoglobulin industry.

SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS

Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) are the most used form of immunoglobulin to manage autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiency. Since the proposed therapeutic use of immunoglobulins, it is being administered through the intravenous route, which provides maximum bioavailability and maximum efficacy.

The market is led by primary immunodeficiency, which acquired 26.05% of the global immunoglobulins market in 2020. The symptoms of primary immunodeficiencies are frequent pneumonia, baronial infections, sinus infection, skin infections, meningitis, inflammation, low platelet count, etc.

The largest immunoglobulins market share based on end-users is acquired by the hospital and clinic segment. The home care segment is expected to grow faster because of the increasing demand for home healthcare services.

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

North America acquired a 46.00% share of the global immunoglobulins market in 2020. This is attributed to many factors such as higher awareness towards personal health, a patient-centric healthcare system, advancements in healthcare, higher throughput of plasma collection centers, leading global vendors being native to the industry, etc.

Europe is the second-largest market for immunoglobulin products because of its higher demand compared to other regions. The region has a higher awareness and highly regulated market, which enables safe blood and plasma collection practices.

APAC is considered an emerging industry for immunoglobulin products, which are needed for treating autoimmune disorders. China is leading the APAC immunoglobulins market. The Chinese population has a higher awareness of blood donation and its possible use in manufacturing life-saving products.

VENDOR ANALYSIS

The key players in the immunoglobulins industry are Takeda Pharmaceutical, CSL Limited, Grifols, S.A, Kendrion Biopharma, and Octapharma AG.

The global immunoglobulins industry is dominated by mainly three vendors, CSL Limited, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, and Grifols S.A. They share a highly competitive environment, where each competes in terms of newer product launches and regulatory approval for those and existing products. For new vendors, emerging markets and low-resource countries are ideal markets, as they have a higher population and greater inclination towards donating blood or plasma in compensation.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

The price of immunoglobulin increased by around 5% in Europe and by 6% in the US.

and by 6% in the US. With the increasing outcome of the fractionation and the challenge of plasma shortage, the technological and scientific developments in the field of plasma fractionation are expected to drive the market of immunoglobins.

Immunoglobulins dominate the industry of plasma-derived products. This share is largely attributed to the increasing demand resulting from developed ways of diagnosing autoimmune diseases.

The major challenge for the immunoglobulin industry is to maintain the balance between supply and demand. As the immunoglobulin products require blood plasma, the production value is limited by the quantity of plasma collected.

Partnerships with the official plasma collection agencies of the country have propelled the growth of many vendors.

Major Vendors

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

CSL Limited

Grifols, S.A

Kendrion Biopharma

Octapharma AG.

Other Prominent Vendors

China Biologic Products Holding, Inc.

Biotest AG

LFB S.A.

ADMA Biologics, Inc.

Omrix Biopharmaceuticals LTD

Zydus Cadila

Bharat Serums ANd Vaccines Limited

Reliance Life Sciences

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Overview

7.2 COVID-19 Impact on Plasma Therapies



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Developments in Plasma Fractionation Process

8.2 Immunoglobulins in Homecare



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Recent Regulatory Approvals for Immunoglobulins

9.2 Use of IVIG During Transplant

9.3 Self-Sufficiency Programs for Plasma-Derived Medicinal Products



10 Market Growth Restraints

10.1 IVIG-Associated Hemolysis

10.2 Shortage of Immunoglobulin Products



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Market Size & Forecast

11.3 Five Forces Analysis



12 Product

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 Market Overview

12.3 Intravenous Immunoglobulins

12.4 Subcutaneous Immunoglobulins

12.5 Intramuscular Immunoglobulins



13 Application

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Primary Immunodeficiency

13.4 Chronic Immune Deficiency Polyradiculoneuropathy

13.5 Secondary Immunodeficiency

13.6 Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

13.7 Myasthenia Gravis

13.8 Others



14 End-User

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 Hospitals & Clinics

14.4 Homecare



15 Geography

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Geographic Overview

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bame04

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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BOSTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Goulston & Storrs, an Am Law 200 firm, is pleased to announce that directors Joshua Davis and Elizabeth Levine have been selected as 2021 Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment Stars. The 4th edition of the Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment annual guide recognizes the most preeminent labor & employment litigation practitioners in the U.S.

Davis is a nationally-recognized employment lawyer and litigator. He counsels companies and their boards when they are facing difficult human challenges and acts as lead counsel in a wide range of business disputes. Davis has more than two decades of experience handling complicated sexual harassment matters. He advises companies, executives, and Boards of Directors on how to navigate the challenges of the current environment, and has deep expertise in sexual harassment and discrimination investigations, cultural assessments, and workforce training. His clients include public and private companies, hospitals, law firms, media companies, automobile dealerships, financial services firms, pharmaceutical companies, and non-profit entities among others.

Elizabeth Levine is a highly-respected employment lawyer and litigator who works with companies on management-side employment and operational matters, and defends organizations in employment-based litigation. Her work includes matters related to hiring, discipline, leave, wage and hour law, accommodations, terminations, and compliance with federal, state and local employment laws. She has broad experience representing employers before state and federal courts, before administrative agencies, and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

She regularly conducts workforce training on issues of harassment and discrimination prevention, diversity, and accommodation of disabled employees, and investigates claims of harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

Benchmark Litigation is considered the definitive guide to the leading litigation law firms and lawyers around the world. Research is conducted through extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists, and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms. The publication examines recent cases and asks litigators to provide their professional opinions on peers and practitioners within their jurisdiction or practice area.

About Goulston & Storrs

Collaboration is not just a pillar of our strategy; it is the key to our competitive advantage and approach to clients, community, and each other. At Goulston & Storrs, we practice law with excellence and integrity. We are a place where mutual respect and collaboration drive open discussion, transparency, creativity and optimal results for our clients. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where sophisticated business is conducted with genuine camaraderie. To learn more about us, visit www.goulstonstorrs.com.

Contact:

Liz Sobe Amy Blumenthal Director of Strategic Growth Blumenthal & Associates PR Goulston & Storrs PC (617) 879-1511 (617) 574-0556 [email protected] [email protected]



SOURCE Goulston & Storrs PC

Related Links

https://www.goulstonstorrs.com


CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Irish heritage, tradition, grit, and resilience all run deep in Chicago, and in the not-too-distant future, so will Guinness roots. This great American city will be the home to the new Guinness Chicago Taproom, slated to open to the public in 2023 in the city's lively West Loop neighborhood. Located at 375 N. Morgan Street, the 15,000-square-foot space where Guinness has signed a multi-year lease, will be situated within a revitalized historic railroad depot, and embrace the spirit of the Windy City. The taproom team will begin renovations this fall.

Guinness raises a toast to its planned Chicago taproom, which will open in 2023. Guinness will open a taproom in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood in 2023. Diageo Beer Company President Nuno Teles (left) and Diageo Beer Company CMO Jay Sethi (right) announce Guinness' plans to open a Chicago taproom in 2023. Diageo leaders gather to celebrate the announcement of Guinness' Chicago taproom, slated to open in 2023. From L to R: Hakan Kulturlu, Director, Transformation, Diageo Beer Company; Danielle Robinson, Director, Alcohol Policy and Reputation Management at Diageo; Nuno Teles, President, Diageo Beer Company USA; Allison Miller, Head of Facilities and Real Estate for Diageo; Jay Sethi, CMO, Diageo Beer Company USA; Michael Donilon, General Manager, Open Gate Brewery Diageo leaders gather to celebrate the announcement of Guinness' Chicago taproom, slated to open in 2023. From L to R: Hakan Kulturlu, Director, Transformation, Diageo Beer Company; Danielle Robinson, Director, Alcohol Policy and Reputation Management at Diageo; Nuno Teles, President, Diageo Beer Company USA; Allison Miller, Head of Facilities and Real Estate for Diageo; Jay Sethi, CMO, Diageo Beer Company USA; Michael Donilon, General Manager, Open Gate Brewery

"As a native Chicagoan, I already know there are so many reasons to love Chicago - its people, culture, diverse and distinctive network of neighborhoods, and of course its food and beer scene. The city was a natural choice to bring our first neighborhood hub to life," said Jay Sethi, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo Beer Company, USA. "We are building this taproom for the people of Chicago and, as with everything that Guinness does, it's not just about the beer. We aim to celebrate Chicago and make a positive impact on the local community from the day our doors open."

"No one does St. Patrick's Day like Chicago, so naturally, Guinness already has a special place in our city's history," said Alderman Walter Burnett Jr., of Chicago's 27th Ward. "Now we get to make it a little more official with the Guinness Chicago Taproom, which will help further enliven our already vibrant West Loop neighborhood and bring new jobs to the area."

The taproom will feature work from local artists and offer rotating beers, cuisine, and events, all bringing to life the spirit of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods and unique cultural elements. The newest home away from home for Guinness will offer guests a chance to try out exciting new brews  some only available at the Chicago brewery, and some from our other Guinness locations  tour the brewery with our beer specialists, learn all about Guinness and its storied history, and even purchase some limited-edition merchandise. On site will be a 10 BBL brewing system for our small-batch and one-off brews for the taproom, in addition to an outdoor patio space and restaurant.

"For years we've seen Guinness as an integral part of so many bar and restaurant experiences, around the world and especially right here in Chicago," said Sam Toia, President of the Illinois Restaurant Association. "We are thrilled there will now be a place Chicagoans can come to enjoy the full Guinness experience, while also continuing to strengthen the rich fabric of Chicago's thriving hospitality community."

More than 75 new jobs will be created to support taproom operations. While the new site will produce a variety of experimental brews, the iconic Guinness Draught Stout and other Guinness beers will continue to be imported from our legendary brewery at St James's Gate in Dublin, Ireland.

This is the second brewing facility and taproom on U.S. soil for Guinness, the first of which is the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore, Maryland. Since opening in 2018, the Baltimore taproom has welcomed more than 900,000 visitors and produced 250 experimental brews, including Baltimore Blonde, which is available nationwide.

While we all eagerly wait for the doors to open in Chicago in 2023, stay up to date any time on all things Guinness on social media (@GuinnessUS) and if you're up to it, consider paying a visit to the Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore.

About Guinness

The Guinness brand was established in 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin. Brewed using four main ingredients, water, barley (malted & roasted), hops and yeast, Guinness is the world's most popular stout. The iconic beer is brewed in 49 countries worldwide and sold in over 150 with almost 9 million glasses of Guinness enjoyed every day around the world. The most GUINNESS is sold in Great Britain, Ireland, USA, Nigeria and Cameroon. More information can be found at www.guinness.com .

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Dave Finn, TAYLOR

[email protected]



Kelly Pepe, DIAGEO

[email protected]



SOURCE Diageo Beer Company USA

Related Links

http://www.guinness.com


FORT WAYNE, Ind., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hannah Copeland, MD, FACS, FACC, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Trusted Surgeon for her outstanding work in the field of Medicine and for her professional excellence at Lutheran Health Physicians.

As a Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, she cares for patients who require all aspects of advanced cardiovascular procedures. She routinely provides heart transplants, mechanical circulatory support, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and cardiac critical care medicine.

Hannah Copeland, MD, FACS, FACC

In 2020, Dr. Copeland joined the Lutheran Heart Physicians, with five years of experience in the medical field. She has previously worked at the University of Mississippi Medical Center as a member of the cardiac surgery team. Throughout her career, she has contributed to many research presentations and publications on a wide array of topics.

To begin her distinguished career, Dr. Copeland first attended the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine in Kansas City, MO. She next completed a residency at the General Surgery University of California in San Diego, CA. Dr. Copeland completed a Fellowship in Cardio Surgery Transplant at Indiana University in Indianapolis, IN. She is board-certified in Thoracic Surgery.

To remain abreast of developments in the field, Dr. Copeland is affiliated with the American College of Cardiology, American College of Surgeons, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Society of Transplantation, and the Association of Academic Surgery.

For more information, visit https://www.lutheranhealthphysicians.com/.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


MIAMI, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Idea Financial, a leading provider of small business lending solutions, announces the promotion of Tyler Walton to Underwriting Manager.

A 2017 graduate of Hampden-Sydney College with a major in Mathematical Economics, Walton has been a valued member of the Idea team since the company's earliest days. And while he developed into an exceptional leader within the underwriting team during that time, it was amidst the tribulations of the last nearly two years that his steadiness and resourcefulness truly shone.

"During our most uncertain times, at the height of the Covid-19 crisis, Tyler was an integral part of our daily funding meetings and we turned to him for advice and counsel on very delicate decisions," said Justin Leto, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "Having Tyler as a member of the underwriting team has made the company stronger and his decisions have always been thoughtful, measured and well-reasoned. In addition, Tyler has earned the respect of not only his colleagues in the underwriting department but in departments throughout the company."

"Tyler has excelled professionally at Idea Financial," added Co-Founder and President Larry Bassuk, "and we look forward to him growing into this leadership role."

Walton's promotion comes after just over three and a half years as an Underwriter. Throughout that time, Walton has helped to launch and then lead Idea Financial's Richmond, Virginia office.

For his part, Walton acknowledged his accomplishment by sharing the following Henry David Thoreau quote: "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Idea Financial is a provider of small business solutions, providing a unique line of credit as well as term loans to small businesses. IDF provides up to $250K in funds with same day approval and funding. In addition, IDF is expanding its product line to include case expense loans exclusive for attorneys as well as small business insurance products. IDF has funded thousands of American small businesses and is proud to help businesses #ChargeForward.

Contact: Salina Erazo, Director of Marketing, [email protected]

SOURCE Idea Financial

Related Links

https://www.ideafinancial.com


Immerse's brand new research, The Upskill Ultimatum , reveals that a majority of companies plan to wait until 2028  when tech-savvy Gen Z workers will form a large proportion of the workforce  to deploy immersive training technologies [1] across their organization. This is despite studies which have shown the effectiveness of these technologies in boosting knowledge acquisition and retention, and despite the fact that two-thirds of HR professionals believe that companies that fail to employ cutting-edge training technologies will struggle to attract and retain top talent.

The survey of 1,000 knowledge workers and 1,000 HR professionals across a range of sectors, conducted by Immerse, show massive fractures in the current training landscape. Nearly half of HR professionals (49%) believe that today's training deployment is inadequate for a hybrid working world. Also, businesses are feeling the effects of this "learning drought", with half of HR professionals reporting an emerging skills gap in their organization, resulting in operational company risk.

Immerse is a virtual reality technology company that has developed the Immerse Platform which enables companies to create, scale and measure virtual reality training. Having grown license revenues by 300% last year and with a global customer base and customers such as DHL, Nestle and bp, Immerse are leaders in using VR to maximize human performance and the employee experience.

"The world of work has shifted beyond all recognition, and employees are looking to their employer to help them adapt. But the pace of change in training is not matching the pace of technological innovation", said Tom Symonds, CEO at Immerse. "The pandemic has forced businesses into damage-limitation mode, and leaders are failing to take the long view when it comes to talent."

In a post-pandemic landscape where talent is tight, frequent reskilling and upskilling of employees is more critical than ever. Leaders failing to meet these expectations face the already acute risk of widespread talent loss: 48% of employees say they would move companies if they weren't receiving the level of training they need  and many are not. In fact, 25% of employees have not learned anything new through workplace training in the last year, and 7% have not learned anything new in the last 2 years.

Symonds continues, "Our research reveals the urgent need for a training overhaul to prepare companies for a future that remains decidedly uncertain. Companies embracing immersive training technologies will be at an advantage in the post-pandemic world of work, bridging skills gaps and supercharging employee engagement, productivity and retention."

Almost three out of five employees (58%) say that immersive technologies, such as virtual reality, would make training exciting for the first time ever. Immersive training platforms also have the potential to solve critical business challenges: 64% of HR professionals believe that on-demand immersive training could be the key to solving the productivity crisis in the workplace, and 70% say that immersive tech would provide safe training in high-risk scenarios.

Immersive technology allows you to create microlearning that shortens training time but is relevant and impactful. The content can be accessed as needed for optimal flexibility. This is accomplished without disruption to actual production or office environments through their recreation in this immersive environment.

Time is running out for traditional training methods and, although HR teams can see this change coming, they're not moving fast enough. Most companies have begun to engage with immersive tech at some level, but only a minority (10%) are currently using it companywide.

The study reveals that high-performing companies are leading the way when it comes to embedding cutting-edge training platforms within their business. Almost two in five (38%) high-performing businesses are using at least one form of immersive technology company wide, compared to under a quarter (23%) of low performers. If low performers are to close this training innovation gap, HR teams need to act fast and drive this agenda to the board.

To gain additional insights into what the future of training looks like, click here and download a complimentary copy of The Upskill Ultimatum.

About the Study

This study was based on surveys conducted in 2021 with 1,000 knowledge workers and 1,000 HR professionals in both large, established corporations with over 5,000 employees and mid-market businesses (1,000-4,999 employees). Respondents were based in the UK and the US. The study focused on the following sectors: transport, CPG, pharmaceuticals, oil & gas, power & utilities and professional services.

Research methodology developed by Man Bites Dog, with support from Immerse. Independent opinion research carried out by research company Coleman Parkes.

About Immerse - www.immerse.io

Immerse is a global virtual reality technology company that has developed the Immerse Platform. Built for enterprise from the ground up, the Immerse Platform enables companies to create, scale and measure virtual reality training.

With clients in a wide range of industries such as CPG, oil & gas, pharma & life science and power & utilities, using the Immerse Platform enables companies to train and assess their employees in radically new ways maximizing human performance and the employee experience.

[1] Immersive technology platforms include augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), 360-degree video, and interactive 3D desktop or mobile experience.

SOURCE Immerse

Related Links

http://www.immerse.io


Infosys Cobalt and Amazon Braket will enable businesses to begin exploring the potential of quantum computing

BENGALURU, India, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop quantum computing capabilities and use cases. Infosys will use Amazon Braket to explore and build multiple use cases in quantum computing as part of Infosys Cobalt cloud offerings. Amazon Braket is a fully managed quantum computing service that helps scientists and developers get started with the technology and accelerate research and discovery.

Infosys will look to build, test, and evaluate quantum applications on circuit simulators and quantum hardware technologies using Amazon Braket. This will enable researchers and developers to experiment and study complex computational problems as quantum technologies continue to evolve. Enterprises will get access to use cases for rapid experimentation and can explore how quantum computing can potentially help them in the future in a variety of areas, assess new ideas and plan adoption strategies to drive innovation. The use of Amazon Braket by Infosys aims at getting businesses ready for a future where quantum computers will impact business.

The Infosys Center for Emerging Technology Solutions (iCETS), which focuses on the incubation of next-generation services and offerings, is using Amazon Braket to develop quantum computing use cases in vehicle route optimization, fraud detection, and more. Infosys is also exploring partnership opportunities with startups in the quantum computing space through the Infosys Innovation Network (IIN). This collaboration further bolsters Infosys Cobalt, a set of services, solutions, and platforms for enterprises to accelerate their cloud journey. It offers 14,000 cloud assets and over 200 industry cloud solution blueprints.

Ravi Kumar S, President, Infosys, said, "Infosys continues to be at the forefront of exploring and bringing new technologies to clients. Through our use of AWS in this space, we are bringing together the power of Amazon Braket and Infosys Cobalt to help enterprises build quantum computing capabilities and use cases to accelerate their cloud-powered transformation. We are exploring a variety of use cases from the logistics, finance, energy, and telecom sectors that can help clients evaluate future benefits and value that quantum computing could bring to their business. Enterprises can look forward to solving their various complex computational challenges with Infosys Cobalt and Amazon Braket."

Matt Garman, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Amazon Web Services, Inc, said, "Quantum Computing is an area of intense research, and a number of businesses around the world are asking about its timeline and the opportunities that it could open. At this stage, it's important to be aware and evaluate the potential future impact of quantum computing. Infosys, a long-standing for AWS Premier Consulting Partner, has experience in incubating emerging technology solutions. We see this collaboration as an important step towards setting the right expectations when discussing business problems with customers where quantum computing could have a role."

For more information on the collaboration visit: https://www.infosys.com/services/cloud-cobalt/insights/whats-next-quantum-computing.html

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE, BSE,NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect 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, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys 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. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Every $1 increase in federal highway, bridge, and public transit investment under the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) will generate as much as $3.60 in economic activity, according to a new analysis from IHS Markit, a global information leader with expertise spanning numerous industries, including leading positions in finance, energy and transportation.

Among the major economic benefits documented in the study:

The combined $153.7 billion in new highway, bridge and public transit investment under the IIJA would add $488 billion to U.S. GDP by 2027.

in new highway, bridge and public transit investment under the IIJA would add to U.S. GDP by 2027. As federal highway and public transit investment spurs economic growth, the additional funding from the IIJA supports more than 250,000 new jobs by 2025. Over half of these positions will be outside of the construction sector.

More economic activity means federal, state, and local tax revenues will increase more than $160 billion . These revenues can be reinvested throughout local communities.

. These revenues can be reinvested throughout local communities. New jobs and higher wages benefit American householdswith personal disposable income increasing by $69 billion by 2027, or more than $500 per household.

The $1 trillion IJJA was approved by the Senate 69-30 last month and is pending in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Democratic leaders have pledged to act on it by Sept. 27.

The report quantifies the state-level increases in GDP, disposable income, consumer spending, and state and local tax receipts from the additional highway, bridge, and public transit investment.

It also provides a breakdown of benefits by major industry, with over 15 percent of the jobs created in the manufacturing, health care, social assistance, real estate, and rental/leasing sectors.

The full report, national and state data are available: http://iijaeconomicimpacts.org.

The analysis was commissioned by the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).

About IHS Markit

IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 business and government customers, including 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world's leading financial institutions.

About ARTBA

Established in 1902, ARTBA represents the U.S. transportation construction industry before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, courts, news media and the general public.

SOURCE American Road & Transportation Builders Association

Related Links

www.artba.org


"We are honored to welcome these leaders onto the iMason AC," says Dean Nelson (iMasons Founder and Chairman) "Their deep industry knowledge, experience, and leadership have provided valuable insights to the community and are strongly aligned with our strategic priorities. We are honored to have Dave, Emma, Heather, Rachel, and Yuval as part of the iMasons leadership team".

Dave Wildman - Global Facilities & Infrastructure Manager at Bloomberg LP

Dave leads the facilities and sustainability teams at Bloomberg  namely the teams managing the operational aspects of Bloomberg's world-class locations  particularly the datacenter spaces. Dave's teams support multiple groups worldwide to ensure customer and employee experience, system functionality, resiliency, and redundancy across Bloomberg's data centers and offices.

Dave Wildman "I am honored to join the fellow AC members to support the work of IM. I am looking forward to assisting in any way I can and adding my perspective on infrastructures and the fine people that support them. And if I can help introduce this amazing industry to a new group of untapped curious minds, then that's a bonus for us all."

Emma Fryer - Associate Director Data Centres, techUK

Emma leads the data centre programme for technology sector trade body techUK, representing the interests of operators to the Government and other stakeholders. She influences policy, mitigates compliance burdens, alerts the sector to risks, and manages specialist groups, including the UK Council of Data Centre Operators. She negotiated a Climate Change Agreement for the sector in 2014 and in 2020 she negotiated key worker status, protection for construction sites, and quarantine exemption for data centre staff and contractors during COVID-19 and continues to work closely with the UK Government on sector resilience.

Emma Fryer "The iMasons provide a unique global forum that helps those within our sector share knowledge and work collectively towards common goals. I'm both honoured and delighted to be joining the iMasons Advisory Council and very much look forward to contributing actively to their programme."

Heather Dooley - Data Center Executive. Global Business Operations. Board Member. Diversity and Inclusion Leader

Heather has had a "front-row seat" in the development of internet infrastructure. From the early days of DSL and driving over 90% US coverage to leading global colocation presence in Europe, South America, and APAC. She has built her reputation as the go-to person to create new capabilities for data center companies to scale. She is a PMO thought leader, delivering tools/systems, learning and development, and business operations.

Heather has held leadership roles at New Edge Networks, Microsoft, and Google and is a pioneer in leading Diversity and Inclusion within the industry and holds both BA and MBA from Gonzaga University.

Heather Dooley "It's an honor to join the IMasons AC community and join contemporaries who are thought leaders in the industry dedicated to supporting awareness, diversity, education, and sustainability. The advisory council supports positive change on these important topics coming together to help our industry and the dedicated teams across companies and countries thrive."

Rachel Peterson - Vice President, Data Center Strategy at Facebook

As Vice President for Data Center Strategy at Facebook, Rachel oversees Facebook's global infrastructure expansion and strategy. Rachel is responsible for data center development including data center site selection, energy strategy and procurement, analytics and planning, data center community engagement, and sustainability. She has led the development of data centers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Rachel has an MBA from Arizona State University and a BA in Economics from the University of Arizona.

Rachel Peterson "I am thrilled to join the iMasons Advisory Council in support of this leading industry-leading forum whose work is integral to building community, sharing of ideas and knowledge, and transforming the future of the data center industry."

Yuval Bachar - Founder & CEO ECL

Yuval recently started a startup company (ECL). ECL defines a new data center category by democratizing the high-end data center technologies to everyone. Yuval was a principal hardware architect at the Azure Platform, in that capacity, his work focused on data center self-healing leveraging Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, predictive maintenance, and hardware quality consistency control at scale.

Prior to his role at Microsoft, Yuval was a principal engineer in the global infrastructure and strategy team for Linkedin and one of the founders and innovators of the Open19 project and president of the Open19 Foundation.

Prior to Linkedin, Yuval was the leader and architect for Facebook and before then served as Senior Director of Engineering at Cisco, VP/CTO of the High-End Systems Business Unit at Juniper Networks, and various roles at DEC in the semiconductor group.

Yuval Bachar "The iMasons vision and direction reflect the future of data center technology and community integration. I am honored to be part of the future evangelism of smart, innovative, and democratized data centers."

ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE MASONS

Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a non-profit, professional association of technology and business leaders who represent over $150Bn in infrastructure projects in over 130 countries. The organization is guided by an Advisory Council composed of global leaders who manage some of the largest digital infrastructure portfolios in the world. The iMasons vision is to Unite the Builders of the Digital Age by enabling our global membership to Connect, Grow, and Give Back. Members leave their companies at the door and connect as individuals. iMasons has four strategic priorities  enhance Education opportunities, champion Diversity & Inclusion, inspire Sustainability and promote Innovation and Technical Excellence.

If you would like to be a part of the iMasons community and participate in MRGs, committees, and member sessions across 130 countries, join us at https://imasons.org/join.

SOURCE Infrastructure Masons

Related Links

https://imasons.org/


DALLAS, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- All lawyers with trial and appellate firm Johnston Tobey Baruch have been selected to the 2021 Texas Super Lawyers list, with shareholders Chad Baruch and Randy Johnston earning special honors by the peer-review guide to leading lawyers.

Mr. Baruch, an appellate specialist, made the Super Lawyers list of Top 100 attorneys in the state, the third year in a row he has been so honored. He and Mr. Johnston also made the Dallas-Fort Worth Top 100 list.

Mr. Baruch was chosen for his appellate expertise. Mr. Johnston, along with Robert Tobey and Coyt Johnston, were selected for their plaintiff's work in professional liability cases.

Earlier this year, the four attorneys were selected by another prominent U.S. lawyer guide, The Best Lawyers in America.

"We're always proud of these honors, especially when it involves recognition by our peers. But our greatest thrill comes from securing justice for our clients, whether it involves professional services providers or ordinary citizens," said Mr. Baruch.

Super Lawyers honorees are selected through a patented process that involves peer nominations, independent research and peer review by other selected lawyers in the same practice areas. The rigorous selection process is designed to identify the top 5 percent of practicing lawyers in Texas. The list is published in October in the Texas edition of Super Lawyers magazine and in Texas Monthly. For the complete list of Texas Super Lawyers, visit https://attorneys.superlawyers.com/texas/.

About Johnston Tobey Baruch:

Johnston Tobey Baruch is a dynamic law practice based in Dallas. Its trial and appellate attorneys have a broad range of litigation, arbitration and appellate experience. They are pioneers in the handling of legal and accounting malpractice, investment fraud and business disputes. They also have an enviable track record with insurance bad faith matters, commercial litigation and fiduciary litigation, as well as civil, family and criminal appeals for many prominent Texas companies and individuals. For more information, visit https://www.johnstontobey.com/ .

Media Contact:

Mark Annick

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Johnston Tobey Baruch

Related Links

https://www.johnstontobey.com


ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- There are roughly 5,771 commercial lenders in the US. If you ask one of them if they would  or could  close a land loan in the hills of Tarapoto, Peru, the answer would be a resounding "no."

That is why a Coral Springs, Florida, broker sought out Kennedy Funding, an Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based direct private lender.

Kennedy Funding has earned a worldwide reputation for closing loans when others cannot. Loans on land have become one of their successful in-demand loan products. They have successfully closed over $3 billion in loans, much of it on land, all over the world: Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St. Barts, and many countries and continents, including loans throughout the US and Canada.

"I met with Kennedy's management team a long time ago and knew that there were special circumstances that would require their services," said Alex Stiglich, South Pacific Funds and Commerce Limited, who represented the borrower.

"Commercial banks and other conventional lenders just ask for too many things, and particularly if time is of the essence, there's no chance to close," he said. "Kennedy is more flexible in so many ways. They focus exclusively on the collateral. That's how they get the deal done. I trust them 100% with their ability to close."

On September 10, Kennedy Funding closed on a $2.5 million land loan to Allan Construcciones S.A.C. to fund the construction of their residential project. The loan will be used initially for working capital.

The loan was secured by two pieces of land  26,326.89 square meters of land located at Jr. Jose Galvez C-08 Tarapoto, Peru, and 145,109 square meters of land located at Parcel 0639141 Oxapampa, Pasco, Peru. The site is currently raw land.

Kevin Wolfer, CEO of Kennedy Funding, said there are huge challenges in closing a loan outside the US.

"It takes an experienced lender like Kennedy Funding to do business in Peru," Wolfer said. "You have to navigate through the maze of local laws and mounds of paperwork pertaining to real estate, land use, title and environmental. Securing an accurate property appraisal in an unknown country is vital, particularly when it's raw land  that is why Kennedy uses world-renowned firms like CBRE. We can count on them so we can offer the highest loan amount possible to our borrowers."

"Allan Construcciones was able to provide us with two prime parcels in different parts of the country," he said. "They are located in areas that were attractive to us as lenders, and each has a rich history."

Tarapoto is a commercial hub town located in the San Martin Province in northern Peru; although Moyobamba is the capital of the region, Tarapoto is the region's largest city. It is located approximately 356 meters above sea level on the high jungle plateau, also called the cloud forest. It was founded in 1782 by Baltazar Martinez Jimenez de Compagnon. According to the 2017 census, it has a total population of 310,073, including the Morales and Banda de Shilcayo districts. The region's main activities are tourism, commerce, and agriculture.

"We are proud to have been able to close this loan in Peru," adds Wolfer. "We have a large pipeline of loan requests from all over South America. Other lenders can't close these types of loans. We can. We look forward to filling that void in the marketplace."

About Kennedy Funding

Kennedy Funding is a global direct private lender specializing in bridge loans for commercial property and land acquisition, development, workouts, bankruptcies, and foreclosures. Kennedy Funding has closed more than $3 billion in loans to date. Their creative financing expertise provides funding up to 75% loan-to-value, from $1 million ($3 million international) to more than $50 million in as little as five days. The company has closed loans throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, and Central and South America.

www.kennedyfunding.com

SOURCE Kennedy Funding
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the largest kidney patient organization in America, partnered with the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world's largest kidney professional organization, for a virtual 2021 Capitol Hill Annual Kidney Community Advocacy Day on September 22, 2021. AAKP has a fifty-year history of Congressional and White House advocacy that began in the late 1960s and includes a historic event when an AAKP patient founder, Shep Glazer, dialyzed in front of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee. Glazer and allied medical experts successfully demonstrated to Congress how innovations in kidney research and treatment could save lives, help people return to work, and serve as a critical bridge to better long-term therapies like kidney transplantation. Congress, inspired by Glazer's example, authorized dialysis treatment for every American suffering from kidney failure in 1972. President Richard Nixon signed the authorizing legislation in 1973 and established the modern End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program. The ESRD program is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Assistance (CMS) and has saved over a million lives since it was initiated.

AAKP is a national leader in efforts to expand the use of patient insight information in all Congressional and federal agency discussions and decisions (read article) and leads a growing global patient consumer and allied expert network working to expand kidney patient consumer choice and and access to innovations, including artificial kidneys (read here).

For the Capitol Hill Annual Kidney Community Advocacy Day, patients and doctors conducted over 150 virtual meetings among key Congressional offices representing dozens of states. Key priorities raised during the Congressional virtual visits included: a request for over $2 billion in funding to accelerate advances in kidney disease research and innovation at the National Institutes for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (read here); $25 million for KidneyX, a collaborative between ASN and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and support for the CONNECT for Health Act (H.R. 2903/S. 1512) designed to enable permanent patient access to telehealth services that have temporarily been made available by CMS due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CONNECT for Health Act removes outdated home and originating site restrictions, allowing kidney patients far greater independence and more freedom to manage their care as well as greater access to home dialysis options. Advocates also raised the need patients and living organ donors have identified for greater Congressional protections for living kidney donors so that a decision to give the gift of life does not jeopardize employment or subject donors to life and disability insurance discrimination (read here). In 2018, AAKP, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Society of Transplantation, and allied kidney community organizations successfully worked with the U.S. Department of Labor to secure employment protections for living organ donors, protections which have yet to be formalized through Congressional legislation. The 2018 protections were extended through a formal opinion letter from the Department of Labor stating that Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) coverage extends to organ donation and that eligible employees are entitled to unpaid and job-protected leave because related care procedures such as overnight and in-patient and follow-up care qualify.

For the virtual Congressional visits, AAKP joined allies including the Renal Physicians Association, Alport Syndrome Foundation, the American Kidney Fund, the American Nephrology Nurses Association, the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology, the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Society of Transplantation, Home Dialyzors United, IGA Nephropathy Foundation of America, the National Kidney Foundation, the Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation, the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, the Rare Kidney Disease Foundation, the Renal Pathology Society, the Society for Transplant Social Workers, and the Veterans Transplant Association. In 2019, AAKP declared 2020-2030 The Decade of the Kidney (www.decadeofthekidney.org) to prioritize national and international government, academic, and private sector investments in kidney disease research and to support the development of new diagnostics, devices, and biologics to combat the disease. Since 2018, AAKP has been training patient advocates in policy analysis and grassroots tactics to support its KidneyVoters initiative (https://bit.ly/KidneyVoters), the first and largest non-partisan voter registration effort in the kidney stakeholder community which aims to mobilize 500,000 KidneyVoters by 2024.

The September 22 Congressional visits built on over 100 similar meetings AAKP executed on May 21 in partnership with the Renal Physicians Association (RPA). Highlighting the strategic importance of kidney patients and doctors working together to advance investments in kidney research and innovation, RPA President Tim Pflederer, MD, stated, "RPA greatly values our now over ten-year partnership with AAKP for Capitol Hill Day. The kidney patient-nephrologist combination in advocating on issues such as access to appropriate care, lifetime immunosuppressive drug coverage, and promotion of innovation in chronic kidney disease care is unsurpassed. We look forward to many years of joint advocacy with AAKP on issues affecting kidney patients and their physicians." The online engagement and impact of kidney patient and medical professional advocacy days is leveraged through AAKP's Center for Patient Engagement and Advocacy, which enlists patients across the nation via smart phones and iPads in a simultaneous contact campaign with local Congressional offices outside Washington, D.C.



AAKP President Richard Knight, a former hemodialysis patient and current 14-year transplant recipient stated, "We appreciate our ongoing collaboration with ASN and allied kidney community stakeholders like the RPA. We believe our combined efforts to increase investments in kidney research and innovation, along with the advancement of telemedicine, can make a substantive impact on kidney disease and improve patient consumer outcomes, especially among rural communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by kidney disease and COVID-19." Knight is a small business consultant and business strategy instructor at Bowie State University (BSU) as well as a former Congressional staff member and liaison to the Congressional Black Caucus.

AAKP Vice President and Chair of the AAKP Veterans Health Initiative Edward V. Hickey, III, USMC, a chronic kidney patient, stated, "AAKP appreciates the Congressional commitment to kidney disease and their demonstrated interest in working directly with kidney patient experts, healthcare professionals, and the larger kidney community on a long-term, research-based framework for addressing kidney disease and methods of treatment." Hickey serves as the Director of Staff Attorneys at the national law firm of O'Melveny & Myers and is the newly named Co-Chair of O'Melveny Salute, the firm's internal veterans advisory group representing all branches of the military. Hickey is a former Congressional staff member who was involved in the first comprehensive Congressional initiative on brain diseases. He has served in two presidential administrations, including roles as liaison to Veteran Service Organizations, such as the Vietnam Veterans of America, AMVETS, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Legion.

AAKP Chair of Policy and Global Affairs Paul T. Conway, a 24-year kidney transplant patient and former dialysis patient stated, "Congress took an important first step in creating legal protections for living organ donors through the Living Donor Protection Act. Bill sponsors have been working to strengthen their legislation and progress has been made. Kidney disease is a health, disability, and workforce issue that costs taxpayers and the economy $130 billion in annual Medicare spending, including over $50 billion just to manage kidney failure and dialysis care. The Decade of the Kidney is a time for a renewed commitment to saving lives through increased innovation, more living kidney donation, and the realignment of regulatory and payment barriers that prevent safe kidney innovations from entering consumer markets and becoming more accessible to kidney patient consumers." Conway has served in three presidential administrations and is a former Chief of Staff of both the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management with a background in labor, workforce, and health policy implementation.

Current NIH/NIDDK research efforts include the groundbreaking Kidney Precision Medicine Project (KPMP), a research consortium led by an equal partnership of kidney research and patient experts. KPMP is designed to better understand and discover new means to treat chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) through kidney tissue samples altruistically provided by patient research collaborators. Learn more about the KPMP from Dr. Jonathan Himmelfarb, Co-Director of the University of Washington Center for Dialysis Innovation (CDI) and Director of the Kidney Research Institute (KRI), from his presentation at the 2021 AAKP Global Summit on Kidney Innovation: Emerging Research with Global Implications: Identification & Diagnosis of Kidney Diseases  The Kidney Precision Medicine Project. NIH is also heavily involved in patient-centered research related to APOL1 genetic variants, a key risk factor for CKD and kidney failure among African, Caribbean, and Latin Americans, and a factor related to disparate kidney health outcomes. Learn more about APOL1 research in an AAKP webinar featuring Dr. Barry I. Freedman, Wake Forest School of Medicine and Principal Investigator, APOLLO Scientific Data and Research Center, along with fellow research and patient colleagues: Who is at risk: Understanding the connection between APOL 1 gene and kidney disease.

More than 37 million Americans are living with kidney diseases, which for nearly 800,000 Americans progresses to kidney failure, a life-threatening condition for which there is no cure. This under-recognized epidemic disproportionately affects communities of color. For instance, Black Americans comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population but represent 33 percent of Americans receiving dialysis, the most common therapy for kidney failure. The COVID-19 pandemic is especially deadly for kidney patients. Americans with kidney diseases are the most at risk among Medicare beneficiaries for severe outcomes from COVID-19, including hospitalization and death, and COVID-19 damages the kidneys of as many as 50 percent of all hospitalized COVID-19 patients, even those without a prior history of kidney diseases.

About the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP): Since 1969, AAKP has been the largest kidney patient organization driving policy discussions on kidney patient consumer care choice and treatment innovation. By 1973, AAKP patients had collaborated with the U.S. Congress and White House to provide dialysis coverage for any person suffering kidney failure, a taxpayer-funded effort that has saved over one million lives. Over the past decade, AAKP patients have helped gain lifetime transplant drug coverage for kidney transplant recipients (2020); new patient-centered policies via the White House Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (2019); new job protections for living organ donors from the U.S. Department of Labor (2018); and Congressional legislation allowing HIV positive organ transplants for HIV positive patients (2013). AAKP virtual platforms and social networks are internationally known for their impact. Follow AAKP on social media at @kidneypatient on Facebook and @kidneypatients on Twitter, and visit www.aakp.org for more information.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jennifer Rate

Marketing and Communications Manager

(813) 400-2394

[email protected]

SOURCE American Association of Kidney Patients

Related Links

http://www.aakp.org


ATLANTA, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Krystal Restaurants LLC, the original quick-service restaurant chain in the South, has added a new franchisee to the system who will be opening the first restaurant by a new franchisee in over 15 years. The newest location will be in Dublin, GA. Yates Hospitality Services, LLC is the franchise partner that is taking on this momentous move for the brand. The restaurant, located at 1624 Veterans Blvd., is slated to open October 2021.

"We have been working closely with franchisee partners to help expand our presence and are thrilled to announce the upcoming opening of the Dublin location," said Thomas Stager, President for Krystal Restaurants LLC. "It's been over 15 years since a NEW franchisee has opened a new Krystal, so this marks an incredibly exciting time for our organization and adds to the momentum that we've been building as part of our aggressive growth plans. We're looking forward to partnering with Todd and his team at Yates Hospitality to bring our brand's unique tastes and experience to Dublin and the surrounding communities."

"We are honored to join the Krystal team and contribute to its growth," said Todd Yates, franchisee for the Dublin Krystal. "It's such a beloved brand with its iconic menu that has been delighting fans for years. We have an exciting celebration planned for the grand opening, so stay tuned!"

"We are ramping up our plans to meet the needs of our franchise partners and to support them as best as possible, so that we may all succeed together," said Melissa Hodge, Senior Director of Franchise for Krystal Restaurants LLC. "There is incredible momentum that is happening at Krystal and we are focused on staying on this upward trajectory."

The Dublin Krystal will offer dine-in, drive-thru, online ordering, and delivery. The menu will feature all the craveable offerings of a typical Krystal, including the Original Krystal, Cheese Krystal, Chik, Pups, Pick 5, combos, Sackfuls, handspun milkshakes, slushies, and more.

The restaurant will be open Sunday through Thursday from 6 a.m.  10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 6 a.m.  11 p.m.

Krystal's franchise expansion is just one of the many ways the brand is demonstrating growth. With new leadership, new branding and better menu items, Krystal is truly evolving. The Krystal U.N.I.T.E.D. initiative underscores the following for team members across the system, from restaurant employees to corporate staff and leadership to franchisees: Value the Truth, Enjoy Your Work, Make Informed Decisions, Be Accountable To Our Guests, Grow and Evolve, and Find a Way.

For more information, visit www.Krystal.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

About Krystal Restaurants LLC

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Krystal Restaurants LLC is the original quick-service restaurant chain in the South. Krystal hamburgers have been served fresh and hot off the grill on the iconic square bun since 1932. The company proudly sticks to the classics, but over the years, they've never been afraid to innovate.

Krystal has grown to be in 10 states with nearly 300 restaurants and continues to deliver a one-of-a-kind taste experience through their unique menu items that are offered at a great price. The company's Atlanta-based Restaurant Support Center serves a team of more than 3,500 employees. In 2019, the company was selected to USA Today's Top-10 Best Regional Fast Food List.

For more information, visit krystal.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Nicole Warshowsky

[email protected]

786.605.9215

SOURCE Krystal Restaurants, LLC

Related Links

https://krystal.com


COLUMBUS, Ind., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LER TechForce, the engineering resources company and a proud member of the Women's Business Enterprise, has announced the launch of the LER Military Program, a new initiative with the sole focus of serving our military men and women by providing a flexible, agile, and scalable transition to civilian life.

LER's Military Program provides veterans meaningful careers and is committed to supporting vets throughout their journey through skills translation, resume building, and interviewing preparation.

Backed by a trusted resident recruitment model that delivers highly skilled EV/Diesel technicians, LER's Military Program offers a genuine approach of attracting, retaining, and supporting military veterans in their return to civilian life.

"We are here to serve those whom served their country. As a veteran myself, I know the sacrifices they have made and I know the skills they bring. Our program is purposely built to ensure veterans find great careers and are valued."  Patrick Drabick, Director of Military Programs.

In addition, LER TechForce is pleased to announce the official opening of its new office in Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico. "After more than a decade of successful recruitment in Mexico, LER's newly-launched office, located in Queretaro, is a natural evolution of delivering best-in-class resident engineering services to our North American customer base. Specifically, we are excited to offer a competitively-priced alternative to offshoring without time zone burdens. And, as our footprint in Mexico increases, we remain committed to seeking what has been a wonderful combination of technical capability and work culture. Can't wait to get going!"  Janene Stotts, CEO at LER TechForce.

To learn more about the LER Military Program, visit - https://www.lertechforce.com/Military-program

About LER TechForce

LER TechForce, an LHP, Inc. affiliate, previously LHP Engineering Resources, was founded in 2001 boasting year-over-year growth ever since. From inception to today, LER TechForce has grown to over 350 engineers on staff or at customer locations. From the beginning, our focus has been rooted in our employees' success, and that remains true today. LER TechForce is affiliated with the engineering and consulting power of LHP Engineering Solutions, the global leader in functional safety consulting and implementation. For more information, please visit www.lertechforce.com.

About LHP Engineering Solutions

Founded in 2001, LHP has provided engineering services and technology integration within the transportation industry for nearly 20 years. Our customers feel confident knowing LHP is committed to serving the greater transportation industry and creating a safer, smarter, and more connected world through functional safety implementation. LHP is committed to creating a safe automotive landscape by delivering state-of-the-art training, hands-on consulting and implementation, dedicated on-site resources, technology solutions, and engineering services built on the latest automotive industry standards and best practices. Please visit www.lhpes.com.

SOURCE LHP Engineering Solutions

Related Links

http://www.lertechforce.com

http://www.lhpes.com


A multidisciplinary research team led by Loyola Marymount University aims to shift that course by creating an innovative seafood traceability network that will improve stock management and ensure the sustainability of octopus fisheries. The project's first phase will be funded with a $750,000 award over 12 months from the National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator .

"Working with a range of partners and leading-edge technology, we plan to produce a traceability tool that will allow for a better understanding of the species caught, the source of the product, and confirmation of its legitimate path from fishery to fork," said Demian Willette, assistant professor of biology in LMU's Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering, who will serve as the team's lead principal investigator.



The project is one of 28 awardees in the NSF Convergence Accelerator's 2021 cohort. In the first phase, which includes nine months of intensive training and planning, teams will develop use-inspired solutions to societal challenges in two areas: ocean-related industries and resources, or communications systems aligned to combating misinformation, disinformation, and trust and authenticity.



The 15-member team led by Willette includes experts from seven countries in the fields of fisheries management, marine biology, computer science, data science and analytics, environmental anthropology, genetics, and fisheries trade policy. Additionally, 14 industry partners, from fishers to seafood processors, will help inform and test the human-centered design of the traceability tool for real-world use.



Their objectives are to develop a prototype traceability system allowing for affordable identification of species and area of capture for wild octopus fisheries in the U.S. and abroad; to bring together a community-based citizen-science network to gather new data from portable environmental DNA (eDNA) kits; and to set a system in place to link traceability, sustainability and legality to support the development of a blue economy around the octopus value chain.



eDNA is free DNA that persists in the environment, providing an indication of which organisms are prevalent or in the vicinity. Water samples collected by team members off Southern California and Campeche/Yucatan, Mexico will be analyzed at Willette's LMU laboratory, and the results stored with other data in the SeaTraceBlueNet dashboard.



While the team will focus on cephalopods, Willette said, its overall aim is to provide a comprehensive system to enable any seafood item to be harvested, distributed and processed through to the consumer in sustainable ways.

"The Convergence Accelerator's curriculum, consisting of human-centered design, user discovery, team science, early-stage prototyping, and pitch preparation is designed to provide our funded teams the tools to transition their solutions into practice," said Office Head Douglas Maughan of the NSF Convergence Accelerator program. "Phase One teams are expected to apply the curriculum, as well as focus on cross-cutting partnerships as most national-scale challenges cannot be solved with a single discipline and expertise."



In addition to LMU, team members and industry partners represent: The Bay Foundation; Tohoku University Graduate School/Agricultural Science; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); AiCeph LLC; Rhodes University; Booz Allen Hamilton; El Colegio de la Frontera Sur; Jupiter Data Factory; Tohoku University Center for Northeast Asian Studies; Brandenberg University of Technology; Alaska Pacific University; Aberystwyth University; Netuno USA Inc.; North Atlantic Inc.; Stavis Foods; Tetra Tech Inc.; Coastal Ocean Observing System/Gulf of Mexico (GCOOS); Marganzo Seafood; SmartFish Inc.; Santa Monica Seafood Inc.; NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); Sociedad Coopertiva Punta Maxtun; Sea Pact; and Iridian Genomes Inc.

SOURCE Loyola Marymount University

Related Links

www.lmu.edu


CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LogicGate  , a leading provider of transformative risk and compliance solutions through its Risk Cloud platform, has been recognized as a strong performer in The Forrester Wave: Governance, Risk and Compliance Platforms, Q3 2021 report by leading global research and advisory firm Forrester Research, Inc. Evaluated according to 25 criteria, LogicGate earned the highest possible score in the Planned Enhancements, Partner Ecosystem and Customer Engagement and Community criteria.

According to the report, Risk Cloud's visual workflow editor, platform configurability and cross-modular integration are its strengths, also noting that, "Unlike other vendors, there are no restrictions on what modules can be purchased together or additional tiers of functionality that come at an additional cost." In its evaluation, Forrester indicated that the company has the potential to differentiate and compete with larger players both in capabilities and strategy. "LogicGate is a good fit for lean teams with few FTEs but that don't want to sacrifice platform configurability and control," stated the report.

"We are thrilled that LogicGate has been recognized as a strong performer in Forrester's GRC Wave," said LogicGate's chief product officer, Jon Siegler. "There's not a business out there that isn't having conversations about risk, making our Risk Cloud all the more relevant for companies looking for a better way to facilitate their GRC programs. We are committed to continuous innovation and to our mission of empowering our customers with flexible, easy-to-use technology that steers the course of their success, transforming business risks into strategic opportunities."

LogicGate's recognition follows strong momentum propelled by the Series C funding round , local and national recognition for its rapid growth, and for the ninth consecutive quarter, inclusion as a Leader on the G2 Grid Fall 2021 report for GRC Platforms . The company also plans to launch a new risk quantification solution, Risk Cloud Quantify later this month.

To download a copy of the Forrester Wave: Governance, Risk and Compliance Platforms Q3 2021 report, please visit LogicGate's website .

About LogicGate

LogicGate is a leading provider of cloud-based solutions for automating governance, risk and compliance (GRC) processes. LogicGate empowers customers to transform disorganized risk and compliance operations into agile enterprise risk management programs, tailored to their business needs. Its proprietary Risk Cloud platform, an end-to-end suite of risk management solutions, blends the right mix of flexibility and out-of-the-box functionality, enabling organizations to manage their risk with confidence. Companies rely on LogicGate to accurately assess, monitor, action, and, when needed, rapidly pivot GRC processes, without the support of consultants or corporate IT. The Chicago-based company has been named a leading GRC Software Platform on the G2 GRC Grid for nine consecutive quarters, and was awarded Best Security Innovation in a SaaS Product by the SaaS Awards. LogicGate was also named in Gartner's 2020 "Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools." For more information, visit LogicGate.com and follow LogicGate on LinkedIn and Twitter at @LogicGate .

Media Contact

Kelsey Sowder

BLASTmedia for LogicGate

[email protected]

SOURCE LogicGate
NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kicking off its fall awards season, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) celebrates its annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards across all social media platforms today through Thursday, September 23. Honoring the most performed Christian music of the past year, the social media event will feature exclusive photos, videos, performances, acceptance speeches and more from some of the winning songwriters and publishers posted with the hashtags #ASCAPAwards to @ASCAP on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For the fourth time in his career, Matthew West is named ASCAP Christian Songwriter of the Year, honoring his work on hit songs including Jeremy Camp's "Keep Me in the Moment" and Casting Crowns' "Love Moved First" and "Start Right Here." With over 130 songwriting credits for artists including Rascal Flatts, Scotty McCreery and Amy Grant and an equally impressive solo career, West was also recognized as ASCAP Christian Songwriter-Artist of the Year in 2013, 2015 and 2016. He is a five-time Grammy nominee and currently on tour with Casting Crowns through the end of October. As part of the awards, @ASCAP will feature West's acceptance speech and a performance of another of his ASCAP Award-winning songs, "Truth Be Told" with country star Carly Pearce.

Grammy-nominated songwriter, artist and worship leader Cory Asbury takes home ASCAP Christian Songwriter-Artist of the Year for the first time. After winning ASCAP Song of the Year in 2019 for his chart-topping hit "Reckless Love," he now adds two ASCAP most-performed song awards for "The Father's House" and "Sparrows."

The Grammy and Dove Award-nominated, and now ASCAP Award-winning, "Famous For (I Believe)" wins ASCAP Christian Song of the Year. Co-written by ASCAP member Alexis Slifer and published by All Essential Music and Buddybabe Music, the Tauren Wells and Jenn Johnson hit spent 54 weeks on the charts. In celebration of the award, Slifer performs the song in an exclusive video to be shared on all @ASCAP social media platforms.

Capitol CMG Publishing receives ASCAP Christian Music Publisher of the Year for the 19th consecutive year for songs including "Good God Almighty," "Out Of My Hands" and "Peace Be Still." To celebrate the honor, the Capitol CMG publishing team gathered virtually to accept the award .

ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams introduced the festivities with a congratulatory video message , saying, "My heart is full of gratitude for you, ASCAP's family of songwriters, composers and music publishers. Your beautiful music shines a light in both hard and joyful times, guiding us forward with messages of love, hope, faith and mercy Congratulations to all of this year's winners for your achievements."

The social media celebration will also feature an exclusive performance of "Rise Up (Lazarus)" from chart-topping newcomers CAIN (composed of siblings Madison, Taylor and Logan Cain) and an acceptance speech from Dave Haywood of Lady A for their winning song "Who You Are to Me."

The full list of ASCAP Christian Music Awards winners is available at www.ascap.com/christianawards21 .

About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With more than 825,000 members representing more than 16 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook.

SOURCE ASCAP

Related Links

http://www.ascap.com


HOOKSETT, N.H., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Merchants Fleet , the nation's fastest growing fleet management company, hosted the 2021 Fleet Summit at the company's New Hampshire headquarters. With notable participants including EV newcomers like BrightDrop, a new business of General Motors, Enel X, EVgo, Ford, Stellantis, and more along with fleet managers, fleet industry experts, other EV industry leaders, business influencers and guests had the opportunity to immerse themselves in discussions and test drives featuring the industry's most talked about electric vehicle technologies.

The event kicked-off with opening remarks that address the company's continued commitment to leading the fleet management industry with the most efficient and innovative technologies and solutions, and accelerating the EV market with an ever-evolving ecosystem of best-in-class partners. As a gift to Fleet Summit attendees, Merchants announced its commitment to make a donation that will offset each guests' carbon footprint - making them carbon neutral for 1 year.

"In the months and weeks leading up to this year's Fleet Summit, it has been abundantly clear that the fleet and transportation industries are at a sustainability tipping point, which made this gathering of the nation's leading OEMs, charging infrastructures, upfit partners and industry disruptors imperative," said Brendan P. Keegan, CEO of Merchants Fleet. "Now more than ever, ESG goals and values sit at the epicenter of today's leading businesses and, with every Merchants & sponsor presentation shared over the course of two days, Merchants Fleet reaffirmed our ability to lead our clients into the new world of automotive, providing sustainable practices at every step of the fleet planning process."

This year's Fleet Summit also included additional programming segments to highlight the evolution of the EV market:

Partner Education Sessions

Lead by some of the industry's leading voices, guests participated in breakout education sessions on a range of topics, like Ford's Electrification Initiatives & Product Portfolio, GM's plans to invest in an all-electric future, Subaru's advantage in this market; how EVgo is equipped to Power Electrified Fleets ( Charging Infrastructure ) and Best Practices for Corporate Fleet Electrification, with the Enel X team - to name a few.





Lead by some of the industry's leading voices, guests participated in breakout education sessions on a range of topics, like how EVgo is equipped to Charging Infrastructure and with the Enel X team - to name a few. EV Demos & Drives

With vehicles like the BrightDrop EV600 making its debut appearance and behind the wheel access to the 2022 Porsche Taycan, 2022 Volvo XC40, 2022 Audi e-Tron and Tesla Model Y, attendees were offered an up close & personal opportunity to see what's under the hood of today's newest vehicles.

Last year, Merchants Fleet set a goal to achieve 50% electrification of its mobility fleet portfolio by 2025, and 50% electrification of its managed fleet portfolio by 2030. With the launch of initiatives including Electrify Fleet and AdoptEV , the company is already equipped to lead clients into the next evolution of the automotive industry with the tools and services necessary for a full transition toward EVs.

About Merchants Fleet

Merchants Fleet is the nation's fastest growing fleet management company, providing flexible funding and service options for organizations that leverage vehicles to run their operations, serving as a single source for all vehicle needs, including electric vehicles. From financing and charging to maintenance and remarketing, Merchants has collaborated with dozens of OEMs, charging, data and upfit partners to ensure every client is connected to the service, technology platforms, and products that will support their fleet in making the transition to EV. Merchants Fleet is headquartered in Hooksett, New Hampshire, and its Innovation Center is located in the Chicago, Illinois area. www.MerchantsFleet.com

Merchants Fleet Contact:

Leigh Harmon

[email protected]

Director of Communications | Otto & Friends

SOURCE Merchants Fleet

Related Links

http://www.merchantsfleet.com


Unless the ruling is challenged or legislators amend state laws, the court's interpretation of Minnesota law could lead to hesitation and fear among people who use hemp extracts to relieve pain and anxiety. It also puts the businesses who sell such products in a precarious position.

Implications for hemp consumers and retailers

"If the ruling is upheld, it has the possibility of destroying the industry as we know it," said Elliot Ginsburg, an attorney for the industry organization Minnesota Cannabis Association. "It would allow the sale and possession of hemp flower only and would criminalize the sale and possession of extracts."

For consumers, it could mean buying vape cartridges might put them at risk of criminal charges  but also CBD oil, sleep aids containing CBN, tinctures, gummies and other edibles.

As for the hemp industry: "It really puts everybody in the industry at risk," Ginsburg said, "whether they're manufacturers, processors or retailers selling CBD products. Any product derived from hemp other than hemp flower is potentially a controlled substance under this ruling, and anyone in possession or selling it is potentially subject to criminal charges."

And hemp has become a big industry.

"This could destroy many businesses in Minnesota," said Steven Brown, Board Member of the Minnesota Cannabis Association. "Not just THC businesses but tobacco shops and even grocery stores. According to the way this trial went, all of them are doing something completely illegal, but it shouldn't be. That wasn't the intent of the 2018 Farm Bill."

Ginsburg echoed the scale of impact this decision could have.

"Even Whole Foods has CBD products," Ginsburg said. "I don't see [large-scale prosecution] as something that's likely to happen. But it will really depend on what law enforcement chooses to pursue.

For the rest of the story click here or copy & paste the link. https://www.mncannabisassociation.org/post/minnesota-court-of-appeals-ruling-could-ruin-state-s-hemp-industry

About the Minnesota Cannabis Association

www.mncannabisassociation.org

The Minnesota Cannabis Association organization providing advocacy, education, and business development opportunities to advance the growth and vitality of Minnesota's cannabis industries from seed to sale. It provides its network of farmers, processors, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and service providers with vital industry news, valuable business-to-business opportunities, and influence to shape regulatory and public policy decisions.

SOURCE Minnesota Cannabis Association
HOBOKEN, N.J., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A leading NYC area Microsoft Partner and cybersecurity expert discusses the coming Microsoft 365 modern authentication standard in a new article on the eMazzanti Technologies website. The informative article first explains that Microsoft is soon removing support for basic authentication (i.e., username and password).

After contrasting basic authentication with modern authentication, the author explains the pending end of support for basic authentication in Microsoft 365. After discussing implications for older software versions, she asserts that continued use of basic authentication presents a significant data security risk.

"While Microsoft has granted customers additional time to implement modern authentication, organizations need to prepare now," stated Jennifer Mazzanti, CEO, eMazzanti Technologies.

Below are a few excerpts from the article, "Modern Authentication in Microsoft 365 Key to Improved Security."

End of Support for Basic Authentication

"Since August 2017, Microsoft has supported both modern authentication and basic authentication. However, in 2019, the company announced that it planned to discontinue support for basic authentication in autumn 2020. With the onset of the pandemic, that date has shifted to the latter half of 2021."

Close a Critical Security Loophole

"Basic authentication presents a significant data security risk. In fact, stolen credentials account for 61 percent of security breaches. Thus, any device or service in the organization that still uses basic authentication represents a backdoor for hackers."

Ensure a Smooth Transition

The consultants at eMazzanti Technologies can assist in the transition to modern authentication. With deep experience in Microsoft and data security, they help to plan effectively and catch potential problems in advance.

Have you read?

Regain Control of the Cloud with Microsoft Cloud App Security

Windows 11 Delivers Security and Productivity Improvements

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti's team of trained, certified IT experts rapidly deliver increased revenue growth, data security and productivity for clients ranging from law firms to high-end global retailers, providing advanced cybersecurity, retail and payment technology, cloud and mobile solutions, multi-site implementations, 247 outsourced network management, remote monitoring, and support.

eMazzanti has made the Inc. 5000 list 9X, is a 4X Microsoft Partner of the Year, the #1 ranked NYC area MSP and NJ Business of the Year! Contact: 1-866-362-9926, [email protected] or http://www.emazzanti.net Twitter: @emazzanti Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies.

SOURCE eMazzanti Technologies
Bringing together emblematic Maisons from different regions of France, Moet Hennessy has been able to showcase the excellence of the group's brands since 2014 through a unique and innovative concept: Les Caves Particulieres. Designed to introduce travelers from around the world to the Moet Hennessy portfolio, the concept reveals the terroirs and craftsmanship of the group's wines and spirits Maisons.

In a quest for excellence, Les Caves Particulieres is undergoing a complete makeover this year. The new project was entrusted to iconoclastic architect, Hubert de Malherbe, a renowned expert in design and retail design. Playing with stone and wood, but also with the iconic shipping crates, one of the symbols of the group's spirit of conquest, he was able to modernize the space with a simple and pure design, putting the consumer at the heart of the project with a large central experience table. The olfactory signature of the boutique was created by Thierry Wasser, perfumer of Maison Guerlain.

Les Caves Particulieres is located in Terminal 2E of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. This area is a unique place to showcase the French luxury brands. An ambassador for the French art de vivre, the space will offer immersive experiences, while showcasing exceptional products available exclusively in Paris throughout the year, in particular a Hennessy Special Edition. Many exclusive services and products are available to travelers, including rarities Edition Particuliere Hennessy, the limited-edition Hennessy XO Paris, discovery and mixology workshops, personalization, as well as a series of food and wine pairing experiences developed in partnership with the gastronomic space, La Halle Gourmande. Les Caves Particulieres and its staff, dedicated to the curious and demanding travelers, is the destination of choice for hedonists.

MOET HENNESSY QUOTES

- Laurent Boidevezi, President Travel Retail & AFME LAC  Private Sales: "Les Caves Particulieres is an avant-garde project that paved the way for Moet Hennessy's retail access worldwide. Today, at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, our home airport, we offer an experience that is even closer to our customers, who will find the most exclusive products from our Maisons at Les Caves Particulieres."

- Donatienne de Fontaines-Guillaume, Managing Director Travel Retail EMEA & America - Moet Hennessy: "What drove this project was a strong desire for each traveler leaving France to take with him a part of the French Art de vivre, the most beautiful creations from our terroirs, with the generosity of Mother Nature; we had the treasures, we needed a treasure chest at the same level of excellence, an original space dedicated to this unique portfolio through which to share unique experiences with the traveler. We came up with the idea and created the ultimate experience of French de vivre in Paris."

- Hubert de Malherbe, CEO & Designer - Malherbe Paris: "I wanted Les Caves Particulieres to offer an immobile journey of sorts; a delightful blend of the spirit of conquest of the Maisons and the beauty of their terroirs and know-how. We have the soul of each Maison, from the banks of the Richonne to the brown combe stones of the Cognac region, passing through the chalk cellars where the champagnes are aged. The visitor can travel to the heart of the Maisons thanks to immersive screens, a unique physical experience coupled with a tasting of exceptional products around a central bar, testament to the importance of the conviviality in this space."

About Moet Hennessy

Moet Hennessy, the Wines and Spirits Division of LVMH, regroups twenty-five Maisons, many of which have been around for centuries, while others are just starting their journey. Its vision is to lead the future of luxury Wines and Spirits from nature to communities.

Located in the most prestigious terroirs around the world, Moet Hennessy has unique savoir-faire from winemaking to art de vivre, hospitality, and brick-and-clicks retail management to craft exceptional experiences for consumers.

For many years, with the ambition to pass on a better world to future generations, Moet Hennessy has been committed to the Living Soils Living Together program structured around four key commitments: Regenerating our Soils, Mitigating our Climate Impact, Engaging society, and Empowering our People. Moet Hennessy is proud to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive working environment for all.

Ao Yun, Ardbeg, Armand de Brignac, Belvedere, Cape Mentelle, Chandon, Chateau d'Esclans, Chateau Galoupet, Cheval des Andes, Clos19, Cloudy Bay, Dom Perignon, Eminente, Glenmorangie, Hennessy, Krug, Mercier, Moet & Chandon, Newton.

About Group ADP

The ADP Group owns and operates airports including Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget. In 2020, the group welcomed 33.1 million passengers at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, 1.8 million tons of freight and mail and nearly 96.3 million passengers through airports abroad under its Paris Airports brand. Benefiting from an exceptional geographical location and a large catchment area, the group is pursuing a strategy to expand its capacity and improve the quality of its services and will develop its retail and real-estate activities. In 2020, the Group's revenues amounted to 2,137 million euros and net income of 1,169 million euros.

About Hubert de Malherbe

An engineer from the Arts et Metiers, Hubert created his agency in 1993 with the support of a team of 190 specialists. Hubert oversees all of the agency's creative projects and is personally involved in the strategy of each (Dior, Place Vendome, Sogo...). He is at the heart of international projects, in Asia and in the rest of the world. He ensures that the agency's original dual skillset in Mass-Market and Luxury is cultivated. He is particularly involved in the agency's international development.

About Lagardere Travel Retail

One of the two branches of the Lagardere Group, Lagardere Travel Retail is a world leader in the Travel Retail sector. With 4,850 Travel Essentials, Duty-Free & Fashion and Foodservice outlets in airports, train stations and other concessions in 39 countries, Lagardere Travel Retail generated 2.3 billion in sales in 2020 (100% base). Through a unique holistic approach, Lagardere Travel Retail's ambition is to meet passengers' expectations throughout their journey, and to enhance the value of its customers' assets and those of its partner brands.

About Societe de Distribution Aeroportuaire

Societe de Distribution Aeroportuaire (SDA) is a joint-venture between Aeroports de Paris and Lagardere Travel Retail. SDA is represented by the Duty-Free Buy Paris brand, which offers passengers an exceptional shopping experience in a soothing and refined atmosphere, while giving them the feeling of being in the capital thanks to decoration and furniture that is truly Parisian.

Drink responsibly.

Contact :

Moet Hennessy

Jean-Christophe Laizeau

Director of External Relations

Courriel : [email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1628785/Moet_Hennessy.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1388256/Moet_Hennessy_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Moet Hennessy
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland today announced its third class of Hall of Fame inductees. The 2021 Hall of Fame class includes 10 former employees who have elevated the center through their accomplishments or inspired others through their character.

Hall of Fame inductees are nominated by current Glenn employees and then chosen by committee. This year's induction coincides with Glenn's 80th anniversary.

Jessie Strickland reviews architectural plans in his office in 1961. He standardized construction specifications across the agency. Credit: NASA Dr. O'Donnell with a solar array in 1978. O'Donnell spent time working with external organizations to install NASA solar-power units in remote, impoverished villages. Credit: NASA

The 2021 class includes:

Bruce Banks - Glenn's most patented researcher and champion of technology transfer. Banks grew up in Rocky River and now lives in Olmsted Falls, Ohio.

Olga Gonzalez-Sanabria - Leader in battery research and project management and the center's first Latina senior executive. Sanabria lived in Strongsville, Ohio, while working for NASA. She was born in Puerto Rico and lives there today.

Dr. Henry Kosmahl - Pioneer of traveling wave tube technology whose work led to the center's emergence as a leader in space communications. Born in Germany, Kosmahl lived in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, and passed away in 2011.

Dr. Patricia O'Donnell - Leader in high-energy propellants, energy conversion, and batteries, and Glenn's first patented female inventor. She lives in North Olmsted, Ohio.

Tony Powell - Innovator of silicon carbide applications that resulted in a multimillion-dollar industry with aeropropulsion, power generation, and space applications. Powell grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Bobby Sanders - Advanced nozzle and inlet research fundamental to the development of many subsequent high-speed inlet designs. Born in West Virginia, Sanders lived in North Olmsted, Ohio, and passed away in 2020.

John Sloop - Grandfather of Glenn's rocket propulsion expertise and leading advocate for liquid hydrogen as a propellant for upper stage rockets such as Saturn and Centaur. Sloop was raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, and lived in Fairview Park, Ohio, while working for Glenn in the 1950s. He passed away in 1992.

Frank Spurlock - Developer of the launch vehicle trajectory optimization program used to launch over 60 preeminent NASA missions. Spurlock was raised in Holms, New Mexico, and lived in Brooklyn, Ohio. He passed away in 2014.

Jesse Strickland - Influential architect who modernized the center's approach to facility planning and design. Strickland was born in Philadelphia and raised in Cleveland. He also lived in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, for many years. He passed away in 2011.

Erwin "Erv" Zaretsky  Internationally recognized expert in tribology and bearings research. A native of Chicago, Zaretsky lives in Moreland Hills, Ohio.

A profile of each inductee is available at

https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/glenn-history/hall-of-fame/class-of-2021/

The NASA Glenn Hall of Fame was established in 2015 to recognize individuals who had a lasting influence on the direction and mission of the center, made fundamental advancements in their field, or served as an inspiration to employees though their character and embodiment of the NASA spirit.

A ceremony for this year's inductees will take place in 2022 due to the ongoing pandemic.

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA invites members of the media to register their interest in attending events in French Guiana ahead of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, a mission led by NASA in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies. Events will take place Nov. 4-6 at the launch site  Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America  following the observatory's arrival and the start of prelaunch preparations.

Participating media will have the opportunity to view the Webb Telescope in its stow configuration from a visitor gallery outside the clean room. Access to the clean room will not be available. Participants also will tour the launch facilities and Ariane 5 control center, view the Ariane 5 VA256 rocket, and have an opportunity to interview members of the mission teams. Refer to itinerary of events for full details.

Media interested in attending these prelaunch events in French Guiana must provide their name and affiliation by 5 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 27, to Laura Betz at: [email protected] and Alise Fisher at: [email protected] . Due to COVID-19 restrictions and space limitations, NASA and its mission partners may be unable to accommodate all requests for attendance.

Interested media should note the following travel information:

Proof of vaccination for yellow fever is required for all travelers arriving in French Guiana .

arriving in . Proof of a negative COVID-19 test is required for travelers to French Guiana . Individuals who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 may also be required to quarantine for seven days in French Guiana upon arrival.

. Individuals who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 may also be required to quarantine for seven days in upon arrival. COVID-19 levels are currently high in French Guiana . Local safety restrictions may include a daily curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. and restaurant closures.

. Local safety restrictions may include a daily curfew from and restaurant closures. A limited number of hotel accommodations will be available in Cayenne, French Guiana , the nearest large city to the launch site, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Kourou.

NASA is documenting Webb's journey to the launch site, arrival in Kourou, and payload processing. Photo and video assets will be available to all media.



NASA's Webb Space Telescope, which is targeted to launch Dec. 18, will serve as the premier deep space observatory for the next decade and explore every phase of cosmic history  from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe, and everything in between. Webb will reveal new and unexpected discoveries, and help humanity understand the origins of the universe and our place in it.

For further information about the Webb mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/webb

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO), a national non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization, founded in 1998, of tribal preservation leaders protecting culturally important places that perpetuate Native identity, resilience, and cultural endurance, is pleased to welcome special guests, Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (AZ-03): Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources, Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community): Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, Leonard Forsman: Chair, Suquamish Tribe, Morgan Rodman: Executive Director, White House Council on Native American Affairs to the First Annual NATHPO Sacred Sites Summit  Virtual Event to be held September 22 & 23, 2021.

NATHPO is committed to providing solutions-focused programming in support of Tribal historic preservation. With the unique opportunities being opened by the current social and political climate for Indigenous Peoples, the organization recognized the need to offer a space for Native voices, legislators, and agency leadership and staff to come together in understanding the current legal and policy framework and ways to strengthen protection of Tribal sacred sites. The Sacred Sites Summit is the result. The special guest speakers and the expertise they bring will help elevate the summit and the momentum it will create to Protect Native Places.

About Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (AZ-03): Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources:

In 2019, Raul Grijalva began his career in public service as a community organizer in Tucson. Four decades later, he continues to be an advocate for those in need and a voice for the constituents of his home community.

Throughout his career, Raul has always fought for underrepresented voices. The passions that drove him as a School Board member to fight for and succeed at implementing bilingual education in Arizona are the same passions that motivated him to help pass the first bond package containing a $10 million commitment to reinvest in older, poorer neighborhoods while he was a County Supervisor. Likewise, they are what drive him today as he fights to reform our broken immigration system, ensure livable wages for American workers, and create vital land protections to safeguard our nation's natural treasures for the next generation.

In 2018, Raul became Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee. He also serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce and is the Chairman Emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as well as a long-standing member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

(Reference: https://grijalva.house.gov/about-raul/)

About Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community): Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, Dept. of the Interior:

Bryan Newland is a citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community (Ojibwe), where he recently completed his tenure as Tribal President. Prior to that, Bryan served as Chief Judge of the Bay Mills Tribal Court. From 2009 to 2012, he served as a Counselor and Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior  Indian Affairs. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and the Michigan State University College of Law. Bryan enjoys hiking and kayaking the shores of Lake Superior, and is a nature photography enthusiast.

(Reference: https://www.bia.gov/profile/assistant-secretary-indian-affairs-bryan-newland)

About Leonard Forsman: Chairman, Suquamish Tribe:

Leonard Forsman has been the Chairman of the Suquamish Tribe since 2005 and the President of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians since 2017. He has served on Tribal Council for a total of 31 years, worked as a professional archaeologist and is a past director of the Suquamish Museum. Leonard holds an anthropology degree from the University of Washington and a masters in Historic Preservation from Goucher College. President Obama appointed Leonard to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in 2013 where he served as the Native American Representative and Vice Chairman until 2019.

(Reference: https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110464/witnesses/HHRG-116-HA08-Bio-ForsmanL-20200211-U1.pdf)

About Anthony "Morgan" Rodman: Executive Director, White House Council on Native American Affairs:

Morgan Rodman previously held this position in the Obama Administration. Morgan has also served as Acting Director for the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development at the Department of Interior (DOI), and Sr. Advisor on Tribal Relations and the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. He has a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Arizona with a certificate in Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy. Morgan's tribal affiliations are the Cherokee Nation and the Osage Nation. (Reference: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/morgan-rodman-named-executive-director-white-house-council-native-american-affairs)

About the First Annual NATHPO Sacred Sites Summit:

The virtual Sacred Sites Summit agenda is comprised of two days, each with multiple sessions progressing through four aspects of protecting sacred sites. First, connecting to place through virtual experiences with the land and those who hold it sacred. Second, what is the state of current sacred sites protection in the U.S.? What is the existing legal and policy framework and what are the gaps from the Tribal perspective? Third, what should be in place to close the gaps? What solutions would truly address the issues and protect the places that define us? Fourth, action by defining recommendations and deliberate, measurable steps forward for preservation and reconciliation.

For those interested in more information about NATHPO can visit the website at https://www.nathpo.org/ For more information on the First Annual NATHPO Sacred Sites Summit, including how to register and sponsorship opportunities, go to the summit registration page at https://www.nathpo.org/sacred-sites-summit/ .

Who we are  NATHPO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership association of tribal preservation leaders protecting culturally important places that perpetuate Native identity, resilience, and cultural endurance. Connections to cultural heritage sustain the health and vitality of Native peoples. We provide guidance to preservation officials, elected representatives, and the public about national historic preservation legislation, policies, and regulations. We promote tribal sovereignty, develop partnerships, and advocate for Tribes in governmental activities on preservation issues. For more information visit our website at www.nathpo.org .

ORGANIZATION CONTACT

Valerie J. Grussing, Ph.D.

NATHPO, Executive Director

[email protected]

202-628-8476

PRESS CONTACT

Julie T. Nelson

[email protected]

919-602-8157

SOURCE National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
PHOENIX, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stream Realty Partners (Stream), a national real estate services, development, and investment company, announced today that it opened Stream Realty-Phoenix, LP which will be led by 19-year veteran Tiffany Winne, one of Phoenix's leading commercial real estate tenant rep brokers, as Executive Managing Director and Partner. Winne will oversee the growth of the office and region while continuing to specialize in working with office tenants in their real estate needs in Phoenix and across multiple markets.

"Phoenix is a market our clients continue to be interested in and where there continues to be strong economic growth," said Stream's Head of New Markets Derek Land. "Tiffany is not only a leader in commercial real estate in Phoenix but she is the perfect fit for our culture and the way we do business. We are really excited to continue the swift growth trajectory of our platform and extend our services in Phoenix under Tiffany's leadership."

Phoenix is the 15th location for Dallas-headquartered Stream. Like Phoenix, the company's other offices are in some of the strongest commercial real estate markets in the nation, such as Austin, Atlanta, the Carolinas, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Nashville, San Diego and Washington, DC.

"This was an extraordinary opportunity to play a leading role in the growth of a company whose values and business philosophy align with mine," said Winne. "Stream's way of doing business is tailor-made for the Phoenix metro area. It's enterprising and structured to deliver the efficiencies of scale with speed, flexibility and resiliencekeeping its clients and professionals competitive and in a position of strength. I'm excited about helping to introduce this unique service mentality to our market."

Winne comes to Stream from the Phoenix office of Savills North America, where she served as Vice Chairman and a member of its Board of Directors, specializing in helping office tenants with their real estate needs. She also led daily operations, recruitment, training and development, as well as research and marketing initiatives. Throughout her 19-year career, she has executed transactions totaling over 12 million square feet with a cumulative value of more than $3.5 billion across 40+ markets in the United States and internationally.

Stream continues to make national headlines for its fast-paced growth over the past several monthsfrom new hires to assignment and client expansion and acquisition. Earlier this year, the firm opened an office in Nashville and Northern Virginia. Additionally, in Chicago, Stream recently welcomed a seasoned eight-person leasing team, and in Fort Worth, a top agency leasing veteran to lead its office divisioneach recruited from global commercial real estate firms. Across the country, Stream leases and manages over 250 million square feet and has developed and/or acquired over 35.8 million square feet.

"Stream's national office growth plan is deliberate and strategic to ensure it complements our existing platform and provides further value to our clients," stated Stream President Chris Jackson. "We are actively looking at additional markets to expand Stream's services and anticipate this will accelerate in 2022 due to the increase of new business and key hires. As our clients grow, we grow with them. As our resources grow, our team is positioned for additional career opportunities. It's a very exciting time to be at Stream."

About Stream Realty Partners

Stream is a commercial real estate firm with full-service offerings in leasing, property management, development, construction management, and investment sales services across the industry. In addition, Stream is dedicated to sourcing acquisition and development opportunities for the firm and its clients. Since 1996, Stream has grown to a staff of more than 950 real estate professionals with offices in Atlanta, Austin, the Carolinas, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Worth, Greater Los Angeles, Houston, Nashville, Northern Virginia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. Stream completes more than $3.3 billion in real estate transactions annually and is an active investor and developer across the nation. Visit www.streamrealty.com .

Contact: David Ebeling, [email protected], 949-861-8351

SOURCE Stream Realty Partners

Related Links

https://streamrealty.com/


PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NetDiligence, a leading provider of cyber risk readiness and response services, announced today it has published its eleventh annual Cyber Claims Study, a study of actual losses for data breaches and other cyber-related events covered by leading cyber insurance carriers. Sponsoring the study are RSM, Experian Data Breach Resolution, Guidewire, and Beckage.

NetDiligence 2021 Cyber Claims Study

This year's report features analysis of almost 6,000 claims arising from events that occurred during 20162020. The data from these claims has been aggregated in over 20 ways, including crisis, legal, business interruption, recovery, and total incident costs; the nature of the event, type of data exposed, business sectors affected, revenue size of claimants, and causes of loss, especially the growing impact of ransomware.

Findings are presented separately for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and large companies. In this report, the average revenue for SMEs was approximately $84M, while the average revenue for large companies was $11B.

In this year's study, ransomware was once again the number one cause of loss for SMEs and the costs associated with a ransomware event were again higher  the average ransom climbed to $247K; the average cost of a ransomware incident rose to $352K. The average incident cost for large companies (across all types of incidents) was $10.1M.

"The value of cyber insurance cannot be overstated and our studies repeatedly underscore this," said Mark Greisiger, president of NetDiligence. "With ransomware again the number one cause of loss, we will be watching closely to see whether cyber policyholders, especially SMEs, deploy sufficient cybersecurity safeguards to reduce their ransomware exposure and qualify for ransomware coverage. If not, the challenge will be how we, as an industry, can help them get there."

"Fortunately, the study also shows some sunlight," Greisiger added. "For example, the average cost of a hacking incident dropped from $634K to $430K. And within the financial sector, the average incident cost fell from $237K to $112K."

Study findings will be presented at the NetDiligence Cyber Risk Summit in Santa Monica on Tuesday, October 5, 2022. More in-depth coverage of findings, along with front-line insights from study sponsors, will be presented via webinar later in the year.

Interested parties can download the 2021 Cyber Claims Study by visiting the NetDiligence website at https://netdiligence.com/portfolio/cyber-claims-study/.

Media Contact :

Dave Chatfield

Vice President & COO, NetDiligence

954.684.9190

[email protected]

About NetDiligence

NetDiligence specializes in Cyber Risk Readiness & Response services. With more than 15 years of experience in cyber, NetDiligence is an award-winning provider of innovative cyber risk management software and services to the insurance industry, including QuietAudit Cyber Risk Assessments, the eRiskHub cyber risk management portal, and Breach Plan Connect, a securely hosted solution designed to help senior managers plan and execute their organization's response to a cyber incident, and which also includes a free mobile app for convenient access and alternative means of communication if company systems are compromised. NetDiligence publishes an annual Cyber Claims Study and traditionally hosts annual Cyber Risk Conferences in Philadelphia, Santa Monica, Toronto, London, and Bermuda. For more information, visit https://netdiligence.com.

About RSM

RSM is the leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market, with nearly 13,000 professionals in 83 U.S. cities and four locations in Canada. It is a licensed CPA firm and the U.S. member of RSM International, with 48,000 people in more than 120 countries. For more information, visit https://rsmus.com/.

About Experian Data Breach Resolution

Experian Data Breach Resolution, powered by the nation's largest credit bureau, is a leader in helping businesses prepare for a data breach via the proprietary Experian Reserved Response program and also mitigate consumer risk following breach incidents. With more than nineteen years of experience, Experian has successfully serviced some of the largest and highest-profile data breaches in history. The group offers swift and effective incident management, notification, call center support and fraud resolution services while serving millions of affected consumers with proven credit and identity protection products. For more information, visit

www.experian.com/databreach and follow us on Twitter @Experian_DBR.

About Guidewire

Guidewire is the platform P&C insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently. We combine digital, core, analytics, and AI to deliver our platform as a cloud service. More than 400 insurers, from new ventures to the largest and most complex in the world, run on Guidewire. For more information, contact us at [email protected].

About Beckage

Beckage is a women-owned law firm focused on technology, data security, and privacy. Our attorneys counsel clients on matters pertaining to data security and privacy compliance, litigation and class action defense, incident response, government investigations, technology intellectual property, and emerging technologies. Our lawyers are technologists, tech business owners, CISAs, CISOs, former regulators, and certified privacy professionals. Learn more at Beckage.com.

SOURCE NetDiligence
Uniquely engineered to be the greatest thing since nonstick, Circulon SteelShield Technology features a hybrid cooking surface, starting with an extremely durable, PFOA-free nonstick that is protected with raised circles of steel for scratch-free, worry-free use, time after time. Circulon SteelShield Technology allows home cooks to fearlessly tackle everyday cooking with high-performance cookware that delivers stainless steel performance with much easier cleanup, and is built for life. Underscoring the fact that Circulon SteelShield Technology won't scratch, bonus stainless steel kitchen tools  such as a cleverly designed Scraping Spoon to easily incorporate flavorful browned bits back into a sauce or braise, and a Slotted Spatula that's designed for cutting foods like omelets and frittatas directly in the pan  are included in select sets and items.

Bold and contemporary in styling, the C Series and S Series share similar design and performance features, including: beautifully crafted, ergonomic handles made of hollow cast stainless steel that are comfortable, and stay cool during cooktop use; and tempered glass lids with wide reinforced metal rims to easily monitor the cooking process without releasing moisture and flavors. Both series are conveniently dishwasher safe, suitable for use on all cooktops, including induction, and oven safe to 500 degrees F.

The new Circulon SteelShield Technology C Series offers ultra-durable try- ply clad construction for a lifetime of professional quality results. A thick core of aluminum  sandwiched between the unique SteelShield nonstick cooking surface and a polished stainless steel exterior  distributes heat quickly and evenly throughout the base and sides of the cookware for optimum heat control and no hotspots. Additionally, C Series has flat rivets for effortless cleanup, and the premium cookware's SteelShield nonstick extends from the base all the way up the sides to provide extra coverage and protection from scratches. The C Series is offered in the following sets and open stock items:

10-Piece Set: 1.5 Qt. Covered Saucepan, 2 Qt. Covered Saucepan, 8 Qt. Covered Stockpot, 4 Qt. Covered Saute Pan with Helper Handle, 12.5" Frying Pan, Stainless Steel Slotted Spatula, and Stainless Steel Scraping Spoon ($399.99)

Twin Pack Skillet Set: 8.5" and 10" Open Frying Pans ($79.99)

12.5" Open Frying Pan ($89.99)

2 Qt. Covered Saucepan ($69.99)

3.5 Qt. Covered Chef Pan with Stainless Steel Scraping Spoon ($99.99)

5 Qt. Covered Saute Pan with Helper Handle ($129.99)

12.5" Open Stir Fry with Helper Handle ($119.99)

14" Covered Wok with Clear Lid ($159.99)

The new Circulon SteelShield Technology S Series features an elegant brushed stainless steel exterior, combined with an extra thick aluminum base that is fully encapsulated in magnetic stainless steel for fast and even heating. The collection's signature SteelShield surface fully covers the inside base of the cookware, protecting the nonstick from scratches and damage. Tough and durable, the high performance S Series is equally good-looking with a handsome, easy-care design that's made to last. The S Series is offered in the following sets and open stock items:

10-Piece Set: 1.5 Qt. Covered Saucepan, 3 Qt. Covered Saucepan, 6.5 Qt. Covered Stockpot, 3 Qt. Covered Saute Pan, 8" Frying Pan, 11" Frying Pan, Stainless Steel Slotted Spatula ($279.99)

Twin Pack Set: 8" and 10.25" Open Frying Pans ($59.99)

12" Covered Frying Pan ($79.99)

4 Qt. Covered Saucepot ($79.99)

7.5 Qt. Covered Stockpot ($99.99)

9.5" Open Frying Pan with 13" Turner ($49.99)

5 Qt. Covered Saute with Helper Handle ($119.99)

* All Prices are suggested retail. Please contact us to verify pricing prior to publishing.

For further information on Circulon SteelShield Technology Cookware and other Circulon kitchen products, consumers are welcomed to visit Circulon.com . Circulon.com offers an exciting affiliate program for media members and influencers. For more information and to partner, please visit Circulon.com/Affiliates or email [email protected].

Circulon is a premier brand offered by California-based Meyer Corporation, one of the largest cookware companies in America. In addition to Circulon, brands sold by Meyer include Anolon, Farberware, KitchenAid, Rachael Ray, Ayesha Curry, Hestan, Ruffoni, BonJour, and LocknLock.

Hi-Res Images: https://press.meyer.com

User Name: press

Password: images

SOURCE Meyer Corporation, U.S.
"No autopsy. Sealed coffin. Phantom doctor. Jim's death was *never* proven, yet everyone takes it as gospel."

Z-Machine, Finn's indie production company, has released a new extended preview of his hard-boiled but empathic "documystery." Like a DNA-era Sherlock Holmes, Finn deconstructs Morrison's quicksilver existence from his 1943 birth in Melbourne, Florida to his reported death at age 27 in Paris, France in 1971.

Featuring exclusive interviews with Randall Jahnson, Anne Moore, Salli Stevenson, Todd Schiffman, Ellen Sander, Mirandi Babitz, and the only on-camera talk with Jim's brother, Andy, the docuseries reveals 75 lovers, friends, classmates and associates who experienced Morrison as a person, not a persona, including Robyn Wurtele, Morrison's shadowy assistant during his brief French exile.

"No autopsy. Sealed coffin. Phantom doctor. Jim's death was never proven, yet everyone takes it as gospel," Finn states. "Deciphering his life became my calling. BTE is unauthorized because there's the 'truth' and then there's the real truth."

Nine years in the making, Before the End is a Day-Glo trip down the Morrison rabbit hole that cuts through 50 years of myth like a power washer blasting away rock god graffiti.

"Jim's legacy morphed into a marble bust stolen from a beer-stained grave, but he was brilliant - not the wasted narcissist of his cliched media caricature," explains Finn. "With BTE, I'm excavating the human Jim Morrison: a seminal poet, artist and revenant. I've also unearthed his darkest secrets, which are beyond strange, like real-life Twin Peaks."

Finn feels aligned with Benjamin Statler, whose unauthorized Soaked in Bleach film resonates as a blistering Kurt Cobain analog to his Jim Morrison documentary.

"Just as Statler's movie is about Cobain, not Nirvana, my film is about Morrison, not the Doors," explains Finn. "The band played a large part in Jim's life, but he lived 21 years prior to forming the Doors. Before the End is a figurative and literal search for James Douglas Morrison's truest truth."

Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsYGi3cCcsU&feature=youtu.be

Website: https://www.facebook.com/BeforeTheEndMovie/

SOURCE Z-Machine Productions
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study commissioned by international women's healthcare brand, INTIMINA and conducted by YouGov, revealed a shocking gap in men's knowledge of women's menstrual cycles. With 1,091 U.S. males surveyed, only 41% of men could correctly identify what exactly menstruation is.



INTIMINA INTIMINA Logo

Of these findings, 52% believed a menstrual cycle to be a duration of 1-6 days, when in fact a menstrual cycle is between 23-35 days, which was correctly identified by only 20% of men. When respondents were asked to describe what having a period would feel like, a leading 40% said they would feel physical pain, closely followed by 36% revealing that a period would have no effect on them at all. In regard to menstrual hygiene, an astounding 65% of men did not know what a menstrual cup is or how it works. In the same vein, 33% believed a 36-count box of tampons to cost between $13 - $20.

"This survey highlights the continued need for more work to be done to educate the masses about menstruation, a very natural process and sign of health and fertility," says Dr. Alyssa Dweck, INTIMINA's Sexual and Reproductive Health expert. "After all, 50% of the population menstruates and 100% knows someone who does!"



When it came to sexual habits during menstruation, 40% of heterosexual males felt it was not appealing to them or their partner to have sex while the woman was on her period, despite the cultural movement to diminish the stigma associated with period-sex in recent years. Additionally, while unlikely, it is possible for a woman to get pregnant while on her period. However, 42% of respondents believe it is not possible for a woman to become pregnant while menstruating.



When respondents were asked if they would feel comfortable discussing the menstrual cycle with their teenage daughter if they had one, 11% said they would not feel comfortable having that conversation, and 33% shared they would prefer to have a woman do it. While male knowledge of menstruation is minimal, a net 78% of respondents felt it was important to educate boys about periods and the menstrual cycle.

Methodology:

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,091 US adult males. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27th - 31st August 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US men (aged 18+).



For more information on INTIMINA, please visit https://www.intimina.com/.



ABOUT INTIMINA:

Established in 2009, Intimina is a Swedish brand with a complete line of products for intimate well-being. With two care ranges  Menstrual Care and Pelvic Floor Strengthening  Intimina has products for women of all ages. Every product is made from the highest quality body-safe materials, and has been designed and tested with the support of a worldwide group of medical consultants and gynecologists.



MEDIA CONTACT:

Kristina Avena | Konnect Agency

[email protected]

646.453.7167

SOURCE INTIMINA
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Results from a new Morning Consult poll commissioned by the Alliance for Aging Research illustrate the priorities of older adults as Congress considers legislation to change the Medicare prescription drug benefit. The findings also show a key disconnect between direct negotiation policies under consideration and the public's understanding of the implications of these proposals. Nearly six in 10 (59%) seniors reported their understanding of government "direct negotiation" of Medicare prescription drug prices means "either the drug company or government proposes an initial price for a drug, then there is back-and-forth negotiation, and price ends somewhere in the middle." Only 16% view "direct negotiation" as the government setting prices for prescription drugs and refusing to cover them if the company does not agree.

"Older adults are past the point of pretense in life. They expect and deserve their members of Congress to be up front about proposals to address growing prescription drug out-of-pocket costs," said Sue Peschin, President and CEO of the Alliance for Aging Research. "The survey results show that seniors have real concerns about allowing the government to determine the value of their medicines, including how they will set the price and the potential for discrimination, fewer choices with reduced access, and stifled medical innovation. Older adults clearly support Congress passing legislation that would place a cap or limit on Medicare Part D out-of-pocket costs, so much so that more than half of Medicare beneficiaries are willing to pay a few extra dollars a month in Medicare premiums to help make it happen. If Congress and the Administration are serious about addressing Part D out-of-pocket drug costs, the ball is in their court."

The data reinforce that older adults are concerned when they learn more about Medicare negotiation:

76% are concerned that there is no guarantee that patients could save money as a result.

74% are concerned that which medications are covered could be decided based on the 'value' of a patients' life by looking at their medical conditions and age.

67% are concerned that government savings on prescription drugs could be used to pay for unrelated (non-healthcare) government spending.

While patients have concerns about the potential impact of potential legislation on access, they hope prescription drug pricing reform can achieve multiple aims:

90% said they would favor an annual cap on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs in Medicare.

89% favor greater transparency so that patients understand the percent of a drug's cost associated with middlemen and insurance companies.

86% favored basing the cost patients pay for drugs on the negotiated rate that insurers and employers pay, rather than the drug's list price.

Tradeoffs for Seniors in Prescription Drug Policy

The survey also asked respondents to consider two policy options and their preference between the two. The survey found:

Nearly 6 in 10 respondents (57%) reported a willingness to pay a slightly higher monthly premium ( $10 or less per month) to have lower deductibles and copayments. Only 15% reported a preference for a lower premium, with higher deductibles and copays.

or less per month) to have lower deductibles and copayments. Only 15% reported a preference for a lower premium, with higher deductibles and copays. A plurality of respondents preferred to maintain access to a wide range of innovative prescription drugs, even if some had high prices, rather than keeping prescription drug costs as low as possible if it means fewer innovative and new drugs will be available.

Prescription Drugs in Medicare and the VA

More recently, policymakers have considered reforms to Medicare's prescription drug benefit that would align the benefit with the Veteran's Administration (VA) system. According to the survey, only 20% of seniors would trade their current coverage in favor of a system that resembles the VA. That's in part because only 36% believe that veterans receive high-quality health care and 29% think that veterans receive the most cutting-edge care and latest medications and treatments.

About the Survey

The nationwide survey of more than 1000 older Americans (60+) was conducted by Morning Consult from September 16-19, 2021. The interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of older adults (60+) on healthcare based on gender, educational attainment, race and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

About the Alliance for Aging Research

The Alliance for Aging Research is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discoveries and their application to vastly improve the universal human experience of aging and health. The Alliance believes advances in research help people live longer, happier, more productive lives and reduce healthcare costs over the long term. For 35 years, the Alliance has guided efforts to substantially increase funding and focus for aging at the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration; built influential coalitions to guide groundbreaking regulatory improvements for age-related diseases; and created award-winning, high-impact educational materials to improve the health and well-being of older adults and their family caregivers. For more information, visit www.agingresearch.org

Media Contact:

Jim Bowers

[email protected].com

(202) 463-7100

SOURCE Alliance for Aging Research

Related Links

www.agingresearch.org


HOUSTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine attorneys from The Lanier Law Firm have earned spots on the 2021 Texas Super Lawyers list.

Firm founder W. Mark Lanier was named one of the Top 10 attorneys in the state for the 14th consecutive year based on his work in class actions and mass torts. Mr. Lanier is considered one of the nation's top trial attorneys, with more than $20 billion in jury verdicts during his storied career. Texas Super Lawyers has confirmed that Mr. Lanier was among the top three recipients of voting by his fellow attorneys.

Dara Hegar, the Managing Attorney for the firm, is recognized for the fourth consecutive year on the Super Lawyers list for her general litigation expertise. Ms. Hegar represents clients in each of the firm's practice areas with a focus on trial coordination.

Richard D. Meadow, the firm's National Mass Tort Leader and Director of Business Development, is named to the Super Lawyers list for the 10th time. Mr. Meadow has more than 30 years of experience representing individuals who have been injured by dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices and defective products, and has successfully tried more than 25 cases to verdict.

Appellate lawyer Kevin P. Parker earned a spot on the list for the 10th time. He leads the firm's Issues and Appeals practice group, where his team analyzes and briefs legal issues at the trial and appellate court levels.

Alex Brown, Managing Attorney of the firm's Business Litigation section, is honored in that practice area for the fourth year. Mr. Brown has successfully represented multi-national corporations in complex business disputes involving international project development, partnerships, oil and gas ventures, corporate governance and shareholder's rights in both state and federal courts.

Four firm attorneys are named to the Texas Super Lawyers list for their representation of clients in the area of Personal Injury.

Judson A. Waltman is named to the prestigious list for the fourth consecutive year. The firm's Managing Attorney in Houston over Personal Injury, Product Liability and Maritime Litigation, he has tried numerous cases to verdict, as well as producing two of the firm's largest settlements on behalf of clients who were catastrophically injured by commercial carriers.

For the 13th year, Sam E. Taylor II is recognized for his accomplishments in the courtroom. As lead counsel, he has tried more than 40 personal injury jury cases, including those involving wrongful death and other incidents that resulted in serious personal injuries. Mr. Taylor is the Managing Attorney of the Asbestos Litigation section of the firm.

Lawrence P. Wilson earned his 10th consecutive selection based on his years of experience in cases involving industrial plant explosions, products liability, sexual assault, age discrimination, premises liability, automobile negligence, FELA/railroad claims, and other transportation-related claims.

Patrice McKinney was honored on the Texas Super Lawyers list for the fifth time. Active in several Houston-area philanthropic and educational organizations, she has secured numerous jury awards and substantial settlements on behalf of individuals injured in the workplace.

To develop the list of Texas' top attorneys, researchers with Thomson Reuters conducted a statewide survey asking attorneys to nominate their top legal peers. A blue-ribbon panel of lawyers then assisted Texas Super Lawyers staff with final selections. No more than 5 percent of Texas attorneys are named to the list each year.

The complete list is available online at http://www.superlawyers.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 about Mark Lanier and the Lanier Law Firm, visit http://www.lanierlawfirm.com.

Media Contact:

J.D. Cargill

713-659-5200

[email protected]

SOURCE The Lanier Law Firm

Related Links

https://www.lanierlawfirm.com

http://www.lanierlawfirm.com


OKLAHOMA CITY, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal court of appeals recently directed that a professor who was denied tenure and lost her job at a state university in Oklahoma due to her transgender status must be reinstated, with tenure, at the university. Brittany M. Novotny, an attorney at National Litigation Law Group (NLLG) in Oklahoma City, played a key role in the successful trial and appeal.

Novotny was a member of the trial team that helped win a jury verdict in 2017 for the professor, Dr. Rachel Tudor, and she also was instrumental in drafting the briefs to the Court of Appeals, along with attorneys Ezra Young from New York, and Marie Galindo from Texas. At the 2017 trial, a federal court jury in Oklahoma City found that Southeastern Oklahoma State University had discriminated against Dr. Tudor on the basis of her transgender status when they denied her tenure, which then resulted in Dr. Tudor losing her job at the University. Although the jury had found in Dr. Tudor's favor and had awarded money damages, the trial judge denied her request to be reinstated with tenure at the University. The damages award was appealed by the University, and Dr. Tudor appealed the trial judge's refusal to reinstate her with tenure.

The appellate decision in Dr. Tudor's case was delayed while the U.S. Supreme Court considered a separate case, Bostock v. Clayton County , and whether discrimination against a transgender employee constituted discrimination on the basis of sex, which is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Last year the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the transgender employee on that question, setting the stage for a decision on Dr. Tudor's appeal. On September 13, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit found in favor of Dr. Tudor, and further directed the trial judge to reinstate Dr. Tudor to her former position, with tenure, as Dr. Tudor had requested.

"It was a true team effort to help Dr. Tudor find justice in our federal court system," Novotny stated. "I am honored to have played a role in affirming the rights of transgender Americans to have employment decisions made free from discrimination. Dr. Tudor won a tremendous victory at trial, but it was not complete with her being denied reinstatement. Even after the Supreme Court's later decision in Bostock, Dr. Tudor's reinstatement was not assured, so I was thrilled with the Court of Appeals' unanimous decision in her favor."

In ruling for Dr. Tudor, the Court of Appeals stated emphatically that, "it is establishedand we cannot now questionthat Dr. Tudor would have been granted tenure in 2009-10 absent the discrimination." In directing that Dr. Tudor should be reinstated with tenure, the Court of Appeals said they were "restoring Dr. Tudor to the position she would have been in had Southeastern not engaged in prohibited discrimination against her."

National Litigation Law Group, the firm that employs Novotny, was founded in 2014, and has focused on representing consumer debtors against credit card companies and other unsecured creditors. NLLG also represents clients in other types of litigation matters. For more information about the recent appeal decision in favor of Dr. Tudor, you can contact Brittany Novotny at [email protected], or Mark Grossman, the chief executive officer of NLLG, at [email protected].

SOURCE National Litigation Law Group

Related Links

nationlit.com


BOSTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympia Moving & Storage, an interstate agent of Wheaton World Wide Moving, is sending representatives to Nashville next month for an unusual fundraiser. There will be a starting line and a finish line, but participants not only travel a distance much shorter than five kilometers; they also work with a team to pull a 30-foot truck along with them!

"A truck pull is such a perfect fundraising event for a group with our talents," said Mark Kirschner, CEO of Wheaton World Wide Moving. "The most recognizable symbol of a moving company is its trucks  so we're putting a competitive spin to our trucks and letting that fun-loving spirit do good for our two favorite nonprofits: Give Kids The World (GKTW) and Move For Hunger."

Several teams will race in multiple match-ups to pull a moving truck 100 feet across Lot R at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans.

"Olympia Moving & Storage is proud to maintain relationships with nonprofit and charitable foundations," said Michael Gilmartin, founder of Olympia Moving & Storage. "Whenever we have a chance to support missions like these  GKTW allows children with critical illnesses and their families make fun family memories and Move For Hunger delivers food to those experiencing hunger  there's not much to think about. We're happy to help."

Olympia Moving & Storage is online at www.olympiamoving.com and has locations across the country:

Boston : 17 Bridge Street, Watertown, MA , 02472 | 617-926-5555

: 17 Bridge Street, , 02472 | 617-926-5555 Washington, D.C. : 4814 Frolich Lane, Hyattsville, MD 20781 | 703-566-4391

4814 Frolich Lane, 20781 | 703-566-4391 Philadelphia : 66 Friars Blvd., Thorofare, NJ 08086 | 610-951-6090

: 66 Friars Blvd., 08086 | 610-951-6090 Austin : 1560 Long Vista Dr., Austin TX 78728 | 512-837-8296

About Wheaton World Wide Moving

The Wheaton Group is one of the world's most highly regarded providers of transportation services, with four household goods relocation brands, Wheaton World Wide Moving, Bekins Van Lines, Stevens Worldwide Van Lines and Arpin Van Lines under its umbrella. The van line is the fourth largest household goods carrier. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., through its brands Wheaton offers private and corporate domestic and international household goods relocation services as well as special commodities and logistic services. The van line is partner to approximately 400 Wheaton, Bekins, Stevens and Arpin agents nationwide. To learn more, visit www.wheatonworldwide.com/why-wheaton/partners.

Dan Krechmer

Marketing Manager

[email protected]

617 231 1209

SOURCE Olympia Moving and Storage Inc

Related Links

www.olympiamoving.com


Advanced real-time solution optimizes contract manufacturer and co-packer shop floor efficiency

TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Nulogy , a leading provider of agile supply chain solutions, today announced the free trial release of its standalone Production Scheduling Solution for all contract manufacturers and co-packers in the supply chain industry.

The Nulogy Production Scheduling Solution is an intuitive, real-time visualization tool that enables contract manufacturers and co-packers to quickly assess and optimize their production schedules based on various constraining factors, such as order promise date, planned downtimes, changeovers, labor availability, material availability, run rates by product and equipment, and more. The solution is purpose-built for the complexities involved in contract packaging and manufacturing operations, as well as the multiple factors required to manage and adjust a contract supplier's production schedule.

The standalone release of the Production Scheduling Solution offers any contract supplier a free, 60-day test run of the cutting-edge capabilities that the Nulogy platform provides. Launched earlier in 2021, the Production Scheduling Solution was previously available only to contract supplier businesses using the Nulogy platform, but is now open to the general market.

"As the consumer packaged goods industry continues to rapidly evolve, it is critical that contract suppliers today have the modern tools needed to thrive as well as deliver superior service," said Jason Tham, CEO, Nulogy. "By launching our free trial of the Nulogy Production Scheduling Solution, we are offering both contract manufacturers and co-packers a glimpse into how purpose-built, data-driven digital tools can make their businesses more agile and efficient, while enabling them to better serve brand manufacturer customers."

By replacing spreadsheet-based scheduling workflows, customers using the Nulogy Production Scheduling Solution have observed operational gains such as:

More than 100% improvement in scheduling efficiency

More than 20% On-Time In-Full improvement

More than 20% profitability improvement through labor cost reduction

To sign up for the Nulogy Production Scheduling Solution standalone trial, visit the Nulogy website .

About Nulogy

Nulogy, a leading supplier of agile supply chain solutions, allows consumer brands to respond with ease and speed to a volatile retail and consumer environment while reducing waste and costs. Designed to optimize contract manufacturing and co-packing operations and enhance supply chain collaboration, Nulogy's cloud-based software platform allows consumer brands and their external suppliers to unleash innovation in the consumer products value chain and accelerate brand growth. Visit Nulogy online at www.nulogy.com .

SOURCE Nulogy Corporation

Related Links

www.nulogy.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Oppenheimer& Co. Inc., a leading investment bank, wealth manager, and a subsidiary of Oppenheimer Holdings (NYSE: OPY), today announced the continued build-out of its Global Consumer Investment Banking Group with the appointment of Jean-Marie Gianni as a Managing Director, based in New York. Mr. Gianni will report to Emmanuel Durand, Global Head of Consumer Investment Banking, and Rita Dagdelen-Keskinyan, Head of North America Consumer Investment Banking.

Mrs. Dagdelen-Keskinyan said, "We are very pleased and excited to welcome Jean-Marie to our Global Consumer Investment Banking team. Jean-Marie's respected industry insight, experience and well-established relationships in the Health & Beauty / Personal Care consumer segments will complement and enhance the growth of our broader Consumer coverage into optimal adjacencies, including health and wellness-focused food & beverage and cannabis / CBD coverage in North America. Jean-Marie will also help us further our penetration in these new segments on a cross-border basis, specifically in the UK and Europe."

Along with the addition of Managing Director James Murray to Oppenheimer's Global Consumer Investment Banking team in London last November, today's announcement demonstrates the firm's ongoing commitment to building its Consumer group through selective hiring of senior banking talent. Mr. Gianni and the other members of the Group will work in concert with Oppenheimer's leading middle-market M&A and equity capital markets capabilities while also leveraging the strengths of the firm's equity research platform to drive continued growth in the consumer segment.

Mr. Gianni joins Oppenheimer with over 15 years of experience in providing strategic advice to an extensive range of clients in both the Health & Beauty and Personal Care markets. He will be primarily focused on the North American market while also working closely with Oppenheimer's Consumer Investment Banking team in London to expand Oppenheimer's coverage in this segment.

Mr. Gianni started his investment banking career at Lazard in Paris and New York and continued subsequently at Moelis & Co., where he was a senior member of the firm's Health & Beauty and Personal Care advisory practice. He has advised on over $50 billion worth of closed transactions, representing private and public companies, entrepreneurs and private equity clients.

Oppenheimer's ongoing, focused expansion of its senior investment banking leadership and expertise across key industries and sectors, coupled with continual investment in its leading equity research capabilities, has been one of the primary drivers of the firm's record-setting investment banking results over the past two years. Full-year investment banking revenue of $222.3 million for 2020 increased 76% over 2019, while the division's revenue increased 219% through the first half of 2021 versus the same period in 2020, to $229.2 million.

Mrs. Dagdelen-Keskinyan concluded, "Oppenheimer is committed to the continued expansion of its global investment banking capabilities and to servicing the needs of its corporate and private equity clients by providing seamless coverage across the globe. We welcome Jean-Marie to the team, and we look forward to driving continued success in the years ahead."

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (Oppenheimer), a principal subsidiary of Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. (OPY on the New York Stock Exchange), and its affiliates provide a full range of wealth management, securities brokerage and investment banking services to high-net-worth individuals, families, corporate executives, local governments, businesses and institutions. For more information, please visit www.oppenheimer.com.

Media Contact:

Joseph Kuo / Michael Dugan

Haven Tower Group LLC

424 317 4851 or 424 317 4852

[email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

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DUBLIN, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Electric Powertrain Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Component (Motor/Generator, Battery), by Electric Vehicle (BEV, HEV/PHEV), by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global electric powertrain market size is expected to reach USD 654.95 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 33.5% over the forecast period. The market for pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles has been growing significantly, in turn, creating an increasing demand for automotive electric powertrains. Governments in various countries are taking initiatives to promote the development of Electric Vehicles (EVs). For instance, in 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a public investment of USD 400 billion in clean energy. The investment would help develop 500,000 charging outlets for electric vehicles by the end of 2030.



The rising sales of EVs have propelled prominent automotive component manufacturers to aggressively focus on developing essential EV components to gain a competitive edge. Prominent manufacturers in the market are primarily focusing on enhancing their facilities in countries, such as China and the U.S. For instance, in February 2020, Nidec Corporation invested around USD 1.8 billion to expand its EV powertrain business. The company's three new facilities located in Poland, China, and Mexico would deliver up to 8.4 million electric motors every year.



Asia Pacific is projected to grow at a substantial CAGR over the forecast period owing to the increase in demand for EVs and the rise in the per capita income of people. Countries, such as China, South Korea, and India, are among the prominent manufacturers of automobiles. Stringent government regulations and emission norms, including BS-VI in India, are also expected to contribute to the growth of the Asia Pacific market. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the ten consecutive years of robust growth of EVs, mainly impacting sales in countries, such as China. With factory shutdowns, declining vehicle sales, and decreasing use of public transit, the automotive supply chains have been heavily disrupted by the pandemic. Europe is a crucial market for electric powertrains and holds a substantial share of automotive production. Countries, such as Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, have the highest adoption rate of EVs in the world. This, along with the presence of several automotive OEMs, is estimated to drive market growth in Europe.



Electric Powertrain Market Report Highlights

The motor/generator component segment is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR from 2021 to 2028

The growth is credited to the increasing penetration of BEVs and PHEVs across the globe

The HEV/PHEV segment is anticipated to witness the highest CAGR exceeding 36% over the forecast period

This growth can be attributed to the charging flexibility benefits offered by these vehicles

Asia Pacific is expected to expand at a high CAGR of more than 34% over the forecast period

is expected to expand at a high CAGR of more than 34% over the forecast period The regional market is driven by the increasing adoption of EVs in countries, such as China and India

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Methodology & Scope



Chapter 2 Executive Summary



Chapter 3 Market Variables, Trends, & Scope

3.1 Penetration and Growth Prospect Mapping

3.2 Electric Powertrain - Value Chain Analysis

3.3 Electric Powertrain Market Dynamics

3.3.1 Market Drivers Analysis

3.3.2 Market Restraint Analysis

3.4 Electric Powertrain Industry Analysis - PESTLE

3.5 Electric Powertrain Industry Analysis - Porter's



Chapter 4 Electric Powertrain Market: Electric Vehicle Estimates & Trend Analysis

4.1 Electric Vehicle Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028

4.2 Market Size & Forecasts and Trends Analysis, 2016-2028 (USD Billion, Units)

4.2.1 BEV

4.2.2 HEV/PHEV



Chapter 5 BEV Electric Powertrain Market: Component Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1 Component Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028

5.2 Market Size & Forecasts and Trends Analysis, 2016-2028 (USD Billion)

5.2.1 Motor/Generator

5.2.2 Battery

5.2.3 Power Electronics Controller

5.2.4 Converter

5.2.5 Transmission

5.2.6 On-Board Charger



Chapter 6 HEV/PHEV Electric Powertrain Market: Component Type Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1 Vehicle Type Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028

6.2 Market Size & Forecasts and Trends Analysis, 2016-2028 (USD Billion)

6.2.1 Motor/Generator

6.2.2 Battery

6.2.3 Power Electronics Controller

6.2.4 Converter

6.2.5 Transmission

6.2.6 On-Board Charger



Chapter 7 Electric Powertrain Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

7.1 Regional Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2020 & 2028

7.2 Market Size & Forecasts and Trends Analysis, 2016-2028 (USD Billion, Units)

7.2.1 North America

7.2.1.1 U.S.

7.2.1.2 Canada

7.2.2 Europe

7.2.2.1 Germany

7.2.2.2 U.K.

7.2.2.3 France

7.2.2.3 Norway

7.2.2.3 Sweden

7.2.3 Asia Pacific

7.2.3.1 China

7.2.3.2 Japan

7.2.3.3 South Korea

7.2.4 Rest of the World



Chapter 8 Competitive Landscape

8.1 Key Company Analysis, 2020

8.2 Company Profiles

8.2.1 BorgWarner

8.2.1.1 Company Overview

8.2.1.2 Financial Performance

8.2.1.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.1.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.2 Bosch Limited

8.2.2.1 Company Overview

8.2.2.2 Financial Performance

8.2.2.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.2.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.3 Mitsubishi Electric Corp

8.2.3.1 Company Overview

8.2.3.2 Financial Performance

8.2.3.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.3.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.4 Magna International Inc.

8.2.4.1 Company Overview

8.2.4.2 Financial Performance

8.2.4.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.4.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.5 Schaeffler AG

8.2.5.1 Company Overview

8.2.5.2 Financial Performance

8.2.5.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.5.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.6 ZF Friedrichshafen AG

8.2.6.1 Company Overview

8.2.6.2 Financial Performance

8.2.6.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.6.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.7 Valeo

8.2.7.1 Company Overview

8.2.7.2 Financial Performance

8.2.7.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.7.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.8 Nidec Corporation

8.2.8.1 Company Overview

8.2.8.2 Financial Performance

8.2.8.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.8.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.9 Continental AG

8.2.9.1 Company Overview

8.2.9.2 Financial Performance

8.2.9.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.9.4 Strategic Initiatives

8.2.10 Magneti Marelli Ck Holdings

8.2.10.1 Company Overview

8.2.10.2 Financial Performance

8.2.10.3 Product Benchmarking

8.2.10.4 Strategic Initiatives

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rp1s9b

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

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Signatories of the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization urge world leaders to align shipping with the Paris Agreement temperature goal. The private sector is already taking important steps to decarbonize global supply chains. Now governments must deliver the policies that will supercharge the transition and make zero emission shipping the default choice by 2030.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Full decarbonization of international shipping is urgent and achievable. This is the clear message from more than 150 industry leaders and organizations representing the entire maritime value chain, including shipping, cargo, energy, finance, ports, and infrastructure. In conjunction with the UN General Assembly and ahead of critical climate negotiations at COP26 in Glasgow this November, they call on governments to work together with industry to deliver the policies and investments needed to reach critical tipping points in decarbonizing global supply chains and the global economy.

Signatories to the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization include some of the world's largest actors in global trade: A.P. Moller - Maersk, BHP, BP, BW LPG, Cargill, Carnival Corporation, Citi, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Euronav, GasLog, Hapag-Lloyd, Lloyd's Register, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Olympic Shipping and Management, Panama Canal Authority, Port of Rotterdam, Rio Tinto, Shell, Trafigura, Ultranav, Volvo, and Yara.

Ships transport around 80% of global trade and account for about 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2018, the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted an initial GHG strategy. It aims to reduce international shipping's total annual GHG emissions by at least 50% of 2008 levels by 2050. The strategy is set to be revised in 2023.

"Now is the time to raise our ambitions and align shipping worldwidea significant carrier of global tradewith the goals of the Paris Agreement. We are working closely with our clients to advance the shipping industry's transition to net zero emissions and, with the support of strong public policy measures, we can accelerate our collective efforts to decarbonise the global economy," says Jane Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of Citi.

The private sector is already taking concrete actions to decarbonize shipping. This includes investing in RD&D and pilot projects, ordering and building vessels operated carbon neutrally, buying zero emission shipping services, investing in the production of net-zero emission fuels, investing in port and bunkering infrastructure, and assessing and disclosing the climate alignment of shipping related activities.

"For the world to decarbonize, shipping must decarbonize. Our customers are looking to us to decarbonize their supply chain emissions. We are investing significantly in the carbon neutral emissions technologies that are readily available. To make such investments the default choice across our industry, we need a market-based measure to close the competitiveness gap between fossil and zero emission fuels of today and the carbon neutral fuels of tomorrow," says Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO, Fleet & Strategic Brands, A.P. Moller - Maersk.

"Decarbonising shipping is both critical to achieving net zero global emissions and increasingly urgent. Policymakers have a historic opportunity to accelerate this process by introducing a global carbon levy on marine fuels, to drive decarbonisation and incentivise investment in zero emissions fuels and vessels. The time for action is now," says Jeremy Weir, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Trafigura.

"Decarbonizing shipping should leave no country behind. To make the transition to zero emission shipping and fuels equitable and inclusive, policy measures must make sure that decarbonizing shipping also brings jobs and opportunities to people in developing countries and emerging economies," says Johannah Christensen, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Maritime Forum.

Signatories of the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization call on world leaders to:

Commit to decarbonizing international shipping by 2050 and deliver a clear and equitable implementation plan to achieve this when adopting the IMO GHG Strategy in 2023.

Support industrial scale zero emission shipping projects through national action, for instance by setting clear decarbonization targets for domestic shipping and by providing incentives and support to first movers and broader deployment of zero emissions fuels and vessels.

Deliver policy measures that will make zero emission shipping the default choice by 2030, including meaningful market-based measures, taking effect by 2025 that can support the commercial deployment of zero emission vessels and fuels in international shipping.

The Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization has been developed by a multi-stakeholder taskforce convened by the Getting to Zero Coalition  a partnership between the Global Maritime Forum, the World Economic Forum, and Friends of Ocean Action. Members of the taskforce include Cargill Ocean Transportation, Citi, the COP26 Climate Champions team, the Energy Transitions Commission, Lloyd's Register, Port of Antwerp, Torvald Klaveness, Trafigura, Yara, and UMAS.

Learn more about the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization and see the full list of Signatories here.

Learn more about what concrete actions Signatories of the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization are taking in support of shipping decarbonization here.

Further information:

Sofie Rud

Senior Communications Advisor

[email protected]

+45 28102332

SOURCE Global Maritime Forum

Related Links

https://www.globalmaritimeforum.org


DUBLIN, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Package Drones - Market and Technology Forecast to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The total revenue generated by the Global Package Drones market was recorded to be USD 0.1 Billion in the year 2020. The market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 48% between the forecast period (2021-2029). The market is poised to attain a value of USD 28.76 Billion by the year 2029.

The growth in the retail and e-commerce market is expected to be one of the key drivers of this market. Moreover, the increasing purchasing power of the consumers is anticipated to increase a buyer's propensity to use e-commerce platforms.

The overall market for Package Drones is segmented by Region, Type, and End-users. In terms of Region, the North American market is expected to have the highest growth rate followed by Europe and APAC. The total market size for the North American Package Drones sector is estimated to be around USD 40 Billion. Consecutively, the European vertical accounts for roughly half the value of the North American Market. This change in market trends is predominantly due to increased R&D infrastructure offered by the North American Market.

On making a cumulative analysis, the market is seen to expand with a CAGR of roughly 48%. The expanding market size is mainly due to the growing consumer base for e-commerce platforms. The US e-commerce market is expected to grow by a value of 17.1% in the year 2021 to attain a value of USD 933 Billion.

As compared to the year 2019, the sales for e-commerce websites within the US have doubled. This growth is attributed to the onset of the pandemic, COVID-19. The number of visitors to online shopping platforms has increased marginally within the past 3 years. Between the years 2019 and 2020, the revenue generated via Amazon has increased from a value of USD 280.52 Billion to a value of 386.06 Billion, the increase in online sales could act as a driver to this market.

In terms of End-users, both Retail and Food Delivery Verticals account for a major share of the value chain for this market. Both the segments are expected to grow with a CAGR of roughly 46% each.

As of 2020, Package Drones are witnessed to have a transportation capacity of roughly 2Kgs. The weight criteria serve as a key market challenge for this sector. Therefore, technology developers are focused on increasing the payload capacity associated with Package Drones. The delivery rates for retail goods and consumables' between the weight limit of 2-5Kgs is expected to increase within the forecast period.

The Drones Market is majorly characterized as Unmanned, and Manned Systems. Amongst the two categories, the market for unmanned drones is expected to grow at a faster growth rate due to burgeoning market trends like Industry 4.0. The inclusion of unmanned drones would reduce the probability of human error and increase the customer satisfaction rate. Key companies like Amazon, Uber, and FedEx are currently competing for Drone delivery space. As of 2018, the company Uber envisioned the incorporation of drones with the Uber Eats service provided by the company. The test runs for this technology are commencing during the summer, 2021.

Google's owner Alphabet is also one of the companies that competed for airspace with other drone manufacturers. The project Wing was initiated by Alphabet in the year 2014. The program gained its name in the year 2018 when it became independent from the company, Alphabet. The wing was the first UAV to receive an FAA certification from the US Department of Transportation in April 2019.

The drone manufactured by Wing weighs 11 lbs and has a wingspan of roughly 3 feet. The drone has the ability to carry packages with a weight of roughly 3.3 lbs. Wing's UAV functions at the same operation height as commercial drones, i.e. 400 feet. While making deliveries, Wing's Drones hover 23 ft above the ground. The drove delivers packages by lowering suspension cables that are retracted after the package reaches the ground.

Standard FAA certification limits the mobility of an autonomous package drone. UAVs are generally forbidden from flying beyond the line of sight offered. The FAA has granted permission for long-haul autonomous deliveries to only certain companies. Moreover, these deliveries are not chargeable by the drone companies. Therefore, the standard FAA guidelines restrict the market usability of unmanned package drones. To evade the mentioned regulations, Wing secured a vital air carrier certification from the FAA. This certification does not restrict the drone to transportation compliances laid down by the regulatory body.

This report is aimed at:

Key market trends and their impacts on the changing market dynamics have been discussed.

A comprehensive study based on the drivers, restraints, and challenges of this market has been covered.

The impact of growing technological advancement on the market as well as its demand has been studied.

The high growth segments have been studied comprehensively.

The new opportunities provided by this market have been listed.

The industrial shortcomings and the performance of the key players for this market have been analyzed.

This report has been segmented by Type, Region, and End-users.

Key Topics Covered

1 Introduction

1.1 Objective

1.2 Market Introduction

1.3 Market Scope

1.4 Methodology

1.5 Scenario-based Forecast

1.6 Who will benefit from this report?

1.7 Language

2 Executive Summary

2.1 Global Package Drones Market Trends and Insights

2.2 Top Five Major Findings

2.3 Major Conclusion

2.4 Important Tables and Graphs

3 Current Market Overview of the Global Package Drones Market

3.1.1 Introduction

3.1.2 Drones' Mechanical Design Aspects

3.1.3 Technical Advancements

3.1.4 Cost Analysis of Drone Delivery - The Sierra Leone Experiment

4 Current Market Trends of the Global Package Drones Market

4.1 How Drones Change the Delivery Landscape

4.1.1 Amazon Drone Delivery

4.1.2 Zipline - Using Drones to Save Lives

4.1.3 Drone Delivery Canada - Optimizing Supply Chains

4.1.4 Flytrex - Delivering Food

4.1.5 Manna - Drone Delivery as a Service

4.2 Drone Projects Worldwide

5 Market Analysis of the Global Package Drones Market

5.1.1 Market Segmentation of the Global Package Drones Market

5.2 Forecast Factors

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.3 Challenges

6 Country Analysis

6.1 USA

6.1.1 Market Introduction

6.1.2 Regulations

6.1.3 Drone Manufacturers

6.1.4 Drone Service Providers

6.1.5 Conclusion

6.2 Canada

6.3 Singapore

6.4 Australia

6.5 United Kingdom

6.6 China

6.7 Rwanda

6.8 India

6.9 Japan

6.10 France

7 Global Package Drones Market to 2029 by Region

7.1 Market Introduction

7.2 Global Package Drones Market to 2029 by Region (by Mode of Operations)

7.3 Global Package Drones Market to 2029 by Region (by Solutions)

8 Global Package Drones Market to 2029 by Type

8.1 Market Introduction

8.2 Global Package Drones Market to 2029 by Type (by Modes of Operations)

8.2.1 Fixed Wing

8.2.2 Multirotor

8.2.3 Hybrid

9 Global Package Delivery Market to 2029 by End-user

9.1 Market Introduction

9.2 Global Package Drones Market to 2029 by End-user (by Package Weight)

9.2.1 Food Delivery

9.2.2 Retail Goods Delivery

9.2.3 Postal Delivery

9.2.4 Medical Aids Delivery

9.2.5 Precision Agriculture Delivery

9.2.6 Industrial Delivery

9.2.7 Weapons & Ammunition Delivery

10 Opportunity Analysis

10.1 By Region

10.2 By Type

10.3 By End-user

11 Scenario Analysis

12 Leading Companies in the Global Package Drones Market

12.1 Amazon Prime Air

12.2 Skydio

12.3 Insitu

12.4 Delair

12.5 AirMap

12.6 Propeller

12.7 Valqari

12.8 Advanced Aircraft Company

12.9 Aero Systems West

12.10 AgrowDrone

12.11 Aquiline Drones

12.12 Drone America

12.13 DroneSeed

12.14 Robodub

12.15 DJI

12.16 EHang

12.17 Zipline

12.18 Flirtey

12.19 Wing

12.20 Volans-i

12.21 Wingcopter

12.22 Corvus Robotics

12.23 Matternet

12.24 Flytrex

12.25 UPS Flight Forward

12.26 DroneSense

12.27 Airgility

13 Conclusions and Recommendations

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hp1101

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

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MIAMI and NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parkinson's Foundation presented six scientific posters highlighting research, care and education at the MDS Virtual Congress 2021 hosted by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society. The Foundation's PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson's poster received the special honor of "Top Abstract," including an invitation to attend a live panel discussion during the Congress.

"The selection of PD GENEration as a Top Abstract is an honor and testament to the commitment the Parkinson's Foundation has to delivering improvements to care and life for those with PD," said James Beck, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of the Parkinson's Foundation. "Genetic testing empowers people with PD and their care team to improve care, and thanks to the dedication of PD GENEration research investigators, these remarkable results support the expansion of this study for the community."

Parkinson's Foundation poster presentations included:

Providing Genetic Testing and Genetic Counseling to the Parkinson's Disease Community: The PD GENEration Pilot Study Experience

Selected as a "Top Abstract," this study examines the feasibility of offering genetic testing and counseling to people with PD through PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson's Disease. It also highlights the Foundation's participants survey that measured the satisfaction levels of those who received genetic testing and counseling through the pilot study.

Implementing Systematic Screening and a Treatment Algorithm for Depression in Parkinson's Disease

Depression is a common symptom of PD, and this study aims to boost quality of life for those living with the disease by finding a way to address the unmet need of updating clinical practices to improve care. This two-year study aims to determine barriers and devise solutions to incorporating depression screening into routine screening for people living with PD.

A New Phase of the Parkinson's Outcomes Project Registry Study

The Parkinson's Outcomes Project, a study tracking and monitoring the care of people with PD over time at select Parkinson's Foundation Centers of Excellence across four countries, marked a new phase in 2021 with expanded data collection focus areas. The study's efforts, combined with providing genetic testing to all participants to better understand the causes of the disease, aims to address crucial gaps in PD research and will lead to improvements in care.

A Pandemic Care Partner Summit: Online Program Helps Parkinson's Care Partners Take Positive Actions

The Parkinson's Foundation Care Partner Summit | Cumbre Para Cuidadores was held virtually in 2020 in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights survey results measuring what positive actions registrants have taken since the Summit, as well as insight into which of their loved one's PD symptoms has been the most challenging for them as a care partner.

Pathway to Parkinson's Exercise Education Accreditation Competencies for Exercise Professionals and Exercise Education Programs

In response to the critical need for unified, PD-specific guidelines for exercise professionals, this study outlines the Foundation's efforts to standardize educational programs and ensure competence of exercise professionals working with people with PD. A pilot project aims to determine the feasibility of a Parkinson's Foundation accreditation for PD exercise education programs.

Care Partners in Parkinson's: Who Calls the Parkinson's Foundation Helpline and Why?

Finally, these findings shed light on the top reasons care partners contact the Parkinson's Foundation Helpline. The study assesses gender differences in the reason for calling or emailing and the time since diagnosis, for the five-year period between 2016 to 2021.

To view and learn more about the research findings presented by the Parkinson's Foundation at the MDS Virtual Congress 2021 visit Parkinson.org/Blog. Find more about the Parkinson's Foundation commitment to research at Parkinson.org/Research.

About the Parkinson's Foundation

The Parkinson's Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson's disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson's community. Since 1957, the Parkinson's Foundation has invested more than $400 million in Parkinson's research and clinical care. Connect with us on Parkinson.org, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or call (800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636).

About Parkinson's Disease

Affecting an estimated one million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson's disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson's and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Marissa Cruz

Parkinson's Foundation

[email protected]

305-537-9926

Parkinson.org

SOURCE Parkinson's Foundation

Related Links

http://www.parkinson.org


CLIFTON, N.J., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) has created a Water Delivery Hotline to assist elderly or home-bound customers during the ongoing Boil Water Advisory. Elderly or home-bound residents can request delivery of bottled water by calling the hotline at 862-304-6232, Monday to Friday between 7:30 am and 6:30 am.

Torrential rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida caused water-runoff to flow into the 52-million-gallon New Street Reservoir and contaminated the water supply. As a result, a Boil Water Advisory was issued to more than 250,000 residents in the cities of Paterson and Passaic, as well as parts of Clifton and Woodland Park.

The cities of Clifton, Passaic and Paterson have set-up bottled water distribution sites at numerous locations in the area. However, some residents have been unable to reach the distribution sites due to medical or other issues.

To ensure that everyone has access to bottled water, PVWC, in cooperation with the cities, the NJ State Police, NJ National Guard, area Offices of Emergency Management, and other agencies are working to distribute bottled water to residents impacted by this event. Elderly and home-bound residents can call the hotline Monday to Friday between 7:30 am and 6:30 pm at 862-304-6232 to arrange to have bottled water delivered to them.

Consumers are urged to visit www.PVWC.com/Alerts for additional information and to sign-up for emergency notifications via voice, text and/or email.

PVWC is New Jersey's largest public drinking water provider serving over 800,000 consumers in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties.

For more information about this release please contact Lendel Jones at 609-332-4821 or [email protected]

SOURCE Passaic Valley Water Commission

Related Links

www.pvwc.com


ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PASSUR Aerospace, Inc. (OTC: PSSR), a global leader in digital operational excellence, announced that it has expanded its contract with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), to launch the new Global ITOP, the industry platform for global contingency coordination, collaboration, and operational advisories.

This new service is part of a core bundle of services provided by IATA, to IATA members, to minimize costs and disruptions caused by irregular operations (i.e., delay minutes and cancellations), enhance proactive planning in the near-term tactical environment, and increase operational resilience. IATA stakeholders and partners also have the opportunity to join the IATA platform.

"We are very pleased to bring this valuable new service to our members and their stakeholders," said Carlos Cirilo, IATA's Director ATM Infrastructure. "We are continuously looking for ways to deliver on our core mission, and members really benefit from being connected on a global digital advisory platform, especially as we ramp up our restart activities, emerging from the pandemic."

Global ITOP is already playing an important role in facilitating coordination as the industry responds to fast-moving developments in Afghanistan, as noted in this recent IATA statement: "Airlines normally using Afghan airspace and IATA are maintaining constant coordination and communication through the standard contingency protocols and sharing information via the IATA Global Tactical Operations Portal (ITOP)."

As the industry continues its recovery, it will require more than ever, a common platform to address unpredictable demand, capacity, increasingly severe weather, and other geo-political disruptions that impact commercial air travel.

Global ITOP expands the IATA geographical scope  now covering all the official IATA regions (Africa & Middle East, Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, and North Asia) and adds new capabilities: (1) Collaborative Contingency Team planning (manage disruptive events based on the ICAO CCT Terms of Reference); (2) Global collaborative communications (secure, dedicated chat channels to manage contingency events); (3) Operational advisories expanded to all IATA global regions.

Global ITOP replaces and enhances two earlier ITOP services, ITOP-North America and ITOP Global Contingency Planning, which PASSUR developed for IATA as operational advisory services managed from the IATA Help Desk.

Global ITOP is built as an integrated part of PASSUR's ARiVA platform, which delivers situational awareness, decision support, and workflow management solutions on a global, cloud based collaborative platform. ARiVA will also be the portal through which additional related services will be offered to the Global ITOP user community.

"We are very excited about our growing partnership with IATA," said Brian Cook, CEO of PASSUR. "We are especially proud that our ARiVA platform will be the basis for expanded collaboration, information sharing, and common operational awareness across the globe  to help speed our industry's recovery through digital technology."

About PASSUR Aerospace, Inc.

PASSUR Aerospace, Inc. (OTC: PSSR) is the operations platform of choice for aviation experts, offering a unique combination of global data, decision support, and subject matter expertise solutions to improve operational efficiencies. Our platform and people help deliver actionable-data and user-friendly tools to corporate and operations leadership. Specifically, PASSUR products identify creative ways to minimize and eliminate bottleneck capacity constraints, react to irregular operations (IROPS), restart operations after an interruption in service, and enhance the efficiency of the daily schedule. Our collaborative framework uniquely enhances data sharing, communications, and decision-making within and between stakeholders in an operations ecosystem. PASSUR provides its solutions to the largest airlines and airports globally including in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

Visit PASSUR Aerospace's website at www.passur.com for updated products, solutions, and news

About IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world's airlines, representing some 290 airlines or 82% of total air traffic. IATA supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.

Media Contact:

Evee Burgard

3109950313

[email protected]

SOURCE PASSUR Aerospace
Addition of Visa's small business rewards program will offer gig workers discounts on qualifying purchases made with Visa business cards

TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Payfare Inc. (TSX: PAY), a leading fintech powering instant payout and digital banking solutions for gig workers, today announced that it is collaborating with Visa, the world leader in digital payments, to add Visa SavingsEdge to its platform, starting with the nationwide DoorDash DasherDirect card program.

Visa SavingsEdge gives eligible Visa business cardholders who opt into the program access to savings on qualified purchases at participating merchants. Discounts are credited directly to cardholders' accounts, with no coupons or codes required. Plus, cardholder participation is absolutely free.

Payfare powers faster, digital payments for some of the world's largest on-demand platforms. Now, with this addition, those gig workers carrying a Visa business card will realize discounts on purchases made in merchant categories related to fuel, auto parts, dining and travel, across national, regional and local merchants.

"Our goal is for every worker in the global gig economy to become an empowered entrepreneur with financial security," said Marco Margiotta, CEO and Founding Partner of Payfare. "With the addition of Visa SavingsEdge, we are arming gig workers with another financial tool to help them save and keep more of their hard-earned money, while supporting the overall financial health of the growing gig workforce."

"Visa SavingsEdge will give gig workers the ability to take advantage of savings that are typically reserved for large businesses," said Dahvie James, Lead Product Manager for Visa SavingsEdge. "We know a sizable portion of the workforce already participates in the gig economy, and that the percentage is only growing. As we look toward enabling the financial health of these workers, we are thrilled to partner with Payfare to make Visa SavingsEdge available to them."

Learn more about the Visa SavingsEdge at visasavingsedge.com .

About Payfare (TSX:PAY)

Payfare is a global financial technology company powering digital banking and instant payment solutions for today's gig workforce. Payfare partners with leading platforms and marketplaces, such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, to provide financial health for their workforce. The Visa Business Cards are issued by Stride Bank, N.A., member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc, and is subject to eligibility.

For further information please visit www.payfare.com or contact:

Lindsey Abshire

(647) 417-4788

[email protected]

or

Su Chun, Chief Compliance & Legal Officer

1 (888) 850-2713

[email protected]

SOURCE Payfare

Related Links

http://www.payfare.com


TYSONS, Va., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PenFed Credit Union, the nation's second-largest federal credit union, today proudly announced it was named a "Top 50 Best Company for Latinas to Work" by LATINA Style Inc. for the third year in a row. The annual list evaluates corporations on issues deemed most important to LATINA Style readers and includes Latina promotions, recruitment and retention, and increase in the number of Latina employees at the company.

"We are honored to again be recognized for our efforts in continuing to advance Latinas at PenFed and in the communities we serve," said PenFed Credit Union President/CEO and PenFed Foundation CEO James Schenck. "Our Latina employees are a tremendous asset to our workforce and help us improve the finances of our many Spanish-speaking members."

PenFed operates a Bilingual Service Center in Fort Hood, Texas and will be opening a second Bilingual Service Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico in 2022. PenFed currently employs bilingual service agents throughout the United States and Puerto Rico to field more than 400,000 calls a year from Spanish-speaking members.

PenFed also operates four in-person Bilingual Financial Centers in Puerto Rico, creating jobs for another 66 Spanish-speaking employees. Since the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017, PenFed has invested more than $8 million to open new facilities in Puerto Rico and rebuild the local economy.

In addition to serving Spanish-speaking employees and members, PenFed supports Hispanic communities through charitable donations. This year PenFed donated $40,000 to Friends of Puerto Rico and $25,000 to the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to further their mission of facilitating the success of Latina- and Latino-owned businesses in both regions.

PenFed donates up to 2% of its annual net income to charitable organizations, including many that improve the lives of Latinas and Latinos.

About PenFed Credit Union

Established in 1935, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is America's second-largest federal credit union, serving 2.4 million members worldwide with over $28 billion in assets as of July 31, 2021. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading certificates, checking, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and a wide range of other financial services. Our mission is to empower members of our community to achieve their financial well-being. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. Interested in working for PenFed? Check us out on LinkedIn. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

SOURCE PenFed Credit Union

Related Links

http://www.PenFed.org


"In Pennsylvania, food is not just a meal  it is an important piece of our history, culture and legacy," said Deputy Secretary Fischer Lepore. "These culinary trails allow travelers to more fully immerse themselves into what it means to be a Pennsylvanian through our food legacy and traditions. And the culinary trails will introduce longtime Pennsylvanians to new restaurants, artisanal shops, and other venues, helping to boost the many small businesses that form the fabric of the commonwealth's food legacy."

The culinary trails feature local farms, artisans, and other food businesses from every county and corner of Pennsylvania, providing travelers with an immersive, multisensory understanding of the commonwealth's bountiful food culture.

"Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have to share what life was like during any period of time, and what we eat, how we eat it, and why we eat it is a key piece to the stories we pass through generations," said First Lady Wolf. "Pennsylvania's past and present are hugely characterized by the foods that have been blended into the histories of our communities, and each of the culinary trails are the perfect way to showcase how every plate continues to shape our commonwealth."

The culinary trails spotlight many of the diverse dishes that form the heart of Pennsylvania cuisine. Since 2018, the DCED been collaborating with Chatham University's Center for Regional Agriculture, Food, and Transformation (CRAFT) to conduct thoughtful research to develop culinary trails that accurately represent the rich culture and history of the state, including the distinctive dishes popularized by immigrants who built communities in Pennsylvania.

"What I love about these trails is that they're developed so every traveler feels safe and welcome," said Mary Miller, culinary historian with CRAFT and lead researcher on the project. "All ages, backgrounds, and ability will find something they enjoy and have a great experience learning about Pennsylvania food."

"We saw this collaboration as a unique opportunity to utilize culinary tourism to bolster our regional food system," said CRAFT Program Manager Cynthia Caul. "The hope is to support local farms and food business and connect people to the people growing and making food in this region today and historically."

Each trail has four to five "clusters" separated by region to be completed over a two-to-four-day road trip, with a diverse offering of local bakeries, restaurants, wineries, cideries and other food shops and restaurants, as well as historically significant locations such as museums to give travelers a sense of the history of different crops, recipes, and food preparation techniques.

The Four New Culinary Trails

Picked: An Apple Trail

Pennsylvania is ranked fourth in the United States for apple growing, producing between 400 to 500 million pounds of apples per year. Picked: An Apple Trail offers a sampling of traditional farms, cideries, bakeries, and other locations like apple pie pottery and ceramic makers.

Baked: A Bread Trail

From pretzels and shoefly pie to haluski and hops, grains like corn and wheat have played a central role in Pennsylvania's history, economy and culture. Baked: A Bread Trail honors the grain-growing regions of Pennsylvania with baked items, crafts, mills, bakeries, breweries and restaurants.

Chopped: A Charcuterie Trail

Derived from the French phrase meaning "cooker of meat," curing meats is a practice dating back to the early 19th century in the commonwealth as migrants from Eastern European countries settled in rural areas and built smokehouses in their backyards. Chopped: A Charcuterie Trail takes visitors on an exploration of cured meats and accompaniments, ranging from backyard smoked sausage to select, hand-carved boards with curing methods and recipes that have been passed down for generations.

Pickled: A Fermented Trail

From common menu items like pickled vegetables, sauerkraut, and beer to delicacies like red beet eggs, root beer, kefir and kombucha, Pennsylvanians love fermented foods. Pickled: A Fermented Trail includes stops at farms and creameries, vineyards and markets and even historically significant houses and hotels for fermented goods.

The four new culinary trails are in addition to two existing trails that were developed by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office to highlight Pennsylvania's robust agriculture and food offerings: Scooped: An Ice Cream Trail and Tapped: A Maple Trail. For more information and a full itinerary of all Culinary Trails, go to visitpa.com/trip/culinary-trails and follow #PACulinaryTrails, #PickedInPA, #BakedInPA, #PickledInPA, and #ChoppedInPA.

The Pennsylvania Tourism Office, housed within the Department of Community and Economic Development, is dedicated to inspiring travel to Pennsylvania. For more information, go to the visitPA website, or sign up for the Happy Thoughts newsletter, become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check out photos on Instagram, share pins on Pinterest, watch us on YouTube or listen with us on Spotify.

For more information about the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Chapaloney, [email protected]

SOURCE Pennsylvania Tourism Office
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Perch Mobility, the premier provider of portable charging pods that fuel the micromobility industry, announced today the close of its successful seed round funding, which will enable the company to expand coverage into key strategic markets across the U.S. and to deploy over 20 commercial modular electric scooter charging stations across the nation, with emphasis on California and Texas.

Perch Mobility owns and operates a network of micromobility charging centers ("Portals"), which it leases to professional chargers and scooter operators to bulk-charge scooters and e-bikes close to their primary service areas. The Portals are modular and can be configured either to charge up to 105 scooters at a time or serve as battery swap stations for other small electric vehicles (or any combination thereof). Portals are conveniently located in high-density micromobility markets and designed for efficiency. They help scooter companies and the charging community save transportation and labor costs.

With the funding, Perch will accelerate and operationalize its plans to build an optimized micromobility charging ecosystem to keep up with the increased demand for shared micromobility transportation in a growing number of cities.

"With the completion of this round, we'll soon support more operators and the fast-growing scooter charging community," said Tom Schreiber, Co-founder and CEO of Perch Mobility. "We appreciate the trust and support from our investors, and we look forward to playing our role in driving a systemic shift to profitable, sustainable mobility. Our scalable, safe, efficient solutions are easy to embrace by both cities and operators."

"We are thrilled to partner with Tom and the team at Perch Mobility," said David Lorentzen of Lorentzen Investments, LLC. "It is exciting to help fuel the expansion of a much needed solution to our transportation issues and help create a sustainable and efficient infrastructure network for our collective micromobility future."

Each 20-foot Perch commercial modular Portal is a retrofitted shipping container built and certified to be compliant with the most rigorous international building codes. Each Portal delivers up to 250kW per day. Typical use runs twice the average US household's power consumption. Perch provides two types of Portals, Community and Enterprise. Community Charging Portals have four bays ("Pods"), which each can charge 21 scooters at a time, with a total unit capacity of 84 scooters at a time. Enterprise Portals are capable of charging 105 scooters simultaneously. Each Portal can support about 400 deployed scooters in a community.

About Perch Mobility Inc.

Perch Mobility provides large-scale charging logistics solutions to scooter operators, local municipalities, and the rapidly growing electric scooter charging community. Founded in Los Angeles in 2018, Perch's suite of portable, rentable charging pods, made from repurposed shipping containers, enables the electric scooter charging community to maximize earnings while supporting the adoption of the eco-friendly micromobility industry. For more information, visit https://www.perchmobility.com/.

About Lorentzen Investments, LLC

Lorentzen Investments, LLC is a Chicago-based family investment firm with an interest in sustainability. Focused on long-term controlling equity investments, its portfolio includes both early-stage and mature companies across various sectors, as well as residential and commercial real estate. For more information, visit, http://www.lorentzeninvestments.com.

SOURCE Perch Mobility

Related Links

http://www.perchmobility.com


Kate and Alec launched their community service program in January 2021, with one of their hometown favorites, Carlo's Pizza, inspired by Italy's Caffe Sospeso which means suspended coffee. A Sospeso is a Neapolitan practice of anonymously paying for a coffee ahead for someone else in need. The brother and sister duo read about other cafes and restaurants here in the United States that have successfully applied this very concept within their communities. They decided to do the same. "With family back home in Italy, Carlo's Pizza owners, Daniel Cenatiempo and Roberto Pallagrosi, were familiar with the Sospeso and agreed to host their very own Sospeso with pizza slices,' said Alec.

Here's how it works: A slice is all it takes to make a difference.

Customers can donate $3 to buy a slice of pizza for the next person in need;

to buy a slice of pizza for the next person in need; and when they do, they can also fill out a message of kindness on a Post-it Note and stick it on the wall for redemption.

Head to Carlo's Pizza at 109 Main Street in Port Washington, New York to pay it forward with pizza slices. Additional donations can be made to @portpaysitforward via Venmo .

Program impact: "The community has really come together," said Kate to "Give if you can. Take if you need." People have supported the initiative with $5,000 in donations (over 1,600 slices) thus far to feed the local community. Kate and Alec have already expanded their reach to feed members of many local organizations including Community Mainstreaming, The Parent Resource Center of Port Washington, Our Lady of Fatima, and Port Washington Children's Center.

This sort of goodwill reciprocity and ripple effect of kindness to help community members in need get a bite to eat has generated a real buzz, strengthening Port's sense of community and small businesses. "We can all use some kindness right about now," said Alec.

Please follow Port Pays It Forward on Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter .

SOURCE Port Pays It Forward

Related Links

https://lnk.bio/portpaysitforward


PARK CITY, Utah, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MRP.io ("MRP") announced today that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Cocoon Medical ("Cocoon"), headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, for the sale and distribution of Cocoon's Elysion-Pro Diode Laser Hair Removal System in the United States. MRP founder and CEO, Scott Carson, stated, "We are excited to be able to offer this leading technology for laser hair removal from Cocoon, as we expand our product offering for aesthetic devices."

MRP has already modified the marketplace for aesthetics through the successful sale and guarantee of pre-owned equipment and has been steadily adding the sale and distribution of new equipment from manufacturers such as Cocoon to its offering. Scott added, "The supply chain economies-of-scale realized by hospitals for years, have not been made available to clinicians in the past. We continue working to change that and provide devices at affordable prices."

"At Cocoon Medical, we strive to satisfy the needs of the most demanding customers and their patients with the most effective, safe and profitable treatments and devices," said Sergio Blumenblat, VP Sales and Marketing North America. "Partnering with MRP enables us to meet and exceed these goals."

For additional information, or to acquire the Elysion-Pro Diode Laser Hair Removal System in the United States, please visit the MRP website: www.mrp.io .

ABOUT Powered by MRP

MRP is a globally recognized aesthetics device company founded by Scott Carson in 2015. MRP's technology-driven platform provides a vertically-integrated community marketplace that helps Aesthetic Providers lower equipment and supply costs through consultative customer service and GPO-level pricing. Overstock, pre-owned, parts and deals, drive markets and MRP is the largest reseller of new and pre-owned energy-based aesthetic and surgical devices in the world. MRP recently expanded its offering to include a full line of McKesson SKUs on the MRP.io website. MRP-supplied equipment can be seen featured in DR. MERCY , premiering on TLC this evening at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

For more information, visit www.mrp.io , and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram or YouTube .

Media Contact:

Marco Winkler - [email protected]

Lobeline Communications | www.lobeline.com

SOURCE Powered by MRP
CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Practifi, a business management platform for high-performing wealth institutions, broker-dealers and RIAs, announced today that it has won the Wealthmanagement.com 2021 Industry Award for CRM in the category of Technology Providers.

Practifi's 2021 Wealthies nomination focused on the recent addition of role-based apps to its platform. The revolutionary apps surface data, dashboards and reports most pertinent to the different roles within an organization helping teams save time, minimize risk and streamline processes.

"We're honored to receive this prestigious award from Wealthmanagement.com," said Adrian Johnstone, co-founder and president of Practifi. "Our team has worked diligently to provide advisors with centralized technology that delivers tailored solutions to fit the various roles within a firm. This award reaffirms our commitment to helping financial firms and their clients achieve greater success."

Practifi's role-based apps provide curated experiences for advisory, client service, compliance, management and marketing teams  all in one platform. To learn more, visit practifi.com/features/role-based-apps.

About Practifi

More than a CRM, Practifi is an enterprise-grade business management platform designed for high-performing financial advice firms. Practifi's innovative product suite helps advisory teams integrate systems and automate processes while maximizing revenue, boosting growth, and strengthening client relationships. With a focus on client success and product innovation, Practifi provides the foundation and support needed to build the financial advisory firm of the future. Practifi was founded in Sydney, Australia, and has U.S. headquarters in Chicago. To learn more, visit practifi.com .

SOURCE Practifi

Related Links

www.practifi.com


SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pray.com , the world's leading app for mental & spiritual health, has launched an effort to raise funds and awareness for small family farmers, one of the most impacted communities by California's droughts. At the core of this program, Pray.com is launching a fundraising drive to support CAFF's California Family Farmers Emergency Fund. Pray.com will match all donations dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 for all donations made by October 31, 2021.

Financial donations of any size can be made at this link - https://www.pledge.to/pray4rain , or by texting RAIN to 707070. All funds will go to family farms in need.

Given the unprecedented western heat waves and droughts, small farms are bearing the brunt of this crisis. Overall, small family farmers and farmworkers are suffering physically, mentally, spiritually, and economically through one of its hottest and driest years in more than a century.

In addition to the fundraising drive, the company is also launching the Pray for Rain podcast series and PSA , premiering today on the Pray.com app. It is available in English and Spanish, and free for all, and can be found at: https://www.pray.com/series/pray-for-rain/.

"At Pray.com prayer is a priority. In addition to prayer, we take action, and we always seek to support our local community," said Steve Gatena, CEO, Pray.com . "Today, we are launching a massive effort to raise funds to help the hard working people who grow food for our nation as part of our Pray for Rain campaign. Pray.com is a social impact company driven by a mission to grow faith, cultivate community, and leave a legacy of helping others."

"The impact of Covid, wildfires and devastating heat waves and droughts have placed a great strain on farms and farmworkers across the state of California and beyond," said Paul Towers, executive director, CAFF. "In August, we launched the emergency fund to help support those hit the hardest. We are thrilled to have the support of Pray.com to bring needed funds and awareness to their plight."

Since 1978, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) has been dedicated to creating more resilient family farms, communities and ecosystems. The California-based nonprofit builds sustainable food and farming systems through on-the-ground programs, educational events and conferences, networking building, and grassroots policy advocacy. Last month, CAFF launched an emergency fund to benefit small family farms and farmworkers.

About Pray.com

Launched in 2017 with a mission to grow faith and cultivate community, Pray.com is the world's No. 1 app for daily prayer and Bible-based audio content. Reaching more than 10 million people worldwide through its mobile app and website, it is the easiest way to incorporate prayer into your daily life. Pray.com provides encouragement and inspiration through Daily Prayers, Pastor podcasts, and Bedtime Bible Stories. For more information, please visit: www.pray.com .

About Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)

Founded in 1978, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is a California-based nonprofit that builds sustainable food and farming systems through local and statewide policy advocacy and on-the-ground programs in an effort to initiate institutionalized change. Our programs address current problems and challenges in food and farming systems, creating more resilient family farms, communities, and ecosystems. We work to support family farmers and serve community members throughout the state, including consumers, food service directors, schoolchildren and low-income populations with the aim of growing a more resilient, just and abundant food system for all Californians. For more information, please visit: www.caff.org .

SOURCE Pray.com

Related Links

http://www.pray.com


SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Princess Cruises, the world's leading international premium cruise line, is extending its pause in cruise vacations in Australia/New Zealand to January 27, 2022, due to the uncertainty around the return of cruising in the region.

As a result of the pause extension, Coral Princess voyages through January 17 are cancelled and Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess seasons through to March 2022 are being cancelled.

"It became apparent we would not be able to deliver planned deployment of Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess in Australia before they were due to start their published northern hemisphere voyages," said Deanna Austin, Princess Cruises Chief Commercial Officer. "We recognize that guests planning cruises over the popular summer and new year holiday period will be particularly disappointed with the changes, however, we wanted to give guests as much notice as possible so they could plan their holidays with certainty."

For guests booked on a cancelled cruise, guests have the option to move to an equivalent cruise. The rebooking process will have the added benefit of protecting the guests' fare on their replacement cruise. Alternatively, guests can choose a future cruise credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 10% of the cruise fare paid (minimum $25 USD) or a full refund to the original form of payment.

Requests must be received through this online form by October 31, 2021, or guests will automatically receive the FCC option. FCCs can be used on any cruises booked by December 31, 2022, and sailing by April 30, 2023.

Princess will protect travel agent commission on bookings that were paid in full in recognition of the critical role they play in the cruise line's business and success.

The most current information and instructions for booked guests affected by these cancellations, and more information on FCCs and refunds, can be found online at Information on Impacted & Cancelled Cruises .

About Princess Cruises:

One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is the world's leading international premium cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 14 modern cruise ships, carrying two million guests each year to 380 destinations around the globe, including the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica, and World Cruises. A team of professional destination experts have curated 170 itineraries, ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises is continuously recognized as "Best Cruise Line for Itineraries." In 2017 Princess Cruises, with parent company Carnival Corporation, introduced MedallionClass Vacations enabled by the OceanMedallion, the vacation industry's most advanced wearable device, provided free to each guest sailing on a MedallionClass ship. The award-winning innovation offers the fastest way to an effortless personalized vacation giving guests more time to do the things they love most. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc.

SOURCE Princess Cruises

Related Links

www.princess.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Okera , the Universal Data Authorization company, today announced that Sanjeev Mohan , former Research Vice President, Big Data and Advanced Analytics at Gartner, has joined the Okera advisory board as a strategic advisor. Sanjeev, an expert in data management and governance, will work with Okera to better illuminate the governance complexities that data stakeholders experience and overcome. He will also help educate the market on the benefits of maturing Universal Data Authorization (UDA) solutions .

The foundation of digital transformation is the ability to move data assets to the cloud while deriving value from all data, whether in the cloud or still on premises. However, this transformation cannot occur without comprehensive security and privacy across all data assets. The only way to achieve this is through UDA. Driven by mounting cybersecurity threats and privacy regulations, UDA provides a critically performant and highly scalable way for organizations to protect their data, customers, and partners with complete and consistent policy enforcement across all data. It enables organizations to maximize the value of their data to accelerate innovation, while preventing inappropriate access to confidential, personally identifiable, and regulated data.

With more than 25 years of technology industry experience across a variety of industries, Sanjeev currently serves as principal of SanjMo which he just launched to research and advise on changing trends and technologies in the modern cloud data architecture. Most recently he was a VP analyst for Gartner where he led the data management research agenda within the Gartner for Technical Professionals (GTP) group to provide insights on cloud, IaaS/PaaS/SaaS, data storage including Hadoop, NoSQL, data lakes, data integration, data governance, and data transformation strategies. Additionally, he covered data management and governance to meet technical needs of compliance and regulatory laws such as GDPR and CCPA/CPRA. Before joining Gartner, Sanjeev worked in global consulting firms, providing strategic advice, leading system integration implementations, and building modern data architectures.

"Sanjeev's thorough understanding of the data management and data access markets makes him a uniquely valuable addition to our advisory board," said Nick Halsey, Okera CEO. "He is also a highly regarded educator in the data ecosystem, which we witnessed first-hand at our AIRSIDE LIVE conference where he moderated a panel of industry experts to discuss the battle between data agility, data security, and data privacy. We are very excited that he will be taking an active role in helping us educate the market on the need for and importance of UDA."

"Just like Identity Access Management, UDA will move rapidly from an early-stage idea to an essential capability that every organization will need to implement," said Sanjeev. "Critical new categories like UDA don't come along very often, so when they do, it's very exciting to help the market understand why they are so important, the return on investment they provide, and how they can help businesses better achieve their goals."

Sanjeev's efforts to educate the market around UDA will begin immediately. On Wednesday, September 22nd, he will join Okera CTO, Nong Li, for a fireside chat at the AWS Startup Showcase, where the topic will be " Life in the Trenches: Lessons Learned from Fortune 1,000 Companies Within Five Orthogonal Use Cases ."

About Okera

Okera , the Universal Data Authorization company, helps modern, data-driven enterprises accelerate innovation, minimize data security risks, and demonstrate regulatory compliance. The Okera Dynamic Access Platform automatically enforces universal fine-grained access control policies. This allows employees, customers, and partners to use data responsibly, while protecting them from inappropriately accessing data that is confidential, personally identifiable, or regulated. Okera's robust audit capabilities and data usage intelligence deliver the real-time and historical information that data security, compliance, and data delivery teams need to respond quickly to incidents, optimize processes, and analyze the performance of enterprise data initiatives.

Okera began development in 2016 and now dynamically authorizes access to hundreds of petabytes of sensitive data for the world's most demanding F100 companies and regulatory agencies. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and is backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, ClearSky Security, and Felicis Ventures. For more information, visit www.okera.com or contact [email protected] , or connect with the team on Facebook , LinkedIn , or Twitter .

SOURCE Okera

Related Links

http://www.okera.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Real-time supply chain visibility provider Roambee has been named a winner of the Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) "New Era of Smarter Food Safety Low- or No-Cost Tech-Enabled Traceability Challenge;" just one of 12 companies selected out of 90 applicants. Roambee submitted its "Smart Food with IoT" concept as the overall consortia lead with Wiliot https://www.wiliot.com/ and GSM . Roambee's VP of Product Marketing and Strategy, Scott Hurley, will be presenting the team's winning solution alongside other top performers in the "Food Traceability Winner's Webinar" at 11:00am EDT on Tuesday, September 28; click here to learn more and sign up to attend.

Launched as part of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (COMPETES Act), the goal of the FDA's New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative is to achieve end-to-end traceability throughout the food safety system - in other words, from "farm to fork."

"The farm-to-fork concept is currently a very manually administrative processes, with lots of expensive and slow paperwork and a low level of trust requiring many checks, particularly cross border," notes Scott Hurley, VP of Product Marketing and Strategy, Roambee. "The solution we designed with Wiliot and GSM will realize the "Food Traceability Cloud," dramatically improving the process, thus reducing costs, increasing food safety and enabling more global trade. We are honored our submission was chosen as a winner of the FDA's Traceability Challenge and look forward to presenting our work on the September 28th webinar."

A Silicon Valley-based firm with its $18M+ of series B1 funding announced in March 2021 and two recent acquisitions, Roambee is providing real-time intelligence through its innovative visibility platform together with active monitoring sensors. This actionable firsthand location and condition intelligence provides early warning in food processing and transport.

"GSM is providing end-to-end systems integration and developing the food traceability specific software that will run on top of the Roambee service, using a combination of cloud and blockchain technology to enable traceability of food treatment, such as feeds, fertilizers and veterinary treatments," said Andrew Bird, CEO of GSM. "We are a leading digital transformation technology and innovation incubation company, proud to serve as the overall visionaries behind the solution that earned the FDA's recognition in the Traceability Challenge."

The Wiliot Platform combines cloud services and IoT Pixels, tiny computing elements that power themselves by harvesting radio frequency energy. Wiliot is the consortia lead for providing traceability of animals and crops from the farm, using its cloud-based platform, integrated with Roambee, and its innovative IoT Pixel tags, which provide both location and sensing traceability. Wiliot received $200M of Series C funding led by Softbank in July 2021.

About Roambee

Roambee offers verifiably better supply chain visibility on demand, for on-time, in-full, in-condition delivery of shipments and assets anywhere in the world. 300+ enterprises are improving customer experience, service levels, product quality, cash cycles, business efficiencies, sustainability, and automating logistics with Roambee's real-time insights & foresights. More than 50 of them are among the top 100 global companies in the Pharma, Food, Electronics, Chemicals, Automotive, Packaging & Containers, and Logistics sectors. Roambee's innovative AI-powered platform, and end-to-end monitoring solutions, deliver curated and highly accurate supply chain signals built on item-level, firsthand IoT sensor data and non-sensor inputs. The outcome is better multimodal ETAs, OTIF deliveries, 80%+ cold chain compliance, and more, including 4X+ ROI on supply chain assets by optimizing utilization and inventory levels. Gartner identifies Roambee as one of the 9 global supply chain technology companies in "2021 Gartner Tracking and Monitoring Business Process Context: Magic Quadrant for Real-Time Transposition Visibility Platforms." Visit www.roambee.com.



Media Contact

Ariane Wolff

Warner Communications

978-729-3542

[email protected]

SOURCE Roambee

Related Links

http://www.roambee.com


MIAMI, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) published its 13th annual sustainability report, providing a comprehensive update on the company's sustainability efforts. In particular, the 2020 report documents that the company has met or exceeded nearly all of its 2020 sustainability targets.

Royal Caribbean Group Releases 2020 Seastainability Report

"We believe that what gets measured gets better. Sustainability is a core area for our business, and this report reflects our successes and challenges over the past year," said Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. "While I'm proud of the progress we have achieved, the importance of this area has grown exponentially. Consistent with our mantra of continuous improvement, we have significantly expanded our aspirations in this critical area and are setting even more aggressive goals for the coming years."

The report is organized into four main sections conveying Royal Caribbean Group's strategic approach to sustainability, from emissions reductions to supporting employees and crew in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's report also includes the latest Materiality Assessment as well as additional disclosures in line with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) reporting metrics.

"We are living in an era of profound and interconnected changes, which call for bold and positive action. Our ESG work and goals are focused on ensuring we play a leadership role in contributing to a healthy and thriving workplace, society and environment," said Silvia M. Garrigo, Chief Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Officer, Royal Caribbean Group.

In 2016, in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the company set specific, ambitious and measurable 2020 sustainability targets to reduce its environmental footprint, increase sustainable tourism, respect for coastal communities and cultural heritage, and support WWF's global ocean conservation work. As of this year, Royal Caribbean Group has met or exceeded all of its 2020 goals, with the exception of the sustainable seafood sourcing target, which was impacted by global suspension of service from the pandemic.

The company is working to develop a new set of targets around the reduction of carbon emissions, the sustainable growth and development of our business, sustainable commodity sourcing and tourism, the elimination of single-use plastics, and waste management.

Highlights from the Report

Throughout the pandemic, Royal Caribbean Group continued to address several key issues important to stakeholders, including:

Emissions reduction: Royal Caribbean Group achieved its carbon reduction target of 35% and has committed to further reduce emissions 25% by 2025.

Royal Caribbean Group achieved its carbon reduction target of 35% and has committed to further reduce emissions 25% by 2025. Royal Caribbean Group's wind farm project in Kansas , developed in partnership with Southern Power, began operations and generated approximately 242,000 tons of CO2 offsets. It is expected that the wind farm will offset up to 12% of the company's global emissions each year.

, developed in partnership with Southern Power, began operations and generated approximately 242,000 tons of CO2 offsets. It is expected that the wind farm will offset up to 12% of the company's global emissions each year.

Celebrity Apex joined the fleet with shore power connectivity and with an energy efficiency standard (EEDI) 39% more efficient than the current International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirement.

joined the fleet with shore power connectivity and with an energy efficiency standard (EEDI) 39% more efficient than the current International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirement.

Our next class of ships, Icon-Class, expected to launch in 2023, will use cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas and fuel cell technology, which reduces ship emissions.

Sustainable sourcing: The company has a commitment to source 90% of wild-caught seafood and 75% of farmed seafood, served on Royal Caribbean Group ships from certified sustainable sources, a first for the cruise industry.

The company has a commitment to source 90% of wild-caught seafood and 75% of farmed seafood, served on Royal Caribbean Group ships from certified sustainable sources, While the global suspension of service delayed this goal, as cruise operations resume, Royal Caribbean Group remains committed to tracing back to its origin the sustainable seafood served across the company's fleet.



Additionally, the company is constantly working to identify sustainable products, from cage-free eggs to humanely raised pork.

Circular economy: The company is working to achieve zero waste across the Royal Caribbean Group fleet.

The company is working to achieve zero waste across the Royal Caribbean Group fleet. Today, 100% of the company's fleet is equipped to be landfill-free. Only 0.50 pounds of waste are sent to landfill per passenger each day  80% less than the U.S. average on shore.



Whenever possible, the waste on Royal Caribbean Group ships is reused, recycled or converted to energy.



The company has removed 60% of single-use plastics from its supply chain.

Water and wastewater: Royal Caribbean Group ships work to ensure fresh water on their ships is used sparingly and efficiently.

Royal Caribbean Group ships work to ensure fresh water on their ships is used sparingly and efficiently. 90% of fresh water is produced on board its ships in order to not deplete local resources.



On average, only 66 gallons of water per person per day are used, compared with the U.S. average of 100 gallons per person.



Each ship is equipped with a water treatment plant. Advanced wastewater purification systems are designed to be twice as stringent as U.S. federal standards, with a company policy of no untreated waste released into the ocean.

To view Royal Caribbean Group's 2020 sustainability report and learn more about the company's efforts, click here.

About Royal Caribbean Group

Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) is one of the leading cruise companies in the world with a global fleet of 60 ships traveling to more than 800 destinations around the world. Royal Caribbean Group is the owner and operator of three award-winning cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises, and it is also a 50% owner of a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Together, the brands have an additional 13 ships on order as of June 30, 2021. Learn more at www.royalcaribbeangroup.com or www.rclinvestor.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to, among other things, the company's expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections regarding environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and the company's ability to achieve its ESG goals. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in those forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect our results include, among others, those discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as well as our other filings with the SEC, copies of which may be obtained by visiting our Investor Relations website at www.rclinvestor.com or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this release, which are based on information available to us on the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Royal Caribbean Group

Related Links

www.royalcaribbeangroup.com


JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sasol's integrated report has been published on the Sasol website at https://www.sasol.com/investor-centre/financial-reporting/annual-integrated-reporting-set. The report cross-references a number of other reports that are also available on the Sasol website, including Sasol's sustainability report and climate change report which provide additional information on Sasol's sustainability and climate change matters.

Sasol's annual financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2021, on which PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. expressed an unmodified opinion, were published on 16 August 2021 and are available on Sasol's website.

Sasol's annual report on Form 20-F, which includes Sasol's annual financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2021 which contain no changes to the version published on 16 August 2021, will be filed with the United States (US) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, 22 September 2021.

Copies of the Form 20-F are available on the SEC's website at https://www.sec.gov/ and on the Sasol website.

Copies of the integrated report, sustainability report, climate change report, Form 20-F and the annual financial statements of the Company are available and can be obtained, without charge, by downloading copies from the Company's website, https://www.sasol.com/investor-centre/financial-reporting/annual-integrated-reporting-set or by requesting a copy from Sasol Investor Relations by means of either:

- an e-mail to [email protected]; or

- written correspondence posted to Private Bag X10014, Sandton, South Africa.

CAPITAL MARKETS DAY

As previously announced, Sasol's President and Chief Executive Officer, Fleetwood Grobler, together with his executive leadership team is hosting a virtual Capital Markets Day, including a live Q&A session, today at 12:00 (SA time).

During this session we will provide an update on Sasol's longer-term strategy and sustainability ambitions, including our transition pathway until 2050.

You can access further details by clicking on the following link:

https://www.sasolcapitalmarketsday.com/l/UAA3W45K6F https://protect-za.mimecast.com/s/wZUSCVm28OixYxwKKtNshOX?domain=sasolcapitalmarketsday.com

Please direct any enquiries to:

[email protected] or call +27 10 344 9280.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders of Sasol will be held entirely by way of electronic communication at 13:00 on Friday, 19 November 2021, to transact the business stated in the notice of AGM. The information pertaining to the AGM is as follows:

Issuer name Sasol Limited Type of instrument Ordinary shares ISIN number ZAE000006896 JSE code SOL ISIN number ZAE000151817 JSE code SOLBE1 Meeting type Annual General Meeting Meeting venue Electronic communication Record date  to determine which shareholders

are entitled to receive the Notice of meeting Friday, 8 October 2021 Publication/ posting date Monday, 18 October 2021 Last day to trade  Last day to trade to determine

eligible shareholders that may attend, speak and

vote at the Meeting Tuesday, 9 November 2021 Record date- Record date to determine eligible

shareholders that may attend, speak and vote at

the Meeting Friday, 12 November 2021 Meeting deadline date (for administrative

purposes, forms of proxy for the meeting to be

lodged) Forms of Proxy must be submitted by 13:00

on Thursday, 18 November 2021, or may be

handed in before the relevant resolution on

which the proxy is to vote Meeting date 13:00 on Friday, 19 November 2021 Publication of results Monday, 22 November 2021 Website link www.sasol.com

For further information, please contact:

Sasol Investor Relations,

Tiffany Sydow, Investor Relations Officer

Telephone: +27 (0) 71 673 1929

[email protected]

SOURCE Sasol Limited
DUBLIN, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Saudi Arabia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Saudi Arabia data center market size will witness investments of USD 1180 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 7.85% during the period 2021-2026



The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the prominent locations across the Middle East for data center investment. Improvement in network connectivity, government support, and rapid growth in the adoption of cloud, big data, and IoT services have been strong enablers for the growth of the Saudi Arabian data center industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a strong market enabler for several digitization initiatives in Saudi Arabia.

The report considers the present scenario of the Saudi Arabia data center market and its market dynamics for the forecast period 2021-2026. It covers a detailed overview of several growth enablers, restraints, and trends in the market. The study includes the demand and supply aspects of the market.

Ashi & Bushnag, Al-Latifia Trading and Contracting Company, Atkins, Capitoline, DC PRO, Edarat Group, ICS Nett, Linesight, and RED are some of the major Construction Constructors & Sub-Contractors in Saudi Arabia's market. The colocation operator Gulf Data Hub plans to build two data centers in Jeddah and Al Khobar, adding around 32 MW of power. Saudi Telecom Company (STC) deployed two facilities across Jeddah and Al-Madina, adding over 5 MW of cumulative power.



SAUDI ARABIA DATA CENTER MARKET INSIGHTS

Saudi Arabia is one of the significant data center colocation markets in the Middle East region, with a revenue of USD 140 million generated in 2020.

is one of the significant data center colocation markets in the region, with a revenue of generated in 2020. Scope Technologies, DesertClouds, Waja Media Solutions, Alfuzail, and BrighteningTech, are some of the local cloud service providers in Saudi Arabia .

. The growing adoption of smart devices and increasing demand for analytics, cloud adoption, and the growth of wireless networking technologies have led several organizations in Saudi Arabia to invest in Big data and IoT technology.

to invest in Big data and IoT technology. Riyadh is the primary data center in Saudi Arabia , housing around 50% of the region's total facilities.

is the primary data center in , housing around 50% of the region's total facilities. Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming a hotspot for investment in renewable energy owing to the abundance of solar energy sources in the region.

is increasingly becoming a hotspot for investment in renewable energy owing to the abundance of solar energy sources in the region. Many telecommunication providers and hyperscale data center operators invest in cables to improve network connectivity within the country.

Saudi Arabia enjoys a strategic location between Africa and APAC that can easily connect both the regions, which will benefit the operators to invest in a submarine cable network passing through the country.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT:

Vendors such as Vertiv Group, Schneider Electric, and Eaton witness high demand for lithium-ion UPS systems from Saudi Arabia's data center operators.

data center operators. With the growth in data center investments, most facilities adopt a medium- to high-voltage switchgear in Saudi Arabia .

. In Saudi Arabia , data center operators are likely to use air-based cooling techniques since most parts of the region are covered with deserts and there is water scarcity.

, data center operators are likely to use air-based cooling techniques since most parts of the region are covered with deserts and there is water scarcity. The Saudi Arabia data center market is dominated by greenfield construction. It will witness an increase in modular data center construction in the coming years.

data center market is dominated by greenfield construction. It will witness an increase in modular data center construction in the coming years. SMEs' adoption of cloud-based services has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is likely to aid industry growth in Saudi Arabia .

. Gulf Data Hub invested around USD 56 million to construct a colocation data facility in Jeddah in 2020.

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Atos

Broadcom

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Lenovo

NetApp

Construction Constructors & Sub-Contractors

Ashi & Bushnag

Al-Latifia Trading and Contracting Company

Atkins

Capitoline

DC PRO

Edarat Group

EGEC

HATCO

ICS Nett

INT'LTEC Group

Juffali Airconditioning, Mechanical, and Electrical Company (JAMED)

Linesight

RED

SANA Creative Systems

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Canovate

Caterpillar

Conteg

Cummins

Eaton

Grundfos

HITEC Power Protection

Legrand

Rittal

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Vertiv Group

Data Center Investors

Gulf Data Hub

Salam (Integrated Telecom Company)

Etihad Etisalat (Mobily)

NourNet

Saudi Telecom Company (stc)

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 : Existing & Upcoming Third-Party Data Centers In Saudi Arabia

15+ Unique Data Center Properties

Data Center IT Load Capacity

Data Center White Floor Area Space

Existing Vs Upcoming Data Center Capacity by Cities

Cities Covered

Riyadh

Jeddah

Other Cities

Chapter 2: Investment Opportunities In Saudi Arabia

Data Center Investments

Investment by Area

Investment by Power Capacity

Chapter 3: Data Center Colocation Market In Saudi Arabia

Colocation Services Market in the Saudi Arabia

Retail Colocation vs Wholesale Data Center Colocation

Colocation Pricing (Quarter Rack, Half Rack, Full Rack) & Add-ons

Chapter 4: Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Market Trends

Market Restraints

Chapter 5: Market Segmentation

IT Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Electrical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Mechanical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

General Construction Services: Market Size & Forecast

Chapter 6: Tier Standard Investment

Tier I & II

Tier III

Tier IV

Chapter 7: Geographic Segmentation

Riyadh

Other Cities

Chapter 8: Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Construction Contractors

Support Infrastructure Providers

Data Center Investors

Chapter 9: Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4x8ufc

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sedgwick, a leading global provider of technology-enabled risk, benefits and integrated business solutions, today announced it has acquired Managed Care Advisors, Inc. (MCA), a Bethesda, Maryland-based government contracting firm and leading provider of workers' compensation and specialty health plan products and services to the U.S. federal government.

Managed Care Advisors' expertise includes a comprehensive, outsourced federal agency workers' compensation case and claims management solution, anchored by the full functionality of its technology platform. MCA's federally compliant solutions and established performance record will broaden Sedgwick's access to a wide range of public sector opportunities. The acquisition will also enable MCA to expand its breadth and depth of offerings to the government to include a broad array of world-class risk management and claims solutions that Sedgwick currently delivers in the commercial sector.

"Sedgwick and Managed Care Advisors have a shared focus on delivering excellence and taking care of people," said Elizabeth Demaret, Sedgwick president, specialty. "We are well aligned to optimize outcomes for our clients and look forward to bringing our combination of value-added services to the employees of federal government agencies."

MCA will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Sedgwick Public Sector, a Sedgwick holding company dedicated to delivering claims services to government entities.

"Joining forces with Sedgwick opens the door to new opportunities for bringing the public sector an even higher level of industry best practices and expertise," said Lisa Firestone, Managed Care Advisors president and CEO. "I'm excited for what lies ahead in our next chapter with Sedgwick."

About Sedgwick

Sedgwick is a leading global provider of technology-enabled risk, benefits and integrated business solutions. The company provides a broad range of resources tailored to our clients' specific needs in casualty, property, marine, benefits, brand protection and other lines. At Sedgwick, caring counts; through the dedication and expertise of more than 27,000 colleagues across 65 countries, the company takes care of people and organizations by mitigating and reducing risks and losses, promoting health and productivity, protecting brand reputations, and containing costs that can impact the bottom line. Sedgwick's majority shareholder is The Carlyle Group; Stone Point Capital LLC, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ), Onex and other management investors are minority shareholders. For more, see www.sedgwick.com.

About Managed Care Advisors

Established in 1997, Managed Care Advisors specializes in workers' compensation, case and claims management, disability and absence management, analytics, technology solutions, specialty health plan management and employee benefits. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, Managed Care Advisors services customers throughout the United States and all U.S. territories. Since 2005, MCA has provided a comprehensive suite of products and services to the federal market to support federal agencies in improving outcomes, reducing costs, and avoiding unnecessary medical and vocational disability resulting from work-related injuries and illnesses. For more, see www.mcacares.com.





SOURCE Sedgwick

Related Links

https://www.sedgwick.com


With a proprietary gravity-fed pod and ultra-tough stainless steel encasing combined with its premium design and convenient USB-C charging port, Cliq comfortably brings the best of Select's high-quality oil and innovative hardware into the hands of cannabis consumers. The contoured pod design ensures customers get every last drop of premium Elite cannabis oil, while the strong magnetic pod and device connection ensures a secure fit that closes with a signature "click" sound. Cliq by Select utilizes an "auto draw" feature (inhalation activates the device), and allows for variable battery voltage, creating a bespoke potency experience to match user preferences at any moment. Cliq pods will be available in sativa, hybrid and indica varieties in 0.5g and 1.0g sizes, depending on individual state regulations.

"Cliq is perfect for consumers seeking a high-end hardware vape system that's easy-to-use, is as comfortable as it is durable, and uses premium oil from a trusted brand known for its quality and safety standards. As with every product and service we launch at Curaleaf, we are fully committed to elevating the cannabis experience of each and every kind of cannabis consumer with brands people love," said Joe Bayern, CEO of Curaleaf.

"This is more than just a stylish piece of hardware. Cliq has been years in the making, and is a real testament to the talent and dedication of the Select team, who have cut no corners in elevating what is possible with a better consumer experience. We stressed over even the smallest features and internal mechanics to make Cliq a user's favorite way to vape," said Cameron Forni, founder of Select.

The Select brand is currently available in 17 states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, and most recently New Jersey. Cliq by Select will sit alongside premium vape offerings including Select Elite Live, Select Fresh, and Select Essentials. To find out more about Select's portfolio of products, or to find a dispensary near you that carries Select products, go to www.selectbetter.com.

About Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a high-growth cannabis company known for quality, expertise and reliability, the Company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select, provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. In the United States, Curaleaf currently operates in 23 states with 109 dispensaries, 22 cultivation sites and over 30 processing sites, and employs over 5,000 team members. Curaleaf International is the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe with a unique supply and distribution network throughout the European market, bringing together pioneering science and research with cutting-edge cultivation, extraction and production. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information, please visit https://ir.curaleaf.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This media advisory contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or, "proposed", "is expected", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forwardlooking statements and information concerning the expansion of Select products. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company with respect to the matter described in this new release. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are based on current expectations as of the date of this release and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's latest annual information form filed September 25, 2020, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at http://www.sedar.com, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as to the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

INVESTOR CONTACT

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Carlos Madrazo, SVP Investor Relations

[email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Tracy Brady, VP Corporate Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.curaleaf.com


KRAKOW, Poland, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Selvita (WSE: SLV)  one of the largest preclinical contract research organizations in Europe, continues its dynamic development in Poland and abroad.

Following the acquisition of Fidelta, Selvita Group achieved in the first half of 2021 over a two-fold increase in sales revenue comparing to the corresponding period of the previous year. The increase in EBITDA and net profit was even higher, significantly influenced by the high profitability of the services executed by Fidelta.

Dynamic increase in all business segments

Selvita, along with its subsidiaries, has continued its dynamic growth in all business aspects.

Revenues from services executed in Poland amounted to EUR 14.4 million and were higher by 17% compared to the first half of 2020, when they amounted to EUR 12.5 million. This increase in revenues was achieved with a very high base from the first half of 2020, when a record, almost 50% revenue dynamics were noted. EBITDA of services executed in Poland (adjusted to the impact of the stock grant program) amounted to EUR 3.2 million (margin: 21.0%).

The bioinformatics segment, represented by Selvita's subsidiary Ardigen, closed the first half of 2021 with EUR 2.9 million in commercial revenues (EUR 3.2 million including grants), while in the corresponding period of 2020, this value amounted to EUR 1.6 million (EUR 2.0 million), which indicates an increase of 84%. Ardigen's EBITDA amounted to EUR 0.6 million (margin: 19.1%) and was 56% higher than in the corresponding period in 2020.

Fidelta, representing the segment of services executed in Croatia, recorded EUR 13.1 million in commercial revenues with EBITDA of EUR 3.9 million (margin: 30.1%). Fidelta has been part of the Selvita Group since January 2021.

The first half of 2021 saw a dynamic increase in the sales of services on global markets. With the acquisition of Fidelta, sales in the E.U. countries and Switzerland have significantly increased, as this is where the Croatian Company generates most of its revenues. On another note, it is the organic growth of Selvita and Ardigen which resulted in a significant growth of sales in the U.S.

Group revenues from the U.S. market, the most competitive market globally, amounted to EUR 8.4 million, which indicates an increase of 81.4% y/y, emphasizing the high quality of services provided by the Company.

The first half of 2021 constituted another two very good quarters for Selvita. We recorded growth in every segment of our activity, both in Poland and globally. We are satisfied with the 17% growth in the services executed by our labs in Poland, as it is worth noting that we compare this period to the record-breaking H1 2020, when in the first months of the pandemic we recorded increases of 40-50%. The revenues generated by our Croatian company, Fidelta, which joined the Group at the turn of the year, are also growing, and what is more, it is happening along with high margins. Our other company, Ardigen also continues to strengthen its position on the AI market, maintaining the highest growth dynamics in the Group.

We have no intention of slowing down, which is why we continue to invest in the development of our teams and infrastructure. Construction of the Selvita Research Center in Krakow has begun in July this year, and the adaptation of additional over 2 000 sq m of space in Zagreb is near completion.

To ensure continued revenue growth from the North American market, the largest market for research outsourcing, we have decided to expand our sales structure in the United States. We have appointed Dean Bornilla, an extensively experienced manager, for the position of VP Sales, Head of North America. Dean will be responsible for the Company's continued development and revenue growth in the North American market. On top of that, experienced, new members joined our European sales team, and will help build our position in this region.

We are convinced that a strong sales team, along with the best scientists working in our laboratories, are the most crucial factor supporting our further development - comments Bogusaw Sieczkowski, co-founder, significant shareholder and Chief Executive Officer at Selvita.

We are optimistic about the second half of the year, as the dynamic increase in the portfolio of contracts shows that we have a busy end of the year ahead of us. What is important, this portfolio has grown in all business segments, which shows that after the covid turmoil, stabilization is returning also to the regulatory research market - adds Sieczkowski.

Selvita Group's backlog for 2021 currently amounts to EUR 59.8 million, showing an increase of 122% y/y, including organic backlog which has increased by 30% as compared to the corresponding period last year.

The path for further growth

Selvita has been consistently implementing the assumptions of the strategy adopted for 2020-2023, according to which the Group intends to develop through organic growth, as well as acquisitions. A significant milestone in the strategy was the acquisition of Fidelta, which contributed to a rapid improvement in the financial results of the entire Group. In the first half of 2021, the dynamics of the Group's revenues amounted to over 100% y/y, which clearly shows how effectively the goals of the strategy are being implemented.

The organic development of the Group is also supported with investments in its own research area. The company has already started the construction of a new facility - Selvita Research Center in Krakow and has secured EUR 9.3 million of a grant funding and EUR 14.3 million of a bank loan, for that purpose. The future headquarters of Selvita will be able to provide workspace for over 250 people. The investment when completed will increase Selvita's space by an additional 10 000 sq m, including approximately 4 000 sq m of laboratory and office space.

Significant events before the publication date

On July 12, the Group announced that it was initiating the construction of a new research center in Krakow. The company has signed an agreement with PORR S.A., which will act as the general contractor. Additional, state-of-the-art laboratory space will allow Selvita to increase its scale of operations and expand its services offer.

On September 6, Selvita received a grant funding of EUR 1 million to create a novel technological platform which will accelerate the drug discovery process. The grant came from the National Centre of Research and Development with a total of EUR 1.7 million dedicated to the project.

On September 20, Selvita received EUR 0.7 million to create technology allowing to develop new drugs against diseases caused by coronaviruses. The grant comes from the National Center of Research and Development with a total value of EUR 1.4 million dedicated to the project.

Both projects which were awarded the funding, will enable Selvita to develop innovative technological platforms allowing for a faster and more efficient drug discovery process, expanding the portfolio of drug discovery services offered by the Group.

About Selvita [SLV]

Selvita is a preclinical Contract Research Organization providing multidisciplinary support in resolving the unique challenges of research within area of drug discovery, regulatory studies, as well as research and development. Selvita is also a major shareholder in Ardigen  a bioinformatics company harnessing advanced Artificial Intelligence methods for novel precision medicine.

In January 2021, Selvita acquired 100% of shares in Fidelta d.o.o., substantially expanding its scope of drug discovery services in infectious diseases, inflammation, and fibrosis and building a competitive advantage in areas such as DMPK, in vivo pharmacology, and toxicology.

Selvita, established in 2007, currently employs over 800 professionals, of which over 40% hold a Ph.D. degree. Selvita is headquartered in Krakow, Poland, with a second research site in Poznan, Poland, while Fidelta is located in Zagreb, Croatia. Selvita's international offices are located in Cambridge, MA, and San Francisco Bay Area, in the U.S., as well as in Cambridge, UK.

Selvita is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE: SLV). For more information, please see www.selvita.com S.A.

SOURCE Selvita
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tyson Foods, Inc., Tyson Chicken, Inc., Tyson Breeders, Inc., and Tyson Poultry, Inc. (together "Tyson") and Perdue Foods, LLC ("Perdue") have each agreed to settle a class action lawsuit brought against them by broiler chicken growers who allege that Tyson, Perdue and other companies unlawfully conspired to artificially reduce the amounts they paid to broiler chicken growers for Broiler Grow-Out Services. Tyson and Perdue deny that they did anything wrong and have asserted defenses to the claims against them.

Plaintiffs are broiler chicken growers that raised broilers for Tyson, Perdue, Pilgrim's Pride, Sanderson Foods, and Koch (together, "Defendants") and other integrators (referred to as an Alleged "Co-Conspirator" below). Plaintiffs represent a class of broiler chicken growers who have similar claims against Defendants and the Alleged Co-Conspirators.

What do the Settlements provide?

Tyson will pay $21,000,000 and Perdue will pay $14,750,000 for a total of $35,750,000 into a Settlement Fund, which will be used to pay Settlement Class members, attorneys' fees and litigation expenses, class representative service awards, and costs for notice and Settlement administration. Tyson and Perdue will also offer certain cooperation in the ongoing litigation against the remaining non-settling Defendants, and Perdue has agreed to certain restrictions on its ability to enforce arbitration provisions against broiler chicken growers. Perdue Settlement  10(e).

Am I eligible to receive a payment from the Settlements?

You may be eligible to receive a payment if you reside in the U.S. or its territories and were paid by any Defendant or any Alleged Co-Conspirator to provide Broiler Grow-Out Services at any time between January 27, 2013 and December 31, 2019. To learn who the Defendants and Alleged Co-Conspirators are, visit www.BroilerGrowersAntitrustSettlement.com.

How do I get a payment from the Settlements?

If you received a Pre-Populated Claim Form and the information contained therein is correct, you do not need to do anything further to receive a payment. If you disagree with the information contained in the Pre-Populated Claim Form you received, you may submit the Claim Form with corrected information and documentation. If you received an Unpopulated Claim Form, you must complete and submit that Claim Form by April 10, 2022 to receive a payment from the Settlement Funds. You may access a Claim Form from the website and submit it online or download and mail it to the address on the Claim Form. Claim Forms are also available by calling 1-833-907-3700 or emailing [email protected].

What are my rights?

If you are a Class member and do nothing, you will be bound by the Settlements and will give up any right to sue Tyson and/or Perdue in separate lawsuits related to the legal claims in this lawsuit. If you want to keep your right to separately sue Tyson and/or Perdue, you must exclude yourself from one or both of the Settlements by December 6, 2021. If you do not exclude yourself, you may object to one or both of the Settlements and/or ask for permission to appear and speak at the Fairness Hearing but only if you do so by December 6, 2021. Complete information is available at www.BroilerGrowersAntitrustSettlement.com.

The Court's hearing.

The Court will hold a hearing at 10:00 a.m. CT on February 18, 2022 to decide whether to approve the Settlement, grant the requested attorneys' fees of up to one-third of the gross Settlement amounts, litigation expenses not to exceed $3,000,000, and class representative awards of up to $50,000 each. You or your own lawyer may appear and speak at the hearing at your own expense, but there is no requirement that you or your own lawyer do so. The hearing may occur remotely, over a Zoom platform, or it may occur in person, at the United States District Court for the District of Oklahoma, located at 101 N. 5th St., Muskogee, OK 74401. Please check www.BroilerGrowersAntitrustSettlement.com for updates as to the location of the hearing.

This notice is only a summary.

For more information, including the full Notice and Settlement Agreements, visit www.BroilerGrowersAntitrustSettlement.com, email [email protected] , or call 1-833-907-3700.

Media Contact:

Angeion Group

Douglas S. Clauson

Director, Communications

(215) 563-4116

SOURCE Angeion Group

Related Links

http://www.angeiongroup.com


As a landmark created under great efforts of the CPC committee and government of Futian District, Shenzhen Festival Avenue was officially put into service on August 27, 2021. Planned by IDG ASIA Accelerator, the project has gained support from Shenzhen International Investment & Promotion Association and been operated by Shenzhen Chuanghui Urban Space Operation & Management Co. Ltd. By connecting large commercial complexes in the CBD of Futian District and taking advantage of the pleasant cultural atmosphere of areas around Fumin Road, the avenue has built itself a space that is "dramatic", "immersive" and "experiential", and introduced elements of art, culture and exhibition. In this way, the local night-time economy and the influence of surrounding business areas have been promoted. Highlighting itself as a local project with international outlook and standards, the avenue integrated "street culture" into a business district in a creative way by introducing "street stars", "street creativity" and "street interactions" to the CBD of Futian. With street culture and commercial complexes combined, the "street culture festival" is a "street carnival" with Shenzhen characteristics. The event not only enriched the leisure time of citizens, but also improve the quality of their cultural life, contributing to an increase of strength and vitality of the city.

As a way of passing on a widespread culture based on street activities, the street culture festival was not only a carnival but also a part of pop culture integrating fashion, art and music. It was also the reflection of the attitudes of Shenzhen's young people to break rules and decide trends. Shenzhen Festival Avenue, as a symbol of youth and fashion in the city, is turning Fuhua Road as a highly international festival-themed area by celebrating different festivals on a frequent basis. The Shenzhen Music Week to be held this month, for example, will invite 22 groups of musicians to play the most popular music of summer. The 7-day event will give citizens a chance to closely enjoy live music. In addition to performances, the avenue also offers other theme events such as the Market Carnival in the following October, the Pioneer Art Festival in November and GLOW SHENZHEN 2021 in December. In the future, murder mystery games, musicals and other activities that are tailored to trendies will be available on the avenue. A rule-breaking place of fusion and innovation, Shenzhen Festival Avenue is right on its way to become an international landmark and super IP of Shenzhen.

SOURCE Shenzhen International Investment & Promotion Association (SZIIPA)
"Singtel offers an enhanced hybrid network with SD-WAN backed by a strong underlay network. A one-stop service provider, it offers comprehensive management, consulting, and professional services that cost effectively enhance network agility, efficiencies, visibility, and control," said Divya Prasad Senior Industry Analyst. "With a focus on creating industry-leading experiences through its customer experience centers, it manages activities end to end, from SD-WAN pre-purchase to aftersales."

Singtel's SD-WAN offering includes flexible deployment and is available as a fully managed or customer self-managed service. In addition, the company combines its managed SD-WAN solutions with network connectivity, integrated security, and cloud connect services at a competitive price point. Singtel's packages offer complete service-level agreements, ensuring best-in-class service quality.

Bill Chang, Chief Executive Officer, Group Enterprise at Singtel said, "Since the onset of the pandemic, we have been helping businesses, from large enterprises to SMEs, accelerate their digital transformation. With Singtel's extensive SD-WAN network, we have been able to deliver enahanced analytics capabilities to help businesses achieve greater efficiency in their business operations and processes. Through our subsidiary Trustwave, we also provide built-in cyber security defence in our solutions which has been important in combating the growing cyber risks as enterprises digitalise. These awards are an affirmation of the value we bring to our customers. But we want to do more as their business partner  and with our rapid development of 5G capabilities, we look to unlock the benefits of a 5G-enabled reality with even more innovative solutions."

Similar to Singtel, Trustwave has a large global footprint, with nine global SOCs and over 2,000 security professionals to support its extensive MSS portfolio. This maximizes the company's threat detection and response capabilities and increases its security operations efficiency. Trustwave embeds its in-house expertise and flexible MSS into businesses' security programs and environments to block evolving threats effectively. In addition, the company leverages and combines its global capabilities with the local cybersecurity resources of Singtel and Optus under a single global corporate identity to help businesses embrace digital transformation securely.

"The company's Trustwave Fusion platform enables joint solution development and seamless integration to optimize threat detection and security operations efficiency," noted Vivien Pua, Industry Analyst, Cybersecurity. "Its broad portfolio focuses not only on traditional MSS but also on proactive threat hunting, managed application control, cloud-based security services, Internet of Things (IoT), and operational technology (OT) security services. This breadth of application sets Trustwave apart from competitors as well as enables it to tailor its security service solutions to fit the needs of different organizations."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents the Customer Value Leadership award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers, with a focus on improving the return on the investment that customers make in its services or products. The award recognizes the company's unique focus on augmenting the value that its customers receive, beyond simply good customer service, leading to improved customer retention and customer base expansion.

Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year Award to the organization that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Kala Mani S.

Best Practices Awards Branding - Asia-Pacific

Email: [email protected]

About Singtel

Singtel is Asia's leading communications technology group, providing a portfolio of services from next-generation communication, technology services to infotainment to both consumers and businesses. For consumers, Singtel delivers a complete and integrated suite of services, including mobile, broadband and TV. For businesses, Singtel offers a complementary array of workforce mobility solutions, data hosting, cloud, network infrastructure, analytics and cyber security capabilities. The Group has presence in Asia, Australia and Africa and reaches over 740 million mobile customers in 21 countries. Its infrastructure and technology services for businesses span 21 countries, with more than 428 direct points of presence in 362 cities. For more information, visit www.singtel.com.

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SingtelNews.

LinkedIn at https://sg.linkedin.com/company/singtel.

About Trustwave

Trustwave is recognized as a global security leader in managed security services (MSS) and managed detection and response (MDR).

With more than 2,000 world-class security professionals operating on behalf of clients across 96 countries, Trustwave helps organizations across the globe detect and respond to threats 24x7 in the hybrid multi-cloud world.

The elite Trustwave SpiderLabs team provides award-winning threat research and intelligence, which is infused into Trustwave services and products to fortify cyber resilience in the age of advanced threats.

Trustwave is a Singtel company and the global security arm of Singtel, Optus and NCS. For more information, visit www.Trustwave.com.

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

www.frost.com


WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Three residents of the International Space Station will take a short ride aboard a Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft Tuesday, Sept. 28, relocating the spacecraft to prepare for the arrival of the next set of station crew members.

Expedition 65 flight engineers Mark Vande Hei of NASA and Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov of the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos will undock from the station's Earth-facing Rassvet module at 8:21 a.m. EDT. They will dock again at the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module at 9 a.m. This will be the first time a spacecraft has attached to the new Nauka module, which arrived at the station in July.

Live coverage of the maneuver will begin at 8 a.m. on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website.

The relocation will free the Rassvet port for the docking of another Soyuz spacecraft, designated Soyuz MS-19, which will carry three Russian crew members to the station in October. Soyuz commander and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and spaceflight participants Klim Shipenko and Yulia Peresild are scheduled to launch to the station Tuesday, Oct. 5, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

This will be the 20th Soyuz port relocation in station history and the first since March 2021.

Vande Hei and Dubrov are scheduled to remain aboard the station until March 2022. At the time of his return, Vande Hei will have set the record for the longest single spaceflight for an American. Novitskiy, Shipenko, and Peresild are scheduled to return to Earth in October aboard the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft.

For more than 20 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. As a global endeavor, 244 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries and areas.

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


BOISE, Idaho, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Clenera and SRP today announced a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between SRP and Clenera's affiliate, CO Bar Solar LLC. This PPA represents the utility's largest standalone solar power plant currently under development northwest of Flagstaff, Arizona. CO Bar Solar is scheduled to be commercially operational in 2024 and will deliver between 440 and 480 megawatts (MW DC ) of renewable energy to SRP customers. Clenera, a developer of large-scale solar and storage projects, and a subsidiary of Enlight Renewable Energy LTD (TASE: ENLT), will construct and operate CO Bar Solar.

This project is one of many that support SRP in its long-term decarbonization goals. It will also help SRP meet its expanded commitment to add 2,025 MW AC of new utility-scale solar resources by 2025.

"SRP is pleased to partner with Clenera to add this substantial solar resource as part of our 'all of the above' strategy to meet near-term power generation needs," said Mike Hummel. "The CO Bar Solar power plant is an incredible clean energy resource that will support SRP customers and help us take a significant step towards our decarbonization goals."

CO Bar Solar will occupy up to 2,400 acres of private land in Coconino County and construction is expected to begin in 2023. Over the course of the 18-month construction timeline, it is expected that approximately 550 construction jobs will created, with many being local. Once complete, CO Bar Solar will generate enough power to meet the needs of 80,000 homes, while offsetting 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

Clenera's Vice President of Business Development, Jared McKee, said of the partnership: "We are excited to be working with SRP to develop one of the largest solar projects in Arizona. Clenera has historically paved the way for renewable energy in the state, and CO Bar Solar is yet another example of progress being made in Arizona's clean energy sector. We thank SRP for their partnership to make this opportunity possible."

Including this addition and others, SRP expects that nearly 50 percent of the retail energy it delivers to its customers will come from carbon free resources by 2025. These new renewable energy resources contribute to SRP's 2035 goals to reduce carbon intensity by 65 percent in 2035 and by 90 percent in 2050 from 2005 levels.

About SRP

SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest provider of electricity in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving more than 1 million customers. SRP is also the metropolitan area's largest supplier of water, delivering about 750,000 acre-feet annually to municipal, urban and agricultural water users.

About Clenera

Clenera, LLC ("Clenera"), a subsidiary of Enlight Renewable Energy, LTD (TLV: ENLT), acquires, develops, builds and manages utility-scale solar farms and energy storage facilities throughout the United States. Combining breakthrough technology with a deeply integrated team approach, Clenera provides reliable, affordable energy systems and helps its utility partners become clean energy leaders in their communities. Clenera has developed and constructed over 1.6 GW DC of solar projects and provides long-term management of those projects on behalf of third-party owners. The company is developing approximately 50 large-scale solar projects in various stages of development with an approximate capacity of 12 GW DC , plus 5.5 GWh of energy storage projects. Learn more at www.clenera.com.

About Enlight Renewable Energy

Traded on the Tel Aviv stock exchange (TASE: ENLT), Enlight is a leading renewable energy company which focuses on initiation, development, financing, construction and operation of renewable energy generation projects. The company operates in Israel, Europe and the United States, with a diversified portfolio of operating projects and projects under construction and pre-construction, with a total generation capacity of 2.2 GW DC and total energy storage capacity of 0.5 GWh. In addition, the company owns an additional 14.8 GW DC pipeline of generation capacity and 6.9 GWh of energy storage pipeline in various stages of development. For more information, visit https://enlightenergy.co.il.

Forward Looking Statements

The information detailed in this press release in connection with anticipated project construction and completion, construction timelines, commercial operation dates and energy output, as detailed above is "forward-looking" as defined in Section 32A of the Israel Securities Law, 5728-1968, and is only an assessment based on the information, estimates, forecasts and data available to Clenera's management at the time of the press release, and current management assessments. This information is conditional and subject to the existence of various factors, including the data of the project under development and the general risk factors that characterize the Company's activities. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, it is possible that projects under development may not be completed profitably or at all. Accordingly, the aforementioned information may not come to realization or actual results may differ from the information described above.

Contact:

Erica Sturwold

[email protected]

847.571.0326

Twitter: @SRPErica

Lauren Sigler

[email protected]

208.639.3232 ext. 330

SOURCE Enlight Renewable Energy
Winner of Retail Innovation by Fast Company



TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - stackt remains at the forefront of community, land evolution, culture, and commerce. stackt has proudly won Retail Innovation in Fast Company's Innovation by Design Awards for 2021 with an honourable mention in General Excellence.



The 10th anniversary of the awards, which can be found in the October 2021 issue of Fast Company, recognising people, teams, and companies that transform businesses, organizations, and society through design. One of the most sought-after design awards in the industry, Innovation by Design is the only competition to honour creative work at the intersection of design, business, and innovation, recognising the people, companies, and trends that have steadily advanced design to the forefront of the business conversation.



"stackt was designed and built to redefine how underutilized land can work in conjunction with a goal of building culture through community-driven initiatives," said Matt Rubinoff, Founder of stackt. "It's an honour for stackt to be recognised and to receive these prestigious awards."



The judges for Fast Company awards include renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company's own writers and editors. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact.



"Design is not just a beauty contest," said Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "It's something that can change the world and create solutions in a time when we face pressing global issues such as systemic racism, climate change, and a global pandemic. Many of these entries showcase these challenges while providing hope for the future through their steadfast commitment to elevate design."



ABOUT stackt

stackt has taken unused land and transformed it into an experience of curated discovery. Designed entirely out of shipping containers, at stackt you'll engage in over 100,000 square feet of ever-evolving experiences. The stackt ecosystem features a mix of local and international retailers, a brewery, unique service providers, start-up incubators, innovative culinary adventures, and is anchored by a strong mandate to support local art, music, social enterprise, and cultural communities.

stackt will feed your curiosity and expand your thinking. https://stacktmarket.com/



ABOUT FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication, Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com.



SOURCE stackt
Brewed similar to tea, these ethically sourced certified compostable Steeped Packs serve up convenient specialty coffee. Steeped Coffee is quickly becoming the premier standard in single-serve coffee. The Expo East NEXTY Awards this year had over 700 category entries, where highlighted brands are recognized as the pinnacle of excellence in the natural products industry.

"To rise above hundreds of other nominations is an incredible feat. The winners of our NEXTY Awards inspire change and integrity in everything from ingredients to packaging," says Adrienne Smith, NEXTY Awards, New Hope Network.

The NEXTY Awards recognize the most progressive, innovative, inspiring, and trustworthy brands. Finalists are chosen based on innovation, inspiration, integrity, and impact. The Natural Products Expo East is the industry's largest event on the east coast, featuring over 1,500 brands showcasing the latest innovations shaping the future of organic and natural food and beverage.

"We are honored to accept the NEXTY Award for Best New Tea or Coffee. We are proud to make quality coffee accessible to more people with our revolutionary, simple brewing method that helps reduce our lasting impact on the planet," said Josh Wilbur, Founder and CEO, Steeped Coffee.

Steeped received the coveted NEXTY Award for its French Roast Fair Trade Organic Breakwater Blend. The company's signature blend is made from 100% specialty grade coffee that is ethically sourced, with Fair Trade and USDA Organic Certifications, from the Tolima region of Columbia. Each Steeped Pack contains craft-roasted, freshly ground pre-portioned coffee that is triple nitro-sealed to guarantee each perfect cup.

DOWNLOAD IMAGES: NEXTY Award | NEXTY Product | Expo East Booth | Home | Work | Travel | Product

FULL RELEASE

SOURCE Steeped Coffee
"Our vision at Tampa General is to become the safest and most innovative academic health system in America," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "It is critical that we continue to bring the most advanced technology and cutting-edge care to our patients in Florida and beyond. This is the largest master facility plan expansion in our hospital's history, and it is an investment in our patients, in our academic health system, and in our community. It's a key part of our efforts to improve the lives and health of Floridians."

Tampa General Hospital is one of the most comprehensive academic medical facilities in Florida, serving a dozen counties with a population of over five million people  and growing at a rapid rate of 1.4 percent each year. With this growth, Tampa General projects an increase of patient admissions of 0.9 percent by the end of the decade.

Tampa General is strategically initiating this comprehensive master facility plan as part of its commitment to serving the Tampa Bay region's increasing health care needs through its role as the area's leading safety net hospital. In fiscal 2020, the academic medical center provided 34 percent of health charity care costs in Hillsborough and 17 percent across the Tampa Bay area. For that same period, Tampa General provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay.

"This $550 million capital commitment allows us to invest in innovation and supports the creation of tomorrow's TGH. We are truly building into the future," said Kelly Cullen, EVP and chief operating officer of Tampa General. Cullen is leading the development and implementation of the multi-year master facility plan.

Tampa General will add to both its geographic footprint and its vertical profile as it adds the following improvements and new structures:

New ICU  now open, this project added 34 ICU rooms with upgraded and advanced care technologies

 now open, this project added 34 ICU rooms with upgraded and advanced care technologies Bayshore Pavilion vertical expansion  the project will add four floors to Tampa General's Bayshore Pavilion (above the Emergency Department), providing 12 new operating rooms and 100 new beds

 the project will add four floors to Tampa General's Bayshore Pavilion (above the Emergency Department), providing 12 new operating rooms and 100 new beds Regional Burn Center renovation and expansion  now underway, this project will provide larger rooms, more efficient layouts and the new design will be complete in May 2022

 now underway, this project will provide larger rooms, more efficient layouts and the new design will be complete in Renovate main operating room suite  the project will renovate operating rooms and modernize and upgrade equipment

 the project will renovate operating rooms and modernize and upgrade equipment Freestanding emergency department  located one mile from the hospital's main campus on Kennedy Boulevard and North Willow Avenue, the 15,000-square-foot facility will provide additional ED capacity to serve community needs

 located one mile from the hospital's main campus on Kennedy Boulevard and North Willow Avenue, the 15,000-square-foot facility will provide additional ED capacity to serve community needs New corporate parking garage  an eight-story, 2,000-space parking garage will be built at the TGH Corporate Center off Kennedy Boulevard to consolidate off-site team member parking

 an eight-story, 2,000-space parking garage will be built at the TGH Corporate Center off Kennedy Boulevard to consolidate off-site team member parking TGH Brandon Healthplex Oncology Institute  new clinic space will be added to provide multidisciplinary integrated oncology services: a hub for diagnostic testing, treatments, and support services

 new clinic space will be added to provide multidisciplinary integrated oncology services: a hub for diagnostic testing, treatments, and support services Purchase of Hillsborough Community College Davis Islands building  this building, adjacent to the main hospital campus, will be outfitted for administrative, education and training space

 this building, adjacent to the main hospital campus, will be outfitted for administrative, education and training space Central energy plant expansion  the project will expand power generation capabilities to provide 100 percent redundant protected power

 the project will expand power generation capabilities to provide 100 percent redundant protected power Off-site sterile processing facility  this project will move sterile processing off of the hospital campus to streamline operational efficiencies to support surgical services operations

Construction of these projects will run from now through 2026. As TGH updates and adds to the 25-acre campus, covering over 3 million square feet, Tampa General will also renovate the main lobby of the hospital's main campus, which will improve patient and visitor flow and efficiency.

The strategic master facility plan will have an estimated total economic impact of over $967 million for the Tampa Bay region and will create more than 5,952 total jobs.

The master facility plan launched in June with the opening of Tampa General's new Intensive Care Unit, a $17.5 million project that includes 34 state-of-the-art ICU rooms and approximately 27,500 square feet of space. All rooms are equipped to become negative air pressure rooms to care for infectious diseases patients. The unit also features new "patient rooms of the future," equipped with advanced care technologies.

These rooms allow caregivers to:

Increase efficiency for our physicians and nurses to serve up information they need to provide better patient care

Provide virtual care where patients can virtually connect with their family/loved ones, as well as physicians

Support emergency events that use technology in the rooms by automating code blue identification

With the addition of the new unit, Tampa General, one of the largest hospitals in the nation, now has 1,041 beds.

"The opening of this ICU is a major milestone in Tampa General's history as the first step of the master facility plan," said Phillip S. Dingle, chairman of the TGH Board of Directors. "This master facility plan is designed to benefit our team members, physicians, patients and our entire community. Tampa General is growing along with our community and creating jobs and making an economic impact for the region. It is our duty to make sure that we can continue to live our shared purpose  to care for everyone, every day. These investments allow us to do just that."

If you would like to learn more about Tampa General Hospital's master facility plan and growth in the next few years to come, please visit https://bit.ly/TGHMFPVideo.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,041-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2021-22 Best Hospitals, and one of the top 4 hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious 2021 Forbes magazine rankings  America's Best Employers by State, third out of 100 Florida companies and first among health care and social organizations and 13th nationally in America's Best Employers for Women. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal 2020 provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy

Senior Communications Specialist

(727) 510-6363 (Cell)

[email protected]

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital

Related Links

https://www.tgh.org/


READING, Pa., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Children spend approximately 1,300 hours a year inside United States public school buildings, adding up to 17,000 hours over the course of a normal thirteen year school career. With more than 48 million school-aged children and millions of teachers and staff attending these schools every year, the state of indoor air quality has never been more important.

According to the National Center for Education, nearly 50 percent of United States school buildings reported having issues with indoor air quality. Out-dated school buildings, urban pollution, congested classrooms and toxins from school supplies and cleaning products have a direct impact on the overall quality of air inside schools.

To fully address these issues, school officials must first understand the risks associated with poor indoor air quality. Matt Hayas, Director of Product and Innovation at Ambius, identified three risk factors, the impacts they can have and provided key tips for solving indoor air quality problems.

A - Asthma and Allergens

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 1 in 13 school-aged children suffers with asthma. Asthma related symptoms can lead to chronic illness in children and is responsible for more than 14 million missed school days each year.

Exposure to dust, mold, pollen and other common indoor allergens can have long-term impacts on children with vulnerable and developing lung systems. Common symptoms of indoor allergen exposure include: headaches, cough, sore throat, fatigue and more, all of which can trigger and negatively impact learning, attendance and productivity.

B - Bad Odors

The National Center for Education reported that nearly 70 percent of public school students attend schools in either urban or suburban areas. These schools are surrounded by industrial air pollution, bus and vehicle exhaust fumes and other environmental hazards that seep into school buildings everyday. Outdoor air pollutants produce dirty, musty odors and are extremely harmful to children.

Everyday school supplies and cleaning products also release toxins into the air, emitting strong, chemical-like smells. Indoor air pollutants can sometimes be difficult to see, but strong, musty odors are a tell-tale sign that the quality of the indoor air is compromised. Aside from the foul smell, these outdoor and indoor fumes and chemicals can have a significant impact on respiratory and lung health for children.

C - Cross Contamination

Children are known to play an accelerated role in the spread of respiratory viruses between peers. Crowded spaces like classrooms, corridors, and school assemblies where the breathing zones of occupants overlap also increases the risk of cross-infection of airborne viruses amongst school-aged children.

Viral particles can linger in the air for hours after being emitted, making proper airflow control a critical step in preventing cross-contamination. School buildings and classrooms without proper ventilation pose an extreme health risk for students and staff.

The Cost Impacts of Poor Indoor Air Quality

If the severe health implications in which poor indoor air quality exposure can have on students and staff isn't enough of a wakeup call, school officials should also consider the cost implications of student and teacher absenteeism.

According to Education Data, an estimated $10.7 billion dollars are lost each year due to student absenteeism in the United States. This total does not include teacher absenteeism, or the associated costs of hiring substitute teachers. When schools invest in improving indoor air quality it will have a direct impact on student and teacher health, resulting in fewers days missed and lessening the financial burdens of student and teacher absenteeism.

Solutions to the Problems

While traditional Heating, Ventilation and Cooling (HVAC) units and air purifiers help to better circulate the air, many lack the ability to fully decontaminate airborne pathogens, leaving behind allergens, bad odors and a risk of cross contamination. Air decontamination units, such as VIRUSKILLER, take air purification a step further by filtering, neutralizing and decontaminating harmful airborne pathogens. They do this by drawing contaminated air away from the breathing zone, through a triple layer of filters and then move it into the patented UV-C Reactor Chamber, deactivating 99.9999% of airborne viruses in a single air pass .

Not only will these units protect the overall health and well-being of students, teachers and staff, VIRUSKILLER also incorporates real-time indoor air quality monitoring displays to serve as a visual cue that the air is clean, pure and safe. Real-time indoor air quality monitoring displays help to track the current state of the indoor environment. These monitors should be prominently displayed on the front of the air purifying unit. For schools, indoor air quality monitors with clear, real-time displays will provide peace of mind for administrators and will demonstrate to students, parents and teachers that their health, safety and well-being are a top priority.

For more information on the importance of indoor air quality, or to learn more about VIRUSKILLER, please visit the Ambius website .

CONTACT: Erin Kelly, 919-815-2940, [email protected]



SOURCE Ambius
CANBERRA, Australia and BLUE BELL, Pa., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced that it has been appointed to the Australian Federal Government's Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) marketplaces for cloud, telecommunications and software to help Federal, State and Local Government agencies improve citizen and employee experience of government services.

The DTA's marketplaces help government agencies and digital experts conduct business with one another. The marketplaces are part of the DTA's strategy to accelerate the transformation of digital delivery in government so that it is easy to interact with, informed by its citizens and fit for the digital age.

Unisys already provides services under the DTA's hardware marketplace and digital marketplace. Joining the cloud, telecommunications and software services marketplaces in 2021 provides government agencies easy access to a broader range of technology solutions and services to support digital transformation. The solutions available on the three new panels include:

Cloud Marketplace

Unisys cloud solutions provide a vendor-agnostic approach to cloud transformation from consulting through to implementation, management and ongoing evolution including hybrid and multi-cloud environments. They are designed to help organizations accelerate their cloud adoption, no matter where they are in the cloud journey  from legacy migration to new cloud design and deployment for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Telecommunications Marketplace

This panel includes Digital Workplace Solutions for intelligent workforce support services including contact center and on-site support; managed networks; and Unified Communications Managed Services and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) platform administration for experience-focused digital workplace services solutions via Unify Square, a Unisys Company.

Software Marketplace

This panel includes a range of software-based solutions including cybersecurity via Stealth(core) and Stealth(identity) as well as a range of off-the-shelf solutions from our partners.

"Unisys brings strong expertise in hybrid and multi-cloud environments, digital workplaces, managed networks, software and security. We understand how government policies need to be implemented, as well as the regulatory and privacy requirements to protect data and information. As part of DTA's marketplace and panels, we look forward to helping Australian government agencies streamline their transformation and continually raise the bar for citizen and employee experience," said Andrew Whelan, vice president of client management, Unisys Asia Pacific.

Unisys has extensive experience supporting government departments and agencies in Australia and around the world. More than 200 government agencies worldwide use Unisys solutions. For more information on Unisys' Public Sector solutions, visit unisys.com/industries/public-sector.

About Unisys

Unisys is a global IT solutions company that delivers successful outcomes for the most demanding businesses and governments. Unisys offerings include digital workplace solutions, cloud and infrastructure solutions, enterprise computing solutions, business process solutions and cybersecurity solutions. For more information on how Unisys delivers for its clients across the commercial, financial services and government markets, visit www.unisys.com.

Follow Unisys on Twitter and LinkedIn.

RELEASE NO.: 0922/9847

Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

UIS-C

SOURCE Unisys Corporation
DELTONA, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The President of The Franklin-Thomas Company (FTC), Joe Shepard, just announced the release of their new FTC electricity generator made especially for crypto mining. The Florida-based company developed this electricity generator that will lower the cost of crypto mining. The millions of crypto miners will see lower electricity bills with this new FTC generator.

Panel box into which crypto miners plug into 50 Kilowatt Power Center for crypto mining

Users simply plug their existing crypto mining power supplies directly into the outlet box or boxes supplied with the FTC generator. The user does not have to do anything else. The FTC generator comes in various sizes from 15,000 watts to 500,000 watts.

Shepard explained that he examined the power supplies on various crypto miners and realized he could modify his existing FTC generators to power miners better. After modifying the FTC generator, Shepard flew to Austin, Texas and plugged in 10 miners to his new 15,000 watts product. The cost of electricity to run the miners dropped significantly. The FTC generator in operation was video recorded and placed on YouTube. Here's the video link - https://youtu.be/oUYbzvJrxeI

Shepard's generators proved to be 92.3% efficient by Advanced Energy, a U.S. Dept. of Energy certified testing company, in 2014. That 10,000-watt generator under test developed nearly 15,000 watts with little heat.

Since that test Shepard has further increased the efficiency of the generator by using thinner laminations and improving the rectifier boards. This improved FTC generator is the basis for the crypto miner generator. It is also being used to home charge electric vehicles as it can produce 800 volts on demand.

FTC has licensed its technology to publicly traded companies like Dalrada and innovative manufacturing companies like Infinity Industrial Controls.

The FTC generator can be powered by everything from electric motors to gas engines to any other kind of prime mover.

The Franklin-Thomas Company, INC was incorporated in Florida 13 years ago. The company focuses on designing, building, and supplying high efficiency generators and related electrical power generating equipment. Joe Shepard was nationally recognized as a premier AI software developer as well. You can check us out at www.ftcinnovations.com

PRESS CONTACTS

The Franklin-Thomas Company

[email protected]

(386) 747-3999

Infinity Industrial Controls

Lynette Barry

[email protected]

(813) 335-4422

SOURCE The Franklin-Thomas Company

Related Links

http://www.ftcinnovations.com


Here's the list of new Bib Gourmands, with inspector notes from each restaurant:

ASA South (San Francisco)

The kitchen manages to infuse a bit of fun into its repertoire of serious food. There's something for everyone on this wide-reaching carte, especially if you love fish which is sustainably harvested.

Bee Taqueria (Los Angeles)

This casual taqueria with serious focus and creative style arrives courtesy of the talented chef Alex Carrasco. Tacos, ceviche and tostadas reign supreme on the menu, which draws culinary inspiration from the chef's childhood in Mexico City.

Bettina (Santa Barbara)

After making a match at New York City's Roberta's, Brendan Smith and Rachel Greenspan took their pizza-powered love affair to the West Coast, leaving bohemian Brooklyn for a gleaming perch in the Montecito Country Mart.

Callie (San Diego)

The cuisine takes advantage of the best ingredients SoCal has to offer in highly shareable dishes featuring the bold, sunny flavors of the Mediterranean. Vegetables and seafood steal the show, with spice as a key supporting character.

Cesarina (San Diego)

Most of the menu is mix-and-match, with a selection of pasta shapes and sauces that can be paired to your liking. Those on a quest for indulgence should look no further than the truffled gnocchi with a cream sauce, served in its own copper pot.

CHAAK Kitchen (Orange County)

The team behind these stoves swimmingly brings the vibrant smoke-and-spice-focused cuisine of the Yucatan Peninsula to life.

Chifa (Los Angeles)

Chifa is the term used by Peruvians to refer to "Chinese restaurant." The succinct menu pulls from family recipes and childhood memories to pack in flavor at every twist and turn.

Ciccia Osteria (San Diego)

Set in a converted home in the heart of Barrio Logan, this adorable osteria is a true family operation. Francesca Penoncelli, who hails from Turin, leads the kitchen, along with her husband Mario Casineri, a Milan native.

Colapasta (Santa Monica)

Nestled into a breezy locale just a few blocks from the Pacific, this modern trattoria packs a big culinary punch, thanks largely to the considerable talents of chef Stefano De Lorenzo.

Corazon Cocina (Santa Barbara)

The Santa Barbara Public Market is full of alluring eateries, but after your first taste of this charming taco stand, you'll want to pledge your heart. Chef and owner Ramon Velazquez mastered the craft of handmade tortillas and zesty salsas.

Dija Mara (San Diego)

You'll find some serious Indonesian cooking here. Excellent nasi goreng combines fried rice with shrimp, pork belly, chicken and the yolk of a sunny egg, while charred eggplant with smoked tomato sambal and crispy fried shallots is a textural and flavor-forward delight.

Dumpling Home (San Francisco)

This casual eatery excels in the delicate art of soup dumplings, which arrive with supple skins and spoonfuls of delicious broth far clearer and more distilled than most.

Fable & Spirit (Orange County)

The room is packed with an unmistakable hum of happy diners diving into delicious pub grub. You'll want to order the Guinness brown bread which is an absolute delight, especially paired with plump P.E.I. mussels bathed in a thyme butter.

FOB Kitchen (San Francisco)

This popular Filipino restaurant began as a pop-up. The menu is loaded with keepers, but keep your options open for tantalizing specials, such as sweet and sour sinigang with pork, eggplant and daikon or Janice's ribs.

FolkTable (Sonoma)

Housed within a charming outdoor marketplace is a kitchen brimming with ideas. To witbeef tartare is ground to order and served on hash browns; while broccoli is grilled, then showered with puffed rice, Thai basil and maple tahini.

Heritage Barbecue (Orange County)

Punctuality is of the essence as everyone is here, early and eager, for chef and owner, Daniel Castillo's food. His creations draw inspiration from central Texas, so when that sweet scent of California white oak gets going, find yourself transported on a riotous journey, starting with slices of glistening brisket.

Horn Barbecue (San Francisco)

Arrive early to this local sensation from pitmaster Matt Horn as there is bound to be a wait. It's well worth your time though, as the chef's "West Coast Barbecue" complete with inspiration is nothing less than rich, delicious and decadent.

iTalico (Palo Alto)

The menu here is concise and well-edited, but there are some winning dishes. Start things off right with the salumi and cheese extravaganza before moving on to carpaccio, burrata or tonno crudo.

Jiang Nan Spring (Los Angeles)

This spot's Shanghainese focus makes it a valuable addition to the San Gabriel Valley. Sweet vinegars and fresh seafood figure prominently, most apparent in plates like an irresistible platter of tilapia fried in a tempura-like batter flavored with seaweed.

Kazan (Los Angeles)

The name is Japanese for "volcano" and conveniently, this soba-focused spot blows the lid off its competitors. The menu offers many a choice, including a vegetarian option, but the #7 (lamb in lava) is a clear winner.

Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen (Orange County)

Originally from Pakistan, chef Imran Ali Mookhi displays a certain deftness with spices, flavors, and in his handling of red meat at this South Asian gem.

Khom Loi (Sonoma)

Extensive travel throughout Thailand has informed and inspired this team to bring a taste of Chiang Mai to Sebastopol. This is food that is spiced and seasoned with little hesitation and fresh and electric at the same time.

Konbi (Los Angeles)

Konbi is the brainchild of chefs Nick Montgomery and Akira Akuto, who present a unique menu of Japanese sandwiches, product-focused small plates and Proustian pastries.

La Azteca (Los Angeles)

This modest counter-service operation has been serving hefty burritos from East LA for many years now. Flour tortillas are made in-house every day in full view of the dining room and boast a kind of richness and chew that others don't.

Loquita (Santa Barbara)

Servers know the menu by heart, so follow their lead and start with tapas like crusty pan con tomate, before digging into hearty chorizo y pollo paella. An homage to the El Bulli olive is a contemporary signature, while carpaccio garnished with pickled mustard seeds and aged sherry vinegar is forever popular.

Los Carnalitos (San Francisco)

The two brothers behind this operation, which started as a wildly popular food truck, present delicacies like huaraches and quesadilla de huitlacoche that rarely appear on other menus in town. Here, quesadillas are made from house-made tortillas, so try the one filled with squash blossom, queso fresco and tomatillo salsa.

Luscious Dumplings (Los Angeles)

It's hard to order poorly at this delightful retreat. The menu is concise, with half of the items dedicated to the eponymous specialty.

Mentone (Central Coast)

The carte is unusual, unveiling fried sardines with Meyer lemon aioli or white bean soup with chickpeas in a prosciutto broth. Pizzas take the cake, such as the "Pesto" shimmering with fromage blanc, Crescenza, and caciocavallo, or "Sardenaira" with tomato sauce, anchovies and olives.

Morning Glory (San Diego)

It's strictly breakfast and brunch at this spot in San Diego's Little Italy. It's all about familiar favorites and of-the-moment meals; hello, avocado toast and shakshuka.

New Dumpling (San Francisco)

It is all in the name at this vivacious and cheery spot where dumplings are the star of the show. Watch them being made in the open kitchen, then consult the chalkboard for featured menu items.

Nixtaco (Sacramento)

This unassuming taqueria, tucked into a strip mall in Roseville, is a sweet little spot that packs big flavor punch. The salsa bar alonefeaturing five outstanding varieties, including a smoky peanut chipotle and tangy salsa verdeis reason enough to warrant a visit.

Oliver's Osteria Mare e Monti (Orange County)

Set just minutes from the Pacific Coast Highway, this Italian gem makes a delightful sight. Chef Erik De Marchi's menu has something for everyone. He takes a range of familiar dishes and enhances them with an authentic flair.

Pho 79 (Orange County)

If you are no stranger to the slurp, then Pho 79 is likely already on your circuit. After all, this place is an institution. Opened in the early 80s, it's widely considered to ladle some of the best and most praiseworthy pho in Southern California.

Range Life (San Francisco)

Tuck into appealing bites like fig toast with a drizzle of olive oil and salt, or delicately fried yellow squash and green tomatoes over toasted pumpkin seeds and basil aioli.

Routier (San Francisco)

Belinda Leong and Michel Suas have long been recognized as Bay Area pastry royalty, so naturally, this foray into sit-down dining is a treat. To sweeten the pot even further, they tapped JP Carmona, formerly chef de cuisine at Manresa, to lead the kitchen.

Spinning Bones (San Francisco)

On the quaint island of Alameda comes this causal concept from restaurateurs, Mike Yakura and Danny Sterling. Billing itself as a Californian rotisserie, the menu is also strewn with Hawaiian and Japanese accents.

Taqueria El Paisa (San Francisco)

This Oakland institution is widely hailed as the temple of tacos. Meat is given the starring role here, and offal, including tripe and cabeza, are of special note.

Tacos Oscar (San Francisco)

The menu is scrawled in chalk, and while it's simpletacos and tostadasit changes often. Meat, such as the braised pork shoulder topped with an avo-tomatillo salsa and chicharrones, is a staple; but clever vegan versions, like the charred broccoli with soy-cashew cheese, give animal proteins a run for their money.

Tony's Seafood (San Francisco)

Under the ownership of Hog Island Oyster Co., the restaurant offers a casual but seriously delicious foray into ace seafood that's been caught or harvested in local waters.

Top Hatters Kitchen (San Francisco)

Husband-and-wife co-owners Matthew Beavers and DanVy Vu opted to honor this fixture's former life as a family-owned hat shop by keeping the name. Chef Vu leads the kitchen, and her skillful contemporary combination of Vietnamese and Californian flavors is tantalizing.

Tumbi (Santa Monica)

Just a block from the bustle of the Santa Monica Promenade, Tumbi feels worlds away, offering inventive Indian cooking in an industrial-chic setting.

Um.ma (San Francisco)

The menu is peppered with Korean classics and served family-style, and it's as small and inviting as it gets. Transcendent kimchi jjigae arrives bubbling hot with soft tofu, tender pork belly, tangy cabbage and a hearty broth.

Valley (Sonoma)

The affordable wine list is a veritable call to adventure, highlighting organic and biodynamic favorites from California and beyond. The kitchen serves items such as soft-boiled eggs finished with a savory XO sauce and duck breast tortillas served with house-made hoisin that is best in class.

WoodSpoon (Los Angeles)

It's clear that hospitality runs through the veins of chef and owner, Natalia Pereira, who originally hails from Brazil. The cozy dining room is lined with framed photographs and wine bottles. The chef's careful and skilled hand is also evident in her food, which tastes of pure passion.

Yue Huang (Sacramento)

This Cantonese restaurant is a hidden treasure. The dim sum selection features the standard array of steamed, baked and fried delights; however, diners are bound to also run across a range of more interesting items.

The entire Bib Gourmand selection will be available on the MICHELIN Guide iOS and Android app on Tuesday, Sept. 28, when the Star selection is announced. Download the app to explore all the Michelin-rated restaurants across the globe and book the world's most unique and exciting hotels. App users can also create and share their own restaurant and hotel wish lists.

About Michelin North America

Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to enhancing its customers' mobility, and sustainably; designing and distributing the most innovative tires, services and solutions for its customers' needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries. Headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, Michelin North America has approximately 23,000 employees and operates 34 production facilities in the United States and Canada. (michelinman.com)

SOURCE Michelin North America

Related Links

https://www.michelinmedia.com


LAS VEGAS, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) today announced the fifth annual Southern Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit will take place on November 4 at the UNLV Greenspun Hall Auditorium with a simultaneous live webcast for virtual attendance.

Summit 2021, also sponsored by the UNLV Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, will bring together community sector leaders and youth with lived experience of homelessness in a day-long forum designed to harness new understandings and approaches emerging during the global pandemic and through racial justice developments to refine and adapt the strategies outlined in the Southern Nevada Plan to End Youth Homelessness.

"Through the tremendous challenges our community has faced during the past year and a half, we've found unexpected opportunities to re-think how to better serve vulnerable youth," said Arash Ghafoori, CEO, NPHY. "As service providers and community leaders become more creative in tackling new problems, innovative solutions are coming to the forefront. We have a huge opportunity to evolve the Movement to End Youth Homelessness to better serve vulnerable youth, and Summit 2021 will begin that process."

Summit 2021 plans include:

A featured panel discussion to identify new resources and promising practices for solving the youth homelessness crisis, including Nevada Assemblyman Howard Watts ; Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones ; Chris James , state coordinator for education services for youth experiencing homelessness at the Nevada Department of Education; Tim Burch , Clark County Administrator of Human Services; Christina Vela , Chief Executive Director, St. Jude's Ranch for Children; and Theresa Butler , outreach coordinator for Young Adults in Charge (YAC). Robert Ulmer , Ph.D., dean of the University Nevada Las Vegas Greenspun College of Urban Affairs will moderate.

An update on the Movement to End Youth Homelessness from NPHY

An educational and thought-provoking performance by young leaders with lived experience of homelessness

An interactive community input session to outline new priorities for the Movement

The Southern Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit was established in 2017 to address the region's severe youth homelessness crisis. For years, Las Vegas/Clark County has ranked in the top major metropolitan areas with the largest numbers of unaccompanied homeless children and youth, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nevada also has had one of the highest rates of unsheltered homeless children and youth living alone on the streets, with the overwhelming majority of these youth located in Southern Nevada.

In 2018, the community came together at the second annual Summit to introduce the first-ever Southern Nevada Plan to End Youth Homelessness, outlining solutions for sustainable change. While the Plan achieved numerous successes in its initial years, recent events have both necessitated adjustments and revealed new opportunities to address the current environment and risk factors for youth homelessness.

"Truly solving this crisis and creating a safety net for vulnerable youth will take every organization  public and private  as well as all citizens working together to ensure no young person has to face a lack of shelter or the resources they need to grow and flourish," said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs at Sands. "We challenge the community to get involved in one of our region's most critical issues."

Summit 2021 will follow safety protocols for in-person attendance at UNLV, including requiring attendees to wear face coverings, and a livestream will provide a virtual option for attendance. To register for the in-person and virtual options or for more information, attendees can visit nphy.org/summit21.

About Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY)

For the past 20 years, NPHY has been the most comprehensive service provider for the thousands of homeless youth in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through our core programs and touching the lives of thousands more through outreach each year. NPHY's programs stabilize homeless teens' lives, meeting their immediate needs and providing a safe, supportive environment and a path to self-sufficiency. Through our work with homeless youth, NPHY creates productive, healthy adults who contribute to society. Strengthening and complementing our high-quality direct services for homeless youth, NPHY is dedicated to advocating with and for the Vegas Valley's homeless youth population and serves as a leader in systems-level efforts to eliminate homelessness among Nevada's youth. For more information or to support our life-changing work for homeless youth, please visit www.nphy.org.

About Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS)

Las Vegas Sands is the world's preeminent developer and operator of world-class Integrated Resorts. We deliver unrivaled economic benefits to the communities in which we operate.

Sands created the meetings, incentives, convention and exhibition (MICE)-based Integrated Resort. Our industry-leading Integrated Resorts provide substantial contributions to our host communities including growth in leisure and business tourism, sustained job creation and ongoing financial opportunities for local small and medium-sized businesses.

Our properties include The Venetian Resort and Sands Expo in Las Vegas, and the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Through majority ownership in Sands China Ltd. , we have developed the largest portfolio of properties on the Cotai Strip in Macao, including The Venetian Macao , The Plaza and Four Seasons Hotel Macao , The Londoner Macao and The Parisian Macao , as well as the Sands Macao on the Macao Peninsula.

Sands is dedicated to being a good corporate citizen, anchored by the core tenets of serving people, planet and communities. We deliver a great working environment for our team members worldwide, drive social impact through the Sands Cares community engagement and charitable giving program and lead in environmental performance through the award-winning Sands ECO360 global sustainability program. To learn more, please visit www.sands.com .

Contacts:

Lanette Rivera Kristin Koca Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth Las Vegas Sands [email protected] [email protected] 702-969-2196 702-414-3218

SOURCE Las Vegas Sands
One of the nation's most respected charities, The Salvation Army, established a National Agency Search Committee earlier this year, composed of leaders from its four U.S. Territorial headquarters, National Headquarters, and National Advisory Board to ensure its resources would be efficiently and effectively used to reach and engage audiences.

With a goal of forging deeper relationships with the American public, The Salvation Army evaluated multiple agencies through a strenuous process over several months, culminating in the decision to award LERMA/ the contract.

"The Salvation Army has a responsibility to the people we serve, and those who trust us to serve on their behalf, to do everything within our power to meet suffering humanity," said Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder, National Commander for The Salvation Army. "That includes choosing high-caliber partners who can efficiently utilize resources to meet the mission. LERMA/ proved itself at every turn to be the most capable partner with unrivaled cultural intelligence, and we look forward to a partnership that will expand The Salvation Army's ability to meet human needs in every ZIP code of the United States."

LERMA/ is a minority-owned, full-service agency that provides creative, paid media, planning/strategy, social media, and production services; and partners with a team of analytics experts, public relations specialists, and digital relationship marketing professionals to provide multifaceted expertise.

"We believe the more we understand the lived experiences of those we are reaching out to, the better chance we have of striking a chord with them in an emotional and personal way," said Pedro Lerma, owner of LERMA/. "The Salvation Army represents the good that exists in all of us, and we are honored to play a small role in helping this amazing organization serve more people during this historic time in our country."

In addition to demonstrated industry expertise, The Salvation Army admired LERMA/'s omnicultural mindset and multilingual capabilities as they align with the organization's desire to more effectively partner with audiences of diverse backgrounds, passions, and beliefs.

Learn more about ways The Salvation Army is serving individuals and families in need at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army annually helps more than 30 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction, and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,600 centers of operation around the country. In the first-ever listing of "America's Favorite Charities" by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the country's largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood.

About Lerma/

LERMA/ is a full-service branding and creative agency dedicated to channeling creativity for good. Based in Dallas, LERMA/ was founded by Pedro Lerma with an emphasis on omniculturalism and a belief that they can affect culture positively by reflecting the culture of the world around us. Current clients include Avocados From Mexico, Anheuser Busch - InBev, Keurig-Dr Pepper, Ocean Spray, and The Home Depot.

About SelectResources International

SelectResources International (SRI) is a management consulting company that specializes in helping marketers find and optimize their marketing communications resources. Established nearly 30 years ago, SRI is the premier strategic search consulting firm in the country, having managed and completed over 600+ reviews and projects involving over $30+ billion in media billings. In addition to agency search, SRI's work encompasses compensation consulting, agency model consulting, and client/agency relationship management consulting and training. SRI clients have included 65 of the top 200 largest advertisers in North America. (Source: AdAge)

Media Contact: Joseph Cohen

(703) 299-5551

[email protected]

SOURCE The Salvation Army
HILLSBORO, Ore., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced the Thermo Scientific NanoDrop Eight UV-Vis Microvolume Spectrophotometer, a robust, easy-to-use spectrophotometer that replaces the NanoDrop 8000. It allows molecular biologists to measure the concentrations and purity of their biological samples, identify and correct for contaminants, and differentiate between DNA and RNA. The NanoDrop Eight also enables users to adhere to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Title 21 CFR Part 11, which governs the security of electronic records and signatures to ensure they are trustworthy substitutes for paper records and handwritten signatures.

Thermo Scientific NanoDrop Eight UV-Vis Microvolume Spectrophotometer Thermo Scientific NanoDrop Eight UV-Vis Microvolume Spectrophotometer

The NanoDrop Eight simultaneously evaluates eight samples in 20 seconds or less, enabling academic and industrial researchers to analyze protein and nucleic acid samples more quickly and efficiently than was previously possible with the NanoDrop 8000. The instrument can also measure high-concentration samples of up to 200 absorbance units without dilution, saving users the time-consuming, error-prone task of diluting their samples.

"As we celebrate our 20-year anniversary of NanoDrop instruments, we are proud to give molecular biologists the unique combination of sample quantity and quality assessment, and measurement speed they need to analyze the concentration and purity of their samples," said Jim Metzger, general manager and senior director at Thermo Fisher. "With the NanoDrop Eight, today's high-volume labs, like those in pharma or agricultural genetics, can dramatically increase throughput while helping to avoid the costly downstream experimental failures that result from undetected contaminants early on in the process."

The NanoDrop Eight is built with Thermo Scientific Acclaro Sample Intelligence Technology software, which uses powerful algorithms to find and correct sample contamination. When combined with new Thermo Scientific SciVault software, the spectrophotometer can be used in compliance with U.S. FDA Title 21 CFR Part 11.

To learn more about NanoDrop Eight, visit: https://ter.li/xvzmh5.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of approximately $35 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 90,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com .

Media Contact Information:

Laura Glass

Thermo Fisher Scientific

+1 (971) 330-8955

[email protected]

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

Related Links

https://www.thermofisher.com/

http://www.thermofisher.com


Thirstie, the first to market with a white-label e-commerce solution for beverage alcohol brands, arms its brand partners with robust consumer data capabilities. Unlike marketplaces, Thirstie's platform enables brands to own their consumer data. For the first time, alcohol brands are able to fully understand and effectively market to their end customers.

Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights reports will focus on aggregated data compiled through analyzed purchasing patterns of U.S. consumers across Thirstie's hundreds of branded digital storefronts.

"We have seen the tremendous impact data has on individual brands and their growth," said Thirstie's CEO & Co-Founder, Devaraj Southworth. "While each Thirstie brand's consumer data is specific to them, we want to provide a holistic view of the trends we are seeing in regard to online consumer behaviors across each category. As a data intelligence company, our goal is to help paint a clear picture for brands throughout the industry to understand and connect with consumers in a more efficient way."

Thirstie is launching its data insights series with an in-depth analysis of the tequila and mezcal category. The report findings are compiled from over 1,000 consumers across the U.S. from Aug. 2020 - Aug. 2021 who purchased Tequila and/or Mezcal through Thirstie's proprietary platform.

Key learnings from Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights: Tequila & Mezcal include:

The Typical Online Tequila/Mezcal Shopper May Not Be Who You Think It Is: Single young to mid-aged urbanites are a smaller share than both single young to mid-aged suburban and wealthy suburban small family consumers. High Income Parents Like To Buy Premium Alcohol Online: Wealthy small families have a significantly higher average checkout value and buy slightly more items than any other consumer group. Though this consumer group typically has a strong preference for luxury offline shopping, Tequila and Mezcal suppliers should not overlook them in their e-commerce digital marketing strategy. Single Suburban Buyers Have More Diverse Tastes: While single suburban buyers purchase more premium products (28.5%) they purchase significantly more value products (14.5%) compared to the category average of 5.6%. Gift Giving Is Most Popular Among Single Urbanites: Tequila and Mezcal producers have fueled e-commerce sales through gift-giving, particularly among single young to mid-age urban consumers. This group makes up 27.66% of gift-giving purchases for the category, which is significantly higher than the average 17.36% across all consumer groups.

For the full report, visit thirstie.com/datainsights

This report was compiled by Thirstie Data Intelligence who analyzed purchasing patterns of over 1,000 consumers of legal drinking age who purchased Tequila and/or Mezcal across the U.S. through Thirstie powered branded storefronts from Aug. 2020 - Aug. 2021. For complete report methodology, please contact [email protected]

About Thirstie

Thirstie, a New York based e-commerce company, is the leading e-commerce and data solutions provider for Beverage Alcohol brands, founded by Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin in 2014. Thirstie helps brands to power consumer online transactions within an industry three-tier system complaint platform through a proprietary platform and expansive retail network. The Thirstie platform also provides brands with transparency into all data, consumer insights analytics and ROI to improve performance marketing. For more information about Thirstie, please visit www.thirstie.com.

SOURCE Thirstie
Thomas', with the support of well-known local partners including Washington State Parks Foundation and Friends of Lake Sammamish Park in Seattle, Washington and the Forest Park Conservancy in Portland, Oregon, will encourage residents to do their part in keeping our public lands clean and supporting the Nooks & Crannies pockets of local treasured trails that have sustained the community during these critical times.

The partnership is a commitment to restore and improve public lands and is part of their shared mission and dedication to supporting and protecting trails throughout the Pacific Northwest. In addition to the cleanup events, Thomas' will make a $20,000 donation to the organizations to support future expansion projects and maintain the trails for current and future residents.

On-site, volunteers will celebrate the connection between people and green space in the community while tackling a trail cleanup project including flattening reed canary grass to create new trail systems that are more accessible to hikers, families, the elderly, and wheelchairs. Additionally, volunteers will maintain and improve the ecological health of the forest by supporting diversity, environmental integrity, connectivity, and complexity while picking up trash, weeding, completing park beautifications, and more. Following the cleanup efforts, local foodie favorites Zeeks Pizza and The Daily Feast will brighten volunteers' mornings with a catered breakfast featuring Thomas' favorites.

"We are thrilled to partner with these organizations in honor of National Public Lands Day to give back to the local communities that have supported our brand for more than 140 years," said Michael Jensen, Brand Manager for Thomas'. "Our brand mission is 'Wake Up to What's Possible' and through meaningful action such as using renewable energy in our bakeries and efforts such as these trail cleanups, we're challenging everyone to imagine what's possible when our communities come together to support the environment. We're excited to help make an impact on outdoor spaces that serve such a crucial purpose!"

The Thomas' brand dates back to 1880 when Samuel Bath Thomas created his original English Muffin in New York City using a secret process that included griddle baking to create a Nooks & Crannies English Muffin. The company has since added bagels and breakfast breads, including a line of swirl breads, to its breakfast offerings. Today, Thomas' sells the #1 English Muffin and #1 grocery bagel in the U.S. For a full list of Thomas' products and where to buy them, please visit www.ThomasBreads.com .

About Bimbo Bakeries USA

Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) is a leader in the baking industry, known for its category leading brands, innovative products, freshness and quality. Our team of 20,000+ U.S. associates operates more than 50 manufacturing locations in the United States. Over 11,000 distribution routes deliver our leading brands such as Arnold, Artesano, Ball Park, Bimbo, Boboli, Brownberry, Entenmann's, Little Bites, Marinela, Mrs Baird's, Oroweat, Sara Lee, Stroehmann and Thomas'. BBU is owned by Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B de C.V., the world's largest baking company with operations in 33 countries.

About Forest Park Conservatory

The mission of the Forest Park Conservancy is to protect and restore Forest Park for future generations. We engage with and educate over 2,000 volunteers and 150 private landowners each year. Forest Park and the land surrounding it are part of a larger ecosystem (over 15,000 acres) which play a vital role in mitigating the impacts of climate change in the Portland area and provide numerous ecosystem services including cleaner air, cleaner water, carbon sequestration and significantly lowering the urban heat island effect. Our organization serves the Portland/Vancouver region and is currently focusing more specifically on ways in which to serve historically marginalized communities through our work.

About Friends of Lake Sammamish

Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting, enhancing and promoting Lake Sammamish State Park for the benefit of the community. Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park advocates for capital improvements, communicates about activities and amenities, supports habitat restoration, and brings visitors to the park year-round for special events and programming.

About Washington State Parks Foundation

Washington State Parks Foundation is dedicated to ensuring a vibrant and inclusive Washington State Parks system for generations to enjoy through engaging, expanding, and sustaining a broad base of supporters who give to, advocate for and treasure our state parks. Washington State Parks Foundation supports Park Improvement Projects, Arts in the Parks and Friends groups to make Washington State Parks a more welcoming place for all visitors.

SOURCE Bimbo Bakeries USA
PLANTATION, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TradeStation Crypto, Inc. (TradeStation Crypto), a subsidiary of TradeStation Group, Inc., announced today that residents in New Jersey and Tennessee are now eligible to apply for an account to trade cryptocurrencies. The company's low price plan eliminates fees for crypto custody, deposits and withdrawals.

"Adoption of digital assets is continuing to expand across the country, and we're thrilled to offer access to the crypto markets through the TradeStation Crypto platform in two more states," said James Putra, Vice President, Product Strategy at TradeStation Crypto. "We're continuously enhancing our crypto products and offerings and look forward to further expanding our community of traders."

TradeStation Crypto believes it is the first crypto offering that uses the true online brokerage model that self-directed traders have come to expect for other asset classes, including equities, options and futures. Unlike crypto exchanges, TradeStation Crypto aggregates multiple pools of liquidity in a consolidated market data feed combined with an intelligent order-routing system designed to give its customers better visibility and trade execution.

Now, traders in New Jersey and Tennessee and previously approved states can apply to trade crypto. Additional crypto coins and approved territories are planned to be added to TradeStation Crypto in the future. You can view the full list of U.S. states where TradeStation Crypto, Inc. is licensed or permitted to do business here.

If you're interested in trading crypto and want to get started, apply for a TradeStation Crypto account through our online account opening process. Click here for more information.

Please note that TradeStation Crypto is licensed by the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions as a money transmitter and that this license and the required surety bond do not cover the transmission of virtual currency. The Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions does not regulate virtual currency.

About TradeStation Crypto, Inc.

TradeStation Crypto is a subsidiary of TradeStation Group, Inc. that offers cryptocurrency brokerage services for self-directed online traders. For more information about the benefits and features of TradeStation Crypto, please visit www.tradestationcrypto.com.

About TradeStation Group, Inc.

For more than 30 years, the TradeStation Group companies have been pioneering leaders in the online trading industry, committed to delivering the best trading technology, brokerage services, trading education and support to individual and institutional traders. TradeStation's award-winning* trading and analysis platforms offer access to equities, options and futures trading at the major U.S. equities and options exchanges and market centers, as well as the major futures exchanges. TradeStation's clients have access to the powerful tools needed to design, test, optimize, monitor and automate custom trading strategies, and its mobile and web trading apps allow clients to take the power of the TradeStation trading experience on the go. TradeStation also provides a vast array of educational offerings to help beginning and advanced clients learn online trading and investing skills to help them meet their trading and investment objectives.

*Visit TradeStation.com/Awards for more information.

SOURCE TradeStation Crypto, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tradestationcrypto.com


BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TransMedia Group said it has signed author William Hawley whose book now is becoming a hot property after billionaire Robert Durst's recent trial and conviction on first-degree murder.

Hawley writes under the pseudonym William Steel and the book titled "Sex and the Serial Killer: My Bizarre Times with Robert Durst" written with Gary Greenberg is starting to pop in bookstores.

"Hawley is an amazing guy who wrote this book while serving an 18-year prison sentence for non-violent offences," said TransMedia CEO Tom Madden, who is himself an author with his fifth book Wordshine Man due out in November.

"Only days after his release from prison, Hawley was picked to star in a network television series now in production, but for now it's all hush-hush," said Madden, who knows a lot about television as he once was #2-ranked executive at NBC.

"Our publicity will not only show what a fascinating and talented character is Hawley, but it will reveal nefarious details and what he learned while palling around with Durst in New York City when they were both much younger and admittedly wilder," said Madden.

Hawley first met Durst when they literally ran into one another outside a fast-food joint in Manhattan in 1982, not long after the real estate scion's first wife Kathie mysteriously vanished without a trace. What began as an angry confrontation evolved into a symbiotic relationship that Hawley writes "exposed me to Durst's demented world of drug and fetish-fueled sex."

Our publicity and marketing Hawley will be direct to Hollywood as his book would make a chilling, yet fascinating film or TV series about the weird life of a man who may prove to be the wealthiest serial killer in American history," said TransMedia President Adrienne Mazzone.

"We will show how this book rips the lid off a host of shocking secrets that have never been revealed and is a quest for justice that one brave man launched under the most dangerous circumstances while he was in prison," she added.

Madden said the sought end product of this campaign will not just be just a movie or TV series, but to raise awareness of all of this villain's victims and help to hold him accountable for horrific crimes.

Media contact, Justin Baronoff 561-750-9800; [email protected].

SOURCE TransMedia Group

Related Links

www.transmediagroup.com


PARAMUS, N.J., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NS Pharma, Inc. (NS Pharma; President, Tsugio Tanaka), a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd. (Nippon Shinyaku; President, Toru Nakai), announced today an electronic poster presentation on long-term efficacy and safety data (interim analysis at 109 weeks) from the open-label extension (up to 192 weeks) of a Phase 2 study of VILTEPSO (viltolarsen) injection at the Child Neurology Society 50th Annual Meeting being held in Boston, Massachusetts from Sept 29  Oct 2.

The poster presentation will be given by Vamshi Rao, MD, from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and will be available for viewing on September 30th and October 1st. For more information, please visit the Child Neurology Society Annual Meeting website to view the program:

https://www.childneurologysociety.org/colleagues/network/cns-annual-meeting/.

About VILTEPSO (viltolarsen) injection

Prior to its approval in the U.S., VILTEPSO was granted Priority Review as well as Rare Pediatric Disease, Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designations. In March 2020, VILTEPSO was approved in Japan for the treatment of patients with DMD who are amenable to exon 53 skipping therapy. Prior to its approval in Japan, VILTEPSO was granted with the SAKIGAKE designation, Orphan Drug designation, and designation of Conditional Early Approval System.

Indication

VILTEPSO is indicated for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients who have a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene that is amenable to exon 53 skipping. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on an increase in dystrophin production in skeletal muscle observed in patients treated with VILTEPSO. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

Important Safety Information

In clinical studies, no patients experienced kidney toxicity during treatment with VILTEPSO. However, kidney toxicity from drugs like VILTEPSO may be possible. Your doctor may monitor the health of your kidneys before starting and during treatment with VILTEPSO.

Common side effects include upper respiratory tract infection, injection site reaction, cough, and fever.

About NS Pharma, Inc.

NS Pharma, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd. For more information, please visit http://www.nspharma.com. NS Pharma is a registered trademark of the Nippon Shinyaku group of companies.

Contact

U.S. Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE NS Pharma

Related Links

http://www.nspharma.com


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vision Films Inc. ("Vision") announces the VOD release on October 12 of Amazon Queen, the suspenseful feature film shot on location along the Amazon River in Brazil. From prolific National Geographic documentarian Marlin Darrah comes this unique thriller ensconced in the beauty and exotic locations along The Amazon. Incorporating Darrah's stunning documentary style cinematography, the indigenous people, and a strong message highlighting the importance and plight of the ecologic challenges in the rainforest, this film has resonated internationally and propelled the film to amass over fifty awards and wins at film festivals around the world. Darrah executive produced, directed and co-wrote the script with Rick Cullis and Richard Lasser. Executive producers include Carson Grant, Robert Nadell DVM, Michael McConnell, and Mona Pittenger.

Amazon Queen Movie Poster

Amazon Queen was shot entirely on location in Brazil, and aboard a working luxury riverboat that served as their "floating stage."

Synopsis: An idyllic Amazon riverboat cruise becomes a nightmare when thieves in search of a downed plane loaded with stolen money take over the boat. As the passengers develop a plan to escape, the jungle will make its own judgement on who survives.

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/yVFECNGg34A

The film stars Carly Diamond Stone (Beach Squad), Carson Grant (What Would You Do), Nick Dreselly Thomas, Massi Furlan (Jumanji: The Next Level), Alfonso DiLuca (Jane the Virgin), Vicky Dawson (The Prowler), Cristina Encarnacion (Waves), and Clayton Meek (Holiday Twist).

Lise Romanoff, CEO and Managing Director of Vision Films says, "The danger and mysticism of the Brazilian rainforest, in contrast to the stunning flora and fauna, serve as an amazing backdrop in our new release Amazon Queen. Hold on to your seats because audiences are in for a suspenseful and adventurous ride down the Amazon River."

Filmmaker Marlin Darrah shares, "I've produced more than a hundred documentary and travel-adventure films over four decades, in 140 countries. Amazon Queen is my second dramatic feature film and I made it in the same spirit of indie-filmmaking as my first award-winning movie, Monsoon Wife, in Cambodia. To produce and direct an adventure-thriller feature film in the Amazon had been one of my dreams and passion projects for many years. Through this film, we transport audiences into the great jungle and river so they can be entertained, yes - but also to learn more about the marvel that is the Amazon. I'm very excited to have such a respected and successful distributor as Vision Films represent my movie for sales around the world. They specialize in distributing quality independent movies and documentaries, and we couldn't be happier to have them as our partner."

Co-executive producer and actor Carson Grant adds, "Partnering with Marlin Darrah has been a rewarding experience to bring to the silver screen the panoramic beauty of the Amazon Forest, our seventh wonder of the world, and to raise public awareness of the earth's natural resources being affected by climate change and human pillage."

Amazon Queen will screen at Grauman's Chinese Theatre at 10am, Saturday October 2, as part of The Silicon Beach Film Festival and also at the historic Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro, CA on November 4-7, as part of the San Pedro International Film Festival.

Amazon Queen will be available on VOD and all major cable platforms in the US and Canada including: iTunes, Vimeo, Amazon, GooglePlay, Vudu, and Vimeo. Canadian cable providers include Rogers and Shaw.

About Vision Films

Vision Films is a leading independent sales and VOD aggregator specializing in the licensing, marketing, and distribution of over 800 feature films, documentaries, and series from some of the most prolific independent film producers in the world. Led by Lise Romanoff, Managing Director/CEO Worldwide Distribution, Vision Films releases 2-4 films a month across Theatrical, VOD, DVD, and television platforms. visionfilms.net

Media Contact

Andrea McKinnon



818-451-9442



[email protected]

SOURCE Vision Films, Inc.

Related Links

https://visionfilms.net/domestic


The JV, headquartered in Chengdu, will work closely with the aviation, transportation, and government agencies in Chengdu and other parts of mainland China to bring urban air mobility to China within the next three to five years. Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province and a significant economic, cultural, and transportation hub in Western China. It is also a key manufacturing base for Geely  one of many great synergies the JV will profit from on top of Geely's production capability and industrial distribution expertise.

At the opening ceremony, Volocopter also signed a Contract Manufacturing Agreement with Volocopter Chengdu and General Aviation Manufactory Base of Geely Technology to produce Volocopter's aircraft and parts in China. This production agreement will strategically satisfy the fast-growing demand for air taxi services after commercial launch in China.

"Geely has been a valuable partner since they became our strategic investor in 2019. Today marks another important milestone on our journey to bring affordable electric air mobility to China, the biggest single market opportunity for the UAM industry," says Florian Reuter, CEO, Volocopter. "With the joint venture company up and running and Daniel Li Donghui as the new Geely representative on our Advisory Board, we are in pole position to introduce air taxi services globally in a safe, sustainable, and practical manner."

Jing Chao, Chairman of Volocopter Chengdu, shares the same sentiment. He says, "With its establishment, Volocopter Chengdu can accelerate the deployment of air taxis and UAM business. UAM is an important part of the new aviation industry, which coincides with Aerofugia's technical route and business plan of 'new energy, vertical landing and take-off, and autonomous driving.' As an investor for both Aerofugia and Volocopter, Geely looks forward to Volocopter Chengdu realizing urban air mobility in the near future."

UAM refers to a new mode of urban transportation that uses electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to move people or goods within lower urban and suburban airspaces. It helps relieve the strain on increasingly congested city roads and allows people and goods to reach their destinations faster and safely. As the first and only eVTOL company globally to obtain Design Organisation Approval from European Union Aviation Safety Agency in 2019 and subsequently secure Production Organisation Approval in 2021, Volocopter has been leading in the UAM industry, with its family of aircraft for passengers (VoloCity and VoloConnect), and goods (VoloDrone).

In April 2021, Geely and Volocopter confirmed that they would form a joint venture to introduce the new mode of transportation to China. Both companies will jointly participate in the Zhuhai Airshow at Hall 3 from 28 September to 3 October.

About Volocopter

Volocopter is building the world's first sustainable and scalable urban air mobility business to bring affordable air taxi services to megacities worldwide. With the VoloCity, the company is developing the first fully electric "eVTOL" aircraft in certification to transport passengers safely and quietly within cities. Volocopter leads and cooperates with partners in infrastructure, operations, and air traffic management to build the ecosystem necessary to 'Bring Urban Air Mobility to Life'. Founded in 2011, Volocopter has 400 employees in offices in Bruchsal, Munich, and Singapore. The company raised a total of 322 million in equity from investors including Daimler, DB Schenker, Micron, BlackRock, and Intel Capital.

About Geely Technology Group

Geely Technology Group is an innovation-driven group, focusing on R&D of technology and new business mode. After all these years, the group has built a diversified business portfolio, including New Material Technology, New Energy Technology, General Aviation, Commercial Aerospace, and Motorcycles. Currently, the Group has invested in and operates 20 subsidiaries enterprises, holds over 3000 patents, and employs nearly 30,000 employees.

About Aerofugia

Established in September 2020, AEROFUGIA is a technology company engaged in UAVs, IoT platforms and innovative services. It is the practitioner of general aviation strategy of Geely Technology Group as well as a provider of environmentally-friendly crossover integrated solution for new application of general aviation.

SOURCE Volocopter
The Innovation Lab in Silicon Valley has allowed the two companies to collaborate on solutions that support the transformation towards more sustainable transport systems. AMPLY provided valuable insights into the infrastructure barriers and common challenges that deter fleet operators from switching to electric vehicles. In turn, AMPLY gleaned valuable knowledge surrounding the needs of heavy-duty truck fleets and tailored some of its solutions specifically for these types of operations.

Through ongoing collaboration, AMPLY Power and Volvo Trucks North America are now working on bi-coastal projects with two heavy-duty electric truck fleets. A notable customer that the two companies are working with is Manhattan Beer Distributors , one of the largest beverage distributors in the country and based in New York City.

"The goal of the Innovation Lab is to create a pathway where Volvo Group and start-ups can co-create and jointly validate new digital solutions and business propositions with Volvo Group stakeholders and customers," said Fredy Daza, director of the Innovation Lab at Volvo Group Connected Solutions. "The Manhattan Beer Distributors project is a real-world example of how Volvo Group is accelerating advanced transportation solutions by collaborating with startups in the Silicon Valley ecosystem."

"We are pleased to have AMPLY Power managing the charging operations for our new electric trucks and ensuring our deployment of EVs is seamless and cost-effective," said Juan Corcino, senior director of fleet operations & sustainability for Manhattan Beer Distributors. "As a leader in sustainable transportation for New York, we have long focused on minimizing the environmental footprint of our operations, and AMPLY's charge management services help us further these goals cost-effectively."

The Manhattan Beer deployment includes five Class 8 Volvo VNR Electric models operating on distribution routes with heavy payloads and return-to-base operations. The trucks have a range of 150 miles and a battery capacity of 264 kWh, needing approximately 70 minutes to reach 80 percent charge. Further collaborations will be planned and announced as AMPLY and Volvo Trucks continue to deploy more electric vehicles.

"Readiness of infrastructure deployment and seamless transition from diesel to electric is essential for a customer's business transformations towards zero emissions," added Roopa Shenoy, director of total offer for electromobility at Volvo Trucks North America. "Leveraging expertise in energy management systems as well as making sure the total cost of operation is prioritized with a charging solution, AMPLY is able to offer a comprehensive solution in the electrification journey. We are looking forward to learning from these early deployments and continuously adapting and evolving our total offer of electromobility solutions."

With its full-scale charge management system, AMPLY helps fleet operators like Manhattan Beer Distributors manage their energy infrastructure and charging needs for their electric vehicle operations. AMPLY covers everything from site design for efficient energization and movement of vehicles in the depot to software and hardware that communicates with the grid and manages loads to automatically charge vehicles when prices are lowest, or power is cleanest. To manage the charging operations, AMPLY deploys its OMEGA software platform to charge vehicles based on the fleet's priorities, provides real-time alerts to help guarantee uptime and delivers detailed Scope 2 emissions reporting.

"We are honored to be working with Volvo Trucks, as their leadership has truly pushed the heavy-duty trucking space forward into electric," said Vic Shao, CEO and founder of AMPLY Power. "For these distribution truck fleets, uptime is mission-critical, and heavy payloads have to be guaranteed. As such, we are focused on optimizing charging operations so that fleets experience the shortest charging times at the lowest cost possible."

The collaboration with Volvo Trucks comes on the heels of AMPLY Power's partnership with environmental non-profit WattTime to provide customers with access to emission reductions data and the ability to automatically charge when greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generating plants are low. The company also recently unveiled a new project with Red Hook Terminals in which AMPLY will manage the charging for ten electric yard tractors at its container terminal in Port Newark, New Jersey, representing the single largest deployment of zero-emission battery-electric trucks in the eastern United States.

About AMPLY Power

AMPLY Power is a comprehensive electric vehicle charging and energy management provider for fleets operating trucks, buses, vans and light-duty vehicles. Our intelligent charge management software, OMEGA, optimizes charging for lowest cost energy, while offering improved resilience and reliability, all in a user-friendly dashboard. Paired with our Charging-as-a-Service model, our vehicle and charger agnostic approach allows us to handle all the details of charging a fleet's EVs, guaranteeing performance and dramatically reducing upfront capital. To learn more about AMPLY, please visit www.amplypower.com or LinkedIn and follow @AMPLYpower on Twitter.

About Volvo Trucks

Volvo Trucks North America, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, is one of the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturers in North America. Its Uptime Services commitment is delivered by a network of nearly 400 authorized dealers across North America and the 24/7 Volvo Trucks Uptime Center. Every Volvo truck is assembled in the Volvo Trucks New River Valley manufacturing facility in Dublin, Virginia, which meets the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standard for quality, 14001 standard for environmental care and holds a dual ISO 50001/Superior Energy Performance certification at the platinum level, indicating a sustained excellence in energy management. Volvo Trucks North America provides complete transport solutions for its customers, offering a full range of diesel, alternative-fuel and all-electric vehicles, and is part of the Volvo Trucks global organization.

Volvo Trucks provides complete transport solutions for professional and demanding customers, offering a full range of medium to heavy duty trucks. Customer support is secured via a global network of dealers with 2,300 service points in more than 130 countries. Volvo trucks are assembled in 13 countries across the globe. In 2020 approximately 94,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Volvo Trucks work is based on the core values of quality, safety and environmental care.

About Manhattan Beer Distributors

Over the past 40 years, Manhattan Beer Distributors has strived to become the premier full-service beverage company in Metro New York. Our mission is to assist you in best serving your customers.

We promise to provide you with a diverse portfolio of profitable products, sold by a highly trained sales staff, and delivered on demand by a dedicated delivery force.

It is this commitment to customer service that has enabled us to remain one of the best-established and most respected distribution companies.

Media Contact for AMPLY Power:

Technica Communications for AMPLY Power

Lisa Ann Pinkerton

[email protected]

SOURCE AMPLY Power

Related Links

https://www.amplypower.com/


BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- While most schools halted in-person learning during the 2020-2021 academic year due to COVID-19, the Care Counts laundry program by Whirlpool brand continued to be a resource for students with the help of school leaders and community volunteers. As a result, nearly 90 percent of participating high-risk elementary school students1 enrolled in the program were reported by teachers to feel connected to their school during the 2020-2021 school year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-2021 academic year brought on significant challenges, including how the program would operate when in-person learning shifted to virtual classrooms. In order to help students who depend on the Care Counts laundry program, Whirlpool brand with support from Teach For America, worked with participating schools to find additional ways to ensure students had access to clean clothes, such as providing additional laundry pairs to a local firehouse and day care center when Summit Academy in Brooklyn could not open their doors to it's students. In analyzing the most recent data from the 2020-2021 school year:

A total of 177 students/families participated in the Care Counts laundry program and were in regular contact with their school during the 2020-2021 school year  an average of nearly 15 students per school, which compared similarly to pre-pandemic enrollment.

Nearly 64 percent of participating high-risk elementary school students2 were not chronically absent following the Care Counts laundry program by Whirlpool implementation, despite the challenges of remote learning and the stressors of the pandemic.

"We're incredibly thankful for the school leaders and volunteers who went above and beyond to keep the program operational in many regions despite the challenges," said Laura Fletty, Communications Manager for Whirlpool brand. "It's humbling to know that the program continued to help the school community stay connected and that students across many regions were still able to experience the benefit of access to clean clothes."

Now in its sixth year, the program has expanded to 134 schools in 36 states across the country and is providing access to clean clothes to thousands of students. The Care Counts laundry program by Whirlpool brand has expanded its presence to 16 new schools across five new states in the 2021-2022 school year: Idaho, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma and South Carolina. It will continue to work with schools that are participating in a second year of the program in five regions: Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Kentucky and Massachusetts.

In addition to the program's introduction into the five new states, Whirlpool brand recently announced an arrangementwith Benton Harbor Area Schools to bring the program to the company's hometown. A first in the history of the Care Counts laundry program, students in every school within a district (Pre-K through high school) will now have access to the resource.

"Expanding the Care Counts laundry program to the entire Benton Harbor Area School District was incredibly important for Whirlpool brand," said Fletty. "We wanted to continue our commitment of providing access to clean clothes to all of the students living here in Benton Harbor and to see how the laundry program can impact our own community."

The Care Counts laundry program by Whirlpool brand is designed to remove one small but important barrier to attendance - access to clean clothes - by installing washers and dryers in select schools nationwide. Since its inception in 2015, the program has contributed to decreases in chronic absenteeism, and increases in attendance rates, grades and engagement levels among participating at-risk students.

To learn more about the Care Counts Laundry Program by Whirlpool brand, visit https://www.whirlpool.com/care-counts

About Whirlpool Brand

For more than one hundred years, Whirlpool brand has been inspired by how people care for their families. Whirlpool brand is designing home appliances that are focused on improving how families give and get the care they need with the latest technologies and innovations  whether that means flexible refrigerator storage for all types of family needs, induction technology for efficient cooking and easier cleaning, or laundry pairs that sense and adapt to clothes with the latest in connected technologies. Whirlpool brand created and continues outpacing goals of its Care Counts Laundry Program, through which the brand is committed to helping create educational equality by installing washers and dryers in schools to help remove one small but important barrier to attendance  access to clean clothes. Whirlpool brand is part of Whirlpool Corporation, a leading appliance manufacturer committed to being the best global kitchen and laundry company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. For more information on Whirlpool, please visit whirlpool.com/everydaycare or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/whirlpoolusa or Twitter at @WhirlpoolUSA . Additional information about the company can be found at whirlpoolcorp.com .

1High-risk elementary school students is defined as elementary students at risk of missing 10% or more days of school during a reporting period

2High-risk elementary school students is defined as elementary students at risk of missing 10% or more days of school during a reporting period

SOURCE Whirlpool Brand

Related Links

http://www.whirlpool.com


SEATTLE, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WineBid, the world's very first and largest online wine auction marketplace, proudly celebrates its 25th anniversary this year in the autumn of 2021. With twenty-five years of innovating in the wine re-commerce market, WineBid continues to expand with new team members with experience in both fine wine and ecommerce, and extends its long-standing commitment to authenticity, quality, trust, innovation, and a mission to help everyone, everywhere share great experiences through wine.

Founded in 1996 by Chuck Parsons, a wine and auto racing enthusiast, WineBid began in a garage with two employees and Parson's 10,000-bottle collection of wine. Fortuitous timing matched the rise of internet commerce that saw Amazon and eBay founded at the same moment, and WineBid immediately attracted a dedicated clientele.

As the company grew, Parsons moved WineBid from his Chicago garage to Napa, California where its growth took off near the turn of the millennia. WineBid recruited experienced auction professionals and expanded to Hong Kong and Sydney, Australia. In 1999, WineBid partnered with the Napa Valley Wine Auction to help raise millions for charity and created the first online wine futures marketplace featuring top Napa Valley wines.

Today, WineBid is among the top wine auction companies in the world, with the broadest ranges of sellers and wines, and the most online bidders of any platform. Its success is built on a commitment to implementing new technologies to make the selling and buying experience both seamless and enjoyable for clients. For private individuals wishing to sell wine, WineBid has created the largest global online audience and buyer base of wine enthusiasts who bid weekly on wines with an individual bottle value of up to and over $10,000.

For these "sellers with cellars," WineBid also offers the most comprehensive and up to date wine cellar valuation information, the most convenient concierge logistics services, and the fastest time to market and time to cash. For buyers, WineBid has led with authenticity and trust, including the most detailed condition inspection notes and provenance descriptions, and the most high-resolution photos and 360 BottleShots for most wines on the site. WineBid originated the idea of weekly wine auctions and continues to introduce new auction gamification features like Overtime Bidding. Beyond the auction functionality itself, the company has continued to innovate around the end-to-end experience, including highly customizable online cellar valuation tools, as well as some of the most advanced storage and shipping functionality in the wine business.

"Over the past 25 years, WineBid has continually set the standard for online wine auctions, and created processes and technologies for inspection, authentication and pricing now imitated in other luxury re-commerce marketplaces," notes WineBid CEO Russ Mann. "The next 25 years will be equally eventful and rewarding for wine collectors and enthusiasts globally, as WineBid supports and promotes both an increasing diversity of wines coming to market, an even broader and more diverse base of customers seeking those products, and even more convenient, engaging, and fun buying and winning experiences."

Now headquartered in Seattle and owned by Third Leaf Partners, a global beverage and luxury hospitality investment company, WineBid continues to pursue its mission with weekly online auctions of 5,000+ wines, a French Direct import program, and a growing team of account managers working with consignors across the country and globe.

Contact:

Tess Roche at [email protected]

SOURCE WineBid

Related Links

https://www.winebid.com/


X2O OneRoom v2.4 addresses the increasing demand for hybrid collaboration and training for enterprise and learning institutions. The comprehensive release introduces essential integration with leading Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) systems, and features an enhanced experience for remote participants, virtual room capability, language localization, additional analytics and in-room camera tracking.

OneRoom is designed to create an immersive real-time meeting, collaboration, and learning environment. OneRoom offers many distinguishing features to help organizations improve teamwork, training of their hybrid workforce and, for learning institutions to remove geographic limitations and improve access to education for their student body. With its breadth of applications, the next generation X2O OneRoom offers the flexibility to apply the technology for use as a meeting room, classroom, training room, executive room or other unique collaborative use cases.

"Global events of the past year and a half have accelerated the demand for OneRoom collaboration technology. This release amplifies X2O Media's commitment to enhance the OneRoom experience for corporate and higher education customers. Compared to traditional videoconferencing, OneRoom offers many distinguishing features, and we continue to align the technology to offer a location-agnostic, human, immersive approach to learning, meeting, training, and decision making. Early adopting sectors such as aviation, higher education, food manufacturing, private equity and health care have quickly found value and greatly improved the learning experiences for their employees, executives and students," said Mansour Brek, President of X2O Media.

"Travel these days, especially international travel, is an ordeal, and companies globally are looking for solutions that ease this pain and optimize their employees' valuable time," said Chris Riegel, CEO of the STRATACACHE family of companies. "We've seen with our clients as well as our own use, that the OneRoom solution reduces risk, downtime, cost and disruption of travel while increasing efficiency. In short, it's making the new way of business and remote learning easier."

X2O Media will be showcasing OneRoom as well as innovative visual communications solutions in booth #Q64 at UC Expo 2021, being held October 6-7 in London, UK.

For more information about the new X2O OneRoom features in version 2.4 click here.

About X2O Media

X2O Media provides unified visual communication and collaboration solutions for higher education and corporations across the globe. The award-winning X2O Platform represents a new category of communication tools that improves how enterprises and learning institutions engage with their employees and students. X2O OneRoom collaboration technology has been installed worldwide at many learning institutions and corporations. X2O Media is part of the STRATACACHE family of digital media/marketing technology companies and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. For information, contact X2O Media at [email protected] and follow X2O Media updates on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About STRATACACHE

STRATACACHE provides scalable customer experiences, empowering retailers to learn deeply about their customers' shopping preferences and behaviors, allowing for personalized shopper interaction. Our solutions deliver consumer activation at the point-of-decision, generating new sales opportunities and enhanced retail profitability. With 3.3 million+ software activations globally, we power the biggest digital networks for the world's largest brands. Across the STRATACACHE family of complementary digital media/ad tech solution companies, we have the technology, expertise and track record to bring retail innovation that delivers results. Learn more about the STRATACACHE family at https://www.stratacache.com/en/ on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE X2O Media
United Nations, Sep 22 : US President Joe Biden has said in a speech at the UN that the US is opening a new chapter of diplomacy after ending the two-decade Afghan war.

"We've ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan, and as we close this era of relentless war, we're opening a new era of relentless diplomacy," Biden said on Tuesday in his first address to the UN General Assembly.

The US military completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan in late August under Biden's order, ending the longest war in American history.

The president pointed out the US military power "must be our tool of last resort, not our first," and should not be used as an answer for every global problem, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed through the force of arms. Bombs and bullets cannot defend against Covid-19 or its future variants," he added.

"To fight this pandemic, we need a collective act of science and political will." Biden said the US will "compete vigorously" with other major powers while emphasising it is not "seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs." "The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges, even if we have intense disagreements in other areas," he continued. "Because we'll all suffer the consequences of our failure if we do not come together to address the urgent threats like Covid-19 and climate change or enduring threats like nuclear proliferation." Biden said that Washington will remain to engage with Tehran diplomatically and seek a mutual return to the Iran nuclear deal. The US seeks "serious and sustained diplomacy" to pursue the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

He also reaffirmed both US security commitment to Israel and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Biden's debut at the UN General Assembly came after controversial foreign policy decisions without sufficient consultations with allies, including the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and a diplomatic rift with France over a submarine deal with Australia.

Under a new security partnership unveiled last Wednesday between Australia, the UK and the US, known as AUKUS, Australia will build nuclear-powered submarines with the US and the UK technology.

Australia then announced it would scrap the deal with France signed in 2016 to purchase 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines.

Outraged by the abrupt move without notice, France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia for consultations on Friday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday in New York that the trilateral move between the US, the UK and Australia represents a "crisis of trust" between allies that requires explanations.
New York, Sep 22 : When Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits down on Friday with President Joe Biden and Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Scott Morrison of Australia for their in-person summit -- the first with Biden -- they will face a world with a new set of complexities -- but also a higher level of intent by the US to involve itself in the region.

The chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan has changed the dynamics in the region giving China an edge because of its adoption of the Taliban while raising doubts for the allies about their reliance on the US.

Former British Prime Minister Teresa May asked in Parliament, "What does it say about NATO, if we are entirely dependent on a unilateral decision by the US?" The European Union (EU) also is stepping up its involvement in the Indo-Pacific, but independent of the US.

But Biden has shifted his priorities to the Indo-Pacific where a direct confrontation with China is building up and, in fact, he cited that as a rationale for pulling out of Afghanistan.

He is continuing on the path to expanding the role of the Quad beyond just security matters, a goal the leaders set when they held a virtual summit in March.

Giving a reassurance about the commitment to the group, he said at the UN on Tuesday, "We elevated the Quad partnership among Australia, India, Japan and the United States to take on challenges ranging from health security to climate to emerging technologies, engaging with regional institutions." In another indication of the commitment, Australia, the United Kingdom and the US announced a security pact, AUKUS, that could impact the Indo-Pacific region.

He has offered Australia nuclear-powered submarines that would make its navy more effective in facing threats from China.

But at the same time, it set off a diplomatic spat with France, whose contract to sell diesel submarines to Australia was scuttled.

The EU, which had been somewhat ambivalent about the strong policy that Biden has co-opted from the strategic arsenal of former President Donald Trump, is also showing renewed interest in the Indo-Pacific with plans of its own.

The EU unveiled its ow Indo-Pacific plan last week to "explore ways to ensure enhanced naval deployments by its member states in the region".

Somewhat similar to Biden's own goals for the Quad, it would seek to increase the EU's role in the areas of health, environment, technology and security.

The Quad summit in March agreed to provide a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to countries in the region, help with emergency preparedness, cooperate on technologies and work to ameliorate the impact of climate change.

The US and Britain appeared to take note of the development.

After a bilateral meeting between Biden and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a White House readout said, "The leaders also discussed our ongoing work on Afghanistan, as well as developments in the Indo-Pacific and the critical role of European allies and partners, including NATO and the EU, in the region.aA There has been a flurry of diplomacy between France and India in the last few days at which the Indo-Pacific figured.

After a phone conversation with Modi on Tuesday, France President Emmanuel Macron sent out an effusive tweet starting out in Hindi, "Namaste priya saathi, priya mitra (Namaste dear comrade, dear friend)." The tweet said, "India and France are strongly committed to making the Indo-Pacific an area of cooperation and shared values. We will continue to build on this." External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrian had a phone conversation last week and met in New York on Monday.

Jaishanker tweeted after the meeting that the Indo-Pacific figured in their talk.

India, which is one of the biggest customers for French defence industry, could see an involvement a" perhaps as a bridge a" in the EU initiative on the Indo-Pacific.

(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
United Nations, Sep 22 : Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again raised the Kashmir issue at the United Nations, but his statement was milder compared to those he made the previous two years.

"We maintain stand in favour of solving the ongoing problem in Kashmir for 74 years through dialogue between the parties and within the framework of relevant United Nations resolutions," he said on Tuesday in his speech at the General Assembly's summit.

But last year he had described the Kashmir situation as a "burning issue" and criticised the abolition of the special status for Kashmir.

And in 2019, Erdogan had said that "despite the resolutions adopted, Kashmir is still besieged and eight million people are stuck in Kashmir," he said referring to the Indian union territory.

That year Mahathir Mohamad, who was then the Prime Minister of Malaysia joined Erdogan in bringing up Kashmir. He said in a virulent statement that India "invaded and occupied" Kashmir.

But with the change in government, Malaysia did not bring up Kashmir last year.

Reacting to Erdogan's statement in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled a scheduled visit to Turkey.

India maintains that under the Simla Agreement of 1972 between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was at that time the president of Pakistan, Kashmir is a bilateral matter and should not be internationalised.

In his speech on Tuesday, Erdogan also made a mild reference to the problems faced by the Uighur Muslim minority in China.

"Within China's territorial integrity perspective, we do believe more effort need to be displayed regarding the basic rights of Muslim Uighur Turks," he said.

Members of the Uighur minority are being placed in camps and face restrictions on practicing their religion and their culture and language overwhelmed by China's majority.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)
New York, Sep 22 : As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not the head of state like President Joe Biden, but the head of government, his equivalent in protocol is Vice President Kamala Harris, who is partly of Indian origin, and she will be the formal host.

He is scheduled to meet with her on Friday.

Harris has had a tense relationship with Modi's administration after criticising External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in 2019 for refusing to meet with the House Foreign Affairs Committee of Pramila Jayapal, an Indian-origin member of the House Representatives, who was not a member of the panel included in the meeting.

Jayapal had introduced a resolution criticising India over Kashmir.

"It's wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress what members are allowed in meetings on Capitol Hill," Harris said condescendingly at the time as if an Indian minister should not have the right to decide who he wants to meet.

She has desisted from criticism of India after becoming vice president, but her niece Meena Harris has supported the farmers' agitation and attacked the Indian government.

Although Harris had spoken to several world leaders soon after becoming vice president, she had a phone conversation with Modi only in June when she discussed Biden's offer to send vaccines to India from the US stockpile when it suffered a Covid surge.

Any misgivings may have healed and Modi tweeted, "I deeply appreciate the assurance of vaccine supplies to India as part of the US Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing. I also thanked her for all the support and solidarity from the US government, businesses and Indian diaspora." Modi may invite Harris to visit the homeland of her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris.

When Modi visited Washington in 2016, Biden, who was then the vice president, was the formal host.

(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
Bengaluru, Sep 22 : As many as 34 security personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) who came from Shillong in Meghalaya have tested positive for Covid-19 at the Yelahanka BSF camp here in Karnataka, sources in the health department said on Wednesday.

The authorities have quarantined 90 soldiers, who came in contact with them as a precautionary measure.

More than a 1,000 soldiers have arrived in Bengaluru for training from various states across the country. As Covid infection has been found among the troopers, the training has been cancelled, sources said.

The health department is also conducting Covid tests on all soldiers in the camp on Wednesday to ascertain the exact situation and the number of infections to initiate precautionary measures.

Sources explained that a 150-troopers-contingent had come to Bengaluru camp for training from Shillong on September 15. After three to four days, few soldiers developed symptoms of cough, cold and fever.

The authorities have conducted checks on all 150 soldiers as the North Eastern states recorded a high number of Covid infections on September 19.

Twenty soldiers are being admitted to the Devanahalli General hospital and others are quarantined at BSF Covid Care Centre, sources said.

With this development, the BSF base has become one of the major Covid clusters in Bengaluru with a large number of positive cases.

The entire BSF camp premises has been sanitized to avoid spreading of the disease, sources say.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Chennai, Sep 22 : After two successful mega vaccination drives conducted on September 12 and 19, the inoculation drive in Tamil Nadu has been hit by the shortage of vaccines.

The state did not conduct any vaccinations on Monday and Tuesday.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has already written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi apprising him of the urgent need for vaccines to the state and has requested 50 lakh vaccines a week. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has informed the Prime Minister that if the state receives a supply of 50 lakh vaccines a week, it can inoculate the entire 6.06 crore population with at least one dose of vaccine by the end of October.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Tuesday opposed the Union health minister's policy of exporting vaccines and has said that this was not correct as several states have yet to inoculate their population.

The Public health department of Tamil Nadu has already informed the state Chief Minister and the health minister that it has the capacity and infrastructure to administer 6 lakh doses of vaccines per day and that it has successfully proved that through the mega vaccination camps.

It may be noted that even after two successful mega vaccination drives, Tamil Nadu is one state that has not yet vaccinated one crore people with both doses of the jab.

According to data available from the state public health department, Tamil Nadu has vaccinated only 93.59 lakh of its eligible population with both the doses of the vaccine for a population of 6.06 crore population. This brings up a situation wherein the state has vaccinated only 15 per cent of its eligible population with both doses of the vaccine.

The state health department officials informed IANS that they are expecting an allotment of vaccines by Wednesday. The state is also expecting the allotment of 50 lakh vaccines that the Chief Minister has requested to the Prime Minister.

A senior official of the state public health department while speaking to IANS said, "If we get at least 30 lakh doses per week as against the 50 lakh requested by the Chief Minister, we would be able to inoculate the entire state by this year-end with at least one dose of the vaccine." With the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) warning on the possibilities of a third wave of the pandemic and with schools and colleges in the state open, Tamil Nadu health department does not want to take any risks.
Panaji, Sep 22 : Former owner of Club Titos, one of the top nightclubs in Goa and an aspirant for a BJP assembly election ticket for the 2022 polls, Ricardo D'Souza, wants all MLAs to take a lie detector test to prove they have not taken bribes in public life.

D'Souza, who spoke to reporters late on Tuesday, after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party's Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, also said that he stood firm by his poll promise of providing one apartment to every family in the assembly constituency of Calangute in North Goa, from where the former nightclub owner is keen on contesting.

When asked about the issue of corruption in politics, D'Souza said that all legislators should be subject to a lie detector test to prove that they were not involved in graft.

"Let the universe and God judge who has taken money. If you want (to do it) the legal way, we can bring a lie detector test. Put all the MLAs hand on the lie detector, ask them have you taken money as a bribe... Why don't they do it?" D'Souza said.

"There is technology. The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) has it (lie detectors). Get them, put them to a (lie detector test) and let us see who has robbed," D'Souza said.

D'Souza had made a splash in June this year, after he publicly announced that he was forced to sell off one of the state's most popular night clubs, Club Tito's, and other businesses in Goa, due to harassment by government officials, politicians and NGOs.

D'Souza has also had a running feud with Michael Lobo, Ports Minister sitting MLA from the prestigious Calangute assembly constituency. While both have maintained that they have friendly relations with each other, D'Souza claims that Lobo "would not win the next election".

D'Souza said that he is an aspirant for a BJP ticket in the upcoming 2022 polls, he also said that he had received offers from several other parties to contest from Calangute.

"All options are on the table. Every party has approached me. Absolutely every party. AAP (Aam Aadmi Party), Congress, NCP (Nationalist Congress Party). You must have seen my photos with various leaders. It is up to the universe to guide us all," D'Souza said.

D'Souza also stuck to a poll promise he had made to the people of Calangute recently, which involved providing one apartment to every resident of Calangute.

"My heart is in the right place. I am here to change things. I am here to give one free apartment to each and every family in Calangute. I have explained how. Slum rehabilitation in Mumbai, look at it. It is not rocket science. It can happen, it will happen if I am elected," D'Souza said.
United Nations, Sep 22 : The UN should serve as the central platform for countries to jointly safeguard universal security, share development achievements and chart the course for the future of the world, said Chinese President Xi Jinping has said.

Xi was speaking remotely at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Chinese President on Tuesday proposed a Global Development Initiative, calling for bolstering confidence and jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world as he addressed the UNGA via video, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

"We must beat COVID-19 and win this decisive fight crucial to the future of humanity," Xi said, voicing confidence that "humanity will surely overcome it and prevail".

He called for putting people and their lives first, taking a science-based approach in origins tracing, enhancing coordinated global COVID-19 response and minimizing the risk of cross-border virus transmission.

Noting that vaccination is a powerful weapon against COVID-19, Xi said "In addition to donating $100 million to COVAX, China will donate 100 million doses of vaccines to other developing countries in the course of this year." "Development holds the key to people's well-being," Xi said, making a six-pronged Global Development Initiative. "We need to increase input in development, advance on a priority basis cooperation on poverty alleviation, food security,... and accelerate implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, so as to build a global community of development with a shared future," he said.

China has pledged an additional $3 billion of international assistance in the next three years.

China will not build new coal-powered projects abroad, he said, pledging that the country will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New York, Sep 22 : During his visit to Washington starting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Quad summit convened by President Joe Biden and hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders.

The Quad summit on Friday with Prime Ministers, Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Scott Morrison of Australia, will be the first in-person summit of the leaders of the four countries that are focused on the Indo-Pacific region.

It will likely be the last for Suga, who has announced that he is stepping down from the prime ministership.

Soon after landing in Washington, Modi will participate in the Covid-19 summit that Biden has convened.

According to an administration official, the summit aims to "rally the world urgently to work towards ending this pandemic as rapidly as possible and building our systems better, to be able to handle the next pandemic." Modi is also expected to meet with business leaders.

A bilateral meeting is scheduled with Biden on Friday, at which, Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Shringla told reporters in New Delhi, they will discuss "the current regional security situation following developments in Afghanistan" and "the need to stem radicalisation, extremism, cross-border terrorism and dismantling of global terror networks".

Enhancing trade and investment, increasing defence and security cooperation, and partnering in developing clean energy will also come up in their talks, Shringla added.

This will be the first in-person meeting with Biden after he became president. They had met earlier when Biden was vice president.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will be accompanying Modi during the visit.

Modi is also scheduled to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of part Indian-origin.

Bilateral meetings are also expected between him, and Suga and Morrisson.

Modi will be in New York on Saturday to address the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

(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
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 22 : The death of a 12-year-old child in Kerala from Nipah virus, has prompted People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India to urge Kerala's minister for animal husbandry and dairy development, J. Chinchrani, to close down pig farms in the state to prevent further spread of the infection and a potential epidemic.

PETA India's request to Kerala on Tuesday, comes within two months of the group installing a warning billboard in Delhi about the meat industry's link to the spread of bird flu. In Delhi, an 11-year-old boy had succumbed to complications from H5N1 bird flu, an infection with a 60 per cent mortality rate, in July.

"The crowded animal farms of the meat industry create hotspots for zoonotic diseases. These killer facilities need to be shut down immediately and permanently, before they cost more lives," said PETA India Vegan Foods and Nutrition Specialist Dr Kiran Ahuja.

The World Organization for Animal Health warns, Nipah virus is highly contagious in pigs and has devastating zoonotic potential, meaning that it can infect humans from other animals, PETA India noted.

Numerous zoonotic diseases, including the Nipah virus, which has an estimated fatality rate of 40 per cent to 75 per cent in humans, prove that crowding animals together for rearing or slaughter allows diseases to spread among them and to humans easily." PETA India's letter to the minister states while urging the Kerala government to shut down pig farms to preempt a potential pandemic.
Colombo, Sep 22 : Sri Lankan scientists have warned that 99,000 metric tonnes of organic fertiliser stock to the tune of $63 million from China would be agriculture disaster as they contained harmful micro-organism.

Preliminary tests conducted on the samples of organic fertilizer ready to be imported to Sri Lanka have been found to be infected with Erwinia, a notorious plant pathogen that causes severe post harvest losses in crops.

"Erwinia is identified as a severe plant pathogen that can have major effect on agriculture. It also affects root crops that are economically important and are grown in large amounts. Effect of this pathogen could be found even during the post harvest," said Devika de Costa Professor of Plant protection attached to the University Peradeniya.

Sri Lanka suddenly stopped importing chemical fertilizer and urged farmers to convert to organic fertilizer. However, the ban was also a result of forex shortages and lack of dollar reserves for imports.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa recently appointed a Presidential Task Force to prepare a roadmap for the complete transition from Chemical farming to organic farming.

However, government was forced to provide fertilizer for the farmers as the rice planting Maha season starts in September. Agriculture Ministry had selected China's Qingdao Seawin Biottech Group Co, Ltd to be the supplier of organic fertilizer and two samples were brought to the country and tested by the Sri Lanka Standard Institutions and National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) and Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board. They were found to have contained harmful micro organisms, pathogens and diseases harmful to the soil, plants and humans.

Activists on farmers' rights too have complained that harmful species of bacteria were contained in the fertilizer samples that were to be imported. "None of the laws have been followed when importing these samples. Did the fertiliser have safety certificate, questioned, Anuradha Tennakone, Chairman of the National Agrarian Unity. He also said that pressure has been exerted on the Sri Lankan Standard Institute to change their finding.

The organisation warned that the alleged organic fertiliser imported from China would cause much more damage than the chemical fertilizer.

Prof Chandima Wijegunawardana, Sri Lankan lecturer attached to Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh said that China is the latest country that joined the team which wants to change the genetics of the country. "Ideologically if this so called organic fertiliser dumps here Sri Lankans could be genetically changed," she warned.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka's opposition Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or People's Liberation Front charged that China's urban waste is going to be dumped in the island-nation as organic fertiliser.

The party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake complained that awarding to the China was questionable and there had been undue attempts to somehow award this tender to the Chinese company.

"We warned that it was China's waste that is going to be brought to Sri Lanka. It was a massive disaster that was to be done. A great loss has been caused to the farmers," he said.

Early this year the political party alleged that the government was banning chemical fertiliser to import so-called organic fertilizer from China which could be harmful to Sri Lanka's agriculture.
Patna, Sep 22 : Bihar is returning to the clutches of Covid-19 as its Gopalganj district reported three deaths last 3 days, an official said.

All three deceased were Covid positive and died due to low oxygen levels.

Two of the deceased, who were residents of Gopalganj Sadar area, were admitted to the hospital on Monday. The doctors are unable to control the oxygen level of their bodies. They finally died on Tuesday evening.

Another woman of the district was also admitted in Sadar hospital. As her oxygen level was also down, the doctors of Sadar hospital referred her to Gorakhpur medical college but she died on the way.

Nawal Kishore Chaudhary, the district magistrate of Gopalganj said that three Corona cases were also detected in the district. They were directed for home isolation.

"The district administration has completed all arrangements to fight with Coronavirus in the district. We have appealed to people of the district to follow the guideline pertaining to Covid-19 and take adequate precautions to avoid infection," Chaudhary said.

The medical experts are suspecting that the third wave of Coronavirus is likely to start from the third or fourth week of September this year and its indications are surfacing in some of the districts of North Bihar.

Besides Gopalganj, 73 positive cases appeared in Madhubani district till Tuesday evening including 30 passengers who came from New Delhi on Swatantrata Senani Express train on Monday.

The Corona positive cases expected to go higher in coming festive seasons with migrant people of Bihar set to return in the months of October and November to celebrate Dusshahara, Diwali and Chatth Puja.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chandigarh, Sep 22 : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has asked senior farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal to keep the farmers' agitation above politics. It requested him to take concrete action against hooligans who had targeted Akali workers proceeding to Delhi to participate in the party's march to Parliament.

Senior SAD leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra, Maheshinder Grewal and Daljit Cheema on Tuesday said it was most unfortunate that even after admitting that some wrong elements wanted to defame the 'kisan sangharsh', Rajewal had neither secured an unconditional apology from those guilty of hooliganism nor subjected them to the process of law.

Chandumajra and Grewal also took objection to Rajewal's statement that only SAD legislators and MPs should have gone to protest in Delhi.

"We fail to understand what objection he has to a protest by thousands of people. Earlier also thousands of farmers marched to Parliament which sent out a message of unity and strength attracting worldwide attention," they said.

Asserting that they held Rajewal in high esteem, the SAD leaders said, "Rajewal, however, should not lower his dignity by making political statements. We are ready to debate political issues separately and the kisan forum should not be used for the same." Cheema rebutted the assertion of Rajewal that SAD was defaming the 'kisan andolan' by releasing videos. "In fact, the videos showing Akali leaders and even women being abused, intimidated and even robbed besides the damage done to their vehicles have been posted by the perpetrators and not the victims." He said it was unfortunate that Rajewal had chosen to politicize the issue and also paint SAD, which had resigned from the Union ministry and even quit the NDA, in poor light.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 22 : Union Women and Child Welfare Minister Smriti Irani, on her visit to Jammu and Kashmir said that the people of the union territory have great faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government is eager to fulfill the promises made to the people.

Smriti Irani is on a two-day visit to Budgam as part of the Central Government's Special Initiative for the Union Territory of Kashmir.

Smriti Irani said, "Everyone I met today has faith in Prime Minister Modi and we are eager to fulfill the promises made by the central government to the people of Jammu and Kashmir." The Union Minister said that 31,000 smartphones have been distributed to 28,000 Anganwadi centres operating in Jammu and Kashmir and around Rs 9 crore has been given as monetary relief to eligible women and children in the Union Territory under the Poshan Abhiyan scheme.

She appreciated and thanked the efforts of the district administration for the measures taken to provide their services despite the challenging circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During her visit, Smriti Irani also laid the foundation stone for upgradation of 10 km road from Budgam-Mamat-Handjan to be constructed by NABARD at a cost of Rs 5.85 crore.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Jaipur, Sep 22 : Anand Giri, a disciple of Narendra Giri, who has been accused by the seer in his 7-page suicide note, is a native of Rajasthan's Bhilwara district, who left his home at the age of 13.

His father Rameshwar Chotiya still resides in a small home in village Sareri here. He said that Anand was a name given to him later.

"We have named him Ashok. 25 years back, he left home without informing anyone. He was a Class 7 student at that time. We tried searching for him and after a few years, someone informed us that he is in Haridwar.

"We tried searching for him in Haridwar too and traced him in Narendra Giri's ashram. We spoke to the latter, Narendra Giri then brought Anand along with him to our village in 2012. He was given Diksha here in the presence of family members." Anand Giri's father said that the duo stayed here for an hour and then did not come back. However, Anand Giri came here during his mother's demise five months back.

The family denied the claims that Anand Giri ever sent them any money.

Anand Giri is the youngest of the siblings. Two elder brothers are in Surat and are scrap dealers, mother has died five months back and his father is engaged in farming while one brother runs a vegetable cart. The three-brother family has an ancestral house where they all are staying.

The villagers, meanwhile, consider him as an icon and said that Anand Giri has a cool and composed nature and he could not engage in any crime.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, Sep 22 : The BJP government in Karnataka, under fire from all corners, especially from Hindu outfits on the issue of temple demolition, finally passed a law in the state Assembly to put a break to temple demolition drive in the state.

The proposed Karnataka Religious Structures (Protection) Bill 2021 was passed amid heated debate between both ruling BJP and opposition Congress on Tuesday.

The proposed enactment 'Karnataka Religious Structures (Protection) Bill-2021' aims to stop demolition of religious structures in the state in the backdrop of the Supreme Court order.

The enactment states that whatever may be the legal provisions of laws and irrespective of orders or guidelines by courts, jurisprudence and authorities, from the date of implementation of the 'Karnataka Religious Structures Protection Act -2021', the government will protect religious centres in accordance with the stipulated guidelines.

The process of vacating, shifting and demolishing religious centres that have come up on public properties will be stopped once the act is implemented after it is presented and passed in the Legislative Council.

Opposition leader Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP brought the law after facing heat from the Hindu Jagaran Vedike and Hindu Mahasabha.

He further alleged that after getting the temple demolished in Mysuru, the BJP is bringing a new law for reconstruction. Former minister and Congress MLA U.T. Khader chided that the students are going to read in textbooks that the BJP has demolished the temples like invaders did in India.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, from 2010 to 2019 as many as 161 temples, masjids and dargahs have been demolished in Mysuru. "If you fix responsibility on ruling BJP for the demolition of a temple in Mysuru, who will you hold responsible for these demolitions," he questioned the opposition. "Words are dangerous, we should use them carefully over sensitive issues," he said.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswamy said, mistakes have happened all the time and the legislation is being brought to ensure protection for religious structures in future.

The new bill is aimed at protecting unauthorized places of worship that have come up in the state and facing the threat of demolition in the backdrop of the Supreme Court order.

The bill assures protection to all religious centres including temples, churches, mosques and other major religious constructions that have come up on the public property without permission.
Los Angeles, Sep 22 : Actor Willie Garson, who is known for playing Stanford Blatch in "Sex and the City" and Mozzie on "White Collar", passed away aged 57.

A family member of Garson's family confirmed his death. A cause of death has not been disclosed, reports variety.com.

In the popular "Sex and the City" series, Garson portrayed talent agent Stanford, the witty and stylish best male friend of Carrie Bradshaw played by Sarah Jessica Parker.

He reprised the role in the franchise's films, 'Sex and the City' and 'Sex and the City 2', and had recently been filming upcoming revival series "And Just Like That." "The 'Sex and the City' family has lost one of its own. Our amazing Willie Garson," Michael Patrick King, the executive producer of 'Sex and the City' and' 'And Just Like That', said in a statement.

Patrick King added: "His spirit and his dedication to his craft was present every day filming 'And Just Like That.' He was there giving us his all even while he was sick. His multitude of gifts as an actor and person will be missed by everyone. In this sad, dark moment we are comforted by our memory of his joy and light." Mario Cantone, Garson's on-screen partner on "Sex and the City", paid tribute to his friend on Twitter.

"I couldn't have had a more brilliant TV partner. I'm devastated and just overwhelmed with Sadness. Taken away from all of us way soon. You were a gift from the gods. Rest my sweet friend. I love you," he wrote.

"Willie Garson was in life, as on screen, a devoted friend and a bright light for everyone in his universe," reads a statement from HBO/HBO Max.

The statement further read: "He created one of the most beloved characters from the HBO pantheon and was a member of our family for nearly twenty-five years. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones." Apart from "Sex and the City," Garson co-starred as cunning conman Mozzie on USA NetworkaAs "White Collar" from 2009 to 2014.

Garson was also known for playing the friendly doorman Ralph in the 2005 rom-com "Little Manhattan," Gerald Hirsch in the "Hawaii Five-0" reboot from 2015 to 2020, and Henry Coffield on "NYPD Blue" in 1993.

Born William Garson Paszamant in Highland Park, N.J., Garson studied theater at Wesleyan University and received a Master of Fine Arts from Yale School of Drama. After graduating, Garson began to book small roles on some of the most popular television series of the day, including "Cheers", "Family Ties" and "L.A. Law".

His other early television appearances included "Boy Meets World," "The X-Files," "Friends," 'Twin Peaks," "Melrose Place," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Ally McBeal." More recently, Garson has held roles on "Two and a Half Men," "Hot in Cleveland," "Stargate SG-1a and "Pushing Daisies." He also dipped his toes in directing, having helmed episodes of "White Collar" and 'Girl Meets World' for Disney Channel, in which he also guest starred.

Most recently, Garson lent his voice to Netflix's "Big Mouth" and had a recurring role on "Supergirl" from 2019 to 2020. Garson's upcoming projects included "And Just Like That" and the series "Duke of the Valley."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Sep 22 : Healthy buying support along with expectations of positive cues from China rose India's key stock indices during the morning trade session on Wednesday.

Accordingly, both key indices - S&P BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty50 -- rose on hopes that Evergrande debt default may be avoided in the near term.

Besides, market observers, said the up move comes on the back of healthy buying support for media, auto and realty stocks.

Sector wise, banking stocks traded lower.

At around 11.10 a.m., S&P BSE Sensex traded at 59,086.95 points, higher by 81.68 points or 0.14 per cent from its previous close.

Similarly, NSE Nifty50 inched up. It rose to 17,579.65 points, higher by 17.65 points or 0.10 per cent from its previous close.

"Expectations that Evergrande debt default may be avoided for the near term, has improved sentiments," said Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities.

"Advance decline ratio is sharply positive. Markets need to maintain this firmness and 'A/D' ratio during the day to sustain confidence of traders or investors and see expansion in volumes." According to Gaurav Garg, Head of Research, CapitalVia Global Research: "Our research suggests that 17,450-17,500 will be an important support zone for the market to stay positive in the short term." "If the market sustains above this level, we can witness further higher levels of 17,850-17,900."
Chennai, Sep 22 : District collectors of the nine districts that are going to rural local body polls on October 6 and 9 will form flying squads led by an officer, not below the rank of an executive magistrate in Tamil Nadu.

This is following a directive of the Tamil Nadu State election commission to enforce a strict election code of conduct.

An official release on Wednesday said that the squads will constitute executive magistrates in the rank of tehsildars and revenue divisional officers. Police personnel would also be in the flying squads.

The election commission has directed the district collectors that these squads must function 24 hours or round the clock monitoring in all the booths and constituencies. Three squads with 8-hour duty will be deployed in a flying squad unit and information has been passed on to all the tehsildars and revenue divisional officers to be prepared to be part of the flying squads.

The responsibility of these flying squads will be to check and act on complaints being lodged from the constituencies regarding violation of code of conduct, intimidation, violence, supply of money, provisions, liquor, etc., to influence the voters.

The flying squads will have the authority to seize a person or a party cadre carrying a sum of Rs 50,000 or more as also any election-related material like banners or posters worth Rs 10,000 above is carried, the release said, The squads can immediately take action against the offenders who are caught with liquor or drugs and weapons in their procession.

An executive magistrate, who will be part of a squad in Chengalpattu district, told IANS, "The flying squad will definitely monitor all the anti-social activities that take place during the run-up to the elections and will take immediate action. A tehsildar in the rank of an executive magistrate is in the squad precisely for taking action. We expect to curtail election-related violence and money and liquor distribution."
Kathmandu, Sep 22 : Nepals Sher Bahadur Deuba government on Tuesday decided to recall 12 ambassadors previously appointed by the K.P. Sharma Oli government, including Ambassador Nilamber Acharya from India.

A cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening decided to recall 12 ambassadors from India, China, US, UK and others.

Oli had appointed former minister Acharya as Nepal's ambassador to New Delhi.

Rest of the ambassadors appointed from diplomatic service will continue their jobs, said Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki.

It is said that ambassadors who were recalled on Tuesday were given three weeks to one month time for return.

It is said that process of appointment of ambassadors in 23 nations that have been lying vacant will begin soon. Ambassadors in 11 countries were already lying vacant for a long time.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : An international freedom advocacy group and research organisation has found Pakistan among top 10 countries in the world where Internet freedom has been on the decline and raised concerns over the rules proposed by the country that could further damage cyber liberty, Dawn reported.

In its latest report titled "Freedom on the Net 2021: The Global Drive to Control Big Tech", the Washington-based Freedom House came up with details of cyber freedom in different countries around the world and ranked Pakistan seventh among "abusers of Internet freedom".

Weighing different indicators of Internet freedom, the advocacy group gave reasons and facts which led to its ranking. Discussing data sovereignty as an excuse for surveillance, it cited examples of different countries and highlighted the situation in Pakistan where the government has recently introduced new regulation for Internet users and service providers, the report said.

"In some cases, such data localisation requirements have been introduced in the context of content regulation," said the report. "Pakistan's proposed Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, the latest version of which was published in November 2020, outline requirements for social media companies to establish one or more data servers in the country." The report expressed concern over the proposed regulation in the country which, it said, would lead to negative impact on social media companies and also the users. "Pakistan's proposed rules have raised alarms about their impact on end-to-end encryption. The draft requires social media companies and service providers with more than 500,000 users to hand over personal data in a decrypted and readable format when requested by the Federal Investigation Agency," it added.

In its key findings, the Freedom House said global Internet freedom had declined for the 11th consecutive year. The greatest deteriorations, it added, were documented in Myanmar, Belarus and Uganda, where state forces launched crackdown amid electoral and constitutional crises.

Myanmar's 14-point score decline is the largest registered since the Freedom on the Net project began.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The World Health Organisation on Wednesday appreciated India's decision to export the vaccines under Vaccine Maitri to COVAX.

The Director-General of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that it is an important development in support of reaching the 40 per cent vaccination target in all countries by the end of this year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General has thanked Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for resuming shipments of vaccines against the Covid-19 to the global platform COVAX from October.

Health Minister on Monday had announced that India will resume the vaccine export to the global platform COVAX starting from October. He said, only excess supplies would qualify for export. "We will help other countries and fulfil our responsibility towards COVAX," he said on Monday.

Terming the decision an important development, the WHO Director said on social media, "Thank you Health Minister @mansukhmandviya for announcing #India will resume crucial #COVID19 vaccine shipments to #COVAX in October. This is an important development in support of reaching the 40 per cent vaccination target in all countries by the end of the year".

India stopped vaccine exports in the last week of April amid second Covid surge to jab its own population. However, prior to the export ban, India had either sold or donated 66 million doses to nearly 100 countries.

While announcing to resume the vaccine exports under Vaccine Maitri program, the minister Mandaviya said that the surplus supply of vaccines will be used to fulfill the commitment towards the world for the collective fight against Covid-19.

COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO. While talking about the production of the vaccine in coming months, Mandaviya said that more than 30 crore doses will be produced in October and more than 100 crores in the coming quarter vaccines will be produced.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, Sep 22 : The Tamil Nadu government will train about 18,000 youths from the rural areas with skills to become welders, plumbers, electricians, pottery makers, tailors, and such life-sustaining skills.

Youths will be drawn from 1,000 village panchayats of 23 districts for admission to these skill development courses. This was announced by the state rural development ministry through a statement on Tuesday.

Training will also be offered to youths in animal husbandry and agriculture sectors. The youths would be trained in testing waters for the Ph value of the field, using bio-fertilizers as also the usage of pesticides.

The rural development ministry will also extend support to self-help groups mostly comprising women.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has announced several welfare schemes to benefit 26,531 people that include housing facilities under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana and related schemes.

It also includes schemes under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) that will be used to construct roads and bridges in the rural areas to improve connectivity.

Tamil Nadu state Panchayat and Rural development minister, K.R. Periakaruppan while speaking to IANS said, "We are announcing welfare schemes aimed at the rural youths and for providing housing for all. The DMK government is implementing the promises that it had made to the people of the state and these announcements are part of our commitment towards the people of Tamil Nadu."
Kathmandu, Sep 22 : Veteran Nepali Congress leader Narayan Khadka has been appointed as country's Foreign Minister. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has appointed Khadka as new Foreign Minister on Wednesday morning, Deuba's private secretariat has confirmed.

As per the recommendation of Prime Minister Deuba, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has appointed Khadka as a minister and handed over the responsibility of Foreign Ministry, a statement issued by the President Office reads.

The former minister and head of party's foreign department chief, Khadka will take oath of office and secrecy later in the afternoon with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari. After taking the oath, Khadka will leave for New York on Wednesday evening leading the Nepali delegation to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

It has been over two months that Deuba has been struggling to expand his cabinet due to dispute inside the ruling coalition.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : A criminal may adopt different ways to get a job done or commit a crime.

A unique case has come to the light where a thief after snatching a chain or a mobile phone used to shout "Chor-Chor" and "pakdo-pakdo" to give an impression that he was chasing the culprit.

The notorious lone wolf snatcher identified as Harish, resident of Sangam Vihar, used to work as a Chef at the 5-Star Oberoi hotel near the Indira Gandhi International Airport, here.

The police informed that Harish was a sharp-minded person of small height with slim built, and used to run like a trained athlete. Using these qualities, he became a notorious and desperate snatcher.

There were several reports of snatching incidents especially near Saket Metro Station and adjoining park, Ambedkar Nagar bus stand on MB Road after which a team of Special Staff South District was formed to nab the offender.

The team worked for a long and hectic period of more than a month during which it scrutinized hundreds of CCTV footages, analyzed the timing and areas of incidents to nab the culprit. Finally, the team got some vital clues through technical surveillance and manual inputs.

The police then laid a trap in front of City Forest Gate, Near SDM Office, MB Road.

"At about 07.25 p.m., the accused Harish, having slim physique, was coming from the side of the Sainik Farm Gate No 2. The team acted smartly and cordoned the criminal," an official said.

Finding himself under a trap, the criminal took out his country-made pistol, however, the cops overpowered him and snatched the firearm from his hand. On unloading the country-made pistol, a live round of .32 bore was recovered. After a proper search, a chain was also recovered from his possession.

The police have registered an FIR under relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Indian Penal Code. "Investigation is still under progress and a number of chain and mobile snatching cases are likely to be solved," the police added.
September 22 : Kareena Kapoor Khan had a grand birthday celebration on Tuesday in Maldives, where she is currently vacationing with husband Saif Ali Khan, and sons Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan.

Kareena took to her Instagram handle today, and shared a stunning picture from her 41st birthday celebrations on Tuesday. In the picture, the birthday girl can be seen carrying Jeh and walking behind Saif and Taimur on the beach. In the background, the flaming words Happy Birthday can be seen amid the waves and the sunset. Sharing the picture, the Laal Singh Chaddha actress wrote, Keep the fire burning birthday promise to myself, she wrote, followed by a heart emoji.

Image Source: Instagram/kareenakapoorkhan Kareena Kapoor shares pic with Saif Ali Khan, Taimur and Jeh

While Kareena did not reveal the beach destination where she is vacationing with her family, but Saifs sister, Soha Ali Khan let it out. Happy birthday @kareenakapoorkhan May you continue to shine as brightly as the Maldivian sun you are currently basking in!! Lots of love, Soha wrote in her birthday post for her sister-in-law.

On Tuesday, several of her Bollywood friends and colleagues wished the actress. Today, the actress shared a note on her Instagram stories, and thanked all for their good wishes on her birthday. Overwhelmed... Thank you to each and every one of you for all the love. Tried to respond to everyone... Sorry if I missed anyone. Its been an amazing day, Kareena wrote.

Kareena shared a romantic picture with Saif on her birthday. The Good Newwz actress shared a photo in which she featured with Saif Ali Khan. The couple pose together with the sea in the background, as Saif wrapped his arm around her.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Kareena will be next seen in Laal Singh Chaddha along with Aamir Khan. The film is an official remake of Tom Hanks Forrest Gump. Also starring Naga Chaitanya and Mona Singh, the film is scheduled for Christmas release this year. Kareena has turned a producer and has signed a new film with Hansal Mehta, and will co-produce the venture with Ekta Kapoor. The Good Newwz actress has also released her book Kareena Kapoor Khan's Pregnancy Bible, after welcoming her second baby, Jeh in February this year.
Mumbai, Sep 22 : Sayani Gupta, Bani J, Kaneez Surka, Ayush Mehra, Yashaswini and Anwesh Sahoo will be part of the second edition of series 'Dating These Days'. The series will be launched on September 28 on Bumble's YouTube channel.

From honest and open conversations around how the pandemic has changed our approach to sex and intimacy, how to deal with our exes, to pop culture and Bollywood's influence on romance and relationships in Bumble's second edition of 'Dating These Days' series is aimed at helping Gen Z and millennials in India to navigate barriers and challenges in dating.

Speaking on her partnership with Bumble on the series, Sayani Gupta said, "I love Bumble and what it stands for. It's a reminder that women can make the first move in all aspects of their lives. It's a great place to find love, friends, and potential colleagues." 'The Four More Shots!' actors and friends Sayani and Bani will be in conversation with each other in the series.

"Bani and I have been friends for a few years now but despite that, we tend to not speak about our love lives to each other but we got to do just that on 'Dating These Days' while getting to know one another too!" said Sayani.

"I absolutely love the work that Bumble engages in, I've collaborated with them in the past as well. The fact that Bumble is all about encouraging women to make the first move as we see fit and according to our timeline as opposed to somebody else's is something I deeply resonate with. Couldn't be any more excited about Dating These Days!," said Bani.

Talking about sex positivity, stand-up comedian Kaneez Surka said, "I'm really glad that I got this opportunity to work with Bumble for 'Dating These Days'. For someone who comes from a background that didn't see sexual experiences in a positive light, it was definitely the most refreshing conversation that I've had. It has made me understand that I can also be positive about my experiences." Speaking on the importance of educating the society on the queer community, Mr. Gay World India and blogger Anwesh Sahoo, said, "I'm a femme-identifying gay man with androgynous gender expression. This will be a great opportunity for us to educate a lot of people about the community and the vulnerabilities that queer individuals go through in this country." 'Dear Zindagi' actress Yashaswini shared, "It almost felt like a sign from the universe because a lot of things that I've spoken about were recent discoveries with myself, and Bumble's always been the one that I've wanted to be associated with. Super thrilled to be a part of this series and I hope that somewhere, someone connects with whatever little discoveries I've made."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 22 : US-based fashion brand Fossil on Wednesday launched its latest generation wearable 'Gen 6 touchscreen smartwatch' powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ platform in the Indian market.

The new Fossil brand Gen 6 smartwatch will be available in four colorways in a 44mm case and three colorways in a 42mm case for added size options. Ranging from Rs 23,995 - Rs 24,995, the Gen 6 will be available for purchase starting September 27 onwards, online via fossil.in as well as online exclusivity partner amazon.in and offline via select retail stores.

"On our journey to consistently create an ecosystem of wearables that offer a state-of-the-art experience, the next generation of our smartwatches offers a suite of upgraded competencies. And the Gen 6 is a true testament to innovation. We are proud to introduce the new SpO2 sensor and increased battery speeds among other improved features, as we continue to raise the bar at Fossil," Johnson Verghese, Managing Director, Fossil Group, India said in a statement.

The Gen 6's charging speed is two times faster than the leading smartwatch, reaching 80 per cent in only a little more than 30 minutes of charging. This, combined with the Snapdragon Wear4100+ platform, decreased power consumption.

The smartwatch comes with Bluetooth 5.0 LE, WiFi, GPS, NFC SE, 8GB of storage and 1GB RAM.

Users will also benefit from continuous heart rate tracking, a new SpO2 sensor, speaker functionality to make and receive tethered calls.

Gen 6 will also be compatible with Google's new system update, Wear OS 3, announced earlier this year. The smartwatch will be eligible for the Wear OS 3 system update in 2022.
Amaravati, Sep 22 : Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Bonda Umamaheswara Rao on Wednesday alleged that Andhra Pradesh became a hub of drug smuggling activities under the YSRCP government in the past two and half years and urged the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), to conduct a thorough probe.

He demanded the central agency to probe the role of the state government, police and the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in drug mafia activities.

He alleged that Sudhakar, whose named figured in the Rs 9,000 crore heroin smuggling case, is a relative of a YSRCP MLA . He said Sudhakar opened his firm in Vijayawada after the YSRCP came to power.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the ruling party just trying to escape from its role in the heroin case. It was trying to divert attention by making baseless allegations against the TDP.

He wanted minister Perni Nani to explain why the tainted firm involved in the Rs 9,000 crore heroin case opened its office in Andhra Pradesh and not in other parts of the country. If the smuggling gangs hail from another state, then why did the Andhra Pradesh government and police allow them to open their operations in the state, he asked.

Bonda Uma asserted that their party would write letters and pass on all information relating to the drug mafia to the DRI officials in Delhi. There were reports that over 22 containers of heroin worth Rs 70,000 crore had already been brought to Andhra Pradesh and then distributed to other states. He alleged thatafter the YSRCP formed the government, Andhra Pradesh became a hub of sand, liquor, land, mining, render sander and tonsure hair mafia.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha, who appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday over a notice sent to the party's national secretary Pankaj Gupta, said that BJP will not be able to deter Kejriwal's cadre into submission via summons and notices.

"Have a look at the timings of these notices. It came at a time when AAP is gearing up for upcoming assembly elections in the states of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Gujarat and Goa," said Chadha while briefing media outside the ED office.

Calling the notice a "love letter", the MLA further said that it is only because of AAP's politics of sincere work that BJP is scared of.

"When AAP challenged BJP in its own 'gadh' (territory) Surat in Gujarat, it had to change its chief minister. Before that they had to change their chief ministers twice in Uttarakhand. We are confident of AAP coming to power in Punjab and Goa as it has possible only because of our hard work," he added.

Since the time AAP has formed government in Delhi, we have received a summon or notice every assessment year. How many of BJP party leaders ever been treated the same way, he asked.

On September 13, the Enforcement Directorate issued summons to Aam Aadmi Party national secretary Pankaj Gupta in a money laundering case related to the former Punjab AAP leader.

"Gupta has been asked to join the probe next week," said a senior officer with Enforcement Directorate adding that he has been summoned in a money laundering case in which Punjab former AAP MLA and Punjab Ekta Party chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira is being probed, who too is being investigated in a money laundering case.

The ED has also taken cognizance of two separate cases relating to drug trafficking and fake passport registered against Khaira.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The Olympics has always been the worlds major sporting event and history is witness that there have been many eye-openers incidents for nations to ponder on; Tokyo Olympics is not much different. For ages, China has been a closed society and nothing much was known about the internal issues and dynamics of the society. Things are changing with the advent of technology and issues related to Chinese society are coming to the front. Chinese decline in population and the insecurity associated with it is one of the issues that have raised the alarm bells in Beijing.

The backlash that has come after a Chinese adopted athlete (MacNeil) has won the gold medal for Canada has worsened the situation for CCP as it is seen as a direct impact of China's One-Child Policy. Society is experiencing an inverted population Pyramid which fewer young supporting a bulky older population. with the Gold going to Canada in butterfly swimming style experts are discussing whether the butterfly of progress has already flown away from China.

The ageing population of China is a concern on the economic front as well but its impact is not yet clear. From one lens, China could face Japanese Style decline as has been discussed in detail in an article published on merics.org with the title heading 'ageing-China-facing-Japanese-style-lost-decade' by LA Johnston. One the other hand, China's long-term preparations to shift from labor quantity to labor quality and technology as its working-age population falls, may see it cope better with population ageing than other economies home to ageing populations. There may, that is, be a long-run upside to getting old before rich, at least for economies that have had the right policies in place over time. Time will tell.

"An ageing population poses many economic challenges: rising labor scarcity in sectors and regions where labor once was bountiful; fiscal and corporate resources increasingly directed towards pensions; more human capital directed toward caring for the old. In other words, national resources are diverted away from more productive economic endeavors," Lauren Johnston is a China-focused economist attached to Adelaide university.

The latest census in China broadly confirms the trends that have been reported and broadly expected during the last decade: it gives a picture of slowing population growth, an ageing population, but also of a rapid higher education expansion and a high level of mobility and continuing urbanization. Almost two-thirds of the population (64 per cent) now live-in urban areas, up from half in 2010. Overall, the reported trends appear credible despite the delay in their reporting. However, more detailed results are still to be published and these will provide a more nuanced picture of the latest population trends, also by regions and for specific age and population groups.

China has enjoyed the unprecedented growth of the economy mainly due to the availability of cheap labour in the country owing to the large proportion of the population being work-capable, however, with the declining population the trend is changing. While the number of children is unlikely to increase much in the future, the share of the elderly is now growing rapidly and that means that population structure will no longer provide an extra advantage for economic growth. But also, structural factors, including a decline of heavy and dirty industries (especially in the North-East) and the fact that China has become a middle-income country mean that economic growth in China is likely to slow down substantially shortly. The problems related to non-contributing population or floating population is adding to the trouble of economic slow-down.

We are witnessing the rise in labour wages and production cost is already going up taking their sweatshop business to Africa etc. With a further declining young population and its impact on Low-cost production which has been the main strength of Chinese economic growth, China has to get ready for the tough decades ahead. The Cost associated with the relocation of industries to places wherein cheap labor is available and outsourcing the production is huge. Previously China was the base of all industrial growth and availed all the benefits that came along to its advantage, now the benefits are to be shared. China's BRI (Belt and Road initiative) is among one of the major outcomes of the declining population and the cost incurred for the increased connectivity to relocate the industry is substantially huge.

China is investing hugely in the automation sector which can also be viewed as a direct outcome of increased labour wages. The country is trying to strike a balance between the consistent economic growth and the labour force available by implementing automation where ever it can. However, some industries form a huge part of the Chinese economy such as the shoe industry which has already seen increased production in other countries as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc., thus drawing from the share of China. The implications of the declining population are many in addition to the psychological impact it will have on China; being no longer number 1 at the number game and with India taking over as the world's largest market China has to look into the future with a more realistic scope.

"Well, China faces increasingly demographic headwinds. It's been a big shift from what we saw a generation ago. China's working-age population is shrinking; it's a population of elderly people is exploding. China is in very steep sub replacement fertility mode, and I think it's questionable whether population policy will be able to reverse this. There's a significant gap or marriage squeeze, more young men of marriageable ages than young women because of the weird and biologically unnatural imbalance between baby boys and baby girls over the past decades. And the extended family is imploding. When one looks at all of these factors, it is going to be much more difficult for the government to maintain rapid economic growth in the future. The Chinese government realizes that it has a few options for compensating. One of them is attempting to improve educational quality. Another is to improve urbanization. But those are limited tools. And I think we can be fairly confident that the era of heroic economic growth is over in China. China's economic performance is going to look more like that of a typical middle-income country", Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt Henry Wendt is Chair in Political Economy at American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

The increased crime rates in Asia particularly the cases of human trafficking are a grave concern for the world. The problem stems from the skewed Sex ratio of the Chinese population; the Chinese population has to deal with the long-term consequences of distorted sex ratios, which are also unequally distributed by regions and will persist for many decades to come. These range from tens of millions of males who will not be able to find a female partner and marry and are more likely to suffer from loneliness, isolation, and lack of care at an older age, to a rise in trafficking, up to a lower number of births in the future (as males are overrepresented in the population of reproductive age). The impact of the skewed sex ratio and reduced fertility rates has been comprehensively studied by There have been some reports of human trafficking from BRI beneficiary countries like Pakistan, which is indicative of the prevalent situation in China.

"China still has to deal with the long-term consequences of distorted sex-ratios, which are unequally distributed by regions and will persist for many decades to come". Tomas Sobotka Research group leader (Fertility and Family and Editor, Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (Austrian Academy of Sciences).

China also faces a problem concerning educated urban women not being able to find upper educated urban men to satiate them. This is leading to an increased population of unmarried men and women in China thus adding to the population-related problems. The families which would otherwise have educated heads as parents are seeing no realization on the ground. The increased matchless singles and the desperation of the state are leading to an increased trafficking rate as has been discussed in 'The invisible hand in Asia's heirs' race 30 November 2012. Author: Lauren Johnston, Peking University. The study tries to build a realistic picture about college admissions and the stability of marriage. Comparing college admissions to the marriage market.

"Men are marrying at older ages increasing the age gap to their partner and polyandrous marriages are rising. Given the scale of China's economy, such responses to the absolute gender gap may have global ramifications". Lauren Johnston is a China-focused economist attached to Adelaide university.

Apart from the economic impacts declining population has a substantial impact on the security and politics of China. PLA is already shrinking, even though they are trying to high tech it has been observed that they don't have enough educated men who can operate the high-tech military instruments. Also, with the wages going up a lot many numbers of men aren't opting for high-risk military jobs. This is going to impact the PLA in the long run despite the technological advancements it has made. China is trying to reverse the damage it caused itself by policies like the One-child Policy by implementing a three-child policy and investing largely in the educational sector, but the results will take time and the economic slow-down is expected in near future with increased internal instability.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 22: After cutting Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Internet behemoth Tencent founder Pony Ma to size, Communist China is now clipping the wings of high-flying Will Cheng, the founder of taxi-hailing giant Didi.

Cheng, 38, is the youngest entrepreneur heading one of China's biggest tech companies.

In the nine years since Didi was founded he has created a tech giant that amassed nearly 160 million monthly active users by the first quarter of this year in China alone and taken over the operations of arch rival Uber in the country.

This is nearly double the amount of users that Uber has worldwide.

Before he founded Didi in 2012, Cheng joined Alibaba as an entry-level salesperson making the equivalent of about $200 a month and rose rapidly in seven years to become the company's youngest regional manager.

Cheng said he created Didi because he was fed up with being unable to get a taxi during a business trip, according to a profile in China's Business Times. The "pain" led him to think about how to fix the problem.

"I was thinking, how about creating a ride-hailing app, so there can be fewer poor losers that get soaked in the rain?" Cheng said, recalling a depressing experience in Beijing when he couldn't hail a cab for hours during a storm, he told the financial paper.

Cheng founded Didi with just $15,000 of his own money, and another $110,000 from Wang Gang, an angel investor who was his immediate boss at Alibaba. Wang's initial investment was worth a billion dollars when Didi went public.

Like its tech peers Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, Didi's rise has been swift and just like them it has now fallen out of favour as Communist China's strongman President Xi Jinping sees their operations leading to huge income inequalities in the country.

Didi has been facing rigorous regulatory investigation after it listed on the New York stock exchange earlier this year. This forms part of China's crackdown on private companies, especially the tech giants, who dominate the market and control big data.

Chinese authorities have accused Didi of improper collection and use of personal data of users of its service, unfair pricing mechanisms and hurting competition.

Didi is reported to have rubbed the powerful Cyberspace Administration of China the wrong way when the company went ahead with its $4.4 billion stock market debut on June 30, despite the regulator telling the company to put it on hold. A cybersecurity review of its data practices was being carried out at the time, according to a Reuters report.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The government has again extended the term of Uday Kotak as non-executive chairman of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) to maintain continuity in the resolution plan being operatives for the indebted group.

As per a notification by the department of financial services, Kotak, who is also the managing director and chief executive officer of Kotak Mahindra Bank would continue being the non-executive chairman on the board of IL&FS for another period of six months until April 2, 2022.

Kotak's tenure at IL&FS has already been given several extensions (about three since 2018) as the government believes that he will guide the company out of the current mess by completing the successful resolution of all stressed assets.

The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 prohibits a banking company to be managed by an individual who is a director of any other company. However, the provision does not apply for a temporary period not exceeding three months or such further period not exceeding nine months if allowed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The fresh six month extension for Kotak comes on the recommendations of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The apex bank had earlier also given the recommendation to continue with Kotak at the helm of IL&FS during its restructuring. Already, the IL&FS management under Kotak has resolved a substantial portion of the Rs 90,000 crore debt. The resolution strategy also involves selling several assets of IL&FS.

C.S. Rajan, MD, IL&FS said : "The IL&FS is privileged to enjoy the continued leadership of Mr Kotak for another 6 months. I am confident that under his guidance the IL&FS would accomplish the resolution targets set."
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The Congress on Wednesday attacked the government alleging that e-commerce giant Amazon paid legal fees as graft and demanded an inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the whole matter.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "the budget of law ministry is Rs 1,100 crore, so to whom the e-commerce company paid Rs 8,546 crore as legal fee in two years." He asked whether the fee was paid to change some policy to give more room to Amazon. The Congress alleged that in the last one year, about 14 crore people have lost employment -- from small shopkeepers to people working in the MSME sector and this company is paying Rs 8,546 crore in legal fees.

Surjewala questioned, "Will the prime minister raise the issue and demand from his US counterpart to open bribery investigation against Amazon?" The Congress questioned which politician and bureaucrat got the money or was this money given for changing the rules?

Surjewala asked about the inter-relation of the six companies of Amazon which paid the money. He demanded an investigation into whom they paid and why they paid.

The Congress also demanded a probe in the Adani port drug haul case and asked why the Mundra port has become a safe haven for drug smuggling.
Geneva, Sep 22 : The Delta Covid variant is the current dominant strain of the infectious virus, with its presence reported in 185 countries, as of September 21, the World Health organisation has said.

"The Delta variant now accounted for 90 per cent of the sequences submitted to GISAID with a sample collection date (between 15 June-15 September, 2021)," the global health agency said in its weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday. GISAID, which stands for Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data, is an open-access database.

"Less than one per cent each of Alpha, Beta and Gamma are currently circulating. It's really predominantly Delta around the world," Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organisation's technical lead on Covid-19, was quoted as saying during a WHO social media live interaction.

Delta "has become more fit, it is more transmissible and it is out-competing, it is replacing the other viruses that are circulating," she added.

Meanwhile, the UN health agency has revised the classification of Eta (detected in 81 countries), Iota (identified in at least 49 countries) and Kappa (spread to 57 countries) from variants of interest (VOI) to Variants Under Monitoring due to their substantial decline in the incidence worldwide.

"The VOIs Eta (B.1.525), Iota (B.1.526) and Kappa (B.1.617.1) have been reclassified as 'former VOIs'. These will now be assessed as Variants Under Monitoring," the WHO said.

"The revision reflects the rapid spread and current dominance of the Delta variant in most regions of the world," it added.

The fast-spreading delta variant infected both the unvaccinated and fully vaccinated populations in a federal prison in Texas, according to the new report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

Of the 233 incarcerated people at the prison, 185, or 79 per cent, were fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Between July and August, 172 people or 74 per cent of the federal prison's population were infected with Covid, revealed the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted protection from arrest to actor Gehana Vasisth in connection with the porn film case that has till now witnessed several arrests, including that of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra.

Advocate Ajit Wagh, representing Vasisth, contended before a bench comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and BR Gavai that the prosecution had said they need custody citing a pornography racket had to be unearthed. He added that the first FIR was based on a tip and Yasmin was caught.

Wagh contended that larger investigation going on and the police found that the petitioner was a friend of Yasmin. "Gehana has been in custody for 133 days. Charge sheet has been filed in the first FIR. Material is all the same," he said.

Three FIRs were filed against Vasisth for making pornographic content and uploading them on certain OTT platforms. She has secured bail in the two FIRs. In July, the Mumbai Police Crime branch filed the third FIR.

After hearing arguments in the matter, the top court ordered that Vasisth should not be arrested in the third FIR and she should also join the investigation whenever required.

On September 7, the Bombay High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea filed by Vasisth. She had moved the anticipatory bail application apprehending arrest in the FIR registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, which included outraging modesty of woman, sale of obscene material. Today, the top court stayed the Bombay High Court order which had rejected the anticipatory bail plea filed by her.

The case was filed after the police received a complaint claiming that Vasisth, who was allegedly the director of porn films, lured women with money to act in "obscene film videos". The woman, who had made the compliant, alleged that she was coerced to act in obscene videos for Vasisth's films, which were uploaded on a mobile application.

Businessman Raj Kundra, who is also an accused in another FIR filed in connection with the porn film case, was granted bail by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Mumbai, earlier this week.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Panaji, Sep 22 : During his visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should lobby with the United Nations (UN) for global endorsement of India-made Covid vaccines, Covaxin and Covishield, South Goa Congress MP Francisco Sardinha said on Wednesday.

"The scientists have developed these vaccines. We are proud of them, but the government has shamed them and their efforts. When the PM goes to the US, he should go to the UN and make efforts to ensure that India-made vaccines are cleared," Sardinha told a press conference in South Goa's Margao town on Wednesday.

"What is the Union Minister for External Affairs doing? This is a shame for our scientists. They have worked so hard to invent these vaccines, but they are not accepted in several countries now," Sardinha, a former Chief Minister also said.

His comments come at a time when the United Kingdom has raised issues about the vaccine certification processes followed in India.

The Prime Minister has left for the US on Wednesday on a five-day visit and is also scheduled to attend the United Nations general assembly during his tour.

Sardinha also said that the BJP-led Goa government had committed daylight robbery by insisting that not a single person died due to oxygen shortage in the coastal state during the peak of the pandemic.

"The government has committed daylight robbery, when it said not a single person died due to lack of oxygen in Goa. I want to say that if someone had died in his own home, they would have known. How many children have died, plus around 80 persons have died (due to oxygen shortage). Even the Centre has maintained that not a single person had died due to oxygen shortage when in fact thousands have died," Sardinha also said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Agartala/Aizawl, Sep 22 : Even as the Northeast is battling the Covid-19 pandemic, a few states are also witnessing an outbreak of the African Swine Fever (ASF). After Mizoram witnessed the ASF outbreak, now cases have been reported in Tripura where a large number of pigs have died in a government farm in Kanchanpur, officials said on Wednesday.

When Mizoram was severely battling with Covid-19 pandemic, the ASF since March this year has killed over 28,000 pigs in all the 11 districts of Mizoram, which shares borders with Tripura, Assam, Manipur besides Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Animal disease expert Mrinal Dutta told IANS that the outbreak of ASF in limited spheres had been reported earlier this year in most of the Northeastern states, including Assam and Meghalaya besides neighbouring countries Myanmar and Bhutan.

Tripura's Animal Resources Development Department (ARDD) Director K. Sasikumar said some samples of ASF-hit pigs tested positive in the Guwahati based North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. He said that so far 160 pigs have died at the government run Exotic Pig Breeding Farm in Kanchanpur and the ASF not yet spread in the adjoining villages due to the strict surveillance of the department officials and doctors.

"A team of veterinary doctors and experts are now camping in Kanchanpur (bordering Mizoram) and they in collaboration with the local officials and volunteers have so far culled 37 pigs and a maximum surveillance is being done to prevent the spread of the disease in the adjoining sub-divisions," Sasikumar told IANS.

He said that the infectious disease might have spread to northern Tripura's Kanchanpur from adjoining Mizoram. The official said that the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009 has been enforced in Kanchanpur subdivision and all out preventive measures have been undertaken.

"Those people who violate the provisions of the act, he or they would be punished with imprisonment and fine. Transportation and trading of pigs to and from Kanchanpur have been banned," the ARDD Director said.

In Mizoram, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary (AH & Vety) Department spokesman Hmingtea said that after the outbreak of the ASF in Mizoram in March this year so far over 28,000 pigs have died in all the 11 districts and over 11,000 pigs were culled.

The outbreak of the ASF has caused a financial loss to the tune of over Rs 230 crore so far, the official told IANS, adding that in a few of the district's the disease is under control and in some districts it is still prevailing.

He said that in mid-March, the first pig death was detected at Lungsen village in south Mizoram's Lunglei district. The villagers had reported that the pigs were imported from adjoining Bangladesh.

When the samples of the dead pigs were sent to the Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, it was confirmed that the pigs died due to ASF.

According to the officials of the AH & Vety, the ASF outbreak has been reported in at least 250 villages in all the 11 districts across the state.

According to experts, the outbreak may have been caused by pigs or pork imported from neighbouring Myanmar, Bangladesh and the adjoining state of Meghalaya.

The Northeast region's annual pork business is worth around Rs 8,000-10,000 crore, with Assam being the largest supplier. Pork is one of the most common and popular meats consumed by the tribals and non-tribals in the region.

According to some experts, humans don't get infected by ASF, which was first detected in 1921 in Kenya. However, they could be the carriers of the virus.

No vaccine is available for the virus till date.

Outbreaks of various diseases, including ASF and foot-and-mouth disease among animals, mostly livestock, occur in different states of the Northeastern region almost every year.

After the outbreak, the Northeastern states have sounded high alert and asked people, especially owners of piggeries, to refrain from bringing pigs and piglets from other states and neighbouring countries, specially from Myanmar.

The Central government's advisory said that ASF is a highly contagious disease of pigs -- both domestic and wild and the mortality range may be as high as 100 per cent.

"As the disease is already prevalent in China, and India has long borders with China, Myanmar and Nepal, therefore, the bordering Indian states need to remain alert on the movement of live pigs and pork products in to their territory. In this regard, the people in the border areas, especially in the Northeast, require to be adequately sensitized," the advisory said.

The outbreaks of various diseases including ASF, Foot-and-Mouth among the animals, mostly livestock, have occurred in different states of the northeast region almost every year.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
Srinagar, Sep 22 : The designated committee to verify the antecedents of Jammu and Kashmir government employees on Wednesday recommended the dismissal of six employees for their militancy links.

Official sources said the designated committee empowered to recommend dismissal of government employees from service because of their links with militant organisations has recommended dismissal of six employees.

"The dismissals have been recommended because of the militancy links of these employees since they are working as overground workers (OGWs) of banned militant outfits", sources said.

In July 2021, eleven government employees were dismissed because of their militant links.

The employees sacked in July this year included two sons of Syed Salahuddin, the Muzaffarabad based head of the 'Jehad Council' which is a conglomerate of various militant outfits.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The Bharatiya Janata Party will not be able to deter Kejriwal's cadre into submission via summons and notices, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha said on Wednesday as he accompanied party's national secretary Pankaj Gupta, who appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office regarding a money laundering case on Wednesday morning.

"Have a look at the timings of these notices. It came at a time when AAP is gearing for upcoming assembly election in the states of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Gujarat and Goa," said Chadha while briefing media outside the ED office.

Calling the notice a "love letter", the MLA further said that it is only because of AAP's politics of sincere work that BJP is scared to such an extent.

"When AAP challenged BJP in its own 'gadh' (territory) Surat in Gujarat, it had to change its chief minister. Before that they had to change their chief ministers twice in Uttarakhand. We are confident of AAP coming to power in Punjab and Goa as well and it has only been possible because of our hard work," he added, urging the saffron party to follow their lead.

Since the time AAP has formed a government in Delhi, we have received a summon or notice every assessment year. How many of BJP party leaders ever been treated the same way, he asked.

On September 13, the Enforcement Directorate issued summons to Aam Aadmi Party national secretary Pankaj Gupta in a money laundering case related to the Punjab former AAP leader.

"Gupta has been asked to join the probe next week," said a senior officer with Enforcement Directorate adding that he has been summoned in a money laundering case in which Punjab former AAP MLA and Punjab Ekta Party chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira is being probed while also being investigated in a money laundering case.

India's premier financial investigative agency -- Enforcement Directorate -- has also taken cognisance of two separate cases relating to drug trafficking and fake passport registered against Khaira.

The ED has alleged that Khaira is an "associate" of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers.

The case against him pertains to the probe in a 2015 Fazilka (Punjab) drugs-smuggling case in which 1,800 gm of heroin, 24 gold biscuits, two weapons, 26 live cartridges and two Pakistani SIM cards were seized by security agencies from a gang of international drug smugglers.

The 56-year-old politician has denied any wrongdoing and had said he is being targeted by Central agencies as he has been vocal against the Centre's farm laws.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Chennai, Sep 22 : The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday signed 24 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) for various industrial projects involving an investment of Rs 2,120.54 crore.

The MoUs when fructify into actual projects, they can provide employment opportunities to 41,695 persons.

The MoUs were signed at Tamil Nadu Exports conclave held here presided over by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

The proposed investments are in different sectors like textiles (Ramaraju Surgical Cotton Mills investment Rs 425 crore), latex gloves (Kanam Latex, Rs 310 crore), IT/ITES (Pinnacle Infotech Rs 286.34 crore), leather (Mohib Group Rs 225 crore) and others, the government said.

The industries will come up across the state in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tirupathur, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Thoothukudi, Dindigul and Tirunelveli Districts ensuring balanced growth throughout the state.

Similarly, MoUs were signed between Flipkart/Walmart and MSME Trade and Investment Promotion Bureau (M-TIPB) for promotion of e-commerce among MSMEs in Tamil Nadu through a supplier development programme.

The M-TIPB also signed a MoU with Indo German Chamber of Commerce for collaboration between MSMEs in Tamil Nadu and businesses in Germany.

Stalin also handed over land allotment letters to two companies setting up their units in the Polymer Park set up near here for polymer industry.
Mumbai, Sep 22 : The Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday said that maximum cases of atrocities against women are recorded in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states and endorsed Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's suggestion to convene a special four-day session of Parliament to discuss the issue.

Citing the latest official data in the NCRB-2020 Report, Congress state Spokesperson and General Secretary Sachin Sawant said that the crimes against women were highest in Maharashtra during the tenure of the BJP's ex-Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis - who also handled the home department - but now the atrocities have significantly reduced under the current Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rule.

His comments came a day after a battle royale erupted over Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's letter to Thackeray urging him to call a special session of the Maharashtra Legislature to discuss law and order and women's safety issues in the state in the aftermath of the brutal rape-cum-murder of a 32-year-old woman at Sakinaka on September 10.

"The NCRB statistics say that Uttar Pradesh is again at the forefront in atrocities on women. Other BJP-ruled states like Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka are also ahead. UP leads in cases of gang rape-cum-murders while Assam is the highest with 154/100,000 incidents of atrocities against women recorded," said Sawant.

Referring to Maharashtra, he said during the 'Ram Rajya' of Fadnavis' rule, the number of such cases of crimes against women shot up from 31,216 in 2015 to 37,144 in 2019 and it proved to be the 'dark era' for women.

In sharp contrast, during the MVA rule of Thackeray, the figures have shown a significant dip - to 31,954 in 2020 compared with the previous year (37,144 in 2019), Sawant pointed out.

Following the Governor's recent suggestion, Thackeray had hit back on Monday, asking the former to request Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to convene a special session of parliament to debate the growing crimes against women.

In the stinging letter-in-reply to Koshyari, Thackeray also listed specific instances of dastardly crimes in UP, the grim crime scenario in the PM's home state of Gujarat, the increasing crimes in the Governor's home state Uttarakhand, Delhi where the law and order control vests with the Centre, the BJP-supported Bihar, and Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir under Central jurisdiction, to justify his claim.

"We are also extremely concerned about the safety of women in all the BJP-ruled states. We endorse the CM's proposal... We want that the anti-women BJP, due to the RSS, should also support this demand," urged Sawant.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Bengaluru, Sep 22 : Karnataka police on Wednesday arrested a cab driver for raping a woman passenger. The police acted swiftly and arrested the culprit within hours.

The attacker was identified as Devarajulu, a resident of Avalahalli near K.R.Puram. The accused originally belonged to Andhra Pradesh. The incident took place between 4 and 5 a.m.

S.Murugan, Additional Commissioner of Police said the police have registered a case of rape based on the complaint by the victim.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police has visited the spot. He said the victim was returning home from a friend's place when the attack took place.

According to police sources, the victim after partying at a friend's place. She booked the cab in an inebriated state and boarded it. When she reached her destination, she was asleep.

The accused driver taking advantage of the situation moved the vehicle to an isolated place near her house and sexually assaulted her.

The woman fought her rapist and snatched his phone. She raised an alarm and the accused managed to escape from the place, sources said.

The victim reached home and complained to the jurisdictional J.C. Nagar police.

The police collected CCTV footage that showed that the vehicle was parked in a location near an isolated place for about 20 minutes. They also gathered other evidence.

The sources said that the accused has claimed innocence. The police will conduct medical examination.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs two crore on the West Bengal government as interim compensation to be used for restoration of water quality of three rivers - Mahananda, Jorapani and Phuleswari.

The six-member bench headed by its chairman Adarsh Goel along with judicial and expert members also directed the West Bengal Chief Secretary to be present via video conference on the next date of hearing in January 2022.

The petitioners had in 2016 taken the grievance about pollution in the three rivers to the green tribunal. During the hearing on September 20, the tribunal pointed out that it had passed nearly a dozen orders on this subject, but there has been no progress.

The principal bench of the tribunal stated that the compensation amount, which will be paid to the office of the Darjeeling district magistrate, will be used for restoration of water quality of the rivers. Observing that there are encroachments at 88 locations on the banks of these three rivers, which are preventing the authorities from adopting appropriate anti-pollution measures, the Tribunal directed that the encroachers and unauthorized structures must be removed by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation before March 31, 2022.

The bench noted that the central government had sanctioned Rs 54.28 crore for implementing the Mahananda Action Plan in 2005 for the treatment of sewage and other steps to prevent pollution of rivers. However, the "Siliguri Municipal Corporation failed to discharge its constitutional obligations to prevent and remedy pollution to enforce the rights of citizens to clean the environment." The detailed project report revealed that three sewage treatment plants are necessary to combat water pollution, but land issues have jeopardized plans for the same, the tribunal said.

Earlier, the same bench had directed the Chief Secretary of the state to personally look into the pollution levels of the three rivers in Siliguri and take remedial measures.
Srinagar, Sep 22 : Based on the recommendations of the designated committee to verify the antecedents of its employees, J&K government on Wednesday sacked 6 employees for militant links.

Of the 6 employees sacked, two are policemen, 2 teachers, one employee of the forest department and one from the roads and buildings department.

Two of the sacked employees are from Kishtwar district and one each from Poonch, Budgam, Baramulla and Anantnag districts.

The designated committee to verify the antecedents of Jammu and Kashmir government employees on Wednesday recommended the dismissal of these employees for their militancy links.

Official sources said the designated committee empowered to recommend dismissal of government employees from service because of their links with militant organisations has recommended dismissal of these six employees.

"The dismissals have been recommended because of the militancy links of these employees since they are working as overground workers (OGWs) of banned militant outfits", sources said.

In July 2021, eleven government employees were dismissed because of their militant links.

The employees sacked in July this year included two sons of Syed Salahuddin, the Muzaffarabad based head of the 'Jehad Council' which is a conglomerate of various militant outfits.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, Sep 22 : Global smartphone brand realme on Wednesday introduced its latest smartphone -- realme GT NEO 2 -- in China starting at 2,499 CNY.

The smartphone will be available in three storage variants -- 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB, and 12GB+256GB -- priced at 2,499 CNY, 2,699 CNY and 2,999 CNY, respectively.

The realme GT NEO 2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G mobile platform. This chipset is famous for its balanced performance, providing powerful performance and a stable experience, the company said in a statement.

The smartphone comes equipped with a 120Hz Samsung E4 AMOLED Display and features a peak brightness of 1300 nits and a color contrast ratio of up to 5,000,000:1.

The company said that it is the first time that realme packs a 5000mAh massive battery in its realme GT lineup.

With a large capacity battery that supports 65W SuperDart charging, the realme GT NEO 2 provides full-day battery life for heavy users without any pressure, the company claimed.

According to GSMArena, the triple setup brings a 64MP primary wide camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle shooter and a 2MP macro cam.

The GT Neo2 has realme UI 2.0 with Android 11 as a base, but it also brings GT Mode 2.0, effectively a high-performance software mode that boosts the hardware to provide the ultimate gaming experience, the report said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Hyderabad, Sep 22 : Alleging that the Narendra Modi government is destroying all four pillars of democracy, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday called for a people's movement to save the country.

He said the Ccentral government is targeting the leaders of opposition parties by misusing Central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Yechury was addressing 'maha dharna' organised by the opposition parties here to protest against the "anti-farmer" and "anti-people policies" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) governments at the Centre and in Telangana, respectively.

The 'maha dharna', organised at Indira Park, was attended by leaders of the Left parties, the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Telagana Jana Samithi (TJS) and various people's organisations.

Yechury underlined the need for a mass movement on the lines of freedom struggle to save the country and the democracy. He said that patriotism demands that all those who love this country come together to save its Constitution and democracy.

Stating that 19 parties have come together at the national level to take on Modi government, he said the September 27 'Bharat Band'h and nation-wide protests from September 20 to 30 were part of the movement and called for intensifying the same in coming days.

Congress' Telangana chief A. Revanth Reddy attacked both the Central and the state governments for their "anti-people" policies. He alleged that both the governments were making life miserable for common man by imposing burdens in the form of taxes.

Senior Congress leader and former MP Madhu Yaskhi claimed that opposition parties have come together on a common platform and described this as a key development. He slammed Prime Minister Modi for undertaking foreign visits when the country was rocked by the Corona pandemic.

He hit out at Modi government for putting the public sector undertakings on sale and alleged that attempts were being made to hand them over to select businessmen.

Terming the TRS as the BJP's "B team", the Congress leader said unemployed in the state were committing suicides as the state government was not issuing job notification to fill vacancies in various departments.

CPI national Secretary K. Narayana alleged that Modi was shielding those who fled the country after looting lakhs of crores, while sending its critics to jail. He described 'maha dharna' as the first joint meeting of anti-Modi parties.

He said that the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant which has a value of Rs.3 lakh crore is being sold to private companies for Rs 30,000 crore.

TDP Politburo member R. Chandrasekhar Reddy criticised the Central government for bringing new agriculture laws without consulting the farmers. He said these laws would hand over control of agriculture sector to corporates.

Speakers at the 'maha dharna' called for making the September 27 Bharat Bandh against anti-people policies successful. They also raised the issue of rising petrol and diesel prices, Podu lands and land acquisition from farmers for Pharma companies.
New York, Sep 22 : Brazil's Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga has tested positive for the coronavirus hours after attending the UN General Assembly, and will now quarantine in New York City for the next 14 days.

The health minister is part of the Brazilian delegation accompanying President Jair Bolsonaro, who opened up the General Assembly with a speech on Tuesday. He had been vaccinated with the Chinese-made CoronaVac vaccine, the minister told CNN last week.

There were reports that the infected minister met UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson just hours before his reports were declared.

Soon after Brazilian news portals reported that Brazil has decided to abort participation in the UNGA. Despite all, Bolsonaro have publicly proclaimed that he would not get vaccinated.
Bengaluru, Sep 22 : The victim of the sensational Mysuru gang rape case has finally recorded her statement with regard to the incident before the magistrate in Mysuru.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai made this disclosure on the floor of the Assembly while answering a question on the gang rape incident to Opposition leader Siddaramaiah.

"Karnataka police have taken the case of Mysuru gang rape with utmost seriousness. The victim came to Mysuru from her place and recorded her statement on Wednesday. The police continuously kept in touch with her parents and convinced them to record statement," he said.

The victim did not speak to police initially. They shifted the victim from Mysuru to their native place. "Today she came forward to record her statement. The government will see to it that the accused are punished," he said.

The Mysuru gang rape case investigation which faced road blocks due to non-cooperation of the victim will now be expedited, police said. The incident had taken place on August 24. The victim had gone to an isolated place near Chamundi hill with her male friend where the incident took place.

The 7 miscreants attacked them, sexually assaulted the lady and demanded Rs 3 lakh ransom from them. Later, the victims were admitted to a private hospital. The police arrested 7 persons in this connection from Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah attacked the ruling BJP especially Home Minister Araga Jnanendra for taking the case casually. He also charged the police with registering the case 15 hours after the incident.

Siddaramaiah said that the victim suffered injuries and the gynaecologist who tested her noticed bleeding in private parts and she recorded her observations. Even then, police waited for the statement of the the victim's male friend to register the case, he said.

Bommai stated that there is no inordinate delay in registering the case. In the rape case of a graduate in Manipal in 2013, there was no FIR and statement, for much longer time, he countered.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said, "We are all concerned about our daughters. Even I have a daughter and you (Siddaramaiah) have a daughter. Though she goes to a neighborhood we ask her to be careful. Though, Gandhi ji's statement on women freely moving around during midnight is an ideal. The situation on ground is different," he defended his statement by blaming the victim for going out late in the evening.
Patna, Sep 22 : The district court of Samastipur in Bihar has pronounced life sentence on 14 persons in the murder of a journalist Vikas Ranjan.

The journalist was killed on November 25, 2008 in Rosera sub-division in Samastipur district. The family members of the deceased had levelled allegations against 14 persons including Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) block president of Rosera, Swayamwar Yadav.

Heera Devi, the prosecution lawyer in this case, said that journalist Vikas Ranjan was killed over a land dispute. The dispute was with his cousin brothers in his native village. The judgement came 13 years after the incident.

"The relatives of Vikas Ranjan hatched the conspiracy to kill him. They hired goons to eliminate him. His body was found on November 25, 2008 in Rosera," Heera Devi said.

"We produced strong evidence including the life threatening audio and video clips in the court of law. The accused had threatened Vikas Ranjan and his family with dire consequences several times in broad daylight. We also produced many eye witnesses in the court which helped get justice," she said.
Washington, Sep 22 : Democrats are facing hurdles as they try to pass a $3.5 trillion spending package, experts said.

The package, a sweeping social spending bill that forms the core of US President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, is a source of contention between Democrats and Republicans, the Xinhua news agency reported.

At issue is the bill's size and sources of payment. Republicans want a much smaller package, while progressive Democrats have threatened to sink any such legislation. Democrats want to raise taxes on corporations and higher earners, which Republicans believe would lead to slower economic growth.

With Congress holding a razor-thin majority, Biden will need every Democrat to be on board to get enough votes to pass the legislation.

"Biden's spending bill will pass, but at a lower level than 3.5 trillion (dollars)," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

The final bill may end up significantly below that figure, although Democrats are likely to keep the major priorities in the bill, West anticipated.

Last week saw Biden more publicly push the negotiations forward, as lawmakers wrangled over the details of the massive bill.

Biden has trumpeted proposals to boost taxes on higher-income families and companies, which he said would pay for the legislation. He also met with Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema -- both moderate Democrats who harbor concerns over the bill's massive price tag, but whose votes are needed to pass the plan.

Manchin and Sinema have warned for several weeks that they are uncomfortable with the cost of the 3.5-trillion-U.S.-dollar package. That bill "will not have my vote," Manchin told CNN recently.

In a recent CNN interview, progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said many progressive caucus members would not vote for Manchin's infrastructure bill "unless it is tied together" with Biden's much larger spending bill.

In an opinion piece in the New York Times, Gregory Mankiw, a Harvard economics professor and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, argued that "there's good reason to doubt" the White House claims that the plan will be paid for with higher taxes on corporations and the very wealthy.

Budget experts, such as Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, were skeptical that the government can raise enough tax revenue from the wealthy to finance Biden's agenda.

Moreover, higher taxes "distort incentives and impede economic growth," Mankiw contended, citing this as another worry over the massive spending package Biden wants to pass.
San Francisco, Sep 22 : Tech giant Facebook has quietly pushed out changes to News Feed that is "interfering" with the browser-based tools used by journalists and researchers, according to a new report.

According to The Markup, Facebook has been adding "junk code to HTML features meant to improve accessibility for visually impaired users".

The resulting code prevents browsers from automatically collecting data about posts in News Feed, and may also be hindering screen readers used by blind and visually impaired users, citing The Markup, Engadget reported on Tuesday.

The change has affected both The Markup's Citizen Browser, as well as New York University's Ad Observer, a browser extension that has helped researchers study political ads and vaccine misinformation.

These types of browser-based tools have become increasingly important to researchers trying to study issues like ad targeting and misinformation, the report said.

Researchers say these tools, which allow users to make the posts from their feeds available to academics and journalists, are one of the only ways to access important data about how News Feed works.

Laura Edelson, a lead researcher at NYU's Cybersecurity for Democracy, which runs Ad Observer, said Facebook's changes "had the effect of breaking Ad Observer" though they were able to find a workaround.

In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said that the company was "investigating" the claims.

"We constantly make code changes across our services, but we did not make recent code changes to block these research projects," the spokesperson said.

"Our accessibility features largely appear to be working as normal, however, we are investigating the claimed disruptions," the spokesperson added.
San Francisco, Sep 22 : Tech billionaire Elon Musk took to the Twitter to reveal that there were "challenges" with the toilet during SpaceX's first entirely private trip to space and promised upgrades for future mission.

"Definitely upgraded toilets :) We had some challenges with it this flight," Musk said in a tweet, answering questions from Twitter users.

He did not elaborate on what these challenges were or how exactly the toilets would be upgraded.

SpaceX CEO recently said that next time the Dragon spacecraft will have a food warmer and free WiFi.

After spending three days on-orbit, the world's first civilian mission of SpaceX's Inspiration4 returned to Earth on Sunday.

The crew, onboard the Dragon spacecraft, re-entered Earth's atmosphere for a soft water landing off the coast of Florida at 7.06 p.m. EDT (4.36 a.m. Sunday India time).

The mission lifted off to orbit aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on last Wednesday (India time Thursday).

It was commanded by tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and joined by Medical Officer Haley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St Jude Children's Research Hospital and pediatric cancer survivor, Mission Specialist Chris Sembroski, an Air Force veteran and aerospace data engineer, and Mission Pilot Dr Sian Proctor, a geoscientist, entrepreneur, and trained pilot.

The fully automated Dragon capsule reached an unusually high altitude of 585 km, surpassing the International Space Station by 160 km. The Dragon's dome window, inspired by the Cupola on the ISSl provided the crew with incredible views of Earth.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned that the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan could inspire a new wave of extremism in the US, The Hill reported.

Wray testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that extremist groups have never stopped plotting attacks on US soil.

"We are concerned that, with developments in Afghanistan, among other things, that there will be more inspiration to the first bucket," Wray told the committee. "So I think we anticipate, unfortunately, growth in both categories as we look ahead over the next couple of years." This comes as National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid also testified to the committee that the terrorism threat to the country is less "acute" than it was two decades ago, the report said.

Abizaid also said that US officials have been monitoring how terror groups al Qaeda and ISIS could rebuild their forces and conduct an attack on the US.

"In the wake of our withdrawal, the question is, at what point does that regional threat build to a capability and intent that is focused externally and particularly focused on the homeland?" Abizaid said, as per the report.

"I would say from an intelligence community perspective, that's one of our highest priorities, is just to monitor and assess the degree to which those groups actually present an external threat."
Jaipur, Sep 22 : After the dethroning of Captain Amarinder Singh as Punjab CM, next will be the turn of Rajasthan to see major changes, said veteran Congress leaders while speaking to IANS.

Former deputy CM of Rajasthan and ex-PCC chief Sachin Pilot recently had a long discussion in Delhi over the pending issues in the desert state and this time the high command wants to take strict action, close on the heels of Punjab, here too, said party leaders from the Pilot camp. "These changes, the high command feels, are required not only for the upcoming assembly polls in 2023 but also for the Lok Sabha polls in 2024," they added.

"In December 2018, the Congress won 99 seats out of 200 and Ashok Gehlot was made the CM even though he was not the CM face during the poll campaign. After five months of these elections, Lok Sabha polls were held, where Congress scored a duck out of 25 seats." Now, the next elections are scheduled in 2023 and the party is contemplating a new CM face so that the 2019 Lok Sabha results are not repeated in the 2024 parliamentary elections.

In fact, veteran strategist Prashant Kishor has chalked out a comprehensive strategy and submitted it to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Gandhi, they said, had shared it with veteran leaders like Ambika Soni and other senior leaders. In his report, Kishor has recommended major changes in Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

These are the states where the Congress is on strong ground and hence the party should not take them lightly, he recommended.

Eventually, in the next few days, there will be major changes in the desert state which has been lying low in terms of political action.

In fact, Rajasthan in-charge Ajay Maken last Thursday announced at a press conference in Delhi that the roadmap is ready for a cabinet expansion and organisational rejig in the state.

He said, "If Ashok Gehlot had not fallen ill we would have already done the cabinet expansion while the roadmap is ready for appointments in corporations and as district presidents." The Congress leader said that Gehlot is still unwell and is working from home. As soon as he recovers this will be done.

However, Gehlot is back in action now. Since the last two days, he has started taking regular meetings and has called a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

So now there should not be any reason for a delay, said a party worker, adding that 'Nikamma', 'Nakara' (Pilot as quoted by Gehlot) has become the role model for Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka for his silence after facing so many insulting comments. He will now be rewarded for standing with the party.

The Pilot camp is quite happy that the Punjab tussle is over and is expecting similar action in the state. They want to see their leader as the next Chief Minister, however, there are chances that Pilot will be made the Pradesh Congress Committee chief. The other fact which makes them happy is that the much-awaited cabinet expansion and political appointments will finally take place soon.

Now all eyes are on Delhi to see what decision the high command takes, said Congress sources.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 22 : Almost two weeks after the now controversial statement made by a Catholic bishop on "love and narcotic jihad" in Kerala, and the varied reactions to it, the Congress on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for "playing hide and seek" and demanded things are brought under control by calling an all-party meeting to discuss the issue.

Pala Archdiocese's Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangat, speaking at a function at Marth Mariam Pilgrim Church at Kuruvilangad in Kottayam district on September 9, alleged that non-Muslims in Kerala are subjected to "love and narcotic jihad", which is the spoiling lives, particularly of young people, by making them addicted to drugs.

Addressing the media here, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan alleged that while the Sangh Parivar forces are waiting for differences between two minority communities to worsen, Vijayan and his CPI-M wants the present discontentment to continue.

"We all heard the statement of state Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan saying soon after his meeting with the bishop, that the issue is a closed chapter and with that being the case, Vijayan appears to have reopened the issue.... its here we want Vijayan and the CPI-M to come clean on this issue. He should call a meeting of religious leaders to easily settle the issue... we want to ask what has Vijayan done in this issue," he said "It has been so many days and Vijayan is silent. We have made our stand very clear and it is that we will not do anything to disturb the secular credentials of our state and we will never make political capital out of it, while Vijayan is trying his best to make political gains and all what he does is to make statements. Instead of statements, he should ensure things are sorted out amicably. We, the opposition, have created a very good atmosphere for talks and the government if it wished can use that platform. The need of the hour is both the media and political parties have to handle this issue with caution," he added.

Satheesan also came down heavily on Vijayan for lack of action even after "social media is flush with a baseless campaign to destroy peace".

"Not a single person has been arrested for this violation... what is the use of Cyber Police then. Vijayan is yet to reply to our letter on this aspect," he said.
Amaravati, Sep 22 : Tension prevailed at several places in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday during the elections to school management committees.

Leaders and workers of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) clashed at few places.

With the leaders of ruling and opposition parties trying to prove their political domination by ensuring election of their supporters to the management committees, a tense atmosphere prevailed at most of the centres.

Education Department officials were also forced to postpone the polls at few places under pressure from the local political leaders. Parents of students also raised objection to political interference in the polls.

Tension prevailed in Tirumali in Yeleswaram mandal of East Godavari district as leaders of the YSRCP and the TDP came to blows. While the ruling party leaders wanted postponement of elections, the opposition party wanted the officials to go ahead with the polls.

Local TDP leaders alleged that the YSRCP leaders tried to stall the elections fearing defeat. Some villagers said they were stopped from casting their votes. They, along with TDP leaders, staged a sit-in and this led to a clash between the two groups. Police had to intervene to bring the situation under control.

Few people were injured in the clash between the two parties at Vellampalli village in Prakasam district. According to police, the rival groups pelted stones on each other. Following the clash, a police picket was deployed in the village.

There was tension at Guvvalacheruvu in Kadapa district as the two groups within the YSRCP clashed during the election over differences on the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the school committee.

In Kamalapuram mandal in the same district, workers of the YSRCP and the TDP clashed over one vote. The officials had to postpone the election due to the tense situation.

Similar incidents occured at a couple of places in Anantapur district. In Dayyalakuntapalli, YSRCP leaders allegedly tore the election certificate of a TDP leader who was elected as Chairman of the school committee.

Elections were conducted to school management committees for over 40,000 schools across the state on Wednesday.

These committees, comprising three parents/guardians of the students from each class, play a major role in planning and executing the developmental, personnel, financial and operational activities of the school concerned.

The headmaster, another teacher, ward member/corporator/councillor/village president, anganwadi worker, ANM and President of women's welfare group of the village concerned act as ex-officio members. Two co-opted members are also nominated to the committee.

The clashes between two parties during school management committees occurred even as the trouble continued at few places after counting of the ZPTC and the MPTC polls on September 19.

YSRCP workers allegedly attacked the house of former ZPTC member of TDP, B Sharada at Kopparru village of Pedanandipadu mandal of Guntur district. TDP leaders alleged that YSRCP men ransacked her house and set it afire. The incident led to a clash between the two groups.
Chennai, Sep 22 : Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) on Wednesday said that work has begun of the Rs 31,580 crore, 9 million metric ton per annum (MMTPA) grassroot refinery at Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu.

According to CPCL, the refinery is being installed along with the IOCL and is expected to be completed in 45 months time.

An official told IANS that CPCL and IOCL will share the 50 per cent stake equally and balance will be held by strategic/financial investors.

The work on the project began after Chief Minister M.K.Stalin handed over the Government Order for acquisition of 606 acre of land parcel to IOCL Chairman S.M. Vaidya in the presence of CPCL Managing Director Arvind Kumar on September 3.

The CPCL said the company awarded contracts amounting to Rs 1,538 crore to project management consultants Engineers India Ltd (EIL), McDermott, and Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE).

Last week, discussions on engineering began with all the three consultants at CPCL headquarters here which was attended by the top management team of Engineers India led by CMD Vartika Shukla and top officials of McDermott and TCE.

CPCL's Kumar also interacted with the Karaikal Port officials and took stock of the existing infrastructure and its applicability for evacuation of products after commissioning of the new project.

According to CPCL, procurement and engineering activities for the project have already commenced and site activities will now gain momentum.

The project will act as a catalyst for development of downstream petrochemical and ancillary industries.
Mumbai, Sep 22 : A day after the "letter war between the Maharashtra Governor and the Chief Minister flared up in public domain, opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's women legislators on Wednesday jumped into the arena, expressing concern over the security of women in the state.

A group of 12 women MLAs shot off a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on the issue while Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis slammed him for "politicising the issue".

The women asked the Chief Minister that since law and order is a state subject, why was he attempting to shirk responsibility by "always pointing a finger at the Centre" - instead of tackling the situation here with a firm hand.

Claiming that Maharashtra tops the country in matters of atrocities against females, the women MLAs said his assertion that such things happen even in other states, is not a matter of pride for anyone.

Objecting to Thackeray's demand for a special session of Parliament to discuss the issue, the woman legislators said it would not be a matter of pride if the state's image is tarnished before the whole country when its record is read out.

Citing an example, the letter said that a minor girl was brutally raped in Parbhani and later she committed suicide by consuming poison, and said when the women of the state are living in extreme insecurity, the CM was busy drawing comparisons with other states.

"We feel that by your reply to the Governor, you have made a mockery of the oppressed women in the state," said the letter, urging him to take necessary measures on the issue of women's safety.

The BJP legislators who signed the letter include: Madhuri Misal, Vidya Thakur, Devyani Farande, Manisha Choudhary, Seema Hire, Shweta Mahale-Patil, Meghana Sakore-Bordikar, Dr Namita Mundada, Manda Mhatre, Bharati Lovekar, Monika Rajale, and Mukta Tilak.
Chennai, Sep 22 : Tamil Nadu Finance Minister P.T.R. Thiaga Rajan has drawn flak for using the word 'schizophrenic' against state BJP chief K. Annamalai.

In a tweet, Thiaga Rajan said: "So... the schizophrenic 'Kannadiga till I die', except when '100% Tamil', OR 'IPS-version' threat issuer, turns out to be the Fake-News-Dolt-in-Chief?? And his position on Petrol/Diesel in GST is 100% opposite of BJP Govt's @ Delhi, UP, Gujarat etc." The minister was hinting at comments made by Annamalai when he was an IPS officer in Karnataka about him being a Kannadiga, before later stating that he is 100 per cent Tamil after becoming the state BJP President.

The minister was responding to the BJP chief's statement that Thiaga Rajan did not attend the GST Council meeting in Lucknow as he was attending a "baby shower function of his sister-in-law".

Several persons have now objected to Thiaga Rajan using the term 'schizophrenia'.

G. Manonmani, a professor of political Science in Chennai, told IANS, "The minister is mocking a psychological condition. It is not a good thing in a civil society." Deepaknathan, a social activist, told IANS, "Using a psycho social term like schizophrenia to label political opponents to insult them can never be accepted." Thiaga Rajan, however, said that he had studied psychology for five years as a graduate student, adding that he has never used such a term against any other politician.

R. Padmanabhan, Director, Social Economic Development Foundation, a think-tank based out of Salem, told IANS, "The term schizophrenia can never be used. The state Finance Minister seems to have lost control over the word. It should not have been used to insult anyone."
New Delhi, Sep 22 : After the Shimla confabulations of the Gandhis where Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are on vacation, it is expected that the Congress will push for an AICC reshuffle and put its house in order in the states. This follows the Punjab operation in which Rahul Gandhi pushed for change and Charantjit Singh Channi was appointed as Chief Minister after the exit of Amarinder Singh.

This has raised hopes in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where two chief minister aspirants -- TS Singh Deo and Sachin Pilot -- are waiting for their turn. Ahead of the Shimla vacation, Rahul Gandhi had met Sachin Pilot in Delhi for a long discussion. Although no details have come out about the meeting, alarm bells have start ringing in Rajasthan with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot likely to travel to Delhi to meet the central leadership. There is a strong sense in the Congress that Pilot will return as the Pradesh Congress Committee chief and move forward with the new assignment ahead of state elections.

Similarly in Chhattisgarh there has been no final decision on the demand for a rotational chief ministership. Rahul Gandhi was supposed to go there on the chief minister's invitation but that he chose otherwise shows that all is not well. The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister may have time till the elections in five states as his team is working in Uttar Pradesh.

In the election going states of UP, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab, the Congress sees a chance of returning to power in four states except UP where it is not the main challenger. The party also has a tough task to overcome the Aam Aadmi Party which is cutting into its votes in Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand.

The Congress is likely to see a reshuffle in the AICC with the appointment of a Gujarat in-charge in the party, a post which is vacant due to the demise of Rajeev Satav. The party will also try to balance regional and caste equations in the AICC with more representation from the northern states.

However there is strong resentment against Rahul Gandhi's close aides in the party and there is consultation to appoint a senior leader to quell the resentment.

The party has to decide on the organizational elections which was also the demand of the G-23 group in the party. After the Shimla sojourn it has to be seen if Rahul Gandhi is ready to take the post or the Congress will go for a working president.

Senior party leader Shashi Tharoor had said on Saturday there should be a new leadership in the Congress party. "No one has spoken a word against Sonia Gandhi, but she herself is saying she wishes to step down and hence a new leadership should take over quickly." "If Rahul Gandhi wishes to take over, it should happen quickly," said Tharoor to the media as he arrived near Ernakulam on a day that saw the party's Punjab unit implode.

He said if the Congress has to come back, things should fall in place quickly and it should get ready to face the elections.

Till now various frontal organisation of the Congress party have been demanding that Rahul Gandhi should take over as the new president.
Chennai, Sep 22 : A 50-minute Tamil romantic 'melodrama' titled 'Kaatriniley', directed by 18-year-old Eashwar Gopala Krishnan, has received plaudits from Tamil film bigwigs.

Acclaimed director K. Bhagyaraj and film producer Ravindar Chandrasekaran of Libra Productions, who were present at the movie's premiere, praised the filmatic talent of the youngster.

Sharing his views after watching the film, Bhagyaraj said, "The first scene is very important to capture the attention of the audience and the young team has done that very well. The self-confidence of the director, Eashwar Gopala Krishnan, should be appreciated." He thanked Eashwar's parents for "identifying their son's passion and encourage him to continue in the path." Young artistes Arun Krishna and Dhakshana have played the lead roles in 'Kaatriniley'. Bankrolled by Eashwar's mother, Viji Balachander, the film features the music of Yohaan Manu; Sudharshan K. doubles as the film's cinematographer and editor.

Leading Tamil film producer Ravindar Chandrasekaran said that Eashwar has produced something beyond his age. "The effort of the entire team is clearly visible in the project," he said.

Speaking about the movie, Eashwar, who has also written the story and screenplay as well, said that it is a romantic melodrama that centres around what happens between two people over a single night.

"When I was studying in Class X, I saw 'Kattradhu Tamizh', a movie directed by Ram. A particular line 'Kadhai pesikondu va kaatrodu povom' from one of the songs is the inspiration for this film," he said.

Eashwar added that he had wanted to make a different kind of love story. "'Kaatriniley' does not have intimate scenes, drugs or alcohol. I wanted to explore something beyond all these. Those who have watched the movie have appreciated it. We are planning to release the film on a popular OTT platform," he said.

Eashwar said that he was interested in making movies since the time he was a child. "From Class VI I started making short films along with my friends," he said. Then I wanted to make a professional film, which has now resulted in 'Kaatriniley'. My uncle and cinematographer M.V. Panneerselvam has guided me in this journey so far. I consider the director Gautham Vasudev Menon to be my role model. The film also has scenes that are inspired by and dedicated to him." Presently in his first year of college, Eashwar said he hopes to make feature films after completing his studies.
Guwahati, Sep 22 : Setting a record of sorts on the occasion of World Rhino Day, the Assam government on Wednesday burnt 2,479 rhino horns at a public function to destroy the world's largest stockpile of rhino horns in order to bust the myth that they have amazing medicinal value.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was the chief guest at the function held at Bokakhat stadium in Golaghat district, said that today (Wednesday) is a historic day for Assam and India as an extraordinary step to burn the largest ever stockpile of 2,479 rhino horns has been taken, the highest in the world, pursuing the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of putting an end to poaching in Assam.

He said: "One-horned rhino is not only integral to our civilisation, but also a symbol of our prized heritage and identity. We are preserving 94 rhino horns for display at a museum to be set up at the Kaziranga National Park. The use of rhino horns for medicinal purposes is a myth." Sarma said that burning the rhino horns has made it clear that Assam would never trade them and the people of the state do not believe that the horns have medicinal value.

"We would respect and love the rhinos alive and protect them in their natural habitats," he said.

According to forest and wildlife officials, among the reconciled rhino horns, the heaviest horn weighed 3.05 kg, while the average weight of horns was 560 gm.

They said that of the reconciled horns, the longest one was 57 cm, with an average standing height of 13.77 cm.

Assam is home to 71 per cent of the world's one-horn rhino population.

Assam's Forest and Environment Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, who was also present at the function, said that never before such a huge stockpile of rhino horns has been consigned to flames to spread the message loud and clear that rhino horns are no 'aphrodisiac'.

"The myth has to be busted to put an end to the poaching of the majestic rhinos once and for all," he said.

The minister said that the event would send a strong message to the poachers that the horn doesn't have any medicinal value and it's trade is completely illegal.

"Based on pure myth, with no scientific backing, rhino horns are used in traditional Chinese medicines. Due to their demand in some countries, poaching pressure on rhinos is ever persistent and it is intended that consigning rhino horns to flames will dispel these myths and send a strong message across the world," an official statement said.

It said that this is also a best practice to promote wildlife conservation and nowhere in the world has an exercise of such scale been undertaken with respect to rhino horns.

Prior to selecting the horns, an over a month long elaborate process of reconciliation of horns stored in seven treasuries had been carried out by a committee chaired by Assam's Chief Wildlife Warden and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Mahendra Kumar Yadav, with the help of a technical committee and seven respective zonal committees.

The reconciliation exercise was carried out in the presence of civil society groups, members from NGOs, media, police and district administration officials.

The officials said that the entire process was done in accordance with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, while a public hearing on the rhino horn burning had also been carried out on August 29.

The Assam Cabinet at its meeting chaired by the Chief Minister on September 16 had approved the burning proposal.

Assam presently has an estimated population of 2,640 Indian one-horn rhinos.

The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve is home to more than 2,400 rhinos, while the rest are in Manas and Orang National Parks, and in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Assam government has decided to set up a Natural History Museum at the Kaziranga National Park where 94 rhino horns, extracted from animals which had died naturally, will be kept and preserved scientifically as heritage pieces for public viewing and academic purposes.
Kolkata, Sep (IANS0 A verbal spat ensued in Kolkata on Wednesday between the BJP, led by its newly-appointed Bengal unit chief Sukanta Majumdar, and the Kolkata police after the former was prevented from campaigning in front of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence at Harish Chatterjee Street for the upcoming Assembly bypolls in Bhabanipur.

Majumdar was campaigning for BJP candidate Priyanaka Tibrewal who is pitted against Chief Minister Banerjee in the bypolls in Bhabanipur, scheduled on September 30.

The BJP entourage led by Majundar was stopped by the police on the ground that the saffron brigade didn't have the requisite permission to campaign in front of the Chief Minister's residence.

"The CM's residence falls under a high-security zone and a huge rally with so many people can't be allowed there," a senior police officer said.

Majumdar, who was taking out his first rally in the city after becoming the state unit chief, then got engaged in a verbal spat with the police, alleging that the latter had stopped them under the instruction of the ruling party.

Majumadar was soon joined by BJP MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato, who claimed that they were in compliance with the number of people specified by the Election Commission for door-to-door campaign, but the police said that there were more people in the entourage.

"The Trinamool is afraid and is not allowing the BJP to campaign, but the people will break the barricades," Majumdar, who then campaigned on another end of the street, told reporters.

He accused the Kolkata Police of bias against the opposition political parties. "Professionalism of West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police has been destroyed," he said.

Majumdar said that steps will be taken on the matter after discussions within the party.

Tibrewal claimed that she was prevented from campaigning on the street on Tuesday as well despite having the requisite permission.

"There are voters on that street and despite having the permission, why cannot I or our party go there to campaign," she asked, claiming that Trinamool leaders were freely campaigning in the area.

Tibrewal said, "People are watching everything. The Chief Minister is afraid of the BJP and so she is using the police to stop us. Yesterday I had permission, but why didn't they allow us to enter Harish Chatterjee Street? The Chief Minister's residence falls under the constituency but we can't campaign there! Is this democracy?" Rubbishing the allegation, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), Akash Magharia, said, "They did not have vaccination certificates and they were trying to breach the high-security zone, which is why they were diverted from that road."
Patna, Sep 22 : A court in Bihar's Madhubani district has levied a unique condition for granting bail to a man accused of attempted rape - to wash and iron the clothes of 2,000 women.

Additional Sessions Judge, Jhanjarpur, Avinash Kumar placed this condition for bail to Lalan Kumar, a native of village under Laukaha police station.

Defence lawyer Parshuram Mishra said: "Lalan tried to rape a woman of his village in the night of April 17. The victim had lodged an FIR against the accused a day later and he was arrested on April 19. Since then, he has been in jail." "We filed a bail application in the ADJ court. During hearing of the case, the judge, in view of his good behavior in jail and apology in the court, has given bail to my client on the condition of washing the clothes of 2,000 women of the village, and pressing them, before handing it over to respective women," he added.

The court has also sent the copy of bail to village head Nasima Khatoon to keep a tab on his daily free service. Lalan Kumar will have to purchase detergent powder, soap, and irons.

"This was a great decision by the court. it will give a message to respect women and also create guilt in the mind of men having anti-female nature," Nasima Khatoon said.

"I will personally monitor the daily work of the accused to implement the court order. Our village has 425 women and every woman will give clothes in rotation until the 2,000 number is achieved," she added.

She will submit her report of Lalan's assigned service, which he has to complete in six months, and then obtain certificates from her and local police station to submit in the court.
Washington, Sep 22 : The launch of NASA and Boeing's Starliner cargo spacecraft, stalled due to an unresolved valve issue, may not be launched this year, media reports said.

Boeing and NASA had originally aimed to launch Starliner's Orbital Test Flight 2 (OFT-2), a crucial uncrewed trial mission to the International Space Station (ISS), from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on July 30. But preflight checks revealed 13 stuck valves in Starliner's service module, nixing that liftoff plan.

Engineers are still troubleshooting the Starliner valve problem. According to NASA officials, combined with a busy launch schedule over the coming weeks and months, the launch could well push OFT-2 into 2022, Space.com reported.

"I think right now, the timeline and the manifest through the end of the year is pretty tight," Kathy Lueders, head of NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

"So, my gut is it would probably be more likely to be next year. But we're still working through that timeline." Boeing and NASA teams are currently evaluating whether to put a different service module on Starliner for the OFT-2 mission or to proceed with trying to fix the current one, she added. A decision on that could come in the next few weeks, the report said.

Boeing had signed a contract with NASA's Commercial Crew Programme to fly operational missions to and from the space station with Starliner in 2014. However, a series of setbacks have thus far prevented the Starliner from reaching the ISS.

Its debut uncrewed orbital flight mission in 2019 did not go exactly as planned, requiring it to make another try before putting astronauts on board for the crewed flight test.

The second launch has been held up since late last year due to ongoing software checks. First scheduled for launch early in August, it was postponed after the thrusters on the ISS' new Russian module Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module unexpectedly fired hours after docking, causing the station to move out of orientation. The space station was shoved 45 degrees off track. However, it was repositioned back to normal.

Another attempt was stalled after the valve issues cropped up, grounding the craft.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 22 : A meeting of various Muslim organisations at Kozhikode on Wednesdayto discuss the now controversial statement made by a Catholic bishop on prevalence of "love and narcotic jihad" in the state, wanted him to withdraw his remark.

Pala Archdiocese's Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangat, speaking at a function at Marth Mariam Pilgrim Church at Kuruvilangad in Kottayam district on September 9, alleged that non-Muslims in Kerala are subjected to "Love and Narcotic Jihad", which is spoiling lives, particularly of young people, by making them addicted to drugs.

Addressing the media soon after the meeting ended, senior IUML leader Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the statement made by the bishop was out of place and it clearly pointed towards the Muslim community.

"Even though the statement was not in good taste, we, the Muslim community, reacted to it in a very mature manner. We did not want to create any issue. The meeting concluded that the bishop should withdraw his remark. The government also should not be just an onlooker and should intervene," he said.

"Our state is always known for the secular stand taken by all and everyone should see that nothing is done to create any sort of friction by their words," he added.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : Strongly opposing the open violation of the laws by the big foreign companies in the Indian e- commerce business, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) will hold a protest on Thursday.

Thousands of trade organizations associated with CAIT in more than 500 districts across the country including Delhi will give memorandums to the district collectors in all states demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter and immediate rolling out of proposed e-commerce rules under the Consumer Protection Act.

Leaders of more than 20,000 trade organizations of the country will participate in this programme. CAIT is running a national campaign on e-commerce for a month from September 15 to October 15 regarding the rigging in the e-commerce business. In this context, CAIT has convened an emergent meeting of its national governing counsel at Varanasi on September 30 and October 1 in which almost 150 prominent trade leaders of the states will be taking part to discus the state of e-commerce business in India, steps taken by the Government and to decide the future course of action.

CAIT National President B C Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal on Wednesday demanded from the Government a forensic audit of the financial statements submitted by Amazon in previous years to know whether the money paid to lawyers was used in bribing Government officials or other persons.

They also said that looking at the irregularities committed by Amazon, it is required that a comprehensive investigation including by the Income Tax Department, Central and State GST departments, SEBI, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, CCI and ED should be conducted simultaneously to bring out the truth of their business model.

CAIT said that it is for the Government to decide whether it wants to allow foreign funded companies to keep violating the law and treating India as a banana republic and give a message to the world that India's laws are weak .

Now is the time to establish the supremacy of the law and rules of the Government and the 8 crore traders of the country will leave no stone unturned to ensure that no new version of the East India Company should ever take shape in India, CAIT said.
Kolkata, Sep 22 : In a significant statement, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said during her election campaign for the bypoll in Bhabanipur on Wednesday that if she doesn't win the by-election, someone else will become the Chief Minister.

Speaking at a public rally, Banerjee said, "If I don't win, someone else will be the Chief Minister. Give me your votes to keep me as the Chief Minister. Every vote is precious to me. Don't waste them." Political experts are of the opinion that the Chief Minister's statement is an expression of her tension over the bypoll.

"She has never been in this situation before and so she is worried about the outcome of the election. The data of previous elections in Bhabanipur also shows that she is not totally comfortable about her victory," a political analyst said.

Labelling herself as the protector of the people, the Chief Minister said, "I was asked to contest from Nadigram where I had fought for the peasants' movement, but you all know how I was defeated there. The case is lying pending before the court.

"You will all come to know what happened to me there. But now I am here... Perhaps this is fate. I cannot leave you. Every vote is valuable. So don't waste your vote thinking that I shall win. If you don't give your vote, I shall lose." Raising her ante against the BJP government at the Centre, Banerjee said, "I can call Modi-Shah grandfather, brother... It's courtesy. But I will not accept the Taliban rule in the country. I will not let the country fall apart. I will not let the kingdom be torn to pieces. I will not allow division among the common people." "They are running the government in an autocratic manner. They have suddenly imposed Section 144 in Tripura only to stop us from conducting a rally. This cannot continue in a democratic country.

"If necessary, games will be played in the same manner in Tripura, Assam, Goa and Uttar Pradesh. Your vote will help stop the rioters. If you start the process here, you will see the result in Delhi. I shall go to any extent to fight this Talibanism," she added.
Bengaluru, Sep 22 : The police have arrested a youth who kissed a co-passenger college student before alighting from a bus in Bengaluru, the police said on Wednesday.

The arrested person was identified as Madhusudhan Reddy, a resident of Vijayanagar in Bengaluru.

The girl, a student of architecture, lodged a police complaint against him on September 13.

The Bagalagunte police nabbed the accused after verifying CCTV footage in the surrounding areas and based on the statements of the bus driver, conductor and passengers. The police also found out his details from the bus ticket as he had given information for reserving the seat.

The incident took place in the wee hours of September 13 when the girl was returning to Bengaluru from Bellary after the Vinayak Chaturthi festival in a KSRTC luxury bus.

The accused who sat close to her seat was watching 'Geetha Govindam' Telugu flick which shows the protagonist kissing the heroine while she is sleeping. The girl has mentioned in the complaint that the youth looked at her strangely before she went to sleep.

When the bus stopped near Peenya-Jalahalli for the passengers to alight, the youth kissed the girl on the cheek and rushed away. Before she could gather her wits the youth got down from the bus and vanished.

The girl later reached her home and then lodged a complaint with the police.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : While five Chief Ministers have been dropped due to low popularity ratings as shown by the IANS CVoter tracker, data suggests that the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Rajasthan too are on a slippery ground.

The BJP recently changed the Chief Ministers in Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. In the case of Uttarakhand, the Chief Ministers were changed twice this year. The Congress too followed suit by recently replacing its Chief Minister in Punjab.

Two other 'unpopular' Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were ousted after the Assembly elections held earlier this year.

Yashwant Deshmukh, Founder-Director, CVoter International, said, "The ratings of IANS CVoter tracker have been vindicated across the board. While two CMs of Tamil and Puducherry were voted out by the people, the BJP had the wisdom to change its CMs in Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. The Congress has also gone for a change in Punjab." "Next on the radar are the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Rajasthan -- Manohar Lal Khattar and Ashok Gehlot, respectively -- whose ratings have been consistently bad," Deshmukh added.

Deshmukh said it shows that scientific data and public pressure has meaning and trackers like IANS CVoter fill in the blanks in the perception battle.

Earlier this year, IANS CVoter had shown that 7 out the 10 least popular Chief Ministers were from the BJP.

In the case of Uttarakhand, the BJP is back in business after the appointment of Pushkar Singh Dhami as the Chief Minister. The IANS CVoter tracker shows that after his appointment in July, the popularity ratings have improved and the BJP has good chances now in a three-cornered contest in Uttarakhand.

While the BJP appointed Tirath Singh Rawat as the CM in March, his popularity had continued to plunge. Therefore, in a course correction, BJP had to change two Chief Ministers in quick succession.

In the case of Karnataka, the public are as yet giving the benefit of doubt to new Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai. The only achievement as of now is that the public anger has been taken away by replacing B.S. Yeddyurappa. The 'don't know' and 'can't say' category is dominating in Karnataka's perception battle as people are still getting to know the new CM.

The BJP changed Vijay Rupani with Bhupendra Patel as CM in Gujarat recently. There was a lot of anger during the Covid phase in April-May. Things started improving for Rupani from June as the BJP cadres lifted their spirits buoyed by the visits from the top leadership.

The damage control led to Rupani's ratings improving, but the BJP sensed that it had hit a plateau and the kind of lead it is used to in Gujarat would be an uphill task. The BJP needs 15-20 per cent edge over the Congress in vote share in Gujarat.

Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh of the Congress was in the bottom three among CMs for a long time. Data from the tracker suggests that he had to go and probably the Congress took too much time to make it happen.

Next on the radar, as per the data, could be Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, as the 'not at all satisfied' category of people is very high in the state and has been consistently so.

Similar set of data shows that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot may also be on the radar.
Chennai, Sep 22 : The Tamil Nadu State Election Commission has directed the Collectors of the nine districts where rural local body elections are to be held, to take stringent action to curb "auction" of the posts of panchayat presidents.

Auctioning of posts of village panchayat presidents and panchayat union ward councilors has been reported in the state in the past couple of days.

The rural local body polls are to take place on October 6 and October 9 and in certain villages of these districts, there has been a move to have 'consensus' candidates and local people had reported and complained that money was changing hands.

Village elders had actively participated in the 'auctioning' for the post of the president of Ulagalapadi village panchayat in Sankarapuram panchayat union in Kallakurichi district. A similar phenomenon was also witnessed in Ponnankuppam village panchayat in Gingee panchayat union of Villupuram district.

Two councillor posts were also subject to 'auction' in two panchayat union wards in Melamalaiyanur in Villupuram.

Political parties have opposed the practice and called upon the SEC and the respective district administrations to take stern action.

Ruling DMK leader R.S. Bharathi said that this has to be curtailed and that if noticed, district administrators should take stern action against those abetting moves to subvert the democratic process.

BJP leader H. Raja said that strong action must be taken by the State Election Commission to bring an end to such moves.

Talking to IANS, retired professor G. Palanithurai said: "If someone is getting elected through consensus, there should be fixed criteria and it should be based on morals and ethics and not money. The Election Commission has enormous powers and they should act as people are complaining from villages themselves. No one should be allowed to subvert the democratic process."
New Delhi, Sep 22 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met BJP President J.P. Nadda on Wednesday evening to discuss governance and other issues related to the state.

After the meeting at Nadda's residence, Chouhan tweeted: "Met BJP chief J.P. Nadda and apprised him about the ongoing development in works in the state and works expeditiously done to achieve 100 per cent vaccination by the end of December." It is also learnt that apart from governance issues, the current political situation and coming bypolls in Madhya Pradesh was discussed between Nadda and Chouhan. Bypolls are due for Raigaon, Prithvipur, and Jobat assembly constituencies and Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency.

Earlier, Chouhan met Union Power Minister R.K. Singh and discussed modernisation and use of new technology in the state's power sector.

"We will modernise the entire electricity system in Madhya Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis is on green energy, and our state is rapidly moving towards solar energy. A 750 MW solar plant is functional in Rewa and a floating solar plant is being set up at Omkareshwar," Chouhan said.

He also said that it has been decided to modernise the energy sector using new technology under RDSS. "The Central government will bear 60 per cent cost and 40 per cent will be borne by the power companies," he said.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The United Nations' Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) in its annual report, has termed the arrest of Christian James Michel in the AugustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal and anti-CAA activist Safoora Zargar by Indian authorities as arbitrary.

"No actions were taken by the Government of India to release Mr Michel. He is risking his life in light of the Covid-19 outbreak," WGAD, which investigates arbitrary arrests and detentions around the world, said in its report submitted to the Human Rights Council on Tuesday.

While Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore Choppergate scandal was extradited to India from Dubai in 2018 and has been in custody since then, Zargar, a Jamia Millia research scholar, who was pregnant at the time, was arrested in connection with the anti-CAA protest followed by riots in the northeast region of Delhi. The 28-year-old was arrested under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The report found Michel's arrest by the UAE arbitrary under categories I & III and category I for India, whereas Safoora Zargar's detention was found arbitrary under categories I, II and V.

The report further mentioned that during the period from January 1 to December 31, 2020, the Working Group sent 55 urgent appeals to 27 governments and 150 allegation letters and other letters to 62 governments and, in two cases, to other actors, concerning at least 651 identified individuals. India was mentioned in the list of countries concerned by urgent appeals and letters of the allegation, under which it was given that India was given five allegation letters along with one other letter.

"During the reporting period, the Working Group noted a pattern in cases brought under the regular communications procedure as well as under the urgent communications procedure involving attempts to forcibly remove, extradite or deport an individual from one state to another, effectively circumventing the extradition process required by the rule of law and safeguards against arbitrary detention," a point made in reference to Christian Michel's case read, adding that the victim "...have been subjected to extensive interrogations and forced to sign documents..." In respect to Safoora Zargar, the report stated: "Several human rights defenders were detained under vague and overly broad national security and anti-terrorism provisions, giving the authorities wide discretion to criminalise their peaceful activities." The right to participate in public affairs is provided for in article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 25 of the Covenant. These rights are furthered by the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association under articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 19, 21 and 22 of the Covenant. In this regard, the Working Group recalls that criticism of the government is permissible in a democratic society and protected by the freedom of opinion and expression.

The Working Group also noted that such cases have involved denial of the right to legal counsel, which is procedurally inherent in the right to liberty and security of person and the right to prohibition of arbitrary detention, in violation of articles under universal declaration of human rights and covenant, as well as principles of the body of principles for the protection of all persons under any form of detention or imprisonment and principles of the basic principles on the role of lawyers.

This report came at a time when due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the working group was unable to conduct country visits during the reporting period.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has written to Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana seeking an audience for its Executive Committee members to discuss issues such as elevation of top court lawyers as high court judges, allotment of chambers, and lawyers being designated as seniors.

Senior advocate and SCBA President Vikas Singh, in a letter to the CJI, said: "We are extremely hopeful that the concerns of the bar will be addressed in your tenure as Chief Justice of India. It is therefore requested that an audience be given to the Executive Committee of SCBA to discuss the above issues at the earliest." In the letter, he brought out important issues to the notice of the CJI. He also added that the list of top court lawyers, which were identified by its Search Committee, has been handed over in a sealed cover for necessary course of action.

"We hope and trust that the names suggested by the Search Committee shall be considered by the respective High Court Collegiums along with the lawyers from the High Court Bar in order to choose the most deserving candidate," the letter said.

The letter cited issue of designation of lawyers, practicing in the top court, as seniors and said the 'Committee for Designation of Senior Advocate' is "obliged to meet at least twice in a calendar year. However, there has been no such meeting in the last two years".

"A Full Court meeting is required to clear the pending names." Singh requested the CJI to examine the issues pertaining to allotment of chambers for lawyers in the new building complex. He added that chambers are ready since 2018-19, however, they are un-allotted till date.

On the issue of resumption of physical hearing, the letter said: "Entry to the high-security area should be permitted by the use of a proximity card and the waiting areas would be the libraries and the lounges where lawyers will wait on their own after observing Covid protocol."
New Delhi, Sep 22 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is getting the benefit of doubt from the public as of now, even as public anger has gone away with the ouster of B.S. Yeddyurappa.

The IANC CVoter tracker data shows that the 'don't know'/'cant say' section is as high as 50 per cent when asked about the satisfaction levels with the Karnataka CM. The approval ratings are just about 10 per cent.

In the case of Karnataka, the public are as yet giving the benefit of doubt to new Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai. The only achievement as of now is that the public anger has been taken away by replacing B.S. Yeddyurappa. The 'don't know'/'can't say' category is dominating in Karnataka's perception battle as people are still getting to know the new CM.

While five Chief Ministers have been dropped due to low popularity ratings as was shown in the IANS CVoter tracker earlier, data suggests that the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Rajasthan are on a slippery ground.

The BJP recently changed the Chief Ministers in Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. In the case of Uttarakhand, the Chief Ministers were changed twice this year. The Congress too followed suit by recently replacing its Chief Minister in Punjab.

Two other 'unpopular' Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were ousted after the Assembly elections held earlier this year.

Yashwant Deshmukh, Founder-Director, CVoter International, said, "The ratings of IANS CVoter tracker have been vindicated across the board. While two CMs of Tamil and Puducherry were voted out by the people, the BJP had the wisdom to change its CMs in Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. The Congress has also gone for a change in Punjab." "Next on the radar are the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Rajasthan -- Manohar Lal Khattar and Ashok Gehlot, respectively -- whose ratings have been consistently bad," Deshmukh added.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked both the Allahabad High Court and the Uttar Pradesh government to jointly discuss and then submit suggestions for regulating bail applications, during the pendency of the appeals of convicts.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and B.R. Gavai said: "State government has said something and now you (Allahabad High Court) have said something. They have given suggestions and now you have given counter-suggestions of 20-25 pages." It noted that the Allahabad High Court registry has given suggestions, which are like counter-suggestions to the Uttar Pradesh government, and asked how will they zero in on the most suitable ones?

"If you are unable to give suggestions, then we will formulate some guidelines on our own," the bench said.

Additional Advocate General Garima Prashad, representing the Uttar Pradesh, submitted they will sit together and compile the most suitable suggestions. The top court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on October 5.

The High Court has given a slew of suggestions to the top court, like in cases of serious and grave offences, that a "victim impact assessment" report should be obtained after consulting the victim and taking into account his or her family rights, before granting bail.

The high court's registry, in an affidavit, has given its suggestions following a top court order asking it to help in laying down "broad parameters" to regulate bail applications matter, during the pendency of the appeals of convicted persons.

It suggested that victim impact assessment report should record concerns of the victim along with vital information on physical, mental, and social impact of the crime and the impact of bail to the accused. "The rights of the victim and his family should be considered before granting of bail," it added.

The high court, as a measure to tackle the huge pendency of cases, suggested that dedicated benches should be constituted for hearing long-pending criminal appeals.

"The high court is facing immense pressure on account of the huge pendency of cases. Therefore, the accused may not be given benefit thereof in a mechanical manner unless special benches dedicated for deciding appeals early are constituted," it said.

The top court is hearing 18 criminal appeals of persons convicted in heinous offences, seeking bail on the ground that they have spent seven or more years in jail. The appeals against the convictions have not been listed for regular hearing in the high court due to pendency.
New Delhi/Bengaluru, Sep 22 : Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Shobha Karandlaje on Wednesday said her home state Karnataka is lagging behind in agricultural exports even as the country saw record foodgrains production last year.

"Amidst the Covid pandemic, India has produced record quantity of agricultural produce. But compared to other states, Karnataka is lagging behind in exports," she Minister said during a 'Vanijya Utsav' event in the Karnataka capital.

Notably, India produced 305 million tonnes of food grains and 326 MT of fruits and vegetables.

She said that Karnataka is blessed with varied agro-climatic zones and the state needs to exploit this varied agro climatic zones to grow all variety of agricultural products.

"Also there is need for enhancing our R&D departments to get the good quality of agri produce which is suitable for exporting," Karandlaje said, as per an Agriculture Ministry statement.

With reference to self-reliant India, Karandlaje directed attention towards the oil palm sector.

"India has become self-reliant in all most all sectors except edible Oils.Now it is time for us to grow oil palm and set up oil processing units to achieve Aatma Nirbharata in the oil palm sector," she said averring that the country's agriculture future lies in exports.

The Minister directed the officials to focus that agricultural produce is made chemical free.

She apprised that the Centre has sanctioned funds for development of agri infrastructure which has to be utilized properly so that the best quality of agriculture produce can be harnessed.

As part of the celebrations of the 75th year of independence, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority is organising various programmes across the country, and Vanijya Utsav was one among them.
Mumbai, Sep 22 : A government-appointed probe panel on Wednesday re-issued the bailable arrest warrant against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, who is the current Commandant General of Home Guards, after he failed to appear before it.

The decision of the Justice (retd) K.U. Chandiwal Commission came after the state CID submitted that the officer could not be traced either in Mumbai or Chandigarh to serve and executive the arrest warrant issued on September 7.

It has now set a fresh date - October 6 - for Singh to appear before it to give evidence, failing which the IPS officer could face a non-bailable arrest warrant.

The Commission is probing the allegations of corruption of Rs 100 crore levelled by Singh against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a letter in April that sparked an uproar and led to the latter's resignation.

Earlier, Singh has skipped several summonses by the Commission which has fined him thrice and he has paid up the penalties of Rs 5,000 (in June) and Rs 25,000 twice (in August) by depositing them in the CM Relief Fund with a warning of a higher fine if he does not appear at the next date.

The arrest warrant shall be sent to the DGP's office which would make the necessary efforts to execute it as per the probe panel's directions.
Kolkata, Sep 22 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), agencies probing the Narada bribery case, have come in direct conflict with the Speaker of West Bengal Assembly, Biman Banerjee, by refusing to appear before him on Wednesday to explain why they had summoned three Trinamool Congress MLAs without the consent of the Speaker.

Banerjee had issued summons to the central agencies to be present at the Assembly premises at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. The representatives of the ED and the CBI were supposed to explain as to why they had summoned three elected MLAs of the ruling Trinamool Congress without the consent of the Speaker.

Both the agencies informed the Speaker about their inability to appear before him. Constitutional experts believe that the situation might lead to an unexpected constitutional crisis.

On Wednesday, an official of the ED handed over a letter to Banerjee saying that the agency has fulfilled all the legal formalities.

But instead of meeting the Speaker, he just submitted the letter to the latter's office. Sources in the Assembly said that the ED authorities made it clear that they would not send any representative to the Assembly.

Sources in the ED also said that its letter mentioned that the agency had taken permission from Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, and so the permission of the Speaker was not necessary. The letter also said that it is not possible for any ED representative to appear before the Speaker on this issue.

Similarly, the CBI also sent a mail to the Speaker, saying that it cannot appear before him, pointing out that the Speaker did not have the authority to summon its officers for explanation.

It has also been said that as the investigation is being conducted under the instruction and supervision of the high court, the CBI had the legal binding to submit the chargesheet before the court and in doing so they met will all the legal formalities.

Meanwhile, sources in the ED and the CBI said that that they are consulting legal experts in this matter. They would prefer to take the legal way rather than honouring the Speaker's summons, sources said.

The Speaker on his part sounded quite stern on this issue, saying: "It will be wrong to think that the matter is a closed chapter. No one is above the law." Assembly sources said that there is high possibility that another summon will be issued to both the CBI and the ED.

The Narada scam is a sting operation targeting high-ranking officials and politicians of the Trinamool-led West Bengal government carried out in 2014, which reportedly showed several of them accepting bribes and illegal gratifications in exchange for unofficial favours for the companies offering the bribes.

The sting operation was made public ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections. The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI-led probe into the Narada scam in March 2017, while the ED was also roped in to investigate the case.

An ethics committee of the Lok Sabha was also set up as the accused involved Members of Parliament.

Four Trinamool leaders -- Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee -- were arrested by the CBI on May 17 after which West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a six-hour protest outside the CBI headquarters in Kolkata, demanding their unconditional release. Her supporters even gheraoed the compound housing the CBI office.

A special CBI court granted interim bail to the four leaders because the agency had not requested for their custody. The CBI court also cited the Supreme Court's judgment on prison decongestion. Challenging the CBI court's order, the CBI appealed to the Calcutta High Court, which revoked the CBI court order and sent the four accused to judicial custody.

However, the Calcutta High Court later ordered the house arrest of the four leaders. Later, they were granted interim conditional bail on May 28 by the Calcutta High Court.
Panaji, Sep 22 : Stung by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's accusation that his Goa counterpart Pramod Sawant duplicates Delhi government's initiatives, the latter hit back on Wednesday, accusing the AAP national convener of copying him.

"In fact, it is he who is copying me," Sawant told reporters at a government function here.

Kejriwal on Wednesday took a dig at Sawant, accusing the Goa Chief Minister of duplicating the initiatives of his government in Delhi.

"I believe that whatever is happening in Delhi, he (Sawant) is copying them in Goa. When the people of Goa can vote for the original, why do you need a duplicate? The duplicate person will end up doing 'gadbad' (trouble)," Kejriwal had said.

The blame game between the two Chief Ministers comes a day after Kejriwal announced 80 per cent job reservation in the private sector for Goans if the party is voted to power after next year's Assembly elections, while also announcing a slew of unemployment doles in the poll-bound state.

Sawant said that it was his government which first started a 'Model Career Centre' last year in order to facilitate jobs for the state's youth in the private sector.

"I was the first to start a Model Career Centre, the apprenticeship shceme, and the fellowship scheme, among others. My government started facilitating private jobs, not now but sometime back. Jobs have been facilitated through the MCC at Godrej, Colgate and Merck. These (companies) have already placed orders for jobs," the Goa CM said, while accusing the Delhi government of providing only 450-500 jobs over the last five years.
Hyderabad, Sep 22 : An employee of a drive-in restaurant in Hyderabad was arrested on Wednesday after a hidden camera phone with its recording switched on was found in the women's washroom.

A female customer of the restaurant in posh Jubilee Hills lodged a complaint with the police after she found the hidden camera in an overhead shelf of the washroom.

She handed over the camera phone to Jubilee Hills police station.

The police immediately launched a probe and found that camera phone belonged to one of the workers at the restaurant.

Police arrested Bongarala Banerjee, a native of Nalgonda district. He reportedly told police that he kept the phone in the washroom when he went to clean it and forgot it there.

A case under Sections 354C (voyeurism), 509 (insulting the modesty of any woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act was booked against him.

Police, who reportedly found four hours of recording in the camera phone, took up further investigation.
Geneva, Sep 22 : The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has issued a statement on conditions and expulsions at US border in Del Rio of Texas, saying that he was shocked by images of the deplorable conditions there.

He mentioned that more than 14,000 Haitians had gathered there after arduous journeys from a number of countries in the Americas, the Xinhua news agency reported.

"The summary, mass expulsions of individuals currently under way under the Title 42 authority, without screening for protection needs, is inconsistent with international norms and may constitute refoulement," the UN official said.

He reiterated the call for the US government immediately and fully to lift its Title 42 restrictions in effect since March of 2020 which continue to deny most people arriving at the southwest US land border any opportunity to request asylum.

The head of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday traveled to Del Rio, a city in the US state of Texas that borders Mexico, warning migrants who have amassed there against illegal border crossing.

Meanwhile, a video showing US border patrol agents chasing Haitian migrants on horseback triggered outrage, forcing White House press secretary Jen Psaki to acknowledge Monday that what was shown in the "horrific" footage was neither acceptable nor appropriate.
Vijayawada, Sep 22 : A court in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada on Wednesday dismissed the CBI's petition, seeking permission for narco analysis test of suspects in the nearly 14-year-old case of rape and murder of a B-Pharmacy student at a hostel near here.

The Fourth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate refused to grant permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct narco test on main suspect Koneru Satish, grandson of former minister Koneru Ranga Rao, and seven others in the sensational case.

The agency had sought the court's permission for narco test on Satish and also the friends of the student staying with her in the hostel. Its counsel argued that the narco test would help the agency in collecting vital information to probe the case.

Counsel of the suspect and others opposed the CBI's petition.

The horrific crime in a private women's hostel in Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada on the night of December 27, 2007 had shocked the then undivided Andhra Pradesh.

The blood-stained body of the 19-year-old was found with multiple stab injuries in the bathroom of the hostel.

The victim's family had alleged that the evidence was wiped out from the scene of the offence to shield the guilty. It claimed that a relative of a then minister and his friends were involved in the crime but innocents were arrested and sentenced.

In 2008, police had claimed that SC youth Satyam Babu, arrested in a cell phone robbery case, confessed to the victim's murder.

The Mahila Court in Vijayawada, on September 10, 2010, convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

In 2017, the Hyderabad High Court acquitted him, and also ordered action against the police officials who investigated the case.

Subsequently, the state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a fresh probe. The High Court was supervising the probe by SIT, which found that all records relating to the case were destroyed by the trial court.

Expressing its unhappiness over the manner in which the SIT conducted the probe, the court in November 2018 handed over the case to the CBI.

The agency was also directed to probe the destruction of records relating to the case.

The CBI booked a case against some employees of the trial court.

As part of the investigation into the rape and murder case, the CBI in December 2019 exhumed the victim's body for a fresh autopsy, by a team of forensic experts.

The CBI had also questioned Satyam Babu, who alleged he was intentionally framed by the police to save the real culprits.

The investigating agency also grilled Satish.
Bengaluru, Sep 22 : National Intelligence Agency (NIA) sleuths, in a joint operation with Karnataka Police, arrested one of the prime accused in the sensational DJ Halli and K G Halli riots case in which the house of a MLA and a police station were set on fire in August last year, sources said on Wednesday.

The accused was identified as Tabrez (35), a resident of Old Bengaluru Layout, who live telecast the riots to incite further violence.

On August 11, 2020, a mob, protesting against the alleged derogatory social media post about Prophet Mohammad on Facebook, had attacked the police station and burnt police vehicles. It also damaged public as well as private properties.

Investigation has revealed that Tabrez is a member of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), a political outfit of Popular Front of India (PFI) and was involved in hatching the conspiracy to attack the DJ Halli police station and had instigated many others on What App groups. He was also found involved in burning vehicles and damaging public and private properties.

After conducting investigations, the NIA filed a charge sheet against 109 accused on February 5, 2021 before the NIA special court.
Gurugram, Sep 22 : The family members of a 44-year-old brain dead female patient in Gurugram gave new lease of life to three separate recipients by donating her kidneys and liver at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) here on Wednesday.

This became possible after the family members of the patient consented to donate her organs. The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) allocated the organs to three separate recipients - two waitlisted recipients at Fortis Gurugram received the liver and one kidney, while another recipient at a private hospital in Delhi received the second kidney.

According to Om Prakash, Consultant, Neuro Anesthesia, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, the donor, a 44-year-old female, was admitted to the hospital on the night of September 15. She was found unconscious and on evaluation, there was evidence of major bleeding in the brain.

"Despite the best efforts of the neurosurgical team, she was declared brain dead. The family later decided to donate her organs and corneas. One kidney and liver were transplanted at FMRI into a 38-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man, respectively. The second kidney was allotted and transplanted into a 43-year woman in Delhi. Both corneas were sent to an eye bank," he said.

Ritu Garg, Zonal Director, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, said, "We are humbled by the actions of the donor family. Despite their grief, they selflessly donated their loved one's organs, saving other lives. We are also indebted to the support we received from the NOTTO, our clinicians and nursing staff, all of whom played an imperative role in making each organ donation process a reality."
Kolkata, Sep 23 : With portions of Kolkata still under knee-deep water following incessant rains for the last three days, the met office on Wednesday predicted more woes for the city as well as south Bengal, with likely formation of two more depressions in the Bay of Bengal leading to downpours on the weekend.

According to the Meteorological Department, a pair of depressions is likely to form over Bay of Bengal over the weekend and due to them, heavy rainfall is predicted in Kolkata and south Bengal from Sunday.

It said that a depression is likely to form in the east-central Bay of Bengal next Saturday, will gradually move west-northwest and enter land through the Odisha coast.

At the same time, another depression is likely to form in the central Bay of Bengal on Monday, will gradually move towards the Bengal and Odisha coasts and the two depressions will cause thunderstorms and rain, not only in Kolkata but also in south Bengal including North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, and Hooghly.

Meanwhile, there is a depression over Jharkhand at the moment and it will gradually move towards Odisha and Chhattisgarh. As a result, there will be scattered rain in Kolkata and adjoining areas on Wednesday, but the weather will improve from Thursday. However, the department has predicted heavy rains in some western districts also including East and West Midnapore, East and West Burdwan, Bankura, Purulia, and Jhargram.

The administration is worried about the weather because there is the crucial bye-election in Bhabanipur Assembly constituency on September 30. The heavy rainfall might lead to a flood-like situation in south Bengal districts and so the state administration has asked the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to get prepared for any eventuality.

"The election is round the corner and so we don't want to take the risk. The state administration is prepared for any situation," a senior state government official said.

Meanwhile because of the three days of continuous rain, several areas of Kolkata like Ultadanga, Maniktala, Belgachia, Behala, M G Road, Park Circus, Park Street, Theatre Road, and Shakespeare Sarani are still inundated and people had to wade through the knee-water to reach their working places.
Kolkata, Sep 23 : Fresh controversy erupted in West Bengal after a defeated BJP candidate from the Magrahat West Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district -- Dhurjati Saha -- who was allegedly assaulted by Trinamool Congress workers after the announcement of election results on May 2, died at a city hospital on Wednesday evening.

Claiming foul play, the BJP demanded a CBI investigation into the murder.

The family members of Saha claimed that he was brutally beaten up by Trinamool 'goons' on May 2, in which he had received severe head injuries. Though Saha was immediately shifted to a local hospital and then transferred to a hospital in Thakurpukur on the southern fringes of Kolkata, he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.

Saha's wife also demanded a CBI probe into the murder.

Local Trinamool MLA Giasuddin Mollah said that he did not know who had assaulted Saha, as he was inside the counting centre at that time.

"He was beaten up by the henchmen of the local Trinamool MLA after the counting trends showed he (Saha) was trailing. He had to be admitted to the hospital the next day," said BJP MP Arjun Singh, who visited the hospital in Thakurpukur after Saha's death.

Claiming that it was another instance of post-poll atrocities by the Trinamool against its political opponents, Singh said the party would take up the matter with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) soon.

After the death of Abhijit Sarkar, a BJP worker who was allegedly hacked to death by Trinamool 'goons' in Maniktala in Kolkata, the death of Saha will surely embarrass the ruling party.

Though Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has claimed that there was no incident of post-poll violence in the state, an NHRC report has said that there were several cases of rape and murder after the announcement of Assembly election results.

Accepting the recommendations of an NHRC panel, the Calcutta High Court had on August 19 ordered a CBI investigation into all alleged cases of heinous crimes like rape and murder.

Saha's wife alleged that her husband was beaten up outside the counting centre in Magrahat by three-four Trinamool workers who were close to Mollah, and the police, even after being informed, did not come to his rescue even when he had sought their help.

"He could be taken back home much later following the intervention of local BJP leaders and some residents of the area. As his condition deteriorated, he was taken to a hospital. We demand a CBI probe into the incident and arrest of those behind the attack," she said.
New Delhi, Sep 23 : As child labourers grew by 160 million by the start of 2020 and the pandemic forced another 150 million into multidimensional poverty, Nobel laureates, child labour survivor-advocates, and youth activists on Wednesday together demanded the world leaders an end to child labour and child poverty through a dedicated, universal social child protection fund.

The appeal was sent out in the 'International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour' at a first of its kind virtual events, the 'Fair Share to End Child Labour' was hosted by Laureates and Leaders for Children and co-sponsored by the Government of Sweden, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the International Labour Organization.

The stage was set by Nobel awardee Kailash Satyarthi - last week made the global ambassador for SDGs - who said: "Laureates and Leaders has released a calculation. Just $52 billion can provide social protection to every child and pregnant woman in low-income countries. This amount is less than two days of Covid relief measures taken in G7 countries and equivalent to just 0.4 per cent spent in social protection programmes in Europe." Satyarthi's idea of something like a Global Social Protection Fund was echoed by Sweden's Prime Minister, Stefan Lofven; Director General, International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder; Fair Share Namibia Lead and former junior Mayor Ongwediva Town, Rebekka Nghilalulwa; International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) General Secretary Sharan Burrow; President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Professor Jeffry Sachs among others.

US Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro spoke about the condition of poor children in her country.

Stating that "child poverty is a stain on the US," DeLauro said, "This is a result of a policy choices 10 million children struggle against poverty in the USA." She also spoke about how it was recently that the USA started a child tax credit, a universal child allowance that is credited to a child's parents' account.

Honourary president of World Religion of Peace Bishop Gunnar Stalsett too lent his support for the cause.

The highlight of the event were small interventions by a child labourer survivor-advocate Khusboo Sharma (India), Founder of Street Beats Foundation and a survivor child soldier Wani Francis (South Sudan) and child labour survivor, Champa Kumari (India) and advocate Manan Ansari (India), who narrated their tales of survivals of either mining work or soldier as children and resolve to set free children like them still trapped in poverty and child labour.

Apart from these, the litany of speakers included Norway's Minister for International Development, Dag-Inge Ulstein;; African Union Commissioner for Social affairs, Amira El Fadil; German Permanent State Secretary for Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Bjorn Bohning; 1996 Nobel Laureate Jose Ramos Horta; Assistant Director General for Education, UNESCO,Stefania Giannini; Deputy Director General of WHO, Zsuzsanna Jakab; Chair Alliance 8, 7 Anousheh Karvar; President, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, Kerry Kennedy among others.

The two hour plus virtual event ended with an emotional appeal by Satyarthi. Reminding the world about how everything is globalised, technology, businesses, markets, he said: "This is the time to globalise compassion for our children, time to globalise morality, globalise justice, this is the time to globalised our responsibility for our children and this is the time to globalise accountability among each other."
New Delhi, Sep 23 : Reacting to the vaccine row with the UK, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development and Enterpreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said on Wednesday that every country will take decisions which they believe are in the best interest of the people.

Replying to a query during a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Chandrasekhar said, "I don't want to get into too much detail. I will only leave this thought with you that during Covid, the height of fear and paranoia in countries about travel in general and travellers in particular is high, and expectedly so." The minister, however, clarified that he was not speaking on behalf of the health or the external affairs ministry.

"Throughout the entire 18 months of the pandemic, you have seen restrictions placed by many countries on people travelling in and out of the country. I am not speaking on behalf of the health minister or the external affairs minister," Chandrasekhar said.

He further stated that he thinks these things have to evolve as the assessment of risk of the disease gets mitigated over time.

"Till such time, every sovereign government, every sovereign country will take decisions which they believe are in the best interest of the people. I don't think this is anything more than that and I leave it at that," Chandrasekhar said.

Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, the minister said, "In his first in-person visit since the Covid pandemic, the Prime Minister will meet US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison and Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga. He will also meet US Vice President Kamala Harris. He will discuss many issues there." He further pointed out that the Prime Minister has led the country and won against terrorism, expansionism and pandemic.

"He led and united the country in his resilient fight against three issues. His government has vaccinated 81 crore people, while the economy has also rebounded strongly," he said.

Chandrasekhar said that in the post-Covid world order, India under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi will play a significant role in shaping the future.

"This is a vindication of seven years of PM's foreign policy of keeping 'India first, nation first'. Today, on the global stage under, India is playing a significant role in shaping the world," he added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, Sep 23 : Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Siddaramaiah has urged the ruling BJP to drop the decision to grant hundreds of acres of land at cheaper price to Centre for Education and Social Studies to establish Chanakya University.

Siddaramaiah addressed a joint press conference with state Congress (KPCC) President D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday and expressed his anger against the decision of Karnataka to transfer land at a very cheap price.

He has said that they will seek legal remedies against the decision.

Siddaramaiah interacting with the media said, "All the members of CESS are from RSS. This is an organisation that promotes the idea of Manu. They want to re-establish the Varnashrama system in our society." The BJP government has hurriedly passed Chanakya Varsity bill on voice note in Tuesday's assembly without giving opportunity to debate and discuss.

CESS does not have any prior experience of managing educational institutions and also does not have any infrastructure to start a university. The government should clarify on what criteria has the land been allocated to them, Siddaramaiah asserted.

The BJP government had called for a cabinet meeting on April 26, 2021 and had decided to hand over 116 acres in Haralur to CESS. The notified land was acquired by Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) to establish Aerospace and Defense industries.

"KIADB had acquired the land at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore per acre and gave compensation of Rs 175 crore to acquire 116 acres. The same land is now being given to CESS at just Rs 50 crore. The current market price is Rs 300-400 crore," he claimed.

"State BJP government is giving highly priced land to RSS agencies at a cheaper price. It is unfortunate that the government has overlooked all regulations related to the setting up of University and passed a Bill to favour RSS mouthpiece which does not have any experience of running educational institutions. This is a highly criminal & corrupt attempt by the BJP government," Siddaramaiah alleged.

At a time when the second wave of Covid was at its peak and the government was starved of funds, B.S. Yediyurappa government called for a cabinet and gifted highly priced land to CESS at a cheaper cost.

Even Speaker Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri was partial in his conduct while passing Chanakya varsity bill. He disallowed the leaders of opposition to discuss important issues surrounding the bill.

"Speaker never listened to our request to allow discussion about this issue. What was the need to pass the bill urgently? Was this related to a public emergency?" he questioned.

"This is a case of nepotism and I demand the BJP government to scrap the decision to hand over the land to CESS to start Chanakya University as CESS does not have any qualification or eligibility to start an institution," he said.
A joint venture between Tristan Capital Partners CCP 5 coreplus fund and Whitewood has acquired, off-market, a strategically significant c.75,000 sqm logistics asset in Genk. The asset is part of the real estate certificate Immo Genk-Zuid, managed by KBC Real Estate.

The acquisition of the asset w...

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Our Hidden Gem rankings highlight schools that may not be as well known, but may be the best fit for a student academically, financially, and socially. Raptors tools help students create a fine-tuned, personalized list of colleges that fit their goals and needs.

One challenge many high school students face is selecting colleges to apply to from the wealth of schools in America. According to the Department of Education, there are nearly 4,000 degree-granting postsecondary schools in the US. Its next to impossible for a student to know about them all. College rankings tend to highlight the best colleges, but brand name schools arent for everyone.

Thats where College Raptors Hidden Gems come in. The goal of these unique rankings is to bring attention to colleges that families may not have heard about before. These schools are small but mighty and each has a lot to offer their students. For example, Hillsdale College (the #1 Gem for Michigan and #3 Gem for Colleges That Dont Require Test Scores) has a high 88% six year graduation rate. Drew University (#1 New Jersey Gem and #18 Most Ethnically Diverse Gem) offers 97% of their students a generous financial aid package averaging at $24,499. Out of last years graduates from Augustana University (the #1 South Dakota Gem), 97% found employment in their major or chosen field.

What makes a college a Hidden Gem? Hidden Gem colleges are the highest-rated schools in College Raptors 2022 Best Colleges rankings that have fewer than 7,000 undergraduate students, receive fewer than 5,000 applications per year, have a 10% or higher acceptance rate, and offer 5 or more unique majors.

College Raptor is dedicated to helping students and families find their best-fit colleges, says Bill Staib, co-founder and CEO of College Raptor. Our Hidden Gem rankings highlight schools that may not be as well known, but may be the best fit for a student academically, financially, and socially. Raptors tools help students create a fine-tuned, personalized list of colleges that fit their goals and needs. Were proud to showcase these Hidden Gems colleges and bring them the attention they deserve.

Were honored to be featured as a College Raptor Hidden Gem, says Billie Streufert of Augustana University (featured as the #1 Gem in South Dakota). With more than 100 majors, minors and pre-professional programs for undergraduates, Augustana is committed to enriching lives and fostering development by combining a foundation in the liberal arts with professional skill and advanced study. Ninety-eight percent of Augustana University graduates participate in internships, research, service-learning, or study away. These transformative applied learning opportunities enable graduates to make a difference in their communities and launch their careers confidently.

View the complete College Raptor 2022 Rankings for Hidden Gems at https://www.collegeraptor.com/hidden-gems-2022/

About College Raptor, Inc.

College Raptor creates tools to help students, parents, counselors, and colleges resolve significant challenges in college planning. With its motto,College Planning. Evolved, Raptor is the only college search platform that enables students and families to discover quality, affordable college options based on personalized estimates of financial aid, scholarships, academic match, and acceptance odds at every 4-year college in the country. As a result, students and their families find cost-effective, academically-appropriate college options that prepare them for future careers. For more information about College Raptor, visit CollegeRaptor.com.
Brandweek Lift Diversity Business Fair, Sept. 24 The 2021 Brandweek Lift Diversity Business Fair will take place on Friday, Sept. 24, and is tailored to provide essential advice and resources for professionals from underrepresented communities.

Today, Adweek announced the agenda of the Brandweek Lift Diversity Business Fair, which connects marketing and advertising professionals from underrepresented communities at its tentpole summit, Brandweek. Adweek, the industry leader in coverage of the brand marketing ecosystem, is offering a limited number of standard summit passes to small businesses owned by people of color, women, LGBTQ+ founders and people with disabilities.

Now in its fourth year, Brandweek returns Sept. 2024. Like last year, this leading marketing summit has been fully reimagined as a robust virtual gathering with enhanced opportunities for one-on-one networking, at-home sampling, virtual wellness breaks and more. Last year, Adweek introduced complimentary Brandweek Lift passes for business leaders from underrepresented communities.

The 2021 Brandweek Lift Diversity Business Fair, presented in partnership with Amazon Advertising, will take place on Friday, Sept. 24, and is tailored to provide essential advice and resources for these leaders. Programming for the day will include inspiring conversations and workshops led by diverse business owners and industry experts, offering a blueprint of best practices for brands, agencies and publishers on how to work with these businesses, build authentic and sustainable relationships and create impactful, inclusive work.

Highlights of the Brandweek Lift Diversity Business Fair will include:



A conversation with fashion, film and music icon Jennifer Lopez, Adweeks 2021 Brand Visionary award honoree.

Main stage presentations on building inclusive communities featuring Tiffany R. Warren (Sony Music Group), Rodney Williams (Belvedere Vodka), Gaston Taratuta (Aleph Holding), Steven Wolfe Pereira (Encantos), Gonzalo Del Fa (GroupM Multicultural) and Claudia Edelman (We Are All Human).

A fireside chat with Jamie Lomas (Amazon Advertising), Meghna Majmudar (ReadySet) and Evelyn Rusli (Yumi) on redefining support for minority-owned businesses.

The Brandweek Lift Diversity Business Fair was inspired by insights gained by the Adweek Executive Mentor Program. At last year's Brandweek summit, a diverse group of mentees made a presentation about the historical underrepresentation of Black businesses. They found that the most common barriers for Black business owners are lack of funding, lack of information and lack of exposure. Following the conclusion of the event, Adweek will provide attendees with a toolkit created by these mentees, covering the workshop topics and serving as a resource for business owners looking to scale their business through marketing.

Adweek offered a number of Brandweek passes to leaders of small businesses that are majority-owned and operated by members of an underrepresented community.

Adweek is dedicated to fostering and amplifying the most important conversations about our industry, said Adweek Chief Content Officer Lisa Granatstein, and diversity, equity and inclusion is one of the most vital challenges we face. We are proud to do our part by providing opportunities at Brandweek for business leaders to teach, learn and connect with each other.

For all press inquiries, please contact pr@adweek.com.

About Adweek

Adweek is the leading source of news and insight serving the brand marketing ecosystem. First published in 1979, Adweeks award-winning coverage reaches an engaged audience of more than 6 million professionals across platforms including print, digital, events, podcasts, newsletters, social media and mobile apps. As a touchstone of the advertising and marketing community, Adweek is an unparalleled resource for leaders across multiple industries who rely on its content to help them do their job better.


Spiritual Equipping of the Body of Christ: an encouraging exploration of scripture. Spiritual Equipping of the Body of Christ is the creation of published author Apostle Tina Lewis, a loving mother of two and grandmother who is currently the Assistant Pastor of The House that God Built. She is also pursuing a bachelors degree in Theology from Heritage Bible College.

Apostle Lewis shares, By the leading of the Holy Spirit, The Spiritual Equipping of the Body of Christ is a spiritual teaching on how to stay equipped through the Word of God. The Spiritual Equipping of the Body of Christ will help you keep every area of your body covered, and it will teach you how to do this. For Ephesians 6:1213 says we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against power, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. The Spiritual Equipping of the Body of Christ will help you fight and win this unforeseen battle. With the Holy Spirit guiding you, you will get a clear and concise input on how to keep you strong in the Word of God. You will feel a sense of personal growth and a more profound connection with Christ. As you read each chapter, you also have scriptures to back of the word, and you also can relate to some of the chapters within. After you have read The Spiritual Equipping of the Body of Christ, I pray that it has done just what the title has saidto help you stay strong in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Apostle Tina Lewiss new book is an empowering opportunity for spiritual growth.

Apostle Lewiss reflections and encouraging tone will leave readers with a refreshed sense of faith and empowered purpose in Christ.

Consumers can purchase Spiritual Equipping of the Body of Christ at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Spiritual Equipping of the Body of Christ, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Edward Jamerson, a freelance illustrator who has received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Memphis College of Art in Memphis, Tennessee, has completed his new book Edwards How to Paint Illustrations: a useful educational guide for artists looking to sharpen their skills.

Author Edward Jamerson offers specific guidance for improving technique, writing, Dont be heavy-handed with the graphite. If you are just starting, do some practice sketches before going to your surface. When you have the right sketch, move to the surface. Prepare your paint palette with the colors that are needed. Use a mild paint thinner. Odorless is better. Add a little linseed oil for better paint follow.

Published by Page Publishing, Edward Jamersons informative work contains many images of artwork intended to be used by readers for copying and practicing. The images provide visual aid to the detailed descriptions and instructions from the author.

Readers who wish to experience this helpful work can purchase Edwards How to Paint Illustrations at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Myron Viser, a Texas native and avid bodybuilder with a lifelong passion for mathematics now living in North Carolina, has completed his new book Being Black in America: a thoughtful discussion of race in the Bible and throughout American history.

The author writes, Experience is the best teacher. This book is based on the truth concerning the centuries of unfair treatment of people of color here in America and abroad. All people need to understand the higher spiritual purpose behind the lasting tribulations. The greater goal is to make people of color aware that they are indeed Israelites. They are Gods chosen people that emerged from the Twelve Tribes of Israel spoken of in the Bible. According to the word of God, mankinds journey to Arsareth/America began with the Israelites being the first people to reside in Arsareth. Ten of the Twelve Tribes of Israel founded their new homeland here in a country where no man had ever dwelt. They were and are the Native Americans. Now in the minority, Tribes, Hispanics, and Blacks are at the bottom of the totem pole. They are subjected to racism, health and wealth disparities, education and opportunity inequities, and police brutality. Being Black in America examines the cause, the effect, and the history of the people of color. None of which is by chance, but of prophecy.

Published by Page Publishing, Myron Visers engrossing book is an intriguing read for students of the historical black experience, from the Old Testament through the present.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Being Black in America at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing understands that authors should be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Binary Defense on MSSP Alert Top 250

Binary Defense has recently been ranked among the Top 250 Managed Security Services Providers by MSSP Alert, published by After Nines Inc. (http://www.msspalert.com/top250).

The list, and accompanying research, identifies top MSSPs, managed detection and response (MDR) and Security Operations Center as a Service (SOCaaS) providers worldwide. Binary Defense offers a proprietary MDR solution, recognized as a Leader in the Forrester Wave: Managed Detection And Response, Q1 2021 report, as well as an entirely US-based Security Operations Center with 24/7/365 monitoring for threats.

The rankings are based on MSSP Alerts 2021 readership survey combined with the digital media sites global editorial coverage of managed security services providers. The fifth-annual list and research report track the managed security service markets ongoing growth and evolution.

Were excited to be on the list of the industrys best and brightest providers, said Mike Valentine, Binary Defense Chief Executive Officer. We have made it our mission from the beginning to create a world free from cyberattacks. The pandemic presented challenges to businesses, and one of those was the increase in threat actor activity, including ransomware attacks, supply chain attacks and targeting critical infrastructure. I am so proud of our team for remaining flexible, continuing to be an extension of our clients teams and staying a step ahead of attackers.

Binary Defense is on a mission to make the world a safer place through enhanced cybersecurity. The organization solves the biggest challenges faced by CISOs today, including limited in-house security expertise, lack of cutting-edge resources and an inability to invest in around-the-clock monitoring. While most MDR vendors think like defenders, Binary Defense differentiates by starting with the attackers perspective as the foundation for its MDR offering. The company acts as a force multiplier for organizations existing security teams. This collaboration and partnership stand out as key elements behind its service delivery to ensure that security practitioners have what they need to quickly detect, investigate, and respond to security incidents. Binary Defenses emphasis on cybersecurity research leads to sophisticated threat hunting capabilities that are unmatched by competing vendors.

In addition to working directly with organizations to solve their security pain points, Binary Defense has a robust channel partner program and works with leading resellers across the US to help them provide scalable solutions to their customers.

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About Binary Defense

Binary Defense is a managed security services provider and software developer with leading cybersecurity solutions that include SOC-as-a-Service, Managed Detection & Response, Security Information & Event Management, Threat Hunting and Counterintelligence. With their human-driven, technology-assisted approach, Binary Defense is able to provide their clients with immediate protection and visibility, combating and stopping the next generation of attacks that their business faces. The company is headquartered in Stow, Ohio at 600 Alpha Parkway. For more information, please contact David White at David.White@binarydefense.com.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Mitsubishi Cement Corporation, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that Mitsubishi Cement Corporation failed to provide their California employees accurate wages or suitable seating conditions. The Mitsubishi Cement Corporation, class action lawsuit, Case No. 21STCV29641, is currently pending in the Los Angeles Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

The complaint alleges Mitsubishi Cement Corporation failed to compensate employees for all the time they were under DEFENDANT's control. Employees were from time to time allegedly required to work longer than four hours without being provided their ten minute rest periods. Additionally, employees were allegedly required to work for more than five hours without receiving an off-duty meal break.

Cal. Lab. Code  226 states that employers shall provide employees with accurate itemized wage statements showing, among other things "gross wages earned and all applicable hourly rates in effect during the pay period..." The lawsuit alleges that DEFENDANT allegedly violated this California Labor Code by allegedly failing to provide accurate itemized wage statements.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Mitsubishi Cement Corporation, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today.

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Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against Kindercare Education LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against Kindercare Education LLC alleging the company violated Labor Code  2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANTs alleged violation of California Labor Code  201, 202, 203, 204, 210, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 246, 351, 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802. The lawsuit against Kindercare Education LLC, is currently pending in the Riverside County Superior Court, Case No. CVRI2103557. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the lawsuit filed, Kindercare Education LLC allegedly failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code  2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiff and other Aggrieved Employees were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones in order to complete their job duties.

PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who do so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code.

For more information about the lawsuit against Kindercare Education LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

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Wisconsin car shoppers in the market for a reliable, three-row family SUV can now test drive and purchase the all-new 2022 Nissan Pathfinder at Boucher Nissan of Waukesha.

New car shoppers in the market for the latest SUV in the Milwaukee, Wis. area can now find the all-new 2022 Nissan Pathfinder at Boucher Nissan of Waukesha in Waukesha, Wis. The city's oldest and most renowned family-owned Nissan dealership has welcomed the 2022 model year of the popular rugged, three-row SUV to its state-of-the-art showroom and invites interested parties to schedule a test drive or drive one home.

The recently arrived 2022 Nissan Pathfinder SV trim at Boucher Nissan of Waukesha is listed at $42,650. It comes with the SV Premium Package featuring a Pearl White Tricoat exterior color paint and charcoal interiors with cloth upholstery. Under the hood of this SUV is a 3.5-liter, DOHC, 24-valve, Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG), V-6 engine that produces 284 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque.

The 2022 Nissan Pathfinder SV features a rugged exterior and a completely redesigned interior cabin. It is equipped with the most advanced intelligent four-wheel-drive system, 9-speed automatic transmission with available manual mode, and paddle shifters. It also gets a Drive and Terrain Mode dial selector with seven drive modes and offers a maximum towing capacity of up to 6,000 pounds. The 2022 Pathfinder manages to return an impressive EPA fuel economy rating of up to 21 MPG in the city and up to 27 MPG on the highway. Other features of this vehicle include 18-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, panoramic moonroof, auto high-beam headlights, and standard Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite of intelligent safety features.

Buyers will be happy to know that the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder at Boucher Nissan of Waukesha comes with a Boucher Exclusive 1-Year maintenance package at no extra charge along with Nissans standard 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Interested customers can check out the all-new 2022 Nissan Pathfinder at http://www.waukeshanissan.com. Shoppers can also make inquiries or schedule a test drive by calling Boucher Nissan of Waukesha on 800-504-6619 or visiting the showroom in person. Boucher Nissan of Waukesha is located at 1451 E Moreland Blvd.
The stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19 has led to many of us behaving in ways we normally wouldnt. Stress caused from unemployment and uncertainty can bring down the strongest people. Alcoholism and drug addiction often result from this type of stress which leads to unusual behavior that leads to arrests.

Mr. Barkemeyer understands the impact of how having a few too many can lead to a DWI arrest that could potentially ruin a clients career. Even worse, getting convicted of DWI or DUI will not look good on anyones criminal and/or driving record. It could affect insurance premiums, ability to drive, and employment.

Just because someone has a hiccup during COVID-19 doesnt mean their criminal record and employment possibilities should be tarnished forever. Mr. Barkemeyer knows how to advise his clients to seek treatment and how to use that treatment to his clients benefit in their DWI. He is sympathetic to their need for treatment and is interested in fixing the whole person, including their criminal case.

Our Baton Rouge DWI lawyers are looking forward to continuing to be proud members of the Baton Rouge area community and provide outstanding legal defense to people from throughout Louisiana and beyond. The complete address of our location is 7732 Goodwood Boulevard, Suite A, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806. The firm can be reached at (225) 964-6720 or via its website at https://www.attorneycarl.com/baton-rouge-dwi-lawyer.
Details on the practical implementation of a PVC scheme on large patient cohorts and in a mostly unsupervised fashion will be presented through the description of image processing pipelines.

While positron emission tomography (PET) has the unique ability to probe living cells in a non-invasive and highly sensitive manner, it is still plagued with relatively low spatial resolution compared to anatomy-oriented imaging devices such as MRI or CT.

This webinar will present an overview of the techniques used to compensate for the limited spatial resolution of emission tomography imaging systems such as PET, as applied to the human brain. Starting with the fundamental principles of PET and the factors affecting spatial resolution, the speaker will then dive into a detailed description of the fundamental aspects of the object-image relationship and the general problem of image restoration.

A review of the various methods developed over the past 30 years to compensate for the so-called partial volume (PV) effects will follow. Emphasis will be given to the most widely used methods in current use today, concentrating on post-reconstruction PV correction (PVC) methods, and discussing their fundamental differences.

Details on the practical implementation of a PVC scheme on large patient cohorts and in a mostly unsupervised fashion will be presented through the description of image processing pipelines. Characterization of the interaction between the radioactivity distribution and the PET scanner will be discussed in terms of brain segmentation, and the scanners effective spatial resolution assessment through physical phantom experiments.

Join Olivier Rousset, PhD, PET Scientist, Neuroscience, Bioclinica in a live webinar on Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 11:30am EDT (4:30pm BST/UK).

For more information, or to register for this event, visit Compensating for Limited Spatial Resolution of Positron Emission Tomography.

ABOUT XTALKS

Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com

For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/


Cybereason, the leader in operation-centric attack protection, and Sysware, a leading software distributor in Indonesia, today announced a partnership to protect Indonesian companies from sophisticated cyber attacks on endpoints and across their networks.

As part of the partnership, Sysware will offer customers a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solution powered by the Cybereason Defense Platform. This advanced solution will deliver Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Next-Generation Antivirus (NGAV), anti-ransomware and fileless malware protection to enterprise clients by way of a single unified agent.

Partnering with Sysware provides Cybereason with the opportunity to deliver world-class cybersecurity capabilities through the Sysware presence in Indonesia, said Derrick Ng, Channel and Alliance Director, APAC, Cybereason.

Combining Cybereasons top rated technology and services with Syswares vast expertise will accelerate our expansion in the Indonesian market, said Eric Tan, Sales Director, APAC, Cybereason

Syswares and Cybereasons mutual customers will be able to detect threats faster, monitor activities across both networks and endpoints with actionable intelligence, and leverage guided remediation tailored specifically to threats like the SolarWinds supply chain attacks, the attacks that exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange and disruptive ransomware attacks.

Teaming with Cybereason will increase the ability of our partners to help their customers rapidly detect and end cyber attacks that can evade traditional security products, said Tonny Lim, President, Director, Sysware Indonesia. On top of that, by coupling Cybereasons MDR solution with Sysware professional services, it will help Indonesian customers rapidly identify and limit the impact of threats without the need for additional staffing.

About Sysware

Founded in 2007, PT SYSWARE Indonesia is a leading Next Generation IT Distributor. Through our various subsidiaries and lines of businesses, we offer our channel partners a unique combination of digital security, networking and software solutions throughout the Indonesia archipelago. When coupled with our professional services and software development expertise, SYSWARE provides our channel partners the ability to help their customers to optimize and extract the most out of their IT investments.

About Cybereason

Cybereason is the champion for todays cyber defenders, providing operation-centric attack protection that unifies security from the endpoint, to the enterprise, to everywhere the battle moves. The Cybereason Defense Platform combines the industrys top-rated AI-powered detection and response (EDR and XDR), next-gen antivirus (NGAV), Anti-Ransomware Protection and Proactive Threat Hunting to deliver context-rich analysis of every stage of a MalOp (malicious operation). Cybereason is a privately held, international company headquartered in Boston with customers in more than 50 countries.

Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/

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Media Contacts:

Bill Keeler

Senior Director, Global Public Relations

Cybereason

bill.keeler@cybereason.com

(929) 259-3261
Evive Logo Evives personalized messaging platform aggregates and analyzes data from various sources and recommends available resources to help manage health conditions, support financial growth and enable a positive employee experience.

Evive, the leader in digital engagement and communication technology, today announced it was a finalist for the 2021 Best Tech for Good Timmy Awards.

The Best Tech for Good Timmy Award, sponsored by Tech in Motion, shines a light on the people and organizations leveraging technology to make the world a better place. Category winners successfully answered the call to serve, harnessing the power of technology to organize solutions, improve quality of life and help communities adapt to a changing world. Evive was last years regional Best Tech for Good Timmy Award winner for Evive Carethe first national database of COVID-19 testing sites.

Evives personalized messaging platform aggregates and analyzes data from various sources, and reminds employees about preventive care, point solutions, financial support and employee growth opportunities, among others, and recommends available resources to help manage health conditions, support financial growth and enable a positive employee experience, said Prashant Srivastava, Evives founder and CEO. Throughout the pandemic, employers continuously leveraged Evives platform to help keep employees safe, healthy and informed.

Evive was recently awarded a patent for its healthcare prediction and recommendation system. This new technology connects patients with accurate pricing and quality information on treatment, care, and provider options in real time, while they await care and assess treatment options at the doctors office or hospital.

The Chicago community can vote for Evive here through Sept. 27 to represent the region before the Best Tech for Good national round, judged by experts from companies including Mailchimp, Netflix and Salesforce.

When evaluating nominees, the Best Tech for Good selection criteria includes:



Applying technology to tackle todays most pressing social, global and environmental challenges.

Developing or employing tech to set up solutions, improve quality of life, help communities adapt.

Embodying and fostering the spirit of giving back and lifting people up when they need it the most.

When recognizing a need, some have fearlessly stepped up to use technology through their products and services to uplift their communities, says Mandy Walker, director of marketing at Motion Recruitment, Tech in Motions creator. Tech in Motion is thrilled to have the opportunity to honor these companies that have gone above and beyond in working to create a better future.

In addition to the Best Tech for Good, the 7th Annual Timmy Awards will also hand out awards in four other categories: Best Work Culture, Best Tech Enterprise Employer, Best Tech Startup and Best Tech Manager.

The 2021 Timmy Awards ceremony will air virtually via livestream Oct. 28. For more info on the event, finalists or voting, visit the Timmy Awards website.

To learn more about Evive, visit https://goevive.com/.

About Evive

Evive changes the way companies communicate. As the market leader in data-driven, personalized engagement, Evive has extensive experience helping large and midsize companies optimize the employee experience across their diverse populations. Starting with rich healthcare and HR data sources, Evive uses proprietary predictive analytics and behavioral science expertise to deliver highly segmented, multi-modal messaging. Personalized communications connect the right person to the right resource at the right time: driving individual action and delivering measurable outcomes across the spectrum of employee experiences. To learn more about Evive, visit https://goevive.com/ or LinkedIn. Contact press@goevive.com to learn more.

About Tech in Motion Events

Tech in Motion is a North American events series that brings local tech community professionals together to connect, learn and innovate. What started as a passion project in 2011, for IT staffing and recruiting firm Motion Recruitment, grew into an organization of over 250,000 members across 14 chapters in North America including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, LA, New York, Orange County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. Please visit http://www.techinmotionevents.com for more information about our notable speakers, sponsors and events.
The 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan

Mac Volkswagen in McMinnville, Oregon, has come up with four exciting offers on the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. Customers interested in the new Tiguan can avail these offers and make a frugal investment on the purchase of the vehicle. These incentives are only available for a limited period. Customers might, thus, want to look into the details of the same before proceeding with their purchases. Details of the four offers on the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan are provided below for better insight.

With the offer of $289/month for a 39-month lease, customers have a due of $3,499 at signing. The offer excludes tax, title, license, and a few other kinds of fees like dealer fees. However, only customers with a good credit score might be able to use the offer to their advantage. Highly qualified customers do not need to pay any security deposit to get their hands on the Tiguan. However, the offer closes on October 4, 2021.

The offer of 0% APR for 36 months is available to qualified customers through Volkswagen Credit and needs no down payment. Any new or unused 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan model, through the Volkswagen Credit scheme, can be purchased with this offer. This offer, too, closes on October 4, 2021.

The third incentive offered on the new Tiguan has been specially designed for the military, veterans, and first responders. A bonus of $500 is offered to the military, veterans, and first responders on the purchase or lease of any new or unused Volkswagen vehicle, the 2021 Tiguan being one of them. The offer can be availed till January 3, 2022, and has a few other terms and conditions that customers might want to check.

The final offer on the 2021 Tiguan is the College Graduate Program that recent graduates can avail themselves of. The offer allows recent college graduates to enjoy a bonus of $500 on the purchase or lease of any new or unused Volkswagen model financed by the Volkswagen Credit scheme. This offer, too, ends on January 3, 2022.

Shoppers looking for more details on these incentives might want to visit the dealership's website. Mac Volkswagen is located at 1920 NE Hwy 99W, McMinnville, Oregon 97128, and interested customers are encouraged to dial (877) 721-5794 for more information.
CEO Julia Leibowitz and CTO Evan Kesten

Cabinet, an executive assistant software, recently closed a $2.6 million round of funding. Harlem Capital led the most recent round, followed by Good Friends Capital and participation by earlier investor Parade Ventures. With technology to boost daily efficiency and a peer-to-peer community for knowledge sharing, Cabinet is capturing the 10 million person administrative professional market.

"I met Julia in late 2020 during her Techstars program and have been extremely impressed with her and Cabinets growth this past year, said Henri Pierre-Jacques, Managing Partner of Harlem Capital. Cabinet has built a robust product that enables executive assistants at various organizations to become superstars in their roles.

Founded in New York by CEO Julia Leibowitz and CTO Evan Kesten in 2018, Cabinets flagship feature is a scheduling solution that sits on top of existing company calendars like Outlook and Gcal.

Executive assistants exist to free up the time of the most expensive resources in an organization: executives, said Leibowitz, who started her career as an executive assistant. But if assistants dont have the software or context they need, its very challenging to drive efficiency.

As the role of executive assistants increases in strategic importance in the workforce, Cabinets tech-enabled solutions enable faster administrative support, with fewer errors, so that assistants can always stay three steps ahead of their executives.

The stakes are high, said Cabinet CTO Evan Kesten. Executive assistants always have to be at the top of their game. They are now expected to be business partners that drive alignment, efficiency, clarity and focus. They need dedicated tools to help accomplish this.

Selected as a startup member in Techstars NYC Accelerator in 2020, Cabinet hit the ground running despite the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world went virtual, Cabinet increased its capabilities to provide executive assistants with additional support.

When we all went remote last year, Cabinets community doubled in size as assistants were looking to connect with other assistants managing the same challenges, said Shawn Merani, Founder & Managing Director at Parade Ventures.

The companys Pre-Seed investment came in July 2020 from Parade Ventures, Techstars, Heroic Ventures, The Fund and angels.

Cabinet has offices in Denver and New York, and with this newest round of funding, the company is looking to hire marketing and engineering positions.

For more information on Cabinet, visit joincabinet.com.

About Cabinet

Cabinet gives executive assistants the software they need to drive efficiency and effectiveness for their executives every day. In addition to technology to help streamline tasks, Cabinet offers a community of assistants for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and professional growth. For more information on the platform or for potential candidates looking to work with Cabinet, visit joincabinet.com/careers.

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Beth Wright

Frankenmuth Insurance is pleased to announce Beth Wright was named Vice President of Claims on September 3, 2021.

Wright has more than 22 years of service with Frankenmuth Insurance and has held various positions within the Claims department, most recently leading the companys adjusting functions as Director of Property & Casualty Claims. Wright has been instrumental in the companys response to catastrophic events, COVID-19 claims, no-fault reform, claims system transformation, and establishment of a Special Investigations Unit.

Wright is a U.S. Air Force veteran and holds a bachelors degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska Omaha and an associate degree in communications from the Community College of the Air Force. Throughout her career, she has advanced her industry knowledge through various designations and certifications. She earned Associate in Claims designation in 2000, supervisor certification from Saginaw Valley State University in 2005, Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation in 2006, Fraud Claim Law Associate designation in 2007, Property Claim Law Associate designation in 2008, certification as a property subrogation arbitrator with Arbitration Forums in 2008, Michigan Insurance Adjuster licensure in 2011, the Senior Claim Law Associate Gold Award in 2013, and Workers Compensation Professional certification in 2020. Wright is also a member of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, serving on its Claims Committee.


FHU representatives celebrate the ribbon cutting of the Bobbie Solley Center for Excellence in Teaching at the Gardner Center on FHU's campus. I am filled with humility that God has put me in this place to do what He has called me to do.

The Bobbie Solley Center for Excellence in Teaching at Freed-Hardeman University hosted a ribbon-cutting Wednesday, Aug. 18, in the Gardner Center. Family and friends of Dr. Bobbie Solley joined her for the celebration.

Solley, a retired Middle Tennessee State University educator and the former director of international education development for Healing Hands International, initiated plans for the center and made a major contribution to its creation. The center launched in January 2021 to help develop teacher and school leaders committed to impacting student learning and fostering high academic achievement.

FHU President David R. Shannon, Vice President C.J. Vires and Sarah Hibbett, center director, all expressed their gratitude to the Bobbie Solley Foundation and for the opportunity to partner in creating a hub for quality professional development for teachers. Troy Kilzer II, superintendent of Chester County schools, thanked Solley and FHU for seeing the need to support and encourage teachers and providing a service that fills that need. Dr. Sharen Cypress, dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, provided the history behind the Bobbie Solley Foundation and its partnership with FHU.

Solley talked about her personal passion for education and her vision for the center. I am filled with humility that God has put me in this place to do what He has called me to do, she said.

Free professional development activities for educators were offered online April 13-July 26 with approximately 351 unduplicated educators attending, according to Hibbett. Some participants attended more than one session. Attendees have joined from across all three grand divisions of Tennessee as the center has served 17 public districts/private schools. The BSCET has hosted 20 presenters from across Tennessee including educators from K-12 and public and private institutions of higher education.

The BSCET hosted new Chester County teachers for breakfast followed by a presentation from Hibbett who provided professional development focused on Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM) July 14.

Hibbett, Dr. Amy Downey and Dr. Rachel Askew will present professional development sessions monthly during the fall semester at Caywood Elementary School. Topics will include Power of One," "Thinking Routines, "Differentiation" and "Questioning.

The fall schedule of free, online courses will be released Sept. 1 on the BSCET website, http://www.fhu.edu/bobbie-solley-center-of-excellence-in-teaching. Registration information for the 12 planned courses is also available at this site. Online sessions last approximately one hour.
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP State & Local Tax (SALT) Practice Shareholders Glenn Newman, Cris K. ONeall, Colin W. Fraser, and Brad Marsh will present at the Council on State Taxation (COST) 2021 Property Tax Workshop taking place virtually on Sept. 21-24.

COST is a nonprofit trade association consisting of approximately 550 multistate corporates engaged in interstate and international business. COST's objective is to preserve and promote equitable and nondiscriminatory state and local taxation of multijurisdictional business entities, according to the organizations website. The program is open to all industry tax professionals and the goal of the workshop is to provide a program covering key property tax issues that companies are facing.

Newman will present a webinar titled Staying Above Board - Property Tax Ethics on Sept. 21 from 12:00 p.m.  1:00 p.m. EDT. The presentation will cover the various sources of ethics rules (formal and informal) and analyze why ethics is important to the property tax profession. On Sept. 22, ONeall will present a webinar titled Tips to Avoid Double Taxation  Separating Real, Personal, and Intangible Property from 12:45 p.m.  1:45 p.m. EDT. The speakers in this session will provide guidance on avoiding double taxation and note special rules some states have that may be a trap for the unwary. Fraser will present a webinar titled Best Practices for Property Tax Appeals  Including the Use of Experts and Appraisers on Sept. 24 from 1:55 p.m.  2:55 p.m. EDT. The session will address the opportunities and issues that one must consider when hiring an appraiser or other professional as an expert to support a valuation. Marsh will present on the Ask the Experts panel on Sept. 24 from 3:05  4:30 p.m. EDT. The session is a relaxed forum and attendees are encouraged to come with questions to ask the experts to get their views on various property tax issues.

Newman, a shareholder in the New York office, handles tax planning and controversy matters involving state and local taxes including personal income tax, corporate tax, sales tax, and real property transfer taxes as well as real estate tax and incentive programs. His practice includes handling audits and litigation involving income tax including residency matters, sales, and use tax, hotel taxes, and real estate transfer taxes in New York and other states.

ONeall, a shareholder in the Orange County office, focuses his practice on ad valorem property tax and assessment counseling and litigation (appeal hearings and trials). For over 30 years, he has represented a variety of California taxpayers in equalization proceedings before county assessment appeals boards, the State Board of Equalization, the Superior Court, the California Court of Appeal, and the California Supreme Court.

Fraser, a shareholder in the firms Orange County office, is a commercial litigator with experience in all phases of litigation in federal and state courts, and in arbitration and mediation, with a principal focus on complex matters. He is experienced in managing cases at the trial court level, including all aspects of discovery, motion practice, and trial. Fraser also has experience prosecuting appeals before the Ninth Circuit and the California Court of Appeal. He represents clients before legislative and regulatory bodies at the local and state levels.

Marsh is Co-Managing Shareholder of the San Francisco office and focuses his practice on tax controversy matters, including property, sales, payroll, business license, employment, franchise, parcel, district, documentary transfer, transient occupancy, utility user, income, parking, gift and estate taxes. He serves as a co-chair of the U.S. State and Local Tax (SALT) Practice. Brad represents clients in audits, litigation and administrative hearings, as well as analyzing transactions and business models, and developing strategies for legislative resolutions.

About Greenberg Traurig's Tax Practice: To stay competitive in today's global marketplace, international companies must seek out greater efficiency in their tax planning and compliance, including coordinating tax decisions from country to country. For U.S. operations, an environment of increased scrutiny  including passage of more restrictive legislation and a spike in audit activity at every level  is quickly becoming the norm, likewise spurring a need for greater self-evaluation and for more frequent representation in controversies and litigation with tax authorities. Greenberg Traurigs multidisciplinary tax team works closely with clients to address these and other tax planning needs, as well as tax controversies and litigation issues.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2,300 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 4.0 Plus Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com
This information will help airports be better prepared to protect their airspace for the safety of all concerned.

The Airport Response to Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Threats guidebook has been published by the National Safe Skies Alliance through its Program for Applied Research in Airport Security (PARAS). PARAS is funded by the Federal Aviation Administration and modeled after the Airport Cooperative Research Program of the Transportation Research Board.

The guidebook was created to assist airport operators with planning, response and recovery regarding threats from UAS operating in unauthorized airspace. Woolpert was contracted to develop the document in 2020 after federal agencies and the U.S. Congress identified UAS as a major concern at airports. Woolpert has provided design, engineering and geospatial services to airports and air bases worldwide for decades and is a recognized leader in UAS aviation, research and application development.

Woolpert Aviation Program Director and Principal Investigator Zachary Shuman said this guidebook is not intended to restrict UAS operations on airports, but to prepare airports for UAS incursions. He said effective preparation, documentation and execution by trained airport staff will enable airports to respond safely to UAS threats.

This guidance includes case studies, examples and training to help a wide variety of airports develop customized response plans that incorporate the unique characteristics and structures of their airports, Shuman said. It also identifies stakeholders who need to be involved in planning efforts, outlining how to assess threats, develop mitigation strategies, inspire community involvement and implement communication best practices. This information will help airports be better prepared to protect their airspace for the safety of all concerned.

About Woolpert

Woolpert is the premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG) and strategic consulting firm, with a vision to become one of the best companies in the world. We innovate within and across markets to effectively serve public, private and government clients worldwide. Woolpert is an ENR Top 150 Global Design Firm, recently earned its sixth-straight Great Place to Work certification, and actively nurtures a culture of growth, inclusion, diversity and respect. Founded in 1911 in Dayton, Ohio, Woolpert has been Americas fastest-growing AEG firm since 2015. The firm has more than 1,600 employees and 57 offices on four continents. For more, visit woolpert.com.
Heilind signs agreement with Crouzet, expanding electromechanical and electronic product portfolios

Heilind Electronics, a premier distributor of electronic components worldwide, has expanded its industrial components portfolio with the addition of Crouzet  a leading manufacturer of mechatronic components. The global distribution agreement includes both Heilind Electronics and Interstate Connecting Components (ICC), the mil-aero division of Heilind.

As authorized distributors, Heilind and ICC now offer Crouzets full portfolio  including automation and control components, motors and other motion control items, switches, circuit protection products, position sensors and cockpit control components. Manufactured in compliance with industry standards and designed to serve a wide range of commercial and industrial applications, Crouzet products are also used in off-road and autonomous vehicles, nuclear and industrial valves, aircraft, and military ground and support vehicles.

With its innovative harsh environment offerings, Crouzet is a welcome addition for Heilind, said Alan Clapp, Vice President, Heilind Electronics. Not only will customers have quick access to out-of-the-box solutions, but they will also be able to order a wide variety of rugged automated systems customized to their exact requirements.

Robert Derringer, Global Channel Director at Crouzet, echoed the sentiment. Crouzet is excited to be able to offer solutions to an even broader customer base, given Heilinds extensive global reach and reputation for supporting mutual customers with the right inventory and services, said Derringer.

Visit Heilinds website to learn more about its Crouzet offerings.

About Heilind Electronics

Heilind Electronics, Inc. (http://www.heilind.com) is one of the world's leading distributors of connectors, relays, sensors, switches, thermal management and circuit protection products, terminal blocks, wire and cable, wiring accessories and insulation and identification products. Founded in 1974, Heilind has locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong and China.

About Interstate Connecting Components (ICC)

A division of Heilind Electronics, Interstate Connecting Components (http://www.connecticc.com) is an AS9100D-certified value-added distributor for the entire spectrum of electronic connectors, fiber optic connectors, backshells, tools, identification solutions and connector contacts. ICC specializes in the military-aerospace market and offers value-added assembly on many MIL-SPEC connector lines.

About Crouzet

Crouzet is an independent company manufacturing electromechanical and electronic components for demanding applications in aerospace and transportation, energy, and building and machinery industry. Crouzet provides switches and sensors, electromechanical actuators, electrical protection equipment, cockpit controls, automation controllers and relays, and instrumentation services. Since 1921, Crouzet has had a heritage of close collaboration with customers in the development of products -- from standard components to fully customized solutions.
Efficient pre-owned vehicles available in Jaguar Boerne makes it the #1 pre-owned car dealership in Texas.

The Barrett Jaguar, a Jaguar dealership in West Boerne, offers a huge collection of used and new vehicles in west Boerne, Texas. The 2021 Jaguar Boerne takes pride in being the #1 dealership that has the largest collection of pre-owned vehicles in Texas.

The Jaguar Boerne has a compilation of about fifty-eight used Jaguar vehicles for sale in Texas. Jaguar Boerne dealership offers efficient pre-owned models such as Jaguar XE, Jaguar F-PACE, Land Rover Discovery, Land Rover Evoque, Jaguar F-TYPE, and so on. The dealership also offers as many as fourteen certified pre-owned models such as Jaguar XE, Jaguar F-PACE, Jaguar XJ, Jaguar XF, Jaguar F-Type, Jaguar E-PACE, and Jaguar I-PACE. These cars go through 165 multi-point inspections by Jaguar-trained technicians. These used models also come with a one-year/ unlimited miles limited warranty. Jaguar Boerne is the only dealership in Texas to offer fourteen certified used vehicles in Texas.

Furthermore, Jaguar Boerne offers about eight pre-owed fuel-efficient cars for sale in San Antonio, Texas. These models have an efficient fuel economy of over 30 mpg. Additionally, Jaguar Boerne offers Kelly Book Instant cash offer for these pre-owned vehicles. Click here to take a look at the pre-owned vehicles available in Jaguar Boerne.

Jaguar Boerne is a customer-oriented dealership that offers efficient pre-owned vehicles for the benefit of customers. Individual shoppers who are interested in this car can visit our website at http://www.jaguarboerne.com. Buyers can also contact the Jaguar Boerne dealership at 830- 216-6437.
Major Messages from Minor Prophets: Preaching Truth for Today: an articulate exploration of the less familiar portions of the Old Testament. Major Messages from Minor Prophets: Preaching Truth for Today is the creation of published author Jeffrey A. Ingraham, a loving husband and father who has served as pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, Norwalk, Connecticut, for over thirty years. He holds graduate degrees from Yale Divinity School, New York University, and Hartford Seminary.

Ingraham shares, During the early part of 2019, our Sunday school lessons centered on the Old Testament prophets, particularly the minor prophets. It was a great challenge to understand their messages and the messages relevancy for our times. It seemed as if there really were no significant differences in these books of prophecy, as the minor prophets all seemed to be saying the same thing.

Of course, there are differences in the messages and ministries of the minor prophets, hence, my attempt to show so. My goal was to summarize the writings and ministries of the minor prophets and show their relevancy for today.

This I did through a series of sermons that were initially delivered in the Calvary Baptist Church during the winter of 2019. My goal was to make the teachings of the minor prophets understandable to every segment of our membership. The approach was more inspirational than overly scholarly.

Each chapter of the book is provocatively titled and begins with a story or illustration that centers on that particular subject. The intent was to reference something that the reader could relate to and see how the prophet addresses that matter. Of course, not every single detail of the prophets message is included due to the constraints of time, etc.

My hope is that the readers of this book will come to know God better and to have a relationship with him. They will see that in spite of peoples imperfections, our God is perfect and faithful toward us. The minor prophets challenge us to live faithfully for God.

To the extent I have been able to evoke this kind of response from my readers, I give all glory and honor to God.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Jeffrey A. Ingrahams new book is a compelling example of deliberate Bible study.

Ingraham hopes to encourage and inspire those who seek a deeper understanding of scripture and stronger connection with God.

View a synopsis of Major Messages from Minor Prophets: Preaching Truth for Today on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Major Messages from Minor Prophets: Preaching Truth for Today at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Major Messages from Minor Prophets: Preaching Truth for Today, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Im excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the FirstService Residential team, said Warshaw, business development director, FirstService Residential. I look forward to contributing to our exceptional service offerings with a focus on cultivating strategic and meaningful partnerships.

FirstService Residential, North Americas property management leader, named Kenneth Warshaw as business development director in its New England market covering Massachusetts and Rhode Island. As an accomplished sales professional, Warshaw brings his experience developing new business, building relationships with clients, effective negotiating skills and understanding insight selling to his new role.

Were thrilled to welcome Ken to the FirstService Residential family, said Michael Mendillo, president, FirstService Residential. He has a proven track record of success and brings a wealth of sales experience and a deep background in consulting to the table.

Im excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the FirstService Residential team, said Warshaw, business development director, FirstService Residential. I look forward to contributing to our exceptional service offerings with a focus on cultivating strategic and meaningful partnerships.

In his role, Warshaw will work closely with community association board members to present FirstService Residentials depth of resources, technology platforms and commitment to service excellence. Warshaw will report directly to David Calloway, vice president of sales.

We are excited to have Ken on the business development team. His years of sales experience and passion for providing solutions will serve him well in his new role, said Calloway.

Ken is a great addition to our market with a rich history of professionalism and community involvement in both the South Shore and North Shore, as well as the Boston-metro areas, said Bryan Hughes, president, New England, FirstService Residential.

Warshaw has 20 plus years of business development experience and ten years in consulting and recruiting.

http://www.fsresidential.com

About FirstService Residential

FirstService Residential is North Americas property management leader, partnering with more than 8,500 communities across the U.S. and Canada, including low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives; single-family communities; master-planned, lifestyle and active-adult communities; and mixed-use and rental properties. HOAs, community associations and condos rely on their extensive experience, resources and local expertise to maximize property values and enhance their residents lifestyles. Dedicated to making a difference, every day, FirstService Residential goes above and beyond to deliver exceptional service.

FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation (FSV), a North American leader in the property services sector. Visit http://www.fsresidential.com.
Parag Paul Ratanpara, Founder of Lavish Real Estate We represent many senior IT executives and an international clientele, so effective 24/7 support is critical to our business

Lavish Real Estate today announced its partnership with Side, the only real estate technology company that exclusively partners with high-performing agents, teams, and independent brokerages to transform them into market-leading boutique brands and businesses. The alliance will ensure that Lavish Real Estate, a firm that provides luxury buyers with superior service, is powered by the most advanced platform in the industry.

Parag Paul Ratanpara leads Lavish Real Estate. Ratanpara launched his real estate career in 2018, using his MBA and sales and marketing experience as a foundation. He is an innovative professional always striving to elevate the buying and selling experience. Ratanpara has a genuine appreciation for the endless opportunities real estate investment offers and is especially adept at helping foreign buyers seeking land and luxury properties.

Lavish Real Estate focuses on clients buying and selling luxury homes and land in the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan statistical area, with a focus on Cedar Park, Round Rock, Leander, and Georgetown. Its clients include technology executives, foreign buyers, and investors. Lavish Real Estates local agents know the best Austin neighborhoods, preferred school districts, shopping, and event venues. Their expertise ensures that buyers and sellers have an informed, local perspective.

Partnering with Side will ensure Lavish Real Estate remains on the cutting edge of the evolving real estate market while continuing to deliver premium services to its clients. Side works behind the scenes, supporting Lavish Real Estate with a one-of-a-kind brokerage platform that includes proprietary technology, transaction management, branding and marketing services, public relations, legal support, lead generation, vendor management, infrastructure solutions, and more. Additionally, Lavish Real Estate will join an exclusive group of Side partners, tapping into an expansive network from coast to coast.

We represent many senior IT executives and an international clientele, so effective 24/7 support is critical to our business, said Ratanpara. Tech leaders expect a level of sophistication and fluency with current tech tools. Our partnership with Side means we have access to world-class marketing, technology, administrative, and legal services. Our local clients expect it, and our international buyers benefit from the increased efficiency.

Side is led by experienced industry professionals and world-class engineers who develop technology designed to improve agent productivity and enhance the client experience. Based on its belief that homeownership is a fundamental human right, Side is on a mission to improve the public good by providing top-performing real estate agents, teams, and indie brokerages with the best system, support, service, experience, and results.

About Lavish Real Estate

Lavish Real Estate serves luxury buyers, sellers, and investors in Austin, Texas, and the surrounding communities. Whether clients are buying, selling, or purchasing a vacant lot to build their dream home from the ground up, Lavish Real Estate combines market knowledge and innovation to deliver service far beyond the usual expectations. Its agents help people profit from the thriving Austin real estate market, providing them with steadfast support and an uncompromising quality of care. For more information, visit http://www.lavishtexas.com.

About Side

Side transforms high-performing agents, teams, and independent brokerages into successful businesses and boutique brands that are 100% agent-owned. Side exclusively partners with the best agents, empowering them with proprietary technology and a premier support team so they can be more productive, grow their business, and focus on serving their clients. Side is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.sideinc.com.
Dallas recipients 2021 award badge The industry has been dependent on referrals and existing relationships instead of data-driven outcomes for too long. With Mployer Advisor, we celebrate this distinguished group of brokers and consultants.

Mployer Advisor, the leading independent platform for employers to research, review and evaluate insurance brokers, is pleased to announce the recipients of its inaugural Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for 2021 in Dallas, Texas. Mployer Advisors Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award Program evaluates brokers based on industry experience, company size, online ratings and reviews and recognizes esteemed brokers that demonstrate market-leading competencies and a proven track record of success among employers, insurance providers and peers. Our list recognizes consultants who primarily work with mid-to-large sized employers, as well as brokers who work with small businesses.

Who an employer chooses as their insurance broker has significantly more impact on the cost and quality of their benefit plan than who they chose as their insurance carrier, said Brian Freeman of Mployer Advisor. We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality. The industry has been dependent on referrals and existing relationships instead of data-driven outcomes for too long. With Mployer Advisor, we celebrate this distinguished group of brokers and consultants.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas is a competitive job market in the U.S. South, employing more than 3.8 million people with an unemployment rate slightly lower than the rest of the country. Offering industry-leading, competitive employee benefits is a critical factor in hiring and engaging top talent for employers in the Dallas area. Finding and partnering with a highly rated insurance consultant is imperative to retaining talent in any market.

The recipients of the 2021 Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for Dallas are as follows:



Brinson Benefits

Insgroup

Frost Insurance

Lockton Dunning Benefits

Gallagher Insurance, Risk Management & Consulting

Marsh & McLennan Agency - Dallas

Hays Companies

USI Insurance Services

Higginbotham

Willis Towers Watson

HUB International  Dallas

The above winners are a brief snapshot of Mployer Advisors matrices and proprietary M Score on June 30, 2021. To determine award winners, Mployer Advisor analyzed each brokerage based on historical data, business experience across employer size, industry and products, as well as relevant online ratings and reviews from employers across several platforms.

To view a full list of consultants in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area, visit MployerAdvisor.com.

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate and select insurance advisors. The intuitive platform connects employers and employees to great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a companys specific needs. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor, which provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. Insurance brokers cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: Rankings are dynamic, and this report may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Mployer Advisors website. Since Mployer Advisors research is ongoing, interested companies that want to join next years list are encouraged to claim their free profile on Mployer Advisor.

Media Contact:

Jacob Westfall (Public Relations Consultant)

Jacob.Westfall@mployeradvisor.com
Houston recipients 2021 award badge We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality.

Mployer Advisor, the leading independent platform for employers to research, review and evaluate insurance brokers, is pleased to announce the recipients of its inaugural Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for 2021 in Houston, Texas. Mployer Advisors Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award Program evaluates brokers based on industry experience, company size, online ratings and reviews and recognizes esteemed brokers that demonstrate market-leading competencies and a proven track record of success among employers, insurance providers and peers. Our list recognizes consultants who primarily work with mid-to-large sized employers, as well as brokers who work with small businesses.

Who an employer chooses as their insurance broker has significantly more impact on the cost and quality of their benefit plan than who they chose as their insurance carrier, said Brian Freeman of Mployer Advisor. We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality. The industry has been dependent on referrals and existing relationships instead of data-driven outcomes for too long. With Mployer Advisor, we celebrate this distinguished group of brokers and consultants.

The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas market is a competitive job market in the U.S. South, employing more than 3.2 million people. Offering industry-leading, competitive employee benefits is a critical factor in hiring and engaging top talent for employers in the Houston area. Finding and partnering with a highly rated insurance consultant is imperative to retaining talent in any market.

The recipients of the 2021 Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for Houston are as follows:



Alliant Insurance Services

Insgroup

Benefit Concepts Inc.

Lockton

Bowen, Miclette & Britt Insurance Agency

Marsh & McLennan Agency

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Insurance

McGriff

The above winners are a brief snapshot of Mployer Advisors matrices and proprietary M Score on June 30, 2021. To determine award winners, Mployer Advisor analyzed each brokerage based on historical data, business experience across employer size, industry and products, as well as relevant online ratings and reviews from employers across several platforms.

To view a full list of consultants in Houston, visit MployerAdvisor.com.

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate and select insurance advisors. The intuitive platform connects employers and employees to great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a companys specific needs. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor, which provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. Insurance brokers cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: Rankings are dynamic, and this report may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Mployer Advisors website. Since Mployer Advisors research is ongoing, interested companies that want to join next years list are encouraged to claim their free profile on Mployer Advisor.

Media Contact:

Jacob Westfall (Public Relations Consultant)

Jacob.Westfall@mployeradvisor.com
Sacramento recipients 2021 award badge Who an employer chooses as their insurance broker has significantly more impact on the cost and quality of their benefit plan than who they chose as their insurance carrier.

Mployer Advisor, the leading independent platform for employers to research, review and evaluate insurance brokers, is pleased to announce the Sacramento, California recipients of its inaugural Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for 2021. Mployer Advisors Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award Program evaluates brokers based on industry experience, company size, online ratings and reviews and recognizes esteemed brokers that demonstrate market-leading competencies and a proven track record of success among employers, insurance providers and peers. Our list recognizes consultants who primarily work with mid-to-large sized employers, as well as brokers who work with small businesses.

Who an employer chooses as their insurance broker has significantly more impact on the cost and quality of their benefit plan than who they chose as their insurance carrier, said Brian Freeman of Mployer Advisor. We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality. The industry has been dependent on referrals and existing relationships instead of data-driven outcomes for too long. With Mployer Advisor, we celebrate this distinguished group of brokers and consultants.

The Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA market is a competitive job markets in the U.S. West, employing nearly 1.1 million people. Offering industry-leading, competitive employee benefits is a critical factor in hiring and engaging top talent for Sacramento area employers. Finding and partnering with a highly rated insurance consultant is imperative to retaining talent in any market.

The recipients of the 2021 Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for the Sacramento area as follows:



Ames-Grenz Insurance Services

InterWest Insurance Services, LLC

Bender Insurance Solutions

Lockton

EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants

USI Insurance Services

Gallagher Insurance, Risk Management & Consulting

HUB International

The above winners are a brief snapshot of Mployer Advisors matrices and proprietary M Score on June 30, 2021. To determine award winners, Mployer Advisor analyzed each brokerage based on historical data, business experience across employer size, industry and products, as well as relevant online ratings and reviews from employers across several platforms.

To view a full list of consultants in the Sacramento area, visit MployerAdvisor.com.

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate and select insurance advisors. The intuitive platform connects employers and employees to great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a companys specific needs. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor, which provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. Insurance brokers cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: Rankings are dynamic, and this report may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Mployer Advisors website. Since Mployer Advisors research is ongoing, interested companies that want to join next years list are encouraged to claim their free profile on Mployer Advisor.

Media Contact:

Jacob Westfall (Public Relations Consultant)

Jacob.Westfall@mployeradvisor.com
Tampa recipients 2021 award badge We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality.

Mployer Advisor, the leading independent platform for employers to research, review and evaluate insurance brokers, is pleased to announce the Tampa Metro areas recipients of its inaugural Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for 2021. Mployer Advisors Top Employee Benefits Consultant Award Program evaluates brokers based on industry experience, company size, online ratings and reviews and recognizes esteemed brokers that demonstrate market-leading competencies and a proven track record of success among employers, insurance providers and peers. Our list recognizes consultants who primarily work with mid-to-large sized employers, as well as brokers who work with small businesses.

Who an employer chooses as their insurance broker has significantly more impact on the cost and quality of their benefit plan than who they chose as their insurance carrier, said Brian Freeman of Mployer Advisor. We are proud to honor this distinct group of insurance consultants who have demonstrated a wide range of experience and positive employer feedback on service and quality. The industry has been dependent on referrals and existing relationships instead of data-driven outcomes for too long. With Mployer Advisor, we celebrate this distinguished group of brokers and consultants.

The Tampa Metro area is one of the most competitive job markets in the U.S. Southeast, employing more than 1.5 million people with a lower unemployment rate than the rest of the country. Offering industry-leading, competitive employee benefits is a critical factor in hiring and engaging top talent for employers in the Tampa Metro area. Finding and partnering with a highly rated insurance consultant is imperative to retaining talent in any market.

The recipients of the 2021 Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for the Tampa Metro area as follows:



Bouchard Insurance, A Marsh & McLennan Agency

K&P Benefits

Brown & Brown Insurance

M.E. Wilson

GCD Insurance Consultants

The Stoner Organization

HUB International

W3 Insurance

The above winners are a brief snapshot of Mployer Advisors matrices and proprietary M Score on June 30, 2021. To determine award winners, Mployer Advisor analyzed each brokerage based on historical data, business experience across employer size, industry and products, as well as relevant online ratings and reviews from employers across several platforms.

To view a full list of consultants in the Tampa Metro area, visit MployerAdvisor.com.

About Mployer Advisor:

Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate and select insurance advisors. The intuitive platform connects employers and employees to great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for a companys specific needs. Most brokerages have a profile on Mployer Advisor, which provides independent ratings of insurance advisors to support employers. Insurance brokers cannot pay to influence their Mployer Advisor rating. Only highly rated brokerages are allowed to advertise on the platform. To learn more about Mployer Advisor, visit https://mployeradvisor.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: Rankings are dynamic, and this report may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Mployer Advisors website. Since Mployer Advisors research is ongoing, interested companies that want to join next years list are encouraged to claim their free profile on Mployer Advisor.

Media Contact:

Jacob Westfall (Public Relations Consultant)

Jacob.Westfall@mployeradvisor.com
I would hope readers would realize that acts of kindness make a difference and there just might be someone watching out for us in a time of need.

Lynette Catalano loves snowmen. But she cannot find many books written about a female snowperson in a snowmans world. She wanted to write something different than the everyday story about snowmen. It is for this reason she has written The SnowMom (published by Trafford Publishing), an illustrated story that promotes faith, trust and love.

On a magical snowy night, the first SnowMom came to be. She is not what one might expect and is friendly and kind to the animals of the forest. Readers are invited to find out how the SnowMom helps three helpless children in perhaps their greatest time of need.

Children will fall in love with the animals and the character The SnowMom while parents will enjoy reading a book to their children that teaches the importance of kindness, trust, faith, and love. It is also a cute winter story about a SnowMom, Catalano says.

When asked what she wants reader to take away from the book, Catalano answers, I would hope readers would realize that acts of kindness make a difference and there just might be someone watching out for us in a time of need. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.trafford.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/833646-the-snowmom

The SnowMom

By Lynette Catalano

Hardcover | 8.5 x 11in | 30 pages | ISBN 9781698709413

Softcover | 8.5 x 11in | 30 pages | ISBN 9781698709390

E-Book | 30 pages | ISBN 9781698709406

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Lynette Catalano lives with her husband in New Jersey. She enjoys going to the beach looking for shells and taking long walks along the shore with her family, friends, and dogs. This is her second childrens book and loves writing stories and poems for children. She attended The College of New Jersey and Walden University. Recently retired from teaching, she looks forward to writing more childrens books in the future.

Trafford Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC, author services imprint, was the first publisher in the world to offer an on-demand publishing service, and has led the independent publishing revolution since its establishment in 1995. Trafford was also one of the earliest publishers to utilize the Internet for selling books. More than 10,000 authors from over 120 countries have utilized Traffords experience for self publishing their books. For more information about Trafford Publishing, or to publish your book today, call 844-688-6899 or visit trafford.com.
Since its founding in 1978, Dresdner Robin has expanded to four locations and increased its multi-functional team to 77 employees. Courtesy of Dresdner Robin. Were thrilled to add Christine, Benjamin and Mark to our team. Each of them brings a wealth of industry experience that will benefit our growing client base, said Tony Ianuale, chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Dresdner Robin.

Land-use consultancy Dresdner Robin announced today that the firm has hired three new employees: Senior Project Manager Christine A. Arico, Senior Engineer Benjamin J. Zoller and Landscape Architect Mark Robison. The new senior team members will serve the firms growing roster of public and private sector clients.

Were thrilled to add Christine, Benjamin and Mark to our team. Each of them brings a wealth of industry experience that will benefit our growing client base, said Tony Ianuale, chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Dresdner Robin. Our expansion is a testament to our mission to provide clients with transformational results that also benefit the environment and the community as a whole.

With more than 15 years of experience in environmental science and project management, Christine Arico manages environmental consulting and remediation services for clients. She is qualified in all facets of environmental reporting and well-versed in New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) regulations. Prior to joining the team, Arico served as a project manager at New Jersey-based environmental consulting firm, JM Sorge, Inc., where her developments ranged from large-scale industrial establishments to commercial enterprises. She earned her bachelors degree in environmental science from the University of Mary Washington.

In business for nearly half a century, Dresdner Robin has a proven track record of successful developments throughout the tri-state area, including Newport Mall, the Hudson Exchange and Porte Liberte, Arico said. Its exciting to join such a reputable company and a rapidly growing team.

Benjamin Zoller, who received his bachelors degree in civil engineering from Texas Tech University, supports the firms clients in brownfield redevelopment, site planning, utility design and construction administration. Zoller previously worked for Parkhill, an architecture and engineering consulting firm in Texas, where he aided in public and private sector engineering projects ranging from public school additions to water treatment facility design. His most notable development was the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) project at Vicenza High School in Vicenza, Italy, where he was responsible for site layout and select design elements.

Its very fulfilling to contribute my expertise alongside such a knowledgeable and professional group of engineering experts, Zoller said. As a unit, we pride ourselves in providing positive results, with a goal to exceed expectations time and time again. It makes for an inspiring work environment, which translates to our work and client relationships.

A fellow associate at the American Society of Landscape Architects, and a 2020 Landscape Architecture Foundation Scholar, Mark Robison earned his masters degree in landscape architecture from Rutgers University. In his new position, hes charged with site design and construction. In collaboration with Rutgers University students and New Jersey-based architects, his most recent work was MLK Park in Paterson, N.J., where he contributed design concepts and plans. Prior to joining Dresdner Robin, Robinson was a senior creative director for Momentum Worldwide advertising with a background in brand, experiential and digital marketing.

Since its founding in 1978, Dresdner Robin has expanded to four locations and increased its multi-functional team to 77 employees in areas including civil engineering, environmental services, landscape architecture, land surveying and others.

About Dresdner Robin

Dresdner Robin is a leading land-use consultancy covering the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia metro markets. The full-service firm provides creative solutions that emphasize service, client satisfaction and technological innovation with specialties in site/civil engineering, land surveying, environmental services, planning, surveying and landscape architecture in the revival of urban landscapes. Dresdner Robins multi-functional teams are strategically located in offices throughout the New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia metro areas.
Our new Community Groups feature provides another layer of communications outreach to strengthen the relationship between schools, families, and the community at large, said Anupama Vaid, ParentSquare Founder & President.

Community engagement is an important part of K-12 education. To make it quick and easy for districts and schools to reach all interested community members, ParentSquare Inc., provider of the premier unified school-home engagement platform for K-12, today announces a new Community Groups feature.

Community Groups allows interested community members to sign up for various communications offered by districts and schools. Community Groups web pages can be enabled at the district or school level, or both. With this feature, family and community members who are not parents, guardians, students, or staff can sign up for communications in as many categories offered by the school or district as they desire. In addition to making it easier to communicate with a wider audience, this new feature reduces the need for schools or districts to subscribe to a separate mass email distribution service, saving staff time and money by having all contacts and communications in one place with ParentSquare.

With Community Groups, districts and schools can extend their reach to generate greater awareness and involvement. Community members can now keep up with activities and announcements based on their interests, such as fundraisers, afterschool programs, sporting or alumni events. When combined with ParentSquares existing social media and website sharing capabilities, community contact is multiplied.

Our new Community Groups feature provides another layer of communications outreach to strengthen the relationship between schools, families, and the community at large, said Anupama Vaid, ParentSquare Founder & President. Involving interested community members in school-related activities not only fosters awareness and goodwill, but it can also bolster resources through donations, volunteering, and partnerships.

Community Groups is free for email and in-app communications to customers who already have the complete ParentSquare feature package. ParentSquare will also offer options for SMS text messages and automated voice calls.

About ParentSquare

ParentSquare is relied upon by millions of educators and families in 44 states for unified, effective school communications. ParentSquare provides parent engagement tools that work from the district office to the individual classroom, supported by powerful metrics and reporting. ParentSquares technology platform features extensive integrations with student information and other critical administrative systems, translation to more than 100 languages, and app, email, text, voice, and web portal access for equitable communication. ParentSquare (http://www.parentsquare.com), founded in 2011, is based in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Unfortunately, this hiring crunch doesnt appear to be easing anytime soon, so investing in employees is crucial to businesses everywhere and the economy." - Express CEO Bill Stoller

Eighty-two percent of companies expect to face hiring challenges over the next year with the most commonly cited reason for the talent shortage being increased competition in the job market (30%).

This is according to a new survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.

Following the increased competition for talent, businesses say the available talent pool does not match the companys needs (28%) and cite difficulty assessing candidates skills during the hiring process (25%).

Forty percent of these companies currently have open positions they cannot fill and hiring decision-makers say this is due to a lack of applicants with hard skills (46%) and soft skills (39%). Additionally, nearly 1 in 3 say they lack applicants with relevant experience (31%).

While a skills gap appears to already impact hiring efforts, this gap may only widen in coming years as around 2 in 3 hiring decision-makers (68%) agree the future workforce will have a "lost generation" due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Express franchise owners across the nation continue to see increasing hiring challenges for their clients.

Its impacting every client, every company, says Greg Sulentic, Express franchise owner in Lincoln, Nebraska, of hiring challenges. When you think it cant get worse, it does.

In his market, the biggest hurdle for companies is the mismatch between the available talent pool and the skills needed.

The dominant available talent is low skilled with poor soft skills and work history, in addition to retention issues, he said. There is a lack of desire to return to the workforce, and even more so, to stay in it.

In Chula Vista, California, Express franchise owner Jon Noceda says more than ever, clients are scrambling to bring on top talent through direct hire.

They dont want to risk the chance of losing someone, he said. Businesses are immediately making full-time, permanent offers, or making those offers shortly after having the individual on the job for a few days to determine a culture fit.

Noceda added that companies winning the recruiting war are those that are offering bonuses, increased compensation/benefits and remote work or flexible schedules.

While survey respondents reported issues recruiting workers with the right hard skills, Noceda says his clients are actually desperate for applicants with refined soft skills.

We have talent with the right hard skills in our market, but soft skills were already experiencing a gap that grew during the pandemic, he said. Ultimately, its easier to train someone with the right soft skills who is eager to learn but may need a bit of refinement.

Sulentic agrees its easier to train hard skills than acquire soft skills, but only if companies have a training system in place. Otherwise, businesses are doomed to get stuck in a vicious cycle of being short-staffed, experiencing high turnover and hiring out of desperation.

Employers have to stop, make a conscious decision to force pay rates up, employ their current workforce to provide on-the-job mentorship (buddy programs) and climb out of the very difficult circumstances the workforce presents, he said.

Investing in training for employees does take a lot of time and resources for business owners, but its worth it to not only catch up in the recruiting game, but get ahead, Express CEO Bill Stoller said.

Unfortunately, this hiring crunch doesnt appear to be easing anytime soon, so investing in employees is crucial to businesses everywhere and the economy, he added.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between March 23 and April 12, 2021, among 1,001 U.S. hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data was weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena Hollander, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966.

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing company has more than 830 franchises in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Since inception, Express has put more than 9 million people to work worldwide.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 526,000 people globally in 2020. For more information, visit http://www.ExpressPros.com.
NextEdgeNetworks named 1,668 out of 5,000! We are honored to be included in such prestigious company," says Chris Maguire, CEO of NextEdge Networks.

NEW YORK, August 17, 2021  Inc. magazine today revealed that NEXTEDGE NETWORKS is No. 1,668 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.

We are honored to be included in such prestigious company. We believe that our recent combination of regional players in the 4G/5G space: Modus, Summit Cellular, NIS, Spectrum Services, TowerSource, and Source Broadband, all under one coast-to-coast umbrella, is what has positioned us for strong growth, now and into the future, says Chris Maguire, CEO of NextEdge Networks.

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this years list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 list, 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 came 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 NextEdge Networks

NextEdge Networks is a cutting-edge company that provides a range of 4G / 5G networking and telecom infrastructure services, ranging from small cell to macro tower construction, site acquisition, engineering services, and installation of electric vehicle charging stations. http://www.nextedgenetworks.com

CONTACT: Erica Moon, Chief Marketing Officer, emoon@nextedgenetworks.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/.
Northeast Delta HSA releases Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Impact Report "Our annual report shows the value of our model and how it works to improve population health in our region." - Dr. Monteic A. Sizer

Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA) announces its Annual Impact Report for the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 (FY2021), a document highlighting the agency's service in fulfilling its mission to Northeast Louisiana.

NEDHSA Board of Directors Chairman Michael K. Shipp said he expresses his support and gratitude for the "continuing innovation, creation of partnerships and development of evidence-based practices in fulfilling the agency's mission."

"Despite the many unanticipated and disruptive events associated with COVID-19 the past year, the agency continued to provide services and programs that transformed the lives of persons living in our region," Shipp said. "The agency has recognized the changing needs of our recipients and the challenges of providing services in a pandemic environment by creating innovative programs and methods of providing services."

The report reveals NEDHSA's work in its 12-parish service area, where it delivered outpatient behavioral health clinical services to more than 1,300 clients. In working with its funded Network of Care partnerships, NEDHSA served nearly 2,600 clients in inpatient facilities.

NEDHSA Executive Director Dr. Monteic A. Sizer said that as part of their vision to be a catalyst for change and innovation in Northeast Louisiana, "we worked to form strong partnerships with others who share common goals as we all seek to solve a similar set of societal problems."

"Every day, our agency works to transform the lives of the citizens in our region struggling with mental health, addiction, developmental disabilities, and those negative social factors that contribute to pain and suffering, such as housing instability, high unemployment, food insecurities, poor education, and transportation challenges, to name a few," Dr. Sizer said. "Our annual report shows the value of our model and how it works to improve population health in our region."

The Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Behavioral Health, selected NEDHSA as a grantee awarded site to implement the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Grant "Promoting Integration of Primary and Behavioral Healthcare" (PIPBHC). The awarded funds allowed NEDHSA to expand its existing integrated care model, and in FY2021, it provided 459 services through PIPBHC to 287 clients.

The report reveals that NEDHSA reviewed more than 450 applications for developmental disability eligibility, provided oversight, including certification and accountability to over 1,200 Medicaid Waiver participants, and provided Act-378 Program Services to 564 individuals. NEDHSA also provided prevention and wellness services and education in FY2021, including completing around 800 SYNAR compliance checks, distributing 535 NARCAN kits, and disseminating substance abuse prevention and treatment information to more than 404,339 residents of Louisiana.

Dr. Sizer said the integration of behavioral and primary health is critical to "our ability to help mitigate complex health problems experienced by many in our region."

"With the incorporation of our evidence-based prevention and social determinants of health initiatives, we are well on our way to improving population health outcomes in Northeast Louisiana," Dr. Sizer said.

The report also shows NEDHSA's client satisfaction and outcomes for FY2021, indicating high client satisfaction rates, with 99% of clients stating they would continue NEDHSA services and would recommend NEDHSA's clinics and services to them their family, friends, and others. Over 90% of surveyed existing adult clients seen in NEDHSA outpatient clinics reported reduced alcohol and drug use, and over 60% of adult clients reported better management of depression, anxiety, anger, and psychoticism. More than 55% of existing clients and over 65% of newly-enrolled clients in FY2021 reported compliance with their prescribed medications.

Dr. Sizer added, "We will continue to innovate, integrate, form committed partnerships, be a catalyst for, and inspire those we serve. We understand the importance of our work in the lives of so many individuals, families, and communities in Louisiana's Delta."

To view the annual report - click here: Northeast Delta Human Services Authority FY 2021 Annual Impact Report


Okaloosa County Automates Bid Distribution with vendor registry We invite all of our current vendors to register and grow their business in their state, region and nationwide.

Today, Okaloosa County has officially partnered with vendor registry, powered by mdf commerce, providing vendors across the United States easy online access to its upcoming solicitations. vendor registry is a top-rated procurement suite for public purchasers at cities, counties, school districts, utilities, colleges, and universities. Okaloosa County invites all current and interested vendors to register online.

Okaloosa County joins over 430 local government agencies that utilize their prominent vendor and bid management platform. Some of the resources Okaloosa County gains by joining vendor registry include vendor management, vendor self-service, solicitation management, electronic bidding, bid evaluation, and contract management. By posting their upcoming bids and RFPs through vendor registry, Okaloosa County ensures a community of over 100,000 vendors can view their solicitations, download documents, and receive notification of their addenda.

vendor registry is a premier source for local government bids that include real-time bid alerts to create business growth by state, region, and even nationwide. Over 5,000 new bids are processed by the vendor registry bid team every week. All vendors looking to do business with Okaloosa County and other nearby government agencies are encouraged to register.

In addition to one centralized location for local government bids, benefits of registering with vendor registry include:



Instant Bid Notifications

Easy Registration

Stay Organized

Subscription Options

Our purchasing department is excited to able to improve our efficiency by using the tools provided through vendor registry. In addition to the time savings we will see, our vendors will also benefit from registering in one location for all government bids. We invite all of our current vendors to register and grow their business in their state, region and nationwide, stated Jeffrey Hyde, Purchasing Manager of Okaloosa County.

About Okaloosa County:

Okaloosa County is located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Alabama state line. As of the 2010 census, the population was 180,822. Its county seat is Crestview.

About vendor registry:

vendor registry, powered by mdf commerce, is the top-rated procurement suite for public purchasers including cities, counties, school districts, utilities, colleges, and universities nationwide. To learn more about vendor registrys valuable procurement solutions for local agencies and government bids for vendors, please visit https://vendorregistry.com/ and register today.
Christ told His followers, both 2,000 years ago up and through today, to go and make disciples of all nations. However, before we can make others disciples, before we can spread the message of salvation, we ourselves need to become disciples, students of the Gospel.

Author Stavros N. Akrotirianakis builds a firm foundation for a Christian life with Engaged: The Call to be Disciples  Reflections on What It Means to be a Christian ($26.49, paperback, 9781662827426; $9.99, e-book, 9781662827433).

Father Akrotirianakis encourages believers of all denominations through the basic tenets of Christianity, beginning with the identity of Jesus Christ Himself. Through a total of 130 short reflections, he continues to lead the young Christian through understanding what it means to follow Christ, and how to become a disciple who can make disciples.

Christ told His followers, both 2,000 years ago up and through today, to go and make disciples of all nations. However, before we can make others disciples, before we can spread the message of salvation, we ourselves need to become disciples, students of the Gospel, said Akrotirianakis.

Father Stavros N. Akrotirianakis is a Greek Orthodox Priest who serves St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Tampa, Florida. He has also authored the books Let All Creation Rejoice: Reflections on Advent, the Nativity and Epiphany; The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy Week and Pascha; Blessed is the Kingdom, Now and Forever: Reflections on the Divine Liturgy; and Let Us Be Attentive: Reflections on the Sunday and Feastday Scripture Readings of the Orthodox Church. He writes a daily reflection called "The Prayer Team" which can be found at http://www.prayerteam365.com.

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Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. Engaged: The Call to be Disciples is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.
MAXXimizer L-40 Package Chiller Our desire with this chiller was to ease the daily burdens experienced by dairy producers. Farmers benefit from remote, real-time access to refrigeration system data, including advanced alerts and downloadable diagnostic reports.

Paul Mueller Company invites visitors to view its new package chiller at the World Dairy Expo held September 28 to October 2, 2021, in Madison, Wisconsin. The MAXXimizer L-40 package chiller on display, suitable for both large traditional and robotic dairy farms, features a precharged plug-and-play design, cloud connectivity, and readily available parts for the convenience of dairy farmers.

Our desire with this chiller was to ease the daily burdens experienced by dairy producers, says Chris Ancipink, Paul Mueller Company Product Manager. Farmers benefit from remote, real-time access to refrigeration system data, including advanced alerts and downloadable diagnostic reports. Simple installation and the use of existing components available at our Mueller-certified dealer locations allow for a quick startup and easy equipment maintenance down the road.

Each MAXXimizer L-40 package chiller houses four E-Star HiPerForm condensing units, delivering more energy efficiency than standard direct expansion refrigeration systems. An automatic redundant pump control helps prevent costly downtime, while a single-configuration circulation pump helps reduce glycol water and refrigerant usage requirements.

Dairy farmers deserve a product that keeps their business running efficiently. High functioning and low maintenance, we anticipate this chiller will be very well received in the market. Dairy producers will get their money back, and more, out of this chiller, says Rick McClenning, National Sales Manager of Dairy Farm Equipment.

Paul Mueller Company, headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, has manufacturing and sales operations in Iowa, The Netherlands, and Vietnam. Paul Mueller Company employees build innovative processing equipment for dairy farms and a wide variety of other applications in food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and chemical facilities worldwide. For more information about Paul Mueller Company products, visit paulmueller.com.
Today, Lincoln Ventures, an Austin-based student housing and multifamily developer, announced that Pawel Hardej has joined as Executive Vice President of Multifamily Development.

Hardej is responsible for sourcing, planning, design and development for new urban infill multi-family projects for Lincoln Ventures in Austin, Texas.

Pawels unique experience as an architect, builder and high-rise real estate developer will help us differentiate our product in design, execution and marketing, says David Kanne, CEO of Lincoln Ventures. Pawels expertise in multi-project management will also help Lincoln Ventures with the planning and execution required to achieve market scale.

In his career, Hardej has been directly responsible for the acquisition, design, development or redevelopment of almost $1.8 billion of mixed-use, condominium and multi-family communities totaling over 2,000 units. Prior to joining Lincoln Ventures, Hardej served as Vice President of Development at Intracorp, one of North Americas largest residential developers, and managed the development of multiple projects, including the 49-story 44 East condominium high-rise project in downtown Austin.

The addition of Hardej to the Lincoln Ventures team marks a new strategy for the Austin-based real estate investment firm, which has historically focused on student housing. This year, Lincoln Ventures has expanded into multifamily development with recently announced sites outside of the Texas market: 811 N. 3rd St., a 24-story, 326-unit multifamily project in Phoenix, AZ, and 859 Spring St., a 31-story, 195-unit tower in Atlanta, GA. Forthcoming projects in Austin include to-be-named developments located on 2700 E. 5th St. and 80 Rainey.

Lincoln Ventures takes an experience-driven approach to design, creating spaces that drive excellent user experience. This is something weve done successfully in ground-up development and are excited to bring to the multi-family space as well, says Kanne.

About Lincoln Ventures

Lincoln Ventures is an Austin, Texas-based real estate investment firm focused on acquiring, developing, and managing high-quality real estate in superior locations throughout the United States. Since its founding in 2012, Lincoln Ventures has expanded the business to include student housing, multi-family, mixed use and office assets in excess of $1.4 billion. For more information, visit: http://www.lincoln-ventures.com.
LCR-Reader-R2 from Siborg Systems Inc. with 250 kHz test frequency The Award winning LCR-Reader line of tweezer-multimeters are now available on Amazon Japan

Canadian Siborg Systems Inc is now offering some of their most popular products on Amazon Japan. Their Award winning LCR-Reader line of multimeters offer highly accurate automatic component characterization without any set-up. Utilizing Amazon in Japan, Siborg can offer better customer support including faster shipping and returns.

The LCR-Reader line of multimeters offers a range of electronic multimeters with various features and price points. Every device offers the ability to identify and test components with no set-up between measurements. When the gold-plated tweezer probes are in contact with a component, the device will automatically determine the type of component and set the best test parameters for high accuracy measurements.

Currently, Siborg is only offering in Japan a limited choice of their devices, including:



LCR-Reader-MPA This model offers the most features, 0.1% basic accuracy and up to 100 kHz test frequency. Other features include AC/DC current/voltage measurements, LED/Diode testing, Oscilloscope mode, Signal Generator, easy open/short calibration, and more. Pro task kit also available with more accessories, including spare tips and Kelvin Probe Connector.

LCR-Reader The best selling budget model offers basic features - the ability to select the test mode (L, C, R and ESR) and 0.5% basic accuracy. Users are only able to select the test mode and the device sets the ideal test frequency (100 Hz, 1 kHz, 10 kHz) before displaying the measurement results.

Smart Tweezers with 0.2% basic accuracy and automatic LCR/ESR measurements, diode/continuity measurements and easy parasitic offset removal.

Siborg is soon releasing their newest device, the LCR-Reader R2, and will be offering that among their other products on their Amazon sales channels in Japan, North America and Europe. The R2, based on the MPA, offers a 250 kHz test frequency and a unique new feature: Analog Signature Tool but will not have some other features of the LCR-Reader-MPA.

By offering products on Amazon sales channels, customers have faster shipping times; in the near future, Siborg will be utilizing the fulfilled by Amazon option in Japan. Customers will be able to return their devices straight to Amazon.

The LCR-Reader Store features all of Siborgs products, including Bluetooth enabled models of LCR-Reader-MPA with remote measurement recording, spare parts and accessories including the Kelvin Probe Connector kit. The Kelvin Probe Connector can be used with any LCR-Reader or Smart Tweezers device to be used as a probe station and extend the reach of the tweezers tips. The kit includes 5 accessories allowing you to measure various nodes on a PCB.

Customers are able to purchase their products now on Amazon Japan.
Kansas Historical Tidbits and Civil War Facts and History: a meticulously crafted example of local history. Kansas Historical Tidbits and Civil War Facts and History is the creation of published authors Ralph J. Postlethwait with Oliver J. Hurt. Ralph J. Postlethwait, a native Kansan and loving husband, was born in 1929 and was a decorated member of the Masonic Valley Center Lodge No. 364. Known as a Mr. Fixit, he retired as a plant manager after thirty-two years from Kansas Gas and Electric in Wichita, Kansas. Oliver J. Hurt is a retired senior special agent from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), formerly the National Background Investigations Bureau, and has over thirty years of federal investigative experience.

Ralph J. Postlethwait with Oliver J. Hurt share, This book contains historical facts and tidbits from Kansas history that led to the Civil War, and of life on the Kansas prairie, and the most interesting of the many stories Ralph collected over a decade of research on the Civil War and Kansass part in it.

The American civil war has given rise to a vast multitude of books which, if taken together, cover events from every conceivable angle. So why another book? Why continued research on the civil war? The sad fact is that the civil war was Americans fighting Americans. The two major issues that brought on the civil war were the fight over state rights, which involved the right of secession from the union of the states under the constitution and the extension of slavery to new states and territories.

The declaration of war by South Carolina politicians against the union was arrogant, boastful, and savage. They proceeded in haste to inaugurate civil war, and to drag the peaceful inhabitants of the other slave-labor states into its horrid vortex. The people, whose rights they had violated and whose sovereignty they had usurped, were stunned and bewildered by the violence of these self-constituted leaders, and they found themselves and their property at the mercy of mad men who, as the sequel proved, were totally unfit to lead in the counsels of a free, intelligent, and patriotic community.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Ralph J. Postlethwait with Oliver J. Hurts new book is published in honor of the memory of Mr. Postlethwait.

With unique facts and careful discussion, this work is one that will excite any reader who enjoys history involving the civil war. Mr. Postlethwaits dedication to research and enjoyment of history is apparent within this fascinating exploration of Kansas history.

View a synopsis of Kansas Historical Tidbits and Civil War Facts and History on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Kansas Historical Tidbits and Civil War Facts and History at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Kansas Historical Tidbits and Civil War Facts and History, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Rare Cannabinoid Company adds CBDV to its apothecary of pure cannabinoid oil tinctures and blends of THCV, Delta-8-THC, CBN, CBG, CBDA, CBC, Rare Hawaiian CBD. "We're very excited to be the first to bring a pure CBDV product to market and hope our customers can feel great benefits from it."

Rare Cannabinoid Company has launched the world's first pure CBDV oil for sale. The 500mg CBDV tincture joins the Hawaiian company's apothecary of cannabinoids: THCV, Delta-8-THC, CBN, CBG, CBC, CBDA, Rare Hawaiian CBD, extra strength 3000mg CBD and 1:1 blends.

While CBDV (cannabidivarin) sounds like CBD (cannabidiol), this varin variety is extremely rare and appears to have exciting potential. CBDV is currently being researched for a pharmaceutical anti-seizure drug and is being tested on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In preclinical studies, it has shown potential for easing symptoms of ASD, Rett syndrome and muscular dystrophy. Other studies in mice and in humans have found potential anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory properties.

"We're very excited to be the first to bring a pure CBDV product to market and hope our customers can feel great benefits from it," said Rare Cannabinoid Company CEO Jared Dalgamouni.

The pioneering brand was also the first to produce a pure THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) oil in 2020 and is launching the first high strength terpene-only oils this week.

Rare Cannabinoid Company's apothecary concept is based on the idea that customers can mix and match different single extracts of cannabinoids with each other and a full spectrum CBD oil to customize their own blends.

Each cannabinoid is believed to offer unique mental and physical health benefits. For example, THCV acts like a stimulant increasing energy and suppressing appetite, while CBN (cannabinol) promotes relaxation and sleep, CBC (cannabichromene) increases the brains bliss molecule anandamide and may improve mood, and hemp-derived Delta-8-THC offers similar euphoric effects and health benefits to cannabis-derived THC with less risk of anxiety or paranoia.

"No two cannabinoids are the same just as no two people are the same," said Dalgamouni.

"People use hemp and cannabis products for many different reasons and they affect people differently. Our extracts are designed for people to customize their own blend or blends for their personal needs," he said.

CBDV is a non-psychoactive rare cannabinoid that is similar to CBD but has some key differences.

Like THCV, CBDV is a varin. Varins contain two fewer carbon atoms than their non-varin counterparts (THC and CBD). These differences mean that they interact with the human endocannabinoid system in different ways and have unique physiological effects.

CBDV naturally occurs in much smaller quantities than CBD and is therefore more difficult to isolate. Rare Cannabinoid Company is the first to bring a pure CBDV product to market. Other CBDV products being sold online and in stores contain trace amounts of CBDV in a full spectrum CBD oil or are bulk isolates that would need to be formulated in a laboratory or manufacturing facility.

While cannabinoids appeal to different markets - such as THCV for weight loss, CBN for sleep, and Delta-8-THC for recreational use, CBDV appears likely to appeal to the health community. Like CBG (cannabigerol), it is being studied for many different medical applications.

One of the most interesting areas that CBDV is being studied for is its potential effects on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a developmental condition that impairs communication, social interaction and features repetitive movements. There is currently no approved treatment for the core symptoms of ASD, but new research shows that altered endocannabinoid signaling and immune problems may contribute to ASD.

This experiment tested CBDV treatment on a model of ASD in rats. Scientists found that "cannabidivarin treatment ameliorates autism-like behaviors and restores hippocampal endocannabinoid system and glia alterations." CBDV improved the rats' social skills and short-term memory, while reducing their repetitive behaviors and hyperlocomotion (constant moving as a result of excessive stimulation of the nervous system.)

The CDC estimates that one in 59 children have ASD. There are only two FDA-approved medications for the symptoms of ASD and they cause many negative side effects including weight gain, greater risk of diabetes, and growth of breast tissue. Searching for alternatives, there is currently a trial of CBDV versus a placebo in 100 children and adolescents with ASD between the ages of 5 and 18. The study aims to measure the efficacy of CBDV, especially in regards to irritability.

Highlighting the cannabinoids potential, CBDV is currently being developed into a pharmaceutical drug designed to reduce or prevent seizures by GW Pharmaceuticals. The British company previously developed Epidiolex, a CBD drug for seizures and says that  CBDV represents an additional product pipeline opportunity as a next-generation epilepsy therapy.

Meanwhile, for muscular dystrophy, CBDV was found to reduce inflammation and restore and enhance muscle function in this study on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common form of the muscle-wasting disease. The study found that in addition to CBDV, CBD and THCV may also prevent muscle degeneration in DMD patients.

CBDV also shows promise in aiding neurobehavioral issues associated with Rett syndrome. In this study, CBDV was found to be beneficial for memory, neurological and social deficits related to Rett syndrome.

Furthermore, CBDV shows potential for reducing nausea in this study and for reducing inflammation in this study. That experiment tested CBDV against ulcerative colitis in mice and in biopsies from children and found that CBDV reduced intestinal inflammation.

Rare Cannabinoid Company offers links to medical research and scientific studies on cannabinoids on its website, but clearly states that none of its products are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If customers would like additional help, a list of independent cannabinoid health advisors is listed on the website under the heading "Expert Cannabinoid Advice". Those physicians, nurses and naturopathic doctors have physical offices across the United States and many offer telehealth and video meeting options. They have a lot of knowledge about cannabinoids and have worked with Rare Cannabinoid Companys products.

Rare Cannabinoid Company has taken the lead in producing rare cannabinoid products. It was established in the first quarter of 2020 and products are now sold in more than 200 stores across the United States, by prescription in Brazil, and online. Visit the website to see a map of where to buy rare cannabinoids. Stores can also get more information on the wholesale website. Rare Cannabinoid company's sister brand, Hawaiian Choice, was established in 2017 and is the most popular CBD brand in Hawaii. It specializes in CBD tinctures, CBD balms, and vegan CBD gummies all made with broad spectrum Hawaiian CBD and real Hawaiian fruits, essential oils or honey.


FPI Fireplace Products International (Regency Fireplace Products) is excited to announce its new President, David Fraser. Earlier in 2021, Glen Spinelli stepped down as president and announced he would be transitioning into retirement.

FPI would like to thank Glen for his over 26 years of leadership within the organization and congratulate him on this next phase of his life. During Glens tenure at FPI, the company experienced multiple decades of consecutive growth. Glen was responsible for reshaping the go-to-market sales, distribution, and marketing strategies, ultimately leading the company to triple in size. Glen will remain an active member of FPIs board of directors.

David joins FPI with over 17-years of executive-level leadership experience in the residential, commercial, construction, and building materials industries across Canada and the United States. He has held executive and non-executive roles with manufacturing companies such as Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, United States Gypsum Corp., and ASSA ABLOY. In addition to holding a degree in Economics and Business from Western University in Ontario, he has also participated in an international executive development program with INSEAD, Harvard, and the London School of Economics.

I am looking forward to becoming an active member of Regencys executive leadership team. It is an exciting time to be joining the Regency team as we emerge from the pandemic on a path towards accelerated growth, stated David. Regency is a leader with a strong senior management team that brings incredible depth in the fireplace industry. I am looking forward to continuing to strengthen the legacy built by Glen and others over the past 40 years.

Dave is very committed and involved in several charitable and community service activities and looks forward to continuing these opportunities in the Vancouver area.

About FPI Fireplace Products International

Founded just outside of Vancouver, Canada, in 1979, Regency Fireplace Products has proven to be a world leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of hearth products. The business was acquired, in 2016, by the NIBE Group, a global organization that contributes to a smaller carbon footprint and better utilization of energy. Regency has evolved into a sophisticated North American manufacturing, sales, and marketing organization of more than 450 employees, supplying over 2000 retailers across North America, Europe, Japan, China, and Australia. https://www.regency-fire.com
Driving enthusiasts looking for a luxury sedan which a great set of amenities can rush to the Roberts Toyota dealership in Columbia, Tennessee. The dealership houses the brand new 2022 Toyota Camry. Interested Toyota lovers can check out the online inventory of Roberts Toyota. The 2022 Toyota Camry comes in six different trims: LE, SE, SE Nightshade, XLE, and XSE.

The base 2.5-liter 4-cylinder DOHC 16V GDI engine in the 2022 Camry LE, SE, SE Nightshade Edition, and XLE models produces four distinct capacities based on whether you want the front-wheel drive (FWD) version or the optional all-wheel drive (AWD) option. The more powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine gives customers the adequate performance that they expect from the 2022 Camry.

Toyota's proprietary Safety Sense 2.5+ technology, which includes forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control, is standard on the 2022 Toyota Camry. The Camry SE models available at the Roberts Toyota dealership have exclusive features like 18-inch wheels and a trunk-mounted spoiler.

The 2.5-liter engine is expected to produce 203 horsepower and 184-pound feet of torque. The bigger 3.5-liter engine gives out a massive 301 horsepower and 267pound feet of torque. 2022 Toyota Camry offers the most spacious interior in the segment. The blacked-out grille, LED headlights with LED daytime running lamps adds class and beauty to this vehicle.

The dealership's impressive used inventory consists of several powerful Toyota models. Individuals interested in financing options or buying a new car can come to Roberts Toyota dealerships located at 1027 Nashville Highway Columbia, Tennessee, 38401. Interested parties are expected to visit https://www.robertstoyota.com/ or call the dealership at 615-566-2228 for more information.
ScreenMeet is a prime example of the innovative technology partners we use to further enhance our easy and expert customer experience. With ScreenMeet's integration with Service Cloud, it also makes it seamless to use for our support engineers.

ScreenMeet, a cloud-native, in-platform, collaboration solution, today announced Series B investments led by existing investor, Aspenwood VC, and from new investor, Salesforce Ventures. ScreenMeet provides video chat, screenshare, remote support and cobrowsing solutions built into the Salesforce and ServiceNow platforms. ScreenMeet provides a seamless user experience including single sign-on and data integration, so users never have to leave Salesforce or ServiceNow to provide these enhanced services.

The completed Series B round of financing was accelerated due to the increasing demand for remote work and online sales and support activity brought on by the global pandemic. ScreenMeets suite of collaboration products for contact center and IT Help Desk workflows continue to grow, and ScreenMeet is on pace to double its revenue this year.

We are immensely proud of the progress and growth we have achieved in the past 18 months, said Ben Lilienthal, ScreenMeet CEO, even with the dramatic circumstances surrounding business operations during a pandemic. We have seen the demand and need for our solution grow with more business occurring online and companies having to support their workforce and customers remotely. Having our two most strategic partners participate in this round of financing is further validation of the value we can bring to Salesforce and ServiceNow customers and their employees.

ScreenMeet is a prime example of the innovative technology partners we use to further enhance our easy and expert customer experience, said Jim Roth, EVP Customer Support, Salesforce. Screen sharing is a critical capability to help our customers in this digital-first world. With ScreenMeet's integration with Service Cloud, it also makes it seamless to use for our support engineers.

We are excited to support ScreenMeet on their journey to owning the collaboration category for Sales, Service and Support," remarked Lars Leckie, Managing Director, Aspenwood VC. We have been tracking this company for a number of years and look forward to supporting their growth now and into the future.

About ScreenMeet

ScreenMeet was founded in 2015 by online meeting and customer support veterans to build a new generation of cloud-based, enterprise tools for customer support and IT help desk for industry-leading, globally recognized brands. For enterprises seeking to deliver exceptional person-to-person customer support experiences, ScreenMeet provides purpose-built support software that integrates with CRM, CSM and ITSM platforms made with the latest cloud technologies. For more information, please visit http://www.screenmeet.com.

About Salesforce Ventures

Salesforce Ventures is the global investment arm of Salesforce and is focused on partnering with the most ambitious enterprise technology companies at every stage in their journey. Since 2009, Salesforce Ventures has invested over $3 billion in over 400 leading companies including Auth0, Databricks, DocuSign, Guild Education, Hopin, monday.com, nCino, Snowflake, Snyk, Stripe, Tanium, Twilio, and Zoom. Salesforce Ventures provides portfolio companies with unparalleled access to Salesforce, one of the fastest-growing enterprise software companies in the world, including strategic advisory, customer introductions, and the strongest cloud ecosystem. Salesforce Ventures has invested in more than 25 countries with offices all over the world including in San Francisco, Irvine, New York, London, Tokyo, and Sydney. Follow @SalesforceVC and learn more at salesforce.com/ventures.
SkyBlue Jet Aviation Opening New Cirrus Training Center We are thrilled to be a Cirrus Training Center, this marks a new era for SkyBlue, said Tomas Bueno, CEO for SKYBLUE Jet Aviation

SKYBLUE Jet Aviation, now the exclusive Cirrus Training Center (CTC) between Pompano and Melbourne, Florida will be hosting an invitation-only cocktail reception to launch the opening of its new training center. The event will be held atSKYBLUE Jet Aviation (KSUA), 2315 SE Witham Field Drive on September 30th, from 4-7pm.

The CTC event will feature Cirrus aircraft on display and discussions with SKYBLUE Jet Aviation Executives, Cirrus management and Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilots (CISPs). During the reception, guests can explore the latest in Cirrus Aircraft technology and range of aircraft with a 2021 Generation 6 SR Series and SF50 Vision Jet on display. Attendees will also be able to experience and schedule flight training or rental of SKYBLUEs new SR20, a five-seat aircraft with features such as Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), Cirrus Perspective + avionics by Garmin featuring 10 screens, digital 4-in-1 standby instrument, which provides backup altitude, airspeed, attitude, and slip/skid data. They will also provide a glimpse at some of the aircrafts luxury features including remote keyless entry, interior/exterior ambient convenience lighting, and the Carbon, Platinum and Rhodium design suites with premium leather and bolstered seats.

We are thrilled to be a Cirrus Training Center, this marks a new era for SkyBlue, said Tomas Bueno, CEO for SKYBLUE Jet Aviation. As a CTC, SKYBLUE is now part of the Cirrus Global Network of training centers with Cirrus Instructor Pilots. As a Cirrus Training partner, SKYBLUE maintains stringent standards, performance targets and integrates smart technology. The Cirrus Aircraft and SKYBLUE Jet Aviation brands are synonymous with safety, innovative technology, and superior customer service. Established in 2013, SKYBLUE Jet Aviation is a family-run aviation company based in Stuart, Florida. They operate out of Witham Field Airport. The company prides itself on delivering the highest level of service and quality, with the industrys topflight instructors.

SKYBLUE Jet Aviation is known for their strong focus on service, technology and the community including the Stuart Airshow event each Fall. From flight training to Maintenance Services, every SKYBLUE Jet Aviation customer served becomes part of the family. Ensuring they are provided the tools, training, and assistance to be competent and confident to fly an aircraft safely as a proficient pilot. SKYBLUE Jet aviation maintains the highest safety and professional standards for its training department and goes above and beyond for all clients who use its aircraft management services.

To learn more about SKYBLUE Jet Aviation and Cirrus Aircraft Training in the SR20, contact us at http://www.skyblueja.com/contact-team
Rose Family Dentistry We have a partner who shares our values and has world-class dental support services to simplify our day-to-day practice management.

Smile Brands Inc., one of the nations leading dental support organizations (DSO) providing business support services to nearly 700 affiliated offices across 30 states, is pleased to announce its latest partnership with Rose Family Dentistry in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Smile Brands and partner P3 Dental Group of Las Vegas will provide full-service administrative support to the practice, which includes purchasing, payroll, accounting, IT, billing, facilities management, and marketing. Existing staff will remain in place, and the business will continue to operate under the Rose Family Dentistry brand.

Dr. Craig Rose founded Rose Family Dentistry in 1998 with the goal of bringing healthy, beautiful smiles to patients of all ages. Today, Dr. Rose leads a staff of eight from their growing Las Vegas location, which provides general, preventative and restorative dental care, specialty care, cosmetic dentistry, and emergency services.

The staff at Rose Family Dentistry is looking forward to a strong partnership with Smile Brands and P3. It was the perfect choice to partner with Smile Brands and P3, explains Dr. Rose. We have a partner who shares our values and has world-class dental support services to simplify our day-to-day practice management.

P3 founder Dr. Matthew Welebir is thrilled to welcome Rose Family Dentistry. The Rose Family Dentistry team has assembled a remarkable family dental practice in Las Vegas, said Dr. Welebir, We look forward to partnering with them to deliver even more smiles.

About Smile Brands Inc.

Smile Brands, based in Irvine, California, is one of the largest providers of dental support services in the United States. The company supports nearly 700 affiliated practices, with more than 7,500 dedicated team members across 30 states. Smile Brands supports a portfolio of over 75 brands including well-known regional brands: Bright Now! Dental, Castle Dental, Merit Dental, Midwest Dental, Monarch Dental, and Mondovi Dental. The company provides comprehensive business support services through exclusive long-term agreements with affiliate dental groups, allowing affiliated practices to spend more time caring for patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental office. The organization receives frequent recognition for its award-winning culture and has been on Glassdoors Best Places to Work for three straight years. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. Visit smilebrands.com for more information.

About P3 Dental Group

P3 Dental Group is a rapidly growing group dental practice affiliated with Smile Brands Inc. Founded by Dr. Matthew Welebir in 2003, P3 Dental has been delivering quality dental care to Las Vegas area residents. With seven convenient general dentistry locations and two co-located specialty centers, P3 Dental Group provides state-of-the-art general and specialty care, including preventative care, periodontal care, restorative care, cosmetic care, Invisalign, dental implants, oral surgery, and sedation dentistry. Their mission is to create long-term patient relationships by making dental visits convenient, affordable, and stress-free. P3 relies on Smile Brands to provide world-class business support services so they can focus on delivering highly personalized patient care.
Riders Picking Up Their Sturgis Rally Registration Welcome Packets at the Sturgis Rally Information Center, located at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip CrossRoads The motorcycle community takes care of one another, and so giving back is part of our DNA

The 81st annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may still be visible in the rearview, but businesses and riders are already looking ahead to the 82nd with the launch of Sturgis.coms Official 2022 Sturgis Rally Registration Program. The dates for the 82nd Sturgis Rally are set for Aug. 5-14, 2022. Those planning to make the trek during these dates can now register to receive their Official Welcome Packet filled with valuable maps, information and rally souvenirs at Sturgis.com/Registration.

The 82nd marks the third year rally-goers will be able to take advantage of registration program and simultaneously raise money for charity. The Sturgis Rally Registration Program located at the Buffalo Chip CrossRoads welcomes rally-goers to the Black Hills with a smile, helps visitors plan their rides and activities and gives back to charity all at the same time.

Five dollars from each premium registration goes to benefit local senior centers.

The motorcycle community takes care of one another, and so giving back is part of our DNA, said Randy Peterson of Sturgis.com.

Just prior to the kickoff of the 81st Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Peterson delivered over $5,000 raised by the registration program to Rapid City Minneluzahan Senior Center, Spearfish Senior Citizen Center and Hill City Senior Center in the Black Hills region.

We wanted to give bikers visiting the area for the rally a way to donate to the local senior citizen organizations and leave a lasting impact on the area, said Peterson.

Registration is now open for the 2022 Sturgis Rally.

The Basic Registration is free and includes a Welcome Packet containing information on the area and a commemorative Sturgis pin and patch.

The Premium Registration includes a microfiber map of the Black Hills, valuable coupons, sponsor gifts and a commemorative Sturgis pin and patch with the Official Welcome Packet.

To learn more, visit Sturgis.com/registration

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About the Sturgis Rally and Sturgis.com

The Sturgis Rally is the largest motorcycle rally in the world. It is held annually in the Black Hills of South Dakota for 10 days during the first week of August. Local Indian dealer Pappy Hoel started the rally in 1938. Since its beginning, private area businesses throwing events such as races, concerts, and rides have made, and continue to make, the Sturgis Rally what it is today. 2022 will mark the 82nd annual Sturgis Rally.

Sturgis.com is home to all things Sturgis Rally. It is the most up-to-date comprehensive resource, home to the Sturgis Rally Registration Program and the original website promoting the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

For questions or more info contact

Randy Peterson

Randy@sturgis.com
Digital Learning Collaborative

The Digital Learning Collaborative today released a new study exploring The Intersection of Career Readiness and Digital Learning.

With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting education for a third straight year, students and families are more concerned than ever about student progression, especially in the key high school years as students are exploring careers and college. As most districts across the United States have responded with physical building closures, quarantines, and emergency remote learning, the schools that had online and hybrid learning in place pre-pandemic have continued to serve their students, increasing enrollments and demonstrating that teaching and learning can continue during disruptions. These schoolsboth district-run schools and charter schools, fully online and hybridare also showing that students can thrive and work towards careers and college in these innovative learning environments.

Digital learning, in all its forms, supports career study in numerous valuable ways. Online schools and courses are creating new, innovative, and generally underappreciated synergies between schools and career exploration for students. Digital learning is increasing access to career and technical education courses of study for many students who otherwise would not have access to these options, while site-based internships and other programs are providing real-world experience to students in online and hybrid schools.

The study applies frameworks from the Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) to digital learning, and explores implementation strategies from a variety of schools and state-run online learning programs, including Destinations Career Academy of Colorado, Oxford Virtual Academy, Cyber Academy of South Carolina, Nevada Connections Academy, Virtual Arkansas, and Virtual Learning Academy Charter School.

Three key findings of the study, explored in school profiles, are:

1.Online CTE courses and programs often provide career education options for students who would not otherwise have access to good opportunities.

2. Full-time online schools provide CTE programs by offering a combination of online career courses and by partnering with businesses, state and regional training centers, and other organizations to combine online learning with on-the-ground, real-world jobs, internships, and learning opportunities.

3. Hybrid schools and programs, including those run by mainstream districts, provide academic scheduling flexibility to students who seek to prioritize their time in jobs, internships, or career training. No longer do these students have to fit in their career interests after regular school hours or on weekendswhen many companies and high-value jobs are not open or available. For example, a student interested in a veterinary career can work at a vets office during the regular week and school hours, completing some of their online coursework after normal work hours.

The Digital Learning Collaborative will be hosting two free webinars for the public with the main researchers and several of the educators from schools profiled in the report. Webinars will be on October 7 and November 4, both at 3pm ET. Advance registration is available here.

About the Digital Learning Collaborative

The Digital Learning Collaborative is a membership group made up of the educators, providers, and supporters seeking to improve education for all schools and students through research, information-sharing, and collaborative activities. The DLC runs the Digital Learning Annual Conference, which will celebrate its fourth year on February 7-9, 2022, in Atlanta and online. The DLC is organized by the Evergreen Education Group. Members include school districts, state agencies, online schools, state virtual schools, NGOs, and companies.

About the Evergreen Education Group

Evergreen has been the leading advisory and consulting firm in K-12 online, hybrid, and blended learning for 21 years. We advise companies, NGOs, and government agencies on a variety of digital learning issues, publish reports and blog regularly as part of the Digital Learning Collaborative, and coordinate the Digital Learning Annual Conference.
On behalf of The Spur Group, I am both excited and grateful our firm has joined Hiring Our Heroes in an effort to provide equal access to opportunity and diversify our workforce with members of the military community, said Bhavani Murugiah, Chief People Officer of The Spur Group.

We are excited to announce that The Spur Group has partnered with Hiring Our Heroes (HOH), an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation dedicated to helping support transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses as they enter the civilian workforce.

The firm joins a large number of companies dedicated to recruiting military talent through HOHs fellowship programs. The fellowship programs connect members of the military community to host companies and range from six to twelve weeks. Host companies recruit their fellows with the goal to hire once the program is complete.

Military veterans and spouses face unique challenges when entering the civilian workplace because they may have experienced instability due to numerous moves, could be unfamiliar with the skills required to apply and interview for job opportunities outside of the military, and need to adjust to a different pace of life and work than what they are accustomed to. Through a variety of events and programs, more than 600,000 veterans and spouses have found employment through HOH.

On behalf of The Spur Group, I am both excited and grateful our firm has joined Hiring Our Heroes in an effort to provide equal access to opportunity and diversify our workforce with members of the military community, said Bhavani Murugiah, Chief People Officer of The Spur Group. We honor and thank all military servicemen, women, veterans, and spouses for their service to this country. We count ourselves privileged to welcome them to Spur.

The partnership with HoH is a direct result of employee involvement. The Spur Group looks forward to helping fellows in the program grow their professional networks, hone career-building skills, and get hands-on training experience in a professional setting. For more information, you can visit the HOH website here.

About The Spur Group

The Spur Group delivers go-to-market consulting that drives results that matter. Our mission is to help our clients turn customer, partner, and employee experiences into competitive advantages.

In todays competitive environment, traditional go-to-market strategies often fail due to siloed approaches and lack of thought partnership. The Spur Groups relentless client-obsession, disciplined, human approach and end-to-end expertise bridges data, processes and strategy to drive business results  empowering you to gain actionable insights, grow revenues faster, improve partner return, create stronger connections, and fuel execution excellence. To learn more, visit http://www.thespurgroup.com.
Thomas Morganelli, CEO of Centipede Digital is Accepted Into Forbes Agency Council At Centipede Digital, were committed to providing our clients with innovative marketing and sales solutions and as an active member of the Forbes Agency Council, I know we will be able to continue to stay ahead of the latest trends and practices.

Thomas Morganelli, Chief Executive Officer of Centipede Digital, a full-service marketing agency, has been accepted into Forbes Agency Council, an invitation-only community for owners of and executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative, and advertising agencies.

Thomas Morganelli was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors.

We are honored to welcome Thomas Morganelli into the community, said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Agency Council. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world.

As an accepted member of the Council, Thomas has access to a variety of exclusive opportunities designed to help him reach peak professional influence. He will connect and collaborate with other respected local leaders in a private forum. Thomas will also be invited to work with a professional editorial team to share his expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts.

Finally, Thomas will benefit from exclusive access to vetted business service partners, membership-branded marketing collateral, and the high-touch support of the Forbes Councils member concierge team.

Im excited to join the Forbes Agency Council community, said Thomas. At Centipede Digital, were committed to providing our clients with innovative marketing and sales solutions and as an active member of the Forbes Agency Council, I know we will be able to continue to stay ahead of the latest trends and practices.

ABOUT FORBES COUNCILS

Forbes Councils is a collective of invitation-only communities created in partnership with Forbes and the expert community builders who founded Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). In Forbes Councils, exceptional business owners and leaders come together with the people and resources that can help them thrive.

For more information about Forbes Agency Council, visit forbesagencycouncil.com. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com.

ABOUT CENTIPEDE DIGITAL

Centipede Digital was established in 2014. They are an independent marketing, advertising, and communications agency with locations in Texas and New York. As a Google Partner with Microsoft Certified Advertising Professionals and Professional Certified Marketers on staff, Centipede Digital has the expertise to fuel smarter marketing that is more relevant, personal, and engaging.

For more information about Centipede Digital, visit centipededigital.com.

You can view Thomass Forbes Agency Council member profile here.
Threshold Brands, the multi-brand franchisor behind national home service brands MaidPro, Men in Kilts, FlyFoe, Pestmaster, USA Insulation and Plumbing Heating Paramedics, today announces its acquisition of Sir Grout. Based in Cumming, Georgia, and founded by Jeff Gill and Tom Lindberg, Sir Grout is a leading innovator in the hard surface care industry, providing a new, in-demand offering to further complement the existing services within the Threshold Brands portfolio.

Jeff and I are thrilled for this next chapter for Sir Grout. I am confident that the Threshold Brands team shares the same determination for superior service and high-quality results that we have always held as a core value for our company and that makes this next step all the more exciting, said Lindberg.

Threshold Brands vision for the future of Sir Grout perfectly aligns with the vision that we created for ourselves and our company, said Gill. We strongly believe our brand and our franchisees will be in great hands moving forward, said Gill.

Recently ranked on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 listing of top franchise brands, Sir Grout provides convenient, cost-effective and industry-leading results for clients. Sir Grout is a leading innovator in hard surface restoration; including superior grout and tile cleaning, wood cleaning, natural stone honing and polishing, grout recoloring and the application of high durability coatings all of which enhance, protect and beautify hard surfaces. These renewal processes make rooms with old grout and tile look refreshed and brand new in less than a day. In addition, the brand focuses on bathroom renewal services and slip resistance applications. All Sir Grout services, both in home and commercial, are completed without creating dust, odors or inconvenience for their customers while in-home consultations make it easy for busy clients to choose the right services for their home or business.

"We're excited to welcome Sir Grout to the Threshold Brands family, said Threshold Brands Chief Growth Officer R. Scott Sutton. We take great pride in helping to open doors for our franchise owners so that they can find success in their markets and reach a wider customer base. We are confident that Sir Grout, its team and its franchisees will have amazing opportunities to flourish as part of the Threshold portfolio."

Based in Georgia and with 45 locations across 16 states, Sir Grout adds another vital service to Threshold Brands well-rounded roster, further solidifying its place as one of the leading franchisors within the home service industry.

Our robust brand portfolio not only provides fantastic opportunities to support franchisee and system growth, but it also allows for current and new Sir Grout franchisees to easily diversify their business portfolio across more home and business services categories within the communities they serve, said Sutton.

"We see great opportunities for growth with the addition of Sir Grout, Sutton said. Our team is looking forward to providing extraordinary service and support to the Sir Grout team and franchisees by helping to ensure that both parties are set up for success in consistently exceeding customer expectations."

For more information about Sir Grout visit: https://www.sirgrout.com/ or, to learn more about Threshold Brands, visit: https://www.thresholdbrands.com/.

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About Threshold Brands:

Threshold Brands is a holding company of six franchised service brands: USA Insulation, MaidPro, FlyFoe, Men In Kilts, Pestmaster and Plumbing Heating Paramedics. More information about Threshold Brands and its franchising opportunities is available at http://www.thresholdbrands.com.


Thunderbird Spirit Water wins Gold Award at 2021 FineWaters It is truly an honor to be in the company of such incredible brands and we are grateful to be recognized, shared Thunderbird Spirit Water Chief Operating Officer, Scott Coulson

Thunderbird Spirit Water is honored and proud to win the Gold Award for Taste in the Still Super Low Category at FineWaters TASTE & DESIGN AWARDS 2021 in Bled, Slovenia organized in collaboration with the Bled Water Festival.

To celebrate this honor, their new website launches next month where water-lovers around the world can order their premium, award-winning bottled water. Purchases will include 6 pack and case orders. Learn more and sign-up at: https://www.thunderbirdspiritwater.com/

Upon winning the gold medal, Thunderbird Spirit Water Chief Operating Officer, Scott Coulson shared:

It is truly an honor to be in the company of such incredible brands and we are grateful to be recognized."

In addition, Uchucklesaht Chief Charlie Cootes proudly congratulated the brands global recognition (Thunderbird Spirit Water won in 2019 and now 2021), and shared his excitement for the completion of the plant construction, the hiring of operational staff and getting ready for sales starting in November 2021.

Their water is pure; tested and examined for inorganics, nutrients and microbiology by Health Canada licensed and certified testing facilities.

Their premium water undergoes zero manipulation by any mechanical or industrial intervention. The natural processes of the aquifer creates a perfectly balanced alkaline state.

The Virginality of their water is superior with a Nitrate test of 0.00, indicating how protected the water is from its surroundings.

FineWaters, created and published by Michael Mascha, educates the consumer, the media, and food and beverage professionals about water. The FineWaters Society was founded in 2008 to create a global forum and to further enhance the visibility of Fine Water and convey the idea that water is not just water but a natural product with terroir and unique characteristics.

Fifty countries participate, representing seven sources of water from around the globe. The waters are blind tasted at room temperature by a jury of 5 water sommeliers with a 90 -100 score system.

2021 judges included:

Jeanette Fili, Swedens first certified Water Sommelier through FineWaters academy.

Niko Huber, Water sommelier and CEO of Cana water.

Michael Mascha who created FineWaters in 2002 and is one of the original founders of the Fine Water Society in 2008.

Dr. Elena Berg, an evolutionary biologist, anthropologist, environmental scientist, and water sommelier who is passionate about water and sustainability.

Milin Patel is a Certified water sommelier and business partner with Fine-Liquids, premium water and he has twenty years experience with delivering water consultancy and technology across a broad range of sectors.

The Awards included Under Taste: Still (Super Low, Low, Medium, High), Added Carbonation (Super Low, Low, Medium, High), Natural Carbonation, Curated. Under Design: Glass Design, Pet Design, Aluminum Design, Bag in a Box Design

Learn more and sign-up at: https://www.thunderbirdspiritwater.com/

A very special thank you to FineWaters Founder Michael Mascha and this years judges.
The resulting shorter paths for exchanging traffic reduce latency for Canadian internet users thanks to our growing number of participants. IXPs like VANIX improve the user experience for all Canadians using the Internet, while also helping to reduce transit costs for network operators,

Vancouver Internet Exchange (VANIX) is excited to welcome Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a new participant in its exchange. AWS joins the ranks of over 59 Internet service providers and content providers that are improving the quality of access to internet services in Western Canada by interconnecting at VANIX.

VANIX operates one of a number of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) throughout Canada, which allow Internet Service Providers and content providers to keep local traffic local, within Canada. The resulting shorter paths for exchanging traffic reduce latency for Canadian internet users thanks to our growing number of participants. IXPs like VANIX improve the user experience for all Canadians using the Internet, while also helping to reduce transit costs for network operators, said Marilyn Hay, Board Chair at VANIX.

The VANIX community of peers is a strong, dependable, and diverse group of organizations dedicated to improving connectivity through collaboration and cooperation. This makes the exchange an oasis of neutrality within a competitive landscape, a key technology portal connecting Canada to the rest of the world, and a pivotal network meeting point on the west coast of North America.

As Canadian workers have moved from concentrated physical office spaces to remote work locations, VANIX has noted an increased demand for access to cloud services and more distributed access to the Internet. The role of VANIX in increasing the reliability and quality of services provided over the Internet has become pivotal since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In these times, our mission is one were particularly proud to be delivering on, concludes Tom Samplonius, Chair of Operations for VANIX.

About VANIX:

VANIX is a not-for-profit corporation that operates an Internet exchange led by an experienced group of network and business professionals from prominent businesses throughout Canada. VANIX provides Internet and network-based businesses the ability to connect confidently to a professional and responsive local Internet exchange. Visit https://vanix.ca or follow VANIX on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Gods Wrath or Gods Love?: When God is Love: a potent discussion of Gods involvement in humanity. Gods Wrath or Gods Love?: When God is Love is the creation of published author Voice D. Jones Guy, a widow and registered nurse with two children and four grandchildren who enjoys worshipping God and serving as a church musician.

Guy shares, The title Gods Wrath or Gods Love? was originally used as the topic for a writing course that I happened to be taking during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. I decided to continue the topic because of the events which have crippled our lives throughout the first six months of 2020.

The idea for the title had been important because of the horrendous effects of the hurricane and because of the content of the sermons of several ministers during the catastrophic events that occurred during the hurricane.

As I am watching the response to the coronavirus, the multiple sickness and deaths, it has become overwhelming and deeply sad and despicable. The situation is again igniting my thinking on the subject of whether this can be Gods wrath. We must know that Gods love is evident all around us. But I believe that it is certainly worth our time to consider that God needs to get our undivided attention in order for us to understand that we must make up our minds as to who we are called to be. We are Gods prized possessions! He does love us, but it does not mean that His wrath will not be delivered when we fail to acknowledge Him.

Gods love is alive in my belief that He does exist, that everything about God is evident in our continued existence and in our surroundings. Throughout the Holy Bible, God inspired men of faith to tell us how much He loves us. I believe that Gods wrath is only expelled when it becomes apparent that human beings have lost their zeal for righteousness and after multiple failures by man to recognize the love of God.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Voice D. Jones Guys new book is a thought-provoking discussion of Gods displeasure with the current human course.

The author writes in hopes of bringing awareness to the joys of Gods love and the dangers of ignoring the love offered to all through devotion.

View a synopsis of Gods Wrath or Gods Love?: When God is Love on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Gods Wrath or Gods Love?: When God is Love at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Gods Wrath or Gods Love?: When God is Love, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
It is so exciting to see how our Seattle office has matured over the last several years. Thanks to strong leadership and incredible talent, our team has been able to forge invaluable connections and become true partners to leading tech companies in Seattle," said Walker Sands CEO Mike Santoro.

Walker Sands, a full-service marketing agency focused on accelerating the growth of B2B brands, is continuing to grow its senior leadership team in the Seattle market, naming Annie Gudorf as Managing Director, Seattle and promoting Rachel Fukaya to Vice President of Public Relations.

These promotions are the latest indication of Walker Sands growing presence in the Seattle market, where the firm has been operating since 2018. These moves will allow the company to continue expanding its operations, while providing increased value to its Seattle and West Coast clients.



Annie Gudorf to Managing Director, Seattle: Gudorf joined Walker Sands in 2013 and later became the firms first employee in Seattle, playing an integral part in growing the companys West Coast presence. She was elevated to Vice President of Public Relations in 2019. Under her direction, the Seattle office has grown its headcount to 14 full-time employees and produced award-winning work for some of the areas top B2B tech companies. As Managing Director, Gudorf will oversee operations in Seattle, including growing and engaging the team, while leading client work for some of the agencys most exciting B2B tech brands.

Rachel Fukaya to Vice President of Public Relations: Fukaya is one of the first members of the growing Seattle leadership team. She joined Walker Sands in 2018 and has since played a pivotal role in accelerating agency growth, driving award-winning client work and nurturing talent across the agency. In her new role, Fukaya will continue serving as strategic PR counsel for her clients, while also growing the PR department through employee and client development.

It is so exciting to see how our Seattle office has matured over the last several years, said Walker Sands CEO Mike Santoro. Thanks to strong leadership and incredible talent, our team has been able to forge invaluable connections and become true partners to leading tech companies in Seattle. Annie has been spearheading this team from the beginning and I am looking forward to seeing the continued innovation and impact she and Rachel will have on our operations.

Since opening the Seattle office in 2018, Walker Sands has increased revenue from Washington-based clients by over 40% per year. The Walker Sands Seattle team works with some of the areas leading B2B tech companies, including Nintex and Zenoti, while also producing award-winning work for clients like Fuse Venture Partners and Limeade, both of which had campaigns recognized by PRSA Puget Sound this year. Walker Sands recently moved into a new office at 2101 4th Avenue to accommodate continued growth.

To learn more about Walker Sands and find opportunities to join its growing Seattle team, visit https://www.walkersands.com/about/careers/.

About Walker Sands

Walker Sands is a full-service B2B marketing agency with core capabilities in public relations, demand generation, branding, creative, marketing strategy and web. The firms integrated approach to marketing drives awareness, credibility and conversions for 100+ clients around the world. A nine-time Inc. 5000 honoree, Walker Sands is one of the fastest-growing B2B marketing agencies in the world, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Atlanta. Learn more at https://www.walkersands.com, and for career opportunities visit https://www.walkersands.com/about/careers/.
Websrefresh, a web design and website development company, is awarded in August 2021 by The Lueva Patidar Samaj of USA at the LPS Convention in Murfreesboro in appreciation for its continued support to the organization and community at large.

The Leuva Patidar community of Surat, Navsari, Tapi, Bharuch and Valsad districts of southern part of Gujarat has a history, which goes back to several centuries. The Patidars who have settled in the United States of America are involved in various enterprises that is not only limit to medicine, engineering, science, etc.

Despite being relocated to a foreign country, the members of this community are making it a point not to forget their roots, culture and history. They are actively involved in local and national organizations which promote cultural, religious, sports, important festivals and other functions.

The LPS (Lueva Patidar Samaj) of USA held a National Convention in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on the 13th and 14th of August 2021 where they awarded valuable and active members of the organisation. Websrefresh is awarded for their contribution to the organisation under the presidency of Nayana Nancy Patel.

Websrefresh, founded by Nimesh Dhinubhai in 2003, is an award-winning web design and web development company located in Phoenix, Arizona. They have bagged several awards in the last 5 years for creating profitable websites and powerful marketing campaigns. Apart from web design, they also provide a range of other web services for the hotel industry that include online marketing, brand positioning, SEO, content writing, data analysis, web support, e-Commerce among their many services.

Nimesh Dinubhai is available at nims@websrefresh.com to discuss your website and hotel marketing goals. Check out the website at https://www.websrefresh.com for more details.
Wound Care Advantage and Swift

Wound Care Advantage (WCA), the nations leading wound care consulting firm and Swift Medical, the global leader in digital wound care, announces a new strategic partnership that brings Swift Medicals advanced wound imaging platform to WCAs Network hospitals to enhance their collective impact on the wound care industry.

Swift Medicals technology platform will be integrated into the WCA network of tools and resources that empower hospitals to run successful wound care programs. Swift Medicals technology connects directly with hospital EHR systems to enable seamless clinical workflows, such as advanced wound imaging, documentation and analytics.

We are very pleased to partner with Swift Medical to bring their wound imaging technology to our wound centers, says Melissa Bailey, President of Wound Care Advantage. Our hospital partners are looking for continuum solutions and the introduction of Swifts wound imaging platform into the WCA Network is an effective tool that compliments the operational expertise we provide.

Simply by waving a smartphone above a wound, Swift Medicals technology is able to capture high precision images and autonomously determine wound measurements and clinical characteristics, enabling real-time identification of high risk patients and tracking of wound healing to drive preventive, high quality care.

Wounds present a significant clinical and financial challenge for every hospital and health system, says Phil Wigmore, VP Business Development at Swift Medical. Were thrilled to partner with WCA to empower internal hospital teams to build superior wound care programs with innovative technology and deliver the highest standard of care to their patients.

To learn more about Wound Care Advantage, visit http://www.theWCA.com and to learn more about Swift Medical, visit http://www.swiftmedical.com.

About Wound Care Advantage:

Founded in 2002, Wound Care Advantage (WCA) has been a pioneer of reimagining how wound care programs operate across the United States. With the recent launch of the Luvo digital wound center management tool, WCA enables hospitals to operate clinically and financially successful wound care programs through a self-managed partnership. Wound Care Advantage is a privately held company headquartered in Sierra Madre, California. For additional information, visit: http://www.thewca.com.

About Swift Medical:

Swift Medical is the world leader in digital wound care. Their technology is used by over 4,000 healthcare organizations across the continuum of care to improve the prevention, treatment, and management of wounds. To learn more about Swift Medical, visit them at: http://www.swiftmedical.com.
Jonathan Tissue, 35, returned home from combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq with invisible wounds. He had been injured twice but was physically mobile. It was his anger at home that made him seem like a different person to his friends and family. Every time he drove by a garbage truck, he became tense, recalling the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device that hit his convoy while overseas.

The doctors at Veterans Affairs prescribed traditional talk therapy for his combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder. For five years, he met with psychotherapists but nothing improved. He became more difficult, irritable, anxious, depressed, with occasional angry outbursts.

Frustrated, he stopped the treatments but after several years he realized he was no longer the husband or father he once was and wanted to be. This time, VA doctors suggested a new kind of treatment: virtual reality immersion therapy.



Read the whole story: The Washington Post
The countrys largest trade book publishers continue to revise their back-to-the-office policies. Yesterday, Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch told employees that no one will be required to return to its various offices until 2022. HBG joins Macmillan in pushing any official return date until the beginning of next year. All Big Five publishers have begun, or will start, soft openings allowing employees to return to the office if they wish.

That option remains open at HBG. In his missive to staff, Pietsch wrote that, while all HBG employees whose jobs permit it can continue to work from home, its offices in Berkeley, Boston, Boulder, Nashville, New York, and Philadelphia remain open to any staff member who wants to use them. Anyone using the offices must be vaccinated, and there will be capacity limits in place. HBGs warehouse in Indiana remains open, with screening protocols and social distance restrictions in place.

No official start date has been set for when employees will be expected to be back in the office, but as he did when HBG pushed back plans for reopening in September, Pietsch said that employees will receive at least four weeks' notification for a return date.

In explaining the decision to delay a mandated return to office, Pietsch cited what has become a familiar list of reasons, including concerns about Covid-19 and the Delta variant, the possibility of transmission even by fully vaccinated individuals, and the lack of a vaccine for children. But even as HBG postponed the official office reopening date, Pietsch reiterated his belief in the importance of being in an office environment.

Weve been looking forward to rejoining our office communities and enjoying the many benefits of in-person work, Pietsch wrote. Our company and our culture are vastly richer and more vibrant when we are together. But employee health is always our first consideration. We will continue to watch closely to see when increased vaccinations, the availability of vaccines for young children, and other measures help to make our return to the office safer for everyone.
Nonfiction

Oct. 1

Seriously, God? Making Sense of Life Not Making Sense (Ave Maria, $16.95, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64680-084-1). Michael White and Tom Corcoran explore the denial, doubt, and betrayal felt when facing hardship, pain, and grief. They suggest every circumstance is a chance to learn more about God.

A Short History of Islamic Thought (Oxford Univ., $21.95, ISBN 978-0-19-752201-1). Fitzroy Morrissey explores the people and ideas that have defined Islamic theology, philosophy, and law since the 7th century, drawing on Arabic and Persian primary texts, as well as the latest scholarship.

Oct. 5

Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred (Broadleaf, $17.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5064-6964-5). Victoria Loorz, cofounder of the Wild Church Network and Seminary of the Wild, makes the case for deepening our commitment to a suffering earth, falling in love with nature and calling the wild world a church in communion with all creatures

Were All Freaking Out (and Why We Dont Need To): Finding Freedom from Your Anxious Thoughts and Feelings (WaterBrook, $16, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-19363-1).Pastor and podcaster David Marvin offers young adults biblical teaching and hard-won advice for confronting debilitating anxiety and fear with six tools God offers to give them a roadmap to peace.

Where Do We Go from Here? Strategic Living for Stressful Times (Thomas Nelson, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-2419-8). Bible teacher and pastor, David Jeremiah shares how biblical prophecies and wisdom from centuries ago still speak the truth today and point the way forward.

Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith (Eerdmans, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-8028-7935-6). Journalist and historian Daniel Silliman looks at five best-selling novels beloved by evangelicals, their impact on Christian culture and on the bookstores that supported them.

Made to Worship: Empty Idols and the Fullness of God (Focus on the Family, $16.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-58997-709-9). Phil Staceys experience appearing on American Idol in 2007 nearly derailed his life until he turned that fame into opportunities to spread the Gospel.

Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet (HarperOne, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-06-295479-4). Revered Buddhist spiritual leader Thich Nhat Han shares his wisdom, parables, and meditations on how people can contribute to the collective awakening and environmental revolution desperately needed in this fractured world.

God in the Modern Wing: Viewing Art with Eyes of Faith (IVP Academic, $30, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8308-5069-3). Coeditors Cameron J. Anderson and G. Walter Hansen offer the reflections of artists, art historians, and theologians who collectively offer a complex narrative of the history of modern art and its place in the Christian life.

Power Women: Stories of Motherhood, Faith, and the Academy (IVP Academic, $28, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8308-5306-9). Coeditors Nancy Wang Yuen and Deshonna Collier-Goubil offer a collection of essays on how Christian women navigate the complex pressures of combining academic careers with family life and church, and how they find many paths to thrive.

Jesus Followers: Real-Life Lessons for Igniting Faith in the Next Generation (Multnomah, $24, ISBN 978-0-525-65120-8). Evangelist Billy Grahams daughter Anne Graham Lotz and her daughter, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright team up to offer stories of their family life and share spiritual wisdom and practical insight for raising the next generation of Christians.

When the Universe Cracks: Living as Gods People in Times of Crisis (NavPress, $16.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64158-409-8). Angie Ward offers a collection of wisdom from Christian thought leaders, pastors, and scholars on how God can be trusted when the world is ripe with strife, and we face personal crises

A Book Called You: Understanding the Enneagram from a Grace-Filled, Biblical Perspective (Thomas Nelson, $18.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-7852-4085-3). Matthew Stephen Brown looks at the Enneagram personality test and aligns its nine types of people with people in the Bible to help people better understand themselves and their relationships.

Oct. 12

Wanderlost: Falling from Grace and Finding Mercy in All the Wrong Places (Paraclete, $18, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64060-674-6). Natalie Toon Pattons coming-of-age travel memoir probes thorny spiritual questions while taking the reader on a wild ride across the U.S. and around the world.

Is Atheism Dead? (Salem, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-68451-173-0). Conservative radio host Eric Metaxas argues against the idea of a creatorless universe, setting out to show atheism to be implausible, intellectually sloppy, even demonstrably ridiculous.

Pray Confidently and Consistently: Finally Let Go of the Things Holding You Back from Your Most Important Conversation (Tyndale Momentum, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-5199-6). Valerie Woerner, popular author of prayer journals, advises on how to ditch the burdens that are suffocating your prayer life.

The Little Book of Tibetan Rites and Rituals: Simple Practices for Rejuvenating the Mind, Body and Spirit (Ulysses, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-64604-252-4). Author and yoga teacher Judy Tsuei offers exercises, Buddhist wisdom and life advice from Lamas on integrating ancient practices with modern life.

Words from the Window Seat: The Everyday Magic of Kindness, Courage, and Being Your True Self (Thomas Nelson, $18.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4002-2537-8).Flight attendant and blogger Taylor Tippett, who became known in 2015 for leaving upbeat notes for passengers, shares how readers can find encouragement and meaning in a dark and broken world.

When Strivings Cease: Replacing the Gospel of Self-improvement with the Gospel of Life-Transforming Grace (Thomas Nelson, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-4002-2499-9). Bestselling author, artist and speaker Ruth Chou Simons (Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship) calls women to discover how Gods profound gift of grace gives them freedom from the never-ending quest for approval and affirmation.

You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World (IVP, $22, ISBN 978-0-8308-4782-2). Alan Noble, co-founder and editor of christandpopculture.com and author (Disruptive Witness), explores how recognizing that we belong body and soul to Jesus Christ reframes the way we understand ourselves, our families, our society, and God.

Muhammad, the World-Changer: An Intimate Portrait (St. Martins Essentials, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-250-23964-8). Mohamad Jebaras biography places the prophet of Islams life in a broader historical context, evoking the Meccan society he was born into and arguing that his innovative vision helped shape our modern world.

Oct. 14

At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge (Eerdmans, $21.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8028-7952-3). Minister Jack R. Reese sounds the alarm for Churches of Christ in America, which are rapidly losing members, and points toward a hidden spring of hope, like the blue hole," that flows into the San Antonio River near his church.

Oct. 19

Xuanzang: Chinas Legendary Pilgrim and Translator (Shambhala, 19, $24.95, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-61180-722-6). Benjamin Brose follows the 7th century monks 16-year travels through China and India to locate and study authentic Buddhist teachings, and his immense influence on Chinese Buddhism.

Redeeming Your time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive (WaterBrook, $24, ISBN 978-0-593-19307-5). Entrepreneur and author Jordan Raynor integrates life management practices and Jesuss teachings to equip readers to do their most exceptional work for the glory of God and the good of others.

Repurposed: How God Turns Your Mess into His Message (B&H, $17.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-0877-4049-2). Pastor Noe Garcia shares how God redeemed him from a life of abuse, depression, and overwhelming hopelessness and reminds readers that God will use their own broken lives for their good.

Forty Days on Being an Eight (IVP, $15, ISBN 978-0-8308-4756-3). Pastor, activist, and worship leader, Sandra Maria Van Opstal, describes her experience as an Enneagram Number Eight, a fiery personality in the tests numerology, and how she learned to find her strengths in this volume edited by Enneagram master Suzanne Stabile.

The Guide to Enlightenment: Why the Teacher Still Matters in Buddhism Today (Shambhala, $17.95, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-61180-853-7). Carolyn Kanjuro and Allison Choying Zangmo discuss the benefits of having a teacher, how to find one and how to resolve issues of miscommunication and confrontation.

Oct. 26

Come and Hear: What I Saw in My Seven-and-a-Half-Year Journey through the Talmud (Brandeis Univ., $27.95, ISBN 978-1-68458-067-5). Literary critic Adam Kirsch shares what he learned when he read one page of the Talmud, the collection of ancient Jewish rabbinical wisdom and commentary on the Hebrew Bible, every day for 2,711 days.

Why Cant Church Be More Like an AA Meeting? And Other Questions Christians Ask About Recovery (Eerdmans, $19.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8028-7885-4). Stephen R. Haynes (The Battle for Bonhoeffer) explores the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, which emerged from the Christian parachurch movement.

Good News about Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World (IVP, $20 paper, ISBN 978-0-8308-4867-6). Gary A. Haugen offers stories of Christians who have stood up for justice in the face of human trafficking, forced prostitution, racial and religious persecution, and torture. This is one of the special editions marking the 75th anniversary of IVP.

With Fresh Eyes: 60 Insights into the Miraculously Ordinary from a Woman Born Blind (Kregel, $18.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8254-4681-8). When surgery gave Karen Wingate the ability as an adult to see things she never saw before, she saw God in every new discovery and shares these in 60 meditations.

The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless Age (Thomas Nelson, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-4002-1253-8). Teaching pastor Daniel Grothe speaks to the sense of loneliness that many feel in todays age of hypermobility and noncommittal wandering, reminding us of the ancient vow of stability, and teaching us how we can lead a richer life of friendship, community, and purpose.

God is a Grunt: And More Good News for GIs (Worthy, $26, ISBN 978-1-5460-0050-1). Logan M. Isaac offers a well-researched, Biblically-based meditative guide for Christian soldiers returning from war, providing resources to discern a better way of discipleship for GIs.

Fiction

Oct.1

The Librarians Journey: 4 Historical Romances (Barbour, $14.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-1-63609-025-2). Four authorsPatty Smith Hall, Cynthia Hickey, Marilyn Turk, and Kathleen YBarbospin stories inspired by the women who went on horseback through remote communities bringing books and encouraging literacy during the Great Depression.

Oct. 5

Labyrinth of Lies (Revell, $16.99, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8007-3618-7). In romantic suspense specialist Irene Hannons latest novel, a student disappears from an exclusive girls boarding school and police detective Cate Reilly takes on the dangerous undercover assignment to find her.

All that is Secret (Tyndale Fiction, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-5837-7) Patricia Raybons new historical mystery series offers a riveting puzzle confronting the hidden secrets of class, race, family, and love.

Oct. 12

Every Knee Shall Bow (Revell, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-8007-3818-1). Bryan Litfin sets his novel in 316 AD with a tale of courage, defiance, and humble submission to God in the age of imperial Christianity.

Oct. 19

Freedoms Song (WaterBrook, $16, trade paper, ISBN 978-0-525-65370-7). Kim Vogel Sawyers tale features a runaway indentured servant, a group of enslaved people fleeing for their liberty, and an overwhelmed widower struggle to find delivery  physical, emotional, or spiritual.

Oct. 26

An Unexpected Amish Christmas (Zebra, $8.99, mass market, ISBN 978-1-4201-5040-7). In Rachel J. Goods new "Surprised By Love" Amish romance series, two lonely pen palsa grieving woman with too many responsibilities and a shy man paralyzed in the buggy accident that killed his familyfall in love through their letters.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Recognizing the rapid growth in demand for data analysts, Purdue University Global is launching a Master of Science in Data Analytics degree program. In addition to being offered to Purdue Global alumni beginning Wednesday (Sept. 22), this offering will be available tuition-free exclusively to ManTech employees as part of the universitys partnership with that government services contracting company.

The new program curriculum is designed to provide analytics experts and other domain professionals with advanced-level knowledge in data analytics skills. Students have the option of selecting a concentration in Amazon Web Services cloud technologies, information security and assurance, project management, or secure software development and quality assurance.

With this partnership, we strive to add mission-critical programs to our curriculum in order to provide ManTechs workforce with cutting-edge knowledge and skills that help position the organization to realize its vision and mission, said Jeffrey Buck, Purdue Global vice president and dean of the School of Business and Information Technology. As skilled tech professionals with data analysis expertise, ManTech employees will have the opportunity to make a difference by delivering best-in-class customer solutions.

For ManTech employees, the new program is available with no individual out-of-pocket expense as part of the Purdue Global Advantage Tuition Grant initiative.

ManTech is thrilled to offer our people access to this advanced analytics program, said Julie Anna Barker, ManTech chief human resources officer. Bringing digital to the mission requires in-depth knowledge of analytics for our customers in the defense, intelligence and federal civilian sectors.

Purdue Global continues to work with ManTech in areas that serve the educational needs of ManTech employees. In addition to the Master of Science in Data Analytics degree, employees can choose to develop their career with a bachelors degree in analytics, a bachelors or masters degree in information technology or cybersecurity, or a bachelors degree in cloud computing and solutions. Employees also have access to cohort programs designed by Purdue Global and ManTech to help them prepare for the Certified Information Systems Security Professional and Certified Ethical Hacker examinations.

About Purdue University Global

Purdue University Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. It offers personalized paths for students to earn an associate, bachelors, masters or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations  no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue Universitys flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana, as well as serving science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, visit purdueglobal.edu.

About ManTech

ManTech provides mission-focused technology solutions and services for U.S. defense, intelligence community and federal civilian agencies. In business more than 52 years, we excel in full-spectrum cyber, data collection and analytics, enterprise IT, systems engineering and software application development solutions that support national and homeland security. Additional information on ManTech can be found at www.mantech.com.

Media Contact, Purdue Global: Tom Schott, 765-427-1721, tschott@purdue.edu

Media Contact, ManTech: Jim Crawford, 571-446-7550, James.Crawford2@ManTech.com

Sources: Jeffrey Buck

Julie Anna Barker
Savanna chimpanzees using a cave in Sabe, Guinea. New research reviewed the characteristics of these chimpanzees  and their environments  to understand how they thrive while lacking many of the biological and cultural traits that humans possess. (Photo provided/Jane Goodall Institute Spain and Senegal)

Key research finding

While humans are able to survive in arid climates, great apes need swaths of lush forest in Africa (bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas) or Southeast Asia (orangutans) to thrive, except for some innovative savanna chimpanzees. An international team of primatologists reviewed the characteristics of these chimpanzees  and their environments  to understand how they thrive while lacking many of the biological and cultural traits that humans possess (for example, numerous sweat glands, relative hairlessness, ability to make water containers and sun hats), which mitigate the harmful consequences of extreme heat, such as dehydration and heat stroke. The team maintains that a savanna landscape effect explains a complex suite of behavioral and physiological responses by chimpanzees to these challenging environments. For example, there is a tendency for savanna chimpanzees to rest in caves, dig for water and be active after dark. Moreover, the analysis confirmed that chimpanzee social groups ranged across unusually large areas while maintaining group sizes that were similar to chimpanzees in forests and that low food availability is the likely cause of it. The team calls for more research on the biological and cultural underpinnings of this effect, given that many African savannas are projected to become hotter and drier in the future.

Purdue professor, title

Stacy Lindshield, assistant professor of anthropology

Lindshield is an anthropological primatologist who specializes in behavior-environment interactions in humans close living relatives, the chimpanzees. Her current work investigates the relationships between foraging, nutrition and the sociopolitical strategies of female chimpanzees in savanna landscapes.

Journal name Abstract is available online.

Evolutionary Anthropology

Funding

Lindshields research was supported by the ASPIRE program from the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University.

Brief summary of methods

An international team of primatologists conducted a review of the literature on chimpanzees in savanna landscapes spanning from 1961 to 2020 in order to describe major research discoveries and controversies, synthesize trends in results and identify knowledge gaps.

Writer: Coby English

Media contact: Amy Patterson Neubert, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Stacy M. Lindshield, slindshi@purdue.edu
Looking at the drivers for the market, the Eastern Europe SVOD Forecasts report noted that after several delays, the sector will take off from 2022 prompted mainly by launches from Disney+, Sky Showtime and HBO Max. Netflix is forecast to give from 5.443 million subs in 2021 to 10.362 million by 2026, with its Russian subscriber base will climb due to its partnership with National Media Group.Disney + is predicted to grow for a standing start in 2021 to just over six million subs. HBO will go from 307,000 subs to 2.131 million, while Amazon is forecast to more than double its customer base over the five years to 3.42 million. The Eastern Europe SVOD Forecasts report also observeds that there is plenty of room for growth beyond its forecast period as only a fifth of TV households will pay for at least one SVOD platform by 2026. Just more than two-fifths of the subs in the market by 2026, 20 million, are set to be accounted for by Russia up from an expected 11 million at the end of 2021.
Canela.TV, one of the first AVOD streaming services for US Hispanics, has announced its new programming line-up in partnership with Hyundai, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Stories of Inspiration.

It will broadcast a diverse selection of programming from 15 September to 15 October, including the Journey to Success series as well as a curated selection of cultural programming under its My Latin Roots category.

Isabel Rafferty, CEO and founder of Canela Media, said: Hispanic Heritage Month is a great opportunity for us to go back to our roots and feature content that puts a spotlight on inspirational Latinos as well as the stories that showcase what it means to be a part of the Hispanic community. Thanks to our exclusive partnership with Hyundai, Canela.TV viewers will have access to a wide variety of amazing content to sample and be inspired by.

The Journey to Success Series will highlight the real stories of today's Hispanic heroes and explore a day in their lives to know how they built their own journey to success. Stories will highlight standout achievements, leadership and innovations from the US Latino community. The Series will feature Kiki Melendez, La Marisoul and Edoardo Chavarin.

The My Latin Roots section on Canela.TV includes films from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema (1933-1961) including Dos Tipos de Cuidado, Rio Escondido, Ahi Esta el Detalle and El Martir del Calvario.

Angela Zepeda, CMO, Hyundai Motor America, said: We are pleased to have the opportunity to support the Hispanic community and bring awareness to conversations that move Latinos forward. Canela.TV is a great destination for anyone looking for inspiring stories of Latinos defying expectations and overcoming challenges.
CultivonsNous.tv is the first French channel from Alchimie available through online streaming at cultivonsnous.tv and via the CultivonsNous TV channel app on digital platforms Orange and Amazon Prime Video Channels. The channel is dedicated to the Earth and food, and aims to facilitate/inspire the conversation between urban and rural people through portraits of those who feed us, documentaries on agricultural practices and reports on eating well, drinking well and the environment.

The TVPlayer Go! app is now available on Spanish platform Movistar and includes 14 channels adapted to the Spanish market, including VaughanPlay, Aflam Plus, Historia y Visa and Pasion Telenolevas.

Nicolas dHueppe, Founder and CEO of Alchimie commented: We are very proud of these new distribution deals with leading players. Since the beginning of the year, Alchimie has strengthened its distribution partnerships with industry leaders such as Samsung, Altice, Rakuten and now Orange, Amazon Prime Video and Movistar. These many partnerships illustrate the platforms' appetite for thematic content, designed to appeal to an audience with diverse interests.
From 28 October, Pluto TV will complement Paramount+ when the premium streaming service launches in Italy in 2022. Pluto TV will be available for free everywhere Italians stream, with no registration required. The service will launch on mobile via iOS and Android, desktop and connected TV (CTV) devices, such as Samsung Tizen, LG Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Chromecast, and select channels on Samsung TV Plus. Sky Media will serve as Pluto TVs conventional advertising sales partner in Italy.ViacomCBS is rapidly expanding its global streaming footprint, connecting consumers with a vast library of great content across free and pay platforms worldwide, said Olivier Jollet, senior vice president and general manager of Pluto TV commenting on the launch. With Pluto TV and soon Paramount+, our diversified eco-system will transform the Italian streaming market. The launch will provide Italian audiences with a robust offering while also positioning ViacomCBS to drive significant growth in our global streaming and content strategies."We are thrilled to expand our partnership with ViacomCBS , extending our bouquet of innovative advertising solutions to Pluto TV. This further strengthens Sky Media's portfolio in terms of digital platforms, audience and content, added Evelyn Rothblum, executive vice president advertising, partnerships and distribution Sky in Italy and Germany.Looking at its performance in Latin America, the milestone was achieved on 21 September when it reached 100 channels in the 17 Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America and 50 channels in Brazil. This said the company marks a turning point as it continued to expand its footprint in the region.
Nonunion workers make up nearly 90% of the U.S. workforce. President Joe Biden is stabbing them in the back.

The massive $3.5 trillion budget bill Biden and Democratic lawmakers are trying to ram through Congress discriminates against nonunion workers and even forces some of them to pay higher taxes than union workers.

Union membership in the U.S. has been declining for over 50 years. Biden is bent on reversing the trend, using the federal government to rig the system in favor of organizers and twist the arms of nonunion workers and employers.

Biden said that unions "brung me to the dance," and he has promised to be "the most pro-union president" ever. Nonunion workers are in for a raw deal, starting with the budget bill.

The bill offers an up to $7,500 tax credit to almost all buyers of electric vehicles, but adds a $4,500 sweetener for buying a union-made vehicle. That sweetener discriminates against nonunion auto workers and threatens their jobs.

Toyota objects that it pits "one American autoworker over another." But Rep. Dan Kildee, D-M.I., who took the lead in drafting this provision, says that "in a time when we've seen decreased rates of unionization," he wants to "tilt the scale."

Coercive tactics such as this don't belong in legislation. But Biden and his party are determined to make the renewable energy sector unionized. Workers' rights be damned.

The bill's tax provisions slam workers who refuse to support a union's political activities. Union members can write off a portion of their dues even if they take a standard deduction. But some workers in unions choose not to join and instead pay an "agency fee." That gives them representation without compelling them to support union politicking. The bill punishes that, barring any deduction for agency fees. Workers get stuck with higher taxes for refusing to fund union politics.

It's a scheme to coerce workers into paying into the union's political kitty, which -- you guessed it -- almost always end up filling Democratic campaign chests, no matter what the rank and file want. A whopping 88% of labor union donations went to Democrats in 2020, though Biden got only 57% of the union vote.

The Democrats' budget bill also threatens hefty penalties on employers who "misrepresent" employees as independent contractors. It's a backdoor attempt to discourage employers from using freelancers and gig economy workers such as Uber drivers. Why? Because employees can be organized and made to pay dues. Congressional Democrats would like to eliminate independent contracting altogether, but legislation of that nature can't be crammed into a budget bill under Senate rules.

Also slipped into the Democrats' colossal bill are new limits on what employers can do when a union tries to organize, though these changes will probably be stripped from the bill by the Senate parliamentarian for failing to be budgetary in nature. Even without them, the bill stacks the deck for unions.

In February, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union launched a campaign to organize Amazon's warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. Biden got behind the effort, blasting out a pro-union video and offering to send the first lady.

The White House pulled out the stops, but Amazon workers still voted 1,798 to 738 against unionization. However, there's an ongoing appeal to the National Labor Relations Board.

Unfortunately, Biden and the Democratic Party won't take no for an answer. They're also pushing the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would outlaw right-to-work laws in 27 states, forcing workers to fall into line and pay dues once their workplace is organized. And in April, the White House announced a task force to identify other ways the federal government can push union membership.

Biden claims it's to build the middle class. In truth, it's to benefit the Democratic Party. That's an outrage.

Workers should be free to choose whether to join a union or not, without Uncle Sam strong-arming them.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
In his first speech to the United Nations, President Biden reprised a line from his inaugural address, pledging Tuesday that the United States would not lead by the example of our power, but, God willing, with the power of our example.

Rhetorically, its a beautiful, idealistic phrase meant to directly contrast the go-it-alone brute force and chest-beating of the Trump era. But eight months into this new administration and fresh off serious foreign policy blunders, the U.S. is struggling to instill confidence in some of our closest allies, let alone influence our adversaries and bad actors to change their ways.

Addressing those skeptical allies and adversaries alike, Biden called on nations to come together to take on the global issues of COVID-19, climate change, cyberthreats and human rights abuses, promising to solve them through relentless diplomacy, while using the U.S. military only as a last resort. Some might call it the opposite of President Theodore Roosevelts speak softly but carry a big stick philosophy.

Today, many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed by the force of arms, he said. Bombs and bullets cannot defend against COVID-19 or its future variants.

Instead of the U.S. serving as the worlds police force, Biden offered a vigorous endorsement of the United Nations relevance at what he described as a turning point in history while trying to reassure world leaders of U.S. cooperation. The message upended the Trump model of calling out the U.N. as corrupt and too dependent on U.S. money and military might, but it was a particularly tough sell against the backdrop of two foreign policy crises playing out in real time.

The U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan was so chaotic it created an opening for terrorists to kill 13 U.S. Marines and scores of Afghans waiting to flee their disintegrating nation, and left a still-unknown number of Americans citizens and legal permanent residents behind enemy lines. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Afghans who helped the U.S. and NATO remain stranded. Those who served as interpreters and allies are now under a constant threat of being hunted down and killed by the Taliban, while all women and girls in Afghanistan face a future of likely oppression, where they can no longer determine their own fate and futures through education and hard work.

Whats more, four days before Biden addressed the 193 member states assembled for their annual conference in New York, his top generals admitted to killing an Afghan civilian aid worker and nine others, including seven children, in a mistaken drone strike.

Over the weekend and into Monday, through private airlifts, charter planes were rescuing more Americans and Afghans after private entities negotiations with Pakistan, the UAE and other nearby countries  not via sophisticated U.S.-led international diplomacy. The evacuation effort is a show of U.S. strength of a different kind: the sheer will and determination of former military veterans, special operators and charities. Still, its doing more to demonstrate the success of nimble, private enterprise in times of need rather than shore up faith in international diplomacy or Uncle Sams leadership to save the day.

Just a few weeks ago, Biden strangely claimed to have heard no criticism from Americas closest allies about his administration's fiasco in Afghanistan, but thats only because he was tuning it out. Officials from Britain, Germany, Italy and France all publicly complained about the lack of U.S. consultation during the withdrawal.

Then, heading into the U.N. gathering, Biden managed to stir up a diplomatic tempest with France over his decision to form a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain to counter China. France and the European Union are feeling left out and viewing it as a broken commitment reminiscent of Trumps America First policies. (The U.S. sale of nuclear submarines to Australia  upending Frances expected deal to supply the ships  poured salt on the wound.)

During his U.N. speech, Biden exhorted world leaders to work together but avoided addressing the criticism from allies about the withdrawal from Afghanistan or the diplomatic uproar with France. He described an inflection point when it comes to protecting human dignity and human rights around the world  but did not say how relentless diplomacy would prevent the Taliban from reverting to its oppressive ways once the U.S. and other international entities help solve an immediate humanitarian crisis that has put an estimated 1 million children in danger of extreme hunger.

Senior Biden administration officials told reporters that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would participate in a Wednesday virtual meeting of G-20 leaders focused on Afghanistan and the future of women and girls access to education there. The officials responded more carefully to the Talibans request to speak at the United Nations this week, emphasizing the need for Afghanistans new leaders to uphold the international expectations set out in a U.N. Security Council resolution promoting the free movement of people and commitments to counterterrorism.

We have quite a bit to talk about to assess where we are in those commitments that the Taliban has made, an administration official told reporters Tuesday night.

While the U.S. is rejoining the U.N. Human Rights Council after the Trump administrations withdrawal from it, Biden didnt address how it can help solve the most pressing human rights issues around the world as long as some of the worst actors  China, Russia, Venezuela and Cuba  remain members. The same goes for cybersecurity attacks.

Referring to China without mentioning it by name, Biden insisted that the U.S. is not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs. Sadly, how the U.S. wants to see the world doesn't change how our adversaries view us or operate.

In a passing condemnation of the targeting of ethnic and religious minorities around the world, Biden managed to single out Chinas Xinjiang region where rights groups estimate that 1 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have been interned in reeducation camps. In response, Chinas mission to the United Nations hit back, telling Reuters: Its completely groundless. We totally reject. The U.S. should pay more attention to its own human rights problems.

Instead of Biden making news with an unexpected policy announcement, it was Chinese President Xi Jinping who surprised global leaders with a climate-change commitment to stop building new coal-fired projects abroad. Xi also used his video address to the U.N. assembly to obliquely take shots at the U.S.

Recent developments in the global situation show once again that military intervention from the outside and so-called democratic transformation entail nothing but harm, he said.

Earlier this week, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres started the General Assembly meeting off with a warning about the growing tensions between China and the United States, the worlds largest economies. "I fear our world is creeping towards two different sets of economic, trade, financial and technology rules, two divergent approaches in the development of artificial intelligence  and ultimately two different military and geopolitical strategies," he said. "This is a recipe for trouble. It would be far less predictable than the Cold War."

While Biden tried to tamp down the tensions, China sensed weakness and chose to go on offense instead.

Biden also vowed not to let Iran develop a nuclear weapon while renewing the U.S. commitment to protect Israel. Back in Washington, however, progressive Democrats on Tuesday successfully removed $1 billion for Israels Iron Dome missile defense system from a bill to keep the United States government funded. The funds are expected to be approved at a later date in a defense spending bill, but the action still made headlines, muddling Bidens message on Israel at the U.N.

Republicans are expected to criticize a Democratic presidents foreign policy  but this time, their complaints packed more of a punch.

President Bidens speech today does not match his actions, said Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. His failed leadership led to the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan that abandoned our partners, angered our NATO allies and emboldened our adversaries.

Biden now has the tough task of selling the nation and the world on the relentless diplomacy he said can solve our most vexing problems. Just how successful that approach is in shaping the future of Afghanistan and preventing another terrorist attack from there will be the first test case.

As Biden often says, the eyes of the world are watching.
In nearly 30 years of covering America's corrupted immigration and entrance policies, I can tell you definitively that every "border crisis" is a manufactured crisis. Caravans of Latin American illegal immigrants don't just form out of nowhere. Throngs of Middle Eastern refugees don't just amass spontaneously. Boatloads of Haitians don't just wash up on our shores by random circumstance.

All the world's a stage, and as I exposed in my most recent book, "Open Borders, Inc.," the world's migrants are nothing more than expedient tools to globalist elites, profit-maximizing corporations, self-aggrandizing religious and nonprofit groups, and criminal smuggling syndicates.

That's how the so-called border crises under former Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump all played out. The players are always the same: United Nations operatives, U.S. Chamber of Commerce lobbyists, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its sovereignty-undermining shelter operators around the world, Jewish and evangelical Christian refugee resettlement contractors, international drug cartels, human traffickers, and their militant multicultural abettors. It's the same old, same old under President Joe Biden. The latest wave of Haitians traversing rough seas and barren deserts to trespass onto U.S. soil at our southern border in Del Rio, Texas, is no accidental phenomenon.

Todd Bensman, senior national security fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, has been interviewing Haitians at Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, the town through which an estimated 15,000 of these illegals have passed to form the massive encampment in Del Rio, Texas. Several dozen told Bensman that "on Sunday, Sept. 12, the Mexican government effectively sent a mass of migrants it had bottled up for months in its southern states up to the American border. This move, which appears to have been done under the cover of Mexico's independence week of celebration known as El Grito, essentially foisted a humanitarian problem onto the Americans in a single week."

Several Haitians told Bensman that government officials in Tapachula informed them they no longer needed passports or other paperwork they had been waiting months for -- and then were suddenly given a three-day grace period to make their rush for the border.

Because Ciudad Acuna and Del Rio are not as infested with Mexican cartel enforcers, thousands of Haitians took advantage of the relatively safe passage into America's promised land without having to pay the usual coyote fees.

Most have been lying in wait in Chile and Brazil for several years looking for better economic opportunities, so don't believe sob-story propaganda that the prime factor has to do with any recent natural disaster or sudden political turmoil. Open-borders academic Andrew Selee of the Migration Policy Institute himself tweeted that "for those wondering about where Haitian migrants are coming from, most left Haiti in 2010-12 after the earthquake and settled in Brazil. ... Later most moved to Chile & Ecuador. ... This means that most of those arriving in Texas have been out of their country for about a decade. The Covid recession, discrimination, and the perception that they could get into the US now all played a role in the movement north over the past few months. ... Both Colombia and Panama registered huge increases in transit through the Darien Gap in July/August suggesting significant movement north."

Countless Catholic parishes, like the Franciscan parish in Necocli run by Father Henry Lopera, have facilitated Haitians' migration through the Darien Gap and onto Mexico and the U.S. by supplying food packages. Doctors Without Borders has three health posts to assist the trespassers. Along the way, these Haitian invaders have also been assisted by the United Nations' International Organization of Migration, which has dispatched minibuses filled with toiletries and hair ties, according to The Guardian.

As I reported in "Open Borders, Inc.," the International Organization of Migration, or IOM, is the same agency that signed "cooperation agreements" in Mexico with three migrant shelters along its southern border to assist border-busting "irregulars" traveling through the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca on their way to the U.S.

The IOM pact guaranteed supplies of medicine, hygiene products, construction materials, therapy services and legal training at the Hermanos en el Camino shelter, along with the Catholic-run Hogar de la Misericordia shelter and Jesus el Buen Pastor del Pobre y el Migrante shelter. IOM extended similar aid to nine other migrant shelters in the northern and central parts of Mexico, from Chihuahua, Sonora and Tamaulipas along the northern border to San Luis Potosi, Veracruz and Tlaxcala in the center of the country.

Who's paying? Funding for IOM's operations comes from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, which is subsidized by y-o-u.

The bozos in the Biden administration are now play-acting with their performative gestures of "mass deportation" of Haitians. But I've seen this show and all its reruns over the past three decades before. It ends with sneaky "temporary protected status" orders, mini-amnesties and maxi-amnesties to feed the global Open Borders, Inc. beast.

All the world's a stage, and America is the overrun doormat being trampled upon while our own citizens suffer increasing deprivation and anarcho-tyranny. Ain't "diversity" grand?

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An old campaign adage argued that political endorsements often arent worth the paper they are printed on, and until President Donald J. Trump, they were right. Now the most important political asset any Republican candidate could earn is the Trump endorsement, and how hes using it will continue to reshape the Republican Party and freeze the 2024 field.

We have all watched as past Republican presidents fade into obscurity after departing the Oval Office. In most cases, their departures from D.C. marked the conclusion of their political ambition after weathering the arrows of the White House press corps. In each case, except for Ronald Reagan, their endorsements are seldom sought and matter little.

Just think of the irony, as George P. Bush actively worked to earn President Trumps endorsement for Texas attorney general. George P., son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, stayed very close to President Trump in his public comments, and came to realize that his family connection and own accomplishments as the current Texas land commissioner werent enough in the era of Trump. While Trump ultimately backed incumbent AG Ken Paxton (pictured, at left) for reelection, it illustrated that in todays Republican Party, there is only one lane: the Trump lane.

Thats why it came as little surprise when news broke late Thursday night that Congressman Anthony Gonzalez  one of the 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach President Trump  announced he would not seek reelection. He was being beaten badly in the polls by Max Miller, his Trump-endorsed challenger, and he recognized there was no viable path to victory.

President Trumps success and influence continues to defy the political norms of the corrupt political class and, in doing so, he has established an unprecedented level of political influence.

So far in 2021, President Trumps endorsement record in Republican elections is 10-0. Six of those victories were in competitive elections to lead the national and state Republican parties.

Another victory came in the Republican primary to lead Staten Island, N.Y., as borough president. Less than 72 hours before polls closed, President Trump endorsed Vito Fossella, a former congressman, who was running against a formidable opponent, the minority leader of the New York City Council. The minority leader campaigned with every major endorsement in Staten Island: the local Republican Party, the police and trade unions, municipal politicians. But, on the Saturday before the Tuesday election, President Trump endorsed Vito Fossella  and Vito won.

In 2020, 120 of the 122 candidates President Trump endorsed in congressional primary elections won, and the two who didnt, lost to candidates who successfully ran campaigns by arguing they were more Trump than their opponents. Moreover, their opponents failed to properly educate voters of their Trump endorsement.

In the 2020 Senate primaries, President Trump was undefeated: 21-0.

During his own reelection campaign, President Trump extensively campaigned for the entire Republican ticket, leading over 50 tele-rallies and audio endorsements for congressional candidates and issuing hundreds of endorsements for candidates up and down GOP tickets  not to mention all the rallies that provided a platform to candidates to be in front of mega crowds that only President Trump can attract.

President Trumps success in crucial swing states like North Carolina and Iowa led to the victories for Sens. Thom Tillis and Joni Ernst. In the House, political pundits predicted Republicans would lose 15, 20, or 30 seats. Instead, House Republicans won 26 of 26 tossup races. And, for the first time in decades, zero House incumbents lost  many of whom campaigned with the endorsement of President Trump.

It also should be noted that it is not just the fact that President Trump can pick candidates out of obscurity and sweep them into office. He has shown an ability and willingness to encourage party unity  even when dealing with prominent Republicans who were not behind him in 2016. Sens. Mitt Romney and Mitch McConnell could have been extremely vulnerable if Trump had not come forward and endorsed them. President Trump did not want to divert time and resources in red states, so he made the extra effort to try and unify the party.

Sadly, as we saw in too many cases, that establishment Republicans and RINOs, who lobbied hard for a Trump endorsement, eventually put their political standing in D.C. ahead of the MAGA movement and the conservative policies that activists have been working toward for decades.

This cycle, senators, governors, congressmen, and even billionaires and titans of industry have flocked to the presidents Bedminster and Palm Beach properties, asking for his support and raising money. Ask any donor in the country: Those are the fundraisers they want to attend  even if the president is not in attendance.

In Ohio and Arizona, where Senate candidates J.D. Vance and Blake Masters are backed by super PACs with over $10 million, they both are still aggressively positioning for the Trump endorsement. They rightfully recognize all the money in the world cant overcome the political power of President Donald J. Trump and the MAGA movement. In fact, in the Trump era, campaign war chests are not as important as being seen as central to America First.

However, the power and demand for the Trump endorsement is not the only sign that affirms President Trumps political power. He also maintains a unique ability to weave his political influence together with the fact that he earned great respect for his policies and overall record as our president.

On Sept. 11, while politicians assembled at Ground Zero at a heavily restricted ceremony with throngs of media in tow, President Donald J. Trump honored the day by visiting a firehouse and police precinct. He delivered two beautiful speeches and answered questions directly from the firefighters and police officers in attendance.

It wasnt glitzy, he didnt send out a media advisory or set up a big production, but instead he engaged directly with those who came together to honor the sacrifice of their loved ones who were lost on Sept. 11, 2001. The viral moments that were captured embodied Donald J. Trump the New Yorker  a real man who loves his city and the people who wake up every day to keep it safe. This was quintessential Donald Trump.

President Donald J. Trump is not just the 45th president of the United States and he is not just the leader of the Republican Party. He continues to embody everything that makes America great, and thats why he remains the most powerful force in American politics  and its why if he decides to run in 2024, he stands to make history by winning again.
Charles Murray is once again throwing kerosene on the tinderbox of American race relations.

Reviving the explosive argument he made in his 1994 book, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, the noted scholar is once again highlighting data showing that African Americans score lower on IQ tests than other groups in the United States.

Given the current climate, it is not surprising that his new book, Facing Reality, has been largely ignored by almost every major newspaper and magazine. But this dismissal is, ironically, a validation of his premise.

If his numbers were easily debunked, legions of journalists and social commentators would be lining up to do so. If the problem he identifies were easy to fix, they would be telling us how. Their unwillingness to engage Murray (pictured) is tantamount to an acceptance of racial determinism.

Make no mistake, Facing Reality  which also addresses connections between crime and race  is inflammatory. Murray not only reports that test scores suggest that African Americans, as a group, do have lower cognitive abilities than whites, Asians and Latinos, but he concludes that the problem is intractable.

I read his book with more anger than resignation  and more hope than Murray and his silent critics possess that the grim gaps he details might be closed. Murray reports that intelligence tests administered since the 1960s have, by and large, found the same cognitive pecking order as he did when crunching data from the 2000s. Asians had a mean IQ of 108, whites 103, Latinos 94, blacks 91. These are, of course, just group averages. Obviously, many individual blacks score higher than Asians, whites and Latinos.

Nevertheless, these group averages are significant. While IQ tests do not measure a vast range of vital human qualities  such as integrity, compassion, a sense of humor  measures of cognitive ability and job performance, Murray writes, are always positively correlated. The size of the correlation goes up, he continues, as the job becomes more cognitively complex. Even for low-skill occupations, job experience does not lead to convergence in performance among persons with different cognitive ability.

The gaps widen in the upper reaches of the bell curve. While Asians and whites comprise about 68% of the population, they represent 85% of all Americans with IQs of 115; 90 percent of those with IQs of 125; and 96 percent of those with IQs of 140.

Standardized test scores tell a similar story. In 2020, he reports, 900 African Americans and 3,300 Latinos had a combined math and verbal score of at least 1500 on the SAT. That same year, 27,500 whites and 20,000 Asians achieved those lofty scores. Similar disparities mark results for exams to gain entrance to law school (LSAT), medical school (MCAT) and graduate school (GRE).

These high-end numbers are especially meaningful now that we live in an information society where income and wealth are increasingly directed toward those with exceptional cognitive ability. Simply put, a high IQ helps one to rise through the ranks of companies such as Google and Apple. The pool of such people, however, is rather small and correlated with race. For example, in 2019 there were 23.2 million Americans aged 25-29. Of that group, just 228,000 could be expected to have an IQ of 135 or greater. Employers seeking these exceptionally intelligent young adults were choosing from a pool that contained about 2,800 Africans and 9,500 Latins compared to 50,700 Asians and 160,100 [whites], Murray writes. The inevitable result was that a large majority of U.S. employers that seek out new hires with 135+ IQs had no entry-level Africans or Latins among those hires  zero, no matter how eagerly the employers solicited minority candidates. There werent enough to meet the demand.

Murray does not address the broader point, that earned income and opportunities for wealth will flow to a small number of Americans of any race. The racial gaps are especially disturbing given Murrays pessimism that anything can be done about them. He notes that when he addressed the issue in his 1984 book, Losing Ground, he was confident that better policies, especially school vouchers, could ignite a substantial convergence of black and white test scores in a single generation.

Decades of research and tests results have convinced him that this was wishful thinking. The short story is that ordinary exposure to education does indeed have an effect on cognitive ability for all children, but that no one has yet found a way to increase cognitive ability permanently over and above the effects of routine education, he writes. The success stories consist of modest effects on exit tests that fade out. Most experimental programs dont achieve even that much. We know how to improve education for children at every cognitive level, but we dont know how to change their cognitive levels.

Given all that, how can I have any hope? One reason comes from Murrays own data, which shows that following the dismantling of Jim Crow laws during the 1960s, race differences between blacks and whites narrowed significantly during the 1970s and 1980s but that the narrowing stopped three decades ago.

Murray suggests that the civil rights movements removed the obstacles that lowered black performance and allowed them to achieve their full potential. But the larger point is that IQ scores are not set in stone  indeed, the Flynn effect describes the fact that scores have been rising around the world for decades. Our current scientific understanding is that genes are highly responsive to our environment  that nature and nurture are not separate spheres but a feedback loop.

This does not mean that anyone can be Einstein. Some people are born with extraordinary cognitive ability; far more are not. The self-described progressive researcher Kathryn Paige Harden makes this point in her new book from Princeton University Press, The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality.

Discussing Hardens book, Robert VerBruggen of the conservative Manhattan Institute writes that [h]eritability estimates for educational attainment, for instance, range from roughly 20 to 40 percent, depending on which research technique one applies. That means that 60% to 80% of educational attainment is determined by factors other than genes.

Frankly, Facing Reality can be read as a book of despair about stubborn test results. The racial gaps Murray describes might be intractable, as he writes. Or perhaps not. There is plenty of reason to hope that the problem he documents is a result of our failure to find ways to diminish the racial gaps. As noted above, Murray doubts we will ever be able to develop effective strategies to achieve that. He has the social scientists faith that the best and the brightest have tried and failed.

Sadly, many on the left seem to agree with him, as they embrace efforts to eliminate measures of achievement, including tests for entrance to elite high schools and SAT scores for college admissions. That is a form of surrender. Instead of raising up black children, they are trying to mask their deficiencies. This does nothing to help them thrive in a competitive society.

I cant pretend to know how to make things right. Though it seems logical to conclude that if our efforts to change what kids are taught in school have come up short, we should focus on their lives outside of the classroom, examining the influence of their families and broader culture.

When Murray and his co-author, Richard Herrnstein, despaired of ever closing the racial IQ gap in The Bell Curve back in 1994, I was among those who thought they are probably right but why bring it up since it cant be fixed , and it is poison for social cohesion. Today, I reject my former stance as a form of racism. We must believe in the potential of our children and find new ways to help them realize it.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 09/22/2021



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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.

featured Kendall Long leaving Paradise in tears over her lingering feelings for Joe Amabile , the cast evacuating amid a dangerous tropical storm, another storm brewing between Aaron Clancy and Ivan Hall over Chelsea Vaughn , and two couples admittedly falling in love during Tuesday night's Season 7 episode on ABC.The broadcast began where last week's episode had left off, with Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt kissing and dancing on the beach. The pair had expressed how they were falling in love with each other during a little sweet date Joe had planned, and Kendall watched from afar.All of the cast members could tell this situation was difficult for Kendall, who attempted to put on a brave face while she was really hurting on the inside.Kendall didn't want to be upset in front of Joe and told bartender Wells Adams that she felt "frustrated." Kendall said she wasn't expecting another Joe to just walk into her life but she hoped for a connection that could exceed what they had someday.A "vulnerable" Kendall then pulled Joe aside to talk."A part of me wants to keep trying. I don't want to, like, just give up. But at the same time, I'm not letting Joe's relationship with Serena get in the way of my happiness anymore," Kendall said in a confessional."Because one thing I know for sure, I will always love Joe, and I think he feels the same way that I do."Kendall explained to Joe how memories of their relationship in Paradise had come rushing back to her and she loved the way they used to be. Kendall still felt like Joe was her best friend."I love seeing you thriving and being happy and making connections with people, but it reminds me of why I fell in love with you, so it's just hard to see that," Kendall cried."Are you not over us?" Joe asked his ex."Don't ask me that right now," Kendall replied. "I never stopped loving you, obviously... I feel like I'm always going to have love for you."Joe hugged Kendall as she cried and said he'll always care for her and be there for her. Joe assured Kendall that she was going to be okay.Kendall believed she and Joe had come to Paradise for the same reason, to possibly see each other in part, but Joe confessed, "I mean, to be honest, the reason I came out here is because I knew it was over between us. But you were a big part of my life."Kendall decided to leave the beach, and so she said goodbye to everyone including her spark in Paradise, Ivan, who said he'd miss the blonde beauty.Joe said his relationship with Kendall was "real" and it "worked," but he told the cameras, "If she really wanted me back, she should have told me before I got here and before I started this. Because I really, really loved her."Joe could see how upset Kendall was, but he was apparently feeling something strong for Serena at that point.Joe promised Serena that what happened with Kendall didn't take away from anything they had but it was difficult to see Kendall hurting, and Serena clearly felt confident in her romance and just comforted and kissed Joe."This is just, like, devastating. It really is. Joe is my person, like, I need a second," Kendall said in her final words, bawling her eyes out."I was in a real relationship with Joe and I came back where it all started, and what that did to me, I just feel absolutely broken. This is the hardest thing I've ever been through and it just keeps going. I've never experienced anything like this."Meanwhile, the other strong couples in Paradise were Abigail Heringer and Noah Erb Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin -Solis, and Riley Christian and Maurissa Gunn.Aaron and Chelsea were also coupled-up, although they didn't appear to be in a solid relationship, as well as Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs Just as Joe Park and Ivan were hoping more women would arrive to the beach, guest-host Lil Jon welcomed more men into the picture: Ed Waisbrot and Demar Jackson from The Bachelorette's sixteenth season, who both stepped on the beach with Date Cards."They obviously look shredded... like two thick Christmas hams," Aaron joked of the new arrivals."They are absolutely massive and could feed a whole village of cannibals, and Demar, the man is a mountain of a man. That is a little bit concerning for me."Demar immediately pulled Chelsea aside for a conversation, but Aaron told his friends that he was up for the challenge. However, Demar also seemed interested in Maurissa, whom Riley referred to as "my girl" and "my one fish" in the sea."Maurissa has expressed the one person she was hoping to see coming into this was Demar," Becca explained.Ed asked to speak with Natasha, whom Dr. Joe said he felt "potential" with -- even though Natasha thought their relationship was a bit weird and awkward since Joe and Brendan Morais are great friends back home.Ed asked Natasha on his date and Demar invited Chelsea out, which left Aaron feeling unhappy. Aaron thought Chelsea was funny and sexy, and so he wasn't looking forward to her getting to know another guy.Maurissa then revealed she felt ready to get engaged to Riley, however, after talking to Demar, she needed a little bit more from her man. Maurissa said Riley showed how he felt through his actions but he needed to verbally express how he was feeling about her.Maurissa was apparently desperate to have a deep conversation with Riley but she didn't want it to scare him away. She was in her head and felt frustrated because they were having fun together but she needed a bit more.Meanwhile, Ed and Demar went on a double date with Natasha and Chelsea, and the women were asked to paint the nearly-naked men, both with body art and on a canvas.Natasha thought Ed has a great body and she also liked how honest he was with her and how he seemed to have depth as well. She said the vibes were definitely present.A Date Card then arrived in Paradise for Kenny, who asked Mari to join him on a date. Mari, knowing an engagement could be on the horizon for them, hoped to have deeper, more important conversations during their evening together.But first, Kenny and Mari essentially created edible art by putting tacos all over each other's naked bodies before eating them off. It created a new level of intimacy for the couple, and Mari told the cameras she was "falling in love" with Kenny."Mari is the hottest plate I've ever seen. She is a freak. Behind closed doors, you've got to watch out," Kenny revealed.That evening, James Bonsall surprised Tia Booth with a little date on the beach, attempting to combine her country roots with his city life. The couple kissed, and James said sometimes things have a crazy way of working themselves out.But a conflicted Tia explained in a confessional, "My heart is leading me to James, who is such a great person overall. But sometimes you have to just listen to your vagina, and kissing [ Blake Monar ] makes my vagina dance and tingle and feel really nice."And on Kenny's date, he said he felt differently about Mari than he's ever felt about another woman before. He wanted to make sure they were on the same page about their potential future together."I was all about you immediately for some reason," Kenny told Mari, adding that he felt strongly about her quickly.Kenny told Mari that it didn't scare him to talk about being together after the show and he'd be willing to talk about getting engaged soon."I believe in what we have, and I really do think we're going to be good after this," Mari told Kenny.Kenny said he was "falling in love" with Mari, and she replied, "That's funny because I am falling in love with you too. [I am] 100 percent [sure]."Kenny began considering popping the question, especially since he rarely told women that he loved them in his past.Mari felt Kenny had swept her off her feet in Paradise, and she said she was "giddy" about what might happen next. The couple ended their date in "The Boom Boom Room."Afterward, Maurissa wanted to find out why Riley was holding back from her on an emotional level. She didn't want the conversation to be "make or break" for their relationship.Riley admitted to Maurissa he probably wouldn't be able to handle her dating another guy and he viewed her as his girl ever since their first date. He assured Maurissa that another woman wouldn't steal him away from her.Maurissa asked Riley why he was so "closed off," and Riley said he had been wanting the same thing for 10 years but had the tendency to screw up a good thing."As badly as I want a family of my own, my family situation has never been too great. That's one of the things at the top that scares me. My parents got divorced when I was super young and I remember how my dad treated my mom, and it wasn't good," Riley explained.Riley said his father had tried to keep him and his siblings away from their mother and their relationship ended up falling apart and failing.Riley broke down into tears over the tough conversation, but Maurissa asked him to talk to her.Riley revealed he and his father are actually similar people and what scares him is that although his dad tried hard to keep the family together, he doesn't have a good relationship with his kids and had lost his wife.Riley, however, reunited with his mother and said everything was great between them now and he was excited for Maurissa to meet her."Just do know that I do care about you a lot, and I have been in love before, and I feel myself going that way. It's scary as hell for me, but I'm going to do it because I have to and because I want to," Riley told Maurissa."That's all I've been wanting! Thank you! This is what I needed," Maurissa gushed. "Riley, I'm serious.""Me too," he replied."I want you to be my man... I love waking up to you," Maurissa shared, adding, "Riley, it's hard for me -- very hard. But I know that I am falling in love with you.""I am falling in love with you too," Riley responded.Maurissa was so happy and relieved she and Riley could open up to each other and be vulnerable, and Riley said Maurissa could one day be his wife and the mother of his kids whom he wakes up next to every single morning.Riley said he looked forward to making Maurissa breakfast with scrambled eggs and bacon and gushed, "She'll learn more about me. I'm not looking for a one-night thing; I'm looking for a forever thing."When the next cocktail party and Rose Ceremony was supposed to commence, two members of the production staff announced to the staff they were going to be canceled because "a dangerous tropical storm" was "rapidly approaching."The storm was headed straight for the cast, so production decided everyone should evacuate immediately and it was no longer safe for them to be in Paradise.Everyone packed their bags immediately and began evacuating right away."Earlier today, I was stressed about who I was going to give my rose to, but now I'm stressed about getting out of her and being alive. That's a little terrifying," Tia said in a confessional.And Becca added, "It's got to be a big deal to close this place down."The cast members were afraid to lose the connections they had formed and not be able to see their love interests again. They didn't even know whether they'd return to the resort later on.However, everyone eventually returned back to Paradise once the storm ended and they felt happy and relieved.As the cocktail party began, James said leaving Paradise single would be "devastating," and Ivan maintained optimism that anything could happen in Paradise.But several couples gushed about how far they had come in their relationships.Joe announced to the whole group, "My first time on Paradise meant a lot to me, and I'm realizing this time might mean a little more."And Riley shared how he was "all about" Maurissa, who also called Riley "my man."Tia told Blake that she wanted to feel pursued and chosen and special. Tia was attracted to his "bad-boy" persona and said she's all about that, but she wasn't getting enough from him on an emotional level.Blake explained to Tia that he wanted to date her outside of the show, but Tia said he needed to show how he felt and not just say it."I've been in relationships over and over with dudes who don't care. They don't f-cking care!" Tia complained. "You know this is a choice between you and somebody else, and you don't even try?!"Blake insisted to Tia that he cared about her and her happiness and he didn't know what else he could do to prove that to her."I want you. I will do anything," Blake said."But words only go so far," Tia lamented, adding that all she needed was for Blake to act like he gave a sh-t about her when they first reunited on the beach post-storm.Tia said their conversation wasn't going great, and Blake appeared annoyed. He said their talk was "terrible" with no resolution and Tia had "totally blindsided" him.Tia then thanked James for his effort, saying his actions hadn't gone unnoticed.And Aaron also stepped up his game by creating a fashion runway for Chelsea on the beach. Ivan figured Aaron was just trying to do enough to "survive" and he didn't genuinely seem completely invested or interested in Chelsea.Chelsea admitted to Aaron she had wanted her date with Demar to end quickly so she could return to the beach to Aaron, and he was excited to hear that and kissed Chelsea."You are beautiful and great and so sweet, the full-package type of deal... I think something great can come of it," Aaron told the model.Aaron said Chelsea is a really special person and he hoped he wouldn't "f-ck it up," but then Ivan pulled Chelsea aside with some white wine.Ivan put his game face on, but Chelsea called them "homies," suggesting she had friend zoned him and felt really comfortable around him.Aaron, watching from a distance, pointed out how Ivan just seemed desperate to receive a rose considering the women would be handing them out at the next Rose Ceremony. But then Ivan went in for a kiss and Chelsea didn't hold back.Aaron told James that Ivan hadn't spoken to Chelsea prior to Rose Ceremony day, and James accused Ivan of "rose hunting.""He's such a little f-cking b-tch," Aaron complained. "I will slap that stupid beard off his face."After their conversation, Chelsea and Ivan walked away from a daybed holding hands, and Aaron called him a snake and decided to share how he was feeling about the situation.Aaron called Ivan "a b-tch boy" and accused the bachelor of lying to his face."He's a little f-cking chopstick and I'll snap him in half," Aaron told the cameras.Aaron confronted Ivan, recalling how Ivan had allegedly said he wasn't trying to take any of the women's roses away from other guys.Ivan said Chelsea had "surprised" him, but Aaron called that "a b-tch move."Ivan got up in Aaron's face, and another storm was clearly brewing!The episode ended on a cliffhanger, with Lil Jon revealing 's next episode will be three-hours long.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 09/22/2021



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Which couples are still together and which MAFS couples have split up and divorced? And where are they now?

has featured 44 different couples getting married at first sight during it's first twelve seasons -- so which couples are still together, who has split up and divorced, and where are they all now?Each season of -- which premiered in the United States seven years ago and is based on a Danish series -- features couples (previously three couples, but four couples on Seasons 8 and 9, and five couples beginning with Season 10) being matched together by relationship experts and agree to marry when they first meet.Complete strangers become husband and wife in a matter of minutes, and the couples' lives are then documented by TV cameras over the course of the next four to eight weeks (eight weeks, in the case of 's most recent seasons).The couples typically enjoy their first night together in a hotel after exchanging vows -- with some couples deciding to consummate their marriage immediately -- and then embark on a honeymoon, move in together, and simply attempt to deal with the struggles of daily life as man and wife.At the end of the extreme marriage experiment, each couple must decide whether they'd like to stay married or get a divorce on "Decision Day."has experienced very mixed results over the years. While a significant number of couples decide to stay together and continue their new marriage at the end of their season, the real world seems to hit them hard after the cameras leave, resulting in the couple splitting up only months later.Do cast members see a different side of their spouses once cameras are gone, or do the romances naturally fizzle over time?Some couples are still together to this day and are extremely happy. Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner from Season 1, for example, have had two children.Several other couples have also had children -- including Ashley Petta and Anthony D'Amico Shawniece Jackson and Jephte Pierre Danielle Bergman and Bobby Dodd , and Deonna McNeill and Greg Okotie However, there are also relationships that ended badly. Jessica Castro from Season 2, for instance, accused Ryan De Nino of alleged death threats, and she went on to file a restraining order and lawsuit against him.Some couples have also never even made it to "Decision Day" and ended their marriage prematurely, including Season 4 couple Heather Seidel and Derek Schwartz as well as Season 6 couple Molly Duff and Jonathan Francetic Are the remaining couples now lovers, friends or enemies?! What about early season couples like Cortney Hendrix and Jason Carrion, Jaclyn Methuen and Ryan Ranellone, Vanessa Nelson and Tres Russell, Sonia Granados and Nick Pendergrast, and Lillian Vilchez and Tom Wilson?And how about more recent season couples like Danielle DeGroot and Cody Knapek Sheila Downs and Nate Duhon Jaclyn Schwartzberg and Ryan Buckley Dave Flaherty and Amber Martorana , and Tristan Thompson and Mia Bally Keith Dewar and Kristine Killingsworth , and AJ Vollmoeller and Stephanie Sersen Click thelink below to see photos of each couple and find out!

BEGIN GALLERY >>

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
Swedish series Young Royals will return for a second season.

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Netflix confirmed Wednesday that it renewed the teen drama series for Season 2.

Netflix shared the news alongside a video featuring the show's cast, including Edvin Ryding, Omar Rudberg, Malte Gardinger, Frida Argento and Nikita Uggla.

"Thank you for watching Young Royals," Rudberg said.

"Thank you for enjoying our story," Ryding added.

Season 2 will premiere in 2022.

Young Royals centers on the fictional Prince Wilhelm (Ryding), a Swedish prince attending an elite boarding school. The series follows Wilhelm as he attends school and struggles with the challenges of being gay while in the public eye.

Young Royals is created by Lisa Ambjirn, Sofie Forsman and Tove Forsman. The series premiered on Netflix in July.
Fungi pottery on display at Brattleboro Claywork as organizers get ready for the inaugural Fungi Fest that starts on Oct. 8 and runs to Oct. 30.
The more than 54O homeless people who this week were expected to lose access to hotel rooms paid for by the state during the pandemic will continue to have the benefit for another 30 days
Vermont State U. to be weighed as new name for 3 schools

The trustees of the Vermont State Colleges are going to consider renaming three schools in the system Vermont State University
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Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.
Casks of high-level nuclear waste sit on an independent spent fuel storage installation at Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, in Vernon, on Monday.
LISBON  A Jewett City man was arrested and charged for allegedly driving under the influence with three young children in the car this weekend, police say.

John Stockton, 31, of Griswold was charged with driving under the influence, three counts of risk of injury and possession of a controlled substance on Friday.

According to the Norwich Superior Court clerks office, Stockton was arraigned on Monday, where bond was set at $75,000, and his case was continued to Oct. 12. The office said Monday afternoon that Stockton was being transferred to Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Montville.

In a Facebook post, Connecticut State Police Troop E said police were called about a silver Nissan Altima driving erratically at the shopping plaza in Lisbon at approximately 4 p.m. on Friday.

The vehicle was seen traveling at a high rate of speed, going over curbs, and nearly hitting barriers, police said.

Authorities said a nearby trooper responded and was able to find the vehicle, which was disabled, as well as its driver  who was inside a local business.

Stockton had three child passengers, ages 4, 3 and 2, police said. He reportedly failed field sobriety tests and was in possession of a controlled substance, according to the report.

Police did not identify Stockton in the post, citing state statutes preventing law enforcement from posting names and mugshots, but Troop E confirmed he is the accused.

Stockton was temporarily surrendered into the custody of the Connecticut Department of Corrections before his case was heard in court, police said.

Troopers remained on scene to help care and comfort the three children who had been in the vehicle, they said.

As the children were barefoot inside the store, all were provided new shoes by the manager of the Aldis of Lisbon, police said. Troopers on scene and Aldis staff then purchased the children various snacks, food, and drinks to help comfort them prior to transporting them off-site.

Police said the children were not injured, noting troopers installed car seats in their police cars to safely transport them to a family member.

The state Department of Children and Families has been notified of the incident, the report says.
MILFORD - State Rep. Kathy Kennedy (R-43) is hosting a beach clean-up on Sunday at Gulf Beach.

In an effort to keep area beaches and oceans clean, Kennedy said she is sponsoring a beach clean-up to increase awareness to the Milford community about litter and pollution that gets dumped and thrown in and near Long Island Sound and the need to keep it clean.

The Gulf Beach Clean-up will begin at 10 a.m. Kennedy will meet those attending in the beach parking lot at 550 Gulf Road. Those interested in participating are asked to register.

All necessary PPE (masks/gloves) and garage bags will be provided while supplies last.
TORRINGTON  A former East Main Street bar is being transformed into an Italian restaurant and steakhouse by a longtime restaurateur from Brooklyn.

Geppetto Osteriais expected to open by November, and will serve a variety of Italian specialties, along with 48-ounce steaks. Carlo Pulixi has worked on renovating OConnors Public House at 26 E. Main St. all summer with his wife, Michelle, and son Federico, using repurposed board wood from a local vendor, installing handcrafted wooden benches and tables, building a new bar topped with glossy copper, and refurbishing a vintage wood stove.

The Pulixis have owned Convivium Osteria in Brooklyn, N.Y., for 21 years. When we first opened, the Park Slope neighborhood was wonderful, and we loved it there, Carlo Pulixi said. The neighborhood where we opened Convivium was very rough in the beginning, but its changed a lot. We were really the first ones to open on the street, and its come a long way. ... Its very successful now. Its really changed down there.

But he wanted to find a way to be closer to home, where Michelle and his children, Elizabeth and Federico, spend most of their time.

Im not home that much during the week, he said as he and Federico worked to removed wood dust from ceiling fixtures inside the restaurant this week. Im still running the restaurant in Brooklyn, and Ive lived in cities for a long time. ... I used to think I was a city guy, and now I know Im not anymore. Were both country kids.

Michelle Pulixi discovered OConnors while visiting Torrington for a lunch date with a friend last year, and immediately wanted her husband to see the space. I met the landlord that day, and went home and told Carlo about it, she said. We wanted to open another restaurant  something different.

And its exciting down here, whats happening with the downtown, she said. We want to be a part of that.

The name of the restaurant, Geppetto, was inspired by Carlos favorite Italian fairy tale, about the carpenter who wished for a boy of his own and made one out of wood. His wish came true when Pinocchio came to life. The original story, The Adventures of Pinocchio, was written in 1883 by Carlo Collodi.

The Italian version of the story  not the cartoon Disney version  was a favorite bedtime story for the Pulixis children when they were young. It also was made into a five-hour series on Italian television, and the role of Geppetto was performed by one of Carlos favorite actors, Nino Manfredi.

Torrington artist Joe Kopler was commissioned to make a sculpture painting of Geppetto, based on a photo of Manfredi, which will hang in the restaurant.

The story is wonderful, but what I really love about Pinocchio is the beautiful setting, and simplicity of Italy thats captured so well in the story. Thats why we love it so much, Carlo Pulixi said. As soon as I mentioned Geppetto as the name for the new restaurant, the kids said Yes!

We knew right then it was the right choice, Michelle Pulixi said.

The couples approach to their new restaurant is to capture the atmosphere and appearance of eateries in Italy, established in old houses. I lived in a tiny town in Italy, growing up, and the old houses that became restaurants were old-style osterias, Carlo Pulixi said. I love food, but I also love catering to people, making the space special.

The center of Italian culture is the table, where you talk and share with each other  not the television, Michelle Pulixi said.

Their affection for all things old followed them to Connecticut  the couples home was built in 1798 and is located in the Bakerville section of New Hartford. We learned that the home was once owned by a lady who played an aunt in Gone with the Wind and another woman who lived there was a writer, Carlo Pulixi said. Its got a lot of history.

At Geppetto, the well-worn hardwood floors are getting a facelift. Sections of the spaces original brick walls, buried under sheetrock, are now exposed. A vintage wood rack with wine-bottle-sized holes soon will display wines and champagnes in a corner by the copper bar, and a original carpenters table is being incorporated into the dining area, a salute to Geppetto.

Well have antiques, hanging copper pots and new lighting. Its going to be very nice inside, Carlo Pulixi said. My son Kiko (Federico) has given a lot of input, too. Hes an aspiring chef, and wants to be more involved in the business.

Everything Ive done inside came out of my head, and Ive added as I go along with my ideas on how I want it to look, he said. Its taken a little longer, too, because our contractors are so busy, and its taken time to get supplies. So were looking at November for an opening.

The food will also be new for Torrington diners. We sell the 48-ounce steak, which two people can share, he said.

Theres no steakhouse in Torrington, Michelle Pulixi said. Were also going to serve seafood, fresh pasta, and things people havent had before, special dishes like octopus and rabbit. It will be a unique menu.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  The Missouri Attorney Generals Office on Wednesday asked a state appeals court to intervene in the case of a Kansas City man who Jackson County prosecutors have said was wrongfully convicted of a triple murder more than 40 years ago.

Last week, Judge Kevin Harrell denied a motion from Schmitt's office asking that he and other Jackson County judges be removed from presiding over a hearing that would determine if Kevin Strickland will be exonerated of the 1998 murders in Kansas City.
Pool/Getty Images

SEATTLE (AP)  Three new buildings in Seattle with 165 studio apartments that were supposed to be rented at market rates will instead house people leaving homelessness and people at risk of becoming homeless.

The nonprofit Low Income Housing Institute will buy the buildings on Capitol Hill for about $50 million, with city and state housing programs sharing the cost equally, The Seattle Times reported. Seattle is using federal COVID-19 relief funds for their part, Mayor Jenny Durkan said this week.
TORRINGTON  The City Council has $10 million coming from the American Rescue Plan, and has spent the last few months crafting a plan on how to use it.

Torrington received $5.037 million this year, and expects to receive another $5.037 in June 2022, officials said. The city Board of Education has also received $5.959 million.

To include the public, the City Council is inviting residents and taxpayers to a special meeting at 5 p.m. Oct. 4 ., before its regular meeting begins at 6:30 p.m., for questions and suggestions on the use of the funding, based on the many ideas Mayor Elinor Carbone has presented.

The American Rescue Plan funding from the U.S. Treasury Department is intended to help towns and cities recover from any losses and extra spending that impacted them during the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 and throughout that year.

According to Carbone, the treasury department has issued a 150-page document dictating how the millions can be spent.

They are asking recipients to use the money in specific ways, Carbone said.

Those specifics include supporting public health, replacing lost revenue, addressing economic impacts, pay for essential workers, and supporting water and sewer or broadband infrastructure, according to Carbone.

The city has until December 2026 to spend the ARP money. A Pandemic Recovery Committee, established by the city, including members of the Torrington Area Health District, the Northwest CT Chamber of Commerce and the Torrington Development Corporation, was charged with setting funding objectives for the ARP money.

The question is, how do we get the biggest bang for our buck? Ten million sounds like a lot of money, but it does disappear rather quickly, Carbone told the City Council during its meeting this week. We want to make sure theres transparency.

Its clear that those funding objectives must support public health, public sector revenue losses, and address economic development and improve water, sewer or broadband infrastructure, Carbone said. We went through every funding objective, because we want to make sure we recapture any losses. Once we do that, there are fewer strings on how it can be spent.

The recovery committee determined that Torrington had no lost revenues from the pandemic and that it had no plans to apply the funding to pay for essential workers.

Based on a discussion with our auditors, were pretty confident that weve had no lost revenue, the mayor said. As far as premium pay for essential workers, we decided not to make any recommendations for that. Our goal is to establish a funding stream for creating jobs.

Daycare and manufacturing are the two job areas Torrington wants to improve, said Economic Development Director Rista Malanca.

We want to bring in a person to connect people to jobs, she said. There are 1,300 manufacturing jobs open right now, and people are struggling to find what to apply for. We need to connect people with those jobs, plus training and transportation opportunities.

Theres also a need for employees at daycares, she said. Those are the top needs that have come out, based on our studies and conversations.

The mayor said Torrington will continue to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemics complications, including new concerns about the variant of the virus, and the need for booster vaccines as well as projected vaccines for children and anyone who hasnt received it, including testing and contact tracing.

The Torrington Board of Education is using some of its $5 million to hire more English as a Second Language teachers, as well as social workers at Torrington Middle School and Torrington High School.

The district has already been using this money for that purpose, Carbone said.

For the city, some of the funding will go to infrastructure improvements.

All the department heads came together to look at what needs to be done to improve our facilities, in case theres another occurrence, so our buildings wouldnt need to be shut down entirely, Carbone said, referring to the period of time when schools and public buildings such as City Hall were closed and remote learning plans that were put in place last year.

Those improvements are ventilation in public buildings including the senior center, the fire and police departments, and our emergency operations center, she said. We also looked at making improvements to the Torrington Armory building, the hospital, Torrington Area Health District, and overflow needs.

The city also is working with Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and Hartford HealthCare to establish a public health clinic for vaccines and general health outreach.

So many of the worst cases of COVID-19 were based on a lack of health care, heart conditions, diabetes, other afflictions that compromised people, if they contracted COVID-19, Carbone said. We want to work with our hospitals, for the Torrington communitys health.

Other uses for the ARP money will be improvements to the Council Chambers, with better remote meeting capabilities; and better communication between the school district, the health district, police and fire.

The city also is recommending hiring a community resource navigator with the Northwest Connecticut Foundation for Public Giving.

The city also wants to have a workforce development program and a healthy housing program. The federal government recognizes that when we sent our children home during the pandemic, their homes werent always healthy, Carbone said. There might be lead or asbestos, mold; things that compromised peoples health, along with COVID-19. So we reached out to the health district to establish a health homes initiative, which will result in healthier children and healthier homes.

Torrington also wants to hire a grant administrator, to track funding and how its being used, and report that information back to the U.S. Treasury, which will likely require an incredible amount of grant administration, according to the mayor.

During the next several months, wed also look to create grant parameters for these groups, social care providers, to apply for the money, she said. Our goal is to get the money out to the public, and not to complicate their lives with the application process.

To see the citys ARP plan, visit torringtonct.org and click on City Council under Government or call City Hall at 860-489-2228.
As the fans have been eagerly waiting for the release of Britney Spears' highly-anticipated documentary named Britney Vs. Spears, the teaser of the documentary was recently unveiled by Netflix. The Britney vs Spears teaser consisted of a message from the pop star to an attorney that escalated the curiosity of the fans to watch Britney Spears documentary.

As the rumours about Erin Lee Carr directing the Britney Vs Spears documentary were doing rounds on special media, it was recently confirmed that she will be the director and will collaborate with an acclaimed team. Britney vs Spears trailer is set to release tomorrow.

Britney vs Spears teaser out

The Netflix team recently took to their official Twiter handle and uncovered a thrilling piece of 18 seconds long clip as the teaser of Britney Spearss upcoming documentary. The clip featured a voicemail left by Britney Spears to an attorney at 12:29 a.m on 21 January 2009. It was, Hi, my name is Britney Spears. I called you earlier. Im calling again because I just wanted to make sure that during the process of eliminating the conservatorship..

The Hollywood Reporter recently confirmed that Erin Lee Carr directed the documentary in collaboration with the acclaimed team at Story Syndicate, Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan. Other notable members who are part of the team include Amy Herdy and Jenny Eliscu as executive producers while Carr, Sarah Gibson, and Katy Berry will be the producers.

The audio in the teaser is about a phone call by Britney Spears to L.A. Judge Brenda Penny about how she was unaware that she could request an end of conservatorship that she had been living under for 13 years. I just want my life back, Britney Spears had stated in June. She further mentioned, Its been 13 years and its enough. Its been a long time since Ive owned my money. And its my wish and my dream for all of this to end without being tested..

Fans' reactions:

Many fans took to Netflix's Twitter handle and shared their reactions after watching the Britney Vs Spears teaser. Many fans heaved a sigh of relief after watching the teaser as they had been eagerly waiting for the release of the pop stars documentary. Many fans also dropped in the hashtag Free Britney while others praised the teaser. Take a look at some of the fan's reactions to the Britney Vs Spears teaser.

YEEEEEEES  Laundry Service (@LaundryService0) September 21, 2021

Finally   desconhecida  (@desconhecida163) September 21, 2021

OMFGGGGG???? I LOVE THAT TITLE  louka (@Iiquoricebxtchx) September 21, 2021



Image: AP
The Bangladesh government would transport 30 per cent extra Hilsa fish to India ahead of the festival season, which begins with Durga Puja, according to an official, who also said that Hilsa from the Padma river is a popular delicacy among fish enthusiasts. The neighbouring nation will export around 2,000 tonnes of the silver crop this year, up from 1,400 tonnes last year.

The first cargo of about 20 tonnes of Padma-Meghna river type is anticipated to arrive in local markets by Thursday or Friday, according to the West Bengal Fish Importers' Association official. The dealers say that the size would be between 800 and 1,500 gm, with a price of Rs 1,500.

Bangladesh government prohibited the export of the silver Padma fish to India in 2012

West Bengal Fish Importers' Association official further said that it would be the largest shipment of Bangladeshi Hilsa to enter markets in Kolkata and other cities since the Bangladesh government prohibited the export of the silver Padma fish to India in 2012. The official further said that for the last month, they have been in continuous contact with the Bangladeshi government through various administrative levels in Delhi, anticipating a significant shipment of Bangladeshi Hilsa by the end of September. Even local Hilsa is nearly out of stock at the state's city markets this year. Due to the scarcity of local Hilsa, the price has skyrocketed. In city marketplaces, it costs approximately Rs 2,000 per kg.

The clearance from Dhaka was eagerly awaited by Kolkata's fish dealers because there has been little local production this season and the Myanmar variety's stock is nearly depleted. When the Padma variety arrives in Kolkata, traders said consignments would be distributed to far-flung areas according to market demand.

More about Hilsa

The ilish, also known as Hilsa shad, is a herring-like fish of the Clupeidae family. In the Indian Subcontinent, it is a very popular and sought-after delicacy. The most renowned Hilsa fish comes from Bangladesh's Chandpur District. It is Bangladesh's national fish and West Bengal's state fish. In Bangladesh, the said fish accounts for around 12 per cent of total fish output and 1.15 per cent of GDP. Fish is a popular culinary item in South Asia and the Middle East. In India, it is particularly popular in West Bengal, Odisha, Tripura, Assam, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh. It's also sold all around the world. Bengali fish curry, prepared with mustard oil is a popular meal in Bengal.

(With inputs from PTI)

(Image: Shutterstock/ Representative)
A young woman from a rural village in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district has been chosen for training for grant of a short service commission in the Indian Air Force's (IAF) AE(L) branch. Tahirah Rehman, the daughter of honorary captain Abdul Rehman, lives in Khodbani in Khawas Tehsil, which is 145 kilometres from Rajouri.

'Most backward area of Rajauri district'

Tahirah Rehman is the first Gujjar female from Jammu and Kashmir to be chosen as an Indian Air Force flying officer. After flying officer Maya Sudan of the Lamberi village, she is the second from the Rajouri district. "My husband served the nation for 30 years and my children also want to serve the nation. My daughter has worked very hard. I am thankful to the people here for their constant support. I am very happy and wish like my daughter other children of this district make their parents proud," Rehman's mother Rakia Begum said.

Irshad Begum, Tahirah's cousin sister said, "This is the most backward area of Rajouri district. There is no school in our village and for our education, we have to travel far. Her mother used to take her to school till class 5. She always wanted to become a pilot in the Indian Air Force and today she has achieved her dreams. She is the first girl from the Gujjar community to do so."

Irshad went on to say that the people in the area, from all communities, are proud of her accomplishment. "They had made their way four km to a hilltop to be a part of this celebration," she said. Liyakat Ali, a local citizen, called Tahirah's selection a great moment for their village and said that everyone is overjoyed. Another local resident expressed his joy and said that the area is quite backward and Tahirah had accomplished a great deal.

'I feel very proud today'

"I feel proud very proud today. My daughter had to travel four to five km every day to reach school till class 5. My daughter is the first girl from our community to become a flying officer from Jammu and Kashmir from Rajouri district," said Tahirah's father.

Shivanghi Kant, Rajouri district's child protection legal officer said that it was a proud occasion for the entire district and the country. "Today boys and girls are moving forward equally and making the nation proud. Becoming a pilot is not common especially for girls from backward villages. We feel very proud to see a village girl doing something different. I congratulate her for her success and wish in the future also she makes our country and the district proud," Kant said.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: ANI)
The Environment Ministry announced on Tuesday that two additional Indian beaches have obtained the 'Blue Flag' accreditation. This is an international eco-level designation, raising the country's total number of such beaches to 10. Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry are the two beaches that will be certified this year, as informed by the ministry.

The Danish Foundation for Environment Education (FEE), which awards the internationally known eco-label Blue Flag certification, has also re-certified eight of the other beaches. Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden in Odisha, and Radhanagar in Andaman & Nicobar received the Blue Flag recognition last year. Last October 6, these eight beaches received the Blue Flag certification.

Tamil Nadu and Puducherry beaches receive Blue Flag certification

Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav expressed his joy on Twitter and congratulated everyone, saying that it is another step forward in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Clean and Green India. Happy to announce India now has 10 International Blue Flag beaches with the addition of Kovalam and Eden beaches this year and recertification for 8 beaches which got the tag in 2020. Another milestone in our journey towards a clean and green India led by PM @NarendraModi Ji," Yadav tweeted.

Happy to announce India now has 10 International Blue Flag beaches with the addition of Kovalam & Eden beaches this year and recertification for 8 beaches which got the tag in 2020. Another milestone in our journey towards a clean and green India led by PM Shri @NarendraModi Ji. pic.twitter.com/UzocIJhyzD  Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) September 21, 2021

In order to achieve the "Sustainable Development" goals of India's coastal regions, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the highly acclaimed and flagship programme Beach Environment and Aesthetics Management Services (BEAMS). This is one of the initiatives under the ICZM approach that the MoEF&CC has undertaken for the sustainable development of India's coastal regions. This was done in order to obtain the internationally known and valued "Blue Flag" international eco-label, which was awarded by an international jury.

Who regulates this certification?

Members of the IUCN, UNWTO, UNEP, and UNESCO make up this jury. FEE Denmark performs ongoing monitoring and audits to ensure full adherence to the 33 requirements. A waving "Blue Flag" indicates that the beach has met all 33 of these strict standards and is in good health. According to the ministry, they are committed to developing and delivering 100 new beaches under its ICZM project during the next five years of the ministry's vision agenda.

Two more Indian beaches, Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry get coveted International Blue Flag Certification.



India now has 10 Blue Flag beaches. Another milestone in our journey towards a clean and green India led by PM Shri @NarendraModi Ji. @byadavbjp pic.twitter.com/A5lr6vUsjc  Shaina NC (@ShainaNC) September 21, 2021

What is the Blue Flag certification for?

A beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator can earn the Blue Flag' accreditation, which serves as an eco-label. The accreditation is given by the Foundation for Environmental Education, a non-profit organisation based in Denmark that establishes strict environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria that candidates must meet and maintain. It is given to beaches and marinas in FEE member nations on an annual basis.

Karnataka is home to two pristine beaches that have bagged the coveted eco-label" Blue Flag" The two blue flag-certified beaches in Uttara Kannada and Udupi, are among the eight in India to receive the Blue Flag Title.#Blueflagbeaches #IncredibleIndia pic.twitter.com/yOSqPZHGI8  India Tourism Bengaluru (@IndiaTourismBa2) September 8, 2021

What are the requirements for a Blue Flag certification?

The Blue Flag programme began in France in 1985 and expanded to include areas outside of Europe in 2001. Water quality, environmental management, environmental education, and safety are the four key criteria that the programme uses to promote sustainable development in freshwater and marine environments. The programme is currently active in 47 nations, with 4,573 beaches, marinas, and boats having received certification. According to the January announcement, the following activities and facilities would be permitted in the CRZ of beaches, including islands, as long as they were located at least 10 metres away from the High Tide Line (HTL). These activities and facilities would be exempt from prior approval under the terms of the CRZ Notification, Island Protection Zone Notification, and Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications, according to the notification.

Portable restrooms, locker rooms, and shower panels;

Plants for greywater treatment, solid waste management, solar electricity, and purified drinking water are available.

Pathways to the beach;

Seating benches and sit-out umbrellas; landscape lighting

Play/fitness equipment for the outdoors;

Surveillance and control room with CCTV cameras;

A first-aid station, a cloakroom, safety watchtowers, and beach safety equipment are available.

The layout of the beach, environmental information boards, and other signage;

Vegetative fencing is preferred.

As required by Blue Flag Certification, parking facilities, entry gates, tourist facilitation centres, and other connected facilities or infrastructure are provided.

With inputs from ANI

(IMAGE: Twitter@BhupenderYadav)
The Adani Group on Wednesday issued a statement pertaining to the Mundra Port drug bust after it was subjected to a massive social media campaign. Issuing the statement on Twitter, the Adani Group said that a joint operation was carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Customs on September 16, 2021. The operation led to a major bust wherein a large cache of contraband heroin from two containers arrived from Afghanistan at the Mundra Port.

The Adani Group has hailed the authorities for seizing the contraband shipment and apprehending the accused. The statement further added that only government authorities like Customs and DRI are allowed to open, examine and seize the unlawful cargo. It further said that port operators in the country are not authorised to examine a container as their role is limited to running the port.

Adani Group issues statement on Mundra Port drug haul

'On 16 September 2021, a joint operation by the DRI and Customs unearthed a large cache of contraband heroin from two containers from Afghanistan that had arrived at the Mundra International Container Terminal (MICT), Mundra Port. We thank and congratulate the DRI & Customs teams for seizing the illegal drugs and apprehending the accused.

The law empowers the Government of India's competent authorities such as the Customs and the DRI to open, examine and seize unlawful cargo. No port operator across the country can examine a container. Their role is limited to running a port.

We sincierly hope that this statement will put to rest the motivated, malicious and false propaganda being run on social media against the Adani Group. APSEZ is a port operator providing services to shipping lines. We have no policing authority or the containers or the millions of tonnes of cargo that pass through the terminals in Mundra or any of our ports.'

Media statement on the malicious social media campaign against the Adani Group on the seizure of illegal drugs at Mundra Port. pic.twitter.com/z4gutdzKyK  Adani Group (@AdaniOnline) September 21, 2021

Slamming the social media propaganda peddled against it, the Adani Group has said that Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) is just a port operator that provides services to shipping lines.

"We sincerely hope that this statement will put to rest the motivated, malicious and false propaganda being run on social media against the Adani Group," it said. "We have no policing authority over the containers or the millions of tonnes of cargo that pass through the terminals in Mundra 0r any of our ports," the statement added.

Mundra Port drug bust

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 2,988.21 kg heroin worth Rs 15,000 crore from two containers at the Mundra port in Gujarat's Kutch district and subsequently arrested a couple that runs an import firm from Chennai, officials said today. The heroin originated in Afghanistan and was shipped from Bandar Abbas Port, Iran to Mundra Port. Reports stated that the DRI conducted searches in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Gandhidham and Mandvi in Gujarat. The investigation conducted so far has also revealed the involvement of Afghan nationals, who are under investigation.
The Animal Resources Development Department of Tripura on Tuesday informed that three cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in the state. The fever was detected after several pigs were reported dead in Subash Nagar village in Kanchanpur. The department has since set up a perimeter around the area and has begun steps to contain any further spreading.

African swine fever in Tripura

K Shashi Kr, Director of Animal Resources Development Department in Tripura informed that selected pigs are now being culled to contain the disease. Three of 87 samples of pigs tested positive for African swine fever. We'll cull all pigs within 1km from the epicentre and declare a 10km area as a surveillance zone. We've issued notification & began culling process, the animal resource director said. Earlier, a similar breakout was recorded in Mizoram caused by pigs or pork which were brought in from countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a viral disease that affects pigs. ASF is believed to spread fast and has a case fatality rate of almost 100 per cent. The virus spreads through direct contact with an infected or wild pig (alive or dead), indirect contact through ingestion of contaminated food or waste or even through biological vectors such as ticks. According to health experts, the ASF outbreak does not pose a threat to human health and it is biologically impossible to be transmitted from pigs to humans.

ASF outbreak in Mizoram

The first case of a suspected outbreak of ASF was reported at the Lungsen village of south Mizoram on March 21. It lies in the Lunglei district, which is close to the Bangladesh border. The National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal later confirmed in mid-April that the cause of the deaths of pigs was due to the ASF. The fever caused loss of lives of over 25,000 pigs in the last five months in the state. The death of so many pigs since late March has caused a loss of more than Rs 121 crore. The state authorities had to allow the culling of almost 9,500 pigs to avoid the spread of the disease, a senior official of the state animal husbandry and veterinary science department had informed.

(With ANI inputs)

Image: Pixabay
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated the newly-inducted Nepal Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka saying that he is looking forward to working with him. A member of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress party, Khadka became Minister of External Affairs of Nepal on September 22. President Bidya Devi Bhandari appointed the senior Nepali Congress leader on the recommendation of the government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as per Article 76(9) of the Nepalese Constitution. Taking to Twitter, EAM S Jaishankar said, "Congratulations to Honble Dr. Narayan Khadka on his appointment as Nepal's Foreign Minister. Look forward to working with him."

Congratulations to Honble Dr. Narayan Khadka on his appointment as Nepal's Foreign Minister.



Look forward to working with him.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 22, 2021



EAM Jaishankar will attend the G4 and G20 meetings on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly session. The G20 summit is said to focus on the ongoing Afghanistan crisis while the G4 External Affairs Minister and delegates meeting will focus on Security Council reforms. According to officials in Kathmandu, Khadka, who is leading the Nepalese delegation to the UNGA, will depart the homeland to attend the 76th United Nations General Assembly session in New York on the night of September 22.

Who is Dr Narayan Khadka?

72-year-old Khadka, who hails from Bhojpur, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Bhandari amid a ceremony at Sheetal Niwas. The office of Nepal Foreign Minister had been vacant for over two months after the formation of the new government led by Deuba. Until now the portfolio was held by Nepal's Prime Minister. Nepal PM Deuba has sought consensus with the coalition saying that the ministry would be retained by the Nepali Congress.

In 1967, Dr Narayan Khadka entered politics. He has a PhD in Economics from a university in Pune. He was the vice-chairman of Nepal's National Planning Commission. He was also a member of the National Interest Preservation Committee of the First Nepalese Constituent Assembly. He served as an advisor to then-Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in the 1990s.

Previously, Khadka worked in the Sushil Koirala-led cabinet as Minister of Urban Development in 2014. He is also a member of the Nepalese Constituent Assembly's 2nd Constituent Assembly. In the 2013 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, he won the Udayapur1 seat from the Nepali Congress.
Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane on September 21 met with Ambassador of Italy to India Vincenzo De Luca in New Delhi and discussed the future bilateral cooperation in the defence and defence industry. While sharing images from the meeting, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information- Indian Army said on Twitter on Tuesday that Luca called on Naravane and discussed the matters of mutual interest.

Additionally, the Embassy of Italy in India called the meeting between the Indian army chief and Italian envoy fruitful and added that both discussed the future of bilateral cooperation in the defence industry. The meeting came after in July, the Indian Army chief visited Italy during his visit to Italy and UK. The aim of his visit was to further elevate the bilateral strategic expansion.

Very fruitful meeting with Chief of Army Staff Naravane after his visit to Italy. We discussed about future bilateral cooperation in the field of defence and defence industry

 pic.twitter.com/chUN2Jdc7p  Italy in India (@ItalyinIndia) September 21, 2021

India, Italy sign disaster risk reduction pact

Meanwhile, in the wake of increasing natural disasters, the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management between India and Italy. As per media reports, the collaboration will establish a system wherein both the nations will be benefitted from the Disaster management mechanisms of each other. It would also help in enhancing the areas of preparedness, response and capacity building for managing disasters such as forest fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, among several others.

Earlier, on August 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Italian counterpart Mario Draghi to discuss the crisis which were unfolding in Afghanistan at the time as the Taliban had just taken over the country.

As per the official statement released by the government regarding the conversation between the two leaders, They strongly condemned the horrific terror attack at the Kabul International Airport yesterday and emphasised the need to ensure the safe repatriation of stranded people...The two leaders also discussed other important issues on the G20 agenda, such as climate change. In this context, they exchanged views on other forthcoming multilateral engagements too, such as COP-26.

The two leaders agreed to remain in touch on bilateral and global issues, especially on the situation in Afghanistan," it added.

IMAGE: @adgpi/Twitter
United Nations, Sep 21 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday discussed issues relating to Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific during his bilateral meetings with global counterparts on the sidelines of the annual high-level UN General Assembly session.

Jaishankar, who arrived here on Monday to participate in the high-level 76th session of the UN General Assembly, started his day with a meeting with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Began the day meeting with our Strategic Partner France. A comprehensive discussion with FM @JY_LeDrian on Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific and other contemporary issues. India and France are solid partners in the UN Security Council, Jaishankar tweeted on Tuesday.

He then held a bilateral meeting with Irans Minister of Foreign Affairs H Amirabdollahian.

Good to meet FM @Amirabdolahian of Iran again. Continued our conversation on strengthening bilateral cooperation, Jaishankar said in a tweet, adding that the meeting reaffirmed our convergence on regional issues. Jaishankar met Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in the UN headquarters on the sidelines of the UNGA.

Good to meet FM Sameh Shoukry of Egypt. Agreed to take forward our bilateral cooperation. Exchanged views on the GERD issue and Afghanistan, he said.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Washington later this week to participate in the Quad Leaders Summit hosted by President Joe Biden, Jaishankar also met his Australian counterpart Marise Payne.

Met our Quad partner Australia. Took forward strategic conversations with FM @Marisepayne from our last meeting. Was apprised of recent developments in the Indo-Pacific, he said.

He also met with his counterpart from Indonesia Menteri Luar Negeri.

"A good meeting with a key ASEAN partner. Discussed regional developments with FM @Menlu_RI of Indonesia.

"Shared interests and common perspectives drive our strong cooperation," he tweeted.

On Monday, Jaishnshkar held bilateral meetings with Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Sreide, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and the UK's new Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss.

Jaishankar and senior Indian officials arrived in New York for the annual high-level UNGA session which returned to a more hybrid and in-person format this year after going virtual last year due to the COVID19 pandemic.

During the week, Jaishankar will meet his counterparts from several member states and participate in the G-20 meeting that will focus on Afghanistan and the G-4 Foreign Ministers meeting with focus on Security Council reforms.

India will participate in three high-level meetings organised by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Climate, Energy and Food Systems.

The 76th UNGA session commenced from September 14 under the Presidency of Abdulla Shahid. The high-level week - the General Debate - commenced on Tuesday with US President Joe Biden addressing world leaders.

Prime Minister Modi will address the General Debate on September 25.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US' complete troop withdrawal on August 31 after a costly two-decade war. This forced Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country to the UAE.

The Taliban insurgents stormed across Afghanistan and captured all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the US and its allies melted away.

Thousands of Afghan nationals and foreigners have fled the country to escape the new Taliban regime and to seek asylum in different nations, including the US and many European nations, resulting in total chaos and deaths. PTI YAS/CPS RS RS

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
PM Modi will be the first Head of the State to speak during the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25. While this year's theme is 'Building Resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations', the PM will raise issues such as cross-border terrorism during his address. This assumes significance as the need to combat terrorism has been a key theme in all the three speeches which he has delivered during the UNGA's general debate.

Here is the PM's stance on terror during previous UNGA speeches:

September 27, 2014 : This was the first occasion on which Narendra Modi addressed the UNGA after taking over as the Prime Minister. Outlining his new government's policy on talks with Pakistan, he remarked, "A nation's destiny is linked to its neighbourhood. That is why my Government has placed the highest priority on advancing friendship and cooperation with her neighbours. This includes Pakistan. I am prepared to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue with Pakistan in a peaceful atmosphere, without the shadow of terrorism, to promote our friendship and cooperation. However, Pakistan must also take its responsibility seriously to create an appropriate environment".

Urging all the countries to adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, he added, "Terrorism is taking new shape and new name. No country, big or small, in the north or the south, east or west, is free from its threat. Are we really making concerted international efforts to fight these forces, or are we still hobbed by our politics, our territory or use terrorism as instruments of their policy. We welcome efforts to combat terrorism's resurgence in West Asia, which is affecting countries near and far. The effort should involve the support of all countries in the region."

September 27, 2019 : While the late Sushma Swaraj who served as the External Affairs Minister from 2014 to 2019 represented India at the UNGA from 2015 to 2018, the PM again spoke during the general debate of the UNGA in 2019. Recalling India's august tradition of peace, he flagged terrorism as one of the biggest challenges to the entire world. On this occasion, he called for global unity against terrorism.

PM Modi asserted, "We belong to a country, that has given the world, not war, but Buddha's message of peace. And that is the reason why, our voice against terrorism, to alert the world about this evil, rings with seriousness and outrage. We believe that this is one of the biggest challenges, not for any single country, but for the entire world and humanity. The lack of unanimity amongst us on the issue of terrorism dents those very principles, that are the basis for the creation of the UN. And that is why, for the sake of humanity, I firmly believe, that it is absolutely imperative, that the world unites against terrorism, and that the world stands as one against terrorism."

September 26, 2020 : This time, PM Modi delivered a virtual speech owing to the raging COVID-19 pandemic that had grappled the world. Calling for a "serious introspection" of the UN's work, he said, "One could say that we have successfully avoided a third world war, but we cannot deny that there have been several wars and many civil wars. Several terrorist attacks shook the world and there has been bloodshed. The people who lost their lives in these wars and attacks were human beings, like you and me. Thousands of children, who would have otherwise enriched this world, left us prematurely. So many people lost their life savings and became homeless refugees".
The leaders of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) will hold their first-ever in-person meet in the United States on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join QUAD partners - US President Joe Biden, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for the meeting where they will discuss a series of issues including combating terrorism.

India plays a crucial part when it comes to addressing the anti-terrorism agenda. In his departure statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed that he will address the UNGA and talk about the need to combat terrorism. Moreover, in his recent speeches, PM Modi has highlighted the need to combat extremism. Even during his virtual address at the 21st Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, PM Modi spoke about Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover in August.

"SCO must develop a shared template to fight radicalization and extremism in Middle East," PM Modi had said during his SCO address

The above statement shows that India is willing to take a strong stand against terrorism. In addition, the Prime Minister also interacted with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday and discussed Afghanistan. Both leaders spoke about numerous issues like the moral and human rights of Afghans, especially the rights of women and minorities. PM Modi and President Macron also spoke about the possible spread of terrorism, narcotics, illicit weapons and human trafficking that will stem out of the Afghan crisis. Therefore, it is evident how India as a QUAD member will bring up similar issues for discussion.

'PM Modi and Joe Biden to discuss combating terrorism'

Ahead of his US visit, Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla informed that PM Modi and US President Joe Biden would discuss the need to "stem radicalism, extremism, cross-border terrorism and dismantling of global terrorist network". The development portrays India's position in the QUAD when it comes to addressing the issue of global terrorism. Even during the India-Australia two-plus-two dialogue, both QUAD members asserted that Afghanistan must not allow its soil to be used in any manner for terrorism and it should never again become a safe haven for "breeding and training" of terrorists, as the two countries held a detailed discussion on the situation in the war-torn country after its takeover by the Taliban.

The dialogue took place on September 11, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. India and Australia called for combating terrorism without any compromise. The meeting was chaired by India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne.

"Today is the 20th anniversary of 9/11. It is a reminder- if one is still needed- of the importance of combating terrorism without compromise," S Jaishankar had said during the meeting "Close as we are to its epicentre, let us appreciate the value of international cooperation," he said, apparently referring to Pakistan with India often describing it as the "epicentre" of terrorism.

On the other hand, Payne stated that Australia shares a very strong interest in ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a "safe haven for breeding or training of terrorists", noting that it is an abiding concern of the international community. "Along with the ongoing fight of terrorism, the future of Afghanistan remains a central concern to both of us," she said.

"Both of our countries have been victims of appaling terrorist attacks and this day, the 11th of September will be forever remembered for those terrible events 20 years ago when terrorism struck at the heart of our friend the United States, and by extension also a modern pluralist and democratic world," Payne said. "It is fitting that minister Dutton and I should be here on this anniversary with such an important democratic partner," she added.

Therefore, India's close engagement with its global allies, mainly its QUAD partners indicate how it is taking a stand against terrorism.

What is QUAD?

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue also known as the QUAD, was formed in 2007 by then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, with the support of US Vice President Dick Cheney along with then Australian PM John Howard and India's PM Manmohan Singh. However, with China issuing formal diplomatic protests, Australia during PM Kevin Rudds tenure withdrew from it due to the evolving tensions between the US and China. However, India, Japan, and the United States continued holding joint naval and military exercises. Thereafter, the QUAD was revived with Australia re-joining the alliance in order to counter China militarily and diplomatically in the South China Sea. China's misadventure in Ladakh while indulging in a faceoff with the Indian Army has also been criticised by the members as well as the global community. In 2021, the QUAD declared "a shared vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific", thus countering China's aggression in the region.

(With Inputs from PTI)

Image: AP/PTI
Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad on Wednesday, September 22 over the charges of religious conversion. The 64-year-old Islamic scholar is one of the biggest clerics from western UP whose name popped up during the investigation into the Umar Gautam case. He was nabbed in Meerut and is currently being interrogated by UP Police. He was on the radar of security agencies due to suspicious activities.

Addressing the press conference, Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar, informed, "Investigation shows Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui runs Jamia Imam Waliullah trust that funds several madrassas for which he received huge foreign funding. Investigation shows Maulana Kaleem Siddiquis trust received Rs 3 crores in foreign funding, including Rs 1.5 from Bahrain. Six teams of ATS have been formed to investigate this case".

UP ATS has arrested Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, in connection with India's largest religious conversion syndicate busted by the ATS. He runs Jamia Imam Waliullah trust that funds several madrassas for which he received huge foreign funding: Police pic.twitter.com/XxHIYhxJKx  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 22, 2021

While Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Delhis Okhla, Amanatullah Khan, who was participating in the Shaheen Bagh protests, termed the arrest atrocity on Muslims.

Expressing his anguish over the arrest, Amanatullah Khan tweeted, Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, a famous Islamic scholar, has been arrested before the elections in Uttar Pradesh. The atrocities on Muslims are increasing. The silence of secular parties on these issues is giving more strength to the BJP. BJP, how much will you fall to win the election?

Religious conversion case

Earlier in June, Umar Gautam along with eight others were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police for allegedly running a conversion racket. Following the arrest, the UP Police had informed that the racket involved the conversion of deaf children and women to Islam and more than 1,000 people were converted. Police statement further said that more than a dozen deaf and dumb children in Noida were also converted. The police said that during the interrogation, the arrested accused confessed to converting nearly 250 to 300 people every year.

Earlier in the press conference, UP ADG Prashant Kumar had said, "The deaf and dumb son of a couple living in Kalyanpur, Kanpur, was converted and sent to South India. Thousands of such cases have come to light. People were promised money and jobs in lieu of conversion."

(Image: PTI/@ANINEWSUP/TWITTER)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia on Wednesday praised the Yogi Adityanath-led UP government over the actions taken in relation to the religious conversion case. The BJP spokesperson, while speaking to the Republic Meida Network, termed the arrest as a strong message and hit out at the political parties and personnel for allegedly allowing such illegal actions to happen. Earlier in the day, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) confirmed the arrest of Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui over the charges of illegal religious conversions. He was nabbed in Meerut and is currently being interrogated by UP Police.

Reacting to the arrest of the Islamic scholar in relation to the conversion case, Gaurav Bhatia said that the UP government was sending a strong message in the matter. The message is strong and clear, no one is above the law and the Yogi Adityanath government is acting against the perpetrators. The BJP spokesperson went on to hit out at the opposition parties for not backing the UP government and police in such matters.

There is a very strong backing of political parties like the Samajwadi party and the Congress to appease a certain minority and I distinctly recollect how Akhilesh Yadav had said in the past that he doesnt trust the UP police regarding the arrests of some alleged terrorists. It is once again proven by the Yogi Adityanath government that the rule of law will prevail and nobody will be allowed to pressurise or illegally convert a citizen of our country, Bhatia said. He further reiterated that no one will be allowed to forcibly convert any individuals in the country and action will continue to be taken in the matter.

UP ATS arrests Islamic cleric Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui

The UP ATS on Wednesday arrested a cleric involved in India's 'largest' Religious Conversion Syndicate. UP ATS arrested Islamic scholar Maulana Kalim Siddiqui, a resident of Muzaffarnagar. Police officials informed that Siddiqui runs a trust named Jamia Imam Waliullah, which funds several madrassas.

Police officials said that the 64-year-old Islamic scholar received huge foreign funding to carry out the functioning of the trust. Following the arrest, Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said in a press conference that the investigation showed Maulana Kalim Siddiqui being involved in the work of illegal religious conversion.

ADG Prashant Kumar said that the investigation shows that Siddiqui's trust received Rs 3 crore in foreign funding including Rs 1.5 crore from Bahrain. Six ATS teams have been formed to investigate the matter. He further said that the conversions were being done organizationally in a planned manner while also stating that many other organizations were also involved in the case.

Religious conversion case

Earlier in June, Umar Gautam along with eight others were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police for allegedly running a conversion racket. Following the arrest, the UP Police had informed that the racket involved the conversion of deaf children and women to Islam and more than 1,000 people were converted. Police statement further said that more than a dozen deaf and dumb children in Noida were also converted. The police said that during the interrogation, the arrested accused confessed to converting nearly 250 to 300 people every year.

(Image: ANI)
Following the seizure of 3,000 kg heroin from Gujarat's Mundra post, Congress on Tuesday, September 22, has referred to the incident as a "serious issue" for India. Further stated that it is a "conspiracy" to push the youth into drug addiction and raises a lot of questions concerning the usage of money in fueling terrorism.

Speaking at a press conference, Congress national spokesperson Pawan Khera stated, "The drugs sent from Afghanistan to India via Iran port were found on Mundra port of Gujarat. It is a serious issue for India when you have a look at its price and amount. It is a conspiracy to throw our youth into drug addiction. The money made through the sales of these drugs in India is used to fuel terrorism against our nation. This issue is serious and raises a lot of questions."

He also questioned the Centre over not appointing the Director-General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for the last 18 months.

Pawan Khera said, "Why since the last few years, Gujarat has become the preferred route for drug traffickers? The drug traffickers are operating with ease under the nose of the government. The drugs were ordered by a party in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Why did they think it was easy to get drugs from Mundra Port, which is a private port owned by the Adani Group? I do not see any debates in media either. Otherwise, whenever drugs were caught within the film industry, all major issues of the country were sidelined and the entire film industry was slandered."

Gujarat's drug bust

Heroin was seized at Mundra Port in Gujarat on September 20 that was brought in from Iran and Afghanistan. The heroin was alleged to be taken to Delhi, after which it was to be taken to other states, especially, Punjab. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) conducted searches in several other cities like Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai Gandhidham, and Mandvi in Gujarat. DRI estimated the seized drugs to be worth around Rs 7 crore per Kg, which comes up to over Rs 20,000 crore worth of heroin  almost $2.5 Billion.

Along with two people from Vijaywada, a woman named Vaishali was picked up from Chennai for questioning. She was brought to Kutch in Gujarat for investigation. The woman had obtained an import and export license from the Director-General of Foreign Trade to help in smuggling heroin along with Talcum powder. An officer has also been sent to Delhi with the sample to get it tested for purity.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: PTI/ Republic World)
Dhruva Jaishankar, executive director of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) America, informed on Tuesday that there is growing bipartisan agreement in the United States on the challenges that China's development poses to the country in a variety of ways. The statement comes days after the UK, Australia, and the USA signed a new trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific, AUKUS.

Answering a question on whether AUKUS and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) are methods for the United States to harden its sentiments against China, Jaishankar said, "There is a great concern that China represents competition for the US, and that competition is going to be long term."

When asked a question on how India balances groups such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) headquartered in China and QUAD, Jaishankar said that each country looks out for its own interests and India is not alone in being a member of a variety of organisations. Even European countries and countries in Southeast Asia are members of numerous organisations, he added.

Quad Summit

After concerns were raised don't the possibility of AUKUS weakening the QUAD's strategic collaboration made up of India, the USA, Australia and Japan, relegating the quadrilateral grouping to dealing with matters like climate change and COVID-19 vaccinations, Washington stated that AUKUS would not interfere with bilateral or multilateral collaboration with New Delhi, such as the QUAD. It should be mentioned here that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day journey to the United States, where he will attend the first in-person QUAD Leaders' meeting.

The White House will host the QUAD Summit on September 24. Prime Minister Modi will be joined by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US Vice President Joe Biden. Jaishankar said that it's possible that some fresh announcements may be made and people will be on the lookout for information on climate change and bilateral meetings.

The leaders had resolved to create three working groups on vital and emerging technologies, vaccines and global public health and climate change at the inaugural virtual QUAD summit meeting in March. According to Dhruva Jaishankar, the leaders are expected to make breakthroughs in emerging technologies.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: ANI)
All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Riju Dutta on Wednesday raised the question of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's entry to the United States since he has taken COVID-19 vaccine- Covaxin which is not recognised for international travel. In his tweet, the TMC leader also demanded clarification from Minister of External Affairs (MEA) S Jaishankar. PM Modi on Wednesday left for a four-day visit to the US to participate in high-level meetings.

'Are rules applicable only to tax-paying citizens?' fumed the TMC leader.

How did PM @narendramodi get permission to land in US, when #COVAXIN is not recognised by them??

So will he be treated as unvaccinated??

Or is it that rules/quarantine/visa denials are only applicable for the tax paying citizens of India & not him??@DrSJaishankar clarify !! pic.twitter.com/J64iKl8YCu    (@DrRijuDutta_TMC) September 22, 2021

TMC MP Mahua Moitra lashes at Centre over no recognition to Covaxin

Before Riju Dutta, TMC leader Mahua Moitra had tweeted lashing out at the Centre over the lack of global recognition for Covaxin. The statement from Moitra came after UK refused to ease quarantine norms for Indian travellers vaccinated with two doses of WHO-approved Covishield, the local version of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. Though Bharat Biotech had submitted the data required for the WHO's approval for Covaxin on July 9, the UN health agency will take up the proposal for consideration on October 5. Dubbing it as a "huge failure" of India's soft power, Moitra urged PM Modi on Wednesday to initiate a dialogue with his counterparts from other countries to sort out issues regarding Covaxin.

Covaxin approval pending

Currently, Covaxin is only recognised in India, Estonia, Iran, the Philippines, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Guyana, Paraguay and Zimbabwe. The emergency use approval can be a gamechanger amid the COVID-19 crisis as it is likely to encourage countries to import the vaccine, facilitate its manufacturing abroad and ease global travel for those vaccinated with it. Bharat Biotech's India-made Covaxin's application for emergency use authorisation in the US was rejected by the US' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently.

After the rejection, Bharat Biotech's US partner Ocugen Inc had added that it would instead push for a full US approval of the indigenous vaccine candidate Covaxin, without pursuing an emergency use authorisation. Covaxin is a Whole Virion Inactivated Coronavirus Vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). While the phase 3 trials entailed 25,800 participants between 18-98 years of age including 10% over the age of 60, the analysis was conducted 14 days after administering the second dose of the vaccine. It has shown overall 77.8% efficacy and 93.4% efficacy against severe COVID-19 disease as per the final results.
Germany in May had officially acknowledged committing genocide in South African nation Namibia during its Colonia era occupation, and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had vowed financial aid worth more than $1.34bn [1.1bn (940m] as he had asked Namibians for forgiveness on behalf of Berlin. On Tuesday, as the ruling SWAPO Party of Namibia pushed for a joint agreement with Germany over its apology for genocide on Nama and Herero community, the Namibian parliament resumed a debate over the genocide deal with the opposition lawmakers, who mostly disregarded the deal.

This, however, on 21 September has caused widespread protests and angst outside parliament with 400-strong Namibians, majorly opposition party supporters, chanting slogans against the ruling government this week. The on-ground reports suggested Tuesday that the Nambian demonstrators were collectively rejecting the deal as insufficient as they demanded more than just an apology and the financial compensation [$1.3bn] that Berlin was offering.

Placards held by the Namibians dissented the SWAPO and Germany labelling the deal as fake and asserting that the ancestors, a century ago, did not shed blood in vain as they dismissed Germanys offer to pay $1bn without actually consulting the family lines of the victims.

In the footages that emerged, infuriated demonstrates stormed the parliament building in the Namibian capital Windhoek amid the debates that were earlier suspended as Namibia battled a devastating surge of novel COVID-19 pandemic. National Assembly, however, agreed to Berlin's offer in May, after the German Foreign Ministers acknowledgement that the EU country was responsible for the 1904 and 1908 genocide, as he promised to pay development aid spread over 30 years, according to the Namibian press reports.

Namibian leader 'hails' apology, Germany says financial aid 'not reparation'

While Namibian President Hage Geingob hailed Berlin for an apology, labelling it "a step in the right direction", opposition lawmakers were angered about Germanys remarks that any payment to Namibia should not be considered reparations in a legal sense, Berlin broadcaster DW reported, adding that Germany has said explicitly. This triggered Namibians who now believe that Germany does not want to take accountability for the actions of its military that wiped out the Herero and Nama community.

Several activists and non-profits including the Council of Chiefs for Nama and Herero have questioned Geingobs ruling party for going ahead with the deal and negotiating, a decision that they said excluded the impacted community members. Namibian Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, however, rejected those claims. Several protesters marched in a rally to hand over a petition to the Namibian parliament to halt the genocide agreement. "Deputy Speaker receives a petition opposing Germany's reparations offer," Parliament of the Republic of Namibia wrote on its official Facebook handle.

Controversy over 'Defence minister' tabling deal with a foreign country

The opposition also accused the Cabinet of failing procedurally and unilaterally tabling the joint genocide draft declaration by allowing the minister of defence and veterans affairs Frans Kapofi to bring the motion to the National Assembly (NA). Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani questioned why the Namibian government asked Kapofi, a defence minister, to bring a pact of a foreign country into the parliament. "This is a bilateral agreement between two foreign countries. Where does the minister of defence have the right to table something related to our foreign relations? Not the prime minister, not the deputy prime minister, but the minister of defence?" Venaani was quoted asking by the Namibian press as the controversy swelled.
Sudanese Security and Defence Council have ordered the arrest of Major General Abdul-Baqi Hassan Osman following a major failed attempt to overthrow the country's transitional government. The coup was linked with ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his loyalists. As per reports, about 21 officers and dozen other soldiers were detained in connection with the coup. Non-commissioned officials and civilians who remained loyal to the former leader were also taken in by the Sudanese Forces.



The decision to arrest Osman was taken at an emergency council meeting convened by Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. The council discussed the security situation in Sudan following the thwarted coup attempt. "Initial investigation indicated that the coup attempt aimed to seize power and undermine the current transitional period," said Yassin Ibrahim Yassin, Defence Minister of Sudan in a statement as per Xinhua.

Sudan foiled coup attempt

The Sudanese coup d'etat was attempted to be carried out on 21 September by sympathisers of the ousted autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir. At least 40 persons were linked to the coup attempt. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok referred to the coup as the "latest manifestation of national crisis."

During a televised interview, Hamdok shed light on the details of the "extensive preparations" made by the plotters. He said, "The plotters showcased...security breakdown in cities... blocking of national roads, closure of ports and persistent instigation against the civilian government." The attempted revolt apparently began in one of the South Khartoum military camps.

As reported by Al Jazeera, the Sudanese authorities were tipped off about the security breach much before the plotters executed their plans, this helped the government to prepare and respond effectively. The announcement of the coup being successfully foiled was made by Sudan's information minister Hamza Baloul. He also informed about the restoration of order and subsequent arrests of the "perpetrators," including 11 prominent officers.

Sudanese Army commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan later visited the camp. During an interview with the local media, he spoke about the "devastating consequences" of the putsch on the country's army and unity. Meanwhile, anti-coup demonstrations broke out across Sudan to display solidarity with the incumbent government. State televisions also played patriotic songs in order to urge people to remain solid against the offenders.

(Representative Image: AP)
United Nations has disbursed funds worth US$8.5 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help Niger tackle floods, a cholera outbreak, and internal displacements. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffith. As per a statement released by the United Nations Office for the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the funds will help provide healthcare, water, and sanitation, hygiene, shelter, non-food items, protection and education support to more than 7,20,000 people.

The allocated funds also include rapid assistance to more than 81,600 people, OCHA mentioned. The communities to be benefited from the fund are mostly displaced and returnees groups. The people were reportedly from Diffa, Maradi, Tahoua and Tillaberi.

The projects planned under the UN CERF will be implemented by UN Agencies, namely UNICEF, World Health Organisation (WHO), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and UN Refugee Agency for Refugees (UNHCR).

Niger's Cholera outbreak

Since mid-August, Niger has been facing a cholera outbreak due to floods caused by heavy rains. More than 800 cases were initially recorded, most of which were from the village of Gabagoura in the capital city of Niamey. As many as 149 Cholera-related deaths have been reported so far. On August 9, the Minister of Public Health of Niger officially declared the Niger hit by the Cholera epidemic.

As per a report by OCHA, six regions, including Maradi, Zonder, Tahoua, and Dosso recorded maximum cases of Cholera. Children between 5 and 14 are the most affected age group and the overall case fatality rate is 3.3%, more than double that of COVID-19s 1.3% case fatality rate in Nigeria, AP reported. Meanwhile, Niger also faces a resurgence of the COVID-19 delta variant cases with less than 1% of the population fully vaccinated.

The confirmation of cholera was done by the National Reference Laboratory (CERMES) which identified Vibrio cholerae 01 Ogawa for all cases recorded between July 13 and July 26 2021 in Magaria and Damagaram Takaya in the region of Zinder as well as those registered on 06 August in the region of Maradi. As of September 18, more than 4,600 people have been affected due to the cholera outbreak since August 9 2021.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Tuesday called on Libyas House of Representatives (HoR) to focus on preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections. In a statement, the UNSMIL informed that it received reports that the HoR has passed a no-confidence motion against the Government of National Unity (GNU).

It added that the UN Support Mission expects that the efforts of the HoR would focus on finalising the parliamentary elections law and that the leadership of the HoR would advance efforts to build broad consensus on the merging electoral legislative framework.

UNSMIL statement comes after the Libyan parliament announced the withdrawal of confidence from the GNU and kept it as a caretaker government. Following the announcement, the UN mission urged the Libyan parliament to complete the work on the parliamentary elections law by next week. It also went on to confirm GNU as the legitimate government up until it is replaced through a regular process.

The mission confirms that the current GNU remains the legitimate government up until it is replaced by another government through a regular process, following the elections. Its focus remains to bring the country towards the parliamentary and presidential elections on December 24, 2021, and providing the necessary services to the people," UNSMIL said.

Libya's political crisis

On Tuesday, the majority of parliament in Libya had voted to withdraw confidence from the Tripoli-based administration of interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah. This came amid growing tensions between Dbeibahs administration and the HoR, three months in advance of planned national elections. Earlier this month, the parliament had held a session to question Dbeibah over financial and administrative violations, which the interim PM had denied as his governments budget wasnt approved by the parliament.

Dbeibahs administration took office in February with a mandate to guide Libya to elections on December 24. This came after an October 2020 ceasefire between the Libyan forces and Haftar, who had waged a year-long assault on the capital that left thousands dead. The GNU was selected by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), ending years of political division in the North African nation.

(With inputs from ANI)
Amid growing anti-China sentiment across the globe, while some nations are showcasing a united front to tackle its growing assertiveness, others, not so much. With an array of global challenges emerging from all corners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to travel to the United States on Wednesday. He will not only reiterate the strong partnership between the US and India in his bilateral summit with US President Joe Biden but would also participate in the first-ever in-person leaders summit of the QUAD leaders, an alliance that has already angered China previously.

Ever since Biden took over the US presidency, he embarked on a strategic path to counter China and its increasing global influence. From stirring support among allies to joining blocs that display the strength of countries in the face of Beijing, his administrations agenda is fairly clear when it comes to the Communist nation. Several nations have raised their voices against China regarding its repression of Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, and claim on Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Most recently, the US announced a defence strategic pact with UK and Australia angering China, yet again. However, notably, this time the trilateral alliance called AUKUS drew severe backlash from France with Paris recalling its envoys from the US and Australia. Chinas embassy in the US called out Washington, London and Canberra of Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice. Meanwhile, European nations are also mulling to develop deep Indo-pacific ties amid China concerns. Even Japan, which has avoided any direct remarks against China has revamped its policy recently.

Heres all about anti-China pacts:

AUKUS

Signalling a major paradigm shift in the strategy and policy across the region, the new security partnership in the Asia-Pacific called AUKUS was unveiled this month among the US, UK and Australia. One of the most significant features of this alliance is that it will witness the UK and the US provide Australia with both the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.

As per BBC, even though American officials have said that AUKUS has nothing to do with China, experts have noted the shift in strategy. Further, the US introduced the trilateral pact just a month after it withdrew from Afghanistan. Similarly, UK was also eager to elevate its involvement in Asia-Pacific after it left the 27-nation-bloc, the European Union (EU). Meanwhile, Australia, which has previously batted for an independent inquiry of COVID-19 origin in China, has become increasingly concerned with Beijings influence.

Guy Boekenstein, senior director of defence and national security at Australia's Northern Territory government told BBC, It is a 'big deal' because this shows that all three nations are drawing a line in the sand to start and counter the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) aggressive moves in the Indo-Pacific. Earlier, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that China was "embarking on one of the biggest military spends in history".

"It is growing its navy [and] air force at a huge rate. Obviously, it is engaged in some disputed areas," Wallace has reportedly said. "Our partners in those regions want to be able to stand their own ground." According to analysts, AUKUS can be the most significant security arrangement between the three nations since World War II.

"This is a historic opportunity for the three nations, with like-minded allies and partners, to protect shared values and promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," the joint statement of US, UK and Australia read.

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD)

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) was initially created as an informal alliance to collaborate on disaster relief efforts. In 2007, the then Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe formalised the alliance to establish an Asian Arc of Democracy. However, it was stalled due to a lack of cohesion among the members and the accusations that the group was an anti-China bloc.

However, when Chinas threat emerged again in 2017, the four nations including India, Japan, Australia and the United States affirmed their stance on the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD). The first QUAD leaders summit will take place on September 24 after the four leaders met virtually last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic and showcased unity. Notably, instead of creating policies aligned with the EU or the UN, the QUAD mainly focuses on the expansion of existing agreements between several nations and highlighting their shared values.

QUAD nations said in a statement following their first summit last year, We have convened to reaffirm our commitment to quadrilateral cooperation between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. We bring diverse perspectives and are united in a shared vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific. We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion.

Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC)

A group of senior lawmakers from eight democracies including the US launched a fresh cross-parliamentary alliance last year to counter Chinas influence and its challenges. Called the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), it was launched on June 4, 2020. The group has said that it aims to construct appropriate and coordinated responses, and to help craft a proactive and strategic approach on issues related to the Peoples Republic of China.

The co-chairs of the group include US Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democrat Bob Menendez, former Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani, European Parliament foreign affairs committee member Miriam Lexmann along with UK Conservative lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith.

As per the official website of Inter-parliamentary Alliance on China, IPACs mission is to foster deeper collaboration between like-minded legislators. Its principal work is to monitor relevant developments, to assist legislators to construct appropriate and coordinated responses, and to help craft a proactive and strategic approach on issues related to the Peoples Republic of China.

"The Chinese party-state aims to control not just outsiders deeds, but their words. When that works, it is chillingly effective."



An international cross-party alliance of lawmakers is supporting Lithuania and Taiwan | CEPA Fellow @edwardlucas on #IPAChttps://t.co/pKepH2tjfP  Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (@ipacglobal) September 16, 2021

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

The Trans-Pacific Partnership or Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement was the centrepiece of former US President Barack Obamas strategic pivot to Asia. It was a proposed trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States and was signed on February 4, 2016.

However, ex-US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the pact in 2017, on his first full day in the office. Before Trump abandoned TPP, it was on its way to becoming the worlds largest free trade deal and covered at least 40 per cent of the global economy. With the US on the sidelines, the remaining TPP countries forged ahead with a new version of the pact as Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Just this month, China applied to join the pact which put more pressure on the US. However, Biden has said he does not support the United States rejoining the TPP as it stands. At the time, when Obama joined the alliance, it was to ensure that the US and not countries like China, is the one writing this centurys rules for the worlds economy, as per Council on Foreign relations report. Now, after the US unveiled AUKUS, China expressed its willingness to join the pact which was made to counter Beijing.

Five Eyes alliance

Signed between the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the Five Eyes alliance is an intelligence-sharing arrangement between the democracies. It had initially evolved during the Cold War as a way to monitor the Soviet Union and shared classified intelligence. As per BBC, this alliance is also described as the worlds most successful intelligence alliance.

The five-eyes nations have previously jointly condemned China and its treatment of the ethnic Muslim minority of Uyghurs along with Chinas de factor military taking over the South China Sea, and suppression in Hong Kong and intimidating Taiwan. Even Chinese state media attempted to delegitimise the alliance as an anti-China grouping. Chinas Foreign Ministry officials have repeatedly attacked its members.

Image: AP
Chinese President Xi Jinping joined the world leaders as they addressed the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In a pre-recorded message to the leaders at the UNGA in New York, Jinping spoke about several issues while calling for disputes to be handled through 'dialogue and cooperation'. The Chinese leader's remarks came hours after US President Joe Biden stated that he did not intend to start a 'new Cold War' with China. Even so, Xi Jinping did take a subtle dig at the United States.

In an apparent reference to the events in Afghanistan, Xi Jinping during his speech criticised the countries, that meddle in the affairs of other countries. Jinping's remarks were also aimed at Washington as the US and China are engaged in a tussle pertaining to several issues.

Recent developments in the global situation show once again that military intervention from the outside and so-called democratic transformation entail nothing but harm," said Xi Jinping.

Ahead of the opening, UN Chief Antonio Guterres warned that the world could be plunged into a new and probably more dangerous Cold War unless the United States and China repair their totally dysfunctional relationship.

The U.N. chief said in an interview to The Associated Press that Washington and Beijing should be cooperating on the climate crisis and negotiating on trade and technology, but unfortunately, today we only have confrontation including over human rights and geostrategic problems mainly in the South China Sea.

'Not seeking a new Cold War': US President Joe Biden

Earlier, United States President Joe Biden during his address at the UNGA declared that he is not seeking a 'new Cold War'. Biden did not name China directly, but his statement comes amid the rising tensions between the two countries. The US President also added that the country is not seeking a 'world divided into rigid blocs'. Moreover, he referred to Afghanistan and said that his decision to end America's longest war has set the table for his administration to shift U.S. attention to intensive diplomacy.
Denmark on Monday, 20 Spetember received a consignment of Sinopharm developed COVID-19 vaccines as a part of China's donation for United Nations Peacekeeping personnel. Earlier in May, Chinese President Xi Jinping-led administration had pledged 300,000 vaccine doses to the peacekeeping forces, with priorities given to those fighting in Africa. "China attaches great importance to the safety and security of peacekeepers and the donation is a further step to make Chinas vaccines a global public good, and also a demonstration of Chinas firm and continuous support to the UN and multilateralism, Chinese mission had said back in May.

Notably, the donation handover ceremony between both the parties was held virtually last Friday. During the ceremony, Zhang Maoyu, deputy head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, reiterated that the soldiers in Africa would be prioritised. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the country has already delivered around 80 million vaccine doses to more than 100 nations, mostly developing, since August.

Earlier this year, India received acolodates for sending a consignment of COVID-19 vaccine doses to Denmark that will be administered to UN peacekeeping personnel. Indian Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar took to Twitter to inform about the delivery of Made-in-India vaccine doses to UN peacekeeping forces. India has delivered COVID-19 vaccine doses to several countries in the last few days, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, and the Maldives.

Africa accelerates COVID-19 vaccination

This comes as experts, last week, said at a webinar on 'Accelerating COVID Vaccinations in Africa' that well-off countries should abandon vaccine nationalism, as it is leading to supply shortages and hindering attempts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the continent, reported Xinhua News Agency. The Brookings Institution, a Washington-based organisation, convened the webinar. Notably, vaccine nationalism arises when governments get into arrangements with pharmaceutical companies to give vaccines to their own populations before they are available to other countries. Speaking at the event, the African Union's special envoy for the African Medicines Agency, Michel Sidibe, emphasised that wealthier countries must cease hoarding vaccines, which has been unhelpful to the pandemic fight. Sidibe pointed out that Africa's fight against the pandemic has been hampered by vaccine nationalism and also stressed the importance of vaccine equity in preventing the emergence of new coronavirus strains, accelerating recovery, and bolstering the resilience of Africa's public health institutions.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)
Ana-Maria Trasnea was 13 when she immigrated from Romania to Germany because her mother, a single working Mum, was convinced that she would have a better future there.

At age 27, she is now running for a seat in parliament in Sunday's election.

"It was hard in Germany in the beginning," Trasnea said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But I was ambitious and realized that this was an opportunity for me, so I decided to do whatever I can to get respect and integrate."

Trasnea, who is running for the center-left Social Democrats, is one of hundreds of candidates with immigrant roots who are campaigning to get a seat in Germany's lower house of parliament, or Bundestag.

While the number who hold political office still doesn't reflect their overall percentage of the population, the country's growing ethnic diversity is increasingly visible in politics.

In Germany's current parliament, 8.2 %, or 58 of 709 lawmakers, have immigrant roots.

The 2013-2017 parliament had only 5.9%, or 37 out of 631 lawmakers, according to Mediendienst Integration, an organization that tracks migrant issues in Germany.

Of the 6,227 candidates running for parliament this time, 537 have immigrant roots, says Julia Schulte-Cloos, a political scientist from Munich's LMU university who specializes in political behavior and discrimination against minorities in Germany and Europe.

Schulte-Cloos identified the origin of the candidates based on their names by using artificial intelligence.

In her research she also shows that the share of Bundestag candidates with immigrant roots has continuously gone up since 2005.

However, even though the number of those who make it into the parliament is expected to rise again this time around, it will still fall short of 26%.

That's the amount of Germany's population who have, as the official definition says, a "migrant background."

Germany defines that as a person who was either born abroad or has at least one parent who was born abroad.

In Berlin, where around 35 percent of inhabitants have foreign roots, immigrant candidates for Bundestag can be found in many parties.

Across the city from Trasnea's Koepenick-Treptow district, Joe Chialo, 51, whose parents were from Tanzania, is competing for a seat for outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats in the Spandau neighborhood.

Hakan Demir, 31, whose grandfather immigrated from Turkey 50 years ago, is trying to become the Social Democrats' new lawmaker for the Neukoelln neighborhood, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Germany.

Plenty of others are running outside Berlin.

Ezgi Guyildar, 35, the daughter of Kurdish refugees from Turkey who has just finished her law studies, is a candidate with the hard-left Left Party in the western city of Essen.

Their motivations to run for office are as diverse as they are.

They range from wanting to battle global warming and modernizing Germany's lagging digitization to seeking more rights for women and families, raising the minimum wage, and improving the status of migrants.

All four candidates, who are seeking a seat in national parliament for the first time, told the AP in interviews that they sometimes experienced discrimination and racism, especially as children.

But they also stressed their gratitude to their parents or grandparents for coming to Germany and said they appreciated the education they received, leading to opportunities they probably would not have had otherwise.

Chialo, a music industry manager tapped by Merkel's would-be successor, Armin Laschet, as a member of a team of advisers, is the son of Tanzanian diplomats.

He was born in the western German city of Bonn and raised in boarding schools in Germany after his parents moved on to other diplomatic duties outside the country.

"In the beginning my brother and I were the only two black kids at a school with 1,000 students," remembers Chialo. "The sentence, 'oh look, there's a Negro,' tells you how unusual we and also many other black people of my age were at the time in Germany."

Trasnea, who works for Berlin's city education department, won't forget how other teenagers in high school threw stones at her and accused her of coming to Germany only so she could collect welfare.

Guyildar remembers how the German kids reported her and other children talking to each other in Turkish in the school yard, which was not allowed.

Demir is still embarrassed today when he remembers how he lied to his schoolmates, who came from academic families, telling them his father was a chemical technician because he was ashamed of him being an untrained worker at a chemical company.

Only today, as an adult, Demir sees the many advantages of his background, especially when it comes to politics.

"People from more than 150 nations live in this district, it's a great mix and very diverse," Demir, who previously worked for another Social Democratic immigrant lawmaker in parliament, Karamba Diaby, said of his electoral district of Neukoelln.

"Of course, when I notice somebody wants to speak Turkish, I do that and that right away creates a kind of intimacy which is important during the election campaign. It makes people feel involved."

Berlin and cities in western and southwestern Germany, in particular, have big immigrant communities because more than 60 years ago, West Germany started recruiting "guest workers" from Turkey, Italy, Greece and later Morocco, to help the country advance economically, working in coal mining, steel production or the automobile industry.

Many, who initially came for only to work temporarily, decided to stay and bring their families as well.

In the following decades, people from Russia or Kazakhstan who could claim German ancestry, refugees fleeing the civil war in Lebanon, Jews from the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europeans who were taking advantage of the freedom to move within the European Union, as well more than one million people seeking refuges from countries including Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan followed between 2005-16.

Despite the fact that Germany has become a country of immigration, only those who have German citizenship are allowed to vote in Sunday's election.

About 7.4 million migrants above the voting age of 18 have German passports, according to 2019 figures from the Federal Statistical Office. Many of them, however, don't vote and are therefore who are also underrepresented in the electorate. More than half, around 8.7 million adults living permanently in Germany, can't vote because they don't have German citizenship.

Germany doesn't as a rule allow dual citizenship, except for nationals of other European Union countries and Switzerland. That's a dilemma for many first generation immigrants who still have close ties to their old home countries and don't want to give up the old passport in exchange for a German one - for emotional reasons or for fear that it could mean losing rights to inheritance or property in their countries of their origin.

Sometimes, however, the lack of a German passport isn't the only barrier to running for office or even voting. First-generation immigrants, in particular, are often more focused on politics in their old home countries.

"There's sometimes this barrier caused by discrimination or also by closed migrant societies here, in which the parents or grandparents are more interested in what's happening in the home countries than in the current politics here," says Canan Bayram, 55, a German-Kurdish lawmaker and lawyer who was elected to the Bundestag in 2017, for the Green party.

However, role models like the immigrant politicians running for office will change and improve that situation soon, Bayram believes.

"I think it is only another small step, and in 10 years we won't even talk about these topics that intensively anymore because the new generation now is clearly forward looking and has found their center of life in Germany."

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
On Wednesday, A spokesperson of the Elysee (official residence of the French President) said that France's plan for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has not changed amid the submarine deal between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. She further informed that as per the plan, French foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian will represent the country at the UNGA, reported CNN. Earlier, the French government had claimed that Australia deceived it by pulling out of a multibillion-dollar defence pact and instead chose to procure nuclear-powered submarines from the United States and the United Kingdom through a new deal. On Friday, September 17, France slammed the US, the UK, and Australia for forming a new Indo-Pacific security alliance, accusing the allies of a "stab in the back." The "AUKUS" collaboration was announced a day earlier by Washington, Canberra, and London, with Australia abandoning a $40 billion French-designed submarine deal with Paris for the purchase of advanced US nuclear-powered submarines.

A CNN report stated that Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday, September 19, said that Canberra cancelled the deal because the conventional submarines it ordered from France would not have helped in achieving its strategic goals. It should be mentioned here that France had also recalled its ambassadors from Canberra and Washington after Australia withdrew out of a multi-billion dollar deal to acquire French submarines. Meanwhile, France's European Union partners decided on Tuesday to put the country's simmering conflict over the AUKUS deal at the top of the bloc's political agenda, including at an EU summit which is scheduled next month, reported The Associated Press (AP).

EU calls for strengthening its strategic autonomy

Maros Sefcovic, European Commission Vice-President, stated that the chaotic US troop pullout from Afghanistan as well as the surprise Australian security arrangement involving the US are indicators that the European Union's 27-nation bloc needs to "focus more on its strategic autonomy." Meanwhile, Clement Beaune, France's European Affairs Minister, said that he would push other EU countries to consider delaying the bloc's trade talks with Australia, which have been ongoing since 2018, according to The AP. Following the catastrophe at Kabul airport with the US pullout, Europeans see the previously announced security pact as the second time in weeks that President Joe Biden has focused on an "America First" policy, similar in substance to his predecessor Donald Trump. It is pertinent to mention here that on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, EU Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with the Australian Prime Minister on Tuesday, reported AP.

Image: AP
Lithuania's president told the UN General Assembly that Belarus' grounding of a Ryanair flight earlier this year "should be treated as an act of state-sponsored terrorism."

President Gitanas Nauseda delivered a list of grievances to world leaders on Tuesday about Lithuania's neighbor to the east, and its authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

He said the actions by Lukashenko might also have an impact on "international security."

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The Kosovo-Serbia border was blocked again Tuesday by ethnic Kosovo Serbs protesting against a decision by Kosovo authorities to start removing Serbian license plates from cars entering the country.

The traffic chaos raised fears that it may unleash far deeper tensions between the two Balkan neighbors.

Serbia doesn't recognize its former province of Kosovo as a separate nation and considers their mutual border only as an "administrative" and temporary boundary.

Trucks have blocked the road to the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossing where small groups of Serbs spent the night in tents.

An Associated Press photographer wasn't let onto the road by car but other people crossed the border on foot.

Tensions soared Monday when Kosovo special police with armored vehicles were sent to the border to impose a rule temporarily replacing Serb license plates on cars while they drive in Kosovo.

It's a minor annoyance for drivers with a big symbolic impact.

Kosovo authorities say they are only copying a programme by Serbian police, who have for years been taking off registration plates from Kosovo-registered cars entering Serbia.

Drivers then need to pay five euros for a temporary two month license plate.

Kosovo authorities said a 2016 deal with Serbia reached in European Union-mediated talks had expired and only proper Kosovo symbols are now valid.

In an interview with the Associated Press Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said that the deal was first signed in 2011 and renewed in 2016, but expired Sept. 15 2021.

He assured that Serb citizens in Kosovo "should not fear state institutions, police."

Hundreds of Kosovo Serbs drove to the border in their cars and trucks, blocking roads leading to the crossing points.

Kosovo police on Monday fired tear gas at the protesters, but they continued to block the road.

Serbia's populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, described Kosovo's car plates decision as a "criminal action" after a meeting Tuesday of the top Serbian state security body and insisted that Kosovo special police withdraw from the Serb-dominated north.

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France's European Union partners agreed on Tuesday to put the country's festering dispute over a major Indo-Pacific defense deal between the US, Australia and Britain, at the top of bloc's political agenda, including at an EU summit next month.

The Indo-Pacific security pact known as AUKUS will see Australia cancel a multi-billion-dollar contract to buy diesel-electric French submarines and acquire US nuclear-powered vessels instead.

The French government is suggesting it was betrayed by the deal.

At a news conference in Brussels, Slovenian Foreign Affairs State Secretary Gasper Dovzan said that the issue "raised interest" and will "occupy" members of the bloc for "the months to come."

EU leaders are set to meet in Slovenia on October 6 and again in Brussels on 21-22 October.

Speaking alongside Dovzan, European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said it was important for the EU to "focus more" on its "strategic autonomy" following the trilateral agreement.

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Hodaya Monsonego, a 24-year-old Israeli woman, who has been held in Peru for two years over suspicion of attempted drug smuggling will be permitted to return to Israel on Friday, according to a television broadcast on Tuesday. She was arrested in Lima in 2019 for allegedly assisting in the importation of a large amount of cocaine from Peru to Israel. She was imprisoned for a year in Lima, according to Channel 12.

Monsonego's family claims that she is intellectually handicapped and was most likely exploited by a friend and the friend's former brother-in-law, who is said to be the operation's mastermind. Monsonego's friend, identified as Smadar Zohar, invited her on a trip overseas and paid for her airfare, according to the family.

Local police officials tracked accused persons since their arrival in Peru

The investigation says that Monsonego never travelled to the United States, although believing that was their objective. Monsonego, Zohar and her nephews travelled from Madrid to Lima, where they remained in a hostel for a few days before returning to the airport, presumably to return to Israel. Local police officials, who had been following them since they landed in Peru, apprehended them after discovering a huge amount of cocaine in their baggage. Monsonego and Zohar were both jailed, and the children were returned to Israel to their parents. Monsonego's siblings claimed she was easily swayed and was frequently exploited by people owing to her cognitive handicap.

Yoni Mellul, Zohar's former brother-in-law is said to be the man behind the smuggling operation, as per the Channel 12 investigation. Mellul approached Zohar and requested her to come to Peru to bring back some luggage, according to a criminal indictment eventually brought against him in Israel. To prevent suspicion, he recommended bringing a friend and be escorted by his children. Mellul allegedly paid for the entire trip and oversaw the operation from Israel.

Zohar was supposed to fly back to Israel, containing around 20kg of cocaine in the suitcases. Mellul has pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him. Monsonego's sister launched a social media campaign in Israel to raise awareness about their sister's condition, generate donations and put pressure on Israeli authorities to gain her release.

(Image: Twitter/@yairlapid)
In the first address to the United Nations (UN) on September 21 (local time), Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi not only slammed the US sanctions as a mechanism of war but also denounced Israel as the largest sponsor of state terrorism, whose agenda is to slaughter women and children in Gaza and the West Bank. The Conservative Iranian President delivered a far more critical and blunt stance on the United States foreign policy than his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani. As per The Associated Press report, Raisis speech to the 76th UN General Assembly session espoused Irans Islamic political identity and where the Shiite-led nation views itself globally.

Raisi said, Sanctions are the U.S. new way of war with the nations of the world while also added that such economic punishments amid the COVID-19 pandemic amount to crimes against humanity. Notably, the sanctions imposed by the US on Iran have made international purchases of medicine and equipment challenging for Tehran even though humanitarian aid is still allowed. Iran has witnessed multiple waves of coronavirus infections and has registered 118,000 casualties, the highest in the region.

What is seen in our region today proves that not only the hegemonist and the idea of hegemony, but also the project of imposing Westernized identity, have failed miserably, Raisi said.

Today, the US does not get to exit Iraq and Afghanistan but is expelled, he added while referring to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and its significant reduction of soldiers from Iraq. Addressing former US President Donald Trump and Bidens slogans, he also said, "Today, the world doesn't care about 'America First' or 'America is Back.'"

Raisi denounced the blockade of the Gaza Strip

Apart from slamming Israel by saying, The occupier Zionist regime is the organizer of the biggest state terrorism, whose agenda is to slaughter women and children, he also denounced the blockade of the Gaza Strip. However, Israel has said that the restriction was required in a bid to prevent arms from reaching Palestinian terror groups in the coastal enclave. Raisi said, An all-out blockade has turned Gaza into the biggest prison in the world. Referring to the Trump administrations peace proposal of Israel and Palestine, the Iranian President said that the deal of the century failed.

IMAGE: AP


Pakistan Air Forces (PAF) trainer jet crashed in the countrys Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, reported news agency ANI citing local media reports on September 22. Reportedly, a PAF spokesperson said that the jet was on a training mission when it crashed near KP provinces Mardan district. A committee has been constituted to determine the cause behind the Wednesday incident. PAF did not specify the condition of the pilot.

In a separate incident, a Pakistan Air Force trainer aircraft had crashed near Punjab Provinces Attock city in July during a training session. At the time, a PAF statement had said that a board of inquiry was ordered to investigate the entire incident. Back in September 2020, another PAF trainer aircraft had crashed in the Attock district during a routine exercise. Last year in February, a PAF Mirage aircraft also crashed near Shorkot in Punjab province while performing a routine operational training session.

Argentina plans to buy Pakistan's Thunder fighter jets

Meanwhile, as per a report by Daily Pakistan, Argentina is planning to purchase 12 JF-17 Thunder aircraft from Pakistan. The news was initially revealed by Pakistan Strategic Forum on Twitter noting that the South American country was officially included $664 million in funding for buying fighter jets in a draft budget for 2022 presented to its Parliament. The forum said in a tweet, The 12 JF-17s will include 10 single seater Block IIIs and 2 dual seat Block IIIs.

The PAC JF-17A Block III is a supersonic, multirole 4+ generation fighter aircraft able to perform combat air patrol, air interdiction, beyond visual range integrated battle, long range maritime strikes, standoff range precision ground strikes, anti radiation SEAD/DEAD missions and electronic warfare, it added. The JF-17 Thunder has been jointly built by Pakistan and Chinas Chengdu Aircraft Corporation.

Argentinas jet deal with Pakistan came after the UK reportedly blocked the South Korean fighter jets to Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, Argentina has also sought to buy Sweden's JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets back in 2015 but that deal collapsed amid pressure from Britain.

(With inputs from ANI)

IMAGE: @DGPR_PAF/Twitter
Ever since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the issue has taken centre stage on the international agenda. In a latest development, special representatives of Pakistan, Russia and China agreed with the Taliban to maintain contact. According to a report by news agency ANI that cited the Russian Foreign Ministry, an agreement was made to maintain contact in the interests of Afghanistan's peace and prosperity.

Russia had maintained its special representative in Afghanitsan's presence on the ground in Kabul through the city's takeover, even as other countries rushed to evacuate their citizens and allies. The Russian government had refused to attend the installation of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also insisting that the Taliban fields an inclusive government. The Taliban has not done so, appointing only men into positions of power and responsibility. Considering the situation of refugees in Afghanistan, in a meeting held on September 12, Foreign Ministers of both Russia and Qatar met to discuss the ongoing crisis.

The Qatar minister in the briefing termed the development in Afghanistan as "very, very grievous". Meanwhile, the Russian diplomat said that those Afghans who were reaching European countries "uninvited" have no option but to live as refugees for the rest of their lives.

"We highlighted the need to resolve this puzzle at the earliest. To do this, it is essential to employ the abilities of all the countries concerned, first of all, those whose policies in Afghanistan have resulted in this sad turning of events," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Ariana news.

The special representatives of Pakistan, Russia and China agreed with the Taliban to maintain contact to ensure regional stability and development and for Afghanistan's peace and prosperity, reported ANI citing Sputnik News. Furthermore, the Taliban stressed that their focus was to promote relations with China, Russia and Pakistan. Meanwhile, India, the United States and most other democratic countries around the world have not yet recognised the new Taliban government. The new development comes as the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) began on September 21.

The Emir of Qatar on Tuesday September 21, urged the world leaders to remain engaged with the Taliban, which took over Afghanistan last month. While addressing the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stressed the necessity of continuing dialogue with the Taliban in the war-torn country. Qatar has been playing a pivotal role in Afghanistan ever since the Taliban managed to capture Afghanistan. Following the Taliban takeover, Qatar has even facilitated evacuations of foreigners after the last batch of US troops left the war-ravaged nation.

The Taliban on Tuesday, September 21, nominated its Doha, Qatar office spokesperson Suhail Shaheen as an ambassador to represent Afghanistan at the United Nations. The Taliban had submitted its nomination to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, saying that it wanted to address the United Nations. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on September 15 received communication from the currently accredited Afghan Ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, with the list of Afghanistans delegation for the 76th session of the UNGA. After five days, Guterres received another communication with the letterhead Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs", requesting to participate in the UNGA.

Inputs from ANI, AP

Image: AP
Dr Narayan Khadka, a member of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress party, became Minister of External Affairs of Nepal on September 22. ANI reported, "Dr Narayan Khadka has been appointed as Foreign Minister of Nepal: PM Secretariat. "He will be taking the oath of office today at the President's office," PM Sher Bahadur Deuba's Personal Secretary Bhanu Deuba confirmed to ANI[sic]."

Dr Narayan Khadka has been appointed as Foreign Minister of Nepal: PM Secretariat



"He will be taking oath of the office today at the President's office," PM Sher Bahadur Deuba's Personal Secretary Bhanu Deuba confirmed to ANI  ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

Deuba, who has been chastised for delaying full-size cabinet formation, was also the Minister of External Affairs for the first two months after taking office. Bhanu Deuba, Deuba's personal secretary, said President Vidya Devi Bhandari's office has already been notified of the appointment. The President is anticipated to administer the oath of office and secrecy to her later this afternoon.

On the advice of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, the President appointed Dr Khadka as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Article 76 (9) of the Nepalese Constitution. Khadka will attend United Nations' 76th General Assembly in New York today (September 22). Following Deuba's formation of a new administration, the position of Foreign Minister had been empty for more than two months. With the appointment of Khadka, the administration now has seven ministers, including Deuba and one minister of state.

Who is Dr Narayan Khadka?

In 1967, Dr Narayan Khadka entered politics. He has a PhD in Economics from a university in Pune. He was the vice-chairman of Nepal's National Planning Commission. He was also a member of the National Interest Preservation Committee of the First Nepalese Constituent Assembly. He served as an advisor to then-Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in the 1990s.

He previously worked in the Sushil Koirala-led cabinet as Minister of Urban Development in 2014. Khadka is also a member of the Nepalese Constituent Assembly's 2nd Constituent Assembly. In the 2013 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, he won the Udayapur1 seat from the Nepali Congress.

(Image: Narayan Khadka/Facebook)
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday spoke to his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides and held discussions on the economic relationship between India and Cyprus. He also spoke on the UN Security Council resolutions in respect to Cyprus. EAM S Jaishankar is currently in New York for the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Earlier in July, the UN Security Council extended the UN Peacekeeping Force on the Island of Cyprus for the next six months with its resolution which was adopted on July 29.

Jaishankar also met the foreign ministers of Australia, Italy, Korea, Hungary, Belgium, Lithuania, and Vietnam among others.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar on Wednesday said in a tweet, "Delighted to meet FM@Christodulides of Cyprus. Working to take our economic ties forward. Appreciated his regional insights. Important that relevant UN Security Council resolutions in respect of Cyprus are adhered to by all."

Delighted to meet FM @Christodulides of Cyprus.



Working to take our economic ties forward.



Appreciated his regional insights.



Important that relevant UN Security Council resolutions in respect of Cyprus are adhered to by all. pic.twitter.com/pZXPefT9Sj  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 21, 2021

In his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Korea, Chung Eui-Yong, Jaishankar had a wide range of discussions majorly focusing on Korea's New Southern Policy and India's Act East Policy.

"Pleased to meet FM Chung Eui-Yong of the Republic of Korea. A wide-ranging conversation on different aspects of our relationship. RoKs New Southern Policy and Indias Act East Policy have strengthened our convergence in the Indo-Pacific", he tweeted.

Meanwhile, interacting with Italian foreign minister Luigi Di Maio, discussions were held on the challenges relating to COVID-19 vaccine accessibility and travelling issues and the Indian foreign minister was looking forward to their discussion on the Afghanistan situation at the meeting. Luigi Di Maio is the current T20 chair.

United Nations General Assembly debate

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) debate which is scheduled for September 25, 2021, will mark the presence of several world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will address the United Nations General Assembly's 76th Session and participate in the first-ever in-person summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) leaders. The debate will commence with the address of US President Joe Biden followed by other leaders. PM Modi will also be visiting the United States of America this week to address the UNGA debate.

The General Debate will witness several discussions concerning world politics, with a focus on Afghanistan under the view of the recent developments in the country since the Taliban's takeover in mid-August.

(Image: PTI/Twitter/@SJaishankar)
India will participate in the G4 Foreign Ministers meeting on September 22 and the G20 meeting called on discussing the situation unfolding in Afghanistan and will also brief the world leaders. External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S Jaishankar will be representing India in the meetings. EAM S Jaishankar is already in New York and has already participated in more than a dozen bilateral meetings with his counterparts. MEA Jaishankar, as per ANI, held extensive talks on Afghanistan. The G4 or Group of four nations comprise Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan.

Meanwhile, G20 or Group of 20 nations include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. ANI quoted a source familiar with Indias position to state that the discussions on Afghanistan have two aspects. While one of them was a security threat emanating from the country, another is the humanitarian food crisis and drought-like situation staring the country.

As per the report, India will take up with the global community that Afghan soil should not be used by other terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed ISK (Islamic State-Khorasan). New Delhi would also underscore that UN resolution 2593 should be the driving directive of world diplomacy. ANI has also stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also bring up Afghanistan issue in his bilateral meetings with the US, Japan and other nations' leaders.

EAM Held Around 15 Bilateral Meetings

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar held approximately 15 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 21 (local time) including the ones with Iran, Australia, Egypt and Indonesia. Jaishankar, who is presently visiting the United States, for the high-level segment of the UNGA that began on Tuesday (local time) in New York.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for the US on Wednesday morning to address the UNGAs 76th session and participate in the first-ever in-person summit of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) leaders. The theme of this years general debate is Building resilience through hope to recover from COVID19, rebuild sustainably, respond to planet's needs, respect people's rights and revitalise UN. Leaders from across the globe have started arriving in New York for the UNGA high-level debate week.

Notably, this year, the UNGA meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format, with some in-person attendees along with some who will join virtually. However, a large number of leaders are expected to be in the United States. Apart from the UK and Norwegian Foreign Ministers, Jaishankar also met with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein and exchanged views on historical ties, economic, energy and development cooperation linkages. He described the meeting with Hussein as cordial.

(IMAGE: PTI)
Irans newly minted President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday, 21 September, launched a scathing attack on the US and said that the world no longer cares about America first or Americas back. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) via a video link, the hardliner also brought in regional issues, American support to Israel and stalled talks on the 2015 Nuclear Deal. Notably, Raisi is under US sanctions for alleged human rights abuses in the past and did not travel to New York pertaining to related complications.

Raisi said that he was eager to resume the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), highlighting that nuclear weapons have no place in Irans defence and deterrence policy. Calling out for an end to crippling US sanctions, Raisi said that his country is keen on having large scale polito-economic engaeements with the world.

Nukes have no place in our defense doctrine and deterrence policy. Our countrys strategic policy is to consider the production and stockpiling of atomic weapons as forbidden, he said.  Sanctions are the US new way of war with the nations of the world.

'Maximum opression'

Cornering Washington, he further said that its policy of maximum oppression is still ongoing but what all Iranians wanted was rightfully theirs. All parties must stay true to the nuclear deal and the UN Resolution in practice," he said. Earlier on Tuesday, Tehran indicated the possibility of resumption of JCPOA talks in Vienna, the seventh attempt to revive the salvaging deal.

The deal, signed in 2015 between Iran and other major world powers, including the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia, and Germany (P5+1), saw Washington lifting economic sanctions against Tehran and in return, the Islamic Republic agreed to bring down its uranium enrichment programme. However, Donald Trump withdrew the US from the pact in 2018, calling the structure of the deal "rotten". The Islamic Republic then retaliated by nixing its compliance with the deal. As of now, six talks have been held in an attempt to revive the controversial nuclear pact, but despite US President Joe Biden vowing to resume the pact at the earliest, negotiations continue to be in a limbo.

(Image: AP)

(With ANI Inputs)
The Lebanese army on Tuesday, 21 September, announced that it had arrested a number of people linked to the ISIS terrorist group in the northern city of Tripoli. According to Xinhua, the Lebanese Army Directorate of Intelligence informed that it arrested the members of a terror cell supporting ISIS, and said that they were plotting to carry out attacks in Lebanon. In a statement, the army said that the members of the cell were arrested in security operations in northern and central Lebanon.

The Lebanese Army added that the group had purchased ammunition with the aim of carrying out attacks, taking advantage of the deteriorating situation in the nation. The officials said that the terror cell had even sought to recruit more members.

It further added that the cell had started its activities back in June 2021 and had participated in the assassination of a retired officer of the Lebanese Army's intelligence, Ahmed Murad, in Tripoli on 22 August. Now, the detainees have reportedly been referred to the competent judiciary system for investigations.

Khaled al-Talawys terror cell busted

It is to mention that in recent years, the middle eastern nation has suffered a number of attacks and blasts by ISIS terrorist group, which is reportedly still active in the border area with Syria. According to Anadolu Agency, the Lebanese military, last year, had also informed that a terror cell linked to ISIS had been busted. The cell was preparing to carry out terrorist attacks inside Lebanon, the officials added.

The army had said that the group was led by Khaled al-Talawy, a militant who is currently in hiding. Further, in a statement, the military said that al-Talawys car had been used in a drive-by shooting in the northern village of Kaftoun in August. The attack had left three people dead.

(Image: AP)




Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane on Tuesday, 21 September, met Lieutenant General Mohammad Saiful Alam, Quarter General, Bangladesh Army. In a Twitter post, the Indian Army informed that Naravane and Saiful Alam discussed issues of mutual interest at South Block, New Delhi.

Lieutenant General Md Saiful Alam, Quarter Master General, Bangladesh Army called on General MM Naravane #COAS and discussed issues of mutual interest.#IndiaBangladeshFriendship#IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/RGx8A61tlO  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 21, 2021

The meeting between Naravane and Saiful Alam comes after Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed visited India earlier this month. According to ANI, during his visit, he held talks with Indias top military brass on strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries. Ahmed also held talks with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on issues of bilateral defence cooperation.

In New Delhi, General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed paid tribute at the National War Memorial to the Indian soldiers who died in the Independence war. Shafiuddin Ahmed received the guard of honour at the South Block in the national capital.

India-Bangladesh relation

Meanwhile, India is observing Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations to mark 50 years of its victory over Pakistan and the liberation of Bangladesh in the 1971 war. It is worth mentioning that India and Bangladesh are involved in many activities and projects. The two nations share a great rapport and the relationship between the two have also strengthened over the last year.

Recently, Bangladesh established the Bangabandhu Media Centre at the Press Club of India. On the direction of the central government, the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) established the Bangabandhu chair, promoting research and developmental studies related to Bangladesh. Moreover, for the last so many years, India has been proactively in touch with neighbouring Bangladesh on various issues including construction projects, health assistance to Bangladesh, financial assistance, and more.

(Image: Twitter)
Several dozen protesters chanted and waved flags in front of the United Nations on Tuesday, protesting the speech of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The Organization of Iranian American Communities group planned the protest.

Ramesh Sepehrrad, the head of the OIAC's advisory board, claimed Raisi does not represent the Iranian people and also called for an international investigation into Raisi and his alleged role in the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran.

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United Nations, Sep 22 (AP)The ruling emir of Qatar, whose nation has played a pivotal role in Afghanistan in the wake of the US withdrawal, urged world leaders gathered at the United Nations against turning their backs on the country's Taliban rulers.

Speaking from the podium of the UN General Assembly Tuesday, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stressed the necessity of continuing dialogue with Taliban because boycott only leads to polarization and reactions, whereas dialogue could bring in positive results. His warning was directed at the many heads of state worried about engaging with the Taliban and recognizing their takeover of Afghanistan.

The Taliban say they want international recognition. The group challenged the credentials of Afghanistan's former UN ambassador and are asking to speak at the UN General Assembly's high-level meeting of world leaders. They say it is the responsibility of the United Nations to recognise their government and for other countries to have diplomatic relations with them.

Senior State Department officials said they were aware of the Taliban's request as the US is a member of the UN credentials committee, but they would not predict how that panel might rule.

However, one of the officials said the committee would take some time to deliberate, suggesting that the Taliban's envoy would not be able to speak at the General Assembly at this session, at least during the high-level leaders' week.

To date, no nation has yet formally recognized the Taliban's ascension by force to power or its all-male Cabinet, which is stacked with senior figures who were previously detained in the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba or are on a United Nations sanctions list.

The group has said this exclusively Taliban-run Cabinet is only interim, offering hope that a future government could be more inclusive.

In the spirit of diplomacy, Sheikh Tamim said Qatar agreed years ago to host the Taliban's political leadership in exile because we were confident that war offers no solution and that there would be dialogue in the end. Qatar is a close US ally and hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, but the tiny Gulf Arab state also has some sway with the Taliban.

Because of its unique role, Qatar hosted direct US-Taliban talks around the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and helped facilitate evacuations from Kabul.

Now, countries like the US and Japan have relocated their diplomatic staff in Afghanistan to Qatar to continue diplomacy from there. Qatar is also assisting with the facilitation of needed humanitarian aid and with operations at Kabul airport.

Sheikh Tamim on Tuesday urged against repeating past mistakes in Afghanistan to impose a political system from outside. Regardless of intentions, efforts made and money invested, this experience in Afghanistan has collapsed after 20 years, Sheikh Tamim said.

The 41-year-old leader said the international community must continue to support Afghanistan at this critical stage and to separate humanitarian aid from political differences. Afghanistan is among the world's poorest countries and receives billions of dollars in foreign aid a year, though that could change with the U.S.-backed government out of power and the Taliban now in charge.

Uzbekistan, another neighboring country to Afghanistan, has resumed the supply of oil and electricity to the war-torn country, according to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

It is impossible to isolate Afghanistan and leave it within the range of its problems, he said in remarks at the UN on Tuesday. He called for a permanent UN Committee on Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, Pakistan's foreign minister told reporters at UN headquarters that Taliban rulers should understand that if they want recognition and assistance in rebuilding the war-battered country they have to be more sensitive and more receptive to international opinion and norms. The top leadership of the Taliban for years has operated out of Pakistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan and is home to large numbers of Afghan refugees.

Despite their promises of an open and inclusive system, there have been numerous troubling signs that the Taliban are restricting women's rights and targeting activists and those they battled against as they settle into government after taking control of the capital of Kabul last month. During their previous rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life.

Sheikh Tamim said it is up to the Afghan people to achieve a comprehensive political settlement and pave the way for stability. He touted Qatar's outsized role in assisting with the chaotic US-led evacuation of more than 100,000 Afghans and others from Kabul in August.

This was our humanitarian duty, he said. (AP) MGA MGA

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
In a major development, an Antonov-26 plane with six people on board has disappeared from radar in Russia's Khabarovsk region. Russian media quoted a defence spokesperson for emergency services who informed that the An-26 plane with six crew members on board disappeared from radars 38 kilometres South-West of Khabarovsk. The spokesperson also revealed that the preliminary information suggests that the incident may have occurred due to bad weather.

Following the disappearance, a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency has been sent for a search operation, which is being hampered by poor weather conditions and a lack of daylight.

On July 16, a Russian An-28 passenger plane with 17 on board went missing. The flight slipped off the radar in the Siberian region of Tomsk. Authorities had opened an investigation and were looking at three possible causes of the crash  weather, equipment malfunction, or pilot error.

Later, the plane was traced, with the country's Ministry of Emergency Situations stating that the Antonov An 28-passenger plane made a hard landing in Siberia. Reports had suggested that the authorities said there were survivors among the 17 persons onboard, however, the numbers remained unknown.

(Image: AP/Representative Image)
Colombo, Sep 22 (PTI) Sri Lanka has decided to ask for a USD 100 million loan from the IMF to procure 14 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and finance other vaccination programme related costs, it was announced here on Wednesday.

Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella had proposed that Sri Lanka obtain the additional loan grant of USD 100 million under the programme of strategic preparation and response to COVID19," the government said in a statement.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to grant a supplementary loan of USD 100 million to assist Sri Lanka's COVID19 response, it added.

The decision made was to obtain the funds to procure 14 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and also finance other vaccination programme related costs.

The minister for pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana told Parliament on Tuesday that the government had already vaccinated over 50 per cent of the island nation's 21 million population.

Our target is to vaccinate over 75 per cent of the population within the next few months, he said. He added as of September 20, the first dose vaccination had been completed for over 62 per cent of the population.

The public health inspectors said those below the age of 30 had shown reluctance to get vaccinated. Only around 35 per cent of them had received the jabs by September 20.

The younger people seem to believe that the Pfizer vaccine is the most effective...," Public Health Inspectors (PHI) spokesman Upul Rohana said.

The Pfizer vaccine has been rolled out so far limited to the southern province and a part of the eastern province, health authorities said.

The bulk of the local vaccinations had come from the Chinese Sinopharm with 26 million doses being received so far.

Sri Lanka has recorded 12,284 deaths while the total number of COVID-19 infections stood at 507,330. PTI CORR AMS AKJ AMS AMS

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UK Recognises Covishield Amid 'vaccine Racism' Row, Indian Travellers Still To Quarantine

In a big development, the United Kingdom revised its travel advisory on Wednesday accepting the Serum Institute of India's (SII) Covishield as an 'approved vaccine'. The decision comes in the aftermath of the massive uproar against the UK over its new travel regulations which highlighted a clear 'vaccine bias' against several countries including India.

Read Full Story Here

PM Modi Departs For US Visit; 1st In-person QUAD Leaders' Summit, UNGA Address On Agenda

The Prime Minister's office on Wednesday, September 22 has issued a departure statement ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to the United States. The Prime Minister in his statement has said that he has been invited by US President Joe Biden. During his visit, PM Modi will review the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with Biden, the statement.

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At UNGA, Biden Says US Military Power Must Be Tool Of 'last Resort, Not First'

In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), US President Joe Biden stressed that America's military power should be the tool of last resort and not first. The 76th UNGA session opened in New York after the Biden administration drew flak over the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan prompting the Taliban to reconquer the country after two decades. Amid the criticism, US President withstood his decision to pull out all American soldiers from the war-ravaged nation by August 30.

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'Missing' Param Bir Singh Slapped With Bailable Warrant Again; Asked To Appear On Oct 6

The woes of ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh persisted on Wednesday as a one-man high-level inquiry commission reissued the bailable warrants against him. During the last hearing, the Justice Chandiwal commission had originally issued the bailable warrant besides imposing a fine of Rs.50,000 on him for failure to comply with the summons for the recording of his statement. As per sources, the ex-Mumbai top cop who now holds the position of Director General of Maharashtra Home Guard is believed to be in hiding.

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Dr Narayan Khadka Appointed As New Foreign Minister Of Nepal; To Attend 76th UNGA Session

Dr Narayan Khadka, a member of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress party, became Minister of External Affairs of Nepal on September 22. ANI reported, "Dr Narayan Khadka has been appointed as Foreign Minister of Nepal: PM Secretariat. "He will be taking the oath of office today at the President's office," PM Sher Bahadur Deuba's Personal Secretary Bhanu Deuba confirmed to ANI[sic]."

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IPL 2021: SRH's T Natarajan COVID Positive; Match Against DC To Be Played As Per Schedule

In a massive development ahead of the Sunrisers Hyderabad-Delhi Capitals clash, SRH speedster T Natarajan tested positive for COVID-19 at a scheduled RT-PCR test. As per the official release, Natarajan has isolated himself from the rest of the squad. He is currently asymptomatic.

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Anurag Thakur To Inaugurate Five-day Himalayan Film Festival In Leh On Friday

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur will inaugurate the five-day Himalayan Film Festival at Leh, Ladakh on September 24. The opening ceremony will also witness the participation of the Director of Shershah- Vishnuvardhan and the lead actor of the recently released film, Sidharth Malhotra. Notably, Shershah, which is based on the Param Vir Chakra awardee Capt. Vikram Batra will also be the opening feature film of the Himalayan Film Festival, said the Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in an official statement.

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UP ATS Arrests Islamic Cleric Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui In Illegal Religious Conversion Case

Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad on Wednesday, September 22 over the charges of religious conversion. The 64-year-old Islamic scholar is one of the biggest clerics from western UP whose name popped up during the investigation into the Umar Gautam case. He was nabbed in Meerut and is currently being interrogated by UP Police. He was on the radar of security agencies due to suspicious activities.

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ED Raids 6 Locations Linked To Karvy Stock Broking Ltd Alleged Fraud Case

In a recent update to the Karvy Stock Broking Private Limited (KSBL) fraud case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids in six locations on Wednesday, September 22. Earlier on September 21, the Hyderabad Police had arrested the vice president and risk head of the company in connection with illegal retail trading in nine shell companies. So far, the police have arrested KSBL Secretary Y Sailaja, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) G Krishna Hari, and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Rajiv Ranjan Singh.

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Mahant Giri's Death Case: UP Police's SIT Questions Four Members Of Seer's Security Staff

The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) has now questioned four members of Mahant Narendra Giri's security staff as the investigation continues in his mysterious death. The preliminary report has been sent to the SSP and the Chief Minister's office. Meanwhile, the autopsy report has revealed that the ABAP president died due to 'death by hanging'. Moreover, as the investigation is underway, the primary accused in the case, Anand Giri was grilled for over 12 hours by the police.

Read Full Story Here

Image: Republicworld
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea will meet on September 22 (local time) in New York to discuss the affairs of North Korea. Kyodo news agency reported citing US State Department sources, that the Japanese FM Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong will discuss the situation around Pyongyang in the wake of recent missile launches during their meeting with Blinken. The last time the three officials met in person was in May 2021 in London.

This time, on Wednesday in New York, Blinken, Chung, Motegi are expected to discuss the situation around North Korea which conducted a range of missile launches earlier in September. As leaders across the globe converged in the United States to attend the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Blinken also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss the bilateral cooperation including the crisis in Afghanistan. The US called Turkey an important NATO ally. Earlier, US Secretary of State also met with UK counterpart Liz Truss.

While at #UNGA76, I met with Turkish Foreign Minister @MevlutCavusoglu to discuss multiple areas of U.S.-Turkish cooperation, including on Afghanistan. Turkey is an important NATO Ally that plays a significant role in regional challenges. pic.twitter.com/H15QhTmqql  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 21, 2021

While at #UNGA76, I met with Turkish Foreign Minister @MevlutCavusoglu to discuss multiple areas of U.S.-Turkish cooperation, including on Afghanistan. Turkey is an important NATO Ally that plays a significant role in regional challenges. pic.twitter.com/H15QhTmqql  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 21, 2021

Blinken reiterates Bidens message of unity at UNGA

Following US President Joe Bidens address to the UNGA about unity and solving the challenges at hand for the global community, Blinken reiterated his remarks. US Secretary of State not only thanked the US President for his words at the high-level summit but also said, There isn't a challenge we face today that we can effectively solve alone. As we fight the COVID-19 pandemic, combat the climate crisis, and defend democracy globally, we'll continue to look to our partners and allies to ensure the best outcomes for us all.

Meanwhile, in an address to the UNGA, US President Joe Biden emphasised that Washington is not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs. Calling for unity and stating that it was time to move on. Biden said, The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges, even if we have intense disagreements in other areas  because well all suffer the consequences of our failure if we do not come together to address the urgent threats like COVID-19 and climate change or enduring threats like nuclear proliferation.

IMAGE: AP
Zambia's president emphasized the need for global COVID vaccine equity in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

Newly-elected president Hakainde Hichilema said that despite the country's desire to vaccinate 70% of its population by late 2022, only three percent have been vaccinated due to supply shortage.

"This clearly highlights the inequitable access to vaccines developing countries, especially that more than two billion vaccines have been administered worldwide," Hichilema said.

He also stressed the need for the global community to promote democratic values in developing countries, ensuring equal distribution of resources among populations.

This is what will make democracy sustainable and keep away autocratic and heavy-handed alternatives from leadership in our countries," he said. "It's very important."

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera urged nations to share coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

He made the remarks during his pre-recorded address to the UN General Assembly which was played on Tuesday.

Pinera said that it was a "great scientific triumph" that vaccines had been created in a short period of time.

But he also added that "politics failed" as some countries "don't have the vaccine or equipment to give minimal protection to their population."

After being among the world's hardest-hit nations with COVID-19, Chile is now near the top among countries at vaccinating its population against the virus.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Peru's President Pedro Castillo, a leftist political novice turned politician, called for international attention to children and young people who have been left out of the school system - a situation, he said, had been aggravated by the pandemic.

"I am convinced that the capacity of society to overcome complex challenges we face is by the education our children and our young people receive," he said.

Castillo until recently was a rural schoolteacher in the country's third-poorest district of Peru. For over 25 years he had seen his students struggle in crumbling schools where teachers also cook, sweep floors and file paperwork.

The son of illiterate peasants, he promised during his presidential campaign to be a champion of his country's poor.

During his address in New York City, donning his typical wide-brimmed straw hat, Castillo urged for a new global social pact where women and girl's rights are restored and their contributions recognized.

IMAGE: AP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos met UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in New York. Taking to Twitter, Bezos posted the picture of his meeting with Boris Johnson. Bezos in the post mentioned that he and Johnson had a "good exchange of ideas on climate change with a lot of passion around preserving and restoring the natural world". He further added that the meeting was useful and enjoyable.

Jeff Bezos meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez met with Johnson on Monday in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). During the meeting, PM Boris Johnson reportedly told Bezos that Amazon should pay more taxes in the UK asserting that the internet giants needs to make a "fair share" of contribution in tax, reported New York Post citing an ITN report. He added that when the company is selling billions worth of goods in the United Kingdom, they must pay fair taxes in the country.

Johnson stated that Britain needs a "proper way" of implementing digital sales tax, like the tax in high street shops. The UK Prime Minister told Channel 5 that Bezos has made it clear that the government needs to come up with the right framework, reported New York Post. He added that Bezos is a capitalist and he would not pay tax as an "ex-gratia act of kindness". Johnson also mentioned Bezos' recent pledge of $1 billion in conservation efforts. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also shared the picture of his meeting with Jeff Bezos on Twitter.

In New York for #UNGA the Prime Minister had meetings with:



 President @JairBolsonaro of Brazil

 President @moonriver365 of the Republic of Korea

Martin Griffiths @UNOCHA

 @JeffBezos, founder of @amazon pic.twitter.com/AOUemA5Nzs  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 21, 2021

Johnson was accompanied by his new Foreign Minister Liz Truss as he has embarked on the United States trip, to hold talks with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, on the sidelines of the UN summit. Prime Minister Johnson visited the White House for the first time since Joe Biden became the President of the US. The UK Prime Minister also met US Vice President Kamala Harris, where they discussed about the cooperation between two countries on defence, security, trade and foreign policy.

The Prime Minister met US @VP Kamala Harris in Washington, where they spoke about the extensive cooperation between our two countries on defence, security, trade and foreign policy.



 https://t.co/FfexpMAJcc



 pic.twitter.com/Hbvu2pygnb  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 21, 2021

The Prime Minister had his first meeting at the @WhiteHouse since @POTUS Joe Biden took office.



Find out more about their discussions  https://t.co/Z2Wjp3WJI1



 pic.twitter.com/ks43wQgb89  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 22, 2021

Image: Instagram/@jeffbezos
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in an interview with NBC News has sent out a stern message to the Taliban and its allies. Johnson has insisted that no monetary assistance will be given to the Taliban unless they form an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Taliban had announced their initial 33-member cabinet of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan with no women included, and none were added when they announced their expansion either. Johnson also clarified that the Taliban have to meet counter-terrorism commitments in order to get international assistance.

It is pertinent to mention that UK PM Boris Johnson's message to the Taliban also corners Pakistan and China, with the latter trying to soft-pedal on the Taliban's terror tag at the United Nations so that the terrorist group can be brought to the table of the UN.

However, this attempt by China was torpedoed by the other countries at the United Nations. This comes after the SAARC meeting of foreign ministers could not take place as Pakistan was insisting on including the Taliban on the chair of Afghanistan.

SAARC Meet cancelled as Pakistan insisted on Talibans participation

On Tuesday, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Foreign Ministers meet for 2021 was cancelled due to ill manoeuvres of Pakistan. Republic Media Network sources confirmed that Pakistan wanted the Taliban to represent Afghanistan, which was a participant of the SAARC meeting of foreign ministers.

All other participants declined Pakistans request. The SAARC meet was due to be held on September 25 on the sidelines of the UNGA meet. All SAARC countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka) also slammed Pakistans request, dismissing any official representation of the terror outfit that took over Kabul earlier on August 15 through brutal violence and siege.

Quad Leaders' Summit

Meanwhile, the leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) will hold their first-ever in-person meet in the United States on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join QUAD partners - US President Joe Biden, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for the meeting, where they will discuss a series of issues including the combating of terrorism.

India plays a crucial part when it comes to addressing the anti-terrorism agenda. In his departure statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed that he will address the UNGA and talk about the need to combat terrorism. Moreover, in his recent speeches, PM Modi has highlighted the need to combat extremism. During his virtual address at the 21st Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, PM Modi spoke about Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover in August. Sources have also told Republic that Expansionism is likely to find mention in the QUAD statement.

(Image:
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on September 22, said at the United Nations that Britain will call for China and Russia to agree on a coordinated international approach to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a terrorist haven.

During the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, China, Russia, the United States, and France will meet with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The conference will be used by Britain, which is presently coordinating the P5 group of permanent members to the UN Security Council, to push for stronger cooperation in order to improve international security, with a special focus on Afghanistan.

Following the withdrawal of US, British, and NATO troops last month, the Taliban quickly took control of Afghanistan, raising fears that the country may be used as a training ground for Islamist extremists once again.

"If we are to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for global terrorism, the international community, including Russia and China, must act as one in dealing with the Taliban," Truss said in a statement released ahead of the conference, ANI reported.

The Taliban have sworn not to allow Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden plotted the 11 September 2001 attacks when they were in power, to become a safe haven for terrorists planning strikes on the West again.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said last week at a summit of the security bloc led by China and Russia that relevant parties in Afghanistan must destroy terrorism and that China will provide greater help to the country based on its capacity.

Meanwhile, in a speech at the same summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has to collaborate with the Taliban regime and that foreign powers should consider cashing in on Afghan assets.

President Putin recently underlined the importance of this collaboration at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is led by China and Russia (SCO).

The Russian president had stated via video link at a conference in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe that Russia supports the UN meeting on Afghanistan and that world powers should consider disbursing Afghan assets.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: AP)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday, 21 September met his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and discussed ways to strengthen strategic partnership and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific between the two countries. While taking to Twitter, Jaishankar, who is in New York for the UNGA meeting, said that he had a comprehensive discussion with Le Drian on Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific and other issues. He also went on to call the India-France partnership in the UN Security Council solid.

Began the day meeting with our Strategic Partner France.



A comprehensive discussion with FM @JY_LeDrian on Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific and other contemporary issues.



India and France are solid partners in the UN Security Council. pic.twitter.com/7ZOkCNOgch  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 21, 2021

In a separate Tweet, Le Drian said, After the exchanges between @EmmanuelMacron and Prime Minister Modi, I spoke in New York with my colleague @DrSJaishankar strengthening the Franco-Indian strategic partnership and our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

Apres les echanges entre @EmmanuelMacron et le Premier ministre Modi, jai evoque a New York avec mon collegue @DrSJaishankar le renforcement du partenariat strategique franco-indien et de notre cooperation dans lIndopacifique.#UNGA #IndoPacific @francediplo pic.twitter.com/R87FxjbXMZ  Jean-Yves Le Drian (@JY_LeDrian) September 21, 2021

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Jaishankar held around 15 bilateral meetings, including the ones with Iran, Australia, Egypt and Indonesia. The EAM began his meetings with Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Sreide of Norway. Jaishankar also met Foreign Ministers of Iraq, Vietnam, Lithuania, Belgium, Italy, South Korea, Dominican Republic and Hungary.

PM Modi set to address UNGA session

PM Narendra Modi will now be leaving for the United States on Wednesday. He will be addressing the UNGA session and participate in the first-ever in-person summit of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) leaders. Asserting that PM Modis speech is one of the most awaited speeches at the conference, TS Tirumurti, who serves as Indias Permanent Representative to the UN, said that the Indian leader has always brought into light some of the core issues in the world as well as given a global platform to his countries achievements, specifically on the domestic front. It is worth mentioning that PM Modi plans to use his US trip to hold bilateral talks with American President Joe Biden.

This years theme for the general debate is Building resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the planet's needs, respect people's rights and revitalise UN. Leaders from across the globe have started arriving in New York for the UNGA high-level debate week. Notably, this year, the UNGA meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format, with some in-person attendees along with some who will join virtually. However, a large number of leaders are expected to be in the United States.

(Image: AP/PTI)




A body discovered in Wyoming has been identified as 22-year-old Gabrielle Gabby Petito who disappeared mysteriously earlier this month in one of the most high profiles missing person cases in the US in recent times. The FBI's field office in Denver confirmed the development on Tuesday in an official statement. However, the statement added that the cause of death remains pending final autopsy results.

Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue confirmed the remains are those of Gabrielle Venora Petito, date of birth March 19, 1999. Coroner Blues initial determination for the manner of death is homicide. The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results. pic.twitter.com/JoHenMZ9UU  FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) September 21, 2021

Petito, an Instagram influencer had gone missing during a cross-country suburban trip with her 23-year-old fiance Brian Laundrie. She was last seen in Grand Teton National Park in late August. The family filed an official report linked to her disappearance on September 11 after her fiancee Laundrie returned alone driving her White transit van from the couples week-long hiking trip.

On Sunday, police recovered a body at a campground in Bridger-Teton National Forest, near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming during the search mission. The body was found on the scene of Moran Vista campsite, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the time had said was "consistent" with the description of the missing girl. The identification had yet to be obtained via autopsy and further forensic inspections.

Family to give statement after Gaby's body reaches home

Petito familys attorney Richard Benson Stafford issued a statement: "I want to personally thank the press and news media for giving the Petito and Schmidt family time to grieve. We will be making a statement when Gabby is home. He also added, "May Gabby rest in peace."

Teton County Coroner, Blue, performed the autopsy on Tuesday and released information after their forensic team completed its search on the campgrounds, the FBI said. It determined that Petitio was killed by her assaulter, whose identity is yet to be established, officially.

"The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to ensuring anyone responsible for or complicit in Ms. Petito's death is held accountable for their actions," the FBI in Denver said in a statement on September 21.

Brian Laundrie, Petitos fiancee, has been named a person of interest by the FBI. The latter had been missing and the FBI has asked the general public to report his current whereabouts if seen.

[Credit: AP]

FBI office also thanked the public for cooperating in the investigation, and sent condolences to the grieving family, saying: "FBI Denver appreciates the collaboration of all agencies and personnel who assisted in the search, recovery and identification efforts. We extend sincere condolences to Gabby's family, friends, and all the people whose lives she touched.

Earlier yesterday, the Moab Police Department released chilling bodycam footage of the domestic incident between Petito and her fiancee in Utah on the sidewalk, as they pulled over their converted camper van along the main street. The officers responded to an eyewitness call answered by a dispatcher, who reported a situation between Gabby and Brian on August 12. The man on the phone described an alleged physical altercation between YouTuber Gabby Petito and Laundrie as he said that the man she was with slapped her and proceeded to hit her.

[Credit: Moab Police Department via AP]

The hour-long body camera footage, now widely circulated on social media, shows officers responding to a domestic dispute and interacting with emotional Gabby Petito who can be heard saying that Laundrie had asked her to get down off the van and refused to take her along rest of the journey. The couple was headed to reach Oregon by October for Halloween.

A redacted copy of the police report from the incident obtained by the agencies stressed that the 911 eye-witness reported: male had been observed to have assaulted the female near the Moonflower Community Cooperative. He left the area in a van without the girl, but Petito was able to catch up near the entrance to Arches National Park.

[Credit: Moab Police Department via AP]

The responding officer saw Petito crying uncontrollably as she said she struggled with mental health and the two had arguments. While the officers stressed that they had separated Petito from Laundrie no police action was reported to have been taken against Laundrie even when a redacted copy of the police report described that the girl was crying so profusely that she could not compose a sentence without needing to wipe away tears, wipe her nose, or rub her knees with her hands.

[Credit: Moab Police Department via AP]

I have really bad OCD. I was apologizing to him saying Im sorry Im so mean, Petito told the officer in the now viral Moab Police department footage. "Weve been fighting all morning. He wouldnt let me in the car before  he told me I needed to calm down. She just gets worked up sometimes, I try to distance myself from her. I locked the car, Laundrie can be heard telling the officer as Petito sat in officer's squad car.

Laundrie told officers that the two had been travelling for months, which created emotional strain and number of arguments. The now missing Laundrie told officers Petito had gone into a manic state. On Twitter, several users pointed out at Moab police officer allegedly laughing and fist-bumping Laundrie instead of investigating the domestic incident.
President Joe Biden administration is set to announce that United States will purchase an additional 500 million Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine doses to donate to low and lower-middle-income countries. Senior officials of the United States' authorities mentioned the update while previewing the Global Summit to end the pandemic. The pledge to donate, which will start in January 2022, will bring the total promised US vaccine donations to more than 1.1 billion.

The US official further stated that the Biden-led administration has committed to donating over 600 million COVID vaccine doses to the world which includes 500 million Pfizer doses that the US had purchased earlier in 2020 to donate to over 100 nations. "The largest donation of COVID-19 vaccines by a single country ever," the official added.

US to purchase 500 million Pfizer COVID vaccines to donate to other nations

According to senior administration officials, the objective of the effort is to vaccinate 70 per cent of the world's population against SARS-Cov-2 within a year's time.

"The United States is donating 1.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the world, free of charge, no strings attached," senior US administration officials told reporters.

On September 23, Joe Biden will announce the additional purchase of Pfizer vaccines, wherein half a billion vaccines will be manufactured in the US domestically, and from January through September in 2022, the US will ship out nearly 800 million vaccines to the world. The announcement to donate comes to the fore as affluent countries have been facing withering criticism from the World Health Organisation for exhausting and investing in resources into plans to offer booster shots to the fully vaccinated population while vast swaths of the world are due for single jabs.

In total, the US has, so farm shipped nearly 160 million of these doses to over a hundred nations around the world, namely, Peru to Pakistan, Sri Lanka to Sudan, El Salvador to Ethiopia, exceeding all other donations combined, the US official further told reporters.

US set to announce future purchase of COVID vaccine doses for donation

While President Biden will commence the summit, more than a hundred organisations along with manufacturing private sectors and philanthropists are expected to attend. A batch of specific requests for commitments from these participants will also be redressed during the conclave. The officials have said that during the end of the summit, a list would be unveiled which will have specific targets for vaccines as well as donations of oxygen, tests, therapeutics and protective gear to parts of the world that need it. The idea is to work towards healthy security financing apparatus in a bid to ready preparations for future pandemics, senior US officials maintained.

(Image: AP)
Many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, two U.S. officials said, undercutting the Biden administration's public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion.

Haitians have been freed on a very, very large scale in recent days, according to one U.S. official who put the figure in the thousands. The official, with direct knowledge of operations who was not authorized to discuss the matter Tuesday and thus spoke on condition of anonymity

Many have been released with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days, an outcome that requires less processing time from Border Patrol agents than ordering an appearance in immigration court and points to the speed at which authorities are moving, the official said.

The Homeland Security Department has been busing Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley along the Texas border, and this week added flights to Tucson, Arizona, the official said. They are processed by the Border Patrol at those locations.

A second U.S. official, also with direct knowledge and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said large numbers of Haitians were being processed under immigration laws and not being placed on expulsion flights to Haiti that started Sunday. The official couldn't be more specific about how many.

U.S. authorities scrambled in recent days for buses to Tucson but resorted to flights when they couldnt find enough transportation contractors, both officials said. Coast Guard planes took Haitians from Del Rio to El Paso.

The releases in the U.S. were occurring despite the signaling of a massive effort to expel Haitians on flights to Haiti under pandemic-related authority that denies migrants an opportunity to seek asylum. A third U.S. official not authorized to discuss operations said there were seven daily flights to Haiti planned starting Wednesday.

Accounts of wide-scale releases - some observed at the Del Rio bus station by Associated Press journalists - are at odds with statements a day earlier by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who traveled to Del Rio to promise swift action.

If you come to the United States illegally, you will be returned, your journey will not succeed, and you will be endangering your life and your familys life, he said at a Monday news conference.

The releases come amid a quick effort to empty the camp under a bridge that, according to some estimates, held more than 14,000 people over the weekend in a town of 35,000 people. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, during a visit Tuesday to Del Rio, said the countys top official told him the most recent tally at the camp was about 8,600 migrants.

The criteria for deciding who is flown to Haiti and who is released in the U.S. was unclear, but two U.S. officials said single adults were the priority for expulsion flights.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Mexico has begun busing and flying Haitian migrants away from the U.S. border, authorities said Tuesday, signaling a new level of support for the United States as the camp presented President Joe Biden with a humanitarian and increasingly political challenge.

The White House is facing sharp bipartisan condemnation. Republicans say Biden administration policies led Haitians to believe they would get asylum. Democrats are expressing outrage after images went viral this week of Border Patrol agents on horseback using aggressive tactics against the migrants.

Mexico has helped at key moments before. It intensified patrols to stop unaccompanied Central American children from reaching the Texas border in 2014, allowed tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration courts in 2019 and, just last month, began deporting Central American migrants to Guatemala after the Biden administration flew them to southern Mexico.

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexicos foreign relations secretary, said Tuesday he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about the Haitians situation. Ebrard said most of the Haitians already had refugee status in Chile or Brazil and werent seeking it in Mexico.

What they are asking for is to be allowed to pass freely through Mexico to the United States, Ebrard said.

Two Mexican federal officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Mexico's actions.

One of the officials said three busloads of migrants left Acuna on Tuesday morning for Piedras Negras, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) down the border, where they boarded a flight to the southern city of Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco.

The other official said there was a flight Monday from the northern city of Monterrey to the southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border. Tapachula is home to the largest immigrant detention center in Latin America. The flight carried about 100 migrants who had been picked up around the bus station in Monterrey, a hub for various routes north to the U.S. border.

The second official said the plan was to move to Tapachula all Haitians who already solicited asylum in Mexico.

The Haitian migrants who are already in Mexicos detention centers and have not requested asylum will be the first to be flown directly to Haiti once Mexico begins those flights, according to the official.

Around Ciudad Acuna, Mexican authorities were stepping up efforts to move migrants away from the border. There were detentions overnight by immigration agents and raids on hotels known to house migrants.

All of a sudden they knocked on the door and (yelled) immigration, police, as if they were looking for drug traffickers, said Freddy Registre, a 37-year-old Venezuelan staying at one hotel with his Haitian wife, Vedette Dollard. The couple was surprised at midnight.

Authorities took four people plus others who were outside the hotel, he said. They took our telephones to investigate and took us to the immigration offices, took our photos, Registre said. They were held overnight but finally were given their phones back and released. Authorities gave them two options: leave Mexico or return to Tapachula.

On Tuesday afternoon, they decided to leave town. They bought tickets for a bus ride to the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, planning to continue to Tapachula where they had already applied for asylum.

Others left without being told. Small groups arrived at Ciudad Acunas bus station to buy tickets to Veracruz, Monterrey and Mexico City. The same bus lines prohibited from selling them tickets for rides north through Mexico, sold them tickets to head south without issue.

In Haiti, dozens of migrants upset about being deported from the U.S. tried to rush back into a plane that landed Tuesday afternoon in Port-au-Prince as they yelled at authorities. A security guard closed the plane door in time as some deportees began throwing rocks and shoes at the plane. Several of them lost their belongings in the scuffle as police arrived. The group was disembarking from one of three flights scheduled for the day.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Launching a scathing attack on Israel, Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said that the zionist regime committed multiple violations in beleaugued Palestinian territories of Gaza Strip and West Bank this year. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday, the Qatar's Emir asserted that Israel exacerbated the dire situation in Gaza with its dangerous military escalation, leading to deaths of hundreds of unarmed civilians. Notably, Qatar was the first Arab world country to establish trade relations with Israel but the 2008 Gaza war severed their mutual ties.

This year has witnessed numerous Israeli violations in occupied East Jerusalem and the recurrence of attacks on Islamic and Christian sanctities, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, and the seizure of Palestinian homes in the context of the Judaization and settlement policies, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said.

On 10 May, Hamas fired its first projectile onto Israel, starting 11 days of obliterating aerial exchanges between the warring sides. As the conflict turned bloodier and the international call for peace gained momentum, a truce was signed. The war claimed over 200 lives, including women and children on both sides. However, experts deem the pact to be short-lived as both Israel and Hamas continue to claim victory against each other and attack each other's territories. It is imperative to note that quasi-democratic group Hamas and the State of Israel have fought four bitter wars in just over a decade and each of them has ended inconclusively. More than 230 Palestinians, including 65 children and 12 Israelis, including a 5 year and a 16-year-old were killed in the conflict, as reported by the Associated Press.

'Support Palestinian State'

After an Egypt brokered peace treaty was signed between the two, Qatar along with other countries pledged monetary aid to replenish the damage. According to AP, Doha pledged $500 million for Gaza following the 10-21 May conflict. Meanwhile, in his blistering speech, the Qatari leader called on international community to support the establishment of a free Palestinian state and accept the two state solution to the conflict.

"International community has a comprehensive, just and peaceful settlement of the Palestinian cause by establishing a Palestinian state," he said.

Image: AP






The Taliban on Tuesday nominated its Doha, Qatar office spokesperson Suhail Shaheen as an ambassador to represent Afghanistan at the United Nations, UN officials told foreign correspondents at UNGA on Tuesday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the hardline fundamentalist group that recently formed a government in Kabul and has been drafting controversial policies in violation of human rights, has sought to make an address to the global leader at the UNs summit.

In an unusual move, the Taliban submitted its nomination to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, saying that it wanted to address the United Nations. Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to UN in the now exiled Ashraf Ghani government, Ghulam Isaczai, has defied the Taliban government and is resorting to bloodshed and violence to establishing the "so-called Islamic Emirate.

But the Taliban have challenged the credentials of Afghanistans former UN ambassador and has instead dispatched a communication to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, said Secretary-General Guterres with an accreditation from the former Afghan Ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, reports have revealed.

It should be mentioned here that Afghanistan is scheduled to give the last speech on the final day of the high-level meeting on September 27. However, it remains unclear as to who would speak if the committee met and the Taliban were given Afghanistan's seat.

The terrorist group sent names for the Afghanistan delegation from the newly established government for the Assemblys 76th annual session on the letterhead titled Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs which had a seal from the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ameer Khan Muttaqi.

The latter stated in the document that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghanis government was toppled and hence the world must no longer recognize him as Kabuls leader. Talibans said Foreign Ministry also questioned Isaczai, stressing that he no longer represents Afghanistan, and listed its new UN permanent representative, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, Talibans spokesperson.

No meeting of the credentials committee [of Taliban] has been scheduled so far, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement, cited by the Associated Press.

Qatar's ruler asks world leaders not to boycott Taliban at UNGA

Ruling emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called for the world leaders gathered at the United Nations to have a diplomatic dialogue with the Taliban and not boycott the newly installed government. Doha, which has played a key mediatory role in the Afghanistan evacuations, asked world leaders to engage with the Taliban. In his address at UN General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stressed: "The necessity of continuing dialogue with Taliban because boycott only leads to polarisation and reactions, whereas dialogue could bring in positive results.

As Taliban now vouched for international recognition at the UN, Senior US State Department officials said they were aware of the Talibans request made to UN chief, stressing that the US is a member of the UN credentials committee panel, suggesting that the Talibans envoy will not be granted permission to speak at the General Assembly during the high-level leaders meeting.

(IMAGE: AP)
The Emir of Qatar on Tuesday, 21 September, urged the world leaders to remain engaged with the Taliban, which took over Afghanistan last month. While addressing the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani underlined Qatars commitment to contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflicts. He further stressed the necessity of continuing dialogue with the Taliban in the war-torn country.

The Qatari Emir stressed the significance of the continued support of the international community to the Afghan people at this critical stage, and to separate between humanitarian aid and political differences. He added, Its also important to continue dialogue with the Taliban. Boycotting them would only lead to polarisation and reactions, whereas dialogue could be fruitful.

Qatar's role in Afghan following Taliban take over

During his speech, Sheikh Tamim even said that Qatar has spared no effort to evacuate thousands of people from the neighbouring war-ravaged country following the Taliban takeover. He stressed that his country will continue, in coordination with its partners, to do everything it can to preserve the tangible gains made in Doha. The Qatari Emir said, Were pleased that Doha is the capital of international multilateral action in our region, and added that Qatar is looking forward to opening the UN House in Doha in near future.

Qatar has been playing a pivotal role in Afghanistan ever since the Taliban managed to capture Afghanistan. Its capital city Doha has provided a neutral ground and hosted diplomats from across the globe, as they engaged with the insurgents at various levels. It has even facilitated evacuations of foreigners and Afghans and was among the first nations to provide relief materials for Afghans.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Tamims remarks at the annual UNGA were directed at the world leaders who still havent recognised the Taliban. The insurgent group, on the other hand, has said that they want international recognition. The Taliban have even urged to speak at the UNGAs high-level meeting of the world leaders and have challenged the credentials of Afghans former UN ambassador. The group says that it is the responsibility of the UN to recognise their government and for other nations to have diplomatic relations with them.

(Image: AP)


Weeks after witnessing a sweltering heatwave, the United States has now been hit by early winters. On Monday, the Rocky Mountain National Park, located in the Central state of Colorado, witnessed more than two feet of fresh snowfall. The sudden fall also affected the iconic Trail Ridge Road, a highway that cuts through the National Park, leading authorities to close it for a brief time.

Trail Ridge Road in #RMNP is temporarily closed now at Milner Pass on the west side and Rainbow Curve on the east side. Trail Ridge Road will reopen when weather & conditions permit. Old Fall River Road remains closed due to conditions. ks  RockyNPS (@RockyNPS) September 20, 2021

Trail Ridge Rd in #RMNP reopened. It will remain open as long as weather & conditions permit.

Because weather conditions may change rapidly in fall, be prepared to adjust travel plans accordingly. It is your responsibility to be aware of the conditions and your surroundings.  RockyNPS (@RockyNPS) September 20, 2021

Late on Sunday, a cold weather front moved southward from Wyoming to Colorado, presenting a glimpse of early winters in the country. The National Weather Services (NWS) for Boulder municipality issued a frost advisory, mainly for Weld and Lincoln counties.

It will be another chilly night under clear skies and light winds. A Frost Advisory is in effect tonight, mainly for Weld and Lincoln counties. #cowx pic.twitter.com/md8hkteBPQ  NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) September 22, 2021

Mercury continued to remain low across the Rockies on Tuesday (local time). According to Xinhua, the temperature in Marble plunged to 26 degrees Fahrenheit in the wee hours of September 21. Areas in the vicinity also remained affected. Meanwhile, the snow fall was welcomed by skiers, who expect to start the sport in the coming two months. Multiple photos and videos that surfaced on the internet showed mountain peaks draped in white sheets of snow.

Current status of Trail Ridge Road this morning just above Hidden Valley. 29 degrees and very windy. I would expect NPS to close the road this morning to clear it. #rmnp pic.twitter.com/M54bhLgyWY  Thomas Mangan (@TheRockyGallery) September 20, 2021

Who doesnt love those waining days of summer in Rocky Mountain National Park?. Those last days of summer in Rocky mean beautiful fall color and lots of fresh snow on the peaks. Here's the view across Hidden Valley back towards the Mummy Range and Ypsilon on a wild morning. #RMNP pic.twitter.com/qehXBk2CwH  Thomas Mangan (@TheRockyGallery) September 20, 2021

If you can make it to the #Colorado mountains this week, fall has arrived.



With the snow that fell, I doubt the leaves will hang on for much longer!#roadtrip #leafpeeping #getoutside pic.twitter.com/1vZ8UPYbm5  Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer (@HeidiTown) September 21, 2021

#skiing - Snow across the #Colorado rocky mountains including at @LovelandSkiArea where it looks like this right now. pic.twitter.com/uUSFYRT1DK  tomwinter (@tomwintermedia) September 20, 2021

Effects of Climate Change?

The early winters come after a heat wave devastrated US and Canada in June. Recently, a climatologist from the University of Oxford, Frederike Otto said that Climate change played a key role in this extreme heatwave. Climate change has two sources, global warming and human-induced emissions like the burning of fossil fuels, energy consumption, synthetic agricultural methods, and deforestation. These sources have led to an unprecedented impact on the global climate leading to drastic temperature changes across the globe.

Scientists have observed two-times the expected rise in temperature on land. This has amplified the causing of desertification, wildfires, and heatwaves. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the global rise in temperature is about 1.2 degrees Celsius and at the same rate, it can rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and beyond. Multiple independently produced instrumental datasets show that the climate system is warming, with the 20092018 decade being 0.93  0.07 C (1.67  0.13 F) warmer than the pre-industrial baseline (18501900). Currently, surface temperatures are rising by about 0.2 C (0.36 F) per decade, with 2020 reaching a temperature of 1.2 C (2.2 F) above pre-industrial.[13] Since 1950, the number of cold days and nights has decreased, and the number of warm days and nights has increased.

Image: tomwintermedia/Twitter
The United States House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation that would authorise payments to Americans affected by "Havana Syndrome". The legislation has been passed by the House to compensate CIA personnel and diplomats impacted by "Havana Syndrome" while serving in Cuba, China and other countries. The US diplomats serving in various countries reported experiencing Havana syndrome symptoms.

According to news agency ANI, US diplomats were first diagnosed with "Havana Syndrome" in 2016. Later in 2018, the US officials in Cuba were also diagnosed with "Havana Syndrome". Reportedly, the diplomats placed in multiple countries experienced piercing sounds which have caused them long-term health effects. Reportedly, US diplomats serving in Tajikistan, Russia, Austria and several African countries have reported experiencing symptoms of Havana syndrome. The US officials working in these countries experienced symptoms like nausea and dizziness.

US House passes legislation to compensate 'Havana Syndrome' victims

The bill would grant additional authority to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Secretary of State to provide disability benefits to Americans affected by the health incidents in Havana, Cuba and around the world. 'The Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks Act' or 'the HAVANA Act', now goes to US President Joe Biden's desk for approval. Representative Adam Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee in a statement said, "There's no higher priority than ensuring the safety of the people and the individuals who have served our countries now suffering from these troubling health incidents deserve answers and our support". Schiff further stated that the legislation would give support to the victims and their families.

There is no higher priority than protecting our people. None.



As we examine the cause of the illness known as Havana Syndrome, we must ensure those impacted get the care they deserve.



My HAVANA Act will do just that. And it's on its way to President Biden's desk for signature.  Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) September 21, 2021

Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a statement stated that the US intelligence officials and diplomats suffering from this syndrome became ill. He added that they must continue their efforts in investigating the cause of neurological symptoms experienced by the American personnel. However, he said that they must ensure taking care of victims and compensating them for the injuries.

The mysterious health incidents dubbed as the "Havana Syndrome had struck diplomats in Cuba and China causing brain injuries in US diplomats and spies. People have reported symptoms like headaches, dizziness and some have reportedly heard a loud noise before the onset of symptoms, according to AP. Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University and executive director of the Institute for Biodefense Research in Washington, told AP that new reports of possible Havana syndrome cases continue to emerge both in the US and abroad.

Image: AP/Pixabay

Inputs from ANI, AP
US President Joe Biden convened a Global COVID Summit on Wednesday which is being hosted by the White House. The event was a virtual meet and revolved around the topic 'Ending the Pandemic and Building Better Health Security to Prepare for the Next.' During his address, President Biden put forward his idea to vaccinate 70% of the global population and 70% of the citizens of each country by the next UN meeting scheduled to be held in September 2022. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently visiting the US, also marked his presence at the meeting with a small message.

President Joe Biden, during his address at Global COVID Summit, announced that the US would be donating an additional 500 million Pfizer COVID vaccines bringing the total global donation count to over 1.1 billion. President Biden while marking the USA's plan to donate 1.1 billion vaccines maintained that these donations came with no political string attached. Biden said, "We know how to beat the pandemic. To beat the pandemic in the US we have to beat COVID." POTUS Biden said that the US planned to be an arsenal of vaccines.

Biden urges the high-income country to facilitate vaccine donations

While speaking on the USA's stand on global vaccine donation, President Biden mentioned that his country was leading in the overall donation count. While bringing that to note, he said, "I appeal to the high-income countries to donate vaccine as well. Biden also suggested that the US had now stepped up their investments concerning vaccine delivery and that an additional $370 million for vaccine delivery will be added.

Starting from January 2022 to the next UN sessions in September 2022, the US has planned to ship out nearly 800 million vaccines globally. The announcement to donate comes to the fore as affluent countries have been facing withering criticism from the World Health Organisation for exhausting and investing in resources into plans to offer booster shots to the fully vaccinated population while vast swaths of the world are due for single jabs. In total, the US has, so farm shipped nearly 160 million of these doses to over a hundred nations around the world, namely, Peru to Pakistan, Sri Lanka to Sudan, El Salvador to Ethiopia, exceeding all other donations combined.

(Image Credits - Acting ASD for Health Affairs)
President Joe Biden on Tuesday, 21 September, said that the United States was committed to assuring that Iran would not gain a nuclear weapon, and reiterated his intention to return to the 2015 accord limiting Irans nuclear programme. In his first United Nations General Assembly speech, Biden pledged to rely on diplomacy in international affairs. He said that the US was working with China, France, Russia, Britain and Germany to engage Iran diplomatically and to seek a return to the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which America left in 2018 under the previous Trump administration.

Biden said, The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. We are working with the P5+1 to engage Iran diplomatically and seek a return to the JCPOA. Were prepared to return to full compliance if Iran does the same.

Former President Donald Trump had withdrawn the US from the pact in 2018 and called the structure of the deal rotten. However, Joe Biden has repeatedly stated his commitment to rejoining the Iran nuclear accord if the Islamic Republic reverses its violations of the agreement. The Biden administration has even entered talks with Iran to reach an agreement on how the two sides could restore the JCPOA, however, so far, the talks continue to be in limbo.

Irans President slams US at UNGA

Meanwhile, as Biden spoke at the UNGA, Irans official spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry said that the talks on restoring the nuclear deal will resume in the coming weeks. Separately, Irans President Ebrahim Raisi, in a pre-recorded address, slammed the US at the UNGA. Raisi said that the US and the world no longer care about America first: or Americas back. He also brought in regional issues, American support to Israel and stalled talks on the 2015 Nuclear deal.

Raisi said that he was eager to resume the JCPOA, highlighting that nuclear weapons have no place in Irans defence and deterrence policy. He called for an end to the US sanctions and said that the Islamic Republic is keen on having large scale political-economic engagements with the world. Nukes have no place in our defence doctrine and deterrence policy. Our countrys strategic policy is to consider the production and stockpiling of atomic weapons as forbidden, Raisi said.

Sanctions are the US new way of war with the nations of the world, he added.

(Image: AP)
The laborers have been crossing the border illegally to try to find work.

Some of the roughly quarter million Cambodian migrant laborers who flooded home from Thailand over the past 18 months when the coronavirus pandemic killed their jobs are desperate enough for work that they are risking arrest and COVID-19 infection to sneak back across the Thai border to do menial labor, workers and NGOs say.

Unable to find work to support themselves in Cambodia, which has been under a serious of lockdowns to fight rising infections, they are making risky illegal border crossings and working as scavengers and scrap collectors in Thailand.

I crossed the border illegally, migrant worker Pen Vin told RFAs Khmer Service in Bangkok. She and three others spent an entire day trekking through a forest to get to Thailand and was once arrested in Cambodia for trying to sneak across the border and sent home, before heading to the border again.

I didnt have money to buy food, so I decided to return. I dont have any rice fields. I have nothing to do, said Pen Vin, who has joined legions of trash pickers who sift through rubbish and collect plastic and other items that can be sold.

Yat Nem, an unemployed migrant from Cambodias Pursat province who lives 20 km (12 miles) outside of Bangkok in a town called Chachoengsao, told RFA that she is unemployed and scavenging to make a living. She said that four of her fellow jobless migrant workers have just recovered from the coronavirus.

The 41-year-old woman, who earns about U.S. $50 every two weeks selling what she finds, said she does not want to return home during the health crisis and will continue to scour trash, collect plastic, fish, or clean houses in hopes of landing a job in Thailand so she can save money before returning to Cambodia.

Other migrant workers said they took many risks to reenter Thailand without official documents  paying traffickers to help them cross the border.

Another laborer, Y Pring, who is still in Cambodia, said he wants to go back to Thailand because he hasnt been able to find a job months after returning home.The 32-year-old said he would prefer having a decent job in Cambodia to going to another country for work, but local jobs do not pay enough to support his family and pay off debt.

I want to return [to Thailand], he said. I dont have a job in Cambodia. I want to work there for two more years so I can save to start a business.

Made jobless by COVID

More than 2 million Cambodians  about half of them undocumented  are thought to be working in Thailand, where per capita GDP is U.S. $7,300, about five times that of Cambodia. They work mostly in the agriculture, fisheries, and construction sectors, where they are vulnerable to human slavery and labor abuse.

Made jobless by economic shutdowns to combat coronavirus, nearly 240,000 returned from Thailand from March 2020 through Sept. 8, according to the International Organization for Migration in Cambodia.

As of mid-August, about 1,000 Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand had contracted the virus as case numbers climbed in the region because of the highly contagious Delta variant.

On Wednesday, Cambodia recorded nearly 106,000 confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, including 637 new ones, and 2,154 total related fatalities, including 14 new deaths, according to the Health Ministry.

The situation has been more serious in neighboring Thailand, a nation of 70 million people, with more than 1.5 million total confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 11,252 new ones, and nearly 15,800 deaths, recorded on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

Sun Seiha, president of the Cambodian Migrant Workers Foundation, said many laborers in the country have called other migrant workers still in Thailand, trying to land jobs through their contacts so that they can return.

He urged the Cambodian government to create more local jobs rather placing restrictions on border crossings between the country and Thailand.

The government should speed up its vaccination program and open up its borders, he told RFA. The government also need to prepare legal documents for workers to avoid being cheated by traffickers and breaching [Thai] immigration law.

RFA has not been able to determine how many Cambodian migrants have made a U-turn back to Thailand after repatriating during the pandemic. Cambodian Ministry of Labor spokesman Heng Sour could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen recently ordered Economy and Finance Minister Aun Pornmoniroth to invest U.S. $5 million to help local workers and migrant workers get agriculture and fish-farming jobs.

Most workers would rather find better-paying local jobs than work in Thailand, said Dy Thehoya, senior program officer at the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights.

While some have found work farming and raising livestock in Cambodia, their incomes are not enough for them to eke out a living and make debt payments, forcing many to return to Thailand, he said.

The government should invest in vocational training so that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the migrant workers can find jobs locally, he said.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
If we continue to seek revenge we will never have closure, Sam Rainsy says.

The exiled leader of Cambodias banned opposition party would offer a pardon to strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen if he were to step down from power over the country he has ruled with an iron fist since 1985, he told RFA.

In an interview with RFAs Khmer Service, Sam Rainsy, the acting president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), said he and co-founder and party president Kem Sokha agreed in 2013 to propose a draft law that would offer amnesty to Prime Minister Hun Sen should his rule come to an end.

Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) had just lost 22 parliamentary seats to the CNRP in the 2013 elections when, according to Sam Rainsy, Hun Sen asked him to avoid vengeance, using the proverb: Ants eat fish when water recedes, and fish eat ants when the water rises.

He wanted that law. Now he is revealing his intentions. He is afraid of his future because he has done awful things in his past. He will be prosecuted when he is out of power Sam Rainsy told RFA on Tuesday during a visit to Washington.

Hun Sen denied last week that he had asked Sam Rainsy for any kind of pardon.

But in a speech at a youth vaccination campaign rally, Hun Sen said he intends to amend the constitution to provide amnesty for prime minister, and for the leaders of Cambodias Senate and National Assembly.

Although he dismissed Hun Sens denial, Sam Rainsy said he and others in the CNRP were holding open the door for Hun Sen to step down without punishment because they want to avoid a war with Khmer people on both sides.

If we continue to seek revenge we will never have closure. Our suffering will continue and never end We dont intend to exact revenge out of Hun Sen despite our suffering. We will not cause harm to his family.. and we will guarantee his life and freedom. He can even keep some of his assets so we can live peacefully, he said.

The proposed draft laws, according to Sam Rainsy, drew inspiration from South Africas Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was part of that countrys post-apartheid political healing process.

Through the commission, victims could give testimony in public hearings, and those who had been part of the apartheid power structure could express remorse and in some cases request amnesty for their crimes.

The idea came after Hun Sen asked him during a meeting not to take revenge and vowed to protect himself.

If we have the law, he will be willing to step down. He is getting older, Sam Rainsy said of the 69-year-old prime minister.

It is almost time for him and he has realized this himself. He understands that he cannot continue to go forward. He is preparing [an exit] so if we have the law, he will feel at ease, Sam Rainsy said.

Without the law he will continue to be afraid Hun Sen is trying to have his son replace him after he can no longer continue. That shows he is afraid because he does not trust anyone besides his family, because even within his own party there are people who do not like Hun Sen, he said.

He said Hun Sens rivals from his own party are just waiting for the opportunity to speak their mind, which would be impossible if Hun Suns son Hun Manet were to succeed his father.

Sam Rainsy also said he and his party would consider allowing Hun Manet, commander of the Royal Cambodian Army since 2018, to remain in control of the military to protect his father, but this would require assurances from the Hun family.

Hun Manet can stay in the government and control the military, but he cannot use it to stage a coup. This is how we can peacefully coexist. We must think about it.

Cambodias Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP in November 2017, two months after arresting its president, Kem Sokha over an alleged plot to overthrow the government. Scores of supporters of the group have since been incarcerated, awaiting a tortuous legal process made slower by coronavirus restrictions.

The move came amid a wider crackdown by Hun Sen on the countrys political opposition, independent media, and NGOs that drew U.S. sanctions and the suspension of trade privileges with the European Union.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Freedom of speech enjoys widespread protection, although the government has taken action against disinformation campaigns backed by Beijing.

The democratic island of Taiwan has ranked fifth globally for online freedom, according to the latest annual report from the Washington-based watchdog Freedom House.

Taiwan was included in the index as a country for the first time, with one of the "freest online environments" in the region, with affordable access, diverse content, and a lack of website blocks or internet shutdowns, the report said.

While Taiwan's independent judiciary protects free speech, civil society, the technology sector, and the government have taken "innovative action" to counteract a huge disinformation campaign originating from China, it said, but cited concerns over foreign migrant workers vulnerability to exploitation.

Internet access is widely affordable, with nearly 10,000 hotspots across the country providing free Wi-Fi, but there are also illiberal tendencies including the criminalization of online activity and concerns over growing user surveillance.

At least four people were fined after being found guilty of violating the Social Order Maintenance Act for social media posts that included inaccurate information, while legislation proposed in September 2020 boosts the state's power to monitor private communications stored on an electronic device, the report said.

In 2018, the Taiwan Association of Human Rights (TAHR) reported in 2018 that the Taipei city government filtered certain content on its free Wi-Fi services provided to public spaces, including content related to drug abuse, adult content, gambling, phishing, sex education, and weapons.

However, "expression protected by international human rights standards is generally not forcibly removed," the Freedom House report said.

But it did identify a chilling effect from high-profile prosecutions of some Taiwanese people in China, meaning that anyone with business or family in China might censor themselves to avoid retaliation by the CCP authorities on their next trip.

It cited the case of Taiwan activist Lee Ming-Che, who is serving a five-year jail term for subversion over social media content he posted while in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Taiwan has laws imposing penalties for disseminating false or misleading information, with up to three days' detention under the Social Order Maintenance Act (SOMA) for "spreading rumors in a way that is sufficient to undermine public order and peace."

In mid-2020, a user was charged under SOMA for a YouTube video accusing President Tsai Ing-wen of electoral fraud during the 2020 presidential election, but the case was dismissed by a judge.

Global democratic progress

Taiwan rights activist Yang Hsien-hung said Taiwan is at the forefront of global democratic progress.

"The CCP media and their Little Pink fanbase often criticize Taiwan's alliance with the U.S. as some kind of anti-China force, but actually Taiwan represents an international trend and an embodiment of universal values [of human rights, democracy and the rule of law]," Yang told RFA.

"The fact that Taiwan is in fifth place shows that democracy, freedom, and human rights are all progressing [here]," Yang said.

"Nevertheless, we would always feel that our freedoms aren't enough," Yang said. "We still need to work harder."

Across the Taiwan Strait in China, the country's internet policy remained "profoundly oppressive" during the past year, Freedom House found, with the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the middle of a sweeping regulatory crackdown on technology companies, with ever tighter controls over online speech, blocking encrypted communication platform Signal and the audio app Clubhouse, placing new restrictions on self-published content and prosecuting activists found using virtual private networks (VPNs) to evade government censorship.

A political goal

Cheng'en Song, who heads Taiwan Democracy Watch, said that by contrast with Taiwan, China is seeking to break up private sector wealth and power, as well as eroding what remains of individual privacy.

"This is a political goal," Song told RFA. "Freedom House's report has relentlessly exposed the fact that something that appears on the surface to be regulatory change similar to those in the West actually has a political purpose behind it."

"China wants to demonstrate that it is a rising, great power and to flex its institutional muscle," he said. "Their approach to internet freedom is based on the idea that the Chinese don't value privacy, and this makes their values different to [the West's]."

China's 989 million internet users are largely restricted to content available behind the Great Firewall of government censorship, while any operators of critical infrastructure are required to get official approval for the purchase of new equipment.

"The Central Propaganda Department plays a leading role with regard to enforcing CCPs political and ideological priorities through online regulation," it said.

"The content targeted for blocking, including major social media platforms, usually contains criticism of individuals, policies, or events that are considered integral to the one-party system," the Freedom House report said.

"The breadth of the affected content is constantly growing, leaving Chinese users with access only to a highly censored, monitored, and manipulated version of the internet," it said, citing an estimated U.S.$6.6 billion spent by the CCP on enforcing nationwide censorship since 2018.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The bid comes amid an import ban on Taiwanese apples by China, which Taiwan says is an attempt at political suppression of its economy.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen says China does not abide by international trade norms and unilaterally disrupts cross-strait trade, Sept. 20, 2021.

Taiwan on Wednesday applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), days after China put in its bid to join the 11-nation trade pact.

The democratic island has been negotiating unofficially with CPTPP member countries, and plans to amend some of its laws in line with requirements under the deal, economic affairs minister Wang Mei-hua told the Central News Agency (CNA).

The CPTPP was signed by 11 countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, and New Zealand in 2018. Before that, it was known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and seen as an important economic counterweight to Chinas regional influence.

Its member economies account for just over 13 percent of global GDP, and have a combined population of 499 million.

The move comes as China banned imports of custard apples and other gourmet fruit from Taiwan, in a move that Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen said was linked to the island's ongoing campaign for greater participation in global institutions.

Council of Agriculture minister Chen Chi-chung hit out at the timing of the import ban.

"We cannot accept this," he told a news conference, and vowed to take the matter to WTO if Beijing doesn't respond to Taipeis request to resolve the issue under an existing bilateral framework before Sept. 30.

He said the council will earmark NT$1 billion (US$36.05 million) to help promote domestic sales of wax and custard apples, and expand their sales to other overseas markets.

Tsai told a meeting of her ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that the import ban -- which Chinese officials have claimed is linked to concerns over pest control -- is part of ongoing political pressure on her government since it began pushing for greater global participation and recognition after decades of diplomatic isolation imposed by Beijing.

"There is still huge political pressure on us," Tsai told the party. "During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, China unilaterally suspended the import of Taiwanese custard apples and Java (or wax) apples with no prior warning."

"We immediately set in motion our response and will act to defuse this latest attempt at suppression as we did before with the pineapple incident," Tsai said, referring to an import ban on pineapples from Taiwan in February.

She had earlier promised to protect the country's farmers in a post on her Facebook page.

China notified Taiwan about mealybugs found in 13 shipments of custard apples and six shipments of wax apples during the first half of the year, but without providing any scientific evidence, Chen said.

Chen said the bugs are easily killed by fumigation and are present throughout the region.

'Highly inappropriate'

Taiwan premier Su Tseng-chang said China's import ban was "highly inappropriate."

"We have begun procedures, and if they don't work, we will of course be pursuing this through the appropriate international channels," Su said.

"We have never put all of our eggs in one basket, and we will find the best solution for the cream of Taiwan's agricultural crop," he said.

DPP lawmaker Chuang Jui-hsiun dismissed China's claim that it had repeatedly discovered mealybugs in shipments of the fruit.

Chuang said the import ban was a political attempt to suppress Taiwan, and called on the general public to buy as much of their farmers' output as possible this year.

Currently, some 90 percent of the island's custard and Java apple exports go to China, calling for adequate financial support for farmers.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
One expert calls the proposed consultation 'inappropriate,' noting Malaysia is not a member of the AUKUS Pact and will appear to be siding with China, the Pact's potential target.

Malaysias defense chief will seek Beijings views on a new U.S.-U.K.-Australia security pact and determine what action the Asian superpower plans in response, during an upcoming visit to China, he told parliament Wednesday.

The so-called AUKUS pact has opened a divide among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Malaysia and Indonesia worrying it may spur a regional arms race, and Singapore and the Philippines welcoming it. Meanwhile, an analyst told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, that Malaysia consulting China on the alliance was inappropriate.

We need to get the views of the leadership, particularly Chinas defense, on what they think of AUKUS and what their action could be, Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.

I plan to soon undertake a short work visit to China.

He was replying to a question asked in parliament about whether Malaysia would be involved with the new pact because the nation is a member of the Five Powers Defense Arrangement  along with Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

The trilateral pact provides Australia with the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines. It is thought to be aimed at countering Chinas growing influence in the Indo-Pacific, especially in the South China Sea where Beijing has sweeping claims, which its neighbors, including Malaysia, dispute.

China has denounced the pact.

Singapore and the Philippines, however, have expressed support, saying the pact would help restore an imbalance and lead to stability in the region.

Under the 50-year-old Five Powers Defense Arrangement, members such as Malaysia and Singapore would consult each other immediately if there were a threat of an armed attack on any of them. These consultations would help them decide what action to take together or separately.

Despite this arrangement, Malaysia considers itself non-aligned, but has increasingly found itself caught between superpowers China and the United States, in those nations quest for dominance in Southeast Asia. Other nations in the region are in a similar bind.

Hishammuddin said he would have to tread carefully to try and balance the two major powers and that was not any easy thing to do. He did not invoke any names but invoked ASEAN.

Our strength is not when we are alone, our strength is when the 10 ASEAN member countries unite to ensure the position and security of the region be defended, Hishammuddin said.

Split within bloc

The AUKUS deal, however, has exposed a divide in the regional bloc, Southeast Asian affairs analyst Richard Heydarian remarked.

The AUKUS deal has clearly shown that there is NO ASEAN position, Heydarian said on Twitter.

This is not a monolithic region, with Indonesia and Malaysia predictably throwing neutralist affectations, Vietnam (and likely Singapore too) quietly welcoming it, and the Philippines openly BACKING it!

Another regional analyst, Oh Ei Sun, said Malaysia preferred to maintain a working strategic relationship with China, despite Chinas frequent incursion into what Malaysia considers to be its territorial waters in the South China Sea.

Malaysia would increasingly have to rethink its position straddling the intersection between AUKUS and an increasingly assertive China, particularly in the SCS, Oh, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, told BenarNews.

One such recent intrusion, according to Kuala Lumpur, was the May 31 overflight by 16 Chinese military planes into Malaysias maritime airspace over South China Sea waters near Borneo.

Last year, Kuala Lumpur said that Chinese coastguard and navy ships had intruded into Malaysian waters in the disputed waterway 89 times between 2016 and 2019. These Chinese ships often stayed in the area despite Malaysias navy telling them to leave, the Malaysian government said.

Malaysia is in no position whatsoever to feel happy or unhappy about the AUKUS deal, as it does not unequivocally align itself to the U.S.-led coalition, Oh said.

However, Malaysia would send a message that it no longer is non-aligned if its defense minister consults with China about the trilateral pact, according to Azmi Hassan, an expert in geopolitical strategy.

For Malaysia to consult China  it creates an uneasy atmosphere as China is not a member of the AUKUS pact, and instead is the potential target of the pact, Azmi told BenarNews.

The perception would be that Malaysia sided with China. It is very inappropriate.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Major food shortages in North Korea left many of the countrys citizens unable to properly celebrate one of its most important holidays, sources in the country told RFA.

Chuseok, Koreas version of the fall harvest holiday also celebrated around the autumn equinox in China and often likened to Thanksgiving in the U.S., is an important Korean holiday for honoring ancestors.

The holiday, which falls on Tuesday this year, brings extended families together to prepare an elaborate jesa table of traditional food offerings to honor their ancestors with a small ceremony at home or at family graves.

But North Korea is chronically short on food and has seen starvation deaths this year in the wake of the closure of the Sino-Korean border and suspension of trade with China in Jan. 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In the northwestern border town of Sinuiju, food prices are about twice as expensive as they were last Chuseok and citizens must find ways to honor their ancestors without the proper food offerings, and celebrate the autumn feast, without the feast.

The price of pork started to rise from the beginning of this month because of Chuseok, a resident of Sinuiju told RFAs Korean Service Sunday.

Rice, eggs and fake meat have all risen today, just one day before Chuseok, said the source, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

Traditional observance of the festival requires families to prepare a table with many different kinds of foods, including fresh fruit, several kinds of meat and seafood, and large portions of vegetable dishes.

But the high prices in North Korea are forcing people to cut corners.

I bought just a little bit of rice and meat so I can prepare a jesa table at my mothers grave in the mountains. Every jesa needs seafood, but prices have skyrocketed, so I could not even afford to buy it, said the source.

The rise in prices over the last year at the Sinuiju market was gradual for most food items, but luxuries like meat and seafood increased sharply as the holiday approached.

Soaring prices

Credit: RFA

In August, the price of a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of pork was 20,000 won (U.S. $3.70), but it rose to 25,000 won ($4.63) in September. A frozen pollack rose from 10,000 won ($1.85) to 20,000 won ($3.70).

The price of pork is so high that it seems that there are many residents who cannot buy meat, even on Chuseok! the source said.

Instead, fake meat made from bean scraps is cheaper, so people are serving fake meat dishes at jesa and families are eating the fake meat in their feast, said the source.

A resident of Musan county in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong said people there were critical of the government for not caring about their plight.

The price of rice at the local marketplace did not rise significantly, but the price of flour rose because we have to make buchimgae and kkwabaegi, said the second source, referring to Korean vegetable fritters and twisted donuts.

They say the people are having a hard time just to make a living, but the country is wasting its money firing missiles, the second source said, referring to North Koreas test launches last week of long-range cruise missiles and train-fired ballistic missiles.

The people blame [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un, who is ignoring their livelihoods and bragging about firing missiles off a train on the 15th. added the source.

North Korean escapee Han Hong-geun and his family prepare for a memorial service for their North Korean ancestors on the occasion of Chuseok, near the Demilitarised Zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, October 1, 2020. Credit: Reuters

Other residents told RFA ahead of the holiday that they were depressed that they cannot afford to set a proper jesa table.

Chuseok is only four days away, but it is so gloomy, and nobody is in the holiday spirit, a resident of Chongjin in North Hamgyong told RFA Sept. 17.

The coronavirus pandemic has reduced large swathes of the North Korean population to poverty. The Sino-Korean border closure did not only cause food shortages, it also stopped people from making a living buying and selling Chinese goods, and cut off North Korean industry from raw materials and components.

Commerce in entire towns dried up as a result, and ships in harbors began to rust from disuse.

Money is tight for almost everyone in Chongjin, the Chongjin source said.

A resident of Bugo village in Chongam district told me that no matter how difficult the circumstances were, he was always able to prepare songpyeon [handmade rice cakes], fruit, fish and vegetables for jesa, the Chongjin source said.

But this year he could only put a single bottle of alcohol on the table with no food, because he didnt have enough money, he said with tearful eyes, the Chongjin source said.

North Koreans stand in front of flower wreaths to take portraits of their family members at a cemetery as they observe Chuseok, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013. Credit: AP

Placing offerings on family graves is also a Chuseok custom that has been hit by the hardship.

Until a few years ago, you could see impressive displays at graveyards on Chuseok as residents carried a large variety of food on their heads and backs, the Chongjin source said.

But the number of grave visitors has gradually decreased and this year, so many residents are only bringing a bottle of alcohol instead of a whole jesa table, said the Chongjin source.

Filial duty

The Chongjin source acknowledged North Koreas severe economic issues during the pandemic, but said it was unimaginable that things got so bad that people cannot afford to honor their ancestors.

Many residents of Hyesan have become depressed that the only thing they can do to honor their ancestors is to beautify their graves by removing weeds from the grassy mounds.

The gloom and doom this year at Chuseok is a testament to the unprecedented ordeal that we are experiencing in North Korea.

Further dampening the holiday mood, North Korean authorities have also begun a Chuseok crackdown on families who receive money from relatives who have escaped the country and live in South Korea.

Escapees in the South usually send large sums of money to their families in the North through intermediaries known as phone brokers.

But families with relatives in the South fear severe punishment if they are caught, so they are foregoing money that many of them badly need.

The border guards, the State Security Department, the strike force from the Social Security Department, and the Veterans Patrol are working together to shore up monitoring and control of residents day and night, a resident in the city of Hoeryong in North Hamgyong told RFA Sunday.

Every move of the families with members who have escaped overseas is closely watched by security agents, police and the heads of neighborhood watch units, said the Hoeryong source, who declined to be named.

A resident of Musan county said authorities were also restricting movement of people near the Sino-Korean border, even those with ancestors graves there.

Families from other regions with graves near the border were looking forward to using the visit to get in touch with their families in the South for Chuseok, but the authorities are intensively monitoring land routes and trains entering the border area, the Musan source said.

If there is any suspicion, they will be punished mercilessly, so many residents are just giving up on the whole idea.

Reported by Hyemin Son, Jeong Yon Park and Myung Chul Lee for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun and Jinha Shin. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Ethnic armed organizations say the people now realize they must fend for themselves.

Military troops and police go on patrol at Kayah state, Myanmar, May 23, 2021.

Attacks on the military have seen a significant increase in wide swathes of Myanmar in the two weeks since the countrys shadow National Unity Government (NUG) declared war on the junta, ethnic army representatives said Tuesday.

On Sept. 7, Duwa Lashi La, interim president of the five-month-old NUG, declared a nationwide state of emergency and called for open rebellion against junta rule, prompting an escalation of attacks on military targets by various allied pro-democracy militias and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs).

He called on the numerous branches of the Peoples Defense Force (PDF) militias and EAOs to target the military and their support pillars to take control of their regions, while also urging all levels of local administrators to stop working immediately.

Two weeks on, fighting has ticked up in Karen, Kachin, Kayah, Chin and northern Shan states  all home to ethnic armies that have been at odds with the central government long before the Feb. 1 coup.

The Karen National Union (KNU), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Chin National Front (CNF), Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), have stepped up military operations in the areas where they operate, their spokesmen told RFAs Myanmar Service on Tuesday.

KNU foreign affairs officer Pado Saw Tawney said fighting has intensified because the people of Myanmar realize thatmore than seven months after the junta seized powernobody is going to come to their rescue.

The people understand that  they cannot rely on international assistance or mediation, as the [global community] has done nothing, even after more than a thousand people have been killed for no reason. They have clearly realized they must fend for themselves, he said.

Young people want to defend themselves from repression and arbitrary killings and we are not stopping them, instead we will help as much as we can  They understand the NUG stance and have finally decided they must do something.

Pado Saw Tawney vowed that the KNU would support any group that opposes the junta, since it will never accept a military dictatorship.

Myanmars military overthrew the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government on Feb. 1, claiming the party had stolen the countrys November 2020 ballot through voter fraud.

The junta has yet to provide evidence of its claims and has violently repressed anti-coup protests, killing at least 1,114 people and arresting 6,666 others, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Joining forces

Salai Htet Ni, a spokesman for the CNF, told RFA that ethnic armed groups and local militias must join hands if they hope to unseat the powerful military.

Well get closer to victory if we all join in the fight against the junta in unity. Armed ethnic groups have given training to CDF in the Chin State as well as PDF forces from the plains since the military coup, he said.

Unity is crucial. We aim for strength-building and mutual support. Not just CDF forces or PDF forces fighting for themselves but working in collaboration among all groups.

Many EAOs have been fighting against Myanmars military for the more than 70 years since the countrys 1948 independence. In the aftermath of this years coup, several groups have thrown their support behind anti-junta resistance fighters, while others are joining forces with the local PDF branches to fight the military.

Colonel Naw Bu, spokesman of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), told RFA that his group provides military direction to the PDF forces in Kachin state.

The NUG stirred up the public sentiment with its latest statement, he said.

[We] are also ready to fight off any offensive by the military here in Kachin state. Currently we have drawn up a strategy together with the PDF forces, whom we have taken under our wings.

Naw Bus comments follow an Aug. 27 press conference during which junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun warned EAOs not to provide arms, training and other assistance to PDF militias, regardless of whether they had negotiated a ceasefire agreement with the military. The junta regards PDF groups as terrorists.

The escalated fighting across the country has displaced thousands more civilians.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement on Sept. 17 that fighting in Kayah state had displaced 22,000 people in September alone.

It said more than 120,000 people have been displaced by fighting since May 21 in Kayah and southeastern Shan states, as well as tens of thousands in Chin, Kachin and Karen states, as well as Magway and Sagaing regions.

Late last month, OCHA announced that the number of people who need humanitarian aid in Myanmar increased to nearly two million since the military coup. Those displaced by the recent fighting join more than 500,000 refugees from decades of conflict between the military and EAOs who were already counted as IDPs at the end of 2020, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, a Norwegian NGO.

Analysts told RFA the path to internal peace in Myanmar remains a long way off, as tensions between the military and anti-junta forces have never been higher.

War is inevitable when political dialogue fails to bring in results. And along with war will come death and destruction. You cannot avoid it, said political and military analyst Maung Maung Soe.

China and ASEAN have called for a dialogue among the domestic forces and the U.S. and the West have also called for a peaceful solution to the problem. But domestically, tensions between both sides are at their highest, with each hoping for total annihilation of the other  There is very little hope for a dialogue.

No opposition to public will

Late on Monday, former State Counsellor and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi confirmed a statement she reportedly made to her legal defense team that she would not oppose an armed rebellion against the junta.

Earlier on Monday, lawyer Khin Maung Zaw and his team had met with Aung San Suu Kyi for around half an hour before her trial hearing at the Special Court in the capital Naypyidaws Zambuthiri township and asked her about reports spread online by pro-military social media users since Sept. 17 that she did not approve of the armed resistance by NUG, PDF groups and others.

Aung San Suu Kyis trial in a junta court on charges widely regarded as politically motivated was suspended for two months amid an outbreak in the country of COVID-19 and was set to resume on Sept. 13, but was postponed when she complained of dizzy spells. She attended court the following day and hearings in her trial are now held weekly on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 76, had been in good health during the last two months, and had experienced difficulties only on Monday, her lawyers told RFA. She had previously been under the care of a family doctor, but after being taken into custody was assigned a doctor by the junta.

Aung San Suu Kyi now faces up to 11 different charges filed by the military against her, and if found guilty in all cases could face a maximum sentence of more than 100 years in prison.

On Tuesday, Aung San Suu Kyi pled not guilty to the charge of defamation of the state under Article 505 (b) of the Penal Code, according to her lawyers.

The prosecution had opened cases against her, as well as former President Win Myint and Naypyidaw Mayor Dr. Myo Aung, claiming that two statements issued by the NLD Central Executive Committee in February and April were meant to disrupt public order and instigate against the state.

The Mandalay Region High Court will begin hearing four corruption cases against her in a special court in Naypyidaw on Oct. 1 and proceedings are expected to take place weekly on Fridays.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Penpa Tsering says he remains cautious, though, pending assurances the signals are 'genuine and trustworthy.'

Penpa Tsering, Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration, Tibet's India-based government in exile, is shown in a March 22, 2021 photo.

Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong of Tibets India-based exile government, said this month that he has seen indications China may be willing to resume talks on Tibets status under Chinese rule, but cautioned more must be done to move ahead.

We are actually receiving positive signals from the Chinese side on the issue of dialogue, the Sikyong, or Tibets political leader in exile, told RFA in an interview on Sept. 4 marking his first 100 days in office.

However, I am being cautious, as we need to verify whether these signals are genuine and trustworthy, Tsering said. Until we agree on the right strategy for resuming dialogue, there are certain things we need to prepare, and we have already begun to do this, he said.

Tibets struggle has been a national struggle for more than 60 years, Tsering said, adding, It is difficult to estimate the timeline for resolving this issue. So now, the key question is how we move forward, and we have to reach out to our Chinese counterparts to begin with.

Tibets Dharamsala, India-based exile government, or Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), has now formed a Permanent Strategy Committee of four members, each from a different department of the CTA, to consider options for moving ahead with talks, Tsering said.

Nine rounds of talks were previously held with high-level Chinese officials beginning in 2002, but stalled in 2010 and were never resumed.

Whether we can make any progress on resuming the Sino-Tibetan dialogue or not depends very much on the Chinese government, Tsering said.

For our part, we will continue our efforts as representatives of the Tibetan people to resume the dialogue, so that when we leave office after five years we can account for ourselves to the public, he said.

Divisions persist in the Tibetan exile communityabout 150,000 people living in 40 countries, mainly Indian, Nepal, North America, and in Europeover how best to advance the rights of the 6.3 million Tibetans living in China, with some calling for a restoration of the independence lost when Chinese troops marched into Tibet in 1950.

Tibets invasion and incorporation into China by force prompted Tibets then national leader the Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers to flee into exile in India and other countries around the world.

Even though His Holiness the Dalai Lama has formally relinquished his political leadership role in the Tibetan exile government, he still remains the protector and symbol of the Tibetan people, Tsering said.

So we have from time to time been updating His Holiness on the condition of the administration and the tasks that we perform.

We will do our best to fulfill the aspirations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsering said.

'I have a huge responsibility'

Tsering, former speaker of Tibets exile parliament in Dharamsala, won a closely fought April 11 election to become Sikyong held in Tibetan communities worldwide.

The fifth elected CTA leader, Tsering replaced Lobsang Sangay, a Harvard-trained scholar of law, who had served two consecutive five-year terms as Sikyong, an office filled by candidates elected since 2011 by popular vote.

On Aug. 20, Tsering began a round of official visits to observe conditions in Tibetan settlements in India, beginning with settlements in the Leh and Jangthang areas of Indias remote northwestern region of Ladakh.

I made a promise during my campaign that if I won the election, I would start my visit to settlements beginning in Ladakh, he said, adding, Unless you go and see these things for yourself, it is impossible to picture the actual situation and concerns of the Tibetan people and be able to offer them help.

Tsering said his government must now devise a long-term plan of from 10 to 15 years to resolve the settlements longstanding problems.

As a Sikyong elected by the public, I have a huge responsibility, he said. And with that in mind, I have met with people, spoken with them, and listened to each and every one of their questions, grievances, and concerns.

Tibets exile parliament, stalled for months by disputes over the legality of the oaths taken by seated members, should now move forward with its own responsibilities so that government business does not come to a halt, Tsering said.

Right now, there is no legitimate body for the Kashag [the Sikyongs cabinet] to work with, he said. If the impasse in parliament is not resolved by March 2022, there will be a risk of disorder in the Central Tibetan Administration that could hurt the Tibetan cause.

Democracy is about rules and the law. So if one does not abide by the law, democracy cannot function he said.

Reported by Lobsang Gelek for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc has gotten donations from South Korea, Italy and others.

Fresh from a trip to Havana where he agreed to buy millions of Cuban vaccines, Vietnams President Nguyen Xuan Phuc is seeking donations of COVID-19 doses from other countries and international organizations on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), state media reported Wednesday.

In meetings in New York with and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UNGA president Abdulla Shahid, Phuc discussed Vietnams struggle with the pandemic and requested more doses of vaccines to inoculate more of its population of 98 million, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The Seoul-based Korea Herald reported that Phuc met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the 76th session, where Moon promised to provide Vietnam with more than one million doses of coronavirus vaccine in October but did not specify which vaccine would be donated.

The pledge is South Koreas first commitment to donate vaccines to another country directly.

President Phuc over the weekend traveled to Cuba on an official visit, where he met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to finalize a deal for Vietnam to buy 10 million doses of the Abdala vaccine.

Italy has also promised to donate 800,000 doses of the British-Swedish AstraZeneca vaccine to Vietnam, raising Romes commitment to Hanoi to over 1.6 million doses.

Italy has been one of the EUs largest donors to Vietnam via the COVAX program co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the World Health Organization (WHO); and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

According to RFA statistics, China has so far donated 3.7 million doses of its Vero Cell vaccine to Vietnam and has promised three million more. The U.S., meanwhile, has provided about six million doses of its Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

As of Wednesday, only about 7 percent of Vietnamese adults have been fully vaccinated. According to the WHO, to reach herd immunity, the country must increase the vaccination rate by tenfold.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told UNGA Tuesday the world deserves a failing grade in ethics for the uneven distribution of coronavirus vaccines.

"On the one hand, we see the vaccines developed in record time  a victory of science and human ingenuity. On the other hand, we see that triumph undone by the tragedy of a lack of political will, selfishness, and mistrust," Guterres said, noting that 90 percent of Africans have yet to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

"It is an obscenity. We passed the science test. But we are getting an F in ethics."

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that Washington would buy 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to donate to developing countries.

"To beat the pandemic here we need to beat it everywhere," Biden said during a virtual summit on increasing the global vaccinations.

"This is an all hands on deck crisis," he said as he addressed world leaders and urged them to step up their donations as well.

With the additional doses, scheduled for delivery in January, the U.S. donation total will exceed 1.1 billion doses, but health experts warn that 5 to 6 billion are necessary to inoculate people in poorer countries.

Hanoi holiday sparks worries

Mid-Autumn Festival toys on sale in Hanoi on September 28, 2020. Credit: AFP

After authorities relaxed social distancing measures in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, the people swarmed into the streets to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival Tuesday, prompting the government to call on citizens to exercise caution.

State-run VTC News reported that Nguyen Van Phong, vice chairman of Hanois party committee, said the crowds of revelers showed their reckless negligence and disregard for the health of themselves, their families and the community.

Because of this, the city's recent achievements in the fight against the pandemic to which the Capitals people made a decisive contribution, are seriously challenged, said Phong.

The quarantine measures were lifted at 6 a.m. Tuesday, after two months where the city had been divided into different zones based on severity of outbreak, and citizens needed travel permits to move between the zones or outside the city.

State media reported that many of the capitals streets were densely packed with people, and the city government had to prevent a mass gathering by locking down Hang Ma Street, popular with children for its many festival toys.

Local media reported that traffic on Wednesday morning in the city stretched for almost a kilometer (0.6 miles) at a checkpoint in Phap Van, a neighborhood in the citys southern outskirts.

Even with the relaxed measures, Hanoi still maintains 22 checkpoints on roads that enter the city. Citizens wishing to enter or leave the city must still present identification and follow pandemic control procedures.

Wednesday was the first opportunity to leave for many of the people who became stranded in the capital after the lockdown. As many simultaneously tried to depart for their homes outside the city, long lines formed at the checkpoints.

Vietnam had been among the most effective countries in tackling COVID-19, reporting no deaths through late July 2020a record that was attributed to effective contact tracing, strict quarantines, and early testing.

After successfully weathering three separate waves of the virus with confirmed cases numbering in the low thousands, a fourth wave arrived in April 2021. As of Monday, Vietnam has confirmed 707,436 cases of COVID-19 and 17,545 deaths according to data from Johns Hopkins Universitys Coronavirus Resource Center.

During the fourth wave, the country locked down its largest cities and forbade residents from leaving their houses except to procure food, a move that has led to widespread unemployment and loss of income. But even as the harsh measures dragged on, reported cases continued to climb.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the previous government's funding for a school for Afghans in Tajikistan's capital was cut off. A school official hopes wealthy Afghans can step in, but so far, parents of the students have had to help cover the costs to pay rent for the school. Rising school fees may reach a level out of reach for some families.
The European Union has summoned Georgia's envoy to Brussels, Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, after leaked files alleged the country's security agency spied on the bloc's diplomats and others.

EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell told reporters on September 22 that the alleged spying by "a close friend and partner like Georgia" raised serious questions about the relationship between the two and compliance with diplomatic norms.

"A surveillance society is not what should be part of a democratic society," Hartzell said.

Georgian media have reported that thousands of leaked files, released by a whistleblower last week, showed the State Security Service eavesdropped on Hartzell, U.S. diplomats, Israel's ambassador, and other diplomatic missions in Tbilisi.

Although many of the recordings focused on the Georgian Orthodox Church and its ties to Russia, some allegedly reveal security agents listening in on the conversations of Georgian journalists, opposition politicians, and diplomats.

Hartzell said the "the volume and nature" of the alleged eavesdropping appeared to go beyond the normal activities of security agencies in addressing potential threats.

Surveillance "should be used carefully, [has] to be monitored, and kept under control with appropriate oversight," Hartzell said.

"Because on the other side of this spectrum lies the privacy of individuals, the right to private space and not to be surveilled in an arbitrary manner," he added.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili of the ruling Georgian Dream party has dismissed the recordings as a "fabrication and falsification" put forward by the opposition, while also defending the security services.

"The state has the State Security Service because it conducts legitimate wiretaps within the limits established by law. This is obvious to everyone. The whole world is governed in this way," he said.

Last week, the European External Action Service, the EU's foreign-policy wing, told RFE/RL that it was aware of the alleged spying, saying the bloc would take "appropriate steps" in response.



"This is a very serious matter since it has implications in the framework of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations," Peter Stano, the lead spokesman for EU external affairs, said.

With reporting by Civil.ge
Human rights watchdog Freedom House says global Internet freedom has declined dramatically in Belarus, where last years disputed presidential election led the authorities to repeatedly restrict access to the Internet, increase social media surveillance, and detain and use "deadly force against online activists.

According to the report Freedom on the Net 2021, published by Washington-based Freedom House on September 21, the "repressive campaign" by authorities against Internet liberty continued into this year, leading to a seven-point decline in the country's Internet freedom -- a drop surpassed only by Burma.

Mass protests broke out across Belarus against alleged election fraud after the official results of a August 2020 vote handed authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term in office.

The protest movement was met with a brutal crackdown on demonstrators and the opposition from Lukashenkas government, with hundreds of people being prosecuted and jailed.

The opposition and the West have refused to recognize the results and called for a new, independently monitored vote.

Lukashenka's postelection crackdown included the closure of the offices and blocking of the websites of TUT.by and Nasha Niva, two popular independent media outlets in the country, and the forced diversion in May of a Ryanair flight to Minsk to arrest opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich, the former editor in chief of the popular NEXTA channel on the Telegram messaging platform.

Freedom on the Net is an annual report of human rights in the digital sphere. This years report assesses Internet access developments in 70 countries during the period spanning from June 2020 to May 2021.

Overall, the report says global Internet freedom declined for the 11th consecutive year, with the greatest deterioration being documented in Burma, followed by Belarus and Uganda.

'Draconian Prison Terms'

China ranked as the worst environment for Internet freedom for the seventh year in a row, with the authorities imposing "draconian prison terms for online dissent, independent reporting, and mundane daily communications."

In the United States, "false, misleading, and manipulated information continued to proliferate online, affecting public acceptance of the 2020 presidential election results." That led to the countrys score declining for the fifth consecutive year.

Officials in at least 48 countries have pursued new rules for tech companies on content, data, and competition to "subdue free expression and gain greater access to private data," according to Freedom House.

Authorities suspended Internet access in at least 20 countries, and 21 states blocked access to social media platforms, while authorities in at least 45 countries are "suspected of obtaining sophisticated spyware or data-extraction technology from private vendors."

Along with Belarus, Freedom House defines Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Iran as being "not free" countries regarding their level of the Internet freedom.

Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan are described as "partly free," while Georgia, Armenia, Serbia, and Hungary are deemed to be "free."

'Labyrinth Of Regulations'

In Russia, Freedom House says the government "added to the labyrinth of regulations that international tech companies must navigate in the country."

It cited a January law introducing new fines for websites and platforms that fail to remove content the state deems "illegal," while legislation in February reinforced platforms' obligations to identify and remove banned content and required them to coordinate with the federal regulator regarding content moderation decisions.

Iran was among governments that imposed "especially egregious sentences" against people arrested or convicted for their online speech.

Ruhollah Zam, the manager of the popular Telegram channel Amadnews, was executed in December 2020 after he was accused of inciting violence during Iran's 2017 protests.

Internet users faced physical attacks in retribution for their online activities in dozens of countries, including in Azerbaijan, where one of them was beaten and forced to apologize by local police in January for Facebook posts in which he criticized local government officials.
Richard Arinze Ogbunuju, a Nigerian who has lived in Georgia since 1996, is the first Black candidate to run for mayor of Tbilisi. Ogbunuju speaks about being an heir to a noble family, and some years ago held a ceremony in Georgia to take the title of king of his local community back in Nigeria. During his run for office, Ogbunuju has witnessed some xenophobic reactions from Georgian voters, but he believes the capital is ready for a groundbreaking leader.
The border between Kosovo and Serbia has remained blocked for a third straight day by ethnic Serbs protesting a decision by the Pristina authorities to start removing Serbian license plates from cars entering the country.

The ongoing dispute has raised fears that it may unleash much deeper tensions between the two neighbors.

Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on September 22 that his country and Serbia should start recognizing each other's car license plates to allow free movement of people and goods and ease border tensions.

Kurti called on Serbs to move vehicles away "because they are blocking themselves." A few hundred Serbs spent the night in tents and blocked the roads to the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings with trucks.

They were now camping in tents by the trucks parked in the middle of the roads leading to the border.

"Our offer is very practical, let's lift the temporary plates, in Serbia and in Kosovo," Kurti said at a government meeting.

"Neither our state or citizens nor Kosovar Serbs or Serbia are interested in incidents and escalation" of the tension, Kurti said, accusing Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of being the "only one individual...interested in that. We are for dialogue."

Tensions soared on September 20 when Kosovo special police with armored vehicles were sent to the border to impose the same rule of temporarily replacing Serbian license plates on cars while they are in Kosovo.

Serbia, which doesn't recognize its former province as a separate state and considers its border with Kosovo an "administrative" and temporary boundary, has for years taken off registration plates from Kosovo-registered cars entering Serbia. Drivers need to pay five euros (nearly $6) for a 60-day temporary license plate.



Kosovar authorities say a 2016 deal reached in European Union-mediated talks had expired and only proper Kosovar symbols were now valid.

Vucic, who convened a session of the national Security Council on September 21, described Kosovo's decision as a "criminal action" and urged Pristina to withdraw all troops, "then we can go to Brussels and discuss everything and possibly reach an agreement."

Vucic convened the session to discuss the measures that Belgrade will take "if Kosovo does not change its decision." He said that the measures would primarily be economic.



The EU and United States urged Kosovo and Serbia to exercise restraint "immediately, without any delay," and refrain from unilateral actions.

Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani met with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in New York and urged the bloc that "efforts on tensioning [sic] and destabilization from illegal structures supported by Serbia should be judged from the EU."



In a tweet on September 22, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi urged both Kosovo and Serbia "to exercise restraint and deescalate the tensions, return to dialogue and ensure freedom of movement without delay. Unilateral actions are never a solution. They only lead to unnecessary tensions and should be withdrawn."

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
In a speech before the UN General Assembly in New York, President Maia Sandu again called or the departure of Russian troops from Moldova's breakaway Transdniester region.

Some 1,400 Russian troops are still stationed in Transdniester, which declared independence from Moldova in 1990, ostensibly to protect Soviet-era arms depots.

"I'd like to reiterate that our position with regard to the complete and unconditional withdrawal of the the Russian forces [from Transdniester] remains unchanged," Sandu told the General Assembly on September 22.

"This also includes the removal or the destruction of the munitions stored in the Cobasna depots (eds: in northern Transdniester) that remain a threat for the security and the environment of the region and beyond. We count on the support of the international community in reaching this objective," Sandu added.

Transdniester fought a short war in 1992 with Moldova over fears that the newly independent country would seek reunification with neighboring Romania.

The conflict ended with a cease-fire agreement after Russian troops stationed in the region since Soviet times intervened on the side of the separatists.

Several rounds of negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have failed to bring the conflict to a resolution, despite the involvement of the United States and the European Union in the mediation process.

Sandu, who defeated Russian-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in November 2020 on a ticket of closer relations with the West, has repeatedly called for Russian troops in Transdniester to be removed in favor of civilian monitors under the auspices of the OSCE.

The Kremlin has rebuffed the idea, saying it could lead to a "serious destabilization" of the situation.
When Apple and Google removed an election app created by jailed Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny from their online stores just as the country's three-day parliamentary vote got under way, his associates were dismayed -- and criticized the U.S. tech giants for giving in to the Kremlin's demands.

There was not much Navalny's allies could do about it, however. And the developments showed that in the battle between the trillion-dollar tech companies and the authoritarian leaders of major economies -- especially those willing to resort to extra-legal means -- the latter may have a stronger position, analysts say.

Russia reportedly raised the possibility of criminal charges against the tech giants' local employees. Given that critics say President Vladimir Putin's government uses trumped-up charges to sideline opponents such as Navalny, that would be a prospect it would be hard to take lightly.

"I don't think they have a lot of choice," Adam Segal, director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, told RFE/RL. "Unless they're willing to give up the Russia market -- which I don't think they are -- I don't think they have a lot of leverage on their own."

Be that as it may, Internet freedom advocates say the companies must fight as hard as they can because authoritarian regimes around the world are watching what happens in places like Russia.

"While companies are understandably concerned for their in-country staff, they also have a responsibility to respect rights," Deborah Brown, a senior researcher and digital rights advocate at Human Rights Watch, wrote in an article published on September 21.

"We definitely don't want tech companies to capitulate in these cases and this decision [by Apple and Google] is concerning," Grant Baker, a research associate focusing on technology and democracy at Washington-based Freedom House, told RFE/RL.

However, Baker says the companies are in a "tough position" because they have to look out for the safety of their employees while also trying to fulfill their obligation to uphold freedom of expression.

And Segal said that because of the divide in the United States over the role of big tech, companies may not be receiving the vocal support they might have in the past in standoffs with authoritarian regimes. "Pushback from the U.S. government...is pretty unlikely these days," he said.

Neither Apple nor Google immediately responded to e-mails and phone calls from RFE/RL seeking comment.

When contacted by RFE/RL, the U.S. State Department declined to comment on the decision by the tech giants, limiting itself to saying that all people have the right to speak freely and that societies "are strengthened, not threatened, by expressions of opinion and dissent, including through the Internet."

'Extremist Groups'

For weeks before the September 17-19 voting for the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament and a key lever of power for Putin, Moscow had pressured the U.S. companies to remove the app on the grounds that it was promoting the activities of an extremist organization banned in Russia.

Russia in June declared Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation and other organizations he founded "extremist" groups, outlawing them in what rights activists said was a baseless and politically motivated attempt to destroy his national network and blunt his challenge ahead of the elections.

His own political movement gutted by the state, Navalny called on his supporters to vote for candidates running against the ruling United Russia party. The Smart Voting app informed citizens which candidate in a particular district had the best chances of defeating the Kremlin favorite.

The goal was to chip away, race by race, at United Russia's chances of holding on to its two-thirds majority in the Duma, which the party needs to pass constitutional amendments without support from other deputies in the 450-seat chamber.

WATCH: How Navalny's 'Smart Voting' Works

The two tech giants defied Russia's request until the first day of the elections. They may have caved when Russia reportedly raised the prospect of opening criminal cases against local staff.

The New York Times reported that Russian authorities named specific individuals at Google who would face prosecution if the app was not deleted, citing a person whom it did not name but said was familiar with the tech company's decision. News agency AFP quoted an unidentified source it said was familiar with Apple's situation as saying that its employees faced "threats of arrest."

Vladimir Dzhabarov, a member of Russia's upper house of parliament who is also an officer with the Federal Security Service, Russia's main domestic security agency, asserted the day before the start of the vote that Apple and Google were committing "specific crimes" and that individuals "contributing to their parent companies' evasion" of Russian law "will be punished."

Analysts say Russia has several factors in its favor in its fight against social-media and tech companies: the size and spending power of its population, a competitive domestic tech industry, and disagreements within and between democracies over how to regulate the industry.

Russia is the world's ninth-largest country by population and 11th by economic output. Moreover, its citizens are active Internet users, with 87 million Russians surfing the web every day.

That makes the country an important market for U.S. tech firms like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

Russia is the fifth-largest market for Facebook's photo-sharing app, Instagram.

At the same time, Russia has been tightening the screws on the Internet and social media in particular over the past decade as more citizens turn to online sources for news, loosening the Kremlin's control over the dissemination of information.

In July, Putin signed a bill requiring foreign tech companies with more than 500,000 Russian users to set up a representative office in Russia, a move that may sound benign but would give the authorities the ability to hold local company employees liable for decisions the government doesn't like.

"If you have a representative office, the pressure is already there," Baker said.

Russia is by no means alone, or even first, to take that step. Turkey, Indonesia, and India -- whose governments, like Russia's, have all grown more authoritarian in recent years -- have passed legislation requiring tech companies to have local representative offices.

Brown, of Human Rights Watch, wrote that "the spate of 'hostage-taking' laws being adopted in several countries that require companies appoint in-country representatives may mean a wave of corporate-assisted censorship is on the horizon."

India, the world's biggest untapped technology market, earlier this year threatened to jail local Twitter executives if they refused to follow government orders to take down content it deemed dangerous.

In a vivid sign of the economic consideration that can come into play when dealing with government control of the Internet, a Facebook executive in India last year sought to block efforts to apply the social-media company's hate-speech rules to some Hindu nationalist politicians and groups over concern it would hurt their business prospects in the country.

Whether U.S. tech giants give in to government demands "usually comes down to the size of the market, and the willingness of companies to stand up and perhaps threaten to leave," Segal said.

Another key element in the decision-making process is the dependence of the country on their technology platforms, he said.

Here, Russia has an advantage over countries like Turkey, India, and Indonesia. Russia's domestic social-media, e-commerce, and search companies are competitive at home with the U.S. giants, giving the Kremlin more leverage.

'Sovereign Internet'

And that edge may be growing as Putin's government tosses money at building up its domestic industry, such as RuTube, the country's answer to Google's YouTube, the platform successfully used by Navalny to disseminate his exposes on corruption at the highest levels of the Russian government.

Andrei Soldatov, a journalist who specializes in Russian technology, says global platforms like YouTube are becoming replaceable, sapping their strength in their battle with the Kremlin.

"You might have billions of users, but if the local government decides to attack your company very few of them will do anything about it," Soldatov said in an opinion article in The Moscow Times on September 20.

The international debate over how to regulate social-media companies, and deep divisions on the issue in the United States, serve as wind to Russias back in its struggle against the tech giants, analysts said.

"Liberal democracies are having debates these days about what type of material they keep up, what types of material they take down, what's legal, what's illegal," Segal said, adding that Russia can cherry-pick to defend its actions.

Turkey, a NATO member, has been aggressive in its attempts to censor social media. Ankara has accounted for 27 percent of all legal demands to remove or withhold content on Twitter, surpassing Russia at 20 percent, according to data published on the tech companys website.

India, sometimes referred to as the world's largest democracy, accounts for 6 percent of all legal demands posed to Twitter while the United States is less than 1 percent.

Baker said that what he called the U.S. government's "laissez faire" approach to technology regulation over the years has enabled other countries -- both democracies and authoritarian states -- to put forth their own models. He believes Washington should take a more active role in building a regulatory framework.

"Democratic countries need to take the lead in this," he said, adding that building a transparent regulatory framework for tech companies would not stop every violation by governments, but "it would probably contribute to a safer and more open Internet."
Classes at Perm State University, the site of a shooting rampage earlier this week that left six people dead and dozens of others injured, will resume next week.

Perm regional Governor Dmitry Makhonin said on September 22 that students will return to their classrooms on September 27, allowing time for police to finish their investigation into the attack.

Dressed in black tactical gear and wielding a smooth-bore hunting rifle, Timur Bekmansurov walked on to the campus where he was enrolled on September 20, entered a building, and then opened fire on his fellow students, many of whom jumped from second-story windows to flee the scene.

One man and five women aged between 18 and 66 were killed in the shooting spree.

Regional Health Minister Anastasia Kuten said on September 22 that 11 of the 43 people injured in the attack remain in the hospital.

The 18-year-old gunman was wounded by police while being apprehended.

He remains in the hospital in serious condition after having the lower part of his leg amputated, Kuten said.

Police are investigating the shooting and have yet to say what Bekmansurovs motive was.

The shooting was the second major attack by a gunman at a school in Russia in four months and underscores a rise in such attacks, which were once considered extremely rare in Russia.

The university, which has an enrollment of about 12,000, is located in the city of Perm, about 1,200 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
Moscow polling station No. 151 was set up on the premises of the state Gulag History Museum, just a short stroll away from blood-curdling testimony of the crimes of Communist Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Yet, according to official preliminary voting results, the Communist Party won the precinct with nearly 29 percent of the vote, followed by 20.3 percent for the ruling United Russia party.

The Gulag museum polling station results are indicative of a surge in strength for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), which is set to gain 15 seats in the new State Duma, the lower parliament house, according to preliminary official results from elections marred by evidence of fraud.

According to independent election monitors and to the party itself -- whose leaders still march regularly to place red carnations at Stalin's grave -- the heir to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union actually polled much better in a surprising show of strength compared to recent national elections.

"We went out to all the voters and said: this is what we are offering," said party leader Gennady Zyuganov the day after polls closed. "The voters listened to us. The voters believed us. The voters voted for us." The party fared particularly well in the Far East, the Urals, and the mid-Volga region.

In the 2016 Duma elections, the Communists polled just over 13 percent and picked up 42 seats in legislature. That was a disastrous dip for them compared to 2011, when they got just over 19 percent and were awarded 92 seats.

According to the preliminary results from the September 17-19 elections, they were close to 19 percent again in the party-list voting but are on track to hold only 57 of the Dumas 450 seats: They were awarded only nine of 225 single-mandate seats, with United Russia sweeping up 198 of them.

In short, United Russia is set to take 72 percent of the Duma seats after polling just under 50 percent of the party-list vote, while the second-place Communists will have 12.7 percent of the seats with 19 percent of the vote.

According to independent statistician Sergei Shpilkin, United Russia actually received 31-33 percent of the vote.

Analyst Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center told Current Time that the scale of the Communist Partys gains according to official figures would seem to indicate that little will change in the new Duma.

"It isn't good for the Communists to get too many votes because then they would have to explain themselves to the presidential administration," he told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.

"In principle, I think, they will be forgiven for 20 percent. But if suddenly they had 25 or 30 percent, that would already be going too far, Kolesnikov said. In that case, Zyuganov would have to admit a new reality and would be constantly fighting to keep his faction in line."

'Changing Party'

A vast increase in the number of mandates for the Communists likely would have forced Zyuganov to include many of the younger party members who have made their political careers locally by relying on genuine public support. Samara regional lawmaker, popular YouTube personality, and up-and-coming Communist Nikolai Bondarenko is one such figure.

Thirty-seven-year-old Moscow professor Mikhail Lobanov -- who lost a single-mandate race to United Russia's Oleg Popov, according to preliminary official figures that he disputes -- could be another. Lobanov's candidacy was supported by the KPRF, although he is not a party member. He sees a changing party, one that could be less amenable to the Kremlin in the long run.

"The KPRF has been under pressure for the last 20 or more years," Lobanov said of the party's role as party of the so-called systemic opposition -- ostensibly opposition parties that generally support the Kremlin in exchange for a share of the perks of power. "Some things that look in my eyes and the eyes of others like unjustifiable compromises are likely the result of this pressure. It is clear that in connection with the radicalization of the KPRF or the radicalization of its rank-and-file membership and some individual deputies, this pressure is going to increase, and repressions may be used against the organization as a whole."

After his significant lead at the polls was reversed when the government released its controversial online-voting results, Lobanov told RFE/RL's Russian Service that he intends to fight the alleged fraud -- and that he is looking beyond the party's leadership for support.

The protest against the elections must include "not only the leaders and deputies of the KPRF," he added, but a new base of support.

"Let's use this opportunity to express the opinions of all those who don't agree with what is going on, who don't agree with what happened in these elections, and who don't agree on other crucial questions that we simply don't talk about in this country," Lobanov said.

The Communists likely benefited from some of the tactics the government used to secure victory for United Russia, which serves as one of President Vladimir Putins main levers of power. After the government disqualified all the opposition hopefuls who were associated with imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, a significant portion of the electorate was left without candidates or a party to back. Navalny's Smart Voting system -- an election tactic that sought to rally the protest vote around the candidate in each race who was deemed most likely to defeat their United Russia rival, regardless of party or ideology -- urged voters in many races to back Communist candidates.

At the same time, the government apparently pulled out all the stops to mobilize state-dependent workers, such as teachers and medical, military, law enforcement, and defense industry personnel. And although these voters appeared in droves at the polls, particularly on the first day of voting, many of them also likely were tired of United Russia's decades in power and may have cast their votes instead for the familiar Communist brand.

According to Kolesnikov, the Communists benefited primarily from the "protest vote" both within and outside the traditional United Russia electorate.

"I'm talking about the portion of votes that would, under normal circumstances, be cast 'against all,'" he said. "But, as we remember, that line on the ballot was taken away some time ago."

Kolesnikov also argued that the new Duma will present no real challenge to the Kremlin, which is now focused on the presidential election due in 2024, when Putin's fourth term expires.

"The Duma will have to prove its effectiveness to its bosses," Kolesnikov said. "And this new effectiveness, a deputy's key performance indicators, are more made-up repressive laws, more idiotic laws. And that is exactly how the system will continue to work. We need to brace ourselves for a quite difficult period, even considering that the last year was extremely difficult."

Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky, whose party failed to overcome the 5 percent hurdle to win party-list seats and was not awarded any single-mandate districts, said shortly before the vote that he sees essentially no difference between United Russia and the Communist Party, both of which he argues favor "postmodern Stalinism."

"You ask me what will happen after the elections," Yavlinsky told RFE/RL's Russian Service on September 15. "If the Stalinists win, then it will be modern Stalinism with all its 'foreign agents' and 'undesirable organizations.' The constitution has already been changed. Everything is in place for this.

The joking around ended a year ago when they changed the constitution, he added, referring to amendments that, among other things, gave Putin the option of seeking reelection in 2024 and 2030. Its just that not very many people understood this."

Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service and Current Time
MOSCOW -- Russia's government has approved measures aimed at halving the number of abortions carried out in the country before 2025, according to a document published on its website.

The plan is part of the government's latest long-term blueprint for improving the demographic situation in the country through 2025, amid a recently resumed decline in population growth after a decade of sluggish but stable increases.

The blueprint also sets forward plans for a significant reduction in infant and maternal mortality, and a rise in general reproductive health.

As part of the new measures regarding abortion, the authorities plan to improve public access to legal, psychological, and medical assistance for pregnant women considering terminating their pregnancies.

The program also sets out the goal of ensuring that 80 percent of women considering an abortion undergo consultations with a doctor, with a focus on increasing the likelihood that they reject the procedure.

The official document, which was flagged by Russian media after its publication online, has elicited controversy among women's rights activists, who insist that abortion should be a universal right and that the state's role in regulating it should be minimal.

Many have also taken issue with the document's focus on "strengthening traditional family values," often seen in Russia as a euphemism for homophobic sentiment and advocacy of conservative policies.

But the latest effort to limit abortions fits into a consistent pattern. In December 2020, lawmaker Oksana Pushkina denounced a Health Ministry resolution that set out the conditions under which women could terminate pregnancies by arguing that such restrictions will lead to a "catastrophe."

She cited massive protests in Poland, an EU country that announced a near-total ban on abortion earlier this year.

"I've received a whole mass of complaints from women's organizations and communities, and personal messages from Russian women who ask that I prevent them from being stripped of their right to end pregnancies," Pushkina said.

Pushkina was widely considered Russia's most progressive lawmaker until she gave up her seat in the State Duma, or lower house of parliament, after deciding not to seek another term in elections that took place last week.

Her absence in parliament will make it harder for feminists to slow the progress of an anti-abortion campaign that has been endorsed by Putin, who has made improving Russia's demography a key pillar of his presidency.

In his state-of-the-nation address in January 2020, he described Russia's declining population as one of the country's biggest problems.

"Exiting this demographic trap is our historical duty," he said. "The preservation and growth of our nation is the highest national priority."

One year later, in a videoconference with officials, he backed plans to proactively discourage Russian women from terminating pregnancies.

"Simply convincing a woman not to have an abortion is obviously important, but whats more important is creating conditions to help the woman and her family in raising the child, placing the child on its feet, and giving the child the possibility to receive a decent education," he said.

In March, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that the number of abortions in Russia had declined by 39 percent since 2016.

"Those are serious numbers," she told a government session.

With reporting and writing by Matthew Luxmoore
A ransomware attack believed to be the work of Russian hackers has forced an association of corn and soy farmers based in the U.S. state of Iowa to take its systems offline.

New Cooperative said in a statement that the attack was successfully contained and that it had quickly notified law enforcement.

The statement said the association took its systems offline out of an abundance of caution and was working with data security professionals to remedy the situation. It did not specify when the ransomware attack occurred.

The cooperative has created workarounds to receive grain and distribute feed, according to news reports on September 21 quoting people close to the business.

The hackers demanded a $5.9 million ransom for a key to decrypt files they scrambled, according to security researcher Allan Liska of Recorded Future.

New Cooperative stores and sells the grain it collects from farmers and offers feed for chickens, hogs, and cattle along with fertilizer, crop protection, and seed.

The attack on its systems follows ransomware attacks earlier this year that targeted targeted companies and critical infrastructure, including a major U.S. pipeline and a meatpacker. There was also an attack on the software firm Kaseya that impacted some 1,500 businesses.

The attack on New Cooperative, which is believed to have been launched last week just as Iowa's corn and soy harvesting got under way, has been attributed to a group called BlackMatter.

BlackMatter has threatened to publish 1 terabyte of data it claims to have stolen from New Cooperative if its ransom demand is not paid by September 25.

The data includes invoices, research and development documents, and the source code to the cooperatives soil-mapping technology, according to cybersecurity experts quoted by The Washington Post.

Security researchers believe BlackMatter may be a reconstituted version of the ransomware syndicate DarkSide, another operation believed to be tied to Russia, that disrupted Colonial Pipeline in May and then disbanded.

That ransomware attack disrupted fuel service for six days to the U.S. East Coast, and Colonial Pipeline officials eventually paid a $4.4 million ransom. Federal law enforcement officials were able to get a portion of the ransom back and sideline much of DarkSides infrastructure.

But experts cautioned at the time that the hackers would probably reemerge.

REvil, another Russian-based cybercrime operation, carried out a ransomware attack in June on JBS, the world's largest meat producer. The company eventually paid an $11 million ransom. In July, REvil claimed responsibility for the attack on the U.S. company Kaseya.

After the attack on Kaseya, President Joe Biden repeated a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the United States would take "any necessary action" to defend Americans and critical infrastructure threatened by cyberattacks.

Biden had previously warned Putin about ransomware attacks during the two leaders summit in June.

The United States is also moving to cut off the flow of money by sanctioning cryptocurrency exchanges that facilitate the ransom payments.

On September 21, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a Russian-based cryptocurrency exchange over its alleged role in facilitating the payments.

With reporting by Reuters and the Washington Post
An Estonian newspaper is reporting that Russian opposition politician Lyubov Sobol has settled in Estonia with her young daughter after fleeing her homeland this summer following her conviction and sentencing at a Moscow court on charges widely seen as politically motivated.

Sobol, a close associate of imprisoned Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, arrived in Estonia in August, Eesti Ekspress reported on September 21, after she was found guilty for allegedly violating coronavirus protocols with her calls for people to rally in support of the Kremlin critic. She was sentenced to 18 months of parole-like limits on her freedom.

Her lawyer called the court ruling "written by investigators and affirmed by prosecutors," and said her client would appeal.

Media reports later said that Sobol and Navalnys spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh -- who was found guilty of the same offense and handed the same sentence -- fled Russia, which has not been confirmed either by the two women or their lawyers.

The case against Sobol was launched after she and several other Navalny associates and supporters were detained on the eve of unsanctioned mass rallies against Navalny's latest arrest in mid-January.

Eesti Ekspress said that contacts in Estonia helped Sobol settle in and enroll her daughter in school.

"She is going between a few places. She's also going elsewhere, outside of Estonia," said a friend of Sobol who has been assisting her, according to the newspaper.

It said the friend did not want to share more details about Sobol so as not to "hand out information to the Kremlins butchers."

According to the Moscow ruling in early August, Sobol was barred from leaving her home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., attending public events, or leaving Moscow. Sobol was also ordered to report to a parole officer three times a month.

Separately, another court in the Russian capital sentenced Sobol in April to a one-year suspended sentence of correctional labor after finding her guilty of trespassing in what she described as a ruling designed to silence her.

Navalny was arrested after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for a near-fatal 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.

In February, Navalny was convicted of violating the terms of a 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 with a real prison term.

With reporting by Eesti Ekspress
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has issued a pardon to more than 2,000 prisoners ahead of the former Soviet state's Independence Day on September 27.

State media reported on September 20 that the authoritarian president signed a decree releasing 2,064 prisoners based on the "principles of mercy and humanism bequeathed by our great ancestors."

Six of the pardoned prisoners are reportedly foreign nationals from unspecified countries.

Berdymukhammedov, who rules the closed country with an iron fist, issues such pardons several times a year, usually on the eve of state or religious holidays. Such acts usually do not cover political prisoners.

In May, Berdymukhammedov released more than 1,000 prisoners, including 16 Jehovahs Witnesses who had refused compulsory military service, on the occasion of the Night of Revelation, an important holiday during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In December last year, another 2,082 people were amnestied, including four foreign citizens, to mark the national Neutrality Day holiday.

The latest pardon comes after RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reported earlier this month that prisons in the country are suffering from large outbreaks of COVID-19 and shortages of food and medicine.

The government has not publicly confirmed a single coronavirus infection since the start of the pandemic last year despite reports of overwhelmed hospitals and the introduction of health measures in all regions of the country.
A hail of bullets ripped through a car transporting Serhiy Shefir, a top aide of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in what senior officials have called an attempt to intimidate the country's leadership as it tries to tackle corruption.

Shefir was unharmed when more than 10 bullets tore into his car in the attack at around 10 a.m. local time on September 22 in the village of Lisnykiy just outside of Kyiv.

Local media said almost double that number of bullet holes were visible on the driver's side of the car. Police said the driver was wounded but gave no further details. There were no other passengers in the car, which did not have armor plating.

Shefir leads a group of advisers to Zelenskiy, who was elected in 2019 in part on a platform of tackling the country's notorious deep-seated corruption, including the undue influence of powerful businessmen known as oligarchs, and cleaning up the court system.

Police said they were investigating the case as attempted murder and mentioned three possible motives. They include an attempt to pressure the country's leadership, create political destabilization, or an attack engineered by a foreign intelligence service.

"The aim of this crime was not to simply intimidate, but to assassinate the Ukrainian president's top aide," Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskiy told journalists in Kyiv.

"I would like to stress that the presidential team of Ukraine cannot be intimidated. All of the initiated reforms, including the fight against organized crime, will be continued," he added.

On July 1, Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party approved in the first reading a draft bill -- known as "the oligarch law" -- that seeks to introduce a legal definition for a tycoon and impose limitations, including blocking them from financing political parties.

Parliament is this week due to debate the law directed at limiting the influence of oligarchs.

The United States has long called on Ukraine to tackle the handful of tycoons who wield enormous political influence from behind the scenes to the detriment of the country and its citizens.

Zelenskiy, who is currently in the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, vowed a "strong response" to the shooting, which occurred as the car passed by a wooded area.

"It is weakness to say 'hello' to me by shooting at my friend's car from a forest. But the response will be strong," Zelenskiy said in a video statement from New York, adding that he would be doubling down on his planned reforms rather than backing off.

Shefir, who called the attack nothing more than an attempt at "intimidation," and Zelenskiy have worked together for years.

In 2003 he co-founded a production company called Kvartal 95 with his brother Boris and Zelenskiy, who was then a comedic actor .

Shefir produced and wrote The Servant Of The People, a show in which Zelenskiy portrayed a schoolteacher who becomes president and which eventually launched his political career.

Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova said on Facebook that police had opened an investigation into attempted murder.

"The intentions of the criminals were quite serious," National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko said.

With reporting by Reuters, TASS, and AFP
Top U.S. and Russian military officials have held a "constructive" meeting to discuss issues of mutual interest and how to lower the risk of incidents during military exercises.

General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, met just north of the Finnish capital, Helsinki, on September 22 as Washington looks to shore up its intelligence gathering and sharing in Afghanistan now that it has no boots on the ground after withdrawing the remainder of its troops from the war-wracked country last month.

Russia has rejected the deployment of any U.S. troops in countries neighboring Afghanistan -- namely the former Soviet republics in the region, such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, or Tajikistan.

The two sides agreed not to disclose details of the talks, as has been the practice in previous meetings and calls, though Milley said afterward that "it was a productive meeting. When military leaders of great powers communicate, the world is a safer place."

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement the "meeting was constructive" with issues of "mutual interest" addressed.

U.S. military and intelligence officials have warned that Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group could regenerate and pose a threat to the United States in one to two years.

To minimize the risk of that happening, Washington is looking for places to conduct counterterrorism surveillance and, if necessary, strikes in Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by AP, TASS, and Reuters
Rivers are an excellent example. The Maori peoples of the Whanganui River in New Zealand view their ancestral river, Te Awa Tupua, as an indivisible whole, incorporating its tributaries and all its physical and metaphysical elements from the mountains to the sea. This catchment-wide approach ensures that all of the waterways that form the Whanganui River are viewed and managed, not in isolation, but with reference to the whole river as an interconnected ecosystem.

In the United States, and in particular the Colorado River Basin where I grew up, we create laws that slice up our rivers with little regard for their health. These laws divide our rivers in half between the upper and lower basins, separate out the groundwater from the surface water, and apportion the tributariescutting them up into allotments measured in cubic meters for the taking. We wield control over our rivers, damming and diverting their flow to water our crops and power our electricity. This approach leads to over-allocation, poor water quality, and rivers that are sucked dry.

Historic Roots

Americans view of nature as property run long and deepand can be traced all the way back to the colonial settler attitudes. For the last 175 years, federal policies have systematically disrupted traditional life ways among the 30 tribes with historic ties to the Colorado River Basin. In the mid- to late 1800s, many river tribes were confined to small reservations, and in some cases, forcibly removed from their ancestral homes, dismantling their relationship with the rivers as their original custodians.

A similar colonial history is shared with Maori. In New Zealand, more than a century of laws, regulations, and actions of the government also fragmented the Whanganui River, diverting its headwaters, building hydroelectric dams that stem its flow and threaten its health. Since 1873, local Maori had sought to obtain legal protections for the Whanganui River, catalyzing one of New Zealands longest running court cases.

Five years ago, all of that changed when the New Zealand parliament passed unprecedented legislation granting personhood to the countrys Whanganui River. Contrary to American law which defines nature as property, legal personhood recognizes the rights of the river to be healthy and to be protected from harm. It is also the framework by which the innate relationship of the River to the People and the People to the River is upheld.

The Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017 also created the office of Te Pou Tupua, which comprises two peopleone of which is Matua Turama Hawirato act as the face and voice of the river.

Learning From the World

The victory achieved by Maori iwi (tribes) for their Te Awa Tupua (ancestral river) inspired me to bring tribal leaders representing four tribes from my home state of Arizona, to Aotearoa (New Zealand) in 2020 to meet with Whanganui River iwi for a cross-cultural exchange.

The road to the Whanganui River wove through verdant forests that framed the rivers glistening waters, a sharp contrast to the red earth and towering rock formations of our desert home. We arrived at Hiruharama Marae, a traditional meeting grounds nestled in a bend of the river, where, meeting us for the first time, Turama along with the local Maori community welcomed us as relatives.

We spent the next three days on the river, fully immersed in the culture and customs of our new relations. We stood before Te Awa Tupua and bowed our heads in reverence as our Maori guides acknowledged the rivers spiritual authority with prayer and invocation. We cupped our hands in the rivers flow and blessed ourselves with it. It was a sensory experience; one of love, connection and awe. Our relationship as one with the river had begun.

As desert people, it was the most time many of us had ever spent in and around so much water. For centuries, our rivers in Arizona were perennial. Today, their flow is now intermittent at best. For the past hundred years, legislation and water policy have allowed seven states to legally use more water from the Colorado River Basin. To make matters more dire, rising temperatures and drought have exacerbated the problem, drying out the headwaters and eroding tributary flows. The last time the Colorado River reached the sea unencumbered was 1963. The shortage has forced the federal government to take the unprecedented step of introducing water cuts. More than 40 million people and nearly 4 million acres of American and Mexican crops now depend on a water supply that is quickly dwindling.

Healing our Rivers and Safeguarding our Health

We are at a critical juncture where an innovative approach is needed to guide water resource management; one that reinvigorates our rivers from the mountains to the sea and guarantees a future where our rivers are healthy and access to clean water is certain for the coming generations.

It starts with changing the way we relate and think about our rivers.

We must begin by seeing our rivers as interconnected, living systems that incorporate not just physical but also metaphysical elements. We must approach our rivers with respect and care for them the same way we protect and care for our families. Only then will our decisions about water use be responsible and contribute to the vitality and longevity of our rivers.

In essence, we must prioritize the rivers health in our decision-making at the national, state, and local level. If we change now, we can heal our riversand safeguard our own health. Tribal Nations, the original stewards for many of our natural resources, can show us how and lead the way to a more sustainable future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HSBC Bank Vietnam announced that it has supported General Atlantic and Dragoneer Investment Group in co-leading a USD250 million in Series B funding round in VNLIFE Corporation Joint Stock Company (VNLIFE), a leading technology company pioneering the development of Vietnams digital ecosystem.

This is considered the largest capital raising deal revealed in the venture capital market in Vietnam recently. The injection of capital is expected to accelerate the growth of VNLIFEs existing businesses and support its development of new platforms and technologies to better serve its merchant partners and Vietnamese consumers.

Similarly, VinaCapital Ventures (V2), the technology investment platform of VinaCapital Group, said it has invested in GlobalCare, an insurtech company that provides solutions for the sale and administrative processes of insurance agencies and business partners selling non-life insurance policies.

Founded in 2017 by inh Thi Ngoc Niem and her co-founder, Hang Minh Loi, GlobalCares distributors and agencies, including 3,000 distributors to online transaction points and other leading service sharing platforms, provides a variety of insurance products for customers to choose. It also offers a complete technology solution for more than 10 major distribution channels and 200,000 insurance agents.

The terms of the investment were not disclosed but based on GlobalCares contributions to the insurance industry and V2s investment history, the transaction value is expected to reach millions of dollars.

Earlier in August, Loship, a delivery startup in Vietnam, announced that it successfully raised USD12 million in Pre-Series C round, bringing the companys valuation to over USD100 million.

This round of financing was jointly led by venture capital firm BAce Capital backed by Ant Group and investment unit of Sun Hung Kai Co Lt, an investment company listed in Hong Kong.

The money will help Loship increase its presence in five key markets including Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, a Nang, Can Tho and Bien Hoa.

General Director of VinaCapital Group Don Lam said that seeing the development trend of the Vietnamese startup community, the Group established VinaCapital Ventures to take advantage of its experience, financial background and partner network to support startups.

According to VinaCapital Ventures Chief Executive Officer Hoang uc Trung, every year VinaCapital Ventures evaluates hundreds of potential investment opportunities either through partners such as Zone Startups, which have invested in Fundiin or cooperated with other entities.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were always busy finding and evaluating potential startups and finalising investment deals, he said.
A Poway couple accused of hoarding roughly 170 dogs in fetid conditions, hiding some of them from investigators, pleaded guilty Monday to two felony counts of animal neglect.

Christine Calvert, 62, and Mark Vattimo, 72, will probably receive three years probation when they are sentenced in a San Diego courtroom next month, Deputy District Attorney Karra Reedy said.

They will not be allowed to have pets for a decade, and could be ordered to undergo counseling. Reedy said the resolution, which came in the early stages of the case, is a good outcome.

The most important thing is that they get the help they need for something like this not to happen again, the prosecutor said.

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Attorneys for Vattimo, a retired San Diego police officer, and Calvert declined comment Monday.

In January, investigators found several dozen Yorkie mixes in a dark room in the couples home. The dogs coats were severely matted and tangled in feces, and many were suffering from ear infections, fleas and hair loss.

More than 90 Yorkies were found in fetid conditions in a Poway home in January. (photo courtesy San Diego Humane Society)

Feces and urine covered the floors and walls of the four-bedroom house; the smell was so strong that officers were forced to wear masks. Debris and mice were found on the floor.

Days later, investigators found out the couple had 31 more dogs, which were seized.

Several weeks later, authorities learned that Calvert had fled the state with more dogs. She was arrested in Primm, Nev., just across the California line, with 46 dogs in a motor home.

Authorities at the time said the dogs found with Calvert were in substantially the same condition as those found in the home, including severe matting and feces in their coats, and poor teeth.

In all, Humane Society of San Diego rescued about 170 dogs from the couple, but the number rose to 185 after some of the pregnant Yorkies had puppies.

Of that number, three of the dogs were so unhealthy they were euthanized, and five of the puppies died of natural causes. Nine of the dogs remain at the humane society and 168 were adopted out.

Stephen MacKinnon, the local humane societys chief law enforcement officer, issued a statement Monday that the organization is grateful for the support of the District Attorneys Office and to be in a community that doesnt tolerate animal cruelty or neglect.

In discussing the case earlier this year, MacKinnon said that hoarding is a mental illness, and when people reach out for help, the priority is to get the animals the care they need and help for the dog owners.

But this case, he said, was a little different. The owners were withholding animals and interfering with an active investigation, so authorities pursued a criminal case

When the first few dozens dogs were put up for adoption in January, more than 1,800 people applied in less than 24 hours.

Because the interest was so great, the humane society stopped accepting applications for the rescued dogs, and used a lottery system to select candidates to adopt the animals.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT

UPDATES:

2:35 p.m. This story was updated with additional details. It was originally published at 1:40 p.m.


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KISS collection comes to University Libraries

KISS halftime show The Carolina Band halftime show Saturday (Sept. 25) at Williams-Brice Stadium will be an all-KISS tribute in recognition of the collection donated by John and Margaret Downs to University Libraries Music Library.

When John Downs Jr. was 17, he and his brother drove from their home in Charleston to Columbia, where they squeezed into the top row of the Carolina Coliseum and watched his favorite rock band  KISS.

Downs love affair with the band, known for its costumes, face paint, pyrotechnics and masterful marketing, has lasted more than four decades. In those years Downs, a Charleston business owner, has amassed a collection of KISS memorabilia that includes guitars, photographs, original artwork and costumes.

And that collection now belongs to the University of South Carolina.

Downs and his wife, Margaret Norris Downs, offered the more than 400-piece collection to University Libraries after learning of the universitys acquisition of the Gary Lee Watson Comic Book Collection.

Im almost 62. I had all this KISS stuff in a closet in my house, Downs says. I worked my whole life putting it together. I want to keep it together.

University Libraries assured him it would do just that  and it would display some of the 26 guitars that were originally owned by the band, signed photographs and other memorabilia. Plans are underway for a large display case in the School of Music Library to hold the KISS collection.

A student or faculty member doing research in contemporary American music can go in the library and we can hand them a guitar that belonged to KISS. Tom McNally, University Libraries dean

Libraries Dean Tom McNally said special collections, whether it is the works of Ernest Hemingway or a one-of-a-kind guitar from a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band, help attract scholars and students to the university.

A student or faculty member doing research in contemporary American music can go in the library and we can hand them a guitar that belonged to KISS, McNally says. We try hard not to be a library that locks its stuff away  we want people to see it. More importantly, we want kids to grab hold of that guitar and see what it feels like. Or even plug the thing in and play it.

KISS, founded in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, continues to tour. The band also travels on KISS Kruises, where thousands of fans can interact with their musical and marketing idols on a cruise ship on the open seas.

John Downs Jr. and his wife, Margaret Norris Downs, pose with members of the band on a KISS Kruise.

Downs was on one of those cruises when he saw one of Simmons managers wheeling a cart of guitars down the ships hallway. He explained the band would be doing meet-and-greets with fans and that guitars would be offered for sale. Downs bought one and had the chance to meet Simmons.

That started his friendship with Simmons that has lasted for decades. Downs even arranged to donate a bass guitar from Simmons to the Smithsonian museum, where it is now housed.

Dreams do come true if you work hard for it, Downs says.

While Downs is a University of Georgia graduate, his daughter is a student in UofSCs School of Music. Hes thrilled that his collection will soon have a home in the schools library.

I was a little sad when the trucks [from University Libraries] drove away, but its going to a better home, and now people are actually going to be able to see it, he says. All I want is for people to see and appreciate it. And if it helps USC, even better.

Downs also hopes other collectors and musicians will follow his lead and donate items to the university for display, teaching or research.

A college education needs to include moments that youll never forget, says McNally, the Libraries dean. I can guarantee you that a student who studies contemporary American music or guitars, who can come in and hold and play one of these guitars  thats a moment theyll never forget.

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NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Missions Directorate has been divided by its leaders to better focus on specific areas of spaceflight, particularly in future missions. The primary focus was on the Artemis Moon mission and trips to the International Space Station, the Commercial Crew initiative, and other projects.

NASA Human Exploration Department Split

In a statement, NASA said it is getting two new mission directorates. Administrator Bill Nelson announced earlier this year to alert the public and the space agency to the impending changes. The shift would not be as significant as many people believe. Still, it would alter how NASA's Human Explorations branch operates.

It would be two instead of one. It would be two instead of one. The space agency named the two departments as Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD) and Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD).

The first, known as the ESDMD, would concentrate on human crew missions like the Artemis, Commercial Crew, and other launches for NASA. The SOMD, on the other hand, would be responsible for mission control and further routine checks and monitoring with the ISS and other enterprises.

NASA Artemis and Commercial Crew

These departments are now focused on the Artemis moon mission, which would be better handled by the newly created ESDMD, which NASA claims would focus on spaceflight.

What makes this unique is that instead of having one department dedicated to the Artemis, there would be two, one of which would specialize and devote its efforts or resources to whatever the Artemis requires.

NASA planned for this to be introduced, especially when the agency's attention is focused on the forthcoming expedition and the return of people to the Moon's surface.

ALSO READ: NASA Spacecraft to Investigate Metal-Rich Asteroid Psyche By Launching Futuristic Electric Thrusters Emitting Cool Blue Glow





NASA's Future Missions

NASA has several divisions working around the clock to give new research and advance humanity's understanding of the vast beyond, which we still know very little about. The Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb's mission are just as vital as human spaceflights, which NASA presently prioritizes.

Future missions would bring people closer to their neighbors, something they would appreciate and experience as the years progressed and advances by its personnel were produced.

However, NASA's decision to separate its human exploration department makes sense since it would allow the agency to focus more on the unique demands rather than its overall vision.

Two heads are better than one, as NASA has stated. The space agency will preserve this as specific teams will focus on Artemis and other humanitarian missions. In contrast, the others will assure the mission's success and procedures.

RELATED ARTICLE: Did NASA Choose 20-Year-Old Space Enthusiast for a One Way Ticket to Mars? Apparently Not

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
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RISE San Diego announced that San Diego County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Gothold has been nominated for a 2021 Inclusive Leadership in Action (ILIA) Award. Since 2017, the ILIA Awards have honored local leaders in diversity, equity, and inclusion and showcased work that is making a real difference in the San Diego region. RISE will announce 2021 award winners at a celebration in October.



RISE accepts nominations of individuals and organizations that demonstrate exceptional commitment to inclusive leadership. The pool of nominations is reviewed by a committee that then selects honorees in the following categories:



Collective Resilience Advocate Award  Honors an individual who has shown dedication and action to address and support a communitys ability to come together to combat or resist adverse circumstances. It recognizes the work of fostering adaptation, growth, and resiliency within communities to more readily respond to and recover from problems together. Community Change Agent Award  Honors an individual who has shown dedication and action to make real, sustainable, and systemic change through the creation of innovative programs, policy, platforms, or partnerships. It recognizes the work of assisting the communitys ability to thrive in areas such as education, social enterprise, health and wellness, or advocacy. Culture Shifter Award  Honors an individual who has shown dedication and action in shifting the culture of organizations and communities alike. It recognizes the effort of guiding groups to face a new challenge, disrupt outdated or harmful norms, and become more reflective and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. Next-Gen Influencer Award  Honors an individual between the ages of 16 and 25. It recognizes the voices of young adults who have shown dedication and action within their communities and are growing into their roles as action-driven thought leaders. Restorative Practitioner Award  Honors an individual who has shown dedication and action in fostering spaces of healing and compassion for others. It recognizes the commitment to restorative practices delivered with grace, empathy, and a strong ethic of care in support of diverse community groups. The Anthony M. Medina Peoples Champion Award  Honors an individual who has been an advocate and champion for under-served or marginalized communities. It recognizes advocacy in words and in action to bring about meaningful change for the people. The award is named in honor of the late Anthony M. Medina, a RISE Urban Leadership Fellow (18) and ILIA award recipient (19), who founded Peoples Legal Services to provide free and low-cost legal support to underserved communities. Organization for Change Award  Honors an organization that has shown dedication and action to confronting challenges and spearheading opportunities to support and uplift San Diegans in meaningful and impactful ways. It recognizes the efforts of organizations and their teams to deliver exceptional programming and services for the communities they serve.

The mission of RISE San Diego is to elevate and advance urban leadership through dialogue-based civic engagement, dynamic nonprofit partnerships, and direct training and support to increase the capacity of urban residents to effect meaningful community change.



The 2021 RISE ILIA Awards will take place on Oct. 11 at 4:30 p.m. at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park. General admission is $75 per ticket. An Early Bird rate of $50 per ticket is available through Sept. 8. Visit the RISE San Diego Eventbrite listing to purchase your event tickets.






Listening as a Practice of the Heart

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Listen to the Director's Column

A Year Ahead  Active Listening as a Practice of the Heart

Im Michael Reid Trice, and I serve as Director and hold the Professorship at the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement at Seattle University.

In the Center this academic year, we will focus upon paying attention, as a practice of the heart. Heres what I mean:

Of old  prophets and artists, drafters of poetry and prose, those who chant a canticle or who recite verse that predate even their written form in sacred text, these and more are all participating in the artful and specific need to articulate depth of meaning within a given religious or spiritual community. Often enough that articulation is seen to be reciprocated between the human being and the transcendent  the person and the divine  and these too are rich and varied across religious and spiritual traditions. The divine mystery speaks. We pay attention through hearing, through touch, through solitude and prayer, through meditation, through giving, and more. Often, we refer to such attention in our lives as active listening. Over a lifetime, such a deep way of paying attention, or listening, becomes a practice of the heart.

This year the Center has a practice of the heart as well. We will listen to the challenges and opportunities emerging now within society, to which religious and spiritual traditions bring a richness of needed responses. We will be attentive to our colleagues in university committees, friends in communities, and allies in organizations with whom we regularly engage; and we will listen to the Centers Advisory Council and Interreligious Network of partners  from Cairo to Adelaide, and from New York to Seattle  who are dedicating their time and talent alongside the Core Center Team in the years ahead.

At the Center we are committed in this academic year to active listening a practice of the heart. We do so as this year provides the Team with a precious gift  of time  for discerning the future of the Center. In the arc of this academic year and the gift of time ahead, the Center Team will create alongside all of these friends a strategic and robust direction for the years ahead. So, this year we will be considering methods, modalities, programs, outcomes, resources, and educational opportunities for classroom and community. I will also continue building relationships with other centers in the world that are also dedicated to public theology engaging the needs of the world today.

As we build for years to come, we are also actively listening for our programming this year. The Center continues to fulfill a Luce Foundation Grant that is committed to public theology for the next generation. Ill be saying more about the work of our Center Scholars on a major project currently underway. But for the moment, heres what I want you to know about our monthly themes.

Each month in this academic year the Center is practicing a heart for listening.

For September, we signal the precipitous rise of hate speech of which national and international agencies are warning us. Religious and spiritual traditions have a role in speaking to, and responding to, hate speech. The Center will interview Holly Huffnagle, who serves as the American Jewish Committees U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism. Huffnagle served as policy advisor for the Special Envoy at the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C. to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.

We will likewise listen to Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on these themes amid her interaction with her own national religious colleagues, and how local communities can best respond today, as we acknowledge 20 years since the attack of 9/11.

Then  in October, the Center will be focused upon the religious response to the environment and the rich biodiversity of the natural world of which we are an intricate part. Year after year we see the calamitous impact of our activity upon this living planet. And this fall, there are an unprecedented number of international convenings between September 20th and mid-November for commitments on protecting biological diversity, religions responding at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, and even a groundbreaking guiding document forthcoming from a major religious community in October as well.

In addition, in the month of October the Center will unveil a user-friendly online multi-media resource it created for a new international text developed by colleagues at the United Nations Environmental Program Faith-for-Earth Initiative and the Parliament of the Worlds Religions. As part of its commitment to resourcing a new generation for public theological engagement, in October the Center will highlight the voices of individuals from religions around the world on care for our common home.

Our listening is a practice of the heart  as we consider a strategic future further off, and as we engage theyear ahead. In all cases, I encourage you to share your suggestions with me as the Director. Please reach out to me at  tricem@seattleu.edu. I am pleased to be in conversation with you.

On behalf of the entire Center Team  Thank you!

Peace & Justice Center: Ecumenical, Interfaith, Earth-Focused

Mindful: Deep Listening for the 21st Century

The Religica Theolab serves as the Centers Laboratory, with a commitment to public theological engagement for a new generation. In the month of September, as we acknowledge 20 years since the attacks on 9/11, we are speaking with Holly Huffnagle of the American Jewish Committee about rising hate speech and anti-Semitism in our pandemic age. We engage the conversation further with Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, where discuss a new study on empathy exhaustion. Take a listen by clicking the images below!

The methods and resources tested and refined in the Religica Theolab assist the Centers engagement in classroom & community.

Engage the Religica Theolab

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Faith & Leadership  Protecting the Freedom to Practice all Faiths without Fear

Pew Research Study  20 Years Since 9/11.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: A Message -- Living with Faith and Hope

Living Well  The Effects of 9/11 on Faith and Religious Beliefs

Popular Guardian Article  9/11 and Impact on Religion

Associated Press  Dont Focus Upon Hate

Religious traditions, Spiritual pathways, and Indigenous wisdom are active in communities around the world. Each month well provide some highlights!

Parliament of the Worlds Religions  Virtual International Convening! Student Rates. October 16-18, 2021  Still Time to Register!

World Council of Churches  The 11th International Assembly will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany Summer, 2022. Present a Workshop on diverse arrays of religious topics. Must apply by October 31, 2021!

World Council of Churches  Applications Open for the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute. Adult leader aged 21-35? Apply Today!

September Engagement

4  Jains Holy Season in September  Purifying the Soul and Burning Karma

14  Orthodox Christianity  Feast of the Holy Cross

15  What is Yom Kippur? We thought youd never ask. Read beautiful treatments at National Today and National Geographic

21  The Moon Festival  Beautiful Tradition, Innovation, and Mooncakes

22  Mabon and the Autumn Equinox

21-27  The Seven Days of Sukkot

27  The Ethiopian Meskal Festival  Celebrating Every Year

28 -29  Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah
Grace and Empathy in a Pandemic Age

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By Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton

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The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton was re-elected to serve a second six-year term as ELCA presiding bishop at the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. Eaton is the ELCAs fourth presiding bishop and was first elected at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

Eaton earned a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the College of Wooster.

As presiding bishop, Eaton travels extensively, representing the ELCA in a variety of capacities. This has included a visit to a Syrian refugee camp; commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation with Lutherans from around the world in Namibia; participating in an ecumenical service to commemorate the Reformation in the Lund, Sweden, cathedral with Pope Francis; visiting with migrants in Honduras; and attending the fifth consultation of women pastors and theologians in Tanzania.

More from The Religica Theolab at religica.org
Four people were killed and five others injured in a spate of violent incidents throughout Oakland Monday and Tuesday that Oakland police called unprecedented.

Our department is stretched beyond capacity as we manage multiple critical incidents that have traumatized families and our community, Oakland police said in a statement Tuesday. Lives were lost due to gun and domestic violence, and there are many others who have suffered serious to critical injuries.

The Oakland Police Department has investigated at least 94 homicides this year, compared to about 67 this time last year. Since Jan. 1, Oakland police officers have seized 836 guns, according to Oakland police.

The violence this week began around 3:15 p.m. Monday, when a man and a woman were shot and killed in the 3400 block of 68th Avenue. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Minutes later, around 3:22 p.m., officers were called to the 2500 block of Fruitvale Avenue, where an FBI agent helping to serve an arrest warrant fatally shot an armed person, FBI officials said.

The agent, who was not hurt, was participating in a U.S. Marshals Task Force that was serving the arrest warrant when the shooting happened. The person who was shot was taken to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead, officials said.

Authorities did not release details about the shooting. It wasnt clear whether the person threatened or attacked the agent before they were shot. There was no threat to public safety, officials said. The FBI is investigating.

Three people were shot and injured around 5:14 p.m. in the 3300 block of East 12th Street, close to the Fruitvale BART station, police said.

Officers found three people suffering from gunshot wounds. One was in critical condition and the other two were in stable condition, police said.

A fourth person was injured in a separate shooting around 7:15 p.m. in the area of 46th Avenue and International Boulevard. Officers found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound and she was in stable condition, police 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.

Around 9:30 p.m., a domestic dispute in the 1400 block of 105th Avenue ended with a stabbing. The injured victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition, police said.

A man was shot and killed around 7:42 a.m. Tuesday in the 1000 block of 46th Avenue. Arriving officers found him unconscious with a gunshot wound and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Police did not provide information on possible motives for the shootings or whether there were any suspects.

During these dangerous times, we are all exposed to the harsh reality of lifes tragedies, Oakland police said in a statement. The Oakland Police Department and the city of Oakland remain committed and focused to our dedication in providing support and public safety service to our community.

Andy Picon is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: andy.picon@hearst.com Twitter: @andpicon
One day after Oakland recorded its 100th homicide of the year, the City Council decided to add an extra police academy to increase the number of officers on city streets, pushing aside its rejection earlier this summer for another class of cadets.

Three months ago, the council voted against adding a fifth police academy in the citys two-year budget, saying at the time that more resources needed to be invested in violence prevention services.

But on Tuesday night, the resolution to add a fifth academy, introduced by Councilmember Sheng Thao, passed 6-2 with council President Nikki Fortunato Bas and Councilmember Carroll Fife voting against the plan.

Thao had opposed the extra academy in June, but said she would be open to it in the future. Residents throughout the city  including some in Thaos district  have pressured leaders to add more police resources.

Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said the newly funded academy would have 20 trainees and would start in January or February. The resolution also orders the city administrator to study the possibility of adding a sixth police academy next year. It directs the city administrator to prioritize recruitment efforts with local community colleges to boost diversity and look into providing child care for police trainees.

As a City Council member, a mother and a victim of a home burglary and a survivor of domestic violence, I know personally just how important effective policing and public safety is in the city of Oakland, Thao said. No matter who you are, when your home is broken into, or you (hear) gunshots outside your door or when you walk to your car alone at night, you want to feel safe.

Fortunato Bas said she doesnt know how a police academy will prevent violence. She said building a comprehensive safety infrastructure should be our top priority  by investing in violence interrupters, mental health services, parks, libraries and other programs.

The status quo is not yielding results, she said.

Fife said that even if the council had approved an additional academy this year, the officers wouldnt be on the streets yet to help address the rise in crime. Instead, the city should look to quadruple the number of dollars going into prevention.

The debate over adding a police academy came amid concerns that violent crime is escalating and the number of sworn police personnel is dwindling.

Michael Short/Special to The Chronicle 2020

The department currently has 694 sworn personnel, the lowest number since 2014. Barry Donelan, president of the Oakland Police Officers Association, said the city is losing about 10 officers a month to other law enforcement agencies and retirement.

In a statement Tuesday, Donelan criticized the council for voting in June to fund four police academies and not the six that Mayor Libby Schaaf had initially proposed. In May, Schaaf proposed a two-year budget that would increase funding for the police by spending $693 million total. Instead, councilmembers approved a budget that funds four police academies and boosted funding for violence prevention measures and social services.

Oaklands dwindling ranks of police officers are struggling to stem the violence and bloodshed on city streets, Donelan said. City Council members who previously voted to defund the police, helping fuel Oakland violence, are now considering more police academies. How about this strategy: support your hardworking police officers and act against violence.

Some residents are demanding more police, ramping up pressure on city officials to respond to shootings, while others argue that funding social services and anti-violence programs is the best path to reducing homicides.

One concern about dwindling staffing is that if the department reaches 678 sworn personnel, the city could lose out on millions of dollars in revenue from Measure Z, a voter-approved parcel tax that funds public safety and violence intervention programs. But last week, City Administrator Ed Reiskin said the council could vote for an exemption to stem the loss in Measure Z funds.

On Monday, Schaaf urged residents by email to call into the meeting to support Thaos resolution.

We can reimagine public safety and we can provide a basic level of public safety for our residents, Schaaf said before the meeting.

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.

Measure Z is projected to generate more than $26 million in revenue in the fiscal year 2021-2022 to fund police services, including crime reduction teams, community resources officers and the anti-violence Ceasefire program, as well as street outreach, victim support, re-entry programs and fire services, said Karen Boyd, a spokesperson for the city administration.

Boyd said if the Police Departments staffing drops below 678, the city could lose about $72,429 per day until staffing is restored or an exemption is approved. Each police academy costs about $4 million.

At Tuesdays meeting, dozens of people spoke during nearly two hours of public comment. Most speakers urged the council to consider an exemption before approving a fifth academy.

Cat Brooks, the executive director of the Anti Police-Terror Project, called on the council to hold off on voting for another academy. She emphasized that more police wont prevent crimes, but social services will.

Healthy, whole and happy people dont commit crimes, she said.

The department is currently funded for 45 police officer trainees per academy for two academies this fiscal year and two the following fiscal year.

In May, only 23 out of 45 trainees graduated after people dropped out. And a current police academy is set to graduate 26 out of 45 trainees  leaving 41 funded positions that wont be filled. The cost savings from those two academies could potentially fund another academy, a spokesman for the department said.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
A state appeals court reinstated a lawsuit Tuesday by the widow of a Solano County man who died of cancer after using Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for most of his life.

A judge had dismissed the suit by Douglas Strobel and his wife, Jo Ann Strobel, saying their medical witnesses had no firsthand evidence that the talcum in J&Js Baby Powder contained cancer-causing asbestos during the 60 years Strobel used it. But the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco said there was enough evidence to send the case to a jury.

The medical experts testified that asbestos was present in the ore that Johnson & Johnson mined for its talc, the court said. It said jurors would not have to accept the companys claim that it had screened its final product carefully to eliminate any trace of asbestos.

The evidence shows long-term use of a talcum powder product alleged to contain asbestos by a mesothelioma sufferer who was not exposed to any other known source of asbestos, Justice Jon Streeter said in the 3-0 ruling.

Strobel said his mother used the Johnson & Johnson product to powder his diapers soon after he was born in 1951. As a boy, he said, he put the talc in his shoes after Little League games, to reduce odor in his feet, and then kept using it two or three times a week through 2014.

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in February 2019 and died in April 2020, at age 68, after Superior Court Judge Wendy Getty had dismissed the lawsuit. Asbestos fibers, sometimes found in talc, are the only known cause of mesothelioma, an often-fatal cancer of the lungs or heart. Johnson & Johnsons medical witnesses testified, however, that the illness can also arise from other carcinogens or unknown causes.

In ruling that the Strobels lacked admissible evidence that the talcum powder had caused his illness, Getty noted that their witnesses had produced samples of the product containing asbestos, but none from the period in which Douglas Strobel had used it. She also cited testimony by a Johnson & Johnson medical witness that its powder was asbestos-free.

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.

But the appeals court cited testimony of asbestos in the talcum ore, and said government reports and academic studies had found talcum products may contain asbestos.

In the absence of evidence explaining how asbestos in the source ore would have been eliminated in the process of milling talc, that is enough to support more than a mere possibility that the accused product here... was a substantial factor in causing Doug Strobel to develop mesothelioma, Streeter said.

A lawyer for Johnson & Johnson was not immediately available for comment. The company could appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
The school year started out hopeful in West Contra Costa Unified School District. Then teachers concerns began piling up.

Office staff allegedly were told to send students exposed to COVID back to class without a negative test. At a public meeting, teachers say, officials gave incorrect information to parents about which COVID symptoms would require a student to be sent home. And in some instances, teachers said administrators instructed them not to send students with COVID symptoms home because it might be allergies.

These allegations surfaced in a complaint filed on Aug. 31 with state safety regulators, laying out concerns related to quarantining, cleaning and communication. It provides a glimpse inside one Bay Area public school district that has documented more than 200 cases and closed 25 classrooms since the beginning of the school year, more per capita than some of its neighbors. A separate memo from the teachers union to the district lays out problems with testing and contact tracing as well.

Like so many districts across the Bay Area, West Contra Costa has been grappling with severe staff shortages, confusion about safety protocols and heightened anxiety. Within weeks of the school year starting, teachers began voicing their misgivings, prompting the union to file a complaint with the states Division of Occupational Safety and Health on Aug. 31.

The complaint, and the correspondence leading up to it, show an inconsistent response to the pandemic, though officials say they are working hard to fix it.

Hilary Ogro Plante, a third-grade teacher at Verde Elementary School in Richmond, described a sense of collective frustration.

Generally, the narrative has been, We can come back to school this year because were doing all these things to keep everyone safe.

Instead, she said, the safety measures are inadequate, too few students are being tested because of lengthy registration forms, and the school lacks permanent custodians to clean and sanitize the facilities.

Tony Wold, associate superintendent of business services for West Contra Costa Unified, said he couldnt comment on issues described by the union at individual schools, but said the district is working to resolve them. He acknowledged that the district is meeting with officials from OSHA and said the complaint mostly focuses on whether the district is required to tell staff if a positive COVID case has been identified at their school. Wold said there have been very few cases of in-school transmission.

Whats playing out in Wolds district is happening elsewhere in the Bay Area, as schools navigate the complex process of reopening, he said. West Contra Costas 28,000 students come from San Pablo, Richmond, Hercules, Pinole and El Cerrito, encompassing a diverse population of students and families.

A spokesperson for Cal/OSHA said the agency started an investigation on Sept. 8, and that the employers response is due on Sept. 28.

West Contra Costa teachers began documenting their complaints in late August and early September, and in the ensuing weeks, the district tried to resolve each issue, Wold said. He pointed to a new policy of sending home all students who demonstrate COVID symptoms, and to the 10 contact tracers West Contra Costa Unified hired, in response to complaints about inadequate investigation of COVID cases. Moreover, staff are now notified within 24 hours of possible exposures, and the district is working to keep staff that work at multiple sites apprised of positive cases, Wold said.

Perhaps the biggest change occurred when the district switched testing providers last week, largely to yield faster results. Whereas the previous company took 72 hours to return test results, the district expects the current company to produce them faster. In changing companies, the district also shifted from PCR testing to antigen testing, which takes 15 minutes but has resulted in more false positives. The schools follow up with a PCR test, at a 48-hour turnaround.

Administrators are pushing for every student to be tested every week, which requires all families to fill out paperwork.

While officials at West Contra Costa Unified hope the recent changes in protocol and contractors will enable it to manage outbreaks more efficiently, some parents and teachers cite new complications.

With the arrival of a new testing provider, families had to re-register for testing via an online form that many did not complete because it was long and not translated into other languages. Plante said an employee who serves as a liaison between Verde Elementary administrators and students families told her no students at Verde were tested last week, because nobody had submitted the forms.

Its a 15-step process to register, TJ Warfield, mother of a fifth-grader at Lupine Hills Elementary School in Hercules, said of the new form, which parents now have to fill out every week.

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.

Wold acknowledged that a scarcity of teachers and other staff has handicapped some aspects of West Contra Costa Unifieds response to the pandemic  a problem that persists in many public school districts, though officials do their best to communicate with families.

Marissa Glidden, president of United Teachers of Richmond, the union that represents educators and staff throughout the district, was unable to hide her frustration.

Its great to see whats not working and make changes, she said of the decision to switch testing companies. But the same issues still exist with filling out the form, ensuring that undocumented families can access it and explaining to families why its so important that these tests happen.

John Swartzberg, a professor emeritus at UC Berkeley School of Public Health who specializes in infectious diseases, said he is not surprised that West Contra Costa would have more trouble handling the pandemic than some of its more affluent counterparts. The district is starved for resources, he said, and serves areas with high infection rates.

One recent move by the district to make classrooms safer was delayed: a plan to vote on a vaccine mandate this week that would require all staffers and eligible students to be vaccinated.

But West Contra Costa Unified Superintendent Kenneth Hurst abruptly canceled Tuesdays special meeting, citing the need for more time to work out specifics.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
Daves Hot Chicken, a wildly popular Los Angeles spicy fried chicken chain thats expanding fast  with some help from celebrity investors like rapper Drake  is coming to the Bay Area.

Daves will open its first Northern California restaurant at 2240 Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa on Friday, Sept. 24, for indoor and outdoor dining.

The owners of Daves capitalized on the Nashville hot chicken craze with their own take, with spice levels on the chicken ranging from mild to reaper hot. The almost bright-red fried chicken comes as tenders or on a sandwich, with sides like soft white bread, crinkle-cut fries and kale slaw.

Daves will join a wave of Nashville-style hot chicken spots that have enjoyed enormous success in the Bay Area, from Oaklands World Famous HotBoys to San Franciscos Hotbird.

Daves has been backed by numerous celebrities, including Drake, actor Samuel L. Jackson and former California first lady Maria Shriver. Drake, reportedly one of the chains largest investors, had Daves Hot Chicken cater his party to celebrate receiving Billboards Artist of the Decade award earlier this year.

I tried the food, and it was amazing, the rapper said in an announcement.

In 2019, the investor group from fast-casual chain Blaze Pizza bought a 50% stake in Daves to help open franchises across the country. And thanks to a new franchise agreement, Daves chicken will soon be coming to San Jose and Santa Clara, according to QSR Magazine.

The owners of Daves have come a long way since their more humble beginnings as a cash-only pop-up in a Los Angeles parking lot. Dave Kopushyan, the companys namesake and a French Laundry-trained chef, and friends Arman Oganesyan and Tommy and Gary Rubenyan started Daves in 2017. They quickly blew up on Instagram and opened their first restaurant less than a year later.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

There are now more than 20 Daves in California, Texas, Illinois, Oregon and Canada. The chain has sold the rights to almost 500 franchise locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Daves Hot Chicken. Opening Sept. 24. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Sunday. 2240 Mendocino Ave., #C-1, Santa Rosa. daveshotchicken.com

Elena Kadvany is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ekadvany
Marin County has marked a new pandemic-fighting milestone, with more than 90% of its eligible population now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. All San Francisco International Airport workers are now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to be tested weekly if theyre exempted from getting the shots. California has recently distinguished itself as the state with the lowest coronavirus case rate in the U.S.  but data this week shows the Bay Area is performing even better. One mans release from San Quentin spotlights gaps within the prison system that widened during the pandemic.

Resources on COVID-19 and Californias reopening: For detailed maps and new city-by-city Bay Area data, check out The Chronicles Coronavirus Tracker. To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.

Latest updates:

Warriors forwards vaccine resistance sparks worries: Theres increasing concern among the Warriors about the early-season availability of starting small forward Andrew Wiggins, who has declined to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to NBA sources. The NBA is not requiring its players to be vaccinated, but if a local jurisdiction requires vaccination to enter an arena, then an unvaccinated player must get a religious or medical exemption from the league to play on his home court. Read the full story here.

California officials welcome FDA ruling on boosters: Californias top health officials on Wednesday welcomed the FDAs endorsement of Pfizers COVID-19 booster shots for older adults as well asthose at risk due to their health conditions or their workplace exposure. Vaccines are safe and effective, and theyre how we end this pandemic, said a statement from state health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly and state Public Health Officer Dr. Tomas J. Aragon. They said California health officials are working with local partners and health care providers to ensure California is ready to immediately begin administering booster doses to eligible Californians once such a recommendation comes from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. The state has built the infrastructure necessary to distribute vaccines to eligible Californians statewide on day one, the statement said.

Pfizer boosters get green light from FDA: Moving a step closer to getting COVID-19 booster shots into Americans arms, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted emergency use authorization for a third dose of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine for the most vulnerable: people 65 and older, those 18 and older who are at high risk, and people whose employment puts them at high risk of severe disease or exposure. After considering the totality of the available scientific evidence and the deliberations of our advisory committee of independent, external experts, the FDA amended the EUA for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for a booster dose in certain populations such as health care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons, among others, Dr. Janet Woodcock, the agencys commissioner, said in a statement. The FDA move was expected after its advisory committee on Friday recommended the step. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still has to make its own recommendations on who should get the boosters and when. A CDC panel on Wednesday opened a two-day meeting on the topic that laid out many of the complexities involved, the Associated Press reports.

Worst of delta surge is over, say Sonoma County officials: Case rates and hospitalizations are falling sharply in Sonoma County, health officials said Wednesday. I am cautiously optimistic the worst of the delta surge is over, Dr. Sundari Mase, county health officer, told a weekly briefing. The rate of positive coronavirus tests has dropped to 2.6% and the case rate is 13.5 per 100,000 residents. At least 76% of county residents are fully vaccinated. The infection trend mirrors what we are seeing across the Bay Area in decreased transmission, said Kate Pack, the countys lead epidemiologist. Still, new cases are trending up in Sebastopol, Cloverdale and Sonoma. Pack said fewer than 10 cases hav been linked directly to the BottleRock Festival but that is likely an underestimate. I dont know if we have the full picture yet in terms of BottleRock or Labor Day gatherings, she said. Since schools reopened last month there have been 350 cases in students and 35 in staff, with at least 60 linked to in-school transmission. Saying she believes the delta variant has run its course thanks in part to the countys public health measures, Mase added, Its hard to say if we will go down to the level of cases we were in May or June.

Three fewer variants to worry about: The World Health Organization has reclassified three varians of the coronavirus, downgrading the threat they pose. Eta (B.1.525), Iota (B.1.526) and Kappa (B.1.617.1) are now listed as former variants of interest by WHO. While all three variants carry mutations with suspected and/or established phenotypic impacts, the number of reported detections of these variants have decreased over time at the global, regional and country levels, said WHOs weekly report. The revised list of variants of interest now includes Lambda and Mu, both circulating in Latin America, where the Delta variant has begun to circulate but has not yet become dominant.

Its time for masks, Mormon church leaders decide: Officials from the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday wrote to church leaders worldwide saying all visitors and workers are required to wear face masks at all times when inside temples. They also urged members to get vaccinated, despite strong opposition from members in strongholds like Utah, Idaho and Arizona. Our urging Church members to be vaccinated and to protect themselves and others from the spread of disease has precedent, the letter said. Prior First Presidencies shared similar messages in 1900 about smallpox and in 1957 regarding polio. Please do all you can to protect yourself and others so the work of the Lord on both sides of the veil can move forward.

Case rates continue to fall in California: During the week of Sept. 5-11, the average case rates among unvaccinated Californians 16 and older was 63 per 100,000 per day, down from 71 per 100,000 per day the previous week. For vaccinated Californians, the rate was 8 per 100,000 per day, down from 9 the previous week. California continues to have the lowest case rates in the country. This article explains why.

More pregnant people died in August than any other pandemic month: More than 123,000 pregnant people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States, government advisers said on Wednesday. The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said hospital and intensive care unit admissions for pregnant women have risen with the spread of the delta variant, primarily in unvaccinated individuals. August marked the highest number of deaths on record compared to any other month in the pandemic. Only 30% of people between the ages of 18 and 49 in the U.S. were fully vaccinated prior to and during their pregnancy as of Sept. 11, according to government data.

Biden announces huge increase in donation of shots to world: President Biden is committing the U.S. to doubling its purchase of Pfizers COVID-19 shots to share with the world to 1 billion doses as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year. The stepped-up U.S. commitment marks the cornerstone of the global vaccination summit Biden convened virtually on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where he encouraged well-off nations to do more to get the coronavirus under control. It comes as world leaders, aid groups and global health organizations have growing increasingly vocal about the slow pace of global vaccinations and the inequity of access to shots between residents of wealthier and poorer nations.

71 million eligible Americans still unvaccinated: About 71 million people in the United States who are eligible for vaccination against COVID-19 have opted not to get their shots, according to White House COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar. While the number remains high, it marks an improvement from a month ago when the White House reported 82 million eligible Americans had yet to receive at least one dose of vaccine.

Nearly all United Airlines employees fully vaccinated: Officials at the Chicago-based airline say 97% of Unites 67,000 U.S. employees are fully vaccinated, with less than a week to go before they face a deadline to get the shots or get fired, the Associated Press reports. The airline says a small number of employees are seeking a medical or religious exemption from vaccination. Employees who get an exemption will be placed on leave starting Oct. 2 and could eventually come back. However, they might have to wear a mask and undergo weekly testing for the coronavirus.

Teachers shortages felt statewide: The teacher shortage worsened by the pandemic is hurting school districts across California. The Chronicle has reported on the crisis throughout the Bay Area, with schools in low-income urban communities seeing a disproportionate shortage. The Associated Press reports the states largest school district, Los Angeles Unified with 600,000 students, has more than 500 teacher vacancies, a fivefold increase from previous years, and substitutes also are in short supply. Only about a quarter of the pool of 1,000 qualified substitutes is willing to work in Fresno Unified, officials said.

New Florida surgeon general ends school quarantines: Parents in Florida now have the option of keeping their children home or sending them to school after a confirmed exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, the states new surgeon general said Wednesday. The decision fame down from Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who does not believe in mask or vaccination mandates and was hired Tuesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Students were previously required to quarantine off-campus at least four days after exposure to someone with the virus, The Sun Sentinal reports. Florida will completely reject fear, Ladapo told reporters shortly after he was hired. Florida recorded 10,073 cases Wednesday, while the states daily death average remains at its highest point since the start of the pandemic, according to the Miami Herald.

Jesse Jackson recovering after COVID hospitalization: Rev. Jesse Jackson returned home Wednesday after he and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Aug. 21. The civil rights leader, who has Parkinsons Disease, was required to spend some time at a rehab facility for physical therapy. Our father continues to stress the importance of being vaccinated, wearing masks and obeying the COVID-19 protocols including social distancing and the washing of the hands, Jonathan Jackson, his son, said in a statement.

Brazilian health minister tests positive for virus in NY: Marcelo Queiroga  who at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday shook hands with maskless British prime minister Boris Johnson shortly before the latter met with President Biden at the White House  has tested positive for the coronavirus. Brazils president Jair Bolsonaro, a vaccine skeptic, earlier broke the honor system at the UN that requires all speakers at the annual gathering be vaccinated, although he was later forced to eat pizza on a sidewalk after he was not allowed into the citys restaurants which require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry. During a meeting with Johnson he turned down an offer to get his shots: No.

Moderna slightly more protective against hospitalization than Pfizer, but both lost efficacy against delta: As part of the ongoing debate by government advisers on which Americans should get an extra dose of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine once regulators clear the booster shots, the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday shared data that shows the Moderna vaccine was between 85-93% effective against hospitalization across all adult age groups with previous strains of the coronavirus, while the Pfizer vaccine showed efficacy between 82-93%. Those numbers dipped as the delta variant became dominant in the summer, with Moderna slipping to 82-91% protection from hospitalization for most age groups, and Pfizer dipping to 73-85% efficacy.

Fake funeral home used as ploy to urge vaccinations: Images of a black truck advertising for Wilmore Funeral Home to football fans attending the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints game in Charlotte, N.C. on Sunday have gone viral on social media. It turns out the campaign for the non-existent funeral home is the work of the ad agency BooneOakley. Visitors to the website provided for the fake business see the message: Get vaccinated now. If not, see you soon. With less than 50% of the residents in North Carolina vaccinated against COVID-19, agency director David Oakley said it was time to try different messaging. I just feel like conventional advertising is not working. Like, just regular messages that say Get the Shot or Go Get Vaccinated, he told CNN.

Despite progress in California, COVID deaths on the rise in the U.S.: California is seeing lower coronavirus transmission than other states as virus cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19 decline following a summer surge, but the rest of the United States is still deep in the grips of the pandemic, the Associated Press reports. Deaths in the U.S. have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March, with experts saying the virus is preying largely on a distinct group: 71 million unvaccinated Americans. New cases of the coronavirus per day in the U.S. have dropped since the start of September and are now running at about 139,000. But deaths typically take longer to fall because victims often linger for weeks before succumbing.

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.

Oakland school board poised to vote on student vaccine mandate: Oaklands school board is expected to decide Wednesday evening whether to become the first school district in Northern California to require their students be vaccinated against COVID-19. Read the story here.

Doctors warn against trend of inhaling hydrogen peroxide to treat coronavirus: The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issued an alert warning the public against a trend in which people are inhaling hydrogen peroxide through nebulizers, evidently in an effort to prevent or treat coronavirus infections. The trend, according to the organization, is circulating on social media. DO NOT put hydrogen peroxide into your nebulizer and breathe it in. This is dangerous! the agency wrote.

CDC panel meeting Wednesday to decide who should get Pfizer boosters: An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet Wednesday to decide which Americans should get a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot, the New York Times reported. The panels discussions, which could continue into Thursday, will center on what groups of people are vulnerable enough to warrant a third shot.

West Contra Costa teachers file Cal/OSHA complaint over COVID safety rules: Teachers in West Contra Costa Unified School Distric filed a complaint with state workplace safety regulators alleging that the district policies on COVID testing and outbreaks are inconsistent, and that teachers are told they cannot send home students who exhibit symptoms. Read the story here.

California has the lowest COVID rate in the U.S. Heres why the Bay Area is doing even better: Since last week, California has been the lone state in the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions orange substantial level of coronavirus community transmission, with the rest of the nation in the red high level, based on case rates and positive test rates. But the Bay Areas numbers are lower than the states, and certain counties in the region are doing particularly well, despite the highly transmissible delta variant. Read the story here.

Unvaccinated COVID deaths in Contra Costa County are 13 years younger than vaccinated who die: In Contra Costa County, unvaccinated people dying from COVID are 13 years younger, on average, than vaccinated people dying from COVID, Health Services Director Anna Roth told county supervisors in Tuesdays COVID update. Deaths overall have declined in the county since the winter surge, dropping into single digits or zero each day, with 53 deaths so far this month, according to The Chronicles tracking.

SFO becomes first U.S. airport to require vaccinations for all on-site workers: All workers at San Francisco International Airport are now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to an announcement Tuesday from Mayor London Breed. The mandate takes effect immediately and requires all tenants or contractors to require their on-site employees to be fully vaccinated or to be tested weekly if exempted from getting the shots. Read the story here.

Vaccinated can spread virus, second CDC study confirms: A new study of Texas prison inmates provides more evidence that coronavirus can spread even in groups where most people are vaccinated, the Associated Press reports. A COVID-19 outbreak at a federal prison in July and August infected 172 inmates in two prison housing units, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 80% of inmates in the units had been vaccinated. More than 90% of the unvaccinated were infected, along with 70% of the fully vaccinated prisoners. Severe illness, however, was more common among the unvaccinated. The hospitalization rate was almost 10 times higher for them compared with those who had received the shots.

Delta surge a different kind of exhausting for East Bay hospital: This wave is different, Dr. Sergio Urcuyo, hospital medical director of Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, said Tuesday during a COVID update to county supervisors. We watch patients suffer and die all the while knowing we have the tools to prevent it, he said referring to COVID-19 vaccination. This is a different kind of exhausting. Since July 1, 86% of COVID deaths and COVID hospitalizations in the county have been among unvaccinated residents. There are currently 135 people hospitalized with COVID, including 54 in the ICU.

He left prison sick with COVID, fearing ICE would deport him. But the pandemic changed everything: Chanthon Buns release from San Quentin amid a humanitarian crisis illustrated preexisting gaps in Californias prison system, ones that widened with the pandemic. Read the story here.

This Bay Area county is approaching 100% of eligible residents with one COVID vaccine dose: Marin County has marked a new pandemic-fighting milestone, with more than 90% of its eligible population now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Read the story here.

New state rules for mega events go into effect: As of Tuesday, California requires attendees of indoor events with 1,000 or more people to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated or have received a negative coronavirus test. For outdoor events with 10,000 or more people, the same is recommended. The rules remain in effect through Nov. 1 and the California Department of Public Health will review the measures by Oct. 15.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina man was found shot to death in the front yard of his home, according to police.

Winston-Salem police said in a news release on Monday that officers responding to a call around noon south of downtown found Nicolas McGregor, 23, lying in a front yard with apparent gunshot wounds.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP)  Police in northern Virginia are warning the community about a potentially fatal batch of cocaine laced with fentanyl after six people overdosed early Tuesday morning.

At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the six adults, ranging in age from 23 to 35, were hospitalized after police responded to an apartment on Seminary Road in Falls Church.
TARBORO, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina man has been charged in the fatal shooting of his son-in-law after they got into a fight, police said.

Edgecombe County sheriffs deputies said John Adams III, 58, is charged with first-degree murder, news outlets reported. Investigators said Adams shot and killed Bobby Braswell, 30, on Monday.
An open letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris: Stop deporting Haitian refugees immediately! It is unconscionable to send them to a country destroyed by earthquake, hurricane and political chaos. Vice President Harris, your father immigrated from another Caribbean island. You must understand what conditions are like there in general.

It is so much worse in Haiti. I am sure you have some sympathy for the refugees. Please stop President Biden from deporting these poor people. Look at the color of these people. Does that have something to do with this policy? It is shameful for the U.S. to continue this cruel, racist policy.

Sharon Wilensky, San Francisco

Dont skip stop signs

I believe bicyclists must stop at stop signs, particularly four-way stops. First, doing so eliminates any ambiguity of intent: It lets other motorists, pedestrians and other cyclists know that one is stopped with no intention of advancing until others who have the right of way ahead of the cyclist, have proceeded. Secondly, judgment calls that can be open to interpretation are eliminated.

There is wide variability in what is perceived to be an unsafe condition: one persons view of safe can be considered dangerous to another. Thirdly, it allows the cyclist in the same manner as it does a motorist to check out all corners and crossing intersections, particularly during dusk and dawn, when visibility is reduced. Lastly, allowing cyclists to yield instead of stopping can lead to a sense of entitlement among cyclists: Would a motorist, at a four-way stop intersection or pedestrians waiting to cross, be required to wait until a long stream of cyclists passes through the intersection? San Francisco is not Idaho; we have more cyclists passing through more intersections, especially during commute times, so overall safety must take precedence over a small inconvenience.

David Silberman, San Francisco

Rethink whole system

In recent weeks, the letters column has been rife with suggestions that the recall process be modified by having the lieutenant governor replace the governor if the recall is successful.

The writers seem to neglect the fact that Californias recall law, with the same rules, applies not only to the governorship but to all elective offices, executive, legislative and judicial, and most of these have no automatic replacement. In fact, in most cases the replacement, in cases of vacancy other than by recall, is made by a gubernatorial appointment. How, then, do they propose to modify the recall process for these other offices?

Coby Lubliner, El Cerrito

Keep pets in homes

As the eviction moratorium deadline looms, our country, made up of millions of pet owners and animal lovers, faces a welfare crisis: 8 million pets are at risk of losing their homes and entering shelters. It highlights a broader, ongoing issue: housing discrimination that leads to animals entering shelters in the first place.

In San Francisco, and cities like it across the country, there is a significant lack of pet-accessible, affordable housing. Asking people to choose between safe housing and keeping their beloved pet is not acceptable and needs to change. On top of this, the existence of traditional, government-funded animal shelters actually enables the rental and insurance industries to simply refuse to allow pets at all or impose such highly restrictive policies and fees that pet ownership becomes impossible. Taxpayers should not be subsidizing housing discrimination, but thats exactly whats happening when the landlord tells the tenant to get rid of their pet. We need to end this bad practice and transform animal shelters into human animal support services, providing services similar to human social services to keep pets in their homes and communities.
The Specialty Food Associations Fancy Food Show is moving from San Francisco to Las Vegas this winter, another blow to Moscone Centers recovery.

The event, which featured 80,000 products like cashew cheese and vegetarian pork rinds in early 2020, will take place on Feb. 6-8, 2022. The event attracted more than 10,000 attendees.

The Specialty Food Association continues to be focused on exploring new opportunities for our members, and safely continuing the growth of the $170.4 billion specialty food industry during the pandemic, said Bill Lynch, president of the group, in a statement. We are excited to be partnering with a premier trade show destination like Las Vegas, which has been the leader in the return of in-person events.

The organization didnt immediately respond to an inquiry of reasons for the move.

Were very disappointed that they are moving next year and hope that theyll return again in 2023, said Joe DAlessandro, CEO of San Francisco Travel, the citys tourism bureau.

Before the pandemic, Oracles OpenWorld conference also moved from San Francisco to Las Vegas, but the event hasnt yet taken place there in-person. San Franciscos street safety and high costs were the primary factors for the change.

Las Vegas is optimized for large-scale conventions. The overall flavor of San Francisco is obviously very different, said Chris Meyer, CEO of George P. Johnson Experience Marketing, the event planner behind Dreamforce, which is being held this week at Moscone Center.

Meyer had no comment on the Food Associations move but said generally that San Francisco has plenty of appeal, particularly for tech companies that are headquartered nearby. Moscone Centers outdoor space is also a plus in the age of coronavirus.

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.

Cities with year-round weather and facilities that allow for outdoor experiences will have advantage over other cities for the near future, Meyer said, which will benefit western municipalities like San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
San Francisco tenants struggling to pay rent because of the pandemic will not be protected from evictions through the end of the year because of a change in state law.

In June, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to protect against evictions through Dec. 31 for nonpayment of rent due to the pandemic for tenants who have paid a quarter of their rent. Less than a week later, the state passed a law extending its own moratorium until Sept. 30, cutting short the local timeline.

Supervisor Dean Preston, who spearheaded the moratorium effort, said during Tuesdays board meeting that his office and the city attorney spent many hours trying to find a creative workaround to extend protections, but didnt find a legally viable path.

The state government is literally stopping us from preventing mass evictions, and we will not accept this without a fight, Preston said. I will not rest until we have exhausted every possible avenue to make sure renters are not thrown out of their homes because of a pandemic.

San Franciscans racked up $147 million to $355 million in unpaid rent from March 2020 to June 2021 because of pandemic unemployment, according to a city report. Only a fraction of federal rent relief funds has gotten into the hands of renters in the Bay Area, and federal funds doled out by San Francisco are expected to cover only 1 in 3 households estimated to need them. To help fill the gap, the city set aside $32 million in rent relief in this years budget.

Preston is urging state lawmakers to extend the moratorium until next year or at least allow local jurisdictions such as San Francisco to implement their own protections. During Tuesdays meeting, the Board of Supervisors passed an amended version of the protections approved in June, with a caveat that it would only go into effect if state law changed.

Not everyone is supporting the moratorium. The California Apartment Association, which represents more than 50,000 property owners and managers, sent a letter to Preston on Monday voicing its strong opposition to the local measure.

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The association said the local measure was unnecessary, pointing out that after the moratorium lifts in October, some protections remain for tenants who cant afford to pay rent because of the pandemic. The law states that the landlord must confirm they applied for rental assistance and either that the application was denied or that the renter didn't apply within a specified time period. Renters can pause their eviction case until they get funded or their application is denied.

It is unclear why you would waste taxpayer funds considering an ordinance that is so clearly prohibited by state law and otherwise unnecessary, the letter read. The residents and taxpayers of the great City and County of San Francisco deserve better.

Preston, who called the letter an attack on efforts to protect tenants with a looming eviction cliff, said he agreed with only one thing in it: San Franciscans do deserve better.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench
San Francisco officials are launching a multipronged push to combat retail theft in the city, an effort that includes more police investigators and community ambassadors and an upgraded system for retailers to report crimes online.

The initiative, announced by Mayor London Breed and Police Chief Bill Scott on Wednesday, comes after a summer when videos showing brazen retail theft went viral, casting an unflattering light on San Francisco and adding fuel to critics perception that the city is overrun by lawlessness.

Breed said in a statement Wednesday that retail theft and commercial burglaries are not victimless crimes and have resulted in reduced work hours for employees, shuttered stores and a loss of ready access to prescription medications for customers.

The strategy were outlining today is an all-hands-on-deck approach, Breed said. (It) brings the full partnership of state and local law enforcement and retailers to bear to aggressively pursue, investigate and deter organized retail crime in San Francisco.

San Francisco has for years suffered from abnormally high instances of car break-ins, thefts and burglaries. In 2019, the city had the highest property crime rates of any city in California. In 2017, FBI data showed the city had the highest per-capita rate of property crimes among the 20 biggest cities in the U.S.

A recent Chronicle analysis found that shoplifting rates dipped at the start of the pandemic because many stores had shut down either temporarily or permanently. By spring, however, shoplifting had recovered to just below pre-pandemic levels, with the city reporting 710 incidents in the first four months of 2021, down from 933 during the same period in 2019.

The new initiative, dubbed the Organized Retail Theft Investigation and Deterrence Strategy, creates new sergeant and lieutenant positions dedicated to retail theft, and expands the departments Organized Retail Crime Unit from two to five investigators.

Scott said more than doubling the investigative team will do wonders.

We have some really good investigations going, and we expect really good outcomes in terms of arrests, he said.

The sergeant will focus on retail theft from the patrol side, deploying officers and working with retailers on prevention strategies. The lieutenant is charged with coordinating what are known as 10B off-duty officers, who work as privately funded security guards and will average 3,800 hours per two-week pay period at about 34 retail locations citywide.

The program also expands the presence of unarmed community ambassadors from eight to 25, who are assigned to deter retail theft and report crimes.

The team is made up of retired officers who were initially deployed during the holiday season in the Union Square area, and will now be deployed in high-traffic areas like Yerba Buena Gardens and Moscone Center, lower Market Street and the Embarcadero, Chinatown and Fishermans Wharf.

Investigators will focus on organized commercial theft rings, officials said, partnering with other agencies as part of the California Highway Patrols Organized Retail Crime Task Force. Lt. Scott Ryan said many of these crime operations are highly structured, with a hierarchy of different ranks and roles.

These criminals dont have a set area that they have to work in their parameters, he said. Theyre statewide and out of state as well.

Karin Flood, executive director of the Union Square Alliance business improvement district, said the organization was highly supportive of the citys new plan.

Having an additional presence of trained officers in the Union Square area and extra investigators to solve crimes that occur should be effective in deterring retail theft, Flood said in an email. This, coupled with our Union Square Safety Ambassadors, 24-hour security patrols and 430-plus cameras should improve the situation.

The city is also in the process of upgrading its system for reporting crimes, which allows retailers to make reports over the phone and online. Police hope that these updates will encourage more people to file reports, even if it means that crime rates are appearing to rise.

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We cant do this work alone  we have to partner with the community and in this case, the merchants and the retailers, Deputy Chief David Lazar said in an interview with The Chronicle. We have to have an accurate picture of whats happening so that we can make decisions about deployment, we can think about prevention and we can think about what we need to do to investigate crime.

Retail crime clearance rates, or the percentage of theft cases that result in a citation or arrest, have been declining for years. But police say many of these crimes are committed by repeat offenders, and a prolific shoplifter may be responsible for dozens of thefts even if theyre only caught on a few of them. Still, they say, a key arrest can have ripple effects in the community, and police say theyve seen incident rates drop in certain areas following targeted policing.

Police and other city officials hope that the increased reporting and enforcement efforts will help boost the clearance rates as well.

Rachel Marshall, a spokesperson for the District Attorneys Office, said prosecutors are welcoming the new efforts to prevent retail crimes and increase clearance rates.

This will complement our offices longstanding work with multi-jurisdictional law enforcement agencies to disrupt, dismantle and deter the networks behind organized retail theft, she said in a statement.

Breed said she shares the frustration with the retail crime problem, and that there have been domino effects that trigger store closures and make people feel unsafe. San Francisco is a compassionate city, she said, that cares about criminal justice reform and second chances.

But dont mistake our kindness for weakness, she said. When a crime is committed in the city, when you cross that line, there will be consequences.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
Its taken more than half a century  a long time even by San Francisco City Hall standards  but a permanently car-free John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park finally appears headed for reality.

Of course, this being overly bureaucratic San Francisco, declaring the 1.5-mile stretch of roadway car-free remains months away. Surveys must be done. Information sessions must be held. Very long meetings in which officials drone on and repeat each other must be convened.

But signs point to the beloved pedestrian and bicyclist paradise remaining in its current state forever  one of the few silver linings of the brutal COVID-19 pandemic to stick around. We just have to wait until early next year for it to be official.

The Recreation and Park Department and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on Wednesday will release their top three picks for the roadways future, after completing their own studies and gathering community input.

The first (and best) option is keeping the eastern end of JFK Drive between Kezar and Transverse drives permanently car-free with lots of improvements to make the area more accessible for people with disabilities.

The second (and worst) option is reverting to the pre-pandemic rules in which the road was closed to cars Sundays and some Saturdays.

The third option would allow cars to enter JFK Drive on Eighth Avenue, turn right and travel westbound, a divider separating them from pedestrians and bicyclists. That option adds 16 disabled parking spaces, but would create delays for buses and reduce the enjoyment for everyone else.

That ones billed as the incremental compromise between those who want the road closed to cars and those who want it reverted to a thoroughfare on weekdays, but the real compromise would be keeping a mere 1 miles of roadway in the huge park car-free after talking about it for 54 years.

Photos by Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

After all, plenty of San Franciscans have long argued Golden Gate Park should be mostly car-free  akin to New York Citys Central Park  so closing one part of one road to vehicles is a fairly small step.

A survey, tours of the park and virtual information sessions will take place throughout the fall before the departments forward their final recommendation to the Board of Supervisors for a vote this winter.

See the plan details and take the survey at sfmta.com/AccessGGP.

Phil Ginsburg, general manager of Rec and Park, said the departments plan to use the feedback to fine-tune their plan with the goal of making car-free JFK Drive the obvious choice.

How do we get to yes? Ginsburg said. Parks are for people. Weve seen an extraordinary, healthy use out there during the pandemic. Its been a safer space, and its been a very joyous space.

Thats far different from JFK Drive before the pandemic when 75% of traffic used it as a shortcut between places outside the park. Not surprisingly, it was on the citys high-injury corridor, and dozens of people were hurt there in the five years before the pandemic.

In April 2020, the city shut the road to cars to give people space to exercise while social distancing  and the street immediately changed from a clogged, loud highway to a safe, people-centered paradise.

Its mostly been popular, but some disabled people said it hampered their accessibility, the museums said it made visiting them harder, and Supervisor Shamann Walton said it amounted to recreational redlining for preventing people from his district from visiting the park. That claim has since been debunked by data showing that people from District 10, which includes Bayview-Hunters Point, are visiting in the same proportion as ever.

To their credit, the departments have already made several changes to address the concerns of disabled people who lost a handful of parking spaces when JFK Drive closed to cars.

Theyve added about the same number of disabled parking spaces back on nearby roads and plan to repave a parking lot behind the Music Concourse band shell to provide 19 more disabled spaces.

Theyre also improving signage to let drivers know they can use drop-off zones in front of the California Academy of Sciences and de Young Museum or enter the underground garage for fewer than 15 minutes for free to let out passengers. Officials are also pushing legislation to implement dynamic parking rates in the garage so parking would be cheaper when its not full.

The disabled community isnt a monolith, and the departments have heard from others including blind runners and parents of autistic children that the car-free road works much better for them.

Officials are also looking at adding rented bicycles and scooters, pedicabs, taxi stands and improved shuttle service with better-marked stops.

Converting part of Fulton Street into a loading zone with 15 additional disabled parking spaces is also in the mix. The city also plans to expand the Skatin Place  the beloved roller-skating mecca  by 6,800 square feet with an entrance on Fulton Street.

Longer-term goals include speeding Muni service to the park and improving the Music Concourse Garage, which was supposed to solve a lot of the traffic issues above ground but instead often sits empty because its too expensive.

It is overseen by a nonprofit that doesnt seem to do any actual overseeing, and the city should consider taking it over.

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With all this work, the parks about to get better  and more usable  for everyone.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Jodie Medeiros, director of the pedestrian advocacy group Walk SF, said its gratifying to finally see major improvements after decades of talk.

Walk SF couldnt be more excited to see all of this proactive work that is going to make our dreams of a car-free JFK come true, she said.

Helena Nordstrom, a spokesperson for the de Young, said the museum hasnt seen the three proposals yet, but is pro-bike, pro-pedestrian, pro-public transportation and pro-equitable access.

Ike Kwon, chief operating officer at the Academy of Sciences, said the museum supports a long-term, data-driven solution for JFK Drive that prioritizes and preserves equitable and safe accessibility.

Good news  thats what its getting.

Separately, the board unanimously backed a resolution Tuesday from Supervisor Connie Chan  which is just a statement of support  that would keep car-free JFK Drive permanently with a strange allowance for some cars to travel across it from Eighth Avenue.

Rec and Park and the SFMTA say thats not safe or workable, a position echoed by Supervisors Myrna Melgar and Dean Preston in a committee meeting Monday.

However, Chan sent an email Wednesday morning to Ginsburg, SFMTA director Jeffrey Tumlin and other staff members  obtained by The Chronicle through a public records request  stating she will not support any of the departments three options and will only support her own proposal.

Still, its good news that Chan supports car-free JFK Drive, and that other supervisors are lending their support.

Even in San Francisco, the city that likes to overcomplicate everything, this ones a no-brainer.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
Crowds, celebrities and even a pig were back at Moscone Center as Dreamforce kicked off on Tuesday.

The tech conference opened with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at the events main stage, which was shifted outdoors due to the pandemic.

Crowds were noticeably lighter than in previous years, with only around 1,000 attendees. Others will attend virtually. But out-of-state visitors were back at the events center for the first time in two years and thrilled to be there.

Its amazing, said Tiffany Spencer, an attendee who lives in the Orlando area. Theres no replicating this feeling of Dreamforce.

Spencer, who is chief operating officer at Esor Consulting Group, which works with Salesforce, nonprofits and educational institutes, hadnt seen many of her fellow tech professionals in over a year, including fellow Floridians.

The big difference is, its a much smaller, intimate crowd, she said. There were fewer customers and partners, but also less traffic to grapple with and good deals on lodging.

The hotel prices were much better this year, she said.

Spencer said she felt safe, given the vaccination requirements and daily testing requirements. Shes attending another conference next month with similar safety measures.

She was excited to visit more San Francisco landmarks and restaurants, and bring along friends who had never been.

Although the conference is serving visitors lunch, restaurants are already seeing a benefit for other meals. Spencer and others bought food at the Grove, a local restaurant on Mission Street, and managers were happy to see them, urging them to return.

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Everyone here has been really mindful of tipping, Spencer said.

More business is on the horizon for hard-hit downtown restaurants and shops.

Next week, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand will hold its annual meeting at Moscone Center. Other events are also booked for early next year, like the JPMorgan health care conference.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
A 17-year-old hasn't been seen since body surfing at California's Laguna Creek Beach, a state beach 13 miles north of Santa Cruz, officials said.

Cash Ebright, 17, is the third person to go missing in the past two weeks along a stretch of coastline just north of Santa Cruz.

The tragic incidents are a reminder of the dangers of the ocean, said David King, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.

"The ocean is not forgiving," said King. "Be careful, use caution, playing on rocks and jetties isn't advisable. And don't forget, never turn your back to the ocean."

Ebright was last seen Monday in the water wearing black swim trunks at the beach near Davenport, the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office said.

State Parks, California Highway Patrol, Santa Cruz Fire and Cal Fire all responded to a report that the teen was missing. The agencies searched the waters overnight.

Less than a week earlier, David Guzman, 26, of San Jose went missing Sept. 12 after being swept out to sea near Davenport Beach, the sheriff's office said. Witnesses called 911 and a similar extensive search with multiple agencies unfolded. Search efforts are still ongoing in the Davenport area.

That same week, less than 2 miles south along Highway 1, officials pulled the body of Conrad Miltko, 30, of Chicago from the waters on Sept. 14 near Panther Beach, California State Parks said. Miltko was standing on rocks when a wave swept him into the water.

Gabe McKenna, a state parks public safety superintendent, said witnesses saw the incident happen.

King said localized large waves formed by isolated wind gusts were likely at play in these tragic incidents.

"The overall pattern of the ocean as of recently has been mostly a light southerly swell and northwest winds that vary on the type of weather each day," King said. "If they're strong, the winds can locally generate some bigger waves. There's not a massive northwest swell going on right now that we usually see in the wintertime."

McKenna added that ocean conditions in recent weeks are typical of late summer. While the oceans are generally calm compared to winter, he said, "the beaches north of Santa Cruz and these pocket beaches are inherently dangerous."

He said multiple factors contribute to the high-risk conditions, including tides, wind, topography of the beach, currents that may not be visible, changing swells and rocks.

"All those are precipitating factors that can influence how the ocean is behaving at any given moment," he said. "The message to the public is be aware and be alert."
Despite the fact that HIV is now a treatable medical condition, the majority of U.S. states still have laws on the books that criminalize exposing other people to HIV. Whether or not the virus is transmitted does not matter. Neither does a persons intention to cause harm. A person simply must be aware of being HIV-positive to be found guilty.

These laws are enforced mainly on marginalized people living in poverty who cannot afford lawyers. The penalties  felony convictions and being placed on sex offender registries  are severe and life altering.

It is difficult to know exactly how many people are affected by HIV criminal laws, since a central database of such arrests does not exist. The HIV Justice Network has collected a partial list of 2,923 HIV criminal cases since 2008 based on media reports.

I am a professor of social work who studies the impact of HIV criminal laws from the perspective of people who have been arrested. My research shows such statutes are outdated, harm people living with HIV and exacerbate the spread of the virus by driving people into hiding and away from treatment services.

The early years of AIDS

In 1981, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first cases of what later would be called acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. By 1982, researchers had strong evidence the disease could be transmitted through blood and sexual activity. At the time, the death rate for AIDS patients was estimated to be 65%.

In 1983, scientists discovered the retrovirus that causes AIDS and named it the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Initially, HIV infection was reported mainly in gay men, but as time went on, it was diagnosed in other populations, including women and children.

Operators at the National AIDS Hotline run by the American Social Health Association in 1991. AP Photo/Karen Tam

In 1994, AIDS was the leading cause of death for all Americans ages 25 to 44. Medical treatment for the disease was in its infancy. Both factors fueled the publics fear of being exposed to AIDS. A diagnosis seemed like a death sentence.

Criminal laws

The 1988, Ronald Reagans Presidential Commission on the HIV Epidemic recommended that states establish criminal penalties as a way of deterring people with HIV from engaging in behavior likely to transmit the virus. The 1990 Ryan White CARE Act, which provided major funding for HIV services, required states to certify they had adequate laws in place to prosecute individuals who knowingly exposed another person to HIV.

In 1990, 14 states had HIV criminal laws. By 2005, 23 states had them  even though the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act in 2000 removed the criminalization requirement. Today, these laws are on the books in 37 states.

Unintended consequences

From the outset, experts across many disciplines voiced concern about the effectiveness of using punitive criminal laws as a way of deterring the spread of HIV.

Indeed, HIV criminal laws have backfired from a public health perspective. A 2017 study found people living in states with HIV criminal laws are less likely to get tested and know their HIV status than those in states without HIV laws. Stigma and fear of prosecution discourage people from seeking information or help.

Minnesota AIDS Project banner at the Twin Cities Pride Parade in Minneapolis in 2013. Tony Webster/flickr, CC BY

This lack of knowledge is significant because pharmaceutical treatments, beginning in 1996 with highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, have steadily transformed HIV into a chronic manageable condition.

Medical experts have recommended that HIV criminal laws be revised. However, most state legislatures have not done so.

These laws are regularly enforced  most often on members of stigmatized groups, including those who are homeless or suffering from an addiction or mental illness. Research has also documented that HIV criminal laws are disproportionately applied to people of color. In fact, the majority of people arrested for an HIV crime are members of multiple minority communities.

Being arrested for an HIV-related crime is often devastating for individuals  beginning with the permanent exposure of personal health information to the public. For indigent defendants, felony charges pursued by a countys district attorney will result in the appointment of a public defender, who will most likely counsel a guilty plea  regardless of whether the individuals believe they are guilty or even understand the consequences of such a plea.

Sentences for violating HIV exposure statutes are comparable to sentences for vehicular homicide and can be as severe as life in prison. A 2017 analysis of 393 convictions in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee found the average sentence for an HIV-related crime was 92 months  or nearly eight years in prison.

Incarceration can result in permanent restrictions on employment, housing, education and voting.

Additionally, six states currently place people convicted of an HIV-related crime on the sex offender registry, which results in lifetime sex offender status  a relentless and unending punishment.

Treatment lowers risk

The HIV epidemic in the U.S. has changed tremendously in the past 40 years.

Volunteers hold signs promoting free HIV testing and information during the Harlem Pride parade in New York City on June 29, 2019. KENA BETANCUR / Contributor / AFP via Getty Images

HIV exposure laws have not kept up with the changes in HIV science and treatment. People with knowledge of their HIV status can receive treatment that makes them unable to transmit the virus. Proven prevention methods such as HIV testing, treatment and preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, are tools that remove the justification for HIV criminal laws.

Scientists can identify solutions to public health challenges, but it takes action by politicians to turn solutions into policy. HIV criminal laws are largely ignored because the people they directly affect are not connected to political power.

Bipartisan support is needed to replace existing laws with proven public health interventions.

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This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Robin Lennon-Dearing, University of Memphis.

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Robin Lennon-Dearing has recieved funding from the University of Memphis Foundation and currently receives funding from the National Institutes of Health under Grant 2P30AI042853-21. She is a member and consultant for the Tennessee HIV Modernization Coalition.

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Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images

Paul and Ruben Flores will go to trial in the disappearance and alleged murder of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, a San Luis Obispo County judge ruled Wednesday morning.

After a 22-day preliminary hearing, Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen determined the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to move the case to the criminal trial phase. The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office argued that Paul Flores, 44, killed Smart after walking her home from a party on Memorial Day weekend 1996. His father Ruben, 80, is accused of helping him cover up the crime and bury Smart's body under the family's Arroyo Grande home. Paul and Ruben Flores have pleaded not guilty to murder and accessory to murder, respectively.
NEW YORK (AP)  Most TV dramas try to tell stories over a few years with maybe half a dozen central characters. The new series Foundation is a bit more ambitious  try 400 years and 25 million worlds.

To say it's sweeping doesn't do it justice. World-building is one thing. Foundation, a four-year project debuting on Apple TV+ on Friday, is galaxy-building.

I love being transported in story. I love epics. I love generational sagas. And so I just wanted to go for it, said David S. Goyer, the series' co-creator, executive producer and showrunner.

Foundation is built on author Isaac Asimov's short stories that he started writing just after World War II as a 21-year-old and have gone on to become a cornerstone of the sci-fi genre. The series is ambitious enough to redefine sci-fi onscreen.

The saga begins 12,000 years in the future. Under the rule of the Galactic Empire, humanity has spread to the far corners of the galaxy and it has been peaceful, though authoritarian. Brilliant scientist Hari Seldon (played by Jared Harris) has discovered a mathematical theory that proves the empire is crumbling. Is he right? Do you trust the math? he asks.

When you got a character who can predict the future, the question is, Is he predicting the future or a possible future? And in a world where you can predict the mass movements of civilization, does one persons will matter? Do I matter in the broad scheme of things? Does it matter what choices I make? Goyer asks.

Visually stunning and inventive, the series explores the trade-offs between individual liberty and the dangerous safety of dynastic rule, the notions of fate and free will, and extremism and dissent.

It's a series that puts science and math at the center of life, streaming into homes at a time when the facts of science are being challenged everywhere. Math is never just numbers," goes one line in the show. In the wrong hands, its a weapon. In the right hands, deliverance."

Our guide is a gifted mathematician Gaal Dornick (actor Lou Llobell), who leaves her distant planet to go to the home of the empire and is as wide-eyed as the folks watching at home on their couch.

I think shes an ally for the audience, says Llobell, whose character was male in the books. I think thats quite a cool tool for the audience to kind of feel like they have someone that they can trust and follow and learn about all these worlds.

Goyer, whose screenwriting credits include The Dark Knight and Batman Begins, had been offered the chance to adapt Asimovs Foundation earlier in his career as a feature film but turned it down. Back then, the notion was to condense it. His new 10-part series goes the opposite direction.

I was excited about the possibility of having enough real estate so that I could expand it and expound upon it, he says. It was the most ambitious thing I ever attempted even prior to the pandemic, and then once the pandemic hit, it just became so monumental that it was almost funny.

The look of the series is bold and arresting, mixing old and futuristic. There are laser cannons and yet flickering candles, Roman Empire-inspired costumes and biohacking. Simple water jugs sit beside hologram devices. It might be a time of massive space ships, but their commanders might sip from old-timey liquor flasks. Goyer says he wanted a classic, timeless feel.

I wanted the show to be very cinematic. I didnt want to film a bunch of it against green screen. I wanted to get out in the world. We filmed about 60% of it on location in six different countries. That was really important to me because I wanted it to be visceral and textural.

The series jumps back and forth in time  centuries and decades can flash forward  and Goyer did not want to lean on pre-existing props. Even basic items were rethought, like ingenious-looking wine glasses with the liquid filling the hollow stem.

Theres nothing that we can go to a store and just pick off the shelf. We had to manufacture everything and I mean everything, he says. The show also had to solve its own scientific problems, like how to fold space. The answer: Each spacecraft needed to generate its own black hole.

Llobell recalls filming on a soundstage in Limerick, Ireland, where the design team had built a replica of her character's water-covered planet. You walked in and you smelt the ocean. You could smell fish and algae and it stank," she says. It was amazing because you were there."

It turns out her character's water-covered planet wasn't always so wet. The population there is going through a dark age where knowledge is forbidden, leading to warming and rising seas. Foundation preserves Asimovs prescience.

This is a show about climate change. Its a show about #MeToo. Its a show about the rise of factionalism and nationalism, Brexit. And now its a show about a pandemic and the collision between science and politics, says Goyer.

Actor Leah Harvey plays the warden of a city on a planet at the farthest edge of the galaxy. Harvey laughs that despite all the high level quantum calculations, many in the galaxy refuse to acknowledge the truth.

So many people cant understand it, but they question whether or not its true. And that is definitely a relatable thing in this world at the moment, Harvey says.

___

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
MILAN (AP)  Nigeria-born designer Joy Meribe opened Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday with her debut runway collection, a concrete success for a movement to promote diversity in Italian fashion just a year after launching.

The Italian National Fashion Chamber tapped Meribe to open six days of womenswear previews for Spring-Summer 2022 after her inaugural collection for the We are Made in Italy initiative last year found commercial success.

Beyond whatever video, proclamation or manifesto that we make, the real test is whether clients buy your products. Joy passed that exam, said Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean, who helped launch the initiative in the summer of 2020, asking the question, Do Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion? inspired by the U.S. movement and following racists gaffes by major Italian fashion houses.

It wouldnt have been so quick, if there wasnt an acceleration from the United States, said Jean, who basked in the early achievement in the front row alongside Italy-based U.S.-born designer Edward Buchanan and Afro Fashion Week Milano founder Michelle Ngonmo.

Meribe broke down in tears after the show as she thanked the fashion chamber and the movements founders for getting her to the runway.

The collection featured tiered and ruffled skirts and jackets with built-in capes that were both regal, as seen in an off-shoulder dress sweeping the ground, and hip, including a mini day-dresses and shoulder-baring tunic. Textiles were an explosion of bright yellow against an aqua blue, with tropic prints featuring thatched cottages against flourishing banana trees, which Meribe said was meant to celebrate a return to more normality.

We have passed from a dark moment, and I wanted to create something full of hope and light, the joy of restarting, she said backstage.

The initiative that launched Meribe opened its second edition this fashion week, an all-female group of designers working in Italy with roots in Togo, Morocco, Haiti, Cuba and India, following last years Fab Five inaugural class of all African-born designers.

There is movement happening, said Buchanan, the American designer behind the Sansovino 6 label. Of course everything takes time, but it takes somehow an industry to get used to the idea that these are talents like any other.

To point, they have created a database of more than 3,000 fashion professionals with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds living in Italy, including designers, merchandisers, photographers and stylists, with the aim of putting to rest the notion that diverse talents werent available in Italy.

In this year's Fab Five class, Judith Borsetto created a line of shoes and hosiery with embroidered details for her Judith Saint Jermain label, recalling her birth name in Haiti before she was adopted by an Italian family at age 4. Zineb Hazim designed a line of business wear for abaja-wearing Muslim women, using European plaids on the long garments, which were double-sided to extend a business traveler's wardrobe.

Fallylah Nyny Ryke Goungou sourced woven fabrics from her native Togo in western Africa for looks inspired by her love of Japan and know-how in her adopted Italy. Romy Calzado, a former textile designer born in Cuba, created a collection with honeycomb graphic elements on fabrics with anti-viral properties, while Sheetal Shah, originally from India, designed an all-denim collection from textiles treated to resist water and wear longer.

But even while marking progress on diversity being made in the industry, organizers said that a racist incident at a four-star hotel in Milan aimed at this years Fab Five underlined the work still ahead.

Ngonmo said that she was checking into the hotel with the five women when the desk clerks rudely dismissed routine requests by paying guests, indicating that they didn't belong there. She posted the incident on social media and later spoke with management, who apologized and fired the workers responsible.

They dehumanized us, taking away our humanity and treating us like animals. It is really, really bad, Ngonmo said.

Jean said the incident is the proof that everything we are doing today, more than ever, needs to be done. It is a necessity.
NEW YORK (AP)  The audience watching the searing and provocative Slave Play on Broadway often caught a glimpse of themselves onstage  in more ways than one.

That's because set designer Clint Ramos had built giant mirrors behind the actors, who initially appear to be on a plantation in the pre-Civil War South. Ramos, as he has done hundreds of time before, wanted to pull people into the raw story being told.

It always starts at an emotional response, says Ramos, who is head of design and production at Fordham University. Its always driven by this sense to find the human.

For that striking scenic design, Ramos has earned one of two 2021 Tony Award nominations. He also got a nod for best costume design for The Rose Tattoo.

Slave Play director Robert OHara says Ramos always hopes to elevate the onstage work, scouring the script for design clues. He remembers the moment Ramos came up with the idea of mirrors.

In talking with Clint about how we can get audience interaction  in terms of seeing themselves watching this and seeing each other watch this experience  he came up with this idea of mirrors, which was quite extraordinary, O'Hara says.

Ramos studied both scenic and costume design at New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts and was initially hired primarily for costumes. Then his set designs took off, too.

Its never been an either/or, he says. Ive always been interested in the bigger picture. What do the inhabitants of that world look like? Its never been as siloed, as I think most people think.

He has designed sets or costumes for hundreds of theater, opera and dance productions, including Broadway's Burn This with Adam Driver and Keri Russell, Six Degrees of Separation with Allison Janney, Sunday in the Park With George with Jake Gyllenhaal and The Elephant Man with Bradley Cooper.

It was Ramos' idea to dress Oscar-winner Lupita Nyongo in a filthy Rugrats T-shirt for Danai Gurira's powerful play Eclipsed. Nyongo was playing a teen who had been abducted and enslaved in a rebel compound during a bloody civil war in Africa.

How are Broadway audiences ever going to identify with this person? Ramos asked himself. His answer was a discarded T-shirt from America featuring an animated childrens TV series.

It instantly connected the girl with the audience  and yet with heartbreak, recognizing a discarded soul. It gave me an opportunity to be poetic about the destruction of innocence, Ramos says. He won a Tony for it, becoming the first person of color to win in the costume category.

Ramos faced a similar dilemma with Slave Play, Jeremy O. Harris bracing work about an antebellum fantasy therapy workshop that explores the legacy of slavery in sexual dynamics. Ramos wanted the audience to be uncomfortable voyeurs.

"How can I make it so that a white person or a Black person or any other within that spectrum feels a level of discomfort? he asked. It occurred to me that if I just did a whole bank of mirrors, I could literally surround the actors with the audience.

The effect was enhanced by the fundamental fact of who usually pays for tickets on the Great White Way. This being a Broadway theater, the faces that are going to be reflected are going to be mostly white, he said.

While theaters may be shuttered, Ramos' work will be seen in Respect, the upcoming biopic of Aretha Franklin starring Jennifer Hudson. He was tasked with crafting 80 costumes for The Queen of Soul and had to dress 1,000 people to recreate a 1968 Madison Square concert.

His love of theater traces back to his childhood in the Philippines, where he experienced street theater in rallies against the Marcos regime. I saw the power that it could do. I still remember very vividly, he says.

He likes working collaboratively, with everyone in different jobs offering their visions and ideas. When he's hired, everyone gets his input.

Part of what Ive learned is that there are just things that I cannot possibly see. And then there are things that I see that other people dont," he says. "So, for me, its been sort of a spiritual journey learning that.

Ramos has long been an activist for an equitable landscape in theater and film for Black, indigenous and people of color. During the pandemic, he helped found Design Action, a coalition advocating for change.

In the 2018-2019 theatrical season, 91% of Broadway design slots were filled with white designers. Ramos hopes Broadway gets to the point when half of all designers are non-white.

It is the right thing to do, but it actually will make the theater better, he says. We really need to do a lot of things off stage. And that, to me, is where I am and I want to put my focus.

___

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
The ghost of Sweeneys Grill and Bar in Brentwood is, by all accounts, friendly.

The ghost is said to be that of a former saloon owner named James Torre. Hes known to be found sitting at the end of the bar, and likes to leave behind 11 cents on the bar top. Sometimes, he is rumored to linger near the location of an old poker table, where the story takes a darker turn: Its the exact spot where Torre was allegedly murdered.

As historian Kathy Leighton tells it, Torre was shot twice through the window of his saloon during a poker game in 1915. The killer, supposedly on horseback, made a clean getaway as patrons of the bar rushed outside, only to find the shooter long gone. The mysteriousness of the event eventually became tied into the lore of the town, centering on the site of Torres saloon, which is now an unrelated Brentwood restaurant.

The Daily Gazette; San Francisco Chronicle; The Daily Gazette

The truth, as the newspapers told it at the time, paints a much more complicated story.

---

James Jimmy Torre was a well-liked man. Or so people said.

He was considered extremely popular, one person was quoted as saying in the days following the murder. One newspaper went so far as to call him one of the best known citizens of the eastern part of the county. As proprietor of Torres Saloon and Ice House, he was a pioneer saloon man, and its fair to say that most locals knew Torre personally or had met him on their own journeys through his adopted hometown of 25-plus years.

Given his popularity, it seemed odd that in the first days after Torres death on Dec. 13, 1915, the police were beginning to speculate that the murder was perhaps borne from a grudge.

But then there was also the matter of the Black Hand letter.

One of the first reports of Torres death revealed that a year before the shooting, he had received a Black Hand letter. It was the calling card of the Society of the Black Hand, an organization that attempted to extort business owners, particularly those of Italian descent like Torre. The letters would often threaten kidnapping, arson or murder.

The Black Hand theory was initially dismissed by the paper the Daily Gazette, which declared Black Handers always avoid actual killing.

But the factual evidence, as police presented the case to the newspapers, was this: Torre was alone in his saloon when he was shot twice by an unknown assailant about 10 p.m. on a Monday.

Two neighbors who were in the saloon earlier that night ran toward the establishment and found an overturned table and Torre lying on his back on the floor in a pool of blood. He was unable to speak, and died just moments after being discovered.

Constable James Schafer determined that Torre was surprised by the shooter, noting that Torres glasses, a crumpled newspaper and a lit pipe were found near the body. The first bullet, Schafer guessed, struck Torre first in the left arm, leading him to stand up  either to run toward the door, or to fight back  before he was shot a second time in the chest, severing arteries. Two empty cartridges from an automatic revolver were found on the floor, but no weapon was recovered.

An important piece of evidence was that nothing else in the saloon was disturbed; the shooter left relatively quickly without even opening a cash register. A wallet was missing, but investigators told reporters they expected it to be found in a then-yet-to-be-opened safe.

Google Street View

By Dec. 15, however, the police changed their tune. The wallet that they thought would be in the safe instead turned up missing, and they found out through an investigation that Torre had withdrawn between $75 (according to the Daily Gazette) and $700, according to the San Francisco Chronicle (about $2,031 or $18,960, respectively, in todays money) to cash paychecks for laborers who worked on a nearby pipeline. One man allegedly went to the saloon to have his check cashed by Torre, who took $48 out of the wallet to pay up.

It was only later realized that the killer may have been in the saloon at the time, and witnessed the transaction.

A description of the potential shooter was already starting to form three days after the killing. Various locals noted that a stranger was seen hanging out at Torres Saloon over the weekend as well as the night of the murder (the same day Torre had cashed the $48 check). The man in question was described as 35 years old, with a dark complexion, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing about 150 pounds, with a mustache. He was wearing a canvas miners coat with a blanket lining and a corduroy collar, a newspaper at the time noted.

That same description matched a man a local had seen following the shooting, noting that the stranger was seen on the road to Oakley about 10:30 p.m. during a heavy storm. At first, the man was suspected of boarding a train to Stockton from Knightsen by 11 p.m. immediately following the murder; however, this scenario was later debunked by the Santa Fe railroad company, which said no one had boarded the late train that night.

Still, rumors persisted that the murder was tied to the Society of the Black Hand, with some speculating that the suspect was perhaps part of the mafia, according to a much more recent story by The Press. Other rumors have circulated that Torre worried about an untimely death, owing to the fact that he had written a will shortly before his murder and was known to have assets totaling about $30,000 to $35,000, or over $812,000 valued today. His various properties were ultimately left to relatives both abroad in Italy and those living locally. The saloon changed hands a number of times over the years, its latest transformation now known as Sweeneys Grill and Bar, which is open to this day on that same corner in Brentwood.

Torres friendly ghost reportedly remains. But to this day, the case is unsolved.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Feuding factions of the Las Vegas-area Republican Party have emerged from separate meetings with slates of officers, but the head of the Nevada GOP said Wednesday that only one set will be seated at a statewide leadership meeting next month.

The Clark County Republican Central Committee headed by Jesse Law will be recognized at the Oct. 16 meeting in Winnemucca, said Michael McDonald, chief of the state Republican Party. Law is a former aide to the state GOP and former President Donald Trumps Nevada campaign.

The state party will seat Jesses slate, and well move forward, McDonald said. Its sad that it turned out this way.

Law and McDonald pointed to a court order issued earlier in the day that dismissed a lawsuit from other party members claiming they were the legitimate leaders. Judge Susan Johnson in Las Vegas ruled that decisions about matters of internal party management would be left to party members, not the courts.

Laws group is recognized by both the Republican National Committee and the state party, Law and McDonald said.

Law acknowledged that party members associated with the extremist Proud Boys were among the 500 people attending his meeting. He characterized the crowd as a sea of diverse folks.

The Proud Boys are a male-only group with a history of violent clashes with left-wing protesters. Trump cited the group during an October 2020 presidential campaign debate, and several Proud Boys have been charged with conspiracy and other crimes relating to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Law predicted the eventual dissolution of the other GOP group, which drew about 100 people Tuesday to a virtual meeting that elected state Sen. Carrie Buck as chairwoman. The interim chairman, Republican state Assemblyman Stephen Silberkraus, was elected as committee political director.

Ed Gonzalez, committee secretary, said the Buck-led group intends to go to the meeting in Winnemucca.

Before she was elected, Buck termed Laws group an insurgency," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The Clark County Republican Party is at a tipping point, Buck said in a statement that vowed she would focus on goals, accountability and making the county GOP the most well-functioning political organization in the state.
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The Rosie the Riveter / World War II Home Front National Historic Park, which sprawls across the former shipyards in Richmond, California, on the northeast edge of San Francisco Bay, tells the enormous story of the largest wartime mobilization in American history and the sweeping social changes it sparked.

Visitors can climb aboard an enormous Victory ship, one of more than 700 vessels produced in Richmond  and, in the gift shop, pick up swag emblazoned with the iconic image of the red-kerchiefed Rosie herself, arm flexed up with We Can Do It! bravado.

But for many, the park is synonymous with another woman: Betty.

Betty Reid Soskin, who turns 100 on Wednesday, is the oldest active ranger in the National Park Service. Over the past decade and a half, she has become both an icon of the service and an unlikely celebrity, drawing overflow crowds to talks and a steady stream of media interviewers eager for the eloquent words of an indomitable 5-foot-3 great-grandmother once described by a colleague as sort of like Bette Davis, Angela Davis and Yoda all rolled into one.

She has been photographed by Annie Leibovitz, interviewed by Anderson Cooper and invited to the Barack Obama White House (where she introduced the president at the Christmas-tree lighting in 2015). And as she approaches her centennial birthday, she has, to put it mildly, persisted. She suffered a stroke in 2019 but has since resumed her ranger talks (via videoconference) and even narrated a commercial for The North Face clothing company that dropped in July.

CHANELL STONE/NYT

Watch even a brief online clip of one of her ranger talks, with her gentle but uncompromising tell-it-like-it-is style, and you understand her appeal. But Soskin herself still seems a bit bewildered by all that, as she put it during a recent interview, gesturing toward a wall covered with framed citations and honors in her comfortably overstuffed apartment in the Richmond hills.

I dont have any sense of being that important, she said, adjusting her tiny frame in a huge armchair. The only thing she has ever tried to do, she said, is tell the truth.

Soskin became a park ranger in her 80s, almost by accident. In 2000, she was working as a field representative for a California state legislator who asked her to sit in on early planning meetings for the park, which had just been authorized by Congress. At the first meeting, she blurted out that she had a love-hate relationship with the Rosie the Riveter icon, which she saw as telling a white womens story.

The half-million Black women who worked in home-front jobs included some who worked as welders and riveters, but Soskins experience was different. During the war, she worked as a file clerk in a segregated unit of the historically all-white Boilermakers union, which had resisted demands to allow full membership to Black workers.

At a later meeting, as she looked at the historical structures that would anchor the park, such as the housing and child-care centers that supported the shipyard workers, Soskin  the only person of color in the room, as she recalls  saw places of segregation. What part of the park would tell her story?

What gets remembered depends on who is in the room doing the remembering  its something of a mantra for Soskin, who stayed in that room, and at that park, and kept talking: first as a community liaison, then as a seasonal tour guide and, since 2007, as a full-time interpretive ranger.

In that role, she speaks not to the experience of Rosie the Riveter, but to her own experience. When I became a ranger, she said, I was taking back my own history.

Now, the park tells the story not only of women who went into mens jobs to support the war effort but also of Mexican American braceros, the Japanese American flower growers of Richmond who were sent to internment camps and the boxcar Indian Village set up to house newly arrived railway workers from the New Mexican pueblos.

Without Bettys influence, we probably would not have told various previously marginalized stories in as much depth, said Tom Leatherman, who has been park superintendent since 2010. But what leaves him in awe, he said, is her ability to connect with visitors and show them that history belongs to, and is made by, everyone.

Betty has an amazing ability to share her own story in a really personal and vulnerable way  not so people know more about her, but so they understand that they too have a story, he said. We all have a history  and its just as important as the history we learn in school.

Soskins life has had so many twists and turns, it is hard to keep them straight: She has been a suburban mother, anti-war activist, musician, business owner, faculty wife, community advocate, political aide, blogger and, of course, park ranger. Ive always pushed out old stuff and made room for the new, she said.

She was born Betty Charbonnet in Detroit in 1921. She spent her early years in New Orleans, where her close-knit familys Creole and Cajun roots ran deep. In 1927, after their home was destroyed in the Great Mississippi Flood, the family moved to a racially mixed neighborhood in Oakland, California, where her father and uncles worked as waiters and Pullman porters, and lived in a tight-knit, socially conservative, devoutly Catholic Creole world.

WILLIAM SOSKIN/NYT

They were a decade ahead of the war mobilization that would bring millions pouring into California to work in defense-related industries, including about 500,000 African Americans, largely from the South, in what has been called the largest voluntary westward Black migration in American history.

For many who came West, the war years brought increased opportunity, and rising expectations, which would help fuel the civil rights and womens movements. For Soskin, who had grown up in racially mixed neighborhoods and schools, it also brought her first experiences with overt, formal segregation.

When the war started, she took a job in an Air Force office, where she was surprised to realize she was passing for white. She set the record straight, and asked if she would still get her promotion. The answer was no. I walked out on the U.S. government and told them to shove it, she later wrote in her 2018 memoir, Sign My Name to Freedom.

CHANELL STONE/NYT

That same week, her husband, Mel, a star college athlete who had enlisted in the Navy only to be relegated to working as a cook, left the service. He was going to fight for his country, she said. But he found out he could only cook for his country.

During the war, Soskin never saw a ship being built, as she often relays in her ranger talks. But she vividly remembers the night of July 17, 1944, when an enormous munitions explosion at Port Chicago, about 25 miles from the shipyards, killed 320 people, about two-thirds of them Black enlisted men who had been relegated to the dangerous work. (One of the worst homefront disasters of the war, it helped spur the desegregation of the military.)

Earlier that day, she and her husband had hosted a group of Black servicemen (who were excluded from the segregated USO) at a dance party. She still wonders whether any of them were among those killed.

And even after telling the story umpteen times in her ranger talks, Soskin seems freshly shocked at what she learned much later: The Black enlisted men were buried in a segregated military cemetery.

I didnt know how they pulled the Black bodies out from the white bodies, she said. And where would I have gone?

After the war, she and Mel went into business for themselves, selling race records that white stores wouldnt touch, operating a makeshift store out of a window cut in the wall of their Berkeley garage. In 1952, as the business boomed, they moved to Walnut Creek, a seemingly idyllic and affluent white suburb east of the hills.

They had bought the land via a white friend and, when they moved, they initially received threats. When Soskin learned that a fundraiser at the local elementary school would include a blackface number performed by the teachers and administrators, she confronted the principal, then sat in the front row, crying the whole time.

Later, she became active in social-justice causes through the Unitarian Universalist Church, participated in anti-war protests, raised money for the Black Panthers and served as a delegate for George McGovern at the 1972 Democratic National Convention, representing the very neighbors who had initially rejected her.

But she says she hadnt intended to be a trailblazer. I became an activist, she said, simply because of who I was.

In her memoir, Soskin writes of the struggles of her light-skinned father, who initially couldnt get a job in California because he wasnt Black enough for the railroads and he wasnt white enough to be white. And she has been open about the realities of being a Black woman in predominantly white spaces who often found herself, as she has put it, on a bridge interpreting one side for the other.

In the early 1960s, as an isolated young mother of four in suburbia, she started playing guitar and writing songs (sometimes while ironing). It was a way of dealing with her deteriorating marriage and what she describes as a mental breakdown, but also a vehicle for her evolving political and racial consciousness.

The internet is awash with her interviews, but her music is harder to find. During my visit, her daughter Diara played a recording of a much younger Betty singing on a local radio program.

The first song, Little Boy Black, she explains on the recording, was written during a very angry Black period, when she was deeply involved in Black nationalism. Her voice is whispery and sweet, the lyrics biting.

As the tape rolled into a second song, a delicately jazzy Black-is-beautiful tone poem called Ebony, the Night, Soskins eyes welled with tears as we listened. She had passed up various offers to start a professional career, she said. And after she moved to Berkeley, California, in the early 1970s and married Bill Soskin, an eminent psychology professor, she put her songs away in a box.

If there was a moment when her full self came back out of the box, she says, it was 1987, when her father and two ex-husbands died within three months of one another.

I had always been defined by the men in my life, she said. I was devastated. Then, all of a sudden, I stepped out and Ive been spinning around in space ever since. I didnt really know who I was until then.

A few years earlier, as Mels health declined, she had taken over Reids Records, rescuing it from the verge of bankruptcy. (It closed permanently in 2019.) She became a force in the community, advocating new housing and other efforts to revive the then-blighted area.

Next came the job with the state legislator and, through that, the park, and the chance to wage what she has called a federally funded revolution from the visitor centers basement theater.

Soskin has often spoken of the power of putting on the park ranger uniform  today, less than 7% of National Park Service personnel are Black  and the message that seeing her in it sends to little girls of color, and others who might not see the national parks as inclusive of them.

So many opportunities are tied to uniforms, she said. Uniforms have dictated so much of what Black people were.

Over her fireplace hangs a painting of her maternal great-grandmother, Leontine Breaux Allen, who was born enslaved in 1846 and who died three years after World War II, at 102. Leontine had worked as a midwife, as well as an assistant to a circuit-riding doctor who came through St. James Parish, Louisiana, every three months, when she would hang a white towel in front of houses where attention was needed.

For all her accolades, Soskin sees herself, like Leontine, as another helper, dedicated to draping symbolic white towels over imaginary gateposts.

And what would she like her own great-grandchildren to remember about her?

That she was honest, she said. The only way for me to really be able to live in this world is to deal with it truthfully.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Utilities would set a goal of reducing energy waste by 0.5% a year, a far more modest goal than a previous 2% requirement, under legislation aimed at restarting energy efficiency programs, a co-sponsor of the bill testified Wednesday.

The previous 2% mandate would have been too expensive to attain, Rep. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, told the House Public Utilities Committee, a cost he described as a march up Mandate Mountain.

Under the bill, Ohio power companies could once again offer energy efficiency programs such as smart thermostats or appliance rebates, with the cost covered by customers. The legislation is aimed at undoing an element of a now-tainted nuclear power plant bailout bill, which eliminated all energy efficiency programs.

The bill has the backing of the Ohio Environmental Council and state investor-owned utilities including AEP, Duke Energy and AES Corp. They all know the cheapest, cleanest kilowatt of energy is the kilowatt not used at all, co-sponsor Rep. David Leland, a Columbus Democrat, said Wednesday.

The nuclear plant bailout law approved in 2019 paved the way for a $1 billion ratepayer-funded rescue of Ohios two aging nuclear plants. Lawmakers repealed the bailout earlier this year, but left unchanged were provisions that gutted state renewable energy standards and eliminated all energy efficiency programs.

The energy efficiency legislation introduced last month aims to restore some of those programs, but comes with a twist: For the first time, residential customers not interested in participating can opt out of paying their share of the program. In the past, all residential customers paid for an energy efficiency program regardless of whether they took part.

The opt-out would last five years, after which customers would have to again indicate their preference. The participation fee would be capped at $1.50 a month. Customers are automatically included in the program unless they opt out.

Commercial and industrial customers are automatically excluded from participating and would have to choose to opt in under the bill.

Support for the nuclear bailout law began to crumble last year when federal prosecutors charged five individuals, including the former Republican speaker of the Ohio House, with funneling $60 million in energy company money toward an illegal effort to pass the bill. Prosecutors allege the effort also included attempts to kill a proposed referendum to repeal the law.

Earlier this year, Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. admitted to using dark money groups to fund the effort, and agreed to pay $230 million in penalties and meet other conditions to avoid prosecution on a federal conspiracy charge.
SEATTLE (AP)  A 29-year-old Bellevue man pleaded guilty Tuesday to four federal felonies that carry a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years, prosecutors said.

Steve Godina Ochoa was arrested in February 2020 after a 13-year-old runaway told counselors that he had repeatedly sexually assaulted her. When Bellevue police investigated the claims, they found methamphetamine, heroin and firearms in his vehicle.

Two of the firearms were stolen, Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman said in a press release. Godina Ochoa was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior convictions for arson and illegal possession of guns, Gorman said.

Investigators also found child pornography on his electronic devices, she said.

He faces up to 20 years in prison on the porn charge, up to 40 years for the drugs and the firearm charge could add another 10 years, Gorman said.

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors and his defense attorney agreed to recommend a mandatory minimum of 10 years, Gorman said. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2022.
BEREA, Ky. (AP)  Berea College has completed work on a hydroelectric plant that will supply renewable power generated from the Kentucky River.

The college in eastern Kentucky near the Daniel Boone National Forest said the small-scale plant can generate 2.64 megawatts, or about half the electricity the campus uses in a year.
BRATTLEBORO, Vt (AP)  Brattleboro officials denounced racism after a person on Facebook posted racist memes and comments aimed at Vermont's first Black woman police chief.

The Brattleboro Police Department said the racist comments were sent by a single person on Facebook who the department declined to identify, the Brattleboro Reformer reported.

Police Chief Norma Hardy, who was hired in July, spent 26 years with the police department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She was also the first Black woman to serve as chief of that department, the newspaper said.

Select Board Chairwoman Liz McLoughlin said that this incident showed how Brattleboro still has work to do to combat racism.

Daniel Quipp, another board member, stated his support for Hardy.

Chief Hardy has dedicated her life to public service and is an exceptionally qualified and experienced person to lead our police department, Quipp said. I am really glad thats she here...she has really broad shoulders and will manage this and we will stand with her.
CARIBOU, Maine (AP)  A man has spent six years saving money so he can offer a $10,000 reward for information that helps solve the case of the death of his brother in northern Maine.

Firefighters found the body of Kenneth Zernicke, 58, of Caribou on Sept. 24, 2015, after responding to a house fire. Zernicke's death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy. The case remains unsolved.
WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa (AP)  A southern California man suspected of fatally shooting two people in Long Beach has been arrested in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, federal officials said.

The U.S. Marshals Service said police arrested Joshua Wells, 29. of Long Beach, last week near a family members home in Windsor Heights, Iowa. Wells was wanted for the Sept. 4 shooting deaths of 44-year-old Maricela Honorato and 39-year-old Juan Guizar-Gutierrez.
DAYTON, Ohio (AP)  A physical confrontation between a Dayton police officer and an armed suspect ended with both men being shot and hospitalized, authorities said.

The officer had responded to a fraud call at a store around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday and spotted the suspect about 45 minutes later on a city street. When the officer approached the suspect and told him to stop, authorities said the man immediately struck the officer, who used his Taser on the suspect.
Ariel Schalit/AP

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)  Israel on Wednesday reopened a crossing with the occupied West Bank for the first time since six prisoners tunneled out of a nearby Israeli prison, a rare escape that triggered a massive search before they were all recaptured.

The Israeli military body that oversees civilian affairs in the West Bank said the Jalameh crossing into the northern West Bank would be open for the first time since Sept. 6, when the prisoners escaped.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The European Unions top diplomat urged Iran to return to talks on its nuclear program while the country's foreign minister reiterated Tehran's willingness to resume negotiations during a meeting at the United Nations, the EU said Wednesday.

The remaining parties to the 2015 deal that meant to contain Irans nuclear program have held several rounds of talks in Vienna earlier this year on how to bring the U.S. back into the deal and how Iran can return to compliance with its terms.

But the last round ended in June, ahead of Irans elections that boosted the ranks of hard-liners. Irans new leaders have come under pressure to resume the talks.

Former President Donald Trump pulled America out of the deal in 2018 and imposed strict sanctions on Iran that have since clobbered its economy. Iran, in turn, has violated limits that the deal had imposed on its nuclear activities, leaving it in tatters.

There has been speculation that the remaining parties to the deal  Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and Iran  would meet on the sidelines of this weeks U.N. General Assembly. But it appears the meeting wont take place.

Instead, the EUs foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Tuesday. The foreign minister is also expected to meet separately with the British and French foreign ministers.

Borrell stressed the need for full cooperation" from Iran and reiterated his concern about the overall trajectory of the Iranian nuclear program, the EU statement said. It said Borrell underlined once again the great importance of a quick resumption of the Vienna talks" and added that the Iranian top diplomat assured him of the willingness to resume negotiations at an early date.

On Afghanistan, Amirabdollahian referred to the high number of Afghan refugees in Iran, and Borrell underlined EUs willingness to engage actively with regional partners to address the challenges of the present situation  a reference to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last month.
CHICAGO (AP)  A former Chicago police sergeant with a history of misconduct allegations has been sentenced to probation for beating two men outside a bar so badly in 2018 they were hospitalized.

A Cook County judge sentenced Eric Elkins, 47, last week to two years of probation and ordered him to perform 40 hours of community service. He is also banned from working in law enforcement, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
MADRID (AP)  A small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean is struggling days after a volcano erupted, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, and authorities are warning that more dangers from the explosion lie ahead.

Here is a look at the volcanic eruption on La Palma and its consequences:

WHERE DID THE VOLCANO ERUPT?

The eruption occurred Sunday afternoon on La Palma, one of eight volcanic islands in Spains Canary Islands archipelago, which is strung along Africas northwestern coast. It was the second volcanic eruption in 50 years for the island, which has a population of 85,000.

A 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge after a week of thousands of small earthquakes. Unstoppable rivers of molten lava, some up to 6 meters (20 feet) high, are now flowing downhill toward the ocean, engulfing everything in their path.

The Canary Islands are a volcanic hot spot popular with European tourists due to their mild year-round climate. Mount Teide, on the nearby island of Tenerife, is one of the world's tallest volcanoes and Spain's highest mountain. On La Palma, people live mostly from farming.

WHAT CAUSED THE ERUPTION?

Scientists had been closely monitoring a build-up of underground magma in La Palma for a week before the eruption, detecting more than 20,000 earthquakes  most too small to be felt. That is known as an earthquake swarm and can indicate an approaching eruption.

Three days before the eruption, the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported that 11 million cubic meters (388 million cubic feet) of molten rock had been pushed into Cumbre Vieja.

After the 4.2-magnitude earthquake, two fissures belched bright red magma into the air. The lava flowed in streams down the mountain slope.

HOW BAD HAS THE DAMAGE BEEN?

The close scientific monitoring meant that authorities were able to quickly evacuate people when the volcano erupted and no casualties have been reported.

But the damage to property, infrastructure and farmland has been considerable. So far, the eruption has destroyed around 190 houses and forced the evacuation of 6,000 people. The molten rock has also entombed banana groves, vineyards and crops of avocado and papaya. Some irrigation networks have been lost, groundwater contaminated and roads blocked.

The rivers of lava are now moving toward the island's more populated coast and the Atlantic Ocean, where they could cause new problems.

WHAT ARE THE DANGERS NOW?

Authorities say residents face a host of dangers in the coming days and weeks.

When the lava reaches the Atlantic Ocean, it could cause explosions and produce clouds of toxic gas. Scientists monitoring the lava measured it at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit). In the islands last eruption in 1971, one person died after inhaling the gas emitted as lava hit the water.

Earthquakes on the island have continued, rattling nervous residents. A new fissure opened late Monday after what the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said was a 3.8-magnitude quake, and began spewing more lava. Scientists say more new lava vents and cracks in the earth could emerge, endangering new areas.

The volcano has been producing between 8,000 and 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide a day, the Volcanology Institute said. Sulfur dioxide is smelly and irritates the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause acid rain and air pollution.

The eruption has also produced volcanic ash, which can cause respiratory problems. Authorities on La Palma told people in the wide areas where the ash was falling to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed.

HOW LONG WILL THE ERUPTION GO ON?

Scientists say the lava flows on La Palma could last for weeks or even months. The last eruption on the island, in 1971, went on for just over three weeks.

The last eruption on all of the Canary Islands occurred underwater off the coast of El Hierro island in 2011. It lasted five months.
GROSSE POINTE PARK, Mich. (AP)  Residents in southeastern Michigan, still recovering from a summer series of storm-related floods, were warned Tuesday to prepare for as much as 6 inches of rain by Thursday.

The National Weather Service posted a flood watch for much of the region. Rain fell sporadically but was expected to become steady Wednesday and stretch into Thursday morning.

I would suggest that you make sure your valuables are out of the basement. Your pets, yourself  out of the basement," said Suzanne Coffey, interim chief executive at the Great Lakes Water Authority, or GLWA, which runs a regional wastewater system.

The highest rain totals were forecast for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Basement drains in parts of Detroit and the first ring of suburbs backed up with water and sewage in late June when more than 6 inches of rain fell in just a few hours.

Some GLWA pumping stations couldn't handle it. The mess was repeated a few weeks later.

I look forward to the day that I dont have to put stuff in the basement up because I trust that our infrastructure will reliably work, Jose Rodriguez of Grosse Pointe Park said on Facebook after the latest forecast.

The GLWA said pumping stations were ready and fully staffed, though the actual performance of pumps can only be assessed when a storm hits.

Charles Smith, who lives on Detroit's east side, said he lost personal possessions that belonged to his late wife during the earlier flooding.

If they have to bring in experts to teach them what they dont know, do that  whatever it takes. But what they have been doing is not working, Smith told WDIV-TV.
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP)  A former Idaho state lawmaker has not yet turned himself in to face a rape charge despite a warrant being issued nearly two weeks ago.

Aaron von Ehlinger was charged with rape and sexual penetration with a foreign object on Sept. 10 following a nearly four-month investigation by the Boise Police Department and another two months of review by prosecutors, The Lewiston Tribune reported. The Ada County Prosecutor's office has declined to comment on whether it is actively looking for von Ehlinger or if it has discussed the matter with him or his attorney.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday released a list of executive orders he hopes top legislative leaders will agree to extend through Feb. 15.

The orders include required COVID-19 vaccinations for nursing home workers, required vaccination or testing for school workers and certain state employees, and required mask-wearing in schools and elsewhere.

Earlier this summer, a law was passed which empowers the top six Democratic and Republican legislative leaders to disapprove any of the executive orders issued under the state's emergency public health declarations.

We have unfortunately seen the risks of the Delta variant realized, with a prolonged surge in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from this new and more contagious variant, Lamont wrote in a letter to legislative leaders.

He noted how its critical the state continue its vaccination campaign and masking requirements in schools and certain high-risk settings to prevent the emergence of even more contagious and more dangerous COVID-19 strains.

Also Wednesday, Lamont issued a proclamation calling the General Assembly back to Hartford for a special legislative session next week to approve the 6th renewal of the Democrat's declaration of public health and civil preparedness emergencies.

Republican lawmakers have voiced opposition to the move, arguing it's time for the Democratic-controlled General Assembly to make these decisions.

In other coronavirus-related news in Connecticut:

VACCINE MANDATE OPPOSITION

Teachers, school bus drivers, and health care workers were among the dozens of people who testified before a group of state legislators Wednesday, arguing they unfairly face the possibility of losing their jobs because state and federal mandates require them to get vaccinated or tested regularly for COVID-19.

Some said they're willing to risk their jobs rather than get the shot.

I may lose my job next week, but my choice and every parent's choice for what we put in our bodies is more important than my job, said Linda Machorro, a veteran elementary school teacher in the Danbury Public Schools.

Some people who appeared before the General Assemblys Conservative Caucus, which organized the hearing, said they've been shunned at work and experienced discrimination because of their resistance to getting the shot.

Some questioned why vaccinated workers werent also required to get tested regularly while others complained about having to answer invasive questions about their medical histories and religious beliefs in order to obtain an exemption.

Ashley Madore, one of several school bus drivers in Bristol who attended the hearing, said people who kept working during the pandemic are now scoffed at by politicians and others because of their personal concerns about the vaccine and their reluctance to get tested weekly.

Those of us who were once heroes are now nothing because we believe in the right to choice, she said.

An executive order signed by the governor requires staff at childcare facilities and pre-K-12 schools statewide to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 27. Those who don't get vaccinated due to certain exemptions will have to get tested weekly. State hospital and long-term care employees will not have the option of testing in lieu of vaccination.

Every action Gov. Lamont has taken in response to the pandemic has been aimed at reducing the spread of the virus," said Max Reiss, a spokesperson for Lamont.

Last month, President Joe Biden ordered all employers with more than 100 workers to require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly. Also, he required workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid to be fully vaccinated.

Wednesday's hearing at the Legislative Office Building marked the first such in-person public event since last year. Most members of the Conservative Caucus, people who testified and many who sat inside the hearing room did not wear face masks. The executive director of the Office of Legislative Management issued a rule on Aug. 2 requiring vaccinated and unvaccinated people entering the complex to wear face coverings when in common areas.

House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, accused the legislators of putting Capitol Police, members of the public, staff and elected officials at risk and urged House Republican leaders to take action against these elected officials who blatantly and purposefully broke our building's public health policy.

House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, called Ritter's statement hyperbolic and inaccurate given the guidance legislators received from Capitol Police on Wednesday.

This manufactured controversy is the latest evidence of his partys desire to conduct as much business as possible outside the public eye," he said in a statement. "Make no mistake, Democrats want to keep the Capitol closed and continue the charade that virtual government is serving residents well.
After a private blessing and a prayer, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde invited gathered media to watch as an excavator tore into a wall of the old, abandoned paper mill that the tribe says has stood on its ancestral grounds for too long.

The tribe held a symbolic demolition event at the old Blue Heron Paper Mill at Willamette Falls on Tuesday, representing a small step toward removing the industrial site and returning it to Indigenous hands, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

Chris Mercier, vice chair of the Grand Ronde Tribal Council, said the tribe has been trying to reclaim as much of its traditional homelands as possible. The acquisition of the land at Willamette Falls represents the biggest step in that direction, he said.

This site here is of deep historical and cultural significance, Mercier said at Tuesdays event. The fact that weve actually purchased it and own it now is kind of a dream come true for many of us and many of our tribal members, because our roots run deep here.

The land around Willamette Falls was once home to the Clowewalla and Kosh-huk-shix villages of the Clackamas people, who ceded the land to the U.S. government under the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 before being forcibly removed and relocated, according to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

For generations, the falls were also frequented by residents of other Indigenous villages around the area, including the Chinookan peoples of the lower Columbia River, who today are represented by several different tribal bodies.

The Grand Ronde call Willamette Falls tumwata, which is the Chinook jargon word for waterfall, and refer to the river as walamt. Every year, members of Oregon tribes visit the waterfall to harvest lamprey  a prehistoric eel-like creature that has been caught there for thousands of years  along with salmon and other fish.

Located on the Willamette River at Oregon City, Willamette Falls has long been one of Oregons best, least-accessible natural wonders, with public access blocked off by the paper mill that shut down in 2011.

In 2019, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde purchased the land, valued at $2.9 million, and earlier this year the tribe laid out an ambitious vision that would transform the old mill site into a community center where visitors could walk along the river, dine at a restaurant, stay the night or attend an event. The plans also include space for tribal members to hold ceremonies near the waterfall.

Stacia Hernandez, chief of staff to the Grande Ronde Tribal Council, said that vision will likely take years to complete. With any luck, the property will be cleaned up and safe for the public within two to three years, she said, though construction on other buildings is expected to take longer.

When its finished, however, the Willamette Falls site promises to be a place that is special for both tribal members and the general public alike.

We want it to be a very welcoming and inviting place and we want people to have a real experience when they come here, Hernandez said. We dont want it to be a show-up, grab-a-cup-of-coffee-and-leave place, we want people to be able to experience it and feel the falls.

In total, the site has space for up to 300,000 square feet of new buildings, the tribe said, and would be a natural extension of downtown Oregon City. Current plans call for Main Street to simply be extended into the newly developed area.

Plans are similar to those previously drawn up by the Willamette Falls Legacy Project, a collaborative partnership between Oregon City, Clackamas County, Metro and the state of Oregon. The partnership officially organized in 2014 to find a way to provide public access to Willamette Falls and had previously secured an easement on the property to create a riverwalk.

Were excited about the progress at the Blue Heron site, Carrie Belding, spokesperson for the Willamette Falls Legacy Project, said. We support the Confederated Tribes of Grand Rondes vision and look forward to continuing working together.

Now, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the Willamette Falls Legacy Project and the Willamette Falls Trust (a nonprofit tasked with raising money for the planned riverwalk), are all working together on the project. The first phase of the riverwalk project is estimated to cost $65 million the trust said, and so far $28 million has been raised in public and private funds. An additional $20 million in public funding is earmarked for the overall project, as part of the Metro Parks and Nature Bond passed by voters in 2019.

In August, that collaboration expanded to include four additional tribal governments with ancestral ties to Willamette Falls: the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.

Gerard Rodriguez, associate director for the Willamette Falls Trust, said the recent influx of Indigenous voices has created a new expanded table when it comes to who will determine the future of Willamette Falls, and, thankfully, all parties involved seem to agree on what should be done.

Theres general support of the vision that the Grand Ronde put out in the spring of 2021, Rodriguez said, as well as plans originally proposed by the Willamette Falls Legacy Project in 2017. Aligning both of those plans is a necessary part of moving forward with the project and creating a shared vision.

Both plans call for public access, as well as extensive environmental rehabilitation of the area by removing industrial structures and restoring habitat for salmon, lamprey and other aquatic species.

The event Tuesday was a groundbreaking of sorts that represents one of the clearest steps forward at Willamette Falls in nearly a decade of planning.

Were excited to share this place with people, Hernandez said. For us, its an opportunity not only to come home to this place and reclaim this place, but to make it better and leave it better for future generations.

In addition to its cultural significance, Willamette Falls ranks among the most impressive waterfalls in Oregon thanks to an average volume of about 32,000 cubic feet per second during the rainy season  more than 200 times the flow of Multnomah Falls.

Visitors hoping to see the falls will find no public access points along the Willamette River now, though the waterfall is visible from a viewpoint on the side of Oregon 99E, and from the McLoughlin Promenade in Oregon City. For years, the best way for the general public to see Willamette Falls up close has been on one of several boat tours that run up the Willamette River.

With the Confederated Tribes of Grand Rondes purchase and redevelopment of the old Blue Heron site, there will soon be not only good public access, but a chance for Indigenous communities to once again have a strong, year-round presence at Willamette Falls, the tribe said.

Its a chance for us to tell our story, Mercier said at Tuesdays event. What we do here will reflect the value and the mission of this tribe.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  The public health officer in the Grand Rapids area said he's a victim of brute mob hatred after ordering masks in schools in Kent County to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Adam London told county commissioners that a woman tried to run his vehicle off the road in August immediately after the mask order. He is no longer making public appearances because of concerns about violence.

Angry residents have expressed their disgust about the order at public meetings. County commissioners can't overrule London.

There is a sickness in America ... far more insidious than COVID," London said in an Aug. 22 email, two days after his mask order.

London's email was reported by the Michigan Advance and pursued by other news organizations.

I need help. My team and I are broken, London wrote. Im about done. Ive done my job to the best of my ability. Ive given just about everything to Kent County, and now Ive given some more of my safety. If you want to fire me, or censure me, or pass a resolution condemning me, by all means please proceed."

The sheriff's office confirmed that London called authorities after the road incident.

"I want you to know that I will not needlessly expose myself (or my family for that matter) to the brute mob hatred that is crudely evident in a vocal and energized minority, London told commissioners.

Two Republican state lawmakers who have threatened to pull funding from the local health department because of the mask order are condemning the threats, WOOD-TV reported.

Violence, and threats of violence, against public officials are unacceptable in civil society, said Rep. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  In a bizarre speech to the UN General Assembly, Honduras president defended his crimefighting chops and hinted that convicted drug traffickers testifying against him in the U.S. were doing so in exchange for favorable treatment.

President Juan Orlando Hernandez touted his nations falling homicides rates in recent years and crackdown on organized crime, as well his government's collaboration with the D.E.A., F.B.I., U.S. Justice department, and U.S. Southern Command. He also highlighted the surreptitious recording of drug traffickers following his 2013 election, that he said was worthy of the Netflix show Narcos and proved he was not in cahoots with them.

Speaking among themselves, they described their reality: the narcos complain in those recordings that despite their efforts they couldnt arrange anything with me; that Im not someone with whom they can work nor negotiate, he said. On the contrary, they know I would be implacable with organized crime. They even discuss how to try to kill me.

The nearly half-hour address in New York marked the first time since his brother's sentencing that Hernandez addressed allegations in a global forum that he took bribes from drug traffickers.

His brother, a former Honduran congressman, was sentenced to life in prison in a Manhattan federal court in March after prosecutors argued Juan Antonio Tony Hernandez was a central figure in one of the worlds largest and most violent drug conspiracies.

U.S. prosecutors in New York have signaled the president took bribes from drug traffickers to fund his political ascent, including as recently as 2019, but he has not been formally charged.

The president has denied any wrongdoing or having any ties to drug traffickers. And in July, when the U.S. State Department released a list of 50 current and former Central American officials suspected of corruption or undermining democracy, Hernandezs name was not among them.

Hernandez told assembled diplomats at the U.N. that the drug traffickers, when first arrested by U.S. authorities, mentioned no connection with him, but later testified to the contrary. While he didn't say outright that prosecutors had offered them benefits in exchange for their testimony, Hernandez questioned whether they might receive favorable treatment for changing their stories.

If perjury is recompensed by the United States, if criminals have impunity to use false testimony in the federal court of the United States, that puts dangerous weapons in the hands of a mortal enemy  confessed assassins  weapons to be used against the people most effective in the alliance against transnational crime, he said.

Hernandez said he had worked with President Joe Biden when he was vice president, and expressed hope that U.S. authorities ultimately wouldnt reward perjury.
ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP)  A northern Illinois coroner pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges alleging that he stole more than $14,000 in cash from dead people.

Winnebago County Coroner Bill Hintz pleaded not guilty to 12 counts, including official misconduct and theft of government funds, WREX-TV reported. A judge set his bond hearing for Oct. 8.

A Winnebago County grand jury indicted Hintz in early September on the charges, which accuse him of stealing about $14,500 in cash from the coroners offices evidence vault. That money had belonged to deceased individuals.

Illinois General Kwame Raoul has also said that Hintz required family members to pay cash in order to recover the cremated remains of their homeless loved ones but kept the money for himself.

The new charges came nearly a year after Hintz was initially charged in October 2020, with several counts of official misconduct, forgery for allegedly spending money on hotel rooms, car rentals and other expenses unrelated to official county business.

WREX-TV reported that court documents the station obtained allege that Hintz stole money from a deceased resident as recently as April 2021, six months after the initial charges were announced.

Hintzs wife, Michelle, also faces charges in the case filed last October. She also appeared in court on Wednesday, and her trial date was moved to Jan. 24, 2022.
PENDLETON, Ind. (AP)  An Indiana school district was sued Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union after a group that supports LGBT students said it has been barred from promoting its meetings.

The free speech rights of the Gay-Straight Alliance at Pendleton Heights High School are being violated along with other laws, the lawsuit alleged.
ROME (AP)  The uncle of an 18-year-old woman who disappeared months ago in Italy after refusing an arranged marriage in Pakistan was detained Wednesday on the outskirts of Paris, according to Italian authorities who fear the teenager may be dead.

Saman Abbas was last seen in late April by neighbors in the vicinity of her familys home in the farm town of Novellara, near the city of Reggio Emilia. A few days later, a Milan airport video captured her parents, who had reportedly been pressuring Abbas to marry a man she had never met, hurrying to catch a flight to Pakistan.

Italian Prosecutor Isabella Chiesi told reporters that Paris police, acting on a European warrant issued in connection with the woman's disappearance, detained the uncle in an apartment where he had been living with other people. Italian police said his social media use played a part in investigators tracking him down.

"I contend it's fundamental to have gotten the uncle, who, from all the investigations and checks, appears to be the mastermind of this crazy criminal plan,'' the Italian news agency LaPresse quoted the prosecutor as saying at a news conference in Reggio Emilia.

Chiesi didn't elaborate on what the alleged plan entailed. She expressed hope that the uncle's detention in France would lead to his transfer to Italy so he could be interrogated by Italian authorities.

Abbas told her boyfriend in Italy, who is also of Pakistani origin, that her parents wanted to marry her off to an older man in their homeland but that she was refusing. After going to authorities, Abbas was allowed to stay at a shelter but later returned home, reportedly after her family sent her text messages begging her to come back, Italian news reports said.

The young woman's disappearance has gripped Italians for weeks. Police, aided by dogs, searched the farm fields of Novellara near the familys home looking for Abbas body. Her younger brother told authorities that he had learned that the uncle had allegedly killed her sister, according to Italian media.

Three men were seen on a surveillance camera video carrying shovels, a pail and a sack near the family home in Italy about the time of her disappearance.

Italian authorities are also seeking the parents and a male cousin, while another cousin was detained in France earlier this year and then transferred to Italy. He is being held in jail for investigation of a suspected role in the case.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP)  National Public Radio can air audio recordings from the trial of the gunman who killed five Capital Gazette newspaper employees in 2018, a federal judge has ruled in a case challenging Maryland's ban on broadcasting court proceedings.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Bennett on Tuesday permanently barred the state of Maryland from enforcing its broadcast ban against NPR, which intends to use audio from the trial of Capital Gazette newsroom shooter Jarrod Ramos in an upcoming episode of its Embedded podcast.

Bennett ruled it would be unconstitutional for Maryland to ban NPR from broadcasting recordings of the jury trial for Ramos' criminal case. NPRs challenge to the broadcast ban was limited to its use of recordings of Ramos court proceedings.

In July, a jury rejected defense attorneys mental illness arguments and found Ramos criminally responsible for killing five people at the newspaper's office in Annapolis. Prosecutors are seeking five life sentences without the possibility of parole when Ramos is sentenced.

The judge already had ruled in NPR's favor after a hearing Sept. 13, issuing a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocked the law's enforcement against the radio network. Tuesday's ruling granted NPR's request for a permanent injunction.

Bennett's decision is limited to NPR's case and does not strike down the broadcast ban.

A broader court challenge to the broadcast ban has not been resolved yet. In June, a three-judge panel from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived a lawsuit in which Baltimore-based journalists and community organizers argue that the broadcast ban is unconstitutional. The appeals court sent the case back to district court.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh's office, which represented the two state judges sued by NPR, argued that the broadcast ban preserves the "fairness and integrity" of criminal trials.

The statute does not prohibit any person from describing, transcribing, or reenacting any portion of a criminal trial," lawyers from Frosh's office wrote in a court filing. It bans only methods of communication that depict participants images and voices from inside the courtroom.

Bennett rejected that argument as prophylactic at best, and speculative at worst.

Nothing on the record suggests NPRs podcast will endanger witnesses or undermine the fairness of the proceedings against Jarrod Ramos  whose trial is concluded, whose sentencing is imminent, and whose potential appeal will not require witness participation, the judge wrote in his earlier decision.

NPR argued that the broadcast ban violates its First Amendment free speech rights. Bennett agreed, saying the law constitutes a prior restraint on speech that is irreparable as a matter of law.
Libya's powerful, east-based commander announced Wednesday he was suspending his role as leader of a self-styled Libyan army for the next three months  the clearest indication yet that he may be contemplating a run for president in December elections.

If he runs, commander Khalifa Hifter would be one of the frontrunners in the Dec. 24 vote but his candidacy is likely to stir controversy in western Libya and the capital of Tripoli, the stronghold of his opponents, mostly Islamists.

Hifters forces had besieged Tripoli in a year-long campaign that tried to capture the city. The campaign ultimately failed last year, leading to U.N.-mediated talks and the formation of a transitional government charged with leading Libya until the parliamentary and presidential elections.

A statement from Hifter's office said he was delegating his military duties to his chief of staff, Abdel-Razek al-Nadhouri, for three months, starting Thursday.

Libya has been wracked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich nation had for years been split between a government in the east, backed by Hifter, and a U.N.-supported administration in Tripoli, aided by west-based Libyan militias. Each side has also had the support of mercenaries from countries such as Russia and Syria and different regional powers.

Libyan lawmakers passed a presidential election law earlier this month, requiring possible candidates for president to relinquish whatever office they hold 90 days before the vote. Lawmakers are still debating a bill regulating the parliamentary vote.

However, lawmaker on Tuesday passed a vote of no confidence in the transitional government, impeding efforts to unite the oil-rich North African country and even throwing the long-waited elections into uncertainty.

Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya expert and senior fellow at the Global Initiative, warned that Hifters candidacy may lead his opponents to undermine the elections altogether, which could raise the threat of renewed violence. Many armed groups loyal to Islamists in western Libya oppose the December vote, he cautioned.

If real presidential elections take place in northwestern Libya, there will be huge tensions ahead of the contest, including potential clashes, Harchaoui said.

Hifter has modeled his leadership on Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a close ally. Both have declared war on terrorism  applying the term not only to extremist groups but also more moderate Islamists.

Hifter, 77, served as a senior officer under Gadhafi but defected in the 1980s during the ruinous war with Chad, in which he and hundreds of soldiers were captured in an ambush. He later spent more than two decades in Washington, where he is widely believed to have worked with the CIA, before returning to join the anti-Gadhafi uprising in 2011.

Hifters prominence rose as his forces battled extremists and other rival factions across eastern and later southern Libya, areas now under his control. He has the support of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as well as France and Russia.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A guard at the federal jail in downtown Los Angeles was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of lying to investigators about having sex with an inmate, prosecutors said.

A federal grand jury indictment charges Abel Concho, of East Los Angeles, with one count of making false statements, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

He was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon. It wasn't immediately known if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

During interviews with investigators, Concho allegedly made a series of false statements, including that he never had sexual contact with the inmate who was under his care at the Metropolitan Detention Center from June 2010 to February 2011, the statement said.

Concho then falsely stated that he had sexual intercourse and engaged in oral sex with the victim just once (or) twice that he could recall, the indictment alleges.

Concho is also accused of smuggling a cellphone into the facility to the victim to take nude photographs for him.

According to the indictment, Concho was the target of a criminal investigation that he had sexual contact with multiple inmates at the jail, which houses a total of 635 male and female inmates.

If convicted of the charge in the indictment, Concho, 53, would face a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
MADISONVILLE, La. (AP)  A 16-year-old girl has been arrested in connection with a single-vehicle crash in Louisiana that killed two passengers and hospitalized a third, authorities said.

A Honda civic occupied by four 16-year-old girls ran off the road at a high speed near Madisonville just after midnight on Aug. 4, according to a news release from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Louisiana reported its 16th child death from COVID-19 Wednesday.

The state health department in Baton Rouge said the victim was between the ages of 12 and 17. No other details were released.

It was the seventh pediatric death from the disease since the states fourth coronavirus surge began in July. Another childs death was reported Friday.

Just five days ago, our hearts were heavy as we mourned the sixth child to lose their life to COVID-19 in this surge. Here we are once more, grieving as another promising young life ends too soon, Dr. Joseph Kanter, state health officer for Louisiana, said in a news release.

The state reported a total of 99 new COVID-19-related deaths Wednesday and 1,906 confirmed or probable cases.

Daily hospitalization numbers continue to drop. The latest hospitalization figure was 1,221  still much higher than the spring and early summer, but down from a peak of over 3,000 in August. Hospitalizations are down from the August peak in all nine Health Department regions, although they appear to have leveled off in recent days in the south central and northwest part of the state, based on health department figures.

Kanter again urged Louisiana residents to take steps to prevent the spread of the disease.

Its incumbent upon all of us to get the vaccine and wear a mask to protect ourselves and one another, including our children," Kanter said.

Statewide, only about half of all Louisiana residents have had an initial shot of the COVID-19 vaccine; about 44% have received complete dosages.
HONOLULU (AP)  A Hawaii judge issued a bench warrant for an Illinois woman after she failed to appear for a virtual court hearing Wednesday following her arrest for an alleged fake COVID-19 vaccination card that misspelled Moderna as Maderna.

Judge Karin Holma said she would issue a $500 warrant for the 24-year-old woman's arrest during a hearing on the case held via Zoom.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The man who claimed he had a bomb in a pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol last month, prompting evacuations and an hourslong standoff with police, is competent to stand trial, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Floyd Ray Roseberry pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday to charges that include threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction.
BALTIMORE (AP)  A Maryland man was sentenced on Wednesday to four life terms for his part in the death of a woman thought to be a witness in a federal case, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.

A judge sentenced Clifton Mosely, 43, of Baltimore for two counts of conspiracy to murder a witness, and for witness retaliation murder and witness tampering murder in the death of Latrina Ashburne, 41, on May 27, 2016, the news release said.
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  Gov. Greg Gianforte said Wednesday he will deploy National Guard soldiers to help overburdened hospital staff in Great Falls, as Montana's rising COVID-19 hospitalizations near 400 and a southwestern Montana hospital reports crisis standards of care are imminent.

Gianforte approved a request for 20 National Guard members for Benefis Health System, to start next weekend. On Tuesday, Gianforte announced he was fulfilling requests for 70 Guard members to help at six other hospitals non-medical tasks such as cleaning, patient data entry and administering COVID-19 tests.

With earlier fulfilled requests, Montana has committed 107 Guard members to helping at hospitals and a state lab in Helena as a surge of COVID-19 that began in mid-July continues.

The governor's office anticipates more formal requests for Guard assistance from several other hospitals.

Barrett Hospital & HealthCare in Dillon said Wednesday its implementation of crisis standards of care was imminent, meaning treatment and resources for patients may be rationed.

Providers and health care facilities across Montana are currently experiencing limitations in their ability to provide the standard of care that we all wish to provide to our communities and normally expect to provide, Dr. Greg Moore, chief medical officer, said in a statement. This situation may persist for some time and is everchanging day-by-day, which has required Barrett Hospital & HealthCare to consider implementing crisis care standards to ensure the most equitable allocation of limited resources for patient care.

At least three other hospitals in Montana have said they are implementing or anticipate implementing crisis standards of care because of the surge in COVID-19 patients.

Montana confirmed another 1,326 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the number of known active cases to nearly 10,300. At least 395 people were hospitalized.

Just two months ago, on July 22, Montana reported 141 new cases of COVID-19 and 71 people were hospitalized statewide. Over the past two months, 219 more deaths have been reported, for a total of at least 1,914.

Over that same two months, more than 42,000 Montana residents became fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The state reports over 418,000 residents are fully vaccinated, or 52% of those eligible.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina government would need billions of dollars in additional road-building funds if it wants to carry out currently planned projects for the next decade, according to recent cost reassessments.

The gap between the costs for committed Department of Transportation projects and available funding from 2024 to 2033 is at least $7 billion, WRAL-TV reported.

Highway projects could be dropped from the State Transportation Improvement Program -- North Carolinas building roadmap -- or simply not be added.

It is a problem, Joey Hopkins, DOT's deputy chief engineer for planning, told the station.

Project cost increases were counted during a routine re-estimate during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has contributed to rising material costs and uncertain job markets. Real estate prices also have increased, leading to rising costs to buy property to build or widen roads.

What were dealing with now in our market  the cost increases were dealing with now are unprecedented, Hopkins said. The housing market, our right-of-way costs, sometimes seem to be going up daily.

With a current DOT cash balance of $2 billion, the departments 12- and 36-month contract lettings shouldnt be affected, Hopkins said. Looking to the long term, DOT says its talking to local leaders statewide about scaling projects without eliminating them.

Nearly all of DOTs annual revenues come from state and federal gasoline taxes, a 3% tax on vehicle sales and Division of Motor Vehicle fees. Longer-life vehicles and those with higher gas mileage are affecting road revenues nationwide, trimming back gas and vehicle sales tax revenues.

Cumulative available funding for 2024-2033 is currently estimated at $23.5 billion, according to a DOT presentation.

A blue-ribbon commission recommended in January that North Carolina boost transportation spending by 40% to improve highways, railroads and transit. The panel said the state needs to locate at least $2 billion more annually to get there.

Approving more taxes and fees for transportation would be politically tricky for the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat.

The overruns are a symptom of the problem of our revenue streams being out of date, said Sen. Mike Woodard, a Durham County Democrat. It makes it clear that we need to modernize the DOTs revenue, and thats going to be a heavy lift, but its past time to roll up our sleeves.

The state Board of Transportation probably won't approve the next State Transportation Improvement Program until summer 2023, Hopkins said. Some costs could come down between now and then.

I just want to reiterate: Weve got time to work this out, Hopkins said.
ATLANTA (AP)  A man who was punched and kicked in the head by Georgia police officers during a traffic stop four years ago has filed a lawsuit alleging the stop was unjustified and the officers used excessive force against him.

Gwinnett County police Sgt. Michael Bongiovanni pulled Demetrius Hollins over in Lawrenceville, just outside Atlanta, on April 12, 2017. Video filmed by a witness shows Bongiovanni punching Hollins as Hollins stood with his hands raised after exiting his car. A second video shows Bongiovanni appearing to yell at a handcuffed Hollins, who then lies face-down in a left-turn lane of a busy intersection. Officer Robert McDonald runs up and immediately appears to stomp on Hollins' head.

Hollins, who was 22 at the time of the traffic stop, said during a news conference Wednesday that he still has "some kind of PTSD from this situation.

He filed the federal lawsuit earlier this month against Bongiovanni and McDonald, as well as former Gwinnett County police chief Butch Ayers and the county.

The lawsuit says Bongiovanni pulled Hollins over without justification and then retaliated with excessive force after Hollins began using his cellphone to record video of the encounter. It says McDonald knew Hollins was not a threat when he arrived on scene but still kicked Hollins in the head and held him down with a gun pressed to his head.

Both officers were fired the next day after video of the traffic stop surfaced and were subsequently charged with multiple crimes related to the stop. Working phone numbers for the two could not immediately be found Wednesday, and online court records did not list a lawyer for either man who could comment on the charges.

The lawsuit also says Ayers, now the executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, was aware that officers in his department routinely used unnecessary physical force when making arrests and searches" and that he signed off on use-of-force reports even though supervisors had decided to close the cases without further investigation or inquiry.

It also says the county's use of force procedure was unconstitutional because it expressly authorized officers to use unnecessary, gratuitous, and disproportionate non-deadly physical force against citizens as a matter of routine procedure when making arrests and searches. The county allowed unconstitutional policies and practices in use of force investigations, discipline, training and supervision to continue unchecked for nearly 20 years, the lawsuit says.

Ayers said in an email that he disagrees with many of the allegations in the lawsuit, but cannot comment further because the matter is under litigation. County attorney Mike Ludwiczak said the county does not comment on pending litigation.

As so often is the case in instances of police brutality, the officers were untruthful in their reports and the truth came out because video existed, said L. Chris Stewart, an attorney for Hollins. After this incident, he said, Gwinnett County prosecutors had to throw out dozens of cases because they could not rely on the reports filed by these officers.

The people of Gwinnett County suffered because of these officers, Stewart said.

Hollins was driving a red Acura Integra with no license plate and a brake light that did not work, and switched lanes three times without signaling, according to an incident report filed by Bongiovanni. The lawsuit says Hollins obeyed traffic laws, had two functioning brake lights and his vehicle tag was visible through the rear window.

The lawsuit says the original stop was not supported by actual or arguable reasonable suspicion or probable cause to believe he had committed a traffic offense or violated any other law. Even if the traffic stop had been justified, Bongiovanni acted in an objectively unreasonable manner in violation of Hollins' rights, it says.

In nearly 20 years with the department, Bongiovanni had previously reported 67 use-of-force incidents. Only four were investigated and only because of formal citizen complaints, the lawsuit says. He was ultimately exonerated in all four.

Officers must file a report whenever they use physical force against a person, and supervisors are supposed to investigate that use of force to make sure it is justified and complies with department policy. But supervisors in the Gwinnett County police department routinely approved officers' reports and closed the cases without any investigation, the lawsuit says.

Almost all of Bongiovanni's prior use-of-force reports lacked sufficient information to determine whether they were justified, the lawsuit says. Additionally, Bongiovanni and McDonald had a history of using excessive force when responding to calls together, the lawsuit says.

Bongiovanni pleaded no contest in June 2019 to aggravated assault and battery and was sentenced to six months in a work-release program and 10 years probation. A jury in February 2020 found McDonald guilty of aggravated assault, battery and violating his oath of office, and he was sentenced to 10 years probation.

The lawsuit, which was filed Sept. 10, asks for a jury trial and seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorneys' fees and legal expenses.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A state education official said Wednesday that a Kansas middle school student has died of COVID-19.

The childs death would be the first reported COVID-19 death of someone aged 10 to 17 in Kansas and only the third reported for someone under 18.

Education Commissioner Randy Watson disclosed the death during a Zoom meeting of a task force on COVID-19 safety measures in public schools appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly.

On an extremely sad note, I was just informed ... that we did have a student, a middle school student, pass away of COVID just in the last maybe day, Watson told the group. He provided no further details.

Matt Lara, a spokesman for the state health department, said the report is being investigated and health officials have sought medical records from facilities that cared for the child. No other information will be released immediately to protect the identity of the child and the family, he said.

Meanwhile, the health department reported 11 new COVID-19 clusters at schools. The department's data showed 72 active school outbreaks across Kansas, with 537 cases and one hospitalization, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

The heath department's presentation to the governors workgroup noted the drastic increase in outbreaks this week (is) likely due in part to improved reporting.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The latest surge of COVID-19 infections due to the highly contagious delta variant has not yet peaked in Wisconsin, state health officials said Wednesday.

The seven-day average of new cases as of Tuesday was 2,857, nearly double what it was two weeks ago and at a level not seen since early January before the vaccine was widely available.

We are not at a plateau yet, we are not at a leveling off, said Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake at a news conference. We are still seeing a concerning rate of growth.

Dr. Ryan Westergaard, the states chief medical officer and state epidemiologist for communicable diseases, said the current surge is about half as bad as the worst surge in November. But he said there's no indication yet that it is leveling off.

We have not seen a turning of the corner, Westergaard said.

The 1,085 people hospitalized as of Tuesday was down slightly from the previous three days. The seven-day average of daily deaths from COVID-19 was 11 as of Tuesday, down from the average daily high of 15 on Sept. 14 during the current surge.

Timberlake attributed the surge in cases and hospitalizations to the delta variant. Only 5% of intensive care beds and 5% of medical/surgical beds statewide are available, she said.

As of Wednesday, just over 56% of the population was fully vaccinated and nearly 64% of adults over age 18 were vaccinated.

Also on Wednesday, Fort McCoy announced that 97% of Afghan refugees being temporarily housed at the military base in western Wisconsin had been vaccinated for COVID-19 as well as measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

The U.S. on Sept. 10 halted U.S.-bound flights of Afghan evacuees after discovering a few cases of measles among new arrivals in the United States, including at Fort McCoy.

The Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy, where roughly 12,700 evacuees were staying as of Wednesday, are being resettled across the country. The immigration process includes completing the required vaccinations.

More than 200 resettlement partners nationwide are working with local communities to find homes for the refugees, said Skye Justice, team lead for the Department of State for the Fort McCoy operation.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  An Oklahoma district judge has ruled a suburban Oklahoma City police officer will face trial for the fatal shooting of a man who refused to drop a baseball bat as he approached the officer.

The Village officer Chance Avery is charged with second-degree murder, or in the alternative, first-degree manslaughter in the July 2020 shooting death of Christopher Pool.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A man was shot to death early Wednesday on a Kansas City street, police there said.

The shooting was reported around 12:45 p.m. Wednesday in a residential area several blocks west of the Kansas City Zoo, according to a news release issued by police.

Arriving officers found a man in the front yard of a home who had been shot. The man was rushed to a hospital, where he died of his injuries.

Police did not immediately release the mans name.
RED LAKE, Minn. (AP)  The Red Lake Nation in northern Minnesota is requiring all people who come to the reservation for work or other business purposes to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or show weekly test results.

The Red Lake Tribal Council said the mandate does not apply to pregnant women, people with documented medical conditions, children under 12 and those with certain religious beliefs and practices, according to a resolution that passed on a 9-0 vote.
ISTANBUL (AP)  A Turkish warship issued a warning to a Greek research vessel to prevent it entering what Turkey considers its territorial waters, Turkeys Defense Ministry said Wednesday. The showdown came a year after tensions in the eastern Mediterranean threatened to escalate into open conflict between the neighbors and NATO allies.

The Nautical Geo survey ship was confronted by the Orucreis frigate as it attempted to enter Turkeys continental shelf, the ministry said. The ship in question was radioed and warned not to enter the Turkish continental shelf. There was no physical intervention.

It condemned Greeces unlawful, provocative and expansionist initiative under the guise of scientific research and said Turkey was determined to protect and defend its rights and interests.

The ministry didnt say when the incident occurred, but maritime tracking services showed the Maltese-flagged Nautical Geo docked Wednesday at Heraklion port on the Greek island of Crete.

Greece and Turkey have been competing over the exploration of gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean amid a lengthy dispute over their respective territorial waters. Turkey also considers itself the guardian of breakaway northern Cypruss energy rights in the region.

In the summer of 2020, Greek and Turkish warships shadowed each other across the eastern Mediterranean as Turkey sent research ships backed by its navy to search for hydrocarbon reserves.

Although there was no direct conflict, the danger was illustrated when a Greek frigate collided with a Turkish warship in August. The standoff also drew in France, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union in defending Greeces rights in the face of what they declared to be Turkish provocations.

The confrontation led Athens to bolster its naval and air forces with new defense equipment, including 24 French Rafale jets.

Last week, Athens issued a Navtex warning that the Nautical Geo would be operating off the eastern coast of Crete, which Turkey considers its waters and is covered by a 2019 maritime deal between Turkey and Libya. The Navtex expired on Wednesday.

Senior Greek and Turkish officials have met twice this year to discuss their maritime disputes, the first talks on the long-standing issue since 2016.
OPELIKA, Ala. (AP)  A judge has scheduled sentencing for a former Alabama prosecutor who pleaded guilty to felony charges earlier this year.

Judge Pamela Baschab set a hearing on Oct. 5 for former Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes, who pleaded guilty in June to perjury and using his office for person gain, WTVM-TV reported.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP)  Two people were fatally shot in a home invasion early Wednesday, a North Carolina sheriffs office said.

The Cumberland County Sheriffs Office said deputies responding to a report of a home invasion and shooting at a Fayetteville home around 5 a.m. found two people who had been shot to death, news outlets report
ST. FRANCISVILLE, La. (AP)  An elderly couple in south Louisiana is dead after a suspected murder-suicide, authorities said.

West Feliciana Sheriff's Office investigators responded to a 911 call Tuesday about a domestic disturbance at a home in St. Francisville. Once they arrived, they found Peggy Rayborn, 70, and her estranged husband, Marshall Rayburn, 63, dead. A neighbor also had a gunshot wound, The Advocate reported.

Deputies believe Marshall Rayburn showed up at Peggy Rayburns home uninvited and began to argue with her. Their neighbor, Lanie Cathey, 37, heard the fighting and attempted to intervene when Marshall pulled a pistol, shot both women, and then himself, the sheriff's office said.

Peggy Rayburn died at the scene.

Cathey, who called 911 and was able to provide an account of what happened, was struck in the shoulder and is expected to recover.

The case is still under investigation.
SOLDOTNA, Alaska (AP)  Soldotna Montessori Charter School has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for2021.

It was one of 325 schools to earn this award nationally, and the only in Alaska, the Peninsula Clarion reported.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP)  Some of the people living in an Athens homeless camp known as Cooterville say they're skeptical of a new, government-sanctioned homeless camp planned for the community.

The Cooterville encampment under CSX railroad tracks is set to be cleared by Nov. 12, with city leaders trying to time the ejections with the opening of the new camp where homeless will be allowed to stay legally.

City officials are looking for an organization to head the government-sanctioned encampment, which will determine what it eventually looks like, The Athens Banner-Herald reported.

The Athens-Clarke County Commission this summer selected a site for it at the North Athens School.

There has been opposition to plans for the new homeless camp, with some people concerned that it will attract more homeless people to Athens. But supporters say the new camp will come with services aimed at helping homeless people make the transition to permanent housing.

In the Cooterville camp, some have expressed feeling left in the dark about the process are are unsure whether they will be secured a spot in the new camp, the Banner-Herald reported.

Oscar Sutton, who has lived in Cooterville for a couple of months, said he has no plans to move to the government-sanctioned encampment. He's worried about placing so many random people from the homeless community together, he told the Athens newspaper.

Its going to be chaos, he said. Im not going to do it. If I have to stay out here Ill just find somewhere to stay, but Im not going to do it.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lankan police are investigating an incident in which the government prisons minister allegedly threatened to kill two ethnic minority detainees inside a prison, an official said Wednesday.

Lohan Ratwatte, state minister of Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation, resigned last week following a public outcry after he was accused of threatening to kill two Tamil prisoners. He was also accused of forcibly entering another prison with his friends to show them the gallows.

Government spokesman Dullas Alahapperuma said a police investigation is underway.

He said Cabinet ministers also discussed the allegations at their weekly meeting on Tuesday and Justice Minister Ali Sabri sought approval to launch a separate investigation headed by a retired judge.

Tamil minority lawmaker Gajen Ponnambalam said Ratwatte summoned the Tamil prisoners in the prison in Anuradhapura, about 200 kilometers (125 miles ) north of Colombo. He got two of them to kneel in front of him and pointed his personal firearm at them and threatened to kill them on the spot, Ponnambalam tweeted.

Ratwatte is a member of the Sinhalese ethnic majority. Tamil lawmakers asked the government to arrest him.

The London-based human rights group Amnesty International also called for an inquiry, saying the minister must be held to account for his actions.

Separately, local newspapers reported that a government minister had forcibly entered Welikada prison in Colombo with his friends to show them the gallows.

The newspapers did not identify the minister, but the presidents office said Ratwatte acknowledged responsibility for the incidents at both prisons and tendered his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

There was no immediate comment from Ratwatte on the announced investigation.

Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested, with more than 32,000 inmates crowded into facilities with a capacity of 11,000.

A dozen inmates were killed and 100 others injured last November during a riot by inmates at a prison on the outskirt of Colombo.

Tamil rebels fought to create a separate state during a 26-year civil war but were defeated by government troops in 2009.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas' highest criminal court on Wednesday overturned a death row inmate's capital murder conviction because one of the prosecutors in his 2003 trial was moonlighting as a clerk for the judge in the case.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the arrangement between Midland County State District Judge John Hyde and then-prosecutor Weldon Petty clearly violated Clinton Young's right to a fair trial. Young was convicted and sentenced to death in the shooting of a man during a 2001 drug-related crime rampage across Texas.

Hyde died in 2012, but Midland County prosecutors in 2019 discovered the paid arrangement between the judge and Petty, who had also been working on the side for other district judges for years.

The appeals court noted that as a prosecutor, Petty would oppose defense motions while also drafting recommendations of denial for judges to sign. As part of the legal team prosecuting Young, Petty drafted the legal motions submitted during the trial and sometimes participated in oral arguments.

Petty's side agreement with Hyde was to perform legal work as a judicial clerk outside of his official duties. It paid him more $9,000 over the time spanning Young's initial indictment, trial and post-conviction appeals, which Petty handled both as prosecutor and as clerk for the judge, the appeals court noted.

Judicial and prosecutorial misconduct, in the form of an undisclosed employment relationship between the trial judge and the prosecutor appearing before him, tainted (Young's) entire proceeding from the outset, the court wrote. As a result, little confidence can be placed in the fairness of the proceedings or the outcome of (Young's) trial."

The appeals court ordered Young to be removed from death row and sent back to Midland County jail under his original indictment.

District Attorney Laura Nodolf, who was elected in 2016 and who later discovered the paid agreement between the prosecutor and judge, said her office has been recused from Young's case going forward and any decision whether to retry him.

If Mr. Young is retried, it needs to be the cleanest slate possible, Nodolf said. "The most ethical thing would be for us to take a step back and let another office take a look at the case."

Petty, who worked as a full-time prosecutor in Midland County from 2002 to 2019, is retired. During an evidentiary hearing, he refused to testify about his paid work for the judge, citing a constitutional privilege against self-incrimination, the appeals court noted.
The Latest on the UN General Assembly:

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UNITED NATIONS  With Kenya poised to assume the presidency of the United Nations Security Council next month, the countrys president outlined his priorities.

Uhuru Kenyatta said Wednesday in a pre-recorded speech at the U.N. General Assembly that he believes multilateral systems need to be fair, inclusive and effective.

He plans to chair several signature events while Kenya has the presidency. Those subjects include making diversity a core aim in statebuilding, examining the impact of small illicit arms and light weapons on global peacekeeping ops and better supporting female peacekeepers and peacebuilders.

Kenyatta also declared Kenya ready to be a leading green industry economy. He said a fast-growing Africa could offer the entire world the benefit of its demographic dividend of youth and investment opportunities. He also touted Kenyas involvement in ocean conferences and spoke of the associated blue economy.

On security issues, he said that states were ill equipped to deal with fragility that leads to crises and terrorism. He said it was important to increase the competence of states to manage social and political diversity.

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UNITED NATIONS  Jordans monarch recalled the 11-day Gaza War of this past summer in his speech before the United Nations, saying Tuesday the latest round of conflict was a reminder that the status quo is unsustainable.

The war in May was the fourth in Gaza since the Hamas Islamic militant group seized power in 2007, triggering a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade on the Palestinian territory.

More than 250 people were killed in Gaza, most of them civilians, including dozens of children and women, according to the U.N. There were 13 deaths in Israel. More than 4,000 homes in Gaza were destroyed or severely damaged.

But how many more homes will be lost? How many more children will die before the world wakes up? said King Abdullah, who delivered his pre-recorded remarks remotely to the U.N. General Assembly, though some 100 heads of state and government are attending in person amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Genuine security for either side  indeed, for the whole world  can only be achieved through the two-state solution.

He reiterated that such a solution must result in an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side-by-side with Israel in peace.

King Abdullah called for the continued support of UNRWA, the U.N. agency that assists millions of Palestinian refugees, among them the majority of Gazas 2 million residents.

The Jordanian king is a close U.S. ally and his nation has custodianship over the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. The area was the scene of violent confrontations between Israeli security forces and Palestinian worshippers during the last days of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in May.

Since 2008, more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflicts, according to the U.N. While many were fighters for Hamas or other militant groups, more than half were civilians. On the Israeli side, the death toll from the four wars stands at 106, officials say.

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UNITED NATIONS  The chair of Bosnia and Herzegovinas presidency called upon the United Nations to uphold its commitment to human rights, citing ethnic inequality within his own country.

Zeljko Komsic is the Croat member of the western Balkan countrys presidency, which is shared between the countrys Croats, Bozniak Muslims and Serbs.

Komsic on Wednesday hailed bilateral and regional cooperation during the pandemic, saying neighbors provided aid before multilateral institutions did. But later in his speech, he spoke of neighbors intentions to annex parts of his country by fomenting ethnic tensions within.

Bosnia was the site of a bloody civil war in the 1990s that ended with the Dayton Peace Agreement. Komsic says the international agreement created complex institutions that make it difficult for the country to come to a political consensus that would allow it to move toward a functioning state.

He lambasted conditions that have created political, electoral and social inequality within his own country on ethnic and religious lines. In an address to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Croatias president also called for electoral reform in Bosnia, saying its Croats were marginalized.

Komsic bemoaned population outflows, saying a substantial segment of the population, including those of working age and with young families, have left Bosnia for better business and human rights opportunities. At the same time, Bosnia has received economic migrants from elsewhere. He says this combination has created additional social problems.

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UNITED NATIONS  After two decades in Afghanistan, the United States should do more to help the countrys refugees, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks aired Wednesday.

Turkey hosts the worlds largest refugee population  some 4 million, mostly Syrians  and has warned that it cannot accept any more arrivals from Afghanistan.

Right now, the U.S. is failing to meet its obligations. We have more than 300,000 Afghan refugees and we will no longer be able to afford to welcome any more Afghan refugees in Turkey, Erdogan said in a preview of a CBS interview due to be broadcast Sunday.

Of course, the U.S. should do a lot and should invest a lot because the U.S. has been there for the last 20 years but why, why? First, these questions should be answered by the U.S.

Afghan refugees have been fleeing their country since last month, when the Taliban swept back into power as U.S. forces prepared to withdraw from the country at the end of August.

A day earlier, Erdogan used his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York to warn of a potential wave of refugees sparked by climate change. Turkey is experiencing growing discontent at the levels of migration since the start of the Syrian conflict a decade ago.

The government is in the process of bolstering security on its eastern border with Iran, including a wall, amid fears that the Talibans rule could drive refugees, many trying to reach Europe, to Turkeys frontier.
LONDON (AP)  Environmental activists who have repeatedly blocked Britains busiest highway face possible imprisonment after a judge granted an injunction against the protesters, Britains transport secretary said Wednesday.

Members of campaign group Insulate Britain have shut down parts of London's M25 highway, which circles the British capital, five times in just over a week by sitting on the ground, painting the name of their group on the road and raising placards in front of traffic. Some have also targeted other highways.

Police have arrested dozens of the protesters, who demand the government improve home insulation to reduce emissions from heating and powering homes.

Invading a motorway is reckless & puts lives at risk, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote on Twitter. I asked National Highways to seek an injunction against M25 protestors which a judge granted last night.

The injunction means that activists will face contempt of court with possible imprisonment if they continue blocking roads.

Insulate Britain spokeswoman Zoe Cohen said protesters understand that the risks they are taking are because that we have tried everything else to make the government protect us from the predicted impacts of climate chaos.

That involves the loss of all that we cherish, our society, our way of life and law and order, she told BBC radio.

Cohen said her group wants the government to update insulation in social housing by 2025 and all homes by 2030, because this is the most effective way to reduce emissions and save lives from fuel poverty.

The group said it will end its campaign as soon as it hears a meaningful commitment by the government to its demands.

The High Court order, which officially came into force on Wednesday, prohibits anyone from blocking, endangering, slowing down, preventing, or obstructing the free flow of traffic onto or along or off the M25 for the purposes of protesting.

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Follow all AP stories about climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  A coalition including worker unions and a disability rights group filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen over a law passed earlier this year that eliminates same day voter registration

The lawsuit was filed by the Montana Federation of Public Employees, the Montana AFL-CIO, the Montana Association of Centers for Independent Living, and several citizens.

Montana Federal of Public Employees president Amanda Curtis called the law a slap in the face to the tens of thousands of Montana residents who use same-day voter registration and to the majority of Montanans who voted to maintain election-day registration when the question was on the ballot in 2014.

People who work for a living do not always have the privilege to register to vote or address their issues with their registration during the regular business hours, said Montana AFL-CIO Executive Secretary James Holbrook. County election offices are open later on Election Day.

Montana Independent Living Project advocacy coordinator Joel Peden said same-day registration eases the experience of people living with disabilities by saving the need for two trips to election offices.

To be able to eliminate one extra trip in our lives can make a huge difference, he said.

Republicans who supported the measure have said the law would help election officials conduct elections more efficiently while reducing long lines and voter frustration on election day.

Secretary of State spokesman Richie Melby called the lawsuit completely baseless.

This is the fourth lawsuit challenging the same law passed earlier this year by the Republican-dominated Legislature.

Youth advocacy groups, Native American voting rights groups and the Montana Democratic Party have all already challenged the law. The plaintiffs in the most recent lawsuit said Thursday that this was the first filing to focus on how the law affects working Montanans and those living with disabilities.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Las Vegas police say an officer fatally shot a man when the man pointed a gun toward officers after firing it indiscriminately multiple times.

Police said nobody was injured during the incident Tuesday though officers and other people in the area were endangered by the man's gunfire before he was shot.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  The Vermont National Guard is exploring ways to increase the state's cooperation with North Macedonia, the European country that is a new member of NATO.

On Tuesday North Macedonia Defense Minister Radmila Shekerinska and Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight, the head of the Vermont National Guard, visited the Statehouse in Montpelier as part of the effort to discuss increased civic and economic cooperation.
WAYNESBORO, Va. (AP)  Investigators in western Virginia announced Tuesday that they now believe that a missing 3-year-old girl is dead.

The Augusta County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that an investigation has revealed that Khaleesi Cuthriell, who had been unaccounted for since February, died while in the care of Candi Royer and Travis Brown at a Waynesboro home that was searched on Monday.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  The Supreme Court of Virginia has rejected a legal challenge to a state law that changes how prison inmates are counted for purposes of redistricting.

The challenge came from individuals, including southwest Virginia state Sen. Travis Hackworth, who argued that inmates should be counted as residents of the prisons where they are housed.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia's coronavirus vaccination figures were adjusted sharply lower Wednesday after a problem was identified with data from a federal contractor whose numbers had been double counted.

After the error was discovered, the states health data was changed to show that 63.7% of people over age 12 have received at least one dose of the vaccine instead of the 74.3% previously reported. The states dashboard continued to list the percentage of those 12 and older who are fully vaccinated at 60.1%.

Retired National Guard Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, who leads the states coronavirus task force, said at a news conference that the state discovered a problem with contractor data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hoyer said the numbers were related to a federal pharmacy program.

Since the first part of May, theyve been double counting the numbers sent to us, Hoyer said. It has made a significant impact on the numbers.

CDC spokesman Scott Pauley said in an email that the agency is working with the state to address the problem.

Occasionally, issues related to processing or transmission of data will occur, Pauley said. When issues arise, CDC works closely with states, territories, and federal entities to resolve the issue.

Gov. Jim Justice said the bottom line is the state needs to find even more people now who haven't received their first dose of the vaccine.

The people that we've got to get to are the people that really and truly are just too busy to get their shots, or they're not informed really well or they're not really against it, Justice said. We can get those. And if we get those, we can really make a dent in trying to stop this thing.

That might make the mission more challenging for the nonprofit Community Education Group, which was given a $3.5 million federal grant last month to boost COVID-19 testing and vaccine efforts in West Virginia, as well as address HIV and substance abuse prevention.

The group is based in the Hardy County community of Lost City. The one-year pilot project aims to reach deep within individual communities and residential settings to reduce disparities in vaccination coverage in rural, at-risk and underserved areas. Executive director A. Toni Young said the group will hire and train health-care and community workers to distribute COVID-19 and other vaccines.

As winter approaches, the group will be pushing residents to get vaccinated both for the flu and for COVID-19, Young said.

This has got to be a door-to-door, person-to-person campaign, Young said Wednesday. "And I think we have our partners ready to do that. We have got to get people protected, particularly the most vulnerable in the state.

Help couldn't come fast enough.

The number of people currently hospitalized for the virus hit a record 1,000 Wednesday and there have been at least 383 deaths this month, more than June, July and August combined, according to health data.

But there are some signs the latest surge is slowing down. The number of active cases have been cut nearly in half over the past four days from a record 29,744 last Thursday.

According to the CDC, the seven-day average of virus cases in West Virginia is the second highest in the nation at 710 per 100,000 population.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  The corruption trial of former South African President Jacob Zuma was postponed until Oct. 26 while the judge considers a plea from Zuma's lawyer that the prosecution team be dismissed from the case for being biased.

Zuma wasn't present for the two-day hearing that ended Wednesday after he was released from an unrelated jail sentence this month on medical parole. He has been receiving treatment in a hospital for an undisclosed illness, according to his foundation.

Zuma's lawyer, Dali Mpofu, asked Judge Piet Koen to throw chief prosecutor Billy Downer and his team off the case, claiming they have a politically-motivated grudge against Zuma. Prosecutors deny that and say there is no evidence of it.

Mpofu also asked the judge to acquit Zuma of all charges against him after the prosecution team is dismissed. Koen said he needed time to consider the plea.

The 79-year-old Zuma, who was president of South Africa from 2009-18, faces charges of corruption, racketeering, money laundering, tax evasion and fraud relating to a multibillion-dollar arms deal the South African government signed with French company Thales in 1999.

Zuma is accused of taking bribes and accepting favors to protect the deal from scrutiny. The charges relate to the time before Zuma was president but when he was a politician on the rise, and include the time he served as deputy president of South Africa from 1999-2005. Zuma and Thales, which is also charged in the case, deny wrongdoing.

Zuma was jailed in July in an unrelated matter after refusing to testify at a commission of inquiry into allegations of widespread corruption in government and at state-owned companies while he was president. He served two months of a 15-month jail sentence for contempt of court before being released on medical parole.

His parole is also under scrutiny amid claims it didn't follow procedure.
A fourth member of a far-right, anti-government militia group pleaded guilty Monday, joining three others who admitted to conspiring to obstruct justice by destroying records connected to the investigation of the murder of one federal officer and the attempted murder of another officer at the Oakland federal building May 29, 2020.

With his guilty plea, Kenny Miksch, 21, of San Lorenzo, joins his three fellow members of the Grizzly Scouts militia group: Jessie Rush, 29, of Turlock; Robert Blancas, 33, a transient resident of the Bay Area; and Simon Ybarra, 23, of Los Gatos.

Prosecutors say the group is connected to the "boogaloo" movement, a term used by some militia extremists to describe a loose-knit movement advocating for an impending politically-motivated civil war or uprising against the government.

In their plea agreements filed with the court, each man admitted that in April 2020 they joined an armed, anti-government militia group named the "1st Detachment, 1st California Grizzly Scouts."

Each acknowledged in their plea agreements that they learned a Grizzly Scouts member was allegedly involved in the May 29, 2020, murder of a federal security officer and the attempted murder of another officer in Oakland. Each defendant also admitted that this same scouts member claimed to be involved in an attack and shootout with Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies in Ben Lomond on June 6, 2020.

Each of the defendants admitted to conspiring with other group members to destroy the records of their interactions and communications on WhatsApp and details of the group in documents on Dropbox -- including a non-disclosure agreement requiring members to maintain confidentiality -- because they foresaw authorities would investigate and prosecute that Grizzly Scouts member.

Blancas pleaded guilty to the conspiracy on Aug. 23, as well as to a separate charge of enticing a minor to send him pornographic images of herself.

Rush and Ybarra pleaded guilty on Sept. 13 and Miksch entered his guilty plea Monday.

All four face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for conspiracy to destroy records in an official proceeding, according to prosecutors. Blancas also faces an additional penalty of a minimum of 10 years imprisonment to a maximum of life in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine for the child pornography charge.

The cases are being prosecuted by Eric Cheng and Frank Riebli from the Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, with assistance from the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. The prosecutions are the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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.
By Eli Walsh

Bay City News Foundation

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced a statewide initiative Tuesday to ensure that all students learn to read by third grade by 2026.

Thurmond said he plans to form a task force comprised of education and literacy experts, researchers and advocates as well as students and parents to determine strategies that will help students learn to read.

Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, will also introduce legislation next year that will support the literacy initiative, Thurmond, Bonta and other state officials and education experts said Tuesday during a virtual briefing.

"We already know that when students learn to read, they can read to learn anything, that this is a gateway skill that can carry them to any point in their life, in their career and in their journey," he said.

Thurmond argued that students who learn to read by third grade are less likely to drop out of school and less likely to enter the criminal justice system.

Improving literacy is also a matter of equity, he said, noting that while roughly half of the state's students read at their grade level, that figure can drop into the 30s and lower among Black, Latino and Native American students and students whose families struggle with poverty.

"We know that our students can learn, and they can overcome obstacles, but we have to give them the resources to do that," Thurmond said.

Students, parents and others who are interested in participating in the literacy effort are encouraged to contact statewideliteracycampaign@cde.ca.gov.

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)  The proficiency of New Mexico's elementary students in math and reading has dropped significantly amid the pandemic, with only 31% achieving it, according to a review of preliminary academic data made public Wednesday.

The drop in math and reading proficiency from 37% in the 2018-2019 school year, before the pandemic began, has prompted legislators to suggest that elementary students should spend longer hours in class or face a longer school year.

The report by legislative analysts presented to the powerful Legislative Finance Committee estimated that students lost between 10 and 60 days of learning time because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even before the pandemic, New Mexico students spent fewer school days than their counterparts in many other states. Some rural New Mexico schools have four-day school weeks.

Amid the pandemic, the state's students faced school closures, were absent more frequently, and many had limited access to online learning.

Nonpartisan legislative policy researchers said in the report that about half of the state's school districts rejected funding for extra school days because of criticism from parents and staff.

The extra school funding has been part of a yearslong effort by the Legislature to increase learning time for students while allowing communities the local control to accept or reject additional time in school for students.

Some legislators said after the report was released that the state should consider mandating between 10 and 25 additional days to the school year. New Mexico students must be in school 180 days annually. But some schools get waivers allowing their students to spend as few 150 days if those days are proportionally longer.

Maybe we need to do more mandates, take education more serious and have a sense of urgency, said Sen. Bill Tallman, a Democrat from Albuquerque.

Others criticized longer school years for children, calling for more research and days off from school for Indigenous holidays important in many school districts.

Assimilation in Indian country  that has been the purpose of (education) and adding on 25 days the calendar takes those kids out of my community 25 more days, said Jeremy Oyenque, director of Youth and Learning at Santa Clara Pueblo, an Indigenous tribe north of Santa Fe.

Oyenque told committee members on Tuesday that extended learning days often ignored tribal religious holidays  forcing students to choose between their culture and being marked as absent.

Mandating an increase in school days would most dramatically impact a small number of rural school districts that have four-day school weeks. They are allowed to cram more school hours into longer days to give students the shorter school week.

Up in my district, there are quite a lot of schools that go four days. And I think they spend less time putting up their pencils and more time studying, said Rep. Jack Chatfield, a Republican from the northeastern community of Mosquero. I would really encourage us to do a little bit of research as to how those schools with a four-day school (week) compare in their testing.

The legislative report suggests the drop in learning proficiency from 39% to 31% could be even worse than the preliminary data suggests because student testing was optional and likely drew students who had better access to school during the pandemic.

Also, some students who took the tests at home received help from parents and scored higher than they should have, the report said.

The testing is required by the federal government, but the New Mexico Public Education Department received a testing waiver because of the pandemic. Normally, 95% of the state's students must be tested, but the waiver allowed as little as 1% to be tested.

The testing cited in the report included around 80% of elementary students in grades that were tested, researchers said. White students were significantly overrepresented in the testing by around 2.5%.

Groups that had less access to remote learning during the pandemic  Native American students, students with disabilities, and low-income students  were underrepresented in the testing by between around 2.5% and around 9%.

___

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.
A now-viral video of San Francisco Mayor London Breed violating the citys indoor mask mandate during an outing to the Tenderloin jazz club the Black Cat has captured the attention of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, which featured the clip  as well as Breeds response to the media  in a segment about the ongoing pandemic Tuesday night.

Noah began by sharing recent data compiled from Johns Hopkins University, which revealed that deaths caused by the coronavirus have reportedly surpassed those resulting from the 1918 Spanish flu, killing more Americans than any other pandemic.

The host then juxtaposed this information by addressing how California now has one of the lowest COVID-19 rates in the U.S., lauding San Francisco in particular, though it seems the producer responsible for the accompanying graphic was not too familiar with the states geography.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

After making a joke about how city officials apparently fill all the empty syringes on the ground with Pfizer, and then they just wait for people to step on them," Noah announced that Breed is celebrating [San Franciscos] success by ending the citys masking rules The only catch is shes only ending them for herself.

Footage from a CNN news clip plays, featuring the video of Breed singing and dancing without a mask on as she watches the Oakland-based R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone! perform at the venue and eatery on Eddy Street. The incident was originally captured by San Francisco Chronicle editor Mariecar Mendoza. (SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another.)

In response to widespread backlash for the video, Breed defended her actions to reporters, stating that the citys current mandate, which requires that all individuals remove masks indoors only while actively eating or drinking, regardless of their vaccination status, is not realistic.

Noah took a moment to question the double standard.

People, can we agree that this kind of hypocrisy is bulls, right? he said. This doesnt help the conversation in America at all. It doesnt help any of the conversations around COVID. Right? Leaders cant make rules that everyone has to follow, and then give us attitude when they get caught breaking their own rules. Because the only way the mayors actions made any sense is if COVID was also really into Tony! Toni! Tone! and agreed to take the night off."

While defending herself, Breed said, Its sad that this is even a story" and added that she was not going to put her mask on between sips of her drink or bites of food, nor would she wear one while taking a picture indoors because she is vaccinated  which is still considered to be in defiance of the order.

Make sure you are vaccinated because of the requirements, but don't feel as though you have to be micro-managed about mask wearing," she said. "We don't need the fun police to come in and tell us what we should or shouldn't be doing. We know what we need to do to protect ourselves."

SFGATE reached out to the San Francisco Department of Public Health for comment, which did not confirm whether any changes would be made to the mask mandate at this time.

"Our intent is to encourage people to do their best understanding that every circumstance is unique," the department said in a statement. "We are focused first on providing information on how people can best protect themselves and others and are continuing to work with patrons and businesses to comply with the guidelines. We will make adjustments as needed based on science and data, and maintain a regional approach on COVID-19 mitigation strategies, when possible."

SFGATE also asked the mayors office several times whether Breed will ask city officials to soften the mandate, but did not receive a response.

Watch the full segment below:

SFGATE California Issues editor Eric Ting contributed to this report.
Recent accommodations news includes some hotels creating their own vaccine mandates; the hotel at Sonomas utopian subdivision, Sea Ranch, reopening after a splashy, pricey, design-y renovation; and for the camping crowd, visiting national parks  including Californias most popular park, Yosemite  means navigating a patchwork of reservation and lottery systems that changes seasonally to prevent overtourism.

Hawaii, an archipelago with the ability to isolate itself for the protection of its population, has been at the cutting edge of COVID-related travel restrictions throughout the pandemic. Now, several Oahu hotels are requiring all guests to be vaccinated. The move by this island-based hotel chain, Highgate Hotels, which includes the Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach and the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel, sets the state apart. It might also be a test case for a new pandemic-era tourism trend.

Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag

Since vaccines became widely available in the United States this spring, Ive seen a number of social media posts requesting recommendations for resorts  especially all-inclusives in beachy places  where guests and staff must be vaccinated. There are, it seems, clearly some people who would like to take a stress-less vacation and would prefer to visit places with more stringent COVID measures in place.

Daria Dimitroff, travel advisor and founder of Journeys of a Lifetime in Oakland, says that the reaction to vaccine requirements among her clients has been overwhelmingly positive, and they feel more safe traveling where vaccines are required. While Dimitroff hasnt had would-be travelers specifically request hotels with vaccine requirements, she said, she would not be surprised to get this request if the trend continues.

Sonomas famed Sea Ranch Lodge is (finally, partially) reopening

Near the tiny town of Gualala, 100 miles north of San Francisco, Sea Ranch is an unusual place. Spread out along 10 miles of rocky, windbeaten Pacific Coast, it was envisioned in 1963 as a nature-centric 7,000-acre, 2,200-home planned community  a commune for the elite. Its architecture reflects the vision of its master planner, landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, who designed everything from San Franciscos Stern Grove and Levis Plaza to the entrance to Yosemite National Park and Washington, D.C.s, Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial. (Halprins two-bedroom, two-bath Sea Ranch home is now on the market for $8 million.)

Courtesy of The Lodge at Sea Ranch

The communitys only hotel, Sea Ranch Lodge, is reopening Oct. 1 after a major multimillion-dollar renovation that began in 2019. Within the lodge, the focal point of the rural enclave, theres a general store, post office, cafe, bar, restaurant and solarium. The next phase of the hotels reopening, which will include the hotels 17 guest rooms, is planned for spring 2023. In the meantime, vacation rentals at Sea Ranch start at $295 a night.

Yosemite is dropping its reservation system in time for fall

It has been an odd couple of years for the U.S. park system, which has had to contend with crowds of frustrated Americans who might otherwise have traveled to Europe or spent time in charming urban centers but were instead drawn outdoors during the pandemic. With this swell of visitors, some parks have worked to moderate the number of people admitted each day.

Courtesy of Anna Horn

These rules, while necessary at a time of intense overcrowding, are a complex patchwork that vary from park to park, region to region and, like much of pandemic-era travel can feel, overwhelming. One common point of confusion is the distinction between day use and camping reservations. For true nature-lovers, camping in the park might be the preferred way to experience one of Californias most beloved destinations, but one alternative, historically, has been staying outside the park and visiting for the day. The recent addition of day-use restrictions has complicated the picture.

Fortunately, for those who have been waiting their turn to visit, Yosemite is ending the day-use requirement Sept. 30, making it again possible to book a campsite or hotel room outside the park without competing against thousands of other aspiring park-goers.
Animal disease expert Mrinal Dutta told IANS that the outbreak of ASF in limited spheres had been reported earlier this year in most of the Northeastern states, including Assam and Meghalaya besides neighbouring countries Myanmar and Bhutan.

When Mizoram was severely battling with Covid-19 pandemic, the ASF since March this year has killed over 28,000 pigs in all the 11 districts of Mizoram, which shares borders with Tripura, Assam, Manipur besides Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Tripura's Animal Resources Development Department (ARDD) Director K. Sasikumar said some samples of ASF-hit pigs tested positive in the Guwahati based North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. He said that so far 160 pigs have died at the government run Exotic Pig Breeding Farm in Kanchanpur and the ASF not yet spread in the adjoining villages due to the strict surveillance of the department officials and doctors.

"A team of veterinary doctors and experts are now camping in Kanchanpur (bordering Mizoram) and they in collaboration with the local officials and volunteers have so far culled 37 pigs and a maximum surveillance is being done to prevent the spread of the disease in the adjoining sub-divisions," Sasikumar told IANS.

He said that the infectious disease might have spread to northern Tripura's Kanchanpur from adjoining Mizoram. The official said that the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009 has been enforced in Kanchanpur subdivision and all out preventive measures have been undertaken.

"Those people who violate the provisions of the act, he or they would be punished with imprisonment and fine. Transportation and trading of pigs to and from Kanchanpur have been banned," the ARDD Director said.

In Mizoram, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary (AH & Vety) Department spokesman Hmingtea said that after the outbreak of the ASF in Mizoram in March this year so far over 28,000 pigs have died in all the 11 districts and over 11,000 pigs were culled.

The outbreak of the ASF has caused a financial loss to the tune of over Rs 230 crore so far, the official told IANS, adding that in a few of the district's the disease is under control and in some districts it is still prevailing.

He said that in mid-March, the first pig death was detected at Lungsen village in south Mizoram's Lunglei district. The villagers had reported that the pigs were imported from adjoining Bangladesh.

When the samples of the dead pigs were sent to the Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, it was confirmed that the pigs died due to ASF.

According to the officials of the AH & Vety, the ASF outbreak has been reported in at least 250 villages in all the 11 districts across the state.

According to experts, the outbreak may have been caused by pigs or pork imported from neighbouring Myanmar, Bangladesh and the adjoining state of Meghalaya.

The Northeast region's annual pork business is worth around Rs 8,000-10,000 crore, with Assam being the largest supplier. Pork is one of the most common and popular meats consumed by the tribals and non-tribals in the region.

According to some experts, humans don't get infected by ASF, which was first detected in 1921 in Kenya. However, they could be the carriers of the virus.

No vaccine is available for the virus till date.

Outbreaks of various diseases, including ASF and foot-and-mouth disease among animals, mostly livestock, occur in different states of the Northeastern region almost every year.

After the outbreak, the Northeastern states have sounded high alert and asked people, especially owners of piggeries, to refrain from bringing pigs and piglets from other states and neighbouring countries, specially from Myanmar.

The Central government's advisory said that ASF is a highly contagious disease of pigs -- both domestic and wild and the mortality range may be as high as 100 per cent.

"As the disease is already prevalent in China, and India has long borders with China, Myanmar and Nepal, therefore, the bordering Indian states need to remain alert on the movement of live pigs and pork products in to their territory. In this regard, the people in the border areas, especially in the Northeast, require to be adequately sensitized," the advisory said.

The outbreaks of various diseases including ASF, Foot-and-Mouth among the animals, mostly livestock, have occurred in different states of the northeast region almost every year.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)

--IANS

sc/dpb
New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) How is the BJP preparing for the Assembly elections in five states -- Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand? Will the BJP go with a Chief Ministerial face in the Punjab Assembly polls or will the party fight elections in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

With which party is the BJP mainly competing in Punjab and Uttarakhand? What will be the impact of the farmers' protest in the upcoming Assembly elections and in which direction is the Dalit politics in the country heading?

IANS senior political expert Santosh Kumar Pathak had a special conversation with Dushyant Kumar Gautam, who is the BJP National General Secretary as well as the current in-charge of the Punjab and Uttarakhand BJP, on all these issues.

Q: What are the BJP's preparations for the Punjab Assembly elections and on the basis of which issues are you preparing to enter the electoral fray?

A: BJP is a political party but more than that it is a social organisation. We keep working for the complete five years and do not become active only during elections. Keeping Punjab connected with the country, taking care that unrest does not spread there and at the same time building a strong Punjab is the top priority for us, the question of political dividends comes after this. Our first priority are the people of Punjab.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, when all parties were sitting at home, the BJP was working round the clock to help the people. We delivered food, medicines, arranged oximeters, oxygen etc to the people and helped them to reach hospitals. The Congress failed to punish the 1984 anti-Sikh rioters even after ruling in the state and at the Centre. The people involved in the 1984 Sikh riots were punished only because of the Modi government at the Centre.

The Kartarpur Corridor was constructed by the BJP government. The BJP also took full care of safely airlifting the holy Guru Granth Sahib from Kabul in Afghanistan to India. The future of the youth of Punjab, the respect of women and elders as well as religious faith is safe only because of the BJP.

Q: For the first time in Punjab, the BJP is going to contest elections on its own. Who is the face of the BJP for the Punjab Assembly polls? Will you go with a Chief Ministerial face or will you fight the polls going with the face of Prime Minister Modi?

A: The credibility of the BJP is its face. The general public has so much faith in Modi ji, we will go among the people with that confidence and at the same time I will also say that the BJP Parliamentary Board has the right to decide about the party's face and whatever be its decision, we will carry it among the public.

Q: But the opposition parties say that the BJP does not have any big political face in Punjab which they can project as a CM candidate.

A: We have many big political faces. Why should we tell them (Opposition parties)? When we have to tell, we will tell the people through the media. In reality, the opposition parties are left with no other issues at all. Tell me which party face do they (opposition parties) have, Kejriwal is someone who keeps telling lies. Is Navjot Singh Sidhu a big face. After putting a Dalit CM in front, Congress is saying that they will contest the elections under the leadership of Sidhu.

Under the leadership of this Sidhu whom the former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh is calling a friend of Pakistan is a threat to India's national security. Will the opposition parties fight the polls with such a face? We have nationalist political leaders and we will fight the polls with nationalist views.

Q: Akali Dal has been the oldest ally of the BJP. For decades, the Akalis and the BJP were considered loyal to each other in Punjab. They (Akalis) parted ways with you (BJP) on the issue of the new Union farm laws. Is there any possibility of an alliance with the Akali Dal again in Punjab?

A: Look, the question is not related to the Akali Dal. The BJP is a nationalist party and any individual or party with nationalist thinking can join us. The Akali Dal left us in haste. The nature of the farmers' protest due to which they left us is constantly changing. The farmers' protest has insulted the Tricolour, sometimes disguising under red flag of the communists, sometimes Khalistani flags are seen, sometimes flags of Bhindranwale are being raised.

So this is not a genuine protest march, it is led by those people who are also associated with anti-national forces. They are working as a political party and now they are talking about contesting elections as well. That is why Akali Dal is now feeling that they had taken a wrong decision by breaking away with the BJP in the name of farmers' protest.

Q: So will the BJP again take the Akali Dal along?

A: We do not have any problems with anybody. All parties who love the country and support the nationalist idea of our national unity are cordially invited to join us.

Q: The Congress says that they have played a big trump card by making a Dalit leader the Punjab Chief Minister. How do you think this will affect the BJP's poll strategy?

A: See, the Congress has made a Dalit leader as the Punjab Chief Minister for four months, but by saying that the party will contest the upcoming state Assembly elections under the leadership of Navjot Singh Sidhu, they have insulted a Dalit CM. This has been the Congress' mindset. It's not the first time they have done this. Even before this, the Congress has cheated the Dalit community by making Dalit leaders such as Sushil Kumar Shinde in Maharashtra and Jagannath Paharia in Rajasthan as the Chief Minister just to win elections.

They (Congress) did not even respect Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram. Bhimrao Ambedkar was defeated by this Congress through propaganda in the first Lok Sabha elections of independent India. Today India has museums named after Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi but they did not allow Babasaheb Ambedkar's museum to be built. It was only set up by the BJP government. We worked to protect and honour Babasaheb's memory and his belongings.

I will tell the Congress that if only Dalits want to be made Chief Ministers, then please appoint them in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where there is still a long term of 2-3 years left. By making a Dalit CM for four months you are only fooling Dalits. The BJP has appointed a Dalit President and has the maximum number of Dalit MPs and MLAs in the Parliament. Congress wants to gain Dalit votes but now the Congress should forget it because Dalits have understood the value of their votes.

Q: There has been an alternate shift between Congress and BJP coming to power in Uttarakhand, how will the BJP break this electoral trend?

A: Look, such trends have now become outdated. The BJP is continuously forming the government by winning elections in many states. The party has set a target to win more than 60 seats during the forthcoming Uttarakhand polls and will enter the electoral fray with the resolve of bringing a BJP government back to power again. You must have seen how the BJP served the people during the Covid-19 pandemic.

People also saw how the Congress tried to defame the Kumbh Mela while the BJP tried to protect religious faith by successfully organizing the Kumbh. The BJP government built roads in the state, created employment-oriented Uttarakhand, provided gas connections to women, built toilets in every house, saved people's lives with the help of the Ayushman Bharat scheme card, so the people of Uttarakhand have made up their mind to vote for Prime Minister Modi and the BJP government in the state.

Q: After Punjab, now the Aam Aadmi Party has announced its political entry in Uttarakhand. They are trying to woo voters with promises like free electricity, employment to youth and employment allowance.

A: Look in Delhi, the AAP gave employment to only 300 people but did not provide unemployment allowance to anybody. The AAP talks about giving free electricity and water, but there is no electricity in Delhi. The AAP talks about water but Delhi has been submerged under their tenure.

THe AAP has incited communal hatred in Delhi. As many as 104 doctors have died in Delhi during the Covid-19 pandemic, but they have announced Rs one crore to only one Muslim doctor. The AAP says that several schools have been set up in Delhi while 15 schools have been recently closed in Delhi. There are no adequate number of hospitals. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the people of Delhi suffered, so Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal sought immediate help from (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah to save Delhi during Covid-19.

Today the Delhi Jal Board is running at a loss of Rs 25,000 crore, it does not have enough money to pay the salaries of its employees and staff. The AAP has looted Delhi and are busy in PR advertisements with the money of Delhi's citizens. Kejriwal is a fraud and the people of Uttarakhand have recognized his real personality.

Q: In Uttarakhand, BJP faces a tough electoral battle from whom -- the Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party?

A: We are not competing with anyone. We just want to serve the people. We have done it before and want to do it in the future as well. Our goal is to develop a strong Uttarakhand.

Q: Congress is in power in Punjab. Your old ally Akali Dal is contesting the elections in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The Aam Aadmi Party is making all efforts to form the government in Punjab. In such a situation which political party is the biggest challenge to the BJP?

A: No party is a challenge for us. You tell why people will vote for Congress, what has it done, you have already witnessed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Liquor mafia and sand mafia have taken over Punjab. There was sacrilege of the holy Guru Granth Sahib. Why will people vote for the Aam Aadmi Party, their party MLAs and MPs are running helter-skelter. Why will the people of Punjab vote for the Akali Dal, the way they have fuelled communal hatred.

That is why there is only one political party in the minds and heart of the people which is the BJP and the election results will prove it.

Q: You have also been the National President of the BJP Scheduled Caste (SC) Morcha. In Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, which are among the five states where elections are going to be held or if we talk about the whole country, where is the Dalit voter heading to? What changes are you witnessing in Dalit politics?

A: The Dalits of the country have been following the ideas of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the BJP is also working towards the mission of not making Dalits 'job seekers' but job creators following Ambedkar's ideas. Our government has done many things for the welfare of Dalits. The honour and respect of Babasaheb Ambedkar has been ensured. Commenting on reservation, we have made it clear that it will continue.

Nowadays people spreading misconceptions are not able to succeed. The Dalit of the country has understood that he/she is safe and respected only under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the BJP.

Q: What difference will the farmers' agitation make in the upcoming Assembly elections?

A: It will not make any difference because the farmers' protest has lost its credibility. This is only a political conspiracy. The farmers' protest has actually deceived the farmers of the country which the latter has understood. The farmer of the country is firmly standing with Modi ji today.

--IANS

stp/khz/bg
But last year he had described the Kashmir situation as a "burning issue" and criticised the abolition of the special status for Kashmir.

"We maintain stand in favour of solving the ongoing problem in Kashmir for 74 years through dialogue between the parties and within the framework of relevant United Nations resolutions," he said on Tuesday in his speech at the General Assembly's summit.

And in 2019, Erdogan had said that "despite the resolutions adopted, Kashmir is still besieged and eight million people are stuck in Kashmir," he said referring to the Indian union territory.

That year Mahathir Mohamad, who was then the Prime Minister of Malaysia joined Erdogan in bringing up Kashmir. He said in a virulent statement that India "invaded and occupied" Kashmir.

But with the change in government, Malaysia did not bring up Kashmir last year.

Reacting to Erdogan's statement in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled a scheduled visit to Turkey.

India maintains that under the Simla Agreement of 1972 between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was at that time the president of Pakistan, Kashmir is a bilateral matter and should not be internationalised.

In his speech on Tuesday, Erdogan also made a mild reference to the problems faced by the Uighur Muslim minority in China.

"Within China's territorial integrity perspective, we do believe more effort need to be displayed regarding the basic rights of Muslim Uighur Turks," he said.

Members of the Uighur minority are being placed in camps and face restrictions on practicing their religion and their culture and language overwhelmed by China's majority.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)



--IANS

arul/dpb
A cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening decided to recall 12 ambassadors from India, China, US, UK and others.

Kathmandu, Sep 22 (IANS) Nepals Sher Bahadur Deuba government on Tuesday decided to recall 12 ambassadors previously appointed by the K.P. Sharma Oli government, including Ambassador Nilamber Acharya from India.

Oli had appointed former minister Acharya as Nepal's ambassador to New Delhi.

Rest of the ambassadors appointed from diplomatic service will continue their jobs, said Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki.

It is said that ambassadors who were recalled on Tuesday were given three weeks to one month time for return.

It is said that process of appointment of ambassadors in 23 nations that have been lying vacant will begin soon. Ambassadors in 11 countries were already lying vacant for a long time.

--IANS

ag/in
The UNSMIL said in a statement that it has received, with concerns, reports that the HoR has passed a no-confidence motion against the Government of National Unity (GNU), Xinhua news agency reported.

Tripoli, Sep 22 (IANS) The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has called on the Libyan House of Representatives(HoR) (parliament) to focus on preparations for the upcoming elections.

The UN mission "expects that the efforts of the HoR would focus on finalising the parliamentary elections law and that the leadership of the HoR would advance efforts to build broad consensus on the emerging electoral legislative framework," the statement said.

The UNSMIL urged the parliament to complete the work on the parliamentary elections law the next week.

The parliament on Tuesday announced withdrawal of confidence from the GNU and keeping it as a caretaker government.

"The mission confirms that the current GNU remains the legitimate government up until it is replaced by another government through a regular process, following the elections. Its focus remains bringing the country towards the parliamentary and presidential elections on Dec. 24, 2021 and providing the necessary services to the people," the mission said.

On September 8, the parliament held a session to question Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah over financial and administrative violations, which Dbeibah denied as his government's budget wasn't approved by the parliament.

Dbeibah on Tuesday called on his supporters to protest against the parliament, adding that he would hold honest and free elections later this year.

The GNU was selected by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) in February, ending years of political division in the country.

Libya is expected to hold general elections in December as approved by the LPDF.

--IANS

int/shs
In a letter to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has requested that Shaheen should be allowed to speak in the ongoing session of the UNGA. Muttaqi said in the letter that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was "ousted" as of 15 August and that countries across the world no longer recognise him as president, and therefore Isaczai no longer represented Afghanistan.

But now the bigger question has emerged - who would represent Afghanistan at the UNGA after the Taliban took over the country last month? On Monday the group appointed their spokesperson of Doha political office Suhail Shaheen as ambassador to represent Afghanistan.

But there is a twist in the tale. Reuters reports that the spokesperson of the UN secretary General, Farhan Haq, said the Taliban's request had been sent to a nine-member credentials committee, whose members include the US, China, Russia, Sweden, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Chile, Bhutan and the Bahamas. But the committee is unlikely to discuss the issue before next week.

So, it is doubtful that the Taliban foreign minister will be able to address the world body because the present session is ending on Monday. The committee has, in the past, refrained from making a decision.

Instead, it has referred it to the General Assembly for a vote. As of now, the present ambassador Ghulam Isaczai is the recognised Afghan representative in the UN who is scheduled to speak in the UNGA session on September 27. Objections from a few countries, including Pakistan are, nevertheless, expected.

According to UNGA rules, until a decision is made by the credentials committee, the present Afghan ambassador Isaczai will remain in the saddle.

No government has yet recognised the Taliban government, demanding that it must meet its commitments on an inclusive government, human rights and women's education. But some countries continue to lobby for the Taliban.

Expectedly, the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi who is in New York, has been pushing hard for the Taliban's case.

"Now there is hope for peace in Afghanistan, and the international community should not leave Afghans alone at this critical juncture," Qureshi was quoted as saying. The Pak foreign minister urged the world community to engage with the "new reality" .

Qureshi was supported by Qatar, who has played a pivotal role in Afghanistan, urging world leaders against turning their backs on the Taliban.

The ruling emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani stressed "the necessity of continuing dialogue with Taliban because boycott only leads to polarisation and reactions, whereas dialogue could bring in positive results".

But the 193 members of the UN are not in a hurry to recognise the Taliban before undergoing careful review. Their concerns are legitimate.

Many members in the Taliban's interim government including the Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani with a bounty of $4-10 million on his head, are on the UN sanctions list. Many countries around Afghanistan are apprehensive about how Taliban rule will affect their own security. There is fear that an expanded Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Al-Qaeda, and others will use Afghan soil as a springboard to expand their regional influence.

Incidentally, during its first grab at power in 1996, the Taliban wanted to replace the Afghan envoy appointed by the government that they had toppled, but the UN had rejected the move.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative
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The wild volatility in world financial markets at the start of the week subsided on Tuesday, but the simmering issues in the two epicentres of the global economy that have triggered investors anxiety remain unresolved.

In China, the teetering property giant Evergrande missed repayments on its bank debt, as expected, and there are as yet no signs that the central government will come to its aid. A two-day public holiday in China this week hasnt helped dampen the fears.

In the US, the Federal Reserve Boards two-day meeting ends Wednesday (early Thursday AEST), with some expectations that it will make a statement about the nature and timing of a tapering of its $US120 billion ($166 billion) a month bond and mortgages purchases. In more settled times, regardless of whether the central bank delivers on expectations, that alone would be the major moment of the week for markets.

Fed chair Jerome Powell is expected to give clues on when the central bank will start tapering its bond purchases. Credit:AP

And in the background, the clock is ticking on another source of financial market instability as the extraordinary measures the US government is taking to conserve cash are exhausted. A shutdown of the government looms at the end of this month.
Next month, the 24-year-old will release his first book Australia Tomorrow - his edited collection of 38 essays by luminaries of the conservative galaxy. Anyone whos anyone is here (except Cory Bernardi and Chris Kenny, whose FOMO must be excruciating). Even Nick Cater .

But the sun-kissed assistant is about to step into the limelight in his own right.

The past two years have been a whirl for Alan Jones  senior producer at Sky News Jake Thrupp . The photogenic Sydney University politics graduate and political commentator for The Courier-Mail and Daily Express UK has enjoyed a quick ascent since swapping his hometown of Kingscliff in northern NSW for Sydney and an all-encompassing gig working for his long-time family friend.

Ive got a firm belief that Australia looks tired, the Thruppster told CBD in his first major interview with a newspaper diary column. I want this book to act as a manifesto for a future Liberal government that actually decides to do something, he said. Hello, Scott Morrison, are you reading this?

But its more than a manifesto, Thrupp says. Its an opportunity to end a period in which he feels hes been unfairly cast as Jones sidekick.

Theres been a lot of crap thats been written about me - and no one has ever really gotten in touch to ask - those columns were unfair, and werent accurate, talking about trips to Tokyo - well, I was an employee of 2GB, he said.

Thrupp, who is best mates with Gen Z singing star Cody Simpson, was keen to assert his credentials. Im a political person, I love writing, Ive been a member of the Liberal Party since I was 16, he said. Yes, Jones is his adviser, he said, but not his only mentor.

Alan is my employer and theres going to be people saying oh, Alan helped but it would have been foolish of me to not seek his counsel  and I discussed it with him and Tony Abbott who Im quite close with, and [former ABC chair] Maurice Newman and it was really only those three. They are a sounding board, and they all said go for it so I sought out the publisher, I compiled the book.
The fiction was compounded after Porter released his updated register of interests, then said he could not name donors to a blind trust helping pay the costs of his defamation suit against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan over the airing of historic rape allegations, which Porter vehemently denied. Desperate to get some clear air for his major strategic announcement, soon befouled by the French, Morrison had tried to buy time by asking his department head, Phil Gaetjens, to advise on the bleeding obvious  whether Porter had conformed with the ministerial code of conduct. Loading Then on Sunday afternoon, without waiting for Gaetjens, Morrison hastily called a press conference to announce Porter had upheld those standards by opting to resign from the ministry. He could have, should have, said Porters actions did not conform to the high standards expected of a member of his government and sacked him. But he didnt. He also said Porter had disclosed the amount he had received. He hadnt.

Incredibly, when asked whether Porter should remain in Parliament while in receipt of the money (given the disclosure rules which apply to all parliamentarians, requiring them to fess up to everything including freebie footy tickets), Morrison protested that had nothing to do with him because he was no longer Porters boss. Of course. He is only the Prime Minister, the leader of the government and the leader of the Liberal Party. Of course. He is only the Prime Minister, the leader of the government and the leader of the Liberal Party. Perhaps Morrison had been given a heads-up on a poll to be published the following day and went into a blind panic because it showed that while the government remained in a losing position, his personal ratings had slumped. Quelle horreur. Porters case will land with the privileges and members interests committee  chaired by the very well regarded, independently minded Liberal backbencher Russell Broadbent  which has the power to determine breaches of disclosure rules.

Government MPs were speculating that Porter might not be in technical breach because he had disclosed receiving monies from a named entity (the trust). Knowing how vulnerable they would all be if this was so, given the turbo-charging of integrity issues by independents, they are now considering changes to the rules to seal the gap. Loading Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus scoffs at this, insisting that Porter is in breach of both the letter and the spirit of the existing rules. He describes suggestions to the contrary as bullshit. If Porter is found to be in breach and refuses to abide by any direction, Parliament cannot expel him, but it does have the power to censure, fine, or even gaol him  not that anyone is saying that will happen. Once again, like so many other things, it was turning to creme patissiere.

The ongoing Porter saga and the clumsy, slippery way the announcement of the awkwardly named AUKUS was handled  without apology and with the overt insult the French could not be trusted to keep a secret  has dimmed any hope that it could work as another road map out of COVID to an early election. Over breakfast, Australians watched Morrison standing beside a man who could not remember his name, who looked like he should have stayed in bed, and another man who looked like he had just got out of bed. Prime ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison, with US President Joe Biden, announce the AUKUS pact. Credit:AAP Sleepy Joe Biden, fresh from the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster, and Boris Johnson, who has had trouble counting the number of children he has, desperately seeking to create a place for Britain in the world post-Brexit. One of Australias most senior and most respected former diplomats, John McCarthy, who chafes at the overhyping of the deal while not dismissing its importance, is still mulling over its implications. But he seems sure about one thing: none of those three leaders is up to the challenges which lie ahead.
When will the passports be ready to use? Mr Dominello conceded the passports will probably not be ready when the state is due to reopen, with a two-week pilot program starting on October 6. Right now, there are other options of showing your vaccination status, he said. This is just to make it easier for people. Mr Dominello said the trial in regional NSW will involve between 100 and 500 volunteers, and include industries such as aged care facilities and community clubs. We decided against Sydney because we dont want to create the honey-pot effect, he said. If you create one location in Sydney everyone will be drawn to it, whereas in the regions, theyre already quasi-opened up anyway.

It will be by invitation. Why is this being created when vaccine certificates are available? Mr Dominello noted proof of full vaccination can be shown on a COVID-19 digital certificate issued through Medicare, which can also be uploaded to smartphone wallets. He said the certificate can be downloaded from the Medicare Express app, and also placed into a Google Wallet or Apple Wallet. It is also accessible on Medicare online accounts through myGov. For those who dont have a smartphone, Mr Dominello said Services Australia advises calling the AIR on 1800 653 809 to have a copy of your immunisation history posted, which may take up to 14 days to arrive.

Loading The purpose of the passport through Service NSW is to simplify the venue check-in process, so people dont have to juggle separate apps for QR codes and proof of vaccination. What well be doing is integrating that and providing people with the option of then having it in their Service [NSW] app to make it really easy when theyre checking in to venues across NSW, he said. You open up one app, the Service NSW app, on that app it will enable you to check in and at the same time, on that same screen, it will show your vaccination status. How will my privacy be protected?

Speaking of the draft, Mr Dominello said an additional privacy feature had been added, allowing the user to show more or show less of their vaccination status. There are a couple of security measures well be building in and one of them is having a hologram on the face of the app, he said, similar to the Waratah hologram used on a digital drivers licence. Another feature well be implementing towards the middle of October is another QR code ... to validate that its a legitimate Service NSW product, as opposed to a forgery. He will address additional features around security as the design is finalised. Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello and Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Credit:James Brickwood

How will businesses enforce the rules, and what about the risk of forgery? Businesses will need to take reasonable steps to ensure patrons are adhering to the rules, and while they are not expected to be law enforcement agencies, they cant turn a blind eye, Mr Dominello said. The framework will be basically the same as what weve done with the QR codes, he said. The responsibility must rest on the individual. He said penalties of imprisonment and hefty fines exist for any offending, and for individuals who deliberately do the wrong thing and get found out, there could be jail time. Ms Berejiklian sought to assure the industry the government would have a similar compliance regime to before the Delta outbreak.
A Sydney mans appallingly bad taste joke about the death of underworld figure Mejid Hamzy does not implicate him as a key player in the mans gangland murder, a court has been told.

Ezzeddine Omar, 38, is the only person so far charged with murder over the targeted attack on Mr Hamzy in Condell Park in October last year. Mr Omar is alleged to be a principal in the sophisticated shooting, providing his home as a rendezvous point and being a driver of a getaway vehicle.

A man accused of involvement in the murder of Mejid Hamzy allegedly gloated about the death. Credit:NSW Police

In December, while he was under covert police surveillance, he was recorded expressing pleasure at Mr Hamzys demise in a joke to a family member at his Luddenham home, police allege. Whats the best thing about Mejid? he is said to have asked. Being dead, he finished.

In a bail application at Bankstown Local Court on Wednesday, Mr Omars barrister Greg James, QC, said that if his client was glorying in the murder of Mr Hamzy, there would have been significantly worse comments recorded by investigators.
A buzzing mosquito can distract the best student. But mongooses?

They creep in the window from an open drain in Delhis west Mayapuri slum into the small room where Tushar Joshi has been studying remotely for a master of international relations at the University of Sydney since August.

Mr Joshi, 22, was awarded this years $60,000-a-year Sydney Scholars India Equity Scholarship by the university with the Indian non-profit, the Asha Society. It is granted to an exceptional Indian student from a low socio-economic background commencing a postgraduate degree.

Tushar Joshi, 22, being interviewed by Zoom. He is studying remotely for his masters from his home in one of Indias largest slums. Credit:Nick Moir

If not for the pandemic, Mr Joshi would have been living in a residential college on campus in Sydney. But he began his course studying remotely from home in August.
AUKUS: assumed extinct, this awkward three-legged, hairy-nosed, short-sighted, tunnel digging mammal has miraculously resurfaced. It opportunistically robs from the nests of others while fouling its own. Though exhibiting strong survival instincts its inherent antisocial, self-destructive habits were deemed responsible for its demise. Hence the life expectancy of this newly discovered single specimen is, at best, highly questionable. Cleveland Rose, Dee Why Civic ignorance amplies lure of far-right extremism Josh Roose gives a good analysis of the far rights growing power of recruitment (Violent protests show the far right are capable recruiters and have found fertile ground thanks to COVID, smh.com.au, September 22). In describing people who are drawn to the movement, he navigates carefully. He provides a sense that a lot of these people are afraid and insecure in their circumstances. This may well be true. However, I find it impossible to have sympathy for people who choose a movement which, at its core, is driven by hate and acts in violence. He suggests the regulation of social media and education in media literacy starting in schools. I would add that Australians are not educated in what might be called civics, ie how our governing systems work, governments responsibilities and as important, our own responsibilities. Marie Del Monte, Ashfield Those opposing vaccination for COVID-19 remain a danger to society (Protesters skirmish with police, September 22). They are too misguided, and selfish, to reflect on the nurses union plea to stop fighting for the right to overwhelm our health system. This statement reflects the reality of why mass vaccination is so crucial. John Cotterill, Kingsgrove Whenever I hear an organisation or a member of the public claiming that individual choice will guide their decision to be vaccinated (or not), I am reminded that I rarely hear members of the public talk about their responsibility to their family and the wider community to get vaccinated (Why construction workers took to the Melbourne CBD, September 22). The cult of individualism has long been the creed of our self-indulgent society, and were now witnessing its manifestation as a distinct threat to our health. Don Carter, Oyster Bay

You can only wonder how many deaths may have been avoided and how much faster we may have been free of lockdowns and industry bans, had it not been for these anti-lockdown protesters and their fellow travellers, the anti-vaxxers. These people have periodically held the nation to ransom over the past 18 months. Selfishness, self-interest and stupidity will not beat COVID-19. Good sense, patience and the temporary sacrifice of some personal rights, coupled with, vaccination are still our best chance. Please, can we work together with some semblance of goodwill? Bruce Ingrey, Elizabeth Bay I heard the Victorian Police Commissioner announce that there would be different tactics today to prevent any more of the appalling behaviour shown yesterday in Melbourne CBD (Business owner addresses earthquake damage, smh.com.au, September 22). Ten out of 10 for organising an earthquake with perfect timing. Peter Phillipson, Fingal Bay Dose of lockdown reality for Byron Low vaccination rates in the Northern Rivers region is of real concern to residents (TV show triggers snap lockdown in Byron Bay, September 23). The minority, but noisy, anti-vax brigade attract the media attention they crave. More significant in this region has been the difficulty for the majority to get vaccinated, thanks to government failures in ordering and distributing supplies. Pfizer, virtually unobtainable until a couple of weeks ago, is still difficult to access  leaving thousands, particularly the young, with appointment times for their first Pfizer shot stretching well into November. Given this situation, one feels despair that filming a reality TV show, with workers from locked down Sydney, was allowed to continue. Since when is filming a reality TV show an essential industry in a pandemic? Lynne Wallis, Talofa

Some folk in Byron Shire seem to want suburban level services while choosing to live in the regions. Fifty kilometres to get the shot? Piffle! I travelled 114km, one way, to receive my vaccine shot. Big deal? No. When I chose to live in this special area I also accepted distances required to access some services. Gillian Forbes, Congo Sink or swim When Boris Johnson talked about the need for the world to get rid of coal-fired power and internal combustion engines, in his speech at the United Nations Climate Roundtable on Monday, he noted that too many countries are tinkering around the edges and this will not achieve the change the planet needs (The only great powers will be green powers, September 22). He could well have been talking directly to Scott Morrison. Perhaps Johnson may suggest to Joe Biden to call that fellow from Down Under, and say change your ways or no submarines. Peter Nash, Fairlight I wonder if Scott Morrison will be willing to show Barnaby Joyce and the other right-wing climate deniers in his government the article by Boris Johnson. I imagine Morrison is also realising that his forever friendship only extends so far. Ross Hudson, Mount Martha (Vic) Boris Johnson all but named Australia in his discussion of the upcoming Glasgow Climate Summit. He said: when the summit ends, when most of the world has committed to decisive game changing action, It will be clear to all which of us has lacked the courage to step up. At least Johnson and Biden now have Morrison in a corner as regards to access to nuclear submarine and missile technology. They have the carrots dangling on a very long timeframe stick. Watch for the backflip climate announcements before the Summit. We can only hope. Dennis OHara, Wanniassa (ACT)

Asleep at the wheel A clear majority of Australians support greater action on climate change and want the federal government to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 (Clear majority of Australians want net zero emissions by 2050, September 22). What is unclear is whether the Coalition is listening. Instead of setting an ambitious target the Coalition has itself become a target, both nationally and internationally. Lyn Savage, Coogee Australians are shouting for climate action from the back seat while the major parties are asleep at the wheel. Our PM jaunts to the US over a defence deal while the world overheats, leaving us backseat drivers in the car headed for the cliff, shouting for him to change direction. Our self-centred, deaf leader is culpable in this avoidable catastrophe. Labor is asleep beside him. Barry Laing, Castle Cove Playtimes over

As wonderful as the new play or study bubble is for kids, I can easily picture the misery of the child who is not included in anyones bubble because the friend they have is already in someone elses (New friend bubbles a boost for stressed HSC students, September 22). Perhaps it will be necessary to allow groups to cross mix. Ruth Ratner, Northbridge Growing problem Whoever devised the Commonwealth Emission Reduction Fund drew heavily for inspiration on Joseph Hellers Catch 22, in which Major Majors father was paid well by the government for every bushel of alfalfa (lucerne) he did not grow. The more alfalfa he did not grow, the more money the government gave him ($300m spent needlessly on saving trees, September 22). Paying farmers not to clear land that they were unlikely to clear reminds us that Catch 22 is still essential reading for anyone trying to understand what happens to taxpayers funds. Glenn Johnson, Leura Buildings for the future

The problem we have with housing in Australia stems from the fact that houses are considered commodities (Letters, September 22). As commodities, they are traded for personal and corporate gain. There is a level of obscenity in this because what for many is a roof over their heads is for others a way to become more wealthy. The whole structure needs to change. Negative gearing; tax write-offs; and positive gearing with capital gain should all cease and a more equitable way of us living in houses or apartments should become the norm. Miriam Sorensen, Burraneer Blue in the face Could someone please tell Scott Morrison that it is highly offensive to wear our flag on ones face. Perhaps he was never a Cub or Scout in his youth when he would have learned to respect the flag, but that is no excuse. Any decent person would know it is a flagrant desecration of our national standard. I cant imagine what other world leaders, all wearing plain black or navy masks, think when he walks among them sporting his national flag on his face. Sue Wilson, Mosman Dont wait too long

Noel Whittaker says, the longer you defer retirement the more your super should grow  and it will last longer after you stop work (Retiring later makes good financial sense, September 22). What he should add is but dont defer for too long in case you run out of time and your super lasts a lot longer than you do. John Slidziunas, Woonona Space junk Your correspondent is fearful that pork barrelling and patronage go stratospheric (Letters, September 22). As the stratosphere has shrunk by 400 metres between 1980 and 2018 and is projected to shrink by 1.3km by 2080 it seems like a good place to send our politicians for disposal. Now, which billionaire will lend us their spaceship? John Grinter, Katoomba Jack of this

Further to Jan Waddington reporting that lawn bowlers are not allowed to play at the moment, but people may be allowed to a horse race. I have suggested to my two lawn bowling sisters that they should become horses for a time (Letters, September 22). They said neigh. Ann Babington, Lambton Male bonding Sean Connery was the real thing. Daniel Craig and others are diluted substitutes (Women shouldnt need to play Bond, argues Craig, September 22) Mustafa Erem, Terrigal The digital view
Tens of thousands of retired doctors, nurses, psychologists and dentists have been asked to bolster the pandemic frontline as surging hospitalisations stretch health systems and staff shortages hit critical workforces.

Australias medical watchdog on Wednesday doubled the number of practitioners on its pandemic sub-registers to more than 55,000 health professionals who have retired or stopped work but are now eligible to return to practice.

Retired nurse Bruce Dowd, 63, has returned to the COVID-19 frontline. Credit:Rhett Wyman

NSW is also calling for help from interstate doctors and nurses as the system braces for a spike in COVID-19 hospitalisations and ICU admissions in October, with hospitals expected to be technically overwhelmed.

This comes as a second major COVID-19 outbreak is unfolding at Liverpool Hospital, with 24 patients testing positive in the past week.
At least one building worker has already been sacked after attending Mondays violent protest outside the CFMEU headquarters in Melbourne, and he has accused the construction union of pressuring his employers to lay him off.

A worker from a CBD construction site who attended Mondays protests told The Age on condition of anonymity that he was sacked on Tuesday morning. He said he was not opposed to vaccination and had not been violent at the protest.

CFMEU secretary John Setka talking to construction workers before clashes broke out on Monday. Credit:AAP

He said his employer had called him and told him he had no choice but to remove him from the job as the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union had threatened the business with loss of trade if he did not comply. Several other workers had also been laid off for attending, the worker said, which has been confirmed by The Age with third-party sources also speaking on condition of anonymity because they feared for their futures in the industry.

On Wednesday, CFMEU secretary John Setka said anyone involved in the protest may as well go pick fruit in Mildura somewhere because they will not be working in our industry.
Police were expecting protesters to again flock to the city on Wednesday after rioters, including construction workers and aggressive activists, demonstrated against Victorias lockdown, mandatory vaccines and the construction shutdown on Monday and Tuesday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy joined the chorus of politicians and public figures condemning the riots, which Mr Morrison described as highly distressing. Chief Commissioner Shane Patton and Premier Daniel Andrews speak to media on Wednesday. Credit:Wayne Taylor None of us are above the law, Mr Morrison said. These are measures that we have seen in other states and when it comes to the construction sector and the outbreak. Similar arrangements were put in place in NSW and I think it is very important that we exercise that patience, and we get through what is a very difficult time. The Prime Minister, who is in the United States, said he had been in text message contact with Mr Andrews, prompted by the Victorian earthquake on Wednesday.

Mr Guy said the protesters should go home and described their behaviour as ridiculous and embarrassing. Loading Their actions are bringing scorn upon themselves, Mr Guy said. I dont care who they are or where they are from  I see others trying to pigeonhole these people and it doesnt matter. These people are breaking the laws. Theyre assaulting police, they should go home and their actions are worthy of being condemned. Mr Andrews reiterated his governments commitment to mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for the construction sector, saying there were more coronavirus cases in construction than in aged care in Victoria. There are 350 cases in construction, over 150 different sites during August and September. This is real. Unless we took this action, and unless we see compliance higher, then well continue to see the spread of this virus and that puts everything at risk, he said.

Im gutted to have to shut down this industry. We have all worked so hard to keep it open for the whole duration of this pandemic event, but I cant just see cases ticking up and up and up, people not wearing their masks, no compliance ... you cant ignore that. In my job over many years, I have met hundreds and thousands of builders, hundreds and thousands of tradies who build this state ... theyre fine people, hard-working people, and what we saw yesterday is an insult to the vast majority of tradies or people in the building industry who are not about wrecking. Riot police on standby at the Shrine of Remembrance. Credit:Eddie Jim Mr Andrews said he had not spoken with union bosses about the protests, but he insisted that while construction workers were involved, there were others who were not from the building industry among the 2000 demonstrators who took to the streets on Tuesday. It was the first time Mr Andrews had fronted the media following Tuesdays violent rally, which brought the city to a standstill. Defending his decision not to address the media earlier, Mr Andrews said he had other matters to deal with.

I think if you were to check the record, there will be no politician in this country that has done more media, more regularly, than me, he said. Loading More than 500 police officers were mobilised to respond to the violent rally on Tuesday, which started at the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Unions city headquarters, before travelling through the CBD to Parliament House and stopping traffic on the West Gate Bridge. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said police would do everything in their power to stop the illegal gatherings, pledging there would be no cat and mouse games. Deputy Premier James Merlino labelled protesters thugs and vowed justice would be done.

Make no mistake: this is thuggery, this is criminal behaviour, and will be responded to accordingly by Victoria Police who are doing an exceptional job, Mr Merlino said. Mr Patton said Tuesdays protest included people from the construction industry and people tied up with the so-called Freedom Rallies that have taken to the streets to protest the lockdowns. We know from what we have been monitoring that people are being encouraged to put on high-vis gear, to put on workwear, to come in under the cover of a crowd and not necessarily tradespeople, Mr Patton said. Protesters on the West Gate Bridge on Tuesday. Credit:Jason South

Police Minister Lisa Neville thanked the police and described the protesters as thugs who have sought to cause harm, cause injury. Liberal senator Sarah Henderson condemned the protests, but said she wanted to raise serious concerns about the Andrews governments decision to shut down the construction sector. I condemn these violent protests, but I understand why so many workers are turning against the [Andrews] government, Ms Henderson posted on Twitter. The overnight shutdown of the construction sector is punishing 320,000 hard-working Victorians. Draconian restrictions must end. She called for the lockdown in Geelong and Surf Coast to end immediately.
There has been no significant protest action today, with demonstrators failing to gather in significant numbers in the city.

Police were out in force, at first near the CFMEU headquarters on Elizabeth Street in the city this morning, checking the identities and permits of people coming through.

Police from the mounted branch outside the Queen Victoria market this morning. Credit:Wayne Taylor

On encrypted social media platforms, demonstrators kept changing the meeting points to no avail.

Dozens of police arrived at the vaccination hub at the Melbourne Museum in Carlton Gardens this afternoon to line the entrance, following talk that protesters were going to go there.

Police have also been keeping an eye on St Kilda for protest activity.

Among the most significant news of the day was community organisation cohealth were forced to temporarily close its vaccination centre at the Town Hall because workers were abused and spat on yesterday.

Premier Daniel Andrews said workers were treated appallingly.

These people are doing the very best of work. Theyre vaccinating people for heavens sake, he said.

Police line the entrances of the vaccination hub at the Melbourne Museum. Credit:Paul Jeffers

The use of force, by police and against police, has also been a topic of conversation today.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said several officers were attacked while doing their job yesterday, including one officer who was bitten.

Mr Patton also confirmed that Victoria Police were reviewing footage taken yesterday that appeared to show a civilian being body-slammed by a police officer in Flinders Street station while protests were taking place outside.

In a statement released a short time ago, Victoria Police said professional standards command and the transit safety division were investigating and called for witnesses, and the person who took the footage, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Despite today being a fizzer, protests may still occur tomorrow.

With that, well close the blog out for the day with more messages of support for cohealth staff from readers.

Health workers are doing it really tough at the moment, and they need all the support they can get from all of us, Eric van der Wal, from Bendigo, wrote.

Joel Karanikas said healthcare workers were profoundly strong for putting themselves on the line.

Their endurance, hard work and deep sense of social responsibility deserve the utmost public attention and sympathy, Joel said.

Jack Steiner said: Thank you cohealth workers for the amazing work youre doing protecting the vulnerable and in turn, Melbourne as a whole, while Michelle sent: Thank you for your wonderful work...we stand by you and are so grateful for the work you do every day.
Melbourne endured a third day of anti-vaccine anarchy on Wednesday as protesters chanted freedom on the steps of one of the citys most sacred landmarks, the Shrine of Remembrance, only to be blasted off late in the afternoon by police firing non-lethal rounds.

The Shrine, which was built in 1934 and commemorates those who served and died in Australias wars, was left with its lawns littered with rubbish, including a full can of chickpeas, tear gas canisters and leftover bean rounds. One decorated veteran stood by with his head in his hands.

A visibly upset man at the Shrine on Wednesday. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Ross Guenther said it was completely disrespectful the protesters gathered there. Credit:Jason South

The hours-long stand-off between police and several hundred protesters came at the end of another meandering march through the city. Once the demonstrators had occupied the steps of the Shrine and were sitting around the eternal flame, they chanted a mix of anti-vaccine slogans and invective at Premier Daniel Andrews, as well as singing the national anthem and holding a minutes silence for people who had died by suicide during the pandemic. At one stage they took a knee in front of police officers.

Shrine chairman Captain Stephen Bowater decried the protest as disgraceful and disrespectful. The Shrine of Remembrance is sacred. It is not a place of protest, he said. RSL Victoria said the protesters were completely disrespecting the sanctity of the site.
Labor MPs have blasted former prime minister Paul Keating for claiming the federal opposition was complicit in the Morrison governments surrender of its military to the United States as part of a new defence pact to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Mr Keating on Wednesday escalated his attack on the AUKUS defence partnership between Australia, the US and Britain, criticising his own side for promoting a false representation of Chinas foreign policy by implying that Beijing presented a military threat to Australia.

Labor MPs have criticised Paul Keating for his comments on Australias new submarine deal. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Mr Keatings attack on the oppositions foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong, who he claimed had neutered Labors traditional stance as to Australias right to strategic autonomy in an opinion piece for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, has particularly angered federal MPs on his own side.

In a speech to the United States Studies Centre on Thursday, Senator Wong will warn Beijing is becoming more assertive, and at times aggressive, but will also say the debate shouldnt be reduced to the two fatalisms of acquiescing to China or going to war.
Queensland teachers and childcare workers could be the next group forced to get a COVID-19 jab, while up to one in three police officers are yet to be vaccinated despite a mandatory deadline in just 12 days.

Queensland Health has mandated the vaccine for all clinical and non-clinical staff working in locations where care is provided to patients with a September 30 deadline for a first dose and the end of October for a second dose.

COVID vaccinations are already mandatory for police officers and Queensland Health staff. Credit:AP

Police officers and staff must have received their first dose by October 4 and both doses by January 23 next year.

Education Minister Grace Grace has also not ruled out extending mandatory COVID vaccinations to teachers and childcare workers.
New York: The Taliban have nominated Mohammad Suhail Shaheen to be Afghanistans ambassador to the United Nations and requested that their foreign minister be allowed to address the UN General Assembly taking place this week in New York.

But the request may run up against some diplomatic hurdles.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Taliban said former President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani was ousted as of August 15 and that countries across the world no longer recognise him as the war-torn nations leader. Farhan Haq, a UN spokesman, confirmed the letter.

Suhail Shaheen, centre, has been nominated by the Taliban as their Un ambassador. Credit:AP

With Ghanis UN ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, currently in place at the global organisation, the Taliban said they want acting Foreign Minister Ameer Khan Muttaqi to be allowed to address the General Assembly.
Singapore: Joe Biden did not say China once in his speech to the United Nations. Xi Jinping did not utter the words United States. Yet both might as well have been talking directly at each other as a crowd of foreign leaders at the General Assembly amphitheatre placed bets on the favourite.

The diplomatic dance between the two superpowers in New York on Wednesday morning (AEST) revolved around phrases like small circles, inclusive growth, and peaceful resolution to shared challenges.

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping made speeches at the UN overnight.

The polite performance is not for each other. The two presidents spoke directly and frankly on September 10. It is for the others in the room. They know their audience. It is one that is increasingly pulled between a US alliance-led world order and Chinas attempts to put a long-sidelined UN back at the centre of global negotiations.

Chinas UN-centred order seeks to empower the smaller and minnow nations it has enticed through economic partnerships.
Chinese President Xi Jinping announced during a United Nations address that his country will no longer fund coal-fired power plants through Chinas vast Belt and Road infrastructure project, signalling momentum in an international movement to scrap the use of coal for electricity.

In a separate speech, US President Joe Biden announced a doubling of financial aid to poorer nations so they could switch to cleaner energy and cope with global warmings worsening impacts.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a pre-recorded address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on Tuesday. Credit:Bloomberg

Depending on when Chinas new coal policy goes into effect, it could shutter 47 planned power plants in 20 developing countries that use the fuel that emits the most heat-trapping gases, about the same amount of coal power as from Germany, according to the European climate think-tank E3G.

Xi provided no details in his announcement, but his country has been under heavy diplomatic pressure to put an end to its coal financing overseas.
Moscow: A top Ukrainian presidential aide, Serhiy Shefir, narrowly survived assassination on (Thursday AEST) when one or more attackers opened fire on his car with a barrage of at least 18 bullets.

The attack took place in a forested stretch of road near Lesnyky village, outside Kiev the capital. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in New York at the time of the attack, announced he would return to Kyiv after addressing the United Nations General Assembly.

Dozens of police fanned out to comb the area of the attacks for clues.

Police examine the car after an apparent assassination attempt against Serhiy Shefir, a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, on September 22, 2021 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Credit:Getty

Shefir, 57, who is very close to the President, was the producer on Zelenskys TV comedy show, Servant of the People, in which he starred before being elected president in 2019.
The threat of climate change has been overshadowed recently by the COVID-19 pandemic but at the first in-person meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in two years, world leaders have put it back at the top of agenda.

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping both used the forum to make important commitments to help developing countries adopt renewable energy and deal with climate change.

Mr Biden pledged to double US financing for renewable energy in developing countries to $US11.4 billion ($15.7 billion) a year starting in 2024, a significant step towards the UN target of $US100 billion a year from all countries.

Mr Xi, who spoke by video link, promised to stop funding new coal-fired power stations in developing countries. The commitment is hugely significant because China has been the major financier of new coal power, especially in Asia and Africa, investing $US55 billion as part of its One Belt One Road Initiative.

It is estimated that Mr Xis pledge will affect the finance for projects with a total generation capacity larger than Australias entire coal-fired power sector.
He also rebuffed criticism of his administrations handling of the pandemic and touted recent data indicating less Amazon deforestation. He said he was seeking to counter the image of Brazil portrayed in the media, touting it as a great place for investment and praising his pandemic welfare program, which helped avoid a worse recession last year. With unvaccinated diners barred from eating in New York restaurants, Bolsonaro and his entourage ate pizza on a sidewalk on their first night in the city on Sunday. Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro leaves United Nations headquarters after his address. Credit:AP The health minister was the second member of the Brazilian delegation in New York to have tested positive. A young diplomat who was part of an advance team preparing Bolsonaros visit tested positive on the weekend and was isolated. Raquel Krahenbuhl who is Washington correspondent for Brazilian television network Globo, reported the minister was staying at the same hotel as US President Joe Biden in New York. She also posted a video of the Brazilian delegation, including Queiroga, shaking hands with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who later met with Biden at the White House.

COVID-19 has killed 591,440 Brazilians in the worlds second-deadliest outbreak after the United States. As vaccination advances in the country, the rolling 14-day average of COVID deaths has fallen to 519 a day, compared with almost 3,000 at the peak of the pandemic in April. Wake-up call In person and on screen, world leaders returned to the United Nations foremost gathering of its 193 member nations  the annual General Assembly  with a formidable, diplomacy-packed agenda. More than 100 heads of state and government kept away by COVID-19 are returning to the UN in person for the first time in two years. About 60 will deliver pre-recorded statements over coming days. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rang a sharply worded warning in his annual state-of-the-world opening speech:

We are on the edge of an abyss  and moving in the wrong direction, Guterres said. Im here to sound the alarm. The world must wake up. Guterres said the world has never been more threatened and divided. People may lose faith not only in their governments and institutions, he said, but in basic values when they see their human rights curtailed, corruption, the reality of their harsh lives, no future for their children  and when they see billionaires joyriding to space while millions go hungry on Earth. Nevertheless, the UN chief said he had hope. Guterres urged world leaders to bridge six great divides: promote peace and end conflicts, restore trust between the richer north and developing south on tackling global warming, reduce the gap between rich and poor, promote gender equality, ensure that the half of humanity that has no access to the Internet is connected by 2030, and tackle the generational divide by giving young people a seat at the table. Other pressing issues on the agenda of world leaders include rising US-China tensions, Afghanistans unsettled future under its new Taliban rulers and ongoing conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Ethiopias embattled Tigray region. Big ticket speeches at the gathering included those of US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Competing ambassadors for Afghanistan The Taliban have nominated Mohammad Suhail Shaheen to be Afghanistans ambassador to the UN and requested that their foreign minister be allowed to address the General Assembly. In a letter to Guterres, the Taliban said former president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani was ousted as of August 15 and that countries across the world no longer recognise him as leader. They asked that Ghanis UN ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, currently in place, be replaced by acting Foreign Minister Ameer Khan Muttaqi and that Muttaqi be allowed to address the assembly. Suhail Shaheen, centre, has been nominated by the Taliban as their Un ambassador. Credit:AP Yet some officials have said any move by the UNs Credentials Committee to approve a new ambassador wouldnt take place quickly enough to allow a Taliban representative to address the gathering, allowing Isaczai to still deliver a speech next Monday despite being part of the former government.

Selfish act In his video address, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte criticised rich nations for hoarding COVID-19 vaccines while much of the developing world continued to suffer shortages. The picture is bleak. It is a man-made drought of vaccines ravaging the poor countries, Duterte said. Rich countries hoard life-saving vaccines while poor nations wait for trickles. They now talk of booster shots, while developing countries consider half doses just to get by. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly remotely on Tuesday. Credit:AP He added: This is shocking beyond belief and must be condemned for what it is: a selfish act that can neither be justified rationally or morally.

The Philippines vaccination campaign started in March and has been plagued by shortages, delivery delays and hesitancy, including from those who prefer Western brands (China has supplied the bulk of the initial vaccine doses used in the Philippines). Only about 17 per cent of Filipinos have been fully vaccinated, or nearly 19 million people, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Duterte also used the address to vow accountability for anyone who has acted beyond bounds in his campaign against illegal drugs. The suspected extra-judicial killing of more than 6100 people is the subject of an International Criminal Court probe announced last week. Duterte told the assembly he had instructed his Justice Department and police to review the conduct of the campaign. He made no mention of the formal investigation into possible crimes against humanity, although he appeared to reject outside interference in human rights issues.
PHILIPSBURG:--- An engineer unit of the Royal Netherlands Army will be exercising in both Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten in the coming period. Today the associated large equipment arrived on Curacao by sea transport. The exercise, called Caribbean Engineer, will begin on September 27 and will last four weeks.

The unit, 101 Engineer Battalion, consists of engineers with various expertise. They are soldiers and also specialists in the field of construction. In the coming period, they will carry out a program consisting of various military training courses (including at Wacawa and Arikok National Park) and they will work on multiple construction tasks for various parties, including Defense itself.

For example, the construction experts in the nature reserve near Sint Joris (Curacao), commissioned by Carmabi, are working on a footbridge at a small water crossing. At Arikok National Park in Aruba, the military is supporting, among other things, a Kite Power sustainability project, where a test will take place to generate energy using a large kite. Various infrastructural facilities are required for this.

The engineer unit will also get to work for Defense itself. For example, a practice house is being built at Marine Barracks Saveneta for Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT).

Training in climatically challenging conditions

Practicing on Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten has a lot of added value for the unit arriving from the Netherlands. The climatic conditions in the Caribbean are comparable to the conditions in many mission areas. This exercise therefore gives the army personnel the opportunity to train in similar circumstances.

The unit consists of more than 150 soldiers which are spread over the three islands. For the construction work, 40 (military) construction vehicles were shipped by sea to Curacao and Aruba. This equipment arrived today at the port in Willemstad. Some of the vehicles are unloaded there, after which the ship sails on to Oranjestad in Aruba. A small part of the unit follows an exercise program on Sint Maarten. The Caribbean Engineer exercise will last until October 22.

COVID-19

All entering military personnel have been tested negative for COVID-19 in advance (no longer than 48 hours) and are fully vaccinated. The unit follows the guidelines that apply in Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten.
CAY HILL:--- Prime Distributors recently made a donation to the St. Maarten Medical Center ahead of their Prostate Cancer Awareness event taking place this Saturday, September 25th from 9:00 am  3:00 pm. The event marks the resumption of SMMCs annual Prostate and Breast Cancer screening campaign in collaboration with partners the Positive and Elektralytes Foundations.

Early detection saves lives and as a healthcare institution, we have a responsibility to serve the community and provide curative, palliative, and preventative care. Taking all necessary precautions to mitigate any potential spread of COVID-19, weve decided to resume our prostate and breast cancer screenings after some inactivity due to the pandemic. We are extremely happy that this year Prime Distributors are generously supporting us in our efforts in the fight against prostate and breast cancer. Prime has always been willing to assist SMMC in our efforts to ensure and safeguard the health and wellbeing of our patients, via donations to our community outreach events, donations to our staff or donations to our wards, and for that, were extremely grateful, said Shari de Riggs, SMMCs Communications Officer.

Speaking on Prime Distributors contribution to the event, Brand Manager Graziella Zimmerman remarked Prime Distributors is happy to be a part of this wonderful and much-needed initiative. The health and wellness of our community are extremely important, especially in these unpredictable times. We urge everyone to come out and take part in these screenings, as early detection saves lives. We express sincere gratitude to the Elektralytes and Positive Foundations as well as SMMC for putting together these screenings.

Even though we are living in such uncertain times, we will always try our best to help our community, concluded Zimmerman.

In addition to prostate cancer screenings for men, SMMC will offer blood pressure and glucose monitoring for men and women, and CPS and the Ministry of VSA will host a COVID-19 vaccination pop-up at SMMC. Healthcare professionals such as Doctors, Pharmacists, and Infection Control Practitioners will also be on hand to provide information and answer any questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.

To avoid long lines and allow for proper social distancing, pre-registering for prostate cancer screening is strongly encouraged. Men over the age of 45 who have not had a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test within the last two years are asked to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with their name, date of birth, and phone number to register. In light of the pandemic, only a limited number of walk-ins will be facilitated.

To ensure the safety of all attendees and volunteers, SMMCs universal masking policy remains in effect and will be enforced. Persons making use of the prostate cancer screenings and the health checks will also be subjected to a temperature check and SMMCs COVID-19 questionnaire.

SMMC kindly asks that persons who are experiencing flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, headaches, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, vomiting, and diarrhea avoid attending the event but encourage them to make an appointment once they are no longer experiencing symptoms.

Prostate cancer screening is available year-round at SMMCs Urology Department and appointments can be made by calling + 1 (721) 543-1111 extension 1378, 1379, or 1307.

SMMC also plans to resume its annual Breast Cancer screenings in October which will also feature a COVID-19 vaccination pop-up and a health check corner.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, September 17th, 2021, the Minister of Justice Ms. Anna E. Richardson, and support staff traveled to the Netherlands for a working visit. At Schiphol airport, Minister Richardson was welcomed by the Minister of Plenipotentiary, Mr. Violenus, and his staff.

The working visit kicked off on Monday, September 20, 2021, with Minister Richardson visiting the Youth Protection Amsterdam (Jeugdbescherming Amsterdam) that works closely with Social Affairs and the Ministry of Justice to tackle domestic violence and child abuse matters. Youth Protection Amsterdam presented Minister Richardson with their improved holistic approach that focuses on simplifying the procedures and making them more effective. After the presentation, the Minister had a very fruitful dialogue with the management team. Also joining the presentation were social workers from Saba and Bonaire that work at Youth Protection services in the Dutch Caribbean (Jeugdbescherming Caribisch Nederland) who were visiting the Netherlands for training. In the near future, Minister Richardson would like social workers in Sint Maarten working within our Youth Protection services to have the opportunity to participate in similar programs.

Following the visit to Youth Protection Amsterdam, the Minister received a tour of the first small-scale male adolescent facility (Kleinschalige Jeugd Voorziening) in Amsterdam. This facility utilizes an open concept that can be rewarded to detainees and/or convicted persons based on their motivation, behavior, and personal circumstances. The facility houses a maximum of 8 residents aged 12-23 years and allows residents to remain in school, have family contact, and work regular hours. Persons are mainly placed there when they are in pre-detention or after good behavior in a Youth Penitentiary. As part of the residents stay, the social workers of the facility assess their personal circumstances and create a personal development plan which includes their direct surroundings such as parents and peers. According to the behavior of the resident and their commitment to their development plan, the judge decides whether the resident can remain at this facility or needs to be transferred to a Youth Penitentiary.

The Ministers last stop for the day was to a private juvenile detention center in Lelystad where she toured the facility and learned about the prison operations and rehabilitative and educational programs offered to the inmates. The facility works closely with the Ministry of Education to offer a variety of education programs for the residents.

Minister Richardson stated: Visiting these well-established facilities brings a lot of realization of what our existing institutions are in need of but also highlights the types of additional facilities we lack and need to establish. More importantly, however, these in-person opportunities open the door for partnerships and support where needed. The organizations that we visited today were very welcoming. The communication has been quite positive thus far and there is much willingness and enthusiasm to have Sint Maarten be a part of programs that are underway. For example, meeting a social worker from Saba and from Bonaire that are currently in the Netherlands training with the Youth Protection services is quite inspirational. Whilst I know the BES-islands form an integral part of the Netherlands, the fact remains that we share a Kingdom and Sint Maarten has some of the same challenges as the BES-islands. As such, we all need to be in discussions about training and programs that are geared to helping our communities with the challenges we have in common. That is the purpose of this work visit, to get connected with the wheels that are turning in an effort to improve the areas that are demanding our united attention.

During her work visit, Minister Richardson will visit various judicial and youth institutions to forge working relationships, get a better understanding of the judicial system and its stakeholders and explore ways in which Sint Maarten can be included in programs and receive assistance where necessary.
THE HAGUE:--- The Minister of Justice, Anna E. Richardson, visited the penitentiary institutions (hereafter PI) in Almelo and the Penitentiary Psychiatric Center (hereafter PPC) section in PI Zwolle on Tuesday, September 21st, 2021. With Dutch (financial) support, Sint Maarten intends to replace the Point Blanche prison and House of detention with a prison that is built in accordance with the latest standards and will apply policy reforms to address inmate rehabilitation. The prison envisioned will be comparable in size to PI Almelo, where there is room for 190 detainees. Forensic care, which is provided in the PPC Zwolle, will also be necessary in Sint Maartens new prison facility.

The first prison visited was PI Almelo, where the Minister was welcomed by Ton Golstein, the director at the institution, and his staff. PI Almelo was selected as the prison to be visited by Minister Richardson due to its scale and size. It is one of the smaller prisons in the Netherlands that can serve as an example to Sint Maarten and from which we can learn a lot due to its comparable capacity.

Ton Golstein formed part of the Custodial Institutions Agency (DJI) group that came to Sint Maarten to support the prison after hurricane Irma. That DJI group made a thorough analysis of the Pointe Blanche prison and House of Detention in 2017 and produced a report that serves as the plan of approach to improve the prison today. Mr. Golstein and his colleagues were therefore very familiar with Sint Maartens situation which allowed for meaningful dialogue and suggestions for the prison on Sint Maarten.

Ton Golstein said: Among other things, the Minister wanted to take a look at the Extra Care Facility section within our prison. Such a department, for vulnerable detainees, does not exist in Sint Maarten.

One of the sentiments expressed in conversation to the Minister is the concentration to ensure for after-care to be facilitated upon release. This is the efforts of the programs at PI Almelo to avoid that ex-inmates from falling back into a life of crime.

We have also shown her our House of Recovery (Huis van Herstel), where detainees from the region spend the final stage of their detention in a less secure setting and receive extra care and attention so that they can reintegrate and become productive members of society, says Ton Golstein. The Minister also received a tour of a large production facility called De Fabriek (The Factory), which offers inmates as well as persons with intellectual disabilities, an environment to work in and earn money. The Factory is made possible in cooperation with stakeholders from the local business community.

In the afternoon, Minister Richardson visited the PPC section in PI Zwolle. In a PPC, high intensive care is provided in a secure setting to inmates with serious mental health and psychiatric disorders. PI Zwolle offers space to 350 inmates, including 146 spaces within the PPC section.

In addition to our establishment, PI Haaglanden, PI Vught, and JC Zaanstad also have such a PPC facility, says deputy branch director, Marieke Verhoeff.

Staff working at this PPC particularly have experience with the Dutch Caribbean and establishing a forensic care facility from the ground up. Minister Richardson aims to have such expertise applied in Sint Maarten as well to establish a similar, much-needed forensic care section for mentally challenged inmates. Only then can they receive adequate care needed to treat and stabilize their condition.
How to build smarter, more secure cities from the ground up

Today, we live in a technology-obsessed age. Whichever way you look, its hard to avoid the increasing number applications, products and solutions that continue to redefine the boundaries of what we previously thought possible. From autonomous vehicles and edge computing to 5G and the Internet of Things, all facets of our lives are continuing to evolve, thanks to an endless stream of differentiated innovations. In this article, well be focusing on the latter of these - the Internet of Things (IoT). Deployment of IoT technologies Smart homes, smart utilities, smart retail, smart farming, smart supply chains and many of the other smart versions of sectors that were already familiar with, are all called as such because of the implications of IoT. Indeed, it is a technology that has manifested itself in billions of devices, which today underpin the truly transformational levels of connectivity that we see across industries of all shapes and sizes. The statistics speak for themselves. According to Statista, over US$ 1 trillion is expected to be spent on IoT technology worldwide, in 2022. Be it added convenience, efficiency, productivity or intelligence, many benefits are poised to emerge from this spike in IoT-related activities. Yet to say this digital transition is going to be entirely positive would be naive. Threats faced by smart cities It is said that by 2040, 65 per cent of the worlds population will be living in cities Lets consider smart cities. It is said that by 2040, 65 per cent of the worlds population will be living in cities. To accommodate such an influx, without facing significant logistical issues, with limited space and infrastructure, policy makers have begun to recognise that these urban environments need to become not only larger, but smarter as well. As a result, the global smart cities market is on the rise. Statista states that, globally, technology spending on smart city initiatives is expected to double from US$ 81 billion in 2018 to US$ 189.5 billion in 2023. Threat of attackers with expanding IoT landscape The challenge here is that such a stark uptick will drastically expand the IoT landscape, presenting more opportunities than ever to threat actors. As connectivity and computing power is distributed more widely across large-scale outdoor networks, hackers will scale-up their own operations in tandem. According to a Nokia report from October 2020 (based on data aggregated from monitoring network traffic on more than 150 million devices globally), IoT devices now account for roughly 33 per cent of all infected devices, up from the 16 per cent estimated in 2019. Whats more concerning is how these figures are translating into real world events. 2021 alone has already witnessed an attack on a water plant in Oldsmart, Florida, which was designed to poison residents drinking water. Furthermore, Colonial Pipeline, one of the largest fuel pipelines in the US was also hacked, earlier this year, resulting in major shortages across the countrys East Coast. Security through IoT authentication From weak password protection, a lack of regular patch updates and insecure interfaces, to insufficient data protection, poor IoT devices management and an IoT skills gap, there are plenty of weaknesses existing within the IoT ecosystem, which continue to provide open goals for attackers. To defend against such lethal threats, security-by-design and open standards should be the guiding principles of IoT, working to prioritise security, interoperability and robust, internet-based protocols to mitigate risks. Device authentication and encryption A sound place to start is to make device authentication and encryption the central pillars of your IoT security architecture A sound place to start, in this regard, is to make device authentication and encryption the central pillars of your IoT security architecture. The goal is to be able to prove that each and every device joining a network is not malicious, with tell-tale signs being rogue code, for example. By ensuring each device is uniquely identifiable with digital certificates and therefore, properly authenticated when joining a network, you can ensure no tampered devices are able to infiltrate your overarching network. Using technologies, such as Hardware Secure Element Critically, passwords should be avoided altogether, these vulnerable to being stolen and cracked. And, while a similar vulnerability lies in the fact that all secure devices contain a private key, you can leverage technologies, such as Hardware Secure Element (a chip designed specifically to protect against unauthorised access, even if the attacker has physical access to the device), as an extra layer of defence. Digital certificates are not the only option available in protecting those IoT devices that, if tampered with, could become the cause of physical threats. Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) can also be used to prevent tampering. Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) Through Physical Unclonable Function (PUF), a form of IoT device fingerprint is developed from the unique make up of a piece of silicon, which can be used to create a unique cryptographic key. Unlike digital certificates, a secure infrastructure can be achieved through PUF, without the need for any additional hardware, as the key is not only stored securely, but it also becomes invisible to hackers, when the device is not running. The importance of encryption Use of AES encryption within radio chips, to scramble messages on the move, is the method adopted at Wi-SUN Alliance Now, lets turn attentions to encryption. The use of AES encryption within radio chips, to scramble messages on the move, is the method that we have adopted here at Wi-SUN Alliance. Its a means of maximising data security, but also reducing power consumption in the devices themselves. Beyond AES encryption, its also worth considering topography at the design stage. Indeed, mesh networks are advantageous for several reasons. They are more reliable, allowing data to be re-routed, should devices lose contact unexpectedly. Transmissions usually travel shorter distances, which improves power efficiency and performance, and frequency hopping functionality prevents attackers from jamming signals, which could deny the service altogether. Open standards and interoperability But where do open, interoperable standards fit in? As is defined by the European Committee for Interoperable Systems (ECIS), interoperability enables a computer programme to communicate and exchange information with other computer programmes, allowing all programmes to use that information. Open standards then allow any vendor of communications equipment or services to implement all standards necessary, to interoperate with other vendors. This is incredibly useful from a security perspective. It means that all specs are stress-tested and verified by many users, and that any vulnerabilities are quickly detected, and remediated, enhancing security and reliability. Need for open standards Equally, open standards can accelerate time-to-market, reduce costs and ensure products are usable, with a variety of manufacturers processors and radios, with a steam of publicly available protocol stacks, design information and reference implementations available that can help build and future-proof secure products. Indeed, large-scale corporate IoT networks alongside smart cities, smart utilities, and other key smart infrastructure will only continue to evolve, in the coming years. With the immense threats of attackers in mind, these systems must prioritise security-by-design, both now and in the future.
La Paz (Bolivia), September 18, 2021 (SPS) - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bolivia issued on last Thursday, an official statement announcing the cancellation of the decision of the coup government and friend of the Moroccan occupation regime, according to which relations with the Sahrawi Republic were frozen.

In its statement, the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Bolivia's adherence to the historical relations it had with the Sahrawi Republic and its decision to strengthen it.

The Bolivian President, Mr. Luis Arce, had received Mr. Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who handed him a letter from Mr. Ibrahim Ghali, President of the Republic and Secretary-General of the Polisario Front.

During his visit to the Republic of Bolivia, Ould Salek met with his Bolivian counterpart, Mr. Rogelio Maite, the former President, Mr. Evo Morales, and a significant number of leaders of political parties who expressed their strong solidarity with the struggle of the people of the Sahrawi Republic against the Moroccan occupation.

SPS 090/110
FedEx is looking to bolster its ground delivery service in Connecticut by adding 1,200 workers to its operations in the state, according to company officials.

Positions available with FedEx Ground in Connecticut include package handlers, managers and other support staff. FedEx is holding an in-person hiring day for job applicants at the companys ground hub on Ruby Road in Willington from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday.

Applicants also can apply for jobs on the companys website.

David Westrick, a FedEx Ground spokesman, said the company currently operates six Connecticut facilities and employs more than 4,000 people in the state.

Current available positions are for more than seasonal employment, and include a mix of full- and part-time openings, Westrick said. While we are adding to our workforce to prepare for the busy holiday season, the rapid growth of e-commerce means that we are regularly recruiting for people to join our team.

This is the second time this year that FedEx has announced a major hiring initiative. The company announced in May that it was looking to hire more than 600 package handlers for its Hartford-area operations.

Westrick said the new positions the company is seeking to fill are in addition to the new employees FedEx hired in May.

FedExs benefits include:

Medical, dental and vision benefits after a short waiting period.

A $5,250 tuition reimbursement every year with no lifetime cap.

An employee discount program.

Applicants for FedEx jobs must be at least 18 years old, and there is no minimum education requirement for the positions.

FedEx is the latest employer with a presence in Connecticut to announce it is seeking to fills hundreds, or in some cases, thousands of jobs in the state. Shipping rivals UPS and Amazon already have announced they are looking to fill part- and full-time jobs in the state.

Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research for New Haven-based DataCore Partners, said while adding 1,200 new job is beneficial to Connecticuts economy, it doesnt have the same impact it would if the jobs that were being added were in the manufacturing or biotech sectors.

Let me be clear: every job matters, every job counts and contributes in this economy, Klepper-Smith said. We would love them to all be higher-paying jobs. But the economic landscape has transitioned and the jobs that are now being created have less of a trickle-down impact than those in manufacturing and biotech.

Klepper-Smith said that for every manufacturing job created in Connecticut, the economic impact creates 1.5 jobs elsewhere within the economy. Jobs like the ones being created by FedEx have a lesser impact, adding just 0.5 job elsewhere in the economy, he said.

Todays gig economy allow workers more flexibility in terms of when they work, according to Klepper-Smith. But the new economic model givers employers considerable advantages in terms of the wages they pay, keeping the cost of other benefits, like the cost of health care, down.

We used to talk about just-in-time manufacturing, Klepper-Smith said, referring to the concept of reducing the amount of time that a product spends going through the production process. Now were talking about just-in-time employees, with workers being brought in only as they are needed.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
The attorney representing Michelle Troconis asked judge Wednesday to bar statements she made to police in three interviews on the disappearance and death of Jennifer Dulos, arguing that English isnt her first language and no Spanish interpreter was supplied during the questioning.

Attorney Jon Schoenhorn, representing Troconis, contends in a motion to suppress the interviews that his client didnt understand her rights as she was being questioned because they werent read to her in Spanish.

Troconis, the former girlfriend of Jennifer Dulos estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, faces charges including conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution in connection with Jennifer Dulos disappearance. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and been free on bail as her case moves to trial.

The filing comes a day before Kent Mawhinney, Fotis Dulos longtime friend and attorney, will appear in court on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder connected to the disappearance. Mawhinney has pleaded not guilty and was also free on bond.

Schoenhorn argued state police investigators intentionally interviewed her early in the morning and lied when they said she could have her daughter back if she waived her right to an attorney during questioning, the filing read.

Law enforcement officials intentionally planned the arrest of the defendant late on a Saturday night after unlawfully barring her from her home, in a planned unconstitutional scheme to detain and interrogate her at a time when they knew she was caring for her minor child, would be sleep deprived, subjected her to an unlawful and humiliating strip search the prior evening, and would have difficulty contacting a lawyer, in order to subject her to psychological pressure and intimidation, to break down her resistance to unlawful interrogation, Schoenhorn said in the motion.

Schoenhorn wants any statements his client made to investigators that morning and during two subsequent interviews to be barred from use during a trial, according to the filing.

Troconis was first charged with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution in the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos who went missing on May 24, 2019.

Troconis was living with Jennifer Dulos estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, when his wife disappeared. Fotis and Jennifer Dulos were embroiled in a contentious two-year divorce and custody over their five children when she went missing, records show. Jennifer Dulos remains have not been found and she is presumed dead by police and her family.

Troconis and Fotis Dulos were charged two other times with crimes connected to the disappearance. Fotis Dulos died on Jan. 30, 2020, three weeks after he was charged with murder.

Troconis and Fotis Dulos friend and attorney, Kent Mahwinney, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder on the same day investigators took Fotis Dulos into custody to charge him with murder.

Troconis was born in the United States but moved to Venezuela as a small child with her family and later lived in Argentina. Shortly after Schoenhorn was hired to represent her in February 2020, he began requesting a Spanish-speaking interpreter at all court proceedings.

In the motion filed Wednesday, Schoenhorn said his client asked if any of the investigators questioning her on June 2 spoke Spanish and the detectives conducting the interrogation knew her comprehension of the English language was limited. The three interviews were all conducted in English, Schoenhorn said.

Consequently, her verbal responses were neither reliable nor accurately portrayed in subsequent warrant affidavits, Schoenhorn said.

Troconis was also interviewed by police on June 6 and Aug. 13, 2019, without a Spanish-speaking attorney or an interpreter present, Schoenhorn said.

The June 6 and Aug. 13, 2019 statements were the fruit of, and tainted by, the unconstitutional conduct of law enforcement officials on May 31 and June 2, 2019, and their use to obtain subsequent warrants render those warrants invalid, Schoenhorn said.

Fotis Dulos was accused of lying in wait for his estranged wife after she dropped their children off at school the morning of May 24, 2019. Troconis and Fotis Dulos were captured on video in Hartford that night dumping garbage bags that contained the blood, DNA and clothing of Jennifer Dulos, arrest records show.

Schoenhorn contends his client didnt know what Fotis Dulos was doing when he was discarding the trash bags.

Troconis is due back in court Oct. 7. Schoenhorn has filed several motions related to her case that are still pending.
DENVER (AP)  Three assisted living facility workers are being prosecuted in the death of an 86-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease who authorities alleged was left outside in sweltering weather for six hours, officials said.

Jamie Johnston, 30, Jenny Logan, 50, and Letticia Martinez, 27, were charged with negligent death of an at risk person and criminally negligent homicide, both felonies, in the death of Hazel Place at Cappella Assisted Living and Memory in Grand Junction on June 14, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Tuesday.

Johnston and Martinez were also charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly forging patient records, according to court documents describing the charges.

Weiser's office, which investigated Place's death through its Medicaid fraud unit in conjunction with Grand Junction police, did not provide details about how Place died. National Weather Service data shows that the high temperature in Grand Junction that day was 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 Celsius).

Johnston's lawyer, Havilah Lilly, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that Johnston is presumed innocent. Lilly also said Johnston was concerned that the assisted living center has not been held accountable but declined further comment since she has not yet received evidence in the case.

Court records did not list a lawyer representing Logan and Martinez is represented by a lawyer from the public defender's office, which does not comment on cases.

When asked if the facility's operators could also possibly face charges, Weiser's spokesman, Lawrence Pacheco, said he could not comment beyond what the office has released because the case is active. The court documents detailing the evidence gathered against the workers have been sealed, he said.

Place could walk and did so frequently in a routine that was familiar to caregivers, but was supposed to be checked on every hour because she was at risk of falling, her daughter, Donna Golden, told The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction.

What it boils down to, as the caregivers that day and probably on other days, none of them were doing their job. Not a one of them checked her, she said.

Cappella Assisted Living and Memory said in a statement that it reported the circumstances surrounding Place's death to regulators and conducted an internal investigation which led to the dismissal of two of the workers. The third worker was placed on investigatory leave, the statement said.

We are very saddened by the passing of this beloved resident, and we continue to send our sincerest sympathy to this residents family and friends," the statement said.
While Connecticut appears to be on back side of delta-driven coronavirus surge, public health experts are slow to make predictions about what the next stage of the pandemic will look like.

The state Department of Health, similarly, has not issued any forecasts as we approach our second pandemic winter.

Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief clinical officer for the Yale New Haven Health system, said its hard to speculate what comes next, but hes observed that cases at Yale have generally followed a two-month cycle. If that pattern continues, the system will likely see cases decline for the next six weeks or so.

Well get down possibly to single digits again like we saw a month or two ago and then well start climbing up again, Balcezak said at Tuesdays regular briefing by Yale New Haven Health. What were going to see for the foreseeable future is between three and five patients, up to a peak of 40 to 50.

Public health experts have warned that the approaching colder months, when people will be gathered indoors where the chances of transmission are higher, could lead to another rise in cases. Though this time around, there are vaccines that have proven highly effective in preventing severe illness and death from the virus.

Yale on Tuesday reported a 45 percent decrease in COVID-19 patients over the past two weeks, while state numbers showed a 19 percent decline in the number of people in hospitals with the illness during that same period.

These are signs that, as some public health officials predicted, the summertime delta-driven coronavirus surge is coming to an end in Connecticut.

Its hard to say which way its going to go, said Dr. Asha Shah, director of infectious diseases at Stamford Health, said of the trajectory of the pandemic in the coming months. As of now, things have plateaued. Hospitaliztions are coming down, the percent positivty is coming down.

For the most part, Connecticut residents are following public health measures like masking and social distancing, and a lot of businesses are requiring masks when indoors, all of which is helping to curb the spread of the virus here.

Still, COVID is here to stay, Shah said. Its going to continue to circulate to some extent in the community.

The state on Tuesday reported 394 new daily COVID-19 cases out of 13,932 tests for a daily positivity rate of 2.83 percent. The weekly rate is at 2.9 percent, about even from a week earlier, down from earlier in the summer.

The state also reported 15 fewer coronavirus patients Tuesday from a day earlier for a total of 294 in Connecticut hospitals. The majority of the patients  75 percent  are not fully inoculated, according to the state.

We are going in the right direction  at least now, Marna Borgstrom, president and CEO at Yale New Haven Health system, said Tuesday.

At Yales hospitals, two-thirds of the patients are not vaccinated, Borgstrom said. Of the total 74 patients with COVID, 26 are in intensive care units and 22 are on ventilators.

Clearly, people are still getting very sick, she said.

While about a third of Yales patients are vaccinated, Balcezak said many of them are not hospitalized directly due to the virus. All patients are tested, so a vaccinated person hospitalized for a car accident, for example, who tests positive for COVID would be recorded as a breakthrough case.

Balcezak estimated the number of vaccinated patients hospitalized directly because of COVID to be closer to 10 percent.

The highly transmissible delta variant is leading to more breakthrough infections, but the cases tend to be mild or asymptomatic. Still, it shows why additional layers of protection  such as masking, particularly indoors  is important even for people who vaccinated, Balcezak said.

The least safe activity is for unmasked and unvaccinated people to gather in large crowds indoors, he said. But other decisions about indoor activities are less clear and come down to balancing decisions on individual risk.

Why are you going there? Is this a funeral for a beloved friend or a concert for a band that youre somewhat interested in? Balcezak said. You have to balance each one of those variables to come up with an individual risk because there is no guarantee here on anything.

julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com
GREENWICH  Matthew Hartigan has been appointed assistant principal at Julian Curtiss School effective immediately.

Hartigan replaces Brenda Brush, who left Greenwich to accept a principals job in another school district.

Mr. Hartigan has dedicated his professional career to the Greenwich community for more than a decade and has been a tremendous asset to our community, said schools Superintendent Toni Jones in a press release announcing the promotion. He will fit in perfectly with Julian Curtiss School.

Hartigan last year served as special education program administrator at Greenwich High School and at the districts Central Office since August 2021.

He has been with the district since 2008, first as a special education/social studies teacher at Arch Alternative High School, then at Western Middle School as a special education/resource room teacher, and then as a special education/resource room teacher at Greenwich High, while completing internships at GHS, Riverside School and the district office.

We are excited to welcome Mr. Hartigan to the Julian Curtiss community, Principal Trish McGuire said. He has been assisting our team since the start of the new school year, giving us an opportunity to gain insight into his expertise and passion to serve the students, staff, and families of Greenwich Public Schools. Mr. Hartigan will bring a fresh perspective to the culture of our school. I look forward to partnering with him to further develop our deep commitment to teaching and learning within the multicultural community of Julian Curtiss.

Hartigan holds a bachelors degree in history, a masters degree in education of social studies and a Connecticut 026 Certificate from St. Lawrence University; a Sixth Year Degree and cross certification in special education and CT 165 Special Education Certificate from Southern Connecticut State University; and a CT 092 Administration Certificate from the University of Bridgeport.

I am honored and excited to begin working with the Julian Curtiss students, community and staff as their new assistant principal, Hartigan said. I look forward to joining the dedicated team at JC to support student growth, create positive experiences within the school and community, and ensure that the needs of all learners are met.
UTICA, N.Y. (AP)  Former Republican U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, who represented upstate New York for 24 years, died at age 84, according to a statement from former staff members.

The Utica-area resident died late Monday at a local hospice after a brief illness, according to the statement. He served in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 2007.

Boehlert was chairman of the House Science Committee from 2001 through 2006. And he was a leader of a small moderate Republican faction in Congress that clashed with President George W. Bush over such issues as global warming and spending for social programs.

Boehlert was remembered Tuesday by elected officials in both major parties for his work on behalf of his central New York constituents and for environmental issues.

Sherrys rich legacy, his support of science, his commitment to combating climate change, and his deep love for the Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley will live on for generations to come, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said in a prepared statement.

On Twitter, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said Boehlert was a true public servant  he didnt serve based on political party, but based on what was the right thing to do."

Boehlert was elected Oneida County Executive in 1979 and held the position until successfully running for Congress a few years later.

He served in the U.S. Army and graduated from Utica College in 1961.

He is survived by his wife, Marianne, and four children among other relatives and friends.

Funeral arrangements were pending.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The ruling emir of Qatar, whose nation has played a pivotal role in Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal, urged world leaders gathered at the United Nations on Tuesday against turning their backs on the country's Taliban rulers.

Speaking from the podium of the U.N. General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stressed the necessity of continuing dialogue with Taliban because boycott only leads to polarization and reactions, whereas dialogue could bring in positive results.

His warning was directed at the many heads of state worried about engaging with the Taliban and recognizing their takeover of Afghanistan.

The Taliban say they want international recognition. The group challenged the credentials of Afghanistans former U.N. ambassador and are asking to speak at the U.N. General Assemblys high-level meeting of world leaders. They say it is the responsibility of the United Nations to recognize their government and for other countries to have diplomatic relations with them.

Senior State Department officials said they were aware of the Talibans request as the U.S. is a member of the U.N. credentials committee, but they would not predict how that panel might rule. However, one of the officials said the committee would take some time to deliberate, suggesting that the Talibans envoy would not be able to speak at the General Assembly at this session, at least during the high-level leaders week.

To date, no nation has yet formally recognized the Talibans ascension by force to power or its all-male Cabinet, which is stacked with senior figures who were previously detained in the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba or are on a United Nations sanctions list. The group has said this exclusively Taliban-run Cabinet is only interim, offering hope that a future government could be more inclusive.

In the spirit of diplomacy, Sheikh Tamim said Qatar agreed years ago to host the Taliban's political leadership in exile because we were confident that war offers no solution and that there would be dialogue in the end.

Qatar is a close U.S ally and hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, but the tiny Gulf Arab state also has some sway with the Taliban. Because of its unique role, Qatar hosted direct U.S.-Taliban talks around the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and helped facilitate evacuations from Kabul.

Now, countries like the U.S. and Japan have relocated their diplomatic staff in Afghanistan to Qatar to continue diplomacy from there. Qatar is also assisting with the facilitation of needed humanitarian aid and with operations at Kabul airport.

Sheikh Tamim on Tuesday urged against repeating past mistakes in Afghanistan to impose a political system from outside.

Regardless of intentions, efforts made and money invested, this experience in Afghanistan has collapsed after 20 years, Sheikh Tamim said.

The 41-year-old leader said the international community must continue to support Afghanistan at this critical stage and to separate humanitarian aid from political differences. Afghanistan is among the worlds poorest countries and receives billions of dollars in foreign aid a year, though that could change with the U.S.-backed government out of power and the Taliban now in charge.

Uzbekistan, another neighboring country to Afghanistan, has resumed the supply of oil and electricity to the war-torn country, according to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

It is impossible to isolate Afghanistan and leave it within the range of its problems, he said in remarks at the U.N. on Tuesday. He called for a permanent U.N. Committee on Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, Pakistans foreign minister told reporters at U.N. headquarters that Taliban rulers should understand that if they want recognition and assistance in rebuilding the war-battered country they have to be more sensitive and more receptive to international opinion and norms. The top leadership of the Taliban for years has operated out of Pakistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan and is home to large numbers of Afghan refugees.

Despite their promises of an open and inclusive system, there have been numerous troubling signs that the Taliban are restricting womens rights and targeting activists and those they battled against as they settle into government after taking control of the capital of Kabul last month. During their previous rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life.

Sheikh Tamim said it is up to the Afghan people to achieve a comprehensive political settlement and pave the way for stability. He touted Qatar's outsized role in assisting with the chaotic U.S.-led evacuation of more than 100,000 Afghans and others from Kabul in August.

This was our humanitarian duty, he said.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in New York contributed to this report.

___

Dubai-based Associated Press journalist Aya Batrawy covers the Gulf and wider Middle East. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ayaelb
TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  Two men who were involved in a crash on Interstate 75 are accused of carjacking the good Samaritans who stopped to help them, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The crash happened when the driver lost control of the vechile and hit a barrier wall on I-75 before stopping in the center southbound lane, troopers said in a report sent Tuesday night.
STAMFORD  A 20-year-old Stamford man has been charged in an August shooting that left one man injured, police said.

Keegan Bowes, 20, was charged with first-degree assault and criminal possession of a firearm in connection with an Aug. 20 shooting in the Glenbrook section of the city.

Capt. Richard Conklin said Bowes allegedly shot a 24-year-old man in the hand during a dispute in the rear parking lot of an apartment complex on Glenbrook Road.

The man suffered a fractured hand in the shooting, according to a warrant for Bowes arrest.

In the warrant, the victim told police he was walking north on Valley Road with a friend when a powder blue Hyundai pulled into the complexs parking lot and two men got out.

The warrant said one of the men, later identified as Bowes, pulled out a gun with a green laser sight and allegedly fired one shot at the victim. The two men then hopped back in the vehicle and fled the scene, the warrant said.

The victim told investigators that he knew Bowes and had purchased marijuana from him multiple times in the past few years, according to the warrant. The victim also admitted he owed Bowes about $500 for marijuana he had bought nearly two years earlier, the warrant said.

Bowes was picked up in Westchester County, N.Y., where Conklin said he was being held in connection to a gang-related assault and stabbing in that area. When Bowes posted bond in New York on Monday, Stamford officers were there to transport him back to Connecticut.

On Tuesday, Bowes was released from custody in Stamford after posting a $200,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court here on Sept. 23.
If President Joe Bidens Build Back Better bill dies in Congress, it will be because moderate Democrats killed it.

Over the past month, those moderates have put themselves at the center of negotiations over the $3.5 trillion proposal (doled out over 10 years) for new programs, investments and social spending. And they have made demands that threaten to derail the bill  and the rest of Bidens agenda with it.

In the House last week, a group of moderate Democrats successfully opposed a measure that would allow direct government negotiation of drug prices and help pay for the bill. One of the most popular items in the entire Democratic agenda  and a key campaign promise in the 2018 and 2020 elections  federal prescription drug negotiation was supposed to be a slam dunk. But the moderates say it would hurt innovation from drugmakers. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has likewise announced her opposition to direct government negotiation of the price of prescription drugs.

Similarly, a different group of moderate Democrats hopes to break the agreement between Democratic leadership and congressional progressives to link the Senate-negotiated bipartisan infrastructure bill to Bidens Build Back Better proposal, which would be passed under the reconciliation process to avoid a filibuster by Senate Republicans.

The point of the agreement was to win buy-in from all sides by tying the fate of one bill to the other. Either moderates and progressives get what they want, or no one does. Progressive Democrats have held their end of the bargain. But moderates are threatening to derail both bills if they dont get a vote on infrastructure before the end of the month. If they delay the vote  or it goes down  then I think you can kiss reconciliation goodbye, Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon, one of the moderates, told Politico. Reconciliation would be dead.

Of course, if the House were to vote on and pass the infrastructure bill before reconciliation was completed, there is a strong chance those moderates would leave the table altogether. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, for example, wants to table the reconciliation bill.

Instead of rushing to spend trillions on new government programs and additional stimulus funding, Congress should hit a strategic pause on the budget-reconciliation legislation, Manchin wrote this month.

Moderate Democrats want Biden to sign the bipartisan infrastructure bill. But it seems clear that they will take nothing if it means they can trim progressive sails in the process, despite the fact that many of the items in the Build Back Better bill are the most popular parts of the Democratic agenda.

Here, its worth making a larger point. In the popular understanding of American politics, the term moderate or centrist usually denotes a person who supports the aims and objectives of his or her political party but prefers a less aggressive and more incremental approach. It is the difference between a progressive or liberal Democrat who wants to expand health coverage with a new, universal program (Medicare for All) and one who wants to do the same by building on existing policies, one step at a time.

Moderates, its commonly believed, have a better sense of the American electorate and thus a better sense of the possible. And if they can almost always count on favorable and flattering coverage from the political press, it is because their image is that of the grown-ups of American politics, whose hard-nosed realism and deference to public opinion stand in contrast to the fanciful dreams of their supposedly more out-of-touch colleagues.

Given this picture of the ideological divide within parties, a casual observer might assume that, in the struggle to move Bidens agenda through Congress, the chief obstacle (beyond Republican opposition) is the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and its demands for bigger, more ambitious programs. Biden was, after all, not their first choice for president. Or their second. He won the Democratic presidential nomination over progressive opposition, and there was a sense on the left, throughout the campaign, that Biden was not (and would not be) ready to deal with the scale of challenges ahead of him or the country.

But that casual observer would be wrong. Progressives have been critical of Biden, especially on immigration and foreign affairs. On domestic policy, however, they have been strong team players; partners in pushing the presidents priorities through Congress. The reconciliation bill, for instance, is as much the work of Bernie Sanders as it is of the White House. As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders guided the initial budget resolution through the chamber, compromising on his priorities in order to build consensus with other Democrats in the Senate.

Progressive Democrats want the bill to pass, even if it isnt as large as they would like. They believe, correctly, that a win for Biden is a win for them. Moderate Democrats, however, seem to think that their success depends on their distance from the president and his progressive allies. Their obstruction might hurt Biden, but, they seem to believe, it wont hurt them.

This is nonsense. Democrats will either rise together in next years elections or they will fall together. The best approach, given the strong relationship between presidential popularity and a partys midterm performance, is to put as much of Bidens agenda into law as possible by whatever means possible.

But this would demand a more unapologetically partisan approach, and that is where the real divide between moderates and progressives emerges. Moderate and centrist Democrats seem to value a bipartisan process more than they do any particular policy outcome or ideological goal.

The most charitable explanation is that they believe that their constituents value displays of bipartisanship more than any new law or benefit. A less charitable explanation is that they see bipartisanship as a way to clip the wings of Democratic Party ambition and save themselves from taking votes that might put them in conflict with either voters or donors.

What is true of both explanations is that they show the extent to which moderate Democrats have made a fetish of bipartisan displays and anti-partisan feeling. And in doing so, they reveal that they are most assuredly not the adults in the room of American politics.

There is nothing serious about an obsession with the most superficial aspects of process over actual policy and nothing savvy about leaving real problems unaddressed in order to score points with some imagined referee.

JAMELLE BOUIE is a columnist for The New York Times.
Three new businesses will likely fill the space in the Arena Hub in Wilkes-Barre Twp. formerly occupied by Pier 1 Imports that closed last year after filing for bankruptcy.

PrimoHoagies announced it will open a new location at 395 Arena Hub Plaza in about 2,000 square feet of the space.

Robert Tamburro, trustee and general partner with TFP Limited, owner of the Arena Hub Plaza, said two other tenants are close to signing leases to occupy the remaining vacant space.

PrimoHoagies already has locations at 1020 Wilkes-Barre Twp. Blvd. and in the Narrows Shopping Center in Edwardsville and this would mark its third location in Luzerne County.

The new location planned in the Arena Hub is part of a nationwide expansion PrimoHoagies announced.

Tamburro said he thinks its great that PrimoHoagies will occupy part of the vacant space in the closed Pier 1 Imports store.

From personal experience, I know they have a great product, Tamburro said. Theyre growing and thats a plus.

In another part of the Arena Hub, Tamburro said European Wax Center is preparing to open a new location next to Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa that filled the space where retailer Avenue closed in 2019. European Wax Center provides services like Brazilian waxing as well as brow, body and facial hair waxing.

Tamburro said he also is moving forward with plans to redevelop the former Ashley Furniture site on Mundy Street with a new 45,000-square-foot building and 6,000-square-foot strip center. He said tenants have not yet signed leases but were getting pretty close.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has led some businesses to close, Tamburro said he is pleased tenants are occupying vacant spaces.

Were pleased with the way things have transpired, Tamburro said. Were grateful for what weve been able to accomplish. We feel really good about where we are.


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Published: 22 September 2021

Number of passengers at Finnish airports still far from the level of 2019 in August 2021

According to Statistics Finland, a total of 523,050 passengers flew through Finnish airports in August 2021, which was 57 per cent more than one year ago, but still 77 per cent fewer than in August 2019. The exceptionally high relative growth in the number of passengers compared to the year before is caused by the collapse of air traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. There were 445,115 passengers at Helsinki Airport and a total of 77,935 passengers at other domestic airports. Helsinki Airport accounted for 85 per cent of all passengers at domestic airports.

Number of passengers at Finnish airports by month in 2019 to 2021

In August 2021, the number of passengers at Helsinki Airport was 78 per cent lower and the combined number of passengers at other domestic airports 71 per cent lower than in August 2019. Compared with last years August, the number of passengers increased by 63 per cent at Helsinki Airport and by 29 per cent at other domestic airports.

Seventy-four per cent of the passengers were from international flights and 26 per cent from domestic flights. The share of passengers on international flights was 85 per cent at Helsinki Airport and 12 per cent in total at other domestic airports.

In August 2021, air freight and mail transport totalled 11,352 tonnes, which was 11 per cent more than one year earlier. In total, 97 per cent of the tonnes passed through Helsinki Airport and 99 per cent were transported in traffic between Finland and foreign countries. Altogether 6,314 tonnes of the transported volume of goods were outgoing and 5,038 tonnes were incoming.

Source: Transport and Tourism, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Jukka Tuominen 029 551 3635, Sami Lahtinen 029 551 3207, jukka.tuominen@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Hannele Orjala

Publication in pdf-format (163.6 kB)

Updated 22.09.2021

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Air transport [e-publication].

ISSN=2670-1847. August 2021. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 7.10.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ilma/2021/08/ilma_2021_08_2021-09-22_tie_001_en.html
The European Union must have a direct influence on aspiring states, in terms of democratic values and western standards, was the first message of Romania's delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP/CSDP), of September 9, Chair of the Chamber's foreign policy committee, Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) MP Biro Rozalia said on Wednesday.

Four parliamentarians represented Romania to this international conference, held online.

"The Romanian delegation had three speeches regarding the importance of the role of the European Union in its immediate vicinity, with reference to the process of EU enlargement. We stressed, first of all, that it is extremely necessary for the European Union to exert a direct influence on the aspiring states, in terms of democratic values and western standards, both for the Western Balkan states and for the Eastern partners associated with the EU," Biro said.The Romanian delegation also mentioned that the European Union must credibly strengthen its global leadership position and prove that it is capable of projecting stability, democracy and prosperity in its neighborhood.Last but not least, the deputy stated, the Romanian representatives affirmed that regional collaboration must be strengthened also within the European Union, in particular within the Three Seas Initiative, the Central European Initiative and the Bucharest 9 Format.According to her, the first working session of the CFSP / CSDP Conference focused on the priorities of the common foreign and defense policy. During the event, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell, referred to the crisis in Afghanistan, saying that the crisis "is far from over"."The crisis is very complex because, on the one hand, it refers to EU's position to recognise or not the Taliban government, but also to continue to evacuate those requesting it from Afghanistan. On the other hand, it is about respect for human rights in Afghanistan, as well as strengthening EU's defense policy in the context of the situation. The High Representative called for the solidarity of EU member states in this regard," said Biro Rozalia.EU decisions to strengthen defense policy must be made, said Joseph Borrell, according to the MP, in close collaboration with the US and regional organisations, in order to strengthen EU's capacity to act and develop EU's strategic autonomy.The second area addressed at the CFSP / CSDP conference referred to European cooperation in the field of security and defense, specifying the important steps that have been taken in developing the conceptual framework, as well as in launching concrete collaborative initiatives in the field of skill development. AGERPRES
PSD will table a censure motion if the Constitutional Court (CCR) rejects that of USR PLUS and AUR, and this will refer to all parties that were part of the governing coalition.

"Definitely, we will submit a motion of censure and there is a clear decision: after the CCR decision, if there is no conflict, immediately PSD will vote that motion of censure [the one submitted by USR PLUS and AUR]. If there is a conflict, PSD will submit the censure motion immediately and invites the others to vote. If they want to sign it, it will be all the better. We have one condition: you cannot refer in a censure motion to a person, you have to refer to all the parties that were part of that coalition that governed Romania", Ciolacu told a Wednesday's press conference at the PSD headquarters, asked if he gives up the submission of a censure motion given that the epidemiological situation is getting worse.

He added that PSD will submit a censure motion to overthrow the Citu Government as soon as possible, regardless of whether or not it obtains the signatures of the USR PLUS and AUR parliamentarians.
Prime Minister Florin Citu blamed USR PLUS and PSD leaders, as well as members of the Government, but especially former Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu, for not having been in vaccination centers to promote immunization, agerpres reports.

He added that instead of press messages accusing the government or "alliances with parties that do not support vaccination," the population should be encouraged to get immunized. Citu asked rhetorically when USR PLUS chairs Dan Barna and Dacian Ciolos or PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu were in a vaccination center.

Florin Citu admitted that he announced the relaxation measures in May, but added that at the same time he made sure that the vaccines were available for all categories of the population."It is true that I also announced this relaxation, but my role is to bring the vaccine and to make the vaccine available to all Romanians. Romanians had a vaccine with the ID before the rest of the EU countries. I have not made mandatory vaccination in Romania - that's what I didn't do, but at the same time, you should know that those anti-vaccination campaigns do not help. Even if the Deputy Prime Minister is not linked to the vaccination campaign, if he supports an anti-vaccination party, I see it as a responsibility in the failure of the vaccination campaign," he stressed.
The minelayer Vice Admiral Constantin Balescu (PM-274), with a detachment of combat divers on board, is departing on Thursday, from the military port of Constanta, to take part in the EUNAVFOR MED Irini operation, in the Mediterranean Sea, between October 1 - December 31.

The mission of the Romanian sailors consists of enforcing the UN embargo on arms imposed on Libya and combating the illicit trafficking of oil, drugs and persons, by monitoring maritime traffic and by executing inspections on suspicious vessels in the Mediterranean basin, shows a release of the Romanian Naval Forces sent on Wednesday to AGERPRES.

According to the source, the participation of the Romanian Army, with the capacities of the Romanian Naval Forces, in the Irini Operation contributes to fulfilling the commitments Romania assumed towards the European Union, as well as to ensure security in the Mediterranean Sea, through the participation in the joint European effort to cease the conflict in Libya.During the over 100 days of deployment in the Black and Mediterranean Seas, the minelayer will conduct training stops and stops to recover battle capacity in ports in southern Italy and Greece.The Romanian military ship is commanded by Commander Daniel Gheorma, and the 85 members of the crew were vaccinated against COVID-19, tested and quarantined in the Romanian Naval Forces accommodation facilities, before leaving on mission, for the safe conduct of activities.The minelayer Vice Admiral Constantin Balescu is at its first major interest international mission for the Romanian Naval Forces, after ensuring, in the January - June 2020 period, command of the Standing NATO Maritime Counter Measures Group Two (SNMCMG-2) and executed specific missions, together with partners in the Alliance, in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, the quoted source mentions. AGERPRES
Prime Minister Florin Citu at the end of the government meeting on Wednesday announced that the Ministry of Health will equip 1,522 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients.

"Yesterday when we had a videonconference I asked the Ministry of Health for information regarding the issue of the ICU beds. The Ministry of Health undertook to make operational, through a resilience plan, as fast as possible, new ICU beds for COVID-19 patients, up to 1,522. I also said yesterday that I believe we should reach up to 2,000 beds, but this is what we have now, in terms of information. Most of them will be made operational in Bucharest. We will have 308 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients in the first stage. Cluj County will reach 82 ICU beds, Mures 79, Iasi 77, Timis 71 ICU beds for COVID patients," showed the PM during a conference at the Victoria Palace.

He mentioned that, if necessary, the Ilfov County Hospital will switch to a COVID regime."Yesterday I contacted the president of Ilfov County Council and I proposed that the county hospital switched to a COVID regime. He agreed. We will use this hospital, if we need it, as a COVID-19 dedicated hospital," said Citu. AGERPRES
Prime Minister Florin Citu announced that a working group will be set up at the Ministry of Environment to improve the functioning of the electronic wood tracking system - SUMAL, which will also include representatives of NGOs.

"I had a meeting this morning with environmental activists and one of the journalists who were attacked in a forest in the Suceava County last week. It is clear that we cannot leave things like this, we cannot tolerate violence in any situation. The authorities must do their job to ensure that Romanian citizens are safe, and those who make mistakes have to pay! Following today's discussion, we decided that SUMAL, the electronic wood tracking system, must be improved in terms of efficiency and to ensure transparency. Therefore, a working group will be created at the Ministry of Environment, and the representatives of the NGOs will take part in the whole process," said Florin Citu, on Wednesday, in a post on Facebook.

The head of the Executive had a meeting on Wednesday, at Victoria Palace, with the environmental activists Tiberiu Bosutar and Gabriel Paun and with journalist Radu Mocanu. AGERPRES
Prime Minister Florin Citu announced on Wednesday that a decision was made to start administering the third dose, starting with September 28, for all persons who have more than 6 months after the second dose, with any of the Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Astra Zeneca vaccines.

"Today the National Committee Coordinating Vaccination Activities (CNCAV) meeting took place, which was attended by the members of the committee together with the representatives of the institutions involved in the national vaccination campaign against COVID - Ministry of Health, National Medicines Agency, National Institute of Public Health - and we took the decision that starting September 28, the third dose should be started for all persons who have more than 6 months after the second dose with any of the Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccines. The booster will be given only with RNA messenger based vaccines, regardless of the initial scheme," Florin Citu said at Victoria Palace on Wednesday.
President Klaus Iohannis laid a wreath on Tuesday and held a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, at the memorial built in place of the Twin Towers.

The head of state laid white roses in front of the names of the five Romanian-born American citizens who died as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001: Eugen Gabriel Lazar, Corina and Alexandru Liviu Stan (husband and wife), Joshua Poptean, Ana Fosteris.

President Klaus Iohannis is leading Tuesday through Thursday a delegation of Romania to the high-level segment of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, taking place in New York City.AGERPRES
President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that vaccination against COVID-19 will have to become mandatory for certain categories in key areas, as the pandemic develops and the number of infections is increasing, with medical staff as an example.

"It is not normal for some doctors to give anti-vaccine messages," Iohannis said in a conversation with reporters accompanying him to the UN General Assembly in New York.

Regarding the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, he showed that these will be differentiated between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. In this context, the head of state said that the vaccination certificate is the solution for fewer restrictions.President Klaus Iohannis is heading the Romanian delegation to the high-level segment of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Tuesday to Thursday.AGERPRES
President Klaus Iohannis announces that he will attend the PNL (National Liberal Party) Congress, on Saturday, where the chairman of the formation will be elected.

Regarding the governmental crisis, he showed on Tuesday, in a discussion with journalists that accompanied him to New York to the UN General Assembly, that it will be settled after the PNL and USR PLUS (Save Romania Union - Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity alliance)'s congresses.

The head of state does not believe in an eventual removal of Government following the two congresses and considers that PM Florin Citu can lead the Executive until the next general elections."I encourage Florin to continue and not to be afraid and the liberals to remain to govern. (...) Florin Citu has no reasons to resign or to be removed," Iohannis said.Klaus Iohannis also said that there have always been various currents within PNL, that settled after the internal elections, either by aligning behind the winner, or by going to a different party, context in which the former liberal leader, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu was given as an example.The head of state said that he still has talks with the chairman of PNL, Ludovic Orban. "But, who understands Ludovic's reactions anymore", Iohannis added, regarding the recent statements of the PNL leader towards him.President Klaus Iohannis is leading, from Tuesday to Thursday, the Romanian delegation at the highest level of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, which takes place in New York.AGERPRES
President Klaus Iohannis had a bilateral meeting in New York on Wednesday with the Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, on the sidelines of his participation in the high-level segment of the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

According to a release of the Presidential Administration sent to AGERPRES, the discussions focused on a wide range of topics regarding Romania's cooperation with the OIF, starting from Romania's role of flagship country of Francophonie in the region and in the world.

At the same time, the theme of preparations for the XVIII Summit of Francophonie (Tunisia, Djerba Island, November 20-21, 2021), dedicated to Connectivity in Diversity and Digital Technology as a vector of development and solidarity in the Francophone space was addressed.During the bilateral dialogue, special attention was paid to collaboration at the level of education and research initiatives. In this context, President Iohannis welcomed the opening of Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo to share with the OIF member states and in partnership with the Organization the conclusions, identified axes and strategies for a successful and improved education system, as will result from the implementation of the project launched at the initiative of the President of Romania.The Secretary General of the OIF welcomed the role that Romania plays at the level of the Organization, including in terms of intra-francophone solidarity, appreciating, among other things, Romania's voluntary contribution to the solidarity fund created by the International Organization of Francophonie for Women, La Francophonie avec Elles , as well as the granting - uninterruptedly, since 2007 - of doctoral and post-doctoral research fellowships through the "Eugen Ionescu" program and the granting of voluntary humanitarian and international development contributions, mainly through the UN agencies present in the field.
The delegation of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the European Parliament requested a priority debate, with a resolution, during the plenary session in October, regarding the increase of energy prices, a "major" existing problem at the level of the European Union.

"The PSD MEPs have placed emphasis on the necessity for a concrete European plan, to be based on the identification of quick solutions to diminish the effects of an eventual lack of energy resources and even food resources, generated by the current price increase wave," shows a press release sent on Wednesday to AGERPRES by the Social Democrats.

According to the PSD MEPs, the importance of this matter will grow "even more" as the cold season approaches."In Romania, the situation is alarming, being one of the main public concerns, as is the case in Spain, Italy and many other countries of the European Union. The current context will become harder to bear for families with lower incomes, but also for SMEs. This is the reason for which we are requesting a debate with resolution, for October 1, titled - 'European solutions regarding the increase in energy prices: a path to follow in combating energy poverty.' Through this demarche expect the European Commission to present additional solutions, rapid and concrete, to respond thus to the risks Romania and many other EU member-states face," said the PSD representatives.They recalled that the Legislative Package "Fit for 55", which comprises the measures proposed by the European Commission to reduce by 55 pct carbon emissions until 2030, was recently in debate during the Strasbourg plenary session and will also require a series of other discussions."'Fit for 55' is extremely necessary and important, but must be accompanied by active compensatory measures addressed directly to vulnerable citizens, as well as SMEs, in order for the impoverishment of people to not be accentuated. There is need, maybe more than ever, for a joint effort of member-states, so that no European citizens be left behind and the ecological transition be done in a sustainable manner," the PSD MEPs mentioned. AGERPRES
Mainstream media have moved so far left over the past two decades that any party faithful to conservative  and especially Christian values  is now branded far right. This label is wide off the mark for most political parties and actors on the Christian-right spectrum, writes George Simion.

I grew up in the 1990s in post-Communist Romania  a country quickly finding its democratic legs and rediscovering political pluralism after four decades of single-party dictatorship.

The Romanian Communist Party was reincarnated at the time and successfully claimed the left of the political spectrum, later morphing into todays Social-Democrat Party (PSD). The PSD barely faced any competition before the emergence of the progressive-liberal party, Save Romania Union (USR), followed by another party, the Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (PLUS), which officially merged to form the consolidated platform, USRPLUS, which sought to capture the right.

From the early 1990s, my family was more interested in the newly reestablished historical parties that were banned by the Soviet-inspired totalitarian regime that ruled our country from the end of World War II until the Romanian Revolution in December 1989. Many educated workers and urban intellectuals became involved in the resurrected Romanian right that promised to return to the social and political fold conservative values such as promoting religious freedom, family life and respect for the elderly. Christian values were dear to me as a young man and to my parents.

Romanias new democracy also brought back the far right, represented by various niche parties of xenophobes, Neo-Nazis and other extremists that had very little membership and zero public support, which translated into dismal electoral results. Like most Romanians, who see Romanias Communist experiment as a totalitarian tragedy, I have never liked extremists and have nothing in common with them. To advocate for extremism is to seek a return to this catastrophic chapter.

I was barely 10 years old in autumn 1996, when the center-right Christian-Democratic National Peasants Party (PNT-CD) spearheaded a broader coalition that won the general elections and the presidency in Romania. Society pinned great hopes on that alliance of parties. We believed that we would see the moral rehabilitation of a corrupt and decaying political class after six years of crypto-Communist rule. But after failing to deliver on some essential promises  largely due to coalition infighting and poor internal coordination  the PNT-CD missed the threshold in the 2000 parliamentary elections. It has played a marginal role in Romanian politics ever since.

From that moment forward, politics in Romania succumbed to increasing levels of corruption, chaos, and bureaucracy. Unfortunately, unlike the Baltic states and also Poland, Romania never saw a comprehensive turnover of its ruling class after the fall of the Communist regime. Successive generations of interlinked politicians and oligarchs followed, who had different names and faces but all shared the same goal and priority  to steal as much as possible from the nations coffers, and to ensure a stagnancy in democratic growth that would allow them to continue doing so.

That is why, after nearly a decade and a half of political activism, I decided to enter the political foray in 2019 and founded the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR). Because Romanias political class has persisted to fall so far astray over the past years, I believe that the only way for us to get back on track as a people and as a nation is to replace our political elite, one so marred by thievery and corruption, with one that is defined by family, nation, Christian faith, and liberty.

After five electoral cycles, the AUR shocked critics in December 2020 by receiving nearly 10 percent of the popular vote. No other political party established on Christian-Democratic or conservative values had ever won a seat in the Romanian Parliament in the two decades before.

Because the AUR was only one year old at the time, competent media coverage the world over is at an all-time low, and the average journalist in Romania is still relatively young, the media fell into confusion and rushed to categorize the AUR as far right, when we are in fact anything but.

Some media still find it fashionable to label us this way, although we have dealt with social, environmental, cultural, educational and national identity issues over the nine months of our parliamentary activity without ever espousing a far-right idea. And we never will. It is a shame, and, for us, a disaster, that although we were at first likely mislabeled as far right out of naivety, this mislabeling is now fueled by a progressive current in Western media that our critics have latched onto to debase us in the hope to keep stagnancy and corruption in Romania alive. For them, Romania is a giving tree that lines their pockets. God forbid they should lose their place at the trough.

But this phenomenon of maliciously identifying conservative and Christian parties as far right is not specific to Romania  and it did not originate here. It is global in nature. The fire was lit and stoked by the liberal mainstream media in the United States as part of a coordinated effort to attack the Republican Party during the previous administration. This paradigm shift in the media has caught fire globally  and pushed the boundaries of political currents to the left without any prior notice. Mainstream media worldwide now denigrate parties that traditionally swam in the right lane of politics and mislabel them as far right for the sole sin of promoting Christian values.

I have never been one to feel burdened by the words of those who wrongfully criticize me and my actions, especially when there is ill-will or purposeful misdirection at play. So, I write this piece solely as a message to the young voters out there  in Romania and all over the world: Political parties that build their program around true Christian values are, in fact, incompatible with the far right. To equate them is mistaken and sickening. The basic morality of Christianity is not and cannot be extremist. It is built on respect and the struggle to achieve good for all people, everywhere, without discrimination. While ideologies and media paradigms shift periodically and eventually become obsolete, conservative values and their adherents will remain strong.

Parties such as ours are here to defend them  and we are here to stay.

George Simion is the president of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians in EUreporter
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by Austin Bay September 21, 2021

Beltway raconteur Bob Woodward has a track record for sensationalizing gossip in order to create buzz and sell books.

In American high schools and the Washington Beltway -- is there a difference? -- "buzz" is a term for manipulating emotional and social responses to achieve a goal. Woodward? He wants to sell books and demonstrate he matters, years after Watergate made him a Washington Post legend.

In the case of high school, the buzz creators are usually Mean Girls decapitating Nice Girl rivals or punishing boys and girls who ignore or abhor Mean Girl deceits, scams and deceptions.

Washington? Hey, in the Beltway, Mean Girl is an asexual term for a power-mad, self-serving politician practicing perception warfare, no matter the on-the-ground reality (Afghanistan; Haitians under a Del Rio bridge), no matter the cost to American taxpayers, no matter the damage to American national security.

Woodward and co-author Robert Costa have a new book out named "Peril." According to their buzz, the authors claim that shortly after the Jan. 6 Washington semi-riot, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley was so deeply concerned by President Donald Trump's behavior he decided he simply had to -- absolutely had to -- take personal action outside the chain of command in order to prevent an out-of-control Trump from starting a nuclear war or whatever against Communist China.

Since Woodward and Costa's publicists started buzzing, Milley has acknowledged something happened.

The something: One of Milley's public affairs officers, Col. David Butler, said that Milley's "calls with the Chinese and others in October and January were in keeping with (his) duties and responsibilities conveying reassurance in order to maintain strategic stability."

Col. Butler's something sounds like a concession, though note he employs bureaucratic rhetorical camouflage -- a classic perception warfare technique. Still, Butler admits Milley spoke with senior Chinese military officers. Missing in action: the subject Milley addressed was potential U.S. military action against the nation that is America's most potent adversary. More missing facts: Milley spoke to the Chinese officers without approval from Trump. Reflect for a moment and it sounds like Milley acted on his own self-serving Hollywood script, not on evidence Trump was preparing to start a war.

The Beltway is a vicious high school of a sort, but unfortunately its viciousness isn't Mean Girls wrestling with fantasy crises. In Milley's case, we're confronting the abrogation of the constitutional order of the military under civilian control and ultimately the U.S. military's duty to defend America regardless of the party or personality of the president.

Fact for Milley: Senior Chinese military officers are members of the Chinese Communist Party. Tiananmen Square. Hong Kong absorption. Uighur genocide. The Chinese military is a Party tool, Mark, a violent tool.

Milley's short-sighted and, I argue, savvily self-serving action weakened U.S. national security and put the U.S. constitutional system at risk.

Milley's actions are another example of the destructive perception warfare waged against the American people by powerful Beltway elites -- and the worst examples of this war are perpetrated by power elites in the Democratic Party, to include President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton.

It's a benevolent coincidence that last week Special Counsel John Durham indicted former Hillary Clinton campaign paid lawyer Michael Sussman. The Clinton campaign's Russia collusion lie compromised and ultimately sacrificed the FBI's counterintelligence security function and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court's credibility to Hillary's personal political goals. Her goals superseded American security. Hillary's collusion crock was hatched to distract from her criminal abuse of classified information. The payoff for some of the actors? According to Durham's indictment, positions in her administration. For the New York Times and Washington Post? Media Pulitzers for pushing a total lie.

Mark Milley violated constitutional order and subverted the chain of command. Why? His goal doesn't matter, but here's my guess: to secure the largesse of Biden and the Beltway media.

Try Milley by court martial, convict and sentence him to Fort Leavenworth's Long Course. At Leavenworth, he can discuss perception warfare with his sledge while he whacks a rock.
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.), a venture debt investment firm that provides innovative financing solutions to successful venture capital-backed companies, announced the additions of Troy Zander, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, and Digvijay Sunny Singh, President of Tech Coast Angels, to A.R.I.s industry-leading Advisory Board.

Troy and Sunny are experts in the venture capital ecosystem, with deep experience nationally and in Southern California. They significantly bolster A.R.I.s already strong presence in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego, given their extensive networks of successful founders, startups, corporates, venture capitalists, and venture lenders, said Zack Ellison, A.R.I.s Founder and Managing General Partner.

They have successfully evaluated thousands of venture deals at all stages, ranging from small angel-stage equity rounds to very large late-stage venture debt financings, and everything in-between. Their knowledge and connectivity will be instrumental in sourcing transaction opportunities and facilitating A.R.I.s mission to democratize access to capital for women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups, continued Mr. Ellison.

Troy Zander is the partner-in-charge of the San Diego office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, an AmLaw 100 law firm with nearly 700 lawyers in 20 offices across the United States. Troy is a member of the firms Corporate Department and is on the firms Management Committee. He focuses his practice on the representation of lenders and companies in documenting technology, life sciences, and middle market financing transactions, including venture debt financings, bridge loans, and traditional commercial leveraged debt financings.

Troy has represented agents, lenders, participants, and companies in credit facilities aggregating in excess of $75 billion. He has also represented companies, secured and unsecured creditors, committees, trustees, and asset purchasers in bankruptcy and out-of-court proceedings and continues to represent lenders in forbearances, loan restructurings, amendments, modifications, and asset acquisitions and dispositions. He has restructured debt in excess of $2.5 billion in federal, state, and out-of-court proceedings. Troy is also an author and speaker on the subjects of secured transactions and lending against intellectual property assets.

Troy is a member of the California Bar Association, the San Diego County Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association. He has served on the Board of Directors for multiple organizations, including Feeding America San Diego (2014-2017; Chair: 2010-2014), The New Children's Museum (2012-2013), and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (2011-2013). Troy was pro bono General Counsel to Feeding America, from 2006 through 2017. He earned his JD from the University of San Diego School of Law and his BA from the University of California San Diego.

I am honored to join the talented and distinguished Advisory Board of Applied Real Intelligence, and to be a part of the growth and development of A.R.I.s inaugural Venture Debt Opportunities Fund.

"The venture debt market continues to grow substantially in size and importance as more founders seek minimally dilutive debt capital to fuel growth. I have been a venture debt attorney for more than 25 years and worked on thousands of transactions and Im currently more excited about the prospects of venture debt as an asset class than at any time in my career.

"A.R.I. is well positioned to help founders and compete for the most sought-after deals given their deep experience in creative debt structuring, strong industry relationships, and ability to execute quickly. I look forward to lending my expertise to facilitate the teams success, said Mr. Zander.

Dr. Digvijay "Sunny" Singh has a broad technology, investing, and business operations background. He started his career with deep engineering projects at Lockheed Martin where he worked on F-16 fighter jets. He earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering / Computer Science at UCLA, where he became part of the founding team of an artificial intelligence-based medical device startup which received institutional venture funding and went on to be commercialized with full FDA approval. Sunny subsequently launched his own IT and cybersecurity business which exited in 2020.

Sunny began Angel investing in early-stage startups in 2015 and was invited to join Tech Coast Angels (TCA) in Los Angeles in 2017. He climbed the ranks at TCA over the years and is currently the youngest President in TCA history. Sunny was also the founding and managing member for the first TCA Los Angeles investment fund in 2019. Sunny has reviewed over 2,000 venture capital deals, has a personal investment portfolio of a few dozen startups, and continues to be a very active investor in Southern California.

Venture capital has experienced an unprecedented amount of capital raised and deployed over the last several years. Venture debt is very profitable but remains an underserved and inefficient segment of the venture ecosystem, with funding concentrated in entrepreneurs from only a few narrow segments of society.

A.R.I.s mission to invest capital in underserved people, industry sectors, and regions in an equitable and inclusive manner is exactly what venture needs right now. There is a massive amount of untapped high-quality investment opportunities being overlooked by other investment firms and A.R.I. will help to fill this gap in the market, said Mr. Singh.

About Applied Real Intelligence LLC (A.R.I.)

A.R.I. is a Los Angeles-based venture debt investment manager focused on providing financing solutions to innovative, high-growth, VC-backed companies in recession-resistant sectors and underserved regions in North America. A.R.I. has dual missions of: (1) democratizing access to capital for all founders; (2) providing A.R.I.s investors with access to innovation as an asset class, superior risk-adjusted returns, security of capital, and strong portfolio diversification benefits. To learn more, please visit www.arivc.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005353/en/

Zack Ellison, Managing General Partner, zellison@arivc.com, 310-881-3893 (ext. 100)

Source: Applied Real Intelligence
COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MeridianLink, Inc. (NYSE: MLNK) today announced TazWorks, its leading technology platform for independent background screening professionals, has expanded employment verification offerings with data provider MeasureOne. MeasureOnes consumer-permissioned data platform-as-a-service is a comprehensive, automated system for accessing, acquiring, parsing, and delivering education, employment, income, and other consumer data solutions.

We appreciate the opportunity to expand our partnership with MeridianLink, TazWorks, and their background screening community," said Yaron Oren, chief revenue officer, MeasureOne. "We've seen a lot of success collaborating with TazWorks to deliver our innovative, alternative approach to verifying educational data. We look forward to bringing the same benefits of our consumer-permissioned approach to verification of employment, such as speed, cost-efficiency, accuracy, and transparency."

This partnership enables TazWorks to offer employment verification that provides expansive coverage, with broader data access than previously available. The solution also offers flexible deployment options for seamless integrations.

The addition of MeasureOnes employment verification is a great win for TazWorks clients, said Amy Daniels, senior vice president, Partner Marketplace, MeridianLink. This product offers applicant-permissioned data to businesses where only the necessary information is extracted and shared. We see this as an important advancement as applicant privacy, which is a top priority for all parties involved.

To learn more about MeasureOne verification services, visit https://tazworks.com/support or contact TazWorks support at (801) 572-7401.

About MeridianLink

MeridianLink (NYSE: MLNK) is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, specialty lending providers and consumer reporting agencies. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, MeridianLink provides services to more than 1,900 customers, including a majority of the financial institutions on Forbes 2020 lists of Americas Best Credit Unions and Banks. Further information can be found at www.meridianlink.com.

About MeasureOne

MeasureOne, the leading consumer-permissioned data exchange platform, transforms the way in which businesses access and use consumer data. MeasureOne empowers organizations to access a wide range of trusted consumer data while prioritizing privacy and consent. Through MeasureOnes platform, businesses can confidently and reliably integrate and verify consumer information such as income, employment, education and student enrollment. MeasureOne offers flexible implementation options for businesses to easily leverage consumer-permissioned data, from a developer-friendly API to third party integrations. MeasureOne is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information about MeasureOne, visit www.measureone.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921005025/en/

ICR for MeridianLink

MeridianLink-PR@icrinc.com

Becky Frost

(714) 784-5839

becky.frost@meridianlink.com

Source: MeridianLink, Inc.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BetterLife Pharma Inc. (BetterLife or the Company) (CSE: BETR / OTCQB: BETRF / FRA: NPAU) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Altum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Altum), and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile have enrolled the first patient in the Phase 1 portion of the Phase 1-2 randomized placebo controlled (IN2COVID) in COVID-19 patients. The trial tests BetterLifes proprietary inhaled interferon alpha-2b product, AP-003.

The IN2COVID trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04988217) consists of a randomized placebo Phase 1 portion in healthy subjects followed by a randomized placebo-controlled Phase 2 portion in early stage COVID-19 patients (

"We are excited to be able to initiate this trial of AP-003 in COVID-19 patients in collaboration with the Escuela de Medicina (School of Medicine) at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, said BetterLifes Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ahmad Doroudian. The team, as well as the trial center, are the leaders in Chile in conducting COVID-19 trials.

Dr. Arturo Borzutzky, Study Director of the IN2COVID trial and Associate Professor and Head of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology at the School of Medicine of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile said, "We are pleased to be partnering with Altum to bring AP-003 to COVID-19 patients. He added, There are several reasons why there is a need for an effective, easy to administer, non-invasive treatment, such as AP-003, for COVID-19. These reasons include: emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, not knowing the duration of protection afforded by the current vaccines and the reality of breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals.

Dr. Eleanor Fish, one of the Principal Investigators of the trial, commented, AP-003, being a Type I interferon, is a broad acting antiviral agent and, therefore, may be effective in all the scenarios described by my colleague Dr. Borzutzky. Dr. Fish is a Professor in the Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, and Emerita Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network. Dr. Fish is the principal author of the exploratory trial published in 2020 in Frontiers of Immunology titled "Interferon-2b Treatment for COVID-19", which examined the outcome of treating a cohort of 77 individuals with confirmed COVID-19 admitted to Union Hospital, Wuhan, China, with inhaled interferon-2b. The study revealed the therapeutic benefits of Interferon-2b treatment in patients with early COVID-19. The authors concluded that a randomized clinical trial was warranted in moderate cases of COVID-19 and "treatment with IFN-2 may benefit public health measures aimed at slowing the tide of this pandemic, in that this exploratory study demonstrated that duration of viral shedding was shortened, and lung abnormalities and systemic inflammation were significantly reduced." The current IN2COVID trial in Chile was designed to test these.

About BetterLife Pharma

BetterLife Pharma Inc. is an emerging biotechnology company engaged in the development and commercialization of next generation psychedelic products for the treatment of mental disorders. Utilizing drug delivery platform technologies, BetterLife is also refining and developing drug candidates from a broad set of complementary interferon-based technologies which have the potential to engage the immune system to fight virus infections, such as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and human papillomavirus.

For further information, please visit www.abetterlifepharma.com.

About Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile:

Founded in 1888, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile is currently one of the leading higher education institutions in Latin America, ranked first in the continent for three years in a row by the Times Higher Education Ranking. Universidad Catolica aspires to achieve excellence in the creation and transfer of knowledge and in providing a Catholic-based educational experience that motivates both personal growth and the development of an inquisitive and critical mind. One of its objectives is to educate persons who are committed to the construction of a more just and prosperous society. The University is an important national center for research in social sciences, natural sciences, health, economics, agriculture, philosophy, theology, arts and literature. Located in a young and geographically distant country, the University believes that maintaining an active exchange program with foreign universities is crucial for academic development.

For further information, please visit https://www.uc.cl/en.

About University Health Network

University Health Network consists of Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and The Michener Institute of Education at UHN. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University Health Network has made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in arthritis, cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. University Health Network is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.

For more information, visit: www.uhn.ca

Contact Information

BetterLife Pharma:

Ahmad Doroudian, Chief Executive Officer Email: ahmad.doroudian@blifepharma.comPhone: 604-221-0595

Media enquiries:

BuchananHenry Harrison-Topham / Jamie Hooper / Ariadna PeretzPhone: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000Email: betterlife@buchanan.uk.comwww.buchanan.uk.com

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile:

Camila Diaz, JournalistSchool of Medicine Communications DepartmentEmail: cdias@uc.cl Phone: +569-72117700

Natalia de la Puente, JournalistSchool of Medicine Communications DepartmentEmail: ncdelapuente@uc.cl Phone: +569-76950837

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

No securities exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to product development, licensing, commercialization and regulatory compliance issues and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipate, expects and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.

Source: BetterLife Pharma Inc.
PORTLAND, Maine, Sept. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CAI Software, a leading provider of mission-critical, end-to-end production-oriented software applications, is pleased to announce the release of ShopVue Warehouse Management. ShopVue, an industry-leading Manufacturing Execution System (MES), has been helping companies for nearly four decades optimize their People, Processes, Orders, and Machines in the production area of their business.

CAI Software acquired Radley Corporation in December of 2020. Radley has been providing process automation tools for over 30 years and brings deep subject matter expertise with respect to materials management. Radley Warehouse Management is now being offered to the ShopVue Community as an add-on module, ShopVue Warehouse Management.

"For years our customers have asked ShopVue to help them manage materials and inventory as part of their production management strategy," said Steve Cascio, Chief Customer Officer. "Our collaboration with Radley allowed us to accelerate this strategic initiative and to deliver greater value for our clients across their production processes."

"Radley is pleased to contribute a flexible warehouse management solution to the ShopVue Community," said Kevin Cammet, Radley Vice President. "The addition of scalable solutions for receiving, inventory management, warehouse task optimization, and shipment verification provides a complete, end-to-end solution for manufacturers."

Additional Resources

Contact a ShopVue representative at +1 207 773 0944 or sales@shopvue.com

View a Demo Now

About CAI Software, LLC

CAI Software, LLC is a recognized leader in the delivery of mission-critical, production-oriented enterprise resource planning (ERP), manufacturing execution systems (MES), warehouse management software (WMS), electronic data interchange (EDI), and Enterprise Process Automation (EPA) software and services to leading companies in select vertical markets, including building materials, food processing, precious metals, manufacturing, and distribution. We are headquartered in Rhode Island, USA. For more information, please visit www.caisoft.com.

About ShopVue

ShopVue, a division of CAI Software, is the leading manufacturing execution system (MES) software for mid- and enterprise-sized manufacturers. ShopVue bridges the gap between the shop floor and your ERP, and optimizes shop floor performance, data collection and control by managing a factory's people, processes, orders and machines. ShopVue schedules machines, provides Paperless Dispatches with digital work instructions and QC checklists. OneClick Operator interactions on touch screens along with IoT interfaces to machine controls provide real-time yield and efficiency information on dashboards. Other modules include Labor Management, OEE and Lot Traceability. We are headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA. For more information, please visit www.shopvue.caisoft.com.

About Radley, LLC

Since 1974, Radley has been providing innovative Electronic Data Interchange, Automated Data Collection and Supply Chain Management software solutions and support for companies across various industries. Through a combination of consulting, software & hardware configuration, training and support, Radley serves organizations around the world looking to improve their business logistics processes. To learn more about Radley, visit www.radley.com.

###

Media Contact

Sabrina Mains

207-773-0944

smains@shopvue.com

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Source: CAI Software
Boca Raton, Florida and Jerusalem, Israel--(Newsfile Corp. - September 20, 2021) - NovelStem International Corp. (OTC Pink: NSTM), a biotechnology company focused on the stem cell-based technology platform developed by 30%-owned Israel-based, NewStem, Ltd., announced that NewStem, along with six other genomic companies, was selected by Illumina for its global Illumina Accelerator. Illumina Accelerator is a company creation engine that focuses on partnering with and building companies with unique genomic technologies. Illumina Accelerator provides selected companies with access to seed investment, access to Illumina sequencing systems and reagents, as well as business guidance, genomics expertise, and fully operational lab space. Under the Illumina Accelerator - NewStem agreement, NewStem is entitled to a match funding for new capital of up to $5.5 million within 18 months.

NewStem has developed a novel stem-cell-based technology platform for the development of therapeutics and diagnostics. Using this technology, NewStem has identified and completed the analysis of resistance to the most frequently prescribed standard-of-care cancer treatments. NewStem is a spinoff of Yissum, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's technology-transfer company. NewStem holds intellectual property rights related to stem cells, including genome-wide screening methodologies and its main patents were granted in United States, Europe, Japan and Israel and are in national phase in additional countries.

NewStem's diagnostic technology is based on the research of specialized stem cells that carry just one set of chromosomes (haploid cells) by Professor Nissim Benvenisty, Director of the Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research at the Hebrew University. NewStem's most advanced solution is a diagnostic and database that enables NewStem to predict patients' resistance to certain anti-cancer therapies, allowing for better, targeted personal-oncology treatments with the potential to reduce incidents of anti-cancer drug resistance, which occur in nearly 50% of all cancer cases.

NewStem CEO, Ayelet Dilion-Mashiah, commented, "We are very excited to be selected by Illumina, the global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, for this program. In addition to potential capital and professional support, we believe selection to the Illumina Accelerator further validates the significant potential of NewStem's therapeutic and diagnostic development technology and will assist us in bringing our first products to market and potentially advancing additional commercial solutions."

Amanda Cashin, PhD, co-Founder and Global Head of Illumina For Startups said, "The global reach of Illumina Accelerator is demonstrated by our investment in these seven diverse startups from six countries. This diversity is testament to the strength and breadth of the talented entrepreneurs around the world focused on unlocking the power of the genome to improve human health and beyond."

About NovelStem International Corp. www.novelstem.com

NovelStem owns an approximate 30% stake in NewStem Ltd. which is advancing its novel stem-cell-based diagnostic technology for predicting patients' resistance to cancer therapies, allowing for better, targeted cancer treatments with the potential to reduce incidents of drug resistance. The technology is also being used for genetic research related to other medical therapies. Based on a share purchase agreement from 2018, NovelStem has invested $4M in NewStem and also owns a 50% stake in Netco Partners.

About NewStem Ltd.

NewStem Ltd. is advancing novel stem-cell-based technology utilized for the development of new therapeutics and diagnostics. The most advanced product of NewStem is a diagnostic predicting patients' resistance to cancer therapy, allowing for better, targeted personal-oncology treatments with the potential to reduce incidents of anti-cancer drug resistance. NewStem is a spinoff of Yissum, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's technology-transfer company. NewStem's solutions are based on the research of human haploid pluripotent stem cells (hHPSCs) by Professor Nissim Benvenisty, Director of the Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research at the Hebrew University. NewStem holds the intellectual property, reagents and experience required for hHPSC isolation, differentiation, genetic manipulation, immunogenicity and tumorigenicity.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release and its hyperlinks may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws. The matters discussed herein that are forward-looking statements are based on current board and management expectations that involve risks and uncertainties that may result in such expectations not being realized. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous potential risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the success of NewStem's research and future commercialization of its diagnostics utilizing human haploid pluripotent stem cells, competition in the area of genetic diagnostics, the ability to retain key personnel involved in research and development, the ability to secure appropriate regulatory approvals, and the ability to fund future investment in NewStem. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made.

# # #

NovelStem Investor Relations

Bill Jones or David Collins

Catalyst IR

(212) 924-9800

NSTM@catalyst-ir.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/96838
BRANCHBURG, N.J., Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BioFort will be presenting a Late-Breaking study, "Potential therapeutic uses of ultraviolet radiation during the COVID-19 pandemic", as a poster presentation at the 2021 Radiation and Research Society Annual Meeting this October. BioFort collaborated with a global community of physicians, scientists, and decontamination professionals at ClorDiSys, to highlight how different wavebands of the ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation spectrum can distinctly provide solutions toward the COVID-19 Pandemic. Detailed is the application of UV-C in regards to environmental disinfection where it has the ability to reduce the ambient viral load (i.e., in air and on surfaces) that contributes to spread of disease. UV-C has been widely used for decades to inactivate viruses, and its use is becoming more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its effectiveness. Whereas UV-C waveband is used to disinfect the environment, UV-B has been proposed as an effective, safe and viable therapy for the inactivation of viruses in tissues of infected individuals.

With combined use of UV-C and UV-B, there is a potential for overall Global Viral Load Reduction (GVLR). Interpolating Coohill et al. 1990 data on the percent transmission of UV to the center of cells, researchers' calculations suggest that a 3-second exposure of narrow band (nb) UVB at a skin surface dose of 30 mJ/cm^2 can result in at least a 1-log reduction of SARS-CoV-2 in tissue up to a depth of 200 um. The study also discusses the safety of nbUVB use in tissues. Specifically, that the proposed 30 mJ/cm^2 dose is significantly lower than the nbUVB LD50 (401.8 mJ/cm2) of human oral mucosa cells and 30 mJ/cm^2 dose is one-tenth of the nbUVB fractional dose used/required to cure human papillomavirus in tissue. Unlike nbUVB irradiation, none of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies currently in use inactivate virus that has infected human tissues. Failure to adequately treat individuals that contribute to global SARS-CoV-2 viral load will further enable virus survival via seasonal oscillation within low UV environments and between the global hemispheres. In other words, SARS-CoV-2 will find a safe harbor in the shadows, which would also enable more variants to be produced, some of which may elude existing vaccines.

BioFort, headquartered in Puerto Rico, is a healthcare and research corporation (https://qrco.de/bcL43Z) researching and developing of proprietary BioDefense protocols and technology. ClorDiSys Solutions, Inc, headquartered in New Jersey, has been providing decontamination and sterilization equipment and services since 2001 utilizing both chlorine dioxide gas and UV-C light.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-showing-the-environmental-and-therapeutic-benefits-of-the-ultraviolet-uv-waveband-for-the-management-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-to-be-presented-301379471.html

SOURCE ClorDiSys Solutions Inc
Buy Photo Airmen take part in aircraft recovery training next to a C-5M Super Galaxy visiting Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 13, 2021. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  The largest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force is a rare enough sight at this airlift hub in western Tokyo, but two together will turn heads.

A pair of C-5M Super Galaxies parked on Yokotas ramp for about a week served up training opportunities for maintenance airmen who dont often get to turn a wrench on the 200-ton behemoths.

One arrived as a quarterly ground trainer, a regularly scheduled chance for airmen to train up on the aircraft. It happened to land here with a cracked windshield needing repair.

The second arrived on an undisclosed mission but served as another training platform while its crew rested, said Master Sgt. Robert Maughan, production superintendent for the 730th Air Mobility Squadron at Yokota.

We dont have that opportunity for an extended ground time, so for the wing to send us these C-5 aircraft, logistically its a big deal to get this aircraft out over here, said Maughan during an interview with Stars and Stripes on Sept. 13.

About four times per year, the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, tries to send a C-5 ground trainer to bases in the Pacific region to get maintainers familiar with the aircraft.

Maughans squadron is a tenant unit with the 374th Maintenance Squadron and takes care of transient aircraft, including the C-17 Globemaster III and the C-5M. The technicians under Maughans supervision are qualified to work on either aircraft.

Think of us as a gas station; we are a highly qualified Jiffy Lube, Maughan said.

Buy Photo Two C-5M Super Galaxy airlifters park on the flight line at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 13, 2021. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo A C-5M Super Galaxy parks on the flight line at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 13, 2021. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

The C-5M is an improvement over previous C-5 models and entered service in December 2013. The Super Galaxy has less than half the failure rate and maintenance hours required by the C-5 Galaxy, and more than 70 improvements, according to its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin.

The Air Force has 52 of all models of the big airlifters, which can carry as much as 142 tons aloft at 518 mph, according to the Air Force. The C-5M has an 11-person crew, including two crew chiefs. Its expected to be around past 2040.

The two that stopped at Yokota are based at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Maughan said.

While they were here, airmen could qualify on towing, refueling and defueling them, as well as overall servicing, he said.

Senior Airman Hunter Dunn, 730th Air Mobility Squadron maintenance crew chief, helps keep track of qualifications that maintainers receive while being trained on the C-5M. He also gets hands-on as a supervisor.

I really like it; I like getting out there and getting involved, Dunn said. Its a really awesome feeling, especially when something comes down broken and you fix it, and then that plane flies, and you know that that mission was because you helped [it] continue.
2nd Lt. Mackenzie Loewen, 47th Flying Training Wing student pilot, straps into her seat and prepares for a simulated Texan II T-6 flight at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, on July 19, 2021. The simulators are state-of-the-art equipment that can replicate any environment or situation that they may face when piloting the aircraft. (David Phaff/U.S. Air Force)

The Air Force once again fell short of its annual goal to train 1,500 new pilots, though service leaders believe more civilian instructors and the final rollout of new technology-driven training could be instrumental in helping end the shortage of enough qualified pilots.

Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of the services Air Education Training Command, said he anticipates those barriers could be cleared by next year. Meanwhile, the Air Force is looking to increase the pool of qualified candidates who apply to become pilots through free outreach training programs and an overhaul of the selection process so its more modern and equitable.

Each year, Air Education Training Command, known as AETC, is tasked with sending 1,500 pilots into the service  the number the Air Force has said it needs to retain about 21,000 pilots within its active, Guard and Reserve forces to meet the requirements of the 2018 National Defense Strategy.

In fiscal 2020, AETC trained 1,263 pilots, and Webb anticipated when fiscal 2021 closes at the end of the month, it will be up by about 100 pilots. That should put the service back to levels of training attained before the coronavirus pandemic caused a drop.

The Air Force has continuously struggled to keep pilots in the service, with many leaving for more lucrative careers in the civilian sector that put less strain on family life. While it has remained about 2,000 pilots short for several years, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the Air Force chief of staff, said in May that theyve closed that gap by about 200 pilots.

As of this month, the Air Force had about 13,160 active-duty pilots, according to the Air Force Personnel Center. Thats about 700 more than six months ago, when AETC leadership provided an update on pilot training.

Challenges within the training program

Part of the solution is creating a more efficient training process to get those pilots into units faster, but without a drop in quality, Webb said last week in a call with reporters. Two factors  hiring civilians to help with training and incorporating program changes  have slowed progress for now, he said.

While technology will take time to implement, the service is working through a plan to get more civilian personnel hired.

AETC employs civilians to run training flight simulators, but only about 80% of the jobs are filled, Webb said. Part of the hiring challenge is finding people willing to live in the remote locations of the training bases, such as Vance Air Force Base, Okla., Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., and Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.

To alleviate that need to move, AETC is mapping out how to hire civilians to virtually lead simulator instruction. This could allow commercial pilots living near major airport hubs to teach on the side, Webb said.

In the interim, AETC pulls instructor pilots to fill gaps as needed.

Air Force Capt. Cole Stegeman (left), 49th Fighter Training Squadron instructor pilot, and 1st Lt. Jared Rackers, 49th FTS Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals graduate, prepare for a flight in a T-38 Talon on Nov. 11, 2020, at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. (Davis Donaldson/U.S. Air Force) Detachment 24 student pilots train on a virtual reality flight simulator as part of the Pilot Training Next program March 5, 2020, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. The program is part of Air Education and Training Commands initiative to reimagine how learning is delivered to airmen. (Sarayuth Pinthong/U.S. Air Force) Capt. Natalie Rambish, 47th Operations Support Squadron aircrew and flight equipment commander and instructor pilot, climbs into a seat in a T-38C Talon as she prepares to fly with a student pilot on Aug. 11, 2020, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. (Anne McCready/U.S. Air Force)

That hurts production, obviously, because that [instructor pilot] should otherwise be out on a jet, doing a turn on the runway, Webb said.

He also said he anticipates a plan to hire civilians to run simulators virtually to be operational within the next year or so.

He expects a new training program, known as Undergraduate Pilot Training 2.5, to be implemented across the board at about the same time. UPT 2.5 incorporates virtual reality and artificial intelligence platforms into a self-paced syllabus. It also uses just one training airplane, the T-6A Texan II, as the in-air training platform. These changes have allowed students to graduate and move into their next phase of training in seven months, instead of a full year.

Nearly 200 pilots have graduated through the new program since it began in July 2020, according to AETC. Once undergraduate training is complete, the future pilots move into training for the specific type of aircraft that they will fly.

Regardless of the new technology used in UPT 2.5, the need for a simulated cockpit environment is still important, Webb said.

I think what we've learned over the course of time is, we're not going to be able to cut away from [simulators]  but augmenting that with [virtual reality] and live [flights] is really what's going to be successful for us in the methodology of 2.5, Webb said.

Increasing the candidate pool

However, implementing the new program carries with it some drag, he said.

So far, only Vance Air Force Base has fully transitioned to the new training program and one squadron at Randolph Air Force Base has adopted the new method. It will launch this fall at Columbus Air Force Base and then Lackland Air Force Base in the spring, Webb said.

The program will be the way we do pilot training lock, stock and barrel, by this time next year, he said.

With those changes expected to allow for more students to train, the Air Force is looking to increase the pool of candidates. It began a full review of its selection process for pilots, which hasnt been assessed with any rigor since the 1970s, Webb said.

With changes projected sometime next summer, a related policy change removed some barriers that might have blocked people without prior flying experience from getting accepted into pilot training. The Air Force now only considers up to 60 hours of flight time when scoring pilot candidates. In the past, it considered up to 200 hours, which is now seen as giving an unfair advantage to wealthier applicants.

There is no evidence that more than 61 hours of flight experience poses a significant benefit to pilot training success, said Katie Gunther, chief of strategic research and assessment at the Air Force Personnel Center. The probability of success in flight training increases substantially from 0 hours to 60 hours, then relatively plateaus.

Other programs, such as the Flight Academy, which takes ROTC cadets who might not have considered aviation and provides them free air and ground experience, target the same problem.

Its to hopefully inspire a larger pool of candidates and potentially a much more diverse pool of candidates to apply for aviation duty in the first place, Webb said.

Overall, he said its about the aptitude to be able to learn, and not necessarily already have the skill.

Other initiatives to get more pilots through training faster are still in early stages, such as fast-tracking people with previous flying experience or nonmilitary training. So far, AETC has put 35 pilots through this program, known as Civil Path to Wings.
A C-130J Super Hercules carrying Afghan personnel taxis on the ramp at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, Aug. 31, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Kenneth Boyton/U.S. Air Force)

TROY, Ohio (Tribune News Service)  The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin have chosen Collins Aerospace to provide boltless wheels and carbon brakes for 60 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, Collins said.

Collins' equipment replaces the platform's legacy steel brakes, helping the Air Force reduce maintenance time and costs, while increasing aircraft availability, the Troy company said.

A value for the contract was not given in Collins' announcement.

Collins will manufacture the C-130J wheels and brakes at its Waco Street facility here, where the company has been named an "elite supplier" by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics for five years.

Collins' Troy facility supplies wheels and carbon brakes for several Lockheed Martin platforms, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon, U-2 Dragon Lady and LM-100J, the commercial freighter derivative of the C-130J military airlifter.

"Our equipment will simplify aircraft maintenance and increase safety  ultimately helping our warfighters execute their missions with increased efficiency and success," Matt Maurer, general manager, military landing systems said in a Collins announcement. "This selection builds on our longstanding relationships with the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin as a premier wheel and brake supplier with a proven record of performance."

Collins' C-130 brakes, which feature its Duracarb carbon heat sink material, can allow for up to 2,000 landings per overhaul  compared to 250 landings per overhaul experienced by operators of the C-130s current system.

"That lifespan is eight times longer, significantly reducing maintenance time and cost," Collins said. "At the same time, Collins' brakes are capable of handling higher energy than the aircraft's existing equipment, which increases the safety margin when stopping heavily loaded C-130s."

Collins is a provider of wheels and brakes for military platforms, including the Air Force's F-15, F-16, C-5, C-130 and Global Hawk fleets. Earlier this year, the company was selected by the U.S. Air Force to design and develop a new wheel and carbon brake for the B-52. Collins has also completed wheel and brake upgrades for several air forces around the globe.

(c)2021 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Buy Photo AH-64D Apache attack helicopters fly during a live-fire aerial gunnery on Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Sept. 21, 2021. African leaders attending the African Land Forces Colloquium observed the gunnery while learning about what capabilities are available at the training area. (Immanuel Johnson/Stars and Stripes)

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany  Senior military leaders from 11 African countries were treated to an aerial gunnery display involving AH-64D Apache attack helicopters as they convened for a seminar focused on finding novel ways of conducting joint exercises with U.S. forces.

The African Land Forces Colloquium is a four-day event hosted by Maj. Gen. Andrew Rohling, the U.S. Army's deputy commander for Africa. It brought together senior officers from Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya, Djibouti, Botswana, Rwanda, Cote dIvoire, Gabon and Ghana.

To me this isnt about new equipment, Rohling said. Im not looking for anyone to buy a piece of equipment, I want them to invest in the training range and infrastructure at the institutional level that then drives training at the unit level.

Part of the training African officers saw on this Bavarian range was an exercise the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade conducted using the Apaches. The attack helicopter entered the U.S. Army in 1984 and has been widely exported since then.

Buy Photo An AH-64D Apache attack helicopter fires during a live-fire aerial gunnery exercise on Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Sept. 21, 2021. (Immanuel Johnson/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo African leaders receive a brief during a live-fire aerial gunnery exercise on Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Sept. 21, 2021. (Immanuel Johnson/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Brig. Gen. Fulgence Ndour, chief of army staff from Senegal, observes training at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Sept. 21, 2021. African leaders attending the African Land Forces Colloquium observed the gunnery while learning about what capabilities are available at the training area. (Immanuel Johnson/Stars and Stripes)

We have three to four aircraft engaging targets downrange, said 1st Lt. Lisabeth Quinn, battalion fire support officer for the 1-3 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion. Soldiers also can integrate unmanned aerial systems or vehicles, and joint terminal attack controllers with the Apaches when available, she said.

The AH-64D has a fire control radar and uses Hellfire missiles in an anti-armor role.

U.S. Africa Command oversees all military efforts on the continent, where training activities are carried out from the volatile Horn of Africa in the east, to countries facing various militant groups in the west.

So far what I have seen today specifically, there are facilities and opportunities for us to train our personnel either [by bringing] them over here to Grafenwoehr, or they come to Ghana, Maj. Gen. Thomas Oppong-Peprah, Ghanas chief of army staff, said Tuesday.

The Army and other U.S. military services are involved in numerous training events with other countries inside Germany throughout the year.

You cant do the same things with 53 countries as you can with a smaller group, Rohling said of the African Land Forces Colloquium, which ends in Frankfurt on Friday. It is more intimate; you can have more in-depth conversations and interact.
Army Col. Richard Gulley during his retirement ceremony in Stuttgart in June 2017. Gulley and Maj. Jennifer Walters are the named plaintiffs in the a federal court complaint arguing that the Army has unlawfully denied dual housing allowances to mobilized reservists in Europe. (Richard Gulley)

STUTTGART, Germany  The U.S. Army is facing a potential class-action lawsuit on behalf of soldiers who say they were wrongfully indebted because of a housing allowance policy that a military board recently determined broke federal law.

A complaint filed earlier this month in federal claims court contends that Army finance officials in Europe have unlawfully denied mobilized Army reservists the right to both an allowance for their American residence and an overseas allowance when the Army cannot provide on-post accommodations.

Retired Col. Richard Gulley and Maj. Jennifer Walters are the named plaintiffs in the complaint. The case also was filed on behalf of all others similarly situated, opening the door to hundreds if not thousands of other troops who also were similarly wronged, attorney Patrick Hughes said.

The fact that this unlawful interpretation has been allowed to perpetuate for over five years now demonstrates the need for continued court intervention to hold the Army accountable and to recover the monies improperly denied to all these soldiers, said Hughes, a former Air Force attorney now with the Patriots Law Group.

For years, reservists received dual allowances when mobilized without their household goods and forced to maintain two residences when the Army was unable to provide base housing.

The Armys gross negligence to deny this entitlement was confirmed by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which is responsible for paying service members, and the Armys highest level of administrative review, the court complaint states.

On Aug. 27, the Army Board for the Correction of Military Records issued a decision that said the Army was guilty of unjust actions because of its incorrect interpretation of the federal Joint Travel Regulation.

The services mistakes gave rise to the investigative and disciplinary actions that were erroneously executed and erroneously implemented, the decision said.

The Army board was ordered to hear the case by a federal court in connection with a separate lawsuit filed in 2018 on behalf of seven reservists.

Those soldiers, some of whom have since retired or had their careers cut short because of the Armys actions against them, must now be paid what they were denied, according to the board ruling, which also directed the Army to convene a special selection board to determine if they were wrongly denied promotions.

Meanwhile, the Army on Monday refused to comment on whether going forward it intends to offer dual allowances to eligible reservists on assignments overseas, citing pending litigation.

The Army also declined to say whether it has or intends to hold accountable finance officials responsible for the false interpretation of a regulation, which resulted in six-figure debts being imposed on some reservists.

Who is going to hold these people accountable? said Gulley, who served as a deputy chief of staff at U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart before retiring in 2017.

The Army ordered Gulley to repay $135,500 of his housing allowance. Over a five-year span, Gulley said he faced repeated investigations, harassment and even arrest by Army criminal investigators as a result of errors by service finance officials.

Hughes said the Army continues to break the law by forcing reservists on assignments overseas to choose between either an allowance for their American residence or for off-post housing.

We will be submitting affidavits to the court from multiple soldiers who are currently on orders as of today who were forced to make that choice themselves or know of others they are presently serving with who were, Hughes said.
A Patriot missile is fired during an exercise on the Greek island of Crete, Nov. 23, 2020. (Vincent Wilson/U.S. Army)

HONOLULU (Tribune News Service)  With little fanfare, the U.S. Army earlier this month fired from Hawaii for the first time two Patriot missiles  the kind used by 15 nations for defense  knocking out two simulated cruise missile threats at a range of about 20 miles.

Taiwan, South Korea and Japan use Patriots as part of their air defenses. The South China Morning Post reported that Taiwan has purchased over 400 Patriot missiles from the United States since 1997.

The island nation is buying Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, with deliveries starting in 2025, as a further hedge against Chinese threats and the possibility of invasion, according to news agency Reuters.

Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the United States, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser during a recent trip to Honolulu that Taiwan is in "no position to engage in an arms race with China, but we do have to be smart about our asymmetric defenses," adding that means forces that are mobile, nimble, stealthy, harder to detect and in greater numbers "that would make any consideration of an actual invasion too painful."

The truck-mounted PAC-3 is the Army's premier guided air and missile defense system, capable of countering aircraft and sophisticated tactical ballistic and cruise missiles. Each missile costs over $2 million.

The Sept. 1 live-fire test of PAC-2 interceptors from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai was not intended as a defense-of-Hawaii scenario, and in fact followed a simulated Patriot launch during an exercise near Okinawa, Japan, and the actual firing of two Patriots in July during exercise Talisman Sabre in Australia.

The Australia live fire  with the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade knocking out two drones  also was a first.

"We are trying to demonstrate our ability to quickly move our units around the Indo-Pacific to be able to counter any threat that is out there," Army Col. Matthew Dalton, commander of the 38th Brigade, said at the time.

The 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, headquartered in Hawaii, conducted the Kauai Patriot launch Sept. 1 along with an Avenger live fire using a Humvee mounted with short-range Stinger missiles that can be used against cruise missiles, helicopters and drones.

The joint exercise involved the Navy destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur, which linked its Aegis radar targeting system into the Army air defense system.

The target missiles also were fired from the Pacific Missile Range Facility. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment out of Kadena, Japan, deployed to Kauai to conduct the Patriot missile firings.

"Deploying our forces across the Indo-Pacific theater and then integrating them into a joint fires architecture with the Navy is vital to our mission of ensuring peace and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific, " Brig. Gen. Mark Holler, the 94th commander, said in a release. "Our ability to fight and win our nation's wars rests on our capacity to function as a team of teams."

Patriot since January 2015 has intercepted more than 150 ballistic missiles in combat operations around the world, according to Raytheon Missiles &Defense.

The Patriot missile road show is intended to demonstrate to Pentagon planners looking at the defense of Guam and Pacific nation allies that the missile is a viable and mobile candidate for the job, said Bryan Clark, director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute.

"This is all about the Army showing its relevance for the Pacific theater," including the defense of remote installations in the island chain that runs through Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, Clark said in July.

The Army also is trying to make the case that Patriot is "part of the solution maybe for Guam  because right now there's a big debate in D.C. about the defense of Guam and how best to do that," Clark said.

Riki Ellison, chairman of the nonprofit Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said the Army is "getting pushed out right now" from air defense of the Pacific, and "they want to show that they are a player to distribute missile defense" alongside the Navy and Air Force.

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Buy Photo Tokyo reported 537 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

TOKYO  The fifth wave of COVID-19 in Japans capital city subsided Wednesday to levels not seen since July.

Tokyo reported 537 newly infected people, 515 fewer than one week prior, according to public broadcaster NHK and metropolitan government data online. The city has confirmed fewer than 1,000 new infections for seven consecutive days, according to metro data.

The most recent coronavirus surge in Tokyo, which began in July and continued through the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, peaked at 5,773 new cases on Aug. 13. The previous daily record stood at 2,520 on Jan. 7

Tokyo, with an estimated population of 13.4 million, has reported more than 373,000 COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, and more than 2,800 deaths, according to metro data.

Also Wednesday, U.S. Army Japan reported 12 new coronavirus cases since Sept. 15. Eleven are close contacts of another infected person and one tested positive prior to travel outside of Japan, according to an Army news release Wednesday.

At Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, the principal at Joan K. Mendel Elementary School notified families and staff Wednesday that someone at the school had tested positive for the coronavirus respiratory disease.

The letter from principal Justin Treisch did not indicate that the school would close temporarily or that a class or classes would be canceled. He wrote that contact tracing had been complete and families of individuals who were potential close contacts were notified.

If you are not contacted by public health officials, your student is not considered to be a close contact, Treisch wrote.

Okinawa prefecture, where the bulk of U.S. troops are stationed in Japan, reported 162 new infections, according to the prefectural Department of Public Health and Medical Care.

More than half of Japans population, 54.5%, or 69 million people, are fully vaccinated, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Japan reported 1,761 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and 47 deaths.

Stars and Stripes reporter Mari Higa contributed to this report.
The funeral procession for Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, who was killed in the Kabul airport attack last month, passes his alma mater, Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/TNS)

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (Tribune News Service)  When he was a student at Los Osos High School, Dylan Merola wore black and red during school theater productions.

On Tuesday evening, Sept. 21, Merolas casket passed by his Rancho Cucamonga alma mater, draped in red, white and blue.

A procession honoring Marine Lance Cpl. Merola wound its way through the city and past his high school, enroute from Ontario International Airport to Forest Lawn cemetery in Covina.

Merola, 20, was one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in the attack on Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 26. Two other Marines from the Inland Empire, Lance Cpl. Kareem MaeLee Grant Nikoui, of Norco, and Cpl. Hunter Lopez, of Indio, were also killed in the suicide bombing. Eight more Marines, an Army soldier and a Navy Corpsman were also killed in the attack, along with 169 Afghan civilians. At least 150 more people were injured in the bombing.

A crowd of about 400 gathered outside Los Osos High with American flags, Marine Corps flags and one or two pro- Donald Trump flags. Most were quiet and serious as they waited for the procession.

It arrived just as the sun set. Police cars from across the region took part, including cruisers from Banning, Beaumont, Colton, Corona, Fontana, Menifee, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, West Covina and others, followed by motorcyclists on Harleys.

Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola was stationed at Camp Pendleton. (U.S. Marine Corps)

A Los Osos marching band member played taps as the hearse drove by.

Many wiped away tears.

Albert Estrada, a retired Marine colonel and Rancho Cucamonga resident, came out with fellow members of VFW Post 8680 to say farewell to Merola.

Its important to honor our fallen warriors, whether they be Marine, Navy, Army or Air Force, Estrada said. They gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Hamilton Alvaranda, an Iraqi war veteran from Rancho Cucamonga, brought his children to see the procession.

Because of people like him, we are able to enjoy the freedoms that we have, he said.

Earlier on the route, the procession passed Caryn Elementary School, where red, white and blue balloons were tied to the fence. U.S. and Marine Corps flags were attached to trees and light poles.

Along the east 210 Freeway, some drivers stopped their vehicles and parked near the median to await the procession.

At a Sept. 2 Central Park memorial vigil, Merolas mother, Cheryl Rex said her son always wore military attire as a child.

He wanted nothing more than to become a Marine, Rex recalled that night.

Merola had been stationed in Kabul for less than two weeks and was planning to go to college and study engineering, according to Rex.

Merola, a 2019 graduate of Los Osos, worked as a theater technician as a student. At the vigil earlier this month, Los Osos teacher Randy Shorts described Merola as a shy, always smiling student in his theater class who always dressed in a black shirt and red tie while leading tech for school performances.

Dylan wanted to join the Marines because he wanted to learn discipline, and to make a difference, Shorts said.

Merolas funeral is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 26, at 2:30 p.m. at Forest Lawn mausoleum, 21300 Via Verde St., Covina. The funeral is open to the public, but Merola will be buried afterward in a private service.

Merola is the third of the three California service members killed in the Kabul airport attack to be laid to rest. On Saturday, Sept. 18, Nikou and Lopez were buried in Riverside, after funerals and memorial services in Riverside and Palm Springs, respectively. All three Marines will receive posthumous Purple Heart medals, along with 27 other service members killed or injured at the airport, the Pentagon announced Sept. 14.

Rancho Cucamonga will honor Merola at a future City Council meeting with an Armed Forces banner display, embellished with a gold star, according to Rancho Cucamonga Mayor L. Dennis Michael.

___

(c)2021 the Redlands Daily Facts (Redlands, Calif.)

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An intubated patient inside a negative pressure room in the COVID-19 ICU at a hospital in Joplin, Mo., on Aug. 3. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg)

Long-feared rationing of medical care has become a reality in some parts of the United States as the delta variant drives a new wave of coronavirus cases, pushing hospitals to the brink.

Idaho last week activated statewide crisis standards of care, in which health systems can prioritize patients for scarce resources  based largely on their likelihood of survival  and even deny treatment. The decisions affect COVID and non-COVID patients. Some hospitals in Montana and Alaska have turned to crisis standards as well, while Hawaii's governor this month released health workers from liability if they have to ration care.

Some states have no crisis standards of care plans, while others just created them during the pandemic. The common goal: Give health care workers last-resort guidance to make potentially wrenching decisions. But people disagree on the best calculus.

"We only end up needing crisis standards of care when our other systems have utterly failed," said Emily Cleveland Manchanda, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.

Q: What do "crisis standards of care" look like?

A: The emergency room at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage was so packed recently that patients waited in their cars for care. Physician Kristen Solana Walkinshaw told The Washington Post last week that her team had four patients who needed continuous kidney dialysis and only two machines available.

In Idaho, health officials said, crisis care standards may mean that patients end up treated in hallways or tents. Elective and urgent surgeries have been delayed at one hospital. There may be fewer nurses and doctors caring for more people. Patients may wait hours to get what they need to have to transfer to another hospital far away  though health leaders caution that neighboring states are struggling with an influx of coronavirus cases, too.

The resource crunch could also force health care workers to give beds or ventilators to those most likely to recover. If resources become extremely tight, they can consider universal do-not-resuscitate orders for hospitalized adult patients who go into cardiac arrest.

"Your care will be affected," Idaho's health department warned on Facebook.

Not all hospitals may need to ration treatment, but they have a greenlight from authorities. Officials are also sending a statewide message.

"By announcing crisis standards of care going into effect, you're also in essence saying to your population, if you're a governor or a public health figure: 'We're in an emergency. Take heed, take warning,'" said Jacob Appel, an associate professor of psychiatry and medical education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Q: How are patients prioritized?

A: Hospitals typically operate on a first come, first served basis. In a crisis  a hurricane, a mass shooting or a multicar crash, for example, as well as a pandemic surge  they must triage by prioritizing some patients over others to save the most lives.

Different plans take different approaches, but there are common themes. Most typically start by scoring the health of major organs such as the brain, heart, kidney and liver. They may take into account people's chances of recovery, their life expectancy and even their "essential worker" status.

"Exclusion criteria" can instruct health care workers to withhold care from certain groups  patients in cardiac arrest, for instance, or those with severe dementia. Then others are ranked with scoring systems and sometimes a series of "tiebreakers."

Doctors ask: How badly are patients' organs failing? Do they have other diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, or kidney damage requiring dialysis? Some plans also give priority to those who are pregnant, younger people or badly needed health care staff. Patients are typically evaluated throughout their stay in the hospital to check if their priority should change.

Hawaii's point system takes stock of both short-term and long-term survival with a rubric that states two values: "Save the most lives" and "Save the most life-years."

Most state plans say that the doctor directly caring for a patient should not be making the call on what limited resources that person gets, according to an academic review of plans published last year. Some lay out an appeals process.

Q: What parts of the crisis plans are most controversial?

A: Disability rights groups have filed complaints about crisis standards of care that they argue amount to illegal discrimination, and others have raised concerns about discrimination against the elderly.

"Using the categories of age to determine whether someone receives care is wrong. Plain and simple," AARP Idaho State Director Lupe Wissel wrote in a recent post criticizing Idaho's decision to make age a "tiebreaker" for limited resources. "The estimation of potential 'life years' an individual has does not equate to the value of a life."

Scholars also worry that crisis standards of care will feed into long-standing inequalities in access to health care, because scoring systems are allocating resources based partly on health conditions that disproportionately afflict certain groups. Black Americans, for instance, are much more likely than white Americans to have kidney disease.

Some crisis plans try to counteract these deep-rooted racial disparities: Massachusetts's scoring system limits penalty points for a history of poor kidney function, Cleveland Manchanda said. One paper in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, which examined more than 1,000 patients hospitalized last year in Miami, found that crisis standards of care policies did not seem to discriminate based on race or ethnicity.

But compensating for societal inequalities is "nearly impossible," Cleveland Manchanda argued.

The idea of factoring in coronavirus vaccination status has drawn particular backlash from the public. A critical care task force in Texas floated the concept last month  but the authors dismissed it as a theoretical exercise after an uproar.

Q: Where have crisis standards of care been used?

A: Arizona and New Mexico were the only states to declare crisis standards of care earlier in the pandemic, according to an August paper published by the National Academy of Medicine.

But experts note there is more to the story. Resources have been rationed without any official shift to crisis standards.

As a winter coronavirus surge slammed Los Angeles, for instance, ambulance crews were instructed to save oxygen and to treat patients on the scene rather than bring them to the hospital when they had little hope of survival.

"[Some] areas that were clearly in crisis related to ventilators, oxygen, or other resources, where painful triage decisions had to be made, never received a formal declaration authorizing [crisis standards of care]," the National Academy of Medicine paper says, attributing the phenomenon in part to "political concerns."

In Arizona and New Mexico, meanwhile, health care facilities did not apparently end up rationing ventilators despite the state declarations, the paper said.

Q: Are there any national guidelines for crisis standards?

A: The 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic prompted a nationwide push to create clear plans for divvying up medical resources in times of overwhelming need. Federal officials asked the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences to craft guidelines.

But crisis standards of care vary widely by state.

More than half of states had explicit plans last year, though some of those leave key questions to hospitals, researchers found. And more than a dozen of those states' crisis standards of care were crafted or updated in 2020, the researchers wrote. Idaho's policy was still in the works as the scholars did their survey.

Arkansas is finalizing a COVID-19-specific crisis standards of care policy, said Jerrilyn Jones, the state health department's medical director for the health preparedness and response branch. The state also wants a more general policy, but Jones noted that those can take years to develop.

"As with all disaster planning, people don't really think about the need for such things until it hits you in the face," she said in an interview.

For now, hospitals have their own plans, Jones said. She said she has not heard of people in Arkansas being turned away from care, though some places have tried to conserve resources by halting elective surgeries.

The statewide guidance under development will still leave much of the decision-making to local institutions. Jones emphasized that each hospital's situation is different.

"I don't think it would be appropriate for us as a state to dictate what is happening at the bedside," she said.

The Washington Post's Ariana Eunjung Cha and Meryl Kornfield contributed to this report.
Members of the living history group Buffalo Soldiers: 10th Cavalry, Co. G of Northern California. (Facebook)

VACAVILLE, Calif. (Tribune News Service)  When Bill Terrell dons the uniform, joins his horse-mounted colleagues, and educates young people about the history of the Buffalo Soldiers, he's not only bringing little-known history to light, he's carrying on a legacy.

Terrell, 72, is the son of an actual Buffalo Soldier, the late Warren C. Terrell. Not one of the originals who captured cattle thieves and protected the U.S. mail in the 1800s, but one of the segregated horse cavalry stationed in Ft. Riley, Kan., during World War II.

Every time he buttons up the uniform, "I'm feeling kind of proud ... nostalgic ... the pride," Terrell said. "The heritage of the Buffalo Soldiers ... feeling proud of what they accomplished, what they're remembered for. It makes us proud to wear that uniform."

Terrell is joined by six or so other troopers in uniform on Oct. 2 at Vacaville's Pena Adobe Park, sharing information about the Buffalo Soldiers and their importance to U.S. history.

A Sacramento resident born at the former Mare Island Hospital, Terrell participates in a Northern California Buffalo Soldiers group, 10th Cavalry, Company G, that's part of a 1,200 national organization.

Educating those of all colors about the Buffalo Soldiers is important, says Terrell.

"It's the history, the heritage, the legacy," he said. "It's our nation, it's our country, both Black and white."

Terrell said by phone earlier this week that he was "probably in (his) 20s" when he learned about the history of the Black troops.

"My father was a Buffalo Soldier but he didn't talk much about it," Terrell said. Eventually, Pops Terrell opened up.

"He talked about it while we're watching TV and it would be the cavalry vs. the Indians," said Terrell. "And how they're riding their horses, firing weapons, shooting the Indians. He said 'That didn't happen.' If you're shooting behind your horse's ear, it would stop and throw you 20 yards."

The elder Terrell talked about the camaraderie and the pride the soldiers felt, his son said.

Often provided "lesser equipment than some of the white soldiers, they took pride in their assignments. They were honored to be in the U.S. military and being Buffalo Soldiers," said Terrell.

When the American-Indian Wars ended in the 1890s, the Buffalo Soldiers went on to fight in Cuba in the 1898 Spanish-American War, participate in General John J. Pershing's 1916-1917 hunt for Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, and even act as rangers in Yosemite and Sequoia national parks.

The Buffalo Soldiers had the U.S. Army's lowest rates of desertion and court-martial, according to Brittanica.com. From 1870 to 1890, 14 Buffalo Soldiers were awarded medals of honor, the Army's highest award for bravery.

Terrell said his group concentrates on the Buffalo Soldiers from 1874 to 1891, enjoying outdoor events such as the Oct. 2 Vacaville appearance and at schools. Though discussions of the Buffalo Soldiers may not be in a structured curriculum, "we have more and more educators asking us to come into their classroom and give some history of the Buffalo Soldiers. That's one of the things we do actively," Terrell said.

He often imagines what his father went through riding his horse during WWII, "especially when I go on a ride more than an hour," Terrell said. "You can imagine what they went through during field exercises of six to eight hours, riding McClellan saddles which are not built for comfort."

Carrying on the Buffalo Soldier is an obligation, believes Terrell.

"It's part of our history. It's part of how the West was won," he said. "It's how the United States migrated West, largely in part because the Buffalo Soldiers guarded the wagons as settlers came north, guarded the railroad as it was being built. It's so very important to see that, the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers."

In 1948, President Harry Truman issued an executive order eliminating racial segregation and discrimination in America's armed forces. The last all-Black units were disbanded during the first half of the 1950s. The nation's oldest living Buffalo Soldier, Mark Matthews, died at age 111 in Washington, D.C., in 2005.

It was "most definitely" a positive experience for Terrell's father.

"Back then  right after slavery and even long after that  there weren't a lot of jobs available for African Americans," said Terrell.

Warren Terrell spent 52 years in federal service, retiring from the military after 30 years, followed by 22 years with the U.S. Postal Service.

"Because of the military, some of the best things happened to him," Terrell said. "It gave him security for his family, medical supplies, education."

Terrell was able to join his father at "10 or 20" Buffalo Soldier reunions, acknowledging the father-son bonding moments.

The reunions "are what got me excited" about the history, Terrell said. "Seeing the old-timers he (Warren Terrell) served with. Listening to some of the stories inspired me."

Warren Terrell was stationed at Travis Air Force base when Bill Terrell was born. When Bill was 2, the family moved to a small community in Richmond.

Bill Terrell went to Vietnam and, following college, took a job in San Jose before "finding a nice community to raise a family" in Sacramento.

That was 42 years ago. He has three adult children and twin grandson and granddaughter who are members of the Junior Buffalo Soldiers.

Warren Terrell died in 2004 at 84, but his son continues promoting the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers, admitting he can't do on a horse what he used to. And "if I can't ride a horse, I can always share the knowledge that I have with the younger troopers, with Junior Buffalo Soldiers," he said. "I hope to continue until I'm no longer here."

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Infrastructure and conservation manager Camille-Antoine Ouimet on the newest section of the Des Escarpements trail in Mont-Megantic National Park. (Christine Negroni/The Washington Post)

You dont see them as you kick through the leaves on your hike. You wont see them as you squeeze through an inviting crevice between two boulders to discover whats beyond. Dont look for them as you pedal toward a perfectly placed berm or you may tumble off your bike. Just know that the people responsible for the thrilling ride and the beckoning passageway, the people who plan where you will step and what you will view - they see you. These trail workers are the unseen architects guiding your interaction with the great outdoors.

In North America, trail designers and maintainers come from public and private groups, government agencies and community programs, and sometimes, theyre simply private landowners. Combined, their work over the past century has resulted in nearly 200,000 miles of trails on federal lands alone as of 2015. That is four times the mileage of the American interstate highway system.

They are weavers when they weave a trail around this rock and that tree and over that hill, said Erik Mickelson, an independent trail consultant who hosts Trailism, an informational website for trail users. They are sculptors when they carve a long, drawn-out, twisty bench from dirt or masons or exterior designers in the way they move or shape stones just so.

Mont-Megantic National Park in Quebec is known for its all-season trails and spectacular views of the 3,000-foot peaks of Megantic and Saint-Joseph.

When infrastructure and conservation manager Camille-Antoine Ouimet set out to design the parks newest Des Escarpements trail a few years ago, he wanted to focus not on the grandiose, but on the mountains wide variety of microenvironments. The rock-hewn multilevel path begs hikers to linger at every turn. It was at a point where the trail squeezed me between two boulders that I started to wonder: Who designed this?

The main feature, Ouimet told me, was all these little cliffs and rocks and the diverse terrain which creates a feeling of being on a big mountain but also with an intimacy with this forest and assemblage of rocks.

The diversity of the place was a blessing for the experience, but it was a big challenge, Ouimet said. Upon discovering a protected species of fern, for example, Ouimet had to alter the paths route to make sure hikers didnt affect the plants.

An important part of trail work is indulging our love of nature while making sure we do not smother it with ill-advised affection. So, if the hard work Alexa Sharp puts into her job as leader of an all-female maintenance crew in the Southeast Conservation Corps working in Kentuckys Daniel Boone National Forest goes unobserved, Sharp, 27, is OK with that.

People go to these places to be in a space that is as natural as possible, to find peace in the natural world, Sharp said. Its not about us as trail workers leaving our mark or anything like that. Its about respecting the place and leaving it how we found it - but just a little bit more maintained and taken care of.

Trail usage has increased threefold in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, according to data from AllTrails, a provider of crowdsourced information on trails of all kinds. Even before that, tens of millions of Americans were enjoying a trail system that was kick-started in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson told Congress that hikers, those on horseback and bike riders were forgotten outdoorsmen. For them, he said, we must have trails as well as highways.

Still, all those explorers cant help but affect the environment - and not always in a good way.

Theres a double-edged sword when you create a trail, said Kathryn Kolb, executive director of the Atlanta-based environmental group EcoAddendum, which has as its mission teaching good stewardship of wild places.

Green space is positive, wonderful for public access. The problem can be if that public access is done in a way that is harmful to the exact resource that they are trying to enjoy.

Overuse can degrade the ecosystem and introduce invasive species, Kolb said. An afternoon spent with a dog in the woods seems bucolic, but it may not be so pleasant for the wildlife whose living spaces were tromped through.

This is why building trails involves complex and interlocking decisions intended to minimize the paths environmental effect while maximizing user experience. Once a trail is built, maintainers deal with flooding, erosion and problems created by humans, who have a pernicious tendency to wander off a trail and muck about in fragile forest understory.

Then there is more obviously egregious behavior: hunting, foraging and graffitiing. Trail workers arent law enforcement, said Chris Firme, a volunteer trail worker on the Appalachian Trail. This is why forgotten outdoorsmen may soon find modern surveillance cameras installed at trailheads.

Its like an ongoing battle, Firme said. Land managers are trying to figure out how to mitigate it.

Lynn Cameron was a 31-year-old research librarian at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., when she started hiking the AT 40 years ago. It wasnt long before she and her husband, Malcolm, started volunteering to care for trails in the George Washington National Forest and on the AT.

They would trim back vegetation and clean out the ditches built to divert water away from the trail. But her favorite job was clearing fallen trees.

One day, her four-person crew hiked three miles into the woods toting a crosscut saw.

Two of us were sawing and my husband said, Hey guys, theres a rattlesnake on this log. We all stopped and looked, and there he was in a cavity.

Cameron said the crew continued the work, but the up-close look at the rattler thrilled her. It was something she would only have experienced as a trail maintainer.

If we were hiking through there, we would not have seen it, let alone spent an hour in her or his company, she said.

There was a time when a story like that would have made Joseph Dobbins queasy. A 26-year-old from Dyersburg, Tenn., Dobbins joined one of the nations many youth conservation corps, which are modeled on the 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Back then, about half a million young men worked in forests, camps and on trails, according to the CCC Legacy website. The program ended around the time World War II began.

The various state and regional conservation corps that have started since operate along the same lines as the CCC and rely on young people looking for a challenge. In California, recruits are promised hard work, low pay, miserable conditions, and more on the homepage of the corps website. Trail workers travel deep into the woods, stay in tents for weeks on end and sometimes are supplied only by what can be carried in.

This kind of life was completely foreign to Dobbins when he started trail work in 2019.

I didnt know what to expect. I knew I would be outside all the time, but I wasnt mentally prepared to sleep in a tent, have a hand-washing station or poop outdoors. At first, I said, This is too much. 

As a leader of the Blue Ridge Parkway Black, Indigenous and people of color crew, Dobbins has come to appreciate an outdoorsmans life. He takes pride in knowing the effect he and his co-workers have on someone elses nature hike.

We definitely design trails to go around big trees, boulders, a stream. If you deviate from the path, it takes you away from the experience we want you to have, he said.

Not every trail creator needs a big budget or an army of volunteers. Debra Pearson of College Park, Ga., entered the world of nature trails quite unexpectedly.

The 70-year-old retired schoolteacher lived in a house with a half-acre of natural growth forest in the backyard, but she confesses that she didnt think much about the trees until her neighbor sawed down the ones in his yard. At the time, Pearson said, the neighbor thought the trees were diseased and dying. Pearson asked an arborist for an opinion and said that assessment changed her life.

She was told she had a thriving and biodiverse forest on her property, so she built a small trail through her newly discovered treasure.

I appreciated the tree canopy, but in 2014, I could not distinguish one tree from another, she said. Unprompted, she then ticked through the names of trees, bark structures, and flowers and plants thriving in her backyard. Its been such a lovely ride, a lovely evolution.

Over the past decade, Pearson has hosted forest camps and art installations. The neighborhood children have built more trails. Now, she does as trail workers everywhere do: She welcomes others to visit and enjoy.
South Koreas President Moon Jae-in addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded message, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, at UN headquarters. (EDUARDO MUNOZ/Pool via AP)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday urged his country, the United States, North Korea and possibly China to formally end the decades-long Korean War.

The two Koreas formally remain at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty. The U.N. Command and China were also signatories in the armistice agreement, which was originally intended to facilitate a final peaceful settlement.

Moon, who proposed the idea of ending the Korean War during a speech before the General Assembly in 2019, renewed his calls for the signatories to come together and declare that the war on the Korean Peninsula is over.

More than anything, an end-of-war declaration will mark a pivotal point of departure in creating a new order of reconciliation and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, Moon said Tuesday.

The president suggested three-party talks with the U.S., South Korea and North Korea; or a four-party system that included China.

When the parties involved in the Korean War stand together and proclaim an end to the war, I believe we can make irreversible progress in denuclearization and usher in an era of complete peace, Moon said.

President Joe Biden in his own U.N. speech Tuesday said the U.S. sought serious and sustained diplomacy to pursue the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in order to increase stability in the region.

Proposals to formally end the Korean War have been made for decades by lawmakers in Seoul, as well as congressional leaders in Washington, D.C.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., introduced the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act in May, which called for the formal end to the war and requires the secretary of state to review and narrowly define the travel restrictions to North Korea.

The current restrictions barring United States nationals from traveling to North Korea have had profound effects on Americans with relatives living in North Korea, Sherman said in a press release. A comprehensive review of our restrictions on travel to North Korea is necessary so that Korean Americans can attend major family events, such as funerals, burials, or other religious and family commemorations in North Korea.

Diplomatic relations between the allies and North Korea have stalled, particularly after Pyongyang recently test-fired long-range cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Evidence that the North restarted its nuclear reactor has also mounted following a report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog in late August.

Despite the chilled relations, the U.S. continued to express an interest in holding talks without preconditions. Sung Kim, the U.S. envoy for North Korea, has told reporters he is willing to meet his counterpart anywhere and at any time.
Buy Photo Robert Reismann organizes copies of Stars and Stripes coming fresh off the press in the Middle East in 2007. Reismann, who spent more than 30 years getting newspapers to troops, died Sept. 21, 2021 from complications related to cancer surgery. (Stars and Stripes)

STUTTGART, Germany  Robert Reismann, who played an integral role in getting Stars and Stripes newspapers to readers in far-flung locations across Europe and the Middle East for more than 30 years, died Tuesday in a Kaiserslautern, Germany hospital from complications related to cancer treatment. He was 60.

Without Bob and all his hard work, I dont know we would have had the paper delivered in the way we did, said Lt. Col. Marci Hoffman, commander of Stars and Stripes Europe and Expeditionary, who oversees non-editorial operations. He was instrumental in everything and made sure the troops were informed.

Reismanns career with Stars and Stripes began in 1990 in Germany during the end of the Cold War, when the military had bases all over Europe. Reismann and others had to coordinate a complicated delivery network to serve the hundreds of thousands of troops keeping the Soviet Union in check on the Continent.

After the Cold War ended, and a decade of helping to get papers to readers in Europe, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 meant a change in focus. Reismann, a man with a rugby players build and a thick Boston accent, was selected to head up the distribution effort for getting newspapers to troops in the wars that followed.

In 2003, after U.S. forces swarmed into Iraq, Reismann spent about six months setting up operations that enabled Stars and Stripes to deliver papers to the bases that were popping up all over the country.

Stars and Stripes Expeditionary circulation manager Robert Reismann in a screenshot from the 2018 documentary "The World's Most Dangerous Paper Route." Reismann, a longtime Stripes employee, died this week at age 60. (Facebook)

At the time, Reismann and his crew were getting 50,000 papers a day to the various dining facilities and combat outposts in Iraq, stretching from Baghdad to places like Fallujah and Mosul, said James Afflerbach, who worked for Reismann and now oversees distribution of Stars and Stripes products in Europe.

All of us came into close calls at the time, said Afflerbach, who recalled questioning at one point whether the job was worth it.

But Bob was one of the determining factors in why we stayed, Afflerbach said. We trusted him. He was a friend, but he also commanded our respect.

As the years went on, Reismann remained Stars and Stripes point man in the Middle East. He made frequent journeys to Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond with papers being delivered in places such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and parts of Africa.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby took a moment to offer condolences to the Reismann family during a press conference Wednesday.

If any of you  and I know many of you have served and  or reported out of Iraq and Afghanistan  you can thank Mr. Reismann for the fact that you can pick up a copy of Stars and Stripes and read it and so could the troops, because that was one of his key jobs, Kirby said.

Getting newspapers delivered across Afghanistan and Iraq over a 20-year span was pretty incredible work, he said. And so, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Reismann family and our thanks and our gratitude for his many long years of service to such a noble task, Kirby said.

In the 2018 documentary about Stars and Stripes, The Worlds Most Dangerous Paper Route, Reismann was featured prominently given his key role in delivering newspapers to combat zones.

He described his job this way: I am working to get the paper to the soldiers at the earliest time as possible, out in the field  I am just a paperboy.

Reismann is survived by his wife Elina and sons Samuel, Matthew and Charles.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president, gestures as he arrives for a multi-lateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in London, on Dec. 3, 2019. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Simon Dawson. (Simon Dawson)

Turkey has sent more troops to northwestern Syria as it prepares for a critical meeting with the leaders of Russia and Iran next week, signaling its determination to carry on blocking an assault on one of the Syrian war's last front lines.

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long feared that an attempt by Russian-backed Syrian forces to move on the rebel bastion of Idlib would send more refugees streaming toward the Turkish frontier.

While there's no sign of a major all-out offensive, an uptick in attacks by Russian warplanes and Syrian forces on the territory has attracted the attention of Turkish officials already facing growing domestic criticism over the cost of housing the world's biggest refugee population.

Erdogan is expected to raise the Idlib escalation when he meets Sept. 29 with Vladimir Putin and another prominent backer of the Syrian regime, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, according to two Turkish officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to share sensitive information.

The thousands of additional soldiers will help deter any attempted advances by Syrian ground forces on Idlib and control roads leading to the Turkish border, the officials said.

Combatant positions around Idlib have been largely static since March 2020, when Erdogan and Putin struck a truce agreement ending fierce fighting between Turkish and Syrian forces.

But Syrian President Bashar Assad is intent on claiming total victory in the country's devastating 10-year war. And in a rare Kremlin meeting with the Syrian leader last week, Putin branded the continued presence of foreign troops not authorized by the Assad government as Syria's "main problem," the latest in a series of Russian demands for Turkey, and a small U.S. force in the Kurdish-controlled east, to withdraw.

That's not about to happen. "We can't tolerate a new wave of refugees," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said during a visit to the Syrian border on Sept. 11, a day after Islamic militants killed three Turkish soldiers in Idlib. "We must do our best to prevent migration. The basis of this lies in making the region safe and stable. We are striving for that."

Akar has refuted criticism by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Turkey is failing to meet its 2018 commitments to separate radical Islamists from other opponents of Assad in Idlib.

Under a 2016 agreement, the European Union paid Turkey billions of dollars to host Syrians fleeing war and looking to settle in Europe, where migrants were convulsing politics in several states. Turkey now hosts nearly four million Syrians and as the economy faltered during the pandemic, and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan threatened a new refugee crisis, opposition to their presence has grown.

At the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, Erdogan addressed the issue of displaced people. "As a country that saved human dignity in the Syrian crisis, we have neither the means nor the patience to meet new immigration waves," he said.

With Turkish troops acting as a deterrent, the most Syrian forces can do is recover territory step-by-step, said Moscow-based Middle East expert Elena Suponina.

"Things haven't changed fundamentally though there could be efforts to retake some specific areas," she said.
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, to announce the Defense Department will act upon the 90-day commission recommendations on sexual assault and harassment in the military. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

WASHINGTON  The Defense Departments plan to tackle sexual assault and harassment in the ranks represents the largest attempt ever to impose systemic changes to address the problem across the force, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon.

The implementation roadmap revealed Wednesday comes after an independent review commission established by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in February studied sexual assault and harassment in the military for 90 days. On June 21, the commission submitted a report with 82 recommended changes to Austin, who then ordered July 2 that the roadmap be developed.

The Pentagon has already begun implementing its foundation that consists of the most important elements in preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment, and holding offenders accountable, Hicks said.

Among those initiatives are three of our highest priority recommendations  establishing special-victim prosecutors, creating a full-time and specialized sexual-assault prevention workforce and hiring full-time, sexual-assault response coordinators and sexual-assault prevention and response victim-advocate positions, she said.

Our goal is to implement as rapidly as possible, while ensuring we can deliver durable and meaningful outcomes, Hicks said.

The first implementation deadline for the roadmap is Oct. 13, when the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness must issue enterprise-wide guidance for implementing all recommendations, Hicks said. Each service is also required to develop their own implementation plans and map out their resources before February.

To stay accountable, Austin also ordered the undersecretary to develop a way to evaluate metrics by May 1 and formally assess the roadmap no fewer than twice per year.

Still, not all changes will be immediate. One of the key changes is removing prosecuting authority from the military chain of command in cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and retaliation. But that will take congressional action to complete, Hicks said.

We cant just move quickly but shallowly and have the figment of action without having really well thought-through processes for how we do this, she said. The DOD efforts in this space will be the largest ever attempted  no university, no major institution, is at our scale.

The commissions report recommended creating an office of the special-victim prosecutor in the defense secretarys office, which would oversee highly trained special-victim prosecutor(s) who [are] independent from the chain of command.

Recommendations such as the establishment of the offices of special-victim prosecutors represent real cultural and structural shifts for the military departments, Hicks said.

Unit commanding officers are now tasked with deciding whether a report of sexual assault should be sent to trial, but only prosecutors have the technical training to make the purely legal decisions that affect victims access to justice, the report stated.

Commanders are not lawyers, and they do not receive adequate training regarding victimization, implicit bias and the impact these concepts have on the administration of justice, according to the report.

The recommendation to remove sexual assault case decisions from the chain of command was debated by senior officers across the service branches since news of it leaked in April, with some defense leaders worried about giving military commanders less control over their units.

The commission also discovered a link between sexual harassment and sexual assault reports in units. To address the issue, the Pentagon is asking Congress to help make sexual harassment a crime by expanding the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is the militarys system of laws punishable by court-martial, Hicks said.

While the roadmap is complete, it will still take time to enact several of the changes  especially those involving the UCMJ  because they will require legislation, she said.

Caitlin Doornbos
Jim Sheeler, a former Rocky Mountain News journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his extensive and compassionate reporting on the families of Colorado soldiers killed in the Iraq War and the man tasked with notifying them, has died at 53. (Facebook)

When Jim Sheeler started writing obituaries in 1996, the job was considered among the worst in journalism, a Siberia for wayward reporters. I saw journalists at my own newspaper punished: Obits for you for the next six months,  he later recalled.

For Sheeler, the assignment was far from a chore. As he leafed through death notices faxed by local funeral homes, typing out obituaries for the Boulder Planet in Colorado, certain details would catch his eye. There was one in particular that listed the womans occupation: florist and butcher, he said. I loved that, and I thought: I wish I would have known her. I wish I could have written about her. And then I realized I still could.

Over the next few years, Sheeler wrote evocative, richly detailed obits of farmers, ranchers, magicians, restaurateurs - preferably anyone whose name had never appeared in print. Combining a lean, understated prose style with an insistence on patient, in-person reporting, he helped shake up the traditional obituary form and established himself as one of the countrys leading chroniclers of ordinary people.

If Nick Papadakis heard a joke at 11:30 a.m., he wrote in one obit, everyone on Main Street knew it by 1 oclock, the punchline escorted by a deep belly laugh, powered by an unashamedly deep belly. In another: Agate, population seventy, is one of those towns that people describe as blink and youll miss it. Lois A. Engel loved living in the blink.

Sheelers obituary writing eventually took him to the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, where he wrote about the first Colorado natives to die in the Iraq War. He attended military funerals at Fort Logan National Cemetery, interviewing bereaved families and friends of the deceased. But he also took in other details, like the way a gravedigger described a fellow Marine killed in action as part of the family, and the way Marines took special care in standing guard over the casket.

I kind of saw another side of them that I hadnt seen before, he told PBS NewsHour in 2008. When you see them folding their friends flag for the last time, and you see those eyes tear up, its not that blank stare that you see from the recruiting poster. And I decided that I wanted to see what was behind those eyes.

Sheeler, who died Sept. 17 at age 53, went on to spend a year shadowing Marine Maj. Steve Beck, who was tasked with honoring his fallen comrades by delivering the news to their families, supervising funerals and helping them cope with their loss. The resulting article, Final Salute, was a searing 12,000-word exploration of grief, sacrifice and brotherhood, with photographs by Todd Heisler. Both men were honored with Pulitzer Prizes the next year, with Sheeler winning the feature-writing award.

His death was confirmed by one of his sisters, Cassie Lawrence. Chris Harris, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County medical examiners office in Ohio, said the determination of the cause is pending further tests.

Two years after winning the Pulitzer, Sheeler expanded Final Salute into a book of the same name, which became a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award in nonfiction.

Mr. Sheeler took one of the great underreported stories of the Iraq war and brought it to light, wrote New York Times book critic Janet Maslin. She added, This is not a maudlin book, despite the endless opportunities Mr. Sheeler had to make it one. Instead it adopts Major Becks quiet decency in his conduct and his empathy for people in dire circumstances.

In a phone interview, Heisler said that Sheeler had a selfless determination to get the story right, which led him to spend as much time as he could with grieving families. He listened as they read their sons last letters, accompanied them to the airport when a plane landed with their sons flag-draped casket, and set his notebook aside at times to play with their sons children on the living room floor.

At a funeral home, he watched as a pregnant widow, Katherine Cathey, said goodbye to her husband, 2nd Lt. James J. Cathey, hugging the open casket before asking Beck for a sonogram that had been taken two days after her husbands death.

She stood cradling the ultrasound, then moved forward and placed it on the pillow at the head of the casket. She stood there, watching for several minutes, then removed it, Sheeler wrote. She walked the length of the casket, then stepped back, still holding the only image of James J. Cathey Jr. She leaned in and placed it over her husbands heart.

In part, Sheeler was able to disappear into a room because he was so unassuming, with a slender frame and youthful, bespectacled face. He also knew how fragile these situations were, said Heisler, now a New York Times staff photographer, and he treated them with great care, telling family members to give him a wave or a glance if they wanted him to leave the room.

The thing is, Heisler added, I dont know that anybody ever asked him to leave.

Stories in the shadows

James Expedite Robert Sheeler III was born in Houston on May 3, 1968. His father ran oil services companies and later became a rancher; his mother was a homemaker who filled her bookshelves with novels by Ernest Hemingway as well as Nora Roberts.

As a young boy, reading late at night with a flashlight under the covers, I reveled in stories of darkness and light, Sheeler wrote in a biography for Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where he had been a journalism professor since 2010. As a journalist and teacher, I continue to search for stories in the shadows, revealing everyday philosophy and wisdom hidden in people and places that are too often overlooked.

His interest in journalism was sparked by a high school teacher in Hedwig Village, on the west side of Houston, who showed him that writing could be as rewarding as reading. Sheeler went on to write for the school newspaper at Colorado State University, where he graduated in 1990, and received a masters degree in journalism from the University of Colorado in 2007.

Interning at radio and television networks, including CNN, he learned to think in terms of scenes and pictures, as he put it. But he gravitated toward writing and got his first reporting job at the Boulder Daily Camera in 1992. He later freelanced for the Denver Post, creating a Sunday obit feature, and co-wrote Life on the Death Beat, a 2005 guide to newspaper obituary writing. Two years later he published Obit, a collection of his work.

I never complained about having my stories in the back of the newspaper, he told a University of Colorado interviewer, because I knew that most of the front-page stories would be fish wrap in a few days, while the obits would be cut and pasted on refrigerators and scrapbooks and read for generations.

Survivors include his wife of 28 years, Annick Sauvageot; a son, James Sheller of Rochester, N.Y.; and two sisters.

Sheeler said he often agonized over his stories, staying up all night to write and sometimes tucking his notebook under his pillow when he went to sleep. Final Salute was especially arduous: It absolutely tore me up inside, he told Deadbeat, an obituary website. He started teaching at the University of Colorado while writing the book, and later invited Beck to speak to his classes at Case Western Reserve.

In a phone interview, Beck recalled warning Sheeler and Heisler early on that their reporting would take its toll. I said this is going to be one of the hardest things youve ever done. And they were willing to walk that walk, said Beck, who retired from the Marine Corps as a lieutenant colonel. I could see over time that it was creating its own pains for them that they would have to carry. That over time they would become haggard and exhausted. But they didnt ever quit, and thats a big thing for us as Marines.

It took putting them through this crucible with the families, he added, and feeling their pain - approaching these heroes in their caskets, being in their rooms, understanding their lives and the lives they left behind, and walking the same footsteps I and my Marines walked every day - to truly, fully grasp the humanity that we were dealing with in bringing our nations service members home to their family members and their final resting place.
A United Airlines plane flies above the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon building in Arlington, Va.., on April 9, 2021. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg)

The Department of Defense has removed a top political appointee in charge of nuclear policy from her position, prompting concern among disarmament advocates that the Pentagon is sidelining those with less hawkish views as the Biden administration develops its official policy on nuclear weapons.

Top Pentagon officials asked Leonor Tomero, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense, to resign from her post in recent days, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive personnel matter.

The shake-up comes as the Biden administration hammers out the details of its Nuclear Posture Review, a document that each administration has released since the 1990s to set out its nuclear weapons policy and strategy, and which the administration is expected to release early next year.

The process  which Tomero had been coordinating  will clarify whether President Joe Biden plans to curtail the declared role of nuclear weapons in U.S. defense policy or roll back a $1.2 trillion, 30-year modernization of the U.S. nuclear force that progressive lawmakers want to see curbed.

One of those lawmakers, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., served as Tomero's boss in Congress for a decade before she joined the Pentagon. Tomero's departure was first reported by Politico.

Pentagon officials have characterized Tomero's departure as the product of a broader reorganization of the policymaking apparatus at the Defense Department.

"As a matter of policy, we won't comment on personnel matters," Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said in a statement. He said a "wide ranging team of experts" continued to work on the Biden administration's Nuclear Posture Review.

But nuclear disarmament advocates expressed concern that the Pentagon ousted Tomero from the post after just eight months in the job because her views challenge current nuclear policy that is entrenched in the building and across the military.

"People wonder why we don't learn from failures like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. The reason is simple: People who point out alternatives to current national security policies are systematically driven out of positions of authority," said Jeffrey Lewis, a professor and nuclear weapons expert at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies. "Firing her sends a clear message to everyone in the Pentagon that there is no tolerance for new ideas when it comes to our nuclear weapons policies."

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, said in a tweet that Tomero's firing was not the first time the Department of Defense "deep state has 'reorganized' a smart, competent person who poses commonsense (questions) that challenge the nuclear status quo out of office."

A Pentagon official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter, denied that Tomero's views played any role in her departure from the post.

"This was a reorganization decision to more appropriately align our organization with policy objectives," the official said. "This was not a difference in opinion or policy."

Tomero did not respond to a request for comment.

The personnel shake-up comes as the Biden administration faces critical choices on its nuclear policy in the coming months.

President Barack Obama considered declaring a "No First Use" policy in his final days, meaning the United States would pledge to use nuclear weapons only if it was hit first by a nuclear strike. Obama, however, ultimately stood down after facing opposition to the move within his cabinet.

But Biden has suggested he may favor such a declaration.

In a January 2017 speech, Biden said it was "hard to envision a plausible scenario in which the first use of nuclear weapons by the United States would be necessary or make sense."

Biden also said he believed deterring or retaliating against a nuclear attack should be the "sole purpose" of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The Obama administration stopped short of adopting that belief as policy, and the Trump administration explicitly rejected it in its 2018 nuclear posture review.

Biden is also facing pressure from progressive lawmakers to curtail a vast modernization of the U.S. nuclear force that Obama agreed to undertake a decade ago in exchange for the GOP-controlled Senate's ratification of the New START Treaty.

In a letter to Biden last month, Smith, Tomero's former boss when she served on the House Armed Services Committee's professional staff, urged the president to consider a "No First Use" policy for U.S. nuclear weapons and to "take a hard look" at whether all aspects of the nuclear modernization currently underway are necessary.
The Gilgamesh tablet will be formally handed over to Iraq in a ceremony Thursday afternoon in Washington, D.C. (Homeland Security Investigations)

WASHINGTON  The 3,500-year-old cuneiform clay tablet from ancient Mesopotamia that was seized by federal authorities in 2019 and officially forfeited by craft store Hobby Lobby in July is being returned to Iraq in a formal ceremony on Thursday afternoon. The handover is both a victory lap for American and Iraqi officials and a symbolic warning to looters that both governments are committed to eradicating the illicit trade of cultural artifacts.

The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and senior leaders from the U.S. and Iraqi governments will gather at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian for the return of the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet, a 6-by-5-inch clay artifact that is part of an epic poem considered to be one of the world's earliest works of literature. The rare piece had once been on display at the Museum of the Bible, the institution built and led by Hobby Lobby chief executive Steve Green that opened a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol in 2017.

The ceremony caps a multiyear effort to return the rare artifact to its homeland and spotlights the ongoing fight against cultural smuggling. While the fragment of the Gilgamesh poem is the star of the event, it represents more than 17,000 items that U.S. officials have returned to Iraq.

UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay described the restitution as historic and said it is crucial to Iraq's recovery. After Thursday's event, the tablet is expected to be sent to Iraq and displayed at the National Museum in Baghdad, she said.

"The Gilgamesh tablet is the most symbolic of the 17,000 cultural objects that were seized," Azoulay said in an email. "The 3,500-year-old Assyrian tablet contains a segment from the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh poem, which is considered one of the oldest literary works in history. It is a founding story that has inspired the great monotheisms, because this myth has been reinterpreted again and again. It also influenced 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey.' It is therefore a jewel of our common humanity and a bulwark against all obscurantism and the identities which pull us apart.

"Having the Gilgamesh tablet returned to Iraq and displayed in the National Museum in Baghdad is also a major step forward in the return of the cultural heritage that was looted from Iraq during decades of conflict," Azoulay continued. "This is crucial to Iraq's reconstruction and recovery."

Highlighting the return of the artifacts could deter the continued looting and trade, said Katharyn Hanson, a cultural heritage preservation scholar at the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute, which has worked with Iraqi cultural heritage practitioners for many years.

Hobby Lobby bought the Gilgamesh tablet for almost $1.7 million in 2014 to display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

"We don't see big repatriations like this as often as we should. I have a lot of hope that it is raising awareness of the issue," Hanson said. "This is going to be a joyous event. The Gilgamesh poem holds a special place in human history, in Iraqi history."

Hobby Lobby bought the tablet for almost $1.7 million in 2014 to display at the museum being built in Washington. The artifact is thought to have been looted from a museum in Iraq in 1991 and smuggled into the United States in 2007, according to UNESCO. It was seized by U.S. officials in 2019, and in July, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ordered Hobby Lobby to forfeit it.

The looting and sale of cultural artifacts have increased because of the armed conflict in the region, UNESCO says. Although the extent of the looting is unknown, the organization estimates that the United States represents 44 percent of the global art market.

The recovery of looted artifacts is slow and difficult, said Lazare Eloundou Assomo, UNESCO director for culture and emergencies.

"Some have false documents and it takes years to detect them," Assomo said. "To this, add the fact that every country has its own legal framework, judicial framework and laws regulating the art market."

Thursday's 3 p.m. ceremony spotlights the collaboration between the United States and Iraq, both signatories of a 1970 UNESCO convention that created a legal framework for preventing the trafficking of cultural items and ensuring their repatriation, Assomo said. Iraqi officials in August also cited the efforts of the Bible Museum's leaders in facilitating the return of what they described as a record number of artifacts from the United States.

"In May 2020, when we learned of the fraudulent import and documentation supplied for the item by previous owners, we announced our full support of the U.S. government's efforts to return this item to Iraq," Jeffrey Kloha, the Bible Museum's chief curatorial officer, said in an email.

"We are grateful for the work of the ambassador of Iraq, Fareed Yasseen, and the U.S. State Department for helping us restore this and other items to the Iraqi people," added Kloha, who plans to attend the ceremony. "We look forward to future opportunities to collaborate with our friends in Iraq to study and preserve its rich cultural heritage."

The ceremony also highlights the importance of cultural diplomacy in the fight against the illicit trade of cultural property, Azoulay said, adding that she hopes it serves as a model.

"This restitution is unprecedented, both in terms of the number of items and their value. We expect that this will send a clear message that the time when looted or illegally exported objects could be easily sold on the market is over," she said. "We also need actors in the art market to play an active role to protect cultural heritage worldwide. Museums are reviewing their acquisition policies, while collectors and auction houses are now paying more attention to provenance information and adhering to professional ethical codes of conduct."

The Smithsonian's Hanson says the demand for ancient artifacts, especially those like the Gilgamesh tablet that are connected to the origins of writing, remains high. And that makes it very easy, she said, "for bad guys to make a profit."

"We lose so much information when an artifact is looted, when it is ripped away from its archaeological context," she explained. Not only is the object removed from its country of origin, but its connection to history also is severed. For example, Hanson said, the systematic excavation of an artifact like the Gilgamesh would provide scholars with specific location data and other potentially significant details.

"We don't know what it was found around. Did it come from an intentional archive, or the trash? Was it carefully sealed for the future?" she said. "It's exciting to see it go back, and I want that joy to overcome the sadness of what we've lost."

Azoulay is expected to speak at the afternoon ceremony, as are Iraqi Ambassador Yasseen; Hassan Nadhem, Iraq's minister of culture, tourism and antiquities; and senior officials from the U.S. Departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security.
Kapaun Chapel is named after Chaplain (Capt.) Emil Joseph Kapaun, a Kansas native and posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. (U.S. Army)

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Tribune News Service)  None of his family or his closest Korean War compatriots thought Tuesdays events were possible, not in 70 years.

But the day has come. And Father Emil Kapaun can come home to Kansas now.

Farm boy. Catholic priest. U.S. Army chaplain. Defiant prisoner of war who stole food and medicine right under the noses of camp guards. Medal of Honor recipient, possible Roman Catholic saint  and now, finally, a long-lost son of Kansas returning to a family that can lay him to rest.

On Tuesday, 70 years after he died in a North Korean prisoner of war camp, U.S. Defense Department searchers for missing soldiers gave the heros remains to his family in a ceremony at Pearl Harbor.

The searchers, along with Bishop Carl Kemme and others from the Diocese of Wichita, made a human tunnel outside the Senator Daniel I. Inouye Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory building, where they had identified his remains in March.

An honor guard made up of men and women from all branches of the military escorted Kapauns flag-draped remains outside past more than 50 saluting soldiers on one side and white coated lab anthropologists and lab technicians on the other.

Ray and Lee Kapaun walked a few steps behind, with Johnie Webb beside them; Johnie is a deputy director of the Hawaii based search teams and a legend among former POWs and fellow MIA searchers.

Ray wept as the hearse took his uncle.

U.S. Army chaplain Fr. Emil Kapaun died in a prisoner of war camp in Korean on May 23, 1951. On April 11, 2013, former President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Kapaun, credited with saving hundreds of soldiers during the Korean War, the Medal of Honor. (U.S. Army)

You guys really did this right. Ray told Johnie.

Were glad to provide every honor he deserves, Johnie said. All of us are glad to be a small part of the effort to send him home.

For Ray, this day was the latest tribute in a wild six months since his phone rang at his home on Whidbey Island in Washington State in March; a U.S. Army soldier told him the Defense Department had found his uncle, who starved to death in 1951 after saving many fellow starving prisoners of war in North Korea.

In the weeks after his uncles identification Ray traveled; he talked many times to the few surviving POWs who revered their chaplain friend.

In June he flew to Hawaii, where he touched the bones of the uncle hed never met. On the lab table where Kapauns bones lay, Ray placed items from the priests long-dead parents: Bessie Kapauns rosary, Enos Kapauns scratched and worn pocket watch. A small container of Kansas prairie dirt scraped from the soil of the old Kapaun farm southwest of Pilsen, in central Kansas.

Ray made many calls after March. He talked with the POW William Funchess, who in 1951 hugged Father Kapaun night after night trying to warm the dying mans body. Funches died only weeks after Ray called him.

Ray talked many times with the former POW Mike Dowe, who wrote Father Kapauns first Medal of Honor recommendation in 1954. He visited  and hugged  the POW Robert McGreevy in Maryland, who struggles now to stand. At the battle of Unsan, where they were both captured in 1950, McGreevy had been a 19-year-old soldier who saw Kapaun repeatedly ignore officers orders to evacuate; Kapaun instead gathered a knot of soldiers. Some of you arent going to make it, Kapaun said. Im going to give you the last rites.

Dowe has said the POWs who revere Kapaun all thought his body would never be found, they thought the Chinese guards in North Korea had rolled his body into one of the many mass graves that were dug in Camp Five, where they were imprisoned. More than 1,400 of the 3,000 American and Allied prisoners in Camp Five starved or froze to death in the first winter of the war.

But the Chinese in 1954 had sent 4,200 sets of remains south after the war.

The odds were long that one set might be those of Father Kapaun. Not only was 4,200 only a fraction of those killed in North Korea, but the Army had found it impossible in the mid-1950s to identify more than 850 of those Korean War remains.

They buried them as unknowns in the Punchbowl, an ancient volcanic crater now called the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. In August 2019, as part of a concerted effort to finally identify the Korean War unknowns, soldiers dug up hundreds of sets of remains and sent them to the Pearl Harbor laboratories for analysis.

Buy Photo Ray Kapaun poses with President Barack Obama after receiving the Medal of Honor on behalf of his uncle, Father Emil Kapaun. (Stars and Stripes)

In March, to the surprise of his friends and family, scientists using DNA and other investigative methods identified Kapauns remains.

Finding him at last was a shock to Ray and Father Kapauns surviving POW friends. Its like somebody up above was making this happen, former POW Dowe said.

Ray Kapaun has worked relentlessly since March to make this reunion of loved ones about more than him or his family. Dowe and the other POWs years ago all became like second fathers to him.

For Dowe it was a gathering of brothers. In May 1951, while Kapaun lay sick and starved, Dowe and other POWS got into a shoving match with camp guards when the guards came to take Kapaun away to what they called a hospital and what the POWS called The Death House. They got aggressive with their bayonets, Dowe said. The enfeebled and sick Americans relented only when Kapaun himself told them to stop fighting.

Those men can rest easy now.

Hes coming home.

___

(c)2021 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)

Visit The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.) at www.kansas.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
U.S. Army veteran Joseph W. Fulkerson receives a flag-pinning ceremony for his military service at Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Kentucky. (Facebook)

OWENSBORO, Ky. (Tribune News Service)  Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Kentucky volunteers have been working to honor veterans in their care for many years. Its an act that while simple, according to volunteer coordinator Edna Duggins, is also very meaningful for everyone involved, including the volunteers.

Many veterans in the care of hospice during the final stages of their life, according to Duggins, receive a pinning ceremony performed by volunteer veterans at the facility and a certificate of recognition.

"It's very simple, but it's the act of honor that can be very meaningful for the veterans and those of us, as well, who are participating in it," she said. "The veterans are deserving of recognition for their service to the country and their sacrifice. For a lot of them, it might have been a long time since anyone's told them thank you or showed them recognition for their service, and it's just something we feel honored to do for them."

Volunteer and United States Marine veteran Stan Bittman said the ceremony typically involves a reading of the certificate of recognition and a pinning of the American flag on the lapel of the patient's pajamas, followed by a salute.

"I think it's important to recognize the veteran, especially when he's at the final stage of his life, and let him know that his service was appreciated," he said.

Bittman said he got involved with hospice as a volunteer after his wife passed away several years ago while in the care of hospice.

Volunteering to help recognize other veterans in their final stages, he said, is his way of giving back to hospice and other patients the facility serves.

U.S. Army veteran and hospice volunteer Lee Barker also helps perform the recognition ceremonies.

He said it is important to ensure veterans feel appreciated at the end of life.

Barker said his father was also a veteran, having served during the Vietnam War. Upon return, he said his father faced some criticism for his service, which inspired him to volunteer his time honoring other veterans at hospice.

"My father was in Vietnam, and he did several tours, and when he came home, my mother told me when he got off the plane ... someone was spitting on him. ... That has stuck with me. I think our veterans deserve a lot better," he said. "For me, I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to give back."

Sam Fitzgerald, a U.S. Marine veteran and volunteer, said it is important to let veterans know their service is still appreciated and they still have a kinsmanship among other service members, no matter how long ago they served; they are not forgotten.

While some patients are nonresponsive, he said it is still nice to be able to provide that service to them and recognize them in front of their family.

"There was one I remember who was nonresponsive to the family for about three days, and I read the certificate to him and saluted him ... and he actually saluted back," he said. "It's just a thank you for them."

cnetherton@messenger-inquirer.com

(c)2021 the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Ky.)

Visit the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Ky.) at www.messenger-inquirer.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
New Zealand springs forward tonight as Daylight Saving time begins.

Clocks will go forward by one hour at 2am on Sunday, September 26. Daylight saving time will continue until Sunday, April 3, 2022, when clocks will go back by one hour to NZ Standard Time.

There's a lot of confusion around Daylight Saving Time, but here's the deal: in the spring, you "spring forward," or move the clocks ahead one hour, meaning we lose an hour instead of gaining one.

Some don't need a reminder to change a clock that changes itself. It's 2021 so why do we need a reminder? Others however may say the hour they lose this weekend was the hour they were planning to go to the gym anyway. And others may wish the clock could be wound forward a whole year to get past months of daily Covid-19 updates and to bypass the upcoming elections.

Think of it this way - we're one step closer to warmer weather, longer days, and lots more sunlight. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't quite caught up to that yet, so we'll have to wait a while to ditch our winter jackets. But at least this is proof that we're nearing the end of winter!

During the Daylight Saving months we are on New Zealand daylight time, which is one hour ahead of New Zealand standard time.

Most New Zealanders should experience a seamless transition, with modern electronic devices adjusting automatically. However, older devices may need to be adjusted manually.

While adjusting clocks and devices, it is a good time to check emergency plans, survival kits and smoke alarms.

Background History

New Zealand officially set a national standard time  called New Zealand Mean Time  at 11 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Daylight saving was introduced in 1927, however the dates and times were changed several times over the following years.

During the mid-1940s, daylight saving time was discontinued and New Zealand Standard Time was imposed year-round. This lasted until 1974 when Daylight saving was trialled again, and then officially introduced in 1975.

In 2007 Parliament officially extended Daylight Saving by three weeks from the last Sunday of September to the first Sunday of April.

Further information on daylight saving time see the New Zealand Government website.

A fun fact

The Chatham Islands observes Chatham Island Standard Time, which is 45 minutes ahead for New Zealand Standard Time. During the Daylight Saving period Chatham Islands time moves forward one hour like the rest of New Zealand. This is known as Chatham Island Daylight Time. Chatham Islanders should put their clocks forward on Sunday at 2.45am.
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Re: Honda N7X SUV production model global unveil on 21 September



Honda developed a concept model called the New 7 Seater eXcitement (N7X) to capture consumer feedback on the concept that became the forerunner of the second generation of the Honda BR-V. After being exhibited in various regions in Indonesia, the N7X Concept received a very positive response from consumers which later became the basis for the development of the All New Honda BR-V.



Quote: The all-new Honda BR-V now wears Hondas latest corporate design, with the Solid Wing Face chrome front grille taking centre stage, flanked by a pair of LED headlights. Below the LED headlights are a pair of L-shaped fog light surrounds. Quote: Moving towards the rear-end of the all-new BR-V, it gets a pair of redesigned LED tail lights with signature lighting that is reminiscent of the Honda City. Completing the looks are rugged bumpers all round, roof rails, and a shark fin antenna. Quote: Honda has also refreshed the all-new BR-Vs cabin. The all-new Honda BR-Vs dashboard is largely inspired by the Indian-market Honda Amaze, down to the pair of symmetrical air-cond vents and what looks like a larger touchscreen head unit. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is supported in the all-new BR-V.

Quote: Powering the all-new Honda BR-V is a new naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre DOHC petrol engine borrowed from the current-generation Honda City, producing 121 PS and 145 Nm. The engine can be had with a CVT-type automatic or a manual transmissio Quote: The range-topping variant now adds the Honda Sensing ADAS suite to the mix, which includes Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS), Auto High Beam (AHB) and Lead Car Departure Notification (LCDN) - the latter not available on the Honda City or Honda CR-V. Quote: The all-new Honda BR-V will also offer a total of six airbags and the LaneWatch camera .























































All New Honda BR-V E CVT & M/T



The All New Honda BR-V E (CVT & M/T) comes with all the features of the All New Honda BR-V SM/T with the addition of LED foglights and also several new features including Smart Entry System, Walk-Away Auto Lock, TFT Meter, 1 st Row Armrest Console, 2 nd Row Accessories Power Outlet, Seatbelt Adjuster, 16 Alloy Wheels Design, Rear A/C Double Blower and Remote Engine Start available on CVT transmission.



All New Honda BR-V Prestige CVT



The All New Honda BR-V Prestige CVT comes with all the features of the All New Honda BR-V E (CVT & M/T), plus new features including Auto Foldable Side Door Mirror with LED Turning Signal, 17 Alloy Wheel, 2 nd Row Armrest Console, and 3 rd Row Accessories Power Outlet and Front Passenger Seatbelt Reminder. The use of a leather coating on the All New Honda BR-V has also been added to the cabin, including the armrests and door sides and dashboard panels .



All New Honda BR-V Prestige CVT with Honda SENSING TM



The highest variant of the All New Honda BR-V Prestige CVT with Honda SENSING TM comes with all the features of the All New Honda BR-V Prestige CVT, plus new features and advanced technology including Honda SENSING TM , Honda LaneWatch TM , TFT Meter with Honda SENSING TM information and audio video system with 7 touch screen which has been equipped with various functions including Smartphone Connection and also equipped with Hands-Free Telephone for driver convenience.



All New Honda BR-V comes with 5 color choices, Premium Opal White Pearl, which is a new color, Taffeta White, Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic, and Crystal Black Pearl.







Deliveries for the all-new 2022 Honda BR-V in Indonesia wont commence until 2022. Prices will be announced before 2021 ends and the model will be exported to 30 countries.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyzk-p1Di0g&t=5s





Link This is the all-new 2022 Honda BR-V, full Honda Sensing, 6 airbags, new DOHC engine.Honda developed a concept model called theto capture consumer feedback on the concept thatAfter being exhibited in various regions in Indonesia, the N7X Concept received a very positive response from consumers which later became the basis for the development of the All New Honda BR-V.The All New Honda BR-V E (CVT & M/T) comes with all the features of the All New Honda BR-V SM/T with the addition of LED foglights and also several new features including Smart Entry System, Walk-Away Auto Lock, TFT Meter, 1 st Row Armrest Console, 2 nd Row Accessories Power Outlet, Seatbelt Adjuster, 16 Alloy Wheels Design, Rear A/C Double Blower and Remote Engine Start available on CVT transmission.The All New Honda BR-V Prestige CVT comes with all the features of the All New Honda BR-V E (CVT & M/T), plus new features including Auto Foldable Side Door Mirror with LED Turning Signal, 17 Alloy Wheel, 2 nd Row Armrest Console, and 3 rd Row Accessories Power Outlet and Front Passenger Seatbelt Reminder. The use of a leather coating on the All New Honda BR-V has also been added to the cabin, including the armrests and door sides and dashboard panels .The highest variant of the All New Honda BR-V Prestige CVT with Honda SENSING TM comes with all the features of the All New Honda BR-V Prestige CVT, plus new features and advanced technology including Honda SENSING TM , Honda LaneWatch TM , TFT Meter with Honda SENSING TM information and audio video system with 7 touch screen which has been equipped with various functions including Smartphone Connection and also equipped with Hands-Free Telephone for driver convenience.All New Honda BR-V comes with 5 color choices, Premium Opal White Pearl, which is a new color, Taffeta White, Lunar Silver Metallic, Modern Steel Metallic, and Crystal Black Pearl.Deliveries for the all-new 2022 Honda BR-V in Indonesia wont commence until 2022. Prices will be announced before 2021 ends and the model will be exported to 30 countries. Last edited by volkman10 : 21st September 2021 at 15:53 .
In brief: Google has announced a significant investment in its New York City office expansion plans, with the company planning to acquire an office building in Manhattan for $2.1 billion. The new campus on St. Johns Terminal in Manhattan, which the search giant currently leases, is due to open in mid-2023. It will become part of the firms new 1.7 million-square-foot Hudson Square campus.

A former freight facility, the purchase of St. Johns Terminal represents the most expensive sale of a US office building since the pandemic began nearly two years ago, according to The Wall Street Journal. The building will be Google's largest office outside its main California headquarters.

With Google exercising an option to buy the building in the first quarter of 2022, it will add to the massive $55.9 billion worth of land and buildings parent company Alphabet already owns. The aforementioned figure includes the $2.4 billion acquisition for its Chelsea Market building in 2018.

The space will offer a highly sustainable, adaptable and connected building thanks to its biophilic design, allowing employees to connect more closely to nature. The popular design concept will incorporate various outdoor open spaces, as well as reconnecting the Hudson Square neighborhood to the adjacent waterfront.

We know that our employees, in order to really be happy and productive, need to collaborate. Because of that need to collaborate, weve been investing more and more in office space, said William Floyd, Googles director of public policy and government affairs.

Hybrid work models have evidently become more common due to the pandemic; companies are reevaluating the need for office space, leading to many vacating real estate in favor of remote working.

Google itself is delaying its complete return to offices until January. Beyond that, CEO Sundar Pichai previously revealed that most employees will spend around three days in the office and the remaining two remotely. Working culture for Google post-pandemic will also see 20% of its workforce working from home permanently, which may result in pay cuts for some.

While remote working may negatively impact productivity and innovation, its clear that, moving forward, companies will increasingly adopt a hybrid work solution; Microsoft, for example, will allow most employees to work from home for less than 50 percent of the week.
Anonymous hackers are now starting to leak the identities of Epik's consumers. Security experts even claimed that the massive breach affects the company's Anonymize customers, who are paying for the firm's service to keep their identity secret.

However, it seems like their payments are useless after popular Anonymous hackers breached the company's system.

These cybercriminals even created a Twitter account called "Epik Fail Data Leaks" to post some screenshots or posts about the massive database leak of the giant tech firm. As of the moment, the newly created account already has more than 4,500 followers.

Meanwhile, one of the hackers' posts seems to mock Epik.

"Do you want a twitter thread on how poorly this data was stored and the data structure?" asked the Anonymous hackers in a Twitter poll.

They added that even the most inexperienced person regarding tech stuff could even access the company's database.

How Anonymous Hackers Breach Epik's Database?

According to an Epik Fail Data Leaks Twitter thread, Epik works by offering an option to protect consumers' privacy. The company is offering a Domain-Add-On called "Anonymize," which promises full anonymity of their identities.

Also Read: Father Son Hacker Duo are On Quest to Help People Get Back Their Missing Crypto After Forgotten Wallet Passwords

However, the Anonymous hackers explained that Epik's mistake is assigning a UserID to create a contact email on its anonymous domains. However, the online attackers said that all you have to do is search WHOIS files to look for the actual owners of the Epik Anonymize domains.

When customers purchased the Anonymize Domain Add-On, Epik assigned them a UserID, which is standard. But then, they used that SAME UserID to create the contact email on these anonymous domains. Thus, when searching WHOIS files, this domain still seems anonymous... #EpikFail pic.twitter.com/D55yPcizkz  Epik Fail Data Leaks (@epikfailsnippet) September 16, 2021

Aside from Epik, Fortinet VPN was also breached by a hacking gang, which leaked 500,000 passwords on the Dark Web forum. On the other hand, ExpressVPN's CIO is now facing a lawsuit because of alleged spying activities.

Real Identities Getting Exposed?

According to The Washington Post's latest report, the leaked database of Epik contains various essential information. These include customer account credentials, internal company emails, website purchase records, as well as the names of those who administer some of the largest far-right websites.

Here are other information being leaked by the Anonymous hackers:

Home Addresses

Client Names

Email Addresses

Phone Numbers

Passwords

One of the individuals identified in Epik is Michael Trollan, who is believed to be running the Andy-Ngo.com and antifamugshots.com.

For more news updates about Anonymous hackers and other similar hacking groups, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Anonymous Hackers Leak Epik's Database-Experts Confirm Gigabytes of Data Were Obtained; 8chan, Parler, and Other Clients Now Affected

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Apple iOS 15.1 Beta is bringing new features to the latest release of the Cupertino giant for its iPhone operating system, something which has been observed greatly with the iOS 14. It seems that it would take a lot before the most valuable technology company would settle on an absolute release of the iOS, something which would be changed constantly.

Apple iOS 15.1 Beta: Features

Apple's iOS 15.1 Beta would have plenty of features coming, as it aims to follow that of the iOS 14 legacy. Some of it includes the aforementioned COVID Vaccination card that can be saved on the Wallets application, iCloud's new Private Relay feature, the latest SharePlay version for 15.1, and more.

According to MacRumors, the new beta aims to bring the COVID-19 Vaccination Card feature to the Wallets app, something which Android users have already been enjoying as they store it virtually.

It would be helpful as a lot of establishments all over the country require proof of vaccination, and sometimes, having it on the card would be a hassle to bring.

SharePlay is a feature where users can allow friends or family to stream music, movies, or series via the FaceTime application, as well as use it to share the screen on a smartphone.

Other features coming would be the "Announce Call" and "Lossless Audio" support for the HomePod. These functions are speculated to come for the iOS 15.1, something which people can enjoy once it releases.

Read Also: 'Future' Apple iPhones Will Use Technology That Can Diagnose Depression, Cognitive Decline: Report

Apple iOS 15.1 Beta: When is it Releasing?

It was said that the iOS 15 was officially released to the public by September 20, but the first beta version is a new update and would be separate for that. For now, no dates have been given for its release, but it would focus on October, as it is already nearing the last weeks of September.

Should You Download It?

Apple has had a lot of features added in between different beta updates, as well as security features and patches that would fix the smartphone operating system in general. The iOS 14 has greatly shown that since its release during the September Fall event known as "Time Flies."

Despite having a lot of beta downloads or patches, Apple ensures that these releases would be meaningful and brings a lot of features that would help people in their daily use of the device. The latest iOS 14.5 has focused on security features like anti-fingerprint tracking for apps, share lyrics, unlock the iPhone using the Apple Watch, and more.

Nevertheless, this is what Apple aims to release with the iOS 15, something which the legacy of last year's OS has focused on, which is Privacy and data security for users.

Related Article: Apple AirPods to Offer 6-Months Subscription of Apple Music With Beats Purchase For Free-Here's How

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Pexels/Pixabay) TikTok challenge

TikTok's latest challenge called "Devious Licks" has landed two teenage boys in hot water. The two teenagers are currently under investigation for vandalism of government property which is said to be connected to the viral TikTok challenge.

TikTok Challenge Led To Arrest

The incident happened in Singapore, and according to the local police, the two were caught on Sept. 21.

The "Devious Licks" challenge began in the United States.

The participants bragged about the things that they stole from their respective schools. The videos are posted by teenagers on the social media platform.

In Singapore, the two teenage boys removed government signs. The incident was reported by a witness on Sept. 19 at 5:16 PM, according to StraitsTimes.

The police were called after a picture of a teenager holding a sign of the Kaki Bukit MRT station went viral. It was then posted on several social media sites.

The sign that was stolen by the teenager has initially been on the frame of a sheltered walkway leading to the MRT station.

On the same day, the police got another report at 9:40 PM. A video showed a teenager holding a sign belonging to the National Environment Agency or NEA.

The sign was attached to the ground in Jalan Songket, in Hougang, Singapore, according to AsiaNewsToday.

After thorough investigations, the MRT signage case was connected to a 15-year-old boy, and the NEA signage was connected to a 14-year-old boy. The NEA sign was returned to the ground after the boy filmed the challenge.

Also Read: TikTok Blackout Challenge: What is This Latest Video Craze that Took the Life of a 10-Year-Old Girl

The Dangerous Trend

The "Devious Licks" trend on TikTok is said to have begun on Sept. 1 by user @jugg4elias. The user posted a video of himself pulling a box of masks out of his backpack. His caption indicated that he stole the box of masks from his school.

Since then, the challenge has trended on the platform, and it escalated to the removal of toilet doors, lockers, and water coolers across the schools in the United States, according to USA Today.

Some schools even had to close off bathrooms to avoid theft, which prompted students to steal the signs instead.

TikTok has now blocked contents included in the "Devious Licks" challenge because it goes against its rule regarding criminal activity.

The police in Singapore issued a reminder to the public that removing government property without permission is vandalism and it is a criminal offense.

Anyone caught vandalizing can be fined up to $2,000, or they can be jailed for up to 3 years. They can also receive up to 8 strokes of the cane.

A police spokesman stated that members of the public are reminded constantly to abide by the laws and not to participate in any acts or online trends that constitute a criminal offense.

Disasterous TikToks

This is not the first time that a TikTok challenge has ended in disaster.

In August, TikTok banned the viral milk crate challenge because of the several injuries that it caused. The challenge involves stacking crates until it forms a pyramid.

The challenger needs to walk over the milk crate pyramid without falling in order to complete the challenge. It was banned because the platform prohibits any content that glorifies dangerous acts.

TikTok also released a warning regarding the "Frozen Honey" challenge due to the health risks caused by eating massive amounts of honey.

Related Article: TikTok Challenges: Here Are the Best Viral Challenges From 2020 to 2021

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Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NASA's Orion spacecraft Main Engine contract for the future Artemis mission was awarded to a rocket and missile manufacturer, Aero Rocketdyne.

The firm based in Redmond, Washington grabbed the $600 million Orion Main Engine or OME contract alone, which took effect last Sept. 21, and will last until April 23, 2032, as per Mirage News.

NASA Orion Spacecraft

The Orion spacecraft of NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, will play a vital role in the Artemis mission of the space agency, which seeks to bring humans back to the moon as a preparation for future travels to other planets, like Mars.

To be precise, the Orion spacecraft is responsible for transporting astronauts to the moon.

As such, NASA said that it is already making progress with the development of the Orion spacecraft, concluding its development phase, and, now, moving forward to the production phase.

Last Sept. 17, the United States space agency announced it has recently completed the first major work under the production phase.

It specifically involves the welding on the pressure vessel of Orion, which serves as the structural frame of the capsule or the crew module.

NASA's feat was made possible through the lead contractor of the Orion production phase, Lockheed Martin.

NASA Orion Spacecraft Main Engine Contract

Meanwhile, the OME will serve as the engine that will make major maneuvers for the spacecraft possible, including both departing and entering the orbit of the moon.

Not to mention that it will also play a primary role in some mission abort instances.

According to SpaceRef, the contract awardee, Aerojet Rocketdyne, will be providing refurbished Orbital Maneuvering System engines or shortly known as OMS-Es from the previous space shuttle program for the initial six missions of the Orion spacecraft.

The president and CEO of Aerojet Rocketdyne, Eileen Drake, further boasted that the previous work of her firm on the OMS-Es for the space shuttle proves that her company "understands the engine's materials, manufacturing processes, and thrust levels."

The Aerojet Rocketdyne exec went on to add that the company is "excited to develop its next-generation in support of future Artemis missions."

Elsewhere, NASA previously awarded another contract to multiple firms for the design of the moon lander systems, which includes rival firms SpaceX and Blue Origin, as well as Dynetics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.

It is worth noting that Blue Origin, the space company of billionaire Jeff Bezos, recently brought NASA to the federal court to contest its contract awarding.

Read Also: NASA Human Exploration Splits into Two Departments to Better Focus on Future Flights like the Artemis and MORE

Aerojet Rocketdyne and NASA Orion

On top of that, Aerojet Rocketdyne is not just working on the main engines of the Orion.

The company also works under a contract with Lockheed Martin to develop the auxiliary engines of the service module of the Orion spacecraft.

Related Article: How NASA Plans to Send Humans to Deep Space: The Alcubierre Drive, aka a Real-Life 'Warp Drive' Explained

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
If you are currently using a Chinese smartphone, it's better to get rid of it as soon as possible, according to Lithuania's Defense Ministry.

The Lithuanian official recommended that people who are planning to buy a China-made mobile phone should avoid it because of censorship concerns.

Lithuania Advises People to Throw Away Their Chinese Smartphones

From the official site of the Ministry of the National Defense Republic of Lithuania, the citizens could face some risks when using Chinese smartphones.

Recently, the country has run a cyber security assessment of China-made 5G devices such as OnePlus 8T 5G, Huawei, P40 5G, and Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G.

Upon conducting the test, many flagship phones that are made in China were discovered to have built-in censorship capabilities.

Lithuania's cybersecurity department said that these devices can recognize the terms and censor some words such as "Free Tibet" and "Long live Taiwan independence."

In the same report, Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G's software capability is disabled in Europe.

However, the authorities said that it could be activated at any time.

"Our recommendation is to not buy new Chinese phones, and to get rid of those already purchased as fast as reasonably possible," Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevicius said in a report by CNN.

Lithuania Addresses Issue With China

When Taiwan said that its Lithuanian mission would be dubbed as "Taiwanese Representative Office," China immediately ordered its Beijing ambassador to be withdrawn.

The city of Taipei, which China believes to be a part of the country, was involved in the missions based in the US and Europe.

In connection to censorship concerns, Lithuania's National Cyber Center has received data encryption from a Xiaomi phone. It was found out later that the Huawei P40 5G phone was connected to a Singaporean server.

The report tackles the words that could be censored by Xiaomi's apps.

Read Also: Weibo User: Signal Has Been Walled - Why Did China Block this App?

Freedom Phone Issues and Other Censoring Chinese Apps

Back in July, people were hyped about the launch of the Freedom phone, which became a big hit in the United States. At that time, many fans expected it to compete with the biggest names in the smartphone industry.

At the same time, a report concluded that the mentioned device was made in China. There's a chance that it was a fake smartphone.

For phone experts, there were red flags that were engraved in the China phone.

For instance, the company behind the production of Freedom phones did not provide any information about its specifications.

Meanwhile, the start of the pandemic hinted that people would have a high reliance on technology, especially app usage.

In March 2020, the Chinese messaging app WeChat was discovered to have been censoring words related to coronavirus.

In February, over 300 new censored key phrases were added to the Chinese app. The researchers also laid out the same findings with another app Y.Y.

Related Article: China hit up Apple iCloud but not for data storage, claims censorship monitor

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Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Microsoft's latest discovery about phishing reveals an unusual as-a-service operation that makes use of phishing kits for cloud services.

The tech giant's cybersecurity team said that there are different services that the hackers use, including email delivery and fake login pages.

Microsoft Uncovers As-a-Service Phishing Operation

According to a blog post by the Microsoft 365 Defender Threat Intelligence Team, the attackers depend on the malicious pages and links that are sent to the victims.

The cybercriminals will inject malicious software into the system to steal important credentials from the user.

What's unique about this phishing attack is the fact that the untested stolen credentials are directed to the hackers. This means that despite not gaining access to the system, the hackers could still carry out the operations.

Many businesses nowadays have an established domain for their pages. Most importantly, they have created login pages for the ease of user's access to the website.

The phishing-as-a-service operation has reportedly hit the cloud services, such as OneDrive, Google Docs, American Express, LinkedIn, and more.

The dangerous part of this attack could result in double theft where the attacker could offer the credentials using the original account of the provider. Later, another recipient could buy the stolen credentials that will be sold by the hacker.

BulletProofLink Service Linked to 300,000 Compromised Subdomains

From ZDnet's updated report published on Wednesday, Sept.22, the Redmond company aims to tighten the security protection for the companies.

The case of a phishing-as-a-service does not involve ZIP-filed phishing kits. Instead, the templates to create fake selling login sites are contained in the whole package.

During the investigation, Microsoft said that a surprising number of 300,000 subdomains were hit by the attack.

The tech titan even called it an "infinite subdomain abuse."

"These subdomains" allow attackers to use a unique URL for each recipient while only having to purchase or compromise one domain for weeks on end," Microsoft said.

Read Also: Latest Email Scam Targets Gmail, Outlook Users: How to Avoid this Vishing Attack?



Microsoft Issues Warning on Phishing Links

Last August, Microsoft cybersecurity researchers concluded that some attackers use a traditional phishing method to exploit their victims.

Using the Morse Code, there is a chance that the hackers could bypass the system's security. Despite the availability of new techniques, the Morse Code is still considered an effective tool for phishing.

The tech service provider said that the company logo of the target could be seen along with the package of malicious credentials bearing a bogus Microsoft 365 login.

Later that month, there was another attack that exposed 3,300 firms. The vulnerability uses casual URLs that look like a reliable domain in the first place.

Once the details are encoded, a fake sign-in page will appear. It will also use Captcha verification to deceive the victim. The phishing tactic will start when the user clicks the link.

Related Article: Recent Phone Scam Annoys Victims Through Spamming Phone Calls: Beware of This Seven-Digit Number



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Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NASA's Boeing Starliner test launch could be delayed until 2022 as its valve issues remain unresolved. Because of the ongoing technical issues, some critics now speculate that the upcoming space activity would need to be changed.

As of the moment, the Starliner's Orbital Test Flight 2 or OFT-2, which is an essential unmanned space test flight to the ISS, remains the same status, which is inoperable.

Because of this issue, various space enthusiasts claimed that the test launch could be pushed further as involved experts and astronomers discovered that there are 13 valves stuck in the Starliner's service module.

Because of this, NASA and Boeing are now forced to cancel their originally announced test launch target date.

NASA Boeing Starliner To Be Further Delayed

According to Space.Com's latest report, Boeing's engineers and NASA experts are already conducting observations and other activities to troubleshoot the stuck Starliner valves.

Also Read: Boeing Starliner: Valves Refuse to Open, De-Stacks Spacecraft; NASA Commercial Crew Program Indefinite Halt

"So, my gut is it would be probably more likely to be next year. But we're still working through that timeline," said NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate's Head Kathy Lueders.

Aside from the current troubleshooting activity, NASA also considers replacing the existing service module on Starliner for the OFT-2 mission. But, the giant space agency still wants to proceed using the same space module.

The final decision is expected to be announced in these coming weeks. In other news, NASA James Webb Space Telescope will also debut in outer space. On the other hand, NASA chooses SpaceX as ULA pulls out from the GOES-U Mission program.

Other Activities of NASA

Aside from fixing the current valve issue of Boeing Starliner, NASA is also focusing on other areas of its space market.

These include dividing or splitting the leadership of its human spaceflight office into two segments. This involves bringing back the former senior manager Jim Free as a new program leader.

On the other hand, Kathy Lueders, the current leader of all NASA human spaceflight missions, would soon lead the new Space Operations Mission Directorate office, as reported by Ars Technica.

For more news updates about NASA and its upcoming space innovations, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: ULA Atlas V to Retire After 29 Missions, Boeing-Lockheed's Venture Now Stops Sale of Rocket

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : GettlyImages/ NICHOLAS KAMM ) Apple logo

Apple is currently looking for the employee responsible for leaking a memo, and the company is ramping up its efforts.

The memo was leaked to The Verge last week. Apple's CEO Tim Cook stated that Apple is doing investigations to identify the internal leaker, implying that the said employee will be dismissed once caught.

Apple's Leaked Memo

According to The Verge, the memo was sent to all Apple employees on Sept. 21. It included details about a confidential meeting that happened on Sept. 17.

Cook stated that a lot of the employees were frustrated after the contents of the meeting were leaked to reporters. While the memo comes after details from the meeting, it also included product leaks.

The Apple CEO stated that a number of details regarding the new iPhone 13 and other Apple announcements were leaked to reporters even before the Apple event happened.

Also Read: Apple to Test Hybrid Work Arrangement for Retail Employees: What Will It Look Like?

In an email sent out to several publications, Cook said that the details in the memo that was leaked are opportunities that teams within the company can connect with. However, that will only work if the content stays within Apple.

The Apple CEO reassured the other employees that the company was doing everything in its power to identify the leaker. He added that the tech giant does not tolerate disclosures of confidential information, may it be a confidential meeting or product IP.

The full memo can be read via The Verge.

Apple's Culture of Secrecy

Apple is known to keep everything that is going on inside the company a secret, with employees forced to sign non-disclosure agreements no matter what the issue is.

On Sept. 19, Cook answered some questions regarding the company's secrecy in an all-staff meeting after several employees voiced their concerns about the company's work culture.

According to Business Standard, Cook answered questions from workers regarding numerous topics, from pay equity to the company's political stance.

The employees at the meeting told The New York Times that Cook only answered two questions. However, his response serves as an acknowledgment that the workplace issues have already taken root at the company and have become part of its culture.

Since August, more than 500 Apple employees have submitted accounts of terrible work environment experiences. Some submitted reports about sexual harassment, verbal abuse, discrimination, and retaliation at work.

The accounts of Apple employees were submitted to an employee-activist group called #AppleToo. Two company employees lead the group, Cher Scarlett and Janneke Parrish.

The group posted the anonymous stories online and has been encouraging others who experienced the same thing while working at Apple to contact state and federal labor officials and file a formal complaint.

Around eight current and former employees did an exclusive interview with The Times and talked about their experiences, the workplace conditions, the company's questionable business practices, and unequal pay in Apple.

Employees collectively agree that the company's secrecy has created a culture that discourages them from speaking out about their concerns.

Complaints about unfair treatment, problematic colleagues and managers, and an unjust working environment are dismissed. The employees are afraid to criticize the company, according to the employees who spoke to The Times.

Related Article: Apple Asks Employees for 'Voluntary' Vaccination Status Report | No Mandate Given

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A local Girl Scout chapter has found a buyer for Camp Whispering Pines, where generations of scouts have fond memories of retreats in an endangered forest.

Girl Scouts Louisiana Easts board of directors voted last week to approve a buyer for the 600-acre getaway off La. 1054 near Independence, chapter CEO Rebecca Pennington said in a newsletter to registered scouts.

The buyer is an individual landowner near the property. But the Girl Scouts aren't disclosing who they are because both parties signed a non-disclosure agreement, said Madeleine Briscoe, Chief Development Officer for Girl Scouts Louisiana East.

The purchaser is an individual landowner near the property that has a demonstrated interest in conserving land in and around Independence, Louisiana, and Tangipahoa Parish, Briscoe told The Advocate. The property is projected to officially change hands later in the fall of 2021, possibly in the name of a holding company or trust established for the purchase of the site.

Plans to sell the camp have alarmed some former scouts and conservationists, who worry about the future of endangered longleaf pine trees there. They've argued the organization hasn't been transparent about the sale.

+7 A Louisiana Girl Scout camp could soon be sold; conservationists fear for a forest's future INDEPENDENCE  Plans to sell a beloved Girl Scout camp in the piney woods of eastern Tangipahoa Parish have ignited worries among environmenta

The choice to sell the camp hinged on budgetary challenges: Girl Scouts Louisiana East made a last-ditch effort to raise $1 million for crucial repairs at the camp, including a leaky spillway, but came up short.

Longleaf pines offer pristine habitat for hundreds of animal species, including threatened gopher tortoises and red-cockaded woodpeckers.

New commercial, residential and energy-production developments appeared rapidly in Tangipahoa Parish in recent years, driving debate over impacts on flooding and natural landscapes. When its sold, some ex-scouts fear that the camp could become home to the next big development.

Others mourn what they fear will be the loss of a beloved childhood getaway.

Members of Friends of the Longleaf Pines, a group concerned about the future of the property after the camp changes hands, tried fundraising $950,000 through a GoFundme campaign to buy the property themselves.

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But the scouts said the group  which at the time had the title Friends of Camp Whispering Pines  couldnt use the camps name in fundraising efforts because doing so violated Girl Scout policy.

Girl Scouts Louisiana East Chief Operating Officer Jill Pollard sent a cease and desist letter to Rosie Tran, a group member organizing the fundraiser, saying the GoFundme page must be immediately canceled and removed, emails obtained by The Advocate show.

Instead, the fundraiser pivoted to become a broader longleaf pine conservation effort. It has raised a little over $5,300.

+9 These endangered woodpecker families were recovering. Then Hurricane Laura flattened their homes When Hurricane Laura's wind and storm surge displaced thousands of people from their homes two months ago, the Category 4 storm also devastate

Joan Doyle, a spokeswoman for Friends of the Longleaf Pines, said former scouts in the group feel left in the dark by the clandestine way that the board chose a buyer.

Im ready to call Girl Scouts USA and say, You can have my Girl Scouts membership back, she said.

Girl Scouts Louisiana East will shift to hosting scouts at two other Louisiana Camps in Covington and St. Francisville once it shutters the camp in Tangipahoa Parish.

The chapter also plans to open a new Experience Center where scouts can gather, according to Pennington's memo.

Hurricane Ida's shrieking winds damaged part of the camp, according to Pennington. The unnamed buyer is working with the scout chapter to "relocate meaningful features of the property" left undamaged by the storm to one of the other two Louisiana camps, she said.

The Girl Scouts plan a closing ceremony for camp alumni to visit Camp Whispering Pines one last time. A date has not yet been announced.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has reached a deal with Nashville-based OneOncology to join its nationwide network, ending its affiliation with Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center was founded 50 years ago and will remain an independent nonprofit organization once the deal closes in the fall. The deal is for an affiliation, not sale of assets.

The goal is to expand resources for patients while driving growth, reducing patient costs and providing a connection to more clinical trials. It opens the door for the center to have a broader network of cancer care physicians nationwide, access to technology and national purchasing power.

Its a strategic move for the organization that supports our continued philosophy of focusing 100% on cancer," said Todd Stevens, CEO of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in a news release.

The decision left the Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center leadership "stunned" and "disheartened".

"We were reassured by Mary Bird Perkins that their preference was to continue our relationship for the radiation and management services they provide," according to a statement from the medical center. "We are very disheartened to see our good work together in cancer care, built over the past decade, being dismantled for out-of-state interests. Weve all watched these outside groups enter into communities and make decisions strictly for their out-of-state profit and investors."

Mary Bird Perkins owns the building on Essen Lane in Baton Rouge and expects to continue providing services to patients there. The partnership was a cost-saving measure for both organizations which shared in both expenses and profits associated with cancer care. Any profits generated were re-invested back into the joint venture of then-Mary Bird Perkins - Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center.

"As our team currently performs miracles in this COVID-19 surge, we are even more disappointed by Mary Bird Perkins decision and dismayed by the swift nature of this out-of-state transaction," the statement said.

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center had formed a partnership with Mary Bird Perkins in the early 1990s and was previously known as Mary Bird Perkins - Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. Woman's Hospital has been working with the cancer center since 2017 for breast and gynecologic cancer treatment, now offered at the Woman's campus.

"We have already begun planning for the continuity of services and the many complexities of a relationship as long and deep as our with Mary Bird Perkins," said Scott Wester, Our Lady of the Lake president and chief executive officer, in a letter to employees. "I remain confident in Our Lady of the Lake's way forward as premier cancer care providers."

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Mary Bird Perkins expects to remain as a nonprofit and donations would be managed the same as in the past. As for patients, the partnership is not expected to impact insurance coverage at this time or require patients to change doctors or treatment plans.

"We do not expect any major changes and you (as a patient) will still make treatment and follow-up appointments in the same way you do now," Mary Bird Perkins said.

Other providers already in the OneOncology group include Southeastern Louisiana Radiation Oncology Group and Northshore Oncology Associates in Covington. Louisiana Hematology Oncology Associates is expected to join OneOncology by early 2022.

The deal includes affiliation with Mary Bird Perkins' Baton Rouge, Gonzales, Hammond, Houma, Covington and Natchez, Mississippi locations. It expects to continue its affiliation agreement with Terrebonne General Health System in Houma and work closely with Our Lady of the Lake and Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge.

"The company will also aid us in driving the future of cancer care delivery through a patient-centric, physician-driven and technology-powered model to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer, said Dr. Charles Wood, medical director of the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.

OneOncology was founded in 2018 and now has more than than 600 provides and 175 locations nationwide. Its network has more than 2,100 patients enrolled in 609 active clinical trials.

OneOncology raised $200 million from private equity firm General Atlantic and the company was spearheaded by a group of three oncology practices: Tennessee Oncology, New York Blood and Cancer Specialists and West Cancer Center.

Baton Rouge Health District snags $1.2 million to fund local innovation projects in health care A joint venture between the public and private sector aimed at supporting more innovation in health care has raised $1.2 million to help finan

Health care network awarded $13.6M grant for more cancer trials in Louisiana, Mississippi A network of more than a dozen health care organizations across Louisiana and Mississippi were awarded a $13.6 million grant from the National
Officials in the state Department of Education said Wednesday they are launching a program to offer $35 million in grants for districts that want to overhaul their public schools.

"We are accepting the most innovative ideas from the field to help generate sustainable excellence in schools across the state," state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said in a statement.

$4B in federal aid is headed to Louisiana public schools, but how will it be spent? Public schools in Louisiana are getting more than $4 billion from three rounds of federal stimulus dollars to help combat the coronavirus pand

"We must empower our school systems to challenge the status quo and think big about how we can boost students' performance."

The effort is called the "Reimagine School Systems" program.

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Winners will get technical support to implement the changes and funding for planning.

The deadline to apply is Dec. 16.

Brumley said there is no cap on the size of the grants.

"I am a fisherman fishing for good ideas right now," he said.

"Coming out of this pandemic we have an opportunity to rethink many of our practices."
As students in Tangipahoa Parish return to classrooms for the first time since Hurricane Ida hit the area over three weeks ago, the parish's school district is just beginning to grasp how much damage the storm left behind.

Early cost estimates for the district are in the millions of dollars.

Trees felled by the hurricane pulverized a classroom at Loranger High School. Shrieking winds ripped shingles off of rooftops at Hammond High, opening leaks in some stretches of ceiling. And Hammond Eastside Magnet Elementary School flooded when a drainage ditch north of campus overflowed, dumping water into the library room, according to a memo district Chief Financial Officer Bret Schnadelbach sent to school board members last week.

All 32 of the mostly-rural district's campuses sustained damages. District-wide repairs could cost $7.2 million  possibly more, Superintendent Melissa Stilley said Tuesday.

Permanent repairs will take time, so please be patient, she said.

On Tuesday, the school board approved a plan for students to make up class time lost to Ida recovery by tacking 25 minutes onto each school day and converting two non-instructional days in October to classroom days.

After swirling north from the Gulf of Mexico, Ida swept 8 feet of storm surge from Lake Maurepas into the southern portion of Tangipahoa Parish. Her winds blew down countless trees and power poles in the parish's pine-covered northern region. Some areas lost power for weeks.

From shattered roofs to missing shingles, the damage was still visible on campuses where students returned to classes Tuesday.

The district has an insurance plan which includes a five percent storm deductible on each campus. That equates to a $1.2 million deductible for Ponchatoula High School, for example, where Ida inflicted significant damage to asphalt roof shingles.

Schnadelbach estimated repairs to Ponchatoula High alone could cost $3 million or more.

In that instance, the district would eat $1.2 million  five percent of the campus's property value  up front. Insurance would cover the balance, and the district will seek reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the $1.2 million it paid up front, Schnadelbach said.

But FEMA cash may take years to arrive in the parishs coffers. And if another hurricane comes before then the district will be on its own; FEMA only covers one storm event per year under the plan.

Were covered once for this season, and our policy renews next September, Schnadelbach said. By next September either were going to have more exposure to storms, or were going to have to look at another way to ensure our schools. I dont think I could eat the whole 1.2 million if a second event were to happen, without the FEMA help.

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Work on identifying long term projects and accepting bids to fix some of the most serious structural damage to 16 campuses will start this week, Schnadelbach said.

After planning to bring students back to classrooms last week in a staggered approach, the district postponed its return to class as Hurricane Nicholas neared. That second storm's rain hindered cleanup efforts from Ida, the district said.

Tangipahoa schools delay post-Ida reopening as Tropical Storm Nicholas threatens more damage Tangipahoa Parish schools are reversing plans to welcome students back this week for the first time since Hurricane Ida shut them down in late

But as students came back to classes, some parents and teachers feared schools were still unfit for learning because of lingering impacts from the first storm.

Keytha Quinn, a teacher at Lucille Nesom Memorial School in Tickfaw, told the school board that she returned to her classroom Monday to find it in nearly the same condition as two weeks prior.

Installation was missing from the walls, she said. The teacher developed a cough on Tuesday and went to urgent care, she told the board  something she believes was a result of poor air quality in her classroom.

I am suffering due to the lack of cleaning in our schools, Quinn said.

Restoration crews treated all campuses district-wide prior to their reopening, Schnadelbach told The Advocate. But mildew  and even mold  can be a natural result in Southeast Louisiana of buildings becoming wet and power being snuffed out in a storm, he acknowledged.

The school that was mentioned today, weve walked through that campus, and it is fine, Schnadelbach said. Now were running our air conditioners around the clock to keep humidity down.

The Louisiana Department of Health cleared the district to reopen all facilities, Stilley said.

Earlier Tuesday, parents took to social media to air grievances about mold appearing in campuses. Some picked up their kids from classes hours after they returned for the first time in three weeks over fears that the moisture would create a health hazard.

Ponchatoula-area school board member Randy Bush advised parents and employees not to jump to conclusions about the mold problem.

Im not a mold expert, Bush said during Tuesday's school board meeting. Your fifth grader is not an expert in mold, and youre not either.  Im not saying it is mold or its not mold. I dont know that, so lets not jump to conclusions.
Job upheaval sparked by the pandemic and natural disasters reinforces the need for Louisiana to dramatically improve its education levels by 2030, Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed said Wednesday.

"The only way we will disaster-proof, recession-proof or pandemic-proof our citizens economically is to get them the education and training they need so they can literally weather any storm," Reed told the Louisiana Board of Regents, which oversee colleges and universities statewide.

+3 'Clearly a huge demand': This new program at community colleges will retrain Louisiana's unemployed Louisiana's community and technical colleges are launching a program aimed at retraining 5,000 people who lost their jobs during the coronavir

The state in 2019 launched an ambitious effort to raise the number of working-age adults with a postsecondary credential to 60%, which is nearly 12 percentage points higher than today.

However, that push has been hindered by the coronavirus pandemic, historic hurricanes in 2020 and 2021 and periodic flooding statewide.

"This has not been be a COVID/Ida conversation," Reed said. "We have been in a major disruption for the past year and a half."

Educational attainment grew by only .8% from 2019 to 2020, from 47.3% to 48.1%.

"We are moving the number," Reed said. "We are not moving it as fast as we want to."

Also, the number of college completers fell by 500 in 2021, and if that trend continues the state would have turn out more than 21,000 completers per year to meet its 2030 goal.

"The 2020 and 2021 disasters didn't cause the gaps we see in education in Louisiana, they illuminated them," Reed said.

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Fewer Black students in Louisiana take high school classes for college credit, report shows A major racial gap continues in who takes high school classes for college credit, an education consultant told Louisiana public school and col

The percentage of Black students enrolled in college barely moved: from 29.2% in 2019 to 29.3% today.

ACT exam is unfair to Black high schoolers seeking college credits, education group says The ACT requirement is the key barrier, and an unfair one, to Black students enrolling in high school classes for college credit, education of

The number of Black residents who earned a postsecondary credential rose from 9,821 in 2019 to 11,827 this year, according to figures compiled by the Board of Regents.

State aid for colleges and universities rose by $175 million earlier this year, the first such increase in 13 years.

Need-based college grants rose by $11 million and Reed said dual enrollment  college classes offered to high school students  is finally part of the conversation.

"Most people understand the value of dual enrollment," she said.

The state is spending $2 million in federal stimulus funds to expand access to reduced or no-cost textbooks used for dual enrollment.

Also, scholarships are being offered to students within 30 hours of completing their degree requirements, with priority given to those seeking diplomas in health care or STEM fields  science, technology, engineering and math.
Graphic scenes of people having sex interrupted utility regulators at the Louisiana Public Service Commission meeting on Wednesday, held virtually over Zoom.

The five-elected PSC members were set to talk about electricity and phone service during Hurricane Ida  a controversial issue that has led to lawsuits and threats directed at the commissioners and the utility companies they regulate, like Entergy Louisiana.

But the Zoom meeting had to adjourn for about 15 minutes while staffers addressed unknown meeting participants who overtook the shared screen function to run explicit pornographic videos as commissioners tried to speak.

Constrained by open meetings laws, the PSC had to continue the hearing without banning viewers they could not identify among the usual group of about 200 lawyers, lobbyists, and utility company executives.

When the meeting reconvened, PSC Chairman Craig Greene, R-Baton Rouge, said the commissioners would vote quickly on the issues that were on the agenda, then go into reports of outages and recovery efforts from each of the utility and telecommunication companies impacted by the storm.

Greene said once the required votes were complete, he would adjourn the meeting at the first instance of another disruption. If that happened, the expected reports would be submitted and posted on the PSC website.

"It was unfortunate and disgusting," Greene said after the meeting. "Apparently, the hackers have adequate electricity and internet access."

The meeting continued for another three and half hours uninterrupted. The commissioners voted on several, mostly technical, issues that required their action.

Among the issues decided was a resolution, approved without dissent, asking the states congressional delegation to pursue federal disaster relief that would offset what customers ultimately will have to pay for storm-related losses and to help fund upgrades that would harden the lines that transmit large amounts of electricity from generating plants to the system that steps down the power and distributes it to customers.

Ida destroyed 212 transmission structures and damaged another 296. More than 36,000 distribution poles and 50,000 spans of wire went down cutting electricity to 1,098,433 customers  second only to the 1.3 million taken out by Hurricane Gustav in 2009. About 25,000 customers are still without power.

Entergy Louisiana President Phillip May told commissioners that preliminary estimates indicate that the state's largest electricity provider spent $2 billion to $2.4 billion to get the lights back after Hurricane Ida. Those remaining customers without power lived in areas near the path of the hurricane's eye wall and-in many cases those homes were too destroyed to accept electricity.-

+5 Lack of quality broadband has meant lost jobs, residents in Acadiana. Can fiber stop that slide? Lisa Deen used hacks she picked up from her 22 years as a business teacher when she was trying to figure out why her internet was so slow at h

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During the past year, Louisiana and its utility system has been hit with four named hurricanes  two of which, Laura and Ida, came ashore as among the strongest in history. Recovery costs, under law, are paid by the customers, not the utility companies.

PSC Commissioner Foster Campbell, D-Bossier Parish, pointed out that the entire Republican congressional delegation voted against legislation that would provide $28 billion in emergency storm recovery funds.

Early Wednesday morning the Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, on a 220-211 party-line vote, approved funding the federal government through Dec. 3 and suspending the nation's borrowing limit until the end of 2022.

The $28.4 trillion debt ceiling legislation includes more than $28 billion in disaster funding, with a large part of that amount headed for Louisiana, if the bill makes through the U.S. Senate. Republicans have vowed to block it.

Campbell asked the three Republican PSC members to reach out to the five GOP representatives and two senators to support the bill that even though it outlines Democratic-backed financial arrangements. The measure also would provide immediate billions for people trying to dig out of not only Hurricane Ida, but the four storms that came ashore in Louisiana last year.

+2 After Katrina, Louisiana spent billions improving levees. After Ida, is the power grid next? Images of tens of thousands of New Orleans residents fleeing a city flooded by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrated the vulnerability of the

Maybe yall can talk to them. I cant talk to them because they are so partisan, Campbell said. Its a tragedy for the state of Louisiana.

Once the required votes were taken without incident, the hearing continued with utility companies giving numbers-laden details about how the storm disrupted their services and their restoration efforts illustrated with maps and graphs.

Commissioners scolded electricity, cable, and telephone companies for several systems failures, particularly poor communications, which has led to an atmosphere, in the words of one regulator, of customers lighting brooms and seeking company executives. The lack of information created anger and an unproductive rumor mill.

All of those rumors make it back to elected officials, PSC Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, R-Metairie, told executives. We dont need to have that extra level of angst Were going to find a way for you to become more concerned about communicating what's going on with a company's customers.
Your Honor 

Is the original always the best? Thats an increasingly common question in television, where the hunger of competing platforms for new material means that a niche show which inspired a prominent remake may eventually start to air alongside its successor. These broadcast doppelgangers, haunting each other with similarities while weighing up discrepancies, are a litmus test for our taste and a reality check for their creators  when a concept is done twice, one of the versions has to fall short of the other, right?

Yoram Hattab plays progressive judge Micha Alkobi in the original, Israeli version of Your Honor. Credit:SBS

Not always. In the case of the Israeli drama Your Honor (Kvodo), which has two seasons now streaming via SBS on Demand, and its American remake of the same name headlined by Breaking Bads Bryan Cranston and available on Stan here, thats not such an easily answered question. The two shows have much the same plot  with an upstanding judge losing his moral bearings when he helps his son cover up a hit-and-run accident where the victim is the scion of an organised crime family  but divergent goals in exploring it.

The first splinter of intent is pacing. The original Your Honor, which had successful seasons air on Israeli television in 2017 and 2019, is pared down in establishing the story. It goes straight into the instigating collision, which happens on a sun-parched road outside the southern city of Beer Sheva, while the American version set it up as an elaborate set-piece  and then drew out the gory tension with an extended aftermath between the two young men.
Until recently, while also resisting movie-length productions, SBS has been a stalwart in the documentary area, commissioning an array of local productions. Among others, theres been See What You Made Me Do, a three-part study of domestic abuse, Every Family Has A Secret, about genealogy discoveries, and Untold Australia, which focused on unique communities: Lebanese beauty queens, outback rabbis, undertakers. Presented by Australias third favourite Asian-Australian comic, Michael Hing, Where Are You Really From? looked at the history and culture of a number of migrant communities.

Meanwhile, the ABC has narrowed its available space for documentaries, mostly confining them to hour-long slots. As was the case on Ten, Auntys 2020 screening of The Australian Dream, also about Adam Goodes, represented a departure.

On free TV, its a different story, more akin to a desert that has proved particularly hostile for local documentary makers. The commercial channels are almost exclusively interested in true-crime stories. The 2019 screening on Channel Ten of The Final Quarter, a feature-length documentary about AFL champion Adam Goodes, represented a striking exception.

The healthy appetite for non-fiction stories has been one of the notable developments on subscription TV. On the streaming services over the past 18 months, everything from The Last Dance and Tiger King to Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich and The Test have been enthusiastically embraced. This month, Foxtel has been promoting the range of riches on its newly launched Fox Docos channel.

Local, topical and filling a gap that isnt being addressed elsewhere, these programs have fallen within the prescribed format of series that confine themselves to half-hour and hour-long episodes. But now theres a significant shift. Earlier this month, SBS launched Australia Uncovered, an eight-part series of self-contained documentaries, some of them feature-length, which the broadcasters director of television and online content, Marshall Heald, described as SBSs biggest ever commitment to one-off documentaries. They premiere on Sunday nights (8.30pm) and are then available on SBS on Demand with sub-titles in five languages.

The series made an impactful opening on September 12 with Strong Female Lead. Directed by Tosca Looby, it drew on archival footage  news stories, Parliamentary proceedings, Q&A episodes, radio interviews, Twitter posts  to assemble a damning chronology of the response to Julia Gillard through her time as the countrys first female Prime Minister. While that history is recent enough to seem familiar, the compilation nevertheless proved shocking as an ugly account of misogyny emerged. Beyond any argument about the rough-and-tumble of politics, what came through with startling clarity was just how much bad behaviour from a range of Gillards political opponents and media critics was allowed to pass as acceptable in the battleground of politics.

Then came Osher Gunsberg: A Matter of Life and Death, directed by Jodi Boylan, in which Gunsberg talked to a range of people who suffer from mental illness and a number of doctors, scientists and community workers involved in programs designed to help them. Declaring his own mental-health problems upfront, he explored drug trials and drug-free experiments, while emphasising that acknowledgement and discussion of the problem was a key to helping people who were suffering get the help they needed.

From left, Paula, Muriel and Lucas Craig, the family of murdered Bowraville teen Collen Walker-Craig. Credit:SBS

On September 26, the series continued with The Bowraville Murders, directed by Allan Clarke. Its focus is the 1990 disappearance of three Indigenous children from a NSW town over a six-month period. That you might never have heard of this case, as opposed to, say, the 1966 disappearance of the Beaumont children from an Adelaide beach, is part of the point of this well-considered production. The anger, grief and dismay evident from early in the film is wholly understandable by the time you reach the end of its tale of inattention, inaction and racial prejudice. While The Bowraville Murders begins as a murder mystery, it steadily builds into a searing survey of injustice with deep and wide historical roots.
Shes only 17 and isnt old enough to get her licence yet. But thats no biggie for Jade Purdon, who, like many other DIY rookies around Australia, is spending the pandemic converting her beloved van into a future freedom machine.

The year 11 student, from Sale in Victoria, used savings from a part-time job to buy her $5500 Ford Econovan about five weeks ago.

A overseas gap year was on the cards for Jade Purdon next year, but the pandemic inspired her to search for local alternatives.

Im still very young, Im in school and stuff so everyone thinks its a bit weird, she laughs.

Jade says she has become very productive during remote learning, cramming her schoolwork into a day or two per week.
Pickering, who later became a self-made millionaire back in Britain, drove the tram. Ford was the conductor and pretty girls got to ride free. It wasnt the first time the young man had strayed from journalism  he once worked as a Redcoat, one of the frontline staff of Butlins holiday camps in England.

Future editor-in-chief of The Sun, Ron Ford, 24, with his fellow journalist mate Lionel Pickering arrived from England in 1957 in the middle of a newspaper strike in Melbourne that led both young men to seek temporary alternative employment.

One of the generals who fought Sydneys last great newspaper circulation war between The Sun and The Daily Mirror started work in Australia as a mere foot soldier  selling tickets on a Melbourne tram.

The holidays and fares please days were people experiences with which he was comfortable, and influenced his appreciation of the tabloid audience with whom hed connect so successfully. Ford died at his Sydney home on September 8, aged 88. His death marked the end of an era, according to John Benaud, his successor as Sun editor. He was a great newspaper man with a nose for the big stories and an uncanny talent to sell them to the public, Benaud said.

Ron Ford, press pass of 1959.

Gayford Ronald Ford was born on a family farm in Lockington, Leicestershire on June 12, 1933 to Mabel and Harold Ford. Educated at Bemrose Grammar, Ron began his career as a cadet reporter on the Derby Evening Telegraph in 1950. He worked with Pickering for six years before taking a ship to Australia on what was intended to be a stopover en route to Canada.

After the Melbourne strike, he worked for Australian Associated Press before moving to Sydney for a job as feature writer with Murdochs racy Sunday Mirror. After a stint with the ABC in 1962 he took a position on The Sun, Fairfaxs afternoon daily and rival to Rupert Murdochs Daily Mirror. He was also for a time The Suns representative in Fairfaxs London bureau. Ford married Barbara Woodworth in 1963, a factor in him remaining in Sydney.

He took to the challenge of the war with the Mirror with relish, proving himself a talented and determined reporter. But his time with Murdoch let him down in 1964 when he covered the Sydney arrival of The Beatles. Ford, as was the practice of the time, filed his copy by telephone at the airport to HQ copy takers. It was a routine process of ringing the office, asking to be put through to the typists and dictating the story as the deadline of the next edition loomed.
Victorias education unions have almost universally backed a state government move to mandate coronavirus vaccines for teachers and childcare workers, but an organisation representing Christian schools has warned the sector faces significant challenges with the order.

As an ugly dispute over a decision to mandate jabs in the construction sector triggered protests for a third day, state Education Minister James Merlino announced vaccinations would be compulsory for all staff at schools and early childhood centres.

James Merlino addresses the media on Wednesday. Credit:Scott McNaughton

Anyone who works on site at schools or early childhood settings, they will not be able to work on site if they are not vaccinated, Mr Merlino said on Wednesday.

He said staff must have their first dose by October 18 or have a booking within a week of that date.
Loading The imposition of mandatory vaccinations is expected to grow. State and federal governments and some businesses have already mandated vaccination for workers in sectors including aged care, health and quarantine. In Victoria, the directions were issued by Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, who also required the vaccination of construction workers. Those directions are powerful, with limited legal challenges available, but employers and unions are also grappling with mandatory vaccination for workplaces not subject to health orders, where the legal position is less clear. The federal government says vaccination should be voluntary, arguing the issue of whether to mandate is up to individual businesses, taking into account workplace safety, anti-discrimination and privacy laws. Most unions encourage vaccination but baulk at supporting mandatory jabs, although some such as the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation are comfortable with mandates. Apart from the legal issues, some experts say the mandatory approach is misguided. Liberty Victoria president Julia Kretzenbacher said promoting vaccine passports is better than forcing people to get vaccinated because it respects peoples choice, as long as access to government services or fundamental needs or groceries were not limited.

Ms Kretzenbacher noted that while there were some workplaces where the use of a mandate is proportionate to human rights  such as in aged care or prisons  the government should instead boost funds to grassroots organisations that could help counter misinformation about vaccination. Its easy to demonise people who feel vaccine hesitancy, but that doesnt resolve the issue of vaccine hesitancy, said the Melbourne-based barrister. RACGP president Dr Karen Price. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The notion of linking vaccination rates to certain freedoms has also raised the prospect that more people could end up seeking medical exemptions to avoid immunisation. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Karen Price said there had been a steady stream of people requesting exemptions from vaccination, but she expected this to increase when it gets closer to the point that some freedoms and access to jobs and services will only be offered to those who are fully vaccinated.

Loading The Melbourne GP said it was vanishingly rare for people to have a genuine medical reason that would mean they could not safely receive any of the available coronavirus vaccines in Australia. However, Dr Price said mandating vaccines was an ethically and legally challenging issue, fuelled by hesitancy, misinformation, and in some cases, people who simply wanted to be uncooperative and dont like the idea that its mandated. But, you know, we dont drive on the other side of the road because we want to. There is a level of co-operation we need in our society, she said. GPs and pharmacists say this weeks protests were not indicative of their experiences.

Pharmacy Guild state president Anthony Tassone said his pharmacy was booked out last Saturday and most of our patients were tradespeople, many of whom were not initially intending on getting the COVID vaccination but rolled up to the pharmacy with minimum fuss. Bentleigh GP Nathan Pinskier said that when the vaccine rollout began six months ago, some of his patients were concerned about potential side effects of getting jabbed, but most people now are reasonably comfortable and his clinics were often booked out solid. Daniel Matcham getting his second vaccine dose at a vaccine clinic in Hoppers Crossing on Tuesday. Credit:Jason South Anti-vaxxers are in the minority  theyre just getting a lot of oxygen at the moment, Dr Pinskier said. Across town in Melbournes west, 40-year-old Daniel Matcham is one among many Victorians who have recently had a change of heart.

Loading The sense that COVID vaccination would eventually be made mandatory in his industry was one of the many reasons he ended up deciding to have his first jab last month. The father of five became eligible in the early stages of the vaccine rollout because he has diabetes, but the warehouse worker and chef decided to wait. By the time he got his first shot on August 28, his neighbourhood of Truganina in Melbournes outer west had become a COVID hotspot. Al-Taqwa College, which was at the centre of a significant community outbreak, was just around the corner and he and his family kept on being caught up in exposure sites. After receiving his second jab at a Hoppers Crossing clinic on Tuesday, Mr Matcham said he felt relieved.
In the late 1960s police had no idea how to handle demonstrations because the biggest non-sporting crowds were those lining up for a scone at the Coles cafeteria. Then the first inklings of a protest movement started, and many police and more than a few politicians saw it as a threat to the heart of democracy.

Keith Plattfuss was a no-nonsense Victorian senior cop who thought any man with hair over his collar was a hippy anarchist and any woman who burnt her bra was a lippy arsonist.

Anti-lockdown protesters face off with Victoria Police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne on Wednesday. Credit:Eddie Jim

When a ragtag group of demonstrators wandered down Waterdale Road near La Trobe University in 1970 he led a charge into the non-violent crowd, later saying, They got some baton today, and they will get a lot more in the future.

Since then, police and politicians have accepted that public protests are part of democracy.
About 6am, 12 miners made their routine trip down a deep shaft that most of them had made hundreds, if not thousands, of times before.

Just south of Gaffneys Creek, in Victorias High Country, the A1 mine sits within the historic Woods Point-Walhalla goldfield. For a moment just after 9am, the mens colleagues 450 metres above feared they would never be seen again, as the terrifying roar of the 5.9 magnitude earthquake and its three aftershocks hit the historic operation.

It was just a feeling of panic, Shawn Panton, the mines geological manager, says.

It was the biggest shock, it just roared. There was just a lot of confusion at first and then of course a bit of dread. There was huge relief of making radio contact with them and getting them back up.
A Supreme Court judge has rejected several bail conditions sought by Victoria Police to control the behaviour of anti-lockdown activist Monica Smit, labelling some unnecessary, disproportionate and without utility.

Ms Smit was granted bail in the Melbourne Magistrates Court in early September after being charged with two counts of incitement and three of breaching the Chief Health Officers directions, but did not leave prison after refusing to sign a bail consent form.

Monica Smit filmed herself during her arrest. Credit:Facebook

Magistrate Luisa Bazzani ruled on September 1 that if Ms Smit was to get bail she had to abide by a 7pm curfew, follow the Chief Health Officers directions and not encourage anyone to breach those directions or publish anything that might incite breaches.

Ms Smit was also told to remove any material previously published online that might incite people, to not attend protests and to wear a mask unless she had a medical exemption.
More than 200 people have so far been arrested after protesters again flooded the streets of Melbourne on Wednesday.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner of public safety and security, Ross Guenther, said all of those arrested would be issued fines, and some had been charged with more serious offences.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Ross Guenther. Credit:Joe Armao

He said up to 400 people attended Wednesdays protests.

Some threw flares, golf balls, tap handles and batteries at police officers. Two officers had sustained head injuries from having bottles thrown at them, while another was in hospital under observation for chest pain.

Were really disappointed that people are still coming into the city in these circumstances, Mr Guenther said.

My observation is that it was completely disrespectful that the crowd ended up at the Shrine, which is such a hallowed ground in this great city.

He said police made every effort on Wednesday to work on much greater fragmentation of the groups, to prevent them from coming together in a larger group like they did on Tuesday.

Our message simply is dont come into the city, Mr Guenther said.

We dont need you coming into town at this time, we know that theres still the virus spreading in our community in this state.

For those that are parents, think about your kids, and think about the likely impact [of] your conduct if you choose to come into the city.

He said police deployed capsicum spray and foam baton rounds to disperse protesters on Wednesday.

I think we what we have done is weve made it very clear that well manage the event, and if people come into this, theres a very high likelihood that theyll be charged with being in here for a number of reasons, and theyll certainly be receiving a $5,000 fine, Mr Guenther said.

Im hoping that will dissuade people from coming in, but more, Id rather hope people would just make a good decision and say, Its not the right thing to do, and just decide, Im not going in.

That would be a great outcome, if we had all of our people ready tomorrow morning and no one came in.
For decades I have written critically of police who abuse their powers, cover up the misconduct and worse of fellow officers and engage in corrupt conduct. I have also been severely critical of grossly inadequate police accountability processes that for too many years failed to keep police accountable for their actions. I will not hesitate to do so again whenever the evidence warrants it.

I will also not hesitate, however, to support police when they are doing their very best to serve the Victorian community by upholding the law and keeping the peace. At the moment police are endeavouring to fulfil both these roles under extremely difficult and at times dangerous circumstances.

Riot police move in to control a violent protest outside the CFMEU offices on Monday. Credit:Justin McManus

Lawbreaking protesters, many with highly questionable motives, are intent on causing mayhem and drawing attention to themselves. They are doing all they can to provoke police in the hope that officers will be goaded into inappropriate, unacceptable behaviour. On a couple of occasions over recent days they may have been successful.

Unlike in the past, the incidents where this is alleged to have happened is subject to an in-depth investigation by Victoria Polices Professional Standards Command. More importantly though, the Chief Commissioner of Police, Shane Patton, has publicly stated that the police investigation will be overseen by Victorias Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission. IBAC has proven to be an effective citizens watchdog body and is trusted by the community to conduct a thorough oversight role.
Woods Point and Licola may have suffered significant damage, he said. Mark Quigley, associate professor of earthquake science at the University of Melbourne, said aftershocks were likely. Aftershocks are common after an earthquake. They are usually not the same magnitude  youd expect smaller shakes. People should be wary and mindful that they might experience aftershocks. If youve got some belongings resting precariously on a shelf, it might be wise to move those. Six on the scale Geoscientists measure an earthquakes energy on the movement magnitude scale, which is logarithmic: level 6 is 10 times higher than level 5, for example. Quakes below 3 generally cannot be felt by humans.

Geoscience Australia estimates the quake had a magnitude of about 5.9 and was about 10 kilometres below the surface. The Christchurch earthquake was measured at 6.3 but caused so much damage to the New Zealand city because it struck directly and was very shallow. The movement magnitude scale does not measure the damage done by an earthquake, as quakes of the same magnitude can do wildly different amounts of harm depending on how deep they are and where they strike. The fault line It is not yet certain what caused the earthquake, but geoscientists early suspicions focused on a fault zone at the quakes epicentre, near the Mount Skene Reserve.

Loading A fault zone is a region of weakness in the earths crust, caused by a fracture or series of fractures in rock. During an earthquake, the rocks on both sides of the fault zone can slip suddenly relative to one another. Melbourne sits in a zone that was part of an ancient mountain belt formed there between 350 and 450 million years ago, said University of Sydney geoscientist Associate Professor Patrice Rey. These mountain beds left zones of weakness, in the form of faults and fractures. When pressure builds up in tectonic plates, it can be released suddenly at spots of weakness  such as faults. Like if you break something, even if you manage to glue it again, usually it breaks again on the same spot, said Professor Rey.

The pressure was probably caused by events far to Australias east. We can blame this earthquake on the Kiwis, to some extent, said Paul Somerville, chief geoscientist at catastrophe loss modeller Risk Frontiers. Australia is generally a stable continent. But all continents are subject to tectonic pressures. New Zealands two islands lie on the edge of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates. The Pacific plate is slowly pushing west into the Australian plate, causing mountain ranges in Australia  such as the Strzelecki ranges  to be pushed upward. It causes stress right across the Australian plate, which can be suddenly released at faults.

Although the pushing is occurring at the plate margin, it creates stress in the interior of the Australian plate. From time to time, that stress exceeds the strength of the fault locally, and it fails, said Mr Somerville. Built to cope Australias building code mandates that properties must withstand ground accelerations of 8 to 9 per cent G. The ground-shaking this earthquake caused would be something like 1 per cent  so well below that design level. Thats why it really hasnt done much damage, said Mr Somerville.

However, the ground acceleration was probably closer to 8 or 9 per cent near the epicentre, he said, and more damage may have been done there. Loading Associate Professor Behzad Fatahi, an expert in earthquake engineering at the University of Technology Sydney, said Australian multistorey buildings were generally designed to withstand earthquakes in the region of magnitude 6. The most at-risk structures would be external extensions and add-ons, such as cafe louvres and outdoor dining areas, he said. I assume most of the damage I expect to see in regional Victoria, but mainly I expect more reports to come from the Melbourne region  these secondary structures, attached to the main buildings, would be damaged. And, of course, these are quite dangerous. People are outside, walking past, they may run out of the building.
The protesters wandering aimlessly and sometimes violently through the streets of Melbourne this week started out largely as construction workers but appear to have grown more varied and even less coherent, since. But one message has been consistent: that it is an injustice to be forced to vaccinate as a condition of doing your job.

Protesting is a legitimate form of political action in a democracy. But this weeks thuggish verbal and physical abuse directed at union leaders and particularly at police has been shameful. The Age has watched with alarm the increasing aggression at the freedom rallies in recent months, behaviour with little or no regard for the freedoms and rights of others. Protesters taking over the West Gate Bridge and having the hide to take their grievances to the Shrine of Remembrance reveals a breathtaking arrogance out of step with the vast majority of Victorians.

But what of the argument that compulsory vaccination is an unjustifiable infringement of the rights of individuals? This is a complex question, but there are some principles. The Age has argued previously that mandating vaccination for all aged care workers was the right call. The same goes for the states governments move on Wednesday to mandate vaccination for all staff at schools and early childhood centres. Also, those who work in hospitals or in other healthcare settings should be vaccinated for their own safety and that of others.

The role of teachers is partly a caring one. Teachers engage closely with young people, who have been shown to be victims and spreaders of the Delta variant of the virus. Ensuring teachers are inoculated is a crucial element in returning schools to normal.
Three weeks ago, the nations 13 worst performing super funds were revealed. On the list, was an industry fund most Australians would not have heard of called the Energy Industries Superannuation Scheme.

It currently holds $6 billion of retirement savings on behalf of about 20,000 largely blue-collar workers in the electrical industry.

It is also now the subject of serious allegations  revealed exclusively in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald  that member funds have been misspent on lavish Christmas parties, overseas junkets for senior management and a series of questionable sponsorship deals of local community and sporting clubs. Allegations have also been made of bullying and a toxic workplace culture

Since the story broke, the funds CEO, chair and three senior directors have all resigned.
Washington: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has acknowledged French President Emmanuel Macron is not accepting his calls and may not for some time, complicating his attempts to repair the rupture in Australian-French relations following the cancellation of the $90 billion submarine contract with French company Naval Group.

Frances ambassador to the United States will return to his post next week after US President Joe Biden delivered a tacit apology to Macron for keeping him in the dark about plans to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

France has not announced any plans to return its ambassador to Canberra, indicating the Morrison government has more work to do to soothe Macrons anger and restore normal diplomatic relations.

Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron pictured at the G7 summit in June during happier times in the US-French relationship. Credit:AP

Morrison told reporters in Washington he would not apologise for seeking to acquire the best submarine technology for Australia even if it understandably offended the French.
Washington: Prime Minister Scott Morrison will go on a bipartisan charm offensive with the most senior members of the US Congress in a bid to turn his plan to develop a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines into reality.

Following his first bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden, Morrison will meet with the top names in Congress - Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell - on Thursday (AEST) to promote the AUKUS partnership and submarine plan.

He will also meet members of the powerful Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Biden will need the support of a divided Congress to make good on his promise to share Americas submarine secrets with Australia and to deepen intelligence sharing with Australia and the United Kingdom.
2022 Acura RDX Close-up Look - Official

Acura Got The Blues

The best-selling SUV in its segment since 2006, RDX is restyled with an even more distinctive and sporty exterior, quieter and more premium interior

Standard tech now includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, and Amazon Alexa Built-In

Retuned suspension and Integrated Dynamics System make it the most comfortable and dynamic RDX yet

Sporty RDX A-Spec now available with Advance Package, broadening the appeal of one of Acura's most popular trims

Expanded color palette adds Phantom Violet Pearl, Liquid Carbon Metallic and Long Beach Blue Pearl  available exclusively on the limited-production PMC Edition

Featuring refined styling, a dramatically quieter cabin and a retuned suspension, the 2022 Acura RDX is the most dynamic, comfortable and refined 5-passenger SUV in Acura history. Making its debut at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in striking Long Beach Blue Pearl paint, the 2022 RDX lineup is expanded with the availability of a new top trim, combining the sporty style of the highly popular RDX A-Spec with the premium features of the Advance Package. The 2022 RDX will begin arriving at Acura dealers nationwide in early November.

A hand-crafted limited-production 2022 RDX PMC Edition will be available at launch. Each 2022 RDX PMC Edition will be adorned exclusively in a stunning Long Beach Blue Pearl paint with Orchid Milano leather interior, both colors shared with the electrified 600-horsepower NSX Type S supercar. With production limited to just 200 units, it will be Acura's most exclusive PMC Edition yet.

"RDX has been an incredible success for Acura, with more than half a million sold since it was first introduced in 2006," said Emile Korkor, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales. "The new 2022 RDX is the best it has ever been and further proof of Acura's commitment to deliver exciting premium performance products based on our unique DNA."

RDX's turbocharged 272-horsepower 2.0-liter VTEC 4-cylinder is one of the most powerful standard engines in its class. It's paired with a smooth and responsive 10-speed automatic with standard Sequential SportShift paddle shifters. Acura's signature Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) with true torque vectoring is available on all RDX grades and standard on the Advance Package and PMC Edition.

2022 RDX Pricing & EPA Data

2022 Acura RDX Drivetrain MSRP MSRP EPA MPG Rating Incl. D&H City/Hwy/Combined RDX FWD TBA TBA 22 / 28 / 24 RDX with Technology Package FWD TBA TBA 22 / 28 / 24 RDX A-Spec with Technology Package FWD TBA TBA 22 / 27 / 24 RDX SH-AWD TBA TBA 21 / 27 / 23 RDX with Technology Package SH-AWD TBA TBA 21 / 27 / 23 RDX A-Spec with Technology Package SH-AWD TBA TBA 21 / 26 / 23 RDX with Advance Package SH-AWD TBA TBA 21 / 27 / 23 RDX A-Spec with Advance Package SH-AWD TBA TBA 21 / 26 / 23 RDX PMC Edition SH-AWD TBA TBA 21 / 26 / 23

What's New:

New sporty and dynamic exterior design inspired by MDX flagship SUV

RDX A-Spec now available with the Advance Package

Extensive refinement updates, including an enhanced Active Sound Control (ASC) system, reduce road noise and increase cabin quietness on all RDX models

New tech features include standard Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration and Amazon Alexa Built-In, and available Qi-compatible Wireless Charging

Acura IconicDrive, part of the Technology Package, offers 27 unique interior lighting color combinations including 24 inspired by iconic driving destinations around the world

Updated Integrated Dynamics System delivers more distinct driving feel between its four driving modes

Retuned available Adaptive Damper System delivers more response in Sport mode, more comfortable ride in Comfort mode

Flat bottom sport steering wheel now included on RDX A-Spec

Advance Package models gain Power-Folding Side Mirrors

New RDX PMC Edition features Long Beach Blue Pearl paint from the NSX Type S, Orchid interior and exclusivity with production limited to just 200 units

AcuraWatch now includes enhanced blind spot information with Acura-first Lane Change Assist, Rear Seatbelt Reminder and Front and Rear Low Speed Braking Control

Refined New Exterior Design

Drawing inspiration from the fourth-generation Acura MDX, the Diamond Pentagon front grille of the 2022 RDX features a new thinner, more sophisticated chrome surround. With broad aggressive forms and a larger air intake, its new front fascia also is similar to MDX and makes the RDX appear wider and more powerful. LED fog lights, which are standard on A-Spec and Advance Package models, as well as the PMC Edition, are highlighted by a new chrome trim.

For a more distinct appearance from the rear, the 2022 RDX receives a reshaped rear fascia with cutouts for the new sophisticated rectangular dual exhaust finishers. The RDX A-Spec continues to standout with large-diameter round exhaust finishers in a gloss black finish.

All RDX models come with either 19-inch or 20-inch alloy wheels. RDX features a 19-inch 10-spoke design standard, while RDX with Technology Package wears similar wheels with a machined face and Pewter Gray accents. The RDX with Advance Package features a sporty new 5-spoke machined finish 19-inch wheel design. RDX A-Spec models are equipped with 20-inch alloy wheels with Shark Gray finish. On the RDX A-Spec with Technology Package, a Shark Gray split-five-spoke design is used, while the new for RDX A-Spec with Advance Package features an all-new 15-spoke wheel design.

All 2022 RDX models are available in a new Liquid Carbon Metallic, while Phantom Violet Pearl is offered on RDX models equipped with the Technology and Advance Packages. Also new for the Advance Package equipped models are power-folding exterior mirrors.



Most Premium RDX Cabin Ever

For a more premium experience, the 2022 RDX receives extensive updates to reduce road noise in the cabin. A new front fender liner reduces road noise and the Active Sound Control (ASC) system has been enhanced to further cancel exterior sounds from polluting the interior ambiance. The engine's cold idle speed also has been reduced from 1100 rpm to 950 rpm, and two-wheel drive models adopt a new lower torque rod to quell engine vibrations.

Included with the Technology Package is a new, thicker carpet padding. The front doors receive a new sound insulator, plus acoustic glass to further reduce road and wind noise. A new and thicker noise insulation pad in the dash reduces engine noise further, and a new insulator in the D pillar further reduces road noise.

Advance Package models feature the quietest cabin in RDX history. This is achieved with an additional sound insulator in the ceiling, and even more sound insulation added to the dash, under the hood and over the drivetrain tunnel. The rear doors also receive an insulator and acoustic glass. In the cargo area, the cargo bins now feature sound insulation, and the rear hatch inner covering has additional sound deadening materials.

Genuine aluminum trim on the doors, dash and center console is standard on RDX. New for 2022 is an upscale and unique bronze finish applied to the aluminum, available exclusively on RDX models equipped with the Saddle Brown interior. Advance Package models feature open-pore real wood trim in these areas.

More Standard Tech

For 2022, RDX adds an impressive list of leading-edge connectivity features to its standard equipment list including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, a USB-C charging port, and Amazon Alexa Built-In. With Alexa Built-In, drivers can ask Alexa to navigate to a specific address or point of interest, play music, make calls, listen to audiobooks, check the weather, control smart home devices, find parking and more. Additionally, the RDX's 7-inch full color instrument display now includes a digital speedometer.

Also new for 2022, is a Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charging and IconicDrive LED ambient lighting as part of the Technology Package. First offered on the 2021 TLX, Acura's IconicDrive system allows the vehicle owner to select between one of 27 distinct ambient lighting color combinations, including 24 inspired by the world's great destinations and racetracks. A rear camera washer is also now included as part of the Technology Package.

The line-topping Advance Package models gain power-folding side mirrors and remote engine start function with expanded range and 2-way LED feedback on the all-new key fob. In-vehicle charging is further improved with the addition of a 12-volt power outlet in the cargo area on Advance Package models.

Sporty RDX A-Spec Expands Up the Lineup

With its sporty design and additional visual attitude, A-Spec is the most popular grade with RDX buyers under age 45. For 2022, RDX customers can now spec the A-Spec sport appearance package with either the feature rich Technology Package or the line-topping premium features of the Advance Package, further expanding the RDX's appeal upmarket.

All RDX A-Spec models feature a gunmetal finish on the Diamond Pentagon grille and fog-light trim, a gloss-black grille surround, lower intake, door, window and headlight trim. A-Spec badges adorn the front fenders and liftgate.

In the rear, there's gloss black taillight trim and a more aggressive fascia with a diffuser-style design and cutouts for the large round gloss-black exhaust finishers. The A-Spec with Advance Package also features a new elaborate 15-spoke 20-inch wheel design finished in Shark Gray.

Inside, A-Spec models are distinguished by a new flat bottom steering wheel and metallic trim with a "Dark Y" pattern on the dash, doors and center console. Contrast stitching has been added to the Ultrasuede insert on the passenger side dash, and the door panels now feature new Ultrasuede inserts. When equipped with the Red interior option, the door and center console arm rests are now keyed to the rest of the interior color. Also new for 2022 is an Orchid leather interior option, available exclusively on the A-Spec with Advance Package.

Improved Driving Experience

Refinements to RDX's standard Integrated Dynamics System (IDS) noticeably improve the driving experience and allow the driver to better customize the SUV's dynamics to match a wider range of conditions. The updated system now features four more distinct drive modes (Normal, Comfort, Sport and Snow) which are selected by turning the Dynamic Mode Dial prominently mounted in the center of the dash.

Each mode now features more distinct programming of the Electronic Power Steering (EPS), throttle and Active Sound Control (ASC). With the available Technology Package, the Integrated Dynamics System also changes the color of the IconicDrive LED ambient lighting. In addition, Acura has improved the 2022 RDX's brake pedal feel by retuning its Electronic Brake Booster (EBB).

Advance Package models also feature an updated Adaptive Damper System (ADS) with more recognizable ride and handling characteristics across the four modes, improving both ride quality and response throughout the range.

Normal Mode  In the default Normal mode, drivers experience an ideal balance between the ride comfort and isolation of Comfort mode and the responsive and sporty handling of Sport mode. Normal mode features a default white interior ambient lighting scheme.

Comfort Mode  Retuned for a more relaxed driving experience, Comfort mode lightens the feel of the Electronic Power Steering and adjusts the throttle for smooth starts. The Active Sound Control minimizes engine sounds, and the ambient interior lighting defaults to a soothing blue. The ADS on Advance Package is tuned softer than before for a more comfortable and isolated ride without sacrificing body control.

Sport Mode  The most aggressive setting, Sport mode tunes the EPS and throttle for more immediate response. For an even more thrilling driving experience, the ASC also has been retuned for a sportier engine sound, and the ambient interior lighting defaults to a sporty red. To improve handling, the RDX with Advance Package has been given new more aggressive ADS tuning, while the A-Spec with Advance Package features its own unique ADS tuning to better match and maximize the performance of its 20-inch tires.

Snow Mode  Snow mode uses a gentle throttle profile to help maintain traction in slippery conditions, and the softer suspension profile from Comfort mode.

New Long Beach Blue PMC Edition

The fifth Acura model to be built at Acura's Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC), the new 2022 RDX PMC Edition will be offered exclusively in vibrant Long Beach Blue Pearl paint. Shared only with the NSX supercar, the striking color salutes North America's most iconic street race  the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Hand-crafted alongside the 600 hp Acura NSX Type S at the PMC in Ohio, it will be Acura's most exclusive PMC edition yet  limited to just 200 hand assembled units. Each 2022 RDX PMC Edition will be individually numbered with a serial plaque on the center console denoting the special edition.

The RDX PMC Edition also stands out with a body-color grille surround and a gloss-black Diamond Pentagon grille. The door handles, outside mirrors, roof and roof antenna also are gloss-black, along with the A-Spec badges on the front fenders and the Acura, RDX and A-Spec badges on the tailgate. The PMC Edition rolls on Berlina Black 20-inch wheels with an elaborate 15-spoke design, and its large round exhaust outlets are finished in a unique dark chrome.

Inside, all 2022 RDX PMC Editions feature the new Orchid interior color with blue contrast stitching to reflect the exclusive exterior color. Premium PMC Edition floor mats also are included. PMC Editions are contented with all available Advance Package premium features including the Head-Up Display (HUD), Surround View Camera, Rear Outboard Heated Seats, and 16-way power front seats with adjustable side bolsters.

The assembly process of every RDX PMC Edition begins with the delivery of the body-in-white from the East Liberty Auto Plant which produces RDX. Once the five-day paint process is finished, the Acura's most skilled master technicians hand assemble each PMC Edition, which then undergo the same quality control process as the NSX before being wrapped in a specially designed car cover and transported to a dealer via an enclosed car carrier.

Advanced Safety & Driver Assistive Features

Safety performance remains an RDX hallmark for 2022, with updates to safety technology and additional structure to improve crash performance to meet future standards.

For 2022, blind spot information (BSI) driver assist system is standard on RDX and has been enhanced with the addition of a Lane Change Assist feature. The new system's detection range extends to nearly 100 feet (29.5 m) behind the vehicle, more than four times as far as before.

Standard parking sensors on RDX with Technology Package are now utilized to integrate a new front and rear low-speed braking system. When the vehicle is driving forward or reversing between 1 and 6 mph, the system can detect objects in front of or behind the vehicle and assess if there is danger of a collision. Examples of detected objects include vehicles, utility poles, walls and even glass (such as storefront window). If an object is detected, the system provides visual and audible alerts, and applies throttle control and braking.

Standard on every RDX, the AcuraWatch suite of safety and driver assistive technologies also gets an update. A new Traffic Sign Recognition system uses a camera, rather than GPS location, for more accurate speed limit information displayed on the 7-inch digital instrument screen and on the Head-Up Display (HUD) on Advance Package models. Additionally, the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) with Forward Collision Warning (FCW) has been updated with Pedestrian AEB, which operates at speeds above 6 mph.

Also standard on RDX for 2022 is a new rear seatbelt reminder system, which uses visual and audible cues to notify the driver if rear seat occupants have buckled their seatbelts.

Targeting future crash safety targets, the 2022 RDX also features multiple new collision technologies. Rear passengers are now better protected in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) moderate overlap test thanks to new outboard seatbelts with pre-tensioning and load-limiting technology. Additional structure in the doors improves side impact collision performance, meeting the new SICE60 protocol.

Design Engineering and Manufacturing

Designed at the Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles, California, and developed in Raymond, Ohio, the third-generation Acura RDX marked the first time RDX was designed and developed in America. Like its predecessor, the 2022 RDX is manufactured in East Liberty, Ohio. The RDX's 2.0-liter VTEC turbo engine is produced at the company's Anna, Ohio engine plant, while its new SH-AWD system is manufactured at the company's Russels Point, Ohio transmission plant, and the 10-speed automatic transmission is manufactured in the company's Tallapoosa, Georgia plant.

About Acura

Acura is a leading automotive nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance  a commitment to expressive styling, high-performance and innovative engineering, all built on a foundation of quality and reliability. The Acura lineup features five distinctive models  the ILX and TLX sport sedans, the RDX and MDX sport-utility vehicles, high-performance Type S variants and the electrified NSX supercar. All 2021 and newer Acura vehicles sold in America are made in the U.S., using domestic and globally sourced parts.
Michigan Announces Wireless Charging Roads







Editor's Note: Will this be another perk for wealthy EV Owners? or will it be paid for like Automatic Tolls? Or become a profit center for states or a boondoggle for private companies with connections to install in taxpayer owned roads?"

PONTIAC, MI - September 21, 2021: While participating in the opening ceremony at Motor Bella today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a new initiative to develop the nation's first wireless charging infrastructure on a public road in the U.S. right here in Michigan. The development of a wireless dynamic charging roadway in Michigan is a step forward in addressing range anxiety and will accelerate the transition to all-electric transit fleets in Michigan, and beyond.

"Michigan was home to the first mile of paved road, and now we're paving the way for the roads of tomorrow with innovative infrastructure that will support the economy and the environment, helping us achieve our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "This project reinforces my commitment to accelerating the deployment of electric vehicle infrastructure in Michigan and will create new opportunities for businesses and high-tech jobs amidst the transition to electric vehicles."

The Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot is a partnership between the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification that will deploy an electrified roadway system that allows electric buses, shuttles and vehicles to charge while driving, enabling electric vehicles to operate continuously without stopping to charge. Electrified roadways have the potential to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles by consumers and fleet operations alike by enabling continuous vehicle operations and turning public streets into safe and sustainable shared energy platforms. As the first in the nation to deploy this forward-looking infrastructure, Michigan continues to secure its reputation as a leader in future transportation solutions and accelerate progress toward our carbon neutrality goals.

MDOT will release a Request for Proposal on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 to design, fund, evaluate, iterate, test and implement the Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot along a one-mile stretch of state-operated roadway in Wayne, Oakland or Macomb counties. This partner will work closely with MODT, the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy on this project. The RFP (Requisition 3524) will be posted to eProposal; which can be accessed through MILogin at MILogin for Third Party or at the following link starting on September 28.

"At MDOT, we know the future of mobility involves connectivity, and this initiative dovetails nicely with our other successes linking vehicles and infrastructure through technology," said MDOT Director Paul C. Ajegba. "This is a model we will build on across the state to further promote the governor's broad and ambitious vision."

To date, MDOT has activated the largest vehicle-to-infrastructure technology deployment - nearly 600 miles - in the United States, including a first-of-its-kind connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) corridor. Michigan is also home to the most diverse collection of automated vehicle and drone testing environments in the world, more mobility-related patents than any other state, and more engineers per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Today's news builds on announcements by the administration in the past month, including the first round of Michigan Mobility Funding Platform funding grants to accelerate mobility and EV investments in the state, a robot delivery program to address last-mile delivery challenges in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood; Detroit Smart Parking Lab, a new public/private sector collaboration launching the nation's first-of-its-kind, real-world test site for parking solutions, also in Corktown; and a MOU between Michigan and Ontario on cross-border activities to spur technology innovations and transportation solutions that enhance crossings by land, air, and water.

"We're in the midst of the most significant shift in the automotive industry since the Model T rolled off the assembly line more than a century ago, and Michigan is once setting the course manufacturing the vehicles of the future and deploying charging solutions that make EV adoption more widely available" said Trevor Pawl, Chief Mobility Officer with the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. "This electrified roadway has the potential to accelerate autonomous vehicles at scale and turn our streets into safe, sustainable, accessible and shared transportation platforms."

Learn more about how Michigan is leading in transportation mobility and electrification visit www.michiganbusiness.org/mobility.


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Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable.
1 Teen Student Killed, 2 Wounded in Kentucky Bus Stop Shooting: Police

Three teens were injured and one was killed during a shooting while they were waiting for the school bus in Louisville, Kentucky early Wednesday, police said.

The students were waiting at a corner bus stop in the Russell neighborhood near downtown when an assailant in a vehicle drove by and opened fire, the Louisville Metro Police Department said. The incident occurred at around 6:30 a.m. ET.

The identities of the students who were shot were not disclosed. But an aunt the 16-year-old boy who was killed issued a statement to a local station.

I mean, you all probably interview a lot of families who are like, I cant believe this happened. You know, he didnt hurt nobody, he didnt do anything. They can be out in God knows what, but Im telling you, my nephew wasnt. He didnt have that time on his hands, the aunt, also unnamed, told WKLY-TV.

Alert: Were looking for this vehicle in the area of this mornings homicide. We need to talk to any occupants who may have information on this.

Grey Jeep license plate with Illinois plate BD91644. Call 574-LMPD. You can remain anonymous. We need your help #LMPD #Louisville pic.twitter.com/j690CrF2CF  LMPD (@LMPD) September 22, 2021

The three students attended Eastern High School, the station reported.

A 14-year-old girl was grazed by a bullet and was treated at the scene, while a 14-year-old boy was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials told the broadcaster.

Our hearts break this morning with the news of the senseless violence targeting children waiting for a school bus. This is unacceptable. Report those responsible. Contact us (263-6000) or @LMPD (574-LMPD). The safety of our community depends on ALL of us working together. pic.twitter.com/zXPvqcc2oq  FBI Louisville (@FBILouisville) September 22, 2021

No arrests have been made so far. A description of the suspect or suspects has not been provided.

Police said they are searching for a gray Jeep with an Illinois license plate of BD91644 that was seen in the area of the homicide on Wednesday morning. Officials wrote that they wish to speak with any of the Jeeps occupants.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call 502-574-7111 or 502-263-6000.
1st Major Federal Gang Trial Since 2016 Opens in Chicago

CHICAGOLabar Spann, sitting in a wheelchair next to his attorney, listened as Assistant U.S. Attorney Kavitha Babu accused him of being the leader of the notorious Four Corner Hustlers street gang that for decades reigned on the West Side of Chicago.

You will enter a world that you otherwise would not have access to, a world of extortions, drug dealing, and murders between the mid-1990s and 2017, Babu told the jurors during her opening statement on Sept. 20 at the federal courthouse in downtown Chicago.

Of the six murders that Babu cited, none were directly committed by Spann. Instead, Spann is accused of ordering those murders and aiding in a pattern of crimes as a leader of a criminal enterprise under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Since the 1970s, federal prosecutors have used the RICO statute to go after behind-the-scenes gang bosses and squash the Mafia and street gangs. The last major federal RICO trial in Chicago dates back to 2016, when a jury convicted six Hobo gang leaders, four of whom were sentenced to life in prison.

Spanns defense attorney, Matthew McQuaid, rose to say that Four Corner Hustlers isnt an organized criminal gang and thus the RICO charge doesnt stand.

There is no organization. This is a group of people acting in their own interests. They answer only to themselves, for their own purposes, McQuaid said during his opening statement.

McQuaid also intends to shake the credibility of the key testimony against Spann by other Four Corner Hustlers members, he told the jurors. At least three members, including Spanns longtime enforcer Sammie Booker, decided to testify against Spann in exchange for lesser sentences.

Originally, 10 Four Corner Hustlers members were indicted along with Spann in the sweeping RICO indictment in September 2017. Five co-defendants later took plea deals and three agreed to testify against Spann.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin, the judge presiding over the case, reminded the jurors that opening statements arent facts or evidence. Rather, they are merely attorneys expectations of what their evidence will show.

He instructed the jurors to look for facts during the trial and apply the RICO law as given before they arrive at a verdict.

During the trial, the prosecutors must present evidence to show beyond a reasonable doubt that Spann violated RICO statutes, such as that Four Corner Hustlers is a racketeering enterprise, that Spann is a leader of the Four Corner Hustlers, and whether the gang engaged in a pattern of racketeering activities such as extortion and murder.

After RICO was enacted in 1970 under President Richard Nixon, states quickly followed suit. By the 1980s, more than 28 states had their own RICO statutes.

Illinois passed its RICO law in 2012 at the bidding of then-Cook County State Attorney Anita Alvarez. RICO allows prosecutors to hold leaders accountable, to widen the net, Alvarez said at the time, and to demonstrate to a jury or a judge a pattern of crime over a period of years.

The lawmakers opposing Illinois RICO law argued that the harsher sentences from RICO prosecutions are often used against underlings of a gang to force them to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against leaders in exchange for lesser sentences.
A file image of a physician assistant preparing a syringe with a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at a Los Angeles vaccination clinic. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

70 Percent of Fully Vaccinated Prisoners Caught COVID-19 in Texas Outbreak: CDC

More than two-thirds of fully vaccinated prisoners contracted COVID-19 during an outbreak inside a Texas prison, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a study.

The vaccine, the CDC said, protected the prisoners against severe COVID-19 symptoms. COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The agency said that 129 out of 185 fully vaccinated prisoners caught the CCP virus, according to data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the CDC in the agencys Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published Tuesday. Separately, of 42 unvaccinated prisoners, 93 percent caught the virus during the outbreak in the undisclosed prison.

One unvaccinated person died, while four people needed hospital treatment in the outbreak, the data said. Three out of the four who were not vaccinated were hospitalized, the agency said.

The CDC data showed that seven unvaccinated and 21 fully vaccinated prisoners had previously contacted a documented case of COVID-19. Some studies have shown that individuals who previously contracted the CCP virus develop long-lasting and robust protection against the Delta variant.

Based on the new data, the CDC said that vaccinating most of the U.S. population should remain a priority.

And the agency said that even with high vaccination rates, maintaining multicomponent prevention strategies, such as testing and masking for all persons and prompt medical isolation and quarantine for incarcerated persons remains critical to limiting [CCP virus] transmission in congregate settings where physical distancing is challenging.

Although attack rates, hospitalizations, and deaths were higher among unvaccinated than among vaccinated persons, duration of positive serial test results was similar for both groups. Infectious virus was cultured from vaccinated and unvaccinated infected persons, the CDC also wrote.

Most prisoners in the facility were white males and had received Pfizers two-dose mRNA vaccine at least four months beforehand, the data showed.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden announced a sweeping plan that would mandate workers at companies with 100 or more employees to either submit to weekly COVID-19 testing or get vaccinated. The plan also mandates vaccinations for healthcare workers at Medicaid- or Medicare-funded facilities, as well as mandatory vaccines for federal contractors and federal employees.

Bidens plan also entailed offering booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine by Sept. 20, although those plans hit a snag last week when the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) advisory panel recommended against providing Pfizers booster to the general population. Instead, the panel voted to recommend booster doses for individuals aged 65 and older.

Some scientists in the FDA advisory committee meeting last week expressed concern about possible side effects from the boosters on younger Americans.
Conservative MP Rachael Harder rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 4, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

After Ombudsmans Review, CBC Regrets Article Blasting Alberta MP

The CBC says it regrets an article blasting Conservative MP Rachael Harder for sharing misinformation after she posted a Toronto Sun column about COVID-19 deaths in Alberta on social media.

Harder shared the Toronto Sun commentary on her public Facebook page in November 2020. The article discussed the number of COVID-19 deaths in Alberta relative to patients who had pre-existing health conditions.

Ten. Thats the number of otherwise healthy people who have died from COVID-19 in Alberta since the beginning of the pandemic, reads the lead sentence of the Sun article published on Nov. 17, 2020.

Harder did not include any of her own comments when sharing the post on Facebook.

The CBC News article, published on Nov. 25 last year with the original title of Lethbridge MP under fire for spreading misinformation about COVID deaths in Alberta, CBC reporter Bryan Labby said that by sharing the column, Harder had triggered angry responses from people who say she is showing a lack of compassion and empathy for all who have died of the disease.

Harder complained to CBC Ombudsman Jack Nagler, contending that the article violated the public broadcasters own Journalistic Standards and Practices and was bent, inaccurate, and sensationalized.

In response to Harders complaint, Nagler said in a statement that when dealing with stories based on outrage over social media posts, it can be difficult to assess whether angry tweets reflect a larger consensus, and sometimes it can be difficult to know whether the social media outrage is even authentic.

There were violations of policy and I hope fervently that programmers will learn from their mistakes here, he said, noting that the article overall was flawed.

Nagler also acknowledged that the statistics in the Sun article were accurate.

Despite Harders demand for a formal and public apology, the news agency did not offer her one, although Nagler said CBC Calgary senior director Helen Henderson had agreed that Labbys article failed to live up to CBCs journalistic standards.

This piece fell short of what we deem acceptable, Henderson said, according to Naglers statement.

Let me reiterate that I regret we did not live up to our, and our audiences, expectations of CBC News.

CBC Calgary has since updated the article to reflect Harders views and to contextualize some of the reactions to her Facebook post, including a change to the articles headline which now reads Lethbridge MP under fire for sharing article on COVID deaths, comorbidities and restrictions.

On Sept. 22, Harder posted on her Facebook page a Toronto Sun article about the controversy titled, CBC Calgary regrets manufactured article slamming Alberta MP.

Harder was re-elected in the 2021 federal election in her riding of Lethbridge, Alberta, for the third term with 55.7 percent of votes.
Angelo Codevilla: Resetting the Educational Reset

Commentary

America lost a great patriot and one of its foremost public intellectuals last week with the untimely death of Angelo Codevilla at the age of 78. Professor Codevilla, whose career spanned the Navy, the foreign service, the intelligence community, academe, think tanks, the blogosphere, and the literary world, was one of the sharpest and shrewdest observers of the contemporary political scenehardly surprising, since the Italian-born scholar produced a notable 1997 translation of Machiavellis The Prince.

The core of his appealfor his students, for those who heard him speak, for those of us who appeared with him on panels and at public events and had the thankless task of trying to match both wits and breadth of knowledge with himwas Angelos ability to cut quickly to the heart of any matter, instantly bolstering his fluent and elegant arguments with examples from history both ancient and modern.

It is, therefore, with profound sadness that we present what might be the last piece he ever wrote, which will appear in Against the Great Reset, a collection of some 16 essays by such luminaries as Codevilla, Conrad Black, Janice Fiamengo, Michael Anton, David Goldman, Roger Kimball, Victor Davis Hanson, Alberto Mingardi, Salvatore Babones, Martin Hutchinson, Jeremy Black, Harry Stein, Richard Fernandez, and others still to come. I have the honor of editing the essays, as well as contributing one myself, along with an overall introduction. We hope to announce the publisher soon.

What follows is an excerpt from Resetting the Educational Reset. Although its topic is necessarily specific to the parlous state of our educational system, it brims with characteristic apercus, sparkles with the joy of intellectual combat, and positively revels in its defense of Western civilization. No happier warrior lived, fighting on the side of the angelsand now, surely, dwelling among them.

The closer one looks at education today, the more one sees that the dumbing down and perversion of America to which people object most strongly is the continuation of a century-old decay in our civilization. Problems with education bespeak civilizational ones, of which the phenomenon of Davos Man is but one manifestation.

Any civilization is the totality of the language, habits, and ideas in which people live and movethe human reality that defines their practical limits. To see how grossly unequal to one another civilizations are, it is enough to glance at how much or little understanding of reality the languages they speak containwhat any given language enables, or not.

We are accustomed to Greek, Latin, English, French, Italian, German, etc. with their massive dictionaries, full of definitions, pronouns, tenses, moods, and concepts, all tied together by grammar that flows from logic. When we speak these languages correctly, we hardly realize that we are wielding powerful tools of reason, developed over thousands of years.

But acquaintance with the languages that most of mankind speak shows that most contain few well-defined words, and almost no grammar. Little intellection. Almost no reason. Sometimes they lack even the plural. Here we must term those who speak a form of English, French, etc. that they barely grasp as superficially civilized, if at all. Monkeys with keyboards.

Without going to any depth in the debate between the human possibilities that nature and nurture provide, enough experiments have been carried out that show that nature doesnt limit babies born into primitive tribes to lives near the level of quadrupeds, just as it does not endow the offspring of Ph.D.s with high IQs. Quantification is unnecessary for us to know that much of civilization depends on the habits of body, heart, and mind into which we are civilized.

We may never have heard of Platos prescription that the body and mind are best trained for reason by physical discipline, that the right kind of music enhances these and the wrong kind hinders it. We may no longer play musical instruments as much as earlier generations. And yet all who are part of Western civilization carry with us, among other things, a musical heritage based on mathematics and melody that also sets us apart from other civilizations.

What then has education been doing to our civilization? The very concept of IQ, of intelligence quotient, of the Stanford-Benet test and things similar, is, as its critics argue, a cultural constructless a measure of potential than of capacities already developed. No surprise that persons growing up in environments that stimulate and enable the development of human possibilities do in fact develop more of these.

Some studies suggest that the complexity of what each generation conveyed to the next made those generations more intellectually and morally potent than their predecessors through the early 20th century, but that this process has reversed itself over about a half-century, and average IQ has dropped by some 14 points. The decline seems to have come at the top of our civilizational pyramid. Speculation about the causes is less relevant than noting the effects.

But the deepest philosophical causes arent in dispute. After Descartess Discourse on Method reduced reality into something wholly comprehensible by truncating it, the very peaks of Western philosophy reversed the relationship between reality and the observer. Kant and Hegels idealism is neither more nor less than the further affirmation that the mind, for its own sovereign convenience, can take possession of what it perceives.

From these philosophical peaks, any number of streams of far less sophisticated thought have flowed that effectively and explicitly place the minds product under the sway of mans will, and hence of mans various interests.

The intellectual mechanism is straightforward: presume to abolish the objective status of what you see, and presume to retake possession of what you then suppose to be reality, based on what matters to you.

From Ludwig Feuerbachs injunction to worship Christianity as our own creation, to Karl Marxs assertion of sovereignty over the minds products as superstructural, to class interest, to Sigmund Freuds assertion of perceptions as reflections of sexuality, the main streams of latter-day high Western thought have devalued reason and reality in favor of all manner of self-indulgence. Today, colleges teach students to disparage reference to facts and logic as logism.

Loosening our bounds to reality is attractive also because calling things by whatever names serves our immediate purpose liberates us from the hard work of understanding things not of our making, and gives us the illusion of mastery over our environment. Its especially attractive to those who have power over others, because it frees them from having to persuade the rest of humanity. For societys mob of lazy underperformers, pleasing the leaders is an easier way of securing ones place than competing for merit. Anyhow, intellectual and moral deterioration has ever been an easier sell than the hard acquisition of skills and virtues.

In our time as ever, there does seem to be a natural concurrence of interest in imprecision and lack of discipline between those who are happy enough to be barbarians and the despots who naturally dominate barbarians.

* * *

Cutting the life support of higher-ed institutions requires exposing how littleif anygood they do by comparison with the price and opportunity costs of attending them. A little political action can go a long way in this regard by imposing on them the same requirements for transparency about the effects they have on those they serve as apply to other providers of goods and services.

Reputation, prestige, is literally the main product they dispense. What do you get for four years at Old State U.? What about at Old Ivy? These questions deserve empirical answers. Institutions advertise the percentage of students they admit, and sometimes the entrants test scores, implying that they select the best and make them better. But the edu-class rejects categorically comparing students test scores (absolute or relative) before and after they attend.

The rejections vehemence has increased as the amount of study required for graduation has fallen. Legislating transparency in educational outcomes is the most potent weapon against scams.

Fact-based challenges to established colleges hazy claims to beneficence can also help those who start up replacement institutions. What if, as is entirely possible, test figures bear out that the average student isnt better able to think after four years at Old State or Old Ivy than before? Could it be that they didnt demand more of the student? There is plenty of evidence that they demanded less than in previous decades. The new colleges can credibly pledge to improve students at the very least by requiring more work of them.

More important but beyond empirical demonstration is that the substance of what is being taught, the manner and ethos of education, especially as it flows down from the peaks of academe, has corruptedis corruptingAmerica. All manner of corruption is so immanent from Americas commanding heights on down as to make superfluous the presentation of facts and arguments about it.

Whoever would reset education in America from its current path must begin by noting and denouncing its corruption of our civilization. Each new generation internalizes civilization as it does its maternal language. Restoring the integrity of the civilization into which we educate succeeding generations requires educators to pay attention to its languages every word.

This article was previously published by The Pipeline.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The app Smart Voting is displayed on an iPhone screen in Moscow on Sept. 17, 2021. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

Apple, Google Raise New Concerns by Yanking Russian App

BERKELEY, Calif.Big Tech companies that operate around the globe have long promised to obey local laws and to protect civil rights while doing business. But when Apple and Google capitulated to Russian demands and removed a political-opposition app from their local app stores, it raised worries that two of the worlds most successful companies are more comfortable bowing to undemocratic edictsand maintaining a steady flow of profitsthan upholding the rights of their users.

The app in question, called Smart Voting, was a tool for organizing opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of elections held over the weekend. The ban levied last week by a pair of the worlds richest and most powerful companies galled supporters of free elections and free expression.

This is bad news for democracy and dissent all over the world, said Natalia Krapiva, tech legal counsel for Access Now, an Internet freedom group. We expect to see other dictators copying Russias tactics.

Technology companies offering consumer services from search to social media to apps have long walked a tightrope in many of the less democratic nations of the world. As Apple, Google and other major companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook have grown more powerful over the past decade, so have government ambitions to harness that power for their own ends.

Now this is the poster child for political oppression, said Sascha Meinrath, a Penn State University professor who studies online censorship issues. Google and Apple have bolstered the probability of this happening again.

The Apple logo is seen hanging at the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, N.Y., on Oct. 16, 2019. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Neither Apple nor Google responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press when the news of the apps removal broke last week; both remained silent this week as well.

Google also denied access to two documents on its online service Google Docs that listed candidates endorsed by Smart Voting, and YouTube blocked similar videos.

Apple, meanwhile, lays out a lofty Commitment To Human Rights on its website, although a close read of that statement suggests that when legal government orders and human rights are at odds, the company will obey the government. Where national law and international human rights standards differ, we follow the higher standard, it reads. Where they are in conflict, we respect national law while seeking to respect the principles of internationally recognized human rights.

A man walks past a logo of Alphabets Google in front of an office building in Zurich on July 1, 2020. (Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

A recent report from the Washington nonprofit Freedom House found that global Internet freedom declined for the fifth consecutive year and is under unprecedented strain as more nations arrested Internet users for nonviolent political, social, or religious speech than ever before. Officials suspended Internet access in at least 20 countries, and 21 states blocked access to social media platforms, according to the report.

For the seventh year in a row, China held the top spot as the worst environment for Internet freedom. But such threats take several forms. Turkeys new social media regulations, for instance, require platforms with over a million daily users to remove content deemed offensive within 48 hours of being notified, or risk escalating penalties including fines, advertising bans, and limits on bandwidth.

Russia, meanwhile, added to the existing labyrinth of regulations that international tech companies must navigate in the country, according to Freedom House. Overall online freedom in the United States also declined for the fifth consecutive year, the group said, citing so-called conspiracy theories and misinformation about the 2020 elections as well as surveillance, harassment, and arrests in response to racial-injustice protests.

Big Tech companies have generally agreed to abide by country-specific rules for content takedowns and other issues in order to operate in these countries. That can range from blocking posts about Holocaust denial in Germany and elsewhere in Europe where theyre illegal, to outright censorship of opposition parties, as in Russia.

The apps expulsion was widely denounced by opposition politicians. Leonid Volkov, a top strategist to jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, wrote on Facebook that the companies bent to the Kremlins blackmail.

Navalnys ally Ivan Zhdanov said on Twitter that the politicians team is considering suing the two companies. He also mocked the move: Expectations: the government turns off the internet. Reality: the internet, in fear, turns itself off.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny take part in a march in memory of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov in downtown Moscow on Feb. 29, 2020. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)

Its possible that the blowback could prompt either or both companies to reconsider their commitment to operating in Russia. Google made a similar decision in 2010 when it pulled its search engine out of mainland China after the communist regime there began censoring search results and videos on YouTube.

Russia isnt a major market for either Apple, whose annual revenue this year is expected to approach $370 billion, nor Googles corporate parent, Alphabet, whose revenue is projected to hit $250 billion this year. But profits are profits.

If you want to take a principled stand on human rights and freedom of expression, then there are some hard choices you have to make on when you should leave the market, said Kurt Opsahl, general counsel for the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation.
As America Has Become More Secular, It Has Become Less Free

Commentary

Here is something any honest person must acknowledge: As America has become more secular, it has become less free.

Individuals can differ as to whether these two facts are correlated, but no honest person can deny they are facts.

It seems to me indisputable that they are correlated. To deny this, one would have to argue that it is merely coincidental that free speech, the greatest of all freedoms, is more seriously threatened than at any time in American history while a smaller-than-ever percentage of Americans believe in God or regularly attend church.

The United States became the freest country in the world, the sweet land of liberty, the recipient of the Statue of Liberty, the country whose flag freedom fighters around the world have often waved. This freedom was rooted in the deeply religious nature of its founding ideals. America was founded by God-centered individuals to be a God-centered country. The claims that Americas founders were mostly deists and that America was founded to be a godless secular society are not true.

Some of the Founders were not orthodox Christians, i.e., they did not believe in the Christian Trinity or in the divinity of Christ. But none of them were deists (with the possible exception of Jefferson). Deists believed in a creator God who was not only uninvolved with his creations, but he also did not even know them, let alone care about them. After creating the world, the deists God abandoned it. The deists God was Aristotles unmoved mover.

Every major Founder (again, with the possible exception of Jefferson) believed in the God of the Bible who heard prayer, acted in history, judged people in the hereafter, demanded ethical behavior, and without Whom morality did not objectively exist. Most importantly, they all believed that in order for a functioning democratic republic not to descend into tyranny, it was necessary to link freedom with God.

Whatever Jeffersons view of God was, he was as influenced by the Bible as every other Founder. He and Benjamin Franklin proposed that the great seal of the United States depict Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt: Moses raising his rod to divide the sea; Pharaoh, in his chariot, overwhelmed by the waters; and the divine pillar of fire that led the Israelites by night. The seals proposed motto: Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Jefferson and Franklin believed that freedom and obedience to God were synonymous. No God, no freedom.

The Founders linked freedom inextricably to God. That is why the inscription on the Liberty Bell is from the Bible: Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof. The verse comes from Leviticus, the third book of the Bible. The Founders knew their Bible. The present adult generation of Americans is more ignorant of the Bible than any in American history. And most young people know even less. I suspect that most students at Harvard could not identify Leviticus, let alone cite any of its verses.

The bell was named the Liberty Bell by the abolitionists. Their opposition to slavery was based entirely on the Bible. Their motivating principle, All men are created equal, came from the Bible. They did not get it from the ancient Greeks, who would have scoffed at such a notion.

Freedom permeates the Old Testament: The Bible begins with the story of Adam and Eve, a story about mans assertion of his God-given freedom  freedom even to disobey God. The primary story of the Old Testament is the Exodus, a story about God liberating slaves.

For the Founders, the most obvious reason freedom was dependent on faith in God was that only if God is regarded as the source of freedom could men not rightfully take it away. If men are the source of the freedom, men can rightfully retract it. This is precisely what is happening today. Freedom is being destroyed primarily by those who scorn the idea that freedom comes from God.

The rule that the end of religion means the end of freedom does not mean that secularism would not be a welcome replacement for totalitarian theocracies such as Iran. But eventually that, tooa secular Iranwould lead to tyranny. Wherever God is delinked from freedom, freedom ultimately withers. When Christianity died in Europe, it was replaced by fascism, Nazism, and communism.

Freedom is central to the Bible. This is especially apparent in America, which until now has linked its unparalleled commitment to freedom to God and the Bible. But freedom is peripheral to leftism. That is why freedom in America is threatened as never before: The foundations upon which freedom restsGod, the Bible, Judeo-Christian valuesare threatened as never before.

Every American coin bears two inscriptions: In God We Trust and Liberty. Every generation of Americans prior to the 1960s understood why. Most Americans today, including secular conservatives, do not.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Protesters are seen at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Australians Gather at Shrine of Remembrance for 3rd Day of Protests

Protests have continued for the third day in the Australian city of Melbourne after the Victorian state government shut down the construction industry for two weeks on Tuesday.

The state government cited COVID-19 compliance issues in the construction industry and violent demonstration scenes outside the offices of the CFMEU construction union, which occurred on Monday for the shutdown.

Following protests on Tuesday that wound throughout Melbourne, on Wednesday, protesters marched from the Melbourne CBD to the citys Shrine of Remembrance, a sacred war memorial.

Protesters are seen at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Hundreds of protesters took up places on the steps of the Shrine while a massive swarm of police kept their distance, seemingly reluctant to encourage any ugly scenes at one of the countrys most sacrosanct locations.

By mid-afternoon, the riot police began to converse and negotiate with members of the protest to offer a way for protesters to leave without being arrested.

Initially, Victoria police offered a deal for protesters to disperse via St Kilda Road. But news soon spread amongst the crowd that some arrests had allegedly been made, harming efforts to build trust.

The protesters countered with their own request to leave the way they came, down through the middle of the Shrine grounds, but officers refused this due to their heavy vehicles being parked there.

Protesters are seen at the Shrine of Remembrance as Victorian Police patrol the area in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Earlier, members of the riot police appeared to take a knee on the east side of the Shrine, which excited the crowd momentarily, who cheered and came over to applaud. But then the officers stood up as riot police approached from the north to close in, and a prolonged standoff began.

Around this time, protesters were heard chanting, we want peace.

However, by approximately 4.20 p.m., a police loudspeaker told the crowd they were free to leave via St Kilda Road, and officers began to move in on the protesters, eventually surrounding a smaller number of protesters on the steps of the Shrine.

By this time, the crowd of protesters had reduced in size by at least half, according to independent reporter Rukshan Fernando, also known as Real Rukshan on social media.

Officers also made several attempts to ask the crowd to leave.

Protesters are seen at the Shrine of Remembrance as Victorian Police patrol the area in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the Hawthorn branch of the Returned Servicemans League criticised the use of the Shrine for any protest. The Shrine of Remembrance is not a place for protest, the group wrote on Twitter.

It is a sacred place for Australians to commemorate those who fought and died for us. We gather there to remember with respect and dignity, and it is not appropriate to use this hallowed location for any protest.
The amount of eating disorders has surged during the pandemic, and waiting times for help have likewise increased. (Dmytro Flisak/Shutterstock)

Australia Launches First National Strategy for Eating Disorders as Lockdown Worsens Symptoms

The Morrison Government on Tuesday has unveiled Australias first national strategy to improve early identification and treatment and help prevent eating disorders, as the country sees an alarming surge in the diseases as a result of the protracted lockdowns.

The new Australian Eating Disorder Research and Translation Strategy, developed through a $4 million federal grant by the InsideOut Institute, will guide critical research and is expected to transform how the country treats eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia and binge eating during the next decade.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the strategy will improve the wellbeing of those with an eating disorder and most importantly, will save lives.

Tragically, eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric illness, with anorexia being the deadliest of all mental health conditions, Hunt said.

Strengthening eating disorder research and translation in Australia will ensure that we find and deliver the latest and best possible support for those impacted and their families and carers.

Despite the harmful impact of severe eating disorders, the majority (70 per cent) of people with an eating disorder do not get treatment, and only about 20 per cent receive evidence-based treatment, said Dr Sarah Maguire, Director of the InsideOut Institute at the University of Sydney.

Eating disorders are poorly understood by the general public and medical professionals, she said.

We know that early intervention can prevent severe illness; we know that many people can fully recover if they get the right therapy at the right time.

But unless we discover the right treatments through research and translate them into the right therapies received at the right time, people dont and wont recover, Maguire added.

The 10-year national strategy outlines 10 priority areas in need of additional research, including early identification, equity of access, prevention, family support, treatment outcomes, early intervention, positive and negative treatment impacts, individualised medicine, risk and protective factors, stigma and health promotion.

The strategy was launched as experts reported an increasing number of people suffering from eating disorders and a mental health relapse during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Danni Rowlands, who is a manager at the Butterfly Foundation, Australias national charity providing support to patients with eating disorders, told 9news.com.au in August that prolonged periods of stress can trigger eating disorders.

Eating disorders often develop as a way to cope with intense and negative experiences and emotions, and for some people, this time can trigger hard feelings and emotions, Rowlands said.

A study from the European Eating Disorders Review in August showed that 65 per cent of individuals with eating disorders experienced a worsening of symptoms during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Further, the researchers also suggested that eating disorders could be triggered by the emotional distress felt during a pandemic as people dealt with the fear of contagion, excessive exposure to harmful eating patterns on social media, increased psychological suffering among individuals with obesity, and low access to treatment and care.

Canadian researchers also pointed out in June that children and teenagers are especially vulnerable to the increased isolation brought about by the lockdowns, with over half of Canadian adolescents with eating disorders reporting a return of symptoms of restricting and over-exercising and fear of weight gain in 2020.

Insideout estimated that approximately one million Australians are affected by eating disorders, which is four per cent of the population, with half a million currently living with binge eating disorder, 100,000 presently living with bulimia, and 25,000 living with anorexia.

Bulimia is characterised by episodes of binge eating followed by extreme methods to avoid weight gain.

In contrast, anorexia is characterised by low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight.

The institute said most people who live with eating disorders dont experience significant body changes, so their struggle can go unnoticed or even be dismissed by clinicians.

A contributor to the strategy, Shannon Calvert, who has experienced severe and enduring anorexia, said the best treatment for eating disorders is person-centred and compassionate.

We have to integrate research and clinical practice so that our experience can educate scientists and health professionals and inform the questions that they pursue, Calvert said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in the Australian governments expenditure on health which is now totalling more than $16 billion, representing 14 per cent of total government spending.
Convenor of Student Politicism Wong Yat-chin is detained by police, in Hong Kong, on Sept. 20, 2021. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Bail Denied to Three Hong Kong Student Activists Charged Under National Security Law

A Hong Kong court denied bail to three leading figures of a political organization after police charged them with conspiracy to incite subversion under the national security law.

The three core members of Student Politicism are remanded in custody after principal magistrate Don So rejected their applications for temporary release on Sept. 21.

The three, arrested on Sept. 20, include the groups former spokesperson Chu Wai-ying, former secretary Chan Chi-sum, and convener Wong Yat-chin. Police had arrested Wong four times since Student Politicism was founded last May, but he had not been previously charged.

On Monday, national security police also raided the groups premises and seized as evidence several boxes of goods prepared for inmates including, M&M chocolates, crackers, masks, hand cream, and books.

Steve Li, senior superintendent of the police national security bureau, suggested the group would send these items to recruit followers behind bars.

Helping prisoners is not a problem, but it depends on the intention, Li told reporters on Mondays press conference.

If the intention is to help prisoners with the same beliefs and to recruit followers  to continue to violate national security, it is a problem for sure.

Li accused the three of spreading their political beliefs to others and setting up street booths to incite people against the Hong Kong government and the Chinese Communist Party.

The case was adjourned until Nov. 3 and transferred to the District Court for a formal trial. The three face up to seven years in jail if convicted.

The Beijing-imposed national security law criminalizes four broadly defined categories of offenses, including secession, subversion, and collusion with a foreign country. Persons found guilty of violating this law can face up to life in prison.

Audience walked out from the West Kowloon Court in Hong Kong on Sept. 21, 2021. (Andrian Yu/The Epoch Times)

Some audience burst into tears as So announced the decision at the West Kowloon Court. Why is it like this, a girl said while crying.

More than 100 people have been arrested under the national security law since it came into force last July, mostly democratic politicians, activists, journalists, and students.

Wall-fare, a prisoners rights group that provided supplies for prisoners and connected them with pen-pals, disbanded last week after Hong Kong Security Chief Chris Tang had said inmates use items including sweets to recruit followers inside prison and endanger national security.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Schoolchildren wear facemasks while talking at a sculpture garden in the Museum District in Houston, Texas, on March 10, 2021. (Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Admin Launches Probe Into Texas Ban on School Mask Mandates

The Biden administrations Department of Education on Sept. 21 added Texas to the list of states being investigated over their bans on or exemptions from school mask mandates.

The Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath notifying him about a directed investigation into whether the ban on mask mandates in Texas violates federal law.

TEA didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigation is specifically looking into whether the restriction on school mask mandates violates the rights of students with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The act protects students with disabilities from discrimination.

Specifically, OCR will examine whether, in light of Texass prohibition on local school districts and schools from requiring the use of masks, TEA may be preventing school districts in the state from considering or meeting the individual educational needs of students with disabilities or otherwise enabling discrimination based on disability, the OCR letter (pdf), signed by Suzanne Goldberg, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, states.

On Aug. 30, the OCR sent similar letters to five other states: Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. The office didnt target Florida, Texas, Arkansas, or Arizona at the time because each states restrictions on school mask mandates were blocked by courts. The investigation into Texas was likely triggered because a judge on Sept. 13 allowed the states ban on school mask mandates to continue.

The Biden administration has become increasingly involved in state-level decisions on school mask mandates, which have become the frontier of an ideological clash at school board meetings across the nation. The school mask debate is split sharply along political lines, with most Republicans opposing mandates and most Democrats staunchly promoting them.

President Joe Biden got directly involved with a series of tit-for-tat verbal barbs over school masks with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The verbal tiff has since turned into concrete actions from the administration, including the dedication of taxpayer funds to repay school districts that lost funding as a result of defying state-level bans on school mask mandates.

Masks are currently required at schools in 74 percent of the 200 largest districts around the nation, according to data compiled by Burbio.

A total of 1,421 children in the United States were hospitalized while testing positive for COVID-19 as of Sept. 21, according to data maintained by the COVKID Project. The number of such hospitalizations climbed to record levels beginning in mid-August and has remained high.
Office of Management and Budget acting director Shalanda Young answers questions during a Senate Budget Committee hearing in Washington on June 8, 2021. (Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images)

Biden Administration Strongly Opposes Honorable Discharge for Troops Who Refuse COVID-19 Vaccine

President Joe Bidens administration on Sept. 22 came out against efforts to prevent dishonorable discharges for U.S. troops who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Office of Management and Budget said in a policy statement it strongly opposes an amendment to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that bars any discharge but honorable for service members.

The provision would detract from readiness and limit a commanders options for enforcing good order and discipline when a Service member fails to obey a lawful order to receive a vaccination, the office said, adding that commanders must have the ability to give orders and take appropriate disciplinary measures in order to have a uniformed force to fight with discipline.

The amendment received support from members of both parties during a markup of the act on Sept. 1. It was authored by Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), a military veteran and a doctor.

At the time, Green said he understood the need for a vaccine mandate but noted that no longitudinal data is yet available for the COVID-19 vaccines, adding that service members who decide not to get vaccinated and are ultimately discharged should receive an honorable discharge.

I am dismayed and concerned that the Biden administration is trying to remove my amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that prevents anything but an honorable discharge for servicemembers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Green told The Epoch Times in an email.

This was a bipartisan amendmentnot one Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee opposed it. Nothing is more telling of the current political climate than the Biden administration refusing to respect the rights of our military that every House Democrat on the Committee voted for.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last month ordered U.S. troops to get Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine shortly after it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The order was backed by Biden, who has imposed mandates on all government workers and has ordered a mandate on the private sector.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington about the end of the war in Afghanistan on Sept. 1, 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

Service members who arent approved for a religious or medical exemption and still dont get vaccinated will face discipline, the Pentagon has stated.

Our commanders have a range of tools available to them short of using the Uniform Code of Military Justice to again try to get men and women in the department to make the right decision here, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters during a briefing.

The Biden administration also said it opposes another amendment, which would exempt troops who demonstrate they have recovered from COVID-19 from the mandate.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The protection afforded by recovery is known as natural immunity, and some scientists argue those who have it shouldnt have to get vaccinated.

That amendment would create a new and overly broad exemption from the vaccination requirement for previous infection that would undermine the effectiveness of the requirement, the Office of Budget and Management stated.

If the provisions dont stay in the NDAA, they could be passed separately. Four senators on Sept. 21 introduced a bill that would prevent dishonorable discharges for troops who dont get a COVID-19 vaccine.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Sept.21, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Biden Dashes Johnsons Hope for Quick Bilateral Trade Deal

The UKs hope to reach a bilateral trade deal with the United States in the near future has been further diminished by U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

The president issued a fresh warning about the Northern Ireland Protocol ahead of a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Statesa major selling point for Johnson when he campaigned on delivering Brexit in 2019seemed promising at the time with the backing of the then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

But the prime minister has been less optimistic about the prospect of sealing a deal soon.

On the FTA, the reality is that Joe has a lot of fish to fry, Johnson told reporters on Monday while on his way to New York.

Sitting next to Johnson in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Biden said he and Johnson were to talk a little bit about trade.

After the prime minister mentioned the lifting of a 24-year ban on British beef importswhich happened during the previous U.S. administrationBiden said they were going to be working on lamb too.

But when asked why he seemed to be taking a different approach to a U.S.UK trade deal from that of his predecessor, who said that the UK was in front of the queue, Biden didnt deny taking such approach.

There are two separate issues, he said.

On the deal with the UK, that continues to be discussed, Biden told reporters, but on the protocols, I feel very strongly about those.

Biden said the United States had spent an enormous amount of time and effort on the peace agreement in Northern Ireland, and that it had been a major bipartisan effort.

I would not at all like to see, nor, I might add, would many of my Republican colleagues, like to see a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border again, he told reporters.

On that point, Joe, we are completely at one, Johnson replied, adding that nobody wants to see anything that may compromise the Good Friday Agreement.

With the waning prospect of a bilateral FTA, British ministers are reportedly considering joining an existing pact with the United States, Mexico, and Canada to boost trans-Atlantic trade in a major departure from their prior ambitions.

But No. 10 Downing Street said the government is still working towards a bilateral FTA.

Our focus is on the U.S. stand-alone deal and thats what were working towards, he said.

While not prioritising an FTA with the UK, Biden appeared much more in tune with Johnson about the upcoming Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, saying hes really anxious to attend this summit with bells on.

PA contributed to this report.
In this screenshot from the RNCs livestream of the 2020 Republican National Convention, North Carolina congressional nominee Madison Cawthorn addresses the virtual convention on Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images)

Bidens COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Modern-Day Segregation, Says Rep. Cawthorn

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) on Tuesday likened President Joe Bidens recently announced COVID-19 vaccine mandates to modern-day segregation, saying that they should be rescinded as they infringe upon the personal liberties of Americans.

During an appearance on Newsmax, the Republican lawmaker was pressed by host Chris Salcedo about a viral video that showed a scuffle between a hostess at a New York City restaurant and three tourists, who are black, over a vaccine requirement.

Individuals dining indoors in the city are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

According to attorney Justin Moore, who represents one of the three women charged in the incident, a fight ensued when two men who arrived at the Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side to meet the women were unable to show that they had been vaccinated.

The women later alleged that the hostess made a racist a remark. The restaurant has denied the allegation and said in a statement to several media outlets that the incident was an entirely unprovoked, brutal attack.

I cant believe Im actually agreeing with them, but this is weaponized mandates, when no American, regardless of skin color, should be giving up their personal liberty so easily, Cawthorn said, responding to a question from Salcedo about segregation. Right now, what youre seeing is, youre seeing this medical apartheid, which is causing modern-day segregation.

Every single minority activist should be up in arms right now, saying, You are hurting the people who need help the very most with this actual mandate. It should be rescinded, and we should never be a country that forces mandates down the throats of Americans, he added.

Cawthorns comments come nearly two weeks after Biden issued several executive orders to require that all federal employees and the majority of health care workers get a COVID-19 vaccine.

A White House plan also stated that Biden would direct the Labor Departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration to mandate that businesses with 100 or more employees either mandate COVID-19 vaccines, require weekly COVID-19 testing, or be fined.

At least 27 Republican governors or attorneys general have vowed to fight the mandates.

On Sept. 12, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said that he believes the vaccine requirement hardens the resistance some people may have to getting inoculated.

The Republican governor told NBCs Meet the Press that he believes the new rules will hurt efforts to vaccinate Americans, instead of supporting them. The federal requirements are counterproductive, he said.

We talked about the fact that weve historically had vaccination requirements in schools, the governor said. But those have always come at the state level, never at the national level.

And so this is an unprecedented assumption of federal mandate authority that really disrupts and divides the country. It divides our partnership between the federal government and the states. And it increases the division in terms of vaccination when we should all be together trying to increase the vaccination uptake.

The president earlier said the mandate is about protecting yourself and those around youthe people you work with, the people you care about, the people you love.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House for comment.
A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian illegal alien from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas on Sept. 19, 2021. (Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images)

Border Patrol Official Says White House Is Perpetuating False Narrative Amid Reports of Haitian Migrants Being Whipped

A top Border Patrol official has accused Jen Psaki and the White House of perpetuating the narrative that police are bad and pushing incorrect information after the press secretary responded to reports that border agents in Del Rio have been whipping Haitian migrants who had gathered there over the past week.

Speaking to The Epoch Times, Border Patrol agent and head of the National Border Patrol Council, Brandon Judd, said agents on horseback in the area have not been rounding up Haitian refugees with whips after they were accused of doing so by multiple media outlets and officials.

On Monday, Sawyer Hackett, executive director of People First Future, a political action committee set up by Democrat Julian Castro, went viral on Twitter when he shared photos of Border Patrol agents on horseback as they spun their reins, which Castro called whips, while Haitians tried to cross illegally into the United States.

Hackett wrote on Twitter, This is unfathomable cruelty towards people fleeing disaster and political ruin. The administration must stop this.

He also shared video footage showing border agents on horseback attempting to prevent migrants from wading back and forth across the Rio Grandethe river that serves as the international border between the United States and Mexico.

The post was quickly shared over 27,000 times, including by members of Congress Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

A report from the El Paso Times regarding the situation in Del Rio also went viral. An excerpt from it claims a border agent swung his whip menacingly at Haitian men who were trying to cross the river again after buying food and water in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico.

Illegal immigrants cross the Rio Grande between Del Rio (far side) and Acuna, Mexico. Some are crossing back to Mexico to avoid deportation from the United States, in Acuna, Mexico, on Sept. 20, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Illegal migrants cross the Rio Grande River near a temporary migrant camp under the international bridge, in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 18, 2021. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)

Thats your defund the police movement right there, Judd said of the video. They only show a short segment of a video. The horse patrol agents under the administration are trained to ensure the safety of the migrants, to keep them away from the horses, because the horses can harm peoplethey can inadvertently step on them, they can rear up, they can kick them.

And so agents have to keep the migrants away from the horses for their own protection. And so they will use the reins, to twirl the reins, so that they will stay away from the horses. But they do not use those reins to lash out, to try to strike people. Those agents did not use those reins in any way, shape, or form to try to strike anybody.

Judd added that the horses are also used as a deterrent technique to prevent illegal immigrants from coming into the United States.

The claims of whipping soon reached the White House, with Psaki telling reporters during a briefing Monday, that she had seen some of the footage but didnt yet have all the context.

I cant imagine what context would make that appropriate, Psaki said. But I dont have additional details.

When asked if the agents who were accused of whipping the Haitian immigrants should be fired, Psaki responded, And, certainlyI dont have additional context. I dont think anyone seeing that footage would think it was acceptable or appropriate.

Judd says Psakis comments only serve to perpetuate the narrative that law enforcement is bad. And that just feeds into the larger, very liberal, narrative of defund the police,' he said.

The head of the National Border Patrol Council said his agents feel abandoned by the administration.

I get that all the time. My agents are constantly reaching out to me asking, Why isnt this administration standing up and doing something to secure the border? Why is this administration allowing cartels to have free rein of the border? Why is this administration [doing nothing] when they said that they were going to have humane immigration practices? I dont know, Judd said.

You tell me, does this look like its humane right here? he asked standing in front of the Haitian camp.

This looks like a warzone refugee camp. Thats what this looks like. And if anybody says that this is humane, I would love for them to come and explain to me how this, right here, is humane. But this is the Biden administration. This never happened with the Trump administration.

Katabella Roberts Follow Katabella Roberts is a reporter currently based in Turkey. She covers news and business for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States.
Brazil's Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga speaks during a ceremony at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on Aug. 5, 2021. (Adriano Machado/Reuters)

Brazils Health Minister Tests Positive for COVID-19 in New York

Brazils Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tested positive for COVID-19 while he was in New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

In a statement on Twitter, Queiroga confirmed his positive COVID-19 diagnosis and said that he will be entering quarantine and will follow all health and safety protocols.

Separately, the Brazilian governments communications office said that Queiroga will remain in New York in quarantine.

Brazils health ministry told media outlets that Queiroga is doing well, adding that the rest of the delegation accompanying Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to the U.N. General Assembly have tested negative for the virus.

Queiroga told CNN Brasil that he was wearing a mask when he was in the U.N. building attending the assembly.

Bolsonaro, the first world leader to speak at the General Assembly on Tuesday, said that he did not support the use of a vaccine passport and asserted that Brazils efforts to vaccinate its citizens against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus had been successful.

He added that all adults who want a vaccine would be fully vaccinated by November.

Bolsonaro, who had previously recovered from COVID-19 last July and indicated that he took the anti-malarial hydroxychloroquine as part of early treatment for the virus, said that his government supports early treatment measures.

We cannot understand why many countries, together with a large portion of the media, took a stance against early treatment measures, Bolsonaro said. History and science will certainly be wise enough to hold everyone accountable.

The Brazilian president praised his governments handling of the pandemic, condemning lockdown measures while reporting that Brazil has created nearly 1.8 million new job posts in the first seven months of 2021.

I have always advocated that we should fight the virus and unemployment at the same time and with the same sense of responsibility, he said.

Bolsonaro, who is unvaccinated, was spotted eating pizza on a Manhattan street with his ministers on Sunday. The city has a COVID-19 vaccine passport mandate effective since mid-August that includes barring unvaccinated people from indoor restaurants.

The health minister was the second member of the Brazilian delegation in New York to have tested positive. A young diplomat who was part of an advance team preparing Bolsonaros visit tested positive on the weekend and was isolated.

Li Hai and Reuters contributed to this report.
U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual press conference on national security with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 15, 2021. The three leaders announced the AUKUS defence partnership between their countries. (Brendan Smialkowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Canadas Failure to Heed Multiple Warnings Seen as Reason for AUKUS Snub

Exclusion from Australia-UK-US defence pact a hefty price for Canada to pay for soft-pedalling on communist China

News Analysis

The new trilateral defence pact AUKUS, announced on Sept. 15 by the leaders of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, is widely seen as a snub to Canada for its many shortcomings and missteps in dealing with communist China.

Over the years, foreign policy and defence professionals have been urging Canada to toughen its approach to China, better align itself with U.S. objectives, and get more involved in the Indo-Pacific, a region of rapidly growing global strategic importance, to assist in countering the rising threat from Beijing.

Canada appears to be paying a price for not banishing Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G infrastructure. It remains the only nation among the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing allianceconsisting of Canada, New Zealand, and the three AUKUS nationsto have not made a decision regarding Huawei and 5G, despite years of grappling with the issue amid strong U.S. warnings.

The presence of Huawei equipment in a countrys infrastructure could give Beijing potential access to sensitive networks and data that could threaten Canadas national security, which in turn poses risks to the United States.

In early 2019 at the launch of his book Claws of the Panda, China expert and author Jonathan Manthorpe said the United States could potentially stop sharing sensitive information with Canada if Canada deems the Huawei risk to be manageable.

It could mean the end of the Five Eyes, Manthorpe said.

A popular view is that the Five Eyes is now effectively morphing into the Three Eyes, with Canada on the outside looking in.

The first thing Canada can do to get on the same page as the United States is to reject Huawei from any involvement in its 5G infrastructure, retired United States Air Force general Robert Spalding told attendees at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) annual dinner in February 2020.

[Canada] not basically having Huawei in their systemI think thats probably most important near-term, he previously told The Epoch Times.

Foreign Policy and the Indo-Pacific

Former Canadian ambassador to China David Mulroney tweeted on Sept. 15 that the AUKUS nations have just given Canada a monumental snub and feedback on our virtue-signalling foreign policy.

Countries that have become vulnerable by neglecting their own defence are most likely to need alliances and least likely to be included in them, Mulroney tweeted on Sept. 17 in reference to Canada.

Stephen Nagy, the director of policy studies for the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies and governor for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan, is urging Canada to consider sustained engagement in the Indo-Pacific, a region committed to trade and development. He also warned about the virtue-signalling misstep.

Regional leaders find Canadas progressive values to be fine for Canadian society but they think those values should have no place in Canadas diplomacy in the region, Nagy wrote in a commentary for the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

Richard Fadden, former national security adviser to the prime minister, said during an MLI foreign policy webinar last October that, as part of a foreign policy upgrade, Canada needed to develop a realistic view of itself and the world.

We cannot have our foreign policy shift materially every time the government changes, and we need a national consensus, he said.

For a greater presence in the Indo-Pacific, Fadden advised adding new Indo-Pacific allies to form smaller multilateral alliances. Canada should pick two or three principal allies, like Vietnam, Indonesia, or Malaysia, Fadden suggested.

More Than Just Nuclear Subs

Canadas place alongside the United States as a top trusted partner appears less certain than in the past, based on comments made by a senior U.S. government official.

I just want to underscore, just generally: Obviously, there are no better allies than the United Kingdom and Australia, said a senior U.S. government official at a White House briefing on Sept. 15.

Being part of the Five Eyes allows Canada to obtain intelligence that it cannot obtain on its own, and now it appears Canada will not be privy to certain information and technology sharing that the AUKUS defence pact will provide for between the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.

The first initiative under AUKUS is to support Australia in acquiring a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The United States and United Kingdom have already had such capability for decades. The new Australian submarines will not be armed with nuclear weapons, the leaders of the three nations emphasized, saying that their nations will continue to meet their nuclear non-proliferation obligations.

Aside from nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, senior U.S. government officials said the three nations will cooperate on new and emerging technologies, initially focusing on cyber, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau downplayed the development on the election campaign trail, while his rivals Erin OToole and Jagmeet Singh said Canada missed an opportunity to apply pressure on China.

Retired vice-admiral and former chief of naval staff Mark Norman tweeted that Trudeaus comments that AUKUS is just about nuclear submarines for Australia are erroneous & misleading.

This #AUKUS arrangement is about much more than new #Submarines; it is about information & technology sharing, Norman tweeted on Sept. 16.

A Canadian official told The Globe and Mail that Ottawa was surprised by the AUKUS developments and that it was clear Ottawa is considered a weak sister when it comes to standing up to China.
China Evergrandes Rising Default Risks Shift Focus to Possible Beijing Rescue

HONG KONG/NEW YORKPersistent default fears eclipsed efforts by China Evergrande Groups chairman to lift confidence in the embattled firm on Tuesday, as Beijing showed no signs it would intervene to stem any domino effects across the global economy.

Analysts played down the threat of Evergrandes troubles becoming the countrys Lehman moment, though concerns about the spillover risks of a messy collapse of what was once Chinas top-selling property developer have roiled markets.

In an effort to revive battered confidence in the firm, Evergrande Chairman Hui Ka Yuan said in a letter to staff the company is confident it will walk out of its darkest moment and deliver property projects as pledged.

In the letter, coinciding with Chinas mid-autumn festival, the chairman of the debt-laden property developer, also said Evergrande will fulfil responsibilities to property buyers, investors, partners, and financial institutions.

I firmly believe that with your concerted effort and hard work, Evergrande will walk out of its darkest moment, resume full-scale constructions as soon as possible, said Hui, without elaborating how the company could achieve these objectives.

Investors in Evergrande, however, remained on edge.

Its shares fell as much as 7 percent, having tumbled 10 percent in the previous day, on fears its $305 billion in debt could trigger widespread losses in Chinas financial system in the event of a collapse. The stock ended down 0.4 percent.

Other property stocks such as Sunac, Chinas No. 4 developer, and state-backed Greentown China on Tuesday recouped some of their hefty losses in the previous session. The Hong Kong property sector index rose nearly 3 percent.

We are uncertain of how far and how strong the ripple effect would be on the housing market and the developer industry, analysts at Deutsche Bank said in a recent note. We think investors should remain on the sideline until there is more clarity.

Fund giant BlackRock and investment banks HSBC and UBS have been among the largest buyers of Evergrandes debt, Morningstar data showed.

BlackRock added 31.3 million notes of Evergrandes debt between January and August 2021, while HSBC increased its position by 40 percent through July, according to Morningstar. UBS increased its position by 25 percent through May, the latest date available in the fund trackers database showed.

The Chinese regime has been largely quiet on the crisis at Evergrande in recent weeks.

There must be negotiations behind the scenes about a systemic recapitalization (of Evergrande) by state proxies, said Andrew Collier, managing director of Hong Kong-based Orient Capital Research.

If one piece of Evergrandes debt is allowed to default, it would trigger questions about all of their remaining debt from investors and the government doesnt want a wider crisis like that, he said.

World stocks stabilized somewhat on Tuesday and oil prices recovered from the previous days heavy selling, as investors grew more confident that contagion from the distress of Evergrande would be limited.

Hedge fund managers contacted by Reuters said they were not yet concerned about any contagion risk into other equities markets.

From our perspective, we  do not see any potential fundamental long-term effects on our portfolio companies, said one London-based hedge fund professional. However, there could likely be a lot of volatility around this one in the short term.

A default by Evergrande has been widely anticipated by some corners of the market.

I would characterize Evergrande as a telegraphed and controlled detonation, said Samy Muaddi, the portfolio manager of the $5.1 billion T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Bond fund, who does not have a position in the company. If an investor was still investing in Evergrande they were investing against Chinese policy makers, which is a good way to lose.

However, the spillover concerns at least in the property sector remained. S&P Global Ratings downgraded Sinic Holdings to CCC+ on Tuesday, citing the Chinese developers failure to communicate a clear repayment plan.

Hong Kong-listed shares of small-sized Chinese developer Sinic plunged 87 percent on Monday, wiping $1.5 billion off its market value before trading was suspended.

A major test for Evergrande comes this week, with the firm due to pay $83.5 million in interest relating to its March 2022 bond on Thursday. It has another $47.5 million payment due on Sept. 29 for March 2024 notes.

Both bonds would default if Evergrande fails to settle the interest within 30 days of the scheduled payment dates.

I think (Evergrandes) equity will be wiped out, the debt looks like it is in trouble and the Chinese government is going to break up this company, said Andrew Left, founder of Citron Research and one of the worlds best known short-sellers.

But I dont think that this is going to be the straw that breaks the global economys back, said Left, who in June 2012 published a report that said Evergrande was insolvent and had defrauded investors.

Spillover Risks

The Chinese regime will help Evergrande at least get some capital, but it may have to sell some stakes to a third party, such as a state-owned enterprise, Dutch bank ING said in a research note.

The spin-off of non-core businesses, for example, those that are not residential real estate type businesses, will probably be done first, wrote Iris Pang, INGs Chief Economist, Greater China.

After that could come sales of stakes that are at the core of Evergrandes business, Pang said.

Citi analysts in a research note said that regulators may buy time to digest Evergrandes non-performing loan problem by guiding banks not to withdraw credit and extend the interest payment deadline.

Still, Citi said that while Evergrandes default crunch was a potential systemic risk to Chinas financial system, it was not shaping up as Chinas Lehman moment.

At the same time, the U.S. market is in a better position to absorb a potential global shock from a major company default compared with the years prior to the 20072009 financial crisis, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Gary Gensler said on Tuesday.

In any default scenario, Evergrande, teetering between a messy meltdown, a managed collapse, or the less likely prospect of a bailout by Beijing, will need to restructure the bonds, but analysts expect a low recovery ratio for investors.

S&P Global Ratings said in a report on Monday it does not expect Beijing to provide any direct support to Evergrande.

We believe Beijing would only be compelled to step in if there is a far-reaching contagion causing multiple major developers to fail and posing systemic risks to the economy, the rating agency said.

Evergrande failing alone would unlikely result in such a scenario, S&P said.

By Clare Jim, Anshuman Daga, and Kane Wu
China Expert Warns Australia of Nuclear Strikes

A Chinese expert is warning Australia that other countries may target the nation for nuclear attacksall because Australia signed a new security pact with its allies.

Chinas neighbors are racing to purchase new weapons. Theyre bolstering their defenses to counter Chinas military expansion.

The global stock markets respond to Chinese real estate giant Evergrandes potential collapse. How likely is it to happen? And how would it affect the global economy? NTD spoke with an economist to find out.

The United States plans to reopen air travel to foreign passengers, but only when they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That includes those from China. But are Chinese vaccines effective enough to qualify?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
A man using a laptop at an office of Sina Weibo, widely known as China's version of Twitter, in Beijing, on April 16, 2014. (Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images)

China Ranks as Worst Internet Freedom Abuser for 7th Consecutive Year: Report

U.S.-based human rights organization Freedom House released its annual internet freedom ranking report on Tuesday. For the seventh consecutive year, communist China was listed as the worst Internet freedom abuser among more than 70 countries. Taiwan is included in the list for the first time, ranking among the top five countries with the highest degree of online freedom.

Freedom Houses evaluation includes three indicators: obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights.

The report called out the Chinese regimes ongoing digital authoritarianism, and named a few high profile cases in the past year; new legislation that criminalizes expression insulting members of the regimes military heroes and martyrs; imposing draconian prison terms for online dissent, including for an 18-year-old; the sentencing of real-estate mogul Ren Zhiqiang, who criticized the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)s leader Xi Jinping.

The report also mentioned the regimes censorship of netizens discussion of the COVID-19 whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang since his death in February 2020.

Security personnel keep watch outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology during the visit by the World Health Organization (WHO) team tasked with investigating the origins of COVID-19, in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on Feb. 3, 2021. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

The report said that in 2021, content related to the COVID-19 outbreak is still one of the most censored topics by the regime. Meanwhile, Chinas state-run media, official social media accounts, and other government-linked accounts are flooding cyberspace with false claims of the dangers of western vaccines and the source of the CCP virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, the report pointed out that ordinary internet users in China continue to face legal consequences in daily activities such as sharing news, talking about religion, or communicating with relatives and friends overseas. The regimes internet regulators have imposed new rules to restrict the posting of current affairs information on social media, leading to the cancellation of many accounts.

The scandals of violating internet users personal data and privacy appeared frequently in China, as noted by the report. The Chinese regime put out regulations on tech companies to limit the use of internet users information.

One of the authors of the report, Allie Funk, a senior research analyst for technology and democracy affairs at Freedom House, said in an online press conference on Monday that the Chinese authorities had this year introduced a comprehensive law on data privacy that restricts how companies use personal data, but she said the law lacks any safeguards to prevent data privacy abuse by the regime itself.

The report also pointed out that China is the worlds largest surveillance state. Under its Cybersecurity Law, implemented in 2017, companies must store users data on local servers and decrypt the data on request from the authorities, said the report.

A man wearing a face mask walks past the offices of Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba in Beijing, on Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

However, the Chinese regime has severely suppressed domestic technology giants, such as Alibaba and Tencent, for lax data security and monopolistic practices, while tightening the control over the tech companies, the communist regime has further concentrated power in its hands, the report pointed out.

Adrian Shahbaz, director of Technology and Democracy Affairs at Freedom House, told VOA that the CCP is monitoring large technology companies to transform them into state-owned enterprises. For example, the Chinese government has acquired TikToks parent company Bytedances equity and board seats. He explained that its because its easier to control a state-owned entity than a private one, and what the CCP is interested in is its access to users data instead of their privacy.

In a contrast, Taiwan is included in the evaluation by Freedom House for the first time, ranking 5th out of 70 countries, and topping the rankings in the Asia-Pacific region.

Funk explained the reason for Taiwans high ranking is that the Taiwanese government does not censor the content on the Internet or block any website.
A cargo ship loaded with containers berthing at a port in Haikou in China's southern Hainan Province, on May 17, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Quest to Dominate Global Shipping Ports Poses Security Risks: Experts

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is continuing to expand its global footprint in shipping port investments. Despite the economic benefits involved in such investments, experts warn that the regimes interests in global ports could advance its military ambitions.

China has investments in about 100 ports in at least 60 countries. State-run port operators, shipping companies, and investors continue to assist the Chinese regime in expanding its control over ports around the world.

Ambitions

Larry Bailey, a retired U.S. Navy captain and member of non profit Citizens Commission on National Security, said the Chinese regime is constantly positioning itself to take advantage of financial, political, and military influence.

Shipping ports are becoming part of the CCPs plan to have their foot in the door wherever that door may be, Bailey told The Epoch Times.

Over 100 years ago, Captain Alfred Thayer Mahanan influential American writerrecognized the seaport as one of the keys to global power. James R. Holmes, the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College, considers the Chinese regime to be the most Mahanian power on the planet.

Chinese strategists understand both the crucial importance of seaborne commerce and the symbiosis between commerce and naval power, Holmes told The Epoch Times in an email.

Mahan described sea power as a chain with links of commerce, merchant and naval fleets, and bases, Holmes explained. These bases are comprised of naval stations on the military side and commercial harbors on the mercantile side.

Bailey noted that the Chinese regime, on the one hand, has every intention of putting a stranglehold on worldwide trade. But on the other hand, the vast acquisition of Chinese shipping ports is clearly fueled by more than economic factors, he added.

Port facilities can be used to dock both commercial and military vessels, and this makes Bailey particularly concerned about the Chinese regimes expanding maritime prowess.

Maritime Prowess Yields Military Advantage

Maritime prowess offers a few benefits, according to Bailey. One is diplomatic influence and economic power, and the second he called brute force power. While both are important, its the latter the retired naval officer finds most disconcerting.

Chinese military troops, according to Bailey, could easily and strategically be moved to nearly any location in the world. This worldwide access is a quite uncomfortable situation, especially when it involves a government seeking global domination, he said.

Beijings acquisition of commercial shipping ports could also be molded into military facilities. This is the basic blocking and tackling of becoming a great seafaring nation, said Holmes.

According to Bailey, the regimes growing investments in seaports around the world is a definite strategic objective. With conquest in mind, he said the CCP has a growing number of opportunities for the seaports to be used to assist a military objective of placing a stranglehold on a country.

Economic Coercion

While host nations may find that partnering with China brings about economic benefits, there could be heavy trade-offs, warned Holmes.

Permitting the PLA Navy to use the host nations ports could get them wrecked in wartime, he said, referring to the Peoples Liberation Army. This would be an obvious detraction from economic development and prosperity, he added.

Meanwhile, the Chinese regime may also leverage its trade relationships to put pressure on host countries.

The CCP can hold trading partners property hostage, [particularly when] they come to depend on China for economic development, Holmes said. For instance, it can force them to choose between development and doing things that displease Beijing, like working with the United States on security affairs, he said.

Bailey had a warning for countries doing business with the regime: No one truly knows what the CCP is thinking, so its whatever interest they have at the moment which determines where they would go and what they would do.

He urged countries to keep control of port and natural resources, because the Chinese regime clearly wants them both.

For Holmes, looking at the Chinese regimes actions is key.

For a country that prides itself on being anti-imperial, China behaves much like the imperial powers that victimized it during its century of humiliation, he said.

Host nations should take a hard look at its behavior in the China seas and Western Pacific before they surrender one iota of sovereignty over their seaports and natural resources.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping virtually addresses the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 21, 2021. (Spencer Platt/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Uses UN Platform to Level Criticism Against US

Republican lawmakers criticize Biden for being soft on China in UN speech

Chinese leader Xi Jinping took several jabs at Washington on Sept. 21, in a prerecorded speech to the U.N.s 76th General Assembly.

President Joe Biden has been criticized by Republican lawmakers for failing to use his speech at the U.N. headquarters in New York to hold China accountable on a number of issues.

Recent developments in the global situation show once again that military intervention from the outside and so-called democratic transformation entail nothing but harm, Xi said without naming any country, although the remark is an apparent reference to the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.

The Chinese regime has been using the chaotic U.S. withdrawal to carry out a propaganda campaign, painting the United States as an unreliable ally and questioning U.S. democracy. Most recently, Chinas state-run media Global Times stated in a Sept. 18 editorial that the U.S. and the West ran away leaving a mess in Afghanistan.

In another veiled criticism without naming any country, Xi stated that the world needed to reject the practice of forming small circles or zero-sum games.

Just days earlier, Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian used the same language during a daily press briefing. He accused Australia, the United States, and the UK of having an outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality with their new security alliance.

Under the security pact, the United States and the UK will share submarine technology with Australia, allowing the latter to field a fleet of at least eight nuclear-powered submarines by 2040.

Xi repeatedly called for cooperation and multilateralism in his speech, including a better coordinated global COVID-19 response among countries.

However, the international community has questioned Chinas willingness to cooperate with the global fight against COVID-19, a disease caused by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, as the regime decided to silence whistleblower doctors at the onset of the outbreak.

Beijing was criticized for failing to cooperate with a World Health Organization-led investigation team conducting groundwork in Wuhan, China, earlier this year. A U.S. intelligence report released in August states that it couldnt come to a conclusive assessment about the origins of the virus, given Chinas refusal to cooperate.

Xi also proclaimed that China has never and will never invade or bully others or seek hegemony. The statement, however, wouldnt likely sit well with Chinas critics, considering the regimes aggressive behavior in the South China Sea and coercion tactics against Taiwan.

The Chinese leader made an environmental pledge during his speech, stating that Beijing will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad. However, he didnt make any comment on domestic coal plants. China is the worlds largest producer and consumer of coal.

Theresa Fallon, director of the Center for Russia Europe Asia Studies in Brussels, took to Twitter to say that Xi shouldnt be given applause over the pledge, considering how many [coal plants] they [China] have built before, pointing to data from the Global Coal Public Finance Tracker.

Xis speech is good as a reference, but the focus should be on Chinas actions rather than words, said Su Tzu-yun, an analyst at the Institute for National Defense Security Research in Taiwan.

The Chinese Communist Partys negotiation history has not been too glorious, Su told The Epoch Times, noting that the Party had broken its promises of political freedom for Tibet and Hong Kong. They negotiate when the situation is favorable, but resort to military aggression and bullying when its not.

President Joe Biden addresses the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 21, 2021. (Eduardo Munoz-Pool/Getty Images)

Biden

Biden, in his first address at the U.N General Assembly since taking office, declared that the United States is back at the table in international forums. He also called for nations to work together like never before on global issues, including climate change and the spread of the CCP virus.

We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs, Biden said without naming any country.

The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges.

Bidens comment came after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised concerns about a potential cold war between China and the United States, in a Sept. 18 interview with The Associated Press.

Some observed that Biden didnt say the word China in his speech. When asked why during a daily press briefing on Sept. 21, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said not mentioning China directly was indicative of his [Bidens] objective of laying out our proactive agenda of the big issues that we can work together on, including with China.

Some Republican lawmakers were critical of Bidens approach toward China.

He should clearly state the threat China poses to the worldnot pretend it doesnt exist, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote on Twitter about Bidens omission.

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) criticized Biden for resorting to press release foreign policy in his speech, according to a statement.

Where was President Bidens call to hold Communist China accountable for malign behavior[s], including the Chinese militarys growing threat against Taiwan and others, Beijings massive intellectual property theft, and Chinas lack of transparency on COVID-19s origins? Hagerty said.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called on Biden to end his weak appeasement of Xi, according to a statement released from his office after the presidents speech.

As the worlds greatest beacon of freedom and democracy, the U.S. must do everything we can, in conjunction with our allies, to curb Communist Chinas reach, counter their policies, and make the guilty pay for the ongoing human rights abuses, attacks on democracy, and genocide against the Uyghurs, Scott said.

President Bidens refusal to take this approach is nothing short of a dereliction of his duty and inexcusable display of weakness.

Beijing has locked up more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in internment camps in Chinas far-western Xinjiang region.

Eva Fu and Luo Ya contributed to this report.
Construction workers work on a building in Melbourne on May 28, 2021, as the city's residents returned to a seven day lockdown to curb the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. (William West/ Getty Images)

Construction to Resume in Sydney and New South Wales Regardless of Vaccination Status

The New South Wales (NSW) construction industry will return to full capacity from next Monday, Sept. 27, as vaccination rates climb.

All construction sites will open at a total capacity of one person per four square metres, regardless of workers vaccination status.

However, workers from the 12 local government areas (LGA) of concern will still be subjected to more stringent rules. Vaccination requirements remain, and they must continue to register to work outside of their LGA.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian thanked the construction sector for their work in implementing COVID-19 safety procedures after being dealt a massive blow from the two-week shutdown.

Were now at a much more comfortable place acknowledging that many workplaces have done enormous amounts of work to keep their workers safe and the worksites safe, Berejiklian told the press. Obviously, [there is also] very little public-facing interaction, and for those reasons, the government took that decision.

A tram construction site is closed in the central business district of Parramatta in Sydney, Australia, on July 31, 2021. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

The Property Council of Australia (PCA) welcomed the decision, saying it provided a huge boost for the property and construction industries.

Returning construction sites to full capacitywith appropriate safeguards in placewill provide a shot in the arm for our states recovery as the COVID pandemic continues to impact swathes of the economy, PCA NSW Executive Director Luke Achterstraat said in a statement.

Achterstraat said the decision provides employment security across the state since one in four people draw their wages directly from this industry.

This announcement is a huge endorsement of our safety priority and ability to innovate in challenging times, he said. Now we can focus on the course for an economic roadmap forward, with the potential for a housing-led recovery.

The Australian Constructors Association (ACA) said construction was now the exemplar industry in NSW for comprehensive COVID-19 protocols and safety management plans.

Our approach to vaccinating the construction industry has been to encourage and facilitate, ACA CEO Jon Davies said.

Protesters walk down Swanston Street in the Melbourne CBD, Australia, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

This decision comes in contrast to the Victorian construction industry, which is undergoing a two-week ban. The ban came after tradespeople took to the streets of Melbourne to protest the closure of tea rooms and the mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for their industry.

The protest began on Sept. 20 when hundreds of construction workers called on an industry union head to stand down over the vaccine mandates.

The protests are still ongoing, with protestors marching up to 30 km (18.6 miles) around the city of Melbourne on Sept. 21.

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, Victorian police have ramped up their presence with the riot squad as hundreds of trade workers marched throughout the city again.
A medical volunteer prepares the Moderna coronavirus vaccination for a patient at Lestonnac Free Clinic in Orange, Calif., on March 9, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

COVID-19 Hospitalizations Fall Below 1,000 in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELESCOVID-19 hospitalizations in Los Angeles County fell below the 1,000 mark Wednesday for the first time since late July, continuing a steady decline from a summer peak of nearly 1,800 in mid-August.

According to state figures, there were 991 COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals as of Wednesday, a drop from 1,018 on Tuesday.

There were 305 patients in intensive care, down from 312 a day ago.

The number of COVID-positive hospital patients in Los Angeles County has dropped for nine consecutive days and 22 of the past 23 days.

The county reported on Tuesday another 32 COVID-19 deaths. Those deaths lifted the countys overall pandemic death toll to 25,870.

The county Department of Public Health also reported another 1,238 infections on Tuesday, for a cumulative pandemic total of 1,446,348.

The rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus in the county was 1.4 percent as of Tuesday, roughly the same as the 1.2 percent rate on Monday.

The county noted that a new state rule took effect Monday, requiring all attendees at indoor events of 1,000 people or more to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID. Attendees will have to show proofwith self-attestation no longer an option.

The surge in cases we experienced this summer was driven in part by the more infectious Delta variant and by the universal intermingling of unmasked individuals where vaccination and testing status were unknown, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement.

Safety measures at places where large crowds gather with many opportunities for intermingling such as universal masking and negative test or vaccination status verification requirements are sensible measures that lower the risk for transmission of the virus at higher risk settings. Our hope is that with full implementation of these mandates, we create conditions that dont favor a continual cycle of surges fueled by new variants of concern.

In hopes of boosting vaccination rates, the county will begin enforcing vaccine requirements next month at large event venues and in high-risk settings such as indoor bars, breweries, nightclubs, wineries, and distilleries.

A new county Health Officer Order issued Friday will require proof of vaccination for all customers and employees at indoor bars, breweries, nightclubs, wineries, and distilleries. All patrons and employees will need at least one dose of vaccine by Oct. 7, and a second dose by Nov. 4. The order will recommend, but not require, vaccinations for people at indoor restaurants.

The new order will also require all attendees and employees at outdoor mega-events with 10,000 people or more to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours. That requirement, which will take effect on Oct. 7, will affect all major outdoor sporting events, and will also impact large theme parks, such as Universal Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain.

According to numbers released Friday, 76 percent of eligible county residents aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine, and 67 percent are fully vaccinated. Of the countys overall 10.3 million populace, including those 12 and under who are ineligible for shots, 65 percent have received at least one dose, and 58 percent are fully vaccinated.
Screenshot from webinar where Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad (Top/Left) taught educators Florida educators how to slip CRT into classrooms, regardless of subject matter during webinar sponsored by Florida Atlantic University on Sept. 20, 2021. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

Despite Bans on CRT, Educators Are Teaching Other Educators How to Back-Door It Into the Classroom

'Theyre very good wordsmiths'

Despite the passage of laws in some states banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) from being taught in schools, some educators are teaching other educators how to back-door it into the classrooms.

A teacher in Iowa posted a video teaching other educators how to circumvent the ban on teaching Critical Race Theory in her state.

In Florida, a Duval County teacher was removed from her position because she refused to remove a banner in support of Black Lives Matter from outside the door to her classroom.

The Zinn Education Project has collected the names of nearly 7,500 educators who vow to keep pushing CRT into classrooms despite the passage of laws banning CRT in a growing number of states.

While the head of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Randi Weingarten, denied that critical race theory was even taught in elementary schools or high schools, she vowed to fight back against culture warriors who are bullying teachers.

Not only did the National Education Association adopt a resolution to prioritize their effort to implement CRT in K-12 and higher education, it vowed to use all resources at their disposalincluding friendly mediato go after those who are attacking educators doing anti-racist work.

In June 2020, the Florida Board of Education unanimously passed a rule banning CRT from being taught in the schools.

But on Sept. 20, Florida Atlantic University sponsored a webinar where Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammadan associate professor of language and literacy at Georgia State Universitytaught educators in Miami Dade, Broward, Martin, and Palm Beach County how to creatively slip the divisive subject matter through the back door of any classroom, regardless of subject matter.

This was not the first time Muhammad made a conscious effort to promote CRT in the classroom. During a 2020 interview, Muhammad discussed her plans for revising the entire education system in five steps.

First, Muhammad believes educators need to get a team together to write new learning standards that are embedded in identity, skill development, intellectualism, joy, and criticality.

Second, Muhammad said they need new standards for folks who are writing curriculum, suggesting they will no longer write a curriculum thats absent of identity and cultural-responsiveness.

Third, we need to change the way we think about standardized testing, she added. Skills-only does not measure success for a childs life.

Fourth, Muhammad wants schools to stop hiring folks who dont have a justice-centered mindset.

If they dont have this justice-centered mindset, stop hiring them as Secretary of Education, stop hiring them as school board members, as superintendents, as principals, as teachers, as staff. Period, Muhammad said.

The fifth part of the plan is teacher education, Muhammad concluded, suggesting diversity cannot be learned in one class but rather it needs to be threaded throughout the entire program.

This calls for hiring conscious professors who know how to research and teach within the realms of critical race theory and other theories like it, she said.

The Epoch Times reached out to Muhammad for comment.

Difficulties in Defining CRT

This is very similar to what has happened here in Loudoun, Patti Hidalgo Menderspresident of Loudoun County Republican Womens Club in Virginiatold The Epoch Times. Theyre implementing CRT under the guise of equity and diversity.

Menders explained how the new principal at Parkview High SchoolDr. Jason Jeffersonimmediately removed the heads of all departments and fired the bookkeeper because she wouldnt take the equity training.

Then he gave a speech about how he wanted to dismantle and disrupt the American public education system,' Menders said. So theyre making it very clear what their progressive ideas are.

Dr. Jefferson asked Park Views department chairs to re-apply for their positions, Wayde B. Byard, public information officer for Loudoun County Public Schools told The Epoch Times. This is a common practice used when administrations change so that the principal can interview the department chairs and get to know them. At Park View, all the department chairs reapplied and all were reappointed.

Byard also said there was no bookkeeper at Park View when Dr. Jefferson assumed his position on May 25. Thus, he fired no one.

Dr. Jefferson related to me that he did not make the following statement: dismantle and disrupt the American public education system,' Byard stated further. I would hope that anyone who would make such an accusation would be willing to stand behind it. Attributing such a quote anonymously would be cowardly.

Menders also shared how the Loudoun County school board spent hundreds of thousands of dollars hiring equity consultants.

One group is called The Equity Collaborative, Menders explained, and while the superintendent of Loudoun Public Schools claims they are not teaching CRT in schools, it talks about CRT training right on their website.

The LCPS Ad Hoc Committee on Equity created an Equity Resolution that was adopted by the Loudoun County School Board on September 24, 2019, the website explains.

As a part of the on-going equity work in the school division, on June 8, 2021, the newly appointed superintendent, Dr. Scott Ziegler, recommended that the Equity Resolution be reaffirmed by the current School Board. By consensus, the board recommended that this resolution [pdf] should be publicly available.

In recent days, media reports and social media posts have sought to distort the equity work by Loudoun County Public Schools, LCPS Superintendent Dr. Scott Ziegler states on the LCPS website. Misconceptions and misinformation persist. I want to take a moment to clarify LCPS efforts to ensure every student, employee and member of the community is treated in an equitable, respectful manner.

In explaining LCPS equity priorities, it might be helpful to state what they are not, Ziegler explains. They are not an effort to indoctrinate students and staff into a particular philosophy or theory. What they are is an effort to provide a welcoming, inclusive, affirming environment for all students.

However, the Equity Collaborative website clearly states that their goal is to help organizations develop their own capacity to create educational equity and social justice by addressing bias and oppression.

That means creating an environment that is capable of holding staff members in a place where they are uncomfortable enough to change, but not so uncomfortable as to disengage or revolt, the Equity Collaborative explains.

The Epoch Times reached out to LCPS for clarification regarding what some, like Menders, see as a contradiction in claims.

Loudoun County Public Schools has saidrepeatedlyand I will repeat now, Byard told The Epoch Times regarding this separate matter. Critical Race Theory is not part of our curriculum.

Theyre very good wordsmiths, Menders said. Theyre re-branding CRT and calling it equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Autry Pruitt, CEO of New Journey PAC, agrees.

CRT By Any Other Name

All they do is take the various aspects of CRT propaganda and change the language, change the name, Pruitt told The Epoch Times, explaining how textbooks used to mention Critical Race Theory, or Race Theory by name.

Now when you open those same textbooks, youll read things such as diversity and inclusion or equity theory, which is the same baseline as CRT, he explained. Thats one way they back-door it.

Asked how people can oppose critical race theory and other theories like it being taught in schools, Pruitt said parents can provide the first line of defense themselves.

School Boards

The best avenue is to take over the school boards to monitor and fire teachers who are determined to push CRT, he said bluntly. They also have to be represented in the education department at the state level. Its not enough to take over the school board and have a blue governor. Even if you have a red governor, like in Florida. Youll still get resistance in the education department.

What needs to happen is almost like the spoil system, Pruitt went further, where parents take over school boards and conservative governors are elected, and then the governor basically wipes out the entire state-level education bureaucracy and puts in new people. Thats the only real way to solve it.

Publishers

While Pruitt anticipates the pushback from parents at school board meetings will continue to increase, as will the number of parents who send their kids to different schools or resort to a home school program, pro-CRT publishers are going to keep pushing the agenda they want through the textbooks they provide to their supporters throughout the school system.

Under a different name with new adjectives and nouns, CRT is concealed, shrouded, veiled, or disguised in the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) ELA curriculum, Pruitt noted. With the use of subliminal messages, teachers are guided to teach Social Emotional Learning (SEL), equity, diversity, inclusion, etc. Feelings are more important than facts.

As The Epoch Times reported on June 8, HMH declared on its own website a commitment to Black Lives Matter (BLM) and social justice.

We believe the education system needs to change, the website states, and we will continue to use our platform to make that change.

Members of the Collier County School Board (CCSB) were made aware of this during a June 7 meeting by CCSB Vice-Chair Jen Mitchell, who said she learned of the commitment through an email she received from a concerned citizen. Mitchell further revealed that one of BLMs greatest advocates in the education fieldDr. Tyrone Howardhad been given a platform to promote the principles of CRT and BLM through the HMH blog site.

It will be a wait-out, like everything else with the left, Pruitt explained. In other words, they dont have to win. The left has a hold of the publishing world, and they are teaching it in higher education. So it doesnt matter what the textbooks say in K-12.

Textbooks

Pruitt strongly suggests parents actually open and read the textbooks and highlight passages and send it out to people to show other parents what their children are being taught. According to Pruitt, most parents dont understand the language of diversity and inclusion. He posited that, when people were first waking up to CRT, it was because it was easy to find if one only bothered to look. They used words like white people and oppression, which most people found to be troublesome and problematic.

But when you use language like diversity and inclusion, Pruitt suggested, it doesnt come off as rough.

The people havent changed. The committees havent changed. The publishers havent changed, Pruitt said. Its the language theyre changing.

By the time these children graduate, they will not be able to read but they will be great activists who hate their families, God, and America, Pruitt predicted. What a horrible thing to do to a child.

Pruitt said we all breathed a sigh of relief when the Florida Board of Education banned the teaching of CRT in Florida, embracing a traditional American education.

Wonderful we thought, Florida students will be getting a great education. The entire nation said we must use Florida as an example, he recalled. How wrong we were. We must remember that Communists NEVER stop.

It is the opinion of Pruitt that the curriculum department of the Florida Department of Education is either incompetent and never reviewed the texts and curricula that they approved or theyre undermining Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Corcoran.

In either case, he admonished. they should be fired.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before a Senate panel in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on Sept. 21, 2021. (Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images)

DHS Touts Counter-Domestic Extremism Plan; Rights Groups Cite Threats to Civil Liberties

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is touting a raft of new programs aimed to combat domestic extremismmany of which are raising red flags among interest groups across the political spectrum.

The new DHS plans follow a March intelligence community report that deems white supremacy and violent domestic extremism as the most dangerous terror threat to the homeland. Mayorkas made similar statements at a Sept. 21 Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on counterterrorism.

Today, U.S.-based lone actors and small groups, including homegrown violent extremists and domestic violent extremistswho are inspired by a broad range of ideological motivationspose the most significant and persistent terrorism-related threat to our country, he said.

These broad range of ideological motivations include racial bias, perceived government overreach, conspiracy theories promoting violence, and false narratives about unsubstantiated fraud in the 2020 presidential election,

He didnt elaborate on what he meant by perceived government overreach or conspiracy theories promoting violence. He did, however, assure lawmakers that his department is working hard to combat these perceived threats.

One of the major programs touted by Mayorkas is the newly branded DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), formerly known as the Office for Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention. In conjunction with that, the DHS is in the midst of a $77 million grant program aimed to provide state and local institutions with tools to counter extremism.

The DHS first announced CP3 in May along with a new dedicated domestic terrorism branch within the Departments Office of Intelligence & Analysis (I&A). Mayorkas told the Homeland Security panel that CP3 is helping expand the departments ability to prevent terrorism and targeted violence through the development of local prevention frameworks.

Through CP3, we are leveraging community-based partnerships and evidence-based tools to address early-risk factors and ensure individuals receive help before they radicalize to violence, he said.

However, Mayorkas didnt offer details about other elements of CP3elements that various interest groups say pose a threat to liberty.

Among the details that werent discussed are what CP3 says on its own sitethat it leverages behavioral threat assessment and management tools, and addresses early-risk factors that can lead to radicalization to violence.

According to human rights activist Ed Hasbrouck, consultant to the nonprofit Identity Project, this mission amounts to a pre-crime program.

CP3s attempts to predict future crimes are to be based on behavioral patterns i.e., profilingand on encouraging members of the public to inform on their families, friends, and classmates, Hasbrouck wrote when CP3 was first announced.

The problem, of course, is that the law does not permit prosecution based solely on patterns of lawful behavior, he wrote. With good reason: precrime prediction is a figment of the imagination of the creators of a dystopian fantasy movie, Minority Report.

The Brennan Center for Justice has expressed similar concerns. Far from a conservative group, the Brennan Center agrees with the DHS and FBI that domestic extremism is a rising threat.

Over the past five years, from Charlottesville to Pittsburgh to El Paso, attacks by people who reject our multiracial democracy have shaken our country to its core and sparked conversation about how best to address far-right violence, the group stated in a June report.

The Trump administration, which stoked the flames of white supremacy, ended with the ransacking of the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying Joe Bidens Electoral College victory.

But the Brennan Center said CP3 and the Biden administrations overall approach to countering domestic extremismenhanced surveillance, profiling, and the likeare the same draconian tactics government used against Muslims post-9/11.

At a time when jurisdictions around the country are considering how to reduce law enforcement involvement in mental health and social issues, CP3 prevention activities take the opposite approach. They create structures to bring a broad range of concerns about mental health and socioeconomic conditions to the attention of law enforcement as indicators of criminality without normal safeguards, the Brennan Center stated in its June 69-page report on the issue.

Not only are the DHS-Biden plans a threat to civil liberties; theyre also proven to be ineffective, the Brennan Center said.

The Brennan Center report paid particular focus to DHS fusion centerslaw enforcement compounds scattered throughout the United States that seek to integrate federal, state, and local intelligence. The goal of fusion centers is to create partnerships between varying agencies and the private sector to share intelligence on threats to public safety so law enforcement has the whole picture and can connect the dots.

Citing congressional reports from 2012, the Brennan Center stated that these fusion centers have proven to be ineffective. Those reports found that the DHS spent $289 million to $1.4 billion in public funds to support state and local fusion centers since 2003, with little results to show.

Instead of looking for terrorist threats, fusion centers were monitoring lawful political and religious activity. That year, the Virginia Fusion Center described a Muslim get-out-the-vote campaign as subversive, the Brennan Center stated in its June report. In 2009, the North Central Texas Fusion Center identified lobbying by Muslim groups as a possible threat.

Seemingly little has improved since then.

Earlier in September, NBC News revealed an investigation into fusion centers. The report starts with an anecdote of Mike Sena, the president of the National Fusion Center Association, bragging that the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) helped stop a mall shooting attack in Santa Clara.

NBC News found that Sena was apparently stretching the extent to which his fusion center helped.

We dont have any information showing that NCRIC was involved, said Steven Aponte, a San Jose Police Department spokesperson.

The Brennan Center stated in its June report that the Biden administration is inappropriately involving law enforcement in social problems and should focus on community investment, not criminalization.

Communities around the United States should not need to sign up for a counterterrorism program to get resources for their schools, universities, places of worship, or social institutions, the Brennan Center stated.

Government commitments should directly address these as social problems rather than treat those experiencing them as potential violent criminals, and should wall off programs addressing social ills from law enforcement across levels of government.
Disneyland Honors Fallen Marine from Afghanistan Attack

Disneyland recently paid tribute to one of the 13 fallen U.S. servicemen who died in the Aug. 26 Afghanistan attack.

That marine was Hunter Lopez, 22 from the City of Indio, California, and according to his mother, he was a huge fan of Disney, especially Star Wars.

Hed dress up as a Jedi for Halloween, he knew all the movies, all the lineseven the background characters, Alicia Lopez told Disney Parks Blog.

Prior to Hunter being deployed, he told his parents that when he passed away, he wanted to be buried with the lightsaber he had custom built at Disneyland back in Nov. 2019. Less than two years later after his death, Alicia said she simply could not part with the lightsaber he had built, so his family recently drove from their home in Indio and went to Disneyland in order to build an exact replica of model, which would be buried with him instead.

As we walked into Disneyland, the marching band was coming out onto Main Street [U.S.A.] and started to play a Star Wars song, Mrs. Lopez told Disney Parks Blog. We dont know if it was Disney magic or whether it was Hunter, but either way it felt good knowing he was there with us.

Disneyland California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, Calif., on June 18, 2018.

Additionally, after a friend found out about the family wanting to rebuild the replica, they helped arrange with Disney for the family to build it privately together at Savis Workshop in Star Wars: Galaxys Edge, which was a special moment for all of them.

After building the replica, the family headed over to the Club 33 restaurant, where they were presented with a folded-up American flag that was flying over Disneyland, a traditional honor for fallen soldiers.

We took the American flag that was flying over Disneyland and quickly had it framed and created a plaque, so we could present it to the family, Dan Hughes, Vice President of security at Disneyland said.

I said, Your sons sacrifice means the world to our country and also to us at Disneyland, and its our honor to give you this token of our appreciation, Dan recounted. Mrs. Lopez broke down in tears and said, My son loved Disneyland, and the whole room got choked up.

There were also 13 glasses of champagne on the service counter during their visit in order to commemorate the servicemen lost in the Kabul attack.

Flags are set on display at the 2020 Orange Field of Valor, in Handy Park in Orange, Calif., on Nov. 9, 2020. The flags will be on display from Saturday, November 7th and go through Saturday, November 14th, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

After being presented with the plaque, Alicia told the room how her family had been annual pass holders for years, with Hunter loving to visit the resort since he was a young toddler, and how Winnie the Pooh was one of his other favorites when he was young. Alicia recounted how she still refers to him as Hunter Pooh to this day.

Hunters service must have been an inspiration to his younger siblings, as his brother Owen has just enlisted into the army a few hours before the family received a knock on the door from officers informing them about Hunters casualty.

Hunter planned to follow in his parents footsteps and work in law enforcement in the Riverside County Sheriffs Department after he finished fighting for the country.

Disneyland is all about celebration and happiness, so its not often that we see or hear this in our work, said Club 33 General Manager Luke Stedman. But in this divisive world, when we can all come together and support something so meaningful, its a reminder of how much pride our cast can take in what this place means to people.
U.S. Attorney John Durham speaks to reporters on the steps of U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn., on April 25, 2006. (Bob Child/AP Photo)

Durham Indictment Pulls Back the Curtain on TrumpRussia Collusion Hoax

Commentary

In my most recent column here at The Epoch Times, I wrote about all the leaking that was suddenly springing up surrounding special counsel John Durhams Spygate investigation.

It was revealed in April this year that Durham had seated a grand jury, which recently began issuing a flurry of search warrants and subpoenas. This sudden burst of activity led to a story in The New York Times about documents that the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, was forced to hand over to Durhams team.

The documents are rumored to center around Igor Danchenko, a former low-level staffer and researcher at Brookings whom former British spy Christopher Steele had identified to the FBI as the primary source of the TrumpRussia collusion allegations found in his fake dossier.

Things got quiet again for the next four months, when suddenly within a span of two weeks, three different stories appeared, all focused on Durham and his investigationwith each new story seeking to cast Durham and his work in a negative light.

Each of the articlesbased on leakscontained claims by people familiar with the matter that Durham is out of control, retreading old ground already covered by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, and casting the longtime and well-respected prosecutor as a Trump partisan engaged inof all thingsa witch hunt.

You could see from the sudden cycle of leaks that something was coming.

Then, just over a week ago, leaks sprang up again all over the news media that Durham was about to issue his first indictment since being appointed as a special counsel by former Attorney General William Barr last October.

According to anonymous sources in multiple reports, the target of this indictment was going to be Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussmann. Anyone who has followed the long and winding turns of the massive Spygate scandal for the past five years will be familiar with Sussmanns name, and how he was intimately involved in creating and then propagating the false Trump Tower/Alfa Bank hoax in mid-2016, as he allegedly made approaches with fake evidence to both the news media and to federal agencies.

Those who carefully read Durhams indictment of Sussmann can see exactly what hes documenting with ithow the Clinton campaign allegedly tried to cleverly use attorney-client privilege to hide that the campaign was both funding and directing political operatives at Perkins Coie and Fusion GPS to create fake TrumpRussia scandals and then promoting these fake scandals to the news media and to federal law enforcement.

The Clinton campaign and the private operatives in their employ should have settled for simply selling the usual fake smears and hit jobs in the news media. Instead, they appear to have gotten ambitious and decided to engage in what could be a criminal conspiracy.

They werent content with selling their fake TrumpRussia scandals to just the news media; what Durham appears to be documenting in the Sussman indictment is how top officials inside the Clinton campaign, Perkins Coie, and Fusion GPS conspired to approach federal officials with fake evidence that proved that Trumps presidential campaign needed to be investigated for Russian collusion.

This conspiracy had the goal of getting federal agencies to take the Alfa Bank white papers and the Steele dossier so theyd be able to begin leaking in the press that this Alfa Bank/Steele dossier scandal must be real since the FBI is investigating it.

It worked. Probably beyond their wildest dreams. But thats the problem the conspirators face now that Durhams been on their trail meticulously collecting the documentary evidence for several years.

They left a paper trail behind them a mile wide and several feet deep. In this new indictment, Durham frequently cites detailed notes about their alleged activities, as well as how much they billed the Clinton campaign for everything they were allegedly doing in creating and promoting this hoax.

As a result, the FBI ended up going on a wild goose chase on the Alfa Bank hoax.

Sussmann was indicted for that particular escapade, which resulted in nothing more serious than some FBI agents wasting their time for a few weeks until closing the probe down.

But these same conspirators were behind another similar hoaxthe fake Steele dossier. I believe that their ability to get the FBI to take that fake evidence is proving to be their undoing.

Thats because the fake evidence from Steeles dossier ended up in a FISA surveillance warrant on a U.S. citizen named Carter Page.

That warrant was granted by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) and was renewed three times. The warrant was in force from Oct. 26, 2016, all the way to Sept. 22, 2017.

What people need to remember is that Page was far from the only person who was spied on and whose civil rights were grossly violated as a result.

How many people ended being spied on and having their rights violated based on the fraudulent warrant and its renewals from October 2016 to September 2017?

Ive been researching Spygate for several years now, and I cant tell you the answer to that question. But at this point, there very likely is someone who could give you a ballpark figure. But hes busy. And hes not ready to start talking yet.

His name is John Durham.

Just as the fake spy warrant on Page opened a door to one of the most massive civil rights abuses ever, Durham has now opened his own door.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
People gather to demand repayment of loans and financial products as security personnel guard outside Evergrande's headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, on Sept. 15, 2021. (David Kirton/Reuters)

Evergrande Employees Fall Prey to the Companys Deeply Troubled Investment Products

Shortly after a black swan mysteriously appeared in the center of Beijings Tiananmen Square on Sept. 5, China encountered a huge black swan event: property giant Evergrande warned that it could default on its $305 billion of debts.

Since Sept. 10, dozens of protestors have been gathering outside Evergrandes headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, to demand their money back. Protests have also erupted at Evergrandes offices in other provinces, including Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi. The majority of these protestors are investors who have put their money into Evergrandes various wealth management products.

As the second-largest real estate developer in China, Evergrande has over 1,300 projects in more than 280 cities across China, and is therefore considered too big to fall.

Employees Performance Rating Tied to Investment

A woman surnamed Cui, who was among the protesters in Shenzhen, told The Epoch Times that angry investors crowded the lobby of Evergrandes Shenzhen building on Sept. 12, and argued with Du Liang, identified by staff as general manager and legal representative of Evergrandes wealth management division. The protestors stayed inside the building day and night, blocking Du from leaving. However, on the second day, an ambulance came in the morning to escort him away.

Buyers of the troubled wealth management products are mostly Evergrandes own employees and property owners, according to Chinese news portal Sohu.

A woman surnamed Zhang, whose husband is one of the employees and investors told The Epoch Times on Sept. 10 that these wealth management products involve huge sums of money and a large number of investors.

All investors we personally know of have put at least 600,000 yuan (approx. $93,000 ) into these wealth management products. Its just as scary as that! Zhang said.

She estimated that among the Evergrande investors, there were 80,000 to 100,000 who are company employees, together with their friends and relatives whom they brought along.

Zhang further revealed that starting from the beginning of this year, all branches of Evergrande demanded its employees purchase investment products from Evergrande Wealth Management, with a minimum of 100,000 yuan (approx. $16,000), and everyone was encouraged to refer additional investors. Evergrande promised that it would guarantee the safety of these investment products.

Those employees who refused to invest would have a low-performance rating.

In the end, almost all employees purchased these products, bringing along their family members. Evergrandes salespersons also persuaded their previous clients (property buyers) to invest. I know of a few individuals who even invested more than 1 million yuan ($154,650), Zhang said.

Mr. Li is one of Evergrandes property owners who became an investor as a result of this referral campaign. He told The Epoch Times that the property managers (Evergrande employees) advocated Evergrande Wealth Managements products to residents last year. Li initially wanted to invest 300,000 yuan, but was told that the one-million-yuan investment had the highest yield. He then pooled money from his parents and his wifes savings, to purchase the one-million-yuan investment product, which was to mature in October this year. When Li learned that Evergrande would default on debts, he was so overwhelmed and stunned that he ran into a wall while driving. I dont dare to share the news with my family yet, Li said.

Evergrande Wealth is a division of Evergrande Group offering asset management products of the company.

On Sept. 18, Evergrande Group announced on its official website that six executives had redeemed some of the companys investment products in advance between May 1 and Sept. 7, and demanded them to return all the funds redeemed within a specific time frame. However, the announcement did not give any details about the specific time frame.

In particular, on the evening of Sept. 12, Du, the general manager and legal representative of Evergrande Wealth, personally admitted to angry victims that he did redeem products on May 31, ahead of the maturation date, due to a family emergency.

The Rise and Fall of Evergrande: Aggressive Leverage

How did Evergrande become the worlds most indebted real estate developer? Since its founding 24 years ago, the company has grown explosively by means of excess leverage.

Back in 1997, Chinas real estate sector was hit hard by the Asian financial crisis. Xu Jiayin, founder and chairman of Evergrande Group, spotted an opportunity in Guangzhou when a 110,000-square-meter land parcel in a less desirable area was listed for sale at a low price. Xu just started to step into the real estate industry, approached the seller, saying that he would pay full price on the condition of installment payment. After several negotiations, the seller finally agreed that Xu could make a down payment of 5 million yuan (approx. $625,000 at the time).

Still, Xu could not afford the 5-million-yuan down payment. He then persuaded a bank to lend him 6 million yuan by presenting the outlook of the development project. He used 5 million yuan for the land purchase and the remaining 1 million for the land development.

His team built small-sized units and adopted the model of quick construction and quick sales, which turned out to be extremely successful. In the first phase of development, total sales reached 80 million yuan (approx. $10 million at the time).

Evergrande has since adopted a rapid expansion strategy, and become a bellwether for Chinas highly leveraged property sector, as well as the most indebted developer in the world.

In September last year, in order to curb excess leverage in the real estate sector, Chinese regulators introduced the so-called three red lines, a trio of debt metrics that developers have to meet if they want to borrow more. Evergrande failed all three lines, and banks decided not to renew loans to the company.

At present, the companys $300 billion in total liabilities equal two percent of Chinas 2020 GDP.
EXCLUSIVE: Larry Elder Reflects on the California Recall Election, with Former State Sen. John Moorlach

Only in America can a black person be president of the United States and be the face of white supremacy, says Larry Elder. Is this a great country, or what?

Last Friday, we flew down to Orange County, California, to do a live interview about the outcome of the recent recall election. We spoke with Larry Elder, the front runner who also hosts the Larry Elder Show for The Epoch Times, and former Republican state senator John Moorlach.

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Florida Judge Halts Citys COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

A judge in Florida on Wednesday blocked a citys COVID-19 mandate from taking effect.

Circuit Judge Monica Brasington, a Sen. Rick Scott appointee, granted a request for an emergency injunction. That means the mandate, which was slated to take effect on Oct. 1, is blocked for now.

The city did not put on any evidence, at all, at the injunction hearing, Brasington wrote in a 7-page ruling.

Without any evidence, the court is unable to consider whether the vaccine mandate serves a compelling interest through the least restrictive means, whether the vaccine mandate meets a strict scrutiny test, a rational basis test, or whether it meets any other standard, she added.

Gainesvilles City Commission on Aug. 5 decided all city employees needed to get vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19. A week later, City Manager Lee Feldman ordered employees to get at least one dose by Oct. 1 and be fully vaccinated by Oct. 14.

More than 200 Gainesville employees sued, noting that the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in stopping transmission of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus has stopped. They also said that the mandate did not make sense because many of them have natural immunity, or protection from having had COVID-19, and because area hospitals were not experiencing a shortage of beds.

In a recent hearing, the employees argued that the mandate violated their right to privacy under the Florida Constitution.

That means defendants have to show that the law furthers a compelling state interest in the least restrictive way, Judge Brasington said.

But the city submitted no evidence, called no witnesses, and did not file any affidavits or declarations, leading the judge to rule in favor of the plaintiffs.

The city had an opportunity to present evidence that would show that this Vaccine Mandate was the least restrictive means to meet a compelling government interest. The city did not do that and, in fact, did not present any evidence, at all. Therefore, the court is required to find that the city failed to meet its burden of proving that the vaccine mandate furthers a compelling state interest in the least restrictive way, she ruled.

The city is prohibited from enforcing the mandate and firing or disciplining any employee who fails to comply with it.

The court agreed that the city doesnt own its employees bodies, Jeff Childers, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told The Epoch Times.

Jon Cicio, one of the plaintiffs, said he was relieved.

It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can get back to focusing on serving the citizens the way they deserve, with no distraction, he told The Epoch Times.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican who filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs, also celebrated the ruling.

I was proud to stand with police and first responders to stop the city of Gainesville from firing them based on an unlawful government vaccine mandate. Today, the court agreed and protected their jobs. This is great news, she wrote on Twitter.

A lawyer for Gainesville declined to comment.

Jannis Falkenstern contributed to this report.
Screenshot of Sept. 20 webinar where Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad (bottom row) and professors from Florida Atlantic University teach Florida educators how to circumvent laws banning CRT in schools by layering in into the curriculum of any classroom. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

Florida University Sponsors Webinar Teaching Educators How to Disguise and Push CRT

DeSantis Spokesperson Says 'FLDOE is Looking Into This Matter'

Despite the ban on teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Floridas schools, a webinar was sponsored by Florida Atlantic University on Sept. 20 teaching educators in several Florida counties how to disguise and push CRT into any classroom, regardless of subject matter.

The link to the webinarsent in an email instructing educators not to share it with anyone from the publicwas obtained exclusively by The Epoch Times through an informant in the Florida school system.

In the email, the webinar was billed as a free professional learning opportunity.

Screenshot of instructions sent in an email Sept. 17 for a Sept. 20 webinar teaching Florida educators how to layer CRT into any classroom. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

To keep this webinar secure, read the instructions sent to those who registered, do not share this link publicly.

The speaker for the webinar was Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammadan associate professor of language and literacy at Georgia State University.

The four-member panel was comprised of FAU faculty:

Dilys Schoorman (professor and the Chair of the Department of Curriculum, Culture and Educational Inquiry)

David Bynes (from the Center for Inclusion, Diversity Education, and Advocacy)

Charles Dukes (professor in the Department of Exceptional Student Education)

Bianca Nightengale-Lee (assistant professor in the Curriculum, Culture and Educational Inquiry Department)

While it is unclear how many people logged in to view the webinar, Nightengale-Lee prefaced her introduction of Muhammad with a welcome to FAU administrators, faculty and staff, community and school partners from Miami Dade, Broward, Martin, and Palm Beach County.

According to Muhammad, Americas current education system is failing because it is limited to teaching skills like math, reading, and science. She therefore considers it her mission to integrate Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) into all curriculum through what she calls the Five Pursuits, which she also referred to as Black historical excellent models.

They are:

Identity Development: Helping youth to make sense of who they are and others

Helping youth to make sense of who they are and others Literacy Skill Development: Developing proficiencies across the content areas

Developing proficiencies across the content areas Intellectual Development: Gaining knowledge through literacy practices

Gaining knowledge through literacy practices Criticality: Developing the ability to read texts (including print and social contexts) to understand power, equity, and anti-oppression

Developing the ability to read texts (including print and social contexts) to understand power, equity, and anti-oppression Joy: Helping youth to see the joy in themselves and others

During the webinar, educators were taught how to integrate these Five Pursuits into their lessons and how to layer cultural, racial, and historical responsiveness into their learning goals, lesson plans, and the texts they use to teach.

Screenshot from a Sept. 20 webinar presentation teaching Florida educators how to slip CRT into classrooms. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

Muhammad also noted how she adds an H to CRE, expanding the concept to Culturally and Historically Responsiveness Education (CHRE).

This work can be heavy, Muhammad said of her goal to push CHRE into classrooms. You all know in Florida. It can be heavy. It can be overwhelming and frustrating to constantly justify the need for justice for our children.

One of the slides in her presentation posed race-based questions to educators, such as: Are students reading and learning BIPOC theories? and Are assignments pushing students to think about, understand and disrupt oppression?

According to its website, the BIPOC Project aims to build authentic and lasting solidarity among Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), in order to undo Native invisibility, anti-Blackness, dismantle white supremacy and advance racial justice.

Muhammad lamented how data showed that only 20 percent of black students in the fourth grade were proficient in reading. However, rather than accepting the opinion of teachers who say these students fail because they have low achievement scores and they hate to read and write, she suggested that 80 percent of the black students fail because the curriculum fails to bring joy by enabling them to see themselves in the curriculum.

Now I thought about all these folks making laws against anti CRT, and this and that, and I wondered why arent you making a law that we have failed 80 percent of someones child  if that testing data is accurate? She lamented. And when I say people are making bills and legislations that are anti-CRT, Im saying Critical Race Theory.

When did the goal of education be to pass a test and to graduate and get into college? Muhammad postulated. Those are great goals but theyre still limited and basic. The role of education is quite clear. Its to ascend to ones mind to different regions of the world. The goal of education is to ascend toward the goals of self-talks about determination, self-reliance, and self-empowerment. Its not just to pass a test thats so basic and minimum.

Education must be directly tied to justice and anti-racism, she insisted, suggesting that the reason why some people not want to tie education to racism is because they dont experience injustice or racism.

Some folks teach children and cannot say Black Lives Matter out loud, she complained, suggesting those educators need to ask yourself, who do you keep around you?

Do they hold you accountable for equity and anti-racism? she asked. What racist, sexist, discriminatory beliefs have been conditioned and taught to you? Your cartoons, media, songs, family. This is not just white folks work. Its all of our work. We have to do this work because all of the conditioning will show up. It all comes out in our teaching and our pedagogy.

I have rewritten the common Core standards so I know them intimately, Muhammad boasted. I was just tired of them. These were basic. Were not basic. We are excellent. Our students are excellent.

Muhammed wants to know why the education hierarchy is not evaluating teachers in their ability to teach identity joy, social-political consciousness rather than on just skills. She also wondered why it was okay for educators to teach students about Anne Frank but not about Breonna Taylor.

However, she did not address the stark, historical difference between the two.

Anne Frank was a 13-year-old Jewish girl, forced to go into hiding with her family for two years during the Nazis occupation of the Netherlands in 1942, only to be discovered and taken to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where she died in 1945.

Breonna Taylor was a medical worker shot and killed by Louisville police officers in March 2020 during a raid on her apartment, which was a target of a drug investigation into her former boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover because Glover had been receiving packages believed to contain drugs at Taylors home.

Why does Franks oppression matter more than Brianna Taylor? Muhammad asked. Both of these girls were just so lovely and they did not deserve the oppression that happened to them.

Layering CRT/CRE/CHRE/ Into All Classes

While the Florida Department of Education unanimously passed a rule banning the teaching of CRT in schools, Muhammad explained there are ways to incorporate CRT/CRE/CRHE principles into any classroom, regardless of subject matter.

Muhammad discussed how second-graders in Chicago were learning about the geometric concepts of shapes and told to go out with their families to look for geometric shapes in the places they love to visit as a family.

Screenshot from a Sept. 20 webinar presentation teaching Florida educators how to layer CRT/CRE tenets into curriculum. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

But when we give it a bit of a makeover, Muhammad explained how the focus could be shifted from geometric shapes toward discussions of how do I strengthen and sustain my community and what are the amenities of my community? What do I like best about where I live?

Rather than just learning how to write their names in kindergarten, Muhammad suggested teachers discuss different naming traditions across cultures and how some names are treated unfairly.

For math, Muhammad shared the description of a textbook for fifth-graders.

This book will help your elementary student develop math skills needed to succeed in the classroom and on the standardized test, she read aloud.

Teachers dont get a lot of math examples of CRE when students are learning how to find the percentage of a number, Muhammad said, and she shared the lesson plan developed by another teacher, which she said she wished she had created herself because it is so beautiful.

They were teaching students about revenue and finding a percentage but they connected it to the context of the gaming industry and video games, Muhammad said.

Then she explained how the teacher tied the history of video games and who is represented in the development of video games and the salary of video gamers and developers to the ethnicity, the gender of people in the gaming industry.

Muhammad also shared how she used a math class to have her students read a news article about Black Hikers Week.

Students watched videos about being outdoors, she said. They learned about black hikers in St Lois and people of color in outdoor spaces and how nature can elevate happiness.

Muhammad even suggested how CRT/CRE/CRHE could be incorporated into Physical Education classes.

When learning how to play Lacrosse, they are to be taught about the history of lacrosse and the accessibility of lacrosse in race and racism in sports, she explained.

Muhammad also shared how she turned a tenth-grade geometry class into a platform where she had students studying fabrics, her culture and the special clothing she wears because it brings her joy and how textiles sustained economies in African nations.

Muhammad even shared how she wants to create a new course where students will be taught how to code music lyrics and study them and where students will compare the social messages of Stevie Wonders music to their own lives.

Our students need to be reading from different theories, Muhammad insisted, saying all classes must be layered with cognitive theories, constructivism, Critical Race Theory, critical theory, feminism, and Romanism and educators must develop assignments pushing students to disrupt.

Skills only is not for black and brown children. I can tell you that right now because I have studied their histories, Muhammad said. Individualism and competition is not for black and brown children. You could even argue for all children.

Teachers need to get tenure based on their social advocacy and activism work, how they make communities better, Muhammad suggested.

The Epoch Times reached out to the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis, asking if he was aware of the webinar and if the effort is subverting state law banning CRT in schools.

All I can say at this time, Christina Pushaw, press secretary for the Executive Office of DeSantis told The Epoch Times Tuesday, is that FLDOE (Florida Department of Education) is looking into this matter.

The Epoch Times reached out to Nightengale-Lee for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Rodney Scott is seen in a file photograph. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Former Border Patrol Chief Says Border Security Rapidly Disintegrated Under Biden

Security at the United States southern border has fallen sharply since President Joe Biden took office, the former chief of the U.S. Border Patrol says.

Rodney Scott was part of the border enforcement agency for nearly 30 years before being ousted in June. In a new letter penned to top senators, Scott said he witnessed an unprecedent[ed] seismic shift in border security and immigration policy after Biden was sworn in on Jan. 20.

I believe this policy shift and the associated public statements created the current border crisis. Of greater concern, I also witnessed a lack of any meaningful effort to secure our borders, he added.

The United States made advances in border security following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks after finding out that some of the attackers illegally entered the country from Mexico. But Scott said this year, under Biden, that security has rapidly disintegrated.

Biden administration officials are ignoring common-sense recommendations and seem laser-focused on expediting the flow of migrants into the U.S. while downplaying the significant vulnerability this creates for terrorists, narcotics, smugglers, human traffickers, and even hostile nations to gain access to our homeland, Scott wrote.

He accused Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of providing factually incorrect information to Congress and letting illegal immigrants who, by law, should be expelled from the country remain here. He urged top senators, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), to request detailed information on the situation from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of their oversight responsibility.

Customs and Border Protection, which includes Border Patrol, declined to comment. DHS, which includes both, did not respond to a request for comment.

Then-President Donald Trump speaks with then-Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott (R) as they participates in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, on June 23, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The letter was written in mid-September and released this week by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

Its a devastating letter. It should be a bombshell, Johnson told The Epoch Times.

Johnson quoted from the letter in a congressional hearing on Tuesday that featured, among others, Mayorkas.

Of the over 1.3 million apprehensions at the southern border this year, Johnson asked, how many immigrants have been released into the United States?

Mayorkas said he did not have those numbers but promised to provide them later to the senator.

Biden and his administration have radically altered immigration enforcement from the previous administration, which had cut down on illegal immigration through tools like the Migrant Policy Protocols, a program that forced many asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their claims were heard. Mayorkas ended that program.

Mayorkas claimed that the administrations strategy is working, pointing to a slight drop in apprehensions in August from July. He and other officials have said it will take time for the overhaul to show results.

Johnson, though, alleged that whats currently happening is what Democrats want to happen.

Theyve got a plan. Its called completely open borders, and theyre executing that plan, and from their standpoint, he was working swimmingly well, he told The Epoch Times. Im hoping the rest of America realizes what an unmitigated disaster and the serious consequences [and] the homeland and national security impact of this.
Gabby Petito Story Boosted by Social Media, True-Crime Craze

MIAMIThe disappearance and death of Gabby Petito and the police hunt for her boyfriend have generated a whirlwind online, with a multitude of armchair detectives and others sharing tips, possible sightings, and theories by way of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Whether the frenzy of attention and internet sleuthing has helped the investigation is not clear, but it has illuminated the intersection between social media and the publics fascination with true-crime stories.

Months before her disappearance drew more than a half-billion views on TikTok, Petito, 22, and 23-year-old boyfriend Brian Laundrie set out on a cross-country road trip over the summer in a van.

They documented their adventure on video and invited social media users to follow along on the journey, sharing scenes of a seemingly happy couple cartwheeling on a beach, hiking on mountain trails, and camping in the Utah desert.

Gabrielle Petito, 22, poses for a photo with Brian Laundrie in this undated handout photo. (North Port/Florida Police/Handout via Reuters)

But they quarreled along the way, and Laundrie returned home alone to Florida in the van in September.

Over the weekend, a body believed to be Petitos was discovered at the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The FBI announced Tuesday that a coroner determined the body was Petitos and her death was a homicide, but officials didnt disclose details pending final autopsy results. Investigators are seeking Laundrie as a person of interest in the case, focusing on a swampy Florida preserve where he is believed to have gone with a backpack last week.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helicopter flies overhead during a search for Brian Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve, Venice, Fla., on Sept. 21, 2021. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo)

Social media users have been fascinated by the case and have been poring over the wealth of online videos and photos for clues.

A lot of it has to do with the cross-country journey they were documenting, going on social media on this grand adventure, said Joseph Scott Morgan, a Jacksonville State University professor of forensics and an authority on high-profile murder cases. And he added: They are young, they are attractive people.

Another source of fascination: a police bodycam video, released last week, showing the couple after they were pulled over in August in Moab, Utah, where the van was seen speeding and hitting a curb. They had gotten into a fight, and Petito was in tears, with Laundrie saying tension had been building between them because they had been traveling together for months.

In this screenshot from a police camera video, Gabrielle Gabby Petito talks to a police officer after police pulled over the van she was traveling in with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, near the entrance to Arches National Park, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2021. (The Moab Police Department via AP)

Theories and observations picked up steam on Reddit, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter.

Users have delved into Petitos Spotify music playlists, Laundries reading habits, and the couples digitally bookmarked trails. A TikTok user reported having picked up Laundrie hitchhiking.

And a couple who document their bus travels on YouTube said they went through some of their video footage from near Grand Teton and spotted what they said was the couples white van. They posted an image of it with a big red arrow pointing to it and the words, We found Gabby Petitos van. They said that was what led investigators to the area where the body was found.

The FBI has not specified what led to the discovery or said whether other tips from internet sleuths have helped.

Michael Alcazar, a retired New York City detective and professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said that Petitos Instagram account gave investigators places to start and that social media became a rich source of tips.

Instagram is kind of like the photo on the milk carton, except it reaches so many people quickly, he said.

Gabrielle Gabby Petito. (Courtesy of FBI Denver via AP)

On the other hand, some users have spread misinformation, reporting potential sightings of Petito and Laundrie that turned out to be wrong.

Hannah Matthews, a TikTok user from Salt Lake City, admitted becoming obsessed with the case, saying she identified with Petito and felt that could have been her. She has made 14 short videos detailing theories of what could have gone wrong and providing updates on the case. One of them suggests Petito did not write one of her Instagram posts. It has gotten nearly 2 million views.

It just seemed like an odd case from the beginning and after doing more research and (collaborating) with other people on social media, the case just kept growing and having twists and turns, she said.

As of Tuesday, the hashtag #gabbypetito had received more than 650 million views on TikTok. By way of comparison, #FreeBritney posts about pop star Britney Spears bid to end her conservatorship had gotten 1.9 billion views.

Theres a lot of different complicated reasons that people are drawn to it, and its not all sinister or malicious or creepy, said Kelli Boling, a professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who has studied audience reception to true-crime podcasts.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers ride past media stationed at the entrance of the Carlton Reserve during a search for Brian Laundrie, in Venice, Fla., on Sept. 21, 2021. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo)

Vehicles from members of the media and curious passersby line a road outside the entrance of the Carlton Reserve during a search for Brian Laundrie, in Venice, Fla., on Sept. 21, 2021. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo)

She said those fascinated by such cases are sometimes domestic-violence victims who find that such material can help them deal with their own experiences.

Some people are really drawn to it from a place of healing, or from a place of wanting to find justice for the young lady, Boling said.

The case also came at a time when interest in cross-country travel, especially in vans or recreational vehicles, is at a high, perhaps as a reaction to the isolation forced on people by the COVID-19 outbreak. The couples plans sounded like something out of a romantic movie gone terribly awry, said Alex Piquero, a criminologist at the University of Miami.

It has this whole air of intrigue, he said. People have a real fantasy about being able to solve crimes.
Germany Stops Paying Compensation to Unvaccinated People Forced to Quarantine

Germans who have not been vaccinated against the CCP virus will no longer be entitled to quarantine compensation payments and free COVID-19 tests starting in November, authorities announced on Wednesday.

Health Minister Jens Spahn said after meeting with the countrys 16 federal states on Sept. 22 that the policy will go into effect on Nov. 1 in the countrys latest effort to get more people to take the shot.

Critics of the policy have said such rules would be equivalent to a mandate for COVID-19 vaccinations because many employees cannot afford to stay at home without pay.

Spahn said that getting vaccinated will remain a personal decision in Germany as he responded to the criticism, German news outlet The Local reported. Although that decision will now also come with the responsibility to bear the financial consequences, he added.

Some people will say this means pressure for the unvaccinated. I think we have to look at it the other way aroundit is also a question of fairness, Spahn said. Those who protect themselves and others via a vaccination can rightly ask why we should have to pay somebody who ended up in quarantine after a holiday in a risk area.

In addition, COVID-19 tests, which are required to enter restaurants, theaters, among some other places, will no longer be free of charge starting on Oct. 11. Only those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will have access to free tests.

The rules will affect people who test positive for the virus and those returning from trips to countries designated high risk for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which now includes Britain, Turkey, and parts of France, among others.

Unvaccinated travelers from such countries are required to quarantine for at least five days. Those who have been vaccinated or have recently recovered are not required to do so.

Germany, which has one of the lowest recorded death rates per capita in Europe, has previously rejected compulsory vaccinations, saying such a law would undermine public trust, but authorities have been taking measures that make it increasingly inconvenient to be unvaccinated.

Earlier this month, health authorities rejected a suggestion that would give employers the right to find out whether their employees are vaccinated against the CCP virus, the reason for the rejection was due to such data being very personal.

Health information of employees is particularly sensitive, and the question of a vaccination against coronavirus is part of that, Christine Lambrecht, the minister of justice and consumer protection, told the Funke media group.

Germany has fully vaccinated 63.5 percent of its total population, official data shows. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) health agency previously said they are seeking 85 percent of those aged 12 to 59 to get vaccinated, as well as 90 percent of all those above the age of 60 in order to reach herd immunity.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Charlotte Charles, mother of Harry Dunn, holding a photograph of him aged 14, who has marked the anniversary of her son's death by saying his name is forever written into history and vowed to carry on his family's fight for justice, in an undated file photo. (Family Handout/PA)

Harry Dunns Mother Speaks of Enormous Relief After Damages Claim Resolution

The mother of Harry Dunn has spoken of her enormous relief at finding a resolution in a damages claim filed against her sons alleged killer.

Charlotte Charles told the PA news agency that balancing a criminal and a civil case had taken so much of our energy and resources, adding she was confident criminal proceedings would take place against Anne Sacoolas.

At the White House on Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said President Joe Biden had been personally trying to move things along in the case and added he was grateful for that.

The two leaders met on the day the parents of 19-year-old Harry Dunn, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, reached a resolution in their civil claim in the United States against Sacoolas for damages.

The 44-year-old suspect was charged with causing death by dangerous driving following a road crash outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in August 2019.

Harry Dunn in an undated file photo. (Family handout/PA)

Diplomatic immunity was asserted on Sacoolass behalf by the U.S. government and she was able to return to her home country 19 days after the collision.

An extradition request submitted by the Home Office was rejected by the U.S. State Department in January 2020.

Speaking to PA, Charles said: Its an enormous relief for my family and I to have reached a resolution in the civil case with the other side.

Its taken so much of our energy and resources and been stressful having to travel to the U.S. in the middle of the pandemic.

We can now focus on the criminal case and we are very confident that is going to happen now.

We really need to try to take small steps forward for our mental health. We have achieved so much but there is still so much more to do.

We have been so busy that I havent had a chance to reflect on all our achievements, and while we wait for the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] I really want to spend some time with my family just absorbing all the successes of the campaign and to try to be kind to ourselves.

We just miss Harry so much and our hearts are broken. We hope they will mend one day and we can begin to get back to some sort of normality but not until after the prosecution and the inquest into Harrys death.

We still have so many questions that need answering.

Biden weighed in after the resolution in the civil claim was reached.

Sitting next to Johnson in the Oval Office, the president told reporters: That case is being worked on. I was under the impression there had been a civil settlement reached, but I dont know that. Based on what Ive been told it was not an intentional act. But I will follow up on that.

It was someone whos new  driving down the wrong side of the road, quote unquote.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told reporters an agreement in the damages claim was absolutely not the end of the matter.

Speaking on the train to Washington where she will meet Biden, Truss was asked if the resolution of the civil case in the UK was the end of the road for the British effort for Sacoolass return.

Absolutely not. We continue to press for justice for Harry, she said.

The details of the agreement have not been disclosed, but family spokesman Radd Seiger said the resolution means Dunns parents can turn their focus to the pending criminal case.

Truss said she had raised the case of Dunn with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The damages claim, brought against Sacoolas and her husband Jonathan, unearthed a great deal of previously unheard material, such as the State Department roles held by the couple at the time of the crash.

Alexandria District Court in the United States state of Virginia heard the pairs work in intelligence was a factor in their departure from the UK, as they left for security reasons.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Sacoolas have been approached for comment.

By Josh Payne
A health worker prepares a dose of a vaccine in the Israeli town of Rishon Lezion, on Aug. 13, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)

Health Care Workers Sue Two Louisiana Hospitals Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Dozens of health care workers are suing two hospital networks in Louisiana over their COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employees, arguing that studies have shown the vaccines do not prevent the transmission of the virus.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they are seeking temporary and permanent injunctions against vaccine mandates that were handed down by the Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center and Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center.

The lawsuit filed against Ochsner stipulates that citizens in Louisiana have a fundamental right to decide whether to obtain or reject medical treatment under the state Constitution, previous court rulings about informed consent and privacy concerns, and state law.

Citing claims that the COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent the transmission of the virus, the lawsuit said that theyre unnecessary. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration have said that while the vaccines dont always prevent transmission, they protect against serious symptoms of COVID-19.

There is no longer any serious argument that mandating vaccines will prevent transmission or eradicate the disease as previously claimed, the court filing reads. Nevertheless, Defendant is attempting to force Plaintiffs, and others, to undergo vaccination for COVID-19 over their personal objections and in disregard of their uniquely well-informed understanding of the virus and treatment options.

The suit, filed against Oschner, added: In the best possible light, these hospital mandates are a misguided effort to participate in a public health crusade by coercing private-sector employees to undergo medical treatment for their own good and the good of the public at large, according to the Center Square news outlet.

The complaint filed against Our Lady Lourdes Regional Medical Center noted that the health care facility did not acknowledge natural immunity granted by a previous COVID-19 infection, according to the news report. Some studies have found that individuals who contracted the virus had long-lasting and significant protection against COVID-19, and an Israeli study published in late August found that individuals with prior infection were better protected against the Delta variant.

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in August announced that all employees will have to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 30, while Oschner said last month that its workers will have until Oct. 29 to be able to continue to work.

Our Lady of Lourdess Chief Medical Officer Dr. Henry Kaufman told local media at the time that the preponderance of science is heavily weighted for the benefit of vaccination, and of this there can be no doubt and asserted that vaccine mandates are really nothing new.

The Epoch Times has contacted Our Lady Lourdes Regional Medical Center and Oschner for comment.

Our Lady Lourdes said in a statement in response to the lawsuit that it values all of its team members and respects their rights and maintains its vaccination policy, which we believe to be consistent with the law and appropriate to the circumstances.

Ochsner Lafayette General, in a statement, said that employees with medical and religious objections are able to file exemption or deferral requests which are individually and thoroughly reviewed by a panel of experts. It added, We continue to serve as a source of truth and provide ongoing resources, education, and vaccine opportunities to our employees and the community.

More than 80 people were listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed in 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette by attorney Jimmy Faircloth Jr.
Mayor of Del Rio Bruno Lozano attends a press conference hosted by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott regarding the thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Haitians, living in a primitive, makeshift camp under the international bridge that spans the Rio Grande between the U.S. and Mexico while waiting to be detained and processed by Border Patrol, in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Hospital Strained by Influx of Illegal Immigrants: Del Rio Mayor

DEL RIO, TexasThe flood of illegal immigrants that has crossed over the Rio Grande River since mid-September is straining the hospital and other resources in this small Texas border city.

Del Rio has a population of about 35,000. Some 16,000 illegal aliens have entered the city in the past week or so, according to Texas officials.

The hospital is concerned about the situation, Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano, a Democrat, told The Epoch Times.

Whats happening is that last week, for example, we had a pregnant woman deliver a baby and she turned out to be positive [for COVID-19], and so was her infant newborn. And so that takes hospital space thats very valuable and limited in our community offline, and that raises another set of issues locally, he said.

Val Verde County Judge Lewis Owens raised similar concerns over the weekend. I can tell you our hospitals stretched; they cant catch a break, he said in a video message to county residents.

Del Rio has one hospital, one emergency center, one medical center, and a clinic.

Workers at the hospital were already overwhelmed before the swell of families, single adults, and unaccompanied minors, primarily from Haiti, crossed the river this month.

Were working exhausted hours, were seeing horrible things, having to exhaust our resources, Angela Prather, director of EMS and emergency management at the Val Verde Regional Medical Center, told a community meeting over the summer.

The illegal immigrants are struggling to get enough food, water, and medical supplies because the local government is not equipped to provide it in such large amounts, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, told President Joe Biden on Monday in a letter asking for an emergency declaration. The surge is overwhelming law enforcement and humanitarian resources, according to the governor.

Individuals are camping in squalid conditions and bathing in muddy river water, causing great health concerns, he said.

There are not enough medical facilities or resources to care for so many that need medication, are ill, suffer from heat exhaustion, or give birth to children. To compound the matter, public health issues relating to the current COVID-19 pandemic create additional dangers to residents and the migrants themselves, and the state of Texas has been provided no clear information about whether these individuals have received a COVID-19 vaccination or have been tested for the virus, or if they be exposing Texans and Americans to COVID, he added.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Federal officials have said they do not test illegal immigrants for the disease, instead relying on local partners. The White House signaled last week that many of the immigrants in Del Rio are not being tested.

Lozano said that medical issues include children having diarrhea and women going into labor.

The federal government has deployed hundreds of agents and officers and other resources to the area. The Department of Homeland Security has sent Border Patrol emergency medical technicians to the area and is providing water, towels, and portable toilets. Thats helped alleviate some of the pressure on the local community, according to the mayor.

Its going to be continuously assessed, and I hope that we can get that medical component down here in real-time, he said.

The mayor said that even when the crush of immigrants is clearedsome are being deported while others are being released into the United Statesthat resources should remain in place because another wave may come.

He told Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as much during a conversation this week.

Were still going to need these resources in case that happens again, he said.

Charlotte Cuthbertson Senior Reporter Follow Charlotte Cuthbertson is a senior reporter with The Epoch Times who primarily covers border security and the opioid crisis. charlottecuthbo
Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) speaks at a House Rules Committee hearing on the procedures for upcoming votes at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 28, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

House Democrats Use Obscure Rule to Stifle GOPs Kabul Probe, Say GOP Reps

House Rules Committee Democrats quietly extended a rule earlier this week covering consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that effectively bars Republicans from obtaining information on President Joe Bidens disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, say GOP representatives.

The NDAA rule includes a provision, which was adopted during the Rules panels Sept. 20 hearing on the defense bill. that has been extended by Democrats multiple times since its original adoption. It reads as follows:

24. Provides that House Resolution 188, agreed to March 8, 2021 (as most recently amended by H. Res. 555, agreed to July 27, 2021), is amended by striking September 22, 2021 each place it appears and inserting (in each instance) October 27, 2021.'

The provision continues one of the chief tools House Democrats have used in the rules adopted in January for the 117th Congress to frustrate the ability of Republicans to demand and receive information from the Biden White House and the executive branch using the resolution of inquiry (ROI).

The wording of ROIs will vary depending on the person to whom the resolution is directed. The House traditionally requests the President and directs the heads of executive departments to furnish information, according to the House parliamentary procedures manual.

The Rules panels action comes as Republicans on the House Foreign Relations Committee seek an investigation of the administrations actions in the Afghanistan withdrawal.

The ROI is an effective investigative tool because it puts the authority of a congressional committee behind a legislative request rather than causing representatives of the minority party to rely on letters and telephone calls seeking needed information and data.

Its much more difficult for executive branch officials to ignore a request backed by an ROI, while telephone calls arent returned and letters from lawmakers are easily and often ignored.

The ROI is also more difficult for the majority to defeat because House rules require such a measure to be marked up within two weeks of its introduction or it becomes a privileged motion for the whole House. If the resolution is approved, the ROI then becomes a request of the House, not just a committee.

Rules committee member Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) offered a motion on Sept. 21 to end the ROI ban, saying that in light of President Bidens failed Afghanistan withdrawal and evacuation, it is absolutely imperative that we restore this tool to get to the bottom of this administrations avoidable debacle.

Reschenthaler said he was concerned that the majority maintains this provision simply to shield the administration from addressing the very real concerns that members on both sides of the aisle have on the Afghanistan situation.

Rules member Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), spoke in favor of Reschenthalers motion, telling the panel the ROI ban should be terminated because we cant get phone calls answered from the administrative state. This is not right and it needs to change.  I urge the majority to restore minority rights under the ROI process.

Burgess also seeks the passage of an ROI concerning the Biden administrations treatment of unaccompanied illegal immigrant children coming across the U.S. border from Mexico.

Reschenthalers motion was defeated 94, marking the fifth time Democrats, led by Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), have rejected efforts to restore ROIs. ROIs were first adopted in 1879.

A spokesman for the Rules panel majority didnt immediately respond to The Epoch Times request for comment.

During debate on a previous attempt, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the panels ranking Republican, said: The speaker and the Democratic majority have ruled with an iron fist, beginning in earnest at the start of the 117th Congress. In one fell swoop, they eliminated two critical minority tools, motions to recommit and the use of resolutions of inquiry.

Besides the ROI, Cole was referring to limits during the 117th Congress on the minoritys ability on the House floor to offer motions to recommit bills to committees with instructions to change them rather than having votes on final passage.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Foreign Relations Committee, told The Epoch Times the ROI ban has prevented effective legislative oversight on multiple issues.

Democratic Leadership has suspended a centuries-old House rule that allows for more congressional oversightall to protect President Biden from scrutiny for the multiple disasters his failed leadership has caused, McCaul said.

Whether its the deadly catastrophe in Afghanistan or the crisis at our southern border, the American people expect Congress to hold the Executive Branch accountable for their mistakes. The majority needs to lift this indefinite ban on resolutions of inquiry and allow for vigorous oversight.

Republicans on the foreign relations panel have been frustrated by having to depend on letters to gain needed oversight information on the Biden administrations lax administration of congressionally mandated sanctions against, for example, Russias Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline to Europe.

The Biden administration didnt answer questions posed by House Republicans in a March 5 letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Questions also went unanswered from an April 22 letter from McCaul to Blinken concerning Bidens Afghanistan withdrawal.

In the April letter, McCaul predicted the withdrawal would hand the Taliban an undeserved victory, damage U.S. credibility as a counterterrorism partner, and gravely endanger the lives of Americans and Afghans alike.
Senate Appropriations Committee member Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) at a hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, on April 20, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House Passes Bill to Send Payments to Victims of Likely Directed Energy Attacks

The House on Sept. 21 unanimously passed a bipartisan measure that would authorize payments to victims of likely directed energy attacks, also known as the Havana syndrome.

The legislation, titled Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act, and led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), was approved by a 4270 vote. It was first passed by the Senate on June 7, and measure now heads to President Joe Bidens desk to be signed into law.

It specifically authorizes the CIA director, the secretary of state, and other agency heads to provide medical and financial help to the victims who have suffered brain injuries as a result of the attacks.

It also requires that the CIA and State Department report to Congress on how the funds are being used and if additional legislative or administrative action is required.

U.S. authorities have struggled to understand the mysterious attacks since they were first noted in 2016, when diplomatic and intelligence personnel in communist Cuba first began reporting disturbing symptoms, including head pressure or vibration, and dizziness, sometimes followed by visual problems and cognitive difficulties.

The update comes shortly after The New York Times reported that a CIA officer who was travelling to India this month with the agencys director reported symptoms consistent with Havana syndrome.

The Epoch Times has contacted the CIA for comment on the reported incident.

Roughly 200 U.S. officials and family members have so far been sickened by the attacks, according to Reuters.

There is no doubt that the victims who have suffered brain injuries must be provided with adequate care and compensation. Further, it is critical that our government determine who is behind these attacks and that we respond, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a statement earlier this year.

A State Department-sponsored study into the phenomenon by the National Academy of Sciences investigated whether chemical exposure, infectious diseases, and psychological issues could have been behind the symptoms, but concluded that the most likely cause was directed microwave energy.

Overall, directed pulsed RF (radio frequency) energy, especially in those with the distinct early manifestations, appears to be the most plausible mechanism in explaining these cases among those that the committee considered, the report on the study stated.

Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks at a news conference on the Protecting Our Democracy Act, at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

House Passes Stopgap Bill to Avert Government Shutdown, Suspend Debt Limit

The House of Representatives voted late Tuesday to pass a bill that would avert a government shutdown and fund it through Dec. 3, as well as suspend the debt limit until after the 2022 election.

The 220211 vote in the Democrat-majority chamber was on party lines. The bill now faces a tough hurdle in the Senate, where Republicans have said they would mount a filibuster.

Congress must pass a funding plan by Sept. 30 to avert a government shutdown or U.S. default. The bill would, if passed, keep the government open through Dec. 3 and suspend the debt limit through Dec. 16, 2022.

The extra time will allow lawmakers to negotiate on the budget for the coming year.

While the measures highest priority is to prevent a shutdown, it will also provide billions in new spending for disaster relief and to assist Afghanistan evacuees.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday announced in a joint statement that they would combine both short-term government funding measures and the suspension of the U.S. debt limit in one bill.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has vowed to block an increase in the $28.4 trillion debt ceiling and said that Democrats, the majority party, must raise the debt ceiling themselves.

Republican members of Congress have said that by raising the debt limit, Democrats would then use the funds to pay for massive spending packages, including the $3.5 trillion measure.

On Tuesday, McConnell said: I want to repeat once again: America must never default. We never have and we never will.

He also reiterated that it is the majority partys responsibility to raise the debt ceiling. That would have the effect of letting Republicans avoid voting for a debt limit increase ahead of next years congressional elections.

Republicans have said Democrats could raise the debt limit on their own through reconciliation, a special parliamentary procedure that would expedite the passage of a budgetary measure through the Senate, bypassing the chambers rule that 60 out of its 100 members must approve legislation. But Democrats have resisted doing that so far, saying the vote to raise the debt limit should be a bipartisan one.

Playing games with the debt ceiling is playing with fire and putting it on the back of the American people, Schumer said in a speech.

Republicans have expressed that they would support a bill to avert a shutdown only if the debt limit extension was omitted.

The current debt ceiling has already been breached, with debt at $28.78 trillion. It is being temporarily financed through the Treasury Departments extraordinary measures, which it expects will be exhausted by October.

Jack Phillips and Reuters contributed to this report.
A sign outside a polling station on federal election day in Shawinigan, Que., on, Oct. 21, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

How the PPC, Christian Heritage, Maverick, and Libertarian Parties Fared in the 2021 Election

As mail-in ballots continue to be counted for the Sept. 20 federal election, here are how some of Canadas smaller parties have fared as of Sept. 22.

Peoples Party of Canada

The PPC didnt win any seats but garnered a total of 831,423 votesan increase of its share of the national vote to 5 percent, up from less than 2 percent in 2019.

Leader Maxime Bernier was defeated in his riding of Beauce, Quebec, coming in second behind the incumbent Conservative candidate Richard Lehoux. Bernier campaigned largely on upholding personal liberties and fighting for COVID-19 vaccine choice.

Maverick Party

The Maverick Party, which evolved from the Wexit Movement and officially formed in July 2020, received a total of 34,451 votes from supportersmaking up 0.2 percent of the national votes cast in this federal election. The partys focus is to get their candidates elected to represent western provinces and northern territories in Ottawa.

The party received the most votes in Alberta (25,058, 1.3 percent of AB votes), followed by Saskatchewan (7,100, 1.4 percent of SK votes), B.C. (1,882, 0.1 percent of B.C. votes), and Manitoba (401, 0.1 percent of MB votes).

Christian Heritage Party

The CHP, a pro-life federal political party that endorses the Judeo-Christian principles, was supported by 8,888 votes (0.05 percent) nationallydown from 18,901 votes (0.1 percent) in 2019.

The party, which seeks to bring forward Biblical perspectives on issues confronting Canada in Parliament, had candidates in the Prairies, B.C., Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and PEI.

The Libertarian Party of Canada

The Libertarian Party received 4,805 votes (0.03 percent). The partys platform opposes COVID-19 lockdown measures and vaccine mandates. The party concentrated its campaign in the Atlantic provinces, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and B.C.

They garnered about half as many votes as in 2019 when they received 8,367 votes (0.05 percent) nationally.

Sloan

Former MP Derek Sloan didnt succeed in his run as an independent for Banff-Airdrie in Alberta, coming in fifth with a vote count of 1,835. Incumbent Conservative candidate Blake Richards was re-elected in the riding for a fifth term with a total votes of 41,195.

Sloan ran in Alberta after leaving the race in his previously held riding of Hastings-Lennox and Addington in Ontario. His wife, Jennifer Sloan, ran there as an independent but came in sixth, defeated by Conservative Shelby Kramp-Neuman, who won 46 percent of the votes in the Ontario riding.

Sloan had also announced the creation of his True North Party ahead of the election call, but since his proposed party wasnt approved by Elections Canada by the time the writ was dropped, he couldnt formally run candidates for the election. He said in a previous interview that he and his supporters would organize some candidates to run as independents, who would then join his party if they are elected, once True North is formally approved.
Illegal immigrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge near the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

Its Like Im in Bizarro World: Rep. Van Drew Says of Biden Administrations Narrative of the Border

Republicans at the Homeland Security Committee meeting on Tuesday voiced their frustration with the Biden administrations handling and denial of the severity of the ongoing surge of illegal immigrants coming through the U.S. southern border.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) told Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas that he and his constituents are tired and angry at the worsening southern border situation, especially since the Biden administration seems to deny the reality of the situation.

Its like Im in Bizarro World. I see it in front of me, you see it in front of you, but some people pretend not to see it, and I dont mean to be disrespectful to you, sir, but sometimes it seems like you dont want to see it, Van Drew said at the hearing Tuesday.

Van Drew told Mayorkas that things are not getting better at the border because there have been close to 1.3 million illegal immigrants apprehended at the border so far this year, and the immediate solution is enacting and enforcing laws, not solving world hunger.

So really, lets talk about this. What were saying is other countries have severe problems with poverty, education, nutrition, a host of areas. We understand that, but it is naive and arrogant of us to believe that were going to fix all that and make that all betterwhich throughout history we havent even been able to doand then thats going to stop the big push into the United States of illegal immigration in a timely way. Thats nonsensical, said Van Drew.

While Van Drew and other Republicans were focused on questioning Mayorkas about the record numbers of illegal immigrants crossing and being released into the United States during the pandemic, Democrats did not share their opinion and even had the opposite view. Rep. Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said the U.S. southern border situation is being exaggerated.

I think the narrative about immigration is so wrong. First of all, the southern border is 1,954 miles, it is not out of control, said Jackson Lee at the Sept. 22 hearing on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) speaks about H.R. 40 at a Congressional Black Caucus press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 1, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

And also, have you considered this Trump relic of Title 42? Not eliminating, but a suspension of it, in light of the fact that Haitians have been determined to be no national security threat. There are Haitians in my district right now, migrants who have come from NGOs on the border. We welcome them, said Jackson Lee.

Meanwhile, Ranking Member John Katko (R-N.Y.), who said he prides himself on working and cooperating well with Democrats, cannot overlook the crisis at the border.

To me, it is unbelievable what is going on at the border, and now we have the deflection about saying Haitians and the border is closed. And now we know the border is not closed because the Haitianssome Haitians have been sent home, some are being sent here, and we dont know what their distinction is, and that goes for every other type of person coming across the border as well, said Katko.

Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) cited record-high numbers of illegal migrant encounters at the southern border for the last few months since the Biden administration changed a number of immigration policies meant to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants to the U.S. southern border. According to Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), both July and August of this year had over 200,000 illegal migrants crossing the U.S. southern border with Mexico.

Guest also asked about the statement Mayorkas made during his closed-door meeting with CBP last month, in which he said, A couple of days ago I was down in Mexico, and I said look, you know, if our borders are the first line of defense, were going to lose and this is unsustainable. The leaked audio file of Mayorkass comments was obtained by Fox News in August.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas updates reporters on the effort to resettle vulnerable Afghans in the United States, in Washington on Sept. 3, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Mayorkas defended his earlier remarks by saying the southern border is not the United States first line of defense against illegal entry.

In fact, I did make the statement, and a very important fact underlying it is that our border is not our first line of defense. We have a multi-layered strategy that includes our partners to the southnot only Mexico, but the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, said Mayorkas. So, in fact, our border is not our first line of defense. Its a statement that I made and I stand by it. And in fact, it does not reflect the strategy that we have been employing and executing.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said he is worried about the border but more concerned about domestic terrorists because someone attacked his Missouri congressional office recently.

Let me go a little bit further and say that I am very much concerned about people crossing our borders, but Im more concerned about the fact that we are a nation that is simply crossed, and it is very disturbing, said Cleaver.

Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) meanwhile argued that even if all U.S. borders and ports of entry were sealed off, there would still be deaths from drug addiction.

Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 9, 2019. (Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images)

I agree with my colleagues that fentanyl is a major issue. But I would propose to all of you that if you seal off the southern border, you seal off the northern border, you seal off the ports of entry, were still going to have that major issue, which is a medical issue called drug addiction, in our country, said Correa, adding, Thats not really a homeland security issue. Its a societal issue, but were going to expect you to stop drug addiction at the border.
Jagmeet Singh Defends NDPs Election Showing Despite Meagre Caucus Growth

Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday he feels secure in his leadership despite an NDP seat count that barely budged following a pandemic election that exposed a tarnished Liberal brand and saw Canadians consistently rank him as the most popular party chief.

The New Democrat leader said his caucus will still make progress in Parliament, despite his campaign talking point that Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cannot be trusted.

Im pumped about the important work that we have to do, Singh said in Vancouver. We had the same position in the last Parliament and we were able to secure a lot of really important victories.

The New Democrats had 24 seats in the House of Commons at dissolution and, while some close races are still being counted, it appeared as of Tuesday evening they have gained only a seat or two.

Singh said he was proud of his team, but disappointed that many NDP candidates who failed to win their ridings will not be joining him in Ottawa.

The showing on election day was significantly smaller than Singh predecessor Tom Mulcairs 44-seat outcome in 2015, which led to a leadership review and Singhs ascension in 2017.

Monday prompted some deja vu among New Democrats after a tough run in 2019 that cost them 20 seats. Singh was relatively new on the federal scene at the time, with only two years under his belt as leader of a party that also faced financial pains.

This time around, the NDP spent millions more, and Singh enjoyed nationwide name recognition and a stated record of boosting pandemic relief to run on. He had also consistently been found the most likable leader in public opinion polls, leveraging an outsized social media presence that blends talking points and trap beats.

But those bona fidesdidnt translate into ballots castthe only currency that matters, said Karl Belanger, president of consulting firm Traxxion Strategies and former senior adviser to the NDP.

The NDP failed to make significant gains in key ridings in Quebec and downtown Toronto, and its share of the popular vote17.7 percent as of Tuesdayfell short of polling projections.

Youve lost a few seats, youve gained a few others. So youre treading water. You need to do better. And the key to that is to get the people who say they will vote for you to actually vote for you, said Belanger.

He added that Singhs place atop the party is secure at least in the short term.

I have total confidence in Jagmeet, NDP MP Taylor Bachrach said in an interview, citing his incredible enthusiasm and positive spirit on the campaign trail.

Experts questioned New Democrats tactics on the ground after get-out-the-vote efforts in the final week appeared to fall short.

Neck-and-neck races the NDP had hoped to win but which are still in doubt as mail-in ballots are counted include: Torontos Davenport riding, Montreals Laurier-Sainte-Marie, Berthier-Maskinonge in rural Quebec, Windsor-Tecumseh in southwestern Ontario, the New Democrat-held Hamilton Mountain and, in downtown Toronto, Spadina_Fort York, where the Liberal candidate was effectively booted from the party over the weekend but still managed to come out ahead.

New Democrats also lost their last redoubt in Atlantic Canada, St. Johns East, after NDP MP Jack Harris opted not to seek re-election.

They cannot consider this a victory, said Sanjay Jeram, senior lecturer of political science at Simon Fraser University.

If youre thinking about what kind of conditions in which the NDP could make their breakthrough with Jagmeet Singh at the helm, this was it. And he didnt pull it off.

The party did pick up a pair of new seats in Edmonton and the Lower Mainland riding of Port Moody-Coquitlam in British Columbia. It also maintained a tenuous lead in the previously Green riding of Nanaimo-Ladysmith.

The Liberal shift to the left on social policy and spend-happy budgets has squeezed the NDP, and makes holding together a base that ranges from unionized trade workers to urban progressives all the tougher, Jeram said. Im not sure that the leadership is the imminent problem.

Singh criticized Trudeau on Tuesday for holding an election during the pandemic, saying it seems to have resulted in long lines at polling stations, less accessibility and ultimately a low voter turnout. The lack of polling locations on campuses due to an Elections Canada decision prompted by COVID-19 concerns may have hurt NDP prospects, as young people tend to vote orange in higher numbers.

The New Democrats, as the fourth party, are nonetheless back in a position to hold the balance of power in supporting the minority Liberal government following a 36-day campaign that largely focused on Singh slamming Trudeau, often in very personal terms.

Singh said he has no intention to force another election.

We used our position (in the previous minority Parliament) successfully to win really big victories for people, for Canadians. They were better off because we were there, he said.

We will do the same thing.

By Kelly Geraldine Malone and Christopher Reynolds
Julie Ponesse Reveals Hollowness of Official Intellectual Class

Commentary

Reaction to ethics professor Julie Ponesses short videos explaining her refusal to accept the COVID-19 injections mandated by her employer, Western Universitys Huron University College in Ontario, could have been predicted.

On one side, she has been lauded as a hero for standing up against what many now-sidelined individuals regard as an act of inhumane coercion. On the other (official) side, she has been sneered at as a fool, her various arguments deemed unworthy of respectful response. Whatever else it has done, her public stand has highlighted the vast chasm between those who raise human rights objections to vaccine mandates and our government-supported and complicit intellectual elite.

In two videos, Final Lesson on Refusing the Vaccine, and Can Vaccines Be Imposed On Us? the latter prepared in conjunction with a dissident doctors network called the Canadian COVID Care Alliance, Ponesse appealed to the fundamental right of each individual to make unforced decisions about medical treatments. In support of her position, she cited the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (pdf) on freedom of conscience. She referred to the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, which declares inviolable the principle of informed consent regarding all medical policies. And she emphasized the Nuremberg Codes definition of such consent as requiring a person to be situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any element of force  or other  constraint or coercion.

For Ponesse, being required by ones employer to take an injection on pain of losing ones livelihood cannot by any reasonable measure be considered voluntary or unconstrained. The framers of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights make clear that human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms are to be fully respected in all public health legislation and that the interests and welfare of the individual should have priority over the sole interest of science or society.

In framing her objection in terms of the conditions for human dignity, Ponesse put into words what many people have felt in their hearts.

In response, government-funded media and complicit academics have dismissed Ponesse without adequately addressing this profound objection. A Canadian broadcaster paired a headline casting doubt on Ponesses fear of dismissal with a pejorative subheading, Critic says Julie Ponesses expertise in ethics doesnt include vaccines or infectious diseases. Ponesse herself never claimed expertise in vaccines. The critic making the charge also lacks virology expertise, so his authority to decry her vaccination concerns has no more basis than hers to raise themfar less, in fact, since shes speaking for herself.

The circularity of the critics reasoning is demonstrated in the neat Twitter knot he tied for himself when he alleged, first, that The strength of a position in ethics comes from the support provided via reasons and arguments, not that its uttered by an ethicist (the inference being that Ponesse had offered no ethical reasons), and then attacked Ponesse for falsehoods (which he did not specify) and lack of medical expertise.

The rest of the article focused on a report from Huron that no one had been dismissed at this time, with the implication that Ponesses fear of firing was a self-serving exaggeration.

One newspaper attempted a more wide-ranging smearing of Ponesse, not only correcting her questionable claims about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines with government-approved data but also linking her to the far-right fringe, mentioning that she has appeared on right-wing blogs and podcasts, including Peoples Party of Canada leader Maxime Berniers YouTube channel, and pointing out that the Canadian COVID Care Alliance makes health care recommendations that are not approved by the medical establishment. But the government-funded newspaper offered no philosophical response to Ponesses argument that mandatory vaccination is wrong.

Another newspaper promised to profile professors ripping Ponesse (a curiously juvenile word) but delivered nothing more than a few unpleasant barbs, mostly relayed on Twitter. Shame on Julie Ponesse, went one of them. This is the anti-thesis of the Socratic mission: to live the examined life. Given that Ponesse asked questions based on time-tested and widely acknowledged ethical and medical principles, one is at a loss to understand the source of the professors scorn. Another professor is quoted by the paper saying that Westerns policy is legally enforceable and ethically justifiable. No justification was quoted aside from an ad hominem attack on Ponesse for what he called her Crocodile tears.

The only professor profiled by the newspaper willing actually to discuss ethics seems to be Western University bio-ethicist Maxwell Smith. As a member of Ontarios vaccine task force and leader of the provinces ethics framework for vaccine distribution, he was part of the official face of the vaccine mandate. Smith does provide a Twitter thread explaining his ethical support for vaccine mandates based on the proven efficacy of the vaccines, their low risk, and the threat posed by the virus to the vulnerable, but his comments regarding compulsion in a mandate are strikingly crude. Mandates do *constrain* choices, he admits, but not about whether to get vaccinated. Rather, they constrain choices about where you can work. Here is hair-splitting with a vengeance!

Smith followed up this philosophical dodge by explaining that threat of immediate job loss does not make a choice less free, but his is an assertion that would convince no one actually facing the threat: That vaccines may be required to work in certain settings doesnt render the consent to be vaccinated involuntary. Its still your voluntary choice whether to be vaccinated. Employers just dont have to employ you if you arent. Even squinting ones eyes very hard, its impossible to see how forcing someone to choose between taking an injection and putting food on the table leaves that person with a free choice. For Smith, it seems, if theyre not actually forcing the needle into your arm, youre fine.

Along with other members of the pro-vaccine lobby, Smith offers almost nothing in defense of vaccine mandates outside of government talking points about the lethal danger of the virus and the proven safety of the vaccines. Both points have been vigorously contested by dissident immunologists and virologists, who have placed their reputations and in many cases their careers in jeopardy to assert COVIDs very low infection fatality rate and to warn of the potential adverse effects of the vaccines, especially on young men, the attendant problem of waning immunity, and the vaccines inability to stop virus spread. The censorship, personal attacks, and firings they have faced are themselves powerful proof of the coercion and lack of transparency in authorities handling of this crisis.

But arguments about whether and how well the vaccines work are, to some extent, irrelevant. Ponesse has raised long-recognized and universally acknowledged ethical objections to coerced medical treatments. These cry out for serious debate, and one would expect that academics, who are supposed to stand apart from government, the medical establishment, and indeed society itself, would be eager to ask the hard questions and engage in non-dogmatic discussion of all points of view. Its a measure of the hollowness of academia in Canada today that so little such discussion is either allowed or, it seems, desired.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A JetBlue Airbus A320 taxis to a gate after landing, as an American Airlines jet is seen parked at its gate at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Fla., on Oct. 26, 2016. (Chris O'Meara/AP Photo File)

Justice Department Sues to Block JetBlue, American Airlines Alliance

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against American Airlines and JetBlue on Sept. 21 to block an alliance between the two airlines that allegedly violates antitrust laws.

The lawsuit, which was filed in a Massachusetts federal court, focuses on the so-called Northeast Alliance between American and JetBlue, which combines their operations at four major airports in Boston, New York, and New Jersey. The DOJ alleges that the alliance would eliminate competition between the two airlines in those markets and elsewhere, leading to higher prices for consumers.

In an industry where just four airlines control more than 80 percent of domestic air travel, American Airlines alliance with JetBlue is, in fact, an unprecedented maneuver to further consolidate the industry, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. It would result in higher fares, fewer choices, and lower quality service if allowed to continue.

American Airlines responded to the civil antitrust complaint with a statement from CEO Doug Parker, who said that Delta Air Lines and United Airlines dominated the New York market prior to the formation of the Northeast Alliance. The AmericanJetBlue alliance created a third competitor, he said.

Ironically, the Department of Justices lawsuit seeks to take away consumer choice and inhibit competition, not encourage it, Parker said in the statement. This is not a merger: American and JetBlue areand will remainindependent airlines. We look forward to vigorously rebutting the DOJs claims and proving the many benefits the Northeast Alliance brings to consumers.

According to Parker, the alliance has created 58 new routes and increased the frequency of 130 others since the beginning of 2021. The airlines also added international flights to Tel Aviv, Israel; Athens, Greece; and Delhi, India.

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes similarly touted the benefits of the alliance to consumers and rejected that it amounted to a merger.

This is not at all like a merger with Americanwe have two different business models and are not working together on pricing, Hayes said in a statement.

Hayes noted that the alliance is a way to break the hold on the major congested airports exercised by rival carriers United and Delta.

While we have built a successful business in both New York and Boston, our runway for growth in the Northeast to challenge global legacy carriers Delta and United is limited, Hayes said. And Im sad to say that our biggest obstacle to bringing more low fares and great service to the Northeast right now is the DOJthe very government agency that should be making every effort to foster robust competition among airlines.

The DOJ set the stage by pointing to statements from American Airlines (AA) officials that favored industry consolidation. The complaint, which was joined by attorneys general from six states and the District of Columbia, goes on to lay out how JetBlues aggressive low-fare strategy forced big carriers to lower their fares and threatened AAs business.

Recognizing the significant and growing threat posed by JetBlue, and not satisfied with the consolidation that has made it the largest airline in the world, American now seeks to co-opt JetBlue through an unprecedented domestic alliance, the complaint (pdf) reads.

Knowing full well that an outright merger would invite a challenge under Section 7 of the Clayton Act, American instead seeks to align JetBlues economic incentives with its own through a far-reaching partnership based on the same kinds of alliances that American has used to consolidate international air travel.
Los Angeles Bans Protests Within 300 Feet of Private Homes

Demonstrators in Los Angeles will no longer be able to protest within 300 feet of a targets home, according to an ordinance passed on Sept. 21 by the city council after Angelenos protesting the citys COVID-19 vaccine mandate showed up at two councilmembers homes.

On Sept. 14, the city council voted 132 to pass the ordinance, with Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Mike Bonin dissenting, though they declined to comment at the final vote. A unanimous vote would have been required to pass the ordinance on first reading; on second reading, ordinances usually require a simple majority to pass, but because this ordinance included an emergency clause, it required a three-fourths majority to pass. The final vote on Sept. 21 passed, again with a 132 vote.

Currently, the citys law states that people may not protest within 100 feet of a targets private residence. The ordinance changes that law to 300 feet and states that the target of a protest may sue violators of the ordinance for damages; violators may also be fined $1,000.

Council President Nury Martinez and Councilman Mitch OFarrell introduced the motion last month after an anti-vaccine mandate protestor shared councilmembers home addresses and encouraged people to show up at their homes and protest.

While those in favor of the ordinance express concern for the city councilmembers safety, some Angelenos worry the ordinance restricts their First Amendment rights.

Los Angeles City Hall on March 24, 2018. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

When she introduced the motion, Martinez said a group of people gathered at her house one evening, banging on her doors and windows, harassing her neighbors and family members, and threatening my life, she said.

I think its clear to me that these protests are now starting to escalate more and more and what Im really concerned about is the escalation of an actual violent event taking place anywhere in our neighborhoods, particularly our residence, Martinez said at the final vote.

Martinez said that protestors should gather in public places such as councilmembers offices or City Hall, not at their homes.

Those folks who have a disagreement with what we legislate here in this body  are welcome to call during public comment or protest any one of our decisions outside this building, which is a public facility, Martinez said.

I think we need to do this now so that those of us who make tough decisions feel a little bit more protected, but more than anything, our families, who did not sign up for this, she said.

Some Los Angeles residents called in to the city councils final vote meeting to express concern that their rights to free speech were being violated.

Los Angeles City Hall on March 24, 2018. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Other Angelenos gathered at Martinezs home on Sept. 14 to protest the ordinance and returned on Sept. 20 and the morning of Sept. 21 to protest before the ordinances passing.

A video posted on Twitter by activist group Ktown for All shows protestors gathered outside of Martinezs home, one with a megaphone, chanting, Whats the reason were in these streets? No ban on 300 ft!

When those in power refuse to hear from the marginalized groups they oppress, taking protests to their homes is sometimes the only remaining option, activist Kenneth Mejia, who is also running for LA controller, wrote on Twitter.

Activist groups including Ktown for All, Los Angeles Tenants Union, and Street Watch Los Angeles, issued a statement on social media regarding the ordinance.

The statement reads: The current proposed law conflates illegal actions taken by violent rightwing extremists as protesting and uses such actions as political cover to in turn restrict constituents from exercising their First Amendment rights to protest the ongoing failures of our local elected leadership.

By deputizing other private citizens to seek up to a $1,000 civil penalty against those who do violate the ordinance, it is clear that this ordinance is intended to silence the most marginalized amongst us, including workers protesting unfair labor conditions or tenants opposing illegal evictions, from standing up for their rights.

In an email statement, Martinez told The Epoch Times on Sept. 22 that the intent is not to silence Angelenos voices.

This isnt about restricting First Amendment rights or silencing any voices. This is about protecting our family members, our children, and our neighbors from aggressive targeted protests at all hours of the day and night, Martinez said. When you come onto my street to yell on bullhorns outside of my home, youre not only disrespecting my family, but youre also disrespecting the community and neighbors who live there.

OFarrells office declined to comment. Activist group Ktown for All and activist Kenneth Mejia didnt respond to requests for comment by press time.
Chinese electronics company Xiaomi's new smartphone Mi MIX3 5G is displayed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, on Feb. 24, 2019. (Lluis Gene/AFP)

Throw Away Chinese Smartphones Over Security, Censorship Concerns, Lithuania Says

Lithuania discouraged consumers on Tuesday from using Chinese mobile devicesfound to come with built-in censorship capabilities undermining freedom of speech and personal data security.

It comes after a Sept. 21 government report showing flagship phones sold in Europe by Chinese phone maker Xiaomi have built-in and remotely controlled techniques to detect and block sensitive terms without the users permission.

The investigation, conducted by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), targeted China-made 5G smartphones that have been locally supplied since 2020. Selected manufacturers include Chinese telecom giant Huawei and Chinas second-largest cellphone maker Xiaomi.

Investigators identified a list with 449 Chinese terms from a Xiaomi device, which could be censored by its default internet browser, including free Tibet, long live Taiwan independence, and democratic movement.

The keyword list was also periodically updated, NCSC said.

Meanwhile, a Xiaomi device was transferring encrypted data to a server in Singapore, according to the report. A security flaw was also found in a Huawei 5G phone.

China-made 5G devices investigated by the National Cyber Security Centre of Lithuania. (Courtesy of NCSC under Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania )

Defense Deputy Minister Margiris Abukevicius recommended consumers not buy new Chinese phones and drop those already purchased, while introducing the report to reporters.

This is important not only to Lithuania but to all countries which use Xiaomi equipment, the NCSC said in the report.

Xiaomi did not respond to a request for comment.
A file photo of an empty classroom in El Segundo High School in Los Angeles on July 30, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Los Angeles Teachers Union Reaches Deal With School District on COVID-19 Safety, Wage Hike

LOS ANGELESThe Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and its teachers union announced a tentative agreement Wednesday on extended safety protocols and learning support for students who must quarantine because of COVID-19as well as a 5 percent pay raise and other financial boosts for educators.

The agreement must be approved by a vote of the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) membership and the LAUSD Board of Education. The UTLA member vote is scheduled for Sept. 30Oct. 2.

If approved by both parties, the contract will be in effect through June 30, 2022.

According to the union, key elements of the agreement include:

continued regular COVID-19 testing of all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, through at least Dec. 17;

continued mandatory masking, indoors and outdoors, for all people on campus and continued use of MERV filters or equivalent air filtration systems for all classrooms until at least Dec. 1;

creation of a quarantine procedures checklist of required actions by site administrators and the district when a student or employee tests positive for COVID-19 and students are quarantined;

live access to instruction for quarantined students and a new agreement to ensure virtual instruction during wildfire-related school shutdowns; and

new strategies to fill educator openings to meet parent demand for the City of Angels online independent study program.

In addition to the 5 percent wage increaseretroactive to July 1the LAUSD said teachers will also receive $2,500 in one-time stipends, while school nurses will receive a $5,000 per 3-year retention incentive.

First and foremost, the agreement recognizes that COVID-19 is still very much with us, UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said in a statement.

The agreement meets our critical goal of extending multi-layered COVID safety measuresincluding regular testing, masking, and air filtrationto keep our schools safe and open, and we secured a new quarantine checklist that will bring clarity and consistency across the district to how LAUSD responds to COVID cases.

Health and safety must come first to protect everyone who walks through the doors of our classrooms and work spaces.

Some of the protocols were scheduled to expire this month.

According to a joint statement from board President Kelly Gonez and Interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly: This agreement demonstrates our continued partnership amidst this unprecedented pandemic.

It provides students and their families clear expectations and support for learning at home if they are asked to isolate or quarantine. This agreement also supports our educators and students during this difficult and unique time.

We will continue to work with public health officials to maintain the safest possible learning environment and workplace for all.
GOP Senators Propose Measure to Ban Certain Discharges of Unvaccinated Military Members

Four Republican senators introduced a measure on Sept. 21 that would prevent the Pentagon from discharging military service members in any way other than an honorable discharge, for those who have opted to hold back from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Senate bill, introduced by Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), is called the COVID-19 Vaccine Dishonorable Discharge Prevention Act.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a member of an Armed Force under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of a military department subject to discharge on the basis of the member choosing not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine may only receive an honorable discharge, the text of the bill (pdf) reads.

According to the text: Reports of adverse actions being taken, or threatened, by military leadership at all levels are antithetical to our fundamental American values. Any discharge other than honorable denotes a dereliction of duty or a failure to serve the United States and its people to the best of the ability of an individual.

The proposed legislation comes after the Biden administration announced mandatory shots in August and began to compel all military departments to implement the COVID-19 vaccine requirements. Meanwhile, service members who have survived a previous COVID-19 infection arent automatically exempt from being required to be fully vaccinated.

The U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps all have set deadlines for COVID-19 vaccination for service members and reserve members. If they fail to comply and dont have a pending exemption request, they could be punished via relief of duties or discharge.

There are five main types of military discharges: honorable discharge; general discharge under honorable circumstances; discharge under other than honorable conditions; bad conduct discharge; and dishonorable discharge.

A dishonorable discharge would mean that the individual would have to surrender a slew of rights and benefits, including ownership of any sort of firearm or ammunition, access to the G.I. Bill for further education, Veterans Affairs home loans and medical benefits, military funeral honors, and reenlistment in another military branch, Cruzs office noted in a release.

Marshall, who led in introducing the measure, said in a statement: As a physician and veteran who is confident that the vaccine has saved countless lives, I believe vaccinating our service members against COVID-19 is an important effort; however, whether or not to receive the vaccine should be a personal choice between an individual and their doctor.

Service members who refuse to get vaccinated, and are subsequently separated from the service, should not receive anything other than an honorable discharge. There is no question about it: American heroes should not be treated as felons because of their personal medical choices.

Cruz echoed Marshalls sentiments, adding in a separate statement: Forcing all service members, including pregnant women and those who have already had COVID-19, to receive the vaccine is just one more example of President [Joe] Biden and his administration putting politics ahead of science. I am proud to join Sen. Marshall on this crucial bill to ensure the proper steps are taken by the military chain of command in response to those seeking exemptions from this vaccine.

The proposed legislation comes after Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), a physician and a former Army officer, earlier this month introduced similar language in an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022.

Separately, the Biden administration has been imposing mandates on other groups and earlier this month issued COVID-19 mandates that involve all federal workers, government contractors, and their employees to be vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Biden is also seeking to compel private-sector companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing, which is expected to affect more than 80 million workers.

Editors note: this article has been further edited for clarity.
Memories of a UC Berkeley Firebrand

Commentary

During the late fifties, while I was an undergrad at UC Berkeley, a campus with some 20,000 students at that time, I met a fascinating young man who was enrolled at Boalt Hall, the universitys law school.

Donald Warden, recent graduate of Howard University, the historically-black institution of higher learning located in Washington, D.C., would soon take our Berkeley campus by stormat least the one hundred or so of us black students enrolled at Cal in those days. Short and wiry and bug-eyed, the future legal-beagle was hardly memorable in appearance. Yet he was impossible to ignore. During spirited conversations that took place on-campus in gathering holes like the Bears Lair or off-campus in cafes and student apartments, he usually held sway. Warden was brash, outspoken, and provocative. Which is to say, he seemed different.

Most of us black students at UC Berkeley during the late fifties had grown up around relatives who still considered themselves Southerners, despite having moved to California from Texas, Louisiana, and other southern states nearly two decades earlier. My parents and their relatives and friends had abandoned the segregated South during World War II, lured by the promise of steady work in Californias shipyards, canneries, and other industries that offered decent, if not extravagant pay, to skilled and semi-skilled black workers. In the Northern California cities of Oakland, Richmond, and Vallejo, our people found steady employment, women and men alike. And though they made good money during the war years, and were allowed to enjoy many of the basic rights denied them in the Jim Crow South, they remained ever vigilant, cautious, always on the lookout for racial incidents or problems. In the integrated world of Northern California, while living and working around whites, our relatives were on their best behavior: reserved, slow to anger, careful to avoid acting uppity. And so were we, their adult children. But not our new friend Donald Warden.

From time to time during my last year at Cal, we would get together, Donald and I, usually in the company of our friends Sandy, Joyce, and Jay. And whenever our little group would meet, Donald Warden was clearly the star. With his manic energy and bulbous, death-stare eyes, he would suck up all of the energy surrounding us. According to a couple of students who claimed to know about his past, Warden had grown up back East. It was a claim that rang true, that seemed to explain why our friend was so brash, so confident. After all, blacks from the East Coast were often considered smarter or more sophisticated than those of us on the West Coast. Among us hicks at Cal, Wardens background lent him an aura of glamour, a certain mystique.

But our friend stood out for yet another reason: his mesmerizing conversational skills. And once again the campus rumormongers offered up a plausible explanation: Warden, they claimed, had once been a boy-preacher. Bingo. Hearing this news, I could easily picture a young Donald, see him standing on a soapbox while leading church services, while delivering fire-and-brimstone sermons, while speaking in tongues and singing mournful spirituals or stirring gospels. Suddenly everything about the charismatic young law student in our midst began to make sense. After all, he approached each one of our social encounters with the fervor of the true believerwith a nervous energy that was overbearing or intimidating, and with a sardonic expression that suggested he was privy to secrets and powers denied the rest of us mortals.

Whether Donald Wardens eyes were alight with malevolence or compassion, I was never quite certain. But he appeared to be everything that we West Coast black students were not: bold, loud, opinionated, confrontational. And so, by the spring of 1961, I was not at all surprised to learn that he was going to be embroiled in a debate with another UC Berkeley student, also black, also from the East Coast. His opponent would be J. Herman Blake, one of seven kids raised in a poor, single-parent family. A gentle, avuncular soul who seemed older than the typical college student, Blake was bright yet self-effacing, serious yet kind and friendly. After graduating from Cal, he would go on to distinguish himself at UC Santa Cruz, the campuss first Black-American professor. When I first met him, though, Herman Blake was a thirty-something graduate student in sociology, a family man helping to supplement his wifes income from nursing and his income from the G.I. bill by working each summer for computer firms like IBM.

That spring of 1961, during my final semester at Cal, the stage was set for what would prove to be a contentious debate between Donald Warden and Herman Blake. The two men would present their opinions and beliefs about us Black-Americans, about our progress, or lack of it, in this country. An alleged former boy-preacher from a two-parent, middle-class family with twelve children would be pitted against a family man and army veteran from a family headed by a disabled mother.

Donald Warden and Herman Blake would take part in an intellectual battle that promised to capture the attention and imagination of most of us black students on campus. In some respects, the debate would be a battle for our hearts and souls, for the allegiance of all of the black students at UC Berkeley. It was a battle that would remind some of the passionate debates, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that pitted Booker T. Washington against W.E.B. Duboisthe former an esteemed black educator, a pragmatist who preached self-help and economic independence as a path to freedom and prosperity for Black-Americans; the latter a noted black scholar, an intellectual urging political struggle against oppression as the only proper, viable path for Americas black citizens. How the Warden-Blake debate came about, I cant recall (Whose idea was it? Who convinced Berkeleys campus administrators to permit the debate to be held in an auditorium on campus?). What I do recall, however, is that the debate was a miracle, of sorts, given how little influence students of any color wielded on such a large, public institution of higher learning.

Though of scant interest to people beyond our campus, the Warden-Blake debate was a major achievement, primarily because black students, a tiny segment of UC Berkeleys student population, had apparently organized the event. On the day the debate took place, the campus auditorium in which wed gathered was packed, the air thick with anticipation. We were excited, thrilled, jubilant. We were also nervous. What would happen? we wondered. Who would win, would prove more verbally nimble, more charismatic? Of course, I had a pretty good idea. That afternoon, in his take-no-prisoners manner, Donald Warden railed against a society that, he proclaimed, indoctrinates young blacks, programming us to admire and adopt Anglo-Saxon standards of beauty and other western European values, instead of our own. Listening to Warden, we nodded our heads in agreement. We laughed and hooted, captivated by his inescapable conclusions, his bombastic delivery, his raunchy humor; entertained by the examples hed culled from movies and television shows and ads, each one to advance his argument.

Herman Blakes speech was less flamboyant, less appealing to our base emotions. His argumentsmeasured, nuanced, perhaps tempered by his modest natureoffered us a more reasonable and practical approach to leading our lives as blacks, a racial minority in America. But we undergrads craved drama. We wanted change, radical upheaval. With Herman Blake, we got the kindly church elder urging restraint and moderation, a man who appeared to be endorsing the status quo. Here was this bespectacled gentleman, this older, married student offering us practical but all too familiar advice, traditional solutions, and guidelines. Herman Blake represented our hardworking, no-nonsense parents. And we were his bumptious offspring, young people who were either loathe to accept his advice or hell-bent on questioning it. Meanwhile, Donald Warden, with his scorched earth attack, was the revolutionary leader offering bold new ideas and transformation. Warden took the day. Like a fiery fundamentalist preacher confronting a campground packed with sinners, each one a possible convert, he was all up in our faces, challenging us to believe his message of deliverance.

The Warden-Blake debate was a resounding success, as enlightening as it was inspirational. For many of us, it was also a welcome diversion, one that helped to relieve some of the stress we were feeling while preparing for finals. By the time I staggered out of my last exam at Cal, I was mentally and emotionally drained. But, pass or fail, I felt elated. My undergraduate days had come to an end. I was done. Fed up with academic pursuits, with the stress-inducing world of higher education, I resolved never again to frequent the fabled Halls of Ivy. Id had enough. Furthermore, I was eager for a change. And so, that summer, a few weeks after graduating from UC Berkeley, I accepted my aunt and uncles invitation to live with them in Connecticut. It was time to move on, to see something of the country. After traveling by train from Berkeley to Hartford, I moved into the two-story home that my aunt and uncle shared with their three spirited youngsters and my uncles mother-in-law. During that first month, I was never sure which was more challengingliving with my East-Coast relatives or learning to adjust to the areas hot, steamy weather and scary electrical storms. Soon, though, I was busy reading the classifieds in Hartfords newspapers, searching for what I hoped would be a decent, high-paying job.

The decent job, I landed. The high-pay, I didnt. By late-summer, I was working in downtown Hartford as a retail advertising copywriter with Sage-Allen and Company, a department store with branches throughout the state. Life looked promising, if predictable. But several months after leaving California, I was engaged. And not quite a year after leaving California, I was married. My young husband was a radar navigator-bombardier, one of a small group of Black-American, B-52 flight crew members with SAC, the Strategic Air Command. Wed met while Patterson was stationed at Mather Air Force Base in northern California and I was completing my final year at Cal. After getting married in May of 1962, we spent the next five years at Walker Air Force Base, in Roswell, New Mexico, with my husband either flying Chrome Dome missions or pulling alert while I took care of our little girls, a newborn and a toddler.

By the late sixties, my husband had parted ways with active-duty military service, and wed settled down in the San Francisco-Bay Area, with both of us working full-time jobs. While we were immersed in civilian life, busy raising our kids and renewing ties with family and friends, I began to hear intriguing stories about Donald Warden, my old college buddy. There were articles in Bay Area newspapers and broadcast reports on television about his activities with the Afro-American Association, an organization that hed founded, and about his role as a mentor to Black Panthers Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Most startling of all, though, were rumors alleging that Warden had ties to the Saudi royal family, that he had a law firm in the Middle East, that he was a millionaire with growing political power and influence.

During that period, earning a living to help support my family was my primary focus, not the exotic financial and political ties of an old friend. My husband and our youngsters, my writing and technical editing jobsthose were the concerns that kept me on the go, regularly assuming both parental roles each time Patterson, now a licensed stockbroker and commodity broker, had to take temporary duty leave from his job in San Francisco and fly out of Travis Air Force Base with his C-141 air force reserves crew members. Civilian life was hectic and challenging. And though we wondered at times if leaving active-duty service had been a mistake, we were seldom bored.

In 1971, out of the blue, while I was working in San Francisco, designing training programs for Wells Fargo Banks head office, one of my college friends called and asked if Id help her out by working on Senator George McGoverns campaign for the presidency. Though uncommonly busy, I was flattered and quickly agreed to serve as a weekend-volunteer at the Democratic Partys south Berkeley precinct. More duties soon followed. Asked to meet with other volunteers to discuss campaign strategy, I learned, to my surprise and dismay, that our groups leader would be none other than Donald Warden, attorney-at-law.

During our first meeting, which was held in his law offices in downtown San Francisco, Warden asked me to write some print material for the campaign. And though I accepted the assignment, I recall having an uneasy feeling about my old college buddy, feeling annoyed by his brusque, overbearing manner. Years later, the word messianic would come to mind whenever I thought about the meetings that hed chaired, all to no avail. Despite our efforts, Senator McGovern suffered a devastating lost to Richard Nixon during the presidential campaign of 1972. And, in no time, Donald Warden was once again a distant memory.

Flash forward several decades and its 2008. Widowed for nearly 20 years, I reside in the northern California town of Napa. Its an extraordinary time, the beginning of what would come to be known as the Obama era, a period named after a little-known, former community activist and newbie politician who seems to have materialized out of thin air. Id first learned about Barack ObamaHarvard law school graduate, charismatic community organizer, and University of Chicago law school lecturerwhile reading an article that was published in The New Republic in May of 2004. A photograph of the young, handsome, future U.S. president was prominently featured on the magazines cover. At that time, Obama was an Illinois state legislator running for the U.S. Senate. The article touted his ability to charm white union members, to appeal to members of the working-class, middle-class, and professional class. I filed away that information.

A couple of years later, while I was reading a book written by an investigative reporter, I spotted a familiar name from my past: Donald Warden. According to the book, whose title and author Im unable to recall, Warden was a Muslim convert, was now known as Dr. Khalid Abdullah Tariq al-Mansour, and was moving in very powerful circles. But the most astounding assertion was the writers claim that, some 20 years earlier, Wardenaka al-Mansourhad implored civil rights leader Percy Sutton to come to the aid of a genius, a young black student by the name of Barack Obama. The writers claim was based on statements that Sutton had uttered while being interviewed in 2008 on cable TV news station NY1. During that broadcast, the prominent black lawyer and former Manhattan Borough president claimed al-Mansour had asked him to write a letter on Obamas behalf and to send that letter to his, Suttons, friends at Harvard Law School. During that same broadcast, Sutton also asserted the following: al-Mansour had claimed to be a principal advisor to the Saudi prince and billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talal, and had also claimed the Saudis were financing Obamas education.

A photo of black nationalist and author, Dr. Khalid Abdullah Tariq Al-Mansour, provided in a press release on Sept. 13, 2012 ahead of a lecture by the author. (Courtesy University of Technology, Jamaica)

I was stunned. Over the years, my old buddy had apparently undergone a major transformation: from Christian to Muslim, from local to national and international prominence, andincrediblyfrom attorney and financial advisor to kingmaker. Could any of this information be true? I wondered. Why was I just hearing about this supposed link between my old college buddy and Barack Obama? When and where did Warden, aka al-Mansour, meet Obama? Why had the San Francisco-Bay Area media outlets that had been so intrigued by Warden in the past, that had written so many articles about him and interviewed him so many times since the seventies, failed to investigate such an important story? And just where was Warden nowadays? A political activist who had basked in the limelight for most of his professional lifewhod been the subject of countless radio and TV interviews and newspaper articles, whod served on several corporate and nonprofit boards, including one with ex Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorinawas suddenly missing in action, appeared to have faded from public scrutiny. Was he hiding out? And, if so, where? And why?

Surfing on the internet yielded little in the way of solid leads about Wardens whereabouts and his current life, only speculation in accounts written by bloggers and amateur investigative journalists. Several such accounts claimed that Dr. Khalid Abdullah Tariq al-Mansour, aka Donald Warden, was living in San Antonio, Texas. Though I tried several times to corroborate that information, I was unsuccessful. Then, in May of 2018, I received a call from a friend in Berkeley who said shed heard that he had passed away, a claim that, in 2019, I finally managed to corroborate.

Donald WardenBlack Panther mentor, Saudi family attorney, and reputed mentor to Barack Obamapassed away in December of 2016. But his life remains an enigma, is still clothed in mystery. During my college days at UC, I was curious about his background but heard little more than rumors about the life that he had led before moving to California to attend law school. Following the McGovern debacle, I would think about him from time to time, would wonder what he was up to, would imagine he was busy making ever more millions as an attorney and financial advisor to the Saudis. But never would I have imagined that he would be associated, decades later, with an icon of the 21st century; that he is believed to have influenced the trajectory and meteoric rise of the young, mixed-race politician who led this nation for eight years. Not surprisingly, that individual, Barack Obama, is as enigmatic a figure as Donald Warden.

Much has been made of the similarities between Barack Obamas oratory style and that of his former minister and mentor, Jeremiah Wright, pastor emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. But Ive often wondered if Donald Warden was Obamas most influential mentor. Did Warden help Obama hone his public-speaking skills and oratory style? Inspire his trademark cool, his unflappable demeanor, his spellbinding charisma? Did Warden begin grooming Obama decades ago, long before 2004, when he burst upon the scene at the Democratic National Convention? Many of the internets conspiracy claims about al-Mansours relationship with Obama are unsubstantiated. Yet, given his involvement with black nationalist groups during the sixties; his professional and personal involvement with the Saudi ruling family; his training at UC Berkeleys prestigious law school; his combative, dazzling oratory style; and his ability to garner media attentionI suspect that the claims about his ties with Barack Obama are true.

Im convinced that my college buddy Donald Warden, who adopted an Arabic name and joined the Muslim faith several years after graduating from law School, was one of the men behind the throne, a kingmaker who was as important to Obamas rise as were the Reverend Wright, advocate of black liberation theology; and Frank Marshall Davis, poet, journalist, and communist activist. Im convinced that Warden, aka al-Mansour, was one of many who helped to groom Barack Obama and set him on the path that led to our nations highest office. Perhaps the most important of all Obamas mentors, Warden appears not only to have helped Obama get funding from the Saudis for his graduate school, law school studies, and travels abroad; but Warden also appears to have helped him gain access to influential and wealthy movers and shakers, to Percy Sutton, Rev. Wright, Carly Fiorina, and other community and corporate luminaries.

Former college firebrand Donald Warden, later to be known as Khalid Abdullah Tariq al-Mansour, may well have been the man most responsible for Barack Hussein Obamas sudden rise to national and international prominence. But not one of the leaders and institutions that we count on to provide us with information, whether its trivial or vital to our national interest, appears to have been aware of the connection between the two men. Not the FBI, the NSA, the CIA, or any other member of our countrys intelligence community. Not our mainstream print and broadcast media with their armies of intrepid investigative reporters. Not our prestigious publishing houses. Not our visionaries in Silicon Valley, nor our directors at Google and Yahoo!, Twitter and Facebook. Not our academic world with its esteemed scholars. Not our cable news shows with their pundits and worldly-wise commentators. Not our Hollywood elites. Not our late-night TV comedians and talk-show hosts, nor our internet outlets with their daily tsunami of scurrilous gossip, rumors, and innuendo. Despite their far-ranging resources and their extensive contacts around the world and their deep pockets and their brilliance and intelligence and their experience, few of our countrys influencers and powers-that-be were aware of Barack Obamas ties with Donald Warden, aka Khalid Abdullah Tariq al-Mansour, a race-baiting, virulent hater of the United States and Israel, of whites, and of Christians and Jews.

Or perhaps they were.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A box from Amazon.com is pictured on the porch of a house in Golden, Colo., on July 23, 2008. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)

More Than 30 Companies, Including Amazon, Facebook and Pfizer Vow to Create Economic Opportunities for Afghan Refugees

More than 30 companies including Amazon, Facebook, Pfizer, and Tyson Foods have vowed to create economic opportunities and provide resources for Afghan refugees as they start their new lives in the United States.

The 34 companies, which stem from all sectors including tech, retail, and food service industry, have joined the Tent Coalition for Afghan Refugees, which aims to integrate Afghan refugees into the United States through the creation of job opportunities as well as by providing training and other resources.

Companies who have joined the coalition include Accenture, the Adecco Group, Amazon, APCO, Bain & Company, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Chobani, Coursera, Deloitte, Facebook, Gap, General Assembly, Henry Schein, Hilton, HP, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Jacobs, Kleen-Tech, Mastercard, Panda Express, Pfizer, Rejuvenationa Williams-Sonoma, Inc. brand, ServiceNow, Sitel Group, Sodexo, Tripadvisor, Tyson Foods, Uber, UPS, US Xpress, Wayfair, and Western Union.

In a statement published on Tuesday, Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani and Founder of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, said America is at a critical juncture and that the United States must play its part to welcome our Afghan brothers and sisters.

They have stood by our side, and we must stand by theirs, Ulukaya said.

I am so proud of the businesses stepping up todayand hope that many more will join our coalition. Ive said this before and Ill say it againthe moment a refugee gets a job, its the moment they stop being a refugee. Its the moment they can stand on their own two feet; its the moment they can make new friends; its the moment they can start a new life.

Online shopping giant Amazon said it already hires immigrants and refugees across the company as part of its diverse workforce, particularly at its fulfillment and transportation centers. The online retailer also trains and places high-skilled refugees in corporate roles across different business teams, it said.

Refugees working in its fulfillment and transportation centers also have access to the companys Career Choice program in which it funds full college tuition, as well as high school diplomas, GEDs, and English as a Second Language (ESL) proficiency certifications.

Amazon announced it will fully cover the college tuition of 750,000 of its hourly employees in the United States earlier this year and said it plans to start the initiative in January, and by 2025 it will have cost $1.2 billion.

The company also provides refugees with skills training opportunities through a free full-time 12-week program called AWS re/Start which prepares unemployed and underemployed people for careers in cloud computing.

We are committed to expanding and improving on these efforts and providing employment support for the refugee population, including the imminent need for Afghan refugees, Beth Galetti, Amazons Senior Vice President of People eXperience and Technology, said in a statement.

An August poll by CBS News found that 81 percent of Americans feel the United States should support at-risk Afghans who worked for U.S. troops and officials in recent years, in intelligence or as translators.

The same poll found that 59 percent of people thought the United States was not currently doing enough to help Afghan people who are trying to leave the country since the United States withdrew its troops in mid-August and the Taliban terrorist group subsequently took over the country.
(L-R) Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton, Foreign Minister Marise Payne, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the State Department in Washington, on Sept. 16, 2021. Washington announced a new alliance on Sept. 15 with Australia and Britain to strengthen military capabilities in the face of a rising China, with Canberra to get a nuclear submarine fleet and U.S. cruise missiles. (Andrew Harnik/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

New AUKUS Partnership a Win for Democracies: Experts

The leaders of Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom announced last week the formation of a new trilateral security agreement called AUKUS. The new security pact will oversee the development of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet in Australia and also focus on developing joint artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, and long-range strike capabilities.

Experts believe that the partnership will meaningfully augment the United States and its allies ability to effectively deter Chinese Communist Party (CCP) adventurism in the Indo-Pacific and that its mission-oriented multilateralism may provide a framework for future joint military efforts among democratic nations.

The move indicates a growing understanding of the threat posed by the CCP to the nations of the Indo-Pacific, and how alliances might best combat it, Sam Kessler, a geopolitical adviser at the multinational risk management company North Star Support Group, told The Epoch Times.

Its an indication that the U.S. is taking the level of seriousness to the next level and showing that it realizes it needs to more fully utilize its established set of alliances that have been around for decades, he said in an email.

It shows that the UK and Australia are also more committed to addressing the regional security concerns that are escalating in the Indo-Pacific.

Kessler noted that the United States doesnt normally share its submarine technology, much less its nuclear submarine know-how, and that the move demonstrates the seriousness with which the nation believes that its allies will be vital to countering emerging global security crises.

The last time the United States committed to such a transfer of technology was from 1958 to 1962, when it agreed to exchange nuclear capabilities with the UK in an effort to deter the Soviet Union from nuclear action as part of the U.S.UK Mutual Defense Agreement, which is still in effect.

The nuclear submarines will make Australia the seventh nation in the world to command such technology, and the only one without also owning nuclear weapons. The other countries that have nuclear submarines are China, France, India, the UK, the United States, and Russia.

The CCP responded irately to the development, with state-owned media Global Times suggesting that Australia would now be a target for nuclear war.

The strengthening of Australias military capabilities follows a year of attempts by the CCP to cripple the Australian economy through sanctions and tariffs in response to a call by Australian officials for an inquiry into the origins of the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

Anders Corr, principal at advisory firm Corr Analytics, told The Epoch Times that AUKUS is particularly important insofar as it offers a strategic military capability and adds a specific mission set to nations whose other security agreements, such as the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, were otherwise limited to intelligence sharing or non-mission-specific drills.

AUKUS is important because it creates a stronger core to the Five Eyes alliance, Corr, who is also an Epoch Times contributor, said in an email, referring to the grouping of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Canada and New Zealand are still members of Five Eyes, but AUKUS can go where Five Eyes cannot, notably into strategic deterrence of China, he said.

Allies and Vassals

Both experts also highlighted the fact that AUKUS serves as a reinforcement to allied attempts at increasing interoperabilitythe ability of their individual military forces to effectively commingle and operate as one single joint force.

The Australians having nuclear submarine technology is designed to assist with the U.S. and British efforts, as diesel has major limitations and uses, Kessler said. This is just one example where interoperable forces can help ensure security in the Indo-Pacific.

Another key component of developing such interoperability, Corr says, is the capability of sharing specific weapons systems in the future, should the nations deem such action necessary.

Interoperability may be critical to the strategic power of AUKUS, he said. For example, if the United States or Britain decides to provide nuclear weapons that fit the Tomahawk cruise missiles that will arm Australias new nuclear submarines.

As part of the agreement, Australia is set to receive Tomahawk cruise missiles to arm its nuclear submarines. Thus far, however, all three AUKUS nations have sworn that Australias new fleet of submarines will only be powered by nuclear generators, and not armed with nuclear weapons.

Its also important to note that, though Tomahawk missiles are nuclear-capable, nuclear warheads for the system were phased out in 2014.

Additionally, the focus on building interoperability between the nations forces has become something of a key feature that distinguishes the United States military alliances from those of China.

While the United States and its allies seek to build joint forces that can work together toward one end, the CCP generally seeks merely to control its partners for the purposes of pursuing its own aims, and generally refrains from building any interoperational capacity, according to experts.

Its a phenomenon that Corr believes stems from the very different forms of governance between the democratic West and communist China.

AUKUS is a win for the ability of democracies, which by nature share power, to ally with each other, Corr said. Dictatorships, which are by nature power-hungry, do not have that advantage.

Kessler also believes the agreement presents real progress in the allies ability to expand upon traditional alliance structures and leverage resources toward a common goal in a novel way.

What we are seeing is that redrawing the lines and going outside the box can create a new scenario and range of opportunities that previously didnt exist, he said, which is why multilateralism and traditional established alliance structures in the West can potentially find new life and meaning in this new strategic reality.

A Framework for the Future

Importantly, Corr and Kessler believe that AUKUS could provide a framework for meaningfully improving upon the way democratic nations pursue security interests jointly, and that the agreement may provide a learning opportunity for informing other informal agreements such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad.

The Quad is a forum among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States thats designed to promote a free and open IndoPacific and rules-based maritime order.

Its possible that AUKUS can provide a framework for formalizing other non-binding partnerships like the Quad, Kessler said. However, it will depend on how the two find a way to coexist and help each other out in ways that serve specific purposes and goals.

Likewise, Corr said that the strength of AUKUS largely is in its dedication to solving a specific problem, and that other security agreements ought to focus on developing specific solutions to particular problems as well.

AUKUS shows what an alliance can do when it has a specific mission, for example, the provision of nuclear submarines to Australia, Corr said. The Quad has a less specific, and relatively non-explicit mission, and so has been less effective to this point.

As the danger from Beijing increases, the Quad will be forced to step in with more specific missions.

Corr and Kessler hope AUKUS will prove a valuable springboard for effective deterrence of CCP in the Indo-Pacific and a boon to the many democratic nations of the world. That hope was shared by the leaders of the AUKUS nations, whose announcement of the agreement on Sep. 15 heralded a commitment to the values of maritime democracies.

For now, Kessler says the success of AUKUS will depend upon the ability of its leaders to acknowledge that the threat from Beijing is reaching its zenith, and to act accordingly.

AUKUS as a multilateral cooperation tool can be a win if the Western players realize that the strategic reality is more serious, with higher stakes, after several years of evolving to this point, he said.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy arrives to speak during a news conference in Trenton, N.J., on Sept. 12, 2019. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

New Jersey Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine or Testing for Child Care Workers

New Jersey Governor mandated COVID-19 vaccination or testing for all personnel of child care facilities in the state. In addition, the governor ordered an indoor mask mandate for all employees, students, children, and visitors at these settings.

Governor Phil Murphy signed on Monday an executive order that required all personnel of child care centers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, or undergo testing once or twice a week. Both antigen and molecular tests will be acceptable, according to a statement.

The facilities will have to come into full compliance with the vaccine or testing requirement by Nov. 1.

The order also demands that all employees, visitors, students, and children aged 2 or older must wear facemasks indoors at child care facilities starting Sept. 24.

Murphy has justified these measures on the grounds of protecting children who are all under 12 years old and not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, the statement said.

The measure allows for some limited exceptions to the mask mandate such as extreme heat and certain medical conditions. Also, individuals can be exempted from wearing a mask when eating, drinking, or playing a musical instrument, when engaging in some high-intensity physical activity under certain conditions, and when a person has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated, or unable to remove a mask without assistance.

However, no local government can enact any measure that contradicts the governors order but child care centers are permitted to impose stricter rules on vaccination and testing than the order provisioned, the statement said.

For example, they can require more frequent testing, or testing of both vaccinated and unvaccinated staff, or mandatory vaccinations without a testing alternative, according to the statement.

New Jersey state Senator Michael Testa called the mask mandate for 2 years old children absolutely ridiculous and likely unenforceable.

Its hard to imagine Governor Murphys toddler mask mandate is enforceable in any way that doesnt do more harm than good. So whats the point? Testa, a Republican said in a statement on Tuesday.

Is Gov. Murphy going to close day care centers or have toddlers carted off to jail when they rip their masks off? Its hard to imagine this toddler mask mandate is enforceable in any way that doesnt do more harm than good. So whats the point? https://t.co/2f7XimLjFP  Senator Michael Testa (@senatortesta) September 21, 2021

Late August, Murphy mandated vaccinations or testing against the CCP virus for all employees of public, private, and parochial schools, from preschools through grade 12, effective Oct. 18.

Early August, the governor issued a facemask mandate for all students, school personnel, and visitors in indoor school premises for the 2021-2022 school year.

All personnel of certain state-owned and private health care facilities, or high-risk congregate settings are also subject to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination or testing as per Murphys executive order enacted at the beginning of August.

According to USA Facts, nearly 64 percent of more than 9 million state population (pdf) have been fully vaccinated.

New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said at a press conference on Monday that 1,137 COVID-19 positive patients and patients under investigation have been hospitalized.

Out of those patients, 258 were in ICU, and ventilators were used on 57 percent of them, reported NJ Spotlight.

Fortunately, there are no new reports of multisystem inflammatory system in children. Our cumulative cases remain at 133, Persichilli said.
A pedestrian walks past the New Zealand parliament building known as the Beehive in central Wellington, New Zealand, on July 3, 2017. (David Gray/Reuters)

New Zealand Steps Closer to Tighter Terrorism Laws After Supermarket Knife Attack

WELLINGTONNew Zealands parliament took a step closer on Tuesday to making it easier to arrest and prosecute terrorists planning attacks, just weeks after an ISIS-inspired assault by a knife-wielding assailant wounded seven people at a supermarket.

The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill passed its second reading in parliament with the ruling Labour Party and the main opposition National Party voting in favor, while smaller parties like the Greens opposed it.

The bill, an amendment to the 2002 Terrorism Suppression Act and other related laws, will be enacted once it clears a third reading.

The government said the legislation addresses a major gap in the law by criminalizing planning or preparation for a terrorist act. Enforcement agencies have long recommended the change.

The new law also gives police the ability to apply warrantless powers of entry, search, and surveillance to stop the planning and preparation of a terrorist act and criminalizes weapons training or combat training for terrorist purposes.

Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said the legislation brings New Zealand in line with laws in countries like Australia, Britain, and Canada.

This is a change which bring us into line with laws in other countries and strengthens our laws to fight the changing nature of terrorism where we are seeing more threats from lone actors rather than terrorist organizations, Faafoi said in a statement.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern vowed to tighten counter-terrorism laws by the end of the month after the knife attack at a mall in Auckland on Sept 3. The man, who was shot dead by police, was inspired by the ISIS terrorist group and was being monitored constantly by security personnel after his earlier release from prison.

It was the second terrorist attack in the country in as many years after the massacre at two mosques in Christchurch in March 2019 that killed 51 people and injured dozens more.

Critics have argued that the government rushed the bill without enough debate and risks creating a law that could cause further harm to marginalized communities.
Illegal immigrants, many from Haiti, are seen at an encampment along the Del Rio International Bridge near the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

No Clear Plan for Bringing Haitian Migrants to Pennsylvania

Despite hints that some may be moved to Pennsylvania, no clear plan has been publicly defined for the fate of thousands of Haitian illegal immigrants gathered under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas.

City of Harrisburg spokeswoman Syeda Tayyeba told The Epoch Times she was aware of one national media report that some would be sent to Harrisburg, but the city has not received any indication of that.

The federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, sent eight staff and two buses Monday to Del Rio. Other federal prisons also sent staff.

The Bureau of Prisons sent approximately 100 staff to provide transportation assistance at the border in Del Rio, Texas. We have no further information to provide at this time, the Federal Bureau of Prisons representative, who did not sign their name, said in an email to The Epoch Times.

The bureau would not name which prisons sent workers, or say where its workers would be transporting the illegal immigrants.

A month ago, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfs administration issued a press release announcing Pennsylvania would begin welcoming refugees from Afghanistan and help Haitians fleeing catastrophe after a devastating Aug. 14 earthquake.

As of last week, the Philadelphia International Airport processed 11,869 Afghan evacuees.

Non-profit resettlement organizations are helping Afghans find housing and meet their basic needs. One such group, Church World Service in Lancaster, confirmed to The Epoch Times that it has not yet been told to prepare for Haitians currently stopped in Del Rio.

Pennsylvanias Department of Human Services did not respond Wednesday to questions about when Haitian illegal immigrants would arrive, how many Pennsylvania would accept, or where they would live.

While Afghans are mostly classified as refugees, Haitians are migrants seeking asylumand the process for legally entering the United States is different and lengthier.

But its all the same to Jean Guillaume, founder of the Philadelphia Haitian American Chamber of Commerce.

Haiti was already overrun with violent gangs when its president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in July, causing more political turmoil. Then the earthquake.

We had the earthquake that destroyed three-fifths of the island, we are in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, and you send people back like its nothing, Guillaume told The Epoch Times in a phone interview.

Haitians are treated differently than the Afghans. We deserve to live like human beings.

He blames President Bill Clinton-era tariffs for destroying Haitis economy, and says the problems those policies created are still felt today.

The Clinton Foundation destroyed our agriculture. We were self-sufficient. But they told us to stop planting rice and sold us rice grown in Arkansas. They forced us to search for work on distant shores, Guillaume said.

Give people fair treatment and the opportunity to live a better life in the United States. Everybody wants to have a better life for their family, Guillaume said.

He believes racism plays a role in the treatment of Haitians. Regardless of the color of our skin, they need to stop playing politics with human life. Its not a game.
North Carolina Food Truck Operator Fights Protectionism

A barbeque food truck operator in North Carolina is suing a local government after it enacted protectionist regulations that increased food truck permitting fees by close to 8,000 percent.

The lawsuit, Shirley v. Town of Farmville, was filed Sept. 21, in state court in Pitt County, North Carolina, on behalf of plaintiff Mark Shirley by Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm based in Sacramento, California. Shirley resides in Walstonburg, just west of Farmville.

Many restaurants faced difficulties throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Jessica Thompson, a PLF attorney representing Shirley, told The Epoch Times.

And when so many small businesses are fighting to survive, the government shouldnt be erecting new barriers for entrepreneurs. The Town of Farmville cannot pick economic winners and losers.

And were suing under the North Carolina constitution to protect Marks economic liberty as well as the economic liberty of future generations of entrepreneurs in North Carolina. Thats because economic liberty protects an individuals right to improve their own lives and it also provides customers with more choices.

In September 2019, Shirley quit his sales job and started his own food truck business. He obtained the needed permits, paid Farmvilles then-required $100 annual fee, rented a private parking space in town, and opened up for business serving lunch in Farmville on Wednesdays and Fridays. Despite the usual challenges a new restaurant faces, including the ongoing pandemic, his food truck business, called Ole Time Smokehouse, developed a loyal customer base, according to the legal complaint.

But in April, Farmville amended the food truck ordinance to require Shirley to fork over a $75 permit fee dailywhich works out to an annual fee of $7,800 for a truck serving lunch twice per weekrepresenting an increase of more than 7,700 percent. The amended food truck ordinance also forbids food trucks from operating within 100 feet of the property boundary of brick-and-mortar restaurants, unless the food truck receives written permission from its competitor to operate in closer proximity.

The permit fee operates as an illegal tax to raise general funds for the Towns expenses unrelated to food truck regulation, the legal complaint states.

The amended ordinance is intended to protect existing brick-and-mortar restaurants from competition from food trucks by erecting expensive, arbitrary regulatory barriers.

Because economic protectionism is not a constitutionally legitimate purpose for an ordinance, the restrictions on Marks business violate the North Carolina Constitution, Article I, Sections 1 and 19. Moreover, because the Amended Ordinance singles out food truck lunch providers for regulatory burdens while exempting brick-and-mortar lunch providers, the ordinance also violates the North Carolina Constitutions equal protection clause, Article I, Section 19.

Thompson said the problem is that the General Assembly has not authorized Farmville to levy such an outrageous permit fee, which is functioning as a tax.

Under North Carolina law, towns are allowed to assess regulatory fees only to cover the cost of the regulation, she said. Theres just no way that it costs them $75 a day to regulate food trucks.

The town doesnt conduct health inspections of the food truck, or provide water or waste removal or any other services, she said.

Its an arbitrary regulation intended to make it difficult for him to operate his business and interfere with his right to earn a living, Thompson said.

The requirement to seek permission to operate the food truck within 100 feet of the property line of an established restaurant gives that restaurant a veto on the food truck setting up in a private lot near it, she said.

According to the legal complaint, for Shirley, Ole Time Smokehouse is more than a food truck.

It represents century-old southern cooking traditions, service to others, and his professional calling. Rare is the debate between North Carolinians livelier than about which style of barbeque represents true Carolina Barbeque: Eastern-style or Lexington-style barbeque. Some barbeque historians argue that the difference is one of degrees since both styles are vinegar-basedthe two styles are more alike than different, especially when compared to other regional barbeque styles. Marks Ole Time Smokehouse food truck blends these Carolina barbeque traditions.

Farmville officials couldnt immediately be reached for comment.
The North Carolina State Campus, which contains Dabney Hall, the main building for graduate and undergraduate studies in chemistry, is seen in Raleigh, N.C., on July 15, 2005. (Logan Mock-Bunting/Getty Images)

North Carolina State Professor Alleges Woke Mob at University Discriminated Against Him; Files Lawsuit

Based on the allegation that a woke mob within his faculty discriminated against him, a North Carolina State University (NCSU) professor filed a civil suit (pdf) on Sept. 14 in federal court against the colleges board of trustees.

Stephen Porter, the plaintiff, is a professor at NCSU in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he has alleged that the colleges 13-member board of trustees infringed upon Porters freedom of expression, violating both his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by retaliating against his free speech.

Porter was hired as a tenured professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development (ELPHD) in 2011.

The defendants are listed individually in the lawsuit as Dean Mary Ann Danowitz, Chancellor Randolph Woodson, and Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs John K. Lee.

Joy Gaston Gayles, the senior advisor for Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Penny Pasque, a professor in the Department of Educational Studies, are also named as defendants.

In response to Porters questioning of social issues, the lawsuit alleges that the defendants have intentionally and systematically excluded him from departmental programs and activities that are necessary for him to fulfill his job requirements, effectively hollowing his job out from the inside.

According to the lawsuit, the defendants deliberately have intended to set the stage for his eventual termination.

While the structures of the plaintiffs academic departmentand thus, the details of the adverse employment actions taken against himis complex, what is happening is quite simple: Defendants are gradually forcing plaintiff into what is effectively a rubber room in retaliation for his criticisms of the so-called social-justice ideology that now prevails both in his department and in academia more broadly, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit states that Porter had been outspoken in questioning what he called harmful agendas that Porter said further a highly dogmatic view of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Porter began to be known as a bully, according to the lawsuit, in 2017.

An Account of Exclusions

Porter alleged that Danowitz was instrumental in removing him from his departmental program area in retaliation for his protected speech before assigning him a fifth course to teach as a punishment.

Gayles excluded him from doctoral events and activities critical to the fulfillment of his job duties before developing the Higher Education Opportunity, Equity, and Justice program, from which Porter said he was not included, a move that was intended to later edge him out of the ELPHD program altogether.

Lee systematically excluded Porter from meetings and activates related to higher education programs and the advising of students, Porter said, which prevented him from getting new advisees.

Pasque removed Porter from his departmental program area and assigned the previously mentioned punitive fifth course.

The Woke Joke Blog

Much of the contention between Porter and his co-workers centered around opinions expressed in Porters blog, Porter said.

Im a political conservative who has no problem taking a stand and expressing my opinion, which is why I have, for years now, been targeted by the woke mob at NC State, Porter wrote in his blog on why he filed the lawsuit, adding that he will begin blogging about the details leading up to the lawsuit, which go back several years.

The Epoch Times reached out to NC State University for a response to Porters lawsuit, but it did not immediately respond.
A gas pump at a petrol station in Seoul on June 27, 2011. (Jo Yong-Hak/Reuters)

Oil Prices Rise on Expected US Stocks Draw

LONDONOil prices climbed more than $1 on Wednesday, extending overnight gains after industry data showed U.S. crude stocks fell more than expected last week in the wake of two hurricanes, highlighting tight supply as demand improves.

Prices were also supported as some OPEC members struggle to raise output and by a general sense of energy market shortages amid a power and gas crisis in Europe.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose $1.07, or 1.5 percent, to $71.56 a barrel by 0911 GMT, adding to a 35- cent gain from Tuesday.

Brent crude futures climbed $0.95, or 1.3 percent, to $75.31 a barrel, after gaining 44 cents on Tuesday.

The oil markets focus turned to concerns of tight supply, after Mondays pressure from broad market jitters over the possible default of Chinese property developer China Evergrande Group.

Crude is supported by the API weekly report, which noted a bigger-than-expected decline in U.S. crude oil stocks, said Ravindra Rao, vice president of commodities at Kotak Securities.

Prices are still rangebound ahead of the EIA weekly report due later today and ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserves monetary policy decision  In the near term, crude may move with larger markets with focus on China and Fed policy.

U.S. crude stocks fell by 6.1 million barrels for the week ended Sept. 17, market sources said, citing Tuesdays figures from the American Petroleum Institute.

That was a much bigger than the expected decline. The market will be watching U.S. government data on Wednesday to confirm the drops.

Given the variety of supportive factors in the energy space, notably sky-high natural gas prices  dips in prices right now are likely to be short-lived, said Jeffrey Halley, an analyst at brokerage OANDA.

Global gas prices are expected to break records this winter.

By Dmitry Zhdannikov
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) waits to speak to reporters following a Senate Democratic luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on June 15, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Opponents of Vaccine Mandate Exalting Liberty Over Life: Sen. Durbin

In an impassioned speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) defended President Joe Bidens sweeping vaccine mandate and criticized Republican opponents of the mandate.

Bidens mandate, one of the largest vaccination mandates ever, is wide-ranging. It would require all federal employees to face the choice of getting vaccinated or losing their jobs. Biden also asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which creates and enforces workplace safety standards, to put in place an emergency order to require that private firms with 100 or more employees mandate vaccinations or weekly testing for the CCP virus (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

In total, the sweeping mandate would affect more than 100 million Americans. Exempt from the mandates are members of Congress, federal judges, and employees in both branches.

Republicans Are Siding With The Virus: Durbin

Durbin began his speech: Less than two miles from this Capitol, there are 666,000 white flags stretching across the National Mall like a sea of suffering and loss. Each of these flags represents an American life lost to COVID.

With the rise of the Delta Variant, its not only the elderly and immunocompromised who are at risk, Durbin noted, and pointed to increased rates of infection among children. Durbin continued, COVID is once again overwhelming Americas health system.

Durbin pointed to disparities in hospitalization between largely vaccinated areas like Chicago, where he said two in three people are vaccinated, and his own hometown of Springfield, where vaccination rates remain lower, at only one in three.

He argued, So much of this suffering and expense could be avoided if we could take the politics out of the COVID debate and stop the spread of misinformation that is literally killing people.

The most important thing is that more people get vaccinated, Durbin said. Vaccines, he claimed, are safe, effective, and free.

Despite this, Durbin said, the U.S. ranks fifty-fifth globally for the percentage of people vaccinatedwe are just behind Cambodia. Those numbers, the senator continued, are sad, inexcusable, and deadly.

Durbin turned to arguments made by opponents of vaccines that they have a right to make their own healthcare decisions.

Listen, all Americans respect individual rights, said Durbin. But, he continued, the only way to end the pandemic is for everyone to accept their personal responsibility for our shared wellbeing.

That is why I support President Bidens recent action to strengthen Americas defense against COVID and bring this pandemic finally to an end, Durbin ruled. He argued that a strong majority of Americans support this policy.

Other nations have already instituted policies which encourage vaccinationsits time for us to do the same, Durbin said. More Americans have to roll up their sleeves and realize vaccination is the pathway to  life returning to normal, he explained.

He then turned to efforts by some state-level Republican leaders to oppose the Biden administrations wide-reaching vaccine mandate. Some of these have threatened to sue the president for the policy, viewing it as an overreach of his authority.

In other words, these governors are saying to the president stop the requirement for masks, stop any requirement for vaccinations, said Durbin. In the war against COVID, [Republican lawmakers] are siding with the virus, Durbin alleged.

He continued, Their actions  will result in more illness, more death, and more harm to the economy.

They are exalting liberty over life, Durbin proclaimed. These reckless political actions have deadly real-world consequences, he continued.

By contrast, he argued that Bidens vaccine mandates are reasonable, necessary, and a majority of the American people believe in them.

The opponents of the mandate, Durbin suggested, should fight the virus instead of the presidents ambitions to bring this pandemic to an end.

Republicans Justify Opposition to Vax Mandate

In fact, state-level Republican critics of the policy are largely in favor of the vaccine, many having received one themselves and encouraging others in their states to get one as well. For these leaders, the issue is one of the rights of citizens to choose whether to get vaccinated.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey argued in a statement that The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective tools to prevent the disease, but getting the vaccine is and should be a choice. By mandating vaccines, said Ducey, Biden is trying to shut down freedom.

He conceded, COVID-19 is a contagious disease, it is still with us and it will be for the foreseeable future. But the Biden administrations solution, he continued, is hammering down on private businesses and individual freedoms in an unprecedented and dangerous way.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who earlier in the year successfully defended Arizona election laws to the Supreme Court, immediately responded to the move with a lawsuit.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said in a forceful statement on the mandate, Rest assured, we will fight them to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.

Earlier in the year, after White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced a door-to-door vaccination campaign, McMaster responded similarly. In a letter to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, McMaster argued that A South Carolinians decision to get vaccinated is a personal one for them to make and not the governments.

He also warned that Enticing, coercing, intimidating, mandating, or pressuring anyone to take the vaccine is a bad policy which will deteriorate the publics trust and confidence in the States vaccination efforts.

Another critic of the vaccine mandate has been Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis has said of vaccines in the past that they are saving lives. He emphasized the benefits that they had in lowering infection rates and hospitalization rates, and encouraged Floridians to get vaccinated.

Still, after the national mandate was announced, DeSantis resisted the move and was doubtful that the executive action was legal. He said: I do not believe that people should lose their jobs over this issue, and we will fight that. If they try to do that through a rule like the Department of Labor, I dont think they have the legal authority to do that, but we obviously would want to support protections for people who are just trying to earn a living.

Petr Svab contributed to this report.
People count California recall ballot votes at a Los Angeles Registrar site at the Los Angeles Fair Grounds in Pomona, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange County Election Observer Raises Questions Over Undeliverable Ballots

A citizen election observer has raised concerns over what she estimates could be as many as 100,000 undeliverable ballots returned to Orange Countys main vote center during the gubernatorial recall election.

The observer, who asked to go by the pseudonym Tracy Verdi, told The Epoch Times she estimates that tens of thousands and maybe 100,000 undeliverable vote-by-mail ballots were returned to the facility in Santa Ana, Calif., in early September.

Verdi also claimed that observers were kept away from some aspects of the ballot-processing operation, and that in some instances, observers had to use high-powered binoculars to view the process. She said they werent allowed to get close enough to the operations to accurately monitor them.

Orange County Registrar of Voters (ROV) Neal Kelley denied the allegations, claiming that observers were given access and that the ROV has received half that amount of undeliverable ballots.

This is nonsense, Kelley responded in an email to The Epoch Times. They had the same view as regular ballots. They were on camera when the ones that were processed went through our automated sorters.

Though Kelley set up cameras to monitor different stages of vote processing to make people feel like theyre observing, Verdi said its not the same as up-close observation.

Hes really turned observers into spectators and not true observers, she said. Ive been a credentialed election observer in another state for congressional candidates, senator candidates, and gubernatorial candidates. I have never seen such a corralling of observers limiting their ability to truly observe an election than what Ive witnessed.

Though she stopped short of alleging election fraud, Verdi wondered why there were so many envelopes stuffed with empty mail-in ballots piled up in bins at the ROV facility. The envelopes werent postmarked or marked return to sender, she said.

In early September, observers asked election officials how many undeliverable ballots had been returned to the ROV over the course of the election. They were told lots because the Orange County ROV sent out over a million mail-in ballots, but they werent given a number, Verdi said.

ROV staff didnt answer specific questions about how and when the undeliverable ballots were received, how theyre accounted for, and what eventually happens to them. They were told that requests to destroy votable ballots must come from the individual voter, Verdi said.

Observers were told that the ROV had a special relationship with the United States Postal Service (USPS), which holds the undeliverable ballots and takes them to the ROV when space is available, Verdi said.

But Kelley said Verdi is incorrect and misinformed.

The USPS does not bring them to our facility. We pick them up, and the USPS does not hold anywe take them all. Some are marked return to sender, but most have the nixie labels (yellow labels) with either just plain undeliverable, or with the new address. Election mail (particularly ballots) are not forwardable and are treated differently than regular mail, he said in the email.

Undeliverable ballots are treated like voted ballots that go directly into our 24-hour secure caged area, Kelley said. There are not an unusual amount of undeliverable ballots. They are not postmarked, because the USPS charges us directly for the postage (no need for a postmark). They are marked as return to send[er] and/or with a nixie label.

Verdi said she saw two batches of undeliverable ballots at the ROV vote center on two different days, one in early September and one on Sept. 17. Each time, the ballots filled a space of about 1,300 cubic feet. She estimated the number of ballots to be about 30,000 each time.

Vote-by-mail ballots in Orange County on Sept. 17, 2021. (Photo courtesy of an election observer)

On the second day, because she claims she was forced to stand about 50 feet away from the caged area, Verdi said once I got my binoculars out, elections officials started taking racks and putting them in front of me so I couldnt see.

Kelley said the total of undeliverable ballots is approximately 50,000 or 2.75 percent of the ballots mailed out to voters, and that he doesnt expect any more for the recall election.

He pointed out that standard undeliverable mail rates from professional mailers are 3 to 10 percent, according to data available on the USPS website. We are even below marketing mail, he said.

The OC ROVs undeliverable rate is below most of Californias 58 counties, he noted.

The vast majority of our voters in the recall election used a mail ballot (943,590) and returned them without issue, he said.

The most common reason for undeliverable ballots is that is the occupant has moved without giving an up-to-date address, or if there is, we are not allowed to forward, Kelley said.

Election databases are one of the few government databases where updating address information is not compulsory, he said.

Verdi, a former counter-intelligence and security special agent for the Dept. of Defense, said vote center staff often spoke openly when voters were not present that the long-term goal is to eventually eliminate all in-person voting.

Verdi said: When it comes to elections, I think the voters need to realize that in the last 20 years, servicemen and women have given up life and limb to hold the line against terrorismand if you want to go further back, since 1776to ensure your liberty and freedom, so if they can hold the line, then you can stand in line and vote.

You really dont have an election day anymore. Youve got two months.

Voters Experience

Registered Republican voter Susan Jordan told The Epoch Times her voting experience on Sept. 14 was horrid.

The Laguna Niguel resident went to cast her ballot in person on election day and, like many other voters across the state, was told she had already voted, although she hadnt.

The same thing happened to her friends and relatives in five different counties, who voted Republican, Jordan said. She is convinced the problems were widespread and affected thousands of voters in more than just five counties.

Jordan said two supervisors at the polling location told her she could either vote by provisional ballot or register as a new voter.

I spent 5 1/2 hours trying to fix it and went to the Registrar of Voters, Jordan said. I called the FBI. I went by the FBI office in Orange. Everybody referred me to someone else. I went to the Orange County Sheriff to report it. They referred me to the FBI. The FBI referred me to Election Integrity. That was going into the 5 1/2 hours, and I said, Im done. I give up.

Jordan said she ended up registering as a new voter to cast her ballot.

It was all just extreme frustration.

Republican candidate Larry Elder told The Epoch Times on Sept. 17 that the problem of voters being told that they had already voted occurred more often in traditionally red voter precincts.

Every single area was a heavy Republican area, he said.

Im distrustful of the mail-in balloting in general, Elder said. Its just too easy to commit fraud.

Elder said the states old system of absentee ballots made sense, but now anybody can print his or her own ballot, he said. What could possibly go wrong?

Neither David Walton, USPS Pacific Area Corporate Communications Manager, nor Evelina Ramirez, USPS media contact for Los Angeles and Orange County, immediately responded to inquiries.
A Surete du Quebec police car is seen in Montreal, on July 22, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson)

Outsource Non-Core Policing Tasks to Rethink Instead of Defund Police: Montreal Think Tank

Amid rising crime rates and calls from some to defund the police a new paper suggests an alternative solution to help manage the swelling costs of policing: outsource non-core police tasks to licensed security professionals.

Supplementing the police force with security personnel could save millions of dollars while lowering crime rates by allowing police to focus only on those areas that require a high degree of police training, says the paper, Let the Police Police, and Let Entrepreneurs Handle the Rest, [pdf] by the Montreal Economic Institute.

A very significant portion of the work carried out by police officers does not involve the most specialized aspects of the extensive training theyve received, said Krystle Wittevrongel, public policy analyst and coauthor of the paper, released Sept. 8.

In fact, only 10 percent of the tasks officers carry out are highly demanding of all of these skills. An analysis conducted over thirty years in British Columbia revealed that officers spend 40 percent of their time on report writing and other administrative tasks.

Non-core tasks also include fingerprinting, security clearances, funeral escorts, guard duty, dispatching police vehicles, and event patrol. These are examples of mission creep, the paper said, where demands on officers to take on roles in non-criminal areas expanded over time.

But the authors argue that if licensed security professionals can be entrusted to take on the non-core tasks, it can ease budgetary pressures and help police forces increase their operational efficiency, thereby reducing crime and improving job satisfaction among officers.

According to our calculations, we could reduce Quebec police forces annual operating expenditures by between 17 percent and 20 percent, which represents savings of between $525 million and $615 million per year, Wittevrongel said.

A similar calculation for Alberta finds between 11 percent and 14 percent in reduced annual operating expenditures, representing savings of between $171 million and $225 million per year.

These savings could be used to reduce provincial deficits or improve core police services, she added.

Canadians are also in support of the strategy, the paper suggested, citing a poll conducted by Ipsos in 2017 that found 59 percent of Canadians agreed with the idea of private security firms performing support tasks currently being carried out by the police.

Wittevrongel said evidence has shown that the UK, which adopted this approach, has experienced a reduction in crime rates and generated savings.

A UK study conducted by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMIC) in 2012 found that collaboration offers the potential to improve both efficiency and effectiveness.

Forces are improving the service in some areas (such as protective services) and save money in others, HMIC stated.

Savings, particularly those in non-front line functions, assist forces in protecting their front line service.

The paper added that with the offloading of non-core tasks and the curtailing of mission creep, officers are motivated to do their job well.

The job satisfaction of police officers can only improve as they focus more on the tasks for which they were trained, Wittevrongel said.
Filipino soldiers stand at attention near a Philippine flag at Thitu island in disputed South China Sea on April 21, 2017. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)

Philippines Supports Australia Nuclear Sub Pact to Counter China

MANILAThe Philippines is backing a new defense partnership between the United States, Britain, and Australia, hoping it can maintain the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region, a view that contrasts sharply with some of its neighbors.

Known as AUKUS, the alliance will see Australia get technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines as part of the agreement intended to respond to the Chinese regimes growing influence.

The enhancement of a near-abroad allys ability to project power should restore and keep the balance rather than destabilize it, Philippines foreign minister, Teodoro Locsin, said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Locsins remarks differ to the stance of Indonesia and Malaysia, which sounded the alarm about the nuclear power submarines amid a burgeoning superpower rivalry in Southeast Asia.

Locsin said that without an actual presence of nuclear weapons, the AUKUS move would not violate a 1995 treaty to keep nuclear arms out of Southeast Asia.

The South China Sea continues to be a source of tension, with the United Statesa defense treaty partner of the Philippinesand Western allies regularly conducting freedom of navigation operations that the Chinese regime has reacted angrily to.

The Chinese regime sees those as outside interference in waters it claims as its own, in conflict with other coastal states, like the Philippines and Vietnam, which have accused the Chinese regime of harassing fishermen and energy activities.

A brief period of rapprochement is all but over this year, with the Philippines furious about the threatening presence of hundreds of Chinese maritime militia inside its exclusive economic zone.

Proximity breeds brevity in response time; thereby enhancing an ASEAN near friend and allys military capacity to respond to a threat to the region, or challenge the status quo, Locsin added, without specifying the threat.

This requires enhancing Australias ability, added to that of its main military ally, to achieve that calibration.
Proponents Plan to Restart Recall Effort for LA Councilwoman Nithya Raman

Recall proponents decided to suspend the campaign against Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman on Sept. 17, and plan to regroup under a new Political Action Committee (PAC) for another round of recall efforts.

Scott Meyers, lawyer and longtime resident of Hollywood, told The Epoch Times that the proponents have all agreed to temporarily suspend the recall effort due to the inability to meet the deadline for signature gathering.

Meyers wanted to clarify that the recall proponents are not right-wing extremists like what Raman suggested before, he said, adding that the five proponents behind the recall belong to the Democratic, Independent, and Republican parties.

This is new for all of us, none of us have started a recall before  There are a lot of procedures to get people motivated and to get rid of suspicion that this is some kind of right-wing effort, Meyers told The Epoch Times.

Proponent Susan Collins also expressed that the pandemic-related challenges have made it difficult for volunteers to safely and effectively gather signatures by the Nov. 4 deadline. While the recall is suspended, they will find more alternative ways to contribute to the well-being of Angelenos.

Weve connected a large and diverse group of people who are passionate about making Los Angeles safer, cleaner, and healthier. We intend to be back and strategic about making the most impact, Collins said in a statement.

The publisher of Los Feliz Ledger, Allison Cohen, launched the recall effort in May and named the committee CD4 (Council District 4) for CD4. The committee consists of 19 members representing the different neighborhoods in District 4.

Cohen insisted that the proponents and other constituents in District 4 will continuously monitor the progress that Councilwoman Raman is making to eliminate homelessness and crimes.

While the recall may have been stalled by a factor out of our control, it provided Raman notice that constituents were and will continue to watch her carefully, Cohen said in a statement.

Raman was the first member of the council facing recall a situation in 2021. A group of residents from District 4 launched the recall effort six months after she took office. The Los Angeles city clerk approved the recall petition on July 9 and the proponents will need to submit 27,405 signatures to move the recall forward.

District 4 includes Miracle Mile, Hollywood Hills, Hollywood, Silverlake, Sherman Oaks, and the majority of central Los Angeles.

For the next round of recall, the proponents aim to regroup the committee for a broader agenda.

The proponents denounced Raman for supporting density housing, policies on homelessness that are not supported by data or science, abolishment of police and prison, Marxist ideologies, and so on, according to the Recall Raman website.

Raman was unavailable to comment by press deadline.
A view of the entrance to the Rikers Island prison complex in New York City on May 17, 2011. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Protesters Rally Outside NYC City Hall Calling for Rikers Island Shutdown

Protesters gathered outside New York City Hall on Wednesday to demand that the Rikers Island jail gets shut down.

New York Attorney General Letitia James felt troubled after she toured the embattled jail on Tuesday along with other officials.

Inmates have been attacking security guards, other inmates, and many officers feel unsafe, with a lot of them calling sick and not coming to work.

Today, I visited Rikers Island with District Attorneys Clark, Katz, and Gonzalez, and I was deeply disturbed by what we saw. For years, Rikers has been plagued by dysfunction, neglect, and violence, and its clear weve reached a breaking point, James said.

She was making reference to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

These conditions have led to an unprecedented and devastating number of deaths, and action is desperately needed. I am examining all of my offices legal options to immediately address this dire situation.

Video footage shows a Rikers Island inmate brawling with a guard, and nobody comes to help. (NY Department of Corrections)

She and her office are looking at the possibilities to take legal action in order to address the crisis.

Four members of Congress, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jerry Nadler, Jamaal Bowman, and Nydia Velazquez, all New York Democrats, have asked for the release of inmates after the passing away of one inmate who marked 11th death in Rikers Island this year.

On Sept. 18, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the immediate release of 191 inmates from the crisis-stricken Rikers Island correctional facility, saying that the individuals in question had served their debt to society but had ended up back in prison due to technical parole violations.

Hochul made the announcement at a Sept. 17 event at which she signed the Less Is More Community Supervision and Revocation Reform Act into law, a criminal justice reform measure meant to reduce instances of parolees being reincarcerated for what she described as technical violations of parole conditions, such as missing curfew or failing a drug test.

All too often, in this state particularly, parole becomes a ticket back into jail because of very technical violations. Someone was caught with a drink, or using a substance, or missing  an appointment. We call these technical violations, and what it does is it lands people back in a place that they finally paid their debt to and were released from, Hochul said at the signing.

Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
(L-R) Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, Conservative Party Leader Erin O'Toole, Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and People's Party Leader Maxime Bernier. (The Canadian Press/ Edited by The Epoch Times)

Province-by-Province Breakdown of an Almost Carbon Copy Election

More results of the 2021 election continued to roll in on Tuesday, but the outcome is all but settled with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau returning to power with another minority government.

A province-by-province breakdown of the vote shows that not much has changed in Canadas political landscape since the last election in 2019.

Alberta

While the vast majority of Albertas 34 ridings went to the Conservatives, they will be down from the 33 seats they previously had.

The Liberals have secured one seat in Calgary Skyview, and ballots are still being counted to determine the winner in Edmonton Centre, where Liberal Randy Boissonnault is so far ahead of incumbent Conservative James Cumming.

The NDP, which has long held the Edmonton Strathcona riding, increased its representation to two seats after Blake Desjarlais won in the Edmonton Griesbach riding.

Atlantic Canada

The Liberals remain dominant in Atlantic Canada, sending a total of 24 MPs to Ottawa.

In Prince Edward Island, the party once again got a clean sweep, while in Nova Scotia the Liberals lost two seats to the Conservatives.

In Newfoundland and Labrador the Liberals won six seats, including one previously held by the NDP, but their incumbent Scott Simms lost to Conservative Clifford Small in Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame.

British Columbia

As of Tuesday, the Liberals were leading in B.C. with 15 seats, an increase of four seats from the 2019 election. The Conservatives won 13 seats this time, dropping from the 17 seats they won in 2019.

The NDP also elected 13 MPs, gaining two seats compared to the 11 it won in 2019, while the Green Party lost one of its two seats in the province.

Manitoba

Manitoba remains identical at this time, with the Conservatives leading with 7 seats, followed by the Liberals with four seats and the NDP with three.

Ontario

The Liberals took the lions share of 78 seats of the 121 in Ontario, followed by the Conservatives with 37 seats and the NDP with five.

While Green Party Leader Annamie Paul failed to win in her riding of Toronto Centre, Mike Morrice won in his district for the Greens without much challenge after Liberal incumbent Raj Saini ended his campaign amid harassment allegations.

Overall, compared with 2019, the Liberals and the NDP each lost one seat, whereas the Conservatives and the Greens each gained one.

Quebec

The Bloc Quebecois came out of the election with 34 seats, a slight increase of two seats from the 2019 election, closely followed by the Liberals with 33 seats.

The Conservatives saw no gains or losses in Quebec, holding onto the 10 seats they won in 2019.

Alexandre Boulerice was re-elected in the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie riding, giving the NDP its only seat in Quebec.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau secured an easy win with nearly 50 percent of the vote in his riding of Papineau, ahead of his closest rival Christine Pare from the NDP, who came second with roughly 23 percent of the vote.

Saskatchewan

The Conservatives got a repeat clean sweep in Saskatchewan, sending 14 MPs to Ottawa with nearly 290,000 votes, or roughly 60 percent of the vote.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe released a statement on Tuesday, calling the 2021 election the most pointless election in Canadas history.

The Territories

Liberal Brendan Hanley, Yukons chief medical officer of health, is heading to Ottawa as the territorys MP.

Having secured over 5,700 votes, or roughly 33 percent of the total vote, Hanley defeated Conservative candidate Barbara Dunlop, who came second with roughly 4,600 votes (27 percent), and NDP Lisa Vollans-Leduc, who got close to 4,000 votes (23 percent).

The election result in Yukon turned out different from the neck-and-neck race in 2019, when Liberal Larry Bagnell defeated Conservative Jonas Smith by just 153 votes. Bagnell announced in early August that he would not be seeking re-election.

NDP candidate Lori Idlout will be going to Ottawa as the next MP for Nunavut, winning 48 percent of the vote.

Liberal Candidate Pat Angnakak came second with 36 percent, followed by Conservative Laura Mackenzie with 16 percent.

Idlout will replace outgoing NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, who did not seek re-election.

In the Northwest Territories, Liberal Michael McLeod was re-elected with roughly 38 percent of the votes.
A monitor displaying a virtual meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden (top L), Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison (bottom L), Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (top R), and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen during the virtual Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) meeting, at Suga's official residence in Tokyo, on March 12, 2021. (Kiyoshi Ota / POOL / AFP)

Quad Leaders to Meet Amid Mounting CCP Aggression

The leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States will meet at the White House on Sept. 24 for the first in-person leaders summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, colloquially known as the Quad, to discuss issues ranging from emergent technologies and global supply chain security to climate change and the future of multilateral strategy regarding China.

Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), says the Quad is important in providing stability to the Indo-Pacific region amid destabilizing efforts of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Theres an urgency to the Quad now, Green said in a press call on Sept. 22. And it has become really one of the most important parts of the diplomatic toolkit for these four countries.

One of the main reasons is that [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping has taken a much harsher line towards his neighbors, with violence against Indian troops in the Himalayan Mountains, a pronounced increase in PLA [Peoples Liberation Army] military and paramilitary operations around Japans waters, a relentless embargo against Australia of exports of everything from wine to coal because of Australian government and expert criticism of Chinas human rights, and so forth, he said.

To that end, the White House issued a statement affirming that multilateral engagement in the Indo-Pacific is essential to meet the challenges of the 21st century, reinforcing the idea that the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific remains vital to the future of all nations in the region.

Securing the Indo-Pacific, Managing CCP Aggression

The CCP has labored to counter such a vision with its own, and to undermine or downplay the successes that the Quad has had in building relationships within the region.

China has tended to engage in disinformation campaigns about the nature and purpose of the Quad, said Bonny Lin, director of the China Power Project at CSIS.

When you look at the Chinese information/disinformation space, China is trying to use all different messages to undermine how the Quad is perceived internationally and undermine how countries, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, view the Quad.

Lin explained that these efforts frequently sought to sow discord among the Quad nations, as well as to stoke fears among other regional alliances, such as ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), that the Quad would seek to replace them.

Despite such efforts, however, Green and Lin agreed that this weeks summit signals that the nations involved are ready to leverage the Quad as a key means of integrating their combined powers toward mitigating CCP aggression.

The Chinese hate it, Green said. The Southeast Asians are getting used to it. But for the four leaders, this is now a central part of how theyre going to manage an increasingly ambitious and aggressive China.

The Royal Australian Navy guided-missile frigate HMAS Parramatta (FFH 154), left, is underway with the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), and the Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52). The America Expeditionary Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, in this undated photo. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Huynh/Released)

Green also noted that the informal nature of the Quad works well to develop healthy relationships between the individual countries involved, and speculated that the forum could garner increased cooperation with additional nations both inside and outside of the Indo-Pacific as specific crises or problems emerged.

The Quad is not the only game in Asia, Green said. Its also not a formal treaty. Its a kind of an umbrella of these four powerful maritime democracies. And within that umbrella, the bilateral and trilateral relationships have continued to strengthen.

Given that, and the increased legitimacy granted to the forum, vis-a-vis this weeks summit, Green and Lin believe that the Quad would work well in tandem with mission-specific treaties between more varied nations.

AUKUS a Boon, Not a Barrier

The most notable such treaty is AUKUS, the recent military agreement among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, which will serve to equip Australia with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Such submarines would grant a significant military capability to Australia, both as an independent power in the Indo-Pacific and as a Quad member. The CCP, meanwhile, has already begun a propaganda effort to belittle the perceived legitimacy of the deal.

China is now messaging that AUKUS itself will undermine the Quad, Lin said.

Despite this effort, Green noted that the Quad nations as a whole appeared to appreciate AUKUS due to its real power in countering CCP military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific, and that the increased naval power was a boon to all four of the Quad nations.

[AUKUS] isnt a Quad agreement, but I think the Quad countries that are not in AUKUSJapan and Indiaare quite pleased with this, Green said, because it will really for the next 50 years reset the trajectories in naval power in the Pacific, and from the perspective of those countries stabilize things as China massively builds up its naval forces.

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla spoke similarly in a series of remarks on Sep. 22, saying that AUKUS doesnt in any way dilute the nature or usefulness of the Quad.

Following the summit, Green said that its likely that the Quad would continue to act in an ad hoc manner, responding to new situations as they develop, but that the forum could easily formalize or work synchronously with AUKUS should the CCP persist in aggressive or otherwise adventuristic behavior in the Indo-Pacific.

The Quad navies have the ability to blunt Chinese expansion should they choose to cooperate in a more deliberate way, Green said. If Chinese ambitions and expansion and coercion grow, I expect youd see that.
A self-driving Uber sits ready to take journalists for a ride during a media preview in Pittsburgh, on Sept. 12, 2016. (Gene J. Puskar/The Canadian Press-AP)

Self-Driving Tech Company Aurora to Test Driverless Delivery With FedEx

Self-driving technology company Aurora will begin piloting trucks loaded with its software this week to haul goods for U.S. package delivery firm FedEx Corp. between Dallas and Houston, albeit with a safety driver.

Aurora, which is led by former heads of self-driving programs at Google Inc., Uber Inc., and Tesla Inc., added on Wednesday it is aiming for trucks without a safety driver by late 2023.

The news comes a week after self-driving startup Argo AI, Ford Motor Co., and Walmart Inc. said they would together launch an autonomous vehicle delivery service in Miami, Austin, and Washington.

In January, Aurora announced a partnership with U.S. truckmaker PACCAR Inc., whose brands include Peterbilt and Kenworth, to develop self-driving trucks. Aurora now plans to use these trucks to deliver FedEx parcels.

Aurora, which is going public through a deal with a blank-check firm backed by Silicon Valley heavyweights Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus, is also working with Volvo Group to develop self-driving trucks.

Heavy truck makers around the world are lining up technology partners to help build out self-driving systems for long-haul freight that could see widespread commercial service well before self-driving robotaxis.
Sen. Johnson: Health Agencies Are Ignoring Natural Immunity

Top U.S. health officials are ignoring or downplaying natural immunity, or the protection that people develop after recovering from COVID-19, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told The Epoch Times.

Scientific evidence that Johnson has reviewed, including a real-world study from Israel, indicates that natural immunity is at similar levels to or even better than vaccination. But U.S. health authorities continue urging everybody, regardless of prior infection, to get a COVID-19 shot.

Were ignoring natural immunity, even though the Israeli study now shows its 27 times more effective, Johnson said.

That makes sense, because natural immunity recognizes the entire virus while the vaccine was designed to prevent infection from the original form of the virus, he said.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and top health officials such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, have said that post-infection immunity exists but isnt as strong as vaccination. Theyve downplayed or dismissed studies such as the one from Israel.

Fauci, longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said on Sept. 10 that he didnt have a firm answer on why people who recover from COVID-19 should be vaccinated.

It is true they do have protection, he said later on CNN, on Sept. 19. But he argued that data dont yet show how durable the protection is or whether its affected by different variants of the CCP virus.

Im not denying at all that people who get infected and recover have a considerable degree of immunity. We also knowand I think we should not let this pass without saying itthat when you get infected and recover, A, you get a good degree of immunity, but, B, when you get vaccinated, you dramatically increase that protection, which is something thats really quite good, he said.

Asked what informed that assertion, NIAID pointed The Epoch Times in an email to an opinion piece from June that was funded by the institute, an NPR article, Twitter posts by Scripps Research Translational Institute founder Eric Topol, and a Google search for hybrid immunity, a term that refers to somebody who recovered from COVID-19 and has received a vaccine.

The CDC has promoted a similar view. Its director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, last month cited a small Kentucky study that researchers said showed that people who were vaccinated had more protection than the previously infected and that natural immunity plus vaccines was best.

But others, including some researchers, have questioned the push. Among the concerns: the focus should be on vaccinating people who dont have natural immunity and remain unvaccinated, including people in other countries.

(Courtesy of Sen. Johnson)

One of Johnsons main concerns is the huge jump in reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a passive database run jointly by the CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Between Jan. 1, 1996, and June 30 of this year, the number of adverse events reported following the administration of flu vaccines totaled 171,732. In the nine months leading up to June 30, there were more than 701,000 such reports for COVID-19 vaccines.

The number of reported deaths post-COVID vaccination totaled 14,925 as of Sept. 10. Since July 1, 1990, there were 9,001 deaths reported following all other vaccines combined.

People who have suffered side effects following vaccination feel abandoned by the drug companies, federal health agencies, and the medical community, Johnson wrote in a letter this year to Walensky, FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock, and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins.

Federal officials have said theres no proven link between any of the deaths and the COVID-19 vaccines. Theyve added some side-effect warnings to the labels of vaccines after investigating adverse event reports, including Guillain-Barre syndrome, but are still recommending that just about everybody get a shot.

The CDC still utilizes data from VAERS to evaluate vaccines but also draws from active surveillance systems. It cited data from the reporting system in April when lifting a recommended pause on Johnson & Johnsons vaccine. Officials with the agency and the FDA regularly use the data in presentations to their respective vaccine advisory committees.

The CDC and FDA didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Johnson has received little information from the agencies on questions regarding natural immunity, VAERS, and other pandemic-related topics, including early treatment for COVID-19.

The pattern is one of a lack of transparency, he told The Epoch Times. He also denounced what he sees as health agencies not focusing enough on treatment.

Few treatments are officially sanctioned for COVID-19 some 16 months after the start of the pandemic, and one of the main ones is being rationed because theres apparently not enough to go around.

Had our federal health agencies devoted sufficient effort and research to help develop effective early treatment, thousands of lives could have been saved, Johnson wrote in a recent letter.

Doctors that the senator has spoken to say that treatments that have proven successful include vitamin C, vitamin D, and hydroxychloroquine. He plans to send a letter, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), on behalf of a group of doctors, to regulators asking for emergency use authorization for budesonide, which has shown signs of working against COVID-19.

Were going to always need early treatment. Well always need it, Johnson said.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) asks questions about FISA and Crossfire Hurricane during a Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs hearing to discuss security threats 20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Greg Nash - Pool/Getty Images)

Sen. Paul: We Should Not Use FISA Warrants to Surveil Americans

The U.S. government should not use FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) warrants to surveil Americans but should obey the Constitution, specifically the Fourth Amendment, to properly conduct searches and seizures, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Tuesday.

Paul made the remarks during the Senate Committee on Homeland Securitys counterterrorism hearing.

The problem is the system can be abused.  Its admirable to have some regulations and some checks and balances you put in place, Paul said, mentioning the FBIs notorious Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

But the only real fix would be we should obey the Constitution, Paul said. I dont think Americans nor political candidates should be investigated using a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Paul asked FBI Director Christopher Wray, who testified in the hearing, if its appropriate to use FISA warrants to investigate presidential campaigns.

The FBIs Crossfire Hurricane investigation targeted former President Donald Trump and his campaign. However, in December 2019, Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz issued a report finding at least 17 significant errors or omissions in FISA applications, and many additional errors during the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

Special Counsel Robert Muellers report did not establish that Trump campaign members conspired or coordinated with Russia.

Wray said that using FISA warrants to investigate counterintelligence threats is appropriate as long as its done consistent with the minimization and querying procedures that are carefully approved.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during a hearing to discuss security threats 20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Greg Nash / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

What that inspector general report describes by certain FBI personnel I consider to be unacceptable and unrepresentative of the FBI that I see every dayhaving joined in 2017and not something that I think can ever happen again, Wray said. Second, Ive put in place over 40 corrective measureseverything the inspector general recommended and then someto make sure that what happened there does not happen again.

Paul pointed out that FISA warrants have a lower standard than the Fourth Amendment.

You use FISA warrants that do not obey the Fourth Amendment. You have a lower standard for going after foreigners. Im actually okay with that, Paul said. But Im not fine with the FISA standard for Americans, particularly Americans who are running for office, particularly for the person running for the highest office, who is interconnected with all kinds of countries and always will be.

The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures on Americans unless warrants are issued upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

Wray said he believes the FISA court operates within the Constitution.

We might have a difference of opinion in how we characterize it, Wray said.

The FISA court standard is probable cause that you have a relationship with a foreign government. Its a much lower standard, much more open to abuse, Paul insisted. And you dont have a public court, a public court or judges which might protect the rights of an individual.

If what happened in Crossfire Hurricane is allowed to stand and would allow the FBI to do this again, we can see a time when the intelligence agencies can completely take over our political process, Paul added.

Kash Patel, a former House Intelligence Committee staff investigator who exposed malfeasance in the Crossfire Hurricane probe, told The Epoch Times recently that the FISA system needs reform but it should stay.

It is valuable in targeting terrorists and preventing terrorist acts against Americans, both here and abroad, and our allies, Patel said.

Last week, Special Counsel John Durham, who has spent the past two years investigating the origins of the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane probe, charged Michael Sussman, a lawyer who worked with the high-powered law firm Perkins Coie on Democrat-backed election matters.

Previously, Durham handed down one indictment against former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith, which resulted in a conviction.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

Sens McConnell, Shelby Offer Short-Term Govt. Funding Bill Without Debt Ceiling

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) on Sept. 21 offered a competing short-term government funding bill, just as House Democrats passed a stopgap measure that also suspends the debt limit until after the 2022 election.

The bill from McConnell and Shelby does not include a debt ceiling suspension, as Republicans have urged Democratsthe majority partyto raise the $28.4 trillion debt ceiling themselves through reconciliation, a special parliamentary procedure that would expedite the passage of a budgetary measure through the Senate.

Through reconciliation, Democrats would be able to bypass the need for 60 votes to approve legislation, and instead rely on a simple majority in the Senate. But Democrats have resisted doing that so far, saying the vote to raise the debt limit should be a bipartisan one.

I am pleased to introduce a package with Leader McConnell that would extend government funding, provide much-needed disaster relief, and deliver targeted Afghan assistance. Republicans and Democrats have undergone bipartisan, bicameral negotiations for weeks to keep the government open and provide emergency aid. This bill reflects those urgent priorities, Shelby said in a statement.

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) walks through the basement of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, on Aug. 10, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Importantly, our legislation includes funding for the Iron Dome, making good on our commitment to a historic and significant ally, and removes the Democrats ill-conceived language on the debt limit. Members on both sides of the aisle can support this measure, and I urge them to do so with haste, he added.

Similar to the Democrats bill, the legislation from McConnell and Shelby would also keep the government funded through Dec. 3.

It also includes resources for disaster aid and assistance for Afghan allies, as well as funding for the Iron Dome, Israels defense system. The Republicans senators said the funding for the Iron Dome would bolster Israels defense capacity and protect against Hamas attacks.

On Tuesday, House Democrats removed $1 billion in funding for the Dome from their bill, amid accusations of human rights abuses within the Israels military and its treatment towards Palestinians.

An Israeli soldier lies on the ground as missiles are fired from an Iron Dome anti-missile station near the city of Beer Sheva, Israel on Nov. 15, 2012. (Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images)

The latest GOP legislation comes after The House of Representatives voted late Tuesday to pass a bill that would avert a government shutdown or U.S. default, fund it through Dec. 3 and suspend the debt limit through Dec. 16, 2022.

The 220211 vote in the Democrat-majority chamber was on party lines. However, the bill now faces a tough hurdle in the Senate, where Republicans have said they would mount a filibuster.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, McConnell reiterated that Republicans were willing to support a short-term government funding bill if it included funding support for the Iron Dome, as well as assistance for Louisiana, which has been left debilitated by hurricane Ida in recent weeks.

Were prepared to support a continuing resolution with assistance for Louisiana, with additional funds to replenish Iron Dome, McConnell said, reported The Hill.

What were not prepared to do is to relieve the Democratic president, Democratic House, Democratic Senate from their governing obligation to address the debt ceiling, he added.

Congress must pass a funding plan by Sept. 30 to avert a government shutdown or U.S. default. The extra time will allow lawmakers to negotiate on the budget for the coming year.

The current debt ceiling has already been breached, with debt at $28.78 trillion. It is being temporarily financed through the Treasury Departments extraordinary measures, which it expects will be exhausted by October.

Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report.
A Shell logo is seen at a gas station in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 12, 2018. (Marcos Brindicci/Reuters)

Shell Exits Permian With $9.5 Billion Texas Shale Sale to ConocoPhillips

Royal Dutch Shell said on Monday it would sell its Permian Basin assets to ConocoPhillips for $9.5 billion in cash, an exit from the largest U.S. oilfield for the energy major shifting its focus to the clean energy transition.

For ConocoPhillips, it is the second sizable acquisition in a year in the heart of the U.S. shale industry, as American and European producers diverge in whether to focus on hydrocarbons going forward.

Like all of the worlds largest oil companies, Shell is under pressure from investors to reduce fossil-fuel investments to help reduce global carbon emissions.

Europeans such as Shell and BP PLC have set targets to slowly move away from crude production while investing in non-fossil energy sources like solar and wind power, while U.S. producers including Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp are doubling down on hydrocarbons.

Through the deal, ConocoPhillips sides with the latter, but concurrently announced it would tighten its targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

ConocoPhillips is acquiring around 225,000 net acres, as well as over 600 miles of associated infrastructure, according to its statement announcing the transaction. This builds on its existing portfolio of 750,000 net acres in the Permian.

U.S. shale producers have used mergers and acquisitions to boost their size to compete against the largest operators and lower production costs through economies of scale.

To help pay for the deal, ConocoPhillips will hike its own divestment targets by 2023 to between $4 billion and $5 billion, up from between $2 billion and $3 billion.

The entrance to the ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. building is seen in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, on April 8, 2020. (Yereth Rosen/Reuters)

Value

For Shell, selling the Permian assets will leave its U.S. oil and gas production almost entirely in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, where it is the largest single producer. It sold its Appalachian gas assets last year.

The sale was announced on the same day Shell disclosed damage to offshore transfer facilities from Hurricane Ida will cut production from the area into early next year.

We have had a once in a 2030 year storm that has been impactful, but we continue to believe this is a very valuable position, Wael Sawan, the companys director of upstream, told Reuters.

Sawan said the company would continue to invest in its top oil and gas assets globally, and while it had looked at options which would have retained and boosted its Permian acreage in recent years, it was decided the position did not have sufficient scale for Shell to continue to operate it.

This sale came up for us as a very compelling value proposition, Sawan said.

The United States will continue to account for around one-third of Shells global spending, as it focuses on its Gulf position as well as petrochemicals and renewables.

Shell will return $7 billion of the proceeds to shareholders as dividends on top of existing commitments, with the rest going to pay down debt, it said. Conoco also announced it would increase quarterly cash payments to shareholders by 7 percent from Dec. 1.

Reuters first reported in June that Shell had put up for sale its assets in the Permian, the shale formation stretching across Texas and New Mexico that accounts for around 40 percent of U.S. oil production.

Morgan Stanley and Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. advised Shell, with Goldman Sachs supporting ConocoPhillips. Legal advice for the seller and buyer came from Norton Rose Fulbright and Baker Botts respectively.
Antique cars line the street in front of the Chinese American Historical Museum at the Ng Shing Gung during Antique Autos in History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2021. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times)

Silicon Valley Hosts 21st Annual Antique Auto Show

SAN JOSE, Calif.Polished and vibrantly colored antique cars of all shapes and sizes lined the streets of San Joses History Park on Sept. 19, as Silicon Valley held its 21st Antique Autos in History Park, the largest annual antique car show in the West.

The show is hosted by members of the Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club. Every year, owners showcase their pre-World War II vehicles.

The Pierce Arrow, which was featured at this years Antique Autos in History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2021. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times)

Allan Greenberg, one of the four coordinators of Antique Autos in History Park, said the event is always a lot of fun.

People love to see them, he told NTD News. Anytime somebody is on the sidewalk, or in another car, theyre always waving or taking pictures, so we love to get them out. Its a little piece of history that were preserving, and we enjoy that part of it.

The requirements are that the vehicles must be models from before 1946 and must be period-correct, meaning that hot rods or vehicles modified with new equipment arent allowed to participate.

Antique cars are on display at Antique Autos in History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2021. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times)

Greenberg is the owner of a 1923 Model T Ford. He said one of the unique features of a Model T is that there are three pedals on the floorboard, none of which is the gas pedal.

The left is the clutch, the middle is reverse, and the right is the brake. Theres a lever by the steering wheel that speeds up the car when its pulled down.

Allan Greenberg stands next to his red 1923 Model T Ford at Antique Autos in History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2021. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times)

Its not easy to stop these cars, and you cant go very fast, Greenberg said. What I tell people when they ask me How fast will this car go? I tell them, this car goes so slow, you have to clean the bugs off the back window.

Greenbergs Model T runs on regular gas. To fuel it, he has to open the door on the passenger side and lift up the cushion on the front seat. Theres no door on the drivers side because a parking lever is there.

Greenberg and his wife still drive the car. Theyve driven it to Yosemite twice.

Mike Robinsons 1914 Ford Model T Speedster is on display at Antique Autos in History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2021. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times)

Mike Robinson is the owner of a 1914 Ford Model T Speedster. He spent eight years building it in his garage. He assembled the car by himself to replicate it as accurately as possible.

Theres people that build the engines and transmissions and rear ends. Its all sourced; all the parts are sourced. Theres people that supply all the small parts. You can get a catalog with Model Ts. Nearly everythings available if you want to purchase it online or through a catalog, Robinson said.

People often go to the event dressed up in the attire worn during the era. Occasionally, the image of legendary movie director Charlie Chaplin can be seen walking around in his iconic black suit, cane, and mustache.

I try to give everything I can to the character, said Howard Lopes, who portrays Chaplin. Ive studied him very much on the internet, the way he dressed, the way he walked, and I put 100 percent [into] being Charlie Chaplin.

Unlike the character, he has his own antique vehicle.

They last for years, Lopes said. The car that I have was my grandfathers car. He bought it in 1923 in Detroit at the Detroit factory, the Dodge Factory, for $400 [and] drove it from Detroit to San Jose here. It is still running today.

Visitors near the Pacific Hotel in History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2021. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times)

Visitors return for the event regularly from near and far.

Modern cars are going to drive much nicer than these. But these are more fun, Steve Stephens said. You slow down, and you tour around in your antique car, you stop, you talk to people. Theyre good conversation starters, too. [You] give people rides; its just more fun. Its simple.

Stephens likes the style and design of vehicles from the old days.

Ive always loved old things, he said. I dont have too much use for new things unless its very well made. Theres a lot of new stuff that is better, but say the old fans, the old ones work better. They keep running. Theyre easy to take care of. If they break, you can fix them. Theyre not buy and throw away when it has a problem. You just fix them.

The interior of an antique car is on display at Antique Autos in History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2021. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times)

Stephens also brings his brother and family to the car show as often as he can.

Its not just the cars, but its the setting, said Tom Stephens, Steves brother. Theres a print shop museum over there. Amazing. They printed this right in front of us on an old machine. It was made from the 1800s and they showed how to do that and just setting type.

History Park also has an old gas station, blacksmith shed, Chinese American Historical Museum, and hotel.

The park is also celebrating its 50th anniversary, as it first welcomed people in 1971.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 1, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/Pool/Getty Images)

SoftBank Backs Steven Mnuchins $2.5 Billion Private Equity Fund

SoftBank Group will invest in a $2.5 billion private equity fund set up by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the Japanese conglomerate said on Wednesday without disclosing the size of the investment.

The fund, Liberty Strategic Capital, will be backed by SoftBanks $40 billion second Vision Fund and Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, which said it will contribute roughly 2 percent of the total amount raised so far.

Liberty Strategic Capital was launched this year and is based in Israel, according to startup data platform PitchBook.

The Financial Times had earlier reported that Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund (PIF) will also take part in the investment.

PIF did not immediately respond to Reuters request for a comment, while Reuters could not immediately reach out to Liberty Strategic Capital.

Bloomberg News, which first reported about the Mnuchin fundraising this week, said most of the backing came from Middle Eastern investors including the PIF.
The City of London financial district can be seen as people walk along the south side of the River Thames, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain on March 19, 2021. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

Surge in UK Fraud a National Security Threat, Warn Banks

LONDONA surge in fraud attacks on consumers since the pandemic has become a national security threat for Britain requiring government-coordinated action across industries, banking industry lobby group UK Finance has warned.

Financial fraud has rocketed during the pandemic as more consumers shop online and try digital banking and investing.

Criminals stole 754 million pounds ($1.03 billion) through bank frauds in the first half of this year, up 30 percent on the same period in 2020, according to a UK Finance report published on Wednesday.

Bank losses from authorised push payment (APP) fraudwhere a customer is tricked into a payment by a criminalalso leapt 71 percent in the first half, overtaking the amount stolen through card fraud for the first time, UK Finance said.

Lenders have been pushing for tougher action on fraud by the government, regulators and other industries including online platforms exploited by fraudsters to target victims, as they grapple with a wave of increasingly sophisticated attacks.

The report found 70 percent of APP scams originated on an online platform and also found an increase in online adverts targeting people as young as 14 to become money mules for illicit funds.

The findings come ahead of a grilling of bosses from Facebook, Alphabet Inc.s Google, Amazon and eBay on their efforts to combat economic crime by British lawmakers on the Treasury Select Committee later on Wednesday.

UK Finance called for government-coordinated action across sectors and for all economic crime to be covered by a planned Online Safety Bill, which currently excludes online advertisements.

The level of fraud in the UK is such that it is now a national security threat, Katy Worobec, managing director for economic crime at UK Finance said in the report. The banking sector cannot solve this on its own.

Bank security systems managed to prevent 736 million pounds from being stolen by fraudsters over the six month period, the report said.

Watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority said last week that consumers lost nearly 570 million pounds to investment fraud alone in the financial year to Aprila sum that had tripled since 2018.

($1 = 0.7328 pounds)

By Iain Withers
New Year's Eve fireworks erupt over Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House, Australia, during the traditional fireworks show held at midnight on Jan. 1, 2015. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)

Sydney Scraps Famous NYEs Family Fireworks Display Despite Upcoming Plans to Reopen

Sydney has scrapped its New Years Eve (NYE) family fireworks show for the second year in a row, despite being weeks away from reopening, with authorities saying the move is needed for the event to be managed in the most COVID-safe way possible.

There will be a fireworks display from the Sydney Harbour Bridge at midnight, but with potential restrictions regarding travel and crowd size.

A spokeswoman for the City of Sydney, the official presenter of the event, said the difficult decision had to be made to allow the NYE celebration to remain resilient in the face of the changing health situation and public health order.

For an event the scale of Sydney New Years Eve, contracts are signed, and money spent months in advance, she said in a statement on Tuesday.

The fireworks always generate very large crowds, and the two separate displays result in the crossover of large numbers of people leaving for one show and arriving for the next.

In the current climate, limiting this mixing of crowds will ensure the event can be managed in the most COVID-safe way for all attendees and staff.

The announcement comes as Sydney is set to come out of its nearly four-month lockdown in mid-October  when New South Wales hits the 70 per cent fully vaccinated thresholds.

As of Tuesday, 54 per cent of New South Wales, Australias most populous state, is fully vaccinated.

However, the Sydney City councils decision to cancel the 9 p.m. celebration has attracted criticism from state Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, who said it was made too early.

New Years Eve is 100 days away, and it would seem a bit pre-emptive to be pulling the plug on an iconic event enjoyed by so many people, he said.

While safety has to be a priority, this is something that deserves to be examined closely to see what the options are.

COVID-19 has cast a long shadow across all our lives, and I would hope there is a way we can end the year with a bang and some spark rather than a whimper, Perrottet said.

Sydney is home to one of the worlds most extensive NYE firework displays, which centres on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and surrounding Port Jackson. The celebration typically involves six barges spanning six kilometres of water shooting fireworks into the sky, with the use of 30,000 pyrotechnic effects.

Last year, the NSW Government took temporary custodianship of Sydney NYE celebrations, shortening it to a seven-minute firework display at midnight, half of the duration of the firework display in 2020.

We dont want to create any super-spreading events on New Years Eve, which then ruins it for everybody across the state moving forward, Berejiklian said at a news conference last year.

The majority of Sydney residents watched the display from home as permits to attend the event were only granted to local residents, those who had a confirmed reservation at a hospitality business near the harbour, and employees of businesses within the area.

However, the event last year still attracted more than a million spectators and an estimated one billion people worldwide watching on TV.
A vendor works at a Taiwan fruit store in Xiamen Sale and Distribution Center for Taiwan Fruits in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, on July 29, 2006. (Cancan Chu/Getty Images)

Taiwan Condemns Chinas Fruit Ban as a Hostile Act

China notified Taiwan on Sunday of its decision to halt imports of wax and custard apples from the democratically governed island, stating that the ban would take effect Monday. Taiwan denounced the move as a hostile act.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu stated on Twitter that, following a series of military threats, China is weaponizing trade, and that the ban violates international trade norms.

China has recently hardened its stance toward Taiwan. Despite Taiwan being a de facto independent country with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution, the Chinese regime claims the self-ruled island as its own.

Chinese customs said in a statement that it detected pests known as Planococcus minormore commonly referred to as the citrus mealybugin imported Taiwanese custard and wax apples.

Taiwanese authorities pressed Beijing to substantiate the ban with scientific evidence. If China does not respond to a resolution under the current bilateral framework by Sept. 30, Taiwan will report the dispute to the World Trade Organization, it said.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen condemned the move Sunday on Facebook, pledging to assist and protect farmers in the face of unreasonable market interference.

Taiwans government has allocated about $36 million to promote the fruits sales in the domestic and overseas markets.

China suspended pineapple imports from Taiwan in February for similar reasons. Taiwans pineapple exports to Japan have increased more than eightfold since that ban.
Taliban Appoint Hardline Battlefield Commanders to Key Afghan Posts

Afghanistans ruling Taliban terrorist group announced several senior appointments on Tuesday, naming two veteran battlefield commanders from the groups southern heartlands as deputies in important ministries.

Main Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir will be deputy defense minister, while Sadr Ibrahim was named deputy minister for the interior. Both men had been expected to take major positions but neither was named in the main list of ministers announced this month.

The two were identified in U.N. reports as being among battlefield commanders loyal to the former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour who were pressing the leadership to step up the war against the Western-backed government.

The appointments add to the roster of hardliners in the main group of ministers, which included figures like Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of the Haqqani terrorist network, blamed for a string of attacks on civilian targets.

According to a U.N. Security Council report from June, both Zakir and Sadr commanded significant forces of their own, called mahaz, that usually operated across several provinces.

They were considered so powerful and independent that there were concerns within the leadership that this could stoke tension over the loyalties of certain groups, particularly in the south and southwest of the country.

Zakir, a former detainee in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, was a close associate of late Taliban founder Mullah Omar. He was captured when U.S.-led forces swept through in Afghanistan in 2001 and was incarcerated in Guantanamo until 2007, according to media reports.

Sadr, a former head of the Taliban military commission from the southern province of Helmand, will be deputy to Sirajuddin Haqqani.
The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive poster for Osama Bin Laden with the word "DECEASED" printed in red across it, hangs on the wall at the FBI Headquarters in Washington, on Nov. 26, 2013. (Larry Downing/Reuters)

Taliban Says No al-Qaeda or ISIS in Afghanistan

Afghanistans ruling Taliban terrorist group said on Tuesday there was no evidence of ISIS or al-Qaeda terrorists being in the country, days after the ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for bomb attacks in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Since toppling the Western-backed government in Kabul last month, the Taliban have faced pressure from the international community to renounce ties with al-Qaeda, the terrorist group behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

At the same time, they have had to deal with a series of attacks claimed by an affiliate of ISIS, with which they have been in conflict for several years over a mix of economic and ideological disputes.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected accusations that al-Qaeda maintained a presence in Afghanistan and repeated pledges that there would be no attacks on third countries from Afghanistan from terrorist groups.

We do not see anyone in Afghanistan who has anything to do with al-Qaeda, he told a news conference in Kabul. We are committed to the fact that, from Afghanistan, there will not be any danger to any country.

The Taliban were ousted from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001 for refusing to hand over al-Qaeda leaders responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. They returned to Kabul last month after U.S. forces announced they were leaving and the U.S.-backed government and military collapsed.

The Afghan affiliate of ISIS, known as ISIS-K, first appeared in eastern Afghanistan in 2014 and later made inroads into other areas, particularly the north.

Several years ago, the U.S. military put the groups strength at about 2,000 fighters, though some Afghan officials at the time estimated the number was higher.

It battled U.S.-led foreign forces and the Taliban, for control of smuggling routes.

The group claimed responsibility for a series of bomb attacks in the city of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan at the weekend. It also claimed a suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport last month that killed 13 U.S. troops and scores of Afghan civilians who had crowded outside the airport gates.

Mujahid denied the movement had any genuine presence in Afghanistan though he said it invisibly carries out some cowardly attacks.

The ISIS that exists in Iraq and Syria does not exist here. Still, some people who may be our own Afghans have adopted the ISIS mentality, which is a phenomenon that the people do not support, he said.
Teen Pleads Guilty in Killing of College Student Tessa Majors in NYC Park

NEW YORKOne of two teens charged as adults in the fatal stabbing of a college student in a New York City park pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder and robbery charges.

Luchiano Lewis was accused of holding Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors in a headlock and preventing her from escaping while another 14-year-old knifed her in Manhattans Morningside Park in December 2019.

Lewis, now 16, downplayed his role in the attack in court Tuesday, saying he didnt know Majors had been stabbed, let alone killed until the next day, when he heard someone was killed in the park and read a news story about it.

Lewis and the suspected stabber, Rashaun Weaver, were charged as adults.

A boy who was 13 at the time was tried as a juvenile and sentenced last year to 18 months in a juvenile detention center.

Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14 before Judge Robert Mandelbaum. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Weaver, who has pleaded not guilty to murder and robbery charges, is due back in court on Oct. 18.

Weavers lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, said he heard Lewis give his statement in court and said it was obviously written out for him.

Having previously read press reports today that he is now cooperating with the state, I wasnt surprised that he minimized his involvement and blamed nearly everything on Rashaun and his other codefendant, Lichtman said.

In a statement, Majors family said, We remain resolute in our belief that all parties who bear responsibility for Tesss senseless death will be held accountable, and we are deeply grateful to the many people who continue to pursue that goal.

A woman walks past a make-shift memorial for Tessa Majors inside the Barnard campus in New York City on Dec. 12, 2019. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

Majors, 18, was stabbed during an attempted robbery as she walked in the early evening through the park near Barnards campus. She staggered up a flight of stairs to street level and collapsed.

Lewis said in court that the plan was to rob her of Majors cell phone and run to a bus stop, but that Weaver ran up to her, kicked her hard in the back and screamed give me your money, run your pockets, Im not playing.

Lewis said that Majors asked Weaver, Are you seriously trying to rob me? and the two started tussling. Majors tried to run away, up the stairs, but the boy who was 13 at the time ran and kicked her to the ground, Lewis said.

A police detective testified at a previous proceeding that the youngest of the three said in an interview that he saw one of the 14-year-old boys grabbing Majors from behind while the other stabbed her, causing feathers to billow from her jacket.

Lewis said in court that he didnt know where in the park he was when Weaver stabbed Majors, but noted that he too saw feathers coming out of her jacket.

He said the three then fled from the park and that he asked Weaver what hed taken from Majors, to which Weaver kept replying, nothing. Weaver then pulled up his hand and said that Majors had bit him, Lewis said.

Photos, articles, and letters are laid out on display before a ceremony honoring Tessa Majors at St. Annes Belfield School in Charlottesville, Va., on Dec. 21, 2019. (Erin Edgerton/The Daily Progress via AP)

Majors, from Charlottesville, Virginia, played in a band and aspired to study journalism. Her death drew national attention and condemnation from city leaders. Mayor Bill de Blasio called it an unacceptable reality.

The Associated Press identified Lewis and Weaver because of the seriousness of the crime and because they were charged as adults. The juvenile suspect was not identified in court papers.

By Michael R. Sisak
Charles Wills returns to Paris to reminisce about the life he led there after it was liberated. He worked then for Stars and Stripes when he met both Marion and Helen Ellswirth. He soon married and was happy staying in Paris after his discharge. While working for a news organization, Charlie began to write the great novel that would come between him, his wife, and his daughter.

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Haulage truck at the Rio Tinto West Angelas iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of West Australia July 9, 2014. (AAP Image/Alan Porritt)

Think Tank Warns Australia Over Iron Ore Trade with China

A new report released by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) on Wednesday urges Australia to take action on Chinas coal export bans to avoid similar future attacks on Australias iron ore trade.

In the event that an iron ore glut emerges over coming years, Australian miners could be susceptible to the same kind of discriminatory action that China has taken against Australian coal, the report (pdf) said.

Australia could make it more difficult for China to take such a step by taking action now against China over its ban on Australian coal.

Since Australias May budget, the iron ore price has reached a record high of about $US230/ tonne and then collapsed to below $US100/ tonne as Beijing suppressed its steel industry to rein in the price.

Report author David Uren, a specialist in international economic relations, argued that WTO rules, although being flouted by China, remain Australias best and only defence.

Although the WTOs processing of disputes can drag on for years, theres precedent for China complying with adverse rulings, he said, citing the example of Beijing abolishing export controls and duties on rare earths in 2015 after the WTO rule.

Importantly, success before the WTO in a case over coal could act as a precedent for any similar discrimination against Australian iron ore.

Australia has so far taken China to the WTO over trade disputes over wine and barley.

Uren warned against imposing a levy on iron ore sales to China to compensate for losses from Beijings punitive trade barriers, as suggested by Senator Matt Canavan the former resources ministersaying that the move would make Chinese authorities more determined to reduce dependence on Australian iron ore, by seeking alternative supplies and by capping their steel production.

It is argued that Chinas plan to diversify iron ore supply from Australia would create an economic hit to the economy, especially the state of Western Australia, which relies heavily on this export.

However, the report also found that Chinas effort to curb its steel production has failed in the past five years, with local governments ignoring orders from the central government.

It also noted that China will never be able to rid itself entirely of the need for Australian supplies, as Australian iron ore is the cheapest and closest high-quality iron ore for Chinas mills.
An investigator examines bullet holes in a car of Serhiy Shefir, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's principal aide, following an assault outside of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters)

Top Aide to Ukrainian President Targeted by Gunfire in Assassination Attempt

A top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was targeted by a volley of gunfire on Sept. 22 during an apparent assassination attempt, according to authorities.

A statement released by national police confirmed that more than 10 bullets were fired at the vehicle of Serhiy Shefir at about 10 a.m. near the village of Lesnyky, located just outside of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

The 57-year-old senior official survived the heavy gunfire unscathed, although police said the driver of the vehicle had been wounded. Shefir is a long-time friend of and the first assistant to Zelensky.

Presidential aide Serhiy Shefir walks after the inauguration of Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 20, 2019. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

Shefir said during a joint news briefing with police and Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky that he believes the attack against him was designed to scare the Ukrainian leadership.

I have not conducted any cases that would have caused aggression. I think this is intimidation, Shefir said, adding that hes confident the incident wont frighten the president.

Zelensky, whos currently in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, has been informed of the attack, but said he doesnt know who was responsible for it.

I dont know yet who stood behind this, Zelensky said. Sending me a message by shooting my friend is weakness.

Markers are attached next to bullet holes in a car of Serhiy Shefir, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys principal aide, following an assault outside of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters)

Investigators examine bullet holes in a car of Serhiy Shefir, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys principal aide, following an assault outside of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters)

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova wrote on Facebook that 7.62 mm automatic weaponry was used in the apparent assassination attempt and that she also believes the criminal intentions were serious.

According to a local television station, at least 19 bullet holes could be seen on the drivers side of the car.

An investigation of suspicion of premeditated murder is underway, police said. Zelensky told Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform that the response will be strong.

Zelensky came to power on a promise to take on the countrys oligarchs and fight corruption, and Mykhailo Podolyak, one of his advisers, said the assassination attempt could be a result of the campaign against the oligarchs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gives a joint news conference at Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv on Aug. 22, 2021. (Sergey Dolzhenko/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

This open, deliberate, and extremely violent assault with automatic weapons cannot be qualified any differently than as an attempted killing of a key team member, Podolyak told Reuters.

We, of course, associate this attack with an aggressive and even militant campaign against the active policy of the head of state, Interfax Ukraine quoted Podolyak as saying.

Parliament is due to debate this week a presidential law aimed at reducing the influence of oligarchs in Ukrainian society.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Protesters from Insulate Britain block the M25 motorway in London, on Sept. 15, 2021. (Courtesy of Insulate Britain/PA)

UK Climate Protesters Face Jail for Further Attempts to Block Motorway

Climate protesters will face possible imprisonment if they make further attempts to block the UKs busiest motorway after the government secured an injunction against such actions.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Wednesday that National Highways had been granted an injunction against the protests, which have shut down parts of the M25 five times in just over a week.

Invading a motorway is reckless & puts lives at risk. I asked National Highways to seek an injunction against M25 protestors which a judge granted last night. Effective later today, activists will face contempt of court with possible imprisonment if they flout.  Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) September 22, 2021

Shapps wrote on Twitter: Invading a motorway is reckless and puts lives at risk. I asked National Highways to seek an injunction against M25 protestors which a judge granted last night. Effective later today, activists will face contempt of court with possible imprisonment if they flout.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said this important injunction means people can get moving again on the M25.

We will not tolerate lives being put at risk, she said on Twitter. Those who continue to do so risk imprisonment.

The motorway-blocking protests were organised by campaign group Insulate Britain, who said they were demanding credible action from the UK government to insulate all the homes of this country to cut carbon emissions.

Surrey Police arrested 38 activists from the group on Tuesday who had targeted junctions nine and 10 of M25.

Footage taken at the scene by LBC showed the protesters walking on to the motorway and sitting down on the ground in front of moving traffic. Some then held up banners reading Insulate Britain and poured blue paint on to the road, before they were dragged away by officers.

In a commentary published in Daily Mail on Wednesday, Patel and Shapps condemned the tactics of the protesters.

They have broken the law, undermined the cause they believe in, alienated the public, and created extra pollution, in one of the most self-defeating environmental protests this country has ever seen, particularly as we all strive so hard to rebuild after 18 months of the pandemic, they wrote, adding: Punishing motorists to make a point about home insulation makes absolutely no sense at all.

The ministers said they were giving police more powers to take decisive action against the activists guerrilla tactics.

Although the tactics and goals are similar, the group has no explicit link to Extinction Rebellion that over the past few weeks has also tried to rally people to its environmental cause by deliberately causing disruption.

Simon Veazey and PA contributed to this report.
People shop in the meat aisle in a Lidl supermarket in Walthamstow, east London, on March 20, 2020. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Government to Fund CO2 Production to Prevent Food Shortages

The British government will pay millions of pounds to an American company in the coming weeks in order to ensure CO2 supplies, which are indispensable to the food industry.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced on Tuesday that the government would provide limited financial support to CF Fertilisers, which produces around 60 percent of the UKs supplies of carbon dioxide, used primarily by the food sector but also in the health and nuclear industries.

We have reached an agreement with @cffertilisers to ensure supply of CO2 to critical industries From food processing + healthcare to civil nuclear  this is a vital resource We will continue to protect businesses and consumers as we manage the impact of global gas price rises  Kwasi Kwarteng (@KwasiKwarteng) September 21, 2021

CO2 is used to stun animals before slaughter, in the vacuum packing of food products to extend their shelf life, and to put the fizz into beer, cider, and soft drinks. CO2s solid form is dry ice, which is used in food deliveries.

Spiralling energy costs have led to the suspension of operations at fertiliser plants including CF Fertilisers, which has suspended operations at its Teesside and Cheshire plants, leading to serious shortages in CO2 supplies.

Under the deal, the government will pay towards the operating costs of CF Fertilisers for three weeks, so that the firm can restart CO2 production in its plant in Teesside.

The cost to the British taxpayer will possibly run into tens of millions of pounds, Environment Secretary George Eustice told Sky News on Wednesday.

But Eustice said the government had to act in order to protect food supplies.

The truth is if we did not act then, by this weekend, or certainly by the early part of next week, some of the poultry processing plants would need to close and then we would have animal welfare issues, he said, because you would have lots of chickens on farms that couldnt be slaughtered on time and would have to be euthanised on farms, we would have a similar situation with pigs.

Eustice said the food industry recognises that the price of CO2 is going to increase substantially.

And when that price increases then the market signal will be there for these plants to continue producing, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

Talking to MPs on Wednesday, Kwarteng emphasised that the financial support would be a very short-term arrangement to solve the immediate problem.

Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, welcomed the governments intervention.

He said the temporary solution means there wont be many noticeable shortages on the shelves. But he warned that the supply chain remains fragile.

PA and Reuters contributed to this report.
A United Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International Airport in Denver, Colo., on July 2, 2021. (David Zalubowski/AP Photo)

United Airlines Employees File Lawsuit Against Company Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

United Airlines employees filed a lawsuit against the companys COVID-19 vaccine mandate, coming weeks after the firm announced that they would have to get the shot by Sept. 27.

Six employees said United Airlines failed to provide accommodation for individuals who choose not to get vaccinated.

We filed this lawsuit to protect the rights of honest, hardworking United Airlines employees who have religious or medical reasons not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. United has refused to grant any accommodations and these employees are scared by Uniteds draconian mandate that forces them to either get the vaccine or lose their job. Thats unacceptable in America, Mark Paoletta, a partner at Schaerr-Jaffe representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement, according to Fox Business.

United said in a memo obtained by The Epoch Times earlier this month that employeeswith a religious or medical vaccine exemptionwho regularly come into contact with passengers will face indefinite unpaid leave starting Oct. 2 and will not be allowed back on the job until the pandemic recedes. The company also said it will place other employees who dont come into contact with passengers, including baggage handlers, on unpaid leave until it can find a way to routinely test them for COVID-19 and mask-wearing.

We can no longer allow unvaccinated people back into the workplace until we better understand how they might interact with our customers and their vaccinated coworkers, the company said in the memo, citing the Delta variant.

However, Paoletta told Fox that the lawsuit is not about how effective the vaccines are or whether United may mandate vaccination and the fact is that some people have sincere religious objections to the COVID-19 vaccine, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to respect and accommodate those beliefs.

United has failed to do this, Paoletta said, noting that some employees also have also have special medical conditions and physicians notes not to get the vaccine.

The class-action lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Texas federal court. They are asking for a temporary restraining order against Uniteds plan to place unvaccinated workers on six years of unpaid leave.

Religious exemptions to the vaccines most commonly center on objections on how aborted fetal cells were used in the manufacturing and testing process. And medical exemptions usually include a doctors recommendation that a person not get the vaccine due to an underlying medical condition.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Chicago-based airline for comment.

A spokesperson for United Airlines told Fox News, in response to the suit, the most effective thing we can do as an airline to protect the health and safety of all our employees is to require the vaccine. The company then said that about 97 percent of its employees are vaccinated and claimed that its workers provided an overwhelmingly positive response to the mandate.

Weve been encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response from employees across all work groups, since we announced the policy last month. Were reviewing this complaint in greater detail but at this point, we think its without merit, the spokesperson said.

Last month, the CEO of United, Scott Kirby, said in a televised interview that his firm may mandate passengers show proof of COVID-19 vaccination if the Biden administration requires it. If they tell us that they want us to check everyone were prepared to do that as well, he said.
US and China Battle for Defense-Critical Rare Earth Metals

US companies, with government funding, are partnering with state-owned counterparts in China

News Analysis

For years, China has undercut other countries in the production and refining of defense-critical rare earth metals, dominating the global market.

At present, China controls 85 percent of the global rare earth metal supply. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses threats to cut off the supply of rare earth minerals as a bargaining chip. It did this when the United States sold weapons to Taiwan and once again when Japan captured a Chinese fishing boat captain, demanding the captain be returned before he was interrogated. China actually did cut off Japans supply in 2010, amid a dispute related to the Senkaku Islands.

As the United States attempts to build domestic supply chains of rare earth minerals, it has partnered with the Chinese company Shenghe Resources, which has a government entity as its largest shareholder. Even more concerning is that the Department of Defense (DOD) is funding this partnership. This leaves China, once again, in control of global supply chains.

Rare earth metals, such as dysprosium and terbium, are vital for defense technology. Theyre also used in the manufacture of electric vehicles. Neodymium and praseodymium, two of the rarest minerals, are used in motors, turbines, and medical technology. Lanthanum is used in high-end camera lenses with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance applications. Phosphorescent europium is used in LED lights and plasma displays, as well as in the control rods of nuclear reactors.

Through the 1980s, the United States dominated the world market for rare earth metals. The tide shifted toward China, however, as pressure from environmentalists in the United States, combined with lower labor costs, drove production overseas.

The DOD believes that China intentionally flooded the global market with cheap rare earth minerals, driving down the prices and forcing U.S. manufacturers out of the market.

A loader shifts soil containing rare earth minerals to be loaded at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China, for export to Japan, in this undated photo. China controls the worlds supply of rare earth minerals and the United States is seeking partnerships with allies to reduce its dependence on China. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Terbium, used in magnets, is one of the rarest and most important of the rare earth minerals. Currently, extraction and magnet-making are centered in China. The U.S.China trade war has threatened continued U.S. access to terbium. This is particularly worrying, because in 2011, when China restricted the exportation of rare-earth metals, the price skyrocketed, demonstrating that China is a price maker, controlling the global supply.

Rare earth metals exist in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Texas, and California. A U.S. company, MP Materials, bought a mine in California in 2017, hoping to bring the supply chain back to the United States. The company even received funding from the DOD and the Department of Energy. One of the companys largest customers and part-owner is the Chinese company Shenghe Resources, which delivers the mining products to Asia for processing.

Australias Lynas Corporation is one of the largest players outside of China. It extracts in Australia and refines in Malaysia. A Lynas spokesperson has stressed the importance of creating supply chains to bypass China. Another Australian company, RareX, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Shenghe Resources.

Deposits of rare earth minerals exist in many places, including the EU, but most countries lack the expertise to extract and refine them. Additionally, environmental regulations sometimes prevent Western countries from extracting them. These minerals often occur adjacent to radioactive deposits that could leak into water tables. China doesnt operate within the same environmental constraints as the rest of the world, giving it a tremendous advantage.

Shenghe Resources appears to be part of the CCPs plan to control the global supply of rare earth metals. The companys largest shareholder is an institute within the state-owned China Geological Survey. In 2019, Shenghe announced a partnership with the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), a leading nuclear producer with ties to the Chinese military.

The company spans every step of the supply chain, from extraction to refining the minerals into actual metals used in the production of high-tech products. Shenghe is building alliances all over the world, including Australia, Vietnam, Greenland, and the United States.

Afghanistan is home to more than $1 trillion worth of rare earth metals, and it seems that the CCP is already courting the Taliban in order to gain access.

In an effort to bypass China, the United States established a rare earth supply chain linking the state of Utah with the town of Sillamae, Estonia. The processing done at the two ends of the supply chain will be undertaken by two companies, Neo Materials and Chemours, both of which have significant exposure to China. Neo is a non-Chinese company, but it does much of its processing and production in China. Chemours, has three production facilities in China, two of which are joint ventures with Chinese partners. According to the China Daily, Chemours was in discussions with Chinese state-owned energy companies about possible collaborations.

The production of rare earth metals is extremely complex, requiring so many steps and players, that it may be impossible for any country to make itself completely self-sufficient. On the other hand, the CCP has already shown that its willing to cut off supply if other countries misbehave. Chinas new export control law will apply to rare earth metals, giving the CCP even more say over who can have them and how much they can get. Of course, in the event of a war, ostensibly, China wouldnt sell rare earths to its opponents. This raises serious questions of national security.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Haitians, live in a primitive, makeshift camp under the International Bridge, that spans the Rio Grande between the United States and Mexico, while waiting to be detained and processed by Border Patrol, in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

US Deports Over 1,000 Haitians but DHS Declines to Say How Many Released Into America

DEL RIO, TexasThe United States has deported more than 1,000 Haitians who streamed into the small border city of Del Rio, Texas, although officials are refusing to say how many others have been released into Americas interior.

The number of illegal immigrants, primarily from Haiti, rapidly grew under the international bridge near the border last week, at one point topping 14,000. The quick jump sparked the deployment of more than 600 agents and officers, as well as repatriation flights to Haiti.

U.S. officials have since moved more than 6,500 people from Del Rio to other parts of the border in an attempt to alleviate pressure. Approximately 1,083 have been deported back to Haiti on nine flights through Sept. 21, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

Others are being released into the interior. How many is unclear, because DHS officials arent saying.

The same spokesperson declined to answer questions about those being released, while Customs and Border Protection as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, both offices within DHS, referred The Epoch Times to DHS.

Border Patrol dropping Haitians off at local NGO Border Humanitarian Coalition after processing them. NGO gives them food, water, etc, and loads into buses to interior of United States. pic.twitter.com/TuWxF7163w  Charlotte Cuthbertson (@charlottecuthbo) September 22, 2021

White House press secretary Jen Psaki refused to give the data during a briefing in Washington and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has twice this week declined before Congress to share data about the number of illegal immigrants being released. On Sept. 21, he told senators in Washington he didnt have the precise numbers and wanted to wait so he could provide accurate information; on Sept. 22, he again said he didnt have the data.

Yesterday, you were asked exactly the same question and you gave exactly the same answer. You would think you would be a little better prepared now that youve been asked that question.  You dont have that information? Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said.

I work 18 hours a day. So when I returned from yesterdays hearing, I actually focused on the mission, Mayorkas responded. We will get that data both to the senator who posed it yesterday and to you, congressman, today.

The Biden administration is dealing with an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration, a surge critics say stems from his administrations policies. The number of illegal immigrant apprehensions at the southern border is on track to set a new record for the calendar year. And the administration has refused to shift its strategy, claiming its working.

Part of the strategy is releasing illegal immigrants into the countrys interior, which has been described by some as catch and release. Some 600,000 illegal aliens have been released into the United States since President Joe Biden took office on Jan. 20, Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, told The Epoch Times in a text message.

Haitian nationals collect their belongings after U.S. authorities flew them out of a Texas border city after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico, at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Ralph Tedy Erol/Reuters)

Thats about half of the aliens who have been stopped by border agents since the inauguration. Theyre released with a Notice to Appear, which gives a future court date to kick off their immigration proceedings, or a Notice to Report, a new phenomenon that requests the alien reports to a local ICE office within 60 days of being released.

Two U.S. officials told The Associated Press that many Haitians are also being freed, undercutting Mayorkass claims that Haiti nationals shouldnt travel to the United States because they wont be able to stay. One official said many of those being freed are being told to report to an immigration office within 60 days, as opposed to receiving a notice to appear in court.

A Border Patrol source told The Epoch Times that 3,843 illegal immigrants were apprehended in the Del Rio Border Sector in Texas between Sept. 20 at midnight and Sept. 21 at 11:45 a.m., with another 1,125 immigrants evading capture. Another 2,435 were apprehended in the Rio Grande Valley sector, in addition to 301 got-aways.

An ICE spokesperson told Fox News that the agency has, over the past several weeks, released numerous immigrants who transferred from the border after determining they could safely be released into the community under alternate forms of supervision. One independent reporter spoke with Haitian nationals on a flight out of Texas headed to inland destinations.

Roughly 8,400 illegal immigrants remained in the makeshift Del Rio camp as of late Sept. 21. Mayorkas told senators on Sept. 21 that the goal was to clear the litter-ridden camp in the next 10 days, with dramatic results expected in the next two to four days.

That could prove difficult if more keep crossing the border illegally.

Thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Haitians, live in a primitive, makeshift camp under the International Bridge, which spans the Rio Grande between the United States and Mexico, while waiting to be detained and processed by Border Patrol, in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 21, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said on Fox News that lawmakers were briefed on Sept. 21 that 40,000 to 60,000 more Haitians are amassing in Central America and are on their way in a caravan up to the southwest border.

Katko said some Haitians are being deported but some arent.

Why? We dont know, he said. The lack of consistency is feeding the frenzy to come across the border, the Southwest border. Its making our country a lot less safe.

While Republicans call for more deportations, some groups and Democrats are calling to stop them altogether.

Deportation flights to Haiti must stop, and those seeking safety at our borders must be granted their legally assured chance to seek asylum, a coalition of 39 groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, wrote to Biden on Sept. 21.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who rarely criticizes Biden, took him to task on the Senate floor in Washington.

The policies that are being enacted nowand the horrible treatment of these innocent people who have come to the bordermust stop immediately, Schumer said.

Charlotte Cuthbertson Senior Reporter Follow Charlotte Cuthbertson is a senior reporter with The Epoch Times who primarily covers border security and the opioid crisis. charlottecuthbo
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) speaks to reporters after a House Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 21, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

US in Early Stages of a New Cold War With China, Lawmaker Says

The United States is in the early stages of a new cold war with China, and its up to the Chinese regime to change course if it wants to improve relations with Washington, according to Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.).

The lawmaker commented after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this week described a completely dysfunctional relationship between the United States and China, and urged the nations to join hands in addressing climate change and COVID-19 vaccinations.

If China wants a better relationship to the United States, we welcome it, but its in their control, Gallagher told NTD, sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

They can not threaten to invade Taiwan, they can not commit a genocide, Gallagher said, referring to the detention of 1 million Uyghurs in Xinjiangs concentration camps. And they can stop going around the world coercing everyone that has the temerity to question their human rights abuses.

Ilshat H. Kokbore, director of China affairs at the World Uyghur Congress, an advocacy group, holds a similar view.

Neither country wants a cold war, but that doesnt mean its not happening, Kokbore told The Epoch Times.

The conflict arises from fundamental differences in values between the two powers: the United States emphasizes human rights, while the regimes focus is on power, Kokbore says. On issues such as South China Sea sovereignty disputes, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Beijings lack of transparency over COVID-19 origin, the regime is making enemies with countries around the world, he said.

Its not a question of whether someone wants it or not. A cold war is already on, he said. With Beijing continuing on the same path, a war is inevitable, he added.

The White House has brushed aside the cold war idea and characterized the bilateral terms as one not of conflict, but of competition.

In his Sept. 21 address at the U.N. General Assembly, the first such speech since taking office, President Joe Biden said, We are not seeking a new cold war or a world divided into rigid blocs, although he stopped short of mentioning specific countries.

However, Chinese leader Xi Jinping later that day leveraged the same platform to level criticism against the United States, using wording such as military intervention from the outside in an apparent reference to the tumultuous military pullout from Afghanistan.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 21, 2021. (Eduardo Munoz/Pool Photo via AP)

Bidens comments, and the conspicuous omission of China, frustrated several Republican lawmakers who say hes being soft and appeasing Beijing.

Nobody wants to see a cold war. I wish we could view China as a non-adversary, but thats not realistic, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis) told The Epoch Times.

Ahead of Bidens speech at the U.N., Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) expressed disappointment that President Biden has shown no willingness to stand up to China.

Weve been pushing for over a year now to have a basic hearing into the origins of COVID-19, he told NTD, noting that the Trump administration had hardened China policy over trade and intellectual property theft.

Those are things that had been a problem before COVID. Its even more of a problem now, he said.

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Nov. 13, 2014. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Chinese officials in the past few years have become increasingly assertive. Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian attempted to blame the U.S. military for starting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top Chinese diplomats publicly lashed out at their U.S. counterparts, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at a high-profile Alaska meeting earlier this year, saying the United States should change its own image and to stop advancing its own democracy in the rest of the world. The same diplomats have also demanded that the United States stay clear of Beijings red lines if Washington wants the regimes cooperation.

In the United States, Gallagher has observed a crazy woke ideology thats teaching a whole generation of Americans that America is an evil racist hellscape that must constantly apologize for its past sins and be scared of its own shadow, and says that Chinese officials are leveraging these ideologies to advance the regimes agenda.

The Chinese Communist Party officials are co-opting that narrative of the far left so that they can lecture our officials when they sit across from them in Alaska and say: You cant criticize us about Tiananmen or Xinjiang, because America is evilyoure just as bad as us, he said.

Thats unacceptable.

This is the greatest country in the history of the world. And until we recognize that fact and understand it, we are going to be playing catch-up in this new cold war for a long time.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) speaks with Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the State Department ahead of a meeting in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 15, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

US Restates Ironclad Support as Lithuania Faces Challenges, Including From Beijing

The United States reiterated its ironclad support to Lithuania on Sept. 15, as the Baltic nation resists coercion from Beijing due to its deepening relations with Taiwan.

The United States renewed its commitment to stand with Lithuania in the face of numerous challenges during a meeting between Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in Washington, D.C.

During the meeting, the United States expressed solidarity with Lithuania, its NATO ally and EU partner, as it encounters geopolitical challenges that imperil regional stability, security, and economic prosperity, according to a U.S. government press release.

The release also declared the United States ironclad support for the Baltic nation while it confronts attempted coercion from the Chinese regime.

We stand together, collective defense and security. We stand against economic coercion, including that being exerted by China, and we stand strongly for democracy, Blinken said.

Moreover, Blinken and Landsbergis discussed ways to counter the Chinese Communist Partys economic intimidation, talking over efforts to assist Lithuania build supply chain resiliency and expand bilateral economic cooperation.

The two leaders further echoed their pledge to strengthen U.S.-EU cooperation, to progress towards peace, prosperity, security, democracy, and human rights.

Its truly symbolic that we can reaffirm our commitment to defend democracy, liberty, human rights across the globe, Landsbergis said.

The United States renewed support for its NATO ally comes after Lithuania agreed to allow Taiwan to open a representative office under its own name in July, rather than Chinese Taipei.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regards Taiwan as part of its territory, despite the island nation having its own system of government, military, and currency.

In retaliation to the Lithuanian move, Beijing recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and threatened the country with potential consequences unless it changes its decision, in a statement released on Aug. 10.

This led to Lithuania recalling its ambassador from Beijing for consultations from Beijing.

Given Lithuanias resistance, the CCP is attempting to hurt the nations economy.

The director of Lithuanias State Food and Veterinary Service said China stopped approving new export permits for some Lithuanian businesses, according to the Baltic Times.

Meanwhile, state-owned Lithuanian Railways told Newsweek that several freight trains from China to the Baltic nation would be suspended until the middle of September.

The Global Times, Chinas hawkish state-run media, published an editorial on Aug. 11, saying China should join hands with Russia and Belarus, the two countries that border Lithuania, and punish it, as it needs to be taught a lesson.

Targetting Taiwan

Due to the CCPs endeavors to exclude Taiwan from the international relations landscape, the self-ruled island has only 15 diplomatic allies.

However, it has managed to develop informal ties with many nations by establishing representative offices, which serve as de facto embassies, though they do not award Taiwan diplomatic recognition. This is the case of the United States and Lithuania.

In the United States, Taiwans office took the name of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. But, according to The Financial Times, the Biden administration is contemplating the possibility of permitting the office to change its name to Taiwan Representative Office.

As a result, The Global Times targeted Taiwan with an aggressive editorial, which threatened to impose an economic blockade against Taiwan, as well as taking military action against the island.

But many experts see such talk, at this stage, as hot air.

Michael E. OHanlon, co-director at the Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at the Brookings Institution, told The Epoch Times that, for now, the CCP would rather play the nice guys in order to expand its influence, so other countries agree to cooperate with China.

In order to be successful economically, the Chinese regime cant be seen as an ogre; they have to be patient, as the ogre can come later, he said.

Nonetheless, he said, there is still a high enough risk for [military action] to merit considerable attention and concern for the future.
U.S. and European Union flags are pictured at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on Feb. 20, 2017. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

US Says Planned Meeting With European Nations Including France Was Canceled Due to Scheduling Issues

A meeting between leaders from the United States, France, and other European nations that was set to take place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York has been cancelled due to scheduling issues, according to a senior State Department official.

The transatlantic Quad meeting between the United States, France, Germany, and the UK was scheduled to take place on Tuesday alongside the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly.

In a Tuesday briefing with Senior State Department Officials On U.S. Engagements at the United Nations, a senior State Department official told reporters that schedules had prevented the meeting from going ahead.

We did have a Quad at my level today, the state official said. I think that schedules got in the way of that at the ministerial level, but a lot of those countries are going to see each other in other formats both at the  the G-20 meeting and at least the P3 [permanent members meeting] will all be part of the secretary-generals P5 meeting tomorrow night.

The state official noted that he expects U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will have a chance to exchange views at some point over the course of the week.

The cancelled meeting was one of the three planned get-togethers that would bring together Blinken and Le Drian, among other countries representatives, for the first time since a diplomatic spat between the United States and France.

France has berated the United States for negotiating a security pact in secret with Australia and Britain that would help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, and cost Paris a lucrative defense deal.

Australia says the United States offer of access to U.S. nuclear technology to build nuclear-propelled submarines was too good to refuse.

Previously, Australia struck a $65 billion deal with France to provide subs in a security agreement in the AsiaPacific region. France said it was now assessing all options in response to Australias scrapping of the billion-dollar submarine contract, with officials noting that they learned about the new agreement between the United States and the U.K just hours before it went public.

The move prompted France to withdraw its ambassadors from Australia and the United States and cancel a planned gala in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile Germany, Frances biggest EU ally, has rallied behind it, saying Washington and Canberra had damaged trust between allies that would be difficult to rebuild.

The official did not state whether or not the cancelled meeting was due to the recent tensions between the U.S. and France.
President Joe Biden is seen during a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Sept. 21, 2021. (Al Drago/Pool/Getty Images)

US to Donate 500 Million More COVID-19 Vaccines to Poor Countries

The United States has reached an agreement with Pfizer to buy an additional 500 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to donate to various countries, President Joe Biden announced Wednesday.

We know we have to act to save lives now, Biden told a virtual COVID-19 summit that his administration convened when world leaders and business executives.

The doses will be donated to low- and lower-middle-income countries around the world, a senior administration official, who was speaking to reporters on the condition they were not identified, told reporters in a call. Theyre all Pfizer doses.

The tranche will be made in the United States and will start shipping out in January 2022.

The additional commitment means the United States has pledged to donate or has already donated 1.1 billion vaccine doses. That includes 500 million Pfizer doses that the United States bought over the summer and promised to send to countries the government said needed them.

So far, nearly 160 million doses have been sent out to 100 countries around the world, including Peru, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, El Salvador, and Ethiopia.

Most of those have gone to lower-middle-income countries, according to an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The United States is donating 1.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the world, free of charge, no strings attached, the official said. This is a huge commitment by the U.S.

A vial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech is seen in Bangkok, Thailand on Sept. 21, 2021. (Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

As with the first Pfizer tranche, the United States is paying a price that was not specified but was described as a not-for-profit price. Theyll be distributed through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, a global effort aimed at providing access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The agreement will enable way more equitable access to our vaccines, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on CNBCs Squawk Box.

Biden during the summit called on other high-income countries to deliver on their own ambitious  pledges.

Before the summit, U.S. officials sent a list of targets to summit attendees that includes the goal of achieving a 70 percent world vaccination before the 2022 United Nations General Assembly meeting.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The announcement comes after the United States and a handful of other countries received criticism from some officials, such as World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, for pushing to give people third and even fourth doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 shots.

The officials argue the focus should be on vaccinating the unvaccinated, particularly in poor countries that dont have much access to the vaccines.

U.S. officials have pushed back, saying the boosters can be administered at the same time first shots are given to people around the world.

The Biden administration hoped that U.S. drug regulators were going to authorize booster doses for all Americans but those hopes dimmed last week when the Food and Drug Administrations vaccine advisory panel recommended against boosters, except for those 65 and older. Regulators have yet to announce whether theyll overrule the recommendation.
A mail-in voting package is seen in Calgary, Alta., on Sept. 2, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)

Voter Turnout for 2021 Federal Election Lowest Since 2008, Mail-In Ballots Likely to Affect Final Outcome

With the final result of the federal election delayed while mail-in ballots are counted, voter turnout appears to be the lowest since 2008. Preliminary data from Elections Canada shows that 59 percent of roughly 27 million registered Canadian electors cast their ballots, although this figure could change once approximately 1 million mail-in ballots are counted. Not since 2008, when 58.8 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, have so few Canadians exercised their democratic right. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh blamed the low voter turnout on Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau for calling a snap election during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic while Trudeau claims the results have given the Liberals a clear mandate from Canadians to lead the country into a brighter future.

Trudeau should never have called it, he claimed that he wanted to hear from people. Well, this is the lowest turnout despite one of the biggest crises weve ever faced, Singh said during a Sept. 21 press conference.

Singh cited difficulties in voting accessibility that were discouraging for people including long lineups, students unable to vote on campus, and confusion in Indigenous communities on how to access polling stations on election day.

We pride ourselves on being a democracy where we want to make it easy for people to vote, and what we saw was not that, Singh said.

In the 2015 election, when Trudeau and the Liberal Party came into power, voter turnout was at 68.3 percent. In 2019, he was re-elected when at least 67 percent of registered voters cast their ballot.

The process of counting over 1 million mail-in ballots from across the country could take Elections Canada several days, leaving ridings that are in a tight race with uncertain outcomes.

While British Columbia has the greatest amount of mail-in ballots, Ontario has the largest number of races in which the outcome could be decided by mail-in ballots.

In Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Conservative candidate Sonny Spina trails the Liberal incumbent Terry Sheehan by less than a hundred votes with 1,660 mail-in ballots remaining uncounted.

In Alberta, two seats are also too close to be called. With roughly 3,200 mail-in ballots uncounted in Edmonton Centre, Liberal Randy Boissonnault is leading Conservative James Cumming by only 136 votes.

In Edmonton-Griesbach, where 2,166 mail-in ballots were received, NDP Blake Desjarlais is leading Conservative Kerry Diotte by roughly 1,000 votes.
President Joe Biden and France's President Emmanuel Macron attend a plenary session during G7 summit in Carbis Bay in Cornwall, United Kingdom, on June 13, 2021. (Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

White House: French Ambassador Will Return to Washington Amid Diplomatic Spat

Frances ambassador to the United States will return to Washington after a spat over a nuclear submarine deal with Australia, according to a joint statement released by the French government and the White House.

The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners. President [Joe] Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard, read the joint statement released Wednesday.

Adding that French President Emmanuel Macron and Biden will meet in late October, the two parties noted that Macron also decided that French Ambassador Philippe Etienne will return to the United States, days after he directed him to leave Washington.

Last week, Biden announced a deal with the United Kingdom and Australia that the United States and UK will provide Canberra with nuclear submarines. It meant, however, that Australia would have to renege on its agreement, reportedly worth $65 billion, with France to provide it with French submarine technology.

Frances Foreign Ministry office issued a number of angry statements, accusing the three nations of betrayal, before pulling its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra. Its not clear if the French ambassador to Australia will return in the near future, and the joint statement released Wednesday made no mention of it.

Etienne, the statement continued, will then start intensive work with senior U.S. officials as Biden has reaffirmed the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the framework of the EUs Indo-Pacific strategy.

The United States also recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense, that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO, the statement said.

The diplomatic rift between the United States and France, which have been allies for much of Americas history, came as Biden delivered his first address to the U.N. General Assembly, where he touted diplomacy on the international stage. The Biden administration also received significant blowback for how it handled the military withdrawal and chaotic evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters that the 27-nation bloc supports France in its rift with the United States, UK, and Australia and urged more cooperation, more coordination, less fragmentation.

Certainly, we were caught by surprise by this announcement, Borrell said, referring to last weeks announcement.

Another EU official, European Council President Charles Michel, stated that he found it difficult to understand the Biden administrations decision.

Why? Because with the new Joe Biden administration, America is back. This was the historic message sent by this new administration and now we have questions. What does it mean  America is back? Is America back in America or somewhere else? We dont know, he told reporters in New York this week.

On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said it will ease restrictions on fully vaccinated travelers from the European Union that have been in place since the pandemic started early last year. White House officials said that decision was based on scientific data and wasnt politically motivated.
White House: More Consultation Could Have Taken Place Before AUKUS Announcement

President Joe Biden acknowledged in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron that more consultation could have taken place with the French government ahead of last weeks announcement of a new pact between the United States, Australia, and the UK, according to White House officials.

On Sept. 22, the two leaders took part in a 30-minute call requested by Biden to discuss the implications of the defense agreement, known as AUKUS. The deal includes plans for the United States to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian military and replaces a $66 billion deal for submarines struck by Australia and France in 2016.

A joint readout of the call from Elysee Palace and the White House reads: The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners. President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki later told reporters that the call had a friendly tone. She said Biden acknowledged there could have been greater consultation, but, again, this call was really focused on the path forward and returning back to normal and the important work we have to do with the French ahead.

French officials say they were made aware of the AUKUS announcement only hours before it took place on Sept. 15. And, in an unprecedented move, France responded by withdrawing its ambassadors from Canberra and Washington.

During the phone conversation, Macron decided that the French ambassador will return to Washington next week to start intensive work with senior U.S. officials, according to the readout. Macron and Biden have also committed to meeting one another in Europe in October. No decision has been made about the French ambassador to Australia, according to Elysee Palace.

Frances foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had called the situation a crisis last week, denouncing what he called the duplicity, disdain, and lies.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters in Washington on Sept. 22, speaking in both French and English, that French officials should get a grip, calling AUKUS a fundamentally great step forward for global security.

While the Biden administration insists that the AUKUS deal is not aimed or about any one country, many view it as a response to the increasingly assertive actions taken by China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Biden reaffirmed the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the readout. Hes also scheduled to meet with leaders from Quad member-states, India, Japan, and Australia, on Sept. 24.

Psaki told reporters on Sept. 22 that the announcement of AUKUS last week wasnt meant to be an indication that nobody else is to be involved with the security of the Indo-Pacific.
President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept.21, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

White House Reporters File Formal Complaint Against Biden After Aides Shout Them out of Oval Office

The White House press pool has filed a formal complaint against President Joe Biden after he wouldnt answer questions about contentious topics while he met with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Oval Office on Sept. 21.

During the meeting, Biden and Johnson discussed trade, the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S.UKAustralia nuclear submarine deal that angered the French government, and several other topics. Johnson took a few questions and was finishing his response to a reporters inquiry when White House staffers told reporters to leave the room, cutting the prime minister off, video footage of the incident shows.

Before the interruption, Johnson said: Would it be OK if we had a couple of questions? Just a couple? Biden then responded: Good luck.

As aides shouted and media members left the room, Biden, who was wearing a mask, sat in his chair for several seconds before making a motion with his hand. Johnson, who was also wearing a mask, rapidly scanned the room amid the yelling.

MOMENTS AGO: Staff orders news media to leave The White House as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks mid-sentence pic.twitter.com/MXg2m0o1hq  Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 21, 2021

Thats absurd, one reporter said as they left. Two British reporters get questions, and we dont get anything.

White House pool reporter Steven Portnoy said the press pool has filed a formal complaint with press secretary Jen Psaki.

The entire editorial component of the U.S. pool went immediately into Jen Psakis office to register a formal complaint that no American reporters were recognized for questions in the presidents Oval Office, and that wranglers loudly shouted over the president as he seemed to give an answer to Ed OKeefes question about the situation at the southern border, Portnoy, the head of the White House Correspondents Association, wrote. Bidens answer could not be heard over the shouting.

Psaki was unaware that the incident had occurred, and suggested that she was not in position to offer an immediate solution. Your pooler requested a press conference. Psaki suggested the president takes questions several times a week.

Ed OKeefe of CBS News said he couldnt hear Bidens answer to his question about the U.S.Mexico border crisis, due to White House aides shouting them down along with Bidens muffled response due to his mask. White House aides also appeared to cut off Johnsons response by shouting and telling everyone to leave the Oval Office, he said.

The White House press office didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
German students Hans Scholl (19181943, L) and his sister Sophie (19211943), circa 1940. Both were members of the non-violent White Rose resistance group against the Nazis. After their arrest for distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich, they were convicted of high treason and executed by guillotine. (Authenticated News/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Why Follow Your Conscience?

During World War II, a group of college students calling themselves The White Rose wrote leaflets against Nazism and were executed. Another person of conscience during the war, German industrialist Oskar Schindler changed the fate of 1,200 Jews, whose families now thrive, and they honor him today.

Sadly, communism survived World War II and continued to persecute and impoverish millions of people. At the same time, it moved people to adopt better ways of life in opposition. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyns ability for self-criticism led him to trenchant criticism of the Soviet system in The Gulag Archipelago. In China, Liu Xiaobo provided intellectual and political leadership to his fellow Chinese working for human rights, and Li Hongzhi offered a traditional spirituality of hope to millions in the Falun Gong movement.

Adherents of Falun Gong are known for their courage, and behind their courage is their conscience. Theyve chosen the hard right rather than the easy wrong when peoples lives depended on them. But mostly theyve carried out the ordinary activities of daily life like everyone else.

Following your conscience in everyday life is good practice for those moments when a few courageous, well-chosen actions make a great difference. Most people aspire to do the right thing under pressure, but not to live under pressure. Fortunately, were not constantly tested. But the downside is that we dont always become stronger, more prepared to stand up for the right thing.

Following your conscience turns out to be one of the most important spiritual moves for living at peace in a conflicted world. Youre more likely to live your best self every day, be more successful and peaceful, and affect more people than you realize.

What Is Conscience?

Conscience is not consciousness. Waking up makes you conscious but doesnt arouse your conscience.

There are lots of definitions, but your conscience is essentially your best judgment about how to put your best self into action. Its one of the most powerful movements in your heart and soul. People often associate conscience with guilt, but following it can bring great peace, spiritual strength, motivation, and success.

Your conscience is a judgment about your actions: whether theyre right or wrong, and, if theyre right, whether they are good, better, or the best you can perform. If youre like most people, youre probably doing all right but could do better. Thats your conscience telling you to take your game to the next level.

Conscience comes from ancient Greek courtroom language: syn + eidesis, which the Romans translated con + scientia = with + knowledge. It referred to a witness, someone who comes with knowledge of another persons guilt or innocence. So your conscience is the courtroom witness inside you.

Having a constant witness sounds terrible, like an angry critic you cant get away from. But having a conscience is actually a blessing. It literally means to know right or wrong within oneself; to know in ones own mind.

Having the ability to make good moral judgments on your own enables you to accept accurate criticism and reject false critics. A well-formed conscience gives you the spiritual strength to do the right thing under pressure and turn bad situations into good ones. Conscience can be a kind but firm challenger when you know deep down youre going astray. It can also be a passionate advocate when youre doing well and teach you how to live and love better. But you have to pay attention.

Conscience is connected to powerful emotions such as guilt, shame, and poor self-esteem. Emotions are sometimes reliable, sometimes not. Shame is a great example. We can feel ashamed when weve done nothing wrong or when we have. We can feel un-ashamed when we really have done something wrong and have become hardened and blind to it. Negative emotions can be an early warning system that something is wrong, but we have to think about them to recognize it.

No one forces you to follow your conscience. Youve probably already figured out that if someone tries forcing you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, its a good time to engage your conscience and figure out why.

You have to choose to follow your conscience. Your conscience will speak up to let you know things. But sometimes other voices speak more loudly. Like a wise counselor, your conscience is often quieter but more patient and insistent. When you choose against your conscience, you disappoint yourself. Thats one of the worst feelings of all.

Following your conscience means avoiding what you know is wrong, doing what you know is right, and striving for the greatest goals in the best way. It doesnt mean you have to change the world or be amazing, but if thats your calling, go for it. Using your talents and skills to serve others in professional life, to help friends and others in need, to get and stay married, to raise a family, and make a positive impact on your community are the great goals of ordinary life.

Look at Your Conscience  Looking Back at You

But lets be honest, sometimes your judgment is off. Your conscience is wrong. Thats not a deal-breaker, especially if you tried  and keep trying. The good news is that you learn.

People learn best by studying a little every day. One of the best ways to know and love yourself is to spend 5 to 10 minutes at the end of each day asking yourself what you did well, what you did poorly, and why. Perhaps describe what you did in a journal and reread it. For the good and the bad, ask, Why did I do it? Did it go toward making you the kind of person you hope to be? What should you change and what should you keep the same for tomorrow?

Be honest with yourself, and pay close attention if you did something your conscience was telling you not to do. That might be a weakness and a sign of danger: the relationship that shouldnt continue, the crutch of lying to gain unfair advantage, cutting corners on work projects, taking friends and family for granted, failing to stand for justice for a neighbor, or neglecting physical fitness and mental health.

Expect to wrestle with your conscience. Sometimes youll want to choose against your best judgment. Some questions are hard, and in some situations youll be confused about whats wrong, right, good, better, and best. But if you take a few minutes every evening to look back at your day and listen to your conscience, youll become a stronger person and better friend to more people.

If you regularly explain to yourself why you think you did well or poorly, you become more conscious of your moral standards. You might not think of your moral standards very often, and thats not necessarily bad. But everyone has them and acts on them, and no one needs to tell you that they become very important in difficult or controversial situations.

Some of these moral controversies go on inside us. They arise for different reasons and can be complicated or simple or somewhere in between. But turning your attention to the standards youve lived by so far can confirm them, engage them, lead you to better, more humane standards, or even cause a wholesale conversion in your life.

Sometimes were our own worst critics. We can denigrate our true accomplishments and at the same time rationalize and overlook our darker motivations. You need a wise outside voice to silence the devilish ones within and recognize the true voice of your own conscience. Good mentors help you look smartly at situations, spot the wrong, and aim for the good, the better, and the best. In the end, you judge, you own it, and you act.

Why Follow Your Conscience?

Your actions have consequences. Sometimes you have to make up to others for what you did. If so, do it as soon as possible and with a good heart. That helps you deal with those other consequences: the ones inside you. Your actions have consequences inside you as well as out. When you make things truly right with others, you change yourself inside.

Your conscience has important things to tell you, and if you dont pay attention, it will be quiet for a while. Thats how people fall into bad, sometimes tragic or fatal habits. But every once in a while, conscience will speak up again, often triggered when situations make you recognize the bad habit. Listen. Its worth it.

Following your conscience makes you a good judge of character, beginning with your own. If you know what to look for in yourself, you know what to look for in others. Being a good judge of your own character builds self-confidence. Being a good judge of others character builds strong professional relationships and, most importantly, strong friendships, marriages, and families.

At the end of your day,  week, year, and life, youll live at peace in a conflicted world, have had a positive impact on many lives, and leave your community better than you found it.
The U.S. moved a step closer Wednesday to offering booster doses of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine to senior citizens and others at high risk from the virus as the Food and Drug Administration signed off on the targeted use of extra shots.

The FDA authorized booster doses for Americans who are 65 and older, younger adults with underlying health conditions and those in jobs that put them at high risk for COVID-19. The ruling represents a drastically scaled back version of the Biden administrations sweeping plan to give third doses to nearly all American adults to shore up their protection amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

However, more regulatory hurdles lie ahead before the dispensing of boosters can begin.

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention opened a two-day meeting Wednesday to make their own, more specific recommendations about who should get the extra shots and when. And in their first day of discussions, some experts were so perplexed by the questions surrounding the rationale for boosters that they suggested putting off a decision for a month in hopes of more evidence.

The uncertainties were yet another reminder that the science surrounding boosters is more complicated than the Biden administration suggested when the president and his top aides rolled out their plan at the White House last month.

The FDA decision Wednesday was expected after the agencys own panel of advisers last week overwhelmingly rejected the Biden plan. The panel instead recommended boosters only for those most vulnerable to severe cases of COVID-19.

FDA acting commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement that the FDA authorization would allow for boosters in health care workers, teachers, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons.

"As we learn more about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including the use of a booster dose, we will continue to evaluate the rapidly changing science and keep the public informed, Woodcock said.

Under the FDA authorization, vaccinated Americans are eligible for a third dose six months after receiving their second Pfizer shot. That's different than the Biden proposal announced in August, which called for boosters after eight months.

Todays FDA decision is a major step forward in our effort to provide Americans with additional protection from COVID-19, White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Wednesday night. We have been preparing for weeks to administer booster shots to eligible Americans and are ready to do so following CDCs final recommendation later this week.

The timing of the FDA decision was highly unusual given that the agency typically takes action before the CDC convenes its own experts.

The CDC panelists heard a series of presentations Wednesday outlining the knotty state of science on boosters. On one hand, the COVID-19 vaccines continue to offer strong protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death. On the other hand, there are signs of more low-grade infections among the vaccinated as immunity wanes.

Ultimately the committee must decide who is considered at high enough risk for an extra dose. Data provided by Pfizer and the Israeli government suggests a strong case for boosters in people 65 and older, but there is less evidence that extra shots provide much benefit for younger people with underlying health conditions.

Several CDC advisers agreed boosters are also important for keeping health care workers on the job.

We dont have enough health care workers to take care of the unvaccinated, said Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University. They just keep coming.

The CDC has already said it is considering boosters for older people, nursing home residents and front-line health care workers, rather than all adults.

The World Health Organization and other global health advocates are opposed to wealthy nations dispensing a third round of shots when poor countries dont have enough vaccine for their first doses. And many independent scientists say that the vaccines continue to perform well against the worst effects of COVID-19 and that their ability to curb the overall trajectory of the epidemic is uncertain.

U.S. regulators will decide at a later date on boosters for people who have received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. They indicated the Pfizer shots would not be recommended for people who got a different brand of vaccine initially.

The across-the-board rollout of boosters proposed by the White House was supposed to have begun this week. Some questioned whether President Joe Biden had gotten ahead of the science by announcing his plans before government regulators had reached any conclusions.

Despite the resistance in recent days, some top U.S. health officials said they expect boosters to eventually win broader approval in the coming weeks or months. Dr. Anthony Fauci said over the weekend that this is not the end of the story.

Other administration officials noted that the FDA decision covers tens of millions of Americans and that seniors and other high-risk groups would have been the first to get boosters even if extra shots had been authorized for the entire population. Seniors were in the first group of Americans eligible for vaccination last December.

The U.S. has already authorized third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for certain people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and transplant recipients. Other Americans, healthy or not, have managed to get boosters, in some cases simply by asking.

The U.S. is dispensing around 760,000 vaccinations per day on average, down from a high of 3.4 million a day in mid-April. About 180 million Americans are fully vaccinated, or 64% of those who are eligible.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Laura Corlin, Tufts University

(THE CONVERSATION) Air pollution is the worlds fourth leading cause of death, contributing to about 13 premature deaths every minute. The gases and tiny particles can travel deep into your lungs, enter your bloodstream and damage your cells.

Even when you cant see air pollutants, and even when their levels are below legal limits set by many countries worldwide, they can cause serious health problems that affect multiple organ systems in people of all ages. Air pollution levels that seem low are now linked to dangerous health outcomes such as low birth weight, respiratory problems, heart disease and Alzheimers disease.

A lot has changed in scientists understanding of these health risks in recent years. Thats why the World Health Organization announced on Sept. 22, 2021, that it is tightening its recommended limits for almost every pollutant. The new global air quality guidelines reflect an overwhelming scientific consensus that countries need to more aggressively limit air pollution and protect everyones health.

As an epidemiologist at Tufts University who studies the health effects of air pollution, I recognize the damage air pollutants can cause. I also recognize the inequities in who is most exposed to poor air quality.

Risks to lungs, heart and other body systems

The new air quality guidelines are the WHOs first update since 2005, and major scientific, medical and public health societies support the ambitious implementation of the new guidelines.

The WHO cut in half its recommended limit for exposure to PM2.5, tiny particles commonly produced by cars, trucks, and airplanes and a major component of wildfire smoke, lowering the average maximum exposure from 10 micrograms per cubic meter per year to 5.

It also tightened the limits for gaseous air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide that are produced when fossil fuels are burned by vehicles and power plants. The WHO now recommends limiting nitrogen dioxide to one-quarter of the previous level, from 40 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter.

Lowering PM2.5 levels by 5 micrograms per cubic meter per year could result in major health benefits.

Research shows that each 5 micrograms per cubic meter increase in exposure to PM2.5 during pregnancy is associated with a 4% increased likelihood of having a baby with low birth weight. In adulthood, 5 micrograms per cubic meter per year exposure is associated with a 13% increased likelihood of heart events, like heart attacks and cardiovascular-related deaths; a 4% increased likelihood of lung cancer; and more than a twofold increased likelihood of Alzheimers disease.

Lowering the health burden associated with air pollution exposure like this could save US$5 trillion annually in health-related costs and $225 billion in labor productivity, according to World Bank estimates.

Reducing the drivers of air pollution can also help fight another global crisis  climate change. Thats because some air pollutants directly contribute to global warming, and some of the solutions for reducing air pollution reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

No countrys pollution limits come close

The new guidelines are based on hundreds of scientific studies that reflect recent advances in scientists ability to quantify how much air pollution people are exposed to in different contexts, and in their ability to study larger groups of people over longer periods of time in more places around the world.

These studies show that exposure to even very low levels of air pollution is associated with premature death, and that there does not seem to be a safe exposure level.

Over 90% of people worldwide are exposed to levels of PM2.5 that exceed even the old WHO guidelines.

In some places, like India, the yearly average PM2.5 concentration is nearly 12 times higher than the new WHO levels. Moreover, no country has legal air quality standards that meet the new WHO recommendations.

In the United States, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards are 2.4 times higher than WHOs recommended level for yearly average PM2.5 exposure and roughly 10 times higher for yearly average nitrogen dioxide.

Inequity in pollution exposure is a problem

Not everyone is equally protected by the existing air quality laws: Nearly 97 million people in the United States live in counties with air pollution concentrations above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Globally and locally, the people who bear the greatest burden of exposure to air pollution are generally those producing the least amount of air pollution.

For example, in the United States, studies have found that people who identify as Black and Hispanic inhale about 60% more air pollution than they are responsible for based on their consumer behavior. In contrast, people who identify as non-Hispanic white inhale about 17% less pollution than their consumer behavior would suggest.

While the United States cut yearly average PM2.5 concentrations by 41% and yearly average nitrogen dioxide concentrations by 53% between 2000 and 2020, the people and places most exposed to air pollution in the 1980s are still the most exposed today.

Ways to improve air quality for everyone

Countries can improve their air quality by moving to cleaner sources of energy and cutting out fossil fuels, which are a major source of PM2.5. Electric vehicles can help reduce traffic-related air pollution.

Investing in more equitable air pollution monitoring networks that capture real-time air quality levels can help recognize risks. And policymakers worldwide can use the new evidence-based recommendations to develop and enforce air quality policies that protect public health and the environment.

The disparities in air pollution exposure are often linked to structural racism, such as historic redlining and locating polluting industries and freeways in low-income or predominantly Black or Hispanic neighborhoods. The result shows up in the communities health. The new WHO air quality guidelines could help governments set limits on average air pollution exposure that better protect everyones health.

[Over 110,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/combatting-an-invisible-killer-new-who-air-pollution-guidelines-recommend-sharply-lower-limits-166939.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP)  The top U.S. diplomat in El Salvador said Tuesday she sees a decline in democracy the country, where President Nayib Bukele changed his Twitter profile to read the coolest dictator in the world.

The U.S. State Department put five El Salvadoran Supreme Court justices on the U.S. Undemocratic and Corrupt Actors list Monday. Those on the list have their U.S. visas revoked.

The U.S. Embassy Charge dAffaires Jean Manes told local media the action was taken because the justice voted to allow the presidents re-election which is clearly not allowed under the Constitution.

What are we seeing now? It is a decline in democracy, and that is exactly what is happening, Manes said.

Bukele said the decision to put the Salvadoran justices on the list has nothing to do with corruption. He called it pure politics and the lowest form of interventionism.

We are nobody's back yard, Bukele wrote in his Twitter account. Over the weekend he changed his Twitter profile to dictator, apparently as an ironic comment on last week's protests against him in San Salvador. By Tuesday he had changed it again to the coolest dictator in the world.

Bukeles New Ideas party won a congressional majority this year and immediately after taking its seats in the National Assembly in May, it replaced the five members of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court and the independent attorney general who had balked at several of Bukeles earlier actions.

Soon after, the Constitutional Chamber tossed aside what had long been interpreted as a constitutional ban on consecutive presidential reelection, setting the stage for Bukele to potentially seek a second term in 2024. Bukele has not so far announced plans to seek reelection, but critics assume he will.

Bukele's office has not responded to requests for comment on the Twitter profile change, but there were no clear signs the account had been hacked and the populist president is known for his wry style.

Lawyer Eduardo Escobar of Citizens Action, a civic group devoted to government accountability, said Bukeles strange profile description is part of the presidents strategy, noting He is trying to ridicule the feelings of the public or the opposition.

Last week, thousands of people gathered in El Salvadors capital for the first mass march against Bukele, who protesters say has concentrated too much power and weakened the independence of the courts.

Bukele dismissed the Sept. 15 demonstration by saying protesters took to the streets to fight a dictatorship that doesnt exist.

The populist president elected in 2019 has maintained high popularity with his vows to stamp out corruption that was rampant among the countrys traditional parties. But some Salvadorans say he is becoming a dictator for real.

Bukele often uses Twitter to write about Bitcoin. The price and potential of the cryptocurrency appears to fascinate Bukele, and he made bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador, the first country to do so.

Some marchers last week protested the controversial decision by Bukeles government to roll out a digital bitcoin wallet known as the Chivo one week ago. The system has been down frequently for maintenance.

The digital wallet appears to have been overloaded by the sheer number of Salvadorans looking to take advantage of the $30 bonus that the government put in each account to incentivize adoption.
NORWALK  The citys public schools are the latest victims of a viral TikTok challenge that encourages followers to vandalize or steal school property, according to the district.

Superintendent Alexandra Estrella informed families on Tuesday that the district has been investigating reports of vandalism at several school buildings over the past few weeks. Last week, the district became aware of the apparent link between the destruction and the TikTok challenge called Devious Licks.

The social media challenge encourages students to damage school property or steal supplies then post an anonymous video of their deed on the social media platform.

At Norwalk Public Schools, we are committed to providing a safe, supportive, and positive school climate. As you may imagine, we take vandalism and theft of school property very seriously, Estrella said in her message.

Her message did not specify any of the incidents that have occurred in the schools.

Students identified as participants in the acts of vandalism and stealing will be subject to discipline and intervention in accordance with the student code of conduct, the board of education policy, and any relevant state laws. Depending on the seriousness of the offense, students may face detention, suspension or even expulsion.

When appropriate, the district will also work with the Norwalk Police Department on cases that involve theft or destruction of school property, the message said.

Norwalk school principals and counselors have addressed the issue with students and emphasized the roles that students need to play in being a responsible member of our school community, Estrella said. She also encouraged parents and guardians to speak with their children about the seriousness of the acts and the potential consequences they face.

Several other school districts in Fairfield County also have seen their students taking part in the TikTok challenge.

The interim principal at Weston High School sent a letter out last week discouraging students from participating in the challenge after bathrooms were vandalized. Fairfield Schools Superintendent Mike Cummings also sent a letter to families after students damaged bathrooms at the middle and high schools.

We know that TikTok is a popular app with our students, Cummings wrote. When used safely and responsibly, it can be a fun, creative outlet for tweens and teens. However, like many social media apps, TikTok is also a source of viral challenges, in which users share videos of themselves performing pranks or stunts.

emily.morgan@hearstmediact.com
NEW YORK (AP)  One of the most intriguing parts of the costumes at the Broadway play A Soldier's Story was something the audience likely never saw.

Each of the 12 actors wore uniforms carefully reflecting the attire of real soldiers in 1944. Their boots, too, were faithful replications. But around their necks were dog tags carefully etched with each character's name, age and religious affiliation.

The dog tags  usually tucked under the costumes and out of sight  gave the actors something they could physically hold as they got into character. They became touchstones for their roles.

It was the brainchild of Dede Ayite, who has earned two 2021 Tony Award costume design nominations. Even if few sitting in the audience knew about the dog tags or what they said, it was her gift to the actors, her attempt to deepen the experience.

Stuff like that brings me joy. I dont need the audience to know that," said Ayite. "Its building up of those layers that adds even more texture to a piece.

Showing her versatility, Ayite also is nominated for designing the costumes for Slave Play, Jeremy O. Harris bracing work about an antebellum fantasy therapy workshop. If A Soldier's Play was regimented and historically accurate, Slave Play is fantasy and fetishism.

I love the way clothes make me feel. I love the stories you can tell through clothing, said Ayite, who noted that on this interview day her red sweater had shifted her demeanor. Thats the power and the beauty of what clothes can do. I want to be able to tap into that.

For A Soldier's Play, which explores racism within a Black U.S. Army unit, Ayite created special padding in the elbows and knees for actor David Alan Grier, who was frequently pummeled onstage. The soldiers' boots had to look broken in so she handed them out at the beginning of rehearsals.

For Slave Play, Ayite put a leather dominatrix outfit under a hoop skirt for one character and mixed contemporary items  like Calvin Klein underwear  with Civil War-era pieces to make the viewer question what they were seeing.

There is a sort of home-grown quality to it. The characters have sort of like put their own spin on each of these costumes, said Slave Play director Robert OHara. I think that people watching the show will say, Wait a minute. That looks out of time with the time period. So there are winks in the costumes throughout.

Ayite said she's always been curious about what makes humans tick, and she had one of the more astounding double majors of anyone on Broadway  theater and behavioral neuroscience. She excelled at both, but at some point had to pick career paths.

I needed to choose the thing that brought me the most joy and the thing that sort of kept my heart intact and my spirit intact. And that was art, she said. I just kept saying yes to the thing that spoke to my heart. And its brought me here today. And for that Im grateful.

She has a masters in design from the Yale School of Drama and teaches at Harvard University. Ayite said she likes the collaborative nature of theater, and her art is a soul calling.

Theres nothing like watching an audience experience the world you helped to create and to see them moved, she said. "I dont need to run up there and say, Hey, look at me, because I see that, I see the effect.

Her other Broadway credits include American Son and Children of a Lesser God. Her work has been seen at Steppenwolf, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Repertory, Baltimore Center Stage, Arena Stage and Cleveland Playhouse.

Ayite learned she had earned two Tony nominations last fall while at the dentist, who was encouraging. He said, You know what? I feel good about this. I think its going to be a good day she said he told her. She was still processing the first text message of a nomination when a second arrived with more good news.

It is it is a huge honor to think that people who see theater and people who appreciate theater are seeing my work and theyre recognizing the effort that goes into it, she said.

The pandemic put on hold two plays she also worked on  revivals of How I Learned to Drive and American Buffalo." Both sets of costumes are in storage, awaiting the return of live theater. But when it does, Ayite is ready to tweak and enhance.

I definitely would like to look at the costumes again, acknowledge what weve done so far, but then also think of them through the lens of what weve all gone through in the last year and a half, she said. Were all different today.

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
NEW YORK (AP)  Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday sued his estranged niece and The New York Times over a 2018 story about his familys wealth and tax practices that was partly based on confidential documents she provided to the newspapers reporters.

Trumps lawsuit, filed in state court in New York, accuses Mary Trump of breaching a settlement agreement by disclosing tax records she received in a dispute over family patriarch Fred Trumps estate.

The lawsuit accuses the Times and three of its investigative reporters, Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russell Buettner, of relentlessly seeking out Mary Trump as a source of information and convincing her to turn over documents. The suit claims the reporters were aware the settlement agreement barred her from disclosing the documents.

The Times story challenged Trumps claims of self-made wealth by documenting how his father, Fred, had given him at least $413 million over the decades, including through tax avoidance schemes.

Mary Trump identified herself in a book published last year as the source of the documents provided to the Times.

Trumps lawsuit alleges Mary Trump, the Times and its reporters were motivated by a personal vendetta against him and a desire to push a political agenda.

The defendants engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records which they exploited for their own benefit and utilized as a means of falsely legitimizing their publicized works, the lawsuit said.

In a statement to NBC News, Mary Trump said of her uncle, I think he is a loser, and he is going to throw anything against the wall he can. Its desperation. The walls are closing in and he is throwing anything against the wall that he thinks will stick. As is always the case with Donald, hell try and change the subject.

A Times spokesperson, Danielle Rhoads Ha, said the lawsuit is an attempt to silence independent news organizations and we plan to vigorously defend against it.

The Times coverage of Trumps taxes, she said, helped inform citizens through meticulous reporting on a subject of overriding public interest.

One of the Times reporters, Craig, responded in a tweet: I knocked on Mary Trumps door. She opened it. I think they call that journalism.

Trump is seeking $100 million in damages.

Trump filed his lawsuit almost a year to the day after Mary Trump sued him over allegations that he and two of his siblings cheated her out of millions of dollars over several decades while squeezing her out of the family business.

That case is pending.

Mary Trump, 56, is the daughter of Donald Trumps brother, Fred Trump Jr., who died in 1981 at age 42. Mary Trump was 16 at the time.

Trumps lawsuit focuses only on the Times 2018 story, a Pulitzer Prize winner for explanatory reporting. It makes no mention of another Times scoop on Trump's taxes last year, which found he paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the previous 15 years.

According to the lawsuit, Mary Trump came into possession of more than 40,000 pages of highly sensitive, proprietary, private and confidential documents through a legal case involving Fred Trumps will.

The documents including financial records, accountings, tax returns, bank statements, and legal papers pertaining to Donald Trump, Fred Trump and their businesses, Trumps lawsuit said.

In 2001, about two years after Fred Trump died, Mary Trump and other family members entered into a settlement agreement with confidentiality and non-disclosure clauses that barred them from sharing information about Fred Trumps estate in, among other venues, newspaper stories, Trumps lawsuit said. The agreement also covered the estate of Freds wife, Mary Anne Trump, who died in 2000.

Trump, who bashed the Times repeatedly during his presidency as the failing New York Times, noted in the lawsuit that the 2018 article was viewed more online than any previous Times article and that the New York Times Companys stock price jumped 7.4% the week it ran.

The Times story said that Donald Trump and his father avoided gift and inheritance taxes by methods including setting up a sham corporation and undervaluing assets to tax authorities. The Times says its report was based on more than 100,000 pages of financial documents, including confidential tax returns from the father and his companies.

Mary Trumps book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the Worlds Most Dangerous Man, debuted in the midst of Donald Trumps re-election campaign last year. Donald Trumps brother, Robert, tried unsuccessfully to have a court block the books publication, citing the 2001 settlement agreement.

Ruling in Mary Trumps favor, a judge said the confidentiality clauses, viewed in the context of the current Trump family circumstances in 2020, would offend public policy as a prior restraint on protected speech.

In the book, Mary Trump recounted providing the family financial records that underlaid the Times reporting. The book sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week and soaring to No. 1 on the Times bestseller list.

In an interview connected with the release of the book, Mary Trump told ABCs George Stephanopoulos she didnt feel the non-disclosure agreement mattered one way or the other because what I have to say is too important.

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Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak
LOS ANGELES (AP)  An 87-year-old woman found dead inside a freezer in the garage of her Southern California home was a retired homicide detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, authorities said Tuesday.

Miriam E. Travis retired as a detective sergeant in 1990 after 27 years with the department, including 11 in the Homicide Bureau.

Our hearts are broken by this news and the entire LASD family mourns her loss, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a statement.

No arrests have been made since the body was discovered on Sunday in Riverside after another relative asked police to check on the older woman, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported Monday.

The woman's daughter lived with her and gave inconsistent statements about her mother's whereabouts when police went to the home, said Officer Javier Cabrera of the Riverside Police Department.

Officers searched the house, which Cabrera described as disheveled, with hoarding-like conditions. There was a foul odor and officers discovered the body in a functioning freezer in the garage.

The daughter has not been identified and an autopsy was planned to determine the cause of death.

Travis' husband died in 1992, after which she suddenly changed the locks on the house and cut off contact with her extended family, said a relative, Kerri Nickell of Oklahoma.

It was like this is my grandmother one day, and then we never heard from her again, Nickell told the Press-Enterprise. She described Travis and her daughter as kind of hermits.

Cedric Valentin, 63, a landscaper who said he knew Travis, said he last saw her alive four months ago, the Press-Enterprise reported.
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the United States is doubling its purchase of Pfizer's COVID-19 shots to share with the world to 1 billion doses as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year.

The stepped-up U.S. commitment marks the cornerstone of the global vaccination summit Biden convened virtually on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where he encouraged well-off nations to do more to get the coronavirus under control. It comes as world leaders, aid groups and global health organizations have growing increasingly vocal about the slow pace of global vaccinations and the inequity of access to shots between residents of wealthier and poorer nations.

Global health security until now has failed, to the tune of 4.5 million lives, and counting, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the summit, referring to the confirmed global death toll from the coronavirus. We have effective vaccines against COVID-19. We can end the pandemic. And that is why I have been appealing for a global vaccination plan and I hope this summit is a step in that direction.

The U.S. purchase of another 500 million shots brings the total U.S. vaccination commitment to more than 1.1 billion doses through 2022. About 160 million shots supplied by the U.S. have already been distributed to more than 100 countries, representing more donations than the rest of the world combined. The remaining American doses will be distributed over the coming year.

To beat the pandemic here, we need to beat it everywhere, Biden said. He added that with the new commitments, For every one shot we've administered to date in America, we have now committed to do three shots to the rest of the world."

The latest purchase reflects only a fraction of what will be necessary to meet a goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population  and 70% of the citizens of each nation  by next Septembers U.N. meeting. It's a target pushed by global aid groups that Biden threw his weight behind.

Biden is pressing other countries to do more in their vaccine sharing plans.

We need other high income countries to deliver on their own ambitious vaccine donations and pledges, Biden said. He called on wealthy countries to commit to donating, rather than selling the shots to poorer nations, and to provide them with no political strings attached.

The European Union committed to donating 500 million doses  a slight increase from its earlier announced plans  according to a joint statement between the bloc and the U.S. "We call for nations that are able to vaccinate their populations to double their dose-sharing commitments or to make meaningful contributions to vaccine readiness, the statement said.

They also committed to working with the U.S. to bolster global vaccine supply.

Biden, in his remarks, said the U.S. would also increase its funding to global aid groups that are administering shots.

The American response has come under criticism for being too modest, particularly as the administration advocates for providing booster shots to tens of millions of Americans before vulnerable people in poorer nations have received even a first dose.

We have observed failures of multilateralism to respond in an equitable, coordinated way to the most acute moments. The existing gaps between nations with regard to the vaccination process are unheard of, Colombian President Ivan Duque said Tuesday at the United Nations.

More than 5.9 billion COVID-19 doses have been administered globally over the past year, representing about 43% of the global population. But there are vast disparities in distribution, with many lower-income nations struggling to vaccinate even the most vulnerable share of their populations, and some yet to exceed 2% to 3% vaccination rates.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said the triumph of speedy vaccine development was offset by political failure that produced inequitable distribution. In science, cooperation prevailed; in politics, individualism. In science, shared information reigned; in politics, reserve. In science, teamwork predominated; in politics, isolated effort, Pinera said.

The World Health Organization says only 15% of promised donations of vaccines  from rich countries that have access to large quantities of them  have been delivered. The U.N. health agency has said it wants countries to fulfill their dose-sharing pledges immediately and make shots available for programs that benefit poor countries and Africa in particular.

COVAX, the U.N.-backed program to ship vaccines to all countries has struggled with production issues, supply shortages and a near-cornering of the market for vaccines by wealthy nations.

The WHO has urged companies that produce vaccines to prioritize COVAX and make public their supply schedules. It also has appealed to wealthy countries to avoid broad rollouts of booster shots so doses can be made available to health care workers and vulnerable people in the developing world. Such calls have largely gone ignored.

COVAX has missed nearly all of its vaccine-sharing targets. Its managers also have lowered their ambitions to ship vaccines by the end of this year, from an original target of some 2 billion doses worldwide to hopes for 1.4 billion now. Even that mark could be missed.

As of Tuesday, COVAX had shipped more than 296 million doses to 141 countries.

Todays summit was full of speeches but tragically lacking in action," said Oxfam Americas President and CEO Abby Maxman. "While we commend President Biden for rallying world leaders to commit to vaccinate 70% of the world by this time next year, we have yet to see an effective plan to meet this goal. President Biden and leaders of rich countries should listen to what leaders from developing countries are asking for: the rights and the recipe to make their own vaccine doses."

Biden, earlier this year, broke with European allies to embrace waivers to intellectual property rights for the vaccines, but there was no movement Wednesday toward the necessary global consensus on the issue required under World Trade Organization rules. While some nongovernmental organizations have called those waivers vital to boosting global production of the shots, U.S. officials concede it is not the most constricting factor in the inequitable vaccine distribution  and some privately doubt the waivers for the highly complex shots would lead to enhanced production.

The 70% global target is ambitious, not least because of the U.S. experience.

Biden had set a goal of vaccinating 70% of the U.S. adult population by July 4, but persistent vaccine hesitance contributed to the nation not meeting that target until a month later. Nearly 64% of the entire U.S. population has received at least one dose and less than 55% is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

U.S. officials hope to increase those figures in the coming months, both through encouraging the use of vaccination mandates and by vaccinating children once regulators clear the shots for the under-12 population.

Aid groups have warned that the persistent inequities risk extending the global pandemic, and that could lead to new and more dangerous variants. The delta variant raging across the U.S. has proved to be more transmissible than the original strain, though the existing vaccines have been effective at preventing nearly all serious illness and death.

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Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Josh Boak at the United Nations and David Biller in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.
EDWARDSVILLE  Global Brews Edwardsville location will partner with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to host a COVID-19 vaccination event on Friday, Oct. 1.

The events from 2 to 6 p.m., said Ryan High, company president, on Tuesday. There will be live music from 4 to 7 p.m. by Mike Sonderegger, who refers to this as a Rock the Shot event.
The Metro East Humane Society (MEHS) has formed a partnership with Edwardsville Community District 7 Schools through a puppy-teacher playdate program.

The program began last year when teachers were experiencing more stress and increased workloads during times of uncertainty in the pandemic. MEHS began bringing in puppies into the schools for puppy therapy where the staff was able to relax and decompress by playing with them.

Mark Tschudy, Prevention Counselor at Lincoln Middle School, is a longtime supporter of MEHS and serves on its board of directors.

The partnership between District #7 schools and the Humane Society has been incredibly rewarding for our staff and students. Experiences like these not only create a more positive work environment for our staff, but we also allow a few minutes at the beginning for students to interact with the puppies, stated Tschudy. Their enthusiasm and excitement are so great to see. During times like these, its so wonderful for our students and staff to be able to participate in such a truly positive experience.

The schools that have participated in the program are Lincoln Middle School, Liberty Middle School, Goshen Elementary School and Edwardsville High School. Last year, two puppies that came in were adopted by Lincoln Middle School staff members within the same week.

This partnership has been so fun for us, said Anne Schmidt, MEHS Executive Director. We love seeing how excited staff is to spend time with puppies, and were so happy to provide them that experience. This also allows us to get animals additional socialization before they become available for adoption, so its really a win for everyone.

District #7 students have supported MEHS by collecting supplies, raising funds and volunteering at the Humane Society on a weekly basis. Last week, the Lincoln Middle School cross country team held a fundraiser for MEHS where runners collected pledges. The runners collected $2,688 to help MEHS continue to place homeless animals into caring homes.

MEHS provides adoption, foster, low-cost veterinary services, humane education, and trap-neuter-return services to a five-county area in southwestern Illinois. Throughout its 35-year history, MEHS has placed thousands of dogs and cats with forever families, including more than 906 dogs and cats so far this year. To learn more about MEHS and its mission, please visit: www.mehs.org.
Communicable Disease Act to be amended

BANGKOK: The cabinet has approved a draft amendment to the 2015 Communicable Disease Act, seen as a new mechanism to replace the emergency decree in the countrys ongoing battle against COVID-19.

CoronavirusCOVID-19healthVaccine

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 22 September 2021, 08:04AM

Teenagers are vaccinated against COVID-19 at Vachira Hospital in Bangkok yesterday (Sept 21). Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill

The state of emergency, declared under the emergency decree to facilitate the governments outbreak containment efforts, is due to expire at the end of this month when the amended disease control law is expected to be enacted, reports the Bangkok Post.

The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), established under Section 7 of the emergency decree, will technically no longer exist if the state of emergency isnt renewed at the end of this month.

However, in practice, the CCSA will continue to function, although it may have to be transformed into something else after the state of emergency is lifted, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said previously.

Speaking after yesterdays cabinet meeting, deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek, however, insisted the cabinet had yet to discuss the possibility of renewing the state of the emergency when it expires on Sept 30.

When the new law is in place, a body even larger than the CCSA may be established if needed, so it doesnt really matter if the CCSA is dissolved or not, Mr Wissanu said in the same interview.

According to a cabinet source, the government is unlikely to begin enforcing the amended Communicable Disease Act by the end of this month as expected as it still needs to seek parliamentary approval first.

Ms Rachada also insisted that the approved draft amendment to the disease control law doesnt grant amnesty to policymakers as feared by some observers.

It is only aimed at better protecting healthcare workers and other parties who are assigned to work under the amended law and work honestly.

These parties - including health volunteers, rescue workers and other workers handling COVID-19 patients - will be freed from liability if it is proved they work honestly, she said.

The amendment is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of disease control and accelerating attempts to contain a serious new outbreak, she said, adding that under the newly amended law, the management of public health emergencies will be separated from that of any other serious emergencies emerging or re-emerging.

In case a serious outbreak erupts, the emergency decree will no longer be needed... The amended Communicable Disease Act will be invoked instead, she said.

The amended law will also allow a new body to be established to direct the fight to contain a serious new outbreak, she said.

In another development, the Public Health Ministry said the number of new COVID-19 infections is gradually decreasing yet still hovering at around 10,000 cases per day, as the country begins lifting COVID-19 restrictions for the sake of reviving the economy.

Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary for public health, said COVID-19 is expected to become endemic sometime in the future when those who are infected with the virus will no longer become seriously ill and the number of new cases isnt high.

Currently, Bangkok, for instance, still records between 2,000 and 3,000 new cases a day, he said. Even though there are still hundreds of hospital beds intended for COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms and thousands for ones with moderate symptoms, there is no room for complacency, he said.

Businesses allowed to resume normal operations may consider testing their employees weekly if they are at risk of contracting the virus at work, he said.

The Ministry of Higher Education Science Research and Innovation yesterday revealed that Thailand is now the second most vaccinated country in Asean against COVID-19, having (as of Sept 20) vaccinated about 43.8% of the entire population. Singapore has vaccinated 77.7% of its population.
Myanmar man arrested for brutal beating, rape of Thai maid

PHUKET: Police have arrested a Myanmar man for raping a Thai woman he had hired as a maid at his rented home on the east side of Phuket Town.

violencesexcrimeMyanmarpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 22 September 2021, 10:31AM

Nyi Nyi Naing, who works as a migrant labour broker, was arrested at his rented house in Rassada yesterday (Sept 21). Photo: Phuket City Police

Officers from the Phuket City Police led by Lt Tawan Nuankaew arrested the man, named on his non-Thai national ID card as Nyi Nyi Naing, age 42, at a rented house off Srisuthat Rd, in Moo 7, Rassada, on the way to the fishing port area, at about 12:35pm.

In placing Nyi Nyi Naing under arrest, officers presented arrest warrant No. 264/2564 issued by the Phuket Provincial Court yesterday (Sept 21) in relation to Criminal Case No. 2321/2564.

Nyi Nyi Naing was taken to Phuket City Police Station for questioning and to be charged with rape under Section 276 of the Criminal Code, which states, Anyone who forcibly commits intercourse with another by threatening in whatever manner, by exercising forcible violence, whilst the latter is being in a state of unable to resist, or by making the latter mistake him for a different person, incurs a penalty of imprisonment from four years to twenty years and fine from eight thousand baht to forty thousand baht.**

The arrest came after the victim, a 47-year-old Thai woman originally from Sa Kaeo, went public about her ordeal, posting on a well-known Facebook page details of how she was deceived to arrive at the house to work as a maid and then raped and held captive throughout the night of Aug 27.

She also accused the police of inaction in investigating her attacker after she reported the incident the next day.

Before the police placed Nyi Nyi Naing under arrest yesterday, reporters had already arrived at the womans house, also located on the east side of Phuket Town, at about 10am to interview her.

The woman presented the police complaint filed and the medical report of her examination at Phuket Provincial Hospital, also located in Rassada, attesting to her physical injuries.

The woman explained that a friend had told her that Nyi Nyi Naing was looking for a person to do his laundry and ironing. When she arrived at the house she was greeted and a meal was waiting ready for her.

However, after talking about the work, he launched into an attack and repeatedly punched and kicked her, she said.

He threatened her to call the police, saying that they would not do anything because he already paid them a lot of money, she added.

Nyi Nyi Naing works as a migrant labour broker, providing workers for fishing boats in Phuket.

Throughout that night, from 9pm to 4am, she was raped and repeatedly beaten, the woman explained.

At one time he covered her mouth with tape. He also placed a clear plastic bag over her head and threatened her with a knife, she said.

After her attacker had fallen asleep, she searched but found no way to escape as the door to the house was locked.

Finally, after about 9am, Nyi Nyi Naings colleagues arrived at the house to wake him for work. When he left he forgot to tell his subordinates to lock the door, she added.

She made her way around to the back of the house to avoid the neighbours from seeing her just as a precaution, she continued. She walked barefoot to a friends place nearby.

Her friend took her to Phuket City Police Station to report her ordeal. The officer who attended to her only received her complaint and gave her a form to be completed by doctors confirming a medical examination had been performed, she added.

She was left to go to the hospital by herself, the woman noted.

The womans account of her ordeal posted on Facebook spurred outrage online.

MajChakkrit Thammaraksa of the Phuket City Police responded online, posted publicly as a comment that he had received the complaint and an investigation was underway.

Officers were collecting evidence in order to obtain an arrest warrant so that her attacker could be arrested, he said.

** CORRECTION: The section of the Crimnial Code originally quoted in the story was outdated. The error is sincerely regretted. The Criminal Code Amendment Act (No.19) B.E. 2550 (2007) expanded the definition of rape to cover raping of people of all sexes, all types of sexual penetration, and criminalization of marital rape and imposes more severe penalties on offenders who engaged in all forms of rape and sexual abuses. The Act removed the previous distinction under section 276 of the Penal Code which had limited rape to sexual intercourse between a man and a woman who is not his wife, thus allowing a husband to rape his wife with impunity.
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NORRISTOWN  Montgomery County jurors appeared attentive as the 30-year-old testimony of a man who claimed to witness the 1980 fatal shooting of a woman in Norristown was re-read to them at the accused killers retrial that was ordered by a federal judge.

Richard Mayo, according to his 1991 testimony, claimed he was the front seat passenger in a vehicle operated by Collegeville native Linda Rowden when Robert Fisher, who was Rowdens ex-boyfriend and was seated behind Rowden, brandished a handgun from his waistband and fatally shot Rowden during an argument as she drove her car along DeKalb Street in Norristown on July 10, 1980.

He pulled out a pistol  and shot her in the neck. Then she bent over and he shot her in the side, Mayo claimed, according to a transcript of his 1991 testimony. It looked like a long barrel pistol. It was a revolver. It was dark in color.

Fisher, now 75, and formerly of the 600 block of DeKalb Street, showed no emotion as Mayos testimony was re-read to the jury.

During the painstaking procedure, county First Assistant District Attorney Edward F. McCann Jr. recited the questions that were asked of Mayo, who is now deceased, at the 1991 court proceeding and Assistant District Attorney Lindsey Mills, seated in the witness box, recited Mayos responses for the jury.

During the retrial, McCann and co-prosecutor Tanner Beck alleged Fisher committed first-degree murder, which is an intentional killing, when he fatally shot Rowden, who was 26.

Prosecutors alleged an angry Fisher killed Rowden to prevent her from giving information to police that could link Fisher to the 1980 murder of Nigel Anderson, a witness who had been scheduled to testify in a federal heroin case.

According to Mayos 1991 testimony, he recalled Andersons name being mentioned during the argument between Fisher and Rowden during the car ride.

However, relying on other testimony and statements that Mayo gave to authorities in the 1980s, defense lawyer Carrie L. Allman, the chief homicide lawyer for the public defenders office, suggested Mayo provided inconsistent information and that anything he said cannot be trusted.

In one statement, Mayo provided a false name to police and claimed Fisher and Rowden argued about Fisher being accused of stealing a license plate or a warrant for his arrest.

In other previous testimony, Mayo indicated he didnt clearly see the gun that Fisher allegedly brandished.

During the retrial, Allman has argued Fisher did not kill Rowden and suggested it was Mayo who could have shot Rowden.

Given that decades have passed since Rowdens death, several witnesses and some of the original investigators have since died and prosecutors are having their testimony re-read to jurors seated for Fishers retrial.

In addition to Mayos testimony, jurors heard the prior testimony of a woman who claimed to observe Fisher get out of the back seat of Rowdens car and run from the scene after the car crashed near DeKalb and Basin streets following the shooting.

The testimony of the late Dr. Halbert E. Fillinger Jr., a forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Rowden, also was read to the jury. Fillinger, a former county coroner, testified in 1991 that Rowden suffered two gunshot wounds that caused massive internal bleeding.

Jurors also heard the 1991 testimony of former Norristown Detective Jack Salamone who testified that on July 8, 1980, Rowden reported to authorities that Fisher had assaulted her and Salamone had advised Fisher to say away from Rowden.

Bobby told me that he would stay away from her, Salamone testified in 1991.

Jurors are also expected to hear the prior testimony of Fishers girlfriend at the time to who prosecutors alleged Fisher confessed.

Testimony at Fishers retrial before Judge Todd D. Eisenberg could wrap up on Wednesday.

The jury is not aware that Fisher previously was tried and convicted twice for the crime and is the only person in Pennsylvania to be sentenced to death three times.

The latest twist in the 41-year-old case occurred in late 2019 when a federal judge overturned Fishers 1991 first-degree murder conviction and 1997 death sentence in connection with Rowdens death.

U.S. District Court Judge Gene E.K. Pratter overturned Fishers conviction, ruling a county judges instruction on reasonable doubt and an example of the concept the judge recited during a 1991 trial was constitutionally deficient and fatally flawed and that Fishers lawyer should have objected to the instruction.

Pratter wrote, given the blatant problems with this instruction, Mr. Fishers counsel was ineffective for failing to object and there is a reasonable probability of a different outcome in Mr. Fishers guilty phase trial. Pratter concluded Fishers constitutional rights were violated by the instruction.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld Pratters decision on Jan. 17, 2020, sending Fishers case back to county court for a retrial.

Fishers 1997 death sentence also was overturned with Pratter ruling the aggravating factor relied on by prosecutors at the time was improperly applied.

Fishers conviction and death sentence previously were upheld by the state Supreme Court and Fishers appeals on the grounds his lawyers were ineffective also previously were denied by state courts.

Fisher, who has categorically denied any involvement in Rowdens murder, wasnt apprehended until the fall of 1987 in New York City.

Fisher was first convicted of Rowdens murder in September 1988 and was sentenced to death. To win that conviction, prosecutors relied on Fishers previous conviction in federal court of violating Nigel Andersons civil rights.

In 1990, the state Supreme Court overturned the county murder conviction after a federal judge overturned Fishers federal civil rights conviction.

Fisher was then retried for Rowdens murder in August 1991, convicted and sentenced to death a second time.

However, in June 1996, the state Supreme Court, while upholding the murder conviction, ruled Fisher should receive a new penalty hearing because jurors at his 1991 trial were improperly allowed to hear victim impact testimony from Rowdens mother.

After a new penalty hearing in June 1997, Fisher was sentenced to death a third time.
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Travelers and authorities from India and some African countries are furious  and confused  about Britain's new COVID-19 travel rules, calling them discriminatory.

The British government announced what it billed as a simplification of the rules last week, including allowing fully vaccinated travelers arriving in England from much of the world to skip quarantine and take fewer tests.

But the fine print on who was considered fully vaccinated is proving far more complicated. In order to skip self-isolation, travelers must have received a vaccine under the American, British or European programs or have received a U.K.-authorized shot from an approved health body. Bodies in more than a dozen countries in Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East made it to the list  but India's did not, nor did any in Africa.

Countries like Kenya, which has received hundreds of thousands of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the U.K. itself, were left wondering why their vaccination programs don't appear to be good enough in the eyes of the British government. Thats leading to concerns that the rules could exacerbate already worrying vaccine hesitancy in Africa as some people question whether the doses available there dont measure up.

Kenyas government noticed significant public concern" in the wake of the new rules. South African Medical Association chairwoman Dr. Angelique Coetzee said citizens were being discriminated against and its totally unacceptable. South African authorities objected not only to the new quarantine rules but also to the fact that the country remains on the U.K.'s so-called red list, from which all travel is severely restricted.

The Hindustan Times, one of Indias leading English-language dailies, called the decision illogical and harmful in an editorial.

Shashi Tharoor, a leader of Indias main opposition Congress party, said he had canceled his upcoming book tour of Britain in protest. Why should Indians be deemed to be lesser breeds than others? he wrote Tuesday on The Quint news website.

The U.K. Department for Transport, which issued the rules, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. But since the initial furor, Britain has walked back one aspect that caused particular consternation: Doses of AstraZeneca made in India, known as Covishield, were initially not on the list of approved vaccines. The Indian-made product hasnt been formally authorized by U.K. regulators, although some doses have been used in Britain  and millions were shipped to low- and middle-income country.

Covishield was added to the U.K.s list of approved vaccines for travelers on Wednesday, but the group of approved public health bodies remained unchanged  meaning the practical effect of the move is limited. Outrage over Covishield was particularly pointed in India, where the vast majority of people have been vaccinated with the shot.

Before Covishield was added to Britains travel list, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told reporters this week: We understand that this has been used in (Britain's) National Health System and therefore non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminatory policy.

Shringla said the rules, which take effect next month, could force India to impose reciprocal measures if the issue isnt resolved.

The government has yet to officially comment on the change, but even after it, outrage continued to pour out from Indians on social media.

Indias digital certification is far more reliable than other countries manual system. Is UK trying to make money on PCR tests? tweeted Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder of Indian pharmaceutical company Biocon.

For African nations, the new U.K. rules are a setback after a glimmer of hope following Indias announcement this week that it will resume exports and donations of surplus coronavirus vaccines in October  after a monthslong freeze because of a surge in domestic infections.

Less than 4% of Africa's population of 1.3 billion is fully vaccinated, and many have looked on with dismay as richer countries stockpile doses and discuss giving third shots to their populations.

Beyond supply issues, many African countries are struggling with vaccine hesitancy as misinformation swirls about the shots.

Kenyas health minister and the British ambassador to Kenya issued a joint statement on Tuesday that appeared aimed at allaying the latest concerns.

We want to make it clear that both the U.K. and Kenya recognize vaccines administered in both countries, specifically AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, they said.

However, establishing a system to mutually recognize each others vaccine certificates for a vaccine passport program takes time, they said, adding that neither country had completed the process.

___

Kirka reported from London and Saaliq from New Delhi. Associated Press writers Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg and Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP)  Nearly a year and a half after being abducted by Islamic extremists in Burkina Faso, Edith Blais risked her life to escape, fearing shed never be free.

(What youre thinking is either) you stay there your whole life and you die there, or you try something, Blais told The Associated Press by phone ahead of this weeks publication of her book recounting the ordeal, The Weight of Sand: My 450 Days Held Hostage in the Sahara.

The 37-year-old Canadian and her Italian companion Luca Tacchetto, were captured by jihadis in December 2018 in eastern Burkina Faso while touring the region and attempting to cross into neighboring Benin. The pair were held in the desert in northern Mali for 15 months before fleeing one night on foot. To buy time, Blais stuffed her bed in the shape of a body to make it look like shed gone to sleep, she said. They were also helped by intense wind, which erased their footprints in the sand making it hard for the jihadis to track them. After an eight-hour walk, the two reached a main road and flagged a truck that took them to a United Nations base.

(Being free was) hard to believe, its like if youre still in the nightmare and you cant wake up and you know its finishing, said Blais. Theres so many emotions, and then I was afraid about everybody that was left behind we were afraid about the Italians, we were afraid that they would get punished because we escaped.

For six years, jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State in the Sahel, the vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert, have used hostage taking for ransom as a way to fund operations and expand their presence. Twenty-five foreigners have been abducted in the Sahel since 2015 and 10 remain captive, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). Blais and Tacchetto are the only two western hostages known to have escaped. Three have been killed, three were liberated by French and U.S. forces and seven were released, the organization said.

Among those still detained is French journalist Olivier Dubois, who was kidnapped in April from northern Mali. Among those released is 75-year-old French aid worker Sophie Petronin, two Italians and a prominent Malian politician who were released in a prisoner exchange in October for nearly 200 Islamic militants.

In Burkina Faso, where jihadi violence has spiked in recent years, killing thousands and displacing more than 1.4 million people, 10 expatriates have been abducted and conflict experts say the longer the fighting and humanitarian crisis continues, hostage taking will increase.

Any further unrest in troubled towns and villages will require a more critical international attention, likely resulting in the presence of desirable kidnap victims from U.N. agencies, peacekeeping forces, and journalists," said Laith Alkhouri, CEO of Intelonyx Intelligence Advisory, which provides intelligence analysis. " Jihadists see this variable as advantageous and theyll take a more aggressive posture to keep the unrest and pursue ransom to fund their expansion,

While the abductions of internationals garner significantly more attention, people arent only kidnapped for ransom and there are scores of locals from the Sahel also taken by armed Islamists, whether for extortion, intimidation or punishment, said Corinne Dufka West Africa director for Human Rights Watch.

This terrible crime, which is trending up, tragically upends the lives of victims and terrorizes their communities, she said.

Hostage negotiation experts say people and organizations working in hostile countries need to be better prepared to deal with a kidnap crisis and know exactly how to respond, said John Steed, response coordinator for the Hostage Support Partnership, a group that tries to free hostages in Somalia who have been abandoned and who recently negotiated the release of three Iranians held by Somali pirates for more than five years.

For the individual survival is everything and with some simple skills you can improve your chances, he said.

Looking back, Blais said that she would have changed course, had she researched the area better and realized it was dangerous. But even once apprehended and held at gunpoint by the jihadis, she never expected to be kidnapped, she just thought theyd be robbed and killed, she said.

Her abductors didnt beat or torture her, but the months in captivity were grueling, living in solitude in the scorching desert and trying not to think about her fate, said Blais. She found respite in yoga and writing poetry, the latter which she hid from the jihadis.

She and the Italian, Tacchetto, were separated for most of their captivity, during which time they converted to Islam at the behest of their captors, she said. It was once they reunited that they escaped.

Blais said she doesnt forgive the men who took her, but understands they were just following orders, convinced they were doing the right thing thinking theyd be given a special place in heaven, she said.

They dont have anything, theyre very poor and they dont understand theyre doing wrong, she said. I dont want to have hate and I dont want to forgive...I just want to let it go.
GODFREY  Gent Funeral Home has been chosen as the September 2021 RiverBend Growth Association Small Business of the Month.

Ralph Bowles is the third-generation funeral director at Gent Funeral Home in Alton, operating 86 years. Located at 2409 State St., the funeral home was started by his maternal grandfather, Ralph A. Gent, in 1935.

My father, Les Bowles, took over the business from his father-in-law in 1970. I left for years of college, then started working at the funeral home in 1987. My father semi-retired about 10 years ago, said Bowles.

The only advice my father gave me after high school was to get a degree in business before attending mortuary school in case I discovered that a career in funeral services was not a good fit for me, Bowles said. My father said to me, Its a calling, son, like a ministry. Dont come back here if you are not called.

Bowles has been a licensed mortician for more than 30 years and has led operations since his fathers retirement. His son, Ben, works at the funeral home now as well, representing the fourth generation of the family to become involved in the business.

Gent Funeral Home continues with its mission to celebrate life and serve families, a mission that may seem a bit different from the norm within the industry. The funeral homes website describes this unique distinction in more detail:

Ever since we opened our gates, we have approached life (and death) differently. While some just see the end of a loved ones life as a time for grief and mourning, we prefer to think of it as a time for reflection, appreciation and even celebration. This is evident in everything we do; from the way we conduct our services to the amenities we choose to offer. We are not a burial ground. We are a close-knit community dedicated to honoring, sharing, and preserving the amazing and inspirational stories that are life.

In 2020, Gent Funeral Home completed construction on a 2,300-square-foot addition. The project involved adding new handicap-accessible restrooms, an indoor accessibility ramp, a lounge and office space, as well as a thorough redecorating of the older part of the building. The funeral home opened its cremation facility in 2005.

Our staff has grown in the last five years, Bowles further noted as part of the changes Gent Funeral Home has faced. This was needed to accommodate the addition of our monument company, as well as our casket and burial vault business.

Licensed staff are also required to complete 24 hours of continuing education every 24 months, Bowles said. We pay for these classes, as well as for participation in conventions occasionally that take place throughout the country.

We strive to continue serving our community in the most compassionate and professional way possible, added Bowles. All the while trying to weigh the balance of keeping prices affordable and yet taking care of our staff and their quality of life. We still offer paid vacation time off, full benefits, and a 401(k) plan for them, which is something most small businesses struggle to do these days.

Being an active part of the communities of the families they serve is important to Gent Funeral Home. Over the years, they have been a viable and visible part of many organizations, such as Rotary, Lions, and area churches. They are also currently involved with the North Alton-Godfrey Business Council and the Alton Owls Club.

We just enjoy working with the people of the community. Helping them navigate through a rough time in their lives is very fulfilling for us, said Bowles. I think having a business survive and thrive for generations is a challenge, but our community embraces us, and I think that is a large part of our success.

More recently, just as for everyone, the COVID-19 crisis has been a big challenge for Gent Funeral Home.

We have tried to improve many aspects of how a funeral is accomplished to better meet the needs of the grieving family as well as to stay compliant with the law, Bowles said. A movement away from traditional burials as well as a trend of no religious affiliations within families has further drastically changed our funeral services.

When asked why Gent Funeral Home chose and continues to be a member of the RiverBend Growth Association, Bowles said, When I started working here with my father in the late 1980s, we were already members. I think the networking, and the sharing of information with other member business owners continue to be very valuable.

To learn more about Gent Funeral Home, visit gentfuneralhome.com, find them on Facebook, @gentfuneralhome or call (618) 466-5544.

The RBGAs Small Business of the Month Committee recognizes a different member business each month for its outstanding efforts and leadership in the community. To learn more about membership in the RiverBend Growth Association and its Small Business of the Month recognition, visit the RBGA website or call their Godfrey office at 618-467-2280.
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois Republicans are pushing for a constitutional amendment they say empowers voters to deal with corrupt elected officials up and down the ballot.

Illinois has a recall provision but its only for governor. State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, said its unworkable because it requires 30 members of the legislature, half from each party, to sign off.

Without that affidavit, you cant proceed and again what this creates is an impossible tool for the public to actually ever use, Barickman said during a news conference.

Barickman and state Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, have filed proposed amendments to open that up and to include recall of any elected official. The measures are Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 3 and House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4. Neither has been moved to a substantive committee.

If the amendment is approved by three-fifths of each legislative chamber, it would then be up for voters to decide.

Barickman said, if approved by the electorate, it would provide a way for voters to individually recall any elected official that may be corrupt without having to wait for drawn-out criminal proceedings.

Just because someone hasnt gone through the entire criminal process, doesnt mean the public shouldnt have the ability to remove them, Barickman said. Weve seen that play out right here in the Illinois General Assembly just in recent years.

State Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, may be one example. He faces criminal proceedings alleging he embezzled money from a labor union. Hes pleaded not guilty but remains in the Senate.

Barickman and Batinicks proposal also allows voters to recall the House Speaker, Senate President, offices that are selected by members of their respective chambers.

This gives the public a tool to hold those people accountable so they dont have to wait for another election to throw the bums out as they say, Barickman said.

Batinick said the recall provision theyre proposing is different than other recall provisions in other states in it wouldnt have a second question of who to replace the officeholder with, but would rather have the line of succession play out when theres a vacancy in an elected office.

If advanced to the ballot and approved by the electorate the amendment would also allow voters to recall the Illinois Auditor General, an office filled by approval of the General Assembly, not voters.

Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino was found by the Illinois Supreme Court in May to have violated campaign finance law from when he was a state representative years ago. Despite that, Mautino still holds the office.

If the measure is approved by the legislature, the question would then go in front of voters in the November 2022 election.

The Illinois Opportunity Project President Mark Cavers supports the amendment.

And we think this is an opportunity for other candidates to distinguish themselves when theyre carrying a petition saying I wanna run for office, Id like you to hire me, and theyre also carrying a petition saying I wanna give you the power to fire me, Cavers said.

Theres already one approved question lawmakers advanced to the ballot that would enshrine collective bargaining rights into the state constitution.
ALTON  Monica Kerkemeyer and Sophia Kumagai, both of Alton High School, have been named Students of the Month for September by the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club.

Kerkemeyer, the daughter of Andrew and Mary Kerkemeyer of Alton, is currently ranked No. 1 academically in her senior class with a grade point average of more than 4.75 on a 4.0 scale.

She has taken as many honors classes as possible, but said one of her favorite parts of high school was taking Pat Goettens Engineering and Architecture classes where she learned to use computer programs such as Inventor, CAD and Revit. During her sophomore year, she won first place for drafting in a competition at Lewis and Clark Community Colleg.

Kerkemeyer is a member of National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (the math honor society), FCCLA, Architectural Drafting and the Redbird Nest. In the past, she also participated in Saturday Scholars, Student Council and the Chemistry Club.

She has participated in several community service activities, including her churchs tri-annual rummage sale, collecting trash on a one-mile stretch of the rural road near their home, and donating blood for the American Red Cross. She has worked as an election judge and as an undercover buyer for the Illinois Department or Revenue Liquor Control Commission, and at NCG Cinemas.

She plans to attend the University of Illinois to major in Architecture.

Kumagai, the daughter of Nicole Ezeagu and Takahiro Kumagai of Alton, is currently ranked in the top 10 of her senior class with a GPA of almost 4.6. She has achieved the Seal of Biliteracy in Japanese, despite the class not even being offered at Alton High School. Last year, she earned a highest possible score on the AP test for Japanese.

She is a member of the National Honor Society and is the Vice-President of Mu Alpha Theta. She participated in the Alton High School musicals in 2019 and 2020. She is a member of the Voice Conservatory and has won several First Superior awards in the IHSA Solo and Ensemble competitions and was a semi-finalist at the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition last April. She has been very involved with acting both in middle school and at AHS.

Kumagai has mentored students through the STEM program, tutored AHS students in math through Mu Alpha Theta, helped run swim meets at Summers Port and worked with the school district to label and organize school supplies for the middle school.

She is planning a double major in Japanese Language and International Relations. She plans to use these to become a foreign service officer, who is a spokesperson on behalf of the United States in a foreign setting.

Kerkemeyer and Kumagai each received plaques recognizing their achievement from Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club President-Elect Antione Williams.
MARINE  Clear weather is forecast Friday and Saturday for the Balloons Over Marine Festival.

This years theme is, Its the Great Balloon, Charlie Brown. Balloons will launch from 155 N. Duncan St. in Marine.

Opening ceremonies are at 4 p.m. Friday, with a balloon launch planned for 5 p.m. A balloon glow is also planned at dusk.

Kids activities and craft vendors are planned 4-10 p.m., with Dave Horton performing 4- 7 p.m. Food and drink stands will be open 4-11 p.m.

Events continue Saturday at 6:45 a.m. with a sunrise balloon launch planned. Fire safety programs for kids are planned 10 a.m. to noon at the Marine Fire Department, with a visit by an Arch helicopter and an Illinois State Police demo car.

The kids area and craft vendors will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with food and drinks available 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. A car show is planned noon to 3 p.m.

Another balloon launch is planned for 5 p.m., with a balloon glow at dusk and music 3-7 p.m. by Larry Hagely. From 7-11 p.m. the Johnnatthan Braddy Band will play.

For more details visit the groups Facebook page or email hotairballoonsovermarine@yahoo.com.
BERLIN (AP)  Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to boost struggling would-be successor Armin Laschet on Tuesday in the tight race to become Germany's next leader, telling a rally in her longtime electoral district that he will look out for jobs and security.

Merkel touted her government's record in bringing down unemployment and Germany's debt, decrying plans by Laschet's rivals to raise taxes. She also suggested there was a danger of a left-wing German government being overly generous in giving financial help to more indebted European countries.

There is a lot at stake on Sunday, she told the crowd on a wet evening in Stralsund, in Germany's northeastern corner. It's about whether ... we give people who want to create jobs, companies that want to contribute something to Germany's prosperity, the chance, the freedom" to do so.

The alternative, she added, is a policy of only thinking of redistributing, but not creating wealth.

I know Armin Laschet, as governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, fights for every single job in his state, and he would also do that as chancellor of Germany, Merkel said.

As Merkel's center-right Union bloc has sagged in polls over recent weeks, Laschet and other leaders have issued constant warnings that the center-left Social Democrats and the environmentalist Greens, their rivals to put forth Germany's next leader, would form a coalition with the hard-left Left Party.

Whether that is realistic is questionable, in view of those two parties' deep differences with the Left Party on foreign policy in particular, though neither Social Democrat candidate Olaf Scholz nor Green candidate Annalena Baerbock have ruled it out.

With five days to go, polls show Merkel's Union bloc slightly behind the Social Democrats, who have benefited from the relative popularity of Scholz  Germany's finance minister and their candidate to succeed Merkel  to pull out of a longtime poll slump.

They show support for the Union a little above 20% after divisions over who would run for chancellor, as well as missteps by Laschet. They put the Greens in third place.

Laschet joined Merkel in the district that she has represented in parliament since the 1990 election that followed German reunification, paying tribute to her record as chancellor. Merkel, he said, has led us well through four major crises in her 16-year tenure.

Merkel announced in 2018 that she wouldn't seek a fifth four-year term. She is making few campaign appearances this time, though Tuesday's was the first of three in the final week. The chancellor remains personally popular and has long been a draw for centrist voters.

The joint appearances are important to get their own party to the ballot box," said Andrea Roemmele, a political science professor at the Hertie School in Berlin. If the Union loses this weekend, that will be in large part because their own people didn't go vote.

___

Follow APs coverage of Germanys election at https://apnews.com/hub/germany-election
EL PASO, Canary Islands (AP)  As a new volcanic vent blew open and unstoppable rivers of molten rock flowed toward the sea, authorities on a Spanish island warned Tuesday that more dangers lie ahead for residents, including earthquakes, lava flows, toxic gases, volcanic ash and acid rain.

Several small earthquakes shook the island of La Palma in the Atlantic Ocean off northwest Africa on Tuesday, keeping nerves on edge after a volcanic eruption on Sunday. The island, with a population of 85,000, is part of the Canary Islands archipelago, a key tourist destination for Europeans.

Authorities said the new fissure demonstrated that the area was unstable and unsafe, and kept people at least 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) away.

The rivers of lava, up to six meters (nearly 20 feet) high, rolled down hillsides, burning and crushing everything in their path, as they gradually closed in on the island's more densely populated coast. One was bearing down on Todoque, where more than 1,000 people live, and where emergency services were preparing evacuations.

So far, the eruption has destroyed around 190 houses and forced the evacuation of 6,000 people.

The truth is that its a tragedy to see people losing their properties, said municipal worker Fernando Diaz in the town of El Paso.

The lavas advance has slowed to about 120 meters (400 feet) an hour, according to the head of the Canary Island Volcanic Emergency Plan, Miguel Angel Morcuende, and wasn't expected to reach the Atlantic Ocean before Wednesday.

Canary Islands government chief Angel Victor Torres said when (the lava) reaches the sea, it will be a critical moment.

The meeting of the lava, whose temperature exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 F), with a body of water could cause explosions and produce clouds of toxic gas. Torres asked locals to remember the island's last eruption in 1971, when one person died after inhaling the gas emitted as lava met the water.

A change in the wind direction blew the ashes from the volcano across a vast area on the western side of the island, with the black particles blanketing everything. Volcanic ash is an irritant for the eyes and lungs.

The volcano has also been spewing out between 8,000 and 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide  which also affects the lungs  every day, the Volcanology Institute said.

Adding to the dangers, the emergence of new cracks in the earth spewing lava cannot be ruled out, said Nemesio Perez, head of the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute, who noted there is important superficial seismic activity in the area."

The new fissure that appeared Monday night is 900 meters (3,000 feet) north of the Cumbre Vieja ridge, where the volcano first erupted Sunday after a week of thousands of small earthquakes. That earthquake swarm warned authorities that an eruption was likely and allowed many people to be evacuated, avoiding casualties.

The new fissure opened after what the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said was a 3.8-magnitude quake.

Scientists say the lava flows could last for weeks or months.

Torres described the lava-hit region as a catastrophe zone and said he would request money to rebuild roads, water pipes and create temporary accommodations for families who have lost their homes as well as their farmland.

Spains King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are to visit the area on Thursday.

___

Barry Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal.
Mary Altaffer/AP

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte criticized rich nations at the U.N. General Assembly for hoarding COVID-19 vaccines while much of the developing world continues to suffer shortages.

The picture is bleak. It is a man-made drought of vaccines ravaging the poor countries, Duterte said in a video message. Rich countries hoard life-saving vaccines while poor nations wait for trickles. They now talk of booster shots, while developing countries consider half doses just to get by."
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian police say the car of a top aide to the countrys president came under heavy gunfire, seriously wounding the driver.

The national police said more than 10 bullets were fired Wednesday at the car of Serhiy Shefir, first assistant to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
SPRINGFIELD  Menstrual products would be available free of charge in state park restrooms under legislation introduced by state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville.

Period products are necessary items, like soap and toilet paper, that should be easily accessible to anyone who needs them, said Stuart. This legislation puts menstrual products in restrooms to make sure individuals have access to products when they need them, just like any other product already provided in public restrooms.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Many leaders saying many things about many topics that matter to them, to their regions, to the world: That's what the U.N. General Assembly invariably produces each year.

And each year, certain voices dominate. Here, The Associated Press takes the opposite approach and spotlights some thoughts  delivered in pre-recorded speeches or from the rostrum at the United Nations after a yearlong pandemic break  from leaders who might have not captured the headlines and airtime on Tuesday, the first day of the 2021 debate.
MEG BEAL, Westerly volleyball, senior: Beal had 13 aces and 28 assists in three Westerly victories. Beal also contributed 15 digs for the Bulldogs.

ZOOT BOSCHWITZ, Chariho football, senior: Boschwitz completed 14 of 16 passes for 176 yards in the Chargers 42-6 win over Central Falls/Blacksone Valley Prep. Boschwitz threw three touchdown passes.

MADDIE PERKINS, Wheeler girls soccer, senior: Perkins scored two goals and assisted on another in the Lions 3-0 victory against Tourtellotte.

WILL SAWIN, Stonington boys soccer, senior: Sawin, a senior, scored four goals and assisted on three others in a pair of Stonington victories. For the season, Sawin has 11 goals and 10 assists for the Bears.

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NORRISTOWN  A Norristown man adamantly denied fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend in 1980, claiming he was railroaded by investigators, and he angrily lashed out at a prosecutor during cross-examination at his retrial.

I did not. I absolutely did not shoot Linda, Robert Fisher testified for defense lawyer Carrie L. Allman on Wednesday as he sat in the witness box on the third day of his retrial in connection with the July 10, 1980, fatal shooting of Linda Rowden in Norristown.

When Allman asked Fisher why he left Norristown on the night Rowden was killed and went to New York City where he remained until being apprehended in 1987, Fisher replied, I knew I was going to get railroaded  and Im still being railroaded today.

But during cross-examination, when Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Edward F. McCann Jr. pressed Fisher about why he fled from Norristown and created a false identity in New York, Fisher couldnt control his anger in front of the jury.

I left town because I didnt want to get railroaded for that murder. As soon as I found out that she got murdered  I knew they were going to pin it on me, Fisher shouted angrily, refuting the testimony of a man who claimed to witness Fisher shooting Rowden and the testimony of a woman who claimed Fisher confessed the killing to her.

They manufactured a whole lot of stuff  Montgomery County does all kinds of foul stuff, Fisher bellowed.

Fisher, becoming more agitated as he addressed McCann, claimed witnesses lied and that he was an easy target for investigators because two days before the fatal shooting Rowden had reported to police that Fisher had assaulted her.

Are you angry with me? McCann asked Fisher at one point.

Yeah, I dont like you at all, Fisher angrily lashed out.

During the retrial, McCann and co-prosecutor Tanner Beck alleged Fisher, now 75 and formerly of the 600 block of DeKalb Street, committed first-degree murder, which is an intentional killing, when he fatally shot Rowden, 26, of Collegeville.

The jury is not aware that Fisher previously was tried and convicted twice for the crime and is the only person in Pennsylvania to be sentenced to death three times.

The latest twist in the 41-year-old case occurred in late 2019 when a federal judge overturned Fishers 1991 first-degree murder conviction and 1997 death sentence in connection with Rowdens death.

Given that decades have passed since Rowdens death, several witnesses and some of the original investigators have since died and prosecutors, during a painstaking procedure, had their testimony re-read to jurors seated for Fishers retrial.

Prosecutors ended their case on Wednesday by reading to the jury the 1991 court testimony of Denise Walker, Fishers girlfriend at the time of the fatal shooting. Walker testified she saw Fisher when he returned to their DeKalb Street apartment on the evening of July 10.

He came home and walked into the bedroom. I was in the bedroom. He said that he was leaving, that he had just shot and killed Linda and he had to get out of town, Walker claimed, according to a transcript of her Aug. 27, 1991, testimony. He said that Linda said some things to him that he didnt like.

Walker testified in 1991 that Fisher told her that Rowden was running her face to detectives.

Earlier, the jury heard the 1991 testimony of Richard Mayo, who claimed he was the front seat passenger in a vehicle operated by Rowden when Fisher, who was Rowdens ex-boyfriend and was seated behind Rowden, brandished a handgun from his waistband and fatally shot Rowden during an argument as she drove her car along DeKalb Street near Basin Street.

He pulled out a pistol  and shot her in the neck. Then she bent over and he shot her in the side, Mayo claimed, according to a transcript of his 1991 testimony. It looked like a long barrel pistol. It was a revolver. It was dark in color.

Prosecutors alleged an angry Fisher killed Rowden to prevent her from giving information to police that could link Fisher to the 1980 murder of Nigel Anderson, a witness who had been scheduled to testify in a federal heroin case.

According to Mayos 1991 testimony, he recalled Andersons name being mentioned during the argument between Fisher and Rowden during the car ride.

However, relying on other testimony and statements that key prosecution witnesses gave to authorities in the 1980s, Allman, the chief homicide lawyer for the public defenders office, suggested Mayo and Walker provided inconsistent information and that anything they said cannot be trusted.

In one statement, Mayo provided a false name to police and claimed Fisher and Rowden argued about Fisher being accused of stealing a license plate. In other previous testimony, Mayo indicated he didnt clearly see the gun that Fisher allegedly brandished.

In a July 11, 1980, statement to police, Walker claimed Fisher didnt say anything to her when he returned to their apartment on July 10 and she didnt mention a confession.

During the retrial, Allman has argued Fisher did not kill Rowden and suggested it was Mayo who could have shot Rowden.

Fisher, on Wednesday, testified he had been in the vehicle with Rowden and Mayo but during the ride became ill from using heroin and got out of the car and headed to a nearby alley to vomit. Fisher said he never returned to the vehicle and later learned that Rowden had been shot by someone after he had gotten out of the car.

The lawyers are expected to give their closing statements to jurors on Thursday. Judge Todd D. Eisenberg will then hand the case to the jury for deliberations.

Fisher was first convicted of Rowdens murder in September 1988 and was sentenced to death. To win that conviction, prosecutors relied on Fishers previous conviction in federal court of violating Nigel Andersons civil rights.

In 1990, the state Supreme Court overturned the county murder conviction after a federal judge overturned Fishers federal civil rights conviction.

Fisher was then retried for Rowdens murder in August 1991, convicted and sentenced to death a second time.

However, in June 1996, the state Supreme Court, while upholding the murder conviction, ruled Fisher should receive a new penalty hearing because jurors at his 1991 trial were improperly allowed to hear victim impact testimony from Rowdens mother.

After a new penalty hearing in June 1997, Fisher was sentenced to death a third time.

But in late 2019, U.S. District Court Judge Gene E.K. Pratter overturned Fishers conviction, ruling a county judges instruction on reasonable doubt and an example of the concept the judge recited during the 1991 trial was constitutionally deficient and fatally flawed and that Fishers lawyer should have objected to the instruction. Pratter concluded Fishers constitutional rights were violated by the instruction.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld Pratters decision on Jan. 17, 2020, sending Fishers case back to county court for a retrial.

Fishers 1997 death sentence also was overturned with Pratter ruling the aggravating factor relied on by prosecutors at the time was improperly applied.

If Fisher is convicted of first-degree murder during the retrial he faces life imprisonment.
CLIFTON PARK - Reinemann Financial is merging with Oxford Harriman and Company as it expands the reach of its financial services for clients.

Chuck Reinemann opened Reinemann Financial in Clifton Park in 2012 and it is affiliated with the Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network. Oxford Harriman and Company is an investment and wealth planning firm with offices in Florida, Detroit, Ohio, New Jersey and New York.
The latest in New York politics This article was featured in the Capitol Confidential newsletter. Sign up here to get it each morning.

It's "Climate Week" and Gov. Kathy Hochul continued on with her announcements Tuesday. She is seeking to increase a $3 billion environmental bond act proposal to $4 billion as the matter is scheduled to go before voters in November 2022. (TU)

Since school began earlier this month, vaccination rates among New York teens have remained stagnant, hovering at around 54 percent, the lowest of any age group eligible for the shot. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced 120 new pop-up vaccination sites will take place across New York over the next 12 weeks as part of a campaign to boost vaccination rates among New Yorkers ages 12 to 17. (TU)
Although Tracey Medeiros insists her new cannabis-focused cookbook is not a party book, it definitely includes a recipe for a favorite treat: pot brownies.

I couldnt resist, Medeiros said of the fudgy, deeply chocolate recipe. The nod to pot brownies is just one of 125 recipes in The Art of Cooking with Cannabis, a handbook for understanding how elements and products of the cannabis plant can be incorporated into the kitchen. Recipes range from desserts to starters (sweet corn and cashew chowder) to mains (chicken and kale meatballs with cherry tomatoes and cannabis pesto; and mussels with roasted corn puree and peppers).

When Vermont started the process of legalization, I found myself reading about cannabis as an herbal and culinary ingredient, said Madeiros, who lives in the Green Mountain State. The recipes are in three sections, based on the use of cannabis products: hemp (a plant in the cannabis family), CBD (the medicinal chemical compound of the cannabis plant) and THC (the psychoactive chemical that gives the user the euphoric feeling of being high).

It was important for me to categorize and include each one, said,Madeiros, who will discuss her book Saturday during a tour of the Hudson Hemp farm in Hudson.

The sections explain the difference in each cannabis product and how they can be incorporated into cooking. Hemp, which is high in fiber, protein and fatty acids, has long been turned into flour, liquid and oils, and is available in natural food stores. The use of CBD and THC in food on a regulated, legal basis is a more recent development.

I tried to make it fun to read and not complicated, Madeiros said, and she relied on insight from chefs, growers and producers to help dissect cannabis and its uses.

I tried to find folks who use the cannabis plant to elevate the culinary landscape, she explained. Much like in her other books (Dishing Up Vermont, Vermont Farm to Table Cookbook, Connecticut Farm to Table Cookbook and Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook), Madeiros used the expertise of this books 45 contributors to tell a full story of the subject.

It was important for me to include profiles to show why these people have gotten into cannabis, she said.

One contributor was Sfoglini Pasta, based in West Coxsackie. We started making hemp pasta four or five years ago when hemp was resurging on the market, co-owner Scott Ketchum said. Hemp seeds are ground into a flour-like, protein-rich powder and combined with durum semolina before being turned into pasta. Ketchum said hemp gives the pasta a nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with roasted winter squash. Hemp also provides more than 20 amino acids, including those not naturally made within the body.

Across the river in Hudson, Melany Dobson, the chief product officer for Hudson Hemp, contributed recipes that focus on the use of raw cannabis leaves.

The leaves are a byproduct, removed during the maturation of the plant. De-leafing can be very beneficial to the plant, Dobson said. Consuming raw cannabis leaves has immediate benefits and includes CBD in its raw, acidic form, she said.

Eating raw leaves does not provide a euphoric effect, she added, noting that cannabis must go through a process called decarboxylation (generally done through heating the leaves) to concentrate the THC within the leaves. Because of the relatively benign nature of the raw leaf, there is an opportunity for people to grow cannabis like kale or microgreens, or include it in commercially packaged mesclun mixes.

As we see more people growing cannabis in their backyard, it will encourage people to explore cannabis as a culinary addition, Dobson said.

The problem, she said, is the lack of federal regulation on cannabis-based products as food products.

Transitioning from a drug into a food is a regulatory issue. There is a lot of red tape in the food system, Dobson said. That might change as cannabis legalization grows: Only three states (South Dakota, Nebraska and Idaho) have no legal cannabis industry. According to Forbes, New Yorks fledgling legal marijuana program is expected to generate $1.2 billion in annual sales by 2023, and $4.2 billion by 2027.

The Art of Cooking with Cannabis is formatted to include insights similar to a community cookbook, Madeiros said. All of my cookbooks are community books, where everyone has a voice.

Most of those voices come from white chefs, growers and company owners, highlight the disparities of opportunity provided within the legalized cannabis industry. The war on drugs  which included strict laws against marijuana, still listed at the national level as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning in federal eyes it has no approved medical use  has weighed harshly on Black and brown communities in America. They are criminally charged with the possession and sale of marijuana four times more frequently than white counterparts, the American Civil Liberties Union reports. While decriminalization of marijuana benefits those communities, people who are traditionally marginalized still lack the access to economic resources that allows them to participate in the legalized cannabis industry.

Cannabis has now come to the forefront in many respects, said Madeiros, who released her book in May. The response she has received regarding the book shows a change in how people feel about cannabis-related activities. There has been a profound shift in attitude, Madeiros said, and whether people choose to smoke or ingest, she has a recipe to perfectly pair with their preferred cannabis product.

Deanna Fox is a food and agriculture journalist. Her newsletter can be found at foxonfood.com, and she is on Twitter and Instagram at @deannanfox.

Salad with Flat Iron Steak, Grilled Stone Fruit and CBD-Infused Vinaigrette

For the steak:

If you go "The Art of Cooking with Cannabis"

Author talk and Hudson Hemp farm tour When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Hudson Hemp, 67 Pinewood Road, Hudson

Tickets: From $35

Info: eventbrite.com/o/hudson-hemp-22964756847 See More Collapse

1 tablespoon olive oil for brushing grill grate, or as needed

1 pound grass-fed flat iron steak, 1-inch thick

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the salad:

3 large ripe stone fruit, pitted and cut into 6 wedges each, such as peaches, plums or apricots

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 5-ounce package baby arugula

 cup crumbled blue cheese, or to taste

 cup coarsely chopped pecans

CBD-infused honey-apple cider vinaigrette (see recipe)

Heat a grill to high and generously brush the cooking grate with oil.

To make the flat iron steak: Pat the meat dry with paper towels, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the steak on the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Turn once and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer reads between 130 and 135 degrees. Reduce the grill temperature to medium-high heat for the stone fruit.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board and tent lightly with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a slight diagonal.

To grill the stone fruit: While the steak is resting, place the fruit in a large bowl and toss with the oil until evenly coated.

Place the fruit, cut-side down, on the grill and cook until well charred, 3 minutes per side, depending on the size and ripeness. Transfer to the plate with the steaks.

To assemble the salad: Place the greens, cheese and pecans in a large bowl. Toss with  cup of vinaigrette, adding more to taste. Fan the meat and fruit slices on top of the salad and drizzle with the accumulated juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at once.

CBD-Infused Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Makes 23 cup

 teaspoon sesame seeds

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon minced parsley

 teaspoon chopped oregano

 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, or to taste

 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

 cup CBD-infused extra-virgin olive oil such as House of Spain CBD-infused EVOO Original Blend

6 quartered cherry tomatoes

To toast the sesame seeds: Place the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet and toast over medium heat, shaking and stirring continuously, until they start to get fragrant, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sesame seeds, vinegar, honey, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. In a steady stream, whisk in the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Add the tomatoes to the vinaigrette 15 minutes before you intend to use.

*****

Raw Hemp Leaf Pesto

By Hudson Hemp

3 or 4 medium cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons organic raw pine nuts, walnuts or cashews

1 cup fresh organic hemp leaves, woody stems removed, lightly packed

1 cup fresh organic basil leaves, lightly packed

 cup coarsely chopped organic kale leaves, stems and inner ribs removed and discarded, lightly packed

Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

 cup extra-virgin olive oil or hemp seed oil

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, or to taste

Pink Himalayan sea salt, fine-grain

Freshly ground black pepper

Process the garlic and pine nuts in a food processor until minced. Add the hemp, basil, kale and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and process until well combined. While the food processor is running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Spoon the pesto into a decorative bowl and fold in the nutritional yeast. Adjust seasonings with additional lemon juice and nutritional yeast, if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, spread on toasted bread rounds topped with sliced cherry tomatoes or lightly drizzle pesto over and around your favorite eggs.

Notes:
GREENPORT  Don Krapf wants to be the next sheriff of Columbia County.

A 23-year veteran of the Sheriffs Office, Krapf is running as an independent against his boss, current Sheriff David Bartlett, a Republican, in the Nov. 2 race.

In an interview, Krapf and his running mate for undersheriff, former state trooper Jackie Salvatore, talked about engaging the community, police training, and interacting with people undergoing mental health crises.

Ive been with the Sheriffs Office for 23 years, and during that time, Ive seen some real room for improvement, Krapf said.

Krapf spoke of low morale, and the Sheriffs Office gradually and steadily moving away from community-centered policing, but did not criticize Bartlett directly, saying he wanted to run a positive campaign. Attempts to secure an interview with Bartlett, first elected in 2013 and who is running for his third term, were unsuccessful.

Krapf instead focused on what the sheriffs office needs, suggesting more training, especially on de-escalation, defensive tactics, and foreign language skills. All training should be conducted in person, as opposed to on computer screens.

Salvatore suggested more training for dealing with people undergoing mental health crises.

A lot of those trainings can be accessed for free [through] federal agencies, and we just need to avail ourselves to thathow you practice is how you play, so repetitiveness sometimes comes in handy, she said.

Salvatore, a 28-year veteran of the State Police, worked undercover for four years as part of the Community Narcotics Enforcement Team before spending eight years doing investigative work out of the State Police barracks in Claverack, she said.

The bulk of her time with the troopers was spent in the Employee Assistance Program, which seeks to help police and their families deal with mental stress. She retired five years ago after attaining the position of director.

When asked how her time as an undercover narcotics officer informed her views on opioids, Salvatore said experiences in her personal life had colored her views.

Full disclosure: I have a family riddled with alcoholism and substance abuse and know some people who have made some remarkable progress in recovery, she said.

Helping troopers, their families and members of other police agencies access services when they were in crisis gives her pretty advanced experience with these issues, she said.

Krapf said there were issues recruiting new deputies. When asked how to solve this, he responded that it really starts by being part of the community and going to community events.

He would also like to reestablish the resident deputy program, where each deputy has a beat near where they live.

Theres no reason a deputy cant be tasked to reaching out to community leaders and county supervisors and town supervisors and local business owners on a daily basis, he said.

Krapf had the chance to retire  police officers in New York get full pensions after serving 20 years  but he decided instead to stay to try to improve the department.

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"Theres an internal and external cry for change, for progress," he said. "So I had the ability to retire, and I said, I cant leave the department the way it is currently without at least trying to step up and make some positive change. I saw that no one else was taking on this endeavor  Mom always told me if you're going to complain about it, you need to do something, so I stepped up and said lets do this."

Krapf is running as an independent on a new ballot line, Columbia United. Krapf said he has traditionally been a Republican, but he wanted his campaign to be nonpartisan and to appeal to people of all political stripes. This also allows him to avoid running against Bartlett in the Republican primary.

Krapf made no mention during the interview about the controversial Harold Handy case. Last year, Handy attended a July 4 party at the home of Kelly Rosenstrach, a county sheriff's deputy, where he was beaten so badly he had to be flown to the Albany Medical Center intensive care unit.

The Sheriff's Office handled the investigation for a month, making no arrests, before State Police took over. That October, Rosenstrach, her husband, Alex Rosenstrach, and two other partygoers were each indicted on felony counts of gang assault and unlawful imprisonment, accused of restraining and attacking Handy during the party. Alex Rosenstrach donated to Bartlett's 2017 campaign.

Krapf says he had not mentioned the case in any of his campaign materials or campaign stops, and that he would not speak about it now.

Krapf and Salvatore, who first met years ago while riding motorcycles, are holding small gatherings, talking to different clubs, and going to events in the county to shore up support for their candidacy.
HUDSON  Tenants in this rapidly gentrifying city of 5,900 could have their leases automatically renewed after the Hudson Common Council voted to pass a "good cause" eviction law Tuesday night.

The law, which still must go through a public hearing and be signed into law by Mayor Kamal Johnson, disallows the practice of landlords refusing to renew leases when they run out, a major way tenants are displaced.

To remove tenants, landlords in the city would always need to go through eviction court, where the new law gives tenants further protections, such as not allowing evictions for nonpayment of rent if the landlord has raised rent more than 5 percent in the last year.

Though many renters will benefit from the new law, which was supported by local and state tenants organizations, it still allows for some kinds of evictions that are major contributors to displacement in Hudson.

The law was pushed through by Alderwoman Tiffany Garriga during Tuesdays Common Council meeting over the recommendation of the citys attorney, Jeff Baker.

Baker suggested holding back on the vote to see how other cities moved forward with their own versions of the law, especially Albany, the first municipality in the state to pass a good cause eviction law.

He told the Common Council the statue of limitations for challenging Albanys law had not yet run out.

I know Albany fully expects to be sued, he said.

The potential for a lawsuit doesnt mean we should stop what the people are expecting of us, Garriga responded.

We dont have 48 people here just to see what we look like, Garriga later said, referring to the Zoom audience They are here for this local law - tonight. For this law to be voted on - tonight.

The law was passed unanimously, with one abstention.

The law is supported by Johnson, who held a press conference with New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Garriga and members of the Hudson-Catskill Housing Coalition last month to stump for its passage.

If passed, the law would still allow evictions through court for a variety of reasons, such as conducting illegal activity at a rental, damaging the property, or not allowing a landlord in to make repairs. Tenants could still be evicted for nonpayment provided rent has not increased by 5 percent in the last year.

The law would also still allow evictions for two reasons that have been major contributors to displacement in the city.

Tenants could be evicted if the property is being sold with the condition the property will be delivered to the new owner tenant-free. Landlords could also evict all tenants in properties with up to five units if they wanted to live in the buildings themselves.

Benjamin Anderson rents a one-bedroom apartment with his partner on Hudsons Warren Street and says he is constantly terrified of being forced out for these sorts of reasons.

He sees it all the time at his job at a local high-end interior design firm: a multiunit property is sold, cleared of tenants, then gutted and renovated into a ritzy single-family residence.

Though the new law would prevent a landlord from displacing tenants to renovate their property themselves, it does nothing to stop the landlord from selling the property to someone else who wants to do this; the terms of the sale would simply state the property had to be cleared out before the transfer.

Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress Vice President Joe Czajka, an expert on regional housing trends, said one of the major reasons behind Hudson's population decline was a drop in the number of housing units per structure.

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Hudson had 8,127 residents in 1994, according to census estimates, but the population has steadily fallen as gentrification has increased, so that the 2020 census listed slightly less than 5,900 residents.

"You'll see a lot less small multifamily buildings," Czajka said of the city. "There was a decent amount of two-, three-, four-family homes that were de-densified and now are one- or two-family homes, so there was a big reduction in the number of family units over time."

Anderson, who has lived in his current apartment for two-and-a-half years, said he has kept his eye out for other apartments in case he is displaced, and the prices are completely out of reach.

If we lost the place, wed have to move out of the area, he said.

Good cause eviction laws made a splash in New York in 2019, as tenant advocate groups pushed for the automatic renewal of leases to be included in the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act. Though tenants statewide received protections from the act, good cause eviction was ultimately not included.

There is now a push, backed by the progressive group Citizen Action of New York, for individual municipalities to pass such laws. As well as Albany adopting good cause, New Paltz has drafted a version of the law.

Citizen Action Legislative Director Rebecca Garrard, who attended the Common Council meeting where the bill was passed, applauded the vote, calling it a huge win for Hudson Valley tenants and homeowners.

Garrard also pressed for Hudsons assemblywoman, Didi Barrett, to pursue a good cause eviction law on the state level.

While we continue fighting to protect tenants by calling on our city mayors and council members to pass good cause at the local level, we want to ensure everyone in New York is protected from predatory developers by passing this during the upcoming state legislative session, she said.

The law must still go through a public comment period before being delivered to Mayor Johnson, who is expected to sign.
It began innocently enough, and with good intentions.

Margi Conklin, Sunday editor of the New York Post, wrote a love letter to New Paltz. Her article, I bought a bunker in New Paltz and discovered NYs best small town, was enthusiastic and full of nods to local businesses, including The Denizen Theatre, The Cronin Gallery, Twin Star Orchards, and the newly opened Burger Box.

Conklin, who grew up in Sloansville in Schoharie County, has been a weekending home owner of an old farmhouse in New Paltz since 2015.

During the pandemic, she holed up there full time for 18 months with her husband, a novelist. Shes keenly aware of steep increases in housing prices and that locals arent thrilled about the current influx of New Yorkers, so her article didnt advocate for urbanites to buy real estate.

The article was meant as a positive take on her adopted town for anyone who might visit, she says.

My love of New Paltz comes not so much from being a NYC transplant who thinks upstate is cute, but as someone who grew up in upstate New York, feeling devoid of culture, life and excitement. That a place like New Paltz exists is a source of pride for me, she said in a phone interview.

Locals among the 9,500 members of the New Paltz Communitys Facebook page didnt see it that way, however.

Someone  not Conklin  posted the link, and the response was swift and mean, sparking more than 125 comments. Conklin was quickly blamed for everything from claiming to have discovered a dead ghost town (like Columbus bragging about discovering America), to driving up housing prices, worsening local traffic, and even, based on a photo that ran with the article, for hiking with her dog off leash. (Zoom in; theres a harness and a leash, placed by her foot for the photograph, she says.)

Commenters whipped themselves into a fury imagining an urbanite in a giant house on 28 acres with a helipad. The Facebook posts capture the tension that can exist between longtime locals and more recent locals (We are being invaded and irritated by all these visitors, and Go away, all of you! Stop buying homes!).

They are hating to hate, says Conklin. Its not constructive, and it doesnt help the situation. There might be a solution to these problems but spewing hate at someone who loves your town isnt going to make anything better.

She also saw on Twitter that her article made someone feel "icky.

Why would it make you feel icky? Why not be proud you live in one of the most beautiful towns in the country? I dont understand the logic.

Despite her social media detractors, Conklin says she adores New Paltz and its community. Shes proud to be the volunteer editor for the Mohonk Preserves newsletter. She loves her CSA farm share. She doesnt fault anyone for feeling proud or for frustration about money or housing.

Im aware of an undercurrent of discontent that its unaffordable. We bought long ago and could not afford to buy now, she says. Its a difficult balance when your town is popular, and outsiders want to be a part of it. My piece was meant to be sharing the joy and being part of the community, bringing something to it rather than taking away from it.

On Facebook, a lone commenter, Liz Dorval, stood up for Conklin, posting: Aww you guys are so friendly and welcoming. She then took a few people to task for blasting one person for all of their woes: motorcyclists riding through town, rude people, visitors who wont wear masks to protect locals from COVID-19, garbage, affordability.

Youre taking your frustration with one group and applying it to another, Dorval posted, calling her online neighbors out for being mean spirited" and "ignorant.

Reached off Facebook, Dorval, who arrived in New Paltz from Brooklyn a decade ago as a college freshman, says she doesnt know Conklin personally, but enjoyed her article. As a fellow New Yorker, I felt like I understood where the writer was coming from and what makes New Paltz so magnetic to people hailing from the most dynamic city on earth, she says.

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This couple fell in love with the town just like I did. They clearly love the area, and it breaks my heart that they were met with so much hostility.

Still, Dorval notes, such hostility is part of life here, too, especially on Facebook. Without fail, comments quickly pour in from irate locals whenever the town makes headlines. As a Brooklyn native, I felt like I had to chime in and give some city perspective. The comments bordered on xenophobia.

Dorval says she comments online to offer perspective when people from the city are stereotyped as kajillionaires with money to burn. $75,000 a year can give you a comfortable living in New Paltz. $75,000 in New York City means you are barely getting by. The people who live in New Paltz and commute on the Trailways bus to Manhattan daily can attest to that. Many city people moving to the Hudson Valley are not pulling a Scrooge McDuck in penthouse apartments.

Dorval is currently looking for a house to buy in the Village of New Paltz and says there is nothing rich about her. Im just a millennial toy developer with student loans who still doesnt feel comfortable ordering appetizers because that's expensive. But to many New Paltz natives, theyll just see me as a snobbish New Yorker citiot driving up real estate prices. As one person in the comment thread said, Spend your money here and then get out. Ouch.

At the moment, Conklin shares that ouch. For the record, she knows she didnt land from Mars and discover New Paltz.

I dont think that for one second ... Im sad people are spinning it as anything other than positive.

Also? No, her old farmhouse doesnt have a helipad. She and her husband spent a long time fixing it up. I believe in putting in care and love and attention and time, not tearing things down verbally or literally.

Online comments cant dull her love for New Paltz. The town is full of people who have moved here, she says. Most people are not born and bred here. Its a great town. People should know about it.
TROY  When Alvaro Marquez Espeleta was strangled 46 years ago in San Diego, the case quickly went cold. It took until an arrest 35 years later for police to get a lead  and Dennis Lepage's secret to unravel.

The cold case was cracked last year when Lepages fingerprints from his arrest in 2010 for allegedly violating a restraining order were matched to evidence found at Espeletas apartment. In January 2020, authorities arrested him near his home in Brunswick. Though he had connections to Massachusetts, Lepage had most recently lived in the Rensselaer County town.

On Tuesday, Lepage was sentenced to six years in a California prison for the 1975 killing of Espeleta, a 28-year-old dental technician who was assigned to a Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.

Lepage was initially sentenced to up to life in prison but changes in California law mean it is likely he'll serve six years.

Lepage, who was in the Navy at the time of the killing, was sentenced late Tuesday in the case that began nearly 50 years ago in a San Diego apartment where he killed a fellow member of the military.

Prosecutors told San Diego media outlets that Lepages second-degree murder sentence of five years to life in prison would be reduced to six years after decades-old changes in the law. Lepage was sentenced under the law in effect in 1975. It was changed in 1976.

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Lepage pleaded guilty in July in San Diego Superior Court to killing Espeleta, according to court records.

Lepage was arrested on Jan. 24, 2020, by FBI agents and State Police on a fugitive from justice warrant in Brunswick. LePage was returned to San Diego after a May 29, 2020, hearing in Rensselaer County Court.

Espeleta was found dead Dec. 31, 1975, in his apartment in San Diego. Two of Espeleta's co-workers went to his home to check on him when he did not show up for work and discovered his body. LePage was 18 when Espeleta was killed.
SCHENECTADY  Two young social and racial justice activists who are facing a warrant for their arrest stemming from an encounter last month with police at an outdoor community function are expected to voluntarily turn themselves in to police Thursday.

On Tuesday, one of them, Mikayla Foster, confirmed the warrants but declined to discuss the charges or what brought them on.

Theyve (police) shared no information with us, theyve only sent out a courtesy letter to me and one other person, said Foster, adding that the paperwork listed the offenses, noted that arrests could be made at any time and gave them until Monday to surrender to police.

Patrolman Patrick Irwin, a city police spokesman said Tuesday that Foster, 22, and 29-year-old Shaquenna Charles, both city residents, are charged with at least one count each of disorderly conduct, a violation, and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.

Irwin said the charges stem from an Aug. 26 local community event in the parking lot of a bank where Charles and Foster allegedly cursed out police while broadcasting it live on Facebook.

He said that the charges were filed following an investigation by the police departments detective division, which led to a filing with the court of an arrest warrant, which was sent out for the two suspects on Sept. 13.

A warrant is a document issued by a court or government official authorizing the police or some other law enforcement entity to make an arrest, search premises, or carry out some other action related to the administration of justice, according to information online.

Police Chief Eric Clifford, Mayor Gary McCarthy and School Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. were among those in attendance at the event in the parking lot of the Trustco Bank at State Street and Brandywine Avenue.

Bike helmets and child safety identifications were being handed out for free, so the event attracted a lot of families with school-age children.

On Thursday, Clifford said via text that the charges and the video both speak for themselves. McCarthy did not return a call seeking comment.

Foster said they plan to surrender at 8 a.m. Thursday with a press conference and a speak out to discuss the matter slated for 11 a.m. Foster and others asserted law enforcement is targeting activists tied to Black Lives Matter and other social justice groups.

This is political, its deeply racialized, it is shrouded in white supremacy and privilege, Foster said. "This is them asserting their power and dominance, the same thing is happening in Saratoga County. Foster is a member of Black Abolitionists Directive, a regional coalition and network of different organizers based in Schenectady.

The charges in Schenectady come on the heels of the arrests of several BLM activists in Saratoga Springs.

Jamaica Miles, who is in her first term on the Schenectady school board, was among those who had charges brought against them by the Saratoga Springs police, where in recent weeks close to a dozen people accused of blocking and stalling traffic face disorderly conduct and unlawful imprisonment charges.

Miles, co-founder of the group, All of Us, condemned the latest arrests.

I do absolutely believe, as I stated in Saratoga, that there is a coordinated effort by City Council members, law enforcement and other agencies and individuals that have the power to try to silence those who have grievances with the government here in the Capital District, and they are using their power and privilege to try to intimidate activists, advocates, and organizers, she said. I have every reason to believe that its about freedom of speech, you cannot pick and choose how to apply freedom of speech, but thats what theyre trying to do.

Foster accused Schenectady, Saratoga and Albany of actively targeting Black activists, Black organizers, Black community members who happen to show up at protests, even non-Black people who show up to protests.

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In June, Foster and another defendant had one count of third-degree criminal tampering against them adjourned in contemplation of dismissal for allegedly using chalk to write on the wall of the police station in the summer of 2020. At the time, Foster questioned the charge, saying the chalk was water-soluble and was removed from the building within eight minutes after it was written.

The terms of that deal stipulated that the pair not get arrested in the next six months and the misdemeanor will be dismissed and the records sealed in early December. It's unclear how these new charges may affect the disposition of that case.

Besides the chalking, the glass panel on the front door at the Schenectady police station was broken.

Messages included "We wont forget, Stop killing us and Blood is on your hands.

Police reacted to the incident by adding fencing around the front entrance of the station, leaving a walkway for people to enter.

The Schenectady protests, as well as the one in Albany that started the next day, erupted over the police shooting death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old unarmed Black man, in Minnesota.

On Tuesday, Melanie Trimble, regional director of the New York Civil Liberties Union in the Capital Region, said she has an attorney looking into the matter and that the agency stands ready to work jointly with any other on the case to "ensure First Amendment issues are addressed."

"The NYCLU is very concerned that these are charges that do not rise to the level of disorderly conduct in any way, but we will suspend our doubts until we see the facts in the case, but we are also seriously concerned that if these individuals had not been associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, that the police would never have issued warrants for their arrest," said Trimble.

She contends that the disturbing pattern of "overpolicing" is a statewide issue.

"There are other municipalities across the state in which police departments are becoming overly aggressive in monitoring Black Lives Matter protests," Trimble added.
TROY  Several immigrant rights groups have filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concerning the alleged physical abuse of a woman while in immigration agents custody and alleged unsanitary conditions at the Rensselaer County Jail where she and four other immigrant women are being held.

The Sept. 9 complaint has led to alleged retaliation by federal and county representatives against the woman, who was identified as Ms. Q in order to protect her from potential abuse by inmates at the county jail according to her attorney, Sophia Genovese, a pro bono supervising attorney for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. The alleged retaliation included being told she was to be immediately deported.

Genovese described the county jail as an intimidating site for immigrant women due it being far away from their families and attorneys, and that their rights are violated. Genovese said the women are only at the jail for a few weeks or months after theyve been ordered deported.

The complaint alleges that during transit while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, an ICE employee violently tugged on Ms. Qs shackles, causing her ankle shackles to get caught on a grate, and causing Ms. Q to fall. Because Ms. Qs wrists, hips, and feet were shackled together, she was unable to break her fall with her hands, and she landed on her head. Ms. Q reports later being told to clean herself in the sink inside her cell, despite being covered in blood, according to a statement issued about the incident.

Catholic Charities, the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund and Justice for Migrant Families want the physical incident involving ICE, plus the conditions at the jail and the alleged failure of services to be provided according to DHS guidelines, to be investigated.

The complaints about the jail include lack of medical care, filthy living conditions, clogged toilets, littered floors, barely operable sinks, not being provided sanitary pads and no access to showers for up to 10 days, as well as not following DHS guidelines. The complaint wants DHS to inspect the jail.

Genovese alleges that after the complaint was filed, ICE employees told Ms. Q on Friday she was to be immediately deported. Since the complaint, other allegations include that while at the jail, a lieutenant spoke to Ms. Q without her attorney present, and female inmates were told that potential issues at the jail were due to the immigrant detainees, Genovese said. At last count, five women immigrants were in the jail awaiting deportation, Genovese said.

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ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the civil rights complaint sent to various DHS officials, including ICE representatives.

The sheriff's office said, "The female inmates main complaint, who was scheduled for deportation, was she did not want to be quarantined upon arrival to the facility, which is, due to COVID-19, policy for all new admissions into the Rensselaer County Jail. She was given a grievance form, which she filled out, but later signed off stating everything was alright and no longer wished to further the grievance."

In August, the county jail had 69 federal prisoners out of a total jail population of 169 people, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services monthly jail report. The federal detainees accounted for 40 percent of the jails population. The immigrant detainees would be counted among the federal prisoners.
MIAMI (AP)  The disappearance and death of Gabby Petito and the police hunt for her boyfriend have generated a whirlwind online, with a multitude of armchair detectives and others sharing tips, possible sightings and theories by way of TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

Whether the frenzy of attention and internet sleuthing has helped the investigation is not clear, but it has illuminated the intersection between social media and the public's fascination with true-crime stories.

Months before her disappearance drew more than a half-billion views on TikTok, Petito, 22, and 23-year-old boyfriend Brian Laundrie set out on a cross-country road trip over the summer in a van she decorated boho-chic style.

They documented their adventure on video and invited social media users to follow along on the journey, sharing scenes of a seemingly happy couple cartwheeling on a beach, hiking on mountain trails and camping in the Utah desert.

But they quarreled along the way, and Laundrie returned home alone to Florida in the van in September.

Over the weekend, a body believed to be Petito's was discovered at the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The FBI announced Tuesday that a coroner determined the body was Petito's and her death was a homicide, but officials didn't disclose details pending final autopsy results. Investigators are seeking Laundrie as a person of interest in the case, focusing on a swampy Florida preserve where he is believed to have gone with a backpack last week.

Social media users have been fascinated by the case and have been poring over the wealth of online video and photos for clues.

A lot of it has to do with the cross-country journey they were documenting, going on social media on this grand adventure," said Joseph Scott Morgan, a Jacksonville State University professor of forensics and an authority on high-profile murder cases. And he added: They are young, they are attractive people.

Another source of fascination: a police bodycam video, released last week, showing the couple after they were pulled over in August in Moab, Utah, where the van was seen speeding and hitting a curb. They had gotten into a fight, and Petito was in tears, with Laundrie saying tension had been building between them because they had been traveling together for months.

Theories and observations picked up steam on Reddit, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter.

Users have delved into Petitos Spotify music playlists, Laundries reading habits and the couples digitally bookmarked trails. A TikTok user reported having picked up Laundrie hitchhiking.

And a couple who document their bus travels on YouTube said they went through some of their video footage from near Grand Teton and spotted what they said was the couple's white van. They posted an image of it with a big red arrow pointing to it and the words, We found Gabby Petito's van. They said that was what led investigators to the area where the body was found.

The FBI has not specified what led to the discovery or said whether other tips from internet sleuths have helped.

Michael Alcazar, a retired New York City detective and professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said that Petitos Instagram account gave investigators places to start and that social media became a rich source of tips.

Instagram is kind of like the photo on the milk carton, except it reaches so many people quickly, he said.

On the other hand, some users have spread misinformation, reporting potential sightings of Petito and Laundrie that turned out to be wrong.

Hannah Matthews, a TikTok user from Salt Lake City, admitted becoming obsessed with the case, saying she identified with Petito and felt that could have been her. She has made 14 short videos detailing theories of what could have gone wrong and providing updates on the case. One of them suggests Petito did not write one of her Instagram posts. It has gotten nearly 2 million views.

"It just seemed like an odd case from the beginning and after doing more research and (collaborating) with other people on social media, the case just kept growing and having twists and turns," she said.

As of Tuesday, the hashtag #gabbypetito had received more than 650 million views on TikTok. By way of comparison, #FreeBritney posts about pop star Britney Spears bid to end her conservatorship had gotten 1.9 billion views.

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Theres a lot of different complicated reasons that people are drawn to it, and its not all sinister or malicious or creepy, said Kelli Boling, a professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who has studied audience reception to true-crime podcasts.

She said those fascinated by such cases are sometimes domestic-violence victims who find that such material can help them deal with their own experiences.

Some people are really drawn to it from a place of healing, or from a place of wanting to find justice for the young lady," Boling said.

While expressing sympathy for Petito, some have detected what they see as a racial double standard, complaining that the media and online sleuths are heavily invested in this case because she is young and white.

There are a lot of women of color, and especially immigrants, this happens to all the time, and we never hear about it, said Alex Piquero, a criminologist at the University of Miami.

In the same state where Petito was found, at least 710 Native Americans were reported missing between 2011 and late 2020.

Also, a same-sex couple who lived in a van were reported missing and later found shot to death at a campsite near Moab, not long after Petito and her boyfriend were stopped by police there. The deaths of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner generated some media coverage but nothing like the Petito case.

The case also came at a time when interest in cross-country travel, especially in vans or recreational vehicles, is at a high, perhaps as a reaction to the isolation forced on people by the COVID-19 outbreak. The couples plans sounded like something out of a romantic movie gone terribly awry, Piquero said.

It has this whole air of intrigue," he said. People have a real fantasy about being able to solve crimes.

___

Whitehurst reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press writers Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco and Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP)  Robins Exile downed a traditional meal of plantains and chicken at a restaurant run by Haitian immigrants, just a short walk from the walled border with the United States. He arrived the night before and went there seeking advice: Should he try to get to the U.S., or was it better to settle in Mexico?

Messages on WhatsApp and Facebook and YouTube videos from Haitian migrants warned him to avoid crossing in Del Rio, Texas, where thousands of Haitians have converged recently. It was no longer the easy place to cross that it was just a few weeks ago.

Discussion Monday at the Tijuana restaurant offered a snapshot of Haitians' diaspora in the Western Hemisphere, which picked up steam in 2016 and has shown little sign of easing, demonstrated most recently by the more than 14,000 mostly Haitian migrants assembled around a Del Rio bridge. The town has only about 35,000 people.

Of the roughly 1.8 million Haitians living outside their homeland, the United States is home to the most, about 705,000. Significant numbers of people from the Western Hemispheres poorest country also have settled in Latin American countries like Chile, where an estimated 69,000 Haitian immigrants reside, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Nearly all Haitians reach the U.S. on a well-worn route: Fly to Brazil, Chile or elsewhere in South America. If jobs dry up, slowly move through Central America and Mexico by bus and on foot to wait  perhaps years  in northern border cities like Tijuana for the right time to enter the United States and claim asylum.

It is a population that relies little on smugglers and instead moves based on shared experience and information exchanged between the tight-knit community, often via WhatsApp or Facebook, about where it is safest, where jobs are most plentiful and where it is easiest to enter a country. Earlier this year, large numbers showed up in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to cross into El Paso, Texas.

Haitians shifted over the summer to Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, across from Del Rio. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday that it was unusually sudden.

Many Haitians began attempting to enter the U.S. in the 1980s by sea. Most of them were cut off by the Coast Guard and perhaps given a cursory screening for asylum eligibility, said David FitzGerald, a sociology professor at the University of California, San Diego and an asylum expert. In 1994, U.S. authorities reached an agreement with Jamaica to anchor ships off its coast to hold shipboard hearings for Haitians intercepted on boats. Attempts by sea waned after a Supreme Court decision allowing forced repatriations without refugee protections.

Tens of thousands of Haitians fled after a devastating earthquake in 2010 to settle in South America. After jobs dried up from the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, many came to Tijuana. President Barack Obama initially allowed them in the U.S. on humanitarian grounds but abruptly began flying them back to Haiti, leaving many stranded on the Mexican border.

Since then, Haitian restaurants and other businesses have sprouted in Tijuana. Haitians have found work at border factories built for U.S. exports and at car washes. One hardscrabble neighborhood is known as Little Haiti" because so many settled there.

Many Haitians have established at least temporary legal status in Mexico, Brazil and elsewhere. Some have spouses or children from their adopted countries.

Exile, who joked that he seemed born to be a refugee given his name, said he was interested in getting documents to be able to work in Mexico if his plan to reach the United States fails. He and his pregnant wife had been on the road for 2 1/2 months after he lost his job in Brazil. They had flown there from Haiti a year and half ago amid spiraling crime.

They stayed along Mexicos southern border with Guatemala for three weeks, and had planned to go to the Texas border. But by the time his family sent money, he heard Tijuana was the safer option with its well-established Haitian community.

Its getting complicated, so thats why I came here where I can hopefully find work and live peacefully, taking care of my family, Exile said in the restaurant, painted in the colors of the Haitian flag.

He understands the U.S. crackdown in Del Rio, where the Biden administration on Sunday launched an expulsion campaign to Haiti.

I think people should wait and work in Mexico, he said. "There are opportunities here, just not as many as in the U.S.

Pierre Wilthene and his wife agree. They operate the restaurant Chris Kapab, or God Willing" in Creole. They arrived in Tijuana five years ago. The two went to Brazil when the economy was booming ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

Things are good here, said Wilthene, who also is vice president of the Association of the Defense of Haitian Immigrants in Tijuana, which helps arrivals find housing, passes along donated furniture, clothing and toys and guides Haitians through Mexicos health care and public school systems.

Yuliy Ramirez came to Tijuana five years after losing her job in Brazil, where she arrived in 2012. She enrolled in a Tijuana university for a nursing degree.

Mexico was a good option for me, but I wont deny that for many they could have a much better life in the U.S., Ramirez said.

Many have already lived outside their country for years. About 150,000 Haitians went to Chile from 2014 to 2018, many on charter flights to qualify for a visa, and found work as street vendors, janitors and construction workers. They lived largely in marginalized neighborhoods of the capital and suffered discrimination.

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In April, a stricter immigration law took effect, and the Chilean government started massive aerial deportations.

Since then more Haitians have been moving through the Colombian town of Necocli, where migrants catch boat rides to the Panama border to begin the perilous trek through the jungle of the Darien Gap. In July, the town hosted more than 10,000 migrants, nearly all Haitian.

Migrants waiting there stay in hotels or locals homes, where they rent rooms for $6 to $10 a night. Large groups sleep under tarps on the beach.

Panamas Security Minister Juan Pino said Monday that his country was receiving 2,500 to 3,000 migrants daily  mostly Haitians.

From Panama, the migrants usually make their way through Central America aboard a series of buses, offloading to cross Nicaragua stealthily because it does not allow their transit before they reach Guatemala's border with Mexico, where some apply for asylum in the Mexican city of Tapachula and live in encampments.

Unlike Central Americans, Haitians have generally not been deported from Mexico. So far this year, 19,000 have requested asylum in Mexico, a figure second only to Hondurans. In the previous two years, only about 6,000 Haitians had applied each year.

But most in the past have decided to push on to the United States. Now some are weighing the risks.

The Biden administration plans to ramp up this week to seven flights a day in what may be the swiftest, large-scale American efforts to remove migrants or refugees in decades.

Junior Jean lived in Chile for four years before coming through Mexico to the makeshift camp under the Del Rio bridge.

Chile was bad for me, said Jean, 32. "I was sleeping on the street, eating from the trash. That is what we were doing. There is nothing.

___

Lozano reported from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, and Spagat reported from San Diego. AP reporters Eva Vergara in Santiago, Chile, Astrid Suarez and Manuel Rueda in Bogota, Colombia, Juan Zamorano in Panama City, and Maria Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.

_____

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of FitzGerald. It also corrects that Panama receives 2,500 to 3,000 migrants daily, not weekly.
HONOLULU (AP)  Hawaii health care providers are receiving only half the number of monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 that they requested amid a shortage of the drugs.

The federal government has capped Hawaiis weekly allocation at 680 treatments, Brooks Baehr, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

There is no question that we would have loved to get more, Baehr said.

The state will have to wait and see whether it can get more supply in the coming weeks.

There has been a spike in demand for the drugs in states where where surging hospitalizations among the unvaccinated have overwhelmed health care systems.

The treatments have been shown to reduce death and hospitalization if given early. The drugs are laboratory-made versions of virus-blocking antibodies that help fight off infections.

They 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.

The federal government has dispatched 30 clinicians to Hawaii to help distribute the medications.

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Medical experts say the drugs are not a substitute for wearing a mask and getting vaccinated. They don't reduce the chance that a patient could get infected and severely ill again.

Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, which has been providing care to the states hardest-hit population, is expected to receive only 75 treatments as part of its weekly allotment, said Jacob Schafer, director of infection control and employee health at the clinic.

Hilo Medical Center, which serves an area that has also experienced a high rate of infection, is expecting 70 treatments a week as well as a little extra for its emergency room and long-term care needs, said Elena Cabatu, a spokeswoman for the hospital.
Michael T. Mann, the ex-CEO whose $100 million financial fraud brought down his Clifton Park company, MyPayrollHR, and threatened to topple other companies that did business with him, has arrived at a federal correctional facility in New Jersey.

The 51-year-old is being held at the low-security prison in Fort Dix as he starts his 12-year sentence. The prison, located in the central part of the state, has held a number of white-collar criminals over the years, including at one point the so-called "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli, the hedge-fund manager serving time for securities fraud.

It is unclear if Mann will serve his entire sentence at Fort Dix. Federal prisoners are frequently moved.

But so far, he is not near the place he hoped to serve his time: the federal correctional complex in Butner, N.C. Before Mann's sentencing over the summer, his attorney asked that he be allowed to serve time in that facility to be closer to his wife who now lives in the area. The North Carolina prison was the same place the late Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff was serving his sentence before dying earlier this year.

Last month, Mann was sentenced to 12 years in prison in his $100 million bank fraud scheme that led to the collapse of his Clifton Park payroll company in 2019, an implosion that left thousands without paychecks and threatened to destroy the institutions that did business with him.

Senior U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Kahn imposed the sentence Aug. 4 after Mann apologized for carrying out one of the largest financial crimes in the region's history.

"I want to apologize to everyone that was harmed by my actions," Mann told the judge. "I am completely aware I caused all of this."

"I am ashamed. ... What I did was wrong. To everyone that was harmed by my crimes, I am very sorry," he continued.

Mann, who pleaded guilty last fall to 12 felonies, ranging from wire fraud conspiracy, identity theft and filing false tax returns, remained free after his sentencing.

The collapse of MyPayrollHR has triggered a number of lawsuits, including a case filed against Pioneer Bank by another payroll company Mann owned in Oklahoma and one of Mann's payment vendors.

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National Payment is a plaintiff in the lawsuit along with Southwestern Payroll Services, a Tulsa, Okla., firm that Mann owned. They seek more than $9 million in payroll tax money that Mann had diverted to his Pioneer Bank accounts just before his scheme was uncovered on Labor Day weekend in 2019.

Lawyers for Pioneer counter that they were Mann's biggest victim, echoing an assertion they say was made by federal prosecutors.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Racism, climate change and worsening divisions among nations and cultures topped the agenda Wednesday as leaders from China to Costa Rica, from Finland to Turkey to the United Nations itself outlined reasons why the world isn't working as it should  and what must be done quickly to fix it. Said one country's president: The future is raising its voice at us.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began early last year, more than two dozen world leaders appeared in person at the U.N. General Assembly on the opening day of their annual high-level meeting Tuesday. In speech after speech, the atmosphere was somber, angry and dire.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that the world has entered a period of new turbulence and transformation. Finland President Sauli Niinisto said: We are indeed at a critical juncture. And Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada declared: The future is raising its voice at us: Less military weaponry, more investment in peace!

Speaker after speaker at Tuesdays opening of the nearly week-long meeting decried the inequalities and deep divisions that have prevented united global action to end the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed nearly 4.6 million lives and is still raging, and the failure to sufficiently tackle the climate crisis threatening the planet.

COVID-19 and climate are certain to remain top issues for heads of state and government. But Wednesdays U.N. agenda will first turn the spotlight on the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the controversial U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery.

The U.S. and Israel walked out during the meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism to racism  a provision that was eventually dropped. Twenty countries are boycotting Wednesdays commemoration, according to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which urged more countries to join them in continuing to fight racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism.

Following the commemoration, heads of state will start delivering their annual addresses again in the vast General Assembly hall. Speakers include King Abdullah II of Jordan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Perhaps the harshest assessment of the current global crisis came from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who opened his state of the world address sounding an alarm that the world must wake up.

Our world has never been more threatened or more divided, he said. We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes.

We are on the edge of an abyss  and moving in the wrong direction, the secretary-general warned.

Guterres pointed to supersized glaring inequalities in addressing COVID-19, climate alarm bells ... ringing at fever pitch, upheavals from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Yemen and beyond thwarting peace, and a surge of mistrust and misinformation (that) is polarizing people and paralyzing societies.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the pandemic was a reminder that the entire world are part of a big family.

But the solidarity test that we were put to failed us miserably, he said. It is a disgrace for humanity that vaccine nationalism is still being carried on through different methods, and underdeveloped countries and poor segments of societies have been literally left to their fate in the face of the pandemic.

As for the climate crisis, Erdogan said whoever did the most damage to nature, the atmosphere and water, and whoever has wildly exploited natural resources should make the greatest contribution to fighting global warming.

Unlike the past, this time no one can afford the luxury to say, 'Im powerful so I will not pay the bill because climate change will treat mankind quite equally, the Turkish leader said. The duty for all of us is to take measures against this enormous threat, with a fair burden-sharing.

Romanias President Klaus Iohannis did find something positive from the COVID-19 crisis.

While the pandemic affected almost all aspects of our lives, he said, it also provided us with opportunities to learn, adapt and do things better.

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Two of the most closely watched speeches on Tuesday were delivered by U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In an Associated Press interview on Saturday, Guterres warned that the world could plunge into a new and probably more dangerous Cold War if China and the United States dont repair their completely dysfunctional relationship. Unfortunately, today we only have confrontation, he said.

Biden said in his U.N. address that the United States was not attempting to be divisive or confrontational.

We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs, he said. The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges even if we have intense disagreements in other areas.

Speaking later, Xi said disputes among countries need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation.

One countrys success does not have to mean another countrys failure, Xi said. The world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries.

By tradition, the first country to speak was Brazil, whose president, Jair Bolsonaro rebuffed criticism of his handling of the pandemic and touted recent data indicating less Amazon deforestation. He said he was seeking to counter the image of Brazil portrayed in the media, touting it as a great place for investment and praising his pandemic welfare program, which helped avoid a worse recession last year.

Bolsonaro said that his government has successfully distributed first doses to the majority of adults, but doesnt support vaccine passports or forcing anyone to have a shot. He has said several times in the past week that he remains unvaccinated. He had COVID-19 last year.

Brazils health minister, Marcelo Quiroga, who was with Bolsonaro, later tested positive for the coronavirus and will remain in isolation in the United States, the government said. Quiroga got his first shot of coronavirus vaccine in January.

___

Edith M. Lederer, chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, has been reporting internationally for nearly 50 years. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EdithLedererAP
SARATOGA SPRINGS  In a City Council meeting that limited the number of people attending, more than a dozen Black Lives Matter activists and their allies demanded that charges be dropped against those who participated in a July 14 march.

Samira Sangare, speaking at Tuesdays meeting, which had a large police presence, said she and her brother, who have never been arrested have been reduced to criminals and that the city, which is seeking to mediate with the BLM activists wont be able to do that until the charges are dropped.

The Rev. Joe Cleveland of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs echoed her call.

The charges against Black Lives Matter activists in the city need to be dropped and the city needs to end its practice of intimidation and harassment, said Cleveland, who compared Saratoga Springs to Alabama in the 1950s and 60s. If there is a flower you want to prosper, you can't think the strategy is to cut down and poison everything around itWe need a place where everyone can thrive.What policies and practices are you going to put in place so Black people, working people, can thrive?

Police have thus far arrested a dozen people in connection with the protest. The activists have been charged with disorderly conduct, a violation, and unlawful imprisonment, for blocking a car with a man who wanted to get home to take his heart medication. Police have said they are trying to balance civil rights with public safety, but activists see arrests that include hours in jail and shackles used during arraignments as hardball tactics meant to intimidate.

Nedra Hickenbottom, whose son and daughter were arrested, spoke at the meeting too. She told council members that they treated her son like an animal when they had him shackled in court on misdemeanor charges.

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Do I look like an animal to you?" Hickenbottom said. "He came from me. My daughter came from me. Im just as human as anyone else in this room. You are only making things worse.

In addition to limiting the number of people at the meeting, activists and their allies were also aggrieved they were not allowed in the city courtroom to witness arraignments of four more activists Tuesday morning.

Kristen Dart, who sat on the citys Police Reform Task Force, said that she had no words.

Twice today we had limited public access to public proceeding designed to be open to the public, Dart said. Public participation is important. This is not fun or a game for us. We would all love to be doing something different. We are taking times from our schedule ... You have power to make a difference. You have made a change for the worse.
The battle over Democrats ambitious spending plan is heating up in Congress, but one piece of the outcome is already clear: The $3.5 trillion price tag is being whittled down.

That will disappoint progressives, who see the budget plan as their best chance in a generation to enact big changes in domestic policy from universal pre-K and free community college to expanded Medicare and Medicaid and subsidies for clean energy.

But as a practical political matter, its a good thing for Democratic members of Congress who face tough races in 2022  and for their partys tenuous chances of retaining its razor-thin majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Heres the Democrats problem: Most of the individual spending proposals in the plan are broadly popular among voters, but that doesnt necessarily translate into solid support for the whole package.

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll last month found that the spending plan was supported by a bare majority, 52%, of Americans  and that was before Republicans began barraging the proposal with objections, aimed mostly at the price. (A massive, reckless taxing and spending spree, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said last week.)

There are things (in the plan) that voters think are valuable: nursing homes, child care, pre-K, Republican pollster David Winston said. But people question whether the country can do them at a reasonable cost.

Some Democrats worry about the cost, too.

Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, has long said $3.5 trillion is too much  and in a 50-50 chamber, the plan cant pass without his vote.

Manchin isnt the only stumbling block. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has also objected to the price tag. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana says he wont support any plan that includes deficit spending. Others have expressed qualms privately, especially over proposals for higher taxes.

Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, a practiced vote-counter, injected a dose of reality into the debate last week: $3.5 trillion is a starting point for negotiation, he said. Its not necessarily the endpoint.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, trying to keep progressives in her caucus lined up behind the plan, has described it in expansive terms.

Its not incremental, she brags. Its transformational.

Wrong message, Democratic pollster David Shor, a former campaign aide to President Barack Obama, told me.

I would ban that word, he said. Most people dont want bold, inspirational change. They want bite-size things.

If Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer of New York pass a plan even half the size of the $3.5 trillion thats under debate, it would still be a titanic achievement. And less focus on that top-line number might allow Democrats to focus attention on parts of the plan that are both broadly popular and easy to understand.

There are benefits to having easy-to-describe things that people like, Shor argued.

He recently polled voters on a list of 193 policy priorities, including many in the budget plan.

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The most popular: empowering the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices down. High on the list: adding dental benefits to Medicare (a favorite of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders) and increasing Social Security payments.

Not as high: federal subsidies for child care.

Giving things to old people is a real political winner; theyre sympathetic and there are a lot of them, Shor noted. The political upside of child care is more limited. Relatively few people are parents at any given time.

Even lower in popularity: spending to combat climate change.

Most people dont care about climate change very much, except for very liberal white people, Shor warned. Almost everyone else thinks poverty is more important than climate change.

Those are the elements that Democrats will be debating, along with proposals for higher income taxes on the wealthy and higher taxes on corporations.

They already know they face an uphill battle in the 2022 congressional elections. The party that holds the White House almost invariably loses seats two years after a presidential election.

Their best chance to defy those odds probably lies in passing a much slimmer budget plan  one that focuses, as Shor advises, on measures with broad public support.

And if Manchin and other Senate moderates hold firm, they wont have much choice.

Doyle McManus is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
ALBANY  The impartiality of the New York Independent Redistricting Commission was in question last week when it deadlocked on the proposed new boundaries for election districts  with Democrats and Republicans on the panel each releasing their own proposed maps.

The impasse was seized on by critics of the system, some of whom had predicted the process was always on course to allow the Democratic-controlled state Legislature to set the new boundaries if there is partisan gridlock on the commission, which is tasked with redrawing the lines that govern New York's congressional seats and state Assembly and Senate seats.

The 10-member commission has long faced scrutiny over its independence. A state Supreme Court justice ruled in 2014 that a ballot initiative to create the commission should drop the word "independent," because it would "lead the voter to believe that the commission is free from political influence and that its work is not subject to further approval."

The commission was approved by voters and was spearheaded by Democratic lawmakers who called for an antidote to what they viewed as years of Republican gerrymandering  a scenario that ended when Democrats took control of the Legislature in 2019.

A Times Union review found that a handful of members of the commission have yet to file their financial disclosure forms; some have continued to make state and federal political contributions while sitting on the commission, and at least one is politically active in groups that have an interest in the outcome of the redistricting. Although some members have distanced themselves from obvious political activity, others have not.

"I have actively tried to ensure there's no question of my integrity or the integrity of the commission," said commission Chairman David Imamura, a Westchester County Democrat.

Generally, commissioners on the panel did not respond to requests for comment sent to their email addresses that were created when the Independent Redistricting Commission was set up. Although the state-funded commission is a public body, its staff declined to provide other contact information for the members.

Thus far, public records indicate six of the commission's 10 members  four appointed by Democrats, four by Republicans and two considered independent, but who respectively lean Democratic and Republican  have filed financial disclosure forms with the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics, as required. Those who filed are four of the Democratic-leaning commissioners and two of the five Republican-leaning commissioners, Ross Brady and Charles Nesbitt, according to JCOPE records.

Imamura was a frequent Democratic donor prior to being named chair in late May 2020. The commission  delayed by state budgetary issues and a late U.S. Census because of the coronavirus pandemic  did not start much of its work until November.

Imamura made some political contributions during the 2020 presidential election cycle, similar to some of his fellow commissioners.

His donations included $4,100 in campaign contributions to President Joe Biden, then a candidate, in the months leading up to last year's presidential election. Democratic-appointee Dr. John Flateau gave $500 to a Biden campaign fund in October, his lone contribution.

Imamura gave an additional $350 to a local district attorney's race and to a local abortion fund in Westchester County. He maintains his roles with the Democratic committees in Westchester and Irving counties, according to his disclosure, but neither are leadership roles. As a district leader for the Westchester County Democratic Committee, Imamura serves as one of about 1,000 precinct committee members.

"I don't think there's a conflict of interest," Imamura said. "My role is on the local level, where I help elect our village justice and our village trustees."

Since the commission had become active  which began in November after it received state funding and gained an executive director  Imamura said he has distanced himself from political activities so he can commit to the work of the commission.

"I've made a point of not giving to any candidates whose lines I'm helping draw," he said, adding he also avoids political events. "I've made a point of actively avoiding even interacting with the people whose lines I'm redrawing."

Brady, on the other hand, does not believe his involvement with political organizations interferes with his work on the commission.

Brady is a state committee member and executive committee member for the New York State Conservative Party; he's also treasurer and an executive committee member of the Kings County Conservative Party in Brooklyn and the legislative and assistant political director for District Council 37, the state's largest municipal public employee union, according to his financial disclosure form. He was not a Republican appointee, but is registered with the similarly-leaning Conservative Party.

"It's all public and there's no influence involved," Brady said. "I'm an individual member of the public like everybody else and I don't have to stop my life to serve."

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Brady made a $125 contribution to the Kings County Conservative Campaign Committee in June and a $250 contribution to the state Conservative Party Campaign Committee a year ago, according to campaign finance data. He did not make any federal contributions in recent years.

"There's not much wiggle room and there's all the rules that go along with the rules," Brady said about the commission's line-drawing task. "I'm just ... trying to be optimistic about the process."

Brady hopes the commission can settle on one map to present to the Legislature, something he was disappointed they couldn't do on the first release of the maps last week.

"Failure is not an option," Brady said. "It might be for some people who want us to fail, but I don't see failure as possible."

The vice-chair of the commission, former state Sen. Jack Martins, declined to comment for this story. The most recent financial disclosure form on file for Martins with JCOPE is from 2016, when he was still in elected office.

Martins has continued to make political contributions, albeit in relatively low amounts, since assuming the position. He gave $325 to the North Hempstead Republican Committee in 2020, but before the commission actively began its work near the end of the year. He has also given money to a political action committee set up by his firm, Harris Beach, although those contributions predate the commission's activity in November. He gave $100 to the New York League Of Conservation Gives Green in March.

Republican-appointed commissioners Willis H. Stephens, Jr. and John Conway III also have contributed to political campaigns since 2020.

Stephens gave $1,150 to Republican efforts, including to then-President Donald Trump. All of the contributions were before this year.

Conway, according to campaign filings, has given at least $1,200 to predominantly national Republican Party committees and campaigns this year, most in smaller donations. Neither Conway nor Stephens have filed recent financial disclosure forms with JCOPE.

Democratic-leaning Dr. Ivelisse CuevasMolina and Elaine Fraizer do not appear to have made any political contributions since joining the commission, nor do they list any affiliations with political organizations, according to their financial disclosure forms. There are no apparent contributions in public databases attributed to Benger, whose financial disclosure form is not on file.

Nesbitt, a Republican appointee on the commission, does not list any political contributions or affiliation with political organizations, according to public records.

The commission's executive director, Karen Blatt, did not respond to a request for comment. Blatt, prior to being appointed director, made a $450 contribution to the Lexington Democratic Club in February 2020, according to campaign finance data. Following her appointment, no contributions are attributed to Blatt in available public records.
ALBANY  Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration continued tenuous negotiations with multiple labor unions Wednesday as a coronavirus vaccine mandate that's set to go into effect next week could result in thousands of unvaccinated nurses and other front-line health care workers facing suspension or potential termination from their jobs at state-run hospitals.

Officials with the Public Employees Federation (PEF), the state's second-largest labor union, emerged from a closed-door mediation session with Hochul's administration Wednesday without reaching an agreement on how the mandate will be enforced. Negotiations with other unions affected by the policy are ongoing and include the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), United University Professions (UUP), and the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA).

Hochul's office did not immediately respond to questions about the situation, including whether the governor might delay the mandate or if she has a plan in place if hundreds of nurses and other health care professionals are suspended from their state jobs beginning Monday. The directive also applies to private hospitals, where similar staffing difficulties are unfolding.

More than two hours after the Times Union asked the governor's office for comment, it issued a statement saying that separate agreements with CSEA and PEF would allow nurses and other health care professionals at state-run hospitals to be eligible to work overtime at 2.5 times the normal rate of salary, up from 1.5 times. But that incentive, which would be retroactive to Sept. 16 and last through the end of the year, is not tied to the vaccine mandate.

Wayne Spence, president of PEF, said confidentiality rules prohibited him from discussing the details of his union's mediation session Wednesday with the Governor's Office of Employee Relations. But Spence said many of the workers who are declining to be vaccinated are individuals with underlying health concerns  including, for instance, a nurse who is pregnant and had been directed by her physician not to be vaccinated because of past fertility complications.

"There is no one-size-fits-all, and the state is doing one-size-fits-all," Spence said, adding that some nurses have been infected more than once with COVID-19, and believe their antibody tests showing they have a high resistance to the infectious disease makes vaccination unnecessary.

UUP President Frederick E. Kowal said about one-third of the union's members  more than 13,000 employees at three SUNY hospitals and their related medical facilities  are affected by the mandate. Of those, he said, an estimated 10 percent are not vaccinated.

"We want to work with the governor; we want to get to a place where we can maximize the number of people vaccinated, because that's what the goal is here," Kowal said. "We think incentives, counseling, working with those members who are not vaccinated on a one-on-one basis is a way to bring people around."

The governor's administration has drawn a hard line in the negotiations, according to three people familiar with the matter. They said the incentive being offered by the administration is for affected health care employees to receive a half-day of vacation if they are or get vaccinated. That offer, however, is contingent on the unions agreeing that their members would not have contractual rights to use accrued time, such as sick or vacation days, to offset any lost hours while they are suspended.

In addition, at the end of the suspension period, the workers would face termination through an arbitration process if they remain unvaccinated.

Many of the unions began talks with the governor's office in July after former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the vaccine mandates for health care workers at state-run hospitals. The directive does not allow someone to be tested regularly in lieu of being vaccinated, putting potentially thousands of health care workers who are reluctant to get vaccinated on a collision course with the policy.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals and other medical providers and long-term care facilities were facing a staffing crisis  including group homes for disabled individuals, where some nurses are being forced to work 24-hour shifts.

A spokesman for NYSCOPBA could not immediately be reached for comment. A spokesman for CSEA declined to comment except to say, "This is still actively being negotiated ... (and) after we reach an agreement, we will notify our impacted members."

The state Department of Health estimated this week that about 81 percent of hospital employees have been fully vaccinated. The mandate set to take effect on Monday requires the workers to have at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot.

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The Times Union reported earlier this week that staffing at state-run hospitals  as well as private hospitals  has been an ongoing challenge. For the state-run facilities, hundreds of nurses with PEF remained unvaccinated this week, including roughly 200 at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn and about 100 nurses at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. Statewide, nearly 20 percent of hospital employees were unvaccinated for coronavirus as of Monday, according to state health department data.

"For a community like Brooklyn, where SUNY Downstate (Medical Center) is, there will be dire consequences for that community," Spence said. "What services are you going to deny? What units are you going to shut down because you do not have the staff?"

The staffing crisis had already prompted some hospitals to eliminate or discuss eliminating elective surgeries, or diverting patients to other facilities.

Last week, a federal judge in Utica issued an order temporarily restraining employers from enforcing the state vaccine mandate on health care workers who have sought a religious exemption.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd was handed down in a case filed against Hochul, health Commissioner Howard Zucker and state Attorney General Letitia James on behalf of 17 medical professionals. It is scheduled to be argued next week.

The plaintiffs in that case include physicians and nurses "who allege that their sincere religious beliefs compel them to refuse the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available," according to the judge's ruling on the restraining order.

The head of the state Health Facilities Association last week urged the health department to pause its vaccine mandates for health care workers because, it said, nursing homes and other assisted-living facilities are also facing critical staffing shortages that are expected to worsen when potentially thousands of employees will face termination if they are not vaccinated.

Jill Montag, a spokeswoman for Zucker, previously said the department is "aware of potential staffing concerns."

"However, our overriding focus is the protection of patients and residents in our health care settings," Montag said.
Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus has a new executive director. Daniel Butterworth was selected as the successor to Rifat Filkins. He was selected unanimously by the RISSE board, according to board President Michael Wilk. Butterworth will begin at his new position on Oct 4.

In his interview he came across as driven and compassionate, said Wilk. And everyone got a sense that the organization would be in good hands under his leadership.

Butterworth, 39, was born and raised in Castleton-on-Hudson and lives in Albany.

It's a big opportunity for me, he said. And a turning point in RISSEs life as an organization. After years as an independent 501(c), theyre looking to grow and I'm looking to grow with them.

RISSE helps refugees and recent immigrants build their lives in the United States, offering ESL classes, literacy instruction, and support with life skills to help integrate into American culture and society.

Filkins left as executive director after 12 years with the organization. Filkins, who is originally from Pakistan, first joined the organization in 2009, shortly after it was founded in 2007.

"I have contributed a lot to the organization to bring it where it is today," said Filkins. "And I'm very proud of it. I just felt like it was time for other opportunities. I think my part was done. It's a great organization. In all these years, I have seen a lot of families grow with the organization's growth. And I'm just thrilled for the new person to take the lead."

Butterworth has worked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, recruiting international graduate students and helping them navigate the immigration process. He was also the program director at the Schenectady Damien Center, working with HIV and AIDS patients.

Butterworth has two master's degrees from the University at Albany, in public administration and nonprofit management and political science. While at UAlbany, he began working to improve the universitys relationships with local nonprofits. As a student, he helped develop workshops, lectures and theories for nonprofit community leaders, something that continued when he became an employee.

After I graduated with my MPA, I was hired to be the program director for community engagement at UAlbany in 2013, said Butterworth. Some of my work with the nonprofit community started while I was a student. But my work within the (UAlbany) president's office was about linking the university's resources and academics to area causes and nonprofits to help increase impact and to really push the envelope for better community engagement.

With the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan, Butterworth plans to spend his first couple of weeks working with Afghan refugees who will be coming to the Capital Region while also taking stock of RISSEs administration.

I believe there will be some immediate need to scale up our programs to accommodate the folks who are settling in the Capital Region, he said. I think that there's supposed to be about 100 arriving in the first week of October. But ideally, my hope is that I get to spend some time interviewing staff, volunteers, and folks that RISSE is serving.
An April 25 trial has been scheduled in a lawsuit filed over the 2017 death of a man during a struggle with Phoenix police officers who were arresting him outside a community center
A new smartphone app being rolled out this week allows officers in New York Citys community policing program to log neighborhood concerns like graffiti, loud music and public intoxication and keep track of whether theyve been addressed
[September 22, 2021] American Express and Extend Partner to Enable Virtual Cards for U.S. Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

Today, American Express (News - Alert) (NYSE: AXP) and Extend, a New York City-based fintech specializing in virtual cards, announced their partnership to expand virtual Card solutions for U.S. businesses. U.S. companies with an eligible American Express Business Card can now enroll and create virtual Cards, also known as tokens, through Extend's app or desktop login in as little as five minutes using their existing American Express Card account. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005684/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) "We have seen more and more businesses ramp up their use of virtual Cards since the start of the pandemic as they looked to digitize their payments processes and increase their use of touchless payments," says Dean Henry, Executive Vice President, Global Commercial Services, American Express. "With today's announcement, our Business Cards can work even harder for our Card Members through this quick and easy virtual Card option. This gives our Card Members enhanced flexibility and control across their day-to-day business spending, including for B2B purchases and enabling their employees to pay for expenses." "Virtual Cards can help solve timely needs for many businesses, from finding a reliable and enhanced way to control expenses to automating payment processes or capturing enriched data," says Andrew Jamison, CEO, Extend. "This market is rapidly growing as businesses realize just how versatile and effective virtual Cards can be-whether it's managing subscription payments, equipping employees with secure company cards, or developing custom payment solutions with our APIs." Benefits of generating virtual Cards with American Express and Extend According to the Global Business Spend Indicator1 by American Express, 39% of U.S. businesses surveyed expect to expand their use of virtual Cards over the next 12 months. The ability to create American Express virtual Cards through Extend offers significant benefits for businesses, including: Quick onboarding: Enroll in as little as five minutes, using an existing American Express Business Card, at no additional cost to Card Members.

Enroll in as little as five minutes, using an existing American Express Business Card, at no additional cost to Card Members. Flexible and easy to use: Quickly create virtual Cards to track spending on different projects or types of expenses, or to send virtual Cards to employees, contractors, or vendors all within the Extend platform.

Quickly create virtual Cards to track spending on different projects or types of expenses, or to send virtual Cards to employees, contractors, or vendors all within the Extend platform. Robust spending controls offered through token technology: Set spending limits, expiration dates, automatic refills, reoccurring payments, merchant category restrictions, and turn Cards on and off as needed.

Set spending limits, expiration dates, automatic refills, reoccurring payments, merchant category restrictions, and turn Cards on and off as needed. Reduced fraud and enhanced security: Achieve an added layer of security through the token technology and eliminate the need to share primary Business Card numbers with anyone.

Achieve an added layer of security through the token technology and eliminate the need to share primary Business Card numbers with anyone. Streamlined expense reporting: Categorize expenses and tag (News - Alert) virtual Cards and transactions with general ledger codes to automate reconciliation, integrate with expense and reporting software, and reduce time spent on expense reports and reimbursements.

Categorize expenses and tag (News - Alert) virtual Cards and transactions with general ledger codes to automate reconciliation, integrate with expense and reporting software, and reduce time spent on expense reports and reimbursements. Rewards of your Card 2 : Earn the rewards of your Card from the virtual Card payments you make through Extend.

: Earn the rewards of your Card from the virtual Card payments you make through Extend. Automated virtual Card issuing: You can connect directly to Extend's APIs to automate virtual Card creation without having to log into the Extend app. Dr. Sarah Roberts, owner of Crabapple Dental, a full-service dental practice in Georgia, is already seeing the benefits of virtual Cards. "Working with American Express and Extend has helped us manage vendor payments using virtual Cards. By setting our own spending limit and expiration date on a virtual Card, we have more control. We also create specific cards for different expenses, which makes it easier to track spending." American Express and Extend plan to offer additional features and functionality over time, including the ability to add American Express virtual Cards to obile wallets to make in-store purchases.



Extend is the newest addition to the American Express portfolio of virtual Card solution partnerships; business clients can contact their American Express representative for a range of digital payment offerings. To learn more about the American Express and Extend partnership or to enroll, visit https://www.paywithextend.com/american-express.

ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress. Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, Kabbage, corporate card, business travel, and corporate responsibility. ABOUT EXTEND Extend Enterprises Inc provides digital payment infrastructure for trusted financial institutions to enable modern card experiences. Leading banks, businesses, and other innovators can now access the full power of virtual cards for their business, products, and clients. Extend offers several products, including a suite of aggregated virtual card APIs, a digital corporate card app, and an industry-first card tokenization service. Founded in 2017 by industry veterans with decades of experience at Fortune 500 companies, including American Express and Capital One (News - Alert) , Extend is headquartered in New York. For more information visit paywithextend.com Location: U.S. _______________________________

1 American Express Global Business Spend Indicator

2 Not all Cards are eligible to earn rewards. Terms and limitations vary by Card type. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005684/en/

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[September 22, 2021] AmeriHealth Caritas Appoints William T. Keena Market President of Its New Hampshire Plan

AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care and other health care solutions for those most in need, announced it has appointed William T. Keena as market president of its New Hampshire plan, AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire. In this role, Keena will be responsible for the plan's strategic direction, growth, and leadership. He will also serve as the plan's primary point of contact with the state of New Hampshire. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005227/en/ AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire Market President William T. Keena. Photo courtesy of AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire A proven Medicaid managed care leader with experience in Nw Hampshire and other states, Keena most recently served as vice president of operations for New Hampshire Healthy Families. He previously held health plan operations leadership roles at WellCare, Amerigroup, and Cigna.



Keena is a graduate of the University of Connecticut. He also served in the United States Army Reserve for seven years and graduated from the Army's Military Intelligence Officer, Tactical/Strategic Intelligence Officer and Airborne schools. "Bill is a strong leader whose experience, along with his compassion for those whom Medicaid serves, will ensure AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire continues its partnership with the state of New Hampshire and our members," said AmeriHealth Caritas Chairman and CEO Paul A. Tufano. "We are excited to welcome him to our leadership team, and confident our organization and our members will benefit from his unique knowledge and expertise."

"In less than two years of service, AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire has made a great impact on the state and its residents in greatest need. I am honored to have the opportunity to lead such a dedicated, inspiring team that has already accomplished so much," said Keena. "As a Medicaid health plan, AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire is on the front lines of addressing health and other socioeconomic disparities in our society, many of which were laid bare by the events that took place during the pandemic. I look forward to helping the state and its most at-risk residents recover and move into a brighter future." About AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire is a managed care organization serving enrollees in New Hampshire's Medicaid Care Management program. AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire helps the state's Medicaid population get care, stay well, and build healthy communities by addressing the acute and broader social factors that drive health outcomes. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritasnh.com. About AmeriHealth Caritas AmeriHealth Caritas is one of the nation's leaders in health care solutions for those most in need. Operating in 13 states and the District of Columbia, AmeriHealth Caritas serves nearly 5 million Medicaid, Medicare, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members through its integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, and behavioral health services. Headquartered in Philadelphia, AmeriHealth Caritas is a mission-driven organization with nearly 40 years of experience serving low-income and chronically ill populations. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritas.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005227/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Bizzabo Expands Leadership Team with Industry Experts as Demand for Events Grows

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bizzabo , the world's leading Event Success Platform, has appointed five event industry executives tasked with assuming key responsibilities across product, marketing, sales and account management. Megan Murphy, Tim Bull, Elijah Clark-Ginsburg, Devin Cleary and Sarah North bring a combined 70-plus years of experience across global events, reinforcing Bizzabo's commitment to provide industry-leading customer experiences. Bizzabo Expands Leadership Team with Industry Experts as Demand for Events Grows. Modern event organizers rely on Bizzabo as their platform of choice.They depend on Bizzabo's flexible, agile technology to adapt quickly in evolving event environments. As marketers and event leaders continue to build out hybrid event strategies, Bizzabo's hands-on approach to customer service and education differs from other tools and solutions. Trusted by more than 700 customers across the world's leading brands, Bizzabo consistently ranks higher than other tools on independent customer rating sites, specifically around Quality of Support, Ease of Setup, Production Direction and Time to Value/ROI. "As the gold-standard all-in-one events management solution, it's critical we stay close to the community we're serving," said Bizzabo CEO and co-founder Eran Ben-Shushan . "Bizzabo is building an event experience platform for the future. We're committed to hiring people who not only understand the industry but have the vision and passion to redefine it. We're proud to continue hiring experienced event leaders who will rise to this challenge and deliver results for our customers." Megan Murphy joins Bizzabo as Vice President of Account Management, where she leads a team of account managers working across a set of rapidly growing Fortune 1000 customers. Murphy brings deep event strategy experience with a career spanning the event technology, large events and corporate meetings segments of the industry over the past 15+ years. She was most recently VP of Digital Sales & Partnerships at the Freemn Company, prior to that had a long tenure at American Express Meetings & Events in various roles, including account management and leadership. Murphy is based in the United States.



Tim Bull joins Bizzabo as its first Vice President of Sales in the EMEA, where he is launching Bizzabo's London operations and overseeing expansion efforts across Europe. Bull brings more than 20 years of experience in the meetings and events industry, focusing on SaaS technology. He previously served as the Managing Director of Sales, EMEA & APAC at Aventri and Director of Sales at Lanyon/Cvent. Tim has also held roles at Deutsche Bank, Whitbread, De Vere, Zibrant and Active Network. Bull is based in the United Kingdom. Elijah Clark-Ginsberg joins Bizzabo's Product organization as a Product Manager, where he will create the strategy, design and implementation of key event tools and features. Clark-Ginsberg spent the last eight years orchestrating HubSpot's flagship event: INBOUND. His work on INBOUND, which hosts over 70,000 attendees, spanned promotions, attendee experience, and digital production. Clark-Ginsberg is based in Germany.

Devin Cleary joins Bizzabo as Vice President of Global Events. Cleary now leads the organization's event strategy and will build out the industry's first Center of Excellence. Cleary has more than 16 years of experience leading the creation and active management of diverse experiential marketing programs for B2B, nonprofit and consumer markets, most recently as VP of Experiential Marketing at PTC. Previously he held roles as an Events Experience Strategist at HubSpot and Senior Director of Corporate Events at the American Red Cross. Sarah North joins Cleary's team as the Director of Event Experiences. North has held event leadership roles at Ellucian, Viacom, Live Nation, Shire, and PTC. Cleary and North are based in the United States. "Megan, Tim, Elijah, Devin, and Sarah are incredible culture-adds to Bizzabo," Chief People Officer Tami Lev-Golan said. "In an increasingly competitive market, we are proud that our platform and company culture continue to attract top event industry talent." Founded in 2012, Bizzabo introduced the first modern, all-in-one event solution. It was the first company of its type to launch a virtual solution post-COVID. Bizzabo's platform has hosted more than 85,000 events across hundreds of countries, attended by millions of attendees. In addition to bolstering its team with more than 100 open roles globally , Bizzabo continues to invest in its customer offerings hosting educational conferences like its recent Agents of Hybrid , debuting a partnership with Brightcove and opening a new office in London . For more information about Bizzabo's all-in-one event platform, visit www.bizzabo.com About Bizzabo:

Bizzabo is the only Event Success Platform. Bizzabo's all-in-one event software enables in-person, virtual, and hybrid events to deliver unique attendee experiences through intelligent and will create the strategy and drive implementation of the products powering Bizzabo's unique event experiences intent-based personalized engagement. We help companies measure, manage, and scale events towards key business outcomes. Our platform empowers every organizer, marketer, exhibitor, and attendee to unleash the power of events. As a Leader in The Forrester Wave: B2B Marketing Events Management Solutions, Q1 2021 Report, we are trusted by world-leading brands to power their eventsfrom Fortune 100 enterprise organizations and financial institutions to creative agencies and scaling tech companies. Bizzabo was founded by Boaz Katz, Alon Alroy, and Eran Ben-Shushan, and has more than 300 employees in its New York, Tel-Aviv, Kyiv, and London offices, as well as in 15+ remote locations around the world. Media Contact:

BLASTmedia for Bizzabo

Abby Lewis

bizzabo@blastmedia.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bizzabo-expands-leadership-team-with-industry-experts-as-demand-for-events-grows-301382008.html SOURCE Bizzabo

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[September 22, 2021] Carvana Expands Missouri Presence with Springfield Launch

Carvana (NYSE: CVNA), the leading e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, announced today it is now offering as-soon-as next-day touchless home delivery to Springfield area residents. Customers can shop more than 45,000 used cars for sale, secure auto financing or use the car loan calculator, purchase, trade-in, and schedule as-soon-as next-day vehicle delivery in as little as five minutes. Customers can also sell their current vehicle to Carvana and receive a real offer just as quickly, without even purchasing a vehicle. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005257/en/



Carvana brings The New Way to Buy a Car to Springfield, its 306th market. (Photo: Business Wire)

Carvana pioneered online car buying, including its patented 360-degree virtual vehicle tour, where customers can view vehicles in high-definition, 360-degree photography, inside and out. Carvana vehicles have passed a rigorous 150-point inspection, have never been in a reported accident and have no frame damage. Features, imperfections and updated information about open safety recalls are listed on every car's vehicle description page. Carvana can save customers valuable time and money, allowing them to skip the dealership and shop from the comfort of home or on the go via their mobile device. Vehicles come with a seven-day return policy and this upgrade to the traditional test drive gives customers a week to live with their vehicle, seeing if it's spacious enough for family outings or how it handles on the daily commute. Customers looking to trade in their vehicle, or sell a vehicle, can also skip the dealership by simply entering their VIN or license plate number on Carvana.com, answering a few questions, then Carvana can pick up the vehicle and bring them a check, as soon as the next day. "We've steadily been increasing our presence in Missouri since launching our first market in the state in 2017, and we are pleased to now offer as-soon-as next day vehicle delivery to even more customers," said Ernie Garcia, Carvana founder and CEO. "We are confident Springfield area residents will welcome the ease and convenience of The New Way to Buy a Car." Carvana now offers as-soon-as next-day vehicle delivery to customers in 306 cities across the U.S. About Carvana (NYSE: CVNA) Founded in 2012 and based in Phoenix, Carvana's (NYSE: CVNA) mission is to change the way people buy and sell cars. By removing the traditional dealership infrastructure and replacing it with technology and exceptional customer service, Carvana offers consumers an intuitive and convenient online car buying, selling, and financing platform. Carvana.com enables consumers to quickly and easily shop more than 45,000 vehicles, finance, trade in or sell their current vehicle to Carvana, sign contracts, and schedule as-soon-as-next-day delivery or pickup at one of Carvana's patented, automated Car Vending Machines. Carvana is a Fortune 500 company, providing as-soon-as-next-day delivery to customers in over 300 U.S. markets. For further information on Carvana, please visit www.carvana.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or the Carvana Blog. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005257/en/

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[September 22, 2021] ECS Awarded NIWC Legacy Data Consolidation Solution Contract

ECS, a leader in advanced technology, science, and digital transformation solutions, has been awarded the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic Legacy Data Consolidation Solution (LDCS) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). This program was awarded via the Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP) to support its work for the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Program Executive Office (PEO) Defense Healthcare Management Systems (DHMS), Enterprise Intelligence and Data Solutions (EIDS) Program Management Office (PMO). As the prime awardee, ECS will work with NIWC Atlantic and the DHA to digitally transform data from multiple legacy electronic healthcare record (EHR) systems into a consolidated solution supporting critical use cases including clinical, release of information, analytical and decision-making use cases. A longtime NIWC Atlantic and DHA service provider, ECS will leverage Agile software development and a deep understanding of the agency's strategic and tactical challenges to develop and integrate the LDCS solution into existing DHA infrastructure. The company will work with NIWC Atlantic tomigrate critical healthcare data from legacy EHR systems to the LDCS solution, creating a unified longitudinal record of care for each patient. This will enable DHA to decommission these legacy systems and achieve significant annual cost savings.



"We are thrilled to support the new LDCS system," said Keith Quigley, ECS senior vice president of enterprise solutions. "From initial development and testing through integration, deployment, training, and sustainment, we will work closely with NIWC Atlantic and DHA personnel to implement this forward-looking solution." "ECS has been a proud DHA partner for many years," said John Heneghan, ECS chief operations officer. "We are honored to pioneer a data solution that provides a single point of access for legacy medical records, while achieving new efficiencies and cost savings for DHA."

About ECS ECS, ASGN's federal government segment, delivers advanced solutions in cloud, cybersecurity, data and artificial intelligence (AI), application and IT modernization, science, and engineering. The company solves critical, complex challenges for customers across the U.S. public sector, defense, intelligence, and commercial industries. ECS maintains partnerships with leading cloud, cybersecurity, and AI/ML providers and holds specialized certifications in their technologies. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, ECS has more than 3,500 employees throughout the United States. For more information, visit ECStech.com. About ASGN Incorporated ASGN Incorporated (NYSE: ASGN) is a leading provider of IT services and professional solutions, including technology, creative, and digital, across the commercial and government sectors. ASGN helps corporate enterprises and government organizations develop, implement and operate critical IT and business solutions through its integrated offering of professional staffing and IT solutions. ASGN's mission is to be the most trusted partner for companies seeking highly skilled human capital and integrated solutions to fulfill their strategic and operational needs. For more information, visit us at asgn.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005786/en/

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[September 22, 2021] ESI Group: EMPHYSIS - The Missing Link Between Digital Simulation and Embedded Software

Regulatory News: ESI (News - Alert) Group (Paris:ESI): The research project EMPHYSIS led by Bosch has delivered the new "eFMI standard" for model exchange to accelerate the model-based development of embedded software. On the 15th of September, this international collaborative project gathering 25 industrial and academic partners from different fields (like automotive and information technologies) situated in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, and Sweden received the ITEA Award of Excellence for this unique achievement. Better code with less effort through "eFMI" - the new model-exchange standard for embedded devices When developing a new function, many engineers learn the hard way that their outstanding knowledge about the physics of their products is not enough by far to develop a function for an embedded target, due to the demanding requirements of safety-critical software, weak CPU magnitude and less memory than expected. While this might result in a never-to-be-realised excellent initial idea of operating and controlling their product in a much smarter way, at the same time it reveals the need for a link between digital simulation of physical processes and embedded software. The aim of the EMPHYSIS project (Embedded Systems with Physical Models in the Production Code Software), led by Bosch, was to jointly come up with a new open standard that lays the foundation to develop new innovative tools. This that allows model-based functions to be realized directly in embedded software with better code and less effort. For this purpose, the project carried forward the idea of the very successful Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) model exchange standard for simulation to develop FMI for embedded systems - the new "eFMI standard". This enables a wide variety of advanced model-based approaches for control and diagnosis, such as solving a set of differential equations to compute a signal instead of measuring it via a sensor. By allowing a hardware sensor to be replaced with a piece of software, we significantly reduce the total cost.  The EMPHYSIS project has achieved several outstanding results such as the automatic generation of efficient code for embedded devices. It shows the power of collaborative research projects to drive the adoption of a new standard and to generate significant productivity gains for the industry.  - Jean-Francois Lavignon, ITEA Vice-chairman The technical deep dive and benefits Technically speaking, eFMI is innovative in that it provides a target-independent intermediate format defined by an entirely new language, the Guarded Algorithmic Language for Embedded Control: GALEC. This new programming language is able to guarantee that an algorithm described in this language can be translated into code that has: static worst-case execution time;

static a-priori known memory demand; and

a statically proven absence of illegal memory access. In other words: code that satisfies the hard requirements of automotive safety-critical embedded software, which also makes it applicable to many more, less restricted domains like robotics, industrial applications and consumer goods. With eFMI and GALEC it is now possible to capture the computational essence of a model in a target-independent form that is a solid foundation for any code generator to produce highly optimised code for arbitrary runtime environmets and software architectures. All this is cast into a traceable, extendable and verifiable container architecture that goes far beyond a simple exchange format.



The eFMI workflow allows developers to model a system on a higher level of abstraction, starting with a reusable, high-level, component-oriented and physically structured model. The tooling kit then automatically transforms this into a solution which can be better integrated into software. The main benefits of this solution and the associated eFMI workflow are:

accelerating development time;

better use of domain experts by separating the concerns of physical modelling and embedded implementation;

overcoming vendor lock-in through eFMI being published as an open standard on GitHub; and

enabling new ways of OEM supplier collaborations. Continuous success An OEM Advisory Board has been established to gather additional requirements, input and use-cases and further disseminate the project's results, helping to secure uptake and future innovations in new domains. On 22 March 2021, right after the project's end, the non-profit Modelica Association officially approved a new project under its umbrella to further develop, standardize and promote eFMI. With Robert Bosch GmbH, Dassault Systemes (News - Alert) , DLR Institute of System Dynamics and Control, dSPACE, ESI Group, ETAS GmbH and Modelon AB as initial members of the steering committee and Mercedes-Benz AG having joined recently, the first official release of eFMI 1.0 is targeted within 2021. Having developed 14 tools within EMPHYSIS, eFMI already has a broad foundation even before its official release.  What makes us proud as a team is the fact that this success has been recognized not only by our business partners and the OEM Advisory Board representing the voice of the customer, but also by the ITEA organization. - Oliver Lenord, Research Engineer at the Model-based Systems Engineering department at Robert Bosch For society as a whole, EMPHYSIS' better software translates into safer and more efficient vehicles which are able to keep pace with customer demands and help tackle climate issues in the longer term. For the time being, however, the project's message is clear: by taking full advantage of an equation-based, component-oriented modelling language with a good library, 90% gains can be made in productivity of model-based function development. EMPHYSIS project partners Belgium Dana Belgium

Siemens (News - Alert) Industry Software NV

University of Antwerp NEXOR Canada Maplesoft France CEA

Dassault Systemes (News - Alert) SE

FH Electronics

Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble

OSE Engineering

Renault SAS (News - Alert)

Siemens Industry Software SAS

SOBEN Germany AbsInt Angewandte Informatik GmbH

Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) System Dynamics and Control

dSPACE GmbH

Elektronische Fahrwerksysteme GmbH

ESI ITI GmbH, part of ESI Group

ETAS GmbH

PIKETEC

Robert Bosch GmbH Sweden Dassault Systemes AB

Linkoping University

Modelon AB

RISE - Research institutes of Sweden SICS East

Volvo Personvagnar AB About ITEA ITEA is the Eureka Cluster for software innovation, enabling a large international community to collaborate in funded projects that turn innovative ideas into new businesses, jobs, economic growth and benefits for society. https://itea4.org About ESI Group Founded in 1973, ESI Group envisions a world where Industry commits to bold outcomes, addressing high stakes concerns - environmental impact, safety & comfort for consumers and workers, adaptable and sustainable business models. ESI provides reliable and customized solutions anchored on predictive physics modeling and virtual prototyping expertise to allow industries to make the right decisions at the right time, while managing their complexity. Acting principally in automotive & land transportation, aerospace, defense & naval, energy and heavy industry, ESI is present in more than 20 countries, employs 1200 people around the world and reported 2020 sales of 132.6 million. ESI is headquartered in France and is listed on compartment B of Euronext Paris. For further information: https://www.esi-group.com/fr. Follow ESI http://www.esi-group.com/linkedin

http://www.esi-group.com/facebook

http://www.esi-group.com/twitter

http://www.esi-group.com/youtube View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005587/en/

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[September 22, 2021]

EU Awards 7.92 Million to EcoScope to Promote Ecocentric Fisheries Management

THESSALONIKI, Greece, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The European Union (EU) has awarded the EcoScope consortium nearly 8 million to promote an effective and efficient ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management.

The four-year project addresses ecosystem degradation and anthropogenic impact that cause fisheries to be unsustainably exploited in several European seas. EcoScope promotes efficient, holistic, sustainable, ecocentric fisheries management that will help toward restoring fisheries' sustainability and ensure a balance between food security and healthy seas.

EcoScope will develop several tools, available through a single public portal, to promote an efficient, ecosystem-based approach to the management of fisheries and achieve maximum and continuous participation of stakeholders. These tools include:

Interoperable platform

Robust decision-making toolbox

Online courses

Mobile application

"EcoScope applies novel assessment methods for data-poor fisheries and marine ecosystems and sophisticated ecosystem models that will be used to examine and develop fisheries management and marine policy scenarios, as well as maritime spatial planning simulations," said the coordinator of the EcoScope Project, Associate Professor Athanassios C. Tsikliras of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. "This will include an assessment of the status of all ecosystem components across European seas and will test new technologies for evaluating the environmental, anthropogenic and climatic impact on ecosystems and fisheries".







Tsikliras added that existing fisheries management practices have not always been successful in sustainably exploiting fish stocks, because of weaknesses in management approaches, improper implementation and illegal fishing. EcoScope offers a holistic approach to managing fisheries within the ecosystem context that will support policy makers, advisory bodies and researchers.

The consortium, which received funding through the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, is comprised of 24 partners from Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Canada, Israel, the Philippines, Spain, France, Belgium, the UK, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Malta, Norway, Switzerland and Cyprus.

The EcoScope Project will hold its opening conference in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 28-30, 2021.

About EcoScope

EcoScope is an EU-funded project that aims to promote an effective and efficient ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management.



EcoScope addresses ecosystem degradation and anthropogenic impact that cause fisheries to be unsustainably exploited in European seas.

For more information https://ecoscopium.eu/

Contact Person

Assoc. Prof. Athanassios C. Tsikliras

Tel: +30 2310 998391

Mobile: +30 6932 609539

Email: atsik@bio.auth.gr

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eu-awards-7-92-million-to-ecoscope-to-promote-ecocentric-fisheries-management-301382744.html

SOURCE EcoScope
[September 22, 2021] Excelitas Technologies opens new plant in Gottingen

WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Excelitas Technologies Corp., a leading industrial technology manufacturer focused on delivering innovative, market-driven photonic solutions, has opened a new plant for its German subsidiary, Qioptiq Photonics GmbH & Co. KG, in Gottingen, Germany. The new facility expands the companys capacity for assembly of highly sophisticated optomechanical systems and components for the semiconductor industry.

Excelitas investment amounted to approximately 25 million euros for facilities and an additional 5 million euros for capital equipment, including a photovoltaic system, a state-of-the-art automated material warehouse and an ultrasonic cleaning system that meets the highest cleanliness standards for optical components in the semiconductor industry. The new Excelitas site in Gottingens Science Park occupies an initial area of 4.5 acres (1.8 hectares), with plenty of room for future expansion. The newly constructed, tailor-made production facility offers 72,000 square feet of space, including 16,000 sf of dedicated Class 5 cleanrooms to meet very high cleanliness requirements. Excelitas had already made substantial investments in new cleanrooms at its Qioptiq facility in Konigsallee, Gottingen, in 2012, 2015 and 2017. Together, both state-of-the-art sites now provide around 28,000 sf of cleanroom production space for the assembly of optical and optomechanical systems, as well as for coating and other optical production processes. About 90 guests including members of the German Bundestag attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 21, 2021. The mayor of Gottingen, Rolf-Georg Kohler, congratulated the company. Excelitas representatives affirmed their commitment to the Gottingen location and commended the rapid completion of the construction project under challenging conditions. Our decision to invest in a new production building underscores the strategic importance of the Gottingen site within the Excelitas business. The new building offers optimal conditions for commissioning additional cleanroom capacities, which ae essential for our further growth as a high-tech company, said Dr. Robert Vollmers, VP Operations, Commercial Optics.



Joel M. Falcone, Excelitas EVP & COO, added: Despite the significant complexity of this project requiring highly qualified external and internal resources in the midst of a global pandemic, all parties, including strong local government support, have worked together to complete the construction of our new facility on time and on budget. On behalf of Excelitas Technologies, I would like to thank our leadership team in Germany, all of our Gottingen-based employees, and our external partners for their commitment, dedication, hard work and a job well done.



Excelitas maintains several production facilities in Germany: in Feldkirchen, Gottingen, Asslar, Wiesbaden and Regen. On September 3, 2021, Excelitas acquired PCO AG in Kelheim, further expanding its operational footprint in Germany, as well as extending its product portfolio to include high-performance scientific CMOS camera technology for biomedical and industrial imaging applications.

About Excelitas Technologies

Excelitas Technologies Corp. is a leading industrial technology manufacturer focused on delivering innovative, market-driven photonic solutions to meet the illumination, optical, optronic, imaging, sensing and detection needs of our OEM and end-user customers. Serving a vast array of applications across biomedical, scientific, semiconductor, industrial manufacturing, safety & security, consumer products, defense and aerospace sectors, Excelitas stands committed to enabling our customers success in their many various end-markets. Our team consists of more than 7,000 professionals working across North America, Europe and Asia, to serve customers worldwide. Connect with Excelitas on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, or visit www.excelitas.com for more information. Excelitas and Excelitas Technologies are registered trademarks of Excelitas Technologies Corp. All other products and services are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. PR Contacts:

Scott Orr

Senior Director of Global Marketing - Commercial

scott.orr@excelitas.com

+1 (781) 996-5925 Cheryl Reynhout or Jill Anderson

On behalf of Excelitas Technologies Corp.

SVM Public Relations

excelitas@svmmarcom.com

+1 (401) 490-9700



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[September 22, 2021] FASTSIGNS Announces Over 1,000 Jobs Available

CARROLLTON, Texas, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the recent job report from the U.S. Labor Department, announcing that only 235,000 jobs have been added versus the desired number of 720,000, the employment discussion continues to be top-of-mind. FASTSIGNS International, Inc., the leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise with more than 750 locations in eight countries worldwide, is seeking qualified talent to fill over 1,000 jobs available across the network. To assist in recruitment and inform job seekers and provide opportunities, FASTSIGNS will host an informative webinar on October 1 at 11:00 AM CST titled, "Open Your Mind to a Career in Signs." The virtual event will share opportunities from the diverse sign industry that includes a variety of skill sets from consulting and designing to engineering, producing and installing. "We are encouraging everyone--from people who have been working for many years to the next generation--to consider a career in the sign and graphics industry," said Catherine Monson, CEO at FASTSIGNS International, Inc. and Chair of the International Franchising Association. "There are many roles that incorporate collaboration, creativity and innovation within the visual communications field. Cutting-edge technology helps sign creators transform ideas into signs and graphics that make an impact in communities everywhere. We want to inspire others to be a part of that." In partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers' Manufacturing Day, the International Sign Associatin promotes Sign Manufacturing Day every first Friday of October. On this day, companies in the visual communications industry encourage people to explore exciting and diverse career opportunities within the industry.



To learn more or to register for this informative event, please visit the event site located here . About FASTSIGNS

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 750 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in 8 countries including the United States and Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and graphic solutions to help companies in all industries communicate their message and extend their branding across all of their customer touchpoints. FASTSIGNS is consistently ranked as a top franchise opportunity and recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees. In 2021, Propelled Brands was formed, the corporate umbrella that includes FASTSIGNS, SIGNWAVE in Australia, NerdsToGo, an emerging IT services franchise brand acquired in September 2020, and Suite Management Franchising, LLC, the parent company of MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza in June 2021. With a focus on business-to-business franchises and the people behind those businesses, Propelled Brands will help each franchise confidently navigate forward based on their unique position, momentum and purpose. Learn more about sign and graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns , Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS . For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or call 214.346.5679). View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fastsigns-announces-over-1-000-jobs-available-301382560.html SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

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[September 22, 2021] FLO | AddEnergie passes milestone of 50,000 EV charging stations sold, including 1,000 fast chargers

QUEBEC CITY, Sept. 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - FLO | AddEnergie proudly announces that it has surpassed 50,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations sold since the company's founding in 2009. In addition to this milestone, the company also announces that it has delivered over 1,000 DC fast chargers. FLO | AddEnergie: We have sold more than 50,000 EV chargers. "It is impossible to celebrate this achievement without acknowledging the hard work and dedication of our company's employees," said Louis Tremblay, President and CEO. "From our assembly plant in Shawinigan, to our offices in Quebec City, Montreal and elsewhere in Canada, not to mention our teams in the field in the U.S., the sale of 50,000 charging stations is the result of a sustained effort to give our customers the best charging experience possible. I am proud to be able to count on such a dedicated team every day." "This is also an opportunity or us to thank our customers, especially Hydro-Quebec which, along with the Circuit electrique, has deployed thousands of our charging stations in Quebec alone," added Tremblay. "When we first started and the market was in its infancy, we set out to build a vertically integrated company that would let us manage all facets of the EV charging experience so that we could quickly react and innovate to meet the needs of our customers and, ultimately, the EV driver. 50,000 charging stations later, I'm confident that we chose the right approach, and I cannot wait to see how quickly we can reach 100,000 stations."



Looking to the future This significant milestone in its development provides FLO | AddEnergie with a timely opportunity to launch a brand-new corporate video outlining the company's vision for its evolution.

"Although the adoption of electric vehicles continues to grow, the EV charging industry is still in its early stages. As we increase our production rate, we have a duty to keep making new and innovative strides. The video unveiled today presents our ambition to continue to enhance the EV charging experience by offering FLO users the same reliability, innovation and convenience EV users have come to associate with the FLO | AddEnergie brand. More than ever, the future of EV charging and of our company is bright and exciting  and we are keen to seize the moment and continue to lead the way," concluded Louis Tremblay. About FLO FLO is a leading North American electric vehicle charging network operator and a major provider of smart charging software and equipment. Every month, FLO enables hundreds of thousands charging events thanks to over 50,000 high-quality stations deployed on public networks, commercial and residential installations. FLO's headquarters and network operations centre are based in Quebec City, and its assembly plant is located in Shawinigan (Quebec). The company also has an office in Montreal and regional teams located in Ontario, British Columbia, California, New York, and Texas. For more information, visit flo.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flo--addenergie-passes-milestone-of-50-000-ev-charging-stations-sold-including-1-000-fast-chargers-301382557.html SOURCE FLO

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[September 22, 2021] French Contemporary Artist Auguste Partners with Metaverse Blockchain Company Coinllectibles? to mint Fusion NFT?

SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinllectibles?, a metaverse blockchain company and a fully owned subsidiary of Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. (OTC: COSG), is pleased to announce the collaboration with French contemporary artist Auguste to create a unique, and one-of-a-kind "Auguste x Coinllectibles? Crossover Fusion NFT?".

Born in 1977, Alex Auguste is a French contemporary artist based in Bordeaux. Though he studied disciplines other than fine arts, Auguste always felt compelled and drawn to the art world. Eventually, he followed his passion for the visual arts, finding his unique artistic vision and is now known for his colourful contemporary Pop Art works that inspire and evoke nostalgia. Working with a variety of materials, Auguste's art style is to use an unusual medium of aluminium with digital collage and acrylic paint, and tops it off with automotive varnish to give his works a modern glossy finish. He places importance on form and shape to create the puzzle piece contours and embraces the use of colour to create exciting pieces that captivate not only the content but fascinating aesthetics. All of Auguste's works are signed and titled on the back with the name "Auguste" where it makes reference to the Roman Emperor. Commenting on the crossover collaboration, Auguste said, "We are in exciting times. With the rise of NFTs in the art scene, it has opened many doors for artists to build their collectors base. I'm happy to work with Coinllectibles? because I find that their Fusion NFTs? benefit both the collectors and the artists, where the Fusion NFTs? allow collectors to collect both the digital asset, as well as the physical piece while having the authentication and ownership title minted onto the NFT." Echoing the same sentiments, Nancy Wong, Chief Assets Officer at Coinllectibles? said, "We love Auguste's unusual visual art forms and can't wait to promote them to a greater community. With this crossover opportunity, we are thrilled to be able to mint his pieces into our proprietary Fusion NFTs?, while the collectors get to enjoy owning the "Gold Standard" NFTs." Auguste has exhibited his works all over the world  in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami, Puerto Rico, Johannesburg, Dubai, Venice, Palma de Mallorca, Verbier, Gstaad, Hamm, Konstanz, Moscow, Singapore, Tokyo, London, Saint Barth, Saint-Tropez, Paris, Kuwait and more. For pre-registration of interest for Auguste's Fusion NFT?, please visit www.Coinllectibles.Art or join the CoinllectiblesTM Telegram Channel at https://t.me/Coinllectibles .



About Cosmos Group Holdings Inc Cosmos is a business group that operates in two business segments:

Arts and Collectibles

Finan cing Through CoinllectiblesTM, the group provides authentication, valuation and certification (AVC) services, sale and purchase, hire purchase, financing, and custody, security and exhibition (CSE) services to art buyers through traditional channels, as well as through leveraging blockchain technology through the creation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). With subsidiaries licensed under Hong Kong's Money Lenders Ordinance, the group currently primarily provides unsecured personal loan to private individuals, with a small portfolio of mortgage loans. The group is integrating the two business segments by offering secured financing services to prospective arts and collectibles purchasers to provide a one-stop shop for arts and collectibles purchasing and financing experience. About the Artist  Alex Auguste Born in France in 1977, Auguste hails from the famed Bordeaux region of France. Though he studied disciplines other than fine arts, Auguste always felt compelled and drawn to the art world. Ultimately he followed his passion for the visual arts, finding his unique artistic vision and voice and is now known for his colourful contemporary Pop Art -inspired and nostalgia-evoking works. Auguste is the name chosen to sign his artworks, and it is a reference to the Roman Emperor. Auguste exhibits all over the world: New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami, Singapore, Tokyo, London, Saint Barth, Paris, Kuwait. Website: www.augusteartist.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/augusteartiste About the Company  Coinllectibles? "Coinllectibles?" is an ACT (Arts and Collectibles Technology) company, which is redefining how the world thinks about art and collectible ownership in the digital age. Their minted curated Fusion NFTs?, capture all the rights and independent valuation and ownership of physical arts and collectibles securely underpinned by smart contracts stored on the blockchain. Coinllectibles? Fusion NFTs? bridge the physical and virtual dimensions of the arts and collectibles market, providing a pleasurable, transparent, and frictionless experience to customers from all walks of life. Website: www.coinllectibles.art

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Coinllectibles

Instagram: www.instagram.com/coinllectibles/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/coinllectibles

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/coinllectibles

Telegram: www.t.me/Coinllectibles Coinllectibles? Fusion NFT? - stick with the Gold Standard Coinllectibles? prides the Fusion NFT? as the industry "Gold Standard". Being a Gold Standard, a Fusion NFT contains the following on the Inter Planetary File System (IPFS)  (1) a sale and purchase agreement reflecting the purchase, by the person minting the Fusion NFT?, of the underlying asset at a fair value with all rights and restrictions clearly detailed, (2) bailment terms governing the rights to possession whilst the underlying asset remains with Coinllectibles?, (3) a transfer deed reflecting the transfer of the ownership of the underlying asset (together with all rights and restrictions) by the transferor to the holder of the Fusion NFT?, (4) ownership title deed written into the description of the Fusion NFT? and (5) the unequivocal identification file of the underlying asset, whose ownership is reflected in the title deed represented by the Fusion NFT?. Contact: Ms Rachel Lim, Director of Sales and Marketing, +852-28398100, Rachel.Lim@coinllectibles.art View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/french-contemporary-artist-auguste-partners-with-metaverse-blockchain-company-coinllectibles-to-mint-fusion-nft-301382851.html SOURCE Cosmos Group Holdings Inc.

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[September 22, 2021] Levine Leichtman Capital Partners and Management Acquire In-Place Machining

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners ("LLCP"), a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, announced today that it has acquired In-Place Machining Company, LLC ("IPM" or the "Company") in partnership with management. IPM is a leading provider of high-acuity field machining, metrology and diamond wire-cutting services for mission-critical infrastructure and equipment. The Company's services are an essential part of the maintenance, repair and service cycle for clients across a variety of end-markets including industrial and manufacturing, naval and marine, hydroelectric, metals, and aerospace. IPM was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Company will continue to be led by CEO Dean Flint and the existing executive team. Matthew Rich, Senior Managing Director of LLCP, said, "We are excited to partner with Dean and the management team that has led IPM's impressive growth over the past several years. The Company has demonstrated unparalleled expertise in the on-site machining industry, expanding its reach into new geographies and end markets, while broadening its service offerings. We look forward to capitalizing on IPM's attractive growth opportunities, including organic initiative and potential acquisitions."



Mr. Flint, CEO of IPM, commented, "My team and I are thrilled to partner with LLCP to enhance IPM's market-leading position. LLCP's deep experience in both business services and highly engineered products makes them a unique partner as we work to continue to support our customers globally with mission-critical services." IPM will be the first investment from LLCP Lower Middle Market Fund III, L.P., which was significantly oversubscribed and recently closed with $1.38 billion of capital commitments.

IPM is the latest of several investments by LLCP in the business services, engineered products and testing and inspection industries, including FlexXray, Trinity Consultants, Milton Industries, Jonathan Engineered Solutions, Syntron Material Handling and Encore Fire Protection. LLCP was advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. served as financial advisor to IPM. About Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, LLC is a middle-market private equity firm with a 38-year track record of investing across various targeted sectors, including franchising, business services, education and engineered products. LLCP utilizes a differentiated Structured Private Equity investment strategy, combining debt and equity capital investments in portfolio companies. This unique structure provides a less dilutive solution for management teams and entrepreneurs, while delivering growth and income with a significantly lower risk profile. LLCP's global team of dedicated investment professionals is led by seven partners who have worked at LLCP for an average of 22 years. Since inception, LLCP has managed approximately $12.7 billion of institutional capital across 15 investment funds and has invested in over 90 portfolio companies. LLCP currently manages $9.0 billion of assets and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Charlotte, Miami, London, Stockholm and The Hague. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005211/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Selects EarlyBird as an Approved Literacy Screening Assessment

After careful review, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has chosen EarlyBird as an approved early literacy screening assessment. Developed and scientifically validated at Boston Children's Hospital in partnership with faculty at the Florida Center for Reading Research, EarlyBird is a game-based screener that brings together all the relevant predictors of reading in one easy-to-administer assessment. EarlyBird, which is used by schools and districts across Massachusetts and the U.S., met all of the criteria established by the Massachusetts DESE. Approved early literacy screening assessments are required to be valid and reliable, scientifically based, brief,able to be administered three times per year, and code- and meaning-based and/or a Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) assessment.



"Research shows that the best time to identify reading difficulties is early. That's why we developed EarlyBird," said Carla Small, co-founder and CEO of the Massachusetts-based EarlyBird Education. "EarlyBird is the product of breakthrough science, and it was born right here in Massachusetts. What makes EarlyBird unique is that it helps educators identify and support children at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, in the window when intervention is most effective - even before they formally learn to read. We're excited to partner with Massachusetts districts and schools to help them address reading difficulties when they can be most successfully overcome." The cloud-based EarlyBird platform includes a game-based app that provides comprehensive, validated student testing, and a dashboard that points teachers to customized action plans and evidence-based resources for individuals or groups of students. The early literacy screener can be administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year - or any time.

Students self-administer the EarlyBird screener using a tablet and headset. Testing can be conducted individually or in small groups with oversight from an adult. The screener is appropriate for pre-readers and can be used by children as young as four years old. With just minutes of tablet game play, EarlyBird can predict the potential for dyslexia or other reading difficulties. It creates a customized literacy profile for each student, and leads teachers to vetted resources and recommendations so they can help get students on track. About EarlyBird EarlyBird transforms students' lives through the early detection of reading difficulties, including dyslexia. For information, visit https://earlybirdeducation.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005334/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Mister Car Wash to Donate $1 for Every Car Washed at all Tennessee Locations on September 25 to Support Disaster Relief Efforts

Mister Car Wash, Inc. (the "Company" or "Mister"; NYSE: MCW). After a tough year in Middle Tennessee that included destructive tornados and catastrophic floods, Mister Car Wash announced today that it will donate $1 to the Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund for every car washed at Mister locations in the state on Saturday, September 25. Mister has 16 locations across Middle Tennessee, and to maximize the contribution, the Company will base the donations on that day's total car counts, including both retail washes and Unlimited Wash Club member visits. "Mister Car Wash has been proud to serve Tennesseans since 2015, and it's been devastating to see the impact the recent floods have had on our neighbors," said Jill Adams (News - Alert) , Vice President of Marketing at Mister Car Wash. "This donation is just one way we can help bring back the 'shine' in our communities." Mister Car Wash's Tennessee footprint includes stores in Gallatin, Hermitage, Nashville, Antioch, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Mount Juliet, Hendersonville, Columbia, and Clarksville. For additional information, and for the addresses of all Tennessee locations, please visit www.mistercarwash.com/locations. About Mister Car Wash | Inspiring People to Shine

Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Mister Car Wash, Inc. (NYSE: MCW) operates over 350 car washes nationwide and has the largest car wash subscription program in North America. With over 25 years of car wash experiece, the Mister team is focused on operational excellence and delivering a memorable customer experience through elevated hospitality. The Mister brand is anchored in quality, friendliness and a commitment to the communities we serve as good stewards of the environment and the resources we use. We believe that when you take care of your people, they take care of your customers. To learn more visit: https://mistercarwash.com.



Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release include but are not limited to Mister Car Wash's expansion efforts and branding initiatives. Words including "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "seek," or "should," or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements or information that refer to expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, performance or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: developments involving the Company's competitors and its industry; the Company's ability to attract new customers, retain existing customers and maintain or grow its number of subscription members; potential future impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; the Company's ability to open and operate new locations in a timely and cost-effective manner; the Company's ability to identify suitable acquisition targets and consummate such acquisitions on attractive terms; the Company's ability to maintain and enhance its brand reputation; the Company's reliance on and relationships with third-party suppliers; risk related to the Company's indebtedness and capital requirements; risk related to governmental laws and regulations applicable to the Company and its business; the Company's ability to maintain security and prevent unauthorized access to electronic and other confidential information; and the other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's final prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert) ") on June 28, 2021 pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4), as such factors may be updated from time to time in its other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and Investors Relations section of the Company's website at www.mistercarwash.com.

These and other important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any forward-looking statement that the Company makes in this press release speaks only as of the date of such statement. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise, or to publicly announce any update or revision to, any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005940/en/

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[September 22, 2021] New Research From VMware Reveals Deepening Divide Between Developer and Security Teams

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, today announced findings from a study on the relationship between IT, security, and development teams as organizations adopt a Zero Trust security model. The study, titled "Bridging the Developer and Security Divide" and conducted by Forrester (News - Alert) Consulting on behalf of VMware, found that security is still perceived as a barrier in organizations, with 52% of developers believing that security policies are stifling their innovation. Forrester Consulting surveyed 1,475 IT and security leaders and discovered that only one in five (22%) developers strongly agree that they understand which security policies they are expected to comply with. Alarmingly, more than a quarter (27%) of the developers surveyed are not involved at all in security policy decisions, despite many of these greatly impacting their roles. Organizations where security and development teams have a positive relationship can accelerate the software development lifecycle five business days faster than those without - demonstrating how speed to market and competitive advantage are at stake here. Seventy-three percent of respondents agreed that their senior leadership focuses more on strengthening the relationship between development and security than they did two years ago, but relationships are still strained. In fact, more than one in three (37%) decision makers reported their organizations' teams are not effectively collaborating or taking strides to strengthen relationships between security and development teams. Lack of role definition for development teams, lack of communication betwen teams and competing priorities have major impacts on collaboration.



"Our research shows that security needs a perception shift," said Rick McElroy, principal cybersecurity strategist, VMware. "Rather than be seen as the team that only swoops in to fix breaches and leaks, or who 'gets in the way' of innovation, security should be embedded across people, processes, and technologies. Security needs to be a team sport that works alongside IT and developers to ensure protection across clouds, apps and all digital infrastructure. We have to develop a culture where all teams have shared interests and common goals or metrics, and where they speak one language. There's overwhelming value to the business when IT, security, and developers are all part of the decision making, design, and execution." Shared team priorities and engagement will pave the way forward and there's already progress being made on this front. More than half (53%) of respondents expect security and development teams to be unified within three years. And 42% expect security to become more embedded in the development process in that same period. There's a broader acknowledgment that cross-team alignment empowers businesses to reduce team silos (71%), create more secure applications (70%) and increase agility to adopt new workflows & technologies (66%).

The full study, complete with recommendations to bridge the divide between developer and security teams, can be downloaded here. Methodology VMware commissioned a survey, undertaken by an independent research organization, Forrester Consulting, in April 2021. 1,475 IT and security managers and above (including CIOs and CISOs) with responsibility for security strategy and decision-making were surveyed with an additional 5 qualitative interviews with IT and security and development VP and above (including CIOs and CISOs) with responsibility for development or security strategy decision-making. Respondents were from a range of industries including technology services, manufacturing, financial services, retail and healthcare. The research was carried out across 26 countries around the world, including: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Israel, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, UAE. About VMware VMware software powers the world's complex digital infrastructure. The company's cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert) , California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005181/en/

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[September 22, 2021] ORYZON to Present New Clinical Data and Corporate Updates at International Conferences in September and October

International Conference on Autism ICA-2021

BIO-Spain 2021

34th European College Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) congress 2021

21st Sachs Annual Biotech in Europe Forum 2021

37th Congress of the European Committe for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis. ECTRIMS 2021

2021 Virtual Kabuki Syndrome Foundation Annual Conference MADRID, Spain and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. (ISIN Code: ES0167733015, ORY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging epigenetics to develop therapies in diseases with strong unmet medical need, announced today that it will present new clinical data and attend several renowned international conferences in September and October. Oryzon will present preliminary data from the ongoing collaboration with INGEMM in Phelan McDermid Syndrome (PMS) at the International Conference on Autism, ICA-2021, which will be held on September 23-24. The communication entitled "Phenotype and Psychometric Characterization of Phelan McDermid Syndrome Patients" will be presented by Dr. Carlos Buesa, Oryzons CEO. PMS patients are being characterized to guide the preparation of a possible future precision medicine clinical trial in PMS with vafidemstat, Oryzons LSD1 inhibitor in development for CNS disorders, currently in Phase IIb trials in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia. Executive directors of the company will attend the BIO Spain 2021 event, which will take place September 27-October 1. The company will moderate a KOL panel discussion on precision medicine therapeutic approaches for CNS disorders and the potential of LSD1 inhibitors like vafidemstat. This panel, entitled Time for HOPE? Precision Medicine in Modern Psychiatry and Neurodevelopmental disorders, will take place on September 30 at 12:15-13:00 h CET, and will be chaired by Dr. Tamara Maes, Oryzons VicePresident, with the participation of Dr. Josep Antoni Ramos Quiroga, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Hospital Universitari Vall dHebron, Barcelona, Spain; Dr. Julian Nevado, Head of Structural and Functional Genomics at INGEMM, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain; Dr. Jaqueline Harris, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Genetics, and Pediatrics at Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, USA; and Dr. Angel Alonso, Principal Investigator at Genomic Medicine Unit, Navarrabiomed, Pamplona, Spain. For more info about this event, please visit: https://www.biospain2021.org/ Dr. Michael Ropacki, Oryzons CMO for CNS, will present an e-poster entitled PORTICO  Phase IIb trial evaluating vafidemstat, an epigenetic therapeutic approach, for the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder discussing the design of the ongoing Phase IIb PORTICO trial that is exploring vafidemstat for the treatment of BPD at the 34th European College Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) congress 2021, which will take place on October 2-5. For more info on this event, please visit: https://www.ecnp.eu/Congress2021/ECNPcongress Dr. Buesa will also participate at the Sachs 21st Annual Biotech in Europe Forum, where he will provide a corporate update. This event will be held virtually on October 7-8. Dr Buesa will also participate in a panel entitled NextGen Neuroscience: Tackling Neuroinflammation & Degeneration Panel. For more info about this event, please visi: https://www.sachsforum.com/21bef-about.html



The company will present data from vafidemstats pilot Phase IIa trial SATEEN at the 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, ECTRIMS-2021, which will be held on October 13-15. This clinical update will be presented in an e-poster entitled Safety And Efficacy Data From Sateen Trial In Multiple Sclerosis, available through the on-demand virtual congress platform. SATEEN was a small scale, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, dose-finding trial that evaluated the safety and tolerability of vafidemstat in patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS). In accordance with the embargo terms and conditions for presentation at ECTRIMS-2021, data will be released on the same day as the communication, October 13. For more info about this event, please visit: https://www.ectrims-congress.eu/2021.html Finally, Oryzon will attend the Kabuki Syndrome Foundation annual conference, which will be held on October 22-23. This event brings together patient families from around the world, researchers, clinicians, and biotechnology firms working on Kabuki Syndrome (KS) like Oryzon. As part of our pioneering precision medicine approach in CNS, Oryzon is preparing a new Phase Ib/II clinical trial with vafidemstat in KS patients called HOPE and will present some preliminary details on an oral presentation on Saturday, October 23 at 2:30 pm EST entitled Vafidemstat, a possible thereaputic option in Kabuki syndrome. For more info about this event, please visit: https://www.kabukisyndromefoundation.org/conferences

About Oryzon

Founded in 2000 in Barcelona, Spain, Oryzon (ISIN Code: ES0167733015) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company considered as the European champion in Epigenetics. Oryzon has one of the strongest portfolios in the field. Oryzons LSD1 program has rendered two compounds, vafidemstat and iadademstat, in Phase II clinical trials. In addition, Oryzon has ongoing programs for developing inhibitors against other epigenetic targets. Oryzon has a strong technological platform for biomarker identification and performs biomarker and target validation for a variety of malignant and neurological diseases. Oryzon has offices in Spain and the United States. Oryzon is one of the most liquid biotech stocks in Europe with +90 M shares negotiated in 2020 (ORY:SM / ORY.MC / ORYZF US OTC mkt). For more information, visit www.oryzon.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This communication contains, or may contain, forward-looking information and statements about Oryzon, including financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, capital expenditures, synergies, products and services, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally identified by the words expects, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates and similar expressions. Although Oryzon believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and holders of Oryzon shares are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Oryzon that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the documents sent by Oryzon to the Spanish Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), which are accessible to the public. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and have not been reviewed by the auditors of Oryzon. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to Oryzon or any of its members, directors, officers, employees or any persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above. All forward-looking statements included herein are based on information available to Oryzon on the date hereof. Except as required by applicable law, Oryzon does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Oryzons securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. Any public offering of Oryzons securities to be made in the United States will be made by means of a prospectus that may be obtained from Oryzon or the selling security holder, as applicable, that will contain detailed information about Oryzon and management, as well as financial statements. IR, US IR & Media, Europe Spain Oryzon Ashley R. Robinson Sandya von der Weid Patricia Cobo Emili Torrell LifeSci Advisors, LLC LifeSci Advisors, LLC / Carlos C. Ungria BD Director +1 617 430 7577 +41 78 680 05 38 +34 91 564 07 25 +34 93 515 13 13 arr@lifesciadvisors.com svonderweid@lifesciadvisors.com pcobo@atrevia.com

etorrell@oryzon.com cungria@atrevia.com



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[September 22, 2021] realme Introduces Neo Flagship Killer realme GT Neo2 in China Starting at 2,499 RMB

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- realme, the world's fastest-growing smartphone brand, today officially introduced the realme GT Neo2 in Mainland China starting at 2,499 RMB (USD 388 approx). And realme GT Neo2 will be available in three storage variants: 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB, and 12GB+256GB, priced at 2,499 RMB (USD 388 approx), 2,699 RMB (USD 420 approx) and 2,999 RMB (USD 465 approx) respectively. As the latest iteration of the popular flagship killer realme GT lineup, the realme GT Neo2 is a neo flagship killer born for everyday heavy users, coming with technology innovation and aesthetic design. The realme GT Neo2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G mobile platform. This chipset is famous for its balanced performance, providing powerful performance and a stable experience. The realme GT Neo2 initially adopts diamond thermal gel as a cooling material, constructing an 8-layer three-dimensional heat dissipation structure with a stainless-steel vapor cooling area of 4129mm2, the largest cooling ara in realme history. As a result, it is undoubtedly exceptional for users engaging in any mainstream heavy games.



It is the first time that realme packs a 5000mAh massive battery in its realme GT lineup. With a large capacity battery that supports 65W SuperDart charging, the realme GT Neo2 provides full-day battery life for heavy users without any pressure. In terms of the display, realme GT Neo2 also surprises users with the first Samsung E4 Display in the segment, creating the best display ever of realme's smartphones, featuring a peak brightness of 1300 nit and a color contrast ratio of up to 5,000,000:1.

The design has always been a critical highlight of the realme GT lineup. This time realme design studio delivers a harmonious color on realme GT Neo2 - NEO Green, which presents the concept of technology and vitality. As the neo flagship killer of the realme GT series, the realme GT Neo2 features technology innovation and aesthetics design and will come to global soon, please stay tuned. For more information, please visit realme official website  https://www.realme.com/ ### About realme realme is a global emerging consumer technology company disrupting the smartphone and AIoT market by making cutting-edge technologies more accessible. It provides a range of smartphones and lifestyle technology devices with premium specs, quality, and trend-setting designs to young consumers at affordable prices. Established by Sky Li in 2018 and driven by its "Dare to Leap" spirit, realme is the world's 6th largest smartphone company and has become one of the top 5 smartphone players in 15 markets globally in just two years. As of Q2, 2021, realme has entered 61 markets worldwide, including China and Southeast Asia, South Asia, Europe, Russia, Australia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa, and has a global user base of over 85 million. For more information, please visit www.realme.com . realme PR Team

realmepr@realme.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/realme-introduces-neo-flagship-killer-realme-gt-neo2-in-china-starting-at-2-499-rmb-301382502.html SOURCE realme

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[September 22, 2021]

Register for Hexagon's Capital Markets Day

NACKA STRAND, Sweden, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hexagon will host a Capital Markets Day on 30 September 2021. During the event, President and CEO Ola Rollen will, together with members of Group Management, present their views on current market trends, growth opportunities and key strategic focus areas.

The event will be held virtually from 13:00 CET and will run until approx. 18:00 CET. The full agenda will be available closer to the event.

During the live event you will have the opportunity to submit questions for the presenters.

The presentations will also be available on demand after the event.

Please register via the link below.

Register

For further information, please contact:

Maria Luthstrom, Head of Sustainability and Investor Relations, Hexagon AB, +46 8 601 26 27, cmd@hexagon.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/hexagon/r/register-for-hexagon-s-capital-markets-day,c3419088

The following files are available for download:









https://mb.cision.com/Main/387/3419088/1471217.pdf Press Release



View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/register-for-hexagons-capital-markets-day-301382350.html

SOURCE Hexagon
[September 22, 2021] Rentschler Biopharma donates 50,000 Euros to support construction of the Albert Einstein Discovery Center in Ulm

LAUPHEIM, Germany and ULM, Germany, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rentschler Biopharma SE, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biopharmaceuticals, is donating 50,000 Euros to support the creation of the Albert Einstein Discovery Center. Dr. Frank Mathias, CEO of Rentschler Biopharma SE; Alexander Dettmer, CFO; and Dr. Christian Schetter, CSO, presented a check to Dr. Nancy Hecker-Denschlag, Chairwoman of the Albert Einstein Discovery Center Ulm e.V. on September 15, 2021. The discovery and activity center is intended to make the physicists legacy not only understandable but tangible to the public. It is located in Ulm, Einsteins birthplace and today the scientific center of the region, and only a few kilometers away from Rentschler Biopharmas headquarters in Laupheim.

There are several aspects we share with Albert Einstein, said Dr. Frank Mathias, CEO of Rentschler Biopharma, summarizing the reasons for the Company's commitment. As a leading biopharmaceutical company, the promotion of science is one of our core responsibilities. Innovation and groundbreaking research are not possible unless we provide curious and motivated people the opportunity to immerse themselves in the complex world of science. The construction of the Albert Einstein Discovery Center, therefore, is an excellent occasion to create educational opportunities in our region. From a historical perspective, there also are parallels. Our roots as a Laupheim-based pharmacy in 1872 coincide with the time of Einsteins birth, and our founding as a pharmaceutical manufacturer in 1927 took place around the time he was active as a professor, lecturer, and researcher in Germany. We emerged from the same era, and the pioneering spirit of Albert Einstein strongly resonates with us still today. Therefore, we want to carry these values into the world, beyond our company. We are honored to be part of this exciting project and would like to motivate others to help bring it to life. Dr. Nancy Hecker-Denschlag, Chairwoman of the Albert Einstein Discovery Center Ulm e.V., is pleased that Rentschler Biopharma, a leading biopharmaceutical company from the region, has joined the group of lead sponsors, called The First 11. Rentschler Biopharma is a perfect fit with the future Albert Einstein Discovery Center Ulm because its focus is not only on providing scientific knowledge, but also on offering activities in the hands-on science center we are planning. This is intended to create enthusiasm, especially among young people, for learning about math and science. To implement the project, the First 11 campaign aims to motivate more companies to become sponsors. The company names and logos of the 11 lead sponsors will be hung in the foyer of the Albert Einstein Discovery Center. They also will receive a total of 100 plaques with a stone from Albert Einsteins birthplace. We are delighted to see that more and more companies are becoming interested in our idea. Not only is membership in our association increasing, but a number of companies are approaching us to offer support. Thatis why I am optimistic that we soon will be able to announce the next sponsors in The First 11, said Dr. Hecker-Denschlag.



About Rentschler Biopharma SE Rentschler Biopharma is a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused exclusively on client projects. The company offers process development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals as well as related consulting activities, including project management and regulatory support. Rentschler Biopharmas high quality is proven by its long-standing experience and excellence as a solution partner for its clients. A high-level quality management system, a well-established operational excellence philosophy and advanced technologies ensure product quality and productivity at each development and manufacturing step. In order to offer best-in-class formulation development along the biopharmaceutical value chain, the company has entered into a strategic alliance with Leukocare AG. Rentschler Biopharma is a family-owned company with about 1,100 employees, headquartered in Laupheim, Germany, with a second site in Milford, MA, USA. In Stevenage, UK, Rentschler Biopharma has launched a company dedicated to cell and gene therapies, Rentschler ATMP Ltd.

For further information, please visit www.rentschler-biopharma.com. Follow Rentschler Biopharma on LinkedIn and Facebook. About the Albert Einstein Discovery Center Ulm e.V. Albert Einstein was born in Ulm on March 14, 1879. The City of Ulm frequently commemorates Albert Einstein in various ways but there has not yet been a public institution in Ulm, Einsteins birthplace, that pays appropriate tribute to the towns most illustrious son and the most famous physician of all time. The Albert Einstein Discovery Center Ulm e.V. wants to change this. The registered charitable organization was founded in September 2016 by citizens from Ulm and the surrounding area. In addition to Dr. Nancy Hecker-Denschlag as chairperson, Prof. Dr. Joachim Ankerhold from the University is on board as co-chair. The association seeks to create a public institution that makes Einsteins importance to science and technology in everyday life accessible to a wide audience. The project provides for a facility that presents comprehensive, modern, interactive multimedia to portray the life and work of Albert Einstein in connection with the history of Ulm, the role of Einsteins theories in current technology and the exploration of technical phenomena in interactive exhibits at the Science Center. Contact: Media inquiries: Rentschler Biopharma SE

Dr. Cora Kaiser

Senior Director Corporate Communication

Phone: +49-7392-701-874

communications@rentschler-biopharma.com MC Services AG

Eva Bauer



Phone: +49-89-210228-0

rentschler@mc-services.eu

Albert Einstein Discovery Center Ulm e.V.

Vorsitzende: Dr. Nancy Hecker-Denschlag

Bessererstrae 13-15  89073 Ulm

Phone: +49 731 9642 8181

info@einstein.center

https://einstein.center PressnRelations GmbH

Uwe Pagel

Magirusstrae 33  89077 Ulm

Phone: +49 731 962 87-29

upa@press-n-relations.de

https://press-n-relations.de  Rentschler Biopharma SE For high-resolution pictures, please contact communications@rentschler-biopharma.com.



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[September 22, 2021] Ryan Named One of the 2021 Best Workplaces for Women by FORTUNE and Great Place to Work

Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider, has recently been honored as one of the 2021 Best Workplaces for Women by FORTUNE. This is the Firm's fourth time to be named to this prestigious list. "This recognition acknowledges our ongoing efforts to ensure our workplace culture is diverse and inclusive for all team members," said Ginny B. Kissling, Ryan Global President and Chief Operating Officer. "By offering our industry-leading myRyan program, generous leave policies, and incredible personal and professional growth opportunities, we remain committed to retaining and rewarding the talented women in our industry. We are proud of the work-life success our female team members ave achieved and are thankful for their continued trust in Ryan."



The Best Workplaces for Women list is highly competitive and is selected 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 covers race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their roles are within the organization.

"These companies have made a commitment to fostering equity in the workplace. With the data about gender inequity in mind, the Best Workplaces for Women braved the task of combatting gender inequity by ensuring their women employees feel safe, heard, challenged, and valued," says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. About the Best Workplaces for Women Great Place to Work selected the Best Workplaces for Women by gathering and analyzing confidential survey responses from more than 5.6 million U.S. employees at Great Place to Work-Certified organizations. About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, it has surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Its employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything Great Place to Work does is driven by its mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All. About Ryan Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides an integrated suite of federal, state, local, and international tax services on a multijurisdictional basis, including tax recovery, consulting, advocacy, compliance, and technology services. Ryan is a nine-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multidisciplinary team of more than 3,000 professionals and associates serves over 18,000 clients in more than 60 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com. "Ryan" and "Firm" refer to the global organizational network and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ryan International, each of which is a separate legal entity. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005070/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Spire Global and Myriota Partner to Re-Imagine Internet of Things Connectivity

Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) ("Spire" or "the Company"), a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services, today announced a partnership with Myriota, a world-leading provider of secure, low-cost, and long battery life satellite connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT). The partnership will leverage Spire Space Services to accelerate Myriota's global service deployment timeline, expanding the Myriota Network using Spire low-earth orbit nanosatellites. Myriota is the first large-scale, commercial, IoT-focused customer of Spire. Myriota will use Spire's existing satellite platform and continue to scale the Myriota Network as Spire deploys new satellites. Spire and Myriota plan to quickly ramp up Myriota's coverage to a global, low latency constellation, expanding Myriota's existing coverage in North America, Australia and New Zealand to other markets, including Europe. By leveraging Spire's proven constellation and global operations platform, Myriota expects to quickly and cost-effectively scale its IoT services to meet rising global demand. Spire's constellation of low-earth orbit nanosatellites is equipped with a range of software-defined radios (SDR) that let partners test, deploy, operate, and scale custom applications. Myriota expects this landmark partnershipto allow it to expand its network more quickly in more areas, and to improve latency using existing spacecraft.



The Myriota Network enables customers in industries like logistics, utilities, and agriculture to securely monitor and collect data globally using its long-lasting and low-cost IoT sensors. Myriota customers are already tracking, locating, and monitoring assets including vehicles, wind turbines, equipment and tools, and shipping containers. The new partnership will support reduced latency and new services. "We're proud our satellites and technology are ready to seamlessly help Myriota make smart devices more accessible to everyone," said Theresa Condor, Executive Vice President, General Manager of Space Services and Earth Intelligence at Spire. "Australia is a hotbed of innovative companies, and it's gratifying to help a leading satellite connectivity provider go to market quickly and scale up efficiently."

"With high demand for the Myriota Network from our partners, who are rolling out products at an ever-accelerating rate, this agreement is a game changer for our business," said Dr. David Haley, CTO and Co-founder, Myriota. "By leveraging Spire's constellation, Myriota will rapidly improve its services, and enter new markets such as Europe. Spire is a perfect partner for extending our global reach." About Spire Global, Inc. Spire is a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services, offering access to unique datasets and powerful insights about Earth from the ultimate vantage point so that organizations can make decisions with confidence, accuracy, and speed. Spire uses one of the world's largest multi-purpose satellite constellations to source hard to acquire, valuable data and enriches it with predictive solutions. Spire then provides this data as a subscription to organizations around the world so they can improve business operations, decrease their environmental footprint, deploy resources for growth and competitive advantage, and mitigate risk. Spire gives commercial and government organizations the competitive advantage they seek to innovate and solve some of the world's toughest problems with insights from space. Spire has offices in San Francisco, Boulder, Washington DC, Glasgow, Luxembourg, and Singapore. To learn more, visit http://www.spire.com. About Myriota Myriota was founded to revolutionise the Internet of Things (IoT) by offering disruptively low-cost and long-battery-life global connectivity. Based in Adelaide, a focal point of the Australian space industry and home of the Australian Space Agency, Myriota has a growing portfolio of more than 60 granted patents, and support from major Australian and international investors. With a deep heritage in telecommunications research, world-first transmission of IoT data direct to nanosatellite was achieved in 2013. Myriota has made this ground-breaking technology commercially available for partners worldwide. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005217/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Synthetic Data Pioneer Datagen Builds Momentum to Power the Next Big Leap in Computer Vision Systems

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Datagen , the pioneer of domain-specific synthetic data for humans and objects perception, today announced strong momentum on the heels of its March 2021 public launch, when the company raised over $18 million from TLV Partners and Viola Ventures. Datagen continues to make forays into the enterprise market, now working with a number of Fortune 100 companies in augmented/virtual reality, robotics, and automotive, including the majority of the top U.S. tech giants. With 60% of the data used for the development of AI and analytics projects expected to be synthetically generated by 2024 according to Gartner , Datagen is at the forefront of the artificial intelligence 2.0 revolution. The companys innovation and rapid growth have attracted Israels top computer vision, artificial intelligence and cloud innovators to bolster its executive leadership team and round out its advisory board.

Joining Datagen as Head of AI Research, former Google AI leader Dr. Jonathan Laserson will spearhead the company's research into AI generating 3D simulations, synthesizing photorealistic images and videos for AI performance acceleration. Tal Darom is joining the Datagen executive ranks as its VP of R&D, following his leading a human-centric computer vision research group at Amazon. During his tenure at Amazon, Darom managed the development of machine learning training and model evaluation infrastructure and was responsible for bringing deep learning algorithms to production. Hailing from Google, Hadas Sheinfeld joins Datagen as its VP of Product. At Google, she was responsible for the infrastructure of massive scale, serving over100 products and their respective engineering teams. Karine Regev comes on board to bring the company's innovation to existing and new markets in her role as VP of Marketing. Karine brings a track record of growing brand and market share for market leaders including Alcide, acquired by Rapid7, and Aqua Security.



I am fascinated by the recent developments in the space between graphics and deep learning,'' said Dr. Jonathan Laserson, Head of AI Research at Datagen. "The new methods use a radically different approach compared to classic graphics tools, and achieve new highs of photorealism. Datagen is in the business of making synthetic images capture as much of the world as possible, and look as real as possible, so naturally Datagen is well positioned to be at the forefront of this new revolution and Id like to be part of it. The new executive leadership will work closely with Datagens advisory board, which includes well-respected members of the AI community. Collaboration with academic institutions will ensure Datagen has access to cutting-edge research, thanks to its visionary investors, including Brown University Professor Michael J. Black , founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, and UC Berkeley Professor Trevor Darrell , founding co-director of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR). Datagen is looking at the market comprehensively from both hardware and software applications, bringing in advisors Lihi Zelnik , head of Alibaba DAMO Academy Machine Intelligence Israel Lab, and Gal Chechik , director of AI at Nvidia. Finally, Anthony Goldbloom , co-founder and CEO of Kaggle, an online community of data scientists and machine learning practitioners (subsidiary of Google), offers continued access to a pool of industry talent.

Datagen builds on Israels rich legacy of bringing computer vision innovation to the market. According to Crunchbase , there are more than 680 artificial intelligence companies in Israel that have collectively raised $4.5B. This growth explosion over the last few years is due largely in part to the high concentration of engineers and Israels world-renowned universities. These academic institutions provide access to talent and cutting-edge new technology development in the space. In the last two months, Datagen has hired more than 20 employees and plans to bring on additional team members across sales and marketing, software and DevOps, and product departments. As Datagen shapes this emerging field of synthetic data, I could not be more proud to have such esteemed minds join our leadership team and advisory board, said Ofir Chakon , co-founder and CEO of Datagen. Israel is a hotbed for artificial intelligence and computer vision innovation but requires diverse and comprehensive datasets to train, test and validate machine learning applications. These powerhouse executives and advisors will help accelerate Datagens market opportunities as synthetic data increasingly becomes the core layer in computer vision systems. About Datagen

Datagen is leading the AI revolution by generating photo-realistic data to train computer vision systems, with expertise in human-object Interaction. We developed a data-centric technology that delivers visual data with unmatched domain coverage and fully-controlled object variance. Using our platform, companies generate high-fidelity 3D data with associated ground truth, in a seamless and scalable way. Datagen customers include Fortune 100 companies across a variety of industries. Founded in 2018, Datagen is led by recognized AI experts and is backed by AI industry luminaries. For more information, visit www.datagen.tech . Media Contact:

Kelsey Bates

Scratch Marketing + Media for Datagen

kelsey@scratchmm.com



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[September 22, 2021] Taylor Hargrave Joins Alliant, Adding Expertise to Texas Team

Alliant continues to add top talent to its team in Texas, hiring Taylor Hargrave as Vice President. Based in Dallas, Hargrave will design and implement innovative property and casualty insurance programs for a diverse regional client base. "Taylor has extensive experience delivering insurance programs and solutions that are custom designed to address industry-specific risks and exposures," said Bob Bennetsen, Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director with Alliant. "He has a deep understanding of the needs of businesses throughout the region and a broad skill set that will serve as an invaluable asset to our client base." Hargrave is highly regarded for creating custom insurance solutions for companies across a range of sizes and disciplines. He joins Alliant wit a comprehensive background in property and casualty insurance, including executive and professional liability, risk management, claims management, and loss control services.



Prior to joining Alliant, Hargrave was an Advisor with an insurance agency offering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal insurance, and various other solutions. He earned his bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University and attended the New England Conservatory of Music for his graduate studies. Hargrave can be reached at (214) 998-9882 or at Taylor.Hargrave@alliant.com.

About Alliant Insurance Services Alliant Insurance Services is one of the nation's leading distributors of diversified insurance products and services. We operate through a network of specialized national platforms and local offices to offer our clients a comprehensive portfolio of solutions built on innovative thinking and personal service. The business of managing risk is getting more complex, and Alliant is meeting this complexity head-on, not with more layers of management, but with more creativity and agility. Alliant is changing the way our clients approach risk management and benefits, so they can capitalize on new opportunities to grow and protect their organizations. Visit us at alliant.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005106/en/

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[September 22, 2021]

Tekmovil hires Marc Nadeau as VP of Sales and Business Development for Canada

MIAMI, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tekmovil is pleased to announce the addition of Marc Nadeau as Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Canada.

Marc joins Tekmovil after over 13 years at Samsung Electronics Canada where he was responsible for the Bell Canada relationship and most recently was Head of National Retail Sales and Channel Marketing managing Tier One Retail and Distribution Customers for the Mobile Communications business. His responsibility spanned 11 product Categories including: Mobile Phones, Wi-Fi Tablets, LTE Tablets, Notebook PC, Chromebook, Wearables, Personal Audio, IoT products as well as Samsung Accessories.

Prior to Samsung, Marc held Sr. Sales roles in Specialized Logistics, Software and Services Companies. Marc holds degrees in Economics and Honors Business Administration from Western University.

"We ae very excited to welcome Marc to our team. We believe that he is the ideal fit for this role to help us grow our channel coverage. We have all been impressed by his strong track record of execution and results. We are excited to have Marc at Tekmovil" said Luis Cobo, Chief Sales Officer.







"I'm really happy to join a great team and be building the Canadian business from the ground up, representing Top Global brands", said Nadeau.

Tekmovil is a multinational consumer distribution and services company headquartered in Miami, FL with operations in fourteen countries across 3 regions.

More information about Tekmovil at https://www.tekmovil.com/about

About Tekmovil

A highly innovative company committed to taking the best mobile technology to new frontiers. We generate value for all our customers: manufacturers, operators and featured channels. Headquartered in Miami, FL Tekmovil has operations that span over 14 countries in 3 regions

Tekmovil was born to become the strategic partner that can help companies reach the next level, making the most advanced mobile technology available to all.

Tekmovil's value proposition is to disrupt the traditional distributor model with value added services that seamlessly maximize brand and client performance.

Contact: Hugo Valdez

hvaldez@llorenteycuenca.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tekmovil-hires-marc-nadeau-as-vp-of-sales-and-business-development-for-canada-301382184.html

SOURCE Tekmovil
[September 22, 2021] ThreatQuotient Continues Tradition of Celebrating World Rhino Day in 2021

ThreatQuotient, a leading security operations platform innovator, today invites the cybersecurity industry to celebrate World Rhino Day 2021. Less than 30,000 rhinos remain in the world, and the poaching crisis is not slowing down. To help bring awareness to rhino conservation efforts and to raise money for initiatives that will ensure their protection, ThreatQuotient has been an official partner of Helping Rhinos, a charity organization focused on providing a sustainable future for rhinos, since 2019. ThreatQuotient's ongoing support for Helping Rhinos includes sponsoring Nocry, a member of South Africa's first all-female anti-poaching unit, Black Mambas. The Black Mambas took part in the first ever World Female Ranger Day in June 2021, highlighting the unique skills that female rangers bring to conservation and the incredible progress they are making. These rangers are not only protecting wildlife on the frontline, but are great role models in the community. ThreatQuotient's sponsorship has contributed to vehicle, administrative, patrol and equipment costs, as well as the new Black Mambas operations center, providing a headquarters complete with computers, radios, grid maps and nature conservation books. "Every year on World Rhino Day, I am proud that ThreatQuotient is part of something bigger than cybersecurity. Our love for the rhino species can be felt in every corner of ThreatQuotient, from our mascot and office space, to the rhino adoptions we have made on behalf of every region of the world where we have customers," said John Czupak, CEO of ThreatQuotient. "We recognize there are many causes that deserve worldwide attention. Today, we call on our industry peers to join us in raising awareness of rhino conservation. We tip our hat to Helping Rhinos for their tireless work, and I thank my team for building a culture at ThreatQuotient that actively looks for ways to make an impact on the world around us." Loss of habitat is an increasing threat to the rhinos' future on our planet. South Africa is home to 80% of Africa's rhino population, and the region's human population growth is forecast to rise by 20 million by 2075, putting unprecedented pressure on wild spaces and the wildlife that rely on them to survive. To support rhinos that are displaced, ThreatQuotient also maintains four rhino adoptions - Mthetho, Makhosi, Mpilo and Bhanoyi - each of which are growing and thriving at the Zululand Rhino Orphanage.



Simon Jones, CEO of Helping Rhinos, added, "Helping Rhinos applauds the collaborative international efforts with the law enforcement agencies in South Africa, however, we still have a long road ahead to overcome the poaching crisis. In the first half of 2021, poaching was 50% higher than in the same period in 2020. With the support of dedicated organizations like ThreatQuotient, we can continue to find creative and innovative ways to protect the world's rhino population. Helping Rhinos is grateful for their efforts, and look forward to welcoming other supporters into our community as a result." Help Rhinos' latest initiative is the Rhino Strongholds Protect project, aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of anti-poaching operations. Radio tracking collaring is a proven deterrent against poaching, and by fitting 40 radio tracking collars on 40 rhinos, Helping Rhinos will be able to track rhinos across eight different reserves in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. These collars will help rangers watch the rhinos from a far distance and save time and resources.

To get involved and contribute to Helping Rhinos' goals, consider attending the Global Gala for Rhinos on Oct. 23, 2021. The gala, as a hybrid virtual event, will showcase work being done to create and strengthen Rhino Strongholds that are essential to ensure the long-term survival of both black and white rhino on Ol Pejeta Conservancy. More information about Helping Rhinos and an online donation link can be found here. About Helping Rhinos Helping Rhinos prides itself in applying an innovative and forward-thinking approach to conservation and is delivering a positive change in the fortunes of the rhino. They will continue to work with passionate and dedicated partners, both internationally and on the ground in the heart of rhino habitats. Their funding will support creative and proven initiatives to provide a sustainable future for rhino. For more information, please visit https://www.helpingrhinos.org/. About ThreatQuotient ThreatQuotient improves security operations by fusing together disparate data sources, tools and teams to accelerate threat detection and response. ThreatQuotient's data-driven security operations platform helps teams prioritize, automate and collaborate on security incidents; enables more focused decision making; and maximizes limited resources by integrating existing processes and technologies into a unified workspace. The result is reduced noise, clear priority threats, and the ability to automate processes with high fidelity data. ThreatQuotient's industry leading data management, orchestration and automation capabilities support multiple use cases including incident response, threat hunting, spear phishing, alert triage and vulnerability prioritization, and can also serve as a threat intelligence platform. ThreatQuotient is headquartered in Northern Virginia with international operations based out of Europe and APAC. For more information, visit www.threatquotient.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005079/en/

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[September 22, 2021] ViON Announces Agreement to Sell Cloud Services Business to Peraton

ViON Corporation, a solution provider and market leader in the design, delivery and maintenance of mission-critical IT infrastructure solutions, today announced it has agreed to sell its Cloud Services business, which includes its as-a-Service portfolio to Peraton, effective immediately. The cloud services business supports over 25 IT as-a-service offerings for Federal and State government customers, which is driven through the ViON MarketPlace. "ViON has over 40 years' experience helping customers modernize technology for successful outcomes. Our depth of understanding in processing, storing, managing and protecting data in the public and private sector has allowed us to solve even the most complex IT modernization challenges. ViON and Peraton have always served the same customers with the same 'mission-first' focus, which makes this a natural fit, both culturally and from a platform standpoint. We're confident that we've found the right partner in Peraton and that the pairing of ViON's Cloud Services and Peraton's strategic support resources will be of great benefit to our customers' future growth," said Tom Frana, Chairman and CEO of ViON. At ViON, we pride ourselves on having long-standing customer relationships across the government community. ViON Corporation (News - Alert) will continue to serve the federal market, pairing our extensive knowledge of the specific missions, challenges, use cases and deep customer relationships along with best-of-breed technologies to drive innovation. Our portfolio will inlude storage, compute, networking, high performance computing and artificial intelligence solutions across Federal, State and Local, High Education and Commercial markets.



"Every day we undertake missions of consequence for our government customers, and that requires regularly adding skillsets and solutions," says Stu Shea, Peraton's chairman, president, and CEO. "Having ViON's as a service business join our organization presents a compelling combination that meets the government's strong demand for storage, computing and network capacity." About ViON Corporation

ViON Corporation is a solution provider with over 40 years' experience designing and delivering enterprise data center solutions for government agencies and commercial businesses. The company provides a large portfolio of IT solutions, including infrastructure, multi-cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Focused on supporting the customer's IT modernization requirements. ViON delivers an outstanding customer experience. A veteran-owned company based in Herndon, Virginia, the company has field offices throughout the U.S. www.vion.com

About Peraton

Peraton drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted and highly differentiated national security solutions and technologies that keep people safe and secure. Peraton serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies across the intelligence, space, cyber, defense, civilian, health, and state and local markets. Every day, our employees do the can't be done, solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit Peraton.com/News and follow Peraton on LinkedIn (News - Alert) for news and updates. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005340/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Volocopter and Geely Joint Venture Orders 150 Volocopter Aircraft

CHENGDU, China and BRUCHSAL, Germany, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), and Aerofugia, a subsidiary of China's innovation-driven group, Geely Technology Group, announced the finalization of their joint venture (JV) company to introduce UAM in China. Operating under Volocopter (Chengdu) Technology Co., LTD (Volocopter Chengdu), the JV has signed an agreement to purchase 150 Volocopter aircraft. Geely Holding Group's CEO, Daniel Li Donghui, has joined Volocopter's Advisory Board. The JV, headquartered in Chengdu, will work closely with the aviation, transportation, and government agencies in Chengdu and other parts of mainland China to bring urban air mobility to China within the next three to five years. Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province and a significant economic, cultural, and transportation hub in Western China. It is also a key manufacturing base for Geely  one of many great synergies the JV will profit from on top of Geely's production capability and industrial distribution expertise. At the opening ceremony, Volocopter also signed a Contract Manufacturing Agreement with Volocopter Chengdu and General Aviation Manufactory Base of Geely Technology to produce Volocopter's aircraft and parts in China. This production agreement will strategically satisfy the fast-growing demand for air taxi services after commercial launch in China. "Geely has been a valuable partner since they became our strategic investor in 2019. Today marks another impotant milestone on our journey to bring affordable electric air mobility to China, the biggest single market opportunity for the UAM industry," says Florian Reuter, CEO, Volocopter. "With the joint venture company up and running and Daniel Li Donghui as the new Geely representative on our Advisory Board, we are in pole position to introduce air taxi services globally in a safe, sustainable, and practical manner."



Jing Chao, Chairman of Volocopter Chengdu, shares the same sentiment. He says, "With its establishment, Volocopter Chengdu can accelerate the deployment of air taxis and UAM business. UAM is an important part of the new aviation industry, which coincides with Aerofugia's technical route and business plan of 'new energy, vertical landing and take-off, and autonomous driving.' As an investor for both Aerofugia and Volocopter, Geely looks forward to Volocopter Chengdu realizing urban air mobility in the near future." UAM refers to a new mode of urban transportation that uses electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to move people or goods within lower urban and suburban airspaces. It helps relieve the strain on increasingly congested city roads and allows people and goods to reach their destinations faster and safely. As the first and only eVTOL company globally to obtain Design Organisation Approval from European Union Aviation Safety Agency in 2019 and subsequently secure Production Organisation Approval in 2021, Volocopter has been leading in the UAM industry, with its family of aircraft for passengers (VoloCity and VoloConnect), and goods (VoloDrone).

In April 2021, Geely and Volocopter confirmed that they would form a joint venture to introduce the new mode of transportation to China. Both companies will jointly participate in the Zhuhai Airshow at Hall 3 from 28 September to 3 October. About Volocopter Volocopter is building the world's first sustainable and scalable urban air mobility business to bring affordable air taxi services to megacities worldwide. With the VoloCity, the company is developing the first fully electric "eVTOL" aircraft in certification to transport passengers safely and quietly within cities. Volocopter leads and cooperates with partners in infrastructure, operations, and air traffic management to build the ecosystem necessary to 'Bring Urban Air Mobility to Life'. Founded in 2011, Volocopter has 400 employees in offices in Bruchsal, Munich, and Singapore. The company raised a total of 322 million in equity from investors including Daimler, DB Schenker, Micron, BlackRock, and Intel Capital. About Geely Technology Group Geely Technology Group is an innovation-driven group, focusing on R&D of technology and new business mode. After all these years, the group has built a diversified business portfolio, including New Material Technology, New Energy Technology, General Aviation, Commercial Aerospace, and Motorcycles. Currently, the Group has invested in and operates 20 subsidiaries enterprises, holds over 3000 patents, and employs nearly 30,000 employees. About Aerofugia Established in September 2020, AEROFUGIA is a technology company engaged in UAVs, IoT platforms and innovative services. It is the practitioner of general aviation strategy of Geely Technology Group as well as a provider of environmentally-friendly crossover integrated solution for new application of general aviation. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/volocopter-and-geely-joint-venture-orders-150-volocopter-aircraft-301382685.html SOURCE Volocopter

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13 Brilliant Korean Tech Companies at TechCrunch Disrupt 2021

South Korea placed first in the 2021 Bloomberg (News - Alert) World Innovation Index that measures the top 50 countries using dozens of criteria with seven equally weighted metrics, including research and development spending, manufacturing capability and concentration of high-tech public companies.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921006146/en/

Visit the Korea Pavilion hosted by KOTRA and KITRI (News - Alert) at TechCrunch Disrupt 2021 after the registration using the Free Expo Code. (Graphic: Business Wire)

13 Korean tech companies specializing in various technologies such as AI, AR/VR, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Green Tech, and IoT are participating at TechCrunch Disrupt 2021, which will be a fully virtual event from September 21 to 23 (PDT).

There will be a pitch event of the Korean companies where their innovation and technology will be showcased on Wednesday, September 22 at 11 AM (PDT). The event can be viewed after registration using the Free Expo Code.

The companies and their solutions are listed below.

Artificial Intelligence

Business Canvas : AI-Powered Document Management Platform 'Typed'

Cochl : Sound AI Platform with Ambient (News - Alert) Sound Recognition beyond Voice Recognition

Visual Camp : Eye Tracking Software Solution without Hardware

Wayne Hills Ventures : AI Software which Converts Text to Digital Video Content through TTV, ML, and NLP Technology.







Augmented Knowledge : AR/VR Solution Specialized for Aviation Maintenance

Alpha Circle : VR Engine for Considerable 360 3D VR Image Improvement through Image Segmentation and Synchronized Playback Algorithm

SiliconArts : Real-time Ray Tracing GPU Technology for Servers, Workstations, PCs, Mobile, and VR/AR Headsets

Mopic : Light Field 3D Display for Immersive Visual Experience

Cybersecurity | FinTech

Infosonic : Inaudible Sound Wave Technology for Near-Field Data Transmission

Spiceware : Data Security and PII Protection Services for Building Infrastructure Utilizing Cloud, Big Data, and AI.

SSenStone : Authentication Security Solution through One-Time Authentication Code (OTAC) that Requires No Server Connection

Green Technology | IoT

Marine Innovation : Bio-based Plastic Technology Utilizing Seaweed Extract

Willog : Cloud-based Real-time Logistics Monitoring Solutions that Logs Temperature, Humidity, Light, and Shock Data during Package Transportation

Visit the Korea Pavilion hosted by KOTRA and KITRI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2021 Expo after the registration using the Free Expo Code.

About KOTRA

KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) serves as a global business platform tailored to meet the needs of buyers, investors and Korean entrepreneurs alike.

About KITRI

KITRI (Korea International Trade Research Institute) aims to create new paradigms in international trade through publications and pursue academic activities.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921006146/en/
Marcus & Millichap, Inc. to Present at KBW's Virtual CRE Day Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Marcus & Millichap, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), a leading national brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing and research and advisory services, announced today that CEO Hessam Nadji will participate in a panel discussion at KBW's Virtual CRE Day on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 at 1:30pm ET / 10:30am PT.

Both the live and replay versions of the webcast can be accessed on the Marcus & Millichap Investor Website at https://ir.marcusmillichap.com.







About Marcus & Millichap, Inc.

Marcus & Millichap, Inc. is a leading national brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had 2,097 investment sales and financing professionals in 84 offices who provide investment brokerage and financing services to sellers and buyers of commercial real estate. The Company also offers market research, consulting and advisory services to our clients. Marcus & Millichap closed 8,954 transactions in 2020, with a sales volume of approximately $43.4 billion. For additional information, please visit www.MarcusMillichap.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921006147/en/
[September 21, 2021] Marine Online's Cash-To-Master Service Eases Onboard Cash Flow

SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Transiting through ports are all vessels' opportunities to execute inspections ensuring seaworthiness before resuming voyage, including replacing faulty parts and replenish supplies, even paying wages for crew's sign-off. These instances would require cash payments, which underscores the need to have ready funds.

Marine Online's Cash-To-Master (CTM) service enables vessels transiting through Singapore ports to carry out its necessary maintenance and supplies replacement/replenishment amongst other tasks. Offering CTM at a competitive all-inclusive service fee, plus accessibility through the platform allow shipowners to eliminate the worries of insufficient funds onboard, paperwork hassles yet remain self-sufficient. Edmund Chik, General Manager (Ship Supplies and Marine Services) from Marine Online remarked: "Having enough funds onboard is a must for any vessel - like a float for sudden expenses. CTM has been a common practice in the maritime industry, albeit service fees vary across providers while averaging at 2. Applying that rate for a US$20,000 CTM sum (as an example), the fee would be US$ 400~500. Instead, ours at US$ 368 is all-inclusive; covering necessary tests (due to the pandemic precautionary measures) and transportation expenses, enabling cost-savings."



"Our dollar-to-dollar approach also demonstrates transparency. Customers are hence assured of zero hidden costs. Moreover, our CTM service is accessible through our Marine Online website, where applications can be carried out almost anywhere. The funds will be delivered by our boarding officer when the vessel transits through Singapore port. We are pleased to share that to date, we received tremendous response from shipowners in China, Italy and Japan  all through our platform. Marine Online is actively working on making this service accessible to more countries." Marine Online is a client-centric platform providing maritime professionals with bespoke solutions. To date, Marine Online has served several global clients across a wide array of maritime-related services.



About Marine Online (Singapore) Pte Ltd

Marine Online is the world's first one-stop integrated platform specialising in maritime services for the global market. Launched in 2019, it has provided various maritime services through its revolutionary A.I and Big Data enabled platform to regional ship and cargo owners. With its portfolio of 8 major services, Marine Online shapes the future of maritime by using cutting edge technology to create business opportunities and connections. For more information, visit marineonline.com

For media queries, please contact Media Relations: Contact: +65 6571 5888 Email: marketing@marineonline.com SOURCE Marine Online (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

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[September 21, 2021] Warehouse robotics startup HAI ROBOTICS secures $200M funding

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HAI ROBOTICS, a Chinese warehouse robotics startup pioneering in autonomous case-handling robotics (ACR) system, announced that it has secured two new continuous rounds of financing, garnering US$200-odd million in total to be invested in boosting its robot fleet with technological upgrades, expanding its global operation networks, optimizing its supply chain management and corporate structure as well as talent. The C round funding was led by 5Y Capital with participation from Sequoia Capital China, Source Code Capital, VMS, Walden International and Scheme Capital. The D round funding, the third capital infusion for the company in 2021, was led by Capital Today with some existing investors, including Sequoia Capital China, 5Y Capital, Source Code Capital, Legend Star, and 01VC. Earlier in March, the company announced B+ round funding of US$15 million. The fast funding pace may offer a glimpse of the market's appraisal for its products, technological strength and services. HAI ROBOTICS launched the world's first ACR system--HAIPICK in 2015. The HAIPICK robots can pick and place totes or cartons on storage shelves up to 5 to 7 meters high and are able to carry up to 8 loads to continuously feed goods-o-person picking stations.





The HAIPICK robot has stood out from similar mobile robots with the ability to carry cartons as well as individual totes and to bring multiple cases to pickers or conveyors in one movement. It can help realize warehouse automation in just a week, increase storage density by 80-130%, and improve staffs' work efficiency by 3-4 times. The global supply chain and warehousing logistics market in the past years has seen a surge of automation transformation. As per LogisticsIQ market report, the warehouse automation market is expected to worth US$30 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 14% since 2019. The HAIPICK system waded its way first through shoes and apparel projects in the wave of warehousing automation. So far, the company has been running over 200 projects around the globe with more than 2,000 ACR robots deployed, accounting for 90% share in the ACR robot market. It has paired up with dozens of global logistics and supply chain leaders, including LG CNS, MHS, MUJIN, BPS, Savoye, to name only a few. "Our major future orientation will center on expanding the overseas market and localize our service," said Richie Chen, the company's cofounder and CEO. HAI ROBOTICS thinks it has an edge over its overseas counterparts in many aspects, including project cost, technology and customization capability, in that it has matured when catering to the various demands in the dynamic Chinese market. Speaking of the company's future plans, Richie Chen said that the company will continue to pursue technological innovation as the primary driver for growth, and continuously create values for customers. Guo Shanshan, a partner of Sequoia Capital China, said that HAI ROBOTICS has made itself an exemplar in the logistics sector with its ACR system. "The case-handling robot is riding on the market trend that shifts towards smaller workflows, such as from pallet-picking to totes-picking. We're very pleased to see the company's fast growth with good innovation," he said. About HAI ROBOTICS HAI ROBOTICS, a trailblazer of autonomous case-handling (ACR) system, is committed to providing efficient, intelligent, flexible, and customized warehouse automation solutions through robotics technology and AI algorithms. It aims to create value for each factory and logistics warehouse. The HAIPICK ACR system, independently developed in 2015, is the world's first of its kind. The company has a yearly turnout of 10,000 robots with a 18,000 sqm factory in Dongguan, China. Founded in 2016 with headquarters in Shenzhen, China, HAI ROBOTICS has set up five subsidiaries in Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore, the U.S. and the Netherlands, serving customers from more than 30 countries and regions. It now has over 1,000 staff, more than 50% of which are engineers. The company has acquired more than 400 global patents for core intellectual properties involving positioning, robot control and warehouse management. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/warehouse-robotics-startup-hai-robotics-secures-200m-funding-301382156.html SOURCE HAI ROBOTICS

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[September 21, 2021] MDT Releases TMR13DX Magnetic Switch Sensors with Pre-programmed Switching Points Based on Customer Requests

MDT's Multi-purpose Programmable TMR Sensor Design Offers Greater Versatility across Diverse Applications and Requirements, Assuring Customers with Stable Supply during Semiconductor Supply Shortages SAN JOSE, Calif., and ZHANGJIAGANG, China, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MultiDimension Technology Co., Ltd. (MDT), a leading supplier of magnetic sensors specializing in Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) technology, will release the TMR13DX pre-programmed TMR magnetic switch sensors at Sensors Converge 2021. TMR13DX allows factory-presetting of switching threshold parameters before delivery based on customer requests. It offers performance consistency with enhanced adaptability for a variety of applications including utility meters, proximity switches, liquid level sensing, linear and rotary position sensing. "The multi-function programmable sensor design of TMR13DX is suitable for various operating conditions of many magnetic sensor applications. Combined with MDT's unique TMR sensor design, TMR13DX's built-in signal conditioning circuitry and programmable logic unit can perform factory presetting of the on/off switching thresholds as well as the sensing polarity and output interface. It provides a universal solution that is readily available to meet new requirements from the market, without requiring customers to modify their designs, thus greatly accelerating their design cycle and time-to-market," said Dr. Song Xue, Chairman and CEO of MultiDimension Technology. "In today's semiconductor supply shortages, our ability to deliver this versatile and ready-to-use solution will promptly facilitate new customers who are looking for alternatives to short-supplied products on the market. Current MDT customers will also benefit from TMR13DX as a pin-to-pin compatible backup option to secure their supply during this difficult time." TMR13DX is available in the following default configurations, with options to factory-preset alternative switching points, different polarities (omnipolar, bipolar, or unipolar), and customizable output interface (open-drain or push-pull, active-high or active-low).







Part Number Operating Point (Gauss) Release Point (Gauss) Common Features TMR13D3 40 30 omnipolar, push-pull,

active-low, -40~125C,

1.8~5.5V, 1.5A low-

power, high-speed in

continuous-power,

SOT23-3 or TO-92S

package TMR13D5 30 20 TMR13D7 20 14 TMR13D9 10 5

The latest TMR13DX production release covers MDT's 1.5A microAmpere continuous-power TMR switch series. This capability will be expended to the nanoAmpere ultra-low power TMR switch series in 2022. Please contact MDT for samples, pricing and delivery information, or visit MDT at Sensors Converge 2021, booth 535 in San Jose, California in Sep. 22~23. About MDT

MultiDimension Technology was founded in 2010 in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province, China, with branch offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Ningbo in China, Tokyo, Japan, and San Jose, Calif., USA. MDT has developed a unique intellectual property portfolio, and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities that can support volume production of high-performance, low-cost TMR magnetic sensors to satisfy the most demanding application needs. Led by its core management team of elite experts and veterans in magnetic sensor technology and engineering services, MDT is committed to creating added value for its customers and ensuring their success. For more information about MDT please visit http://www.multidimensiontech.com. Media Contacts

Jinfeng Liu, jinfeng.liu@dowayusa.com,

Tel: +1-650-275-2318 (US), +86-189-3612-1156 (China)

Jilie Wei, kevin.wei@dowaytech.com,

Tel: +86-189-3612-1160 (China) SOURCE MultiDimension Technology Co., Ltd.

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[September 21, 2021] EKSA Announces The Release Of GT1 Cobra True Wireless Gaming Earbuds

DENVER, Colo., Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EKSA, a company that develops gaming headsets for PC, PS4, Xbox, announced today the release of its EKSA GT1 Cobra True Wireless Gaming Earbuds. The earbuds, with their patent cobra head design, are crafted for gaming and listening to music. With a 38MS ultra-low latency, the GT1 Cobra True Wireless Gaming Earbuds provide a smooth gaming experience while delivering detailed bass users can feel in their bones. When using the earbuds to listen to music, users will experience innovatively strong audio performance, with thumping bass and crisp treble with stereo sound in music mode for a front-row-like performance. With its new technology, EKSA has harnessed the power of a noise-canceling algorithm for clear communication. In addition, the GT1 Earbuds have an ergonomic design for maximum comfort, coupled with three different size ear tips for maximum comfort.



Designed for an easy user experience, the earbuds, which run on Bluetooth 5.0, have multifunction touch control, and allow the user to play or pause, accept and hang up calls, switch between gaming and music mode, use voice assistant and reject calls all with a tap. The GT1 Cobra True Wireless Gaming Earbuds are also come with hassle-free auto pairing so users can immediately use them every time without a wait. Gamers and music lovers can enjoy up to 36 hours of battery life, as the earbuds hold 6 hours of continuous playtime on a single charge and 30 hours of extra playtime in the case. They also come with a splash resistant IPX4 design.

About EKSA EKSA is a firm that provides gaming headsets for PC, PS4, Xbox, as well as a wide array of other gaming accessories. We use our products every day to make sure we practice what we preach. We are an army of dedicated people who want to provide the best for our customers. We are heroes of a thousand stories. We've slain dragons and traveled through portals. We are Spartans, commanders, kings. We've saved a thousand worlds and countless more lives. Who are we? We are gamers - we are you. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eksa-announces-the-release-of-gt1-cobra-true-wireless-gaming-earbuds-301382209.html SOURCE EKSA

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[September 21, 2021] Alchemy Pay Using Chainlink to Enable Trading on Decentralized Exchanges and Borrowing in DeFi Using ACH

SINGAPORE, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alchemy Pay is now using Chainlink Price Feeds to enable users to buy crypto on decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and obtain loans in leading DeFi lending platforms directly from wallets using Alchemy Pay's ERC-20 utility token, ACH. Chainlink Price Feeds help assure users that they are receiving fair market exchange rates when purchasing assets directly via their wallets on DEXs like Uniswap, Sushiswap, and ForTube using their ACH, as well as when collateralizing DeFi loans with ACH. "It is crucial to the success of our payment gateway solution that the value of ACH is accurately shared throughout the ecosystem," said Alchemy Pay CEO, John Tan. "The accuracy of Chainlink Price Feeds is underpinned by the robust technology Chainlink has deployed to protect against downtime and manipulation." Since the price of assets is not a data feed inherently available on the blockchain, a solution is needed to fetch it off the blockchain (off-chain) and then deliver it on-chain to be referenced when users make transactions involving different cryptocurrencies. It's important that asset prices reflect a volume-weighted average from all trading environments, as opposed to just one exchange, to prevent inaccuracies. Chainlink decentralized oracle networks fetch and deliver the prices, as opposed to a centralized entity. Following Alchemy Pay initial integration in 2020, Chainlink has become a key component in Alchemy Pay's payment gateway system. In order to use Alchemy Pay's payment facilitation services, retailers pledge ACH on the network. By collateralizing ACH, retailers are able to use Alchemy Pay systems to accept cryptocurrencies at their online and physical stores which Alchemy Pay converts to the merchant's required fiat currency. Transactions on the system complete in seconds at about 30% of the cost of legacy payment systems.



Alchemy Pay connects with merchants through major platforms like Shopify, Binance, and QFPay, which represent more than 2 million touchpoints worldwide. Chainlink already helps secure tens of billions in value across DeFi and CeFi. Some of the benefits of Chainlink Price Feeds include:

High-Quality Data  Chainlink Price Feeds source data from numerous premium data aggregators, leading to price data that's aggregated from hundreds of exchanges, weighted by volume, and removing outliers and suspicious volumes.

 Chainlink Price Feeds source data from numerous premium data aggregators, leading to price data that's aggregated from hundreds of exchanges, weighted by volume, and removing outliers and suspicious volumes. Secure Node Operators  Chainlink Price Feeds are secured by independent, security-reviewed, and Sybil-resistant oracle nodes run by leading blockchain developers with a strong track record for reliability, even during high gas prices and extreme network congestion.

 Chainlink Price Feeds are secured by independent, security-reviewed, and Sybil-resistant oracle nodes run by leading blockchain developers with a strong track record for reliability, even during high gas prices and extreme network congestion. Decentralized Network  Chainlink Price Feeds are decentralized at the data source, oracle node, and oracle network levels, generating strong protections against downtime and tampering.

 Chainlink Price Feeds are decentralized at the data source, oracle node, and oracle network levels, generating strong protections against downtime and tampering. Economy of Scale  Chainlink Price Feeds benefit from an economy of scale, where increasing adoption allows multiple projects to collectively use and fund shared oracle networks to fetch commonly required datasets. This allows DeFi projects to get premium data quality and robust oracle security for a fraction of the total cost of traditional feeds. "Our hybrid crypto-fiat system enables both crypto and fiat for everyday digital payments - large or small - in a single system," said Tan. "This requires an accurately represented ACH token moment by moment. We can depend on Chainlink for that." About Chainlink Chainlink is the industry standard for building, accessing, and selling oracle services needed to power hybrid smart contracts on any blockchain. Chainlink oracle networks provide smart contracts with a way to reliably connect to any external API and leverage secure off-chain computations for enabling feature-rich applications. Chainlink currently secures tens of billions of dollars across DeFi, insurance, gaming, and other major industries, and offers global enterprises and leading data providers a universal gateway to all blockchains. Learn more about Chainlink by visiting chain.link or read the documentation at docs.chain.link . To discuss an integration, reach out to an expert . About Alchemy Pay Alchemy Pay is the inventor of the world's first hybrid fiat and digital currency gateway solution for businesses and investors. Alchemy Pay powers seamless crypto and fiat acceptance for merchant networks, developers and financial institutions, and powers adoption of blockchain technology by making crypto investment and DeFi services readily accessible to consumers and institutions in the fiat economy. Today, Alchemy operates in 18 countries and regions and has touchpoints with more than 2 million merchants through partnerships with industry giants such as Binance, Shopify, Arcadier, QFPay and more. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alchemy-pay-using-chainlink-to-enable-trading-on-decentralized-exchanges-and-borrowing-in-defi-using-ach-301382233.html SOURCE Alchemy Pay

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[September 22, 2021] Cerberus Telecom Acquisition Corp. Announces New Date for Special Meeting of Shareholders and Additional Sources of Liquidity for Post-Closing Public Company

Cerberus Telecom Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: CTAC.U, NYSE: CTAC, NYSE: CTAC WS) ("CTAC") today announced that the Extraordinary Special Meeting ("Special Meeting") of its shareholders has been rescheduled to occur at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. The Special Meeting will take place in person at Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands, and virtually via live webcast at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on September 29, 2021. It can be accessed by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/ctac/sm2021. The proxy statement and any supplements thereto are available in the "Documents" section of the CTAC website and on the SEC (News - Alert) website at http://www.sec.gov. During the past week, CTAC has secured additional sources of liquidity of up to $65 million for the post-closing public company. Such additional liquidity will be made available by certain holders of preferred shares of the ultimate parent entity of KORE Wireless Group, Inc. ("KORE") electing to receive share consideration in lieu of $40 million of cash consideration and by a commitment from Fortress Credit Corp. ("Fortress") to provide up to $25 million in additional convertible debt financing, each as further described below. "We at CTAC are very pleased to see KORE going public with such strong liquidity," commented CTAC's Chief Executive Officer Timothy Donahue. "Despite having sufficient funding to satisfy closing conditions last week, the parties felt that it would be beneficial to increase the amount of free cash available on KORE's post-closing balance sheet to help fund and accelerate KORE's growth as a public company. We believe that the incremental commitments from our partners at Abry and Fortress evidence the confidence of two of CTAC's largest stakeholders. With these additional sources of liquidity, KORE will start as a public company with over $100 million of post-closing liquidity available to it. This liquidity will benefit all of CTAC's stakeholders by even better positioning KORE to execute on its plans to accelerate growth through cross selling, adding new customers and identifying highly accretive M&A opportunities. We are incredibly excited by this development and believe these changes position KORE for continued success." The business combination is expected to close on or about September 30, 2021, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all applicable closing conditions. Merger Agreement Amendment On September 21, 2021, CTAC entered into that certain Second Amendment (the "Second Amendment") to the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of March 12, 2021, as amended on July 27, 2021 (as further amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with its terms, the "Merger Agreement") in respect of the proposed business combination between CTAC and the ultimate parent company of KORE. Pursuant to the Second Amendment, in order to increase the liquidity of the post-closing public company ("Pubco") following completion of the business combination, certain preferred stockholders of the ultimate parent company of KORE (the "Electing Holders") have elected to receive payment consisting of 4,000,000 shares of common stock of Pubco, par value $0.0001 per share ("Pubco Common Stock"), to be issued by Pubco at $10.00 per share, in lieu of receiving cash consideration in the aggregate amount of $40 million, which such Electing Holders otherwise would have been entitled to receive. Additionally, in order to facilitate this liquidity enhancing election, Cerberus Telecom Acquisition Holdings, LLC, CTAC's sponsor, has agreed to contribute 600,000 CTAC Class B Ordinary Shares to CTAC, which shares will be cancelled by CTAC in conjunction with the issuance by Pubco, pursuant to the terms of the Second Amendment, of an additional 600,000 shares of Pubco Common Stock to the Electing Holders. Fortress Commitment Letter As an additional source of liquidity, KORE has obtained from Fortress a commitment letter (the "Commitment Letter") pursuant to which Fortress will make additional financing available to KORE, at KORE's option and subject to certain terms and conditions, in the aggregate amount of up to $25 million of additional notes under the Indenture to entered into in connection with the backstop financing agreement dated as of July 27, 2021 by and among KORE and Fortress. This commitment can be accepted at any tie after Closing (as defined in the Merger Agreement) and prior to October 2, 2021 on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Commitment Letter. If accepted, the commitment will remain available until October 31, 2021.



Redemptions and CTAC Special Meeting The option of CTAC's public shareholders to tender and redeem their shares in connection with the business combination expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 14, 2021. CTAC's public shareholders have until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 to withdraw their redemptions. As of the date of this press release, taking into account withdrawals of redemptions received by CTAC following the redemption deadline, approximately 86.32% of CTAC's public shareholders had tendered their shares for redemption.

CTAC recommends that its shareholders wishing to vote at the Special Meeting log in at least 15 minutes before the Special Meeting starts, if attending virtually. CTAC encourages its shareholders entitled to vote at the Special Meeting to vote their shares via proxy in advance of the Special Meeting by following the instructions on the proxy card. A list of CTAC shareholders entitled to vote at the Special Meeting will be open to the examination of any CTAC shareholder, for any purpose germane to the Special Meeting, during regular business hours for a period of 10 calendar days before the Special Meeting. For assistance voting your shares, please contact Morrow Sodali LLC, CTAC's proxy solicitor, toll-free at 1-(800) 662-5200 or via email at ctac.info@investor.morrowsodali.com. About CTAC CTAC is a blank check company formed by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. ("Cerberus"), a global leader in alternative investing. CTAC is led by CEO Tim Donahue (News - Alert) , former Executive Chairman of Sprint Nextel and former CEO of Nextel Communications, and is proud to have the support of a distinguished advisory board comprised of senior executives and business leaders from the information and communications technology sector. For more information, visit www.cerberusacquisition.com. About Cerberus Founded in 1992, Cerberus is a global leader in alternative investing with approximately $55 billion in assets across complementary credit, private equity, and real estate strategies. We invest across the capital structure where our integrated investment platforms and proprietary operating capabilities create an edge to improve performance and drive long-term value. Our tenured teams have experience working collaboratively across asset classes, sectors, and geographies to seek strong risk-adjusted returns for our investors. Cerberus has a dedicated focus on next-generation technologies and telecommunication solutions. Our team of technologists and network of advisors collaborate across our investment and operating platforms to identify opportunities and manage investments in critical IoT, edge computing, artificial intelligence, private wireless networks, network equipment, autonomy, aerospace, and ecosystem development. For more information about our people and platforms, visit us at www.cerberus.com. Important Information and Where to Find It This press release references the proposed merger transaction announced previously involving Cerberus Telecom Acquisition Corp. ("CTAC") and KORE. CTAC and King Pubco, Inc. ("Pubco") filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC, which includes a proxy statement of CTAC and a prospectus of Pubco, and CTAC will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC. A definitive proxy statement/prospectus was sent to the shareholders of CTAC, seeking required shareholder approval. Before making any voting or investment decision, investors and security holders of CTAC are urged to carefully read the entire registration statement and proxy statement/prospectus and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to these documents, because they will contain important information about the proposed transaction. The documents filed by CTAC with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the documents filed by CTAC with the SEC may be obtained free of charge from CTAC's website at www.cerberusacquisition.com or upon written request to Cerberus Telecom Acquisition Corp., 875 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022. This press release, similar to the previous announcement, does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of any 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 such other jurisdiction. CTAC, KORE and certain of their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of CTAC, in favor of the approval of the merger. Information regarding CTAC's and KORE's directors and executive officers and other persons who may be deemed participants in the transaction may be obtained by reading the registration statement and the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become available. Free copies of these documents may be obtained as described above. This press release includes certain statements that are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "plan," "predict," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future," "outlook," and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of revenue and other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity and expectations. These statements are based on various assumptions and on the current expectations of CTAC or KORE's management. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor or other person as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of CTAC and/or KORE. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including general economic, financial, legal, political and business conditions and changes in domestic and foreign markets; the potential effects of COVID-19; risks related to the rollout of KORE's business and the timing of expected business milestones; changes in the assumptions underlying KORE's expectations regarding its future business; the effects of competition on KORE's future business; and the outcome of judicial proceedings to which KORE is, or may become a party. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that KORE presently does not know or that KORE currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect KORE's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. KORE and CTAC anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause these assessments to change. However, while KORE and/or CTAC may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, each of KORE and CTAC specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing KORE's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921006178/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Mindtree Expands in Europe and Asia-Pacific with Executive Appointments to Accelerate Next Phase of Growth

LONDON and MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindtree, a global technology services and digital transformation company, is expanding in Europe and Asia-Pacific. The company has made several key executive appointments to further accelerate growth in the two markets. The company has appointed Klaus Seifert as Head of Strategy for Europe and Chief Business Officer for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH). Munich-based Seifert brings more than two decades of experience in sales, business development, and P&L management across diverse industry sectors. He was formerly the head of Global Technology Services for DACH at IBM. Erik Julius Larsen has joined the company as Chief Business Officer for Nordics and Benelux. Larsen's experience of more than 25 years includes several executive positions in the IT industry across northern Europe. Prior to joining Mindtree, he worked at Cognizant as Country Manager and Head of Sales for Nordics. Dominic Del Giudice has been appointed as Chief Business Officer for Asia-Pacific. Melbourne-based Del Giudice joins Mindtree with more than two decades of management consulting, business and digital transformation, and enterprise and technology solutions experience with lage multinational companies. He joins Mindtree from IBM, where he was Vice President and Senior Partner at IBM Global Business Services across Asia-Pacific and Australia/New Zealand.



"We are making sustained investments in Europe and Asia-Pacific as part of our 4X4X4 strategy aimed at strengthening our leadership capabilities and strategic partnerships in these markets to drive superior growth," said Venu Lambu, Executive Director and President, Global Markets, Mindtree. "We are excited about the depth of industry and technology expertise that these leaders bring to our clients. With businesses in Europe and Asia-Pacific increasingly seeking strategic technology partnerships to maximize revenues and growth, strong leadership with a deep understanding of these markets is vital to our ability to help our clients unlock value from digital transformation." About Mindtree

Mindtree (NSE: MINDTREE) is a global technology consulting and services company, helping enterprises marry scale with agility to achieve competitive advantage. "Born digital," in 1999 and now a Larsen & Toubro Group Company, Mindtree applies its deep domain knowledge to 260 enterprise client engagements to break down silos, make sense of digital complexity and bring new initiatives to market faster. We enable IT to move at the speed of business, leveraging emerging technologies and the efficiencies of Continuous Delivery to spur business innovation. Operating in 24 countries across the world, we're consistently regarded as one of the best places to work, embodied every day by our winning culture made up of over 27,000 entrepreneurial, collaborative and dedicated "Mindtree Minds." To learn more about us, visit www.mindtree.com or follow us @Mindtree_Ltd For more information, contact: media@mindtree.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1631792/KLAUS_SEIFERT_MINDTREE.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1631796/ERIK_JULIUS_LARSEN_MINDTREE.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1631799/DOMINIC_DEL_GIUDICE_MINDTREE.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1004066/Mindtree_Logo.jpg

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[September 22, 2021] CloudMile has achieved Managed Services Provider (MSP) status with Google Cloud in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of meeting rigorous standards for systems and network management, security, customer service, and support excellence, CloudMile is now able to offer its clients access to additional services as a Google Cloud Managed Service Provider. These include 24/7 monitoring, multi-account management, system performance tuning and monthly reporting. CloudMile is a leading provider of cloud and AI application development and managed IT services for businesses in Singapore. The company, which was launched in 2017 by Spencer Liu, who led a team of technology specialists with extensive industry experience and deep understanding of customer needs, was the cloud service provider to be awarded full MSP status in Taiwan from Google Cloud. CloudMile now gets to extend a full swing cloud service in Singapore. Other Accolades for CloudMile Include: - Awarded 2020 Google Cloud Public Sector Partner of the Year in APAC - Achieved four professional specializations of Google Cloud: Machine Learning, Infrastructure, Data Analytics, and Cloud Migration - Won the favor of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers and Asia's large financial services companies CloudMile provides managed service offerings for Google Cloud including Google Workspace, Cloud Storage, Data Engineering, Bg Query, App Engine and more. Additionally, CloudMile provides end-to-end cloud computing solutions for clients looking to migrate their applications and workloads. The results of the managed service offerings from CloudMile are a substantial improvement in overall business efficiency, and cost savings from greater productivity.



CloudMile is an award-winning Google Cloud Premier Partner with over 120+ certifications and served over 400 companies in Asia. CloudMile provides the managed service support to maintain high up time for Our Better World, who find and tell stories of people doing good in Asia. Jeremy Heng, the Head of Our Better World credits their success partly on the managed services support of CloudMile: "At Our Better World, we believe in the power of impact storytelling. In 2020, our stories of good helped to inspire over 228,000 positive actions for communities in need. CloudMile supported our journey by improving site performance and ensuring an optimal content viewing experience of our stories of good across Asia." Pua Yong Xiang, the CTO of an online ordering platform, Oddle said, "we have always been committed to the quest for better delivery and takeout service." He added the growing ordering business due to COVID. "Building a digital native business means we rely a lot on cloud to support our growing demand during this pandemic, and understanding our customers to cater to their needs better. With the support of CloudMile we have leveraged Google Cloud's Big Query to analyse our consumer's behaviour to facilitate better recommendation to them on food choices." Clients can also leverage the expertise of CloudMile consultants to lead their IT transformation journey with Google Cloud.

CloudMile's headquarter is based in Singapore with an office now open in Malaysia as well. The company's head office is located at 7 Temasek Boulevard, #40-01B Suntec Tower One, Singapore. For press enquiries, please contact cathy.lin@mile.cloud or call +886-920-994-299. About CloudMile CloudMile, a leading AI and cloud technology company in Asia, focuses on digital transformation for its corporate clients and driving growth. Leveraging machine learning and big data analysis, CloudMile assists over 400 clients corporates with business forecasts and industrial upgrades. CloudMile has earned 120+ accreditations, with 70+ Google Cloud professional certifications. Being the Premier Partner of Google Cloud, CloudMile is qualified for Machine Learning Specialization, Data Analytics Specialization, Cloud Migration Specialization and Infrastructure Specialization. In 2020, CloudMile becomes Taiwan's first Google Cloud Managed Service Provider (MSP) and the Public Sector Partner of the Year in the APAC region. Website: https://www.mile.cloud/ SOURCE CloudMile

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[September 22, 2021] Entrust Empowers Digital Financial Card Issuance with Acquisition of Antelop Solutions

Entrust, a global leader in trusted identity, payments and data protection, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Antelop Solutions, a financial technology company that enables financial institutions to issue secure digital credit and debit cards to their customers. Combining Antelop's solutions with the industry leading Entrust (News - Alert) card issuance portfolio, Entrust can help banks and financial institutions around the world create integrated, seamless digital and physical financial card and payment experiences for their customers. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921006052/en/ Paris-based Antelop Solutions was founded in 2014 and its customer base includes more than 40 leading banks in 25 countries. The firm has about 30 employees who will join Entrust with the acquisition, including founder and CEO Nicolas Bruley. He will continue to lead this team to advance digital financial credential solutions at Entrust. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Consumers want to transact seamlessly and securely, around the world and across platforms," said Todd Wilkinson, CEO of Entrust. "Banks, credit unions and other financial institutions need to make both digital and physical card payment options secure and easy for their cardholders. Entrust is the world leader in secure payment card issuance -- the combination of Entrust and Antelop Solutions will empower financial institutions with an unmatched portfolio of digital and physical credential issuance and transaction security solutions." "We are extremely pleased to join the Entrust team," said Nicolas Bruley, CEO of Antelop Solutions. "Our game-changing technology greatly reduces the complexity of issuing digital payment offerings. As a certified Visa, Mastercard and Cartes Bancaires (CB) partner, we can deliver fast, secure integration of all card features ono a single digital payment credential. This empowers banks, credit unions and other issuers to offer true digital-first payment credentials that fully align with consumer expectations for simplicity and security."



The Antelop One Digital Card solution enables banks to deliver and manage digital cards securely in customer mobile apps with a single software development kit (SDK). This includes token management, NFC payments, customer authentication, secure interface, and APIs to launch digital cards into all major mobile wallets (i.e., Apple, Google, Samsung and more). Antelop solutions are PCI (News - Alert) -DSS certified and help enable compliance with European PSD2 regulations. "Entrust is empowering our customers to meet the challenge of next-generation payment solutions," said Mike Baxter, SVP of Product Development at Entrust. "By bringing the Antelop secure digital financial credential solutions into the Entrust portfolio, customers will gain access to the latest thinking and innovation across the consumer payments ecosystem. Entrust has been investing and leading innovation in financial credentials for more than 50 years, and we expect this to continue for decades to come."

The acquisition is expected to close in the next several weeks. Cornet Vincent Segurel provided legal advice to Entrust on the transaction. To learn more about the acquisition of Antelop by Entrust, visit www.entrust.com/issuance-systems/products/software/entrust-digital-card-solution. Or if you are attending Money 20/20 Europe in Amsterdam come see us in Hall 1 at booth D60. About Antelop Solutions Founded in 2014, Antelop is the Digital Card Partner of banks, certified Visa, Mastercard and CB, answering their digitization challenges. The company digitizes cards and secure banking apps, enabling banks to go mobile first and deploy all-digital card features into their mobile applications through a single software development kit (SDK). Supported by large international partners, Antelop's solutions are live with more than 40 banks in more than 25 countries. Learn more at www.antelop-solutions.com. About Entrust Corporation Entrust keeps the world moving safely by enabling trusted identities, payments and data protection. Today more than ever, people demand seamless, secure experiences, whether they're crossing borders, making a purchase, accessing e-government services or logging into corporate networks. Entrust offers an unmatched breadth of digital security and credential issuance solutions at the very heart of all these interactions. With more than 2,500 colleagues, a network of global partners, and customers in over 150 countries, it's no wonder the world's most entrusted organizations trust us. For more information, visit www.entrust.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921006052/en/

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[September 22, 2021] RFOX Media Introduces Play-to-Eat Gaming Model in Myanmar with New Mobile Game RFOX Run

MANILA, Philippines, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RFOX Media , a subsidiary of Southeast Asia based RedFOX Labs , has launched RFOX Run, a new jump-and-run casual game in Myanmar, powered by prolific tournament game platform Goama . RFOX Run introduces a new gaming rewards model called Play-to-Eat, an innovation of the increasingly popular Play-to-Earn model, where players that are identified as winners and have signed up for an RFOX ID can redeem food vouchers from foodpanda, the leading food delivery service in Myanmar.

At RedFOX Labs, we believe that blockchain companies have a responsibility to explore humanitarian approaches to the innovations they produce. Through our Play-to-Eat model, we believe that RFOX Run users will gain the dual benefits of food rewards and blockchain education, providing them with both immediate- and long-term solutions. The top RFOX Run players can claim their prizes through the RFOX Media website by registering for an RFOX ID. Winners will receive foodpanda vouchers redeemable with a unique voucher ID, and get their choice of food delivered to their doorstep. To kickstart the campaign, RFOX Media has allocated $22,000 worth of vouchers as rewards. The global play-to-earn market, mainly driven by blockchain-based companies, has experienced exponential growth this year, with a total market capitalization of $9.21 billion and average year-to-date growth rates of 1,604.12%, according to analysis from CoinMarketCap data on 36 identified play-to-earn companies. From a larger perspective, the video game industry is currently valued at around $170 billion and is expected to grow to $268 billion after five years, according to CoinTelegraph. In this context, RFOX Media can become a crucial participant in the high-growth play-to-earn market through RFOX Run. Its unique approach to encourage further adoption through play-to-eat and other models reflects RedFOX Labs endeavors in empowering blockchain-related growth in Southeast Asia. RedFOX Labs also operates RedFOX Games, which currently runs the KOGs Slam! NFT game on closed beta testing, with more products about to launch. Earlier this month, RFOX Media and Goama entered a partnership for the launch of RFOX Run in Myanmar, with plans to extend the relationship across the Southeast Asia region. This collaboration brings together an audience of more than 20 million Southeast Asian residents and aims at serving the largely untapped gaming market in Myanmar. Ben Fairbank, CEO, and Co-founder of RedFOX Labs commented:

"Just weeks after we revealed the partnership between RFOX Media and Goama, Im happy to see that it has delivered innovative results through the new RFOX Run game and the first-of-its-kind Play-to-Eat model in Myanmar. The Myanmar market is still so young, with a lot of potential, and through this collaboration we have quickly launched a new casual game that has an added benefit of rewardin top players with food. We look forward to serving millions in Myanmar with innovative gaming solutions like this, among other things we are planning to launch in the future for the country.



Wayne Kennedy, CPO and Co-founder of Goama said:

"We at Goama are very thrilled to work with RedFOX Labs to be the first ones to bring both NFTs and tournament prizes to Myanmar! This furthers our ambition of bringing a casual eSports platform to leading apps throughout Southeast Asia. We're also very happy to have created RFOX Run, where users can compete for the top spot and at the same time be compensated with food vouchers! About RedFOX Labs

RedFOX Labs is a Southeast Asian venture builder that identifies and builds successful business models for the region's emerging markets. It is focused on unlocking the true market value of the Southeast Asian digital economy for high consumer demand services such as e-commerce, e-media, e-travel, and esports/gaming and focuses on adding value to the digital economy using emerging technologies such as blockchain. As a company, its value is tradable through its native token ( $RFOX ).

RedFOX Labs Official Channels:

Buy RFOX: https://www.redfoxlabs.io/rfox

Website: https://www.redfoxlabs.io/rfox

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redfoxlabs.io

Twitter: https://twitter.com/redfoxlabs_io

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjSvr6RFSMlN00mWRiU0mSQ

RFOX Games Twitter: https://twitter.com/RFOX_GAMES

KOGS Twitter: https://twitter.com/KOGS_GG

KOGS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kogs.gg/

KOGS Discord: https://discord.gg/5kNdg7U9bU About foodpanda

foodpanda is a leading delivery platform in Asia dedicated to bringing consumers a wide range of food, groceries and more, quickly and conveniently. Powered by technology and operational excellence, foodpanda is spearheading the growth of quick-commerce (q-commerce) across the region with its network of retail partners, as well as pandamart cloud stores to provide more on-demand options beyond the millions of food delivery options. foodpanda operates in more than 400 cities across 12 markets in Asia - Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Japan. foodpanda is a subsidiary of Delivery Hero, a global leader of the food delivery industry. www.foodpanda.com About Goama

Goama is a leader in platform gamification, setting the benchmark in digital innovation and user engagement, working with some of the worlds biggest superapps and brands. Its turnkey solution offers a plug and play platform that creates unique gamified experiences that empower its business partners to build engaged communities. Goama has partnerships with the leading apps across 24+ countries to help them drive user engagement, increase monetization opportunities, and acquire new users. https://goama.com Media Contact

yourPRstrategist.com , asiatokenfund.com

cecilia@yourprstrategist.com

pr@yourPRstrategist.com



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[September 22, 2021] Flawed: Cayman Finance Challenges Credibility Of Tax Justice Network's Biannual Financial Secrecy Index

Cayman Finance has today released a new study that critically assesses the methodology and data used to assess the Cayman Islands in Tax Justice Network's (TJN) 'Financial Secrecy Index' (FSI). Significant flaws in TJN's choice of data and scoring have rendered the 2020 report an unreliable source for accurate information about the Cayman Islands financial services industry. Future TJN reports' will also lack credibility without critical changes in the application of their own methodology - and Cayman Finance will continue to scrutinise and analyse future editions to ensure continued accountability. Ahead of the anticipated publication of the other TJN reports this fall, Cayman Finance commissioned the review to analyse the calculations of the previous report published in 2020, which incorrectly placed the Cayman Islands first globally in its secrecy ranking. This analysis, by accomplished economist Julian Morris, identified significant flaws in how TJN applied its own original methodology, which resulted in distorted final rankings, creating biased and misleading conclusions. "The Cayman Islands has demonstrated its commitment to the common fight for effective global transparency and international cooperation standards. However, a report on transparency needs to be transparent itself and Tax Justice Network's 2020 Financial Secrecy Index's failure to meet that standard compromises the credibility of its conclusions," said Jude Scott, the CEO of Cayman Finance. "TJN used estimates and unqualified assumptions when accurate data was publicly available. Without substantial changes to TJN's application of their own methodology in future reports, the credibility of those assessments as independent resources used by other organisations will be lost." Cayman Finance's analysis found that TJN's 2020 Financial Secrecy Index had: Used inaccurate methodology - the FSI report failed to follow its own methodology when calculating a Global Scale Weight (GSW) - the primary factor for determining a jurisdiction's score -- for Cayman. TJN chose to use portfolio liabilities instead of publicly-available data for financial services exports. As a result, TJN's estimate of GSW for Cayman was nearly 9 times what it shuld have been. If TJN had accurately applied their own methodology on just this point, Cayman would already drop down to 6th on the FSI.



Used biased criteria - the FSI report used biased Key Financial Secrecy Indicators, thereby skewing Cayman's score further. For example, the FSI gives Cayman a 100% secrecy score for lack of public access to civil tax proceedings even though Cayman has no such proceedings because it does not have corporate or personal income tax. If these biased indicators were removed or more accurately scored along with a correct GSW calculation, Cayman would drop down even further on the FSI list to 34th position. Julian Morris, leading economist and author of the Cayman Finance report, explains further: "While the FSI is clearly an ambitious attempt to identify jurisdictions that contribute to illicit financial flows, inappropriate and statistically questionable use of its metrics undermine the integrity of their findings. Unless TJN makes significant changes in future reports-in particular, to use accurate data, to adjust or remove biased indicators, and to aggregate data using proper statistical methods --the FSI should not be taken seriously as an assessment of jurisdictions' contributions to illicit financial flows."

Scott concludes: "We are confident in the leadership the Cayman Islands Government and our financial services industry have shown in adopting global standards for transparency and tax information sharing. While fraud is a global issue that we all have a continued role in tackling, both the EU and the OECD have recently reviewed the Cayman Islands tax neutral regime and found it to be transparent, consistent with good tax governance principles and without the existence of harmful tax regimes. Those are the kinds of internationally-recognised assessments that should be considered when assessing the Cayman Islands." A 'Review of TJN's Financial Secrecy Index' by Julian Morris, as well as analyses of other TJN reports, can be found at www.caymanfinance.ky. About Cayman Finance: Cayman Finance is the association of the financial services industry of the Cayman Islands, a premier global tax neutral financial hub efficiently connecting law abiding users and providers of investment capital and financing around the world. Cayman Finance represents first rate service providers within investment funds and asset management, banking, insurance, reinsurance, capital markets, and trusts sectors and world class fiduciary, legal, and public accounting service providers. Additionally, Cayman Finance represents 15 industry associations. Learn more at:www.caymanfinance.ky About Jude Scott: Jude Scott is a respected and recognised expert on global financial services and has served as CEO of Cayman Finance since 2014. He retired as an Audit Partner in 2008 after spending over 23 years with Ernst & Young and previously served as the Global CEO of Maples and Calder. Jude attained extensive experience within the Cayman Islands' financial services industry, having served on various government and private sector committees, including: the Cayman Islands Financial Services Council; the Cayman Islands Society of Professional Accountants; the Education Council; the Insolvency Rules Committee; and the Stock Exchange. About Julian Morris: Julian Morris is an economist with over 25 years' experience in think tanks and academia. A Senior Fellow at Reason Foundation, Senior Scholar at the International Center for Law and Economics, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, he is the author of dozens of scholarly articles and the editor of several books. Julian's work focuses on the role of political and legal institutions as they relate to entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable development. A graduate of Edinburgh University, Julian has Masters degrees from University College London and Cambridge University, and a law degree from the University of Westminster. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005299/en/

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[September 22, 2021] CGTN: China leads green development, vows no new coal-fired power projects abroad

BEIJING, Sept. 22, 2021 /CNW/ -- After pledging to strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, China has taken another remarkable and practical step in pursuing green development. China will step up support for other developing countries in promoting green and low-carbon energy and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad, announced President Xi Jinping at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) via video on Tuesday. This is not surprising but of great significance, as China has previously cooperated with several countries along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) towards "greening" the initiative. Global development initiative Phasing out coal investments would be promising to reduce carbon emissions, which pose a threat to the United Nations' (UN) Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, especially Goal 13 on climate action. Besides decreasing coal-fired power projects, China has pledged an additional $3 billion of international assistance in the next three years to support developing countries in responding to COVID-19 and promoting economic and social recovery. "Development holds the key to people's well-being," Xi said, adding that countries need to work together to steer global development towards a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive growth. Beijing has highlighted its willingness to work with the international community, including the United States, to jointly advance global environmental governance. For instance, through joint partnership, China has established the Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition, which serves as a platform for BRI cooperation on green development. Under the platform, China has provided more than 2,000 trainin opportunities for environmental protection officials, experts and technicians from over 120 participating countries.



Adhering to green development is engraved in the Chinese government through the Constitution and the master blueprint of national development as an ecological civilization to be observed in all socioeconomic developments and political agendas. Beating COVID-19 remains a major task

Undoubtedly, though many countries are busy trying to rebuild their economies amid the pandemic, COVID-19 is still raging in the world, with the number of new cases rising every day globally. Under such circumstances, President Xi called for putting people and their lives first, taking a science-based approach to origins tracing, enhancing the coordinated global COVID-19 response and minimizing the risk of cross-border virus transmission. Noting that vaccination is a powerful weapon against COVID-19, he stressed the pressing priority is to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally. China has promised to provide a total of two billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the world by the end of this year and has donated 100 million doses of the vaccine to other developing countries in the course of this year in addition to $100 million to COVAX. Practicing true multilateralism is critical Whether it is improving global environmental governance or beating COVID-19, multilateralism is paramount, which is another key point of Xi's statement at the UNGA. "The UN should hold high the banner of true multilateralism and serve as the central platform for countries to jointly safeguard universal security, share development achievements and chart the course for the future of the world," Xi said. The Chinese president called on the UN to increase the representation and say of developing countries in international affairs and take the lead in advancing democracy and the rule of law in international relations. China, a staunch supporter of multilateralism President Xi also called for building a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation, stressing that the practice of forming small circles or zero-sum games should be rejected. "One country's success does not have to mean another country's failure, and the world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries," he said, adding that differences and problems among countries need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect. As the largest developing country, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the second-largest contributor to the UN's regular budget and peacekeeping assessments, China has always actively supported the work of the United Nations, firmly safeguarded the international system and upheld multilateralism with concrete actions. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has hosted a series of major international events, including the G20 Hangzhou Summit, the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the China International Import Expo, and the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-09-22/China-leads-green-development-with-another-practical-step-13KX5J87auI/index.html View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cgtn-china-leads-green-development-vows-no-new-coal-fired-power-projects-abroad-301382406.html SOURCE CGTN

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[September 22, 2021] The 18th Western China International Fair Set Singapore as Guest Country of Honor

CHENGDU, China, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore becomes the Guest Country of Honor (GCH) at the 18th Western China International Fair (WCIF), which took place in Chengdu, Sichuan from September 16-20, under the theme of "New Era of China, New Opportunities for Western China". The event is expected to attract over 50,000 exhibitors and visitors from 66 countries and regions, who were present at the fair on site or online. Since its inauguration in 2000, the WCIF has been successfully held 17 times. Over the past 17 sessions, a total of 12,000 investment agreements have been signed, and the accumulated exhibition areas have exceeded 2 million square meters, with more than 60,000 exhibitors. Therefore, WCF has acted as a strong economic engine to boost the high quality development in western China.



Singapore is the first Southeast Asian country to be the GCH at the WCIF. This indicates that Sichuan Province attaches great importance to internationalization and highlights the province's intention for exploring cooperation with Southeast Asian countries. This also demonstrates the profound friendship between Singapore and Sichuan Province. At the Opening Ceremony of the 18th WCIF, Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower & Second Minister for Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore was entrusted by the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to deliver a video speech, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Lui Tuck Yew, Singapore's ambassador to China, led a delegation to attend the fair. On September 17, the representative of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore addressed the Western China International Forum on Digital Economy Application and Cooperation 2021. On the same day, Singapore and Sichuan co-hosted the 22nd Singapore-Sichuan Trade and Investment Committee (SSTIC) meeting, which was held via video-teleconference.

Singapore has been paying close attention to the development of western China. SSTIC, one of the earliest economic and trade committees established between Singapore and Chinese provinces, was set up in Chengdu, and Singapore-Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park is among the most significant achievements. Going forward, Singapore is expected to deepen cooperation and exchanges with Chengdu and Chongqing in the fields of high-tech and higher education. SOURCE The Western China International Fair

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[September 22, 2021] New Ponemon Institute Research Shows Ransomware Attacks on Healthcare Delivery Organizations Can Lead to Increased Mortality Rate

Ponemon Institute (News - Alert) , the pre-eminent research center dedicated to privacy, data protection, and information security policy, surveyed 597 IT and IT security professionals to understand how COVID-19 has impacted how healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) protect patient care and patient information from increasing virulent cyberattacks, especially ransomware. The independent research report, entitled The Impact of Ransomware on Healthcare During COVID-19 and Beyond, was commissioned by Censinet, the leading healthcare IT risk solutions provider. For the first time, this research shows that ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations may have life-or-death consequences. Nearly one in four healthcare providers reported an increase in mortality rate due to ransomware. The onset of COVID-19 introduced new risk factors to HDOs, including remote work, new systems to support it, staffing challenges, and elevated patient care requirements. The research focuses on helping CIOs, CISOs, and healthcare risk executives understand the extent to which HDOs are being targeted and ascertain the impact of those attacks. Both are covered in-depth in the key findings section of the report. "Our findings correlated increasing cyberattacks, especially ransomware, with negative effects on patient care, exacerbated by the impact of COVID on healthcare providers," said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. "We also analyzed steps that HDOs are taking to protect patient safety, data, and care operations to determine what is working since so many respondents have been victims of more than one ransomware attack. The report highlights the following impact of ransomware on patient care: Increase in mortality rate

More complications from medical procedures

Delays in procedures and tests that resulted in poor outcomes Upturn in patients transferred or diverted to other facilities

Longer lengths of stay



Ponemon Institute and Censinet will present the details of the independent research report in a webinar entitled "Understanding the Impact of Ransomware on Healthcare During COVID-19 and Beyond." It will be presented live on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at 12:00 PM ET and features Dr. Larry Ponemon and Ed Gaudet, both leading advocates and experts in the healthcare information industry. Register here censinet.com/webinar-ponemon-report-covid-impact-ransomware.

To receive a copy of the research report, The Impact of Ransomware on Healthcare During COVID-19 and Beyond, or to learn more about the impact of ransomware on patient care, please visit censinet.com/ponemon-report-covid-impact-ransomware. About Ponemon Institute Ponemon Institute is dedicated to independent research and education that advances responsible information and privacy management practices within business and government. Our mission is to conduct high-quality, empirical studies on critical issues affecting the management and security of sensitive information about people and organizations. We uphold strict data confidentiality, privacy, and ethical research standards. We do not collect any personally identifiable information from individuals (or company identifiable information in our business research). Furthermore, we have strict quality standards to ensure that subjects are not asked extraneous, irrelevant, or improper questions. About Censinet Censinet, based in Boston, MA, enables healthcare organizations to take the risk out of their business with Censinet RiskOps, the first and only cloud-based exchange that integrates and consolidates enterprise risk management and operations capabilities across critical clinical and business areas. RiskOps builds upon the Company's foundational success with third-party risk management (TPRM) for healthcare. Censinet transforms healthcare risk by increasing productivity and operational effectiveness while eliminating risks to care delivery, data privacy, and patient safety. Find out more about Censinet and its RiskOps platform at censinet.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005436/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Labor Shortage, Rising Passenger Volumes Drag on Airport Traveler Satisfaction, J.D. Power Finds

With weekly airline passenger volumes now reaching 75% or more of pre-pandemic levels, travelers have officially come back to North American airports. Unfortunately, according to the J.D. Power 2021 North America Airport Satisfaction Study,? released today, many of them are arriving to find food, beverage and retail options severely limited as airports struggle with a persistent labor shortage. While airports have maintained historically strong customer satisfaction scores throughout the pandemic, reaching an overall record high of 802 (on a 1,000-point scale) this year, the combination of steadily rising passenger volumes and shuttered coffee shops and eateries has caused satisfaction scores to decline significantly through the second and third quarters of 2021 (last half of the study). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005055/en/ J.D. Power 2021 North America Airport Satisfaction Study (Graphic: Business Wire) "Airport customer satisfaction reached all-time highs when passenger volumes were severely suppressed by the pandemic, but as leisure travel rebounded sharply throughout the spring and summer of 2021, we saw an expected downturn in satisfaction," said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power. "Ultimately, the data conveys changing expectations among travelers. Early in the pandemic, passengers were satisfied with any shop or restaurant being open, but they now expect full service at the airport." Following are some key findings of the 2021 study: Record high satisfaction scores belie growing challenges: Overall customer satisfaction with North American airports rises to a record high this year, but much of that improvement was achieved during waves 1 and 2 of the study (July 2020 to January 2021), when passenger volumes were still just a fraction of the historical norm. Over the course of the year, as volumes picked up, satisfaction scores during waves 3 and 4 of the study (January 2021 to July 2021) steadily declined.

Overall customer satisfaction with North American airports rises to a record high this year, but much of that improvement was achieved during waves 1 and 2 of the study (July 2020 to January 2021), when passenger volumes were still just a fraction of the historical norm. Over the course of the year, as volumes picked up, satisfaction scores during waves 3 and 4 of the study (January 2021 to July 2021) steadily declined. Labor shortage translates to lower scores for food, beverage and retail: Food, beverage and retail services are the keys that turn a good airport experience into a great experience. Award recipient airports Miami International and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International also score ighest in the factor for food, beverage and retail in their respective segments. The effects of the labor shortage throughout North America have resulted in several airport dining and retail locations closing, a fact that has disproportionally affected medium-sized airports.

Food, beverage and retail services are the keys that turn a good airport experience into a great experience. Award recipient airports Miami International and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International also score ighest in the factor for food, beverage and retail in their respective segments. The effects of the labor shortage throughout North America have resulted in several airport dining and retail locations closing, a fact that has disproportionally affected medium-sized airports. Major airport construction projects are a swing factor: Major airport construction projects at North American airports-which include traffic cones, redirected traffic and heavy equipment clogging airport roadways and parking areas-greatly affect customer satisfaction scores. Planned airport construction projects in North America, which total in the hundreds of billions of dollars, disrupt travelers and diminish satisfaction, but completion of those construction projects usually leads to significant improvement in satisfaction scores.



Study Rankings Miami International Airport ranks highest in passenger satisfaction among mega airports with a score of 828. John F. Kennedy International Airport (817) ranks second and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (815) ranks third.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport ranks highest among large airports with a score of 844. Tampa International Airport (843) ranks second and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (841) ranks third. Individual airports in the medium airports category were not award eligible this year due to reduced passenger volumes. The 2021 North America Airport Satisfaction Study measures overall traveler satisfaction with mega, large and medium North American airports by examining six factors (in order of importance): terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail. Mega airports are those with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year. Now in its 16th year, the study is based on 13,225 completed surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport and covers both departure and arrival experiences (including connecting airports) during the past 30 days. Travelers evaluated either a departing or arriving airport from their round-trip experience. The study was fielded from August 2020 through July 2021. For more information about the North America Airport Satisfaction Study, visit http://www.jdpower.com/resource/north-america-airport-satisfaction-study. To view the online press release, please visit http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2021116. About J.D. Power J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies. J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com. About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005055/en/

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[September 22, 2021] i2c Outlines Key Growth Opportunities for UK and Europe

i2c Inc., a leading provider of digital payment and banking technology, today disclosed what it sees as key opportunities for growth in the UK and European markets, highlighting digital first, B2B commercial payments, cryptocurrency and credit as high-demand areas in which it is favorably positioned to compete. "In the past 18 months, we've seen increased opportunities as well as validation and acceptance of our offering in initiatives where these criteria and related use cases play heavily to customers' requirements," said Jonathan Vaux, general manager for UK and EU at i2c. He also noted that the driving forces appear to be a combination of continued bank digitization, a surge in payments and financial innovation in the commercial space, heightened competition among crypto players to achieve faster innovation cycles and market expansion, and broad interest in reconstructing credit as an embedded feature. According to the company, its platform features distinct characteristics that UK and European partners find compelling as they assess certain use case conditions, for example, span of product and geographies. Among these elements is i2c's membership in Mastercard's Fintech Express Program, which allows the region's issuers to tap into the speed and security of Mastercard's global network. "During a time of accelerated digital shift, consumers are seeking digital financial services. We are pleased to welcome i2c to our Fintech Express program. It will enable their customers easy access to the Mastercard platform, which hosts key products and programs in one place," said Jason Lane, Executive Vice President, Market Development, Europe, Mastercard. Vaux also shared tat the current pace of innovation and level of competition in digital first, commercial payments and cryptocurrency is affecting issuers in similar ways, be they UK or European mid-tier banks moving to instant issuance, fintechs addressing unmet needs in the commercial market, or corporates enabling their own modern payment capabilities.



"In Europe we initially saw a high demand from fintechs, such as neo-banks, to leverage pre-existing prepaid platforms and capabilities to get digital offerings to market locally and as quickly as possible," Vaux said. "However, as the market has matured, we are now seeing increasing demand for extension into new capabilities, whether that be credit, debit, commercial or crypto, a much greater need to support global expansion, and much higher expectations of configurability to support tailored propositions that meet the needs of emerging segments." Among those partnering with i2c in Europe to transform the payments landscape, is UK-based EedenBull, a leading fintech specializing in B2B commercial payments technology.

"The payments world is evolving very rapidly, especially in the commercial banking sector. We're launching new features and functionalities every 2 weeks, and have partnered with over 60 banks worldwide," shared Nicki Bull Bisgaard, CEO of EedenBull. Adding, "i2c's platform has provided the flexibility, reliability, and security we needed to expand into a truly global company and continues to enable our impact across the B2B space." According to i2c, the region which has been at the cutting-edge of initiatives such as open banking and fintech, is now seeing increasing sophistication in client requirements and expectations of their processing partnerships. To this end, the company said it had deepened its alliances with global partners, such as the Fintech Express partnership with Mastercard, as well as its local partnerships with BIN sponsors and clients in the UK and Europe. About i2c Inc. i2c is a global provider of highly-configurable payment and banking solutions. Using i2c's proprietary "building block" technology, clients can easily create and manage a comprehensive set of solutions for credit, debit, prepaid, lending and more, quickly and cost-effectively. i2c delivers unparalleled flexibility, agility, security and reliability from a single global SaaS (News - Alert) platform. Founded in 2001, and headquartered in Silicon Valley, i2c's next-generation technology supports millions of users in more than 200 countries/ territories and across all time zones. For more information, visit www.i2cinc.com and follow us at @i2cinc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005426/en/

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[September 22, 2021] ELMO Software launches first COVID-19 employee vaccination tracker for businesses

COVIDsecure enables businesses to automate secure record keeping of employee's COVID-19 vaccination and test status WITNEY, England, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ELMO Software (ASX: ELO), providers of Learning, Talent and HR solutions, announces their newest product, COVIDsecure. This digital tool can be used for recording and monitoring employees' COVID-19 vaccination and test status. It provides the ability to capture vaccination or test status for the entire or targeted areas of the business, drilling down into areas such as location, department and even role. With COVIDsecure, employers can also configure periodic alerts to be notified when an employee is due to update their vaccination or test status. The alert functionality streamlines the process for workers who could be required by government regulation to submit for testing at regular intervals. Employees can submit their own records of their COVID-19 vaccination and/or test results in a single platform with strict secure access and control measures. In addition, business leaders are armed with a full dashboard to provide areal-time view of critical information to assist with COVID-19 risk management. This provides teams with the tools to take prompt and proactive action and keep across compliance requirements. COVIDsecure provides employers with a library of COVID-19 HR policy templates which are customisable, assisting businesses looking for advice and material to operate in a COVIDsafe manner.



ELMO Software, spokesperson for UK, Adam Reynolds says: "Businesses need to be able to keep running in a COVID-19 environment, but they need to be able to do it safely. They can't sustain reduced activity forever, nor can the community do without their services for an indefinite amount of time either.

"To be able to operate safely and in line with Government regulation it's crucial businesses have the right tools at their disposal. "While the UK has done well with the vaccine roll-out, it's important that we look to the tools we will need in an ongoing environment to manage COVID-19 in the community and the workplace. "Where businesses have announced they will be mandating vaccinations among their workforce, ELMO's COVIDsecure module makes it easier to keep records of the vaccination and testing status of that workforce. It also gives employers the tools to help keep their employees and community safe." For more information on COVIDsecure visit: https://elmosoftware.co.uk/solutions/covidsecure/ Media Enquiries

Press Team

ELMO UK | marketing@elmosoftware.co.uk | 0800 711 7510 About ELMO Software Established in 2002, ELMO is a cloud-based HR, expense management and rostering / time & attendance software provider. The company offers customers across the UK, Australia and New Zealand a unified platform to help organisations streamline their people and processes. ELMO operates on a software-as-a-service ("SaaS") business model based on recurrent subscription revenues. For more information, please visit www.elmosoftware.co.uk Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1632025/ELMO_software_Logo.jpg

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[September 22, 2021] Infosys to Develop Quantum Computing Capabilities on AWS

Infosys Cobalt and Amazon Braket will enable businesses to begin exploring the potential of quantum computing BENGALURU, India, Sept. 22, 2021 /CNW/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop quantum computing capabilities and use cases. Infosys will use Amazon Braket to explore and build multiple use cases in quantum computing as part of Infosys Cobalt cloud offerings. Amazon Braket is a fully managed quantum computing service that helps scientists and developers get started with the technology and accelerate research and discovery. Infosys will look to build, test, and evaluate quantum applications on circuit simulators and quantum hardware technologies using Amazon Braket. This will enable researchers and developers to experiment and study complex computational problems as quantum technologies continue to evolve. Enterprises will get access to use cases for rapid experimentation and can explore how quantum computing can potentially help them in the future in a variety of areas, assess new ideas and plan adoption strategies to drive innovation. The use of Amazon Braket by Infosys aims at getting businesses ready for a future where quantum computers will impact business. The Infosys Center for Emerging Technology Solutions (iCETS), which focuses on the incubation of next-generation services and offerings, is using Amazon Braket to develop quantum computing use cases in vehicle route optimization, fraud detection, and more. Infosys is also exploring partnership opportunities with startups in the quantum computing space through the Infosys Innovation Network (IIN). This collaboration further bolsters Infosys Cobalt, a set of services, solutions, and platforms for enterprises to accelerate their cloud journey. It offers 14,000 cloud assets and over 200 industry cloud solution blueprints. Ravi Kumar S, President, Infosys, said, "Infosys continues to be at the forefront of exploring and bringing new technologies to clients. Through our use of AWS in this space, we are bringing together the power of Amazon Braket and Infosys Cobalt to help enterprises build quantum computing capabilities and use cases to accelerate their cloud-powered transformation. We are exploring a variety of use cases from the logistics, finance, energy, and telecom sectors that can help client evaluate future benefits and value that quantum computing could bring to their business. Enterprises can look forward to solving their various complex computational challenges with Infosys Cobalt and Amazon Braket."



Matt Garman, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Amazon Web Services, Inc, said, "Quantum Computing is an area of intense research, and a number of businesses around the world are asking about its timeline and the opportunities that it could open. At this stage, it's important to be aware and evaluate the potential future impact of quantum computing. Infosys, a long-standing for AWS Premier Consulting Partner, has experience in incubating emerging technology solutions. We see this collaboration as an important step towards setting the right expectations when discussing business problems with customers where quantum computing could have a role." For more information on the collaboration visit: https://www.infosys.com/services/cloud-cobalt/insights/whats-next-quantum-computing.html

About Infosys Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. Safe Harbor Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect 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, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys 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. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/infosys-to-develop-quantum-computing-capabilities-on-aws-301382574.html SOURCE Infosys

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[September 22, 2021] BIT Mining Invests in Cryptocurrency Mining in Ohio

HONG KONG, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BIT Mining Limited (NYSE: BTCM) ("BIT Mining" or the "Company"), a leading cryptocurrency mining enterprise, today announced that it has entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement and certain other auxiliary agreements (the "Agreements") with Viking Data Centers, LLC ("Viking Data Centers") to jointly invest in the development of a cryptocurrency mining data center space in Ohio (the "Ohio Mining Site") with access to power capacity of up to 85 megawatts ("MW"). Development of the Ohio Mining Site is currently expected to be fully completed in February 2022. Pursuant to the Agreements, the Company will invest a total of US$12.14 million in the Ohio Mining Site, which will be jointly developed and operated through a joint venture (the "JV") with Viking Data Centers. Of the US$12.14 million consideration, US$10.84 million will be paid in cash and the remaining US$1.3 million payable to Viking Data Centers will be settled either in cash, or in the form of Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00005 per share of the Company, at the Company's discretion. Upon execution of the Agreements, the Company will hold a 51% equity interest in the Ohio Mining Site, and Viking Data Centers will hold the remaining 49%. The Ohio Mining Site will be developed in three phases, with 11MW in the first phase, 39MW in the second and the remaining 35MW in the third. The first, second and third phases are currently expected to be completed by October 15, 2021, November 15, 2021 and February 15, 2022, respectively. As part of its growth strategy, BIT Mining has been executing a robust plan to invest in, acquire and develop high-quality mining resources around the world. The Company has shipped 1,016 mining machines to the United States as of the date of this press release. Going forward, the Company plans to further strengthen its expansion efforts and accelerate its global development.



The transactions contemplated under the Agreements are subject to customary closing conditions. About BIT Mining

BIT Mining (NYSE: BTCM) is a leading cryptocurrency mining company, with a long-term strategy to create value across the cryptocurrency industry. Its business covers cryptocurrency mining, mining pool, and data center operation. The Company owns the entire mining pool business operated under BTC.com, including the domain name BTC.com. The Company has also entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 7-nanometer cryptocurrency mining machine manufacturer, Bee Computing, to complete the Company's vertical integration with its supply chain, increase its self-sufficiency and strengthen its competitive position. About Viking Data Centers Viking Data Centers is focused on developing high-performance computer data centers focused on crypto mining at which it can offer co-location infrastructure, operations, and maintenance services to crypto miner clients. It currently is developing a mining space up to 170MW in the state of Ohio. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "going forward," "outlook" and similar statements. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control, which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause BIT Mining's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others: the formation of the JV, the joint development and operation of the Ohio Mining Site, and the execution and anticipated benefits of BIT Mining's growth strategy, including the transactions contemplated under the Agreements. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under law. For further information: BIT Mining Limited

ir@btc.com

Ir.btc.com The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1 (212) 481-2050

Email: BITMining@thepiacentegroup.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bit-mining-invests-in-cryptocurrency-mining-in-ohio-301382632.html SOURCE BIT Mining Limited

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[September 22, 2021] Accenture and the World Economic Forum Decode the "Sustainability DNA" for Companies Seeking to Deliver Value and Impact for All Stakeholders

New research from Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and the World Economic Forum uncovers the capabilities that C-Suite leaders need to build sustainable organizations that deliver lasting value and equitable impact for their people, customers and wider communities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005071/en/ Shaping change through Sustainability DNA (Photo: Business Wire) The report, Shaping the Sustainable Organization, finds that the responsible values and environmental, social and governance (ESG) intentions of companies are outrunning the ability of their organizations to deliver. To convert sustainability goals into reality, Accenture (News - Alert) and the World Economic Forum decoded "Sustainability DNA," a set of 21 management practices, systems and processes that form the foundations of stakeholder-centricity. "The world's environmental and social challenges are already disrupting business today," said Peter Lacy, chief responsibility officer and global Sustainability Services lead. "But ur research with the World Economic Forum found that those who root their organization and leadership DNA in stakeholder-centricity enjoy significantly better sustainability performance and value creation. These pioneers utilize new technologies and ESG data sets to create more sustainable and resilient supply chains, systematically harness the innovative power of diversity, and drive growth by putting stakeholder needs at the heart of products, services and new market opportunities. Those who ignore this moment to position for the future risk being left behind."



To assess the strength of Sustainability DNA in companies around the world, Accenture and the World Economic Forum created the Sustainable Organization Index (SOI), which scores nearly 4,000 companies based on market-facing evidence of ESG-supporting practices in 146 areas. Organizations in the top quartile of the SOI show significantly stronger performance compared to those with lower or less consistent scores. Specifically, companies with a stronger Sustainability DNA achieve on average a 21% increase in both EBITDA margin and environmental and societal impact. According to the report, embedding Sustainability DNA drives behavioral changes throughout organizations in three ways - by fostering human connections, boosting collective intelligence and driving accountability at all levels. Overall, companies tend to score higher on enablers that deepen "human connections" (average SOI score = 57), reflecting their ability to engage stakeholders, but are weaker on enablers that build "collective intelligence" (47), suggesting a struggle from leadership teams to build stakeholder-centricity.

Overall, the average score across all companies in the SOI was only 52/100, suggesting that most have significant room to strengthen their Sustainability DNA. The report advocates three steps organizations should take to create a cycle of change that generates value for all stakeholders: Diagnose : Conduct a high-level assessment using diagnostic tools that uncover areas of the business where the Sustainability DNA is stronger and where more work is needed.

: Conduct a high-level assessment using diagnostic tools that uncover areas of the business where the Sustainability DNA is stronger and where more work is needed. Define : Identify key interventions needed to meet the organization's sustainability goals using a variety of different inputs.

: Identify key interventions needed to meet the organization's sustainability goals using a variety of different inputs. Develop: Build a roadmap based on the organization's vision for change with a clear set of KPIs to measure success in strengthening Sustainability DNA on an ongoing basis. "The all-encompassing impact of COVID-19 made us understand that businesses need to address the needs of all stakeholders," said Professor Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum. "By investing in organizational practices that stick, businesses will be better placed to achieve their financial goals while contributing to social welfare and the common good." For more information on Shaping the Sustainable Organization, please visit www.accenture.com/sustainableorg. About the Research The Sustainability DNA model was developed through business leader, consumer and employee surveys and interviews. To validate the model, we worked with Arabesque S-Ray, an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data provider, to build the Sustainable Organization Index (SOI) which grades nearly 4,000 companies according to market-facing evidence of ESG-supporting practices in 146 areas. We then used econometric analysis to test the relationship of SOI scores with financial and sustainability performance. About Accenture Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services - all powered by the world's largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 569,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com. About the World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. It was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005071/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Technicorum Holdings Announces Enhanced Security of Gennix Microlending Platform with Locked Liquidity Pool (LP) Tokens

SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (via Blockchain Wire)  Technicorum Holdings, an IT and service group specializing in Digital Assets and successful incubator of innovative DeFi and NFT project KingSwap, today announced that Gennix, the DeFi lending protocol aimed at reducing financial inequality on the Binance Smart Chain, has locked all its Liquidity Pool (LP) tokens in a time-locked contract of 6 months. This will be bi-annually renewed on an ongoing basis to ensure users have a fair opportunity to liquidate rewards from $GNNX tokens. Liquidity locking is a sustainable security measure that improves the overall experience and investment opportunity for Gennix users. The non-custodial feature of the Gennix microlending platform is key to being part of the Decentralized finance ecosystem, particularly to discourage market manipulation as a result of having the ability to remove liquidity at any time. Instead, locking LP tokens guarantees that users who wish to liquidate rewards in the form of $GNNX tokens will be able to do so. Liquidity locking is a key step to sway the crypto rugpull that has plagued many platforms, said Keefe Tan, Project Director of Gennix. As investors buy more tokens from exchanges, liquidity pools become a storehouse of valuable coins, enabling bad actors to extract liquidity from the exchange and run off with the cash value. The locked liquidity pool limits the amount of activity of the pool for a 6-month period, reassuring investors of market stability. LP tokens are non-custodial and operate via automated functions that promote decentralization and fairness within the Gennix microlending platform. Locking LPtokens is an indirect form of staking and it is necessary for the Gennix microlending platform to ensure the sustainability and security of the project from an investors point of view.



LP Token is a mathematical proof for assets that have been contributed to the pool and a representation of a share in the liquidity pool. LP token holders are entitled to collect the initial amount of $GNNX tokens and BNB (Binance Coin) at the end of its lock-up period. This instills faith and trust in our community, aimed at speeding up the adoption of the Gennix microlending protocol and attracting new investors to take advantage of our high yield farming pools. Gennix has allocated a portion of its $GNNX tokens to sustain these staking pools and maintain price stability. The project developer seeks mass crypto community acceptance by promoting an intuitive user experience on the Gennix Platform. This allows users to generate more capital in a safe manner.

ABOUT GENNIX

Gennix is a DeFi-built uniform Layer 2 lending protocol thats designed to maximize scalability, composability, and growth. The project promotes end-to-end lending and borrowing of digital assets and related financial products by operating on public networks. A game-changing feature that distinguishes Gennix from other DeFi projects is its foundation on the latest innovative BSC network and the introduction of NFT yield boosters. For more information, visit http://www.gennix.io/. ABOUT TECHNICORUM GROUP

Technicorum Group comprises of subsidiaries, a few which are regulated, specializing in various verticals in the Digital Assets space, with a one-stop-shop capability to launch, incubate and bring to the global market any blockchain, digital asset, fintech, NFT, DeFi etc project, and is primarily responsible for the KingSwap project, with references of over 100 ICOs worked on in the past 3 years through its subsidiaries. ABOUT KINGSWAP

KingSwap (https://www.kingswap.io/) is a DeFi project based out of Singapore with a **regulated token that introduces a liquidity pool platform with possible fiat conversions. KingSwaps high-yield liquidity platform offers extensive staking rewards and digital collectibles. **" Regulated" - KingSwap commissioned Gravitas International Associates Pte Ltd, a Singapore Payment Service Act ("PSA") exempt company, to issue the $KING tokens. A legal opinion regarding the token issuance has been submitted to the MAS in accordance with the PSA requirements. Gravitas has already submitted an application to the MAS for full licensing under PSA, and the said application is pending review. KingSwap itself has no license specific to DeFi projects, as there is no specific legislation anywhere in the world at this point in time, and is following the regulatory framework of the PSA in Singapore at the time of writing. All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners. Media Contact: Transform Group, kingswap@transformgroup.com, ima.jamal@technicorum.com



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[September 22, 2021] Evanesce to Debut Innovative Plant-Based Packaging Technologies at PACK EXPO Las Vegas

Evanesce, a sustainable technology innovator, driven to accelerate the adoption of sustainable and economically viable packaging solutions, will unveil its groundbreaking sustainable packaging technology at PACK EXPO Las Vegas. Addressing the growing plastic pandemic, scientists and experts at Evanesce have engineered a patented technology that produces cost-competitive, 100% plant-based, and 100% compostable sustainable packaging. The leading packaging industry event will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from September 27 to 29, 2021. During PACK EXPO, the company will showcase their two packaging technologies and its vast range of packaging products. Its booth will feature the patented Evanesce Molded Starch technology along with its high-quality line of PLA (Polylactic Acid) compostable products, including straws, hot and cold cups and lids, plates, bowls, cutlery, gloves, and resealable bags. Booth visitors will be able to meet the top executive team and experience their plant-based packaging solutions in person. "Our innovative technologies are designed to replace single-use plastics and Styrofoam in packaging and will be a game-changer for the industry. We're most excited about launching our revolutionary patented Molded Starch technology at one of the biggest packaging events in the world," stated Douglas Horne, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Evanesce. "This innovation in material science has the power to truly transform sustainable packaging. This event offers us an ideal opportunity to launch our innovative packaging solutions, showcase the wide range of products we offer, and connect with industryleaders on collaborative partnership opportunities."



Already in use by leading foodservice companies, restaurant chains and convenience stores, Evanesce's PLA products are on par or cost competitive to other alternatives, offer significantly improved durability, and are BPI certified commercially compostable. The patented Evanesce Molded Starch Technology produces 100% compostable molded packaging material at almost half the cost of other eco-friendly alternatives available in the market. Production of Molded Starch products including meal trays, meat trays, containers and cups are expected in early 2022. Expanded Manufacturing Capacity

Evanesce is ready to inspire big change and lead the sustainable packaging industry by delivering innovative and sustainable technology solutions. The company sets itself apart from the competition with American-made, superior quality products without overseas shipping delays and risks to the supply chain. Operations have begun at its first manufacturing facility in South Carolina with an ability to produce millions of compostable PLA straws per day. With distribution centers from coast to coast, Evanesce also plans aggressive expansion in the US, starting with a new 114,000 sq ft facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. About Evanesce Evanesce is a sustainable technology innovator driven to accelerate the adoption of compostable, plant-based packaging. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Evanesce designs, develops and manufactures packaging solutions that are certified compostable, commercially scalable and cost-competitive using the latest advancements in material science. Our revolutionary patented Evanesce Molded Starch Technology uses upcycled plant-based by-products, is 100% compostable and decomposes in 90 days or less. Evanesce is driven to eliminate single-use plastic and Styrofoam packaging and inspire change that contributes to a healthier planet. Learn more at www.evanesce.com. About Evanesce Molded Starch Technology Manufactured in the USA, the revolutionary patented Evanesce Molded Starch Technology uses upcycled plant-based by-products, is 100% compostable, decomposes in 90 days or less and will be available early 2022. Evanesce's line of plant-based compostable food packaging products include meal trays, meat trays, containers and cups. Evanesce is passionate about delivering environmentally friendly solutions that are affordable to accelerate the adoption of compostable, plant-based packaging. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005295/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Flimp Announces Next-Generation UI/UX Design for PLANselect Benefits Decision-Support Tool

BOSTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Flimp Communications, a leading provider of employee benefits communication and engagement solutions, today announced several notable improvements to its PLANselect medical plan decision-support tool. Accessed by more than three million employees throughout North America, the new enhancements are expected to boost PLANselect's industry-high employee-engagement rates that presently average 60 percent based on completion. The product utilizes sophisticated algorithms to analyze and accurately predict costs of available health plans for employees, spouses and new hires based on anticipated coverage needs. Available in English and Spanish, PLANselect helps employees choose the best medical plan for their needs through self-guided education and can replace in-person benefits fairs and one-on-one meetings. The newly updated tool is available to new and existing clients for the 2021 benefits open enrollment season. "Apart from accurately predicting out-of-pocket medical costs for employees and their families, decision-support tools need to offer three things for employees to engage at higher rates: complete data confidentiality, the ability to complete in 10 minutes or less, and a flexible, mobile-responsive interface that can toggle in multiple languages," said Wayne Wall, CEO and founder of Flimp Communications. "We continuously look for ways to use technology to improve the education experience for employees, while providing better ROI, lower costs and measurable results for HR teams, benefits consultants, providers and enrollers." New enhancements to PLANselect include:

--Employer notes: this feature can be activated on each page of the tool and provides the option for employer-specific explanations around the most commonly asked questions such as: are domestic partners covered? These customizable notes can also offer links to educational videos, brochures, PDFs, etc., all within the context of the question asked.

--FSA calculator: new FSAdvantage complements existing HSAdvantage to help employees optimize those savings accounts.

--Results delivery: employees can be confused by the results served up in taditional benefits decision-support tools. Flimp created a more intuitive experience that clearly displays plan-recommendation results by lowest cost and highest value, making comparing plans and calculating costs easier.





Engagement tracking: new dashboard makes tracking viewer engagement in real time possible. Aggregate results, such as time spent in each section of the tool, what plans were most recommended, how frequently the tool was used, and content clicks, can be monitored by employers. Typically, more than 60 percent of employees engage with the tool, the highest engagement rates in the industry.

--Universal homepage: new homepage for organizations with multiple PLANselect sites for different employee groups. Having one consistent link makes it easier to promote to their workforce.

--Benefits enrollment: PLANselect now offers the ability to add a direct link to an employer's benefits-enrollment site from the results page, so, once options are reviewed and a decision has been made, taking action to enroll is seamless. Other features of PLANselect:

--Self-guided education: automates the education process to save time for HR and benefit providers. This results in fewer meetings for HR teams and more learning for employees.

--Accessible: completely online and accessed from any device, anywhere, so other decision-makers in the family can be involved too.

--Private and secure: no personally identifiable information (PII) is collected, so there is no HIPAA liability or worry of data being compromised.

--Unbiased results: no benefit plan is promoted over another, ensured by the proprietary algorithm, so there is no concern over plan bias.

Setup and deployment:

For employers and consultants, Flimp Communications handles all the setup and testing for PLANselect. This typically takes two to five days once the health plan information, premium contributions and any employer contributions are received. For the custom-website setup, all that is needed is a company logo, brand colors, text for the welcome page and any supplemental notes, educational videos or other documents the employer wants added. All PLANselect information, videos, text and results are available in Spanish with a simple language toggle on each page.

Heatmap plan diagnosis prior to launch:

Once the PLANselect site(s) are completed, we run a heatmap diagnosis of the offered medical plans, running simulated employees and dependents through the model to show likely outcomes. The heatmap is intended to help an employer anticipate the plan value-score rankings likely to be generated by PLANselect, allowing an employer to visualize the plans that will be recommended most frequently and under what circumstances. We test a statistically valid number of user-response scenarios that categorize employees from very low to very high potential users of covered medical services for each coverage tier and present the top-ranked plan for each percentile of expected use. Pricing: All-inclusive pricing for PLANselect is $8 per employee, per year (PEPY) for 250 to 1,000 employees plus $4 per employee over 1,000. There is no charge for new hires added during the plan year. For companies with fewer than 250 employees, please contact us for special pricing. For more information or to sign up for a guided demo of our decision-support solutions, visit: https://www.flimp.net/benefits-decision-support-tools/ About Flimp Communications

Flimp Communications is a leader in HR, benefits and employee communication and provides virtual communications solutions including software, decision-support tools, workforce texting and interactive digital content to employers, HR consultants, insurance carriers, and healthcare providers. With offices in Boston, MA, Denver, CO, Vero Beach, FL, and Burlington, VT, Flimp works with more than 800 corporate clients, including many Fortune 500 companies. The award-winning employee-communications platform enables users to create, distribute and track interactive video and branded multimedia content without any programming or IT resources for corporate, internal and employee communications. For more information, please visit www.flimp.net. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flimp-announces-next-generation-uiux-design-for-planselect-benefits-decision-support-tool-301382235.html SOURCE Flimp Communications

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[September 22, 2021] IonQ Highlights Results, Achievements Since First Quarter 2021

IonQ, Inc. ("IonQ" or the "Company"), a leader in quantum computing, today provides an update on significant progress in its technological and commercialization efforts since the announcement of its transaction with dMY Technology Group Inc. III (NYSE: DMYI) in March. Over the past six months, IonQ has demonstrated technology that is expected to allow the Company to significantly scale the power of its quantum computers, has expanded its footprint to all major cloud providers and major quantum developer languages, has launched major commercial partnerships with partners like Accenture, Softbank (News - Alert) and the University of Maryland, and has tripled its bookings expectations for 2021. IonQ is now many steps closer to realizing its vision of solving the world's most complex problems, transforming business, society and the planet for the better. The Company will be hosting a conference call to discuss these updates; register here or on the dMY III Investor Relations website to attend. Business Highlights IonQ's previously announced hardware achievements enable the continued scaling of its trapped ion quantum computers, including: The industry's first Reconfigurable Multicore Quantum (News - Alert) Architecture (RMQA) technology, which allows greatly increased qubit count and power of IonQ's quantum computers.

Evaporated Glass Traps (EGTs), a new, IonQ-designed chipset that affords greater control of individual qubits in a quantum computer, paving the way for larger quantum computing cores.

First customers running on IonQ's latest hardware.

IonQ's quantum computers now run thousands of quantum jobs routinely for customers via the cloud each week. The Company has also partnered with several cornerstone financial institutions to demonstrate applications of quantum machine learning in that industry, including: A collaboration with the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology (FCAT) to demonstrate how quantum computers can be used for financial modeling. New quantum machine learning techniques were developed for this purpose that completed training with up to 1,000 times fewer iterations than their classical counterparts, and were able to predict rare "Black Swan" events that equivalent classical models missed.

A joint research project with Goldman Sachs and QCWare demonstrating the viability of running new algorithms developed by QCWare and Goldman Sachs which can be utilized to speed up Monte Carlo simulations. IonQ has broadened its footprint by making IonQ computers available on every major cloud platform in the market. Additionally, it is the only quantum computing hardware provider supported by every major quantum software developer tool kit (SDK) in the industry, further establishing IonQ's credentials as a leading provider of quantum computing. The Company recently announced: Availability of IonQ quantum computers on the Google (News - Alert) Cloud Marketplace, making IonQ the first quantum computing hardware provider on the Google platform, and the only quantum compute supplier available on all three major cloud providers, including Microsoft (News - Alert) (Azure) and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Integration with IBM's Qiskit, making the power of IonQ quantum computers available to over 275,000 quantum developers using Qiskit's open-source quantum SDK, lowering barriers to entry for IonQ's platform.

Integration of IonQ's quantum computers with Google Cirq, a leading open-source quantum SDK designed to expand access to quantum computing to a broad audience.

The launch of the second cohort of the IonQ Research Credits Program to provide teams and individuals from qualified academic institutions with free credits to build novel quantum algorithms on IonQ's cutting-edge hardware. The opening of the second cohort comes on the tail of overwhelming demand in the first cohort of IonQ's Research Credits Program this June. IonQ has also announced considerable progress on commercial efforts, including: Strategic partnership with Accenture (NYSE: ACN), developing a joint commercial framework to accelerate quantum computing business applications globally and across all industries.

Partnership with Softbank to jointly deploy quantum-first solutions into the largest enterprises across the globe, including Softbank's portfolio companies.

Commercial deal with the University of Maryland as part of the University's $20M quantum computing initiative to create the National Quantum Lab at Maryland (Q-Lab).

Update that the Company is on track to significantly exceed its previously announced 2021 bookings target of $5 million dollars, and is now projected to end the year at $15M. Additionally, the Company announced four critical hires, including Tom Jones as Chief People Officer, who brings decades of human resources and talent development experience from Blue Origin, Microsoft and Honeywell. Second Quarter Financial Results Recognized revenue for the second quarter of 2021 was $0.1 million compared to zero for the comparable period in 2020. Research and development ("R&D") expenses were $5.5 million for the second quarter of 2021 compared to $2.7 million for the comparable period in 2020, reflecting an increased pace of development as the Company continues to hire and fund research essential to executing on its technology roadmap. IonQ continues to see increases in its general and administrative expenses ("G&A") and sales and marketing expenses as those teams continue to grow rapidly. G&A for the second quarter of 2021 was $2.9 million, versus $0.6 million in the comparable prior year period, and sales and marketing was $0.9 million for the quarter, versus $0.1 million for the comparable prior year period. The Company expects these trends to continue due to costs associated with operating as a public company, developing the world's most powerful quantum workforce, and rapidly scaling IonQ as the quantum market unfolds. Net loss for the second quarter of 2021 was $10.0 million, or $1.53 per share, compared to a net loss of $3.7 million, or $0.68 per share, for the comparable period in 2020. Cash and cash equivalents decreased from $36.1 million dollars at December 31, 2020 to $27.7 million at June 30, 2021. Pending Transaction with dMY III On March 8, 2021, IonQ entered into a definitive merger agreement with dMY Technology Group, Inc. III ("dMY III") (NYSE: DMYI). As a result of this transaction, the Company expects to add approximately $580 million to the balance sheet, net of transaction fees and assuming no stockholder redemptions, which will be used to fuel future growth and further technological innovations. The Special Meeting to approve the pending business combination is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 12 PM Eastern time. The Special Meeting will be completely virtual and conducted via live webcast. Holders of dMY III shares of common stock at the close of business on the record date of August 16, 2021 are entitled to notice of the virtual Special Meeting and to vote at the Special Meeting. If the proposals at the Special Meeting are approved, the parties anticipate that the business combination will close shortly thereafter, subject to the satisfaction or waiver (as applicable) of all other closing conditions. dMY III stockholders who need assistance voting or have questions regarding the Special Meeting may contact dMY III's proxy solicitor, Morrow Sodali, by telephone at 800-662-5200 or by email at dmyi.info@investor.morrowsodali.com. About IonQ IonQ, Inc. is a leader in quantum computing, with a proven track record of innovation and deployment. IonQ's next-generation quantum computer is the world's most powerful trapped-ion quantum computer, and IonQ has defined what it believes is the best path forward to scale. IonQ is the only company with its quantum systems available through the cloud on Amazon Braket, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as through direct API access. IonQ was founded in 2015 by Christopher Monroe and Jungsang Kim based on 25 years of pioneering research. To learn more, visit www.ionq.com. About dMY Technology Group, Inc. III dMY III is a special purpose acquisition company founded by Harry L. You and Niccolo de Masi for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or assets. Important Information About the Merger and Where to Find It This communication may be deemed solicitation material in respect of the proposed business combination between dMY III and IonQ (the "Business Combination"). The Business Combination has been submitted to the stockholders of dMY III and IonQ for their approval. In connection with the vote of dMY's stockholders, dMY III Technology Group, Inc. III has filed relevant materials with the SEC, including a registration statement on Form S-4, which includes a proxy statement/prospectus. This communication does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed Business Combination and the other matters to be voted upon at the annual meeting and is not intended to provide the basis for any investment decision or any other decision in respect of such matters. dMY III's stockholders and other interested parties are urged to read the definitive proxy statement, dated August 12, 2021, and any other relevant documents that are filed or furnished or will be filed or will be furnished with the SEC carefully and in their entirety in connection with dMY III's solicitation of proxies for the special meeting to be held to approve the Business Combination and other related matters, as these materials will contain important information about IonQ and dMY III and the proposed Business Combination. On or about August 12, 2021, dMY III mailed the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and a proxy card to each stockholder entitled to vote at the special meeting relating to the transaction. Such stockholders are also be able to obtain copies of these materials, without charge, at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, at dMY III's website at https://www.dmytechnology.com/ or by written request to dMY Technology Group, Inc. III, 11100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 2000, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90025. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements may be made directly in this communication. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words. Statements that are not historical in nature, including the words "anticipate," "expect," "suggests," "plan," "believe," "intend," "estimates," "targets," "projects," "should," "could," "would," "may," "will," "forecast" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. 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 press release, including but not limited to: (i) the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of dMY's securities; (ii) the risk that the transaction may not be completed by dMY's business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain an extension of the business combination deadline if sought by dMY; (iii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the transaction, including the approval of the merger agreement by the stockholders of dMY, the satisfaction of the minimum trust account amount following any redemptions by dMY's public stockholders and the receipt of certain governmental and regulatory approvals; (iv) the lack of a third-party valuation in determining whether or not to pursue the proposed transaction; (v) the inability to complete the PIPE transaction; (vi) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; (vii) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on IonQ's business relationships, operating results and business generally; (viii) risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations of IonQ; (ix) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against IonQ or against dMY related to the merger agreement or the proposed transaction; (x) the ability to maintain the listing of dMY's securities on a national securities exchange; (xi) changes in the competitive industries in which IonQ operates, variations in operating performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting IonQ's business and changes in the combined capital structure; (xii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts and other expectations after the completion of the proposed transaction, and identify and realize additional opportunities; (xiii) the risk of downturns in the market and the technology industry including, but not limited to, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and (xiv) costs related to the transaction and the failure to realize anticipated benefits of the transaction or to realize estimated pro forma results and underlying assumptions, including with respect to estimated stockholder redemptions. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of the registration statement on Form S-4 and other documents filed by dMY from time to time with the SEC. These 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 dMY and IonQ assume no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Neither dMY nor IonQ gives any assurance that either dMY or IonQ, or the combined company, will achieve its expectations. No Offer or Solicitation This communication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities, assets or the business described herein or a commitment to dMY III or IonQ with respect to any of the foregoing, and this communication shall not form the basis of any contract, nor is it a solicitation of any vote, consent, or approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to or in connection with the Business Combination or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. Participants in Solicitation dMY III and IonQ, and their respective directors and executive officers, may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies of dMY III's stockholders in respect of the Business Combination. Information about the directors and executive officers of dMY III is set forth in dMY III's filings with the SEC. Information about the directors and executive officers of IonQ and more detailed information regarding the identity of all potential participants, and their direct and indirect interests by security holdings or otherwise, are set forth in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus for the Business Combination. Additional information regarding the identity of all potential participants in the solicitation of proxies to dMY III's stockholders in connection with the proposed Business Combination and other matters to be voted upon at the special meeting, and their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, are included in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus.







IonQ, Inc. Condensed Balance Sheets (unaudited) (in thousands) June 30, December 31, 2021 2020 Assets: Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 27,692 $ 36,120 Accounts receivable 420 390 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 4,853 2,069 Total current assets 32,965 38,579 Property and equipment, net 15,558 11,988 Operating lease - right of use assets 4,164 4,296 Intangible assets, net 5,110 2,687 Other noncurrent assets 2,596 2,928 Total Assets $ 60,393 $ 60,478 Liabilities, Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock and Warrants, and

Stockholders' Deficit Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 4,635 $ 538 Accrued expenses 1,688 608 Current portion of operating lease liabilities 559 495 Unearned revenue 100 240 Current portion of stock option early exercise liabilities 1,525 - Total current liabilities 8,507 1,881 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion 3,716 3,776 Unearned revenue, net of current portion 1,533 1,118 Stock option early exercise liabilities, net of current portion 3,228 - Total liabilities $ 16,984 $ 6,775 Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock and Warrants: Series A convertible redeemable preferred stock 1,925 1,925 Series B convertible redeemable preferred stock 21,111 21,111 Series B-1 convertible redeemable preferred stock 61,867 61,867 Warrants for Series B-1 convertible redeemable preferred stock 566 566 Stockholders' Deficit: Common stock 1 1 Additional paid-in capital 14,865 7,838 Accumulated deficit (56,926) (39,605) Total stockholders' deficit (42,060) (31,766) Total Liabilities, Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock, Warrants and

Stockholders' Deficit $ 60,393 $ 60,478

IonQ, Inc. Condensed Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (unaudited) (in thousands, except share and per share data) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Revenue $ 93 $ - $ 218 $ - Costs and expenses: Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization) 327 - 508 - Research and development 5,477 2,696 9,131 5,304 Sales and marketing 871 101 1,098 182 General and administrative 2,904 609 5,860 1,113 Depreciation and amortization 502 340 947 623 Total operating costs and expenses 10,081 3,746 17,544 7,222 Loss from operations (9,988) (3,746) (17,326) (7,222) Other income 2 79 5 294 Loss before benefit for income taxes (9,986) (3,667) (17,321) (6,928) Benefit for income taxes - - - - Net loss and comprehensive loss $ (9,986) $ (3,667) $ (17,321) $ (6,928) Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders - basic and diluted $ (1.53) $ (0.68) $ (2.68) $ (1.31) Weighted average shares used in computing net loss per share attributable to

common stockholders - basis and diluted 6,535,917 5,389,336 6,471,023 5,288,692 IonQ, Inc. Condensed Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) (in thousands) Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 Cash flows from operating activities: Net loss $ (17,321) $ (6,928) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 947 623 Non-cash research and development arrangements 1,001 - Amortization of warrant 125 - Stock-based compensation 3,874 500 Non-cash operating lease expense 122 32 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (30) 92 Prepaid expenses and other current assets (2,710) (435) Other noncurrent assets (53) - Accounts payable 3,025 (155) Accrued expenses 913 (86) Operating lease liabilities 11 3 Unearned revenue 275 375 Net cash used in operating activities (9,821) (5,979) Cash flows from investing activities: Purchases of property and equipment (2,997) (6,126) Capitalized software development costs (764) (526) Intangible asset acquisition costs (241) (140) Proceeds from disposal of assets 3 1 Net cash used in investing activities (3,999) (6,791) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from stock options exercised 5,392 15 Net cash provided by financing activities 5,392 15 Net change in cash and cash equivalents (8,428) (12,755) Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period 36,120 59,527 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period $ 27,692 $ 46,772 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005359/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Cyndx Launches Owner, a New Cap Table Management Platform for Fast-Growing Startups

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyndx, the AI-enabled search and discovery platform for identifying growth opportunities among private market participants, has announced today the launch of Owner, a new product that provides easy-to-use cap table management for startups and private companies. Designed to facilitate growth, Owner offers an efficient way to manage a private company's capitalization table and allows for sophisticated scenario modeling and waterfall analysis capabilities that generate actionable insights for capital raising. "This is a game-changer for companies who are looking to bring in growth capital," noted James McVeigh , CEO of Cyndx. With Owner, founders can communicate company value in real time, assess various capital raise options, and understand the financial implications of offers (term sheets) from investors. Owner empowers users to weigh the effects of alternative capital sources on potential returns and shareholder voting power. Owner gives founders, executives, and investors a clearer view of the impact of a term sheet on equity dilution, enabling hem to negotiate with investors from a position of strength.



Owner is particularly valuable when used in conjunction with Cyndx's existing Raiser and Finder products. While Owner's cap table management capabilities help prepare companies for term sheet evaluation, Raiser helps founders identify the right investors for their next rounds of funding. Conversely, Cyndx's Finder product is used by private equity and venture capital firms to find great companies to invest in, many of which are often difficult to find or not found at all using traditional databases. "We launched Cyndx to introduce a level of efficiency within the private capital markets that did not exist previously. Today, with its expanded functionality, Owner represents a major step forward in our mission." noted James McVeigh, Founder and CEO of Cyndx. "This is a game changer for companies who are looking to bring in growth capital. Founders and leadership teams alike can now better understand the implications of the various capital raise term sheets they receive and attain more awareness of how their ownership structure will change, so that they can make better decisions about which option to select. We have also priced the product so that even early-stage companies with limited resources can easily harness the full power of the platform."

Owner is designed to facilitate portability of cap table data and meet the needs of companies regardless of where they are in their lifecycle. Owner is available in three subscription models: Freemium (for up to 50 shareholders), Premium, and Enterprise. To learn more about Cyndx, or to sign up for Owner, please visit www.cyndx.com. About Cyndx

Cyndx is the most powerful AI-enabled platform for discovering and connecting with growth opportunities for companies and investors. The company's proprietary AI-based algorithms, combined with the most up-to-date and accurate data on more than 14M private companies, help deliver meaningful insights that enable successful growth decisions. Be it a startup looking to raise capital, a venture capital or private equity firm looking to invest, or an M&A specialist searching for the next acquisition target for their client  Cyndx surfaces strategic insights with unrivaled accuracy, speed and relevancy. Founded in 2013 by bankers, investors, and data scientists, the company's core product suite includes Cyndx Finder, Cyndx Raiser and Cyndx Owner. Cyndx is headquartered in Florida. For more information visit www.cyndx.com or email info@cyndx.com Media Contacts

Cyndx

Julia Dehay

Julia.dehay@cyndx.com

917-476-9895 R.J. Walker & Co.

Ryan Walker

ryan@rjwalkerco.com

860-930-3611 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cyndx-launches-owner-a-new-cap-table-management-platform-for-fast-growing-startups-301382205.html SOURCE Cyndx

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[September 22, 2021] Paige Receives First Ever FDA Approval for AI Product in Digital Pathology

Paige, the global leader in AI-based diagnostic software in pathology, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted de novo marketing authorization for Paige Prostate, a clinical-grade AI solution for prostate cancer detection. As a novel technology, Paige Prostate is the first AI-based pathology product to receive de novo approval from the FDA, allowing in vitro diagnostic (IVD) use via Paige's FDA-cleared FullFocus digital pathology viewer. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005369/en/ Paige Prostate is designed to identify foci that could indicate cancer, enabling fast, accurate diagnoses. (Photo: Paige) With a projected 60 percent increase in the number of cancer cases globally in the next two decades and a decrease in the number of pathologists relative to this diagnostic demand, there is a significant need to provide new technologies for the practice of pathology. Paige Prostate is a cancer detection solution that identifies foci suspicious for cancer and provides this information to the pathologist. Paige Prostate is designed to assist pathologists in finding small foci of cancer and enable pathologists to work efficiently and confidently in their diagnostic process. "This landmark approval of Paige Prostate by the FDA marks the beginning of a new era in the use of computer-assisted diagnostics for pathology. The approval reflects the rigor with which Paige Prostate has been validated, as the first clinical-grade AI technology to assist pathologists in the interpretation of routinely stained slides. This innovation paves the way for the introduction of numerous future tools to help standardize pathology diagnosis, expedite the diagnostic process, and provide pathologists and patients greater comfort from the added scrutiny oftheir pathology slides," said David Klimstra, M.D., Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Paige. "FDA approval allows pathology laboratories to introduce this diagnostic tool into their clinical workflow to help make pathologists more accurate, more reproducible, and more efficient, which will allow them to focus their attention on the most critical aspects of establishing the diagnosis."



"This achievement is the culmination of more than a decade of work and a testament to the dedication of Paige and our collaborators in developing clinical-grade AI that will transform the practice of pathology," said Thomas J. Fuchs, Dr.Sc., Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Paige, and Dean of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health at Mount Sinai. In the clinical study submitted to the FDA, pathologists using Paige Prostate were shown to increase over 7 percentage points in sensitivity in correctly diagnosing cancer (from 89.5% to 96.8%). Pathologists using Paige Prostate had a 70% reduction in false negative diagnoses and a 24% reduction in false positive diagnoses. This improvement was independent of diagnostic sub-specialization or years of experience of the pathologists and whether the analysis was done remotely or on-site. Furthermore, the study showed that non-specialist pathologists using Paige Prostate were as accurate as prostate specialists who were not using the software. The dataset included slides from over 150 institutions to ensure the system generalized to cases from different hospitals and different geographies. This dataset represented a broad range of natural variations encountered in day-to-day clinical practice and Paige Prostate was used across this entire dataset without modification or the need for calibration. The company plans to submit the full data for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

"The approval is a landmark achievement in the field of digital pathology and demonstrates how robust our technology is when faced with the broad range of natural variations in tissue slides encountered in day-to-day clinical practice," said Leo Grady, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Paige. "We are grateful for everyone at Paige and our clinical partners who have brought this new generation of computational pathology products to reality." Paige Prostate is now available for diagnostic use in the U.S. For more information about Paige Prostate, visit https://info.paige.ai/prostate or contact info@paige.ai. Outside of the U.S., Paige Prostate is CE-marked for use in laboratories and hospitals in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK. FullFocus is FDA cleared and CE-marked. The products are otherwise available for research use only in other territories. About Paige Paige was founded in 2017 by Thomas Fuchs, Dr.Sc., David Klimstra, M.D. and colleagues from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The company builds computational pathology products designed so patients and their care teams can make effective, more informed treatment decisions. With this new class of AI-based technologies positioned to drive the future of diagnostics, Paige created a platform to deliver this novel technology to pathologists to transform their workflow and increase diagnostic confidence and productivity. Paige's products deliver insights to pathologists and oncologists so they can arrive efficiently at more precise diagnoses for patients. Paige is the first company to receive FDA approval for an AI-based digital pathology product. For additional information, please visit: https://www.paige.ai, Twitter and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005369/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Omnidian Raises $33 Million in Series B Round

Omnidian, the only nationwide provider of residential, commercial and industrial solar system performance plans and performance guarantees, announced today that it has secured a $33 million Series B capital raise. The round was led by Activate Capital. Additional round participants included Liberty Mutual Insurance and WIND Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of Chilean multinational energy firm Copec, as well as existing investors City Light Capital, IA Capital, Evergy (News - Alert) Ventures, Avista Development Inc., Congruent Ventures, Centrica, National Grid Partners, Energy Foundry and Blue Bear Capital. "This successful raise is a validation of what Omnidian has accomplished over the past four years. Residential and commercial solar are moving into mainstream adoption and with that comes demand for a higher level of service and assurance that a customer's system is operating as expected," said Mark Liffmann, founder and CEO of Omnidian. "Our new capital partners share our vision of providing solar energy customers with a lower cost of ownership, less risk and a transformational customer experience. The capital will also enable expansion into new asset classes including energy storage, EV charging and HVAC." "Omnidian is a vital technology for the energy transition making the adoption of distributed energy resources like solar easier for homeowners and businesses," said Raj Atluru, Managing Director, Activate Capital. "The renewables industry has spent the last two decades investing trillions of dollars into clean energy generation. Omnidian's intelligent asset management platform treats these IoT connected assets as critical infrastructure, ensuring the rapid adoption of renewable generation and the resiliency of our grid," added Eric Meyer, Vice President. "The Omnidian team is world class and brings decades of insight into performance management that will accelerate the adoption of these critical technologies." "The world is embarking on a major energy transition and Omnidian's platform is an example of the type of technology that is needed to help consumers and businesses alike understand and maximize the performance of their clean energy systems," said Liberty Mutual Investments Managing Director of Energy Transition & Infrastructure TJ Gaylord. "The Omnidian team continues to earn accolades for its remote monitoring, performance plans and overall level of customer satisfaction. We are excited to work alongside Omnidian as they move forward to their next phase of growth, which is aligned with our strategy of investing in alternative energy and supporting the energy transition." The new capital comes at a time of rapid growth for Omnidian. In addition to its performance plans for solar, the firm has launched a similar service for energy storage, both at the residential and C&I level. In the future, Omnidian's machine learning software will monitor other IoT sensored energy products. The firm currently employs more than 10 professionals across 16 states and expects that number to grow significantly over the next several years. It will also grow the more than 1,700 megawatts it currently manages for customers. Finally, this raise will enable international expansion for the company.



The raise also comes at a time when the solar market's growth trajectory is accelerating, increasing the need for a better experience at the customer level and the deployment of more capital at the institutional level. "Customer peace of mind is delivered by our powerful machine learning platform ensuring that in-home or commercial energy infrastructure will deliver on its promise," Liffmann added. "Asset performance is also key to enabling deployment of the billions of dollars in new infrastructure capital that has been earmarked for residential and especially commercial solar. I expect commercial solar's growth to exceed most commercial solar market forecasts and Omnidian's performance guarantees will be key to unlocking much of that capital."

About Omnidian: Omnidian's mission is to protect and accelerate capital invested in clean energy through innovative technology, passionate teams and an amazing customer experience. Our state-of-the art proprietary technology provides continuous monitoring for residential and commercial solar energy systems and portfolios. As more IoT enabled clean energy technology is deployed in homes and businesses, Omnidian's software platform will continue to provide the industry's only end-to-end performance assurance, including proactive service alerts and field service for the life of residential and commercial solar energy systems, battery storage and more. We give consumers peace of mind, and we liberate the capital and resources of large-scale asset portfolios for our Fortune 1000 clients. For more information, visit www.omnidian.com. About Activate Capital Activate Capital is a leading growth equity partner to companies building smart, sustainable systems across the energy, transportation, and industrial technology markets. The firm aims to generate best-in-class financial returns while contributing to this vision of the future by investing in entrepreneurial management teams in high growth companies using technology to make the world more efficient, intelligent, and sustainable. The partners have collectively invested over $1 billion across their target sectors, resulting in 30 successful exits through IPO and M&A. About Liberty Mutual Insurance At Liberty Mutual, we believe progress happens when people feel secure. By providing protection for the unexpected and delivering it with care, we help people embrace today and confidently pursue tomorrow. In business since 1912, and headquartered in Boston, today we are the sixth largest global property and casualty insurer based on 2020 gross written premium. We also rank 71st on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2020 revenue. As of December 31, 2020, we had $43.8 billion in annual consolidated revenue. We employ over 45,000 people in 29 countries and economies around the world. We offer a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, specialty lines, reinsurance, commercial multiple-peril, workers compensation, commercial automobile, general liability, surety, and commercial property. For more information, visit www.libertymutualinsurance.com About WIND Ventures Based in San Francisco, WIND Ventures is the strategic venture capital arm of Copec, one of the leading energy companies in Central and South America and one of the most valued brands throughout Latin America. WIND Ventures leverages Copec's significant resources to accelerate growth, primarily within Latin America, for startups and scaleups across the world within the new mobility, energy and retail sectors. Visit windventures.vc or follow us on Linkedin and Twitter View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005354/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Rave Mobile Safety Recognizes Outstanding Customer Achievements at Annual Summit

Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), the critical communication and collaboration platform customers count on when it matters most, today announced the recipients of its annual Trailblazer and SmartSave awards programs at its annual Summit. Suffolk County, New York; Cayuga Healthcare; Prince William County, Virginia; and Dubuque County, Iowa, received the 2021 Rave Trailblazer Award. In addition, the Fairbanks, Alaska, Emergency Communications Center; the University of Cincinnati Police Division; and Tangipahoa, Louisiana, 9-1-1 were presented with the 2021 Rave SmartSave Award. Since 2017, the Rave Trailblazer Award has formally recognized Rave customers who have gone above and beyond to provide a safe community through effective and innovative uses of technology. While all Rave customers dedicate themselves to their critical mission of protecting the populations they serve, these awardees have taken truly unique approaches to engage their communities and establish collaborative partnerships that enhance safety. Suffolk County was recognized for successfully driving awareness of its use of Rave solutions in the community, which resulted in improved critical communication about vaccine availability and recent severe weather. Cayuga Healthcare was awarded for achievements in leveraging technology for emergency alerts and day-to-day business operations alike. Prince William County was named a Trailblazer in response to its advocacy for Smart911 and use of the technology to achieve compliance with Virginia's Marcus Alert System, which ensures a health-focused and trauma-informed response to behavioral health emergencies. Dubuque County was recognized for its use of lifesaving technology in both public safety and schools. The county has been at the forefront of enhancing public safety for its community and collaborating with key stakeholders across the local safety ecosystem. "Our goal, first and foremost, is to provide the best possible public safety and emergency response services to the residents of Prince William County, and mental health awareness is a critical component of that mission," said Eddie Reyes, Director of Prince William County Public Safety Communications. "Our use of the Rave 911Suite and Smart911 extends beyond compliance with the Marcus Alert System, giving our 9-1-1 call takers and first responders the tools, data and resources needed to best protect the community, no matter the crisis."



The SmartSave Award recognizes customers' efforts to incorporate lifesaving technologies into their 9-1-1 emergency communication operations for their communities, using solutions like the Rave 911 Suite, Rave Panic Button, Rave Alert and Rave Guardian to positively impact emergency calls and response. The Fairbanks Emergency Communications Center leveraged Rave's 9-1-1 chat capabilities to communicate with a caller in a remote location with no reception, allowing them to obtain key pieces of information critical to rescue efforts. For Tangipahoa 9-1-1, the chat feature led to the rescue of a woman taken against her will, who could not communicate verbally, but was able to share critical details with dispatchers via text. The University of Cincinnati Police Division responded quickly to a message sent from a student in medical distress via Rave's personal safety app. Thanks to their use of Rave technology, they were able to locate the student so she could be transported to the hospital and receive the care she needed.

"Keeping our campus community safe is our top priority, and the Bearcat (Rave) Guardian app has provided an additional tool for our students, faculty and staff that allows them to connect instantly with the University of Cincinnati Police Division whenever they need assistance," said University of Cincinnati Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police, James Whalen. "We are honored to accept this recognition from Rave Mobile Safety." "Our customers continue to exemplify the best in public safety and critical communications while also navigating the pandemic and other significant crises this past year," said Noah Reiter, SVP, Customer Success at Rave. "Everything we do at Rave is fueled by the lifesaving work of our customers, and it is our honor to recognize the important work of this year's award recipients across the state and local, corporate and education spaces." To learn more about Rave Mobile Safety, visit www.ravemobilesafety.com. About Rave Mobile Safety Rave Mobile Safety is the leading provider of critical communication and collaboration technology used to save lives, manage crisis incidents and increase resiliency. From major disasters and crisis events to everyday emergencies and operational incidents, the Rave platform enables critical data sharing, mass notification and emergency response coordination. Over 8,000 first responder, emergency management, 9-1-1, and federal, state and local agencies-as well as corporations, healthcare organizations, universities and schools-all rely on Rave to prepare better, respond faster, recover quicker and mitigate anticipated critical incidents. Founded in 2004, Rave's award-winning software solutions are backed by leading growth equity firm TCV. Let Rave enable you to do all you can todayTM to keep everyone safe. For more information, visit https://www.ravemobilesafety.com, read our company blog, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005558/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Aquila Investment Management Announces Expansion of Its Investment Team

Aquila Investment Management LLC (Aquila), Investment Adviser and Administrator to the Aquila Group of Funds, announced the addition of four new members to its investment team. This addition significantly increases Aquila's internal capacity in managing both equity and fixed income strategies. The new hires include: Pedro Marcal as Director of Equities and High Yield and portfolio manager, David Schiffman as portfolio manager, John McPeake as portfolio manager and Steven Yang as research analyst. As of October 1, 2021, the new portfolio management team will assume responsibilities for Aquila Three Peaks Opportunity Growth Fund (ATGAX) and Aquila Three Peaks High Income Fund (ATPAX), and Three Peaks Capital Management, LLC will no longer serve as Sub-Adviser. The Funds will be renamed Aquila Opportunity Growth Fund and Aquila High Income Fund on that date. Aquila Investment Management will remain the Investment Adviser to the Funds, and there will be no material changes to either Fund's investment objectives, principal investment strategies, fees, or expenses in connection with the change in portfolio management team. Pedro Marcal will be lead portfolio manager and John McPeake will be co-manager of Aquila Opportunity Growth Fund. David Schiffman will be lead portfolio manager and Pedro Marcal will be co-manager of Aquila High Income Fund. The newly appointed Aquila portfolio managers, together with Steven Yang, will share research ideas and collaborate on company research across both fund strategies. Aquila High Income Fund's primary investment objective is to obtain high current income, with a secondary objective of capital appreciation. The Investment Adviser's research process includes relative value analysis and fundamental credit research with respect to the companies in which the Fund may invest. Aquila Opportunity Growth Fund's primary investment objective is capital appreciation. The Investment Adviser's research process will, in addition to analyzing corporate capital structures, seek to identify companies that the Investment Adviser believes are likely to experience positive changes in their businesses and have durable business moels.



"We are excited to take this significant step in expanding Aquila's capacity to serve equity and fixed income investors directly and are delighted with the high-caliber team we have assembled," said Diana Herrmann, President and CEO of Aquila Investment Management. "The team's extensive and deep expertise in equities and fixed income research and investing, as well as portfolio management, combined with their prior experience working together in similar roles, will ensure a smooth transition. It will also greatly enhance our ability to serve our shareholders and continue to offer quality investment solutions to financial professionals and their clients." Pedro Marcal brings nearly 30 years of investment experience, including as manager of U.S. and global equity funds, and over 20 years as a key member of asset allocation committees overseeing allocations across equities and fixed income asset classes. In the newly created role of Aquila's Director of Equities and High Yield, as well as portfolio manager roles, he is responsible for oversight of the entire team, including risk management. Additionally, he will serve as research analyst with respect to the consumer staples and energy sectors.

Previously, Mr. Marcal was founder and owner with Maccabee, LLC from 2012 to September 2021. Mr. Marcal was also a Director in the Equities Group and mutual fund portfolio manager at Foresters Investment Management Co. from 2018 to 2019, where he managed Foresters' global equities mutual fund and co-managed its U.S. equity analyst and trading teams. He also held portfolio management responsibilities with Fred Alger Management, Inc. and Allianz Global Investors. Mr. Marcal has a Bachelor of Arts in economics from University of California, San Diego and an MBA from University of California at Los Angeles, Anderson School of Business. David Schiffman has 32 years of industry experience, comprising managing fixed income assets which include high-yield bonds. In addition to his lead portfolio manager role with Aquila High Income Fund, he will serve as research analyst with respect to the financials, real estate and utilities sectors. Prior to joining Aquila, Mr. Schiffman was Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager of The Terra Group from 2020 to September 2021. Mr. Schiffman was Director of Insurance Investing at Foresters Investment Management Co. from 2017 to 2019, where he was responsible for the management and credit research of all investment-grade and high-yield fixed income for insurance-related assets. He previously held roles at First Empire Asset Management and UBS International, The Pension Boards - United Church of Christ, and GRE Insurance Group. Mr. Schiffman is a graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, as well as an MBA in Finance. Mr. Schiffman is a member of the Fixed Income Analysts Society and the Bond Club of New York. In addition to his co-portfolio manager responsibilities for the Aquila Opportunity Growth Fund, John McPeake will serve as research analyst with respect to information technology, communications services and certain consumer discretionary sectors. Previously, he was a senior analyst at Rosenblatt Securities from March 2021 to September 2021 and prior to that held portfolio management and analyst roles with a focus on technology sector research and investing at 7Park Data, Foresters Investment Management Co., Devi Asset Management, and with Fred Alger Management. Mr. McPeake has a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Hamilton College and an MBA in Finance from New York University, Stern School of Business. Steven Yang, CFA, CPA is joining Aquila as research analyst for both Funds and will be responsible for all remaining sectors. He has more than 15 years of investment research experience and has previously worked with Mr. Marcal and Mr. McPeake at Fred Alger Management. Mr. Yang has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Religious Studies from Yale University and an MBA in Accounting and Finance from New York University. ABOUT AQUILA GROUP OF FUNDS As investment managers for more than 35 years, we have always believed that investing successfully depends on knowing what you own and why you own it. We think this is particularly important in today's markets. Within Aquila Group of Funds, each Fund is managed to our high standards of quality and care, which we apply when implementing our municipal bond, equity and high-yield corporate bond strategies. We combine rigorous, hands-on investment research with a strong commitment to service and approachability. As of August 31, 2021, we manage over $3.2 billion in assets. Aquila Management Corporation, the Funds' founder and sponsor, is a family-owned, privately-held firm established in 1984 to serve the needs of investors and financial advisors. Please see Aquila Group of Funds' Guiding Principles here. Before investing in one of the Aquila Group of Funds, carefully read about and consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other information found in the fund prospectus. Prospectuses are available from your financial advisor, and when you call 800-437-1000 or visit www.aquilafunds.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005379/en/

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[September 22, 2021] RedSwan CRE Offers $320 Million in Real Estate for Purchase with Dogecoin

HOUSTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RedSwan CRE, the leading commercial real estate (CRE) tokenization platform, today announced that two digital-asset deals on its Marketplace will accept Dogecoin as payment in addition to regular USD fiat and stablecoins pegged to the USD. Investments can be made through the company's platform, powered by advanced blockchain technology, for a secure process.

"We are excited about bringing this exclusive investment opportunity to Dogecoin holders," said RedSwan CRE chief executive officer, Ed Nwokedi. "RedSwan CRE recognizes that cryptocurrency payments are becoming the favored way to transact in the digital economy and is putting its support behind the ecosystem. Dogecoin is one of the fastest growing coins in the space with strong name recognition and popularity. It is on the cusp of transitioning from a "meme coin" to legitimate institutional and transactional use cases. With this initiative, RedSwan CRE is doing its part to accelerate that evolution by providing educational value towards building wealth."

The Lakehouse Oakland and the Apollo Apartments projects are now accepting Dogecoin. Lakehouse is a 270-unit, multi-family luxury high-rse development located on Lake Merritt and within walking distance to Downtown Oakland. The Apollo Apartments is a new development project in Edmonds, a high demographic suburb of Seattle. Apollo is a 251-unit, EPA and NGBS Green certified building and designed to meet new work-from-home demands. The combined equity raise for these two deals through the RedSwan CRE platform is $36 million; $20 million for Lakehouse and $16 million for Apollo. New investors who come in will be invested alongside established, blue-chip institutional investors who have already committed capital to these properties.





www.redswan.io. The closing of these deals will occur once total allocations of the equity tokens are reached. This investment is open to US Accredited Investors under Regulation D and International Investors under Regulation S. About Redswan.io

Founded in April 2018, RedSwan CRE is a blockchain based marketplace that leverages tokenization technology to fractionalize ownership of commercial real estate, making investments more affordable. Sponsors and private investors now have early liquidity options through issuance and tradability of asset-backed digital securities. Drawing on the team's deep expertise in real estate, finance and technology, RedSwan CRE is providing leading edge capital market solutions for the $75T global industry. Please follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

For more information, Edward Nwokedi Director of Communications, 319431@email4pr.com, 713.240.4589 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/redswan-cre-offers-320-million-in-real-estate-for-purchase-with-dogecoin-301382380.html SOURCE RedSwan.io

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[September 22, 2021] DNSFilter Reveals MSP Partners of the Quarter for Q3, 2021

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AI-driven DNS security company DNSFilter is strengthening its partnership with MSPs through its MSP Partner of the Quarter Program. Every quarter, DNSFilter recognizes one Summit partner and select Platinum partners who exemplify excellence in cybersecurity. This program gives MSPs a one-stop shop for their business' marketing needs and reselling DNS security as a part of their software stack, simplified customer onboarding, and growing their security posture. DNSFilter will assist these partners with sales and marketing resources while giving them opportunities to promote their brands through DNSFilter. "I'm so excited to invite these MSPs to our Partner of the Quarter program and shine a light on them. We are proud to be included as a layer in each of their technology stacks, to help them fight DNS-based threats which continue to grow," said CEO Ken Carnesi. Since 2018, DNSFilter has offered MSP-specific pricing and a dedicated MSP dashboard white multi-tenant capabilities and whitelabeling. DNSFilter also has an MSP resource portal, and recently unveiled a brand new Administrator Course to help IT professionals train their staff (and interested customers) on DNS security.



New Summit Partner

An award-winning Managed Service Provider, IP Pathways provides professional IT solutions and world-class engineering services to the midwest and beyond with offices in Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. Founded in 2007 with the goal of providing exceptional technology services, IP Pathways believes strongly in innovation and investing in technology. The workforce has evolved a lot in the last 15 years, and so has the threat vector. This has required IP pathways to consistently identify ways to leverage technology to stay at the forefront of security practices to keep their customers safe. IP Pathways will receive the DNSFilter partner Summit badge, a permanent feature on the DNSFilter website, a seat on the company's beta testing council, and social media promotion throughout the quarter.

New Platinum Partners

The following MSP partners have been recognized by DNSFilter for their commitment to cybersecurity. 210IT , San Antonio, TX

, Fifth Gear Technologies , Nashville, TN (Read the case study)

, (Read the case study) Sidium Solutions , Ephrata, PA Platinum Partners receive Platinum badges and are highlighted on the Partner Page, as well as access to Platinum-only features. About DNSFilter

Founded in 2015, DNSFilter provides user-friendly DNS security to nearly 14,000 brands worldwide. DNSFilter protects entire organizations from online security threats and undesirable content using artificial intelligence. The company offers users a 14-day free trial for new users. For more information, visit https://www.dnsfilter.com/ . Media Contact

Jessica Rafaeil

404-936-0191

319495@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dnsfilter-reveals-msp-partners-of-the-quarter-for-q3-2021-301382390.html SOURCE DNSFilter

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[September 22, 2021] World's Leading Provider of Innovative Cellular IoT Asset Tracking and Monitoring Solutions Launches New Device

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobilogix, the leading provider of cost-optimized State of the Art cellular IoT solutions announces the launch of BAT-XL, the latest addition to its Asset Tracking portfolio. BAT-XL is a battery-operated global tracking device utilizing low power LTE CAT-M1/ NB-IoT technology with embedded Bluetooth. Increased battery density provides extended tracking and data collection capacity for up to 7 years in every condition, from extremely hot to below freezing temperatures. Common use cases include periodic location and monitoring of trailers, containers, and heavy equipment. BAT-XL ruggedized design incorporates enclosure ribs, aluminum mount backing and IP67 environmental ingress resistance for increased rigidity and strength during extended field use. Key Features of BAT-XL include Global deployment with a single hardware SKU, Field replaceable battery, AWS IoT Core integration, Remote device management through FusionIoT or API, FOTA services, and location and sensor logging when out of coverage. BAT-XL can act as a standalone long-life tracker or as a Bluetooth Gateway solution for BTM250-series beacon sensors. As the centerpiece of a complete solution ofering enhanced command and control in configuring, monitoring, and managing assets over multi-year periods, the BAT-XL is the ideal device to meet the requirements of global organizations across industries.



"With the release of the Mobilogix BAT-XL, the challenges of long field life and extreme temperatures are now issues reserved for other trackers", said Charlie Williams, EVP of Sales and Marketing with Mobilogix. "BAT-XL is field serviceable for higher frequency use cases in real-world operation for extended periods of time or daily operation spanning beyond the service life of some of our customer's assets." Mobilogix is presently accepting BAT-XL pre-orders and welcomes engagements with customers seeking scalable solutions without compromise for their asset tracking needs.

BAT-XL IS AVAILABLE TO BE WHITE-LABELED AND CUSTOM BRANDED. About Mobilogix Mobilogix is the world's leading provider in IoT asset optimization and management solutions. The company's solutions are deployed by leading Agriculture, Automotive, Construction, Healthcare, Industrial and Transportation companies to track, monitor, and manage their assets with real-time actionable data. Mobilogix is headquartered in Irvine, California, and has global offices in Brazil, India, Hong Kong and China. For more information, please call +1.949.748.8895, email info@mobilogix.com. Media contact: Greg Oppenheim, +1.949.365.6236, 319505@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worlds-leading-provider-of-innovative-cellular-iot-asset-tracking-and-monitoring-solutions-launches-new-device-301382403.html SOURCE Mobilogix, Inc.

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[September 22, 2021] Tech & Telecom Ranks 4th Out of 10 Industries in MBLM's Brand Intimacy COVID Study

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The tech & telecom industry ranks 4th out of the 10 industries featured in MBLM's 2021 Brand Intimacy COVID Study, a study of brands based on emotional connections during the pandemic. MBLM (pronounced Emblem) uses emotional science to build and manage more intimate brands. Apple ranks as the #1 most intimate brand overall in the study and as the #1 tech & telecom brand, followed by Google and Samsung, respectively. Brand Intimacy is the emotional science behind the bonds we form with the brands we use and love. MBLM's study reveals that the remaining brands in the top 10 for the tech & telecom industry are Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft, Dell, LG, HP and Sony. Performance has improved, and the industry average is up seven percent since before the pandemic. Top intimate brands have also continued to outperform leading brands in the Fortune 500 and S&P indices in profit, and stock price growth over the last year, generating an additional $16 billion in profit. "Tech & telecom brands continue to be critical in keeping us connected to our work and loved ones in the second year of the pandemic," stated Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM. "They have shifted their focus on weathering the pandemic to establishing new policies and procedures and protecting against misleading information. The brands that continue to recognize this continued period of uncetainty and address their role in helping us weather this crisis will likely be the ones with the greatest gains in building stronger emotional bonds."



Additional significant tech & telecom industry findings include: The industry has an average Brand Intimacy Quotient of 45.7, well above the cross-industry average of 38.3

Tech & telecom performs better with men than women, and with consumers over 35 years versus those under 35

Across gender, age and income there is considerable alignment around top intimate brands, including Apple and Google

Enhancement remains the dominant industry archetype

Compared to our previous COVID study, more than 32 percent of consumers have an increased positive emotional connection with tech & telecom brands

Samsung is the top brand for men, replacing Google, while Apple remains the top brand for women and users under 45 MBLM also analyzed the industry in an article entitled, "Facilitating Communication & Interaction during the Pandemic." The piece looks at how tech & telecom brands are navigating new challenges in response to COVID and their communications during this time.

To view the technology & telecommunications industry findings, please click here. Additionally, MBLM offers Custom Dashboards providing extensive data for brands included in its Brand Intimacy COVID Study. To download the main Brand Intimacy COVID Study report or explore the Rankings, click here. About MBLM: MBLM invented Brand Intimacy, the emotional science behind the brands we use and love. For our clients, we deliver expertise and value through our agency insights, services and software offerings. With offices in five countries, our multidisciplinary teams invent, transform and enhance brands for businesses of every kind. We deliver marketing that creates stronger emotional connections with stakeholders. These bonds create better performance and long-term returns. To learn more about how we can help you create and sustain ultimate brand relationships, visit mblm.com. RUBENSTEIN PUBLIC RELATIONS

CONTACT: JULIE STRICKLAND, 212-805-3062

JSTRICKLAND@RUBENSTEINPR.COM View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tech--telecom-ranks-4th-out-of-10-industries-in-mblms-brand-intimacy-covid-study-301382513.html SOURCE MBLM

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[September 22, 2021] Sprout Social Adds New Level of Transparency to its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Commitments

CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sprout Social, an industry-leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, today released its new Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) website , which outlines and underscores the companys commitments to sustainability and equity across the business. The site also includes Sprouts recently published Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) report that details the current state of its demographic makeup along with key learnings and goals for the future.

Sprout is focused on minimizing its environmental impact, positively affecting its communities and aligning its practices with the interests of all stakeholders with initiatives including: Energy conservation: One of Sprouts largest impacts on the environment is its consumption of electricity. Sprout is committed to purchasing energy-efficient equipment and partnering with suppliers that share its commitment to environmentally sustainable practices.

One of Sprouts largest impacts on the environment is its consumption of electricity. Sprout is committed to purchasing energy-efficient equipment and partnering with suppliers that share its commitment to environmentally sustainable practices. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Sprout is committed to building a diverse team, fostering an inclusive culture and investing in equity across our organization. In its annual DEI report , Sprout discloses its current efforts in these areas and opportunities for the future.

Sprout is committed to building a diverse team, fostering an inclusive culture and investing in equity across our organization. In its annual , Sprout discloses its current efforts in these areas and opportunities for the future. Ethical conduct: The company has formed an ESG committee responsible for growing and guiding these efforts in an impactful way. This includes reviewing commitments related to governance practices such as proactively mitigating information security risks and reviewing its corporate governance practices.





Find out more about Sprouts ESG commitments here . About Sprout Social

Sprout Social offers deep social media listening and analytics, social management, customer care, commerce and advocacy solutions to more than 30,000 brands and agencies worldwide. Sprouts unified platform integrates the power of social throughout every aspect of a business and enables social leaders at every level to extract valuable data and insights that drive their business forward. Headquartered in Chicago, Sprout operates across major social media networks, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Availability of Information on Sprout Socials Website and Social Media Profiles

Investors and others should note that Sprout Social routinely announces material information to investors and the marketplace using U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, press releases, public conference calls, webcasts and the Sprout Social Investors website. We also intend to use the social media profiles listed below as a means of disclosing information about us to our customers, investors and the public. While not all of the information that the Company posts to the Sprout Social Investors website or to social media profiles is of a material nature, some information could be deemed to be material. Accordingly, the Company encourages investors, the media, and others interested in Sprout Social to review the information that it shares at the Investors link located at the bottom of the page on www.sproutsocial.com and to regularly follow our social media profiles. Users may automatically receive email alerts and other information about Sprout Social when enrolling an email address by visiting "Email Alerts" in the "Shareholder Services" section of Sprout Social's Investor website at https://investors.sproutsocial.com/. Social Media Profiles:

www.twitter.com/SproutSocial

www.twitter.com/SproutSocialIR

www.facebook.com/SproutSocialInc

www.linkedin.com/company/sprout-social-inc-/

www.instagram.com/sproutsocial Contact Media:

Kaitlyn Gronek

Email: pr@sproutsocial.com

Phone: (773) 904-9674 Investors:

Jason Rechel

Twitter: @SproutSocialIR

Email: jason.rechel@sproutsocial.com

Phone: (312) 528-9166



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[September 22, 2021] P360 Boosts Its ZING SMS Communication Module With Multimodal Enterprise-grade Features for Compliant Communication With HCPs

P360, a leading developer of technology for life sciences companies, today announced that its ZING Communication Module has been enhanced with several new enterprise-grade unified communication features. Not only does the ZING unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform enable life sciences sales teams to send custom branded, templated SMS text messages and other digital assets to healthcare professionals (HCPs), it now features two-way calling, activity tracking, smart automations, flexible integrations and more. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005020/en/ P360's ZING Communication Module (Photo:Business Wire) "The ZING Communication Module is a powerful UCaaS platform that's helping life sciences companies deliver compliant, unified one-to-one communication to healthcare professionals that is not only targeted but that is welcome," stated P360 CEO and Founder Anupam Nandwana. "With its new upgrades, ZING is now one of the most powerful HCP engagement platforms on the market. Not only can sales teams easily deliver much-needed information to HCPs and their staff, they can also obtain marketing data that makes future engagements more meaningful. And they get the power of an effective, efficient communication system as well. This is not a mass-texting system - it is a dynamic, professional platform for powering the direct communication that already exists through this interface." With the ZING UCaaS platform, life sciences sales reps can exchange compliant two-way unified messaging with healthcare professionals without barriers. There are no apps for end-users to download and there are no subscriptions for them to deal with. To HCPs, ZING offers a seamless, hassle-free experience that's seen as nothing different than their normal method for receiving texts. This is something HCPs are asking for. During a recent Webinar session with P360 CEO Anupam Nandwana, double board-certified physician and panelist Dr. Mandira Mehra confirmed that, from a doctor's standpoint, communication with life sciences reps has become inefficient. Although an integral part of a physician's work, she noted that the process of accessing or contacting reps can be very frustrating.



"Physicians want engagement at their own pace, at their own time, and they want to initiate it," said Dr. Mehra. "I still have a stack of business cards with the information of 20-30 different pharmaceutical and medical device reps. I cannot think of any other industry that would do that - if I order food or call a cab, everything is streamlined and really done through the phone." The response to ZING from life sciences companies has been strong as well.

"We are very proud of the work that the team has done to build a solution to address interaction challenges between HCPs and industry," said P360 Chief Revenue Officer Steve Kurzeja. "Within the first six months of launch, over 50 pharmaceutical organizations have expressed interest in ZING, including each of the top 10 global companies - with five of them currently engaging in deployment discussions." ZING addresses all the pain points associated with traditional HCP engagement methods and more by enabling life sciences sales organizations to: Exchange SMS Messages directly with HCPs and staff: ZING enables sales reps to augment their existing 1:1 communication and send text messages with MLR approved text bodies, along with corresponding digital assets. The content is flexible - can be promotional, logistical or informational in nature.

ZING enables sales reps to augment their existing 1:1 communication and send text messages with MLR approved text bodies, along with corresponding digital assets. The content is flexible - can be promotional, logistical or informational in nature. Send bite-sized assets, hyperlinks and videos instantly: Reps can send the right amount of information at the right time. No more spamming inboxes or sending too much information.

Reps can send the right amount of information at the right time. No more spamming inboxes or sending too much information. Customize and brand messaging: ZING comes equipped with text templates that can be updated often. P360 will even work with brand teams to develop starter template messages that are compliance-approved.

ZING comes equipped with text templates that can be updated often. P360 will even work with brand teams to develop starter template messages that are compliance-approved. Receive messages: ZING can be enabled to allow inbound messaging from customers as well.

ZING can be enabled to allow inbound messaging from customers as well. Two-way calling: Outbound and inbound calling are available with ZING.

Outbound and inbound calling are available with ZING. Automated Responses: ZING offers automated response functionality that reps can seamlessly intervene with when necessary.

ZING offers automated response functionality that reps can seamlessly intervene with when necessary. Ensure compliance: All messages, digital assets and replies can be preapproved by compliance and preloaded into the system. They can also be locked to outside edits and can be made visible only to the reps that need them. In addition, all data can be stored as per enterprise data standards.

All messages, digital assets and replies can be preapproved by compliance and preloaded into the system. They can also be locked to outside edits and can be made visible only to the reps that need them. In addition, all data can be stored as per enterprise data standards. Integrate HCP profiles with your CRM: The data from ZING integrates back to sales profiles in existing CRM systems.

The data from ZING integrates back to sales profiles in existing CRM systems. Harness powerful analytics : All interactions with contacts are tracked within the ZING application. This includes: number of messages sent by reps and customers; territory; date/time; number of messages by templates and breakdown of usage; time and day when reps and customers are most active; message open and click-through rate; customer location, browser, operating system and device used; and breakdown of customer vs non-customer.

: All interactions with contacts are tracked within the ZING application. This includes: number of messages sent by reps and customers; territory; date/time; number of messages by templates and breakdown of usage; time and day when reps and customers are most active; message open and click-through rate; customer location, browser, operating system and device used; and breakdown of customer vs non-customer. Get more targeted over time: ZING's powerful AI capabilities enable the platform to become smarter over time. The system uses past text message interactions to determine the best time to contact and more.

ZING's powerful AI capabilities enable the platform to become smarter over time. The system uses past text message interactions to determine the best time to contact and more. Create custom reports: The powerful backend dashboard offers custom reporting and other management tools. This includes a geographical view of message activity, activity readout regarding clicks and much more. In recognition of its continued innovation within pharmaceutical commercial operations, P360 was recently named in Gartner's (News - Alert) Hype Cycle for Life Science Commercial Operations, 2021. P360 was listed in the Life Science Sales Performance Management (LSSPM) category. As per the report, "LSSPM is a suite of operational and analytical functions that automate and unite sales planning and operational sales processes." In addition to being listed as a sample vendor in Gartner's Hype Cycle report, P360 COO Edward Vaz was recently named to the PharmaVoice 100, which recognizes the most inspirational, motivational and transformational individuals throughout the life sciences industry. For more information about the ZING Communication Module, please visit the product landing page HERE. For more about P360, visit P360.com. About P360

Based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey, P360 is a leading developer of technology for the life sciences industry. Product offerings include BirdzAI, PatientJourney360, Data360, Trials360 and Swittons. To learn more about P360, visit P360.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005020/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Takeda Selects Four New Partners for Annual Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program to Help Strengthen Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) ("Takeda") today announced the addition of four partnerships to its Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program, which makes long-term commitments to strengthen health systems and improve access to healthcare for all in developing and emerging countries. As part of an annual decision-making process, Takeda employees worldwide voted to add IntraHealth International, Jhpiego, Pathfinder International and the World Food Programme (WFP) as new partners for the Global CSR (News - Alert) Program, which now supports 20 programs in 72 countries. Takeda's commitments to these new partners in FY2021 include: JPY 953 million to IntraHealth International to work with 12 private schools in Mali, Senegal and Niger to increase the number of qualified, trained nurses who can serve rural communities facing a critical shortage of health workers in these countries. Over the next five years, the project will help private schools partner with the public sector, achieve the appropriate accreditations, enhance competency-based curricula, create effective learning approaches and graduate students from underserved areas-all as part of the effort to ensure that everyone everywhere has access to healthcare.

to work with 12 private schools in Mali, Senegal and Niger to increase the number of qualified, trained nurses who can serve rural communities facing a critical shortage of health workers in these countries. Over the next five years, the project will help private schools partner with the public sector, achieve the appropriate accreditations, enhance competency-based curricula, create effective learning approaches and graduate students from underserved areas-all as part of the effort to ensure that everyone everywhere has access to healthcare. JPY 890 million to Jhpiego's iWIN project, to help accelerate progress in preventing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity by mending the fragmented maternal and child health ecosystem in India via a holistic, woman-centered approach. Over the next five years, the project will catalyze adoption of an Indian-owned model to continuously track and utilize ground-breaking information on the health of pregnant women to create a sustainable, next generation approach to coordinated, patient-centered care before, during and post pregnancy.

iWIN project, to help accelerate progress in preventing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity by mending the fragmented maternal and child health ecosystem in India via a holistic, woman-centered approach. Over the next five years, the project will catalyze adoption of an Indian-owned model to continuously track and utilize ground-breaking information on the health of pregnant women to create a sustainable, next generation approach to coordinated, patient-centered care before, during and post pregnancy. JPY 1 billion to Pathfinder International to advance women's and girls' leadership in responding to the disproportionate impact of climate change and emergencies on women's health. Operating in South and Southeast Asia over four years, the project will position women and girls as change agents in places where gender inequalities and climate-related crises reduce their quality of health. The project will strengthen access to equitable health services, build community resilience to climate shocks and help women forge their own path to a healthier future.

to advance women's and girls' leadership in responding to the disproportionate impact of climate change and emergencies on women's health. Operating in South and Southeast Asia over four years, the project will position women and girls as change agents in places where gender inequalities and climate-related crises reduce their quality of health. The project will strengthen access to equitable health services, build community resilience to climate shocks and help women forge their own path to a healthier future. JPY 1.3 billion to the World Food Programme's Project Boreas, over the next five years. The project will enhance the capacity of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot in Accra, Ghana, to more efficiently receive, store and transport temperature-sensitive health products in 17 countries in West Africa. The project will create a regional Logistics Knowledge Centre where supply chain professionals and national governments can receive training on best-in-class supply chain practices, ensuring that they are better equipped to face and manage health emergencies. "We at IntraHealth are thrilled to be partnering with Takeda to address the shortage of highly trained nurses in rural communities in Mali, Senegal and Niger. This partnership will revolutionize health worker training at private nursing schools, improve health care in the communities that need it most and attract more brilliant young students to the profession," said Polly Dunford, president and CEO of IntraHealth International. "Jhpiego is humbled and excited to have won the confidence of Takeda's employees to implement the Integrated Women in Health Network (iWIN) project in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is incredibly inspiring to be motivated by a shared belief: that all women deserve access to the high-quality pregnancy care that saves lives. Together, we will build a mother-focused, scalable maternal and newborn health system by raising quality and continuity of care and leveraging predictive analytics and innovative financing," said Leslie Mancuso, president and CEO of Jhpiego. "Pathfinder is honored to work with Takeda to advance the leadership of women and girls. This project is a living example of Takeda's commitment to better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We wll elevate women's leadership in South and Southeast Asia for improved health and climate resilience," said Lois Quam, president and CEO of Pathfinder International.



"The World Food Programme is honored to have been chosen by Takeda's employees as part of their Global CSR Program for a project that is so timely and important. The COVID-19 pandemic served as an important reminder of the need for countries to be prepared for, and equipped to respond to, health emergencies. With Takeda's help, we aim to provide critical support in 17 countries across West Africa - safeguarding vulnerable communities and building capacity for the future," said Tim Hunter, director of Private Partnerships and Fundraising at WFP. Since launching in 2016, Takeda's signature Global CSR Program has committed a total of 16.5 billion yen to 17 international and non-governmental organizations on 20 long-term projects that address more than 23 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Targets in 72 countries. Each project addresses strengthening health systems in unique ways and aligns with countries' national health needs. These four- to 10-year funding commitments reflect that sustainable impact takes time and there are no quick fixes to the complex and longstanding challenges that health systems face.

"We are proud to partner with IntraHealth International, Jhpiego, Pathfinder International and the World Food Programme to increase the number of qualified health workers, transform supply chains, address the impact of climate change, conflict and emergencies on women's health, and leverage data and digital to transform maternal and newborn care," said Takako Ohyabu, Takeda chief global corporate affairs officer. "All our new partnerships address endemic challenges health systems face today while empowering communities to be ready for the future." Takeda's Global CSR Program partnerships have made notable progress since 2016: Reached more than 5.84 million direct beneficiaries;

Trained more than 32,000 qualified health workers;

Provided more than 570,000+ community members with targeted health education;

Immunized millions of children against preventable diseases such as measles; and

Our partners are on track to reach 18.4 million direct beneficiaries by 2027, providing lifesaving care for vulnerable women and newborns, preventing stunting, strengthening holistic support for refugees, and so much more. About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE: 4502/NYSE: TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetics and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people's lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com. Important Notice For the purposes of this notice, "release" means this document, any oral presentation, any question and answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda") regarding this release. This release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this release. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. This release is being given (together with any further information which may be provided to the recipient) on the condition that it is for use by the recipient for information purposes only (and not for the evaluation of any investment, acquisition, disposal or any other transaction). Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws. The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this release, "Takeda" is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. Forward-Looking Statements This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takeda's future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as "targets", "plans", "believes", "hopes", "continues", "expects", "aims", "intends", "ensures", "will", "may", "should", "would", "could" "anticipates", "estimates", "projects" or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda's global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; challenges inherent in new product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products; manufacturing difficulties or delays; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, on Takeda and its customers and suppliers, including foreign governments in countries in which Takeda operates, or on other facets of its business; the timing and impact of post-merger integration efforts with acquired companies; the ability to divest assets that are not core to Takeda's operations and the timing of any such divestment(s); and other factors identified in Takeda's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takeda's other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takeda's website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/sec-filings/ or at www.sec.gov. Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takeda's future results. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005634/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Leading Beverage Alcohol E-Commerce and Fulfillment Platform, Speakeasy Co., Invests in Leadership with Latest Appointments of CTO and CFO

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Speakeasy Co., a leading e-commerce and fulfillment platform servicing the beverage alcohol industry, is proud to announce the recent appointments of Mark Tholking to Chief Technology Officer and Cara Morrison to Chief Financial Officer. Speakeasy Co. Invests in Leadership with Latest Appointments of CTO and CFO "We are thrilled to share the news surrounding the recent hiring of Mark Tholking and promotion of Cara Morrison," said Josh Jacobs, Co-Founder and CEO of Speakeasy Co. "Each of these leaders exemplify all that Speakeasy Co. stands for when it comes to relentless dedication to customer satisfaction and intent to revolutionize the beverage alcohol category." Michael Bowen, Co-Founder and COO notes, "Mark played a crucial role in the recent success of our Tesla Tequila initiative having developed the strategy and overall technology to truly make it possible, also helping to solve the incredibly difficult technology problem of creating a flash sale site to scale to millions of users, selling out in less than an hour. We are fortunate to now have Mark full-time supporting the busines and are confident in his abilities to take Speakeasy Co. to new heights in the years ahead."



Tholking comes to Speakeasy Co. with extensive leadership experience heading technology teams, creating innovative products over the past decade, most recently as Chief Technology Officer for Vessel. In addition to his experience in technology, Thokling has also worked with globally recognized CPG brands including P&G, Johnson & Johnson and ConAgra. "We are rapidly expanding the talented Speakeasy Co. technology team to support our growing list of brand partners on our platform," Tholking comments. "In addition, we are also constantly advancing the Speakeasy Co. platform by providing brand partners with more actionable insights with data and analytics."

Morrison, a seasoned finance executive, most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of IDW Publishing, a leading media company based out of San Diego, CA. During her decade-long tenure with the business, Morrison worked with various world-renowned brands such as Hasbro, Disney, Marvel, and ViacomCBS, in addition to supporting the growth of independent creator owned brands. Morrison began her career with KPMG, is a licensed CPA, and serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Traveling Stories, a children's literacy nonprofit. Morrison notes, "Right now we are focusing on improving systems and adding automations to the fulfillment and reporting processes. This key investment will give our partners access to information sooner and aid in scalable efficiencies for Speakeasy Co.'s long-term success." Bowen continues, "Cara's expertise will help accelerate our business into the forefront of the industry by helping drive the Speakeasy Co. retail and distribution platform to handle thousands of SKUs and partners. We also feel her time working with IDW and the amount of publishers and SKUs on their respective platform have set her for success here at Speakeasy Co." About Speakeasy Co.:

Speakeasy Co. is a leading e-commerce and fulfillment platform servicing the beverage alcohol industry. The platform enables brands to sell directly to consumers from their respective websites without disrupting the three-tier system, empowering partners to own their destiny. Brands control the entire consumer journey from digital to doorstep, owning their customer relationships and data. To learn more about our services and more, please visit www.speakeasyco.com and or check us out on Instagram or Facebook . Media Contact:

Taylor Foxman

taylorf@speakeasyco.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leading-beverage-alcohol-e-commerce-and-fulfillment-platform-speakeasy-co-invests-in-leadership-with-latest-appointments-of-cto-and-cfo-301382567.html SOURCE Speakeasy Co.

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[September 22, 2021] Retailer Ashley Stewart Selects Amperity Customer Data Platform's Full Stack to Fuel Customer Data Strategy

SEATTLE, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amperity, the leading customer data platform (CDP) for consumer brands, today announced that Ashley Stewart, the American plus-size fashion retailer and lifestyle brand, has implemented Amperity's Customer Data Platform into its existing IT, customer service, and marketing operations. This seamless integration supports the company's current campaign strategy and builds predictive models which identify new use cases for customer data. The unified database of customers, created using Amperity's customer data and identity platform, will enable Ashley Stewart to engage more deeply with new and existing customers and develop elevated customer service and brand loyalty. Given the company's significant e-commerce presence, this partnership will further enhance Ashley Stewart's marketing and digital strategies, including email, social, and SMS campaigns targeting customers at every stage of the marketing lifecycle. "Ashley Stewart's omnichannel approach to sales meant that our existing marketing operations were already present across email, social, SMS, search, direct mail, and customer service," said Liz White, chief customer officer at Ashley tewart. "By building out our Amp360 customer database, we now have a more complete and accurate view of customer behavior across all touchpoints, improved analytics, as well as point and click activation across our marketing channels."



Expanding and enhancing the use of customer data

Amperity's platform ingests raw customer data across various databases, using machine learning to resolve identities even when records lack unique identifiers across systems. The result is unified and centralized customer databases from online and offline transactions, loyalty programs, email interactions, finance systems, etc., enabling its partners to efficiently deploy customer data for targeting, suppression, analytics, customer service, regulatory compliance, and more. "Ashley Stewart is a brand that fully embraces the modern e-commerce model," said Kabir Shahani, CEO, and co-founder of Amperity. "Amperity is providing the company with the tools necessary to better understand its customers' interests and develop analytics to predict their intent  data and insights that are critical to success in a rapidly changing economy."

About Ashley Stewart

Since its founding in 1991, Ashley Stewart has stood for uncompromising style, fashion and value, championing the confidence and empowerment of women. Today, Ashley Stewart is a leading omnichannel retailer offering the hottest looks for women sizes 10 to 36 with a significant e-commerce presence at www.AshleyStewart.com and 82 stores across the United States. About Amperity

Amperity is the leading Enterprise Customer Data Platform trusted by the world's most loved consumer brands to accelerate their shift to first-party customer relationships. Amperity has revolutionized the way brands identity, understand, and connect with their customers by leveraging AI to deliver a comprehensive and actionable Customer 360. This unified view improves marketing performance, fuels accurate customer insights, and enables world-class, real-time customer experiences. With Amperity, technical teams are freed from endless integration and data management, and business teams have direct access to the comprehensive data they need to build long-term customer loyalty and drive growth. Amperity serves many of the world's most loved brands, including Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Alaska Airlines, Michaels, Tapestry, Lucky Brand, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Crocs, Servco Automotive Retail, First Hawaiian Bank, and many more. To learn more, visit Amperity.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/retailer-ashley-stewart-selects-amperity-customer-data-platforms-full-stack-to-fuel-customer-data-strategy-301382575.html SOURCE Amperity

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[September 22, 2021] SailPoint Named Overall Leader in KuppingerCole's Leadership Compass for IDaaS IGA

SailPoint Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SAIL), the leader in enterprise identity security, today announced that it has been recognized in the KuppingerCole's September 2021, "Leadership Compass: Identity as a Service - Identity Governance and Administration" report as a leader of Identity as a Service (IDaaS) for identity governance and administration (IGA). SailPoint received "strong positive" ratings across all categories: overall, product, market, and innovation leadership. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005657/en/ SailPoint Named Overall Leader in KuppingerCole's 2021 Leadership Compass (News - Alert) for IDaaS IGA (Graphic: Business Wire) This is the first year KuppinerCole has published a Leadership Compass report on IDaaS IGA, which underscores its criticality in protecting the enterprise today. The inaugural report analyzes the market direction and includes a detailed evaluation of market players, providing guidance for companies to make informed purchasing decisions.



In KuppingerCole's evaluation of SailPoint, the analysts explain, "SailPoint has been a leading vendor in the IGA market, providing strong Access Governance capabilities. In addition, SailPoint has built excellent support for the identity and role lifecycle management as part of the IGA offering with an increased focus on identity and access intelligence." The report goes on to explain, "SailPoint continues to enhance its provisioning, automation, and predictive intelligence in a positive direction, making it a recommended consideration in any IGA evaluation."

SailPoint's identity security platform, backed by our world-class identity security team, allows our customers to expertly manage the risk brought on by the explosion of technology access across the modern large and mid-sized enterprise. SailPoint's ability to harness the power of AI and machine learning, allows us to streamline and automate the management and control of a very complex problem: delivering the right access to the right "identities" and technology resources at exactly the right time. SailPoint's sophisticated identity security platform deeply integrates with existing systems and workflows, ultimately, providing the critical, singular view into all identities and their access rights. "The modern enterprise is managing thousands to millions of identities, with access requirements that are constantly changing based on business needs. Each access point represents a possible exposure point if not properly secured," said Grady Summers, EVP of Product, SailPoint. "This report is a welcome reinforcement that our approach to solving what has become an incredibly complex problem for the enterprise is unmatched. We are committed to meeting our customers' needs for an intelligent, integrated, autonomous approach to identity security in a dynamic business environment." KuppingerCole's Report Methodology KuppingerCole's Leadership Compass distinction for the market segment of IDaaS IGA, vendors must support a list of 18 features and capabilities. In addition, KuppingerCole evaluates participating IDaaS IGA vendors on the breadth of the supported IDaaS capabilities, operational requirements such as support for high availability and disaster recovery, strategic focus, partner ecosystem, quality of technical support, and the strength of market understanding and product roadmap. Finally, a vendor's ability to deliver a reliable and scalable IDaaS IGA service with desired security, UX, and TCO benefits. To read the accompanying September 2021 KuppingerCole Leadership Compass Report on IDaaS IGA, please click here. SailPoint's analysis can be read on pages 90-93. About SailPoint SailPoint is the leader in identity security for the cloud enterprise. We're committed to protecting businesses from the inherent risk that comes with providing technology access across today's diverse and remote workforce. Our identity security solutions secure and enable thousands of companies worldwide, giving our customers unmatched visibility into the entirety of their digital workforce, and ensuring that each worker has the right access to do their job, no more, no less. With SailPoint at the foundation of their business, our customers can provision access with confidence, protect business assets at scale and ensure compliance with certainty. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005657/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Data Science Helps Raleigh Water Avoid Digging Up The Streets

Global water technology company, Xylem (NYSE:XYL), has helped the City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department (Raleigh Water) get a clearer picture of its 2,340 miles of pipes, some of which are more than 100 years old. Accurately predicting which parts of the pipe network might fail helps Raleigh Water pin-point maintenance, avoid unnecessary digs and reduce water main breaks. Combining Xylem sensors and advanced risk analytics with Esri location intelligence software, Raleigh Water achieved a far more accurate, predictive, and targeted view of its potential trouble spots. Deciding which water mains to replace took 75% less time than in the past, while also reducing unnecessary capital costs and water loss from pipe failures. "Based on what we've seen with Xylem's predictive modeling services, we are confident that replacing these mains is the best bang for the buck," said Adam Haggerty, Asset Manager for Raleigh Water. "This is a game changer for us, and it is something we will be able to use for a wide variety of applications." "It's a huge challenge to manage risk in a big pipe network," said Rocio Echeverria, Vice President and General Manager at Xylem. "You have to predict failure in an asset you can't see, knowing the pieces were built at different times in different ways. Get it wrong and you replace some pipes prematurely, while leaving higher-risk parts of the network in place. So, getting it right with advanced risk analytics gives the utility more confidence, saves the community money, and enables you to dig only when you have to." "This is a great result for Raleigh Water, demonstrating the power in combining geographic information system data with insight into the water network," said Christa Campbell, Director Industry Solutions: Water, Esri. "We're so pleased that, together, Esri and Xylem are bringing actionable new deision intelligence that delivers real savings by targeting work in the city where the need is greatest."



Xylem Asset Performance Optimization analyzed the utility's entire network, combining historical pipeline break data with information from Raleigh Water using Esri ArcGIS Enterprise. The resulting assessment identified the top 1% of at-risk pipeline segments, scattered throughout the city, based on their probability of failure. The team then clustered groups of at-risk pipes to be prioritized for more targeted preventative maintenance. The data-driven risk model also supports a city-wide initiative to increase racial equity by eliminating bias from selection of infrastructure projects. To date, Raleigh Water has planned six projects using the results of Xylem's analyses. It estimates the work with Xylem has already saved the utility 75% of planning time while reducing risk to the network, decreasing response times, and lessening community impact of breaks that might occur.

About Xylem Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to solving critical water and infrastructure challenges with innovation. Our more than 16,000 diverse employees delivered revenue of $4.88 billion in 2020. We are creating a more sustainable world by enabling our customers to optimize water and resource management, and helping communities in more than 150 countries become water-secure. Join us at www.xylem.com. About Esri Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005711/en/

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[September 22, 2021] A $122.4 Billion Global Opportunity for Electric Motors by 2026 - New Research from StrategyR

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new market study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA) the premier market research company, today released its report titled "Electric Motors - 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: 18; Released: April 2021

Executive Pool: 27543

Companies: 396 - Players covered include ABB Ltd.; ACTOM (Pty) Ltd.; Allied Motion Technologies, Inc.; AMETEK Inc.; ARC Systems Inc.; Asmo Co., Ltd.; Baldor Electric Company; Bauer Gear Motor; Brook Crompton UK Ltd.; CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd.; Franklin Electric Co. Inc.; General Electric Company; Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.; Hyosung Power & Industrial Systems Performance Group; Kirloskar Electric Company Ltd.; Kollmorgen Corp.; Leeson Electric; MinebeaMitsumi Inc.; Nanyang Explosion Protection Group Co. Ltd.; Nidec Corp.; Panasonic Corp.; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Sanyo Denki America Inc.; Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd.; Siemens AG; TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company; Toshiba International Corp.; Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corp.; WEG Electric Corporation and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Motor Type (AC Motors, DC Motors, Hermetic Motor); Output Power (Fractional HP, Integral HP); Application (Industrial Machinery, Motor Vehicles, HVAC, Aerospace & Transportation, Household Appliances, Other Applications)

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 produt 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 Electric Motors Market to Reach $122.4 Billion by 2026

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Electric Motors estimated at US$102 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$122.4 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 3% over the analysis period. AC Motors, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 2.8% CAGR and reach US$89.1 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the DC Motors segment is readjusted to a revised 3.1% CAGR for the next 7-year period.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $28.3 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $24.4 Billion by 2026

The Electric Motors market in the U.S. is estimated at US$28.3 Billion in the year 2021. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$24.4 Billion by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 5.5% over the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 0.8% and 2.2% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 1.4% CAGR. Hermetic Motor Segment to Reach US$15.8 Billion by the year 2026

In the global Hermetic Motor segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 3.7% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$9.3 Billion in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$11.9 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. 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-122-4-billion-global-opportunity-for-electric-motors-by-2026---new-research-from-strategyr-301382570.html SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

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[September 22, 2021] Huawei, Thailand Medical Services Dept Sign MoU for 5G Healthcare

BANGKOK, Thailand, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co. Ltd. today signed the 5G Empowered Healthcare Towards a Digital Thailand Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Medical Services (DMS) under the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), to establish a smart platform that will facilitate advanced medical treatment using state-of-the-art digital technology. The MoU signing ceremony was held at the DMS Office, presided by HE Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health and Mr. Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Thailand. In cooperation with the National Cancer Institute and Rajavithi Hospital, both under the DMS, this initiative aims to increase the efficiency of medical services and operations to improve the quality of healthcare services. During the event, a live demonstration was held to present 5G smart ambulance, 5G Telemedicine and Home Isolation solutions for remote diagnosis and treatment of patients. During his honorable speech, H.E. Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul stressed on the Ministry's mission to enhance Thailand's healthcare system. Through the implementation of ICT technologies, many new services, including Telemedicine, patient queue management, patient information collection using Big Data, were made possible. He commented "We believe that, with advanced ICT equipment, our expertise, an the adoption of 5G technology, we can create equal access to quality and timely healthcare. During the ongoing pandemic where social distancing measures are adopted, the Department of Medical Services and Huawei will jointly explore the benefits of 5G in the healthcare field under this MoU. The joint projects will ensure better health services for Thai people. On this special occasion, I would like to thank Huawei for their support in providing the state-of-the-art equipment and their extensive industry knowledge. My gratitude also goes to the Department of Medical Services for their contribution that led to knowledge transfer in healthcare."



"This MoU is a milestone that will bring rapid advances to medical care in the country," declared Dr Somsak Akksilp, Director General of Department of Medical Services. "It is an honor for the DMS and our carefully selected hospitals to partner with Huawei for a cutting-edge initiative that will raise the level and standards of our hospital services and improve operational efficiency." Mr. Abel Deng emphasized that "Huawei is proud to team up with the DMS, the National Cancer Institute and Rajavithi Hospital for this pioneer program that will help empower Thailand's healthcare system. This MoU will contribute to the MoPH's vision to transform more smart hospitals in the near future." He further added that "During this era of digitalization in the medical field, it is an honor to accompany Thailand as its healthcare sector connects the value of medical care with the patients' needs. Introducing smart innovations and infrastructure will improve the work of healthcare and medical professionals and the quality of life of the people in urban and rural areas. Huawei continues to push forward digital transformation in Thailand, and bring digital technology to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent Thailand."

This MoU comes in response to the DMS' mission to continuously improve its services and, with the support of Huawei, to introduce enhanced smart services that will apply integrated digital technologies using 5G infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), big data and cloud edge computing. Under this two-year agreement, Huawei will provide 5G technology to the two partner hospitals, enabling the immediate upgrade of their existing infrastructure. It will also provide digital knowledge transfer, training and project supervision to hospital staff to enable them to operate efficiently and sustainably, for the benefit of both medical staff and patients. These technologies will initially be used for telemedicine solutions such as remote monitoring and diagnosis that will help reduce the risk of transmitting infections between doctors and patients significantly. In addition, they will be used for emergency care services such as ambulance transportation, where useful information, such as real-time location, patients' vital signs and video images are transmitted instantly, enabling rescue doctors to receive guidance for the best emergency care and the hospital team to prepare for treatment or surgery upon arrival. Huawei remains committed to introducing digital technologies to create a strong, connected healthcare ecosystem that can make the experience better for patients, customers and medical staff, while improving efficiency and reducing costs. SOURCE Huawei

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[September 22, 2021] Annual Awards for Intellectual Property Protection Take on Outsized Significance amid a Global Pandemic

During a year of unprecedented reliance on intellectual property rights to solve massive global challenges through business collaborations, namely the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 and its profound disruptions of personal and business lives, today the Licensing Executive Society (USA & Canada) announced that it is making a President's Award and three Deals of Distinction Awards, along with the Frank Barnes Award. The Deals of Distinction Awards are given each year, to recognize major business transactions involving licensing, that exemplify best practices and creativity to achieve strategic business objectives, with a significant impact on advancing innovation in the industry Sectors that comprise LES. Similarly, the Frank Barnes Award is given each year to celebrate an exceptional individual who embodies the highest cultural values of LES by selflessly investing their time and expertise in developing the careers of others - an outstanding mentor. The President's Award is periodically given to recognize exceptional licensing activities. This year the awarded is being presented in recognition of an outstanding licensing deal that best represents the unprecedented commitment of the entire global biopharmaceutical community to meeting the existential challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic. LES makes this year's award to recognize and celebrate the heroic contributions of dealmakers, licensing professionals and intellectual property professionals to expediting the business collaborations that have resulted in the availability of lifesaving vaccines and other disease countermeasures - in months rather than years. The award recipients will be recognized as part of the Society's 57th Annual Meeting, which for the second consecutive year will take place virtually. Announcements will be made immediately after the Annual Business Meeting on 28 September 2021, and the Annual Meeting will feature sessions during the annual meeting with some of the recipients of the Deals of Distinction and the President's Award. "The dynamics that have unfolded over the past year as the result of the global pandemic have demonstrated the full value of intellectual property (IP), innovation, and collaboration to our world. We are proud to celebrate the commitment and creativity of LES members and our colleagues in all of the professions that come together to make a success of R&D, manufacturing, supply, financing, and many other types of deals grounded in patents and other forms of IP. The pandemic has spotlighted the value of deals in expediting the development and delivery globally of novel vaccines and therapeutics against a previously unknown pathogen," said LES President Gillian Fenton. "LES members should be proud of our contributions to fighting the virus that causes COVID-19." Today, LES acknowledges the following companies and institutions with awards for Deals of Distinction, which recognize those executed deals that the Society considers to be landmark achievements within their industry sectors: Life Sciences Sector : Denali Therapeutics and Biogen

: Denali Therapeutics and Biogen High Tech Sector : Xperi and Comcast (News - Alert)

: Xperi and Comcast (News - Alert) Industry University Government Interface Sector : National Institute o Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/National Institutes of Health (NIH), the University of Texas - Austin/Dartmouth/The Scripps Research Institute

: National Institute o Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/National Institutes of Health (NIH), the University of Texas - Austin/Dartmouth/The Scripps Research Institute President's Award: BioNTech and Pfizer



Life Sciences Sector Winner

Deal of Distinction

Denali Therapeutics and Biogen Denali Therapeutics and Biogen are recognized for their worldwide collaboration for development of a small molecule LRRK2 inhibitors for treatment of Parkinson's disease and movement disorders. The partnership represents an opportunity to advance the development of a potential first-in-class oral therapy that may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease with significant unmet medical needs due to the absence of approved therapies that may slow disease progression

High Tech Sector Winner

Deal of Distinction

Xperi and Comcast Xperi and Comcast, both holders of significant intellectual property in the "media" segment, are recognized for their long-term patent license agreement. The "media" segment of technology evolves rapidly, creating uncertainty in the long-term value of intellectual property in the space. The agreement illustrated the awardees' combined ability to identify and agree on the relative long term value of their respective patent portfolios in view of significant technological disruption and business evolution in the "media" area of technology. Industry University Government Interface Sector Winner

Deal of Distinction

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)/National Institutes of Health (NIH),

University of Texas - Austin/Dartmouth/The Scripps Research Institute The path to rapid development of a COVID-19 vaccine was cleared by a research collaboration between scientists at the NIH Vaccine Research Center at NIAID, the Scripps Research Institute, Dartmouth College and the University of Texas-Austin. The 2020 nonexclusive license of the stabilized spike protein discovery from that collaboration to BioNTech - with that company's subsequent partnership with Pfizer producing an mRNA-based vaccine first launched in 2020 administered over 178 million times. President's Award

BioNTech and Pfizer The entire world, including the LES community, has been following the COVID-19 pandemic and its many negative impacts on people's lives, families, careers, businesses, and global commerce. As licensing professionals, we have risen to the challenge of creating the numerous business-to-business, academia-to-private sector, and government and NGO funding agreements through which all of our industry sectors, notably the Life Sciences Sector, have responded to this existential threat. The President's Award is made this year to celebrate the Pfizer and BioNTech collaboration and licensing agreement as exemplifying best practices and its unique global impact in our fight against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Beyond the Deals of Distinction and the President's Award, LES also celebrates an outstanding LES member by awarding the Frank Barnes Award. This individual award recognizes the member's significant contributions, across the entire arc of their career, in giving back to the profession through mentorship. The Frank Barnes Award was established in 2000 by LES members and endowed in honor of Frank Barnes' vast contributions to the field of licensing through mentorship. Frank Barnes Mentor Award Winner

Francois Painchaud Mr. Painchaud receives this award in recognition of the help, guidance, and mentorship that he has selflessly offered to countless members of LES and LESI over the years, efforts that, in part, were responsible for the unofficial title he earned, the 'dean of pharma licensing.' "He has been a mentor in the organization for multiple members of LES, including myself," emphasized Vincent Bergeron, International Chair of the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI)'s YMC Committee. "If it were not for Francois, I might not be involved with LES at all. He had the passion and the patience to act as a mentor for me to join LES, and to really get engaged." About Licensing Executives Society (U.S.A. and Canada), Inc. Established in 1965, Licensing Executives Society (U.S.A. and Canada), Inc. (LES) is a professional society of 1,500 members engaged in the creation, commercial development, and orderly transfer of intellectual property rights; protection and management of intellectual capital; and intellectual capital management standards development. LES members are accountants, business leaders, business model innovators, consultants, deal-makers, economists, engineers, IP valuation experts, lawyers, licensing executives, lobbyists, merger and acquisition experts, public policy leaders, scientists, strategic planners, supply chain managers, tax specialists and technology transfer specialists. These members represent innovation-centered enterprises of all sizes and kinds -- such as government laboratories, professional services firms, universities, operating companies, regulatory authorities, licensing specialty firms and trade associations. LES is a member society of the Licensing Executives Society International, Inc. (LESI), which has 32 sister societies representing 6,500 members in 90 countries. For more information about LES, go to www.lesusacanada.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005697/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Houston's Ivan Soto Joins Alliant

Alliant continues to expand its reach in Texas, hiring Ivan Soto as Assistant Vice President. Based in Houston, Soto will serve a diverse client base and create tailored insurance solutions that address a breadth of industry risks and exposures. "Ivan is highly successful in building strong, long-term client relationships and proactively addressing their unique needs across a range of variables," said Bob Bennetsen, Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director with Alliant. "His diverse background and broad industry reach will make him a tremendous asset to our team in Texas and the clients we serve across the region." Soto is highly regarded for analyzing core business objectives and delivering strategic insurance solutions that drive results for hi clients. He has extensive experience providing solutions for clients with complex goals across a range of industries and sizes. Soto joins Alliant with proven expertise in creating risk management and capital efficient insurance programs.



Prior to joining Alliant, Soto was a Property & Casualty Risk Consultant with a national insurance brokerage and consulting firm. He earned his bachelor's degree in mass communication and media studies from Sam Houston State University. Soto can be reached at (832) 623-4887 or at Ivan.Soto@alliant.com.

About Alliant Insurance Services Alliant Insurance Services is one of the nation's leading distributors of diversified insurance products and services. We operate through a network of specialized national platforms and local offices to offer our clients a comprehensive portfolio of solutions built on innovative thinking and personal service. The business of managing risk is getting more complex, and Alliant is meeting this complexity head-on, not with more layers of management, but with more creativity and agility. Alliant is changing the way our clients approach risk management and benefits, so they can capitalize on new opportunities to grow and protect their organizations. Visit us at alliant.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005203/en/

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[September 22, 2021] GLOBAL TECH INDUSTRIES GROUP, INC. ANNOUNCES SHAREHOLDER UPDATE CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS

New York, NY, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Tech Industries Group, Inc. (OTCQB: GTII) (GTII or the Company), www.gtii-us.com, a Nevada corporation, announced today that it is pleased to provide the details for its upcoming conference call on Friday, September 24, 2021 to provide a corporate update.

When: Friday, September 24, 2021, 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada) with a recording released immediately thereafter on the Company's website. Topic: Global Tech Corporate Update. Call-in Phone: (605)  472  5750 Access Code: 1017051# Please send any questions you may have to: info@gtii-us.com Please follow our Company at: www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GTII Safe Harbor Forard-Looking Statements:



This press release may contain forward looking statements that are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks as well as uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected, including statements related to the amount and timing of expected revenues related to our financial performance, expected income, distributions, and future growth for upcoming quarterly and annual periods. These risks and uncertainties are further defined in filings and reports by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC. Among other matters, the Company may not be able to sustain growth or achieve profitability based upon many factors including but not limited to the risk that we will not be able to find and acquire businesses and assets that will enable us to become profitable. Reference is hereby made to cautionary statements set forth in the Companys most recent SEC filings. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses in our development stage, noting that there is no assurance that we will generate enough revenues to offset those costs in both the near and long term. New lines of business may expose us to additional legal and regulatory costs and unknown exposure(s), the impact of which cannot be predicted at this time. Words such as estimate, project, predict, will, would, should, could, may, might, anticipate, plan, intend, believe, expect, aim, goal, target, objective, likely or similar expressions that convey the prospective nature of events or outcomes generally indicate forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of this press release. Unless legally required, we undertake no obligation to update, modify or withdraw any forward-looking statements, because of new information, future events or otherwise.

Mike King

Princeton Research, Inc.

3887 Pacific Street, Las Vegas, NV

702.338.2700



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[September 22, 2021] APOLLO Partners With Liberty Mutual to Offer Buy-online Insurance for Retail Stores

APOLLO Insurance, Canada's leading online insurance provider, has partnered with Liberty Mutual Insurance, a Fortune 100 company that is the sixth largest global property and casualty insurer based on 2020 gross written premium, to add retail store insurance to APOLLO's rapidly growing catalogue of digital insurance products. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005903/en/ APOLLO launches retail store insurance with Liberty Mutual (Photo: Business Wire) This new offering includes a variety of coverages geared towards retail clients, including Commercial General Liability, Property, Equipment Breakdown, Crime, and more. As with every APOLLO product, the entire process, from quoting, binding coverage, and issuing policy documents is immediate, online, and paper free. Canadian insurance brokers are able to access all of the products on the APOLLO broker portal by registering for free. Brokerages partnered with APOLLO are also able to white label this and other products to sell directly from their brokerage website in an eCommerce environment. "This is a great product that brokers can offer to their clients online quickly and efficiently," said Marco Andolfatto, APOLLO's Chief Underwriting Officer. "APOLLO's rich functionality allows brokers to follow up on quotes and ensure they're offering the expertise, advice, and counsel their customers need to make an informed buying decision. We are very excited to be partnering with Liberty Mutual Insurance to provide our brokers a comprehensiv digital insurance offering for their retail store clients."



APOLLO's proprietary technology platform, the APOLLO Exchange, transacts insurance business in real-time and leverages extensive data and sophisticated algorithms to quote, collect a payment, create and deliver policies. Thousands of types of small businesses and individuals are able to buy online without human intervention. Some of the coverage features for this retail product include:

35 eligible retail operations

Up to five locations and $5 million in revenue

Online sales

Monthly and annual payments

Up to 30% revenue from delivery, installation or repair

Sales outside of Canada up to 30%

Flexibility - pick and choose coverages that are tailored to specific needs Liberty Mutual Insurance is one of a select group of approved insurance carriers that support products on the APOLLO Exchange platform. In early 2021, it was announced that Liberty Mutual was a participant in APOLLO's $13.5 million Series A fundraise. About APOLLO Insurance APOLLO Insurance ("Apollo Insurance Solutions Ltd.") is Canada's leading online insurance provider. Our proprietary platform, the APOLLO Exchange, allows insurance agents and their customers to purchase their policy immediately, from anywhere, on any device, 24/7. Unlike traditional paper-based processes, APOLLO leverages extensive data and sophisticated algorithms to quote, collect payment, and issue policies for thousands of types of small businesses and individuals without human intervention. Through traditional agents and embedded finance partnerships, APOLLO is redefining the distribution of insurance. For more information, visit: http://apollocover.com/ About Liberty Mutual Canada Liberty Mutual Canada is the Canadian arm of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. We offer a broad suite of commercial insurance products and solutions to mid-size and large Canadian companies with Canadian, North American and/or multinational risks. Our comprehensive solutions are delivered by underwriters and risk engineers who are experts in deconstructing risk and customizing insurance-based solutions to fit customers' needs. Our claims specialists respond with speed, professionalism, and compassion. No matter how complex, straightforward or niche your needs are, we bring thoughtful insurance solutions and exceptional customer service to each and every risk. For more information, visit: https://www.libertymutualcanada.com/ Availability of the APOLLO Exchange and the products described herein are subject to applicable eligibility requirements, including jurisdiction, and other terms and conditions. Descriptions of the APOLLO Exchange and such products contained herein are qualified in their entirety by such requirements, terms, and conditions. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005903/en/

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[September 22, 2021] VMware Named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure for Fourth Consecutive Year

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced it has been positioned by Gartner (News - Alert) , Inc. as a Leader in the 2021 Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure. According to Gartner, VMware was evaluated on its ability to execute and completeness of vision and was placed furthest for its completeness of vision. This is the fourth consecutive year VMware has been named a Leader for VMware SD-WAN in the Gartner evaluation for WAN edge infrastructure. In addition, VMware has received the highest score for the Cloud-First WAN use case in the 2021 Gartner Critical Capabilities for WAN Edge Infrastructure report. VMware SD-WAN is now part of VMware SASE, a secure access service edge (SASE) platform that combines industry-leading WAN Edge capabilities, edge compute capabilities, and cloud-delivered security functions, including cloud web security, zero-trust network access and firewalling, among others. These services are being rolled out to a global network of over 150 points of presence (PoPs). "To support the growing number of distributed users (and their devices and services), the industry is taking WAN Edge networking, security and services to the next level with SASE," said Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider and Edge, VMware. "VMware continues to advance its SASE platform and we believe the Gartner recognition of VMware SD-WAN, a core component of VMware SASE, validates our position to support customers as they face a new edge reality." By delivering cloud networking and cloud security services with VMware SASE, customers can achieve: A cloud-first approach by enabling multi-cloud interconnect with VMware SD-WAN cloud gateways. VMware SASE services are completely cloud-based and easy to consume and scale.

by enabling multi-cloud interconnect with VMware SD-WAN cloud gateways. VMware SASE services are completely cloud-based and easy to consume and scale. Better protection against attacks at all levels with robust security, including contextual access, network security, application protection and workload encryption.

at all levels with robust security, including contextual access, network security, application protection and workload encryption. Assured application performance by enabling user access and an optimized experience for mission-critical apps, even with a single link and degraded network conditions.

by enabling user access and an optimized experience for mission-critical apps, even with a single link and degraded network conditions. Operational simplicity with automation and zero-touch provisioning. VMware SASE can transform day 2 operations and self-heal networks with actionable insights.

with automation and zero-touch provisioning. VMware SASE can transform day 2 operations and self-heal networks with actionable insights. Edge compute / edge services delivery through unique positioning between the service provider underlay and the application overlay. The platform can draw on 5G services that improve latency or performance, while simultaneously delivering these capabilities to applications running in the cloud or workloads moving to the edge. Additional Resources: Access a complimentary copy of the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure

Learn more about Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and VMware SASE

Bookmark the VMware SASE Blog

Follow VMware SASE on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn



Gartner, Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure, Jonathan Forest, Andrew Lerner, Naresh Singh, Evan Zeng, 20 September 2021 Gartner, Critical Capabilities for WAN Edge Infrastructure, Jonathan Forest, Andrew Lerner, Naresh Singh, Evan Zeng, 20 September 2021

Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved Gartner Disclaimer Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About VMware VMware software powers the world's complex digital infrastructure. The company's cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert) , California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html. VMware, VMware SD-WAN and VMware SASE are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005882/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Enel and Schneider Electric Join the World Economic Forum in Launching the Toolbox of Solutions for Urban Transformation: 200+ Decarbonization Solutions for Cities

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 22 2021 /CNW/ - Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation which was named the world's most sustainable corporation by Corporate Knights Global 100 Index in February 2021 and the Enel Group, the multinational power company and leading integrated player in the global power and renewables markets, join the World Economic Forum (WEF), the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation, to announce the launch of the beta version of the Net Zero Carbon Cities Toolbox at the Sustainable Development Impact Summit (20-23 September 2021). This digital platform contains a range of decarbonization solutions to foster urban transformation, across energy, buildings, mobility, water, and waste management. Users are guided through a process to identify and prioritize the solutions that better answer their specific needs. This database of solutions comprises policy, business, and finance models that result in reduced emissions, and create local value such as green jobs and improved air quality. The beta version brings together over 200 real-life case studies and solutions from over 110 cities across the world. Access to the Toolbox of Solutions is open to all, in particular, it is aimed at city leaders, national government leaders, and businesses. Users can browse the database and search solutions based on attributes or to address their most pressing local challenges. "As this tool, and the solutions contained within, show, the technology to decarbonize our cities exists today. When it comes to deployment, we must think beyond just public infrastructure and towards all buildings, notably our existing building stock. Retrofits programs playan important part in the transition to net zero cities," said Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and CEO of Schneider Electric.



"Clean electrification is paving the way to the decarbonization of the economy while promoting a sustainable urban transformation, and, with today's technologies and know-how, we have the tools to succeed and a unique opportunity to make a difference," said Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager of Enel Group. "The Toolbox of solutions is a great instrument for the business world and policymakers, as it provides integrated energy solutions to contribute to a more prosperous and resilient society. As a global leader in the power sector, Enel is constantly working with global partners to help drive scaled action towards a more sustainable and inclusive future." Included in the Toolbox of Solutions, the users will find integrated solutions from Enel aiming to deliver decarbonized, sustainable, and resilient urban ecosystems in cities across the world. With a focus on smart energy infrastructure, Enel's Open Meter is the new generation of smart meters reflecting the most recent developments in the market and technology in the field of advanced metering and power grids remote management. In Italy alone, where the technology will reach more than 35-million customers by 2025, this second-generation smart meter device allows the collection of more than 7,000 billion data points per year, including almost real-time use and electrical parameters to enable big data analytics for the grid. It is a digital enabler that improves customers' awareness and understanding of their electricity-consumption habits and favors more efficient and sustainable consumption models. In addition, it allows consumers to take a proactive role in monitoring and controlling appliances such as solar rooftop, home automation, and electric mobility, promoting new advanced energy services diffusion. In line with the Group's circular economy approach, the Open Meter is designed and manufactured using regenerated plastics, emitting 6 per cent less CO 2 and producing 122g less waste for each Open Meter vs. a conventionally produced meter.

Several solutions successfully implemented by Schneider Electric are also included in the platform. They highlight, in particular, how energy efficiency can drive both energy and material savings, which can be reinvested in city infrastructure and community projects, including infrastructure retrofits and upgrading municipal buildings with HVAC systems and smart automation controls. For example, in Holland, Michigan in the United States, the city leaders partnered with Schneider to embed energy goals into their master energy savings plan, to address infrastructure retrofits while achieving sustainability goals, thus helping all the city's residents reduce energy usage by 30 per cent to 50 per cent. The Toolbox is the third deliverable of the "Net Zero Carbon Cities" program; a WEF initiative whose objective is to align and scale efforts across businesses, cities, and national-level governments to deliver urban ecosystems which are sustainable, resilient, and equitable. The program is co-chaired by Mr. Jean Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Schneider Electric, and Mr. Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager of Enel Group. Last week the initiative also published a briefing paper on Urban Transformation: Integrated Energy Solutions showing how the built environment and mobility can serve as the foundations to kickstart urban transformation and decarbonization anywhere in the world. About Enel Enel is a multinational power company and a leading integrated player in the global power and renewables markets. It is the largest European utility by ordinary EBITDA, and is present in over 30 countries worldwide, producing energy with around 89 GW of installed capacity. Enel distributes electricity through a network of over 2.2 million kilometers, and with around 75 million end users is the 1st network operator globally1. Enel Green Power is the world's largest renewable private player, with around 50 GW of wind, solar, geothermal, and hydropower plants installed in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Enel X, Enel's global advanced energy services business line, is the worldwide demand response leader, with a total capacity of around 7.4 GW managed globally; the company has installed 137 MW of storage capacity as well as, in the electric mobility sector, about 232,000 EV charging points2 around the globe.

1 Publicly owned operators not included.

2 Public and private charging points, including interoperability points. About Schneider Electric Schneider's purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On. Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency. We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries. We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values. https://www.se.com/ca/en/ Discover Life Is On Follow us on: Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

YouTube

Instagram

Blog Hashtag: #LifeIsOn #nzcctoolbox #urbantransformation #energytransition #netzero #cities #netzerocities SOURCE Schneider Electric Canada Inc.

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[September 22, 2021] JAWS Spitfire Acquisition Corporation Announces Extraordinary General Meeting Teleconference Details

JAWS Spitfire Acquisition Corporation ("JAWS Spitfire") (NYSE: SPFR), today announced that, due to the public health and safety concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is strongly encouraging that shareholders attend the extraordinary general meeting of its shareholders, which will be held on September 28, 2021 at 9:00 a.m., New York City Time (the "General Meeting"), by teleconference rather than in person. The purpose of the General Meeting is to vote on certain proposals relating to the previously announced merger between JAWS Spitfire and Velo3D, Inc. ("VELO3D" or the "Company"), the related Business Combination Agreement, dated as of March 22, 2021 (as amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Business Combination Agreement"), and the other transactions contemplated therein (collectively, the "Business Combination"). The General Meeting will be accessible via a live audio webcast at https://www.cstproxy.com/jawsspitfire/2021 or by dialing 1 888-965-8995 (toll free-North America) or +1 415-655-0243 (International). Shareholders will be able to submit a question to JAWS Spitfire's management online in advance of the meeting on the General Meeting website https://www.cstproxy.com/jawsspitfire/2021 or live during the meeting. About Velo3D, Inc. VELO3D empowers companies to imagine more and additively manufacture nearly anything. Bringing together an integrated, end-to-end solution of software, hardware, and process-control innovation, VELO3D's technology for 3D metal printing delivers unparalleled quality control for serial production and enhanced part performance. With VELO3D Flow print preparation software, Sapphire laser powder bed AM system and Assure quality assurance software, manufacturers can accelerate product innovation, become more agile and responsive to market needs and reduce costs. First in the industry to introduce SupportFree metal 3D printing, which allows for the manufacture of previously impossible geometries, the company is based in Silicon Valley and is privately funded. VELO3D has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2021. For more information, please visit https://www.velo3d.com/. About JAWS Spitfire Acquisition Corporation JAWS Spitfire Acquisition Corporation, led by Chairman Barry S. Sternlicht and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Walters, is a 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 similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. Additional Information In connection with the Business Combination, JAWS Spitfire has filed, and the SEC (News - Alert) has declared effective, a Registration Statement on Form S-4 containing a definitive proxy statement/prospectus. JAWS Spitfire has mailed the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents relating to the Business Combination to its shareholders. This Crrent Report does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the Business Combination and is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the Business Combination. Investors and security holders of JAWS Spitfire are advised to read the definitive proxy statement/prospectus in connection with JAWS Spitfire's solicitation of proxies for the General Meeting to be held to approve the Business Combination and other documents filed in connection with the Business Combination, as these materials will contain important information about the Business Combination and the parties to the Business Combination. The definitive proxy statement/prospectus has been mailed to the shareholders of JAWS Spitfire as of a record date of August 27, 2021; shareholders that hold their shares in registered form are entitled to vote their shares held on the date of the General Meeting. Shareholders are also able to obtain copies of the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC, without charge, at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: JAWS Spitfire Acquisition Corporation, 1601 Washington Avenue, Suite 800, Miami Beach, FL 33139.



Participants in the Solicitation JAWS Spitfire, the Company and their respective directors, executive officers, other members of management, and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from JAWS Spitfire's shareholders in connection with the Business Combination. Investors and security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names and interests in the Business Combination of JAWS Spitfire's directors and officers in JAWS Spitfire's filings with the SEC, including the definitive proxy statement/prospectus of JAWS Spitfire for the Business Combination.

The Company and its directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of JAWS Spitfire in connection with the Business Combination. A list of the names of such directors and executive officers and information regarding their interests in the Business Combination is included in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus for the Business Combination. Disclaimer This Current Report is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the potential transaction and shall not constitute an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of JAWS Spitfire or the Company, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements made in this Current Report are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "plan," "predict," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future," "outlook" and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future events, the Business Combination between JAWS Spitfire and the Company, the estimated or anticipated future results and benefits of the combined company following the Business Combination, including the likelihood and ability of the parties to successfully consummate the Business Combination, future opportunities for the combined company, and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on the current expectations of JAWS Spitfire's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on, by any investor as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of JAWS Spitfire and the Company. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties regarding JAWS Spitfire's businesses and the Business Combination, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic, political and business conditions; the inability of the parties to consummate the Business Combination or the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Business Combination Agreement; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties following the announcement of the Business Combination; the receipt of an unsolicited offer from another party for an alternative business transaction that could interfere with the Business Combination; the risk that the approval of the shareholders of JAWS Spitfire or the Company for the potential transaction is not obtained; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, including as a result of a delay in consummating the potential transaction or difficulty in integrating the businesses of JAWS Spitfire and the Company; the risk that the Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation of the Business Combination; the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees; the amount of redemption requests made by JAWS Spitfire's shareholders; the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of the post-acquisition company's securities on NYSE following the Business Combination; costs related to the Business Combination; and those factors discussed in JAWS Spitfire's definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Business Combination, including those under "Risk Factors", and other filings with the SEC. There may be additional risks that JAWS Spitfire presently does not know or that JAWS Spitfire currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements provide JAWS Spitfire's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this communication. JAWS Spitfire anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause JAWS Spitfire's assessments to change. However, while JAWS Spitfire may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, JAWS Spitfire specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing JAWS Spitfire's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication. Nothing in this Current Report should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein, including the contemplated results of such-forward looking statements, will be achieved. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005970/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Dr. Sarah Teichmann FmedCci FRS Joins Transition Bio as Scientific Co-Founder

Transition Bio, Inc., (the Company) announced today that Dr. Sarah Teichmann FmedSci FRS, has joined the Company as a Scientific Co-Founder. Dr. Teichmann is Head of Cellular Genetics and Senior Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, with additional roles as Director of Research at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, and Senior Research Fellow at Churchill College. Dr. Teichmann joins fellow founding scientists of the Company: Professor David Weitz, the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard University, Professor Tuomas Knowles, Professor of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics at the Department of Chemistry and Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, and Professor Peter St George-Hyslop, OC, FRS, FRSC, FRCP, a member of the University of Toronto's Department of Medicine as well as Experimental Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Samuel Cohen, a former research fellow in Biophysical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and visiting fellow at Harvard University, is also a Founder of the Company. "The addition of Sarah as a Scientific Co-Founder will further accelerate our existing groundbreaking work in the field of Condensomics and the build out of our capabilities," said Kelly Martin, Executive Chairman and a Founder of the Company. "As a world-renowned thought leader and pioneer in deep data and machine learning, including computational aplications to human health, Sarah's contribution to our efforts will be immediate."



Martin commented further, "From a scientific leadership and breakthrough innovation standpoint, the combination of our scientific team of doctors Weitz, Knowles, Hyslop, and now Teichmann is as good as it could possibly get. Each of these individuals is the best in their respective fields and, through the integration of their work, will align to create the leading technology and data company in the rapidly emerging field of condensates cell biology." Dr. Teichmann is co-founder and co-leader of the global Human Cell Atlas initiative, which uses single cell genomics and spatial methods to create a highly detailed map of the human body, like a human ' Google (News - Alert) map' that researchers can zoom into to understand every human cell type. With more than 2000 members from over 75 countries, this consortium is transforming the current understanding of human health and disease. Her work focuses on the development of computational methods to explore genomics and biology to deliver novel insights into disease and influence the development of new therapeutics.

Dr. Teichmann is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology. A Fellow of the Royal Society, Dr. Teichmann is also an EMBO member and fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and her work has been recognized by several prizes, including the Lister Prize, Biochemical Society Colworth Medal, Royal Society Crick Lecture, and EMBO Gold Medal. ABOUT TRANSITION BIO Transition Bio is developing one-of-a-kind technologies for biomolecular condensate analysis. Through our CondensomicsTM platform, our goal is to build a drug discovery engine based on the latest advancements in biophysics and artificial intelligence. We harness droplet microfluidic approaches and cellular platforms to characterize condensates with unprecedented scale and precision, resulting in the mapping of condensates and their modulation, in molecular detail. Our proprietary datasets feed in to algorithms that we use for target discovery, target validation and drug design. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005981/en/

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[September 22, 2021] McLennan Community Investment Fund Receives $8K Grant

Insurors Indemnity Company and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) have partnered to award $8,000 in Partnership Grant Program ( PGP (News - Alert) ) funds to McLennan Community Investment Fund (McCIF). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005989/en/ From left to right: Dave Talbert, president, Insurors Indemnity Company; Bill Vance, president, McLennan Community Investment Fund and Tom Chase, chairman, Insurors Indemnity Company. (Photo: Business Wire) The funding was celebrated during a ceremonial check presentation on September 14. "McCIF offers small business loans and business training to McLennan County small businesses, providing the funding and expertise that is instrumental in fostering economic growth, innovation and jobs in our communities," said Dave Talbert, president and CEO of Insurors Indemnity Company. McCIF will use the funding to build its organizational capacity by offsetting administrative and operational expenses and strengthening the governance of the organization, which is seeking certification from the United States Treasury Department as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Certification will allow McCIF to prticipate in a number of Treasury and Small Business Administration financing programs including New Market Tax Credits and direct loans and grants to grow its ability to lend.



"This FHLB Dallas funding will further our efforts to assist small businesses in McLennan County and help them grow," said Bill Vance, McCIF president. "We are very thankful for this funding from FHLB Dallas and Insurors Indemnity Company." For 2021, FHLB Dallas awarded $400,000 in PGP grants, and its members provided an additional $200,250 for an impact of more than $600,000 in its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas.

"We value our partnership with Insurors Indemnity, and we look forward to the fruits of this partnership through the growth of small businesses in McLennan County via the work of McCIF," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. See the complete list of the 2021 PGP grant recipients. For more information about the 2021 PGP grants and other FHLB Dallas community investment products and programs, please visit fhlb.com/pgp. About Insurors Indemnity Company Based in Waco, Texas, Insurors Indemnity is a regional insurance carrier supported by over 350 independent agents who market the company's Property & Casualty and Surety products in Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. A focus on commonsense underwriting coupled with fast and friendly service underpins Insurors' approach to offering innovative and competitively priced insurance products. For more information visit insurorsindemnity.com About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $58.6 billion as of June 30, 2021, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit our website at fhlb.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005989/en/

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[September 22, 2021] Visa Promotes Kelly Mahon Tullier to Vice Chair, Chief People and Administrative Officer and Julie Rottenberg to Executive Vice President, General Counsel

Visa (NYSE: V) today announced the promotion of two senior company leaders: Kelly Mahon Tullier to Vice Chair, Chief People and Administrative Officer and Julie Rottenberg to Executive Vice President, General Counsel. Both appointments are effective as of October 1, 2021. In her newly created position, Tullier will assume leadership of Visa's People organization in addition to her current responsibilities as Corporate Secretary and head of Global Communications and Global Corporate Services. Rottenberg will oversee Visa's global Legal and Compliance function, expanding upon her promotion earlier this year. "Kelly and Julie are proven leaders, and I am thrilled to see them both continue to broaden their impact at Visa," said Al Kelly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Visa. "Kelly is a trusted advisor to the Board and me, and she has transformed every function she touches into a best-in-class team. With this new role she will have the opportunity to bring her strong business acumen, along with her passion for our people and nurturing talent, to the entire organization. A significant sign of a strong leader is one who has succession paths for their team. I could not be more excited to see Kelly passing the legal and compliance baton to Julie. Julie's deep industry expertise makes her the ideal choice to help us navigate the complex legal and compliance landscape as our business continues to evolve." Tullier will assume responsibility from Jennifer Grant, Visa's Chief Human Resources Officer since 2018, who has announced her intention to step down at the end of the year. In her new role, Tullier will take on responsibility for the Human Resources team which includes gloal talent acquisition and talent management, total rewards, training and development, people operations and employee relations.



"I would like to thank Jennifer Grant for her leadership and contributions to Visa and wish her the best in her new endeavors," continued Kelly. "Throughout her tenure, Jennifer has been a valuable leader and partner to me and the Executive Committee." Tullier joined Visa in June 2014 as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Prior to joining Visa, Tullier worked at PepsiCo, Inc. as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. Previously, she was Vice President and General Counsel for Frito-Lay. Earlier in her career, she was an associate at Baker Botts LLP and also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Sidney A. Fitzwater, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas.

Rottenberg joined Visa in February 2008. During her tenure at Visa, she has served on the litigation team and as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Counsel for North America. Previously, she was a partner at Arnold & Porter, LLP, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert Beezer, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, and the Honorable Samuel Wilson, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia. About Visa Inc. Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world's leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210922005985/en/

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[September 22, 2021] City of Medicine Hat and eSolutionsGroup launch new website, myMH portal

WATERLOO, ON, Sept. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - As part of its citizen-facing digital strategy, the City of Medicine Hat, Alberta, in partnership with eSolutionsGroup (eSolutions), launched a new website and its accompanying "myMH" citizen portal on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. The new accessible, mobile-friendly website has been streamlined and reorganized to put information citizens look for most frequently front and centre. The previous site, organized to align with Medicine Hat's departmental structure, was often confusing to citizens. "If you weren't familiar with the department structure, that presents challenges," said Colleen Graham, Director of Corporate Communications. Along with the new website, Medicine Hat has integrated eSolutions' Citizen Portal product to create the "myMH" interface. Citizens can create an account and configure their personalized dashboard to access the functionality and services that are most important to them. "The myMH portal is really our dashboard into all our online services that we are providing here at the city," says Craig Fruin, Projct Manager from the City of Medicine Hat.



The personalized dashboard shows relevant information based on the citizen's address, such as garbage collection dates, elections information, nearby construction projects, road closures, and community events. Citizens can also use one myMH login to access their utility and property tax accounts. "We were excited to help Medicine Hat with this transformational project. Bringing municipal services online is a passion for our organization, and has only been emphasized given the difficulties municipal governments continue to face due to health restrictions and budget reductions. The myMH portal allows Medicine Hat to connect with its citizens 24/7 through a single, personalized access point from the comfort of their own homes."  Ali Carden, Head of Products, eSolutionsGroup

The City of Medicine Hat will be soliciting feedback from its citizens on both the site and myMH portal in the coming months. "Today marks just one step in our digital evolution," added Fruin. "Improvements to both platforms will be ongoing, and we are excited to roll out more features and ecommerce options in the future." Citizen Portal's functionality allows for municipalities to build and add new features based on their citizens' needs. This project was supported by the Government of Canada's COVID-19 Resilience funding under the existing Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. More information about this project is available on the City of Medicine Hat's website. Learn more about how eSolutions' Citizen Portal is helping other cities across Canada better connect with their residents; more information is available on the eSolutions website. About eSolutionsGroup Established in 1999, eSolutionsGroup is a leading provider of barrier-free websites, mobile applications, communications and digital citizen services that enables public sector clients across North America better connect with their communities. Learn more at www.esolutionsgroup.ca. SOURCE eSolutionsGroup

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A grassroots sign of resistance merits a bit of attention today given that suburbanites are training Gen Z to overreact to cable news punditry.



Brief TKC aside . . .

The mask option is interesting if only because the school hosts quite a few Latino students and, statistically, those youngsters MIGHT be more likely to spread the plauge to vulnerable populations beyond the precious confines of Roeland Park.

But I'm sure Catholic educators understand epidemiology better than TKC given that this place also teaches the pseudoscience of "natural family planning" which dissuades future parents married couples from using more reliable forms of birth control.



More importantly, this tiny bit of resistance is yet another sign of growing JoCo discontent with mask rules.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

Bishop Miege High School makes masks optional, putting it at odds with Roeland Park's citywide order Bishop Miege High School implemented a new policy Monday that makes wearing face masks in the school optional for students, faculty and staff. The move sparked a discussion among Roeland Park city officials, who say the school's amended policy goes against the city's order that masks be worn in nearly all indoor public settings.

Johnson County mask lawsuit by Blue Valley student dismissed KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A lawsuit against a Johnson County Board of County Commissioners' mandate requiring masks for kindergarten through sixth grade students has been dismissed. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Blue Valley School District middle school student, M.M.C.

Posted in fairness and even if we disagree with so much antipathy against harmless face coverings, heres a more supporting right-wing screed against mask stats . . .

KU researchers mislead (again) on mask mandate efficacy - The Sentinel The University of Kansas issued a press release on Monday, quoting a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by KU professors Dr. Donna Ginther and Dr. Carlos Zambrana, which declares that mask mandates work. Not masks, mind you, mask mandates.

A Kansas test case worth consideration . . .

With unique mask policy, Spring Hill School District sees COVID cases spike, worrying some SPRING HILL, Kan. - It's a COVID-19 outlier when compared to its neighbors. That's why some parents in the Spring Hill School District are feeling anxious as the district continues its policy allowing parents to opt-out of masking for students.

Developing . . .
Right now we share a quick compilation of Kansas City metro crime scene news on all manner of misdeeds including CONVICTIONS and ALLEGED crime . . . In addition to more deets on police action and legal battles.



Check the www.TonysKansasCity.com compilation . . .

Missouri woman convicted of killing husband in 2012 WARSAW, Mo. - A western Missouri woman who spent nearly seven years behind bars awaiting trial for the 2012 shooting death of her husband has been found guilty. Missouri court records show a Clay County jury on Monday convicted Viola Bowman, 60, of first-degree murder in the killing of 53-year-old Albert "Rusty" Bowman in their Kansas City home on Nov.

Man sentenced to 20 years in prison for fatal shooting outside Raytown pool hall JACKSON COUNTY, MO (KCTV) -- A Kansas City man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting a fellow 19-year-old outside a Raytown pool hall in 2019. Logan England, now 21 years old, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action.

KC man sentenced to 20 years in prison for fatal shooting in Raytown On Tuesday, a Jackson County judge sentenced a 21-year-old Kansas City man to 20 years in state prison for his role in the fatal shooting of Riley McCrackin.The shooting took place outside a pool hall in Raytown, Missouri, on March 4, 2019.Logan England, 21, pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree and armed criminal action.

Man sentenced to 30 years in prison for fatally shooting wife last summer JACKSON COUNTY, MO (KCTV) -- A Kansas City man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for fatally shooting his wife outside an Independence home last summer. According to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office, a jury convicted 64-year-old Larnell McDonald of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action this April.

Kansas Courts Uphold The Nation's Toughest Rules For Tracking People After Conviction TOPEKA, Kansas - People on criminal registries in Kansas face felony charges for getting a new email address without alerting law enforcement. It's just one of the ways that criminal registries in Kansas restrict a broad range of people even after they've completed probation and parole.

Roc Nation explains why it's focusing on KCKPD KASNAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -- The community is still abuzz about Roc Nation looking into alleged misconduct within the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD). Roc Nation is rapper Jay-Z's social justice organization. Monday, it filed suit against the KCKPD to get documents they've requested but were denied.

Clay County Sheriff: 3 found dead in Glenaire home in July died from natural causes The Clay County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that three people found dead in a home in Glenaire in July died from natural causes. The sheriff's office said that deputies were called to the home in the 400 block of Wherritt Lane by a neighbor, who reported not seeing one of the residents for a long time.Deputies found Roger Wilfong, 66, his sister Mary Wilfong, 67, and their 99-year-old mother, Virginia King, dead inside.

ATF submits evidence to crime lab, asks for tips about church arson KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Investigators looking into a weekend arson at a Kansas City, Missouri church need help finding the person responsible for setting it. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they are following up on some very strong leads as they investigate the arson at Harlem Baptist Church.

Alaska village was a victim in Missouri man's $4 million boatbuilding fraud, feds say KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When the federal government in 2015 awarded Igiugig a grant for its own tugboat, leaders in the Southwest Alaska village proclaimed it a step toward "a sustainable local economy, creating jobs and training the local workforce."

Kansas City homicide victim's family waits 13 months for headstone KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The family of a Kansas City, Missouri, homicide victim said they've waited more than a year for the headstone for his grave site. Sherese Matthews said this is despite paying for it, and their countless phone calls and emails to follow-up.

Developing . . .
Other than an pathological obsession with politeness and social niceties . . . Generally the Kansas City metro is home to quite a few genuinely decent people.



Sadly, giving locals the benefit of the doubt doesn't make for worthwhile Internets content.

Accordingly . . .



Without giving in to equally boring outrage against "progressives" or "Fake news" we notice two recent stories that offer a questionable narrative . . .

This first tale seemingly equates a disgusting school Internets comment with allegations of systemic racism . . .



Disturbing, racist petition prompts parents to call for accountability at this KC school Parents in the Park Hill School District are demanding accountability for the student or students behind a racist petition last week that they say was a call to bring back slavery. The school district has shared few specific details about the incident, which originated at Park Hill South High School last week.

Even better, a local prog blog denounces middle-class white people engaging in protest of any sort . . .



Grievance envy discounts the oppressed while denying them justice | Opinion * Missouri Independent For decades, people have used the phrase "playing the race card" to shut down conversations about our nation's racial caste system. What they likely didn't realize was that the phrase offered a tacit admission that racial grievance, in many cases, had virtually no equal and virtually no response.

Sadly, these posts don't really require a satirical response because the self-righteous indignation is hilarious in its own right.



What's more interesting and newsworthy is that the racial avarice propagated by so many media outlets during last year's BLM riots has never really taken hold at the local level and its power to attract attention is slowly but surely losing power.

Developing . . .


Before travelling to Barbados I require to have a PCR test done in the UK, at my own expense, 3 days prior to my arrival. I note that on arrival at Barbados Airport I will also require to have a mandatory PCR test which I believe will be done in the Airport. Is this test free or if not what is the cost?

Also my day of travel to Barbados is a Tuesday. Can I have my UK PCR test done on the Sunday prior which is 3 days before arrival. Although with the time difference it could be over 72 hours before arriving.
We have stayed at Anantara At Palm Jumeira for a short honeymoon visit, the place contributed a lot to our memorable honeymoon, the resort is designed to mirror the image of Thailand, so we had the feeling of being travelled to Thailand. I recommend Revo cafe for couples as the atmosphere is nice and quiet, we have followed the recommendation from the residence Manager Amir who was very helpful and give the service from hard, her recommended (Chicken brioche, Fellet cheese stick, and Revo fries), which we really enjoyed.

we will definitely come back in December if we get a good offer.
Re: Do they give you covid vaccine certificate in Armenia?

3. Re: Do they give you covid vaccine certificate in Armenia?

People from Iran were getting vaccnated in Armenia for tha past 3-4 months, so this is not a fake news for sure.

The current regulations is:

1. Foreigners are getting only Astra Zeneca

2. You need to be in Armenia for 10 days then get you first jab

3. You get a vaccination certificate after your second jab.

These rules may change any time, just so you don't come in a month and get surprised :)

Edited: 21 September 2021, 20:37
Popular artiste Marvin Davis also known as Swappi is hoping to make his debut in the boxing 
Criminal proceedings have been instituted after a car carrying the Ukrainian president's first aide, Serhiy Shefir, was shot at in Kyiv region early on Wednesday, September 22, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova has written on Facebook.

"The crime scene investigation team is working. Proceedings have been launched over the attempted murder of two or more persons (Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Other details and comments will be available later after the first-priority investigative actions are made and the situation is assessed," she wrote.

According to Venediktova, about ten shots were fired at the car from a 7.62mm rifle. The wounded driver was hospitalized.

She said she was at the scene together with the leadership of the National Police.

Venediktova said law enforcement officers were doing all they could to identify the perpetrators and detain them.

Earlier reports said that a car carrying a Ukrainian presidential aide, Serhiy Shefir, came under fire near the village of Lisnyky in Kyiv region early on September 22. More than ten bullets hit the car, leaving the driver wounded in the attack.

Photo credit: Iryna Venediktova, Facebook
Units manning the Urahan multiple rocket launcher systems stationed at the de-facto border with the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea performed an exercise aimed at working out coordination with the unmanned aerial vehicles spotting fire.

The drill involved no live fire, according to Ukrinform referring to the press service of the Joint Forces Command.

The targets were conditional enemy infantry and armored vehicles of the second echelon, at a range of over 30 kilometers.

"The artillery unit was trained in conditions as close as possible to the real combat situation. According to exercise legend, the first wave of the conventional enemy attack failed after getting on a minefield. In turn, the operators of unmanned aerial vehicles located enemy reserve forces in the rear, attempting to deploy to strengthen the advanced units," said JF Commander Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev.

According to the military chief, the Ukrainian artillery unit quickly deployed from the stationing area to its fire positions and locked conditional targets for their further destruction before retreating from the fire zone.

Nayev also noted that the Ukrainian intelligence systemically monitors the situation, updating troops, while personnel training is an everyday matter for the Joint Forces.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Joint Efforts 2021 strategic command and staff exercises is being held September 22-30. Up to 12,500 forces and more than 600 units of armaments and military equipment will take part in the drill, including up to 85 tanks; up to 420 armored combat vehicles; up to 50 missile and artillery systems,; up to 20 warships (boats); and up to 30 helicopters and warplanes.

The Joint Efforts 2021 exercise will involve troops from Canada, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Romania, the UK, and the USA.

On September 17, members of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) voted to allow international partners participation in the said drill.

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About 600-700 people can be considered officially missing as a result of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"The official number in the register is about 600-700 people gone missing," Inna Drahanchuk, Deputy Minister for Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories of Ukraine, said at a round table meeting in Kyiv dedicated to the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

As the deputy minister noted, these figures are very approximate and they differ from the data of the civil society sector.

Official data always differ de jure and de facto. De jure, these are people reported missing in special circumstances. There is also a certain category listed in our register as simply missing. Accordingly, the figures are very different. The civil society sector reports about 2,000 people, she said.

As reported, the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine considers that 811 people have gone missing. The ICRC believes that Ukraine should intensify its search for persons gone missing amid the armed conflict in the east of the country.

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Approval procedures needed for the opening of the U.S. market for Ukrainian corn and wheat are currently at the final stage, according to Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection Vladyslava Mahaletska.

"Ukraine and the United States are working to open the U.S. market for Ukrainian corn and wheat (including organic). Yes, currently approval procedures are at the final stage, Mahaletska said at a meeting with representatives of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), according to the press service of the State Food Service.

It is noted that U.S. experts project that Ukraine will export a record 23.5 million tonnes of wheat in the 2021/22 marketing year (MY). In addition, according to the forecasts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the current MY, exports of Ukrainian corn may increase to 32 million tonnes.

"We are very much looking forward to the opening of the U.S. market for Ukrainian corn and wheat, because it will create new prospects for business development and economic growth of our country," said Mahaletska.

As reported, the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine are cooperating to open new markets for Ukrainian exports, providing support to producers and removing technical barriers to trade, as well as providing state guarantees for compliance with partner countries.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky had meetings with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the newly elected head of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid.

Both meetings were held at the UN headquarters, according to Ukrinform's own correspondent in New York.

During talks with Guterres and Shahid, Zelensky raised the issue of support for the Crimea Platform initiative by the United Nations, the most influential international organization.

"The Crimea Platform is based on UN resolutions and international law," Presidents Spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov told reporters. "NATO and the EU were represented at the Crimea Platform summit, but there was no UN representative."

Nykyforov recalled that Russia tried to hamper the efforts to include the issue "Situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine" in the agenda of the General Assembly, but the latter by a majority vote retained it on the agenda and put it up for consideration at the next session.

In a conversation with Guterres, President Zelensky, in addition to political issues, also raised "pragmatic" ones.

The UN is one of the worlds largest consumers of goods and services, Nykyforov noted. Every year the organization buys goods worth $20 billion, including worth $200 million in Ukraine. At the same time, the spokesperson said, there is considerable potential for expansion of such cooperation. In particular, Ukraine is ready to provide transport services, participate in UN food supply programs, and offer services of its highly developed IT sector.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on September 20, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky arrived on a working visit to the United States to participate in the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Read also: Zelensky explains how UN can help liberate Ukrainian territories

On September 21, Zelensky took part in the opening of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. Zelensky is scheduled to address the UNGA on September 22.

Photo: OP

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At a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky raised the question of why the organization was not represented at the Crimea Platform summit.

"The President raised the issue of Crimea as it is fundamental for him and can never be taken off the table," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said, commenting on Zelensky's talks with the UN leadership, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He explained that "we have not heard the answer to this question, but we have heard about the support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine."

"This is a fundamental commitment of the United Nations  to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. And as a minister, a representative of the founding member of the United Nations, I want to hear a clear answer from the United Nations: why did not it take part in the Crimea Platform summit in any form?" Kuleba said. At the same time, NATO, the Council of Europe, GUAM, and other international organizations found a format for their participation.

According to the Ukrainian foreign minister, there is every reason to believe that "the Russian Federation did some work" as it aimed to disrupt the Crimea Platform summit. "But it failed, and the successful holding of the Crimea Platform summit is a victory for Ukraine," the minister stressed.

He added that the issue of practical involvement of the UN in the problems of Crimea remained open, and the Ukrainian side "voiced several ideas that will be considered by the Secretary-General." "But we will regard it unacceptable if the UN withdraws from resolving the issue of Crimea and Donbas in the interests of a country that has violated Ukrainian sovereignty, borders, and human rights in these territories," Kuleba said, noting he means the Russian Federation.

During talks with Guterres, Zelensky also raised other issues related to Crimea, including human rights in the occupied territories. The President gave the UN Secretary-General a list of political prisoners held in Russia and the occupied Crimea. Guterres promised to make efforts for their release, Kuleba noted.

As reported, Volodymyr Zelensky's working visit to the United States began on September 20. The President arrived in New York to attend the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. His speech at the general debate is scheduled for September 22.

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During a meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Volodymyr Zelensky touched upon the issue of assistance that Turkey can provide in the release of Crimean activists, including Nariman Dzhelialov, detained by the occupiers.

As an Ukrinform correspondent in New York reported, the presidents' talks took place at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Turkey to the United Nations on September 21.

According to Presidents Spokesperson Serhiy Nykyforov, the parties discussed the humanitarian situation in the occupied Crimea and "how Turkey can facilitate the release of detainees, including Crimean Tatars."

The presidents also touched upon a number of economic issues and stressed the need to complete the preparation and sign a free trade agreement between the two countries. In this context, the issue of liquefied gas supply from the Middle East with the assistance of Turkey remains relevant for Ukraine.

In addition, the issues of military cooperation, in particular in the naval sphere, were raised during ZelenskyErdogan talks.

As reported, Volodymyr Zelensky's working visit to the United States began on September 20. The President arrived in New York to attend the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. His speech at the general debate is scheduled for September 22.

Photo credit: Presidents Office

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The Rules Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has approved amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, the Voice of America has reported.

According to the report, the proposals include sanctions against Nord Stream 2, the use of titanium from Ukraine instead of the resources from China and Russia on which the United States now depends, and fresh sanctions against Russia and Russian oligarchs, high-ranking officials, and media persons.

In addition, the bill provides for $300 million in security assistance to Ukraine and proposes increasing U.S. military presence on NATO's eastern flank - in Poland, Romania, and the Baltic countries.

The approval of the amendments means they were added to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.

The NDAA should now be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. Final approval requires the NDAA with the same content to be adopted by the Senate. The Act will come into force after being signed by the President of the United States.

Earlier reports said that the U.S. Congress was discussing increasing military aid to Ukraine to $300 million.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told the Americans of Ukrainian descent said he would work toward implementing the idea of dual citizenship.

Thats according to Ukrinform's own correspondent in New York reporting from Zelenskys meeting with representatives of Ukrainian organizations and churches in the United States, which took place at the Ukrainian Institute of America.

We must implement the idea of dual citizenship, especially for Ukrainians in America, Zelensky said, noting, however, that the issue with the law on dual citizenship isnt an easy one.

This cant apply to everyone because some Ukrainians live in countries that are not our friends, to put it mildly, Zelensky explained, hinting at Russia.

According to Zelensky, it is necessary to restore history, justice, and respect for the centuries-old, multinational and multicolored state." And the restoration of respect, he said, is measured by concrete things. Among such things, the president named massive road construction efforts.

"Our roads are better now than they are in New York," he said, sparking applause and adding that more work needs to be done in this regard in respect for the history of our country."

The head of state also stressed his priority in the office, which is to bring peace back to Ukraine. This will be done through diplomacy, negotiations with a very difficult country and difficult people, and we need pressure from the international community, anyone who can do anything to restoring our countrys connection with all our people and territories."

Zelensky called on Ukrainians abroad to do everything possible to help Ukraine.

In turn, President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Andriy Futey, noted that the community is making every effort to influence U.S. government policy towards Ukraine and thus to promote the implementation of Ukraine's strategic course toward membership in NATO and the EU, restoration of territorial integrity, as well as the termination of the Nord Stream 2 project.

As Ukrinform reported, Volodymyr Zelensky kicked off his working visit to the United States on September 20.

The President arrived in New York to attend the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. The Ukrainian leader is set to speak at the sessions general debate on September 22.

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The policy of non-recognition of Russia's occupation of the Crimean peninsula must be reinforced at the international level.

For the seventh year we are witnessing the continuing military aggression against Ukraine, as well as the illegal annexation and occupation of Crimea. These actions violate international law, the Charter of the United Nations, as well as the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act. They should be condemned universally. We must reinforce the policy of non-recognition of the occupation and annexation of Crimea. It is also extremely important to protect the rights and freedoms of the local civilian population, President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda said at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 21, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He commended the Ukrainian effort to keep the issue of Crimea on the agenda, in particular, by creating the international Crimea Platform.

Lithuania respects Ukraines European and Euro-Atlantic choice and continues to support its reforms in this troubled period. Seeking to consolidate international efforts, we have co-hosted the Ukraine Reform Conference in Vilnius this past July, Nauseda stressed.

In his speech, the Lithuanian leader also drew attention to Russia's destructive actions in Moldova and Georgia. He stressed that Belarus was carrying out hybrid actions against Lithuania by artificially creating and directing flows of irregular migration, putting political pressure on the EU.

According to him, there must be serious discussions on how to prevent a country to use irregular migration to pressure another country.

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As part of the Ukrainian delegations visit to the United States to attend the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba held talks with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shoukry.

Ukrinform reports this with a reference to the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The ministers discussed the development of political dialogue, ways to increase trade and the schedule of bilateral meetings.

In particular, Kuleba and Shoukry agreed to hold a meeting of the Joint Ukrainian-Egyptian Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation soon.

The meeting of the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Egypt took place for the first time since 2018.

As Ukrinform reported, the Ukrainian-language hotline in Egypt was introduced for Ukrainian tourists to help in emergencies. From now on, all the necessary consultations in Ukrainian about vacation can be obtained on phone number 196-54 in Egypt.

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Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal hopes that Ukraine and the European Union will sign the Common Aviation Area Agreement at the 23rd Ukraine-EU Summit in October.

We have been waiting for the open skies agreement for so long that now they are just cautiously saying that it is most likely to be signed. I thank Mr. Matti Maasikas [Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine] for his firm and confident position that we will sign the open skies agreement at this year's summit. We expect a corresponding high representation from the EU, as well as from Slovenia which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU. Therefore, I believe that our summit will have an extremely positive outcome," Shmyhal said at a meeting of the commission for coordination of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement implementation, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The 23rd Ukraine-EU Summit will take place in Kyiv on October 12.

As reported, the Council of EU greenlighted signing of the Common Aviation Area Agreement with Ukraine, Armenia, and Tunisia on June 28.

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During the five-year period of effect of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, designed for ten years, the Ukrainian side has fulfilled 58% of its obligations under the Agreement.

Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna said this at a meeting of the commission for coordination of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement implementation, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Stefanishyna reminded that the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement consisted of about 2,000 commitments undertaken by Ukraine and the European Union and defined in the Action Plan on Implementation of the Association Agreement which sets forth about 8,000 tasks. The official also noted that the Pulse of Agreement information and analytical system tracked in real time the progress in all 24 areas of cooperation provided by the Association Agreement.

"Today, when we talk about the official assessment of the Agreement implementation, which will be presented at the [Ukraine-EU] summit, it is important to note that we have fulfilled 58% of all obligations provided for Ukraine during the five-year period of the effect of the Agreement, which is designed for ten years, i.e. for half of the period allocated for the Agreement implementation," Stefanishyna said.

The Deputy PM noted that most of these obligations  25%  were fulfilled in 2021, when the work of the coordination commission was launched, priority bills and bylaws were identified.

She informed that Ukraine had made the greatest progress during the implementation of the Agreement in such areas as political dialogue, national security and defense  89%, justice, freedom, security, human rights  87%, technical barriers to trade - 85%, humanitarian policy  85%, public procurement  85%, and entrepreneurship  83%.

As reported, the 23rd Ukraine-EU summit will take place in Kyiv on October 12.

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Some 230,000 Ukrainians living in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions took part in the so-called "elections" to the State Duma, Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denisova has reported on Telegram.

"As many as 230,000 Ukrainian citizens living in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions took part in the so-called 'elections' to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. They were forced to receive [Russian] passports and were taken to Russia for voting. Another 150,000 public sector employees and students, with mandatory registration on the State Services portal, voted in 255 'information centers' in the Donetsk region and in 141 in the Luhansk region," she wrote.

According to her, more than a thousand polling stations operated illegally in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

"The invader forced state employees to go to the polls and report on the 'choice made.' In particular, in Feodosia, educators had to be photographed in the voting booth and send photos to a social networking site. In one Crimean school, they had to be photographed near the ballot box with 'right choice' ballots," she said.

Denisova said that holding elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine is a gross violation of universally recognized principles and norms of international law, especially regarding respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine's borders enshrined in the UN Charter, the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki Final Act), the Statute of the Council of Europe, and the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

She expressed hope that law enforcement agencies would take measures to identify all participants in illegal actions to organize and hold elections to the Russian State Duma in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in order to bring them to justice.

"I support the decision of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to declare the elections to the Russian State Duma illegal. I call on the international community to follow the example of the Ukrainian parliament - not to recognize the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation as they violated the norms of international law," Denisova said.

Russia held elections to the State Duma on September 17-19. According to numerous testimonies, voting and counting took place with large-scale falsifications.

The European Union, the United States and other countries have condemned mass fraud. They also stated partial non-recognition of the election results, in particular, due to the participation in the vote of the population of the Russian-occupied Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

On September 22, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declared the Duma election illegal.

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Germany does not recognize holding of elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the territory of the occupied Crimea and considers the participation of residents of the temporarily occupied areas of eastern Ukraine in them illegal.

"The illegal annexation of Crimea is a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine; Germany does not recognize it. So, of course, we do not recognize holding of elections in Crimea annexed by Russian," Ulrike Demmer, Deputy Speaker of the German Federal Government, said answering questions from an Ukrinform correspondent at a briefing on Wednesday.

She noted that the issuance of Russian passports to residents of the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which enabled them to participate in the Russian elections, was a violation of international law.

Demmer noted that the German Federal Government took very seriously the remarks of observers and Russian opposition politicians about the numerous violations during the voting and counting of votes. According to the spokesperson, the German Government watched with concern how Russia increased pressure on the opposition and society in the run-up to the elections, so the principle of democratic participation in the election was lost.

As reported, voting in the Russian State Duma elections took place on September 17-19. On September 15, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the EU to be ready not to recognize Russia's parliament and to consider excluding Russia from the PACE if the 2021 parliamentary elections in Russia are recognized as fraudulent and having been conducted in violation of democratic principles and international law.

On September 17, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemned the illegal organization and conduct of elections by Russia in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. In addition, Ukraine condemned the forced voting of Ukrainian citizens who had been illegally issued Russian passports in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to facilitate the release of Ukrainians illegally held in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia.

A meeting between Zelensky and Stoltenberg took place in New York on Wednesday, September 22, the presidential press service reported.

"Volodymyr Zelensky asked Jens Stoltenberg to facilitate the release of almost 450 Ukrainians who are illegally in the temporarily uncontrolled territories and in Russia," the report said.

Zelensky thanked Stoltenberg for unwavering support for Ukraine, noting the importance of a NATO representative's participation in the Crimea Platform summit held in Kyiv in August.

He also stressed that over the past two years, Ukraine has almost completed the formation of a new integrated national security system, based entirely on the standards of NATO member states.

"Our course for NATO membership, the principles and standards of the Alliance are the basis of all governing documents in the sphere of national security and defense," he said.

Zelensky briefed Stoltenberg on the implementation of Annual National Programs under the auspices of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. He expressed hope that NATO member states would identify a comprehensive list of reforms, relevant criteria and "markers" for the country, the implementation of which will help move to the next stage of integration with the Alliance.

Ukraine's cooperation with NATO in the status of an Enhanced Opportunities Partner was also discussed at the meeting.

In the context of joint efforts with NATO to strengthen security in the Black Sea region, the president emphasized the importance of increasing NATO's naval presence in the Black Sea, as well as cooperation between the Black Sea states. Zelensky also expressed interest in increasing the number of joint exercises.

Zelensky took part in the opening of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 21.

Photo credit: President's Office
Some 20,000 vials of Bamlanivimab and 40,000 vials of Etesevimab have been delivered to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Health Ministry has reported.

"The latest agreement on receiving this assistance was reached during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the United States. Some 20,000 vials of Bamlanivimab and 40,000 vials of Etesevimab are already in Ukraine and have been shipped to the regions," Health Minister Viktor Liashko said.

The Health Ministry also updated the protocol "The provision of medical care for the treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)," which provides for the use of drugs Bamlanivimab and Etesevimab.

This will help doctors battling with COVID-19 to have clear instructions on when and how to use these drugs properly, the ministry added.

According to the report, the drugs have a direct effect on the virus - the drugs bind to the spike proteins of the virus, preventing them from entering the cell, speeding up the recovery of patients with COVID-19 and preventing complications.

The drugs were delivered to Ukraine with the assistance of the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States as humanitarian aid provided by the U.S. charity organization Direct Relief.

Photo credit: Ukrainian Health Ministry

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Once you have planted it, make sure you protect it from animals by putting brambles around it, Lydia Yacoubou, a Nigerian refugee, advises a young refugee girl before handing her a neem seedling grown in the nursery she manages at Minawao refugee camp in north-eastern Cameroon.

The girl trots off, carrying her little brother on her back and clutching the plant to her chest.

Lydia turns her attention to a dozen other children who have come looking for fruit trees, acacias or moringas to plant around their homes. Eventually, they will provide fruit, medicine and much more.

The trees bring us a lot, says Lydia. First, they provide the shade necessary to grow food. Then, the dead leaves and branches can be turned into a fertilizer for cultivating. Finally, the forest attracts and retains water. Rainfall has even increased.

Minawao hosts nearly 70,000 refugees who have fled violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency in neighbouring Nigeria since 2014. In an arid region already badly affected by climate change, the refugees arrival accelerated the desertification process as they cut down the few surrounding trees for firewood.

"It was crucial to find a solution."

It is hard to describe the depth of the impact the disappearance of the forest has had on populations, says Zara Maina, a field assistant with the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. The price of wood has risen considerably, causing conflicts with host communities. Women were forced to walk far into the bush to fetch wood, exposing themselves to potential attacks. Animals found it increasingly difficult to feed themselves. It was crucial to find a solution."

Faced with this ecological and human disaster, UNHCR and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) launched a unique programme in 2018 aimed at reversing deforestation in the camp and surrounding villages.

Refugees received training on how to use cocoon technology, developed by Land Life Company, to give seedlings the best chance of survival in the harsh environment. It involves burying a doughnut-shaped water tank made from recycled cartons that surrounds the plants roots and feeds it using a string that connects to the young shoot.

Lydia Yacoubou (middle) and two other refugees involved in the reforestation project at Minawao stand in one of the first areas where trees were planted in 2018.  UNHCR/Xavier Bourgois

An aerial view of the tree nursery at Minawao where seedlings are grown before being planted in the community.  UNHCR/Xavier Bourgois

Trees planted around refugees' homes can provide fruit, medicine and shade.  UNHCR/Xavier Bourgois

Refugee women work in the shade of some of the trees planted in and around Minawao refugee camp.  UNHCR/Xavier Bourgois

Four years since the start of the project, the land in and around Minawao camp is now covered with vegetation.  UNHCR/Xavier/Bourgois

"Since the beginning of the project, 360,000 seedlings have been grown in the nursery and planted on more than 100 hectares, explains Abdul Aziz, LWFs project coordinator. The camp was almost deforested, but this project has helped to repair the vegetation cover.

Paid for by a US$2.7 million donation from the Dutch Postcode Lottery, the programme is part of the Great Green Wall initiative which aims to grow an 8,000-kilometre continent-wide barrier to combat land degradation, desertification and drought in the Sahel.

The project is also part of a UNHCR strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with refugee camps and preserve local environments. The approach includes scaling-up tree planting and clean cooking programmes, investing in solar energy systems and reducing plastic waste.

The first trees planted four years ago are now providing enough shade for families to grow crops, something that was not possible previously.

"Before, during the dry season, the sun was so intense that everything burned," recalls UNHCRs Zara Maina.

Seen from the sky, the evolution of the site in a few years is striking. Video footage shot in 2018 showed vast stretches of sand surrounding buildings and shelters. Now the land is covered with vegetation. But progress remains fragile, with refugees and locals still in need of fuel for cooking and heat.

To address this need, UNHCR and LWF are promoting alternative energy sources. Families in the camp can send their household waste to charcoal production centres where trained refugees turn it into coal they can use in specially adapted stoves.

LWFs Abdul Aziz says the ecological coal has reduced the need to cut trees for firewood as well as tensions between refugees and locals. While refugees volunteer to work in the nursery and planting trees, coal production has become a source of income for many families.

Fibi Ibrahim, a refugee and mother of five who has lived in Minawao since 2016, is one of a cooperative of around 100 women who produce and sell coal and the adapted stoves in Minawao.

The money I make selling charcoal briquettes allows me to buy soap, seasoning and meat to supplement the familys rations, says Fibi. I hope that soon, when I have saved enough money, I can start my own shop in the camp and fully meet the needs my household.
Opinion: Professors should not require textbooks the first weeks of instruction
SHARJAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 22nd Sep, 2021) H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council (SMC), today inaugurated the 21st edition of the Sharjah International Narrator Forum (SINF).

Organised annually by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, the event is taking place the Expo Centre Sharjah under the slogan "Animal Stories" and will run until 24th September.

Upon his arrival, Sheikh Sultan was received by Sheikh Majid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Director of the Districts and Villages Affairs Department; Abdullah Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Culture (SDC); Dr. Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of the Forum; Salem Yousef Al Qasir, Chairman of the Labour Standards Development Authority in Sharjah; and Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of the Sharjah sports Council (SSC); as well as a number of directors and officials of government entities and representatives of cultural organisations.

During a tour of the Forum, Sheikh Sultan was briefed on the creative scene of living human treasures and listened to a presentation on the SINF, its journey over the past 21 years, its achievements, and its role in consolidating and strengthening the position of narrators in society.

He also met with the guests and participants and discussed the importance of continuing the preservation of narrators as living human treasures who carry within them the spirit of all the stories, tales, dreams and hopes which inspire knowledge, and serve as the intellectual and cultural supplement that humanity needs in every place and at all times.

The launch included a welcome speech and an overview of the SINF, national peace and the Holy Quran, a holographic presentation for the slogan of SINF, and a video of the Forums song.

Al Musallam said, "We are pleased with the presence of H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi at the launch of the 21st edition of the Sharjah International Narrator Forum. The unlimited support of His Highness emboldens us to continue our serious and vital work in an effort to achieve excellence and success."

He stated that the SINF offers a distinctive cultural and knowledge journey during which cultural heritages from around the world can be explored. He stressed that several new events have been added, making this years SINF a truly enriching experience that adds to Sharjahs path of success, progress, and prosperity.

In addition, he said, the month of September will forever be synonymous with the narrator.

Sheikh Sultan honoured the forum's personality of this year and a group of narrators in addition to the young narrator.

The Republic of Sudan will be country-in-focus in this years edition of the forum and will be represented by Dr. Ahmed Abdel Rahim Nasr, the personality of the year, in recognition of his contributions to Arab cultural heritage.

Tunisian storyteller Abdelaziz Laroui will also be honoured as a legal personality in celebration of his rich storytelling legacy.

The new session of the forum includes seminars, lectures and sessions that review many important approaches to animal stories, with the participation of a group of experts, researchers and writers from more than 38 countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon. Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Sudan, Senegal, Kenya, Comoros, India, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Bolivia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Dominican Republic, Finland, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Canada and Romania.

The SINFs intellectual programme includes various lectures, specialised seminars, dialogues, a cultural cafe, and a corner for signing the forums publications. Sessions deal with a range of interesting topics, including the art of miniatures in Islamic civilisation, animal tongues in the Arab novel, animals in ancient Egyptian narratives, animal stories in Arab and world heritage, and many more.

This years forum will be accompanied by an exhibition on animal stories in the Emirati, Arab and world heritage, in addition to more than 30 different titles from the publications of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, highlighting the forums slogan and its richness and diversity, as well as 16 workshops, including interactive sessions which were held before the start of the forum, and were met with great interest from participants.

With the aim of introducing the forum to the public and enabling them to follow its comprehensive program of events and activities, whether outside the UAE or abroad, this years session includes a set of virtual events broadcast remotely, including some cultural cafe seminars, storytelling sessions, as well as live transmission of the forum In some Arab countries, via the internet and social media platforms.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Bukavu, DR Congo, Sept 22 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2021 ) :A rebel leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo was jailed for life on Wednesday, convicted of war crimes in the troubled east of the country and environmental destruction in the nature reserve where he was based.

A military tribunal set up on the edge of the sprawling Kahuzi-Biega National Park in South Kivu province convicted Chance Mihonya, a former army captain who deserted in July 2019, late on Tuesday.

The park, a haven for critically endangered gorillas, marked its 50th anniversary last month.

Mihonya was convicted on all counts including for the kidnapping and torture in 2019 and 2020 of dozens of people living in villages within the park, which covers about 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 square miles).

He was also charged with recruiting children into his armed group, members of which have been accused of raping at least 13 women and killing a man.

The other convictions concerned the "destruction of protected areas" as Miyona set up his headquarters in the park, brought in weapons, cut down trees and looted mineral resources.

The tribunal acquitted a defendant accused of supplying arms and ammunition to Mihonya's group, citing insufficient evidence.

Mihonya was arrested in May last year during joint operations by the army and park rangers.

The park also faces an emerging threat from a conflict between rangers and local Pygmies, who claim they were robbed of ancestral lands when the park was extended in the 1970s.

The park is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in danger because of the presence of armed groups and settlers, poaching and deforestation.
London, Sept 22 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2021 ) :British serial killer the "Yorkshire Ripper", who murdered 13 women between 1975 and 1980, died from Covid-19 after ignoring self-isolation guidance in prison, an inquest ruled Wednesday.

Sutcliffe, who died in November aged 74, was convicted in 1981 of the killings and seven more attempted murders after a reign of terror that is still seared on the public memory.

He received 20 life sentences, which are typically 15 years or less in the UK, then ordered to serve at least 30 years in prison, but in 2010 a High Court judge ruled that he should never be freed.

Sutcliffe tested positive for Covid-19 having ignored the prison's shielding guidance, said jail governor Lee Drummond.

Drummond said vulnerable prisoners were been warned of Covid's dangers and offered shielding measures including being kept apart from other inmates at meal times.

Pathologist Clive Bloxham, appearing by videolink at the inquest in Durham, north east England, said the post-mortem showed Sutcliffe had "extremely heavy lungs" -- a common result of coronavirus.

He said the infection was the cause of death, with heart disease and diabetes contributing, adding that the death was not suspicious.

Former lorry driver Sutcliffe, who was assessed to have had paranoid schizophrenia at the time of his crimes across northern England, had spent time after his sentence at a high-security psychiatric unit.

But he was transferred to a prison in northeast England after his mental state was deemed stable enough.

The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper was one of Britain's biggest but police failings and shortcomings led to an overhaul of how complex criminal investigations were conducted.

Sutcliffe evaded capture for years despite being interviewed several times, eventually confessing to the crimes in 1981 after being arrested for using stolen number plates on his car.
Warsaw, Sept 22 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2021 ) :US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Wednesday warned against "manipulation" of gas prices in Europe, as a group of European lawmakers accused Russia of being behind price rises.

"The US has been clear that we and our partners have to be prepared to continue to stand up when there are players who may be manipulating supply in order to benefit themselves," Granholm said in an online briefing during a visit to Warsaw.

"We want to all have our eye on the issue of any manipulation of gas prices by hoarding or the failure to produce adequate supply," she told reporters.

"We are looking at this very seriously and we are united with our European allies in making sure you get adequate, affordable gas supply this winter," she added.

The looming energy crisis facing Europe overshadowed a meeting of EU ministers on Wednesday, with participants describing the situation -- being felt globally -- as "critical".

The continent faces soaring power prices as its economy recovers from the Covid pandemic and as winter approaches while natural gas reserves are at a worrying low level.

A profound EU transformation towards a low-carbon future, phasing out fossil fuels, is adding to the pressure on the bloc's market and households.

A group of more than 40 members of the European Parliament has written a letter accusing Russia's Gazprom of manipulating gas prices.

They see a diminishing flow of Russian gas through Ukraine as an attempt by Moscow to force Germany to approve activation of a newly completed gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea, Nord Stream 2. Gazprom denies the accusation.

While the EU is struggling, the situation is far worse in former EU member Britain, where wholesale energy prices are outstripping even those soaring in the rest of Europe.

The United States is also seeing an increase in energy prices but is largely shielded because of gas production from its shale fields.
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NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2021 ) :Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday emphasized the need for sustained engagement, renewal of developmental partnerships, and provision of unconditional humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

He expressed these views during the meeting with Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) here on the side-lines of the 76th session of United Nations General Assembly.

The Foreign Minister outlined Pakistan's efforts in supporting the humanitarian operations in Afghanistan including by facilitating the evacuation and relocation of international staff, establishment of a humanitarian corridor for the delivery of relief goods, and in-kind assistance for their Afghan brethren through air and land routes.

He underscored to High Commissioner Grandi the importance of peace and economic stability in Afghanistan, which requires sustained engagement of the international community, both in terms of political and financial support.

While appreciating the support given by UNHCR for the welfare of more than 3 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, the Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of adequate, predictable, regular and sustainable financial contribution from the international community.

High Commissioner Grandi acknowledged Pakistan's efforts and agreed with the need for increasing support for the host communities on the principle of international burden and responsibility sharing.

High Commissioner Grandi briefed the Foreign Minister on his recent visit to Kabul, Mazar Sharif and Islamabad, Pakistan, as well as the steps being taken by UNHCR to address the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
Primary and Secondary Healthcare (P&SH) Department Secretary Imran Sikandar on Tuesday paid a surprise visit to Multan and reviewed healthcare related facilities, critical analysis of Dengue and COVID-19 situation

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Sep, 2021 ) :Primary and Secondary Healthcare (P&SH) Department Secretary Imran Sikandar on Tuesday paid a surprise visit to Multan and reviewed healthcare related facilities, critical analysis of Dengue and COVID-19 situation.

During his visit, Commissioner Multan division, and Director Health Services Haroon Jahangir accompanied him, says a press release.

The secretary reviewed vaccination facilities being provided to people in Nishtar Hospital and directed to upgrade the mass vaccination target and improve other health related facilities.

Furthermore, he took the briefing from all district CEOs via video link and discussed all issues related to their respective areas with a thorough assurance of his support in all aspects.

He further directed to achieve the vaccination target and complete dengue surveillance in the division.

He said that ample amount of available vaccines in all vaccination centers throughout the province, adding that state of the art facilities were being provided in all medical centers across the province.

Imran Sikandar advised the citizens to get themselves vaccinated for a better and healthy future.

He directed to complete all ongoing projects timely.
Pakistan wants to help Afghanistan in its efforts to boost security as soon as the militant-run interim government has consolidated its power, the Pakistani ambassador to the country told Sputnik

ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) Pakistan wants to help Afghanistan in its efforts to boost security as soon as the militant-run interim government has consolidated its power, the Pakistani ambassador to the country told Sputnik.

"We definitely want to work with Afghanistan and Afghan government for training the security forces, for the capacity building of the forces," Mansoor Ahmad Khan said in an interview.

The neighbors share a 1,600 mile-long border. The diplomat said the movement of armed groups in the border area created security and terrorism challenges that require Pakistan and Afghanistan to act together.

"We have been engaged with the previous government and we would like to strengthen our engagement with the incoming government in Afghanistan in security and counterterrorism areas," he said.

Mansoor Ahmad Khan added that any assistance to Afghanistan would be tailored to the needs and aspirations of its future government.

"At the moment the Afghan government is busy with consolidating its institutional structure and once it is through with this phase we definitely want to get engaged with them because it is important for peace and stability in both our countries," the ambassador said.

Pakistan has not recognized the caretaker government formed by the Taliban (banned in Russia as a terrorist organization) weeks after the latter overran Kabul in mid-August. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Monday that it needed to become more proactive and live up to its promises.
HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2021 ) :Expressing concern over climate change in the country, the agriculture experts and agro-industrialists have termed unseasonable rains and global warming more dangerous for agriculture and urged that farmers to adopt modern farming methods and use of modern agricultural technology right from sowing to harvesting.

The agriculture experts and agro-industrialists expressed their concerned while sharing their views at a seminar on "Use of Technology for food security " held at the Sindh Agriculture University on Wednesday, in the collaboration with Sindh Agriculture Department, USAID Pakistan Agricultural Technology Transfer Activity and Center for Agricultural Biosciences International.

Agriculture Scientist Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar said that the use of modern technology in the agricultural economy could alleviate food shortage as in current situation, climate change is severely affecting agriculture, which has not only adversely affected production but also the quality and causing severe hardship to the farmer.

He said Sindh is contributing its best share to the country's GDP through agricultural production adding that that Sindh government has formulated an agricultural policy in which a strategy has been formulated to address water scarcity.

However, a modern institution is needed to tackle the climate change challenge, he emphasized. He also suggested resolving the problems of shortage of agricultural water, marketing and better transportation for access of agricultural produce to the market.

The Director for USAID-Pakistan Agriculture Technology Transfer Activity Waqar Ahmed said "We are introducing modern technology programmes in agriculture".

He informed that 11 mango processing plants were set up in Punjab and six in Sindh last year adding that as a result of which, the production and export of mango has been increased.

He said that Wheat is being produced in large quantities every year therefore the government should set up warehouses equipped with modern technology to keep the wheat safe.

The Director Agricultural Research Institute Dr. Liaquat Bhutto said that due to major changes in climate of the region, seed production capacity has declined, while common diseases have turned into major diseases. He said that major complaints of seeds coming from Punjab have also been received.

The Sindh government has introduced an application under Information Communication System to guide the farmers, he informed adding that it will be of great help to the farmers, while various social networking sites are providing guidance to the farmers on various issues including climate change through online programmes.

The Deputy Director Agriculture Extension Riaz Ahmed Memon, Technical Specialists Rana Wajid, Abdul Samad and Umair Solangi also addressed the participants of the seminar while representative of Information and Agro Pharmaceutical Companies Zeeshan Saleem Arain briefed the farmers about the products of their companies.

The seminar was attended by a large number of farmers from Tando Allahyar, Chambar, Tando Jam, Khesana Mori, Matiari and other adjoining areas.
Chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, Gen. Valery Gerasimov and his US counterpart, Gen. Mark Milley, held an in-person meeting in Finland on Wednesday, the Russian defense ministry said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) Chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, Gen. Valery Gerasimov and his US counterpart, Gen. Mark Milley, held an in-person meeting in Finland on Wednesday, the Russian defense ministry said.

"During the meeting, the military leaders discussed issues of mutual interest, including reducing the risk of incidents in the course of military activities. The meeting was constructive," the ministry said.

The meeting took place in the Finnish government's residence of Konigstedt in the city of Vantaa some 24,8 miles north of Helsinki.

The Wall Street Journal cited US sources as saying that the Russian and US military chiefs discussed mitigation of risks and resolution of conflicts, not providing much specifics. As noted in the report, the meeting took place as the United States explores ways to combat terrorism after its withdrawal from Afghanistan last month.
US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended his department Wednesday after images showing horse-mounted immigration officers chasing down Haitian migrants on the border with Mexico went viral

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2021 ) :US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended his department Wednesday after images showing horse-mounted immigration officers chasing down Haitian migrants on the border with Mexico went viral.

Pictures by AFP photographer Paul Ratje on Monday that were published repeatedly in media across the United States and around the world showed border patrol riders appearing to swing their mounts' long reins to threaten undocumented migrants and push them back to the Rio Grande river that marks the frontier.

The images "do not reflect who we are as a country, nor do they reflect who the United States Customs and Border Protection is," Mayorkas told the House Homeland Security Committee.

"I have ordered an investigation to be conducted of the events that are captured in those images," he said.

"The facts will drive the actions that we take, we ourselves will pull no punches," he said, promising a result "In days and not weeks." Critics said the images from Del Rio, Texas suggested both cowboys attempting to herd livestock and times in history when horse-mounted police, prison guards or slave owners used whips against Black Americans.

They came as Mayorkas's department struggles to halt thousands of Haitians and people from other countries crossing the border hoping to stay in the United States.

The Border Patrol began deporting the Haitians back to their country by air over the weekend.

But after the images of the horsemen and the migrants spread, members of President Joe Biden's Democratic Party condemned the treatment.

"I urge President Biden... to immediately put a stop to these expulsions," said US Senate leader Chuck Schumer.

As migrants continued to cross the border Wednesday and thousands remained camped under a bridge in Del Rio, Mayorkas said his department was working to deter arrivals.

"We do have a plan to address migration at the southern border, we're executing it, it takes time and we're starting to see the results," he told the panel.
RIGA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) The human rights and public affairs committee of the Latvian parliament supported the ban of public displays of the St. George ribbon, used over the years as an awareness ribbon commemorating the Soviet victory in the World War II, Committee Chairman Artuss Kaimins told reporters on Wednesday.

The politician stressed that the values this ribbon symbolizes were unacceptable to him.

The bill has already passed its first reading in parliament. After the committee's approval, the bill must then be adopted on the second and third readings by parliament, and lastly be signed by the president.

Russia condemns the attempts of the Latvian parliament to prohibit St. George ribbons at a legislative level, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova.

Currently in Latvia, all the symbols of the USSR, the Latvian SSR, and Nazi Germany are forbidden only at those events which are listed in the law on meetings and rallies. The St. George ribbon is largely seen as a Soviet symbol in the Baltic states.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2021) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situations in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine with the ambassadors of EU member countries in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday.

"Pressing international issues were considered with an emphasis on the situation in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Mali, the situation in the post-Soviet space (including resolution in Nagorno-Karabakh), the state of strategic stability in Europe, and the possibilities of cooperation in the Arctic and Asia-Pacific region," the official message said.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry also noted the importance of pragmatic and unideological interaction between nations, without any attempt to divide the world into "friends" and "enemies."

The ministry added that when discussing the situation in Ukraine, the Russian side emphasized again the pressing need for Kiev to fulfill the Minsk agreements, which are the sole basis for resolving the internal Ukrainian conflict, as well as the Ukrainian authorities' compliance with the state's constitution and international obligations related to ensuring the rights of Russian-speaking inhabitants of the country.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev deteriorated against the background of the situation in Donbas, following the coup d'etat in Ukraine in February 2014. The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly accused Russia of interfering in its internal affairs. In January 2015, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a statement in which Russia was called "an aggressor country." Russia denies the accusations of the Ukrainian side and calls them unacceptable. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the internal Ukrainian conflict and is interested in Kiev overcoming the political and economic crisis.
MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2021) Anton Gashinsky, who recently acquired status of a lawyer in Russia after losing same in Belarus, told Sputnik he intends to continue to represent the interests of his Russian clients, Sofia Sapega and Egor Dudnikov, who were detained in Belarus over opposition protests.

In July, the Belarusian Justice Ministry said that it had annulled Gashinsky's lawyer's license "due to systematic violations" in the legal field.

"I recently received the status of a lawyer in Russia," Gashinsky said, adding that he plans to continue working with Sapega and Dudnikov.

Dudnikov has been in custody in Minsk since May 5 over suspicions of "organizing actions that undermine order." The detainee moved to Belarus over a year earlier to live with his girlfriend.

Sapega was detained along with her partner, Belarusian opposition journalist Roman Protasevich, after a Ryanair plane was forced to land in Minsk in May.

The aircraft was supposed to fly them from Athens to Vilnius. The Belarusian authorities accused Sapega of encouraging social hatred, and contributing to violations of public order.

"I plan to represent (interests of Sapega and Dudnikov). I will announce it and ask to see them. Let us see what the Belarusian state bodies will say. Since we have a Union State (of Russia and Belarus) and the bilateral legal agreements, I believe there are no obstacles for me, with the status of a lawyer in Russia, to represent the interests of Russian citizens on the territory of Belarus," Gashinsky explained.

Neither the detainees nor their families object to his work as representative of their interests, the lawyer added.
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WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2021) The US Department of Defense announced in a statement on Wednesday that it has named Randy "Church" Kee, a retired major general, as Senior Adviser for Arctic Security Affairs.

"Randy "Church" Kee, a retired US Air Force major general, assumes duties as Senior Adviser for Arctic Security Affairs to assist with establishing the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, the Department of Defense's sixth and newest regional center," the statement said.

Kee, who had a 30-year military career, is due to collaborate with US partners "to ensure a stable, rules-based order in the Arctic that will benefit the United States and all Arctic nations," the statement said.

Before his assignment, Kee served as Commissioner to the US Arctic Research Commission as well as the Executive Director of the Arctic Domain Awareness Center.

The United States has been boosting its resources in the Arctic and has repeatedly voiced concerns about the risk of militarization of the Arctic by Russia. Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that it rejects claims about the growth of its military potential in the Arctic since it is only restoring the Soviet Union's infrastructure.

Last week, Nikolai Korchunov, a senior official of the Arctic Council, told Sputnik that Russia and the United States are interested in cooperation and predictability in the Arctic and will eventually start discussing military and political aspects of the situation in the region even if they have some disagreement over it at the moment.
Russia is fulfilling all of its contractual obligations on supplying gas to Europe, with volumes set to reach a historical maximum soon, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) Russia is fulfilling all of its contractual obligations on supplying gas to Europe, with volumes set to reach a historical maximum soon, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

"Our company (Gazprom) and the Russian side in general are fulfilling all the contractual obligations to European consumers by 100% or even more.

Moreover, as far as we know, we are close to the historical maximum of gas supplies to European consumers," Peskov said at a briefing.

The gas price surge in Europe is explained by the nature of the spot market, while Gazprom remains the most reliable guarantor of supplies, the Kremlin spokesman assured.
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Sotheby's announced on Wednesday that it would auction a rare 1949 self-portrait by Frida Kahlo, with an estimated price of $30 million, and set to become the most valuable work of Latin American art ever sold at auction

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) Sotheby's announced on Wednesday that it would auction a rare 1949 self-portrait by Frida Kahlo, with an estimated price of $30 million, and set to become the most valuable work of Latin American art ever sold at auction.

"This November, Sotheby's will present Frida Kahlo's 1949 self-portrait, Diego y yo (Diego and I), the final, fully realized 'bust' self-portrait completed before her death in 1954. Offered as a star lot in the Modern Evening Sale in New York, this historic work carries an estimate in excess of $30 million," the auction house said.

The self-portrait is expected to shatter Kahlo's current auction record of $8 million, achieved in 2016, Sotheby's noted. A painting of this scale is a rarity at auction and marks a trend for greater representation and estimation of underrepresented artists, especially female artists, according to the auction house.

"Diego and I" will be available for public view from October 7-11 in Hong Kong and from October 22-25 in London, before returning back to the New York exhibition ahead of the November sale.
Tunisian lawmaker Seifeddine Makhlouf, an outspoken critic of President Kais Saied, has been re-arrested, for "undermining the dignity of the army", his lawyer told AFP on Wednesday

Tunis, Sept 22 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2021 ) :Tunisian lawmaker Seifeddine Makhlouf, an outspoken critic of President Kais Saied, has been re-arrested, for "undermining the dignity of the army", his lawyer told AFP on Wednesday.

Like other MPs, Makhlouf lost his parliamentary immunity when Saied assumed full power on July 25, sacking the prime minister, suspending the assembly and taking control of the prosecution service.

Makhlouf heads Al-Karama, an ultraconservative Islamist-nationalist party allied to the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha movement, Saied's rivals who were previously the strongest party in the legislature.

He was briefly arrested on September 17 on his way to a Tunis military court to appear before an investigating judge.

The MP was already the subject of a warrant issued by military justice on September 2 for a case related to an altercation in March at Tunis airport.

Makhlouf and two other Al-Karama MPs are accused of insulting border police who had prevented a woman from flying.

The latest arrest "is not related to the airport case. It is another judicial file opened against him by the military justice," said his lawyer Anouar Ouled Ali.

In the latest case, Makhlouf is accused of undermining the army in an exchange with a military official while he was at the military court to support another member of his party, who was being prosecuted in the airport case.

In a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday, the military court of first instance in Tunis said that a judicial enquiry had been opened on Tuesday against Makhlouf, who had "insulted and threatened one of the military judges".

The lawyer, Ouled Ali, said that "this military prosecution of political opponents is a scandal. What is happening to Seifeddine Makhlouf is the settling of political scores."
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MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo have sent Russian leader Vladimir Putin a letter of congratulations on the victory of the United Russia ruling party in the elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament.

"The elections of lawmakers of the Russian State Duma ended successfully, with the triumph of the United Russia party, your government and your people," according to the letter published by 19 Digital.

According to the Nicaraguan leaders, the victory of the Russian ruling party in the parliamentary elections will contribute to the development of the country and its success in the struggle for peace, progress in the economy, science, technology and culture.

The elections to the State Duma were held on September 17-19. The voting results can be finalized on Friday, Central Election Commission (CEC) head Ella Pamfilova said earlier.

According to the CEC official data, United Russia received 324 mandates, the Communist Party - 57, A Just Russia - For Truth - 27, the Liberal Democratic Party - 21, and New People - 13.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the importance of increasing the presence of the fleets of the alliance's member states in the Black Sea, Zelenskyy's office said on Wednesday

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the importance of increasing the presence of the fleets of the alliance's member states in the Black Sea, Zelenskyy's office said on Wednesday.

"As part of his working visit to the United States, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Speaking about the importance of joint efforts with NATO to enhance security in the Black Sea region, the president stressed the importance of further increasing the presence of NATO fleets in the Black Sea, as well as interaction of Black Sea coastal states. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine was ready to actively participate in relevant joint actions with the alliance, and also expressed interest in expanding the number of joint exercises," the office said in a statement.
(UroToday.com) As a portion of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Annual Congress, an Educational Session focused on precision management of patients with prostate cancer was held. In this context, Dr. Mark Rubin presented the role of molecular pathology to guide treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer.



He began by emphasizing that insights into how molecular alternations that occur in the tumorigenesis pathway may influence therapy, it is particularly important to consider those that may confer treatment resistance.

In the context of prostate cancer, androgen axis signaling inhibition remains a major line of therapy, even for patients with castration resistant disease. In particular, clinically utilized approaches seek to lower testosterone or inhibit the androgen receptor. However, molecular alterations in the androgen receptor may confer treatment resistance. They may therefore be used molecular biomarkers to assess for disease responsiveness. Further, in addition to these alterations in the primary driving pathway for prostate cancer, other alterations may occur leading to alternate pathway activation (eg. WNT5A) which confer a different, neuroendocrine phenotype as a result of transdifferentiation.

He then focused on the question of homologous recombination repair defects and mismatch repair alterations. In the context of advanced prostate cancer, 5% of patients may have microsatellite instability or mismatch repair alterations which render them sensitive to pembrolizumab, 10% will be expected to have germline DNA repair mutations, and 20% will have DNA repair alterations at either the somatic or germline level which may sensitize patients to PARP inhibition or platinum-based chemotherapy treatment.

Prior to moving forward, Dr. Rubin emphasized two important definitions, distinguishing between prognostic biomarkers and predictive biomarkers. While prognostic biomarkers provide some assessment of the risk of a clinical event (often disease progression or death), predictive biomarkers assess whether a patient is like to respond to exposure (often treatment intervention).

In terms of the derivation of samples for testing, Dr. Rubin highlighted that buccal samples may be used for germline testing, tumor samples (from biopsy typically) may be used for genomic sequencing or transcriptomic sequencing, and blood samples may be used for the detection of cfDNA, CTCs, or tumor-related metabolites.

Dr. Rubin then focussed on the question of homologous recombination repair (HRR). While initial work focused on germline BRCA mutations, and the role of PARP inhibition, a similar treatment phenomenon is present among those with somatic mutations. The principle of PARP inhibition is predicated on the idea of synthetic lethality in which cells may survive with either HRR mutations or PARP inhibition, but not both.

In the context of advanced prostate cancer, this is important as relatively large proportions of patients with the disease have relevant mutations in HRR genes including BRCA1 and BRCA2. As a result, targeting this subset of patients with PARP inhibition is clinically relevant. The TOPARP trial was the first data demonstrating a differential response to PARP inhibition among prostate cancer patients with BRCA mutations. In terms of translating to clinical practice, the PROfound trial provides randomized data supporting the use of biomarker-driven treatment approaches for patients with advanced prostate cancer, and supporting the use of biomarker selection for advanced prostate cancer treatment.

In addition to those mutations which are common, Dr. Rubin emphasized the long tail of prostate cancer mutations. These are infrequent mutations. However, they may be clinically relevant and thus require large samples to identify these.

Further, he emphasized that there may be resistance to these novel approaches. In the context of PARP inhibition, a variety of mechanisms may lead to resistance, including reversion mutations, DDR rewiring, a drug-specific mechanism, or transporter overexpression.

Dr. Rubin then transitioned to discussing microsatellite instability and mismatch repair in advanced prostate cancer. Overall, this is seen in approximately 5-8% of patients with advanced prostate cancer. While this is a relatively small sample, there remains heterogeneity in treatment response within this group. Thus, the biomarker is predictively imperfect.

Outside prostate cancer, he highlighted recent work examining whole genome sequencing, including examination of DNA scar and a variety of underlying causes. This has now been incorporated into ESMO guidelines.

Dr. Rubin also noted that rates of DNA alterations may differ on the basis of histology: patients with ductal adenocarcinoma appear to have particularly high rates of DNA repair gene mutations. Additionally, there is evidence that microsatellite instability may differ between tumor types. Thus, the application of a general panel may not be appropriate and we may need to develop tumor-specific approaches.

Dr. Rubin then circled back to where he began, emphasizing that DNA repair mutations and mismatch repair/microsatellite instability comprise approximately one-quarter of patients with advanced prostate cancer. Thus, the remaining three-quarters have some other alterations underlying their pathogenesis. A number of novel treatment approaches may be able to target these factors. In particular, he highlighted numerous ongoing trials examining the role of PSMA-targeted theranostics. Embedded in many of these trials are correlative biomarker analyses, including assessment of CTCs.

Highlighting the example of a primary prostate tumor with multiple lesions, he emphasized the importance of overcoming heterogeneity (both within a lesion and between lesions within a patient) to allow for an accurate understanding of the underlying tumor biology. Thus, conventional biopsy may not provide as useful information as assessment of liquid biomarkers such as cfDNA or CTCs.





Presented by: Mark Rubin, MD, Precision Medicine and Prostate Cancer Research, Bern, Switzerland

Written by: Christopher J.D. Wallis, University of Toronto Twitter: @WallisCJD during the 2021 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Annual Congress 2021, Thursday, Sep 16, 2021  Tuesday, Sep 21, 2021.
(UroToday.com) As a portion of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Annual Congress, an Educational Session focused on the management of patients with node-positive locally advanced prostate cancer was held. In this context, Dr. Silke Gillessen discussed the role of systemic therapy and novel, emerging treatment approaches.



She began by highlighting that clinically node-positive, non-metastatic disease represents approximately 5-10% of newly diagnosed patients if conventional imaging is used for disease characterization and up to 30% if PSMA-PET/CT is employed. While the optimal management is somewhat unclear, the backbone is long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Given the controversies in this area and a lack of evidence, she emphasized that this forms the basis of questions at the Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference (APCCC).

Highlighting responses from the previous meeting in 2019, 98% of respondents at APCCC recommended radical loco-regional therapy plus/minus systemic therapy in cN1 M0 disease. For those who recommended loco-regional therapy, preferences between surgery and radiotherapy were somewhat less clear, nearly half (49%) recommended either approach without specific preference. Additionally, among those who recommended loco-regional therapy, a variety of systemic therapy options may be considered including ADT alone or with a variety of treatment intensifications. While there was no specific consensus on treatment choice, it was very clear that most respondents (98%) recommended some form of systemic therapy.



Abiraterone was the most commonly recommended agent to be added to ADT for treatment intensification. Among those patients recommended to receive ADT along with radiotherapy, there was some controversy regarding the recommended duration of ADT: 41% of panelists recommended 1-2 years of therapy while 56% recommended long-term therapy for 24-36 months. No one recommended lifelong ADT.

While these data come from a small panel of experts, Dr. Gillessen emphasized that there is a relative paucity of evidence to inform the treatment of patients in this disease space. A relatively recent systematic review including 5 studies suggested both cancer-specific survival and overall survival benefits to the addition of local therapy to ADT, as compared to ADT alone. While there is relatively limited evidence for the use of surgery here, most would agree that a multi-modality approach is needed regardless of the primary treatment employed. She further emphasized the heterogeneity within this disease ranging from a single node that just meets radiographic criteria to 10 large nodes.

In the context of non-metastatic prostate cancer, Dr. Gillessen highlighted a meta-analysis from 2016 assessing outcomes from the addition of docetaxel to ADT. There was a statistically significant improvement in failure-free survival (HR 0.70) and suggestion of an improvement in overall survival though this was not significant.



She emphasized that these data did include patients with node-positive disease, though the included cohorts were somewhat heterogeneous. On the basis of these data, however, the addition of chemotherapy is not considered standard of care in patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer who are receiving radiotherapy and ADT.

In contrast, data for abiraterone in high-risk non-metastatic prostate cancer has been presented from the STAMPEDE trial. In those with non-metastatic disease, the addition of abiraterone was associated with a significant improvement in failure-free survival (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.31) but not statistically significant improvements in overall survival (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.18). However, these overall survival is immature given the few events observed.



Digging deeper, among the 915 included patients with non-metastatic disease, a posthoc analysis suggests improvements in metastasis-free survival for clinically node-positive patients who received abiraterone in addition to the standard of care.



Similar phenomena were observed when the authors assessed failure-free survival, instead of metastasis-free survival. Thus, while predicated on subgroup analyses, the addition of abiraterone to ADT shows what Dr. Gillessen described as interesting failure-free survival benefits in early analyses. Additionally, she emphasized that there is a short follow-up to date, though ongoing follow-up is planned along with an analysis of treatment with enzalutamide.

Dr. Gillessen then highlighted a variety of guideline recommendations on the management of patients with cN1 M0 disease. While NCC recommends EBRT + ADT +/- abiraterone as a preferred approach among those who have a long life expectancy or symptomatic disease (with observation or ADT alone for those with shorter life expectancy), the EAU simply recommends patients be offered local radical treatment plus long-term ADT and ESMO offers no specific recommendation.



However, there are a number of ongoing trials which will help to further inform treatment choices. The DASL-HiCaP trial is assessing the role of darolutamide in patients with very high-risk locally advanced prostate cancer in addition to ADT and radiotherapy (either primarily or postoperatively). The study is designed to assess whether the addition of darolutamide can improve metastasis-free survival at 5-years from 85% to 91%.





She further highlighted many other ongoing trials, primarily assessing various aspects of treatment intensification with the addition of second-generation androgen axis inhibition.



However, she emphasized that none of these trials are specific for patients with cN1 disease. Thus, we continue to rely on subgroup analysis. Further, none of these will assess the question of the optimal local treatment approach. Additionally, the PREDICT-RT trial will assess the role of treatment escalation and de-escalation according to genomic risk scores to potentially allow for more personalized treatment approaches.





Presented by: Silke Gillessen, MD, Head of the Department of Medical Oncology, full Professor at the Universita della Svizzera Italiana (USI) in Lugano, and Director of the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI) in Bellinzona, Switzerland.





Written by: Christopher J.D. Wallis, University of Toronto Twitter: @WallisCJD during the 2021 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Annual Congress 2021, Thursday, Sep 16, 2021  Tuesday, Sep 21, 2021.
(UroToday.com) The European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2021 virtual annual meetings prostate cancer session included a presentation by Dr. Peter Goebell discussing real-world treatment patterns among patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).

The mHSPC treatment landscape is rapidly evolving, most recently with the entry of second-generation anti-androgen receptor inhibitors. These medications are the most recent class of agents rapidly gaining approval and reimbursement, thereby expanding the set of mHSPC treatment options and paving the way for the treatment landscape evolution. The objective of this study was to describe mHSPC patients current treatment patterns, contextualized by their demographic and clinical characteristics and treating physician characteristics.

This cross-sectional, retrospective, chart review study included mHSPC patients (aged  18 years) in the US, Germany, France, Japan, and China from the IPSOS Global Oncology Monitor Database (January 2018 - June 2020). Descriptive analyses were used to assess demographic, clinical, and current treatment patterns for mHSPC patients, along with characteristics of their treating physicians.

There were 6,198 mHSPC patients included in this study, including 3,893 from the US, 867 from Germany, 513 from France, 641 from Japan, and 284 from China. Patients were generally aged 70 years (69.5%), and well-functioning (ECOG score 0-1: 83.3%). Patients tended to be treated by urologists (73.9-99.4%) except in the US where a slight majority were treated by oncologists (56.3%). Additionally, these patients were mostly not co-managed in all countries except Japan where this data was not available. Patients in Europe (Germany, 69.4%; France, 76.6%) and the US (82.6%) were primarily treated with luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists, and in Asia, with a combination of LHRH agonist(s) (China, 71.8%; Japan, 82.6%) and first-generation androgen receptor inhibitors (China, 74.6%; Japan, 70.8%). With the exception of France (38.6%), the majority of patients were treated with combination therapy (57.4%) across the remaining four markets. Across the five countries, use of androgen synthesis inhibitor (14.3%) and second-generation anti-androgen receptor inhibitors (5.6%) was relatively infrequent, but increasing over the study period, as measured in successive cross-sectional data cuts. Chemotherapy was used consistently across the study period, with more use in Europe and China (Germany, 17.0%; France, 15.0%; 13.4%) than in the US (8.5%) or Japan (0.2%). As follows is a summary of utilization of mHSPC therapies by drug class:

Dr. Goebell concluded his presentation with the following summary statements:

This is the first real world study examining treatment pattern among mHSPC patients across the US, Germany, France, China, and Japan

Taxane chemotherapy utilization reflected that it is and remains an important component of mHSPC standard of care in the US, Germany, France, and China, with further changes anticipated in Japan

Abiraterone was also relatively prevalent and with continued treatment evolution, it will be of interest to understand its potentially evolving place in mHSPC therapy

Differences in guideline evolution, regulatory approval and reimbursement during the study period likely explains some of the cross-country differences

In addition, the differences of disciplines involved in treatment may have an impact on utilization patterns

Presented by: Peter J. Goebell, MD, PhD, Division of Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany

Written by: Zachary Klaassen, MD, MSc  Urologic Oncologist, Assistant Professor of Urology, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University/Medical College of Georgia, @zklaassen_md on Twitter during the 2021 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Annual Congress 2021, Thursday, Sep 16, 2021  Tuesday, Sep 21, 2021.
Various commemorative events have been lined up to mark the 35th anniversary of the Marian Shrine. The events will run from Sunday, 24 October 2021, till 6 February 2022.

Francoise Niamien - Vatican City.

Recently, the Rector of the Marian shrine, Father Eugene Adingra, unveiled some of the major events that will take place during the months of commemoration. He said the celebrations would be of a thanksgiving nature: Thanksgiving for many graces received through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He added that countless persons have testified to graces granted them through the intervention of the Virgin Mary.



A shrine loved even by non-Catholics

According to Fr Adingra, the Shrine of Our Lady of Africa in Ivory Coast is loved by all -even by many other children of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They come from all over the country and beyond to pray at the Shrine and testify of graces received.

Protestants, Methodists, Evangelicals, and even Muslims, not to mention our brothers and sisters from traditional religions. They have all trodden the grounds of this Marian shrine to implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, and they have been heard, Fr Adingra said.

He continued, The Virgin Mary, mother of all the children of God, never ceases to demonstrate her maternal tenderness without the slightest distinction. That is why we want to celebrate these 35 years by simply saying, Thank you to the Lord, thank you to Mary, the Marian Shrine Rector explained.

Pope Saint John Paul II gave the Shrine its name

Built between 1985 and 1987, the Marian Shrine has become an important place of the Marian pilgrimage in Cote dIvoire.

Pope Saint John Paul II blessed the first stone of the building in 1980 during his first visit to Cote dIvoire.

The Holy Father, himself, suggested that the Shrine be dedicated to Our Lady of Africa. Cardinal Bernard Yago, then Archbishop of Abidjan, added: Mother of All Graces.
Both the Church and society in Poland were unprepared to face the crisis caused by the sexual abuse of minors. Negative reactions prevailed at first. In the last few years, thanks to journalists and clear direction from the Holy See, the Church in Poland has learned how to create an integrated structure for the protection of minors and the support of victims.

By Marta Titaniec and Father Piotr Studnicki

The Church in Poland entered the 21st century feeling proud of itself, enjoying the success it had achieved. These sentiments were motivated by Polands past and more recent history. Up until 1918, the Polish state had vanished, being divided up by neighboring powers for a good 123 years. For the Polish people, the Catholic Church had been a bulwark of freedom and had contributed toward the survival of the nations language, culture, and even its hope for independence. Heroic deeds performed by many Catholic priests and lay faithful were not lacking in the period following the Second World War. After 1945, when Poland fell under the Soviet Unions influence, the Church was near to the people, seeking to preserve their autonomy and fighting for human dignity and rights.

It was in this context that Karol Wojtya  Pope Saint John Paul II  was raised. His pilgrimages to Poland contributed to the spiritual reawakening of his compatriots, stimulating the growth of a sense of national unity and reinforcing the Churchs role in the life of Polish society. In Europe, a process of secularization had been in act for many decades. Yet, Poland remained a country in which the number of baptized constituted more than 90% of the population. Half of them were practicing Catholics, and the seminaries were filled with candidates for the priesthood. The moral authority of the priest was unquestionable in Polish society.

This legitimate sense of success and pride made it difficult to truthfully face the abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy. In fact, it was difficult to admit, to grasp that such terrible crimes against minors could have happened in the same Church. Therefore, the first reports about the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy produced an instinctive defensive reaction among both priests and laity in Poland. It was interpreted as an attack by the enemy  the media  and the umpteenth expression of a battle against the Church, all too well-known under Communism.

Necessary catalysts toward change

News reports of the two Polish priests working in the Dominican Republic (the Apostolic Nuncio and a missionary, accused of sexually molesting a minor in 2013) dealt a tremendous blow. The documentaries published on YouTube by the Sekielski brothers, on the other hand, were truly an earthquake (Tell no One, 2019; Playing Hide and Seek, 2020). Today, it must honestly be acknowledged that journalists contributed a fundamental element that mobilized the Church in Poland to deal with the issue.

No less important were the actions taken by the Holy See and other transformations taking place throughout the Catholic Church that influenced the Church in Polands approach to the sexual abuse of minors. One example is the history of the publication of the document defining the rules governing the diocesan process to be followed in Poland when priests were accused of sexual abuse. The first edition of the document was approved by the Polish Bishops Conference back in 2009. However, it was kept confidential and not made public. It was only in response to the recommendation of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2011 that the Polish Bishops Conference adopted and published two documents in 2014 that to this day outline the course of action for the Church in Poland.

A second example concerns those persons responsible for the protection of minors tasked to receive reports. Even though people had been appointed to these positions by the bishops and superiors general of religious institutes by the end of 2014, in the following years, the information regarding how to contact them still had yet to be published on the official websites of many dioceses and religious institutes. The publication of this information became a general practice only in 2019 with the publication of Pope Francis Motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi.

Shameful statistics

Toward the end of 2018, the Polish Bishops Conference (KEP) decided to complete the first statistical analysis begun in 2014. The report, covering the period from 1 January 1990 to 30 June 2018, published in March 2019 that 382 diocesan and religious priests had been accused of sexual abuse against children under the age of 18. It also revealed that from 1950 to mid 2018, the Church knew that at least 661 minors had been sexually abused. Furthermore, the report demonstrated that the number of cases being reported had increased over the years. But, the real wave of revelations came to the fore in a successive report published in June 2021. During the 2  period under review (1 July 2018  31 December 2020) 368 reports had been received against 292 diocesan and religious priests regarding events that took place between 1958-2020.

Presenting the report, Archbishop Wojciech Polak, Primate of Poland and the Episcopal Conferences Delegate for the protection of minors, spoke directly to the victims and the scandalized public regarding the evils that had been perpetrated in the Church, once again begging their forgiveness. One of the things he said was: Listening to the stories of people who have been traumatized by the sexual abuse perpetrated by religious and diocesan priests, on the one hand we feel tremendous shame, immense pain and compassion. On the other, we are grateful and we express our respect for those who have decided to report the evil they underwent by revealing their own traumatic stories, often after many years.

A support system under construction

The investigation carried out also demonstrates that the Church, in which these evils once took place, has now become a place of listening and support, one that seeks the truth and justice, the Polish archbishop added.

The Polish Bishops Conference established an office for the protection of minors in 2013 and appointed of Father Adam Zak SJ, as its first coordinator. Thanks to the projects he initiated, the Church succeeded in developing a structure, both at the local and national levels, for the protection of minors and to provide help to the sexual abuse victims. Structures at the local level are key because they are active in the dioceses and in the provinces of religious institutes. These structures include:

(1) 116 delegates authorized to receive reports regarding abuse, to initiate those processes required by Church and civil law, to help the victims receive psychological, legal and pastoral aid;

(2) 70 pastors whose duty it is to offer pastoral aid and spiritual support to the victims, their families and the communities affected by the scandal, and to collaborate in the preparation of the annual day of prayer and penance for the sin of the sexual abuse of minors;

(3) 86 curators who accompany the accused priest so that he understands and observes the prescribed restrictions and, in the case of an eventual conviction, they help him toward a change in life style so that he does not hurt anyone else;

(4) Others responsbile for prevention.

These local structures are supported by, reinforced, monitored and developed at the national level, composed of:

(1) Episcopal Conference Delegate for the protection of minors (as of March 2019, Archbishop Wojciech Polak, Primate of Poland), responsible for the canonical, legal, organizational and communication aspects;

(2) Episcopal Conference Coordinator for the protection of minors (as of June 2013, Father Adam Zak SJ), who oversees the above-mentioned structures in place;

(3) The Saint Joseph Foundation, established in October 2019, and financed with the annual contributions of priests and bishops so as to provide monetary aid to victims of sexual abuse, as well as supporting the structures in place;

(4) The Child Protection Center, founded in March 2014 at the Ignatianum Academy in Krakow, supports the structures in place for the protection of minors through educational, scientific and preventive activities with the aim of creating safe environments for minors.

Implementing Vos estis lux mundi

Recently, the Church in Poland has begun to implement the Motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi, promulgated by Pope Francis. From the time it entered into force, over 12 processes have been initiated, reviewing the response of various Polish Bishops to reports their received of sexual abuse. Twelve of these processes have already been closed, 11 of which resulted in the confirmation that the bishop was negligent, with the bishops received penal sanctions. The charges in one case were dismissed, while other processes are still in course.

However painful and difficult for the Church in Poland, the process of purification is moving forward. Many people feel offended, not only because of the evil that has been done, but  often even more  because of the approach taken by Church leaders. Only by affirming the truth, seeking justice and taking responsibility for all the crimes and negligence in the Churchs response, can the Church in Poland halt the process through which its trust and credibility has been lost.

Biographies: Marta Titaniec  President of the Board of Administrators of the St Joseph Foundation of the Polish Bishops Conference, co-foundress of the Hurt in the Church initiative [Zranieni w Kosciele], a helpline for persons affected by sexual violence in the Church.

Dr. Piotr Studnicki, priest  Director of the Office for the Delegate of the Polish Bishops Conference for the Protection of Children, professor of the Pontifical John Paul II University in Krakow and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador unveils a new initiative which seeks to root out the desperation of poverty, which leads to undocumented migration.

By James Blears

Mexicos president unfolds hopes and plans to US president Joe Biden, seeking funds to create three hundred and thirty thousand jobs in southern Mexico and Central America via a huge tree-planting program and workshop apprenticeships.



The letter from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to President Biden urges an injection of money from the US to create and sustain two major employment programs, specifically encompassing Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Part of the plan involves issuing temporary work visas.

Listen to James Blears' report

Lopez Obrador is asking Biden to contemplate and consider a fresh and new approach towards the issue of migration, which he says now needs a comprehensively different treatment. He says, We must not limit ourselves to the concentration and application of measures especially coercive ones. The two neighbouring nations have already agreed to team up on work plans.

The Mexican president, nicknamed AMLO for his initials, proposes support for a government tree-planting program and a youths building towards the future scheme that would encompass Central America. Widespread tree planting is already underway in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas and is available to a quarter of a million farmers; there is also a workshop program for thirty thousand apprentices. This could be extended to 90,000 more young people in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

AMLO is also appealing for Washington to assess a temporary work visa initiative to the United States, tempered, tailored, and channelled in a master plan, to accommodate workforce needs throughout the United States, boosting economic growth, while humanizing orderly migratory flows.


Local authorities are reportedly silencing several families in Chinas southwestern city of Chongqing after they spoke out about the recent deaths of loved ones with family members claiming the deaths are linked to adverse reactions caused by Chinas domestically produced COVID-19 vaccines, The Epoch Times reported.

The Chinese regime has widely praised the efficacy and safety of its Chinese-made vaccines however official data on these two data points are heavily censored.

Chinas state-run media, Global Times, reported on May 28 that Chinas first published report on COVID-19 vaccines shows extremely rare adverse reactions; experts hail remarkable safety.

Despite this glowing review, The Epoch Times obtained local government documents that disclosed the numerous harmful effects the Chinese-made vaccines illicit in patients.

First hand account

On July 13, a 65-year-old woman named Cai Hua, a resident of Shapingba in Chongqing district, was inoculated with a Chinese produced vaccine and within 10-minutes of receiving the dose was rendered unconscious. She later died on Aug. 6 after being treated in hospital for three weeks, The Epoch Times reported.

On Sept. 2, the womans sister, Cai Bangying, sought answers to her loved ones death and shared her story with the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times.

She also reported the incident to the municipal health commotion and the mayors office on Aug. 12.

She managed to obtain a copy of video footage showing her sister being inoculated. The video shows her sister receiving the vaccine and then minutes later falling out of her chair unconscious.

Hua was transported to a local emergency room where she received treatment. Her sister, ever persistent, obtained her sisters medical records from the hospital. Her sister had a history of hypertension, coronary heart disease as well as diabetes, however the records indicated that they were under control.

Bangying is convinced her sister lost her life due to adverse reactions caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is a matter of life and death. The death was caused by the vaccination. The government should be held accountable, she said.

Police intimidation

It was not until Aug. 14 that Bangying received a call from the local district police telling her not to post anything about her sisters death on the internet.

On Aug. 16, police and a crowd of people surrounded her home; however, Bangying declined to answer the door.

She did file a report with her local government office, asserting that her sisters death may be due to the vaccine however, to date, she has not received a response.

An insider of Chongqing told The Epoch Times that, What I know is that there are at least four or five people in Chongqing who may have died from vaccinations. The mobile phones of their family members are monitored and tracked by state security police. They cant talk about it, and are worried that their relatives and friends will be implicated.

The insider said that a citizen of Yuzhong district, a man named Xiao Shou, who was vaccinated on July 14 was sent to hospital after experiencing adverse reactions to the vaccine and later died on July 16.

The mans son, Xiao Fubin, posted on social media that his father died 32 hours after being vaccinated, and [he] hopes that the relevant state departments will be held accountable.

The insider said, After the news broke out that the death of Xiaos father was linked to the vaccine, Xiao was summoned by the state security police. He was told that hed been suspected of leaking state secrets., The Epoch Times reported.
West Africa-based ISIS leader, Abnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, has died due to wounds inflicted by a French drone strike last month. His death was announced on Twitter by French President Emmanuel Macron, stating that the terrorist leader was neutralized by French forces.

al-Sahrawis terror

Initially a separatist in the Western Sahara, the top ISIS leader, Abnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, migrated to Mali and Niger, joined al-Qaeda and then, in 2015, joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

In 2017, al-Sahrawis rise to infamy came when he claimed that he orchestrated an ambush on a team of U.S. soldiers outside the village of Tongo Tongo in Niger, leading to the deaths of four U.S. soldiers, as well as at least six Nigerien soldiers.

The U.S. soldiers killed in the assault were: Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, Sgt. LaDavid Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black and Sgt.1st Class Jeremiah Johnson.

In August 2020, he ordered the executions of six French charity workers and a Nigerian driver. Furthermore, militants of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) have been implicated in the deaths of civilians in the Tillaberi region of Niger; an area known for being a location for the groups activities.

As a result of his attacks, the U.S. government labelled him a global terrorist and placed a $US5 million dollar bounty on him. At the same time, the French government made al-Sahrawi enemy number-one as ISIS forces continued to assault U.S. troops, French aid workers and civilians; primarily Muslims.

The group is also believed to have foreigners in their custody, including American Jeffrey Woodke, who was abducted from his home in Niger in 2016.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has expressed its concerns surrounding the expansion of Daesh/ISIS activities across the continent of Africa.

The strike

In August 2021, the French military, with support of the armed forces of Niger and Mali, launched an operation to locate and pursue al-Sahrawi.

In talks with ABC News, a French commander determined that al-Sahrawi had been weakened after two of his logistics commanders, Rhissa al-Sarhaoui and Ikarey, were killed. He also stated that U.S. intelligence had picked up the ISIS leaders trail from Menaka and that he was approaching the Nigerien border.

According to French and U.S. officials, a military drone strike was called and successfully struck al-Sahrawi as he was en route to the border. French special forces later confirmed that the attack had hit al-Sahrawi and ten of his men, with the former dying of his wounds a month later.

Senior Africa analyst, Alexander Raymakers, of Verisk Maplecroft, a risk intelligence company says with al-Sahrawis death, ISGS operations will likely be disrupted, but the attack will not completely eliminate the group.

Sahel expert Heni Nsaibia said, The killing of al-Sahrawi follows a series of tactical successes by the French, who recently killed or captured several senior ISGS commanders. With their leadership crippled, the group could be disrupted by tensions surrounding the question of who will succeed al-Sahrawi.

Another major success

Its another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel, said Macron in his tweet announcing the death of al-Sahrawi.

French Defense Minister, Florence Parly, told reporters in Paris that the strike reinforces [Frances] determination to fight terrorism alongside its Sahel, U.S. and European allies.

We will not leave the Sahel, Parley declared, despite Frances plans to reduce its military presence in the region by early 2022.

French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, has called upon African governments to strike while the power vacuum in ISGS was still there.

Rida Lyammouri, part of Moroccan think tank Policy Center for the New South, called the strike a huge blow for ISGS, but also stressed that al-Sahrawi will be replaced, and that true victory will only come when the civilian population is free of the terrorist groups threats.

For the parents of Jeremiah Jonhson  one of the soldiers killed in al-Sahrawis 2017 ambush in Niger  the terrorist leaders death was justice for their lost loved ones. They praised the French but wished the U.S. were the ones to lead the attack.

We should have made the effort to either kill or capture the individuals who were responsible for the ambush of ODA 3212 ourselves, instead of relying on other countries, Johnsons mother and stepfather, Debbie and Ray Gannon, told ABC News.

In her book Sacrifice: A Gold Star Widows Fight For The Truth, Michelle Black wrote about her husband and the ambush.

More death does not make losing Bryan any better. But knowing there is one less evil man in this world brings me peace, Michelle said. Perhaps it will prevent other families from suffering terror at his hands and for me that is enough.

A ceremony was held for all four families of the fallen in July, LaDavid Johnson and Jeremiah Johnson, were both posthumously named honorary members of the Green Berets.
Washington will not let relations with China slide to the point of a cold war, the White House said about a week after U.S. President Joe Biden told his counterpart Xi Jinping that the two leaders had a responsibility to make sure that competition does not veer into conflict.

The U.S.-China trade war, COVID-19 pandemic, human rights abuses, and belligerent wolf warrior diplomacy by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have in recent years led to tensions between the worlds two largest economies. Some observers have characterized these tensions as a new cold war, echoing the 19451989 standoff between the U.S. and Soviet Union that saw the world divided into two camps.

Since taking office this January, the Biden administration has continued some of former president Donald Trumps tough policies toward Beijing  including freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea and supporting Taiwan  while stressing the need to compete with, rather than confront, Communist China.

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, explained on Sept. 20 that a cold war with China is not the objective or the policy of the United States.



Over the weekend prior, United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres had expressed to the Associated Press his concerns about the U.S.-China relationship, saying that he hoped Beijing and Washington could cooperate on climate, trade, tech, and other fields.

Unfortunately, today we only have confrontation, Guterres said. We need to avoid at all cost a Cold War that would be different from the past one, and probably more dangerous and more difficult to manage.

Competition, not conflict

Ahead of Bidens Sept. 21 address to the U.N, Psaki stated that the president would make absolutely clear that he is not looking to pursue a future, a new Cold War with any country in the world.

In his remarks, Biden spoke about the need for countries to cooperate on a wide range of issues ranging from COVID-19 vaccination to climate change prevention, cybersecurity, and counter-terrorism.

Referring to Americas long-awaited, yet chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden said that instead of continuing to fight the wars of the past, we are fixing our eyes on devoting our resources to the challenges that hold the keys to our collective future.

He said that America was back at the table with his having prioritized rebuilding our alliances, revitalizing our partnerships, and recognizing theyre essential and central to Americas enduring security and prosperity.

Were not seeking  Ill say it again  we are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs, Biden said.

The president did not refer directly to China at any point in his speech, though he mentioned Xinjiang  the western region where the CCP has incarcerated and brutalized more than a million Muslims Uyghurs for their faith and ethnicity  in a general condemnation of religious oppression.

Psaki said that Bidens view and this administrations view, is that our relationship with China is one not of conflict, but of competition.

While we may take issue with some means they [Beijing] engage in the world, we also have areas we will want to continue to work together.

Xi-Biden talks

Biden and Psakis remarks follow up on a phone call Biden had with Xi Jinping, in which the White House said that the leaders had broad, strategic discussion.

The White House readout of the call was fairly brief, noting that Biden underscored the United States enduring interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world and the two leaders discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict.

According to a Bloomberg news report, a senior official in the Biden administration said that the U.S. president had requested the conversation with Xi.



The official said that Bidens request came after the administration saw that CCP officials were unwilling to engage in serious or substantive conversations with U.S. officials, as seen in talks held earlier this year in Anchorage, Alaska, and Chinas Tianjin city.

Those summits saw the Communist Party cadres bombard their American counterparts with harsh invective, accusing the U.S. of conspiring against Beijing and trying to treat China as an unequal partner in the relationship.

In Anchorage, CCP top diplomat Yang Jiechi openly claimed that the U.S. was in no position to compete with Beijing, saying that the East is rising while the West is in decline.

According to the U.S. official who spoke with Bloomberg, Biden had hoped to address the issues in the Sino-U.S. relationship with Xi personally, seeing that lower-level talks were not bearing fruit.

Biden, the official said, took the opportunity to explain the intention behind U.S. actions that are sometimes misinterpreted by Beijing as a means to undermine China. The president also had not planned to raise the prospect of U.S. retaliatory action or costs if China refused to co-operate on a range of issues, including investigations into the origin of COVID-19, which spread from the Chinese city of Wuhan after an early CCP coverup, according to Reuters.

The Chinese statement on the Xi-Biden call said that the Chinese leader noted serious difficulty in the bilateral relationship, and urged both countries to bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track of stable development as soon as possible.
An employee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stepped forward with hidden camera video footage taken from her workplace alleging what she described as both a high frequency of severe adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines and a lack of reporting to the CDCs VAERS database.

The whistleblower is Jodi OMalley, a registered nurse who worked for Indian Health Service, a federal health program for American Indians and Alaskan Natives at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center in Arizona.

In Part 1 of a series released by investigative journalism team Project Veritas on Sept. 20, OMalley recaps three cases of serious vaccine adverse reactions, concerns other staff members, including doctors, have about both the veracity of the vaccines and the reporting of reactions to VAERS, and the suppression of Ivermectin as a treatment.

The first instance is of a man in his 30s who has been diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. In an undercover video, OMalley is reporting the patients test results to Dr. Maria Gonzalez. OMalley tells Gonzalez the patient had accepted the second dose of an undisclosed variant of the vaccine a few days prior and since Has been short of breath.

Now his BNP is elevated, D-Dimer elevated, ALT. All his liver enzymes are elevated. His PT PT-INR is elevated, said OMalley.

Gonzalez interjects, Hes got probably myocarditisall this is bullshitNow probably myocarditis due to the vaccine. But now, theyre not going to blame the vaccine.

The doctor added frustration with VAERS reporting not being completed because, They want to shove it under the mat.

In a follow up clip, Gonzalez personally broke the news to the patient of her diagnosis of Congestive Heart Failure, while assuring the man that he is not suffering from COVID-19. Gonzalez added she would have to transfer him to another hospital because they do not have cardiologists.

Gonzalez told the patient, I dont know where this [illness] is coming from.

OMalley said the reaction was not reported to VAERS, adding, Ive seen dozens of people come in with adverse reactions.

While the undercover footage of the follow up cases are lacking in detail, they nonetheless provide a level of insight into the situation both hospital staff and patients are facing amid the worldwide vaccination campaign.

In a second case, the nurse described a 15-year-old boy who had blood clots. OMalley said she was covering for another nurse when she met the patient, who was suffering from bilateral pulmonary embolisms (PE), which had not yet become so serious as to need oxygen.

OMalley said she asked if the youth had been vaccinated, but nobody knew, so she looked at the patients chart and found he had accepted the first dose of the Pfizer injections.

The boys chart, which was provided as evidence in the video, carried the notes, Unusual PE at this age and unclear etiology of PE.

While no firm evidence was provided in the video that the embolisms were an adverse reaction to the vaccine, OMalley said she knew it was, Because this is a 15-year-old, normal weight, healthy child, and there was No reason for him to have a blood clot.

And in the third case, when OMalley was asked by Project Veritas head James OKeefe why she stepped forward to blow the whistle, she said her reasoning came from an adverse reaction experience that hit too close to home.

What prompted me to do this was when I was house supervisor one night, and one of my coworkers had taken the vaccine, and she didnt want to, she went throughout this entire pandemic working in the intensive care unit, it pretty much was a COVID unit, said OMalley.

OMalley said the coworker in question had returned from a medical leave taken to undergo an undisclosed surgery two weeks prior. In a hidden camera video, OMalley is seen outside a set of glass doors as the coworker is being transferred as a patient to a higher level of care unit.

The video noted the colleague passed away, but did not provide any details as to the nature of the womans illness, cause of death, or proof of a link to vaccination.

In commentary on her colleagues death, OMalley was tearful, She didnt want to take it because of her religious beliefs. And she was coerced into taking it. And its like, nobody, nobody, should have to decide between their livelihood being a part of the team in the hospital or take the vaccine.

OMalley was not alone in her concerns over vaccine adverse reactions and VAERS reporting at her hospital. In another hidden camera segment, OMalley talks to another HHS RN, Deanna Paris, who says candidly, Its a shame theyre not treating people like theyre supposed to. Like they should. And I think they want people to die.

OMalley asks Paris how many people she had seen who had accepted vaccination. Paris interjected That got sick, side effects? A lot.

Paris said VAERS reports are not being submitted for the reactions simply because It takes over a half an hour for the damn thing.

In the segment, OKeefe, while pointing out that the CDC claims on its website that VAERS reporting is a requirement, asked OMalley if her HHS hospital had any of their own reporting policies.

The reply, There has never been any directive sent out on reporting. With this vaccine we are in stage 3 clinical trials. Normally, stage 3 clinical trials is where you gather your data. What the responsibility on everyone is, is to gather that data and report it. And if were not gathering that data and reporting it, then how are we going to say this is safe and approved for use?

Another clip between OMalley, Dr. Gonzalez, and a second doctor, emergency room doctor Dale McGee, showed both frustration and differing views between the medical professionals. In the clip, OMalley commented, How come after 18 months we havent had any research? Isnt that fishy to you?

While Gonzalez agreed with OMalleys supposition, McGee interjected, Its not that it hasnt been done. It hasnt been published, thats why.

Gonzalezs follow up was blunt, It hasnt probably been done because the government doesnt want to show that the darn vaccine is full of sh*t.

OMalleys undercover endeavors also exposed how the usage of Ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19 patients is being suppressed.

In a hidden camera video with Gayle Lundberg, an HHS Pharmacist, OMalley asked whether a doctor had spoken with her about prescribing Ivermectin for their patient. Lundberg replied bluntly, Not allowed at this facility.

Lundberg said off-label medication could not be prescribed for COVID because, They did it with hydroxychloroquine, and theyit was really bad and so they are not allowing it right now.

When OMalley told Lundberg the doctor had agreed to write the Ivermectin prescription, Lundbergs frustration showed, I am stuck. I am told you are absolutely not to use it under any circumstances whatsoever for somebody with COVID, unless you dont want to have a job.

I am not going to lose my job over this, she said.

When it came to her reasons for stepping forward, OMalley said, Right now, what is plaguing this country is the spirit of fear.

OKeefe asked the nurse if she was afraid now that she had blown the whistle and she said, Its my career, you know? Its how I help people. But am I afraid? I wouldnt necessarily say Im afraid, because my faith lies in God, and not man.

You know, like, what kind of person would I be if I knew all of this this is evil.

This is evil at the highest level.

OKeefe asked if she was afraid of retaliation. OMalleys response, Yeah. Im a federal employee. What other federal employees do you see coming out?
On this edition of Straight Talk Africa, host Hayde Adams discusses the possible shift in the terrorism hotspots on the African continent. Her guests include Vanda Felbab-Brown, co-director of the Africa Security Initiative at Brookings Institute, Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar, executive director at West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism, Yetunde A. Odugbesan-Omede, professor of Global Affairs and Political Science at Farmingdale College and Anne Speckhard, professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University.
At first, it seemed like a regular commute home for Mohammad Ali Ahmadi. The Kabul-based journalist was riding a city van home Saturday evening after leaving work at a radio station.

Sitting in the middle seat of the Toyota TownAce, Ahmadi sensed nothing out of the ordinary about the other passengers, just regular commuters shooting the breeze about the latest developments in the Afghan capital.

Then the passenger next him  a man who Ahmadi said was bearded and in his early 30s  asked what he did for a living.

"I'm a reporter," Ahmadi responded.

"What television station do you work for?" the man asked.

"I don't work for a television station," Ahmadi said. "I work for Radio Salam Watandar."

"Oh, the American radio station?" the man asked.

Ahmadi explained that the station was a local radio network and not American, he told VOA. The man, saying nothing, signaled for the driver to drop him at the next stop.

As the passenger stepped out of the van, he pulled out a gun. Without uttering a word, he fired several shots at Ahmadi. Two struck the journalist in the leg.

"It was so sudden and so loud, for a second I thought it was a suicide explosion or something," Ahmadi said. "It took me some time to realize I'd been hit."

The gunman fled, the other passengers scurried out of the van and the driver left.

Bleeding heavily, Ahmadi lay on the side of the street. A passerby finally came to his aid, using a scarf as a tourniquet to stanch the bleeding.

"I was still conscious, and I was able to call my family," Ahmadi told VOA on Tuesday, in an interview from the hospital.

The gunman has not been identified. Ahmadi and his network both said it was unclear which group, if any, the man was affiliated with.

Nasir Maimanagy, managing director of Salam Watandar Radio Network, told VOA that the station reported the attack to the Taliban, who denied responsibility and promised to investigate

"We demanded that they investigate this thoroughly as it's a crime and it happened under their watch," Maimanagy said in an email to VOA.

Still, the shooting "has sent a strong wave of fear down the spine of every single employee of (Salam Watandar)," Maimanagy said.

"They are shocked and afraid," he said. "They feel that soon they will be targeted and much worse might await them. Ahmadi was fired at five times and only two of them hit him. He is lucky to have survived."

The shooting is one of several violent incidents directed at the media since the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15.

The Taliban detained and later released at least 14 journalists covering protests on September 7 and 8, according to media watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists. At least nine were subjected to violence during their arrests or detention.

Salam Watandar reporter Shakib Siavash was among those detained and beaten for covering a protest.

Two of those detained, Etilaatroz photographer Nematullah Naqdi and reporter Taqi Daryabi, recalled how they had been beaten and kicked for hours while in custody.

The Taliban have said they would investigate the beatings.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has said all media outlets "will be free" as long as they operate within the bounds of Islamic law, known as Shariah, and promote national unity.

During their previous rule over Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban banned all independent media outlets. Over the next two decades, under Afghanistan's U.S.-backed government, hundreds of independent radio and TV stations, including Salam Watandar, operated in the country.

Despite the Taliban's pledge to respect press freedom, dozens of news outlets have shut down, and thousands of journalists have tried to leave the country.

The International Federation of Journalists estimates that at least 153 Afghan media organizations have stopped operating since the Taliban takeover.

Those outlets that have continued are adapting their tone and content to avoid running afoul of the Taliban, according to Salam Watandar journalist Ahmadi.

In a September 16 appeal sent to Reporters Without Borders, a group of more than 100 Afghan journalists  nearly all still working in Afghanistan  called for "a campaign on behalf of press freedom in our country, for the preservation of the gains of the past 20 years, including media independence, pluralism and the protection of journalists."

"Despite public undertakings by the Taliban, we see concrete signs of an undeclared general crackdown that includes threats to journalists in the field, intimidation of news media and indirect censorship," the anonymous journalists wrote.

So far, Salam Watandar has not had to make dramatic changes, Ahmadi said.

Established in the early 2000s by Internews, a California-based media development organization, Salam Watandar distributes news and other programming to a network of independent stations around Afghanistan.

"I felt that if things were left as they were, it would not be a huge difference from the past (for us)," Ahmadi said. "Unless, of course, if they change the laws and impose new restrictions on us. In which case, we'd have to change professions or leave the country."

But the gun attack has changed how Ahmadi feels about his own safety.

Once optimistic, Ahmadi, who graduated from journalism school in 2014 and has since worked as a reporter and editor at several news outlets, says the shooting was a turning point.

"My priority at the moment is to get better, to recover my health," Ahmadi said from his hospital bed at the Italian-supported emergency hospital in Kabul. "I didn't want to leave the country before, but after this incident, I've come to the conclusion that my life is no longer safe here."
The World Health Organization warned Wednesday that Afghanistan's health care system is on the verge of collapse and the nation faces a humanitarian catastrophe without urgent action by the international community.



Earlier this week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WHOs regional director for the eastern Mediterranean, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, visited the Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan National Hospital, whose health workers treated many people injured in the recent airport attack in the capital city, Kabul.



In a press release on Wednesday, Tedros said the visit allowed WHO to see firsthand the immediate needs of the Afghan people and meet with stakeholders to determine how the organization can help.



In the statement, WHO said cuts in international donor support to the Sehatmandi project, the countrys largest health care project, have left thousands of health facilities without funding for medical supplies and salaries for health staff.



Tedros said only 17% of all Sehatmandi health facilities are now fully functional. He said many of the facilities have now reduced operations or shut down, forcing health providers to make decisions on who to save and who to let die.



This breakdown in health services is having a rippling effect on the availability of basic and essential health care, as well as on emergency response, polio eradication, and COVID-19 vaccination efforts, he said.



In response, Martin Griffiths, United Nations undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, announced he was releasing $45 million from the U.N.s Central Emergency Response Fund to help protect Afghanistans health care system from collapse.



In a statement, Griffiths said the funding will go to WHO and the U.N. Childrens Fund, UNICEF, and working through national and international nongovernmental organizations, the funding will hopefully be used to keep health care facilities operating until the end of the year.



Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
Militants in Mali have massacred more than 50 villagers near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger. The area has seen increasing violence from armed Islamists, and activists are calling on authorities to act.

Militants attacked three villages in northern Mali simultaneously this past Sunday, leaving more than 50 civilians dead and several injured.

The neighboring villages of Karou, Ouatagouna, and Daoutegeft are in an area near the borders with Niger and Burkina Faso that has seen increasing, often deadly, violence the past few years.

Almahady Cisse is coordinator of the collective Songhoy Chaawara Batoo, a group of organizations representing the Songhoy people, who make up most of the inhabitants of the Gao region, where the attacks occurred.

He says through a messaging application from Bamako, the assailants shot at everything that moved, including those leaving the mosques and those returning to the village from the fields.

Batoo has called on the Malian government and the international community to secure the area, and to disarm militants in a released statement.

"We cant understand how a locality like Karou, like Ouatagouna, he says, where the military camps are not even 18 kilometers away, that massacres are happening and there are not reinforcements, there are no prosecutions we do not understand," he said.

Since a Tuareg rebellion and coup in 2012 Mali has seen both chronic political instability and increasing Islamist violence.

Through a messaging application from Dakar, Alioune Tine, an independent U.N. expert on human rights in Mali, said these Islamist groups are exploiting local mineral resources, mostly gold, and are able to finance themselves.

With funds, and control of the local area, which is largely inaccessible by the state, they gain credibility among the local population.

"In reality, we have, little by little, a state within the state, or two states within the state, and that is a real threat for the Malian state, for the survival of the Malian state," he said.

Malis neighbors, Niger and Burkina Faso, are also plagued by violence from Islamist groups.

The same day of the attacks in the Gao region, suspected jihadists attacked Burkinabe troops near Malis border.

Thirty civilians were also killed in attacks in northern Burkina Faso last week.

Tine says the Sahel needs a regional strategy, focused on all of the affected countries in the Sahel and West Africa.

"The problem isnt just Mali," he says. "We cant just fix Mali with a national security response. We cant do this for Burkina Faso, nor Niger. What must be made is a regional strategy, with Africans that will cover the region, and who are supported  this is important  supported by the international community,"

VOA attempted to talk to Malian authorities for this story, but they did not make themselves available for comment.

Elections in Mali are scheduled for February 2022.

Tine says the insecurity in Malis center and north remains the top priority for the transitional government.
A group of Somali opposition presidential candidates has rejected the government's plan for upcoming elections. The rejection could result in yet another delay for the Somali polls.

The opposition Council of Presidential Candidates, or CPS, released a statement Monday saying they reject a new election roadmap proposed by the federal government and regional leaders.

The opposition argues that the process would give five regional leaders too much power in selecting the electoral delegates who will choose 275 members of parliament.

Opposition leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said there is need for a clear path towards the process on who will select the delegates and whom they represent since the parliamentary polls is based on the 4.5 power sharing formula. The former head of state adds they dont want another delay on the polls, which were already delayed twice before, and thus demands a clear timetable.

The 4.5 formula refers to a plan for sharing power among Somalias dominant clans.

The indirect election of the parliamentarians is scheduled to commence early next month before the crucial presidential poll on October 10th. But, analysts say this new stalemate will delay the presidential polll if not urgently resolved.

Abdifatah Hassan, a Somali political analyst, said the new grievance by the opposition members will further push back the process to an unspecified date. He recommends urgent dialogue by the political stakeholders to avoid another election setback in the fragile nation.

Somalias election process was originally scheduled to start last year, but has been repeatedly delayed by political disagreements, in spite of pressure from the international community.

In April, Somali lawmakers voted for an extension of the presidents mandate, only to reverse that decision in May following violent clashes between opposition and government supporters in the capital Mogadishu.
Amnesty International is accusing the worlds leading pharmaceutical companies of creating an unprecedented human rights crisis by failing to provide enough COVID-19 vaccines for the worlds poorest nations.

In a report issued Wednesday, the human rights advocacy group says AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax and the partnership of Pfizer and BioNTech have failed to meet their human rights responsibilities by refusing to participate in global vaccine sharing initiatives and share vaccine technology by waiving their intellectual property rights.

Amnesty says only a paltry 0.3% of the 5.76 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed around the world have gone to low-income countries, while 79% have gone to upper-middle and high-income countries. It says the disparity is pushing weakened health systems to the very brink and causing tens of thousands of preventable deaths every week, especially in parts of Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The organization says Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna alone are set to make $130 billion combined by the end of 2022.

Profits should never come before lives, said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty Internationals secretary general.

Amnesty is calling on governments and pharmaceutical companies to immediately deliver 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to low and lower-middle income countries to meet the World Health Organizations goal of vaccinating 40% of the population of such countries by the end of the year.

COVID Summit

The report was issued ahead of U.S. President Joe Bidens virtual COVID Summit, held in conjunction with this weeks United Nations General Assembly. Biden is expected to announce a global vaccination target of 70% along with an additional purchase of 500 million doses of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine, bringing the United States overall donations to more than 1.1 billion doses.

America is committed to beating COVID-19. Today, the United States is doubling our total number of global donated vaccines to more than 1.1 billion. For every shot we've put in an American arm to date, we are donating three shots globally, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday on Twitter.





Extreme poverty

The Asian Development Bank says the pandemic likely pushed as many as 80 million people in Asias developing nations into extreme poverty last year. A report issued Tuesday by the Manila-based institution said the regions developing economies will likely grow at a slower-than-expected pace in 2021 due to lingering COVID-19 outbreaks and the slow pace of vaccination efforts

The ADB is predicting Southeast Asian economies to grow by just 3.1 percent this year, a drop from the 4.4 percent rate forecast in its economic outlook back in April.

Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France Presse (AFP).
Angela Merkel, Germany's first female chancellor, has been praised by many for her pragmatic leadership in a turbulent world and celebrated by some as a feminist icon. But a look at her track record over her 16 years at Germany's helm reveals missed opportunities for fighting gender inequality at home.



Named "The World's Most Powerful Woman" by Forbes magazine for the past 10 years in a row, Merkel has been cast as a powerful defender of liberal values in the West. She has easily stood her ground at male-dominated summits with leaders such as former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.



Millions of women admire the 67-year-old for breaking through the glass ceiling of male dominance in politics, and she's been lauded as an impressive role model for girls.



On trips to Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Merkel has often made a point of visiting women's rights projects. She has always stressed that giving women in poor countries better access to education and work is key to those nations' development.



But when it comes to the situation of women in Germany, Merkel  who said in 2018 that she wouldn't seek reelection in this Sunday's general election  has been criticized for not using her position enough to push for more gender equality.



"One thing is clear: a woman has demonstrated that women can do it," said Alice Schwarzer, Germany's most famous feminist. "However, one female chancellor alone doesn't make for emancipation."



Schwarzer, the 78-year-old women's rights activist, is the most prominent founding member of the German women's liberation movement, both loved and loathed in the country.



"She's the first one who made it all the way to the top," added Schwarzer, who has met Merkel for several one-on-one dinners over the years. "But has she done anything for women's policy aside from her sheer presence? Honestly, not a lot."



German women have even seen some setbacks during Merkel's reign. Before Merkel took office in 2005, 23% of federal lawmakers for her center-right Union bloc were women. Today, the figure is 19.9%. Only the far-right Alternative for Germany party, with 10.9%, has fewer female lawmakers.



Germany also lags behind other European countries when it comes to equal political representation.



In 2020, the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and governments was 31.4% in Germany, well below Sweden's 49.6%, Belgium's 43.3% or Spain's 42.2%, according to the European Union statistics agency Eurostat.



Women also remain second-class citizens in Germany's working world. Last year, only 14.6% of top-level managers in big listed German companies were women. Germany also has one of the biggest gender pay gaps in the EU, with women earning 18% less than men in 2020, according to the Federal Statistical Office.



Some experts say Merkel has pressed for more power for women in indirect ways.



"Angela Merkel did not take up her job with the claim to use her role as chancellor for the support of women or making gender equality her vested interest," said Julia Reuschenbach, a political analyst at the University of Bonn. "However, she did very much engage in promoting other women in politics."



Ursula von der Leyen, a Merkel Cabinet stalwart, became the European Commission's first female president in 2019. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer succeeded Merkel as leader of her Christian Democratic Union in 2018, though she failed to impose her authority on the party and stepped down earlier this year.



In 2007, von der Leyen, who was then family minister in Merkel's Cabinet, pushed through a progressive reform of the country's child-raising allowance that encouraged fathers to take some parental leave after the birth of a child. However, it was one of few legal changes during the chancellor's tenure that actively sought to improve the situation of women.



One reason for Merkel's reluctance to fight more openly for feminist issues in Germany may be her own struggle to get to the top of German politics, Schwarzer said.



"Merkel got a lot of pushback as a woman," especially early in her political career, she said. "She didn't expect that, so that may be a reason she didn't pick out the fact that she is a woman as her central topic."



Influential men in her conservative, traditionally West German and Catholic-dominated party didn't exactly welcome the Protestant former East German physicist with open arms, and male politicians from other parties initially did not treat her respectfully, Schwarzer said.



German journalists' comments on Merkel's appearance were often openly sexist, particularly in the beginning. German media first dubbed her "Kohl's girl," because Merkel was initially promoted by then-Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and later called her "Mutti," or "mommy," even though Merkel has no children.



Leonie Pouw, a 24-year-old election campaign manager in Berlin, was 8 years old when Merkel came to power, so she says it was the most normal thing for her to have a female chancellor.



"It was only in school, when I started to have political awareness, that I realized how much it meant, especially for the older generation, that a woman is leading Germany," said Pouw, who grew up in southwestern Germany. "When I understood that, it made me proud, too."



Nonetheless, Pouw thinks that Merkel could have done more for women's rights and noted that none of Merkel's Cabinets throughout her four terms achieved gender parity.



"I wish that in the future there will be as many women as men representing us," Pouw said.



When Merkel herself was asked in 2017 whether she was a feminist, she answered evasively, saying: "I don't want to embellish myself with a title I don't have."



Only in the last few years did Merkel take up the topic proactively and speak out for more gender equality in Germany. In 2018, as Germany marked the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage, she said in a speech in Berlin to the loud applause of mostly female listeners that there was a lot still to do to achieve gender equality.



"The goal needs to be equality, equality everywhere," she said. "I hope it becomes natural for women and men to split up work, raising the children and doing the household equally ... and I hope it's not going to take another 100 years to get there."



Merkel has talked little about her experiences of discrimination or her personal life and her husband, quantum chemist Joachim Sauer, has kept a low public profile.



In the past few weeks, Merkel took a noteworthy step in further embracing women's rights, declaring at a discussion with women in Duesseldorf: "I'm a feminist."



"Yes, we should all be feminists," she added.
Afghanistan's neighbors reacted to last month's U.S. military withdrawal and the Taliban takeover at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, calling for peace and stability in their region.

"The American decision to withdraw from Afghanistan following negotiations with the Taliban constituted an extremely critical turning point for this country," said Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, the emir of Qatar.

Qatar has good relations with both Washington and the Taliban, hosting talks between the two in Doha, its capital. The Taliban have also had an office in Doha since 2013.



The emir said they would continue to coordinate with partners to ensure gains made during those talks would be maintained and commitments kept.

"We also stress the necessity of continuing dialogue with the Taliban because boycott only leads to polarization and reactions, whereas dialogue could bring in positive results," the emir said. "The issue in Afghanistan is not a matter of victory or defeat but rather an issue of failure to impose a political system from outside."

Qatar has also been one of the countries that has helped to evacuate thousands of foreigners and Afghan nationals from the country, following the August 15 takeover by the Taliban.

"Regardless of the political process, Afghanistan needs the help and solidarity of the international community," Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the gathering. "We hope that peace, stability and security will be established in the country as soon as possible, and that the Afghan people will find relief."

Iran has a large Afghan refugee population. The U.N. refugee agency says there are about 780,000 registered Afghans in the country and as many as 2 million more who are undocumented.



Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi used his address to poke the United States, saying it did not "exit" Afghanistan, but had been "expelled." He also issued a word of caution to Taliban leaders.

"If an inclusive government having an effective participation of all ethnicities shouldn't emerge to run Afghanistan, security will not be restored to the country," he said in a video message. A number of leaders have opted not to attend this year's meeting in person, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Afghanistan's security is very important to Central Asian nations. Many fear that continued instability and insecurity could lead to mass migration to their countries. There is also concern that if the Taliban do not crack down on Islamist extremists, they could export ideology and terror to their countries.



"The influence and voice of the United Nations on Afghanistan must be heard louder than ever," Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said in a prerecorded address.

"We have recently opened the Uzbek-Afghan border and resumed the supply of basic needs and oil products, as well as electricity to this country," Mirziyoyev said.

He reiterated his proposal for the General Assembly to establish a permanent U.N. Committee on Afghanistan to improve international cooperation.

As the Taliban swept into Kabul in mid-August, the United Nations evacuated about 100 mostly foreign staff out of the country to Almaty, Kazakhstan.

On Tuesday, the Kyrgyz Republic's president offered to set up a temporary U.N. office in his capital, Bishkek, and urged U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to consider it. He also announced that 500 places at Kyrgz universities have been made available to ethnic Kyrgz living in Afghanistan.

"We hope that social, political stability and law and order will be quickly reestablished in Afghanistan," President Sadyr Zhaparov added during in his recorded message.

Afghanistan Ambassador Ghulam Isaczai listened to the remarks in the General Assembly. He was appointed in July by the former government of President Abdul Ghani and continues to speak out strongly on social media against the Taliban.

On Monday, the U.N. secretary-general received a letter from the Taliban notifying him that they want to replace Isaczai with their own envoy, a U.N. spokesman said. The letter also said the Taliban want to participate in this week's General Assembly debate.

Presently, Afghanistan is slated to speak last, on September 27, at the ambassador level, so presumably that would be Isaczai, who is still the accredited representative.

The U.N. said it sent the Taliban letter and a September 15 letter from Isaczai listing himself as the head of the Afghan delegation to the General Assembly's credentials committee.

It will be up to the nine-member committee to come to a decision about who will represent Afghanistan at the United Nations. They are unlikely to meet before October, however, making it unlikely that the Taliban could address the annual debate.


U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to meet in person next month in Europe after a Wednesday phone call in which they sought to ease tensions over a high-profile submarine deal.

A White House statement after the phone call suggested regret over the handling of the deal, in which the United States and Britain will sell at least eight nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. That prompted Canberra to abandon a $66 billion, 2016 contract to purchase 12 conventional diesel-electric subs from French majority state-owned Naval Group.

"The two leaders agreed that the situation would have benefited from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners," the White House statement said.

"President Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard," it said.



The two presidents will meet at the end of October, with both scheduled to attend the Group of 20 summit in Rome at that time.

"The two leaders have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence and proposing concrete measures toward common objectives," the White House said. The statement did not elaborate.

Macron called France's ambassador to Washington, Philippe Etienne, back to Paris after the Australian submarine deal was announced. But the White House said Macron has decided that Etienne would return next week and "then start intensive work with senior U.S. officials."

France was upset by the loss of the Australian submarine deal, but French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed deeper concern over what he characterized as "deceit" by one of its oldest allies.

Le Drian told reporters at the United Nations this week that the United States went behind France's back and hid the new deal for months.

Australia has sought to augment its naval weaponry to counter China's military buildup in the Indo-Pacific region.

"President Biden reaffirms the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region," the White House statement said. "The United States also recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense, that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO."


British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol as part of his brief stop in Washington. Johnson met earlier in the day with U.S. senators.



Johson met Tuesday with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House as part of a brief stop in Washington on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York.



During a photo opportunity with reporters, Pelosi remarked that she had met with Johnson last week when she was in London for the G-7 summit of parliamentary leaders. She credited the British leader for hosting the upcoming climate summit in Glasglow, Scotland, November 1-12 and said they intended to discuss joint efforts on fighting terrorism and ending the COVID-19 pandemic.



Johnson told reporters it was very important for him to go to Pelosi's office, because all his life, he felt the United States and Capitol Hill stood for all the ideals of democracy and "the principle that the people should choose their government, and the people alone should choose their government." He told Pelosi the U.S. can count on his support and the support of Britain in upholding that principle.



During her visit to London last week, Pelosi indicated that nullifying the Northern Ireland peace agreement  known as the Good Friday Accords  would likely undermine negotiations for a post-Brexit bilateral trade agreement with the United States.



Johnson's government is seeking to at least renegotiate part of the agreement. The two leaders made no public mention of that potential disagreement.



Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.


The projectors are rolling. The ruby slippers are on. Many an Oscar sits glistening. The shark has been hanging, and waiting, for nearly a year.

Nine years after it was announced, four years after its first projected open date, and five months since its last planned launch date, the U.S. film academy's museum is ready to open to the public on Sept 30.

"I'm very moved to be able to say to you, finally, at last, boy howdy hey, welcome to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures," Tom Hanks told reporters Tuesday at a media preview of the Los Angeles building and its exhibits.

Hanks, a member of the board of trustees, led the fundraising for the project along with fellow actor Annette Bening and Walt Disney Co. executive chairman Bob Iger.

"We all know, films are made everywhere in the world, and they are wonderful films," Hanks said. "And there are other cities with film museums, but with all due respect, created by the Motion Picture Academy, in Los Angeles, this museum has really got to be the Parthenon of such places."

The first thing most visitors will notice on entering the building is Bruce, a 1,208-pound (548-kilogram), 25-foot-long (7.6-meter), 46-year-old shark made from the "Jaws" mold. Bruce hangs above the bank of main escalators and was hoisted there last November in anticipation of what was then a planned April opening.

The featured inaugural exhibit celebrates the works of the legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. Others examine the work of directors Spike Lee and Pedro Almodovar.

Some galleries focus on the Oscars, with actual statuettes won across the decades, and speeches projected on walls.

Projected scenes are a theme in all the museum's galleries, with technology from 18th century "magic lanterns" through silent films to the 3-D digital tech of today.

Costumes from "The Wizard of Oz" to "The Wiz" are on display, including Dorothy's ruby slippers.

Announced in 2012 and first slated to open in 2017, the museum was beset with delays that are typical for such a project, but they were compounded by a pair of pandemic postponements.

Designed by architect Renzo Piano, The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a 300,000-square-foot (27,871-square-meter) space made up of two buildings, one old, one new, at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

"It's shiny and new and enormous, and it's crammed with about 125 years worth of ideas and dreams and life-changing cinematic experiences," actor Anna Kendrick said at the media preview.

The older structure is the 1930s Saban Building, once home to the May Company department store. It's linked by bridges to a new building that is topped by a terrace and a concrete-and-glass dome that has a distinctiveness that could lead to a nickname.

Piano said Tuesday that he hopes it's "the soap bubble" and not something more cinematic.

"Please," the architect said, "don't call it the Death Star."
U.N. agencies are calling for an investigation into the deaths of four people whose bodies were found over the weekend near the border between Poland and Belarus.

Three of the dead found on the Polish side of the border have been identified by Polish authorities as Iraqi men. The fourth person was identified by Belarusian authorities as an Iraqi woman, who they say they found within a meter of the border.

Spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Safa Msehli, told VOA these are the first recorded deaths of groups of asylum-seekers and migrants who have been transiting through Belarus to seek asylum in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.

She said two of the dead reportedly died of hypothermia. She noted many migrants arriving in the European Union border states are exposed to the elements and suffer from hypothermia because they lack protection from the cold weather.

She also said both IOM and the U.N. refugee agency are concerned by reports of pushbacks in these European border states.

"Asylum-seekers and migrants should not be used by states for political ends," Msehli said. "Pushback is against states' obligations under international law and states need to work collaboratively to resolve this situation right now and need to prioritize human rights."

There has been a surge of migrants and asylum-seekers in recent months, with thousands heading for Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. They reportedly come from West Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

According to media reports, the EU border states have been pushing back against what they see as a deliberate policy by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to destabilize their economies by falsely telling migrants they can legally enter the EU through his country.

Msheli said people have been using dangerous, irregular routes to reach the EU. She added that many have become stranded for weeks, without any assistance or basic services. They have been living under dire conditions, without any shelter, exposed to the elements and suffering from hypothermia.

"We are calling for immediate access to all of those affected in order to, first of all, provide lifesaving medical assistance, food and water. But also, any protection needs that need to be covered," Msheli said. "It is difficult for us to understand what is happening exactly on the ground. This needs the authorities on both sides to investigate the situation."

The IOM and the UNHCR are calling for an immediate investigation into the deaths of the four migrants. They also are urging relevant authorities to explore various options to create safe pathways for migration and avoid similar tragedies from happening.

These, they suggest, could involve access to asylum and family reunification procedures, as well as voluntary return for those who are not in need of international protection.


Gunmen opened fire Wednesday on a car carrying a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to national police.

Zelenskiy, who is in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, said in a video statement there would be a strong response to what a senior official described as an assassination attempt on presidential advisor Serhiy Shefir.

While the official said the attack might have been a message intended for Zelenskiy, another presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, said it was in response to an effort to limit the influence of oligarchs.

Zelenskiy won the presidency after vowing to confront the country's oligarchs and fight corruption.

This does not affect the course that I have chosen with my team, towards changes, towards de-shadowing our economy, towards fighting criminals and large, influential financial groups, Zelenskiy said.

A prosecutor said the car had been hit 18 times, wounding the driver but leaving Shefir unharmed.

I have not conducted any cases that would have caused aggression. I think this is intimidation," Shefir said at a joint news briefing with police and Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky.

I think this won't frighten the president, he added.

Police said no arrests have been made but that they had launched a criminal investigation on suspicion of premeditated murder.

Some information in this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
The biggest danger to the United States and the West following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan could well come from the Islamic State terror groups Afghan affiliate, and not from al-Qaida, despite the latters long-standing relationship with the Taliban.

The top U.S. counterterrorism official told lawmakers Wednesday that while both terror groups have been more heavily focused on expanding their regional networks, there are indications that when it comes to the IS affiliate, known as IS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, that might be changing.

"My own concern is very specifically around ISIS-K and the degree to which ISIS-K [is] building off the notoriety it received after the attack on August 26, National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid said during a hearing on threats to the United States.

Will it become more focused on the West? Will it become more focused on the homeland than it was?" Abizaid asked.

The August 26 suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, during the waning days of the U.S. evacuation, killed 13 American service members and more than 160 Afghans.

The attack, quickly claimed by IS-Khorasan, sparked a series of warnings about additional attacks targeting the airport.

The group also claimed a rocket attack targeting the airport four days later, and the effort to prevent another IS-Khorasan attack led the U.S. to launch an August 29 drone strike in Kabul, which instead killed as many as 10 civilians, including seven children.

U.S. military officials believe IS-Khorasan has at least 2,000 hardcore fighters in cells across Afghanistan, but some foreign intelligence services think the number may be higher.

U.S. and Western counterterrorism officials also warn that IS-Khorasan has maintained a steady operational tempo across the country, with an ability to strike in cities like Kabul.

Additionally, U.S. intelligence officials and independent experts have pointed to evidence that some IS supporters elsewhere in the world are trying to relocate to Afghanistan, which worries U.S. law enforcement officials.

"We're concerned that ISIS-K can take advantage of a significantly weakened security environment," FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers Wednesday, warning other groups may also start to see Afghanistan as a safe haven where they can operate freely.

U.S. officials, including the State Departments former counterterrorism coordinator, have previously raised concerns about the ability of IS-Khorasan to carry out external operations, though those fears have waxed and waned with the fortunes of IS-Khorasan itself.

But even if IS-Khorasan and al-Qaida are unable to quickly pivot to launch new attacks against the U.S., officials like Wray warn there is still a danger.

Events there could serve as a catalyst or an inspiration for terrorists, whether they be members of FTOs  foreign terrorist organizations  or homegrown," the FBI director said, noting his agency currently has about 2,000 cases involving foreign terrorist plots.


Two members of the U.S. Congress instrumental in the passage of anti-hate crime legislation this year are pressing the Department of Justice to step up enforcement of the measure, warning that reinstatement of pandemic-related restrictions is likely to provoke more attacks  particularly on Asian Americans.

The new law seeks to accelerate the Justice Departments reviews of alleged hate crimes reported to federal authorities.

As the pandemic wears on and COVID-19 variants cause states, localities, or private entities to reinstate restrictions or public safety mandates, frustration with the virus will undoubtedly resurface, Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat of Hawaii, and Representative Grace Meng, a New York Democrat, wrote Monday in a letter directed to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

We fear the impact this could have on perpetuating hate-based violence against people, they added. Full implementation of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act will help stem the tide against further violence.

Advocates for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community blame rhetoric from political leaders, especially former president Donald Trump, who relentlessly blamed the coronavirus pandemic on China, for driving up anti-Asian bias during the pandemic.

Hate crimes rose sharply in 2020

The letter comes not long after a report that hate crimes in the United States spiked sharply in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, rising by about 14% to 8,305, the highest level since 2001 and the third-highest since the Justice Department began tracking bias crimes.

The rise was driven by sharp increases in bias crimes against Asian and Black individuals and was far higher than the Federal Bureau of Investigation originally reported when it released 2020 crime statistics late last month showing only a 6% increase.

The discrepancy in the numbers, reported by the Washington Post, was blamed on a technical problem that incorrectly under-reported data from the state of Ohio.

Anti-Black bias most prevalent

Black people are far and away the most common victims of bias crimes in the United States. Including the updated information from Ohio, there were nearly 2,900 recorded incidents of bias crimes against Blacks in 2020. Thats an increase of more than 45% from the previous year. Hate crimes resulting from anti-Black bias accounted for about 35% of all hate crimes in the U.S. in 2020.

Asians in the U.S. experienced the highest percentage increase in hate crimes last year. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of crimes rooted in anti-Asian bias jumped by 70%. The roughly 274 anti-Asian crimes reported in 2020 reflected about 4% of the countrys total.

Hate crimes targeting White people make up the second largest total category measured by the FBI, at about 10% of the total. Crimes against Jewish people made up about 9%.

Reporting system deeply flawed

It is important to recognize that there are significant flaws in the reporting system that combine to significantly understate the extent of the problem.

In addition to the fact that many bias attacks are never reported to law enforcement in the first place, nearly one in five of the 18,623 law enforcement agencies in the country do not report hate crime statistics to the FBI.

Further, there is a strong likelihood that even many of those that do report statistics to the FBI are undercounting the real prevalence of bias crimes. In any given three-month period, a large majority of law enforcement agencies that do participate in tracking hate crimes report that there were none in their jurisdiction during that time period. In 2020, 64 jurisdictions with populations of more than 100,000 people reported not a single hate crime.

The fact that so many law enforcement agencies did not participate is inexcusable, and the fact that 64 jurisdictions with populations over 100,000 affirmatively reported zero hate crimes is simply not credible, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said in a statement when the FBI data was released.

Data drives policy and without having a complete picture of the problem, we cannot even begin to resolve the issues driving this surge in hate and violence, Greenblatt added.

COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

The law that Hirono and Meng helped pass, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, is meant, in part, to remedy the poor reporting of hate crimes in the U.S. The bill directs the Department of Justice to issue guidance to law enforcement agencies around the country on how to establish effective hate-crime reporting regimes.

It also tells the FBI to recommend that local agencies keep track of bias incidents, such as racially motivated verbal abuse, that do not rise to the level of a crime.

While these actions are unlikely to rise to the level of a hate crime, the impetus for these actions are the samefear and xenophobia. In order to meaningfully address the root causes of this bias and hostility, we need a clear and full picture of the scope of the problem. Data on hate crimes alone is insufficient, Hirono and Meng wrote.
A cabinet-level commission in Taiwan has proposed removing a giant statue of its former president Chiang Kai-shek  the centerpiece of a memorial hall in Taipei dedicated to the military leader, who served as the islands president from 1949 until his death in 1975.

But the proposal, part of the commissions larger plan to convert the memorial into a reflection on Taiwans authoritarian past, has drawn mixed reactions.

Chiangs legacy

Chen Yu-fan, a commissioner at Taiwans Cabinet-level Transitional Justice Commission, said that her commission views the removal of the statue as an effort to erase Chiangs legacy and lose opportunities to learn from the countrys history. Taiwan has evolved from a dictatorship into one of Asias most vibrant democracies over seven decades, Chen told VOA.

Chiangs supporters view him as a strong leader who led Taiwan to fend off the invasion of the Communist forces and initiated land reforms in Taiwan during his rule.

Critics, however, disagree. They point out that Chiang was accused of ordering the execution of more than 18,000 civilians in 1947 during what is known as the islands period of white terror. The commission was established in 2018 to redress the wrongs of the islands authoritarian era. It aims to submit its transformation plan, including the statues removal, to the cabinet for approval in May next year, according to Chen.

Chiang was recognized as an authoritarian leader, who built a one-party state and committed many human rights abuses including his act of judicial interventions to have political dissidents persecuted, Chen said.

We dont think the government should continue to devote national resources on such a large scale to worshiping such an autocrat  a move unheard of in any of modern democracies, she added.

The 6.3-meter-tall bronze statue is the islands largest symbol of authoritarianism, according to the commission.

Compared to the Taliban

But the Chinese Nationalist Party, an opposition party commonly known as Kuomintang (KMT), rejected the initiative saying it would be destroying cultural heritage. The plan to remove the statue, they said, is similar to the time when the Taliban blew up Afghanistans giant Bamiyan Buddhas statues in 2001.

Angel Hung, a KMT spokesperson, said the proposal drives a wedge between members of Taiwanese society.

Removing the statue simply will not bring about reconciliation. And preserving the statue actually does not imply recognition of the past, Hung told VOA. So, dividing the society again is what the removal would represent.

Chiang was seen by many KMT supporters as a strong leader who led when Taiwan was defending itself against the invasion of the Communists. After losing a civil war to the Communists in mainland China in 1949, Chiang led his troops to Taiwan and set up a rival government where he imposed decades of martial law.

'Mockery of democracy'

Chilly Chen, the chairman of Taiwan Republic, a pro-independence group in Taiwan, however, dismissed the KMTs glorification of Chiang. He said Chiang was responsible for atrocities.

Chiang Kai-shek was a murderer. He was a killer. He also was a butcher, Chen said describing the military leader. Tens of thousands of people [were] killed by him including Chinese and Taiwanese. And this huge statue here makes [a] mockery of the democracy of Taiwan, which claims to honor freedoms, human rights and rule of law.

In the past few years, Chen had thrown eggs at Chiangs statue several times or splattered paint on the statues to express the groups view.

Chen isnt alone in demanding the removal of the statue. Families of more than 18,000 victims of a 1947 massacre led by Chiang view the statue as a painful reminder.

Some victims remain alive, but they are very old. I hope they will live to see that our society is finally willing to redress the injustice. Lets not wait before its too late so that they will pass away with regrets, Yvon Lin, a Taipei city council member, told Reuters.

Loss of tourism

Despite growing calls for transitional justice, the general public in Taiwan appears indifferent to the commissions transformation proposal.

Others worry that the statues removal may mean a loss of tourism revenue. An online survey by a local news outlet further found a high disapproval rate at 92%.

To me, this is not a symbol of authoritarianism. I see him [Chiang Kai-shek] as the first leader who brought the [Chinese] culture over. It isnt about worshiping the authority, but our collective memory, Mr. Liu, a visitor to the memorial, told VOA.

I think [tourism] will be negatively impacted. Many tourists have come here to see the statue, Ms. Chang, another memorial visitor, also told VOA.

'Right thing to do'

But some historians say the removal will show how firmly democratic values have become entrenched in Taiwan.

Taiwans move parallels the removal of authoritarian symbols in modern democracies including the Confederate statues in the United States, said Lee Hsiao-feng, an honorary professor at National Taipei University of Education in Taipei.

This is absolutely the right thing to do. But I suggest not to abandon the statue. Move it to Chiangs statue park in Cihu (near his mausoleum in Taoyuan, norther Taiwan) because this statue is a piece of historical evidence that bears witness to the era of a dictator, Lee told VOA over the phone.

More than 200 statues of Chiang have been relocated to this Cihu lakeside park, which has become a major tourist draw especially for visitors from China.

But official statistics show that there remain more than 1,100 Chiang statues in public places around Taiwan.
Rights groups in Africa have condemned the Rwandan High Courts sentencing of Paul Rusesabagina, made famous in the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda, to 25 years in prison. The court on Monday found Rusesabagina and 20 other suspects guilty of terrorism. Rusesabagina denies the charges, and critics say his arrest and trial did not meet international standards for justice.

Bahima Macumi fled to Kenya more than 20 years ago following Rwanda's civil war, but has been following Rusesabagina's trial closely.

He said Rusesabagina clearly did not get a fair trial.

He says this shows the Rwandan government does not want to be corrected, because if it did, they would have at least listened to this person who saved over 1,000 people. He says if the person who saved over 1,000 people can be called a terrorist, what would they call the one who did not save anybody?

To the world at large, Rusesabagina is a hero for sheltering at-risk Tutsis and Hutus in the Kigali hotel he managed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

To the Rwandan government, he is a threat, a fierce critic of President Paul Kagame who allegedly supported a militia group that seeks to overthrow the Rwandan government.

Human rights advocates are condemning his conviction.

According to Amnesty International, the Monday court ruling puts in question the fairness of Rwanda's judicial system when it comes to high-profile and sensitive cases.

Sarah Jackson is Amnestys deputy regional director for East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.

"We found many fair trial violations, including his unlawful rendition to Rwanda, his imposed disappearance at the beginning of the case and his initial inability to select a lawyer of his own choosing and all of these things during the pretrial period impact the fairness of the trial itself," Jackson said.

Rusesabagina has 30 days to appeal his conviction, but rights groups doubt that judges can make an impartial decision on the case. Human Rights Watch's Lewis Mudge explains.

"Unfortunately, this case has become an emblematic case in Rwanda so much that it really does highlight the lack of independence in the judiciary," Mudge said. "It's difficult for us to say that an appeal should happen or will happen because that will imply a degree of confidence in the judicial system that is currently in Rwanda.

Rusesabagina says he was tricked into going to Rwanda in August of 2020. He had boarded a flight in Dubai that he believed was bound for Burundi, only for the flight to land in Kigali, where he was quickly arrested.

He went on trial along with 20 others in February. U.S State Department spokesman Ned Price Monday said the reported lack of fair trial in Rusesabagina's case calls into question the fairness of the verdict. Rwandan prosecutors maintain the trial was fair.
Envoys of Pakistan, Russia, and China pushed for an inclusive government in their meeting with the Taliban acting prime minister in Kabul on Tuesday.

Special Envoys on Afg of Pakistan Amb Sadiq, Russia Zamir Kabulov and China Yue Xiayong visited Kabul & called on Afghan Acting Prime Minister M. Hasan AKhund & senior leaders to discuss peace, stability & inclusive governance, tweeted Pakistans ambassador to Kabul, Mansoor Ahmed Khan.

Inclusivity in the new Taliban government is one of the key demands of all of Afghanistans neighbors as well as the rest of the international community.

After talks last week on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tajikistans capital Dushanbe, foreign ministers of Russia, China, Pakistan, and Iran emphasized the need to conclude national reconciliation in Afghanistan, resulting in an inclusive government that takes into account the interests of all ethno-political forces of the country.

Despite their promises on inclusivity and upholding womens rights, the Taliban Cabinet is full of loyalists with few minorities and no women.

In an interview with BBC, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said this could lead to problems for the Taliban going forward.

"If they do not include all the factions, sooner or later they will have a civil war," he said. "That would mean an unstable, chaotic, Afghanistan and an ideal place for terrorists. That is a worry, he said.

Defending the Taliban Cabinet, spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has said in previous press briefings that it is an interim set up that can be changed later. Other Taliban leaders have indicated Taliban reluctance for the idea.

We do not give the right to anyone to call for an inclusive government, Taliban leader Mohammad Mobeen said Sunday on Afghanistans Ariana TV, adding that asking for inclusivity was tantamount to asking the Taliban to include spies of neighboring countries in their government.

Tajikistan, one of Afghanistans central Asian neighbors, has also been one of its strongest critics. Tajiks make up more than 20 percent of Afghanistans population including the only group that continues to resist Taliban rule in Afghanistan, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) based out of Panjshir.

The Taliban claim they have crushed the resistance in Panjshir but the group claims it is hiding in the mountains and trying to reorganize itself in preparation for a long guerrilla war.

Tweeting photographs of Tuesdays meeting with Pakistani, Russian, and Chinese envoys, Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqi said the Taliban acting ministers of foreign affairs and finance were also present.

During their Kabul visit, the three foreign envoys also held talks with former President Hamid Karzai and the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah.

Pakistans ambassador said the meeting was part of efforts to bring lasting peace & stability in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the group, which is still not formally recognized as a government by any country, has nominated its Doha-based spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, as its new ambassador to the United Nations and requested that he be allowed to address world leaders during the ongoing General Assembly session in New York. That request must go to a U.N. credentials committee which is not expected to meet before the end of the current session.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made the request in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday.

The last time the Taliban held power, from 1996 to 2001, the U.N. allowed the representative of the government that the Taliban deposed to hold the seat.
Those watching the Taliban establish a government and assert control over Afghanistan are growing ever more wary of pledges by the group's leaders to make sure no terrorist organization can ever again use the country as a base for attacks against the United States.

The Taliban's counterterrorism commitment was a key part of the 2020 Doha Agreement that paved the way for the U.S. exit and eventual military evacuation from Afghanistan. Yet despite some praise for the businesslike way the Taliban cooperated with Washington's withdrawal, there have been few signs of any real action.

"Now is the time for the Taliban to show their commitment to not allow Afghan soil to be used by ISIS-K or any other terrorist group that threatens the security of the United States or its allies, and certainly not innocent Afghans for that matter," a State Department spokesperson told VOA on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the sensitive subject.



"We are closely watching the Taliban's actions across the country," the spokesperson added. "We'll hold them accountable."

Top U.S. military and intelligence officials have been even more blunt.

"I don't know that they're doing anything at all for us right now," General Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Friday when pressed by VOA on whether the Taliban were making good on their counterterrorism promise.

Threat to US

The director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) told lawmakers Tuesday that with the Taliban now in control of Afghanistan, terror groups like al-Qaida, long intertwined with the Taliban, and the Islamic State's Afghan affiliate, known as IS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, could try to target the U.S. homeland in as little as a year.

"We've got to monitor and assess whether that's going to happen faster," Christine Abizaid said.

Taliban leaders have repeatedly pushed back against accusations that they will allow groups like al-Qaida and IS-Khorasan to flourish.

Taliban denial

On Tuesday, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid went even further, denying that either of the groups had a foothold in the country.

"We do not see anyone in Afghanistan who has anything to do with al-Qaida," Mujahid told a news conference in Kabul.

"The ISIS that exists in Iraq and Syria does not exist here," he added. "We are committed to the fact that, from Afghanistan, there will not be any danger to any country."

U.S. and international intelligence officials, however, say the evidence shows otherwise.

According to a United Nations assessment from June, al-Qaida, and its affiliate, al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), have as many as 500 members in Afghanistan. AQIS, it said, "operates under the Taliban umbrella from Kandahar, Helmand (notably Baramcha) and Nimruz provinces."

Rise in terror fighters

More recent U.S. assessments concluded that since the Taliban takeover, there are at least "2,000 hardcore ISIS fighters" roaming in the country. Previous U.N. assessments indicated the number might be even higher.

In written testimony submitted to Congress on Tuesday, the NCTC's Abizaid further warned that IS-Khorasan "maintains a steady operational tempo in Afghanistan and retains the ability to execute attacks in cities like Kabul."

And both IS-Khorasan and al-Qaida could soon see their numbers start to grow.

"We are already beginning to see some of the indications of some potential movement of al-Qaida to Afghanistan," Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director David Cohen said last week during an intelligence and security conference just outside of Washington.

Western counterterrorism officials and aid workers on the ground in the region have further warned that both al-Qaida and IS-Khorasan have been laying the groundwork for a sure but steady expansion once U.S. troops finally left the country.

Furthermore, despite a string of recent attacks against the Taliban across Afghanistan claimed by IS-Khorasan, officials and analysts say they have seen few signs of a serious or concerted crackdown by Taliban forces since they took power.

Moves like giving a leading role to Sirajuddin Haqqani, a senior leader of the Haqqani Network which has maintained close ties to both al-Qaida and IS-Khorasan, have also gotten their attention.

"[It] certainly concerns me," Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday at a Senate hearing on threats to the U.S. homeland, calling the Taliban itself a "terrorist organization."

"We are concerned about what the future holds, whether it's the possibility of another safe haven, whether it's the possibility of ISIS-K being able to operate more freely in a less secure environment," Wray added.

Still, there are some who see hope that the Taliban will keep both al-Qaida and IS-Khorasan in check.

"They know that the last time they harbored al-Qaida and it engaged in an outwardly directed attack, an attack on our homeland, certain things followed, which I believe the Taliban would have an interest in not seeing repeated," the State Department spokesperson told VOA. "So, whatever their views on al-Qaida, there is a strong disincentive built in to allow it to engage in outwardly directed attacks."

Natural enemies

The Taliban's long-standing ties with al-Qaida also make it a natural enemy of IS-Khorasan.

As recently as March of last year, U.S. officials credited the Taliban with helping oust IS-Khorasan from its Afghan strongholds.

But some more recent intelligence assessments, not from the U.S., reported the Taliban had been using IS-Khorasan, through the Haqqani Network, to attack the now defunct U.S.-backed Afghan government.

And even if the Taliban want to crack down on IS-Khorasan cells, they may not have the right capabilities.

"I don't think what we'll see from the Taliban will be traditional [counterterrorism], as we think of it," Colin Clarke, director of policy and research at the global intelligence firm The Soufan Group, told VOA.

"It's much easier to play a spoiler role than to perform effectively in the role of counterinsurgent," he said. "I think the Taliban could be effective in clearing an area, but it will struggle more with holding it."

"At the end of the day, it's insurgent fratricide, and we'll see guerrilla-on-guerrilla engagements between the Taliban and ISIS-K  assassinations, hit-and-run attacks, the use of IEDs, and other classic insurgent tactics."

Ayaz Gul in Islamabad contributed to this report.


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The Biden administration is utilizing a controversial policy as the basis for the mass expulsion of the more than 12,000 Haitians arriving at the U.S. seeking asylum at the Del Rio, Texas, border crossing. Deana Mitchell reports.
Changes to the main U.S. flood insurance program will raise rates for 77% of policyholders, according to a new study issued on Tuesday, although property owners in some poorer neighborhoods will see premiums decrease.

The study by the QuoteWizard unit of financial services provider LendingTree, Inc. reviewed price changes due for the roughly 5 million participants in the National Flood Insurance Program, set up in 1968.

Under the new "Risk Rating 2.0" system from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) taking effect October 1, new premiums will be based on a property's value, risk of flooding and other factors, rather than simply on a home's elevation.

Meant to account for climate-change-driven shifts like increasing flood frequency, the new plans also will make the program more equitable, said Nick VinZant, QuoteWizard senior research analyst.

"Now the smaller, lower-value homes and neighborhoods aren't going to be funding the mansions anymore," VinZant said in an interview.

With the weather impact of climate change worsening, flooding losses are expected to rise.

Recent storms, including Hurricane Ida, have caused massive flooding from Louisiana and Tennessee to New York City. FEMA said it aimed to "equitably distribute premiums across all policyholders" with the changes. Of the roughly 5 million policyholders in the program, 3.3 million will see monthly payments rise up to $10, and 3,199 will see an increase of $100 or more per month, VinZant said.

Meanwhile, 196,000 people will see their monthly premiums fall $100 or more, he added.

FEMA representatives did not immediately comment on the study. As of April, its flood insurance program provided $1.3 trillion in coverage but has been losing money.

The proposed changes have drawn concerns in the U.S. Congress, including from representatives from Louisiana and Texas, who have asked FEMA to delay the new rates to avoid higher bills for some policyholders.
The two biggest economies and largest carbon polluters in the world announced separate financial attacks on climate change Tuesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country will no longer fund coal-fired power plants abroad, surprising the world on climate for the second straight year at the U.N. General Assembly. That came hours after U.S. President Joe Biden announced a plan to double financial aid to poorer nations to $11.4 billion by 2024 so those countries could switch to cleaner energy and cope with global warmings worsening impacts. That puts rich nations close to within reach of its long-promised but not realized goal of $100 billion a year in climate help for developing nations.

This is an absolutely seminal moment, said Xinyue Ma, an expert on energy development finance at Boston Universitys Global Development Policy Center.

This could provide some momentum going into major climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, in less than six weeks, experts said. Running up to the historic 2015 Paris climate deal, a joint U.S.-China agreement kickstarted successful negotiations. This time, with China-U.S. relations dicey, the two nations made their announcements separately, hours and thousands of miles apart.

Today was a really good day for the world, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is hosting the upcoming climate negotiations, told Vice President Kamala Harris.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has made a frenetic push this week for bigger efforts to curb climate change called the two announcements welcome news, but said we still have a long way to go to make the Glasgow meeting successful.

Depending on when Chinas new coal policy goes into effect, it could shutter 47 planned power plants in 20 developing countries that use the fuel that emits the most heat-trapping gases, about the same amount of coal power as from Germany, according to the European climate think-tank E3G.

Its a big deal. China was the only significant funder of overseas coal left. This announcement essentially ends all public support for coal globally, said Joanna Lewis, an expert on China, energy and climate at Georgetown University. This is the announcement many have been waiting for.

From 2013 to 2019, data showed that China was financing 13% of coal-fired power capacity built outside China  far and away the largest public financier, said Kevin Gallagher, who directs the Boston University center. Japan and South Korea announced earlier this year that they were getting out of the coal-financing business.

With all three countries pulling out of financing coal abroad that sends a signal to the global economy. This is a sector thats fast becoming a stranded asset, Gallagher said.

While this is a big step it is not quite a death knell for coal, said Byford Tsang, a policy analyst for E3G. Thats because China last year added as much new coal power domestically as was just potentially cancelled abroad, he said.

Tsang cautioned that the one-sentence line in Xis speech that mentioned this new policy lacked details like effective dates and whether it applied to private funding as well as public funding.

What also matters is when China stops building new coal plants at home and shutters old ones, Tsang said. That will be part of a push in the G-20 meetings in Italy next month, he said. The Chinese are going to respond to international pressure, rather than just American bilateral pressure right now, said Deborah Seligsohn, an expert on Chinas politics and energy at Villanova University.

A coal-free energy mix is still decades in the future because coal power plants typically operate for 50 years or more, said Stanford University environment director Chris Field.

Many nations that are trying to build their economies  including top polluters China and India  have long argued they needed to industrialize with fossil fuels, like developed nations had already done. Starting in 2009 and then with a grand bargain in 2015 in Paris, richer nations promised $100 billion a year in financial help to poorer nations to make the switch from dirty to clean fuel, World Resources Institute climate finance expert Joe Thwaites said.

But as of 2019, the richer nations were only providing $80 billion a year, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. So, when rich nations like the United States asked poorer ones to do more it gives any other country a very easy retort, Thwaites said: You took out commitments and you havent delivered on those either.

In April, Biden announced he would double the Obama era financial aid pledge of $2.85 billion a year to $5.7 billion. On Tuesday he announced that he hopes to double that to $11.4 billion a year starting in 2024, but he does need passage from Congress.

The European Union has been doling out $24.5 billion a year with the European Commission recently upping that to more than $4.7 billion over seven years. The Europeans are doing a lot more and the Americans are lagging behind, Thwaites said.

He said several studies calculate that based on the U.S. economy, population and carbon pollution, it should be contributing 40% to 47% of the $100 billion fund to be doing its fair share.

But Congressional Republicans arent convinced. We shouldnt be contributing to a fund that picks winners and losers and further subsidizes China in the process, said Rep. Garret Graves, R-Louisiana, the ranking Republican on the House Climate Committee.

The time for global grandstanding is over, said Princeton University climate science and international affairs professor Michael Oppenheimer said. Its whats happening on the ground that matters.

Accelerating the global phase out of coal is the single most important step to keeping the Paris agreements key warming limit within reach, said U.N. chief Guterres.
The United States and its European allies are navigating the diplomatic disturbance following an enhanced trilateral security partnership known as AUKUS (Australia, the UK, and the U.S.) that triggered what French officials described as a "crisis of trust" between Paris and Washington.

Under the new security pact, Australia will receive at least eight nuclear-powered submarines, to be built in Australia using American technology. The agreement came as Australia pulled out of an earlier deal with France for diesel-electric submarines, angering Paris. France recalled its ambassadors to the U.S. and to Australia.

Some experts said that while European officials acknowledged that AUKUS was announced primarily with an eye on China, part of the French reaction was driven by domestic political calculation, as France has a sizeable defense industry, and President Emmanuel Macron's government needs to show it is fighting for the industry.

Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.

"The Secretary welcomed the recent release of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and reiterated the United States' intention to work closely with the EU and other partners to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region," the State Department said in a statement.

The meeting followed a phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Macron in which the two leaders decided to "open a process of in-depth consultations" to ensure "confidence."



Macron decided the French ambassador will return to Washington next week. Biden reaffirmed the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.

"I am sure that we are going to talk about the recent issues in which we can build a stronger confidence among us following the conversation that had been taking place this morning between President Biden and President Macron. I'm sure we'll be working together," Borrell said.

Blinken said he looked forward to "a lot to talk about the work we're doing together, quite literally, around the world, to include, of course, Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific and Europe and beyond."

After EU foreign ministers met Monday in New York, Borrell expressed "solidarity" with France, saying the tension between Washington and Paris "was not a bilateral issue" but affected all Europeans. The EU foreign policy chief also called for "more cooperation, more coordination, less fragmentation" in the transatlantic alliance.



A senior State Department official said Tuesday in a phone briefing that EU partners have not only been sharing concerns with the U.S. following the AUKUS deal but have also been interested in continuing and broadening "the dialogue that we have started intensively on China" and collaboration on issues regarding the Indo-Pacific region.

"The AUKUS deal was primarily about China," said Christopher Skaluba, director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council. "Some of the (French) reaction is driven by domestic political calculation regarding anti-American sentiment that has a long tradition in France, especially given the industrial angle, which hurts President Emmanuel Macron with a key constituency," Skaluba wrote in commentary published by the Atlantic Council.

"Letting France cool down and keeping dialogue in direct bilateral channels  when France is ready for it  should be the priority," added Skaluba.

Others, including Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia and the Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the anger from France was partly sparked by a bad "surprise" as the Biden administration was seen making a bold announcement to catch China off guard.

Green said during a Wednesday press call that the AUKUS announcement came as the EU was rolling out its new Indo-Pacific strategy.

"The French, in their anger and retaliations for losing this sub deal and being embarrassed by the surprise announcement of AUKUS, have started arguing that they're going to pursue a new approach to Asia with India and Indonesia and others that's less militaristic."

Last week, the EU released its inaugural Indo-Pacific strategy in which the Europeans are said to be more aware of challenges ranging from growing Chinese assertiveness to the weakening of democratic principles.



"We consider that this approach is very much about confrontation with China," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday at a press conference in New York, referring to the EU's Indo-Pacific strategy and the AUKUS security deal. But Le Drian expressed dismay with the U.S. over AUKUS and what he described as a "breach of trust between partners."

Also Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that "the U.K. and France have an important and indestructible relationship" and that there will be discussions about "how to make the AUKUS pact work so that it is not exclusionary, it is not divisive."

"It really doesn't have to be that way," Johnson added. This is just a way of the U.K., the U.S. and Australia sharing certain technologies."

While a separate bilateral meeting between Blinken and Le Drian was not planned for Wednesday, both will attend a virtual Group of 20 foreign ministerial meeting, as well as a ministerial among five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, during which both men will "have a chance to exchange views on a number of things," the State Department said.

VOA's Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.


The United States ramped up its Haitian migrant deportation flights from the state of Texas back to Haiti on Wednesday, even as thousands of other Haitians were being allowed into the U.S. on the promise to appear at an immigration office within 60 days.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. was deporting Haitians to their homeland under a health code provision, citing the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to clear the border as quickly as possible.



These deportees were being sent home without the opportunity to request asylum proceedings, while others are being registered and permitted, at least for weeks, to stay on U.S. soil. An estimated 14,000 Haitians have flocked from Mexico to the border city of Del Rio, Texas, but it was unclear why some were deported and others were not.

Thousands of the Haitian migrants have been released into the U.S. in recent days, according to an Associated Press report, expanding on a VOA account Tuesday that several hundred had been freed.

Many of the migrants had been living in Chile, Brazil and other South American countries after fleeing the rubble of a 2010 earthquake in Haiti. But they trekked to the U.S. border near Del Rio based on erroneous social media accounts that a crossing there was open. U.S. officials have repeatedly urged migrants to stay where they are.

The U.S. was planning as many as five deportation flights on Wednesday, with 135 migrants aboard each flight, to Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, and Haitis second-biggest city, Cap-Haitien. Seven flights were set for Thursday.

Since Sunday, more than 1,000 migrants have been sent back to Haiti, a place where many of them have not lived for a decade.

The VOA Creole Service reported that Haitian authorities did not allow journalists into airports Wednesday to meet with the deportees.

The deportation policy has drawn criticism from immigration activists who say the migrants should be allowed to make asylum claims to stay in the U.S.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, normally an ally of President Joe Biden, on Tuesday urged the U.S. leader and Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas to immediately put a stop to these expulsions, contending the flights echoed the hateful and xenophobic policies of former president Donald Trump that disregard our refugee laws.



Mayorkas told a congressional hearing that government officials hope to clear out the migrant camp under the bridge at Del Rio within the next nine or 10 days.

"We expect to see dramatic results in the next 48 to 96 hours, and we'll have a far better sense in the next two days," he said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a staunch critic of Bidens administration and its handling of migrants at the border, ordered state workers to line up dozens of state-owned cars, in a side-to-side, kilometers-long steel wall to try to keep more migrants from surging past overwhelmed U.S. border agents into Texas.

Abbott estimated that 8,600 migrants remain at the Del Rio International Bridge, down from the estimated 14,000 encamped there last weekend.

The Texas governor blamed the Biden administration for the chaos at the border.

"When you have an administration that is not enforcing the law in this country, when you have an administration that has abandoned any pretense of securing the border and securing our sovereignty, you see the onrush of people," Abbott said at a news conference in Del Rio.

Meanwhile, immigration authorities have launched an investigation into scenes at the border last Sunday of U.S. horseback-mounted border agents corralling some of the Haitians and forcing them back into Mexico.

Top U.S. officials, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Mayorkas, condemned the actions of the agents as captured on video and in photographs.

Mayorkas told lawmakers on Wednesday that the scenes of the border agents treatment of the migrants correctly and necessarily were met with our nations horror.

They do not reflect who we are as a country, he said, nor the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

In a statement, Denise Bell, a researcher for refugee and migrant rights at Amnesty International USA, said, The Biden administration has had months to reshape how the United States treats and welcomes people and time and time again, it has failed. People seeking safety deserve much better than this from an administration that promised humanity and dignity.
The delta variant of the coronavirus has overtaken all other variants of concern, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

"Less than 1% each of alpha, beta and gamma are currently circulating. It's really predominantly delta around the world," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's technical lead on COVID-19.

According to Van Kerkhove, the delta variant is so highly transmissible it has replaced other variants circulating around the world.

Hundreds of people demonstrated Tuesday in Australias second-largest city against coronavirus restrictions the government imposed on the construction industry.

Officials announced that construction sites in Melbourne would be closed for two weeks amid concerns that the movement of workers was contributing to the spread of COVID-19.

Construction workers are also now required to have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine before being allowed to return to work.

Victoria state, where Melbourne is located, reported 603 new cases on Tuesday, the most infections there in a single day this year.

In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Tuesday that fines for breaking coronavirus protocols would increase starting in November.

The changes would increase the fine for someone intentionally failing to comply with a COVID-19 order from about $2,800 to $8,400. Those breaking the restrictions could also face up to six months in prison.

Businesses that violate coronavirus restrictions could face fines of up to $10,500.

Our success has been really based on the fact that people by and large have been compliant, Ardern said at a news conference. However, there has been the odd person that has broken the rules and put others at risk.

Meanwhile, Governor Jay Inslee, of the western U.S. state of Washington, is asking the federal government for help dealing with the strain on hospitals as the delta variant drives large numbers of infections.

Inslee sent a letter Monday to White House pandemic coordinator Jeffrey Zients saying hospitals in his state are at or beyond capacity and that he is requesting military personnel to help staff hospitals.

Once the delta variant hit Washington state, COVID-19 hospitalizations skyrocketed, Inslee said. From mid-July to late August, we saw hospitalizations double about every two weeks. The hospitals have surged to increase staffed beds and stretch staff and have canceled most non-urgent procedures but are still over capacity across the state.

New daily infections and the number of people hospitalized in Washington are at or near their highest levels during the pandemic.

Washington health officials report 69% of people ages 12 years and older in the state are fully vaccinated.

That is higher than the national figure, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting 64% of the population ages 12 and older being fully vaccinated.

The new death toll from the virus in the United States was 2,302 on Monday  the highest recorded since March, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
The World Health Organization is issuing new guidelines on improving global air quality, which it says could save many of the seven million lives that are lost each year to pollution.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says inhaling dirty air increases the risk of pneumonia, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, as well as noncommunicable ailments including heart disease, stroke and cancers.

"Air pollution is a health threat in all countries but especially for vulnerable groups in low- and middle-income countries with poor air quality due to urbanization and rapid economic development and air pollution in the home caused by cooking, heating and lighting," he said.

Since the WHO's last global update in 2005, a new body of evidence has emerged showing that humans suffer damage to their health at lower concentrations of air pollution than previously believed.

Consequently, the WHO recommends lower air quality levels for five key pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide.

Maria Neira, director of the WHO's department of environment, climate change and health, says a changeover to cleaner energy will improve people's health and mitigate global warming.

"Moving to renewable and clean sources of energy because [of] this will have a very positive impact on reducing the greenhouse gases emission and tackling the causes of climate change and reducing air pollution," she said. "Both are critical pillars of our health."

Besides improving health and saving lives, reducing air pollution could also have enormous economic benefits.

The World Bank estimates the global cost associated with health damage from ambient air pollution stands at $5.7 trillion a year.


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Germany is preparing to elect a new leader in elections scheduled September 26, as incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel's 16 years in power come to an end. As Henry Ridgwell reports from Berlin, her successor will face a series of immediate geopolitical challenges  from the rise of China to balancing transatlantic relations.



Camera: Henry Ridgwell


Zimbabwes Constitutional Court today quashed a lower courts ruling that the extension of Chief Justice Luke Malabas term of office after attaining 70 years was illegal.

Justice Bharat Patel and Justice Rita Makarau ruled that Malaba has been legally in office from the time his term was extended by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in May this year.

In his application seeking to nullify the High Court ruling, Marx Mupungu of Bulawayo argued that the lower courts judgment violated some constitutional provisions giving the president and parliament the power to extend judges term of office, if medically fit, for another five years after the prescribed retirement age of 70.

Mupungus attorney, Lovemore Madhuku, said the Constitutional Court ruling has granted Malaba power to work as the countrys top legal mind.

The High Court ruled in May that Malaba retired as per some provisions of the countrys constitution.

Justice Jester Charewa, Justice Happias Zhou and Justice Edith Mushore of the High Court ruled that  The CJ (Chief Justice) ceased to hold the office as 15/15/21. Extension of the time provided for in Section 186 does not apply to CJ and any sitting but not acting Judges of the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court and there shall be no order as to costs.

The Young Lawyers Association of Zimbabwe and a war veteran, Frederick Mutanda, a liberation war veteran, filed an urgent chamber application at Harare High Court, seeking an order to stop Chief Justice Luke Malaba from continuing as the head of the Constitutional Court.

In the application filed by Honey & Blanckenberg Legal Practitioners, who are members of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, YLAZ, and Mutanda argued that Chief Justice Malaba ought not to benefit from the term extension provisions as introduced by the amendment of the Constitution since he has served 15 years as a judge of the Constitutional Court.

YLAZ and Mutanda argued that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), which was cited as the first respondent, failed to discharge its constitutional obligations diligently and without delay as was and now is required in law and as provided in section 324 of the Constitution.

YLAZ contended that if Chief Justice Malaba continues in office, there would be no Constitutional Court in Zimbabwe, thereby pushing the country into a constitutional crisis because he would have retained power in clear contravention of section 328(7) of the Constitution.

In a supporting affidavit filed together with the urgent chamber application, Mutanda argued that government is reversing the gains and fruits of the liberation struggle such as violating some provisions of the Constitution.

YLAZ and Mutanda wanted the High Court to declare that in failing to activate the provisions of section 180 of the Constitution diligently and without delay, the JSC violated section 324 of the Constitution.

They also wanted Chief Justice Malaba not to benefit from the term limit extension as introduced by an amendment of section 186 of the Constitution and for him to vacate office as the chief justice on May 15, 2021.

In the alternative, YLAZ and Mutanda wanted section 14 of Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.2) Act, 2021, to be declared invalid for violating section 56(3) of the Constitution and be struck down.
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Calle Las Margaritas (235.2 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s : It was shaking like side to side and it lasted at least 20 seconds or so | 9 users found this interesting.

Managua (159.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : My bed started to move laterally, i sleep on an upper floor | 8 users found this interesting.

Nindiri, Masaya (177.6 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Me levante al bano y senti el temblor, quise consultar en algun medio pero no sale ningun reporte | 5 users found this interesting. Estaba sentada en mi cama y lo senti, fue horizontal, duradero quizas 1 min de intensidad moderada, estoy en san salvador El Salvador

6.7 epicenter corinto / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

MANAGUA (169.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : HORRIBLE I FEEL SO SCARED i was in my room, lay down in my bed and i thought it was my sister she was next to me when it started, get up but it was still shaking and now I feel a little bit better. Kinda nervous because i didnt know what to do at that | 6 users found this interesting.

San Miguel, El Salvador (151.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : IT woke me up hen i felt the house was shaking. The Doors cracker. | 5 users found this interesting.

Choluteca Honduras (119.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump : I was sleeping and i felt how the bed was shaking then I get up from the bed and it was finished | 5 users found this interesting.

Managua (155 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Moderate | 5 users found this interesting.

Las Penitas, Leon, Nicaragua (115.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : In Las Penitas, which is the nearest beach to the city of Leon, the quake felt quick but intense. However, not too intense for evacuation. | 4 users found this interesting.

Managua (167.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Comenzo leve y de ai sacudio vastante fuerte dilato unos 30 seg de movimiento. | 3 users found this interesting.

Ciudad Sandino, Managua (154.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was sleeping and the bed started shaking | 3 users found this interesting.

Soyapango (228.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : I was in mine bedroom suddenly i started to feal a little dizzy and then the bed started to move | 3 users found this interesting.

Nicaragua (159.2 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I was sleep and a felt my bed move very fast | 3 users found this interesting.

near Tola, Rivas (188.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : Woke up to bed swaying side to side. Not very large movement but enough to wake me up | 2 users found this interesting.

Nicaragua leon (97.5 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 minutes : Ermita de Dolores, I really felt it, was kind of scared | 2 users found this interesting.

Chichigalpa, Chinandega (97.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s : Estaba dormido y sentia como si alguien sacudia la cama en movimientos rapidos y bruscos, pero desperte completamente hasta escuchar crujir el piso (que es de madera y perlines).

Managua / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s : I am getting use to the earthquakes and tremors. Waiting for the big one. | 2 users found this interesting.

near Chichigalpa, Chinandega (99.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 30-60 s : Sacudida vertical y luego balanceo, fue muy fuerte y duro bastante | One user found this interesting.

Managua (168.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) | One user found this interesting.

Delgado, San Salvador (232.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : I Washington sleeping web i felt tbe shaking | One user found this interesting.

Tecapan, El Salvador / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 30-60 s : Two large quakes late in the night of the 21st. Strong rolling shaking that came from deep in the ground. It was different. The bed moved around constantly, and all everything on the walls the next day was crooked. Felt several after shocks. | One user found this interesting.

El Crucero; Managua / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : It woke me up from my sleep. And it seemed it kept going and going. | One user found this interesting.

Hospital Escuela Oscar Danilo Rosales Arguello (98.2 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 30-60 s : Esta trabajando en el hospital 4to piso y las cunas de los bebes se movian fuertemente. Y las bigas tronaban y el piso se movian mucho sentia q no terminaba | One user found this interesting.

PONELOYA / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s : At 3:58 'felt four tremors spaced 1 to 3 seconds apart | One user found this interesting.

Choluteca (143 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : My room, it was not a strong shaking, it was like a swinging tupe of motion. The closet doors were moving | One user found this interesting.

Dulce Nombre, Carazo, Nicaragua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Woke up from sleep due to bed shaking, heard items moving in room; gentle, fluid, but strong enough to feel self moving | One user found this interesting.

Nicaragua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Bed was swaying a few times. Building creaked. It woke me up From sleep. | One user found this interesting.

El Salvador,Colonia Escalon / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Despacio y largo | One user found this interesting.

Managua / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Woke me up | One user found this interesting.

Managua nicaragua (171.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 15-20 s : Estaba en mi cama y lo senti moviendose | One user found this interesting.

Ciudad Sandino, Managua (151.6 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake

Jinotepe, Carazo (171.1 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Managua (156.2 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s : Light Shaking

Managua (160.5 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Managua (164 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 30-60 s

Jiquilillo, Chinandega (68.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Ticuantepe, Managua (162.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Managua (156.1 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / several minutes

Managua (168.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Managua (155.1 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Managua (165.1 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Tisma, Masaya (178.8 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Ticuantepe, Managua (162.8 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Ciudad Sandino, Managua (145.4 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Really hard, I was in my bed

Managua (160.2 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Leon (96.3 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Se sintio mecido e intermitente (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Comayagua, Siguatepeque, Honduras (263 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 10-15 s : I was sleeping

Ticuantepe, Managua (168.5 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Fuerte, sacudida a Jos lados por 2 segundos

Managua (162.6 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s : Have a bad experience

Managua (174.4 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : .

Managua (165.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Ciudad Sandino, Managua (152.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Fuerte sacudida de la cama y muchos animales latiendo (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Chinandega (82.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Sleeping

Managua (161.4 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

43 km of Jiquilillo, Chinandega (27.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Tecapan, El Salvador / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 30-60 s : Two large quakes late in the night of the 21st. Strong rolling shaking that came from deep in the ground. It was different. The bed moved around constantly, and all everything on the walls the next day was crooked. Felt several after shocks.

Tecapan, El Salvador / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 30-60 s : Two large quakes late in the night of the 21st. Strong rolling shaking that came from deep in the ground. It was different. The bed moved around constantly, and all everything on the walls the next day was crooked. Felt several after shocks.

Managua (154.3 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Granada (195.6 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Las Penitas (79.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : We did not feel the earthquake during sleep.

Leon / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Moderate to strong shaking. Enough to move me in my bed but nothing really fell over.

Las Penitas (79.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : We did not feel the earthquake during sleep.

Diria / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s : Like a small wave rolling under my office as I was giving class online.

El Crucero; Managua / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : It woke me up from my sleep. And it seemed it kept going and going.

Tegucigalpa / not felt

Lenny, Esteli, Nicaragua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I was asleep, was woken by the lateral movement in my bed, lasted several seconds, enough to get me thinking when it would end and how strong it would be. I'm in Nicaragua a lot (from the US) and recognize quakes/tremors quickly. I also checked the clock

Guatemala / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) / 5-10 s

Las Penitas (79.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : We did not feel the earthquake during sleep.

Corinto / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 minutes : OMG

En casa, Cmrca. Valle de las Moyargas. Posoltega / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Mantuve la calma y ore a nuestro DIOS.

Managua, Carretera Sur, km10.5 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Mejicanos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Managua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s : Susto

Managua / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Very weak shaking

Chinandega, Nicaragua

Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Managua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Choluteca, Honduras / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Managua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s : Fuerte

Aposentillo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Cool

Managua / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Dulce Nombre, Carazo, Nicaragua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Woke up from sleep due to bed shaking, heard items moving in room; gentle, fluid, but strong enough to feel self moving

Managua (161.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s

Punta cana / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Managua (164.6 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Me desperto

Leon, Nicaragua (96.8 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Esperanza Vieques / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Managua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

Managua / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Ticuantepe / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 15-20 s

Managua (153.4 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : En cama

El Salvador / Light shaking (MMI IV) / several minutes

Managua (163.8 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Movimiento lateral de la cama por unos 5 a 6 segundos

Esteli (181.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 20-30 s : Debil

Managua / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Fine

Jiquilillo Chinndega (70 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Temblor ligero.

Chichigalpa, Chinandega - Nicaragua (87.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Estaba dormida junto a mi prima en la sala en un colchon inflable, senti el movimiento pero, me di cuenta que era un temblor por el ruido del movimiento de la puerta, le dije a mi prima que se levantara para evacuar pero, en el camino dejo de temblar.

Managua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : Fue fuerte

Managua / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 5-10 s

Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

San Francisco Honduras (160.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 30-60 s

Esteli (193.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Balanceo de cama mientras meditaba

Telica leon / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Movimiento horizontal de la cama y vibracion de las puertas del closet

Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : Senti como se mecio mi cama, las paredes vibraron junto con el techo

El Viejo / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes

Managua, Nicaragua (162.4 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s

Leon / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Tremendo movimiento de la cama

Mateare (141.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 30-60 s

Granada, Nicaragua (194.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake

Nindiri / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

Carazo (171.9 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes

Managua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short

Chichigalpa / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

San Marcos de Colon, Choluteca / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

Nicaragua (110.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s

Corinto, Chinandega, Nicaraca (69.3 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 30-60 s : Soy de Corinto se sintio muy fuerte, de aproximadamente unis 6 grados, movimientos laterales

Managua / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Managua / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Grecia Costa Rica (440.6 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Leon , Nicaragua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 20-30 s : Me desperto el temblor fue largo primero un balanceo y luego vibracion unos 10 segundos senti otro raoido como de 8 segundos

Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Ciudad sandino / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Nueva Esperanza, El salvador (166.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Leon, Nicaragua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 minutes

San Salvador (235.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

Managua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s

El Crucero / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Leon / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : No muy fuerte

Leon / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Managua / Weak shaking (MMI III)
In Canada, Facebook has invested funds through its News Innovation Test program to support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his electoral campaign. In July 2021, FB inked a support agreement with Black Press Media, Glacier Media and The Globe and Mail. An amount of $ 8 million was allocated to its fourteen Canadian media partners.

In Argentina, Facebook signed an agreement in August 2021 with more than 150 national and local newspapers, purportedly to prevent Peronist President Alberto Fernandez from propagating fake news in the midst of local and legislative elections. The amount allocated to Argentinian media partners is $ 1.5 million.

In Brazil, Facebook subscribed an agreement in September 2021 with some 20 major media outlets opposed to President Jair Bolsonaro. For the US social networking giant, it is way of curtailing fake news and disseminating quality information during the presidential election campaign. The Brazilian media partners received 2.6 million dollars.

Over the past few years, Facebook has invested over $ 600 million to train journalists and support media outlets around the world. It plans to spend another $ 1 billion to bolster the cause.
Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, my fellow delegates, to all those who dedicate themselves to this noble mission of this institution: Its my honor to speak to you for the first time as President of the United States.

We meet this year in a moment of  intermingled with great pain and extraordinary possibility. Weve lost so much to this devastating  this devastating pandemic that continues to claim lives around the world and impact so much on our existence.

Were mourning more than 4.5 million people  people of every nation from every background. Each death is an individual heartbreak. But our shared grief is a poignant reminder that our collective future will hinge on our ability to recognize our common humanity and to act together.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the clear and urgent choice that we face here at the dawning of what must be a decisive decade for our world  a decade that will quite literally determine our futures.

As a global community, were challenged by urgent and looming crises wherein lie enormous opportunities if  if  we can summon the will and resolve to seize these opportunities.

Will we work together to save lives, defeat COVID-19 everywhere, and take the necessary steps to prepare ourselves for the next pandemic? For there will be another one. Or will we fail to harness the tools at our disposal as the more virulent and dangerous variants take hold?

Will we meet the threat of challenging climate  the challenging climate were all feeling already ravaging every part of our world with extreme weather? Or will we suffer the merciless march of ever-worsening droughts and floods, more intense fires and hurricanes, longer heatwaves and rising seas?

Will we affirm and uphold the human dignity and human rights under which nations in common cause, more than seven decades ago, formed this institution?

Will we apply and strengthen the core tenets of inter-  of the international system, including the U.N. Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as we seek to shape the emergence of new technologies and deter new threats? Or will we allow these universal  those universal principles to be trampled and twisted in the pursuit of naked political power?

In my view, how we answer these questions in this moment  whether we choose to fight for our shared future or not  will reverberate for generations yet to come.

Simply put: We stand, in my view, at an inflection point in history. And Im here today to share with you how the United States intends to work with partners and allies to answer these questions and the commitment of my new administration to help lead the world toward a more peaceful, prosperous future for all people.

Instead of continuing to fight the wars of the past, we are fixing our eyes on devoting our resources to the challenges that hold the keys to our collective future: ending this pandemic; addressing the climate crisis; managing the shifts in global power dynamics; shaping the rules of the world on vital issues like trade, cyber, and emerging technologies; and facing the threat of terrorism as it stands today.

Weve ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan. And as we close this period of relentless war, were opening a new era of relentless diplomacy; of using the power of our development aid to invest in new ways of lifting people up around the world; of renewing and defending democracy; of proving that no matter how challenging or how complex the problems were going to face, government by and for the people is still the best way to deliver for all of our people.

And as the United States turns our focus to the priorities and the regions of the world, like the Indo-Pacific, that are most consequential today and tomorrow, well do so with our allies and partners, through cooperation at multilateral institutions like the United Nations, to amplify our collective strength and speed, our progress toward dealing with these global challenges.

Theres a fundamental truth of the 21st century within each of our own countries and as a global community that our own success is bound up with others succeeding as well.

To deliver for our own people, we must also engage deeply with the rest of the world.

To ensure that our own future, we must work together with other partners  our partners  toward a shared future.

Our security, our prosperity, and our very freedoms are interconnected, in my view, as never before. And so, I believe we must work together as never before.

Over the last eight months, I have prioritized rebuilding our alliances, revitalizing our partnerships, and recognizing theyre essential and central to Americas enduring security and prosperity.

We have reaffirmed our sacred NATO Alliance to Article 5 commitment. Were working with our Allies toward a new strategic concept that will help our Alliance better take on evolving threats of today and tomorrow.

We renewed our engagement with the European Union, a fundamental partner in tackling the full range of significant issues facing our world today.

We elevated the Quad partnership among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States to take on challenges ranging from health security to climate to emerging technologies.

Were engaging with regional institutions  from ASEAN to the African Union to the Organization of American States  to focus on peoples urgent needs for better health and better economic outcomes.

Were back at the table in international forums, especially the United Nations, to focus attention and to spur global action on shared challenges.

We are reengaged at the World Health Organization and working in close partnership with COVAX to deliver lifesaving vaccines around the world.

We rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, and were running to retake a seat on the Human Rights Council next year at the U.N.

And as the United States seeks to rally the world to action, we will lead not just with the example of our power but, God willing, with the power of our example.

Make no mistake: The United States will continue to defend ourselves, our Allies, and our interests against attack, including terrorist threats, as we prepare to use force if any is necessary, but  to defend our vital U.S. national interests, including against ongoing and imminent threats.

But the mission must be clear and achievable, undertaken with the informed consent of the American people and, whenever possible, in partnership with our Allies.

U.S. military power must be our tool of last resort, not our first, and it should not be used as an answer to every problem we see around the world.

Indeed, today, many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed through the force of arms. Bombs and bullets cannot defend against COVID-19 or its future variants.

To fight this pandemic, we need a collective act of science and political will. We need to act now to get shots in arms as fast as possible and to expand access to oxygen, tests, treatments to save lives around the world.

And for the future, we need to create a new mechanism to finance global health security that builds on our existing development assistance, and Global Health Thr-  and a Global Health Threat Counc-  Council that is armed with the tools we need to monitor and identify emerging pandemics so that we can take immediate action.

Already, the United States has put more than $15 billion toward global COVID respon-  the global COVID response. Weve shipped more than 160 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to other countries. This includes 130 million doses from our own supply and the first tranches of the half a billion doses of Pfizer vaccine we purchased to donate through COVAX.

Planes carrying vaccines from the United States have already landed in 100 countries, bringing people all over the world a little dose of hope, as one American nurse termed it to me. A dose of hope, direct from the American people  and, importantly, no strings attached.

And tomorrow, at the U.S.-hosted Global 19  COVID-19 Summit, Ill be announcing additional commitments as we seek to advance the fight against COVID-19 and hold ourselves accountable around specific targets on three key challenges: saving lives now, vaccinating the world, and building back better.

This year has also brought widespread death and devastation from the borderless climate crisis. The extreme weather events that we have seen in every part of the world  and you all know it and feel it  represent what the Secretary-General has rightly called code red for humanity. And the scientists and experts are telling us that were fast approaching a point of no return, in the literal sense.

To keep within our reach the vital goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, every nation needs to bring their highest-possible ambitions to the table when we meet in Glasgow for COP26 and then to have to keep raising our collective ambition over time.

In April, I announced the United States ambitious new goal under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the United States by 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, as we work toward achieving a clean-energy economy with net-zero emissions by 2050.

And my administration is working closely with our Congress to make the critical investments in green infrastructure and electric vehicles that will help us lock in progress at home toward our climate goals.

And the best part is: Making these ambitious investments isnt just good climate policy, its a chance for each of our countries to invest in ourselves and our own future. Its an enormous opportunity to create good-paying jobs for workers in each of our countries and to spur long-term economic growth that will improve the quality of life for all of our people.

We also have to support the countries and people that will be hit hardest and that have the fewest resources to help them adapt.

In April, I announced the United States will double our public international financing to help developing nations tackle the climate crisis. And today, Im proud to announce that well work with the Congress to double that number again, including for adaptation efforts.

This will make the United States a leader in public climate finance. And with our added support, together with increased private capital and other  from other donors, well be able to meet the goal of mobilizing $100 billion to support climate action in developing nations.

As we deal with these crises, were also encountering a new era  an era of new technologies and possibilities that have the potential to release and reshape every aspect of human existence. And its up to all of us to determine whether these technologies are a force to empower people or to deepen repression.

As new technologies continue to evolve, well work together with our democratic partners to ensure that new advances in areas from biotechnology, to quantum computing, 5G, artificial intelligence, and more are used to lift people up, to solve problems, and advance human freedom  not to suppress dissent or target minority communities.

And the United States intends to make a profound investment in research and innovation, working with countries at all stages of economic development to develop new tools and technologies to help us tackle the challenges of this second quarter of the 21st century and beyond.

Were hardening our critical infrastructure against cyberattacks, disrupting ransomware networks, and working to establish clear rules of the road for all nations as it relates to cyberspace.

We reserve the right to respond decisively to cyberattacks that threaten our people, our allies, or our interests.

We will pursue new rules of global trade and economic growth that strive to level the playing field so that its not artificially tipped in favor of any one country at the expense of others and every nation has a right and the opportunity to compete fairly.

We will strive to ensure that basic labor rights, environmental safeguards, and intellectual property are protected and that the benefits of globalization are shared broadly throughout all our societies.

Well continue to uphold the longstanding rules and norms that have formed the guardrails of international engagement for decades that have been essential to the development of nations around the world  bedrock commitments like freedom of navigation, adherence to international laws and treaties, support for arms control measures that reduce the res-  the risk and enhance transparency.

Our approach is firmly grounded and fully consistent with the United Nations mission and the values weve agreed to when we drafted this Charter. These are commitments we all made and that were all bound to uphold.

And as we strive to deal with these urgent challenges, whether theyre longstanding or newly emerging, we must also deal with one another.

All the major powers of the world have a duty, in my view, to carefully manage their relationships so they do not tip

from responsible competition to conflict.

The United States will compete, and will compete vigorously, and lead with our values and our strength.

Well stand up for our allies and our friends

and oppose attempts by stronger countries to dominate weaker ones, whether through changes to territory by force, economic coercion, technological exploitation, or disinformation.

But were not seeking  Ill say it again  we are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs.

The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges,

even if we have intense disagreements in other areas  because well all suffer the consequences of our failure if we do not come together to address the urgent threats like COVID-19 and climate change or enduring threats like nuclear proliferation.

The United States remains committed to preventing Ira-  to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. We are working with the P5+1 to engage Iran diplomatically and seek a return to the JCPOA. Were prepared to return to full compliance if Iran does the same.

Similarly, we seek serious and sustained diplomacy to pursue the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

We seek concrete progress toward an available plan with tangible commitments that would increase stability on the Peninsula and in the region, as well as improve the lives of the people in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

We must also remain vigilant to the threat of terr-  that terrorism poses to all our nations, whether emanating from distant regions of the world or in our own backyards.

We know the bitter string [sic] of terrorism  the bitter sting of terrorism is  is real, and weve almost all experienced it.

Last month, we lost 13 American heroes and almost 200 innocent Afghan civilians in the heinous terrorist attack at the Kabul airport.

Those who commit acts of terrorism against us will continue to find a determined enemy in the United States.

The world today is not the world of 2001, though, and the United States is not the same country we were when we were attacked on 9/11, 20 years ago.

Today, were better equipped to detect and prevent terrorist threats, and we are more resilient in our ability to repel them and to respond.

We know how to build effective partnerships to dismantle terrorist networks by targeting their financing and support systems, countering their propaganda, preventing their travel, as well as disrupting imminent attacks.

Well meet terrorist threats that arise today and in the future with a full range of tools available to us, including working in cooperation with local partners so that we need not be so reliant on large-scale military deployments.

One of the most important ways we can effectively enhance security and reduce violence is by seeking to improve the lives of the people all over the world who see that their governments are not serving their needs.

Corruption fuels inequality, siphons off a nations resources, spreads across borders, and generates human suffering. It is nothing less than a national security threat in the 21st century.

Around the world, were increasingly seeing citizens demonstrate their discontent seeing the wealthy and well-connected grow richer and richer, taking payoffs and bribes, operating above the law while the vast majority of the people struggle to find a job or put food on the table or to get their business off the ground or simply send their children to school.

People have taken to the streets in every region to demand that their governments address peoples basic needs, give everyone a fair shot to succeed, and protect their God-given rights.

And in that chorus of voices across languages and continents, we hear a common cry: a cry for dignity  simple dignity. As leaders, it is our duty to answer that call, not to silence it.

The United States is committing to use  committed to using our resources and our international platform to support these voices, listen to them, partner with them to find ways to respond that advance human dignity around the world.

For example, there is an enormous need for infrastructure in developing countries, but infrastructure that is low-quality or that feeds corruption or exacerbates environmental degradation may only end up contributing to greater challenges for countries over time.

Done the right way, however, with transparent, sustainable investment in projects that respond to the countrys needs and engage their local workers to maintain high labor and environmental standards, infrastructure can be a strong foundation that allows societies in low- and middle-income countries to grow and to prosper.

Thats the idea behind the Build Back Better World.

And together with the private sector and our G7 partners, we aim to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure investment.

We also  well also continue to be the worlds largest contributor to humanitarian assistance, bringing food, water, shelter, emergency healthcare, and other vital, lifesaving aid to millions of people in need.

When the earthquake strikes, a typhoon rages, or a disaster anywhere in the world, the United States shows up. Well be ready to help.

And at a time when nearly one in three people globally do not have access to adequate food  adequate food, just last year  the United States is committing to rallying our partners to address immediate malnutrition and to ensure that we can sustainably feed the world for decades to come.

To that end, the United States is making a $10 billion commitment to end hunger and invest in food systems at home and abroad.

Since 2000, the United States government has provided more than $140 billion to advance health and strengthen health systems, and we will continue our leadership to drive these vital investments to make peoples lives better every single day. Just give them a little breathing room.

And as we strive to make lives better, we must work with renewed purpose to end the conflicts that are driving so much pain and hurt around the world.

We must redouble our diplomacy and commit to political negotiations, not violence, as the tool of first resort to manage tensions around the world.

We must seek a future of greater peace and security for all the people of the Middle East.

The commitment of the United States to Israels security is without question. And a support  our support for an independent, Jewish state is unequivocal.

But I continue to believe that a two-state solution is the best way to ensure Israel  Israels future as a Jewish, democratic state living in peace alongside a viable, sovereign, and democratic Palestinian state.

Were a long way from that goal at this moment, but we must never allow ourselves to give up on the possibility of progress.

We cannot give up on solving raging civil conflicts, including in Ethiopia and Yemen, where fighting between war- warring parties is driving famine, horrori-  horrific violence, human rights violations against civilians, including the unconscionable use of rape as a weapon of war.

We will continue to work with the international community to press for peace and bring an end to this suffering.

As we pursue diplomacy across the board, the United States will champion the democratic values that go to the very heart of who we are as a nation and a people: freedom, equality, opportunity, and a belief in the universal rights of all people.

Its stamped into our DNA as a nation. And critically, its stamped into the DNA of this institution  the United States [Nations]. We sometimes forget.

I quote the opening words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, quote: The equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.

The founding ethos of the United Nations places the rights of individuals at the center of our system, and that clarity and vision must not be ignored or misinterpreted.

The United States will do our part, but we will be more successful and more impactful if all of our nations are working toward the full mission to which we are called.

Thats why more than 100 nations united agai-  around a shared statement and the Security Council adopted a resolution outlining how well support the people of Afghanistan moving forward, laying out the expectations to which we will hold the Taliban when it comes to respecting universal human rights.

We all must advocate for women  the rights of women and girls to use their full talents to contribute economically, politically, and socially and pursue their dreams free of violence and intimidation  from Central America to the Middle East, to Africa, to Afghanistan  wherever it appears in the world.

We all must call out and condemn the targeting and oppression of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities when it occurs in  whether it occurs in Xinjiang or northern Ethiopia or anywhere in the world.

We all must defend the rights of LGBTQI individuals so they can live and love openly without fear, whether its Chechnya or Cameroon or anywhere.

As we steer our  steer our nations toward this inflection point and work to meet todays fast-moving, cross-cutting challenges, let me be clear: I am not agnostic about the future we want for the world.

The future will belong to those who embrace human dignity, not trample it.

The future will belong to those who unleash the potential of their people, not those who stifle it.

The future will belong to those who give their people the ability to breathe free, not those who seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand.

Authoritarianism  the authoritarianism of the world may seek to proclaim the end of the age of democracy, but theyre wrong.

The truth is: The democratic world is everywhere. It lives in the anti-corruption activists, the human rights defenders, the journalists, the peace protestors on the frontlines of this struggle in Belarus, Burma, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela, and everywhere in between.

It lives in the brave women of Sudan who withstood violence and oppression to push a genocidal dictator from power and who keep working every day to defend their democratic progress.

It lives in the proud Moldovans who helped deliver a landslide victory for the forces of democracy, with a mandate to fight graft, to build a more inclusive economy.

It lives in the young people of Zambia who harnessed the power of their vote for the first time, turning out in record numbers to denounce corruption and chart a new path for their country.

And while no democracy is perfect, including the United States  who will continue to struggle to live up to the highest ideals to heal our divisions, and we face down violence and insurrection  democracy remains the best tool we have to unleash our full human potential.

My fellow leaders, this is a moment where we must prove ourselves the equals of those who have come before us, who with vision and values and determined faith in our collective future built our United Nations, broke the cycle of war and destruction, and laid the foundations for more than seven decades of relative peace and growing global prosperity.

Now we must again come together to affirm the inherent humanity that unites us is much greater than any outward divisions or disagreements.

We must choose to do more than we think we can do alone so that we accomplish what we must, together: ending this pandemic and making sure were better prepared for the next one; staving off climactic climate change and increasing our resilience to the impacts we already are seeing; ensuring a future where technologies are a vital tool to solving human challenges and empowering human potential, not a source of greater strife and repression.

These are the challenges that we  will determine what the world looks like for our children and our grandchildren, and what theyll inherit. We can only meet them by looking to the future.

I stand here today, for the first time in 20 years, with the United States not at war. Weve turned the page.

All the unmatched strength, energy, commitment, will, and resources of our nation are now fully and squarely focused on whats ahead of us, not what was behind.

I know this: As we look ahead, we will lead. We will lead on all the greatest challenges of our time  from COVID to climate, peace and security, human dignity and human rights. But we will not go it alone.

We will lead together with our Allies and partners and in cooperation with all those who believe, as we do, that this is within our power to meet these challenges, to build a future that lifts all of our people and preserves this planet.

But none of this is inevitable; its a choice. And I can tell you where America stands: We will choose to build a better future. We  you and I - we have the will and capacity to make it better.

Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford to waste any more time. Lets get to work. Lets make our better future now.

We can do this. Its within our power and capacity.

Thank you, and God bless you all.
Spears. Photo: Getty Images

Britney Spears has told the court that she officially supports her fathers request to terminate her conservatorship. Her legal team, spearheaded by attorney Mathew Rosengart, filed the request Wednesday, September 22, in Los Angeles Superior Court. Rosengart said that Spears fully consents to the dissolution of her conservatorship and asked the court that it be done expeditiously. According to court papers, he expects the conservatorship to be terminated this fall. Spears has been under the care and control of a court-ordered conservatorship, which governs all aspects of her life, for the past 13 years.

Rosengart said that Britney plans to file her own formal termination petition after her fathers toxic presence (and his ability to object to termination) was removed.

In a statement released after the papers were filed, Rosengart said, We are pleased by Mr. Spearss recent forced concessions, and my client looks forward to the prompt termination of the conservatorship, and to her freedom. We have exposed Mr. Spearss efforts to obtain a large quid pro quo payout, while also making clear that Britney Spears will no longer be bullied. In the interim, we are moving forward with our July 26, 2021 Petition for the Suspension of James P. Spears, which is a prerequisite to the immediate restoration of my clients dignity and fundamental rights. Our investigation into the financial and other abusive conduct at issue is ongoing.

Earlier this month, Britneys father, Jamie Spears, made a stunning reversal in his stance and asked the court himself to end his daughters conservatorship, one that he has overseen since it was put in place in 2008.

In todays court papers, Rosengart reminded Judge Brenda Penny, who is overseeing the case, that his client has been asking since July 22 that her father be removed from the case. He said that would be the first step, and a substantial one, toward Britney regaining her freedom and ending the Kafkaesque nightmare imposed by her father, so that her dignity and basic liberties can be restored. Rosengart cited Jamies recent apparent 180 in supporting the end of the conservatorship as evidence of the need to immediately remove and suspend Jamie from being part of his daughters case.

He said if Jamie actually had a genuine epiphany that it was welcome, but that there was reason to believe his motives are more about rehabilitating his reputation, avoiding suspension, and to impede Britneys ability to further investigate his conduct since 2008.

Britney Spearss life matters, states the petition. Britney Spearss wellbeing matters. And under the circumstances, every day matters because every day Mr. Spears clings to his post is another day of anguish and harm to his daughter.

He also pointed out that to the judge that Britneys father has even agreed that continuing to stay on as the conservator over his daughters finances wold be detrimental to her well-being. Rosengart also reaffirmed to the court that Jamie had been trying to extract substantial quid pro quo payments from his daughter and was seeking to avoid responding to extensive and detailed discovery. Rosengart has said previously that hes determined to do a full forensic accounting of the spending of Britneys money while she was in the conservatorship; hes particularly concerned by the fact that Jamie billed Britneys estate more than a $500,000 for unspecified media matters, presumably having to do with the recent intense media coverage of his daughters situation.

Rosengart said in court documents that Britneys father was never actually qualified to serve as overseer his daughters vast estate. He pointed out that Jamie had no training in economics or finance, and that Jamie himself has filed for bankruptcy. He accused Jamie of taking unwarranted commissions from his daughters work, totaling millions of dollars and taking a salary larger than Britneys. He also said that in August 2019, the court issued a multiyear domestic-violence order against him, requiring him to stay away from Britneys two sons.

Rosengart also told the court that Britney is currently in the process of hiring a family lawyer to write a prenuptial agreement; Spears announced her engagement to boyfriend Sam Asghari on September 12, later taking a break from Instagram to celebrate their plans to marry.

The next hearing on Britney Spearss conservatorship is September 29.
Streamliner At your service. Meet the XiOne (not pronounced Zee-Own). Photo: Comcast

With more new streaming services to keep track of in the past few years than Ryan Murphy Netflix shows, youd be forgiven for assuming cable was on the way out, but this time last year, 77.6 million U.S. households still subscribed to cable, satellite, or telecom TV. Those numbers are dropping fast, however, and the choice pay TV companies face is existential: Adapt or become an American horror story.

Comcasts answer to this problem is  a new streaming box! Today the company rolled out an announcement for a new device with a funny name, XiOne  intended to be pronounced more like an acronym, so the letter X, the letter I, and then the number one. So X  i  1, according to the patient Comcast spokesperson I asked to explain this after it confused me and my fellow Vulture colleagues. It looks, well, a lot like other set-top box devices on the market right now, but the good news is that itll be offered free to Comcasts customers; they just have to sign up for one of the subscription tiers. The box is already available for Sky Q customers in Germany and Italy and will soon roll out initially to customers on the Xfinity Flex plan, the companys Internet-only package. Comcast said it planned to eventually make it available to Xfinity X1 U.S. subscribers, but did not give a timeline on that.

Details in todays release are sparse, but judging by the photos released, the size of the gadget and the remote functionality look comparable to what users of Apple TVs and Roku Ultras might already be familiar with. The U.S. and European models also differ a bit but run on the same software. The Sky Q model has that companys logo, but is also a bit boxy, whereas the U.S. model is rounded-off and looks a lot like one of my hard drives.

The XiOne will ship with a voice remote and will support the WiFi 6 standard, 4K UHD, HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Comcast also confirmed to Vulture that it would run on the companys Flex OS, pack 4GB of RAM under the hood (the latest Apple TV 4K has 3GB), and include access to 250 streaming apps and services, including major ones like Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, and Hulu. Peacock Premium is on it, of course, because that subscription comes bundled for Flex users already.
Let's be honest, the advice to "invest in what you know" is hard to heed when you're trying to build a diverse portfolio.

So even if you're someone who can't define blockchain to save your life, you still may be wondering if you should have at least a little exposure to crypto in your portfolio.

After all, institutional investors and big banks have started taking it seriously. And it's hard to miss news of the meteoric rise in prices for bitcoin and other digital currencies over the past several years.

Had you bought bitcoin in early April 2017, for example, you could have seen a 3,700% return in just four years.

But there also have been plenty of price plunges along the way. If you'd bought in mid-April of this year, you would have lost more than half your investment in just four months.

So if you're tempted to invest, here's what to consider before taking the leap.

It is a highly speculative investment

Generally speaking, there is no intrinsic value underlying most cryptocurrencies.

Unlike a stock, for instance, they don't track the growth potential of a real-world company selling real-world products and services. Nor do they track the value of a natural resource the way a traditional commodity does.

(One exception are so-called stablecoins such as tether, USD Coin and binance USD. These are cryptocurrencies pegged to the value of the US dollar, euro and other forms of fiat money, which make them less volatile than non-pegged cryptocurrencies.)

Also, none are accepted as legal tender anywhere, except in El Salvador, which in early September adopted bitcoin as a national currency alongside the US dollar.

So by investing in a digital currency today, "your sole source of a return is betting that someone else will be willing to pay more for [it] in the future than you did," said Minnesota-based certified financial planner Matt Elliott.

That might be a fair bet given growing mainstream interest in crypto, especially with some of the bigger currencies like bitcoin, which has a market cap worth nearly half the total crypto universe, according to Charles Schwab.

But it's just as fair a bet to assume that many crypto currencies will flame out, much the way so many companies did in the dot-com era, noted New York-based chartered financial analyst Ryan Sterling.

"On the upside, we could see a 10x return in the next five years. That said, we would not be surprised if they were worthless in five years," he said.

Don't bet what you can't afford to lose

While he's not a huge fan of crypto, Sterling sees it as something that, in very small doses, might help clients get more diversification, since it performs so differently from stocks and bonds.

Sterling advises interested clients to invest no more than 2% of their liquid portfolios in digital currencies. In other words, they should only invest a small percentage of the money they have above and beyond their home equity and their retirement and education savings.

"By investing 2% they feel like they're participating, but not so much that it creates problems," Sterling said.

Elliott suggests having no more than 5% of your overall portfolio dedicated to speculative investments of all kinds, including crypto, but only if you have little to no debt and are willing to accept the risk of losing what you put in.

Arizona-based certified financial planner Christine Papelian thinks direct exposure to crypto is too volatile for her clients, who are primarily investing for retirement

But she said she reminds clients that they may already have some indirect exposure to crypto assets through investments in tech companies that invest in blockchain technology, which makes it possible for the crypto trading universe to function. Or investors may have exposure through actively traded mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, which themselves may have crypto or crypto-related companies, like Coinbase, in their portfolios, Papelian said.

There are very few protections

Another factor to consider: Direct ownership and transactions with crypto assets are mostly unregulated and offer very little consumer protection.

"We just don't have enough investor protection in crypto finance, issuance, trading or lending. ...[I]t's more like the Wild West...This asset class is rife with fraud, scams and abuse in certain applications," SEC Chairman Gary Gensler noted in written Congressional testimony.

The rules for how to report and pay tax on crypto assets are also in the very early stages. But the regulations that currently exist get particularly cumbersome if you ever decide to buy something with the crypto you own.

Rules and regulations are likely to increase in the foreseeable future. And that could affect prices positively or negatively.

Easier ways to get exposure

Unless you're comfortable with buying a cryptocurrency directly and storing it in a secure digital wallet, there are easier ways to get access.

Sterling typically invests his clients' money in bitcoin and Ethereum trusts run by Grayscale, currently the world's largest digital currency asset manager.

If you're not working with a financial adviser, you also can get indirect exposure by buying shares in Grayscale funds and other third-party investment crypto products in the over-the-counter secondary market through some large retail trading platforms, such as Schwab.com and Fidelity.com.

The company's most popular fund -- the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) -- will likely become an ETF, if and when the SEC approves bitcoin ETFs in the United States. But in the meantime, it will adhere to the same SEC reporting and disclosure requirements that ETFs operate under today, said Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein.

In either case, mind the fees, which are far higher than index fund fees.

Should the SEC eventually approve bitcoin ETFs, expect to see big players offering them, like Fidelity, which has already filed an application to launch one.

Talk with your spouse before taking the leap

If you're married, don't let crypto come between you.

"The most challenging client conversations I've had involving cryptocurrency investment are with spouses, usually with one or two children, and no tech background," said New Orleans-based certified financial planner Mike Turi.

Even when such couples are unified in having a high risk tolerance, one spouse may prefer to risk money on a more tangible speculative investment, such as a small-cap biotech company or a friend's startup, he explained.

His best advice? "Planning always prevails. Start with a client's plan and end with how cryptocurrency investing affects their current track. In my experience, this is the best way for spouses to make an informed, joint decision. A lot more powerful than beginning with the question - 'Is bitcoin a good investment?'"

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One city official is hoping residents will don their costumes and trick-or-treat early this year.

The holiday is traditionally observed Oct. 31, which falls on a Sunday this year. In response, Florence Mayor Andy Betterton is encouraging the citys citizens to observe Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 30, instead.

The City of Florence reminds parents and guardians to provide adequate safety measures to protect children as they partake in holiday festivities.
Lexington Police Chief Augie Hendershot says federal and state agencies raided a business in the Lauderdale County town.

Francisco Guerra, owner of Global Special Effects, was taken into custody and transported to Huntsville, Hendershot said.

Hendershot said the raid dealt with federal warrants.

There were several federal agents on scene, including the Department of Homeland Security.
A Muscle Shoals Middle School student was arrested Tuesday and charged with making a terrorist threat, according to school officials.

Superintendent Chad Holden said school administrators were told about an entry in a students notebook that caused concerns. The Muscle Shoals Police Department then was called to investigate.

Holden said the case has been turned over to juvenile authorities, and that the student is in custody.
We are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by spotlighting one of our local leaders in North Alabama.

An inauguration ceremony for Dr. Edwin Nunez will take place Wednesday afternoon. He is the new chair of the Hispanic Latino Advisory Council.

He moved to Huntsville from Puerto Rico more than 30 years ago. In that time, he's seen the Hispanic population grow leaps and bounds. It now makes up about 7% of the Huntsville population. Nunez says he looks forward to helping those in the area.

The Hispanic Latino Advisory Council's goal is "getting people to work together, so they can solve some of the problems of the Hispanic Latino community," Nunez said.

"I am quite enthusiastic, and there's a little bit of trepidation, because this is a new endeavor that I'm going to take," he said.

One of his main focuses will be on education, because of his personal background.

His father only got an education until fifth grade because he needed to help at home. However, that didn't stop him. His father joined the Army, taught himself English, then started studying to get his GED.

"I remember when he was studying," Nunez said. "I was a toddler, and I would go and want to play. He always told me wait, wait a little while."

His father eventually passed the GED exam and became a firefighter. Nunez's mother pushed him to study, and Nunez became the first member of his family to go to a university.

"That was so exciting to me," he said.

He now wants others in his community to be able to do the same.

"We want to make them realize that they can do that. That, even in my case, where nobody had been to a university before, I was able to do it," Nunez said.

Nunez said he looks forward to helping those in need as well as Hispanic professionals to help Huntsville grow.

"The Hispanic community is increasing by leaps and bounds, but coming with this influx, there are a lot of prepared people engineers, scientists and so on. We have to find ways to utilize this resource and to also help the side that have not been so lucky as some of us or do not know the path to achieve similar conditions," Nunez said.

The Hispanic Latino Advisory Council talks with local nonprofits to learn what the needs are in the community. They then take those needs to the mayor's office to see what resources are available.

You can reach out to them on their Facebook page.
Five airports in Alabama are set to receive more than $4.3 million in federal grants, including $1 million for an airport in Russellville.

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., announced the grants Tuesday. The Federal Aviation Administration is administering the grants with funding awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation for various airport improvements to support infrastructure construction, safety advances and land acquisition, according to a release.

In Russellville, that means $1,066,541 to rehabilitate the runaway and runway lighting at Bill Pugh Field Airport. Also known as Russellville Municipal Airport, the city-owned airport has a single, 5,500-foot runway with medium lighting, according to FAA.

The other four airports receiving funding are as follows:

 Mobile Downtown Airport, Mobile  $1,330,515 to construct, extend and improve safety areas;

 Montgomery Regional Airport-Dannelly Field, Montgomery  $1,171,544 to rehabilitate an apron at the airport;

 Monroe County Aeroplex Airport, Monroeville  $385,146 to acquire land for development; and

 Bessemer Airport, Bessemer  $346,619 to rehabilitate a taxiway and taxiway lighting.

I am proud Alabama is receiving $4.3 million in federal funding to enhance the development of our airport infrastructure, Shelby said. These five grants are important investments in the safety, efficiency and expansion of large and small airports around our state. Further, local communities will be directly impacted by these advancements, which will help improve the quality of life for residents, increase tourism and drive development.

Each of the grants is being administered through the Fiscal Year 2021 Airport Improvement Program, which was funded in the FY2021 annual appropriations package signed into law in December, according to the release.
All you need to know about the happy new year celebrations in Italy.

On the 31

st

of December, the entire world celebrates the last night of the year, which in Italy is also known as the Notte di San Silvestro.

This is the most awaited night of the year bearing good intentions, dinners with family and friends, and the celebration of the new dawn.

In Italy, this night is filled with traditions and rituals, consisting of mainly food, card games and spending time with loved ones. Lets explore the history and activities of this special day deeply connected to the Italian culture.

The name of this night is dedicated to Sylvester I, a saint who was pope during the Roman imperial period of Constantine and that played an important role in revising the calendar and the days of the week. He died on December 31st, in the year 335, which at the time was not yet recognized as the last day of the year.

In fact, until the 1700s, each region in Italy celebrated the New Year on a different date: in Venice on March 1

st

; in Tuscany on March 25

th

; in the South and in the islands on September 1

st

. It was later decided to make it coincide with the date of Jesus' circumcision, and since the Jews were subjected to this rite eight days after birth, it was designated to be on January 1

st

. However, on this special day the rituals and traditions are not necessarily linked to religious origins.

In Italy, the food as well as socializing with family and friends are at the centre of this special night. The dinner organized for the last night of the year is called Cenone di Capodanno and it consists of traditional Italian dishes that have the purpose of wishing luck and prosperity for the year to come. Here is what most Italians traditionally eat during the night of Saint Sylvester.

The typical Roman cuisine starts from the classic Italian appetizers platters to the timeless spaghetti with clams or the typical tagliatelle with ragu. The second courses often include baked fish, cotechino (an Italian pork dish), breaded ribs, vegetable garnish, as well as the classic fried food such as fried cod, Roman broccoli, zucchini flowers and many more. The traditional desserts are gingerbread, pangiallo (a Roman cake), the beloved ice cream and other sweets ranging from chocolates to candies.

There are also foods that are purely eaten for superstition purposes, as they are believed to bring abundance and good omen for the new year. In fact, there cannot be a Cenone di Capodanno without the presence of lentils on the table, which many traditionally prefer to consume after the midnight toast, with or without cotechino or zampone (pigs trotter).

Cotechino e lenticchie

The lentils are considered the money bearers, as they resemble many small coins as well as gold. A famous Italian saying goes Chi mangia lenticchie a Capodanno conta quattrini per tutto lanno, which translates to Whoever eats lentils on New Years Eve will count money all year long.

panettone, pandoro, torrone or dry fruits while sitting at the table with family and friends, playing classic Italian card games. The eating isnt over until the end of the party, as Italians continue snacking on, torrone or dry fruits while sitting at the table with family and friends, playing classic Italian card games.

The most famous game is Tombola, a board game consisting of the random drawing of numbers from 1 to 90, which the participants mark gradually in the folder in their possessions on which 15 numbers are arranged on 3 rows, until they obtain various combinations or fill the entire folder. Other popular games are Mercante in Fiera, Sette e mezzo, Salta Cavallo or Scopa.

There are a few more Italian traditions that characterize this special night. A custom which is not practiced anymore for obvious safety reasons was to throw old objects outside of the window to leave the past behind and open to a better future. Another custom is to wear red underwear, which is a tradition dating back to the ancient Romans as red has always been considered a symbol of strength and bearer of good wishes.

Lastly, Italians celebrate the new year with a kiss under the mistletoe given to their partners, to then cheer with the whole family and friends while holding a glass of prosecco. They all scream together what in English would sound like Happy New Year!, but that in Italian is Buon Anno!.

It is at this time of the night that the sky is filled with fireworks that have the purpose of illuminating the dark night and historically chase away evil spirits and demons. The light shines upon the new year while many people start putting in place their new years resolutions, a way of improving themselves and enjoy a fresh new start. New Years Eve is almost upon us, and for those who are preparing to celebrate the new year, it is already time to think about what to bring to the table.
Referendum to call for Italy to liberalise cannabis.

Italy is set for a referendum on liberalising the use of cannabis after activists gathered half a million signatures, the threshold required to trigger a public vote.

The referendum, which could be held early next year, proposes to legalise the growing of cannabis for personal use and scrap prison sentences for selling small amounts of the drug.

The petition gathered 500,000 signatures in the first seven days, a result described as "extraordinary but not surprising" by organisers who said the "speed of mobilisation confirms the desire for change on cannabis."

Pro-marijuana advocacy groups are calling for "15 per cent more signatures" to be added to the petition to ensure it will be accepted for approval by the Supreme Court of Cassation, Italy's highest court of appeal, by its 30 September deadline.

Antonella Soldo, from the association Meglio Legale ('Better Legal') said almost half of those who signed were aged under 25.

The surge in signatures was boosted by a recent law allowing people to sign online via Italy's digital identity system SPID.

In 2019 the Italian supreme court ruled that the domestic cultivation of small amounts of cannabis for personal use was legal, however it remains illegal to sell and grow cannabis plants on a large scale.

Marijuana has also been permitted for medical purposes since 2007.

Campaign organisers say there are six million recreational cannabis users in Italy.

Activists behind the petition say that legalising cannabis would free up the criminal justice system by ending "unnecessary trials for small amounts of the drug" as well as boosting tax revenues for the state, estimating this value at around 7 billion.

The cannabis debate is a source of division in the coalition government of Mario Draghi, split generally along right and left lines.

The right-wing Lega and Fratelli d'Italia parties are firmly opposed to any liberalisation - a prospect favoured by the populist Movimento 5 Stelle - while the centre-left Partito Democratico is seen to be dragging its feet on the matter.

If the cannabis petition is accepted by the supreme court, it will be sent to the constitutional court to assess whether the law would comply with the Italian constitution.

If the petition is successful, the president of Italy will set a date for the referendum, likely to be in early 2022 according to Italia media reports.
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The figures are symbols of a Virginia that is reckoning with ugliness and inequality  a Virginia thats taking a deep, hard look into what we need to do better and how to get there, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said to about 200 people gathered on a rain-soaked morning. These statues are symbols of hope, of freedom and of the enduring will to fight for that freedom.
Despite the threat of a potential violence sent to officials over the weekend, no one was harmed at Tokyo vaccination sites. The 38-year-old man who allegedly faxed the death threat to Tokyo police on Sunday was arrested, and police ramped up security at vaccination sites after receiving the threat, police told local media on Wednesday. The man admitted wrongdoing, saying he sent the death threat out of frustration after losing his job in the pandemic, according to a report by Japanese news outlet Mainichi.
The designer said in April 2014 that he and Buckley had gotten married in the US. Fourteen months later, a Supreme Court ruling would make same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. Tom has seen me through so much, from throat cancer to my brother and mother dying 48 hours apart, to more bouts of pneumonia than I can count, Buckley told the New York Times in 2019, noting that Ford had sewn him turtleneck wool dickeys with keyhole slits for his tracheotomy tube and a black silk scarf with slits to wear at formal events. Ford wrote about their relationship in an essay for the Love Issue of Out magazine in 2011. One of the things that always amuses me  amuses isnt even the right word, because it doesnt amuse me  but often, Ford said in the essay, Im at dinner parties with very close friends, straight, and they realise that Richard and I have been together 24 years, and the response is often, Wow, you guys have been together 24 years! Thats so amazing. I dont think of gay men being together that long. And Im, like, Why? What are you talking about? Some of the longest relationships I know of are same-sex couples. He added, Richard and I are bound together, and I think thats what that recognition is when you look someone in the eyes and you feel like youve known them forever. It is a kind of coming home.

By Tuesday morning, people from the fashion industry and those with ties to Los Angeles had shared personal stories about Buckley and their condolences on social media. Friends of Buckley described him as a man known for his curiosity, kindness, wit and style. In his condolences on Instagram, Cameron Silver, owner of vintage store Decades on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, wrote about how he met Buckley in 1997 shortly after Decades opened. He purchased a neon and black swirl 60s dress on eyelash fabric, Silver wrote. Richard asked me lots of questions and was generally keen about why I had opened a vintage clothing store. Within a few days, Tom Ford had popped in and then Lisa Eisner. All explained that Richard had told them about this new vintage store on Melrose Avenue and the youngish guy who had opened it. Over the next few years, when I flew to Paris to shop for vintage or go to the flea markets, Richard would often accompany me. Silver went on to mention Buckleys inquisitive nature and his spot-on design tastes. I remember asking Richard about the furniture of Jacques Adnet and a desk Id seen as I was naive to the value of the design, he wrote. Richard said, Buy it and the desk now resides in the upstairs dressing room at Decades. Designer Rachel Zoe posted her condolences as well on Instagram, including a photo of Ford kissing Buckleys cheek.

We have lost such a beautiful and special soul, a gentleman of the greatest kind, Richard Buckley, Zoe wrote. To know him was an honor, to have had deep meaningful conversations with Richard was a gift I will hold tight forever. He was brilliant, witty, unapologetically honest and so very elegant. What was most extraordinary about Richard was his true love and dedication to Tom and as a father to his son Jack. I will miss you so very much Richard. May you Rest In Peace and with the angels friend Costume designer Arianne Phillips, who worked with Ford on his two feature films, A Single Man (2009), his directorial debut, and Nocturnal Animals (2016), posted a short message on Instagram, including the photo of Ford kissing Buckley: a love like this rest easy beautiful elegant friend #RichardBuckley Loading In an Instagram post, designer Zac Posen described Buckley as a class act in the old school way. He had a keen eye, an excellent sense of humor, and was whip smart. He was the most loving and supportive partner to Tom, Posen wrote. It was such a beautiful thing to witness. I always felt a huge sense of relief over the past 20 years when I would see Richard and Tom. He loved and appreciated real glamour, style and class. He always checked in with me about my career, life and, of course, who I was going to be dressing for the Oscars. His honesty, perspective and care was a real rarity. I will miss Richard a lot. My deepest condolences to Tom and family.
The number of people and small businesses receiving financial hardship assistance from banks during the latest lockdowns in NSW and Victoria has rocketed.

New figures from the Australian Banking Association (ABA) show more than 57,000 customers are receiving assistance, including more than 30,000 repayment deferrals on home and business loans.

An empty street in Canterbury, NSW. Some people are working reduced hours or have been stood down during the latest lockdowns. Credit:Wolter Peeters

The number of individuals and business owners receiving assistance, which includes deferring credit card payments and waiving fees and charges, more than doubled during August, compared with July.

Home loan deferrals grew to more than 27,000 in August, up from about 14,500 in July, while deferred business loans soared to more than 3500, from just over 600, in the same period.
Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has condemned violent anti-lock-down protesters in Melbourne, urging Australians to get vaccinated if they want coronavirus restrictions to be lifted.

Mr Joyce took aim at Victorians who had gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance, saying it was not about left-wing or right-wing, it was about doing the proper thing.

Thousands of people angry about vaccinations and lockdowns shut down parts of the city and descended on the Shrine of Remembrance on Wednesday. Credit:Jason South

He said he understood the frustrations, but the best way to get back to a normal life was to get vaccinated as quickly as possible.

Asked on ABCs 7.30 about extremists infiltrating the protests, Mr Joyce said it was in his fabric to fight against fascism.

I was brought up very much educated about the evils of the far-right, he said.

I believe temperance is an incredibly important thing in everything we do. That the human condition is crushed by the evils on the far-right and crushed by the evils on the far-left. Theyre both extremism. Its a horseshoe where the crazy left and are crazy right in a horseshoe are not that far away from each other.

He said he had made his views known to colleague George Christensen, who has been accused by other National MPs of encouraging the protests and violence towards police.

Why dont you stop him? he said. Well, I can talk to him, and thats the logical thing to do.

One of the things we love about this nation is you have the freedoms to say what you like, even if what you say is wrong. Thats one of the things we protect in this nation.
Western Australias Water Corporation, with the slogan think climate change, has for almost a decade failed to offset emissions from a desalination plant supplying 30 per cent of Perths water that should have run entirely on renewable energy

However, the utility has committed to making up the shortfall and ensured its next desalination plant has net-zero emissions.

Water Corporations Southern Seawater Desalination Plant in Binningup. Credit:Water Corporation/Supplied

In 2009, the state government-owned utility received environmental approval to build a desalination plant in Binningup 130 kilometres south of Perth on the condition it was powered entirely by renewable energy, and it purchased carbon offsets for any shortfall.

However, since the first freshwater flowed to Perth in 2011, wind turbines and solar panels have supplied just 57 per cent of the power for the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant and the utility has bought offsets for only a tiny fraction of the shortfall.
The former Anglican Archbishop of Perth Roger Herft elected not to appear in front of a church standards board which could defrock the priest over findings from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse.

Archbishop Herft, who retired from his Perth position in 2017, will find out his fate in about a month following a public hearing by the Anglican Churchs Episcopal Standards Board on Tuesday into how he responded to allegations of abuse of minors by priests during his 12 years as the Bishop of Newcastle. The Archbishop has not been accused of any abuse.

Bishop Roger Herft leaving Newcastle Court House after a session of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in the Newcastle Anglican Diocese in 2016. Credit:Max Mason Hubers

The Anglican Episcopal Standards Commission, an investigative body within the church, has referred several questions for determination by the board regarding Archbishop Herfts alleged responses to abuse reported to him between 1995 and 2003.

The board then has the power to decide whether the archbishop is fit to hold office or should be removed from the Holy Order, meaning he could not officiate as a priest.
Dexus, the publicly listed property giant, has told Carillon Citys small tenants they have until the end of October to vacate their premises. Loading It is a bastard hammer blow that robs traders of their most profitable months, the Christmas and post-holiday sale trade, and with insufficient time to either clear their stock or make arrangements to relocate and fit out new premises. Two years ago the company, which bought Carillon City for $160 million in 2016, released plans for a $200 million redevelopment of the arcade. It has failed to progress because it has been unable to win an anchor tenant that would underpin a multi-storey office component in a hugely oversupplied Perth office market.

Sources familiar with the situation claim Dexus is hunting a state government agency whose existing accommodation arrangements are set to expire, though government sources note there are dozens of developers seeking the same. One retailer, who has operated a family business at Carillon for more than three decades, said that all along Dexus management had given assurances that they would at least get six months notice to vacate. You would think after 36 years you would get more than 28 days, the retailer said. The centre will still be open as a thoroughfare, possibly for years, so whats the rush to kick all the tenants out by the end of October? Koro Jewellery has operated at Carillon City for 22 years and co-proprietor Michael Dieckmann earns 25-30 per cent of his annual turnover in November and December.

The reason they gave us is that we (Dexus) cannot afford to keep the centre open, he told WAtoday on Tuesday. Well, Dexus is a multibillion-dollar company  theyve got the means to keep something going like this for another two to three months and see you at Christmas. They certainly do. The company is giant and has $25 billion of assets under management. It has just lodged a bid to purchase Jandakot Airport and the surrounding industrial estate for more than $1 billion. The idea that it must kick out small retailers so soon  and before Christmas  because it just cant find the pennies to keep Carillon running a month longer is offensive.

Instead it seems like a power play to leave a gaping, derelict hole in the citys retail core for Christmas, and for goodness knows how much longer, with the poor little family retailers just pawns in the grand game. Loading A Sydney-based Dexus spokesman said retailers fronting onto the Murray and Hay street malls would continue to trade. We understand there will be an impact on retailers, shoppers and the community and we remain committed to achieving an outcome for the city that is sustainable for all our stakeholders, the spokesman said. When I broke the news to the Lord Mayor on Tuesday morning, he admitted to being caught by surprise.

Our hope was always that Carillon would continue to operate as it is at the moment until such time that the more expansive, and Ive got to say quite exciting, development would take place, Zempilas told 6PR Breakfast listeners. These people deserve the opportunity to trade out of their leases  we need our shops to be full. An increasing number of his ratepayers, as well as citizens of metro Perth more broadly, comment to me that the Lord Mayor wears many hats. When the grand final excitement subsides and the (metaphorical) confetti is swept away, serious problems remain to be addressed. Zempilas is hardly responsible for this Dexus decision, but since his election 11 months ago, it has become abundantly clear that the issues he homed in on to campaign to win the Lord Mayoral chain are proving stubbornly difficult to arrest.

Violent youth crime is again in the news cycle in Northbridge in a way it hasnt been since Karl OCallaghan wanted powers to randomly stop and search people for weapons, while shopfront vacancies pile up and work-from-homers stay, well, home. Loading Homelessness and street crime are primarily state government responsibilities  but aside from the City Deal that will bring ECU to Yagan Square, the state of the city has not been a priority of Premier Mark McGowan. A realpolitik question: how invested is the Labor government in the success of a Lord Mayor who they did not plan on winning after the democratic reconstitution of the council post-commissioners, and who is widely perceived as being not just from the blue team, but potentially a future state Liberal parliamentarian? Where is Small Business Minister Reece Whitby, demanding fair treatment for small retailers from a sharemarket leviathan?
Anti-lockdown protests turned violent in Melbourne at the weekend when police clashed with more than 700 protesters on the streets of Richmond in the inner city.

More than 230 people were arrested and ten police officers injured as the initially peaceful march devolved into violent clashes, with projectiles thrown at officers and OC spray deployed.

But as the situation turned, it wasnt just protesters caught up in the melee; working journalists and photographers were also injured by police in the clash.

Footage from the incident shows a police officer rushing and knocking into a photographer who was filming the incident as the photographer repeatedly yelled media.
Australia could take up to three years to formally break away from the $90 billion submarine agreement with France as it looks to build a nuclear-propelled fleet with the United States and Britain.

France on Tuesday continued to unleash its fury over Canberras decision while Japan and the Philippines became the latest countries to back Australias move to build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines.

The future submarine deal with France could take three years to formally terminate.

It also emerged that Britains nuclear-powered submarines are likely to use Australia as a base so that they can have a more persistent presence in the region under the three-way defence pact announced last week known as AUKUS.

Paris took the extraordinary step over the weekend of recalling its ambassadors from both Australia and the United States, citing unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners amid warnings that a future trade deal with the European Union could be in jeopardy.
National MPs, including former leader Michael McCormack, have taken aim at controversial colleague George Christensen, accusing him of stirring up violent mobs at anti-lockdown protests and using his profile as a government MP to validate their behaviour.

Mr McCormack said the controversial backbench MP needed to think long and hard about his actions and should publicly apologise for several incendiary statements on social media, which included calling for the arrest of two Victoria Police officers for using excessive force at protests at the weekend.

Nationals MP George Christensen has been accused by Nationals colleagues of stirring up violent mobs. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Christensens comments supporting freedom fighters at the ugly rallies in Melbourne have reignited fierce divisions within the party, with furious MPs swapping angry texts with each other on Monday on a group message service.

The conversation became so heated Mr Christensen removed himself from the group on the encrypted messaging app Signal, as did Victorian MP Darren Chester, who has been a lead critic of his Queensland colleague.
But this is the construction Scott Morrison and his government have placed on China and its relationship with Australia. It is a threat, implying by use of the word, that it is a military one. This false representation of Chinas foreign policy has also been condoned by the Labor Party, if not explicitly. In her five years as Labors opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman, Penny Wong, by her muted complicity with the governments foreign policy and posture, has neutered Labors traditional stance as to Australias right to strategic autonomy  an autonomy unconstrained by any power, including, that of the United States. Instead, Wong went along with the stance of Julie Bishop and Marise Payne  calculatedly, with not a cigarette paper of difference between her and them. And did it with licence provided by Bill Shorten as leader and, now, Anthony Albanese. Now that long policy void is being exploited by Scott Morrison. At Morrisons instigation, Australia turns its back on the 21st century, the century of Asia, for the jaded and faded Anglosphere  the domain of the Atlantic  a world away.

Loading And Labor is complicit in the historic backslide. The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have been up to their necks in it also. Peter Hartchers bi-weekly froth-mouthed articles about China and its supposed threat, along with Chris Uhlmann and his wicked representation of China as marauding Nazis, has constituted an important part of the climate that has allowed Morrison to now shop the country to the Americans. China does not attack other states, unlike the United States, which does attack other states, yet the Herald and The Age have portrayed China as an aggressor power with malevolent intentions. In a measure of luck, Australians have been vested with a continent of our own. A continent having a border with no one  with no other state. And certainly, not remotely within any territorial contest or claim by China, which is 10 flying hours from Australias east coast cities. The notion that Australia is in a state of military apprehension about China, or needs to be, is a distortion and lie of the worst and most grievous proportions. By its propagation, Australia is determinedly casting China as an enemy  and in the doing of it, actually creating an enemy where none exists.

So poisonous are the Liberals towards China they are prepared for Australia to lose its way in the neighbourhood of Asia, in search of Australias security from Asia, by submission to yet another strategic guarantor  240 years into our history. This strategy amounts to a massive bet on the United States and its staying power in Asia. Rather than Australia finding its own way around the region, including with China, as we have done so well in the past, Morrison and Labor have tied us to the unknown endurance of the United States and the pain it is prepared to wear in defence of what it believes are its core Asian interests. I have said before, but it is worth repeating: the United States is a naval power, whereas China is a continental power. A continental power with the largest land mass in Asia occupied by 20 per cent of humanity. And competently served by a modern military. The United States, by its aircraft carrier fleets, enjoys naval force projection but that projection is fuelled from its bases on the American west coast. Its capacity in a military exchange with China will be limited by the attenuation of its supply lines and the vulnerability of its surface vessels to Chinese submarines and ballistic missiles.
For the rest of the world, it was a little like watching an old war movie. The Anglo bloc, standing together, resolute: the US, with junior partners Britain and Australia. No matter that Australia had just binned a multibillion-dollar defence contract with a major regional ally which happens also to be one of the worlds leading democracies. And deigned to give them scarcely a word of warning.

The worlds cameras later caught the stupefaction, fury and depth of emotion of the French, feeling stabbed in the back by the Aussies. As a result, for Australia, a bilateral relationship of trust and confidence, paid homage to every year on Anzac Day in the Somme and northern France, may have been durably compromised.

The Australian National Memorial and newly opened Sir John Monash Centre sit just outside Villers-Bretonneux. Credit:

How smart the decision of the Morrison government to opt out of a long-term deal to build non-nuclear submarines with the French remains to be seen. But the fact, not to mention the manner and method of appearing to drop France from our regional security equation, seems remarkably short-sighted and increasingly embarrassing. Not to say, old hat.

Call it ambitious, but our attitude to regional security ought to be to coalesce democracies that share our vision of a newly coercive China  Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the countries of the European Union  rather than further pursuing a clubby, outmoded three-player strategy with the US and Britain. Multiply the partnerships if our objective is truly to ensure the long-term peace and stability of the region. And the submarine contract, in its current or some negotiated, modified form, provided a vehicle for doing just that.
Washington: Epik has long been the favourite internet company of the far-right, providing domain services to QAnon theorists, Proud Boys and other instigators of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol  allowing them to broadcast hateful messages from behind a veil of anonymity.

But that veil abruptly vanished last week when a huge breach by the hacker group Anonymous dumped into public view more than 150 gigabytes of previously private data  including user names, passwords and other identifying information of Epiks customers.

Members of the Proud Boys obscure their identity at a rally on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon, on August 22. Credit:AP

Extremism researchers and political opponents have treated the leak as a Rosetta Stone to the far-right, helping them to decode who has been doing what with whom over several years. Initial revelations have spilled out steadily across Twitter since news of the hack broke last week, often under the hashtag #epikfail, but those studying the material say they will need months and perhaps years to dig through all of it.

Its massive. It may be the biggest domain-style leak Ive seen and, as an extremism researcher, its certainly the most interesting, said Megan Squire, a computer science professor at Elon University who studies right-wing extremism. Its an embarrassment of riches  stress on the embarrassment.


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WSU Offers Discount on Smart Thermostats, Free LED Light Bulbs

September 20, 2021

OGDEN, Utah  Weber State Universitys Empower Northern Utah program is helping Weber and Davis County residents to be more energy efficient by offering steep discounts on Nest E smart thermostats while also providing free LED light bulbs in exchange for old inefficient bulbs.

The sustainability team at WSU, in collaboration with Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR), Ogden City, Home Energy Assistance Target Program (HEAT), Utah Clean Energy and others, is able to offer the Nest Thermostat E for under $60, a savings of approximately $110, and to provide thousands of new LED light bulbs for exchange. Additionally, the HEAT program is helping Empower Northern Utah provide LED bulbs and smart thermostats to low-income households at no cost.

The program is offering 2,000 free LED bulbs split among exchange events, Sept. 25, Oct. 2 and Oct. 9 at the Weber County Main Library (2464 Jefferson Ave. Ogden). Residents can bring up to 10 used incandescent and/or CFL bulbs to exchange for new, energy efficient LED bulbs. All the LED bulbs are 2700k, and are either 8- or 9-watt bulbs (both are equivalent to 60-watt incandescent bulbs), and fit into standard household light sockets and floor/table lamps. Supplies will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

The program also has 200 Nest E smart thermostats available for purchase. Register to purchase a thermostat at weber.edu/empower while supplies last. Successful registrants will receive a link to schedule a time for pick up on Oct. 9 at the Weber County Main Library. Those interested in purchasing a thermostat are encouraged to make sure their homes heating and cooling systems are compatible with the Nest E before registering.

We want to help residents take action to reduce pollution and help the environment on a community-wide scale, said Bonnie Christiansen, WSU academic sustainability coordinator. These upgrades can help protect our environment, while cutting utility costs for residents.

Unlike conventional thermostats, smart thermostats such as the Nest Thermostat E make it easy to save energy on heating and cooling costs. Using a Nest Thermostat E has been shown to cut heating bills by 10%-12% and cooling bills up to 15%. This translates to an average utility bill savings of $131-$145 per year. Additionally, LED light bulbs use approximately 85% less energy than traditional bulbs and 40% less than compact fluorescent light bulbs, saving residents an average of $55 a year on energy costs.

The Empower Northern Utah program is the latest step in Weber States efforts to bring sustainability programs to low-income and underserved populations in the community. Previous programs have included Susie Hulet Community Solar, Drive Electric, and Mow Electric. These programs have collectively served more than 2,000 households and community members over the last six years.

This year's Empower Northern Utah is made possible through grant funding from UCAIR, as well as lightbulb donations from Utah Clean Energy.

For more information and to register, visit weber.edu/empower.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
WESTPORT  When schools in town closed abruptly in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramin Ganeshram, executive director of the Westport Museum for History and Culture, decided to follow suit.

We were prepping a new exhibit, Ganeshram said. And we closed down. This is when we thought wed be closed for a few weeks. But weve been closed ever since.

But the museum, housed at the historic Bradley-Wheeler House at 25 Avery Place, is planning to reopen on Oct. 1 for the first time since the pandemic hit. Due to the continued presence of COVID-19, masks will be required, and visitors will have to book time slots in advance.

No more than 10 people will be allowed in a tour group at any time, and capacity in the buildings program space  where special events and presentations happen  will be capped at 15 or 20 people.

Were discussing requiring proof of vaccination, but we havent decided yet, Ganeshram said.

Though the pandemic is soldiering on, she said she decided it was time to reopen the museum and history center because of the tone of conversations she had been hearing, largely around political and social justice issues.

Were in the business of educating people about history, Ganeshram said. Were at a critical time in our nations history where there is a lot of acrimonious discourse. And a lot of that is based on a misunderstanding of history.

History museums such as Westports are a place people can go to view primary documents about history  everything from crockery and opera glasses to deeds of sale for slaves. This is a place to go for information, Ganeshram said.

Even through the heights of the pandemic, Ganeshram said, museum staff worked to provide programming and education to the public. Shortly after last years shutdown, the center made some presentations available online. Staff also offered walking tours and even a driving tour of Westport that allowed people to scan a QR code and learn about the towns history as they drove.

But Ganeshram said shes pleased to be able to offer in person programming once again. In preparation for the reopening, staff are readying a number of exhibits  including one that had been up for only three weeks when the museum closed last year.

That exhibit is about Sigrid Schultz, a female reporter, and longtime Westport resident, who Ganeshram said was embedded in Nazi Germany and was the first female bureau chief of the Chicago Tribunes Central Europe Bureau. As her job became increasingly treacherous, she was forced to write under a pseudonym and several attempts were made on her life.

Eventually, Schultz was forced to leave Germany after being injured in an air raid. Even in Westport, historical records showed, she continued to write about anti-Semitism and extremism. Ganeshram said her story is an example of how the history of Westport is a good lens through which to examine national and even global history.

(Schultz) was a Westport resident, but what was talked about was very important to our time, Ganeshram said.

Other exhibits planned include one focusing on public health at large with a special focus on mental health and a hyperlocal exhibit on Westports past. The exhibit being prepared during the initial shutdown about photographer Nell Dorr is expected to open sometime next year.

Ganeshram said shes looking forward to the reopening, because learning about the past can teach people about the present. Who we are culturally, who we are as a nation, and who we are as a town is based on our cultural habits, and those are based on past events, she said. And those past events are history.
Calling fellow Democrats to the White House, President Joe Biden is pushing in person for them to hasten work on his build back better agenda
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Australias two largest cities are moving closer to ending lockdowns as vaccination rates climb, but leaders are warning that people should remain cautious with their newfound freedoms and that coronavirus case numbers will inevitably rise
Officials in the northeast China city of Harbin say national level health officials have been sent to the city to deal with what may be a coronavirus outbreak
The most significant rift in decades between the United States and France seems on the mend after French President Emmanuel Macron and President Joe Biden got on the phone to smooth things over
U.S. officials say more than 6,000 Haitians and other migrants have been removed from an encampment at a Texas border town. They also defended a strong response that included immediately sending migrants back to their impoverished Caribbean country and the use of horse patrols to stop them from entering the town. It's a massive show of force that signals the beginning of what could be one of Americas swiftest, large-scale expulsions of migrants or refugees in decades. In all, U.S. authorities moved to expel many of the more than 12,000 migrants camped around a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, after crossing from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico.
The ruling emir of Qatar has urged world leaders gathered at the United Nations against turning their backs on Afghanistans new Taliban rulers
Emergency Officer, Tehran, Iran

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund

Country: Iran

City: Tehran

Office: UNICEF Tehran

Closing date: Wednesday, 29 September 2021

Re-advertisement: Emergency Officer, NO-1, Tehran, Iran #116338 (Iranian Nationals Only)

Job no: 544643

Position type: Fixed Term Appointment

Location: Iran Division/Equivalent: Amman(MENA)

School/Unit: Iran

Department/Office: Teheran, Iran (Islamic Rep. of)

Categories: Emergency Programme

UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Health

How can you make a difference?

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

Under the close supervision and instructions of the supervisor, provides professional support and effective teamwork for the implementation of country office emergency preparedness and response, collaborating with other emergency team members in the office. Responsible for the technical contribution to the development, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the emergency interventions to advance the survival and well-being of children and mothers and affected communities in an emergency situations.

KEY END-RESULTS

1. Sound analyses are provided to identify emergency-prone situations and contribute to early warning and enhancing emergency preparedness.

2. Professional contributions are made to the formulation of emergency plans of action, contingency plans, and monitoring of compliance with plans of action.

3. Emergency preparedness and response plans address gender issues that may be expected to intensify during emergencies.

4. Effective analysis of available data regarding the evolving emergency situation and its implications to the operation are timely made. Supports constant flow of information and communication crucial for the planning and implementation of emergencies responses.

5. Staff training in emergencies preparedness and response is effectively supported for the enhancement of the emergency preparedness and response capability of the office.

6. In the event of an emergency, prompt support is provided to execute the initial operational tasks by collecting reliable information on the nature and scope of the emergency, ensuring effective telecommunications facility and staff security assistance, and promptly reporting the status as required.

7. Professional support is provided to establish facts and needs, support a rapid assessment, and determine priorities and an appropriate intervention by UNICEF.

8. Timely delivery of assistance and supplies is maintained, urgent staffing requirements are identified, and the appropriate and effective use of UNICEF resources is monitored for effective project delivery.

9. Substantive input and assistance are provided in the implementation of emergency plans of action, work plans, emergency appeals, and in the mobilization of donor response and recovery/rehabilitation-related funding.

10. Lessons learned from UNICEFs emergency operations experience are collected and analyzed for the adoption of the best practices and standards for longer-term emergency interventions. Longer-term requirements of the emergency operation/interventions are effectively identified.

11. Ensures that disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response strategies are mainstreamed in the country offices work plans. Sectoral input is provided for all related documents of the offices Emergency Preparedness and Response, as well as for the Situation Analysis and the Country Programme Document.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES and DUTIES & TASKS

Within the delegated authority and under the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be assigned the primary, shared, or contributory accountabilities for all or part of the following areas of major duties and key end-results.

Emergency Preparedness

1. Provides professional assistance in analysis to identify emergency-prone conditions/situations and risks, and contribute to early warning and timely emergency preparedness.

2. Assists in the formulation of plans of action in preparation and response to emergencies. Gathers information on best practices in emergency situations for the preparation of contingency plans. Monitors compliance of all sectors with emergency plans of action.

3. Identifies formal and informal sources of information, collecting, interpreting, and analyzing all available data on the evolving emergency situation and its implications to the operation. Keeps the effective flow of information and communication crucial for the planning and implementation of emergencies. Identifies availability of resources in emergency prone areas

4. Assists in organizing and conducting training for the offices staff capacity building in emergencies preparedness and response. Provides briefing, as required. Participates in other emergency training workshops in the region, and contributes to the enhancement of the emergency preparedness and response capability of the office staff.

Emergency Response

5. In the event of an emergency, promptly assists in implementing the initial operational tasks relating to emergency assistance. Immediately collects reliable information to verify the nature and extend of the emergency with staff, government officials, other UN agencies or local organizations, and media. Follows up to ensure that the office is provided with effective telecommunications facility and staff security assistance in an emergency, as necessary. Contacts with all UNICEF staff and their dependants and visitors to ensure their safety and whereabouts, and promptly informs the head of office, supervisor, and other emergency staff of their status as required.

6. Assists supervisor with the assessment of local emergency and security situation. Visits the location to conduct an initial rough assessment of the magnitude of the crisis and its implications for children, mothers, and the community. Assists with the assessment of the validity of the emergency preparedness plan and ability of the office vis-a-vis the current crisis as well as immediate and additional needs. Provides input in and contributes toward determining priorities and an appropriate intervention by UNICEF. Coordinates with other partners to make a rapid assessment covering priority areas as defined by the Core Commitment for Children in Emergencies. Establishes contact with community groups, government, UN agencies, media, and other partners to keep the country office of emergency situations.

7. Participates in Implementing the emergency preparedness and response plan as necessary. Assists in identifying urgent staffing requirements and redeploying country office staff. Follows up with the timely delivery of assistance and procurement of supplies, and monitors the appropriate and effective use of UNICEF resources. Identifies problems and constraints in project delivery. Sends daily situation reports to concerned parties.

Emergency Project

8. Participates in the implementation of plans of action and work plans for emergency projects. Undertakes field visits to emergency project areas, to assess local conditions and monitor project progress. Carries out project administration. Prepares inputs for appeals and updates related to emergencies. Coordinates with program sections staff and others to mobilize donor response and recovery/rehabilitation-related funding, including humanitarian appeals and documents (e.g., pitch documents). Communicates and advocates on the situation and needs of children through local and international media, as appropriate.

9. Collects and analyses lessons learned from UNICEFs emergency experience and contributes towards the adoption of best practices and standards for longer-term emergency interventions. Assists in identifying longer-term requirements of the emergency operation/interventions.

10. Works with other colleagues to make sure that disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response strategies are mainstreamed in the country offices workplace. Assists in the preparation of sectoral input for the country program documents, plan of action, annual work plans, and other related documents of the offices Emergency Preparedness and Response. Provides technical input in the preparation of the Situation Analysis and the Country Programme Document, as required.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...

QUALIFICATION and COMPETENCIES

Education

University degree in one of the following fields: social sciences, public administration, law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration, or other related disciplines.

Work Experience

One year of relevant professional work experience at the national or international level in programme/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation or administration.

Developing country work experience (for IP) or fieldwork experience (for NO). Training/experience in emergency response management is highly desirable.

Language Proficiency

Fluency in English and Farsi is required. A second UN language is an asset.

Competency Profile (For details on competencies please refer to UNICEF Professional Competency Profiles.)

Technical Knowledge

Specific Technical Knowledge Required

UNICEF policies and strategy to address national and international emergency issues, particularly relating to conflicts, natural disasters, and recovery.

Knowledge of the principle of gender parity and equality.

Common Technical Knowledge Required:

The UNICEF mission statement; UNICEF Board policy papers and decisions.

The Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

EMOPS Technical Notes, EMOPS Emergency Field Book.

UNICEF Program Manuals, policy guidelines, ExDirs, PROs; Country Programme documentation.

UNICEF personnel, financial, supply, and administrative rules, regulations, and manuals

National development plans and policies; Guidelines and manuals from NGO/donor partners.

Annual work plan.

UNDAF; The UN Humanitarian Reform; IASC documents, guidelines, and materials on UN Humanitarian Reform and the cluster approach.

Information & Communications Technology literacy, including skills and knowledge of office system applications, LAN, internet navigation, telecommunications, and data analysis.

Gender equality and diversity awareness

Technical Knowledge to be Acquired/Enhanced (for the Job)

Knowledge of local conditions and country legislation relevant to UNICEF programmes.

UN security operations and guidelines.

UN policies and strategy to address international humanitarian/emergency issues and response.

UN common approaches to programmatic issues and UNICEF positions in international developing cooperation.

Knowledge of the latest developments and trends in emergency preparedness and response management-related fields.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEFs values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People, and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

Core Competencies

Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)

Works Collaboratively with others (1)

Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)

Innovates and Embraces Change (1)

Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)

Drive to achieve impactful results (1)

Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Functional Competencies (Required)

Persuading and Influencing (2)

Applying Technical Expertise (2)

Planning and Organizing (1)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEFs values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

This is a re-advertisement in order to expand the candidate pool. Previous applicants need not

reapply as their original application will be duly considered.

This position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/ assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate

Advertised: Sep 15 2021 Iran Daylight Time Application close: Sep 29 2021 Iran Standard Time

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1632177295540
International Consultants on Rose Industry, Saudi Arabia

Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Country: Saudi Arabia

City: Riyadh

Office: FAO Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Closing date: Monday, 25 October 2021

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT : 2101570

International Consultants on Rose Industry

Job Posting: 13/Sep/2021

Closure Date: 25/Oct/2021, 9:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : PMUSA

Job Type: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition : Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)

Grade Level : N/A

Primary Location: Saudi Arabia

Duration : 11 months

Post Number : N/A

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

Organizational Setting

The Programme Management Unit (PMU) of the FAO-Saudi Technical Cooperation Programme (2019-2025) facilitates, coordinates and manages all technical and advisory services to be provided by FAO to the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MoEWA). The project "UTF/SAU/051/SAU Strengthening MoEWAs Capacity to Implement the Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Programme" is the first project that has been approved within the framework of FAO-Saudi Technical Cooperation Programme (2019-2025). The project will provide technical and advisory assistance to the MoEWA in implementing its flagship sustainable rural agricultural development programme that has recently been approved within the context of the National Transformation Programme of the Saudi Vision 2030. The project expected results will be achieved through implementation of nine project components: 1) Development of coffee Arabica production, processing and marketing; 2) Development of beekeeping and honey production; 3) Development of rose production and trade; 4) Development of sub-tropical fruits production, processing and marketing; 5) Strengthening capacity of small-scale fishermen and fish farmers; 6) Strengthening capacity of small-scale livestock herders; 7) Development of rain-fed cereals production; 8) Enhancing value addition from smallholdings and rural activities; and 9) Strengthening MoEWAs capacity in sustainable management of rangelands, forests and natural resources to support rural livelihoods.

An overall plan and budget is developed and approved, including activities and outputs that are expected to be accomplished under each component. Requirements for international technical expertise of each component have been identified. In order to ensure a coordinated, smooth, timely and successful implementation of the project, long-term competent international technical advisors will be appointed as Component Managers to each of the nine components. Each Component Manager will be supported by a team of international consultants and experts who are technical specialists in the subject matters of the various outputs and activities.

FAO-Saudi Arabia is seeking for consultants with relevant expertise in the Rose Breeding, Rose Pests and Disease Control, Rose Water and Oil Technology, Rose Quality and Standards, Rose Marketing and Agribusiness Development, and Rose Value Chain Analysis.

Reporting Lines

The Component Consultants report to the Programme Director in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the overall guidance of the Assistant Director-General/Regional Representative, RNE.

Technical Focus

Capacity development and knowledge management for rose value chain development.

Tasks and responsibilities:

The Consultants of the project component on rose value chain development in coordination with the Component Technical Adviser and National Manager will:

Undertake situation analysis and comprehensive sector review for the rose industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and assesses comparative advantages of the industry in KSA.

Benchmark, identify and promote best agronomic practices among rose small growers.

Identify and introduce new and smart technologies for the rose oil and water processing and production.

Develop a catalogue of major rose diseases, pests and weed in the target regions.

Develops and implements an IPM programme for the control of rose pests and diseases.

Establish modern rose nursery and tissue culture labs to produce healthy seedling rose.

Identify and promote the cultivation of improved climatically well-adapted, pest resistant and high yield rose cultivars/varieties.

Establish and operate modern rose nursery to produce and distribute healthy seedlings.

Develop and promote irrigation scheduling for rose grown under various faming systems of the target regions.

Identify and disseminate post-harvesting technology to minimize rose quality loss and help with its dissemination.

Establish model farm to demonstrate and promote adoption of best agricultural practices among rose flower growers.

Undertake situation analysis of existing rural agricultural cooperatives in roses in the target regions.

Develops pilot business model for rose small grower associations.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Advanced university degree in agronomy, aromatic plants, rose production, or related field.

12 years of relevant experience in rose production and processing industry development including at international level.

Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian) for Consultants. Working knowledge of English for PSA.SBS.

FAO Core Competencies

Results Focus

Teamwork

Communication

Building Effective Relationships

Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

Work experience in more than one location and particularly in field positions.

Extent and relevance of experience in rose breeding, and rose oil and water distilling and marketing industry.

Familiarity with project management skills including familiarity with results frameworks, project work planning and budgeting;

Demonstrated communication skills, including the ability to convey and present sensitive issues/positions.

Analytical skills and ability to write clear and concise reports is considered a strong asset.

Proficiency in English is essential and familiarity with Arabic language is desirable.

Selection Criteria

Work experience with international organizations and in technical cooperation projects supporting countries.

Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.

Extent and relevance of knowledge and experience in aromatic plants industry and related issues.

Ability to provide technical and advisory services.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)

Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list

Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications

Candidates should upload language certificate/s when submitting their application.

For more information, visit the FAO employment website

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.

We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline

If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1631555520161
Technical Monitoring Officer / UAV Operator (S2), OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ukraine

Organization: OSCE - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Country: Ukraine

City: Kyiv

Office: OSCE in Kyiv, Ukraine

Closing date: Wednesday, 29 September 2021

General Minimum Requirements

The general minimum requirements for working with the OSCE are:

Excellent physical condition

Possession of a valid automobile driving license and ability to drive using manual transmission

Ability to cope with physical hardship and willingness to work extra hours and in an environment with limited infrastructure

Field of Expertise Requirements

The general minimum requirements for working in this field of expertise are:

Demonstrable organizational skills

Proven ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing

Demonstrable interpersonal skills and documented experience in negotiations

Depending on the field activitys mandate, significant prior experience in relevant fields such as international customs practices and procedures, law enforcement, and military observations and arms control may also be required

Negotiating experience, preferably in the area of monitoring operations and/or related activities

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following: Education:

First-level university degree in relevant field(s); certified training course is desirable

Experience:

Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience including minimum 1 year in a relevant field strongly preferred

Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements: Mandatory:

Minimum six years of relevant professional experience in any of the following fields: military, police, government or international/multilateral organizations in a field environment;

Minimum one year of experience in the field of civilian or military aviation: experience in planning air operations or work experience on projects related to unmanned aviation;

Experience in utilizing common UAV Ground Control Station software (i.e. DJI GO, DJI Pilot, Litchi, ArduPilot Mission Planner, QGround Control etc.);

Experience in utilizing image and video editing software;

Experience in analyzing aerial images and in identifying military equipment or other objects of interest;

Sound organizational and negotiation skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely;

Proven experience of working in a demanding and constantly changing operational environment;

Strong diplomatic skills, tact, cultural sensitivity and political judgement;

Strong analytical skills;

Ability to work to tight deadlines and under minimum supervision;

Excellent report writing skills;

Ability to operate computer Windows applications, including word processing and e-mail;

Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, as well as the ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;

Excellent oral and written English communication skills;

Tags data analysis freedom of movement gender perspective hazard pay law enforcement military aviation ukrainian ukrainian language vehicles word processing

Ability to cope with physical hardship and willingness to work extra hours and in an environment with limited infrastructure; proven resilience to high stress environments;

Demonstrated ability and willingness to work as a member of a team, with people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;

Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, as well as the ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities.

Desirable:

Experience in piloting military or civilian manned aircraft (helicopters or planes); experience in operating small to large multi-rotor or fixed-wing UAVs in a military, law enforcement or commercial setting;

Experience in operating fixed-wing or hybrid fixed-wing VTOL UAVs, UAV or remotely piloted aircraft system license provided by national aviation authorities or internationally-recognized UAV training centres;

Working knowledge of Russian and/or Ukrainian language(s);

Possession of valid "C" automobile driving license.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), in line with the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality, is committed to further improving gender balance among staff in all areas and levels within the SMM. We encourage qualified applicants, especially women to apply for this position.

If applicable, deployment is subject to attendance to and successful completion of pre-deployment training and assessment.

Applicants are hereby notified that the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) is designated by the OSCE as a nonfamily duty station. This designation is based on the fluid and dynamic working environment in the SMM. The currently prevailing working conditions in the duty station may include working in a hazardous location with extended hours of service, and possibly curtailed freedom of movement. Successful candidates who are appointed to locations deemed by the OSCE as hazardous will receive hazard pay. In addition, all successful candidates will be required to participate in the OSCE accident and life insurance scheme in accordance with the OSCE Staff Regulations and Staff Rules.

In line with its Mandate and specific tasks assigned by political agreements reached in Minsk, the SMM is utilizing Unmanned and Unarmed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in order to collect data from inaccessible locations and to assess the security situation, on both sides of the line of contact in eastern Ukraine. To this end, Technical Monitoring Officers/UAV Operators are deployed to dedicated Technical Monitoring Patrol Groups (TMPGs) which are responsible for executing UAV flights in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, through different types of aerial platforms - small multi-rotor aircraft (quad-copters), fixed-wing mapping UAVs or hybrid fixed-wing UAVs with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities. Successful applicants will be deployed to one of the five SMM Patrol Hubs in eastern Ukraine where the TMPGs are operating - Donetsk, Kramatorsk, Luhansk, Mariupol or Sieverodonetsk. Internal or external training for the operation of UAVs in the SMM will be provided for all new Technical Monitoring Officers/UAV Operators.

Under the overall guidance of Deputy Patrol Hub Leader and direct supervision of the Technical Patrol Group Leader/UAV Operator, and in close co-operation with Hub and Monitoring Team (MT) Operations Units, the Technical Monitoring Officer/UAV Operator is responsible for the below:

Ensuring the effective implementation and daily conduct of mini (short-range tactical aircraft - quad-copters) and mid-range (fixed-wing mapping or hybrid ISR fixed-wing VTOL aircraft) UAV operations within the given Area of Responsibility (AoR);

Preparing UAV flight plans through the equipments software, in coordination with relevant Monitoring Team and Patrol Hub structures (MT/PH Management, Operations, Security) and other Technical Monitoring Officers/UAV Operators;

Operating the equipment during dedicated UAV patrols, in line with the Operational Instruction on the Use of Mini and Mid-range UAVs, applicable Patrolling or Security Instructions, and relevant UAV manuals;

Carrying out preliminary post-flight data assessments and analysis, preparation of Daily Flight Reports and coordination of reporting and data analysis-related matters with relevant Units on Monitoring Team and, if required, on Head Office level;

Performing UAV maintenance activities and coordination of potential technical issues with the manufacturer or HO Operations in order to keep the equipment airworthy;

Organizing training activities for other Monitoring Officers or Technical Monitoring Officers on mini and mid-range UAVs in line with the applicable SMM-approved training programs;

Performing regular UAV ground patrolling duties if required;

Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, please see https://www.osce.org/special-monitoring-mission-to-ukraine

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages the nomination of qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious, ethnic and social backgrounds. Please note that nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are not eligible to apply.

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/ourcompetency-model.

Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered.

Please apply to your relevant authorities well in advance of the deadline expiration to ensure timely processing of your application. Delayed nominations will not be considered. The OSCE can only process Secondment applications that have been nominated by participating States. For queries relating to your application, please refer to the respective delegation as listed here: https://www.osce.org/contacts/delegations.

Additional Information

Requisition ID: MON00000F

Contract Type: International Secondment

Grade: S2

Location: OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ukraine

Posting Date: Sep 16, 2021

External Closing Date: Sep 29, 2021

Job Type: Seconded

Job Level: Senior Professional

Employee Status: Fixed Term

Schedule: Full-time

Education Level: Bachelors Degree (First-level university degree or equivalent)

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1632157769615
Technical Officer Health Systems, Gaziantep, Turkey

Organization: World Health Organization (WHO)

Country: Turkey

Field location: Gaziantep

Office: WHO Gaziantep, Turkey

Grade: P-4

Closing date: Sunday, 3 October 2021

Technical Officer Health Systems

( 2104500 )

Grade : P4

Contractual Arrangement : Temporary appointment under Staff Rule 420.4

Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days) : 6 months

Job Posting: Sep 21, 2021, 1:11:56 PM

The mission of the WHOs Health Emergencies Programme is to build capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. Within the emergency programme, the objectives of WHOs emergency response team are to support: (1) promptly assessing health needs of populations affected by crisis, identifying priority causes of ill-health and death; preparing emergency response and rehabilitation plans; providing prompt, credible health information and ensuring the continuity of essential health services; (2) coordinating and monitoring emergency health relief efforts under the Aegis of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Health Cluster, of which WHO is the lead agency; (3) ensuring that critical gaps in the health response are rapidly identified and filled; (4) revitalizing and building the capacity of national health systems to deal with preparedness, mitigation and response.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

-> During the current emergency and earlyrecovery phase in Syria, support WHE operations in the establishment of standards for the design, organization and functional health programming and operation of health systems based on primary and secondary health care, supporting universal health coverage, integrated health and pharmaceutical services networks including hospitals, integrated reproductive maternal, newborn and child health, public health infrastructure and services.

--> Implement WHO guidance, standards, SOPs and tools, as needed.

--> Provide technical guidance and support the development and implementation of robust health policies, programmes and plans in response to the health emergency for NGOs and the local health authorities.

--> Advise and collaborate on the development,implementation, and evaluation of technical cooperation programs in the areas of health governance, health policy and systems development, health services organization and management supporting universal health coverage.

--> Lead work on contextualized implementation of Essential Health Service Package (EHSP) by sustaining and scaling up localized PHC oriented models of care considering the complex nature of service provision, given the multiplicity of actors, differences in organizational capacity and how organizations deliver services in a setting where there is minimal governance and accountability.

--> Ensure continuity of care at emergencies particularly for people with chronic disorders, pregnant mothers, children under 5 years morbidities and disabilities etc. and provide measures to strengthen referral channels.

--> Contribute to the identification and targeting of health inequities and the inclusion of vulnerable groups to ensure equitable access to quality health services.

--> Contribute to the development, planning, and training of Human Resources in Health aimed at increasing the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of the workforce; organize, conduct, or facilitate capacity-building activities.

--> Coordinate the planning and implementation of the technical activities pertaining to quality of care and the health services infrastructure (nursing, pharmacy, laboratory, medicines, vaccines, and medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices, health information system including vital statistics and medical record keeping) and priority programmes based on the needs of affected populations.

--> Provide technical support to Health Cluster to conduct periodic prioritization exercises to identify inequities and gaps in the delivery of health services as means to design and operationalize PHC activities, recommending appropriate actions and innovative approaches.

-->Initiate WHO supporting projects including technical support to implementing partners; project management and contribute to donor proposals with operations and grant management teams.

--> Design and support implementation research projects to inform programs, Health Cluster partner activities and WHO support through an analytical and systemic approach towards health system strengthening in the ongoing humanitarian response phase; advise on the introduction and transfer of experiences and technologies through capacity-building processes.

-->Provide technical support and leadershipfor COVID 19 response planning.

-->Cooperate with internal team members, health authorities, international cooperation agencies, and non-governmental organizations, and other relevant stakeholders, in order to develop alliances and networks that promote access to quality primary care services for the affected population.

--> Provides leadership and guidance to the Health Systems, ensuring that activities are carried out in a highly professional and timely manner, where needed.

--> Perform any otherincident-specific related duties, as required by the functional supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: An advanced university degree (Masters level or above) in medicine, public health, health systems/services administration, health management or health related field from an accredited/recognized institute.

Experience

Essential: At least seven years of progressive experience, including 2 years at the international level, in areas related to health systems recovery and development, health services delivery in emergencies, extension of health care services to underserved populations/areas, and developing strategies to overcome barriers to accessing health care services, including essential medicines.

Desirable: Prior humanitarian working experience at field level with WHO, other UN agency, Health Cluster Partners; Recognized Humanitarian Organizations or with an international Non-Governmental Organization with expertise in disaster and health emergencies response.

Skills

--> Sound knowledge in public administration reform.

--> Proven skills in policy development, planning, monitoring and evaluating health systems.

--> Demonstrated ability to provide sound methodological, technical advice and guidance to multiple stakeholders and partners in health sector reform and public administration reform.

--> Demonstrated ability to innovate, integrate, synthesize and communicate complex concepts and ideas verbally and in writing.

--> Ability to monitor and communicate progress in terms of process and results.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork

Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

Communication

Producing results

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of Arabic.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 74,913 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 1130 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level

Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

A written test may be used as a form of screening.

In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

Tags child health covid essential medicines health emergencies health information health infrastructure health policy health services health systems human resources humanitarian response international cooperation nursing pharmacy project management public administration public administration reform secondary health care technical cooperation universal health coverage vital statistics

Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

For information on WHOs operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1632245974872
Williamson, WV (25661)

Today

A few showers early becoming a steady rain overnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

A few showers early becoming a steady rain overnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
BEIJING (AP)  The Beizhong International Travel Agency in the eastern city of Tianjin has had only one customer since coronavirus outbreaks that began in July prompted Chinese leaders to renew city lockdowns and travel controls.

People wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19 walk past a display showing a countdown clock to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. China's "zero tolerance" strategy of trying to isolate every case and stop transmission of the coronavirus has kept kept the country where the virus first was detected in late 2019 largely free of the disease. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

BEIJING (AP)  The Beizhong International Travel Agency in the eastern city of Tianjin has had only one customer since coronavirus outbreaks that began in July prompted Chinese leaders to renew city lockdowns and travel controls.

Most of China is virus-free, but the abrupt, severe response to outbreaks has left would-be tourists jittery about traveling to places they might be barred from leaving. That has hit consumer spending, hindering efforts to keep the economic recovery on track.

China's "zero tolerance" strategy of trying to isolate every case and stop transmission has helped keep the country where the virus first was detected in late 2019 largely free of disease. But the public and businesses are paying a steep price.

Foreign athletes are due to compete in the Winter Olympics that start Feb. 4 in Beijing and the nearby city of Zhangjiakou, but the government has yet to say whether restrictions that prevent most foreigners from entering China will be relaxed to allow spectators in.

"Two years ago, this was our busiest season," said the Beizhong agency manager, Wang Hui.

"Now, customers tend to postpone their plans because of the outbreaks," Wang said. "This year is worse than last year."

China is closed to most foreign visitors and discourages its own public from traveling.

The government has yet to give final details on anti-coronavirus measures for the Winter Games. Some 2,900 athletes are due to compete, plus 800 more in the Paralympic Winter Games on March 4-13.

China has reported 4,636 deaths  and none since February  out of 95,577 cases since early 2020. Its total is smaller than one-day new infection figures in the United States, India and some other countries.

Since July, outbreaks blamed on travelers bringing the more contagious delta variant into the country have occurred in Nanjing west of Shanghai, Putian and Xiamen in the southeast and Yunnan province in the southwest. But cases number in the dozens, not the tens of thousands of new daily infections seen in other countries.

"The zero-tolerance policy has been highly effective in putting COVID under control, but the short-term cost is also extremely high," economists Larry Hu and Xinyu Ji of Macquarie said in a report.

China was the only major economy to grow last year after the ruling party declared the virus under control in March and allowed factories, shops and offices to reopen. Output in the United States, Europe and Japan contracted.

Economic output rose 1.3% over the previous quarter in the three months ending in June, better than 0.6% in January-March but among the past decades weakest quarters.

Residents wearing masks wait at a bus stop in Beijing Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. China's "zero tolerance" strategy of trying to isolate every case and stop transmission of the coronavirus has kept kept the country where the virus first was detected in late 2019 largely free of the disease. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The International Monetary Fund and private sector forecasters have lowered economic growth forecasts but still expect output to rise by as much as 8.5% this year, up sharply from last years multi-decade low of 2.3% and well above the ruling party target of "more than 6%."

Exports in August rose 25.6% over a year earlier, but retail spending growth slowed to 2.5% from Julys 8.5%.

"People are clearly worried that they could get trapped in tourist destinations if Covid cases emerge," economist Iris Pang of ING said in a report.

Authorities on Sept. 12 suspended most access to Putian, a city of 2.9 million people in Fujian province, after an outbreak that an official newspaper, Global Times, said might have begun with a resident who returned from Singapore. Cinemas, bars and other public facilities were closed. Supermarkets and restaurants were ordered to limit customer numbers.

Xiamen, a coastal business center in Fujian with 3.5 million people, closed off access to some neighborhoods after cases were detected there. Schools shut down.

An entrepreneur who sells shoes made in Putian online said the outbreak and anti-disease controls have shut down that local industry.

"Customers are urging us to deliver goods, but factories have stopped working," said the merchant, Su Ye. She said September and October usually are busy, but disruptions in production and delivery "will cause orders to drop a lot."

"Many orders were canceled because of our slow delivery," Su said.

The Global Times said a man who returned from Singapore on Aug. 4 was suspected of spreading the virus to Putian.

The traveler, identified by the surname Lin, underwent a 14-day quarantine and nine nucleic acid and serologic tests, all of which were negative, the Global Times said. But he tested positive on Sept. 10.

Despite that, the screening and quarantine process is working properly, according to Yu Changping, a physician at the Department of Respiratory Medicine of Peoples Hospital of Wuhan University.

"There is no special change in the situation," said Yu. "There is no need to adopt measures different from the past."

Some experts suggest China might need to adopt more flexible tactics because "zero tolerance" is too disruptive and new variants might be impossible to eradicate.

"The bottom line is, I dont think they can keep the virus out, and they need to live with the reality," said Nicholas Thomas, a professor of health security at the City University of Hong Kong.

Chinese leaders have tried to squelch public discussion of such a possible change.

A prominent disease expert, Zhang Wenzhong, faced official criticism after he said on his widely read social media account the world needs to "learn to coexist with the virus."

A former health minister rejected Zhang's suggestion in a commentary published by the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily. The university that awarded Zhang's PhD in 2000 announced an investigation of accusations of plagiarism but concluded his work "met all the criteria" for the degree.

For now, tourist arrivals from abroad are shut down. That has devastated high-end hotels and resorts.

Some engineers and other employees who were abroad when the government shut down travel in early 2020 have been allowed to return, but lawyers and others say they were turned away.

Authorities also are trying to keep Chinese from leaving the country. The government refuses to issue or renew passports without an important need to travel. Businesspeople have been told that doesnt include visiting customers or business partners.

The government announced last week it had vaccinated just over 1 billion people, or 71% of its population.

But while regulators have given emergency approval to nine coronavirus vaccines, most are made by local companies Sinopharm or Sinovac. China has yet to approve BioNTech, Moderna or other vaccines used abroad.

"As far as the vaccine strategy is, its been very successful, the trouble is the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines are not very efficacious against delta," Thomas said.

As is true elsewhere, online grocers and other e-commerce have reaped a windfall from shutdowns and lockdowns.

But a wave of bankruptcies has hit small shops, restaurants and other businesses.

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Chinas populous domestic market means travel restrictions "do not impact it as much as countries such as Thailand that depend heavily on tourism," said Trinh Nguyen of Natixis, a French financial firm, in an email.

In another blow to tourism, the government told students and teachers to avoid travel during Septembers Mid-Autumn Festival and the Oct. 1-7 National Day break.

"There used to be a silver September and a golden October for travel, but now we have nothing," said Wang, the travel agency manager in Tianjin.

People suffering from cancer, heart disease and other chronic, potentially life-threatening conditions, meanwhile have struggled to get treatment as hospitals shut down other departments to focus on treating coronavirus patients or refused to accept cases deemed non-emergency.

___

Wu reported from Taipei. AP researchers Yu Bing in Beijing and Chen Si in Shanghai contributed.
TORONTO - Premier Doug Ford urged Ontarians not to take their frustrations out on businesses and their staff as a proof-of-vaccination system went into effect Wednesday for indoor dining, gyms, movie theatres and certain other venues.

Linda Henry has her COVID-19 QR code scanned by Jonathan Gagne, manager of Orangetheory Fitness in Montreal, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, as the Quebec governments COVID-19 vaccine passport comes into effect. Ontario's new COVID-19 vaccine certificate system goes into effect today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

TORONTO - Premier Doug Ford urged Ontarians not to take their frustrations out on businesses and their staff as a proof-of-vaccination system went into effect Wednesday for indoor dining, gyms, movie theatres and certain other venues.

"It's important that each of us remain patient, especially with business owners and front-line workers implementing the vaccine certificate," he said. "They've gone through so much during this pandemic, and deserve our support."

Ford said the system requiring proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will be a temporary measure, but he would not divulge what his criteria will be for ending it except that it will be based on advice from the chief medical officer of health and other public health experts.

"I know that many people are concerned about the certificate, and what it means for your civil liberties," Ford said.

"Our government understands your concerns, and it's no secret that I was reluctant to use this tool, but our highest concern, what keeps me up at night, is ensuring we never lose our hard-fought progress."

Some business groups have called for Ontario to lift capacity limits - as venues such as gyms, yoga studios, bowling alleys and concert halls remain capped at 50 per cent capacity - now that all customers have to be vaccinated.

When asked Wednesday, Ford was non-committal, but said he will work with the chief medical officer on "having a few more people go into restaurants, other locations."

Customers must show a full vaccination receipt and their identification - though doctor's notes for medical exemptions are being allowed - to enter those businesses, but it doesn't apply to salons, retail stores, or essential services such as grocery stores.

The government site that people can visit to download their proof of vaccination was down for a few hours Wednesday morning for "routine maintenance," said a spokeswoman for Health Minister Christine Elliott, but it was running again by 8 a.m.

At Italian restaurant Sud Forno in downtown Toronto, diner Marie Metcalfe said the vaccine certificate system prompted her to eat indoors at a restaurant for the first time since the pandemic began.

"It was a delight to know that I could do it safely," she said. "To be able to go inside and feel safe about taking my mask off was a really comfortable feeling."

Raj Kalsi similarly showed his vaccine receipt and identification before stepping into a cafe on Wednesday morning.

"It's a slight inconvenience, but if we kind of keep the broader objective in mind, which is we're trying to get things back to normal to the extent that we can, I think that's an inconvenience that we can all bear," Kalsi said.

At a GoodLife Fitness gym, Sumeet Kapila called the proof-of-vaccination check at the facility "smooth."

"It's a good step, I would say, in the positive direction," he said.

Businesses have said they feel prepared to implement the system but worry about confrontations with some patrons. Health Minister Christine Elliott has advised them to call 911 in those situations if they feel threatened.

There are penalties for non-compliance but Ford said enforcement will take an educational approach at first.

Biagio Vinci, owner of Biagios Ristorante in downtown Toronto, said all his staff have been briefed on how to approach customers about their proof of vaccination and said he's in favour of the new system.

"I agree that people have to show that they're vaccinated in order to keep us safe and healthy," he said.

"Everybody's ready," he added. "They show us the certification documents without us asking, so I think people know that they have to prove they are vaccinated."

Not all businesses are in favour of the system. Buck and Jo's restaurant in Wingham, Ont., posted on their Facebook page that they will be "refusing to ID customers and demanding disclosure of personal health information from them."

"Buck & Jos have planted a Canadian flag in the middle of our dining room," they wrote. "This may be the last few square feet of a free Canada. Everyones Charter Rights will be defended here, and anyone is allowed to take a seat, even if Doug Ford says no."

Facebook users in a group called Ontario Businesses Against Health Pass shared information about other companies and venues that say they will not be complying with the proof-of-vaccination system, though many of the businesses are not ones subject to the certification requirements.

While venues will have to check paper or digital vaccine receipts with identification at first, the province has said it will streamline the process with a planned Oct. 22 launch of a QR code and verification app for businesses.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath criticized loopholes in the governments proof-of-vaccination policy, including exemptions for staff and settings like retail stores and places of worship.

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"We deserve to be in a situation where we can go about our lives and know that we're safe," Horwath said. "What I'm asking this premier to do is fix the holes in his vaccine certificate program."

Dr. Kieran Moore, the province's chief medical officer of health, has said he believes the system will lead to a boost in vaccinations, particularly among those aged 20 to 39 since that cohort often frequents venues covered by the system.

The latest provincial data shows that 85.3 per cent of Ontarians over the age of 12 have one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 79.4 per cent have two doses.

Ontario reported 463 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and seven more deaths linked to the virus. Elliott said 332 of those new cases were in people who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.

Elliott also said 299 people are hospitalized with the virus, with 187 of them in intensive care.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2021.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)  A magnitude 5.9 earthquake caused some damage in suburban Melbourne on Wednesday in an unusually powerful temblor for Australia.

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A police officer closes an intersection where debris is scattered in the road after an earthquake damaged a building in Melbourne, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. A magnitude 5.8 earthquake caused damage in the city of Melbourne in an unusually powerful temblor for Australia, Geoscience Australia said. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)  A magnitude 5.9 earthquake caused some damage in suburban Melbourne on Wednesday in an unusually powerful temblor for Australia.

The quake hit about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Australias second-most populous city near the town of Mansfield at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), Geoscience Australia said.

Victoria state Deputy Premier James Merlino cited some damage reports, including a hospital that lost power. Media showed images of fallen bricks from a building in Melbourne's inner suburb of South Yarra.

Seismology Research Centre Chief Scientist Adam Pascale said it was the largest onshore quake in Victoria's recorded history.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there were no reports of serious injury.

The earthquake was the largest to rattle Australia since a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 210 kilometers (130 miles) off the northwest coastal town of Broome in 2019.
CALGARY - Alberta Premier Jason Kenney faced down a restive and divided United Conservative Party caucus Wednesday, focusing on COVID-19 while managing to avoid a straw vote on his leadership.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney gives a COVID-19 update in Edmonton, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

CALGARY - Alberta Premier Jason Kenney faced down a restive and divided United Conservative Party caucus Wednesday, focusing on COVID-19 while managing to avoid a straw vote on his leadership.

UCP backbencher Searle Turton said it was a wide-ranging caucus meeting, but there was no vote of confidence on Kenneys leadership.

He said the focus of the debate was the pandemic.

"There was discussion about the party, about unity, about how we got here, about COVID. Caucus is a robust place to do discussion in a confidential setting," said Turton, who represents Spruce Grove-Stony Plain.

"There were no votes by caucus. There was lots of robust discussion about the pandemic."

Kenney has been challenged by some of his legislature members for decisions on COVID, which has escalated into a crisis that has overwhelmed the provincial health system and forced Alberta to seek outside help.

Some of Kenneys caucus members have criticized his health measures as being too little too late, while others say he has gone too far and violated individual rights by imposing a form of voluntary vaccine passports.

Joel Mullan, the partys vice-president of policy, has already called for Kenney to resign and says enough constituency associations have signed on to force an early party review and vote on Kenneys leadership.

Kenney isn't slated to face a mandatory leadership review until late next year.

But Mullan has said 30 constituency associations have promised to pass resolutions to call for an earlier review. If that happens, Kenney could face a vote by the membership in about three months and would lose the top job unless he wins at least a simple majority.

Kenney has dismissed accusations of party infighting and calls to resign, saying Tuesday he's focused on the COVID crisis.

Alberta has more than 20,000 active cases of COVID-19 and its critical care facilities have already been pushed well past normal capacity.

There were 1,040 people in hospital Wednesday with the illness, including 230 in intensive care. There were 20 more deaths reported, for a total of 2,594. The province also announced its first COVID-19 death of a person under 20.

Kenneys government is looking to other provinces for critical care staff, particularly intensive care nurses and respiratory therapists. It is also working with the federal government to potentially have the military airlift some patients to other provinces.

Other medical procedures have virtually ground to a halt, with non-urgent surgeries cancelled to free up staff for COVID care. Doctors are being briefed on the criteria to use if resources run short and they must decide which critically ill patients get help and which do not.

The province has pinned its hopes on getting vaccination numbers up. Those numbers have improved since last Wednesday, when Kenney introduced a vaccine passport for non-essential businesses.

More than 81 per cent of eligible Albertans, those over age 12, are now fully vaccinated and almost 73 per cent of those eligible have had at least one shot.

Businesses that stick to the new passport can operate with almost no restrictions but must make sure patrons are double vaccinated.

Kenney's government has been criticized for leaving that decision up to businesses because it causes confusion and forces compliant businesses to face the wrath of anti-vaccination customers.

Other provinces have made it mandatory.

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Calgary city council took matters into its own hands Wednesday, voting to make the passport  known in Alberta as a restrictions exemption  binding on non-essential businesses, with fines for violators. That new rule begins Thursday.

Elsewhere in Alberta, the passport is voluntary but non-essential businesses that do not comply face other restrictions, such as maximum one-third customer occupancy or, in the case of restaurants, outdoor seating only.

Also Wednesday, Alberta's Opposition NDP called for the reinstatement of contact tracing in schools and an early warning system for potential school closures.

NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman says action is needed immediately given that there are nearly 5,000 active cases among students, staff and families.

 With files from Dean Bennett in Edmonton

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2021.
After almost 20 years running the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport as CEO of the Winnipeg Airports Authority, Barry Rempel is stepping down at the end of the year .

After almost 20 years running the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport as CEO of the Winnipeg Airports Authority, Barry Rempel is stepping down at the end of the year .

Its an auspicious time, no doubt, after the pandemic so drastically curtailed the operations of what is otherwise a $140 million per year business.

Rempel, who is 66, did not want to leave until the worst of the pandemic disruptions were over so his successor could start off seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

"Whoever comes in now, it is going to be about building," he said. "They wont have to be thinking, where can I cut another nickel?"

Winnipeg Airport Authority CEO Barry Rempel (Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Hes planning to stay on until the end of the year which means hell be around to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the opening of the new terminal next month. The 25th anniversary of the creation of the WAA itself is early in the new year.

His two decades running the airport were years of significant growth in both passenger activity and development of the greater airport campus.

In 2002, when he took over the airport after a successful career in the airline business, ending up as CEO of Canadian Airlines Internationals cargo and Canadian North operating divisions, the Winnipeg airport saw just shy of 2.6 million passengers through its old terminal building.

In 2019, that number was up to 4.5 million.

His long-time attention to economic development and his belief that the airport was a community asset that needed to be leveraged for the greater good of the community helped produce a turbo-charged employment generator for the city.

The massive undertaking of constructing and opening a new terminal building was done on Rempel's watch. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press files)

During his tenure, the airport campus has seen close to $1 billion in development including three hotels, the new Canada Post sorting centre, a StandardAero engine maintenance facility and General Electrics one-of-a-kind cold weather engine testing site. The grand opening of the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is slated for early next year.

And the massive undertaking of constructing a new terminal building was done on his watch.

While some may have muttered over the years about empire building, Rempel says he does not take credit for the growth.

"What I am most proud of is having a seat at the table with an incredible team here and lots of people around town who saw the vision for what we could do by leveraging land here for our communitys greater benefit," he said. "I facilitated the team that made it happen."

Brita Chell, the current chair of the board of WAA, said, "Barrys contribution to Winnipeg is profound. He has led the airports transformation into the asset our community enjoys today. Throughout his career, Barry has focused on service to the community and that approach is now embedded in the culture of our company."

SUPPLIED IMAGE An artist's rendering of what the new home of the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada will look like upon completion, expected next year. (Supplied)

Among other things, during his tenure, Winnipegs air cargo business has grown so that it is now one of the strategic elements of the citys economic development strategy.

And his legacy in that regard will soon grow as the old Air Canada cargo terminal at the end of Sargent Avenue will come down at the end of this year to be replaced by a new 140,000 square foot common-use cargo hub owned and operated by the WAA.

Rempel believes the air cargo project, which will become a $100 million investment, will provide one of the biggest economic impacts in the community over the next five years.

The last 18 months have been tough on everyone, but the airport was particularly hard hit. Rempel said the toughest part for him was the closure of concessions and seeing the job losses to the people who could least afford it.

While no one would fault him if he had decided to retire after such stressful times, he said his timing had more to do with the going-forward planning needs of the WAA.

Richardson International is Canadas seventh busiest airport by passenger count, the countrys top dedicated freighter airport by number of flights and third highest in daily air cargo tonnage. The air cargo business is now one of the strategic elements of the citys economic development strategy. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

For instance, as a condition of its land lease with the federal government the WAA is obliged to update its master plan and next year such an undertaking is due.

"I said to the board it would be unfair to the new CEO to be held accountable to a plan that Rempel put in place and It was pretty clear I was not going to be here for another 10 years," he said.

As well, the next thing that will happen once passenger traffic comes back to near 80 per cent of its prior level  its now at about 5,000 passenger per day from about 11,500 at its peak before the pandemic  is that Rempels successor is going to have to start thinking about expanding the terminal building that was built for maximum capacity of 5,000 passengers per day.

As it is there is still $580 million worth of public debt outstanding on the terminal  and the WAA also had to borrow another $100 million to make ends meet during the pandemic.

But Rempel said that number would have been higher were it not for the prudent decision making of his board resulting in a construction design that allowed for future expansion.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  One desperate California school district is sending flyers home in students' lunchboxes, telling parents it's now hiring." Elsewhere, principals are filling in as crossing guards, teachers are being offered signing bonuses and schools are moving back to online learning.

FILE - In this March 2, 2021, file photo, a sign is displayed at a COVID-19 vaccination site for employees of the Los Angeles School District, LAUSD, in the parking lot of SOFI Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Public schools have struggled for years with teacher shortages, particularly in math, science, special education and languages. But the pandemic has exacerbated the problem. The stresses of teaching in the COVID-era caused a spike in teacher retirements and resignations. On top of that, schools now have to hire all kinds of additional staff, like tutors and special aides to help kids make up for learning losses, and more teachers to run online school for those not ready to return. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  One desperate California school district is sending flyers home in students' lunchboxes, telling parents it's now hiring." Elsewhere, principals are filling in as crossing guards, teachers are being offered signing bonuses and schools are moving back to online learning.

Now that schools have welcomed students back to classrooms, they face a new challenge: a shortage of teachers and staff the likes of which some districts say they have never seen.

Public schools have struggled for years with teacher shortages, particularly in math, science, special education and languages. But the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problem. The stress of teaching in the COVID-19 era has triggered a spike in retirements and resignations. Schools also need to hire staffers like tutors and special aides to make up for learning losses and more teachers to run online school for those not ready to return.

Teacher shortages and difficulties filling openings have been reported in Tennessee, New Jersey and South Dakota, where one district started the school year with 120 teacher vacancies. Across Texas, the main districts in Houston, Waco and elsewhere reported hundreds of teaching vacancies at the start of the year.

Several schools nationwide have had to shut classrooms because of a lack of teachers.

In Michigan, Eastpointe Community Schools abruptly moved its middle school back to remote learning this week because it doesn't have enough teachers. The small district north of Detroit has 43 positions vacant  a quarter of its teaching staff. When several middle school teachers resigned without notice last week, the district shifted to online classes to avoid sending in unqualified substitutes, spokeswoman Caitlyn Kienitz said.

You dont want just an adult who can pass a background check, you want a teacher in front of your kids, Kienitz said. This is obviously not ideal, but were able to make sure theyre getting each subject area from a teacher certified to teach it.

According to a June survey of 2,690 members of the National Education Association, 32% said the pandemic drove them to plan to leave the profession earlier than expected. Another survey by the RAND Corp. said the pandemic exacerbated attrition, burnout and stress on teachers, who were almost twice as likely as other employed adults to feel frequent job-related stress and almost three times more likely to experience depression.

The lack of teachers is really a nationwide issue and definitely a statewide issue, said Linda Darling-Hammond, president of Californias State Board of Education.

A school district in California's West Contra Costa County is considering hiring out-of-state math educators to teach online while a substitute monitors students in person.

FILE- In this April 12, 2021, file photo then Superintendent Austin Beutner speaks to teachers at Normont Elementary School in Harbor City, Calif. Now that schools have welcomed students back to classrooms, they face a new challenge: a shortage of teachers and staff the likes of which some districts say they have never seen. Public schools have struggled for years with teacher shortages, but the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problem. (Brittany Murray/The Orange County Register via AP)

This is the most acute shortage of labor we have ever had, associate superintendent Tony Wold said. We opened this year with 50  thats five-zero  teaching positions open. That means students are going to 50 classrooms that do not have a permanent teacher.

There are an additional 100 openings for non-credentialed but critical staff like instructional aides  who help English learners and special needs students  custodians, cafeteria workers and others, Wold said.

Californias largest district, Los Angeles Unified with 600,000 students, has more than 500 teacher vacancies, a fivefold increase from previous years, spokeswoman Shannon Haber said.

Schools try to fill in with substitutes, but they're in short supply, too. Only about a quarter of the pool of 1,000 qualified substitutes is willing to work in Fresno Unified, said Nikki Henry, a spokeswoman for the central California district with 70,000 students and 12,000 staffers.

At Berkeley High School, a shortage of substitutes means teachers are asked to fill in during their prep periods, leading to exhaustion and burnout typically not felt at the start of a school year.

We are absolutely strained. This has been an incredibly stressful start to the year, said Hasmig Minassian, a ninth-grade teacher who describes physical and mental exhaustion as she tries to juggle staffing needs and the emotional needs of students who are showing signs of more mental fragility and learning loss.

It doesnt feel like there are enough adults on these campuses to keep kids really safe. We feel short-staffed in a way weve never felt before, she said. You know the early videos of nurses crying in their cars? I kind of expect those to come out about teachers."

The California shortages range from dire to less severe in places that planned ahead and beat the competition, but those are the minority, said Darling-Hammond of the board of education.

In a new twist, money is not the main problem. School districts have the funds to hire additional staff, thanks to billions in federal and state pandemic relief funding. There just aren't people applying.

Were all competing for a shrinking piece of the pie, said Mike Ghelber, assistant superintendent at the Morongo Unified School District in the Mojave Desert, which has more than 200 openings for special education aides, custodians, cafeteria workers and others. I dont know if everybody is getting snatched up, or if they dont want to teach in the COVID era, but its like the well has dried up.

The district of 8,000 students has ads in newspapers, radio and social media. Teachers are packing now hiring flyers into kids lunchboxes, with a long list of openings so families can spread the word. In the meantime, everyone is pitching in.

Principals and administrators are out being crossing guards. Secretaries are directing traffic because were short on supervisors, Ghelber said.

The shortages raise concerns that schools will hire underqualified teachers, particularly in low-income communities where it's already harder to fill positions, Darling-Hammond said.

Class sizes also are expanding.

Mount Diablo Unified School District, which serves 28,000 students east of San Francisco, has had to fill several elementary school classrooms at the maximum capacity of 32 students. It's not ideal for social distancing but frees up teachers for online school.

About 150 kids initially signed up for distance learning, but with spiking infections blamed on the highly contagious delta variant, the number ballooned to 600 when school reopened. The same happened in Fresno, where enrollment in remote learning exploded to 3,800 from 450.

Superintendent Adam Clark said the Mount Diablo district is offering $5,000 signing bonuses for speech pathologists and $1,500 for paraeducators who help students with learning needs.

San Francisco Unified is offering a similar starting bonus for 100 paraeducator jobs. Nearby West Contra Costa County Unified has set $6,000 signing bonuses for teachers, with a third paid out after the first month and rest when the teacher enters year three.

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Districts in Oklahoma, North Carolina, New Jersey and elsewhere are offering a range of cash incentives for new teachers, particularly in low-income and low-performing schools.

Of a dozen officials interviewed in California districts, only one said it was facing no shortages.

Long Beach Unified, the states fourth-largest district with over 70,000 students, anticipated the need last spring for a hiring spree of about 400 jobs.

We went full aggressive, assistant superintendent David Zaid said, including beefing up human resources for a 24-hour turnaround on contract offers.

A virtual interview team worked through the summer. Recruitment events drew hundreds of applicants, and as HR employees met hiring benchmarks, they got rewards like catered breakfasts and an ice cream truck.

We probably would have experienced the same shortages as others," Zaid said. But we became much more assertive, and as a result, we are not in the same position."
PARIS (AP)  France will send its ambassador back to Washington next week after French President Emmanuel Macron and President Joe Biden agreed in a phone call Wednesday to meet next month over a submarine spat that sent relations between the longtime allies into a tailspin.

FILE - In this June 12, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands during a bilateral meeting at the G-7 summit, in Carbis Bay, England. French President Emmanuel Macron expects "clarifications and clear commitments" from President Joe Biden in a call to be held later on Wednesday to address the submarines' dispute, Macron's office said. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

PARIS (AP)  France will send its ambassador back to Washington next week after French President Emmanuel Macron and President Joe Biden agreed in a phone call Wednesday to meet next month over a submarine spat that sent relations between the longtime allies into a tailspin.

The two heads of state have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence, the Elysee and the White House said in a joint statement. Macron and Biden will meet at the end of October in Europe, the statement said.

In an unprecedented move, France recalled its ambassador after the U.S., Australia and Britain announced a new Indo-Pacific defense deal last week. As part of the pact, Australia will cancel a multibillion-dollar contract to buy diesel-electric French submarines and acquire U.S. nuclear-powered vessels instead.

The French ambassador will have intensive work with senior U.S. officials after his return to the United States, the statement said.

Biden and Macron agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners," it said. Biden conveyed his ongoing commitment in that regard.

Biden reaffirmed in the statement the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.

The European Union unveiled last week a new strategy for boosting economic, political and defense ties in the vast area stretching from India and China through Japan to Southeast Asia and eastward past New Zealand to the Pacific.

The United States also recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense, that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO, the statement said.

No decision has been made about the French ambassador to Australia, who was also recalled last week, the Elysee said, adding that no phone call with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was scheduled.

Earlier Wednesday, Macron's office said the French president was expecting clarifications and clear commitments from Biden, who had requested the call.

French officials described as a crisis of trust last week's announcement of the Indo-Pacific deal, with Macron being formally informed only a few hours beforehand. The move had prompted fury in Paris, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian calling it a stab in the back.

Paris is now calling for acts, not words only," Macron's office said.

Frances European Union partners agreed Tuesday to put the dispute at the top of the blocs political agenda, including at an EU summit next month.

Following the Macron-Biden call, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in New York with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell as the administration worked to repair the damage done to broader EU-U.S. relations by the deal.

Blinken spoke of the need for trans-Atlantic cooperation on any number issues quite literally around the world, to include of course Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific and Europe and beyond.

Borrell, taking note of the phone call, said he hoped to be able to build a stronger confidence among us following the conversation that had been taking place this morning between President Biden and President Macron. Im sure well be working together.

The French presidency categorically denied a report by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper published on Wednesday saying Macron could offer the countrys permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council to the European Union if the bloc backs his plans on EU defense.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson dismissed French anger over the submarine deal, saying French officials should get a grip. Using both French and English words, he added they should give him a "break."

Speaking to reporters on a visit to Washington, Johnson said the deal was fundamentally a great step forward for global security. Its three very like-minded allies standing shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology."

Its not exclusive. Its not trying to shoulder anybody out. Its not adversarial towards China, for instance.

The deal has widely been seen as part of American efforts to counter a more assertive China in the Indo-Pacific region.

____

Jill Lawless in London and Matthew Lee in New York City contributed to this story.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's health minister on Wednesday partly blamed incitement against the government's pandemic rules on social media for the killing of a gas station clerk by a man who refused to wear a face mask.

Police officers secure a gas station in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 19. Police in Germany say a 49-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the killing of the gas station worker who was shot dead Saturday at the station, following a dispute over face masks. (Christian Schulz/Foto Hosser/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP)  Germany's health minister on Wednesday partly blamed incitement against the government's pandemic rules on social media for the killing of a gas station clerk by a man who refused to wear a face mask.

A 49-year-old German man was arrested Sunday over the the fatal shooting a day earlier in the western town of Idar-Oberstein. Authorities said the suspect told officers he rejected the measures against the coronavirus.

It was a cold-blooded murder, Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters in Berlin, noting that the suspect had initially gone home after being refused service for failing to wear a mask, only to return later and shoot the clerk in the head.

The question is, what is the environment, what are the circumstances in which such a crime can occur? he asked. This has a lot to do with the incitement, the hatred, that is posted on social media."

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A Twitter account linked to the suspect followed several prominent far-right politicians, including senior members of the Alternative for Germany party. Posts from the account, which was last used in October 2019, reflect a dislike for immigrants, climate activists and the government.

Media and a police car stand in front of a gas station in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. Police in Germany say a 49-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the killing of the gas station worker who was shot dead Saturday at the station, following a dispute over face masks. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

Spahn said chants of Traitors! heard at anti-lockdown protests during the pandemic could be seen by some as legitimizing violence.

Words eventually always become deeds, he said.

Spahn called on Germans to speak up if friends, relatives or neighbors start spreading conspiracy theories about the pandemic.

We must clearly and decisively say no to any form of pandemic extremism, he said.

Tributes were paid Wednesday to the gas station clerk, a 20-year-old student identified on condolence cards only by his first name, Alex.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House voted Tuesday night to fund the government into early December, suspend the federal debt limit and provide disaster and refugee aid, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Republicans who oppose the package despite the prospects of a looming fiscal crisis.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters as work continues on the Democrats' Build Back Better Act, massive legislation that is a cornerstone of President Joe Biden's domestic agenda, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The House voted Tuesday night to fund the government into early December, suspend the federal debt limit and provide disaster and refugee aid, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Republicans who oppose the package despite the prospects of a looming fiscal crisis.

The Democratic-led House passed the measure by a vote of 220-211, strictly along party lines. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is likely to falter because of overwhelming GOP opposition.

The federal government faces a shutdown if funding stops on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, midnight next Thursday. Additionally, at some point in October the U.S. risks defaulting on its accumulated debt load if its borrowing limits are not waived or adjusted.

Our country will suffer greatly if we do not act now to stave off this unnecessary and preventable crisis, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said shortly before the vote.

The package approved Tuesday would provide stopgap money to keep the government funded to Dec. 3 and extend borrowing authority through the end of 2022. It includes $28.6 billion in disaster relief for the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and other extreme weather events, and $6.3 billion to support Afghanistan evacuees in the fallout from the end of the 20-year war.

While suspending the debt ceiling allows the government to meet financial obligations already incurred, Republicans argued it would also facilitate a spending binge in the months ahead.

I will not support signing a blank check as this majority is advancing the most reckless expansion of government in generations," said Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa.

FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2021, file photo speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters to discuss President Joe Biden's domestic agenda including passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill and pushing through a Democrats-only expansion of the social safety net, the at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Backed by the White House, Democratic congressional leaders pushed ahead at a time of great uncertainty in Congress. Democrats are also trying to gather support for President Joe Bidens broad build back better agenda, which would have a price tag of up to $3.5 trillion over 10 years.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he was not about to help pay off past debts when Biden was about to pile on more. He said since Democrats control the White House and Congress, it's their problem to find the votes.

The debt ceiling will be raised as it always should be, but it will be raised by the Democrats, McConnell said.

In the 50-50 Senate, Democrats will be hard-pressed to find 10 Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.

This is playing with fire," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The Treasury Department has been using extraordinary measures to fund the government since the last debt limit suspension expired July 31, and projects that at some point next month will run out cash reserves. Then, it will have to rely on incoming receipts to pay its obligations, now at $28.4 trillion. That could force the Treasury to delay or miss payments, a devastating situation.

Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, warned if lawmakers allow a federal debt default this economic scenario is cataclysmic.

In a report being circulated by Democrats, Zandi warned that a potential downturn from government funding cutbacks would cost 6 million jobs and stock market losses would wipe out $15 trillion of household wealth.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticizes Republicans as he speaks to reporters after a weekly policy meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Once a routine matter, raising the debt ceiling has become a political weapon of choice for Republicans in Washington ever since the 2011 arrival of tea party lawmakers who refused to allow the increase. At the time, they argued against more spending and the standoff triggered a fiscal crisis.

Echoing that strategy, McConnell is refusing to provide Republican votes, even though he also relied on Democratic votes help raise the debt ceiling when his party had the majority. He explained his current thinking to senators during a private lunch Tuesday.

Still, some GOP senators might have a tough time voting no.

Republican John Kennedy of Louisiana, whose state was battered by the hurricane and who is up for election next year, said he will likely vote for the increase. My people desperately need the help, he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that in our view, this should not be a controversial vote. Psaki said Congress has raised the debt ceiling numerous times on a bipartisan basis, including three times under President Donald Trump.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Democratic chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, was forced to introduce another version of the bill Tuesday after some within the Democratic caucus objected to the inclusion of $1 billion for Israels Iron Dome defense system, which uses missiles to intercept short-range rockets fired into the country.

The Israel defense issue splits Democrats, but DeLauro assured colleagues that money for the weapons system would be included in the annual defense spending bill for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. Hoyer went a step further and said he would bring a bill to the floor this week to replenish the Iron Dome system.

Republicans were highly critical of the change and vowed to stand as allies with Israel.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Democrats were negotiating among themselves over Biden's big build back better package as the price tag likely slips to win over skeptical centrist lawmakers who view it as too much.

Publicly, the White House has remained confident the legislation will pass soon, despite sharp differences among progressives and moderates in the party over the eventual size of the package and a companion $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

There has been a flurry of outreach from the White House to Democrats on Capitol Hill, and Biden himself was given a call sheet of lawmakers to cajole, even though his week was dominated by foreign policy, including his speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

The president has been talking to a wide number of lawmakers beyond his recent meetings with Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., two key centrist votes, according to a White House official familiar with the calls and granted anonymity to discuss them.

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Biden's big initiative touches almost all aspects of Americans' lives. It would impose tax hikes on corporations and wealthy Americans earning beyond $400,000 a year and plow that money back into federal programs for young and old. It would increase and expand government health, education and family support programs for households, children and seniors, and boost environmental infrastructure programs to fight climate change.

With Republicans opposed to Biden's vision, Democrats have no votes to spare in the Senate, and just a few votes' margin in the House.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised a Sept. 27 vote on a companion bill, a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill of public works projects that enjoys widespread support from both parties in the Senate, though House Republicans mostly oppose it.

Even though that bipartisan bill should be an easy legislative lift, it too faces a political obstacle course. Dozens of lawmakers in the Congressional Progressive Caucus are expected to vote against it if it comes ahead of the broader Biden package. And centrists wont vote for the broader package unless they are assured the bipartisan bill will also be included.

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Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  A Canadian mining company has been looking for precious metals on Chichagof Island in southeast Alaska.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  A Canadian mining company has been looking for precious metals on Chichagof Island in southeast Alaska.

Millrock Resources, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based company, several years ago applied to the U.S. Forest Service for drilling permits to renew exploration on claims that once made up the historic Apex and El Nido gold mines.

However, the exploration never happened. CEO Gregory Beischer said the company wasn't able to secure financing.

The mines produced precious metals in the early 20th Century. Some exploration resumed in the 1980s.

But it really has been dormant since the mining activity took place in the 20s and 30s, Beischer told CoastAlaska.

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Millrock has formed a partnership with another company, which has allowed it to take soil samples on claims less than three miles from Pelican, a community with fewer than 100 year-round residents.

The operator of Kensington Mine north of Juneau, which is a subsidiary of Coeur Mining, invested about $200,000 for a small team of geologists based in Pelican.

Beischer said soil sample results are pending. But he said geologists hope they will show that gold-bearing quartz veins continue down the mountain. Taking soil samples doesnt require permits, according to state and federal regulators.

And it will hopefully be encouraging enough for our partner to finance drilling, he said, to test the quartz veins at lower elevations to see if the gold continues.

If they do, the company could apply for renewed permission to drill next year. But Beischer noted not many projects result in the discovery of a deposit that can be mined for profit.

Some of the public land claims were staked by Millrock. But the bulk of the area is on claims held by Apex El Nido Gold Mines, an Alaska company whose primary shareholder is Anchorage attorney Joseph Henri, a former state Department of Administration commissioner.
TORONTO - The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board has signed a deal to buy the parent company of reverse mortgage lender HomeEquity Bank.

TORONTO - The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board has signed a deal to buy the parent company of reverse mortgage lender HomeEquity Bank.

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Financial terms of the deal for HomeQ Corp. were not immediately available.

Ontario Teachers' is buying the company from private equity firm Birch Hill Equity Partners Management Inc. and the other minority shareholders.

HomeEquity Bank offers reverse mortgages which allow homeowners to access the equity in their homes.

Karen Frank, senior managing director of equities at Ontario Teachers', says HomeEquity Bank has a high-quality management team, a solid value proposition for consumers and room to grow their business given Canada's aging population.

The deal is subject to regulatory approvals which are expected in the first half of next year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2021.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Racism, climate change and worsening divisions among nations and cultures topped the agenda Wednesday as leaders from China to Costa Rica, from Finland to Turkey to the United Nations itself outlined reasons why the world isn't working as it should  and what must be done quickly to fix it. Said one country's president: The future is raising its voice at us.

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev is seen on video screens as he addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly remotely, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 at U.N. headquarters. (Spencer Platt/Pool Photo via AP)

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Racism, climate change and worsening divisions among nations and cultures topped the agenda Wednesday as leaders from China to Costa Rica, from Finland to Turkey to the United Nations itself outlined reasons why the world isn't working as it should  and what must be done quickly to fix it. Said one country's president: "The future is raising its voice at us."

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began early last year, more than two dozen world leaders appeared in person at the U.N. General Assembly on the opening day of their annual high-level meeting Tuesday. In speech after speech, the atmosphere was somber, angry and dire.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that "the world has entered a period of new turbulence and transformation." Finland President Sauli Niinisto said: "We are indeed at a critical juncture." And Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada declared: "The future is raising its voice at us: Less military weaponry, more investment in peace!"

Speaker after speaker at Tuesdays opening of the nearly week-long meeting decried the inequalities and deep divisions that have prevented united global action to end the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed nearly 4.6 million lives and is still raging, and the failure to sufficiently tackle the climate crisis threatening the planet.

COVID-19 and climate are certain to remain top issues for heads of state and government. But Wednesdays U.N. agenda will first turn the spotlight on the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the controversial U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery.

The U.S. and Israel walked out during the meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism to racism  a provision that was eventually dropped. Twenty countries are boycotting Wednesdays commemoration, according to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which urged more countries to join them "in continuing to fight racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism."

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev is seen on a video screen as he addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly remotely, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)

Following the commemoration, heads of state will start delivering their annual addresses again in the vast General Assembly hall. Speakers include King Abdullah II of Jordan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Perhaps the harshest assessment of the current global crisis came from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who opened his state of the world address sounding an "alarm" that "the world must wake up."

"Our world has never been more threatened or more divided," he said. "We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes."

"We are on the edge of an abyss  and moving in the wrong direction," the secretary-general warned.

Guterres pointed to "supersized glaring inequalities" in addressing COVID-19, "climate alarm bells ... ringing at fever pitch," upheavals from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Yemen and beyond thwarting peace, and "a surge of mistrust and misinformation (that) is polarizing people and paralyzing societies."

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the pandemic was a reminder "that the entire world are part of a big family."

"But the solidarity test that we were put to failed us miserably," he said. "It is a disgrace for humanity that vaccine nationalism is still being carried on through different methods," and underdeveloped countries and poor segments of societies have been "literally left to their fate in the face of the pandemic."

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks during the annual gathering for the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (Spencer Platt/Pool Photo via AP)

As for the climate crisis, Erdogan said whoever did the most damage to nature, the atmosphere and water, "and whoever has wildly exploited natural resources" should make the greatest contribution to fighting global warming.

"Unlike the past, this time no one can afford the luxury to say, 'Im powerful so I will not pay the bill because climate change will treat mankind quite equally," the Turkish leader said. "The duty for all of us is to take measures against this enormous threat, with a fair burden-sharing."

Romanias President Klaus Iohannis did find something positive from the COVID-19 crisis.

"While the pandemic affected almost all aspects of our lives," he said, "it also provided us with opportunities to learn, adapt and do things better."

Two of the most closely watched speeches on Tuesday were delivered by U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In an Associated Press interview on Saturday, Guterres warned that the world could plunge into a new and probably more dangerous Cold War if China and the United States dont repair their "completely dysfunctional" relationship. "Unfortunately, today we only have confrontation," he said.

Biden said in his U.N. address that the United States was not attempting to be divisive or confrontational.

"We are not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs," he said. "The United States is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges even if we have intense disagreements in other areas."

Speaking later, Xi said disputes among countries "need to be handled through dialogue and cooperation."

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"One countrys success does not have to mean another countrys failure," Xi said. "The world is big enough to accommodate common development and progress of all countries."

By tradition, the first country to speak was Brazil, whose president, Jair Bolsonaro rebuffed criticism of his handling of the pandemic and touted recent data indicating less Amazon deforestation. He said he was seeking to counter the image of Brazil portrayed in the media, touting it as a great place for investment and praising his pandemic welfare program, which helped avoid a worse recession last year.

Bolsonaro said that his government has successfully distributed first doses to the majority of adults, but doesnt support vaccine passports or forcing anyone to have a shot. He has said several times in the past week that he remains unvaccinated. He had COVID-19 last year.

Brazils health minister, Marcelo Quiroga, who was with Bolsonaro, later tested positive for the coronavirus and will remain in isolation in the United States, the government said. Quiroga got his first shot of coronavirus vaccine in January.

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Edith M. Lederer, chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, has been reporting internationally for nearly 50 years. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EdithLedererAP
SYDNEY  Australias two largest cities are moving closer to ending lockdowns as vaccination rates climb, but leaders are warning that people should remain cautious with their newfound freedoms and that coronavirus case numbers will inevitably rise.

A delivery man hands over food order to another at a fence set up block traffic in Vung Tau, Vietnam, Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. The sign at right reads "No non-resident". The roadblocks and barricades make the streets of this southern Vietnamese city look like they did during the war that ended almost 50 years ago. But this time, the battle is being fought against the rampaging coronavirus.(AP Photo/Hau Dinh)

SYDNEY  Australias two largest cities are moving closer to ending lockdowns as vaccination rates climb, but leaders are warning that people should remain cautious with their newfound freedoms and that coronavirus case numbers will inevitably rise.

In New South Wales state, where an outbreak continues to grow in Sydney, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has set a target of reopening on Oct. 11 once vaccination milestones are reached.

But she said Friday it would need to be done with a degree of caution and responsibility because otherwise too many people would end up in hospitals. Meanwhile in Victoria State, where there is an outbreak in Melbourne,

Jackson State University student Kendra Daye, right, reacts as Tameiki Lee, a nurse with the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, injects her with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, in Jackson, Miss., across the street from the university, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. The university in cooperation with Jackson-Hinds, provided vaccinations for community residents, faculty, staff and students, free of charge. The Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning voted last week to ban public universities from requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for students, faculty and staff. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Health Minister Martin Foley said there had been a tremendous increase in vaccinations and there was no shortage of enthusiasm among people wanting to get jabs.

Health officials in New South Wales reported 1,043 new cases and 11 deaths on Friday, while officials in Victoria reported 733 new cases and one death.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

Tameiki Lee, a nurse with the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, loads a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, in Jackson, Miss., across the street from Jackson State University, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. The university in cooperation with Jackson-Hinds, provided vaccinations for community residents, faculty, staff and students, free of charge. The Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning voted last week to ban public universities from requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for students, faculty and staff. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

 Vaccine apartheid: Africans tells UN they need vaccines

 New York state health commissioner resigns, backed Cuomo

 CDC advisers try to work out details on booster shots

 Some Argentines turn to unusual pandemic pets for comfort

German Health Minister Jens Spahn speaks during a news conference on the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. (Annegret Hilse/Pool Photo via AP)

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See all of AP's pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2021, file photo, a syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at the Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pa. An influential panel of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met on Wednesday, Sept. 22, to decide who should get COVID-19 booster shots and when. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea has reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as people returned from the countrys biggest holiday of the year.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said more than 1,750 of the 2,434 new cases reported Friday were from the greater capital area, where officials have raised concern over an erosion in citizen vigilance despite the enforcement of the strongest social distancing rules short of a lockdown since July.

It was expected that transmissions would worsen beyond the capital region during the Chuseok holidays, the Korean version of Thanksgiving which began on the weekend and continued through Wednesday, a period when millions usually travel across the country to meet relatives.

It will be crucial to maintain the effectiveness of our anti-virus campaign throughout next week, when the effect of increased travel during the holidays will manifest more clearly, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said during a virus briefing.

President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual COVID-19 summit during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The restrictions in the Seoul metropolitan area prevents gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. unless the participants are fully vaccinated. Officials have said peoples exhaustion and frustration with social distancing are becoming an increasing challenge in the countrys fight against COVID-19.

The country has now reported a daily increase of more than 1,000 for 80 straight days. Its previous one-day record was 2,221 reported on Aug. 11.

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind.  Indiana State University will require that all students and staff show proof of vaccination by Jan. 1 or be tested each week for COVID-19, the schools president said Thursday.

FILE - Detroit Red Wings left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) waits for the puck to drop during an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Dallas, in this Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, file photo. Bertuzzi is the only unvaccinated Detroit Red Wings player going into training camp and faces the potential of missing all of his team's games in Canada this season as a result, general manager Steve Yzerman said Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)

The announcement by Deborah Curtis is a shift in policy. The university has been encouraging vaccinations this fall but has not made them mandatory. Masks are required indoors.

Some students whose school work takes them off campus must be regularly tested or get the vaccine, starting Oct. 1.

As the pandemic has evolved locally, statewide and across the country, we have remained committed to making decisions based upon guidance from federal, state and local health officials, Curtis said.

More details about the vaccination plan will be released before the end of fall term, she said.

Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center nurse Maggie Bass, right, injects a COVID-19 vaccine into the arm of a Jackson, Miss., resident at a site across the street from Jackson State University, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. The university in cooperation with Jackson-Hinds, provided vaccinations for community residents, faculty, staff and students, free of charge. The Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning voted last week to ban public universities from requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for students, faculty and staff. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Indiana State has 9,400 students.

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SEATTLE - Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday the states eviction protections will remain in place through the end of October because counties arent getting federal and state COVID-19 relief funds intended for rental assistance out fast enough ahead of the current moratorium that was set to expire Sept. 30.

Under an eviction moratorium bridge that Inslee announced in June, landlords were prevented from evicting tenants for any past-due rent owed from Feb. 29, 2020 through July 31, 2021.

FILE - In this March 2, 2021, file photo, a sign is displayed at a COVID-19 vaccination site for employees of the Los Angeles School District, LAUSD, in the parking lot of SOFI Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Public schools have struggled for years with teacher shortages, particularly in math, science, special education and languages. But the pandemic has exacerbated the problem. The stresses of teaching in the COVID-era caused a spike in teacher retirements and resignations. On top of that, schools now have to hire all kinds of additional staff, like tutors and special aides to help kids make up for learning losses, and more teachers to run online school for those not ready to return. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Since Aug. 1, renters have been expected to pay full rent unless they negotiate a lesser amount with their landlord or are actively seek rental assistance. Tenants must also be provided in writing what services and support are available to them and landlords must offer them a reasonable repayment plan before starting the eviction process.

Those protections will now remain in place until Oct. 31.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla.  A Florida school district has received cash from President Joe Bidens administration to make up for state pay cuts imposed over a boards vote for a student anti-coronavirus mask mandate.

Local residents, wearing face masks, light candles before throwing rice on the ground in a ceremony to celebrate Pchum Ben, or Ancestors' Day, at Kob Srov pagoda on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday morning, Sept. 22, 2021. Cambodians on Wednesday began the celebration of the traditional 15-day Pchum Ben festival, while fewer villagers attended the ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Alachua County school Superintendent Carlee Simon said in a news release Thursday the district has received $148,000 through a U.S. Department of Education program.

Simon says Alachua, where Gainesville and the University of Florida are located, is the first district in the nation to receive such a grant.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state education officials have begun cutting salaries paid to school board members in Florida who voted to require masks for students. DeSantis favors allowing parents to decide whether their children wear face coverings and is in the midst of court battles over this broader issue.

About a dozen school boards in Florida, representing more than half the states students, have voted to defy the state ban on mask mandates despite Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to withhold some of their funding.

A volunteer at a vaccination center greets Rear Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo as he arrives at the center in Lisbon, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. As Portugal nears its goal of fully vaccinating 85% of the population against COVID-19 in nine months, other countries want to know how it was able to accomplish the feat. A lot of the credit is going to Gouveia e Melo. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

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RALEIGH, N.C.  More than one-third of the 56,000 North Carolina government employees included in Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers executive order compelling them to get a COVID-19 shot or face weekly testing have not been fully vaccinated, according to new state data.

Law enforcement officials are getting vaccinated at the lowest rates, though the state said it is still processing a large set of data from the Department of Public Safety. Less than 53% of the 21,804 employees within that department who are subject to Coopers directive have been fully vaccinated.

This is substantially lower than the 63% of North Carolina adults who have gotten one Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two Pfizer or Moderna shots, as of Thursday.

Rear Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo gives a Vaccination Task Force patch, like the one he wears on his shoulder, to a family at a vaccination center in Lisbon, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. As Portugal nears its goal of fully vaccinating 85% of the population against COVID-19 in nine months, other countries want to know how it was able to accomplish the feat. A lot of the credit is going to Gouveia e Melo. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Cooper said in a news conference Tuesday that he is particularly concerned by the number of prison officials who have thus far refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Its probably the most concerning because we know theres close quarters and congregated populations there, so we really want to work on those percentages, Cooper said. Right now, were setting up discipline procedures for people who do not do the vaccination or the testing, and there are some employees who are beginning to fall in that category.

The Department of Public Safety is the largest agency covered under Coopers order, followed by the state Department of Health and Human Services, which has three-fourths of its more than 15,000 employees subject to Coopers directive fully vaccinated.

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A boy displays his Covishield COVID-19 vaccination certificate in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. Travelers and authorities from India and many African countries are furious  and confused  about Britains new COVID-19 travel rules, calling them discriminatory. Covishield was added to the U.K.s list of approved vaccines for travelers on Wednesday, but the group of approved public health bodies remained unchanged  meaning the practical effect of the move is limited. Outrage over Covishield was particularly pointed in India, where the vast majority of people have been vaccinated with the shot. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

MONTGOMERY, Ala.  Alabama has averaged more than 100 deaths a day from COVID-19 over the last week, statistics showed Thursday, giving it the nations highest death rate over the period even as hospitalizations linked to the coronavirus pandemic continue to decline.

Statistics from Johns Hopkins University show 106 deaths were reported statewide daily over the last seven days, although some of those could have occurred earlier because of a lag in reporting. Alabamas rate of 18 deaths for every 100,000 people over the last week is far above second-place West Virginia, which had 10 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The increase in deaths come as hospitalizations in the state fell below 1,800 patients for the first time in a month, a change health officials said likely was due to both people getting well and dying.

While more people are getting vaccinated than before the highly contagious delta strain took hold, the state still has one of the nations lowest vaccination rates, and its chief health officer said still more people need to get shots because the risk of getting infected remains high.

FILE - Dr. Howard A. Zucker, commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, speaks during a news conference on coronavirus vaccination at Suffolk County Community College on Monday, April 12, 2021 in Brentwood, N.Y. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says Zucker has submitted his resignation, Thursday, Sept. 23. Zucker was appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as state health commissioner in 2015. He has faced heated criticism over the state's COVID-19 response, particularly in nursing homes.(Michael M. Santiago/Pool via AP)

Increasing vaccine rates remains critical to reduce cases of COVID-19, Dr. Scott Harris, head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, said in a statement Thursday.

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NEW YORK  The inequity of COVID-19 vaccine distribution is coming into sharper focus as many of the African countries whose populations have little to no access to the life-saving shots stepped to the podium to speak at the U.N.s annual meeting of world leaders.

South Africas president Cyril Ramaphosa pointed to vaccines as the greatest defense that humanity has against the ravages of this pandemic.

In this photo taken from video, South Africa's President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa remotely addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded message, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, at UN headquarters. (UN Web TV via AP)

Ramaphosa, speaking by video link, urged U.N. member states to support a proposal to temporarily waive certain intellectual property rights established by the World Trade Organization to allow more countries, particularly low- and middle-income countries, to produce COVID-19 vaccines.

It is an indictment on humanity that more than 82% of the worlds vaccine doses have been acquired by wealthy countries, while less than 1% has gone to low-income countries, he says.

Angola president Joao Lourenco says: These disparities allow for third doses to be given, in some cases. While in other cases, as in Africa, the vast majority of the population has not even received the first dose.

The U.S., Britain, France, Germany and Israel are among the countries administering boosters or have announced plans to do so. Namibia president Hage Geingob called it vaccine apartheid.

The President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan addresses the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York, on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (Timothy A. Clary/Pool Photo via AP)

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OAKLAND, Calif.  The Oakland Board of Education has voted to require students 12 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend in-person school.

The move late Wednesday makes Oakland Unified the first school district in Northern California to adopt a vaccine requirement. The vote comes after Los Angeles Unified, the states largest school district, and the smaller Southern California district of Culver City imposed similar policies for their students this month.

Several other school boards in the San Francisco Bay Area are considering similar measures as schools try to navigate in-person instruction during the pandemic.

A nurse gives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to a youth at a temporary clinic tents at the Unknown soldier square in Gaza City, in Gaza City, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

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ISTANBUL  A Turkish school official is using traditional shadow puppet shows to teach children how to follow COVID-19 restrictions in class, the state-run news agency reported Thursday.

Mehmet Saylan, based in the central Anatolian city of Kirsehir, has been staging Karagoz plays to educate kindergarten and primary school pupils. Karagoz was popularized during the Ottoman period and often contains a moral message.

I cover the issues of masks, distance and hygiene, Saylan, 39, told Anadolu Agency. The children do what they see and hear in the play with more enjoyment and willingness. The feedback we get from schools is also very positive. The children learn the rules of the pandemic while having fun.

A woman walks near a public sports facilities area taped off as a precaution against the coronavirus in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. The letters read "Outdoor sports facilities are suspended due to COVID-19." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

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NEW YORK  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker has submitted his resignation. Hochul said Thursday that Zucker has agreed to stay on until the state names a new commissioner.

Zucker was appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as state health commissioner in 2015. He has faced heated criticism over the states COVID-19 response, particularly in nursing homes.

Data released by the state earlier this year show 15,800 people living in nursing homes and other long-term care homes in New York have died of COVID-19.

Health officers wearing protective gears help visitors who are waiting in a line to get coronavirus testing at a temporary screening clinic for coronavirus in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. South Korea has reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as people returned from the country's biggest holiday of the year. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Zucker has defended a since-rescinded March 2020 directive that said nursing homes couldnt refuse to admit patients solely because they had COVID-19.

Zucker also faced criticism from health care workers who said the state failed to ensure hospitals and nursing homes had adequate personal protective gear and staffing during the peak of the pandemic in New York.

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FOND DU LAC, Wis.  A 26-year-old Fond du Lac police officer has died of COVID-19 complications, according to his department.

The death of Officer Joseph Kurer on Wednesday came a day after his second child was born, according to a statement from Chief Aaron Goldstein.

Kurer joined the Fond du Lac Police Department in August 2018 and was a member of the Tactical Field Force Team, the Honor Guard Unit, Domestic Violence Intervention Team and was certified as a field training officer.

Kurer also was a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, according to his department.

___

HELENA, Mont.  Medical providers and Montana residents with compromised immune systems are challenging a state law that prevents employers from mandating vaccines for employees.

They argue the law passed by the 2021 Legislature violates federal requirements for safe workplaces and reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and want a federal judge to rule it doesnt apply to hospitals and other medical providers.

The Montana Medical Association, private physician groups, a Missoula hospital and seven individuals filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Missoula on Wednesday. The complaint names Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Commissioner of Labor and Industry Laurie Esau as defendants.

Montanas Republican-controlled Legislature passed a law that said requiring vaccines as a condition of employment is discriminatory and violates the states human rights laws. Montana is the only state with such a law.

Knudsens office says he'll defend the law, and is committed to protecting Montanans right to privacy and their ability to make their own healthcare decisions.

The complaint argues the new law prevents medical providers from taking steps to protect employees and patients who have compromised immune systems and violates Occupational Safety and Health Act provisions that require employers to provide workplaces free from hazards.

___

LISBON, Portugal  Portugal is scrapping many of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, after becoming the world leader in the vaccination rollout.

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Portugal has fully vaccinated nearly 85% of the population, according to Our World in Data.

The government says starting Oct. 1, it will remove limits on how many people can be in cafes and restaurants, weddings and baptisms, shopping malls, concerts and cinemas. Bars and discos will reopen, although only for vaccinated people and people with negative coronavirus tests.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa said some restrictions need to stay in place. The wearing of face masks will still be mandatory on public transportation, in hospitals and care homes, and shopping malls. People arriving from abroad by air or sea must still show a vaccine certificate or a negative virus test.

The pandemic isnt over, he said. The risk is still there.

Naval Rear Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo, with his team from the three branches of the armed forces, took charge of the vaccine rollout in February.

Tiago Correia, an associate professor in international public health at Lisbons New University Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, credits the traditional consenting attitude in Portugal toward national vaccination programs. Its vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella is 95% one of the EUs highest  and theres no significant anti-vaccination movement.
OTTAWA - A polling station officer was scared of contracting COVID-19 on Monday because Elections Canada didn't require workers to be fully vaccinated or allow them to request proof of a medical exemption from maskless voters.

A voter casts their ballot at a polling location on election day during the 44th Canadian general election, on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA - A polling station officer was scared of contracting COVID-19 on Monday because Elections Canada didn't require workers to be fully vaccinated or allow them to request proof of a medical exemption from maskless voters.

Mary Rose Amaral said she wanted to participate in democracy by working at a Toronto voting station, despite being immunocompromised with asthma.

The 20-year old university student, who worked for 15 hours on Monday, said she expected Elections Canada to take more precautions to protect its employees while working for long hours in close contact with hundreds of voters.

"I felt that kind of put us workers in an unsafe situation, and in addition to that they weren't requiring any of the workers to get (vaccinated)," she said.

"I kind of thought that it could have been done a little bit better."

Amaral said some voters did not wear masks and claimed to have a medical exemption, but workers were not allowed to ask for proof to confirm they actually had one.

"We actually could not tell people to wear masks because we weren't allowed to, obviously, force people to wear masks, and we had to let them come in and vote if they weren't wearing one," she said.

Arjang Fakhraie said he worked from 8:30 a.m. to midnight at a polling station in the Greater Toronto Area where he screened voters for COVID-19 symptoms and helped in organizing the long lineups outside the location.

He said the two metre-distance rule was effectively forgotten as voters and election workers were much closer to each other.

"Throughout the last two years of the COVID pandemic, if I were to catch COVID, which I haven't, it would have been because of yesterday," he said Tuesday.

"I'm still good, so I haven't caught it yet  I think it was still a rather safe event but it definitely ignored some of the safety measures."

Fakhraie, 28, said all the voters he screened said they hadnt had contact with anyone sick with COVID-19 and hadnt travelled outside of Canada recently but there was no way to confirm that.

"I asked them simple questions: Have you been in contact with anyone with COVID? Have you recently been diagnosed with COVID? Have you travelled outside of Canada? ... It was like 100 per cent of the time, people just nod their heads," he said.

"No one ever said they were in contact with anyone or they travelled outside of Canada."

An Elections Canada spokesman said the agency encouraged voters to wear a mask, and required them where they were required by the province, territory or region or by the landlord of the polling station.

Matthew McKenna said voters who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons were not mandated to wear one and were not asked for a proof except for in polling stations in Alberta schools where proof of exemption is required by the school boards.

"Health measures developed on the advice of public health authorities were in place at the polls," he said.

"Those measures meet or exceed the measures that Canadians encounter on a daily basis in supermarkets, pharmacies and other places in their community."

He said requiring all election workers to be vaccinated would have decreased the number of people who apply for jobs with the agency and that would have jeopardized the operation of the election.

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"Our consultations with public health authorities confirmed that we could deliver a safe election without requiring election workers to be vaccinated," he said.

McKenna said Elections Canada aimed to recruit 215,000 workers on election day, and it was able to meet approximately 93 per cent of that target.

A total of 14,440 polling locations were open across Canada on election day compared with 15,484 voting locations in the 2019 election, he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2021.



This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Elections tend to reveal hard truths about political leaders and parties. This one was no different.

Elections tend to reveal hard truths about political leaders and parties. This one was no different.

The Liberals managed to sustain their minority government by winning a few more seats than they won in 2019. But the failure to win a majority  the main reason Leader Justin Trudeau called this election  confirms that neither party nor leader are quite as smart as they thought they were.

However, in many ways, the truth revealed for Erin O'Toole's Tories on election night is entirely more painful.

CP Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole arrives in Ottawa on the morning after Canada's 44th federal election. (Adrian Wyld / Canadian Press)

Even in an election where the incumbent was significantly weakened and ripe for the plucking, the Tories could not muster enough support outside its rock-solid base to capture the seats necessary to win the election.

The Conservatives had a clear path to victory in this election. However, despite his better efforts to update the platform, O'Toole was significantly slowed down by his party's dogmatic baggage.

The true optimists in the Tory ranks will want people to focus on the fact that, for the second consecutive election, O'Toole's party received more votes than the Liberals. Although noteworthy, that metric doesn't really tell the story this time.

The fact is, when you compare the number of Canadians who voted for progressive parties  Liberal, NDP and Green  with those who voted for the Tories and the People's Party, it becomes clear just how steep the hill is for O'Toole.

The final results will not be available for a couple of days while election officials tabulate nearly one million mail-in ballots. But if we use preliminary results, nearly 8.4 million Canadians voted for progressive or left-of-centre parties compared to about 6.2 million who voted for the Conservatives and PPC.

That gap  more than two million votes and counting  confirms the hardest truth for O'Toole and his party: Canada is simply not as conservative as the Conservative party, and no amount of campaign advertising or canvassing is going to change that reality.

Tories need to ask themselves an important question: is it possible to have a genuinely conservative government but take a more contemporary stand on issues such as abortion and gun control?

That gap  more than two million votes and counting  conforms the hardest truth for O'Toole and his party: Canada is simply not as conservative as the Conservative party, and no amount of campaign advertising or canvassing is going to change that reality.

There is absolutely no doubt the majority of Canadians do not want government to make changes to limit access to abortions, but would like it to limit access to assault-style firearms.

Most Canadians want government to invest more in public health care and do not want people to be able to pay for the privilege of jumping surgical wait lists.

And as far as the pandemic is concerned, the overwhelming majority of Canadians support vaccines and mandates and do not want to vote for a party that won't even divulge the vaccine status of its candidates.

If you lead a political party that is on the wrong side of all those issues, you have very little chance of success in an election. Even when your opponents have opened the door.

However, the results show right-of-centre voters did not rally to O'Toole's cause. Some bolted for the PPC and its incendiary mix of anti-mask, anti-vaccination, anti-immigration and pro-libertarian policies. Others decided to stay home.

Voter turnout was down significantly in every region of the country. But there were some particularly disheartening results for Tories. Even with Trudeau provoking the electorate with an early election call, 800,000 more Canadians voted for the Andrew Scheer-led Conservatives in 2019 than for O'Toole this time around. Why didn't more of those people show up to topple Trudeau?

This is where the Tories are doubly cursed in the current political landscape. Not only do they embrace policies at odds with the majority of Canadians, but any attempt to stray from those core policies tends to spark a backlash.

Some support was siphoned off by the PPC and its more extreme right-wing positions. But in Alberta, Conservatives suffered a double-digit loss in support that translated into one win for the Liberals in Calgary and two for New Democrats in Edmonton. That's only possible if militant Conservatives sat this one out.

Core Tory support is more solid and more resilient than support for any other federal party. But it is also less open to change or nuance.

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When O'Toole introduced a carbon-pricing scheme in the pre-writ period, hard-core Tories raised an eyebrow. And during the campaign, when he proposed worker representatives on the boards of publicly traded companies, his supporters frowned.

And then, when it was revealed that O'Toole had the most expensive platform of any party, you could almost hear devoted Tories rolling their eyes.

That leaves the leader in a no-win position.

He has offered to stay on, and pledged to continue "showing more Canadians that they are welcome in the Conservative Party of Canada." But to actually do that, he somehow needs to convince the core to embrace more moderate, more progressive policies.

Otherwise, the big-tent party O'Toole keeps threatening to build will never be more than half-full.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
Like the whole Prairie region, Manitoba had an excellent COVID-19 experience in July. Daily numbers of new cases reached encouragingly low levels in this province, just as they did in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Like the whole Prairie region, Manitoba had an excellent COVID-19 experience in July. Daily numbers of new cases reached encouragingly low levels in this province, just as they did in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

By the start of September, however, the virus struck back with a vengeance in the two western provinces. Premiers Jason Kenney in Alberta and Scott Moe in Saskatchewan last week announced reimposition of restrictions they had previously lifted. Their hospitals are now desperately looking for ways to care for patients as the beds fill with COVID-19 sufferers in grave danger.

In May, June and early July, Manitoba was flying COVID-19 patients to hospitals in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta because there were simply not enough intensive care doctors, nurses and other staff to care for them in this province. This week, the shoe is on the other foot: Saskatchewan and Alberta health authorities are desperately looking for help.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe had to re-introduce restrictions. (Mark Taylor / The Canadian Press files)

Manitoba currently seems to be sitting pretty compared to its Prairie neighbours, having last week reported less than 100 new COVID-19 cases each day while the new case numbers rose above 400 a day in Saskatchewan and exceeded 2,000 a day in Alberta.

Before Manitobans start feeling superior to their neighbours, however, its worth remembering that this province has often been a little behind the curve experienced in other provinces. Saskatchewan and Alberta may be showing this province the road ahead. Like night-time motorists on an unfamiliar highway, we should keep a close eye on the tail lights ahead of us because were probably headed the same way.

In all three provinces, the pandemic is being sustained by people who refused or neglected to receive the vaccine that is freely and abundantly offered by the public-health authorities. The same is true across Canada and the United States. The majority of people have accepted the advice of scientists and accepted vaccination, but a significant minority form their own opinion and expose themselves and their neighbours to infection.

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That source of infection is a big part of the problem in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Since the same source of infection also resides in Manitoba, we may be in for a bad November echoing the COVID-19 wave that engulfed Manitoba 10 months ago.

CP Proof of vaccination was not required to enter Stampede Park at the Calgary Stampede this summer. (Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press files)

Another part of the problem in Alberta and Saskatchewan is that those governments unwisely relaxed public-health restrictions before the danger was past. The masks came off, the restrictions on size of gatherings were relaxed, the pressure for vaccination was eased. This week, zig has turned back to zag, and the restrictions are back on.

Manitoba, having relaxed too soon last fall and again in the spring, has been more careful in the late summer this time. To the extent that public policy directs the course of the pandemic, Manitoba is better protected at the moment.

Public policy, however, goes only so far in curtailing the disease. That anti-vaxxer, anti-mask minority persists even as public-health restrictions wax and wane. Individual families and businesses still have to make their own estimate of the dangers they face and the risks they are willing to accept.

As a general rule, the advice of professional scientists who make their living fighting infectious diseases has proved sound during this pandemic. The advice of people who surf the internet for the latest quack remedies has not. Manitoba is between waves, but the virus is still among us.

Its incumbent on the provincial government, under its current interim leadership and with a new premier-designate at the helm after Oct. 30, to ensure abundant caution and appropriate public-health measures keep Manitobans safe.
Winnipeg city council members could soon be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Winnipeg city council members could soon be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

A new motion calls for elected officials and their political staff to be fully immunized by Nov. 15.

Coun. Sherri Rollins, who is pushing for the change, said the move will help protect members of the public who visit city hall.

"Folks want our assurances that, when they are participating in democracy at city hall, that everyone (is) double vaccinated. This motion provides (them) comfort," said Rollins, protection committee chairwoman.

The change would help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and avoid needless hospitalizations, the Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry councillor said.

The motion was unanimously approved by councils executive policy committee Tuesday but still requires a full council vote.

If given approval, it would set a first-dose deadline of Sept. 30, and require second doses by Oct. 28, which would ensure everyone is two weeks past their second dose (and thus considered fully immunized) by mid-November.

The City of Winnipeg should ensure all affected politicians and staff are able to work remotely so they wont have to attend the city hall complex if they arent vaccinated within that time frame, Rollins said.

Mayor Brian Bowman spoke in favour of the mandate.

"Ive been double vaccinated and its something that I would encourage, not just my council colleagues, but all Winnipeggers to go (do). Its a way to help protect our community," he told media Tuesday.

If council approves the change, the mayor said it will echo a similar policy recently announced for front-line city staff, that affects those working in public safety, community protection, recreation services, public transportation and public-facing customer service roles. On Sept. 14, the city announced it would also require those workers to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 15.

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When the initial staff mandate was announced, city officials promised to explore options to redeploy and/or offer frequent COVID-19 tests as alternatives for those who are not vaccinated. Work on those options was still underway Tuesday, the city said.

Officials are seeking details from the province on how frequent testing could be used to reduce the risk of unvaccinated people attending city buildings, an option that could also apply to the proposed political mandate, Bowman said.

Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) is the only council member who has confirmed she hasnt received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, citing an undisclosed medical reason.

Santos could not be reached for comment by deadline Tuesday.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
Consistent mask-use could exempt a student or school employee from a self-isolation stint  even if they are deemed a close COVID-19 contact, as the province attempts to limit learning disruptions.

Consistent mask-use could exempt a student or school employee from a self-isolation stint  even if they are deemed a close COVID-19 contact, as the province attempts to limit learning disruptions.

Manitoba has tweaked its case management in K-12 schools that will result in more directives to self-monitor rather than self-isolate, especially among the fully vaccinated population.

Quarantine periods have also been reduced to 10 days from 14.

"We cannot say there is zero risk for kids from COVID-19. There is no real situation in our lives that presents zero risk, but we need to balance that risk," said Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, during a virtual briefing on Tuesday.

"Having children return to in-class learning with as few disruptions as possible is the best thing for youth  not only for educational outcomes, but also for their safety, physical and mental health."

Roussin, who was joined by deputy education minister Dana Rudy, spoke at length about the toll the pandemic has had on youth, noting a decrease in outdoor activity over the last 18 months and a strong link between screen-time and depression and anxiety.

He indicated that 0.9 per cent of cases recorded among youth aged 18 and under in Manitoba  13,829, as of Sept. 6  were hospitalized, while that same rate for residents aged 20 to 29 was 3.5 per cent and 35 per cent for the population aged 80 and older.

It is noteworthy that in-school transmission has been limited, which is why the province has loosened protocols for close contacts, Roussin said. Previously, officials only took into account whether a contact was wearing a medical mask or not when exempting them from self-isolation.

Also during the Tuesday briefing, Rudy shared that unvaccinated staff, volunteers and practicum students will soon be required to take frequent antigen tests via their divisions. When testing supplies arrive, these individuals will be able to do two tests at home and a supervised test at a school site weekly, she said.

The teachers union, which has been working out testing protocols with the school boards association, has made clear that educators should be able to maintain their privacy when it comes to their immunization status.

In-school transmission has been limited, which is why the province has loosened protocols for close contacts, said Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief provincial health officer. (Alex Lupul / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Union president James Bedford said he was happy the province acknowledged the importance of mental health with updated measures Tuesday.

"Youve got to look after the well-being of the student to be successful at educating the student, and the data on student mental health was very concerning," said Bedford, who represents upwards of 16,000 members at the Manitoba Teachers' Society.

The province is providing details to improve transparency, while a new school outbreak definition will allow for consistent reporting, Roussin said.

An outbreak now means three or more school-associated cases have been identified within two weeks in a specified cohort, each one was potentially acquired at school, and the cases are linked to a known case in an educational setting or extracurricular.

Officials chose three cases because it was not uncommon for there to be two unconnected cases in a cohort last year when community transmission was high, said Roussin, adding the province does not want to require unnecessary quarantine periods.

The Manitoba NDP and Liberals denounced the timing of the announcement for creating more confusion.

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"Teachers and school leaders spent all summer getting ready for the school year. Why couldnt the PCs do the same?" New Democrat Nello Altomare said in a statement.

The updated protocols make it easier to "sweep outbreaks under the rug," and do not address the fact that parents have been doing a better job of tracking school cases than officials, Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said in a statement.

Manitobas COVID-19 school dashboard, which is updated twice weekly, indicates there have been 56 school-associated cases since Sept. 7.

There are 69 cases in a public spreadsheet of exposures compiled by an anonymous parent who is doing crowdsourcing via @CovidSchool on Twitter.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
This summer, a team of community health workers set out to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate at a St. James-area Manitoba Housing complex.

This summer, a team of community health workers set out to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate at a St. James-area Manitoba Housing complex.

The effort was part of a pilot project led by the University of British Columbia and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada to raise immunization rates in communities in western Canada experiencing barriers to health care.

The housing complex was identified as having low vaccine uptake after a review of patient records by local family physicians. The team devised a plan to get residents vaccinated, offering a clinic at the low-income housing building.

At the end of the vaccine push, the immunization rate in the complex doubled, organizers estimated.

On Tuesday, the Manitoba government announced it would spend nearly $14 million to expand the pilot program across the province and support physicians and pharmacists providing vaccine outreach.

"We are headed towards a fourth wave, I dont think anyone is denying that, so what we want to do is increase the numbers of vaccinations as quickly as possible," Health Minister Audrey Gordon said during the announcement at Nine Circles Community Health Centre in West Broadway.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Health Minister Audrey Gordon with Premier Kelvin Goertzen at the announcement at Nine Circles Community Health Centre in West Broadway.

Gordon, who was joined by representatives from Doctors Manitoba, Pharmacists Manitoba and the Manitoba College of Family Physicians, said a majority of Manitobans has been vaccinated against COVID-19.

However, she said efforts must continue to reach the 20 per cent who are not fully immunized.

"Now we have a grouping of individuals that are vaccine hesitant, so we have to take a targeted approach to addressing that issue and going to the local community and regional levels to do that," Gordon said.

"Physicians and pharmacists will be able to develop their own strategies to connect with patients in their homes and communities, building on their local knowledge."

A significant part of the outreach program involves developing a "neighbourhood medical model" which can include social support workers, doctors and pharmacists to respond to barriers and concerns that may be delaying immunization, said Dr. Karen Appel, a director with the Manitoba College of Family Physicians.

"As a result, by working together, by bringing teams together, we have a higher chance of actually being able to convey the messaging that we want to the individuals who have thus far been somewhat hesitant about getting the vaccine," Appel said.

Across Manitoba, at least nine facilitator positions will be funded to lead workshops and spearhead outreach efforts based on local vaccination data. The workshops will be in collaboration with family physicians and community support workers.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Gordon speaks with Kristjan Thompson, president of Doctors Manitoba.

Low immunization rates exist in communities across the province, including in Winkler, which has a vaccination rate of only 40.8 per cent. Neighbouring Stanley has Manitoba's lowest rate at 23.9 per cent.

In Winnipeg, Point Douglas has the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate at 77.3 per cent.

Premier Kelvin Goertzen said outreach programs can produce results, even in the most vaccine-hesitant communities where government appeals do not resonate.

"The ability for doctors and pharmacists to proactively engage with Manitobans will make a difference," Goertzen said. "I do think its going to move the dial, I think it will get more people vaccinated and ultimately that is our goal, to keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed, our businesses open, our schools open."

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew called on the Tory government to double its efforts in Manitoba's southern health region, which includes Winkler and Stanley and has a vaccination rate of 65.2 per cent.

Kinew questioned why outreach programs are being announced nine months into the immunization campaign.

"Certainly the government has been getting advice for a long time that they should take action here and I cant help but wonder if there aren't political considerations that are getting in the way here," Kinew said.

"Nows the time for leadership. Nows the time for these MLAs who represent some of these regions with low vaccine uptake to go and talk to people that you represent about why this is so important."

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
SHERBROOKE, Que. - Police in Quebec say they are looking for a man who is alleged to have repeatedly punched a nurse in the face because he was angry she had vaccinated his wife against COVID-19.

Needles are seen filled with the vaccination for COVID-19 at a truck stop along highway 91 North in Delta, B.C., on June 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

SHERBROOKE, Que. - Police in Quebec say they are looking for a man who is alleged to have repeatedly punched a nurse in the face because he was angry she had vaccinated his wife against COVID-19.

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Police say a man between the ages of 30 and 45 approached the nurse on Monday morning at a pharmacy in Sherbrooke, Que., about 150 kilometres east of Montreal.

They say he accused the nurse of vaccinating his wife against her consent and repeatedly punched the nurse before leaving the store.

Police say the nurse had to be treated in hospital for serious injuries to her face.

Quebec's order of nurses tweeted today that the alleged assault was unacceptable and wished the nurse a full recovery.

Sherbrooke police are asking for the public's help in finding the assailant, who they say has short dark hair, dark eyes, thick eyebrows and a tattoo resembling a cross on his hand.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2021.
LANGLEY, B.C.  In the lead-up to Mondays election, Kevin Potschka was concerned the Peoples Party would limit Western Canadas voice on the federal stage.

LANGLEY, B.C.  In the lead-up to Mondays election, Kevin Potschka was concerned the Peoples Party would limit Western Canadas voice on the federal stage.

"The PPC seems like it was made by Trudeau, to take away votes from the Conservatives," said Potschka, who was concerned about COVID-19 vaccination mandates but even more worried about the Liberals getting re-elected.

"If the Conservatives had those votes, they'd totally win."

Potschkas worst fears were realized Monday, when the Liberals picked up his CloverdaleLangley City riding with a 2.3 percentage point win over the Conservative incumbent.

The Peoples Party of Canada candidate drew roughly five per cent of the votes cast in the riding, placing it among a dozen that might have otherwise elected Tories.

Votes were still being counted Tuesday, and its not clear how many PPC voters would have actually cast a ballot for the Conservatives.

Yet the Liberals are returning to power with a minority government and a limited number of western seats, just as the PPC made gains in the region, which is coping with a historic drought, dire COVID-19 numbers and an uncertain future for the oil and gas sectors.

"There are some regional issues that are percolating that Trudeau's got to address," said University of Manitoba political scientist Christopher Adams.

There are some regional issues that are percolating that Trudeau's got to address.  University of Manitoba political scientist Christopher Adams

The 2019 election followed so-called "yellow vest" protests over regulations that thwarted oil-sector expansion.

The Liberals ended up with no available MPs representing Alberta and Saskatchewan to appoint as a cabinet minister, just as a separatist Wexit movement took hold.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tasked Manitoba cabinet minister Jim Carr (Winnipeg South Centre) with taking the pulse of the West for the past two years.

Carr said Tuesday the Liberals are making progress on healing the divide but have more work to do too.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "I believe that a lot of the anger, that was so real in 2019, had dissipated because of our handling of the pandemic," Jim Carr said.

"I believe that a lot of the anger, that was so real in 2019, had dissipated because of our handling of the pandemic," Carr told the Free Press.

"We would all be happier with more seats, but this is a start. It's a base upon which we can build," he said, declining to speculate on how that will be reflected in cabinet.

"It's a much better place than the one we were at, and we'll just continue to be more and more attentive to the special economic realities of Prairie Canada."

The Liberals gained at least one seat in Alberta and others in rural areas near Vancouver. As of Tuesday afternoon, Liberals were leading in Edmonton Centre and neck-and-neck with the Tories in the Manitoba riding of CharleswoodSt. JamesAssiniboiaHeadingley.

We would all be happier with more seats, but this is a start. It's a base upon which we can build.  Liberal Jim Carr (Winnipeg South Centre)

Carr chalked those gains up to good candidates and hard work, but also the disastrous management of COVID-19 in the Prairies.

"The comparison in how the government of Canada dealt with the health crisis, and how Conservative premiers did  I think that contrast probably influenced some," Carr said.

Similarly, he felt those who object to the public health orders endorsed by the mainstream likely drove up PPC support.

The Peoples Party gained support across the West, particularly in parts of southeast Manitoba that have been the sites of anti-vaccine rallies.

SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES The PPC placed second with about 21 per cent of votes in Portage-Lisgar, which aligns with the drop in support for Tory incumbent Candice Bergen, who had 53 per cent of votes Monday.

In PortageLisgar, which includes the city of Winkler, the PPC placed second with about 21 per cent of votes, which aligns with the drop in support for Tory incumbent Candice Bergen, who had 53 per cent of votes Monday.

Next door in Provencher, which includes the city of Steinbach, the PPC earned roughly 17 per cent support, compared with Tory incumbent Ted Falk winning with 49 per cent support.

Adams says its the latest iteration of western resentment toward the powerful centre of the country, which has spurred everything from the Confederation of Regions Party to the United Farmers movement of the 1920s and, most visibly, the Reform Party.

"The PPC taps into a lot of populist, political emotions that weve seen in Western Canada over many years," Adams said.

"It's this thing that percolates every now and then on the Prairies, but this time what assisted it is the pandemic, with people who don't want to wear masks and don't want vaccinations and passports."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba Premier Kelvin Goertzen suggested the PPC might be a passing fad, and hoped thered be entirely different issues in the next federal campaign.

Similarly, Manitoba Premier Kelvin Goertzen suggested the PPC might be a passing fad, and hoped thered be entirely different issues in the next federal campaign.

"I do believe that that division will dissipate as we move through the pandemic," the premier said, noting most votes were for mainstream parties.

"Canadians overall took a look at how the different parties represented themselves and overwhelmingly said that we need to continue to work together to get through this pandemic."

In Langley, Potschka also feels the PPC split would be temporary in B.C. tight races, as his province had just started having restaurants and gyms enforce immunization cards days before the vote.

"As soon as you start separating society, it gets really negchative," said Potschka, whose riding was until recently a Conservative stronghold.

Carr said people who voted for the Peoples Party arent all angry mobs out to break the law or incite people.

"We have to understand that people are alienated and are marginalized, and we have to examine carefully why that is," he said. "This is an issue that is something we all have to look at really seriously, and we will."

 with files from Daniella Da Silva

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  A Kotzebue man was sentenced to 99 years in prison Tuesday in the death of Ashley Johnson-Barr, a 10-year-old whose 2018 disappearance captured national attention.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  A Kotzebue man was sentenced to 99 years in prison Tuesday in the death of Ashley Johnson-Barr, a 10-year-old whose 2018 disappearance captured national attention.

Peter Vance Wilson, 44, had earlier pleaded guilty to charges of murder and sexual abuse as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

Jenna Gruenstein, an attorney with the state Office of Special Prosecutions, argued for the sentence Tuesday, Alaska's News Source reported.

"This is one of the most serious cases that Ill probably see in my career," she said.

Wilsons attorney, Jessica Toft, cried while agreeing with the sentence. She said visiting the playground named in honor of Johnson-Barr showed how the girl's death had affected the community.

Utqiagvik Superior Court Judge Nelson Traverso said the circumstances of the crime were "grave and cannot be diminished."

Traverso said he hoped resolution of the case would provide relief for family, friends and the community of Kotzebue.

"I know it concludes this in one sense, but it doesnt conclude it in another," Traverso said.

Relatives of Johnson-Barr spoke at the hearing. Her father, Scotty Barr, and other family members wore purple shirts with her face on them.

Barr said the epidemic of sexual abuse in Alaska needs to end, along with the rates of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Mona Norton, an aunt to Johnson-Barr, described the trauma of reliving Ashleys death each time friends or family celebrate a birthday.

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Wilson apologized: "I wish I could take back what I did to Ashley. I am very, very sorry."

The Alaska Department of Law said Wilson was sentenced to 198 years, with 99 years suspended. State Attorney General Treg Taylor in a statement said the sentencing "shows that law enforcement in this state will bring to justice those who commit violent crime and sexual abuse in rural Alaska by working collaboratively and with the community. Hopefully this result brings some sense of closure to Ashley Johnson-Barrs family and the people of Kotzebue."

Johnson-Barr disappeared on Sept. 6, 2018. Her remains were found days later in rugged tundra accessible only by a four-wheeler or on foot.

Mourners filled a school gymnasium for Johnson-Barrs funeral and food and other supplies were flown in from across Alaska and donated for a community potluck.

Last year, the Legislature passed a bill declaring March 12 of each year  Johnson-Barr's birthday  as Ashley Johnson-Barr Day.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Donny Olson of Golovin, in a statement describing the bill, said: "Honoring Ashleys life by wearing her favorite color purple, volunteering for child abuse prevention organizations, and celebrating the liveliness and youthfulness of Alaskas children are all appropriate ways to spend Ashley Johnson-Barr Day."
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP)  The man last seen with Kristin Smart before she vanished from a college campus 25 years ago on the Central California coast will stand trial on a murder charge in her suspected death and his father will face a charge as an accomplice for allegedly helping bury her body, a judge ruled Wednesday.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP)  The man last seen with Kristin Smart before she vanished from a college campus 25 years ago on the Central California coast will stand trial on a murder charge in her suspected death and his father will face a charge as an accomplice for allegedly helping bury her body, a judge ruled Wednesday.

San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen said there was probable cause Paul Flores, 44, killed Smart and that Ruben Flores, 80, helped dispose of her body.

FILE - This undated photo released by the FBI shows Kristin Smart, the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo student who disappeared in 1996. (FBI via AP, File)

Paul Flores was the last person seen with a very intoxicated Smart on May 25, 1996, as he helped walk her to her dorm at California Polytechnic State University after a party, witnesses said. Prosecutors said he killed Smart while trying to rape her in his dorm room.

Prosecutors presented evidence that showed Smart's body may have been buried under a deck behind Ruben Flores's home. Prosecutors said the body had been moved from that location and it's never been found.

Van Rooyen said there was "strong suspicion" Smart was murdered and buried under the deck, which was shielded from view by lattice.

FILE - In this April 15, 2021, file photo defendants Paul Flores, top left, and his father, Ruben Flores, bottom right, appear via video conference during their arraignment in San Luis Obispo Superior Court in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The father and son were arrested in connection with the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart, a college student at California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo. A California judge is expected to rule, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, whether the father and son face trial. (AP Photo/Nic Coury, File)

Defense attorneys said prosecutors did not present enough evidence during a 22-day preliminary hearing to support the criminal charges. But van Rooyen said there was probable cause, a lesser standard of proof than beyond a reasonable doubt, which prosecutors will have to prove at trial.

Both men have pleaded not guilty.

During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented evidence that cadaver dogs stopped at Flores room and alerted to the scent of death near his bed.

Archaeologists who used ground penetrating radar and dug up soil beneath Ruben Flores deck said they found indications the ground had been disturbed in a way similar to a gravesite.

Cindy Arrington, an archaeologist with Natural Investigations, Inc., said she found a "clear subsurface disturbance" and "a large anomaly" that was "large enough to fit human remains into," the Tribune of San Luis Obispo reported.

Under cross-examination, she said there were no bones or teeth. Arrington said that she had never examined a burial site where no remains were found. Prosecutors have said the body was moved.

Van Rooyen prevented prosecutors from presenting evidence at the hearing alleging Paul Flores drugged and raped four women and engaged in dozens of acts including stalking, unwanted touching and aggressive sexual behavior.

Some women told police that Flores was referred to as "Chester the molester" and "psycho Paul," the prosecutors said.

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The judge said the evidence had limited relevance to the murder case and risked creating greater prejudice against Flores.

When Flores first spoke with police, he downplayed his interactions with Smart at the party and on the walk home. He said she walked to her dorm under her own power, though other witnesses said Flores was helping hold her up and that she had passed out earlier in the night.

William Hanley, head of the district attorneys investigative bureau in 1996, said Flores eventually stopped cooperating with authorities.

When Hanley asked Flores what he thought happened to Smart, he said she probably left with somebody and "he thinks shes dead," Hanley said.

Defense lawyer Robert Sanger, who represents Paul Flores, said there was no real evidence in the case.

Defense attorney Harold Mesick, who represents the father, said prosecutors tried to paint "lipstick on a pig," KSBY-TV reported.
All about developing people

Wits Hero Dr Lisa Ware has first-hand experience of what can happen when youth are without hope.

As a young adult, she painfully watched as her brother, who had just come into adulthood, went into a downward spiral after losing his job. Coming from a working class background, the family had limited information on what to do with the hopelessness that engulfed him.

With her training in nutrition and health psychology, her research has focused on the prevention of chronic disease. When she came to work in Soweto and heard the stories from youth of how unemployment created major barriers to a healthier life, the experience had a profound impact.

While taking part in the Wits Health Consortium Great Leap Forward (GLF) programme to foster entrepreneurial spirit in academics, Ware a Senior Researcher at the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, with co-founders Lethu Kapueja and Dr Delan Naidoo approached the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). The proposal for a new type of health intervention in Soweto. One that employed youth that were not in employment, education or training (NEET), that provided financial support, health education (NQF3 Health Promotion), positioned youth as advocates for health, and located them within their communities as health agents for change. This innovative health-social-economic development project in Soweto called the Wits Health HUBB opened its virtual doors to NEET Sowetan youth in mid-2020 with support from GLF and DBSA.

One of the major setbacks was the delay of the project which had been in planning for over two years. Originally set to commence around April, the programme didn't start until October 2021. Restrictions in movement and safety concerns meant finding new ways to reach the candidates.

We had to figure out how to change our interview process so that we can find the young people that would benefit most from the programme, says Ware.

Ware and her team were however determined to get the project going especially since the pandemic was waging a war on people and the future seemed bleak, especially for underprivileged youth.

Despite the lockdown and associated regulations threatening the rollout of this project and the multiple challenges of the pandemic, or perhaps because of these, the youth have flourished. The community have welcomed the support of the young health advocates at a time when the health landscape has changed in so many ways. Offering basic health screening, health promotion and health advocacy in the community, the 20 health advocates have reached over 5000 community members in their first year.

Forging ahead

Now entering year two of the programme, and with 30 places available for NEET youth, the Health Hubb have received over 1500 applications from young people highlighting the demand for such programmes. As restrictions lift, the team are hoping to reach more community members through 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile, the team are evaluating the impact of the programme on the health and wellbeing of the young people involved and of the broader community.

Ware is passionate about supporting youth and initiatives to improve health, wellbeing and the futures of youth and the next generations.

I think from a young age, from watching my brother, he was someone who needed support. I don't think he ever got that, he had mental health issues, and he ended up taking his own life, she says.

Connecting science and society gives her the greatest fulfilment but she admits that this isnt easy.

I've felt a greater pressure because of this to do more to raise more funds, do more science, to put in more grants. With the founding partners and since the employment of Ms Mimi Mhlaba as an operations manager (who is also now doing her Masters at Wits and is described by Ware as a superstar!), the Hubb is going from strength to strength. In the next month, the centre of operation in Jabulani will open to the public and the Hubb will have a physical as well as a virtual home. The next phase, working in Jabulani with implementation partners in youth development and digital innovation is exciting.

As academic researchers, the science that we do has to matter. We have to see that what we are creating is of benefit, creating good science, but also having an impact on the broader community, says Ware.

About Wits Heores

The Wits Heroes Series celebrates staff and students who went beyond the call of duty at the onset of Covid-19 in 2020. Wits Heroes were nominated by members of the Wits community.
A couple from Louisiana who were vacationing in Jackson, Wyoming, last month said Wednesday they saw an incident involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie in a restaurant in one of the last sightings of Petito before her death.

Nina Angelo told CNN on Wednesday that she and her boyfriend, Matt England, saw a "commotion" as Petito and Laundrie were leaving The Merry Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant on August 27.

Angelo said Petito was in tears and Laundrie was visibly angry, going into and out of the restaurant several times, continuing to show anger toward the staff around the hostess stand.

The couples' waitress was also visibly shaken by the incident, according to Angelo, who told CNN she did not see any violence or physical altercation between Petito and Laundrie.

A manager at The Merry Piglets told CNN that she did see "an incident" at the restaurant and called the FBI on Wednesday. The manager declined to give CNN her name or describe what happened and said the restaurant did not have surveillance video of the incident.

When asked by CNN whether they had received a tip about Petito and Laundrie's presence at The Merry Piglets, an FBI spokesperson responded, "To protect privacy, we do not comment on contacts that FBI has or has not had with any individuals."

Police in Florida said in a recent search warrant affidavit that Petito's mother received an odd text on August 27 and that it was the last communication from her. Petito, who was chronicling the couple's trip through national parks, also stopped posting to social media at that time.

Petito was first reported missing by her family on September 11 and her remains were found Sunday in Grand Teton National Park. The Teton County coroner in a preliminary autopsy determined the manner of death was homicide but has not disclosed the manner in which she died.

Laundrie, who arrived at his parents' home in North Port, Florida, three weeks ago, has not spoken to police about the case. His parents have told authorities they haven't seen him since last Tuesday.

The FBI has asked for the public's help in locating Laundrie as a task force in Florida has searched a large nature preserve in Venice.

Dive team brought in

A law enforcement underwater dive team joined the effort at the Carlton Reserve in Florida on Wednesday.

A large van and boat from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office arrived midday Wednesday at the reserve, a swampy 25,000-acre reserve in Venice, Florida, where Laundrie told his parents he was headed last week.

The dive team, called the Sheriff's Underwater Recovery Force (SURF), is made up of "highly trained underwater specialists" who are "called upon to search for evidence of crimes and victims of drowning, water accidents and foul play," the sheriff's department website says.

North Port Police said the arrival of the dive team "does not mean anything has been found. It's a part of the overall search process."

The team, made up of about 10 divers, was requested by North Port Police on Wednesday morning, said Sarasota County Sheriff's office spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez.

"These divers are specifically trained and very talented in low visibility bodies of water," Perez said. "They dive down where you and I can't see anything at all. They utilize technology and other special equipment to help them get down deep into really deep bodies of water, so they're out there right now to recover whatever it is that they might find."

The fourth day of searching the reserve ended Wednesday evening, according to officials.

"Nothing found. We will be back out Thursday, similar operation," North Port Police tweeted.

The ongoing search comes as investigators try to piece together what happened to Petito, 22, and Laundrie, 23, on their road trip in a white Ford Transit van through the American West this summer.

Petito's remains were recovered in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Throughout the trip, the couple had posted online regularly about their travels with the hashtag #VanLife, but those posts abruptly stopped in late August. Laundrie and the van -- but not Petito -- went to his parents' home in North Port, Florida, on September 1. Her family, unable to get in touch with her, reported her missing 10 days later.

Laundrie's parents then reported him missing on September 17, saying he had left home three days earlier to go to the reserve and hadn't returned.

The FBI said the bureau would like information from anyone who may have had contact with Petito or Laundrie, anyone who visited the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest between August 27-30 or anyone who may have seen their vehicle.

In the days since she was reported missing, Petito's story has become a national obsession for many, spurring digital detectives to comb through the couple's online trail to try to solve the case. The story has also further highlighted the tens of thousands of missing persons stories that do not garner such intense interest among the public.

Given the national attention on the case, several people have come forward to say they interacted with the couple in late August. And evidence from a 911 call about a "domestic dispute" involving Petito and Laundrie shows the couple's volatile relationship was not as aspirational as their sun-drenched lives on Instagram and YouTube suggested.

Search for Laundrie focused on nature reserve

Investigators have used ATVs, dogs, drones and more as part of their ongoing search for Laundrie at the reserve.

The swampy, wild landscape of the reserve has made the search particularly difficult.

"Please be aware, the Carlton Reserve is a vast and unforgiving location at times. It is currently (waist) deep in water in many areas," police said. "This is dangerous work for the search crews as they are wading through gator and snake infested swamps and flooded hiking and biking trails."

Authorities also searched the family home on Monday after getting a search warrant for the property. FBI agents removed a number of items from the home and towed away a Ford Mustang convertible.

In addition, Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, were questioned at their home by the FBI.

Witnesses tell police about their interactions with the couple

In a series of videos on TikTok, Miranda Baker said she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride on August 29 in Wyoming -- and that he claimed he was camping by himself for multiple days while Petito was back at their van working on social media posts.

Baker said they picked up Laundrie while he was hitchhiking in Colter Bay, Wyoming, which is not far from where Petito's remains were found. He offered to pay $200 for the ride before he even got in the car, she said.

In her TikTok videos, Baker said that when Laundrie found out she and her boyfriend were going to Jackson Hole instead of Jackson, he got agitated, asked that the vehicle stop, and got out near the Jackson Dam. She said they dropped him off less than 30 minutes after picking him up.

Baker said she has spoken to law enforcement about the interaction with Laundrie. North Port Police confirmed to CNN that Baker spoke with the department before posting the videos on TikTok.

"Her account is plausible, it appears," North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor said.

CNN has not been able to independently verify Baker's claims. The FBI has not returned CNN requests for comment.

Further, evidence has also emerged suggesting tension was building between the couple.

A man who saw the domestic dispute between Petito and Laundrie in Utah last month said, "They were talking aggressively at each other, and something seemed off."

In a handwritten sworn statement, the witness named Chris -- whose last name was redacted in the document provided by Moab City Police to CNN -- said it appeared that the two were arguing over control of Petito's phone. "At one point she was punching him in the arm and/or face and trying to get into the van."

The witness said he heard Petito say, "Why do you have to be so mean?" although Chris added that he couldn't be sure if the comment was meant to be taken seriously. Moab City Police responded to the incident, and the couple agreed to spend the night apart.

There is also a 911 recording of the incident in Moab on August 12 when police confronted the pair. In the recording from the Grand County Sheriff's Office, a caller reported what he called a "domestic dispute" between a couple.

"We drove by and the gentleman was slapping the girl," the caller says. "Then we stopped. They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off."

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China's Evergrande Group will pay interest due Thursday on one of its bonds, but it's keeping rattled investors guessing about the fate of second, bigger payment due this week.

The troubled Chinese real estate conglomerate said Wednesday in a filing with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange that issues regarding a payment on a domestic yuan bond have been "settled through negotiations."

Many questions remain unanswered, though. Evergrande did not elaborate on the terms of the payment. The amount of interest it owes on the bond is about 232 million yuan ($36 million), according to data from Refinitiv.

Interest worth $83.5 million on a dollar-denominated bond is also due Thursday, though the company has not said anything publicly about what will happen to that payment.

Evergrande is stumbling under $300 billion worth of debt, which is widely held by Chinese financial institutions, retail investors, home buyers and its suppliers in construction, materials and design industries. Foreign investors also hold some of its debt. Over the last few weeks, the company warned investors twice that it could default if it's unable to raise money quickly.

It's not clear whether the company will actually default, or whether Beijing will intervene and orchestrate some other type of restructuring. But the company's failure would likely create aftershocks that could ripple through the financial market and the broader Chinese economy.

Earlier this week, global markets were gripped by fears about Evergrande, as stocks in Hong Kong, New York and other major markets fell.

Hong Kong markets  where Evergrande's stock and some of its bonds trade  were closed on Wednesday for a holiday. Trading was muted in mainland China, which reopened after a two-day holiday. The benchmark Shanghai Composite was up 0.4%, reversing earlier losses.

Investors might have been placated by Evergrande's stock exchange filing, even though it contained little detail.

"There appears to be an acceptance that an Evergrande failure is more a matter of when and not if, and the real question is how any fallout is managed," wrote Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in a report on Wednesday, noting that the company had already missed loan repayments earlier this week.

He added that "the picture on this remains uncertain after a vague statement this morning" about the domestic bond coupons, and noted that Evergrande did not mention anything about the US dollar interest payment due Thursday.

One big question left for Evergrande is whether the Chinese government might be willing to bail the company out. So far, Beijing has remained quiet.

Many analysts believe the government will intervene in some capacity, but that a full bailout is unlikely.

"We do not expect the government to provide any direct support to Evergrande," wrote S&P Global Ratings' analysts in a research note on Tuesday. That's because a government bailout would undermine Beijing's campaign to "instill greater financial discipline in the property sector," they wrote.

Instead of a bailout, the analysts expected the government's focus to be on guiding Evergrande through an orderly debt restructuring or bankruptcy process, while ensuring small investors and home buyers are protected "as much as possible."

"Government support to prevent a default is only likely if contagion risks cause other large developers to fail," they said, adding that they believe the hit to the financial system from Evergrande alone will still be "manageable."

Macquarie Group's economists also expect that the government will make sure Evergrande's pre-sold apartments get done and delivered to homebuyers, but shareholders and lenders could "take a big loss."

 Anneken Tappe contributed to this report.

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The International Energy Agency has called on Russia to supply more natural gas to Europe to help alleviate soaring energy prices.

The Paris-based group said in a statement that while Russia is fulfilling its long-term contracts to European customers, exports are down from their 2019 level. Russia is the European Union's largest supplier of natural gas.

"The IEA believes that Russia could do more to increase gas availability to Europe and ensure storage is filled to adequate levels in preparation for the coming winter heating season," the energy watchdog said. "This is also an opportunity for Russia to underscore its credentials as a reliable supplier to the European market," it added.

Established in 1974 by the world's richest economies in response to an oil embargo by major producers, the IEA monitors global supplies and the transition to sustainable energy sources.

Gas prices have risen sharply across Europe as a result of depleted stocks, a strong recovery in demand, in particular from Asia, and low supplies from Russia. Other factors include a particularly cold and long heating season in Europe last winter, and lower wind energy in recent weeks, according to the IEA. Electricity prices are also soaring.

In a statement to CNN Business, Gazprom, Russia's state-backed exporter of pipeline gas, said that the company has increased gas exports this year to a level "close to the historically recorded high," which was reached in 2018.

"Gazprom supplies gas in accordance with the customers' requests in full compliance with the existing contractual obligations and seeks to satisfy the requests for additional supplies due to the available possibilities," it added.

But the IEA said that the European gas market could face "further stress tests from unplanned outages and sharp cold spells, especially if they occur late in the winter."

The surge in gas, coal and carbon prices in Europe have sent electricity prices to their highest levels in over a decade. In Germany and Spain, prices in September have been around three or four times the averages seen in in the past two years, according to the IEA.

IEA executive director Fatih Birol said it would be "inaccurate and misleading" to blame the increase in natural gas prices on the clean energy transition.

"Well-managed clean energy transitions are a solution to the issues that we are seeing in gas and electricity markets today  not the cause of them," he added.

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More than 50 airlines, oil companies and other companies, including Delta, BP and Boeing, pledged on Wednesday to replace 10% of global jet fuel supply with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2030.

It is one of the boldest commitments yet to tackle the environmental impact of air travel and will require an exponential increase in the production of SAF, which currently accounts for only 0.1% of jet fuel used in commercial aviation.

Produced mainly from recycled food and agricultural waste, such as used cooking oil, SAF is a type of biofuel that cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to conventional jet fuel, and is viewed as critical to reducing aviation's fast-rising carbon emissions.

Given that electric and hydrogen-powered planes won't be available for at least another decade, even for short-haul flights, SAF "holds one of the most important keys to decarbonizing aviation," said Matteo Mirolo, aviation policy officer at Transport & Environment, a green campaign group in Europe.

But SAF's green credentials come at a hefty price, and it's in very short supply. That's what makes Wednesday's announcement from the "Clean Skies for Tomorrow" coalition so ambitious. Other signatories include Airbus, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Shell.

SAF currently costs between two and eight times more than its fossil fuel-based alternative.

In 2019, fewer than 200,000 metric tons were produced globally  less than 0.1% of the roughly 300 million metric tons of jet fuel used by commercial airlines, according to a November 2020 report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and McKinsey, which has also signed up to the pledge as a business that relies on air travel.

The report found that if all publicly announced SAF projects are completed, volumes will reach just over 1% of expected global jet fuel demand in 2030  a fraction of the target unveiled on Wednesday.

"This is a fundamental step up in the industry," said Anna Mascolo, president of Shell Aviation, which this week announced it would produce 2 million metric tons of SAF a year by 2025, or 10 times more than what was produced globally in 2019.

"We need to put more effort into decarbonizing the [aviation] sector," Mascolo told CNN Business, adding that "sustainability will have a price."

Who will pay is unclear. Germany's Lufthansa says fewer than 1% of its passengers currently make use of an option to offset their CO2 emissions by paying more for their tickets to cover the extra cost of using SAF.

According to Mascolo, cargo operators, whose revenues are more resilient than passenger carriers, will play a key role in SAF investments, as will companies that want to offset emissions from business travel.

Fueling demand

The pledge unveiled on Wednesday seeks to send a "strong demand signal" to the market so that fuel producers have more confidence investing into SAF, said Lauren Uppink Calderwood, head of aviation, travel and tourism industries at the WEF, which brought the coalition of companies together.

"We need to see money going into new [SAF] plants," she added, noting that there are currently only about three producing significant volumes, with a further 10 sites expected next year.

To encourage more business travelers to cover the higher costs of SAF, the coalition  which also includes Bank of America, Deloitte, and Boston Consulting Group  has developed a SAF certification system that enables companies to buy SAF to offset their emissions from travel. This is important for companies that have already set net zero emissions targets.

"Carriers alone aren't going to be able to carry the cost burden," Uppink Calderwood said. "If they were to commit to purchasing the fuel they wouldn't be able to sustain their business," she added, saying that the purpose of the coalition is to distribute the risk and cost across the value chain.

A growing number of airlines around the world are already using SAF in their operations, but generally in small amounts blended with standard jet fuel.

Over the past decade, SAF has been used on 360,000 commercial flights, the vast majority of which took place in the past five years, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

IATA estimates forward purchase agreements for SAF will total $13 billion this year, up from just $2.5 billion in 2016. That number could reach $30 billion by 2025, which would still amount to less than a fifth of the global airline industry's jet fuel bill in 2019, according to IATA.

Governments are also adopting policies to promote and even mandate the use of SAF, which experts say will be critical to boosting supply and demand. Norway and Sweden, for example, require that a minimum amount of aviation fuel sold in the countries must be SAF.

SAF mandates have also been proposed in the United Kingdom and European Union, while the current US administration is contemplating incentives to support SAF production, according to a recent Reuters report.

"In 2016 there were two countries that had a SAF policy, now there are 36 countries," said Chris Goater, head of corporate communications at IATA.

"More and more governments are starting to see the benefit of embracing SAF in different ways. Ultimately, that's got to give momentum to some sort of global agreement," he added.

Decarbonizing aviation

The pandemic delivered a sharp cut to aviation's carbon emissions in 2020, but the reduction promises to be temporary.

Global air traffic is expected to double to 8.2 billion passengers in 2037, according to IATA, which predicts that aviation's 2019 emissions peak of around 900 million metric tons of CO2 will be exceeded within the next two to three years.

At the same time, the window to cut the world's reliance on fossil fuels and avoid catastrophic changes to the climate is closing rapidly.

The International Energy Agency forecasts that aviation's share of global carbon emissions will increase to 3.5% by 2030 from just over 2.5% in 2019 in the absence of efforts to further decarbonize.

While the aviation sector has not yet committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050  a goal that some experts say is necessary to align with the Paris climate goals  SAF will nonetheless be critical to helping the industry reach its existing goal of halving carbon emissions by 2050 relative to a 2005 baseline.

That amounts to a threefold reduction on emissions in 2019.

"Aviation has a huge climate problem and if we don't provide it with SAF, it's not going to start solving its problem," said Mirolo at Transport & Environment.

But not all SAF is created equal. There are multiple ways to produce the fuel, not all of which are considered sustainable.

For example, reusable plastics and even some edible oils and sugars generate more CO2 than jet fuel over their lifecycle when burned. There are also concerns that fueling planes with edible material may increase demand for land, putting food security at risk while contributing to deforestation and therefore increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Sustainable aviation fuel can live up to its name only if the feedstock fulfills sustainability criteria," according to the report by the WEF and McKinsey, which lists waste and residue oils, such as used cooking oil and animal fats, as among the more sustainable raw materials.

Other sustainable raw materials include various agricultural and forestry residues and municipal solid waste, although the processes to turn them into SAF are more complex and the technology not yet available at scale.

By far the cleanest means of producing SAF is through combining green hydrogen with carbon dioxide captured directly from the atmosphere to produce synthetic fuel. This is sometimes called e-kerosene or power-to-liquid.

But the technology to develop this is immature and it could take a decade before it is widely available, according to Sami Jauhiainen, vice president of business development at Finland's Neste, currently the world's largest SAF producer.

"We are actively looking at investment opportunities on the e-fuel side," Jauhiainen told CNN Business. He said that the challenge of decarbonizing aviation is such that a range of technologies and feedstocks need to be explored.

"If you look at the urgency we are dealing with in tackling climate change, and the carbon budget we have available to meet a 1.5 degrees Celsius trajectory, we can't wait to have e-fuels," he added.

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Boeing, the largest US exporter, announced plans Wednesday for its first foreign production plant to perform final assembly work.

The plant, to be built in Toowoomba, Australia, will assemble military drones, not commercial jets, which is Boeing's primary business. But it is an interesting step away from the United States for the company.

Boeing's defense, space and security division has been its most solid revenue stream during the difficult past few years for Boeing. The unit has reported $26 billion in revenue every year since 2018, while the company's commercial aircraft revenue plunged $41 billion, or 72%, in the face of the 737 Max crisis and the pandemic.

In 2020 about 83% of that defense business came from the US Defense Department. But the division does have significant foreign clients as well.

A huge part of Boeing's main business comes from overseas. In 2018, the year the aircraft maker posted record revenue of $101 billion, 56% of those dollars came from foreign customers.

Boeing's Australia operations team designed the drone, known as the Loyal Wingman, to be built there. The factory is expected to create 3,500 new full-time jobs by 2028. Currently the Australian Air Force is the only confirmed customer for the drone, but Boeing plans to export it to other military customers around the world.

The news comes on the heels of a separate announcement that Australia intends to build a fleet of nuclear powered submarines with the use of technology being shared by the United States and United Kingdom. That move is seen as an effort by the United States to rein in China's growing military ambitions in the region.

There was a time when US manufacturing giants made all or virtually all of their products in the United States. Boeing is all but alone in making that claim today. For example, General Motors and Ford both build more cars in non-US plants, in countries such as China and Mexico, than they do in the United States.

Part of the reason that automakers and other manufacturers build their products elsewhere, beyond lower labor costs, is to reduce delivery time and expense when selling to foreign markets. That is not as significant an issue for Boeing, which can fly most of the products it makes to its customers.

Boeing already had its largest non-US operation in Australia, with about 4,000 employees, some of them doing pre-assembly work on parts that are shipped to the company's US factories.

It also has a facility in China which was set up to complete the interiors and final painting on the 737 Max commercial jets it is selling there. Part of the reason for locating the plant there was to placate the Chinese government, which must sign off on all jet sales into the country.

But that facility, which opened in late 2018, completed only a single 737 Max before two fatal crashes caused a global grounding of the plane.

Although most countries are again allowing the plane to carry passengers, the 737 Max remains grounded in China. Meanwhile amid the rising trade tensions between China and the United States, Boeing's sales into China have slowed to a trickle.

The-CNN-Wire

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JORDANVILLE, N.Y.  The community is coming together to raise money for the family of 67-year-old Michael Andreev Sr. and 12-year-old Sofia Trusova, who were both murdered at their home in Jordanville on Sept. 19.

Police say Michaels 22-year-old son, Michael Andreev Jr., is the suspect in the case. He is currently hospitalized in Syracuse with a neck laceration but is in stable condition.

According to a GoFundMe page created for the family, two of Michaels other sons had to fly home to make the arrangement and care for their 9-year-old brother, who survived the incident. One of the brothers was overseas in college and the other in Texas at Air Force basic training.

The fundraiser was established to help offset funeral expenses, travel costs and caring for the youngest brother.

No formal charges have been filed yet in this case.
ROME, N.Y.  Rome Health is hosting a career fair where interested applicants can apply right at the hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 29.

There are 92 clinical and non-clinical positions open at Rome Health, and some come with sign-on bonuses, including:

CNAs: $1500

RNs: $3,000-$10,000

X-Ray Tech: $10,000

CT Tech: $10,000

Food Services: $500

Building Services:$500

The minimum wage for entry level positions is $14 an hour.

Candidates hired at the fair can start filling out paperwork and complete drug screens and physicals that same day. An orientation for new hires is scheduled for Oct. 11.
HERKIMER, N.Y.  A jury found 44-year-old Stephen E. Swanton guilty of second-degree murder Wednesday, after he shot a man dead outside his seasonal home in Old Forge in September 2020.

The night of Sept. 5, 2020, Swanton, who is from Rochester, shot two men who had come to his home on Dan-Bar Acres Road to speak with him following an argument at a nearby house party earlier in the day.

Scott Krempler, 50, of Putnam County, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim, 55-year-old William Robertello, of Oriskany, was hospitalized with injuries but survived.

The jury also found Swanton guilty of first-degree assault and two counts of first-degree criminal use of a firearm.

Swanton was facing second-degree attempted murder as well, but was found not guilty on that charge.

Swanton will be sentenced at a later date.

Town of Webb Police Chief Ronald Johnston released the following statement after the guilty verdict was announced:

"As the police chief for the Town of Webb I would like to publicly state that I am overall satisfied and respect the decision made today by a Herkimer County jury. This homicide case was from last September 2020 and occurred on Dan Bar acres road just outside Old Forge.

"In some small way I hope this will bring some closure to the survivors and victims of this awful and senseless act of violence that occurred. We must first never forget victim Scott Krempler who was a 9/11 hero with the City of New York Fire Department, but more importantly a husband and father to a loving family. The sole survivor William (Bill) Robertello along with his family continue to be in our prayers as he faces more surgeries and recovery after being shot in the arms and hip.

"I would like to thank Herkimer County District Attorney Jeff Carpenter who masterfully presented the evidence and testimony which resulted in this outcome at trial. My staff at the Town of Webb Police Department deserves recognition for an excellent response and handling of the scene on the night of the incident along with months of preparation and hearings threrafter. As police chief I would also like to thank the New York State Police Major Crimes Unit, Forensic Investigation Unit and countless investigators that worked tirelessly to bring all the components of this investigation to a successful conclusion.

"Lastly I am confident that our great Old Forge community that I am so proud to be a member of will support these families in the future."
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  The City of West Lafayette is asking for help when it comes to using over 11 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The City hopes residents speak up when it comes to spending the money.

The $11.4 million is just a small amount of the $350 billion given to communities across the United States to help with economic relief.

A few ways the city is looking at spending it includes providing assistance to small businesses and non-profits as well as making investments in water, sewage, and broadband infrastructure.

West Lafayette Mayor, John Dennis, says with a busy community there are several ways that money can improve daily life.

"There are definite ways we can improve the quality of life for our citizens, for our city, and for our community," Dennis told News 18.

Mayor Dennis says getting the public's input is vital to the community.

"That money is going to come in handy for us to be able to assist in the growth and prosperity of our community," he told News 18. "That doesn't mean we are going to be personally writing checks here in the city of West Lafayette, but we are going to look at things that we can do to improve the quality of life."

When it comes to having your voice heard, you just need to prove you have a West Lafayette address.

Click here if you are interested in filling out the survey.

It takes less than 10 minutes to fill out.
A new oval bycatch reduction device might spell relief for diamondback terrapins

A special trap: Michael Gibson 23 gets ready to set a crab trap at a test site off the York River. The team uses special traps equipped with a wire snorkel (right) that allows turtles to get to the surface of the water and breathe. Hes part of a team comparing two designs of devices intended to keep turtles out of the traps of crabbers. Photo by Madeline Reinsel Photo - of - Hide Caption

Diamondback terrapins have always found it hard to catch a break.

Up through the first third of the last century, terrapins were at the top of the list of luxury foods. Joseph Mitchell had a 1930s piece in The New Yorker reporting on a firm in the Fulton Fish Market that sold 2,000 quarts of diamondback terrapin stew a year.

A patchwork of state and federal regulations keep Americas only truly estuarine turtle from being served up as seafood, variously classifying terrapin as endangered, threatened or species of concern throughout the species East Coast range.

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Randy Chambers explains that diamondback terrapins continue to be unintended victims of the seafood industry, as they end up drowning as bycatch in crab traps. Chambers, the director of William & Marys Keck Environmental Field Laboratory, is leading a team thats trying to find a way to keep turtles out of the traps in the first place .

Madeline Reinsel, research assistant at the Keck Lab, explained that terrapins enter the wire traps attracted by the bait set for blue crabs. Like the crabs, the terrapins cant find their way out. Unlike the crabs, the terrapins cant breathe underwater, and they drown in the traps.

Much of the effort to keep terrapins out of traps has been concentrated on bycatch reduction devices, or BRDs. Chambers said that the crabbing community has been resistant to adopt BRDs voluntarily and also has resisted any proposed regulations.

Chambers, Reinsel and two William & Mary undergraduates hope to win over even the most hard-shelled BRD skeptics. This summer, they have been testing a new BRD, designed by Reinsel. Her design has an oval opening, a departure from the usual rectangular BRD.

The oval BRD design was originally dreamed up by J.D. Kloepfer of the Department of Wildlife Resources, who asked me if anyone had ever considered using oval BRDs on crab traps, Chambers said. I thought this was an excellent idea, and decided that it would be useful to compare the efficacy of the oval BRDs vs. rectangular BRDs.

Reinsel created the original 3D print design on Tinkercad, and then worked with students and employees at Swem Librarys Makerspace to print around 50 oval BRDs for use during the summer experiment.

The principle of a BRD is to narrow the oval opening in a crab trap so that crabs  even the jumbos  can enter, but terrapins cant. Chambers explained that there are no good statistics on the toll of crab traps on Virginias terrapin population. Reinsel added that there are several reasons for the dearth of data, beginning with the fact that because any Virginian can run two crab pots without a crabbing license, there is no way of knowing how many recreational crab pots are out there, especially in the shallow, estuarine waters where blue crab and terrapin habitat overlap.

We dont know whether more terrapins are killed by recreational crabbers or by commercial crabbers who venture into shallow waters to crab, Chambers said. Another issue is that commercial crabbers lose a large number of their traps annually because of storms, propellers slicing through float lines, etc. These ghost pots may be death traps for terrapins, especially when the traps get carried into shallow water by storms.

Michael Gibson 23 and Natalie Klesch 23, spent their summer working in the field to collect data for a study comparing rectangular BRDs against the oval design. They received funding from William & Marys Charles Center and Committee on Sustainability for their research; the project itself benefited from support from the PADI Foundation.

Gibson and Klesch worked from a canoe at Indian Field Creek and Felgates Creek in the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station on the York River, an estuary of the Chesapeake Bay. Chambers noted that the group received special permission to conduct the study in areas closed to both commercial and recreational fishing.

The study used traps much like a commercial or recreational crabber  but fitted with a snorkel that allows a trapped terrapin to swim up to the waters surface and breathe. Working with Chambers and Reinsel, Klesch and Gibson tended the traps every day, pulling up the traps, extracting crabs and terrapins, rebaiting and re-setting. They measured their catch  crabs as well as terrapins  and recorded the data.

At the end of the summer, they did a preliminary analysis of the data and presented their findings at the Mid-Atlantic Diamondback Terrapin Working Group conference in late August, Chambers added. Reinsel documented the work in a video, which has been submitted to the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federations film festival.

Preliminary results show that the oval design was just effective as the traditional rectangular designs at terrapin exclusion, but the new design has one significant advantage.

It is much easier to install, Reinsel said, because the oval shape of the funnel lends itself better to an oval BRD. Unless you have very small hands, it can be difficult to install rectangular BRDs in crab traps  its literally, a square peg, round hole phenomenon. It takes about half the time to install an oval BRD vs. a rectangular BRD per funnel.
Anna Yang, a Polish doctoral student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, attends a general knowledge competition in Beijing in 2019. [For China Daily]

When Polish student Anna Kuniczuk was on an exchange program at the University of Helsinki in 2010, she discovered, to her delight, that there were many free language classes available. Due to her interest in the East, she decided to learn Chinese, and that started her relationship with China.

She posted that she was learning Chinese on Facebook, and that attracted the attention of Chinese students at the university. They contacted her, encouraged and helped her to learn Chinese, and invited her to participate in activities like making dumplings. "Chinese people are really friendly. They are not shy, and would like to talk with you. They just have the magic to make you continue learning Chinese," she says.

She also looked online for Chinese native speakers with whom to be language partners, so that she could learn Chinese from them and they could learn English from her. It worked better than expected, as one of them eventually became her husband  when she would become Anna Yang.

In 2013, after graduating from Jagiellonian University with a bachelor's degree in Polish, Yang won a scholarship from the Confucius Institute and went to Beijing Foreign Studies University to major in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages.

"BFSU is very conducive to learning languages. You can always hear students speaking in various languages, and you can easily find a partner with whom to improve your language skills," says Yang.

"More importantly, you can communicate with people from many different countries. People can form stereotypical ideas about people from other countries," she says, adding that such impressions soon vanish amid new friendships.

Fujita Saki, a Japanese classmate of Yang at the university, says: "She is a very active learner. When we, as overseas students, had lessons with Chinese students, she was never too shy to raise her hand and express her ideas in Chinese. She really integrates herself well within Chinese society."

Yang is particularly captivated by Chinese characters. "I never thought learning Chinese was very hard. Chinese characters are very beautiful and each of them carries a story," Yang says. "When learning the characters you also learn a lot about Chinese history, and that is very interesting."

She cites the example of the character ri in Chinese, which means "the sun". The character originated from the shape of a sun, and legends related to it include that of houyi sheri, about an archer, Houyi, who saved the Earth by shooting down nine extra suns. "They contain interesting stories, and such Chinese legends are fascinating to me," she says.

"Maybe it's destiny that I came to China, and I even like eating mooncakes, a traditional Chinese food associated with Mid-Autumn Festival, more than any of my friends, either Chinese or from overseas," she jokes.

After graduating in 2016 and obtaining her master's degree, Yang was recruited by the International Space Science Institute in Beijing, and organized academic seminars and edited academic journals. She got married to her Chinese beau and in 2017, the couple welcomed their daughter.

In 2019, she started to pursue her doctorate at BFSU again. "I already felt that BFSU was a good place when I was a postgraduate student there, so I returned. Teachers here really know how to help their students," says Yang, who is researching second-language acquisition, with her daughter becoming an object of her study.

In the future, she wants to work as a Chinese teacher in Poland.

"I met some people from a Polish university who told me they were in urgent need of Chinese teachers who can speak Polish. Now, such lessons are mainly taught by Chinese people there, and they also want to find some local teachers who can explain the grammar in Polish," Yang says.

"I feel good about my experience teaching Chinese at the Polish embassy in China when I was a postgraduate student, so I want to become a teacher in the future, and I will try to teach Chinese to local people from my perspective."

(Source: China Daily)
Honda has announced an initial annual sales target of 70,000 units for the Prologue SUV, the automakers first new volume battery-electric vehicle (BEV), when it goes on sale in 2024. (Honda)
The search for Gabby Petito's fiance Brian Laundrie resumed today. Here's why it's been so hard to find him
A view from Clwyd Souths Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South constituency Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. (You can view an archive here).

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates writes

I am being contacted by a growing number of constituents who are extremely anxious and worried about the upcoming reduction in Universal Credit.

In just a few weeks, the UK Government will impose the largest reduction to the basic rate of social security since the Second World War. Clwyd South and Wrexham would be among the hardest-hit constituencies in Wales if this 1,000-a-year cut is voted through by MPs  and Wrexham MS Lesley Griffiths and I have recently called on the UK Government to abandon it.

The Welsh Government, along with the UKs other devolved administrations, has also written to the UKs Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions, Therese Coffey, urging her not to withdraw this crucial support for some of the poorest people in society.

As benefits are not devolved to Wales, it is incumbent on Members of the UK Parliament to vote against them. We continue to hear daily soundbites from the Tories at Westminster about levelling up, which all sound pretty hollow when theyre complicit in plunging low-income families into further financial problems.

All but four Welsh constituencies will see over a third of working-age families with children hit by the planned cut  including 42% in Clwyd South.

Along with Lesley Griffiths, I visited the Discretionary Assistance Fund headquarters on Wrexham Industrial Estate last week to hear more about their amazing work.

The Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF) is a Welsh Labour Government initiative that provides urgent grants to people who have nowhere else to turn. The nationwide service is administered by the team in Wrexham, who work with more than 600 partner organisations.

This is a critical time for many local families as we start to look beyond the pandemic. Sadly, rising fuel prices, coupled with Universal Credit cut and the increase to National Insurance, will result in further financial hardship for many local people.

More and more people in our area are feeling the squeeze and I am pleased that the Welsh Government hasnt abandoned those most in need.

Since my last column, the Welsh Government has also announced a new 48m package of funding to support social care in Wales and confirmed social care settings will be provided with free PPE until March 2022.

In addition, the Welsh Government has said businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic will be protected from eviction until March 25 and registered childcare providers will benefit from 100% non-domestic rates relief for a further three years.

Together with volunteers, my team and I have been out delivering my eight-page summer newsletters to thousands of homes across Clwyd South over the past few weeks, and the final few will be out this week. It is also available in digital form, so if you havent received one and would like a copy please email ken.skates@senedd.wales

It was a pleasure to welcome North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin to Llangollen this week. We discussed a range of local issues, as well as Andy and his new deputy Wayne Jones plans to strengthen neighbourhood policing in our communities.

Andy and Wayne will also be focusing on tackling the most serious violent and organised crime, including drug dealing and gangs which prey on vulnerable people.

First Minister Mark Drakeford recently announced an extra 3.7m to fund more Police Community Support Officers in Wales, bringing the total paid for by the Welsh Government to 600, which will dovetail with the Commissioners plans to solidify the link between residents and North Wales Police.

Although responsibility for policing is not devolved to Wales, Welsh Labour pledged to fund more PCSOs before the election in May because of the long-term cuts to police budgets which have affected Welsh communities, including in Clwyd South.

I look forward to working with Andy and Wayne over the next few years.

A North Wales nurse became the first person in Wales to have a third Covid-19 jab as Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board launched its autumn booster campaign.

Anyone, regardless of age, who has not yet had their first two vaccination jabs is able to book online  just follow the link here.

If you need advice or support, please email ken.skates@senedd.wales and include your home address and a contact number. You can also find regular coronavirus updates on my Facebook page and sign up to my weekly newsletters here.





Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South constituency Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. (You can view an archive here).
Welsh Government pays 7k for Goldie Lookin Chain song encouraging people to get Covid jab  as part of overall 32k PR bill

The Welsh Government paid nearly 32,000 towards the cost of a Goldie Lookin Chain song encouraging people to get the Covid vaccine, newly released figures show.

The Newport-based rappers released their new single called Get The Jab Done last month.

According to the PR accompanying its release, the band wrote it after being fully vaccinated by the Welsh NHS and were keen to highlight how getting the life-saving jab is easy and safe.

The music video was filmed in a number of locations, including the Welsh Governments press room in Cathays Park.

Details released in response to a Freedom of Information request show the government spent a total of 31,789 on what it described as partnership activity with the band.

Around 7,000 went to the rappers themselves to cover script writing, performance, filming, social media publication, media interviews and the right to use the videos on government channels.

A larger sum of 13,000 went to Cardiff-based PR firm Golley Slater, who are contracted to support the Keep Wales Safe campaign and helped with filming arrangements and the distribution of the video.

A payment of 10,713 also went to Reach PLC-owned Media Wales which runs the Wales Online website.

The site published an article titled First look at Goldie Lookin Chains hilarious music video Get The Jab Done when the video was released.

The government said the money covered an advertorial article, digital display ads, Facebook campaign, pre-roll video ads, and programmatic display ads. (North.Wales and our sister sites also covered the video appearing  however that was self starting by us as Golley Slater as usual were not in touch, and thus obviously unpaid!)

In the FOI response, it said the aim of the song was to reach people who dont normally engage with mass media or government campaigns to encourage them to get vaccinated.

Although the government said it had final approval on the songs lyrics, the words were written by band members themselves.

The response states: Vaccination is considered one of the key ways to protect yourself and others against Covid and is a key message of the Keep Wales Safe campaign.

As part of the campaign, the Welsh Government uses a number of methods to reach people in Wales who do not usually engage with mass media or government campaigns.

This includes the use of paid-for influencer and partnership activity. The individuals included in this work are not health professionals, but are listened to by the relevant audience group we are trying to target.

When we work with influencers or partners, such as Goldie Lookin Chain, the Welsh Government provide the key messages that we want to communicate.

The influencer or partner will then develop their content, in this case, a song, to include those messages but in their own style and voice.

That way, it is authentic and speaks to their usual audience and followers.
Wrexham Glyndwr celebrates rises in The Sunday Times Good University Guide rankings

Wrexham Glyndwr staff and students are celebrating again as the University moves up another national ranking table.

The highly-regarded The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022 has seen Wrexham Glyndwr rise 14 places this year, and recognised as the best University in Wales for Teaching Excellence, scoring 82 per cent in the student survey.

The national newspapers list is based on an analysis of student satisfaction with teaching quality and their student experience, entry standards, research quality, and graduate prospects.

Since 2018 the guide also includes social inclusion rankings for universities in England and Wales.

The tables are based on key measures to reflect the diversity of their intake and subsequent success when attending university.

This latest acclaim comes little more than a week after Glyndwr rose more than 40 places in the rankings compiled by another national newspaper.

The University moved up more than 40 places in The Guardians University Guide league table, to 66th in the UK, and was again acknowledged for the quality of teaching.

Wrexham Glyndwr was also ranked highest in the UK for Adult Nursing for overall student satisfaction in this years National Student Survey (NSS).

It has also been successful in gaining a Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) tender to launch an exciting raft of new Nursing and Allied Health Practitioner courses.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Maria Hinfelaar said: I am delighted with yet another recognition of the quality student experience we provide at Wrexham Glyndwr University.

This is such good news for our incoming students as well as those already progressing their studies with us, and welcome recognition of the hard work done by staff and the investments we are making.

To find out more about Wrexham Glyndwr University, visit https://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/en/
Canadas Liberals retain power after Mondays federal election. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed to secure a parliamentary majorityhis primary objective in calling a snap election.

With mail-in ballots still being counted, the Liberals have won or are leading in 158 constituencies or seats, the Conservatives have 119 seats, the Bloc Quebecois 34, the New Democrats 25, and the Greens two. A party needs to hold at least 170 seats to command a majority in Canadas 338-seat House of Commons.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, visits the Pfizer pharmaceutical company in Puurs, Belgium, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Frederic Sierakowski)

For the second election running, the Liberals have won less votes than the Conservatives, Canadian big business other traditional party of national government. At the time of writing, the Liberals had won less than a third of all tabulated votes (32.2 percent) and the Conservatives a shade more (34 percent). Yet, as in 2019, due to the vagaries of the first-past-the-post election system, the Liberals hold a more than two-dozen seat advantage over their Conservative rivals.

There are two principal reasons the Liberals retain power. They won a plurality of votes in the two most populous provinces, Ontario and Quebec, were competitive in the third, British Columbia, and did especially well in the Greater Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver urban agglomerations. By contrast, the Conservatives have only pockets of support in Quebec, and their vote comes disproportionately from their strongholds of Alberta and Saskatchewan and in the more rural parts of the country.

Second, and closely related to the first reason, the social-democratic politicians of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and their trade union allies have for years promoted the lie that the Liberals represent a progressive alternative to the Conservatives. The NDP provided the Trudeau Liberal government with the votes it needed to survive in office throughout the last minority parliament. Both immediately prior and after Mondays election, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh served notice that the NDP will continue to partner with and sustain the Trudeau government in office. For its part, Unifor, the countrys largest industrial union, has responded to the election results by calling for the NDP to formally enter a Liberal-led coalition government.

The election campaign was overshadowed by a deadly Delta-variant driven fourth wave of the pandemic. Yet there was no substantive election debate about why Canada has been ravaged by recurring waves of mass infection that have killed more than 27,400 people. Similarly, the ongoing rapid increase in infections and deaths barely registered in the official campaign. This only testifies to the common support from all the parties, stretching from the Conservatives to the NDP, for the ruling class systematic prioritization of profits over lives throughout the pandemic and for the current cross-country reopening of schools for in-class instruction and lifting of all remaining COVID restrictions.

In the dying days of the campaign, Trudeau, for his own electoral gain, did refer to the horrendous situation in Alberta, where hospitals have activated emergency plans and cancelled elective surgeries but are still overwhelmed by a crush of COVID-19 patients. He lambasted the ruinous decision of Albertas United Conservative Party premier, Jason Kenneya close ally of federal Conservative leader Erin OTooleto lift all pandemic-related restrictions earlier this summer, while conveniently ignoring that his government did nothing to oppose it at the time.

The election results are in distorted form a rebuke of the entire political establishment. All of the major parties emerge diminished.

If current trends hold, the Liberals will have won a grand total of one more seat than in 2019, while seeing their share of the popular vote shrink. Three cabinet ministers went down to personal defeat. All this is a far cry from the Liberals expectations of winning a parliamentary majority when Trudeau irresponsibly triggered the election in mid-August as the pandemics fourth wave began to surge.

The Conservatives, with 119 seats, now hold two less than they did after the 2019 election, a result that was viewed as so disappointing that it led to the quick forced exit of Andrew Scheer, who had taken over the party leadership in 2017.

The party did pick up a handful of seats in Atlantic Canada at the Liberals expense, but also lost a smattering of seats in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

OTooles effort, supported by highly favourable media coverage, to portray himself as the leader of a new look, centrist Conservative Party failed spectacularly. His calibrated appeals for more to be done on climate change, claims to support gay rights and the right to abortion, and advocacy of a reactionary pro-worker agenda cribbed from the likes of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Donald Trump could not disguise the fact that he and his party are the most strident advocates of capitalist austerity and beholden to the religious right. The Liberals succeeded to considerable effect in exposing the dog-whistle appeals that OToole made to far-right-spearheaded anti-vaxx, anti-mask forces and gun activists.

It is questionable how long OToole will survive as Conservative Party leader. Much of the Conservative Party parliamentary caucus bitterly opposes OTooles attempts, no matter how fraudulent, to move the party away from the record of the decade-long Stephen Harper government and its Reform Party/Canadian Alliance roots.

The Quebec First Bloc Quebecois managed to gain two seats, increasing its parliamentary representation to 34. But it failed to make substantial inroads into Liberal representation in Quebec, despite the efforts of the provinces right-wing populist CAQ Premier Francois Legault to promote it and the Conservatives as opponents of the centralist Liberals, NDP and Greens. The Blocs campaign was dominated by reactionary nationalist appeals that portrayed it as the only legitimate advocate of Quebec values and the protector (chien de garde) of the chauvinist laws the CAQ government has passed targeting immigrants and religious minorities.

However, it is the trade union-backed NDP that arguably suffered the worst result of all the major parties. Under conditions in which social inequality has skyrocketed during the pandemicdue to the Liberals bailout of the super-rich and corporations and their placing of the millions who lost their jobs on makeshift poverty-level emergency benefitsCanadas social democrats managed to pick up a single seat, for a total of 25. This is little more than half of the seats they won in 2015 at the conclusion of the right-wing campaign they waged under former Quebec Liberal cabinet minister and Thatcherite enthusiast Thomas Mulcair. On Monday, they captured 17.7 percent of the popular vote, a meagre 1.7 percentage point increase from 2019. This is still less than they won in 2015, let alone 2011, when for the first time ever they became the second largest party in parliament.

No doubt some NDP supportersin keeping with the unions Anybody but Conservative campaign and the social democrats own longstanding promotion of the Liberals, the Canadian ruling class traditional party of national government, as fellow progressiveswere persuaded to change their vote to the Liberals as voting day neared, to keep the Conservatives out.

But the principal reason the NDP campaign found so little traction under conditions of the gravest crisis of capitalism since the Great Depression is because of their role in supressing the class struggle and propping up the minority Liberal government. The NDP supported the massive pandemic bailout of the super-rich, the Liberals 70 percent ten-year military spending increase and purchase of new fleets of warships and fighter planes, and the further integration of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces into Washingtons military-strategic offensives around the world. Meanwhile, the NDPs union allies have enforced big business murderous back-to-work/back-to-school pandemic policy. As a result, virtually no worker could take Singhs sudden election campaign conversion into a fierce critic of the wealthy, bank profits, and the Trudeau Liberals calls for minimal tax increases seriously.

Even prior to the vote, Singh followed the same playbook he used during the 2019 campaign by making clear that his party would serve as Trudeaus loyal junior partner going forward. Were not in parliament to make it not work, Singh asserted, under conditions where polls were making clear that a Liberal minority was the most likely election outcome. Im looking to make government work for you. Thats our goal. In light of the NDPs key role in enabling the massive redistribution of wealth from the bottom to the top of society implemented by the Trudeau government during the pandemic, Singhs election night pledge that the NDP will continue fighting for you, just the same way we fought for you in the pandemic appears more like a menacing threat to workers than anything else.

The NDPs leverage will be limited, since it alone does not hold the balance of power in parliament. While Trudeau will be able to rely, as he has since 2019, on NDP support on crucial votes like the Liberals throne speech and budget, he also has the option of securing a majority by partnering with the BQ. And when the national interest of the ruling class demands it, as in ramming through last Aprils law criminalizing the Port of Montreal longshore workers strike, the Liberals can and will join forces with the Tories.

These variable alliances are not merely the product of the arithmetic in a minority parliament. They arise from the interchangeable character of the official parties, which are all right-wing tools of the corporate elite and imperialism. This political reality was acknowledged in the days prior to the election by Bank of Nova Scotia economist Rebekah Young, who told Bloomberg, The Liberals, Conservatives, and NDP are relatively aligned on most issues so we arent flagging big concerns on policy difference.

The virtually unchanged distribution of seats in parliament conceals the fact that the election outcome amounts to a vote of no confidence in the entire political establishment. The initial illusions in the progressive character of Trudeau and the Liberals in 2015, which were and continue to be assiduously promoted by the unions and New Democrats, have largely evaporated. The Conservatives are justly reviled among wide layers of working people as the representative of ruthless austerity, religious bigotry, and reaction. As for the NDP, its deceitful attempt to repackage itself as a fighting force against the super-rich and a rigged economy fell flat. None of these parties managed to generate any popular enthusiasm for their campaigns, and emerge from Mondays vote politically weakened.

Indeed, the only party that can claim to have substantially increased its support is the far-right Peoples Party of Canada (PPC) led by OTooles ex-colleague in the Harper Conservative cabinet, Maxime Bernier. Although the PPC failed to win a parliamentary seat, it won over 800,000 votes and more than tripled its share of the vote from 2019 to 5.1 percent.

The PPCs campaign was boosted by a minority faction of the ruling elite. They are intent on legitimizing and normalizing the PPCs far-right positions, using it to push politics still further right, and to cultivate fascist forces to deploy against the working class under conditions of mounting social crisis. Thus long-time Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson, in a reference to forces like the neo-Nazi AfD in Germany, Italys Fratelli dItalia, and Frances Rassemblement National, argued last week that Bernier and other PPC candidates should be elected to parliament, since [i]n other countries, populist right-wing parties are prominently represented in legislatures.

Despite its failure to pick up a single seat, the growing PPC presence in official politics must serve as a warning as to the type of forces the bourgeoisie will increasingly turn to in order to enforce its class war agenda if the working class fails to intervene with its own independent political program to resolve the health and social crisis at the expense of big business. This has been the experience in other major capitalist countries, above all the United States, where Trump sought to lead a fascist coup to hold onto power in January and continues to build a far-right, extra-parliamentary movement.

The incoming Trudeau government will not be a mere continuation of the previous one. The ruling elite has made clear during the campaign that it wants an end to pandemic-related social support, the ratcheting up of austerity, and for the government to focus on a growth agenda, i.e., increasing profits. The corporations and banks are demanding a wave of deregulation, attacks on worker rights, and further tax exemptions and subsidies for big business to make Canadian capitalism globally competitive. At the same time, the military-security establishment is impatient to press ahead with an even more aggressive rearmament agenda, including through the modernization of NORAD, the joint US-Canada aerospace and maritime defense command, so it can play a more important role in Washingtons incendiary strategic competition with China and Russia.

Workers need their own party to oppose these reactionary class war policies. As the Socialist Equality Party wrote in its election statement, This party must fight to politically unify working people across all racial, regional, linguistic and other artificial divisions promoted by the ruling elite by advancing a socialist and internationalist program. It must implacably reject all forms of identity politics, which express the interests of a small privileged layer of the middle class, and Canadian and Quebec nationalism, the twin ideologies of Canadas ruling elite. That party is the Socialist Equality Party (SEP), the Canadian section of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
Weetabix has been hit by a 48-hour strike action at its two main UK sites by engineers opposing the imposition of fire and rehire contracts which would cut their annual wages by up to 5,000.

Around 80 members of Unite the union are striking at the main site of the US owned food and drink transnational at Latimer Road, Kettering, and at Corby in Northamptonshire.

The strike began Tuesday with picket lines mounted at both sites. Further weekly 48-hour stoppages are scheduled to run every Tuesday up until November 30.

Weetabix workers on the picket line in Corby on Tuesday (credit: Unite East Midlands/Twitter)

The engineers are determined to resist pay cuts and restructuring of their contracts that would roster them to work more days, with the loss of shift allowance, enforced by the threat of dismissal.

The fight against Weetabix cannot be entrusted to Unite, which has worked to demobilise opposition to the companys attack.

Engineers were due to have taken strike action from June 23 against the fire and rehire contracts, to be followed by 24-hour stoppages action every Wednesday throughout the summer. But Unite suspended the strike the day before it was due to take place in favour of entering meaningful talks. The World Socialist Web Site warned earlier that Unite had already shifted from its stated position that withdrawal of the fire and rehire policy was a precondition for any further negotiations. Unite instead agreed that any changes to contracts would be pushed back until September.

Unite has not publicly released the contents of revised proposals that resulted from its in depth negotiations with Weetabix, but they were rejected by a majority of 82 percent in a consultative ballot. It is only because of the dead end Unite led workers down that it has finally called a round of selective strike action.

Weetabix has also been dependent on the services of Unite and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) to undermine any unified fight against the cost cutting agenda of the highly profitable company.

USDAW delayed a strike ballot in a dispute over plans to reduce shift premiums for unsocial hours until after Unite had called off the initial action by engineers against fire and rehire. Workers voted unanimously to strike, but USDAW postponed the action on two occasionsthe first of which was meant to start with a one-day stoppage on August 2. It also manoeuvred with the company to put a proposed agreement which was rejected by its membership. Following a 24-hour strike on August 16, the company agreed to reinstate the 27.5 percent shift pay premium.

USDAW has stated that the issue is now settled, but the company was only forced to relent due to the intransigence of the workers on the production line and shopfloor.

This push back against the company is threatened by USDAW and Unite allowing Weetabix to pursue a divide and rule policy. Rather than function as defensive organisations of workers, the trade unions act as junior partners of the company in policing opposition.

After suspending strike action for three months and handing the initiative to Weetabix, the attempt by Unite to present itself as a staunch opponent of the fire and rehire policy is risible. Newly elected General Secretary Sharon Graham stated, The idea of fire and rehire is abhorrent to me.

If Weetabix decide to go down this route and they overstep the line then I will absolutely defend our members.

The claim by Graham that Unite will prevent the company overstepping the line is a fraud. Weetabix engineers need look no further than the bitter betrayal of their fellow workers in the food and drink industry at the coffee maker, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE), in their fight against fire and rehire.

Only days after Unite suspended strike action at Weetabix, it stepped in to suspend two months of selective strike action by around 300 workers at JDE in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on June 25. This was to pursue back-room talks with the company which resulted in a concession agreement put to JDE workers in late July.

Workers opposing the sellout agreement exposed the claims by Unite that the fire and rehire ultimatum had been withdrawn, and denounced the deal on inferior terms and conditions as a betrayal of everything they were fighting for. It was only though the isolation of their struggle and with a gun pointed to their head that the agreement was rammed through. It entailed annual pay cuts of up to 9,000 and lengthening the working week and day through the introduction of 12-hour shifts.

Graham remained silent on JDE while it was hailed by Unite as an example of another great victory against fire and rehire. Unites false narrative of its record of success depends on the services of the pseudo-left Socialist Party and Socialist Workers Party groups. They hailed Graham as the Workers Candidate in the Unite leadership contest and whitewashed her role in overseeing the sellout of the strikes at British Airways and Go North West buses in Manchester, which were ended by the tearing up of workers terms and conditions as demanded by the corporations.

Unite has organised a media campaign denouncing Greedy Weetabix, claiming that its actions threaten to undermine its customer base and market share as the UKs favourite cereal. While appealing to popular sentiment, this is all to assure the transnational that it is acting to protect its corporate bottom line.

The profits Weetabix has continued to pump out under conditions of a global pandemic in which workers have faced a threat to their lives would have been inconceivable without the complicity of Unite and USDAW. The latest strike action is viewed as an unwarranted intrusion into the unions partnership with the company, and it aims to resume normal service at the earliest opportunity.

Weetabix is owned by Post Holdings Inc, ranked as the third-largest cereal firm in America in 2017. For the three months leading up to December 31, 2020, it reported net income of $113.5 million, up by 11.8 percent, or $12 million from the same period in 2019. The figure for the Weetabix side of its operations was $28.1 million, an increase of 18.6 percent or $4.4 million compared to the same period the year before. The company is the largest cereal manufacturer in the UK, exporting to over 80 countries, and has production facilities in Europe, North America and East Africa with a combined global workforce of 1,800 employees.

The fight against fire and rehire and attempts by the company to claw back workers shift allowances at Weetabix develops within the context of a global restructuring by the food and drinks transnationals, which is provoking widespread resistance. From Coles warehouse workers in Australia, to PepsiCo workers in the US, the working class has fought to take a stand against the demands by the transnational companies to establish new benchmarks of exploitation which have brought them into conflict with the unions and their sellout agreements.

Weetabix workers should form a rank-and-file committee to overcome the divisions enforced by Unite and USDAW. They should reach out to their co-workers internationally to counter the escalating race to the bottom in the name of global competitiveness.

This is the perspective advanced by the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and- File Committees (IWA-RFC). As the founding statement explains, The IWA-RFC will work to develop the framework for new forms of independent, democratic and militant rank-and-file organizations of workers in factories, schools and workplaces on an international scale. The working class is ready to fight. But it is shackled by reactionary bureaucratic organizations that suppress every expression of resistance.

We encourage Weetabix workers to read the statement and contact us to discuss how their fight can be taken forward.
Prime Minister Boris Johnsons trip to the United States has underscored the foreign policy crisis confronting British imperialism in the wake of Brexit, amid the breakup of the post-Cold War order of international relations.

Having angered France and other European powers with the announcement of the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) military pact last Wednesday, signing the UK up to a frontline role in Americas war drive against China, Johnson visited President Joe Bidens White House yesterday in hope of a reward.

He was especially eager to make progress on a new free trade deal, with Britain now outside the European Unions single marketannual trade between the UK and the US was worth 200 billion in 2019. But nothing was forthcoming.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a bilateral meeting with the President of the United States of America in the Oval Office in the White House, Washington DC. 21/09/2021. (Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street/FlickR)

In questions with the media, Biden said noncommittally that he and Johnson were going to talk a little bit about trade today and we're going to have to work that through. Johnson had played down the prospect of a trade deal the day before, refusing to comment on whether an agreement could be reached before the next general election in 2024 and insisting, were going as fast as we can.

After his meeting with Biden, Johnson was left to tout the ending of export bans on British beef and lamb as solid incremental steps in trade.

Biden also repeated his warning to the UK government not to jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland during its Brexit conflict with the European Union. Sitting next to Johnson in the Oval Office, he stressed, We spent an enormous amount of time and effort, the United States, it was a major bipartisan effort made.

And I would not at all like to see, nor I might add would many of my Republican colleagues like to see, a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland.

He told the media he felt very strongly about the issue, earning him the moniker Irish Joe with the Times newspapers political sketch writer. The papers cartoonist commented on the meeting by portraying Johnson as Bidens loyal dog, with the caption, US-UK relations as good as in decades.

Johnsons intention with the AUKUS pact was summed up in a comment on Saturday by Dr Robin Niblett CMG, director and chief executive of Britains influential Chatham House foreign policy think tank. AUKUS, he wrote, reveals much about the new global strategic context. Under the heading America is still back, he argued, The AUKUS announcement showed that Chinas growing hard power is now eliciting a genuinely tough and structural political-military reaction.

Across the Atlantic, it also allowed President Bidenflanked virtually by the British and Australian prime ministersto send the global message that America is indeed back, just three weeks after the ignominious retreat from Afghanistan and chaotic exit from Kabul. And it offered him the opportunity to remind the world that the Indo-Pacific is where the US will be putting its main effort in the future.

He continued, While the US is stepping up, the UK has shown it is in the mix, leveraging opportunities as they arise. Meanwhile, The EU looks like a bystander in comparison and ill-equipped for the geopolitical competition inherent in this new strategic context. The UK and US should, Niblett concluded, reach out to find ways to involve France and its EU partners in a meaningful, shared transatlantic approach to the Indo-Pacific.

In other words, the UK, having detonated the European pillar of its foreign policy with Brexit, is responding to the sharpening US-Europe conflict by placing itself in pole position behind Americas war drive against China. In doing so, it hopes to secure a first share of the spoils in the Indo-Pacific and to use its role in the region as leverage with the European powers.

This policy has been largely supported and justified in the UK media, most bluntly by the BBC, whose Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield wrote on Sunday to advise France on the hard truths delivered by the AUKUS pact and the cancellation of its prior agreement with Australia.

Schofield explained, The French must see there is no point in wailing about having been shoddily treated. They were.

But who ever heard of a nation short-changing its defence priorities out of not wanting to give offence? The fact is that the Australians calculated they had underestimated the Chinese threat and so needed to boost their level of deterrence.

They acted with steely disregard for French concerns but, when it comes to the crunch, that is what nations do.

The traditional right-wing media, enthusiastic supporters of Brexit and ardent campaigners for a hardline anti-Chinese stance, have revelled in this first triumph of Global Britain, the undefined slogan of Johnsons post-Brexit foreign policy. AUKUS has justified the ambition outlined in the Governments Integrated Review for British policy to tilt towards the Indo-Pacific, helped the UK break out of European regionalism, move beyond NATO and the EU, rekindle the special relationship and put itself at the forefront of the development of new military technologies, according to writers in the Daily Telegraph.

Its editors concluded Saturday, The UK is an attractive geopolitical partner, with significant military and diplomatic advantages Mr Macron will just have to get used to that.

Other commentators have been more wary. The Times warned Johnson of the need to repair the transatlantic relationship, but stressed, Confronting Chinas growing assertiveness and threat to western values requires nations to work together. As the main EU strategic actor in the Indo-Pacific region, France has an important role to play.

The Financial Times wrote of trade-offs in rebuffing France particularly when it comes to managing the threat from Russia. The purpose of NATO, so undermined by recent events in Afghanistan, needs now to be reaffirmed.

These criticisms, however, were based on a fundamental agreement with the Johnson governments Indo-Pacific strategy as the only way forward for British imperialism. The Times wrote that the deal, reaffirms links with traditional allies while helping contain an emerging threat from China, while providing Britain the continued assurance that it retains a pivotal place in the defence of the West.

The FTs chief foreign affairs correspondent explained a few days later, Why AUKUS is welcome in the Indo-Pacific. Its main worry over the treatment of France was that Upsetting Paris could also have direct consequences for Washingtons efforts to constrain Beijing.

The loudest note of caution was sounded by the Observer, which editorialised Sunday to accuse Johnson of over-reliance on an unreliable America and of failing to grasp the need to keep the UK and Europe aligned on security, defence and other issues. It warned, Biden promised European partners last summer that post-Trump America was back in terms of transatlantic cooperation. Thats not how it looks now as Paris, Berlin and Brussels contemplate a major rift over the conduct and structure of security policy in the Indo-Pacific.

The papers editors speak for the concern in the British ruling class that the US takes fundamentally the same attitude to the UK as it does to the European powers and that the America First policy declared by Trump and still essentially pursued by Biden will ride roughshod over UK interests when it suits.

Yesterdays events prove these fears well-founded. But so dependent is the UK government on proving itself a loyal ally to the US that Johnson followed up his failed appeals to Biden with a provocative jibe at France.

Asked about the reaction of Paris to the AUKUS deal, Johnson replied with the insulting franglais declaration, I just think its time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break .

Johnsons empty-handed welcome in the US, far from cowing British imperialism, drives it to pursue an increasingly reckless foreign policy in desperate search for a way out of a deepening crisis.
Tomorrow is looming as crunch day for the beleaguered debt-burdened Chinese property developer Evergrande when interest payments on two bonds fall due.

Evergrande is up for a payment of $83.5 million in interest on an 8.25 percent five-year bond and a $36 million payment on another debt on the same day.

China Evergrande Centre [Wikimedia Commons]

Financial markets have priced in the prospect of payment as unlikely with one of its bonds trading at less than 30 percent of its face value. Whatever the outcome of events tomorrow, the prospect of default will continue to hang over the company as, according to the Financial Times, it has $850 million in interest payments falling due before the end of the year.

On Monday the Evergrande crisis triggered significant falls on global share markets with Wall Street experiencing its largest one-day fall since May. At one stage the Dow was down by 972 points before paring back some of the losses to finish down by 614 points, a 1.8 percent decline.

The S&P 500 index dropped by 1.7 percent with the tech-heavy NASDAQ down by 2.2 percent after falling by more than 3 percent at one stage during trading.

The sell-off was halted on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 and the Dow only marginally lower for the day. This was largely on the back of assurances from major finance houses that the Chinese government had the situation under control. As Bloomberg commented: Wall Street analysts are putting their faith in the Chinese Communist Party.

It cited a list of statements to the effect that China was not facing a Lehman moment, a reference to the collapse of the New York investment bank which led to the financial crisis of 2008.

A comment by Judy Zhang of Citigroup was typical of many. We do not see the Evergrande crisis as Chinas Lehman moment given policymakers will likely uphold the bottom line of preventing systemic risk to buy time for resolving the debt risk and push forward marginal easing for the overall credit environment.

But despite these reassurances the Evergrande crisis does have implications for the Chinese financial system and the economy as a whole.

As the Wall Street Journal columnist James Mackintosh commented, Evergrande is the Chinese economy in miniature.

Both have operated for decades on the principle that it was worth borrowing to build, in Evergrandes case mostly housing, in Chinas case not just apartments, but roads, rail, airports and other infrastructure.

The Evergrande debacle was sparked by a decision last month to tighten credit regulations for highly leveraged companies, particularly in the real estate sector. It was motivated by the fear that the escalation of debt, which it had previously encouraged, was getting out of control and had to be scaled back lest it provoke a financial crisis.

The government had for some time been seeking to halt debt accumulation, largely to little effect. But the new regulations, characterised as three red lines, introduced more stringent measures. Financial authorities declared that borrowers had to meet three criteria: the ratio of liabilities to assets had to be less than 70 percent; net debt to equity ratios had to be below 100 percent and cash levels had to be at least equal to short-term debt.

Evergrande failed on all three. Its business model has depended on the continuous inflow of money and the expectation of a continued rise in the price of apartments.

It sold dwellings off the plan, either through a significant deposit or a full payment, and then used the money obtained to finance further projects. The company is reported to have a total of $300 billion in debts with 778 projects under way in 223 cities. It supplemented its cash flow with short-term borrowings, often from firms in the so-called shadow banking system, and even raised money from its own employees to finance day-to-day operations.

For a time, it appeared to be riding an endless property boom and moved into other areas including bottled water, professional sport and electric vehicles. It is now trying desperately to sell of some these assets in order to alleviate its cash-flow crisis.

But with a credit crunch imposed by financial authorities and a falling housing market it is now running out of cash to complete the construction of many apartment block projects.

According to an estimate from Barclays, there are as many as 1.6 million people who have put money into the purchase of apartments they may now never receive.

The crisis is not confined to Evergrande, which has been described as the tip of the iceberg. The credit rating of the property development Fantasia Group was downgraded by the rating agency Fitch earlier this month and Guangzhou R&F has also had its credit rating downgraded. Earlier this year, China Fortune Land Development, a company that specialises in the development of industrial parks in the northern province of Hubei, defaulted. This cost Ping An, Chinas biggest insurer, $3.2 billion.

Morgan Stanley has estimated that property development firms defaulted on $6.2 billion of risky debt in the year to mid-August, more than the previous 12 years combined.

Evidence of the broader crisis in the property market was visible this week when television programs around the world showed videos of 15 uncompleted apartment blocks being demolished because the developers had run out of money to complete them.

Despite assurances that Evergrande will not provoke a financial crisis, at least in the very short term, numerous commentators and analysts have pointed to the flow on effects of the Evergrande crisis both for the Chinese economy and the world economy as a whole. It is estimated that property development and related industries account for more than 25 percent of the Chinese economy.

This is a threat to global growth, Ilya Feygin, a managing director at WallachBeth Capital told the Wall Street Journal. What if things worsen? That means a hit to the financial system in China [and] overall economic activity around the world because of Chinas importance.

The dangers contained in the rise and rise of Evergrande have been known for some time, but the belief has been that the Chinese government would ensure that they were contained. Now that assessment is at least being questioned.

Goldman Sachs analysts have called on financial authorities to send a clearer message on how they intended to stop Evergrande from causing significant spillovers to the rest of the economy. Citigroup said officials may commit a policy error of overtightening and economists at Societe Generale have said there is a 30 percent possibility of a hard landing.

Ding Shuang, an economist at Standard Chartered in Hong Kong said: Even though most people dont expect Evergrande to collapse all of a sudden, the silence and lack of major actions from policy makers is making everyone panic.

In a note published on Sunday, Goldman Sachs economists pointed to the longer-term issues for Chinese property development because of its key role in the economy.

With policy makers showing no signs of wavering on property market deleveraging, the latest headlines regarding Evergrande suggest that housing activity may deteriorate further in the absence of the government providing a clear path towards an eventual resolution, they said.

Some of the companies hardest hit in the stock market selloff triggered by Evergrande have been those involved in the mining and refining of basic metals. And for good reason. Rapid calculations published in the FT noted that the Chinese real estate sector accounts for the consumption of around one-fifth of the world supply of copper and steel.

At the start of the week, iron ore futures in Singapore fell by as much as 11.5 percent to below $100 per tonne. Back in May the ore price was around double this level. Last week iron ore prices fell by 20 percent, in their worst week since the financial crisis of 2008.

This is not entirely due to the Evergrande crisis. But the growing problems in the Chinese property market are feeding into a general assessment that, far from experiencing a bounce-back as governments scrap public health measures to deal with the pandemic, the world economy is entering a downswing.
Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers shot and killed 28-year-old Turell Brown in his apartment in the South Side neighborhood of Englewood late Sunday morning, according to CPD officials. CPD officers were called to the apartment where Brown stayed for a domestic incident, according to police. Brown had just finished a program to become a welder and had celebrated his 28th birthday the Monday before he was killed by police.

His mother, Angela Waide-Brown, was alerted to her sons death soon after by his girlfriend, who was in the apartment when police killed him. She said, You need to come out here because the police just shot your son, Waide-Brown told CBS 2 News, recalling what his girlfriend told her.

Turell Brown (Image Credit: Facebook/Jessica D'Onofrio ABC7)

According to CBS 2, CPD would not explain to Waide-Brown the events that led to them killing her son. Her sons girlfriend allegedly told her that she and Brown had an argument in the lower floor of the apartment building, then moved upstairs where Brown shut the door to the bedroom, and his girlfriend called the police.

Both Browns girlfriend and police claimed that Brown was holding a knife at the time police arrived. When the police opened the door to the bedroom, they told Brown to put the knife down and then opened fire and killed him. Afterward they blocked off the street where he lived.

Waide-Brown spoke out against the use of deadly force by the police in a domestic incident. Even though he and his girlfriend may have had their arguments or whatever, it wasnt a cause for him to lose his life, she told CBS 2. They didnt have to shoot to kill him, she continued, holding back tears. They could have shot him in the arm so he would drop the weapon. They could have shot him in the leg. But they shot him and killed him.

The latest police murder in the third largest city in the US has garnered relatively little press coverage. In spite of this, working-class residents of Chicago have for the most part expressed their support for Browns grieving mother on social media and have condemned the rash of police violence that overwhelmingly plagues the poorest working-class neighborhoods in the city, which include Englewood.

The cops involved in Browns killing have been placed on 30 days of administrative leave. According to the website BlockClubChicago.com, city officials are urging neighbors and witnesses to come forward with any information regarding the shooting and the incident on Sunday which led to his killing.

CPD has kept obstinately quiet since Sundays killing. That they have even refrained from any attempt to justify their actions to the public likely points to the conclusion that the use of deadly force was indeed entirely unjustified.

A press conference with CPD on the shooting scheduled for Sunday afternoon was canceled. Police addressed the killing in a press conference on Monday afternoon, during which they remained tight-lipped and deflected questions about the incident, telling reporters that the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) was investigating it and that the CPD had no further comment on what took place.

At the press conference, CPD Superintendent David Brown stated, officers have yet to give statements. ... it was a domestic incident that we got called to, our officers responded to in a timely fashion and both the victim and the offender of the domestic [call] were still on scene, and we really have to stop there. But all the things that happened in sequence between when officers got there  thats for COPA to investigate. We do know our officer discharged a weapon, we do know the offender is deceased, thats the extent we can go into, because its the purview of COPA to investigate. He concluded, The final decision about the outcome of this investigation is the Police Boards.

The record of COPA and the Chicago Democratic Party has been to shield CPD officers from the consequences of their deadly actions, including the deliberate withholding of evidence from the public. It is not likely that the outcome of the COPA investigation will present the entire truth about Browns death nor bring adequate justice to his family nor will there be consequences for the cops who killed him.

After Chicago police killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo during a foot pursuit in Chicagos Little Village neighborhood in March of this year, COPA essentially shielded the officers who killed him from facing serious consequences. The main outcome of Toledos murder was a proposal for Chicago Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoots office to review CPDs foot pursuit practices. While Superintendent Brown said changes to the policy would be made by summer 2021, such police reform proposals, like most of those supported by the Democratic Party and protest groups like Black Lives Matter, proved to be totally empty as CPD missed the deadline to do so without explanation.

Appeals to Lightfoot are especially bankrupt, given her own history of covering up police brutality and protecting criminal cops in the city, while unleashing police brutality on anti-police violence protesters in the wake of George Floyds murder in 2020.

Lightfoot touted herself as a police reform candidate before her election as mayor in 2019 and has overseen a vast expansion of systematic police brutality. She was promoted by sections of the Democratic Party as the progressive candidate against Cook County Commissioner Toni Preckwinkle in the 2019 mayoral race because she is an openly gay African American woman, characteristics which would supposedly curb police violence and growing social inequality in the city.

A former corporate lawyer, Lightfoot was brought in by former Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2015 to serve as president of the Civilian Police Board and to head a task force aimed at damage control for the CPD and the mayors office over the cover-up of the fatal 2014 shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald by a white cop, Jason Van Dyke, on Chicagos southwest side. During the McDonald investigation, Lightfoots team produced a report that did not reveal anything other than what was already a known fact, that the CPD routinely acts with lethal violence and racism.

One of her recommendations to Emanuel was to replace the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), essentially a new name for the same discredited organization. Lightfoot served as the head of IPRAs predecessor, the Office of Professional Standards (OPS). OPS was replaced by IPRA after it was badly discredited for failing to act against police implicated in the torture ring led by deceased CPD Commander Jon Burge.

Across the US, police kill over 1,000 people every year. The vast majority of victims of police killings, no matter what their race, are working class and poor, like Turell Brown.

Under the Emanuel and Lightfoot administrations and in the wake of the economic crisis sparked by the pandemic, the wealth inequality gap in the city of Chicago has widened and the living standards for working-class residents have become even more desperate.

The 2020 U.S. Census shows that the median household income in the city between 2015-2019 is $58,247, far lower than the state of Illinois median at $65,886 and the US as a whole at $62,843. The poverty rate in the city of Chicago is also incredibly high at 18.4 percent, compared to the state of Illinois at 11.5 percent and the US at 11.4 percent.

The predominantly African American and working-class Englewood neighborhood, where Brown was killed, is considered very low income with an average per capita income of under $28,712 a year, according to data from a University of Illinois at Chicago study published in 2019.

Subsequent Democratic Party administrations have stripped funding for vital services for working-class communities over the past several decades, creating an immense amount of stress for families, while at the same time shifting vast sums of money to corporations and toward police funding. In 2013, following a strike by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) teachers and staff, the district and the Emanuel administration, with the support of the Chicago Teachers Union, sanctioned the closure of 49 public schools, which included many on the citys South Side. The year before that, Emanuel closed half of the citys remaining mental health facilities, which resulted in Chicagos Cook County Jail becoming one of the largest providers of mental health services in the city.

Under these conditions of growing wealth inequality, the Democratic and Republican parties alike are preparing for a massive upsurge of working-class resistance by pouring funding into law enforcement across the country, arming the police with military-grade weapons and training police as killers. It is essential that workers and youth oppose the system in which police carry out brutality with impunity with the understanding of its origins in the capitalist state. Police brutality arises as a form of state-sanctioned violence against the working class by the ruling capitalist class. It can only be ended through the fight for a socialist program that unites workers and youth of all races and ethnicities in a fight against the capitalist system.
The nearly week-long strike by thousands of carpenters in Washington state, centered in the Seattle metro area, has reached a critical juncture. Outraged by the deliberate sabotage of the strike by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters union (UBC), which has kept most carpenters on the job since the walkout began on September 16, rank-and-file workers are seeking to expand the strike to win their demands for pay raises and a reversal of decades of UBC-backed concessions.

After seeing their livelihoods eroded by rising housing and other living expenses and working during a pandemic that has taken a deadly toll on construction workers, carpenters are taking a stand for all building trades workers and the entire working class. But decades of bitter experience and defeated strikes, beginning with the AFL-CIOs betrayal of the 1981 PATCO air traffic controllers strike 40 years ago, proves that militancy and solidarity alone is not enough to defeat the enemies arrayed against the working class.

To take forward this struggle carpenters need the clearest picture of the political forces they confront, new fighting organizations democratically controlled by the rank-and-file, and a strategy to mobilize the broadest sections of the working class to support their fight.

Striking Seattle carpenters (Source: The Peter J. McGuire Group)

Carpenters know they are fighting the Associated General Contractors of Washington (AGC), which is made up of some of the largest and most profitable construction firms in the US, including Turner, Kiewit and Skanska. Along with the AGC are Amazon, Microsoft and other corporations that want their projects completed as quickly and cheaply as possible. Bezos, Gates and other billionaires, who have seen their fortunes rise while nearly 700,000 people have died, fear nothing more than a revolt by the working class against social inequality and the grotesque concentration of wealth.

Behind these corporate giants stand Governor Jay Inslee and both corporate-controlled parties, which have handed trillions in tax cuts and bailouts to big business while cutting unemployment benefits to jobless workers. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and the City Council are not neutral, much less supportive of the striking carpenters. They fear the revolt of the carpenters will encourage other sections of the working class to fight, and that is why union leaders are in meetings right now trying to figure out how to crush the strike.

This nexus of the collaboration between big business, the Democrats and Republicans, and the union executives can be seen most clearly in the Project Labor Agreements (PLA), which have been used to destroy the achievements won by construction workers over generations of struggle.

While forced to sanction the walkout, UBC officials never wanted a strike and are actively working to sabotage and defeat it. Pacific Northwest Carpenters Union Executive-Treasurer Evelyn Shapiro and the national leadership are forcing 10,000 of the 12,000 area carpenters to stay on the job under the no-strike agreements contained in the PLAs and are limiting strikers to ineffective picketing of empty job sites.

UBC and Kings County Labor Council officials have launched a vicious red-baiting campaign against rank-and-file workers and the social media platforms, including The Peter J. McGuire Group, used to organize opposition. UBC officials have threatened militant workers with expulsion from the union, the loss of their jobs and legal and financial retribution for unauthorized picketing and exercising their rights to free speech.

There is only one description for these bureaucrats: they are scabs and company stooges.

Workers do not need permission from Shapiro (salary $259,038), General President Douglas McCarron (2020 salary $519,000) and other UBC executives to fight for their jobs and livelihoods. Like their counterparts in the other building trades unions, they have spent decades selling out workers. Their chief obsession is market share, by which they mean securing the continued flow of dues income and pension contributions into their bank accounts and investment vehicles. To secure this, they must repeatedly prove to the powers-that-be that they can keep workers in a state of industrial servitude.

The revolt of the carpenters is part of a growing wave of struggles in the US and internationally, which is taking the form of a direct struggle against the pro-company unions. This started with the wave of wildcat strikes by teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona in 2018 and the revolt of the maquiladora workers in Matamoros, Mexico in 2019. In the last year alone, Warrior Met Coal miners in Alabama voted down a United Mine Workers-backed contract 1,006 to 45; Volvo Trucks workers in Virginia voted down three United Auto Workers-backed contracts; Frito-Lay and Nabisco workers have rejected pro-company agreements pushed by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM); and Dana auto parts workers voted down a deal by the United Auto Workers by 90 percent.

To the extent, however, that workers have not been able to organize independently of the corporatist unions and expand their struggles, in each case the union bureaucrats were able to regain control, isolate and wear down workers and impose the dictates of the employers.

The phrase We are the union is often used to encourage the illusion that workers can take the unions back from the bureaucrats and reform them. But the unions as organizations were long ago transformed into tools of corporate management and the government. The source of this was not only the corruption and cowardice of the leaders but the very nature of the pro-capitalist and nationalist unions. Incapable of responding in any progressive way to the globalization of capitalist production, the continued existence of these organizations depended on them becoming the enforcers of the ever-greater exploitation of the working class to compete internationally.

Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant, Socialist Alternative and publications like Labor Notes claim the unions can be forced to fight if workers exert enough pressure on them. But bitter experience has shown the more workers fight for what they need, the more the unions and politicians crack down to defend the corporate and financial elite. Every attempt to reform the trade unions, from the Teamsters for a Democratic Union to New Directions in the UAW, has ended in failure for the working class, with the various union reformers incorporated into the labor bureaucracy.

New organizations of struggle, independent of the corporatist unions and the two big business parties, are needed. Rank-and-file committees will share information, ensure democratic discussion outside of the control of the union bureaucracy, and coordinate common action.

Time cannot be wasted through fruitless appeals to the corrupt leaders of other unions, much less Inslee and the Seattle City Council, who all defend the profit interests of the corporations, businesses and investors. Instead, carpenters should organize demonstrations, rallies and mass meetings to appeal to the working class throughout the area to win their struggle. This means mobilizing teachers fighting the criminal reopening of the schools, overworked health care workers in inundated hospitals, and the millions of other workers who want to fight poverty wages and grueling work conditions. The powerful traditions of the 1919 Seattle General Strike should be revived and common action prepared to defend the carpenters against any threats of state intervention.

The World Socialist Web Site, which assisted workers in forming independent rank-and-file committees at Volvo Trucks, Dana and other workplaces is prepared to assist carpenters to form their own committees to unite workers across all trades and geographic regions, develop genuine workers democracy, and carry out an offensive to demand what workers need, not what the companies and unions deem acceptable.

We urge workers who want to share their voices and get involved with this fight to contact us at comments@wsws.org .
Anti-vaccine and extreme right-wing groups have led violent rallies in Melbourne over the last two days, targeting the building industry and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).

On Monday, approximately 400 people rallied outside the CFMEU office in central Melbourne. Prominent fascists were among the crowd, including Avi Yemini and former members of the defunct United Patriots Front. Extreme rightwing social media message groups encouraged people to attend while wearing high-visibility jackets, so as to blend in by posturing as construction workers. Members of criminal bikie gangs were also identified. According to several reports, cartons of beer were delivered and distributed. A layer of construction workers were present, though the CFMEU insisted they comprised less than half of those at the protest.

Damaged CFMEU Melbourne office [credit @tom_tanuki Twitter]

Echoing a rally organised last weekend by the extreme right, the crowd voiced anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine chants, with anti-communist demagogy also prominent.

CFMEU Victorian state secretary John Setka attempted to address the demonstrators but was shouted down and pelted with bottles and crates. Several windows of the union headquarters were smashed by projectiles, and fistfights broke out between protestors and union officials. Riot police then moved in and dispersed the crowd.

On Monday evening, the state Labor government announced it was shutting down non-essential construction for two weeks, citing the violent rally and the growing spread of COVID-19 infections on building sites.

Yesterday, another anti-lockdown, anti-vax rally was staged in central Melbourne. Larger than Mondays event, approximately 2,000 people marched through the city and blocked traffic on the West Gate freeway. Journalists were targeted, with one Channel 7 news reporter hit with a bottle and covered in urine. Demonstrators also clashed with heavily-armed riot police, equipped with new non-lethal weapons recently purchased by the state government. Police fired rubber pellets, pepper balls, and smoke rounds. There were reportedly 63 arrests.

A significant number of the protestors yesterday appeared to be construction workers. Politically, however, the event was again dominated by the extreme right-wing. Fascist agitators were present, again from the United Patriots Front, as well as individuals claiming to be members of the US-based Proud Boys organisation. Another individual flew large flags featuring former US President Donald Trump.

Demonstrators blocking West Gate freeway (Credit @keithlc4eva, Twitter).

The rallies were reactionary events. There is no legitimacy whatsoever to the demand of various fascist, libertarian and conspiracy theory groups for the immediate lifting of the lockdown and other restrictions that are necessary to prevent large scale COVID infection. The virus has killed 4.5 million worldwide, according to the official figures, though the real toll is likely at least twice that. Many more are suffering the effects of long COVID, including chronic fatigue, heart and blood pressure issues, and neurological effects such as debilitating brain fog. Daily infections in Melbourne are rapidly rising, and are about to exceed the peak numbers seen during the July-August 2020 wave.

Nor is there any legitimacy to the anti-vaccine campaign, which rests upon irrationalism and conspiracy theorist fear mongering. The development of the COVID-19 vaccine was a triumph of internationally coordinated scientific research, and its rapid adoption by the worlds population is a vital component of the fight to end the pandemic.

As the World Socialist Web Site Editorial Board has explained: Mass vaccination is an elementary requirement of public health and the self-defence of the working class. Even the presentation of the issue as one of vaccine mandates is false to the core, since it treats the issue of vaccination as if it is some sort of infringement on personal liberty. In fact, no individual has the right to infect others and endanger their lives.  Those who are campaigning against vaccinations by claiming they are an intolerable violation of personal liberty are peddling anarchism and libertarianism, which has nothing in common with the interests of the working class. (Oppose the right-wing campaign against vaccination!)

The working class in Australia understands many of these issues. Lockdowns and other restrictions have been overwhelmingly supported, even in the face of the criminally inadequate provision by federal and state governments of the necessary income, welfare, and health support measures.

At every stage of the pandemic, the ruling class has had to consider the threat of workers taking action to defend their safety, independently of the trade unions that have collaborated with big business and the governments throughout the pandemic. Teachers, health workers, and warehouse workers are among those who threatened to organise independent industrial action via social media to protect their safety, as federal and state governments attempted to force them into unsafe working places.

Construction workers likewise threatened action. At the beginning of the pandemic, in March and April 2020, hundreds of builders denounced the CFMEU for enforcing continued operations in the building sector, despite escalating COVID infections. A worker wrote on the unions Facebook page, in one of hundreds of critical comments that were quickly censored by the bureaucracy, Worker dues before health, its disgusting.

There are about 230,000 construction workers in Victoria, with approximately 30,000 of these members of the CFMEU. Even if most of yesterdays 2,000 demonstrators were construction workers (and this is by no means clear), they represent only a small minority of the workforce.

That this minority has been susceptible to extreme right-wing demagogy on lockdowns and vaccines is primarily due, firstly to the political and media establishments anti-lockdown reopening campaign, and, secondly to the role played by the CFMEU and the trade unions.

On the first issue, Australian state governments, Labor and Liberal, are rapidly moving to permanently junk lockdowns and other health and safety measures, in order to promote economic activity and the greater accumulation of corporate profits. With regard to this agenda, there are no substantive differences between the political establishment and the fascists. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews last weekend bluntly explained that the reopening would push the hospital system to the brink of collapse, while insisting that the population had to accept that, there will be pain, it will be challenging [but] we have to normalise this.

On the second issue, the CFMEU has for decades collaborated with governments and building corporations, delivering industrial peace in return for the bureaucracy being given a privileged place within the industry, including through the operation of profitable training organisations and charities. Melbourne, Sydney, and other major cities have experienced major construction booms in the last 20 years, yet there has not been a single significant strike.

The priorities of the corporatist, pro-business union have been demonstrated throughout the pandemic. Rather than protecting the safety of building workers by fighting for the suspension of all non-essential construction while there is COVID-19 circulating in the population, with 100 percent income support for all affected workers, the bureaucracy has worked hand in hand with the construction companies and the state government to maintain operations and keep profits flowing.

Tensions have been building for weeks within the industry. Most sites were only permitted to operate at 25 percent capacity, leaving large numbers of construction workers out of work and dependent on the governments grossly inadequate $750 weekly emergency payment. This is a substantial pay cut for most building workers.

Those remaining on construction sites had their working conditions arbitrarily eroded. The state government last week responded to escalating COVID infections on building sites, not by stepping up inspection and enforcement safety mechanisms against reckless corporate operatorsnor by suspending non-essential productionbut rather by shutting down workers lunch and tea rooms. These rooms were only won through the bitter struggles of previous generations of construction workers, and their closure forced workers to take their breaks outside in the cold and wet.

Widespread anger erupted among construction workers, directed against both the government and the CFMEU, which only complained that it would have appreciated better consultation. Several dozen workers staged a protest in the city and several inner suburbs on Friday, setting up tables and chairs across roads and blocking traffic and public transport while they took their lunch break. Workers have also expressed anger over the unions offer to the government to have builders work 6-hour days without pause, at 8 hours pay, as a means of reducing coronavirus infections during lunch breaks.

These are the circumstances in which the extreme right has attempted to gain traction among a layer of construction workers. Again, the CFMEU is responsible for creating the political climate for thisthe unions Australian nationalist politics and promotion of different forms of backwardness are not wholly dissimilar to the fascists demagogy.

Construction and other workers need to take a clear standfascists and extreme right-wing demagogues have no place within the workers movement.

At the same time, no support whatsoever ought to be given to the CFMEU bureaucracy or to the state Labor government and its grossly inadequate, underfunded, and pro-business COVID-19 response.

Workers ought to form rank-and-file safety committees, independent of the trade unions, to take forward the fight for their independent interests, including the right to a safe workplace and, where that is not possible amid the pandemic, the right to shut down all non-essential production with full income compensation and other support services provided to affected workers. This requires a political struggle against both the federal Liberal-National government and the state Labor government on the basis of a socialist and internationalist perspective.
Earlier this month the University of Delaware sent an email to faculty instructing them not to inform students when one of their classmates tested positive for COVID-19. The University pushed out this policy as case numbers were rapidly rising to 376 that week, up from 77 the week before.

The World Socialist Web Site spoke to a member of the university faculty who has been affected by the policy. The faculty member described the contradictions between what the university was saying and the inadequacy of the measures they're taking. We started by discussing his reaction to the recent letter.

University of Delaware [Wikimedia Commons]

I actually thought I must have misunderstood what the email was saying. It was only until I was talking with another colleague later, that I realized I had actual read it correctly: that we can't tell our students when a student is positive, said Sam, who used a pseudonym to protect his identity.

The letter instructed professors to instead tell their students, Given the current incidence of covid-19 on campus, we should assume that we may have contact with individuals who are shedding covid-19, perhaps unknowingly. This generic statement gives the students no actionable information and indicates that the university is prepared to let the pandemic spread without check through the Newark campus of nearly 25,000 students.

Commenting further on the letter, Sam said, From their perspective it's an impossible task. On the one hand they have to keep students in classrooms because otherwise financially they'd take a massive hit, and on the other hand they have to convince students classrooms are a totally safe environment. So there's no real straightforward way of saying anything. They have to dance around every issue as a consequence. It's clear that they need to have students in the classroom to make money, so they're going to have students in the classroom. That seems a lot more logical than anything they're actually saying.

Sam explained further that he's only allowed to take action if he is directly contacted by the university's contact tracers. He's already had one student in his class test positive and was forced to sit on his hands while the student isolated. Fortunately it seems like they caught things kind of early, and had gotten the test very quickly and had isolated themself. But class just continued, and now theyre catching up.

The university has implemented a pass system where anyone coming to campus on a given day has to take a survey beforehand describing their vaccination status, when they were last tested, and any symptoms. Individuals can then be issued a green pass giving them full access to campus, a yellow pass allowing them to come to campus only to receive a COVID test, or a red pass requiring them to stay home.

Sam told us that he has not been required to show his pass at any point to access a building, nor is he aware of any of his students or colleagues being required to show their passes. I stepped into the gym the other day to fill up my water bottle at the water station there, and they had no one checking passes. There were people there at the front desk watching people scan in their ID cards to make sure that they're paying for the gym or that they're students, but they're not checking the passes.

In his opinion, students are using the pass as a self diagnostic to guide their behavior. He's had several students email him to say they've received a yellow or red pass, for which he's given them an excused absence and told them he'll help them catch up when they're allowed to return to campus. He said he didn't get specific instruction from the administration to excuse students who have been instructed not to come to class, but decided to do that himself to encourage his students to be responsible, and honest about their health.

Sam said that he thinks students are trying to be responsible and keep their classmates safe, but are generally in an impossible situation: I think they're doing their best within a framework that is not always clear, and where the structures of undergraduate education such that blowing off steam, finding a way to de-stress is often oriented around social activity. I think the pandemic is a very stressful thing for them, in addition to coursework. So I think at some point all of the incentive structures of undergraduate education funnels them to doing social activities, to going to parties.

While he did think that parties and other off campus events could be driving the recent spike in cases, when asked about the university's claim that their contact tracers had determined no infections had occurred in classrooms, he replied, I'm just not seeing how the classroom can't be a vector for it.

Sam explained that while he and his colleagues were upset about the situation and were trying to speak up to the administration, he said I think that's a pacifier more than anything, and that they didn't know what else what they could do.

He described that many professors were worn out by trying to teach virtually the last school year. I think teachers and professors gave it their best shot, but inasmuch as remote learning becomes a normalized activity within the educational sphere, I think it's bolstering an increasingly corporatized academy, burdened by administrators whose jobs are to basically betray certain educational and academic values writ large.

When asked whether the university could have taken measures to help students and faculty succeed with virtual learning the previous year, he answered, I think there are things they could have done. The problem is it would take an administration rethinking the entire way they think about how the university operates and what the point of an administrative body in university even is, and it would be to their detriment. It would run contrary to their economic incentives.

Just to give you one example, at the beginning of the pandemic, I was talking to someone in an administrative function. I asked them, right now seems the exact sort of time where extremely large research universities with large endowments would think, if there was ever a time to tap into the endowment, to take a variety of actions that would make outcomes better for students, for remote learning, for graduates students, for adjunct faculty, etc. up and down the line, this would be the time do it, and he said they will never ever touch the endowment.

Not even a global pandemic of economically existential proportions could get the administration to tap into the endowment. So there are things I could think that they might have been able to do, but it runs so contrary to instincts and incentives of administrators up and down the university structure that it would just never happen. You would have to rethink the entire way an academy is set up.
Workers, students, young people and Socialist Equality Party (SEP) electoral members are expressing strong opposition to anti-democratic laws rushed through parliament last month by the federal Liberal-National government and the Labor Party.

At a public meeting on Sunday, SEP speakers explained that the legislation was a frontal attack on civil liberties and an attempt to bar political alternatives to the pro-business parties from elections. Under the laws, parties such as the SEP that do not have parliamentary representation are required to submit a list of 1,500 members, treble the previous number, in less than three months. If they do not, they will be deregistered and cannot stand candidates with their party name appearing on the ballot.

SEP assistant national secretary Max Boddy campaigning during the 2019 federal election

The speakers placed the legislation in the context of the homicidal, pro-business response to the pandemic, along with the escalating drive to war, expressed in the formation last week of the AUKUS alliance, which brings together the US, Britain and Australia, against China. The militarist policies of the major parties, and their subordination of health and safety to profit, were provoking widespread opposition, which the laws were aimed at suppressing.

The SEP was linking its campaign against the legislation, and for the 1,500 members, to the fight to build a socialist movement of the working class against inequality, war and the turn to authoritarianism by governments internationally.

The full meeting can be viewed here.

The SEP appeals to all supporters and readers to join the campaign, become an electoral member and take forward the fight for a socialist perspective at the next election. The following comments are part of a series of statements from electoral members, World Socialist Web Site readers and others supporting this campaign.

****

The SEP spoke to Jole, a social worker in the healthcare sector, who attended the Sunday meeting, his first SEP event. Jole found out about the WSWS through his father, a longstanding SEP electoral member, and decided to join himself after becoming aware of the anti-democratic legislation.

I think there needs to be significant representation for the peoples' views. People dont hold the views of the three main parties, which all defend the capitalist framework. Theyre moonlighting as democratic and doing what they will.

Jole

Jole said the laws were an attempt to suppress mounting opposition to inequality: Why should there be so many struggling to feed themselves while others have billions of dollars? The gap between the elite and the working class is extreme.

The government doesn't want deaths, but they also dont care if there are any. They dont want the cracks in the hospital system revealed. Theyre worried about their mismanagement coming out.

Jole contrasted the chronic underfunding of the health system with the billions of taxpayer money, our money, that is being used to upgrade the military. He appreciated the analysis presented at the meeting on Australias alignment with the US drive to war against China. It was important that they pointed out the wider political motivations on the submarines and highlighted where the government put their money in terms of preparing for war, and also contributing to the reason there are wars, he stated.

The SEP also spoke to Mehmet Bireroglu, a retired Turkish born mechanic, who recently became an electoral member.

He said the legislation is unfair to small parties. It makes it really difficult to be involved in political activity. They [the major parties] dont want to give any other parties a chance to interfere with their politics. They are trying to weaken them. The main parties dont represent the workers. They put pressure on the people. They dont want the people to wake up.

Mehmet Bireroglu

Responding to the AUKUS alliance, Bireroglu stated: They are taking taxpayers' money. They dont use it to serve the people, they just spend it on the weapons to kill people. The money instead should be used to make people's living conditions better, to fix the health system and deal with the coronavirus.

Speaking about the pandemic in Turkey, Bireroglu said: In my country, I heard that the hospital conditions are really bad. The government plays with the numbers. If they test 20,000 people, they say they tested 100,000. They dont give the right information to people.

With the deaths they change the figures as well. I remember we heard the mayor of Istanbul saying at one time we have 600 deaths today, but the government announced for all Turkey there were just 300 and something deaths. So, the government is lying.

Wherever you go it is almost the same. All over the world if the people dont demand their rights the governments don't give them. You have to fight for your rights.

Bireroglu came to Australia from Turkey in 1981. I would say that in Turkey there has always been dictatorship, sometimes weaker, sometimes stronger, he said. But I believe we never lived with democratic rule ever in Turkey.

The situation in Turkey was similar for small parties. It is not a problem to have a party but then they limit your movement. If you want to have a meeting, they dont allow you to hold it. The police sometimes kill people. I know of so many people who have been killed at meetings. In October 2015 in Ankara, there was a bomb that killed about 100 people. The intelligence agencies organised it and the government says they have no idea who carried it out.

Bireroglu concluded: Here in Australia democratic rights are better than in the Middle East and Turkey, but still not sufficient. You see this in how they are toying with democratic rules. While the language and culture is different, the pressure and the slavery is almost the same.
The ongoing wildfires in California are again threatening the states millennia-old giant sequoia (also known as giant redwood) trees in central California. The most immediate danger is from the KNP Complex, a recent merging of the recently sparked Paradise Fire and Colony Fire, which has grown to 25,142 acres and is 0 percent contained.

The wild land blaze has already begun to burn into different groves of ancient sequoias with trees at least 200 feet tall and 2,000 years old, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News.

In this Aug. 24, 2020 photo, fire burns in the hollow of an old-growth redwood tree in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

The fire was sparked by lightning late on September 9, and continues to expand into Sequoia National Park. It has gained 2,200 acres since Sunday after smoke at the northeast end of the fire dispersed Saturday, allowing airflow to increase and causing the blaze to spread.

Approximately 400 firefighters from the surrounding area local, state and federal agencies are fighting back the uncontrolled wildfire currently battering the precarious habitat for the giant sequoia.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 71 large fires have burned 3,219,092 acres in 12 states so far this year. More than 17,000 fire personnel are assigned to fires mostly across the West. In California, nine fires have burned 1,883,805 acres this year.

Any loss of sequoia trees would be an environmental, as well as historical, tragedy. Many of them were beginning their growth contemporaneously with the flourishing of the Ancestral Puebloan culture and the building of their homes and villages among the cliffs at Mesa Verde, as can be seen at Mesa Verde National Park and other well-preserved villages in the US southwest (900-1350 AD).

Low-intensity wildfires have been beneficial to the giant sequoias for thousands of years, as the heat aids in opening their seed cones, allowing the seeds to drop onto the forest floor and germinate. High-intensity fires, however, brought on by drought, hotter temperatures induced by man-made climate change, and dead trees building up fuel on the forest floor from long-term fire suppression, have increased the threats to these ancient trees.

The KNP Complex encroached into a small area of the Giant Forest on Thursday in the Sequoia National Park area known as the Four Guardsmen. On Friday, firefighters managed to keep the slow-moving fire away from this world-renowned grove of giant sequoia trees where five of the largest trees in the world stand, including the tallest, the General Sherman Tree. When park staff became aware of the proximity of the fire to the Giant Forest, crews were dispatched to wrap the massive trees with fireproof aluminum blankets.

Hotshot crews were assessing the conditions on the ground on Monday to determine if conditions were stable enough for more crews to re-enter the area. Fire officials were unable to determine how severe the damage might be in these areas, which are located in rugged terrain and enclosed by smoke.

Other groves in the park, however, have yet to receive similar protection. According to the Mercury-News, a lack of federal funding, local concerns about smoke from controlled burns, and administrative procedures have knee-capped efforts to increase fire resiliency. In addition, Californias drought from 2012 to 2016 killed millions of firs, incense cedars, pines and other conifers in the Southern Sierra Nevada, and those are now providing fuel for potentially catastrophic wildfires around many of the untreated sequoia groves.

Last year, the Castle Fire killed between 7,500 and 10,600 giant sequoias, an estimated 10 percent to 14 percent of all the sequoias in the world, mostly in Sequoia National Forest. At that time, 22 groves burned, about 10 of them severely.

Tim Borden, sequoia restoration and stewardship manager for the Save the Redwoods League, told the Mercury-News on Friday that he worries a similar event is now playing out this week. The Bay Area newspaper reported that not only are the two fires in Sequoia National Park threatening multiple groves, a third fire, the Windy Fire, has already severely damaged at least one giant sequoia.

The Windy Fire is blazing through the Tule River Indian Reservation and Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County, according to the Mercury-News. It is currently 25,191 acres in size and only 4 percent contained.

Oriole Lake Grove in Sequoia National Park and Peyrone North and South groves in the neighboring Sequoia National Forest, with trees up to 2,000 years old, were also burning according to a report by ABC News. Borden told the Bay Area News Group that These groves are just as impressive and just as ecologically important to the forest. They just arent as well known. My heart sinks when I think about it.

An evacuation warning is in place and people currently subject to the evacuation warning were urged to be prepared to leave the area if the warning is raised to an evacuation order.

Kings Canyon National Park remains open, but Sequoia National Park is closed to the public. Air quality has severely deteriorated in the area near Kings Canyon and in Three Rivers. Particulate matter numbers were in the hazardous range over the weekend. The smoke has traveled to communities farther away from the national parks and public lands and is causing hazardous air quality as far away as the Central Coast and the Bay Area as well.

Continued protection and mitigation measures for all sequoia groves within the fire area, including the Giant Forest Sequoia Grove are planned for the next few days. Structure protection planning and mitigation efforts for National Park infrastructure will also be taking place. Indirect dozer line construction on Cal Fire protection areas and the western park boundary are planned in order to provide for structure protection at risk in Three Rivers and the surrounding community, according to the Sequoia National Park Incident Information System.
The Labour Party-Greens coalition government in New Zealand has cautiously welcomed the AUKUS military pact announced on September 16 by US President Joe Biden and the prime ministers of Australia and the UK.

The deal includes provisions to help Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, and for a greater US military presence in Australia. It represents a major step towards what would be a catastrophic US-led war against China, which would drag in every other country.

Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern (Source: Scott Morrison Facebook)

The transformation of Australia into a giant base for US military operations makes it a target for retaliation from China, with implications for the wider region. New Zealand, as an ally of Australia and a member of the US-led Five Eyes intelligence network, would be immediately involved in any conflict.

The US ruling elite views China as the main obstacle to its global hegemony. Under presidents Obama, Trump and now Biden, the US military presence in the Indo-Pacific region has vastly expanded and Washington has imposed trade war measures and economic sanctions against China.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was reportedly only informed about the AUKUS the day before it was announced. New Zealand and Canada were not included in the months of discussions on the pact, despite both countries being part of the Five Eyes along with the US, Australia and UK.

Ardern told the media she was pleased to see the US and UK showing a greater interest in our region because of course this is a contested region. She said she would not have expected to be included in AUKUS because the anchor of this arrangement [is] nuclear-powered submarines [which] couldnt come into our waters.

In 1984, David Langes Labour Party government banned nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed vessels from visiting New Zealand. The anti-nuclear policy was a means for the Lange government to posture as anti-war and divert attention from its right-wing onslaught against working class living standards. It caused a public rift with the US, but behind the scenes Lange significantly ramped up New Zealands involvement in the Five Eyes, building the Waihopai spy base to appease Washington.

Since World War II, New Zealands ruling class has relied on the US to support its own neo-colonial domination over the South-West Pacific, where China is currently increasing its economic and diplomatic influence. Successive governments have joined the US-led wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Asked whether she was worried that AUKUS could heighten tensions with China, Ardern did not reply directly. She said we have worked hard, as Australia has done, to ensure greater engagement by the United Kingdom and the United States in our region we want peace, we want stability and we want a rules-based order that is preserved.

Defending the international rules-based order is the pretext given by the US for its militarisation of the Indo-Pacific, including provocative naval exercises near territory claimed by China in the South China Sea.

Ardern stressed that New Zealand is making an extraordinary investment in the Defence Force, in order to play its part in the region. The Labour-led government is currently spending $20 billion on airforce and navy upgrades, as well as expanding the army. Hundreds of millions have also been poured into the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), which carries out electronic surveillance throughout the world, including against China, and shares it with the US.

Arderns Labour Party initially formed a coalition government in 2017 with the xenophobic, anti-Chinese NZ First Party and the Greens. The Ardern government was welcomed by the US embassy, which made clear that the Trump administration was unhappy with the previous National Party governments support for closer economic relations with China.

In 2018, the government released a Strategic Defence Policy Statement which, for the first time, identified Russia and China as the major threats to global stability. This was combined with a reorientation of New Zealands military and diplomatic resources to counter China, known as the Pacific Reset, which was praised by the US.

At the 2020 election, two Chinese-New Zealand MPsthe Labour Partys Raymond Huo and Nationals Jian Yangresigned after being denounced in the media and by pro-US academics, without any evidence, as agents of the Chinese Communist Party.

Despite strengthening military and intelligence ties with the US, the Ardern government remains reluctant to align explicitly and decisively against China, which receives about one third of New Zealands exports. This reliance has only increased amid the global economic turmoil triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the US ramps up its confrontation with China, however, the Ardern governments balancing act is becoming more and more precarious, and divisions are widening in New Zealands ruling elite.

The pro-business Newstalk ZB radio host Heather du Plessis-Allan bluntly stated: [AUKUS] is a defence pact clearly targeting China but we dont want to target China. China is our biggest trading partner.

A New Zealand Herald editorial criticised the AUKUS, saying it contributed to continual tension that could spill into conflict. It said the Australian government had thrown its lot in completely with the US, despite Americas decline over the past two decades as an international political and moral leader with its wars, struggling democracy, and doubts over its reliability as an ally.

On the other hand, sections of the political establishment expressed disappointment at New Zealands non-inclusion in the deal. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, who was deputy prime minister from 2017-2020, told TVNZ that AUKUS was necessary to defend liberty and freedom in the Indo-Pacific against China. He called for New Zealand to spend far more on its own military.

The opposition National Party appears to be shifting towards greater alignment with the US, having been seriously destabilised by the media and political establishments anti-China campaign. National leader Judith Collinsthe partys fourth leader since 2017said it was disappointing that the government had not participated in the AUKUS discussions. It raises serious concerns about the interoperability of New Zealands defence force systems with our traditional allies in the future.

Despite the militarist record of all parties in parliament, and Arderns statement welcoming AUKUS, Labours pseudo-left supporters are promoting the illusion that the government will stay out of the escalating preparations for war. Writing on the trade union-backed Daily Blog, columnist Chris Trotter said the government will happily stay as far away from this lunacy [AUKUS] as possible.

The blogs editor Martyn Bradbury called for an independent foreign policy to navigate between America and China, which were both human rights abusing Empires. Bradbury added, however, that he favoured a vastly larger military, and New Zealands military spending should increase from 1.1 percent to 3 percent of gross domestic product.

He said this was necessary to defend our full territory, including NZs vast exclusive economic zonean area of ocean about 15 times the size of NZas well as the countrys Pacific semi-colonies Tokelau, Cook Islands and Niue, and the Ross Dependency in Antarctica, which is claimed by New Zealand.

Notwithstanding its anti-American demagogy, the Daily Blog has repeatedly echoed US propaganda against Chinaincluding the lie that the coronavirus pandemic originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The blog also depicts China as a threat to both New Zealand and the Pacific region.

No one should be fooled by Bradburys claim that he wants a purely defensive military independent of the US alliance. The blog represents a layer of the upper middle class that has embraced New Zealand imperialism in the Pacific; and maintaining these neo-colonial interests depends on support from the United States and Australia.
Scenes of border agents on horseback charging and whipping defenseless immigrants on the US southern border have provoked shock and revulsion across America and around the world.

Even the White House was compelled to feign moral qualms, with Bidens press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday describing videos of these naked acts of cruelty as horrible and devastating. In other words, it would have been best had these images of horsemen in cowboy hats knocking migrants into the river or grabbing them by their shirt collars, invoking the memory of the Ku Klux Klan or Russian Cossacks, never been made public.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection mounted officers attempt to contain migrants as they cross the Rio Grande from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

But the Border Patrols mounted Cossacks were deployed to the river crossing in Del Rio, Texas for a reason. There is no humane method for imprisoning nearly 15,000 migrants, most of them Haitians, in a makeshift concentration camp under a bridge, in boiling heat and without access to shelter, food, water or toilets. The migrants who were charged and toppled by the US agents were carrying food and water for their families that they were able to obtain only by making a perilous trip across the river to Mexico to purchase it and wade back again.

Nor is there some merciful means of herding these same migrants onto airplanes in order to dump them in Haiti, a country that most of them fled over a decade ago in the wake of the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, seeking jobs and new lives in Brazil, Chile and other countries that have since been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis. In the meantime, the crisis in Haiti has only grown ever more dire.

Those enforcing these policies on the ground in Texas saw no reason to adopt the morally troubled tone of the White House press secretary. Bidens appointee as chief of the Border Patrol, Raul Ortiz, told reporters that the entire episode was merely a demonstration of the challenges of operating in a river marine environment on horseback.

Whether the fascistic border agents on horseback enjoy whipping Haitians like animals or not, in the end, they are only following orders. Their brutality, like the unspeakable squalor in which the migrants have been held under the bridge linking the US and Mexico, is designed to terrorize and intimidate anyone thinking of seeking asylum in the US, a right guaranteed by both US and international law.

Even as the scenes of brutality were playing out on Americas southern border, US President Joe Biden was at the United Nations intoning before the opening session of the General Assembly:  the United States will champion the democratic values that go to the very heart of who we are as a nation and a people: freedom, equality, opportunity, and a belief in the universal rights of all people.

What hypocrisy! The values of US imperialism and its ruling oligarchy have been on full display in Del Rio, Texas, where those seeking freedom, equality and opportunity were trampled under horses hooves. As for any belief in the universal rights of all people, this a myth meant for export only. Similar scenes playing out in any one of a number of countries perceived as obstacles to Washingtons geostrategic interests would have provoked savage denunciations, if not demands for humanitarian intervention.

The Biden administration is utilizing the very same legal pretext for carrying out mass deportations that was introduced by Trump: Title 42, a World War II-era health ordinance allowing the temporary barring of immigration from countries where the spread of communicable diseases poses a threat to public health. This provision was turned into universal means of turning back all immigrants and refugees, introducing summary deportations and denial of the right to asylum.

Health experts have stated that its use provides no public health benefit in combating the spread of COVID-19, particularly given that the US is the epicenter of the pandemic. The deportation of thousands of people potentially infected with the virus, however, can prove catastrophic for Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with just 126 intensive care unit beds, 68 ventilators and 25 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants, one tenth the number in the US.

On September 16, a federal judge ruled that the government can no longer use Title 42 to expel families, though it can still do so to deport single adults. The judges order, which the Biden administration is appealing, does not go into effect for two weeks following September 16, however, providing a window of opportunity for the mass deportation of the thousands of refugees trapped in Del Rio, Texas.

Immigration authorities have vowed to mount as many as seven deportation flights a day to Haiti, four to the capital Port-au-Prince and three to Cap-Haitien, the largest city in the north of the country.

Dumping some 1,000 immigrants a day in Haiti, most of them with nothing but the clothes on their backs and who havent set foot in the country in more than a decade, is an act of abject criminality. The first of these flights to arrive in Haiti on Monday carried 45 children, none of them born in Haiti and therefore not even citizens of the country. Among the deportees were women carrying babies in their arms.

These barbaric deportations are in line with earlier ones carried out under Biden of Central Americans flown to and dumped in southern Mexico. In both cases, those seeking asylum in the US were trying to escape inhumane conditions created by a century of imperialist oppression, US invasions and Washington-backed dictatorships.

Nowhere is this truer than in Haiti, which was subjected beginning in 1915 to a 20-year occupation and brutal counter-insurgency war by the US Marines. This was followed by the domination of a US-organized army and then, beginning in 1957, a three-decade-long dictatorship by the Duvaliers, embraced by Washington as a bulwark against communism, under which tens of thousands of Haitians were murdered and tortured by the military and the dreaded Tontons Macoute secret police.

Since the toppling of the dictatorship, US imperialism has sought in vain to create a stable puppet regime in Port-au-Prince capable of defending US interests. To that end, it backed two bloody coups and sent US troops back into Haiti twice over the course of two decades.

Biden has continued this policy, providing support against the revolt of the Haitian masses for the corrupt and dictatorial regime of President Jovenel Moise  assassinated in July  and now for that of President Ariel Henry.

To send thousands of refugees back to Haiti, where there are no jobs or basic resources, armed gangs control the streets, a criminal regime is barely holding onto power and the masses are stalked by both hunger and COVID-19 is a crime against humanity.

Bidens vicious persecution of the Haitians on the US-Mexican border underscores the fact that there is no faction within the US ruling class and its two major parties that is prepared to observe even the most elementary democratic and legal rights of migrants and refugees, or for that matter, of anyone.

The assault on migrants is a global question. Since the 2015 surge of refugees into Europe, the European imperialist powers have sealed their borders with concertina wire under a Fortress Europe policy, while pushing migrants to their deaths by the thousands every year in the Mediterranean Sea and interning many thousands more in camps where they are assaulted and threatened with fascist attacks.

Everywhere, the capitalist ruling class attempts to scapegoat immigrants for the insoluble crisis of the capitalist system, characterized by ever greater levels of social inequality and the normalization of mass death during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The courageous migrants from Haiti, Central America and elsewhere who have overcome daunting odds to make their way to the US southern border are part of a growing movement of the international working class which refuses to accept the unlivable conditions imposed by the profit system.

These immigrants deserve not only the sympathy, but the active support of every class conscious worker. The brutal methods being employed against them will be increasingly utilized against the working class as a whole as it enters into mass struggles.

The Socialist Equality Party demands an immediate end to deportations and the release of detained migrants. The agencies carrying out this repression, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), must be abolished, and the right of workers the world over to live and work in the country of their choice made inviolable.

This defense of immigrants must be joined with a multi-trillion-dollar program to rebuild Haiti, Central America and other countries ravaged by US imperialism, paid for through expropriating the wealth of US billionaires.

These demands can be realized only through an implacable struggle against every attempt to divide native-born and immigrant workers and by uniting across national borders with the working class internationally in a common fight to put an end to capitalism and the outmoded nation-state system.
On Tuesday, the IG Metall trade union, its works council representatives and Siemens Energy management agreed to cut 2,600 jobs in Germany. Five locations are affected: In Berlin, 602 jobs will be eliminated, in Mulheim more than 600, in Erlangen 565, in Duisburg 326 and in Gorlitz 124. A total of 7,800 jobs worldwide are to fall victim to the axe.

The job cuts are the result of negotiations by a conciliation board requested by the companys management. According to paragraph 76 of the federal Works Constitution Act, the conciliation board is composed of an equal number of representatives of management and the works council, plus an impartial chairman.

Demonstration of Siemens workers on the avenue of Kurfurstendamm in Berlin (source WSWS)

With the agreement of the works council and the union to the job cuts, exactly what the WSWS had predicted has come to pass. We had long warned that the so-called workers representatives were preparing for a sell-out and that their protest demonstrations were only intended to deceive workers and blow off steam.

On July 14, we wrote that IG Metall and the works council will hide behind the alleged neutrality of the chairman of the conciliation board in order to press ahead with the planned redundancies against the resistance of the workforce. IG Metall is unreservedly prepared to cut wages, social benefits and jobs. With the help of external consultants, it had drawn up its own alternative concept and was now trying to convince the company and its shareholders that its proposal would prove to be more profitable than the boards own plan.

When IG Metall called for a rally in front of the conciliation board meeting place on August 23, we stated in a German-language article: The aim of the action was not to defend the jobs, but to continue cooperation with management. ... Otto and IG Metall are not pursuing the goal of defending the wages and jobs of the workforce, but of helping to shape the transformation, i.e., restructuring Siemens and other corporations so that they will continue to yield high profits in the future.

That is exactly what happened. The 2,600 jobs that IG Metall and its works council representatives have now agreed to eliminate are only slightly below the 3,000 figure that Siemens Energy originally announced. It can be assumed that the company had deliberately set this figure too high in order to be able to subsequently make a concession to the union.

Nevertheless, the leading IG Metall representative in Berlin, Jan Otto, described the result as a strategic partial success. He justified this by saying that 136 fewer jobs would be cut at the Berlin gas turbine plant than originally announced, that the reduction would be extended to 18 monthsdue to unfulfilled ordersand that the company had promised to invest hundreds of millions in the future of the site.

Manfred Bareis, chairman of the Erlangen works council, also called the 565 job cuts in Erlangen sustainable. He said the job cuts were being made on a voluntary basis.

As usual, the job cuts are to be carried out via a social plan and without compulsory redundancies. This means that workers who do not voluntarily accept severance pay, early retirement or being moved into a transfer company will be put under personal pressure until they are worn down and resign.

Although the Siemens workforce demonstrated its willingness to fight at numerous demonstrations, IG Metall and the works council never intended to wage a battle to defend the jobs. They are pursuing a completely different strategy.

They are trying to prove to the corporations and the government that they have better plans for defending the interests of big business in the global struggle for market shares and profits. They want to convince them that their profits and stock prices will rise faster if they work closely with unions.

There is an inescapable logic to this. In order for Germany to remain competitive as a business destination, wages must be lowered, jobs must be cut and productivity increased. Instead of uniting the international working class, which is fighting against the same corporations and financial interests worldwide, IG Metall is dividing them and playing one location off against the other.

Jan Otto, the Berlin IG Metall leader, is an expert in this form of corporatist class collaboration. While the conciliation body negotiated the jobs massacre at Siemens Energy behind closed doors, he organised one so-called transformation summit after another.

On September 2, IG Metall held a transformation conference in Berlin, attended by IG Metall Federal Chairman Jorg Hofmann and Mayor Michael Muller (Social Democratic Party, SPD), the top candidates of Berlins political partiesFranziska Giffey (SPD), Kai Wegener (Christian Democratic Union, CDU), Klaus Lederer (Left Party) and Bettina Jarasch (Greens)as well as hand-picked functionaries from the factories.

The conference ushered in a new era for IG Metall, Otto proclaimed. We want to expand our mandate to include an activating and successful industrial and transformation policy.

A transformation summit followed on Sept. 10 at Berlin City Hall, to which Mayor Michael Muller (SPD) and the citys senator for economics, energy and business, Ramona Pop (Greens), had invited high-ranking union officials and top managers from Siemens Energy, Stadler, Bayer, Daimler, Biotronik, Alstom and other corporations. IG Metall was represented by Jan Otto and Regina Katerndahl.

On its website, IG Metall celebrated the summit as a clear commitment from industry and trade unions that it made sense when decision-makers discuss the transformation of Berlin as an industrial location directly with social partners from the trade unions. At the summit, he said, many business models for the future had emerged. One exciting aspect was the idea of using Berlin as a real laboratory.

The job cuts at Siemens Energy show what is meant by a real laboratory. On the day the agreement was announced, German Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) and lead CDU candidate Kai Wegener met with works council representatives at the gas turbine plant that had agreed to the cuts. They assured them, Politics stands by the works council and their union.

The Siemens Energy sell-off underscores once again that defending jobs, wages and social rights requires a break with the trade unions. Workers must build independent rank-and-file committees to organise the struggle and establish contact with workers in other plants and countries.

Siemens Energy is just the tip of the iceberg. In the German auto industry alone, half a million jobs are up for grabs. The ruling class is using the coronavirus pandemic to impose harsh social attacks. While countless workers are losing their income, livelihood or even their lives, it is using the pandemic for a new offensive of enrichment.

The Fourth International has launched the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees to initiate and develop a global counteroffensive. Support the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP) in the Bundestag and Berlin House of Representatives elections on September 26 if you are eligible.
In a speech at the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, US President Joe Biden proclaimed a new era in American foreign policy, under the banners of human rights and global cooperation.

Biden framed his remarks as a repudiation of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who had couched American actions in the language of naked self-interest and brutal unilateralism. By contrast, Biden summed up his vision for a new era of US foreign policy in an inspirational non-sequitur: We will lead together.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks to the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

As we close this period of relentless war, were opening a new era of relentless diplomacy, Biden said.

The United States will support anti-corruption activists, human rights defenders, the journalists, the peace protesters. It will seek to end hunger and invest in food systems at home and abroad. America will help the world to recognize our common humanity and to act together and work together to save lives, defeat COVID-19 everywhere.

But as usual, the more Americas leaders speak of peace and universal brotherhood, the more advanced are their plans to incinerate large numbers of people.

Bidens appearance at the UN capped eight months that saw the most aggressive military buildup since the end of the Second World War. Within months of taking office, the Biden administration declared the effective end of the One China policy, moving toward the proclamation of a military alliance with Taiwan that China sees as an act of war.

Biden has moved to double US military spending in the Pacific theater, while working to deploy offensive missiles in Japan, South Korea and even Taiwan.

In the most provocative move yet, last week Washington announced a new anti-China alliance with Australia and the UK, effectively ending Australias status as a non-nuclear state with a deal to provide it nuclear submarines that, with minor modifications, would be capable of launching nuclear missiles.

Behind the human rights rhetoric, Bidens speech was the most belligerent given by any US president since Trump threatened to kill little rocket manNorth Korean President Kim Jong-unin a speech before the United Nations in 2017.

The United States will continue to defend ourselves, our allies, and our interests against attack, including terrorist threats, as we prepare to use force, if any is necessary. But to defend our vital US national interest, including against ongoing and imminent threats. (sic)

The targets of American force were made explicit. America will act to stop the oppression of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, whether it occurs in Xinjiang. It will defend the rights of LGBTQI individuals so they can live and love openly without fear, whether its Chechnya.

For decades, the United States has promoted Islamist separatist movements in Xinjiang, China, and Chechnya, Russia, forging alliances with Al-Qaeda-linked forces in an effort to destabilize Russia and China.

While Biden mouthed his platitudes about peace, his generals are speaking the language of nuclear war. As the United Nations met in New York, the Air Force Association held its annual summit just outside of Washington D.C.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall revealed, for the first time, that Northrop Grumman is secretly building five B-21 stealth bombers, each costing some $639 million. The new stealth bombers are designed to penetrate deep into enemy territory to deliver nuclear weapons, including a massive range of nuclear-capable cruise missiles and miniaturized nuclear weapons being created as part of the USs multi-trillion-dollar nuclear forces buildup.

Kendall claimed that China is building 100 intercontinental ballistic missile silos, in what he said was an effort to create a first strike force.

Despite declaring China to be a pacing threat, Beijing possesses only 320 nuclear weapons, compared to the Pentagons 5,500.

Last month, Adm. Charles Richard, the head of US Strategic Command, warned of a strategic breakout by China, declaring, it really doesnt matter why China is and continues to grow and modernize. What matters is they are building the capability to execute any plausible nuclear employment strategythe last brick in the wall of a military capable of coercion.

This threatreal or imaginedof a China capable of defying the United States is what is prompting Washington to expand and diversify its nuclear arsenal, including the efforts to arm Australia with nuclear submarines. The solution is more nuclear weapons, different nuclear weapons and trillions of dollars for weapons systems.

US defense expenditures rose in 2020 to a record $778 billionthat is, almost 40 percent of total military spending in the world.

Commenting on Bidens massive military budget request, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warned, The Biden administration had an opportunity to redirect the United States path away from endless war and all but limitless spending on the Defense Department. That path could and should have centered on the most imminent threats to our security: climate change and potentially pandemic infectious diseases.

But you wouldnt recognize those as Americas top threats by looking at its spending priorities, which continue to prioritize the best interests of defense contractors.

The organization added, Over the course of a single year, the cost estimate for the nuclear weapons activities budget increased by $113 billion.

It condemned the US sea-launched cruise missile as destabilizing, noting, an adversary could not tell whether a US submarine-launched cruise missile had a nuclear or conventional warhead  Canceling the program would save at least $10 billion over the next 10 years.

The defense budget submitted by the Biden administration looks very like the Trump administrations. ... It included more than $12 billion for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program  It also largely endorsed the past administrations destabilizing nuclear weapons plans.

Bidens rhetorical about-face masks a foreign policy that is, in all fundamentals in continuity with that of the Trump administration. CNN commentator Fareed Zakaria made this point bluntly in an op-ed ahead of Bidens speech, declaring After almost eight months of watching policies, rhetoric and crises, many foreign observers have been surprised even shockedto discover that, in area after area, Bidens foreign policy is a faithful continuation of Donald Trumps. Central to this continuity is the doctrine of great-power competition and the US-China conflict.

But when Bidens America goes to war, it is in the name of peace. When it fragments the world into trade blocs and military alliances, it is in the name of global unity. In other words, Americas war crimes and conspiracies against peace will be given the label of human rights.

For three decades, Washington has used these hollow pretexts to wage wars around the world. From the first Gulf war, sold to the public as stopping Saddam Hussein from snatching babies out of incubators, to bombing Yugoslavia back to the stone age to stop ethnic cleansing, to the defense of womens rights in Afghanistan, to stopping weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, preventing massacres of civilians in Libya and Syriaand the list goes on.

In other words, Bidens invocation of human rights is not a retreat from US wars that have been the greatest drivers of human rights violations, but rather doubling down on a nuclear buildup that threatens the annihilation of mankind.
The United States is set to significantly increase the amount of Covid-19 vaccines it will ship to foreign nations beginning in 2022 in an effort to end the pandemic worldwide, President Joe Biden announced Wednesday.

As part of a virtual Covid-19 summit on the margins of the UN General Assembly, Biden announced that the US is purchasing an additional 500 million Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines to donate to low- and lower-middle-income countries around the world, a senior administration official said, previewing the summit. The newly announced 500 million doses are on top of the 500 million the US had already committed to sharing with other nations.

Those vaccines will begin shipping out in January, and from January through September of next year, the US will ship out 800 million vaccines to the world, the official said. These vaccines bring the United States total to over 1.1 billion vaccines donated to other countries.

'We also know that to beat the pandemic here, we need to beat it everywhere. And I made -- and I'm keeping -- the promise that America will become the arsenal of vaccines as we were the arsenal of democracy during World War II,' Biden said at the summit.

The vaccines will be distributed through Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access, the global vaccination program known as COVAX. The President noted the US has already shipped more than 160 million Covid-19 doses to 100 countries, which is more than every other country has donated combined.

'To put it another way: For every one shot we've administered today in America, we have now committed to do three shots to the rest of the world,' Biden said at the summit.

The President called on other nations to increase their vaccine donations as well to help put an end to the pandemic.

The summit will consist of heads of state, leaders from international organizations, the private sector, philanthropies, nongovernmental organizations and other partners from around the world, according to an administration official, who said there are more than 100 countries and 100 organizations participating. The summit will contain four distinct sessions and is expected to last more than four hours with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both chairing a session.

Biden will call on world leaders in all sectors to focus on specific areas in order to help end the pandemic, including vaccinating the world in an equitable and efficient manner and saving lives now by working to solve the global oxygen crisis and making tests and therapeutics more available.

The White House sent those participating in the summit a list of 'deliberately ambitious' goals and targets, which will be released afterward.

'We need to align around common goals and targets to hold ourselves and the world accountable for collective action to end the pandemic, and obviously to prepare for the next,' the official said.

CNN has previously reported on some of the targets expected to be set at Wednesday's summit, including urging world leaders to collectively commit to vaccinating 70% of the world's population against Covid-19 within a year and calling on nations to ensure $3 billion is available this year and $7 billion in 2022, for 'financing for vaccine readiness and administration, combating hesitancy, and procuring ancillary supplies.'

The-CNN-Wire

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On Sunday, human remains consistent with the description of Gabby Petito, the 'van life' blogger who disappeared while on a cross-country van trip with her fiance Brian Laundrie and whose fate has stirred a growing digital frenzy, were found in Wyoming. On Tuesday, a tweet from the FBI Denver field office confirmed the remains found were those of Petito, who was reported missing on September 11, and said 'the initial determination for the manner of death is homicide.'

A police affidavit filed last week for a search warrant indicated that before she vanished Petito's conversations with her mother appeared to reveal 'more and more tension' between Petito and Laundrie. As of last weekend, roughly 50 law enforcement officers from five local agencies and the FBI were searching for Laundrie, who hasn't been named a suspect or charged, and hasn't been seen since September 14.

Every element of the disturbing circumstances surrounding Petito's disappearance and death has been dissected across the internet and discussed constantly in the news over the last few days. The couple's August 12 encounter with the police in Utah during which Petito described a fight between herself and Laundrie that morning. The TikTok-er who claimed that she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride on August 29 in Wyoming. The odd text message from Petito's phone on August 30, which her family doubts was written by Gabby herself.

Everything has been combed over again and again, the public obsessing over theories, the media racing to deliver each new tidbit of information. It feels impossible that something horrific could have happened to a young woman whose life and relationship -- documented on her beautiful Instagram grid -- appeared to be perfect. The fact that it likely wasn't -- and that the stories of most women who go missing remain untold -- both speak to a darker truth about the dangers all women face every day.

A 2018 United Nations study on homicide found that of the 87,000 women intentionally killed worldwide in 2017, 58% were killed by intimate partners or family members. More than a third of the women were killed by their current or former intimate partner. According to UN Women, almost one in three women globally over the age of 15 have been subjected to intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life, mostly by current or former partners. Statistically, the most dangerous place for women is their own home.

Yet while all women face the threat of violence from men, the steps taken by the authorities meant to protect them differ radically, especially depending on their race. According to a January report by the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force, at least 710 Indigenous people, mostly girls, went missing in Wyoming -- where Petito reportedly disappeared -- from 2011 to 2020.

A 2020 report by the Sovereign Bodies Institute found that the vast majority of 2,306 cases of missing Native American women and girls in the US remain unsolved. Last year Tammy Carpenter, a Native American mother whose daughter Angela McConnell was found shot to death with her boyfriend in Northern California in 2018, told the press that she got angry when a member of law enforcement, who was not Native American, was insensitive when questioning her about her daughter, implying she came from a broken home where people were unemployed or involved with drugs. She told NBC News: 'With society today, people look and think: 'It's another dead Indian girl. Probably a drug addict. Homeless. Who cares?' That got me very upset.'

The bias the media shows in favor of covering the stories of White women who go missing is often referred to as 'missing White woman' syndrome. Factors like race seem to determine not only a victim's 'newsworthiness,' but how their disappearances are covered.

A recent report from the Violence Policy Center found that in 2018 Black women were murdered by men at a rate nearly three times higher than White women. And yet their deaths aren't reported in the press nearly as regularly.

When they are, research shows they're often portrayed negatively -- as aggressive, promiscuous, living off the state. Coverage of White victims is often far more sympathetic, but also extremely gendered. Those women tend to be painted as nurturing, gentle. They're described as good 'mothers' and 'daughters.'

Perhaps one of the most painful reasons stories about pretty young White women seem to capture the public imagination so completely is the subconscious prejudice that bad things aren't 'meant' to happen to privileged people. Safety is one of the aspirational perks of having an apparently perfect life. Well-off White people can generally assume that when they call the police, law enforcement will automatically be on their side and want to help them. But this level of support is far from a universal given, and far too often a function of racial privilege.

Part of the reason that women of color are so shamefully overlooked by both law enforcement and the media when they disappear is there's a degree to which their pain is priced into the human experience. Too many in society simply expect White women's lives to be easier, and because of institutional racism they are treated as more deserving by the systems that kick into action when they're endangered. When White women vanish, it's a more confrontational public reminder that no woman, whatever her background, can ever take her safety for granted.

Stories like Gabby Petito's capture all women's imaginations because they highlight the fact that women are at most risk from those they should be able to trust. We listen to true crime podcasts, pore over the timelines from news stories, look at the apparently happy, carefree photos of the victims, and wonder whether we'd be able to spot or intercept a threat close to ourselves, a friend, daughter, or sister.

Male violence is never a woman's responsibility, but when it is most likely to occur out of sight of anyone who could prevent it, women are burdened with the task of policing it themselves. For women whose safety is often taken even less seriously by some in law enforcement and considered less newsworthy by many in media, that burden is reinforced long after they are reported missing or found dead.

The-CNN-Wire

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VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - If you're looking to get rid of confidential papers and documents, you'll have the chance this weekend.

First Financial Bank is hosting a free community shredding event this Saturday.

You can bring up to five bags or boxes to be shredded.

The shredding event will be hosted in the parking lot of the First Financial Meadows Banking Center.

You can bring your papers to shred from 9 am until 11 am.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) -A Terre Haute university says employees who want to can donate their sick days to a "donation pool."

Indiana State Univerity reminded workers in the September 22 'ISU Today' email.

ISU says staff can donate up to 150 hours of sick leave so other workers who are in isolation or quarantine related to COVID-19 can be paid while they're not working.

The university says employees can donate up to four weeks per year and must have at least two weeks of sick time left after donating.

In a follow-up email to News 10, Indiana State University says the program is a "longstanding ISU program allowing employees to donate unused sick time to people who have exhausted their paid time off."

See the full text from ISU's email below:

"Donate sick leave to the COVID Pool

Employees who wish to contribute sick leave to the COVID-19 Sick Leave Donation pool can donate by completing the donation form and returning it to the Employee Benefits Office. Up to 150 hours of sick leave can be donated each year. These hours allow employees who are out due to Isolation or Quarantine related to COVID 19 to receive donations and remain in a paid status after all other employee leave time has been exhausted."
SPENCER, Ind. (WTHI) - COVID-19 cases are surging among children throughout the country, and many parts of the Wabash Valley are seeing this trend as well. With this new spike, more local parents are growing concerned.

Melissa White and her two children live in Spencer, Indiana. They're just one of thousands of families experiencing the COVID-19 surge in the state. And they're seeing first-hand how it's impacting young kids.

Melissa White is a mother of two trying to keep her kids healthy and safe, but recently the COVID-19 virus spread in her household.

"My little girl came home sick," she said. "I have a 4-year-old and a 5-year-old. They were showing signs of a sore throat, no taste, no smell, and I got tested a week later, and it came back positive, and I'm vaccinated."

As a mother, White says the hardest part is not knowing if they'll be safe as they head back to the classroom this Fall.

"I'm scared for them," she said. "I mean, what if they are one of the rare cases that something happens to them and they're in the hospital, and there is nothing I can do. There is nothing you can do to stop COVID. It is not prejudiced against anyone or any age."

The White family is not alone. Many Hoosier families are concerned as cases for kids are back on the rise. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 925,000 cases were reported nationwide in the past 30 days. Some of those children are serious enough to be in intensive care.

"They are our everything, and we have to keep them safe," White said.

Because children under 12 are not eligible for the vaccine, White is encouraging other local parents to take extra precautions.

"Stay safe, social distance, please vaccinate, please wear a mask and just do this until it's over," White said. "We are in it together. We are a team. Protect your loved ones and protect your kids. It's not just about you at home; It's about everyone that you are around."

As of now, children under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated. But, there is new data showing the Pfizer vaccine to be safe and highly effective in young children ages 5 to 11-years-old. There are also several studies underway for the 0-5 age group as well.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A federal appeals court is considering a lawsuit that seeks to overturn Mississippis ban on voting rights for people convicted of some felonies.

The case was heard Wednesday at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

It could affect thousands of people.

Attorneys challenging the ban say the original list of disenfranchising crimes was put into the 1890 Mississippi Constitution because drafters thought those crimes were disproportionately committed by Black people.

State attorneys say Mississippi made changes in 1950 and 1968 that removed the discriminatory intent.

Voting rights for former felons can be restored on an individual basis  either by a governor's pardon or by approval from two-thirds of legislators.
POPLARVILLE, Miss. (AP)  Two inmates were back behind bars Wednesday after escaping a Mississippi jail over the weekend.

Maj. Marc Ogden of the Pearl River County Sheriff's Department said they received a tip late Tuesday that Rodney Smith and Jonathan Culpepper were hiding at a home in the county.

WLOX-TV reports sheriff's deputies, along with U.S. Marshals and Picayune Police officers raided the house early Wednesday.

Smith ran but was captured after a short chase.

Culpepper was found hiding inside.

Three other people face charges of aiding accessory after the fact for helping the men evade authorities.

Smith and Culpepper were among four inmates who escaped the Lenoir-Rowell Criminal Justice Center on Sunday.

The other two were captured shortly after they escaped.

All four face felony escape charges.
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: President Joe Biden will tackle climate, COVID-19 and US alliances at annual UN meeting. Plus, thousands of Haitian migrants are still at the Texas border as the U.S. and Mexico send many back to Haiti, COVID-19 has now killed as many Americans as Spanish Flu, the latest tropical storms form in the Atlantic and a new book looks at the final days of the Trump presidency.

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 Tuesday, the 21st of September 2021. Today a look at the issues President Joe Biden plans to address at the UN General Assembly, plus the latest from the migrant situation at the Texas border, and more.

Here are some of the top headlines:

Justin Trudeau will remain Prime Minister of Canada. His Liberal Party won in yesterday's parliamentary elections, but they appear to have fallen short of a majority, meaning they'll likely have to rely on help from the other parties to pass legislation. An autopsy is set for today of the body that's thought to be Gabby Petito. The 22-year-old went missing after she and her fiance, Brian Laundrie went on a cross-country road trip. Laundrie himself disappeared last week. And the man who inspired the film, Hotel Rwanda, for saving hundreds of people in the East African country from genocide has been convicted of terrorism. Paul Rusesabagina was sentenced to 25 years in prison at a trial that human rights watchdogs have described as an act of retaliation.

Taylor Wilson:

President Joe Biden will face a number of issues at the United Nations annual summit in New York City when he speaks today. The 76th General Assembly meeting comes after weeks of international incidents, including some with the White House smack in the middle. One of them is the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, and an admission from the Pentagon last week, that the United States killed 10 civilians, including children in a drone strike during the final days of the war in Afghanistan.

Story continues

Taylor Wilson:

There are also tensions after a new US-UK-Australia Alliance canceled out a previous deal between France and Australia. In an angry response, France recalled its ambassadors from both the US and Australia. That trend continues to dominate political discourse in all those countries. And White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki said yesterday that Biden will hold a call with French President Emmanuel Macron this week.

Jen Psaki :

The president will have a call, we're still working on the scheduling of it, with President Macron in the coming days. And what I expect the president will do on that call is reaffirm our commitment to working with one of our oldest and closest partners on a range of challenges that the global community is facing.

Taylor Wilson:

The summit took place virtually last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And the virus continues to cast a shadow over the entire event. In particular, wealthier nations will be asked to answer for booster vaccine programs while many poorer countries still have not even given a first dose to the vast majority of their populations.

Taylor Wilson:

President Joe Biden is also expected to outline his vision for the US global role on other issues like China, counter terrorism and crucially, climate change. On Friday, Biden met with a handful of global leaders to talk about climate issues. His priority: action now.

President Joe Biden:

We're at an inflection point and that there's a real consensus, a real consensus that while the climate crisis poses an existential threat, there is a silver lining. The climate crisis also presents real and incredible economic opportunities to create jobs and lift up the standard of living for people around the world. Those that have not yet done so, time is running out.

Taylor Wilson:

Biden earlier this year, rejoined the Paris Climate Accord, and is expected to outline more climate action this week. We'll have all the latest from the UN meetings on usatoday.com.

Taylor Wilson:

Thousands of Haitian migrants remain in the Texas border city of Del Rio today, but their options are shrinking. The US will send some of them on up to six flights back to Haiti today after initial flights earlier this week. And Mexico has begun busing some migrants away from the Mexican side of the border. US officials said yesterday that more than 6,000 Haitians and other migrants had been removed from an encampment that popped up on the Rio Grande in recent weeks. And there were at least 14,000 people there at one point, but there were disturbing videos yesterday of US border agents using horses and what appeared to be whips to push back migrants at the river. Some US agents yelled nasty remarks with one video from Al Jazeera, showing an officer yell, "This is why your country's expletive, because you use your women for this."

Taylor Wilson:

That was on the US side of the river, but Mexican authorities have also been detaining some Haitians on the other side, and plan to bus them to major cities where they will also send flights back to Haiti. Meanwhile, officials from Mexico's National Human Rights Campaign have been walking with migrants, signing people up if they're interested in applying for asylum in Mexico, something 19,000 Haitians have done this year. For the US part, this may end up being one of the quickest large-scale expulsions of migrants in decades. It was made possible by a pandemic-related authority, by then President Donald Trump, that allows migrants to be immediately removed from the country without an opportunity to seek asylum. President Joe Biden did exempt unaccompanied children from that rule.

Taylor Wilson:

And not all Haitians are expected to be expelled on flights this week. Some may have a chance to seek asylum and families left behind would likely be released into the US. So many Haitian migrants around the world are desperately seeking security and economic opportunities after their country was ravaged by an earthquake, political chaos after President Jovenel Moise's assassination this summer and corruption. McKenso Vayar told the AP about what he hopes for in the United States.

McKenso Vayar:

A younger person like me cannot realize my dream out of Haiti. But that's the reason why, of course, 10 country working with my wife. My wife, she's pregnant. My dream is to live a better life without problems, to grow up my baby without problems. Because my country, there are enough problems.

Taylor Wilson:

COVID-19 has now killed as many Americans as the 1918/1919 Spanish flu, about 675,000 people. Though the US population is about three times larger now, so deaths make up a smaller percentage. Still, it's the latest reminder that COVID-19 continues to surge nationwide. And with more than a week remaining in September, the month already has more COVID deaths than all of August. It's on track to be the deadliest US COVID month since February. The rise in deaths comes as the CDC released a report that 99.4% of all COVID-19 cases in the country are now from the highly contagious Delta variant.

Taylor Wilson:

Children are also increasingly getting infected. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly 30% of nationwide infections in the week ending September 9th were among children. Anyone under 12 is still not eligible for a vaccine, but there is some promising news this week. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective for kids aged five to 11, and at just one third, the dose used in adolescents and adults. Pfizer Senior Vice President, Dr. Bill Gruber.

Dr. Bill Gruber:

We measured the ability of antibody from the children that were vaccinated to kill the virus and how well that matched up antibody from 16 to 25 year olds. And it matched very closely. Having matched that antibody response, we're likely to match the protection. We had more people volunteering quickly than we could accommodate in the trial. So there's pent-up demand for parents to be able to have their children return to a normal life, to reduce the risk of their child getting sick, as well as transmitting to the family.

Taylor Wilson:

Next is the question of how long until possible approval. Patient safety reporter, Karen Weintraub has more.

Karen Weintraub:

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appears to be safe and effective in children five to 11. Pfizer says that they're going to file their application by the end of this month. And then FDA has to review it. That could take three weeks, could be six weeks. They've been moving these things along very quickly and they know the urgency for this, but the exact timeline, we just don't know. Moderna will be next. J&J seems a little bit further behind. The dose is one third of the dose that we would normally give to adults and older teens. And it's two shots given three weeks apart. The side effects are the same as seen with 16 to 25 year olds. That's the group they compared it to. And so it's things like fever, headaches, muscle aches, just feeling cruddy or flu-like for a day or two. They should pass very quickly.

Karen Weintraub:

One of the things that's not clear in the teenagers, we're seeing some rare instances, but occasionally myocarditis, which is a swelling around the heart. Most of those clear up pretty quickly, seemingly without permanent damage. It's not clear whether that will be a factor among the younger kids, because it's so rare. Traditionally medicines are tested first in adults to make sure they're safe before they're given to children. So, that's part of it.

Karen Weintraub:

The other issue is with this virus, when it first hit in January of last year in China, it was believed to primarily affect adults, which is true. Adults do have worse outcomes generally than children. And so the urgency wasn't there from the beginning to test children. The Delta variant is much more contagious than previous variants. And so, we believe more kids are getting sick now because of that.

Taylor Wilson:

For all the latest, stay with the live COVID-19 updates page on usatoday.com.

Taylor Wilson:

Hurricane season is not done yet. Tropical storms, Peter and Rose formed over the weekend. Rose is not currently expected to threaten any land areas, but Peter, which formed on Sunday is expected to bring heavy rains to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and other parts of the Caribbean starting today. AccuWeather Meteorologist, Bernie Rayno has the latest.

Bernie Rayno:

We have twin tropical storms, Peter and Rose. And then we also have a pretty vigorous tropical wave. Now this wave's a little farther south than what Peter and Rose were. Now, Peter is going to be weakening as it moves around that upper low and eventually should stay south of Bermuda. Although, there could be some impacts for Bermuda from Peter later on this week, but certainly no impacts on the United States. This is Rose Tropical Storm. It continues to move north and west. This is going to be getting into some cooler waters. So right now we're not worried about this system, having any impact on the United States.

Bernie Rayno:

Now this tropical wave that's coming off Africa is pretty vigorous. And this is a lot farther south than what Peter and Rose was. So, we'll watch this. It'll approach the islands in about a week to 10 days, but as I look even farther down the road for the United States, what do I see? Dips in the jet stream or troughs. Now, it's a little early to say this won't have any impact on the United States, but I certainly don't think the odds are high.

Taylor Wilson:

For more, head to the weather section at usatoday.com/news.

Taylor Wilson:

A new book is looking into former President Donald Trump's final days in office. The Washington Post's Bob Woodward and Robert Costa recounted the transition from Trump to President Joe Biden in a new book called Peril, which is on stands today. The book is based off more than 200 interviews and eyewitness accounts, and it alleges that in the aftermath of the January 6th insurrection, Trump's top military advisor, General Mark Milley took precautions to limit Trump's ability to launch a military strike or deploy nuclear weapons. The book has plenty of classified material ranging from secret orders to diaries and meeting notes.

Taylor Wilson:

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us wherever you're listening right now, seven days a week. And if you have a chance, please drop us a rating and review. Thanks as always to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their great work on the show. I'll be back tomorrow with another edition of 5 Things, part of the USA Today Network.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19 deaths hits Spanish Flu death count, Joe Biden at UN: 5 Things podcast
Obit King Beating Videographer (AP1997)

George Holliday, whose amateur video of police beating Black motorist Rodney King in 1991, has died of complications of Covid-19, according to a friend.

Mr Holliday, 61, died Sunday at a hospital in Los Angeles  the same city gripped 30 years ago by footage he shot on a month-old camcorder. A plumber whod grown up in Argentina, Mr Holliday was a white resident of San Fernando Valley when he noticed four officers brutally beating Mr King, picking up his camera and notifying police.

That grainy video remains widely recognised and was essential during the officers trial despite their eventual acquittal  which shocked the nation and sparked days of riots throughout Los Angeles.

Mr Holliday was not vaccinated for Covid and had been in the hospital for more than a month, longtime friend Robert Wollenweber told AP. He died after contracting pneumonia and being placed on a ventilator.

The Los Angeles Times  the hometown paper of a city fundamentally changed by Mr Hollidays footage and the King case  published a lyrical obituary which recalled the turmoil at the time and the plumbers inadvertent step into the spotlight.

Shot with a bulky Sony Handycam, the video of the Rodney King beating in 1991 tore open a city already heaving with racial tension, an era when the Los Angeles Police Department was all but an occupying force in the citys Black neighborhoods, arriving with tanks, battering rams and brute force, the paper wrote.

And when the four officers who beat King were acquitted the following year, the city exploded in protest and violence, thick smoke curling into the sky from Koreatown to South L.A. By the time it was over, more than 50 people had been killed and more than 2,300 were injured. The scars  both to the citys urban core and to the psyches of its residents  remained in plain view for decades.

For Holliday, it was like being hurled over a cliff. Reporters lurked outside his Lake View Terrace apartment, death threats arrived in the mail, and his efforts to receive just compensation for one of the most infamous videos of the time vaporized again and again.

Story continues

Last year, he told The New York Times that the entire incident stemmed from his instinctive decision to utilise a recent purchase.

You know how it is when you have a new piece of technology, he said. You film anything and everything.

His footage was a prelude to the countless videos to come in the following decades of police brutality filmed on more advanced technology, spurring protests, activism, reform and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson, in a 2016 interview with The Marshall Project, said that when hed first seen the video at the time of the incident, he was asked to comment.

My response was that Rodney King was the victim, but George Holliday, the white man who filmed the beating from his balcony, was the hero, he said.

Given the racial polarization and stereotypes, he could have said: All those police out there and lights blinking, Im not going to get involved in that. He could have said, Whats that Black guy doing in our neighborhood? But something about his own character and upbringing said to him, beyond color and culture, this is not right.

Had he not filmed it we would not know anything about Rodney King.

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Princess Martha Louise Receives Birthday Gift from Shaman Durek

Kine Jensen Princess Martha Louise

Princess Martha Louise of Norway kicked off her 50th birthday celebrations with a meaningful gift from her boyfriend, Shaman Durek.

Shaman Durek  a Los Angeles-based "spiritual guide and gifted healer" whose celebrity fans include Gwyneth Paltrow, Nina Dobrev and James Van Der Beek  surprised Martha Louise in from the U.S. on the eve of her birthday with garnet stone and diamond jewelry set by designer Paige Novick. The two-finger ring features of cluster of pear-shaped gemstones, while the gold cuff bracelet is lined with diamonds.

"We're star-crossed lovers across the sea, but our love is defined by friendship and devotion," Shaman Durek tells PEOPLE. "It is through our friendship that we have built this ability to handle the distance between our hearts."

"I wanted to get her a beautiful piece of jewelry that represents friendship and love  that's the garnet stone," he continues. "The precious diamonds represent the love of the stars that I look upon in the sky knowing that I count the days on when we will be back together."

RELATED: Princess Martha Louise and Boyfriend Shaman Durek Explain Their Mystical 'Powers'

Durek said that Martha Louise is "the love of my life."

"A powerful woman, a wise woman and a gifted woman, and an amazing mother, friend and family to many," he said. "I wanted to give her something that would commemorate that, both in beauty and essence."

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Princess Martha Louise Receives Birthday Gift from Shaman Durek

Kine Jensen Princess Martha Louise

Last year for her birthday, Shaman Durek surprised the royal by visiting her for the occasion.

"I love surprises," Princess Martha Louise captioned a couple selfie on Instagram. "And the best surprise ever was you turning up for my Birthday, @shamandurek, after 6 long months of being apart. It has been so challenging yet wonderful to see how, even when not seeing each other, we have deepened our connection and understanding for each other."

Story continues

She added, "One of the main things this corona period has shown me, is that we humans are tougher than we think and can prevail anything, but it's better when we have our loved ones close."

In April, Princess Martha Louise said she had not seen her boyfriend since Christmas, when Durek visited Norway for the holidays.

"He is in Los Angeles, and now we do not know when we will see each other again," the mother of three (from her previous marriage to late author Ari Behn) told Norwegian newspaper VG.

Martha Louise also shared her plans to move to the U.S.

"Right now there is COVID and it is difficult to plan, but we plan to move with time," she told the newspaper. "The children will, of course, join me. We will keep the home in Lommedalen anyway. We must have a home in Norway. We'll still be here a lot. We can not leave beautiful Norway completely."

Princess Martha Louise confirmed her romance with Shaman Durek in May 2019.

"When you meet your twin flame, you know. I have been lucky enough to have met mine," she captioned a series of snaps. "@shamandurek has changed my life, like he does with so many. He has made me realize that unconditional love actually exists here on this planet. He embraces all of me without question or fear. He makes me laugh more than anyone, has the most profound wisdom to share and all the bits in between from the diversity of his being."

The royal continued, "I feel so happy and blessed that he is my boyfriend. Thank you my love, for including me so generously into your family. I love you from this eternity to the next."

Norway's royal family also marked Princess Martha Louise's milestone 50th birthday by sharing portraits of her on Instagram sporting a pink dress with blue jewelry.

The family also promoted Princess Martha Louise's Fund, which was created at her first birthday to support children with disabilities. The allocation of funds is done each year on Martha Louise's birthday.
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, has teamed up with a California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla on an immigration reform bill to provide a pathway to citizenship for "Documented Dreamers," children of long-term visa holders who have waited for years for a green card.

The "America's Children Act," introduced Tuesday by Paul and Padilla, would aim to help the Documented Dreamers, who face deportation if they age out of dependent status at 21 without a green card or other immigration status.

The bill, according to a news release, would create "a pathway to permanent residency for individuals who were brought to the United States as dependent children of workers admitted under approved employer petitions, have maintained status in the United States for 10 years (including four years as a dependent) and have graduated from an institution of higher education."

The proposal also establishes "age-out protections that lock in a childs age on the date on which they file for a green card rather than the final action date" and "provides work authorization for Documented Dreamers over the age of 16 whose green card applications are pending," per the release.

More politics: Sen. Rand Paul slams Gen. Mark Milley over reports the general secretly called China

"These children who have legally called the United States home for many years and even decades, are contributing members in our communities and to our economy," Paul said in the announcement. "They shouldnt be penalized by the governments failures in addressing green card backlogs. The Americas Children Act provides targeted relief for these children of merit-based immigrants who are at risk of 'aging out' of their lawful immigration status, and Im pleased to join Sen. Padilla in introducing this bill."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Padilla in December to finish the Senate term of Vice President Kamala Harris.

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Padilla, the Golden State's first Latino senator, had been serving as California's secretary of state when he accepted the move to Capitol Hill.

"We cannot turn our backs on the Documented Dreamers who have spent most of their lives in this country, contributing to their communities and our economy but face continued uncertainty and risk deportation once they turn 21, Padilla said. "These young people deserve the opportunity to pursue their American dream and continue building lives in the country they call home."

Dip Patel, president of immigration advocacy group Improve the Dream, told Axios most of the Documented Dreamers are Asian American, with roughly 70% emigrating from India.

Patel, a Documented Dreamer himself who was 9 years old when his family moved from India to Illinois, also said in a statement over 200,000 Documented Dreamers "who had felt hopeless now have hope for being recognized as something we have long felt: Americans."

Refugees: One family's harrowing escape from Afghanistan, and the road to resettlement in Louisville

"People don't realize that this is happening, that thousands of people who have been ... brought here at a young age, raised and educated here on visas with a legal status are having to leave the country," Patel told Axios.

Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, are cosponsoring Paul and Padilla's bill.

In July, Reps. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Young Kim, R-Calif., introduced a version of the bill in the House.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Rand Paul, Alex Padilla introduce 'Documented Dreamers' reform bill
Images of the van shown in police bodycam footage, and from the couples YouTube channel, posted days later (Moab City Police Department / Nomadic Static YouTube channel)

Footage showing Gabby Petito and Brian Laundries van in disarray, with backpacks and other belongings strewn across the floor, was captured on bodycam when the couple were stopped by police.

Images of the chaotic interior of the van were caught when police pulled the couple over outside Arches National Park near Moab on 12 August, several weeks before Ms Petito was reported missing by her family.

In the bodycam footage, Ms Petito was crying and the pair told police they had been arguing more than usual. Officers decided they were dealing with a mental health crisis rather than a domestic assault, and no charges were made.

The bodycam video gave a glimpse of bedding, bags and other clutter bundled in the back of the van as the police questioned Mr Laundrie outside.

The scene was in stark contrast to a video Ms Petito posted on YouTube a few days later, which showed the van spick and and span with a neatly made bed and backpacks out of sight. Its not known when she recorded the video.

Ms Petito had been documenting the couples van life and travels on the YouTube channel Nomadic Static.

In the bodycam footage, she told police that her fiance Mr Laundrie was a downer, and didnt support her efforts to make a success of her blog.

I just quit my job to travel across the country, and Im trying to start a blog, a travel blog, so Ive been building my website, Petito said, visibly distressed, in the recording that was released by Utah police on September 16. Ive been really stressed, and he doesnt really believe that I can do any of it.

The FBI announced on Sunday that a body matching the description of Ms Petito had been recovered in the Teton National Park area, which is where Ms Petitos family said she was when they last spoke with her. Mr Laundrie remains missing and has been named by police as a person of interest in Ms Petitos case.

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Xinhua News Agency/Getty

Theres a new variant of the novel coronavirus spreading fast from its apparent birthplace in Uganda.

The A.23.1 variantlineage is the scientific termshares some characteristics with other major variants, including Delta, the one thats most prevalent in the United States. But its origins differ: Evolutionarily speaking, A.23.1 is a part of a family of viral variantsthe A lineages. Delta, the highly infectious lineage thats dominant in the United States right now, is a B lineage.

Welcome to Rabbit Hole, where we dive deep on the biggest story. Its for Beast Inside members only. Join up today.

Compared to the oldest forms of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen, A.23.1 features changes to the spike protein, the part of the virus that allows it to grab on to and infect our cells. Those changes could make A.23.1 more infectious than older lineages.

This Is Where the New Mu COVID Variant Startedand Raged

But dont panic. Well, dont panic any more than you already are. The leading COVID-19 vaccines, including the three the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized for distribution in the United States, work just fine against all the lineages that came before A.23.1. Theres no reason to believe they wont also work against A.23.1 itself.

Whats most worrying about A.23.1 is that it first appeared in a part of the world where theres precious little testing or genetic surveillance. It should come as no surprise that those largely unmonitored regions are also under-vaccinated. And its there, in these surveillance and vaccine gaps, that much more dangerous new lineages might eventually evolve.

Early in the pandemic, the initial A and B lineages were both present in Uganda, a landlocked, low-income country of 44 million in East Africa. Then A began to take over, according to a new paper in Nature by lead authors Daniel Lule Bugembe and My V.T. Phan, both with the Uganda Virus Research Institute. By the summer of 2020, A lineages accounted for half of the viral samples gathered in Uganda.

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A.23, the immediate parent of A.23.1, first appeared in a pair of mass outbreaks at Ugandan prisons in August 2020. A month later, A.23 was the dominant lineage across Uganda, and the first few cases of the further-evolved A.23.1 had appeared.

A.23.1 took over fast. In December and January, virologists sampled 113 Ugandans with COVID. 102 had A.23.1. From its base in Uganda, A.23.1 traveled fast. It spread into neighboring Kenya and Rwanda, most likely in the respiratory systems of infected truck drivers. Early this year, it accompanied air travelers to the United Kingdom and the United States. A.23.1 is now found in 27 countries.

A.23.1 owes its success to various mutations to its spike protein. Two particular mutations, which scientists call the E484K and N501Y amino acid changes, are especially foreboding. These two amino acid changes are shown to substantially compromise vaccine efficacy and antibody treatments, Bugembe, Phan and their Nature authors warned.

Several other major lineages, which long ago split off the oldest forms of SARS-CoV-2, also have these E484K and N501Y mutations. In other words, A.23.1 evolved separately, but in the same way, as other lineages.

This Explains Why Delta Variant Is Hammering Hospitals

Thats not as weird as it might sound, Niema Moshiri, a geneticist at the University of California, San Diego, told The Daily Beast. From a general evolutionary perspective, convergent evolutionmultiple lineages independently encountering the same mutations purely from random chanceis not surprising to me.

A virus can mutate in only so many ways, Moshiri explained. There have been so many COVID lineages and sub-lineages for so long, each mutating twice a week, that many of them are bound to find the same mutations.

Authorities should keep an eye on A.23.1, and scientists should continue studying it for signs its making vaccines less effective, Bugembe and Phans team advised. Our findings of emergence and spread of this variant indicate that careful monitoring of this variant, together with assessment of the consequences of the spike protein changes for COVID-19 vaccine performance, are advisable.

But theres no reason to freak out quite yet. A.23.1 is dominant in Uganda, but its worth noting that Uganda has suffered relatively lightly from COVID: just 122,000 cases and fewer than 3,200 deaths. The countrys death rate from COVID, seven per 100,000 residents, is a fraction of the U.S. death rate of 200 per 100,000 residents.

Moreover, seeing as A.23.1 features some of the same mutations that characterize Delta and other major lineages, it probably also has the same limitations as the other lineages. Despite its stickier spike protein, Delta barely made a dent in the effectiveness of the leading vaccines.

April data from New York pharma Pfizer, maker of the most popular vaccine in the United States, indicated the companys jab was 95-percent effective against all lineages.

Meanwhile a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August found that, against Delta specifically, the Pfizer vaccine is just short of 94-percent effective. In other words, the vaccines still work, even against newer and nastier lineages.

That could change, of course. Every day without global immunity is an opportunity for SARS-CoV-2 to evolve. Its possible some future lineage will mutate in some way that allows it to dodge the current vaccines.

Thats a compelling argument for the worlds most vaccine-rich countries to send their surpluses of jabs to under-vaccinated countries.

The United States, for one, is sitting on a stockpile of at least 80 million doses, but administers fewer than a million doses a day while continuing to accept fresh vaccine shipments from the manufacturers. Around 55 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated. That figure grows by around .1 percent daily.

Why Vaccinated People Are Not Taking Delta Seriously Enough

Uganda, by contrast, has virtually no access to vaccines. Since jabs first became available late last year, the country has administered just 1.5 million doses, enough to fully vaccinate less than one percent of the population.

Moreover, Uganda routinely tests very few people. Theres a reason that A.23 was first detected at prison outbreaks. Prisons have controlled populations and 24-hour government surveillance. Theyre fairly easy to monitor for viral outbreaks.

Monitoring the general public is much harder, especially in a low-income country with an underdeveloped health system. Additional testing and sequencing are urgently needed in Africa, Rob Knight, the head of a genetic-computation lab at the University of California, San Diego, told The Daily Beast.

As high-income countries steadily vaccinate their way toward some degree of population-level herd immunity, lower-income countries with much lower vaccination rates could become refuges for the surviving coronavirus lineagesand breeding grounds for new lineages.

If in coming months and years some lineage develops the ability to evade the vaccines, it might be because it had access to an unprotected population in a mostly unmonitored, unvaccinated country. A country like Uganda.

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A United States Border Patrol agent on horseback tries to stop a Haitian migrant from entering an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Acuna Del Rio International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas (PAUL RATJE / AFP via Getty Images)

Kamala Harris is the latest White House official to condemn images coming out of Del Rio, Texas, where US Border Patrol agents were captured harshly rounding up Haitian migrants on horseback in tactics compared to Americas dark history of slave patrols.

What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback, treating human beings the way they were was horrible, the vice-president told reporters on Tuesday. I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into what is going on there, but human beings should never be treated that way, and Im deeply troubled about it.

She added that she would be in touch Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

I dont think anyone seeing that footage would think it acceptable or appropriate, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday. Its horrible to watch.

Despite the condemnation, the Biden administration has continued deporting the more than 12,000 Haitians assembled at the border en masse under Title 42, a Trump-era immigration rule that largely shut down the border to asylum seekers. It has also ramped up flights to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, though the country is struggling with the aftermath of a deadly earthquake this summer and the assassination of its president.

President Biden, who campaigned on a more humane approach to immigration than the deeply anti-immigration Donald Trump, has come in for criticism from migration advocates and progressives within his own party.

That ICE [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] would continue to carry out the mass deportations of our Haitian neighbours  with Haiti in the midst of its worst political, public health and economic crises yet  is cruel and callous, Democratic US representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts said of the situation on Friday.

In May, recognising the fragile state of the country, the Biden administration extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians already in the US, pausing deportations for the next 18 months.

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Haiti is currently experiencing serious security concerns, social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement at the time.

After careful consideration, we determined that we must do what we can to support Haitian nationals in the United States until conditions in Haiti improve so they may safely return home.

Still, the administration has continued using Title 42 to expel most of those massed in Del Rio, denying them the legally protected right to seek asylum.

Last week, a federal judge in Washington ruled that the policy was illegal as it applied to families, though the decision wont take effect for two weeks, and the Biden administration plans to appeal.

The Biden administration claims it wants to distance itself from the Trump administrations inhumane asylum policies, ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt told The Associated Press. Yet it has retained the most extreme of all the policies, the Title 42 policy that is literally sending families into the hands of persecutors and cartels.

Trump administration Stephen Miller, the architect of many of the administrations most anti-immigration policies, had been pushing for Title 42 even before the coronavirus pandemic broke out.

Then, once Covid-19 did begin, the Trump administration overruled public health officials who said shutting the border to asylum-seekers  and most other immigrants  wouldnt service any medical benefit, and instituted the policy anyway.

Since then, the two administrations have used the policy to expel hundreds of thousands of people before they can claim their rights.

As of August, the US was on pace to admit a historically low number of refugees, even fewer than the record lows seen in the Trump administration. The Biden administration has since committed to raising the annual refugee cap to 125,000, after facing intense criticism for initially not choosing to raise that figure from Trump levels.
WASHINGTON - The Democratic-led House passed a bill to fund the government until early December and raise the nation's limit on borrowing Tuesday night, the latest effort to stave off economic peril and avoid a government shutdown.

The package will likely falter in the Senate due to Republican opposition, despite a looming fiscal crisis if the debt ceiling isn't raised or suspended.

The federal government will shut down Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, if funding is not passed into law. In October, the U.S. could default on its debt load if Congress does not increase its borrowing limits.

If Congress doesn't provide funding for its financial obligations this could result in the first default on U.S. debt.

But the spending package isn't only about funding the government. Also included is money to help resettle Afghan refugees who left their native country after the 20-year war ended and money to provide relief in the wake of Hurricane Ida's damage.

More: House passes debt and funding plan, inviting clash with GOP in Senate

Here are the details in the package.

Funding the government and suspending debt limit

The package would provide money to fund the government through Dec. 3. It also extends borrowing authority through the end of 2022.

Republicans opposed to the funding say it would lead to a spending binge, despite the government needing to meet financial obligations already incurred. They also argue that Democrats should include the funding in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.

I will not support signing a blank check as this majority is advancing the most reckless expansion of government in generations, said Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa.

More: What does raising the debt ceiling mean? Showdown returns to Congress on paying US bills

The Senate is evenly split, meaning Democrats would need to find 10 Republicans to overcome a filibuster. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been adamant the GOP will not provide the votes needed.

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During a speech on the House floor after the bill passed, Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed back.

"This is not about future spending. Some would like to give the impression that we're just doing this  no, this is about paying bills already incurred, including the Social Security recipients, again, veterans and millions who have benefited from the bipartisan COVID relief legislation passed last December," Pelsoi said.

Congress previously suspended the debt limit for two years in 2019 while former President Donald Trump was in office.

Hurricane disaster relief

Included in the package is $28.6 billion in disaster relief for the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and other extreme weather events that occurred over the past 18 months.

Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, was one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the U.S. With 150 mph winds at landfall, Ida tied as the fifth-strongest hurricane to hit the mainland.

It caused significant damage to parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Ida also caused flooding the Northeast, leaving more than 60 people dead, including 27 in New Jersey and 13 people in New York City.

President Joe Biden toured storm-ravaged areas of Louisiana, New York and New Jersey earlier this month.

'This is everybody's crisis': Biden highlights climate change as he tours Hurricane Ida damage in NY, NJ

Support for Afghan evacuees

In the fallout of the 20-year war in Afghanistan, lawmakers included $6.3 billion to support Afghanistan evacuees' resettlement in the U.S. in the spending plan.

The U.S. has evacuated or helped facilitate the evacuation of nearly 90,000 people from Afghanistan since Aug. 14.

Roughly 65,000 Afghans were forced out of their country and are headed to the U.S. for resettlement. Many of the refugees are staying in military bases, at convention centers and even some community colleges as they await their next move.

Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are honorary co-chairs of Welcome.US, an organization that will help streamline the process of resettling Afghan refugees in the U.S.

More: Thousands of Afghans are looking for refuge in the U.S. But the immigration process isn't simple.

Contributing: Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Funds for Ida, Afghan refugees included in House-passed spending bill
After years of failing to pass legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, the Senate may actually be close to introducing a bill with support from both parties.

Senate and White House aides involved in months of negotiations on a VAWA reauthorization bill tell HuffPost that despite the relative silence on the subject, theyre feeling optimistic about unveiling bipartisan legislation  and soon.

We are encouraged by the progress in the Senate and are looking forward to a bipartisan bill being introduced this fall, said a White House official familiar with talks on a VAWA bill.

A Senate Democratic aide added, We are engaged in productive, bipartisan conversations and hope to introduce a bipartisan bill in the coming weeks.

VAWA is one of President Joe Bidens signature accomplishments; hes made the 1994 law a central piece of his legacy. It was the first major federal legislative package focused on stopping violence against women, and it has since provided billions of dollars in grants for life-saving programs aimed at stemming domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.

Rates of domestic violence declined by more than 50% between 1993 and 2008, after VAWA became law, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is aiming to introduce a bipartisan bill this fall to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. (Photo: Caroline Brehman via Getty Images)

Congress has to periodically reauthorize the law to update its grant programs and, perhaps more importantly, to strengthen the law based on what victims, survivors and advocates say are gaps in services to vulnerable populations.

But Senate Republicans let VAWAs authorization expire in 2019 because they opposed a House-passed bipartisan bill and couldnt agree among themselves on what to put into a bill of their own. Specifically, they opposed provisions in the House bill that would have expanded protections for LGBTQ and Native American victims of violence. They also opposed a gun safety provision that would have prohibited people who have been convicted of abusing their dating partners from owning firearms, closing the so-called boyfriend loophole. Senate Democrats, meanwhile, fully embraced the House bill.

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VAWAs authorization has been lapsed ever since. It doesnt mean the law itself expired; it means uncertainty for its grant programs and no ability to update the law with new protections that domestic violence advocates say are badly needed.

The House already passed its latest bipartisan VAWA bill in March, and its a lot like the bill it passed in 2019. So its on the Senate, again, to figure out a way forward.

The last time the Senate passed a bipartisan VAWA bill was in 2013.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski is playing a key role in helping to craft legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. (Photo: Tom Williams via Getty Images)

Getting details on when, exactly, senators plan to introduce their forthcoming bill and what it will include has been difficult to nail down. But Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) may be the most important person in the Senate for getting a VAWA bill across the finish line.

Her team has spent months hammering out the tribal portion of the bill  a regular sticking point between the two parties  and is nearly done. Murkowski has long been an ally to Native American tribes, so whatever language she ultimately crafts will likely have their support. Thats a key piece to getting any VAWA bill done.

That still leaves a need for bipartisan support on new protections for LGBTQ victims of violence and the gun safety provision, if that makes it in at all. Murkowski, once again, will be key to helping bring Republicans on board with a final bill.

Im working with everybody. Democrats, Republicans, independents, advocates, Murkowski told HuffPost in March. I want to get VAWA reauthorized.

Her office did not respond to a request for comment on when she will be done with the tribal piece of the bill and what protections it will include.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) are officially leading the effort on the VAWA reauthorization legislation. Ernst deferred to Murkowski to put together the tribal portion, though.

Aides to Durbin and Ernst did not respond to a request for comment on what to expect in the final bill.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
IRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

Convicted Russian agent Maria Butina, who served over a year in a U.S. prison and received a heros welcome upon her return to Moscow in 2019, faced an embarrassing setback in her attempt to be elected to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament in Russia. News organizations assumed that Butina was a shoo-in as a candidate in the rural region of Kirov Oblast. She ran under the helm of President Vladimir Putin's ruling party, United Russia, which was declared the winner in last week's elections, marred by wide-ranging accusations of fraud.

But according to the final results of the elections reported by Russias only independent television channel, TV Rain, Butina did not make it after all. A local Kirov media outlet, Vyatka-na-Seti News, reached the same conclusion. Vyatka-na-Seti News reported, The Kirov region showed extremely low support for the United Russia party in the elections to the State Duma, which were held on September 17-19, 2021. Thus, the region was left without mandates, according to the lists, and Maria Butina will not represent our region in the State Duma. The outlet surmised that certain districts within the region rebelled and refused to vote in support of the ruling United Russia party. In the Kirov region, the party received only 29.54 percent of the vote.

Maria Butina Receives Heros Welcome in Moscow

Butinas candidacy was problematic from the start. Her already spotty reputation was further tainted by reports of financial support in the past year from American conspiracy theorist Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock and an ardent supporter of former president Donald J. Trump. In addition to helping fund Butinas candidacy, Byrne had earlier said that he's funding a team of hackers and cybersleuths in an attempt to prove that Trump won the presidential election.

Byrne is one of the men Butina dated during her successful attempts to penetrate political circles in the United States, which ultimately landed her in prison. According to a July 2016 email published in a Senate Intelligence Committee report, Butinas other lover, Paul Erickson, wrote that Byrne offered Butina $1 million to let him father her child. According to a video released by Alexei Navalnys investigative team, FBK, Butinas electoral declaration revealed that Byrnes financial support amounted to tens of millions of rubles.

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While Byrne was still the CEO of Overstock, he claimed, using a company letterhead, that Men in Black figures in the federal government had urged him to romance Butina. Byrne told Business Insider that he was guilt-ridden about setting up Butina and his donations were meant to make amends with the convicted Russian agent.

Russia's Communist Party called on election officials to reject Butina's candidacy on the grounds that she received foreign funding, but special candidates seem to be exempt from abiding by the rules. Upon her return to Russia, Butina became a cherished tool of pro-Kremlin propaganda, making rounds on state television to malign and condemn the United States, and joining RT as a correspondent.

Eager to please the regime, Butina showed up with RTs camera team to taunt ailing opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison as he sought medical help in April. She described Navalnys prison accommodations as rivaling the best local hotels.

When it comes to Russian elections, propagandists always seem to land on their feet. The host of state TV program 60 Minutes Evgeny Popov reportedly prevailed over Mikhail Lobanov, 38, a university lecturer who ran under the banner of the Communist Party in southwest Moscow. Lobanov was winning until the questionable results of the electronic voting overturned his lead. Popov was not disqualified even after it was discovered that he failed to accurately disclose his considerable earnings. Likewise, Butina was kept in the race despite her foreign assets and funding, prohibited by Russian electoral laws.

Putins New Dirty Trick to Win Elections Has Candidates Battling Their Doppelgangers

After allegedly losing to Popov, Lobanov tweeted, The authorities may think that they stole our victory, but we all know perfectly well that we overtook Popov in all eight districts of my region. You can manufacture any number of votes, but now you and I know what we are capable of, and this knowledge cannot be taken away from us. The fight is just beginning.

A video posted by the team of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny roundly mocked Butinas ridiculous candidacy. Residents of the Kirov Oblast apparently agreed, with their votes all but damning Butinas election prospects.

Still, the reported outcome of the elections does not mean that Butina's chances of getting into the State Duma have been completely thwarted. The ruling party can arrange for her to receive a mandate from another regional group or a federal list.

The Russian Movement for Defense of Voters' Rights, "Golos," previously objected to Butinas political aspirations, pointing out that she failed to disclose her U.S. conviction in the course of her electoral campaign. In a telling response, Russias Central Election Commission said that Butinas activities in the United States are not considered a crime in the Russian Federation.

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New Delhi: Sidharth Malhotra, who is basking in the glory of his last release Shershaah has now reacted to the kissing scene in the movie.

Sidharth and Kiara Advani were guests on The Kapil Sharma Show and the duo talked about their experience of working together in the film.



Kapil shared a new uncensored version of the episode on his YouTube channel where he talks about the personal equation of both the actors. Sid and Kiara are rumoured to be dating each other, but neither has confirmed their relationship status as yet.

Kapil quizzed Sidharth whether the kissing scene showed in the movie was in the script or was his creative input?

Watch the video here: (Video Courtesy: Kapil Sharma/YouTube)

Reacting to it, Sidharth said, 90% of Shershaahs story is actually what had happened in Captain Vikram Batras life.

Although, Kapil was bang on and said we are asking about the rest of the 10% which left everyone in splits and Sidharth said, Nahi, nahi, woh bhi sab humne kirdaar ke liye Karna pada, bohot mushkil se, forced Zabardasti karna pada..

For the unversed, Sidharth recently appeared in the Dharma Productions film Shershaah where he essayed the role of Captain Vikram Batra (PVC). The movie was released on Amazon Prime Videos and was appreciated by both audiences and critics. Shershaah has also become the most-watched movie on Amazon Prime Videos.

The film also stars Kiara Advani in the role of Vikrams fiance Dimple Cheema.

On the work front, Sidharth will next be seen in Shantanu Bagchis Mission Majna along with South superstar Rashmika Mandanna.
New Delhi: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, on Wednesday (September 22), launched the National Single Window System (NSWS), a one-stop portal for investors for approvals and clearances.

The minister believes that the NSWS portal will provide freedom to investors from the legacy of running to government offices for approvals. The move is expected to further improve the ease of doing business in India.

As of now, 18 departments and nine states have joined with the National Single Window System. The government is expecting that 14 more departments and five other states will also jump on the bandwagon.

Goyal pointed out that the new system is aimed at bringing transparency, accountability and responsiveness. Investors will get all the information on a single dashboard.

On the new platform, investors will be able to apply, track applications and receive solutions to their queries via an applicant Dashboard. Moreover, all the solutions will be provided to investors and businesses with just a click of the mouse via the End-to-End facilitation. Also Read: TCS recruitment: IT firm invites applications for Service Desk Role Executive, check job requirement

Goyal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modis, decisive and bold leadership has enabled and encouraged India to dream bigger. Investors and businesses can visit the National Single Window System at http://www.nsws.gov.in/. Also Read: ZEEL-Sony Pictures merger: Heres why the deal is extremely profitable for shareholders, stakeholders
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Wednesday (September 22, 2021) announced that it has decided to reopen the varsity campus for physical classes in a phased manner from Thursday. The phase 3 and 4 reopenings of the campus will commence from September 23 and September 27 respectively.

In continuation to the Government of NCT of Delhi, Delhi Disaster Management Authority Order regarding the re-opening of educational institutes with maximum 50% of the seating capacity subject to strict compliance of SOPs notified by DDMA. The University has decided phase-3&4 reopening of the campus, the order reads.

Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) decides phase 3 and 4 reopenings of the campus from 23rd September and 27th September respectively. pic.twitter.com/xUVZ0mKa2C  ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

JNU Phase 3 reopening from September 23, 2021 :

* All Third Year Ph.D researchscholars (both hostellers and day-scholars) are allowed to enter into the campus.

* Buses will be allowed to enter into the campus following the COVID-19 protocol.

* In order to avoid overcrowding, it has been decided to decentralize the process of issuance of ID card from the Security Office. The students ID cards will be issued at the School.

JNU Phase 4 of reopening from September 27, 2021 :

* All M.Sc. Final Year, B.Tech Fourth Year & MBA Final Years scholars (both hostellers and day-scholars) will be allowed to enter into the campus.

* Any person found violating the aforesaid instructions, shall be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 188 of IPC and other applicable laws, the authorities said.

Meanwhile, JNU entrance exams for admission commenced from Monday across 114 cities, its VC M Jagadesh Kumar said. The entrance exams will be held till September 23.

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PANAJI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal has said that if his party is voted to power in Goa in the 2022 assembly polls, he will ensure that 80 per cent of jobs, including in the private sector, will be reserved for local people.

The AAP national convenor also assured a monthly remuneration of Rs 5,000 to the families dependent on the mining and tourism industries till these sectors are normalised.

Speaking to reporters in Mapusa town, Kejriwal further said that at least one unemployed person from each family in Goa would be given a government job and jobless youths will get a monthly allowance of Rs 3,000 till they find jobs.

Assembly elections are due in Goa, currently ruled by the BJP, in February next year. This is the second visit of Kejriwal to Goa in the last two months. In his earlier visit in July, the Delhi Chief Minister had assured free electricity up to 300 units per month to people in Goa if his party forms the government after polls.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Kejriwal said, "80 per cent of jobs, including in the private sector, will be reserved for Goan youths. We will pass a law making it mandatory for private industries to employ 80 per cent of workers from local people.

Kejriwal also tried to woo the people dependent on the mining and tourism sectors, the major recruiters in Goa. While mining came to a standstill after the Supreme Court ban, the COVID-19 induced lockdown has adversely affected the tourism industry.

"Families dependent on the mining and tourism industries will get a monthly remuneration of Rs 5,000 till these sectors are resumed," he said. In another promise, Kejriwal said a Skills University will be set up in Goa on the lines of Delhi where youth would be skilled and made employment-ready.

He said if the AAP comes to power only the deserving people will get jobs in the state government only on merit.

"The current practice of recruiting people in government through favours from MLAs or influential politicians will be discarded. The entire system of job recruitment in the government sector would be made transparent and accountable, he added.

Referring to the doorstep delivery of services introduced by the Pramod Sawant government, Kejriwal said a similar initiative was implemented by the Delhi government. As per our scheme, government officers go to the doorstep of people with the required facilities. People don't have to move out of their homes, he said.

He claimed the Sawant government has been copying the Delhi government's initiatives. Why to choose duplicate when you have original, he quipped.

In the 2017 Goa Assembly polls, the AAP had drawn a blank.

The Congress had then won the highest 17 seats in the 40-member House in Goa restricting the BJP to 13. Surprising the Congress, the saffron party allied with regional parties and came to power under the leadership of senior leader Manohar Parrikar, now deceased.

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New Delhi: There's good news for patients getting treatment from Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS). The AIIMS administration has increased the time to give blood samples for examination in the hospital by 5 and a half hours.

Now in AIIMS Delhi, patients can give blood samples from 8 am to 3.30 pm for testing, which was earlier only for two hours - from 8 am to 10 am. However, this extended time is only for Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, the sample of old OPD patients will be taken from 8 am to 10.30 am and the sample of new OPD patients will be taken from 8 am to 1 pm only.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had formed a committee headed by senior professors of AIIMS Delhi on September 3 to address the problems of patients in AIIMS Delhi.

The work of this committee was how to remove the problems of the patients coming to AIIMS Delhi for treatment. In such a situation, the increased time for conducting this investigation was one of the recommendations of this committee, which has been implemented by the hospital administration.

Talking about the other recommendations of the committee, this committee of AIIMS Delhi has also recommended that the time of radiological examination of patients coming for treatment in the hospital should also be increased.

For example, the committee had recommended that the timing of radiological investigations like MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan in AIIMS Delhi should be from 8 am to 8 pm. Till now this radiological examination was done only from 8 am to 5 pm.

The committee of AIIMS Delhi has recommended to the hospital administration that medical tests up to Rs 500 should be made free of cost to the patients coming to AIIMS for treatment, which will not only reduce the bill line but will also give relief to the poor patients.

The recommendations of the committee have been submitted to the Health Ministry and the final decision on the implementation of the rest of the recommendations is to be taken by the Health Ministry

Live TV
Since Taliban tookover Afghanistan it has publicly stated that they have completely disassociated themselves from Al-Qaeda, but the ground reality tells a different picture with sightings of "foreigners" in Taliban ranks, i.e non-Afghan fighters.

The Al-Qaeda has praised the Doha agreement calling it a great victory and celebrated the US withdrawal and the fall of Kabul.

In addition to Al-Qaeda, the ISIS-K (ISIS's Afghanistan affiliate) also remains a potent threat. The ISIS has always found it hard to find a major foothold in Afghanistan and with Talibans take over of the country and its indirect benefit to Al-Qaeda, there might be mounting pressure on ISIS-K to prove its relevance, which may force them to be more violent and destructive.

The deadly Kabul airport attack on August 26 clearly proves this. The bomb attack which took place soon after the Taliban takeover was just another reminder that even with the end of the civil war between the Afghan Security Forces and the Taliban, Afghanistan remains a fertile territory for jihadi terrorism.

There is a concern that growing influx of foreign fighters from neighbouring countries like Pakistan will swell the ranks of jihadist organisations operating in Afghanistan.

Colin Clarke, author of "After the Caliphate: The Islamic State and the Future of the Terrorist Diaspora while speaking to the media stated that the current situation in Afghanistan is like that of a rising tide that lifts all boats situation. Theres going to be an influx of jihadi, some are going to go to [Al-Qaeda], and some are going to go to ISIS-K,  said Colin Clarke in a interview to Time.



Almost immediately afer the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly overpowered the Afghan Security Forces and took over the entire country.

The events of the past month can be roughly traced back to the Doha Agreement signed between the US and the Taliban. The Doha Agreement stated that the US would withdraw its ground forces from the country and the Taliban would enter into peace negotiations with the Afghan Government.

In addition, another stipulation stated that in the event that the Taliban came to power it would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a staging ground for terrorist attacks on the US or other nations. While this additional condition seems to be logical there seems to be one flaw, while the Taliban can not use Afghanistan as a launch pad for global terror attacks, the agreement does not touch upon the topic of providing a safe haven for other jihadist groups or the need to expel the ones already in Afghanistan.

This distinction which was highlighted by Dr Antonio Giustozzi is extremely important because following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the country can now become a safe haven for fundamentalist jihadists from all over the Muslim world and the Taliban would still be able to claim that they are abiding with the Doha Agreement.

This would be the worst-case scenario as many countries like India, Russia and US feared that with the rise of the Taliban, Afghanistan will become a base of groups like Al-Qaeda and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Three Jihadist groups, Lashkar-e Taiba, Lashkar-e Jhangvi and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan have already signed agreements with the Taliban and have forsaken some of their autonomy to the Taliban. Other more notorious groups are still in negotiations with the Taliban.

The last time Taliban governed Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, it provided a safe haven to not only Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda organisation but numerous other budding terrorist groups as well. During that time, Al-Qaeda's terror training camps became known as a university of terror" and it is estimated that 20,000 jihadists were trained in its camp alone.

With the Taliban back in power in Afghanistan after two decades, the situation seems to be repeating itself. The Afghan Taliban have a close relationship with Al-Qaeda. The relationship has reached such an extent that Edmund Fitton-Brown, the co-ordinator of the UN panel responsible for tracking the Taliban and terrorist groups in Afghanistan, stated that the top leadership of Al-Qaeda is still under Taliban protection. According to a UN report, there are 200-500 Al Qaeda fighters spread across the 11 Afghan provinces.

According to Rita Katz, the executive director of the Site Intelligence Group, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is one of the biggest boost and game changer for Al-Qaeda and Muslim fundamentalist jihadist groups since 9/11.

The Taliban takeover is the biggest boost to Al Qaeda since 9/11 and a global game changer for jihadism generally, said Rita Katz in an interview to The New Yorker.

Following the takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban will be relatively busy trying to secure the funds and govern a country. But the same dilemma does not apply to other terrorist organisations that now have a safe haven to rest and launch their attacks. For the past 20 years, the western countries had relied on the Afghan intelligence service and its network of human informants, but now following the Taliban takeover the western countries and other nations are essentially blind about the internal working of Afghanistan.

After taking over Afghanistan they have used the media and their spokespersons to send a moderate message and reiterate that they are the Taliban 2.0 which will form an inclusive government, not take revenge on collaborators of the previous regime and give right to girls. But one must forget that the Taliban have many faces. They are trying very hard to appeal to the international community because they are in desperate need of humanitarian aid and funds, and that is why they seem to be making lofty promises. But the Talibans promises are as fickle as the rain and should always be taken with a grain of salt.

The Taliban claims to have stopped co-operating with Al-Qaeda but in reality, they are still shielding Al-Qaeda leaders. Taliban spokesperson promised an inclusive government but there have been no steps taken in that direction, the Taliban promised rights for girls but women and girls have not been allowed to return to work or schools.

The deal to not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for global terrorist activity is also most likely a veil to cover the truth of terrorist training camps and drug production fields in order to fund terror activities. The international community and especially the neighbouring countries must be wary.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday (September 22) sent four members of the Hindu Sena to 14-day judicial custody while one accused to one-day police remand in case of vandalism of the official residence of AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi at Ashoka Road in New Delhi, ANI reported.

The Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested five members of the Hindu Sena for their alleged involvement in the vandalism. The police informed those arrested are from northeast Delhi, adding that they vandalised the back gate of Owaisi's residence.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's house vandalisation matter | Delhi Court sends one accused to one-day Police remand and rest of the four accused to 14-day Judicial custody. Delhi Police on Tuesday had arrested five members of Hindu Sena in the matter. (File photo) pic.twitter.com/DCnBzx4ZC4  ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav had said that they received information about the incident at around 5 pm and reached the spot.

A case was registered against the accused under sections 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, and section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act at the Parliament Street police station, a senior police official said.

Taking to Twitter, AIMIM chief Owaisi wrote, "My Delhi residence was vandalised today by radicalised goons. Their cowardice is well known and as usual they came in a mob, not alone. They also chose a time when I was not home. They were armed with axes and sticks, they pelted stones at my house, my nameplate was destroyed."

      40-          -                              -- 13   6       2/n  Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) September 21, 2021

He added, "Raju, the caretaker of the house for the last 40 years was assaulted. The mob shouted communal slogans and threatened to kill me. Raju's grandkids are living in fear now. Raju has filed a complaint with police. Hope action will be taken."

"This is the third time that my residence has been attacked. Last time it was vandalised @rajnathsingh was not only the Home Minister but also my neighbour," Owaisi said in another tweet.

"Election Commission HQ is right next door to my house, Parliament Street police station is right across my house. The Prime Minister's residence is 8 minutes away. If an MP's house is not safe, then what message is @AmitShah sending?" he further asked.

In a video clip released on social media, state president of Hindu Sena Lalit Kumar said they went to Owaisi's residence to teach him a lesson and accused him of speaking against Hindus at his rallies, as per PTI report.

A video that went viral on social media showed people breaking the nameplate at the main gate of the property and also the glass of a window at Owaisis house.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Amid upcoming Bhabanipur by-election in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday (September 22) said that the Kolkata police did not allow its workers to campaign in the area near Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence.

Newly-appointed West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar claimed that they were stopped from campaigning on Harish Chatterjee Street that leads to the residence of Banerjee. BJP has fielded advocate and leader Priyanka Tibrewal from Bhabanipur constituency in the September 30 bypolls where she will contest against CM Mamata Banerjee.

Majumdar claimed the Kolkata police prevented BJP from campaigning as the ruling TMC was in fear of losing the upcoming bypoll, PTI reported. "The TMC has got afraid and is not allowing the BJP to campaign, but the people will break the barricades," the state BJP chief told reporters.

Accusing the Kolkata police of bias towards the ruling political party, Majumdar said, Professionalism of West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police has been destroyed.

However, the police denied BJPs allegations. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Akash Magharia said, "They did not have vaccination certificates and they were trying to breach the high-security zone which is why they were diverted from that road."

BJP MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato and Magharia also engaged in a war of words, where Mahato claimed that only the number of people specified by the Election Commission for the door-to-door campaign was present, but the police said that there were more people in the entourage.

BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal also claimed that she was not allowed from campaigning on the street on Tuesday despite having permission.

"There are voters on that street and despite having permission, why cannot I or our party go there to campaign?" she asked.

Meanwhile, Union minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri went on a door-to-door campaign in Bhabanipur in support of Tibrewal and said he saw "clear support" for BJP in the area.

Puri tweeted, "In my conversations with residents of Ram Mohan Dutta Road in the Ray Street area of Bhabanipur, shared their issues & concerns. But there is clear support for the BJP candidate Smt. Priyanka Tibrewal."

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday (September 22) accused the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government of usurping the credit of his developmental work in the state.

Yadav claimed that the BJP has not even read its own manifesto and failed to keep its poll promises. The BJP has no shame (laaz) that it did not read even a single page of its 'sankalp patra' of 2017 assembly elections and failed to implement any of the promises, Yadav was quoted as saying by PTI.

He said that ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls in 2022, the BJP has begun beating their own trumpet through advertisements.

"This attitude of breaking promises (wadakhilaphi) is a form of corruption. Spending state resources without doing any work of public interest is betrayal with the people, the SP chief said in a statement.

Further, the SP chief charged the saffron party with weakening the democracy of the country by sustained attack on various institutions.

Cautioning the SP workers, the former UP CM alleged that the BJP would try to manipulate voting at the booth level during the elections early next year.

Arrears of sugarcane growers ride in electricity rates, problems of weavers and unemployed youths, atrocity against women and rising crime graph are the hallmarks of the BJP rule in UP, Yadav said.

With the high-profile polls just a few months away, Yadav said people want a progressive government. People is ready to bring the Samajwadi Party government whose sole aim is social justice, he said, adding that the SP has always stood with the poor.

Earlier today, while inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of development projects worth Rs 433 crores in Amroha, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said that SP was only interested in its own development. Samajwadi Party (SP) had nothing to do with development in the state, they were only concerned about their development. The development projects which were launched by them never reached the public, he stated.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exempted the students from the registration fee or examination fee for the board exams.

According to CBSE, students who will be appearing for Class 10 and 12 board exams next year will not have to pay any registration or examination fees if they have lost their parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the country adversely and keeping in view its impact on students, CBSE, as a special measure for the academic session 2021-22, has decided that neither the examination fees nor the registration fees will be charged by the Board from the students who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive parents due to COVID-19 pandemic," CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj told media.

"The schools while submitting the list of candidates for class 10 and 12 examinations will provide the details of these students after verifying the genuineness," he added.

ALSO READ: With 26,964 new infections, India reports lowest daily active COVID-19 cases in 186 days

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New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday (September 22) lashed out at the Centre and accused the government of doing politics over the issue of oxygen crisis during the second COVID-19 wave.

Jain also alleged the Central government is trying to stop the formation of a Delhi government's panel to probe deaths allegedly caused due to shortage of oxygen in the national capital. The Delhi Health Ministers remarks come in the backdrop of Delhi High Court clearing the way for the formation of a constitution of a high-powered committee (HPC) by the AAP government to investigate deaths due to lack of medical oxygen during the second coronavirus wave, PTI reported.

The Centre also did politics over the issue of oxygen crisis and even said in Parliament that no deaths due to oxygen shortage were reported," Jain said at a press conference.

Further, he said that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government had formed a four-member panel comprising medical experts in June and the files were sent to Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal for approval. However, the Centre tried to stop it via the LG office, Jain added.

The Delhi Health Minister said that the Centre did a "wrong thing" by "trying to hide deaths" that may have been caused by dearth of oxygen.

The Delhi high court, which was hearing a plea to operationalise the HPC on Tuesday, had recorded that as per the Delhi government, the criteria for determining compensation will be open to scrutiny and its task would not overlap with that of a sub-group constituted by the Supreme Court on allocation and utilisation of oxygen.

On August 20, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had alleged that the Lieutenant Governor had again rejected the proposal to form a committee to "investigate deaths due to oxygen shortage" in the national capital. "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. Sisodia asserted.

In July, during the Monsoon session of Parliament, 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 coronavirus.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Amid row over Kerala church Bishops "love and narcotic jihad" remark, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday (September 22) denied claims of forced conversions from Christianity to Islam in the state.

Slamming the controversial comment made by Catholic Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt, Vijayan said those making such remarks have no factual backing. Those creating unwanted controversies about 'love jihad' and 'narcotics jihad' do not have factual backing. The concern that there are forced conversions from Christianity to Islam in the state is not true, Kerala CM was quoted as saying by ANI.

The Kerala CM added that those youths who were influenced by ISIS were de-radicalised and reinstated to the mainstream. Since 2018, Kerala Police's special branch is running de-radicalisation programmes in the state for youth. Some youth who were influenced by ISIS ideas were de- radicalised and brought back to mainstream. Counter radicalisation programs are being run successfully, he stated.

Since 2018, Kerala Police's special branch is running de-radicalisation programmes in the state for youth. Some youth who were influenced by ISIS ideas were de- radicalised & brought back to mainstream. Counter radicalisation programs are being run successfully: Kerala CM  ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

Kallarangatt had irked many by alleging that young Catholic girls were largely falling prey to "love and narcotic jihad" in Kerala, adding that these tactics were being used to destroy non-Muslims. "They have realised that in a democratic country like India, taking up weapons and destroying others is not easy and have adopted various tactics to target non-Muslims. In the eyes of jihadis, non-Muslims should be destroyed. Two weapons are being employed and that includes love jihad and narcotic jihad, he had said at Church celebration in Kottayam district`s Kuruvilangadu on September 9.

Meanwhile, several Muslim organisations have urged Kallarangatt to withdraw his controversial "love and narcotic jihad" statement, saying no religious leaders should make such "immature" remarks.

Earlier on Monday, leaders of various religions had met at Thiruvananthapuram and called for steps to strengthen the secular fabric of Kerala society.

Even though CM Vijayan had condemned the remarks before, he did not agree to the demands of the BJP and Congress to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the matter.

(With agency inputs)

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The Delhi government has done away with the requirement of submitting 'surviving member certificates' with applications under its COVID-19 death compensation policy if the applicant is the spouse of the deceased, while it will remain mandatory in other cases. The decision was taken at a meeting of Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot with officials of the department on Wednesday.

"It has been decided that under the 'Mukhyamantri COVID-19 Parivar Arthik Sahayata Yojna', there will no longer be a need for obtaining a surviving member certificate (SMC) from the applicant in cases where one of the spouses is alive," a revenue department statement said.

However, the requirement of an SMC will remain in force for grant of ex gratia for other applicants, it said.

In cases where the deceased was a single parent, surviving children are entitled to the ex gratia equally distributed among them, but for that, the name of the applicant should be reflected in the SMC. If the deceased was an unmarried or a minor child, the father or the mother would get relief under the scheme subject to their name appearing in the SMC, it said. The scheme was started by the Delhi government in June 2021 to provide relief to the kin of those who died of COVID-19. Under the scheme, the government also provides cash transfers to families who have lost bread earners due to the disease.

"As Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has always assured, the Delhi government will always stand with the people of the city in their time of grief. It is our duty and responsibility to help the families who have lost their loved ones in this pandemic in every way possible," Gahlot said.

Under the scheme, the Kejriwal government provides a one-time ex gratia of Rs 50,000 to those who have lost a family member to Covid. In addition, families that have lost bread earners and children who have been left orphaned because of Covid are eligible for a monthly pension of Rs 2,500.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for the United States on a three-day visit. During these three days, he will interact with many big leaders of the world including US President Joe Biden and will also give a speech at the United Nations. The QUAD meeting is also set to take place which will see the US, Australia, Japan and India discussing crucial issues including ways to limit Chinas influence in the Indo-pacific region.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Wednesday (September 22) discussed the significance of PM Modis US visit during which India will deliberate on a range of issues on the global fora.

Before leaving for the US, PM Modi said that he will discuss strategic partnership and global issues with US President Joe Biden on this visit. Among them may also be the issue of China and Afghanistan.

Modi will also meet US Vice President Kamala Harris. This will be his first meeting with Harris, in which both the leaders will discuss cooperation in the field of science and technology.

Modi will reach Washington DC at 6 pm on September 22 according to local time (9:30 am IST of September 23).

His first meeting will be with the CEOs of five big companies, after which he will meet the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. He will then go on to meet Kamala Harris.

He will meet Joe Biden on September 24. This will be the first meeting between the two since Biden became the President. The same day, the four QUAD nations will hold a meeting.

On September 25, Modi will address the UN General Assembly.

QUAD is a grouping of four countries India, Australia, Japan and America and in terms of global diplomacy, it can become a big platform against China. Some of the most important issues to be discussed here would be related to China.

The first issue likely to be discussed would be to reduce the influence of China in the Indo-Pacific Region. The second issue could be COVID-19, which again is related to China. The third issue would be to create a new vaccine supply chain. This issue would also be a move to corner China.

At present, China is the country that is supplying COVID vaccines to maximum countries. The four QUAD countries want to counter that. For this, discussions could be held on manufacturing 100 crore doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine in India. This will help weaken Chinas soft power.

The fourth issue to be discussed could be Afghanistan, where China's control has increased after the withdrawal of the US forces. The QUAD countries would not that to happen. So there can be a discussion on chalking out a new strategy on this issue.

The biggest challenge for India on this tour is the new trilateral security pact between Australia, the UK and the US and which has been named AUKUS. The fact that it happened just a week before PM Modis tour is a cause for concern. Under this pact, the US will share Nuclear-Powered Submarines technology with the UK and Australia. This security pact also aims to reduce the influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region, just like QUAD. However, India has not been included in this grouping which could be an issue.

QUAD was formed in the year 2007, but after two years it was shelved. It was reactivated again in 2017, when China's interference in the South China Sea and Asia started increasing. In March this year, its first Leadership Summit was held, which was virtual. This shows that the rest of the QUAD countries want to counter China and they know in order to do that India would have a crucial role to play.

Also Read: International travel should be made easier through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates: PM Modi

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Ahmedabad: Days after seizing about 3000 kg heroin valued at around Rs 21,000 crore in a shipping consignment that arrived at Gujarats Mundra port, the Centre on Wednesday (September 22) said that eight persons including four Afghans and one Uzbek have been arrested in the case so far.

Three Indians have also been arrested including a couple who allegedly ran the firm which had imported the consignment under the guise of semi-processed talc stones.

A total of eight persons including four Afghan nationals, one Uzbek and three Indians have been arrested so far. The arrested Indian nationals include the holder of the Import Export Code (IEC) which was used to import the consignment. He was arrested from Chennai. Investigations are in progress," said a statement by the union finance ministry.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested -- from Chennai -- M Sudhakar and his wife Durga Vaishali who allegedly ran Vijayawada-registered Aashi Trading Company which had imported the consignment of talc stones'.

On Monday, a special court for cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in Bhuj remanded the couple in 10-day custody of the DRI.

The Centre said that follow-up operations were carried out in New Delhi, Noida, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Mandvi, Gandhidham and Vijaywada which led to recovery of 16.1 kg of heroin from a Godown in Delhi, 10.2 kgs powder suspected to be cocaine and 11 kg of substance suspected to be heroin from a residential place in Noida.

The DRI had detained two containers on September 13 for examination that had arrived at Mundra Port from Kandhar, Afghanistan via Bandar Abbas, Iran. The containers were declared to contain Semi-processed talc stones.

Detailed examination of the containers led to the seizure of 2988 kgs of heroin from the two containers on 17.09.2021 and 19.09.21, the government said.

The drug haul is considered to be one of the biggest in the world with the value of the seized heroin estimated to be Rs 21,000 crore in the international markets.

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New Delhi: Former Nagaland Governor RN Ravi resigned as the Centres interlocutor for Naga peace talks on Wednesday (September 22).

The Ministry of Home Affairs informed that it accepted his resignation with immediate effect.

Shri RN Ravi's resignation as interlocutor for the Naga peace process, submitted by him today, has been accepted with immediate effect by Government of India, a home ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI.

Ravi currently serves as the Governor of Tamil Nadu.

Ravi was leading the peace negotiations with the Nagaland insurgent group NSCN-IM since 2014. He continued his role as the interlocutor even after he was appointed the governor of Nagaland in July 2019.

However, the NSCN-IM has refused to hold talks with him since last year, accusing him of trying to sabotage the peace process. Ravi was then transferred as the governor of Tamil Nadu early this month.

The Central government has already engaged former special director of the Intelligence Bureau, A K Mishra, for holding peace parleys with the Naga groups. Mishra has resumed talks with the Naga rebel group.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Nagaland counterpart Neiphiu Rio also met NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah in Dimapur on Tuesday.

Ravi had signed a framework agreement with Muivah on August 3, 2015, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a major step towards the final settlement.

The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years with the first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland.

However, there has been no progress in the peace talks as the NSCN-IM has sought a separate flag and constitution for Nagaland, which was rejected by the Central government.

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New Delhi: Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday (September 22) sparked a row after he said he doesnt believe Lord Ram to be a historical figure and that Ramayan is just a mythological story.

The president of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) said, I dont consider the Ramayan to be a true story, and I do not believe that Lord Ram was a great historical person.

However, Manjhi said that he admired the teachings of Ramayan saying its lessons provide valuable learning.

Manjhis statement comes after talks on the inclusion of Ramayan in the academic curriculum in Bihar just as it was done in Madhya Pradesh.

Soon after his remarks, political leaders from across different parties came down heavily on him.

No one can erase the existence of Lord Ram and the relevance of Ramayan from our society, said State BJP spokesman Prem Ranjan Patel.

He said that people who do not believe in Lord Ram need to read Ramayan.

The opposition leaders of the RJD and Congress also criticized the statement saying the relevance of Lord Ram should not be questioned.

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Prayagraj: A panel of five doctors on Wednesday (September 22) conducted the post-mortem examination of deceased Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri.

The entire autopsy process which lasted for about two-and-a-half hours was video-graphed following which a sealed report was submitted to senior police officials.

After the post-mortem, the body was taken out for nagar yatra (procession) in Prayagraj city.

Thereafter, the mortal remains were taken to the Baghambri Gaddi Muth where he was given bhoo-samadhi.

The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday arrested the third suspect in connection with the suspicious death of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri.

The police have arrested two other people, including prime suspect Anand Giri, in connection with the seers death. As of now, the police have taken into custody the seers estranged disciple Anand Giri, Aadya Tiwari, the chief priest of the Hanuman temple at Sangam, and his son Sandeep Tiwari.

The police had on Tuesday constituted an 18-member SIT to probe the death of the seer and detained a disciple of his in Haridwar while Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said all aspects related to the death are being investigated and the guilty will not be spared.

The seer, who was the president of the largest organisation of sadhus in India, was found hanging by his disciples at Baghambari Muth in Allahabad on Monday.

A purported suicide note was also found, in which the seer had written that he was mentally disturbed and upset with one of his disciples, police had said.

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The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday cleared a proposal that seeks to make modifications in the ordinance to restore reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local bodies, after state Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari raised a query about its validity. The cabinet gave its approval during its meeting, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

The state government had earlier sent the draft ordinance to Koshyari for his approval. However, he returned it to the administration on Wednesday with his query. The Supreme Court in March this year had read down the OBC quota in some local governing bodies in the state citing non-availability of empirical data to substantiate the reservation percentage. The apex court had observed that total reservation should not exceed 50 per cent.

OBCs used to get up to 27 per cent reservation in electoral wards of municipal bodies and zilla parishads (district councils).

The Maharashtra government's decision to issue an ordinance offering electoral quota to the OBCs was found to be legally inadequate as the state law and judiciary department has advised it to seek permission from the Supreme Court as the matter is sub-judice. Following a query over this by the governor, the state cabinet cleared the proposal to rectify the order and draft a fresh ordinance.

In order to make necessary changes in the draft ordinance, the cabinet also cleared the proposal of allotting up to 27 per cent reservation in the local body polls to the OBC community. According to this proposal, the reservation would not cross the 50 per cent limit. Similar decision would be taken by the rural development department as well to allot reservation for OBCs in village governing body and Zilla Parishad (ZP) polls.

Last week, the state government had announced that it would bring an ordinance to grant OBC quota in upcoming by-elections to a set of local governing bodies without crossing the Supreme Court-mandated 50 per cent cap on reservation.

A couple of days before that, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced that by-elections to six ZPs and panchayat samitis under them for seats which have fallen vacant after the Supreme Court's OBC quota ruling will be held on October 5.

By-elections will be held for 85 wards in ZPs and 144 seats in panchayat samitis falling under their (ZP's) jurisdiction. The bypoll-bound ZPs are of Dhule, Nandurbar, Akola, Washim, Nagpur and Palghar and panchayat samitis coming under their jurisdiction.

In the first week of September, an all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray unanimously decided that local body polls be postponed till the state backward class commission compiles empirical data giving a clear picture on political backwardness of OBCs.

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Prayagraj: The The mortal remains of deceased Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) president, Mahant Narendra Giri, was taken out on a nagar yatra (procession) in Prayagraj city on Wednesday (September 22).

The procession was taken to Prayagrajs Sangam for the last holy bath. A huge crowd turned out along the route to pay last respects to the seer.

All educational institutions and commercial establishments in the city remained closed as a mark of respect to the departed saint.

Following the yatra, the mortal remains were taken to the Baghambri Gaddi Muth where he was given bhoo-samadhi amidst chanting of mantras in the presence of scores of saints and seers.

The `samadhi` was placed under a lemon tree, as desired by the deceased saint.

Before the yatra, an autopsy of Giris was conducted by a panel of five doctors. The entire autopsy process which lasted for about two-and-a-half hours was video-graphed following which a sealed report was submitted to senior police officials.

The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday arrested the third suspect in connection with the suspicious death of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri.

The police have arrested two other people, including prime suspect Anand Giri, in connection with the seers death. As of now, the police have taken into custody the seers estranged disciple Anand Giri, Aadya Tiwari, the chief priest of the Hanuman temple at Sangam, and his son Sandeep Tiwari.

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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Wednesday departed for a three-day official visit to the United States for attending the first in-person QUAD Summit, said that his trip would be an occasion to strengthen Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the US.

The Prime Minister added his US visit will also help India in consolidating ties with Japan and Australia.

My visit to the US would be an occasion to strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the US, consolidate relations with our strategic partners  Japan and Australia - and take forward our collaboration on important global issues, PM Modi said minutes before departing for the US.

At the invitation of @POTUS @JoeBiden, I am visiting USA to continue our dialogue, and exchange views on areas of mutual interest. Also looking forward to meet @VP @KamalaHarris to discuss global issues and explore ideas for cooperation between IND-US.

 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2021

The PM also confirmed that he will participate in first in-person QUAD Leaders Summit along with President Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japan's PM Yoshihide Suga. The Summit provides an opportunity to identify priorities for future engagements based on our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region, the PM said.

Will also participate in the Quad with President @JoeBiden, PM @ScottMorrisonMP and PM @sugawitter. We will take stock of outcomes of Summit in March. I will also address UNGA focusing on the global challenges. https://t.co/FcuhlJbeSl  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2021

In another tweet, the PM said, During my visit to the US between Sept 22-25, I will review India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with President Joe Biden and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for the United States around 11.20 AM on Wednesday to attend the first in-person meeting with US President Joe Biden, QUAD leaders and then United Nations General Assembly session on September 24.

PM Modi is accompanied by a high-level delegation including the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi departs from New Delhi for a 3-day visit to US to attend the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit, hold bilateral meetings, and address United Nations General Assembly pic.twitter.com/hxNeQEKMH1  ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

Briefing media in New Delhi on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden are expected to deliberate on ways to bolster bilateral ties in trade, investment and defence and security in their in-person talks in Washington.

He said the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Modi and US President Biden are expected to figure ways to deal with radicalisation and terrorism besides major regional issues including developments in Afghanistan. PM Modi will also meet US Vice President Kamala Harris.

Replying to a question on the recent security partnership among the US, Australia and the UK and its possible impact on Quad, Shringla said the AUKUS and Quad are two groups and not similar in nature.

Shirngla said, besides holding bilateral talks with the US leaders, the Prime Minister will participate in the first in-person summit of the Quad in Washington that is expected to broadly focus on contemporary global and regional issues.

He said PM Modi will have bilateral meetings with his Japanese and Australian counterparts. Shringla said the Quad summit is expected to provide a valuable opportunity for dialogue and interactions among the leaders, anchored in their shared vision of ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

He informed, in Washington, the Prime minister will also meet a number of top executives of major American companies. After concluding his engagements in Washington, Prime minister will travel to New York and is scheduled to address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25th.

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New Delhi: In the midst of a growing outcry in India over the UK's new travel rules, British officials on Wednesday suggested that the main issue is COVID-19 vaccine certification and not the Covishield vaccine and both sides are moving at "great speed" to resolve the matter.

Following India's strong criticism over the UK's refusal to recognise Covishield, London on Wednesday amended its new guidelines to include the Indian-made version of the AstraZeneca vaccine in its updated international travel advisory. However, Indian travellers vaccinated with two doses of Covishield will still have to undergo 10 days of quarantine in the UK notwithstanding the amendment, the officials clarified saying the inclusion of the vaccine will not make much of a difference.

There is no official reaction by India on the inclusion of Covishield to the approved list of vaccines by the UK.

Asked whether Covishield was added to the list because of strong reactions in India, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis said the vaccine is not an issue. "We listen very carefully to what the Indian government says but ministers have to take decisions and they have been clear that Covishield is not an issue," he told NDTV.

On whether the problem is with the vaccine certification, Ellis only said that the UK government is trying to understand how the Indian COVID vaccine app works and that it is a two-way process. He said the UK government is letting India know how its COVID app functions, adding both sides are going through a normal technical process to resolve any issue.

"This is happening at an extraordinary speed," he said.

National Health Authority CEO RS Sharma, however, said he was not aware of any concerns being raised by the UK about COVID vaccine certification by India, asserting that the Co-WIN system is WHO-compliant. "I am not aware of any concerns being raised by the UK. The British High Commissioner met me on September 2 and wanted to know details about the Co-WIN system. So, we connected their technical team with our technical teams which had two rounds of discussion with the second one being just yesterday. They have conveyed to us there is no need for any further discussion as all information has been exchanged between the two parties," Sharma told PTI.

According to new rules, Indian travellers who received both doses of the Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India will be considered unvaccinated and will have to undergo self-isolation for 10 days.

In a strong reaction, India had on Tuesday warned of "reciprocal measures" if the UK does not address its concerns over the new travel rules relating to COVID-19 vaccine certification with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla describing these norms as "discriminatory".

Referring to the latest guidelines issued by the UK government that will come into effect on October 4, another UK official said that London does not have any problem with the Covishield vaccine but there are certain issues related to vaccine certification in India.

The official said the UK is engaging with the government of India to explore how it could expand its recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India.

Quoting new guidelines, the official said Indian travellers to the UK must follow the "non-vaccinated rules" set out by the authorities.

Asked whether the UK had doubts about India's vaccine certification process, the British High Commissioner did not give a direct reply and talked about the new travel policy. "It is a very new policy. It takes a bit of time to work through and what we have learnt in the course of the last 18 months is that what happens in the UK affects India's public health and what happens in India affects the UK's public health because of the fantastic movement of people between the two countries," he said.

The new British rules have triggered massive criticism in India.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also took up the issue of Covishield-vaccinated travellers being required to quarantine in the UK with newly-appointed British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss at a meeting in New York on Tuesday. "The UK is committed to opening up international travel again as soon as is practicable and this announcement is a further step to enable people to travel more freely again, in a safe and sustainable way, while protecting public health," a spokesperson in the British High Commission said.

"We are engaging with the Government of India to explore how we could expand UK recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India," the official said.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's non-stop flight to the US on Wednesday (September 22) will fly over Pakistan's airspace to avoid Afghanistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a three-day visit to the United States on Wednesday where he will address the UN General Assembly and attend the Quad Summit as well as hold a bilateral meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

A high-level delegation including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and top government officials are accompanying PM Modi to the US.

According to government sources, India had sought permission from Pakistan regarding the usage of Pakistan's airspace for Prime Minister Modi's flight to the US, for which a nod was given by Islamabad.

Notably, Pakistan had previously denied the permission of President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Modi to use Pakistan's airspace thrice to travel to foreign countries in 2019 after India abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

Islamabad had even denied permission when PM Modi was visiting the US and Germany and President Kovind was visiting Iceland. "In view of the situation in (Jammu and) Kashmir and India's attitude, oppression and barbarity... and the violation of rights in the region, we have decided not to give permission to the Indian prime minister and we have conveyed this decision to the Indian High Commission," Pakistan foreign ministry had said in a statement in 2019.

After that India had officially registered protest against Pakistan with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on the denial. Meanwhile, India had permitted the usage of airspace for Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan's plane to visit Sri Lanka this year.

Watch the video as PM Modi embarks on the journey to US:

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi departs from New Delhi for a 3-day visit to US to attend the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit, hold bilateral meetings, and address United Nations General Assembly pic.twitter.com/hxNeQEKMH1  ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

The aircraft carrying PM Modi and the Indian high-level delegation took off from the Indian Air Force (IAF) Technical Airbase in Delhi on Wednesday morning. The new Boeing B-777 aircraft Extra Range (ER300) aircraft, which was recently modified for VVIP guests of India is also equipped with advanced defence systems.

The B-777 will take 15 hours of non-stop flight directly to the US. As it is avoiding Afghanistan's airspace, the flight will fly extra hours for the US trip. The VVIP plane will avoid Afghanistan airspace, as the country had closed its airspace for any commercial use.

The new regime in Afghanistan announced the closure of its airspace on August 16 just after the Taliban took full control of the nation. Due to the precarious security situation in Afghanistan, the Indian government has advised its carriers to avoid airspace over the country.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for the United States on Wednesday morning to attend the first in-person meeting with US President Joe Biden, QUAD leaders on September 24 followed by theUnited Nations General Assembly Session in New York on September 25th.

PM Modi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Briefing media in New Delhi on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said, during the QUAD Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden are expected to deliberate on ways to bolster bilateral ties in trade, investment and defence and security in their in-person talks in Washington.

He said the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Modi and US President Biden are expected to figure ways to deal with radicalisation and terrorism besides major regional issues including developments in Afghanistan. PM Modi will also meet US Vice President Kamala Harris.

Replying to a question on the recent security partnership among the US, Australia and the UK and its possible impact on Quad, Shringla said the AUKUS and Quad are two groups and not similar in nature.

Shirngla said, besides holding bilateral talks with the US leaders, the prime minister will participate in the first in-person summit of the Quad in Washington that is expected to broadly focus on contemporary global and regional issues.

He said, PM Modi will have bilateral meetings with his Japanese and Australian counterparts. Shringla said, the Quad Summit is expected to provide a valuable opportunity for dialogue and interactions among the leaders, anchored in their shared vision of ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

He informed, in Washington, the Prime minister will also meet a number of top executives of major American companies. After concluding his engagements in Washington, Prime minister will travel to New York and is scheduled to address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25th.

In reply to a question, the Foreign Secretary said, the non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminating policy and impacts our citizens travelling to the UK. He said that the External Affairs Minister has raised the issue strongly with the new UK Foreign Secretary and assurances have been given that this issue will be resolved.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit comes from a position of strength at a time when the Indian economy has gained momentum, an eminent Indian American said Wednesday. Prime Minister Modi is coming to the US from a position of strength, Silicon Valley-based and Indiaspora founder MR Rangaswami said in an interview.

India under PM Modi, he said, has emerged as a strong economic power in the world. Companies are not only looking at it as an investment destination but also a large number of Indian startups are turning into unicorns, said Rangaswami.

The Prime Minister, who would be on a three-day visit to the US, starting Wednesday, is also expected to meet top leaders of the American corporate sector. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the Prime Minister is unlikely to address a major gathering of the community or a collective meeting of the corporate leaders.

Instead, his meetings in Washington this time are expected to be short and at an individual level or at the most in small groups. Welcoming the visit, Ajay Bhutoria, South Asian community leader noted that this was a "very significant step" in further strengthening India US Bilateral relationships.

This visit becomes even more important with the situation in Afghanistan unfolding rapidly, he said. A group of community leaders are planning to welcome the Prime Minister at the airport and also in the city hotel where he is likely to stay.

Meanwhile, separatist Sikh and Kashmiri groups, human rights activists have announced peaceful protests against the prime minister during his stay here.

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Washington: In a break from over a decade long practice, an Indian Prime Minister will not stopover in Germany's Frankfurt en-route to the US. The new Air India One which will charter Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US, will not stopover in Frankfurt, like it has in the past.

The key reason of the change in the flight plan is new capabilities of Air India One, the VVIP aircraft used for ferrying President, Vice President and PM arrived from the US in October last year. The state-of-the-art aircraft was bought at a cost of over Rs 4500 crore. The aircraft has the capacity to fly long distances without stopovers for refueling.

PM Modi in his five-day visit to the US will attend the Quad summit in Washington and the address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. His plane left Delhi on Wednesday and was allowed to Pakistani airspace. Earlier, Pakistani PM Khan used airspace over India's exclusive economic zone when Khan was on a visit to Sri Lanka.

This is the second time the new Air India One is ferrying PM Modi. It was used during his last visit to Bangladesh in March earlier this year.

In the past, the PMs' plane has stoped over in Frankfurt, Germany. PM Modi's last visit to US was in 2019, remembered majorly because of the mega diaspora event 'Howdy Modi' in Houston. During that visit as well, PM Modi's plane had made a stopover in Frankfurt.

The journey to US is 12-hours long and the stopover provides a much needed break from the long journey.

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New Delhi: A 5-month-old pregnant Kyrgyz woman and her son, both nationals of the Central Asian country, were found dead with stab wounds at a flat here on Tuesday (September 21), police said.

According to the sources, the preliminary investigation has revealed that the woman, identified as Myskal Zhumabaeva, had an argument with her husband named Vinay Chauhan on Monday (September 20) night at their residence in Greater Kailash. Soon after the argument, Chauhan left the house to meet a friend.

As Myskal was not feeling well, she called her friend Matluba Madusmonova, an Uzbek national living in Kalkaji, for help and was taken to a hospital.

Sources said that Myskal was later brought back to Matluba`s residence where both Myskal and her 13-month-old son were found dead in the morning.

They further said the deceased foreign national had shifted to the area in the last 2-3 months.

Preliminary investigation revealed that were stabbing wounds on the victims` body. The cops have sealed the flat for investigation while the bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

An eerie silence prevailed in the area as the incident came as a shock for the nearby residents. The cops could be seen thoroughly examining the vicinity of the crime scene.

The building in which the crime took place was having a wide iron gate which probably ensured its safety.

The fear-stricken locals said that the area was considered safe and no criminal activity had taken place in the recent past.

Sources too confirmed to IANS that no signs of forced entry could be ascertained.

The police said a case under relevant sections has been registered, adding that further probe is on.

Cops are examining the CCTV footages as the people that are being questioned are giving different versions for the sequence of events.

ALSO READ: Mahant Narendra Giris death: Post-mortem, last rites today, 18-member SIT to probe case

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New Delhi: A school student from Chennai identified a bug in Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)'s online ticketing platform. The teenager not only informed the railways of the security error but also helped them fix it.

P Renganathan, 17, realised that the bug could have exposed millions of passengers and their private information. The bug has now been fixed, the IRCTC acknowledged.

According to a report, Renganathan was logging into the IRCTC site for book a ticket, when he realised that he could access the details of other passengers. The critical Insecure Object Direct References (IODR) vulnerability on the website helped him to access the journey details of other passengers including name, gender, age, PNR number, train details, departure station, and date of journey, as per an IANS report.

I accidently discovered a critical IDOR that leaks the transaction details of millions of travelers, when I was trying to book tickets on August 30. It was the most common bug. Immediately, I reported about it to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), P Renganathan from Tambaram told IANS.

If accessed by a hacker, they could have ordered food in the name of another passenger, changed the boarding station, and even cancelled the ticket without the knowledge of the passenger. Further, there was the risk of compromising details of millions of passengers.

The IT wing of the IRCTC took note of the complaint, and resolved the vulnerability issue in four days. Our e-ticketing system is well protected (now). The issue was reported on August 30 and it was fixed on September 2, an official said. On September 11, 2021, Renganathan also received a mail thanking him for reporting the incident.

The teenager has recieved similar acknowledgments from Linkedin, the United Nations, Nike, and several others for alerting them of the vulnerabilities in their websites. Renganathan wants to pursue a career in Computer Science, while continuing independent research on security of web applications.

(With agency inputs)
Rejecting Centre's plea to defer the first NDA exam for women candidates to next year, the Supreme Court has directed that women will be allowed to sit for the upcoming exam on November 14. On induction of women in NDA, the Supreme Court said, "We don't want women to be denied their right, needful be done by defence department in collaboration with UPSC."

The Supreme Court also reportedly said that deferring women's entry "won't send the right signal to women after having given them the aspiration..let's begin from this year.

Supreme Court tells the Centre that it cannot vacate its interim order that allowed female aspirants to take the NDA entrance examination to be held in November this year pic.twitter.com/oWRzuycRjD  ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

Earlier, in a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court had allowed women to take the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam scheduled for September this year. While passing its order, the apex court said that admissions will be subject to the final orders of the court.

The Supreme Court also came down heavily on the Indian Army for not allowing women to take part in NDA exams, Sainik Schools and other military institutions.

The top court said that while the Indian Navy and Air Force have already made provisions, the Indian Army still lags behind and chided its regressive mindset.

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Chandigarh: Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said he would fight Navjot Sidhu`s elevation to Punjab Chief Ministership tooth and nail, and was ready to make any sacrifice to save the country from such a "dangerous man". Even as he reiterated his intention to counter any move to make Sidhu the state's Chief Minister face, Amarinder Singh said he will pit a strong candidate against him in the 2022 Assembly polls to ensure his defeat.

"He (Sidhu) is dangerous for the state," said the former Chief Minister in a series of media interviews.

Asserting that he will only leave politics on a high, he said: "I was ready to leave after a victory but never after a loss."

He disclosed that he had offered his resignation to party President Sonia Gandhi three weeks earlier but she had asked him to continue. "If she had just called me and asked me to step down, I would have," he said, adding that "as a soldier, I know how to do my task and leave once I am called back".

He said he had even told Sonia Gandhi that he was ready to hang his boots and allow someone else to take over as the Chief Minister after leading the Congress to another sweeping win in Punjab. "But that did not happen, so I will fight," he asserted, taking strong exception at being subjected to "humiliation" by calling a Congress Legislative Party meeting in a secretive manner, without taking him into confidence.

"I would not have taken MLAs on a flight to Goa or some place. That is not how I operate. I don`t do gimmicks, and the Gandhi siblings know that is not my way," he said, adding: "Priyanka and Rahul (Gandhi) are like my children... this should not have ended like this. I am hurt."

He claimed that the Gandhi siblings were "quite inexperienced" and "their advisors were clearly misguiding them".

Indicating that he was still keeping his political options open, the former Chief Minister said he was talking to his friends before deciding on his future course of action.

"You can be old at 40 and young at 80," he quipped, making it clear that he did not see his age as a hurdle.

On allegations of inaccessibility, Amarinder Singh said he had been elected to the Vidhan Sabha seven times and twice to the Parliament.

"There must be something right with me," he remarked, adding that the Congress leadership had evidently decided on making the change (in Punjab) and were trying to make up a case.

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New Delhi: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is inviting professionals to India's largest IT firm by market cap as a Service Desk Role Executive. At TCS, a Service Desk Role Executives work is to provide support to global customers. Candidates with good communication skills are desired for the job role.

The individual is responsible for reviewing, responding, updating and assigning tickets within the ticketing system. If youre planning to apply for the post of Service Desk Role Executive then you should keep the following details in mind:

Educational qualification for Service Desk Role Executive

Candidates applying for the job of Service Desk Role Executive should have at least a Bachelor of Arts(BA) degree. This means that candidates must be at least a graduate to apply for the job.

Last date for job application

The last date to apply for the position of Service Desk Role Executive at TCS is 30 September 2021.

Desired experience for job

Candidates applying for the job must have a minimum of more than one year of experience in providing Service Desk Support in the International Voice process.

Job description of Service Desk Role Executive

The job demands employees to offer on-call support to global customers of the tech giant. The candidates will have to resolve the queries of the customers in a professional way to ensure customer satisfaction.

Moreover, candidates should have the talent to explain technical complex things in simple language to clients. For this, the candidate should also be able to understand technical details so that the problems can be resolved easily over the phone. Also Read: ZEEL-Sony Pictures merger: Heres why the deal is extremely profitable for shareholders, stakeholders

Candidates with problem-solving capabilities will have an upper edge at the job. Other skills that are desired for the job include priority setting and collaboration, among others. Also Read: Supertech MD faces 3-year imprisonment for failing to refund homebuyer
Washington: Seems like being `Instagram Official` has some other definition for star couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck as despite being rekindling the romance and uploading picture together, the two are not following each other on the popular app.

Bennifer 2.0 has managed to grab all the headlines with their public outings and PDA without even clicking follow on the other's Instagram accounts, and interestingly nobody noticed until now.

It's back in July when Jennifer made her relationship Instagram official with Ben. On her birthday- July 24, she uploaded a picture that featured the duo packing on lips at a yacht.

Earlier that month, 'The Boy Next Door' actor also liked a photo of Ben on a fan account, according to TMZ. Other than these, the actors haven`t liked or tagged each other in any one of their posts on Instagram.

Seems like, they certainly have other ways to show love for each other. Despite their busy schedules, the pair prioritizes time with their families.This weekend, the couple brought their families together for an outdoor screening of School of Rock in Los Angeles, according to Page Six.

Bennifer also made their red carpet debut at the Venice Film Festival on September 10, years after getting back together. A few days later, they made heads turn with their Monday night's Met Gala appearance in New York City.

A source told People magazine that amid their string of high-profile outings, the duo was enjoying their day-to-day lives and looking forward to their various work-related commitments this fall.

The two were engaged in 2002 but split in 2004. They co-starred in the films `Jersey Girl` and `Gigli` together. They postponed their 2003 wedding days before they were set to walk down the aisle, and then officially split by January 2004.

The `I`m Real` songstress recently ended her engagement with former MLB star Alex Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, Ben split with actor Ana de Armas in January.

Jennifer shares 13-year-old twins, Max and Emme, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, while Ben shares three children, 15-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Seraphina, and 9-year-old Samuel with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday (September 22) granted pre-arrest bail to actor Gehana Vasisth in a case related to FIR registered against her in a porn films racket also involving Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra.

A Bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul stayed the Bombay High Court order, which had rejected her anticipatory bail plea. The Bench ordered that Vasisht will not be arrested in the third FIR registered against her.

The Bench while granting relief to Vasisht asked her to join the investigation as and when required.After the Bombay High Court had rejected her anticipatory bail plea in the third FIR, she approached the apex court. She was arrested and jailed for a few months in the two earlier cases. Kundra is also an accused in another FIR in the porn films case.

Vasisht has been named in an FIR for forcing the complainant to act in a pornography video. The case was filed after the police received a complaint that Vasisth, who was allegedly the director of porn films, threatened, coerced and lured women with money to act in obscene film videos.

The complainant had claimed that she was coerced to act in obscene videos for Vasisth's films, which were uploaded on an adult mobile application, allegedly owned by Kundra. Kundra was granted bail this week. Vasisht has been booked under Sections 354-C (outraging modesty of a woman), 292 and 293 (sale of obscene material) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Sections 66E, 67, 67A (transmission of sexually explicit material) of the Information Technology Act, and provisions of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
New Delhi: Actor Richa Chadha has lashed out at the Delhi restaurant, which has come under fire for not allowing entry to a woman as she was wearing a saree. According to the woman, the staff members at the restaurant told her that they only let in those wearing smart casuals and saree does not fall under it.

Venting out her anger at Delhi restaurant Aquila on the matter, Richa wrote in her tweet, "This snobbery- denouncing our traditional clothes, looking down upon our own languages is the residue of post-colonisation trauma. It also creates a fertile breeding ground for fascism that exploits this very trauma. The Sari is smart, your policy isnt! #SariNotSorry #Aquila."

This snobbery- denouncing our traditional clothes, looking down upon our own languages is the residue of post-colonisation trauma. It also creates a fertile breeding ground for fascism that exploits this very trauma. The Sari is smart, your policy isnt! #SariNotSorry #Aquila https://t.co/4nNli9nYXU pic.twitter.com/klRNK9rgAW  TheRichaChadha (@RichaChadha) September 22, 2021

A video of the incident, which was shared by woman - Anita Choudaary in a Facebook post, shows purported video of her argument with the restaurant staff, alongside a couple of pictures of herself in the saree. "In one of the restaurants in Delhi, saree is not considered to be a smart outfit. The restaurant's name is Aquila. We argued over saree, and a lot of excuses were made, but I was not allowed to enter the restaurant, because the Indian attire -- saree is not a smart outfit. "I have never been insulted like this. I also feel hurt," she wrote.

After the video went viral, the Aquila restaurant at Delhi's upscale Khel Gaon Marg has drawn flak for its 'no saree' rule for patrons. "Seriously. Such eating places have no right to even exist in independent India. I am sure the license needs to be cancelled for such restaurants/clubs who are against ethnic wear," wrote one.

"Denying entry because the patron is dressed in torn, shredded jeans or is wearing inappropriate footwear is perfectly understandable, but refusing entry for being draped in a saree is absolute stupidity. The management of the restaurant-bar should be strictly penalised for this action," wrote another.

The restaurant has since been review-bombed on Zomato and receiving flak from people over its treatment of customers.

Zomato has put up a message for patrons on the restaurant's page that reads: 'This restaurant is receiving a lot of media attention due to recent events. We are monitoring all reviews closely to ensure that they comply with our content guidelines."

On the other hand, the restaurant claimed the incident was misrepresented and said the establishment believed in 'honouring our Indian community and have always welcomed our guests in all dress codes from modern to traditional'.

Speaking of Richa Chadda's work front, the talented actress was last seen in the thriller web series 'Candy' with Ronit Roy. She will next be seen 'Six Suspects', which is based on Vikas Swarups 2008 novel of the same name.
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday defended the use of a chartered flight by him to travel to Delhi, a day after the Opposition raised questions over it. To a question on his visit to the national capital on a chartered flight on Tuesday, Channi asked reporters, "What is the problem if the son of a poor man boarded a jet?"

However, he refused to reply to a question on whether the government will foot the bill. Channi was in Jalandhar where he was asked about his visit to Delhi by reporters.

The chief minister, along with his deputies Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, OP Soni and Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, went to Delhi on a chartered flight on Tuesday to discuss the expansion of the new Punjab cabinet with the party's central leadership.

Sidhu uploaded a photo of him with Channi and Randhawa standing next to the chartered plane. The Congress leaders drew flak from the Opposition for travelling to Delhi on a chartered flight.

Taking a swipe at them, the Shiromani Akali Dal said Congress leaders opt for "private jets for travelling just 250 km to Delhi", while the Aam Aadmi Party said the grand old party has not been able to "give up its royal habits".

Raveen Thukral, media advisor to former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, also took potshots at the Congress leaders for travelling to Delhi on a chartered flight.
New Delhi: In yet another setback for Supertech Group, the national consumer commission awarded three years of imprisonment to MD Mohit Arora for failing to refund a homebuyer who was to get possession of his home several years ago.

The house located in UP's Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Area (YEIDA) was jointly bought by Brigadier (retired) Kanwal Batra with his daughter Ruhi in 2013. They had reportedly purchased the villa for approximately Rs 1.03 crore.

Supertech had promised to provide the possession of the home by August 2014. However, the real estate company had failed to deliver the project on time.

The commission, while issuing the warrant, had also granted a slight relief to Arora. The commission has noted that the arrest order will come into effect if Supertech fails to refund Rs 1.70 crore, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

In its order, the commission said, "In view of non-compliance and dishonouring of his commitment, Arora was being sentenced to three years in jail under Section 27 of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and a warrant of arrest was being issued."

In response to the order, Arora reportedly said that Supertech will comply with the commissions order by Thursday. The company is expected to deposit the returns in the accounts of the property buyer by Thursday.

The order has come weeks after the Supreme Court recently directed the demolition of its two 40-storey buildings in one of its housing projects in Noida. A bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said there was collusion between Noida authority and Supertech while allowing construction of two towers in one of its projects in Noida. Also Read: New SBI Pension Seva portal: Submit Life Certificates at any branch, check other facilities

The apex court had also directed the real estate company to refund all amounts to the buyers of the apartments in twin towers within two months with an interest of 12 per cent per annum. Also Read: DoT simplifies KYC for new mobile connections, prepaid to postpaid transfers, check new rules

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#mute
New Delhi: Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has simplified the know your customer (KYC) process for new mobile connections as well as for prepaid to postpaid transfers.

The Ministry of Communications issued the orders in a notification on Tuesday, September 21, to simplify the process, based on the announcements made by the Cabinet on September 15 to reform the telecom sector in India.

Minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw took to Twitter to highlight the changes in the process, and how DoT is bringing in simplification in the KYC process for telecom customers.

In a tweet, he said, KYC process has been simplified for telecom subscribers. The new process, the minister suggested, is Contactless, Secure and Paperless. In a recent Tweet, he said that telecom reforms aim to provide world-class internet and tele-connectivity for the marginalised section.

In a press statement, the ministry pointed out that currently, a subscriber has to undergo a KYC process that requires the customer to visit the Point of Sale along with original identity and address proof for obtaining a new mobile connection. Customers also need to follow the process for conversion of mobile connection from prepaid to postpaid or vice-versa.

However, with the new changes, subscribers will ab able to get a new mobile number from the comfort of their homes. Here are the three new changes in the KYC process:

Aadhaar based e-KYC

The new process is completely online. A complete paperless and digital process wherein the demographic details along with picture of the customer is received online by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) from the UIDAI, the ministry said.

Self-KYC

Moreover, customers can now apply for a new mobile connection online. The verification will be done electronically. Documents will be verified by UIDAI or DigiLocker. Also Read: Sensex rises over 100 points in opening trade, Nifty tops 17,500

OTP based conversion

Customers only need to verify their details with OTP for Prepaid to Postpaid transfer or vice-versa, according to a notification by the ministry. Also Read: ZEEL-Sony merger: Punit Goenka to remain MD and CEO of unified entity
New Delhi: In the suicide case of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad President Mahant Narendra Giri, two accused Anand Giri and Adya Tiwari have been sent to 14 days' judicial remand on Wednesday. The two were produced in Chief Judicial Magistrate's court where they were sent to judicial custody.

Anand Giri had been taken into custody on Monday night after Mahant Narendra Giri had purportedly named him in his suicide note. While, Tiwari, the priest of the Hanuman temple, who was also named in the suicide note was picked up for questioning by the police on Monday night as well.

The third accused Sandeep Tiwari will be produced in court tomorrow.

Meanwhile, according to the post-mortem, the time of death is from 3 to 4 pm on September 20. There are no marks of any kind on the body. The police had found sulphas tablets from the room, Mahant had asked his disciple to bring for him also, the rope used for hanging was brought in by the disciple.

The police is in possesion of a video of Mahant Narendra Giri wherein he named the three arrested accused. The video repeats what was said in the suicide note.

Police sent the suicide note for forensic investigation alongwith many other documents written by him which was recovered from the spot. A handwriting expert has been examaning them to confirm if the letter was written by Mahant Giri himself.

The seer, who was the president of the largest organisation of sadhus in India, was found hanging by his disciples at Baghambari Muth in Allahabad on Monday. In a purported suicide note the seer had written that he was mentally disturbed and upset with one of his disciples, police said.

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United Nations: Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Tuesday (September 21) that China would not build new coal-fired power projects abroad, using his address at the United Nations General Assembly to add to pledges to deal with climate change.

Xi provided no details, but depending on how the policy is implemented, the move could significantly limit the financing of coal plants in the developing world.

China has been under heavy diplomatic pressure to put an end to its coal financing overseas because it could make it easier for the world to stay on course to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement to reduce carbon emissions.

Xi`s announcement followed similar moves by South Korea and Japan earlier this year, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.S. climate envoy John Kerry have urged China to follow the lead of its Asian counterparts.

"China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad," Xi said in his pre-recorded video address at the annual U.N. gathering, in which he stressed China`s peaceful intentions in international relations.

Xi spoke after US President Joe Biden gave his first United Nations address. Biden mapped out a new era of vigorous competition without a new Cold War despite China`s ascendance.

In a calm and measured speech, Xi made no direct mention of China`s often bitter rivalry with the United States, where the Biden administration has made policies on climate change mitigation a top priority and sought to cooperate with Beijing.

Xi repeated pledges from last year that China would achieve a peak in carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060.

Some experts have criticized that target as not ambitious enough, though it allowed Beijing to claim the moral high ground on the issue after then-US

President Donald Trump, who had called climate change a "hoax", had withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement.

China, the world`s largest greenhouse gas emitter, is still heavily reliant on coal for its domestic energy needs.

One of Biden`s first moves after assuming office in January was to reassert US leadership on climate change and return the United States to the Paris agreement.

"China was the last man standing. If there`s no public finance of coal from China, there`s little to no global coal expansion," Justin Guay, director of global climate strategy at the Sunrise Project, a group advocating for a global transition from coal and fossil fuels, said of Xi`s promise.

`BREATHE FREE`

Hours earlier, without mentioning China by name, Biden said democracy would not be defeated by authoritarianism.

"The future will belong to those who give their people the ability to breathe free, not those who seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand," Biden said.

"We all must call out and condemn the targeting and oppression of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, whether it occurs in Xinjiang or northern Ethiopia, or anywhere in the world," he said, referring to the western Chinese region where authorities have created a network of internment camps for Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

Ties between the world`s two biggest economies have been languishing at their lowest point in decades over issues ranging from human rights to transparency over the origins of COVID-19.

Xi said there was a need to "reject the practice of forming small circles or zero-sum games," a possible reference to the U.S.-led Quad forum of Australia, India, Japan and the United States seen as a means of pushing back against China`s rise, which is due to meet at leader level in Washington on Friday.

China last week warned of an intensified arms race in the region after the United States, Britain and Australia announced a new Indo-Pacific security alliance, dubbed AUKUS, which will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.



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Kabul: Attackers struck Taliban vehicles in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, witnesses said, killing at least two fighters and three civilians in the latest violence since the group's takeover of the country in mid-August.

In one attack, gunmen opened fire on a Taliban vehicle at a local gas station in the provincial capital of Jalalabad, killing two fighters and a gas station attendant, witnesses said. A child was also killed, they added.

Another child was killed and two Taliban were wounded in a separate attack a bombing of another vehicle. Another bombing of a Taliban vehicle in Jalalabad also wounded a person nearby, although it was unclear if that person was a Taliban official or not.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

No one claimed immediate responsibility for Wednesday's attacks, although the Islamic State group, which is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan, took responsibility for similar attacks in Jalalabad last week that killed eight.

The Taliban and IS are enemies, and the attacks have raised the specter of wider conflict between the country's new Taliban rulers and their long-time rivals.

The Taliban are under pressure to contain IS militants, in part to make good on a promise to the international community that they will prevent the staging of terror attacks from Afghan soil.

There is also a widely held expectation among conflict-weary Afghans that despite fears and misgivings about the Taliban the new rulers will at least restore a measure of public safety.

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New Delhi: IThe South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) foreign ministers meet, which was due to take place on September 25 at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has been cancelled over Pakistan's objection on the issue of Afghanistan representation at the meet. SAARC had reached consensus with Afghanistan's representation with an "empty seat" as a key solution for the informal foreign ministers' meet.

But with Pakistan insisting on certain conditions, which included Taliban representation, a consensus could not finally be arrived at. At United Nations, Afghan Republic's envoy Ghulam Isaczai still represents his country. He is listed to speak at the UNGA as well for his country.

A note verbale by Nepal foreign ministry sent on September 21 said that "due to lack of concurrence from all member states as of today, the informal meeting of the SAARC council of ministers proposed to be held in person on 25th September 2021.... will not take place". Nepal is the chair of the grouping. The SAARC secretariat also sent a similar letter of cancellation of the meet.

It's important to know that the SAARC Secretariat had sent a note verbale on September 15 announcing the date for the meet on 25th, at 3 pm, New York time. Nepal as the chair decides as to who is sent the invite. It is not yet known, to who Nepal had sent the invite, when it came to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan saw dramatic change of government on August 15, after the national capital Kabul fell into the hands of Taliban. In the chaos, the Afghan Republic's government led by President Ashraf Ghani fell. This has led to questions over who represents Afghanistan at various international forums, but so far, Afghan mission representatives globally appointed by Ashraf Ghani hold the fort.

Also read: No women included in Taliban's new cabinet in Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

The current development assumes significance since even during the worst moments of India-Pakistan ties, like in 2019, the meet happened on the sidelines of UNGA. Last year, the meet happened via a virtual mode. The meeting has been taking place since 1997, annually, on the sidelines of the UNGA.

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